Rachel M. Humphrey-D'aigle's Blog: DigitalSPF Book Blog, page 13
September 13, 2011
Vacation and Writing!
I finally have a weeks vacation! Woot! This means many things, but mostly, writing time!
And maybe a little catching up my favorite TV shows and Movies. A few trips to the dog park. A hike in the mountains. And perhaps just nothing ....
But mostly, writing! And all about finishing book four, Broken.
The weather is just delightful in Utah this time of year, and I do find it distracting. The cool breezes and changing leaves are calling to me, but no worries, I can write outside too :) Alongside my cup of autumn roast coffee.
And maybe a little catching up my favorite TV shows and Movies. A few trips to the dog park. A hike in the mountains. And perhaps just nothing ....
But mostly, writing! And all about finishing book four, Broken.
The weather is just delightful in Utah this time of year, and I do find it distracting. The cool breezes and changing leaves are calling to me, but no worries, I can write outside too :) Alongside my cup of autumn roast coffee.
September 12, 2011
Fantasy Creatures Report : Vetala, These Vampires Don't Suck ... Blood
Vetala, aka the Grosvenor, our most feared enemy!
"The Grosvenor," replied Jae. "Immortal beings," he added in a low whisper. "That sort of thing exists?" muttered Colin. "Unfortunately. Do you remember when I told you, back in Cobbscott, that magic was nearly wiped out a long time ago? The Grosvenor are responsible for the battle that caused that. They even killed off their own kind, it didn't matter to them." "Their own kind," questioned Meghan. "Vetala. Otherwise known as Vampyres. Not Vampyres in the sense of what your world thinks of them, as they do not suck blood. What they do is just as monstrous though, as they can suck the life force out of any living thing," Jae then told them.
"The Grosvenor," replied Jae. "Immortal beings," he added in a low whisper. "That sort of thing exists?" muttered Colin. "Unfortunately. Do you remember when I told you, back in Cobbscott, that magic was nearly wiped out a long time ago? The Grosvenor are responsible for the battle that caused that. They even killed off their own kind, it didn't matter to them." "Their own kind," questioned Meghan. "Vetala. Otherwise known as Vampyres. Not Vampyres in the sense of what your world thinks of them, as they do not suck blood. What they do is just as monstrous though, as they can suck the life force out of any living thing," Jae then told them.
Fantasy Creature Report : Scratchers
Not that you need it, but here's a little reminder about what to watch out for:
Excerpt from Awaken, you, the reader's, first encounter with the Scratchers:
Another pair of wings swooshed above, landing just a few feet away. Colin squeaked slightly. Meghan yanked on his pant leg motioning for him to shut up! Whatever was outside the pine tree was walking the perimeter of the tree, repeating the twins' movements from a few minutes before; which meant before long it would find their secret room! The shadow stopped and sniffed the air, like a dog. It was close enough now that the twins could see directly into the piercing red and black eyes of the creature. Colin held his breath, afraid he would give away their hiding spot if he opened his mouth. "Okay, I will never, not listen to you again," sent Meghan to her brother. Normally, Colin would have relished such a moment. Fear, however, gripped the occasion, as one of the creatures lunged to the top of a granite rock on the opposite side of the clearing. "Where is the other one?" sent Colin. They searched frantically, without moving their bodies, but could not see it. Finally, it joined the other, standing on the ground below the rock. From what the twins could see, the towering creature was hairless, and gray skinned. The wind picked up and the sky drew the two creature's attention. The one on the ground lifted off, hovering just a few feet in the air. This gave Meghan and Colin a much better view of the body. "What are they, Colin?" asked Meghan, stunned by what she was seeing. "If I had to guess, I would say they are oversized… bats," he stammered silently, into his sister's mind. "There are no bats that large!" She argued. "How is this possible? It's not!" She answered herself. Colin gulped, not replying. The wind picked up even more, blowing leaves and branches off the ground, and violently shaking the fallen pine tree. Luckily, the needles held fast and did not fall off, keeping the twins' location to the intruders outside, secret. The wind died quite suddenly, and with its end, someone else arrived; someone appearing to be human, but disguised in a dark cloak. The cloaked figure spoke, but the voice was deep and distorted, making it impossible to tell if it was a man or woman. "Tonight, you will do what must be done," the figure spoke. "At midnight they will come. You will wait until the time is right, and then you will strike!" At the word strike, both creatures lifted up their wings, which measured at least ten feet across, and let out a ferocious snarl. The creature on the rock sprung into the air, landing just a few feet from the twins. Their eyes popped open wide with disbelief and fear. The face of the creature resembled a wolf, with long knife-like fangs. The wings looked like a flexible sort of webbing, with hook-like fingers that curled and clicked against each other, attached to thin, but muscular, arms that extended at least two feet beyond the web-like wings. The bottom half of the creature appeared more human than animal, with the exception of the toenails, which were long and jagged like rusted, broken, saw blades.
Excerpt from Awaken, you, the reader's, first encounter with the Scratchers:
Another pair of wings swooshed above, landing just a few feet away. Colin squeaked slightly. Meghan yanked on his pant leg motioning for him to shut up! Whatever was outside the pine tree was walking the perimeter of the tree, repeating the twins' movements from a few minutes before; which meant before long it would find their secret room! The shadow stopped and sniffed the air, like a dog. It was close enough now that the twins could see directly into the piercing red and black eyes of the creature. Colin held his breath, afraid he would give away their hiding spot if he opened his mouth. "Okay, I will never, not listen to you again," sent Meghan to her brother. Normally, Colin would have relished such a moment. Fear, however, gripped the occasion, as one of the creatures lunged to the top of a granite rock on the opposite side of the clearing. "Where is the other one?" sent Colin. They searched frantically, without moving their bodies, but could not see it. Finally, it joined the other, standing on the ground below the rock. From what the twins could see, the towering creature was hairless, and gray skinned. The wind picked up and the sky drew the two creature's attention. The one on the ground lifted off, hovering just a few feet in the air. This gave Meghan and Colin a much better view of the body. "What are they, Colin?" asked Meghan, stunned by what she was seeing. "If I had to guess, I would say they are oversized… bats," he stammered silently, into his sister's mind. "There are no bats that large!" She argued. "How is this possible? It's not!" She answered herself. Colin gulped, not replying. The wind picked up even more, blowing leaves and branches off the ground, and violently shaking the fallen pine tree. Luckily, the needles held fast and did not fall off, keeping the twins' location to the intruders outside, secret. The wind died quite suddenly, and with its end, someone else arrived; someone appearing to be human, but disguised in a dark cloak. The cloaked figure spoke, but the voice was deep and distorted, making it impossible to tell if it was a man or woman. "Tonight, you will do what must be done," the figure spoke. "At midnight they will come. You will wait until the time is right, and then you will strike!" At the word strike, both creatures lifted up their wings, which measured at least ten feet across, and let out a ferocious snarl. The creature on the rock sprung into the air, landing just a few feet from the twins. Their eyes popped open wide with disbelief and fear. The face of the creature resembled a wolf, with long knife-like fangs. The wings looked like a flexible sort of webbing, with hook-like fingers that curled and clicked against each other, attached to thin, but muscular, arms that extended at least two feet beyond the web-like wings. The bottom half of the creature appeared more human than animal, with the exception of the toenails, which were long and jagged like rusted, broken, saw blades.
August 30, 2011
Fated Saga's First Bad Book Review!
In the interest of complete honesty, we, at The Jackal Lantern pride ourselves in reporting the simple truth. And the truth today, is that our beloved creator, Rachel Humphrey - D'aigle got a terrible book review on Barnes and Noble, where readers buy our stories on their nook tablets. Here's what she had to say when we asked her about it:
"I knew it was going to happen, and I fully realize not everyone will enjoy my books. Its just not possible to please everyone. And frankly, I expect all sorts of varied reviews. Its part of the business.
And it wasn't completely bad, as they actually did read the entire book, seeing as they mentioned the really great ending, but apparently didn't like the journey to get there (and yet they kept reading). But this is actually not my point of this post.
What I do not expect, or appreciate, is disparaging remarks regarding other readers that have posted reviews. Which this reviewer did. I'm not sure what action to take about that yet, but please make note: review my books all you like, but don't diss other reviewers, they have a right to their opinions too.
Disagree with them all you want!
But is doing so in a respectful manner so much to ask?"
Here at The Jackal Lantern, we agree! You may not like our story, but many readers do enjoy it quite a bit. After all our journey is quite thrilling, and as always, you can get the journey reports right here!
Kalila Jackal
"I knew it was going to happen, and I fully realize not everyone will enjoy my books. Its just not possible to please everyone. And frankly, I expect all sorts of varied reviews. Its part of the business.
And it wasn't completely bad, as they actually did read the entire book, seeing as they mentioned the really great ending, but apparently didn't like the journey to get there (and yet they kept reading). But this is actually not my point of this post.
What I do not expect, or appreciate, is disparaging remarks regarding other readers that have posted reviews. Which this reviewer did. I'm not sure what action to take about that yet, but please make note: review my books all you like, but don't diss other reviewers, they have a right to their opinions too.
Disagree with them all you want!
But is doing so in a respectful manner so much to ask?"
Here at The Jackal Lantern, we agree! You may not like our story, but many readers do enjoy it quite a bit. After all our journey is quite thrilling, and as always, you can get the journey reports right here!
Kalila Jackal
DigitalSPF Book Blog
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