Sunday, July 31, 2011

Wow, Have Suregery...

Gain followers! Just kidding. Not a very good way to gain followers. I am not a 'pity me' type person. I can't stand people who always need to be in the spotlight somehow.

But that is neither here, nor there.

I'm not completely back yet, but I did want to check in with you all. Tell you all thanks for the great supporting comments! I will be back... probably in a week or so.

Not that a lot of people want or need to know on a blog, but I had my lower girly parts taken out. Apparently I had a couple of cysts (which they expected), lots of fybroids (which they did not expect, but I did) and sadly, a polyp which usually go malignant I was told. Go me! Dodge that bullet. :D

But seriously, I am up and on my feet, but am not able to sit at a computer. (I'm standing while typing this because I need to move around... I know. Cheater!)

Love you all lots, and I will be back soon. I have another scheduled post for Friday. Nothing serious, but light and fun.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Friday Favorites, Fantasy Art & A Funny...

Friday again! Woohoo! Let's see, what can I cook up for you this week? This is a scheduled post, by the way, unless I tell you otherwise. So on to it!

Favorite books/authors:

Raymond E. Feist. I love, LOVE his book, "Faerie Tale". If you've never read it, make sure you find yourself a copy ASAP! Yes, it is about the Fey, the Seelie and Unseelie Court, Moving Day, Midsummer's Night, All Saints Day... and how faeries move about the world, where they choose their next home and chaos is causes for us mortals. I cannot get enough of this book!

Favorite movies:

Hmm... yet another movie I like watching over and over again is True Lies. I usually can't stand Tom Arnold, but this is the only movie I can tolerate him in. I actually think he's funny. Imagine that. I suppose that is what Arnold Schwarzenhammer does for people.

Favorite music:

I like just about everything when it comes to music. So... I am going out on a limb here and listing Insane Clown Posse. Now... don't hate me! I am a Juggalette on the inside. These are guys that you just can't take seriously because if you do, you'll hate them.

Fantasy art:

And now, the funny!


Have a great weekend and hope to see you all soon!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

How Do You Handle...

Recently, I read somewhere about someone giving an honest (although bad) review of someone else's book.

The author had approached the reviewer and the reviewer could not find one shining example in the book to give any sort of praise. The reviewer posted the bad review on their blog and soon after, was being harassed by the author's friends.

Nasty comments appeared under the review and the reviewer even received a nasty email.

The author was never heard from.

What if this had been your book or even your review? I am all about honesty and when reading the review, I didn't find it as harsh as I had been warned it would be. But if you cannot find anything to praise, should the review be done?

And you, as the author. How would this affect you? What if someone posted in their blog that your book lacked plot, had characters you couldn't make a connection with and was poorly written?

We, as authors/writers, take a responsibility to make sure our work is the absolute best that it can be before we give it to the world. But there are those out there who think, "Hey, that would make a neat story!", then proceed to write it out and push it onto the web before any editing has been done.

Funny. I think my first book was just like that and I thank whatever deity listens that I didn't get the horrible reviews. My book just died, quietly, with no fanfare. Had I gotten those bad reviews, I probably would have hid from the world, never writing another word again.

And it is fine that friends stick up for your work. Family will as well. But don't harass the person who wrote the bad review. (Okay, yeah I have asked people to help out my sister in law on Amazon...) But honestly, I didn't attack the person who wrote the bad review, I just posted a more positive one. Others have as well.

With that being said... if you are going to be honest and write a bad review, don't slam the author and just say it was a horrible story, that it was the worse book ever and leave it at that. Back up your words and give examples.

What would you have done in any of these situations?

Saturday, July 23, 2011

We Interupt This Program...

So!

I may be offline for a couple of weeks. I will try to have some scheduled posts, but no promises. Depends on how fast I can come up with some blogs in the next day or two.

I'll be having surgery on Monday and will be home Tuesday or Wednesday depending on how things go.

I'll see you soon! <3

Friday, July 22, 2011

Friday Favorites, Fantasy Art & A Funny...

That title means only one thing:

IT'S FRIDAY!

So let's check out some more of my favorites before moving on to the artwork and the funny.

Favorite Authors/Books:

Melanie Rawn. I absolutely love her Dragon Prince series. OMGah! Seriously, I can read them over and over again which is saying a lot for me because I usually do NOT read books more than once. I read hers, Eddings and Rowling's books.
However, I have to say I am super disappointed in the fact that her Exiles series has come to a dead stop. The first two books in the series came out in 1995 and 1998. The third book, The Captal's Tower is still listed as 'forthcoming' yet she has other books out.

Now mind you, I understand how difficult it is to maintain a fantasy world of your own making and to keep on the writing track of that world. But does she really expect her fans to wait 13 + years for the next book? Why even begin a series if you are not going to finish it? Yes, life hits you with hardships, illness... I understand these all to well, also. This is just my gripe.

Favorite movies:

Let's see... one of my all time favorite movies has to be Boondock Saints. I love that movie!! Every so often I might list a chick-flick here, but more often than not it will be an action/thriller movie. I can watch Boondock Saints over and over and still be highly amused by the cat scene. If you don't know what I am talking about... I won't describe it... sorry!

Favorite music:

Another one of my favorite bands is INXS. I have loved that band for a very long time. I can list dozens of other groups, but this is what my Fridays are for, right? Suicide Blonde, Devil Inside... trying to remember as many of the songs as I can but my brain doesn't want to cooperate.

On to the Fantasy Art!:

This week ~ Inga Nielsen

Ha! Funnily enough, last week's artwork (the one I couldn't remember where I got it) was also Inga Neilsen's!

Now for the Funny:


Have a super weekend!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Things You Learn...

I've been going over some things my beta readers have noted in my MS. I have a very hard time with putting everything after dialogue as "said" or "asked". I'm used to adding tidbits to show the emotion.

I still have a very bad habit of telling, not showing.

I still change PoV right in the middle of a scene.

I didn't know I only needed one space after a period rather than two. (My typing teachers are going to roll over in their graves.) What a habit I have to break!

But the good news is, the story is good. They all like it. (That's the general consensus.) And the fewer the comments as they read along, the better. It means I've sucked them into the story! Woohoo!

And Vendras has a fan. Awww.... how cute!

{From my website: Vendras (C) - This human barely escaped a plague in his homeland only to step right into another. Trained as a fighter, he offers up his services to the one with the most coin. He befriends Farrehn as they both travel to Moordigan, then from there decide to offer up their skills to the Paridzule army.}

Well... back to work!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Opinions Are Like...

Flowers. They're everywhere! And you thought I was going to say something else, didn't you?

So here is what I want to know from everyone out there who writes. Published or unpublished.

What do you think of self-publishing eBooks?

Do you think it is okay? Do you not like people who self-publish? Have you self-published your work and either regretted it or it was the best decision you ever made?

What is the better route? Querying and waiting, getting the rejection and querying again until you are accepted somewhere OR just self-publishing your work as an eBook with a paperback option?

Should you query for a certain amount of time and then if no one accepts your work go the self-publishing route?

I really am looking for some honest feedback on this. Please leave your comments and participate in the poll. I appreciate everyone's opinion but I also don't want this turning into a huge, nasty debate. (Good thing we aren't talking politics or religion, eh?) So play nice!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Just A Quick Update...

Just re-set my settings back to word verification. I don't mind monitoring comments, but sometimes I don't get to them right away. So I like to see my comments right away and not have to deal with all the bots out there.

A couple posts will be scheduled for this week as I deal with some things.

And...

Look for a post in the next couple days with a poll. I want opinions! Thanks and have a great week!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Imagination, Passion & Potter...


Let me just say... I SAW IT!! Woooohoooo!

The new Harry Potter movie, of course. Finally!

I'm sitting here still trying to process everything I saw. I read all of the books, of course, but the movies were good as well. Just like when I finished the last book, this last movie has left me feeling a bit sad that it is the end.

Now, I have to back up here. Just a little bit, mind you. When I was a kid/teenager, my brother pretty much gave me a really good piece of advice. You see, we're both into movies and music. Movies and music really affect us. It is really sort of hard to describe. We're very passionate about these two things and sometimes (well, more than just sometimes) we get odd, really odd looks. From our family. Or better yet, the "oh-my-god-you're-insane-what-is-with-you?" head shake.

Anyway... when I was a kid and trying to fit in with all the other kids in their tastes in music and movies and their oh so sought after approval for voicing their opinion... my brother told me this. "Don't take someone else's word for it. Listen to it, or watch it (depending on if it was music or a movie we were discussing) and form your own opinion of it."

But that isn't the case with the Harry Potter books and movies. I've loved them from the start. I went into the movies knowing they wouldn't be exactly like the books and I was okay with that. But I got to see how Rowling saw things in her mind's eye.

Movies like Harry Potter move me, inspire me... I mean... I think my husband and I (and some guy five rows back) were the only ones in the theater crying and cheering. There weren't many there, it was a Sunday matinee after all. But a couple of kids giggled at our reactions. I ignored them. I usually do. But there were times when it was so quiet and people were absorbed in what was happening. I adore movies like that. Stories like that. Again... hard to describe. And that, to me, is what makes a movie or book or song unforgettable, something I will treasure and cherish and read/watch/listen to over and over again.

**Spoiler alert**


And it was about time Ron and Hermione kissed!!!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Latest Book Review...

So for those of you who don't know, I am doing reviews with the wonderful Melissa over at My Chaotic Ramblings.

Here is my latest review: This Will Not Look Good On My Resume by Jass Richards

Harry Potter And A Touch Of Sarcasm...

Okay, so I have to wait 'til Monday to see the new Harry Potter movie because that's payday. Bummer. I'm so excited I could spit! Just kidding, if I do I will make sure it is not on your shoes.

So this past week, posts have had to be scheduled, probably next week as well. I hate doing that because I feel a little disconnected with everyone when I am not on here daily. Then I filter quickly through all the other blogs and rarely have time to comment, only on a few.

So where's the sarcasm come in? I've been reading posts about sarcasm, people working customer service and getting their sarcasm and snarkiness from their years dealing with ignorant (just a nice way to say stupid) people.

I have certainly had MY share of that particular piece of pie. Customer service was, if nothing else, entertaining at best. Irritating at worse. I have to say, my favorite people were the ones who would call me while I worked tech support. Now... mind you. I worked for an internet company and later on, tech support for a tax program.

Rule number one... don't piss off the person who is in control of resetting your password. Don't scream and yell at dozens of people because your kid got busted doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing per terms of service. Or your husband for that matter. I would have liked to have dealt with the husband in one case because the wife was an absolute train wreck of a witch. Before hanging up, (after changing her password and telling her what it was...) she told me, "F -- you very much." She almost had the phone on the cradle and her husband was in the background telling her "Wait, wait! What is... blah blah blah?" So I answered her question as politely as I could. And she said it AGAIN! Twice! "F-- you very much." *click* THAT time was doubly uncalled for. So I changed her password and put in the customer service notes: "Cannot be nice, swearing the entire time and just downright rude. If she calls back, yeah, I did reset her password because she was being a b--."

My all time favorites when I worked tech support for the tax software was the "Any key" situation. After installation, it would usually tell you to press 'any key to continue'.
"Well, where IS the 'Any Key'?"
"Just press ANY key on your keyboard."
"But I can't find it."
"It's the space bar. Press the space bar."
"Ooooh! Good to know!"

Then there was, I kid you not, the classic disc drive person who thought it was a cup holder. I ACTUALLY got that call, but no, I didn't start the joke.

I also got people who couldn't install it because the disc wasn't working. The amazement in their voices when I told them to wash it in warm water with a tiny drop of dish soap and then pat dry was priceless. They would always call back just to say, "It WORKED!"

And last but not least... there was always one poor guy I relentlessly picked on while working a convenience store. The one who would come in and ask if I could break his 50 dollar or 20 dollar bill. I couldn't get enough of the look on their faces when I said, "Sure!" and tore it in half.

Hope this gives you a good laugh on this wonderful Saturday! See you on Monday!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Friday Favorites, Fantasy Art & A Funny...

So I thought I would start doing something fun for Fridays. Everyone else does. :D

I figure I will list my favorite authors/books, movies and music. I'll also be throwing in some fantasy artwork and just to make you giggle (cause I LOVE to hear you giggle...) a funny.

Favorite authors/books:

I have to go with David and Leigh Eddings at the moment. I absolutely LOVED every single one of the books in 'The Belgariad' and 'The Mallorean' series. I'm currently reading 'The Redemption of Althalus' and can I just tell you... it is EPIC. This is the kind of writing I love. I love all of the characters that come out of their imaginations, I feel so connected to them and there is usually a dozen or so linked with the MC's that, if they weren't there, the book would be boring and flat. But the fact that they can tell a story with so many characters... that is what my writing is like and I can only dream of pulling it off as well as they do.

Favorite movies:

I'm a sucker for a good movie. Now, I am not all about the chick flicks even though I do watch them once in awhile to purge my system of old tears that need to be shed so I can have new tears form...
I love action, adventure, thriller, HORROR! and all sorts of movies. Recommend a good movie and I'll watch it. So far, my current favorite is 'RED' with Bruce Willis. The whole freakin' cast just cracks me up. I love the movie, I love the effects! My favorite line from the movie is after Bruce's character asks John Malkovich's character if he feels better (near the end) and John's character says, "Yeah. Wanna go get pancakes?" (after just killing a guy!) Hilarious!! I love it. I think that is how I would be... lol! ::coughs and looks innocent::

Favorite music:

I have always been a super huge fan of Queensryche. Yep... Operation Mindcrime, Empire... I love Geoff Tate's voice. I'm so glad he didn't go opera. Don't get me wrong, I love opera, but he's better suited for Rock.

Now for some fantasy artwork: (I seriously need to remember what sites I get these off of... I just pull off the pretty ones. ;)



And of course I have to give you the 'geeky' funny:

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Thanks Anthony Fox...

I wanted to drop a quick note to all of you. One, thanks for the comments left for his guest post! You guys are always so good. :D

Anthony e-mailed me a little bit ago as well. He now has a Blogger site. So for those of you who dropped by while he was here, maybe go on over and pass the word that he needs followers.

Here is his new Blog.

Thanks bunches! <3

Review: The Redemption of Althalus...


I finally finished it! Woot! Time to move on to other readings, but for now I want to give you my review of the book.

Title: The Redemption of Althalus, 2001 (Yes, I know it is old!)
Author: David and Leigh Eddings

Summary from Wikipedia: The Redemption of Althalus is a stand-alone fantasy novel by David and Leigh Eddings. Its main character is Althalus, a professional thief enlisted by the Goddess Dweia to save the world from the desolations of her evil brother Daeva and his henchman Ghend. As with other Eddings books, it is written in a style which combines dramatic storytelling with wry, light humour.

You can purchase this book on Amazon.

My musings:

I absolutely LOVED this book. I don't know how to be unbiased about anything David and Leigh Eddings write. I read Eddings in High school as well as all the Elf Quest graphic novels. I sort of started there, you know, getting the idea to write myself.
In this book, Althalus starts out as a thief whose luck just goes to pot. He would never have taken the job Ghend gave him if he hadn't been so desperate for gold. He travels to the House at the End of the World and meets the goddess Dweia.
After enlisting Althalus, Dweia begins to train him and they enlist others to help in their epic quest. Journey. Thing. (Five bucks to whoever gets that reference even if I didn't quote it exactly....)
The House at the End of the World proves to be the catalyst in the events happening around the world. If it were not for this house, the world would have been lost.

Now, while I absolutely adore Eddings... both of them... I have to admit that some of the pieces of the story were just far too convenient. But this is a stand alone epic novel. It isn't part of a series. It doesn't have a prequel. So reading this book was quite fast and seemed to contain all of the elements of their previous series of 'The Belgariad' and 'The Mallorean' all in one shot. So if the story moved too quickly or hopped around too much, you can thank the doors of the House at the End of the World for that. Read it and you will understand what I'm talking about. If not, well then... psssh! I can't tell you! I know, I'm mean that way.

My rating: 4 out of 5 Skull and Crossbones.

You Know You're A Writer When...

You characters begin to remind you of your children.

They're often whiny and scramble for your attention...

They wake you up at all hours of the night!

They fight over the tiniest details and if you don't dole out equal gifts, they argue more...

If you don't pay attention to them, they get pouty...

If you don't give them the better scenes, they storm out of the room...

If you DO give them the better scenes, they rub it in the other characters faces...

They were born out of love. :D

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Review Is Up...

Just wanted to give you all a quick link over to my review of L.A. Nocturne by Katherine Tomlinson.

Enjoy!

Hey, Guess What?...

So I have been looking for a way to do book reviews. I still want to do author interviews and guest blogs as well as HAVE guests post on here as well... So I was reading through some discussions on my Book Blogs pages. I met up with the very wonderful Melissa Snow over at My Chaotic Ramblings. I'll be doing reviews on her blog!

I'm super excited.

So when I do a review, I'll post up a link over here and let you all come on over and check it out. Hopefully soon I'll be doing some other reviews here and all the other cool stuff I have already mentioned.

Hope your Wednesday is going well, Friday is almost here!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Meet Anthony Fox...

Without further ado, here is Anthony Fox's guest post:

Chasing a Story

For me it started with a love of history and archaeology when I was young boy. I would spend hours just reading anything I could get my hands on, and it was mostly history. I was also drawn into the world of science by the voice and words of Carl Sagan who inspired my interest in artificial intelligence which I studied at university gaining a master’s degree. The captivation continues today with a keen interest in science and a fascination with historic and ancient sites. Interestingly, my book that is due to be published in the next few months comes from my experience at university studying artificial intelligence. I said then that I would write a book about this, and so I did. As engineers we were designing search engines, neural networks, genetic algorithms and a whole lot more, but what was about to happen to me was like synchronicity.

I remembered the words of the author Georges Bernanos as I sat there in the university library, who said, ‘What we call chance might be the logic of God.” And it was chance and maybe more, because as I buried myself in reading the mountain of books, journals and academic papers while researching my thesis for my dissertation I came across a story. But the story had no direct relation to the research I was undertaking, yet I knew then that I was hooked as junkie is to heroin. I couldn’t ignore what was staring me in the face. I felt like an investigative reporter finding a story for the first time and all I could do was keep chasing the story. One way or another I knew the story I had stumbled upon affected us all, we just don’t know or understand the reasons why. I knew then that I would write a book about what kept appearing even though I wasn’t looking for it.

Today, I spend my time researching and reading for I know that to write you have to read. And read not just what you are familiar with, but different genres both in fiction and non-fiction. You have to expand your horizons beyond your periphery learning and experiencing the wonder of books. At random I will choose a book and read a chapter or two, and sometimes only a few pages or paragraphs if the book does not hold my attention. This is my mission – to develop my creativity by immersing myself into diverse worlds. I understood the importance of critical thinking at university and this taught me not to accept anything at face value, but to analyse and evaluate what the author is trying to convey. I believe the same process needs to be expressed even if you are a writer of fiction – the reader has to believe your universe and scenario. The characters have to be believable and real within your mind as the reader.

Every week I randomly pick books at the book store, so that I am surprised and not limited by my bias. What I mean by this is we all grow up what I call excess baggage, which we can get from our parents, friends and foes, and, it’s the inability to think without bigotry or bias that can railroad your thinking. We all do it without thinking about it, but I try not to let it get in the way, by taking measures to limit its effect on me. By randomly sampling books I increase my knowledge of different writers and genres, which I believe helps my creativity. And I also believe the inspiration for a good story often comes from chance and synchronicity.

~ Anthony Fox

Monday, July 11, 2011

I Have A Guest So Be Nice!...

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I will have my first ever Guest Blog. His name is Anthony Fox and he is an author. I figured that before he just popped up here and said, "Boo!" you could get to know him just a little bit. I asked him just a couple of questions, so here you go. Everyone, meet Anthony. Anthony, meet everyone!

First of all, when is your release date and title of your book?

Within the next 2-3 months, I am not sure about the exact release date. The title is: How to Pass a Degree with Confidence.

Where did you attend college and study Artificial Intelligence?

I went to Plymouth University and gained an Honours degree in Computing and gained a Master's degree in software engineering studying artificial intelligence at Sunderland University.

We are all drawn to writing because we have a story to tell, is this why you became a writer?

Yes, I have many stories to tell. It all began as a boy growing up in America. Even then I wanted to be a writer, but most of my life I have been trying to figure out what I wanted, but it's always been there. Interestingly, all this time I have kept scraps of paper with the words I have written. I am often reminded by the lyrics of Baz Lurhmann Everybody's Free (To Wear) Sunscreen "Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life... the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds still don't." Well that has been me in the past. Now, I am busy working on my next book.

(I'm 40 and still have no clue what I want to be when I grow up! ~ Mel)

What are your favourite genres to read?

I do not have any favourites because it's the story that is important. It can be science fiction, crime, romance, and so on, but it always comes back to the story. Ernest Hemingway talked about the 'iceberg theory', as a writer you can omit certain elements, but the story holds our attention. Each page we turn we want to know more as we identify with the characters leading us to the end of the story.

Do you have a favourite author and why?

I could list so many and miss out so many, because there are numerous good writers out there now and in the past. Paulo Coelho, for example, his book "The Alchemist" is a story about a shepherd boy on a quest, but it's also about love and much more. Hidden within the story is a moral similar to 'Jesus and his parables' and what Hemingway used in many of his books the 'Iceberg Theory'.

And now for something completely random, what is your favorite animal?

I have always loved animals especially dogs, ever since I can remember. Once on a trip as a boy to the zoo I remember seeing an ape in what appeared a small enclosure. I remember staring into the eyes of the ape and wondering what the ape was thinking, but me wishing all animals were free...

Thanks so much Anthony, for taking the time to answer these questions! I look forward to your guest post on Tuesday. You can visit Anthony's blog and get to know him a little better for yourself.

Friday, July 8, 2011

I Have A Guest Post!...


I have someone willing to be interviewed and do a guest post for me. His name is Anthony Fox and I will be posting his interview on Monday and his post on Tuesday. So stay tuned for that! It'll be fun and exciting. In the meantime, you can visit his blog HERE.

Hmm... I was going to say something else and I completely forgot what it was. I really hate it when I do that. Too many people distracting me when I'm trying to blog...

Oh well. Revisions have begun, again, on 'Crowning Absolution'. I've broken it down to the first book and am working on that more than anything. I'm still looking for people willing to do guest posts and I am willing to do them as well. I also would like to start doing some author interviews and of course do more reviews.

I was browsing my local thrift shop the other day and found 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'. I've heard so much about it but haven't had much money purchase it outright, so when I found it I was all like, "Score!". Hehe! I went totally Valley on you. Like ohmygah! So yeah, as soon as I finish "The Redemption of Althalus" by David and Leigh Eddings, I will totally move on to that book!

There's no rush, if you want to do a guest post, please let me know! I would love to have you over here... in my den of demented... I mean, yeah. :D

I'm Pulling From The Archives Again...

So I keep sifting through my older posts, you know... the ones from when I had 5 followers. Those posts. I started off with some pretty good intentions and then just let anything fly from my fingertips. So I just wanted to post this one again, because I feel it is still completely relevant. Hope you enjoy it!

I sort of like putting my characters through some tough times. I'm even trying to decide how to kill one off.

Makes me feel like a bad girl.

My sister in law, Cheri, asked why do we like to read about so much conflict? I just joined a book club and one of the ladies there didn't like the opening chapter of the book we had just read (Smoke Jumper) and asked if he, the author, had to do that for publication.

Well, my take on it is this... We, as human beings, have so much going on in our daily lives, that even if we picked up a book that reminded us of our own life, we'd probably keep reading.

Why?

Because it is happening to someone else. We're morbid beings. See a car crash, you can't take your eyes off of it. Yet if you are in one yourself, you do everything possible to repress the memory, push it out of your mind. It does creep up and bite you in the arse every so often, but in odd ways. You brake where normally you would have passed the slow car in front of you or you sit for a two full minutes looking in all directions before carefully pulling out where before you would just gun it.

So, if you are willing to sit back and follow the lives of others simply because you are grateful it isn't happening to you, why are some authors too easy on their characters?

Take "Smoke Jumper" for example. Don't know how many of you have read it, but one of the main characters gets the raw end of the deal most of the time. Yet the author created such a cushy life for him. He's from a rich family, he's well educated, a musician. If you have read the book, you know that in real life, it would seem far-fetched.

Even J.K. Rowling gave Harry lots of money to make up for his hellish life. But that's different, it was an inheritance and it was only ever mentioned a few times.

If you are going to put your characters through hell and back, you might think about giving them some bright spots, some high points in their lives. People, in all reality, can't deal with stress and drama twenty four seven, so why would you ever think of doing that to your characters?

To answer my earlier question, authors are sometimes too easy on their characters because they are such an extension of themselves. Jane Austen never married, neither did her sister. Yet all of her characters found love and happiness ever after.

I've used bits and pieces of myself in all of my characters. Each one has a distinguishing quality of myself in one way or another. If you really, truly know me, you'd recognize it as soon as you began reading.

In my first book, Kayta loses her memory after a horrific episode in her life. Granted she's an all out, gutsy warrior and knows how to keep her cool in battle, but the hell I put her through... Who wouldn't want to repress that? And a good sound thunk on the ol' noggin certainly helped. By doing this, though, I've placed into Kayta how I feel about having very little recollection of my childhood. What sort of thing could have happened to me that I would repress what was supposed to be one of the happiest periods of my life?

There's lots of theories. I blame the ozone layer.

But that is just one example. So, for the most part, I really like to smash and bash my characters, but I do try to give them hope. Even the darkest hours of our own lives have glimmers of hope. I bring them love, I give them lots of cash... it all works out, right?

Thursday, July 7, 2011

World Creation At Its Finest...

I've been delving into my older blog posts to sort of get some ideas of what to blog about these days. Naturally, being a fantasy writer, I *should* be blogging about writing stuff.

Meh. I do, just maybe not enough to keep things interesting. My blogs are completely random and nonsense... hence the title, eh?

But world building, now there is something I can sink my little fangs into. I love the creation part of my writing. I love reading fantasy because of the world building as well.

Who am I kidding, I just love to read. <3

My world took me over ten years to build. I still work on it, I still tweak things here and there. I try my very hardest to not bring elements of reality into my fantasy, but I know it won't hurt a thing. After all, Nightshadow, my assassin, smokes what is basically clove cigarettes. I just describe them a little differently. They're her trademark.

The kingdoms and the map on my wall (and my website) all sprouted from one city. Moordigan. That is the city that seems to be the central hub of where some of my stories start. Right now, though, everything in 'Crowning Absolution' is centered and focused on the eastern continent. That is where the two kingdoms are duking it out.

When it came to creating this world, I have used lots of fantasy elements that are already in place and recognizable. That is something I felt was super important. I like writing about elves and dwarves and ogres and trolls.... It works for me. Even the dragons. But I have added so many different things that are off shoots of those concrete fantasy creatures.

I have Kefferlings, which are half Elf, half cat. I love my Kefferlings with their kitty-like qualities, their fur, their fangs and don't forget the tails!

I have water Elves who, obviously, live near water. They draw their power from the natural energy source that water provides and they can shape-shift, either partially or fully to fishy creatures. I have ice Elves way up north and they sort of use the water for their power. But there is something in the water up north that has contaminated them.

My Dargorians are pretty cool. Dragon humanoids. They usually stand anywhere from 9 to 11 feet tall and have a very impressive wingspan.

Creatures are not the only thing I had to work on to build my world. There were the gods and goddesses, the different types of herbs and plants as well. Even the little creatures way over in the area where "magic went mad". Oh yeah, those are fun. I'll get into those some other time. Just wanted to share more of my world and its creation for you. Some of you are new and some of you are old friends.

I'm always open to suggestions of things you'd like to see me blog about. Just beware, I have a soapbox and I do travel. ;)

I Wanna...

I wanna do a giveaway! I'm currently working my little tush off (okay, so it ISN'T little, but that's besides the point...) trying to reach 500 followers!

I'll leave comments, I'll follow new people. I'll do whatever it takes. Well... almost whatever it takes. ;)

I also wanted to let you all know, I'm looking for guest posts. I'm also willing to do guest posts, but sometimes I don't know what exactly to post on someone else's blog. I'll work off of a topic, that suits me just fine. I know I can't always drop my little excerpts from my WIP, it isn't published and that's no fun because then people will want to read it and I have... nothing. Bah. Anyway, I still want to do this stuff.

Reviews ~ I love doing reviews! I know all you published authors out there need them. ;) What I need from you, though, is the book. Either in a download format or the actual book... I'm all for purchasing the book as well, but there are times when money is tight and I just can't buy the book. I will post my review here in my blog as well as online where your book is being sold. I have good review skills, I'm just pretty lax on my blog when it is a book that has been out awhile and dozens of reviews have already been done. I just like to add my two cents of course. More often than not, if I have an issue with the book, I'll email you personally before posting the review. Not everyone wants to have the negative aspects plastered all over the internet. But if that's what you want, I will do that. I'm honest, brutally honest. At least it comes across that way.

So yeah! I'm hoping to get to 500 followers by the end of August. I really do have some cool prizes and can't wait to let you all know what they are. ::Dances:: Have a great rest of the week! It is almost over!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Worse Off Wednesday...



So I got this meme from The Book Buff, who happens to be on a bit of a hiatus these days. Which is fine. I still love this meme and want to continue it anyway.

What to do for this Worse Off Wednesday? Hmm.... I'd have to go with Garion from the series 'The Belgariad' and 'The Mallorean' by David Eddings. Now, granted, I haven't read these books in awhile. I'm currently in the process of collecting them all again. I'm three books short. Then I can start reading them once more because I love these books!



But poor Garion! First his parents get killed and he's forced into hiding his true identity and be taken care of by his Aunt Pol. Then dragged from the only home he's ever known in the middle of the night because he's being hunted down.

Typical, right? If memory serves, I think he actually used his magical power unknowingly, but I can't recall.

So anyway, he's dragged out into the great big world with bad guys hot on his tail feathers and having to suffer the worst thing of all. Baths! His Aunt Pol really is sort of mean about making the poor boy bathe so much. Then from there he's whisked off to places he's only heard of from travelers who happened to come by and regale him with their stories.

In the end, he does become King, he does get married, have children and I'm sure he lives happily ever after, but the road to his destination sure was rocky and filled with adventure. So there's my Worse Off Wednesday.

~ On a side note here, folks, I really, really, really would like to reach 500 followers so I can hold an AWESOME giveaway. I mean... we might ~MIGHT~ be looking at some really cool prizes. So the sooner I hit 500 followers, the sooner you can see what I want to offer. ~

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Yes, I Am Asking Again...

You all know by now how much I love my sister-in-law, Cheri. This woman wouldn't hurt a fly!

Well, she's got a book up for Kindle on Amazon.com and she put in the tags, "romance". A romance reader got a hold of it and let her disappointment fly on the review. Now, this is one of the books Cheri is trying to sell to help her friend Rebecca. The one with breast cancer.

If you've read the book, go on over to Cheri's Post. All she is asking is for some better reviews. If you haven't read the book, would you do me a favor and click on "No" where it asks if this review was helpful? If the snarky review gets so many "no" answers, the review is removed.

Oh and just so you know, if you have any snarky reviews you would like removed, let me know. I'll pop on over and do the same.

I understand that everyone has their opinions, but when you put in the product description of what you are attempting to accomplish with your work for a good cause and someone rates it one star and tears it apart because they didn't get their hot, steamy sex scenes.... well that's just being a little immature and yes, stupid. We're all going to have those horrible reviews up there and if you have dozens of glowing reviews and that little one, that one where the person is practically seething through the computer screen is buried among them, well that's different. But this is the only review up there and you all know how that makes you feel.

Thanks guys! You are the best.

After The Fourth...

So I hope it is safe to say that the majority of you survived Fourth of July without too much of a hangover.

I remember when I was a kid, my dad had too much to drink and then complained the next morning that the "lake was too loud". I don't think he's ever going to live that one down.

I love the Fourth for many different reasons, but mostly because of our independence. Although I could get into a huge political discussion, but I promise to refrain.

In my family, we celebrated a day early due to the fact that my husband plays bass in a band and they played a wedding on the Fourth. So we had our hamburgers, hot dogs and potato salad early. Of course it wouldn't have been the Fourth if we didn't have watermelon, so I made sure that was on the menu as well. And strawberries. Yum!

Now that it is after the Fourth, back to work on my writing and all that entails. I'm looking forward to the revisions. I know, I must be sick or something! Have a great rest of the week and I will post again soon. :D

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Blog Contest And Hi!...


I was sitting here at the computer, browsing through the blogs like I usually do. Lurk, really. And I came across a very cool giveaway over at the Book Faery. The Book Faery has reached 1200 followers and if she reaches 1500 followers, her prizes will increase. Who doesn't want a box full of ARC's and completed books? Duh. I love it!

And just saying... if you all help me reach 500 followers, I'll be holding a super awesome giveaway myself. Just because I love you all. What other reason do I need?

So I hope everyone is having a super weekend and I will do my best to check in over the next couple of days.

Sadly, I had an iron infusion done on Friday and had a very horrible reaction to it. I will never, EVER do one of those again. EVER.

I will see you all next week when I'm better. Have a good weekend!