R.M. Ridley's Blog, page 20
August 27, 2014
This is My Life Now
I may not be pulling in the money like this was a ‘real’ job, but I’m certainly putting in the hours. With writing in the morning, either in the new short story or the fifth novel, and edits all afternoon, plus social media promotion of my novel and myself, my day is full.
I can’t imagine how all those other writers out there, who do actually hold down another ‘real ‘ job do it. I mean, seriously- kudos to you all. My writing is eating into everything else, and I don’t know how to stop that. I feel if I’m not doing my self imposed minimum of edits and writing, I’m shirking my duties and not taking this ting seriously. It has become the number one priority and everything else is secondary to it.
Unfortunately, that can’t be true, even for me who has no ‘day job’. Things need doing around the house, repairs, upkeep, cleaning and yet…
I’m going to have to find a balance, I know this, but I also know I can’t get stressed about either side of this argument because stress isn’t good for my brain… it isn’t good for anyone’s brain, mine just overreacts.
This is the only reason I wish I could be ‘rich’ off my writing is to have other people do the ‘other stuff’ so I could just worry about the words. I guess that’s true for all of us writers. Actually, I wouldn’t mind getting some serious money coming in for another reason–to fully cover the cost of going to a con – at least one per year, right here in Ontario.
I am seriously going to do all I can to get to Ad Astra in Toronto this year – and unless I hate it (which I can’t see happening) – and every year after. It would be nice if I could do that on the profits of my sales . . . maybe in 2016.
Filed under: Writing Tagged: Ad Astra, Bindings & Spines, Brain, Charon's Obol, current work in progress, edits, fantasy, Jonathan Alvey, novel, paranormal, paranormal private investigator, publish, Shades and Shadows: A Paranormal Anthology, short story, Tomorrow Wendell, Toronto, Urban Fantasy, White Dragon Black Series, words, writer, writing
August 24, 2014
A Machette, a Scalpel, and a Steady Hand
I’m sure was I was smoking some serious drugs when I wrote the second novel, Bindings & Spines. There is just so much… rambling. So much that needs to be cutdown to size. It makes the going tedious. Trying to sift through the gravel to retain the nuggets of gold, dump the rest, then integrate those nuggets int one flowing chain – then repeat. These edits are taking more time than I expected, which means my dedication to doing them is being tested. I’m trying to stay resolute and confident that the end result will be worth it.
I continue to add a few hundred words to the fifth novel, pushing it slowly to a conclusion. Yet while I do, the fear that I am making the same mistakes in it as I did Bindings & Sines haunts me. I have no other way of working though. I don’t edit or censor myself as I write – I simple release the words. Hopefully, it will be purer than B&S.
The new short story is also coming along. I am not in the least bit worried about word count with this one. I’m calling it a short story but if it turns out closer to a novella – so be it. If this one works, it will have a special place all of it’s own and won’t have to fit any guidelines. Which is good , because I’m finding it harder and harder to keep Jonathan Alvey’s stories under seven thousand words.
I’m basically done with the edits for Charon’s Obol – the White Dragon Black short for Xchyler Publishing’s fall release paranormal anthology. It’s sort of cool to be in this one, as it feels like a cycle coming round. Jonathan’s first time in print was last years anthology – Shades and Shadows, 
which lead to Tomorrow Wendell being published and now, Charon’s Obol, sees his return to print in another short story.
What is also satisfying is that, in a way, this short story is a follow up to the novel.
On a completely separate note, I’m think I’m going to start trying to make attending Toronto’s Ad Astra Con an annual event. I haven’t gone to even one yet, but it is a con for writers and fans of sci-fi and fantasy, that is as close to my back yard as I’m going to get. And it does have a good reputation and has been running for a good number of years.
Filed under: Publishing, Writing Tagged: Ad Astra, anthology, Bindings & Spines, Charon's Obol, current work in progress, edits, Jonathan Alvey, muse, novel, paranormal, paranormal private investigator, Shades and Shadows: A Paranormal Anthology, short story, Tomorrow Wendell, Urban Fantasy, White Dragon Black, writing, Xchyler Publishing
August 23, 2014
Cover Reveal From Amelia James!
Today I have not one but two gorgeous covers to expose.
The first is for my upcoming contemporary romance, Tell Me You Want Forever.
Bestselling romance Tell Me You Want Me gets a steamy sequel….
Notorious heartbreaker Austin Sinclair vowed he’d never fall in love, but all that changed when he met his Janie. They’re living their happily ever after… until an unexpected threat tears them apart.
Austin is desperate to get Janie back, but fails miserably. He’s said ‘I love you’ so often Janie doesn’t care anymore, and getting her in his bed to prove it seems impossible. His old life beckons. Could he be that guy again?
Jane scored big when she landed Austin, but now she faces a temptation she never expected—one that makes her question what she really wants from love. Staying in a relationship with him requires all the strength she has. She’s tired, and giving in to someone else would be so easy.
Each hopes that something will change, that the other will give in, but it’s going to take both of them—together—to overcome this obstacle. Can they make their love last forever? Or has their fight been for nothing?
The second is a new cover for the previous book, Tell Me You Want Me.
The original cover is beautiful, but in recent months I’ve been seeing that couple on dozens of other books. I want to stand out, so I’m doing something different.
Both new covers and the original were designed by Mallory Rock.
Buy Tell Me You Want Me Now!
Filed under: Writing 
August 20, 2014
Upcoming Novel Release
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly awaiting!
Title: Forest of Whispers
Author: Jennifer Murgia
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Expected Publication Date: September 9, 2014
Blurb:
Raised by an old fortune-teller within the dark veil of the Bavarian Black Forest, Rune has learned two valuable lessons: only take from the forest that which you can use, and never, never look anyone in the eye in the village. For something terrible happened in the forest long ago… and now, the whispers of a long-dead mother with a vengeful secret have come haunting.
Forced to flee all she has ever known, Rune soon learns of a legacy she is bound to–one that is drenched in fear, witchcraft and murder–a birthright that stretches beyond the grave to the trees where Rune is no longer safe.
Barnes and Noble
Jennifer Murgia has long loved the dark and speculative — and it’s from these dark places that she weaves fantastical stories, often hoping to find truth in them. Her Young Adult novels include the upcoming Historical Fantasy FOREST OF WHISPERS (9/9/14 — Spencer Hill Press), BETWEEN THESE LINES, ANGEL STAR, LEMNISCATE & THE BLISS. She is the co-founder and coordinator of YA FEST and currently resides in Pennsylvania.
Website: www.jennifermurgia.com
Email: jennifermurgia8@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.murgia
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMurgia
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jennifermurgia/
Goodreads TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18506004-forest-of-whispers
Forest of Whispers Spell Kit Giveaway
Filed under: Book Release, Publishing Tagged: Forest of Whispers, Jennifer Murgia
August 19, 2014
Vaping is not Evil – We are NOT the problem
An open letter to the mayors, councillors, and health units in Toronto and Aurora.
As you consider bylaw changes to effect bans on the use of electronic cigarettes, please be aware that more than 25% of your residents are smokers, many of which have chosen electronic cigarettes as an alternative. While I understand there is nothing whatsoever you can do to prevent the use of hardware already controlled by federal regulations, your considerations are based entirely on the eLiquids that are used in those devices.
Nicotine is a federally controlled substance and the electronic cigarette industry is already complying with those laws.
There are basically three ingredients used for electronic cigarettes. All of these ingredients you are already personally using and consuming on a daily basis. And you own equipment and inventory these ingredients for the benefit of the municipality.
To be legal, a ban on the use of electronic cigarettes means that you will also have to ban their equivalents:
1. The fog making machine used at some municipal events, arenas, and commercial properties will also have to be banned anywhere tobacco cigarettes are banned. You see, they use the same Propylene Glycol to generate the fog … the same Propylene Glycol that generates the vapor in an electronic cigarette. You will have to ban McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets and a list of 14 other of their products that contain Propylene Glycol. You’ll have to ban a bunch of products from Burger King and Wendys too — and a ton of other restaurant’s dishes. Plus, many grocery stores will have emptier shelves after your ban too. Quite a few bans coming, Propylene Glycol is also used in cake mixes, soft drinks, popcorn, food colourings, fat-free ice cream and sour cream. It also protects food from freezing and helps as a preservative. It’s used extensively in toiletries and cosmetics too and a considerable number of household items (like room deodorizers, cleaners, sanitizers, and other products labelled as “non-toxic”.
2. Vegetable glycerin is a simple polyol — a sugar alcohol — used extensively in foods as a thickening agent and a sweetener. It’s also used in low-fat and diet foods. So, anything with icing on it (like muffins, cakes) should be banned as well. So would most cough syrups, toothpaste, mouthwashes, and skin care products. Shaving cream, hair care products, soap, and personal lubricants as well.
3. Flavorings. Oh my … I don’t think there is a single product you eat or drink that doesn’t contain flavorings. Flavorings are not just for consumption, but most aerosol products also contain flavorings to enhance scent and odor.
And, we’re back to nicotine. The only ingredient you can really sink your teeth into. But you have a problem here. Many users of electronic cigarettes do not use nicotine. That’s the goal for us vapers: go from the stinky tobacco sticks that contain over 4000 chemicals and more than 70 carcinogens to a healthier life style. Some of us choose electronic cigarettes as an alternative. It’s certainly proven (and documented in studies) to be more effective than other alternatives. Yet, it isn’t a smoke cessation product and no one claims it is a cure for any health issues.
If it is a cure for anything at all, it’s a cure for the financial drain on the public purse that cancer and other diseases caused by smoking. It is a cure for absenteeism due to these health problems that smoking causes.
Don’t ban it, gheez, encourage it.
The “proof” you are being offered to consider is flawed. It is based on anecdoctal news reports and selected research studies. All of these have been debunked. There are a considerable number of reports available that offer the real story of electronic cigarettes. Second-hand vapour is safe. Propylene Glycol is safe. Vegetable Glycerin is safe. Flavorings are safe. And while nicotine is addictive, it is also safe — it does not cause cancer, digestive diseases, or other lung issues. About the only negative thing proven about nicotine is that it constricts blood vessels — but then again, so does that cocktail or beer you enjoy.
The lobbying efforts to have electronic cigarettes controlled as a tobacco product make very little sense. The only common element between tobacco products and electronic cigarettes is nicotine. Electronic cigarettes also produce a vapour that simulates tobacco smoke.
A ban will be challenged, of that I have no doubt. For example, there is absolutely nothing you can do legally to prevent an electronic cigarette user from vaping anywhere he wants when the eLiquid he is using contains no nicotine.
As a former smoker, I may also be your next former supporter. And so might the other 25% of the residents you are targeting with your proposed changes.
By: Andy Prevost
Filed under: Vaping 
August 18, 2014
Scales – A New Book to Check Out!
Tessa Marie Conley is an eighteen-year-old orphan from Austin who earns a scholarship to study abroad in London, viewing the trip as a chance to embrace change. Together with Bree, her best friend, the trip is everything Tessa hopes for, complete with a short-lived summer romance with a charming Scotsman. But on her last day before the return home, she finds Librorum Taberna, a bookstore with a gargoyle holding the sign out front. Tessa loses track of time and is locked inside after dark where she encounters the gargoyle from the storefront alive. From that point forward, her life would never again be as it was, nor as she thought it was. Now, a human during daylight hours and a gargoyle by night, Tessa is swept into a world of magic and betrayal, friendship and terror in an exciting and terrifying original dark tale of urban fantasy and thrilling mystery.
Amity Green grew up in the mining town of Victor, Colorado. As a teen, Amity raised horses and developed a love of fauna and flora of the Rocky Mountains. She worked as a raft guide on the Arkansas River in her home town and later worked as a truck driver at the mine in Victor. Amity resides in a Victorian neighborhood in mountainous Manitou Springs. She started writing at the age of 19 and is now a published author of urban fantasy novels and several anthologies with fellow horror and fantasy writers. Her novel SCALES, which was created when she studied in London, wins 5 Star reader reviews. Amity’s current work in process is PHANTOM LIMB ITCH, a companion novel in her gargoyle series about Tessa Marie Conley; the Austin teen who was trapped in a world of dark magic in the United Kingdom.
Filed under: Book Release, Publishing Tagged: Amity Green, Dark, Gargoyle, mystery, Scales, Urban Fantasy
And Life Continue’s On
Well, new kitten… unexpected. This is going to mess with finances some, as we are still having to deal with Storm’s kitten vet expenses and both Storm and Yina will need to be neutered, with only about two months of each other… if that.
We were not entirely sure how we were going to deal with Storm this upcoming long weekend, as we host a party during that time and with people going in and out, with a kitten determined to be out, was going to be tricky. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. This way if we do lock him in the bedroom, at least he’ll have a source of amusement…I don’t know how amused Yina will be but…
I am still trying to edit the second White Dragon Black novel, ‘Bindings & Spines’, like a mad man. Lots of changes to the first five chapters – took some time and melted my brain a little but, even with cutting out a whole scene that was definitely one of my ‘darlings’, I think this is the better way for the novel to begin. I have just received a number of chapters back from my beta reader – so I can progress from where the rearranged beginning left me.
Also, I’m still working on the edits further in on the novel, which will be sent on their way to my beta reader. I’m trying to get through all the edits to this novel, as fast as I can ,to get the thing to my publisher as early as possible… so we can do more edits. Damn good thing I actually like editing.
Wrote nearly 600 words this morning in the fifth novel, not much , but it helps to write a little, as regularly as I can, to keep the story active in my brain. I appreciate my Muse feeding me these little snippets, I admit I wish she would show me the title for it. But You take what you get.
I am almost finished the pinata for the above mentioned long weekend party. I just have to fill it and paint it. My big concern at this point is that the thing is strong enough to take the weight of the prizes inside. Those little bottles of alcohol weight nothing individually but when you have a lot all together… well I just hope I made the thing strong enough.
Still haven’t dropped my dosage down. Usually by this point in the summer, I’ve come down from my July cycle enough to drop the extra 250 ml – but alas, I feel the red rage still seething too close to the surface and my thoughts are not quite as linear and refined as I could hope. Maybe I should be getting my blood wrok done again to see where the levels are at but I know my doctor is very much worried by the idea of raising my dosage above what it is now. Can’t blame him really, they pills really are liver killers,
Well, there you have it – my exciting update on my not very exciting life.
Filed under: Homesteading, Mental Health, MIscellaneous, Writing Tagged: alcohol, beta reader, Bi-polar, Bindings & Spines, blog for mental health, Brain, crazy, current work in progress, cycle, edits, Jonathan Alvey, kitten, long weekend, medication, Mental Health, muse, novel, paranormal, paranormal private investigator, party, pinata, plot, Urban Fantasy, White Dragon Black Series, wierd thoughts, world building, writing
August 17, 2014
Well… That was Unexpected
My wife had just headed out the door yesterday to go to the city. She was getting a new tattoo and then spending the night at some friend’s house. She had walked out the door then, a minute later, walked back in with this.
Yeah – that’s a kitten all right.
She was under the truck. No one else around, no sign of kin anywhere. So … yeah seems we have a new, new kitten. I took the fluffy bundle, my wife went back out the door, and I spent the last 24hrs playing kitten sitter. She is still on milk, though should be able to eat the moist cat food, if I can just convince her to do so. She’s a bit stubborn.
We decided on the name, Yina – it is short form for a goddess of fog.
All told things went well, I got more sleep than expected. Storm likes his new sister but gets too excited playing with her and she has to be rescued – which doesn’t stop her from going right back into the fray. The older cats, who just started to accept Storms presence are not happy but not as pissed as I expected – or have a right to be.
Four cats is more than either of us planned but we are suckers and couldn’t just leave it to fend for ourselves…. good thing we have a large house and live in the country.
Yina (right) is about the same age as Storm (left) was when we first brought him home.
Filed under: Homesteading, MIscellaneous Tagged: cats, crazy, kitten, tattoo, truck, wife
August 16, 2014
It’s getting out of hand
“It is also not the case that e-cigarettes act as a gateway for young people who eventually go on to smoke real cigarettes. A 2012 study found that only 7% of teenagers had tried e-cigarettes and that 91% of those were already smokers. It is true that the number of young people who have tried electronic cigarettes has been steadily increasing in recent years. But data from the United States and the United Kingdom shows that youth smoking rates have also been on a downward trend — suggesting that the “gateway” hypothesis is nothing more than a myth.”
second-hand-vapour-is-no-threat
Filed under: Vaping
August 14, 2014
New Novel by D W Wilkin
Teaching a boor a lesson is one thing.
Winning all that the man owns is more than Lord Arthur Herrington expects. Especially when he finds that his winnings include the boor’s daughter!
The Duke of Northampshire spent fortunes in his youth. The reality of which his son, Arthur the Earl of Daventry, learns all too well when sent off to school with nothing in his pocket. Learning to fill that pocket leads him on a road to frugality and his becoming a sober man of Town. A sober but very much respected member of the Ton.
Lady Louisa Booth did not have much hope for her father, known in the country for his profligate ways. Yet when the man inherited her gallant uncle’s title and wealth, she hoped he would reform. Alas, that was not to be the case.
When she learned everything was lost, including her beloved home, she made it her purpose to ensure that Lord Arthur was not indifferent to her plight. An unmarried young woman cast adrift in society without a protector. A role that Arthur never thought to be cast as. A role he had little idea if he could rise to such occasion. Yet would Louisa find Arthur to be that one true benefactor? Would Arthur make this obligation something more? Would a game of chance lead to love?
Caution’s Heir is a story set in the Regency Era of England. The Regency was from 1811 to 1820, followed by the full rule of George IV. During the Regency he was regent for his father, George III who was then mad. It is a time of well tailored clothing for the men of wealth of England, and for their ladies to be adorned in jewels and high fashion as well. It is a time when War was waging in Europe, what is considered by many a second world war, the first having been the Seven Years War.
With this background, a war having occurred on the continent within the memory of our characters, we find the story opening with our heroine partaking of the Sunday services at the parish church. Her father is a profligate and n’er-do-well. Her uncle, the title lord, is dying. She is a proper young woman and sees to the nursing of her uncle.
We then switch to meet our hero, Lord Arthur. His father, the Duke, was much like the heroes father when the Duke was young. He spent the entire family fortune early and since Arthur and his father have lived with little, though since Arthur has become an adult he has worked slowly and diligently to make a fortune for himself, and is beginning to have some success. His income exceeding his expenses and a reputation for being an upstanding and sober man slowly being known.
So we have fathers who had little regard for wealth and their children, our main characters who understand that this is important to their position in society. Our hero meets our heroine’s father and to set up the conflict and dramatic action, Louisa’s father is betting dangerously with the wealth he has inherited by becoming Marguess on his brother’s death. Our hero steps in to curb this, not knowing of Louisa, but because the man is acting incivilly. Louisa’s father is a little insulted and another card game is arranged. Here, despite many opprotunites to end the match, Louisa’s father bets all he owns, and all that is within his property, and loses. Still our hero tries to terminate the stakes of that bet. But the Marquess honors it and flees to the New World.
Louisa takes the terms of her father’s bet literally and arrives on the doorstep of Arthur pointing out that she is now his problem. For she was in the house that Arthur won, and has no one else to turn to.
That is our major conflict and theme.
Perhaps not done in the Regency. For Slavery was on the way out. But the trope of betting all your wealth at the card table occurred. As a Regency, these two are destined for each other. It is the getting to that which makes the story. If you follow the tale, we have to have hills and valleys, storms and calm. Red Herrings strewn about the path… Though Caution is not a mystery, true love can not be found smoothly…
Do we arrive at our happy ending? It is a Regency Romance, so we must get there in the end. Do I tie up loose ends, and throw in Victorian and Regency motifs of fulfillment, and advancement? Again, Caution’s Heir is the story of Regency Romance, so something along these lines must occur.
It has had close to four years of gestation and molding, with many drafts, so now, it is ready. Published 8/12/2014 at $4.99 in digital format, $15.99 in Trade Paperback, Caution’s Heir is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the iBookstore, Kobo and Smashwords.
Caution’s Hier – Amazon Digital
Filed under: Book Release Tagged: Caution's Heir, D. W. Wilkin, Regency Era, Regency Romance
