Zero Time

Heroines are always a complicated subject to tackle. They are similar to villains in that you have to know their back story before you begin. The advantage with most heroines though, is that the whole book is about them. The reader will learn the back story as the book moves along. The same tips and tricks for villains can be used for heroines and even heroes so be sure to read that post first. I think most writers have trouble writing heroines. The tendency is to make them hard and unforgiving. They are written like a man with a few female traits thrown in to remind the reader they are female. A lot of writers forget that they are women first. The heroine may have been raised under the harshest of conditions, but they are still women. They think differently than men. They may be able to shut off emotions, but they are still present and can still cause problems. A good heroine is a woman first and a hero second. It sounds odd I know, because you never think of Wonder Woman cryin...

A good villain is essential to almost every story. You can either get it right, or you can get it very, very wrong. When creating a villain, there is always the risk of making the tired clichéd comic book evil genius. In some instances, it might work, and I use might hesitantly. It almost never works, well unless you’re writing a comic book, graphic novel or something like that stylistically. How do you write a villain then? Image from Wikipedia Back Story Villains are characters like any other with one major difference they are evil, right? Well yes and no. I always have a back story on my characters whether it makes it into the main flow of the piece or not. I know who they are or at least have a feeling of their specific background. Villains for me tend to be the most complicated of all my characters. In For Their Sins , Anya Drake is the leader of the Mordere, and you meet her in the Prologue ready to kill Alexandria Diego my heroine. You assume it’s over a man because t...

When designing an urban fantasy or historical fantasy, several things are key to keeping it believable. First and foremost you must do your research. When I started writing For Their Sins , I thought I would write something that was pure fantasy. I hoped to design a world that was recognizable but a few paces out of synch with ours. As the story developed, it became obvious that For Their Sins had to occur in the shadows of the real world. On the first draft, I used placeholder names, chose random cities, arbitrary times, and made rough guesses on costuming. Every aspect of this novel had to be rechecked. Some of the facts would probably go unnoticed unless a history buff read the book. While other mistakes would be glaring errors to anyone, who traveled to those parts of the world. The one fact that plagued me was: The United States is a melting pot. We probably have one person from every nation if not every major city in the world. I never knew who was going to pick up my ...

For Their Sins isn’t your typical vampire novel. Alexandria Diego isn’t your typical heroine either. When re-envisioning vampire lore I needed something that was never seen before. For inspiration, I turned to the Bible. Genesis speaks of Nephilim or angel, human hybrids. Its not a new concept but it’s never been applied to vampires. In For Their Sins, God saw the strength of crossing humans with angels and used it to His advantage. God created the Venandi to hunt down the worst sinners. My vampires are God’s servants, but they aren’t pious or righteous. Many of them can walk in the sun although there’s no sparkles or pyrotechnics needed. There isn’t a “vegetarian” among them either. A vampire is a hunter. They can’t deny their nature. Watch the book trailer below for a peek into Alexandria’s world. For Their Sins is currently available for sale on Amazon and other Book Sellers      For Their Sins      Published: October 8,2018...

Author Rebecca Tran will be signing her award winning novel For Their Sins   February 17, 2018 from 1-3 at Barnes & Noble, 320 Mid Rivers Center Drive St Peters, MO 63376. For Their Sins has been described as a sweeping paranormal romance with Game of Thrones undertones. Reviewers say that Tran writes descriptive narrative with terrific imagery. The reader is swept away, without even realizing it. For Their Sins is recommended for anyone who enjoys a supernatural story with action and a twist of romance. For Their Sins is a first person narrative following the life of a very unconventional 300 year old vampire. Alexandria Diego was Born in 1707 as a Venandi, a descendant of angels. Her people were charged by God to send the worst sinners to judgement. That included the soulless Mordere that are turned into vampires by more traditional means. Although Alexandria chose the path of the hunter she always longed for a quiet life. Destiny had other plans. One simple...

  "We fought endlessly back and forth neither of us gaining or losing ground. The sound of metal clashing became a metallic hum in the air that sang to me, focusing my thoughts. In the midst of it all I found him, my love, my match. I called out to him with my thoughts and felt him approach although, the reason felt wrong and it worried me. What if it were true? What if he was lost to me? Then he came into the room and I knew the truth. Anya moved into my guard and her sword cut my side. My sword fell. She grabbed me. As Anya’s teeth sunk into my throat I heard him call my name “Alexandria, NO!” My eyes slid closed as a tear slid down my cheek. This was the turning point for me and my people. But, you must know what I am and what I have lived through to understand what I did, why I would risk everything, including myself for one male.  I am Alexandria Diego and this is my story." For Their Sins is a first-person narrative following the...