R.S. Hunter's Blog, page 7

Review: Murders, Bikers And A Meteor

A friend asked me to review K.J. Klimasz’s Murders, Bikers And A Meteor anthology as part of a blog tour. Knowing nothing else about the collection other than it had science fiction stories in it, I agreed to read it. Chances are if I had come across this collection on my own, I would not have finished it.

I’ve been told that the version I read is an unedited advance copy. I certainly hope the version for sale on Klimasz’s website has had some revisions done, because I’d be upset if I paid for an anthology presented in this state.

Murders, Bikers And A Meteor is a short story collection with “four dark tales ranging in genre from crime drama to science fiction and horror.” The description is more or less accurate. I wouldn’t describe the tales as dark, but the genres fit. The problem is none of the stories feel like they belong together. The collection jumps from a story about a stoner running into a truck driver that may or may not be human to one about a young man who witnesses his friend murder a prostitute. The shift from sci-fi to straight-laced crime drama is jarring. The other two stories are similar: one sci-fi and the other crime drama.

Still, high quality, entertaining stories would be enough to make readers overlook the wild variations in genre and tone. Sadly, that doesn’t happen with Murders, Bikers And A Meteor. All four of the stories in this collection suffer from poor writing and a lack of editing. I gave up highlighting all of places where there were POV jumps, giant info dumps, tense changes, and grammatical errors. But these problems aren’t all mechanical! Even though this is an unedited advance copy, these problems aren’t going to go away with some proofreading.

For example, the story “Phone Call” starts off in the present tense, but then in chapter 2 it switches to the past tense…but then there are still sentences written in the present tense scattered throughout. The entire story is full of moments where the reader is told things about the characters instead of being shown them. It happens every time a character is introduced, like when Axl’s friend Kurt appears in chapter 3:

“Kurt came barreling through the door with the early morning sun chasing after him. Kurt had been a standout athlete in high school. After graduation, he joined the Army and won awards for physical fitness. His addictive personality pushed him to a life of excess, whether it was working out, smoking cigarettes, drinking Bacardi rum, or smoking crack and screwing hookers. He could never get enough.”

That reads more like an author’s notes about a character than compelling fiction. Rather than show Kurt’s large frame and tie that into the fact that he’d kept his physique even after leaving the army, the author just tells us all these things in a big paragraph.

The story is also full of POV shifts that only get worse when the two detectives are introduced. The chase scene near the end of the story is particularly hard to follow because it keeps switching between Axl and the two detectives.

Finally, the trend of just infodumping all over the place continues at the very end of the story. Klimasz doesn’t give the reader a proper conclusion. A couple of paragraphs like this are all the reader gets:

“Kurt and Axl never saw or spoke to one another again. Kurt was arrested about three weeks later in his home town of West Des Moines. Someone tipped off the police of his whereabouts and he surrendered without a struggle. He was brought back to Minnesota where he pleaded guilty in a plea bargain for a lesser sentence. After Kurt was released from prison, he moved out west for a new start in life.”

So the POV shifts to an omniscient narrator and tells us what happened to the characters. Like I said before, it’s not compelling and represents a lack of editing and polish.

Sadly, the rest of the stories work in similar ways. The ideas behind the stories in Murders, Bikers And A Meteor aren’t bad, but they need a lot more work before they’d be in a state I’d consider paying money for.

Kentucky Route Zero and Creating a Sense of Place

Kentucky Route Zero

I feel it’s part of my job as a science fiction and fantasy writer to create a sense of place. What does that even mean? Here’s how I’d describe it: it’s more than just creating another world (if you write secondary world fantasy). It’s about making sure you capture an essence, a feeling about the place. If you can’t do that, then I think you let your readers down.

Personally, I think I did that with The Exile’s Violin and the Tethys Chronicles in general. Vorleaux, to me, has a corrupt heart of haze-coated brass and bronze. I think that sense of place permeates all the scenes that take place in the city and even influence how main character Jacquie reacts to the world around her.

Still, I want to do better, to truly feel deep in my bones that I’ve written a place with a sense of place. I don’t care if that sentence is reductive and doesn’t make a lot of sense. Part of the reason that this is such a big deal to me is I feel like I come from somewhere without a sense of place. I live in the suburbs of San Diego, and I’ve lived in suburbs of one city or another. Maybe I’m just not looking hard enough, but I read things or play games like the brilliant Kentucky Route Zero and see how brilliantly the creators are able to evoke a sense of place.

I’ve never been to Kentucky, but after playing that game, I feel like the locations in the game could really exist out there in the backwoods of coal country. The visuals, the aesthetic, and the music–oh God, the music–all work together to make me feel like I’ve been taken to somewhere real even though I’ve never left my desk chair.

I want to make something like that. This isn’t envy I feel in my bones right now. It’s a desire to be able to so effortlessly* make my reader understand the soul of my place and my work/novel/game/whatever. So my hat’s off to  the two men at Cardboard Computer for what they’ve accomplished with just Act I of their game. My hat’s off to all the writers out there who’ve done what I’m still striving to do.

*I know effortlessly isn’t the right term. It takes a ton of skill and craft to pull something like that off and make it appear effortless to the reader or player.

My Next Big Thing pt. 2

After deciding to one of these on my own, I was tagged in a different Next Big Thing blog post by author Sunny Moraine. I figure I got enough projects going on that I can muster up another post. So here goes.

Here’s my Next Big Thing pt. 2.

What’ s the working title of your next book?

Since I already talked about Gifts of the Earth, this time I’m going to talk about the next book in my Tethys Chronicles series, Terraviathan. Fun fact: the title is a combination of two words–terra and leviathan. I’ll leave it up to the readers to figure out how why I chose those two.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Terraviathan is the sequel to my debut steampunk novel, The Exile’s Violin. The longer answer is that I wrote Exile’s as a standalone novel, but I loved the characters and setting so much that a year after I finished it, I wrote the first draft of the sequel in a fraction of the time.

What genre does your book fall under?

Terraviathan is steampunk mixed with secondary world fantasy. Both it and Exile’s are set in the fictional world of Tethys. No Victorian England to be found! It’s got some dark undertones to it, and I’ve been told that my steampunk world has some hints of noir to it. I dig it.

What is the synopsis or blurb for this book?

Well, I don’t want to give too much away for those who haven’t read the first book. Let’s just say that sometimes “happily ever after” isn’t worth shit. What do you do when your life is falling apart, you’re scared of commitment, and armed gangs are hunting you for no reason you can think of?

What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Like I said before, I’m super terrible at this. I’d need to have somebody cast my book and then I could agree or disagree.

I couldn’t even picture somebody to play my main character Jacquie until Gwen Perkins mentioned Michelle Forbes in her role as Admiral Cain from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. Michelle Forbes is too old to play Jacquie, but somebody like her would be perfect. As soon as Gwen said it I knew it was a spot on choice. But if she hadn’t brought it up I never would’ve been able to make that connection in my mind.

 

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It’s actually contracted by Hydra Publications, the same press that published The Exile’s Violin.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Because I’d already done most of the worldbuilding before writing Exile’s, the first draft of Terraviathan took me about 3 to 4 months. It’s so much easier when you already have your setting and main characters. I also knew ahead of time what direction and tone I wanted to take with this sequel. It was the fastest first draft I’d ever written.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I couldn’t leave the characters of Jacquie and Clay and the world of Tethys behind. I started writing a space opera novel (currently trunked), but my heart wasn’t in it. I wanted write about a corrupt world of soot, steam, and bullets instead of spaceships and civil wars.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

This book picks up almost immediately where Exile’s ends. Readers that want to know more about what happens to   Jacquie and Clay after they do those things they do at the end of the book will get their wish! I also think that readers will be drawn to Jacquie and Clay’s evolving relationship. She’s a strong woman with her own set of ideals and personal demons. I’d like to think that people will recognize that I put my blood, sweat, and tears into making these two characters and their interactions.

That’s all for now! Look for Terraviathan some time in late 2013. I’ll be sure to share cover art and more information as soon as I’m able!

I know I’m supposed to tag others in this portion of the post, but I really don’t know who to choose. Go for it if you feel inspired to write your own and tag other authors!

New eBook and book releases for December 2012

Well the world might be ending soon according to several fantastical theories and prophecies, so it’s a great time to treat yourself to some new(ish) science fiction and fantasy books by yours truly.

Not so new books

[image error]The paperback version of The Exile’s Violin is now available on Amazon! If you thought the cover looked good as an eBook, wait until you see it in person. I can’t wait until my copies show up.

So if you’ve got a fan of science fiction, fantasy, or steampunk in your life, why not pick this up for them? Nothing says “Holiday Cheer” like murder, gun fights, conspiracies, and ancient magic, right?

New ebooks

And I know I’ve been talking about it for months, but I finally released Flowers of the Sky: The Collection on Amazon and Barnes & Noble the other day! It’s only available in electronic form because it’s a mini-collection that consists of one previously published short story and one brand-new, never-seen-before novelette.

Again, nothing says “Phony End of the World Conspiracy Theories” like a post-apocalyptic fantasy anthology! Grab a copy and leave a review today.

Other news

I’ve been working hard on revising Terraviathan (Tethys Chronicles Book II),and it’s in the hands of beta readers right now. Hopefully, I’ll have more info to announce soon.

Also in the works is a world book/reference guide for the world of The Exile’s Violin and Terraviathan. Right now there aren’t any plans to publish it, but I think it might be great to have all that info up on a companion website for the series. Stay tuned to this blog so you’ll be informed whenever I launch that.

Happy holidays everybody!

My “Next Big Thing” inspired by Carrie Cuinn’s post

I just heard about this “Next Big Thing”–thing on Carrie Cuinn’s blog. If you haven’t read hers yet, go do it. Two words: magic apocalypse. Then go read all the others she links to. You won’t be disappointed.

So how does this Next Big Thing work? You’re supposed to answer ten questions about your current WIP novel, short story, anthology, screenplay, etc. You get the idea. So what am I working on? Glad you asked.

What is the title of your book? Gifts of the Earth: The Song of Siya Book I
Where did the idea for the book come from? My first novel,  The Exile’s Violin , just came out a week or so ago. I’m also in the process of its sequel. Both books are steampunk, and I’m kinda steampunked out. I wanted to write something different. I already had a failed space opera novel, so I didn’t want to do science fiction. I turned to sword & sorcery–real old school fantasy. Sword & sorcery is a lot of fun, but a lot of the older stuff has some problematic views on women and the Other. Gifts of the Earth is my attempt at writing a fast-paced, pulpy sword & sorcery novel while being trying to address the problems the genre has had in the past. That’s why the main character, Siya, is a confident woman who isn’t looking for someone like Conan to come rescue her. She’s more than capable of swinging a sword, and she doesn’t need to a chainmail bikini to do it.
What genre does your book fall under? It’s sword & sorcery through and through. There’s sword fights, magic, faraway kingdoms, empires, and gods and goddesses.
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I’m terrible at answering this kind of question. I don’t watch a lot of movies–more of a TV person–so I don’t know many film actors and actresses. Almost all of the characters in this book are not white, so I’d want a large racially diverse cast for a film version of this book. No white people with tans that are supposed to count as persons of color.
What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book? This is my first stab at it: An unwanted, unnamed daughter uses gifts from the earth to become a sword fighter and a living legend.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? My goal with this book–and eventual series–is to land an agent. I think this type of tale (if I write it well obviously) could find a home at a place like Tor, Pyr, or Orion/Gollancz. To be published by any of those three would be awesome.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript? My first draft is only a chapter long right now. However! I am working on the worldbuilding and outline right now. I have a first draft of the outline done, and now I’m going back through it and adding more detail. I do a lot of the heavy lifting for novels in the outline phase. I’ve been known to have outlines hit word counts of 40k and up. They’re basically first drafts by themselves. Right now, the Gifts of the Earth outline is 20 chapters long and 18,700 words. It’s taken me about a month and a half to get the worldbuilding and outline to where they are today.
What other books would you compare this story to in your genre? I think some of the Jirel of Joiry stories would be a good comparison–though you’d have to get rid of the otherworldly horror and medieval France elements. I think that Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery might also work. I haven’t read that particular collection yet, but it it’s billed as modern sword and sorcery.
Who or what inspired you to write this book? I wanted to push myself to write fantasy I’d want to read. I’ve tried reading the big epic fantasy series “you’re supposed to read” if you’re a genre fiction writer. I only made it 2/3 of the way through The Eye of the World before I gave up. I couldn’t stand Wizard’s First Rule. That’s why I turned back to the more pulpy stuff, stuff with a narrower focus and faster pacing. Gifts of the Earth is going to be quick, bloody, and hopefully a hell of a lot of fun.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? Siya is into women. I don’t mean that statement in a titillating way. I mean it in the way that she’s into a women, but that’s not the only characteristic that defines her. She’s also an adventurer, a daughter, a friend, a fighter, and also a lover. I wanted to go completely opposite of all the stereotypical sword & sorcery heroes you see that live in facsimiles for medieval Western Europe. Siya is dark-skinned, lives in a place that’s not like Europe at all, and doesn’t rescue any princess just because she wants to be rewarded with sex. But this book also keeps the flair and nomenclature that comes with sword & sorcery–a Kingdom of Ice, the Godless Century, the Hungry Years, the Second Grand Crystal Empire, gods, goddesses, and magic. All of that’s in here too.

In keeping in the spirit of the Next Big Thing, I tag Gwen Perkins to tell us about her Next Big Thing! Now hopefully she’ll cooperate and post one of these too. Also make sure you read Carrie’s post and then follow all the people she tagged too. They come highly recommended.

 

Updated Flowers of the Sky artwork

The other day I posted the awesome artwork done by Westly LaFleur. Today I get to do that again! Let me explain: after I posted the art, Wes contacted me, saying he wasn’t entirely happy with the level of detail in the illustration. He’d spent a few more hours tweaking it and wanted to give me an updated version. I couldn’t say no.

I liked the first image, but this newer version is even better. I have a designer working on the layout for the cover and the interior of the book right now. As soon as that’s done, I’ll put the collection up on Amazon. Stay tuned for more info. But for now, enjoy more of Wes’ artwork. If you’re looking to hire an artist, I highly recommend him.

Artwork for my upcoming short story collection

Daaaamn. That’s all I gotta say. I recently commissioned artist Westly LaFleur to illustrate the cover for my upcoming short story collection, Flowers of the Sky. Oh, that’s right. Guess I should mention that. Since I got the rights back to “Flowers of the Sky: Discoveries,” I decided to pair it with its sequel “Flowers of the Sky: Dreamer’s Gaze” in one ebook short story collection.

I knew if I was serious about self-publishing this mini-collection I’d need an awesome cover. Wes stepped up big time. I can’t be happier with it. I’ll let you know more about Flowers of the Sky as more developments come up. But for now, gaze upon Wes’ art! Gaze! If you’re in the market for some illustrations, especially of the fantasy variety, contact Wes. Here’s some more samples of his art.

The Exile’s Violin now available from Amazon.com

I used to think the writing was the hardest part of making a book. Well, as Hydra Publications releases The Exile’s Violin into the world today, I’ve found out that this is much more difficult.

Before I got to spend time in a world I created with characters I knew and loved. The only people who read my book were my first readers and my editors, people I knew and trusted. Now that the book’s out there, my family’s going to read it, friends are going to read it, and hopefully, people I’ve never met before are going to read it.

Now I’m sitting here, trying to write this post on my lunch break, nervously waiting for the first bits of feedback to come in. It’s incredibly nerve-wracking. Releasing a book, especially as a first-time novelist, is like having a baby and then inviting the world to judge whether or not your baby’s any good. Still, if I had to choose between the nerves of waiting for reviews and not having a book out at all, I’d choose this every single time. It’s probably one of the scariest and most joyous feelings in the world.

I made* The Exile’s Violin, and if you head over to Amazon, I’d love to share it with you.

*This is a slight oversimplification as many other people helped make the book what it is today.

Excerpt from Gladiator by Kate Lynd

Today I have an excerpt from Kate Lynd’s Gladiator, a Mad Max meets Gladiator series that is set to be a trilogy. Here’s a quick blurb before we dive into the excerpt.

From Gladiator’s back cover:

Ten years ago Tristan Shane had failed to pick sides and he paid with the ultimate price—his family.  Enslaved as a post-apocalyptic gladiator, he is now faced with a similar dilemma, serve the despot  Queen and murder her innocent sister, or face certain death himself. What will he choose?

Tristan Shane was a moderate before the nuclear and economic crisis which plunged the world into darkness. While his sister Aidia ran off to fight the rebel’s war he desperately tried to hang onto normalcy and lost his wife and children in the process. Spending the next ten years as the Crown’s favored and the mob’s favorite Gladiator, he never expects to meet the Queen’s sister, Alexandra, a Healer.

She claims to be the much whispered about Savior sent to heal the wounded Earth and oceans, the one who would bring about her cruel sister’s dethroning. But is she? Or is she just a fraud? But he quickly learns her erotic touch has the power to heal his heart and his to save her life. But as the passion heightens and the danger increases will they have forever or will he have to give up everything to save the planet?

And now the excerpt!

“What is it you want, Veronica?”

She leaned in close and whispered seductively, “Why, you know I only want you, Tristan.”

He snatched her up by her throat, pinned her against the wall and kissed her passionately, brutally, and without clemency. When he pulled away she was smiling with a darkness that made him angry. She was a power-hungry mongrel who played on her husband’s weaknesses and jealousies. Tristan hated her. And he hated himself for f***ing her. But this was his life. He let go of her and walked away.

“Is my poor Gladiator jealous? There’s really no need for that, is there? You know you’re my favorite.”

“What is it you really want, Veronica?”

She came up behind him and seductively began to ease off his armor. He was covered in sweat and blood and he felt her shiver against his body. And as always there was a twinge of nausea that would precede the raw animal aggression.

She turned him around. He looked at her. There was no doubt about it; she was beautiful. But she was poisonous—a rattlesnake with crystal green eyes and flaming red hair. Her father had promised peace and a return to normalcy and democracy in the wake of economic and nuclear disaster, and instead this was what had become of the world. And she was no doubt always enjoining her father to maintain her life in this fashion. He loathed her. He detested her. And every time he had sex with her his intense hatred for himself deepened a little bit more.

“My dear, sweet Gladiator, as much as I’d like to celebrate your victory with you tonight, my husband wishes me to share his bed. But fear not—I do have a consolation prize for you.”

His skin began to crawl. Veronica had a twisted way of looking at what constituted a consolation prize; it was usually just a groupie who wanted to watch what the queen did with the equivalent of rock stars of the formerUnited States of America. And he usually did the dog and pony show. But sometimes Veronica required something to prove his loyalty to her. That would be more complicated.

“What is it this time?”

She smiled. His response had given her the mistaken impression that he cared.

“The rebels have been restless. And it seems there is a young woman we have in our prison whom they want terribly. Well, frankly, they are in two minds as to what to believe. It is rumored she is the mythical Healer. The one meant to find her soul mate, so together they will lead our Nation out of the so-called darkness into which it has plunged itself.”

“And what do you want me to do?”

“Oh Tristan, why are you being so defensive? I just want you to find out whether she really is the Healer, and report to me if she is.”

“And then, what?”

“And then you let me handle it,” Veronica said, sliding back into the evil skin that was her natural state. “The rebels have no idea what it takes to run a country.”

The image of his wife being raped and murdered flooded him and it was all he could do not to throttle the queen right then and there.

“So can I count on you to do this for me or do I need to find someone else who can?”

He was no one’s hero. But she had said young woman. And he couldn’t just allow his wife’s fate to be visited upon some other unsuspecting girl. “I’ll do what I can.”

Veronica ran her index finger down his cheek and whispered, “Good boy, Tristan,” she purred. “Guard! She’ll be delivered before the night is over. I don’t know when I’ll be able to return to you, but I expect that you’ll have had enough time to gain her trust by then.”

Tristan’s stomach churned. The Healer? In the beginning there had been whispers of it. But he had never believed in such a thing. It had been years since the crown had feared anything. And now this. He said nothing as the queen was escorted away. He was left to think about the young woman he might be forced to turn over in the end.

—–

Kate Lynd is an award winning blogger and 2nd place finisher in the 2011 Preditors & Editors Reader’s Choice Award for Best Romance Short Story for “No Ordinary Love.”

She also writes as Amy McCorkle. Her books include 2012 Moondance International Film Festival SemiFinalist Another Way to Die, and Set Fire to the Rain. Gladiator is her most recent release with Bounty Hunter, her first print book due out in October.

Her official website is http://AmyLMcCorkleKentuckyAuthor.webs.com, reviews, guest posts, and her random thoughts are posted at her blog, http://Creative-Chatter.blogspot.com, and she is peppered all over Facebook and Twitter under Amy Leigh McCorkle and @Kate_Lynd.

Interview with Fantasy Author Rachel Hunter

This Friday, I’m lucky to have fantasy writer Rachel Hunter, author of Empyreal Fate (A Llathalan Annal), as a guest on my website. Being the busy writer and student that she is, I was only able to get in a quick interview with her.

Let’s learn more about Rachel Hunter!

1. The Publishing Question: How has getting your first novel published played out? How was the process different or the same as you thought it would be?

How has publishing played out? Quite marvelously, to tell the truth. At least, it’s been a wonderful experience thus far. Truly – there is no greater feeling than to know that readers can share my world and that I transport them, in a way, into my mind via the printed words of a page. Ink and parchment: that’s all it takes. That – and a curious mind.

But it all started with a contract: two contracts, actually. I met with one publisher at a writing convention in Oklahoma City, who was interested in my work and requested that I submit, and I queried another one after doing research on speculative fiction publishing houses online. Both publishers showed interest in my fantasy novel, Empyreal Fate, and both of them requested that I send them more material. When I heard back from them regarding my manuscript, it was with the offer of a publishing contract – and it was within the same week! You can imagine my elation. From there, I weighed the pros and cons of each house, and I found that Hydra Publications was the optimal publisher for my work.

The process took some time, as was expected, but the end result has been better than I originally imagined. Hydra Publications has been a wonderful and supportive publishing house, and it is ever-expanding, establishing a gaming division, taking on various marketers and cover artists, and providing means by which to get one’s work in print, ebook, and audio. Overall, it has been an extremely gratifying experience, and I can’t wait to discover what the future holds.

2. The Writing Question: Would you consider yourself more of a plotter or pantser? (Gardner or architect if you prefer GRRM’s terms) Or does your approach vary by story/format, i.e. a novel or short story?

I do not outline–not much, anyway. Therefore, I must call myself a ‘pantser’. I first obtain a sense of what I wish to write about: I close my eyes and feel the characters beside me; I hear the sounds of the world in my brain–and then I just… write. The words seem to come to me. (Although, sometimes the right words are difficult to beckon).

I find that if I limit myself to an outline, I am only limiting the extent to which my story may blossom. My characters are not intended to be static representations of my imagination, but rather abstract individuals with multi-dimensional facets of interests–quirks, if you will. Even the side characters play their part. I find that if I set my characters and their actions in stone via a hard-set outline, their developmental growth throughout the tale becomes stilted. Besides, my mind changes from day-to-day. Who’s to say my initial ideas won’t be replaced by something more powerful the next time I sit before the monitor? No. I let the Muse guide me–not an outline or strict adherence to a plot.

3. The Fantasy Question: What is it about fantasy that really captures your interest? Why?

Fantasy–a beautiful word against my lips! What could be more magical than transporting oneself into realms of the impossible–the enchanting? Since I could but only grasp onto the covers of a book, I have been reading to my heart’s content.

Although I enjoy works spanning all genres, I have found that fantasy beckons my attention far above all. There’s something in the nature of the fantastical that draws me in; there’s something about the feel of alternate worlds and mystical planes that ensnares me. And this is why I’ve chosen fantasy as my own genre. I want to make others feel the way I do about words: to breathe in awe at their elusive connectedness–to marvel the fluid way in which they bind. It’s this internal delight that delivers life upon a sheet of parchment. And it is this feeling I wish to instill.

4. The Random Question: If you could befriend one fictional character from any medium, who would it be and why? What would your ideal fun-time hang out activity be?

Hmm… That is a difficult question. I would quite like to meet and befriend almost any of the characters I read about: the good and the bad. They are all interesting, are they not? Regardless of moral stance. But if I have to choose just one, I would pick someone from Tolkien’s world. An elf, perhaps? Galadriel? But what of the hobbits–dear old Sam-wise? I suppose I would go with an elf first, and for our first meet-and-greet, we would meditate in a forest and learn the ways of the woods and the trees. I was, after all, an elf in a past life.

Thank you for hosting me on your site today, Mr. Hunter. Tis truly a pleasure~

—

And thank you to Rachel for answering my questions! You find her online at the following places:

Blog: http://www.rachel-m-hunter.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.rachel-m-hunter.yolasite.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachel-Hunter/170131499766376
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/young_author
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Empyreal-Fate-Llathalan-Annal-ebook/dp/B007WWB24W
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5762735.Rachel_Hunter