Sarah Holman's Blog, page 82

Half-Blood blog Tour!

A story just about Jace? One where I finally get to hear about his background? Yes please! *ahem* Yes, I was very eager to read this book when I was offered an advanced reader copy.

The first thing, have a box of tissues with you. This story was heart-wrenching. I knew it wasn’t going to be lighthearted, but I was not prepared for the emotional punch this story packed. Knight didn’t spare the readers of the hurt that made Jace into the person he was.

Knight’s writing gets stronger with each story and books she writes. The words painted a harsh world in which Jace lived and brought it to life. I could see everything in my mind so perfectly. Talent must be her middle name.

The message of the power of words and the power of acts of kindness were a part of the story, though I am not sure if the author even concisely thought about it. However, both were very powerful.

This powerful novella will answer many of the questions that readers have about Jace, as well as give them a deeper glimpse into his character. I highly recommend it for those who like the Ilyon Chronicles, want to understand Jace better, or like stories that tug on your emotions.

I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Changing Destiny: Where God has me right now

Has it really been almost since I posted on this blog? Wow! It is a testament to how busy my life is and how God reveals His new plans (new to us, not Him) quickly sometimes.

On Memorial weekend of this year, central Texas was hit heavily by the floods. While my family and I were fine, many in my home town did not fair so well. That is when an organization called Austin Disaster Relief Network moved in to help.

I went to a training class and I knew that this was something God wanted me to take part in.
This is that training I went to. Someone snapped a picture while everyone was praying.
So I started volunteering along with my sisters.

Yes, we ware awesome yellow shirtsWhile I expected to volunteer for two to three weeks straight and then come in every so often, God had other plans. I found myself, as the call center manager. That was not my plan, but God has much bigger plans for us then we could ever have for ourselves.

There are a lot of ups and downs right now emotionally because of how stressful my job is, but God is teaching me so much. I feel like in the last four weeks, I have grown more in my faith then I had in the previous year. I praise God for this time of great change and stretching.

Hopefully I will learn how to balance my full-time job with the rest of my life so that I can blog more often.

Office, friends, and family help celebrate my 25th Birthday

Watlz for Free!

Ready for another free book? This time, a fairytale retelling?

Happy Almost 4th of July

My book is this weeks Read-to-Win book for HomeschooledAuthors.com

Cover Reveal: Water Princess, Fire Prince

What is your favorite part of designing a cover?
I didn't design this cover - my amazingly talented cousin did. So lucky to have him. His mom did my Bookania Quests - so lucky to have her, as well.

However, I do design the covers for my short stories, so I suppose I can answer the question. I like seeing it come together. The moment when all of the pieces fall into place, the filters make the picture pop perfectly, and I know that I've found my cover. My favorite ones I've done are for "The Derao" and "The Sun Jewel Adventure."

What can people expect from this book?
 A lot of words ... (This question is always so difficult!)

You can expect a fun adventure with a sweet romance and quite a bit of witty dialogue. A story of faith, and waiting on God's timing because he's

As for advisories, um, there is a bit of physical in the romance, but never past kissing, and I do use a low-key system of magic that's similar to Narnia.

Does it have any relation to any of your other books?
There is an Easter Egg if you've read Sew, It's a Quest, but other than that, nothing directly. However, all of my books are interconnected if you dig deep enough into my subconscious. I just haven't written enough that you can see the full spiderweb.

Book Description:When the Lady Dragon does come,
Hold fast, do not fear, do not run.
Your Water Princess will fight,
Fire Prince will set all to right.
Each shall come from a Fall,
Their union will save you all.

Despite the fact that she's on track for competing in the Olympics, and he's practically raised his younger brothers since they lost their mom in a car accident, Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson are pretty much normal teens. They have normal hopes, normal dreams, and they live in a normal world.
All this is torn away from them when they are thrust into another world and declared Water Princess and Fire Prince. With no experience ruling a country, meeting each other for the first time, and being expected to fight the Lady Dragon – an evil sorceress plaguing the world of Rizkaland – Clara and Andrew are underprepared and inexperienced. Unless they learn to work together despite their standing opposition, Rizkaland's hope will be lost.

What is to come will change their lives forever.


Author Bio:Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairy tales and twisting them in new and exciting ways.  She's been practicing her skills on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years, "Finish your story, Kendra", is frequently heard at family gatherings.  Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children's tales that also glorify God and his Word. You can read more about her on her blog,knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com.
Available for kindle preorder: http://www.amazon.com/Water-Princess-Prince-Rizkaland-Legends-ebook/dp/B00YTQBTDI/  $2.99 the 19th and 20th ONLY (at which point I’ll put it up to its official price of 3.99)
Add it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24022364-water-princess-fire-prince
Part 1’s first chapter: http://knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com/2014/12/water-princess-chapter-1.html
Part 2’s first chapter: http://knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com/2014/12/fire-prince-chapter-1.html

Creighton Hill Blog Tour: Historical Research for Fantasy Worldbuilding

by Morgan Hunke

All writing requires some level of research. Even fantasy requires research. The type of research required depends on the fantasy. The more a fantasy world is based on real historical events/places/cultures, the more research is required. For my fantasy Time Captives, I combined many things, medieval castles and warfare, ships of the era of exploration, Ancient Rome, and ante-bellum South. I’ll share with you some of the things I researched.

When worldbuilding, I started off with a base idea of a medieval fantasy. I actually wrote an entire school research paper on medieval warfare. Stacks of library books taught me about the process of becoming a knight, common military tactics, the way castles were built to withstand a siege, what different pieces of armor were called, and much more. I learned little tidbits of information, like that keeping a bow strung all the time weakens the wood and eventually destroys the bow. Some military tactics I drew from events in the American Revolution, which I reviewed to be sure I remembered them correctly. Knowing this information allowed me to give the medieval and battle side of the story a more authentic feel.

Ships were another thing that required my research. There is a pirate ship in Creighton Hill, and book two, The Crossways, greatly involves the sea. That involved another stack of library books. I could find little on the ins and outs of sailing itself, but visits to replicas of ships, the Nina and the Pinta, the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and the Discovery certainly served to give me an idea of what it would be like to be on board the ship, as did those working on the ship telling what they knew of it. I highly recommend visiting a replica of a ship if at all possible, whether or not you are going to write about sailing. It really gives a new respect for what the founders of America did to come here. The Susan Constant, Godspeed, and the Discovery are at Jamestown Settlement in Virginia. The Nina and the Pinta travel about to many places.

A side note on the issue of ships and medieval warfare is the subject of cannons. I had cannons on my ships, but I didn’t want guns in the battles. I therefore did a bit of research to be sure it was plausible for them to have cannons, but not guns. Indeed, it is, since it took a while to figure out how to make such weapons small enough to be hand held.

I reviewed school books to refresh my memory of the ante-bellum South when I decided to base the plantations of Calhortz off that. The decision to add gladiators inspired searches for internet articles on gladiator training, docudramas about gladiators, and research on Spartacus. I also researched pop culture in the history of America, since Time Captives is a portal fantasy in which the characters come from different eras.

One of the great things about fantasy is being able to throw whatever things you want together and making it work. However, do not discount historical research. Readers do like believable fantasy, and researching the historical elements in your worldbuilding makes it more believable, creating a solid world that readers will want to visit again and again.

Writing Saturday: Continuing Destiny

A glimpse into my latest release:

Road block

As I type this, I am blinking back a tear. No, I am not sad, I had a bug fly into my eye yesterday and my eye is very irritated and keeps watering. I have to take frequent breaks when writing and reading because that strains it.

This is just one in a long line of roadblocks I have hit lately when it comes to writing. But sometimes those road blocks are because we need the time to realize something and grow.

Stories are coming, in God's perfect time.

Continuing Destiny... It is almost here

You have been asking, and it is almost here...

What would Maria’s life look like three years after The Destiny of a Galaxy? What about James, Quint, and Winter? This collection of four stories gives readers a glimpse into the romance, faith, trails, and everyday lives of this group as they each explore their Continuing Destiny.Approximately 17 pages (5,500 words) long.

Memorial Day: Freedom isn't Free

Because today, we honor those who die, and those who live with lose, I wanted to share what I wrote when I was 14.





Because freedom in never free, someone will have to pay the price.
Because Freedom is never free, we need to be reminded of those who gave the ultimate price to protect it.
Because freedom is never free, if some were not willing to give their all for it, it would die.
Because freedom is never free, the people who protect it will always be in harm’s way.
Because freedom is never free, there will always be struggles.
Because freedom is never free, there will be wars with those who hate it.
Because freedom is never free, our men and women in uniform will always be in danger.
Because freedom is never free, we need police, sheriffs, and all the others in law enforcement to defend us.
Because freedom is never free, veterans say they would fight again.
Because freedom is never free, some must lay down their lives to pay the price for that freedom
Because freedom is never free, I thank all of those who serve to protect me now, and all those who gave the ultimate price in the past, because I know that FREEDOM IS NEVER FREE.