R.R. Surbier's Blog, page 4
August 12, 2015
Decisions
I’ve been writing a story (still in the Wonder setting, but unconnected to the current main plot), and trying to decide if I should make it a free short story here, connect it into book two, or publish it elsewhere as a short story that could get me some income/ the possibility of another audience finding my work. Too bad I don’t have a following that comments (yet) on this blog, or I’d ask my fans for their input.
It’s a story of what happens to a god’s favorite the moment magic returns to the world. …because bringing magic back awakens a lot more than the Fey-born. 
August 1, 2015
The way I write, Madness and Wonder
I write the way I do because it feels most genuine to me, and I go where my muse leads. Chemistry and sensuality are electrifying, and so is a heroic plot. I love the themes of ‘love makes all things possible’, and of the heroes rescuing each other. And magic is sexy as hell, especially when it involves bending the fabric of reality to the magic users will. I also like Fey useing magics drawn from pleasure and force of will. All strong elements in the Wonder series.
I start Madness and Wonder with a graphic sex scene as a hook, because I want to prime my readers minds with the magnetic pull that Rosie and Hatter feel whenever their minds connect. I want them to feel the lust and crave the pleasure that Hatter and Rosie revel in. But then to see, as they read on, that what binds the lovers is so much deeper than just the physical. To know that, despite the deck being stacked against them, they can’t be kept apart forever.
I want my readers to begin with the knowledge that Rosie and Hatter are meant to be together. Then I take you back to where it all started. By knowing that they are destined to be lovers, I think it colors the attraction and increases the erotic nature of their awareness of each other. I want my readers to feel the spark that brought them together, and know why Hatter feels the need to protect Rosie and help her battle all her monsters. And to know why Rosie needs to get to the truth of who her sexually charged guardian angel really is.
If I say more, I risk going from teaser into spoiler. So I’ll stop there & hope I’ve steered one or two more readers towards Madness and Wonder. Available on kindle and in print at Amazon
Likes
(1)Dislikes
(0)
July 31, 2015
Sharing the literary love
While its my job as an author to get Madness and Wonder out there & read, I also wanted to take a moment to share the literary love for another author who’s book is launching today.
Waiting for No One by, Erica Allaire
I’ve known her work for years & she’s a solid wordsmith, so check her book out too. It’s on kindle, so it’s got free preview chapters just like Madness and Wonder, can’t hurt to check it out too. 
Likes
(0)Dislikes(0)
July 22, 2015
Dream walking and world-jumping in the Wonder setting
A concept that is introduced right off the bat in Madness and Wonder, and is an important mechanic throuought the Wonder setting, is the ability to leave your body while unconcious and travel to other worlds.
Rosie and her friends think of it as dream walking and, except for Rosie, have only used this ability to travel between each other’s dreams. Rosie has been dream walking to a fey world since she was a small child, but doesn’t realize it’s a real place until she meets Hatter.
Hatter, on the other hand, has been living in Wonderland as long as he could remember. He’s been world-jumping as long as he can remember too, but memory was a hazy thing for Hatter until he had Rosie to remember. (…But that’s their story & if you want to know more about them you’ll have to read Madness and Wonder.)
Though they think of it differently, they’re both doing the same thing. In the Wonder setting, dream walking is a form of astral projection, where the spirit can travel at the speed of thought to almost limitless destinations.
Wonder where Fey-born with dream walking talents go? The answer is only limited by imagination.
Most worlds are fleeting, and attached to a dreamer. There are so many Dream worlds that they seem limitless, but it’s a constantly changing selection because the worlds disappear when their dreamer wakes. These fleeting worlds can be anything, from scarily disturbing to full of wonder, but dream walkers usually don’t know what they are walking into until they’re there. Dream worlds are the most common, but not the only kinds of worlds dream walkers can visit.
There are also worlds compiled of common dreams and subconcious desires that become stable places for Longer periods, tapping into the sheer number of people thinking about them currently. For example: Opening weekend of a blockbuster movie may inspire a compiled world until its popularity ebbs, or a long running TV series can have a world that lasts decades.
Even rarer are stable places that have been around long enough that it’s hard to tell if they were inspired by imagination or if they inspired man kinds imaginations. In Madness and Wonder two of those worlds are Wonderland and The realm of Fey. In the (still being written) next book, Wonder in the Prime, you’ll get to discover the plane of lust, and… Sorry… Spoilers.
July 14, 2015
Madness and Wonder Sale
Looking for good adult urban Fantasy? Now’s the time to get your kindle copy of Madness and Wonder! Starting July 16th, Amazon will have a week long kindle countdown deal for Madness and Wonder. The sale starts at $2.99 (71% off) on the 16th, then goes to $4.99 (50% off) on the 18th, and $6.99 (30% off) on the 20th before going back to its regular $9.98 price on July 23rd.
Likes
(0)Dislikes(0)
July 8, 2015
The Fey-born
I’ve been trying to think of what I can post about the Wonder setting, without spoilers, and I’ve decided to do a few posts to give my readers insight into what makes my setting different. Today I’m starting with An overview of Fey-born.
In their simplest definition, Fey-born are humans with varying ammounts of magical non-human mixed into their DNA. Most Fey-born descend from creatures most of us think of as faeries; like noble fey, tree sprites, brownies, gnomes, elves, trolls etc. Other magical entities left heirs amongst the humans too, and are rarer but are also part of the Fey-born; like shape shifters, dryads, niads, sirens, dragons, etc. If it was magical and had children with humans, their descendants are Fey-born.
At the beginning of the Wonder series, the world is a pretty inhospitable place for magic, and has been for hundreds of years (since the age of reason, when magic fled). Most Fey-born are unaware of their heritages, being at least ten generations removed from their magical ancestors tends to lose clear history for most. But in this magic starved setting, Fey-born are drawn to each other’s subconscious magical spark and produce children that have magical potential. Because of this most Fey-born have multiple magical heritages, and depending on state of mind, mood, and circumstance, their dominant Fey type can change.
There are too many kinds of Fey-born in the Wonder setting to spell out each one, so here are some of the more important ones:
The bulk of Fey-born pass through life never knowing of their potential magical talents. But a few Fey-born types haven’t completely lost their heritage. One type are the Children of the Green Man, Fey-born who’s gift is to be the bridge between nature and magic, and to amplify magic around them. When all magic fled, and the doors to other worlds closed, the ancient Druids made it their sacred task to hide, protect, and make sure there were as many Children of the Green Men around as possible. Being that the Druids were already a secret religion by the age of reason, they succeeded in their task, and have kept a few dozen Children of the Green Man in strategic placement around the world. They believe, to this day, that their work was all that kept magic from disappearing completely.
Because of these Druids, their families also remained aware of their secret heritages, but those Fey-born run the gambit of Fey ancestors.
Another Fey-born type that are usually aware of their heritages are Oracles; the strongest lines descending from the Oracle at Delphi. Oracles, find out about their heritage through family superstition, often passed with tarot cards or other defining implements, and through a vision or two every generation or so. Oracle lines are often found in Romani (gypsy) communities, being that they are often welcoming places for Fey-born and more accepting of psychic gifts.
Once every generation, a noble Fey-born child is Chosen. The child is picked, at a often pre-verbal age, as a favorite by the surviving faeries living in the pocket world of Faery. They pick the child with the strongest talents who has managed to stumble into lucidly Dream walking, because dreams are the closest true Fey can come to the prime material plane. For that child, it’s like winning a very exclusive lottery. Their magic is nurtured and trained, and they are taught everything they need to know to return magic to the world. The caveat is that they only remember their training while in Faery. They hang on longer than most, but when the harshness of the real world infects these children they eventually loose their magic and forget they were ever magical. In Madness and Wonder, Rosie Cotton is the first ever of these children to keep her magic and connection to the Fey into her teen years.
Another type of Fey-born needs special mention here. The Fey-born of the modern age, Techiads. You won’t meet a Techiad until book 2, Wonder in the Prime, so I don’t want to give too much away. I will say that, like their distant ancestors, they tap into magic through a physical thing. For a dryad it’s a sacred tree or grove, for niads it’s a sacred spring or body of water, but for Techiads it’s the sacred tech. Every piece of technology within the Techiad’s radius (varying on the strength of their talent) becomes sentient and aware. Most tech is so happy to suddenly exist that it will do whatever it can to please it’s Techiad.
The last type of Fey-born I’m going to talk about today is Shifters. Fey-born shifters don’t usually have talents that extend to the prime material plane (the “real” world), but those that discover dream walking are masters of manipulating themselves and the worlds around them. The greater their talent, the more abstractly they can use it. Some can simply change into their bonded animal, while the very talented can change into just about anything (including the water in a hot steamy shower). In Madness and Wonder, Hatter is a prime example of the most powerful shifter seen since the age of reason. And, of course, he is drawn to Rosie… For more, buy Madness and Wonder.
Next post: dream walking and world-jumping.
Likes
(1)Dislikes(0)
June 30, 2015
Late night writing for book 2, Wonder in the Prime
I love the scene that just spilled from my head. I don’t know if it will make it past the final cut, because it’s not really plot necessary, but it shows one of the things that happen as magic ripples through reality. Just imagine being at a huge stadium concert, performing for thousands, when you discover that your music has enthralled everyone who can hear your voice. Not sure if the rock star John will make another appearance yet, but he has seduced a packed concert into a giant orgy (instead of riot) and found his soul mate tonight (…this morning). Fun times.
I never intend to stay up till after 4:30am writing, but when I do it’s usully a scene worth getting down in writing. When my characters talk I need to get it in writing before it’s gone, no matter the time of day (or middle of the night). Good thing I can sleep in tomorrow.
If you are interested in reading Madness and Wonder, book one of the Wonder series, it’s currently for sale on Amazon. Read the free sample for kindle & I’m sure you’ll be back to buy the complete book.
Likes
(1)Dislikes(0)
June 24, 2015
Books and mini business cards
I got my mini buisness cards today & they came out smaller than I invisioned, but so adorable. One side has a QR tag to this blog and the other side has a QR tag pointing to Madness and Wonder on Amazon.
Here they are with a few copies of Madness and Wonder:
I think they’re a great size for an unobtrusive bookmark.
Likes
(0)Dislikes(0)
June 22, 2015
Madness and Wonder, Week one update
I just changed up my Facebook add. I’m hoping that different text, and a link directly to my book instead of this blog (that also points to the book, just with a step in between that might have lost some people), will help more readers find Madness and Wonder.
The first week’s sales have been really slow, and I’d really hoped Madness and Wonder would have had more. I don’t know how many people have downloaded the free sample, but I’m hoping lots have, and that they’ll return soon to buy the rest of the book. Not knowing that statistic, it’s hard to judge if more readers are just over the horizon. But with my first review being so glowing (and 5 stars), I know I’m not the only one who Loves where my characters take them. So, here’s hoping honing my add will be that magic bullet that shatters the barrier between me and some new readers.
I just know once a few readers find Madness and Wonder the word will spread, I just need to get more than one review so that people know that they are getting a good story (with lots of good sex that helps to move that good story).
Here’s a screenshot of the new add:
Facebook add www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZO6TN6W
What do you think of the new add? Please comment (link at the top of this post) & let me know.
Buy Madness and Wonder now:Amazon
Likes
(0)Dislikes(0)
