Author Lanaia Lee Shares Her Dark Side and Talks Of Atlantis
I am adding a wee disclaimer to this post. There has been some controversy regarding “Of Atlantis”. Please read this post before you read this interview.
Comments are now closed on this post. It seems like everyone is just beating a dead horse, and it’s sort of boring me now. This is after all a Halloween and horror blog and not a forum for bashing people. Go elsewhere and do that. You folks have had your say.
With the craziness that October always brings to my schedule, I’ve not done a Friday Freak Fest interview in awhile. I’m pleased to offer up this week’s burnt offering to all you creeps out there. So sit back and curl up with author Lanaia Lee as she tells us about her Dark Side and Of Atlantis, and don’t forget that Lee is also part of the October Contest too.
As somebody who has around a dozen or so unfinished novels sitting a drawer collected dust and cobwebs, I have to say my hat is off to anyone who actually has one done. The writing business is a lot tougher than people like Koontz or King make it look, and even when an author does manage to finish something worth reading, getting it published can be a nightmare. That’s why I’ve become such a fan in the past few years of smaller presses and self-publishing. Yes, I do spend some time in those large and cheap bookstores like Barnes and Ignoble where every author dreams of having their work, but I also make sure I pick things that aren’t sitting on end caps with flashy cover art. It is, after all, the story that I’m after and not the desire to make some big city publishers rich that makes me want to part with my old, moldy money.
So this week I’d like to share a bit about author Lanaia Lee. I think her work may be just the escape from the safety of fluorescent-lit mega-store slurry you’ve been looking for though she, like most authors, would like to see her work filling the shelves of the big bookstores too. She’s well on her way to that too. She has one book of poetry out called “The Dark Side of Lanaia Lee” available from Screams of Terror Publishing, poetry published in “Angus Grady; Spirit of Arachula
Barrow-Wight: So who is Lanai Lee? Give readers here at the Barrow a snapshot of you.
Lanaia Lee: Lanaia is my pen name, I took the name Lanaia from a television series and Lee was my mom’s maiden name. I choose to write under a pen because of the privacy issue. I started writing about four years ago, my husband dared me to write a poem, and I did, and posted it in several poetry forums, just curious of the feedback I would get, the feedback was so positive, I keep writing. At first poetry, then short stories and finally Of Atlantis, it took me a year to do book one, as I was learning how to write a novel. This is a five book series and I just completed book 3. Writing to me is a passion, I just love writing novels and poetry.
BW: So where do you draw your ideas for writing from? And how do you keep going until it’s finished?
LL: My ideas are strictly my own beliefs and experiences, I was an only child and that makes one have a very creative imagination. I just love to create, it is kind of like when Michelangelo created the Sistine Chapel, and when he was done, I’m sure he took time to admire what he had created. To me writing is kind of the same thing.
BW: Our readers tend toward the dark. They don’t come here for their daily dose of fluffy bunnies after all. So what was your inspiration for “The Dark Side of Lanaia Lee”?
LL: The Dark Side of Lanaia Lee didn’t do that well, because I think it was my first book and very much an unknown, but I hope to rectify that with Of Atlantis and Within Lanaia’s Darkness, both books debut before the end of the year. My poetry books, they are inspired by everything I have experienced and everything around me.
BW: So from The Dark Side how did you get to the work “Of Atlantis”?
LL: I will always write dark poetry, because my mom died when I was eight, then I was raised by her mother, who was a self professed black witch, so I have always been subjected to the darkness, but Of Atlantis, is totally based on my beliefs, and who knows maybe one day the real Atlantis will be found.
BW: So did any of those dark arts rub off?
LL: The only thing from the darkness that rubbed off on me was the genre of poetry I choose to write. Other than that I want nothing to do with the darkness. The things I have seen and experienced, let’s just say black magic, the supernatural, and the occult is very real. And for those that are skeptics, I just wish they could have a taste of what I went through.
BW: Frankly what I’ve read of “Of Atlantis” has been quite good. How was it received by mainstream publishers after going the self-publishing route? How has the experience been of printing through independent press been different than going through a regular publisher?
LL: Thank you for you kind words about Of Atlantis. Of Atlantis is going to be published by Roval Publishing, yes they are self-publishers, but I have a good reason, for two years I was scammed by a certain literary agency, being promised a publisher, two years is a long time, so I choose to self publish because I feel when the book is available it will do very well, my husband is my biggest critic and that’s what he thinks. I personally don’t like to self publish, now my book of poetry is entirely different, my publishers are a major publishing house In Portugal known as Barros Monteiro Editorial Publishers. You now it’s really strange, I have never taken any courses in creative writing, but yet I have came as far as most writer do in ten years in only four years.
BW: So what’s next for Lanaia Lee?
LL:I have always written poetry for another author on her stories. Her name is Cheryl Pillsbury, owner and founder of A G Press and author of Angus Grady 1 and 2, and other numerous books, I will write for her as long as she needs me. I also plan on doing a novel after I finish Of Atlantis about Titanic. Not many people know that when she went down, she was carrying an Egyptian mummy. I want to write a novel based on Titanic’s demise, but from the perspective of the Mummy’s curse. I want to eventually do an autobiography also.
BW: So is there anything you’d like to wrap this conversation up with that I may have missed?
LL: I am very flattered and honored, you took time from your busy schedule to talk with me, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If anyone wants to contact me just visit http://www.alongstoryshort.net/lanaialee.html and you can contact me here. Again I thank you and bow to you in humility for being interested in my work and I.
October 14th, 2007 at 9:16 am
“BW: Frankly what I’ve read of ‘Of Atlantis’ has been quite good.”
I hope that the part you read was not the plagiarized part, which Ms Lee claims was written by her ghostwriter. If it was that part (she claims the ghostwriter “was there for the prologue and chapters 1-4″), then you will enjoy _Dark Prince_ by David Gemmell.
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/009448.html
http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2007/10/victoria-strauss-christopher-hill-redux.html
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80224
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80354
What I don’t understand is why Ms Lee does not appear to have contacted you so that you could hold off on publishing this interview (since news of the plagiarism broke before you posted it) or take it down until the matter has been sorted out. Even though she appears to have been the victim of one or more scammers, it looks like she’s more concerned with defending herself than taking responsibility for cleaning the mess up.
October 14th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
By the author’s own admission, _Of Atlantis_ is massively plagiarized: http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/009448.html
October 15th, 2007 at 2:39 am
You do know that Lanaia Lee’s posted prologue is the exact word-for-word rip off of David Gemmell’s intro in DARK PRINCE, don’t you? Check out:
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/009448.html
for the whole weekend’s notes of writers and readers trying to make Lanaia Lee understand that what she did is wrong, and that she has REMOVE the material from her website immediately, but to no avail. Lanaia Lee did not write her book. Worse, her ghostwriter scammed her by stealing the work of a famous fantasy author.
October 15th, 2007 at 2:42 am
correction: has TO remove the material.
Also, check out
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80325
for more about this matter.
October 15th, 2007 at 3:38 am
For those out there that haven’t heard “Of Atlastis” is a plagarised work of David gemmells “Dark Prince”- You are a fraudster.
October 15th, 2007 at 11:03 am
I can totally understand why everyone thought I copied the work of the deceased author. Death is an old nemesis of mine after losing my parents, my siblings, six children, and almost my own life, which a lot of you think is funny, but be in a wheelchair for fifteen years, an I think you would change your mind. Knowing what this is like I would never intentionally defame the dead, their memory, to their legacy.
That being said, I started the book Of Atlantis, three years ago. At that time I was approached by Hill and Hill Literary Agency, with the promise of a contract with a major publishing house. To say I was flattered beyond belief, only describes a part of what I felt. When all the things said about Christopher Hill, being what he truly was, a fraud, I let my flattery blind me. Ignoring everything derogatory I read about him on various sites across the Internet. For the first part Of Atlantis, I thought I needed some one more familiar with the king’s English, needed for the first part of the book. Christopher being from Scotland, I thought he would be perfect for a ghost writer. He only did ghost writing on the first few chapters of the book. At this time, I stupidly had total faith in him. I never dreamed he would use some one else’s work. If I had known, I would have never used it.
Of Atlantis was scheduled for release at the end of the month, but now my attorneys, my agent, my publishers and I have put the book on hold until we can resolve this matter.
As far as Roval Publishing goes, yes they are self publishers, and I used them because I wasted almost two years of my life with Christopher. My husband talked me into self publishing because he thinks the book is that good and he thinks when it is in book stores, the book will literary blast off, because he thinks it is that good. So, self publishing we did because my health is not good at all and I just pray I can complete all five books in the series, so far I have completed three.
My disease is called erratic hypertension; I’m not suppose to have any stress, but the last 48 hrs, I have had enough stress for a life time.
I do apologize to the memory of Mr. Gemmel and his family, for what some one else did to him that had no right and God as my witness I did not know. I am also including proof as I paid Christopher and proof of him coaching me. Honestly I meant no harm to any one and I apologize for being so stupid. Like I said I included proof about Christopher.
Chapter outline.
We begin at Samothrace, Lionus has left and the war has raged for eight more years. Cheris recals lionus departing, he has begged her forgiveness but the memory of the beating and the persecution of Persis is still to fresh and she rebukes him. We see Archimedes and Dianu get close but Arxhimedes sees her as a sister, he is arracted to Delyse a slave girl.
Cut to the borber between Aislea and Ames Lionus is preparing to lead a force into Ames. He has heard of the warrior Regnak and seeks him out. Persis aviods meeting the King and once more leaves, vowing to return to Samothrace to see the Queen,
Cut to Conavar and Roman, in a secret meeting discussing fighting Lionus’s army, a hooded figure gives them advice on the Kings plans and when see this is Uric.
Cut to Lionus in his war camp. Uric appears warning the King of the trap set, but he doesn’t tell him everything, the Aislean army walks into the trap, but both sides suffer heavy losses, Lionus escapes with his life but not before killing Romen on the batflfield. Uric’s power grows because of the bloodlust feeding his bloodstone.
Cut to Samothrace, The King returns a cold and angry man. He tries to seduce Cheris but is again turned away. In his anger he storms, out drunken and in a rage he sees Dianu and tries to rape her. She fights him off, this increases his anger more, and he strangles her.
Enter Archimedes. He sees the King towering over the dead girl.
His power arises, he lifts the king into the air mentally and there is a terrible breaking sound as he breaks every bone is his body. The king falls dead and archimedes cradles the dead girl.
There you go.
Hill and Hill Literary Agency
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Mary
I thought we agreed we would wait until my chapter eight was finished?
I really can’t work more than the one/two days a week due to other commitments, and the fact my temp only works one day.
I will however gie you an outline, but we then must wait till my chapter 8 and 9 are completed.
Chapter 9
The coronation of Archimedes.
Uric gets closer to the boy despite his mothers warnings.
Delyse and Archimedes start to get close, Archimedes takes her on a boat trip against all advice. A storm comes in so they set ashore. Here we learn of Archimedes fears about his power. Delyse (a nobles daughter not a servant) offers support. They are attacked by Nomads Archimedes fends them off with sword.
Regnak hears of the Kings death and decides to head back to Samothrace, before his journey begins he learns of a massive force of ships seen off the coast. He journeys to the beach, a huge fleet of some five thousand ships scan across the horizon, each mast has a single black crow upon it.
Regnak has seen this before but cannot remember where. Then it comes to him. It is the seal of Uric.
The ships are outlanders, from where we do not know yet. They are here on Urics bidding, the time is coming when Uric shows his hand.
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Mary
Your chapter 9 is different to mine so chapter ten will not tie in with the end of your nine, however it doesn’t matter.
10. This is going to be around 7/8k.
The fleet of ships lands and invades Ames. Regnak who now leads the armies of North Aislea orders a withdrawal of his troups, he first seeks terms to end the war with Conavar but Conavar thinks it is a trick and that Uric is bringing reinforcements to his aid. The fleet of ships land, the soilders are Jahir from a land where Uric ruled before returning to Atlantis. They lay siege to Conavar’s fortress in the mountains.
We need long descriptive battle scenes here, usign catapaults, seige engines and the such. The Jahir are mericless killers, killing the old and taking the young into slavery. After a vicious battle when nearly all is lost and Conavar is beaten Archimedes rides into the battle with Regnak, together with a mighty cavarly they force the Jahir back. Conavar despite being saved sees the folly of his actions, unable to take the shame of being duped he takes his own life. On the border of Aislea a great army of Jahir is formed, Uric takes the lead and is openly seen for the first time as their commander. He seeks talks with Archimedes, and an uneasy truce is governed whilst they talk. Uric taunts the boy, seeking for him to lose control, but Regnak has told Archimedes of the past, (whilst divulging his true identity as Persis). Ulric swears to see all he loves dead and Archimedes nearly loses control. The final scene of this chapter is Uric leaving the tent and Archimedes fearing for the future.
The seige and battles in Ames are most important here, we need to get across the skill and vicious nature of the Jahir, they are not savages, just a warrior race.
Have fun!!!!
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INFORMATION
Due to busy phone lines and workload we are allocating slots for telephone conversation if any are desired. As principle contact I can be reached on 0791-8070105 and through 01875-615200. However we will be using a booking service.
As times will vary for accessibility we ask that you forward three days of the week with times that you would normally be available to chat. This will enable us to free staff to attend to booked calls in advance. Please understand that due to weight of communication and client listing the earliest date and time available with allocated.
Mary
Your chapter 11 was very good, the final scene was perfect. Watch your language at time though, you swutch between an older style to more modern expressions. For example:
You have written: ” I promise you this I shall avenge your death! Uric caused this and he is a dead man!”
Whereas it would read better as: “I promise upon my soul your death will not go unavenged. I will not rest until I have hunted him down, and his blood stains the very land we live upon.”
The rest of the work was good but your diaglogue was a little contrived at times, the characters need a less formal approach, it makes them less wooden..
Chapter 12
Key points.
A year has passed from the queens death, we begin with Archimedes reading a scroll from Persis. He has written missive that he has gained employ amongst the Jahir and travels to their land by ship in order to assasinate Uric, carrying the blade he does, Peris knows he only has to get close.
A large section of the fist half of the chapter building the relationship between Archimedes and hi schildren, we see him witness them both exhibiting a small amount of power and he fears they are cursed like him. Delyse sees his ponderings and offers support.
Then we switch to Persis, after a long voyage he sets foot upon a strange land, the Jahir have great wealth and large cities, but their desire for war sees there population dwindle, the great city streets are laden with empty shops and taverns as there is no one to run them.
Persis locates Uric’ s palace and in the dead of night climbs the walls and seeks the sorcerer out. Hiding on a balcony Persis is dismayed when he sees Uric talking with his advisors. He hears that Uric now had control over several other countries, that a force never seen before would be descending on Atalnatis. Ships were already approaching the Northern Terrorities, and a full fleet of ships with thousands of warriors would be leaving to invade southern lands within days. Uric wished for Archimedes to ride north to battle. He would find a larger army than imagined and then the invading armies from the south would cut of retreat, he would be outmanouvered and outnumbered.
Persis was now in dilema. The next passage from the docks began in the morning, for himto warn Archimedes adequately he needed to leave then. An assassination attempt successful or not would close the city and harbour down for a day or two.
Realising his heart lay with Atlantis Persis creeps off. We then discover Uric knew he was there,
The Sorcerer summons two Shadoews, the winged creatures stood taller than the average man, that were ebony from head to toe, with no facial features accpet a black mouth and jagged but very sharp teeth. Uric commands they kill Persis. Persis survives the savage attack, but only due to the blessed blade, a normal weapon would never harm a Shadoew. After killing the second beast Persis feels the blade get heavier and the glow that emitted from the blade diminshed a little.
Cut to Uric working at his desk, the black figure behind his lowering from a rope to the floor. The figure creeping up behind the sorcerer and then we see Persis strike, driving the blade between Uric’c spine through his chest.
Uric spins round swiping Persis from the ground . As Persis gets to his feet he sees Uric pull the blade from his back, the power of the sword had diminished from the battle with the Shadoews. Unprotected against his skills Persis fights Uric to the death.
Brave and valiant Persis is no match for Uric, no mortal man is.
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Mary
Here is the outline for the interlude.
To begin with we are situated in France, Paris, we follow a young man Damien Reece, he is following an older man through the mazr of Parisian streets, he rushes through the public as he loses sight of the old man. He curses as he realises that he has lost him.
From a doorway strong hands lift the Reece into the air and drag him inside.
The old man throws Reece to the floor of the deserted house, he barks:
“Why do you follow me boy? Who are you?”
Thus we discover Reece is a researcher but also a member of an Order called Mestro, whose aim is discover the meaning of exsistence. Reece claims that he has seen age old pictures of the man, he is known as the Eternal, walking the earth since time began. Thus Archimedes laughs, Reece tells him he only wants to learn from him, to understand his origin, to learn who he is and understand his power. Archimedes laughs once more, and in example of his power he raises a hand and Reece is lifted into the air and put down upon a chair.
We then begin with Archimedes stating facts about the worls around them, describing events that will lead to catastrophy. He states that he is old and tired, that he yearns for death, but that his knowledge is too great to be left unheralded. Reece begs for the chance to be his student, his protege.
Archimedes will then recount the last time he head such request and we will journey back to his meeting with Cayce.
Once this part of the interlude has been finished we shall move on to the meeting with Cayce, I have a plan in mind already for this.
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Dear Sir,
>
>I am represented by Hill & Hill Literary Agency. Unfortunately, this agency has recently had a business/personal crisis and gone out of business precipitately. The principal agent, Mr Christopher Hill, is uncontactable by email, phone or post.
>
>I believe he submitted one of my novels to you some months ago, and that it has since made some progress through your reading system. I am trying to contact some one within your organisation who might know what has happened to it.
>
>The book is provisionally titled The Reluctant Spy and is a spy/terrorist thriller.
>
>Thanks for your help,
>
>Eric George
>================
>Eric & Jola George
>PO Box 901,
>Cooktown, Queensland 4895
>Australia
Proof of Chro]istopher’s deseption
Mary
The contacts we used have come back with strong comments regarding the first part.
They felt that we would be better segmenting the parts, so we draw conclusion to each episode later in the work, thus the conclusion of the Atlantis section will come later with the conclusion of the arthurian section. We have tentative links to submit and will be looking to begin this over the next few weeks.
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Mary
Right here we go. I need you to send me an email just stating that you are happy for me to sign in your place. This I will attach with the contract and send back. When we receive the real contract I will fed-ex you a copy with return postage for your signature. Karen Woolworth will be the gal who will phone you when the real contract arrives, she will go through the minute details of the real contract, I will as well but Karen is a contract lawyer by proffession and will be able to answer questions directly. I can answer most questions but she knows publishing law globally whilst my area is more european.
The interim contract states that they (Gryphon) and you (Mary Kellis) are bound by contract on the proviso the following conditions are met.
Being clause 1a, the second novel in the Atlantis series is completed with edit by the close of May 2007. That this work is provided by the named author (Mary Kellis) and no other. That this work is secured as copyright to the named author (Mary Kellis), and meets requirements to the publisher (Gryphon).
2a That after the work is received and reviewed that they (Gryphon) will offer a standard publication contract for books One and Two of the Atlantis series by the named author (Mary Kellis) and will await contract negotiation from the named authors (Mary Kellis) representatives. (That would be me!!)
3a This interim contract binds the publisher (Gryphon) and the named author (Mary Kellis), and that the named author (Mary Kellis) may not submit anywhere else until this deadline had passed and |Gryphon has declined publication.
4a The publisher (Gryphon) promises to submit a contract that meets requirements with industry norm for a first time author and welcomes contract negotiation.
5a The publisher will submit detailed plans for promotion and publicity and welcomes input though discretional.
That is about it, send the email asap and I can get the interim contract back with them today.
C.
This should pretty much prove my innocense and one more I do apologize for bein so stupid.
Thank you,
Lanaia
October 15th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Lanaia,
Take the plagiarized material off your website. It’s been five days and all you have been doing is saying you have done nothing wrong. The fact that the excerpt is there makes it wrong because other than the mispelled Archimedes name, that whole prologue is David Gemmell’s. And your chapter by chapter work/summary with Mr. Hill also shows that he was steering your story to closely follow the five book arc of David Gemmell’s series.
I’m sorry you paid good money to someone who scammed you, but in your other posts across the web, you have acknowledged that you have known about Mr. Hill and his criminal activities for almost TWO YEARS. Strokes, wheelchair confinement, and your very sad losses cannot erase all the stuff you have admitted online. I’m sorry you’re having such a bad time but I’m not sorry your posting plagiarized material all over the web was caught. And having your agent threatening Wiccan curses on the reviewer who caught the similarity and pointed it out as a public service is neither professional nor helpful to your case.