Now available on paperback and Kindle is the historical paranormal romance Salem Burning by Daniel Sugar.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

When I was 5 years old I saw a TV show called “Bewitched” and that was it – I was suddenly hooked on stories about witches.

What was your first book/story published?

“Salem Burning” is my first novel. It was published, (on Amazon), in Kindle form on February 20th, 2018 and in paperback form on March 9th, 2018.

What inspired you to write “Salem Burning”?

One day I thought, what if someone told a lie and it just happened to be true? And then I thought, and what if that happened in 1692? Once I started thinking about the Salem witch trials of 1692, I realized that that particular, well-known event in history would be an interesting backdrop for a discussion about the way men treat women. In fact, in one scene in “Salem Burning”, the heroine, Lilly Parris, actually says to the young man who has destroyed her life, “Is this the way you treat women?” That’s really what the book is about – the way men treat women. I wanted to turn the Salem witch trials upside down and so I did - and this time, the women win.

What character in “Salem Burning” is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Unfortunately, no one in “Salem Burning” is like me. I say unfortunately, because I’d love to be Lilly Parris. She’s so strong and brave and she has such amazing adventures. Her life is really quite cool. Who wouldn’t want Lilly’s life? I know I certainly would!

What is your favorite part in “Salem Burning”?

I really like the scene after the wolf attack when Lilly is alone in the forest. To me, that really shows who she is; a free spirit who really loves life.

What was the hardest part to write?

The only hard part was the first sentence. I thought about it for a very long time (months) because I wasn’t sure about tense or tone. Once I had the first sentence it was smooth sailing.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

I’d like to work on sitcoms in any capacity – even sweeping floors. I love being around comedy, comedians – funny people. I’ve sold comedy to “The Tonight Show” and I write jokes every day on my Twitter page. You can find me at Daniel Sugar @1692SalemWitch.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

When did you become interested in storytelling?

I have been writing stories for as long as I can remember. I have always had a very active imagination, but I never dreamed that one day I would be publishing my mind’s musings.

What was your first book/story published?

Call of the Wolf, the first in the Dark Blood Trilogy, was my first book I published, I have had stories on fanfiction sites, but I don’t really count them as published.

What inspired you to write The Dark Blood Trilogy?

I used to be part of a role play group on twitter that was set in 17th century France. A few of the characters are loosely based on the characters from the group. At first the Dark Blood Trilogy was going to be an historic novel, but I just couldn’t get on with it. Being a big fantasy fan, I decided to write what I enjoy. So I took the characters and put them into the paranormal world that this book is based in.

What character in The Dark Blood Trilogy is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I think Samantha is very much like me. I loved writing her, she is so strong and independent. She is humble and very loyal to those who deserve it. Her character is very much like me too, hot headed, but can be tamed by the right people. As for the character least like me, I would have to say the vampire lord Thanatos. He is just plain evil, with no compassion. A very cold and selfish character.

What is your favorite part in The Dark Blood Trilogy?

This is a tough question because I truly enjoyed writing the whole series. I think my favorite part in the whole series has to be when Samantha, and her parents Emilie the white witch and Aleron the vampire come together as one to destroy the evil that has taken many of their people. It’s such a special moment for me to have them reunited.

What was the hardest part to write?

Disney; TV-Y; 144 minutes; Walmart

Available today on DVD from Disney Home Entertainment is computer-animated Puppy Dog Pals, featuring twelve exciting 12-minute episodes! There are no special features or bonus extras on the single disc.

Created by Harland Williams, the series features the talented voice-cast of Issac Ryan Brown as Bingo; Sam Lavagnino as Rolly; Harland Williams as Bob; Jessica DiCicco as Hissy; and Tom Kenny as A.R.F.

The series centers on two pug puppy brothers, Bingo and Rolly, who live with their inventor owner, Bob, a robotic dog named A.R.F. (Automatic Doggy Robotic Friend), and a sarcastic purple cat named Hissy. While their owner is home, Bingo and Rolly act like normal puppies, but when he is out of the house, they slip on their collars and go on adventures around the world.


Episodes on the DVD include:

• Hawaii Pug-Oh - After their owner, Bob, mentions that he would like to feel sand on his toes, Bingo and Rolly travel to Hawaii to get some sand.
• A.R.F. - Bob creates a robotic dog do clean up after Bingo and Rolly.
• The French Toast Connection - Bob wants to make french toast, but he's out of bread; so Bingo and Rolly travel to France to get a loaf of bread.
• Take Me Out To The Pug Game - Bingo and Rolly travel across the city to retrieve Bob's lost baseball.
• A Pyramid Scheme - After the Great Pyramids disappears into thin air, Bingo and Rolly travel to Egypt to solve the mystery.
• Special Delivery - Bingo and Rolly go on a mission to delivery a Mother's Day card to Bob's mother.
• The Go-Long Retriever - Bob creates a self-fetching stick for Bingo and Rolly to play with.
• Pot O' Pugs - After Bob's laptop crashes, Bingo and Rolly go on a mission to find a pot of gold at the end of rainbow, so Bob can afford to get his laptop fixed.
• Design-A-Dog - After accidentally tearing apart Bob's favorite childhood toy, Bingo and Rolly travel across town to repair the toy.
• Ice, Ice Puggy - After Bob runs out of ice for his iced tea, Bingo and Rolly travel to Antarctica to get him some ice.
• Hissy's Big Day - Hissy is having one of the worst days in her life, so Bingo and Rolly take her on a trip around the city to cheer her up.
• Go, Dog, Go! - A.R.F. takes Bingo and Rolly on a road trip to the beach, but after his programming malfunctions, he can't find their way back home.

Do you overextend yourself with too many reviews because you can't pass up a book in hopes you will get them all done or do you carefully plan and be sure you can fulfill the deadlines for all the promised reviews?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

Yep! This happens to me all the time, especially last year. I currently have five books on my desk that have been read, but still need to be reviewed.

When did you become interested in storytelling?

I can’t remember a time not being interested. It just took me twenty-something years to decide I’d do something about it. I mean, I would write some stuff—usually weird—as a child, but it was just fun. Now that I’ve started, I’d be hard-pressed to stop.

What was your first book/story published?

This one! 😊 Unless the creative writing assignment I did as a ten-year-old for my sixteen-year-old aunt counts.

What inspired you to write A Bloodline’s Echo?

About a year ago, I was feeling quite bored and unfulfilled. I was working, I had accomplished most of the big quests on Skyrim, you know…the creative blues. I can’t draw or sing. So, eventually, I started to write, and the story blossomed. The characters felt so real I couldn’t abandon them. I also was inspired to incorporate my favorite story aspects: a bit of magic, a bit of romance, a bit of intrigue, some conflicts I could relate to—albeit wholly exaggerated.

What character in A Bloodline’s Echo is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Cori’s temperament resembles mine to a small extent. Rylo, the male main character, doesn’t eat meat and neither do I, though for varying reasons. Least like me would probably be Dwyn. He’s exceptionally extroverted, a little pushy, etc. But I strive for my characters to be independent, fully-rounded entities. I hope that all readers find a trace of relatability in them.

What is your favorite part in A Bloodline’s Echo?

The commotion towards the end. It ends with “to be continued…” but before that. Not only do some answers come to surface during this part, but I grew more comfortable with action scenes through it. And…it leaves lots to pick up on in book two. Not to fret—it’s not a painful cliffhanger!

What was the hardest part to write?

The middle for sure. Oh, that wretched middle. I knew where the story was going early in the game, but there are so many potential scenes that can pave the way. I stuck with what felt like the most natural sequence of events. I wanted to implement story ties—little, non-distracting things—that have important implications later in the series, but while continuously moving my characters forward in a meaningful way.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

My day job is cleaning teeth, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it my ideal career, though it has its moments. This is random, but I’d love to be a high school counselor.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

With Easter being tomorrow (as well as being April Fool's Day), it's only 6 weeks until Mother's Day. If you're like me, I always find it difficult coming up with new ideas for gifts, especially for my grandmother, who seems to already have everything.

Awhile back, I was approached by Canvas Press (www.canvaspress.com/) about possibly reviewing one of their canvas prints. Always thinking ahead, I excitedly jumped at the opportunity, as I thought having an old family photo printed on a canvas would make the perfect gift for my grandmother for Mother's Day this year.

Now, my only problem was trying to find the right photo to use. After asking my mother's advice, I picked out an old photo that was taken in the in the early 1940s. The photo features my grandma (as a baby) being held by either her uncle or cousin (I don't remember his name.), beside him is a cousin, and sitting down below is my grandmother's older sister and brother. I had scanned the photo about ten years ago and saved it to a flash drive, so I uploaded the file to the Canvas Press website.

Unboxing the canvas print.

Shortly after placing my order, the Canvas Press's customer support sent me a message stating that the jpg I had sent couldn't be used because it had low resolution. So I had to hunt down the original photo that was in my mother's possession. And it wasn't an easy task to accomplish, as the album the photo was in got misplaced, so my mother and me had to turn a room upside down to find it. We eventually found it; the photo album had fell behind an old trunk.

Anyhow, I scanned the photo, saved it as jpg in high resolution and sent it to Canvas Press. The photo has faded a bit, but luckily they were able to use the jpg.

There are many different sizes and canvas styles to choose from, but for this review, the canvas size is 20"x16". There are also different matte types to choose from, which I picked out the "museum matte" style. The depth of the prints available are .75", 1.5", and 2". For this canvas, I got the 1.5" depth. There are three different border types: mirror wrap, image wrap, and color wrap. A color wrap wouldn't look quite right for this print and because of the size of the original photo, the image wrap wouldn't look right either. So, I went with the mirror wrap. Also, there are different mounting options, and I went a sawtooth hanger.

I don't recall how long the shipping took, but the canvas print was delivered to house fairly quickly.

How many book clubs do you belong to? If you do belong to an in-person book club, do you have meetings in the day or evening? Do you meet at someone's house or meet at a local restaurant or coffee house?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

As I am writing this (Jan. 10th), I'm not currently participating in any sort of book club.