Cathrina Constantine's Blog, page 44

#celebratethesmallthings

Hop over the Lexa Cain to join in this weekly post. Her wonderful co-hosts are 
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Katie @ TheCyborgMom

Around Buffalo, NY the weather has been gorgeous! Spring is definitely here and my perennial garden has little baby shoots all over the place.

I happily finished re-editing my new ms, Snow on Cinders, which will be released on Sept. 19. Now I'll let it stew for a while, re-read it, (it's never perfect) and then off to my publisher.

My son and his new bride will be home for the weekend. Looking forward to laughter and spending quality time together.

A few more Wedding Pictures! 

Giving my son a great big hug at the Wedding Ceremony!
Party TimeThese are my daughters including baby Sam, and my new daughter in the middle.


Hope y'all have a fantastic weekend!!

GHOST OF DEATH by Chrys Fey

I recently asked Chyrs a few questions:
1.         What do you like best about being a writer?
Creating characters. I’m not a mom, so my characters are definitely my children. Although I say I create them, they have a lot more say in the process and tell me what they look like and what kind of people they are.

2.         What is the hardest part about being a writer?
Hands down...editing. You could ask me that in five year and the answer would be the same. I do more rounds of editing than I can count alone and then even more with my editor. After a while, it gets exhausting and frustrating. And you may even end up hating your book after a while.
3.         What genre/s do you write and what genre is your latest release?
I write romantic-suspense and supernatural-thrillers. Ghost of Death and Witch of Death are a blend of both...supernatural-suspense with a dash of romance.
4.         What essential things have you learned about writing in the last year?
To add more character emotions. Readers want to connect with the characters in the books they read and that is achieved when a writer includes the emotions of their characters. I’ve learned to add more physical responses and inner dialogue to reveal their emotions.
5.         Who is your favourite heroine from your books and why?
Beth Kennedy from Hurricane Crimes. She is a self-defense instructor and one tough cookie. Though she wouldn’t be happy to hear that I just called her a “cookie.” She can keep up and put up with Donovan, a sexy, mysterious man who likes dangerous situations.
6.         What type of hero do you like? Super alpha, wounded or somewhere in between? Or even something totally different?
Somewhere in between. All of my heroes fit smack dab in the middle of that scale. They are strong and usually cops, detectives, etc. But they are also passionate and occasionally troubled by something from their past.
7.         Tell us a quirky or interesting thing about yourself.
When I read that prompt, I called my mom and asked her, “What’s something quirky or interesting about me?” We were stumped. Haha!
8.         Do you have any rituals to help you focus or get the words down on the page e.g. music or a snack?
Music is my muse! I have to listen to music to get my mind into the groove of writing, especially if I have to tackle a specific emotion or scene.
9.         What book are you working on now?
I recently sent the sequel to Hurricane Crimes to my published and I am working on book three in the Disaster Crimes series. And let me just say that each story gets more intense than the last! ;)
10.       Give us a blurb of your book and if you want, a short excerpt.

Ghost of Death Blurb:
Jolie Montgomery, a twenty-one-year-old woman, wakes up in an alley next to her corpse. She has no memories of her murder or the night she died. She didn’t even see the killer’s face before he or she took her life. Wanting justice, Jolie seeks answers in the only way a ghost can...by stalking the lead detective on the case.
Avrianna Heavenborn is determined to find the person responsible for a young woman’s death. She gets closer to the killer’s identity with every clue she uncovers, and Jolie is with her every step of the way.
But if they don’t solve her murder soon, Jolie will be an earth-bound spirit forever.

Excerpt:
            With the sound of her mom’s grief wafting up to her, Jolie came to terms with her present state. I’m dead and now my mom knows it. She eyed the door in front of her. She hadn’t yet walked through a door, but if her hand could pass through metal then she knew she could move through wood. If I have to be a ghost then I’ll be a damn good one. All across the afterlife I’ll be known as the Ghost of Death! And I’m going to start by walking through this damn door!            She would’ve taken a deep breath to brace herself if she could have, so she mentally pumped herself up instead. You can do it! Easy-peasy. Nothing to it. And she took a step forward. Solid matter slipped around and through her form. On the other side, a familiar site confronted her: a black and white bed, the bright green shag carpet in the middle of the room, and a white desk.             Stepping up to her desk, Jolie eyed her ancient desktop computer, the one she used before her dad gifted her with a laptop when she announced she was accepted to the local university. Wanting to send out the first ever tweet from the afterlife, she pushed the button to bring the device to life, but her finger poker straight through it. Resigning to her Twitter-less fate, she moved toward the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. She saw nothing. Not even a shimmer in the air hinted at her presence.             Being a ghost sucks!
Book Links:Amazon US/ Amazon UK / The Wild Rose Press / NOOK/ KOBO


BIO:
Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes and 30 Seconds. She is currently working on the sequel to Hurricane Crimes that’ll serve as book two in the Disaster Crimes series.
When Fey was six years old, she realized her dream of being a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen. Fey lives in Florida where she is waiting for the next hurricane to come her way. You can connect with her on Facebook and her blog, Write with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers!
 Author Links:Facebook / Blog / Website / Goodreads
Wishing Chrys Fey much success!!!




       

Precipice by M.PAX

 In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendants to survive in a harsh universe. This is the sixth book in the science fiction series, The Backworlds. A space opera adventure.The Backworlds hang by a Quantum string, a thread about to snap. Annihilation is coming if Craze can’t stop it.The genocidal alien he had trapped breaks free, destroying a ship belonging to the Backworlds’ oldest enemy, the Fo’wo’s. The murderous alien wants to overtake the galaxy. The Fo’wo’s want another war.The Backworlds’ best chance to survive is to overcome a century of hate and forge an alliance with the Fo’wo’s. Because of his history with the alien, Craze is recruited to represent his people. Now he’s the most hated man in the galaxy.The looming war will be a holocaust unless Craze can stop it, knowing salvation comes at a price.
Excerpt :Engaging the thrusters on the jetpack strapped to her back, Rainly steered herself through space. Its vastness terrified her. Her skin prickled. The man in the white robe jabbering in her head overwhelmed her, blocking out all until she found herself back on the Sequi opening the box she had retrieved. She had hoped answering the man’s summons would end her blackouts. 
“I don’t want to know what I did,” she whispered, her teeth chattering and limbs quaking. She couldn’t take much more of this.
The size and dimensions of a coffin, the box was also a ship. One more sophisticated than the Sequi. Using a control paddle, Rainly maneuvered a dolly under the box, then she wheeled it into the living quarters. Her sister had moved the couches, creating ample space.
Her hands clapping, her sister beamed. “Let’s meet our master.”Together they pried open the chamber per instructions pulsing in Rainly’s head. The flood of data had to be making a clamor in her sister’s mind too, because she moved in the same ways.Inside the box lay a brain in a sac of goo. Nothing like Rainly expected. 
“Is it a Fo’wo?” she asked her sister.
“Not yet. We have to reboot him first.”
Rainly had to wonder whether she and her sister had gone insane. 
Buy links: Amazon / B&N / iBook / Googleplay / Smashwords / Kobo / Other


About M. Pax:
Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckons to her, and she blames Oregon, a source of endless inspiration. She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers, and one of her cats has a crush on Mr. Spock. You can find out more by visiting her website: mpaxauthor.com


A few questions for the Main Character in Backworlds, who's name is Craze:What is the most expensive drink in the Backworlds?Craze:  Hot chocolate. A tiny bar of chocolate can buy you a spaceship in the Backworlds. Not a top of the line deal, but a working spaceship all the same.
What is the number one thing needed to survive in the Backworlds?Craze:  Wit. Ha! Bet you thought I’d say a gun or chips, but I didn’t.
What does one wear in the Backworlds?Craze:  Everyone does their own thing. Casual is best. Space is dirty and if you want to keep your fine things, best leave the fancy duds at home.

#CELEBRATETHESMALLTHINGS

Hop over the Lexa Cain to join in this weekly post. Her wonderful co-hosts are 
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Katie @ TheCyborgMom


I'm still reeling from the travel weekend and my son's wedding which was on Sunday!!
 Party Time  A very thoughtful embroidered handkerchief from my new daughter
I'm planning a restful weekend.
Happy Mother's Day to All!

#IWSG

If you haven't joined this wonderful group by now, you should. Here. It's a monthly post where writer's get together to help and support one another.

Many thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting this blog hop and all his minions throughout the years.

Today Alex's co-hosts are Eva Solar, Melanie Schulz, Lisa-Buie Collard, and Stephen Tremp!



With the A to Z Challenge, my son's wedding, and the endless editing of my manuscript, it's been a busy month. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people this year for the Challenge.
I'd like to say it's been a month of Not feeling insecure with my writing, but I'd be fibbing. Those darn book reviews, which have been mainly good, it's the bad ones that gets me down. I know it's silly. But those bad ones twist my gut and make me rethink my writing ability. 
What are your insecurities this month? 

#PrahConstantineBaryehReviews

What do you think of our new Logo?? So Awesome!!Now we have not one, not two, but three reviews for your books!
A little plug for us: 
Press on our names to visit our 
Amazon Author's Page:Nana PrahEmpi BaryehCathrina Constantine
This month it was my pleasure to pick a steampunk book: Treasure Darkly Seventeen-year-old Clark Treasure assumes the drink he stole off the captain is absinthe… until the chemicals in the liquid give him the ability to awaken the dead. 
A great invention for creating perfect soldiers, yes, but Clark wants to live as a miner, not a slave to the army—or the deceased. On the run, Clark turns to his estranged, mining tycoon father for help. The Treasures welcome Clark with open arms, so he jumps at the chance to help them protect their ranch against Senator Horan, a man who hates anyone more powerful than he. 

Sixteen-year-old Amethyst Treasure loathes the idea of spending the summer away from her bustling city life to rot on her father’s ranch, but when a handsome young man shows up claiming to be her secret half-brother, her curiosity is piqued. He’s clever, street smart, and has no qualms jumping into the brawl between the Treasures and Horans. Caught in the middle, Horan kidnaps Amethyst, and all she gets is this lousy bullet through her heart. 

When Clark brings her back to life, however, the real action starts, and Amethyst joins him in his fight against the Horan clan—whatever the cost. Defeating the Horans may seem easy at first, but going up against men with the same fighting vengeance as Clark, and a Senator with power he’s obtained by brainwashing the masses? 

Well, Amethyst’s boring summer at home has turned into an adventure on the run, chock full of intrigue, danger, love, and a mysterious boy named Clark.

Cathrina's Review:


Make sure you read the wonderful blurb:
The author, Jordan Elizabeth has written a
unique steampunk western. The main 

character, Clark is born in the Tarnished 

Silver Saloon, his mother is a prostitute. He 

usually picks her johns pockets in hopes of 

saving enough money to get her out of there. 

One day his mom is entertaining a Captain 

from the army, and Clark steals what he 

thinks is absinthe. Curious, he swigs it down. 

He starts seeing the dead and soon realizes he 

can bring people back to life. Little did he 

know it was a military experimental elixir 

to create the perfect soldier. Now Clark is on 

the run from the army. Being a soldier is not 

on his agenda.

Clark is street savvy, rough, and brilliant. I fell 

for him right away. Another main character, 

Amethyst gets into heaps of trouble, and 

Clark has his hands full. 

If you like shoot 'em up westerns with a

steampunk twist, and plenty of action, then 

Treasure Darkly is for you.



Now head over to Nana Prah and 

Empi Baryeh to read their Reviews.

#celebratethesmallthings

Hop over the Lexa Cain to join in this weekly post. Her wonderful co-hosts are 
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Katie @ TheCyborgMom

I survived the A to Z Challenge. Although, cheating was involved. I met some new bloggers and read interesting posts!

My Big Celebration is my Son's Wedding this weekend!!! 

Robert and Carol
We'll be traveling and I'll be offline for 4 days.....can I handle it?

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

#AtoZ Letter Z

This is such a Happy Song & Movie to End the Challenge With. I still sing it today to my little Sammy and he smiles!


Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
**I was reaching for Z**Released in 1946


In 1947, Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah won best song at the Academy Awards



Song of the South  is a 1946 American live-action/animated musical film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures, based on the Uncle Remus stories collected by Joel Chandler Harris. It was Disney's first feature film using live actors, who provide a sentimental frame story for several animated segments. The film depicts the character Uncle Remus, presumably a former slave, cheerfully relating to several children, including the film's protagonist, the folk tales of the adventures of anthropomorphic Br'er Rabbit and his friends. The film's song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" won the 1947 Academy Award for Best Song, is frequently used as part of Disney's montage themes, and has become widely used in popular culture. The film inspired the Disney theme park attraction Splash Mountain.The film's depiction of black former slaves, and of race relations in Reconstruction-Era Georgia, has been controversial since its original release, with a number of critics — at the time of its release and in later decades — describing it as racist.[4] Consequently it has never been released in its entirety on home video in the United States.
WOW!!! I made it, although plenty of cheating was involved, I hope you'll all forgive me.
Thank you for Another year of the A to Z 
Challenge 
Congratulations to all the participants. And a 

big Thank You to Arlee Bird for creating this 

fun Challenge!

#AtoZ Letter Y

Yellow SubmarineThe song was released in 1966 by the Beatles

The Animated Musical Fantasy released in 1968
Yellow Submarine  is a 1968 British animated musical fantasy comedy film inspired by the music of The Beatles.[3]The film was directed by animation producer George Dunning, and produced by United Artists and King Features Syndicate. Initial press reports stated that the Beatles themselves would provide their own character voices,[4]however, aside from composing and performing the songs, the real Beatles participated only in the closing scene of the film, while their cartoon counterparts were voiced by other actors.The film received a widely positive reception from critics and audiences alike. It is also credited with bringing more interest in animation as a serious art form.[5]  Time  commented that it "turned into a smash hit, delighting adolescents and esthetes alike".[6]

#AtoZ Letter X

Xanadureleased in 1980 for the Film of the same name.


I'm cheating here, but X was a hard one!


From Wiki: Xanadu  is a 1980 American romantic musical fantasy film written by Richard Christian Danus and Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The title is a reference to the nightclub in the film, which takes its name from Xanadu, the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty in China. This city appears in  Kubla Khan  by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a poem that is quoted in the film. The film's plot was inspired by 1947's  Down to Earth .Xanadu stars Olivia Newton-John, Michael Beck and Gene Kelly, and features music by Newton-John, Electric Light Orchestra, Cliff Richard, and The Tubes. The film also features animation by Don Bluth.Not a financial success, Xanadu earned mixed to negative critical reviews and was an inspiration for the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards to memorialize the worst films of the year.