Cindy Tomamichel's Blog: World Building, page 12

M.L. Spencer: Author interview

Today I introduce M.L. Spencer, an American writer and author of the ongoing fantasy series The Rhenwars Saga.

What is your current project?

I am currently working on the first draft of Darkrise, Book 4 in The Rhenwars Saga.

Give us a good one liner from your latest book

Okay, it’s more than 1 line, but it is less than 140 characters…

The Portal has Opened!

Druid’s Portal: The First Journey is now live on Amazon and available for purchase. It already has one 5 star review!

If you click on this link it will take you to the Amazon store of your country click here

I would like to thank everyone that came along to the facebook launch this morning – lots of great guest authors in a lot of genres, free books, and a great chance to fill your kindle with some fine books. If you would like to check it out, the event will stay open for a while, click here

As many of you may be aware, I have been a long time fan of Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan. The little town of Cross Plains, Texas has made a museum of his house, and hold a festival RE Howard Days each June. In honour of this, and as a thank you for inspiration and enjoyment, I am donating 10% of June book sales to the museum. So please feel feel free to forward this poster on, it will also be up on my facebook page

Druid’s Portal: The First Journey

A portal closed for 2,000 years.

An ancient religion twisted by modern greed.

A love that crosses the centuries.

An ancient druid pendant shows archaeologist Janet visions of Roman soldier Trajan. The visions are of danger, death, and love – are they a promise or a curse?

Her fiancé Daman hurts and abandons her before the wedding, her beloved museum is ransacked, and a robed man vanishes before her eyes. Haunted by visions of a time she knows long gone, Janet teeters on the edge of a breakdown.

In the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall and 2,000 years back in time, Janet’s past and present collide. Daman has vowed to drive the invaders from the shores of Britain, and march his barbarian hordes to Rome. Trajan swears vengeance against the man who threatens both his loves – Janet and the Empire.

Time is running out – for everyone.

 

 

 

 

The post The Portal has Opened! appeared first on Cindy Tomamichel.

Book review: Publish, Promote, Repeat by Lucinda Moebius

Publish Promote Repeat: Preparing to Launch your Book Workbook by Dr. Lucinda Moebius

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free pre-release copy of this book.

This is a good book for writers at various stages of their careers. It offers basic advice for people thinking about writing, right up to established authors with published books. Dr. Moebius has a number of years of experience in writers groups, where she has offered advice and encouragement. She also has a number of published books, so she is aware of many pitfalls that open up for a writer, regardless of their experience.

For people just starting out with only a hazy idea of the whole process of writing a book (and the book covers fiction, non-fiction and self-help) it provides good basic outlines. More experienced writers may find the earlier chapters somewhat basic and repetitive.

The advice on social platforms needed some updating, as there is no mention of Instagram. However, her personal experience with social media problems is a very useful lesson for anyone in the public eye. The book makes the valuable point that once you are published, people will search out all your platforms and internet mentions. The book guides the reader through the ways of both avoiding problem people, and dealing with trolls. It also discusses ways of managing the amount of time that social media can absorb, and gives the necessary reminder to keep on writing.

Reviews are always keenly sought by authors. The reasons for this are clearly explained, and a detailed campaign for getting reviews is mapped out. This section will be of great interest to all authors.

The book is full of checklists for many different aspects of writing, publishing and promoting. This has the advantage that a reader can select the most useful for various stages, indeed the whole process could be managed with these forms within a spreadsheet. From beginner to experienced, the checklists provide a good way of making sure all aspects of each process are completed.

Some areas covered in this book and neglected by others in the area include reviewing results and organisation. The section on reviewing the results of your promotions guides writers in targeting and refining future promotions. There is also an emphasis on recording contacts and general organisation of details. These are both simplified by the provided checklists.

So, Publish, Promote, Repeat provides some valuable guidance for beginners, and also some excellent reminders for more experienced writers.

The post Book review: Publish, Promote, Repeat by Lucinda Moebius appeared first on Cindy Tomamichel.

Druid’s Portal – Cover Reveal

It is an exciting event when an author gets the cover of the book. It makes it all seem real – all the hours at the computer, all the gazing into space, and all the scribbled bits of inspiration on scraps of paper finally come together into the finished book. So, without further ado:

 

A portal closed for 2,000 years.

An ancient religion twisted by modern greed.

A love that crosses the centuries.

An ancient druid pendant shows archaeologist Janet visions of Roman soldier Trajan. The visions are of danger, death, and love – are they a promise or a curse?

Her fiancé Daman hurts and abandons her before the wedding, her beloved museum is ransacked, and a robed man vanishes before her eyes. Haunted by visions of a time she knows long gone, Janet teeters on the edge of a breakdown.

In the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall and 2,000 years back in time, Janet’s past and present collide. Daman has vowed to drive the invaders from the shores of Britain, and march his barbarian hordes to Rome. Trajan swears vengeance against the man who threatens both his loves – Janet and the Empire.

Time is running out – for everyone.

 

 

There is an online facebook party event to help launch the book. I will post again, but fee free to check it out, there will be some other great authors in romance, scifi and spec fiction coming along.

Facebook event click here and feel free to share the event.

 

 

The post Druid’s Portal – Cover Reveal appeared first on Cindy Tomamichel.

Rick Haynes: Author interview

Today I introduce Rick Haynes, an English writer and author of the recently published epic fantasy novel, Heroes Never Fade.

Rick has quite a few novels published, so make sure you check out his Amazon page and website, the links are below.

What is your current project?       

Hi Cindy, thank you for inviting me to your excellent blog. My passion is epic fantasy and with the recent release of my second novel on the 11th of April, I’m taking a short break from writing, but then again I’m a terrible liar. I’ve put together about 2/3 chapters for the last book in the trilogy, scrapped them, and started again. Alas the result is the same so I’m looking for inspiration right now. In due course, something, a picture, a collection of words or even a chapter from an old book will switch on and I will take a ride without conditions inside my fertile brain.

Rick Haynes latest book – click to go to his Amazon page

Give us a good one liner from your latest book.

Okay –dokey here is a one liner from Heroes Never Fade.

‘For when those gods sleep, evil are those that awake from slumber and on a whim destroy for their own gratification.’

What ’ s your favourite imaginary world that ’ s not your own?  

The land of Middle Earth would be number one without any doubt. J.R.R. Tolkien created a complete world together with a new language. Readers could not only embrace the truly amazing characters that leapt from every page, they could also understand the depth of their feelings. The Lord of the Rings has stood the test of time and will continue to do so for many generations to come. And that is the mark of a true genius.

 

Do you belong to any groups that you find helpful?

Yes indeed. I belong to two small local writing groups and the mighty Portsmouth Hub. The former, are, as the word local suggests, more intimate and very friendly. It’s very much a hands on experience, especially the bi-weekly challenges etc. I’ve only been writing since 2014 and there is no doubt that I would never have travelled so far without their support.  The hub is part of a major group in England and thus more for listening, than doing. But when you get to meet agents, screen writers and famous authors like Andy McNab, then the monthly evening meetings are pretty special. It’s chalk and cheese nights and that’s great for me.

What ’ s the scariest thing you have ever done, and did it end up in a story?

I’m wracking my brain on this one to be honest. Looking back to the days when I played football (soccer) at county level, I remember joining a new team on the south coast. I saw my team mates being scythed down one by one, for a huge guy of 6 feet four inches tall, and built like a barn door, had decided to attack anything on two legs. Now being a cockney from London and a bit cocky for a 23 year old, I knew how to look after myself on a football pitch, and it had been drummed into me to look after my mates as well. I was only 11 stone and built like a willow in a breeze but when I saw one of my team mates hit late and go down in great pain, I went in with both feet raised and took goliath out, London style. (That’s tackling knee high and it does tend to hurt a little). Looking up at me through waves of pain the big man spoke as he winced.

“Goody never forgets.”

My retort was instant. “Is you name Dumbo then, cos you play like a (swear word omitted) elephant.”

It was only later that my mates told me that ‘Goody’ had just been released from prison after throwing a javelin at his neighbour. Luckily I never met him on a football field again. Maybe I went in a little too hard? But, more likely, I was damn lucky. Writing a story about that event has never crossed my mind until your question prompted me.

Name another author that you would recommend reading. 

Apart from Tolkien, the late David Gemmell is a must for all readers of Epic fantasy. He is still widely regarded as the finest writer of Heroic (Epic these days) Fantasy. I am lucky that two reviewers have compared my work to his, and their comments really did make my day. I just need the exposure and perhaps more folk will like my novels, for as David Gemmell made it, why not me? I dream, because if I didn’t, how would my dreams ever come true?

I dream, because if I didn’t, how would my dreams ever come true? Rick Haynes
Click To Tweet

If you travelled in time, when would be your choice? Would you prefer magical or technological means of travel?

Definitely a magical journey would suit my very vivid imagination. I can already picture myself looking at scenes of vast lands where demons and angels, wizards and warriors, live and die in a world of endless possibilities. Back to the future or forward to the past? Who knows? Yet, would my mind be able to absorb all of the new possibilities? I’d clearly need a helper, so please contact me for your application form. The time zone would be within the world that I created, but not one technological advanced.

Name 5 fictional characters you would invite to a dinner party.

First up would be a character from Heroes Never Fade and that means Grona, father of Tarn and grandfather to Lori, simply because he hates everyone, which initially includes his family. He loves ale, whoring and fighting, and not necessarily in that order. I would then choose Druss, the main protagonist in many of David Gemmell’s books. He would provide a strong opposition to Grona. They are of similar ages, and doughty warriors, but that’s about as far as similarity goes for Druss has a code of honour and Grona couldn’t give a damn. I would also invite Titian, the god of war, and his sister Jade, the goddess of peace and harmony from my books. As Titian treats humans as pawns in his game, and his sister constantly seeks to counter his actions, I can see fun and games even before the soup is served, especially as they would both have to adopt human form. I can visualise Grona and Druss arguing over who was going to kill the god of war first. Finally I would need a peacekeeper, a loyal and loving family man. The fact that Prince Wren would be called back from the dead is irrelevant for this flamboyant character in Evil Never Dies, my first epic fantasy novel, had few enemies and was loved by all. Whether he could keep the rest in check would be doubtful but his smile would light up any party and after a few drinks, who knows?

First in the series – click to go to Rick Haynes on Amazon

What is the next project?

The third book in my trilogy of standalone tales – I can’t abide reading a book to the last page only to find out that the end of the saga is in book 2 or even 3 – is likely to be entitled Magic Never Ends. This will continue the theme as the first two are, Evil Never Dies and Heroes Never Fade. It will once more be a standalone novel, yet, will follow on after Heroes Never Fade. I suspect the word count will be around 90k but who knows at this stage. But one thing that I do know is that some of the main characters will return. Yet, some of the minor roles, or not so minor in the last book, will feature more in the new one. The top of the list will be a mother and daughter in league with the goddess of peace and harmony, Jade.  I do like my feisty ladies.

I extend sincere thanks to Cindy for giving me the opportunity of answering her questions, and thus to give you more information about me, my books, and my wonderful characters.

The links are shown below so please check me out. I’d love to hear from you.

Love and laughter.

Rick

People want to know more! Where can we buy the latest book and where are you on the internet?

Website: http://www.rickhaynesauthor.com   

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rickhaynesauthor/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rick-Haynes/e/B00CK8IXFO/ 

The post Rick Haynes: Author interview appeared first on Cindy Tomamichel.

Book launch: Druid’s Portal

I am planning a facebook launch party for Druid’s Portal: The First Journey for May 17. For people that have never heard of them, it is a facebook based event where people can post and chat, and can be a lively event. Generally you can have a timeslot of half to one hour to showcase your interests.

As I am a new author, I am inviting people that are interested in some co promotion. Come and a let new audience know about what you do! So I am open to people involved in

Roman Britain/Celtic Britain/Roman history
Writers in time travel romance, spec fiction, historical fiction, scifi, fantasy, sword and sorcery
bloggers and podcasters
fantasy artists or English landscape art and photography
re-enactors and creative anachronists
ancient recipe enthusiasts
tourism of Hadrian’s Wall
museums and attractions along Hadrian’s Wall and region.

Please get in touch with me if you are interested, via twitter or facebook.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CindyTomamichelAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CindyTomamichel

The post Book launch: Druid’s Portal appeared first on Cindy Tomamichel.

Crom! There’s a louse in my ale.

Insects are all around us, from spiders living in your hard drive and the corners of the room, silverfish eating your precious books, beetles clicking, butterflies fluttering…you get the idea, I don’t have to get all poetic. Insects outweigh us and outnumber us, and cockroaches at least are supposed to be able to outlive us, come the nuclear Armageddon. Yet they are little mentioned in fantasy books.

I suspect this is because it is hard to make bodily parasites interesting, and certainly not attractive, unless you are a die hard entomologist. However, they have been, and remain a part of the human experience, and will without doubt travel with us when the human race gets to the stars. Maybe they will mutate? What would happen then?

Human parasites can be external and internal. External ones are ticks, fleas and lice, and I would include leeches. I remember reading an old sci fi story – possibly Bradbury – where the unpleasant time traveller gets his comeuppance when he is attacked by the dog sized lice that live on the dinosaur he was going to kill. Gerald Durrell the naturalist, in his ‘Garden of the Gods’ mentions getting up with flea bites from dogs in the bed with him, and an influx of ticks and scorpions into the house.

Ticks, fleas and lice can all carry diseases. Ticks can cause paralysis in animals, fleas are the renowned carriers of the Black Death, and lice can carry typhus. Typhus was a problem during WW1, and I recall a scene in ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ where they use a match to burn the lice from the seams of their clothes, and also melt the fat from lice to use as boot polish. Details like this from real life can add enormously to a novel. These details add colour to primitive conditions, bad taverns and prison cells, all possible settings in novels. Bed bugs are a parasite that is still common, and the experience of waking up covered in bites would be a great revealer of character. The Ruth Park book series ‘Harp in the South’ describes bedbugs that live for generations in the poor city tenements, and it makes for gruesome reading. Fleas don’t usually live on humans, but dogs, cats and rats are common hosts, and anyone travelling could encounter them.

Flea, far too close up

Leeches have a long history of use, and indeed are still used medically today. Blood letting was a cure for many ills in the past, and leeches were used in this. Today leeches are used to extract blood from wounds in operations such as plastic surgery. While on this vile and fascinating aspect, I will also mention maggots. Maggots from blowflies can grow extremely fast, and in enormous numbers. They eat the rotten flesh in a wound, and are also used medically today, although you need to use the right type of maggot, or risk more than your wound being eaten. Using maggots and flies in a story would add a lot of power to a description of a death, or a battlefield.

Beetles, cockroaches and other scuttling beasts such as scorpions usually invoke variations on fear and nausea. So really you could add them to a romance as a way to test out the hero or heroine. Do they grab a glass and show it outside, or scream and stomp? Show your readers a sensitive or brutal side without having to tell them. There is a species of beetle known as the deathwatch beetle, which makes a clicking noise and lives in wall spaces. It was popularly thought to provide a countdown to death when heard at a deathbed. Authors as varied as Mark Twain, Ray Bradbury and Thoreau have mentioned the deathwatch beetle and it’s terrible ticking countdown to death.

It’s a writer’s job to infect the imagination of others.
Click To Tweet

Internal parasites are almost – but not quite – too disgusting to discuss. From worms in your digestion, to tiny crab like creatures in your eyelashes, a plethora of internal microbes to giant flesh eating worms in the Amazon, there is scope for anyone’s horrific imagination here. Explorer tales of the Amazon and Africa, particularly if they get lost, are a treasure trove of descriptions of egg sized lumps that contain worms for instance. Star Trek and the ‘Wrath of Khan’ use these as the dreaded mind worms.

Apart from indicating a lack of hygiene or general poverty, parasites and insects can be used in other ways. I used insects as a basis for some creatures mutated from living on a high radiation planet, and there are many sci fi stories where insects of enormous size are used as a pattern for aliens. The hive mentality of the Borg in Star Trek, or the 60’s book ‘Walk Through Tomorrow’ by Karl Zeigfreid (a pseudonym for Lionel Fanthorpe) where the double heroes face off against giant ants in a crazy but excellent time travel swap with his distant descendant/ancestor. Well worth a read, by the way.

So the insect world, and the disturbing creatures that prey on humans is a rich area for ideas and to provide colour and realism to a novel. People have a hard wired yuck factor to many of these, and so that is well worth exploiting. Make your readers squirm, sympathise and feel itchy. It’s a writer’s job to infect the imagination of others.

Like these blogs? Subscribe and you can get them via email as soon as they are published.

Photos from Flickr, internet archive book images.

Random references in Wikipedia as well. My advice? Don’t google maggots.

The post Crom! There’s a louse in my ale. appeared first on Cindy Tomamichel.

Author interview: SC Mitchell

Today I welcome SC Mitchell, a fellow Soul Mate author. Steve has an upcoming book ‘Between Venus and Mars’ which is part of the popular Soul Mate tree series. His books are scifi romance, and promise

“An intergalactic adventure filled with laughs, love, and adventure.”

About Steve:

S.C.Mitchell grew up an avid reader of comic books, science fiction and fantasy literature. He’s been writing stories for over thirty years. In 2010 he left his job as a computer desktop support specialist to pursue his passion for writing full time. He is a member of the Romance Writers of America as well as the Wisconsin chapter.

As a writer of paranormal and sci-fi romance, fantasy, and science fiction, Steve crafts unique and wondrous worlds where his characters explore, romp, and fall in love. Whether traveling through dark, demon filled dimensions, the edge of wild space, or ancient mythological heavens, his heroes and heroines, guided by their adventurous hearts, discover hidden strengths on their pathway to enduring love.

SC Mitchell promises an intergalactic adventure filled with laughs, love, and adventure.
Click To Tweet

THE SOUL MATE TREE, BOOK EIGHT: BETWEEN VENUS AND MARS

Between Venus and Mars – click on photo to go to Amazon

GENRE: Science Fiction Romantic Comedy

HEAT LEVEL: Steamy

An ancient legend spanning eras, continents, and worlds. To some, it’s nothing more than a dream. To others, a pretty fairy tale handed down through the generations.

For those in critical need of their own happy ending, a gift.

Once Upon a Galaxy . . .

Zana Starchild is on a mission to restore her tribe’s livestock and save herself from one more meal of kelp. Sure, it’s technically illegal to visit Old Earth, but to a rim rat like Zana, galactic laws are really just guidelines. Her wrecked starship just means she’ll need to use her backup plan to get off the abandoned world, an old Earth legend her uncle passed down to her.

Pulled from a relaxing shower, across the galaxy to Old Earth, Galactic Marshall Kyle Kepler finds himself naked and marooned with a quirky rim rat. Zana’s broken more laws than Kyle can count, and he plans to arrest her, just as soon as he can find transport off the planet and a pair of pants.

A junk heap of a starship, a magical tree, and a roving gang of mutant kangaroos are just the beginning of rollicking intergalactic journey filled with laughs, love, and adventure.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Between-Venus-Mars-Soul-Mate-ebook/dp/B01N7OXSND/

When series collide: Between Venus and Mars is not only set the multi-dimensional worlds of the Soul Mate Tree legend, but also ties into my Hearts in Orbit series, a futuristic universe filled with starships, aliens, and new technologies. And, of course, romance. The Soul Mate Tree project offered me a great way to play with some new characters and further develop my universe, while partnering with some of the best authors in the business.

The Hearts in Orbit universe is a place where galactic marshals keep the peace in the cosmopolitan Core Worlds as well as the wild-west type rim world planets. While this book works as a standalone, and you don’t have to have read any of the others, I consider it Hearts in Orbit 2.5, fitting nicely between Pirates of the Dark Nebula and my soon-to-be-released Hearts in Orbit 3 novel Captives of the Kratzen.

Series Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016DF63JM/

 

You can contact SC Mitchell on any of his links below. Thanks for visiting, Steve!

Website: http://scmitchellauthor.com/

Blog: http://scmitchellauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSCMitchell

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorSMitchell

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007D0Z1MW

 

The post Author interview: SC Mitchell appeared first on Cindy Tomamichel.

Quest for Fire

Reading is easy. We sit in a comfortable chair, perhaps by a warm heater with cat on lap/dog at feet and a hot drink. That’s often why we read, to share vicariously the bad times and good with characters while we are cosy. But what about the characters? They are the ones on a quest for some hidden relic, pursued by demons or orcs. Often just as they stop for a rest, the wolves start howling and lightening signals a storm. As Sam Gamgee said, ‘I hope we are not in one of those stories, Mr. Frodo.’ But a reader share the hard times, and it is up to the writer to make those hard times so realistic the reader shivers in sympathy as the snow piles deeper and the distance from home and safety grows ever further.

Fire making is of prime importance in a fantasy, historical or even apocalyptic setting. Assuming no one has fire magic (and here we glance meaningfully at Gandalf) or a handy laser or box of matches, it is up to the author to decide on how primitive things need to be. Bearing in mind that primitive technique is really just one not used now. Fire lighting from scratch is no easy task, that’s why we invented matches and moved swiftly onto electricity. Fire lighting and wood collection is a big part of the whole process of food preparation, keeping warm, and also scaring off night predators. A fire is something that has brought comfort and safety to humans for their entire existence, and is a large part of the human experience, despite the advances of civilisation and central heating. Without a fire people are in trouble, for in the cold and darkness come the monsters of the night that we have put into so many stories. But just because they are in stories doesn’t mean the monsters aren’t real.

But just because they are in stories doesn’t mean the monsters aren't real.
Click To Tweet

Early methods of fire lighting would probably have been the collecting fire after lightening method, which would be a dramatic event in a book, or a forest fire, which could be a whole chapter in itself of survival and danger. Auel in her ‘Earth Children’ series of Neanderthal times has a fire bearer, a person that carries a burning coal from one fire to the next, kept alight in an old horn, and fed through the day with bits of tinder. An important role of high status and responsibility.

Commonly when people think of lighting fires, the rubbing of two sticks together is advised. However this needs skilful techniques, and even the right pieces of hard and soft wood to work, and is also a physically demanding task. Doing this at the end of a long day would be a frustrating and tedious job.

One technique predating flint and steel was also used by Auel. Her character fortunately discovers iron pyrite can be used to start a fire when hit against flint. When pyrite was available, this must have been seen as quite magical, and Auel uses this to great effect in her novels. There is some evidence that Otzi the iceman used flint and pyrite as a fire starter.

Moving into more civilised times and the development of carbon steel we come to the tinderbox. Humans love handy little boxes of things, and the fire starter kits or tinderboxes were probably on a lot of present lists. Many steel designs were used, most often to fit neatly into the hand, as seen in the photo. A piece of flint or other hard stone such as quartz would be used to strike the hot sparks from the metal. In the kit was the tinder, ranging from carbonised material, dried mushrooms or fur to catch the sparks. I used a tinderbox in a scene in my book Druid’s Portal, as Trajan finds out in exasperation that modern day Janet can’t start a fire.

Reproduction firestarters from Roman Britain times

But sparks – just like in romance- are not enough to cook dinner. Wood must be collected, from small pieces to larger ones as the fire builds up. Different woods burn at different rates as well. If your barbarians are in a pine wood they are going to burn through a lot of wood fast, compared to ones in a hardwood forest. The fire can be a problem if the smoke is sighted by the enemy, so dry aged wood is needed. It also needs tending for the night, so you may need to set guards for this task.

If wood is not available other things may be used. Villages were popular in Viking days for instance. Dried dung from horses produces a pungent smoke, and bones can be used as well, although apparently they require more oxygen to burn successfully. For instance, Auel again uses mammoth bones in an area of few trees, necessitating the invention of a below ground vent to push more air to the fire. Ventilation is also important – fire uses up oxygen and in a closed area people can easily die trying to keep the cold air out. In ‘My Side of the Mountain’ by Jean Craighead George, a story of a boy who lives in the wilderness for a year nearly ends prematurely when his tree room gets sealed by snow. On the other hand, in ‘Ghost Fox’ by James Houston the American Indians take advantage of the smoke swirling to hang meat up to preserve it, as does Pa Ingalls in the little House series, building his own smokehouse.

But sometimes the fire won’t start. What will your characters do? The wood is wet and the quest ends in a swamp. It’s pouring down and those wolves are howling again. Keep on going? Blame each other and storm off? Find a cave and snuggle with the hero for warmth? Drain the swamp water from their boots and curse the Gods? This is when your characters show what they are made of – in hard times when the reader is shivering and cursing the gods and jumping at shadows right along with the story. Sometimes the fire won’t start, and that’s a good thing.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_striker

The post Quest for Fire appeared first on Cindy Tomamichel.

Taser your writing muse

A link to a guest blog on Rhetoric Askew.

Taser your writing muse: a guest blog by@CindyTomamichel for @RhetoricAskew

#writersblock #writingtips #amwriting

https://rhetoricaskew.wordpress.com/2...

Rhetoric Askew has an anthology coming out April 1st, with the theme 'Love Gone Askew'. I have a short story in it, and will be at their facebook launch event so come along and you might meet your new favourite author!
https://www.facebook.com/events/25567...