Read some excerpts and prepare for ‘Me and Billy the Kid’ due out on November 5th.
The official release date for Me and Billy the Kid has been set!
November 5th, 2013
Read some excerpts from the book here: Samples
Want to know more? Visit the official website and read more about this fast-paced, historical/romantic western book: http://me-and-billy-the-kid.tateauthor.com/
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I’ve mentioned a character named Sin. He is an wandering thief who really becomes more adventurer than criminal. One of the things with his series is that new allies and enemies get introduced in every book. There are a few who return for other adventures, which tends to span over all of Windemere and have tiers of villains. I based the adventure-style over Final Fantasy games in 4 Acts. This is where Ryusuke Kuroyama comes from.
I attempted to run a Sin game on-line once and my friend Greg joined as Ryusuke the Samurai. He was brave, honorable, strong, and debuted with a bad roll that caused him to get knocked off his horse by a tree branch. In the short time the game ran, Ryusuke and Sin became close friends. So, he entered the Sin books in the second book and shows up in many of the other books. In fact, it’s been hard for me to find a reason for Ryusuke not to be in a Sin book. The best I have so far are points where they fight and separate for a few acts. So the two grew into loyal friends.
The origin of Ryusuke came about in an odd way. Greg had a basic idea and I ran with it for fun, including spoilers that I won’t mention here. Ryusuke’s family was charged with protecting a magic set of blades. They were the katana, wakizashi, and tanto set where each blade had a power. Katana had wind blasts, wakizashi could drain the strength of an enemy with every cut, and the tanto was a healing blade. Somebody killed Ryusuke’s family while he was lost in the wilderness with his horse. During the massive attack, a thief stole the blades and Ryusuke is the one to recover them. So, his original story is to find the mastermind behind his family’s murder. Once that story ended, he stuck around out of loyalty to Sin and an oath to protect innocent people.
Dahaka from Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Ryusuke became such an interesting character that I gave him an origin book called Ryusuke: Honor of Vengeance. He goes after ninja clans that he suspects (no idea if he’s right or not) and is running from an unkillable demon warrior (I was playing Prince of Persia: Warrior Within at the time) summoned to regain the blades. Remember me mentioning that the wakizashi absorbs strength from an enemy? Well, that’s only half true. That is what it does, but it did something else when Greg used it in the game. The blade was cursed with a demonic rage that increased Ryusuke’s physical abilities, but risked taking him over if he used it for too long. The power comes from him accidentally absorbing the demon warrior into the blade. Ryusuke is the only one who has the willpower to push the demon down because he is bonded to it. This does leave an opening for the demon to get free at some point and I’m trying to find a Sin story that will allow this. I’m even wondering if he should lose the demon at some point and gain something else. To be honest, I keep forgetting about the cursed blade.
Ryusuke is a character I haven’t altered much from his first appearance. Greg did a great job making him and his evolution is rather gradual. He is more about finding peace and protecting others. I already know he’s going to be a major player in the final battle of Windemere when I get around to that book.
Smashwords interview with Jennifer David!
https://www.smashwords.com/interview/writingsofamrs
You can find my Smashwords interview in the link above.
It is for my upcoming poetry anthology coming out soon.
Keep an eye out for it!
Have a wonderful weekend.
Cheers,
Jennifer
Take a look at these amazing poets courtesy of the Literary Syndicate.
Professor X of the X-Men
I was looking through my other ideas while waiting for a headache to go away and I noticed a few interesting characters. Missing eyes, missing limbs, weak heart, and other disabilities that limit them. These heroes are not the standard, but I’m still working them to be heroes. It isn’t like a disabled superhero is new considering you have Professor X, Daredevil, and several others. Yet, I don’t know of many in the Fantasy genre, so this might rougher.
I’m going to stick to physical disabilities here because the mental ones are another can of worms. In fact, I think those can be easier to work with due to character development and personalities. The physical handicaps can be a lot tougher because the author typically doesn’t share these handicaps. So, you might slip and have the character do something that they can’t actually do. A blind hero reading street signs, a wheelchair-bound hair going up stairs, and other minor things that we take for granted. Can these things be done in some fashion? Yes, but you have to be clear instead of simply saying they do it. Even worse, you have to do this without harping on their disability because you don’t want that to be the sole identifier of the character.
My biggest challenge is going to be Freya Arvanti. She is a blind half-elven warrior who uses a spear. I played a male version of her in a game, which didn’t go well. Dungeons & Dragons wasn’t very good for such a disability back then. So, I’ve had to write test scenes with her. I gave her better hearing than normal because of her elven heritage, but it’s still difficult. I have to remember she works by her ears, touch, and nose. So, I can’t have her react to things that one can only see. I’m aiming for the blind swordsman concept with her.
So, has anyone tried to write a physically disabled main character? Any advice or warnings about doing it?
Perkins Family Restaurant Logo
Whenever I’m hungry late at night, I remember this event.
In freshman year of college, we had a few places we went to for emergency meals. One of them was Perkins, which was open late and in walking distance of campus. I had missed dinner due to falling asleep in class and not being woken up. Greg missed dinner for reasons he won’t share. Ethan was doing work or something. The point is that we were hungry and we wanted to go to Perkins like we did the night before. Reason for the night before was that we hated what was in the cafeteria. Comedy ensued then since one guy forgot his wallet, so everyone ordered something that came with a side salad and gave the salad to him. Most amount of roughage I’ve ever seen eaten in one sitting. I’m digressing here.
We stepped into the autumn chill to make the walk to Perkins, our stomachs growling. Our hearts rose at the sight of the sign as we neared. I should point out that the main drag of the town was an Interstate and it was void of cars at this time. So, we had no reason to wonder about the lack of cars in the parking lot. The sign didn’t light up so that wasn’t a clue. You would think the inside being dark would be a hint, but we pulled at the door anyway. Then we noticed all of the chairs were up. Everything was inside, but it was like nobody came to open the restaurant that day. It was locked and gone.
Greg is always the model of calm, but Ethan and I may have overreacted. Him looking through every window and me ranting about how much this sucked. Although, Greg may have done an exaggerated ‘Nooooooo!’ while dropping to his knees. We were young, hungry, and idiots. This is why the following happened.
We walked down the interstate (middle of it) in search of food. This is a trio of college freshman who had spent most of the last month playing Resident Evil 2. For those that don’t know, it’s a big zombie game where you enter dark areas and get jumped by the undead. To say we were starting to let our imaginations get the best of us is an understatement. Eventually, we hit a gas station where the guys got candy and cookies. I was the moron that got the last slice of gas station pizza and ended the night practically french kissing the toilet.
Moral of this? I miss Perkins.
A fan of book bloopers? Enjoy a few examples and share your experiences.
Take a look at ‘Revenge of the Orgasm (An Erotica Autobiography)’ by James Gorden, The Greatest Poet Alive.
By Kayla Matt
(Excerpt from Legends of Windemere: Allure of the Gypsies)
The bakery at the entrance to Haven fills the air with the sweet aroma of fresh pastries. Aedyn can feel his mouth water as they pass the open door and he gets a peek at the young elven woman inside removing a tray of steaming cookies from the oven. A flower shop catches Nyx’s attention with its front yard covered in miniature willow trees. Nyx and Aedyn continue ogling the various stores and polished wood buildings until they come to a long building with a large oak behind it. The section of the structure that they come to first is a two-story wooden house with a hanging sign that lazily swings in the wind. A picture of three sparkling, emerald comets racing toward each other is emblazoned on the finely crafted sign. The rest of the structure is an abrupt change from the wooden house. It is a long, stone building with four chimneys that pump out a steady stream of white smoke. Nyx and Aedyn stop at the house section, but Nyx freezes with her fist an inch away from knocking on the door.
“What is wrong?” Aedyn asks with concern.
“I’m just a little nervous,” Nyx replies, her cheeks a little red. “I was never any good at meeting parents. I always come off as an unapproachable bitch.”
“You come off like that to everybody when you first meet them,” the priest points out.
“I’m just a strong personality,” Nyx snaps, her arms dropping to her side. “Why do I have to knock anyway? This is Luke’s house, so he should be the one to knock and introduce us to his parents.”
“I agree. Go knock on the door, Luke,” Aedyn sternly requests.
They turn around to find that Luke is nowhere to be seen. Nyx grits her teeth and angrily bangs her fist against the door. She freezes in nervous terror when she realizes what she’s done and the door begins to open. A short and slender woman pulls the door open with a delicate hand. Her eyes are a shimmering blue and reveal a youthful, energetic spirit that has not dimmed with age. A stream of bright, pristine blonde hair cascades over her shoulders and down to her waist. The woman’s face quickly melts into a warm smile when she sees the pair of half-elves on her doorstep.
“You two must be new to Haven. Are you lost?” the woman asks. She pushes some wrinkles out of her lavender silk shirt.
“No, ma’am, we were in the area and thought that we would stop by,” Nyx claims, looking around for any sign of Luke.
“Do I know you? You don’t look familiar,” states the woman.
“My name is Aedyn Karwyn and this is Nyx,” Aedyn politely says. “We are friends of Luke Callindor. He told us that this was his home.”
“Oh, you poor people. I am his mother, Vixen Callindor. I am very sorry for the trouble he has caused you. My son can be quite a handful,” Luke’s mom explains with a bright, but apologetic, smile. “Although, he’s been gone for a little over a year, so you won’t find him here. That is unless this is the area where he told you to meet him. If that is the case then he might be somewhere around town. Pardon my manners. Come in and relax.”
“Actually, we were here with your son and he disappeared on us while our backs were turned,” Nyx admits, unconcerned with any trouble she causes Luke.
“I’m so sorry that he did that to you. Both of you seem to be very nice people and he should know better than to cause trouble for others,” Vixen frets. She gently takes Nyx and Aedyn by their hands and both half-elves are surprised by her strong grip. “We should wait inside where there are chairs and refreshments. I still have some breakfast on the table since Ilan has a big project that he needs to finish by lunchtime. That man never eats when he has something on his mind. That is unless Luke has him stressed out. Then, my husband becomes a bottomless stomach. I hope you enjoy peppered eggs, potato pancakes, and lemon sweet rolls.”
Nyx and Aedyn enter the warm home, but stop in their tracks once they get inside and Vixen closes the door behind them. The finely crafted furniture and somewhat expensive paintings catch little of their attention as they stare at the kitchen table. Leaning over the table with his hand holding a chunk of bread is Luke. Specks of eggs and sweet roll are still on his face as he stares at everyone.
Luke swallows his food and grins impishly. “Hi, Mom . . . How’s Dad?”
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You can read it in the bath.
You can read it for a laugh.
You can read it in the car.
If not driving it you are.
You can read it at the zoo
When you tire of animal poo.
You can read it at the mall
After you have spent it all.
You can read it in the gym
As you exercise to get thin.
You can read it near the pool
When the water is too cool.
You can read it at the bar,
Or here and there and near and far.
You can read it with your honey
You can both enjoy the funny.
You can read it standing on your head
After the kids are all in bed
You can read it under the table
Assuming getting under you are able.
You can read it with your tea
Peaceful and happy you will be.
You can…
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