Thanks to All

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

This is the last month where I’ll be promoting a new Legends of Windemere book since the long journey comes to an end.  I began outlining in 1998, writing in 1999, and publishing in 2013.  Now, it comes to the grand battle and finale in 2017.  The long list of people that I should thank includes:

  • Family
  • Co-workers from various jobs
  • Fellow RPG gamers
  • Best friends
  • Old friends
  • New friends
  • Author friends
  • Blogging friends
  • Teachers
  • Mentors
  • Rivals
  • Enemies
  • People on TV
  • People in Movies
  • Cartoon characters
  • Random people I’ve talked to
  • Ancient civilizations that gave me inspiration
  • Voices in my head

It seems like a strange list of categories, but I don’t think I’d have gotten this far without all of these groups.  I’ve pushed myself out of so many emotions that I can’t even tell you which one prompted which section.  There were times I fought hard to spite those who told me to stop and other times I was driven by my own desire.  One of the key points was to always have fun and I’m thankful for all the people who helped me enjoy this path.  It would have really sucked if it turned into a ‘job’ in the way that I just went through the motions.

The last page of Warlord of the Forgotten Age will be a ‘thanks’ section.  I went through it several times to make sure I got everyone at least in some broad categories considering doing names could be a book in itself.  I haven’t really seen this done in other series, so I’m unsure if this is a good idea.  All I know is that I feel like I’d be a jerk if I didn’t end with some message.

So . . . What do you think about thanking people at the end of a series?  How would you go about doing it?

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Legends of Windemere: Songs for the Champions

So, a lot of these songs might have gotten in simply because I heard them recently and the evoked certain characters in my mind.  Still, that’s basically how it works.  One I recently used for a Saturday post too, so I apologize for the repeat.  Let’s get things started and I hope people enjoy.

Might not be the best to use an AMV, but this song really made me think of Luke Callindor when it came across my YouTube suggestions.  Just the talking about being in the middle of chaos, striking quickly, being unexpected, and finding an inner strength really brought him to the forefront.  It kind of covers how he was and what he’s become too.

Nyx being the team powerhouse and having been a target for her entire life made me give her this one.  There’s a lot of elemental power in the lyrics too like earthquakes and tidal waves as well as launching into the sky like a rocket.  The thing is that she’s not really invincible, but she tries her best to feel that way in order to continue fighting.

This is an odd one, but I gave it Sari before I realized that gypsies were mentioned.  Even with her friends, she doesn’t really have any roots keeping her in one place.  Being nomadic from birth, she never had this, but there was always her clan.  I don’t think Sari has entirely gotten over that loss and it will keep her wandering even when her friends are settling down.  Maybe it’s just my interpretation though.

Timoran Wrath had to be the toughest one here because he’s so stable.  Songs about rage only seemed to cover part of him and so did songs about strength.  I settled on this one that had drinking as a theme, but it was more the line ‘I get knocked down, but I get up again’.  He has proven to be just as tenacious as Nyx, but not only physically.  Mentally and emotionally, Timoran has always bounced back.

This song got passed around for a while.  I had it for Luke at one point, but then I considered Dariana.  Yet, there’s a couple theme here and neither of them had that aspect to make it work.  Zoning out on the words finally made me realize it works best for Delvin Cunningham since he’s always backing up the others.  His relationship with Nyx mirrors this as well and the longer I considered it, the more sense it made.

Dariana has always had this song whenever I considered her.  There’s a fluid mysticism here that I’ve enjoyed since high school.  It makes me imagine a timeless journey that might finally come to an end.  There’s also a sadness and sense of hope that fits for Dariana’s personality.

This song doesn’t really go for one character.  Honestly, it’s one that I wish I knew about when I was writing the final battle.  It could go for the champions, the Baron, or even both.

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Body Armor on #LisaBurtonRadio

coldhandboyack's avatarEntertaining Stories

Lisa Burton

Welcome all you secret society members and sequestered royal families. This is Lisa Burton Radio. The only show that brings you the characters from the books you love. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl, and today we’re going to peek inside a clandestine operation that protects one of the world’s royal families.

My special guest today is Carmina Orsini. She is the maternal grandmother of the Notaro girls. They are the last living descendants of the Medici family, and someone is trying to kill them. It’s understandable that Carmina is a little bit worried. “Welcome to the show, Carmina.”

“Ciao, Lisa. Thank you for having me here today.”

“My pleasure. The bio I have says you’re particularly worried about Donni Notaro. Can you tell our listeners why?”

“Ah. My granddaughters, all of them, are strong women. Very accomplished, very smart. But they are in over their heads this…

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#Fairies, #Myths, & #Magic Author Spotlight Guest Post – Helena Smole, Fantasy Author

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Book Review: Secrets In The Woods by J.E Smythe (Cosy Mystery) Fantastic 4.5 Stars @jesmythe1m #amreading

Author, Kim Knight's avatarAuthor, Kim Knight

CM

About the Book

Title: Secrets in the Woods: An Emilia Long Mystery

Author: J.E. Smythe

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Secrets in the Woods is a gripping tale about Emilia Long- an Investigative Reporter and her quest to find out the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death. Long’s quest begins after reading documents left for her by her adopted mother revealing that she was abandoned as an infant at a Brooklyn hospital. The revelation led Emilia on a suspenseful journey to find her birth mother.

But finding her is not so easy. Her investigations reveal that her birth mother disappeared months before her birth and that the disappearance was linked to a murder. With the key suspect in her mother’s disappearance locked away in jail on unrelated charges and the townspeople, including the Sheriff, unwilling to help her, Emilia finds herself at a dead end. In an unimaginable twist of fate, Emilia discovers…

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Who Deserves the Final Blow?

Frieza from Dragonball Z

It will only be a little bit of the finale, but it’s probably the biggest part.  Who will get the final blow of the battle?  I’ve considered this for a long time and find a reason to go with just about everyone, including non-champions.

Baron Kernaghan

Well, this kind of has to happen if I go with the Age of Darkness route.  It would end up being a massive slaughter after a tough fight.

Luke Callindor

He’s been the longest running hero of Legends of Windemere, so many people might expect him to get the last shot in.  Does he deserve it?  After what the Baron put him through in Ritual of the Lost Lamb, I would say he’s a top contender.  Not to mention his habit of being an unpredictable enemy, which could throw the meticulous Baron off balance.

Nyx

She has been raised as a champion and working toward this fight, so it could even be in her head that she has the right to finish it.  Nyx also takes what has happened to her friends and family very personally.  With her, it could come out that she simply has the defiance and raw power to get through the Baron’s defenses too.

Sari

Considering her journey started with the destruction of her clan, Sari has a really big argument for getting the final blow.  While the Baron didn’t do it himself, he ordered the massacre.  She also is the most likely one to sacrifice herself to save the others, but she does lack the power to pull off such a feat.  Her biggest strength is her versatility too, which puts her in a similar category to Luke.

Timoran Wrath

Unlike the previous three, Timoran hasn’t really suffered due to the Baron.  He’s always been a solid, consistent force of strength and wisdom.  That’s why it could work with him finishing the battle.  It isn’t a personal reason for him, but he has the physical abilities to go toe-to-toe with the Baron.  All Timoran would need is one clear shot, which means it would be a big ‘team effort’ scene.

Delvin Cunningham

He is in a similar boat as Timoran, but he is harboring some anger about what has happened to his friends.  Delvin wishes to protect those close to him and the Baron has crossed many lines.  One factor that puts this as a big probability is that he is the one who comes up with the strategies.  It wouldn’t be surprising if Delvin created a plan that put him in the position to deliver the final blow.

Dariana

If Sari and Luke have a right to the final blow because of trauma then Dariana has a bigger claim.  After being tormented for centuries, she has a pretty big grudge against her father now that she has friends.  The fact that she might not have any future even with the champions winning puts her on a slight suicide mission.

Fizzle

Fizzle wants to protect friends.  So, Fizzle will find a way to protect friends.  Would he have the power to finish things since he isn’t a champion?  Hard to tell.

Kira Grasdon

Not very high up the list since she’s not a champion and doesn’t have anywhere close to their level of power.  One can’t even be sure if she’ll be at the final battle, but the Baron could try to bring her in as a hostage.  That’s the reason she’s on the list.  Regardless of her not being a champion, Kira has suffered greatly at the hands of the Baron and his agents.  She has some payback due to her, which means any opening Kira finds, she’s going to take.

Queen Trinity

Again, she isn’t a champion, but her power can push Nyx to her limits.  She would be fighting for her people too.  That’s a heavier reason than the previous ones, especially since the chaos elves were being tortured since the Great Cataclysm.  Only real question is if she would be willing to get involved to that extent.

So, who would you give the killing blow to?

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Smorgasbord Christmas Posts from Your Archives – Share your Christmas Past

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From eBooks to cBooks – new eBook format combining the best of book and film in an exciting new story platform…

Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

by Elsa Evripidou and Nick Fletcher on Talking New Media site:

Guest Column: Screenwriter and film producer Nick Fletcher and creative author Elsa Evripidou talk about the creation of the new cinematic book ‘Monsoon Tide’

Imagine a product where you can access a character’s backstory, inner thoughts and motivations but you can also see and hear the people, locations and action with the immediacy of a film.  With a cinematic book or cBook you read a chapter on your e-reader and then click to view the ensuing clip which propels you to the next chapter and so on.  The story is therefore revealed, half in a written and half in a film format.

Reasons for it:

  • We have all had the experience of watching beloved novels become slightly disappointing feature films because some of the intricacies of the original story and the insights into the characters have got lost in…

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Teaser Tuesday: Melsha

Cheshire Cat from American McGee’s Alice

Here’s another excerpt from Warlord of the Forgotten Age, which is proving to be a tough one.  As usual, I’m doing the break and hopefully there aren’t any spoilers are in here.  Always hard to tell.

Continue reading

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Meet Author @Shari_Nich and Discover Why MRS N Can’t Wait to Read Her #Books! #amreading #PNR

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