RELEASE: The Sirens Call Issue #47 ‘Deeds Most Foul and Unnatural’ | #Horror #DarkFic #FREE #eZine @Sirens_Call

Sirens Call Publications is pleased to announce the release of the latest issue of

The Sirens Call

The 47th issue of The Sirens Call eZine weighs in at 184 pages featuring one hundred and twenty six pieces of dark fiction and horror from ninety six different authors and poets. Be sure to check out the twelve pieces of artwork from the mega-talented Robert Elrod, along with his essay about how much he loves monsters! And it is our absolute honor and pleasure to present an interview with this month’s featured author, Ramsey Campbell conducted by Trish Wilson! A master of the horror genre, Campbell offers an excerpt from his novel, The Influence, plus a link to the trailer for the new Netflix film based on it!

Click on the cover for your #FREE download!

Visit the web site to check out the other The Sirens Call issues!
www.sirenscallpub.com

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SUBMISSIONS CLOSED: The Sirens Call — Issue 47 ‘Deeds Most Foul and Unnatural’ @Sirens_Call

Submissions for the 47th issue of The Sirens Call, featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry are closed.

Sirens Call Publications would like to thank all of the authors who submitted work for consideration. We’ll be in touch as soon as we can with our decisions.

To any authors or publishers looking for Ad space, please contact Nina at Nina@SirensCallPublications.com for details.

 

REPOST: Ela Lourenco, Author of Dragon Born: Book Three, Awakening, Speaks About Awakening Reluctant Readers | @ElaLourenco #fantasy #YA #DragonBorn

The Awakening of Reluctant Readers?

Ela Lourenco

The idea for the Dragon Born series was actually not mine but my daughter’s. Being dyslexic yet a lover of fantasy tales she decided that I should put my time to good use and write books especially for her! Her love of dragons and all things magical were the starting point for the series. The main characters are in fact based on my two daughters and nieces – and I found that they evolved and matured as the books in the series progressed… you could say they grew up together.

I know some writers plan their stories in great detail while others just let them flow spontaneously – I fall somewhere in between. Once I actually start writing it is all spontaneous and freestyle but then there are the months of planning that go on in the background before the first chapter is ever started. And the ever-changing relationships between the characters… so unpredictable at times!

Awakening is the third book of the five book Dragon Born series, and in some ways my favourite of the collection in that it’s the point where various characters and sub plots begin to merge at a faster tempo and the tension is rising rapidly. I have been ‘accused’ by many a reader of ending each chapter in suspense, so they just have to read the next one! Yes, I do like to keep throwing curveballs into the mix, I love to keep my reader guessing but there is a method to my seeming madness! Aside from creating my own fantastical stories my great passion is bringing the joy back to reading. Sadly, between the rise of gadgets, technology and the drastic increase in learning difficulties books have fallen by the wayside. Instant gratification has become the norm – I try to combat that with chapters filled with such a constant stream of mystery and action that even the most reluctant reader will be tempted.

Learning difficulties are often misunderstood by many. ‘Dyslexia’, for example, is not one size fits all – not all dyslexics mix up letters or struggle with spelling. And not all reluctant readers are dyslexic. One thing they all have in common though is that reading has to be exciting to keep them engaged. I try to achieve this without dumbing down the language or concepts – I merely attempt to keep my descriptions more vivid and to avoid unnecessarily long passages.

I hope my readers enjoy this latest book in the series and keep sending me feedback!

Fun fact about me: what many do not know is that I have studied child developmental psychology and trained in the area of dyslexia and learning difficulties – and I also run creative writing workshops for children and young adults.

Awakening
Book Three of the Dragon Born Series

The Royal tournament, the Karnac, is fully underway. But there is deception and betrayal at every turn. Unseen dark forces are at play, both within the school grounds and out with. Even the Gods are unable to help when a new threat looms over them all.The very existence of Azmantium depends on Lara fully becoming the Child of Fire and casting aside the Shadows lurking in every corner of her beloved planet.Can she overcome the challenges that await? Will the Shadows cover the world in darkness? Only Lara and her friends can change the fate of Azmantium.

Available on Amazon!

About the Author:

Ela Lourenco is a lover of all things fantasy, magic and mystery and loves nothing better than cooking up new tales – that is when she isn’t nose deep in a book herself! Nomadic by nature, she has now settled down in Scotland with her hubby, two daughters and two cats.

Ela also runs creative writing workshops for children and is passionate about helping those with learning difficulties to get ‘back to enjoying stories’.

Follow her on Twitter at @ElaLourenco or her Facebook page for news and updates!

 

REPOST: ‘Appealing to Young Adults’ by Ela Lourenco, #author of Awakening – Book Three in the Dragon Born series. @ElaLourenco #fantasy #YA #DragonBorn

Appealing to Young Adults

by Ela Lourenco

What does ‘young adult’ mean? Some argue it’s the twelve to eighteen age group, others argue it is fourteen plus… It isn’t very well defined. In this day and age of internet access, social media etc., it has become ever harder to determine who is old enough for what. So how does one tailor a book for an indeterminate age group with varying levels of maturity and a whole host of different interests?

My daughter read the first few chapters as my ‘tester’, her only criticism being ‘is this all you’ve written?’ and ‘when will you finish the book so I can read it already?’ She then proceeded to stand over my shoulder (literally) so I would ‘crack’ on with it!

Encouraged by her obvious enjoyment of my story I realised something – I remembered that excitement and frantic frenzy born of sinking nose deep into a really good book. Realising this unlocked something inside me – writing for the YA audience was not the complex tricky minefield I had convinced myself it was – rather it was true freedom. Liberation from the constraints of adulthood and complete immersion into a world where one is no longer a child but still retains the wonder and thirst and magic of one.

Young adult to me means the ‘age of magic’ – not quite child nor fully grown, but that wonderful in-between place that bridges the ever-present awe of magic with an ability to understand the world around you. As I wrote, I remembered. I remembered ideas and thoughts long dusty in my mind – I remembered the crazy vivid imagination that had been mine before ‘I grew up’ and as I embraced my newfound ‘childhood’ Dragon Born flowed with increased pace and ease, followed by Child of Fire and then my newest release Awakening (book three of five in the series).

All YA writers will have their own views and opinions as to how to write for young adults, and there is certainly no one right answer, but for me it was returning to a time and mind-set long past which helped me to recapture that sense of awe and belief in magic – in order to write for young adults, in my mind I became one once more, and I plan on never leaving it again!

Awakening
Book Three of the Dragon Born Series

The Royal tournament, the Karnac, is fully underway. But there is deception and betrayal at every turn. Unseen dark forces are at play, both within the school grounds and out with. Even the Gods are unable to help when a new threat looms over them all.The very existence of Azmantium depends on Lara fully becoming the Child of Fire and casting aside the Shadows lurking in every corner of her beloved planet.Can she overcome the challenges that await? Will the Shadows cover the world in darkness? Only Lara and her friends can change the fate of Azmantium.

Available on Amazon!

About the Author:

Ela Lourenco is a lover of all things fantasy, magic and mystery and loves nothing better than cooking up new tales – that is when she isn’t nose deep in a book herself! Nomadic by nature, she has now settled down in Scotland with her hubby, two daughters and two cats.

Ela also runs creative writing workshops for children and is passionate about helping those with learning difficulties to get ‘back to enjoying stories’.

Follow her on Twitter at @ElaLourenco or her Facebook page for news and updates!

 

REPOST: An Interview with Ela Lourenco, #author of Awakening – Book Three in the Dragon Born series. @ElaLourenco #fantasy #YA #DragonBorn

Sirens Call Publications recently released Awakening, the third book in the Dragon Born series. The Dragon Born books are set in a fantasy world, great for both YA and adult readers!

Lee: To start, tell us about your latest book, Awakening: Dragon Born Book Three.
Ela: Awakening is the middle book in the Dragon Born series – in many ways it is my favourite of the collection as everything is coming together towards a crossroads and the suspense is rising.

Lee: What was your inspiration behind the Dragon Born series?
Ela: My daughter Larissa! She is dyslexic and although she loves stories she found reading very tiring so she asked me to write her books about Dragons and magic that was fast-paced enough for her to really get stuck in.

Lee: Do you have any favorite characters from the book? Which character has been the most fun to write?
Ela: Ooh, my favourite characters are Lara, Asena, Sofia and Leyla… they are completely based on my two daughters and nieces! I loved turning their very real personalities into characters for my books — quirks and all!

Lee: What made you decide to become a writer? Was it something you always wanted to do?
Ela: I have been writing poetry and stories since I can remember. My mother infected me with her own love of books from birth, I just want to create stories so that others can feel the same wonder I did reading as a child.

Lee: What book or story would you say inspired you the most as a writer?
Ela: There are way too many for me to pick just one! I devoured Ursula Leguin’s books, I love dark fairytales like Baba Yaga and folktales, Asimov, Shakespeare… I am an equal genres offender!

Lee: What three things, if any, do you need to have on hand to write?
Ela: Coffee, notebook and biro.

Lee: Awakening is the third book in the series. When you first had the idea for Dragon Born, did you have it planned out as a series? Or did it develop naturally?
Ela: I always knew the story would not fit into one book – I do have a love of series when I am reading myself. I just feel that it gives the author time to really develop the characters and plots.

Lee: What do you like to read? Who are some of your favorite authors?
Ela: I love everything from Shakespeare, Tolstoy to YA fantasy and horror. I love all genres! I really can’t pick! Although I will admit to having devoured every Tess Gerritsen book ever written – I do enjoy crime novels enormously!

Lee: What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
Ela: Reading! And running creative writing workshops for children and young adults. I love watching their imaginations take over and the wonder they feel when they create their own stories — they inspire me tremendously.

Lee: What advice would you give to a writer working on their first novel?
Ela: I don’t think there is a right or wrong way of doing this, but what you must do is enjoy the process. I believe that if you write something you enjoy yourself it will translate. Don’t pick a genre or story because it seems to be what you think the market wants. Forget the market, leave everything aside and just focus on what you want to write about!

Awakening
Book Three of the Dragon Born Series

The Royal tournament, the Karnac, is fully underway. But there is deception and betrayal at every turn. Unseen dark forces are at play, both within the school grounds and out with. Even the Gods are unable to help when a new threat looms over them all.The very existence of Azmantium depends on Lara fully becoming the Child of Fire and casting aside the Shadows lurking in every corner of her beloved planet.Can she overcome the challenges that await? Will the Shadows cover the world in darkness? Only Lara and her friends can change the fate of Azmantium.

Available on Amazon!

About the Author:

Ela Lourenco is a lover of all things fantasy, magic and mystery and loves nothing better than cooking up new tales – that is when she isn’t nose deep in a book herself! Nomadic by nature, she has now settled down in Scotland with her hubby, two daughters and two cats.

Ela also runs creative writing workshops for children and is passionate about helping those with learning difficulties to get ‘back to enjoying stories’.

Follow her on Twitter at @ElaLourenco or her Facebook page for news and updates!

 

REPOST: ‘Word Creation’ by Ela Lourenco, #author of Awakening – Book Three in the Dragon Born series. @ElaLourenco #fantasy #YA #DragonBorn

World Creation

by Ela Lourenco

An Essay Relating to the Dragon Born Series

World creation – possibly one of the hardest and yet most fun aspects of writing a fantasy adventure. There is much more to it than merely describing a planet or setting. In fact I will let you in on a little secret, it takes me longer to establish the world and plans than to write the actual book! There are all the various races to describe; the dragons, mages, witches… and there is so much to detail beyond their physical descriptions and magical powers. Each race needs its own past – an entire history which helps explain why and how they have become who and what they are. They all have their own rituals, belief-systems, relics which are all essential to the creation and melding together of the world they inhabit.

Every potion, weapon and magical object in the Dragon Born series has a purpose and ties to the plot and many subplots in a vital way. Each one contributes towards making Azmantium not just a make-believe fantastical planet but a three dimensional real one which the reader can connect with more and more as the histories of the races are unraveled.

Some might argue that creating your own world is easier than writing something factual as there is no chance that you can get anything wrong – I beg to differ! When establishing Azmantium and telling the tale of its various races I spent many an hour reading and rereading my own notes just to make sure that all the details fit, that nothing contradicted itself and that everything I had ‘created’ built on the story and was not merely added in just because it seemed fun. It is vital to create a ‘believable’ world when writing fantasy or the reader will not bond with the characters or empathize with their plight.

Awakening
Book Three of the Dragon Born Series

The Royal tournament, the Karnac, is fully underway. But there is deception and betrayal at every turn. Unseen dark forces are at play, both within the school grounds and out with. Even the Gods are unable to help when a new threat looms over them all.The very existence of Azmantium depends on Lara fully becoming the Child of Fire and casting aside the Shadows lurking in every corner of her beloved planet.Can she overcome the challenges that await? Will the Shadows cover the world in darkness? Only Lara and her friends can change the fate of Azmantium.

Available on Amazon!

About the Author:

Ela Lourenco is a lover of all things fantasy, magic and mystery and loves nothing better than cooking up new tales – that is when she isn’t nose deep in a book herself! Nomadic by nature, she has now settled down in Scotland with her hubby, two daughters and two cats.

Ela also runs creative writing workshops for children and is passionate about helping those with learning difficulties to get ‘back to enjoying stories’.

Follow her on Twitter at @ElaLourenco or her Facebook page for news and updates!

 

An Essay on Transcending Dimensions by Ela Lourenco, Author of Dragon Born: Book Three, Awakening | #YA #Fantasy

Transcending Dimensions

Ela Lourenco

The third book in the Dragon Born series, Awakening, is the continuation of Lara’s destiny. She is older yet still evolving – learning to harness the duality of her nature and to truly become one with her dragon side. Constant trials and hardships are thrown at her as she seeks to fulfil the prophecy of the Child of Fire. Her planet, Azmantium, is one of magic and mystical beings, yet her story is all too real.

Awakening is a fast-paced fantasy adventure mystery tale filled with supernatural beings, magical weapons that speak, set in a world so unlike our own… and yet many of the themes I have interwoven into Lara’s story transcend time and space. Friendship, betrayal, perseverance – we can all relate to these. The ever-present fight between the darkness and the light, the duality of our own natures – struggles we all face on a daily basis.

In Awakening, I really wanted to highlight what it means to be a young adult – not a child and yet not quite an adult either – that halfway point when our personalities are changing and we are beginning to truly become who we will be. Child of Fire or human being, we are all faced with peer pressure, obstacles on our paths – all faced with crossroads where we must choose to take the easy way out or to face our fears and fight the shadows.

Magic and mystery aside, the Dragon Born series, is at its heart, the story of all my readers. The bravery and loyalty Lara shows time and time again is inside all of us. The unwavering support of her true friends something we all aspire towards. Lara is a dragon, the Child of Fire, but her story is all of ours – the hope that when we come together anything is possible.

Now for some info on Dragon Born: Book Three, Awakening:

The Royal tournament, the Karnac, is fully underway. But there is deception and betrayal at every turn. Unseen dark forces are at play, both within the school grounds and out with. Even the Gods are unable to help when a new threat looms over them all.

The very existence of Azmantium depends on Lara fully becoming the Child of Fire and casting aside the Shadows lurking in every corner of her beloved planet.

Can she overcome the challenges that await? Will the Shadows cover the world in darkness? Only Lara and her friends can change the fate of Azmantium.

Awakening is available on:

Amazon:

US | UK | Canada | Australia | Germany | France | Spain | Italy | Japan | Mexico | Brazil |India | The Netherlands

***

 

About the Author — Ela Lourenco is a lover of all things fantasy, magic and mystery and loves nothing better than cooking up new tales – that is when she isn’t nose deep in a book herself! Nomadic by nature, she has now settled down in Scotland with her hubby, two daughters and two cats.

Ela also runs creative writing workshops for children and is passionate about helping those with learning difficulties to get ‘back to enjoying stories’.