Susan Elizabeth Curnow's Blog, page 7

Don't You Just Love to Discuss Books? Come to the Party!

Don't you often wonder why an author wrote a particular novel? Where they got the 'idea' from?
Come and find out about "The Voice of the Land" in a Facebook discussion and celebration of the launch of my second novel on Saturday March 16th at 3pm EST.
https://www.facebook.com/events/425660444182984/425713290844366/?comment_id=425732407509121&notif_t=event_mall_reply
There will be virtual bubbly, and cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. And I hope some wonderful conversation.
Got a question you've always wanted to ask?
Is Sue as batty as her novel? And why the heck did she choose bats in the first place? What is that on the cover of the book? And you did what with genomes?
Chocolate chip cookies and possibly some Lagavulin for special friends.
Don't be shy! I'm not behind my computer screen :)

Introvert or Extrovert?

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2003/03/caring-for-your-introvert/302696/
Interesting article by Jonathan Raunch pointed out to me by Gio Clairval on FB. It interested me because it is me to a 't'. The ability to communicate is not lacking, far from it, but the exhaustion of doing so it very prevalent. We used to just be called 'shy' and sometimes that shyness can get mislabelled as 'snob', which happened in my case a few years back. People thought I didn't want to talk to them because I felt I was above them or something. The truth was - complete stangers? I didn't know how to begin a conversation. The best thing I did was work as a waitress, because, to get 'tips' you actually have to smile, be polite, have a brief conversation about 'whatever'. And I discovered that the majority of people don't bite. That, what you give out often comes back. Like that smile. It was still exhausting and I definitely needed the serenity of home once it was over, but it was an achievement.
The same as getting that first book out there. The introvert part of me always says, no one could possibly want to read my drivel. Which vies with the other part which says, of course they will, it is damned good.
The whole philosophy seems to be, why should anyone be interested in what *I* have to say? Why should anyone be interested in *me*? You can hide behind the internet, for sure. In theory you could be anyone you wish to be - like a character in that book - but that is no more real than the novel.
The truth is, if you don't believe in yourself, why should anyone believe in you? Because there is no conviction in what you have to say. I will never be an extrovert, but I will certainly stand up for myself and what I believe in.
What about you? Are you one of the other or neither?

Today's picture, Kitty Kerpow keeping those white bits immaculate.

The Voice of the Land

I really am too tired to post much. Work has kept me too damned busy, so forgive any typos.
What I will say though is that "The Voice of the Land" is gaining some good reviews and people who have begun it are enjoying the story.
Well, I did say it was a good book, didn't I?
So I am going to be cautiously optimistic and wait and see what other reviewers have to say.
When I get some brain power back I will write a more interesting post. Meanwhile I will leave you with a gorgeous view of Oahu coastline. And yes I know I date is all wrong. new camera and I couldn't work out how to change it. "Technically-challenged".

Acknowledgement

 I would love to give acknowledgement for this photo, because for me it is profound. So, if it is yours, please let me know and I will gladly advertise the fact. Because I 'get' that photo.
And this is what I wanted to say. I may whine and moan about a dearth of reviews, but the ones I have so 'get' the stories I have written that I am humbled.
They see that human connection which has enabled me to cross genres and reach people who usually don't read science fiction and fantasy.
I could never write romances or 'straight' literature. By that I mean I need that outlet of imagination which takes me beyond the norm. Because through my own experiences, if we take life at face value, it is never enough.
I know this through the death of my son. I know this through simply living. Life is not the mundane existence we often insist upon ourselves. It is so much more. So that when it is a struggle to get that down on paper, I can't do it in a way that many people think life should be. It is often beyond our expectations or our comfortable little boxes. And it is only when we think out of the box that we see what is out there.
While fantasy and science fiction may be the milieu of the imagination, it has its roots in reality. The thing is we don't always see the same reality.

But, if you will, go read "Games of Adversaries" and now, "The Voice of the Land" and see what you think. Is it fantasy or science fiction? Or is it real life?

Wonderful Review

New review on Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/Games-of-Adversaries-ebook/dp/B00AGO0UR8/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1_BJWG

Caption Competition!!!!!

Since this picture of my daft horse created quite a few giggles yesterday, I decided to do a caption competition. The prize, of course, will be an e-copy of "The Voice of the Land"
So, what do you think Trinny, the chestnut mare on the right, is saying to Merlin my pinto gelding on the left? Put it this way, she only had to put her ears back and he started moving. They love each other really but this is herd dynamics. Trinny is an ex-racehorse. Merlin is a mountain horse, so one presumes Trinny thinks she is a superior thoroughbred. Is she merely asking him for a kiss and he's gone all coy or is it something far more serious?
I will run the competition for three days and we'll see how many captions I get as to whether or not it goes to a vote.

Recent Books By People I Know

Dangerous Beauty (Pride of Uttor #2)


by Tali Spencer (Goodreads Author)


3.83 of 5 stars3.83 · rating details · 6 ratings  · 4 reviews


Once the Kordeun family ruled Sebboy…now they are imperial captives of the Uttoran Emperor. Devout and studious, Endre Kordeun loves his family and will do anything to free them, even if that means pretending he’s gay so he can pass
messages to his father’s shady allies. With his golden good looks and a
beautiful male courtesan posing as his lover, Endre finds Uttor’s decadent
society more than willing to believe his ruse.
But when a passionate kiss from a dark, gorgeous man unlocks feelings Endre
had been hiding even from himself, lies start to unravel. Arshad, prince of
Tabar, is Endre’s match in every way…including a shared love for science and
celestial mechanics. Going forward with his charade will be dangerous, and not
only because he might be discovered. In that event, even his own father would
kill him. How much is Endre willing to risk for love?

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17282749-dangerous-beauty


Paul Harrison always wanted to play Hamlet, but he never expected he’d live
the role first.


In the aftermath of a family tragedy on 21st century Earth, Paul discovers
he’s the clone of Sean Lyon, his great-great-grandfather and a famous TwenCen musician. Suspecting his mother’s death was no accident, Paul comes up with a plan to trick the answers out of the great-uncle who had him cloned. But in order to make his plan work, Paul needs help from Sean himself—and Sean’s time is running out in the TwenCen universe next door. Although Paul’s family lives
on the spaceship that travels between the universes, he’s never been allowed on TwenCen Earth. Now, with the help of his friends, his disguise-creating holoprojectors, and a quantum quirk, Paul must make his way to Sean while
evading other time travelers who fear he’ll change the history of the TwenCen
universe. If Paul is to achieve justice, he must not only risk his own life, but
the wormhole connecting the universes. “To be or not to be” was a simple
question in comparison....

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17303140-twinned-universes

For a select few people, friendship lasts forever. Nicky Fusco and Frankie
Donovan were friends like that, but that was years ago. Now Frankie’s a
detective in Brooklyn’s Homicide department, and Nicky is a reformed hit man.
But when Frankie gets in trouble—and the law can’t help him—he turns to Nicky.



The problem is that Nicky promised his family, and God, that he’d go
straight.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17411046-murder-has-consequences At last! A sequel to 'Morgan's Choice'.


When Morgan Selwood and Admiral Ashkar Ravindra travel to Morgan's Human Coalition to learn more about the origin of Ravindra's people, their
relationship is soon sorely tested. Morgan is amongst her own people and Ravindra is overprotective and insecure, afraid of losing her. But not everyone is keen to welcome Morgan home, not when they'd gone to all that trouble to get rid of her in the first place. Soon Morgan and Ravindra have a rogue Supertech on their trail with only one goal – kill Selwood.

Together, Morgan and Ravindra follow a tenuous trail back into humanity's
past, to the time historians call the Conflagration. But what begins as an
innocent archaeological investigation escalates into a deadly peril for both humans and Manesai when Morgan and Ravindra are thrust into the middle of an unexpected conflict. And that rogue Supertech's still out there, itching for revenge.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17340875-morgan-s-return

Goodreads Giveaway!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17458687-the-voice-of-the-land

Reasons

Isn't that a brilliant picture? Come on, it's the sea! In actual fact it is missing a vital component - a humpback whale. Which is the shot I was aiming for in brilliant sunshine and not being able to see what the heck I was shooting. So I missed. Which resulted in a lovely picture of...sea.
So my finger hovered over the delete button as 'boring picture' and then I thought, hold on. Do you see the patterns there? Do you see the colors and shades and... Without blowing it up and truly looking at it, it is a pretty boring picture, but there is something about a relatively somnolent ocean which is immensely calming.
This is when I, as an author, start going - what-if? Because I don't just see 'the sea' I start wondering, what lies beneath it?
That curiosity is what drives me. And the point of this post. I postulated, what if the world fought back? Thus 'The Warriors of the Land" was born. When you read the news and see all the 'natural' disasters going on. The tsunamis, the earthquakes, the droughts etc etc, you wonder, is this Earth's way of 'naturally' reducing the population which is out-growing the world? What-if the world decided to create its own warriors? What if a world was simply the memories of all those who had lived? Not a god, but the thoughts of many.
Fast-forward to the future where man has explored the stars; has learned how to seed (terraform) a world. Watch that world run amok and create.
This is "Voice of the Land". Science fiction/imagination/speculation.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Voice-Land-Warriors-ebook/dp/B00BOB964A/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1_JCEX

Oh, Wow

And there was me asking for reviews and I received my first one for "The Voice of the Land", which I am shamelessly going to post because, well, wow. Thank you, Elizabeth!


 Format:Kindle
  Edition

Highly original and a must read. On the one hand is Steven   Caragan, who is not a 'person'. He is a clone owned by an Earth consortium and   he has been conditioned to have no feelings, only to obey without question. But  he does have feelings and a friend in the form of another clone, who commits  suicide. Now Caragan is dispatched to find out what drove his friend to this  unthinkable act.

On a planet the natives call Cavan, Caragan finds a  planet so in tune with its spirit that even the plants turn against him. There  is no escape without a change so profound that Carogan must embrace all he has  been conditioned to repress, or be driven insane. The high priest of the Cavalana is the catalyst to force Caragan to change. Can he evolve, or will he  die? Read on to find out.

I cannot say more without giving spoilers, for  this book is filled with so much that is wonderful. I think the scene that is  fixed in my mind is the trophy hanging on the wall behind the desk of the man  who owns Caragan. Without words, this speaks volumes. Highly recommended.