Tina Glasneck, USA Today Bestselling Author

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Glimpses of Inspiration: Russia

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Oh wow, today is release day for New Year, New Boo, which includes the limited-time release of A Half-Cocked Vampire.

As we know, I love to pour stories and snippets into my stories that tell of actual events (be they personal or gathered from the 24-hour news cycle). Well, for this one, I reference my first trip abroad – to Russia.

Long before my love of Loki – Tom give me a call (LOL!) – I was a young religious girl with a traveling heart. Back then, I had a map with wooden toothpicks taped to all of the countries I wished to visit. 

You see, I always had a thing for people—learning about different cultures, languages, and history. Yet, as a kid, I didn’t necessarily grasp what all of it meant. I was very much inexperienced in traveling, and though I tried to prepare to learn about Russia before the trip, there was a lot left out of my training.

Back in 1995, Russia was still pretty much in a new situation politically. The USSR was no longer “a thing,” and the borders were open. As a youth, I traveled there and was awestruck at so much beauty and history.

While there, we traveled around the city and performed, working with a church associated with my then American Church. This included visits around the city, hospitals, and neighborhoods.

One of my favorite memories is that of a kind, older woman, grandmother type, who welcomed us all into her house for tea. She was gracious and delightful. We had a translator with us, and although my Russian accumulated to around ten words (including hello, goodbye, and ice cream), I found her to be quite kind.

Visiting Russia changed my paradigm. So much was so very different from what I knew: from the Russian mafia that was quite noticeable to the Orthodox Church reporters who actively reported on everything we did. Yet, some things crossed cultures easily. No matter where you go in the world, good ice cream can build bridges.

It’s been more than 20 years since the trip that started what I like to call my great metamorphosis (that’s still in process), but it’s remarkable how those small moments and people we meet along the way can help to change our perspectives.  

I often think about those people from long ago, and although they may never know, those amazing people I met then left a fingerprint on my life, for sure.

 All I can say is a simple, Спасибо (pronounced spaSEEbah)!

Buy New Year New Boo

New Release Alert — New Year, New Boo

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I am happy to be part of this amazing new urban fantasy and paranormal romance anthology, which celebrates new beginnings.

For my contribution, I’ve included A Half-Cocked Vampire, starring the fabulous vampire seer, Leslie Love.

The early reviews are coming in, and readers seem to be enjoying this set, as well. Here is one that made my heart overflow with gladness:

“Half-cocked vampire by Tina Glasneck- The characters are compelling and honestly the final fight scene… I was entranced. It feels like it is part of a series and I might have more understanding if I was familiar with her books and based off this book I will be reading more of her work. Despite having not read any of her books, this author does a truly wonderful job of introducing a reader to a world that you know nothing about, in a way that wouldn’t be redundant for her loyal readers.” — Amazon Review

What is A Half-Cocked Vampire about?

Here is the blurb:

Baby witches are cursing the moon, large unexplained crystal monoliths are sprouting up around the world, and supernatural doom is on the horizon…

Could it be a worse time to make a delivery? Doubtful.

Leslie Love has received her first trainee assignment with the Order. As a new vampire and seer, she must deliver an appearance warrant. Which should be simple. But simple is like apple pie, and Leslie’s allergic to fruit.

A magnet for the weird, demons, and everything in paranormal tarnation, Leslie’s in trouble when the rogue vampire runs.

Things have gone worse than sideways, and now she must deal with rogue vampires and malevolent magic. Only the timely help from a death goddess can save the day.

But with a devil of a task and the world at stake, can Leslie rise to the challenge?

Grab your brooms, b’witches, we’re in for a rough ride.

2020 gave us tons of fiction fodder. I couldn’t help myself but to use some of it to create this installment in the Order of the Dragon series!

You can order your copy of New Year, New Boo (currently on sale for 99 cents) here. This set is widely available.

Finding Magic in the Ordinary

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I was a preemie, born two months early and weighing less than a bag of flour.

Doctors didn’t think I would make it.

My mom went into shock from blood loss and had to have a transfusion, and life became one big battle.

While having coffee this morning, I realized how everything life had thrown my way over the years has compounded to allow me to tell stories, to weave together brokenness and shards into tantalizing tales.

All of the seeds of hope sprinkled throughout the years have created a beautiful field of wildflowers that bloom. How is it possible that all of those moments have created a daisy chain, a crown which I wear on my head to make the fantastical?

Be it my connection to the Brothers Grimm — I studied at the university they taught at in Germany, to the fairy tale highway, to that of German and the Norse/Germanic gods, to Latin and Hebrew.

To combine my training and education and travels (my struggles and triumphs — be it learning Hebrew, traveling in underground tunnels in Israel, dipping my toes in the Meditteranean). To all now culminate in fashioning tales that combine all of my life’s experiences–these seeds– to be beautiful.

The ground, me, who was once considered barren, now can produce so much beauty.

This scorched ground instead rose, thrives, and waves her banner of beauty despite the ashes, dancing in flames, taming them, walking with them, and allowing them to reveal the shadows and all it is that hides therein.

Maybe it’s the change in the season, the hope rising, but the lessons I’ve learned have always produced such bounty and fruit.

But this year, as visions of delight appear, I can’t help but be reminded of the little girl that danced in wildflowers, wished on dandelion fluff, and found magic all around her.

I’m so happy to still know that little girl in me.

May today you embrace the magic you wish to see!

A little bit of kindness inspires characters

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This is one of those stories that has taken a bit. One of my favorite characters is Harley from The Hell Chronicles. When I was in college, I met a man who was brawny, strong and had a heart of gold.

We’d spend hours talking on the phone, and a part of Harley is based on that purity, that joy. Sometimes the voices in our heads lead to our forfeiture. But sometimes, writing gives us a chance to do that deep shadow work to know that we are worthy of love — of giving it, and receiving it.

That in that beautiful imperfection, in the darkness of doubt, we find comfort and respite. In all of those years of being told I wasn’t good enough, he looked at me and said I was. I will never forget that.

I haven’t spoken to him since 9/11 when somehow I made sure that he was fine, and he was. You never know who’s life you may have touched by your kindness (or when you’ll wind up in a book because of that pure heart and compassion). Today I am back in Harley’s head, and his emotions are so pure… just woah!

This is from today’s writing session: Harley loved Hel with his every passing breath. Time was irrelevant, but still, in the body of a 24-year-old man, he’d tolerated bullshit, such falsehoods, and abuse, but it was the lost leading other sheep over the cliff to shamanic drumbeats.

Love wasn’t a curse or a burden, but something to treasure, the most valuable of words, of actions and sentiments. Men fought wars to win a woman’s affections, without patronizing them, without disrespect, but with uttermost care. They’d bruise knuckles and egos to rescue untamed hearts, and die on their swords for that one thing, the uninhibited love of a good woman.

And that is what Hel was.

#WIP #SureasHell #AmWriting

Happy Solstice

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Today is the Solstice. Wishing you a wonderful Yule if you are celebrating.

It has been a wonderful day in the Glasneck household, as we celebrate with meditation, hot tea, and great games. We will end the day with cookie baking and heading outside to catch the Great Conjunction (both Saturn and Jupiter will be out and visible tonight – and the clouds have moved out to allow us to see this).

For me, this is the first year of intentionally celebrating the Solstice.

And it has been a wonderful day for me to hone in and focus on hope, knowing, and entering a new season.

My characters are so here for this news, too!

Over the last couple of days, my characters have lined up, and they are eagerly awaiting their chance for the next story. So, that means, for me, I’m setting up a writing and release calendar.

Being Happy? Why Not Me?

Everyone has a different way of celebrating the holiday season. For me, it has been about making space and taking stock, slowing down. You might even say, getting myself in alignment for the life I wish to lead.

2020 has given me so much time to reflect and pinpoint those areas in my life that I want to change.

Now is the time I jump ahead into the unknown, you know?

That means dreaming, visualizing with love, and permitting myself to take those steps, but also getting out of my way. I sometimes self-sabotage.

Solstice, today, helped me to know that rest is good, that rest indeed allows us all to refuel so that we can continue to do those things we love. For me, this includes creating the stories you love. If I don’t refuel, I will burn out and walk away from writing, and I don’t want to do that.

This is all fresh from my brain, and these are the things I’m doing today.

  1. Journaling – setting my intentions and writing out what I need in my life to be happy.
  2. Quiet Time – setting aside a time of my day, when I can be still;
  3. Getting out of my way and available for growth in areas of my life, I’ve overlooked.
  4. Setting goals – both short term and long term.
  5. Surrounding myself with good people.
  6. Walk in gratitude – -the process of being thankful is so important.

I have decided to hold space in my life for good, to shake off those limiting beliefs, and move forward.

2020 has given us so many lessons, and I’m still learning them. I’m still trying to make sense of everything that has happened this year, and in all of that, not lose hope for a better day.

On my day-to-day, I can control those moments of journaling with a cup of coffee or sketching with music playing in the background. Those moments will feed and fuel me.

So, tonight as I light my candle and breathe in that bit of peace, I will celebrate these small moments filled with cookie dough, sugar, and guinea pig cuddles.

This solstice and holiday season, I wish you much respite, hope, and peace.