Gwen Perkins's Blog, page 8

Behind the Villain: Ellette of Morning Star

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview Desiree Finkbeiner, author of the recently released Morning Star, the first volume in the Ethos series.  Ethos is a great new YA fantasy series that has inspired a lot of conversation between Desiree and I over recent weeks.  Among the things that I find so intriguing about Desiree’s work are the many facets of her characters, particularly the villain Ellette.  Because I had so many questions about the character, I asked Desiree to allow me to “interview” first her villain and then herself to learn more about the concepts behind Morning Star and the world that she has created.

First, I present the interview with Ellette, the fallen warrior of the Ethos series.

Gwen:  Ellette, what is the strongest emotion that drives your actions?

Ellette:  Fairness. Life is cruel and unfair to those who try to do the right thing. I did everything I was told to do; gave up my chance at happiness so that others could be happy, and look where it got me. What’s the point in sacrifice if it carries no reward? The universe is unfair to those who sacrifice, giving the spoils of their labor to schmuck who stands in line behind them with their hands out.

So I’ve taken it upon myself to be the great mediator, the one who makes it fair for everyone. Rather than a select few carrying the weight of the universe on their shoulders, why not force everyone to do their share? No one gets off without contributing to the greater good. Since life will be unfair to everyone, therein lies the fairness. No rich, no poor. Thus, no one will be special and no one will be left behind. I’ve a plan that will be the great equalizer of the people. In my name, all will be fair, unlike the balance of the so-called universe, which is really nothing more than the illusion of fairness.

Gwen:  Creating a fair world, by any definition, is not an easy task and requires making hard decisions.  I imagine that you’ve had to make quite a few in your life.  If there is one thing that you regret, what is it?

Ellette: I regret the time I wasted in the service of others who didn’t appreciate the sacrifice I was giving for them. All the wasted time and life energy I could have used on pursuing my own dreams, wasted on ungrateful souls could who could care less.

Portrait of Ellette by Desiree Finkbeiner.

Gwen:  As you think about all of those that you spent your time on,  was there someone who affected your life profoundly?

Ellette:  Aziza. Her name meant, cherished, beloved. And love her I did, as if she were my own. I met her in Africa while I was on post to watch over the mushroom. Aziza was the daughter of a very rich man, from the tribe of the small village where I traded for supplies. He had six daughters, and she was the fairest, the youngest. Perhaps about four of your human years in age. Never had I met a soul so filled with life and adventure before Aziza. She had given me so much, and filled my heart with love, something I had never experienced before. Because she had given me the gift of trust and friendship, I responded to her love with a gift of my own.

One night, on a full moon, I came to her as the village slept, so she could see me in my true form. I took her for a night fly, soaring high into the sky so she could feel the wind in her face. It was to be our secret, something we shared between us. Each time the full moon came, we did this until her family grew suspicious. She had spoken of my magic to her sisters and made them promise not to tell, but she had broken my trust by breaking her promise to keep it secret.

It broke my heart, so to teach her a lesson about loyalty, I told her I would not be visiting on next full moon. But she came seeking me, snuck out in the night all alone. I told her never to seek me because the land had been plagued with cobras and jackals. She didn’t listen, and it cost her life. Of course, I was blamed for her death and they rounded up a posse of their best warriors to hunt me, calling me the white winged demon.

I was heart broken and I regret ever loving her… had I not loved her, she’d have grown into a beautiful woman.

Gwen:  A tragic story.  Have you kept anything of her–even something that remains secret?

Ellette: I still have a lock of Aziza’s hair, taken from her corpse, as a reminder why love is dangerous.

After hearing Ellette’s story, I asked Desiree to expound upon what her creation was like from an author’s perspective.

Illustration from the forthcoming print edition of Ethos: Morning Star.

Gwen:  One of the most difficult challenges a writer faces is creating a great villain. What was your greatest struggle as you developed her character?

Desiree: The hardest thing was looking back into my past at who I was when I was younger. I absolutely loathe who I was from about age 17 to 20, I was a terrible person and made some poor decisions (wrote a book about it in high school but deleted the file later on, now I wish I could go back and read it). I really do feel that I was a wicked young woman at that time in my life; manipulative, controlling, prideful, stuck-up, attracted to darkness, seduced by the occult and dark arts. I based my villain off of myself. It was a time in my life where I was estranged from God and sought after worldly aspirations. I was spiritually dead to light, lost in a very dark place. But it’s because I have experienced falling and losing my path, that I’m able to craft a dark character from a realistic perspective.

I know Ellette’s demons all too well, for I had created my own hell and it took a miracle (and a lot of prayers) to free me from the prison I had built for myself. And though those experiences are very personal, let’s just say, I’m grateful for those who didn’t give up on me. Ellette is my flipside… So the hardest part was revisiting my past to allow that character to live once more in my fantasy world.

Gwen: Did you find it easy or difficult to relate to the choices that Ellette made?

Desiree: Obviously, I relate completely. I understand heartbreak and what it’s like to desire power over others. I also understand how easy it is to let hatred and bitterness canker the soul. Luckily, I also know what it’s like to embrace light and let forgiveness heal the wounds of past transgression.

Gwen: How do you, as a writer, reconcile yourself to writing “evil” or “dark” characters?

Desiree: Evil is a part of us all. Some of us embrace it, and some of us seek to cast off works of darkness to embrace light. Unfortunately, sometimes life requires embracing darkness before we can appreciate light. One cannot know love and joy without first having passed through loss and sadness. So those two ancient enemies (good and evil) are necessary for us understand the universal question “Why?”. Without evil, there could be no good, and vice versa… so in order for there to be balance in the universe, the two must constantly oppose one another and stand for their cause.

I like to look at it this way. Wherever there is light shining its rays to illuminate an object, there is also a shadow cast by the object where light cannot pass through. In order for something to be completely filled with light, it must first become transparent. But when something is transparent, it no longer has visible form to be considered beautiful by the naked eye. So the shadows cast by light actually create beauty in the world around us. One simply cannot exist without the other. So in order for there to be a hero, there must a villain of equal power to oppose the goodness and light, otherwise, there’d be no adventure… and no point for anything to exist.

Desiree Finkbeiner, author of Ethos: Morning Star

Desiree Finkbeiner attained a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from Missouri Southern State University (2006) with a heavy background in business, marketing, music and fine art– She was heavily involved in campus affairs and served actively in several committees focusing on campus entertainment and events. She performed with musical acts/bands in rock and electronic genres, released seven studio albums, performed in 11 states and has written hundreds of songs. Her band, Carbon Star, was a finalist for VH1′s “Bands on the Run” reality TV show in 2000. Then she performed with Pointy Teeth until finally leaving the music industry for the quiet life.

Continuing education is a constant adventure for Desiree with topics of interest ranging from civil and corporate law, history, political conspiracy, homeopathic medicine and spiritual healing. She prefers to read non-fiction, especially on topics that educate and broaden her perspectives on controversial issues.

With thousands of completed art works in her archives, most of which appear in private collections worldwide, Desiree hopes to focus more on publishing, marketing and licensing her work so she can leave a legacy behind.

To find her work, visit her author page at Hydra Publications.  Ethos: Morning Star is currently available on Amazon.

Guest Post: Sam Hossler

As part of his recent blog tour, Sam Hossler has joined us to tell us a little bit about his new novel:

Silversmith Chronicles was originally designed for the young adult crowd, however, people that have read the first two episodes tell me it is a fun read for all ages. It is not meant to be a factual story but a fantasy with a moral. Perhaps I have missed that mark but it is still enjoyable for all ages.

Werewolves have been in various cultures for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. The younger readers today have embraced these and other fanciful beasts. That was the basis of my writing about werewolves. I picked a period of time and a place I am familiar with for the setting. The nineteenth century is a favorite of mine as is western Pennsylvania. This is where and when my story takes place.

Researching the Read – The Theoretical Backdrop to ‘Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle’

Today’s guest post comes via Marie Harbon, author of Seven Point Eight. The beginning of this five-part epic is available in Kindle format for free today (4.16.12) at Amazon.

Researching the Read – The Theoretical Backdrop to ‘Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle’

by Marie Harbon

Seven Point Eight is a new sci-fi/paranormal series, uniting quantum physics, mysticism, fringe science, psychic powers, folklore, consciousness, complicated love, conspiracy and nostalgia. With such an array of ingredients, it was vital the underpinning theory remained accurate.

In a series of drafts, I laid the research down in layers. Prior to writing, a number of ideas floated around in my head, as I love to read non-fiction, the geekier the better. In particular, I already had the basic gist of some quantum physics concepts and knew the urban myth of The Philadelphia Experiment, which makes an appearance at the beginning and end of the book. (It returns in The Second Chronicle!)

The main layer included the scientific concepts, such as Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and the basics of Einstein’s work, plus facts about the size of atoms, the ether wind experiment and the nature of the brain operating at beta, alpha, theta and delta waves. I presented these concepts as clearly as possible, without hindering the plot.

There are also a number of alternate history concepts in there, such as the quality of resonance inside the Great Pyramid and its acoustical properties. Mystical concepts unite with quantum physics, with a theosophical and Eastern twist.

Additionally, I unite consciousness research, looking at the nature of reality through mystical eyes and those of psychedelic substances. It draws together hallucinogenic substance use with the history of visionary experiences through the ages, seeing the Gods and Goddesses of folklore through new eyes.

Much of the inspiration for the alternate dimensions came from experiences of the brain on DMT, my own imagination and science fiction. We meet them in the first book, and revisit them throughout the series.

The last layer of research I laid down included the tidbits; historical events that were concurrent with the story, culture and music highlights, daily news, cars of the time and the general feel of the decade the scenes were set in. The First Chronicle begins in the 1940s, moves through the 50s and steams through the 60s, linking to two young characters in the modern day.

All my sources are listed in a bibliography at the end.

Yet, this is not written at the expense of the human story, for it’s very much a tale of community. The drama of love, betrayal, bitterness and above all, courage are closely interwoven throughout the story through the lives of five principal characters.

Seven Point Eight: The First Chronicle is currently available through Amazon in paperback and in the Kindle store.

It’s FREE from Mon 16th April through to Thurs 19th April, so grab it while you can! (Amazon) (Amazon UK)

Seven Point Eight: The Second Chronicle is due for release in August 2012.

And for a special treat, here’s an excerpt from Marie’s novel.

Was it the people here or the place itself that was insane? Did its aura drive sane people crazy in insane places?

She reached the reception, where a rather matronly woman recognised her. Despite this, the woman announced herself.

 “Hi, it’s Ava Kavanagh, and I’ve come to see Maria Martinez.”

She signed into the visitors’ book, which was then replaced behind the desk where it belonged, and she was escorted to the low security wing. It sat at the end of a long corridor, which was not well-lit but even so, light twisted acrobatically across the walls, as if projected by car headlights. Ava behaved as if the situation were normal; she didn’t want to attract undue attention to her erstwhile grasp of reality.

The route to Maria’s room passed some rather unusual residents and each time, Ava glanced through the window in their door, very inquisitive as to what their story was. The first curiosity was a dark haired man, who was always surrounded by reams of paper and this time, the woman felt a strong desire to enquire about him.

“Is he a writer or something?” she asked.

Her escort was surprised at her interest.

“We call him The Scribbler, as the only way we can manage his behaviour is to give him access to paper and a pen. He writes constantly, but it’s all gibberish, rows and rows of symbols.”

Ava gave him a lingering glance, feeling a sense of sadness regarding his predicament. What a waste of human life.

They passed another character, a blonde haired woman with an intense and seething look on her face. This time, she wasn’t restrained although she crouched on her bed, bearing a menacing expression on her face. When she saw Ava, she snarled.

“What’s wrong with her, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Her escort acquiesced to her questioning again.

“Schizophrenia… she hears voices, which she claims instruct her to do evil. She enjoys inflicting pain on others, so we have to isolate her.”

Ava was touched deeply this time.

“Like Maria’s original diagnosis?”

Her escort tried to smile sympathetically, although she said nothing. Ava made eye contact with the intense character behind the door, which sent a chill down her spine.

“She reminds me of the girl from The Exorcist,” she commented.

They turned the corridor, and there were two more people that Ava felt drawn to; a black man and woman, who resided in the same room. They appeared to be actors in a play of their own making.

“Lost in their own little world, aren’t they?” she said.

“We call them The Time Travellers, as they always insist they’ve travelled to the past and future. Most of the time they’re locked in an imagery scenario, living some other reality. We keep them together, as their behaviour is more manageable if we do so.”

The final curiosity that Ava had to ask about was a man with fair hair, who could often be seen punching at the walls, or shouting for books. He was oblivious to their presence and Ava’s gaze. On this day, he was standing in front of a wall, reaching out to touch it with his fingers.

“What is he doing?” Ava asked.

“He believes he can walk through walls,” her escort explained. “My, we’ve had some bruises over the years. I don’t know what’s worse, his wall or book obsession.”

They passed through some double doors, which required a security code to gain entry into the next corridor. There, they soon found room 104 and Ava paused outside.

“Has there been any change in her condition since I last visited?”

Her escort shook her head, sadly.

“She’s still in a persistent vegetative state, exactly the same as the day she arrived.”

Ava accepted the situation with reluctance.

“She’s the only living relative I know of,” she explained. “I was hoping one day I’d discover where we came from, who our parents are and if our father is still alive. Did you recover the file from the facility she transferred from?”

“I’m sorry, it’s still missing.”

Undeterred, Ava pressed further.

“Does anybody else visit her? They may be able to offer some clues to her history… why she ended up in this condition, when and why she cut her wrists…”

“I can’t disclose that information, it’s confidential I’m afraid.”

Her escort opened the door and Ava entered, determined to present a face of hope to Maria, her sister.

Guest Post: Once Upon A Keyboard

One thing that fascinates me is how the digital age is changing how we perceive authorship.  Author Cynthia Ravinski is here to talk about her own experiences with a new type of novel, the EmotoBook.  What is an EmotoBook?  Grit City Publications explains: 

“The term emotobook was conceived by GCP founder, Ron Gavalik, in 2011 to label our first exclusive tablet fiction medium, which heightens emotional awareness in stories.

Emotobooks have a unique style and structure, unlike any other entertainment form. Abstract, emotionally provocative illustrations are tied into each story to depict what characters feel during peak moments of tension. These expressionistic elements provide both a cerebral and visual stimulation, which enhance the impact of the experience.”

Cynthia is here to talk about her experience with this new art form as an author.  Read on!

Once Upon A Keyboard

by Cynthia Ravinski

I’m a part of the EmotoBook Revolution at Grit City Publications. Let me tell you how that happened (I’m a story teller, that’s what I do). Writing an EmotoBook changed the way I look at writing. So let’s start there.

For me, a story starts with a dream–vivid color and poignant action streaking across the movie screen of my resting mind with abstract gravitas. I think the strangest thing is that there are never any words.

If I decide an Idea is worth turning into a story, it’s usually because it has haunted me for days and I’m thoroughly mad like the Hatter about the thing. And then, I only face the task of crafting it into something intelligible to other humans. Let me step aside here to say that without an Idea no writing can be done, there is only that familiar blank, white screen with a blinking black cursor. With an Idea, I at least have something to hang some words on, from which I will shape my story.

Crafting a story is a very technical thing, and is separate from the story Idea. Simply relating events is not truly Telling a story, it misses a lot of resonance. A writer’s job is to craft a story so that black and white text creates an internal cinematic dreamscape for a reader. There are many tools a writer uses to do this. One of the most important, I think, is visual imagery. When readers look at text, all they see are black lines on white. I’ve always been completely seduced by a brief chain of words that can slip a ravishing scene into my head.

The idea of EmotoBooks as a literary form lodged in my mind and haunted me for days after I’d first heard of it. Using abstract imagery to enhance the reading experience tackles multiple areas of the brain, and appeals to my vivid dreamscapes that have no words. Louis Sullivan, an American architect, put it perfectly, “form ever follows function.” EmotoBooks have a unique style and structure. They are all fast-paced, imagery-heavy short stories or serial novels containing abstract, emotionally provocative illustrations to depict what characters feel during peak moments of tension. These expressionistic elements provide both a cerebral and visual stimulation, which enhances the experience.

When I began the editing process for my EmotoSingle, Lingering in the Woods, it was glaringly obvious that my instinctive dream-like use of imagery was not as effective as I would have hoped. I’ve always tried to keep my stories visually balanced, but it became apparent that in doing so, I reduced the impact of important scenes. Encouraged by the editors at Grit City, I intensified the imagery in the most powerful parts of the story as a seat for the abstract artwork going into the story. This added a texture to the story I wouldn’t have found before, visually highlighting the peaks and valleys of the plot.

Writing is a grand puzzle with no absolute solution, but there is a science to discovering how it works. Trial and error is the best way thorough that maze. And I only hope that now, my work’s images burn lively in the minds of any who read it.

Cynthia Ravinski writes, among other things. From her coastal northern setting, she crafts stories in impossible worlds and dreams up crafty characters to occupy them. She’s been an athlete, a co-pilot, and a world traveler. She’s basked in the light of great poets, and has been educated to high degrees at UMaine Farmington and Seton Hill University. To say she is obsessed with drinking tea is an understatement.

Visit www.cynthiaravinski.com for even more information.

Guest Post: Creating a World by Creating a Language

It’s an exciting weekend for guest posts!  The first guest post for this coming weekend comes to us courtesy of Matthew Arnold Stern, author of Doria.  Matthew’s talking about a subject that I personally find fascinating–creating language in fiction.   (For my take on this in my own writing, visit this entry in fantasy author Kody Boye’s blog.)

Without further ado…

Creating a World by Creating a Language

By Matthew Arnold Stern

Picture the last time you traveled to a different place. It probably had its own local language with idioms particular to that region. You may have been asked if you want a bottle of pop to go with your hero or offered a soda for your sub. Language like this gives a place local color and a sense of its history and culture.

We can do the same for our stories. Creating a language makes our fictional world more realistic and engaging. As readers become accustomed to the lingo, they feel like they’re “insiders” and become more invested in our story. Local language also gives us a tool for characterization. The words our characters use and how they use them tell readers who they are.

These are the reasons why I invented a local language for the fictional country in my novel Doria. It also addressed a couple of other challenges: Telling a story in English that takes place in a Spanish-speaking South American country, and revealing the history and geography of this country without relying on exposition.

I started with the first words people typically pick up in a language, the insults.

The first thing to know about South America is that those countries are not alike, and they often don’t like each other. For example, Chile hasn’t gotten along well with its neighbors. It fought a war with Peru and Bolivia in the 1870s that is still a source of conflict, and it almost came to blows with Argentina in 1978.

My fictional country of Doria is an archipelago off the coast of Chile, giving those poor Chileans yet another neighbor to annoy them. I use insults to show the tension between the two nations. The Dorians use an epithet I found in my research that has been used by Chile’s enemies. They call Chileans “rotos.” It’s the Spanish word for “broken,” referring to the seemingly shabby appearance of the Chilean army. I wanted to give Chileans an insult they can give Dorians in return. I came up with “isleño,” the Spanish word for “islander.” The term not only shows the contempt the Chileans have for the Dorians, it reminds the reader that Doria is an island country.

Spanish words give me a way to show that Doria is a Spanish-speaking country, even though I wrote my novel in English. I was going to include more Spanish dialogue, but my beta reader felt I would need to add a translation so she could understand what was happening. She felt the same way most of us do when listening to people talk in a language we don’t know. We feel left out and wonder if they’re talking about us. By using a few select words, I can still give that cultural flavor without making the reader feel excluded.

I also needed to create a language for Doria’s indigenous people. One of the conflicts in my book is between Felipe Sérigo, who rejected his Native Dorian heritage to become a communist rebel, and his father Ramón, who is fighting to preserve the country’s native culture after years of repression. As with the Spanish terms, I used a few words to give people a sense of this different culture without excluding the reader. I also wanted this language to tie with my theme of people setting aside their differences for the good of their country.

The story of the Native Dorian language is revealed in a scene where Ramón asks Felipe to tell a visiting film crew about their ancestors’ history. Felipe explains that ancient Doria was in a state of war between people who migrated there millennia ago, refugees from the Nazca Empire that recently fell, and Polynesians invading from the West. A sailor, who was cast adrift after his ship got lost and destroyed at sea, washed up on this country’s shores and was rescued by a native woman. When he recovered, he became determined to bring peace to his new home. He brought these peoples together and created a new religion and language.

I included a combination of Quechua and Polynesian words with words I created for the indigenous people. I wouldn’t expect the reader to know words in those languages, but observant readers may notice words that sound a lot like Hebrew and Arabic, like “rabe’ya” and “nakaba.” I wanted to create a mystery about the sailor who brought those words to the Americas centuries before Columbus. Who is he? Where did he come from? How did he get all the way across the Pacific? What does this mean for this country’s future? These are questions I can answer in later books of this series.

Even though I created a number of words, I did not add a glossary to my novel. The problem I see with a glossary is that it stops readers. It leaves them asking, “Why do I need to know all these words before I can read this book? Will I remember their definitions when I see them?” Instead, I used the words in context and trust the reader to understand their meaning. This is the way the Harry Potter books present the language of their wizard world.

By creating a local language, I can make my story world more vivid and engaging for my readers. It also helped me address a number of storytelling challenges. If you would like to learn more about the language of Doria, you can view the glossary at http://www.matthewarnoldstern.com/download/doriaglossary.pdf.

To find out how to get your copy of Doria, visit http://www.matthewarnoldstern.com/doria.html.

I wish you the best in your writing efforts.

Matthew Arnold Stern is an award-winning writer and public speaker. He has written professionally since 1983 as a technical writer, journalist, playwright, and novelist. He has published two novels, Offline and Doria. To read more of his writing, visit his Web site at http://www.matthewarnoldstern.com

Q&A: Why Write Amazon Reviews?

Courtesy of Boni Idem.

As anyone who is or knows an author knows, many of us frequently go around wishing and hoping that our book will receive reviews on that book giant, Amazon. (I also wish and hope for Powell's and Barnes and Noble's but as more and more authors publish exclusively through the Big A, that's what this blog post is about.) I thought that I'd explain my own reasons for wanting reviews and how they work. I'm choosing to address this via questions that I've received from friends and family.

1) I'm no good at writing an Amazon review. What do I say?

The beautiful thing about Amazon reviews is that you don't have to be Roger Ebert. You can click a star rating and then write a couple of sentences about the book. Reviews can be as simple as "This book was really good. I wish there was more romance" or really elaborate.

Here are some things you could put in a review:

Adjectives that describe the book (it was good, it was awful, etc).
Say something you liked about it. Things that you could focus on could include the plot, a particular scene, characters, how things changed during the course of the story, etc.
If there was a moment or character that personally impacted you in some way, don't be afraid to say so. Put yourself in the review. Authors love to know their readers and I know that I'm always touched when I can tell someone made a personal connection with what I wrote.
Talk about what you wanted to see more of or what needs improvement. Do you wish another character was in the book more? Say so. Did bad spelling distract you? Tell us that too.

Tips to remember:

Don't be afraid to be honest. Do, however, remember to be helpful. Don't just say "it sucks" but tell everyone why it sucked.
Don't give away the ending of the book. You can allude to it very vaguely ("the ending surprised me") but don't say specific plot details.
You're not being graded. Write a review as long or short as you want. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece of art—think of it more as a conversation or what you might tell people you know about this book.
Make sure that you read the book before you review. This seems like it should be obvious but… it's not.

2) Do Amazon reviews actually affect a book's sales?

I have to be honest with you and tell you that I don't yet know for sure as I don't have the "magic number" yet. This is what I understand to be true from conversations with my publisher and other authors:

Around 20-25 reviews, Amazon starts including the book in "also bought" and "you might like" lists. This increases your chances of someone finding your title.
Around 50-70 reviews, Amazon looks at your book for spotlight positions and the newsletter. This is HUGE. This is my personal goal although I use Amazon reviews for other reasons (more later on in this post).
Number of reviews may affect Amazon sales ranking. (Again, this is anecdotal–I have no actual proof of it.)
Some websites will not consider or promote your book unless you have a number of reviews on the page (this is very true of those sites that highlight free promos—I can attest to this).
And, of course, readers may read through your reviews and decide to purchase or not purchase the book based on this.

3) Whatever. I don't care if you sell this wonderful/awful book. Why should I write a review if it doesn't change how you write the next one?

Oh, but it does.

When I read my Amazon reviews, they tell me things that my editor might not. Let's face it, an editor is only one person and even with beta readers, you're working in a group of people who are familiar with the craft of writing. What an author also needs is the opinion of the average reader, that person who just picked up their book and doesn't have an English degree.

While you have to have a tough skin about reviews, as an author, they're very helpful. They can reaffirm something that you were already working on. For instance, I'd already decided to make one of my minor characters in my first book a point-of-view character for the second—my reviews have told me that people wouldn't be uninterested in him. They can also point out things that you need to work on. In my case, exposition!

Likewise, positive reviews tell you what you're doing right. If people rave about your characters, then that's likely a good place to keep going. If reviews talk about the fighting scenes in a positive light, then you know you're making a difference.

So, in short, yes, what you write in that review is fairly likely to change something about the book I'm working on now. Writing is a process.

4) But I really hated the book! Should I still review it?

Here is where I probably differ from some other authors so I'm going to speak only for myself here.

Yes. Absolutely. How will I know where to improve unless I get reviews that tell me so? Yes, it can be painful to read some reviews but am I ever going to say that there isn't truth in them? No.

After the initial sting, I'll read it again and take something home from that. I'll be a better writer for it. To be honest, not everyone likes every book. There are people out there who hate Harry Potter. It would be a little presumptuous to think that all of my reviews would be golden for any book (they're not now and I don't expect that to change. Especially not if anyone reads this post. ).

The only thing that I ask is to please make sure you have something to say about why it is bad. The only review that I've ever been really irritable about was a one-star on an old short horror story I posted for fun where the reader said they were underage and hadn't read it.

Having said all of that, it is really tough to be a small press or self-published author (I am the former). Bad reviews can kill a novel if they're the first ones a book receives or if they're all that the book has. Please hold this in mind if you decide to go forth. This post by Anne R. Allen does a good job of explaining the impact in more detail than I'll get into here.

Now that you've read all of that, if you have any questions, feel free to comment and I'll try to answer them. I am speaking from an author's standpoint but perhaps others will chime in with their own thoughts on the process.

(Feel free to share this post or copy it for your own blog. All I ask is that if you do, please keep my author note here at the bottom.)

Gwen Perkins is a fantasy novelist who is always on the hunt for Amazon reviews for her first novel, The Universal Mirror (Hydra Publications, 2012). She can be contacted through email at gwen@ironangel.net.

Sykosa! An excerpt from a new YA novel by Justin Ordonez

Please enjoy this excerpt from Sykosa, a YA novel (for 18+ readers), by Justin Ordoñez. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including $550 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

First period. American history.

Who knows which is worse. At this hour, it's too early to care. Luckily, it's never too early to bitch and moan. And she would do so, save her teacher is already on it. He's up at the board—in shock that not a pupil noticed how his cuff smudged all his bullet points. Like wrist trajectory were her problem. That's a math problem. And math problems aren't her problem for another two hours. Yawn. He's still going on—something about full attention being on…

Her fingernails.

Fingernails, you see, are better than lectures.

Particularly these lectures. Particularly this class.

She wishes nail polish didn't break the Academy's Personal Code, then her fingernails could be pretty colors, and she'd feel like a pretty girl. They should let her do her nails in class. It's no different from doodling. It also increases hygiene, and in high school, that's nothing to scoff at. She may paint her fingernails this afternoon, just for fun, then remove it and—

Hang on. Her teacher said something will be on a test.

Never mind, she already knows it.

Anyhow, if she does do her nails, she has a problem. She doesn't know what to do. However, she does know she doesn't want to do something she's already done. If she's gonna do her nails for one night, then it'd be nice if it were a departure of some type. Alas, her brain has no ideas. Being pretty is hard! Yet, she likes it so very much. That does it. She needs to talk to Niko. For one, Niko's her best friend. Two, Niko's gifted in the department of being glamorous. And luckily, Niko's her neighbor, so she drafts a note that she passes across the table.

What should I do with my fingernails?

Niko reads the note in delight, then dies of boredom.

I thought you were gonna share good gossip or something.

No, I want to do my fingernails.

Do something slutty. That's always good for a thrill.

That's a good idea.

Niko always has good ideas. Niko's brilliant!

She wishes she were Niko.

And Niko wishes she were Sykosa's breasts. That's me, Sykosa! Well, technically, it's my breasts. Breasts are an urgent topic for Niko, seeing as her prime puberty years have passed, and to Niko's horror, she's all As in the bra and all Ds on her report card. That's harder on a girl than people think. And it's why Niko collapses her cheek on her hand, then inconspicuously stares at those far-bigger boobs. Niko thinks she does it for a second or two. In reality, it's seven or eight. Now, before anyone makes any assumptions, Niko's not gay. She's about as boy-crazy as a girl gets. To the point that she collects boyfriends as if they were Girl Scout badges.

And to be fair, this breast-staring is harmless.

Though every girl has her limits.

Hers have been exceeded. Not by Niko, but by Tom. He also has his cheek in hand, his eyes overcome by her chest—for what is maybe ten or eleven seconds.

Unlike Niko, he's thinking of her as if she were some toy.

He may be right.

In the only snowstorm of the year, as the Academy froze under the sickly sweet smell of a dysfunctional oil furnace, she retreated behind the two bell towers of the Academy chapel. And on that very day, this very boy—in his ski jacket laden with those sticky tags they put on bags at airports—stumbled onto her smoking self and put his tongue in her mouth. It was a bold move. And it impressed her. They didn't need to "talk." Besides, it woulda fucked up the moment. I get shy fast. Accordingly, she kissed him until her heart beat so hard she became faint. It meant something. This feeling. She caught her breath. They sat beside each other. Seconds later, she wished they hadn't stopped, so they restarted, then kept at it.

This time without the tongue.

Niko steals the note, then writes a new one.

Why is he looking at you like that? Only I'm supposed to look at you like that!

Niko's the type who admits her faults shamelessly. While it's slightly backward, Niko does so not as a deterrent from such behaviors, but to enable them. She rarely complains. Because that's Niko. And somehow that excuses everything Niko does. That said, she supposes she's predisposed to Niko's jealously over her body, perhaps to the point of flattery. You see, this Tom-thing is nothing. Or if it is something, it's certainly not enough of something. Not enough for her to buy a prom dress.

Why do you think he is looking at me like that?

Because you * him.

Not to delve too far into the well of note-passing dynamics, but she—and the Queens—use secret codes in case of confiscation. "*" means fuck, in all forms and conjugations. She has not * Tom. She has not * anybody. Her lips quiver at the *. It feels like something she'll put off until she is thirty. Simultaneously, she also feels like it could happen in the immediate future.

Sometimes she just "knows."

Gross.

Afraid?

No!

But, she is afraid. Everything is too complicated. It should not have to be. She goes behind the chapel. He goes behind the chapel. They make out. Simple, right? It's not. Regardless, if even that must be complicated, then certainly the concept that she wants to go to Prom, thus he should ask her to Prom and then they should go to Prom is simple, right? It's not. You see, he has this best friend, this confidante, this main focus, this everything—and her name is not Sykosa, but Mackenzie.

Or as you will soon find out: "M." That's what he calls her.

One random tour commenter will win a $100 Amazon gift card. Just leave a comment on this post, and you'll be entered to win. For a full list of participating blogs, check out the official tour page. You can enter on just my blog or on all of them. Get out there and network!

About the book: YA fiction for the 18+ crowd. Sykosa is a sixteen-year-old girl trying to reclaim her identity after an act of violence shatters her life and the lives of her friends. Set at her best friend's cottage, for what will be a weekend of unsupervised badness, Sykosa will have to finally confront the major players and issues from this event, as well as decide if she wants to lose her virginity to Tom, her first boyfriend, and the boy who saved her from danger. Get it on Amazon.

About the author: Sykosa is Justin Ordoñez's life's work. He hopes to one day settle down with a nerdy, somewhat introverted woman and own 1 to 4 dogs. Visit Justin on his website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

Working on a Worldbook…

While I won't start in earnest until after I finish edits on The Jealousy Glass, I've started scoping out a look and feel for the design of a website devoted to my fantasy series, Artifacts of Empire. I've always loved fantasy novels where the authors created compendiums and gave extra information about their worlds. What better way to say "thank you" to my readers than to create a website where they can see that information at no cost?

I'm still developing what that website will contain (and, I suspect, this will evolve as long as I write Artifacts novels) but here's a sneak peek at what I have so far.

Disclaimer: The text is not final. The image on this page is courtesy of the amazing Jason Kivela, an artist that some might know for his work on The Guild of the Cowry Catchers.

Blog Tour Madness! Artifacts of Empire

Yes, that's right. I'm going on a blog tour to talk more about The Universal Mirror and the other novels in the Artifacts of Empire series. I'll be sharing links via Twitter and FB over the next few days so you can see what's coming up but here's an overview of where to read more about the book!

April 2 – So Simply Sara

April 3 – WTF Are You Reading?

April 4 – Not So Innocent

April 5 – Wolf Majick Reviews

April 6 – The Guardian of the Crossroads

April 7 – Cecilia Robert's Written Word

April 8 – Reading…. Dreaming

And two bonus posts! I'll be featured on The Magick Pen on March 31st and April 1st.

Casting the Novel: The End Begins: The Nine

A warm welcome is due today to Jeffrey Zweig II who joins us again on the blog for a fun guest post that plays off of both his career as a novelist and his film making experience. Today, Jeff is going to give us the scoop on his dream cast for The End Begins: The Nine, available now on Amazon in both print and kindle editions. Thanks for joining us, Jeff!

Hello Readers!

Before we get started, let me thank Gwen for letting me post on her blog today. It's an honor and I'm happy to oblige.

Before becoming a writer, I was a film maker. I took it seriously in high school and throughout college leading into getting my major in 2008 from Indiana State University. Throughout that time I've directed, acted, produced, wrote, been a production assistant, and been an extra. One of my dreams during that time was to have one of my screenplays be a Major Motion Picture, That still holds true today.

I'm always on the lookout for actors who could play the roles of the characters I create. I like to at least know what my characters would look like in the real world given the choice.

Not being so heavily involved with film making these days, I have to go off of stuff I've seen that I've liked, has made the news, or become popular so most of my choices will be known to an American audience. I've no qualms going another direction if an actor can perform the roll.

Cassarah Telmar, our young Alchemist of the Nine, was a hard decision. Cass is young, but has a maturity and discipline going beyond her years. She shows this through her words and her natural demeanor. The role requires the ability to play off an awkwardness from other characters that are "in the know" to the norms of the world she's experiencing for the first time. The role would also require actress to be heavily involved in the action aspect of the film.

My choice for Cassarah Telmar would be Emma Stone.

I've familiar with Emma Stone from her roles in ZombieLand and Crazy Stupid Love. I feel she has that potential for a role like Cass. Her face is so expressive – emotion comes through so subtly, I feel she has the chops to deliver the right kind of characteristic-atmosphere – a know it all like Bones (from the TV series of the same name), pulling off the oblivious super nerd while going through some growing pains. Though one might question her in the physical portion of the role, I think if given some training she could pull it off.

James Kesumare has the look of a young guy but shows hints that he's anything but. At the beginning of the book he's a very typical teenager who's thrown into this parallel world with a magic sword and is the center of the villains plot. But by the end of the movie he's in the thick of the action spouting stuff about wibbly wobbily, out-of-this-world sciencey stuff while blasting bad guys with laser powers. The actor has to showcase that change and be able to be physically capable of the role.

The role of James, for me, would go to Anton Yelchin.

I first saw him in 2009 when Star Trek and Terminator 4 came out. It wasn't until I saw him in the remake of Fright Night that I was convinced that he could do the job. Evidence from The Beaver and Law and Order helps me to solidify that decision.

Just on appearance he looks young (he's only twenty three), but he's shown an immense amount of talent from portraying a vast amount of young men's roles with such variety and believability – this role would fit him since James makes such a dramatic change on his adventure. Anton had had very physical roles in action movies as well that plays in his favor, having done stunts and seems to like actions, paranormal, scifi films.

Caleb Knight is a mess all his own even being older and more experienced than the rest of the trinity. He is divorced, lost a child, he's been battling one war or another for half of his life. And now he's on this crazy adventure that continues to bend backwards almost everything he knows about the world. Yet he remains a rock of stability whereas Cass and James are anything but.

Also the choices I have are American actors, where someone like Caleb is obviously going to be from Europe and might have an accent, I've chosen a person who has the ability to change himself for a role, and one who could slip right in.

My choice for Caleb would be Christian Bale.

Bale's known for gems like American Psycho, the recent Batman franchise, among other things I like such as 3:10 to Yuma, the Fighter, and Terminator 4. He's got the chops for a role like Caleb who is a war vet having to deal with a complex mission and his own feeling towards the crew he's raveling with. Bale is able to put himself into many different roles, have different accents, change his appearance. He also has the physical capability and the presence that the role requires. He would help add some weight and experience to a group who are rather young.

Thanks again for Gwen hosting me! She'll be posting something for my blog very soon. In the meantime, please check out my book on Amazon right now!