It’s another Monday in October, so I’m going to present two more characters from War of Nytefall to answer questions in the comments. Hopefully, this gets a lot of responses and we have some fun. To check out the books in this series, here are the links:
Today, it’s Chastity Sullivan and Mab who get to join us. Since Mab was part of last week’s interview, I’m not going to post her bio again. She’s going to reappear during the last one too and Chastity will be back with us next week. This is getting confusing. To get a refresher on Mab, check out her interview alongside Clyde.
Chastity Sullivan is the owner of the Scrumptious Siren, which is a cupcake-shaped building surrounded by trees. Living within the trees are vampiric hummingbirds that do her bidding. Back in the early days of being in Clyde’s gang, she was a seductive information gatherer and made money from blackmailing others. Now, she runs a bakery, tavern, brothel, inn, and, most recently, hot spring establishment. Being on top of a hill, the Scrumptious Siren goes underground and has different rooms that she is always adding to. Her bakers are charmed goblins who make a wide variety of treats. Chastity has very little shame and her favorite dress has pink hand prints that will change to match whoever has perked her interest. Her powers include endless stamina, telekinesis, and a charm mist that she can unleash from her pores. She is always looking for mischief, new business ventures, and sources of pleasure.
Way back when, Chastity joined the gang after Clyde saved her from an abusive sire. At first, she bunched heads with Mab because both have alpha personalities. They quickly became friends since Chastity was able to learn about treasures that appealed to the thief’s love of money and challenges. This friendship went sour after Mab talked to Chastity about her upcoming anniversary with Clyde. A misunderstanding happened where Chastity thought Mab wanted her to seduce Clyde and then switch places, but that second part didn’t happen. After the Great Cataclysm, one couldn’t even say Chastity’s name around Mab without setting her off. This all changed as they became Dawn Fangs, fell into the same trap, and had to depend on each other for survival. Now, Mab still throws insults at Chastity, but there isn’t any malice.
Note: Mab has repeatedly challenged Chastity to fights. She never wins because Chastity immediately uses charm magic to end what she thinks is a waste of time and energy.
So, ask your questions and we’ll see what happens.
Grab a copy on Netgalley or Book Sprout!
Sometimes in life we do things that defy explanation. Things that go against our natures, because jobs demand it, marriage demands it, stability, parenthood, it makes for a long list.
Speaking of lists, I’ll share one here. I could use bullet points, but it is a long list. Consider some of these things in modern life: bills, jobs, mandatory overtime, politics, social media, violence in the street, import tariffs, export tariffs, immigration, social problems, terrorism, military actions, taxes, home maintenance, chores, yard work, house work, health care, veterinary care, it goes on an on.
We can all use a short break. Sometimes we need to take time to shut it all out for a few hours. This is why I write speculative fiction. The big “why” is so we can all escape for a few hours. I escape when I write it, and I hope you do too when you…
View original post 97 more words
This was a whirlwind week. I didn’t have a single day of normalcy, which can be fairly taxing by the end. There were altered schedules, various drills, and a really fun field trip at school. One of my favorite parts of the third thing was watching one of the students get very excited about what we were going to do. Unbridled joy is something that one doesn’t see often in this world, so you can’t stop yourself from smiling when it appears. Honestly, that was the best way to end the week.
Outside of school, I had my hands full as well. I’m glad I finished that outline last weekend or I’d be screwed on this 3-day one. Leaving the more boring events out, I still had a lot to juggle:
This is probably what has been hitting me most of all. I’m running around so much that I don’t get a lot of time with my son outside of homework. If he’s with his mom for the weekend then it’s like I don’t really see him for two weeks. This scares me in regards to how it affects him too. All I can do is be there for him as much as I can and hope that’s enough to get us to when our schedules get easier. Outside of breaks, this could take a while and I’m always scared that I’ll lose out since I’m typically in the ‘responsible’ parent seat due to timing. It’s hard to explain without going too far, which I hope people realize before they comment on this section.
Let’s get to the writing side of my life . . . Anybody got a microscope to help me find this side? I will be starting to write War of Nytefall: Ravenous this weekend even though I can’t do more with War of Nytefall: Eradication. An added wrinkle with that latter is I’m probably going to need to edit it again. The ex-wife was my main reader and my mom isn’t a big fan of vampires. I keep thinking about trying to recruit beta readers, but I haven’t had a good track reader. It’s difficult here because it’s the fourth of a series and most haven’t read the first 3, which causes an issue when advice is given in regards to plot points. My writing style is unique as well, so I’ve had readers in the past who try to rewrite the whole thing in past tense. This makes me a little gun shy, especially since I typically don’t hand my manuscripts out until I’ve gone over it a few times. So, any major rewrites have already been done and I’ve noticed a lot of beta readers take on the ‘shred it to pieces’ approach. It puts me in a bad spot these days.
Speaking of bad spots, the War of Nytefall 99 cents sale is still going and I’ve seen a big rise in KDP page reads. Don’t laugh just yet. It’s Ichabod Brooks that is getting all the attention. I’m not even promoting him and he abruptly jumped this week for some bizarre reason. Not only his short story collection, but his initial short story as well. Better than nothing, but it’s weird. His book barely twitched when I did promos, but now it’s bouncing around. War of Nytefall is still in its coffin, but I’m going to continue since it’s a major core of my overall world. The Dawn Fangs need to be shown before I move on to Darwin Slepsnor, who I assume will get a similar reaction. Nobody cares beyond Legends of Windemere right now, which is a shame. I’m not the type to beat a dead horse in terms of pushing a story beyond its lifespan.
As usual, this has been more complaining than anything else. Next week is going to be rather dull because of all the busy nights. I get my son next weekend, so I’m trying to figure out some fun outings. Won’t be able to do a lot because he starts some weekend activities, but we’ll see what happens. Depends on the weather because it’s been getting cold as well. I will have a little time at night, but I’ll be preparing posts for December and the remaining Tuesdays of 2019. I should probably start setting up Immortal Wars for that day as well. (I haven’t touched those books since 2003 and I just realized the format is atrocious.) Got a lot on my table now that I look at it.
Goals for the week:
I’ve recently been on the editorial team for a short story anthology, not for the first time, and have been noticing some common mistakes that can trip up an otherwise good story. If you’ve been submitting to anthologies or thinking about doing so, please take note of some of the recurring pitfalls that can cause editors to reject your submission, or if working with a close-knit group, might cause diplomatic nightmares between editors and writers.
First of all, don’t try to shove too much into the beginning paragraphs of a short story. Detailed description of a character, a ‘laundry list’ of exactly what they’re wearing and a headcount of a group of characters to accompany the protagonist on a quest are all ways to lose a reader before the plot begins to unfold.
Keep in mind that you’re not writing a novel. Even in novel writing, shoehorning too much information…
View original post 1,010 more words
Stein’s Lab in Soul Eater
Here we are again at the lab. Going prehistoric for some of these. Enjoy!
The first three monsters have been donated by John W. Howell:
Prehenseltaurus
Thought to be extinct, this ancient bison was recently rediscovered in a small valley that is surrounded by a volcanic ore bubble. They have been living here with minimal predators, so they have thrived without destroying the restricted area. Not as large as a bison, but still bigger than a human, the Prehenseltaurus lives among thick forests. They are capable of getting into the trees thanks to their long horns, which they sharpen on the many chunks of quartz found in the region. Their horns are usually hard and immovable like one would expect, but they are actually made of muscle instead of bone. By relaxing, these parts can be turned into prehensile appendages that allow them to swing into the trees for fruit and honey. It is believed that they can temporarily reduce their density to prevent themselves from snapping the branches, but no tests have been attempted as of yet. Being born with horns larger than their bodies, the juvenile Prehenseltauruses are arboreal until they gain too much wait to stay in the trees.
Softagerous
Another ancient beast, this one is small and adorable. It has thick, soft fur even though it is cold-blooded and has reptilian features. In reality, the fur is cosmetic and does very little for warmth. It serves two main purposes. One is to collect algae when the Softagerous goes swimming in the morning. A long, scraping tongue is used to clean its entire body of this food source, which gives it plenty of energy. This is also why it has a blueish green color in the morning and a dull yellow by nightfall. The fur’s second purpose is to attract larger animals to clean it. Living near human settlements, it’s cute appearance and friendly temperament makes it very approachable. Children especially while be attracted during their monthly cleaning ritual. The Softagerous will play with the other animal and get them to scratch and rub them. This results in their dry skin being broken and helping them shed like a snake. Once it is done, the animal returns to the wild and waits another few months before it grows again.
Slandermander
Nobody is sure where this creature came from or how it learned human speech. Some believe it was born from the darkest recesses of our society. It’s very small and slimy with no eyes and a stump of a tail. There is no specific color for the Slandermander because it changes into whatever it’s touching at a faster rate than chameleons. Tests have shown it to be warm-blooded, but it still has scales. Breeding is asexual since they are never found together. One attempt to put two in the same cage led to one disappearing completely and not returning until the visible creature was removed. Now, what do these things do that makes them worth studying? They scream insults and lies about whoever is nearby, especially if there is a crowd. Some have been known to imitate a drunken slur and the voice of someone else in the room. Tests have shown that the Slandermander gains immense amounts of all four ‘happiness’ neurotransmitters. It is unclear how they choose a target or what makes them go away aside from being smashed with a shoe.
The next three monsters have been donated by Audry Driscoll:
Antillophore
A lumbering beast in the mountainous region of Herkaldus, it has pincers like a goliath beetle and walks on two legs. Some say that it resembles a shaved bear while others wonder if it’s closer to an armor-plated gorilla. It has humanoid nails instead of claws and its teeth are flat to help it crush plants and bones. Even though it is very strong, it eats the tough shrubs on the cliffs and carrion. For a large beast, it is very nimble and able to scale sheer cliffsides by using its pincers to make finger holes. Instead of fur to stay warm, this creature absorbs sunlight through plates on its back. When it is dark, the Antillophore burrows into the ground and curls into a ball. All life functions ceases until it is touched by the sun again.
Turbulator
Found in the open ocean, these large-finned fish travel in schools that range from 20-30 members. They are about the size of tuna, but their caudal/tail fin can fan out to be four feet across. Each school has one male who protects the females by using a poisonous barb under his chin. This protrusion resembles a thin, white beard, which is why male are called the Wise Assassins. The females are plainer and don’t stand out to help them avoid attention from predators. Turbulators get their name from their hunting strategy, which they use against schools of feeding fish. Similar to the methods of dolphins, the females drive their prey into a single area, but they stay away from the surface to avoid anything that might each them. They start in a large circle and swim backwards to use their extends tails, which create waves that push the prey. As the females make a smaller circle, the male repeatedly rushes in to stir up the water. His strikes the water movements that the females make with his own tail to create a turbulence that stuns the prey. When most of the school is knocked out, they feast.
Skaganiffer
These flightless birds are found on the island of D’hargo, which has been abandoned by human society. The reason is because of an epidemic that has been contained within the island. Because of this, Skaganiffers can only be studied through drones or when wearing protective suits. They have bright red bellies and the rest of them are black with a plume on top of their head. Even though they can’t fly, they have very long and beautiful wings that are prismatic on the underside. Males and females both dance during mating season, which can cause some confusion since very few are hunting. Instead of clearing a spot like Birds of Paradise, which many believe they are related to, the Skaganiffers claim one of the hundreds of fossilized skulls that litter the island. They use moss and an oily residue left by a type of snail to polish the bone to a shine. Once they are satisfied, they call out and tap dance on their stage. Having hard spurs on their feet, they can make loud noises that carry far. For food, they eat the slower insects like maggots, caterpillars, and sluggish beetles.
Great advice. Blurbs are always a challenge.
This is a guest post by Ashley Halsey. Ashely is a professional writer at Luckyassignments.com and Gumessays.com and is also involved in several nation-wide projects. A mother of two, she enjoys reading, traveling, and attending business training courses!
Today, she tackles one of the most annoying things about being an author: writing the blurbs to your books! I have shared some nice tips on writing blurbs in the past, but the whole subject still seems to be a nightmare for most authors, so I hope you’ll get inspired by her tips.
They say not to judge a book by its cover – but let’s be honest, we all do exactly that. The cover and blurb are crucial in drawing in potential readers, sparking their interest and, in many cases, can be the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity…
View original post 692 more words
As usual, here is your warning that this story has cursing, sex (not graphic), innuendo, and violence. It’s my Rated-R action adventure called Derailing Bedlam. This is the fourth outing (third official) for Cassidy and Lloyd, so feel free to click on one of the two covers to see how it started. Each one is 99 cents!
Cover by Jon Hunsinger
Cover Art by Jon Hunsinger
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Dire Boar
The Dread Boar is one of the creatures that came out of nowhere and racked up a ton of mileage quickly. Debuting in the Legends of Windemere series, they have also been mentioned and appeared in War of Nytefall and The Life & Times of Ichabod Brooks. That covers a lot of ground, so you know these giant pigs are going to keep coming back. Honestly, they’ve kind of become my ‘go to’ wild beast when I need something big and aggressive. Not necessarily for a fight, but comparisons and declarations of toughness for blowhards. So, where did they come from?
Way back, I was adding wild beasts to a nature scene to set the stage and I got to the audible parts. I didn’t want to do solely real animals and I began thinking of a beast that could roar in the distance. My mind kept coming back to boars since I had recently read about the Gullinbursti of Norse mythology. So, I had the loud bellow of a . . . angry . . . dire . . . death . . . Dread Boar! I brought up the beast a few more times before I actually showed what it looked like. Even then, it was a group of shape-shifting monsters disguised as Dread Boars. Still, this was the first look at what they were and they acted the way they were supposed to. Calm until they feel threatened and then they go on an aggressive rampage that can mow down an entire forest if left unchecked.
I made them huge with rough hair after reading on how pigs can quickly go feral when they are released into the wild. They go from cute pink animals to the destructive boars that fictional barbarians battle when they have nothing better to do. This wasn’t fantasy enough for me, so I added metallic tusks and hooves. Dread Boars are not only strong, but they are fast and smart enough to use group tactics. This goes out the window if they are enraged, which happens if startled or threatened. Protecting their young isn’t as violent because they make a circle around the babies and scrape their tusks together to create an ear-wrenching screech. This scares off most animals and warns others in the area that the herd is nearby with children. When moving, they will knock over trees that are in their path, but their dung is a very powerful fertilizer. New plants grew fairly quickly in the wake of a Dread Boar.
So far, I’ve only had them on Ralian, so I haven’t decided on if you can find them on the other continents. Definitely not Shayd or Ambervale due to what they are. I might come up with variations for the other regions. Maybe have one kind be a little smaller like your African and Asian elephants. Another could be more aquatic if I put it in the Cerascent Archipelago. For monsters that are designed to be part of the wilderness, you can play with have different versions of the same species. After all, that’s how things work in the real world.
Legends of Windemere 