Magic of Solstice Fantasy Writers’ Tour: Day 27 – Louise Findlay

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Heading for Another Outing: Will Anything Be Accomplished?

Book 12 is done and it ends on a ‘fun’ note.  I’ll probably finish retooling the outline for Book 13 by the end of the weekend and then . . . no idea.  I have to fiddle with the ‘Story With No Name’ this week because I need it thought out before I’m kicked out of the house in August.  Supposed to be a working exile, but we’ll see how I do.

Speaking of the new idea, I got some interesting feedback and realized that I was thinking of a different world than everyone else.  It took me a few comments to notice that people were imagining a really rundown, desolate, edge of survival landscape.  Having pictures from the Mad Max movies didn’t help, so my bad.  This did make me realize how we jump to the same type of images and worlds when we hear ‘post-apocalyptic’, which is why I don’t want to use the term for this story unless I have to.  In this tale, the USA is cut off from the world (by the rest of the world) and the federal government was wiped out overnight.  The events in the book happen a decade after it happened and I had it that the state governments got a quick hold on their regions.  So you’re seeing a ton of regional cultures appear along with some stuff that carries over the borders.  I also had it that foreign companies are still doing secret trade with the States and the Internet has been maintained in some areas.  Basically, certain groups managed to salvage some stuff and there are pockets of civilization in this world that aren’t as bad off as we are today.  I guess you could say I went more ‘Jericho’ than ‘Mad Max’.

All writing stuff aside, my son finished school this week.  So we have the week to goof off before he starts summer sessions on July 7th.  Aiming for a father/son zoo trip on one of the few non-rainy days.  Once Thursday hits, I’ll have my hands full getting stuff ready for the big trip.  We’re driving up to Buffalo, NY for the July 4th weekend.  That’s going to be an 8-10 hour drive at least.  I’ve no idea if I’ll have Internet access.  It might be only in the mornings, nights, and as long as my phone has a charge.  So I’ll be a rarity again on the social media circuit.  I’ll be trying to respond to any comments, interesting emails, and tweets.  Just can’t make any promises because I’ll be with my in-laws for the weekend.  I don’t think I can get away with a lot of phone time.  Not even sure what we’re going to be doing exactly.  Drive up Friday, hang out Saturday/Sunday, and then drive home on Monday because people have school & work the next day.  I’ll be tackling the editing projects once I get back since I don’t want the long weekend to break my focus.  July is going to be busy with this trip, son’s birthday, and preparing Merchant of Nevra Coil for a ‘hopeful’ August release.  As usual, this is tentative.

Goals for the week?

  1. Keep son entertained, fed, clean, and healthy.  Only half of those are easy.
  2. Finish Book 12 outline.
  3. Toy more with other idea that REALLY needs a title.  Splintered States?  Shattered States?  To Survive?  Surviving Beasts?  Nothing seems to work for some reason.
  4. Possibly make a brief outline of the next Ichabod Brooks story.  Thinking of ‘Ichabod Brooks & the Starlight Egg’.
  5. Mild cooking.
  6. Preparing for the trip by doing laundry and packing.
  7. THE TRIP!  This will cut off all other goals, so I’ll stop here.
Posted in Goal Posts | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

The Light Who Binds by Lilo Abernathy: Release, Charity, & Sale! #fantasy #sale #Amazon

Cover Art by Federico Musetti
Cover Art by Federico MusettiCLICK ON COVER FOR AMAZON SITE!

The sequel to The Light Who Shines is here with a great sale, great cause, and an awesome cover.  Even better, you can click HERE to see the wrap around scene that this cover is apart of.

Limited Time Reduced Price!

As a thank you to all of my loyal readers who’ve been waiting for Book Two, The Light Who Binds, I’m offering a reduced price of $3.99 for this first weekend.

International Wolf Center

In honor all of my fans who love the wolf Varg in the series, I’m donating 100% of my royalties earned during that weekend from the sale of Book One, The Light Who Shines, to the International Wolf Center. It’s a great charity that receives four out of four stars from the Charity Navigator.

If you are feeling charitable, you can also donate directly here.

Enjoy a taste of the tale:

CGdST99UAAEpWda◊Grab Your Copy Here!◊

915bieW6EbL._UX250_I’m currently forty-two, but that could differ depending on what year you read this. Unless some fundamental laws of nature change, I expect that number to only get higher.

I live amidst the Smoky Mountains and can sometimes see the shadows of clouds lying on the mountains from my front porch. I am not yet snobbish enough to call it a veranda, but time will tell. I’m a great believer in the proof being in the pudding. Sometimes my young adult daughter joins me on the veranda… err, porch to admire the view. We enjoy watching the ducks in the pond from across the way.

I started working full time while in high school and haven’t stopped since. My illustrious career began with a smattering of service experiences at various fast food and restaurant chains, went on to fine jewelry, slipped into property management for housing projects, morphed into corporate real estate, then ended up in mergers and acquisitions. Then, if working 40 – 60 hours a week at my day job wasn’t enough, I decided to become a writer.

My home is a modestly sized ranch, recently purchased and still not completely unpacked. The walls are a boring light beige, but they make the perfect backdrop for my brightly colored Gustav Klimt canvas prints. Van Gogh hopes to join Klimt on my walls soon, but right now the brakes on my Cube need to be fixed, and the washer overflows if I place the water level on super-duper high. Priorities, priorities.

More importantly than all of the above, you absolutely must know that my favorite color is purple. Not Barney purple, no offense to Barney, but more of a medium eggplant purple. I like to think of it as a “mature” purple, but deep down I know it is really just purple.

Author Links:

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

TWITTER

WEBSITE

Posted in Guest Blogging, Spotlight | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Some Incredibly Exciting News!

Celine Jeanjean's avatarCeline Jeanjean's Blog: Down the Rabbit Hole

My book, The Viper and the Urchin is finished! It is now a Thing That Exists, and that Thing (or rather the ebook copy for now) is available for pre-order on Amazon at the very bargain pre-launch price of $0.99. It will be properly out in the world late July. To say that I’m excited is an understatement of epic proportion, and likewise about being nervous.

D’you want to see the cover? Here it is in all its full-sized glory:
assassin_fullWhat do you think, do you like it? It’s by Ravven, and I’m so pleased with it! And not just because of my very childish excitement at seeing my name on the cover.

The story’s steampunk but set in a world of my creation — the tropical city of Damsport. There’s a bit of mystery and humour thrown in there for good measure too. Here’s the blurb:

The Viper and…

View original post 422 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Here’s your chance to win a copy of “If Jack Had”

Ionia Froment's avatarreadful things blog

Would you like to win a copy of an exciting Ebook? Here’s your chance! Simply share this post with your favourite social media outlet and then drop me a comment to let me know you did. A winner will be chosen tomorrow afternoon 6/27. Find out all the details on this book below! It’s one you don’t want to miss 🙂

If Jack Had High Res front
About If Jack Had:

“What’s the difference between a serial killer and an assassin? A pay check.”

Jack is a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist with a secret second job. Since he was a smart-ass grad student slinking around New York’s Upper West Side and Brighton Beach, he’s been working as an assassin for the Russian mob.

Beginning at the end – that is, with an aged, incontinent, and at last truly alone Jack, his mind made up that tomorrow will be the first day he kills someone…

View original post 450 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Death’s Revolving Door Depot

'Death' of Wolverine

‘Death’ of Wolverine

Welcome to Death’s Revolving Door Depot where we have all of your character death needs.  We carry everything from permanent death packages to temporary death packages to our ‘I Swear This Will Stick’ package.  A few companies that wish to remain nameless have that last option on automatic renewal.  So, what kind of story are you writing and what’s the medium?

A novelist with a lot of resurrection? Are we talking actual resurrection or reincarnation?  I ask because the later is a different store.  We supply what you need for a character that is either dead or missing while presumed dead.  Interesting because books don’t do this kind of thing very often.  You get a lot of missing characters, but never in a way that allows for a funeral.  Just write down the particulars and we’ll see what fits.

Okay.  You have a single character that dies multiple dies and returns throughout the series.  I see you have him down for disintegration, beheading, mauled to death by were-hamsters, and a few undecided demises.  Each time this person returns, they come back stronger.  I recommend our Jean Grey package.  You get up to 20 deaths for one character and 4 funerals.  You will need a new coffin for each one, but we have hundreds of styles.  Personally, I recommend the ones that open from the inside and release the character’s favorite scent upon release.  I should point out that cremation is not covered by this unless you’ve established the character as a phoenix.  If you don’t understand then I suggest you look up the package’s namesake.

You have another multi-death character?  Two that repeatedly die at the same time?  I’m almost scared to ask what you’re writing.  Well, a fantasy adventure that spans centuries does make sense.  Though why would you need our services if your characters are immortals?  Not that I’m upset about the business.  Oh, they aren’t those kinds of immortals.  In that case, we have a Nemesis package that we can alter to work with your story.  Typically, you get two funeral setups, which is one for each side of the rivalry.  In this case, I’m willing to make it three funerals that always run in conjunction with each other.  Any more than that and you’ll be charged extra.

Okay, now this thing here loses me.  It sounds like you’re going to wipe out an entire town and resurrect everyone a few chapters later.  Not as zombies or with any negative side-effects.  Also you’re having the heroes give everyone a real burial.  Do you have any idea how much this would cost?  Not to mention how little sense it makes in terms of story and severity of character actions.  So this is really what you want.  You’re not paying for this with money you personally earned, right?  Just wondering that and where I feel like retiring to . . . next week.

Posted in Olde Shoppe Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Book Offers and Events

A whole bunch of book offers and events coming up. Prepare your eReader/library.

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

Today, I thought I’d let you know of a number of book offers and events that take place between today and the end of July. I even take part in one – the Rafflecopter Extravaganza – with free copies of Pearseus: Rise of the Prince, The Power of Six and Infinite Waters – my latest, still unpublished collection of short speculative fiction stories!

Event #1: Audible Books

Audible books are all the rage, it seems. What better way to see if they work for you, than downloading a whole bunch of them tomorrow, on Choosy Bookworm?

From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's booksFor the first time ever, here is a Listen and Review Extravaganza sponsored jointly by Choosy Bookworm and eNovel Authors at Work.Ten authors offer FREE codes for downloading some extraordinary Audible Books. Listen on Your iPhone or Android! Authors will send you up to two codes for FREE listen…

View original post 472 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

W.I.P.- A Story with No Name

“Mad Max: Fury Road” stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in a post-apocalyptic world. Illustrates FILM-SUMMER (category e), by Michael O’Sullivan © 2015, The Washington Post. Moved Thursday, April 30, 2015. (MUST CREDIT: Jasin Boland/Warner Bros. Pictures.)

Mad Max: Fury Road

So it’s kind of like that, but not.  This is going to be rather tough to explain since I only have a handful of notes.  Hoping to organize them today and see if I can make a full story out of it.  This came to my mind as I was biking and wanted to write a story about a serial killer, but you can’t do that very easily.  So I thought of a way to make one a ‘good guy’.  That’s where the female lead came into play and the landscape became an anarchy United States.

To explain the pieces of the setting, I need to first say that the reasons for this doesn’t matter since the characters aren’t involved in reviving the past.  It’s about survival.  The rest of the world has blockaded the USA for a reason that nobody knows and DC was nuked soon after the borders were closed.  Big companies of the world still do underground trading, so various items can be found for a price.  That price isn’t money any more, but swapping goods.  Some odd stuff too.  For example, a trader with kids in some areas might give food or clothes for arcade tokens because one is around and they want to make their children smile.  It’s all about finding out what a person wants or needs to get what you want or need.  Also about getting through the country because every State has turned into its own territory.

Road Warrior

Road Warrior

And getting through is the big thing.  The female lead is going to be a woman in New York who has a locket with her mom’s ashes inside.  She wants to release them off the Golden Gate Bridge, which is the dying wish.  Good with a gun and smart, she still needs some muscle and breaks a few criminals out of Riker’s Island.  The place has become a pretty nasty place to keep the worst of the worst out of a crumbling society.  Well, she gets a few baddies, but the male lead decides he doesn’t want the competition and kills the other 2-3 when their savior’s back is turned.  There’s going to be humor here.  For example, she’s going to make a fake bomb to put on his ankle, but the serial killer calls her bluff and says that they aren’t in that kind of story.

Yes, I will be using the crazy serial killer to do a little 4th wall breaking.  Not too often, but a joke here or there.  Like when they run into a British woman who is trying to turn a city into a ‘civilized’ place and is angry about being trapped in the US.  I can’t write accents, so she won’t talk with one on paper.  The crazy guy is going to point out ‘the author can’t write accents’.  I want to end every one with the other characters staring at him and his response being ‘What?’.  Think a combination of Deadpool and Carnage from Marvel comics.

Mad Max: Fury Road (How awesome was this guy?)

Mad Max: Fury Road (How awesome was this guy?)

A big part of this story is about how the two heroes deal with the new landscape and how they change.  That requires events and creating the different regions.  Also figuring out their vehicle (thinking a jeep), weapons (her guns and him ‘stuff’), and plotting the route.  I think I have the third as them simply going down I-80, which means I have about 11 States to factor in.  An adventure at every stop with violence, some cursing, and colorful characters.  I have a civil war in Pennsylvania, a psycho woman that kidnaps the serial killer, bandits, and a few other ideas.  Need to have someone chasing them and I’m thinking of an assassin that comes out of the radioactive spots.  The character is in constant pain, so he/she/it works for medication that can ease their suffering and prolong their life.  There’s an old story of mine that he this landscape before, so I’m hunting for those notes.

This is going to be another tough one since it steps out of fantasy.  No magic and monsters, but cars and guns here.  My knowledge of those two things aren’t very good.  This is a project that I want to simply have fun with and will start in mid-August.  Not as heavy as Raven’s Hold or as short as Ichabod Brooks.  Not even close to the scale of Legends of Windemere.  Just fun and those don’t seem to sell as well as the big one for some reason.  Then again, I don’t care.  Need to figure out a title and what genre/categories this story would be.  Left out a bunch since I’m not sure of a lot.  So I hope people like the initial concept.

Posted in New Project Progress | Tagged , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Be Our Guest!

Looking for a guest blog opportunity?

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

We Want Flawed Heroes! Except for the types that we don’t want

I may have touched on this before, but I’m not sure if it was a post or comments.  I’ve been pondering the flaws in heroes and people’s reactions to this.  Not just the reactions, but the demand for heroes to be imperfect.  During this thinking, I looked at a few statements.  Tell me which one doesn’t seem to fit:

  1. I hate perfect heroes.  They should have real world flaws.
  2. Real heroes don’t cry.
  3. That character is always getting angry, which makes them a lame hero.
  4. The hero isn’t real if he/she needs help from others.

Uh . . . What?  People may disagree, but I’m going to say that #1 doesn’t fit.  Why?  Well, it’s obvious to my current thought process.  That’s what people claim to want, but then many will turn around to despise a character for certain flaws.  Luke Callindor gets a lot of heat for crying, complaining, and proving that he’s still maturing.  Even in Beginning of a Hero where it’s established that he’s totally green and inexperienced.  The series toughens him up, but it isn’t really a straight line.  Don’t even get me started on some messages I get when Nyx has to be saved.  Not like she doesn’t do her own share of rescuing and ass-kicking.  My point here is that it really does seem like many people want flaws in characters, but get annoyed when they’re given what they asked for.

I wondered why and I’m going to stand on an old statement that I’ve heard a few times. A friend once said that we hate fictional characters who embody our own weaknesses or those traits that we fear.  For example, a person who cries too much or finds the act a sign of weakness will be soured on a hero that has no problem letting the tears flow.  Our personal preferences and beliefs always factor into our reactions toward fiction.  Most times without us realizing it.  Hence the demand for something that may be met with dislike.  Guess you should be careful what you wish for.

Here’s another point that I’ve been mulling over for several months.  All of this ‘hated’ archetypes and character traits exist in the real world.  We have whiners, selfish jerks, damsels in distress, manipulative jerks, and all the others that we find it so easy to look at with disdain.  So if we want our fiction to mirror our reality then we have to accept that there will be characters who possess the flaws that we dislike.  Some of them might even be heroes or hold an important role in an adventure. Otherwise, our desire for ‘real’ and ‘flawed’ characters are rather empty and I do include my own requests.  Though I’ve tried to stop doing that ever since I came to this realization.

So, I do have a simple, yet difficult question.  Do you really want real, flawed heroes of all types or do you have a more specific idea in mind?

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 48 Comments