Enter the Lone Wolf

Wil VanLipsig, AKA The Lone Wolf, is the hero in my new sci-fi novel, "Lone Wolf". We interviewed him awhile back and he graciously allowed us to post his replies. (In other words, he didn't threaten to kill us if we did.)

Second Wind: We're here today to talk to Wilhelm VanLipsig captain of the ship the Loup Garou. Wil, what did you do before running freight for the Mining Guild?

Wilhelm VanLipsig: I was a colonel in the Galactic Marine Corps. Then I did contract work.

SW: Where does the handle, The Lone Wolf, come from?

Wil: I got that name serving in the Marines. I like to work alone and I'm ruthless.

SW: Are you the hero of your own story?

Wil: I'm the hero of every story.

SW: What is your problem in the story?

Wil: Some psycho son-of-a-bitch wants me dead and then he wants to take over the universe. The usual.

SW: Can you tell us something else about yourself?

Wil: I'm 86 years old, look like I'm 26 and I've been changed so much by the Marine doctors, I don't think I'm even quite human anymore.

SW: Do you embrace or run from conflict?

Wil: I make love to conflict, then I beat until it surrenders. Incidentally, I don't treat women the same way.

SW: How do you see yourself?

Wil: I am the bringer of death. If you see me coming, you've got 10 seconds to say your prayers.

SW: How do your friends see you?

Wil: I don't really have any friends.

SW: How do your enemies see you?

Wil: I'm the shadow of death, the invisible man. If they see me, I did something terribly wrong.

SW: How does the author see you?

Wil: Dellani thinks I'm dead sexy, smoking hot, seriously jacked, evil and dangerously seductive.

SW: Do you agree with her analysis of you?

Wil: I'm not arguing.

SW: What do you think of yourself?

Wil: I'm the coldest hearted asshole in the galaxy.

SW: Do you have a goal?

Wil: Get the other bastards before they get me.

SW: Do you keep your achievements to yourself?

Wil: Most are classified. The only ones who know what I've done are the others who were there with me. Most of them are dead.

SW: Do you have any special strengths?

Wil: My battle plans have made the textbooks and are required reading at the officer's academy. One general said, "VanLipsig's battle plans are a symphony of destruction with each movement bathed in the blood of the enemy." I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of that.

SW: Do you have any special weaknesses? Other than your obvious modesty?

Wil: Amusing, really. Yeah, I can't carry a tune.

SW: What do you believe?

Wil: I believe in honor and I adhere to it. Not everyone agrees with my code of ethics though.

SW: What do you regret?

Wil: I regret the fact that I wasn't there for the people who needed me.

SW: What, if anything, haunts you?

Wil: The faces of everyone I've ever had to kill.

SW: Has anyone ever betrayed you?

Wil: Yeah. And I killed her for it.

SW: Have you ever failed anyone?

Wil: Pretty much every day, I imagine.

SW: Did anything newsworthy happen on the day you were born?

Wil: According to my old man, hell opened its doors and spit me forth. I hope he's waiting for me when I get there. I'll kick his abusive ass.

SW: Was there ever a defining moment of your life?

Wil: Meeting Matilda. She has made me become the man I wanted to be and couldn't seem to find on my own.

SW: What is your most closely guarded secret?

Wil: If I told you, I'd have to kill you. You look like you think I'm kidding.

SW: Do you have any hobbies?

Wil: Does sex count?

SW: What is your favorite item of clothing? Why?

Wil: I don't really care what I wear but I always have my gun belt, even if I'm naked.

SW: Name five items in your pockets.

Wil: Nothing. Too much stuff slows you down and can identify you when you're dead.

SW: If you were stranded on a desert island, would you rather be stranded with, a man or a woman?

Wil: What the hell good would another man be? A woman with lots of stamina. It would be nice if she was intelligent too, but that's not a requirement.

I Need Help!! I'm Not Above Begging!

This was originally posted on my publisher's site. I really need some feedback. HELP ME HELP ME! ~ Dellani

Some of you have been following my story, “Take a Bite Outta Crime”, for the past few months. I appreciate your comments and support, thank you! When I began posting “Bite”, it wasn’t quite finished, but I had every intention of finishing it before it got this close to the wire. Well, it’s not done yet. Why? I can’t find the perfect ending.

See, I set up this story, laid the groundwork for the characters, gave them a mystery to solve, only I couldn’t ever really decide who the bad guys were or how they were going to solve the crime. That being the case, I’ve got them poised on the verge of discovery—with nothing for them to discover.

Awkward, to say the least. So, here I am at the end of what I’ve got written, but not at the end of the story. For those who haven’t read it all, or who have forgotten, here’s a quick summary.

Previously in “Take a Bite Outta Crime”:

Kirk & Drea own a catering service. Kirk goes to find out where the fish monger, Jay, is, because “Bouillabaisse for 300 doesn’t make itself.” Kirk finds Jay stabbed in his freezer & calls the police.

Drea has a mysterious visitor. This spooks her because she’s afraid their secret has been discovered. (By the way, they’re vampires) Their home is vandalized as is their business.

They finally resort to going to the vampire counsel for assistance, only to find out that many of their friends, also vampires, have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. They decide to pose as models & caterers at the photo shoots so as to infiltrate the modeling agency & track down the villain.

So, where do I go from here? Who’s the villain? Perhaps more than one. Why have the vampires been targeted? For what evil purpose have they been captured, perhaps killed? What did Jay know? Why did he have to die? And why can’t Bouillabaisse for 300 doesn’t make itself?

You see my quandary. I can’t answer any of those questions. If I could, I’d find the perfect ending, finish the story and Bob’s your uncle. But I can’t.

I appeal to you, my fellow writers and readers. Help me find the perfect ending! I have no real incentive for you other than to promise that whatever ideas I borrow to finish the story, I’ll give the contributors a byline at the end. (I’d love to be able to award you fiscally, but that’s not in my current budget.)

Please either post your comments below, or e-mail your ideas todellanioakes@yahoo.com Please be sure to put “Take a Bite Outta Crime” on the subject line. Even if I don’t use your idea, I will mention you by name at the end of the story.

Dellani Oakes is a slightly schizo author whose novel “Indian Summer” is published by Second Wind Publishing. Her second novel, “Lone Wolf” is coming soon, also from Second Wind.

What's Write for Me August 24, 2011 at 1:00 PM Eastern

My next show is Wednesday August 24 at 1:00 PM Eastern on Blog Talk Radio. Guests will be James Edwin Branch & Karen Vaughan. Below are their short bios. Enjoy and join us! ~ Dellani

James Edwin Branch

I'm an old West Texas boy, grew up in Big Spring, Texas. I have three children,and one of them still lives in Big Spring. I now make my home in South Texas. I've written 19 Novels and Novellas and will continue to write as long as there is a story to tell.

I try to write things that young people can read. I'm a strong believer that you don't have to use descriptive sex or off color language to tell a story. I should caution you though that in an action story there is always some violence.
I am an avid musician and a United States Army Vietnam Veteran. I write several different genre and probably always will. My favorite is Action/Adventure or Westerns.

My work was published by another company and is now marketed by VGR. I also can be found at several web sites.

I never wanted to be a great author or counted as one of the really intelligent people of our time. All I've ever strived for is to entertain. I write stories about people who struggle to be who they are. It may sound strange, coming from a fiction author, but I try to make my characters believable.

It is an honor that you're interested in my work. A writer or a musician is nothing without someone to share their creations. Thank you for being that person. You may also find a song or two that I've written on You Tube. Please join me on Facebook with the rest of my author friends.
I enjoy comments and having my readers drop me a line, so when you run across my sites or find me on Facebook, feel free to write me. It might take a day or two to get back to you, but I will.

www.jamesedwinbranch@webs.com

Karen Vaughan lives in Peterborough, Ontario with her husband Jim and a four-legged off-spring(cat) named Sugar. She is the mother of one young adult, four grown-step kids and a grandma to 14 month old grandson.
She is the author of DEAD ON ARRIVAL (The first in the Laura and Gerry series.) and DEAD COMIC STANDING. OVER HER DEAD BODY is the second in her Laura and Gerry series.
Besides writing and reading, Karen enjoys road trips, crafting and online gaming, as well as cooking.

Keeping Organized

Honestly, I'm probably the last person to tell anyone how to organize their writing life. However, I have come up with a few tricks to make it look like I'm more organized than I really am.


Since I'm a project hopper, (I move from one story to another rapidly & at random), I have to keep track of characters, time line, chapters, etc. I keep 3 small notebooks on my desk for this purpose. One has finished projects, the second has unfinished projects & the third has notes & miscellaneous other stuff I need to put my hands on quickly.


For detailed information about  my characters, I have an index card file. On these cards, I list a variety of information. (Example below)
Front


Name:                                                                Parents' Names:
Book:                                                                  
Boyfriend or girlfriend name (or spouse)     Siblings: (If any)
Children: (If any)
Family: This is like cousins, aunts, uncles.   Age:
                                                                            Coloring: (Major importance!)
Actor/ Actress they look like                          Series: (Since I have more than 1, also important)        


Back


Employer/ Job Title
Friends & Co-Workers
Also In: (For any other books they are in. Since I use mains as secondary characters in other books, this is also quite important.)


You'll notice that on the front I have an actor or actress name. This helps me hear a voice, see movement, gauge speech patterns, gestures, etc. Sometimes this will change as a novel progresses, but generally I keep to the same person. 


Everyone will have different bits of information that are important to them, so the contents of the cards can be personalized. I'm simply listing what I consider important. Please let me know if you find this tip helpful and feel free to share your tips here.


copyright 2011 Dellani Oakes

To Buy Dellani's Books

It's Show Time!

Tomorrow is my first August show. Join me for Dellani's Tea Time at 4:00 PM Eastern on Blog Talk Radio. My guests will be Dianna Graveman, Linda Nance and GR Holton. Below are short bios of the authors. Enjoy!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rrradio/2011/08/08/rfk-dellanis-tea-time

GR Holton

On a warm summer morning in 1962, G. R. Holton was born in a little town in Massachusetts. I am the second eldest in a family of eight children. I am happily married and living in eastern Tennessee. I took an interest in computer games to pass the time, and then one day I made a friend, Marlene Milton, on one of those online games with chat. We became great friends and after a few weeks of talking, I met her husband, Derek Milton online and we hit it off quickly. Derek is a movie director and screenwriter from Canada. He gave me a couple of his screenplays to read and I was hooked. I knew at that point I wanted to try writing. Derek was right there to help me. One night I had a dream of three teens on another planet and in a cave. This was it; I knew what had to be done. I sat down at the computer and over the course of three months, I had written my first book, “Soleri”. I couldn’t stop there, so I continued writing and, “Guardians Alliance” was born. I have also published a children’s picture book called, “Squazles” about not judging others. My latest is, “Deep Screams”, a science fiction/horror thriller that is now available in eBook and paperback at the major online book retailers.

Dianna Graveman

Dianna Graveman is a writer, editor, and educator with a background in training development and graphic design. She teaches Narrative Journalism and Writing for Publications in the MFA program at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.

Dianna’s portfolio includes includes published works for CBS-St. Louis, AOL, Suburban Journals, St. Anthony Messenger, Teachers of Vision Magazine, Looking Back Magazine, Kansas City Voices, Gold Dust Magazine (UK), You and Me Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Cup of Comfort, and several other publications and anthologies, as well as co-authorship of four regional histories for Arcadia Publishing's popular "Images of America" series. She has won 19 writing awards, including six from Missouri Writers’ Guild and two from Catholic Press Association of the U.S. and Canada. Dianna is a member and Managing Editor for Missouri Writers’ Guild. She is also a member of St. Louis Writers Guild, Ozark Writers’ League, and Toastmasters International and has several projects in development.

Linda Nance

I am Linda Nance. It has been my dream to be a published author and be to be able to reach out to others. I would like to be able to make a difference. You might say it is my voice. I want to say that we are never too old or too young to make dreams come true if we are willing to work hard and believe. I want each and every person who might get one of my books to have something special that reminds them in their own lives to never give up. Whatever their dreams and wishes are, they can come true.
I love to write, paint,sculpt and many other things. I am a wife, mother, grandmother ( I really like that one) daughter, sister, aunt, neighbor, friend and whatever I have been needed to be. Now I am also a writer and illustrator of my two novels Life Goes On, Journey Home, and the new Children’s Book. I want people to be able to hold the book and look at it and it be more than just another novel. I designed and created the covers and wrote the books from front to back. I wanted to write stories that would be enjoyed and remembered.
It has been a long journey to reach this point as I hold the books in my hands. This is only the beginning. I lived through the cancer surgery and am still writing. I still paint and want to live my life and not just be alive. I want to have a purpose and make a difference. I did not give up. I have only just begun.