D. Lieber's Blog, page 19

Russia Research Trip Day 6

Wednesday, October 16, 2019 3:50 p.m. Sailing Baltic-Volga Waterway, #Russia, Viking ship Rurik stateroom My husband got a cold this morning, so he didn’t go with me to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. Here are some of the pictures I took while there. The Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery is the biggest monastery in Russia. At its most populated, it housed 200 monks. Today, there are 15 monks who live there. We learned about Eastern Orthodox icons while there as well as embroidery. You had to pay...

Russia Research Trip Day 5

Tuesday, October 15, 2019 5:27 p.m. Sailing Volga River, #Russia, Viking ship Rurik stateroom Today we went to Yaroslavl, and it was the first day I’d call cold. Before the tour started, I went into town and saw a statue to Vladimir Lenin. According to one Moscow tour guide, the communist party is still the second most popular party in Russia. So I was unsurprised to find flowers at the base of the statue. When we met up with our guide, we all walked to The Church of Elijah the Prophet. Then,...

Russia Research Trip Day 4

Monday, October 14, 2019 5:30 pm Uglich, #Russia, Viking ship Rurik stateroom This morning I awoke to the sunrising as we sailed up the Moscow Canal. After breakfast, I went to a lecture about the history of the Romanov dynasty. Then, I went to the lounge and talked with Jane (the wife half of that couple from Michigan we’ve been hanging out with) about knitting. She gave me an awesome sock knitting pattern. I went to another lecture on Russian language, and then we had lunch. We ate with the...

Russia Research Trip Day 3

Sunday October 13, 2019 10:29 p.m. Sailing the Moscow Canal, #Russia, Viking ship Rurik stateroom Today was our last day in Moscow. We went to the Kremlin before we left. There was a pretty long line to get in, but we eventually made it through airport-like security. Then, we walked through the main tower. We saw the arsenal. Our tour guide was very strict about us keeping to the tourist side of the Kremlin, but we did see where Putin works from afar. We saw the biggest cannon in the world—Ts...

Russia Research Trip Day 2

Saturday October 12, 8:45 p.m. Moscow, Russia, Viking ship Rurik stateroom Today was a free day for the tour group. All the tours offered were optional, but John wanted to go back to Red Square to see Lenin's tomb. Lucky for me, we made friends with a very nice couple from Michigan. While the wife wanted to see Lenin's tomb as well the husband didn't, so I hung out with him and she went with John. I finally got in to see the views from Red Square. Everything is just so beautiful and picturesq...

Russia Research Trip Day 1.5

Saturday, October 12, 2019 12:01 a.m. Moscow, #Russia, Viking ship Rurik lounge. Today was a very full day. After lunch (see Day 1 for before lunch), we took a walking tour of Moscow. First, we walked through a picturesque park, full of Autumn-colored leaves. Our tour guide feed a squirrel with nuts straight from his hand! Then, we got on the famous Moscow metro. One of the stations we stopped at is called Mayakoskaya. The tour guide told us that the metal arches in the station were actually...

Russia Research Trip Day 1

Friday, October 11, 12:45 p.m. Moscow, #Russia, stateroom on the Viking ship Rurik I am so jet-lagged right now, I barely know which way is up. As such, this will be a rather short post about my travel day. The first part of my trip did not start out so good. I barely got any sleep and woke up with an upset stomach. As far as air travel, everything went remarkably well. Our flight from Chicago to Paris was on time, and we got through security smoothly. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep much on th...

J. M. Frey Character Interview

Book One of The Skylark’s Saga A Saskwyan flight mechanic with uncanny luck, seventeen-year-old Robin Arianhod grew up in the shadow of a decade-long war. But the skies are stalked by the Coyote—a ruthless Klonn pilot who picks off crippled airships and retreating soldiers. And as the only person to have survived an aerial dance with Saskwya’s greatest scourge, Robin has earned his attention. As a Pilot, Robin is good. But the Coyote is better. When he shoots her down and takes her prisoner,...

Chicago Steampunk Expo 2019

For a first year con, #Chicago #Steampunk Expo turned out beautifully! Here are just a few of the awesome new friends I made! Including Fantasy Artist Elaine C. Oldham. I hope to see you all next year!

Iuliana Foos Author Interview

Welcome to Ink & Magick. I'm your friendly neighborhood witch. What kind of spell can I get for you (or your character) today? First, thank you so much for having me today on your blog. If I can pick and choose a spell, I’d like an immortality one. I can’t stop dreaming of how much we could accomplish if we didn’t have an ‘expiration date’. And of course, I would match my vampires. Mankind has long searched for just such a spell. Unfortunately, I have no such thing in my shoppe. However, I find that it is in light of our impermanence that we can truly appreciate living. But tell me about your #vampire #alien #paranormal #scifi #romance series The Bloodline Trilogy of which the final book Bloodline Revelations was just released in September 25, 2019. Theodora De Croix, the vampire Princess of the New Coven, followed the path chosen for her for five centuries. When she unearths an ancient alien in the desert, his awakening sets a prophecy in motion. Alex, learns about life on Earth, and the intricate coexistence between humans and vampires. In the process, he conquers Theodora’s heart and decides to re-evaluate the blue world as a possible new home for his people. In the frontline of an alien invasion, Theodora and Alex unite their efforts, trying to save the planet they both want to call home. Who will claim it and at what price? There seems to be a lot going on here. Tell us more about the world you created. In the Bloodline series I’m following the lives and trials of the vampires in the De’Croix family. The first book, Bloodline Origins, takes place in the present time, with a few incursions into history to explain how the first vampires were created. Book two and three are taking us five hundred years into the future. I tried to show a world influenced by advanced, alien technology after a devastating event wiped 70% of the population of Earth. In book two, Bloodline Destinies, introduced a new subspecies of blood drinkers, called Gems, and in the third, Bloodline Revelations, the aliens are coming back. I like to push the envelope and mix paranormal with sci-fi, romance with adventure, and plant twists and turns along the way. Tell us more about how you handle vampires in your world. Ever since I’ve visited Dracula’s Castle, over thirty years ago in a weekend trip, I imagined that if vampires existed, they would’ve lived among us humans. I didn’t agree with the blood-thirsty image some other authors painted them, but smart, cunning, living in plain sight. I also disagreed with having them turn into bats, or having their skin sparkle. I’ve given my vampires supernatural powers and explained some of the myths surrounding them. I guess my own take on vampires is unique, a mix of traditional and unconventional. Tell us more about your aliens. My aliens come from a planet called Vamphora. A product of gene enhancements, they’re some of the most powerful, advanced species out there. Living in a different kind of society, where survival is the key, Vamphorians are conquerors, expanding their territories and taking the resources they need from a multitude of other worlds. What a unique take. How did you get the idea of mixing the two? I became obsessed with life outside Earth since I was a teenager. I firmly believe that other beings are out there, maybe even observing us. Since I’ve rejected all the other theories about vampires being cursed, or undead, it was just a matter of time for me to put the two together. It also allowed me to have them doing things humans can’t. All the special abilities my vampires have are an inheritance from their alien makers. Which one of your characters surprised you? I would have to say Vivienne, from book two, Bloodline Destinies. She’d started as a broken woman, barely survived being enslaved, and afraid of her own shadow. But she grew stronger with each chapter, fought her own demons, and turned into a strong character. Who is your favorite (or least favorite) character and why? This is a tough question. It’s like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. I tend to put a little of myself in all my characters, but I think the closest to my heart would have to be Theodora, from book three, Bloodline Revelations. We have a lot in common, from a sharp tongue and a smart answer ready at any given moment to always placing other’s well-being before my own. If you could time-travel, would you travel to the future or the past? Where would you like to go, and why would you choose that time period? Definitely future. I don’t even have to think about this. We can learn about our past, our history, but the future is a mystery. I would love to jump a few hundred, even thousands, of years into the future and see what humanity had become. As a species we’ve accomplished this much in the past two thousand years, imagine what it would be like in another two thousand years. A gamer, huh? What's your favorite video game? I used to play World of Warcraft, for a few years, and it will always have a spot in my heart. But now I’m playing Star Wars The Old Republic, and I love it. Having the chance to play as a Jedi, Sith, Bounty Hunter, or Gunslinger, to name just a few of the available classes, is amazing. I love it. What can readers who enjoy your book do to help make it successful? In this time and age, when technology is overtaking every aspect of our lives, I still believe that a mouth to mouth word is priceless. So, recommending a book you enjoyed to a friend, or people you know, is in my opinion the best possible advertising. Of course, shouting about it out loud on social media won’t hurt either. What can we expect from you next? I have all the respect and admiration for authors who can write contemporary, and historical novels. I tried in the past to write contemporary, and I failed in the least gracious way possible. Writing the Bloodline series taught me a precious lesson and helped me find my calling — Science fiction. I’m currently working on a new series, with seven planned books, but who knows, maybe more. For now, I call the series Star Class, but it’s a work in progress, and things might change. Each of the books has different characters, in various worlds, so it won’t be any order they’d have to be read in. I absolutely love creating those worlds that only exist in my imagination, at least for now. They are all a mixture of adventure, a little mystery, some suspense, and of course, a central love story. I’m a sucker for happy endings. Well, thank you so much for stopping in today. Good luck on your new release, and good luck on your future endeavors! Born and raised in Bucharest, Romania, Iuliana Foos currently lives with her husband in San Antonio, Texas. When she doesn’t daydream or write, she enjoys drinking copious amounts of coffee and playing online multi-player games, hoping one day to have a white sanded beach as her backyard. Becoming a traditionally published author has been a life-long dream turned reality. You can connect with Iuliana on her website, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Bookbub. You can get your copy of Bloodline Revelations on Amazon now. As a special promotion, Iuliana is offering the first book in the Bloodline Trilogy, Bloodline Origins free on Amazon September 23–27, 2019.