Welcome to my world…
- A Halloween Romance Fantasy Novel… Demons, Lost Prince, Dracula, Supernatural Creatures all entwine to bring this fast-paced story to life.Silver Eyes Silver Eyes is available on Amazon (all territories) in Kindle, Paperback, and Hardcover. Sixteen years ago, Cora woke in a hospital without a single memory of her past, nor who or where she was. Since that day, a motherly spectrum has filled her visions and dreams of a little boy crying out her name, but she has no knowledge of who he is.Told that she will find the boy she needs to save at the Royal family’s annual Halloween ball in Romania, Cora, heads for the land filled with mystery and legends. But she quickly becomes aware that there … Continue reading
- Developmental Editing & Proofreading ServicesDevelopmental Editing Services Developmental editing is generally the first step of editing to seek out once you have a completed draft of your manuscript. After submitting your manuscript, you will receive a summary highlighting all the story issues I’ve come across. Since this could result in a series of rewrites, it is best this phase comes before any proofreading or fine-tuning. However, every author has their own process. This manuscript critique addresses various story element issues like plot holes, poor character development, character arcs, pacing, action sequences, point of view, narration, tenses, story flow, dialogue, language use, and any other … Continue reading
- My Proudest Accomplishment as an Author…I am so very excited to announce that the I Heart Africa Project book was released on March 10, 2022. The responses I am getting from those who have read it already are amazing. The book is taking readers on multiple journeys throughout Africa that have truly opened their eyes, inspired them, and shed a light on Africa that many people would not have seen outside of the negative press Africa gets in the Western world. I am so proud of bringing this book to life, and it was all made possible by the incredible individuals that I interviewed, and … Continue reading
- An interview I did.
- NEW BOOK RELEASE: I Heart Africa ProjectAs of March 10, a book I have been working on for the last five years finally left my desk and entered the public domain for readers and travellers alike. Over the last five years I have interviewed over fifty people – all carefully selected by myself, who are from all around the world, and who either live, work, or travel on the African continent. Now, when I say that these people are incredible human beings – that is a HUGE understatement. At the time when I started this project, my goal was for people to hear about the good … Continue reading
- ‘Curse of Stone’ Character Interview
Writing the first book in the ‘Curse of Stone’ series was a four year process as there are many characters, twists, subplots, and many facets to the main plot. I needed to be clear on who was whom, what they looked like, their background, their role, and how they would react in certain situations as the story unfolded. I ended up creating a one-hundred page character book, giving each character a profile and biography. Many of these characters do appear in the first book, however, there are still many yet to appear. It was a great exercise for me, and a tool that I have referred back to countless times to check certain things, including small things like eye colour or hair colour, or even if that character had tattoos. Continue reading - Short Story Review: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen PoeThe Tell-Tale Heart was first published in 1843 and is a short story by the American writer Edgar Allen Poe. It was then subsequently published as part of Poe’s Book – Tales of Mystery and Imagination. The story is told by an unnamed narrator that tries to convince the reader that he is not mad but provoked and haunted by the ‘evil’ eye of the old man, taunted almost, and to rid himself of the eye, he must murder the old man that he loved very much. It follows him as he walks us through his calculated and cunning plan … Continue reading
- Book Review: Bone Tiki – David HairBone Tiki – Wow. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Have ordered the next book in the series. The first few pages for me were a little slow, and I was not encouraged, but persisted. Using a mixture of culture, heritage, mythology, legends, and historical knowledge, David Hair was able to bring life to those well known mythological/ancient creatures and Maori legends in a way that captivated my imagination and soul, and with a balance of backstory weaved amongst the story to keep it moving forward. The aspects I liked were:1) That David Hair was able to use legends and myths within … Continue reading
- Book Review: Halfway to the GraveFrost, J. (2007). Halfway to the grave. New York, USA: Harper Collins Publishers. Author: Jeaniene Frost is an American author who has penned New York Times and USA Today bestselling fantasy – The Night Huntress series. Halfway to the Grave is the first book in the series. Summary: The product of a non-consensual tryst, Cat Crawfield is different but not in the way most humans consider. She is born half-vampire, half-human. Filled with a vengeance towards the very undead that ruined her mother’s life, she crosses paths with Bones. Forced into a partnership, Cat trains under Bones, to hone her … Continue reading
- Book Review: The Awakening by L.J. SmithThe Awakening is the first book in The Vampire Dairies series. The main plot follows main character, Elena Gilbert, who is a doppelganger for a centuries old vampire who caused romantic havoc between a pair of brothers, Stefan and Damon; whilst she tries to readjust to normal life after losing both parents in an accident. The subplot follows Elena and her encounters with a black crow, unaware it’s Stefan’s brother Damon. The crow appears at the most harrowing times, causing unease. The subplot is crucial to moving the story forward because it lays the foundation for Damon’s entrance, his fascination … Continue reading
- Deadly Bedfellow (A Short Fiction written from the POV of a snake)As the earth starts to cool, and darkness falls across the veld, I make my way out from myhidey-hole. The heat to hot and the cold too cold. It is in the shadows of summer night’s that is my place of delight. Along the dry, blades of grass, I go at fair pace. A great mountain ahead, with holes plenty. Vibrations felt across the earth, I follow with eager. From memory before my slumber, a number of prey were at my pickings. Caged, unable to escape, just room for me to enter and eat. Into the mountain I go. Beneath … Continue reading
- Short Story Review: Arrangement in Black and White by Dorothy ParkerDorothy Parker is an American short-story writer and poet and became one of the greatest humourists of her generation. Arrangement in Black and White was published in 1927. This short story follows the story of the main character – a woman, and her dialogue with the host of the party, and an African-American musician. The dialogue between the characters is how the author helps reveal the woman’s character as she socialises at a predominately white party. It raises the issue of racial discrimination that African-American people suffered in the first half of the twentieth century in America. I think this … Continue reading
- Flash Fiction Exercise: Wildest Dream Phone CallOutside, grey blankets overhead act as a net, but one without holes, preventing the rain from falling any longer. A tree that stands crooked outside the window, groans. A glistening cobweb, decorated with caught raindrops, and the busy red-striped, black spider, with legs spindlier than knitting needles, plucks at the reforming of broken strings. Trees shadowing the window mirror upside down in the puddles. The residual drip drops of lingering catchment hit the puddles, causing them to ripple in circular waves. My old ticker clocks into rapid action at the erupting noise from my phone on the coffee table beside … Continue reading
- Writing Exercises: Three Sentences RewriteSentence 1: Marie hurried down the steps. As she stepped out her front door, the icy cold wind slapped her in the face, her breathe smoked like she was having a cigarette, and her eyes became glassy in the bitterness of the weather. How could she have forgotten the Turkey for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, Marie thought to herself with her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment as she hurried down the rattling four flights of steps to her newly purchased red hatchback car. She only had twenty minutes to fight the Thanksgiving crowds and traffic to get to Coles before it … Continue reading
- Book Review: Safari by Tony ParkBased in Zimbabwe for the most part Safari follows Canadian researcher Michelle Parker, her interactions withFletcher Reynolds, a lodge owner in the safari business. She jumps at an opportunity to visit the mountain gorillas, but the head of Reynold’s anti-poaching unit makes her start to rethink her decision. I liked Park’s first-hand knowledge of places and wildlife, making the descriptions vivid, and using sound to compliment visual imagery. I applied this idea of combining senses in a sentence to my own writing, to bring vivid imagery to mind: “The odd cat knocking over trash cans, vagabonds sleeping along the walls … Continue reading
- Flash Fiction Exercise: Stuck on an Island – Day 52 Diary EntryDay 52The flames from the fire have begun to dwindle for yet another night. It’s a romantic notion. Penning my deepest thoughts by candlelight of sorts. The gentle caress of the ocean lapping at the shore, like a lullaby gentling me to slumber.The stars dazzle like twinkling diamonds. I can’t help but stare. Only a quarter moon tonight.The sand beneath me is cool. It’s the only place to sit where the large green ants won’t attack and bite me. Little buggers.There is no breeze. No rustling in the tree canopy. No haunting whistles of wind whipping through the forest. Every … Continue reading
- Book Review: The Young King by Doug WilsonThe third and final installment of this trilogy, and it didn’t disappoint. The final battle between good and evil. I loved that the characters had now matured into young adults (teenagers), and had developed their abilities. Peter and Siobhan explore the depths of their friendship in a lighthearted manner and that was awesome. Siobhan is a fierce character and a natural fighter.In this book we see the ancient societies, such as the Roman legions and commanders – which is such a neat inclusion.I personally liked the dynamics of one of the villains, Wulfric.This book is a great ending and closure … Continue reading
- Author Interview: Curse of Stone by Nikki LockwoodInterview with Nikki Lockwood – The Author of the ‘Curse of Stone’. What inspired you to write this book? This idea actually came to me in a dream that was persistent over several weeks. It was Gabriel’s character that was in the dream, and his brothers. Their curse and existence were intriguing and complex, and then when the girl came into the picture (in my dream) I knew there was a story to be told here. Can you tell me about the book? When a strange man starts following her, and weird things start occurring, she turns to her best … Continue reading
- The Man in the Painting
Available in English, Korean, and Chinese. Life as Gabrielle knew it is no more. Thrust into a world she never knew existed, she is captivated by the face of a man in an animated painting. Then she finds herself being hunted, and the more she learns, the more her life is in danger. She is protected by a powerful immortal, but is it more than just protection? Could the man in the painting be her destiny? Only time will tell who will be able to save her. Enjoy the first episode of The Man in the Painting Series. English version … Continue reading - Book Review: National Geographic Guide to the World’s Supernatural PlacesNational Geographic Guide to the World’s Supernatural Places, published in 2014, is one of twenty non-fiction books written by Sarah Bartlett. Based in London, Bartlett is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 2, has a Diploma in Psychological Astrology, and spent three years studying a range of fields including astrology and mythology. In the book, Bartlett goes beyond identifying infamous haunted hotspots and tales of supernatural beings. It is clear she has done in-depth research in order to present all the facts to the reader – history of each; cross-references to various sources; and other literature that has been written … Continue reading
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Nikki Lockwood 