M.M. Kin's Blog, page 3
March 9, 2019
fun sites
All of us like to distract ourselves from the stresses of daily life and so on... Doubtless everyone has experienced this at some time or another.
I've been through some hard/dark times in my life, and found solace in several sites, and thought I'd share them for those who wanted a lighter (or more serious distraction)
Cracked,com - Plenty of fun articles, as well as contests where you can win money for your creativity and/or Photoshop skills.
Reddit - where do I even start? This site has PLENTY of fun distractions, such as r/cats, r/jokes, r/mildlyinteresting, among others, but plenty of good subreddits for advice such as r/personalfinance or r/legaladvice, and then there are some that can be immeasurably helpful for family or mental issues, such as r/justnomil, r/justnofamily, r/justnoso, and there are also subs that offer plenty of chance for personal reflection and varied views, such as r/amitheasshole, r/unpopularopinion.
And of course, there are subs that are for knowledge and SCIENCE!!! such as r/science, r/news, r/psychology, and creative writing subreddits such as r/eroticstories, r/cryosleep, r/writingprompts, and r/nosleep. There are many, many others, and you're bound to find one that suits your personal taste. And then you have the kitties - r/cats, r/jellybeantoes, r/catloaf, r/purrito, among others.
I've been through some hard/dark times in my life, and found solace in several sites, and thought I'd share them for those who wanted a lighter (or more serious distraction)
Cracked,com - Plenty of fun articles, as well as contests where you can win money for your creativity and/or Photoshop skills.
Reddit - where do I even start? This site has PLENTY of fun distractions, such as r/cats, r/jokes, r/mildlyinteresting, among others, but plenty of good subreddits for advice such as r/personalfinance or r/legaladvice, and then there are some that can be immeasurably helpful for family or mental issues, such as r/justnomil, r/justnofamily, r/justnoso, and there are also subs that offer plenty of chance for personal reflection and varied views, such as r/amitheasshole, r/unpopularopinion.
And of course, there are subs that are for knowledge and SCIENCE!!! such as r/science, r/news, r/psychology, and creative writing subreddits such as r/eroticstories, r/cryosleep, r/writingprompts, and r/nosleep. There are many, many others, and you're bound to find one that suits your personal taste. And then you have the kitties - r/cats, r/jellybeantoes, r/catloaf, r/purrito, among others.
February 23, 2019
2019!
I already have my cover designer working on the cover of Khthonios, and the manuscript to Moonshadows was completed near the end of December last year.
I don't want to announce a solid publication date for either book until all the editing and other necessary work is done, but I hope to have Khthonios out in May, and Moonshadows in either November or December.
I am working on a few other projects, including the freebies I mentioned in my previous post. Writing has been a great way to deal with the stress in my life (even when I suffer from writer's block!)
Stay tuned for more updates!
I don't want to announce a solid publication date for either book until all the editing and other necessary work is done, but I hope to have Khthonios out in May, and Moonshadows in either November or December.
I am working on a few other projects, including the freebies I mentioned in my previous post. Writing has been a great way to deal with the stress in my life (even when I suffer from writer's block!)
Stay tuned for more updates!
November 1, 2018
fun newsw
Working on Moonshadows and Khthonios, I am seeing the ligh at the end of the tunnel! I hope to have them both out next year, and there will also be a special event regarding my books and writing... and this will include some free stuff.
Because who doesn't like free stuff? YEAAAAAAAH.
I also updaed my Goodreads page with my three next upcoming woks. Whoooo! Yeah, it's pretty exciting to see :D
My book reviews can be found here https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1...
Because who doesn't like free stuff? YEAAAAAAAH.
I also updaed my Goodreads page with my three next upcoming woks. Whoooo! Yeah, it's pretty exciting to see :D
My book reviews can be found here https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1...
December 7, 2017
upcoming works
I am nearly done with my first fantasy novel, Moonshadows! I only have a few chapters left to go, whoo! Khthonios is proceeding nicely, and people who enjoyed Seeds and Worthy of Love should definitely enjoy this book!
Something very exciting will be happening in the world of Seeds sometime next year... stay tuned!
Something very exciting will be happening in the world of Seeds sometime next year... stay tuned!
October 16, 2017
Author Spotlight - Kaitlin Bevis
I will admit that when I first heard of these books, I was a bit skeptical. I've been disappointed too many times by modern-day YA retellings of mythology/folklore, but Ms. Bevis has done a fantastic job. It's clear that she has done her research with mythology, so the twists and divergences she does take from the original myths add to the story, rather than detract from them.
In the Persephone trilogy - which I read and enjoyed a couple of years ago - we are given a quite different telling of how Hades came to be with Persephone. This is also set in the modern world, which can be tricky when it comes to ancient tales, but again, the author did an absolutely fantastic job. I liked Persephone's spunk, and Hades' respect of her despite his growing affection for her, and I found certain restrictions of the gods to be interesting – what some gods would find a hamper, Persephone figured out how to use to her advantage to defeat the antagonist.
I already spotlighted this author concerning her first trilogy, and am happy to spotlight her again!
Her recent books - Aphrodite, and Love and War - shift the focus to Aphrodite. The Goddess of Love has been given many incarnations in books, TV shows, and movies. I don't think there is anyone in the Western world who is not familiar with Aphrodite/Venus (or any comparable goddess across the world) and has been given various characteristics, both positive and negative. This Aphrodite is quite likeable, and her circumstances somewhat mirror her origin in the origin myth, but at the same time Ms, Bevis has put a creative twist on this.
It's nice to see Aphrodite grow from what was intended to be a weapon/tool into a woman with a mind of her own, dealing with various circumstances, including her own vulnerability.
If you're looking for a fresh take on some classic old myths, Ms. Bevis should not disappoint you. Though her books are YA, older readers can and should appreciate her books.
My reviews
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In the Persephone trilogy - which I read and enjoyed a couple of years ago - we are given a quite different telling of how Hades came to be with Persephone. This is also set in the modern world, which can be tricky when it comes to ancient tales, but again, the author did an absolutely fantastic job. I liked Persephone's spunk, and Hades' respect of her despite his growing affection for her, and I found certain restrictions of the gods to be interesting – what some gods would find a hamper, Persephone figured out how to use to her advantage to defeat the antagonist.
I already spotlighted this author concerning her first trilogy, and am happy to spotlight her again!
Her recent books - Aphrodite, and Love and War - shift the focus to Aphrodite. The Goddess of Love has been given many incarnations in books, TV shows, and movies. I don't think there is anyone in the Western world who is not familiar with Aphrodite/Venus (or any comparable goddess across the world) and has been given various characteristics, both positive and negative. This Aphrodite is quite likeable, and her circumstances somewhat mirror her origin in the origin myth, but at the same time Ms, Bevis has put a creative twist on this.
It's nice to see Aphrodite grow from what was intended to be a weapon/tool into a woman with a mind of her own, dealing with various circumstances, including her own vulnerability.
If you're looking for a fresh take on some classic old myths, Ms. Bevis should not disappoint you. Though her books are YA, older readers can and should appreciate her books.
My reviews
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 16, 2017
writing update/PSA
A true artist - author, musician, dancer, painter, graphic artist, etc etc etc... should always strive to better themselves at their craft. But then the same can be said about pretty much anyone, regardless of what their chosen career, occupation, or hobby is.
I've come a long way since Seeds, and I know that is reflected in my newest book, Worthy of Love. There are parts of Seeds that with my matured perspective, I would change, even though I am proud of the overall work - writing a book is not easy.
It is difficult to say which book will come out next. Kthonios will be the next book in the mythverse that is shared by Seeds and Worthy of Love. However, it appears that my debut fantasy novel, Moonshadows, may be completed first. Either way, I hope to have a manuscript complete before the end of this year.
I've come a long way since Seeds, and I know that is reflected in my newest book, Worthy of Love. There are parts of Seeds that with my matured perspective, I would change, even though I am proud of the overall work - writing a book is not easy.
It is difficult to say which book will come out next. Kthonios will be the next book in the mythverse that is shared by Seeds and Worthy of Love. However, it appears that my debut fantasy novel, Moonshadows, may be completed first. Either way, I hope to have a manuscript complete before the end of this year.
July 18, 2017
Life and writing
I have been under a massive amount of stress over the last couple of months. After doing my usual IRL stuff - working, sleeping, etc - and dealing with stress, i have not had much time for reading or writing, let alone writing reviews or doing author cross-promos (I have a couple coming up in due time) or interacting with my fans.
Please don't think I have abandoned you, my dear readers, it's just after spending what free time I have on reading and writing, I have not had much time, or energy, for anything else. Hopefully things will improve soon, but for the time being, I just have a lot of crap to deal with.
Please don't think I have abandoned you, my dear readers, it's just after spending what free time I have on reading and writing, I have not had much time, or energy, for anything else. Hopefully things will improve soon, but for the time being, I just have a lot of crap to deal with.
June 24, 2017
Author Spotlight: Rachel Alexander
Today's author spotlight shines on Rachel Alexander, author of Destroyer of Light.
Destroyer of Light
A couple of years ago, I had the delight of reading Rachel Alexander's novel, Receiver of Many, the first part of a retelling of Hades and Persephone. I was blown away by the superb writing and thorough research, along with the creative takes she did on various myths.
She published the second part of her story, and I was no less disappointed in it. Destroyer of Light is just as rich and deep as the first, and it is for that reason I am happy to recommend not just Destroyer of Light, but its predecessor, Receiver of Many. If you love mythology, and Hades and Persephone in particular, give this author a try. You will not be disappointed.
See below for my review (contains mild spoilers)
The author can be found at
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/…/ref=redir_mo...…
Indiebound http://www.indiebound.org/book/978099...
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dest...
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/…/book/destr...…
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dest...
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/…/show/2683...
M.M. Kin's review for Destroyer of Light
AMAZING.
Simply amazing. After I read the first book, I was eager for more, and boy howdy, I was not the least bit disappointed! The writing and use of research in the story is brilliant, and I love the creative twists that the author used for various myths she incorporated into this story, such as the gods of the Levant, or what happens to Sisyphus.
I was intrigued when Minthe was mentioned in the first book, and her story is revealed here in a brilliant twist of the original myth. I never liked that in the original myths, Hades cheated on Persephone with Leuke and Minthe, so the author changed that for a much more intriguing and believable story.
The erotic scenes, as one might expect after reading the first story, are absolutely delicious. I've read enough erotica with cheesy or ludicrous descriptions, and it's always a treat to read elegantly-written intimacy.
Overall a brilliant sequel to a wonderful book, and altogether an incredible series that shows the talents of creative and thoughtful author.
Destroyer of Light
A couple of years ago, I had the delight of reading Rachel Alexander's novel, Receiver of Many, the first part of a retelling of Hades and Persephone. I was blown away by the superb writing and thorough research, along with the creative takes she did on various myths.
She published the second part of her story, and I was no less disappointed in it. Destroyer of Light is just as rich and deep as the first, and it is for that reason I am happy to recommend not just Destroyer of Light, but its predecessor, Receiver of Many. If you love mythology, and Hades and Persephone in particular, give this author a try. You will not be disappointed.
See below for my review (contains mild spoilers)
The author can be found at
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/…/ref=redir_mo...…
Indiebound http://www.indiebound.org/book/978099...
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dest...
Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/…/book/destr...…
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dest...
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/…/show/2683...
M.M. Kin's review for Destroyer of Light
AMAZING.
Simply amazing. After I read the first book, I was eager for more, and boy howdy, I was not the least bit disappointed! The writing and use of research in the story is brilliant, and I love the creative twists that the author used for various myths she incorporated into this story, such as the gods of the Levant, or what happens to Sisyphus.
I was intrigued when Minthe was mentioned in the first book, and her story is revealed here in a brilliant twist of the original myth. I never liked that in the original myths, Hades cheated on Persephone with Leuke and Minthe, so the author changed that for a much more intriguing and believable story.
The erotic scenes, as one might expect after reading the first story, are absolutely delicious. I've read enough erotica with cheesy or ludicrous descriptions, and it's always a treat to read elegantly-written intimacy.
Overall a brilliant sequel to a wonderful book, and altogether an incredible series that shows the talents of creative and thoughtful author.
February 9, 2017
The Meddler
If you’re a voracious reader (or movie-watcher, or both) you’re likely to have become familiar with various tropes and cliches. Some are more genre-specific, such as a ‘chosen one’ in the realm of fantasy and sometimes science fiction. Some cliches can be fun, if carefully worked with, but others just annoy the fuck out of me.
The particular topic I am going to discuss today is typically seen in a certain genre, though you can find this character in nearly any other genre in varying capabilities.
This character type is often seen in the romance genre and is usually a secondary character to the story. It can be a friend of the main characters, or a neighbor, or relative, or such. She – and I’m not trying to be sexist here, but it often IS a she – goes by various names and epithets; meddler, busybody, pushy, and so on. They also have the tendency to think themselves above the rules, whether actual rules, such as in a workplace, or the rules of polite society. Many authors often take this cliché too far, creating characters that do not endear themselves to the reader.
Two examples come to mind – Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich, and All At Once, by Nora Roberts. I was very disappointed in both books.
Big Girl Panties is a romance novel centered around a personal trainer and a widow who’d had a difficult childhood before watching her husband die from cancer. I liked this book at first because it seemed to be an unconventional romance with a believable storyline. However, we are then introduced to the character of Amanda Walker. She is the wife of Chase Walker, Logan (the male lead)’s best friend.
Amanda sees the potential for romance between Logan and his client and teases Logan about it. It is clear that Logan and Chase have long experience with her bossy personality, but they still let her walk over them, resigning themselves to the fact that she will find out about this or that sooner or later. She came across as a know-it-all, and even after Chase told her in no unclear terms to leave Logan and his client alone, she still finds ways to push everyone’s buttons. With a blatant disrespect for other’s personal lives and spaces, Amanda’s meddling comes across as someone bored with their own life and needing to prove themselves smarter than others by being like, 'ha! See, I was right!’. Ugh.
Normally, I enjoy Nora Roberts books. I’ve read about a dozen of them, but All At Once was terribly disappointing. It is a two-story collection, and my focus is on the first story. It centers around a woman and her longtime best friend founding a summer camp for tween girls that happens to border an apple orchard owned by a handsome and wealthy man. (You can see where this is going, right?)
One of the campers is a, if I remember the age correctly, twelve-year-old girl named Roberta Snow. She is a very intelligent but devious and manipulative character who acts under the guise of innocence. The female and male lead of this character meet by chance, when Roberta and a couple of her friends sneak over into the orchard – a blatant violation of the camp rules that Roberta is well aware of. When caught, she will act all sweet and apologize, and when your back is turned, she will be off breaking another rule. When she catches wind of the male lead’s interest in the lovely female lead who is also her counselor, Roberta gleefully gets herself into the role of matchmaker and manages to embarrass Eden more than once. Honestly, I didn’t blame Eden for wanting to strangle Roberta.
The story is brought to its denouement with Roberta breaking YET another rule (and in somewhat dangerous circumstances) and forcing a confrontation between the orchard owner and the camp counselor. The male lead was arrogant and kept disrespecting Eden’s boundaries but THAT is not the kind of character cliché that is being discussed in this essay!
In both of these books, these two unrepentant meddlers go on about their merry way after the book is ended, with no repercussions for their actions, the feelings they hurt, the toes they stepped on, and the embarrassment and anger they caused towards the people they were trying to “help”. The only time I am amused by this character cliché is if in the end, the meddling character gets his or her comeuppance in some way, because too many of these 'I don’t care if this annoys/angers/embarrasses you, I’m just trying to help and you will accept my help whether you like it or not!’ assholes really need an ass-whooping, or at least a bitch-slap.
The particular topic I am going to discuss today is typically seen in a certain genre, though you can find this character in nearly any other genre in varying capabilities.
This character type is often seen in the romance genre and is usually a secondary character to the story. It can be a friend of the main characters, or a neighbor, or relative, or such. She – and I’m not trying to be sexist here, but it often IS a she – goes by various names and epithets; meddler, busybody, pushy, and so on. They also have the tendency to think themselves above the rules, whether actual rules, such as in a workplace, or the rules of polite society. Many authors often take this cliché too far, creating characters that do not endear themselves to the reader.
Two examples come to mind – Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich, and All At Once, by Nora Roberts. I was very disappointed in both books.
Big Girl Panties is a romance novel centered around a personal trainer and a widow who’d had a difficult childhood before watching her husband die from cancer. I liked this book at first because it seemed to be an unconventional romance with a believable storyline. However, we are then introduced to the character of Amanda Walker. She is the wife of Chase Walker, Logan (the male lead)’s best friend.
Amanda sees the potential for romance between Logan and his client and teases Logan about it. It is clear that Logan and Chase have long experience with her bossy personality, but they still let her walk over them, resigning themselves to the fact that she will find out about this or that sooner or later. She came across as a know-it-all, and even after Chase told her in no unclear terms to leave Logan and his client alone, she still finds ways to push everyone’s buttons. With a blatant disrespect for other’s personal lives and spaces, Amanda’s meddling comes across as someone bored with their own life and needing to prove themselves smarter than others by being like, 'ha! See, I was right!’. Ugh.
Normally, I enjoy Nora Roberts books. I’ve read about a dozen of them, but All At Once was terribly disappointing. It is a two-story collection, and my focus is on the first story. It centers around a woman and her longtime best friend founding a summer camp for tween girls that happens to border an apple orchard owned by a handsome and wealthy man. (You can see where this is going, right?)
One of the campers is a, if I remember the age correctly, twelve-year-old girl named Roberta Snow. She is a very intelligent but devious and manipulative character who acts under the guise of innocence. The female and male lead of this character meet by chance, when Roberta and a couple of her friends sneak over into the orchard – a blatant violation of the camp rules that Roberta is well aware of. When caught, she will act all sweet and apologize, and when your back is turned, she will be off breaking another rule. When she catches wind of the male lead’s interest in the lovely female lead who is also her counselor, Roberta gleefully gets herself into the role of matchmaker and manages to embarrass Eden more than once. Honestly, I didn’t blame Eden for wanting to strangle Roberta.
The story is brought to its denouement with Roberta breaking YET another rule (and in somewhat dangerous circumstances) and forcing a confrontation between the orchard owner and the camp counselor. The male lead was arrogant and kept disrespecting Eden’s boundaries but THAT is not the kind of character cliché that is being discussed in this essay!
In both of these books, these two unrepentant meddlers go on about their merry way after the book is ended, with no repercussions for their actions, the feelings they hurt, the toes they stepped on, and the embarrassment and anger they caused towards the people they were trying to “help”. The only time I am amused by this character cliché is if in the end, the meddling character gets his or her comeuppance in some way, because too many of these 'I don’t care if this annoys/angers/embarrasses you, I’m just trying to help and you will accept my help whether you like it or not!’ assholes really need an ass-whooping, or at least a bitch-slap.
