Walter Rhein's Blog, page 13

Review: A Song of Betrayal by Jesse Duckworth

As many of you know, I occasionally do book reviews and throw them up on this blog just for fun.  The book writing business is a pain in the ass, so I like to help young authors out from time to time.  I generally read fantasy...but I'll pretty much read anything anyone sends me (in this day and age, you can read until the end of time for free if you're willing to write a review).
I met Jesse Duckworth on my Heroic Fantasy page on Facebook.  His book "A Song of Betrayal" is a quick little fantasy romp.  I enjoyed it more than quite a few other books I've read, but there are things in it that will also annoy the occasional reader.  I always try to write my reviews to help people who would enjoy the book find it, and also alert those who wouldn't to stay away.  That being said, here's the review (you can find the book on Amazon here):
“A Song of Betrayal” is a work of classic fantasy by a new writer who shows a lot of promise. The short, quick sentence structure reminded me of R.A. Salvatore on several occasions. The other book that comes to mind is Hemmingway’s In Our Time. This is because Duckworth likes to break up the action at the start of chapters by offering small vignettes (usually in all italics) that mostly give background information to the mythology of the world of Harren.
For the most part I was engaged and pleased with “A Song of Betrayal.” You can tell that Harren is a well-developed fantasy universe and the characters are often acting in response to a backstory the reader is unaware of. Sometimes this works to perfection as it leaves the reader curious for more information about the world. Occasionally, however, this story telling tactic does create some confusion.
One of the strengths of the book is how quickly it moves. I read the whole novel in just a couple hours. It felt a little bit under 50,000 words, which puts it on the short side, but I think that is an advantage for a book like this. However, there were some places where I might have urged the writer to slow down slightly. A bit more description here and there would have helped to flesh out some of the critical scenes and served to draw in the reader a bit more. Still, I believe it is better to error on the side of too little (leave them wanting more), and there is not a scene in this book where you cannot sense Duckworth’s enthusiasm for the telling.

I’m not sure that “Song of Betrayal” is a landmark work of fantasy, but it is a strong novel from a talented author who has a future writing fantasy.
For those of you who haven't already, make sure you do me a favor a pick up my books Beyond Birkie Fever and The Bone Sword over at the Rhemalda Bookshop!  If you happen to write a review somewhere, please let me know!  Also, add Birkie and Bone Sword to your cart on Amazon.com!

Review: A Song of Betrayal by Jesse Duckworth

As many of you know, I occasionally do book reviews and throw them up on this blog just for fun.  The book writing business is a pain in the ass, so I like to help young authors out from time to time.  I generally read fantasy...but I'll pretty much read anything anyone sends me (in this day and age, you can read until the end of time for free if you're willing to write a review).



I met

Words with Toby Neighbors, Author of "Fierce Loyalty"

1. Can you tell us a little bit about "Fierce Loyalty?"
Fierce Loyalty is an Epic Fantasy novel. It’s the 5th novel in my Five Kingdoms series and I’m really excited about the turn of events in this book. Basically, the Five Kingdoms books tells the story of Zollin, a young man who discovers he is a wizard. In the world of the Five Kingdoms, magic is strictly controlled by a group of wizards known as the Torr. When Zollin refuses to join the Torr, it sets in motion a grand adventure and in Fierce Loyalty Zollin finally confronts the evil master of the Torr. The book ends with a great twist.

2. What's your background with writing?

I started writing seriously in college but it took a long time to truly find my voice. I wasted a lot of time trying to write books that were “commercial” but I was never really enthused about the stories and couldn’t finish. When I finally decided to write something I would want to read, everything changed for me. I wrote four novels and after learning the ins and outs of the publishing world, I decided to self publish with KDP. The first three books didn’t sell all that well but when I released Wizard Rising, the first of the Five Kingdoms books, I found an audience. In 2010 I left my full time job and started writing freelance full time. Wizard Rising was published in December 2011 and I became a full time novelist in April of 2012.

3. Who are your inspirations/influences? 

I grew up reading adventure stories and Greek mythology. I read nearly all of Edgar Rice Burrows’ Tarzan novels. I read the Conan novels by Robert Jordan, Steve Perry, and others. I also loved Stephen Lawhead”s early works, especially the Albion trilogy and his Pendragon Cycle books.

4. Who was responsible for the cover/book design?

The thing I really like about self publishing is that I retain control of my novels, from content to cover design. My wife is a professional photographer and graphic designer so we work on the covers together. I usually give her an idea of what I want and she works her technical magic. I really think a large portion of my success comes from her talent in designing the book covers.

5. What are you doing in terms of marketing/publicity?

I started out doing a lot. I was posting on chat boards and looking for places to promote my books online. I’ve read a lot about what works and what doesn’t in terms of book marketing. Now I rely mainly on my website and Facebook page. I try to stay available to interact with readers through my Facebook page. I post what I’m doing a few times a week. On my website readers can sign up for my mailing list and I send out an email whenever I release a new book.

6. What is the name of your blog and what can readers expect to find there?

I don’t blog, but I do a lot of posts on my Facebook page and I also started a Facebook group called “Fantasy Novels You Have To Read,” and there are several writers there that interact with readers. It’s a very open group and we support each other as much as possible.

7. What projects do you have planned for the future?

I’m working on the second book in my Lorik trilogy now and I’m hoping to publish it in June. The Lorik trilogy is set in the Five Kingdoms and has a few links to the other series, but it can be read all on its own. It’s a little darker, a little more mature than the Five Kingdoms books. Once I finish that I’ll be working on the next two Five Kingdoms novels, which I hope to publish in September and November. I may sneak a short story in there somewhere too. I have a lot of readers concerned about a dragon and I have an idea for a short story or novella about that.

8. Is there anything else about you we should know?


Links:
My Website: www.TobyNeighbors.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Toby-Neighbors-Author/210621225652500
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/138023589694753/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TobyNeighbors
About the Interviewer:Walter Rhein is the author of Beyond Birkie Fever and The Bone Sword which are both available over at the Rhemalda Bookshop or here and here at Amazon. If you happen to pick up either of these books and write a review somewhere, please let him know at walterrhein@gmail.com!

Words with Toby Neighbors, Author of "Fierce Loyalty"

1. Can you tell us a little bit about "Fierce Loyalty?"



Fierce Loyalty is an Epic Fantasy novel. It’s the 5th novel in my Five Kingdoms series and I’m really excited about the turn of events in this book. Basically, the Five Kingdoms books tells the story of Zollin, a young man who discovers he is a wizard. In the world of the Five Kingdoms, magic is strictly controlled by a group of

Words with C.N. Faust, author of "The Heretic Priest"

Can you tell us a little bit about "The Heretic Priest”?
The Heretic Priest is the sequel to my first novel The Dragon’s Disciples. They are part of an epic fantasy series entitled “The Age of Waking Death,” where the snowy, mountainous country of Dragoloth is embroiled in holy civil war. The Heretic Priest explores the characters of Felix d’Artion and Meridith Turtem from the previous novel, building up the groundwork for some epic action in the third book. I wanted to explore Felix’s lineage, particularly, because not only is it important to the story but I feel like it really rounds him out as a character.
What's your background with writing?
I have been writing ever since I can remember. When I was little I would write fairy tales and romances … I didn’t even get into the darker stuff until I was thirteen. When I was fifteen I finished my first full-length novel, and not long after that the Mahtradors came into my life. It has snowballed ever since.
Who are your inspirations/influences?
My greatest inspirations are R.A. Salvatore, Anne Rice, Laurell K. Hamilton, Neil Gaiman, Richard Lee Byers, Gerald Morris, and Victor Hugo. I could name many, many more but those were the big guys of my childhood.
What was it like working with Amazon and Barnes & Noble publishing?
I enjoy the freedom, and the sense that every sale is one I have earned.
Who was responsible for the cover/book design?
I designed the cover for “The Heretic Priest” myself. The original artwork for “The Dragon’s Disciples” was done by a very excellent friend for me.
What are you doing in terms of marketing/publicity?
Everything I can think to do! I have my own Facebook page, I set up a Twitter, I blog regularly on my website, and I am planning a series of podcasts for connecting with other indie writers. I am planning a virtual book tour for late July. I have made bookmarks, posters, I have contacted bookstores, I have done interviews, and I am promoting myself through Goodreads by the wonderful reviews that my awesome readers have given me.
Do you have any stories from book signings/radio interviews/etc.?
There are a bunch of short stories that are free to read on my website, but as of this moment I haven’t done any book signings or radio interviews.
What is the name of your blog and what can readers expect to find there?
My website / blog is C.N. Faust: The Official Blog of a writer. There you can find a plethora of content to explore; including my blog, character portraits, short stories, character biographies, and links to where my books can be bought on Amazon and Barnes&Noble. I also do book reviews in the fantasy genre by request.
What projects do you have planned for the future?
The Age of Waking Death series is (so far, in my mind) an 8 – 9 book series with the potential to expand even further. The next book is book #3, The Hollow Living. There will also be a brother series (the first book for which is already written and going through the editing process) called the Dawning Era series that is pre-Dragon’s Disciples history, with at least 7 books based in the histories of Dragoloth’s most powerful families.
Is there anything else about you we should know?
I want to start my own publishing company one day, but in the meantime I am sticking to being overly emotionally attached to my characters and coddling them like they are children. If you ever see me, be sure to wave hello and feel free to ask how Pharun is doing. He loves the fact that people know his name now.
About the Interviewer:Walter Rhein is the author of Beyond Birkie Fever and The Bone Sword which are both available over at the Rhemalda Bookshop or here and here at Amazon. If you happen to pick up either of these books and write a review somewhere, please let him know at walterrhein@gmail.com!

Words with C.N. Faust, author of "The Heretic Priest"

Can you tell us a little bit about "The Heretic Priest”?





The Heretic Priest is the sequel to my first novel The Dragon’s Disciples. They are part of an epic fantasy series entitled “The Age of Waking Death,” where the snowy, mountainous country of Dragoloth is embroiled in holy civil war. The Heretic Priest explores the characters of Felix d’Artion and Meridith Turtem from the previous

An Interview with Charles E. Yallowitz author of "Beginning of a Hero"

Can you tell us a little bit about Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero? 
This is the first book of a 15 book action fantasy series. It takes place in the world of Windemere and follows the adventures of a young warrior named Luke Callindor. He comes from a family of legendary heroes and has grown up hating the fame that he gets from his last name. So, he has run away from home to find his first adventure and prove that he’s worthy of being called a Callindor. 
Luke lies to a royal messenger to receive a mission to secretly protect a royal heir who is attending Hamilton Military Academy. Being more concerned with keeping up his lying, Luke forgets to ask for the identity of the royal heir. The young warrior is forced to find allies who will help him locate the heir and keep his mission a secret from the ex-mercenary headmistress, Selenia Hamilton. To make matters even worse, Luke has to keep his eyes out for a demonic assassin that a Lich has already sent into the academy to kill the heir. 
What's your background with writing? 
I first learned to write in elementary school where I also acquired a taste for pencil erasers. I managed to kick that habit, but the love of writing stayed. I’ve been writing fantasy since high school, which is when I swore I would be an author and learned that parents don’t like hearing that. I went off to college to get a BA in English Writing Arts, which I learned after graduation doesn’t mean anything. I have been writing novels, outlining future series, and collecting rejection letters for the last 10 years. 
Recently, I decided that being passed around various office jobs was about as fulfilling as clearing my 13th paper jam of the day. So, I looked into self-publishing through Amazon Kindle while editing my completed novels and took the plunge. So far, it’s worked out pretty well and I’m a lot happier. 
Who are your inspirations/influences? 
I was heavily inspired by my time playing Dungeons & Dragons, which is where I tested out various characters and storylines. I found that the medium helped me get a deeper feel for my heroes. When I began running games, I developed a stronger sense of story and continuity, which translated to my books. 
My writing style has also been heavily influenced by reading and collecting comic books, which might explain why I’m most comfortable writing in the dreaded present tense style. This style and influence has driven me to aim for making the reader feel like they are watching events unfold instead of simply being told to them. 
Authors that inspired me are definitely Tolkien (does any fantasy author not list him?), but the spark was created by Fred Saberhagen and his Books of Lost Swords. It was such an amazing series with realistic characters and a world that felt more real to me than Middle Earth. 
What was it like working with Amazon Publishing?
It has been great since I control everything from price to content to advertising. I like that I have so much power over my own destiny even though it does get frustrating and confusing at times. I will admit that I sacrificed the sense of peace that comes from having an agent and publisher that takes care of the advertising. Still, there is a lot to be said for the feeling of doing it all on your own. 
I will admit that it took some time to get the formatting right and I found formatting mistakes even after I published. Amazon counters this by allowing you to upload revised versions of your book for free and as many times as you need. This is very important if you publish without a professional editor like me. 
Who was responsible for the cover/book design? 
My cover art was done by my wife’s highly talented cousin, Jason Pedersen. He is professionally trained and does tattoo art in Arizona along with pictures that he auctions off for charities. 
What are you doing in terms of marketing/publicity? 
I use a lot of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Google +, and Goodreads. All of these are connected to my blog, Legends of Windemere, so any post I make there goes to all of those outlets. I also used several websites that have various promotional tools for self-published authors. Using those websites, I spent probably $70 overall and that was with a few splurges such as author profiles on their site. As I’ve used advertising sites, I’ve been listing and explaining them on a blog page. You can see the page here. 
The most important thing that I did for marketing and publicity is I made friends on social media. There is a vast community of aspiring artists that are more than willing to help each other with support, reviews, and spreading the word. I’ve actually gotten more support and help from people I’ve never met in real life than those I get together with outside of the internet. It’s a very tight-knit group of authors that you can learn from at the beginning and then contribute to when you get more experience. As one of my friends says, ‘when one aspiring author succeeds, we all succeed’. 
Do you have any stories from book signings/radio interviews/etc.? 
I’m still fairly new, so I haven’t had any signings or radio interviews yet. So far, I’ve only done e-mail interviews like this. Though, I’m working on setting up my first radio/podcast interview for August or September. I’m sure I will have plenty of stories from that first time experience. 
What is the name of your blog and what can readers expect to find there? 
My blog is called Legends of Windemere and it began as a simple site where I posted book excerpts. I have since added character origins, poetry, thoughts on aspects of writing, inspirational videos, book reviews of other self-published authors, and whatever I think might be entertaining. I have begun posting about how important it is to support self-published authors. As someone who gets very little support from friends and family, this is a very important topic for me. To put it simply, something as simple as clicking the share button is enough to make an artist smile and feel like they aren’t alone in their journey. 
What projects do you have planned for the future? 
I recently finished writing and editing the 4th book of Legends of Windemere. The 2nd and 3rd books are waiting on cover art before they debut on Amazon. On the side, I’m outlining other series that I have come up with over the years. I would say I have about 40 stories of various lengths that I work on when I want a break from my first series. It probably helps that I don’t even think of this as work, except for when I have to read through and edit a full novel for the third time. That gets a little tedious at times and usually forces a week-long break before I snap and write a massive death scene for all of my characters. 
Is there anything else about you we should know? 
I’m an Ares. I did fencing in high school and college. I hate pina coladas and walks in the rain. I crack jokes, usually bad ones, when I’m nervous and don’t know what else to say. Honestly, I’m just a friendly, helpful aspiring author with delusions of overzealous grandeur.
About the Interviewer:Walter Rhein is the author of Beyond Birkie Fever and The Bone Sword which are both available over at the Rhemalda Bookshop or here and here at Amazon. If you happen to pick up either of these books and write a review somewhere, please let him know at walterrhein@gmail.com!

An Interview with Charles E. Yallowitz author of "Beginning of a Hero"

Can you tell us a little bit about Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero? 



This is the first book of a 15 book action fantasy series. It takes place in the world of Windemere and follows the adventures of a young warrior named Luke Callindor. He comes from a family of legendary heroes and has grown up hating the fame that he gets from his last name. So, he has run away from home to

Chippewa Valley Book Festival Author

Some time ago I was named as a guest for the Chippewa Valley Book Festival.  I have to say that I'm very honored to be included and I'm looking forward to discussing my books and meeting some new people!  I plan on attending all the dinners the festival is sponsoring, so there should be ample opportunity to meet me for anyone who is interested.
Furthermore, on Monday, October 15th at 7 pm, I'll be presenting at the Calhoun Memorial Library in Chetek, WI.  My presentation is called "From the Birkie to Peru: How North America's Greatest Ski Race Can be the Start of a Remarkable Journey."  Please attend if you are able!
If you're curious to learn more about me, you can peruse this list of interviews I've done over the years.
Thanks for checking out my page.  You can also check these blogs for more updated information:
Streets of LimaCyclovaXC
See you at the presentation!
Walter Rhein is the author of Beyond Birkie Fever and The Bone Sword which are both available over at the Rhemalda Bookshop or here and here at Amazon. If you happen to pick up either of these books and write a review somewhere, please let him know at walterrhein@gmail.com!

Chippewa Valley Book Festival Author

Some time ago I was named as a guest for the Chippewa Valley Book Festival.  I have to say that I'm very honored to be included and I'm looking forward to discussing my books and meeting some new people!  I plan on attending all the dinners the festival is sponsoring, so there should be ample opportunity to meet me for anyone who is interested.



Furthermore, on Monday, October 15th at 7 pm,