Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 53

Paperback Book Day - how big is your pile?

Readers everywhere, come celebrate July 30th-- National Paperback Book Day.

Whilst electronic books and e-readers are becoming increasingly popular, there’s still something very special about an old fashioned book. Paperback Book Day celebrates the look, texture and experience of reading a paperback classic. Although there are those who have declared the death of paper books, almost 92% of the respondents to an online survey by the Huntsville Times preferred reading hardcopy/paperback.
Image by Trixie Liko from Pixabay
There was a time when books had heavy wooden covers bound in leather and stitched to a spine, these books are durable and attractive, but they are also very… very… heavy. In the 19th century another technique of improving the printing and publishing of books came about, the paperback novel. These books were easily portable, less expensive to produce, and provided a beautiful way to carry ones favorite book on their person. Paperback Book Day celebrates the creation of this new form of book, and the people who carry them around every day.

While I’m thrilled that my books are available in a variety of electronic formats readable on ereaders and pads, I admit that beyond my own personal preference there is another advantage of a paperback. It is hard to have an author meet and greet at a local bookstore without having something other than a flat of the cover on the table.There is something about a pile of books that just calls to many people. Of course, we can give a code for a free ebook when they buy a paperback so both sides of their reading preferences are met.

 


The Windmaster Novels, the dark fantasy Imprisoned in Stone and except for the last book in the series, the Dragshi Chronicles are available in paperback.  Just click on the covers at the top of this page for excerpts, a free read of the first chapter, and the latest distribution sites.

To celebrate Paperback Book Day, visit your local library, independent bookseller, or anywhere else paperback books can be found. For myself, I’m going to my library (a euphemism for several sets of shelves in my back bedroom), and pull down a favorite book. And if you love your paper books, here’s ten commandments on how-to-care-for-books.

~till next time. Helen

Too Depressing #MFRWauthor

"To Have Or Have Not?" I need to explain the topic further. It is not a post about weddings and a traditional vow, but about bucket lists. Similar topics in the 2017 and 2018 challenges dealt more with the contents of a bucket list than the current post. This one, however, is whether to have one or not.
I admit to being more of a realist than an optimist. Besides my natural tendencies to the more solemn, I have also lived long enough to know life can ruin the best laid plans. When growing up, the expectation was that you'd work for the same company (or be a lifer in the military) for two or three decades, then walk out the door with a gold watch and a nice pension. Retirement was to begin with a cruise, traveling the country, and visiting with family before settling down to enjoy hobbies delayed by putting work before pleasure.

Reality is that none of the companies I've worked for over the years still exist. No pension, no golden parachute separation bonus. As to the traveling? Life decreed I become a caregiver instead.
Image by Renee Gaudet from Pixabay
Although I did come up with a few items as part of writing the earlier challenges, as to whether I actually have a list written down in some secret notebook? The answer is real short--No. While I try to grant my characters their dreams, as to having some of my own? Maybe I'll answer that in some future post, but not right now.
~till next time, Helen

Hooked on First Change, Bookqw Perfect #MFRWAuthor

The dragshi are more than just a man or woman. Each are two beings–one a dragon, the other a human–sharing one body in space in time and able to change forms with the other at will. Their world and the adventures of the dragon shifters are recorded in the Dragshi Chronicles


Unlike the previous works in the series which related to the trader girl Anastasia and Lord Branin Llewlyn, First Change features the real story behind the legends told in the previous volumes. First Change contains five stories of duty and honor, love and loss, happiness and despair from the chronicles. As with all such tales, some contain larger than life deeds. Others are the simple story of a man or woman doing what must be done, regardless of the cost.

A teaser using the book quote word PERFECT.

Excerpt from the novella "Magic and Steel."

Kedar waved to the ceoltiers, and an arm around Mairin’s waist guided her toward the line of coaches arriving to take the revelers home. He threw a thought at a familiar shape standing just beyond the festival entrance. <Birog, I’m taking Mairin back to the compound.>
<I’ll have the coach brought to the front of the line,> the ceoltier replied.

To prevent Mairin from sensing his plans, he bought two glasses of wine and they drank it as he guided her through the festival. Several coaches blocked the one Birog said was waiting. It wasn’t the open space that triggered an alarm in Kedar’s senses, but the narrow passageways between the buildings. Each provided the perfect location for a footpad—or an assassin—to wait.

~ * ~

Buy Links: Links to ebook sellers

Additional excerpts from the three novellas (and two bonus short stories) in First Change.

What's Your Creativity Trigger? #MFRWauthor

Creativity - how it strikes us in different ways is this week's topic in the challenge. First a definition. Creativity is defined as the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work. Just from the definition it is easy to see how creativity can manifest itself in different ways. Our imagination and thoughts can take us on journeys to the stars and to the old West.
Image by Mediamodifier from PixabayThen there is the variety of production. There are as many forms of artistic expression as there are people doing the creating. Stone and wood, fabric and paper, are used by artists. Creativity doesn't necessarily involve material things. Authors and musicians create more ethereal works, which may be one of the contributors to the rise of piracy. An ebook or a song isn't held in your hand.
Image by Karen Smits from PixabayHowever my first thought upon reading the topic involved when and where. Some of my most productive writing has been at two in the morning while in a bedside vigil. Some people need absolute silence or isolation to create. Music can release the muses from control of the conscious mind or the reality of daily life to allow creativity free rein. Other things that can distract conscious control and allow creativity to flourish can be television or crowds.
I hope you enjoyed the discussion into creativity.
~till next time, Helen

Hooked on Windmaster, Dream, #mfrwauthor

From the sword and sorcery fantasy, Windmaster, an excerpt using the word, "DREAM"



Excerpt:


A strangling sense of horror woke Ellspeth from a deep sleep. The sea air carried the faint reek of freshly-spilled blood. Pale moonlight filtering through the shuttered window cast shadows around the small cabin. Nothing moved in the darkness beneath the narrow-legged desk or behind the wooden trunk that held the ship’s records. No visible danger lurked, yet the feeling of intense fear remained strong. As she fought to slow her rapid pulse, she listened for unusual sounds on the deck outside. The Sea Falcon had been her home, and she its captain, for the last three turns. She knew every inch of the bark from the tip of the ship’s five masts to the carved insignia on the bow. Despite the unease that ruined her rest, only the familiar creaks of the gently rocking wooden hull touched Ellspeth’s questing senses.

It was only a dream! At the remembered panic, she breathed deeply to rid herself of the effects of the nightmare. They keep getting more vivid, more real. Tomorrow we’ll be taking mage healers aboard. I wonder if the dreams and the healers are connected? Just as quickly as the question arose, she ruthlessly quashed it. “The dreams started even before the transport was arranged,” she muttered.


~ ~ ~
Buy Links: One click to ebook sellers
Paperback at Amazon / Barnes&Noble

SPECIAL SALE - 75% off at Smashwords, only until the end of July.

Maybe a Cameo #MFRWAuthor

This week's topic, "Putting Yourself In The Story," asks a question every writer will have to field sooner or later. It is also very close to the 2018 topic "How much of you are in your writing?"

When I first saw "Putting Yourself In The Story" I immediately thought of author, actor, television writer, and producer, Stephen J. Canell. And the reasons were not just the closing scene of his programs where he's typing and rips the paper out of the typewriter, but from his on-screen acting including his recurring role as the crooked police officer Donald 'Dutch' Dixon in the television series, Renegade.

Then I thought of Louis L'Amour who was know for having walked the ground or worked the jobs presented in his books.

But do I put myself into the story? I think in some ways, every author leaves a little of themselves on the page. It might be an unconscious leakage of a childhood memory appearing in the hero's past or places we've been that became settings in our books.

Image by Brigitte Werner from PixabayDespite the fact that Lady Ellspeth, captain of Sea Falcon loves the crustaceans found in her native seas of Nerelan, and I love Gulf shrimp, and we both have silver hair, I firmly state -- I'm not my characters. The closest I've come is the retired gunslinger, Hell Lost. Hell was the first character who really appeared to me as a fully-defined person. Other reasons I relate to her, our ages about the same as is our sense of duty and honor. And, oh yeah, Hell's real name is Helen Lawson, which is another reason why I relate to her

But the answer to the question of putting myself into the story is a definite no. Except maybe for a quick cameo where no one knows it's me.

This is a hop so be sure to visit the other authors in the challenge at https://mfrw52week.blogspot.com. ~till next time, Helen

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Hooked on Windmaster, destiny foretold #mfrwhook

Today's excerpt is from the first story set in the world of Windmaster. From the book that gave the universe its name, a tale of friend's lost and raw memories, Introducing the kapuna tree.


Excerpt:

The faint blue rune of an illusion spell flickered, its light almost hidden within the thick bushes’ sapphire leaves. A wave of Dal’s hand cleared the protective spell. Three steps took him into the veiled clearing. The stillness, the feeling of peace, was even more overwhelming here than on the mountain. Even the need for vengeance, bred into his bones by the traditions of generations of his ancestors, gave way before it.

An ancient tree, old before time began, almost filled the small space. Long tendrils hung finger-like from the branches that formed a high canopy.

Heart-shaped leaves covered each narrow strand. In each leaf, veins, the brown-red color of dried blood, made the tree look like the grisly aftermath of battle. Dal slowly walked around the tree. Close up he could see a faint symbol—a mage identification—on each leaf. With each step he traced the names of dead friends and the fellow members of the Wizard’s Council.

Something shimmered at the end of a branch. The leaf’s vein was a vibrant pure red. Instead of the stillness of the other leaves, this one pulsed. Even before he spotted the rune that symbolized his own name, Dal realized the leaf’s rhythm was that of his own heartbeat. The leaf marked his lifeline.

At the end of the branch, a leaf without a symbol also vibrated. He ran a finger along of its main vein. Despite the feather-light touch, a shock numbed his arm. Ellspeth’s face appeared then faded, leaving behind only an undefined yearning.

The flicker of the adjacent leaf was noticeably slower, and with each passing second, the color turned darker and darker. Its small veins had already shifted into deep red. Dal knew without even looking that the name marked on the leaf was Semelen’s.

Semelen’s hand felt warm on Dal’s shoulder, despite the coolness of the glade. “It was not your fault, my friend, that you were away when it happened. The poison spread so quickly not even the most skilled healers among us could have saved those on the island. We’re just fortunate you survived to carry on the work... and to rebuild the council.”

Dal wrenched away from the intended comfort. “There is no council anymore. Everyone is dead. I built the pyres myself.” His voice grew quieter with each word, until it was almost a whisper.

~ ~ ~

For a limited time, get Windmaster on sale for 75% off at Smashwords. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/697506



The rest of the hop is at http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com

Dressing Up #MFRWAuthor

Childhood tea parties with pretend friends or with stuffed animals is not something I remember from my childhood. You could say when I was growing up that I was a tomboy. Of course, living on a working farm, jeans, tee-shirts, and a long-sleeve flannel shirt to protect against the bugs and sun were more comfortable than a skirt and blouse. 

Image by Mabel Amber, still incognito... from Pixabay
Cultural expectations were also different back them. Ladies didn't wear slacks out in public, let alone shorts, so whenever we were going to the store it was tie to get out of work clothes and dress up.

Dressing up for a special occasion can be a pleasure if the outfit fits well, looks good, and will be worn for more than just a few minutes. Nothing is more frustrating that digging an outfit from the closet to find it is too tight (or too loose) or the shoes hurt your feet. Or if it still reasonably fits, that dinner out is over quicker than you thought and you're home less than an hour later. It took longer to put the outfit together than you had it on. The ultimate aggravation of dressing up is after finding a matching blouse and skirt, or a nice dress, despite dumping out and riffling through the sock drawer, there isn't a single pair of nylon stockings without a run in them.


Image by skeeze from Pixabay
That's the end of the rant. Hope you love the pictures of fun (or not) of dressing up. Off to change back into my comfy pants and sneakers. ~till next time, Helen

Christmas In July

If you've read one of the Windmaster Novels and are looking to complete the trio, now is the perfect time. There's a great sale on at Smashwords. 75% off the Windmaster Novels. But only for a few weeks. Don't worry, I'll post reminders on my Facebook page as the clock winds down. Smashwords has all formats for all devices.

 Go ahead and splurge!
The Windmaster Novels are a fantasy romance series described as, “A great read by an author with magic in her veins.” 

And I've been out and about in a new digital magazine, Babs BookMark. Each issue interviews authors in various genres. This month one of them is me. Hope you'll check out the magazine. https://issuu.com/babsdowneyhightower/docs/babs_bookmark-2

~It's been a busy month and it's only the first. till next time, Helen

A Tale of Beginnings and Endings #mfrwauthor

We're at week 26, the mid-point of the 2019 challenge. The official topic is "How getting the call (or acceptance) changes lives." My mind turned to beginnings and endings. First beginnings, which began with having to rewrite the entire post after a single keystroke resulted in the post being corrupted, negating all the saves.

Going with the intent of the call, a few thoughts on how writing became a career. My husband, who was the volunteer treasurer for a local history museum, asked for help with doing an inventory. That was step 1. Then he saw a notice about a state by state series in an antiques paper. The museum could use the publicity was the excuse, and you already are familiar with the museum’s collection. Since I already had a number of years experience working with words, even though the format was computer programs, marketing materials, and training manuals, a query was sent off and surprisingly an acceptance letter and contract arrived in the mail. Photographs were taken, film developed (this was before the days of digital cameras and scanners in every printer,) an article was written in more contracts. This endeavor lead to hundreds more in regional, national, and international publications and the addition of correspondent and feature story writer to my resume. The creation of several documentaries and three local history books added the title of writer. When the world changed, I returned to my first love, fiction, and became an author.

Now for endings. Two items triggered the counter to beginnings, namely two funerals in as many months. In that vein of thought, the latest round of review requests for Hatchling’s Mate, Hatchling’s Vengeance, and First Change: Legends From The Eyrie reinforced the realization that the series had truly ended and with it years of association with the dragon shifters of the Dragshi Chronicles.

To celebrate the journey, there’s an offer for some free reads at the bottom of the post or click on the FREE READS button in the sidebar.

This is a blog hop and I hope you’ll visit the other posts in the challenge. ~till next time, Helen





For those who like science fiction, there is short story Pirates Reprise.



For romance with the science fiction, Recov.



If fantasy is your preferred genre, you're invited to search for artifacts on an alien world in Withym. But we warned, the volcano means to protect her treasures.



And lastly, in recognition of all the time I've spent with dragons, a download of Hatchling's Guardian.