Tracy Falbe's Blog, page 29

Werewolves in the Renaissance Blog Tour Open for Sign Ups

It's time to take my new release Werelord Thal: A Renaissance Werewolf Tale on a blog tour. 
All bloggers whose audience would like to know about a historical paranormal fantasy novel are invited to participate. Werelord Thal is my ninth novel and available as an ebook or paperback. I welcome bloggers from all countries. My novels are available worldwide from my web store and many retailers.

Writing a novel in a historical period means research. For Werelord Thal: A Renaissance Werewolf Tale I chose 16th century Bohemia for the setting. The era of the Renaissance and Reformation in Europe is one that I studied in college. This period fascinates me, particularly its witch hunting craze. This element inspired a lot of the content and meaning within Werelord Thal.
To take the book on tour I’ve decided to create guest posts about historical facts I learned while researching the novel. Even though I was familiar with the broad historical strokes of this era, many little details needed to be tracked down as I wrote the novel.
Bloggers who wish to review the book or interview me instead of accepting a guest post are welcome to do so. Free ebook copies are available to reviewers.
Bloggers who sign up to host a tour stop for Werelord Thal will receive the following materials to publish at their blogs.
1. A short guest post highlighting a snippet of historical information from my research. This part is meant to be interesting to readers. I’m hoping to provide content that they will enjoy and appreciate. Example subjects are: Historical quarters of Prague, the clock in the Old Town Square of Prague, the card game primero, Gypsies and laws against them, what are Reiters?, and who were the Renaissance witches?
2. Book cover art and tour banner.
3. Book description.
4. Embed code for a 4-chapter preview of Werelord Thal from SlideShare.
5. Coupon code for my Brave Luck Books web store where your readers can save 25 percent on the Werelord Thal ebook (sale price $2.99 discounted from $3.99).
6. Coupon code to save 20 percent on the Werelord Thal paperback.
7. Links to other retail sites. You may add affiliate codes to these links if that’s your thing. Werelord Thal offers a 50 percent affiliate share at Smashwords if you’re interested.
8. Upon request, any participating blogger may have a free ebook copy of Werelord Thal.
The tour will be supported by multiple and ongoing press releases through my newswire service. I will write and distribute a press release for every tour stop. This is mutually positive for both me and your blog. You could get dozens or maybe hundreds of extra visits to your blog through the newswire. It will also help me keep my name and book circulating on the internet.
Blog tour will start on February 11th and run through March 21st.
To join the blog tour, please fill out the form below and I will be in touch to confirm scheduling and deliver promotional materials. 
 About the novel:

Thal is wanted for Devil worship and shape shifting but still boldly walks the streets of 16th century Prague. Jesuits hunt him. Mercenaries fear him. Musicians sing his praise, and women are captivated by his alpha swagger. Born of a witch and a sorcerer, he is summoned when his desperate mother casts the werewolf spell before facing torture and execution. Burdened with her magical call for vengeance Thal seeks the men that killed her. His hunt is complicated when the Magistrate’s stepdaughter Altea Kardas crosses his path. She is horrified that her community is burning women to death. She can confide her doubt and fear only to Thal.

He desires her greatly but knows he will bring ruin upon her. Across Bohemia and beyond people who are different are labeled heretics in a restless world hobbled by tyrannical ignorance. The Renaissance has thrown the Holy Roman Empire into turmoil. Printed books are spreading radical ideas. Firearms are triggering a new age of warfare. And the human spirit is shaking off obedience.

Thal embodies the ancient magic of the pagan past. He challenges a world conquered by a spiritual system that denies the flesh and forgets the Earth. And he awakens within Altea recognition of these truths. She believes any risk is worth loving him until she becomes the bait in a trap set by Thal’s enemies.

Please fill out this form to join the tour. Loading...

15% Off Coupon for Paperback Fantasy Savage Storm Plus Excerpt

If you don't want no stinking ebook reader or digital books, I offer the print-preferring public a 15% savings off the paperback price of Savage Storm: Rys Rising Book II.Visit my chosen print-on-demand supplier Createspace to get this novel and enter coupon code EHJ77M8M at checkout to apply the discount. 

About the novel

442 page 6 x 9 inch trade paperback ISBN 9780976223580

When Onja enthralls the savage Chatapaka people of the remote north and unleashes their brutal hordes upon vulnerable Nufalese settlements, the militia is overwhelmed. Cruce Chenomet and his comrades struggle to save the fleeing settlers. Cruce quickly loses hope but keeps his courage as he confronts the savage storm.

Read the excerpt from Savage Storm below to get a feel for the style of this fantasy novel. In this exciting scene Cruce Chenomet attempts to rescue two militia comrades kidnapped by the savages after a big battle. A tabre of the Kwellstan Sect has gone with him to help but only has limited magical powers. For Cruce it's likely a suicide mission undertaken in the heat of battle, but the militiamen of Nufal never leave a man behind if any hope remains. 

I chose this excerpt because it demonstrates the intensity of the action in this novel. I promise there's much more of this action throughout the epic series.

From Chapter 14. The Shaman's Dance

Even without Truleo’s help, Cruce could have located the captive militiamen. The howling, singing, and chanting punctuated by the most chilling screams drew him and the tabre rapidly to the fire lit ring. Many rows of savages insulated some horrible scene. On the outer fringe the savages milled and jockeyed for position, trying to see better the ritual murder of their prisoners.
Cruce and Truleo hovered in the darkness just outside the savage gathering. Nearby they could hear other men rushing to the scene, hoping to experience the gruesome sacrifice. Cruce knew that he would have to plunge into that merciless mass of bodies and do what he could. Another scream shredded his ears and amid the shouts and chants he heard screeching Nufalese curse words.
“Truleo, after I go in, make a distraction,” Cruce said.
The tabre was panting, but not from exertion. He was having a startling physiological reaction to the naked emotions rising from the savages and their victims. He had never imagined such horrors nor had he thought he could feel so small and weak before a group of humans. Their bloodlust exceeded those of any other animal and the power of it made him tremble.
“Truleo!” Cruce hissed urgently.
“I’m afraid,” the tabre said.
Cruce’s eyes bulged. “I’m going in there now,” he said, exasperated that the tabre was afraid when he was the one rushing alone into the raving pumping heart of savagedom.
More screams erupted, speaking to the worst of pains, and Truleo quailed.
“Do something now!” Cruce commanded and ran into the crowd.
The savages were transfixed by their dark ceremony and Cruce was just another pushing man in the hot horrible group. His disguise was sufficient and the ecstatic madness around him covered the cries of those men he removed from his path with his knife and sword. Holding the exposed blades close to his body, he pressed through to the inner circle of blood.
The scene he beheld froze him completely. His body burned to take action, but he did not know what to do. He had been willing to die trying to save his comrades, but now that he saw what the savages did to their live captives, quivering fear snatched at his courage like a protective mother.
In front of him, two savages held a prisoner tied to a pole. Their backs were to Cruce, but he recognized Vrostan’s blond hair. Hebensten squirmed and wailed, but he was helpless to flee or stop the atrocities inflicted upon Drumond. Cruce could not tell if Drumond still lived, but he surely must die soon. His guts were spilled onto the ground and the shaman was yanking the entrails apart and examining them for reasons Cruce refused to fathom.
White light suddenly brightened the surreal acts of cruelty performed by the shaman. After flaring brightly and revealing the bloody mess of Drumond’s defiled body, the light moved around the shaman, illuminating his warped frame within a sphere of glistening energy. The songs of the savages stopped and the shaman looked around his bubble of light. Alarm and fascination shone from his pale eyes, and, being a shaman, he quickly took advantage of the mysterious event. Raising his bloody knives, he shouted and exulted in the power that his ritual had released. The ring of savages backed off a little, terrified of their shaman and the strange light.
Because the supernatural display had to be Truleo’s distraction, Cruce smashed the paralysis of his terror. Now was his only chance to vent his hatred and avenge the horrors upon which he looked.
Cruce raised his weapons and approached the two savages holding the pole with Vrostan on it. Cruce shoved his knife into the upper back of one savage and chopped the neck of the other with his sword. They crumpled with hardly a sound, and Vrostan fell forward as the two men restraining him abruptly let go.
The white light left the shaman and moved into the crowd. Its sphere shape dissolved and weird tendrils of light began snaking around the savages. The crowd loosened as the savages backed away from the light that seemed now to be looking for something.
Cruce worked unnoticed as the simple tabre light tricks drew the full attention of the savages. He bent over Vrostan and started cutting him free. Leaning into his ear, he asked Vrostan if he could stand.
The sound of his own language was a mercy beyond all hope. He heaved his battered body onto all fours as the straps around his neck and wrists fell away. In the hectic shifting light, he did not immediately recognize Cruce but he understood that someone had come to help him. This seemed so impossible that he had to wonder if he had lapsed into a hallucination. Even so, he willed his body to function. Moving into a low crouch, Vrostan looked around.
The white light had lifted into the air, pulling all the amazed eyes of the savages with it. The shaman was singing to it in his own trance-like speech. Cruce left Vrostan and darted to Drumond. Beholding the ruined young man almost made him wretch. He saw Drumond’s hands twitch and bloody lips wheeze through pink froth. Life remained in the poor young man and Cruce acted quickly. He slammed his knife through Drumond’s chest all the way up to the black horn handle. Cracking through the tough sternum, the blade split Drumond’s heart and sent him to the Great Divinity.
Cruce pulled his knife free and whirled away from Drumond too sickened to ever look at him again. Loathsome depths of vengeful rage boiled Cruce’s spirit and filled him with a pressurized strength that could only be released in one way. Danger did not matter and escape could wait. The savages would fear Cruce Chenomet of Nufal.
Lifting his sword high, he stalked up to the blathering shaman...

Save 15% off the paperback price of Savage Storm: Rys Rising Book II.Visit my chosen print-on-demand supplier Createspace to get this novel and enter coupon code EHJ77M8M at checkout to apply the discount.

For more paperback coupons follow Her Ladyship's Quest during Print Book Appreciation Month.

Celtic Mythology Inspires New Paranormal Romance by Juli D. Revezzo

I'm happy to present a guest blogger today. Juli D. Revezzo is an accomplished author with several stories published in various literary magazines. Today she talks about mythological creatures and her new paranormal romance Passion's Sacred Dance published by The Wild Rose Press.

Unusual paranormal characters in Romanceby
Juli D. Revezzo

Modern paranormal romance caters to women who want to dream a little more than the average reader. They crave the weird and just looking at the romance pages in Amazon or at the shelves in a bookstore, you’ll see publishers are catering to that wish list.

These days the main star of the genre, though, seems to have gelled down to two factions: Vampires and werewolves. As a reader of the genre, and as a lover of mythology, I’ve often wondered why that is. After all, the world’s mythologies offer so many different types of monsters (yes, I said the M word ;)) to choose from.

For instance, in Medieval mythology you’ll find Spring-heeled Jack.

In Scottish mythology you’ll find the pooka and the selkie.

In Greek and Roman mythology you have the shade (which is akin to the ghost), sirens, and the harpies, not to mention gods, dryads, and fauns—the list is endless right in that one mythology. And can’t you just see the *ahem* Erotic antics to be had with a faun?!

(C.S. Lewis missed a great opportunity to write a romance *eg*)

For me I chose to focus on the Celts of ancient Ireland and Gaul who battled the Romans in order to preserve their homeland. (Alas, we won’t have time to cover here how that worked out) Warriors, druids, sorcerers, maidens with mystic powers and secrets. Though the mythological records can seem spotty, they carry within them the very seed of romance itself.

(and, wow! Imagine being taken away by an elf king… and a faun? Wait, I think I have a new idea for a book.)

If you’d like to see what I made of my take on the Celtic mythological beings, read my new paranormal romance, PASSION’S SACRED DANCE.

Battling mounting debt, Stacy Macken is determined not to lose her historic art gallery. When Aaron Fielding appears and offers to help, she fights to keep the attraction sizzling between them from clouding her judgment. He may be her savior in disguise--but can she trust him?

Aaron intrigues her with tales of the Tuatha dé Danann, sworn warriors who protect humanity from the monsters seeking their destruction. If Aaron can prove what he claims, she would give up anything to help--even the gallery he claims is sacred ground. But with her property set to stage the next epic battle, she needs answers. An old family diary will confirm the ancient legend is true, if only they can find it in time.

If the battle is lost, the enemy will take control of Earth for the next five hundred years. Stacy and Aaron's budding love might only complicate things.

If you’d like to read more, PASSION’S SACRED DANCE is available at Amazon, All Romance Ebooks, Bookstrand, Itunes, Kobo, and The Wild Rose Press.

Tracy's Note: Because it's print month here at Her Ladyship's Quest I'll point out that Passion's Sacred Dance is also available in paperback at Amazon and Wild Rose Press. 

Thank you, Tracy for hosting me today! Folks, I hope you’ll check PASSION’S SACRED DANCE out and enjoy the magic!


About Juli D. Revezzo:
Juli D. Revezzo has long been in love with writing, a love built by devouring everything from the Arthurian legends, to the works of Michael Moorcock, and the classics and has a soft spot for classic the “Goths” of the 19th century. Her short fiction has been published in Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, The Scribing Ibis, Eternal Haunted Summer, Twisted Dreams Magazine and Luna Station Quarterly. She also has an article and book review or two out there. But her heart lies in the storytelling. She is a member of Independent Authors Network and Magic Appreciation Tour. Passion’s Sacred Dance is her first romance novel.

You can find out more about her at her homepage: http://julidrevezzo.com/
Blog: http://julidrevezzo.com/blog

Like her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/JD-Revezzo/233193150037011
Follow her on Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/111476709039805267272/posts
On Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5782712.Juli_D_Revezzo
Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/authors/a1002694572/Juli-D-Revezzo/
On Twitter: @julidrevezzo

So, tell me, what unusual character might you want to read (or write) a love story about?

My Vintage Doctor Who Paperbacks Are a Beloved Part of Print Collection

What makes me keep a book instead of putting it in the garage sale? What makes something worthy of shelf space?

Many reasons motivate people to add books to their collections. A big influence in my print collection is sentimental value. I keep the book because I have a strong emotional connection with the book's content and the memories attached to the book as a physical object.

My beloved little Doctor Who paperbacks are a perfect example. I've never been able to part with them over the decades. I even cringe at the thought of listing them on Etsy where I actively sell vintage books for fun.

I'm a Doctor Who fan to this day, but when I was a kid I could only watch it when the local PBS station broadcast them. There was no unlimited access on Netflix. DVDs did not exist.

So I turned to books. I can't even remember how old I was when I got these books. I guess I was about 12 or 13. Even though I had seen the episodes of these stories on television, I still loved reading them. The book is always better that the movie right?

Pictured above are these titles:

By Terrance Dicks

Doctor Who and the Giant Robot
Death to the Daleks
And the Day of the Daleks
And the Abominable Snowmen
And the Horror of Fang Rock

And the Masque of Mandragora by Philip Hinchcliffe
And the Green Death by Malcolm Hulke


These books make me happy every time I see them and that's reason enough to keep them.

Follow my blog if you'd like more content about books. I've declared January Print Appreciation Month. I'll be sharing coupon codes for paperbacks of my novels. You can read a long excerpt from Rys Rising: Book I and get a 15 percent off discount code here.

Rys Rising Fantasy Paperback Excerpt with 15% Off Coupon

Rys Rising: Book I by Tracy Falbe is an epic fantasy available as a 404 page 6 x 9 inch trade paperback ISBN 978-0976223573. Save 15% at Createspace with coupon code EHJ77M8M
Continuing the theme of Print Book Appreciation Month I present today an excerpt from Rys Rising: Book I. In this scene Amar rescues Urlen from a slow death at the Sky Temple. These men will become great friends and conquer many realms in the service of Onja, their rys mistress and soon-to-be Goddess.



About the Novel: A young warrior ruined and near death is saved by Onja a mysterious rys female. Forsaking all that he was, he will take the name Amar and serve his new magical mistress. A lord among outlaws he will become, feared by kings and called the dro-shalum or curse demon by the common folk. Indulge yourself and read this sumptuous epic told from many angles.
Excerpt:

Amar drew his good sword and approached the altar. Onja followed him, captivated by everything she beheld. Cybar trailed them, stalling fearfully. Amar waved the birds away from the altar with his sword. The tormented man squinted into the sun. Amar, silhouetted by the brightness, was fuzzy to his bloodshot eyes. He tried to speak, but his dry thirsty throat barely made a sound better than the coarse crows.Cybar called to Amar, “His life is for Preem. You must not interfere.”Amar studied the man on the altar. His brown skin glowed red from the burning sun. His lips were cracked and darkly clotted. His chin length black hair with a deep widow’s peak was dirty and stringy, and blisters mottled his forehead, nose and cheeks. He had only been left clothed in a linen tunic and loin cloth and his bare legs showed the wounds of many probing pecks. Upon hearing voices, the condemned tried again to speak. “Mercy,” he groaned. “Mercy. I do not deserve this.”“Amar, we must go,” Cybar insisted. “Do not give him swift death.”Amar had initially thought to end the man’s suffering with a merciful blow, but now that he looked at him, he changed his mind.“I would free him,” he said.“Preem will punish you,” Cybar warned.Amar dismissed the threat of Preem’s ire. “I seek no forgiveness for anything that I have done. One more thing will not matter,” he said and then looked to Onja, seeking her opinion.She came beside the altar. “Free him,” she concurred.The bronze chains that draped the altar were old and corroded, but still firm enough to restrain a tortured man. Amar found a particularly weak link and smacked it with his sword. Three strokes and the link broke. Amar pried the link apart and then pulled the chains off the loop set into the stone. The condemned man watched Amar with amazement. The young wanderer bore no resemblance to anyone he knew and he certainly lacked the appearance of a Nurati. With the chains loose from the rock, Amar looked at the manacles on the man’s wrists and ankles. “I can get those off him,” Onja said.The condemned man turned his head toward her lovely voice. “Sweet lady….” he started to say in a voice as rough as split logs but then he stopped. He did not understand what he saw. He fainted when her eyes began to glow with blue fire. The bolts of the manacles softened as Onja precisely heated them. Amar pulled the manacles open and freed the man’s limbs. Amar gathered the limp man into his arms. He was slight of build, and Amar was able to place him over a shoulder. The man smelled terribly, and Amar turned his face away from his wretched body. Cybar had retreated outside the ring of stones. From the shade of an oak he watched Amar approach with the unconscious man. Cybar shook his head insistently. “Put him back,” he advised urgently.Onja tugged on Amar’s sleeve to stop him. “He truly fears what you have done,” she commented.“He will get over it,” Amar said, unconcerned about Cybar’s opinion.“The others truly fear this sky temple,” she said.“The Gods are to be feared, Onja,” Amar replied matter-of-factly. “You are born. You die. The Gods are always there.”She contemplated his simple words and then asked, “But you do not fear your Gods, Amar?” Amar would have shrugged if he had not been burdened with a stinking half-dead man. “I do not care,” he said and continued toward Cybar.Onja lingered in the sky temple and studied the faces carved in the stones. Their blank eyes now looked at her invitingly, welcoming her into their mysterious club.So simple, she thought.She set a hand on a monolith. The stone had been cut from the Rysamand and somehow the humans had dragged it up this butte. The effort that must have taken astounded her. So very strange that the humans would work so hard for something that benefited them not at all. Most of them lived in little huts and enjoyed no luxuries. Why did they not put their efforts toward making better shelters for everyone?Onja looked at the men under the oak tree. Amar had set the man down in the shade and was dripping water onto the man’s ragged lips. Cybar frowned over them with worry.There is power in fear, Onja realized.A crow flapped over her head and landed on the nearest monolith. He squawked at Onja irritably, apparently blaming her for the removal of the sacrifice. She looked up at the impertinent bird. He turned his head and regarded her closely with a perfect black eye that glistened with intelligence. Onja shifted her attention entirely to the sentience radiating from the shiny black bird. Her wondrous mind that knew no bounds connected with the bird’s alien awareness. “Yes, I took your prize. Forgive me this once, and I will make it up to you,” she told him mentally. Utterly surprised by the communication, the crow tucked his dark beak against his feathery chest and peeked at her shyly. Onja lifted a blue hand and invited him gently with a twitch of her white-nailed fingers. The crow looked back at his mates that were strutting across the altar stone, complaining among each other. Tentatively the crow on the monolith opened his wings, and, after one more encouraging gesture from Onja, flapped down to her hand. His feet dug into her skin but did not pierce her flesh. She stroked his neck and purred to him lovingly. “You shall have to tell me your name someday,” she told him. He squawked and took to the air. He landed in the oak tree over the men tending the victim plucked from Preem’s justice. Onja watched the indentations left in the skin of her hand fade before she joined her companions. Amar made Cybar help him carry the man down the steep steps of the butte. The other men were distressed at Amar’s audacious theft from Preem. But Amar scolded them, “We claim to be brother outlaws yet you would leave one to the judgment of the law-abiding. Whatever this man did, he is one of us now.”Delirious, the man moaned and turned his head from side to side on the ground. He was grizzled, sunburned, and filthy. His body was thin and his hands were soft. Clearly he was no laborer.Amar said, “I think this man has some quality.”They took him to the little stream in the canyon and washed him. The cool water roused him from his burning torment, and he drank greedily, which made him retch. Amar rolled him away from the bank so that he could no longer slurp like a mad animal. Clearly the group was not going to travel more that day, and Vame gathered firewood. While Amar nursed the man, Cybar answered questions from Kym and Vame about the sky temple. His Kez brothers often glanced warily at the quiet butte. The circling vultures were drifting away. Preem’s servants would go unpaid today. A debt perhaps that would not be forgotten.Onja sat apart from everyone, cross-legged upon a boulder at the edge of the stream. She stared toward her mountains, lost in intense thought. Kym eventually stood over Amar and the man that had been rescued. “Amar, the priests of Preem might notice that the vultures disappeared when they should have thickened in the sky,” Kym said.“Priests are slow. We’ll move on in the morning. Do not worry, Kym,” Amar said. “Your accursed pet will not be able to travel so soon,” Kym said.Amar’s dark eyes flashed up at the Kez warrior. “I do not fear Nurati priests who chain people and leave them for animals,” Amar said. “This man will ride with me.”Kym shook his head because Amar puzzled him continually. “Why do you want this man? He’ll certainly make no warrior for Vu. I don’t think he could steal a bowl of porridge to save his life.”Amar wetted a rag and wiped the man’s forehead. “He might have knowledge and rare skills. Warriors aren’t everything,” he said.Kym scratched the back of his head, where his stubble was starting to grow in. “I suppose the Nurati are known for scholarship,” Kym granted. He squatted next to the thin wretched man and studied him. “Yes, yes, definitely a Nurati nose. What’s your name, Nurati criminal?” Kym asked.The man’s eyes were half closed. His lips moved as if he might answer, but the effort to speak seemed to be too much. Amar dribbled at little more water into his mouth and said, “I am Amar. Who are you?” “Amar,” the man whispered back and his long black lashes lifted. His crusty eyes were craters in a skull covered by tight skin. “I am Urlen.”“Urlen,” Amar repeated. He liked the name. “What was your crime?”Urlen shut his eyes as if the answer was difficult to recall. “No crime,” he said. “I did what was right.”Kym chuckled. “Maybe he is a proper criminal.”
If you'd like to sample more of this novel you can download the free ebook version worldwide at Brave Luck Books

Or look for it at your favorite online retailer. Ebook $2.99 Paperback $15.
To save 15% off the paperback list price visit Createspace and enter coupon code EHJ77M8M at checkout. Createspace is the print-on-demand company that produces the paperback that is also for sale at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The coupon code only works at Createspace. 
Any questions or comments? Leave one at this blog. I'll see it and respond.
Want to enjoy more excerpts from my novels and get more coupon codes? Please follow Her Ladyship's Quest. You can use RSS (my favorite) or get email notifications.

January 8th Picks for Bargain Ebooks at Smashwords

Smashwords Deals for the week of January 8th

This is a weekly feature at Her Ladyship's Quest. Follow by email or with RSS and come back for the next Smashwords Deals feature. 

I'm a big nonfiction reader, so I've collected a few nonfiction picks at Smashwords this week for your consideration. 


PTSD Silent Heartache

Johnny Gavin

Nonfiction Mental Health

$0.99 no coupon needed. 

Get it at Smashwords

The author of PTSD Silent Heartache suffers with this illness himself so can empathise with others who suffer in silence. Whilst he was in the Army – the Parachute Regiment initially he transferred to the Military Corrective Training Centre in Colchester, Essex where he gained various qualifications in stress related issues to help those service personnel who were in detention.

Sales Call Reluctance

Connie Kadansky, PCC

Nonfiction Business and Sales

$1.99 no coupon needed

Get it at Smashwords

There are times when even the best of us find ourselves in a rut. It seems that we are doing the same old things and feel that the excitement has gone out of our career. In this book you will find some of the best and brightest sharing about personal development. Sales Call Reluctance Coach, Connie Kadansky, shares how to overcome the emotional hesitation to prospect and self-promote.


Tech Watch: The Future is Being Built Today

John Stilwell

Nonfiction Science and Nature

FREE! no coupon needed

Get it at Smashwords

This book is a series of articles from my blog that take look at the cutting edge of science. Amazing things are happening that most of us are unaware.

Happy Reading!

Follow Her Ladyship's Quest by email or with RSS and come back for the next Smashwords Deals feature.
Authors: Send me your coupon codes with the form at the bottom of the Smashwords Deals page.

A Book Review of William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher

Just when I thought I would never be interested by a piece of Star Wars merchandise again, I received William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher. My brother gave it to me for Christmas.

Ian Doescher recreated Star Wars in the style of a Shakespeare play. Reading this made me love Shakespeare and Star Wars all over again.

I daresay that Star Wars is even better as a play written in iambic pentameter. Maybe everything is better in iambic pentameter. First time author Doescher displays the skill of a true wordsmith as he delves into archaic language and the squashing of syllables with apostrophes.

Throughout the play I adored the little asides given by various characters.

Here's Vader during the famous choking scene:

Tarkin: --Cease!
No more of this! Good Vader, let him be.
Vader: As is thy will. [Aside:] My point hath well been made
Upon his prideful, unbelieving throat.

And remember that moment when Leia disses the Millennium Falcon?

Leia: [to Han] Hast thou come here in that ungainly heap?
Thou art, perhaps, then braver than I thought.
Han: 'Tis well and good, though I need not thy praise.
Now let us hence, and to the ship repair!

And we know that Shakespearean characters require many lines when dying.

Obi-Wan: But ere I die, I'll one last lesson teach.
I shall in this -- my final moment -- set
A keen example for the universe,
That future generations may yet know
The valor and the strength of Jedi Knights.
Put up thy lightsaber now, Obi-Wan,
And show thyself a Jedi to this son.

I applaud this book. Although it mimics Shakespearean language, it is accessible to all readers. The flowery verbiage won't trigger any comprehension allergies. This is a work of art by a fan for fans of Star Wars and language.

I Hereby Declare January Print Book Appreciation Month

Just because most of my sales are digital does not mean I dislike paper books. I love books. I love libraries and bookstores. I love poking through boxes of books at estate sales. I even have a small horde of books that I keep for reasons sentimental and sometimes intellectual.

Therefore, I'm making January Print Book Appreciation Month at Her Ladyship's Quest. I don't want people devoted to print to think I don't want to communicate with them. I do!

After meeting people at face-to-face events the last six months, I know that there are many readers out there who aren't terribly interested in ebooks.

So this month I'll be writing blog posts about how my life is bookish and the physical paper printed books that I specifically love.

And because I produce all my novels in paperback too I'll be sharing coupons for paperbacks too.

If you love reading blogs about books when you're not actually reading a book, please follow Her Ladyship's Quest. You can use RSS (my favorite) or get email notifications.

Coming up tomorrow...

January 8th A Book Review of William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher

January 9th Rys Rising: Book I excerpt plus 15% off coupon

January 11th My Vintage Doctor Who Paperbacks Are a Beloved Part of Print Collection

11th Doctor Who Matt Smith Heads to the Big Easy

The recently replaced Matt Smith who played the 11th Doctor Who will be a guest at Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans February 7th through 8th. I'm sure he'll attract an epic mob of fans from across space and time. Doctor Who costumers were in abundance at the comic con I attended this fall. This news reminds that I really need to catch up on my Doctor Who watching. Oh well, the episodes exist across time and I'm sure I can land my TARDIS and get to know the Matt Smith Doctor a little better in the future.

For those in the New Orleans area this winter who might have a chance to go, here's all the information from the Wizard World press release.

Oh, Doctor! Matt Smith To Attend Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con, Feb. 7-8

'Eleventh Doctor' In 'Doctor Who' Series To Make First Wizard World Appearance At Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

NEW ORLEANS, January 6, 2014 – Matt Smith, who recently completed an acclaimed four-year run as the 11th incarnation of the Doctor in the landmark British television series “Doctor Who,” will make his first Wizard World appearance at New Orleans Comic Con on February 7-8. Smith will greet fans, sign autographs, pose for photo ops and conduct an interactive Q&A during the event, held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Smith began his acting career on stage, appearing in various popular London theatrical performances before landing the coveted role in “Doctor Who” in 2010. He received a BAFTA Award nomination in 2011 and his final episode, on Christmas Day, was BBC America's largest audience ever, attesting to both the popularity of the series in America and Smith's success in the role.

“Doctor Who” fandom is on full display at Wizard World shows. Fans of the series, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a highly-rated program that was simulcast by BBC America at Austin Comic Con, cosplay as numerous characters as well as the TARDIS, the space-time vehicle used in the show.

Smith joins an impressive roster of celebrities scheduled to attend Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con (Feb. 7-9), including Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Jon Bernthal and Michael Rooker of “The Walking Dead,” Robert Englund (“Freddy Kruger” of A Nightmare on Elm Street), Eisner Award Hall of Famer Stan Lee, Wil Wheaton (“Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Stand By Me), John Ratzenberger (“Cheers,” Toy Story), WWE® Diva AJ Lee™, Linda Hamilton (Terminator, Beauty and the Beast), Alan Tudyk (“Serenity,” Wreck it Ralph) and many others. It is the second of 16 events currently scheduled in the 2014 series produced by Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) and will also feature a top-drawer collection of well-known comics artists and writers and a variety of activities, exhibitors and special attractions.

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, comics, toys, video gaming, television, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con show hours are Friday, Feb. 7, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 8, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 9, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

New Orleans Comic Con is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor, often stopping by the Show Stage, the ideal place to see and be seen.

For more on the 2014 Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con, visit http://www.wizardworld.com/home-newor....

About Wizard World:
Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD) produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate graphic novels, comic books, movies, TV shows, gaming, technology, toys and social networking. The events often feature celebrities from movies and TV, artists and writers, and events such as premieres, gaming tournaments, panels, and costume contests.

The full event schedule can be found at www.wizardworld.com.

Wizard World 2014 Schedule
January 24-26 – Wizard World Portland Comic Con
February 7-9 – Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con
March 7-9 – Wizard World Sacramento Comic Con
March 28-30 – Wizard World Louisville Comic Con
April 4-6 – Wizard World St. Louis Comic Con
May 2-4 – Wizard World Minneapolis Comic Con
May 30-June 1 – Wizard World Atlanta Comic Con
June 19-22 – Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con
August 1-3 – Wizard World San Antonio Comic Con
August 21-24 – Wizard World Chicago Comic Con
September 12-14 – Wizard World Richmond Comic Con
September 26-28 – Wizard World Nashville Comic Con
October 2-4 – Wizard World Austin Comic Con
October 31-November 2 – Wizard World Ohio Comic Con
November 7-9 – Wizard World Tulsa Comic Con
November 21-23 – Wizard World Reno Comic Con

Banned on Kindle - Monster Porn

File this one under what will people think of next. This whole article about Amazon's recent purge of monster porn is quite fascinating. Apparently author Virginia Wade was paying for her daughter's college by selling Big Foot sex stories for Kindle until Amazon decided to be a dominating daddy and remove the titles.

I understand that a business has the right to choose what it sells but if you're going to sell fiction online, just sell it. How can what is OK ever be determined? Some people freak out over plain old regular sex in books. Other people want Taken by the T-rex. 


[image error] Amazon’s monster porn purge (via Pando Daily)

By Adam L. Penenberg On January 1, 2014 Sex with a dinosaur? Check. Foreplay with a werewolf? OK. Sexual congress with a unicorn? Yep. Doing the nasty with a zombie? Sure, fine. But on Amazon Kindle’s self-publishing platform there’s to be absolutely…