Tara Maya's Blog, page 33

3 Days of 99c Fantasy -- Part 3

It's the last day to stock up on some great reads with the 3-day 99-cent fantasy e-book promotion, featuring The Unfinished Song (Book 2): Taboo. Through the end of today we'll have a total of 10 books discounted to 99 cents. Today I'll be featuring the final 3 books in the promotion.


EncryptedProfessor Tikaya Komitopis isn’t a great beauty, a fearless warrior, or even someone who can walk and chew chicle at the same time, but her cryptography skills earn her wartime notoriety. When enemy...

3 Days of 99c Fantasy -- Part 2

I'm back with more of the books in the 3-day 99-cent fantasy e-book promotion, which features The Unfinished Song (Book 2): Taboo. (Considering the first one is free, you can essentially own 1/6 of the series of only 99 cents!) From February 10-12 we'll have a total of 10 books discounted to 99 cents. While all of the books are available at 99 cents throughout the promotion, I'll be featuring 3 per day here.


The Chocolatier’s WifeROMANCE, MAGIC, MYSTERY…. AND CHOCOLATE

When Tasmin’s bethrothed,...

3 Days of 99c Fantasy -- Part 1

I'm really excited to be joining some other fantasy authors for a 3-day 99-cent fantasy e-book promotion, featuring The Unfinished Song (Book 2): Taboo. From February 10-12 we'll have a total of 10 books discounted to 99 cents. While all of the books are available at 99 cents throughout the promotion, I'll be featuring 3 per day here. It also gives you something to read while I make the final preparations to release The Unfinished Song (Book 6): Blood on Valentine's Day! (That's Thursday!)

Yse...

New Fiction from Kevin O. McLaughlin

“Ad Astra” launches STARSHIP, fresh episodic fiction from award-winning author Kevin O. McLaughlin. The first season of five episodes, released weekly, will carry the reader through a single novel-length adventure from Earth to the stars, and from broken spirits to humanity's unlikely heroes.

If life knocked you down, would you risk everything you had left to reach for the stars?

Ad Astra is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo.



Dan tapped each dead soldier in the neck in turn, countin...

Blood To Be Released on Valentine's Day

Dindi and Umbral have an uneasy truce, forced to work together to defeat a greater enemy: the Bone Whistler. The Bone Whistler’s scheme to sacrifice humanity and resurrect the Aelfae will culminate during an eclipse on the spring equinox…in three days.
Their fragile alliance may not withstand the terrors they face. Dindi hides as a clown, but even disguised, her dancing draws the eye of the Bone Whistler himself. She will have to defy him alone, for Umbral has  his own troubles.
Finnadro,...

Big News About Book 6 TOMORROW!

Hey everyone! It's Tara's assistant, Katie, here to let you know that Tara has some big news to share about The Unfinished Song (Book 6) Blood tomorrow to all of the newsletter subscribers. Everyone else will have to wait until Thursday. Subscribe today if you want to be among the first to find out! Click here to sign up. 
(Of course we will not sell your email address (No matter how much we're offered!) or use them for shady purposes. In addition to information about new releases, we're...

How To Take Criticism Of Your Writing

Now, we always give advice on how to crit, but, as we discussed earlier, perhaps it is more important to discuss how to receive crits. Personally, if one receives a crit that tells you, "Your basic idea is all wrong," how should you take this?

image: xkcd

1. Get some perspective. I look at something else that same person has critted. I read the piece and then the critter's opinion. Often, I'll find that I disagree just as much with that critter's evaluation of the other person's work as of my o...

Three Ways To Do Dialogue Attributes Wrong

One of the first novels I wrote, when I was, ye gods, twelve or thirteen, I don't remember (or I have thankfully blanked the memory from my brain) was Star Trek fanfic.

On the first draft, the dialogue looked something like this:

"Maybe the attacker was a Klingon," said Kirk.
"That is not logical, Captain," said Spock.
"But he looked like a Klingon," said Kirk.
"But then he turned into a furry white snow monster," said Spock.
"That's what puzzles me," said Kirk.

And so on.

image: Marc Wathieu
Well, ne...

Writing for Boys -- Take the Quiz!

I have a son who is learning to read. I want to write stories that will be of interest and value to him. I know the values that I believe are universal to sentient beings, but are there elements which are particularly attractive to the little boy goobers out there?

image: Pink Sherbert Photography
I have three of them, and I’ve gotta admit, they are vocal about what they like and don’t like. An awful lot of the time, that appears to be: cars, trains, robots, sharks, dinosaurs, soldiers, blowing...

Guest Post: Are Indie Books Worth Reviewing?

Rayne Hall has published more than forty books under different pen names with different publishers in different genres, mostly fantasy, horror and non-fiction. Recent books include Storm Dancer (dark epic fantasy novel), Six Historical Tales Vol 1, Six Scary Tales Vol 1, 2 and 3 (mild horror stories), Six Historical Tales (short stories), Six Quirky Tales (humorous fantasy stories), Writing Fight Scenes and Writing Scary Scenes ...