Kyra Halland's Blog, page 24

"Bad Hunting" Formatting Day!

Yes, it's finally here, the day I turn the manuscript of yet another novel into a lovely ebook, the last step before releasing it into the world. The first time I did this process, it took 2 weeks; I've now got it down to a day or two, depending on length of the book (lots of chapters take more time to do). This isn't counting the paperback version; I do that in my spare time after the ebook release.

So I'm taking a quick break between preparing the html file and running it through the ebook generating program (I use Sigil) to announce that Bad Hunting will be available in just a few more days at a wide variety of ebook sellers. There'll be some special promotions in connection with the release; to make sure you don't miss out, sign up for my email alerts. (I only send these out when I have a new release or special offer to announce; no spamming!)

Also, this was cool, I had a guest post yesterday at the Speculative Fiction Showcase, a blog devoted to indie fantasy, science fiction, and related genres.

One other bit of business, Facebook has become pretty much useless for announcing my blog posts, book news, buy links, and special offers. If you want to keep up with what I'm doing, there are several other ways you can do this: follow me on Twitter (not my platform of choice, but I do tweet my blog posts and release news) and/or on Google+, bookmark my main site, and/or subscribe to one of my blogs: main site, Blogspot, or Wordpress (same content, just different platforms and options for following).

Time for lunch, then back to work!

Feb. 2015 Look Back and Look Ahead

Yes, I know February is almost halfway over! Just a quick update post. Job one this month and last month has been getting Bad Hunting ready for release. I'm at least a month behind schedule - the stretch between Thanksgiving and when we took our son back to school after New Year's took a lot out of me, it was fun but exhausting - and working hard to make up time. I've got myself on a more or less regular work schedule (hard to do when you work at home and you're your own boss!) and progress is finally happening. Bad Hunting is in the final proofreading stages, and I'm looking at a release date of Feb. 20. Stay tuned for release news and some special promotional pricing; to make sure you don't miss out, sign up for my email alerts. Don't worry, I'm too lazy/busy to spam, and you can cancel any time.

All other projects have been put on hold until I get back on track with the Daughter of the Wildings schedule. This includes getting Tales of Azara ready to release and working on my other Estelend novels and the Urdaisunia sequel. They haven't been abandoned; they're just waiting their turn.

On my A-Z reading challenge, for H I read The Hawk and His Boy , book 1 of the Tormay Trilogy by Chirstopher Bunn, then had to take a detour to read the rest of the series. I'm halfway through book 3, The Wicked Day, and it's wonderful.

Time to post this and eat lunch, then back to work!

Author Spotlight: N.J. Paige

Introducing author N.J. Paige and her novel Rise of the Nephilim: Fire and Blood:

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
First, I want to thank you for having me as a guest on your blog. A little bit about me: well, I'm a mom of two wonderful children and wife to the best husband in the world-my best friend.

2. When did you start writing, and why?
This may be a little cliche, but I began in high school. I found it as a way to express all my frustrations as a teenage girl.

3. What do you write, and why? What do you enjoy about what you write?
My goal is to write across many different genres. However, currently, I find that I'm drawn to Fantasy/Science-Fiction. The most important thing for me though, no matter what genre I happen to be writing in, is to support the foundations that I believe to be the foundations of Humanity-love, empathy, honor.

4. What is your latest book or series? Any forthcoming books?
My latest book is a new series, Rise of The Nephilim: Fire And Blood. Its foundations are love and empathy-two of Humanities foundations I referred to earlier.

Also, you are the first to know, my new release, Code Human, will be out 4/25/2015. Its foundations lie in love, honor, empathy, and I'll add, respect. Both series have kick-butt heroines who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.
5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
Rise Of The Nephilim: Fire And Blood is set in an subterranean world-Babylon, where there are large lakes, cave structures with some modern utilities such as electricity. Think of a medieval village, with some sort of modernity. Its core is beneath New York City. In this world are strange beings-Epochs, Imps, and Fallen Angels, not to mention Nephilims.

6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
Well, some of my characters are Maxine Lauren-the main charater. Although Maxine has been bullied all her life for her unique features, and has every reason to hate the world, it is her love for her family and for Humanity that will save the world. Also Amand, Maxine's Fallen Angel father. He is set on destroying the world, for he so hates Humanity, but his love for Maxine, his Sarai, and her human mother, Maybie, is cutting that hate down a little at a time. And I must not forget Mathias, the golden Angel from the Realm of Angels. He is Maxine's first love. And he is willing to risk everything to protect her and to show his love for her-an unforbidden love.

7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
Hmm. A fun fact. Let me think. Well, I have a passion for gardening. And one of my dreams is to one day build a home that is completely off the grid and will provide food for me and my family via greenhouses and so forth. Aslo, I love to hike and do all kinds of outdoorsy stuff.

8. Blog/site link, and where your book is available.
Rise of The Nephilim is available at Amazon.
Where to find N.J.:
Website | Goodreads | Twitter

I want to thank you again for having me as your guest. [Kyra sez: You're welcome :-) My pleasure!]

Read on for an excerpt from Rise of the Nephilim: Fire and Blood:  †PROLOGUE

2055-JULY 26, 11:55 P.M. EST
NEW YORK CITY

She was just a girl from Brewster, New York.

A freak of nature.

The strange.

The different.

But not anymore, for now she was Nephilim.

Progeny of the Fallen.

They stood in the dark, far upon a hill, amongst the beauty of Central Park, looking down into the pit of destruction―the new hell on earth.

A burst of anger propelled Maxine into bringing the weight of her sword down on the  pink blooming, cascading Cherry tree that stood tall next to her nearly, six feet, one-inch, thin frame―releasing a blast of white sap onto her black, Babylonian armor. “Damn it! They never had a chance!” Her face grimaced as those words ran through her mind, her breath, short and fleeting, as the thirst for revenge surged through her.

She gripped her hand tightly around her gilded, Babylonian sword―Arcadian blood, now mixed with the white sap of the tree,  still dripping away from its finely sharpened, double-edged blade.

Strangely, she took some comfort in the screams of terror; screams, which had still surrounded them, for it was a sign, though stabbing at the heart, that not all humans in the city had fallen, and hope had not been lost.

“Soon, they will all be dead. And it will be because I have failed them.”

She thought about her own Human family, meeting the same fate. That it would not be long before Arcadium and his army reached the threshold of Brewster.

Her eyes glowed in horror through a veil of white washed tears, clouding her acute vision, while she stared at the mangled mess of body parts―human, Nephilim, and Epoch alike, arranged in some freakish mélange of death art. “But, I promise you, their deaths will not be in vain, not so long as I still breathe, and the last drop of human blood still flows through my Nephilim veins.”

“Sister, be careful of your words,” Silla, standing at Maxine’s side―Haman, and Gaden, as well as their Epoch warriors not far behind,  whispered, reminding her of the dangers, which had still existed if she was ever heard favoring humans. After all, she was, now Nephilim, a natural enemy to Humanity. And anything else, would have been a betrayal to the Dominion.

But without concern for her own life, Maxine looked up towards Amand, “Is this what you wanted, Father?” she asked, anger still burning through her. For although her body had changed to what she was now, her mind, and her emotions were very human, still. That natural affinity to the abhorrence of Humanity had not occurred. Their cries were her cries. Their suffering, were hers to suffer. She felt it all. For her, there was no separation, at least, not yet.

Amand held silent, as he hovered in the air, just a few yards above with his wings undulating, and his Epoch warriors, and Kal, his ally from the East, by his side.

But his silence screamed across the heavens. His heart brimmed with pain. And the guilt in his eyes spoke to truth, for now that the Reckoning of Humanity had begun, it was not what he had imagined.

So much death. So much sorrow.

A gamut of emotions filled him, emptiness, or loss, as if something had been stolen or taken from him. Something vital to his very existence.

The feeling of ecstasy as he watched them burn and squirm, as they lay dying.

A breath of exaltation.

The satiation of hunger.

None existed. There was nothing to send his blood riding on a wave of satisfaction.

The loathing he had held for Humans had hardened over the centuries. Yes. Solidified. At least, he had tried to convince himself of that. And it remained true and unchanging, until he did the unthinkable.

He dared to bare a soul.

Maxine squirmed, her breath short, from the stabbing pain, which had now returned to attack her so, violently. She pressed her hand, firmly, against the wound, on the right side of her abdomen, taking longer breaths to quell the pain.

And though her own pain had haunted her still, she could not bring herself to tear her eyes away from all the carnage and excessive destruction.

Silla placed her hand around her elbow, “Come, sister. I can no longer stand the sight of this.”

However, Maxine refused to move even an inch. Instead, she lifted her head and looked beyond, as far as her Nephilim eyes would allow.

Bodies besieged the urban landscape of the city―most charred beyond recognition. Some still smoldering as the intense burn singed their blood and their wet, leaking, wide-glaring, extruded eyeballs, and brains. The smell of their burning flesh ravaged her heightened senses, becoming increasingly putrid. And the summer air, thick with smoke, stifled her every breath. The striking glow of fire, far in the distance, as the city continued to burn in various parts, sent even more smoke to ebb and flow like the demons of hell had rushed in on the shift of wind, and beastly tides of the cold, black sea.

All of it, slithering rage through her like a venomous snake, ready to strike its rival at any given moment.

Her eyes burned heavily with the unceasing flow of tears and smoke. And guilt continued to tear at her heart.

This is my fault.

If only I had acted sooner, she mumbled beneath her breath.

This is my fault.

But she was not to blame, for this war between humans and the Fallen was. . .inevitable, a prophecy written thousands of years before.

A prophecy that had manifested with the beginning of a dream.

Her dream.

A prophecy that harbored the powers of an evil so great that, it would plague the earth with rivulets of

Chaos.

Lawlessness.

Revenge.

Hate.

Death.

A prophecy that threatened the very existence of Humanity.

NOT JUST A DREAM

June 1, 4:00 A.M. EST
Brewster, New York

“I beg of you, Father; I will not disobey your commands, again!”

Maxine Lauren, a girl with distinguishable characteristics, was running for her life.

She had wandered into a world at its genesis of savagery and death, seeded by pestilence, and Humanities own hedonistic, self-indulgent tendencies. And she had felt her skin burning like hell’s fire, though the air was cold and blistering.

 The sudden dust up of sand had blinded her so, forcing her to use her hands as shields to lessen the onslaught. Still, each grain of sand had pelted against her skin like sandblast against the impure, the refuse, and the putrefied, in the unforgiving desert of Mount Hermon.

And though she had felt all its brutality in all the fibers of her body and mind, all its callous mercilessness, this was a world she had experienced only in her dreams. That depth of suffering, even her mortality had presented itself in all its raw, ruthless, illusory reality. Yet. . .it felt as real as the throbbing of her heart, and the icy, prickled fear washing through her like a wild river rushing towards the crescendo of the fall.

“Forgive me, Father. Please, I beg of you; spare my life!” she pleaded as she sprinted across the dry, red earth; her heart ablaze, a drumbeat of fear echoing in her ear with every breath.

Every suffocating breath.

Her tears burned like acid as they rolled down her cheeks.

Beads of sweat pearled on her skin.

Darkness and nothingness surrounded her.

Her long, dark hair pressed behind her, trailing her as if a gust of wind had suddenly washed before her.

The smell of her own blood burned through her like sulfur―poisoned blood, burning beyond degrees of degrees, immeasurable to any celestial being. Even the weight of her feet, heavy like lead, raw like steel, was something of an enigma. She’d never really needed to rely on them so desperately before, as they guided her over unfamiliar territory, filled with unexpected outcroppings, suddenly appearing out of the ground when she’d least expected them―a far departure from her unobstructed, ethereal world, in the Realm of Angels.

Frustration pulsed through her as she tried franticly. . .agonizingly to spread her wings―a futile attempt to take flight, as Archangels relentlessly pursued her,  intent on killing her, as she was among the Fallen, and the charge was to destroy all the Fallen for they had disobeyed their father.

It was a futile attempt to take flight, since the Archangels had already hacked away her wings from her thin frame. This challenged her very existence, and left her in a state of panic, for she’d not even realized that what she’d felt had been no longer there―Just a phantom of what was and what will never be, again, stripping away all pride and honor for eternity, sterilized from the purity and valor of the Realm of Angels.

Screams echoed in the dark, a kin to the screams of the damned being burned in the fires of hell, as the Fallen felt their throats ripped away, and their heads, suddenly sliced away from their bodies.

Many fought and most perished. However, there were few who had hidden in caverns like cowards, deep beneath the earth, silent in their despair, and vengeful in their thoughts and hearts.

They had made a vow, sanctified with their own blood, to one-day rise again, through fire and blood, to punish Humanity for the love, which they had stolen from them. But first they would lay their seeds in the hollows of Humanity, and churn out six-million and five-hundred thousand offspring―all sown from the seeds of revenge. And with that, they would raise an army of Nephilim―half human, half Angel. And with this power, they would fell Humanity to its knees to revere them as gods.

 Maxine felt the sting of the blade as it landed sharply on the sinews of her neck. She, desperately, desperately, tried to release the screams trapped in her throat. Her eyes snapped open; they burned wet, as she peered into darkness, which had surrounded her, still. Her body trembled, for fear had not ceased to course through her entire being. She gripped her hands to the sides of her neck, feeling wildly for the wound she believed would end her life.

She sat up abruptly, listening to the silence of terror, not knowing where she was, yet thankful to be alive. She breathed relief when she realized she’d been safe in her room all along. And her nightmare had been just that: a nightmare.

In truth, she had been a borrowed soul, used to manifest the memories of Amand, her father, Supreme Leader of the Fallen, Lord Dominance of Babylon, including Kash, Byzalium, Arcadia, and the Dark City of Babylonia, as the call to find her true home, so that she may take her rightful place as Nephilim―the last of number six million, five-hundred thousand―in the subterranean world of Babylon.

Bad Hunting Sneak Peek

Beneath the Canyons, Book 1 of Daughter of the Wildings, is now available at Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, OmniLit, Smashwords, CreateSpace, and DriveThruFiction. Coming soon to Barnes & Noble (which is once again being laggy with the updates).

Still plugging away with final edits on Bad Hunting; in the meantime, here's a sneak peek inside the book, with Lainie and Silas on the trail of a killer:
The next day, thunderheads started building up over the hills early in the day. Silas and Lainie still went on foot, leading the horses, as they continued looking for tracks. Being down in the washes when there might be rain upstream could be a deadly mistake, so they kept to higher ground as much as possible. The humidity made the heat even more oppressive, and the air was filled with a tension that only a thunderstorm could relieve. Rainbugs clicked and buzzed in the brush, heralding a chance of rain, their noise constant and maddening despite its welcome message. By late in the morning, the clouds over the hills towered high and white, nearly black on the bottom, and a curtain of gray gradually thickened across the highest hilltops in the range. Thunder rumbled in the distance. The wind coming down from the hills picked up, bringing a promising smell of rain.

So far that morning, the search had been just as futile as the day before. Then, about mid-day, Silas paused and looked down into the wash they were following. "What's that?"

Surprise that he had found something, and a touch of fear, jolted Lainie out of the haze of heat, frustration, and boredom she had sunk into. "What's what?"

"I thought I saw -- wait here."

He walked to the edge of the wash and pushed aside the thorny brush growing there, then started climbing down the sloping bank.

"Be careful," Lainie called, nervously eyeing the storm up in the hills and thinking of the killer who could be lurking down in the creek bed.

"I won't be but a moment," Silas called back as he disappeared into the wash. Lainie peered anxiously after him, but he was soon out of sight. Almost she wanted to go after him, so he wouldn't be alone down there and she wouldn't be alone up here, but there were the horses to consider --

Without warning, a cold, violent downdraft from the hills crashed into her, followed by a wall of dust. Dirt and sand swirled around her, blinding her, clogging her nose. Behind her, Mala and Abenar neighed in panic, the sound muted and torn apart by the wind rushing past her ears. In her anxiety about Silas, Lainie realized, she had forgotten to hold onto the horses' reins. She spun around and lunged to grab the reins before the horses could run away, and missed, and stumbled to the ground. She came up disoriented, with no idea which way she was facing or where the wash was. Even the sounds of the horses were lost in the roar of the wind. "Silas!" she tried to call out, but the wind stole her voice and blowing grit filled her mouth.

She froze in place. Every child in the Wildings was taught that if you were lost in the wild, you should stay put so you could be found. Wandering around, especially in a blind panic, would only get you more lost. She couldn't be more than a few steps from where she had been and from where Silas had gone down into the wash, she told herself, trying to stay calm. The wind buffeted her side to side and front to back, but she fought it, trying to hold her ground. Even small steps would add up, taking her away from where Silas could easily find her.

A pair of arms came around her from behind. Relief swept away her panic; Silas --

The grip of the arms tightened mercilessly around her, and the stink of old alcohol and long-unwashed body hit her nose. Terror surged inside her. Before she could fight back, a rope of glowing green power wrapped itself around her legs and arms, stinging her skin and nerves, and the cold edge of a knife blade pressed against her throat.

At the touch of sharp metal on her skin, her cry died in her mouth. In her mind, she saw clearly the scene that Silas would find when the dust storm passed: her lying dead on the ground, her throat carved open, and no sign of the murderer who came and went and went like a spirit, without a trace.

"Stay still and quiet, and I won't have to kill you," a male voice whispered harshly in her ear. Watch for Bad Hunting, coming soon!

Going Wide with The Warrior and the Holy Man

For the last six months, I've been doing an experiment with having some books exclusive on Amazon, in the Select program for indie authors. The perks of going exclusively with Amazon are that you can have your choice between running a "Countdown" sale or free giveaway days on your book, and also your book is put into the Kindle Unlimited subscription program. The idea behind these is getting more exposure for your work.

I found the results of the experiment, for me, underwhelming. I did have some successful free giveaways, getting copies of those two books into several hundred readers' hands. But the long-term benefits are uncertain, and the days when a free giveaway on Amazon would give a long-lasting rankings and visibility boost seem to be long gone. As for Kindle Unlimited, some authors have seen their incomes soar with the program, others have seen drastic drops. The deal with Kindle Unlimited, as far as how authors get paid, is that an equal share is paid out of a monthly pool of money for each borrow, with a short story that would normally cost 99 cents to buy and a 500,000 word epic priced at $9.99 getting the same amount. When I put those two books into Kindle Unlimited, the share was around $2 per borrow. Which wasn't a whole lot less than I would get on a sale of those books, priced at $2.99 and $3.99. However, within a few months, the per-borrow share dropped drastically, to under $1.40. This meant that on borrows of my $3.99 book, I was making about half of what I would make on a sale. That's a pretty big reduction, unless you're getting tons of borrows (and exposure), which this book wasn't. So I came to the decision that the benefits of being in Kindle Unlimited (and the corresponding drop in payment) weren't worth giving up the wider exposure of being on other sales platforms.

The upshot of all this is that The Warrior and the Holy Man , which came out of Select a few days ago, is now available at iTunes, Kobo, Smashwords, DriveThruFiction, and OmniLit, and it'll be coming soon to Barnes & Noble (it's been submitted; just waiting for the people there to do whatever it is they do to make it go live). Beneath the Canyons finishes its 90-day term in Select early next week, and will be going wide as well. The release of Bad Hunting has been delayed because I lost about a month of work time between the run-up to Thanksgiving and the start of the new year, but it works out because it should be coming out a couple weeks after Beneath the Canyons goes wide and will be available on all my current sales channels, hopefully giving both books a nice visibility boost.

I'm also looking into adding some new channels, including Google Play (tricky because they do a lot of discounting, which Amazon then price-matches, even to the point of making a book free when you don't want it to be free), and setting up direct sales from my site. Also tricky because of the wild and wacky world of sales taxes and VAT, but there are some shopping cart sites I'm looking into that handle the tax stuff. Right now, getting Bad Hunting ready for release and getting back on track on my writing schedule is the first priority, but I hope to be able to get these expanded sales channels set up before too long.

Update: The Warrior and the Holy Man is now available on Barnes & Noble. The cover image, however, is not. Hopefully they'll fix that soon; B&N tends to be kind of laggy with updates.

Updated Update: The awesome cover of The Warrior and the Holy Man is now showing on B&N. Yay!

Author Spotlight: J.R. Boles

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a mom, writer, and attorney. I spend every free second reading or writing. My three-year-old daughter knows our local librarians by name. We spend a fair amount of time reading in our house, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I grew up reading Mercedes Lackey and J.R.R. Tolkein, dreaming away in the infinite worlds that were opened up to me in books.

2. When did you start writing, and why?
I started writing in high school because I just couldn’t help it. I would get bored, and because I have no artistic ability instead of doodles I would write out little character bios. I earned a creative writing degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and it was there that I started writing in earnest.

3. What do you write, and why? What do you enjoy about what you write?
Fantasy, paranormal, and dystopian novels tend to be the projects that really ignite my imagination. I love the world building and character development that goes with them. The day dreaming that begins the writing process is my favorite part.

4. What is your latest book or series? Any forthcoming books?
Currently, I’m working on the sequel to Bringer of Light. I wrote the first half as part of NaNoWriMo last year, and I’m close to having a complete first draft. I also have a dystopian novel that I wrote for NaNoWriMo in 2013 with a Choctaw main character that I can’t wait to finish later this year. I’ve also got an urban fantasy novel that I’m excited to write with my writing partner, Sara Kincaid, based in Kansas City.

5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
The world in Bringer of Light is one on the brink of all out war. The dark mage Mercer is descended from a race that once dominated the world, and he is bent on reclaiming what he views as his birthright. The kingdom of Arten borders Mercer’s territory and has spent generations beating back his advancing forces. In Arten, they view magic itself as the enemy to ensure that all magic users are reported and either executed or banished. It would be too dangerous for them to have one of Mercer’s recruits able to climb too high in their army. In other nations, Mercer’s attacks are far more insidious, but more on that later (spoilers).
6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
The two characters with main point of view are Lynden Trenadin and Jonathen Oren. Lynden is a Queen’s Champion, an elite warrior chosen to fight beside the queen in Arten. She is the catalyst character for the whole series. I dreamed her up first and everything else evolved from there. She values friendship and honesty, and the important moments for her are those spent around a campfire drinking tea and swapping stories. She’s driven, but she would never leave a friend behind. I love that she thinks of her friends as family and would stand by them unconditionally.

Jonathen Oren is a captain in the queen’s army. He is Lynden’s oldest friend. They spent their childhood learning to be warriors like their fathers as they ran around the campfires of various campaigns. He’s always thinking about the greater good. Jonathen is the guy everyone turns to in a moment of crisis. He will always have your back.

7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
I wrote a big portion of Bringer of Light when I was in class during law school. It looked like I was diligently taking notes on Contract Law when really I’d just reached a part of the story that I couldn’t stop. Thank goodness I didn’t get called on during those moments.

8. Blog/site link, and where your book is available.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Pick up your copy of Bringer of Light today:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Bringer of Light:
For generations, the kingdom of Arten has stood alone against the ancient dark mage Mercer, a man no longer bound by time. But when King Wern is kidnapped, Queen Arin will risk everything to get him back.
Lynden Trenadin is chosen to join the ranks of the elite Queen's Champions both for her prowess as a warrior and her remarkable resemblance to the queen. She has spent her life battling at Arten's borders, but now she must defend the queen with her life as they journey to their enemy's castle. When the tide of battle goes against them, Lynden unleashes a magical power she didn't know she possessed. Even though she saved hundreds of warriors, Lynden is forced to flee in shame for her use of forbidden magic.
Now on the run, Lynden must raise a rebellion to free her country from the tyranny of the enemy she thought she'd destroyed. A band of loyalists and an enclave of ancient mages aid her in her efforts, but with a dark mage bent on her destruction, Lynden must discover a way to harness her new magic before it is too late.

About the Author:
J.R. Boles is a fantasy and fiction writer currently hanging her hat in the Heartland with her husband where they spend their free time chasing after their fearless daughter. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a degree in English and American University Washington College of Law.

Scenes from Daughter of the Wildings

The physical world of Daughter of the Wildings was inspired by the landscapes of the western U.S., where I was born and raised and still live. From the surroundings I grew up in and live in, to scenes viewed from the car on family road trips, it's all familiar to me. I do my best to paint these landscapes in words in my books, but sometimes you can't show everything with words. There's a reason for the saying, A picture is worth a thousand words. So for those of you who aren't as familiar with these scenes, or if you are and still want a visualization, here is a collection of photos of landscapes and scenery that helped inspire Daughter of the Wildings. (Most of the photos are by my husband or myself; the old west town photos come from freeimages.com; photographers are credited on the images.)

1. Bitterbush Valley - Beneath the Canyons opens with Silas Vendine riding down into the Bitterbush Valley, a high grassland valley situated between hills in the east and mountains in the west. This view was inspired by the Verde Valley and Sunset Point, between Phoenix and Flagstaff, Arizona.
2. Canyons of the Great Sky Mountains - A large part of Beneath the Canyons involves Silas pursuing the nefarious Carden and his band of miners through the canyons running down from the Great Sky Mountains. A lot of people, when they think of canyons, probably think of the Grand Canyon, an enormous rift in the ground. But the kind of canyon I'm writing about here runs between mountain ridges, basically a long, steep valley that starts higher up in the mountains and opens out into the valley at the foot of the mountains. The Great Sky Mountains were inspired by the Santa Catalina range north of Tucson. If you load the map on this National Forest page, you can see these ravines, carved by streams and creeks, coming down from the mountains, flowing together into larger streams, and also the network of washes on the valley floor. My husband enjoys hiking in the Catalinas, so I'll turn the next gallery over to him:
Down in the bottoms of these canyons, it's steeper and narrower than it looks from up high; take a look at this video of a flash flood in Bear Canyon to get an idea of what it's like when a lot of water is flowing.

3. The Bads - Book 2, Bad Hunting, takes us to the Bads, the lowest, hottest, driest part of the Wildings. This was inspired by the low Sonoran desert that I see out the car window every time we make the drive between Tucson and Phoenix on I-10. Not the most attractive desert scenery, but it has its own challenges and stark beauty. The hills in the distance in this photo are a model for the hills in the Bads where Silas and Lainie are hunting for a killer.
Desert south of Phoenix, along I-10. Photo: K. Halland, 2015. Creative Commons: Attribution, non-commercial. 4. Washes - Bad Hunting also involves a hunt through a large network of washes, or creek beds, in the desert. These are usually dry, but can flood quickly when there's a large amount of rain. If you look at this watershed map of the Tucson area, you can see how extensive and complex these systems can be. On my street, there are two washes; one is fairly small and shallow at this point (in fact, it begins in my backyard!) but the other one is far enough advanced that it has a lot of vegetation growing along it and can flood pretty well when it's been raining a lot. The other day, I took my camera with me on my walk and took some pictures. You can see how hard it would be to be climbing in and out of these washes all day and trying to hunt someone through them, with all the thick (and thorny) vegetation!
5. Bentwood Valley, BC Crown Ranch - In Book 3, The Rancher's Daughter, we go north to the beautiful Bentwood Valley, in high country between pine-covered mountains. This area was inspired by some of the ranches you pass on I-17 just south of Flagstaff. (Of course, the BC Crown Ranch doesn't have any cars or trucks on it!) Silas and Lainie arrive in this area in early winter, so I feel fortunate that I was able to get some photos with snow remaining from a recent snowfall. (Which is why the color is funky; my camera metered for the snow and, zooming by on the freeway at 75 mph, I didn't have time to adjust the settings!)
6. Finally, here are some pictures to give you an idea of what the buildings in the towns look like. You can see the false fronts and covered wooden sidewalks. There's also a two-story hotel, with a bath house to the side. There's a saloon on the bottom floor, like the Bootjack and the Rusty Widow in Bitterbush Springs, saloons with rooms to rent on the upper floors. The physical setting is also very much like Bitterbush Springs, grassland with the hills behind the town.

Reading A-Z Round-up: A-G

To try to clear out the backlog of books on my Kindle a little, I decided to read one book for each letter from A to Z. So far I've made it through G (I'm currently reading H). Here's what I've read so far, with a few thoughts and links to the books/reviews on Goodreads.

First: please note, again, I am not a book reviewer and this is not a book review blog. I don't accept review requests (with very rare exceptions). I'm just an author who also likes to read, sharing things I've enjoyed reading.

The rules for my own personal challenge: The books have to already be on my Kindle (unless I get to a letter where I only have samples, then I can buy one of those books). If I don't finish reading the book, it doesn't count. Indie authors preferred.
Across A Moonlit Sea , Marsh Canham

Across a Moonlit Sea is old-school, over-the-top, swashbuckling, bodice-ripping (Isabeau goes through at least two or three shirts and Dante loses one or two as well) romance set in the age of gold-laden Spanish ships sailing from the New World and English privateers seeking their fortunes. Attacked by a Spanish fleet and betrayed by his partner, privateer Simon Dante and his crew are stranded at sea when they're rescued by a small merchant ship, captained by the colorful Captain Spence and his daughter Isabeau (Beau), who would rather steer a ship and draw maps than wear a dress. Exciting battles at sea and loads of steamy (but not overly graphic) romance ensue. (My review) Bailin' , Linton Robinson

Bailin' was really funny. How funny, you ask? I was sitting in the dentist chair, reading this on my Kindle while waiting for Lady Pain, er, the hygienist to come in and get to work, and laughing out loud instead of crying like I usually do. (I have very sensitive teeth. Really.)

So, we have Cole Haskins, a smooth-talking modern-day gunslinger who would rather live an easy life of holding up banks and armored cars than get a, you know, JOB, and his lover/getaway driver, former truck stop princess Bunny Beaumont, the brains in the outfit. Then we have the world's most inept drug smugglers, two-man motorcycle gang Flathead and Bogart (there are no brains in this outfit, except that Bogart has kind of an idiot savant genius for cobbling together dangerously fast vehicles that are unsafe at any speed, and Flathead at least has the self-preservation instinct to want to stay off of them). Then there's Alvin Hunstetter, the nervously larcenous city treasurer who makes off with the stadium fund and skips bail. Add in a good, honest bounty hunter (when the most upstanding citizen in the story is a bounty hunter, that kind of gives you an idea of what you're dealing with here), an insanely homicidal ninja bounty hunter, and some crooked city officials, throw them all together in an action-packed chase along the Texas-Mexico border, top off with a slyly humorous narrative voice, and you've got a wildly entertaining read that's impossible to put down. (My review) Crimson , Warren Fahy

Big, sprawling, whimsical epic fantasy about a young prince, Trevin, who ascends to the throne after being told by his dying father that the color crimson and what he loves most will be his doom. The way Trevin chooses to deal with this prophecy seems to bring on the doom anyway and only the courage of an intrepid group of sailors and the love and devotion of his queen can save him and their world. (My review) Darkmage , M.L. Spencer

I'm not really sure what to say about Darkmage. Epic fantasy, though very dark, in an interesting magical world, pretty well written. But I had a problem accepting the basic premise, that in a world where all life and civilization is threatened by an all-powerful Enemy, those best able to fight this enemy, the mages, would place themselves under a physically binding vow of non-violence - and what's more, the people threatened by the enemy would expect the mages to abide by this vow and, furthermore, would refuse to lift a finger in their own defense other than sending ragtag bands of convicts up to the front to serve as cannon fodder in holding the enemy off a little longer. The books explores one mage's decision to break that vow and fight.

Even though I had trouble with the premise, I can still say that if you're interested in a philosophical exploration of the question of whether vows of non-violence are worth it, and are up for reading a very long and dark but exciting fantasy, give Darkmage a try.
An Exercise in Futility , Steve Thomas

I enjoyed Steve Thomas's very funny Klondaeg books (reviewed here) and decided to give some of his other works a try. An Exercise in Futility is very different, serious, almost tragic (though not without a note of hope at the end). When the nomadic Gurdur tribes are threatened with conquest by the ruthless Empire to the south, young Ezekiel longs to join in the battle. Instead, his magical gifts dictate he go away for training to fight in a different way. His gift turns out to be for necromancy, which has obvious uses in war. But while any garden-variety necromancer can raise an army of the undead, it takes an extraordinary one to think of using his powers on himself - and on an entire culture. I liked An Exercise in Futility as much as the Klondaeg books, and have added more of Steve Thomas's work to my (ever-growing, despite my best efforts) reading list. (My review)
Flash Gold , Lindsay Buroker

Lindsay Buroker's Emperor's Edge series (and the Encrypted series that goes along with it) are favorites of mine. Flash Gold is the first book in a different series, set in an alternate steampunk/fantasy version of the Yukon Gold Rush. Kali is determined to win a dogsled race with her dogless sled and use the money to get away to someplace warmer and safer. The mysterious Cedar hires himself on as her bodyguard and "musher", which turns out to be a good thing when it seems like every villainous character in the west is after Kali and her secrets. Loved this, and I'm looking forward to reading more books in the series. It would also make a good addition to my Western With A Twist book collection.
Ghost Aria and Ghost Dagger , Jonathan Moeller

"G" is two stories set in the wonderful Ghost series, featuring Caina, the young assassin with a dark and terrible past and the ability to sense the sorcery that is causing so much trouble in her world. In Ghost Aria, Caina investigates a mysterious murder that takes place at the opera house where she works undercover as an assistant to the reigning diva. In Ghost Dagger, a tragic curse in a nobleman's house takes Caina on a nightmarish journey through her dreams. Mystery, danger, and magic abound in both stories. I highly recommend the Ghost series, and I'm also planning to check out Jonathan Moeller's many other series.

Now I'm on "H"; once I've read another handful of books I'll do another round-up.

Author Spotlight: Brandy Isaacs

1. Tell us a little about yourself.
Call me Ishmael…wait—no, I mean—I’m Brandy Isaacs.  I’m originally from Lexington, KY but I am now living in the Chicago-land area.  As much as I wish I could spend all my time writing, I have to pay the bills and work full-time in development for a non-profit and I also teach writing courses on the side.

2. When did you start writing, and why?
The first real thing I remember writing was a story about a lost kitten who finds a home.  I was probably about 12-ish and my mom helped me find a publisher to send the story to.  I’m sure it was terrible but she supported me.  Years later, as in I was probably 16 or so, I received a letter from the publisher thanking me for submitting the story but it, basically, wasn’t their cup of tea.  I was touched that someone was nice enough to respond.  

I think I have always been a writer—academically or creatively and I’m pretty sure it all started because of a love of reading.  I was a reader before I could read.  My mom read to me until I could read on my own—I have her to thank for everything that followed.
3. What do you write, and why? What do you enjoy about what you write?
I, so far, write paranormal fiction.  Because, that’s what I love to read.  I have two degrees in Literature and my favorite type has always been the dark, the macabre, the fantastic.  Even in movies and TV shows that’s what I gravitate towards.  I think I love it so much because not only is it exciting to me—but it can mean so much more than the words on the page.  Sometimes a zombie is just a zombie—but sometimes it’s not.

4. What is your latest book or series? Any forthcoming books?
Currently, I am working on a book called Don’t Let Them Find You.  I am pretty close to being done with the first draft.

5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
I wanted very much for the world of Don’t Let Them Find You to be our world—with a twist.  I wanted Sydney and Xander to be ordinary people reacting to extraordinary events.  I can’t tell you much about the book without spoilers…but Sydney wakes up next to Lake Michigan with no memory and the words “don’t let them find you” written (by herself apparently) on her arm.  Thus begins her struggle to stay alive and hide from unknown enemies.

6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
Harley (from The Devil Series) is the superhero, my attempt to create a Jean Gray or Black Widow.  She’s impulsive, tough and all around badass.

Talia (from That Which Is Lost) is a troubled woman trying to find strength she didn’t know she had.

Sydney (from Don’t Let Them Find You) is an ordinary woman sucked into circumstances she didn’t ask for, just trying to keep herself and her friends alive. 7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
This question turned out to be harder than I expected…Any time I’m writing I’m either being a cliche at a coffee shop with my latte and music focused on my laptop hoping no one is reading over my shoulder (stuff can get pretty steamy sometimes) or I’m at home writing with my cat and my book fighting for attention.

8. Blog/site link, and where your book is available.
Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

My books are available on Amazon.

I love talking about my writing, books, characters, or anything anyone wants to ask me about.  Feel free to reach out anytime!

    Thank you all!

Author Spotlight: J. Lawrence

Introducing fantasy author J. Lawrence:

1. Tell us a little about yourself:
over Married over single. Dogs over cats. Pick-up truck over sports-car. Reading over TV. Cards over Chess. Risk over Monopoly. Coffee over tea. Deep philosophical, political, or even religious discussion will always get me over small talk. Fall over any season. Night over day. Beer over wine, unless it’s Moscato, and then all bets are off. [Kyra sez: Along with T.F. Walsh, J. has the coolest hat of any of the authors I've featured.]

2. When did you start writing, and why?
I had been having nightmares and stark realistic visions for years. Day or night. Relaxed or busy. I could be in the middle of anything and suddenly would be transported to another place called Arth. Riding behind the eyes of hundreds of people, I experienced all they did. I loved, fought, and died. Wives? I’ve had hundreds. I have taken a thousand last breaths. I knew it wasn’t normal. Yet, the episodes felt so real, the personalities I inhabited so fully engrossing that I’m not sure I would have stopped it all even if I knew how. Obviously, I feared that I was going mad. It was all impossible after all. Then, I was surfing the Web one night and saw something that convinced me that it was all real. I started writing The Sagas of Di’Ghon shortly thereafter.

3. What do you write, and why? What do you enjoy about what you write?
Technically, what I write is classified as fantasy. I don’t see it that way. I see myself as a scribe relaying a story that must be told. I do enjoy writing. Some of the people in my head have become old friends. I could see myself tearing off the heel of crusty bread and washing it down with ale with many of them. There are others though that I couldn’t imagine being in their presence for more than instant without succumbing to the urge to put them out of their misery. It is a balance of sorts but to be honest, when I write about the darker characters I feel little pieces of my soul darkening.

4. What is your latest book or series? Any forthcoming books?
My series is called The Sagas of Di’Ghon. The title of book one is Inborn. Book two is called Ramphyr. I am currently working on Dra’Ghon, which will be the completion to the first trilogy of The Sagas of Di’Ghon. Side note: My youngest daughter is twelve and my books are far too dark for her precious mind. Since she is the only full-fledged bookwyrm I have managed to create, I have succumbed to the desire to write something she can read and have begun working on a YA Dystopian. It is real fiction and not at all a product of Arth’s pulling me away. We are making it up and writing it together and I must say that I am enjoying the process immensely.

5. "Welcome To My Worlds": Tell us a little about the world of your latest book or series.
Arth is a brutal place. The Anwar Region is a vast frozen mountainous wilderness that ruled by Feudal lords and clanheads. Ontar Hold is no exception. It is the frigid ancestral home to an ancient family with a dark secret, one that will soon be exposed.

6. Introduce us to some of your characters. What do you like about them?
Thaniel is a slave in Ontar Hold. He doesn’t have a bad job really. As a messenger he has the run of the Hold. He’s shy and more than a bit awkward around girls, especially Elycia, who he’s had his eyes on for a while. In fact, all he really wants is for her to be his Kiss at the Festival of the Caller. He finally gets her to wear his blossom in her hair but then something goes terribly wrong. What happens next changes his life, as well as that of his friends, forever. What I like most about Thaniel is his how fast he makes up his mind to do something. It doesn’t always work out the best for him, but that’s purely immaterial. The shy boy has more balls than the supply locker of the New York Yankees.

Keriim is a decorated warrior, one of the vaunted First of Ontar, the personal protectors of Lisella Ontar. He is desired, powerful, and women love him. He’s also a serial killer. There isn’t anything I like about this sick bastard. I’s shove a screwdriver in his eye.

Elycia doesn’t want to be Keriim’s next victim. I hope she makes it. I really do. She is a good girl, even if a bit broken by being dumped into slavery by her no-good father.

7. A fun fact you would like your readers to know about you or your book.
I read a fair amount. Some authors name their chapters. Some don’t. If they are named, it is usually some slick wrap up phrase. I am neither smart nor talented enough for that. But I don’t want everyone to know that... so, I name every chapter. I just take something from the end of the chapter that catches my eye and use that. Some have told me that they enjoy trying to guess how in the world the chapter will end up there. Good luck!

Where to find J. Lawrence:
Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon
Inborn (Sagas of Di'Ghon Book 1):
The Code Sings.
The Caller has Returned.
The Blood of Ontar Will Rise Again.

Every action has consequences. Some change everything for the good. Others can get you killed. The worst kind can get people you love killed instead. 

Thaniel never meant to hurt anyone. But he wasn't the type to do nothing while the innocent got hurt. So when he saw the terror in his girl's eyes and a soldier chasing her, he couldn't just stand there. 

Thaniel wasn't looking for enemies. As a slave, he wasn't trying to attract the attention of the Ontar either. He definitely never meant to awaken any kind of lurking Inborn magic. Especially not the kind that can be used to Call monsters down out of the sky. 

But he did... 

As the whirlwind of consequence gains intensity and the people he loves the most are swept into the tumult, it's up to Thaniel to find a way to save his loved ones. Join Thaniel and friends as he discovers that monsters are not just born... 

Sometimes, they are Inborn.

Inborn is available at Amazon
Ramphyr (Sagas of Di'Ghon Book 2):
THE CODE WILLS. 
EVERY EMPIRE DEMANDS CRIMSON. 
ANCIENT EVIL TWISTS THE BLOODBORN OF ONTAR.

Lars Telazno told Thaniel that wielding the Jen’Ghon before he’d been trained could be disastrous. He’d even warned him that he could hurt the people he loved. 

Thaniel was born headstrong... 

Join Thaniel and his friends, as he learns that the chains forged in the crucible of regret weigh the most—and that monsters don’t die that easily, especially when... 

They are Ramphyr.

Ramphyr is available at Amazon