Good day everyone!


On the agenda today, I have Beth Ann Masarik, the author of Prince of Darkness doing a guest post on my stop for her The World Among Us Blog Tour I am so excited because I never did a guest post before! Without further delay.....


For those of you who have been following my tour, welcome back!  We are on day 21, which means there are 11 days left! For those of you who are tuning in for the first time, welcome!  My name is Beth Ann Masarik, and I am the author of a new, YA/Urban Fantasy saga called The World Among Us.  The first book in the saga, Prince of Darkness was released on August 19, 2011, and I’ve had two short stories released since then as well.  They are called Murderous Regrets & Moon Spirit, and are set in the same world as Prince of Darkness.  I am presently writing the sequel, which is tentatively titled Stormy Nights.  For more information about me and my books, please visit my website at www.bethannmasarik.com. 

Some of you have noticed that I’ve mentioned in previous posts, that there is an online role playing group based off my debut novel.  It is a new/old group that is being revived and will be open at the end of the tour.  I am extremely excited about this, because it will give me a chance to watch my characters come to life right before my very eyes.  Yes, I will have some interaction with it, but not as much as I have in the past.  I’ve had this group before, but on other sites like Myspace, which aren’t as friendly and open to role players as I wish they would be.

What is role playing?  Well, there are two types of role playing actually, both of which I participate it.  For those who don’t know what role playing is, it is basically where you take on the role of a character from a book or a movie, and you either write the part or act it out.

If you are going to role play online, then you would write it out on whatever site is hosting your page or group.  People create profiles for the characters, and they write from that character’s point of view.  It’s really a lot of fun, and a great way to escape and help get past writer’s block.  I like to think of online role playing as writing a short story with another person (or several other people.).  There are role playing groups, such as mine, where we hold auditions for people to get in in order to get the part or character they want. It sounds more intimidating than it really is.  BUT, if you are a writer, and are literate (IE, you know how to construct a coherent paragraph etc. etc.)

Actually, let me show you a sample audition that I wrote for an RPG a couple of years ago.  This was my audition sample for a role I wanted by the name of Norah Oakley (and yes, I got the part).  The role was set in the Harry Potter world by the way.

The moon’s light shone through Norah’s room on one hot evening in August.  She and Luna were up late talking about sneaking out and catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights that were supposed to be putting on a spectacular show this evening.  Unfortunately, neither of the girls had the guts to defy the laws, especially when a war was rapidly approaching.  They did not want to run the risk of running into a Slytherin; they were vial and cruel, and almost always made fun of Norah and Luna.


Instead, Norah and Luna sat up on Norah’s bed studying for their next transfiguration exam.  While it wasn’t one of her favorite classes, but it was one that she did well in.  Norah had just managed to turn her cat into a backpack, when a yawn escaped her mouth.  She looked at her watch, and noticed it was after midnight on a weeknight.  She was going to regret not getting a full eight hours of sleep the next day.  Norah finally turned her cat, Misty, back to normal, and proceeded to get ready for bed. 


The next morning she woke up, got dressed and went about her daily routine, though was unusually sluggish thanks to the lack of sleep the night before.  She and Luna walked out of their dorm together, and poor Norah nearly fell down the stairs, as she was still half-asleep.  “I need a cup of tea,” Norah said as Luna steadied her on her feet.  “I don’t think I can get through today if I don’t have any sugar.”  “We can get some at breakfast,” Luna said with a smile as they headed to the Great Hall.


On their way to the Great Hall, Norah smiled and waved to several people whom she knew from her classes, and even to some she did not know.  They managed somehow to dodge some rowdy Slytherin’s as they entered the Great Hall.  Norah wasn’t very popular, and Luna was one of the few friends she had.  Sander being the other one.  As they approached the Ravenclaw table, Norah’s eyes scanned the room, and rested on Sander.  Her heart skipped beats, and she couldn’t help but blush at the sight of him.  They had been dating each other since the Yule Ball, and to this day she still got butterflies whenever she saw him.  

“I’ll be back soon Luna,” Norah said as her short black hair bounced as she skipped over to greet Sander.  “Hey handsome,” she said with a big grin.  “Long time no see.  How are you,” she asked while she wrapped her arms around him.

See? That wasn’t so difficult, was it?  Role playing really is like writing a novel or even a fanfiction of sorts.  Yes, there is often drama, but it can be easily avoided.

Here is the link to the new The World Among Us RPG, which is slowly being set up. Please follow it, and keep a look out for auditions.  http://www.roleplayer.me/view_profile.php?member_id=193077

Thank you for having me today, Natasha! I hope you all will join me tomorrow on Morgan O’Reilly’s blog where I discuss wedding details!  You can head on over to www.themorgandiaries.blogspot.com and make sure to bookmark the page.

THE GIVEAWAY:

I am giving away the following:

a signed paperback copy of The World Among Us: Prince of Darkness
a Fanclub t-shirt
an autographed poster
a bookmark
and a TWAU pin

To enter, please leave a comment here on Natasha’s blog to show her some love and fill out the rafflecopter. This contest will run through Feb. 24th, so you will have a couple of days to enter.
AND NOW, FOR THE SCAVENGER HUNT:

Tell me who your favorite character is in mythology and any kind of lore. It does not have to be Greek Mythology related.  Send me your entries to contests@bethannmasarik.com with the subject scavenger hunt.

Thank you all for participating, and for following my tour.  And thank you, Natasha for hosting me today!

For those of you who have won previous contests, you will receive your prizes next month. I’d like to send them all out at once so that I get one big postage bill as opposed to a lot of little ones :)

ALL of my contests are international, so please come on and enter!



a Rafflecopter giveaway



Thank you Beth for offering me the chance to participate in your blog tour! Don't forget to join in the giveaway everyone! 

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