'Steaming' & 'Slack Tide' by Vanessa Barger: Guest Post {Sizzling PR}

Creature Feature! (by Vanessa Barger)

Hello! Thanks for letting me stop by today, and for joining me on my first ever blog tour!

At this stop, we’re talking about one of my favorite things – mythological creatures!

In Slack Tide, I’ve based my story around selkies and fin men, and loosely on the mythology associated with them. I always thought the idea of selkies was pretty cool. I liked seals, and I loved some of the details that came with their legends. That if a woman cried seven tears into the tide, a selkie man would come to her. That they shed their skin when they came on land, which gave them an instant vulnerability.


That being said, I didn’t like all the mythology, so I used artistic license. One of the best things about being a writer is that you can take the kernel of an idea of something and then build a world to fit it. Which is what I’ve done in Slack Tide. I made the selkies and the fin men enemies and built an underwater world where they all interacted. In my head, the world is so much bigger, but I think that makes for a better story on paper.

Movies and literature have used monsters to create fear, love, and a thousand other emotions for years. From Dracula to that creepy chick in The Ring (I know, I always return to that one. But she’s scary!). On the other end, we have Twilight and Shiver. What is it about the paranormal that draws us in? I think it’s because it’s a world we can only imagine. It’s scary and thrilling, but in the end it’s safe. We know that when we open the door in the morning, there won’t be a ghoul standing there waiting on us. But it’s fun to imagine sometimes.

So what are your favorite creatures? Your favorite movie monster (or book monster)?

Thanks for stopping by Vanessa! Readers, be sure to comment about your favorite book/movie monster. Also check out Vanessa's other book, Steaming, more info below.

Publisher: Decadent Publishing Company (July 19, 2011)
Buy Link: Kindle

My name is Cornelius Latimer, and I have fallen in love.

The object of my affection isn’t tall and blonde with all the right curves. It isn’t even human. My love belches steam and breathes fire. My world runs on steam and hard metal, and I am a master of both. My Uncle, Rufus Harrison, has funded my expeditions. He’s gifted me with a lab containing all the parts and space I could possibly need. For weeks I have been toiling over my journals, crafting my biggest and best creation yet. It’s heady, this feeling of power.

But I made a fatal error. I told a friend about my machine. And now someone who should not know, does. I should tear everything apart, but I can’t.

Love does strange things to people.

Publisher: Decadent Publishing Company (March 16, 2011)
Buy Link: Kindle

At a time when most girls are worried about prom dresses, Lorelei Stamper is worried about losing her skin -- literally. Receiving a sealskin from her Aunt, her world is changed. Not only is she a selkie, but she holds the key to breaking a curse affecting all selkie.

Now monsters are stalking her, forcing her to decide if she will end the curse before she even really understands what’s happening. When Declan, one of two bodyguards sent to protect her, wakes her sleeping heart, she must try to balance love, surviving her senior year, and deciding whether she wants to be human or not. No matter what she chooses, the fact remains that breaking the curse demands blood. Hers.

I am a Young Adult author who teaches high schoolers all about technology education (and yearbook!) in rural Virginia along the Chesapeake Bay. I am the owner slave to one cat, Molly, who looks a little like a cow when she gets a haircut, and write in my free time. I am actively involved in the YA Fiction Fanatics critique group, which is dedicated to helping its members produce the best MG and YA novels they can write. I’m also a member of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators).

I’ve currently finished six manuscripts, and I’m working on several more. I love writing, and my goal is to be able to do this full time someday – or at least as a published author enjoy it as a second job. I’m always open to talking with readers (because I’m one of those too!) about not just my books, but books in general. I also love long walks on the beach discussing Shakespeare while sipping large fruity drinks with little umbrellas.

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