Ruth Ellen Parlour's Blog, page 7
July 26, 2013
My Review – Reaper’s Rhythm by Clare Davidson
Clare published her second novel, Reaper’s Rhythm today! Since she gave me an e-ARC I thought I would kindly review it for her in time for the launch.
Blurb:
When everyone thinks your sister committed suicide, it’s hard to prove she was murdered.
Kim is unable to accept Charley’s sudden death. Crippled by an unnatural amnesia, her questions are met with wall after wall. As she doubts her sanity, she realises her investigation is putting those around her in danger.
The only person who seems to know anything is Matthew, an elusive stranger who would rather vanish than talk. Despite his friendly smile, Kim isn’t sure she can trust him. But if she wants to protect her family from further danger, Kim must work with Matthew to discover how Charley died – before it’s too late.
Style:
Reaper’s Rhythm is targeted at a YA audience but I think that still covers a broad range as adult will enjoy this too as well as younger readers. Clare’s style of writing is very readable and flows well, taking you gently by the hand like a friend and leading you into a strange world, only then to buffet you with emotion and drama. It’s the kind of book that keeps leaping into your hands and before you realise, you’re reading another chapter.
Plot:
Clare doesn’t waste any time in throwing you straight into the thick of the story. There’s enough mystery and events to push the story along at a nice pace and keep you guessing on which characters you should be rooting for. Kim tries to investigate her sister’s death and several different characters come into play, their intentions are skewed by mystery and by Kim’s own perspective as she delves deeper and uncovers dark secrets about them. The magical element is brought into the story and unveiled a bit at a time. It’s an interesting concept on the power of dark magic created through music, and the types of beings who create and police this magic use. The twists and mystery kept me going right until the end.
Characters:
Kim is the main character, driven by her grief to investigate her sister’s murder. She tries to maintain control as the story whirls into dangerous circumstances, doing what she can to protect her family. I rooted for her from the beginning because, despite suffering from grief, she’s a tower of strength, fighting against everything who’s trying to put her down, because she believes what she’s doing is the right thing.
Matthew is the mysterious man that keeps appearing and infuriating the life out of poor Kim. Dark and broody, he tries to protect her and is somehow connected with what happened to Charley.
Other characters come into play, Kevin is a geeky young man, Tia a bitch from hell, and her boyfriend Gage (Charley’s ex) all of whom are suspects.
Overall:
Reaper’s Rhythm was easy to read and drew me in from the very start, I found I didn’t want to stop reading. The mystery pushed me on, I wanted to know about the mysterious circumstances, what the deal was with Matthew, who murdered Charlie, how Kim would prove it, and protect her family from a similar fate.
Reapers Rhythm is available in Reaper's Rhythm: 1 (Hidden)
" target="_blank">paperback and Reaper's Rhythm (Hidden)
" target="_blank">ebook forms from Amazon.
Extract from Reaper’s Rhythm
Hidden: Book 1
Clare Davidson
Chapter One
The warm light seeps through the closed sitting room curtains when I step into the drive. The muffled thump of dance music grows louder as I approach the familiar front door. I push the key into the lock, but the door swings open on its own. My breath catches in my throat, but I force it into a growl. Not only has my sister, Charley, not bothered to lock the door, she hasn’t latched it. Whatever she rushed home for must have been important.
I step over the threshold and a blast of warm air hits me, enveloping me like one of Mum’s overprotective hugs. My wind-chilled face tingles, as I close and lock the door.
“Charley, I hope you’ve set the table.” My voice competes with the din of the deep bass of my sister’s music.
I toss my keys into the wicker basket on the hall table. As I peel my coat off, I see Charley’s in a crumpled heap on the floor. Rolling my eyes, I scoop it up and hang it, then place her discarded boots in the shoe rack beside my own. Why am I the conscientious sister? I’m only sixteen. Charley will be heading off to university next year.
Stomach rumbling, I snatch up the Chinese takeout I’d picked up on the walk home and wander into the kitchen. Frowning, I flick the switch to light up the pristine room. Mum is a clean freak now that Dad doesn’t live here. The table isn’t set, even though Charley promised she would do it before she rushed off ahead.
“Charley,” I call out and then dump the bag on the kitchen table and stomp across the hall to the sitting room, shoving the door open.
The music hits me first, making me jerk my head back, then the smell. An odd odour, metallic and rich, overpowers the air freshener on the mantel.
“Charley?” She must be trying to scare me. “Charley, stop messing around.” I grit my teeth, expecting her to jump out at any second.
My body shudders and my flesh tingles as if an army of ants is marching beneath my skin. I back out of the empty sitting room and bolt upstairs. The smell is stronger, snaking down my throat, making me want to gag.
“Charley?”
I shove her door open, hard.
Charley’s lying on the bed, her blond hair fanned out over the pillow. Her arms are spread wide, palms up. Crimson blood drips from deep slashes on her wrists. Her blue eyes are open, staring at the ceiling. But they don’t see. They’re dull, empty.
Dead.
The room spins. My stomach lurches and bile rises up my throat. I swallow and clap my hand to my mouth. Sagging against the doorframe, I can’t tear my gaze from the single lock of hair resting over Charley’s porcelain cheek. What should I do?
Charley would know what to do.
As I stumble down the stairs, my mind clicks into gear. A scream rips out of my throat, eclipsing the pounding music. My foot slips on the beige carpet, sending me tumbling down the remaining stairs. My shoulder and back slam against the wall. I scramble to my feet, screaming, sobbing, then stagger into the hallway, colliding into a young man with the darkest eyes I’ve ever seen.
My own force knocks me backwards. His strong grip clenches my arm, preventing me from falling. I try to scream again, but the sound is trapped within my constricting chest. My sister is dead. A stranger is in my house.
I writhe against his grip, lashing out with my foot. My toes crumple and sting when they hit his shin. I’m thrown off balance, but he holds me fast.
He raises his thumb to my forehead and applies gentle pressure, as he sweeps his thumb towards my brow and then hooks it back up.
“Sleep.” His quiet voice acts like a sedative.
My head flops forward until my chin touches my chest. A new scent replaces the sickly metallic tang of Charley’s blood: freshly cut grass. Inhaling it makes my head fuzzy and my heartbeat slow.
I want to see his face, memorise every detail. The contours of his cheeks and jaw, the shape of his nose, the colour of his hair. The police want to know those things, don’t they? The only feature I can see for sure is the impossible darkness of his eyes.
My own eyelids droop, my limbs turn liquid. A strong arm loops round my back and lowers me to the floor. I fight against sleep. Each time I force my eyelids open, they flutter shut again.
“Forget,” he says. The word is nothing more than a whisper at the edge of my hearing. “Sleep.”
July 24, 2013
Reaper’s Rhythm Two Days to go!
Reaper’s Rhythm is Clare Davidson’s second novel, an urban fantasy which will be released on Friday 26th of July! Have you joined the launch party on facebook? I have!
When everyone thinks your sister committed suicide, it’s hard to prove she was murdered.
Kim is unable to accept Charley’s sudden death. Crippled by an unnatural amnesia, her questions are met with wall after wall. As she doubts her sanity, she realises her investigation is putting those around her in danger.
The only person who seems to know anything is Matthew, an elusive stranger who would rather vanish than talk. Despite his friendly smile, Kim isn’t sure she can trust him. But if she wants to protect her family from further danger, Kim must work with Matthew to discover how Charley died – before it’s too late.
~*~
I clear my throat again, buying a moment’s time to scan the room. Sophie smiles at me. The small encouraging motion fails to drag my voice from my throat. My gaze wanders past her. Everyone is staring at me, waiting as though I’m the star of a freak show. I recognise every face—relatives, school friends, teachers, neighbours.
My gaze tracks back towards Sophie but stutters over the image of a young man. He’s standing at the entrance, arms folded loosely across his chest. His hair, black as night, brushes his brow. In blue jeans, a white T-shirt and short sleeved black over-shirt, he definitely isn’t dressed for a funeral. His dark gaze runs round the room, flickering over every member of the congregation before meeting mine. His eyes widen fractionally and then he inclines his head a little. The corners of his lips curve up and he mouths, “Go on.”
The final words of the poem have flitted out of my mind. I dip my gaze. “Better by far you should forget and smile, than that you should remember and be sad.” My voice breaks on the last word. I can’t prevent myself from sobbing out loud. A sea of sorrowful, understanding faces swim in front of me. When I look up again, he is gone.
~*~
Add Reaper’s Rhythm to your Goodreads TBR list
Clare Davidson is an independent writer, based in Lancaster. Clare is a high school teacher, mother and character-driven fantasy writer. Clare was born in Northampton and lived in Malaysia for four and a half years as a child, before returning to the UK to settle in Leeds with her family. Whilst attending Lancaster University, Clare met her future husband and never left. They now share their lives with their young daughter, a cranky grey cat and an insane white kitten.
She published her first novel, Trinity in July 2012. Trinity is a young adult, fantasy novel, which currently has seventeen five star reviews on Amazon UK.
Her second novel, Reaper’s Rhythm, is due to be released on the 26th July 2013. Also aimed at a young adult audience, Reaper’s Rhythm is an urban fantasy with a dash of mystery.
Connect with Clare:
Website: http://claredavidson.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClareMDavidson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClareMDavidson
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6445758.Clare_Davidson
New releases mailing list: http://eepurl.com/zpjGf
July 19, 2013
Reaper’s Rhythm Cover Reveal
I am really happy to show you the fantabulous new cover for my good friend Clare Davidson’s new book, Reaper’s Rhythm!
I love the layering of textures, the sense of movement, and a hint at what’s to come.
When everyone thinks your sister committed suicide, it’s hard to prove she was murdered.
Kim is unable to accept Charley’s sudden death. Crippled by an unnatural amnesia, her questions are met with wall after wall. As she doubts her sanity, she realises her investigation is putting those around her in danger.
The only person who seems to know anything is Matthew, an elusive stranger who would rather vanish than talk. Despite his friendly smile, Kim isn’t sure she can trust him. But if she wants to protect her family from further danger, Kim must work with Matthew to discover how Charley died – before it’s too late.
Clare Kindly gave me an eARC copy which I will be reviewing at a later date, for now though, I’ll just say I would strongly recommend this book!
Reaper’s Rythm will be available to download on the 26th of July. I’ll be picking up a copy!
Clare Davidson is an independent writer, based in Lancaster. Clare is a high school teacher, mother and character-driven fantasy writer. Clare was born in Northampton and lived in Malaysia for four and a half years as a child, before returning to the UK to settle in Leeds with her family. Whilst attending Lancaster University, Clare met her future husband and never left. They now share their lives with their young daughter, a cranky grey cat and an insane white kitten.
She published her first novel, Trinity in July 2012. Trinity is a young adult, fantasy novel, which currently has seventeen five star reviews on Amazon UK.
Her second novel, Reaper’s Rhythm, is due to be released on the 26th July 2013. Also aimed at a young adult audience, Reaper’s Rhythm is an urban fantasy with a dash of mystery.
Ways to connect with Clare Davidson:
Website: http://claredavidson.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClareMDavidson
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClareMDavidson
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6445758.Clare_Davidson
New releases mailing list: http://eepurl.com/zpjGf
And because it’s pretty… here’s the back of the paperback 
Thanks for reading!
June 28, 2013
Keeping an Ideas Notebook
My Ideas Notebook
I was wondering if anyone uses a notebook to jot down ideas. I started keeping one recently, especially since I’ve started reading more history books. I like to jot little details down that I find interesting, or ideas for scenes I might use in future books, character traits or quirks. If I’m reading or listening to the radio and I hear something that gives me a light bulb, I write it down. I don’t know whether I’ll use the ideas or not, but they were too good just to forget.
Some of the little things I have jotted down include:
’92 year old lady has bright red hair. Every day she cuts her own hair to make her eye lashes.’
“‘Sickness and death begin to wonderfully grow among us. It is a most pitiful sight to see… how the men, having no place to go, die in the streets. It would grieve any man’s heart to see them that have served so bravely to die so miserably.’ Admiral Lord Howard 1588’
‘Mary Queen of Scotts’ executioner was to lift her head high to prove she was dead. Because Mary was wearing a wig, the executioner had dropped the head.’
‘The Peterloo Masacre’ (I intend to use this as a basis for a scene in a future book.)
Does anyone else keep an ideas notebook and have you used any of the ideas in your writing? What kind of things do you like to jot down?
June 10, 2013
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
For me, this fear series started off because of one critical person who seemed to highlight my fears. They thought that because I self-published a book people actually, god forbid, paid money to read, that I should be as good as the greats in my field… like Tolkein… or Martin.
Right?
HELL NO!
“I’ll never be as good as those writers so I should just give up.”
Never. Ever. EVER. Compare yourself to others. Only compare yourself, to yourself.
For Example. You’ve been writing for five years. You’re better than what you were when you started, you’re better than what you were last year. Just think what you’ll be like in one, five, ten years from now. You can only be a better version of yourself if you keep working.
There’s no point in comparing yourself to others because you might not know what they’ve had to do to get to where they are. They may have years and years of practise and experience ahead of you. The fact is they got there in the end, but everybody has a different journey.
You’re not going to be like Rowling, Tolkien, Martin, or any other. You are only ever going to be like you! Keep writing, keep reading, keep learning and growing, and you’re only going to get better.
Be inspired by them, learn from them, love them, but don’t compare yourself to them. Promise?
~*~
Thanks for reading! I hope you found this post useful.
To get future articles in this series, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog!
Future articles in this series:
The Seeds of Fear and Self-Doubt – The Fear of Criticism
“What if No One Likes My Book?” Fear of the Unknown
“My Book is a Failure – So am I.” – The Fear of Failure
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Ways of Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt
June 7, 2013
Friday Snippets – God Slayer
Catrin prays in her local shrine in this week’s Friday snippet from God Slayer (working title). Enjoy!
~*~
I kneeled on the hard wooden floor of the shrine. It was almost a round space, built up of twelve planes. A depiction of each of the twelve Gods carved on their own wooden trunk stood in a circle facing the centre. I faced none in particular but bowed my head, my left hand cupped my fisted right.
‘Thank you Gods for looking upon us today, thank you for granting me the strength to face what frightens me.’ I looked up then into each of the stern wooden faces gazing back at me. I didn’t know why the Gods would choose me for anything or what the demon’s purpose was, but I felt in the middle of both. A worrying knot in my stomach had formed. We heard so many stories about demons that had approached towns and villages and plucked people out of the street and ran off with them. Twice now I had faced a demon, twice now it could have killed me, but twice it wouldn’t.
‘If you have a special purpose for me on my life path, please guide me and I will do my best to follow.’ I bowed until my forehead touched the cold floor and then stood up.
‘Well done Catrin,’ said my Da as he entered the shrine, ‘Now let me give thanks to the Gods for my daughter.’
~*~
Thanks for reading!
May 28, 2013
“My Book is a Failure – So am I.” The Fear of Failure
Right?
HELL NO!
If you link the outcome of failures to your self worth – you are bound to feel like a failure. You are NOT your book! This is vital to overcoming the fear of failure.
Treat failed attempts as feedback.
How do you react to criticism? If you become aware of a strong reaction, try taking a step back and thinking objectively. It might be because you’re connecting who you are as a person with your work, goals etc. Your drives might be fuelled by emotion – that’s fine – but it’s good to distance the outcomes and criticism, from your identity beliefs.
I published my debut novel last year, I have some good reviews, a few bad ones, I haven’t sold many copies. So? I’m not a bestseller yet. Does that mean I’m a failure? No. What have I learned from my self-publishing experiment? A whole heap of stuff.
I view my debut novel as an experiment. Why? Because whether or not that experiment was a success or failure, it does not matter, because I have learned from the experience so I can do better next time. My book is not me. I AM NOT A FAILURE. I can only learn from experience and get better from it.
There’s no such thing as a failed experiment. Sure, it might not have achieved the desired outcome, but you’ve figured out what didn’t work. You’ve learned.
Labelling an outcome as a “failure” is one thing, choosing to attach that label to who you are as a person takes you down a whole other path!*
So, my book hasn’t sold many copies, and advertising is hard work. If I viewed my debut novel as a failure, and viewed myself as a failure, I might have took the book off Amazon and Smashwords, rewinding my dream to become an author, and it might have put me off publishing ever again. Self publishing was a huge learning curve, and now I know how to do better next time.
If an action fails to produce a desired result, find out why and make any necessary changes accordingly.*
Smashwords founder Mark Coker advises people not to pull their books, but to work at making it sell. It’s not like it’s taking up shelf space.
Write more. Read More. Try harder. Learn from your experiments and keep on growing! Start re-framing failure as feedback, and mistakes as learning experience. It will become easier to make decisions and mistakes, since you can no longer fail – only experience, learn and grow!
I hope you enjoyed this article, thanks for reading!
~*~
To get future articles in this series, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog!
*source - The Fear Of Criticism – Way Of The Dave
Future articles in this series:
The Seeds of Fear and Self-Doubt – The Fear of Criticism
“What if No One Likes My Book?” Fear of the Unknown
“My Book is a Failure – that Means so am I.” – The Fear of Failure
The Seeds of Fear and Self-Doubt – Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Ways of Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt
May 22, 2013
“What If No One Likes My Book?” Fear of the Unknown
You can do years of research on writing, stories, self-publishing, whatever, but there is always an uncertainly when we think about the future. We never really know what’s going to happen until we get there. Fear of the unknown is being anxious about what might happen.
A small amount of fear can be good, as it stops us from making foolish decisions. But…“When fear infects the imagination, it enlarges the potential consequences far beyond what they’re actually likely to be.”*
Does any of this sound familiar?
What if no one likes it?
What if no one buys it?
What if I get bad reviews?
What if I never find an agent?
What if I screw up this time and I never get another chance?
“What if I’m just deluding myself and this turns out to be a huge failure?”*
If you’re procrastinating it might be good to take a step back and look at the reasons why. Are you holding off your goals, thinking that you have plenty of time, that the future you will get round to writing that amazing book you’ve been thinking of writing? Of publishing? Are you afraid of releasing something that isn’t perfect, because you’re afraid of criticism? Are you second guessing everything you do for fear of making a mistake and losing credibility?
The fears and “What ifs?” are heavy, and weigh us down like an anchor, stopping, or hindering us from moving forward.
Publishing a book is scary. But if you keep allowing “What ifs” to hold you back, your dream will remain a dream. Accept that not everyone is going to like what you write – and that is a good thing! If you find your audience, those dedicated readers who love everything your write, then does it matter if some people found that it didn’t suite them? Write for your audience, and for you.
To get future articles in this series, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog!
To be published – Future articles in this series:
The Seeds of Fear and Self-Doubt – The Fear of Criticism
“What if No One Likes My Book?” Fear of the Unknown
“My Book is a Failure – that Means so am I.” – The Fear of Failure
The Seeds of Fear and Self-Doubt – Comparing Yourself to Others
Ways of Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt
*source – The Fear Of Criticism – Way Of The Dave
May 17, 2013
Friday Snippets – God Slayer
From my WIP God Slayer (working title), Catrin gets a dressing down at the dinner table. Hope you enjoy, comments are welcome!
~*~
Falco watched me as I ate; a wicked smile spread across his lips.
‘At least if you’re picking potatoes, you won’t have time to hunt demons tomorrow.’
Dadda dropped his spoon with a clatter that rang in the silence of the dining room. His face turned to me; wisps of ginger hair fell into his eyes that bore into me and made me feel like a worm being eaten by the earth. Mamma stopped chewing and gazed up, her face white as the moon. I saw her hand grip the table as she stared at Da.
‘Did you tell Falco you were hunting demons?’ Dadda asked. His voice was strained as if he was trying not to shout. Mamma swallowed a lump of stew.
‘No,’ I answered, staring down at my bowl, pushing a potato with my spoon.
‘You did. You told me you killed one,’ Falco gloated. I glared at him but he didn’t care. In fact, he smiled at me, just a fraction so no one noticed. Anger swelled inside me and I wished the Gods would strike him down.
Dadda still stared at me, his mouth tight. Everyone at the table was staring at me. Shame swelled in my cheeks and I wished I could run away, that I had never said anything, that I had never spoken to Falco.
‘I won’t abide liars in my household, Catrin. The Gods condemn liars on their Day of Judgement. I prayed for you in the shrine this morning. Thanking the Gods for sparing your life, and you dare repay them by telling lies? Do you think it was brave or smart to tell people you killed it? You were foolish to face it in the first place.’
‘I was trying to protect the village!’ I cried, wishing my voice was more powerful.
‘Don’t answer me!’ he boomed, shaking the very air between us. ‘You know what you should do if you see a demon. It was dangerous and foolish. If Gareth wasn’t there I might not have a daughter sitting with me at table.’ He turned away from me and plunged his spoon into the stew. His jaw chomped down with extra ferocity in his reddened face.
~*~
Thanks for reading!
May 15, 2013
The Seeds of Fear and Self Doubt – The Fear of Criticism
In our writing lives we are often held back by fear and self-doubt, which at times can be crippling and won’t let us move forward. If we can learn to take a step back and look at those fears objectively, we can start to overcome them.
This series of articles is a self-discovery journey for me, which I am passing on to you, with the hope that it will help all of us. What I will tell you, I have learned from my teacher, who has kindly allowed me to share his wisdom.
Fear can be boiled down into these categories:
Fear of Criticism
Fear of Failure/rejection
Fear of the unknown
Comparing yourself to others.
Linking all of these fears together is the fear of potential harm. It’s only natural for us to avoid harm at all costs, but sometimes that threat is enough to hold us back, it makes us procrastinate, and we can’t move forward in achieving our goals.
Writing is scary work. We are trying to achieve something and to better ourselves, it’s a long journey full of trials and tribulations we have to overcome. Success seems like a fleeting dream – like going to the moon.
The Fear of Criticism
Every writer can expect criticism on some level in their career. This fear is particularly prominent, especially for writers new to the business. Our stories are like our babies; we nurture them, watch them grow and flourish, then watch as they fly the nest into the world of publication. We want them to succeed. They are subject to scrutiny, strangers who will reject them, and possibly give us bad reviews. We need people to like our work in order to sell it. We rely on the public’s approval.
“What if they don’t like my book?”
Letting other people read our work is frightening. It’s unlikely to cause us any real harm. But, because we often link our self-worth to our work, when we receive negative criticism, it’s hard not to take personally. It makes us feel like failures. Just because a few people didn’t like that one story, does not mean we are failures. Ever.
The fear of that criticism may hold us back from letting anybody at all read our work. It might hold us back from submitting to agents, or from self-publishing.
As writers, we need criticism to improve. We need other people to critique our work with objectivity. It’s best to find people with your interests in mind, people who want to help you, not people who are mean and negative. It’s important not to take criticism personally. Your work is not you. You can only improve on what you do.
Try tackling these simple steps to access the fear that is holding you back:
Ask what you’re afraid of and why.
Think of the most likely outcome of that fear.
It probably won’t be as bad as you were thinking!
If you’re still worried, if there’s a genuine risk, then what actions can you take to alleviate the risk?
~*~
To get future articles in this series, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog!
To be published – more articles in this series:
The Seeds of Fear and Self-Doubt – The Fear of Criticism
“What if…?” Fear of the Unknown
“My Book is a Failure – that Means so am I.” – The Fear of Failure
The Seeds of Fear and Self-Doubt – Comparing Yourself to Others
Ways of Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt
