Over the summer my husband and I found a television series called Fringe on Netflix.  There are five seasons in total, and there are over twenty episodes per season.  We started watching the series and soon found ourselves addicted, which is not something I can say we’ve ever done before.  We watched the show almost every night until we reached the end.

It’s a science fiction show, and they take the impossible and make it possible, which gives way to chaos.  I don’t want to say too much.  I read a review of the show before I began to watch it, and the review gave away a detail that I wish I had not known.  It would have been better to figure it out on my own.  If I don’t give you any details, the first two seasons will be better for you.

I can say that since watching the show, I’ve seen others typing about it on Facebook.  It seems my husband and I weren’t the only people addicted to it over the summer.

The first two seasons are fun and interesting, but the third and fourth season get a little deeper and suspenseful.  The fifth season is nothing like the others.  It’s much darker and intense, and I wonder if they had a different set of writers or director.  In the end, you’ll love the characters and feel for all they go through, which is a LOT.

As for my rating of the show, there is a lot of gross and bloody, scientific scenes, but I wouldn’t call it gory.  There’s only a couple of sexual scenes, and I considered them mild.  The scientist in the show does have a struggle with his belief in God, and if you are a Christian, there are some moments where you’ll cringe at what he says.  However, his comments are balanced out in his later self.  Although it is a scientific show and there is a struggle with science and God, the writers seemed to try to balance faith with science, which I found surprising.

I highly recommend this show.  You can watch it instantly if you have Netflix, and Prime members can watch it for free on Amazon.  I also noticed there are some books on Amazon that seem to be an addition to the television show.  I think they were written for the fans after the show began.  I doubt I will be reading them.  I have a large stack of books I need to read from my author friends.  It will be a while before I buy other books to read.

Although I have many scenes I enjoyed writing and I often enjoy rereading in Unexpected Metamorphosis, I thought I would share this one with you.  In case you haven’t read the novel, this is just one of the many fun scenes between Alissia and Luke.  She and Grady share a different kind of chemistry.  If you’ve read the first two chapters on Amazon or when I posted it on my site, then you’ve met Grady.  Here’s a peek at Luke:

              Luke stared at the men thoughtfully for a long moment before saying, “You do understand I have a problem, now that you know where she is and who she’s with.”

                Alissia stood frozen and watched as both men looked up into Luke’s eyes and began to beg for their life. They promised they would tell no one they had seen her. When their voices began to rise in panic, Luke struck each of them in the mouth and warned them to calm down. He put restraints on them, and they looked at Alissia, whimpering as if begging her for their life. Nolan was crying by now, and Alissia could stand no more. Hurting them was one thing, but killing them was another.

                She quickly crossed the short distance between them.

                “Stop this. L –”

                Luke’s head shot up, and he interrupted her in a warning tone, “If you say my name, I will kill them now.”

                She cringed beneath his cold stare. By the time she could think of a response, he was already tying a long sock around Nolan’s mouth. Instead of demanding him to stop what he was doing, she decided to try talking to him as if she was talking someone down from a ledge. In a soothing voice, she said, “You really don’t want to kill them. We can find a way out of this. I promise. We can figure something out. Just talk to me.”

                He grabbed his shirt and put it on without buttoning it, and then he looked at her.

                “Alright, we’ll talk about it.”

                Her relief was short-lived as he swiftly picked her up and replied, “But not here.”

                He was fast, and he was strong. Within an instant, she found herself being carried down a narrow hall. His left arm was under her bottom, and his other arm held her firmly in place with her chest against his. She tried to lift her head, but his hand held it securely in place. As she struggled in his arms, she wildly kicked both of her legs. She heard him excuse himself to someone, and he explained that she was a very passionate lover. She wondered why her feet had not made contact with anyone.

               “You know how Gazzerian women are,” he said to someone, with a laugh.

                She felt herself being carried up a flight of stairs, and that is when she was able to turn her head just enough for her teeth to find flesh. She then found satisfaction in hearing him groan as she bit down.

                Her bite did not last long because she soon heard him unlocking a door. Her teeth let go of him, and she held both of her legs out so that they caught each side of the doorframe as he tried to walk through. After a short struggle, he was able to get inside the room and close the door, and then they fell on a bed with him on top of her. He caught both of her hands before they made contact with his face, and he dodged the head butt she tried to give him as he pinned them down. As she struggled beneath his body, she realized they were in the same position as the first night they had met when he had tackled her. She was pinned beneath him, and he had his forehead on her shoulder while breathing heavily into her chest. Everything within her hoped the bite she had given him was more painful than the kick in his groin.

I would like to introduce Christine Brant to all of my followers.  Please give her a warm welcome by checking out her novel titled Red and Grey.  I have read it and highly enjoyed it, and you can read my review here. 

Thank you so much for having me. I truly appreciate the opportunity to stop by your blog and share a little bit about myself and my writing.

Christine, thanks for taking time from your writing to give me an interview.  Red and Grey is your debut novel.  Have you been writing for years, or like me, it just recently became your passion?

That is actually a complicated question to answer, because it is a combination of both. I have been a storyteller all my life, but writing has only become my passion in recent years.

Allow me to clarify.

I have been telling stories since I was a young child. I used to tell my older sister stories at night when we were falling asleep in bed and I used to record stories on tapes (I just gave away my age) and play them back to myself. Just recently, I found a note from my fourth grade teacher encouraging me to write my stories down. However, it was not something I pursued until about seven years ago. At that time I was inspired after reading Kelley Armstrong’s novel Bitten and exploring her web site.

When I learned about her I felt motivated, and I began to write down some of the stories I told. In 2007 the first short story I wrote won the Surrey International Storytellers Award. The next year I started writing Red and Grey.

Congratulations on that award.  Please tell us a little about Red and Grey.

Red and Grey is a reimaging of the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood. During the story we see all the classic characters, Red, the wolf, the grandmother, the woodcutter, but I have tried to use them in ways that will intrigue the reader and keep them involved in the story of Connor and Melody. There is magic and good versus evil, plus a few twists and turns that I hope will keep the readers interested and excited.

What inspired you to write such a creative story with hints of Little Red Riding Hood?  You really did an amazing job on tying it all together and keeping it full of suspense and intrigue.

Thank you, I am honored that you feel that way. I first got the idea for Red and Grey at a writer’s conference. In a session about Point Of View, the facilitator asked us to write a few sentences of Little Red Riding Hood’s story but from the wolf’s POV.

As I listened to what everyone had written I realized that they all had the story wrong. That the wolf did not want to steal the basket for nefarious reasons, he needed that food, and I desperately wanted to know why.

I went home and immediately started to write Red and Grey intending to tell a short story just to find out the answer for myself. What I envisioned as a short story, evolved and developed into the novel Red and Grey.

I was thrilled to learn why Grey needed the food.  🙂

When do you expect the next book in the series to be out, and do you have a name for it yet?

I have no idea when the next book will be out. I am writing it now. It is a long process to go from the initial draft to final published version. There is a great deal of editing and rewriting involved. However, I can tell you that there are some familiar faces in the next book and that it does continue the story of a few characters that we met in Red and Grey.

As far as a title, I have a few ideas but nothing firm. I call it something in my head but what it ends up being called in print depends in part on the publisher.

How many books do you expect will be in the series? 

I am not sure. It depends on how many I need to tell the whole story. I have at least three more plot lines in this universe that I want to explore. Possibly more, I will not make any firm statements.

Do you have any plans for future projects once finished with this series?

I have several other ideas that I want to explore. My problems is less about coming up with new ideas and more about staying focused on the world I am writing in at the present moment.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I heard cats and children. I also work a day job to make money, writing doesn’t pay the bills.  I do that because it is a compulsion. I need to tell stories.

I also love to read. I have always loved to read. I devour books. I like everything from teen fiction to mysteries. I love fantasy and science fiction.  I read as much as I can get my hands on and as much as time allows.

What changes have you and your family had to make since you’ve become an author?

I’m not sure that my family has had to endure any major changes. Now instead of “shhh…mommy is reading.” My children occasionally have to endure “shhhh…mommy is writing.”

In all seriousness, my children are my best sales people; they are thrilled that I am a published author. They tell everyone that I have a book and advise everyone to buy it. I am often embarrassed by their effusive praise especially since they have not read the book.

I also do take the occasional weekend to go to writer’s conferences to learn more about my craft and the industry.

For me personally, I have had to learn to be more internet savvy, get a website, a keep a twitter account. Two things I would not do for myself personally but that I do maintain professionally.

What is something fun or interesting about you that you could share with the readers?

I love to ride horses. In fact, I have worked with Quarter horses and Thoroughbred race horses in the past. Even though I live in the city, I still try to make time once in a while to “run away” on the weekends to go riding.

And lastly, where all can you be found online and people buy your book?

My web site is www.christinebrant.com there are links to where you can buy Red and Grey on the site.  I can also be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/christinebrantwriter on Twitter @Christinebrant

If you go to a romance novel convention, you will quickly discover that the romance genre covers a broad spectrum of writing.  You’ll most likely see everything from Christian romance to erotica.  With my experience, it’s mostly erotica, and I do have some erotica author friends.  I’ve been told that is where the money is.  The steamier, the better.

I guess this is a good time to let my readers know what they can expect from my writing.  I consider myself a PG-13 author and won’t cross certain lines.  What do I mean by that?  Well, I have two young daughters that want to read my novels one day.  That is one thing that keeps me accountable to what I write, as does my somewhat conservative lifestyle and beliefs.  People that know me can tell you I don’t curse; therefore, I’m not going to be typing out curse words.  That doesn’t mean some of my characters don’t curse.  If you read Unexpected Metamorphosis, you may have noticed I subtly addressed that in one situation.

As for sex, my characters haven’t gotten to that point, but when and if they do (it’s all a secret), I promise it will be behind closed doors.  I will not be describing every little detail.

Do my beliefs mean that my writing is squeaky clean, and everything is all unicorns and daisies?  No, of course not!  Where’s the story in that?  Within the first chapter of Unexpected Metamorphosis, you learn that Alissia is well aware of physical abuse, alcoholism, and rape.  There’s also a gory death scene in the novel.

I try to keep it real, even when it comes to the sexual tension.  I don’t ignore it when I write.  I just try to find creative ways to write about it.  I put my characters in certain situations, and I even gave each of them their personality for a reason, especially Alissia.  She’s not an easy person to get close to, emotionally or physically.

Although I won’t be writing out sex scenes, I do try to put a lot of passion and description into the kissing scenes.  That’s where the PG-13 rating (along with the violence) comes in.

So, now you know what to expect from me.  I won’t type out sex scenes or curse words; however, my writing includes violence and passionate kissing.  If you were hoping for erotica, sorry.  If you like it steamy, yet somewhat clean, then that’s me.

I’d also like to take this time to say thank you to all of my readers that have reached out to me to let me know they enjoyed the story.  I know I will eventually get bad ratings and words (all authors get them) so I will try to focus on your positive words when that time comes.  If you have a chance, I ask that you leave a rating either at Goodreads or Amazon.  That’s the best way to support a new author.

Most of you already know that I’ve started on the second book in the Alissia Roswell series, and although I had anticipated a spring release, it may be much sooner.  I have stayed focused and love to write.  However, I’m now in a bit of a dilemma.  I introduced a character in this novel, and he’s a wealthy ladies’ man, aka very eligible bachelor.  He’s charismatic and charming.  All that good stuff.  Sounds great, right?

Well, I’ve been married for over fourteen years and have not been around men like that since my single days.  I am struggling on getting his words right.  I have to think like this character, and I’m having a hard time doing that.

I called Melissa, who is my right hand when it comes to writing, and now we’re both struggling with this man’s words.  Here’s his first appearance in the novel:

Although my parents spoke of your beauty, I find myself at a loss for words.”  He let go of her hand and added, “It is an honor to meet you, Lady Alissia.  I have heard much about you, as you seem to have won the hearts of my parents.”

I called Melissa and told her to help me finish his first sentence, and she came up with something about a sunrise and colors and beauty…  I don’t know.  It was worse than mine.  In the end, out of frustration, I gave up and blurted out, “He’s speechless, Melis!  I have no words, so he has no words!”  Well said, right?

Since Melissa is my highly trusted beta reader that gets my writings at the end of each night, I have to listen to her opinion.  (Well, I don’t have to listen to her, but she’s the only person that can tell me how lame something is without me getting mad at her.  Strange, but true.)  Last night she texted me saying the book was great, but we have to do something about this guy’s speech.

Ugh!  Now I have to research how a man like him would talk.  I have to think like he does, and I am not a charming people pleaser.  I’m more like Alissia and Luke, the aggressive, don’t really care type.

I had to research wolves, knife throwing, and formal clothing for my last novel.  Now I’ve got to research charming men?  For the love of my readers, I will do this.  But, if you know of a charmer or are one yourself, feel free to contact me.  I’m asking you to charm me.  Give me some words to knock me off my feet.  Bring it on!  Yes, I’m feeling desperate 🙂  (My poor husband.  He puts up with me.)