Blog Tour ~ They Called Him Nightmare by Deja Black ~ (Review + Guest Post)

Blog Tour ~ They Called Him Nightmare by Deja Black ~ (Review + Guest Post)

TITLE: They Called Him Nightmare

RELEASE DATE:   June 1st, 2016               

AUTHOR(s): Deja Black

PUBLISHING: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 29 pages

CATEGORY/TAG: M/M Paranormal Romance

HEAT LEVEL: 3/5 flames

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://goo.gl/vywNhH

Dreamspinner Press: https://goo.gl/4zBq8d

BLURB:

Growing up, Kai Bennu was taunted for skin dark as midnight and his otherworldly appearance. They called him Nightmare, but Alec Vasilios, a wealthy and powerful businessman, wants to call Kai his own. Kai’s past has left him with little trust in others and even more reluctance to surrender himself to Alec’s power. With both men harboring supernatural secrets, finding common ground won’t come without sacrifice.

EXCERPT:

They never asked him his name. They ran from his shadow. He was alone. Always alone. He was Nightmare.

To me he was everything I wanted. To me, he was beautiful. I needed to run my fingers along his skin, to cherish him. In the heat of the blazing sun, I wanted to taste his sweat. I wanted him beneath me, a part of me, a part of my soul. He didn’t frighten me. He entranced me. He called to me.

Kai aka Nightmare is lonely. Most people avoid him, scared of his dark as pitch skin. There are whispers about him yet he ignores it all, focused only on one thing, taking care of his mom. The one person who has loved him fiercely. 

Alec is loved by all, the quintessential Golden Boy who charms everyone he comes in contact with. But while his light shines bright on the outside, he is nothing but darkness on the inside. Drawn to Kai, he is overcome with the need to possess him and be possessed by him. 

However, things aren't that easy, not when they are hiding who and what they truly are from the world. What will happen when their desire for one another can no longer be denied? Will they be able to hold on to one another?

This is another wonderful story in the Dreamspinner Anthology: A Walk On The Wild Side. Deja Black was able to transport me into the world she created with great ease from the very first sentence. 

"He was pitch black, darker than the darkest night."

The mystery surrounding Kai and what he was, was done so well that I have to say I was thrown a bit when the truth was revealed. This story is different from so many out there which is refreshing. If I had any complaints at all about this one, it would be that it was too short. I would love to see more from these characters. 

I definitely recommend this story to fans of Paranormal romance. As well as those who are in the mood for a quick dark treat! 

5 Stars!


***A copy of this book was provided by publisher/author to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for an honest review.***

Today we are happy to have Deja Black author of They Called Him Nightmare to talk about her writing process!!

My Writing Process

As a new author, my writing process is a work in progress. The first book Broken Bones was written without an outline, just a brief story line with character descriptions. I have never worked so hard in my life. You would think that I would remember how valuable an outline was as I did teach English for about fourteen years. But, no, I pressed on. The next book, Broken Pieces, I did an outline. But, somewhere along the line, I lost my way and the outline became my nemesis. Now, I’m working with Scrivener to improve that. I do like it. I have the character sketches which is nice because now I don’t forget who wears what, eye color, birth, etc. I also have bullet points for the chapters so I’m not as mired down. The next book that is not a part of any series will benefit from trial and error.

As for They Called Him Nightmare, I relied on childhood memories, visualizing my men in my mind. Is there an outline? No. Is there a storyline, a reference that I used while writing? No. There are character descriptions because I saw them in my head. I know Kai. I can see him, can talk to him. He’s honest to the point of brutal, but he loves hard. I know Alec. He’s a heartless cold bastard unless he’s with Kai. These two men are beautiful to me, and it didn’t take an outline to bring them here.

As for Scrivener, it’s definitely a learning curb. For example, where are all those extra quotation marks coming from? How do you compile the actual book? I don’t know. What I do like is having everything together. The outline, the research, everything. Everything is all there. That’s pretty sweet. Doesn’t mean my Microsoft Word doesn’t do the job. Broken Bones? Microsoft Word all the way.

As for the process itself, I see the characters, who I want them to be. Then, I think of how they should meet, where. Next, I work on making that happen. I’m a character builder. I love fleshing them out, giving those people their own people to know and love. You can’t have a story with just two people. Well, I can’t. I need people, so my characters do, too.

Then, it’s time to actually write the story. The tricky parts? The word “that”, evil little word. Watch that one because it shows up when you least expect it. Contractions or the lack of contractions? What else? Repetitive words. What I do to solve that now is write the words down that I know I have a tendency to overuse. At the end, I scour the book and snip them away replacing those words with better ones.

In the end, I layer. Did I remember to add the details, the images that I saw in my head so the reader can have a peek, too? I don’t want to add too much, though. How many times have I read a book only to realize that the author and I didn’t agree on what the character looked like, spoke like? As a reader, I’ve tweaked the characters a bit in my head and expect that my readers will do the same. I have to allow my reader the space to create the story the way they see it.

When the book is done, I radio for help. My betas come in, chapter by chapter and rip me apart, soothe me, uplift me or make me bleed. It’s all exactly what I need. They are all different, each providing the essential outlook that will help the book become its best.

My writing process? It’s a work in progress.

The only thing I have to ultimately decide? What’s the best tool to use to make that happen?

AUTHOR BIO

Deja Black had fantasies of men loving men, men who felt strongly, loved hard, and needed a hero. Then one great day she came across a book and discovered the world of m/m writing, encountered others who shared her obsession as much as she did, and found a world where she could not only be accepted for the lives and loves she envisioned, but she could create them too. So why not? Why not take the stories she would write and throw away as a teenager, grow them, dream them, and make them a reality where she could know her own characters, let them live their story, and make them real for someone else? And she did. Now, with the support of her hubby and some intense time management, she is learning to balance her family of two energetic children and a very needy shitzu at home along with the many students she teaches each and every day with her passion of writing what she loves to read.

LINKS:

Blog:  dejablack77.blogspot.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/deja.black.69

Google+: Deja Black

Goodreads: Deja Black