Nephylim's Blog

So, the UK Meet was last weekend and I still haven't got over it. How did it go? Hmm.

It started and ended in disaster and a big bang - literally.

The night before I left for the Meet our hamster died and, needless to say, we didn't get much sleep.


I woke in the morning to enormous crashes and a howling dog. Cue massive thunderstorm. In between calming my son and shouting at the dog, I realized that the thunder and dog combination had done me a huge favour, because I'd forgotten to set the alarm and I was already half an hour late.

Cue panic, hastily thrown together bags and no breakfast. Thank goodness most things had been packed the night before.

With son and dog safely dropped off at his dad's I was free. The journey began with a singing guard and a lot of writing done. A slight hiccup at Cardiff station when my breakfast, including coffee was accidentally fed to a seagull was forgotten when I got to Bristol.... because that's when I discovered and even bigger hiccup. I had tried unsuccessfully to get a room in the hotel where the meet was being held,



and decided the Premier Inn would be a good choice as I'd stayed with them before. The Premier Inn was, indeed a good choice. It was the location that screwed me.

There is a Premier Inn right across from the Marriott. I could see it from the conference room. Unfortunately, that's not the Premier Inn I was staying with. Mine was 8 miles away. Don't ask, I don't know how I did it either. I'm good like that.

Premier Inn Filton

Having said that, it was a LOVELY hotel. The people were really, really nice and the bed!!!!! Also purple is my favourite colour.



Fortunately, by the time I'd been at the Meet for half an hour all of that had been forgotten.

I started with a game of 'stuff-the-tote-bag' which was great fun with all the other colourful characters who were joining in. Then it was time for 'tea and coffee in the foyer'. That phrase appeared in the programme more than once and oh what a multitude of wonders it failed to convey.

At every break, I was eager to get out into the foyer to see what wonder was awaiting us this time. It was amazing - from tiny, colourful macaroons, to salmon, chicken skewers, raviolli, danish pastries, chocolate cake. There was way too much to list and plenty of it as well as coffee and all kinds of different teas.

I have to admit the first half of the day was depressing. I was surrounded by such a plethora of amazing authors, many of whom I was totally starstruck by, I quickly decided I'm not a 'proper' writer and had no business being there. That feeling kind of stayed with me for the whole weekend but that is no fault of the Meet or its organizers but more my insecurities in being surrounded by so many wonderful and talented people.

The workshops and talks were a lot of fun. It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me, that one of my absolute favourites was the bondage talk which was amazeballs. The one on Young Adult writing was right up there, too. I'd never thought about it but it's very true that you can get away with a lot more in Young Adult writing. Adults require scene setting and world building. Kids just want explosions. It's post apocalypse, there are zombies, end of. No need to know how or why, as long as at least some of them get their heads blown off. Okay, it's not as simple as that really but it was a fun talk anyway.

I managed to raise my question about swearing in YA again. It was fresh in my mind as my 13 year old son had been pulled up by a teacher when reading my book in school, because it had the word 'fuck' in it. My view, and thankfully that of most of the other there (I think) is that as long as teenagers swear, YA books also need to swear. I'm not suggesting every other word, unless that's a specific of a character, but a sprinkling throughout at key moments.

I can't even begin to list the wonderful people I met and spoke to and it wouldn't be fair to do so because I had meaningful conversations with so many wonderful people and I'm so awful at names, I'm sure I would leave out someone special.

The one exception to that, though, has to be Lily Velden, Karen and Macky. Wow!! No one believed me when I arrived late at dinner and told them I'd been kidnapped by an alien. Australians count as aliens, right?

Because of my ridiculous error with the hotel I had nowhere to go between the conference and the gala dinner so Lily took me under her wing and invited me to Karen and Macky's room for bubbly. Fortunately, they didn't mind and we had a great time, until I realized they weren't going to the gala dinner and I was already late. Never changed and got ready so fast in my life.

The gala dinner was really amazing. The food was incredible. In fact, the food for the entire weekend was sublime. I was sat at a table with some lovely people and the chat flowed all night. What can I say about the Drag Artist. Am-aze-ing!! The gay choir was fab too. I can imagine the shouts of outrage when I say this, but I didn't enjoy the naked waiters. I like my men girly and big chunks of testosterone covered by a tiny square of cloth made me cringe. Not that I begrudge the others their fun. I'm just really, really glad my name wasn't called so I didn't have to touch one.

The room in which the Gala Dinner was held was lovely so I have to show you




The two keynote speakers were inspiring and I think I'm in love with Alecks ((I really hope that's how he spells his name. I'm sure I'll find out if not).

What else can I say? Food - check. Inspiration - check. Wonderful people - check. Fun talks and workshops - check. There were many (usually silent and not to embarrassing) fangirl squees, although I did gush over some. Sorry, Rebecca Cohen, I'm not usually that incoherent. The totes in the tote bags were amazing. There were mints on all the tables. OMG was there some eye candy. All bases covered.

All warm and happy after a totally thrilling and fab weekend, I travelled home, to be caught in a HUGE thunderstorm at Bristol Station, then find they'd cancelled all the trains up the valleys from Cardiff. Two buses late I'm told I have to wait 40 minutes in Pontypridd for the next bus for the last leg home. Given that I'm horribly bus sick (If I'd wanted to have travelled by bus I would have bought a ticked Arriva Wales), I was not impressed with this situation at all and a suitably strong worded letter/email will follow.

Fortunately, my ex husband's new partner is an angel, and she came down to Pontypridd to pick me up. We were actually home in the house before the bus would have picked me up in Pontypridd.

So there you are - and adventure.

I'm looking forward to the next meet like crazy. Is it next year yet?

I have recently been totally blown away by two authors who write YA. I think Gay YA books are sadly lacking and when I find one I love I get excited. When I find two I'm bouncing. When I find two authors who write consistently awesome books I am totally ecstatic.



Okay, maybe these authors don't aim at YA (maybe they do) and maybe some of the characters are a little old to be called strictly YA but these are books I think young gay men should so so read. In fact, I think at least one of them should be part of the library of every secondary school if not compulsory reading.

Are they really that good, I hear you say, cynically. IMHO YES 




So who the hell are they? Read on and I'll tell you.



My first underrated, super-author, is Zathyn Priest. Not only is he a brilliant author but also a very talented graphic designer who has designed some breathtaking book covers. Check out his website http://zathynpriest.weebly.com/the-books.html and also the website for his graphic designs Scarlet Tie Designs



Zathyn has written some pretty amazing books. The biggest thing I love about these books is that the characters are imperfect. From a guy with brain damage after a fall, to a schizophrenic who is in love with a man who doesn't exist, to an epileptic rock star and an emo vampire. They're all breathtaking in their imperfections, like brilliant rubies, sapphires and emeralds, coloured by their flaws.



Check out ALL his books but, in particular








Freelance journalist, Tristan Church, wants to expose Galloway Mental Hospital’s dirty secrets. Teaming up with broody photographer, Mark, promises other perks.  A ten year relationship with high school sweetheart, Eli, no longer offers Tristan the excitement he craves.  Mark made his intentions clear and Tristan is close to giving in to his advances.

One morning at ‘The Gallows’ leaves Tristan reeling.  He wasn’t prepared for the hell he witnessed and certainly wasn’t prepared to meet Zane.  Disarmed by Zane’s angelic manner, Tristan can’t believe anyone would stand him up.  He soon realises the tardy boyfriend only exists in Zane’s mind and the beautiful young man is not a visitor to The Gallows but a patient.

Eli walks out and Tristan’s life falls apart.  A decision to meet with Mark almost ends in tragedy and Tristan finds solace in Zane’s company.  Before long Zane’s delusions begin terrorising him again.  While Tristan fights to save his own sanity and get Eli back, he knows someone must fight for Zane’s right to love a man no one else can see.  A man who scares away violent hallucinations, takes away Zane’s fear, keeps him safe, and is trapped inside a stone statue.



Sales Link




When self-confessed player Brandon Faulkner arranges to meet three different Goth guys over the course of one weekend, he isn’t expecting to meet someone like ‘Enigma’. 

Enigma isn’t like anyone Brandon’s met before. He’s unpredictable, volatile and… well, downright weird! To make matters worse, the gorgeous Enigma isn’t at all impressed with Brandon and is unafraid to crush the man’s ego at every opportunity. 

For the first time in his life, Brandon has to work hard to win the guy. Will Brandon agree to Enigma’s left of centre, bizarre requests, or is the player about to get played?











Sales Link



And my absolute favourite 






Tyler Curtis is a rock star with a notorious reputation as legendary as his awesome talent, but reality is far different to the myth a controlling manager has built up around him. Jordan Braxton is a website designer, prefers a quiet life, and is ready to settle down with one man. A chance meeting with Curtis turns Jordan's ordered world upside down. Can Jordan stop Tyler's life from spinning out of control and save their love for one another, or will tragedy tear them apart?







Sales Link

















The second super-author I wish to enthuse about is Cody Kennedy. I'd seen him around Facebook for a while, posting some pretty inspirational stuff, and just generally being nice.Find him at  http://ckennedyauthor.blogspot.co.uk/ where not only will you find some information on the author but some amazing free stories.



I'd been seeing his book, Omorphi, around in various places, and eventually decided to give it a go, mainly because of it's amazing cover. Oh WOW. I can't begin to describe this book. Just read it!!

On 1st July for one month only revised versions of Enigma I and Enigma II will be available together in a Special Edition. As a special, once of bonus, the Special Edition will contain original artwork and a brand new, unique story 'Silver's First Christmas'.


To Celebrate this special occasion I am running a blog tour and competition. On each of the five blogs will be a question. If you answer all five questions correctly you will be entered into a draw. The winner will be announced at the release party on 1st July and will receive not only a free copy of the Special Edition, complete with special features, but also a signed copy original poster of Silver.

The answer to the question can be found in the blog post to which it is attached.

Answers can be posted as a comment on the blog post in question, as a comment on my blog post http://nephylim-author.blogspot.co.uk... or in an email to chakira@hotmail.co.uk. The competition is open from 3rd to 30th June.

The participating blogs are

3/6 Cia Nordwell http://ciasstories.blogspot.com/

Question - What's Silver'/s favourite sensation?

4/6 MA Church http://machurch00.blogspot.com/

Question - How did River's parents die?

6/6 Andy Gordon http://andrewqgordon.com/category/my-...

question - What's the UK Home Office's estimate of the number of men women and children subjected to human trafficking every year

7/6 Talismania http://talismania-brilliantdisguise.b...

question - What's Silver's favourite scent?

8/6 Christ T Kat http://t.co/h6Kn4uYhRV

Question What River’s brother’s name?

Happy Holidays to everyone, no matter how you celebrate. No matter how you celebrate what you are actually celebrating is life! I'm so excited with all the energy going around, bursting with life. My body's being dragged along for the ride :)

Despite the problems with my computer I've been writing like crazy as well as making christmas cards, decoratively decorating everything that can be decorated and generally annoying everyone with my christmas spirit. Seriously, if the cats sat still long enough they'd have tinsel around their necks. If they keep knocking down my enchanted forest they might be hanging from it.

I'm gutted to find I've left it too late to order my christmas shopping from Tesco. I do ALL my food shopping online since I've been without my car and practically housebound and it's a real blow that I can't order so much as a biscuit before 26th, but hey, I'll find a way around it, I always do

The tree is up, the house is sparkling all over and all I have left to do is the cleaning and christmas is under control. Not so me. I'm totally out of control and will have to crash eventually I guess, but it's been two weeks and building so far and I have always been manic at Christmas. I do some of my best writing in December, especially as I have almost two weeks off works.

So, provided the world doesn't end tomorrow expect some new stuff in the new year.

Autumn always makes me restless. Everything is changing. The leaves on the trees change, the weather changes, the flowers change-- the scenery of our lives is very different than in spring or summer.

Although the change can be seed as negative, in that most of the changes involve death, the spirit of excitement, is a positive one, at least for me. Death is needed as the dynamic to make way for new life. If nothing died, nothing changed, there would be no movement, forward or back and I can't see how that would be a good thing.

So what changes can I make in the season of change?

One of them is that I would like to make more time to actually read all the books I've been buying lately.

Another is that I want to become a little more healthy. I don't get out all that much because of health reasons and I really can't handle summer heat. So now the cooler weather is here I want to get out of the house and walk more, even if it isn't too far.

Yet another change, and one that might be seen as negating the last one, is that I'm hoping to get my driving licence back and get a car. Can't wait to be on wheels again.

As far as writing is concerned, I have lots of projects in the offing and I want to actually finish some of the projects I already have on the go. Sometimes I get lazy in that respect.

So autumn should be a season of movement for me.I'm rolling with the flow and hope to stay in the good place I am now while I ride out the changes.

I've now had the opportunity of working with more than half a dozen editors and a great chasm has appeared between two distinctly different kinds of editors.

The first kind correct your work and give suggestions in the form of comments, of ways they think the work could be enhanced, including notes on grammar rules etc. Now they can be very persistent when you dig your heels in and say... well actually I don't care what the rule says I like the way this sounds and it's staying so there. They pound away at your stubborn recalcitrant brain, offering explanations and illustrations until finally you realise that actually they have a point and your work WOULD be better if you changed it a bit.

The second kind correct your work and tell you where you're going wrong. They quote rules and explain why what you have written is going to turn readers off and are unacceptable to the publishing world at large. They tell you how to fix things and tell you that you're cheating your readership if you don't.

The biggest difference comes when you tell them you've listened to their advice and you appreciate their POV but you're still not going to change... Then they tell you you have to. Have to? It's my story so since when do I 'have to' do anything with it? When they tell me to.

And that's it in a nutshell. I don't like being told what to do. It's not a virtue and I'll go as far as to accept it's probably a fault, but that's me. I'll take direction, I'll listen to opinions and I'm very open minded so if the opinion is valid and helpful I'll change. But I won't be TOLD what to do, not with my creation, my baby, my work.

So what IS the role of the editor? Is it to root out what they consider to be flaws in your work and force you to change them until the work conforms to their standards (which, given that every rule has its interpretation and counter rule is never anything more than an opinion)

Or is it to highlight potential flaws and provide you with an opinion and an opportunity to improve, without imposing their view or removing your ability to choose or discuss?

I am a lawyer. I know the law. I know the law a lot better than the people who come to see me do. They pay me a lot of money for my advice because they know I know more about the law than they do. They put their lives and the lives of their families in my hands. I give them advice. I tell them the best thing they can do to resolve their situation and make their lives better. Then I let them decide. If they choose not to take my advice then I take them down a different road. I might know full well that the road will lead to a world of pain but, once I've told them that, I let them make their own choice and that, I think is exactly what an editor should do.

I certainly won't work with an editor who doesn't ever again.

Book Launch: September 12, 2012 “The Runaway” by Nephylim,
From Flying With Red Haircrow




“When all you ever wished for is the last thing you ever wanted....”


• Title: The Runaway
• Author: Nephylim
• Publisher: Flying With Red Haircrow
• Publication Date: September 12, 2012
• Genre: Contemporary Romance, Gay Interest
• Length: 290 pages
• ISBN: 9781301198573
• Available: Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks & soon other online distributors
• Book Trailer


Description: “Ciarrai is running away from a past that’s still breathing down his neck. Jack has no past, his memory wiped in the accident that killed his parents. They meet and their lives move forward like stones skimming the surface of the water, dipping into memories that want to surface and those that want to lie buried forever.

Together, they struggle to come to terms with what happened in the past and where they want to go in the future, but can Jack cope with a man who likes to dress in leather mini-skirts and silk kimonos? Can Ciarrai trust Jack with the secrets of his past; secrets he can’t escape, secrets that are snapping at his heels?

When those secrets catch up, forcing Ciarrai back to the life he’d left, a life that was slowly draining his life away, he and Jack’s love is both threatened and tested by forces from without and within.”


About The Author:



Born into a poor but loving mining family in the United Kingdom, Nephylim grew up in the beautiful and history rich South Wales Valleys, becoming the first in her family to attend university. As a lawyer practicing Family Law for several years, the profession allowed Nephylim to learn more about human nature at its worst and best moments, and develop empathy and a view of life not limited by social standing or background.

Tapping into the heritage of her people that throughout Earth's ages welcomed the wandering bard into the hearts of their villages as keepers of lore, Nephylim trained as a Druid and brings the richness of her Celtic past and spiritual training to enrich and elevate her writing. Since a child Nephylim has been fascinated with other worlds, which exist within and alongside her own and has reveled in creating worlds and characters for others to enjoy.

Despite lack of family support, Nephylim continued writing privately and eventually found the Gay Authors website. With the positive response and a warm welcome received, she found the confidence to pursue her passion to a greater degree. Feeling gay fiction was a woefully neglected corner of the market where readers were all too often presented with what amounted to erotica, Nephylim strives to write quality gay fiction where sex and sexuality is not the central premise. Instead, concentration is given to character and narrative development through storytelling that goes beyond the physical.

Nephylim still resides in Wales, UK, and enjoys writing, reading, art, and taking part in medieval reenactments.


Author Links:

http://nephylim-author.blogspot.com/
http://shadowofthefallen.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/Nephylim.author

Interviews with the author:

By Brandon Shire
At Rising Up From the Ashes by Phoenix
By Michael Offut
Dawn's Reading Nook


Other works by the author at Flying With Red Haircrow:

Enigma, Book 1


Fighting the Man, Enigma Book 2




About the Press:

Opening its doors on October 31, 2010, Flying With Red Haircrow is an independent publisher and writer cooperative with a large range of interests and possibilities who entreats everyone to, “Dance above the surface of the world. Let your thoughts lift you into creativity that is not hampered by opinion.”

We publish: Literary Fiction, Poetry, GLBTIIQ Fiction, Fantasy (Dark, Epic, Speculative), Multicultural, International, Memoir, Psychology, Sociology and more. For those interested in being a part of our team, have proposals or offers, please visit our website for more details.


Contact:

If you are interested in a review copy for your website, wish to schedule an interview with the author or need more information about this release or press, please write Nephylim at chakira@hotmail.co.uk or Red Haircrow theredhairedcrow@gmail.com.

My latest book, The Runaway is due to be released on 12th September and I am WAY excited.

I've never put so much into marketing any of my books before and it's been a learning experience. I've enjoyed it very much, especially my forays into twitter, blog hopping, web banners etc.

I'm hoping it will have made a difference but in some ways it doesn't even matter because I've made friends and had lots of new experiences.

Anyway. The Runaway is a modern fairy tale based around an old Celtic story of faeries and the Otherworld.

In the story, a man chooses to leave fairyland, a place of pleasure and ease, but a prison to return to a world changed beyond his imagination where he has to struggle to survive, but is free.

In my story Ciarrai, a successful model turned Hollywood actor is crushed by the privilege and control of his extraordinary life and yearns for freedom.

He runs away to a cabin by a lake and meets Jack a boy with no past after a car accident kills his parents and wipes his memory.

While Ciarrai runs away from his past and Jack runs towards his they begin to form a relationship and Jack finds himself falling for the enigmatic boy who likes to wear silk and lace when he feels like it and thinks it's fun to turn up for a date in a leather mini skirt and stockings.

At first, Jack thinks the only reason he has these feelings for Ciarra is because his androgynous beauty blurrs the boundaries of male and female and he is attracted to the feminine in him. Gradually he comes to know better but by this time Ciarrai's past is snapping at his heels and just when it looks like they're going to be happy the past comes rushing back and Ciarrai is swept back to fairyland.

Can a mere mortal find his way into the world of the Hollywood superstar? Does he even want to? And will either or both of them survive it?

Interesting questions and an interesting story.

So there you have it a fairytale with no fairies in sight (unless you count Ciarria who's as fey as they come when he wants to be) and a story of two men struggling to be themselves in a world with so many expectations and demands.

Step out of the box and join two unusual characters on their journey of discovery and find out why Aaron Coleman has to die.

Stretch your imagination and ask yourself why the hell shouldn't a beautiful young man wear a silk kimono and high heeled slippers if he wants to? Or go on a date showing a sliver of flesh between the top of his stockings and the bottom of his skirt?

It was such a fun book to write and I really hope you'll find it just as much fun to read.

I can't believe my last post was May. Time goes so fast.

As you know (If anyone is reading at all) that I came to this game (being a published author) totally virgin and wide eyed and an utter newbie to the world of self publicizing. My journey thus far has had good and bad twists and turns.

On the good side, I've created a blog I'm truly proud of nephylim-author.blogspot.com met a lot of wonderful people, made friends, learned how to use twitter, goodreads, tumblr... and that I can't possibly handle all of them at once.

At the moment I'm excited about twitter. I've gone from 80 to over 1100 followers in a couple of weeks and no, I haven't joined any groups or added any widgets. I've thought of it. After all publicity is good... but I feel that what's more important, for me, is that the people who follow me, follow ME no just some random @ they follow because they're told/asked to. Naive maybe, but that's me. I'm also spending far too much time reading and commenting on blogs just because people have followed me... and of course there are all the books I'm buying and not reading :)

I've started to write my first ever collaboration and we're currently working on Book 6.

My publisher is awesome and has been nothing but supportive.

On the downside... Editors. I have to say that, thus far editing has not been a positive experience for me, at all. There has only been one occasion when I have truly 'worked with' my editor in the way I'd hoped I would and I have heard others say they have.

Having said that, some great work has come from the conflict and I've learned a lot and improved my writing. I'm not so conceited I won't acknowledge that even the bad experiences have taught me a lot, even if some of them have been to be a lot more cautious about who I trust and who I put my faith in.

I have to admit too that the worst conflict has taught me the most. I've gone from vowing I would never work with that editor again to actually looking forward to doing so (if she'll have me :) )

Recently I've been throwing myself into publicising my new book The Runaway in a way I've never advertised before.

I've created a page on my blog, paid for a web banner to be created, which I'm using all over the place, had the cover specially designed from original art (by my friend Maria... for more of her wonderful work visit my blog, it's everywhere), am working with another artist to create a trailer (which is wildly exciting but also a lot more expensive than I thought), tweeted and facebooked like crazy, organised interviews and blogged excerpts and interesting snippets.

it's taken a heck of a lot of energy, but has been a lot of fun.

However, it's now hit a wall in that I've been told it won't actually be ready for release when I thought it would and I can't get any committment for a release date, which means my publicising has ground to a halt.

Do i go ahead with a 'coming soon' when I've already said August? Or do I wait until i have a firm date. The authorities are divided. As a newbie I'm finding it hard to make the decision as I don't have any experience to fall back on. Advice would be welcome, as would any advice as to what else I can be doing.

Strange subject, I know and, at face value it doesn't seem to relate to writing. However, in my opinion it does.

A facebook status has essentially no word limit. A tweet, a little over 100. And yet, in my experience (maybe because of the people I follow, I don't know) but tweets say a lot more than statuses.

While fb statuses tell us what people had for their dinner and what their ex partners are up to, tweets give us amusement, profound statements, news stories, celebrity itiniaries, links to blogs, photographs, little snippets of people's lives.

There are downsides.You can't choose whether to accept someone as a follower so I get to stalk Stephen Fry, Julian Clary and Pink to my hearts content. Personally, I only comment on the tweets if I have something to say, and I wouldnt dream of abusing anyone, famous or not, but it happens. People are abused and a lot of them are vulnerable young people. I think that those of us who are older and more stable have an absolute duty to support them and protect them as much as we can from those who harass, take things out of context and throw it back in their faces, bring down, or abuse.

Back to the writing thing. I think it is much more productive to advertise on Twitter because all you need is a couple of people to retweet and your possible market expands by many hundred/thousand fold as compared to twitter.

You can find blogs and works of writers you like and people you admire and, for goodness sake I get to TALK to Stephen Fry (yes I go on about him because I lurve him) even though he doesn't talk back

It can also be incredibly annoying when somone retweens dozens of tweets by peole who say stupid things like... follow me and I'll give you a shout back... not sure what that means... but you can block that, just like anything else that pisses you off.

Another thing that strikes me is whether the fact that we have to distill our words make us more careful with how we use them??

I'm interested in how the two compare and Id be interested in anyone else's opinions on this.