Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – New book on the Shelves – War of Nytefall: Loyalty by Charles E. Yallowitz

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If You’re Reading This, I’m at a Bookstore

Seriously, I’m probably already at Barnes & Noble with my birthday money.  All I really wanted was a paperback copy of ‘Ready Player One’ since I loved the movie.  I highly recommend people see it, especially if they were growing up in the 1980’s and still have some nostalgia for the time.  I mean, the big race had the Delorean from ‘Back to the Future’, the Akira motorcycle, Stephen King’s Christine, A-Team Van, Bigfoot the Monster Truck, and I’m sure I missed others.  Aside from that, it was just a really good story that I thought had more heart than everything else coming out these days.  There’s a part near the very end that actually hit home because I think a lot of people who grew up loving video games and not being very social can relate.  Actually teared up a bit there.  I have to buy this movie when it comes out because I need to watch several times to catch the other hidden characters and items.  That was the big birthday present, which I’m glad I went through with because I was getting rather melancholy leading up to it.

For anyone who remembers, I published War of Nytefall: Loyalty last weekend and then settled in for some low key activities.  I did a bunch of promos when they came up, but I think I’m starting at the beginning again.  Praying that this isn’t another ‘Bedlam’ thing where people seem more excited to talk about it than buy.  I can’t figure out how some authors get so many reviews out of the gate unless it’s all free copies, which I thought Amazon cracked down on.  Honestly, I’ve been so exhausted that I could barely think about such things.  I’ve checked numbers when I could, but I’m falling into a mindset that I simply want to write and do my best.  People have put too much pressure on me over the years to make a fortune, get a contract, or research the numbers that I feel like I’ve lost my author center.  That would be joyfully writing and sharing it with people, which is the most important part for me.

As far as accomplishments, I don’t know what to say.  My birthday was Monday, so I rested and did more promo stuff before taking my son to martial arts.  Then it was a few drinks with my friend and this led to conversations about the future.  Tuesday was a big parent/teacher conference, which was interesting.  Errands after that ended up sucking up the last of my day, but I finished the promos I had.  Wednesday is when I finally got to settle back and relax.  Working on one of the Sin stories and put on an anime called ‘GetBackers’, which is entertaining.  I’m starting to realize how much I’ve worn myself down too.  I had 9 characters to design and it took me all week to do that, but now I’m up to locations and the 4 Acts.  There was a lot of food shopping too because I kept finding that we were missing things.  That was my week in a nutshell.

Next week is going to be a little stranger.  I don’t have any appointments, but I don’t know if I should dive into War of Nytefall: Temptation (Volume 3).  It’s too early to edit War of Nytefall: Lost (Volume 2) and my alpha reader is still working through Quest of the Broken-Hearted.  Feels weird editing something that is being read at this time.  I have Derailing Bedlam that I can look over even though it’s not going to be published until next year.  That’s only if I can keep this going and not succumb to the army of people demanding I stop.  Yeah, we’re back in ‘I think you have played around as an author long enough’ territory.  Anyway, another option is to finish working on the Sin story outline since the notes I have are terrible.  It could take a whole week to piece it all together and it means I won’t leave it unfinished.

As far as my plan to finish all of the 2018 release first drafts before summer, I only have one book to go.  I can probably take all of April to edit books and I’ll still have the time to write the other book.  It would only put the Dawn Addison finale at risk, but I can still work on that during the summer at night.  Honestly, that story is still kind of shaky, but it’s a blog only for October, which means I can be experimental.  If I do get that done then I can use the summer to start writing the next Ichabod Brooks collection for next summer and do an edit on War of Nytefall: Lost.  Guess it’s nice to be ahead.

So, I don’t know if I can do a goal list this week since I have no idea what I’m doing.  Maybe I’ll just list options:

  1. Finish Sin story (Walker of the Blood Groove) outline.
  2. Edit War of Nytefall: Lost
  3. Edit Quest of the Broken-Hearted
  4. Finish watching GetBackers
  5. Go over outline for War of Nytefall: Temptation
  6. Get some extra sleep
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The Festival and other Stories

coldhandboyack's avatarEntertaining Stories

We return to a culinary theme with this picture that our artist painted of Blinia Crole. The picture is from Blinia’s own collection and is displayed with grateful thanks to her. Andeal chose to paint her seated in her old home working as she always had.

Chicken Legs

Blinia drifted into being a cook, but was handicapped by lack of capital. Her family home was in the more run-down part of Ropewalk. Some would even write it off as being part of the Warrens. So to have anything to cook she was reduced to purchasing worn out domestic fowl sold for a pittance for their feathers. She would pluck the fowl, sort the feathers, wash them, dry them and then sell them on to those who would use them to stuff pillows with.

With regard to cooking the fowl she was lucky that her mother had taught her well. Once…

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Dawn Fangs and Magic: A Lesson From Gregorio

Doctor Stranger

Hellsing

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vs

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Welcome to the lair of Gregorio Roman . . . How did you get here? I have the entrance locked, trapped, and the slime part usually scares away those that get through the rest.  I have a back door?  Well, I’ll be taking care of that once we’re done here.  At my age, seeing people try to get in here is one of the few joys I have.  Not like any of my children come to visit with hugs and snacks.  They always show up with questions, problems, or demanding that I choose a side.  That’s enough belly-aching from this old gnomish Dawn Fang.  Wait, am I an old Dawn Fang since I’ve been around a couple centuries in general or a young Dawn Fang since I’ve only been that for a few weeks?  This is really going to confuse anyone who celebrates their turning days. I’ll talk to that son of mine once we’re done here.

Now, we live in a magical world.  Not the kind that you people think of, but one with potent energy that can be utilized for powerful spells.  Windemere is all about magic since it is everywhere.  Vampires are some of the greatest casters due to their immortality, which allows them to master thousands of spells.  It is how we stayed alive because our spells granted us claws, invisibility, alternate forms, and everything else that you would associate with us.  Many wondered how this was possible since undead don’t have auras that they can utilize for spells.  Unlike Liches that retained their soul, vampires take energy from the blood they drink.  Our meals had aura, so our bodies processed that power to make it our own.  The greater the appetite, the greater the magic power. Of course, you still needed to study and learn the spells since vampires aren’t channelers. All very simple . . . which means the twist is coming.

Dawn Fangs have their own aura instead of siphoning and processing that of others, but we cannot cast any magic.  This could be considered one of our greatest sacrifices to become what we are.  Yes, we gain incredible physical abilities, working organs, our special powers, and immunity to sunlight.  Yet, we no longer have the option of learning spells or performing most rituals.  For those of us who began life as a traditional vampire, it is a difficult loss to accept because our magic kept us alive.  The variety of spells we depended on are gone, so habits need to be broken and changed.  Needless to say, many died because they couldn’t adapt to the change, but that’s how nature goes.  The fact that vampires exist proves that it’s a brutal and cruel world.

Now, I have a theory as to why Dawn Fangs lose the ability to cast magic, especially since one would think us being more alive than dead would cause the opposite.  It all comes down to our triad of powers.  These do not require hand motions or words like spells, which means they are closer to channeler magic.  It also means they are more powerful than a spell version.  Not to mention we’ve seen abilities that have never appeared before, especially in the Aura category.  This leads me to think that our auras are focused more on operating these powers along with our revived organs and enhanced physical abilities.  It is also possible that we are immune to sun because our aura maintains a barrier that is within every piece of our being.  With so many passive powers, our energy can only do so much more without hitting a barrier.  This is regardless of the amount of blood we drink because that energy is sent to our existing abilities.

Another piece of my theory is more philosophical, so feel free to disagree.  If Dawn Fangs were able to surpass these limits then we would be on the same level as the gods and goddesses.  That would turn us into a threat even if we lacked the ambition.  Just one Dawn Fang going after Ambervale could put a target on the rest of us.  Gabriel the Destiny God would send armies of chosen warriors after us to prevent Windemere from falling into our hands.  Whatever transformed Clyde knew this and put this obstacle in front of us to keep us safe.  It’s even possible that part of Clyde sensed the change and he subconsciously did this for the same reasons.  We all know that too much power can corrupt since it happens all the time with mortals and vampires.  Best not to leave the temptation if you can.

So, do I miss casting magic?  A little, but I’d grown bored with everything.  Having to learn about my powers and alter my lifestyle has made me feel young again.  That’s just me though.  I hear the younger ones whine all the time.  Maybe I should charge them by the hour.  Save me time on grocery shopping or certain Dawn Fangs could pay off their debt with hugs.  People really don’t appreciate the joy that comes from a simple embrace.

Learn More In War of Nytefall: Loyalty!

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Blog Tour: “Been There, Going Again” by Stephen Geez

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

As you may know, I don’t host many blog tours. But Stephen’s excerpt was just too good to pass on! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

4 Wills “Been There, Going Again” Blog Tour, Stephen Geez

Day 7

Greetings, friends! Welcome to the last stop on my 4WillsPublishing Blog Tour celebrating the re-issue of my memoir-shorts, Been There, Noted That: Essays in Tribute to Life. It has updated cover, new graphics, new book trailer, and now a first-ever jacketed hardcover edition. The book’s ruminations range from light and humorous to heartbreakingly poignant, but all spring from my own experiences. Thanks for visiting, trying this sample, and commenting!

Here to Fish

Essay by Stephen Geez

Geez Blog Tour | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's book View on Amazon

“Leave that ol’ snake alone!”

Aunt Mary was growing impatient with me, but never before had I seen a snake like that, especially one so big. “Ain’t nothin’ but…

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Guest Post: Charles Yallowitz—Spinning the Vampire Mythos

L. Marie's avatarEl Space--The Blog of L. Marie

A big thank you to L. Marie for helping to promote the first book of my newest series, War of Nytefall: Loyalty (see book blurb toward the end). While this takes place in my previous series, Legends of Windemere, it focuses on a world-changing event. Specifically, the emergence of a new breed of vampire called Dawn Fangs. Due to the topic, L. Marie showed me this quote  from Stephen King:

Here’s what vampires shouldn’t be: pallid detectives who drink Bloody Marys and work only at night; lovelorn southern gentlemen; anorexic teenage girls; boy-toys with big dewy eyes. What should they be? Killers, honey. Stone killers who never get enough of that tasty Type-A. Bad boys and girls. Hunters. In other words, Midnight America. Red, white and blue, accent on the red. Those vamps got hijacked by a lot of soft-focus romance.

I both agree and disagree with Stephen King here…

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The 2018 Author Interview Series Featuring D. Wallace Peach

This gallery contains 5 photos.

Don Massenzio It’s time for the next subject for my 2018 author interview series. Author interviews are posted every Friday throughout the year. I am honored to continue this series with Oregon author, artist D. Wallace Peach You can catch … Continue reading →

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Dirty Dozen Author Interview – Charles E. Yallowitz

eranamage's avatarLibrary of Erana

Author name:  Charles E. Yallowitz

 My two biggest publications are Legends of Windemere and War of Nytefall.  The former is a 15 book adventure series that takes place in the fantasy world of Windemere.  I published the final book in December and I’ve just released the first volume of my vampire series, which takes place in the same world.  Both series have plenty of action, humour, and colourful characters.

What have you found the most challenging part of the process?

As strange as it sounds, I find the most challenging part to be the later editing stages.  I’m always having a blast with outlining and writing the first draft, but I’ve found that I hit an odd mentality when I’m doing my 3rd or 4th readthrough.  I begin making changes for the sake of making changes, which makes it difficult to do a true editing run. …

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Bob: He Likes Horses

Malkavian from Vampire: The Masquerade

If you haven’t guessed, I’m doing the Vengeance Hounds starting with Titus and moving on to Bob.  Yes, this is an elf named Bob and takes a role that I always love to have in my stories.  The comical, yet effective, mad character.  He isn’t as powerful as Yola Biggs and Dawn Addison or as random as Lloyd Tenay, but it’s always a joy to write unpredictable characters.  Unfortunately, this does make it more difficult to write a profile on him beyond what he was and what he is now.

Bob was a crazy character back in the original game, but it wasn’t off the wall as much as one would imagine.  It was more that he had some obsessions and very little impulse control.  Then again, he’s fighting specialty was using a car, which was actually written on the character sheet.  He loved cars and even robbed a toy store specifically for all of the Micro-Machines.  That should tell you how long ago we were playing this game.  One could say he was the getaway driver, but I’ll admit I didn’t get a great feel for Bob due to the player also being the one who ran the game.  That limited what he could do because he didn’t want to solve all of our problems.

When it came to the books, I decided to make Bob an elf and that was where he stayed for a bit.  I wanted him crazy, but effective.  This led to a personality that could get hung up on certain topics, randomly bring things up, and still add to a conversation.  He never goes to the point where he’s idiotic and a problem, but he can be the comic relief.  At worst, he is honest when he shouldn’t be and gets into ‘fights’ with the third member of the Vengeance Hunters.  Overall, I liked how he came out because there’s an odd innocence and kindness to the character that the others lack.  Crazy antics aside, he strikes me as the most mortal of the crew, which might be an insult.

Still, I had to make Bob quirky and I had that car issue.  There aren’t any cars in Windemere . . . but there were horses.  I’m always afraid that his horse obsession gets taken the wrong way.  It’s more that he likes talking to them and gets sad when they are killed.  This includes camels and other living mounts too.  I made his weapon of choice a lance as well to fit his interests and there was a point where his armor was made out of old saddles.  I scrapped that idea and gave him battered leather armor with polished riding boots.  Bob is going to be a long evolution too because of this horse thing.  I established that vampires frown upon turning animals, but he could simply use his magic to make up for that.  Yet, this could all change with his powers.  Making a character’s powers based around his obsession with horses is tough to some extent.  Then again, having a character as crazy as Bob means he will find a way.  Not that he’ll be the only one, but that’s an introduction far into the future.

The strangest game event with Bob revolved around us sneaking around until he sent a ‘warning’ to another character.  We were trying to escape hunters, but got separated. As we were gathering, the stealthiest of the group was at a nearby building.  The suggestions were a flare, whistling, and other normal things that my artist and Titus/Lurch were arguing over. We waited too long and Bob pumped up his strength to hurl a shopping cart across the street.  It slammed into the wall in front of the other vampire and the chase was back on.  On the plus side for Bob, we got to spend more time in his car.

See more of Bob in War of Nytefall: Loyalty!

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Technological Angel, on #LisaBurtonRadio

coldhandboyack's avatarEntertaining Stories

Welcome all you sci-fi geeks, aliens, and starship troopers. You’ve landed on Planet Lisa. Lisa Burton Radio to be exact, and I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl.

With me today is my special guest, Daniele Sommaruga. He’s just a regular guy who got caught up in something bigger. “Welcome to the show Daniele.”

“Hello there! Nice meeting you! You know we had a song called “Lisa” on Earth a few months before I left? It said “Lisa is gone/she’s no longer mine”… Sorry, getting carried away.”

“Aw, aren’t you sweet. It says here you’re living on a star base called Friport. How did a regular dude like you wind up on a star base.”

“It’s a starship as big as Earth’s Moon! It looks like the Death Star! Okay, to start from scratch, it was a dark night and I thought I saw a panther in my street. I…

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