Revelations:
Cast In Blood
Christine
Sutton, Lisa Lane, Jaime Johnesee
Publisher:
DevilDog Press LLC
Publication
Date: September 1, 2015
ASIN:
B0117VK5JQ
Book
Description:
An
unknown force threatens Heaven and Hell, along with every soul on
Earth. Three unlikely heroes join together to restore universal
balance.
Will
their shared adversary initiate an Apocalypse before they're able to
uncover the truth, or will they rise to a calling that has, from the
beginning of time, been Cast in Blood?
Available
at Amazon
This was such a cool way for three authors to write one story. Lenny, Drew and Polly are all leading ladies but they all have a different voice and a different path, yet the three together take on a whole slew of crazy to defeat it. Amazingly well done!!
Lenny was taken in by the Children of Light church. She never suspected evil supernaturals were running it and converting and killing people. But when Polly appears, helps her and opens her eyes, she's willing to fight to help. Lenny is supernatural but doesn't know it, Polly is first knight of hell for lucifer- dude Lucy is awesome!!- and Drew gets thrown into the mix as a sucubus. When everything starts going to hell or heaven and souls are being stolen, it's down to the nitty gritty for these ladies to do everything the can to save everyone. And high five to girl power!
There's some seriously bad parts and some horrible situations but they are real so it's so believable. The world building is fascinating and I can't wait to see what's in store for our ladies on book two. I would love to know more about Lucy though there's a good bit of explanation in here. The writing is different because each author writes differently and that's cool too. Though sometimes the authors would repeat the same thing like the fall and how things got to where they are. A little repetitive but better than lacking important info. I can't wait for more!! 4.5 PAWS!!
Author Interview
First, tell me a little about your book ….
First, tell me a little about your book ….
JJ: The series the three of us are working on now is called Revelations. It’s about three supernatural beings trying to save hell and stop the apocalypse. Our characters are a high ranking demon named Apollyon (Polly to her friends), a succubus, named Drew, and a shapeshifter named Lenny. It’s their job to make sure the world doesn’t end.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated or did you always just know?
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated or did you always just know?
LL: I always knew.
CS: I always knew, too.
JJ: I was eight and my teacher gave us the assignment to write our own books. I still have my little cloth covered story.
What inspired you to write your first book and what was it?
What inspired you to write your first book and what was it?
LL: I've shared the story behind my very first book—which I co-authored with my twin sister at fourteen years old—so many times, I'm going to share the inspiration behind my first solo book to change things up a little. I was working in lower management for a large corporate chain, a job I both loved and loathed with great passion. I loved my regular customers, people who'd drive forty-five minutes just to get my advice on a problem, and I loved the immediate environment. My direct boss was a dream to work for, and most of the employees in my department were good people who were willing to learn what they needed to in order to do their jobs well. I butted heads with the district manager, however, over issues I felt pushed my personal ethics. The personification of "Corporate" also rubbed me the wrong way: "Corporate" has changed such-and-such policy; "Corporate" wants you to cut your workers' hours; "Corporate" has just set aside ten million dollars to change the company logo on signs all across the country…. Seeing how corporatized the U.S. had become, I began to speculate: What if "Corporate" ran the country instead of the president, Congress, and Senate? World-Mart was born.
CS: I decided that since I had always wanted to be a writer, I had better be one. I realized that I had let my dreams pass me by for far too long. I opened up my laptop and started writing my collection, Killers. The collection is four short stories/novellas all told from the point of view of killers. Some of the killers are evil, some are not so bad, and some are victims of circumstance. I am actually still really proud of my work in that book.
JJ: My first full book was a detective story that I wrote for my husband for our one year anniversary. The traditional gift for one year is paper so I thought it would be a nice way to show him I loved him in a nontraditional way.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
LL: I never base story arcs on personal events, although I do sometimes unleash my personal demons—my fears, my shortcomings, my concerns and dislikes—onto the page.
CS: It is very rare that I use someone I know for inspiration. I have a few characters in some of my books that are named after some of my most loyal readers, though.
JJ: I often use some of my own Griswoldian (Think Clark Griswold from the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies.) moments in my Bob the Zombie series. I am a terrible klutz with the occasional horrible luck streak that is highly amusing after the fact.
How do you choose when/which characters die in your books?
How do you choose when/which characters die in your books?
LL: A death needs to have some kind of significance and relevance to the story, be it to throw the reader or to create a new psychological obstacle for the protagonist. Both the reader and the character need to have an emotional investment in whomever dies, so waiting until I've had time to flesh him or her out is a must. I know I've timed it right when I choke up writing the scene.
CS: There are a fair amount of deaths in my books. Some of them are minor characters that act as a catalyst for progressing the story. Significant deaths have to mean something special. I don’t care for gratuitous deaths that are just for shock value or to tearjerk.
JJ: This is going to sound goofy but I don’t choose. I let the characters tell their story and they do the killing for me. Like my coauthors, I believe gratuitous death only hinders a story because it keeps people from feeling the loss in the way they should.
Who do you look up to as a writer?
Who do you look up to as a writer?
LL: My hero is Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. I'd put World-Mart on the back burner after being hit with a serious illness—shifting gears to write Myths of Gods as a way of coping with personal existential angst—and Vonnegut's death, which hit me hard, inspired me to revisit the book and finish it in his honor.
CS: I have always been a Stephen King fan. I also really look up to authors like Alice Walker, Mark Twain, Anne Rice and Michael Crichton. I have been somewhat obsessed with J.K. Rowling. I am in absolute awe of her talent and scope of vision. I think she is an amazing author and an even more amazing woman.
JJ: I look up to the following authors not just because of their work but also because of who they are as people. (Not to mention all they do to help others in this industry.) Armand Rosamilia, Mark Tufo, Shawn Chesser, Rebecca Besser, Christine Sutton, Lisa Lane, and Jeffrey Kosh have taken the time out of their lives to help me progress both in my writing and my career. These folks have also helped other authors to grow and better themselves that says a lot about them as people.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
LL: I hardly ever begin a new project unless I see a challenge in it, and I like to challenge myself in different ways. For the last novel I wrote, I wanted to see if I could sustain (and keep unpredictable and interesting) a full-length novel limited almost entirely to a single apartment and a single, live-alone protagonist. With this series, the challenge was altering my entire writing style and "voice" to match those of my cowriters. I've altered my style many times, most notably when I wrote my Gothic horror, Finding Poe, which I wanted readers to feel like Poe had written himself. Literary styles come easily to me; mainstream … not so much.
CS: I always love a challenge. My biggest challenge is always characterization. If my characters are not authentic, I've done a poor job, and it needs to be redone until it’s right. I want readers to really care about my characters as people, not just dismiss them as unreal.
What book are you reading now? Or what genre?
What book are you reading now? Or what genre?
LL: Literary horror.
CS: I just opened up a book by an author named Scott Burtness. Wisconsin Vamp: Monsters in the Midwest Book 1. I’ve only just started reading, but I’m really digging it so far.
Did you learn anything from writing your books and what was it?
Did you learn anything from writing your books and what was it?
LL: I've learned I can simplify my prose when need be and that, with enough cooperation, multiple writers can come together to create a cohesive piece.
CS: I make it a point to learn something from everything I do. From Revelations: Cast in Blood, I learned that strong women working together can only make things better.
JJ: I have learned to love the editing process. Where once I hated it I now see just how wonderful a good edit can make a story. With Revelations I learned how to coauthor and work with others to produce a really amazing story.
If you could be one of your characters, who would you chose?
If you could be one of your characters, who would you chose?
CS: I would definitely be Lenny from Revelations: Cast in Blood. She’s kind of a badass.
JJ: I would love to be either Polly from our Revelations series or my character Samantha Reece from my Shifters series.
Are there any books you think some of us should read, just because?
Are there any books you think some of us should read, just because?
LL: The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrtich, Shirley Russeau Murphy's Joe Grey series, and The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.
CS: The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Everyone should read that book. Everyone.
JJ: I can’t say there is any one book I think everyone needs to read. I just think it’s important that everyone take the time to read. Whatever genres, whatever authors, so long as you’re reading you’re growing whether you realize it or not.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
LL: The first novella in my Jane the Hippie Vampire series, Love Beads, is free on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and all online retailers that take distribution from Smashwords. If you like urban fantasy with a bit of horror (and you don't mind a slight bit of adult content), you'll enjoy Jane's adventures. And, of course, thank you for your readership and support! You can check out all of my books at http://www.cerebralwriter.com.
CS: THANK YOU!! You make all of this fun and exciting. I love hearing from you and reading reviews. You are always first and foremost in my heart. You can also find me at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Sutton/e/B005NNAKAE/
You can read the first short story that began the Burkheart Witch Saga for FREE, or pick up the whole collection at a discount. Or, you can grab these and any of my other titles at most ebook retailers. Enjoy!
JJ: I want to thank you for taking time out of your lives to pick up something I wrote. It means a lot to me. I have the first novella in my Bob the Zombie series FREE right now. I love to hear from you guys and you can find me on my website http://www.JaimeJohnesee.com and at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jaime-Johnesee/e/B007P5CLDW/ or Barnes and Noble
About
Christine Sutton
Christine
Sutton is the author of more than fifteen short stories, novellas and
novels. While she tends to cross genres within horror, she is always
passionate about scaring the hell out of you.
Her
passion would have to be serial killer fiction, but she also loves
ghosts, ghouls, demons and monsters of all types. Christine's work
ranges from modern day fairy tales to demonic soul eaters to ghostly
children that just want to play. Her writing has been called
passionate, realistic, gritty, fun, enthralling and tons of other
cool adjectives.
You,
too can pick up some of Christine's work and come up with some cool
adjectives of your own. It won't be hard. I promise.
About
Leigh M. Lane/Lisa Lane
Leigh
M. Lane has been writing for over twenty years. She has ten published
novels and dozens of published short stories--penning the majority of
her speculative and literary works under Leigh M. Lane and her
mainstream and urban fantasy stories under Lisa Lane. She is married
to editor Thomas B. Lane, Jr. and currently resides in the hot and
dusty outskirts of Sin City.
For
more information, visit her website at http://www.cerebralwriter.com
About
Jaime Johnesee
Jaime
Johnesee lives in Michigan with her husband and two sons. She spent
fourteen years as a zookeeper before shifting her focus to writing
full time. Known for her bestselling horror comedy series, Bob the
Zombie, she is also currently coauthoring the paranormal horror
series, Revelations, for Devil Dog Press as well as working on her
Shifters series.
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