Tag: Fantasy

Release day!

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Promo_Banner_AWB_Anthology

That’s right, my lovelies, it’s release day at long last!  Starting today, you can get A World of Their Own to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do you part.

AWB-AWOTOOddly enough, those last two bits have had a profound impact on the making of this book.  A World of Their Own is dedicated to great friend, fabulous author, and beating dragon heart of the Alliance of Worldbuilders, Lindsey J. Parsons, who died unexpectedly in January 2014.  All proceeds from this book will be donated to the World Literacy Fund.

So go on, buy a copy for yourself, your friends, your family, even that baby down the street.  Literacy is not just a privilege – it’s a right.

“A home without books is a body without a soul.”  –Marcus Tullius Cicero

Pick up your copy today, available in paperback (Amazon and Amazon UK) and e-book (here and here), and have a great weekend! 🙂

(c) 2015.  All rights reserved.

A bloody review

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Today’s review is brought to you by the fine folks at Glass House Press and the letter S.

Why the letter S? Because you can’t have serpents in the Thames without it! 😀

Hold on, I hear you saying. Serpents? In the Thames? What on Earth are you talking about?

Very well, then, I’ll tell you: behind the cut!

It’s almost here!

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Promo_Banner_AWB_Anthology

That’s right, the release of A World of Their Own is fast approaching!  After years of writing and editing and planning and editing and arting and editing one more time, I’m proud to announce that the Alliance of Worldbuilders has, at long last, chosen a release date for our first anthology.  Available in print and e-versions, you can get your copy on September 4.

This book is chock full of stories set in all kinds of fantastic places and featuring all kinds of creatures.  It’s got angels, dragons, vampires, dwarves, and much, much more.  You won’t want to miss this!

All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the World Literacy Foundation in honor of our fallen comrade, Lindsey J. Parsons.  She was a fantastic author, archer, artist, and friend, and we miss her dearly.

We’re planning all sorts of fun things for the release, including a Facebook party that you can join now, so stay tuned!

(c) 2015.  All rights reserved.

Next up, it’s Flotsam or Jetsam!

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Flotsam or JetsamAnd now, as promised, I’ve reviewed Flotsam or Jetsam, another book involving Tallis Steelyard and his compatriots:

Benor arrives in Port Naain intent on the simple task of producing a handbook for merchants. Then there is a murder, and a vengeful family who will stop at nothing to silence those who found the body. Suddenly Benor’s life is no longer simple.

I should have read this book first, I think, as it’s quite a good introduction to Tallis Steelyard.  He strikes me as the kind of person who could charm the scales off a snake, or at least the kind of person who thinks he could.  I found him highly entertaining, and very realistic – who among us hasn’t known someone with equal talents?

At any rate, Flotsam or Jetsam was a wonderful introduction to Port Naain and the world Tallis and his lovely wife Shena inhabit.  It’s also a heck of a lot of fun to read; I’d have had it finished in an afternoon, except that my kids seemed to think I should feed them.  It’s short enough to read in one sitting, but long enough to feel like a complete story, and it’s a good thing there are more stories to come from Port Naain and the colorful characters who inhabit that city because I’d love to pay the place another visit.

Check out Flotsam or Jetsam; it’s a wonderful story.  You won’t want to miss it.

(c) 2015.  All rights reserved.

Lambent Dreams: A Review

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Lambent Dreams Cover5As promised, my review of Lambent Dreams.  What’s it about?  Poetry.  Plain and simple:

The Poetry of Tallis Steelyard. This appropriately slim volume is the fruit of a unique artistic collaboration, bringing together the writings of one of Port Naain’s most major minor poet with the personal commentary of an esteemed cartographer and traveller, and the guiding notes of an informed poet-critic. You cannot say you have not been warned.

The poetry in this book is endlessly fascinating.  I read the whole volume in the course of a morning, punctuated by short bursts of doing my day job, and I can’t wait to go back and read them over more closely to see if I can find some deeper meaning.  (If, of course, there is any deeper meaning.  Sometimes a poem is just a poem.)

My favorite bit is behind this cut!

Review time!

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spindle-2000Joining Authonomy was my first step into the wider writing community. I know I’ve raved about the site before, but it really was a fantastic place at the time I was there. (Well, at the time I was active, anyway – I’m still actually there, but I haven’t logged in in ages.) Anyway, as a result of getting to know so many other authors, I’ve been introduced to some truly wonderful friends and some truly magical books.

Spindle, the first book in the Two Monarchies series, is one such book:

On books and writing with W.R. Gingell

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wrgWith me today is W.R. Gingell, author of the fabulously entertaining Spindle.  Read on to find out more about the author, and then stay tuned because tomorrow I’ll be reviewing the book!

KK: Hi there, W.R.!  Please – tell us about yourself.

WRG: I’m a Christian, a Tasmanian, and a lover of anything to do with bacon. I have a rather hobbitish Hubby (and the photos from Hobbiton to prove it!) and one lovely little dog who knows it’s a lost cause to beg food from me but still tries anyway.

I love jigsaw puzzles and knitting, and though I love my violin I do NOT practice as I ought to practice.

The word most often used to describe me when I was growing up was ‘dreamer’, though with my parents, the phrase ‘off with the fairies’ was probably more often used.

KK: I’m the exact same way with my flute.  I love it, but it spends most of its time lying lonely and sad in a cupboard. *sigh*

Anyway…Tell us about Spindle!  What’s it all about?

Interview time!

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FDRToday I’ve got an interview with Aurelia, a character in the book Firedragon Rising by Mary Fan.  Let’s see what she’s got to say, shall we?

Why do people call you “the Firedragon”?
Because in this world, monsters are given straightforward names that are mishmashes of words, like bloodwolf or fleshsnake. And I’m so good at fighting that to them, I’m the monster. I don’t know exactly who came up with the nickname, since by the time I heard about it, everyone was already saying it behind my back. Best I can guess is that it’s because I fight like I’m on fire, and I’m scary like a dragon. But also one of the good guys. I like to think that dragons aren’t like regular monsters—they’re good monsters. But no one’s ever seen one, so I don’t know. I think they’re actually myths.

What’s going on in your life?
School, of course. But it’s not a regular school. I’m a Cadet at the Academy of Supernatural Defense, which means I study how to fight monsters. You know, what kinds there are, what their weaknesses are, what weapons work on them, and where they like to hang out. But only half my day is spent on the classroom stuff. The rest is for training. Except when there’s a monster near the Capital—then I’m sent to gank it.

What kind of training do you do?
What do you think? How to kill monsters! Since there are so many kinds out there, you’ve gotta be good at a lot of different types of combat. You can shoot some of the monsters with a gun, but most have super-healing powers and will just regenerate. Arrows work on some of them, since the monster can’t heal around the shaft. Personally, I like stabbing weapons the best, because all monsters are vulnerable to silver blades. Double swords are my favorite.

What’s the most dangerous monster out there?
 See the answer behind the cut!