Dante Eternal's Virtual Bookshelf: Maris by: Isaiyan Morrison w/ Guest Post & Giveaway

Title: Maris

Author: Isaiyan Morrison

Series: The Brotherhood Files (Deamhan Universe)

Genre: Adult/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Dark Fiction

Publisher: Self Published

Release Date: Mar 10 2015

Formats Available In: eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:

She gave me her blood, and my life changed forever.

Anastasia. My sire. The only influential figure in my already-fragile life. She did this to me. She caused all the pain and suffering. There was a time I believed I owed her everything. After all, she gave me immortality and the never-ending thirst for the energy contained in the blood of my victims.

But now vampires hunt me and the humans want to use me as their personal weapon. They believe I'm some kind of apotropaic figurine that can damn all Deamhan and force us back into hell where we belong. Me? I just want to live. I just want to be Maris. That way, the only one I can damn is myself.

Feeling uncomfortable, I looked away and toward the front door. For twenty years they held me in that small tomb, on a slab, like a piece of meat. I dreamed of Jesse and although I felt that those dreams helped me in my Hibernation, it didn't take away the fact that he was dead and never coming back.

One of the Deamhan, a Ramanga female, descended the stairs. She reached to the wall at a switch and upon flicking it up, light illuminated around me, revealing that I wasn't alone. They were all around me—standing on the stairs, in the hallway, to my right, and my left. Ramanga, Lamia, Metusba, and Lugat Deamhan, all young and new. I recognized none of them.

She opened her mouth slightly, showing her fangs as she took in my scent. “So this is Maris. She doesn't smell that old. I expected her to be different, taller.”

I scanned all of them, taking mental notes on their appearances and their scents.

The other male, a Metusba, accompanied him. “Look at her scar.” He pointed and—refusing to be viewed as some abnormality—I turned my head to the left to conceal it.

“Ayden says she's important,” the Ramanga spoke. “I'm curious as to why.”

I looked at the Metusba, noticing that his clothing that didn't resemble anything from the 1920s. He wore a loose-fitting white shirt, dark slacks, and a tie. The women wore dresses that extended beyond their knees. They all looked clean and impressive.

“Leave me alone,” I said to them.

“Or what?” the Ramanga replied. “You're supposed to be this important Deamhan. We'd all love to know why.”

“Oh yes, that.”

“Yes. That.” The Metusba straightened his body posture and clasped his hands together. “Just for the record, we don't believe that you're as important as they say you are.”

Before I could reply, the Ramanga said, “She's the reason for this war.”

“I've seen scarier Ramanga,” the Metusba added.

I wanted Ayden to return immediately before the conversation turned into something that could only be resolved by fighting.

The Ramanga stepped up to me. Her scent carried an older aroma but it didn't intimidate me in the least. Her eyes turned black and she leaned in. “I want to see what she can do—”

I reached out and grabbed her by the neck, immediately flipping her onto the floor. She moved to get up but I placed my foot on her neck to keep her still. The other Deamhan moved in and the sound of our commotion made Ayden rush up the stairs.

“Stop this.” He pushed me back against the wall and he moved himself in the middle.

The Ramanga jumped to her feet.

“Norma, what have I told you about starting fights?” Ayden spoke in a stern tone. “Go back to what you all were doing before I make you all regret your actions.”

Norma glared at me with riled eyes before she moved back, giving us room. Ayden dropped his hand from my chest. “We can go now.”

I blinked slowly. It took every inch of my body to calm the rage that began to. “Why did you leave me alone? Where did you go?”

Ayden led me down the front corridor. “I had to make sure that things were in place.” He opened the door.

We stepped outside and onto the porch. “All of them are products of this war. They've heard of you: the Deamhan to end all Deamhan.”

“You know I wouldn't do that.”

“I know but they don't. After your supposed demise, Ethel rallied Deamhan from around the region to join her in her fight against those who want to see an end to our species, particularly The Brotherhood. They've been fighting ever since.”

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How do you keep your ideas organized? Do you use an outline? Note cards? Spreadsheets? Talk about how you manage all the information for a given writing project.

Keeping organized is no easy task.

There are several ways to do this, depending on the author and what they’re comfortable with. I’ve read and heard stories about how some have outlines, note cards, spreadsheets. While these things are helpful to authors, I find that they can be troublesome to me.

I’ve tried everything under the sun. Outlines sound perfect…in the beginning, but my mind and ideas are constantly changing. What works for me is imagining my book like a house.

It all starts with an idea, which is my foundation. That idea needs to be strong and solid. If not, the entire book won’t be stable. I have a plot, an idea of how I want my characters to associate with the story, a location (or a few locations,) and a purpose. Why does a certain character say this? Does s/he need to appear in this particular scene? Do they help the scene move forward or do they stagnant it, making it non important to the plot? This is the mortar and bricks which keeps my foundation in place.

Sometimes I do have to take extra steps when it comes to my characters in The Deamhan Chronicles. I wanted them to have interesting backstories; some that span several centuries. This meant I had to research time periods including clothing, mannerisms, political strife, ect. Not only does this make the character more realistic but it also gives me an insight to how life was like in the past, in certain countries, for certain types of people.

The important things like floors, walls, doors, windows, and stairs can be found in the story itself. As I mentioned above, I have an idea of how I want my characters to associate with the story. They must fit. It wouldn’t make sense to have stairs and doors leading to nowhere (unless it’s the Winchester house, which is a fabulous and interesting historical home actually.)

The interior of my house is the cover art. You want it to look nice and attractive for potential buyers. They don’t know what’s inside but by the outside appearance, you want them to be curious. You want them to take a peek inside the home.

Of course, all my ideas are kept in word documents and sheets of paper on my writing desk. I’m sure what works for me doesn’t work for others and that’s fine. There is no one true way to keep your ideas organized. I say do what works for you and if that doesn’t work, try another option.

You might even want to try mine.

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A veteran of the Armed Forces, Isaiyan Morrison was born and raised in Minneapolis.

Her passions include writing, reading, and researching historical events. She also spends her time gardening, playing video games, and hanging out with her three cats and beloved Pitt bull.

She's the author of The Deamhan Chronicles, The Deamhan Tales, The Brotherhood Files and the novel, Old Farmer's Road.