A.L. Butcher's Blog, page 186

Take the field and fight alongside ghost and men of might…

eranamage:

I love this book!

Originally posted on Dreaming...:

 

The Sacred Band [Kindle Edition]

Janet Morris(Author), Chris Morris(Author)

When The Sacred Band begins, all mercy is lost in the fog of war, as Tempus’ Stepsons risk everything on a strange battlefield, infuriating gods and Fates:


 
The Sacred Band of Thebes lives on, a world away, in this mythic novel of love in war in ancient times. In 338 BCE, during the Battle of Chaeronea that results in the massacre of the Sacred Band of Thebes, the legendary Tempus and his Stepson cavalry rescue twenty-three pairs of Theban Sacred Banders, paired lovers and friends, to fight on other days. These forty-six Thebans, whose bones will never lie in the mass grave that holds their two hundred and fifty-four brothers, join with the immortalized Tempus and his Sacred Band of Stepsons, consummate ancient cavalry fighters, to make new lives in a faraway land and fight the…

View original 20 more words

Guest Post: Top Productivity Tools All Writers Should Know About

Originally posted on Shannon A Thompson:

Shannon, here, for a quick introduction. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Robert Morris from Ninja Essays. He wanted me to see the info graph Top Writing Tools of Famous Authors, and I am beyond grateful that he showed it to me. It is amazing. Seriously. Check it out by clicking here. But – onto the next part – I asked him to write a post for you all, and he agreed, so I hope you enjoy his post, Top Productivity Tools All Writers Should Know About.

…

Top Productivity Tools All Writers Should Know About

For writers, the usage of the Internet can go in two directions: it can either be a great resource for the work they are producing, or it can turn into a black hole that consumes their productivity by luring them with endless distractions. An average writer spends more than 50% of…

View original 572 more words

Untitled– Robin Williams (July 21, 1951 -August 11, 2014) R.I.P.

eranamage:

Robin Williams was a very talented man, he made us laugh and he made us cry. I recall watching Dead Poets Society pretty much every few weeks for several years, curled up on the sofa with my best friend Susie. I cried at that film, I cried at Bicentennial Man and I laughed at Mrs Doubtfire and the Birdcage.

Depression affects many people, including myself. It can be debilitating, it can be heartbreaking, and it can kill. Mental illness still carries a stigma but with the amount of people who suffer it shouldn’t. It is nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to the great and good, those whose external lives seem blessed, and it happens to the poor and lowly.

When anyone takes their own life it is a loss to the world, and it is easy to pass judgement. Please don’t. It is impossible to know what was going on in that person’s head to bring them to such a decision. Depression can bring such a black cloud that other, perhaps more rational thought is bypassed. To loose a man such as Mr Williams is a tragedy indeed, but we must remember his legacy – his immense talent and kindness and perhaps even his death will bring depression greater recognition and thus greater understanding.

Originally posted on The Mirror Obscura:

https://themirrorobscura.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/robin-williams-untitled.mp3

Untitled

Palm trees refused to cast shadows today.

Traffic jams on highways were forbidden.

Twelve rabbis stood upon their heads and twirled,

As city councils passed laws of humor

By which everything was to be said in jest.

Children were given special rights

To explore whatever imagination had to offer

Come what may and were let out of school

So as not to be hindered by adult ways

And controls as good Prince Robin,

Son of winter’s King Jonathan, went to rest

Proving to us all a man can truly die from laughter

And at the same time make us cry.

View original

Character Interview Number Twenty-Five – Dotty

Tell Us About Yourself

Name (s) Dotty

Age: 19

I’m a mishpoche, a bit of this and that. Mama’s from New York, the daughter of an Orthodox rabbi. She was an accountant sent to help find a cooperative cattleman for a source of kosher beef to series of butcher shops Grampa owns. When my parents met they both had a love for violin music, and soon they were making music of their own. Mama wanted to marry Dad but Grampa wouldn’t have it, so instead Mama worked around by opting for common-law marriage, which Texas allows. That infuriated Grampa but he admired her cleverness in finding a way to marry without a ceremony he’d have to disown her for. My birth softened him up too, considerably, which is good as I love the old man dearly. So Mama taught me the traditions and Hebrew at home, and when I got old enough Dad let me play cowgirl. I found I loved the violin and got privately tutored in that from a young age, along with all my school subjects by tutors also. I just got my GED this year. Grampa and I love to debate matters whenever he visits.

Describe your appearance in 10 words or less. Hashem gave me my looks. They’re definitely a mixed blessing.

Do you have a moral code? If so what is it? I’m a Modern Orthodox, I believe my thoughts and feelings share a close connection with Hashem, and do I all I can in any given situation to keep the connection going.

Would you kill for those you love? In a heartbeat, but only if I absolutely must. The Sages say killing a person is just as bad as killing a whole world. In fact, I’ve had to surprise at least a dozen people one at a time with my shotgun during a recent crisis. I can still see the face of every person whose brains or heart I blew out. I never ever want to be placed in that position again. I see green blood all the way to my elbows that will never come off.

Would you die for those you love? Hell, yes. I drew a short straw where I had to stay on board a flagship we had to blow up. We found a fighter jet which our indigenous co-prisoner could fly, but had room for only one passenger. We picked Rick since he was the least qualified of us to storm the engine room, and gave him a remote detonator. We ordered him to blow up the flagship if it got close enough to slaughter millions, and not to wait for us to escape. Rick knew I was ready to die for the greater good, so he proposed to me just before he boarded. I knew I was ready to die too, but I accepted to show him how much I loved him.

What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses? As much as I follow Mama’s Jewish ideals of ethics and compassion toward every human being, I also follow everything my Daddy taught me about being a Texan, namely to stand tall, and everything which standing tall implies.

Do you have any relationships you prize above others? Why? Rick. My dearest, wonderful, darling, gentle, dedicated, determined, considerate and brave young man who I married day before yesterday. Despite being sixteen he has compassion, patience, understanding and education far beyond his years.

He has only one serious fault, and that he tries so hard to please others he considers himself worthless. I think that’s the reason he finally was about to suicide at the subway. That same moment I was mugged and I fell onto the tracks, spraining my ankle. He put my needs over his and jumped onto the tracks, deciding to risk suicidal odds to save me, rather than settling for certain suicide on his own.

I had some problems with him being a hero by coincidence. I accused him of being a kamikaze seeking glory in death, rather than reverence for life being his motive. Once I understood more about him I had a change of heart.

People have tried to match me with high-status men of my heritage, but I want a man who is as pleasing to me as he is pleasing to Hashem. Rick qualifies several times over.

Do you like animals? Do you have any pets/animal companions? Caring, feeding, and cleaning after animals while growing up on ranch was part of my daily life. I had a horse I was partial to, my favorite for various range chores. Rick and I don’t believe our local environment can support Terran livestock or pets, so we don’t have any.

Do you have a family? Tell us about them. I pretty much told you already. Mama relocated to Amarillo to live with Daddy and raise me. Daddy has more relatives than I can easily count, and has annual family reunions. Mama is an only child, and Grampa sadly enough is alone. Most of his relatives died in the Holocaust, and the others, including Grandma, had simply passed on from old age. I’m my parents’ only child. There were high hopes all around for me to choose a man soon and have his children to continue the lineage.

Can you remember something from your childhood which influences your behaviour? How do you think it influences you? My childhood was wonderful. I remember was when I took my turns to light and bless the Sabbath candles. The flames twinkled like stars and my house was filled with warmth and love. I had fun out on the ranch and I took pride in myself doing a man’s work. I learned to accept the traditions of my people as Hashem’s recipe for joyful living. I don’t seek like the more devout to isolate myself from the world. For me to engage in tikkun olam, my duty to help repair the world, I want to be right out there where the action is.

Do you have any phobias? I hate rattlesnakes. I’m not afraid of them, but I won’t hesitate to kill them any time I get the chance. They’re a constant danger to livestock and people out on the range.

Please give us an interesting and unusual fact about yourself. I was curious to taste and try forbidden things when I was younger. Each time the experience was nothing special and I felt instantly ashamed of doing it.

Tell Us About Your World

My husband would be only too glad to give you exhaustive detail regarding this world we have moved to as settlers. I’ll just provide you with my own personal impressions.

My first impression is of the people. Aside from having a biochemistry where potassium takes the place of sodium, they’re as human as we are. Because of said biochemical differences one of us can’t make a baby with one of them.

Some people might consider this an advantage. In fact, Rick turned down flat an offer from a chambermaid while he was bathing. Loss of virginity with no fear of any consequences whatever, in terms of purely physical risks. I even would have forgiven Rick if he had indulged… eventually. However, Rick doesn’t think that way. He grew up on Japanese space opera, adopting portions of bushido as his Torah and Talmud. He also absolutely adores me, and I absolutely adore him.

Does your world have religion or other spiritual beliefs? If so do you follow one of them? Please describe (briefly) how this affects your behaviour. I don’t believe my observation would surprise anyone, but it seems to me the discovery of any form of ethical monotheism is a huge step of any civilization towards maturity.

Both Terra and this world have a diverse collection of religious belief and practice, but on both planets there seemed only one person each who made the intellectual and emotional leap.

Each of those people formed their own nation living by ideals of compassion and mercy far in advance of their neighbors. We’re kindred spirits, their people and mine, and to some extent we’ve fallen in love with each other. We have a lot we can teach each other, but Rick and I follow our own traditions, and they, theirs.

I believe the bond we formed during our adventures is now the common ground for creating a military alliance and trade relationship between Terra and this world.

Do you travel in the course of your adventures? If so where? Our arrival there was pure accident, Rick can explain more in detail. The continent we sought refuge on has their own answer to our interstate system. Their highways are perfect. They don’t use fossil fuels, so their cars are all electric.

Name and describe a food from your world. Whitefruit. Delicious in it’s own right, safe to eat but very fattening, and they press it for cooking oil. Terran women should never eat it while on a birth control shot. Our dear friends found this out the hard way. They got pregnant a month before we returned to Earth.

Does your world have magic? If so how is it viewed in your world? They don’t even have a term for magic, but when confronted with the unknown, like us, they tend to blink. I had to empty an entire palace quickly by threatening non-existent Terran magic upon them.

What form of politics is dominant in your world? (Democracy, Theocracy, Meritocracy, Monarchy, Kakistocracy etc.) Until Rick imposed otherwise, feudalism was the only form of government in all the nations of this world. Rick took over rule of the entire world by asking the local saint for help, using that power performed a Moses gambit which among other things abolished monarchy everywhere, called for elections in one Terran year, then stepped down immediately. Could you imagine an ordinary sixteen year old Terran boy doing that? Rick is a man in all the ways that count, a true mensch.

Does your world have different races of people? If so do they get on with one another? There’s only the one single people. The monotheists broke away from the main empire, but the main empire wants them back. They had been in constant cold war till we came along. Events triggered by our arrival began a full scale war.

Name a couple of myths and legends particular to your culture/people. I know a little about the founding of this country. The first queen here confiscated the crown of her old country and forbade anyone from touching it aside from her. When she died the people revered her as a saint, and it was found the crown would kill anyone who tried to take it for the absolute power it represents. Rick explained it’s a Siege Perilous myth. He concluded he was the Galahad. He turned out to be absolutely right, but not before he gave me the scare of my life. He was clinically dead for thirty seconds the moment he touched the crown on the lady’s grave site.

What is the technology level for your world/place of residence? What item would you not be able to live without? Early modern with spot brilliances. We need to import our food, what’s edible here doesn’t provide all our nutritional needs.

Does your world have any supernatural/mystical beings? Please tell us about some.

Aside from the founding queen, no. She personally had attained the powers of a saint after death and was posted to watch over this world. When Rick took over, he released her to the afterlife to join her husband and son. His act moved me to tears.

Within your civilisation what do you think is the most important discovery/invention?

The most important discovery this world has ever made is in finding the one God who created the universe and wants only good for the peoples He created even on worlds we have yet to encounter. The people of our adopted land don’t worship Hashem directly like we do, they invoke Him as a neutral and abstract principle, like an axiom of mathematics or physics.

Name three persons of influence/renown within your society and tell why they are influential (Could be someone like Christ/Mandela/Queen Elizabeth or a renowned figure from a non-human/fantasy world.)

The Crown Princess, after first hearing how I retook my ship from it’s captor, asked if I could be her sister. Her father adopted me into a cadet branch of his house so that I could. We’re two of a kind, her and I, and we will forever treat each other as such. Now I am really am a Jewish-American princess.

It turns out the pilot who flew Rick out of the enemy flagship was the Crown Prince. He made certain Rick was cared for and made comfortable while waiting for the rest of us to make it to safety. I’m forever grateful to him.

His father, the Emperor, is a kind and gentle old man who can be quite merciless and ruthless in the defence of his kingdom.

Because the flagship we destroyed was on a mission to lay waste to his land using nuclear weaponry, he immediately ordered as a reprisal the launch of all his submarine based missiles. The enemy detected the launch and countered with their own land-based missiles.

Only a few hours remained until this entire world would be devastated. Only then, did Rick decide to intervene…

Synopsis (aka blurb):

“Alouette’s Song“

Four teenagers’ lives connect irrevocably.

A lonely young sculptor first tries to escape his abusive parents through his talent, and when that avenue is closed chooses to throw himself before a subway train. His moment is interrupted by a desperate cry for help from near the lethally electrified third rail…

A college freshman from a very wealthy family has a knack for building whatever he wants and staying centered in a confusing world. His best friend is about to yank his life far off center completely by surprise…

A musical superstar holds God close, walking through life with one foot each in two very different deserts. She will find then lose her one and only true love. Regaining him will stain her pure hands with many peoples’ blood.

A girl who should still be in high school is already well on her way to a master’s degree in mathematics. Her mind holds the key to the stars… but that same mind holds unknown to her a truly terrifying other personality.

Her academic advisor and personal mentor is a professor in astrophysics. He can’t tell her he’s now received orders from the blackest agency to exist in their country’s government: her discovery must never see the light of day…

Their struggles against themselves and each other, plus uncanny coincidences, cruel choices, breathtaking valor, and agonizing sacrifices for love’s sake, will test everyone’s limits during their journey across the Milky Way and back.

Author notes:

Book(s) in which this character appears plus links

“Alouette’s Song”

http://www.amazon.com/Alouettes-Song-ANDREW-FINE-ebook/dp/B00IP85CI4/

Author name

Andrew Jonathan Fine

Website/Blog/Author pages etc.

http://www.amazon.com/ANDREW-FINE/e/B00JIBHFLO/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Featured Author: A. L. Butcher

eranamage:

Yay! Here is my interview on Fantastical Reads.

Originally posted on Magic, Dragons, and Other Fantastical Reads:

ABOUT ALEXANDRA

A.L. Butcher (Alexandra) is a British author of fantasy and fantasy romance, whose work has been described as ‘gritty’ and ‘lyrical’.  Aside from writing she is an avid reader, animal lover, and amateur historian.

Website:  http://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/

FEATURED BOOKS

The Shining Citadel (The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles series, Book 2)

Who rules in this game of intrigue where magic is forbidden and elves enslaved? Journey where beliefs shatter like glass, truth is unwelcome and monsters from ancient times abound: share the romance and revenge, magic and passion, and the wages of greed in a world of darkest fantasy.

Available as an e-book in all the Amazon Stores, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Sony, and the Smashwords associate stores.

Find it on Amazon!

Bellator: An Anthology of Warriors of Space and Magic

Science Fiction and Fantasy, two genres that are both unalike and inextricably entwined, stretching the imagination to…

View original 631 more words

Sunday Surprise

eranamage:

Here’s an interview with my good friend Laurel A Rockefeller, she has an attention to detail not often found and a meticulous world- building skill.

Originally posted on creative barbwire (or the many lives of a creator):

My name is Brenda de Zorig and I’m a journalist for the Konigtown Gazette . I’ve been on the road for years as an actress in an itinerant company, but eventually decided to go back to my hometown to start living of the thing I like the most – writing. So while I write my Masterpiece, I took this job at the Gazette and they send me on various assignments… I thought I might as well starting interviewing random people. Since I intend to write fiction, but truth is always stranger than fiction, I’m eager to hear about people out there – on my world or beyond.

Let’s see who we have here today… she looks like a lady to me! Hello, there! Tell me something about yourself.

My name is Catherine de Valois. I was born October 27th, 1401 at the Hotel Saint-Pol in Paris to King…

View original 1,238 more words

Author Interview Number Fifty-Nine Kira R. Tregoning – Fantasy

Welcome to Kira R. Tregoning

Where are you from and where do you live now? Born and raised in Maryland! I still happily live there.

Please tell us a little about your writing – for example genre, title, etc. I write mainly fantasy novels. They tend to fall under general fantasy or contemporary fantasy. I’m kicking around a sort of sci-fi novel idea, but it hasn’t gone very far yet. I’m also looking for an idea for a fantasy serial to post through my website or Wattpad so I could post chapter by chapter for fun, but I don’t have a good idea yet! My first book was Rise of the Aligerai and my latest is A Shadowed Soul, both part of the Aligerai series. I’m about halfway through the first draft of the third book and am working on two other novels as well.

Do you have a character you dislike? If so why? Owen. When I first thought him up, I liked him a lot. But as I wrote his character in the story, he just turned into this jerk and by the time I was done, his role was completely different than I originally planned and he was a totally different character. Now I really don’t like him!

Research can be important in world-building, how much do you need to do for your books? Do you enjoy this aspect of creating a novel and what are your favourite resources? I do a fairly significant amount. I recently spent an 8-hour train ride doing nothing but Internet research on herbs, medieval poisons, and medieval medical treatments for a story. Since many of my books are in a medieval-like era, I try to do as much research as I can to make sure my world is accurate to what people in that time would have experienced. Sometimes I enjoy it because I learn a lot of new things, and other times I get frustrated because I can’t find what I’m looking for!

In what formats are your books available? (E-books, print, large print audio) Are you intending to expand these and if not, what is the reason? Currently only in e-book on Amazon and Smashwords. I plan to release a third book in e-book format and release my first two books in paperback later this year. I’m just waiting to decide if I want to redo the cover art for the first book and get it done if I decide it’s necessary.

Do you self-edit? If so why is that the case? Do you believe a book suffers without being professionally edited? Yes, I do, but only because I’m trained and have worked as an editor. I know what to look for and what to do. If I didn’t have that experience, I wouldn’t dream of editing things myself. That being said, I still find proofreaders and beta readers invaluable. Once I’ve looked at something too many times, I can’t catch small errors or inconsistencies. I think that’s true for anyone, whether they self-edit or not.

Do you think indie/self-published authors are viewed differently to traditionally published authors? Why do you think this might be? Yes, I definitely think indie authors are still viewed differently. It’s starting to change now that people are seeing there are quality books being produced by indie and self-pub authors, but I think there’s still a stigma there of if an author is self-publishing, it’s because they couldn’t hack it with a traditional publisher and so are not good enough. I’ve had people first congratulate me on publishing, then when they find out I’m self-published they kind of get this look on their face of “Oh, she’s self-published.” To me, a story is a story. If it’s told well, why should it matter whether it was self-published or traditionally published?

Do you read work by self-published authors? Yes, absolutely! I’ve found a number of good books by indie authors, many as good as or better than traditionally published works. I also promote and sometimes review self-published authors and their books on my blog, Fantastical Reads.

Most authors like to read, what have you recently finished reading? Did you enjoy it? Right now I’m participating in a read-a-thon on Tumblr/Goodreads. We’re reading through the Tortall universe books by Tamora Pierce. I read these as a kid and they were some of my favourites, so I’m having a good time with the read-a-thon.

Do you have any pets? I do! A cat named Mama-Sita. She and her litter of kittens were rescued by a friend. They were found outside abandoned. Sadly, only one of the kittens survived from the litter. But Mama-Sita happily lives inside with me now and tries to help when I write.

Can you give us a silly fact about yourself? I dye my hair purple. And not just a little purple, like tips or bangs, no no, it’s most of my hair. And I would do it again but I’m about to be in two weddings and I’m pretty sure the brides would not like it if I had purple hair . . .

Book links, website/blog and author links:

Website—http://theworldofcora.wordpress.com

Twitter– @KiraTregoning

Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/kiratregoning

Rise of the Aligerai on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rise-of-the-Aligerai-ebook/dp/B00ANTA7Z6

A Shadowed Soul on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shadowed-Soul-The-Aligerai-Book-ebook/dp/B00KQPYGHM

The Funeral of Anne of Brittany

Originally posted on The Freelance History Writer:

Funeral of Anne, Queen of France from an illuminated manuscript in the Biblioteca Marciana, Venice, Italy

Anne, Duchess of Brittany had been crowned twice as the Queen of France. She married King Charles VIII and when he died, she married King Louis XII. She suffered through a long and complicated pregnancy history with only two daughters surviving. One of her daughters, Claude, would also be Queen of France. When Anne was thirty-six, she began to suffer from kidney disease. In the last days of 1513, she was extremely ill and in pain for about ten days before she died. Many said the doctors who took care of her were ignorant and incompetent.

Anne died on Monday, January 9, 1514 in the Castle of Blois. Her body lay in her room until Friday. Surgeons and apothecaries embalmed the body. She had asked that her heart be extracted which they did, enclosing…

View original 1,462 more words

Blast, Excerpt & Giveaway: Truly by Ruthie Knox

Originally posted on Written Love:

Title: New York Series #1: Truly
Author: Ruthie Knox
Publisher: Loveswept
Release Date: August 5, 2014
Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Blurb:

RITA finalist and New York Times bestselling author Ruthie Knox kicks off a steamy new series set in the city that never sleeps—alone, at least.

May Fredericks hates New York. Which is fair enough, since New York seems to hate her back. After relocating to Manhattan from the Midwest to be with her long-distance boyfriend, NFL quarterback Thor Einarsson, May receives the world’s worst marriage proposal, stabs the jerk with a shrimp fork, and storms off alone—only to get mugged. Now she’s got no phone, no cash, and no friends. How’s a nice girl supposed to get back to safe, sensible Wisconsin?

Frankly, Ben Hausman couldn’t care less. Sure, it’s not every day he meets a genuine, down-to-earth woman like May—especially in a dive in the Village—but he’s recovering from an…

View original 777 more words

Large print, audio, and audio book basics

eranamage:

Here’s a great post by author Laurel regarding the basics of audio and large print.

Originally posted on The Peers of Beinan series on Word Press:

Cover for the large print edition of Ghosts of the Past

As a low vision author, audio books were always in the back of my mind, perhaps more so than the large print editions offered  in the Peers of Beinan Series.  Large print and audio editions offer different value points to readers and authors, cost to consumer being an important consideration.

For both large print and audio editions, the book length largely dictates the price charged for the title.  For example, The Ghosts of the Past is 400 pages in regular paperback, but jumps to 576 pages in 18 point large print font.  That surges the price from $15 to $25 — just by adding 176 pages.

With audio editions, the finished length largely decides the price the book is offered at.  The guidelines on ACX, Amazon’s audio book publishing platform offer the following general pricing guidelines:

under 1 hour:…

View original 568 more words