• Murder
• Torture devices and techniques
• Weapons
• Poisons
• Fighting styles
• Horses

These are the main few things I do research on.
Since mine is a magical world born entirely in my head I don't need to track technological advancements of a certain century or delve into the rules and etiquette of a certain era. What I do need is to be as realistic in details as possible.

I have demons with wings. I have gods who can freeze time. In a fantasy world, it's only natural. But when I write about things that also happen in our (real) world I need to be careful.
A horse can't run for three days straight, nor can we pick a lock with a wooden stick. At least I haven't seen any evidence of it being possible.

Then, there are the fighting scenes. And magical fights aside, I do have characters using fists and legs. I have to admit that I trained in taekwondo years ago. I remember countless hours of practicing kicks, but the safe gym environment and monitored fights are definitely not the same as a fight in Hell for survival.
In a real situation you wouldn't waste energy for round-house kicks no matter how amazing they look. (I am guilty of adding a few of those while writing my Book3. We'll see if they stay there.)

What about fighting with swords? Daggers? I have no experience there whatsoever.
So... I turn to Google.

And just for the fun of it, I'm going to show you a few of my questions.

• How to defend yourself from a dagger/knife attack?
• Torture devices
• How to make a sword?
• How to pick a lock?
• What are the symptoms of slow-acting poisons?
• How long does it take for a person to bleed out?
• Where to hit on the head to knock someone out?
• Photoshop tutorial for creating a map
• The distance a horse can run in a day
• The amount of manure a horse creates...  Yes, that's something I have been researching. The answer is about 50 pounds of manure per day (if anyone was wondering :D )

The last few inquiries aside I have seen some pretty disturbing things. I have watched countless videos of people forging weapons and showing how to wield them. How to attack with a knife.
All for my books. I promise!

One last thing I wanted to share - I decided to do an impromptu sale.
If you haven't tried my books yet, here's your chance to get Till Death and Beyond only for $0.99!
It's a limited time offer, so be sure to take advantage of it.

For the past week I've been rummaging through my notebooks and documents, trying to sort it all out. I've already published a few deleted scenes and there will be more to come, but today I decided to publish something else--a bonus content.

It's a short story of how Nyssa met Logan. It was never meant to be in the book. It was never even written. So it is definitely not a deleted scene. But I decided to write this down because:

• She is someone who might have been a heroine of her own book, but instead her fate was to play a secondary character who had too few line.
• I always found her interesting.
• ​I knew there was a story hiding when I finished Till Death and Beyond but exploring it, and placing it in the book was out of the question.

Without further ado, here's Nyssa's first glimpse of Logan:
(and yes, this contains a few spoilers, so reading Till Death and Beyond first would be better)

​Nyssa couldn’t understand the commotion. And as always, no one was telling her a thing.
Well, she would just find out for herself, she decided. She put on her boots and poked her head through the door, leaving the gap as tiny as possible. Her mother was outside, and the last thing Nyssa wanted was to be caught.
Sometimes she was tired of fighting. But fight was what she got every time she insisted on making her own choices. She might only be sixteen, but she hadn’t been a child since she was eight years old and the Order had attacked their town.
At ten years of age she was the one bringing food to their table because her mother had been too traumatized by the attack. She was the one working until exhaustion overtook her. She was the one caring for her brother when her mother insisted on leaving the baby in the woods.
For her, sixteen was only a number.
But of course, if her mother were to catch her sneaking out that number would be the sole reason for punishment.
What she saw through the crack both shocked and captivated her. It seemed everyone was outside. Hundreds of people. The broken conversations took her hostage urging to investigate, to leave the relative safety of her home.
The second Nyssa stepped outside she was pushed into the milling sea of people. The noises enveloped her. She was forced to dodge elbows and weapons as she navigated through the crowd, confused as to the purpose for such an uproar.
Was the Order attacking again?
The last time she and her brother had been ushered into the main mansion where women had barricaded themselves whilst men fought an army. Now the mood felt different. There was tension. Even anger. But there was no underlying fear. She didn’t see the dread in the eyes of the people. What she saw reminded her of the time the mob tried to execute a witch. But that couldn’t be it. The only witch she knew was the one master Raven protected. And few would dare to go against his wishes.
There might be some willing to risk his anger, but they wouldn’t do it in broad daylight.
So what was happening? Nyssa wondered, searching for the reason. She was about to ask when she realized that she ended her journey at the main entrance of the mansion where people formed a semi-circle.
The line was drawn, and no one was crossing it.
It both seemed bizarre, yet familiar somehow.
For a reason she could not fathom, Nyssa lifted her hand and placed her fingers against the imaginary barrier only to feel resistance. It was real. People didn’t advance not because they didn’t want to, but because they couldn’t. The anger and fragments of conversations she’d overheard made sense now. Still, why would they want...
Nyssa’s gaze drifted to the front steps and the train of her thoughts vanished. Sitting in front of her, maybe some twenty feet away, was a man she’d never seen before.
Granted, he had his head buried in his hands, preventing her from recognizing his face, but she could swear he wasn’t a local. One look at clothes he had on and the truth was plain to see—no one here had clothes this fine. Her own dress was adorned with multiple patches, barely fit for a scarecrow. But she wasn’t complaining. Some had it way worse.
She squinted, trying to determine the origin of the ring on his thumb and didn’t even notice how she took a step forward, crossing the boundary line.
Everyone else remained a captive.
Nyssa didn't stop to analyze the oddity. She saw the opportunity and took it—quickly, she slipped behind one of the three statues encasing the left side of the steps. She glanced around to make sure no one had noticed her and then concentrated on the stranger sitting less than five feet away from her.
It was as if he was one of the statues himself. Still. Lifeless. Only on closer inspection did she notice how tense his fingers were, or how hard his jaw was locked. For the first time, she began questioning her decision to come this close. He might not have a weapon in his hands, and there might be a lot of people around, but none of them would be able to help her if he attacked.
Sometimes, the difference between life and death was one wrong step.
Nyssa debated against returning to safety when the man lifted his head and she realized he wasn’t exactly a man. He couldn’t be older than eighteen. There was also no anger contorting his features. If anything, he appeared lost. And when he looked at the crowd, Nyssa was positive he saw no people. His clear green eyes looked glassy and unfocused.
Any other day she would have been thrilled to find someone her age. There was not a single adolescent living in this area. If one didn’t count the ones in the town nearby. Nyssa didn’t. Those in town regarded people here, her included, as trash. Or worse—witches and their sympathizers who deserved to be burned.
And those were people just like her, this one… she only needed to glance at his hands to know they hadn’t seen a day of hard work in their lives. She looked at her own chipped off nails and callused palms, and a laugh escaped her lips.
“What’s so funny?” the boy asked, his attention solely on her.
Nyssa’s eyes widened, and her heartbeat accelerated.  She gulped and hid behind the statue. But it was too late. He had noticed her.

​First of all, I am in the process of expanding my website.
The new pages will contain fun facts, behind the scenes material and even deleted scenes.

A few days ago I realized that while I have shared some information, it's all over the place. And not complete. 
I still have to gather everything and package it before I can press the POST button, but it's coming.

Second, I realized that for the longest time I kept myself hidden. I posted about promotions, my books and sometimes characters, but when it comes to me... I was absent.
Well, New Year, New Me! And no, this is not a New Year resolution! We all know how those end.
In other words - I need to stop running. But not literally.
I started running almost a year ago. Hated it at first. Had to stop every few minutes. Worse still, when I finally began seeing progress I discovered I fractured my shinbone. 
But now, I'm slowly getting into shape again. And loving it!

Even when the weather is like this:

I was rummaging through my old notes for other deleted scenes to share with you and I came across a Q&A I once did with my Book3 characters (no working title yet, sorry - cant seem to find the one that fits).

See, sometimes characters come to me, and force me to listen to their story (this is what happened with Amira). Sometimes, I have to discover the story while writing it - it's a really fun experience (this was what happened with Forged in Fire). But when I started writing my third book I decided to get to know my characters in a bit different way - I sat down with them and asked a few questions.

Everywhere I turn to, it seems, people are advising to know your characters before you even start writing. To know their fears and desires. What motivates them. And this was never my way! I discovered those things along the way - that's half of the fun! And yes, I'm not a planner. But for my third book I tried to walk the planner's path; I tried something different. And I managed to find the hugest writer's block ever!

For the longest time I had no desire to open up my draft. But that is another story. Today should be about the Q&A I had with Natalie and Hadrian. So here it goes:

Moreover, while writing this blog post I began writing a blurb for the next book (Natalie and Hadrian's book); but writing a 300 word blurb is harder than writing a 100k word story. But I'll get there :D And once I do, I'll share it. 

Today marks the beginning of Forged in Fire two week book tour! Spotlights, interviews, fun posts, a giveaway, and much more - you don't want to miss a single stop. (In the end of this post I'll list all the stops.)
​And since I'm inviting you to descend to the Underworld (where the story is set), I thought it would only be fair to give you a tour first.
We'll start small - you really don't want to be running around with no clue as to where you are. It might prove hazardous to your health. And since I don't want anything bad to happen - I'm afraid insurance might not cover being eaten by hellhounds - I'm giving you a guide, and a protector.
Meet Ciaran.

Someone chose to come here? Voluntarily? Well, at least I'm not the only one crazy here. Just don't try to swim in the Faron River - I might not be able to save you if you did.
It's liquid fire. I had that pleasure once before, and I'm not eager to repeat it.
Now, I see the map of my current "home". Fun place, what can I say. You can come to watch a fight, make a bet, select a lover - it's an entertainment center. If you are a demon that is. You are not? Well...uhm... keep your head down, don't make eye contact; but if someone tries to mess with you - punch them. Swords and daggers work too. Or a good kick.
That reminds me - I hope you packed a few warm clothes. The Underworld might me hot, but the Floating Island is not. You can actually freeze your toes there.
Like I said, a fun place.

So, did we convince you to pick the Underworld as your holiday destination? Not yet?
Then don't forget to tune in next time, as I'm sure the luxury hotels, hot saunas, and an amazing view will enslave you.

And now, as promised - Forged in Fire Blog Tour schedule:

11/21 - Mello June
11/21 - The Book Junkie Reads - Interview
11/21 - Books,Dreams,Life
 
11/22 - Share My Destiny
11/22 - Ogitchida Kwe's Book Blog
 
11/23 - Lisa's Loves(Books of Course)
11/23 - Lisa’s World of Books
11/23 - Becka Marsch 

11/25 - Marsha A. Moore - Guest blog
11/25 - Sapphyria's Book Reviews

11/28 - T's Stuff
11/28 - Illuminite Caliginosus
11/28 - Ali - The Dragon Slayer

11/29 - Marianne Willis Author
11/29 - Books and Tales - Interview
11/29 - The Cubicle Escapee
11/29 - 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, and Sissy, Too!

11/30 - Books N Pearls
11/30 - Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer - Interview

12/1 - I Smell Sheep - Review
12/1 - Eskimo Princess Book Reviews

12/2 - Hart's Romance Pulse - Guest Blog
12/2 - Silver Dagger Scriptorium

12/5 - Fanatical Paranormal Romantical - Review
12/5 - Infinite House of Books - Interview