E.B. Roshan's Blog: This, That and the Other, page 4

No Clue Anthology Cover Reveal

No clue what to write about. No clue what to do. No clue to the mystery. No clue where we are. No clue what’s going on. No clue how to fulfil my calling. No clue why I’m the one chosen. No clue who she is…who he is…or who I am.

No Clue showcases the works of twenty-five Christian female authors both experienced and new. Enjoy sampling its wide variety of genres ranging from historical to contemporary, mystery to speculative, poetry to allegory, spy to children’s fiction, and more.

Today I’m pleased to announce the upcoming release of the No Clue Anthology, courtesy of the Kings’ Daughters Writing Camp. If you’d like to learn more about it, you can go to the writing camp website HERE.

Book review: Cataclysm by Nicole Shank

So here we have that unlikeliest of genre combinations, clean, uplifting Christian Horror. Actually, I don’t think I’d personally categorize it as Horror–sure, circumstances are dire, horrifying things happen, but this story doesn’t have the creeping tension, the sense of uncanny darkness and evil, that to me characterizes true “Horror.” I had a feeling it wouldn’t, and that’s why I decided to read it, and what a journey it was!

Cataclysm is the story of Ryan’s struggle to survive and find truth in the midst of the very worst the world has to offer… a zombie virus plague. It isn’t long before he’s bitten trying to protect a friend, and the virus begins to make its way through his body to his brain… things look bleak, but then he runs into a group of fellow survivors, who think they may have a cure.

The author did a great job developing her characters in this story. Even the minor ones felt vivid and real. I think Duck was my favorite, (can’t help loving a character who brings the comic relief when it’s done well,) but Peyton was excellent, too. I enjoyed how her simple, rather black and white faith, typical of the young teenager she was, was tempered and given nuance by the fact she grew up after the “End of the World.” The various characters’ Christian faith was woven into the story in a way that felt extremely natural and organic to the story.

And before I forget, I was also thrilled to see Aliyah! Even though she was a very minor character, a positive portrayal of a Muslim character in Christian fiction is so extremely rare she’s worth mentioning–sadly, even rarer than a Christian zombie hunter.

Ryan, our protagonist, was a bit harder to warm up to–I didn’t enjoy the parts of the story in his POV as much as some of the others. You would think this would be due to his “zombification,” but for me it had more to do with how set he was on doing what he thought was right despite practically everyone counseling him otherwise. A little stubbornness is good, but when it’s your only notable character trait, it gets old fast. I think he actually became more interesting as the virus progressed… and the way it paralleled losing a loved one to dementia was unexpectedly moving.

My only real complaint about the story was that it was too long. A lot happened, but not enough “different” things happened to justify how much time was spent on Ryan’s sickness and his (very repetitive) internal monologue. I would have rather the time be spent giving more details about exactly what the experimental cure was, and what it was expected to do–I’d even have wanted to know more about why the plague had lasted so long–zombies can’t live forever, can they? (When the story opens we’re at least a decade into it, by my estimation.) But these are nit-picky details.

All in all, I’d give Cataclysm 3.75 stars, mainly for character development and creativity. If you enjoy sci-fi/dystopian/horror(ish) fiction, Cataclysm may well be worth your time.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Don’t Forget…

The Smashwords Summer/Winter sale runs until July 31, so there’s still time to go pick up a bunch of lovely books at bargain prices (or free) to read when the heat gets intense. But don’t wait too long. Summer is flying by!

SMASHWORDS SALE

Cover Reveal: Unforgiven by Vanessa Hall

Today I’m pleased to help Vanessa Hall introduce her latest book, Unforgiven, which releases in just a few weeks. Here’s the lovely cover!

Redemption isn’t free.

Guilty of countless crimes, Vladislav Genkin is desperate to find forgiveness. Violence has long scarred his soul, and his sins push him to Grace Baptist Church to confront Nikolai Alexandrov, one of his victims. Yet Nikolai’s forgiveness brings Vlad no peace, and against Vlad’s will, he’s drawn into the circle of the church and Nikolai’s dangerous past.

Katya Voronova rebuilt her life from the shambles of a long-ago divorce, and Vlad’s appearance leaves her shaken and besieged by memories better left untouched. Yet she is drawn into the rising danger, and Vlad’s past becomes more apparent—and unforgivable.

As the past finally catches up to Vlad and Katya, will they find the forgiveness they crave—and will they discover that grace has already accomplished it?

Unforgiven sounds like a great story, and I, for one, am looking forward to reading it!

VANESSA HALL is an author, teacher, musician, and homeschool graduate. Her debut novel, Unknown, was published in 2021. Outside of writing, she spends her time teaching music, playing music, and working out. Above all else, though, she is a sinner saved and held fast by the abounding grace of Jesus Christ.

King’s Daughters Writing Camp

For the first time ever, I’m participating in a month-long writing camp for female Christian writers of all ages. Three days in, and I’m already encouraged to see so many very young writers determined to use their God-given talents to make their stories the best they can be. Check it out HERE

I’m approximately halfway through Radoslav and Dunya’s adventures in Shards of Sevia #6 (the final book!) and while it’s probably a little too ambitious to plan on finishing my draft during the camp, I know I’ll be able to get a sizable piece of it down (if not on paper, then on computer screen.)

Want Free Books?

Of course you do! I’m pleased to announce that all of my books will be available for free from July 1st to 31st during the annual Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale. From cozy mystery to romantic suspense to science fiction, there’s a little something for everyone.

You might meet Boris, whose misguided attempt to protect a friend almost costs his life…

Opal, doing her best to preserve and expand her father’s legacy of botanical research…

Sima, exploring a frozen planet where danger lurks just beneath the surface…

Starting July 1st, you can follow this link to search the entire Smashwords catalogue:https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/

To find my books specifically, enter E.B. Roshan in the search box.

Shards of Sevia Series Trivia #5

Most Shards of Sevia characters feature in more than one book, but only one appears “on-screen” in every book—Erkan Durband. (However, his scene in Wrong Place, Right Time is very brief, and he is not named.)

Kiva’s the only one of the male main characters who is considered good-looking. Note to prospective romance authors: romance heroes should always be handsome.

Boris is a much better cook than his wife.

Arjun, while one of the strongest characters in the series, is the one I can safely say is least like me.

In an early draft of their story, Rama survived his encounter with a grenade. In another, Preen had three children with Rama (needless to say, she was not eighteen in that version.)

The earliest version of WRONG PLACE, RIGHT TIME was called “Oxsana’s Cafe” and the first cover I created for it was…wait for it…a line drawing of a tea pot on a plain white background with the title underneath. It absolutely screamed “Romantic Suspense.”

And finally, to correct a common misconception—Dr. Peter Neyrev is not a medical doctor. He has doctorate degrees in Sevian history, linguistics, and anthropology.

ARCS Now Available

Pretty much what the title says–I’m happy to share a digital ARC of my latest graphic novel, Silk, with anyone who’s interested in reading and leaving an honest review on Goodreads or Amazon.

“Farz and his family are Silki-charmers; they follow the giant, spider-like creatures known as “Silkis” through their jungle home, harvesting their precious silk. It’s been their family’s tradition for generations. But Silkis can be dangerous and not everyone wants them around. Farz may be ready to try a different life, but he doesn’t want the Silkis to disappear forever.”

If you enjoy family stories, Sci Fi, and spiders, this may be the book for you!

To receive your copy, email me at btznvt AT gmail DOT com.

Shards of Sevia Series Trivia #4

More about names…

Despite confusion among some early readers as to whether Alexander “Sasha” Neyrev was male or female, in the end I decided to let him keep the name he’d come into existence with. By that time, he’d been around so long in one form or another, it was hard for me to imagine him with any other name.

Boris and Rama’s names both mean “Wolf” (not in the same language, obviously.)

Radoslav’s name means approximately “A Glorious Victory.” Will his name turn out to be a piece of bitter irony? We’ll have to wait and see…

Coming Soon: Silk

Well, it’s been quite a while since I shared any updates here…but I haven’t been idle. In fact, I’ve just completed another Middle Grade graphic novel (as per my sons’ request) and will be releasing it in ebook form June 7!

As my brain (and my computer) simply can’t handle any more artwork/story combos at the moment, I plan to resume work on the final installment of the Shards of Sevia series after this.