Writer Wednesday - T.M. Caruana

Today we welcome the talented, and prolific author, T.M. Caruana to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

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What prompted you to write this particular book? 

I entered into a multi-author box set collaboration and the theme was for paranormal romance. I have always liked this genre as well as my favourite, Epic Fantasy. I thought that a black dragon curse would be a lovely twist on a romantic story about a kiss of deceit instead of a true love’s kiss.

What do you do when you're not writing? 

When I’m not writing, I’m reading, or marketing my books. I host a YouTube book review channel, so I work a lot with movie editing.

Do you plot your books or plot them as you go? 

As a minimum I plot the general idea of the book with the endgame in mind, so I know where I’m heading. Some series I outline for a long while. I started plotting a trilogy in the beginning of January 2019 which I’m not finished with yet.

Is there any kind of take-away you want your readers to take with them when you’re finished with your books? 

I always try to have a moral to my books. Probably about love, kindness and charity, mixed in with some intrigues and villains. The Science Series is a bit more extensive in its message as it debates life’s existence, through a Quest Fantasy. This series is a mind twister, like the Sixth Sense film, where I hope that the reader will have to go back and read from the start to see all the hidden clues once they’ve finished it.

What made you start writing in the first place? 

As a girl I had a half an hour walk to school when I loved to imagine different stories to make the walk pass more quickly. I found the stories were influenced by Walt Disney classics, where I enjoyed heroic journeys either as a princess or a kick-ass heroine. I had quite a rough childhood and hence this was my way of escaping the everyday miseries and into a world of my own. I suppose old habits die hard. To this day I enjoy the limitless boundaries that the fantasy and sci-fi genres offer.

Get your copy of T.M.'s latest release and don't forget to sign up for her newsletter! Tell her I sent you! 

WeWriWa 2/9/2020 - Draculesti Dynasty - Torture Chamber

 Welcome back to this week's excerpt for the Weekend Writing Warriors weekly blog hop! We are deep in the throes of my reader letter, which precedes my newest novel, Defender of the Faith, book #1 in the Draculesti Dynasty series.

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Without further ado . . . let's journey into the torture chamber.

So how do we make the jump from Defender of the Faith to Vlad the Impaler? Vlad’s battlefield tactics of impaling people on stakes are legendary and make us cringe today, but history tells us that Vlad’s were tactics worked against the Turks – an enemy that utilized equally brutal tactics, as seen in Vlad’s early life and years of captivity. He beat the Turks at their own game in terms of sensationalistic brutality. Would anything less monstrous, by today’s standards, have worked against an enemy so brutal? Vlad didn’t think so – and the stories that have swirled down through history about his time(s) on the Wallachian throne proves he was right.

While Vlad is characterized as a bloodthirsty sadist remembered namely for his methods of execution, we must remember that torture and execution were very popular during the Middle Ages and were carried out almost as an art.

Public hangings and public beheadings were festival-like occasions, with people streaming into town from miles around to witness the bloody spectacle as excitedly as we might sit down in our living rooms with our families to binge a new Netflix series. Hangings and beheadings were the tamer counterparts to other torture and execution methods of the day, such as being dragged through the streets, hanged until half dead, cut down, genitalia cut off with red-hot blades, gutted while still alive, then hopefully beheaded before being torn into four sections, or quarters. No matter how death was dealt out, families watched and cheered and added to the hype and hysteria, always turning out in droves.

Thank you for stopping by! Check out some of my new releases on my website. If you're in the Houston area, check out the ABOUT ME section on my website to see a list of my upcoming appearances and book signings!

Out of the Shadow of Count Dracula . . . When Vlad III was Sold into Slavery

Welcome back to this week's edition of Out of the Shadow of Count Dracula. Last week, we looked at what the Order of the Dragon - a special, noble, chivilric society that was designed to protect Christendom (in those pre-Church-split days #CoughCoughThanksHenryVIII #MartinLutherYouGetPropsToo, Christendom was solely Catholic and Orthodox) from Ottoman (Muslim) takeover.

We learned also how Vlad III got his infamous name - Dracula. His father, Vlad II, took the name to honor the Order of the Dragon when he himself entered. In those medieval Romanian days, Dracul meant Dragon. Today, language has shifted (as language does . . . I mean, can you imagine someone in Vlad's time talking like my teenage daughter? Bro, that new edict you issued is delicious, frfr). Today, Dracul in modern Romanian means devil. What a way to get your reputation on the wrong path just through the shifting sands of history and language translation fads.

This week, let's look at Vlad III's childhood and examine when and why his father, Vlad II, sold him into slavery. 

Vlad II

Vlad III was born to his father, Vlad II of Wallachia, House of Draculesti, and his mother Eupraxia of Moldova. She was said to be his second wife, though Vlad II took many mistresses, and still not much is known about his legitimate wife other than she was a Moldavian noblewoman. 

Vlad II had a slew of children, the oldest legitimate child being Mircea - who was set to rule when Vlad II could no longer do so - and then came our beloved and historically notorious Vlad III. His little brother, Radu, came next, then a daughter, Alexandra - who also is difficult to track down historiographically. A couple of illegitimate children are in the Draculesti mix as well, one being the eldest of all, Vlad the Monk (whose cruelty, in my research, surpasses even Vlad III's . . .) and another child named Mircea. Strange . . . lots of the same names, lots of different mothers. Oh well, it is what it is. 

Radu the Fair, or Radu the Handsome

Vlad II, pictured above, wanted to rule and live a life of luxury, and he didn't think twice about selling out to do so. Actually not selling out . . . but selling his sons. But which ones should he sell? Not Mircea the heir, no no no. How about the littlest legitimate ones, Vlad III (our Vlad) and his little brother Radu (pictured to the left). Vlad III was 11 or 12 when he was sold by his father into Ottoman hands, and Radu was only 7.

As we know from the English language, to sell means to give something to someone in order to get something in return. So what did Vlad's Dad get in return for selling his sons to an empire of known pedophiles?

Peace. He got peace.

The Ottomans promised to help Vlad II regain his rightful throne and furthermore, they promised not to attack Wallachia if Vlad II supplied them with two of his sons plus a yearly supply of gold, a deal to which he readily agreed.

Without a second thought, Vlad III and Radu were dealt away like pawns by their father, ruler of the Wallachia - and into the hands of an enemy who had a well-known lust for young boys. What makes this even more disturbing is that the practice of selling young boys to the Ottoman Empire in exchange for the Ottoman's promise not to attack was commonplace at the time, with many, many countries doing the very same thing. These young boys, sold into Ottoman slavery, were numerous enough to make an army. This army even had a name - the Janissary Army - made up of young, European boys who turned from their European ways and were now loyal to the Turkish cause.

What happened once the boys arrived to Tokat Castle in modern day Turkey? Find out more next Thursday, same time, same place. 

Writer Wednesday Welcomes . . . Rebecca Corio

Writer Wednesday Welcomes Rebecca Corio, author of Rescue Me, among many other titles!

"I invite you to meet the men of my dreams. Take them home, let their heat surround you . . . Make them yours." 

-Rebecca Corio

Cara Jones deals in reality. She knows there are people depending on her to make the right decision even when it hurts. Life isn't about what she wants. It's about doing the right thing. And then one night Firefighter Trace McKinnon walks thru her door. But Trace doesn't play by any rules but his own. Everything about him upsets the balance of Cara's world. His body is a work of art like a living breathing Greek God and he doesn't mind showing her. Trace doesn't take no for an answer and Cara responds to him despite knowing she shouldn't. But just as Cara begins to trust Trace, he walks out of her life. How could she ever guess three years later, he'd be the one to find her sunning naked at the beach? Though her body is bared to him, the rest of her no longer is. Cara won't let him use her twice. She no longer trusts him. When Trace introduces her to the new station chief Cara finds herself captivated by Domino Mason. His body calls to her own promising her nights of wicked erotic pleasure. And suddenly Cara finds herself with not one fireman but two. The heat between them begins to flare and Cara knows if she isn't careful, she's the one who will get burned.

 Who is Rebecca Corio?

A former farm girl from the Midwest, Rebecca is blessed to now split her time between Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest. From beaches to woods, she loves the outdoors and animals of all kinds, with a particular fondness for the Akita and the beautiful Maine Coon. Rebecca finds romance in every day life and in every setting. She loves writing characters who her readers can identify with and weaves bits of truth into all her stories. A believer in Love at first sight and Happily Ever After, Rebecca shares laughter, tears, and her passion with readers through the stories she creates. She loves being the sunshine and light for those around her. The advice she gives most often... When the Universe stops to sprinkle its pixie dust upon you, make sure your arms are open to receive it.

Where can I find Rebecca? 

Find Rebecca and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Sign up for her newsletter, too!

Where can I find her books? 

Come find her books on her website, or her Amazon author page! You will NOT be disappointed in this fabulous author's work!

WeWriWa 2/2/2020 - Defender of the Faith (Draculesti Dynasty #1)

Welcome back for the next excerpt from Defender of the Faith (Draculesti Dynasty #1). We are still in my throes of the first section of my reader letter, which outlines why Dracula? Why this book? Why in the world would I write something positive about someone that, through history, has been little more than a devil?

In the reader letter, I answer these questions and more and prove that, just as the narrator stated in the opening lines of Braveheart, history is written by those who've hanged heroes. Perhaps that is the case for Vlad Draculea III of Wallachia.

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Most boys, Wallachian and European, turned while under Turkish (Ottoman) rule and became Janissaries, or members of an army of foreign boys loyal to the Turkish cause.

Vlad’s younger brother, Radu the Handsome, was imprisoned along with Vlad. Not long after their arrival, Radu became a favorite of the Sultan, Mehmed II, and shifted his loyalty to the side of the Turks, leaving Vlad to endure the hellish captivity and experiences on his own, with only his Catholic faith to lean on. Vlad’s experiences while in Ottoman captivity that are detailed in this book, while fictionalized, are based on real events detailed by Vlad and historians alike. When Vlad’s captivity was over, he held fast to his Catholic faith and left his little brother, now a lover of the Sultan and a practicing Muslim, in Turkey.

That's it, folks! I hope you enjoyed this week's excerpt from my reader letter!

Come on over to my website to check out more of my work, including paranormal thrillers and Amish romances!