Rosalie Skinner's Blog, page 6

New Release Book Four in the Higher Ground Series....

Francene Stanley and Edith Parzefall complete the story of Ceredwin's adventure in 
LONG DOOM CALLING.

Cerridwen and her band of adventurers reach the derelict city of Long Doom, where horrors roam dark alleys and ramshackle buildings. A street-wise girl guides them to the dark waters of down under. Cerridwen dives to lift powerful Egyptian jewellery meant to help her prevent war raging through Britland. The Grey Wolves, ruling gang in Long Doom, close in on the country bumpkins from Corn World while Lord Oxenford’s army marches towards the city.


BOOK ONE Corn World. Britland. After the great flood, only memories, debris and derelict buildings speak of a past civilization. Visions of these disturbing times haunt Cerridwen's dreams. When her dying mother sends Cerridwen to find a mural in Saint Eyes and lead Britland into a better future, the young healer has little choice but to set out on a life-changing quest. Her ability to perceive auras convinces her to accept nature-attuned Trevly's offer of protection. Bent on adventure and enthralled by the promise of treasure, beautiful Sasha, cunning Aron and uncut Boris join forces to get the most out of life. Their selfish plans collide with Cerridwen's when they learn about a powerful ring and a mural pointing the way to its location.   BOOK TWO After a great flood destroyed civilization, a band of adventurers hunting for treasure challenges Cerridwen’s quest to lead Britland into a better future. She and her friends race against their rivals to Saint Eyes, where they hope to find a mural that leads the way to a powerful moonstone ring influencing the world. 

BOOK THREE 
After the great flood destroyed civilization, Cerridwen gains the unlikely support of a band of adventurers on her quest to lead Britland into a better future. As they row along the coast of Corn World to reach Long Doom and find a powerful ring, they face dangerous, mysterious, and bizarre adventures. Lured by the Gold Lord’s treasure, Sasha endangers their lives and Britland’s fate.

Winter weight? Wait? Why not write?

As the weather grows colder and the days shorter it seems like the perfect time to bake. Turning on the oven warms the house. Cakes, baked dinners, soups, bread. Oh, the smell of fresh bread baking.
Winter seems to invite those extra cups of coffee and cookies. Shortbread, snickerdoodles, scones, with jam and cream... of course. It all is so easy and comforting.

But... there is a downside. To the warmth, the enveloping odours of hot food, lashings of gravy, spices and sugary indulgences. How come baking isn't good for the waistline? Is that fair?






So instead of heating the oven I am gathering kindling. Stoking the fire and each time I do it inspires me to write.

How often does my hero light a fire? Does he have the same problems as I do? Damp kindling, wood that refuses to burn? I remember the days of swinging an axe to chop firewood. Even getting the blade caught in the block took an effort to remove. It was hard work, but I enjoyed it. I now blame if for my damaged back, but that's another story. Each flame, each moment when the conflagration takes hold, the spreading warmth the light, smoke, heat and comfort all take me back to my writing. Did I capture the essence of the fire? Did I use all the senses? Did I create the atmosphere a fire brings?



Of course, once I begin wondering my thoughts return to the latest novel up for editing. Seafaring adventure.
The series starts with a shipwreck, and with the two final adventures we return to the ocean.





What's not to love about pirates, sharks, whales, storms, visiting strange harbours, navigating shoals and feeling the salt laden breeze on one's skin?

Not so many fires in this one, but more the ocean spray, the constant motion of wind and wave. The exhilaration and danger.






There is a magical quality to winter. Even without snow and frosts, the cooler weather, the long nights. The clear crisp starlit nights all inspire and invigorate. I even enjoy the chills. Being able to rug up and wear extra layers without overheating. To walk, work and experience the beauty of our environment without needing constant protection from the harsh sun. It is a wonderful time of year.

So, I will head back to pen and paper and away from the kitchen. I will not listen to the call of the choc chip cookies or dream of the succulent scones slathered in strawberry jam and fresh whipped cream. I will return to the adventure and hope I can eliminate all the grammatical nits from the next book before it is released.

If you can't write to while away winter the cooler weather is a great excuse to curl up with a good book!!

Enjoy your season... and the weather... whether it is summer or winter.

Byron Bay Writers' Festival... preparation and excitement grows.

"I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because grammar and writers festivals go hand in hand. Thank goodness I can avoid squinting modifiers, parallel pronouns and confused conjunctions. Grammarly helps make proofreading all clear as mud."

So, thanks to the wonderful support of Coffs Harbour Writers' Group  I have been sponsored to attendthe Byron Bay Writers' Festival with two other group members.It is even more thrilling to have supportive members of the group chip in with cost of accommodation.
Karolyn and I will be staying at the prestigious (we will let you know exactly how prestigious later) Byron Beach Resort.
What we dream of... Where we will be staying...The program for the festival is packed with interesting talks, interviews and workshops. Already we have circled too many and will need to refine our timetable.

It will not only be attending talks to inspire and educate us, but the networking and fellowship being among like minded people will bring.

Of course after the rush of being there, our responsibility will lie in sharing what we enjoyed, learned, discovered and absorbed with our other group members and hopefully inspire them to attend next year.

We will also be attending a regional writers group meeting to discuss the possibility and agenda for a regional writers jamboree to be held in the near future. 
Byron Bay Writers Festival is on Facebook... If you want to go green with envy, or grab a ticket and join us there!Check out the lists of writers in attendance...  If you dare...
photo from Byron Bay Writers Festival Facebook
Off to pack warm clothes. Byron is famous for its rain and cookies. :)August it should just be cold. Not too damp. Fingers crossed.

Today I am being hosted by Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz...

http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/rosalie-skinner-chronicles-of-caleath.html

Please take a minute to visit!

EYE of the SOUL excerpt Terri Rochenski

Eye of the Soul (Pool of Souls #1)Adult FantasyRelease Date: October 7, 2013
Blurb:
Escape.
That should be Hyla’s first thought as her people are chained and imprisoned for no imaginable reason. 
Instead, Hyla finds herself traveling through a land void of Natives, with human soldiers pillaging in desperate pursuit of her, and in search of the mystical Pool of Souls—home to the one man who can save her people. 
Or so she believes. 
Led by her faith in the deity Fadir, Hyla is met along her journey by Jadon—a human male and fierce King’s warrior, and his childhood best friend Conlin—one of the few Natives aware of his Fadir-given Talents. 
Protected by Jadon, guided by Conlin, and with an unfailing belief in the purpose of her pilgrimage, Hyla carries on. 
Like her, though, another searches for the Pool, and should he gain access first, everyone she loves, and everything she knows, could be lost. 
Forever.
Excerpt:
Cursing her arthritic fingers, Miri squeezed out a rag and draped it over the human man's hot forehead.
“I’ve seen a lot more harvests than you, old goat,” she muttered, lifting his eyelids. “I’m thinking you’ll never catch up either. Doubt you last another half-moon’s phase.”
Miri pushed to her feet and stretched her hunched back. A heavy sigh slipped past her wrinkled lips as she glanced around the sick house. Keeping the night watch wasn’t too bad—she’d volunteered often since her old bones wouldn’t allow much sleep.
“Joints wasted, hearing all but gone …” Miri yanked on the long white braid lying over her shoulder. “I’m the old goat.”
She shuffled down the aisle, woolen kirtle swishing in the silence. A cool, autumn breeze rustled the crimson leaves of the magnolia and palm fronds overhead, drawing her gaze upward. Violet streaks lit the pre-dawn sky.
A dog barked, yipped, and fell silent.
Miri peered across the village green to the thatched buildings beyond. A shadow passed between two cottages. Another three hurried toward the neighboring dwelling.
“Sight fading or my mind, too?” Miri rubbed her watery eyes, blinked, and leaned forward. Light flickered through the palm trees behind the outlying homes.
Torches?
The flames drew closer, weaving between the trunks.
Humans from the mainland? Miri’s hand clutched at her throat. Soldiers. Fadir have mercy.
The men crept through the village, taking up positions at every doorway. Two brutes, more horse-like in size than human, approached the sick house. Sputtering torch held high, the first strode forward, dark eyes intent upon Miri. A green surcoat covered broad shoulders and fell to his thighs. The golden wheat sheaf of the city of Varosh adorned his chest.
Cold sweat beaded upon Miri’s brow. Breath burst from her lungs, and she moved back, clutching the door jam.
The second soldier stepped closer, chains and shackles clanking in his hand. He stopped two paces away from Miri, and a smile stretched his stubbled cheeks, revealing rotted teeth. “Good morning pointy-ears.”
Miri stared, heartbeat thundering in her ears. She’d been called worse in her eighty-three birth passings but never with such malice.
A single cry rang out across the village, and doors crashed inward. Screams rent the air.
“Don’t fight Native woman,” rotten-teeth sneered, shackles outstretched.
“W-why?” Miri whispered, taking a step backward.
A scowl narrowed his gaze, and his fist shot forward.
Bursts of light and pain exploded through Miri as she crumpled to the floor.
 Link to Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17156372-eye-of-the-soul

Terri RochenskiWebsite / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

STONE CHAMELEON, Urban Fantasy at its best...

Today we feature STONE CHAMELEON  by Jocelyn Adams...For a FREE copy to review just answer the question at the end of the post.
STONE CHAMELEON, Nothing urbane about this URBAN Fantasy...




When a series of unusual murders point to Lou Hudson, Ironhill’s equal rights advocate, as the primary suspect, she has but one choice: find the real perpetrator before her trial begins or face execution.

Lou, the last of the jinn, survives by hiding her abilities after the rest of the elementals fell victim to genocide. As a preternatural pest exterminator and self-proclaimed guardian of the innocent, she’s accustomed to trudging through the dregs of society. Hunting down a pesky murderer should be easy, especially with help from the dashing and mischievous local media darling.

For Lou, though, nothing is ever simple. When she discovers the killer’s identity, to reveal it would unearth her secret and go against her strict moral code, resulting in a deadly catch twenty-two.
*******
Now to meet the author... It is great to introduce the amazing  Jocelyn Adams...Your novel Stone Chameleon has recently been released through Museitup Publishing. Can you tell us a little about what inspired you to write this dark fantasy?  The blurb makes Lou sounds like an interesting character in a desperate situation.
Hi, Rosalie.  Thanks for inviting me.    
Normally I have a clear moment of conception for a story, but this one is kind of a blur.  
I knew I wanted to try out a different voice and reinvent a supernatural creature that wasn’t often written about, and somewhere out of those thoughts, Lou Hudson was born with her mixture of British and Canadian English.
She’s determined to smooth out the relations between human beings and all of the preternatural creatures that live in her city, all while keeping her jinn heritage a secret as her species was condemned and all but wiped out.  
Her lot in life has created an interesting blade she balances on, and because of it, she has become someone incredibly strong and determined to change the prejudices of the world.
She already sounds like an exceptional character.
Did Lou and her henchmen follow your plot path or did they take on a life of their own? Do you keep paranormal characters in check?
Oh, goodness, no.  My characters rarely turn out how I initially envision them.  I don’t plot anything, just have a name and a general description, then let my fingers fly.  
I struggled with Amun’s character (Lou’s potential love interest) and had to reinvent him a couple of times.  
Another main character in the book began as a straight-out villain who was only supposed to play a bit part, but has now become an integral part of the series.
  Sometimes I feel like I’m trying to walk a bunch of giant dog on leash, and sometimes all I can do is try to keep my feet under me while they drag me where they want to go.  J
Or two small dogs. LOL. I have two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that create the same effect!
You spend time with a compound bow? What an interesting hobby. What is the most unusual experience you have had while shooting?
It’s a great hobby that gets me outdoors a lot in the summer.  When my hubby and I were in high school and shooting at our local club, we very nearly stepped on not one, but two skunks hidden in the grass.  By some miracle we weren’t sprayed.  Needless to say, we took a little more care while wandering the course after that.Goodness that's a great incentive to watch where you put your feet. hehe. Thankfully we don't have skunks here! We still need to watch where we walk. :)
How much of your life is reflected in Lou’s adventure?There was a lot of me in my first main character, Lila Gray, but only a little of me in Lou.  
We both have a love affair with toast and we’re attracted to hulking Scotsmen in kilts, but beyond that, we’re not very similar.  
It was a challenge writing her because her voice is so different from my own.
An interesting concept, Jocelyn, writing a character so different from yourself and to do it successfully. I think that is a skill in itself.
Have you always been a writer?I’ve only been writing since late 2009, actually.  It wasn’t something I even considered trying even though I loved writing poetry and short stories in high school.
  It was one of those door closing, window opening kind of things that launched me into authordom.  J
What drew you to the Dark Fantasy genre?Back in 2009, my career took a left turn, leaving me with copious quantities of time on my hands.  A friend of mine suggested I read the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton.  
That series totally ensnared me from page one.  It was the one that made me want to write.  I love dark and gritty stuff, so naturally that’s what I ended up writing, too.
Thanks for sharing a little about Stone Chameleon.Thanks so much for having me.  It’s been a pleasure.
Now for a glimpse into STONE CHAMELEON.
Excerpt:
A flare shot over the rooftops to our left. I dove at Blake and slammed him to the pavement as another column of fire streaked toward us. The flames seared my back. The dragon bat was not a happy camper. Someone landed on my backside, crushing a grunt out of me and pounding my shoulder blade while Blake gasped beneath me.

“Bloody hell, Amun,” I said, before I realized he did it to put out the flames eating up my shirt. “Oh, I see. Thanks.”

He pulled me up, and the three of us ducked behind a car in the parking lot beside the Whip and Tickle, a vampire fetish-wear shop. The owl-sized bat swooped over us again, blasting an inferno that exploded the front window of the shop, sending studded leather and melted mannequins onto the sidewalk.

Three of the other creatures we’d hunted lay dead on other streets, the scorpion included, all by my sword when I’d been left with two options: kill or die. Twelve more were contained in three trucks. The bat remained the only unwelcome visitor in Fangtown. Other than us, of course.

“This is madness, Lou.” Amun panted beside me, his arms rising to shield his head as the bat exhaled on a Mini Cooper two cars over, the crackling and popping suggesting we should find a new hiding place.

“I agree with Mr. Bassili,” Blake said, his drawl worsening with his fright. “What the hell in a hand grenade do we do now?”

Rudy poked his almost translucent head out from behind the newspaper boxes he dove behind during the first fiery blast. The poor guy shook so badly I’d have been surprised if he could see anything. I gestured to him to stay put. “We’ve scared it, not something you want to do to a dragon bat.” A deep exhalation centered me enough to think. “I seem to recall the pecking order in a colony of bats. If we want protection from the dominants, we must present an offering of food.”

“And that helps us how?” Amun, his face blackened with soot and smeared with dirt, tilted to rest against the tire of the car, appearing as frazzled as I’d ever seen him. The sight induced a belly laugh that wouldn’t be contained.

He took on a strange expression of one eyebrow cocked and a half-grin, as if he wasn’t sure whether to be amused or offended. “What?”

I waved him off. “Nothing, I think I’m just losing my marbles.” Rising up enough to see around the car to Rudy, I shouted, “Rudy, do you have any rodents in your truck? Rats or mice?”

“No,” he hollered back, “but I can call some for you.”

I nodded. “As fast as you can.”

Flapping came from our rears. Crackling. A blast tossed the front of a car up until it crashed down on its hood, crushing a Mazda behind it.

“Move!” I shoved at Amun and tugged Blake toward the back of the fetish shop, since it was much closer than the front where flames still poured out of the broken window. Amun kicked out with a startling force against the wooden door. It took three tries, but it finally gave. My, but he was strong. We rushed inside and crouched behind a cement wall beside a set of stairs leading down.

“What do you want the rats for?” Amun asked with obvious suspicion. “Tell me you don’t want one of us to go out there and dangle something for that thing to come and snatch, probably toasting us to a golden brown in the process? Because I think I’ve grown a healthy dose of sympathy for marshmallows right about now.”

“Don’t worry, Amun. I’m going, not you. We just need to listen for Rudy to come back, if he hasn’t chickened out and run for the hills. Hopefully rats like to hang out here and aren’t snapped up for evening snacks.” There was a reason the umikan stuck to small, normal pests, other than his ability to talk to them. Although he’d deal with the scarier stuff when the need called for it, he usually didn’t have enough courage to fill a thimble.

“What?” Amun palmed his forehead. “You can’t be serious.” He gestured toward the door. “Have you been oblivious to the destruction that thing caused just in the last ten minutes? It’s pissed, and I don’t think it’s going to care about some little morsel you offer it.” His frown tugged at his features. “Why are you smiling like that?”

I shrugged, hopped up on adrenaline and enjoying the sight of the great Amun Bassili squirming. “This is what I do for a living.”

“You’re enjoying this?” Both of his eyebrows jacked up.

“Yup,” Blake said, rolling his eyes and chuckling from deep in his belly. “Weirdest broad I ever knew. Takes a bit of starch outta the ole manhood, don’t it?”

I wiped the char from my hands onto my jeans. “To do a job one takes no pride in is a travesty, in my opinion.”

At Rudy’s shout from beyond the wall, I said, “Stay here. Don’t come out until I call or you could send the bat into fits again.”

************



About the Author:
Jocelyn Adams grew up on a cattle farm in Lakefield and has remained a resident of Southern Ontario her entire life, most recently in Muskoka. She has worked as a computer geek, a stable hand, a secretary, and spent most of her childhood buried up to the waist in an old car or tractor engine with her mechanically inclined dad. But mostly, she's a dreamer with a vivid imagination and a love for dark fantasy (and a closet romantic — shhh!). When she isn't shooting her compound bow in competition or writing, she hangs out with her husband and young daughter at their little house in the woods.

Links:

Website  |  Blog |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads


Purchase Links:
MuseItUp Bookstore
Amazon.com  |  Barnes & Noble  |  MuseItUp Publishing

To get a FREE copy of STONE CHAMELEON to review, just answer the question
What sort of creature is mentioned in the excerpt?
Email your answer to Caleathsquest @ gmail.com (no spaces) and I will contact the author.

Thank you for sharing a little about STONE CHAMELEON today Jocelyn. I love the idea of dragon bats. 

Taking time out to relax...

A week in Noosa... perfect weather, beaches and luxury apartment... what better way to relax and enjoy a short break.
View from our balcony
View over Noosa

One morning was spent on a quiet trek through the lake and forest. Brilliant way to relax. :)
Clever effect.  Dave, our guide.

Chappy, my trusty steed.The perfect end to a perfect week. A sunset cruise.
Sunset cruise.Then it was back to Brisbane to see Phill entertain a rowdy football crowd at The Pineapple. He had the mob tapping their toes and up and dancing. They  sang along to old favourites too. Was a fantastic night.
25th May 2013 at The Pineapple Hotel Brisbane.
Phill Skinner Music if you need a muso for weddings, parties, anything. :)

So now I am settling back into editing and promoting.
Refreshed and inspired?
Or just counting the days till the next week away?
What do you think?

A Recipe for Success?

Today on Wendy Laharnar's Blog... Do you know the missing ingredient?
Wendy Laharnar
 author of The Unhewn Stone 
asks me a series of clever 
and challenging questions. 
   MORE THAN JUST A WONDERFUL TIME
TRAVELLING  ADVENTUREThe questions are fun.Drop in to help us discuss a few tricky questions.Look out for dragons, tall ships, whales, wolves, and recipes...How would you answer Wendy's questions?
Remember... Mother's Day is coming up.To celebrate Book One EXILED: AUTUMN'S PERILis on SPECIAL99cforTEN DAYS ONLY.

My first face to face...World Building and Creative Writing workshop...

 Taking every opportunity to share promotional items for the Chronicles of Caleath and also Edith and Francene's Higher Ground series and Edith's Strays of Rio.
Showing a Vistaprint addiction well out of control, but the postcards, brochures, banners and bookmarks were well received.

Oh, and the workshop went well too, as far as I could tell. The feedback I was given was all positive.
Once my nerves settled and creative writing exercises began, the writers unlocked their imagination and a dozen new and exciting worlds were created.
Diverse characters, from a beam of light, to feathered fingered creature, to a Ninja chef and multi faceted landscapes, backgrounds and threats were woven into a short detailed scenario.

I hope the participants had as much fun as I did. Their creative talents were amazing. :)

How do you cope?

How do you cope when life offers too many challenges?
When the light at the end of the tunnel doesn't exist?
When everything you have done turns to dust and mildew?
When dreams become nightmares and you dare not sleep?
When passion becomes pain and love a bitter truth?
Do you dream of the time you will be reunited with the universe?
Do you count the benefits your passing will cause?
Do you long for peace and tranquillity and the lack of guilt and of being a burden?
Is there an answer?