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13 Questions With…CA Milson, 2nd Edition
Courtesy of TheWrittenUniverse. Thanks so much Tracey.
13 Questions with C.A.Milson – 2nd Edition.
When I started The Written Universe, I began the 13 Questions feature, to give my readers some insight into the authors I review.
This is the second time I have had the pleasure of reviewing CA Milson, and I wrote a second batch of 13 questions for him to answer.
1. You’re hosting a dinner party. What is the menu, and do you cook it yourself, or do you call a caterer?
Dinner party? That does depend on the number of guests that are invited. When I was in New Zealand I put on a few Murder Mystery Dinner Parties, which were alot of fun, but takes alot of prep and organizing, such as finding a good location, the menu to suit everyone and so on. But, if I was having a dinner party for a select few people I would typically do a 3 course meal. Entree I normally do something light. Main course is where I really shine I like to cook when I entertain, so I pull out all the stops. Jacket potatoes, roast onion, roast pork or lamb marinated and seasoned with all kinds of herbs, spices, condiments and of course wine Desert is my own brand of pumpkin pie.
2. What is your beverage of choice?
If it’s first thing in the morning, coffee – strong. Any other time. 100% juice or Pepsi
3. Physical book Vs an E-Reader. Your preference and why?
Seeing how fast technology is advancing, E-Readers. Ebook sales are on the rise and quite sadly the days of paperback are declining. In 5 or 10 years we will be lucky to see any major bookstores as E-Readers are becoming quite the everyday thing now. Technology may be a marvel at times, but still nothing still beats seeing your own book in the stores. That is something E-Readers can never replace…
4. What kinds of books make up your personal library?
We have quite the range of books in our kit. Travel, ancient history, some fiction novels, foreign language, law.
5. How and when did you catch the writing bug?
That one started in 1989. When I lived in a small town in Winchelsea. Winch (as it is known) is a small town, and there was alot of inspiration for me, as at the time I lived in a cottage house on a piggery, outside of town. There was nothing for miles around, so you can bet that my imagination ran wild. At the time I had an old iron Remington Rand typewriter, and I would be on that thing for hours at a time, much to the annoyance of everyone else who lived there.
6. What is your writing routine?
I write when I am inspired and have a clear mind. Lately though that has not been the case, as my thoughts have been pre-occupied with my TV show and my short films. So it has been hard to get into the swing of things and continue on with book 3 – Prophecys End. Yet, when i do write, and am in the right frame of mind, I sit at the laptop, stare aimlessly at what I have and wait for that inspiration to hit. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn’t.
7. If you ever encounter writer’s block, what steps do you take to get past it?
Grab a sledgehammer and break down that wall LOL… No, normally I review what I have already written and see where I can take the storyline from there. That’s what I did with Bloodline Of Darkness. There was a few spots there where i was wondering where I was going to take the storyline, especially in the section where Alex is sat on the balcony with his son. When I hit that point I had no idea where to take it, as that scene was not where I wanted it to go… So began the daymare sequences… and a whole new reality for Alex opened.
8. Do you have a hidden talent?
I try my hand at alot of things. Right now I am seeing if I have what it takes to direct a TV show. It is far easier to write a book than it is to create/write/ and direct a TV series. Let alone when Rise Of The Darkness gets turned into a feature film.
9. What was your best subject in school?
English and ancient history.
10. As in any entertainment, there are current trends. How much do these “current trends” influence what you write?
Current trends are okay, but if I followed the pack then I would have created a TV show “Office Downunder”. No, I don’t like to follow any pack, although there are some influences that I do like
11. Mac or PC?
PC
12. Where do your ideas come from?
My ideas come any source. Last weekend I was in Hervey Bay, which is in Qld Australia. Nice and relaxing place, then my sister told me about this real haunted house in The Bay that just got my create juices flowing. So next time I am up there I am going to check some haunted locations out and see if I can find some ideas for the next book.
13 What advice would you pass on to an aspiring author?
I would say this: If you want to write, do it. But do it for the right reasons. Dont think that because you write a novel it is going to be the biggest thing since JKRowling. Only less than 1% of new writers actually make become an overnight sensation. If that is your motivation, then don’t write. Yes, there will be fans of your book, but it takes work, much like a full time job. If you are going to research publishers, check out POD publishers. There are some good publishers out there, but you just have to find them and be aware of the fine print. Writing a book has to be a passion. If you have that passion, then follow it through to the end. it is worth it.
Win A Horror Pack!
With a new year comes a new contest!
As part of the new release of Bloodline Of Darkness, we are giving away a Horror Pack to 5 lucky readers
Horror Pack includes:
* Rise Of The Darkness novel by C.A.Milson
* Rise Of The Darkness Audiobook
* An autographed copy of the film script for Rise Of The Darkness, signed by J.D.Rebel, C.A.Milson and the film crew
* A walk on role in the film, Rise Of The Darkness
* Issue One of Phantasmalyptic – The Graphic Comic
* DVD Pack of two classic horror films
To be in the running, simply purchase a copy of Bloodline Of Darkness from ASJ Publishing, take a photo of yourself with the book (Cover displaying in photo).
Purchase from: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/bloodline-of-darkness/14418685
Best or most outrageous photo wins!
Entries close August 15st 2011 and the 5 winners will be announced September 1st 2011.
Good Luck Everyone!
20 Years… A reflection…
As this title suggests, “20 Years, A Reflection”.
This is an opportunity for you to share with me in this journey that has brought me this far, and as you read further, I will be giving readers the opportunity to purchase a Commemorative Autographed E-Copy of Rise Of The Darkness.
Although I tend not to blog much these days, there is good reason for that, which I will go into later.
It was 20 years ago when I first started writing. It was July 1989, and I was in Winchelsea Victoria at the time, living on a small piggery, located 5 or so miles out of town.
Winchelsea was – and still is – a small town in rural Victoria, Australia. More or less the type of town where there was 1 bank, 1 pub, about half a dozen shops, and a post office which doubled as the local grocery/convenience store. Back then, the population boasted in the hundreds, and life was very quiet, which seemed to suit me just fine.
I remember I was living with my sister, her partner (Scott), and another guy (Leroy, who we called LaRoy for some bizarre reason), in a 3 bedroom cottage farm house, which was situated some 100 yards or so off the main road. If you stood on the front porch, you could barely make out the highway past the 5 foot high grass 🙂
That old weatherboard house, the town, and the surroundings, fueled my creativity. In many scenes of Rise Of The Darkness, there is a definate parrallel between Winch and Winmont… After all, Alex’s adventure had to have some element of truth. Even if that truth was based on a small town 🙂
Our mornings were usually met with the overwhelming stench of pig waste, as the piggery was pretty much situated right behind the cottage.
I found that the quiet country life quickly became a starting point for my writing. Apart from the definate comparisons to several scenes in Rise Of The Darkness – Such as the clearing, the hospital, and alot of other locations – I did write several other short stories in the old house.
If I wasn’t going to Geelong or Torquay, I would often sit at the kitchen table with a notepad and pen and write, write and write some more. My days were often like that. I would start my day with coffee and cigarette, sit at the table and pen away like there was no tomorrow. There were times when I would be writing away, and my sister would be in the kitchen making Coconut Ice or baking bread, which was cool as I got to try the food first 🙂
At that table, in that house, outside of that town, in the middle of nowhere, Shack of Evil was born. A 9 page story which eventually became Rise Of The Darkness.
But, writing stories did not stop with Shack of Evil. I wanted to branch into other genres also, such as Sci-fi, drama, and childrens stories. After SOE came – I believe – a short story titled Fangs.
Fangs was the story about a Yeti that is brought into captivity by hunters, and how they sadistically experimented on the animal. Although it was written in a sense of “horror”, there was also a side of the creature that I tried to make feel human compassion. The ending scene of Fangs was touching, as the beast was killed. The story left a tear in my eye, so I soon followed up with the sequel, Fangs Lives.
Unfortunately – or fortunately – Fangs Lives never got past the first 5 pages. The idea may have been good, but the idea was scraped.
Then along came the sci-fi short stories. The Battle For Time, Time Master, and some others that are less then memorable. Pretty much those stories were stories that are best left in the crypt – for eternity 🙂
During that time, I also wrote a children’s story titled Fun In Tailytown. I wont go into details about the storyline, as that is just one of the stories which will be re-written in time to come.
In the mass of stories, was also a christian horror, titled Revelation, taken from my understanding of the Book Of Revelation. That story ended up being about 15 pages. Yet another that would stay in the crypt of my mind – for now.
There was also another title in development – Infestation – which was the story of a paranormal investigator, who for some reason is sent to investigate the infestation of 25 foot long cockroaches in New York City underground. Cockroaches that have a hunger for human flesh and give birth to live young. Now, just why I had a paranormal investigator as the main hero, I will never know. But in 1989, I thought I had a great idea. But after the wave of Hollywood films of similar scripts, I think I will leave that in the crypt also, unless I re-work the entire plot.
There was also a story about love gone wrong. Well, not exactly, but it was the story of forbidden love; As one man fell in love with a girl, and he knew that the love he had for her could never be reciprocated. The idea was taboo and will probably remain just another that will remain in the dark.
In that time of my life, for the months I lived in Winch, I managed to write 26 short stories. Now, although some will be re-written (majorly) and released either as novels or as part of my Short Story Anthology, there will obviously be some that will remain dead and never will resurface. The basis of some of those stories may have merit in their own way, but for me, I feel that it is best that they lay where they are. In the crypt of my mind.
I first started seeking representation for a publisher in 1989 also. I remember I saw an ad for a publishing firm in NYC. They were called Vantage Press. A definate vanity publisher, which, in 1989, agreed that they would publish my anthology for the nice sum of $10,000USD. Quite a price to pay just to be published! And I must say, that I am grateful that I did not have $10,000USD at that time, as it would have been a huge mistake on my part to have published stories that were very VERY amatuer.
Yes, I admit it. My writing style was very amatuer and even I did not like my own work. Why? Because I knew I could do better. I knew that those stories were nothing what they could and should have been. So it was a good thing that I never went ahead with Vantage Press.
But, in 1989, I was 20 years old, and knew narda about the writing world. I was nieve and an “easy target” for vanity publishers. All I had was a dream and delusions of grandier. 🙂
After I left Winch, I went back to Brisbane, and for the next 5 years my writing sat in a dark vault of my mind, waiting to be released.
In 1994, I found a reason to write again. I was sharing a house with some college kids, and one person I shared the house with – J.B. – I found I had a connection to. She had a creative mind also, and although her passion was singing, we did bounce around many ideas for stories in the wee hours of the night. I had only known her for about 16 days, but for some bizarre reason it seemed that we knew each other for so much longer. Maybe she was a kindred spirit at the time.
She inspired me to write again. So I wrote the basis for what will be soon Bloodline Of Darkness.
But soon after the series of events in that house, I found myself living with my father again, and again I threw myself into writing. As I did 5 years before, I would start my day with coffee and cigarettes and write as fast as I could, while listening to music that was being played on Brisbane radio station Triple M or B105.
1994 I rewrote Shack Of Evil into what was back then The Chosen One. Of course, I did have so many titles in mind, which I have mentioned in previous posts.
After I had finished what was a 2 part, 300 page book, I decided to ask for a review and critique from family members. Of course, the reception I received less than favorable.
I remember my father said, “Oh you want to be a writer so you can big-note yourself!”
My aunt said, “Your writing is repetative and is that of a child. I could write better.”
Okay, that was crushing, and was enough for me to stop living in a fairytale for a time.
So began a new journey. That in marketing. That journey has spanned the last 15 years, but I am not here to talk about that 🙂
Many years passed. 13 to be exact. 13 long years of not wanting to write, but always, the niggling feeling – the biting – still haunted me. Taunted me. Niggling me to start writing again. But I chose not to. Partly because I didn’t want to, and partly because I never found the time.
But I am glad I did make time.
In 1997 I was living in Auckland, New Zealand when I started a search for a publisher. I sent out a mass of email enquiries, and 50-odd rejection slips later I got an offer from a POD publisher in Baltimore MD. That day changed my life.
Which brings me to today.
Although The Chosen was first published in 2008, it was since reworked and was re-released in 2009, which includes the some of the original characters that were chopped from the first release. The title was also revamped to Rise Of The Darkness; The first book in a trilogy.
For those who may not know the Synopsis:
From the time that the Darkness ruled the ancient tribes, The Elders prophesied of a time when a descendant of The Gods would arise. Tonight, in the town of Winmont, an Ancient Legion has been awoken to finish what they started many millennia ago. Now, the fate of humanity is in the hands of One, but can he overcome the forces that dare to challenge the bloodline of the Gods?Alex Manning is The One. Born of a heritage that was once a powerful civilization before it was destroyed by the Giants that once walked among men. Now tonight, in a small town, after thousands of years of being bound in the Dark Realm, the Ancient Darkness has been unleashed, and they set about to finish what was begun. Only Alex can stop the Dark Forces from destroying this town, but will he fulfil his own tests and sacrifice his life for those would seek to betray him?
I recount the years that have passed from the time I began writing. The journey has been a long and often difficult road. Especially from the time I started in 1989 to 1997. A period of 18 years it took for me to become a published author. Which is a milestone in itself.
Once I became published, the world seemed to change. Or the way I see it has changed. Not that I am going to “big-note” myself as one would claim as that is not who I am. Truth be told I rather sit infront of my PC and write the next novel than doing book-signings and all the rest of the public spotlight stuff. But, being a writer, one has to deal with that.
Along this journey, I have made some friends, and lost some friends, but that’s life. Some things I have written have been blasted and that is okay too. I express my opinion and sometimes those opinions do not meet favorable feedback.
One thing though, I am thankful for the readers and those who have supported me during this journey.
Which brings me to today. And the reason why I have not blogged much.
As some will have noticed, this site has been modified a little, and comment moderation has been changed so that a person needs to register in order to leave feedback. This was done because in recent weeks there had been a flood of messages on this site, to the point where I had to delete all several hundred “pending messages” several times a day. I am not joking. I had 200 to 300 spam messages a day waiting moderation. So to combat the spam I changed the settings where if you want to leave feedback on a post, you have to register.
Now to explain what is happening. I have not been on here as much as I would want to. mainly because of other projects that are in the pipeline.
If you have been following me on Twitter, Facebook or Tagged, you will notice that these last few weeks I have been busy filming on location in Samara, Russia.
There are 2 projects in development right now here. One is the video titled, “C. A. Milson’s World – Samara.” The video we are producing right now is a tour of Samara. From the Metallurg to the Embankment, and some interviews with local celebrities. Everything that you could want to know about travelling in Samara, taken from a tourists’ POV.
The video, when complete, will be available for distribution online and will hopefully be on the likes of Travel Channel Network.
Although there has been a short posted online titled “Out-takes“, that is exactly what that clip is. Out takes and goofs while filming, and is not a representation of what the finished version will look like. The finished version will run between 45 to 60 minutes when complete, and will give any traveller an insight into Samara; From the customs of Russian people, the architecture, local shopping, places to see, how to get around, and some local legends, some of which are listed on my blogsite.
We have discovered that filming is not as easy as we would hope, so this video will take some time to complete. But we hope to wrap up production by August.
After the travel video is a wrap, we will be moving on to our new projects:
No Ordinary Girl – Set the the music of Caribbean Blue, the film is about a young woman who lives an ordinary life, but at the same time she has a creative world going on inside her. The film mixes documentary-like images with creative imagery, as the film reflects on an ordinary day in the life of a not so ordinary girl. This will be available for viewing on YouTube and AtomFilms.
Darkness Unearthed – What if the world you knew was nothing more than a shadow of realism? Based on The Chosen Series, the new screenplay by C.A. Milson will be released in 2010.
There are also other stories and books in the pipeline, which you can read about here.
As part of my 20 year journey, I am giving readers the opportunity to purchase the Commemorative Autographed E-Copy of Rise Of The Darkness. Rise Of The Darkness is a 302 page supernatural/horror novel that will appeal to anyone who likes the works of Stephen King or H.P.Lovecraft.
The Commemorative Autographed E-Copy of Rise Of The Darkness is available in PDF format for the special discount price of $3.00USD.
To order the Commemorative E-Book, you can make payment using Paypal to: leadsnz@yahoo.com, and dont forget to add your Email address.
I wanted to thank you all for taking the time to reading this long entry.
Stay Scared!
C.A.Milson
Buy C.A.Milson Books
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Избранный (The Chosen) – Paperback Out Now
We are pleased to officially announce that The Russian version of The Chosen in NOW available in paperback through Lulu.com and PublishingRoom.com!
ISBN: 978-1-4092-7884-9
In addition to the Paperback, The Russian Language version is also available in these formats: HTML, MSWord, RTF, PDF
You can order the Digital Russian Version of The Chosen HERE by using Paypal, or chose one of the options listed below:
Residents of Former USSR can also pay using Yandex Money to make payment for the E-Book.
(Номер счета: 41001342943029. Or email: authorcamilson@yandex.ru. Сумма к получению: 110 рублей)
Bloodline Of Darkness – Chapter Three – Part Five
Chapter Three Continued…
He woke up suddenly, still confused by the dream he just had. It took him a few seconds for his eyes to focus properly and then he realized that this was reality! He was in his own bed, and Karen was sound asleep next to him.
“Great.” He muttered, regretting that the dream he had just had was nothing more than what it was… A dream. He sat up in bed and glanced over at the clock.
7:12AM it read.
Yep. He was home. Karen was softly snoring, and that damn clock ticked so bloody loud that it didn’t need an alarm!
He sighed, disgruntled with how this was, and he wondered why he couldn’t have stayed in the dream. At least in the last dream he was with someone who he desired, unlike the one he was with now.
He glanced over at her and could only wonder, Who is this woman in my bed? He regretted this life, and wondered why he even stayed.
He got up out of bed quietly, so not to wake her, and crept into the bathroom to wash his face. Yes, he more or less trudged into that bathroom. He was tired, and it was obvious why. The sequence of dreams had him at a loss as to what was going on and why. He washed his face and looked at himself in the mirror. Just as he vaguely recalled from every other time he looked in the mirror, nothing had changed, except now he was older. He looked older. He could see a few greys in his hair, which he always had a habit of plucking out. And he now had a defining small scar on his chin. He still had no idea how it got there. His obsessive behavious casued him to wash his face once again with that herbal soap and he rinsed his face with cold water, not once but three times before he looked at himself again.
“Man.” He muttered. “You look terrible.”
“You look fine.” He heard Karen say from behind him.
He turned and looked at her. She looked the same as she always did in the mornings. Tacky creame color cotton nightie and hair looking like a birds nest. Finally this was reality!
“Morning babe.” He said, smiling, and kissed her on the cheek.
“Mornin’ sweety.” She replied, as she kissed him back. He glanced her over, then walked out of the bathroom and went into the kitchen and poured himself a large cup of coffee, then went and sat out on the balcony and prepared to watch the day go by.
He sighed heavily, and realized that everything he had witnessed had been nothing more than a dream, and that made him depressed.
CHAPTER FOUR
It was yet another Rostered Day Off for him, so he could afford to relax today. He had no intention of doing anything, except maybe perving on Tara, if she happened to be in the courtyeard below. How he hoped she would be there!
He leaned forward in his chair and spied down into the courtyard below, hoping that he would catch a glimpse of Tara, sunbathing by the pool. No such luck. The only person down there was the guy who cleaned the pool, and that was it. Nothing sexy about that guy at all.
He sat back in his chair and looked off to the distance. As he sat there reflecting over the series of dreams which made no sense, he bagn to wonder if this was all that there was to his life. He wanted more than what he had. He wanted to be happy, but he was far from that. He had a comfortable home, but that was not enough.
He knew that there had to be more than this.
There was a time when he had a certain happiness, but those days when he was a child, when he would spend his holidays at his parents cabin was a distant memory, and could never be regained.
He longed for those days again. He closed his eyes and could remember the cabin vividly.
His parents owned a log cabin at a small retreat in the forest, near the Glasshouse Mountains. He could remember that nearly every Summer they would make the long trip up to the cabin to spend a few weeks in “tranquility”. The cabin was isolated enough from prying eyes, which made a good excuse for other vacationers to go skinny-dipping in the nearby river.
Alex could remember the feelings of that place. How the air smelt so crisp and fresh, the sounds of the tropical birds, the noise of other children as they played. All too vivid those memories were, which made him smile.
He chuckled to himself as he could now smell that same crisp pine in the air.
“Ahh. How I have missed that.” He whispered. He opened his eyes and what he saw was not his balcony, but he was there, at the retreat, standing in the midst of the forest. He shook his head and looked around quickly, wondering how and why he was there.
Everything he remembered was there. That smell of morning dew was very strong, and the scent of pine was in the air, just as he had remembered. He could hear tropical birds singing their morning song from around him, as well as the sound of the nearby river, and the morning fog was beginning to settle.
“This is too wierd.” He said as stared around slowly. He was shocked to be in the place from his childhood, but he wasn’t afraid. More curious than anything else.
In the distance he could smell something cooking and he knew exactly what that smell was. It was the smell of pancakes. Not just any pancakes, but the pancakes his mother made.
“Mama.” he said softly, as he started to walk hurriedly in the direction of his parents cabin.
He had no idea what to expect when he would see his mother, and he really didn’t care. He just wanted to see his mom. As he hurried towards the cabin, he was filled with a mix of emotions. It had been many many years since she died, and although there was a part of him that was angry at her for leaving him, he was also anticipating and almost yearning to be held by her again. In his arms he felt safe.
“Alex.” He heard a voice suddenly say from behind him. He stopped and turned around quickly but saw no-one. He glanced slowly around, expecting to see something out of the ordinary but didn’t. He shrugged his shoulders and turned back towards the cabin.
“Don’t do it kid.” He heard that same voice warn sternly. He stopped and glanced around again. Nothing.
“Must be my imagination.” He whispered, “And if it’s my imagination I can do whatever I want.”
“I know what you’re intending to do kid.” It said, this time it’s voice was closer than before.
He froze and stared. Something was there alright. But what?
“Don’t be alarmed,” It said from behind him.
Alex turned to see a person standing infront of him, dressed in a black cloak, his face hidden under the hood.
He was taken aback, but he was not afraid. He just stepped back and sized up this person. “Who are you supposed to be?” He asked, “Some kind of Druid or Sith?”
The apparation ignored his comment. “I know what you’re intending to do kid.” He said once again, “Do you think that by revealing yourself to her that will change anything.”
“Maybe.” Alex said without thinking. “What would you know anyway?”
“You cannot change what is to come Alex.” He said, “She has a destiny to fulfil, just as you do. Telling her events that are yet to unfold will not save her.”
“She’s my mother!” He retorted, as he started to walk off.
The apparation grabbed him firmly by the arm and pushed him to the ground. “Don’t be an idiot Alex.” It said harshly, “Think about your actions carefully. If you follow this course of action to the end it will not end well for you and those you love will have died for nothing.”
Alex said nothing. He lay there on the ground and stared at the apparation for a moment. “You would do the same thing if you were me.” He said as he quickly scrambled to his feet and ran off.
The apparation didn’t follow. Instead he pulled the hood back to reveal his face. Alex ran and glanced back to see if he was being followed and for a split second he caught a glimpse of the apparation, and in that moment he could have sworn that the apparation was himself.
He stopped and looked back, but the apparation was gone. He stood there and tried to second guess what he saw, but it made no sense. That apparation certainly looked like him, but it couldn’t have.
It made no sense. He looked back in the direction he was going, then glanced back once more before he ran off towards the cabin.
* * * * * * *
What will happen next? Stay tuned to find out as more will follow.
Buy The Chosen to see how it all began!
C.A. Milson 