Gwen Perkins's Blog, page 7

Casual Friday: Book Trailer for The Serpent Passage

Book Synopsis:

Take an adventure you will never forget. Journey through The Serpent Passage, a sci-fi novel set in the times of the ancient Maya.

When William and Betty are trapped in a cavern in the Yucatán, they discover a way out through a strange passage that propels them a thousand years into the past. While searching for a way home, they become entangled in conflicts between Mayan kingdoms. Priest Quisac agrees to aid William if he promises to help his people. William is awarded the bloodstone, a magical gem that puts him in the path of Mayan gods and demons.

Can William survive the challenges of the past long enough to return home? Will his love for a Mayan Princess complicate matters? How is William’s destiny tied to the end of the Great Cycle in 2012?

The Serpent Passage is the first book in the Serpent Passage Series.

Author Bio:

Todd grew up in the Northwest, where he used to write stories to entertain his family. He has a B.A. in Communications and worked in technical publications for most of his career. Over the years, Todd wrote numerous technical manuals that have been published in print and on the internet. His success as a technical writer led him to managing large technical publication departments. Throughout his professional career, Todd continued to write fiction. Todd was inspired to write The Serpent Passage while exploring Mayan ruins and working as a scuba instructor in the Yucatán.

Website: http://www.toddallenpitts.com/

Facebook Link: http://www.facebook.com/serpentpassage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/toddallenpitts

Visit the book page on Amazon!

Recipe Hour: Coconut Curry Pie with a Side of Fail

I decided that, although this blog is largely focused on writing, I’d share something about my personal life as a change of pace. Namely, my ability (or lack thereof) to bake. This particular recipe was written a long time ago so I’m no longer taking classes. I still have lots of other reasons to slack and bake pie, however.

Warning: as with any time I cook, there may be mild profanity involved in the recounting of this process.

For me, baking and slacking are synonymous. This is why I like baking pies. They require minimal effort (unless I’m making the “Dark as Your Soul” pie- that recipe for another day) and generally come out alright for me. If sometimes lopsided.

This particular pie, originally dubbed “The I Hate Statistics and Am Totally Slacking Pie” ended up being completely different from the original recipe since I didn’t actually check for ingredients before I started making said pie.

As a happy side effect, however, the leftover pie filling can be used to make a lovely nectarine curry! (Yes, you heard that right. Nectarine and curry.) So I’ll include that recipe at the end – think of it as a special bonus.

The “I Hate Statistics and Am Totally Slacking” Pie

(aka Thai Coconut Cream Pie. Or something along those lines.)

Ingredients

2 cans of coconut milk, inadequately shaken

5 tbls sour cream

3/4 c. white sugar

1/2 c. flour

1/4 ts. salt

1 tbl. golden brown sugar

1 c. barely-toasted-due-to-chef’s-incompetence coconut

1 ts. Mexican-because-its-what-I-got-your-mileage-may-vary vanilla

1 baked pie shell

The Basic Instructions

1. Combine coconut milk, sour cream, sugars, flour, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over low heat.

2. Remove from the heat. Stir in coconut and vanilla.

3. Pour into a pie shell and chill 2 to 4 hours or until firm. At some point, you probably should’ve baked the pie shell. I don’t know what happens if you don’t given that I’ve been telling people for years that eating uncooked cookie dough will make them sick and it never does.

4. (optional) Can top with more coconut.

What Really Happened in My Kitchen

1. Because I was shirking homework, I deliberately chose a pie that looked rather complicated or at least, not one I’ve ever made. It involved toasting coconut which I’d never done. (At the conclusion of this recipe, I think I can say that I still haven’t actually done this.)

2. Bake the pie shell. The pie shell cracked instantly-at which point, I decided to shove the sides together in the hopes that it would grow back. This does, after all, work with fingernails sometimes and assorted medical emergencies- it stood to reason that it would with pie.

3. Forget to prick the pie shell with a fork. Open the oven, nearly trapping the curious cat inside, and prick said pie shell. Close oven and wonder exactly what the phrase “golden brown” means.

4. Do dishes.

5. Look at recipe. I realized that I didn’t actually know what a heavy saucepan was. Chose to evaluate this by weight of pan. Chose one that seemed appropriately heavy and set it on the oven.

6. Peek in oven and notice that crust is bubbling. Pretend this is normal behavior and go on with life.

7. Gather ingredients while waiting. Get impatient with crust and put it on the counter because it looks golden enough.

8. SHIT. No eggs.

9. Look up possible substitutes for eggs on the internet. Mayonnaise is recommended. I hate mayo. I decide instead to substitute 3 tablespoons of sour cream for one egg (same ratio as mayo). After all, sour cream looks like eggs. This will work.

10. Realize that don’t have a lot of sour cream anyhow. Make it 5 tablespoons instead (in retrospect, could’ve probably even done 4).

11. Have been banned from using toaster oven this week and as a result, in the meantime, have put coconut in pan in the oven to “toast” it. Stare at its downy white flakes, thinking it would be much more awesome lit on fire.

12. Look at the crust which is actually quite pretty.

13. Start working on putting all the ingredients in the newly dubbed “heavy saucepan.” If you really want to replicate this exact recipe, I suggest you do a really crappy job of shaking the coconut milk. After you see the crappy job you did with the first can, just dump the second can right in without shaking it at all. You’re going to stir it anyhow.

14. Stare at coconut again. White, white coconut. Make decision that you will never make macaroons.

15. When daughter tells you that you need to add one tablespoon of brown sugar to cut the recipe and counter a mild salty flavor, obey.

16. Take coconut out of oven because it’s just been forever. Applaud self for the two strands of golden brown texture.

17. Stir mixture in saucepan. Realize that leaving it on low heat will never actually get it to boil. Crank the heat up. Then realize that it must be on low so as not to burn something. Turn it down. Wait.

18. Wait a LOT.

19. Get it to boil. Put in your coconut and vanilla after taking it off to cool, then pour in pie crust. Chill in freezer until it’s nice and hard.

20. Applaud self when family doesn’t die upon eating. (Though they are offended that the leftover was used to make curry for lunch.)

As mentioned above, the great thing about this recipe is that you’ll have leftovers. You can take it and make an awesome vegetarian curry! This would be great for anyone who likes a creamy, very mild sauce with a sweet flavor. I think that it would work well with pork but I didn’t have any.

The “I Have Leftover Pie Filling, Of Course I’ll Make A Nectarine Curry” Curry Recipe

Ingredients

Leftover pie filling from the above

1-1/2 tablespoons of curry powder

A pinch of tumeric

the juice of 1 lime

1 nectarine, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

a handful of green cabbage, sliced thin

1 cup water

a sprinkle of dried red pepper

Just leave your pie filling in your heavy saucepan and throw the other stuff in. Mix up and heat to a slow boil on medium heat.

This is actually a strangely pretty curry- yellow with rosy red from the nectarines and specks of color from the red pepper. My daughters who never eat curry loved this one so, oddly, I might be doing this recipe again. (I’d like to substitute some lower-fat ingredients though.)

I just served it over noodles but it’d probably be great over jasmine rice.

Excerpt: Hollywood Stories

Here’s a fun excerpt for the blog today! I love history and I admit to a particular fondness for movie history. My first experiences with history were in reading biographies, most of them of the old stars of the silver screen.

Author Stephen Schochet is a professional tour guide in Hollywood who years ago began collecting little-known, humorous anecdotes to tell to his customers. His new book Hollywood Stories: Short, Entertaining Anecdotes About the Stars and Legends of the Movies! contains a timeless treasure trove of colorful vignettes featuring an amazing all-star cast of icons including John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp, Shirley Temple, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Errol Flynn and many others both past and contemporary.

A Couple Snippets From Hollywood Stories:

We Don’t Want a Hit

Executives at United Artists Studio were unimpressed viewing the initial footage of Sean Connery playing James Bond in the 1962 spy thriller Dr. No. The thirty-two-year-old Scottish actor, whose receding hairline was carefully hidden by a toupee, seemed to change his accent in almost every scene. Sure, the former Mr. Universe runner-up was a formidable

presence, but did Connery have the sophistication to play the suave super spy 007, a role originally meant for Cary Grant? The studio kept the completed film on the shelf for many months before releasing it in England where it was a smash. Well, it had to be a fluke; Bond was English, after all. Six months later, they released it in the USA where it did great again. Dr. No led to a hugely successful James Bond franchise and made Sean Connery an international star. It failed only in Japan, where movie-theater owners translated Dr. No to read, “We don’t want a doctor!”

Walt Disney’s Daughters

(This one’s my favorite. I laughed so hard. – Gwen)

Walt Disney’s two daughters, Sharon and Diane, grew up sheltered from the limelight. The children had no images of Mickey Mouse around their home. Their father didn’t go to many parties, preferring to stay in after a long day of work. Sometimes he would playfully chase the youngsters upstairs, cackling like the evil peddler woman in Snow White. When they behaved badly, Walt would admonish them with a raised eyebrow; his stern demeanor inspired the character of the wise old owl, in the 1942 animated feature Bambi. As toddlers, the brainy Diane and beautiful Sharon stayed blissfully unaware that their parents worried about them being kidnapped and allowed no pictures of the sisters to be publicly circulated. Once in 1939, a curious classmate questioned six-year-old Diane about her family. She went

home and said, “Daddy, you never told me you were that Walt Disney,” and asked him for an autograph.

To find out more about the book, visit the Hollywood Stories website!

Guest Post: MA Abraham

I’m happy to welcome MA Abraham to the blog today! She’s here to talk a little about her new title, Gabriel.

Gabriel

by MA Abraham

I swear blogging must be an art all on its own. I am never sure of what I am doing, but that is probably all right because I swear I am not alone. When I speak with other writers they just grin when you mention the word. Some things don’t need words to be explained. I felt the same way about Gabriel when I wrote it.

Did I know what I was getting myself into? Of course, I didn’t. This is a learning experience, and learning is what life is all about. The same is to be said for the characters in my book. Theirs is a journey we all undertake, albeit in different ways.

First, we need to understand Elves are different. They are magical beings that are of the opinion that they above the rest of the beings in the world… right? Choke, well, maybe not.

When I chose to create Gabriel, the direction I was led in by the characters showed me that they were ultimately no different than we are deep inside. They are loving and caring, and have their insecurities. These are traits we all try to camouflage in some form or another. Here’s a little about each one.

Gabriel tends to be bossy and expect everyone to follow his orders, well, lets face it, he has been the High Lord General for the last 500 years. Eden is independent and has been allowed to run free all of her life. Do we have a problem with the two of them finding out that they have been matched by fate? Well, maybe a bit, but it is fun watching them run the gauntlet of their courtship. Marious is there to help wherever he can, though there are times they would probably like to tape his mouth shut. Marious does love to tease, and he is a general favorite. But, like Gabriel says, there will be a day that he will get his.

In the meantime, Gabriel does what he can to get his. Eden, well, she causes everyone moments of amusement and frustration as she runs through the different facets of her life. She has a lot to deal with at once. The love of family and discovery of more, the realization of what her talent is, and attempting to escape a fate she has no hope of eluding. In the meantime, all Gabriel can do is spread his arms as he asks: “What is a poor Elven General to do?”

About MA Abraham

I have been writing books since before I became a teenager. Most are still hidden in the closet. I used to make up my own stories as a child, everyone used to act them out while we were playing outside. As a teenager someone issued me a challenge. I told her that her stories stunk, she told me to do better.

My job growing up was to play guardian to my little brother, keep him safe. That meant I ended up getting into more fights than enough – makes sense now that I write about warriors.

My family will try to tell you that I’m not innocent, I have a personality that keeps them on their toes. Over my lifetime and theirs I have earn several nicknames – The Godmother, The Evil Christmas Elf (comes from making my nieces wrap their own Christmas presents), Mistress of Ambush. My favorite response to them when they try to get me into trouble is just to look at them with a wide doe eyed expression and say “Moi?????”

I have a seal point Siamese cat named Snoop, named after my favorite cartoon character and hobby. I have a “healthy” but small collection of Snoopy memorabilia. He is a character alright; never met a cat who can talk back like he does. He expects daily dosages of adoration on his schedule when he wants it – not when it’s convenient for me and he HATES snow.

I come from a very large family (mostly brothers) and I could outrun the whole works of them (I’m the shortest!). It was called survival.

This book has been in the making for a long time now. Over a half a year to write it, about the same amount of time to edit it, and probably about the same amount of time to get the art work and website! I have learned you can’t control the timelines of other people – Murphy likes to step in.

So for now I am setting up good luck charms everywhere… didn’t know I had that many stuffed Snoopy’s. *Fingers, legs, toes, eyes and anything else I can crossed*

Free Books on 5/2/12 & 5/3/12–including The Universal Mirror!

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This Wednesday and Thursday, you can download a Kindle copy of my novel, The Universal Mirror for FREE! This is also true of a number of fantastic books offered by my press, Hydra Publications. You can see (and find download links) for all the novels here.

But don’t think that the book is only being offered in the United States. You can also download it for free at Amazon UK, Amazon in France, Amazon in Germany, Amazon in Spain, Amazon in Italy, Amazon in Japan…

I’ve only sold books in the UK and Germany so it’d be really fun to see someone pick it up in other countries.  (Though I note that it isn’t translated but is only available as an English edition.)

Here’s a little information about the book for those who haven’t heard about it:

“Not blood nor bone shall magic touch.”

On the island of Cercia, God is dead, killed by his followers and replaced with the study of magic. But the people are suspicious of magicians, believing them the cause of ill fortune. If the magicians aren’t kept in check, the people believe that they might wrestle God from his grave and take the universe for their own keeping. So the universities train magicians in the use of magic, as well as in the restrictions — or Heresies — that bind it. Magicians must not leave their homeland; they must not cast spells on the living—whether to harm or to heal.

Quentin, a young nobleman, and his friend Asahel are both magicians. But they come from very different backgrounds. Quentin belongs to an old bloodline, though his grandfather has whittled away the last of his family’s fortune. Asahel, on the other hand, always smells of the sea, his face smudged with dirt. He was decidedly out-of-place at the universities that trained magicians, since most of them came from the upper classes. Everyone but Quentin tormented Asahel in school; their curiosity,even now, is what binds them together. They both long to explore magic, rather than cage it.

Now, Quentin desperately dreams of healing the woman that he loves, Catharine. Catharine is pitted and scarred from the Plagues which came to Cercia just before she reached womanhood. She wants no part of Quentin because of her self-hatred, disliking it if he so much as looks at her. This husband and wife rarely talk, and what little time they spend together is fraught with tension. But Quentin adores Catharine. If he is to save her from herself, he must be able to use his magic to heal.

Learning to heal will take an act of desperation, an unthinkable rebellion — practicing on the bodies of the dead. It is madness — but Quentin convinces Asahel to go along with his plan. Under the cover of darkness, they dig up a grave to work a magic that affects life itself. Afterward, Quentin feels a terrible guilt for involving Asahel, who had defied authority by his friend’s side. Both of them are unaware that the search for this lost magic will bring them both to the edge of reason, threatening their very souls. How far are they willing to go for the sake of knowledge? What will they destroy to obtain it?

Now, I’m sure many authors and readers are curious as to why I’m so excited to give my book away.

First, it’s just fun to give away your book.  I write stories because I like to and it’s flattering to think that people own them and read them and often enjoy them.  I also admit that I like seeing how far up the sales charts my book can go, even if it’s free.  It makes me blush when I see my book anywhere near one of my favorite authors and well, as a small press author, this doesn’t happen that much.

Secondly… well, tell you what.  If there’s enough interest on this post, I’d be happy to write a bit about the experience of KDP Select from my point of view.  I feel that to do that, it’d probably be necessary to wait a bit but I can definitely compare and contrast this time and the last.  So if that’s of interest, please let me know in comments.  (Though know that I may be a little busy and not responding immediately as I try to give my book out to everyone!)

All of that said, I honestly appreciate everyone who follows the blog and hope that I can give a little bit back to you in the form of this sale.  If you’d like to share this post or a link to the book with others, please feel free.   (And in fact, I’ll adore those who do!)

And hey, if you like this book, I’ve got a sequel I want to tell you about.

(And another, even more exciting, project in the wings.)

Guest Post: Survival… or Why I Write Fiction

Today brings us a guest post from author RS Emeline whose new book, Purrfect Storm, has just been released on Amazon.  Today, she’s speaking with us about the connections between life and fiction, something many writers–and readers–can understand.

Survival… or Why I Write Fiction

by RS Emeline

As a teenager growing up in the soggy Pacific Northwest, I kept myself sane wallowed in my misery by writing really depressing and dark poetry. When I got older and moved away from the constant gloom of my familial ‘homeland’, I no longer needed to write about death and darkness.

Who am I kidding?

I still write doom and gloom, but now it has a happier ending.

When I married my Marine seven years ago, I didn’t think anything of my former desire to publish novels. In the constant hustle of everyday life I didn’t have time to remember dreams of the naive drunk crazy young girl I’d been.

Until I got pregnant.

Suddenly my desire for blood and vengeance a record of what was happening in my life and how I dealt with the constant urge to kill people hormones of pregnancy had the old dreams gearing up for a comeback tour.

Since murder is  messy against the law and nobody should do it, fiction seemed a better way to go.

Some of my best stories have been written while my Marine has been deployed. Purrfect Storm, my first published work, isn’t like most of what I’ve written. Mostly because during the original phase of the writing proces,s my Marine was home. If he’d been deployed, there would have been more dismemberment blood and gore  angst.

It still would have had a happy ending though.

I chose to write fiction because it allows me to step away from what is legally right, and still believe in fairy tales. It keeps me sane for the months at a time when my Marine is away, and I’m balancing the roles of mother, father, taxi driver, dispute fixer, and student.

Otherwise, I’d probably be writing this from prison.

About Purrfect Storm: Tavin Chauncy thinks he has his work cut out for him when a fellow Marine gets arrested for assault. He soon realizes that it’s nothing compared to the way his life gets flipped upside down when a mysterious woman appears in the middle of his living room during a rare desert storm.

 

About the Author: R.S. Emeline grew up in the sogginess of Washington State where she nurtured her love of writing with dark teenage poetry. Today she spends her time in the perpetual dryness and sun of the California desert. She lives there with her husband, the Marine; her niece, the Artist; her daughter,the Munchkin; and two animals–King Furry and Mistress Meow– who are the true rulers of the roost.

 

Buy on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Purrfect-Storm-ebook/dp/B007ODD9LS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334937725&sr=8-1

 

To Follow RS Emeline, visit her at:
Twitter
Facebook
Blog

 

Before and After: Jack Lewis Baillot

Jack Lewis Baillot is the focus of today’s “Before and After,” a feature on this blog. In “Before and After,” we hear from new authors before the publication of their novel and then follow up after the book’s publication to find out how the experience went.

Jack is planning on self-publishing her first novel, Haphazardly Implausible, and is talking a little bit about the beginning of that process as well as the book itself.

Gwen:  Hi, Jack.  Thank you for coming on the blog today.  First, I’d like to invite you to tell our readers a little more about the book that you’ve written.

Jack:  Howdy! And thank you for having me!

My book is titled Haphazardly Implausible. It is a Steampunk book, filled with airships, Air Pirates, Pilots, and a dog who thinks he’s a man.

1906 photograph of the Eagle Airship. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The story is centered around three young men, all from different parts of the world who are trying to fulfill different missions. They have no way of knowing that their paths are about to cross.

Peter Jones is a Scot who was left at the Scottish Royal Air Force Base a week before his parents were killed. It is the only life he has ever known, and now he is forced to flee for his life when he learns that the general, a man he has always looked up to as a father, now wishes him dead.

Isidore Thaddeus Reichmann is hiding from his past. Bitter and alone, he spends his days solving mysteries, and has earned the reputation as being the  best detective the world has ever seen. However, his world is forever changed when he leaves Germany for England to find a missing young man. In England he meets a girl named Jack, a girl who is going to change his life.

Singur is the smartest person on earth, but no one is allowed to know it, or to know his real name or he is a dead man. However, when his long guarded secret is found out Singur is forced to leave Italy, and finds safety with a man who might be nothing more then a Sea Pirate.

The world is on the edge of war,  and it might just be up to these three to end it.

 Gwen:  Wow!  The book sounds fantastic from what you just told me.  So let’s chat a little more about what it was like to come up with the concepts.  What new ideas did you uncover as you started working on Haphazardly Implausible? Did you learn any lessons from your own characters?

Jack: Ideas I uncovered. Hm, well, I guess I wished the main idea to be in not hiding who you really are. To be accepted now these days, one has to change, to fit into a mold, and I want people to see it is more wonderful to be themselves. And I believe this is the same lessons I learned from my characters. Even starting this book, I had to take a risk in being picked on for what I was writing. But, the more I wrote, the more they showed me, if a friend will only be your friend if you change then they are not a true friend.

Gwen:  I understand that you’re considering self-publishing as an option.  Why have you decided to go this route?  Do you see this as the way of the future for authors?

Jack: This was hard for me at first. I spent weeks pondering self-publishing and researching it. I have sent out query letters, and have always said I would trditional publish, but that was before ebooks and the change publishing has taken. According to my research and authors I’ve been in contact with, self-publishing is no longer the “Publishing for those who’s books weren’t good enough for trditional.”

However, my reasons for it. One of the reasons was that, before, triditional publishers would do most of the marketing. Sure, you had to do promoting and such as well, but they did most of it. Now, before an agent will consider you, not to mention a publisher, you have to have a following. You have to have readers interested before the book you even have an agent.

Also, you have more rights with your book if you self-publish. With triditional publishing they have rights over it. If the book doesn’t sale as much as they think it should they can put it on a back shelf for later. And it can take years to trditional publish, and by that time the book I have written (Steampunk) might no longer be a “fad”.

After all my research I decided self-publishing was the right thing for me to do. Maybe it isn’t for everyone, but it is for some.

As for seeing it as the future, yes, I do. Other authors have said the same. With ereaders being in almost every home in American ebooks are becoming more and more popular. I don’t think they will replace hard copies, mine will be coming in both forms, but I think they are starting to become more common.

And, with the publishing world changing, I think many authors are going to go with self-publishing. Going through an agent is becoming harder, and there is also the risk you will not find one. This doesn’t mean the book is bad, but that it “just isn’t what they are looking for.”

Gwen:  Have you found there to be any special challenges  that you’ve encountered in trying to publish this novel on your own?  Tell us a little bit about your process.

Jack: Editing. Once the first book is published and I’ve made money on it I will be able to hire an editor. But, with this one, I don’t have the money. I’ve been working on it on my own. It has been painstaking, all the more so as I’m dyslexic, but I’ve been going at it slowly, carefully, and recruiting all the help I’m able.

The other challenges I’ve encountered is lots of research. There are many self-publishers out there but I wanted one with a good reputation, one known for publishing good books. I’m, as of right now, going to go with Lulu Publishing. I’ve also, as said before, contacted other authors who are self-publishing to get advice from them. This has been my best move so far. If anyone plans on self-publishing, my biggest suggestion would be email other authors. Ask them all the do’s and don’t's.

Gwen:  I know one of the things that was really important to me when I released my novel, The Universal Mirror, through Hydra Publications was the art on the cover.  I must have spent hours looking at different artists before we settled on Enggar Adirasa.  Have you reached this point for your own book yet?  

Jack: I’ve not found an artist yet. I have, however, looked at other Steampunk books. I’ve looked at the newest books coming out, I’ve studied covers. One of the authors I talked to said that it is important that the cover looks professional, like other covers out there, and draws readers in. Contrary to that old saying, readers do judge a book by its cover.

I hope to find an artist just starting out, and one who is willing to do the covers for all four books – so they will look alike. I’m contacting two artists right now, but if neither of them can do it, I will continue my search elsewhere.

The things influencing me right now as far as cover designs are airships. They are popular on Steampunk novels and since my novel is set on an airship, it seems fitting there should be one on the cover. I’m even working on designing it so my artist, whoever it will be, will have some idea of what the Zeppelin looks like.

Gwen:  Do you have any expectations about what will happen once the book comes out? Any special plans for other projects?

Jack: I would be delighted if it sold well and left readers begging for more, but I try not to set my hopes too high. I plan to, once it is out, continue my work of getting it out there. I’m also working on a series of short stories that will be released once the book is out. These will be about some of the side characters that didn’t have much time in the books.

My other projects will consit of editing the other three books, working on getting them published – hopefully book two will be out six months after the first – and continue writing. I have many more series planned, so I will, hopefully, always be writing.

Gwen:  What has been the most rewarding part of your experience thus far?

Jack: Finishing the series. And writing Steampunk. This was my first Steampunk book and though I had no clue what I was doing, I’ve come to love and plan to write many more Steampunk stories.

Gwen:  If readers want to follow your work or find out more about you as an author, what’s the best way for them to do that?

Jack: The best way would be by blog. http://missjacklewisbaillot.blogspot.com/ I also have a twitter and facebook page, both links to these can be found on my blog.

A little bit more about Jack Lewis Baillot:

Jack is, above all else, a Christian. She started following God at the age of sixteen when He called her out of her sins and since that time her greatest desire is to serve Him.

Secondly, Jack is an author. It is somewhat of a mystery exactly how old she was when she penned her first story – one involving four siblings, a goat, a grandmother, and a flood – but she has been writing for at least ten years. Since that time she has written about twenty books, and thankfully her writing has improved. She plans to publish most of these twenty books, after some re-writes and editing.

Wonderful Option for Book Covers

Now, I don’t know if I’m the only one who struggles when someone asks for cover art for a book but I’m sure there must be others out there.  Stock photographs are often not my thing and art can be expensive (though I note, worth it).

A museum colleague pointed out to me the other day the Washington State Historical Society’s pricing for licensing e-book covers.  When he told me how much it was, I said “Excuse me?  That’s IT?”  And so  I thought that I’d mention this.  Presently (though this may change), it’s around $50 per image for e-book covers (print licensing costs more but is still really reasonable).

Now, you might be thinking “why would I want to use a historic image?”  Well, the Society’s collections currently number over half a million images.  That’s a lot to choose from and while I’m sure not all are available, there is art, photographs, ephemera…  (Plus it helps support history education.  Yep, I’m biased here.)  You can view many, many items at their online collections website.  Ordering can even be done online here.

As a disclaimer: do remember to check with the Society for current pricing.  You may also be able to find great historic images through your local historical societies or museums.

Also, if you search the collections, make sure to click the little box under the search bar that says “display only items with multimedia records” so that you can see thumbnail pictures.

Below are a couple of images that I like (your mileage may vary).  If you find something good, let us know!

Hodet by Virna Haffer. Washington State Historical Society Collections, ID# 1974.35.52.4.

1943 Army Recruiting Poster. Washington State Historical Society Collections, ID# 2005.0.390.

The Russian Revolution of 1917 as depicted by artist Ronald Debs Ginther. Washington State Historical Society Collections, ID# 1969.31.13.

Hey, Authors…

Courtesy of sxc.hu

I was asked to pass this along so here it is:

A brand-new website, That Book Place, has opened up.  This site was designed for authors and readers to connect with one another and they’re looking for both readers and writers to be a part of the community.

If you’re an author who’d like to be interviewed, they’d love to talk to you.  Check out their interview submission form here:

http://www.thatbookplace.com/author-interview-submissions/

Please spread the word!  More communities for readers can only be a wonderful thing.

Socialpunk: Excerpt from Monica Leonelle

I’m pleased to share with you an excerpt from the new novel, Socialpunk, by Monica Leonelle.  

A little more about it:

Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.

From the Novel:

After playing God for six years with the world he created, he couldn’t control any of his subjects, none at all. Over the years, he had watched them evolve and become the sum of their own choices rather than the sum of his; and for that, he regretted ever giving them life.

A small, blinking red light from just inside his eyelid reminded him of the news they sent him earlier that morning. The company had cancelled his funding and would shut down his project within three months. According to them, the project cost too much and took up too much space, and the inconclusive results couldn’t be published reputably, now or in the future.

Six years of his work, tens of thousands of lives at stake—and he could do nothing to save any of it. He bowed his head, letting his chin rest on the rim of his breakfast smoothie. The smoothie reeked of powder—crushed pills—but he supposed he had better get used to it. He wouldn’t be able to afford the luxury of real food after they canned him.

He closed his eyes and called up the camera view of one of his favorites, number 3281. She fascinated him; he couldn’t deny it. When he had designed her, her pre-teen rebelliousness lit fire in her eyes. A survivor, he’d thought. He’d meant for her to have it all—to grow up, to get married to the love of her life, and to have a beautiful family of her own someday.

But he had only given her sadness so far. Instead of creating a strict father, he had given her an abusive one. Instead of creating a loving boyfriend, he had given her a friend who could never love her. And instead of creating a strong, proud mother, he had given her a meek one, who watched the whole thing unfold and did nothing about it.

He looked at his last and final creation sitting in the chair across from him—his own son, not awakened yet. The law forbade him to have any children of his own, so this boy would substitute.

But he had done the unthinkable with this creation—he had bestowed on it his own thoughts, emotions, and decision-making processes. He’d given the boy his own mind, his own physical characteristics, his own wants and desires.

He had never done so with any of the others because of the dangers of investing too heavily in any one of his subjects. But who could he kid? He had not stayed objective thus far, watching some of his subjects more closely than others, wishing for the happiness of some at the expense of others. He had become an abomination, a monster of his own doing, who had created subjects only to watch them suffer.

He couldn’t forgive himself; not now, not ever. His eyes lingered on the vial that sat next to his breakfast smoothie, that he’d stowed away for the day when they destroyed all his work, his entire world. He would save it, tuck it away for now, for as long as he could protect them. When things spun out of his control, he would drink it and end himself the way he had ended them.

In the ancient stories, gods frequently gave their sons as gifts. Now, he would give his son as a gift to her, number 3281. So she could be happy in her last months on earth, before they destroyed her with the rest of them.

Monica Leonelle is a well-known digital media strategist and the author of three novels. She blogs at Prose on Fire and shares her writing and social media knowledge with other bloggers and authors through her Free Writer Toolkit.

Socialpunk is available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble.