Lissa Dobbs's Blog: Shadow Walkers of Grevared, page 13

The Demons of Moirena

[image error]The lands of Grevared are home to beings of all races. The Xaggarene Empire is primarily human, and it is the place of least tolerance of others. E’ma Thalas is home to the elves, fairies, and similar beings. Corleon is primarily human, but it is a tolerant place and has its share of Halflings. The Kingdom of Emerell is almost exclusively dwarven, and they have no desire for others to live among them, though a few Halflings call the land home. The southern half of Moirena is mostly human, but the northern half is inhabited by the demons, demons of all kinds and from all hells.

Our lore is full of references to demons.

There’s Asag from Sumerian mythology, a demon so hideous he’s said to cause fish to boil in his presence. His allies are the rocks of the mountains, and he’s best known from The Epic of Anzu and his defeat by the god Ninurta, using his mace Sharur.

Others come from Judeo-Christian mythology and are well-known, not only from the sacred texts, but also from popular culture. After all, who hasn’t seen The Exorcist? And we can’t forget the texts of old such as Daemonologie of King James I.

The demons of Grevared, however, aren’t allowed the luxury of their own plane, and it isn’t a place where live beings can posses others. The demons of Moirena have physical bodies just as the humans do. They have had to adapt to living with other beings, whether they like it or not, and many have developed a culture all their own. There is the Academe of Jitradena, which is known as one of the best universities in Grevared. This is one place where other species are allowed to exist unhindered, mostly, though, in truth, the demons would much rather the others simply leave them be. Ilkorenthatas, a demon from Pistonicle, was the first to develop the technology that allowed travel through the void, so there have been some benefits to all races for having the demons present.

But they are still demons.

While cities like Jitradena may be civilized in comparison to the way the demon realms are portrayed in most popular culture, it is still home to demons, and, as such, a place where death and dismemberment are common. Even the professors of the Academe long for a return to the old ways and want to dominate the other species, for they view them as nothing more than food. Laws exist, but these are mere guidelines, and a body lying in the street is likely to be eaten by the one who killed it. Cities such as Pistofficle don’t even pretend to bow to human convention, and demons regularly battle for power over their brethren.

Their holidays are no different. There are some who celebrate Yuletide and the like, but they consider this a time of mourning rather than a happy time. There are other demon holidays, or there will be once I figure out what they are, but they aren’t celebrations humans, especially those in our world, would want to attend.

All that being said, treaties have been made between the demons and the other species which allow peace of a sort to be maintained, and it is rare for the demons to venture into southern Moirena or cross the mountains into The Kingdom of Emerell. Be warned, thought, that their recipes are not for the faint of heart.

With the invention of the Cold Box, even demons now have a way to keep their food cold, and one of their favorite treats is ice cream. Those with a squeamish stomach or tender sensibilities may want to stop here.

The most popular of all ice creams is that containing bits and pieces of dead creatures, with human being preferred. When this isn’t available, other creatures will do.

Now, in our world, it’s frowned upon to make ice cream out of fairies and the like, but if you have a twisted sense of humor, there is a recipe that is perfectly acceptable, if a little odd.

Bunny Chunk Ice Cream

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 can condensed milk

vanilla

1 package caramel

1 hollow chocolate bunny

red, blue, and green food coloring

several large marshmallows

powdered sugar

Break the chocolate bunny into small pieces, keeping parts of the head intact. Set aside.

Pour the whipping cream into a bowl and whip it until it is nice and thick. This will take several minutes, and it is done when the ripples remain. Add the vanilla and the condensed milk and whip again until the ripples remain.

Melt the marshmallows in the microwave. Add a bit of red, blue, and green food coloring until it has a sickly gray color. Add powdered sugar until it is thick enough to mold. Mold the marshmallows into entrail shapes.

Melt the caramels in a double boiler and add some red food coloring. Fold into the ice cream. Add the marshmallow entrails and the bits of chocolate rabbit. Keep the face pieces out. Fold carefully so that colors don’t smear.

Pour into a container suitable for freezing. Place the face pieces on top. Add drops of red food coloring near the face pieces and other bits that are on top. This will help the ice cream “bleed”.

Freeze overnight.

Similar recipes can be used around Halloween when the gummy body parts are sold. For this one, we usually make the ice cream green.

This is also good chocolate flavored. Simply add cocoa powder to taste when mixing the ice cream.

Lissa Dobbs

http://www.lissadobbs.com

 

Opinions, Please!

At the beginning of the year, I redid my website to make it a bit more whimsical and less ‘this is this, that is that’. However, I’m starting to doubt the wisdom of that and am considering going back to a more professional appearance. I’m really appreciate some opinions on the matter.

 

Author Spotlight – S. A. Hoag

Renegades: Book 2 of The Wildblood

by S. A. Hoag

 

They made you strong, and smart. We kept you safe, and in the shadows. It took them damned near twenty years to find you. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Uncontrollable. Unpredictable. Dangerous. The Wildblood. Now, Team Three know what they are. Renegades: Book 2 of The Wildblood – Autumn 2016

 

[image error]

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Excerpt

“This is one of three air bursts,” Vance said, indicating the video monitor. It was recording as the airplane banked around to give them a clear view. “It happened early that morning, just before nine. It was a Tuesday. The other detonations were east and south, one directly over downtown Denver, the third at the airport, all within minutes a few minutes.”  He remembered clearly, but recited it like he was reading from a textbook. None of the others were old enough to remember.

 

The first group of buildings were isolated and more than that, destroyed. Melted, irradiated, and nothing that remained looked like it had ever been occupied by a human being. They were twisted and misshapen, matte gray against the distant blue mountains.

 

“Rocky Flats,” Shannon said carefully, concentrating. There were no ghosts, no impressions of the past, crowding into her thoughts. She was glad for that. Being Gen En, genetically enhanced, she could see things not so obvious to others. This place was empty, it was. . . null. The war had been twenty years ago, the voices faded. Now civilization consisted of tiny enclaves, hidden away and carefully guarded against other remnants of humanity. Her home, The Vista, was one of those places.   Vance’s city, Estes Park, was another.

 

“Anything?” Green asked, aware of the possible consequences if she sensed something unusual. He’d been her second, her backup, for years. Today he was piloting, as well.

 

She wrinkled her nose, distracted. “No, nothing that merits mention.”  Flying was an aversion, one she hadn’t been able to avoid recently. They were far from home, wary guests of Vance’s these past few months.

 

“What does that mean?” Cooper asked, the first thing he’d actually had to say during the journey. He’d taken the seat behind Vance and kept to himself. That was his job, to make sure Vance stayed safe and out of trouble. The Vistans were trouble. There were only a few of them, but they were a dangerous few.

 

“It means, she doesn’t see anything we can’t see,” Green offered. He wasn’t Gen En. He was Siksika, a Blackfoot, and a misplaced Vista Security officer, like her. Being her bodyguard, at least for a couple hours, was a duty Green didn’t mind. Capt. Allen, Shannon, was younger, more adept at controlling tricky situations, and his senior officer. Their relationship was far less complicated than most people believed.

 

Vance nodded. He’d been in charge of Estes Park for a decade. The areas south could be troublesome. Most of what had been central Colorado was under his protection, but there was a large and empty landscape where Denver had been. Even the scavengers kept clear. The Vistans and his people weren’t friends, and it wasn’t something he could foresee at any point soon. They might be able to work out a trade agreement despite some stark differences.

 

The Vista was far to the north, past his influence. Having them show up on his doorstep a few months earlier hadn’t entirely been a surprise. They’d been hunting Rafe, Vance’s former partner-in-crime and fellow Gen En. Rafe had proven to be extremely violent, volatile and unpredictable. After years at odds with each other, Vance was resigned to his presence nearby, raiding and ransacking villages. Young, brash, and looking for revenge, the Vistans had accomplished in weeks what he hadn’t been able to do in a decade

 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Renegades: Book 2 of The Wildblood

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYNY774

Available now at Amazon.

 

Author Info

A. Hoag is an author, lapidary artist, very amateur astronomer (“I just look at the stars, I can’t tell you their names.”), hockey fan, and accidental desert-dweller. Born in the middle of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, she has lived in a number of cities, in a number of states, before crash-landing in the New Mexico desert. Not Roswell, however. Science Fiction has always been her first interest in reading and writing; many other genres sneak into the novels and that’s alright with her.

http://www.topaz08.com

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other Books

 

The Wildblood Series

 

No one remembers what started the war, the big one. It happened too fast, and there were too many lies, for the truth to be known. Civilization stopped, and what came next was fueled by rage and fear.

Twenty years on, a tiny refuge, a place called The Vista, may be one of the last vestiges of humanity. Isolated, guarded, and hiding a dark secret, the people have survived World War Last, and they are content with that. Their children, however, are not. The search for others will send them out into a world they know nothing about, where the line between enemy and ally is blurred. The war may not be over.

 

Backlash, prequel to The Wildblood series. Before Team Three, there was the Blackout. Set on a near-future Earth mostly devoid of humans, this reveals some of the harsh realities facing people of The Vista, and how Team Three began.

When Security faces an unknown adversary that threatens to wreak havoc across what little civilization there is left, they must rely on the unusual abilities of a new team, and hope it’s enough to stop the chaos.

 

 

Before Team Three, there was The Blackout. Backlash, prequel to The Wildblood. Available in paperback now!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0104VMFI4

 

The Vista: Book 1 of The Wildblood introduces Team Three – Allen, MacKenzie and Wade. An elite team of security officers, they’re young, ambitious, and at the forefront of a movement to discover what is beyond The Vista. They also believe they are genetically enhanced, Gen En, a practice outlawed long before they were born. Venturing beyond their valley draws the attention of someone dangerous, someone that shares their past and wants to control their future, or destroy them because of what they might be. The team decide to take the fight away from their home and end up finding new allies – and new enemies.

 

What happens, after the end of civilization? The Vista: Book 1 of The Wildblood. Also available in paperback.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W6R8WNM

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hunter ’ s Moon: An Urban Mythos Novella

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DMCJ0LM

Lyra Alexander considers herself an archeologist, a job that normally wouldn’t be very dramatic or dangerous. The problem with her job, however, is that she studies vampires. And they aren’t too keen on being studied.

In this world, there are all kinds of creatures prowling in the night . . . Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Author links – S. A. Hoag

Website – www.topaz08.com

FB Author’s Page – https://www.facebook.com/thewildbloodseries/

Amazon Author’s Page – http://www.amazon.com/S.-A.-Hoag/e/B00WARWIHY/

Blog – https://topaz08.wordpress.com/

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/topaz08/

 

Random Thoughts – You’ve Got This

[image error]I was coming home from the grocery store with my son when the song “Jesus Take the Wheel” came on. It’s one of those that I like to hear now and again, as much because of my interest in all mythology and religion than for any other reason. I also like the idea of a higher power that will, occasionally, lend a helping hand. Well, my son, being a teenager, made the comment that maybe Jesus didn’t want to take the wheel because it wasn’t needed. He was being a smartass at the time, but his comment made me think.

There are times when we want nothing more than to turn over whatever is going on to someone else, anyone else, just for a little bit. We want God or the angels or the Universe to just make the bad times go away and let us have some peace. We don’t have the strength to keep going, to deal with more drama, to make it through another day at work, to pay another bill. We’re just ready to be done, to rest. We may pray or meditate or light a candle to ask for assistance, and, sometimes, we don’t see any result, nothing that we can point to and say ‘this is the Universe helping out.’

Now, I’m a firm believer in the higher powers, and I’ve had more than my fair share of divine intervention, times when I could point to a particular event and know beyond any possible doubt that some other power intervened on my behalf. But there are other times that I feel like I’m screaming in a vacuum and no one hears me on any plane. I want to give up, to lay down and rest, to stay in bed and let the world do what it will. I think these are the times when the Universe is saying, “You’ve got this. I don’t need to help.” And, while I feel abandoned and alone at these times, I’ve come to realize that the Universe is right. I do have it. I can handle it.

So, for those who feel like no one is listening, who feel like you can’t go another step without someone, or something, to lend a hand, just remember that this is the time when you’ve got this. You can do it. And you’ll be all the stronger for having done it.

Best wishes!

Lissa Dobbs

http://www.lissadobbs.com

Author Spotlight – Jesper Schmidt

[image error]About the Author

I have always loved creating and I suppose that if I was only allowed to choose two words to describe myself they would be, “Focused ambition.” Yet, the art of writing was something that lived a quiet life, in the back of my mind, for many years. It was a dormant desire and, like so many of our dreams, it was placed on a list of things to do later; you know, when time would allow it. And there I left it. Half-forgotten. For a long time.

I have a Finnish sauna to thank for eventually picking it up from that dusted corner and beginning to pour my focused ambition over it. Every summer my wife, two boys and I go to Finland and spend a couple of weeks trying to do as little as possible. In that cottage it is all about slowing down and recharging our batteries. The atmosphere is perfect for it. What it was exactly that sparked my authorship I cannot say for sure – maybe it was just slowing down that gave another perspective? Maybe I was just ready for it? Whatever it was, I am ever thankful that it happened when it did back in 2015. Why wait when you can act today?

Follow me on social media.
Twitter
YouTube

Facebook

Patreon

Learn more about me and my work at www.jesperschmidt.com.







Desolation

[image error]“Desolation” is the first book in the fantasy trilogy, “The Keystone Bone”. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but if you like fast-paced fantasy, with dragons, demons, and magic, then you will love “Desolation”.

About This Book

Just as Aea had finally found happiness in her troubled life, everything starts to fall apart. When she discovers that her sister, Isota, is still alive, Aea ventures to save her, well aware that every Duian who leaves the forest realm of Thaduin will inevitably catch a deadly disease, the Field Blight. Aea finds herself in a race against time.

Arkum’Sul really wants nothing but to be left alone. Being the sole survivor of his race, and the son of a dragon god, makes such desires difficult to fulfill.

Meanwhile, Ayida, another Duian, resides in the Bronze Tower, far north of Thaduin, where she has grown to become a powerful spellcaster. However, it requires all of her skills to heal herself of the Field Blight daily. This place is the heart of the Magio Order, a dominant organization of female magic-wielders, where Ayida has tried for decades to ascend from Apprentice to the rank of Sienna… and failed every time. As she makes another attempt, all goes horribly wrong.

Will the world of Erisdün survive as ancient myths and reality become one?

Get it today and experience a struggle like no other.

Fantasy Map Making

[image error]Have you ever struggled with map making? To make it compliant with the laws of nature? Or spent countless hours trying to understand geography?

About This Book

In this book we will cover:

Whether maps are important or not and tackle some of the common excuses for not developing one.

What you need to think about before you start your map in order not to make mistakes in later steps.

Discuss your different options for creating the map: from hand drawn over software to hiring a professional.

Sketching your map and making sure that we get the size of the world just right.

Adding continents by understanding how tectonic plates work.

Terraforming your world with the knowledge of how winds and the equator affect the climate.

After having added mountains and deserts, we will include islands and lakes.

And then we make sure that rivers are not breaking the laws of nature.

We add trees, before moving into understanding how the lands will affect the people who live on them and vice versa.

It is then time for countries, borders, and roads.

We then finish up with optional fantasy elements and include the last touches.

Get it today, and design your own world.

 

Thank You!!!

[image error]Thank you recent purchasers of Aradia’s Secret!!!!

The Super Secret Science Club – S.C. Davis

[image error]Book One: I’ll never forget my science teacher’s words the day he recruited us as spies: “I’m a member of a secret organization called the Rosalind Group, whose original mission was to find and prevent cases of stolen scientific research. But one day, everything changed, and I didn’t understand why. Eventually, I figured it out…we weren’t the good guys anymore… …the Rosalind Group is no longer protecting scientists from having their research stolen. We’re now the ones who are stealing it.” Apparently research wasn’t all they were stealing; they were stealing the scientists themselves! I suppose “kidnapping” is the proper word. And that’s where we came in. Six science-savvy seventh graders. One missing scientist. And the need for some serious out-smarting. But there’s just one more mystery involved: how was I supposed to do this without lying to everyone I know? I was sworn to secrecy…but I ended up breaking my promise. “Case of the Disappearing Glass” is the first book in the Super-Secret Science Club series. Follow Jenna and her classmates as they unravel mysteries and tackle critical missions, all while trying to survive middle school!

 

[image error]Book Two: What’s worse than being in seventh grade, and trying to solve a kidnapping? Being in seventh grade, and trying to solve TWO kidnappings. Especially when one of those is your own teacher. The very same one who got you into this spy business in the first place. Lucky for me and the other five members of the Super-Secret Science Club (we call it the S3C for short), help arrived right when we needed it: the day we realized Mr. Gregory wasn’t just on vacation. Her name is Claire, and what she told us that day is what set everything in motion for the biggest stunt we’d ever pulled in our twelve years on this planet. There’s just one tiny problem: I sort of got myself kicked out of the S3C. Sure, I deserved it. But when the night of the Gala arrived—the night we were going to take down the Rosalind Group and rescue Dr. Wyatt and Mr. Gregory—I found something. I know they told me to stay away. But I couldn’t let my friends walk head first into danger. Not when the discovery I had just made was the only way to protect them. “The Secrets of Rosalind” is the second book in the Super-Secret Science Club series. Follow Jenna and her classmates as they unravel mysteries and tackle critical missions, all while trying to survive middle school!

 

Random Thoughts – Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

[image error]I was looking at a website the other day and thinking about comfort zones, and it dawned on me just how outside my comfort zone publishing books and writing a blog really is. It also made me realize that good things do exist outside of what we’re comfortable with.

I’ve always been one of those ‘stay at home and let the world do as it will’ kind of people. I’m not big on interaction, even online. Never have been. I’ve always been far more comfortable curled up in a corner with a book.

I remember the first day I put up the blog. I shook for hours afterwards simply because I had hit ‘publish’. It was worse with my books. Putting them out for the public was one of the hardest things I ever did, but I think it was worth it, even though there’s still a sense of relief sometimes that no one notices they’re there.

I think that’s something a lot of people deal with, not just authors. We’re taught, or come to believe, that our comfort zones keep us safe. The reality is that they hold us back, keep us from achieving all we can achieve. A friend of mine put it simply the other day when she said she was afraid of success. I think she’s right. A lot of us are.

But why are we afraid? What is so horrible about actually achieving our dreams? When did we come to believe, to know, that the only real success is a job that makes us miserable? Why do we believe that?

I don’t want to believe that anymore. I want to believe that being successful at something I love is okay, even laudable. I want to shake off the programming that tells me that the only real success is a daily grind that kills my spirit and leaves me exhausted.

So, who’s with me? Who’s ready to step outside the comfort zone and take the steps to achieve their dreams?

It’ll be worth it in the end.

For all of us.

Best wishes!

Lissa Dobbs

http://www.lissadobbs.com

Author Spotlight – L.J. Clarkson

[image error]LJ Clarkson has done many things in her time. Making mud pies as an Environmental Engineer. Bossing people around as a project manager. Reducing flood risk to residents affected by floods. But her all time favorite job is telling stories and making others laugh.

 

She counts the following as very special talents: singing out of tune, laughing at her own jokes, reciting useless, but very fascinating facts, and a magical habit of magnetizing food to her clothes. If she were a Mastermind, she’d uninvent early mornings, grammar, broccoli, cleaning and her dog’s fussy eating habits.

 

 LJ is the author of the Mastermind Academy and Heaven and Hound series, and the brains behind Author Resources Database, a promotional site for authors. You can find out more at www.mastermindacademy.net or www.authorresourcesdatabase.com.

 

The Silver Skull by L. J. Clarkson

[image error]Just when Isabelle thinks things are settling down at Mastermind Academy, they blow up again. The headmaster’s hot on her tail with an investigation that might see her expelled from school. She’s trying to please one friend by staying away from another. Then Lemuria kidnaps her family, and he will kill them, unless she hands over the crystal skull within five days. Getting the skull will not be easy when the one she entrusted it to will not return it. Time is a ticking so she must team up with her new friend to help track it down.

 

Poor Boldrick has had the day from hell. Ridiculed, disrespected, and attacked with a broom, he decides it is time to find a cure to become human again. Nothing he tries works for him, and somehow he’s inherited a spirit from a shaman he visited. In exchange for delivering the spirit’s messages, Boldrick receives a gibberish clue for his quest. But unraveling each clue leads him and his friends deeper into danger. The kind of danger he’s not sure they can get out of.

 THE SILVER SKULL, a young adult fantasy adventure, is book 3 in the Mastermind Academy series.

 Here is the Amazon link https://www.amazon.com/Silver-Skull-Mastermind-Academy-adventure-ebook/dp/B01N0XRVWW/

 

 

 

 

Book Release – Daisy Chain by Mark Montgomery

[image error]Alexandra ‘Alex’ Holman-Hunt and Dr. Oliver Kane live in worlds, poles apart. Alex lives and breathes the new—fashion. She hopes to influence a modern generation of women. Help them shape the way they dress—a new look to take them away from the austerity of the Fifties and the excesses of the Sixties. A new look to better place them in a man’s world. Oliver Kane is very much buried in the past—the study of human history. He lives for what lies under the ground, sharing his passion with best friends; Linnet ‘Lunar’ Moon, a ‘hippy digger’, and a small black and white dog called Hector. He lives and works in academia, teaching his discipline, but also works with new enlightened Law and Order— new techniques to uncover bones and bodies—a new science; forensic archaeology.

Their story, set in Britain, France and West Germany, is played out to the rich sounds and sights of the Seventies; in a world shaped by a terrible world war, and a new world order dictated by new freedoms and new constraints, as communism and democracy fight a new cold war. The world holds its breath. London holds it breath too—a killer stalks, and Oliver is drawn into the intrigue surrounding a serial murderer. Alex is stalked too, by a shadow intent on harm. She fears for her life—who will help her?

Five lives collide. Secrets are uncovered—death and discovery—murder and mutilation. A string of events unfold—a daisy chain.

Daisy Chain is a powerful, complex erotic thriller from the masterly pen of Mark Montgomery, author of the popular Borderer Chronicles. A tale full of rich characters, gripping story telling, profound thought and an affectionate nod to a different time—when innocence still existed in a pre-internet world.

-->Daisy Chain – an erotic thriller from the masterly pen of Mark Montgomery.

Check out Daisy Chain here.


 https://www.amazon.com/DAISY-CHAIN-Ma... chain mark montgomery