Time for another review!

Earlier this fall, I signed up to participate in a blog tour for Glass House Press.  I volunteered to read and review a novella by Mary Fan called Tell Me My Name.  But there were a couple of glitches, because computers rock, and I didn’t get the file until the day my post was supposed to go live.

But!  I’ve finally managed to find enough spare moments to sit down and read this fantastic novella, and now I’ve got the scoop on what it’s all about.  The blurb:

In Mary Fan’s second novella for Glass House Press, a girl wakes up in an icy cell, alone and frightened. She has no memory of who she is or how she came to be there.

She does know that she must get out, at all costs. And that escape must start with remembering…

Revised!

I finally got around to revising my first page, as posted here for Michelle Hauck’s first page critique blog hop.  It’s taken a lot of time, a lot of thought, and a lot of quiet to get something figured out, but I think it’s good.  It’s longer, but less wordy, and hopefully, more showy and less telly.  Either way, it wouldn’t be what it is without your input, so thank you very much!

I’ve posted the revision at the top of the original post (clearly marked so you know what’s what), and would love some comments on the revision as well.  Because, you know, we writers are nothing if not insecure.  But on the off chance that you don’t feel like digging back through ten days of blog posts, I’ve also posted it for your reading pleasure below.

***

“Please, your Highness, have mercy.  I beg you.”

“I would very much like to, sir,” Prince Vegin said.

It’s excerpt time!

Fifth WatcherThat’s right, today’s the day where you get a sneak peak at The Fifth Watcher, Book One of Melissa Barker-Simpson’s Worlds Apart series.  But how did this story come to be?  Well, let’s hear it from the author herself:

I wrote the Fifth Watcher during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) last year. It’s taken a while to get it ready for publication, but there are a few reasons for that. The novel was originally written in third person perspective, and during the first edit I decided to change it to first – not an easy task!

The premise for the story came to me following a discussion with my sister about alternate realities. I saw the protagonist of this tale clearly in my mind and Audrey Montgomery was born. I didn’t give much thought to the  name, it’s who she is. My grandmother’s name is Audrey too, and though both are strong, formidable women, I didn’t base the character on her.

As I like to do…

Cover reveal: The Fifth Watcher!

image for websiteOne of the best things about participating in blogging events is all the awesome people you meet.  I met fellow author Melissa Barker-Simpson back in April during the Blogging 101 challenge, and have enjoyed getting to know her a bit.  Melissa fills her days with language and words so she doesn’t get lost among the clouds. She is an interpreter by day, and a pen-wielding conjurer by night. Of course the only thing she conjures belong between the pages of a book, but it doesn’t make them any less compelling.

Her most important job, as far as she sees it, is being a mother to two impish teenagers. They keep her feet firmly on the ground, are a huge source of joy (despite the rampant emotions) and allow her to live out her fantasy of being a musketeer!

She spends her time living between different communities, one of them being the (mostly) online writing community and giving back the magic that has touched her life.

Melissa runs a series of blogs, has a thing for collaboration, and enjoys to support others as often as possible.  She’s got a new book coming out soon, and you know me – I love to help an author out.  So it’s with great pleasure and much excitement that I present to you the cover for Melissa’s latest book, The Fifth Watcher, Book One in her Worlds Apart series!

Behold, the pretty, pretty cover …behind the cut!

First page critique blog hop!

The lovely and talented Michelle Hauck is running a blog hop to critique first pages and I am super excited to be taking part!  If you’d like to join in the fun, here’s the post with all the details.  Methinks the first page of The Price of Mercy could use a bit of help, but I’m not entirely sure where, so if you’ve got ideas on what would take it from blah to AMAZING, please, drop ’em in the comments below!

***

Revision (The revised version is a bit longer than 250 words (think ~280), but I wanted to include everything I covered in the original entry, so you get an extra thirty words of fun). 🙂

Adult Fantasy

“Please, your Highness, have mercy.  I beg you.”

“I would very much like to, sir,” Prince Vegin said.  Light filtered into the gallery through twin rows of stained glass windows, exaggerating the poor farmer’s haggard appearance.  “I sympathize with you, but drought or no, you’ve still got taxes to pay.  I cannot simply let you go.”

“Your Highness, I’ll do anything – anything at all – only let me go back to my family.”  Dirty tears carved grooves through the layers of grime on his face, but hope shone in his eyes.

Before Vegin could reply, the chamber’s heavy wooden door burst open.  The prince flinched as his father stalked into the room, the queen trailing behind him.  King Tol’s gaze swept the room as the court fell to its knees.  The guards scattered about the room stood a little straighter, not wanting to provoke the king’s famous temper.  The peasant trembled before him, suddenly afraid for his life.  The prince groaned inwardly – he hated fighting with his father, especially in public.

“Vegin!”  Tol’s voice boomed through the chamber.  “If you’re not going to sentence this man, I’ll be more than happy to do it for you.”

The prince’s eyes narrowed.

Barren Island Books interviews Anna Martoka!

Anná Artwork by Hazel Butler

Anná
Artwork by Hazel Butler

What’s new in the world of The Lokana Chronicles? Well, today Anna Martoka was interviewed as part of the Barren Island Books interview series that my wonderful friend and fellow author, A.F.E. Smith, runs on her blog. If you’d like to know which books Anna counts among her favorites, head on over and check out her interview!

And while you’re there, don’t forget to check out some of the other interviews. There’s loads of great books just waiting to be discovered at Barren Island Books!

(c) 2014. All rights reserved.

Photo 365 #68

I had the day off work today, so I took advantage of the free time and got some writing done.

Like, a lot of writing.  Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 words, if I’m not mistaken.

writeday

This excites me greatly because I’m not always able to get a lot of writing done on my days off and also because I managed to get a bunch of other things (cooking, a load of laundry, a bit of light cleaning) done today as well.  Must be my long-lost time management skills trying to reassert themselves. 🙂

I hope today was as wonderful and productive for you as it was for me!  How did you spend your day?

An American Faerie Tale

thestolenOver the summer, I was lucky enough to snag a review copy of Bishop O’Connell’s book, The Stolen.  I was excited about it from the moment I saw that it was set partly in Tír na nÓg.

Of course, life happened, and I didn’t get around to reading it right away.  But when I did?  I couldn’t get it out of my head.

I was thrown off a bit by the beginning, as the story opens with a bit of back story about Brendan, who’s on his way to meet Áine, the girl he loves.  The blurb, though, focuses on Caitlin and the main plot of the book:

Tonight, for the first time in over a century, a mortal child will be kidnapped by faeries…

Photo Friday: Stories!

So today’s prompt is about stories.  Quite convenient, really, as I just posted an interview with the main character from The Price of Mercy.

story

Revision work continues.  I got absolutely nothing done on it yesterday, but I managed to eke out a few paragraphs this noon while on my lunch break.  I wish either a.) that lunch breaks were longer so I could get more done, or b.) that someone would pay me to stay home and write all day.

Since neither of those things are likely to happen anytime soon, I guess I’ll just have to keep plugging away a few minutes at a time.  Don’t forget to check out Charnele’s blog and see what stories she’s into.  Happy Friday, everybody!

(c) 2014.  All rights reserved.

Book blogger confessions

Fantasy Angel over at the Avid Reader Blog tagged me in this fun little game and, since I have nothing better to do (okay, I do, but I’m procrastinating) right now, here be my answers:

snoopy-the-endWhich book did you most recently not finish?
Uhhh…I don’t understand the question.

Which book is your guilty pleasure?
I know not of this guilt of which you speak.  The only guilt I experience about reading is when I’m too busy reading to do other things, like clean the house or work on my own books.

Which book do you love to hate?
Twilight.  No, I’ve never read it, but I did see the movie, and it just wasn’t for me.  I’ve heard that it’s not good, but having never read it, I cannot attest to the veracity of that rumor.  Also, Fifty Shades of Gray.  Haven’t read that one either.  Have no desire to.

That said, if you love these books, then read them proudly.  Lord knows people should read more…