Christine Rains's Blog, page 120

June 14, 2012

Review of End of Days

Blurb:
"Sometimes to fight for the Light, you have to do it in the dark." - Victor Standish

St. Marrok's. The most eerie high school in which you'll ever die. Some call it the high school for the damned. The damned merely laugh.

Located in the lovely, Katrina devastated French Quarter, it stands as it has always stood since the sky chariot of the Queen of the Tuatha de Danann was shot down over Roswell, New Mexico in June, 1947.

St. Marrok's is a school run by the Sidhe for all the preternatural children in America. A few mortal teenagers are invited for the amusement and education in the frailties of humans for the Sidhe.

Now, the celestial configurations are almost in alignment. The Nameless Ones are almost through the frayed barrier between their dimension and ours. The plan set into motion in 1947 by the Tuatha de Danann is finished.

Plots and counter-plots by the Sidhe, revenants, and Olympians/Asgardian factions are all coming to a head. The End of Days is at hand.

And only Alice Wentworth, a Victorian ghoul, with a rag-tag group of misfit students and human teachers stand a chance at stopping it. All it will take is their lives and all they hold dear.

My review:
Alice Wentworth isn't just another ghoul, or girl for that matter. She recently lost the one person who means most to her, the love of her life, and all she wants to do is find a noble death. Yet her new friends aren't willing to let her give up so easily, and neither is her dead love. Alice and her newly acquired sisters, Becca and Trish, are sent into St. Marrok's, a dangerous high school for preternatural beings. They have to watch what they do, where they step, even what they say. Surely it will be easy enough for these teens to gather some information while trying to make new friends and fight for their lives. It's only the End of Days, after all.

This is a huge book. Not just in size, but in immensity of plot and depth. Roland Yeomans draws you into this world with incredible little details. He doesn't bog you down with them, but he paints a vivid picture of post-Katrina New Orleans. Things like the remains of a bird smashed into a building by the force of the winds and how the waters lap at the streets. It's the perfect setting for this dark urban fantasy and all the monsters it brings.

The story is narrated by Alice Wentworth, or as I shall now call her, The Wentworth. She's a fascinating character, especially with how understated she is. She's a unique ghoul still grieving for the loss of her love, Victor Standish. Yet for love of him, she stays to help out those that he cared for, and through this, she grows as a character to become something much more. All the characters in End of Days are big characters. Legends with personalities and egos to match. It's a large cast, and sometimes that could get a bit confusing, but if you're fighting to keep your world from being destroyed by the Nameless Ones, you want to have all the most powerful beings fighting with you.

End of Days has a wonderful mix of myths. Native American lore and Celtic legends. The Sidhe and the Thunderbird. I like the friction between them and wondered how they'd ever get past it to defeat the Nameless Ones. (You'll have to read it yourself to find out!) There was a lot of edge-of-your-seat action, and there were also sweet moments. There were a few scenes I didn't feel were necessary to the plot, but they didn't drastically take away from the story's momentum. The Wentworth's narration keeps the reader focused and moving forward.

When you open/click on this book, prepare for a wild ride. As you know, it's the End of Days!

Please stop by and visit Roland Yeomans on his blog. He offers up great writing advice and has a lot of fun.

End of Days is available on Amazon.

P.S. I want blessed clothes that change according to the situation! I'd never have to force myself to go shopping again.
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Published on June 14, 2012 00:00

June 12, 2012

Wicked Wednesday - and action!

One of my favorite parts to write in paranormal romances is the action scene. It plays out like a movie in my head and my fingers fly over the keyboard to bring it to life. It's not that easy, though. There are some important factors you have to remember while writing action scenes.
They're fast-paced. Things are going to happen faster than your protagonist can process them, especially with beings who have supernatural speed. Use short sentences and dynamic verbs. They will convey the urgency and intensity of the situation. No big descriptions. Only key details.
Know where all the characters are at all times. Blocking is vital. Don't try to describe everything. Tighten your POV. The action must be mechanically believable and written with precision. Your reader can easily lose track of what's going on if they can't visualize where the characters are in the scene.
There's a lot of witty banter in paranormal romances. Don't let the dialogue take away from the narrative tension. The less the better.
Make sure you use the psychological tension to your full advantage. How is your protagonist feeling? The panic, surprise, and horror. How do they react to the pain? Keep the stakes high. There's also a heightening of senses when the adrenaline starts flowing. Use them to your advantage in crafting a gripping scene.
Remember that every action causes a reaction. (Newton's third law of motion!) There must always be a follow-through on every level.
Not all action scenes need be fights. There's the chase, the challenge, and the infiltration scenes.
How are you with writing action scenes? What do you do to help you write them?
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Published on June 12, 2012 23:00

June 11, 2012

Teaser Tuesday with Blood Bound

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent is a unique urban fantasy with a nice dose of romance. Some people in the world have Skills, specific psychic powers. The protagonist, Liz Warren, is a psychic tracker. She can find people with their blood or a name. It's a lot of fun so far. A lot of cool twists.
Here's your teaser:
"You don't understand. You've never been bound like I was," she insisted, and the irony stung all the way into my soul. (page 124)
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Published on June 11, 2012 23:00

June 10, 2012

7x7 Link Award

A huge thank you to L.G. Keltner for not only honoring me with the 7x7 Link Award,but the Versatile Blogger and Kreativ Blogger awards too.
A big thank you to C.M. Brown as well for passing on the 7x7 Link Award. I've recently done the other two awards, but the 7x7 one is new.
For this award, I need to choose the post that best fits each category.This will be a challenge.
Most beautiful piece - Auntie Tara's Short Story Prompt for January
Most helpful piece - Wicked Wednesday - the fast-paced novel
Most popular piece - First Campaign Challenge
Most controversial piece - Wicked Wednesday - taboo? (I don't have anything really controversial, but this is the closest!)
Most surprisingly successful piece -  Wicked Wednesday - paranormal romance cliches
Most underrated piece - Wicked Wednesday - sexual tension
Most pride worthy piece - A to Z Challenge - A is for Abby
I'm suppose to give this away to seven people.The first seven who comment and want may have it!
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Published on June 10, 2012 00:00

June 8, 2012

Third time's a charm - Lucky 7 meme

I want to give a big thank you to the wonderful and nerdy L.G. Keltner for this award.I've done it a couple times before, but hey, it's a lot of fun.Plus, she had a different badge to go with it!
Here are the rules:1. Go to page 77 of your current manuscript2. Go down to line 7.3. Copy down the next 7 lines.4. Tag 7 others. (I'm not going to tag anyone. Take it if you want it!)
This excerpt is from an older manuscript entitled LEX. It's ten years old this year. If I don't have a title, I always named my story after the protagonist. It's a dystopian romance. Lex is unlike any other heroine I've ever written. She's not hard, bitter, witty, magical, nor is she a fighter. She's very naive and thinks in strange ways. Her strength is in that innocence, because with it comes unwavering hope.
Here's the excerpt:"All of us here outside the city live without the dust. We're able to make our own happiness without using the drug to induce it. A lot of people think Faery Dust is very bad. That's why in the Hearth yesterday the others were so insulted you asked for it. You didn't know you were asking for a bad thing, but they were offended nonetheless." Aelwyd spoke softly.
"I didn't mean to say something bad. I only want to make people happy."
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Published on June 08, 2012 23:00

Friday Five for June 8th

1. My sci-fi flash piece was rejected. I sighed, ate some Oreos, and submitted it to another press.
2. I finished my short story for June. It's fantasy romance and it includes a battalion of undead. I've sent it out to my critique partners, and after another edit, I'll send it in to my writer's group to be critiqued at this month's meeting.
3. I tried out Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition this week. Oh, wait, not 5th. Next. D&D Next. *rolls eyes* It was fun. I like it better than 4th edition, but I prefer the earlier editions or the Pathfinder setting. It'd been a long time since I sat down and rolled dice with the guys. I miss it, but I prefer to spend what little free time I have writing instead.
4. My son has been doing excellently with his toilet training this week. That's at home, though. He's terrified of other bathrooms. He'll scream and cry if I take him into one. I'm not sure how to help him with this. He's too young yet to reason with, especially when he gets in that frightened mindset.
5. I saw a group of seniors at the park on Wednesday morning. They were taking their morning walk. Since there weren't many children at the playground, the seniors came over to investigate. They climbed to the top of the three story castle, and one of the men who had a cane went down the twisty slide. Four of the women climbed up on the rope spiderweb. It was awesome. I heard one of the ladies say her great-grandson would love to come to that park. I hope I'm still that playful when I'm that age.
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Published on June 08, 2012 05:11

June 6, 2012

Insecure Writer's Support Group - June 2012

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He's an inspiration to us all with his awesome blog posts and words of encouragement. Please take some time to visit some of the other bloggers participating in the IWSG. Every supportive word means a lot.

I feel a little nervous and timid popping in a day late with this. Yet I've wanted to do a post for the IWSG for a while now, and I've always used the excuse that my Wednesdays are taken up by my Wicked Wednesday posts. It's an excuse, not a valid reason.

I do that with my writing too. I find excuses not to do certain things. Like I don't finish revising something because I don't think I could find a publisher for it with the story's weirdness. Or I retire a novel because it was rejected too many times. I tell myself it's best to work on something else instead. I have several novels written, but most of them are just sitting there collecting dust. I'm old, especially for authors in my genre, and there's so much age-ism out there.

All those are excuses and they're holding me back. The real reason why I hide behind excuses: I don't think I'll ever be good enough. I know that if I work hard, revise and edit, polish up my stories, I can leave those excuses behind. It's a lot harder to actually get over that hump than it is to say it.

I'm starting small. I'm self-publishing this year. I'm giddy and scared about it. But it's a step in the right direction. I think... I hope. Right?
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Published on June 06, 2012 23:00

June 5, 2012

Wicked Wednesday - paranormal romance vs. urban fantasy

Thank you for M. Pax for suggesting today's topic.

Most of the paranormal romances we read take place in our modern day world. They're alternative realities filled with magic, monsters, and supernatural beings. You can describe urban fantasy in the same manner. The two genres are similar on a lot of levels and sometimes it might be difficult to separate them.

The key difference: paranormal romance focuses on the protagonist's relationship. It's the heart of the story, so to speak. If the protagonist does not succeed in love, then they don't succeed with anything.

Urban fantasy might have romance, but it's not central to the story. It's a sub-plot, and if the protagonist wins or loses the heart of their love interest, it won't greatly affect the outcome of the story.

Here are some other general differences:

Urban fantasy - most often written in third person.
   vs.
Paranormal romance - most often written in first person.

Urban fantasy - creatures like vampires and werewolves are usually more horrific and traditional.
   vs.
Paranormal romance - creatures like vampires and werewolves are romanticized.

Urban fantasy - grittier style and usually a lot of violence.
   vs.
Paranormal romance - lighter style and less violence as the focus is on emotions.

Urban fantasy - darker events and more tragedies.
   vs.
Paranormal romance - more hope and the happily ever after ending.

Examples of urban fantasies:
The Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Twenty Palaces novels by Harry Connolly

Examples of paranormal romances:
The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning
The Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Anita Blake series by L.K. Hamilton

Not all paranormal romances and urban fantasies follow the rules. My favorite paranormal romances are the dark, gritty ones, and I don't require a happily ever after. I'm fascinated by relationships and how extreme situations affect them.

What are some of your favorite urban fantasies and paranormal romances? What makes you like one more than the other?
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Published on June 05, 2012 23:00

Teaser Tuesday with Blue Diablo

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!This one started slow, but it picked up steam quickly. Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre is the first in the Corine Solomon series. A paranormal romance with a heroine who isn't your typical protagonist. She wears bright colors, flowing skirts, and wedge heels, and has scarred hands.
Here's your teaser:
The beauty of being short was that guys didn't usually notice me eating them with my eyes. Of course, most often, their disregard never changed unless they saw me handle. (page 46)
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Published on June 05, 2012 02:00

June 4, 2012

Time slipping away

Just a quick post today. I don't have much free time on my hands these days. My son is napping less. Maybe it's the summer weather or he might be growing out the nap phase already. Ack! I hope it's not the latter! His nap time is the only solid period of time I get to myself each day to write. I need my writing time!

At least he starts preschool this August, and I'll get two mornings a week to write.

I'm curious to know how all the parent writers out there manage to find some time to write. Please give me your tips.

I'll never complain about the time I spend with my son, though. We have so much fun! Every smile is precious.
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Published on June 04, 2012 00:00