Virtual Book Tour & #Giveaway with Larry Ivkovich - The Sixth Precept

I'm so very pleased to introduce you to author, Larry Ivkovich, currently on tour with his book, The Sixth Precept at Virtual Book Tour Cafe'. Larry is giving you a chance to win one of twelve signed paperbacks at the end of his tour, so be sure to enter via Rafflecopter below.

Welcome to Mass Musings Larry!

  

MM:  Many authors relate their characters to people they know.  Is this the case with your characters and do you see yourself in any of them?

Yes. In THE SIXTH PRECEPT, there are aspects of my personality in both of my two protagonists—Kim Yoshima and Wayne Brewster. I’ve imbued Kim with certain philosophies that I try to live my life by such as trying to make a difference in the world and respect and tolerance for my fellow human beings. With Wayne, it’s a little different—my love for comic books and the influence they’ve had in my writing are all over him. Batman was my favorite super-hero growing up so the name, Wayne Brewster, is a takeoff on Bruce Wayne and ArcNight is the Dark Knight.

MM:  Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

I’d have to say Kim Yoshima. I actually wrote four short stories featuring her well before I was inspired to write the novel (Two of those stories have been published—“Time Noir” in M-Brane SF and “A Concerned Citizen” by IFWG Publishing). I’ve kept coming back to her because she’s strong-willed yet compassionate and can kick butt! She’s also very intelligent and is not afraid to put herself in the line of fire for her colleagues, friends and family. And did I mention she can kick butt?

MM:  Who is your most favorite character from any book of all time?

Wow. That’s a good question. I guess I’d have to say Molly Millions from William Gibson’s “Johnny Mnemonic,” NEUROMANCER and MONA LISA OVERDRIVE. At the time (early ‘80s), she was very unique and flashy, to say the least. The idea of her being a “street samurai,” having mirror shades surgically attached over her eyes and thin claw-like razors extending from her fingertips was something I’d never seen in a character before. Plus, I think Gibson had a liking for her as well, having featured her in two novels and a short story. Too bad he wasn’t able to write her into his script for the movie version of “Johnny Mnemonic” because of some copyright issues.

MM:  If you could dive into the pages of any book, which book would it be and what character would you be?

It would be my favorite science fiction book, HYPERION, by Dan Simmons. Of all the characters in this futuristic CANTERBURY TALES, I’d love to be the Templar pilot, Het Masteen , captain of the Treeship Yggdrasill. The treeships are such a great concept and to be able to fly around the universe in a living starship powered by the force field of the alien erg would be so cool! What an imaginative idea!

MM:  If your book was to become a movie, which actors/actresses do you see playing the parts of your characters?

Lucy Liu as Kim. Not only is she a terrific actress and absolutely gorgeous but she’s about the right age (early to mid-forties) and can handle action scenes extremely well.

Robert Downey, Jr. as Wayne Brewster. Though a little older than I envision Brewster (very late thirties), Downey’s got the requisite attitude and action chops for the role. I think he’d make the character shine.

MM:  What can we expect from Larry Ivkovich in the future? Any new projects?

My second novel, MAGUS STAR RISING, will be published by IFWG Publishing sometime next year. It’s a far future science fiction novel taking place on a “backwater rim world” and features a bunch of human and alien characters involved in all things mysterious and dark. I’m currently working on the sequel to THE SIXTH PRECEPT.

MM:  Where can readers connect with you?

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LarryIvkovich

Website: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzesw7nb/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5302053.Larry_Ivkovich

Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. It's been a wonderful pleasure.

You’re welcome and thank you! It’s been a great opportunity to be on this tour.

Larry Ivkovich is an IT professional and the author of several science fiction, fantasy and horror short stories and novellas, published online and in various print publications and anthologies including M-Brane SF, Afterburn SF, Penumbra, Twisted Cat Tales, Abaculus III, Raw Terror, Triangulations, Shelter of Daylight and SQ Magazine. He has also been a finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future contest and was the 2010 recipient of the CZP/Rannu Fund Award for fiction. His debut urban fantasy novel, THE SIXTH PRECEPT, is now available from IFWG Publishing, Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. He is a member of two local writing/critique groups, the Pittsburgh Southwrites and the Pittsburgh Worldrights, and lives in Coraopolis, PA with his wife Martha and cats Trixie and Milo. 

Website | Facebook

Genre – Urban Fantasy
Publisher – IFWG Publishing
Release Date – November, 2011
 Amazon | BarnesandNoble | IFWG Publishing


The Sixth Precept In 16th century medieval Japan, Yoshima Mitsu, who is gifted with psychic powers, uses her prescient abilities to send her young attendant, Shioko, into the future. There, Mitsu believes Shioko will be safe from the purges of the maniacal warlord Omori Kadanamora, his warrior monks and his half-human, half-bestial Shadow-Trackers. In present-day Pittsburgh, police Lieutenant Kim Yoshima is attacked by a creature out of someone’s twisted nightmare. In the aftermath of that terrifying struggle, Kim finds a young Japanese girl named Shioko, lost, confused and calling Kim “Mitsu” and her monstrous attacker a “Shadow-Tracker.” Wayne Brewster dreams of the costumed hero, ArcNight. But more than that, he feels bizarrely connected to the fictional crime fighter as if ArcNight and his comic book world are real. And in all of his dreams, Brewster sees one constant, one face repeated over and over--the face of Kim Yoshima. Empowered by a mysterious book, The Five Precepts to Enlightenment, Kim realizes her destiny is in the past. Using her own burgeoning esper powers, Kim, accompanied by Shioko and Brewster, travel by means of a temporal rift to feudal Japan. There they must assume different personas to fight Omori and creatures of Japan’s mythological world to fulfill ancient prophesy and modern historical fact. If they fail, history will be altered and the world will change forever.

EXCERPT #1 – 16TH Century Japan

The attempt on his life had been an act of desperation, he knew. The battle was lost, the opposing forces broken and scattered. Without the inspiration of Soun Ujitsuna, the Odawaran armies had been routed. Omori Kadonomaro had vanquished those foes who had defended this city as he had crushed everyone else who had ever opposed him. Even now, most of his own army and all but a few of his warrior monks were rounding up prisoners or putting to the sword any who offered even token resistance. But the assassins’ threat had been real enough, though for a different reason entirely.

He had led a small party of his warrior monks and a trio of shadow-trackers in the hunt for the shirabyoshi spoken of by Eela. He had no desire to sit and wait, to allow others to do his work for him. He had always been a man of action and the Prophecy of the One Child concerned him greatly.

Though the shadow-trackers had no real scent or clue to rely on, through the magic urging of the majo, one of them had led Omori and his men to the market district of the city. The creature’s manner was agitated yet focused; the beast appeared like something out of a traveler’s tale. Naked, it moved like a ghost, spiriting almost invisibly in and out of the smallest places as it used the shadows as cover.

Omori had never gotten used to them but the creatures did serve his purpose. Whatever magic the witch called upon to create such monsters was the warlord’s to control. At least for the moment.

And he meant to keep it that way.

Located near the lower west gates, the marketplace was the one area his attacking land forces had been able to breach. Parts of it lay in smoldering ruins; the remaining residents hiding fearfully behind closed and latched doors.

The city’s defenders had been beaten but the fear of Omori and his allies—the sohei, the witch and the shadow-trackers—still hung thickly in the air. To most of the downtrodden Odawarans, it was their worst nightmare realized.

Eela rode by the daimyo’s side. Both men’s armored horses picked their way among the scattered rubble and trash that lay strewn about the streets. “My pet seems sure the one we seek is here, Lord,” the majo said silkily. “He is the best of the three and can discern his prey with very little assistance.”

His pet. Omori frowned. Eela’s skills had extended to supervising the breeding, raising and training of the shadow-trackers, skills Omori appreciated but which gave the majo another point of power in his favor. “Just make sure your pet finds her,” Omori said distastefully. “I will stop this child once and for all.”

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VBT Pit Stop - George Hudson in the Spotlight

George Sherman Hudson was born and raised in Atlanta Ga.. After being continuously rejected by different publishers because of the subject matter contained in his books while serving time, this father of two did some research and started G Street Chronicles, the urban book publishing company that's ran by him with the help of his COO and fiancé Erica Jones . While George is continuously working hard to make G Street Chronicles a recognized name in the literary industry, he's also working hard on his highly anticipated REAL series. George has authored five books in all. His debut book Drama is in stores now. Having published more than 10 titles in the first year of business George is determined to make G Street Chronicles an urban lit powerhouse.

The drama just doesn't stop in the lives of Deb, Tammy, and Lisa. Deb, the hard worker and savvy entrepreneur is blessed with a multimillion dollar contract, but has to enjoy the success without the comfort of her man whose fledging music career has him busy from state to state. Tammy has everything a diva could want, a multimillion dollar home, expensive cars, clothes, jewelry, and she thought love.

Drama is a book a lot like sex in the city with black characters, each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character.  They take turns telling their side of the story.  It has everything, humor, emotions, great characters, and a lot of drama.

 website: http://www.gstreetchronicles.com


Since I am an author and  publisher of Urban Literature, I though you all would be interested in the history of Urban Lit.  This is a genre of fiction known variously as "street lit," "ghetto lit," "urban lit" or "hip-hop lit" has begun registering impressive sales, catching the attention of the publishing industry. Previously sold as typewritten photocopies on street corners, these pulp-fiction books now appear in slick paperbacks available in bookstores and online, for instance on
my website: http://www.gstreetchronicles.com. I found most of the following information on
Wikipedia.

Urban Fiction was (and largely still is) a genre written by and for African American's.  Although my book Drama has universal appeal.. In his famous essay “The Souls of Black Folk,” W. E. B. Du Bois discussed how a veil separated the African American community from the outside world.[1] By extension, fiction written by people outside the African American culture could not (at least with any degree of verisimilitude) depict the people, settings, and events experienced by people in that culture. Try as some might, those who grew up outside the veil (i.e., outside the urban culture) simply could not write fiction truly grounded in inner-city and African American life.
In 1965, The Autobiography of Malcom X was published. Because this non-fictional read captured the realistic nature of African American urban life for coming-of-age young men, the book has consistently served as a standard for reading among African American teenaged boys.

In the 1970s, during the culmination of the Black Power movement, a jailed Black man named Robert Beck took the pen name Iceberg Slim and wrote Pimp, a dark, gritty tale of life in the inner-city underworld. While the book contained elements of the Black Power agenda, it was most notable for its unsparing depiction of street life. Iceberg Slim wrote many other novels and attained an international following. Some of the terminology he used in his books crossed over into the lexicon of Black English.

During the 1980s and early 1990s, urban fiction in print experienced a decline. However, one could make a cogent argument that urban tales simply moved from print to music,[3] as hip hop music exploded in popularity, with harsh, gritty stories such as "The Message" and "Dopeman," set to a driving, strident drum rhythm. Of course, for every emcee who signed a recording contract and made the airwaves, ten more amateurs plied the streets and local clubs, much like urban troubadours telling urban fiction in an informal, oral manner rather than in a neat, written form.  Hip Hop lit in print form, though, is thriving.[
Toward the end of the 1990s, urban fiction experienced a revival, as demand for novels authentically conveying the urban experience increased, and new business models enabled fledgling writers to more easily bring a manuscript to market. With this new wave of renaissance street lit comes a whole new ballgame when it comes to promotion and exposure. Aside from hand-to-hand sales, which seems to work best in a genre where word-of-mouth has proven to be worth more than any large ad campaign, the Internet has increased the authors and publishers the ability to reach out to the genre's readers. With Internet savvy, many self-published authors who once had no shot of recognition are now household names.
You are all invited to my website to investigate the books that fit this genre very well.
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Drama-George-Sherman-Hudson/dp/0615314082/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281797093&sr=8-3

Book Tour - Diamonds In The Rough by Vogue

Diamonds are a girl's best friend right?  Please welcome my guest today,  Vogue,  author of Diamonds in the Rough.  Welcome Vogue and thank you so much for stopping in.  Today Vogue discusses writer's block.

Tackling the Roadblock

A frequently asked question that most authors get is:

What do you do when you have writer’s block?

Well, there is never a correct answer for this question because it all depends on the person. There are some authors who may try to write through the block while others may take a break.

Personally, I choose not to write. I feel as if I come up with the worst material only because I feel obligated to put something on paper. It is then that I realize that just because I am an author, it doesn’t mean that I have to write daily. My personal advice to all published and aspiring authors is this: Write only when you feel inspired.

It is never good to force yourself to do something that you don’t want to do. Just think; the break might be good for you. You might come up with new ideas for the plot or even a new character.

A lot of times we view writer’s block as something that is negative, but maybe it isn’t. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. Here’s an exercise that I recommend for all writers. Even if you only do it once, the next time you experience writer’s block, simply stop writing. Wait a few days or even a few hours and revisit the story. See if you come up with something more exciting and intense then what you wrote last! Feel free to share the results!

Vogue loves to hear from her readers and would love to hear from you too.  You can visit her online at www.simplyvogue.net or find her on Facebook.   She is also on virtual book tour so leave her a comment for your chance to win a copy of this fantastic book.

Thanks again for stopping in Vogue.  Wishing you much success in the future and please keep in touch and let us know when the next book in the series is out.

So You Think You Want To Be An Author? Guest B. Swangin Webster

Please welcome my guest today,  B. Swangin Webster,  the author of Let Me Just Say This,  And Again...Just Let Me Say This.  Great books and a terrific author.  Thank you B. for stopping in.

Are you ready to become an author? 

Well you may think you are, but answer these questions. 

When people ask you what you do, do you answer, “oh, I work for the government” and then whisper, “and I write” 

Now depending on their reaction, you either go into what your book is about or you turn and walk away feeling dejected by their response. 

If you are ready to become an author, the first thing out of your mouth, whenever someone asks you what “do you do”, should be, “I'm an author, and the name of my book is _________.” 

Now, four years ago when asked what I did, I proudly said, I work at a middle school, but I would like to be an author.” See I wasn't ready to be an author. Then two years ago, I was involved in a conversation that centered around what “we would like to do” I said, “if I wasn't working at a middle school I would want to be an author”. Again, I wasn't ready to be “an author”. A little while after that, my manuscript was accepted and published. I then whispered to a select few that “I have a book, do you wanna see it?” Now, again, I wasn't ready to be an author. After a few, ok it was only four people, read a chapter (I gave each a different chapter to read) they came back and said, why haven't you published this, and my response was, “it is published.” At which they pre paid for their copy. Ok, now I'm excited, because I have 4 people wanting my book. (ok, that might not be exciting, but remember I wasn't quite ready to be an author) 

After the initial shock wore off, and the checks cleared, I then decided to call my best friend and tell her and she screamed “oh my gosh! I can't believe I know an author!” ok, my response, “I'm not an author, I just wrote a book”. Again, not ready.

After a long, and I do mean long, conversation, I hung up the phone and said to myself, `maybe I am an author.' It wasn't until my first shipment of my books came in that I realized, that I had something published. I took my shipment to school and gave them to the woman who can sell the Brooklyn Bridge to someone and make it seem like it was the best purchase in the world, by the end of the day, all 50 books had been sold! When she told me, I was like; What! Just like that? And her response, of course, people love to read. 

Now I must tell you, no one knew the book was by me, because I use a pseudonym as a writer. I went home and nearly cried because I couldn't believe that people would like to read MY book. After a few days, I was called to the main office and when I got there, the front secretary told me that I needed to go to the teachers lounge. When I opened the door, the entire building had threw me a “book release party” complete with a cake with my book pic on it and a few appetizers. I was introduced as “The celebrity of the school” I went back to my office and had to meet with some children who were in trouble. After listening to them try and tell me why I shouldn't call their parents, one of them got a major attitude after I called his parent. Tired of dealing with his attitude, I blurted out, “I am an author, and don't need to put up with this behavior!” 

Yes, at that very moment, I realized I was an author, when will your moment come? 

Let me know by visiting my website and leaving a comment in my guestbook; http://bswanginwebster.webs.com or email me at anauthor08@live.com

 

B. Swangin Webster—Author

 

B. Swangin Webster is the author of two novels, Let Me Just Say This and its sequel And Again…Let Me Say This.

 

She currently works in a middle school in Waldorf Maryland and is married with five grown children and four adorable grandsons. 

She grew up in the Washington DC area calls Southern Maryland her home.

She has over 200 novels, and has read all of them at least twice. Her passion, besides writing is cooking.

.

Her passions are writing, reading, and talking about the process of writing and being an author.

To learn more about her please visit: http://bswanginwebster.webs.com

Thank you again for stopping in B.  I always enjoy chatting with you.  Please be sure to follow B along her virtual book tour leaving a comment along the way for your chance to win a copy of one of her books at the end of her tour :).