Book spotlight for the fantastic fantasy series: Ashes and Blood – Dayla Book I Continue reading
Very much an adult novel, The Pixy and the Giantess is a fantasy romance like no other! Continue reading
The hopeless romantic believes that a soulmate exists for each of us. That there is one person who makes us feel how good it is to love them. For some couples, things trigger them to push that love away. They … Continue reading
COLD DESOLATION BY A. H. ALWAGDANI For fifteen years, Jenny Da’ Gare was behind the doors of her cabin with her parents. One day, those doors broke open and Jenny was introduced to Soulaven, a world of monsters and lies. … Continue reading
The Unseelie Prince by Nicki Allie MacDonald After thousands of years of bloodshed and slaughter, the humans and the Fae, known as Neighbours, now enjoy an uneasy coexistence, although a shadow of danger looms closer everyday. Peace is threatened the … Continue reading
An interview with the author of BURN THE WITCH by Magdalena Kubasiewicz Who is the protagonist; their background? What makes them them? The protagonist is a witch named Sanika. Well, there are only two people allowed to call her … Continue reading
–Travel to the future – it will only cost you everyone you love.– Continue reading
Today I am here to tell you all of the multitude of reasons to not read my book, The King’s Blood by S.E. Zbasnik. (That’s still me. I didn’t inject my mind into the body of a sea slug to write this post.)
If, like some poor souls across the world, you suffer from a prevailing lack of imagination, if you expect your cereal to stay crunchy even in milk, if you — in fact — have no whimsy, then you will despise this book. Being a fantasy tale and all, it should not come as a surprise that there is very little discussion of the preferred architectural structure of housing in the late Roman Empire. Rarely do characters insist that their underlings get the nuclear launch codes or have inner monologues about the fall of a plastic bag. Even a few fantastical creatures pop in to say ‘hi’ on occasion.
You will despise my book and probably want to set fire to it if you think of the world in one, maybe two shades. I prefer to work in all the greys of the rainbow. Is the villain truly evil? He is following orders he doesn’t agree with, but he’s also trying to preserve as much life as he can even if it means he has to kill to do it. Are the protagonists really good? Is relying upon a prophecy to determine your destiny ever a wise move or are you moving into self-fulfilling territory? Where have all the cowboys gone?
If you think that all medieval fantasy should be lily white where the girls wait around in towers and the boys do all the fun sword fighting this is not the book for you. Media’s done its best to convince us that everyone in Europe prior to the 19th century was so white they were almost see through, but that is nowhere near accurate. The King’s Blood injects some much needed color into the sword & sorcery genre with Ciara, the main heroine, as she struggles to get a teenage idiot’s butt on the throne. Along the way, she encounters Taban, whose skin is even darker than hers; and Isa, an Asian witch not about to take crap from anyone.
Expecting 80 pages of the history of some world that only exists inside one person’s head and then another 30 on the preferred imports from surrounding countries and their choice of symbols on the flag? Then you really will not like my book. There are very few songs about the joys of bathing, no treatises on the drapery highlighting a noble lady’s figure, and the exquisite buttresses of the crumbling castles continue to be unadmired. The vast uses of the iron smithed expertly into a plow are left unheeded in favor of another five or seven fight scenes and a dozen jokes about the frailty of life.
Take your medieval fantasy as serious as your bourbon? Abandon all hope, ye who read here. For as you hopefully determined from this article, my tales of crossing and double crossing an empire, of struggling to find a place in a world on the brink of destruction, of assassins and witches and priests, are to be taken lightly. I see no reason to take life seriously, it’s not as if we’re gonna get out of it alive. Unless the zombocalypse occurs, then I call “zombie-run-over-by-old-fashioned-carriage.”
If, despite all these warnings I scrawled across your door, you still want to read The King’s Blood, you can find it here. But don’t say I didn’t…eh, you get the picture.
| Author Sabrina Zbasnik taking size zero a little too far! Nice hairdo though. |
S. E. Zbasnik has a degree in genetics, which means there may or may not be a horde of monkeoctopi doing her bidding to take over the world. Bringing that scientific approach to the fantasy world is her game, trying to put some common sense into magic and magic into common sense.
You can find here flitting about on twitter as @introvertedwife or on the book of face, trying to seal in a demon or two.
The only obstinate chunk of gravel in their shoes is a small kingdom warring against the over confident reach of the growing Empire. The fight was going well for them, all things considered, right until their King went and let his head slip right off his shoulders.
Now Ciara, a black servant into her sixteenth year, finds herself on a mad quest across the countryside trying to get the second son and possibly only hope of the severed Ostero line back onto his throne. Along the way, she and Aldrin — the rather simple and OH GODS KEEP HIM AWAY FROM ANYTHING SHARP prince — find themselves at the mercy of assassins, witches, traveling historians, a sect of killer doctors, and the unblinkers.
I’ve written picture books, contemporary and romantic suspense, biracial/multicultural books, and finally YA fantasy.
Awakened
was the first book in The Guardian Legacy YA series. Book 2, Betrayed, is due in August. For my adult series, I started with an Irish-American family, the Fitzgeralds. Slow Burn
is the first book in the series (Ashley’s story). Mine Until Dawn (http://www.ednahwalters.com/Mine_Until_Dawn.htm due in July 2011) is Jade Fitzgerald’s story. Kiss Me Crazy (Baron Fitzgerald’s story) is due in November 2011.
In preparation for the release of Mine Until Dawn, book 2 of the Fitzgeralds, Slow Burn is now $0.99 at the following e-stores:
Amazon
Barnes &Nobles
Smashwords or (http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/50822)
Goodreads or (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10750656-slow-burn)
Slow Burn’s book trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ednahwalters?feature=mhsn
Join Johnny Oops as he charges across the country acting as if he were a prophet, sinning like a charlatan, and in his own way attempting to spread the word of God by touching other people. Travel with him as he survives a plane crash in Venezuela, drowning in France, and a stabbing at his home in California. Enjoy yourself with Johnny as he discovers his inner self—a one-foot tall albino with pink eyes dressed in a Boy Scout uniform. Suffer with him as his scandalous affairs are revealed. Have fun trying to predict what Johnny will do and say next in his self appointed role as a guru. Question with Johnny whether everything that is happening is real.
Johnny Oops, The Rocket Fuel Of Captivating Fiction Available for only $1.14 or 99p on US Kindle and UK Amazon. Print versions can be found here for $14.95 or at £7.50 on Amazon UK. 
Click below for the interview:
Do you use an editorial service?
No, I do all the editing myself. That might not be the best idea for a lot of authors, but I’ve done quite a bit of professional editing in my life, so I feel confident enough to edit my own work.
The book cover, and your photo features a dog. Is it safe to say that you like dogs? Do they appear in the novel?
The “dog” on the cover of The Silver Cage is actually a wolf. Wolves and wolf shapeshifters figure prominently in the novel. I like all kinds of animals, particularly dogs; my favorite breed of dog is the greyhound. The dog in my photo is my greyhound Peaches. I’ve been owned by greyhounds for over sixteen years now, and am very involved in promoting adoption of retired racing greyhounds. I’m currently writing a fantasy novel “starring” greyhounds: I’m going to donate the proceeds from the sales of the book to greyhound adoption groups. You can read the drafts of the first four chapters of the novel at:
O’Donnell is an anthropologist and life-long resident of Western New York. After years of studying changes to Native American and European societies through contact, he incorporated his discoveries into journal articles and short fiction pieces. His intent is to relay his professional discoveries to a wider audience through the world of historical fiction…PEOPLE OF THE SWORD is the culmination of these efforts.
Click below for the interview:
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wiswor0a-21&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0982305079&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrWhat age group is you book geared towards?
I geared my novel towards adults and adolescents.
It’s a fantasy-genre novel.
Tell us a little about your book?
The book follows a band of druids and knights who put aside their respective differences in order to give Humanity a chance to survive.
What is your favourite scene in your book? Can we have a snippet?
My favorite scene is when the power embedded in Sir Harrison’s sword first materializes:
Have your characters or writing been inspired by friends/ family or by real-life experiences?
The characters, for the most part, emulate family and friends.
Who is your publisher and where are your books available? Are there e-books and hard copies available?
My publisher is A-Argus; books are available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and Borders.com. My book is available in both paperback and e-book formats.
Do you have an agent, or have you gone alone?
I went without an agent, because I was not about to make suggested changes. I would definitely work with my publisher in the future as the company has been receptive to my input and provided solid support throughout the entire process.
What marketing have you been doing to help sales?
My marketing has included some signings and readings, along with using Twitter, Facebook and MySpace to connect with readers. I’ve also done interviews for area newspapers.
Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?
I always start with paper and pen. For fiction, I also always have to make a map first.
What do you draw inspiration from?
My family and friends. My Celtic heritage is also a source of inspiration for my stories/characters.
Do you set yourself goals when you sit down to write such as word count?
I don’t usually set word count goals. Instead, I work to complete a given scene I thought about earlier in the day.
What drives you to choose the career of being a writer?
I’ve been writing stories since I was a kid; I’ve always been a writer.
What are you working on now that you can talk about?
What is your writing process like?
There is a lot of background that goes into my stories. I develop background stories for every character while I outline the major events (into, climax and conclusion) of the story. Then, through the writing, I adapt the story based on how I perceive the characters would realistically handle a given situation.
Do you belong to a critique group?
I belong to the “Critters’ writing group.
How long does it take you to write a book?
What mistakes do you see new writers make?
Writers need to handle criticism. Not everyone is going to like what we’ve written. I found it funny that even publishers and agents are quite varied in their likes/dislikes. One publisher would give positive feedback about a scene that a previous publisher was critical of. If someone doesn’t like your work, consider his/her comments critically (maybe they’ve pointed out something that needs adjustment) and move on.
Keep writing and always carry a notepad and pencil with you.
Twitter: Neil_ODonnell
A Chronicle of Endylmyr is a literary epic fantasy that will not only entertain, but also hopefully open your eyes to be more aware of the nature around you. 
Charles has been fascinated by book reading and writing since a very early age. Because of traumatic experiences in his home and family life, he often found himself lost in mystery and adventure stories. He had such a deep love for language arts that he began his college career as a French major. However, he soon realized where his passions lied and graduated with B.A. and M.A. degrees in English Literature.
Click below for the interview:
What inspired you to write?
I have wanted to write since I learned to read. Inspiration? Initially Conan Doyle and Franklin W. Dixon (The Hardy Boy Mysteries), and later C.S. Forrester, D.H Lawrence and J.R.R.Tolkien.
Tell us a little about your main character?
Is he/she someone you’d like to meet? Gylfalin is a former mercenary and orphan who has found a new life studying with the scholar Angmere and marrying his widowed daughter. He is fearless, loyal, compassionate, and possesses a strong moral core. Events in the plot draw him back to the world of war, though he continues to develop as a lover, father, and sorcerer.
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wiswor0a-21&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1432750283&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrCan we have a snippet from the book?
Yes. Here is the beginning of the main story:
How many unpublished books do you have lurking under your bed?
Three.
How did you find the publisher/agent? What was the journey like? Ever feel like giving up?
Yes, I felt like giving up when I couldn’t find a publisher or agent who was willing to read a 180,000 word manuscript. I finally decided to publish with Outskirts Press after reviewing the services and costs of a number of other self-publishers.
How do your juggle a writing schedule with real-life work, or are you a full time writer?
I am retired, and write every morning for three to four hours.
What’s the best/worst part of being a writer?
The best part is entertaining readers, the worst is wondering if my work is worthy.
Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?
I wrote my first novel by hand, then moved to typewriters, and finally to a laptop. I now write exclusively on the laptop.
What/who do you draw inspiration from?
Ancient and contemporary native cultures, Western literature (starting with Homer, through Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and J.R.R. Tolkien) my personal experience of having lived and delivered a son at home on the Flathead Indian Reservation, among other things.
Do you set yourself goals when you sit down to write such as word count?
I try to advance the storyline or further develop a character each day. I don’t count words.
Are you a published or a self-published author and how do you come up with your cover art?
I am self-published, and used an artist from Outskirts Press to create a scene from the plot, flanked by two important characters.
What are you working on now that you can talk about?
I have just finished volume two in the “Endylmyr” series. When it has been revised I plan to start volume three.
How do/did you deal with rejection letters?
I hang my head, take a deep breath and look for the next agent or publisher to contact.
What’s your advice about getting an agent?
Get a recommendation from a friend who has successfully published.
Do you have a critique partner?
My sons and my girlfriend are educated, avid readers. I often defer to their judgment concerning the effectiveness of a scene or character.
Something is causing animals around the world to mutate, evolve and breed at an accelerated rate endangering the lives of thousands. All of the evidence points to a substance created by a suspected eco-terrorist working for the world’s largest biotechnology company. It becomes a race against time for the team to find a solution to halt the spread of the mass mutations. If they fail it could mean the end of man kind.
Please welcome author of Supernature, Henry Lyons. Lyons is a man who wears many hats. He’s a writer, an educator, a computer specialist, a graphic designer, a video editor and a political activist. In 1992 Henry founded Lyons communications Industries, a computer consultant firm which later became H.V.Lyons Graphic Design Studios. The vision of the company is to make technology accessible to the masses through several entities; advertising, marketing, public relations, web design, and technology support.
As well as employed as a Special Education Teacher for the New York City Department of Education and writing Supernature, Lyons is also an author of Deep Thoughts, a collection of poetry.
Other books to look out for in the near future:
Antsy Anthony – a children’s book centring on a child with ADHD.
Twisted Affairs – an erotic thriller.
Voyage of the Grey Wolf – science fiction.
The Soldier of God – a fantasy drama.
Plus there are plans for a series of books including a follow-up book to Antsy Anthony and a sequel to Supernature.
Deep Thoughts is a collection of poems, essays and visual imagery that show the world as filtered through the mind of a man in torn by conflict. Henry Lyons is a writer that speaks about his loves, his pains and his relationships. Sometimes dark but always honest Deep Thoughts is just that an example of one man’s deepest thoughts.
Is Supernature your debut novel?
Yes this is my first novel but not my first book. Last year I published my first which was a book of poetry, Deep Thoughts. It was really a collection of poems that I had written and saved over the years along with my memoir. Supernature however is a story that I had rolling around in my head for a number of years. After the success of my poetry book I decided to try my hand at turning my story into a novel.
Can you tell us a little about the novel?
Well first let explain what gave me the inspiration for the story. During the late 1970s and early 1980s I worked as a D.J. in various night clubs here in New York. One song quickly became one of my favorites. It was entitled ‘Supernature’ by a French artist named Cerrone. Although it was a disco tune the lyrics spoke about man manipulating nature and nature turning on man. Being a fan of science fiction I fell in love with the concept. Years later I came up with the idea of a story centered on a genetic experiment gone awry causing nature to evolve at an accelerated rate.
Years later when I finally started my novel the story had changed only slightly.
The basic synopsis is this, two police officers in Arizona find a young woman unconscious on the side of a deserted road. During their investigation they uncover a growing threat to man kind. Unknown to the general public mutant wild life has been popping up all over the globe. In the United States a special task force has been formed to deal with the problem. As the story progresses so does the problem, until the mutants threaten the very existence of the world’s human population.
How much research did it involve?
I did a LOT of research for this book! I mean a lot. From the very beginning I wanted a believable story. I wanted a science fiction where the science was real science not some made up stuff that makes no sense. I also wanted a story where the locations where real locations. So I did extensive research on not just the science in the book but also the locations that various scenes took place in. If my characters travelled from one location to another they travelled down real streets in the right direction to get to their destination. For example there are references to the F.B.I. headquarters in Phoenix Arizona. In the story some agents travel from a hospital in Phoenix back to their Field Office. The route that they take is the real route a person would take to make that trip. That’s the kind of detail I’ve placed in the story. All the chemicals, weapons and vehicles used in the story are all real. This was all possible because I spent a lot of time doing research.
How does it compare with other novels?
I wanted this story to be unique. I didn’t want a science fiction that was so full of science and techno speak that it would turn off readers. Another thing that I wanted was for the story to be very visual and descriptive. There are action sequences in the book and I wanted to put the reader right in the middle of the action and make them feel what is happening. I also wanted characters that people would care about.
What audience is the book intended?
Well first of all I’m a High School Teacher so while I was writing the book I had my students in mind. I felt that if I wrote on a high school level anyone could enjoy it and so far the adults who have read the book have given me some very positive feed back. There are even references about global warming and environmental concerns that are topics many of my students are interested in. So the audience range is from teen to adult.
How long did it take you to write it, and how many drafts?
It took me a little over nine months to write the book and it went through about four drafts in the beginning.
Will you be interested in writing another genre?
Yes. Some of the genres I am interested in writing in include thriller, horror, and erotica. I’m also interested in writing a spy novel.
If Supernature is going to be part of a series will I have to read all the books to understand the story?
I am working on the outline for a sequel to Supernature. One of the things I am going to attempt to do is to make it a stand alone read but it will be a continuation of the original story.
Do you have a favourite scene?
Yes I do. It’s a scene where a character by the name of Cooper, dressed in protective gear, has just used a flamethrower on a swarm of mutant killer bees to help free a humvee full of important people. After he frees the truck the bees surround him. Here is the scene:
As Cooper sees the Humvees speed off he begins to wonder if this was such a good plan. They had walked a lot further away from the conservatory than he realized and now getting back was near impossible. The swarm has completely engulfed the three men. Cooper begins to feel the stingers making their way through his gear. He can’t even see five feet in front of him. Walking through the swarm is like walking in a blizzard at night. Soon he realizes that he has lost sight of the two soldiers he came out with and he’s not sure what direction the conservatory is in. His breathing begins to increase as fear sets in. Slowly he inches along hoping to be going the right way. Then suddenly he trips over something in the road and falls face first hard onto the pavement. It’s one of the other soldiers. His dead body lay stiff on the ground as the bees continue to sting it. Cooper then notices that his own face mask has torn when he fell. In a panic he grabs at the opening only to tear it more. Bees rush into his head gear, stinging him all about the face and neck. He can’t breathe, he can’t even scream. Every time he opens his mouth the bees hush in choking him even more. He tries spitting out the bees but is stung both on the inside as well as the outside of his mouth. His tongue begins to swell; his throat closes up as his airways bulge from the venom. He rolls around on the ground holding his throat and gasping for air. Without thinking he rips off his head gear to take a breath. Instantly hundreds of bees attack him stinging him about the face and neck. One bee plants a stinger deep into his throat and another stings him right in his left eye which sends daggers of pain straight through his brain. He grabs the insect and crushes it in his hand. The pain is unbearable. The veins in his neck and face turn blue and swell, his body twitches and jerks, his muscles stiffen, dark venom laced blood oozes out of his ears and nose. His body jerks violently a few more times then finally falls still.
Are you agented?
No I’m not.
Who are you published with?
I’m self published and I’m working with a partner in putting together out own publishing company.
Are you a full time writer?
No. For now I write as a hobby.
Do you have any writing experience?
Not really. The only experience I have writing has been writing poetry.
What are you working on now?
I am presently working on two books. One is an erotic thriller entitled ‘Twisted Affairs’ and the other is a fantasy drama named ‘Soldier of God’.
Twisted Affairs is about a woman who plots with her lover to murder her husband. But their scheme doesn’t quite turn out the way they planned.
The Soldier of God involves a man who loses his entire family and gives up on life only to find later that his tragedies where a holy test of his faith. If he passes the test he will be endowed with supernatural powers.
Contacts:
Blog: hvlyons.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/Hvlyons
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hvlyons
eBay: myworld.ebay.com/hvlyonsjr
Lulu: stores.lulu.com/hvlyons
CafePress: www.cafepress.com/urbanhealt…
MySpace: www.myspace.com/hvlyons
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wiswor0a-21&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1453634754&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr
The Eye of Erasmus is a tale gently and beautifully told. Like the Harry Potter novels, it is a book that readers of all ages will enjoy. It is definitely a book that I will read again and again,” George Polley, author of The Old Man & The Monkey
The Eye of Erasmus is the first of a series of four inter-related fables about time and fate, told in Teresa Geering’s characteristic hypnotic prose.
The Eye of Erasmus tells of Erasmus, a baby born during a thunder storm, who is clearly destined to be special and, initially, especially obnoxious with his flashing black eyes and haughty ways, until he finds love.The trouble is that the girl literally of his dreams hasn’t actually been born yet.
No problem …… Oh, but there is ……. Danger lurks ……..
Teresa Geering lives in England and does voluntary work for the Kent police. It was one balmy summer’s evening, when she was in her garden that she started to write for the first time. Teresa then went on to complete a trilogy of fantasy/time travelling books.
Here she is presenting a signed copy of the Eye of Erasmus to John D. Piggott who did the art work for the book cover.
The Eye of Erasmus is now available to buy at CreateSpace and Amazon.com
Video trailer music for Eye of Erasmus: http://www.jaiya.ca/firedance/cds/invocation.htm
Teresa’s BLOG
