Guest Author: Scott Hastie – Threads and meditations

Sue Vincent's avatarSue Vincent's Daily Echo

Life collects

Life collects,
Pools around you.

It paints its highlights.

Nothing therejust a shell
You can destroy
Or begin again.

Calm in aquamarine beauty,
Barely a hint
Of surf’s snowy trim.

Today the sea is out
But will come again.

For the moment,
On the beach,
My love and I,
Naked and blissful
As can be.

In the soft,
Sun baked sand
History
Between my toes.

Sense how
Even the smooth stones
Ache
With stories of their own
In the shuddering
Light of day.


Meditations: New Poetry by Scott Hastie by [Hastie, Scott]I feel blessed to be living and writing full-time at home in the glorious Hertfordshire countryside, only a thirty minute commuter ride from London. My poetry looks to positively explore human potential, with an emphasis on love, spiritual growth and self awareness. It is very important to me that my work remains as open, accessible and as simply expressed as possible.

My influences vary from the great…

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It’s Release Day

Unknown's avatarDon Massenzio

front-cover-photo

It’s an exciting day. Frank Immersed, the exciting new novel in the Frank Rozzani series has officially been released for the Kindle and in paperback on Amazon.com.

Here is a synopsis:

Frank and Jonesy are back. This time the case will require all of their talents. Young female passengers are disappearing from luxury cruise ships. After young twin daughters disappear during a family cruise, Frank and Jonesy must go undercover to find out what’s happening.
The stakes are high and the odds are against them. Will this case prove to be more than they can handle? Luckily, the twins’ father, Jim Mason, has special training and associates from his past that will be called upon as the search for the girls escalates.
Follow Frank and Jonesy on this ocean-going adventure as they search for the twins and dredge up powerful bad guys from one of their past cases in…

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Legends of Windemere Holiday #Sale! 6 #Fantasy eBooks for $2!

From December 22nd to December 26th (8 AM PST) you can get the first 6 volumes of
LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE
for $2!

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen 3D Conversion by Bestt_graphics

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen
3D Conversion by Bestt_graphics

*This Book Bundle contains the first 3 volumes of the LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE fantasy series.*

Every hero must take that first courageous step into adventure. For Luke Callindor, it’s more of a blind stumble. From battling a demonic assassin to facing the family he left behind, this warrior’s adventuring career has been one awkward mistake after another. Most days the only things that keep him alive, yet never unharmed, are his trusted friends and his reckless courage. How long can his luck hold out before the gods of Windemere decide to cut his legend short?

ON AMAZON FOR 99 CENTS!

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

*This Book Bundle contains volumes 4-6 of the LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE fantasy series.*

The destiny of Nyx, Sari, and Luke Callindor has been revealed, but that does not make their lives any easier. With old enemies still on the hunt, a new threat is stepping out of the shadows to indulge his sadistic desires. From battling the magic-devouring Krypters in Hero’s Gate to facing a demonic curse that has befallen one of our heroes, the champions will be pushed to their limits and beyond. Can the arrival of two more destined warriors improve their chances or will it bring them one step closer to failing like their predecessors?

ON AMAZON FOR 99 CENTS!

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Pride and Fall, on Lisa Burton Radio #RRBC

coldhandboyack's avatarEntertaining Stories

Don’t touch that dial. You’ve landed on Lisa Burton Radio, coming at you with 1.21 jigawatts of power all across the cosmos, and beyond the veil. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl, and on the air with me today is Max. “Welcome to the show, Max.”

“Pleasure to be here.”

“Now, Max, you aren’t like any other guest we’ve had on the show before. Can you tell our readers why?

“I’m a German Shepherd.”

“You have a very special job. Can you tell our listeners what that is?”

“I’m with the K-9 unit of the Cathedral Lake Police Department. I’m happy to say that most of my time is spent on patrol with my human partner, Carter Emerson. We often do school assemblies to talk to the kids about law enforcement. But sometimes my unique skillset is necessary. My specialty is detecting explosive devices. Usually when I’m called in…

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New Year – New Books: Win Up To 28+ eBooks!

Exciting news for sci-fi fans! I am participating in the New Year eBook Giveaway with the recently rewritten Rise of the Prince. Two people will win all 28+ Science Fiction novels, while an extra 2…

Source: New Year – New Books: Win Up To 28+ eBooks!

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Smorgasbord Christmas Party – Short Story – Grace by Sally Cronin and a Christmas Gift!

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7 Tips to Writing Immortal Characters

Immortality comes up a lot in fiction.  These timeless beings turn up as villains, heroes, love interests, cursed secondary characters, and everything in-between.  Many people hate a protagonist with this power because it’s seen as a sign of perfection.  They live forever at a perfect age with no physical flaws and an intelligence that allows them to absorb all that time has to offer.  To be fair, one could think a person who has been given immortality would also have the natural ability to evolve with time.  Then again, they are still human in some way, so giving them Eidetic memory too might be going too far.  So, what are some ways to make your immortals work?

  1. Even though they live forever, you should have some way for them to die or be removed from the story.  There needs to be a threat to these characters.  Maybe a special item can undo their powers or another immortal can do the job.  Trapped for eternity can work as well.  This is what happened to the Baron in Legends of Windemere and even Dariana to some extent.  The real limit on her is that she can still be knocked out, injured, possibly killed, or overwork her body by using her powers.
  2. A physical flaw can help in the removal of the ‘perfection’ tag.  A scar or missing body part can be explained as happening prior to immortality or the price.  It doesn’t even have to visible, but be part of a big reveal later.  Maybe the character is ashamed and has found a way to hide it someway.  I will admit that I didn’t really do this with Dariana since she uses her telepathy to limit the attention she gets.
  3. If the immortal is your protagonist then you need to factor in their long life.  They should have a lot of knowledge and maybe get confused at times.  After a couple hundred years, you get your social etiquette mixed up.  Is it still right to high five or is that old news?  What phrases no longer mean what they used to mean?  Even after being in multiple books, Dariana still isn’t sure about her reactions.  She uses old greetings and blessings instead of the more casual interactions of today.
  4. This might be an odd one, but you need to keep in mind that immortals could lose any concept of time.  They could always be late or never know what day it is.  Maybe they even lack the knowledge of the year because they work off a different calendar.  This has mostly comedy effects.
  5. Building off the previous idea, an immortal could have an apathy toward life events like marriages, births, funerals, and other milestones.  A mortal will only have about 100 years to have all of these happen, which gives the more impact.  Somebody who has gone through hundreds of these events will either not care or try to fake it for those around them.  Honestly, there are people my age that have become emotionally numb to life, so immortals would have a higher risk of this.
  6. Like any character, these types should have some kind of goal.  There has to be something they want even after centuries of life.  For example, Dariana wants friends and to see the world instead of being put back to sleep.  There are a few other things that are spoilers, so read The Spirit Well to find out.
  7. Finally: Insanity is always an option.  This explains Yola Biggs and Stephen Kernaghan perfectly.  Dariana . . . read The Spirit Well to find out!
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Cover Reveal: A Sinister Six by Steve Boseley

Karen's avatarMy train of thoughts on...

a_sinister_six

‘A Sinister Six’ is a collection of darkly disturbing stories, where the ordinary and mundane become extraordinary and fantastic.

Come along, as we journey to the edges of reality and glimpse what lies just beyond our reach. Discover that nothing is quite what it seems, and explore the horrors that travel with us throughout our lives.

The characters you will meet within have been forced beyond the boundary of their reality and have encountered what lies beyond.

Die, Blossom Bloom is the story of TED HARRIS, an old man who feels a yawning chasm of grief and guilt from the loss of his wife and the way her life ended. Keeping these details secret leads him to commit acts he never thought himself capable of.

The Girl in the Park tells the tale of a boy who encounters an enigmatic young woman in the park. As he grows, he begins…

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How Not to Get Overwhelmed: ISBNs

Rachael Ritchey's avatarRachael Ritchey

Sorry there’s been such a delay in getting on to the next chunk of this indie publishing break down! Life has been full. But you might be struggling with this whole ISBN business. I want to help you as much as I can. Here in the US, we have to buy our ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers). In some countries you do not, like Canada. It’s currently December, so I don’t recommend moving there right now. . . .

ISBN

If you’ve missed any of the previous articles in the How Not to Get Overwhelmed with Indie Publishing series, here is the list of what we have been and are covering:

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Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore Christmas Update – Tina Frisco, Charles Yallowitz and D.G. Kaye

Tina Frisco's avatarTINA FRISCO

I’m thrilled to be included in Sally Cronin‘s Cafe and Bookstore Christmas Update, side-by-side with the fabulous D.G. Kaye and prolific Charles Yallowitz.  For those of you who don’t know, Sally has been featuring a host of holiday festivities for several weeks, promoting authors and sharing seasonal music, recipes, and much more. Do visit and join in the fun 🙂

sallys-cafe-and-bookstore-update

Source: Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore Christmas Update – Tina Frisco, Charles Yallowitz and D.G. Kaye | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

I am very excited and delighted, that two amazing writers who are in the bookstore and who have given me huge encouragement over the last three years, have brought their new books out for Christmas. If you love fantasy and the supernatural then these two books will make ideal gifts… treat yourself or book loving friends and family.

Also D.G. Kaye’s latest book P.S…

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