While it might be a few months away, I have a preliminary sketch for the War of Nytefall: Loyalty cover. The artist is Alison Hunt and the idea is to do a symbol for each cover. Enjoy.


Hello all you Lost Boys and Merry Men, you misplaced children of all stripes. You’ve landed on Lisa Burton Radio, the only show out there bringing you the characters from the stories you love. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl, and today my special guest is Ford Barlow, he’s a runaway stepchild who falls in with a group similar to himself. “Welcome to the show, Ford.”
“Are you…are you of the gods…from out there?”
“In a manner of speaking. And where are you currently?”
“Right here. I mean, in the woods. I wanted to get away from the others for a bit, ya know? And I found this totem in this glade. I’ve never seen one like this before, with lady parts and all.”
“Oh yeah. Now please speak clearly into the ears of the magic totem. Now, Ford, what would make a young man leave his home…
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2017 was a tough year. My blog grew by leaps and bounds and I finished two books, but didn’t get either one edited or published. Most years I’ve published 2-3 books, but in 2017, I published none.
But, enough of that doom and gloom. My latest book, Blood Match, is now available for pre-order on Amazon. It will be formally published on February 2nd.
You might remember that this book was a Kindle Scout candidate and it performed well lasting on the Hot List for 209 of 720 hours or some part of 11 out of 30 days with over 4,000 views.
Here is a blurb about the book:
Intelligence analyst Jake Balrich boards his Monday morning flight, as he has so many times, for routine field work. When the plane lands, a passenger fails to wake up. Jake soon realizes that the death was not accidental and is…
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Quote on Reality
Full disclosure on this one: I’m not sure what this was supposed to be about. There are times I get an idea for a post, jot it down in shorthand, and assume I’ll remember what I meant later. Less than a week later, I’m not sure what I meant by ‘7 Tips to Author Reality’. Figure I’ll give some tips to those about to start on their journey in the usual tongue and cheek method.
Harmony Kent is a good friend of mine, and she’s here to tell us about her newest publication today. Let’s all help her out by using those sharing buttons and spreading the word.

Author Bio:
Harmony Kent is famous for her laughter, and has made quite the name for herself … she’s also, um, a writer … and fairly well known for that too. She’s even won a few awards. Harmony lives in rural Cornwall with her ever-present sense of humour and quirky neighbours and refuses to admit to her age.
If you catch her at work, you’ll see she also offers editing, proof reading, manuscript appraisal, and beta reading services. Not to mention being passionate about supporting her fellow authors.
***
What inspired me to write Jewel in the Mud?
My life has been an interesting one and has provided many challenges, as well as seeing a lot of change—both…
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In what is starting to look like a tradition, eNovel Authors At Work is offering this month yet another amazing giveaway. Along with the above books, you can also win:
Kindle PaperwhiteWith so many gifts, you’re more than likely to win something! However, the giveaway will only run between the 17th and the 21st, so no time to waste…
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One of the things I run into the most online is the question of where I took the name Windemere from. Many people think I snagged it from an existing place. Specifically, a lake area in England that might actually be named WindeRmere. This isn’t the case, but I figure 5 years of fielding this question means I should do a post.
The Possibilities:

Windemere Township Minnesota

Windemere Texas

Ernest Hemingway Cottage (Windemere at Walloon Lake)

Winderemere Island

Lake Windermere in England
The list keeps going for WindeRmere with places in the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.K. So, what is the true origin?
TOTAL COINCEDENCE
Originally, I had a world named Mylrix, but that was for another set of stories. It would get absorbed eventually, but people were still telling me it wasn’t catchy. This was in college where I was still learning and taking advice very seriously. So, I needed to think up something else and began combining words, letters, and whatever I could think of. It was during the early spring in SUNY Oswego, which is on Lake Ontario. The weather was nice enough to go outside and take a walk while I thought of more ideas. This led to me going down to the lake shore where the wind was very strong. Just stared out in the direction of Canada and let my mind wander. I kept focusing a lot on the wind because it nearly knocked me over a few times. Played around with that word and landed on ‘WINDEMERE’. I liked the sound of it and realized the wind showed up a lot in my descriptions too. So, it stuck and I went on for 12 years before anybody told me there was a Lake Windermere in England.
Anybody else ever come up with an idea and then find out years later that there’s something with the same name?

Thank you for having me over, Charles. Before we get started, yes, I am an honest to the Gods Greek Muse. The author C. S. Boyack is my charge.
My job is to inspire him any way I can. Craig is an odd fellow in that if I work really hard at it, there are no results. If I whisper something on the breeze, he’s good for an entire novel.
I once whispered in his ear while he watched the Disney movie Brave, with his grandchildren. He wrote an entire novel called Will O’ the Wisp that had nothing to do with the movie. It broke onto the top one-hundred lists a few times, so who am I to argue?
The Hat is a novella about a girl, Lizzie, who comes into possession of what she thinks is an old hat. It’s actually a being from another dimension and he is thousands of years old. He’s been in Lizzie’s family the entire time. They have to work together to solve a major crime, and wind up dispensing a bit of justice along the way. Lizzie even tries her hand at a new career because of their relationship, and maybe it’s the opportunity she needs for a better life.
I know what you’re thinking, but the sorting hat had nothing to do with this story. Like I said, Craig is a little bit odd. I mean, I was talking to him one day about how preconceived notions can hold people back. He wrote a story about a man with a prosthetic arm who pitches in a professional baseball league. I have no idea how he made that leap, but a Muse has to take her successes where she can these days.
Honestly, I don’t want to become the Muse of YouTube fail videos. You know the ones where boys jump off of something and hurt their testicles. Working with an author is held in higher regard than that, even if the author is a strange one. I’ll keep visiting him as long as he keeps creating.
So, back in 2016, I dropped by the writing cabin. I was only there to drop off some Christmas presents. Craig’s assistant had some music playing, like most people that time of year. You may be familiar with her, Lisa Burton the robot girl.
Lisa offered me a cup of eggnog and we got a bit talkative, as girls do. I swear, I only muttered one verse under my breath while the music played in the background. “There must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found…” I glanced up and Craig disappeared.
I found him in his office typing away on the Notes app. Like I said, he seems to react to accidental inspiration more than purposeful. Still, if it keeps me in my apartment on Olympus, and my cup filled with ambrosia, who am I to argue.
My main concern is that Craig remains creative. He’s the one who wants to publish these stories. It would make him happy if you would read The Hat, and he’d be ecstatic if you left a review. It’s priced at 99¢ and I think you’ll enjoy it.
Blurb:
Lizzie St. Laurent is dealing with many of the struggles of young life. She lost her grandmother, and her living arrangements. Her new roommate abandoned her, and she’s working multiple jobs just to keep her head above water.
She inherits an old hat from her grandmother’s estate, but it belonged to her grandfather. This is no ordinary hat, but a being from an alternate dimension. One with special powers.
Lizzie and the hat don’t exactly hit it off right away, but when her best friend’s newborn is kidnapped by a ring of baby traffickers, Lizzie turns to the hat for help. This leads her deep into her family history and a world she’s never known.
Lizzie gives up everything to rescue the babies. She loses her jobs, and may wind up in jail before it’s over. Along the way, she and the hat may have a new way of making ends meet.
Humorous and fun, The Hat is novella length. Wonderful escapism for an afternoon.

I was born in a town called Elko, Nevada. I like to tell everyone I was born in a small town in the 1940s. I’m not quite that old, but Elko has always been a little behind the times. This gives me a unique perspective of earlier times, and other ways of getting by. Some of this bleeds through into my fiction.
I moved to Idaho right after the turn of the century, and never looked back. My writing career was born here, with access to other writers and critique groups I jumped in with both feet.
I like to write about things that have something unusual. My works are in the realm of science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy. The goal is to entertain you for a few hours. I hope you enjoy the ride.
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My name is Danielle English, and I am a Freelance Illustrator.
I mostly do digital illustration with the use of a Wacom Cintiq tablet and Photoshop, though I do also love using traditional mediums such as inks and watercolours.
Most of my work is based on fantasy and character design, which is mostly inspired by the natural world.
Creatures and landscapes and probably my favourite subjects to draw as it’s great being able to create something new and give each drawing personality and emotion.

Though I spend a lot of my time drawing (both for work and as a hobby!), I also really enjoy spending time outside; especially when the weather is nice and I’m able to go on long walks or cycling.
My work can be found in a number of places, but here are a few links to the main sites I use:
Twitter –
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