Not So Fictional Pets

Even though I'm a fiction writer first and foremost, more than once I've integrated the physical appearance or character traits of real people into my writing. These people can be family members, friends or complete strangers who just happen to catch my eye during the course of a normal day. The aforementioned people rarely recognize themselves after I've written fictional accounts around their characters, unless I choose to tell them about it.

Animals and treasured pets also figure into the mix on occasion. My beloved pooch Foofer, who passed away in 2007, makes his appearance in The Keeper's Journal where he is discovered abandoned by Jamie Page. Jamie, who is also a veterinarian, adopts Foofer. The two become inseparable, exemplifying the master and devoted canine relationship. That being said, there is more to Foofer's seemingly casual presence in the book, which is scant when compared to the unfolding human drama in the storyline. Foofer is Jamie's vigilant protector in Hearts Desires (due for release in spring 2013), where he distrusts his master's new friend Jack Sansovino with keen canine instinct.

 

 

However, Foofer's true purpose becomes quite clear in Megan's Legacy, the final book in the Collective Obsessions Saga (due for release near the end of 2013).

My demonic feline Kiki also appears in Megan's Legacy, where she is found abandoned by the main character Megan Larkin. Kiki is mentioned fleetingly throughout the book, but she is part of the dramatic saga finale albeit in subtle fashion.

 

 

I have yet to find a fictional place for my darling Rainee, the Black Lab mix I adopted in Spokane in 2004. I've felt bad about it, wondering why something for her hasn't come to mind. Not to worry, though. I recently came up with the perfect story-bound scenario for her, although it probably won't see the light of day for a few years.

 

 

Rainee is streamlined, elegant and behaves with purpose. Even as a puppy in 2004, she feared nothing in her path (including Foofer, who at the time was 109 pounds to her wispy but lively 13 pounds). Her main focus is food, followed by her desire for daily trips in the car. She loves nothing better than to stick her head out the window as we tool down the road, although I'm careful not to give her too much leeway. She's a living doll.

Since Foofer's passing, Rainee and Kiki have been at odds with one another so I have to keep them separated for the most part. Both seem to think they inherited the mantle of dominance after Foofer left us, which has resulted in several hysterical confrontations.

Both female, neither Rainee nor Kiki give an inch to each other.  I love them both to bits, so it's our way of life for now. I liken it to having two very different – and difficult - children. The more difficult they become, the more I seem to treasure them.

 

Unconditional love is a wondrous and rare thing.

Bloodfrost Cover History

Bloodfrost was released in June 2012, the first book in The Bloodline Trilogy.

The book cover history has been varied. While writing the story, I toyed with two reddish designs that were meant to signify blood as it relates to the trilogy. This was the first go-round:

 

 

And this was the second, which over time I found to be too dark:

 

 

The second cover was built around a model photograph taken by Anton Belovodchenko, a contributing member to Stock Xchng (of which I'm also a member).

For the third (and hopefully final) cover of Bloodfrost, I built the design around another model photograph, this time taken by an artist named Tomas Bobrus from Poland (also a contributor to Stock Xchng).

 

 

I felt the white backdrop was more effective in displaying the blood drops and trails. The main character in Bloodfrost is sickly pale (at first), and has blue-eyes with graying hair. I'm not fond of the color pink, but it seems to work on the final cover (see lips and author name).

Both images from Stock Xchng were used according to their standard restrictions license. I'm careful about following usage guidelines because I also create my own images, so I know how much hard work goes into the process. Whether it's an image based on a photograph, sketch or a graphic created from scratch, it's important to give credit where credit is due (including one's self). It's as essential as respecting copyrights on other media such as books and sound.

I'm grateful to be a part of places like Blur Designs, Logopond, RGB Stock Photos, Shutterstock and Stock Xchng, where artists share their work and sometimes learn a thing or two from each other. I'm an amateur at best, so I stand in admiration of many stunning and unique images.

Jack Sansovino

Jack Sansovino was a nasty piece of work, probably the most loathsome character found in the Collective Obsessions Saga.

 

He first appeared in Enthrallment, working for Carly O'Reilly as her sous-chef de cuisine (under-chef of the kitchen) at Harbor View Catering (HVC). Jack was smooth, self-confidant and as unruffled as a tranquil lake. He was tall (6'5"), with black hair, dark eyes, olive-tinted skin, and thin yet somehow still sensuous lips. He drove a black 1968 Corvette C3, given to him by older brother Antonio.

Jacopo (Jack) Sansovino was born on May 12, 1967 in Little Italy, Manhattan, New York. His mother Adelina named him after Jacopo d'Antonio Sansovino, an Italian sculptor and architect known best for his works around the Piazza San Marco in Venice. Jack had one older brother, Antonio (Tony, 1964), and one younger sister, Desideria (Désirée, 1971). Their father Mario owned Sansovino's Restaurant & Italian Market on Spring Street in Little Italy. The family home was contained in an apartment above the restaurant and market.

Jack worked in the family restaurant as a teenager, but left to find his own way after Mario decided to eventually give the family business to his oldest son. Jack moved to Larkin City to attend Larkin City University's Chefs Program, where he also got a job at Harbor View Catering in 1989. HVC was owned by Carly O'Reilly, Liam Larkin's wife.

Jack had a problem with gambling. He frequented the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, and later the Hollywood Slots at Bangor Raceway (Racino), where he played slot machines, table game roulette, and placed bets on live harness racing.

In December 1990, Jack attends the HVC Christmas party. He spikes Carly's drink with Flunitrazepam (aka roofie, date-rape drug) and then takes her to his flat on King Street, where he rapes her. He also allows several of his "buddies" to take turns with her. The "buddies" are actually bookies and loan sharks to whom Jack owes money. He permits them to rape Carly repeatedly in order to erase his gambling debts to them. Because Flunitrazepam impairs memory, Jack dresses Carly after the gang-rape and puts her back in her car, which he then parks a short distance from the Larkin mansion.

Carly is not certain about what Jack has done to her. Because she has no vivid memory or concrete proof of what happened, she does not confront him. He never mentions the night she came to his flat, nor does she question him about it. Their working relationship remains the same. After Carly commits suicide in September 1995, Jack continues to work at HVC for another six months, but then takes a job as Executive Chef at the Amber Whale Tavern.

In Hearts Desires (coming in 2013), Jack sees Jamie Page having lunch at the Amber Whale. They begin a friendly conversation that soon leads to a dinner date. Despite his penchant for forceful rape, Jack is not known to interact with men. However, after meeting Jamie and understanding his relation to the Larkin family, he decides to plunge into a full-blown sexual relationship with Jamie. Jack is more interested in the wealth of his new lover, hoping it will benefit him somehow.

Jack rapes and beats Jamie one night after a drunken argument, forcing him to flee the country. Jack's reign of terror didn't end there, however. In Megan's Legacy (coming in late 2013), Jack returns to Larkin City to demand money from his sister Désirée.

Instead, Jack finds his own swift justice from where he least expects it.

Claude Mondoux

Larkin family chef Claude Mondoux is one of my favorite characters in the Collective Obsessions Saga. Although he only appears in the first two novels of the series - Passion Forsaken and Quixotic Crossings - his exuberance for life, fluid intuition and deeply-felt compassion leave a lasting impression.

He was born the only son of Ysabel Amelot Mondoux in Chamonix, France on February 10, 1845. Ysabel was a striking, dark-haired beauty in her day. She was an actress briefly, before giving birth to Claude. Her love affair with an affluent Chamonix businessman named François Durand resulted in Claude's arrival, and afterward she gave up acting to work as a maid. Claude never met his father, although he assumed the man must have been blond and tall, two characteristics Ysabel could not have given him.

 

 

Claude was an unusual and striking figure of a man. Tall and slender, he had blond hair and blue eyes, with a stylish gold earring studding his left earlobe. He was energetic, forthright, effervescent, naturally friendly and slightly effeminate, but not the least bit subservient. His sexuality remained a deliberate mystery throughout his fictional tenure in my imagination.

He worked as a chef at the Auberge du Bois Café & Chateau in France before coming to Larkin City in 1875 after the death of his mother. John Larkin found him at the Amber Whale Tavern, and hired him on the spot. John nicknamed Claude "my frog" as the years progressed. Claude had his own suite of rooms inside the Larkin mansion, located just off the massive kitchen. He became a close and dear friend to Colm Sullivan, the two of them sharing many secrets during their lifetimes.

Claude was famous for his "Zucchini Loaf" in Passion Forsaken and thereafter:

 

ZUCCHINI LOAF

• 3 C flour

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 3 tsp. cinnamon

• 3 eggs

• 1 C vegetable oil

• 1 1/2 C sugar

• 3 tsp. vanilla

• 2 C zucchini, grated

• 1 C walnuts, chopped

 

Preheat oven to 325-degrees F. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon in a bowl. Beat the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar in another bowl. Add dry ingredients to the moist ingredients, and mix well. Stir in the grated zucchini and nuts. Pour the batter into prepared pans. Bake for forty to sixty minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for twenty minutes. Remove bread from pan, and allow to cool before slicing.

 

When Claude died in 1936, he was buried in the Larkin Family Cemetery. He was the only "servant" to be so honored.

 

Note: "Zucchini Loaf" recipe also appears in the Larkin Community Cookbook. Image of Claude Mondoux is a pastel-illustrated variation of the late actor Robert Addie.

Keeper Flashes

One of my favorite parts of The Keeper's Journal is when Carly O'Reilly is cyber-stalked by an unknown person, who hints they are wise to her sinister deeds.

Another favorite scene comes from Chapter Fourteen, when Shannon Larkin has a mini-psychotic break of sorts:

Shannon never knew what prompted her to look at the mirror, but her actions rendered her immobile with fear. Her eyes centered on the mirror, unflinching. An overwhelming sense of uneasiness filled her being, and she began to tremor slightly. As if she could not believe her eyes, she kept staring at the mirror, taking in the words and the meaning, over and over again. The fact that the message was left in red lipstick with a drawn heart did not seem to matter at the moment. Only the message mattered:

Greetings, Shannon! Did you think you could ever forget me? Remember, nothing is ever forgotten. Our day is coming soon. Our blood is intermingled, and the time has come.

She continued to stare at the red letters on the mirror. Her ears blocked the sound of running water as the tub overflowed onto the bathroom floor and began seeping toward her slowly. She dropped the box of bubble bath without realizing it, the powder spilling onto the small rug under her feet. A feeling of numbness overtook her, much as it had the other day in the drawing room when she discovered the last batch of roses destroyed in the garden. Her mind was in a whirl as memories crashed into her brain, of a past she thought completely put behind her. But here it was again, intruding upon her, fringing her life. She looked down at her empty hands and wondered idly what happened to the bath crystals. She frowned. She remembered getting them out of the cupboard under the sink, but where were they now?

I developed the idea for The Keeper's Journal in 1998, when I lived in a crappy little trailer on the outskirts of Chubbuck, Idaho. At the time, my personal life was a literal misery as my second marriage ground to a halt and financial resources were non-existent. Submerging my mind into a fictional world was the only way to deal with stress in the moment, but in the end it proved fruitful on a creative level.

My second husband never understood or accepted my inherent drive to write, which is only one of the many reasons the marriage fell apart after ten long years.

We live and learn.

New Collective Digs

The official web site for the Collective Obsessions Saga was re-designed over the holidays:

The "header" image was created using the Smart Photo Editor. I found the "fog" element quite by accident, but fell in love with it instantly. In my eyes, the image is simply perfect for the saga. It syncs with the entire storyline backdrop.

In addition, a story-related poem was added on the intro page of the site:

Trapped incandescent swirls;

like raptly churning ocean waves.

Through milky, translucent pearls

and collective misty mind caves.

Kith and kin disavow as one;

twelve decades and seven of obsessive love.

No one has forgotten, and no one has won;

and yet forever dwell spellbound thereof.

I penned the poem writing as Deborah O'Toole (also dubbed Collective Obsessions) nearly two years ago, just as I finished writing Megan's Legacy. It was meant as an adieu to the saga, which briefly describes the storyline in prose.

The poem also appears in Torn Bits & Pieces.

TKJ Unleashed

This was a wonderful way to begin the New Year:

"The Keeper's Journal" released by Club Lighthouse Publishing >

Happy Reads!