Scribbler to Scribe

Blogfest: Origins

2012-02-14T08:58:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why this didn't go live yesterday. Apparently, Blogger's scheduling ability hates me. This, my friends, is my life in summation. My apologies, but here it is, better late than never.

DL Hammons' & friends are hosting the Origins Blogfest today. DL is a mystery/thriller writer, and one cool cat. He's prone to insightful posts on the craft of writing as well as introspection on his own writer's journey. I suggest you go and follow him. I'll wait...

...Done? Then let's get this show on the road.

The Origins Blogfest challenges authors to tell the truth about how they got started in this crazy gig of word-smithery. I had to dig deep for my story, go all the way back to the 80's, where Salt-n-Pepa were still pushin' it real good. (And if you don't understand that reference, you are so young it hurts my brain.)

What follows is entirely true...

In the beginning, I was hatched...

Thus began the first story I've ever written. My mother raised exotic birds when I was little, and I'd seen baby birds poke their way out of eggs. From there, my natural brilliance deduced that I, too, was hatched.

Following my avian birth, I soon developed a love for fantasy fiction. Mom read to me regularly, teaching me to read on my own by age 3. I liked anything with wizards and dragons and swords, and I would often imagine myself as a monster-slaying knight off to save a damsel in distress.

I tried to convince my best friend (a boy) to play the damsel in our pretend games, but he was less than interested. Well, I certainly didn't want to be the damsel. How come boys always got the cool roles? So, we settled on being knight-duos and saving stuffed animals. I wish I had it on video.

From Disney's influences, I graduated into Tolkien, Alexander, and Lewis. It wasn't until my teenage years that I started getting into science fiction and contemporary fantasy. (I also got into poetry and wrote a lot of emo teen-angst stuff, which I forced my English teacher to read. Sorry Mr. Burroughs!)

Then came gaming.

I was eleven when a friend introduced me to Vampire: The Masquerade, a role-playing game featuring creatures of the night. And like that, I was hooked.

I've played nearly every table-top game and video game popularized since the 80's. From D&D to Savage Worlds to GURPS to Spycraft to Everquest and Elder Scrolls, I nerd it all. (And nerd can totally be used as a verb, don't dispute me.)

Like many writers who developed from gaming, I eventually wanted to run my own games, develop my own worlds. And I did. The highlight of my nerd-life was running a national Changeling: The Lost game for thousands of people across the internets. And though I still game regularly, when I decided to pursue professional writing, I had to set some of my gaming time aside to focus on things that people might one day pay me for.

That was in 2009. Currently, I have half a dozen published stories to my credit and I'm finalizing my novel in hopes someone wants to buy it.

Now you know my origins. Go check out the other participants and learn how they were hatched.

Writers: When/how did you start?
Readers: Which author first inspired you?
Gamers: What game was your first love?

Blogfest: Snow Fest

2012-02-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Roh Morgan's Snowfest is happening today. Roh is a great gal I was fortunate to meet in person at World Fantasy Con last fall. She's an indie author writing dark/paranormal fantasy for adults and teens. If you get a chance, go follow her because she's awesome. I'll be here when you get back...

...Back? Well, let's get started!

The following is an excerpt chapter from my current novel-in-progress, entitled WINTER WALKER. Rather appropriate for a Snowfest, eh? It's a YA Paranormal and features Native American (Ojibwe) mythology/characters.

A manitou is a spirit, being the closest translation. In the story's world, certain people have a manitou inside them, and some manitous exist outside of a human body. Our hero is Casey. She is out with a friend laying some traps in hopes to catch a rogue spirit. That's really all you need to know to understand the excerpt.

Take a peek, then go and check out the other participants. If you're so inclined, sign up and post a snowy story on your own blog! Make sure you sign-up on the linky, so I can bop by and read.

Hope you enjoy this installment of WINTER WALKER.

We laid our traps in the forest of our tribe, tucking them under a veil of frozen leaves. All afternoon a steady sprinkle of snow had whispered through an otherwise still world. It fell in fat clumps, flakes the size of pocket-change, burying the snares and sticking to my puffy winter coat. My knit cap was damp, my boots not as waterproof as advertised. Bitter air burned in my lungs, and my breath misted as I slogged through a shiny, dead day.

The cub's fresh grave acted as our marker. We fanned out, placing traps in a haphazard pattern, what I hoped were the spirit's hunting grounds. Some manitou stuck to a territory, others not so much. Until I saw it, I was mostly guessing.

But Drew didn't need to know that.

He drifted through the woods like a dark cloud rolling by an unsuspecting town: purposeful and promising thunder. Snow clung to his near-black hair in a filigree of frost. The forest shivered as he passed, or maybe that was me. His manitou beat a wild rhythm into my bones. Here, he wasn't arrogant or distant-eyed. He simply was. The trees welcomed his fierce spirit; the frozen ground had been created for his footsteps.

And he followed me, placing traps where I directed, steadying me when I stumbled. He smiled a bit too, amused by my too-human flaws I suppose. Try as I might to scowl as his grin grew toothy, I couldn't stop the quiver accompanying every casual touch.

By the last spirit snare, I was even having fun. And internally scolding myself for it.

"What was that?" Drew stopped, smile wiped from his lips. He lifted his chin. His eyes scanned the treeline, nostrils flaring with things my human nose couldn't hope to scent.

"What's wh--"

"Shh," he said, tilting his head like an animal straining to listen. His manitou flowed to the surface of his skin. It rippled in a wave across his face, as if his Drew-head was merely a mask of flesh and bone to be molded into fur and snout. Kind of gross, really.

I followed his stare into the winter-laden woods. Sunlight struck the white drifts, nearly blinding me. Trunks and brush stood out in sharp contrast, ink lines on a blank canvas.

"I don't see anything," I whispered, unwilling to bust the terrifying calm that had settled with the blanket of snow.

Drew tossed the final raw chicken in the center of our trap and stood.

"Stay here," he said.

"No way." I shook my head. "Haven't you ever seen a horror flick? They always split up. That's when the monster gets the girl. It's the dumbest--"

"Casey," he snapped. "Shut up and stay here. You'll slow me down."

A flare of anger swelled up and melted the snow kissing my cheeks. "Well, we wouldn't want the breeder slowing you down."

"That's not--"

"Whatever Drew, get lost."

He gave me a blank look. "You're afraid."

I rolled my eyes, super mature-like.

"I won't take my eyes off you. No one gets the girl around here but me." He flashed a grin and faded into the forest.

I groaned, glancing at the last of our homemade traps resting at my feet. Hopefully the scavenger spirit didn't move as fast as Drew. I'd never see it coming.

Reasoning it'd be smart to get away from the bait, I stepped aside and squinted into the distance. The pregnant snowflakes descended in a blur. Quiet choked the life from the land. The sun glared, a splotch of light behind a dove-gray sky. Everything was white and bright and utterly empty.

"I hate this," I muttered. I didn't want it to be so silent. I didn't want to be so alone.

A whistle pierced the air. Soft at first, one long note at the top of the range, like a dog whistle except I wasn't a dog. At least, I didn't think I was canine. Dad would be really pissed about that.

The note held and grew in volume. Louder. Closer. It turned shrill, reminding me of the stereo feedback at an indie concert Tuls once took me to. I stuck my fingers in my ears. It didn't help.

"Shit." I searched the trees, stepping in a slow circle. Why did this keep happening to me?

The sound intensified. Movement flashed to my left, and I spun in time to see the tail-end of something vanish behind a curtain of snowfall and dead wood. Maybe a hundred feet away, maybe less. The ground blended in a white sheet, throwing my already-crappy depth perception to the wind.

"Drew?" I squeaked and barely heard myself over the noise.

Another blur as the sound raked my eardrums. Half the distance and closing. Whatever kind of spirit this was, it had twice my height and a hunched, ghastly form. It merged with the winter, a natural camouflage that showed me only its outline before disappearing in a burst of speed.

"Andrew!" I hollered. No response.

I was blinded by sun and snow. Deaf to everything but the squeal. And this thing was big. Quick. Definitely not some little scavenger spirit. So I did what my daddy taught me to do.

I turned on my heel and ran.

Guest Post: Michael Shean on Living with Opposing Narratives

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

From Different Worlds
Or, A Word About Multiple Genres
by Michael Shean

Hello there. I’m Michael Shean, and I write dark fiction. Sci-fi, crime, horror, whatever; if it screams and it bleeds, I’ve either written about it or at the very least thought about it. My readers know this very well. Humor doesn’t often figure into my dark tales, mostly because my characters are too busy trying to uncover mysteries or keeping from being shot in the face. You know, that old chestnut.

But you know, as much as I love the dark stuff, I also love comedies. Surreal and absurdist humor are my favorite forms of comedy - Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Monty Python kind of stuff. With this being the case, I find myself often faced with a dilemma that many authors deal with at any time in their careers: the question of shifting tone and genre. Should an author stick to the work he or she begins with, and becomes known for? What about a radical shift in flavor and tone?

Writing in multiple genres is the sign of a good writer - that’s certainly not up for debate. But when readership is often dependent on consistency, it’s often easiest to simply use different pen names for each genre in which you wish to write. Authors such as Stephen King have written with success with at least one pen name, and it certainly works out for everyone: you can write as much as you like under multiple names, and you don’t have to worry about causing dissonance amongst your readership. Many writers swear by this, and it certainly seems to work for many.

For my part, though, I don’t know that I want to use pen names. The different genres that interest me are as much a part of my identity as the stories I produce, and I want to share that with my readership. By telling stories in various genres, I can demonstrate to the reader the various parts of my personality far better than I ever could just by simply telling them - and for me, connecting with my readers through my work is an absolutely vital part of writing anything. For me, writing under a different name would undercut that connection; I wouldn’t feel like the same person.

Though the number of authors who have written across multiple genres using one name are in the minority, but they stand out: John Updike and Anton Chekhov are sterling examples, and of course William Shakespeare is perhaps the greatest example of a multi-genre author using his own name. It’s a roster to which I think anyone would be proud to join. Don’t try and pigeonhole yourself - either by name or by genre - and just write what works for you. I promise, as long as your heart is in the story and you’ve done your work, your story will reach those who will enjoy it.

Michael Shean is an author of hard-edged detective Sci-Fi, living in the DC area with his wife and over-sized cats. The first novel of his Wonderland series, Shadow of a Dead Star is published by Curiosity Quills Press with its offshoot, Bone Wires serialized every week on the Curiosity Quills website.

This post is part of the Curiosity Quills Blog Tour 2012

Curiosity Quills is a gaggle of literary marauders with a bone to grind and not enough time for revisions - a collective, creating together, supporting each other, and putting out the best darn tootin’ words this side of Google.

Curiosity Quills also runs Curiosity Quills Press, an independent publisher committed to bringing top-quality fiction to the wider world. They publish in ebook, print, as well as serialising select works of their published authors for free on the press's website.

Interview: Daniel Polansky, author of LOW TOWN (+Giveaway)

2012-01-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

Please welcome Daniel Polansky to the blog! Daniel's debut novel, LOW TOWN, was recently released in December. It's a noir fantasy featuring a dark protagonist in a gritty, traditional fantasy setting, but written with a quick-paced modern tone.

Go check out my full review of LOW TOWN, and don't forget to leave a comment there (here is good too, but won't count for the giveaway) for a chance to win a copy.

I loved LOW TOWN, and Daniel was kind enough to allow me to interview him. And so, on with the show!

LOW TOWN is your debut novel. Can you give us a 30 second pitch we won't see anywhere else?

Low Town is a gritty noir in a low fantasy setting. The protagonist is a drug dealer with a checkered past and a very vague attachment to morality. He finds a child murdered in the neighborhood he controls, and decides that his position as de facto overlord requires him to find the killer. This ends up being a good deal more difficult than he anticipates, tying him into a dark web of magic and conspiracy. I'm not sure if that was under 30 seconds, but if you read it quickly it should be.

The main protagonist of LOW TOWN is known to the reader only as "The Warden," a former agent for the Crown turned drug dealer. He's a darker, almost anti-hero character that I greatly enjoyed. What made you decide to leave him unnamed? Any hints to future books where his enigmatic identity might be revealed?

In part, the Warden being unnamed is an homage to the Hammet's classic 'Continental Op' character, who was really the archetype for the whole hard boiled detective thing. Also I think I liked the idea that his pseudonym provided a certain amount of emotional distance between the reader and the protagonist, who as you mentioned is really not a very nice fellow. Future books will do more to discuss the Warden's history, though I'm not sure that I'll ever get around to giving him a proper name.

*UK version*

One of the most compelling features of LOW TOWN is its setting (thus the appropriate title). Low Town is, itself, a character within the novel, one that immerses the reader into drug-dens and shady alleys with The Warden. Did you draw inspiration for your location from anywhere in particular?

I grew up in Baltimore so there's a lot of Charm City in the mix, but I love to travel and in particular I love to see foreign cities, so a lot of different places found their way into Low Town. Delhi slums, the Old Town in Riga, you get the idea.

Let's talk a bit about the man behind the pages. Can you tell us a bit about your road to publication, and perhaps the most useful tidbit of knowledge you gleaned along the way?

Put with great brevity – I had a day job I decided I didn't want to do anymore, so I wrote the draft of what would become Low Town in my off hours. I was lucky enough to snag an agent, and from there we were lucky enough to get some publishers to look at it. My main piece of advice, and this may not be super useful, would be that the most important thing is to really fully enjoy the act of writing in and of itself. Getting something published is hard, and takes a long time, and requires a certain amount of luck. The best thing for me about writing Low Town was that I discovered while I was doing it that writing novels was what I wanted to do, that the act on its own was enough for it to merit my energy. If that makes any sense to you.

Finally, any future projects in the works you can share? Also, where might my readers stalk you?(Virtually of course!)

At the moment my attention is mainly turned towards working on completing the next two books in the Low Town trilogy, which I'm real excited about. You can find me at danielpolansky.com, you can follow me on twitter under the same name, and of course I have a facebook page because facebook rules the world.

Steph's Note: Daniel also has a G+ page.

Thanks so much to Daniel for letting me pick his brain and to the readers for taking the time to read/comment! Don't forget to leave a comment on my review post for a chance to win your own copy of LOW TOWN.

Book Review: Low Town by Daniel Polansky (+Giveaway)

2012-01-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

Leave a comment with your email for a chance to win a copy of LOW TOWN.
Cross-posted at Amazon, GoodReads, GoogleBooks, and my own review page.

LOW TOWN
By Daniel Polansky
Genre: Fantasy (noir, secondary-world)
Series: Low Town
Publication Doubleday (2011), Edition: Kindle, ebook, 354 pages
ISBN/ASIN: 0385534469 / B004CFAZWW
Source: Library Digital
Links: Amazon | GoodReads | GoogleBooks | Author | Publisher

My Review: (No Spoilers) Start with a traditional high fantasy, add a hefty dose of noir, mix it up with a dark protagonist and a compelling authorial voice, and you've got LOW TOWN by Daniel Polansky.

The story begins with The Warden, the otherwise unnamed protagonist, going about his usual day of slinging dope and running into trouble with the law (known as Black House), when he finds the body of a little girl. Now, The Warden may not be the best person on the planet, but there are some things he cannot abide. With a shove from his former coworkers at Black House, he enters into a web of criminal intrigue and magic in order to protect the slums he calls home.

LOW TOWN caught me by surprise. I picked it up on a whim after being enticed by the blurb, and I quickly found myself swept up in the world of The Warden. It is part mystery, part fantasy, and entirely wonderful.

The pace is snappy from the moment we meet The Warden and his city, and it drives you all the way to a twisty-turvy end. The plot should be fun for any mystery lover to play at-home detective, and the setting will keep dark fantasy lovers enraptured. Writing is from first person, past tense, and commands a strong voice. You can read an excerpt of the first 7 chapters on the author's website to see if it's your cuppa.

The city of LOW TOWN is a character within itself, and the setting was my favorite part of the book. It's a gritty, urban landscape. Those who appreciate more contemporary fantasy will find much to love about LOW TOWN's modern tone. While the fantastic and magical is present, it is not the focus of the book. Traditional fantasy lovers should be warned that you'll find no elves or spell-slinging wizards in LOW TOWN, and if you do, they are periphery at best.

At the end of the day, LOW TOWN was fun. From beginning to end, it pushed me to read. I had to know what happened next to The Warden. I had to know if I'd guessed right about who-dun-it. That compulsion to turn the page is what turns a good book into a great book. LOW TOWN kept me up late at night and made me forget to eat. It's bloody brilliant.

Content Warning: PG-13 (violence, language, drug use, mature themes)

Rating: 5 Stars
My Rating System

Trailer:

Blurb: Drug dealers, hustlers, brothels, dirty politics, corrupt cops . . . and sorcery. Welcome to Low Town.

In the forgotten back alleys and flophouses that lie in the shadows of Rigus, the finest city of the Thirteen Lands, you will find Low Town. It is an ugly place, and its champion is an ugly man. Disgraced intelligence agent. Forgotten war hero. Independent drug dealer. After a fall from grace five years ago, a man known as the Warden leads a life of crime, addicted to cheap violence and expensive drugs. Every day is a constant hustle to find new customers and protect his turf from low-life competition like Tancred the Harelip and Ling Chi, the enigmatic crime lord of the heathens.

The Warden’s life of drugged iniquity is shaken by his discovery of a murdered child down a dead-end street . . . setting him on a collision course with the life he left behind. As a former agent with Black House—the secret police—he knows better than anyone that murder in Low Town is an everyday thing, the kind of crime that doesn’t get investigated. To protect his home, he will take part in a dangerous game of deception between underworld bosses and the psychotic head of Black House, but the truth is far darker than he imagines. In Low Town, no one can be trusted.
from Amazon

Books in Series	Other Reviews	Similar Titles
Sequel TBA	1. Graeme's	1. The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan
	2. Escape Pod	2. The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe
	3. SF Signal	3. Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

Leave a comment with your email for a chance to win a copy of LOW TOWN.

The 3 Things Needed to Beat the Slushpile

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I accepted a job as assistant editor for ParsecInk. Basically, I read slush.

Though I've read, reviewed, and edited for a number of folks, this is my first direct experience with the slushpile. Let me tell you, it's not entirely pretty, and I don't even see the first round of slush. I see the improved slush that has made it past the first editor. I don't envy him his job.

That being said, reading slush is a lot of fun. I get my coffee, load up the submission manager, and read my daily allotment. Most of the stories fall into the realm of good, but not great. Common mistakes are made, and I find myself reading the same problems repeatedly.

So today, my lovely groupies, I'm giving you the inside scoop. I'm going to divulge to you the 3 things needed to beat the slushpile.

The ideal story has all of these things at an expert level, but an acceptable story will have all of the 3 to varying degrees. What I'm saying is you must have them all, but having more of one will make up for a lack in another.

In random order, you need hook, emotion, and writing.

HOOK
Hook is not a captain with a metal hand. It's your story, premise, concept. It's plot. This is often the hardest thing to find in a story, which is ironic because it is the story.

Hooks begin with an opening line and end with the closing. Most of us know this. What most fail to realize is that throughout the story, you should keep hooking your reader. Build the tension, have more conflict, keep scenes immediate and interesting, include a clever twist, and most of all make logical sense. Don't include a clever opening sentence just to toss it in there. It should be applicable to the rest of the story.

You don't have to do everything I've listed, but all of these things can help you hook your way out of the slushpile and into an editor's lap.

EMOTION
Emotion is the most subjective of the bunch. What captivates one reader, can bore another. It's kind of a crapshoot, but there are some things you can do to improve your chances.

Create a compelling protagonist. He/she doesn't have to be the hero (though it's harder to create reader empathy with a villainous protagonist, it can be done), but he/she does have to be engaging. You need to find something that binds the character to the reader. With an unlikeable protag, this is often a redeeming factor. For most protags, it's a flaw or quirk with which readers can empathize.

The next way to create emotion is making a conflict with important stakes. While the end of the world might seem like the highest stake possible, it may not be important. Importance is determined by how much it matters to the protagonist. Personal stakes are better than impersonal. The more deeply your character is tied to the conflict and risk of your plot, the better.

Finally, emotion can be derived from revealing truth through fiction. This is by far the most difficult option. It's effectively your theme, though you may not know what your theme is while you write it. Fiction often teaches us something, shows us a bit of real-world truth that we might not have considered. Most of the time, a writer doesn't do this on purpose; it just flows out of them through the story. You can attempt to create this revelation in a story, just make sure you don't sound like you're standing on the soapbox, preaching to the reader. Let the reader discover the truth on his own.

WRITING
Finally, the writing matters. Your authorial voice, your style and panache, the way you spin a phrase or turn a trope on its head, the sound and flow of your words. Writing is the nuts and bolts of a story. If your craft isn't up to par, even the shiniest hook will dull.

The first bit to improving your writing is easy. Practice good syntax and grammar. If you don't have good grammar, buy a couple books (here's a blog post of my favorite books on the craft of writing) and start learning.

Once you've got that down, expand your vocabulary by using precise words. Learn the difference between black and sloe, and the connotation each word produces. Every word you use should be the most precise, the best for what you want to convey to the reader.

And lastly, develop your voice. No one can teach you voice. No one can give it to you. It only comes through practice. Once you write enough, look over the body of your work, and there you will find your voice.

I hope all of this helps you beat the slushpile. ParsecInk is currently seeking submissions, just follow the guidelines for the Triangulation anthology. You can also participate in Write1Sub1, a yearly short fiction challenge, and by writing a story every week/month, you'll indubitably improve your craft.

Oh, and remember: in writing, there is no "always" or "never." A talented writer can break all the rules and an editor will love them for it. But I highly recommend that you know the rules before breaking them. I'm still learning them all myself.

Did I miss anything?
Agree/Disagree?
Anything you'd like to know about the slushpile?

Black Out (Cat) for the Greater Good

2012-01-18T08:13:00.000-05:00

No internet for me today, in protest of SOPA/PIPA. The LA Times has a comprehensive article on major websites that are also going black for the day. I also recommend you join the SOPA strike.

NEW TWO: My Top SF/F Book Releases, January 2012

2012-01-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday the 13th!

I'm a bit behind on this, as it was meant to go out on the 1st of the month. But holidays, you know, they make everything crazier than normal.

My New Years Resolution is to be more consistant and organized with the blog (You can see how well I'm doing so far), thus I've developed a new schedule to help me attain that goal. I will post Tuesday and Thursday with a weekly book review and industry interview, respectively.

On the 1st of the month, I'll post the New Two book releases (IE: this post), and the last of the month will feature a review of short stories from my monthly Daily Science Fiction, Lightspeed, and Clarkesworld supscriptions.

I may post M/W/F, but it will be at random. Topics could include movies, the craft of writing, comics, gaming, technology, Star Wars, or whatever floats my nerd-boat. I will have a book/swag giveaway at least once/month.

Now I've told you, and I expect you to keep me honest!

(ADULT)

THE SERPENT SEA by Martha Wells
(Jan 01, 2012)

Moon, once a solitary wanderer, has become consort to Jade, sister queen of the Indigo Cloud court. Together, they travel with their people on a pair of flying ships in hopes of finding a new home for their colony. Moon finally feels like he’s found a tribe where he belongs. But when the travelers reach the ancestral home of Indigo Cloud, shrouded within the trunk of a mountain-sized tree, they discover a blight infecting its core. Nearby they find the remains of the invaders who may be responsible, as well as evidence of a devastating theft. This discovery sends Moon and the hunters of Indigo Cloud on a quest for the heartstone of the tree — a quest that will lead them far away, across the Serpent Sea.

In this followup to The Cloud Roads, Martha Wells returns with a world-spanning odyssey, a mystery that only provokes more questions — and the adventure of a lifetime.

THE ROOK by Daniel O'Malley
(Jan 11, 2012)

"The body you are wearing used to be mine." So begins the letter Myfanwy Thomas is holding when she awakes in a London park surrounded by bodies all wearing latex gloves. With no recollection of who she is, Myfanwy must follow the instructions her former self left behind to discover her identity and track down the agents who want to destroy her.

She soon learns that she is a Rook, a high-ranking member of a secret organization called the Chequy that battles the many supernatural forces at work in Britain. She also discovers that she possesses a rare, potentially deadly supernatural ability of her own.

In her quest to uncover which member of the Chequy betrayed her and why, Myfanwy encounters a person with four bodies, an aristocratic woman who can enter her dreams, a secret training facility where children are transformed into deadly fighters, and a conspiracy more vast than she ever could have imagined.

Filled with characters both fascinating and fantastical, THE ROOK is a richly inventive, suspenseful, and often wry thriller that marks an ambitious debut from a promising young writer.

(TEEN)

BLOODROSE by Andrea Cremer
(Jan 03, 2012)

The third and final installment of the international bestselling Nightshade trilogy!

Calla has always welcomed war. But now that the final battle is upon her, there's more at stake than fighting. There's saving Ren, even if it incurs Shay's wrath. There's keeping Ansel safe, even if he's been branded a traitor. There's proving herself as the pack's alpha, facing unnamable horrors, and ridding the world of the Keepers' magic once and for all. And then there's deciding what to do when the war ends. If Calla makes it out alive, that is. In this remarkable final installment of the Nightshade trilogy, international bestselling author Andrea Cremer crafts a dynamic novel with twists and turns that will keep you breathless until its final pages.

A MILLION SUNS by Beth Revis
(Jan 10, 2012)

Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

In book two of the Across the Universe trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Beth Revis mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

(Blurbs provided by Amazon)

What are you currently reading?
Any January releases you're excited about?

Today I'm Not Here...

2012-01-06T10:20:00.000-05:00

...I'm over at Frederic Durbin's Blog, talking about the recent release of my story The Skin Script. Frederic is an awesome fantasy writer. He's coming out with a new MG Fantasy entitled The Star Shard, and I encourage you to check it out.

More on that later.

For now, go read the interview and comment, share, tweet, etc. if you enjoy it.

I'll be back next week with your regularly scheduled programming: interviews w/bestselling authors, SF/F book reviews, and special giveaways that you won't believe.

I sounded like an infomercial there. Forgive me. I couldn't sleep last night and was up watching that British guy try to sell me things. I love that man.

A Very Bloggy Holiday

2011-12-21T11:19:00.000-05:00

In honor of the holiday season, I'm going to unplug. No blog, no Twitter, no G+. I think I'll manage, but you never know.

I want to thank all of you for another wonderful year of writing and blogging and chit-chatting. I hope your holidays are filled with love and awesome food. See you in 2012!

Buy Me in Ebook Format

2011-12-12T12:21:00.000-05:00

My short story, The Skin Script, is now available in ebook format from Open Heart Publishing. The story is featured in Vol #3 of An Honest Lie, a yearly anthology/contest spanning all genres.

You see, the person with the most sales wins the contest and get a book deal. I'm currently pretty far behind in votes, so if you'd like to help me out, here's how:

Go to my author purchase portal and...
1) Vote for FREE by clicking on my name.
2) Purchase the print copy, gaining me 500 votes.
3) Purchase the ebook Trifecta, gaining me 250 votes. The trifecta includes ALL of An Honest Lie anthologies, volumes 1-3.
5) Share this info with your buddies (virtual or meat-sack) to help me advertise.

In The Skin Script, a guy who can tattoo the future falls for a dangerous client. It's a dark, speculative story about the nature of fate and predetermination. What if we had a means to control our futures? To buy our way into a perfect life? Now, what if that future was designed by flawed, human hands?

Thanks for letting me plug a bit of shameless self-promotion into the blog. You know, a writer's got to eat. And I do hope you enjoy the story.

Book Review: Clarity by Kim Harrington

2011-12-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Cross-posted at Amazon, GoodReads, GoogleBooks, and my own review page.

CLARITY
By Kim Harrington
Genre: Young Adult (mystery, paranormal)
Series: Clarity #1
Publication Scholastic/Point (2011), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 256 pages
ISBN#10/13: 0545230500 / 978-0545230506
Source: ARC from Amazon Vine
Links: Amazon | GoodReads | GoogleBooks | Author | Publisher

My Review: (No Spoilers) CLARITY is an excellent debut novel. Lovers of both young adult and mystery genres should enjoy. If you like a dash of paranormal, this is definitely worth the read.

Clare Fern is able to see things when she touches objects, impressions from the past. Her family runs a psychic reader shop where they perform readings for tourists. When a young woman is murdered in a local motel and Clare's brother is a possible suspect, Clare puts her skills to use to catch the murderer. It doesn't hurt that the son of the detective on the case is cute and interested in seeing if Clare can really do what she claims.

The mystery is cleverly plotted and quite fun. Writing style is clean and precise. I enjoyed Clare and her family, all of which feel like real people with personalities, flaws, and emotions. Clare is a smart girl, and you won't find a lot of the typical teen-angst that permeates the YA genre.

There's a dash of romance between Clare, the detective's son, and Clare's ex who's still carrying a torch, but it's not a love triangle. It's more like a real girl and real boys dealing with their young emotions and relationships.

The pacing is steady and the plot drives readers along. My one criticism is that it felt too light and short. I would have liked more details about Clare, more time with her and her family, and more tension build-up for the end. I wish the author had dug deeper into the characters and the mystery, however, the fact that I had this wish and wanted to spend more time with the book should indicate how good it is.

Please, sir, I want some more.

Content Warning: PG (kissing, non-graphic murder scene)

Rating: 4 Stars
My Rating System

Trailer:

Blurb: When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth? This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.

And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?
from Amazon

Books in Series	Other Reviews	Similar Titles
1. Clarity	1. Dear Author	1. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
2. Perception (March 2012)	2. Publisher's Weekly	2. Hourglass by Myra Mcentire
	3. A Good Addiction	3. The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

If you enjoy my blog, please consider supporting my writing.

NEW TWO: My Top SF/F Book Releases, December 2011

2011-12-01T08:54:00.000-05:00

So December is a big month for me as far as book releases are concerned. Some awesome things coming out: new series by lovely authors like Lilith Saintcrow and Jennifer L. Armentrout, the next books in ongoing series that have stolen my heart from Jaye Wells and Gini Koch. It's always tough to choose the top two from each month, but I think I narrowed it down.

Oh yeah, blurbs brought to you by Amazon. Enjoy!

(ADULT)

THE HEDGEWITCH QUEEN by Lilith Saintcrow
(Dec 01, 2011)

Vianne di Rocancheil has been largely content to play the gawky provincial. As lady in waiting at the Court of Arquitaine, she studies her books, watches for intrigue, and shepherds her foolhardy Princesse safely through the glittering whirl. Court is a sometimes-unpleasant waltz, especially for the unwary, but Vianne treads its measured steps well.

Unfortunately, the dance has changed. Treachery is afoot in gilded and velvet halls. A sorcerous conspiracy is unleashed, with blood, death, and warfare close behind. Her Princesse murdered and her own life in jeopardy, Vianne must flee, carrying the fate of her land with her--the Great Seal of Arquitaine, awake after its long sleep. Invasion threatens, civil war looms, and the conspiracy hunts for Vianne di Rocancheil, to kill or to use her against all she holds dear.

A life of dances, intrigues, and fashion has not prepared her for this. Nor has it prepared her for Tristan d'Arcenne, Captain of the King's Guard and player in the most dangerous games conspiracy can devise. Yet to save her country and avenge her Princesse, Vianne will become what she must, say what she should, and do whatever is required.

A Queen can do no less.

SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL by Jaye Wells
(Dec 27, 2011)

Now that the threat of war has passed, Sabina Kane is ready to focus on the future. Her relationship with Adam Lazarus is getting stronger and she's helping her sister, Maisie, overcome the trauma of her captivity in New Orleans. Even Giguhl is managing to stay out of trouble thanks to the arrival of Pussy Willow and his new roller derby team. But as much as Sabina wants to feel hopeful about the future, part of her doesn't believe that peace is possible.

Her suspicions are confirmed when a string of sadistic murders threatens to stall treaty negotiations between the mages and the vampires. Sabina pitches in to find the killer, but her investigation soon leads her down dark paths that have her questioning everyone she thought she could trust. And the closer she gets to the killer, the more Sabina begins to suspect this is one foe she may not be able to kill.

(TEEN)

CLOCKWORK PRINCE by Cassandra Clare
(Dec 06, 2011)

The situation at the London Institute has never been more precarious. With Mortmain and his clockwork army still threatening, the Council wants to strip Charlotte of her power and hand the running of the Enclave over to the unscrupulous and power-hungry Benedict Lightwood.

In the hope of saving Charlotte and the Institute, Will, Jem, and Tessa set out to unravel the secrets of Mortmain’s past—and discover unsettling Shadowhunter connections that hold the key not only to the enemy’s motivations, but also to the secret of Tessa’s identity. Tessa, already caught between the affections of Will and Jem, finds herself with another choice to make when she learns how the Shadowhunters helped make her a “monster.” Will she turn from them to her brother, Nate, who has been begging her to join him at Mortmain’s side? Where will her loyalties—and love—lie? Tessa alone can choose to save the Shadowhunters of London…or end them forever.

OBSIDIAN by Jennifer L. Armentrout
(Dec 06, 2011)

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

(ROMANCE)

ALIEN PROLIFERATION by Gini Koch
(Dec 06, 2011)

Alien Super-Being Exterminator Kitty Katt is expecting her first baby. But the alien attacks are getting more dangerous, and now Kitty and her Alpha Centaurion husband, Jeff, have to find out who's behind the conspiracy to kill Kitty's secret agent mom and what caused Kitty's transformation into a superhuman-and they've got to do it all before the baby shower...

SHAEDES OF GRAY by Amanda Bonilla
(Dec 06, 2011)

In the shadows of the night, Darian has lived alone for almost a century. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind-an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin.

When Darian's next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she's taken on more than her conscience will allow. But a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished...

What are you looking forward to in December?
Pre-ordered any of the above books yet?
Any of them catch your eye?
Talk book-nerdy to me in the comments!

If you enjoy my blog, please consider supporting my writing.

Movie Review: IMMORTALS

2011-11-14T14:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Movie Monday everyone! Feel free to check out the corresponding G+ discussion, but for you blog groupies, I present the full review below. Enjoy!

Cross-posted at Amazon and Rotten Tomatoes.
Links may lead to Amazon through my affiliate.
Ratings are the same as my book rating system.

IMMORTALS(R)
Tarsem Singh (Director); Vlas Parlapanides (Writer), Charles Parlapanides (Writer); Henry Cavill (as Theseus), Mickey Rourke (as King Hyperion)

Rating: 2 Stars

Review: One reviewer called IMMORTALS, "an orgy of severed heads," and that's pretty much the basis for the film, though I only counted a dozen or so heads flying about by the movie's end. IMMORTALS tells the story of Theseus, slayer of the Minotaur, but bears little resemblence to any Greek myth. Granted Theseus did slay the Minotaur, but in IMMORTALS, the Minotaur is a man wearing the shroud of a bull in service to Hyperion--whom Theseus never encountered--and the plot is the war of the Titans versus the Olympian gods--a war the Theseus of myth was absent from. The interpretation of myth didn't bother me much, but it did leave for a confusing mesh of Greek stories.

The biggest error of the film was in the massive, gaping, bleeding plot holes. One: When you are the Evil Overlord Hyperion and you have captured the Virgin Oracle that you require to find your Bow of Epicness, you should be smart enough to leave some guards around the holding cell. Two: When sending your armies into a tunnel to die in the bottleneck, you might instead consider sending them up the nearby stairs, you know, the ones Hyperion took uncontested to the top of the wall where he could let loose the Titans, guard-free. Three: When you shout a warning, "It's a trap," don't proceed to follow the trap-ee into his demise. Four: I really want to know where the Virgin Oracle was carrying around poison antidotes; all I can figure is she must have magical Virgin Oracle Sex Powers. Just sayin'.

Redeeming the film was the acting of Mickey Rourke as King Hyperion. The man pulled off creepy, sadistic, psycho-king-on-a-mission with style... despite the funny hats he was forced to endure. I mean, who puts a lobster claw on their head?

Another good point: muscled, oiled, man-cakes. Hundreds of them. Enough said.

The film aims at a deeper meaning, the granting of immortality through deeds, hence the title. However, IMMORTALS is mostly a spectacle for the eye, combining silly god-hats and bloody slaughter in CGI'ed glory without a lot of depth. I found myself enjoying the film, if only for the headless montage and the giggles it induced. Recommended only as a rental, and only if you want some good, mindless bloodshed. If your looking for emotions or story or thought, look elsewhere.

Weekly Releases:

Did you see any good movies last week?
Are you planning to see Twilight? (Don't hate, you know you want to.)

If you enjoy my blog, please consider supporting my writing.

Follower Friday: Is there a veteran in the house?

2011-11-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

When I was seventeen, I informed my mother that I wanted to join the Marine Corps. I had this overwhelming desire to be like my grandfather. Throughout my childhood, I'd been told stories about Grandpa in the Korean War. Grandpa travelling through different countries. Grandpa meeting a woman and falling in love while deployed. Grandpa taking said woman home to the USA.

Since I had never actually met him--he passed when I was 6 weeks old--I had romanticized ideas about my grandfather and his life. I desperately wanted a strong male influence, someone I could idolize. I chose my grandpa, the marine, the world-traveller. I made up a lot of fancy ideas about him, stories that were exaggerated from the bits of truth I'd gathered, and these tales became epic.

My grandfather was legendary to me.

As I said, I was seventeen. I'd scored massively high on my SAT/ACT and had an honors scholarship to a private college. The recruiter said I could go into officer training, work on nuclear stuff, shoot guns, blow shit up, kill Nazis... well, no, he didn't say anything about explosives or Nazis, but you get the picture. It sounded totally sweet in my seventeen-year-old brain.

Mom freaked. She couldn't understand why (and I quote), "My genius little baby wants to be a jarhead." To her, I had all kinds of options for a cushy career, and I didn't need the military.

Well, I didn't really need the military, but I wanted--desperately needed--to prove myself. I wasn't sure to whom or how or why, but I knew that this was the moment where I chose to make something of myself. To be a (wo)man. To cowboy up.

I couldn't think of a better way to cowboy up than by becoming a Marine. (And I really wanted to blow some shit up.)

It didn't end up happening, of course. Mom refused to sign the paperwork. She said, "Give it a year. When you're eighteen, if you're still interested, you can do it yourself." My mom is a smart lady. She handled it pretty cool, all things considered, and I went off to my private college for a year. (The results of which are an entirely different story.)

By the time I turned eighteen, I wondered what in the holy frick I had been thinking. Me? A Marine? In a godawful desert somewhere? Where there isn't any XBox?

No sir, I don't think so.

But I still love my grandfather, and I still hold to those romanticized escapades. Whatever the truth of his life may be, I honestly prefer the legend.

I love my military friends and family. I love my grandpa. I love my veterans, strangers and not. I love that I get to vote and protest and laugh and scoff and smile about my country freely. Grandpa gave that to me.

FOLLOWER FRIDAY: Who, in your life, gave that to you?

(Bop over and participate in my G+ discussion about the veteran in your life, or your own military experiences.)

If you enjoy my blog, please consider supporting my writing.

Selling Myself in Print w/Excerpt

2011-11-02T12:23:00.000-04:00

It's official. I'm in a book, and you my faithful groupies, can now buy me in print (ebook soon to follow).

From Open Heart Publishing, An Honest Lie Vol. 3: Justifiable Hypocrisy is now available through my purchase portal. By purchasing through me, you're giving me 500 "votes." These votes will later be tallied, and the author with the most gets a book deal.

I'm incredibly fortunate and grateful to see my first professional publication go live. Honestly, I can't thank all of you enough. Your continued support has meant the world to me.

With that in mind, I went ahead and doubled my order for commemorative bookmarks. You guys wanted so many, there wasn't really another option. I'll be leaving the order form up until I sell out.

Feel free to download and share the digital bookmark images.

***Front & Back; Click to Embiggen***

My story is entitled THE SKIN SCRIPT. I wrote it earlier this year, March I think, as part of my Write 1 Sub 1 adventure. I came up with an image of a guy who could see souls written on a person's skin, and expanded from there. From conception to finished product, I'd say it took me about a month. THE SKIN SCRIPT spoke to me. And here's the rundown, for all of you...

Hook: A man who can tattoo the future falls in love with a dangerous client.

What the publisher had to say: "Stephanie’s unique and visionary work tells a creative story about fore-ordained love, and fore-ordained lives. You’ll quickly agree that this story is unlike any other!"

Excerpt:
She smiled. “I’ll try to keep my hands to myself.”

He caught himself grinning as he began. “Talk to me about you. I want to know it all.”

“You already do, limner,” she said, “but I’ll tell you anyway.”

As he filled in her future, she relayed her past. And when the pain ceased, they smiled. Together they whispered deeper truths under florescent lights. Skin against skin.

Twice Jules negated her death. Maybe his too, he couldn’t know.

Years would pass in guile and secret rendezvous. Mistakes that might have led to their discovery, simply erased. No taint of their love allowed on her neck, no exchange of passion interrupted by a curious father.

Her skin consumed him as he worked. The smell of iron and ink. The smooth delicacy of her touch. The flavor of peppermint lip-gloss. The heat. He might illuminate her body, but she carved a channel inside Jules. She liberated him from a prison of plastic walls and cold steel. Worse, she made him laugh.

BUY ME
The Skin Script, Stephanie M. Lorée, Open Heart Publishing;copyright 2011

Blogcation - World Fantasy Con

2011-10-26T14:40:00.001-04:00

In the next few hours, I'll be heading to the airport. I'm going to San Diego for World Fantasy Convention 2011. For longtime readers, you'll remember I went to the same con last year in Columbus. It was well worth the trip, and I intend to make this a yearly habit.

With that in mind, the blog will be on hiatus for the next few days. You may notice the new look (RSS readers click through). The big green blog has given way to a cleaner white reading space with still just-as-green, autumn-friendly background. This new look will herald the new awesome to come.

I'll be back in November with all things NaNoWriMo, summations on the panels I attended at WFC, more interviews and book/movie reviews, and if I'm lucky, a picture of me with Neil Gaiman--this year's WFC Guest of Honor.

Other cool people I'm going to meet up with include fellow bloggers:
Carolina Valdez Miller
Shannon Messanger
Andrew Smith
Matthew MacNish
Simon Larter
Sara McClung
Roh Morgon

Also, author all-stars like Holly Black, Garth Nix, and just to say it one more time Neil "I make black look cool" Gaiman.

I'm packed, I'm ready, Elena Solodow is coming to get me, and I'm out of here!

Follower Friday & Pay It Forward BlogHop

2011-10-14T11:15:00.001-04:00

Alex J. Cavanaugh and Matthew MacNish are hosting the Pay it Forward Blogfest today. At current count, there's almost 240 participants!

Rules are simple: recommend 3 other bloggers you enjoy. Well, maybe not so simple. I had a tough time choosing just 3, but here they are...

Eric W. Trant is a fellow Open Heart Publishing author who blogs about life, fiction, and life as fiction. He has a morbid (and at times foul) sense of humor that I love, and his anecdotes should probably be combined and published in his own humorous memoir. Eric's a talented writer and I highly recommend his blog.

Donna Hole is also with Open Heart, and her short story SCENT is coming out in the soon-to-be-released anthology. Donna writes women's fiction and fantasy, and she does a great round-up on things going on in the blogosphere.

Rebecca Enzor is a lovely lady I met through G+, a fellow writer and My Little Pony enthusiast. Rebecca's a nuclear chemist (the nerd is strong in this one) who writes YA and New Adult. She also loves sticky notes.

And with that out of the way, it's time for Follower Friday. It's the day when I get to know you, my lovely groupies, a bit more.

So here's your questions:

What game have you played most recently?
and/or
What's your favorite game?
For those less nerdy among you (and let me just add you really need to level up your nerd quotient), this can be anything from card games to sports (ew, sports). For the fellow SuperNerds in the crowd, I expect to see some RPG and RTS shout-outs. I want to hear from you D&D, LARPing, SW:TOR salivating, acronym wielding junkies!

Me? I played League of Legends last night, and my favorite game is Changeling: The Lost.

And you thought I was kidding about my nerdery...

Book Review: The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe

2011-09-27T23:55:00.000-04:00

Cross-posted at Amazon, GoodReads, GoogleBooks, and my own review page.

THE HUM AND THE SHIVER
By Alex Bledsoe
Genre: Fantasy (contemporary, mythic)
Series: N/A
Publication Tor Books (2011), Edition: 1, Trade Paperback, 352 pages
ISBN#10/13: 0765327449 / 978-0765327444
Source: ARC from author
Links: Amazon | GoodReads | GoogleBooks | Book | Author | Publisher

My Review: (No Spoilers) At its core, THE HUM AND THE SHIVER is a story about a girl. Bronwyn is recovering from an incident while deployed in Iraq, and both her body and spirit are on the mend in her hometown. But the place she lives isn't simply some rural part of Appalachia, it is a community of secrets. Her people, the Tufa, are insular and quiet. Bronwyn is neither.

The characters in this story are amazing and real. I loved Bronwyn for her attitude, her development, and most of all her flaws. She is a modern woman with a strength that goes deeper than her military pursuits. She makes mistakes, some fairly terrible ones, and I still found myself rooting for her.

What shines the most about THE HUM AND THE SHIVER is Bledsoe's talent for world-building. He has created a rich setting, spun from both European and American myths, that seems real enough to touch. I won't reveal any spoilers, but I was blown away by the new take on an old myth and delighted to see a contemporary fantasy that was neither urban nor far-fetched. It could exist, this small town in the hills of Tennessee where the Tufa make their home, and if it does I got to experience it firsthand.

The writing is clear and beautiful. Bledsoe has a knack for the modern tone, creating vivid and emotional scenes without over-writing. The pace is slower as Bronwyn deals with her inner turmoil and the issues surrounding her home. For readers who want a super pulse-pounding adventure, this probably isn't your bag. But if you prefer as I do, the gradual unfolding of a story, you'll adore THE HUM AND THE SHIVER.

If I had anything to complain about, the plot seems a bit thin at times as the story focuses on the revelation of the town's and Tufa's secrets (and Bronwyn's recovery). But when it kicks into high-gear, it packs a lot of punch.

THE HUM AND THE SHIVER is about courage and--when boiled to the basics--growing up, Bronwyn is a fantastic heroine, and I thoroughly enjoyed her story. Highly recommend for lovers of contemporary fantasy, urban or paranormal, and this would be a great "bridge-book" for high fantasy readers who want to dip into modern waters.

Content Warning: PG-13 (mild language, mild sexual content, some violence, mature themes: alcohol, drugs, violence against women)

Rating: 4 Stars
My Rating System

Trailer:

Blurb: No one knows where the Tufa came from, or how they ended up in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, yet when the first Europeans arrived, they were already there. Dark-haired, enigmatic, and suspicious of outsiders, the Tufa live quiet lives in the hills and valleys of Cloud County. While their origins may be lost to history, there are clues in their music—hints of their true nature buried in the songs they have passed down for generations.

Private Bronwyn Hyatt returns from Iraq wounded in body and in spirit, only to face the very things that drove her away in the first place: her family, her obligations to the Tufa, and her dangerous ex-boyfriend. But more trouble lurks in the mountains and hollows of her childhood home. Cryptic omens warn of impending tragedy, and a restless “haint” lurks nearby, waiting to reveal Bronwyn’s darkest secrets. Worst of all, Bronwyn has lost touch with the music that was once a vital part of her identity.

With death stalking her family, Bronwyn will need to summon the strength to take her place among the true Tufa and once again fly on the night winds. . . .from Amazon

Books in Series	Other Reviews	Similar Titles
N/A	1. Wall Street Journal	1. Widdershins by Charles de Lint
	2. Kirkus Reviews	2. Tithe by Holly Black
	3. Publishers Weekly	3. War for the Oaks by Emma Bull

Kindle Book Deals

2011-09-21T12:17:00.000-04:00

I just went a little crazy. You see, there all these great deals on urban fantasy, hot chick heroine books for my Kindle. And so, I started clicking, only to find myself obsessed with the one-click to buy Amazon button. I may have a problem. But I knew that I had to share the sweet deals with you, my lovely groupies, or you might never forgive me.


Jeaniene Frost's Halfway to the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 1), $1.99	Jennifer Estep's Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, Book 1), $1.99	Rachel Vincent's Blood Bound (Unbound, Book1), $5.59

Lauren Beukes' Zoo City, $0.99	Stacia Kane's Unholy Ghosts (Downside Ghosts, Book 1), $0.99	Richelle Mead's Succubus Blues (Georgina Kincaid, Book 1), $2.99

	Karen Chance's Cassie Palmer Series, includes the first 4 books, $7.51

Worst Movies Ever Blogfest

2011-09-19T11:37:00.000-04:00

Alex J. Cavanaugh has once again brought us the best in blogfests. When you're done reading mine, make sure to check out the other participants.

Once a year I attend the Smithee Awards, where the worst movies of all time are clipped, reviewed, and voted on for the humor and disgust of the audience. The Smithee's feature such awards as, "The Deus Ex Machina Award" and "The Stupidest Looking Monster Award." In case you're curious where the name came from, Allen Smithee is the official pseudonym film directors use when they no longer wish to be associated with a project.

Having been a long time visitor of the Smithee's, I feel qualified to give my readers an educated opinion on this very important matter.

Thus I bequeath unto you my accounting of the Top Ten Worst Movies Ever.

10. Wizards of the Demon Sword

Part of me thinks this movie is so bad, it borders on good. The effects are cheesy, the acting is bad, the costuming is terrible, and if the title doesn't tell you how atrocious this low budget sword & sorcery flick is, let me assure you that, "Foolproof plans are hard to come by, son!"

9. The Happening

Oh Marky Mark, why do you make me suffer? Generally I'm a diehard M. Night Shyamalan fan. Even his films that get bad reviews, I still enjoy. The Lady in the Water is among my favorite movies. But The Happening was a steaming pile even I couldn't take.

8. Napoleon Dynamite

I know I'm going to get bashed on this one, but I couldn't stand this movie. All my friends raved about how awesome and hilarious it was, so I watched it. Hated it. Must be one of those movies I just don't "get."

7. In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

The video game this movie is based off of was created by Microsoft. I played it. It wasn't very good. The movie is worse.

6. Big Momma's House 2

I don't understand America's obsession with cross-dressing movies, especially when they're not very comedic. Big Momma's House wasn't funny the first time.

5. Catwoman

I loved Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal in Batman, but what happened here? Halle Berry, who could have been stellar, instead became a lame sex object. For any fan of the Batman franchise, this was a disaster above and beyond Batman & Robin (1997).

4. Street Fighter

Take a video game. Make it a movie. Star Jean-Claude Van Damme. Put it in the 90's.

Did they think this could actually be good?

3. Showgirls

This movie destroyed my innocence. Way to take what could have been a promising career from your success in Saved by the Bell and flush it down the toilet. I can't even begin to comment on how awful this movie is. I mean, ewww.

2. Punch-Drunk Love

I don't know why people like this movie. It has decent ratings, but it still counts as the only movie I've ever walked out of the theater at just over the half-way point. Yes, I left. It was that bad. Again, maybe I didn't "get it" or maybe it simply sucked.

1. Troll 2

I have 2 words for you: vegan goblins.

Agree? Disagree?
What's your Top Ten?

Links & Wonder Woman

2011-09-14T13:24:00.001-04:00

On Monday, I became a movie star. Elena Solodow--my critique partner, writer, blogger, and filmmaker extraordinare--posted her regular Movie Monday clip. This time, it starred yours truly. Check out my acting chops.

Oscar anyone?

You can check out all of Elena's videos, including an infomercial for the Write Stuff where I have an important supporting role, at her blog.

Now today, I've been featured in an interview with Write1Sub1. I was invited to this co-blog and community challenge by Milo Fowler, and it's been great to join the team.

Movies, interviews, I mean, can I really get any cooler?

Why yes, yes I can.

You see, I'm just a lowly writer, a cubicle drone by day, and a SuperNerd by night. But when Talli Roland asked me for her launch of Watching Willow Watts if I could be anyone else, who would I be. I said...

There is only one option...

I mean, she has pants now. I know some of you comic purists might argue with me (and you'd likely be straight men who enjoyed the undies-on-the-outside look), but who can really fight crime without pants?

No one, that's who.

Come on, if you put male superheroes in the traditional Wonder Woman pose, here's what they'd look like:

Batman looks particularly unintimidating with his bat-body-hair on display.
Super strong, super smart, AND wearing the pants... Sign me up as Wonder Woman.

If you could be anyone, who would you be?

Follower Friday

2011-09-09T14:30:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a page from my G+ and trying something new on my blog. Every Friday, I want to stop talking about me and start talking about you. I'd like to get to know my followers a bit more and maybe discuss things other than writing. I know, I know, I should be mauled by a rabid badger for my non-writer talk.

But really people, we all exist outside of our books, as painful as that may seem.

Singing: "Getting to know you, getting to know all about you..."

For today, let's start with something simple, familiar to the majority of you (who I reckon are writers yourselves or, at least, avid readers).

On my G+, I've asked people about what they're currently reading, and you should feel free to join in there.

But for you dedicated blog groupies, here's your question:

What's your go-to book?
You know, the one when it's dumping rain outside, you're trapped in your house, you pick it up. Its pages are worn and dog-earred. The cover's coloring has faded. Tear stains smudge bits of ink on the inside.

THAT book.

For me, and I realize it's lame, but I've probably read The Hobbit more times than is appropriate for my sanity. Pretty soon, I'll be even be going on a very long journey, for a very important reason, with a very good friend. But that, my lovelies, is a story for another time.

Officially Published

2011-09-01T08:24:00.001-04:00

Today I officially become a published author. My first piece of fiction, small as it may be, is up at trapeze magazine.

Twitter fiction (#twitfic) is a new experiment in micro fiction, and I'm loving it. It takes a special bit of patience to condense a story, a feeling, a theme into 140 characters, but I'm happy with the results.

I'd be very appreciative if you stopped by and read Zombie Robot today.

NPR's Top 100 SF/F Books (and Me) - A Meme

2011-08-29T09:00:00.003-04:00

Recently, NPR released its Top 100 SF/F Books. Since then the latest meme is for fans to post how many they have read. Well, my buddy Mad Jack did it, and thus like a good lemming, I aim to follow him off this particular cliff.

Here we go...

1. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
5. A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman (Currently reading, does that count?)
11. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
12. The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
13. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
14. Neuromancer, by William Gibson
15. Watchmen, by Alan Moore
16. I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
17. Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
18. The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss (Currently listening to the audiobook.)
19. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
20. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
21. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
22. The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
23. The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
24. 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
25. The Stand, by Stephen King
26. Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
27. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
28. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
29. The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman
30. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
31. Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
32. Watership Down, by Richard Adams
33. Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
34. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
35. A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
36. The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
37. 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
38. Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
39. The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
40. The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny
41. The Belgariad, by David Eddings
42. The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
43. The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
44. Ringworld, by Larry Niven
45. The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
46. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
47. The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
48. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
49. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke
50. Contact, by Carl Sagan
51. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
52. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
53. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
54. World War Z, by Max Brooks
55. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
56. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
57. Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
58. The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
59. The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
60. Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
61. The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
62. The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind (First two books.)
63. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
64. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
65. I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
66. The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist
67. The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks (First two books.)
68. The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
69. The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
70. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
71. The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
72. A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
73. The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore
74. Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
75. The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
76. Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
77. The Kushiel's Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey (First two books)
78. The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
79. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
80. Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
81. The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson
82. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
83. The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks
84. The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
85. Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
86. The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
87. The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
88. The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
89. The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
90. The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock
91. The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
92. Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
93. A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
94. The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
95. The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
96. Lucifer's Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
97. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
98. Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
99. The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony
100. The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis

So, only like 80 more books to add to the TBR pile...

Any of your favorites missing from the list?
What ones have you read?
Blog and link in the comments if you'd like!