Cynthianna's Blog, page 15

Kindle ebooks and a $5 store credit available this week!

Some great news from my publisher, Devine Destinies Books!

Because of a bad web server and the web site crashing this past week, publisher Tina Haveman has issued the following statement:

"All customers [will be] given 5 dollar credit for the bad experience of the last few days... They don't have to spend 20 dollars to use the credit. It's a gift from us that they can use right away."

Yes, that's right--you can get free ebooks with this credit with no wait. :)

And here's some more great news--Kindle versions of all Devine Destinies/eXtasy Books are available now at the publisher's web sites. Experience great customer service at the best prices in one of the most popular e-formats out there today.

Be sure to consider purchasing one of my DD releases with your $5 credit:





THE FIXER-UPPERS --contemporary romantic-comedy!
http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers/




UNALONE--science fiction romance
http://www.devinedestinies.com/unalone-4/



THE STOCKING--a holiday romantic short story
http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-stocking-2/

Enjoy!
Cynthianna

http://www.cynthianna.com

My books at DD: http://www.devinedestinies.com/index.php?route=product/author&author_id=902


My Celine Chatillon books at eXtasy Books: http://www.devinedestinies.com/index.php?route=product%2Fauthor&author_id=930

Vote for Defiance Today!

Click on the Demand it link below and help St. Louis land a world premier of the television show Defiance. After all, there's a picture of the Gateway Arch in their logo. Shouldn't St. Louis have a premier? Thanks for voting early and often.





View all St. Louis events on Eventful
 

Happy St. Patrick's Day to ya!

Top o' the mornin' to ya! (Or good afternoon or good evening depending on your time zone.) I just got in on the Candlelight Reads Irish Gold Blog Hop at the last minute, so please forgive me for not writing a better blog posting. The Grand Prizes for this blog hop include a $60 gift card and a swag bag. Not bad at all!

From Devine Destinies Books: http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers


To top it off, if I get twenty comments in the comment section below, I'll hold a drawing for a free e-copy of my latest romantic-comedy novel The Fixer Uppers. Yeah, that's right--a whole novel for free! To enter, leave me your name/email address and a short comment about what genres you like to read in romantic fiction. I really do like to hear what readers are enjoying. Often I start reading the same and finding that I like it, too! So get cracking on your comment below... and may the luck of the Irish be with you! ;)

Cynthianna
http://www.cynthianna.com

Book Reviews: God Emperor of Didcot and Wrath of the Lemming Men

God Emperor of Didcot by Toby Frost
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The British Space Empire's source of tea is threatened. Who better than Captain Isambard Smith to take on the evil ant people, the Ghasts, and their righteously right-winged allies, the New Edenites, along with the Great God Emperor Hyrax of Didcot? God Emperor of Didcot is a fitting sequel to Frost's Space Captain Smith with all of the wacky characters you came to know and love in the first tale along with some new weird friends. The M'Lak have become metrosexual accountants and architects rather than blood-thirsty warriors. Suruk has to convince his family members that sometimes you have to get your golf sweater dirtied in battle in order to really live. Will Polly ever find her hitman crush? Will Smith ever get up the nerve to tell space hippy Rhianna that he really cares for her? All this and water-tankfuls of morally uplifting tea awaits the happy reader.


Wrath of the Lemming Men by Toby Frost
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

They're furry and they belong in a cage to deal with their rage. Space Captain Smith is destined to battle the Yull, homicidal/suicidal rodent-like aliens, and prevent them from taking over British Space in Wrath of the Lemming Men. The same crazy crew of the John Pym is back, and the camaraderie is the high point of this third action tale. Polly the Simulant is sent on an undercover mission to teach other androids the basics of self-defense and learns a bit more about Jane Austen than necessary. Surak the Slayer seeks revenge against Colonel Vock of Yull, and Rhianna the Space Hippy gets a chance to learn more about her Vorl father. Major Wainscot and the members of DOG come out fighting with panache and occasionally no pants. All the while, Smith handles the violence with typical British reserve along with, of course, tea. Hopefully we'll see more adventures with these characters to come.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Space Captain Smith

Space Captain Smith by Toby Frost
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you're looking for a good time sf/fantasy read without a lot of heavy thinking involved, look no further than to Toby Frost's Space Captain Smith. The first of a series, Isambard Smith's saga is full of farce and fun, puns and double entendre galore. Smith longs for a space command but when he's given a spaceship (from the bottom of the heap of course) and a female simulant pilot named Pollyanna (with a very shady past), he chooses to take along his head-hunting warrior alien friend Suruk for back up. Wise plan it is, too, as those nasty space ants, The Ghast, want his passenger, space hippy Rhianna, for their own evil purposes to dominate the galaxy. Fortunately for Captain Smith even though Rhianna is a pacifist she's got her own special means of self-preservation. For those who think the sun never set on the British Empire--instead it headed for the stars and did its best to "civilize" the rest of the universe with tea and handlebar moustaches--the Space Captain Smith series will provide just the right amount of comedy, adventure, and "moral fibre" to entertain. So...how about a cuppa?

View all my reviews

Book Review: The Difference Engine

The Difference Engine by William Gibson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Difference Engine is the supposed grandaddy of all steampunk stories of the modern era. Recently I've gotten into steampunk sci-fi (and dressing up in pith helmet and khaki clothing with various goggles and accessories), so I thought I'd immerse myself in it.

 The alternate history story that Gibson and Sterling create is breath-taking at times... To consider how famous personalities such as Darwin, Babbage, Byron and Marx could have taken an alternate course and altered our world is mind-boggling to contemplate. But, sadly, the story seems complete in all aspects save one. The political, social, mechanical, military angles are all covered well, but it's the individual characters' story arcs which don't seem quite complete. 

What really becomes of Sybil or Lady Ada? Does Dr. Mallory go on to bigger and better adventures? Is Oliphant about to retire? We don't really find out, and it's frustrating. The steampunk world is described in such intricate detail, and the reader comes to feel that it is a real place with real possibilities, but we don't get to dwell in it with any one character we sympathize with for long. 

So I'd have to give The Difference Engine four and half stars for creating a world where the steam engine reigns supreme but only two stars for the characters who dwell there. Perhaps that's a fine balance for most fans of the genre, but strong character arcs could have made it a five star must read.

View all my reviews

The First Time is Always Special...

Welcome to the first ever blog hop featuring the mainstream writers of the Marketing for Romance Writers group (MFRW)!  Enjoy your time checking out our blogs and our current releases.

Our theme for this first blog hop is "firsts". What an intriguing theme! First time romance? First kiss? Love at first sight? All of the above? What a challenge!

Can a single mom find happiness on a blind date--or at least a male who can cut up his own food?
I scratched my head for a full ten seconds and then decided to write about the first romantic comedy manuscript I ever wrote, The Fixer-Uppers. By coincidence, it's also my latest novel release! Yes, The Fixer-Uppers has found a new publisher and with terrific new cover art, along with great editing, I hope it will have an "happily ever after" ending and remain in publication for years to come.

When I began writing The Fixer-Uppers I wasn't sure I was writing a romance in the traditional sense, but I was sure I was writing a mainstream story that would appeal to many readers who enjoy stories about people like themselves. You know, normal people who struggle to make ends meet, find work, raise kids and keep a roof from leaking over their heads. Mike, an airport baggage handler, and Cassie, a single mom of two young boys and expert cake baker, are my idea of a perfect romantic couple who deserve to find true love. And you can really cheer them on! 

When I first marketed the story, I was told by some that no one would ever want to read a story about "everyday people" and that I should write about rich business tycoons or oil sheiks or movie stars as heroes. My heroine should look like a fashion model and not be the mother of two who is constantly hoping to shed a few pounds.  

But why should I rewrite my vision? Why write about rich men that a woman like me would never meet, let alone marry, and who really don't "do it" for me personally? I stuck to my guns and wrote the story of my heart... and from the nice comments I've received for The Fixer-Uppers, it touches a lot of others' hearts, too:

"I loved it... The Fixer-Uppers was so compelling, I just kept going forward until the happy ending. You keep up the good work." --avid romance reader Christina D.

"An exceptional writer with a flair for humor." --Romance Reviews Today 

So, this is my blog about "firsts". It was the first time I published a mainstream romance, and I still feel The Fixer-Uppers is one of my best attempts to create memorable characters. I hope you'll give it a read and agree with me, too.


 Okay, now for the blog hop part. Click on the link that will take you to the other blogs. ( MFRW BlogHops Home: http://is.gd/mfrwbloghops) But before you go, please leave a comment in the comment box below letting me know what sort of mainstream romance stories you like to read and what questions you have about my other books (click Cynthianna's book page link  or click on the bar above). Be sure to leave me a good email address to send your prize of a free e-book if I draw your name out of the hat, too. Good luck! ;)

 The Fixer-Uppers is available in Kindle and all other popular e-formats from Devine Destinies books: http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers

Read a short excerpt: http://momsday.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-fixer-uppers-now-available.html
 
 

Book Review: Master and God

Master and God by Lindsey Davis
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

There's a reason why I don't put any author's books on an "automatically buy" list. Even if I love their earlier books, I don't necessarily believe I will love their later works. Such is the case (unfortunately) for Master and God. Having enjoyed Davis' Falco detective series, I thought I'd give this story a try--and trying it was. 

In the Falco series the Roman history, culture and setting are seamlessly intertwined with fascinating and sympathetic characters, but the same can't be said of this book. The first part is a head-hopping nightmare. The point of view hops from omniscient to one character to the next (even within a paragraph). Then there's a head hop to a fly on the wall. Really! Having to edit and fix head-hopping problems in my own and others' manuscripts (Yes, I'm an evil editor), I don't care to read it in a professionally published book.

 The second part of the story is a bit less head-hoppy, and the lovers Flavia Lucilla and Gaius Vinius are worth cheering for, but long "telling/info dumping" passages slow up the love story and cause frustration for both the lovers and the reader alike. It seems as if Davis couldn't figure out if she wanted to write a straight history of the reign of Domitian or a love story set in Rome. I wish she would have stuck with the second choice and edited the head-hopping and info dumping. 

If readers could get a feel for Rome in the Falco series without chapter upon chapter of info dumping, surely Lucilla and Vinius' love story could have been written likewise. But if you enjoy Roman history and don't mind the romantic interruptions and head-hopping, Master and God might appeal to you.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Steampunk Reloaded

Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded by Ann VanderMeer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded is a good anthology as far as anthologies go, but not all its stories are equal. The inequalities are evident both in entertainment value and even in meeting the very definition of being an actual steampunk story. A rather surprising inclusion is a recently translated piece written in 1870 by Danish author Vilhelm Bergsoe. "The Flying Fish Prometheus" is by far the best of the group. It truly has every element in it that a steampunk story should have--including the Victorian values and social structure along with the wildly creative steam tech. Stories by Cherie Priest of Boneshaker fame, G.D. Falksen and Tanith Lee are also outstanding. Artwork that includes "Lovelace and Babbage" and essays on what exactly is the steampunk movement are also strong offerings. A good intro into the genre for those who have stumbled into steampunk through fashion or other creative endeavor.

View all my reviews

Starting 2013 off right with a Liebster Blog Award

I received this nomination for the Liebster Blog Award from AJ Matthews and his AJ's Wargames Table blog. Thanks, AJ, my biggest supporter and bestest friend ever! ;)

Now, by the rules, I must nominate five others for the award. In no particular order they are:

1.)  The Log Line Blog -- Lynn Crain has put together a wonderful promo blog for her fellow authors. Short and sweet, your log line will sell your book!

2.) MFRW Authors Blog -- A great group of great romantic fiction authors.

3.) Paranormal Cravings -- Whenever you have an urge to read about vampires, werewolves and shapeshifters, this is the blog for you!

4.) Romance Excerpts Only -- To get in the mood, exactly the blog to check out for inspiration!

5.) Unstoppable Heroes -- Author Kayelle Allen shares writing tips, her new releases and other fun stuff.

My thanks again to AJ for the nomination. Here are the rules to follow if you're nominated:

Copy and paste the award on your blog linking it to the blogger who has given it to you. Pass the award to your top 5 favorite blogs with fewer than 200 followers by leaving a comment on one of their posts to notify them that they have won the award and listing them on your blog.

Sit back and bask in that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with knowing you’ve just made someone’s day!