M.N. Arzu's Blog, page 4

Enter to win a $15 Amazon Gift Card - Sponsored by Undercurrent - A Merfolk Myth!

Enter to win, no purchase necessary!

First place winner receives a $15 Amazon Gift Card and an e-copy of Undercurrent - A Merfolk Myth. Nine runner-ups will also receive an advance e-copy of Undercurrent.

Giveaway

Check out these two amazing promotions!

 This giveaway is sponsored by Undercurrent, the sequel to Underneath!

Someone is hunting the merfolk. 

While the Council has been busy between possible talks with the United Nations and following clues into the man who killed Scott's parents, rumors of dead mermen are reaching the news. Is the hunter human or one of their own? More importantly, how is he so easily finding victims who have learned how to hide over centuries?

Seeking to drag their assailant into the light, the Brooks might not be prepared to pay the cost, both to the merfolk community and much less to their family.

Find more about Underneath - A Merfolk Tale.

Upcoming sequel to Underneath - a Merfolk Tale

Inspiration for Underneath - A Merfolk Tale

You can find Underneath - A Merfolk Tale on sale till December 30th on Amazon.

Dying Merman by Cameron Stalheim

The Idea

Underneath - A Merfolk Tale is a rather unusual take on mermaid stories. It deals with humans finding an injured, unconscious merman on a beach in Maine, the media trying to discern hoax from reality, and a family moving heaven and hell to rescue one of their own.

The first time I thought about it was during a documentary on myths, and the image of Dying Merman by Cameron Stalheim flashed on my TV.

What would someone do if they actually found that on the beach? I thought, and left the idea at the back of my mind for the next few months. As time went by and November approached, I started getting ready to participate in NaNoWriMo, rallying the many ideas that surface on my mind, picking apart those that were just characters or scenes from actual stories.

The merman idea kept coming back, but aside from someone finding a merman on a beach, there didn't seem to be much to work with. I started sketching ideas of what could potentially happen from the human side of things, but it wasn't until I asked myself who this merman was and who would be looking for him, that things actually came together.

Dying Merman by Cameron Stalheim

Problems to Solve

Knitting together both sides of the story became my main concern. The reader would be privy to what each side knew, and retelling the same facts from both parties would drag the narrative, not to mention that keeping the stakes high required juggling with a few more balls than is usually advised.

Medical research, location research, and biology research took some time. I knew I could get away with a fair amount of details, but those had to sound at least plausible enough if I wanted to keep the storyline consistent with the real world. I had already run into jurisdiction questions for my other short novel, The Librarian, so I had a better idea of who would deal with merfolk.

From diving watches to the depths of the ocean, to explaining shifting abilities and thermal cameras, Underneath sure sent me to some unexpected places.

Getting It Together

Armed with my research and sketches of characters, I started my Nano thinking this would become a strange idea that would fizzle out come December. All I knew was that by the end of November, I would have gotten the story out of my system. After all, I wasn't into mermaid stories.

The first draft for Underneath was a joy to write. The story kept moving, I get to know the characters better, and discovered a whole lot more about the City's background and the merfolk's origins. I ended up with enough story to write a trilogy.

In the end, Underneath - A Merfolk Tale proved to be a fantastic way to try my hand at bringing the mundane with the fantastic. Now, while I'm writing the sequel, Undercurrent - A Merfolk Myth, I marvel at the thought that this idea randomly found me one afternoon while watching TV. We really never know where our next plot bunny is waiting—or where would it lead us.

Buy on Amazon

Author Feature: Lincoln Cole

Today I will be featuring Author Lincoln Cole and his novel Raven's Peak.

Author Feature: J.K. Knauss

Today I will be featuring J.K. Knauss and her novel Seven Noble Knights. Medieval times and a few damsels in distress seem to be in order!

Description

Spain, 974. Gonzalo, a brave but hotheaded knight, unwittingly provokes tragedy at his uncle’s wedding to beautiful young noblewoman Lambra: the adored cousin of the bride dead, his teeth scattered across the riverbank. Coveting his family’s wealth and power, Lambra sends Gonzalo’s father into enemy territory to be beheaded, unleashing a revenge that devastates Castile for a generation.

A new hero, Mudarra, rises out of the ashes of Gonzalo’s once great family. Raised as a warrior in the opulence of Muslim Córdoba, Mudarra must make a grueling journey and change his religion, then chooses to take his jeweled sword to the throats of his family’s betrayers. But only when he strays from the path set for him does he find his true purpose in life.

Inspired by a lost medieval epic poem, Seven Noble Knights draws from awe-inspiring history and legend to bring a brutal yet beautiful world to life in a gripping story of family, betrayal, and love.

What I like: Seven Noble Knights covers a period of history I wasn't familiar with, which is always nice. The themes of family, honor, and revenge merge well into this land where two vastly different cultures live. At the end, you're wondering what is truly important: belief, family, love? And what happens when they don't always go in the same direction?

Find Seven Noble Knights on Amazon.

About the Author

J. K. Knauss writes thrilling historical fiction set in the exotic world of medieval Spain. Seven Noble Knights is her first novel, and a sequel is in the works. Find out about her cantigas stories when you sign up for her newsletter, and see her contemporary works under the name Jessica Knauss at her website: JessicaKnauss.com

Author Feature: Jessica Knauss

Today I will be featuring Jessica Knauss and her novel 7 Noble Knights.

Twice begun

The first time Christopher had called him Dad, it had been awkward on so many levels that they had both blushed and let it go. In time, they had settled with Father for public events and Julian for their everyday routine. But every now and then, he still called him Dad, and Julian couldn't be prouder each and every time.

Author Feature: Heather Moore

In the mood for intrigue? Complex stories? Getting to know an unusual piece of history from faraway lands? Then I have something for you! Today I will be featuring Author Heather Moore and her novel Slave Queen.

Description

Special Agent Omar Zagouri’s latest case is his most dangerous—and his most personal yet. The discovery of secret sixteenth-century letters unveils a plot between the sultan Suleyman and his chief wife, Roxelane, to change the course of the Ottoman Empire. A descendent of Roxelane, Zagouri learns he has an enemy whose revenge has been centuries in the making.

Targeted by an antiquities collector who’s also descended from a chief rival for the ancient throne, Zagouri soon uncovers a modern-day conspiracy that threatens the lives of his family and the security of a nation.

To expose the plot, Zagouri must team up with Naim, the son of his nemesis, who heads an international black-market operation that may have ties to the killings. From ancient Constantinople to the present-day Middle East, Zagouri is on a collision course with history. Time is running out to solve a royal mystery and stop a ruthless killer—one who has Zagouri’s name on his hit list.

What I like: Two stories centuries apart, two vastly different scenarios and players, and a great story that slowly and inexorably joins them. What I love the most about stories that tell you both past and present is that no matter if you think you know how the past story ends, in the right hands, you'll always be surprised.

Find Slave Queen on Amazon.

About the Author

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women's fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah.

Broke; poor

The bet among the swim team members had been simple: whoever could hold their breath underwater the longest, won. Man, this was his lucky day!

Author Feature: Kristy Tate

 

It's December! And what better way to start this month than by setting the mood with a Christmas story? Today, I will be featuring Author Kristy Tate and her Kindle Scout Winning novel, The Little White Christmas Lie.

Description

Carson Trent doesn't know that the beautiful Millie Cruise who literally falls into his lap on the morning train is really Camille Harper, a rock star of the romance industry.

Millie doesn't know she is headed for Carson's grandmother's picture perfect inn in a quaint New England town.

Neither Carson or Millie know that their lives are about to spin out of control thanks to a patch of black ice, a cow, and a little white Christmas lie.


What I like about this book: there's a secret identity. Okay, there's a white lie about one's identity, but I'm always eager for any story where someone is hiding their true origins. Anything that comes with a REVEAL wrap into the story is a winner in my book.

You can find it here.

About the Author

Kristy lives in Southern Orange County with her husband, son, and her Schnauzer, Grendel. She studied English Literature at Brigham Young University and at BYU’s international center in London. She is an award winning and Amazon bestselling author.

Ringing

The fourth time that month that Julian had been called to the principal's office because Alex had been lost in cyberspace instead of his class, he'd sternly warned his youngest son: if the phone rang one more time for the same reason, he would lose his swimming pool privileges.