A Darker Rain by Claudine Kapel Book Tour, Author Guest Post & $20 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

 Darker Rain by Claudine Kapel

“It’s definitely not a good time to be going into the woods of Hawkley Ridge.” When a red-eyed wildcat starts threatening ranchers in the Pacific Northwest, Ryan Cole recognizes the danger is far more menacing than the ranchers realize. Cole specializes in tackling unconventional security threats, particularly those with alien origins.

His investigation puts him in the crosshairs of Antoine Drake, an international arms dealer with a penchant for weapons from other worlds. Both men are hot on the trail of powerful alien artifacts known as guardian stones.

Cole and his team of investigators embark on a dangerous quest to recover the guardian stones before they can be assembled into the ultimate alien weapon. To succeed, Cole must also decipher the wildcat’s deadly secrets.

But in the woods of Hawkley Ridge, it’s easy for the hunter to become the prey.

A Darker Rain is the first book in the Ryan Cole series.

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Excerpt:

Beecham exhaled sharply. “Antoine Drake and Cassandra Chase are ruthless. They’ll stop a nothing to get what they want. If they’re acquiring both alien weapons and alien allies, that could give them a major military advantage. Who knows how powerful these weapons are or what they can do? We don’t even know how they work.”

“So what did your people learn about the weapons before they were stolen?” asked Cole. “Did  Ivan Johnson shed any light on how the sonic rifle works before he was killed?”

Beecham rubbed his eyes wearily. “He didn’t give us a hell of a lot. We tested the alloy the rifles were made of and confirmed there’s no match for such a substance anywhere on Earth. But beyond that, we didn’t learn much.

“We ran a whole battery of tests to see if we could uncover the mechanics of the weapon.

But nothing. No one has been able to figure out how the rifles operate. As you can see in the photo—not to mention in the files your buddy Ashcroft downloaded—there’s no visible trigger.”

Beecham looked at Cole, his face etched with deep concern. “We need to get these weapons back. And we need to stop Drake.”

Cole looked at Beecham with a frown. He had heard that refrain before, and it had been a prelude to disaster.

 

A Darker Rain is Claudine Kapel’s first novel. She lives in Toronto and enjoys books, music, and travel. When not working as a consultant, she can be found writing, reading, or contemplating what else may be out there.

The second book in the Ryan Cole series is planned for release in 2014.

Claudine loves to hear from readers. You can reach her at www.claudinekapel.com.

Guest Blog Post from Claudine Kapel, author of A Darker Rain

One of the more fascinating aspects of writing is the process of connecting with the ideas and story lines that give a novel its form and substance. Although somewhat ethereal in nature, the relationship with one’s muse of inspiration is what propels a book forward and brings the action and characters to life.

So what fuels this relationship? What nurtures and cultivates those seeds of inspiration?

For me, a number of things help me advance my writing. As a starting point, I strive to always be in a state of inquiry and open to new ideas or perspectives. Inspiration can arise at any time and under any circumstances.

I find music to be an especially fruitful source of inspiration. In fact, I engage with music in a variety of ways when writing. Sometimes I’ll hear a song that captures the mood or essence of what I’m trying to write, which helps me advance a particular scene.

I keep an active playlist of songs that correspond to different scenes in each of my books and sometimes listen to them while I write. I’ll also seek out songs that relate to particular themes in a book. For example, A Darker Rain is set in Seattle, where it frequently rains. So I’ve compiled numerous songs referencing rain for my playlist.

I also like to have instrumental music playing in the background while I write. I find that creates a good ambience for writing. In fact, I tend to have music playing most of the time when I’m at home.

The practice of people watching can also help spark ideas. I like to observe what’s going on around me.

What are people doing? How do they look? What are they wearing? What emotions are they conveying? How do they engage with others? Everything is grist for the mill.

Sometimes, though, when I get stuck or come to a wall in my writing, I find the best way to move forward is by not writing at all. I just let things percolate for a bit, to see what wisdom or inspiration may arise of its own accord.

In writing A Darker Rain, some of the major plot elements came into being this way, including some of the alien twists. Many of the book’s more intricate details, such as the backstory of the red-eyed leopard and the guardian stones, emerged as the writing unfolded.

While the practice of being open to what arises is vital when writing, it is also invaluable in day-to-day life. When you are open to the guidance of your muse, you will be more aware of the subtle nuggets and treasures that cross your path that you might have otherwise overlooked.

 

Claudine will be awarding a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found by clicking the Goddess Fish Promotions banner you will find below: 

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This promotion was brought to by both the author, Claudine Kapel, and Goddess Fish Promotions. If you are interested in Goddess Fish Promotions, you can contact them via website, Twitter, Facebook, Blog, or Google+.