Alexis DeSousa's Blog, page 6

Mighty Hammer Down

 

Mighty Hammer Down – 5/5 Stars

David J. Guyton

I came across Mighty Hammer Down on the Amazon message boards.

Mighty Hammer Down is the story of a world in which Gods are revered, but not seen, and an empire that stands at an odd peace with its neighbors. The story centers on a man named Rommus, who went from being a well-known and respected member of the army to an ignored smith of weapons. For a reason unknown to Rommus, there are forces out in his world that wish his family bloodline eliminated.

Throughout the story, we meet differing cultures and explore all of the characters viewpoints on science, politics, and faith. The story resonates with many of the things that are going on in our world today. On top of these messages, there is an interesting meeting of different cultures along Rommus' journey.

Personally, I found the novel exciting and simply couldn't stop reading. There were times when Rommus seemed too moody about the fact that no one seemed to acknowledge him anymore in his hometown, Brinn. Many of the different characters were explored, from the Emperor to Rommus' father and I enjoyed learning about each of them. The end left me hanging in a way eager for me to read the sequel. If you enjoy an epic fantasy or Terry Goodkind novels, then this book is for you!

The Crystal and the Child

I've been reading Indie books lately as I am trying to get into the Indie scene. I joined a book club on Amazon.com's fantasy forum and this was the first book we were slated to read. I wrote a review on Amazon and figured I would post it here, to help the Indie author's gain more exposure.

The Crystal and the Child – 4/5 Stars

Valerie Froelich

The Crystal and the Child centers around Matt, a young boy who finds out he has much more to offer. He and his sister are met by a wizard, Gandor, who takes them on the adventure of their lives in an effort to see Matt grow into his true potential.

This book was a nice read and had a neat take on a what some might call a general type of fantasy. I agree with other reviewers in that the book reads nicely for those in their teens. It is an epic tale that combine elves, wizards, and Gods with the love of family and the growing of a young boy into his own.

I really liked the story and thought it was a good start into fantasy for young readers. It has the love of family and a boy being special and kind of growing into his own. I did notice other familiar names that I mentioned before in the thread from the Sci-Fi show Stargate However, I don't think this is a problem, especially for the intended audience. I enjoyed it and finished it rather quickly.

Shifting Fate

Alright, so I finally went and did it. I spent the past week or so re-reading my book and finally decided to self-publish. I read about self-publishing on Amazon for e-book purposes. I think it's really neat how you can self publish for the Kindle, or Kindle apps, on their website!

So, if you have any mobile device with a Kindle application (generally gotten from your application store), you can read my book on it! You can even read it on your computer (you just have to download the Kindle reader).

Please check it out. Click HERE to see it listed on Amazon!

Here's some info! I originally wrote this during NaNoWriMo a few years back…

Shifting Fate

Times in the mystic realm of Lizon are changing. The Great War remains a distant past for many, but for others, the bleak past is all too clear. When the royal family of Alii is targeted, the kingdom's only Princess begins a quest to set things right. In a world completely controlled by fate, Brynn of Alii must fight against the Shifters, bent on altering the predestined future, to save the world she knows and secure destiny.

Always a long time…

I feel like I always go a long time in between posting. Sometimes, I feel the urge to keep up with this blog, while at other times, I completely forget! I am just now getting back to school for the winter quarter and after spending the entire break gaming (Nier) and reading (Everything's Eventual), I'm trying to work on an iPhone application for the app store. I think it is a fun endeavor to try and learn, but the learning is a slower process than I would have thought. Admittedly, I haven't been reading my Objective-C book as much as I should Plus, I wish I had Photoshop again to do all the graphics. Instead, I am using GIMP on Mac, which isn't really meant for the Mac. Alas, it shall do. What is cool about it is that it can utilize brushes in the same way Photoshop does, and I really enjoy playing with them to make graphics. I probably shouldn't be worrying about the graphics right now anyway, and rather get the coding done first. I want to make an app that helps with NaNoWriMo or writing in general and I think it could be a cool tool to use. I'll definitely blog about it as my process continues.

Online Zines

I don't know why I never thought of this before, but the other day, I was thinking of maybe one day making my own Online Zine. I think it would be cool and I like designing things with Photoshop, so I could definitely put my skills to use in it. It would be something just for fun.

But, then, I thought there must be other zines out there already. Ones that publish unknown writers. Of course! I googled it and I did find some. In fact, I found a list of reputable ones…

So, I think my goal for the summer will be to polish up some short stories and try these out. Maybe even read a few of other people's stories. I know not many people read this, but is there anyone out there that has tried this before? I think that it is a good stepping stone in the right direction if I would indeed like to try to be published on paper in the future.

Summer

Summer has officially begun. I am finished my classes, but have been stricken by some unknown virus (sore throat, cough, stuffy nose) and haven't been able to do much writing yet. I have a great idea for a short story that I would like to get started with, but I am sort of afraid to start and lose interest because I don't feel well. We'll see

I am also currently trying to finish Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, but am finding it hard to accomplish. I am reading Phantom and it is slow moving for me. There is a lot of talking and explaining and not much actual progression of the story. I am about 150 pages in so far and I would definitely like to see more. Anyone finish the series yet? Or read Terry Goodkind's new The Law of Nines? I think that one sounds interesting, but I am scared to get into it when this end has been so slow going for me.

Finished Editing – Round One

Well, I did post a bit ago that I wanted to make use of CreateSpace's yearly prize for those that finish National Novel Writing Month. I do have until July 1st, but it wasn't something that I wanted to put off. I wanted to work on the novel and actually have a book form copy of my own. Just to have it, whether or not there were ever more copies made in the future, would be something magical to me.

So, I went about editing my book. I finished the first round, going through the entire 90,000+ word saga. I tried to do at least a chapter each time I sat down with it, usually late at night, and I was able to get through all 13 chapters plus prologue and epilogue.

Though, now I want to reread it again, to make sure that these edits sound alright in the overall scheme.

Is a writer ever satisfied? Do we ever have a finished piece that we can breathe a sigh of relief about? I think these pieces of writing are very rare…

So, round one is over. I have another month to take advantage of the offer and I plan on using it, for at least round 2. I still have classes for two more weeks, so it is something I am doing in my *spare* time. As I was reading back though, I found myself, at times, proud of what I had accomplished.