Sunday, May 03, 2009

Guest Blogger: Stephanie Julian

The winner of Stephanie's book is: Amber! Congratulations, Amber. Send me your contact info and I'll pass it along to Stephanie. Thanks to everyone who participated!!
At last month’s RT Booklovers Convention in Orlando, Florida, I gave a talk on worldbuilding, “Beyond Celtic Fairies and Greek Gods,” with Jessica Andersen, Lynne Connelly and Melissa Mayhue.

I first came up with the idea when I decided I was going to RT and knew I wanted to get my name out there other than only at the book signings.

Being a relatively shy person (no, really, I am), public speaking is so not my thing and I hate making small talk. But I love to talk writing.

And I love to write, particularly paranormal series. Seduced by Danger, the sixth story in my Magical Seduction series from Ellora’s Cave, was released Friday and in it you’ll find many of the characters from the previous books, along with the main couple, Michael and Cara.

I love writing series because it allows you to revisit favorite characters, to catch up with them every now and then and see what they’re doing.

And I adore writing paranormal series. There’s just so much more you can do with paranormal. You aren’t bound by the traditional rules of nature, except those you choose to follow and the ones you create yourself.

I chose to play with an Etruscan mythology in my books, mainly because no one else was. And my dad’s family is from Italy. It was a natural fit. And I didn’t want to do the traditional Greek gods. I wanted to do my own twist. But how do you find that twist?

When I started cruising the Internet for information on Etruscan mythology, I discovered the wild and wonderful world of speculative non-fiction. Sites dedicated to theories on who really built the sphinx and the pyramids and crystal skulls and the Piri Reis map.

I was fascinated by lost civilizations (yes, I mean Atlantis but also Ra and the Lost Mines of Murabeca and etc.), artifacts unearthed in Middle Eastern deserts that appeared to be ancient electrical equipment and cryptozoology.

I felt like I’d hit the goldmine of idea. The very nature of their being sparks little ideas that grow into big ideas.

Here are some of my favorite places on the Internet to find weird and wonderful ideas.

Encyclopedia Mythica
http://www.pantheon.org/
The mythology section is divided into six geographical regions: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Oceania. Each region has clearly defined subdivisions. The folklore section contains general folklore, Arthurian legends and folktales from many lands. There is also a bestiary, legendary heroes, image gallery and genealogical tables of various pantheons.

Crystalinks Ancient and Lost Civilizations
http://www.crystalinks.com/ancient.html
Good jumping off point if you’re looking for something to kickstart your creativity.

Pib Burns Cryptozoology
http://www.pibburns.com/cryptozo.htm
Want to read about weird creatures? Here’s the place to find some.

World Mysteries
http://www.world-mysteries.com/index.html
Another weird stuff site but full of interesting tidbits to make you go hmm.

Skeptic’s Dictionary
http://www.skepdic.com/
The other side to some of the weird stuff you’re going to find on the other sites.

Rick Richards
http://www.rickrichards.com
A little bit of everything here, from Jesus to Mayan temples with lots of pictures.


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One commenter will be selected to win a copy of Stephanie's book. The winner will be posted here on Tuesday evening.

46 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Great post! Seduced by Danger sounds great!

8:00 PM  
Blogger Cecile Smutty Hussy said...

Thanks Ms Lynda for having Ms Stephaine!!! The series sounds great... thanks for giving me another great author to add to the list!!
Hope all is well!!
Cecile

8:28 PM  
Blogger Caffey said...

So nice to meet you Stephanie! I remember first discovering Greek gods reading some ebooks and I wanted to find all I could! And glad to find more! I love those too with the legends and mythology because I get to learn more about it and with a romance its perfect! Thanks for the great resource! I always wanted something like a guide/dictionary book that I'd like to learn more from as a reader. Off to check out how I missed reading your books!

8:44 PM  
Blogger Cybercliper said...

Wonderful post! I love series. A good book to me is like making new friends and it is really good to have them come back to visit in the next installment.

I'm also a nut about lost civilizations. If I watch TV at all it is usually the history channel or National Geographic. Places like Atlantis have always fascinated me because it seems so magical, so timeless with endless possibilities. Thanks for the links. Can’t wait to see what else I can learn.

8:57 PM  
Blogger Lynda Hilburn said...

Welcome to Paranormality, Stephanie! It's great to have you here. I hope you have a good time.
Lynda

(Hi, Cecile!)

10:56 PM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Good morning everyone and thanks for having me Lynda.

5:40 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Thanks Amy,

5:41 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Cecile, thanks for stopping by.

5:41 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Caffey, hope you find some interesting stuff on these sites, I know I did

5:42 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Cybercliper, I haunt the Discovery Channel and History Channel for these types of shows, love them. Thanks for stopping.

5:43 AM  
Blogger Becky said...

Great post! Stephanie thanks for the links to the different internet sites. I will have to check them out. I will have to check out your Magical Seduction series too.

6:52 AM  
Blogger Judi Fennell said...

Hi Steph!

I can personally attest to the wonderful world Steph has created - I LOOOOOOVE her stories!

and I am all about twisting mythology!

Anyone who's going to the RWA conference in DC this July can see Steph's talk, this time titled Mastering Your Domain. I'm kinda partial to that title, myself...

7:32 AM  
Blogger Adele Dubois said...

Great post, Steph. Love your books! Best of luck with the series. Looking forward to your workshop in Washington, DC.

7:52 AM  
Blogger Champ said...

Stephanie:
Having always looked at things in a more "traditional" manner, I thank you for helping to open my mind to other possibilities. Enjoy...

7:55 AM  
Blogger tetewa said...

Enjoyed the post, sounds like my kind of read!

8:51 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Hey Becky, thanks for stopping by. Hope you like my stories.

8:58 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

thanks Judi (I'll slip you the money under the table, later. lol)
this is my critique partner (and PR person) and I couldn't have a better one. She's got her own book coming out in June, IN OVER HER HEAD.

9:00 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Thanks Adele, hope everyone can take something away from it.

9:00 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Champ, there's so much out there we don't understand or even know about, it's so much fun to learn new things.

9:01 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

tetewa, thanks for stopping and hope you give the stories a try.

they're very hot, very fast-paced reads and lots of fun to write.

9:03 AM  
Blogger Elizabeth Kelley said...

Hi Stephanie! You are so creative and are always such a great source of knowledge. Your links are always fabulous. Can't wait to see what you do next.

9:45 AM  
Blogger DrkCherry said...

Wonderful blog, thanks for the links, can't wait to start clicking.

9:46 AM  
Anonymous Amber said...

I am going to save this page to check out those sites! Thanks so much.

10:07 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Elizabeth, thank you so much for your kind comments.

11:22 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Drkcherry, let me know what you think of the links, they're a lot of fun
and thanks for stopping by.

11:23 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Amber, hope you enjoy and thanks for saying hi.

11:24 AM  
Blogger Melissa Mayhue said...

A big wave to my new friend and fello workshop presenter, Stephanie! I can tell you from having sat next to her while she spoke about her stories...this lady has definitely done her research and knows her material!

Best of luck with your newest release! See you in DC!!

~ Melissa

11:30 AM  
Anonymous Carla said...

Steph, you've always had a great voice! I'm glad you've found a niche you really truly enjoy!

Best wishes and many happy sales to you! Good luck at Nationals!

11:58 AM  
Blogger lynneconnolly said...

It was a delight to share a panel with you. I learned a lot!

12:34 PM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Melissa and Lynne! Thanks for stopping by. We made a great team, didn't we? Sorry you won't be in DC Lynne, but can't wait to see you again, Melissa.

2:07 PM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Carla, thanks for stopping by, contest coordinator extraordinaire. See you this Saturday.

2:08 PM  
Blogger Miriam Newman said...

Steph, those sites were great. I have been immersed since beginning. Really, this has to stop! ((Big smile.)) Good luck with your series.

2:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Steph, what a great blog. I'm so tempted to go to one of those links but I know I'd be there for hours. Daria

3:02 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, Steph! Thanks for sharing! (But I'm with Daria... once I start clicking on those links, I have to surrender all hopes of getting dinner on the table on time!)

I'm sure you were awesome at RT. Looking forward to catching the talk at RWA!

3:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Enjoyed reading the comments. I am always looking for different authors to read. The book sounds really good and I have added it to my TBR list.
JOYE
JWIsley AT aol.com

4:14 PM  
Blogger Keta Diablo said...

Hi Stephanie, Hi Paranormality,

I simply love this blog! Been here visiting before.

And I love Steph's writing.

Much luck on the new book. Wish that hunk on the cover was leaning over me.

Namaste, Keta
Erotic Romance Author

http://ketaskeep.blogspot.com

4:18 PM  
Anonymous LaTessa said...

Seduced by Danger sounds like a great read. Thanks for sharing some info about it Stephanie. Also, thanks for sharing some of your info sources. I look forward to checking them out.

6:04 PM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Miriam, always glad to help another writer procrastinate. lol Thanks for stopping.

5:59 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Daria, I know how much time you don't have so you just keep writing, you've got requests to fill. Yeah!

5:59 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Keta
He's gorgeous, isn't he? Too bad I don't know where to find him. Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words.

6:00 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

Laura, who needs to cook, make those guys fend for themselves. I do. Too much, actually. It'll be nice to see friendly faces in the crowd at DC.

6:02 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

6:02 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

LaTessa, hope you enjoy the sites, they're loads of fun.

6:03 AM  
Blogger Stephanie Julian said...

JOYE, please let me know what you think of my stories, hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by.

6:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nice post, more cool sites to look into.

9:10 PM  
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3:17 AM  

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