Publication Date: July 6, 2014
Book Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords
Synopsis: And cradled in her kindness, I dove back into the blood soaked memories of this, my life.
With those words, the immortal Maruk's tale continues.
From modern Paris, he speaks of his life in the religious chaos and pagan magic of 3rd century Antioch. Of his friends, a man haunted by grief and regret, and a woman with secrets as thick as the woolen of her constant cloak. Of days marked by the greed of Rome and the ambitions of those driven by dangerous delusion.
He remembers wandering souls who returned with their own stories to tell. Who shared their own memories of blazing deserts and a darkness with teeth. Of being imprisoned in a myth built by the lies of others. And then Martuk recalls a magic so dark it summons demons from a cloudless sky and rips the sleeping dead from their slumber.
The past revisited, Martuk ends his tale with a confession. A modern-day betrayal so cruel, the rest of his life everlasting threatens to be one of searing regret and never-ending shame.
This sequel to Jonathan Winn's Martuk ... the Holy is a tale of stumbling humanity and shocking brutality. Forgiveness and release. Death. Immortality. And the tenuous hope for blessed redemption.
This is Martuk ... the Holy ... Proseuche.
Author Bio: Screenwriter, playwright, actor, and author of Martuk ... the Holy and The Martuk Series, Jonathan Winn was born in Seattle, WA. He currently lives in the US. Martuk ... the Holy: Proseuche is his second full-length novel.
Guest Post: How do you write?
JK Rowling scribbled Harry on napkins whilst traveling on a train. Anne Rice used to spend her nights, sundown to sun-up, filling page after page with her infamous vampires. And Stephen King? He's a machine, writing from 9 to 5, week after week. Or something like that. I think a sandwich might be involved at some point. Maybe.
Then there are those who have days where thirty words is cause for celebration. And still others, like me, who go on a writing blitz, cranking out several thousand words Day One and then absolutely zilch Day Two. And even less Day Three.
Regardless how we get there, we all end up with words on a page. We hope.
There are countless ways of doing that. There is no right or wrong. There is no better or best. Or worse or worst. All there is, all there can be, is the telling of your tale.
So, if you need a writing contest to kick your butt into gear, go for it. If you need to light some incense, chant to the heavens, and pray you can eke out a paragraph or two by nightfall, I salute you. If clickety-clacking away at a Starbucks is the way you roll -- Venti Salted Caramel Mocha in hand, iPhone earbuds firmly in place -- well, more power to you.
What am I saying? It's simple really.
Write. Oh, and read.
Of course! How else will inspiration strike? How else will your creative – competitive? – juices reach a boil if you don’t lose yourself in the work of those who've cracked the code? Who have already hit the heights you’re still striving for? Wrap yourself in what they’re doing right. Recognize it, appreciate it, and then steal it.
Absolutely. Look at how they structure their sentences. How clean their writing is. Or how lush the prose is. Notice the sparing, yet effective, use of adverbs and adjectives. Soak that up. Soak it in. Dive down deep and swim around until you understand, until you totally get, WHY and HOW it's so damn good.
But don't forget you are you. Silly to say, isn't it? Seriously, though, admit that and give yourself permission to become the writer you are, mistakes and all. Then write. And for God's sake don't apologize for not being the more successful Them. For not scrawling on a fistful of napkins or not slamming coffee while burning the midnight oil or not clocking in, come rain or come shine, at 9 AM. Don't ever apologize for not rolling out your word count like Them because you're NOT them and you'll never BE them, you know?
Which doesn't mean you won't become someone else's Them. And to do that, you need to write. Which means figuring out the best way TO write. For you. Ignore all those Should Bes and Should Dos and This Works for So-and-Sos. Take a chance. Wander off the reservation. Just write. You're not gonna hit the sweet spot if you don't put fingers to keys or pen to paper. Even if it turns out to be a completely deletable, forgettable mess, keep going until you figure out what works for you. Don't stop. You never know what the key will be that’ll start your writing engine.
It could be something as simple as sitting down, pulling up a blank Word DOC, and typing
How do you write?
