Anna Abner's Blog, page 47
May 29, 2013
I am Sherlocked
I watched the new Star Trek movie and thought Benedict Cumberbatch did a great job as the villain. Tall, deep voice, British accent–what’s not to love? So, I finally checked out the BBC’s Sherlock on Netflix (Isn’t Netflix awesome?).
And I fell in love immediately! By the end of the first episode I was hooked. Completely.
The writing is so smart, the characters are very well developed, and yet the series stays faithful to the original source while “modernizing” it at the same time.
Now, like all the other fans I am impatiently waiting for the third season to premiere after crying over the second season finale. While I wait I can re-watch all six episodes and fantasize along to “Sherlock + Watson” YouTube videos.
My favorite, so far, is this one. Beautiful song, beautiful clips, and a re-written ending.
And, side note, Benedict Cumberbatch is a redhead. I have a weakness for those. 
May 28, 2013
Breaking News: Spell of Summoning is Now an Audio Book!
Check out the all new audio book for Spell of Summoning on iTunes, audible.com, and Amazon, voiced by the very talented Elizabeth Siedt.
Breaking News: Spell of Summoning is now an audio book!
Check out the all new audio book for Spell of Summoning on iTunes, audible.com, and Amazon, voiced by the very talented Elizabeth Siedt.
April 25, 2013
Dark Caster Update
To fans of the Dark Caster Series, I’m happy to announce book two will be published very soon. Don’t despair over my lack of posts this week because I am working hard toward a May 1st deadline with my editor. As soon as I have a publication date I will post it. Just know I am finishing final edits on Spell of Binding as I write this.
April 18, 2013
Spring Break Road Trip (Part 2 of 2)
Our first night in Williamsburg, my daughter and I took a break from touring the Colonial city to find dinner. I had grandiose ideas of eating in a tavern, served by candlelight by actors in period costume. Those of you who have visited the city before could have warned me those reservations sell out days (possibly weeks) in advance. Our next best idea was to dine in a local establishment outside of the historical district. But by the time we found an Italian bistro, we had fifteen minutes to eat in order to make a variety show at the Kimball Theater. We ended up being ten minutes late and frazzled.
So, what did we do for dinner on night two? Rolled up to the Golden Corral. I love the south!
Stop 4: Art Museum, Williamsburg, VA
The folk art exhibit at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum at Colonial Williamsburg was overflowing with beautiful and quirky works of art by untrained everyday artists. This bust is extremely lifelike and once graced the bow of a ship. It’s not exactly a mermaid, but I like it!
This bust of an unknown man carved by an unknown artist was once attached to the bow of a ship in the Great Lakes region.
I fell in love with this portrait at first sight. Isn’t she creepy? Her name was Martha Payne. How perfect is that?
This exhibit of non-traditional carousel animals immediately drew my attention for its whimsical and imaginative design. The cat with a fish in its jaws and a saddle on its back would be my first choice!
Carved by Salvatore Cernigliaro between 1903 and 1928 in Philadelphia, PA.
Stop 5: Tavern Ghost Tour, Williamsburg, VA
A night photo of the Brick House Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg. Like almost every original building in town, it’s rumored to be haunted. See any ghostly faces in the windows?
Stop 6: Jamestowne, VA
As a last minute stop, we toured Jamestown, the site of the first successful British colony in America. And I’m so glad we did!
My daughter freaked out when she saw this crest inside the church. In her RevQuest there was a story about the lion and the unicorn.
I was jumping up and down to take my picture with this gorgeous statue of Pocahontas.
The drive homeWe ran into all sorts of traffic on the way home, including back to back accidents.
So, my daughter took the opportunity to write in her journal.
And I took pics of myself. :p
April 15, 2013
Coffee Time 5 Star Review of Spell of Summoning
Click here for the entire review.
Wow! It has been some time since I read a book that kept me that on the edge of my seat! I loved Spell of Summoning. The paranormal world reflected in this book was obviously created with both imagination and good research making the story of Holden and Rebecca come to life. The author did an excellent job of dropping clues about who the evil necromancer could be without totally giving the game away. I had at least three people that I thought it could be but wasn’t really sure which is one thing I love about books like this. If I can figure out who the bad guy is in the first twenty or thirty pages I tend to lose interest, this was not the case with this book. The feelings between Holden and Rebecca are sweet, and sensual and the author does an excellent job of showing their budding relationship, and by the end of the book I was truly satisfied with how the ending came about. This is a wonderful, suspenseful love story and great feel good book! If you love happy endings, but like there to be turmoil and obstacles before you get to the end, as well as, story having paranormal paranormal elements, then you do not want to miss Spell of Summoning. I will definitely be picking up this author’s next book!
Regina
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
April 10, 2013
Spring Break Road Trip (Part 1 of 2)
I love history. There isn’t a historical marker I won’t swerve off the road to investigate. And American history is one of my favorites. The Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Colonies, Explorers, Native Americans… What’s not to love?
The past few years I’ve taken over Spring Break at my house and turned it into an annual history-seeking road trip. Two years ago we visited Roanoke Island (A lifelong dream of mine), Kitty Hawk, and Fort Sumter. Last year we explored the historical districts of Savannah, Georgia. This year we headed north to Virginia to learn more about the Colonial period in American history.
Stop 1: The Creepiest “Haunted” House in North Carolina
I don’t know who owns this house or why it fell into disrepair, but I can’t get enough of it. If I wasn’t afraid some Highway Patrol Officer would cart me away for trespassing I’d explore every dusty, cobwebbed corner. Doesn’t it spark images of antebellum ghosts, pale ladies in long gowns, and supper by candlelight?
Beware!
Stay out!
Stop 2: Harriet’s Church, Kinston, NC
It started to rain as I trekked toward the Harriet’s Chapel historical site. It didn’t bother me. What’s a little rain when you’re standing on a Civil War battleground? But my daughter wasn’t as excited about this church (not the original) and stayed dry in the car with the iPad.
Stop 3: Williamsburg, VA
One of the best parts of visiting Colonial Williamsburg with a kid was finishing their historical scavenger hunt called RevQuest. We followed clues around the village, solved a cipher, met a spy, texted clues to receive more clues, and solved a mystery.
My little darlin’ texting RevQuest clues.
Anna Abner
Bail me out! I haven’t made my daily word count!
And because I’m a total dork I took a picture of this house because of its plethora of pleasing vertical lines.
Check back next week for part 2!
April 9, 2013
Tuesday Tease #8
Dani shrank from David’s touch. “I’m not sure what’s going on. I woke up a few minutes before you did.”
Her rejection cleared his head like nothing else could have. For a moment he’d forgotten how cold she was. “You’re not sure.” He tried to shake off her obvious revulsion. As if she hadn’t made her feelings clear a year ago. “But you have an idea?”
Spell of Binding ms pg. 13
April 8, 2013
Reading Cafe 4 Star Review of Spell of Summoning
Click here for the original post.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Holden Clark walks into Rebecca Powell’s life, a tall, blue-eyed stranger who stirs long forgotten desires. But nothing, including this man, is what it seems. A dark necromancer is targeting Becca for a full-blown demonic possession. She is thrust into a world she never knew existed—a world where dark casters create chaos and necromancers talk to the dead.
Holden has no faith in his power. A necromancer, he communicates with the dead, but he has never embraced his gifts. Now, he has no choice but to stop the dark caster attacking Rebecca, but accepting this mission means he’ll be delving into dangerous magics he’s never used before.
Under the protection of the damaged and mysterious Holden, Rebecca will question everything …
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Review: Spell of Summoning is an interesting read of magic and necromancy. While I am a fan of paranormal genres, I have never heard of necromancy. When I first read the mention of it, I had a feeling I was reading out of my comfort zone. Despite that I found myself enjoying the book immensely and intrigued with the whole necromancy stuff. While I am used to reading about spells, spell weaving, shape shifting and magical healing; necromancy entails spell circles, cutting yourself and calling on spirits to help and draw energy from.
Spell of Summoning is about Necromancer, Holden Clark and Real Estate realtor, Rebecca Powell. The gist of the story is Rebecca has a demon trying to take over her and it is slowly but surely wearing down her defenses. The story is a race against time to rid Rebecca of the demon before the people responsible finish the spell. Of course this becomes an adventure but this adventure also helps both Holden and Rebecca face their inner demons and open their eyes to their trues wants in life. I do like how the chemistry between Holden and Rebecca builds slowly and that their lovemaking scene is very explosive. Though there are times I did feel like their chemistry fell a little flat at times.
This book kept me at the edge of my seat, guessing who the culprit who is trying to destroy Rebecca and unleash a scary demon out into the world. I liked how this story was a perfect balance between a plot that drags on and a fast- faced plot. I appreciated this very much. Out of five stars I would rate this a 4 for the reason that the plot, necromancy, and passion were spot on with me but with the background story of both Rebecca and Holden along with the twists and turns of the story; I felt sorry for them more than half the time.
Reviewed By Xtina
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March 27, 2013
Spell Marks & Spell Circles
In the Dark Caster Series, I write about necromancers. In my world, they channel a spirit’s power with a lot of self control and the help of a spell circle. Most of my research came from the book A Dictionary of Symbols by JE Cirlot (1971). Here are a few of my own–very amateurish–drawings of what I imagined in my head while writing Spell of Summoning:
Bell; a symbol of power that hangs suspended between heaven and earth.
A bridge between worlds and a link between what can be perceived and what is beyond perception.
Chalice: the lower part becomes a receptacle open to spiritual forces while the upper part closes over the earth.
Libra; a sign of equilibrium between good and evil; justice.
Scales; the mystic symbol for justice.
X; a link between the upper and lower worlds; inversion.
A six pointed star is the symbol of the human soul.
Virgo; symbolic of dual–positive and negative–forces.
A spell circle with four spell marks at compass pints, plus four others.
