Rachel R. Smith's Blog, page 18
October 15, 2015
NetGalley Members and Book Bloggers: Looking for a good (free) book to read?
The first book in the Records of the Ohanzee series, Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror is now available on NetGalley. If you are a reviewer and/or book blogger who likes the Fantasy or New Adult genres, I would love it if you would check out my book here: http://netgal.ly/0lfd6J
It doesn’t matter to me if you have a large following, or if you are just starting out (I’m just starting out too!). I’m looking for reviewers who are active, give honest, well-written reviews, and post them to their blog, Amazon, and goodreads.
Not a NetGalley member? No problem! I can send a direct invitation via email. When you click the link, all you have to do is provide some basic registration info to NetGalley and you’ll be able to get your copy.
Interested? Check out the book here: http://netgal.ly/0lfd6J or leave me a message in the comments with your email address and a link to your blog!
Book blurb:
An Heiress, an ancient prophecy, and a masquerade…
Nerissa, the Heiress of Chiyo, prepares for the masquerade celebrating the twentieth anniversary of a thwarted assassination attempt on her family. Longing to be admired for herself and not her title, she arranges to switch costumes and enjoy the ball in blissful anonymity. But, when the fateful night finally comes, a prophetic warning of a second attack arrives too late, and the evening turns from revelry and romance to violence. After being pulled from the chaos by an enigmatic guardian, Nerissa learns that the Royal Family has been concealing a formidable secret for generations—and it is only one of many that are about to be revealed.
October 12, 2015
Back from the grave! (It’s that time of the year, right?)
I first made this post in May, back when I first started this blog. (Seriously, it was my third post!) It’s an oldie-but-goody, so I wanted to republish and hopefully breathe some life back into it.
Crystals and minerals are an integral part of the story in the Records of the Ohanzee series. I have been an admirer and collector of mineral specimens for years. As a scientist, I find the relationship between a mineral’s chemical composition and appearance/crystal structure to be fascinating. (The fact that minerals are sparkly and brightly colored certainly doesn’t reduce my interest either. ^_-)
These are some of the minerals from my personal collection, labeled with their actual name and chemical composition. Below the real-life labels, I’ve also identified their type using the naming convention from Renatus. I hope that these images can serve as a visual guide for some of the crystals described in the books!
Celestite (SrSO4), Water-Fire
Calcite (CaCO3), Earth-Earth
Rose Quartz (SiO2), Air-Earth
Pyrite on Quartz, Air/Metal-Fire/Metal This is an example of a crystal that would be considered to have 3 elements.
Chalcanthite (CuSO4·5H2O), Water-FireNote:Mineral is naturally occurring but my specimen is man-made.
Sulfur (S), Fire-Earth
Pyrite (FeS2), Metal-Metal
Quartz (SiO2), Air-Fire
Quartz (SiO2), Spirit
Enhydro Agate (SiO2), Air-Water This piece of agate is hollow with water and an air bubble trapped inside. If you hold a flashlight to the stone you can see the water slosh around, but it doesn’t photograph well.
Amethyst (SiO2), Water-Fire
Below is a guide to the crystal naming convention used in Renatus:
(Note: crystals are named first by color, then by type.)
Color
Shape
Fire: Red/Yellow/Orange
Fire: Pointed/Jagged
Water: Blue/Purple
Water: Smooth/rounded
Earth: Brown/Green/Black
Earth: Smooth/flat
Metal: Metallic
Metal: Geometric/90 deg angles
Air: White/Grey/Pastels
Air: Fluffy/Cotton-like appearance
Spirit: Clear/Transparent
Spirit: Spirit crystals are determined solely by color
October 9, 2015
Amiibos! Also, how video games and books aren’t really all that different
The view through the sunroof of my carThere seems to be a general perception that reading books is a more stimulating endeavor than playing video games. As an author, I’d love to be biased and agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly, but I don’t. While I agree that some video games are mindlessly repetitive (and there is a time and place when you need that kind of entertainment), it would be a mistake to sell games short as a whole. Some of the most captivating stories and well-developed characters I have ever encountered have been from video games–usually RPGs or visual novels. Playing along and controlling the actions of the main character brings about a level of immersion in a story that just isn’t attainable from a book. And the music! The scores that accompany some video games are beautiful works of art by themselves. How I wish that my book could have a soundtrack to accompany it!
As with books, the longer the series, the happier I am. My absolute favorite games are The Legend of Zelda series and Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series. Our house is littered with LoZ collectables: mugs, stickers, figures…and amiibos.
Which brings me to my next topic. Hubby and I love to collect amiibos, but some of them are ridiculously difficult to find! We’re not willing to sit outside of stores for hours or pay the prices that scalpers charge to get them second hand, so we missed out on many of more limited amiibos. Until now.
Yesterday, we dropped by our local Best Buy and hit the motherload: Marth, Little Mac, Shulk, Captain Falcon, Charizard…and more! Apparently, Best Buy has gotten a large shipment of some of the hard-to-find amiibos. If you’re a collector, this might just be your chance to pick up some of the missing pieces! Good luck!
Amiibo haul! Now we just need to pick up some more storage boxes.
October 8, 2015
The Wait is Killing Me! The Royal Spyness series
Last night, I decided to treat myself to a good book. I have several sitting on my Kindle waiting to be read, but Ebooks + bubble baths aren’t a wise combination. Alas, the one downside of physical books is that you have to…gasp…wait for them to arrive at your door. And so, I will just have to wait until tomorrow for my book/bubble bath combo. In the meantime, I figured I might as well whine about it on the internet. :P You’re welcome.
The book currently making its way to my door is Malice at the Palace—the newest in the Royal Spyness Mystery series by Rhys Bowen. Any other Royal Spyness fans out there? I love this series and promptly devoured every book as fast as possible immediately after I discovered it in 2013.
For those who aren’t familiar, the series is set in 1920’s-1930’s Great Britain and features Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie (aka Georgie) as the main character. Despite being 34th in line for the throne, Georgie’s father’s gambling habit has left her broke. Unfortunately, it is frowned upon for a member of the aristocracy to join the working class. So, Georgie has to find creative ways to support herself. In the process, she gets caught up in a number of mysterious murders.
That description really doesn’t do the series justice–it’s well-written, humorous, and chock full of interesting characters. If you like cozy mysteries, I highly recommend you check it out. Go directly to Amazon and order the first book now! The sooner you do, the sooner it will be on your doorstep (you don’t want to end up wallowing in impatience like me, do you?).
Only one more day…
October 7, 2015
I want one! (More cool things from Japan)
Goodbye Siri, hello RoBoHon!
Eating Candy from a Toilet, or Things a Writer does on a Day Off
I’m taking a break from writing this week, so instead of the usual posts, I would like to share with you some of the things I like to do for fun. It is no secret that I love Japan. It started out in college when I discovered anime and expanded to an interest in both current pop culture (fashion, video games, anime, food, music) and historical culture as well. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to go to Kyoto twice, and I’m eagerly anticipating my next trip. (I have no idea when that will be right now, but it’s going to happen.)
Fortunately, Hubby is equally enamored, so it’s one of many interests we share. We’re lucky that the Cincinnati area is dotted with many small Japanese markets, which allows us to get some of our favorite foods here at home. (I’m looking at you, oh nectar of life, C.C. Lemon.)
Recently, we discovered a subscription box service called Japan Crate. (Don’t even get me started on how awesome subscription boxes are…) Japan Crate is a monthly service that ships Japanese candy and snacks straight to your door. The pictures below are from this month’s crate, which arrived on Monday. (Admittedly, a couple of items are missing, having been devoured almost as soon as the box was opened.) Even the box itself is cute! ^_^
Each of the premium (aka, biggest) boxes comes with a DIY candy kit. The DIY kits cover a range of activities, from making common things like chocolates, gummies, or hard candies to more unusual things like mochi or…foaming toilet candy.
Moko Moko MokorettoThis kit was pretty straight forward, with little preparation required. Each one comes with a randomly colored toilet, a set of decorative stickers, and three pouches of candy. Just assemble the plastic parts!
The candy flavors included are: strawberry (pink), cola (blue), and melon (green). Making the candy is simple. Pour one candy pouch into the toilet tank and shake to distribute evenly. After adding two lid-fulls of water, it will look like the leftmost picture below. Admittedly, not too appealing at this point. Next, stir with the included tiny straw and it will react to create a yummy foam! It tends to overflow, so you have to sip the foam down to keep it from spilling out of the bowl. Never before has eating something from a toilet bowl been so delicious. It tastes like pop rocks x 1000.
Sumo was intensely curious about what was going on in the kitchen. But, since he doesn’t like to walk on tile, he sat in the doorway with is mood fluctuating between pouty and hopeful. Sorry, Sumo, dogs aren’t supposed to eat out of toilets. ^_-
October 5, 2015
NetGalley members
In a few weeks, I plan on making the first book in the Records of the Ohanzee series, Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror, available through NetGalley. If you are a NetGalley member who enjoys reading fantasy, I would love it if you would consider requesting a copy of my book to review.
If you’re interested, leave me a message in the comments or send me an email at recordsoftheohanzee @ gmail.com (without the spaces) and I will send you a message when the book goes live on NetGalley.
Here’s the blurb for Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror:
An Heiress, an ancient prophecy, and a masquerade…
Nerissa, the Heiress of Chiyo, prepares for the masquerade celebrating the twentieth anniversary of a thwarted assassination attempt on her family. Longing to be admired for herself and not her title, she arranges to switch costumes and enjoy the ball in blissful anonymity. But, when the fateful night finally arrives, a prophetic warning of a second attack arrives too late, and the evening turns from revelry and romance to violence. After being pulled from the chaos by an enigmatic guardian, Nerissa learns that the Royal Family has been concealing a formidable secret for generations—and it is only one of many that are about to be revealed.
October 4, 2015
Discover a new author to read by the genre
Thanks to Brittney Sahin for highlighting Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror on her blog! Be sure to check out her post and the other great authors listed as well. ^_^
Originally posted on brittneysahin:
Updated List of Authors to Read by the Genre
Each month I invite authors to share their novels (and latest works in progress) on my blog. I add them to the ‘Authors to Read’ List. I have categorized the authors by their corresponding genres. Please check out the authors at the links below:
Children’s & Young Adult Genre
Literary Fiction Genre
Multiple Genres: Inspiration/Non-Fiction/Based on a True Story/Westerns
Romance
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Thriller and Suspense (Mystery/Horror/Paranormal)
Please share these links! Authors: If your book is listed – share the link to your genre on social media (it will help everyone in your genre out- thank you!!)
Also, each of these books is pinned to my ‘authors to read’ pinterest page, which drives a lot of traffic to this site (spreading the word for your books) :)
October 2, 2015
Book Blitz Day 4
One more day until the book blitz ends! Last reminders:
Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror is on sale for $2.99 through tomorrow. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XGYO2C4
My short (side) story, Shattered Sugar Dreams is still available for free through tomorrow as well! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0104MZ9A4
If you like fantasy, but you’re tired of reading about worlds overrun with wizards, dragons, and outlandish monsters, give Records of the Ohanzee a try! (/end shameless book promotion)
Next week it’s back to your regularly scheduled blog programming! I’m taking the week off from writing, so I’m planning some fun posts about how I pass the time when I’m not writing. What kinds of capers will Sumo get up to? Watch as I make and eat candy from a toilet! (Nope, that’s not a typo. She can’t really be serious, you’re thinking. Oh, but I am, and I’ll post the pictures to prove it. Here’s your hint: it’s candy from Japan…)
