A.F. Stewart's Blog, page 90

Thrilling Thirteen: #1

Presenting:
"Thrilling Thirteen #1"

The Writing Process: A Blog Hop

The Writing Process Blog Hop

An author friend of mine, Sarah Butland, tagged me for this blog hop, and sent me some fascinating questions to answer. So, this time I'm the one in the spotlight. 
Here's our mini interview, I hope you enjoy:
Sarah:  Is there a contest that you entered or won which changed your life forever?
Me: I can’t say there was, I’m afraid; I've never had much luck with contests. Although there was an elementary school competition where my haiku got selected for a publication. I remember being quite proud of that, and it gave my mother bragging rights for a bit.
Sarah:  How much of your day is spent writing new and/or marketing old.
Me:I think that depends on the day. I do try to achieve a balance between the two, but sometimes I get caught up in one or the other. I get on a writing roll, and the time ticks by and the next thing I know those marketing tweets or that blog post will have to wait. Or promos and events push back the writing. And then some days I’m just a buzz with multi-tasking: writing, marketing, whatever. It does help to schedule some marketing in advance though, like blog posts and tweets.
Sarah:  What's the best story you've ever read and how did its marketing catch your attention?
Me: The best story I ever read was published way, way back before I even dreamed of marketing, namely All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury. As a child, I found it I the back of a magazine I bought through the Scholastic program at school. That story was the catalyst that started my lifelong love of short fiction.More recently though, I discovered the brilliant book series, On Dark Shores by J.A. Clement, and I found her marketing strategy caught my attention. She hearkened back to the olden days of serial novels by publishing a sequence of ongoing novellas, each one being a part of the whole story, and continuing the chapters from the previous book.  I’m not certain any author could have pulled it off, but her writing is so exceptional, she has her readers well hooked.


My latest book


And now here’s a bit about the two authors that I've tagged for the hop. I hope you’ll check out their blogs; it will be worth the time:
Steve VernonSteve Vernon lives and works in Nova Scotia Canada, and is the author of such books as Haunted Harbours: Ghost Stories From Old Nova Scotia, The Lunenburg Werewolf And Other Stories of the Supernatural, Maritime Monsters, Sinking Deeper, Sudden Death Overtime, and Tatterdemon.He’s traveled right across Canada and has worked as a factory hand, house painter, field worker, tree planter, roustabout, woodworker, artist's model, fiddlehead picker, blueberry raker, woodchopper, warehouse strawboss, snow shoveller, garden digger, environmental criminal and anything else that paid a buck. He’s married with children and has a cat named Kismet.
Website: http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpress.com/

Axel HowertonAxel Howerton is an award-winning poet and the author of the quirky neo-noir pulp detective novel Hot Sinatra, the mini-anthology Living Dead at Zigfreidt & Roy, and a bevy of short stories and hidden gems. Axel is a former editor for Dark Moon Digest and, as the long-time Senior Editor of Eye Crave DVD/Eye Crave Network, he was one of the champions of the burgeoning b-movie scene of the early-mid 200′s and one of Canada’s webtertainment pioneers.Axel is also the co-creator and organizer of the annual Coffin Hop online author extravaganza, and the owner-operator of Coffin Hop Press. His fiction has recently appeared in Big Pulp, Fires on the Plain, Steampunk Originals Vol. 1, the Big Lebowski companion piece Lebowski 101, the LGBQT anthology Clones, Fairies and Monsters in the Closet, A Career Guide To Your Job In Hell and the best-selling holiday anthology Let It Snow: Season’s Readings For A Super-Cool Yule.He is a member of the Crime Writers of Canadaand lives in the wilds of Western Canada with his two brilliant young sons and a wife who is way out of his league.
Website: http://axelhowerton.com/

Book Spotlight: Viking Myths: Stories of the Norse Gods and Goddesses

Today I'm spotlighting a book full of the legends of Norse myth and gods (some of my favourite things):


Viking Myths: Stories of the Norse Gods and Goddesses by Thor Ewing

From its first beginnings in a world of primordial ice floes, the story of the Viking gods is one of continual struggle against etins and monsters, but it is a tale of humour and triumph as well as of grit and tragedy. The Norse myths are justly famous for a host of vivid characters including the wise and enigmatic Odin, the bluff strongman Thor, and the incorrigible trickster Loki. In the first major retelling for a generation, storyteller and historian Thor Ewing rediscovers the brisk vitality with which these ancient myths were told in the earliest sources. With 45 stunning b&w illustrations inspired by Viking art.



You can find this book on Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Viking-Myths-Stories-Norse-Goddesses/dp/1910075000/

And Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Viking-Myths-Stories-Norse-Goddesses/dp/1910075000/


Author Bio:

Thor Ewing was born in Putney in 1967. He studied Medieval Literature at Durham University before becoming a contributor to a number of academic publications covering Viking and Nordic culture and pre-Christian religion. Ewing is also the author of a number of other books, including The Wisdom of the Celts (Edda, 2004), Viking Clothing (The History Press, 2006) and Gods and Worshippers in the Viking and Germanic world (The History Press, 2008). Ewing now lives with his wife and children in Bucknell, Herefordshire.


Find out more about the author and his books at his website: http://thorewing.net/

Out of Your Comfort Zone: A Guest Post by Sarah Butland

Talented author, Sarah Butland stops by today, to chat about her recent award-winning short story, and challenging yourself as a writer...

Out of Your Comfort Zone

We all have comfort zones and are simply ok in them but if you want to succeed it's important to get out of them once in a while.

Inspirational speaker and best-selling author Jack Canfield has a simple exercise to teach this. When you put your hands together, intertwining your fingers, you automatically put them the way you're most comfortable, if you purposely put them the other way it feels weird.

Challenge Accepted
I experienced this in a huge way when I was encouraged to submit to a children's category of a local writing contest. Without much time left before deadline and an infant at home, I thought it was an impossible task but decided to just go for it.

Inspired by a message from an amazing author and motivator, it just seemed like the best opportunity for me to see what I could do. Still remembering sitting in the kitchen while my son crawled on the floor at my feet (he was well cared for and learning to entertain himself) I brought up my laptop and wrote.

The maximum word count was 10000 words and I zoned out and wrote close to 4000, exhausting what I could do in that moment of inspiration.

And then I read it...
The situation itself was out of my comfort zone and I succeeded in writing something so unusual for what I would usually that I was shocked. A little nervous because of it being just half the maximum word count I decided to submit it with determination and as an experiment.

The experiment paid off and I won the contest and the interest in many of my writing idols as well as many more in the age group it was targeted to. The only problem – the readers wanted more and I had no idea where to take the story.

Take your challenge
Read a different genre, write about a troubling topic or go for a hike when you feel you're out of shape. Challenges don't have to be feared, they need to be embraced so you can add excitement to your life and change the outcome of your life.

And then come back and tell us all about it.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

PS: This fantasy story can be downloaded for free today for your Kindle at: http://bookShow.me/B00J5NTC5W



Blood Day : the Short Story
Writers Federation of New Brunswick award winning short story for the children/ young adult category, Blood Day was created out of a looming deadline, a bit of encouragement and dedication to writing a story.

I've always been told we all bleed red, take breaths, and die if poisoned so I often wondered why I wasn't dead yet.
In this glimpse of the life of someone who just isn't what the books say she should be, we try to understand what it means to be human, a person and fit in with the expectations that surround us.

Blood Day contains more science fiction than is to be expected from Sarah Butland, the mystery of a world we don't know is strong enough to make this a brilliant read.

Interview With Author R.G. Triplett

Today, author R.G. Triplett stops by for a chat, and to give a glimpse of his new fantasy novel, The Great Darkening.


Interview with R.G. Triplett

Why don’t you begin by sharing a little about yourself.
I think I would call myself an artist at heart. The way I cook, the way I write, the way I communicate and make music and tell stories - even the way I smoke a cigar and savor a good bourbon - always comes with the motivation to discover or uncover a new aspect of beauty. In each moment, with whatever medium I have access to - whether it be horses, or holy scriptures, or hyperbole - beauty is what I hope to find, and frequently what I hope to create. Also, I would call myself a bit of an epic nerd. I love stories with layers of history and allegory. I may or may not have won a few Fantasy Football championships in my day and I currently have a garden going in the backyard that happens to have a very skewed vegetable to weed ratio. 

You've recently released a fantasy novel, The Great Darkening . Can you tell us a bit about the book?
The Great Darkening is what I would call an epic allegory, where we follow not just the hero in the story
and the surrounding cast of supporting characters, but we also follow the greater story of the changing world they are set in. Their world is in the midst of losing its only source of light, and because of that, the citizens are in the midst of losing their last hope for life as they know it. Hidden in the layers of myth and magic and battles and beauty is a bigger tale of becoming that I am so excited for the readers to discover.

As a writer of fantasy, what appeals to you most about that genre?
I love the layers of myth. Probably one of my most favourite works of fantasy is Tolkien’s Silmarillion. All of its layers of history and culture shape both the story and the world that it finds itself in. I can't help but get a bit lost in the imagining and in the reflection. One of the most compelling things about this genre is that it offers the opportunity to see yourself or your situations mirrored in the lives of the characters. I think I somehow walk away from these types of tales knowing that both their story and my story still go on.

Can you tell us about your writing process?  Where do your ideas originate?  Do you have a certain writing routine?
I love to create in community, I love to pray and dream out loud—I process life better with people, and I think I create better with people too. But when I sit down to my Mac Book, and I put on a few epic soundtracks to listen to... sometimes the story just finds me. In the nine months that it took to write TGD, there was not a single day of writer’s block. I honestly feel the pleasure of God when I write.

What is your greatest challenge as a writer?
My greatest challenge is probably is wrestling through the inconsistencies, and coming to the realization that some of my "brilliant" ideas might not be so... well thought out.  

What sort of research did you do for The Great Darkening ?

My biggest research had to do with naming characters and places within the world of Aiénor. I want names to have meaning—not just to sound good, but to have that extra layer of believability and depth to them. So I researched etymology, naming places and people groups based on the inspirations for their cultures. I am not an expert in language at all, but I had fun learning and diving into the different languages and people groups.

When you’re not writing, what do you do for fun? Do you have any hobbies?

I love having adventures with my kiddos, and if I had my way, I would be around horses all day every
Who has inspired you as an author?
C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, John Eldredge, Calvin Miller, Lev Grossman, Eugene Peterson and Rob Bell. Those poets right there have been HUGE inspirations for my heart.

What’s next for you?
Well, as we speak, I am 50,000 words into book two of the trilogy! I can’t wait to bring the next leg in this epic journey to everyone who has become involved in the story of Haven.




The Great Darkening

When the great burning tree of Haven begins to die, leaving the otherwise unlit world of Aiénor in a state of ever-growing darkness, a young man sets upon a quest to discover a new source of light before the unknown evils lurking in the shadows unleash their fury upon the unsuspecting world.
Fear strikes the citizens of Haven at the diminishing of their holy tree, and they determine that the only way to fend off the impending dark is to set about making their own light. There are plenty of trees in the forests of Aiénor to burn. But what happens when the timber has been consumed and the great tree has failed? 
Could it be that one will emerge who will uncover the prophecies of old and seek the promised light?

You can find out more about the author and his book at his website: http://epicofhaven.com/

The Facebook Page:   https://www.facebook.com/epicofhaven

The Great Darkening is available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Great-Darkening-Epic-Haven-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00I8DVQUO/

Dream A New World

Here's a quick bit of fiction for you today...




Dream A New World

Tick. Tick. Tick.She heard the sound of the clock long before the darkness lifted and the golden light let her see again. Then came the familiar, if eerie, creak of the gates as they opened wide, beckoning her forward.She sighed, gazing once more at the beautiful and peculiar sight that unraveled in front of her. The clock tower stood tall, in the middle of a sea, silhouetted by a golden sunset, while a gondola sailed the clouds above. The boatman shouted down to her, but his words were lost in the rush of wind.The sky coloured itself a turquoise hue, lit by a shimmering amber radiance. The light danced around, and through, the clock tower, while reflections of the surrounding vista shifted constantly. The soft lap of waves reached her ears, mixed with the cry of invisible birds, and she tasted salt on her lips.She stood here a thousand times before, or maybe it was only once for a thousand lifetimes; she couldn't be certain anymore. She wondered why she came, why these dreams drew her here. Perhaps a punishment, a curse? No explanations were ever given.She sighed again as her foot stirred, restless to begin. She walked into the sea, towards the clock tower, the water creeping higher and higher with each step. Laughter sang out from the gondola, the clock chimed midnight, and still she walked, unable to stop until she submerged and drowned.

Irish Hearts: A Poem for St. Patrick's Day

Irish Hearts

That lilting song of the harpechoes far o’er the Irish hills.The spirit that nothing stills,that lilting song of the harp.

Echoes far o’er the Irish hills,shout the pride in Irish heartsand the brotherhood imparts echoes far o’er the Irish hills.

Shout the pride in Irish heartshear it sound, beyond the sea
Hear it sound, beyond the seaa tender tune, a haunting voiceand those that hear, will rejoice.Hear it sound, beyond the sea

A tender tune, a haunting voice,that lilting song, of the harp.Music with an ache so sharp,a tender tune, a haunting voice.

That lilting song of the harpechoes far o’er the Irish hills.The spirit that nothing stills,that lilting song of the harp.

Book Spotlight: Haven of Dante: The Staff of Moshe

I have a delightful treat  for you today, with a book spotlight of the YA fantasy novel Haven of Dante: The Staff of Moshe. Enjoy.



Haven of Dante: The Staff of Moshe by Leonardo Ramirez

Haven Irena Dante, seventeen, struggles with a dysfunctional family. Her workaholic father is never there, but his absence is filled by a loving mother harboring the secret and mysterious past of their family. The Dantes are inheritors of a centuries old legacy stretching back to Dante Alighieri himself. They fight to contain the nine circles of hell described in the classic literature "Dante's Inferno."
Today, the nine circles have infiltrated the world at every level, operating as a secret society known as "The Aristocracy." The only thing stopping The Aristocracy from world domination is the Dante family line.

And now its Haven's turn to carry that torch.

Combining literary fiction with fantasy, this action-packed young adult adventure races through dimensions of paranormal, science fiction, and the supernatural.

Available on Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1mKZaFg


Author Bio:
Leonardo Ramirez is a husband, a father, a Karate instructor with a 3rd degree black belt, and a writer. His first graphic novel, Haven, (reviewed here) is a supernatural Young Adult story centered on an ancient war between the Dante family and the nine circles of hell. His follow up is a self-published children’s Steampunk book called  The Jupiter Chronicles: The Secret of the Great Red Spot.  It follows the adventure of two children as they are transported to the steam-powered cities of Jupiter, find their long-lost father, stop an attack from Mars, and witness the birth of Steampunk."My heart and motive have always been for people who are hurting. These can be kids who have had to suffer through child abuse or neglect or an absent parent which can be equally torturous as was the case in The Jupiter Chronicles. It can also be young girls who have suffered an assault like Haven did in Haven of Dante. Young or old it doesn’t matter. Those are the kids and adults I want to speak to because I’ve been there."It’s not just Science Fiction.
It’s Science Fiction for the Human Condition.
Leonardoverse.com

Interview With Author Ben Ireland

Today we have another Xchyler Publishing author stopping by, Ben Ireland. He's here to chat about his debut novel, Kingdom City ~ Resurrection, his short stories, and writing. Plus, there's a short blurb about the book at the end. Enjoy.


Interview With Ben Ireland

Why don't you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

Hi, thanks for having me, AF. I’m a 33 year old systems administrator (IT guy) living in Houston with my beautiful wife and three amazing children. In my free time I sleep.
Your debut novel, Kingdom City ~ Resurrection is about to be released. Would you care to reveal a bit about the book?

Kingdom City ~ Resurrection is the first in the Kingdom City trilogy. It’s a science fantasy novel set in the near future in the peaceful —totally normal— metropolis, Kingdom City. Six months prior to the opening of the novel a terrorist attack rocked the city by killing a quarter of its police force. Things start to fall apart when they don't stay dead.
Did anything surprise you about the process of writing your novel?

The details. Kingdom City is the first novel I've ever seriously attempted to write. It’s been in the process for about 10 years now. What I realized is that you can't throw in details just because they sound cool. A character’s limp isn't just an interesting quirk, it has a story behind it. At first I found this overwhelming, but as I continued, I realized what a great opportunity the details give you for giving the story color and depth. If done right, the details will enhance a story without distracting from it. I just hope I've done my details right.
You've also had some short stories published, can you tell us about them? In addition, do you find writing short fiction easier, or more difficult than writing a novel?

Kissed a Snake appeared in the Xchyler thriller short story anthology, A Dash of Madness, in 2013. It’s about a young man looking for answers about why his father abandoned him—and to kill him if he doesn't like what he finds.Fairykin appeared in the Xchyler fantasy short story anthology in January, Moments in Millenia. It’s about a tribe of fairies struggling to survive on a planet where nature has been eradicated.I find both styles to present their own challenges. Short stories give you a great opportunity to tell a worthwhile story. The challenge there is to tell the whole story in a limited amount of words. Novels allow you to explore more sweeping tales, but that’s when the volume of details can become a problem if not managed properly. I’m certainly drawn towards bigger stories, the more sweeping, the better.
Your primary writing focus is in fantasy fiction or science fiction. What draws you to those genres? What is the hardest part of writing in the sci-fi/fantasy genres?

There are a few answers to ‘why fantasy.’  The best answer I have is because it’s the coolest genre. I also love being presented with a completely unique idea, and then watching the author explore that idea in unexpected ways. The hardest part about science-fiction/fantasy is the details. If you’re going to make a new world for your reader to explore, it has to be consistent. I've found myself putting down books when the author breaks their own rules for the sake of convenience. As an author, I've found myself tempted to break the rules because it would be the easiest way to reach the conclusion of the story. But every time that happens, the story falls apart. I can’t believe in my own world if I can't stick to my own rules.
Can you tell us about your writing process?  Where do your ideas originate?  Do you have a certain writing routine?

My writing process is, as soon as a story hits me, I write down all the ideas accompanying that idea. Then I’ll line up the ideas in a logical order until I have the story ordered from beginning to end. Then I'll expand on those details, writing conversations and scenes that are on the tip of my mind. Then I'll go back and flesh everything out. My ideas come from everywhere. Conversations I overhear, sometimes someone says something to me and I think they said something else, one time I walked into my kitchen and the character just popped into my head and told me who he was. Routine. Ha! I wish. I write in between doing what I have to do to keep my kids fed.
What is your greatest challenge as a writer?

Time and money. I have a good day job as a systems administrator, but it’s not where my heart lies. I’m sure many know that feeling.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I've always enjoyed creating stories, but the idea of making a career out of writing always seemed too luxurious and impractical. The idea didn't seem to click as an actual possibility until I won a place in my first short story contest. So here I am, giving it a shot.
What’s next for you?

More writing and less sleeping. I’m working on an urban fantasy series currently (The protagonist of which was the one that introduced himself in my kitchen.)  I hope to shop that around some time this year. Kingdom City ~ Retaliation (working title) will be pounded into life this year, and released, hopefully, sometime in 2015.

Thank you for having me. It’s been a pleasure. 


Kingdom City ~ Resurrection by Ben Ireland

With the death of Kingdom City's chief of police in a terrorist attack, Autumn Stevens lost the only man who could save her from herself. Still paralyzed by grief after six months, the last thing she expected was his return--along with three thousand of his fallen comrades. As confusion turns to violence throughout the city, Autumn discovers the lengths she will go to protect her family, and right the wrongs carried out in the name of security and prosperity--especially those committed by her own hand.

The Bloody Valentine After Party

The Bloody Valentine After Party
Yesterday’s blog hop was great fun, with a wonderful selection of “love gone bad” posts. Some of my personal favourites were Chris Verstraete , Nina D'Arcangela, Jennifer Greene, and L.G. Keltner, but everyone who posted did a fabulous job. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.

Now on to the my Bloody Valentine contest winner.
The Rafflecopter widget has pulled a name from its magic hat, and the lucky person who won my four ebook and digital artwork package is:

Nina D'Arcangela 

Congratulations, you shall be receiving an email shortly.

And thanks to everyone who participated, and to all who visited the blogs. See you next year for some more bad love.