[Guest Post] A. Jacob Sweeny on Pulse of Heroes

Authors, Naked and Exposed

by A. Jacob Sweeny

When I think of authors from the past I get this picture in my head of the recluse. The either beautiful and fragile soul that cannot communicate with the rest of society unless it is through beauty of prose, or perhaps the other type of recluse, the one that has given up on society altogether, bitter and cynical, hurling words of what they consider to be “the truth” down onto the tops of everyone’s heads. Whatever the case, the author of yesterday was rarely seen and rarely heard from, unless they were in the very comfortable circles of people whom they considered to be good friends.

To a degree, the author of years past was held up on a pedestal as being untouchable, unreachable, almost like a mad scientist (a word scientist), and at the same time they were kept distant, considered to be dangerous and perhaps a little crazy. Maybe that’s all true. But I don’t think that these types of labels only apply to authors, they fit most of the artistic community, and most of the scholarly one as well. Yet the word “recluse” still primarily stood for authors. Well not anymore.

This proudly-worn title is no longer appropriate for us “authors”. The vote has been tallied and society wants free information, about everyone, even including the people who weave the stories you love to read. Social media has exploded and continues to grow. With a press of one button anyone can reach the far corners of the world to see what people are doing, reading and writing about everywhere.

These days many readers want to reach the author. Whether it be for praise, a literary beating, a burning question, or just plain curiosity. We are now on public display whether we like it or not. Our faces, our personas are now interwoven with the stories we write. Our books are no longer judged by their covers alone. There is no more lurking in dark caves, or even just watching you from behind dark glasses in your local café. Due to the magic of the internet our every hypocrisy or discrepancy between our ideals and our personal lives is exposed and given between one and five stars. I remember when that type of scrutiny was more prevalent for people in the performing arts, but perhaps authors have crossed over?

So what do we do? Well, at least for me the switch from being a private “writer” to a public “author” has been fairly smooth, just so long as you steer clear of the classic hot button issues such as religion, politics, or the Great Pumpkin. I am pretty much an open book; I have no dark secrets to hide, but there is also a limitation to how much private information I am willing to share. Fortunately, I happen to be genuinely fond of people in general and find a connection with most people I meet. For some, these social skills may be outside their reach, or maybe just plain uncomfortable, but I don’t see things turning back to the way they used to be. So I head straight on and introduce myself with a smile -

Here I am. A. Jacob Sweeny, author of amazingly suspenseful, romantic, paranormal and historical adventures… Want to go on my ride?

Pulse of Heroes Summary

WINNER OF 2011 INDIE BOOK OF THE YEAR!!!! At Paranormal Reads!
A suspenseful, passionate, paranormal romance that sweeps through the emotions of first love and heartache as it traverses centuries and continents.

Michelle used to feel like she was behind in everything, especially school and relationships. Her great aunt from the old country says she is like a bland meal, "no salt or pepper". But in junior year, everything changes. Her father takes a position on the Town Council, a popular boy in school becomes interested in her, and most importantly, the Hekademos Learning Center, a private school for 'troubled' students, moves into her quiet neighborhood amidst the protests of the entire town.

After an embarrassing fall over the school wall, Michelle meets Elliot and her ordinary ‘bland’ life changes its course forever.

Elliot is no ordinary human. In fact, no one at the Hekademos Learning Center is. Beautiful and fierce, they have survived throughout the millennia by weaving in and out of human events. Through them, Michelle learns that history and myths from around the world are dotted with references to their kind. Michelle falls madly in love with the ever-striking and mysterious Elliot and, as much as he tries to fight it, he develops strong feelings for her as well. Although Elliot carries numerous painful memories from his many pasts, he disregards his own better judgment and the advice of his friends, and finds himself falling for Michelle‘s offbeat personality. Their feelings grow in intensity, but when History catches up with them, the difference between their life paths threatens to destroy any future that they might have had together.

Michelle learns that there are infinite shades of gray between black and white, and has to deal with the bundle of contradictory emotions called love. She has to trust her intuition in order to face the danger and uncertainty of being drawn into Elliot’s wondrous world. Ultimately, it is up to Michelle to make the split-second, life-altering decision that will either tear them apart forever, or give them another chance.

A. Jacob Sweeny's Bio:

A. Jacob Sweeny holds a degree in History with an emphasis on Ancient Near East. Her immersion in world myths and her archaeological fieldwork provided the initial spark that led to the development of The Pulse Myth series which is a trilogy that includes Pulse Of Heroes, Of Blood And Pulse, and soon to come Pulse Genesis. Adding to this collection is a new series of novellas and shorts called- Pulse Historia. A Sword for- His Women available in kindle version is the first short. Besides writing, A. Jacob Sweeny loves to cook and Italian and Indian foods are some of her favorite cuisines. She has always been immersed in the literary world and will read anything from Shakespearian plays, philosophy and spiritual books, to comedy and modern thought. She is a strong advocate for the protection of women and children worldwide. And is active in animal rights groups. She suffers bouts of writer’s insomnia, and is delighted to share those hours with her pug and two cats.

Links of Interest:

www.pulseofheroes.com

facebook.com/ThePulseMythSeries

E-mail: lyviavi@gmail.com

GOODREADS LINKS:

Pulse of Heroes:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10550107-pulse-of-heroes

Of Blood & Pulse:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12938767-of-blood-and-pulse

A Sword For His Women: (Pulse Historia)
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13336534-a-sword-for-his-women

AMAZON LINKS:

Link that includes all works:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&ie=UTF8&field-author=A.%20Jacob%20Sweeny

Pulse Of Heroes:
http://www.amazon.com/Pulse-Heroes-A-Jacob-Sweeny/dp/0615414168/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333729284&sr=1-1

Of Blood & Pulse:
http://www.amazon.com/Blood-And-Pulse-The-ebook/dp/B006455BJK/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333729395&sr=1-3

A Sword For His Women: (Pulse Historia)
http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Women-PULSE-HISTORIA-ebook/dp/B006QXG41Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333729395&sr=1-2

B&N:

Link for both:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/a--jacob-sweeny?keyword=a.+jacob+sweeny&store=allproducts

Pulse Of Heroes:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pulse-of-heroes-ajacob-sweeny/1105098795?ean=2940013590816&itm=2&usri=a.+jacob+sweeny

Of Blood & Pulse:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/of-blood-and-pulse-a-jacob-sweeny/1106964014?ean=2940013590915&itm=1&usri=a.+jacob+sweeny

The tour host (Tempting Book Tours) is running a giveaway for both Print and eBook copies of Pulse of Heroes. Fill out the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win!

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