Harmony Kent's Blog, page 111

My week in review and writing links

[image error]Hello everyone! Happy Friday! Once again, this is me readying for the weekend. I can’t rightly say winding down, because all plans ended up off this week.Today’s quote reflects the kind of week I’ve had. I’ve had issues with a bad back for a while now, and this week, it decided to get playful, lols. So, instead of diving into all that audio editing I had planned to do, I’ve had to rest up and avoid the computer chair like the plague! The upside is that I got caught up on a lot of reading, lols! Consequently, I only have the one link for you this week, and that’s because it landed in my inbox, but I do have links to some great Story Empire posts as well as Staci and Joan’s blogs with some awesome writing links for you on there, so please do check them out. So, without further ado, here they are:

FROM STORY EMPIRE

Tools to Engage Your Creativity by Mae Clair (I loved these so much, I ordered myself a set of the Storymatic cards

Writing Question: Conflict

Hi everyone! I have a post for you from Staci Troilo over on Story Empire today that’s all about conflict …

Basic Plots: Voyage and Return

Hello everyone! Happy Wednesday. Today, over on Story Empire, author Staci Troilo brings us another great post on the seven basic plots. Entertaining and Informative, it’s definitely worth checking out …

Ciao, SEers. I’m back again today with one of the Seven Basic Plots as defined by Christopher Booker. If you’ve missed the others, you can find them here: Rebirth, Tragedy, and Comedy. Today’s post…

Source: Basic Plots: Voyage and Return

Mae Clair: Cusp of Night book release

Hello everyone!

Today, it gives me great pleasure to host author Mae Clair with her latest Supernatural Thriller book of fiction: Cusp of Night!

Some of you will know that Mae has a special interest in all things supernatural, and today she talks about Spiritualism and Séances through the Centuries.

Take it away, Mae! …

Spiritualism and Séances through the Centuries

 

The mid to late 1800s experienced a growing interest in spiritualism. This was especially true after the Civil War, when family members were desperate to communicate with the husbands, brothers, and loved ones they’d lost. Mediums grew in popularity, promising to to reach beyond the veil of Summerland, allowing the living to speak with the dead.

Even those unskilled in the spiritual world tried their hand at breaching the Aether. The desire for communication was so great, the practice of trying to contact the dead so commonplace, “home circles” became popular, replacing dancing and games of charades as entertainment. Family and friends gathered for weekly séances, hoping spirits would interact with them through table tilting, rapping sounds, or automatic writings.

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full body beautiful girl ghost witch bride sitting on a vintage copper bath with a white canopy in a long white dress with vintage high vinazhnoy hairdo. Studyai shot.

False mediums saw an opportunity and began to advertise their skills in the personal sections of local newspapers. No dark séance was complete without the appearance of ghostly ectoplasm, spirit lights, or the medium sending his or her “spirit trumpet” soaring through the air. In an effort to expose fraudulent mediums, the American Society for Psychical Research made it their mission to investigate those who presented themselves as authentic. The era produced a number of well-known mediums who were later exposed as frauds, including the Fox Sisters, Margret and Kate, who lit the spark igniting the Spiritualist movement.

In my upcoming June 12th release, Cusp of Night, my main character, Maya Sinclair learns that the brooding brownstone she’s rented once belonged to a renown spiritualist—Lucinda Glass, also known as the Blue Lady of Hode’s Hill. Maya finds herself caught up in the twisted history of an old urban legend and a specter of evil from the days when Summerland, table tilting, and home circles were commonplace.

In order to save herself and those she cares about, Maya must reach through the barriers of old world spiritualism to stave off a spirit who transcends centuries—and who has every intention of destroying those in the present.

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Forli, Emilia Romagna, Italy: narrow dark alley in the old town – ancient Italian street at night with lampposts and cobbled pavement

BLURB

Recently settled in Hode’s Hill, Pennsylvania, Maya Sinclair is enthralled by the town’s folklore, especially the legend about a centuries-old monster. A devil-like creature with uncanny abilities responsible for several horrific murders, the Fiend has evolved into the stuff of urban myth. But the past lives again when Maya witnesses an assault during the annual “Fiend Fest.” The victim is developer Leland Hode, patriarch of the town’s most powerful family, and he was attacked by someone dressed like the Fiend. 

Compelled to discover who is behind the attack and why, Maya uncovers a shortlist of enemies of the Hode clan. The mystery deepens when she finds the journal of a late nineteenth-century spiritualist who once lived in Maya’s house–a woman whose ghost may still linger.

Known as the Blue Lady of Hode’s Hill due to a genetic condition, Lucinda Glass vanished without a trace and was believed to be one of the Fiend’s tragic victims. The disappearance of a young couple, combined with more sightings of the monster, trigger Maya to join forces with Leland’s son Collin. But the closer she gets to unearthing the truth, the closer she comes to a hidden world of twisted secrets, insanity, and evil that refuses to die . . .

 

PURCHASE HERE

You can find Mae Clair at the following haunts:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Newsletter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Other Social Links

 

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These look like fun: Tools to engage your creativity!

Hi everyone, happy Monday! It’s so hot and humid here … Well, not to worry, as we have author Mae Clair over on Story Empire today with a great post on Creative Tools. I’m off to do more investigating because these look like fun!

Friday Book Share – Boneshaker

Author C.S. Boyack tells us about Cherie Priest and Boneshaker over on Story Empire today for their Friday Book Share … it looks like a great book!

Craig here today, and this post is a bit challenging for me. I know I don’t read as much as the other Story Empire authors, and rarely get the chance to read something that isn’t from o…

Source: Friday Book Share – Boneshaker

My week in review and writing links

[image error]Happy Friday everyone! Well, this is me winding down for the weekend, and I thought I’d share my week with you as well as some useful writing links. This is my first such post, and my intention is to try and do one of these each week … we’ll see!

I started the week with a bang and got my book Backstage narrated for audio in just two full days. And now starts the arduous work of audio editing … headphones at the ready! My writing muse seems to be doing a kind of on-off thing at the moment, so we’ll see where that goes

Working with an editor – some tips and advice #amwriting #writinganovel #writingtips #selfpublishing

Having had a bad experience recently, I had been toying with a post on ‘How Not to Treat Your Editor’. However, this post from Allison Williams says it all on ‘what to do’. Please do check it out. And seriously, it’s not the editor’s job to chase you or your manuscript. And if you change email address, you MUST let your editor know ASAP! Thanks for an awesome post, Allison!

Abracadabra: Transforming Your Book

Hi everyone! Today, over on Story Empire, I talk about easy ebook formatting. Go check it out

Summer and Writing

Author Joan Hall has a nice post on summer and writing over on Story Empire today … ooh, now that cocktail looks rather inviting! …

Hello, SE Readers! Hope all is well in your world this Monday. My post today is short and sweet, but I think it’s something most of us can relate to. Summer doesn’t officially arrive until later th…

Source: Summer and Writing