Heather Hayden's Blog, page 8

Birthday Giveaway!

I want to celebrate my birthday today with a paperback giveaway!

From now until July 7th, you are welcome to participate in the raffle (yes, belated birthday wishes are welcome.) A winner will be chosen at random on July 8th and contacted by July 10th.

Enter here

This raffle is not endorsed by Rafflecopter.

Ensign’s Log, Entry 60: It’s a Wrap for June!

June has been a bit of a break month for me in terms of writing. I was busy prepping for Between Heroes and Villains‘s release on the 17th (get your copy here!) and then recovering from said prep–proofreading and formatting is exhausting! But totally worthwhile when you’re holding that finished product in your hand.

Look at that beautiful cover! That’s the proofcopy–I was so excited when it arrived. Like, jumping up and down excited.

What else happened this month? I completed the first draft for a story for another anthology–yes, that’s right! There’s a third JL Anthology in the works, with a new theme…more on that in the near future.

I plotted out an entire novel (with some help from my sister) for Camp NaNoWriMo in July. Not planning to complete the ENTIRE novel in one month, because I have other things going on, but I do want to get a good chunk written. Aiming for about 1,000 words a day. All I’ll say for now is that it involves a princess and a servant boy and quests…and possibly a dragon! The current outline has about 40 chapters in it, which means it might be a very long book, or it might be multiple books, or it might have some chapters combined for length reasons. We shall see–this is my first time trying to follow a clear outline, and I’m hoping things go smoothly. (Though with my characters, one never knows…)

Finally, Between Heroes and Villains marks the third book I’ve released. This is a major step down the road of my journey to become an author. Almost two years ago, I wrote a blog post ranking my author goals. Since then, I’ve definitely sold over 100 copies of my books, and with the release of the third book, it is time to accept my new rank and all its related responsibilities.

That’s right. In terms of becoming a career author, I am now a Lieutenant Junior Grade, and shall remain so until I fulfill one (or both) of the requirements for the next rank (Lieutenant).

In the future months, I’ll begin to delve more into the marketing side of things, as well as focusing on my next big project–releasing a series. Will it be a trilogy? Will it be a longer series of interconnected books? I have several large projects I could dive into, I just need to pick one.

Thank you all for your support so far in my journey. I’ll see you again soon, with a shiny July Month Map!

Before I wrap up this post, I have one question–how did your June goals go?

Author Interview: Fanni Sütő

Today, I’m excited to welcome Fanni Sütő for an author interview! I know Fanni from Scribophile and Twitter–on the latter, she is currently hosting an awesome hashtag game called #junewipfolly. Lots of fun questions and prompts–definitely check it out if you’re in Twitter!

Thanks for being here today, Fanni! Today’s interview is going to be a lighthearted mixture of questions, starting with: Did you have a childhood nickname that stuck?

Not really, but there is the ah-so entertaining pun of “Fanni, you’re so funny!” Yeah, nobody made that joke before.

I can sympathize. “Heather Feather” was a favored one for me. What is your guilty pleasure?

I like reading “bad” Hungarian YA fiction. When I’m very tired, I find a perverse pleasure in it. Although these days I have less patience for it.

That’s interesting! I’ve never read bad fiction for pleasure, but I imagine it could be amusing in the right circumstances.

Next question: What secret talent do you have?

I can cry on almost everything, I can make up very silly puns and I’m pretty good in organizing things and not getting too lost in new places. I can also remember conversations from long time ago and make friends uncomfortable with the fact that I recall what they said five years ago.

I’m also good at organizing! Not so great at remembering past conversations, however… That’s an awesome talent, though. I promise to be amused or impressed if you remember this conversation five years from now!

Time to get a little more serious: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Family legend has it that I rhymed already as a toddler. As an only child I was sometimes also a lonely child,but I found friends and adventures in books. My first writing projects were Sailor Moon fanzines and Knight Rider fan fiction in primary school. Then as adolescence hit I wrote love-hate poems about my crushes. They were quite hilarious, but not very high quality. However, they made me realized that writing helps me deal with my problems; I could make up my own worlds with my own rules. I really think that writing helped me to survive my teenage years without any major crisis. I was an avid diary writer from 15-18 (basically during my high school years) and I still have those journals. They were a strange mix between a diary and a scrapbook.

When I was 16, we had to choose an orientation for further study. I wanted to do (Hungarian) Literature and nothing else (also English but I was good enough to pass the exam even without extra classes). My literature teachers were always very supportive with me and I’m very grateful. I’m still friends with one of them even after the almost ten years since I left high school…

I never dared to imagine that I could make a living only from writing (although of course that would be my ultimate dream.) In teaching, however, I found a job which makes me happy and leaves us enough time to write as well.

To sum up, me becoming a writer was a long but pretty straightforward process. We’ll see what the future holds.

That’s awesome! I dabbled in writing when I was young, too, but have thankfully lost those documents somewhere in a dusty box of floppy disks. It’s great that you found a job you enjoy that still leaves you time for writing. I look forward to seeing where the future takes you!

What project(s) are you currently working on?

It’s really high time I finish my first novel, Londemonium. Here’s the mock-up cover a friend of mine created for it:

It’s an urban fantasy set in Hell and London. In Londemonium, Hell is a multinational company, led by its eccentric CEO, Luke Seyton. The characters include: Gregor, a German programmer who descends to Hell to retrieve his abducted crush; Molly, a feisty Irish girl on the look out for her heritage; Aiko, an English-Japanese girl who wants to make sense of her life; and Raphael, an immigrant angel, who desperately wants to fit in. I’m saying that I’m working on it, but I haven’t touched it since the winter… I plan to jump on it and finish it off this summer though.

I’ve recently come up with another summer project. I’m planning to write a tween novel about an adventurous summer holiday. I imagine it as a blend between Gravity Falls and Doctor Who with a lot of humor and excitement. My idea is to use the cards from a Dixit (it’s a very good association-based board game with gorgeous art) expansion which would give the writing process some randomness and excitement. I can’t wait to start. The working title in my head is Summer Break on the Milky Way or something similar.

I have two other half-finished novels. Glasgow, my love is a multiple-ended love story set in Glasgow and London. I like it because it’s summery and magical. The other one, Dreamless, is an alternative Victorian society where imagination and dreams have been banned. The Queen is a monster and poets are in hiding. I love the world building and all the Victorian-literature-fangirlism I can cram in.

Another multi-project author, awesome! *high fives* They all sound interesting–I especially like the sound of Londemonium. Hopefully you do finish it soon, so I can read it!

Let’s wrap the interview with a couple more casual questions, starting with: Where is one place you’d like to visit that you haven’t been to before?

Nowadays I have a craving for the US, I don’t really know why. I just think it’s such a huge country that everybody could find something to like there. Also, they’re hosting great conventions where I would really like to go…

This is a really big country. I’ve lived here my entire life and only seen a small fraction of it. The East Coast is a lovely place to visit! (I’m not biased at all, I swear…) Haven’t been to any conventions yet, but I hope to do so someday!

We have time for one more question, so here’s one of my favorites to ask people: What is your favorite quote?

“We’re all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?”— The Doctor, Season 5, Episode 13.

Ooooh, I love that quote! That’s going on my favorites list as well.

Thanks so much for being here today, Fanni! I wish you and your writing the best!

Fanni Sütő is a writer, poet, dreamer who believes in fairy tales even if they are dark, disenchanted and deconstructed. She writes about everything which comes in her way or goes bump in the night. She has been published in Hungary, the US, the UK and Australia. She is very happy to do collaborations, art exchanges, cross-art projects, so if you’re interested in such things, please get in touch.

You can connect with her on her website or Twitter.

 

 

Release Day: Between Heroes and Villains!

I’m so excited! Today is release day for Between Heroes and Villains: A Superpower Anthology! If you didn’t preorder a copy, you can grab one now for Kindle or in paperback.

 

What is the difference between a hero and a villain?

A hero should always use their power for good: a detective devotes his life to chasing gifted villains; a girl uses her frost powers to rescue her father; a weary sidekick faces her childhood nemesis; and a young man must protect his loved ones against a tyrannical authority.

But having unique gifts means facing tough decisions: a doctor must choose between saving his reputation or his patient; a young woman saves a drowning man and finds herself in danger as a result; a student discovers the consequences of choice; and a wannabe hero takes on a supervillain hoping she’ll be invited to the hero’s league.

And the line between good and evil is oftentimes blurred: a self-made hero crosses that line to save the world; a lovesick henchman blindly follows his master’s orders; a mentor attempts to prevent a pupil from being drawn to villainy; a superpowered military team questions their orders despite the inevitable consequences.

Follow these men and women as they set out to save themselves, and the world, from the great evils around them.

 

To celebrate this release, JL writers are hosting an exciting giveaway! Win our ebook bundle–including copies of both anthologies, along with four other exciting reads–plus a beautiful leather journal.

To enter the giveaway, click the image or click here.

This giveaway will run from 16-30 June 2017 GMT+1 and is open worldwide. The prize is six ebooks and one leather journal, as pictured. We reserve the right to substitute the leather journal for an Amazon voucher of equal value for non-US countries. Entry is via Rafflecopter, gained by following the various social media accounts listed. The winner will be chosen at random and will be informed by email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to the winner notification to claim their prize. The prizes will be delivered by the authors, and also via Etsy in accordance with their standard delivery terms.

Don’t want to wait until the giveaway is over to grab your own copy of Between Heroes and Villains? Buy it now.

Author Interview: H. L. Burke — Stop #6 of the Coiled blog tour!

Welcome to the Coiled blog tour: a collection of posts celebrating the release of the new YA Mythological Romance from Uncommon Universes Press and author, H. L. Burke. Via the links below you will find interviews, informational and entertaining posts about the story behind the story, and of course, sneks.

Such as this adorable cutie:

Before we move on to all the links (and explaining why Pistachio has a note in his mouth), I’d like to welcome H. L. Burke to my blog!

Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.

An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.

Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.

Follow her personal blog at www.hlburkeblog.com, or connect with her through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Thanks so much for joining me today, H. L.! I’m looking forward to interviewing you, but first let’s share a bit about Coiled for those who haven’t yet read my book review.

A healing touch. A hideous face. A looming curse.

As the ugly twin to a perfect sister, Princess Laidra lives her life in the shadows—until her parents offer her as bait for a giant serpent.

Her escape attempt leaves her shipwrecked on a secluded island with only one inhabitant: Prince Calen, who lives under a curse. If anyone looks upon him, he turns into a giant serpent. Speaking to him in the darkness, Laidra sees past the monster to Calen’s lonely soul, and she determines to free him from the magic’s hold.

But if Laidra can’t break the curse in time, Calen will become a mindless creature of scales and fangs forever.

I really, really love that cover… Now, I hope you’re ready for the interview questions! Here’s the first one: Could you tell us a bit about the main protagonist of Coiled, Princess Laidra?

Laidra is a major study in “good news, bad news.” Good news, she can heal with a touch. Bad news, every time she uses her power, her physical appearance suffers. Healing a scrape might sprout a mole. Mending a broken arm might cause some of her hair to fall out, and it’s all irreversible. If up to her parents, she probably simply wouldn’t have ever used her gift, but since it works by touch and is somewhat out of her control, the effects had already made her horrid to look upon before they realized what exactly was going on, leading her mother, who is all about appearances, to hide Laidra beneath veils and ban her from all public gatherings.

Also, by the time we meet Laidra, she’s sixteen and well aware she’ll never be pretty, so she doesn’t really care about getting any uglier. She sneaks around healing people behind her mother’s back, and her greatest dream is to somehow escape the palace and use her gift openly.

I think my favorite thing about Laidra is that those around her have done everything they can to make her feel worthless and unwanted and rather than give into it, she latches onto what good she can do in the world and focuses outward on helping others rather than inward on the fact that nothing seems to be able to help her.

Laidra’s definitely one of my favorite protagonists. I love how she focuses on helping others, despite what it costs her. Could you tell us a bit about the other main protagonist, Prince Calen?

Similarly to Laidra, Calen is struck with a curse (and there’s a reason they both have curses, but I’m going to be mean and make you read the book to get the details … I almost said “the deetz,” but the one time I did that my cover designer/friend who I said it too forbid me to ever say that again. She’s no fun.), but his makes him turn into a giant serpent every time someone looks at him. There are, of course, ways to balance this. If he’s alone, he’s fine. If he’s with someone but that person is blindfolded, he’s fine. If he’s with someone, but it is too dark for them to see anything but a shadowy outline, he’s fine. As a serpent, however, he loses his knowledge of himself, and becomes a mindless, and very dangerous, wild animal.

Because of this, Calen has lived his life very much alone. Even his mother, who is loving and would do anything to save him from his curse, is unable to look upon him, and Calen is terrified that during one of her visits the blindfold will slip, and he’ll transform and hurt her. Harming another human being his worst nightmare, he’s resolved himself to being alone.

I think having so much power to harm, however, led to his determination to be very careful with others. He’s gentle, caring, puts others ahead of himself to an extreme. He’s also awkward and shy, and just generally kind of a sweetie.

He is SUCH a sweetie. When I was reading my ARC, there were times I just wanted to give him a hug. (And I know the deetz, but I’m also keeping my lips sealed.)

I really liked the fact that Calen turned into a serpent–always wanted one as a kid, but Mom vetoed that. Did you base his transformed look on any specific snake?

Cobra+Emerald Boa+Made Up Elements That I Felt Were Cool.

He’s definitely a constrictor, huge, broad, powerful, not particularly fast on land (I actually researched the land speed of snakes. They are not as fast as swallows, either the African or European variety), bright green with glowing eyes, and (this is where the cobra comes in) venomous fangs. I also mirrored some of the actions people use to control him when he turns on snake charming, so that is also cobra-ish.

Some things I made up: his scales are smooth when rubbed “the right way” but if you go against them they are razor sharp and can tear up your skin, and he is described as having a fringe along his back (kind of a crest) which is more “dragon” than “snake” but I wanted something to make him seem a little bit “other-worldly” rather than just “oh, that’s a really big snake there.”

He’s definitely very cool-looking! If scary, given his size. Wouldn’t want to meet him on a bright sunny day (I’d say dark night, but he’d be human then, lol.) Now, speaking of darkness, let’s go to the dark side for a moment and say that Laidra’s and Calen’s roles were reversed. If Princess Laidra turned into a creature, what kind of creature do you think she’d become?

Easy answer, since this is based on Greek mythology, is a Gorgon, but I’m not sure if that’s what you mean by creature because a Gorgon is humanoid, but the concepts of “so ugly you turn to stone when you see them” and the snake hair is probably where I’d take it (I do have Gorgons in the book, but because of the whole “don’t look at them directly” thing, we only get hints on what they look like).

If I have to pick a more animal-like being, probably a motherly hen but with a really bad case of molt.

I’d say calling a Gorgon a creature would be rude, although I do understand that Laidra’s looks have probably led to her being called worse, poor thing. A motherly hen fits her personality so well, though!

Now to change tracks a bit–could you please share something interesting about yourself?

Besides the obvious (I write books. I’m really into dragons. I often speak in Psych quotes and memes.): I have an extremely good memory for words/concepts/ideas/characters. People often ask me about the notes I take for my books or if I have things written out somewhere, and I really don’t. It’s 90% in my head (and 10% scribbled in illegible margin notes on my handy dandy notebook … yes, I did just say handy dandy notebook. I’m a mom, all right?) … but I can also pinpoint guest stars across various TV shows, remember the majority of lines from my favorite shows, and the plots/characters of nearly every book I’ve ever read. For instance, my second or third favorite TV show Grimm (rest in peace, Grimm, you are missed) started every episode with a quote, and I could usually pinpoint the story based on the quote (if it was a story I was actually familiar with. A lot of times they’d pull the quote from something I wasn’t, but if I HAD read the quote, I could say, “Oh, that’s Frankenstein …” or “Oh, we’re doing Sirens this week, how droll…” I made up the Sirens example. I don’t think they actually did a Sirens episode, but dang, they should’ve.)

That’s awesome! I suffer from a rather faulty memory myself, so I envy your superpower. Handy dandy notebooks for the win!

Next question: Coiled is releasing in just a few days, but I bet you’re already deep in another project–what are you working on now?

Second book in my Spellsmith and Carver series. I love this series because of the character dynamics. I call it a “magician buddy cop” book, not because they solve crime, but because I pulled heavily on the “two opposites forced to work together who become an unstoppable team” trope. My last several books have been female-led (The Nyssa Glass series, Coiled is romantic so it has a male/female lead team, but it is really Laidra’s story and the majority of non-Calen interactions are between her and Calen’s mother or her and her own mother and sister, Cora and the Nurse Dragon … all very much my own version of strong female characters for the leads, not a lot of punching or angst, but young ladies who know who they are and what they believe in and who stand up for those things.), but I like to write guys. I find them intriguing and adorable, so writing a story about male friendship has been kind of a nice break for me. Plus with two guys in the lead, I can have TWO romances which can be in different places, so in book two I have both a committed couple who would do anything for each other and a fledgling flirtation between two individuals who are very uncertain of their own standing. It’s fun.

Awesome! I really enjoyed the first Spellsmith and Carver book, so I look forward to the sequel.

To end on a lighthearted note, here’s an easy question! I know you really, really love dragons, but what is your favorite mythical creature other than dragons? Why? (Please don’t send Theodore after me.)

Do snakes count? How about snakes? Are sea serpents/lake monsters too much like dragons? I was obsessed with Loch Ness and variants as a kid. I intend to take on a sea serpent at some point … but I also really like giant octopuses, or cute little ones (did you know that octopi is actually incorrect? Technically if you want to pluralize it, it would be “octopodes,” but nobody says that, so I’m sticking with octopuses.) … I really like the mythology of the Pacific Tree Octopus, which is an internet hoax, but that’s kind of modern mythology, right? I wrote a short story about one for the Fellowship of Fantasy Fantastic Creatures anthology (free to download, if you are curious).

That short story is actually on my list of things to read (but, obviously, Coiled needed to come first!) I’ve known octopi was incorrect for pretty much as long as I can remember–we discussed it in a biology class I took in college, and I was surprised that some people didn’t know. I love octopuses as well–they’re so adorable!

Thanks so much for being here today, H. L.! I wish you and Coiled the best with your launch!

Readers, here’s a little more information about the blog tour for you!

Seven stops on this blog tour contain special Scavenger Hunt Clues, presented by #TheodoretheDragon and #PistachioSnek. Look for a photo of either or both of those little guys holding up a note. (Such as the one at the top of this post!) Each note is part of a secret phrase. When you have all seven pieces of our secret phrase, click here and fill out the form. All correct entries will be put into a random drawing for a signed paperback of Coiled. The winner will be drawn at the Facebook party on June 23rd.

Blog Tour Dates

June 5 – Liz Delton, Author Interview (scavenger hunt)

June 7 – Monsters, Misfits, Mushy Stuff Guest Blog (scavenger hunt)


June 10 – Rebekah Gyger, Greek Gods Guest Blog (scavenger hunt)

June 12 – A. R. Silverberry, Guest Blog (scavenger hunt)

June 13 – Heather Hayden, Author Interview (scavenger hunt)

June 14 – Lea Doue, Author Interview

June 15 – Alyson, Author Interview (scavenger hunt)

June 20 – Jebraun Clifford, Guest Blog

June 22 – Laura Pol, Author Interview (scavenger hunt)

June 23 – Olivia Fisher, Book Spotlight

 

 

 

In the vein of Eros and Psyche, two cursed souls find each other on a forsaken isle and together must shed the darkness inflicted upon them–or else live as monsters forever.

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Kobo, Nook, and iBooks

 

 

 

 

Magic Monday: Coiled by H. L. Burke

Magic Monday is back, and this month’s featured book is not released yet! I did a cover reveal a while back, however, and managed to get my hands on an Advanced Readers Copy, which I devoured in one sitting.

Since the book is releasing on the 15th and I’m interviewing the author tomorrow, I thought today–the second Monday of the month, which is Magic Monday book review day–would be a good day to share my review of Coiled by H. L. Burke.

Here’s the blurb:

A healing touch. A hideous face. A looming curse.

As the ugly twin to a perfect sister, Princess Laidra lives her life in the shadows—until her parents offer her as bait for a giant serpent.

Her escape attempt leaves her shipwrecked on a secluded island with only one inhabitant: Prince Calen, who lives under a curse. If anyone looks upon him, he turns into a giant serpent. Speaking to him in the darkness, Laidra sees past the monster to Calen’s lonely soul, and she determines to free him from the magic’s hold.

But if Laidra can’t break the curse in time, Calen will become a mindless creature of scales and fangs forever.

A YA mythology/romance that retells the myth of Eros and Psyche with adventure, magic, and true love.

Here’s a tip: if you want to sucker me into reading a romance story, make it a retelling of a myth…

Anyway, on to my review! I should note in advance that I’ve been a fan of Burke’s work for a while now, but I did wonder if Coiled would be my cup of tea, given that it’s clearly a lot more of a romance than her other work.

I shouldn’t have worried. This book is a retelling of Eros and Psyche wrapped in coils upon coils of Burke’s own special touches.

I loved watching Laidra’s and Calen’s relationship develop and was rooting for them from the start–and rooting for their tormentors to get their just desserts. Though I would have liked a little more at the end with them and their families, ultimately this story is about two hurt souls finding a way to heal together, and in that respect, Coiled is as shiny as the scales on a freshly bathed snake.

I highly recommend this to readers who love retellings of myths, romance, and snakes. Even if you don’t like snakes, give Calen a chance–he’s a big softy at heart, I swear.

Coiled is currently available for preorder and will be hitting the shelves on June 15th. I can’t wait to get my copy–I actually ordered an autographed paperback, because I really want that cover in print.

Oh, and please stop by tomorrow for an interview with H. L. Burke!

 

Cover Reveal: Between Heroes and Villains: A Superpower Anthology

It’s cover reveal time! Our amazing cover designer, Louis Rakovich of Indigo Forest Designs, has done another wonderful job.

Here it is in all its gloriousness:

What is the difference between a hero and a villain?

A hero should always use their power for good: a detective devotes his life to chasing gifted villains; a girl uses her frost powers to rescue her father; a weary sidekick faces her childhood nemesis; and a young man must protect his loved ones against a tyrannical authority.

But having unique gifts means facing tough decisions: a doctor must choose between saving his reputation or his patient; a young woman saves a drowning man and finds herself in danger as a result; a student discovers the consequences of choice; and a wannabe hero takes on a supervillain hoping she’ll be invited to the hero’s league.

And the line between good and evil is oftentimes blurred: a self-made hero crosses that line to save the world; a lovesick henchman blindly follows his master’s orders; a mentor attempts to prevent a pupil from being drawn to villainy; a superpowered military team questions their orders despite the inevitable consequences.

Follow these men and women as they set out to save themselves, and the world, from the great evils around them.

Not only is the cover perfect for the subject matter, it looks amazing next to the first anthology’s cover. Can’t wait to add this paperback to my bookshelf!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even better, Between Heroes and Villains is now available for preorder for only $0.99! This promotional price is only available until release day, June 17th, so snag your copy today.

Ensign’s Log, Entry 59: I’m back! And with a big announcement!

Hi everyone! I’m feeling much better, though still taking it easy. There will not be a month map for June, but there IS a release on its way!

My writer’s group, the Just-Us League, is releasing their second anthology on June 17th. This one is titled Between Heroes and Villains: A Superpower Anthology and will feature twelve unique takes on superpowers, including my own short story, “In A Breath”.

I’ll be doing a cover reveal for it either later this week or early next (the designer is finalizing it), but I can share the blurb as a first little teaser!

What is the difference between a hero and a villain?

A hero should always use their power for good: a detective devotes his life to chasing gifted villains; a girl uses her frost powers to rescue her father; a weary sidekick faces her childhood nemesis; and a young man must protect his loved ones against a tyrannical authority.

But having unique gifts means facing tough decisions: a doctor must choose between saving his reputation or his patient; a young woman saves a drowning man and finds herself in danger as a result; a student discovers the consequences of choice; and a wannabe hero takes on a supervillain hoping she’ll be invited to the hero’s league.

And the line between good and evil is oftentimes blurred: a self-made hero crosses that line to save the world; a lovesick henchman blindly follows his master’s orders; a mentor attempts to prevent a pupil from being drawn to villainy; a superpowered military team questions their orders despite the inevitable consequences.

Follow these men and women as they set out to save themselves, and the world, from the great evils around them.

Ensign’s Log, Entry 58: Update on May, or Why this blog will be silent for a while

A lot of things have happened these past two weeks–some good, some bad.

The good:

I have extra work this month that was unexpected but very welcome. Suffice to say, it’s doing what I want to be doing as my regular part-time job, and I hope it will lead to more work in the future.
My sister and I are heading to NYC next week to spend some time going to museums and whatnot, as she’s never visited NYC for an extended period before. It’s going to be a lot of fun!

 

The bad:

I had some health issues a little over a week ago. I saw a doctor about it and it’s nothing serious, but the doctor did say I needed to do my best to rest. And I don’t mean the not-working, lounge-around-and-read-all-day kind of rest, I mean utter and total boredom doing nothing at all.

 

So far, I haven’t been great at complete and total boredom resting, but I’ve been cutting back on my non-work computer time and my social media, as well as taking frequent breaks while working. It’s helped a lot; the symptoms I was having are mostly gone now. However, this does mean that I haven’t spent much time writing or editing my own stuff this month.

Which brings me to the purpose of this blog post–something you’ve probably already guessed from the title.

For the rest of the month, I won’t be posting Month Map updates or anything else that isn’t already scheduled, with one exception–my writer’s group has an anthology releasing next month and I hope to do a cover reveal and maybe an author interview with one of the authors before then. But other than that, it’s going silent. My Twitter account will also be mostly quiet, as will be my Facebook page.

Am I maybe going a bit overboard with this rest thing? Perhaps.

Will I be back next month with a new month map? I plan to be.

Does this mean that May has been a complete wash, goals-wise? No. Goals can change due to unforeseen events, and my new May goal is to take care of myself so that I can complete my work, enjoy my trip, and finish editing that short story.

 

How are your May goals progressing? Any unexpected changes? Any exciting developments?

Cover Reveal: Coiled by H. L. Burke

Wow, May’s been a busy month already and it’s only the third! I’m super excited about today’s cover reveal. H. L. Burke is an awesome writer and this is her first traditionally published book. In short, it’s a YA mythological romance being released by Uncommon Universes Press. I’ll share the blurb in a moment, but first…THE COVER!

It’s so pretty! I especially love the snake’s face.

Now for the blurb:

A healing touch. A hideous face. A looming curse.

As the ugly twin to a perfect sister, Princess Laidra lives her life in the shadows—until her parents offer her as bait for a giant serpent.

Her escape attempt leaves her shipwrecked on a secluded island with only one inhabitant: Prince Calen, who lives under a curse. If anyone looks upon him, he turns into a giant serpent. Speaking to him in the darkness, Laidra sees past the monster to Calen’s lonely soul, and she determines to free him from the magic’s hold.

But if Laidra can’t break the curse in time, Calen will become a mindless creature of scales and fangs forever.

A YA mythology/romance that retells the myth of Eros and Psyche with adventure, magic, and true love.

 

Intrigued? You can preorder a copy on Amazon here, and at various other retailers here.

 

Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.

An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.

Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.

Follow her personal blog at www.hlburkeblog.com.