Eleni Konstantine's Blog: Eleni's Taverna, page 19

Trailer Thursday: Into Darkness (aka Star Trek 2)

You've probably seen this already, but it looks very cool. The next Star Trek installment, Into Darkness.

Oh, yeah, baby....




Youtube link



clever use of negative space in the poster.

Writing Buddy Wednesday: Jenny Schwartz

Today, I have fellow DarkSider and Google+ buddy, Jenny Schwartz. Jenny writes steampunk and paranormal romances. I've known Jenny sometime due to blogging and the DarkSide of course. I can't wait to finally meet her at next year's Freo conference...which brings us to 


Location, Location, Location
For some authors, setting is literally background, but for me, setting is more like another character. It interacts with my hero or heroine to reveal aspects of them to readers. 
With the internet, researching a setting is a cinch. You can even “drive” down many streets using Google Earth. So it’s funny that with all this information available, I’ve set a number of my stories in an environment familiar to me: Fremantle, Australia.



Fremantle is Australia’s main Indian Ocean port. For romance authors and readers, you’ll recognise it as the setting for next year’s Romance Writers of Australia conference. It’s also where I went to high school. And I’ve used it as the setting for my Bustlepunk Chronicles (during the 1890s Goldrush) as well as my most recent contemporary romance, Drawing Closer .

Although set over a hundred years apart, these stories share one of the huge advantages of using a familiar setting: details slide effortlessly into the story and bring it alive. 



So yes, research is great. Research is fun! but there is a special joy in sharing a place you love with readers. 

Drawing Closer is available from Harlequin’s new Australian digital imprint, Escape Publishing. It’s a short story (10,000 words), which is an interesting new development. I hope to see lots more short stories with the growth of digital publishing. 

Zoe Loyola has a secret. Just between her and her sketchbook, she loves sculptor Nick Gordon. Her drawings of him are hot and naked.

Nick has a secret, too. He’s being blackmailed. Protecting his family means ignoring his desire for Zoe.

But in the world of art, passion breaks every rule and secrets are made for sharing.


*** 
Jenny Schwartz is a West Australian author. Her high school yearbook predicted she’d be a writer – something about always having her nose in a book. When not living up to others’ expectations, she enjoys lazy days in the suburbs and is working on a collection of life-saving recipes, “Simple Meals for Forgetful Cooks”.

You can catch up with Jenny at her website, on Twitter and Facebook .


~~~~Thanks, Jenny. 

Book review

I got a good book review for Gateway to Hell from Jamie K over at Julie's Book Reviews.

Zeta's already not much of a people person. Maybe that makes her perfect for sweeping demons up into her personal gateways to hell. Unfortunately the whole " I can open and close gateways to Hell" doesn't really help in any other aspect of a personal life though. Meeting Daniel Richards though is a bit refreshing since once he believes her he sees it as a definite bonus. Downside...can Zeta trust herself to not hurt Daniel. She can't live with more mistakes. What she doesn't know though, is that she can't live without him either. Tricky Demons...

Good starter book. Looking forward to the next one, hopefully it will be longer!! Would have enjoyed to read it a while longer. 3.75 out of 5 stars. As warned before the first page, this book has very adult content!

I REALLY REALLY wanted to give this 4 stars but this wasn't long enough

You know what I have to do with Warder 2 right? Make it longer. 
It was lovely getting this when I've been so fogged. Makes me feel like a real writer. :)
~yia~

The joy of brain fog

As you can guess from the title of this post, I am in the midst of some serious brain fog. It's been a struggle the last couple of weeks, but I'm resting up and trying not to put too much pressure on myself. I figure I've had a very busy year and have achieved a lot.

I:

went back to studywas on the organising committee of Diamonds Are Foreverhad TWO releases - Enchanted Realms and Gateway to Hell have continued with my design businessdid two courses at the beginning of the year - time management, and one on sensesrejigged my epic fantasy and sent to competitionsand of course there is the usual run around, personal stuff to do.

No wonder my brain is feeling like it's in blanket. :)
I had planned to be further along in catching up with my writing, and I've done some (yay!), but I'm not as far along as I'd like to be. 
Warder Tale 2 has more words, but I've come up with a character and a group, and I need to know who and what they are before I move on. So that's been percolating. And percolating is good.
Short stories - I had an old fantasy short story that I didn't have the original computer file, so I typed it up again (thank goodness I had printed it out). As I was doing this, I realised  this has the potential to be  a novelette or a novella. So I want to flesh a couple of things out for that before I write - I know, actual semi-plotting involved. The horror!
Dragon story - I've get to get into this one at all because of the brain fog. So I'm leaving it until after Christmas and hopefully I will be a little more rested. Of course, if I find I have a good day and can work on it, I'll do that, but no pressure.
Before I know it, I'll be back at school with deadlines, and I think I'll take a moment to relish not having any for the moment. Even if it's only for a little while. 
The brain fog is telling me to slow down, so I'm listening.
~yia~

Musa Monday: Ted Mendelssohn

Welcome to Musa Monday. My special guest today is Ted Mendelssohn who is talking historical fudges. Take it away, Ted. 



It ain't what you don't know that will kill you. It's what you DO know that just ain't so.

That's my take-away after finishing one historical fantasy and getting deep into the next. The Wrong Sword series is set in the High Middle Ages, during the years of Richard the Lion-Hearted, Saladin, and Eleanor of Aquitaine. When I started writing it, I made a bargain with myself (and the readers): I would fudge history whenever I wanted to, for the sake of the story…but I would know that I was fudging it.

For instance, my characters have a distinctly modern outlook on life. My villain, the Duke of Brittany, is so far out of the feudal mindset that he genuinely contemplates reviving the Roman Empire. There's a noble knight who grovels to a peasant and is fascinated by con games, and a princess who speaks in Postmodern jargon, not to mention a monk who's dangerously ahead of his time in technological terms.

But as a writer, I can get away with it, because the readers know it's a gag, and they're in on it. The result (I'd like to think) is that if a real historian reads the book, he won't be mortally offended; he might even pick up on a few of the in-jokes.

But what happens if the fudge isn't intentional? If, in fact, it's just a flat-out mistake?  I made at least one of those, when I portrayed King John – yes, that King John – as tall, dark, handsome and psychotic. I did this even though a thirty-second glance at Wikipedia would tell you that John was actually a stocky red-head (like his dad) with maturity and anger issues - a competent administrator, but with absolutely no tact. (This John is actually more interesting than the guy I created; worthy of his own novel, in fact.) I could have made that work, probably. But I messed up. Ouch.

Now I'm on Book Two, and things are even more complicated. I'm dealing with half a dozen topics that are less familiar to me than the Angevin Empire: the Crusades, Saladin, Byzantium, the Assassins, the pioneering mechanical works of Hero of Alexandria. It is inevitable that I'm going to make mistakes. Big mistakes. Huge giant honkers of error.

But you know what? To heck with it. I'm already including at least one magic sword…and I'm almost certain that's a fudge.

~~~ Thanks, Ted! Magic swords exist somewhere, I'm sure of it... ;0)
Here's the blurb for The Wrong Sword ....

For a thousand years, Excalibur has been the sword of heroes.
Unfortunately, its new owner isn’t one.

Ever since he arrived in Paris, Henry the Rat has made a pretty good living selling “magic” swords to gullible knights. But when Henry sells one to Geoffrey Plantagenet, brother to King Richard, his happy days are over for good. Geoffrey forces Henry into a dangerous, uncomfortable quest for the most famous magic sword of all time, Excalibur, even though Henry is certain that it’s just a myth.

Then Henry actually finds Excalibur - and his troubles really start: For Excalibur is not just the sword of heroes…it’s also the sword that won’t SHUT UP. It communicates with its owner, it knows what kind of owner it deserves, and Henry doesn’t even come close.

To keep Excalibur and the world safe from the appalling Geoffrey, Henry will have to masquerade as a knight, crash a royal wedding, rescue a princess, break a siege, penetrate the secrets of the Perilous Brotherhood, and find Excalibur’s rightful bearer, all while trying to reach an accommodation with a snotty, aristocratic hunk of steel that mocks him, takes over his body, and keeps trying to turn him into the one thing he hates most…a hero.


You can find The Wrong Sword for purchase at Musa.

Super Sunday: 13 Days of Christmas + regular programming

Check it out at Musa's site...


Now onto the weekly quote


The super piccie


The cute piccie



The funnies





Have a super week!
~yia~

Shout Out Saturday: DarkSiders

There are so many writing buddies I do have and of course who write wonderful books, so I thought I'd give out a shout out every so often to releases.

December brings a number of great new releases, so admire the covers, read the blurbs, check out their websites, and by then I think you will be ready to put these books on your reading lists....



When Aurora Robinson attempts to open a rift between dimensions to embrace her true heritage, an arrogant Archangel is the only one who can save her from the jaws of hell. And while she owes Gabriel her life, she’s determined not to fall at his feet-despite the desire she feels whenever they’re together.

After his wings were brutally destroyed millennia ago, Gabriel has no compassion for humans like those who ruined him and betrayed the ones he loved. But when he inexplicably finds himself defying ancient protocols to rescue a woman from a fate worse than death, he is shocked by the searing attraction he feels for a mortal.

As the ancient forces that seek to punish Aurora for her actions close in, Gabriel offers the tempting woman protection at his private sanctuary. But as they both succumb to their desires, they discover an even deeper connection-one that threatens to consume them.
christinaashcroft.com
Carrie Thatcher is a tough Imperial counter-terrorism agent. Her mission: pose as a sexy cyber-thief to entrap the notorious rebel Dragonfly, who’s planning a heist on the space station Casa de Esperanza; a orbital casino on the fringe of Imperial space.
And this assignment’s personal: Dragonfly murdered her closest friend, and she’s in no mood to show him mercy. Even getting stuck with the partner from hell—Malachite, her sociopathic ex-lover and the Empire’s most dangerous agent—can’t dampen her relish for the kill.

With Carrie’s expert weapons skills and penchant for cracking codes, insinuating herself into Dragonfly’s confidence should be easy. But is he the ruthless killer she was led to believe? Or has her precious Empire deceived her? With Malachite watching her every move, the slightest flinch in loyalty means death.

Carrie is soon racing to uncover an audacious treachery that will shock the Empire to its core … if she can stay alive for long enough to expose it. 
ericahayes.net

Cate Reynolds is lost in the middle of the Australian bush, all because of one fatally attractive man.

Reece Johnson’s not just a threat to her libido, but her peaceful paranormal existence. In order to avoid revealing her darkest secret, Cate needs to stay as far away from Reece’s irresistible appeal as possible.

But how can she when they’re forced to share a tent? In the sultry heat of summer, Cate will discover just how incredible dreams can be and that sometimes they can also come true.


ctgreen-author.com






When a newly-forged alliance sees her older sister pledged to the man Leila has fallen in love with, she flees her tribe in the wastelands and seeks anonymity inside the Fortress. Years later, she learns her sister has refused to honour the agreement. The forfeit – another mate or a cache of the prized yellow sapphires – must be paid or her remaining family will be banished. For Leila, the role of second choice is not an option. With the sapphires in her possession, Leila must decide – pay up now, or keep silent and take one long, hot night with the mate of her heart.



segilchrist.com 


For sculptor Lottie Williams, entering her work, Triumvirate in the Carve the Wind exhibition is the culmination of her career. What she doesn’t count on is the incendiary lust between her and the curators, James and Magda. While she’s at first happy to play, she rapidly gets out of her depth when she confuses business with pleasure. Against the wild backdrop of the Pacific Ocean her work is displayed to great acclaim. But all she wants, all she can think about is being back in the bed of the two people who have laid claim to her heart and soul.



keziahhill.com







Do androids dream of electric sugar plums?

A detective who refuses to modify her body teams up with her cyborg rival to track down a burglar who is putting toys into homes. A solitary ice miner finds love and friendship while stranded on the surface of Galileo. And two hardheaded negotiators put their differences aside to evade an assassin and save their planets. Enjoy these visions of Christmases yet to come with three science-fiction novellas from Carina Press.

Edited by Angela James, this anthology includes:
How the Glitch Saved Christmas, by Stacy Gail
Galileo's Holiday, by Sasha Summers
Winter Fusion, by Anna Hackett




Ex-space marine Savan Bardan survived the Galactic Wars to become the most ruthless trade negotiator in the galaxy. His planet needs energy to survive, and he'll do anything to close the deal for the Perman fusion crystals that can provide it—even if it means seducing his beautiful, infuriating opponent, a rival icier than her planet.

Perma's top negotiator, Brinn Fjord, lost her father when Savan delayed her planet's Trade Guild membership years ago. She hates the handsome Rendarian and the planet he represents. She's determined to finish the deal and get rid of him as quickly as possible, so she can celebrate the holidays.

But soon the rival negotiators are in a fight for their lives. Besieged by mysterious accidents and unforgiving weather, Brinn and Savan have no one to depend on but each other. As they put the past aside, they uncover a desire hot enough to melt ice, and Brinn discovers a secret that may keep them apart.

annahackettbooks.com



More to come for this column in coming months....

~yia~

Follow Friday: my other blogs

I'm going to showcase my other blogs and ask nicely if people can follow them. No pressure :)


Eleni's Libary - elenis-library.blogspot.com

The place where I write about the books I'm reading and the challenges I'm taking part in. This year hasn't been a great one in numbers for reading. But I'm reading and that's the main thing.




HelzKat Designs - www.helzkatdesigns.com

Where I blog about the designs I do as HelzKat Designs.
I also have a Facebook page at facebook.com/HelzKatDesigns



Dark Side DownUnder - darksidedownunder.blogspot.com


A blog I share with other members of the paranormal group from Romance Writers of Australia. Lots of information weekly about what are members are up to and their good news. 


SARA News -   romancesa.com/news.html
My monthly face to face writing group. With more members, there is also more good news.



Romance Writers of Australia - romanceaustralia.wordpress.com

Lots of great posts. I'm doing the New Releases now, but I also will be doing the upcoming conference blog spotlights, which I also did for the Gold Coast conference this year. I seem to always go back to blogging on this blog.



So why not follow these blogs.... oh, and if you're new to this blog - welcome - and why not follow from the sidebar.

~yia~

Poster Thursday

Going hand in hand with trailers are the movie posters....

I was looking at some movie posters (as you do) and found some for upcoming/recent movies. These are all very enticing. Some I've been waiting for 'The Hobbit', 'Man of Steel'. Others I have no idea what they are about.

One that looks cool is 'Hansel and Gretel'. Love a tale with an unexpected twist.

The Oz posters look marvellous, and fairy other-landish.

And what do you know, there's a Carrie remake.









 




Is there any film you are waiting to see? And if you knew nothing abou the films, would these entice you?

~yia~

Wonderfully Wacked Wednesday News...

I couldn't wait until Fantabulous Friday for this. While it's fantabulous, it's totally wonderfully wicked.

My publisher, Musa Publishing, has scored a major deal!


Below is the press release that was on the Musa blog (reposted with permission)



And it all has to do with this.....





Yep, Roger Rabbit is coming to Musa!!! How about that. I'm with the same publishing house as Roger Rabbit.

Now for the Press Release....


Musa Publishing, an independent digital-first publisher, has announced today that they will publish Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? by author Gary K. Wolf, the third book featuring Wolf's iconic character, Roger Rabbit, and the denizens of Toontown.


"When I first got a submission in the inbox from Gary K. Wolf, creator of Roger Rabbit, I must admit that I didn't take it seriously. After all, why would such a well-known author be coming to Musa?" confesses Musa Editorial Director, Celina Summers. "But after I read his submission, all my doubts were erased. No other author in the world has that distinct narrative voice. Rather quickly, we accepted two novels from Gary—The Late Great Show! and Typical Day—and Gary became part of the Musa family. But even then, I never expected he'd bring us a Roger Rabbit novel. "

Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? is the culmination of a twenty year wait for fans of the world that Wolf first created in his 1981 Hugo-winning Who Censored Roger Rabbit? The third installment in the series has been promised to fans for a long time but never released. Now, with the 25th anniversary of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? on the horizon in 2013 and  and confirmation of a completed Roger Rabbit 2 script by director Robert Zemeckis last week stirring up excitement among Roger Rabbit fans, the collaboration between Wolf and Musa is coming at a significant time.

"I could easily have published Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? through a major print publishing house. Instead, I choose to make this the first book of the Roger Rabbit series to be published digitally," Wolf states. "That decision evolves directly from the way I work, from the core philosophy of what I write and why I write it. I always push the boundaries in my writing. I invent worlds that nobody else ever thought about. I create unique characters and situations. I try to always be at the forefront of my craft. That includes the way my writing is presented to my readers. Digital publishing is clearly the future. It’s the way books are headed, so I’m heading that way, too."

With his first book at Musa, The Late Great Show!, released in October and his second novel, Typical Day, coming out on December 7, Wolf is no stranger to the Musa system. "I especially like the way Musa has taken digital publishing into areas that I never thought of. Using proprietary software, I’m able to interact with them electronically in real time. My editor, the publicity department, the art department, and everybody else involved with my work all have instant access to everything I submit. And vice versa."

Wolf isn't the only well-known author bringing his works to Musa. USA Today bestselling author Sharon De Vita has a multi-book deal with the publisher, and her romantic mystery The Estrogen Posse has been increasing in sales since its release in October, 2011. Science fiction up-and-comer Gini Koch's serial—The Martian Alliance—is being published by Musa, along with new and backlisted works from well-known authors like Cindi Myers, Vella Munn, Helen Hardt, and Julia Parks. In addition, Musa is responsible for the Homer Eon Flint project, where the entire body of work of this lost American science fiction author is being saved from crumbling 1920s pulp magazines and disintegrating newspaper copy and published as e-books.

"Even two or three years ago, it would have been thought impossible to lure these writers to a small, young publisher," Summers explains. "But because of our author-friendly policies and transparent business model, small publishers like Musa are able to release books like Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? digitally, with both a better product and prices far below what traditional publishers set for their e-books."

Both Summers and Wolf are optimistic about the prospects for Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? The novel reunites all the old fan favorites—Eddie Valiant, his fuzzy sidekick Roger Rabbit, Baby Herman, and Roger’s va-va-voom mate Jessica, who continue their madcap human and Toonian adventures. This time, Eddie is hired to bodyguard for Gary Cooper and Roger Rabbit, the stars of a new movie that's been receiving dire threats—shut down the film or else.

"Musa is thrilled to publish the next installment in the Roger Rabbit world," Summers says. "Toontown and e-publishing are destined to work well together. Gary has such an innovative mind. He takes risks daily with his fiction—he enjoys taking creative risks. He can do that comfortably at Musa because we encourage all our authors to reach further, to attempt things they normally wouldn't. E-publishing is all about trying things that traditional publishers might be uncertain about."

With the release of Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? set for November of 2013, Musa and Wolf are poised to gratify millions of Roger Rabbit fans across the world. The entertainment franchise is worth over $500,000,000 and the fandom is as eager as ever to follow their beloved Roger Rabbit and Eddie Valiant into new adventures—including e-publishing.

"Digital publishing is the wave of the future, and I’ve always been a wave of the future kind of guy," Wolf states matter-of-factly. "For me, going digital wasn’t in any way a last resort. It was a necessity."

Gary Wolf is the NYT Bestselling author of numerous book, articles, and short stories including Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?, Space Vulture, and The Late Great Show! His movie credits include Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, the three Roger Rabbit cartoons Tummy Trouble, Rollercoaster Rabbit, and Trail Mix-up, and—coming in 2014—screen adaptations of his science fiction novels The Resurrectionist and Killerball. Awards for Wolf’s work include the Hugo Award, British Science Fiction Award, SF Chronicle Award, and 4 Academy Awards. Wolf is an avid Yoga enthusiast and lives in Boston where he is a full-time author, screenwriter, lecturer, entertainment consultant, and consummate “grown-up kid.” Look for his next Roger Rabbit installment to be released November, 2013 by Musa Publishing.

Wolf's website is www.garywolf.com


The Late Great Show! and Typical Day are available through Musa Publishing, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and e-tailers worldwide.

More information available from Musa Publishing at www.musapublishing.com and www.musapublishing.blogspot.com


~yia~