Tracy Falbe's Blog, page 70

Science fiction character profile: Dev, from Progenitor by Nicholas J. Ambrose

Progenitor by Nicholas J. Ambrose is a 99 cent science fiction novel for Amazon KindleIntroducing Dev from the science fiction series What Happened on the Sanctity Architect, a serialized novel by Nicholas J. Ambrose.

Dev is an adolescent member of a human-like alien species that call themselves the Faculty. Approaching the age of twenty-seven years, she has another five or so years to go before she's termed an adult. Her brain is like that of any adolescent: still brimming with the curiosity of childhood, still turning slowly into a more intelligent and adult brain.

Dev's homeworld was the victim of a vicious attack by a superior species dubbed the Progenitors. Burning gel was poured over the world as a warning to leave Progenitor artefacts alone. Dev's parents were lost, but the seven-year-old girl was thrust by her dying father into the family heirloom ship, where she was ferried to safety. Years later she underwent rehabilitative counselling and therapy to return to Faculty society.

Dev's curiosity still drives her, pushing her toward adventure. Four years ago, she joined the crew of Faculty ship Sanctity Architect, believing it to be a job that will take her to unknown worlds of vastly alien origin. Sadly, it soon becomes apparent that the tasks are mundane, and Dev's unfulfilled need for adventure turns to veiled cynicism toward ship captain, Cam. But her spirit is resolute, upbeat – she has, after all, been in worse spots in her time.

In time, Dev's curiosity and her need to do the right thing will lead her onto a dark and dangerous path, beginning when she becomes the first member of the Faculty to successfully acquire a Progenitor artefact without being blown to kingdom come.

Quotes

To Cam, on the statics of her dying whilst on her 'suicide mission':

"Haven't you got anyone else to bother?"

To Cam, on a dry comment:

"Talking to the scientists," Dev said in his direction rather than at him, "not the ship's captain."

To Beta, on Cam's interest in selling the Progenitor artefact:

"He's just so … so … unbearable!" she finally cried. "He told me that this was for science! That's what this mission should have been about!"

The author Nicholas J. Ambrose lives in Essex, England. His official website is Regarding the Hive and Progenitor is now available for Amazon Kindle.

Want your character to appear on Her Ladyship's Quest?

Authors please refer to the post how to submit your character profile. I look forward to reading about the children of your minds and Muses.

Union of Renegades receives glowing review

As a writer it's always gratifying when my fantasy fiction truly connects with a reader. The kind messages that readers sometimes send me in which they say they "enjoyed my work immensely" or "stayed up too late turning pages" really help me maintain my confidence as a creative person. I cherish these boosts. Putting my work out in the public arena means I have to take the good with the bad. I get everything from 1 to 5 star reviews. It really hurts to be bashed in public, but it is just something with which I have to live. If I've learned one thing in life, it's that there is always someone who will want to knock you down no matter what you're doing.

This week, I was treated to a very happy surprise when book reviewer Albert Robbins III of Free Book Reviews gushed with enthusiasm for Union of Renegades: The Rys Chronicles Book I.

He concluded his review by writing:

"I did not ever want to stop reading it and was a little lost when I was finished. I can not wait to finish the series. This is a must have for everyone."

Thank you so much for sharing your high opinion of me with your readers.

Robbins is a fast reader and posts frequent reviews. His book review blog has been steadily gaining followers and he even does some ebook giveaways. Readers of his blog will surely learn about many new titles and benefit from his opinions.

Character profile: Halina Pawlak from New Shifters by Halli Lilburn

Today meet Halina Pawlak the protagonist from Halli Lilburn's young adult adventure novel New Shifters.



Reluctant Hero

"I think with a little more effort you could be ready to compete in the Summer Games in July."Maybe that was encouragement. Maybe not. He expected me to be flattered, and just to impress him I made it look like I was.

Mischief Maker

The doors were able to tattle on us, but the windows weren't. It seemed like a major oversight on Arter's part. Sneaking out of windows was a time honoured tradition.

Dreamer

My mind began tossing out imaginative motivations. I drew a picture of him and me together in our swim suits with no one else in the pool. The sun setting through the big picture windows... He was filling my mind with unfathomable things, verbal and non-verbal. I was trying to grasp my head around this metaphysical knowledge while my heart was dealing with the close proximity of Mr. Tyler's body.

Suspicious

"You would have left me here." I took my accusation one step further, hoping I was wrong." You don't care about me; you were just abusing my feelings for you so I wouldn't go back and find out who you really are." I studied his face for a sign to show me I was wrong.

Loyal

Together we were out for adventure. Our thirst for adrenalin had kept us tight knit. We would never leave each other out of anything fun. We made a good team; always had each other's backs.

Active

The extra practices were hard. We did water rescue training as well as prepare for the Summer Games. I pushed myself, hoping that my dedication would impress him.

Self sacrificing

"No!" I shouted, looking into his fearful eyes. I wasn't going to let him get caught too. If I could keep their attention on me, Yusef might have a chance to escape.

Brave

"If you thought I would just hang out here for the rest of my life and pretend nothing was wrong, then you don't know me. I'm no coward."

New Shifters is available in paperback and ebook.

Purchase paper back.
Purchase ebook.

To learn more about Halli Lilburn's novel "New Shifters" go to hallililburn.blogspot.com.

Authors: Submit your character profiles

Great characters make a great story.

I think every reader who picks up a new novel wants to connect with the characters and feel the story through them. Authors are always spending time explaining what their books are about. I think we should also explain who our books are about.

I am inviting authors to submit for publication at Her Ladyship's Quest a character profile. Tell everyone about your hero or heroine, your villain, your charming supporting characters, or whoever else makes your novel great. The character profile does not have to be long. Write two or three paragraphs about the character, include some interesting quotes, or illuminating excerpts, or the character's tarot card reading or something. Get creative and let your characters help you find readers. Think of it as the literary version of how actors go out and promote their movies.

I just did a character profile for Dreibrand Veta from The Rys Chronicles. You can take a look at that to get a feel for what I'm looking for.

I will be publishing one or two character profiles a week as they come in. To participate, please email to tracy {AT swirl} falbepublishing {Dot} com

The text of your character profile
Book cover image
Links to where to buy the novel

Multiple submissions are fine, but I will only publish one character profile per post.

Please let other authors know about this opportunity. I think the character profiles will make for interesting content for readers who are looking for new stories.

Fantasy character profile: Dreibrand Veta from The Rys Chronicles

At the opening of my fantasy series, Dreibrand Veta is twenty three years old and he is a lieutenant to the Hordemaster General Kwan Chenomet. A son of the ancient noble Veta family of the Atrophane people, Dreibrand fights to regain the prestige and fortune of his family. The scandal caused by his grandfather's assassination of the Treasury Minister of the Atrophane Empire resulted in the Veta family being stripped of most of its wealth and estates. Dreibrand endures significant social stigma because of this scandal, but he hopes to earn new lands as the Atrophane Empire conquers its neighbors and enters a mysterious wilderness.

Dreibrand is an ambitious young man, and he is willing to fight, kill, and conquer to get what he wants. In a painful and shocking exchange between him and General Kwan, Dreibrand realizes that he is never going to earn the rewards for which he has fought so hard. In a fit of passionate anger, he decides that his ambitions require him to betray the Atrophane. This fateful decision will haunt him throughout the epic series but also open great opportunities. When he strikes out on his own, he encounters the rys, a rare super race whose powers can give any man all the wealth and power he could ever desire.

As the story progresses, Dreibrand finds love, learns to value family, and endures the great responsibilities of leadership after he founds a new kingdom.

Favorite quotes of Dreibrand Veta

To his lover, Miranda:
"I admit that not all things I do are good, but I will always do good by you. That I can promise."

In war council:
"I will crush them in a week. Two at most." His eyes smoldered with the potencies of his conviction. Dreibrand's pledge was no fanciful boast. He knew how to be a successful warmonger, and he remembered the burning cities and the conquered weighted by their chains. Dreibrand did not need to hate his enemy, only desire its destruction.

To General Kwan:"To what end was your guidance supposed to take me?" Dreibrand asked bitterly. "So I could be sent on your official errands? So I could count slaves?"
For a fantasy hero who dares to fight overwhelming evil and struggles to balance doing what is right against the demands of leadership, read The Rys Chronicles fantasy series. You can download the first novel Union of Renegades for free.

Choose format for your free ebook here.

Or, buy the complete fantasy series.

Indie writer news: $100 giveaway, short stories, and my audio book

Ebook Endeavors giving away a $100 Amazon gift card

The publishing blog of fantasy author Lindsay Buroker, author of Emperor's Edge, Goblin Brothers Adventures, and Encrypted, is promoting her newsletter with an Amazon gift card giveaway. How do you enter? Divulge to Buroker your sacred email address and sign up for her newsletter.

Short stories of Venus, Earth, and Mars

Heirs of Mars: Preludes by Joseph Robert LewisScience fiction author Joseph Robert Lewis recently released a short story collection called Preludes. It offers three episodes set before the events in his novel Heirs of Mars. I like the titles Lewis has given his short stories.

To Reign in Heaven (19 years before the novel) – India is a synthetic woman in love, passing a blissful year studying Venus and reveling in a shared dreamspace with her silksteel lover. But when her Mother chooses to sacrifice her children, India's memory of love is her only weapon to save her brothers and sisters.


To Walk the Earth (18 years before the novel) – Victoria is ready to move into the wilderness, far away from the manufactured monotony of modern life. But her boyfriend decides to go to Mars instead, leaving her to enjoy one last motorcycle ride all alone.

To Serve in Hell (1 day before the novel) – Neil is just a man struggling to get through another day on Mars: lousy food, cramped quarters, and a child who doesn't understand why he can't have a puppy. But when a cloner arrives, Neil has a chance to take control of something for once in his life, and to avenge the death of his parents.

My audio book project has 2 backers at Kickstarter

My attempt to raise some funds to help me produce an audio book of my fantasy novel Union of Renegades is off to a good start this week. Two people have pledged $105 towards the audio book. If you are an audio book lover, please visit my Kickstarter page to make a pledge and be among the first people to receive the completed audio book. Union of Renegades will produce a full length audio book of almost 20 hours of entertainment. I can't wait to get this done!

Fantasy book review of Fallenwood by Leslie Soule

[image error] Soul searching in the alternative realm of Fallenwood Unable to shake off her grief over the death of her stepfather, Ashley Kensington plods through each day without finding much meaning in her life. Although Ash takes college classes, she has no real idea of what she might do with her life, and her deadend job at a home improvement box store does nothing to brighten her days. Stuck in this relentless malaise, she runs off into the woods one evening after scattering the ashes of her stepfather with her family. She then blunders magically into the alternative world of Terra Illumina, also known as Fallenwood.

The author Leslie Soule opens the story with Ash in the familiar setting of our real world and then switches her narrative into a lush fantasy inspired by the classic hero's journey. The young Ash will be assisted by several helpful friends in the world of Fallenwood as she confronts her deepest fears, accepts that she has been wasting her life, finds new purpose, discovers her inner powers, and saves the world.

Fallenwood is a fast paced tale that takes a lot of twists and turns and throws a lot of characters at you. Sometimes the narrative suffers from too much switching around, which interrupts the flow, but the emphathetic Ash always steers the story back on course because she is so easily relatable. Even as the adventures grew challenging, I could always agree with Ash that it was better than putting in another shift as a cashier in a box store.

A big cast of characters populates this novel. Will Everett, Ash's main companion, felt remote to me. To me he was never quite fleshed out, but Greymalkin the Cat made up for Will's flatness. Greymalkin had been magically transformed into a cat from a man, but he can still talk. Soule includes a charming side story with Greymalkin in which he speaks to villagers from a tree and makes them think he is a voice from above.

Another good character is Prince Edward, who spends half the story locked in a dungeon before being saved by Ash. The chapters in which he languishes in his cell came across well and he is a sympathetic character.

Overall, Soule writes beautiful prose. Sometimes her wording is elegant and other times it is playfully creative. An example: "The sun had not fully risen, but the sky was like a punk teenager on a redecorating kick." The fantasy world of Fallenwood is packed with marvelous places and creatures, reminiscent of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Illeydra is a dragon statue that comes to life twice a day to listen to people's worries and offer guidance. In the dream world of the Pan Experiential, Ash is confronted by Discordia who helps Ash decide to accept her fate, whatever it may be. Plus there is a giant magic crystal, a black unicorn, and dragons. Fallenwood is a heartfelt psychological wonderland inspired by those difficult years when a young adult must pick a path and travel it with purpose.

Fallenwood by Leslie Soule is newly published by Decadent Publishing. Visit Leslie Soule's website to find out how to get it.

An interview with independent comic creator Gerald Cooper

Genecy by Gerald Cooper on sale at Indyplanet.comEvery creative medium has its independent voices. The beloved medium of comics inspires many writers and artists, and just like novelists, musicians, and filmmakers, they don't necessarily wait around to be produced by another company.

On March 1st I wrote a review of Genecy by Gerald Cooper and today I am presenting an interview I did with Cooper who is working to produce his complete Genecy story.

1. Is Genecy the first comic you've written?

Genecy is the first comic that I've ever completed. I've written several scripts and still have them, but the team that I worked with wouldn't or couldn't pull through. Hopefully one day I can get those other visions realized.

2. What elements do you think make the comic medium so popular?

Cool question. For all of those people who can't or don't know how to come out with movies, what's the next best thing? LOL! It's the middle ground between novels and movies in my opinion. As well, when you have that physical comic in your hand you can always go back to it anytime that you choose to ... and marvel all over again. You can go to any page or any panel and experience it all over again.

3. How much of the Genecy storyline beyond issue #1 have you written?

I've completed the first 14 issues. Full scripts. It's just so amazing how the actual story unfurls. Wow!

4. Tell me about your kickstarter campaign to finance the production of Genecy #2.

Kickstarter is a pretty cool vehicle to get you to point B. I have to pay the pencil artist, the inker, the colorist, the letterer and the printer. Oh yeah I almost forgot to mention the mortgage, the gas and electricity, the water and gasoline is $3.50 per gallon. Oh yeah, an auto loan and I'm a parent. In my opinion, if everyone would just donate at least $5.00 we can do this with ease.

5. It must have been hard to find the right artist for your vision. How did you find your artistic team?

Well of course we had the amazing Eddy Barrows for the first issue. He later signed with DC Comics so we had to look for another artist. One who was just as powerful, one who was just as dramatic and amazing. We found that and so much more in the great Diego Bernard.

6. Have you done any promoting at comic conventions?


Comic book conventions to me are strictly for promoting when you're on our side of the fence. However, when I'm out there giving people our vision, I always look for that twinkle in the eye of the person in front of me ... to see that inner comic fan because if I find it, I gotcha!

7. Any additional comments?

When the story writes itself, the writer as well becomes a fan. Watch what happens in the second issue! WATCH! I'd end with saying 'Excelsior' but dad took that a long time ago. So instead I'll just say ... Let The Ride Divine Begin!
Comic readers can show their enthusiasm for Genecy and support Gerald Cooper's production of the comic series by backing his Kickstarter campaign.

An experiment with Kickstarter and audio books

I have recently made the decision to pursue audio book production of my first fantasy novel Union of Renegades. Because this is a full length novel approaching 180,000 words this is not what would be considered an affordable project. Therefore, to try and help pay for creating this audio book I have launched a campaign at Kickstarter.

At Kickstarter, creators seek backers for their projects, like writing novels, producing documentaries, or investigative journalism. Backers make contributions to the projects and get whatever rewards the project creators offer. For example, I have my ebooks and books to offer backers, plus every single backer of my project will get the audio book that I plan to produce.

The hitch with Kickstarter is that it is all or nothing funding. A project has to reach its funding goal or none of the funding goes through. So I'm trying to raise awareness of my campaign. Please let audio book enthusiasts know about my campaign.

Go to Kickstarter to see more about my audio book production campaign.

Headlines this week: Star Trek's Uhura, Indie Writing plus an interview

I was excited to be published this week at The Discriminating Fangirl. I'm a born fangirl, but only recently became aware of the term fangirl. I submitted an article about Lieutenant Uhura of Star Trek and her relationship with Spock. Go read my article. Yes, there's going to be another Star Trek movie, probably next year.

Fangirl Favorite: Lieutenant Uhura of Star Trek past and present
I possess an enduring love of Star Trek. I have no memory of life without it. As a little girl in the 1970s I watched reruns of the Original Series with rapturous pleasure. What girl could fail to love its vision of social and gender equality? And to make it even better: It was in space! Keep reading...


My local newspaper website for the Battle Creek Enquirer accepts user-submitted articles about local news. I'd been trying to think of what to write for the Enquirer for a while and finally crafted a news article about the indie writer trend. So, in true indie writer style, I wrote a news article about myself, put my name on it, and sent it in.

Indie writer trend benefits Battle Creek author Tracy Falbe
Just like filmmaking and music before it, independent writing has gained legitimacy and an audience, especially among ebook readers. Large online companies like Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Google have embraced independent writers and given them space in a worldwide market. Keep reading...

Albert Rollins III of Free Book Reviews published an interview with me. Thanks for the exposure and for asking some cool questions.

Author Interview: Tracy Falbe, author of Union of Renegades: The Rys Chronicles Book I


I might not have any more interviews or freshly published articles for a while. I think I'll spend a couple weeks super focusing on the novel I'm writing. I am on the fourth novel of a new fantasy series. I have three written, and I'm very excited to be closing in on creating another epic. Until then, all four novels of the complete series The Rys Chronicles are published and ready to read.

Download your free ebook copy of Union of Renegades.