Daniel R. Marvello's Blog, page 6

Interview with a Romantic Fantasy Author–Nicolette Andrews

When Nicolette Andrews announced her Diviner’s Prophecy Tour, the timing couldn’t have been better. It just so happens that I’ve been thinking a lot about romantic fantasy lately. My wife is just about to finish her first romance novel, which prompted me to wonder what kind of story she and I might produce in collaboration.

That idle speculation turned into a persistent question: Could we write a romantic fantasy together? She reads fantasy but prefers romance. I read some romance but prefer...

The 5 Characteristics of Magical Fantasy

What does magic mean to you? I’d be surprised if you didn’t have to sit back for a moment and ponder your answer to that question. Magic means different things to different people, but as the founder of the Magic Appreciation Tour (MAT), I’ve had to devise a concrete definition for deciding which books may be listed on the site versus which may not.

I think most of us know magic when we see it. My overall litmus test for whether or not something is magical fantasy is extremely vague but surpr...

Spectacular Spring Equinox Fantasy Sale

A group of 21 authors from the Magic Appreciation Tour(including me!) are getting together for our first group sales event. We’re all offering our books for under $5 each during the Spectacular Spring Equinox Fantasy Sale on March 20-22.

You can choose from over 35 magical fantasy titles. Many of the books are on sale for as low as 99 cents, and some are even free. If you have been looking for a good opportunity to load up on some great summer reading material, here’s your chance! Let us hel...

Has the Digital Slush Pile Changed the Way We Buy Books?

Tracy Falbe, one of my writer friends at the Magic Appreciation Tour, wrote an interesting article on the Digital Book Today blog. The post is titled “Are We Enjoying a Golden Age of Reader Rewards?”

Her post and some of the comments that followed got me thinking about how my own buying habits have changed and how they’ve remained the same in the transition from print to digital reading. One of the commenters lamented the flood of unedited and otherwise poor-quality work that has been release...

The Last Priestess Tour with Elizabeth Baxter

I originally met Elizabeth Baxter at the Writer’s Café on KindleBoards.com where she goes by the whimsical moniker “SmallBlondHippy.” Her comments on the forum made a positive impression on me, so I was happy to see her book registration come through at the Magic Appreciation Tour.

Elizabeth is doing a blog tour to celebrate the release of The Last Priestess, book 1 of The Songmaker, her new epic fantasy series. I’m excited to be hosting a stop on her tour. Her guest post today features an in...

Excerpt from Sorcerer’s Blood by Christopher Kellen

I’ve known Chris Kellen since he joined the Magic Appreciation Tour on February 11, 2012. I think of him as one of the founding members since he joined within the first month after the site was launched. Over the past year and many emails, we’ve become friends. He has been a great supporter of the MAT as well as his fellow magical fantasy authors. Thank you Chris!

It is with great pleasure that I present an excerpt from Chris’ latest work in his Elements of Sorcery Series, Sorcerer’s Blood. T...

Vanna Smythe’s Anniversary of the Veil Tour

I’m happy to be hosting Vanna Smythe today on her Anniversary of the Veil blog tour. Vanna recently released Decision Maker, which is the sequel to her book Protector, the first volume in her “Anniversary of the Veil” series. Vanna is giving away two copies of Decision Maker as part of her tour, so be sure to sign up to win at the bottom of this post.

I’ve known Vanna for quite a while now. We first met through Rachael Harrie’s Platform Building Campaign in 2011, back before either of us had...

Kindle X-Ray and the Vaetra Unveiled Cast of Characters

One of my beta readers for Vaetra Unveiled suggested that I include a glossary of character names in the book. It was a good suggestion, but I was so wrapped up in revisions that I forgot about it until after the book was published. However, it’s never too late to publish the information on the Internet! I think character summaries would be a nice “extra” to offer my readers on the Vaetra Chronicles web site.

Reading with X-Ray Eyes

I decided to embark on this project because I recently learn...

The Final Paragraph

Today, I typed out the final paragraph of my work-in-progress, Vaetra Untrained. My wife knew it too, because heard me exclaim from across the house.

I don't know how other authors feel about the final paragraph, but for me it is a moment of big excitement. I feel my nerves start to tingle as I watch those last words appear on the digital page. My fingers hit the last few keys extra hard. When I stop typing, I stare at the words that represent the culmination of months of work, and my chest...

Guest Post by Tracy Falbe: Dacian, the future King of the rys

I'm pleased that The Vaetra Files is a stop on Tracy Falbe's Feel Real Fantasy Blog Tour, which celebrates the completion of her Rys Rising series. I read and enjoyed the first book of her series, so I jumped at the chance to host her character spotlight on Dacian, the lead character of Rys Rising: Book I. Be sure to enter Tracy's drawing for a $25 Etsy gift card after you enjoy her post.

I met Tracy Falbe through the Magic Appreciation Tour and have been impressed by her commitment to her w...