K.F. Breene's Blog, page 12

Where Do I Get Ideas?

I am often asked where I get my inspiration, or where I get my ideas. Sometimes, amazingly, I see (usually negative) reviews claiming that what the character got up to was completely harebrained and in no way real.

Well, O Disbelieving Reviewer, that harebrained stuff probably is real. And I probably did it at one time. If not me, probably a friend of mine.

So where do I get my ideas?

Firstly, I get a whiff. Maybe I see a character on TV that sparks my interest for a male lead. Maybe I have a dream. Or maybe I just wish I was in another time and place. Maybe I need a little romance without the reality element. Whatever the reason, I design a story around a bit of escapism.

Usually, then, I'll pick at the threads of the story. I'll get a feel for the world as I daydream. I'll go for a run and watch the movie flicker through my head. I'll imagine what one character will say to another. If I am out and about, and a funny line occurs to me, I'll write it down for a future scene. I'm living in the world long before I write any of it down.

And then it comes time to flesh it out. That's the fun part.

I tend to write what I know. Some things I research, but mostly, I go off of what I've experienced.

Yes, you've read that right. I generally put my own experiences into a story.

Let's go for a stroll of harebrained activities that couldn't possibly be real, shall we?


Jessica Brodie Diaries-
I did actually ride a bull. I've learned some martial arts.I had a boyfriend that owned an arena and a bunch of bulls--he held practices.My friends and I loved to party--we experienced shenanigans in plenty.Jessica waking up crawling on the beach with no recollection how she got there? Happened to a little Irishmen newly in San Francisco. The poor kid was so distraught.Oh, and the Irish stuff? Yeah, I have a ton of that near me. Asia SF (the bar with transvestites)? That's a fun night out here.Jessica is probably the closest to my personality when I was 27ish than any of my characters. It was the first thing I ever wrote, and I did it as a means to escape. Solely. I never, ever thought I'd publish.



Growing Pains Series -
I lived in a similar area to Krista up until a year agoI ran that path by the beach all the time (still do)I took the cursed Muni in to workHarrington's is real, as are the hotels and bars she ate in. Harrington's has freaking awesome Guinness, but you do have to be careful about Guinness. If it isn't poured correctly or regularly, it'll taste like burnt ass. If you don't live with a good sized Irish population, be careful about drinking Guinness.Krista's fear of failure and need to overachieve? Me. I'm not as bad, but if you've read some of my blog posts, that came directly from me.Folsome Street fair...is real. I congratulated someone on their huge penis. I asked if a Prince Albert hurt (I'm not shy when in a party spirit)I admired a whip stand, but did not actually touch the merchandisePeople having orgies and jacking off all over the place--yup. It's as real as it is gross.I tried to get a guy in a collar with a leash attached to it to have some respect for himself and get up off the dirty street, man! His boyfriend (the guy holding the leash) laughed at me. I did not think it was funny.I said, fuck it, and stepped into the whipping booth (clothed!). It was hilarious, until it started to hurt. Ugh! I got tagged out by my dominatrix co-worked/friend (who is a girl). She was the one that dragged us all there in the first place.Labor--is real. My medicine wore off. My friends left when things were sublime. They came back when I was biting the metal bars of the bed in agony. That sucked.Not being as maternal as my husband? Real. I did not want to hold my baby right away because she started crying and I panicked! I didn't know what to do, or how to be. How to act. I'd never done it before and I got scared with a little human life. I did it anyway, but I was still scared and nervous.I struggle with parenting every day. I work on my patience and try to nurture as best I can. It is not easy for me, and I do not always excel at it, but I try. I wanted to represent that in the book, because I think that is more common than people think, and being as honest and straight forward as I am, I want to talk about it.



Skyline Series-
This is the first series that I started writing for story. I developed an idea of Josh, first. I had a lot of knowledge about Navy SEALs because my brother was obsessed with them, but I did actually research further.

Jenna was a product of Josh. She started out kind of dainty, but morphed into a power house to combat one hell of an alpha male. They are my favorite team because they each complement each other perfectly. You won't see that until you get deeper into the Skyline Series, though. You'll notice that their struggle for power just grinds them into each other, and something truly beautiful flowers from it.

Not as much of the Skyline series came directly from me, though. Just a couple-
I am a great shot with a gunI have eaten rabbit (and other such creatures)I took some training about knife fighting, but I would get killed if I tried it nowMy husband and his friends did drink a bar dry (in NY somewhere)I did know someone that was in a bar in Ireland when someone kicked the door open and opened fire. He left Ireland shortly thereafter.
 

Into the Darkness-
This is all story, I think. I'm not sure any of this is taken from me, except for the love of speed. I LOVE to go fast. I also think better on my feet. Oh, and I took a lot of anthropology, so explaining the 'vampires' came from that knowledge.

Yes, now you know where the crazy in my stories come from. Me.

I hate being bored or doing mundane things, so I often daydream while I am doing it. From those daydreams usually comes a story, or scenes in a story.

You know what I am doing right now? Air drying in my bath robe while writing a blog.

You're welcome for sharing...

Review: Temptation Road by Kimball Lee

 




Tempation Road by Kimball Lee
Genre: Paranormal Romace

Reviewer: Sally Sparrow


Amazon * iTunes * Goodreads



What if you had to choose between a life of fame and luxury or finding your truest love while restoring a house overflowing with magic and enchantment in the Blue Ridge Mountains? 

Reagan Hart is the DeLuca Girl, hers is the world famous face of a generation. Her husband has directed five of the highest grossing movies of all time, and her ex is a hunky detective who can’t get her out of his heart. She has all that glitters, but it isn’t at all what she bargained for. Beguiled by the story of a mystical old house in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she walks out on her past and into her future.

In the village of Seven Devils, North Carolina she is drawn to and enchanted by The Mary’s House and comes face to face and heart to heart with breathtakingly handsome and reclusive Fletcher Green. Fletcher steals Reagan’s heart in an instant but there are secrets to be told and he hasn’t uttered a single word in twenty years. Only his brother Teddy has discovered the mysterious truth that sets Fletcher apart from all others. The two brothers will rebuild The Mary’s House for Reagan and along with a town full of eccentric’s she just might find her place among the charms and bits of magic, both good and evil. Fate, destiny, passion and a touch of the divine will change her forever as she becomes a part of all that exists on Temptation Road.






Confession: I picked this book solely because of the cover. I mean, just look at it!  Sculpted man chest and arm, lounging in the sun, ripe for the picking.... 
It has been a very long and very cold winter here in the northeast. I didn’t even read the synopsis of this book when I bought it. I just saw lickable man chest and went for it, hopes high for heavy flirting and steamy sex scenes to warm up my snow-frozen brain.
Two words: false advertising.
Our story begins with Reagan, a famous advertising model married to a famous Hollywood director. While at a party she is told by a location scout of a beautiful Victorian “confection” in North Carolina and decides to move there. She moves the very next day, leaving behind her husband and career. Once in NC, she discovers a sweet little town, a magical house, and a hunk of man, all of which she falls instantly in love with.
It’s a sweet storyline with a brutal cliffhanger.
Temptation Road is the first in a novella serial, and on first read I thought Ms. Lee had enough material in this one installment to make it a full-length novel, had she wanted to.   I thought it a bit sparse and the storyline jumpy, although I found the premise interesting. I hesitated to overly criticize someone’s work, so I reread the book last night after watching an episode of Sherlock.
If you haven’t watched the tv or movie version of Sherlock, the title character speaks his thoughts in a quick and emotionless manner. A matter-of-fact retelling of facts. That is how Temptation Road is written. It’s a rather important detail I hadn’t caught the first time. How did I miss that? It changes everything. Reading this book in that matter-of-fact manner of retelling, the story isn’t sparse at all. It is very descriptive, in a concise manner. There is a lot of label naming, which I originally found pretentious but later it seemed fitting and not at all pretentious. However, there are some quirks and such in the writing that drove me bonkers.
For starters, there is an exceedingly excessive number of run-on sentences. A plague of run-on sentences, if you will. Two complete sentences, joined together with a comma. Repeatedly. Maybe it was supposed to add to the ambiance, but it was just annoying. Distracting. At one point I had to put it aside so I could complain to someone about how damn annoying it was.  Then there is the bit about “the Mary’s”.
This house has always been owned by a collection of sisters named Mary. When people speak of the house, they call it “the Mary’s”. Shouldn’t it be “the Marys’” (plural possessive), rather than “the Mary’s” (singular possessive)? Perhaps the author meant it to be singular, as the requirement is the house belongs to someone named Mary, not necessarily multiple people named Mary. I am undecided which option makes more sense, but the reference is used regularly and it bothers me. A lot. I really think it should be “the Marys’”.
Then there is the hunk. The obvious love interest of the story. Sure, he is gorgeous and large, as are most romance novel hunks.This guy, however, takes the “silent, broody type” to a ridiculous level. He doesn’t speak. At all. He hasn’t spoken since some family accident in his childhood, but that is all we know of it. It might not seem that off-putting but when the author has him practically pantomiming it just seems silly. How is pantomiming instead of speaking at all attractive?
On to the cliffhanger. Reagan and the hunk have finally begun to hook up. They are naked, in bed, about to do the deed when they are interrupted. The partycrasher apologizes, then delivers his two-line mood-killing announcement. End scene. End book!
And that was the only sex scene in the entire thing. They didn’t even finish! Worse, Reagan’s man was fixing the fireplace seconds before she jumped him, so his hands had to have been covered in soot. Those hands were everywhere on her, and her clothes, and her bed. Everywhere hands usually go in a graphic, romance-novel sex scene. Covered in soot. Ew. I keep thinking of the infection Reagan is going to get after that. Overall, it is a decent book but I am not certain I will bother with the next installments in the series. While the story is cute and there are allusions to the house being magical, I am not sure I really want to know why the Hunk doesn’t speak. It seems obvious that he and Reagan will get together and he will eventually speak again. Do I care enough to buy the next books?
Actually, I do. I’m just a little miffed over the lack of sex after that steamy cover photo.

4 stars

 

Review: Kahayatle (Apocalypsis, #1) by Elle Casey

  Kahayatle (Apocalypsis, #1) by Elle Casey
Genre: YA Apocalypse

Reviewer: K.F. Breene






My name's Bryn Mathis. I'm seventeen years old, and I live in a neighborhood outside of Orlando, Florida. I live alone because my dad died almost a year ago, along with all the other adults in the world. I'm almost out of food and the gangs of kids that roam around my town are getting more vicious by the day.

It's time for me to leave and find another place to live … a place where I can find food and shelter … a place where they won't be able to find me.

Alone, it might have been possible; but now I've got company. I'm worried that I don't have what it takes to get from here to my final destination.

And I have no idea what might be waiting for me when I get there



Alright, here's where we're at. I wrote a glossed over review on goodreads to hit points that might be of critical value for readers, not bash the author in any way, and pleasant enough to just get it out there. I didn't do any real internal comment because I was worried about people taking it wrong.

But I'm in a weird mood right now, so I'm just going to hit this with my style of writing.

First, let me make a confession about this book...

I read it because I needed a little fluff. I'd just finished Cannibal Reign, which punched me in the emotions with brass knuckles, and I wanted something that wouldn't take too much out of me.

Sally Sparrow quirked an electronic eyebrow when I told her this, sarcastically asking if I was under the impression dystopian apocalyptic ballyhoo could really be construed as fluff reading.

Yes, ma'am, when its Indy YA, it not only can, it most likely will.

Here's another confession:

This book was in a set of six, all priced at $0.99. Elle Casey was the headliner, with notice that she is a New York Times Bestselling Author.

What does that label mean, anymore? Sell 12 terrible books for $0.99, and you might hit that list. All 12 authors can claim that title. But...did you deserve it? Does it matter?

I'm not saying that is the case here, but that title is what made me choose this book over the others.

And here we are, at the book. I got exactly what I thought I would-- light, glossed over all potentially serious issues or worrisome details, and didn't tax me in any way. Actually, it didn't really make me invest in any way. It was exactly what I needed at the time.

The best part about the novel was the banter between the characters. That, to me, was the thing that kept me turning pages. It was cute and funny with a natural wit that rarely seemed forced. It was also nice seeing the family element, and the morality that the characters clung onto. I would give the book a nod to a friend purely on the chemistry between the characters.

It's YA, even though there was some swearing, so understandably some of the stronger emotions and real-world problems were dusted over. I was just coming off of an adult cannibal book (Cannibal Reign), so this actually worked for me- I needed a break from horror. I'm not sure if that was intended or not, so possibly if you want more depth, this isn't the place. If you want an apocalypse book without the heavy drama, though, you're golden.

Aside from that, there were a few other issues. The world building is lacking. It's like looking through a small scope at the current scene--no real history, and no real explanation why the characters end up as they do on a global scale. I felt like the virus/disease that killed the adults wasn't completely thought through, so it was mostly glossed over. I hate to say it, but since the book didn't make me invest much, I didn't really care about that hole. Had I not been coming off of Cannibal Reign, I would've scratched my head and wondered if I missed something.

The characters, while fun and enjoyable, aren't real complex. Bryn comes across as a little too perfect, though I did like her mostly, and she kind of continually combats the problems of the world in the same way. Peter has more weaknesses than strengths, and Bodo, the love interest, is...silly.

My biggest issue was that the plot skips along with more of a 'telling' style (lots of passive writing). I didn't really get stuck in. The humor with the characters had me turning pages, but for the goings-on in the story...it was a little too surface-level for me. I knew they would encounter some sort of conflict, but they always miraculously escaped unscathed, and untroubled, so I didn't have to clutch my iPad in anxiety like I would with a more...genuine apocalypse story.

Some reviews commented on the grisly nature of the story, and even go so far as to say its edgy.

I laughed at those ridiculous musings, because they were freaking adults writing the reviews. Really? Ass has you offended? Sweetie, a lot of kids have potty mouths these days. Simmer down.

No, there is no edgy dark anything in this book. It could have. It alluded to issues that should have been expressed as dark and edgy. For example, a 15 year old was pregnant. We learn that she got raped when she went for some water.

Ugh! Right? That has you cringing. She lost her virginity by being raped by some dirty--

I'll stop right there. Because that logic and realism did not breach the pages. The victim said it with a more-or-less written shrug, the main character (written in first person) strangely didn't panic or feel much at all, and the reader got away unscathed.

The author was like--ha! You thought I'd get real just then. I didn't! Eat that!

It's a good thing I don't write YA, obviously. I'd have an average rating of 2.1.

So, in short, this book was a good effort, it's a fine read, ideal for taking a break from more intense reads, and I found reasons to turn the page- always a good sign.

Oh, and there is a pretty steep cliffhanger. A good one, too, marketing-wise. (I don't mind cliffhangers) I was tempted to move on to the next story. Unfortunately, I think I'll hit some other books in my TBR pile instead. But if you like series, and don't mind the issues, you're all set.

I should also mention that this book has a goodreads average rating of 4.37. It has an amazon average rating of 4.7. There are no 1-star reviews on Amazon. Not even for the intense cliffhanger, which most Amazon readers will stab someone over.

I stared at those number in an open-mouthed gape. I...am obviously not in tune with the people loving this type of book. Or this book specifically?

But you know what they say, "Opinions are like assholes; everyone has one, and they all stink."

(I rounded up on stars)

Full Time Writer - It's Terrifying Me

For the past year or so I've been doing contract accounting work, trying to find something I want to do full-time. I had quit work for a while to be a mom, and going back, I wanted to put down work-roots in a good company. So I've worked for a few places, none of which are a great fit, but they're okay.

Then this writing thing kind of spiked. I got the formula of publishing half-way down (cover, editing, etc), and made enough to make this my full time job. The problem is, I'm too logical for these shenanigans. The idea of being a kind-of artist full time? Relying on other people to buy my stuff so I can live?

Ugh. Terrifying.

So, like any overly-logical person that has been a poor college student at one time, I decided to keep working in a full-time accounting gig while I kept the writing thing going in the evenings.

I didn't really think things through, I'll grant you. I started an extremely stressful job with a huge commute, tried to keep my finger on the pulse of marketing my books, tried to continue writing, and tried to keep my family going (I do 75% of the duties in domestic life because I married a man--not sure the straight card worked in my favor on this one). I was doing two full-time jobs, plus trying to find time for family life.

Where did I find the time? I didn't sleep, that's where. I sent off emails at stoplights. I woke up with my phone in my face, answering emails and on facebook. I wrote long into the night.

Not good times. I am not a smiley person when I'm tired.

So, on the brink of exhaustion, I decided to take a break from the work life. Not forever, maybe, but I needed a second to get some writing projects out. I needed a little while with only ONE full-time job.

I have been out of the workforce for about two weeks, and it is going...strangely. Good?

The great news is that I have time again! I write during the day, get my words in, exercise, monitor my eating, and...have time to read. Or watch TV (although, I don't like many programs). Or play with my kid. I'm writing a blog post because I didn't have anything else to do.

This having one job thing is...freaking awesome! Plus, I'm my own boss. I'm driven, so I don't have the issue of not getting my work done. I get done what I need to get done, and if I have extra time, I do...something else. Or nothing else. It's great.

Flip side: I want to succeed at this. I want to do the best I can. The problem is, I'm in a venue that relies on a bunch of people's opinions. Unlike with accounting, where doing a good job is more or less black and white, succeeding at writing is a moving target. One without much control.

Did I mention I am a control-freak? Was that brought up? Because I feel like that should be said.

 You wonder why I stress so much about the Amazon review system? Even if one negative review only represents 5% of the overall reviews, if it is on display, people run for the hills. I can't blame them, but I also can't hide my concern for my livelihood.

Doom's Day parade-- like my gi-normous float?

I know, that is a glass half-empty way to look at things. But unlike most authors, I'm a business major. I think about these things. I worry about them--I can't help it. I have given up control, and have to navigate the ship based on something so fickle as opinions of strangers.

I don't even like strangers. I hate small-talk.


You know what, it's like high-school. Being an author is like high-school, and I have to deal with the mean girls all over again.

Panicking much?





So what do I do when the pressure gets too intense in a venture, and I don't want to deal with it anymore?

Why, I take my big red ball and go home, that's what I do.

I pull out. If I had a contract job to go to tomorrow, I'd stop writing. Maybe just a short break until I hardened up, maybe an extended break, maybe just walk away. But a definite break.





Why not just take that break, you ask? Because I am OCD about working, that's why. If I don't have accounting, I will write. I just will. I will make sure I have some sort of job, because I remember being poor in college and it was awful.

So. Yeah. I'm writing fulltime. It's happening. Right now.

Did I mention I have an extreme fear of failure? I'm afraid of lack of control, and afraid to fail. So, pretty much, I've landed in a job where two of my biggest fears are constantly punching me in the face.

How did this happen?

And I will tell you what--if I have to face the fear of being stuffed in a closet, wrapped in a blanket, with my hair in my face...no. Just, no. I will not do it, I don't care.

People think I am just blowing smoke when I say I'm not a writer. Oh, no, silly. No, that's not it. What I really mean is, writing full time scares the ever-loving crap out of me. People constantly judging me scares me. Angry readers (which is something I never have been, so I don't even understand it), freaks me out. Someone seeing through my pen name and emailing me with all of my personal info...

Yes, that was terrifying, too.

That's where I'm at. Just wrapped up in crazy-land with my laptop. No big deal.


Can I share your rock for a while? Just for a little shade? Lol!

Sneak Peak of Braving the Elements

This is a little teaser from Braving the Elements, just to give you a little peak-a-roo.






Master Bert clapped with a beaming smile as he sashayed into the room. “Okay, everyone, I have a special treat for you today. Maw, I have been reminded by the Boss himself that it is often easier to connect with the elements when we are out amongst them. He personally sought me out to tell me this!”
“Jesus, he sounds like a groupie,” I noticed.
Charles smirked and rolled his eyes.
“So let’s go, let’s go. Follow me!” Master Bert gestured everyone out through the doors.
As everyone shuffled outside—the girls all throwing red faced glances Charles’s way, as usual—Charles said, “You’ve hit red, I don’t understand the problem…”
I didn’t, either.
 I stepped through the backdoor of the mansion and onto a stone path. We followed the rest of the students through swaying trees, huddling in the darkness, the inky black licking my senses.
I closed my eyes as we walked, feeling that pulsing in my chest—the one I had tried to find inside, but hadn’t been able to. Now, with the night looming around me, pressing on all sides, it felt like something was released. Something inside me relaxed, the block dissolving away.
Suddenly, I felt the magic crouching in Charles where he touched my back to direct me. The darkness whispered in the form of leaves rustling, of night birds calling, of the tickle of the wind as it stirred my hair. I connected with my childhood; peering through the darkness, seeking out the imaginary people. Feeling the whisper in my body, the tickle of my senses.
It had always been magic. I just hadn’t known. And I attributed it to the night. I’d probably learned to control it, as Charles said, when on my own, feeling my way through the darkness.
Joy filled my body, sensing Master Bert now, a glowing orb burning within him. Onto the other students, many with tiny sparks, nothing more than colored winks, and only two with a small flame.
I stopped, eyes closed, feeling the ground beneath me. Shoes quickly shed, I stepped off the path, dirt at my feet, clutching Charles’s hand and dragging him with me. His inner orb felt my petting and started to dance, spinning and twirling.
The air brushed my face, wanting to be let in. The dirt at my feet wanted to climb up my body. The heat grew, the joy making me laugh. I raised my hands, my smile twisting, electricity filling the air, humidity squeezing out water. Charles stood mute behind me, his orange orb starting to flicker brighter, a deeper color, merging with my power and intensifying.
“Isn’t it wonderful?”
Was that my voice? It sounded deep and sultry, sensuous. I laughed, carefree and light, my fingers crackling with power, spikes of pain pricking my skin.
“No, Sasha!”
My body whipped around, brought into an iron chest and surrounded by bands of steal arms. The joy cut off by a control more fastidious. Somehow, my magic was smoothed out and balanced, dissolving the danger.  
In opposition, my heart jumped, beating wildly in my chest. Heat filled me, but not from magic. I leaned my head against Stefan’s hard chest and sighed.
“What are you playing at?” His words bounced off my head.
“I don’t know, it felt wonderful. I was so happy for a minute.”
“You were trying to draw too much. You have to learn to control each element before you bring them together. Most importantly, you have to learn to cut off the draw.”
His heart pushed against my cheek pleasantly. “That’s what I did?” I backed off his chest so I could meet his intense black eyes. His handsome face took my breath away, his strength and power had me floating, his presence and charisma making me melt. It wasn’t fair, this thing he did to me. It wasn’t fair that his choice as mate was an equally beautiful jerk named Darla who didn’t deserve him.
“How’d you know I needed to come outside?” I whispered.
His head leaned down fractionally, getting closer. “You feel things. You respond. React. You’re not a planner or a plodder. I figured if you were exposed to it, your body would remember how to do it. But you have to control it. It was dangerous what you just did. You know what happens when you draw too much.”
“I don’t…” I shook my head. “I don’t know how to control it.”
 “That’s why you’re in school,” he whispered, his pupils dilating. His eyes roamed my face, touching my eyes, my nose, glancing across my cheek, then to my mouth. He sucked in a deep breath, his eyelids drooping. His fingers tightened on my arms, drawing my body closer.
My hands landed on his lateral muscles, bumpy and delicious. I breathed in his smell, musk and masculine. Safety and protection.
“Boss, Bert is nearly here. This the way you want him to see you? Damn it, she smells good when she’s turned on!”
Stefan jerked me away from him, his eyes blinking quickly as they refocused. He let me go and stepped back.
I could have kicked Charles!
 

Shattered Worlds Boxed Set and Giveaway

And Check out the Giveaway below!!Plus, ten best and worst things about being a writer. I concur with Sarah Dolton's points.
 


Limited Time only!
Special sale price of only $0.99! Together these books have over 650 five star reviews!
Read these bestselling tales of survival against the odds, dark worlds, dystopian regimes and heroic rebels. Shattered Worlds features six full-length novels from bestselling authors. Immerse yourself in post-apocalyptic civilizations and bleak near-futures where hope still lives.




Shattered Worlds by Boxed Set
Publication date: February 26th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult
Synopsis:Read these bestselling tales of survival against the odds, dark worlds, dystopian regimes and heroic rebels.

Shattered Worlds features six full-length novels from bestselling authors. Immerse yourself in post-apocalyptic civilizations and bleak near-futures where hope still lives.

Featured authors and books are:

Elle Casey: Apocalypsis
Shalini Boland: Outside
Zoe Cannon: The Torturer’s Daughter
Scott Cramer: Night of the Purple Moon
Sarah Dalton: The Blemished
Katie French: The Breeders
 Amazon * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords





BOOKS:



 
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Elle Casey – Apocalypsis Book 1: Kahayatle 
My name's Bryn Mathis. I'm seventeen years old, and I live in a neighborhood outside of Orlando, Florida. I live alone because my dad died almost a year ago, along with all the other adults in the world. I'm almost out of food and the gangs of kids that roam around my town are getting more vicious by the day.
It's time for me to leave and find another place to live ... a place where I can find food and shelter ... a place where they won't be able to find me.

Alone, it might have been possible; but now I've got company. I'm worried that I don't have what it takes to get from here to my final destination.

And I have no idea what might be waiting for me when I get there.

**May not be suitable for younger, middle grade readers.**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Shalini Boland – Outside A post-apocalyptic romance thriller. The world of the future is divided by Perimeters: high-security gated communities where life goes on as normal. If you’re inside you’re lucky, if you’re outside life expectancy takes a nose dive.  Riley is fortunate to have been born on the right side of the fence. But her life of privilege comes crashing down when someone breaks through the Perimeter and murders her sister. She forsakes her own safety to go in search of the killer. Luc decides to go with her otherwise she’ll be dead before she’s past the security gate. But what awaits her outside is more unbelievable than she ever expected. Cut to the present day where Eleanor's world is falling apart. This time next year, civilisation won't be quite so civilised . . . *Suitable for adults and teens aged 13+*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   
Zoe Cannon – The Torturer’s Daughter

When her best friend Heather calls in the middle of the night, Becca Dalcourt assumes it's the usual drama. Wrong. Heather's parents have been arrested as dissidents - and Becca's mother, the dystopian regime's most infamous torturer, has already executed them for their crimes against the state.

To stop Heather from getting herself killed trying to prove her parents' innocence, Becca hunts for proof of their guilt. She doesn't expect to find evidence that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about the dissidents... and about her mother.

When she risks her life to save a dissident, she learns her mother isn't the only one with secrets - and the plot she uncovers will threaten the lives of the people she loves most. For Becca, it's no longer just a choice between risking execution and ignoring the regime's crimes; she has to decide whose life to save and whose to sacrifice.

It's easy to be a hero when you can save the world, but what about when all you can do is choose how you live in it? An Amazon dystopian bestseller, The Torturer's Daughter is a story about ordinary life amidst the realities of living under an oppressive regime... and the extraordinary courage it takes to do what's right in a world gone wrong. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Scott Cramer – Night of the Purple Moon Abby, 13, is looking forward to watching the moon turn purple, unaware that deadly bacteria from a passing comet will soon kill off older teens and adults. She must help her brother and baby sister survive in this new world, but all the while she has a ticking time bomb inside of her--adolescence.  *Parental discretion advised for readers 13 and under*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
  
Sarah Dalton – The Blemished

A beautiful world comes at a price...  In a world filled with stunning clones Mina Hart is Blemished. Her genes are worthless and that takes away her rights: her right to an Education, her right to a normal life and her right to have a child.

Mina keeps a dangerous secret which she never thought she could share until she meets Angela on her first day at St Jude's School. But their friendship is soon complicated by Angela’s adoptive brother Daniel. Mina finds herself drawn to his mysterious powers and impulsive nature. Then there is the gorgeous clone Sebastian who Mina is forbidden from even speaking to…  The Blemished is a frightening take on a fractured future where the Genetic Enhancement Ministry have taken control of Britain. It will take you on a ride filled with adventure, romance and rebellion.

Book one in the popular YA dystopia series 'Blemished'. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Katie French – The Breeders

“When the Breeders come for ya, there ain't no escape. They strap ya to a bed and all ya hear is the thud of your heart and the cries of your friends as they wheel ya down to hell. Then the doctors come. You squeeze your eyes shut and pray you can forget. But ya never do.”

Sixteen-year-old Riley Meemick is one of the world's last free girls. When Riley was born, her mother escaped the Breeders, the group of doctors using cruel experiments to bolster the dwindling human race. Her parents do everything possible to keep her from their clutches-- moving from one desolate farm after another to escape the Breeders' long reach. The Breeders control everything- the local war lords, the remaining factories, the fuel. They have unchecked power in this lawless society. And they're hunting Riley.

When the local Sheriff abducts the adult members of her family and hands her mother over to the Breeders, Riley and her eight-year-old brother, Ethan, hiding in a shelter, are left to starve. Then Clay arrives, the handsome gunslinger who seems determined to help to make up for past sins. The problem is Clay thinks Riley is a bender-- a genderless mutation, neither male nor female. As Riley's affection for Clay grows she wonders can she trust Clay with her secret and risk her freedom?

The three embark on a journey across the scarred remains of New Mexico-- escaping the Riders who use human sacrifice to appease their Good Mother, various men scrambling for luck, and a deranged lone survivor of a plague. When Riley is forced into the Breeder's hospital, she learns the horrible fate of her mother—a fate she'll share unless she can find a way out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best and worst things about being a writer by Sarah Dolton:

 
Being a writer is constantly romanticised on TV. I mean – Castle – come on. Poker games with James Patterson? Flitting around as a detective and yet still having the time to pen bestsellers? Nah! Even Stephen King sits down and reads and/or writers for at least five hours a day. It can be a hard slog. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any perks…
 
Best:
 
1.      You’re the boss! You work when you want. You sleep when you want. You work where you want. Did I mention you’re the boss? No one to tell you what to do. Woohooo… freedom!
2.      Storytelling is cool and creative. I hit keys. They form words. Words make sentences. Sometimes they sound pretty. Sometimes they make people cry or laugh. It’s a nice feeling.
3.      People tell you they love your books! There have been a couple of times that people have told me that the books inspired them in some way. That’s the jackpot right there. It makes everything worthwhile. It makes you feel like you have a career that matters.
4.      Writers are cool people to know. I love working with other writers. It’s amazing when the community comes together to collaborate. I’m all for supporting each other. I’m not for competing against each other.
5.      You get to stay inside when the weather is rubbish. I live in England, so this is like 90% of the time… yeah, I need to get out more!
 
 
Worst:
 
1.      You’re the boss! There ain’t no one else you can blame when things go wrong. You have a lot of responsibility resting on your shoulders. You have to make the right decisions for your business. If you lose money, if you can’t pay rent, you have to fix it.
2.      Storytelling is hard. You have to keep the reader interested for about three hundred pages. You have characters to craft. Sometimes there are sentences that won’t behave themselves and sound convoluted however you write them. There are edits and proofreads and rewrites. It’s not all about writing the first draft. But these things get easier with practice, and there are people to hire, or people to ask for help when you need it.
3.      People tell you they hate your books! It happens to the best of us. I’ve seen one star reviews on Goodreads for writers like Ernest Hemingway and F Scott Fitzgerald. You can’t please everyone. The hate will come. Take it in, then let it go.
4.      Other writers aren’t always supportive. Writing forums can be full of flame wars and endless, circular discussions. It’s easy to get pulled in. Take a step back. Find peers you respect. Don’t get drawn into the negativity that goes on in the murky depths of message boards.
5.      Writing is very sedentary. It involves a lot of sitting down. Most writers I know drink a lot of coffee or munch on biccies to get through a long writing session. Take care of yourselves. Get exercise. I’m incredibly unhealthy right now, but I’m trying to make a change.
 





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Interview Regarding Men's Version of Romance with Bryan Fields

Today I'll be interviewing Bryan Fields, author of Life with a Fire-Breathing Girlfriend.


 




Life with a Fire-Breathing Girlfriend by Bryan Fields

Genre: Fantasy


Amazon * iTunes * MuseItup Publishing * Goodreads















Back Jacket

A lot of guys claim to have hot girlfriends. David Fraser has one who actually breathes fire.

Rose Drake is a Dragoness in Human form, come to Earth for three years to soak up the local energy and increase her chances of having happy, healthy, baby hatchlings when she goes home. In exchange for his time and energy, David’s body and love life both undergo extreme makeovers. It sounds like the deal of a lifetime.

Fate doesn’t let David and Rose off so easily. A friend of theirs is murdered, their homeowner’s association starts harassing them, and they have to complete a quest for an Elven sage in order to stop a genocidal Unicorn from turning Earth into a radioactive wasteland.

After all, when you’re dating a Dragon, you’re already a hero. It says so in the fine print.

~*~*~*~*~

Growing up, I had often attributed the romance genre with rolling eyes. It was something older women read, bending back creased paperback covers featuring Fabio-type men posing with a billowing shirt and glistening chest. TV and media made fun of the old dames with their romance, as did the guys around me, shaking their heads and just leaving the silly old broad to it. And maybe this is where it came from, after all. Men. Who didn’t understand why anyone would read that garbage. Why not settle down to a nice mystery, or a horror, or a thriller?

Why not leave me the hell alone, Mr. Control-Everything?It wasn’t until my twenties that I ventured into this “silly” genre. After the shock wore off of reading sex scenes—which were a lovely way to pass the time—I realized it wasn’t a genre I could hang out in for too long. Romance novels tend to have a formula, which bores me. But they also tend to have impossibly gorgeous, successful, and somehow attainable men (for our heroine), which keeps me stopping back in after a while to get my dose.
This leads me to what romance really is. Fantasy. Fantasy men growing and maturing as only a figment of women’s imagination could conjure. Men changing. Old dogs learning new tricks. A giant asshole jerk becoming smitten, and then doing a complete 180 for the heroine.
Laughable in real life. But this isn’t real life, which is why it is the number one earning genre in the world.
Eat that, guys. But wait, guys must have this type of fantasy, too. The beautiful, perfect woman…Do guys write romance?I’ve recently read Life with a Fire-Breathing Girlfriend by Bryan Fields. A book deemed fantasy, I wasn’t expecting as much romance within the pages. But low and behold, women aren’t the only ones that write themselves into a wonder land.

So I went through and wrote down some similarities and differences between a romance book…and Bryan’s. Let’s see what he has to say about the similarities and differences.
1.      One thing about romance is the Insta-love. Soul mates. The heroine meets the hero and immediately they fall deeply in love.
 You have this concept in the very beginning of your book. They set eyes on each other and the choice is made. You explain it within the fantasy element, but still—insta-love is insta-love. Was this insta-love a thought process? Did you want this immediate romantic connection, or were you not thinking of that aspect when you wrote it? (“I felt complete.”)
 Oh, yes, I wanted it to be there.  I do believe that it is possible for people, in whatever gender combination you care to imagine, to identify someone they could connect to and fall in love with, and do it in very little time.  When I met my wife Noelle, I felt something more than “hey, an interesting person”.   There was a very real, very strong attraction, and things went very quickly for us. 
If that can happen in the real world, magic can certainly make it happen faster in a fantasy world. 
Now, here’s the guy part: I wanted it to happen as a rebuttal to every instance when someone has told another person, “But you’re such a good friend, I’d hate to lose you when we break up”.  That’s either fear talking or a cruel lie.  Ask anyone with a long-lasting, strong relationship- they will say one of the factors is that they started as friends and stayed friends, even as they fell in love.  Someone who really is such a good friend is *more* likely to be good relationship material. 
 David and Rose, sight unseen, took a chance on love, based on nothing more than a spark that said, ‘This could be the one’.  They had magic and the writer on their side, but if you never roll the dice, you have no chance of winning, period.
 [I love that last line. I could be a tagline for a great romance novel. And this is so much more real, more grounded, coming from a guy.]
 
2.      Often in romances, there is the longing period. The flash of desire, the wanting, the anxiety, and then the gratification. Even with insta-love, there is a waiting period before anything happens. I find it interesting that in man-land (your book), your characters chose each other, kissed, and basically fell into comfort, right away.
Were you thinking about that situation being realistic when you wrote it? I think women might think the woman was giving in too soon, but you were totally blasé in writing it. Do men, in fact, like the immediate comfort level of insta-love?
If men didn’t, prostitutes wouldn’t make nearly as much money as they do.  [yowza! jazz hands]Men and women process emotion differently, obviously.  I don’t get the emotional appeal of the backing and forthing, does-he or doesn’t-he part of the romance genre.   Well, I get it as a cornerstone of that type of story – it prolongs the emotion arc, allows much more exploration and exegesis of feeling and motivation for each character.  But it drive me ****ing nuts.  I want to grab the guy by his Fabio-like locks and shout “Just tell her!!!!” 

It also makes me crazy when people in stories don’t communicate.  A person who loves you is going to be willing to hear you out and help you get through issues.  They will understand if you’re embarrassed or ashamed, and hopefully will be accepting and supportive. My solution to all of that is the acceptance between David and Rose.  It means they each accept the other person totally, unconditionally, and enthusiastically.  Every physical need and desire, every emotional nuance, your partner already knows about, and they still love you back. 

I don’t think it’s realistic at all, no, because it satisfies both male and female emotional needs.  Men get the concise, immediate feedback they respond to, and women have in-depth, unerring certainty of their partner’s needs, wants, desires, feelings and fantasies, all in real time.  The acceptance also keeps that level of intimacy from driving both parties insane.    

3.      Perfection. What romance doesn’t have the perfect man? Gorgeous, rich, powerful, and solely choosing the narrator of the story above all others. Maybe this is why men roll their eyes.
Oh lookie, you have the same thing. This trait isn’t limited to woman’s books.
Rose is absolutely gorgeous (before becoming more so), only has eyes for the hero, has a bunch of money, and is all about the nookie. So…you were writing your dream girl, then?
That’s part of it, of course.  I certainly have and have had fantasies about ‘the perfect woman’, and I know my wife has her list of dream dates.  There is also a story-based reason for it.  It’s an extension of the idea of the acceptance.  David loses weight, muscles up, gets huge hair, and, well, thankfully Rose isn’t a size queen.  The reason given in the book is that Rose needs David’s love and sense of wonder to make her eggs stronger and give her more of them when it’s time for her to have a mating flight.  Getting the best results, and the most energy, requires each of them be the other’s idea of perfect.







4.      You mention that it is her first time for sex. You didn’t elaborate. Is this something that is important to men? The idea of the virginal girl? Or was this more in relation to her first time on Earth?
Some guys are obsessed with virginity, and for some cultures, it’s a major issue.  In this case, though, it’s strictly part of Rose being new to Earth.  She’d been in that body for about four hours total.  She has a new toy and she finally gets to take it out a play with it.  [Literally—ha!]
5.      There was a part in this story that made me want to punch you in the mouth. After they wake up that first day, she cooks the hero breakfast. Then the hero shows her how to use the dishwasher while he goes up to do something else.
Dude, David shows her how to use the dishwasher? A little 1940’s, hmmm? I take it a woman cooking and cleaning up is on your list of perfect qualities?
You also have Rose learn belly dancing, and put a stripper pole in the game room. *quirked eyebrow*
Just because the premise is an updated version of ‘I Dream of Jeannie”?  No, that type of lifestyle isn’t to my liking.  I am not Fred Flintstone. David showed Rose how to use the dishwasher because her Masquerading as Human class didn’t cover any modern appliances.  As Rose tells David, the last time her mother was here was in 1969.  Rose’s education covered slow cookers, casseroles, fondue and how to make bread in an empty Folgers can placed over an open fire.  Digger bread, if you’ve never heard of it.  Her mother’s most emphatic warning was against taking the brown acid. 

Rose takes up belly dancing in part because David gets amazingly turned on when turns her skin green and dances for him.  He is a geek, and he responds as one.  Some guys love the Slave Leia look; David likes Orion women. As a Dragoness, Rose’s cultural norm is, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.”  Dragons are arrogant, self-centered, egotistical, and utterly convinced that all other forms of life are inferior.  They thrive on attention and admiration.  Rose *needs* David’s attention to be on her, and she does work to keep it.  A stripper pole is a form of exercise that has a very high degree of attention-getting to it.  That’s also why she put her spinning cycle in front of David’s weight machine. 

6.      One of the biggest differences in this romance and a woman’s is…the sex. Your book just stopped with a hand heading down south. Or when David unbuttons Rose’s shirt and has a look, he doesn’t tweak a nipple, or fondle, or anything. I was like—wait, what? You’re just going to walk away? She’s naked under there, man! Get busy!
This isn’t a YA, so why didn’t you share a little detail in the sex bits? Inquiring minds would love to know…
 
I know, right?  The boy has a will of iron.  I have no doubt he did, well, enjoy the latest renovations.
The truth is, I’ve tried writing erotica and I’m terrible at it.  Since I can’t do it well, I stick with good old fade to black.  That doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about it.
To begin with, Rose’s idea of kinky is different from a human woman’s, since she’s starting off by mating outside her species.  She doesn’t have any inherent aversions to any toys, or other things like that.  In the third book, which I’m currently writing, Rose gets stoned and has her first lesbian experience, followed in the morning by her and David’s first threesome.   At one point in the second book, ‘The Land Beyond All Dreams’, Rose sends David to study swordsmanship at a Dwarven monastery.  His instructor is a Dwarven woman; Rose picks her instead of a man because David will be hornier than Hell when he gets home.  She doesn’t mind that David has the hots for his instructor because she knows he’ll be coming back to her.
What Rose doesn’t like, and won’t put up with, is bondage or dominance.  She can’t stand being tied up or restrained in any way – she gets violent, and you don’t want someone who can tear cars apart and dismember elk with her bare hands getting angry.  Same thing if someone tries to dominate her; she doesn’t bow down to any shaved monkey, and is quite happy to kill and eat anyone who tries it.  
Now, if David asks her to change form so he can have a night of hot sex with Angelina Jolie or a succubus in a Hooter’s girl outfit, Rose is right there for him.  [Good lord, you kick the sex up a bit in the third book it sounds like. Except, we don’t get a peep show. How unfortunate J] 
 
7.      This is one thing that would never fly with women. 3 years. David only gets three years with Miss Perfection. He loves her, he is soul mates with her, but he only gets three years.
In woman land, this would probably be the whole plot. In fact, a great many romance books have no more plot than this very idea. And yes, David is totally fine with it. He’s happy to get sex with a hot chick for three years, and then he’s okay with letting her go.
Would you, as a guy, be cool with that? I know that guys are more of the here-and-now, but that wouldn’t make you squeamish at all? It wouldn’t be a black cloud, knowing your love would someday have to leave?
*asking with a romance writer’s desperation*
Any guy who couldn’t accept the three-year limit wouldn’t be chosen as a companion.  It is a sad element, but one that is needed for the initial story.  Normally, it would be depressing, and stressful, and create an insane level of desperation in most people.  That’s why the acceptance counter-programs the companions against that black cloud. Once the companion agrees to the relationship, all this stuff happens that is needed to make the relationship work.  It’s not automatic, or natural.  The fantasy relationship can’t work without the fantasy elements to support it.
The major problem with a three-year time limit is that you can only tell so many stories inside that window.  So, that needed to be changed.  That change turned out to be one of the hardest parts of the book to write.   But it had to happen.

8.      I started writing romance because I wanted to envision myself catching a perfect man. I wanted to live that dream. It seems like this book is your dream. You are a gamer, and an IT guy, and you like fantasy—were you kind of living in your own game? I mean, in sub-book three, you are basically leveling up, yes? Was this a world and situation you would love to be dropped into?
Sure, when I was twenty.  Now, closing in on fifty and having a family, it would be a lot harder to say yes.  If I could get my wife to sign off and we both got the physical makeover that comes with it, maybe that would work.  Maybe if I pointed out that our would-be third party can make herself look like Alexander Skarsgård, I might be able to sell her on the idea. Even if I didn’t land a hot dragon babe of my own, I’d love to be dropped into that world – because they’d be there, and that would be glorious.

9.      There is a part about this book I really enjoyed for the significance, and that is when the other girl dragon, Harmony, chose Ember. Ember wasn’t gay, but went with her immediately, like David did with Rose. It gives validation to the beginning scene, and it shows your disregard for political ballyhoo. It worked and gave gravity to the connection between the dragons and humans. Was that your intention? Or were you more concerned with the girl-on-girl action? J
Well, the girl on girl is less important when the story fades to black.  I did want to show another partnership, one very different from Rose and David’s.  And I wanted it to happen with no fanfare at all.  Ember made a choice of who to love, and the story continues.  The one overtly political comment I put in and kept in was a reference to a scumbag church known for conduct that is an embarrassment to real Christians everywhere, and I have yet to hear a word of disagreement with that assessment.

10.   One thing romance novels often lack (except for mine) is a strong heroine. At least lately. Yet you, a man, wrote a strong heroine into your book. You could’ve made her weaker in her human form, making the hero have to protect her more. I enjoy the qualities you gave to Rose. Was that intended, or an offshoot of what you think a dragon as a human would embody?
Who wants to read about a wimp who can’t run her own life or live without a boyfriend?  On second thought, skip that – rhetorical question.  I wouldn’t want to read a book with a precious little princess for a heroine, and I’m not going to write one.  [Amen brother—I’m in the same boat!] I can’t imagine a dragon being weaker than a human anyway, but as part of the storyline, she does come in much stronger than David.  He has some levelling up to do. 

David is a Hero.  At the start of the book, he’s maybe 2nd level.  Even though Rose is stronger than he is, protecting her is in his nature.  He fights for her, and catches her when she falls.  By the end of the book, he has an idea of what being a Hero means, and he’s starting to play up to her level.
11.   I noticed you didn’t end the book after the three years. Rose doesn’t have to go home yet. So…sequel?
Yes.  Would you like to meet David’s Dwarven drill instructor?Excerpt from “The Land Beyond All Dreams” – contents may change before release

A Dwarven woman emerged from one of the buildings and made a ‘come here’ gesture.  I jogged over and bowed. 

She was nearly as tall and wide as the Dwarf I’d met downstairs, wearing a short sarong around her hips and a length of linen wrapped several times around her chest.  Her body was muscled like a racehorse, but she still had the curves of a pin-up queen.  Her chin and throat had moko-like tattoos extending down from her lower lip, with strips of beard knotted into cornrows running between the tattoo lines.  The sides of her head were shorn clean and well-tanned, leaving a Mohawk braided into waist-length cornrows.  Her torso, upper arms, and thighs were covered in tattoos, all lines of ogham script.  I assumed they were passages from her sacred texts.  Her upper lip was shaved as well.  Turns out it’s the mark of the order running Stonewall.   
“Greetings, Dragonbound.  I am Ideal Maraz.  I am responsible for your improvement while you study with us.”  She handed me a folded sarong.  “Put this on.”  She pointed to the building behind her and added, “In there.  Leave your things.”
There’s no way I’m gonna’ run around here with my dork hanging out.  I smiled at her and went to get changed.  The building had two hammocks, a stone ledge with a few personal items on it, and two chamber pots.  Not exactly four-star accommodations, but I probably wouldn’t be in here a lot.  Hopefully my unmet roomie doesn’t snore.  I got changed and tied my hair back.
When I came out of the building, I asked, “If you don’t mind the question, I was wondering what ‘Ideal’ signified?”
She smiled.  “I embody the physical and spiritual goals you should aspire to.  Normally you would have a male Ideal, but the Dragon you are bound to insisted on a woman.  Still, we can provide a male Ideal for you to reference if you wish.  I am here to make you greater, not your Dragon.”
I hooked my thumb over my shoulder.  “So the building I changed in…?”
“Is my cell.  How else will you conform to your Ideal except by being with them?”
“I guess.  It just seems a little, well, close quarters.”
Her eyebrow went up.  “I’ll promise not to stare while you relieve yourself, if that will help.”
I decided to stop digging myself any deeper.  “No, no, that’ll be fine.  It’s just…  I’m happy to be studying under you.  With you.”   
Maraz smiled.  “With me.”  She pointed towards the central group of buildings.  “It is time to begin your lessons, Dragonbound.  This way to the training ground.” 
She led me towards a sand-floored arena where a dozen or so students were already doing drills.  While we walked, I asked, “Am I supposed to say, ‘yes, Ideal’, ‘no, Ideal’, anything like that?”
“If you wish.  Most of my students call me ‘sheep-raping bitch’.  Feel free to be more creative.”
<. . .>
I shook my head again.  “We used to have gladiators.  The fights we have now are… formalized.  No permanent injuries to either fighter, no battles to the death.  You get points for blows to the head, no hitting below the belt, no contact to the legs.  That sort of thing.”
“I see.”  Maraz stood up.  “You take no delight in battle.  There is no joy in your heart.  When you reached the top of the stairs, did you feel no pride?”
“I was glad.”  I stood up and shrugged.  “I’ve enjoyed fighting before, and been happy to be alive after being in danger.  It’s just… I don’t enjoy hurting people.  I don’t want to enjoy hurting people.  If that’s what you’re trying to teach me, I don’t want to learn it.”
She shook her head.  “That is sadistic glee, and it is not what we aspire to.  All warriors seek to unify body, mind, and spirit, to attain the state of acting without intention.  We seek to go further.  We seek to attain battle-joy, the place where life burns so bright that lesser foes are struck down by the mere sound of your laughter.  When you touch this place, you are a god of war, and armies will run before you.”
“How do we get there?” I asked.
Maraz smiled.  “We fight.”  I didn’t quite dodge her fist.
By the time we broke for dinner, I felt like a well-tenderized steak.  Maraz helped me off the sands and walked me to the dining hall.  My hands were shaking and one eye was swollen shut, but I managed to carry my own bowl of stew to the table and eat it without help.  At least Maraz was sporting a few new scrapes & bruises as well.
Still, I was beginning to understand what Maraz was talking about.  There is elation in overcoming failure, in discovering new limits and surpassing them in turn.  Maraz laughed as she pummeled me, laughed again when I struck back, and cheered for me when I managed to strike her, no matter how poorly.
<. . . >
Back in our hut, Maraz undressed and climbed into her hammock.  I wasn’t quite ready for bed, so I pulled my phone and a set of headphones out of my bag and went back outside.  The second sun had finally gone down, and the sky was changing from violet to black.
The rainbow-colored planetary rings were gleaming in the night, and it took me a moment to realize that they were in a different part of the sky than they were the last time I came to Rose’s world.  I went back into the hut and asked, “Maraz, where is the city of Tianisa from here?”
“On the other side of the world, in the far west of the northern continent.  You’re not missing much; it’s the rainy season there.”  She gave me her raised eyebrow and asked, “What are you holding?”
“It, well, it stores information for me.  Music, images, things like that.  I thought I’d listen to a little music before I went to sleep.  Just to relax.”
“Hmmm.”  She rolled out of the hammock and pulled her robe on.  “I would like to hear music from your world.  If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”  I changed the headphones for a speaker dock and went back outside.  We found a comfy spot near the cliff edge, giving us an amazing view of the bay.  The light from the rings danced on the water, and the village looked like a swarm of fireflies moving through the jungle.
I picked out a few instrumental pieces since I didn’t want to have to mess around with translating lyrics.  I thought they would be good for kicking back and watching the night sky.  They gave Maraz other ideas.
Maraz hopped to her feet, pulled me up, and said, “Dance with me.”  How could I refuse?  Then she dropped her robe, pulled mine off, and hauled us both to the edge of the cliff.  There wasn’t room to do any of the court dances I learned in the Society, so I took her hand and led off into a waltz.  After the first twirl, she picked up the steps in no time.
Dancing on the edge of a half-mile drop should have scared the crap out of me.  Instead, I was exhilarated.  The beauty of the night, the music, the prospect of imminent death, and, in all honesty, the proximity of naked female flesh-it all combined into a state of total, live-for-the-moment euphoria.  You know the Fool card in a tarot deck?  I was that dude.
When the music stopped, Maraz pulled my head down next to hers and whispered, “Do you want to lie with me?”
The answer was pretty obvious already.  I started to answer and got nothing but “Uhhh…”  There was no point in lying, but I couldn’t bring myself to admit the truth. 
Maraz gripped my hands, holding tight.  “Thisis how you should feel.  Fighting me or bedding me, you should feel the same joy.” 
“No offence, Maraz, but being with you… I think I’d be too nervous and guilty to enjoy it, or even to do my part well.”  I gave her a half-hearted shrug as an apology.  “Comes with dating a Dragon.”
Maraz laughed.  “David, all Ideals take a vow of celibacy.  Sleeping with students is forbidden.  That doesn’t mean I can’t make you think about it if you need motivation.”  She stepped away and picked up her robe.  “Good night, David.  Thank you for the music.”
I watched her walk back to our hut and burst out laughing.  I held my arms up to the night sky and shook my head.  “It is going to be a long three months,” I muttered.  I picked up my gear and headed off to bed. 
 
 AUTHOR BIO     By day, I’m a mild-mannered IT tech; by night, a writer who spends too much time in online games.  I grew up reading classical authors such as Verne, Burroughs, Wells, Haggard, and Lovecraft, often in conjunction with large doses of Monty Python, Wild Wild West, and Hee-Haw.  My current influences include Doctor Who, Girl Genius, and An Idiot Abroad. I began writing professionally as a member of the content design team for the MMORPG Istaria: Chronicles of the Gifted.  My first published short stories appeared in the anthologies The Mystical Cat and Gears and Levers III in 2012. I live in Denver with my wife Noelle and daughter Alissa.  The three of us can often be found prowling around Istaria, Wizard City, and the wilds of Azeroth.  I also make occasional side jaunts to scavenge bits of ancient technology in the radioactive ruins of the Grand Canyon Province.
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Review: Cannibal Reign by Thomas Koloniar

 





Cannibal Reign by Thomas Koloniar Genre: Thriller/apocalyptic Reviewer: K.F. Breene

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  First the asteroid would come, slamming into the earth just north of the Montana border, followed by earthquakes, tsunamis, and unending night.

And after that . . . Hell.

Astronomer Marty Chittenden is the first to recognize the approaching doom—a discovery that makes him a marked man.

Green Beret Jack Forrest knows the catastrophe is inevitable, and begins stockpiling an abandoned missile silo with supplies while gathering together a small community of men, women, and children he prays can survive the apocalypse.

Then disaster strikes. In an instant the world they know ends forever, transformed into a nightmare realm of eternal darkness. Soon the few remaining humans are transformed as well, becoming savage things—raping, pillaging, and devouring their own.

And the time is approaching when Forrest and his people will have to leave their underground "Noah's Ark" to face a shattered world and the unspeakable terrors that dwell there—in desperate pursuit of one slim hope of survival . . . called Hawaii.








I have to get my irritations out first, and then the accolades. Just have to get some things off my chest...
First let me say that I am happy to be finished with this book, in a way that I was happy to be finished with A Game of Thrones series books or the Terry Goodkind books. That is not a bad thing. There is just a certain mass raping aspect that gets tough to take for the lowly female such as myself.
The last bit was certainly a joke, but at the same time, you can't help get the sense of "man is king" from this book. It's a man's tale, mostly, with an egocentric undercurrent. I can't help but poke holes in a lot of the reasoning for that, but I'm a strong woman that would act differently than the females in this book.
Of course, given a post apocalyptic world, dominance would almost assuredly be crowned to the strong and brutal, which let's face it, are dudes. It would only be later, after the need for stability, culture and families, that women and men would again find a balance, like Aborigines, where they are equal but different. They need each other to survive. They respect, and get respect.
The problem for me in this book, was that the tone of "women are weaker and subject to be taken by force" was more or less pushed in our faces. We were told, a few times, how women were commodities, only "equal" in our industrialized world due to law and order. And in a place where starvation is rampant and the future uncertain, you will, of course, have mass raping and plundering. We've seen that in war from even decent fellows. The problem here, I found, is that it was over-glorified just a bit. It was threatened of the reader, instead of being shown and making us cringe when we witnessed it. For example, in the beginning, a gang tried to steal a woman away even though people within that gang were getting shot in the face. Reality? Not trading death for a little vagina, I don't think, no.
But this isn't real life. If it was, who's to say, I might be wrong.
I will say, though, that the raping made me angry more than uncomfortable, meaning I didn't see the blatant reality shown that I might see in other works (like those listed above). The women were more or less simpering fools who couldn't properly think for themselves. A geek man would rise to the occasion and turn army man, but the women needed to be saved and protected (except for the lesbian...which is basically portrayed as a man). The women didn't get guns, they got means to kill themselves. And maybe that is all men think we are capable of. Maybe the author doesn't know any redneck women. Could be. But again, it was more or less dangled in our faces early on how likely that outcome, so when it happened, it was expected and more glorified than realistic. Hence the anger instead of withering uncomfortableness (which is maybe a blessing in disguise).
I wasn't particularly fond of the heroes, or the relationships. Men cheating and the women not able to abstain from sex, when, let's face it, if they were single mothers, they'd probably been without for years before that. (Not faulting the women, just stating facts here--I'd probably want a little nookie, but I wouldn't do a married man to get it). The hero kind of having a roaming eye, and mostly two-dimensional, and that being cool. The men falling in love with women who did not return the affection....
Up until here in the review, men won't care in the least. They won't mind any of this nit-picky stuff, I am certain. And maybe most women won't either. Again, maybe I've been in romance-land too long. I've forgotten to take a man's tone with an eye-roll and a pat on the head. The women's role in this book did leave a bad taste in my mouth, though.
The story was fairly simple--what would happen if a meteor hit the earth? Within that idea, there is lots of room for observation and living the horror of humans suddenly fending for themselves. I think the author takes us through this nicely, covering all bases and analyzing how governments might handle it. Or hide it, as the case may be. How people would react, and what they might do. And most importantly, how people might survive, and the atrocities one might face.
This was all well done. It mostly keeps you turning pages, only dragging there in the middle a little, but there was plenty of action to be had, so it easily kept the reader engaged. The villains are plentiful, as you might imagine, and even though it mostly concerns rape and eating people, instead of also including abuse to kids and bashing babies heads on walls and other atrocities that would've happened (and did when the Nazi's were around), the actions and traits of the male villains are very real and believable.
There was even a small dialogue about why men (no mention of women) turned so morally filthy, the heroes having a discussion of how a good man might be swept up with a bunch of lunatics. And those good men were dotted here and there. They did exist. I would've liked to see more to better balance things out, or maybe from someone other than a geek that turned tough and army (I didn't find him as believable as others), but I got the idea later in the story, so that works.
I would've also liked to see a female villain, because whores would really work well in that world, and have in war times, often turning the ear of the man in charge. But this goes back to the sub-tier level of the female characters and this being a man's tale, so I'll refrain from going down this road.
The pacing was good, as I said before, and very well written. I had absolutely no complaints with the writing at all. Coming off of a Dan Brown book, thank the lord I ended up with Mr. Koloniar, no matter my complaints. The novel was rounded and well-told, covering  elements others might have missed.
All and all, this was a good read. It had a lot of elements going for it and was a well-put together book.  Would I recommend it? Well, if you can turn a blind eye to the simpering fool women, then yes, it is a good book at a reasonable price. But the ride won't be daisies and party favors.
3-3.5 stars

The Writing Blues

It's one of those days. It's just one of those writing days where I start to question.

Disclaimer:


This will be a woe-is-me blog. Not a rant, not a vent, just a blue face and hanging lip. I'm not a person that keeps emotions bottled up. I purge, letting the issues seep out of my body, so that I can heal it up and push on. If you don't want to see behind the author mask, I suggest you read no further.


I think everybody has a part about them that hates negativity. We are human, right? We don't want to wallow in things that make us sad or uncomfortable. When it comes to reviews, I've pretty much made my peace with the negative ones, and focus, instead, on those people that communicate with me via social media or email.

There comes a point, though, when the negative reviews start to cluster on Amazon. They work their way into the spotlight and take over.
 
I don't care what they have to say. I have enough returning readers, emails, and sales to shrug at the content.

The problem is, that black mark will warn others away. Readers to follow will see the terrible reviews, get discouraged, and walk away. Basically, it closes the file on your book. It marks the end of a high sellers rating. The book drifts away into dark space.

  To me, it acts as an impenetrable road block. A sheer cliff I can't scale. No matter how hard I try, and what I do, I cannot control the black cloud that the negative reviews create, warding others away.

I feel helpless. Part of me feels ganged up on. Yet another part feels overwhelmed.

Those feelings lead to an intense desire to give up.


 

It just gets to the point where I don't want to do it, anymore. I don't want to put my hard work, time and effort into something so vulnerable such as writing, only to have the nay-sayers win. Usually this would prompt me to push harder, my competitive streak not wanting me to back down, but after awhile...exhaustion sets in.

This is where I am. Exhausted. I don't want to fight Amazon's review system anymore. I don't want to be confronted with people that only read my book because it's free, and then add me to their ranting list. I'm just...done in.




I'm not sure what I will end up doing. I am off work until April so I can write full time. Maybe this is Fate's way of making sure I can't stop writing--I don't like idle time and boredom, so without accounting, I have nothing else to do but write. Except, I really don't want to put myself out there anymore. I really don't.

Maybe all I need is a good cry. A good cry, and hiding under a rock for a while.

It's just one of those days.

Review: The Barkeep by William Lashner

    The Barkeep by William Lashner Genre: MysteryReviewer: Sally Sparrow  

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    Justin Chase is the perfect barkeep, tending bar as he lives his life, in a state of Zen serenity. At least until Birdie Grackle, a yellow-haired, foul-mouthed alcoholic from Texas, walks into his bar, orders a Mojito, and makes a startling confession.

Six years ago Justin's life was ripped apart when he discovered his mother's bludgeoned corpse in the foyer of the family home. Now Justin's father is serving a life sentence and Justin, after a stint in the asylum, drowns his emotions in a pool of inner peace. But when Birdie Grackle claims to be the hit man who murdered Justin's mother for the money, Justin is hurled back to the emotions, back to the past, and, most frighteningly of all, back to the father he has tried to leave behind.

Who hired Birdie Grackle to kill Justin's mother? As Justin pieces together the truth, a merciless killing machine begins stalking the barkeep, leaving a trail of dead in his wake. Someone wants to bury the truth, and maybe Justin, too. As the terror closes in, Justin had better find some answers and find them fast, because the stakes have been raised, his life is on the line, and murder is so not Zen. 
     William Lashner’s The Barkeep is an interesting tale. It is told from many points of view,  which allows Mr. Lashner to expose his characters’ introspections without getting bogged down in telling dialog. The pace of the story is slow, yet quick. The time covered is maybe two weeks, but all of the self-analysis masks the passing of time. Mackenzie Chase was put away for the murder of his wife six years before the book begins.  His younger son, Justin, a law student at the time, is the one to discover his mother’s body in the foyer of their home. He is, of course, forever changed. Justin finishes law school by pure autonomy, and becomes overwhelmed by his despair. His brother puts him in a mental hospital for Justin’s own safety, but after being gifted with a tome from Buddhism, he finds his inner calm and rejoins society. Justin eschews his former career path and takes up bartending instead.   We meet Justin on a most auspicious day.  His father’s old buddy, whose original testimony was damning, has changed his story and a new trial for the elder Chase is on the horizon. That same day an old drunk shows up at the trendy, upscale bar where Justin works, and tells Justin that he, the drunk, was the hit man who offed Justin’s mother. For the first time in years Justin’s state of Zen is ruptured. Is this old drunk just scamming him or is there truth to his confession?   Justin had always been so certain of his father’s guilt, but now he has doubts. Could it be true? Could someone else be responsible for murdering his mother?  But who, and why? What follows is a roller coaster of emotions, exposés, and relationships, as Justin re-enters the messy world that is family life, and tracks down the real killer. William Lashner writes a great Whodunit. You hear the inner dialog of the different characters, and thus are right there in the story with everyone else. You can see the spiral spinning ever tighter as Justin gets closer to the truth, and are tensely gripping your reading tablet (which is less satisfying than gripping a real paper book, btw) as you wonder how it will all play out.  Even when you know, when you realize what happened back then, you still don’t know how the story is going to end. Will it work out? Will justice be served? Will there be some level of Happily Ever After for Justin and his dad?   You’ll have to read it for yourself, because I am not telling.  BOOM! FIVE STARS!