Loni Townsend's Blog, page 39

Farewell 2013

Is it really here? A new year? Geez. Where did 2013 go? Time rushes past—a blur of memories. I think something happened this past year. Oh yes, quite a lot. I might have fried some brain circuits trying to remember it all.

The big things are easy. I had a kid. I published a book. My grandfather died.

But it’s those little things I strive to keep. The night my husband walked in with a dozen roses—just because. Those quiet mornings listening to my daughter snore. That double blue line on the pregnancy test. Hot air balloons. Painted zebra faces. New friends. New curtains. Giddy laughter. Pond water. Bamboo. Toffee ice cream. Summertime sweat. Mint leaves. Hot cider. Goggles. Fresh snow. Soiled diapers. The Littlest Christmas Tree.

So what’s in store for 2014? I will finish book 2 of the Niniers. I will refine my photography. I will dance more and complain less. I will sing in my car—loudly and off-key. I will lose myself in my imaginary world and torture my characters with some evil plot. I will fret and worry for my children, but I will encourage and laugh and not be afraid to get dirty. I will unashamedly eat my empty carbs, drink my Red Bulls, and exercise all the harder to make up for it. I will create. I will improve. I will thrive.

What about you? What will you remember from 2013? What do you hope to gain in the coming year?

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Merry Christmas!

To everyone out there, I wish you love, health, and happiness this holiday season.

I leave you with a remake of a song I love.

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Cover Reveal: Cutlass

A pirate walks into a bar with a paper towel on his head. The bartender says, “What’s with the paper towel?”

The pirate says, “Arrr! I’ve got a Bounty on me head!”

Ah pirates. How can you not love them? And speaking of loving pirates… Have you heard of this book by Ashley Nixon? I have the privilege to reveal the cover to…

Cutlass

Publication Date: April 23, 2014

Category: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy

Blurb:

Notorious pirate Barren Reed has one thing on his mind: Revenge against the man who killed his father. So kidnapping his enemy’s fiancé seems a perfect plan…until he actually does it. 



Larkin Lee is more than a pretty face and fiancé to a powerful man. Her fierce personality is enough to make any pirate want to push her overboard. 



But when the King of the Orient comes to Barren with a task—to find the Bloodstone, a powerful gem thought only to exist in legend, Barren sees another opportunity to destroy his enemy. Together, Barren, Larkin and a crew of pirates set off to find the stone, only to discover it caused the death of Barren’s own mother and Larkin’s, too. As his strongest allies turn into his greatest enemies, and the life of the girl he kidnapped becomes more important than he ever dreamed, Barren’s quest for revenge becomes a fight to save the Orient.

Links:

Goodreads | Goodreads (book page) | Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook (And there’s a giveaway going on here) | Tumblr

Rafflecopter Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I know I’m looking forward to reading this book. Are you?

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Whirlwind

It’s been a whirlwind of 12 weeks that started with the birth of my son. Since then, I’ve faced an epidural headache, jaundice, cold & flu, a jealous 3-year-old, a speeding ticket, the birth of a niece, the death of a grandfather, meeting new friends, creating a business, costume making, scraping by on NaNo, and releasing my book.

Today, I returned to work.

It’s like I never left.

I’ve jokingly told my husband that insanity awaited my return to work. I work with a couple of fitness nuts, and they’ve decided to switch from the P90X workouts to Insanity. Seeing I hate cardio, I was pretty sure it was going to suck. It did. I’ve gone 12 weeks without a workout, and I had been lax even before the baby came. But I pulled off 30 burpees, 45 pushups, 60 crunches, 30 wall ball, and 30 box jumps … all before I even took the fit test. Needless to say, I did pretty darn crappy on the fit test (I did 3 jack pushups! Whoopee!). But since I’m supposed to do it every 2 weeks, it’ll look like I’ve achieved mass improvement next time.

I returned home to happily see that my husband survived his turn at stay-at-home parenting (he’s on task through the end of the year). I admit I was worried. Our son has been exclusively breastfed for the past 8 weeks and getting him to take a bottle hasn’t been easy. But, like his sister, he snubbed the expensive bottles and chose the $2 one we bought at the grocery store. Should’ve known.



Life is slowing down and settling into something I might call my old routine. I hope to soon get to take up critiquing again, seeing that I had to set that aside while juggling my son’s every whim.

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who helped me spread the word about Thanmir War’s release. I gave out over 100 free copies of my book and I am ecstatic. If you happened to download one, Thank You. I would love any feedback you have for it. And if you have time to post a review, I would truly appreciate it.

I hope you and yours are staying warm if you’ve had the same onslaught of cold weather we’ve had!

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Release Day! (And a blog hop)

Today is a very special day.

Today is Release Day.

Thanmir War is live on Amazon. And the best part is, today, it’s free!

You can find it on Goodreads. And Amazon has it available for purchase. It’s my deepest hope that you find the story enjoyable and entertaining that you’d want to tell your friends.

Here are the details:

Title: Thanmir War

Genre: Fantasy

Blurb:

The Earth Clan has declared war and a landscaper is at the dead center of it.

Derek thinks his chronic headaches are the worst of his problems.

He’s wrong.

He wakes up in the middle of an unknown forest, surrounded by a couple dozen dead men he has no memory of killing. His only way back to society as he knows it is MaTisha, an amnesic woman with the power to transcend world boundaries.

But going home isn’t as easy as he had hoped, not when MaTisha is sought by two opposing armies prepared to do anything to keep her from the other side.

Derek finds himself caught in the center, mixed up with mercenaries and guardians. And now, he’s been possessed by a murderous alter ego with a personal mission to keep MaTisha safe. He wants nothing more to return to the life and family he loves.

But his alter ego has other plans.

If it sounds like something you’d like, buy it here.

Blog Hop

I met Julie through Melissa Maygrove’s Follow Fest earlier this year. And guess what! She’s releasing a book today too! Hers is called The Ghosts of Aquinnah. I’m definitely going to check it out.

Julie (http://julieflanders.blogspot.com/) and Lexa Cain (http://lexacain.blogspot.com/) have a Rafflecopter giveaway going on. Stop by and enter!

Now, my dream destination…

Any of my family and close friends can tell you where my dream destination is. Japan. I’ve been in love with the culture since childhood, had dreamed of traveling there with my grandmother before she had passed on, and it tends to influence most of my design decisions. If I could, I’d explore the countryside, roam the bamboo forests, and dazzle myself in the city. And ramen. I’d definitely eat ramen.

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My first ISWG Post

Forgive me if I do this wrong. I’m new.

I’ve been stalking Melissa Maygrove for a while now, and I’ve seen her do this thing every month. And then I think to myself, ‘with as many times as I’ve freaked out over writing, I should really do that.’ So here I am.

My biggest fear is being disliked.

For over a decade, I never told anyone except my parents that I enjoyed writing. What would people think when they discovered how twisted and messed up my mind was? The story that’s been brewing in my head for 15 years isn’t exactly rainbows and kittens. And it gets darker as the series progresses. Book 3 in my series is the darkest of the bunch, which is what I worked on for NaNoWriMo.

I overcame my fear with my first book, which will be published tomorrow. Well, I kinda overcame my fear. Okay, not really. What if people don’t like it? What if I fail?

My goal has always been to write the best darn book I can possibly write. To draw readers in and absorb them into this world I created. To entertain and excite. Failure is not doing so. I may never become a household name. I don’t measure success with a $. I want to be read. Did I do right by those who dared to pick up my book? I certainly hope so. Because if I didn’t, then I failed.

Thank you for stopping by and listening to me be insecure. I hope you find a reason to stay.

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Dark One’s Mistress – Mini Blog Tour!

Today we have Aldrea Alien giving us a top ten. This top ten?

Top Ten Mundane Animals in Fantasy

(Loni) Take it away, Aldrea!

Usually when someone says fantasy and animals in the same sentence, it brings to mind dragons and unicorns and griffons and the like. Fantastical creatures, while fun, are not always practical. Sometimes, you need something a little … ordinary.

So what are the more common animals the fantasy worlds I’ve read so far?

10 – Cows.

Your basic fantasy drinks tend to come in three flavours: milk, beer or wine. Meanwhile the roasts are generally beef. There must be a ton of cows kicking about in them fields, but you rarely see any unless they’re in a cattle yard or people are fleeing their homes.

9 – Sheep.

All that wool everyone is wearing about town has got to come from somewhere and the fields just don’t look right without those woolly little bodies dotting the landscape. They also tend to be white, not sure why.

8 – Cats.

Whether they’re used as an omen or passing evil, a companion for your local spellcaster or merely the in-house mouse trapper there will be a cat somewhere. Especially if there’s an extended stay in a tavern. Yet, for some reason, this lower down the list than the vermin they chase.

7 – Dogs.

You need a guard, a pet or a working animal to round up wayward sheep because your sheepherders are lolling about letting your livestock wander all over those hill, you’re going to have a dog.

6 – Rats and Mice.

Ah, the vermin. Rats are a common method to hint at how neglected a place is and no dungeon, cellar or ship is complete without at least a mouse or four. They also make light snacks for vampires.

5 – Deer.

They’re everywhere in the forest. Doubly so if someone has a bow on hand. Just once, I’d like to read someone taking down a wild pig instead. They fight back and have more meat on them.

4 – Wolves.

Coming from a country with no wild wolves, I can’t help but wonder why there always seems to be wolves in the forest. Maybe they’re after the deer. But then why are they always attacking people? You’d think with all the deer around they’d be well fed.

I guess they got tired of venison.

3 – Rabbits.

Honestly, if a meal must be caught in the bush it is, more often than not, going to be a rabbit. Yet all the wild rabbits I’ve come across tend to stay underground for much of the day. Now hares … hares don’t dig burrows and they’ve more meat on them. Just something to think about.

And please, for the sake of my sanity, don’t call a rabbit a smeerp for the sake of it.

2 – Horses.

Unless there’s a plethora of dragons or other types of mythical creatures routinely used for transport, your average method of travelling will involve these beasties. Even in the worlds were teleporting is commonplace. Less drain on the body, I suppose.

1 – Birds.

Yes, I’ve gone for the group lump here. But birds are everywhere. Every wood/forest has at least one owl. Cities aren’t complete without pigeons or sparrows. And the evil places generally have ravens or crows for ambiance if not used as spies by the big bad himself. If it’s mostly based at sea I’m practically waiting for a parrot. No parrot? That’s okay, you still have gulls. They’re the rats of the sea after all.

So there you have it. An animal doesn’t have to come from mythology or the depraved mind of a writer to end up in a fantasy novel. And I’ve used most of them at least once in my writing.

(Loni) And some awesome writing it is. Here is her book, now published and available:

Title: Dark One’s Mistress

Author: Aldrea Alien

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Blurb:

For centuries, the people have lived under the protection of their so-called Dark Lord. Now, with news of his death reaching the quiet village of Everdark, rumour whispers that his son, Lucias, is hunting for a mistress to beget him an heir.

Clara doesn’t put much stock in village gossip, until she finds herself forcibly taken to the Lord’s fortress. Escape is not easy. She has no way out and, against a man with magic, little chance of fighting back. But the Lords are still men and the death of Lucias’ father is proof that they die just the same. And yet, if Lucias dies heirless, his army will be free to terrorise the land.

Such is the goal of Lenora of Ne’ermore, an old enemy and ex-prisoner of the kingdom. She is sending a man to slaughter Lucias and, to ensure there’s no chance of an heir, his mistress must die as well.

Caught between regaining her freedom or losing it for the good of the kingdom, Clara struggles to decide her path before certain death breaches the gates.

Buy links:

Astraea Press | Amazon | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | OmniLit/All Romance

Author Bio:

Born and raised in New Zealand, Aldrea Alien lives on a small farm with her family, including a menagerie of animals. Since discovering a love of writing at the age of twelve, she hasn’t found an ounce of peace from the characters plaguing her mind.

Blog: http://thardrandia.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aldrea-Alien/262519090516776

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@AldreaAlien

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7328363.Aldrea_Alien

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZmFjNDc2MzljMzc0ZDMxNWIyNzJhMTQyNzYwNDUxOjA=/

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Coffee Shop Writer

So, I hadn’t realized that writing in Starbucks was a thing until my buddy ohnosarge brought it up in a tweet one day. She directed me to Family Guy who mocks those coffee shop writers as needing to be seen working on their craft.

Imagine my eyebrows climbing to my hairline. That led to a search online, and sure enough, I discovered there was this whole negative attitude about it! They call the act pretentious, annoying, and all around inconsiderate.

For over a year now, I’ve met with a group every Friday morning to do some writing. We chose Starbucks because of opening time and location. The group consists of about 5 people. Believe it or not, quite a few people think meeting at 5:30 AM to write is absurd. But I’m a freak who likes to wake up early. And I don’t even drink coffee.

Now call me pretentious, but I’m perfectly secure in my writerly ways. Not to mention there isn’t much traffic at that hour so if I wanted to write for attention, I’d have to do it a couple hours later.

Still, I want to hear your opinions about coffee shop writers. What are your thoughts?

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New Date…Again

Yes, I know, I look like an idiot.

I said November 5th, then the 19th. Well, the release date has been pushed to December 5th because I botched something in the details. But it’s really going to happen this time.

The book is on Goodreads, so that must count for something. This image on the left here is a link. (Go on, you know you want to add it to your shelf.)

I’ve set up a book giveaway which is pending approval by Goodreads staff. As soon as it’s approved, you’ll see a widget for signups in the side bar. Unfortunately, since I’m the one paying for shipping, I’ve had to limit it to the US. (Sorry Aldrea.)

I’m looking for help from anyone who wants to give a shout out on release day. I even created a linky list. I’ve signed up with KDP Select and plan on listing it for free that day! How awesome is that?

If you’re able to help me spread the word, I appreciate it. If you can’t, I hope you still pick up my book when it’s free.

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Husbandly Help

“Do you think a severe electrical burn would be gooey beneath the crispy flesh?”

That was how I started our conversation. Of course my husband gives me a perplexed look. And then he starts to chuckle.

I was writing a scene where the character gets hit with an electrical bolt which mangles up the left side of his face/neck/shoulder. My story is fantasy, by the way. And my husband knows this. This is how our conversation went.

Me: Do you think a severe electrical burn would be gooey beneath the crispy flesh?

Him: Is he wearing an earring?

Me: Uh…I hadn’t planned on it.

Him: Then it isn’t going to hit him.

Me: But the guy throws the bolt at him.

Him: No.

Me: What?

Him: Electricity doesn’t work that way.

Me: This is a fantasy.

Him: Maybe he has a pencil behind his ear?

Me: He’s a prisoner.

Him: It’s like lightning. It needs something to connect to.

Me: I suppose he could be wearing an earring.

Him: And it’d screw up his foot too.

Me: Huh?

Him: It needs to ground out somewhere.

Me: But he’s lying down.

Him: What’s he laying on?

Me: A stone floor.

Him: What kind of stone.

Me: Uh…red?

Him: That might work.

Me: Okay…

Him: The stone probably has iron in it. He’d be damaged more by the stone exploding than the bolt.

Me: *scrolls up and makes rock explode* Okay.

Him: Ooh, yeah, and he can have jagged rock formations embedded and sticking out of his face–That’d leave some nasty scars.

Me: True.

Him: But that’d probably kill him.

Me: He isn’t human.

Him: Does he have anything protecting his throat?

Me: No.

Him: Yeah, he’s going to die.

Me: *long pause* So do you think the flesh would be gooey beneath the crispy burned parts?

You know, I’m still not sure.

I’m behind on my NaNo word count, but I’m quite certain I’ll catch up. If you stopped by the blog today and notice the site looks different, please excuse my dust. I’m playing around with themes again, updating widgets, and changing styles. The font that’s going on right now will be changing (it’s too small!). And I’ll be crafting a new background image and possibly a new header image sometime soon. If anyone has a suggestion for either, I’d love to hear them!

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