Intisar Khanani's Blog, page 11
October 29, 2015
The Indecisive Novelist’s Characters Converse…
If these characters were mostly women and a bit more diverse, they would definitely be in my books…
October 12, 2015
Awesome Indies Read to Review Program
Hey folks! Awesome Indies has just launched a Read to Review program, where they’ll provide review copies of AI-approved books in return for an honest review. All of my reads are AI-approved, and I’ve generally been impressed with the caliber of the stories that get through the (rather rigorous) vetting process. They list books in many genres, so be sure to check out their website as well!
Read on to learn more about the Read to Review program and link to the sign up form (all text below sourced from the AI website).
Awesome Indies Books invites you to join our Read to Review program. If you sign up, once a month we will email you details of the Awesome Indies approved books that are up for review. You then have two weeks to let us know if you’d like to read any of them. The author will then send you the book in whatever file suits your ereader.
In return for this free read, you agree to:
Post a review on the Awesome Indies Book site, Amazon, and on one other review site (eg your blog, B&N, Kobo, or GoodReads) within two months of receiving of the book.
The review should be a minimum of 100 words and include the following at the end: I received this book free from Awesome Indies Books in return for an honest review.
When completed, email the administrator the links to your review on the three sites. If for some reason you didn’t finish the book or don’t feel you can review it for any other reason, then please let us know why. If after two months you don’t leave a review and we don’t hear from you, we will remove you from the reviewers list.
All the books you’ll be offered have already passed Awesome Indies approval—that means they’re good. Though you may not like a book, we can guarantee they’ll be well-written and edited.
To sign up, click here: Read to Review Program
September 29, 2015
99-cent sale on The Key of Amatahns + A Giveaway
Author friend Elisabeth Wheatley has the first book in her YA epic fantasy series on sale for only 99 cents. I really enjoyed this book, and that was before she released a fully re-edited version. (Okay, she was what, sixteen, when she first published it? And she’s written five books since? It can only have gotten awesomely better.) Anyhoot, it’s well worth a read, especially if you like a heroine who doesn’t have to kick butt to, well, kick butt. Janir is compassionate and smart. Nuff said.
Oh wait, there’s also a signed paperback giveaway and a $25 Amazon gift card. And there’s no cliff hanger ending! So go forth and read!
July 18, 2015
The Lemorian Crest Cover Reveal
Today we’ve got the new cover for “The Lemorian Crest” by author-friend Hannah Clark … and it’s a stunner. Without further ado…
The Lemorian Crest (Cobbogoth #2)
by Hannah L. Clark
Release Date: July 2015
Summary from Goodreads:
After being raised from infancy in Boston, Mass., Noria (a.k.a Norah Lukens) has no idea what to expect upon entering New Cobbogoth, where she never would have guessed that paths of light can make you vanish; doors can lead to realms both near and far; myths and legends are actual history; a mere kiss can seal two souls as one; and, of course, a stone is never “just a stone.” Her Uncle Jack’s stories never could have prepared her for the magical and dangerous place her native realm is turning out to be.
When the Gihara’s promises begin to crumble, her best friend and soul-mate Jamus (a.k.a. James Riley) is in more danger than ever. Then when his father Lylend abandons her to search for an ancient relic called The Lemorian Crest and she is taken captive by the very people she’s risked everything to save, Noria begins to lose faith in the Cobbogothian gods and the mission they sent her home to accomplish.
Only when a series of new friendships and loyalties are forged in the most peculiar of places, does Noria dare hope again. Hope for Jamus’ safety, for their future together, and for the survival of the entire Cobbogothian race.
Book 1: Uncovering Cobbogoth was published in 2014 by Cedar Fort Publishing.
Source: The Lemorian Crest Cover Reveal
July 16, 2015
Quoth the Raven…
One last chapter to draft… guess I better go write some more!
July 14, 2015
Review: Mourning Cloak by Rabia Gale
This has to be my favorite read from the last couple of months. It’s ultra short folks–not even 25k words, which kind of straddles the line between novelette and novella. But it is well worth the read–it packs action, character development, and a fantastic world into one tight little package. And, to top it all off, Mourning Cloak is FREE on Smashwords for this month only (July 2015)–use code SSW50 at checkout! And if you miss that, it’s still only 99 cents.
Ha! That’s not even my review…
GoodReads | Amazon | Smashwords
The Blurb
Kato Vorsok is a man deserted by his god. A failed hero living in exile, he wants nothing to do with his old life.
Until the night he encounters a wounded mourning cloak—a demon that can walk through walls, dissolve into mist, and spear a man’s heart with a fingernail.
She calls him by name. She knows his past. She needs his help.
And she is his key to redemption.
A science fantasy novella.
Review
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
I’ve been on a kick lately, enjoying some awesome new indie reads… first Andrea K. Host, now Rabia Gale. Mourning Cloak is science fantasy novella where magic mixes with mech, and gods reveal the patterns of the world to their chosen ones, and scientists twist ethics in their laboratories, purportedly for the good of humankind. That right there is the basis for a fantastic story, and Gale doesn’t disappoint with her characters. Kato Vorsok was once the Chosen One, and now he mixes drinks for theater-goers. He is bitter, and broken, and soul-weary, and then a demon creature (a mourning cloak) speaks his name and looks at him with human eyes. And just like that, Kato begins to make choices again, choosing his steps, choosing his questions, choosing who and what to fight for, choosing to live or die. As for the mourning cloak… Gale did a wonderful job unraveling the mystery of who / what she is, keeping you intrigued and stringing you along for the perfect reveal.
Story aside, Gale has a gift for language. I paused a couple of times just to savor a particular description–I can’t remember the last time I did that. Just sat and let a description sink in, let the images come to life in my mind. Additionally, Gale is a minimalist when it comes to world building, and I mean this in the best way. No info dumps. No ten-page-long let-me-explain-the-gods-and-the-government-to-you spiels. Instead, you step right into a very rich world, and get only just enough info to put the world together as you go. It keeps you thinking, keeps you intrigued as you put the puzzle of the world together in your mind, and I loved it. However, if you prefer the world to be explained to you, even a little, I suggest taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and just going with the flow with this story. Guaranteed, if you pay attention (don’t skim!), 99% of your questions will either be answered or at clarified enough so that you know the answers will come and you’re good with that.
The only slight hitch I hit in this read was in perspective changes. The story moves back and forth between Kato’s perspective and the mourning cloak’s, and there were a couple times when I didn’t know whose head I was in. I figured it out, and backpedaled a few paragraphs to get in the right perspective, but I wish that there had been earlier cues or some sort of indicator. But I enjoyed the story enough to not mind terribly.
In short, Mourning Cloak is a masterfully told story with flawed and broken characters, set in a truly fantastic world. I will definitely be reading more!
About the Author
Rabia Gale breaks fairy tales and fuses fantasy and science fiction. She loves to write about battered-but-still-battling heroes, transformation and redemption, and things from outer space. In her spare time, she reads, doodles, eats chocolate, and homeschools her children.
Rabia grew up in hot humid Karachi, Pakistan. She then spent almost a decade in the frozen American Northeast among the trees, mountains, and moose. She now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and three children.
July 9, 2015
Why I’m An Indie Author (Peanuts Version)
True story. I got tired of waiting, so I figured I’d better publish it myself. 
July 6, 2015
Book Release Blast: Spiderworld by Richard Bunning
Today I’m happy to share the release of Spiderworld by Richard Bunning. Richard writes metaphysical sci-fi, and we are both part of the Awesome Indies. I’m looking forward to checking this read out!
Looking for something different?
AIA Publishing has just released its fifth book, and in line with previous fiction titles, the book has a unique voice and a metaphysical bent. Spiderworld by Richard Bunning turns the tables on humans and spiders, and makes you think about humankind’s relationship with animals and with each other.
Not even the time-lord, Orlando Oversight, knows everything. But speculation can turn into a real future, and the Lush Star system, where spider-like beings treat humans as we do animals, isn’t such a distant dream away.
Do Jack Baker, the self-styled ‘Spartacus’, and his followers have a future as more than meat and slaves? Will Athalie have the life she hopes for with her hero? And will the ‘spider’ Boklung hold his business together while funding and organising the Arcraft’s voyage across the Milky Way?
Spiderworld is another of Richard Bunning’s quirky, speculative, science fictions.
Is it any good?
Of course it is. It’s published by AIA Publishing, a selective publisher with high standards in quality control. It’s also Awesome Indies Approved and has been nominated for an Awesome Indies Seal of Excellence in fiction.
Will I like it?
Here’s what the Awesome Indies review says:
This is a unique read in so many ways, and I loved it. Eight-limbed “spiders” rule the Multiverse. Humans (yeng) are an enslaved species, and also provide delicious meat to the Aranians. This was a book that pulled me into its pages. If you love sci-fi, alien worlds, even a bit of romance, then you’re bound to love this book.
Where can I buy it?
Who is Richard?
Richard is a citizen of the United Kingdom and New Zealand, but currently resides in Switzerland. He has seven substantive books published, plus one gift-market book written with few words and many short stories appearing in a number of anthologies. His novels are all speculative science fiction while his short pieces cover many genres. He’s also written ‘modern’ English language versions of French neoclassical plays that spouted from some quite different region of his author personality.
Details on all Richard’s writing, including free stories and ‘bloggins’, plus his reviews of many other writers’ works, can be found at:- http://richardbunningbooksandreviews.com
June 16, 2015
Shards Blog Tour: Author / Character Interview and Giveaway!
Today I’m happy to welcome F.J.R. Titchenell and Matt Carter to the blog. They’re the author team behind “Splinters” and now “Shards.” Read on for a fun interview between them and their characters, plus a chance to enter a giveaway for an autographed copy of “Shards!”
Book Name: The Prospero Chronicles: Shards
Author Name: F.J.R. Titchenell (Fiona) & Matt Carter
Character Name: Mina Todd & Ben Pastor
Website: www.fjrtitchenell.weebly.com and www.mattcarterauthor.weebly.com
To start us off, can you sum up your novel in a tweet? (140 characters or less)
Fiona: Prospero High crawls with Shards, a more dangerous breed of shapeshifters who mean to destroy Ben and Mina’s friendship. #YA #Horror #SciFi
Matt: It’s got monsters, flamethrowers, high school intrigue & a crazy guy with a hook. What more do we need to say?
Not much! This series is definitely high on my TBR list!
So, Fiona and Mina, how did you two meet and how long ago was it?
Fiona: It feels like Mina’s been around my whole life, but it’s only been a few years. We’ve been through a lot in that time (a full finished manuscript’s worth beyond Splinters and Shards, in fact). I found her digging through the clutter of her desk, looking for some detail of the Splinters’ activities that she couldn’t find in the clutter of her head. I knew I was going to have to drag her outside more than she’d like.
Matt and Ben?
Matt: I’ve always been a sucker for classic adventure and Ben’s about as classical a hero as they come. He’s honest and strong and can be a little sarcastic when he needs to be. I kind of felt bad for the guy when he auditioned for this story because of what we knew we were going to put him through, but he said he was up for anything, and I think he’s delivered.
I think it might just be the role of the author to take perfectly nice people and do terrible things to them… just to see if they hold up!
What was your first impression of each other?
Fiona: I knew she was special. I knew she was a hero who could stand out among interchangeable cyphers.
Mina: I no longer believe in the existence of a merciful creator.
Matt: I thought Ben was honest, handsome and strong. Basically everything I hated in high school, so I knew he’d be a great foil for Mina.
Ben: Hey!
Mina, don’t give up hope! I mean, at least I’m hoping that you’ll be okay at the end of the series…
Fiona and Mina, what’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened between you two?
Fiona: Well, there was that Valentine’s poem we wrote together. Mina doesn’t know I helped her with it, of course. That’s not until Slivers, though. How about that time I had to get her arrested just so she’d sit still for our last character interview?
Matt and Ben?
Matt: Probably that time I had Ben hanging off the edge of a roof while trying to break into a friend’s house on the suspicion that he might be an alien.
Ben: What about the Madison thing?
Matt: We can’t talk about that, because a) it’s a spoiler, and b) it’s more a nightmare experience than embarrassing.
Ben: Speak for yourself.
Bad love poetry … yep, we’re definitely talking about a horror story now! You guys sound like you have a lot of fun together.
Fiona, what do you feel the worst about doing to Mina?
Fiona: Oh, so many choices. Isolating her from sympathetic and responsible adults. Taking so many people she cared about. Giving her brain damage, for the love of god. Designing the villain of Shards, who’s going to do some things even she’s never been prepared for. But the worst is yet to come.
Matt, what do you feel worst about doing to Ben?
Matt: Probably the entirety of Ben’s October from Shards. I really torture the guy. And it may or may not have to do with the alleged “Madison thing” that Ben was referring to in the previous question.
Yep, we authors definitely have in for our characters…
Mina, if you could say just one thing to Fiona, what would it be?
Mina: If there were a being or beings watching over me with the power to alter the course of events, I wouldn’t have much to say to them. I don’t negotiate with genocidal warlords, and I don’t beg.
You sound like my kinda heroine…
Ben, if you could say just one thing to Matt, what would it be?
Ben: Despite all the hell you put me through regularly, I wouldn’t trade my time in Prospero for anything. I’ve made good friends, had some fun (even some of the fighting Splinters time falls under this, believe it or not), and in some crazy way actually hope for a future here.
If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would all of you do?
Fiona: Sleep in, go do something terrible and lazy for breakfast with Matt, either donuts or waffles depending on how long the drive is to whatever we’re doing for the rest of the day. Then it’s Disneyland, or the zoo, or a year-round horror event if we can find one, or even better, a Halloween haunt should it happen to be the season. Or if money is an issue or we’re tired, maybe just stay in all day playing videogames together and order a pizza.
Matt: What Fiona said. That’s actually a pretty perfect answer for us.
Mina: This is extremely hypothetical. As long as there are Splinters, protecting humanity will be my constant responsibility. In an alternate, Splinterless world, I’d have to ask Ben or Haley for suggestions, assuming they’d even be talking to me in that alternate world. They’re far more qualified for the mission of fun than I am, which is part of why I like having them around.
Ben: Spend a day with friends, Haley, Kevin, Mina (of course) and maybe even Aldo. Try to get Mina to live a little. Maybe stifle a laugh or two at her resistance to trying to get her to live a little, since she can be really good at digging in her heels.
Sounds like fun… especially the donuts for breakfast!
Mina & Ben, what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to someone? Why?
Mina: I killed my boyfriend with a bottle of lighter fluid and a match. It was complicated.
Ben: I’ve been fortunate enough not to ever have to do anything really bad to anyone, but I get the impression that the longer I stay in Prospero, the more likely I’ll have to compromise on that.
Note to self: don’t cross Mina. Ever.
Fiona, what are you working on at the moment? And does Mina figure in it?
I’m far from finished with Mina. Shards is the second of five installments in The Prospero Chronicles, but Matt and I are taking a break between parts three and four, so no, apart from a recent teaser short story on my blog, she hasn’t been involved in my recent work. Right now, Matt and I are wrapping up the first draft of a YA Horror-Comedy duel of wits between a professional final girl and an ancient god of fear called Agent Ingénue Vs The Lord of Terror. Like Mina, Agent Virginia Pierce is serious about protecting humanity, but she could certainly teach Mina a thing or two about having fun.
Matt, what are you working on at the moment? And does Ben figure in it?
Ben’s on the sidelines for now, as Fi and I have been working on Agent Ingenue Vs. The Lord of Terror, a very, very strange horror-comedy/love letter to horror movies that we’re very excited about. I’m also in the planning stages for my next solo novel, a less common take on a classic alien invasion that I think might be a fun read.
I’m intrigued! Sounds like a fun project, and I definitely understand the need to change up the projects you’re working on now and then.
Fiona & Matt, what have you read in the last few months that you really enjoyed?
Fiona: Most of the novels I’ve read so far this year have been ones from existing favorite authors that I knew I was going to enjoy, but one really pleasant surprise I picked up was the first collection of the new Ms. Marvel comics, No Normal. Kamala Khan has me hooked.
Matt: I’ve been making my way through the A Song of Ice & Fire series very slowly and having fun most of the time, and reading a lot of comics (Kingdom Come may be one of my favorite superhero stories of all time, not sure). Right now reading an oral history of the TV show Survivor by one of the show’s biggest fan writers, When It Was Worth Playing For, that’s as funny as it is insightful.
I so need to get my hands on the Ms. Marvel comics!
Thanks for a wonderful interview! I really enjoyed it.
If you’d like to find out more about Shards, and enter the giveaway, read on!
Or buy it here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Synopsis:
When autumn descends on Prospero, Ben Pastor hopes that the normality of the new school year may offer a reprieve from the town’s horrors. Mina Todd knows all too well that there are no reprieves and no normality in Prospero, especially after she starts having crippling, unexplained hallucinations of the dead, but even she couldn’t prepare for what the coming year holds.
On top of the Splinters’ brewing civil war threatening to make humanity its battleground, inside the walls of Prospero High, Ben, Mina, and their expanding Network must face a Splinter campaign to destroy their friendship, a newly human Haley Perkins struggling to readjust to life after the Warehouse, and a Splinter assassin of untold power picking off human rebels.
Ben and Mina’s one hope may rest with a mysterious figure hiding in the woods outside of town, a living legend who may know how to stop this dangerous new breed of Splinter. That is, assuming he doesn’t kill everyone first himself.
“A snapping, crackling, popping homage to classic horror that alludes to no optimistic resolution—all the more reason for a series.” —Kirkus Reviews on Splinters
About the Authors
F.J.R TITCHENELL and MATT CARTER met and fell in love in a musical theatre class at Pasadena City College and have been insep- arable ever since. Though they have both dreamed of being writers from a very young age, they both truly hit their stride after they met, bouncing ideas off of one another, forcing each other to strive to be better writers, and mingling Matt’s lifelong love of monsters with Fiona’s equally disturbing inability to let go of high school. Titchenell and Carter live in San Gabriel, California.
Find Matt here: Facebook | Twitter | Blog
Find Fiona here: Facebook | Twitter | Blog
And now for the giveaway…
