Andy Peloquin's Blog, page 25

Duel to the Death: Aviere Mye

I, Andy Peloquin, challenge you, EM Whittaker, to a duel to the death! But it is not we who will fight, but our characters…

In the black corner, weighing in at 180 pounds, standing a cool 6 feet tall, the Hunter of Voramis!

Tale of the Tape:

Superhuman reflexes, strength, speed–think Captain America, but stronger
Thousands of years of weapons training
Body has accelerated healing factor–can survive a sword to the heart (can be killed by drowning, iron weapons, beheading, and suffocation)
Cannot be killed by anything but iron
Accursed dagger that heals him when he kills
No magical abilities whatsoever
No hesitation to kill if he perceives opponent as a threat/obstacle to his desires–classic anti-hero

In the purple corner, we have Aviere Mye, the Poisoner of Baltimore City, once-donna of central Baltimore.

Tale of the Tape:

Can shift into a black panther (referred to as black jaguars in North America), and hold the form for five minutes at a time until practiced, due to her handicap listed below.
Shift her eyes for heightened sight, smell and hearing, or shifting claws out to attack her opponent discretely.
Poisoned blood from a genetic mutation at birth (being stuck or brushed by her claws causes paralysis after effecting the central nervous system).
Highly advanced poison-making, potions and medicinal medicines. Masters Degree in pharmacology with a minor in biochemistry.
Intelligence in the 190 IQ range, which allows her to analyze situations quickly.
Skilled in street fighting, despite her lithe frame.
Knowledgeable about the human body, including pressure and chakra points.
Protected by magical talismans from her brother and husband. Since her older brother is a highly advanced mage, he’s spelled her jewelry and other items against negative soul sucking energies. The engagement and wedding rings from her husband prevent reading inside her mind and protect her from illusion magicks, since her greatest rival resorts to these tactics for attacks.
Skilled with shooting small pistols and air guns (has a modified air gun used as a vial gun and poisoned needle gun).

Two enter the ring, only one can leave alive!

How would Aviere kill the Hunter? While the Hunter is a formidable foe, Aviere’s quick speed and cautious fighting style would allow her to keep her distance from the Hunter. She would only resort to shifting if she couldn’t attack him long distance, depending on what disguise he used.   The poison she’d use depended on his form – if the Hunter donned a human disguise, she’d use a vial of hemlock or thallium to inject into the Hunter’s bloodstream. Effects would start immediately with cardiac and central nervous system problems, which can last anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. However, Aviere’s tested her concoctions on humans, shifters and mages with differing results, so she’d have to stall until the effects caused the desired effect – death.

To kill Aviere: The Hunter would try to overwhelm her with his inhuman speed, strength, and skill. All he has to do is pierce her skin with Soulhunger, and the dagger will consume her soul. Not even someone with considerable magical abilities can survive Soulhunger’s bite–it was created to kill demons.

Who would win?

The Hunter relies on strength and speed, while Aviere’s strength lie in her feline senses–she masks her scent and presence. Her fighting style consists of keeping her distance from her target, so with this strategy, she’d probably be successful against subduing the Hunter. She would keep back and shoot him with her poisons.

Because of his supernatural healing, the effects would wear off, but Aviere always keeps a vial contained with the same drugs for lethal injection. As the effects stall the Hunter as his body heals, she uses the advantage to shoot him with the last vial. With his abilities taxed, the Hunter probably wouldn’t fight off the combinations of anesthetic and paralytic agents, along with potassium chloride (which stops the heart and cardiac functions).

However, what Aviere doesn’t know is that none of her poisons work against the Hunter. They will slow him down, even temporarily appear to kill him, but he has survived worse. She fails to realize that pure iron or Soulhunger are the only weapons that can put an end to this half-demon assassin. Once the Hunter heals, he will come for her. Even if she is protected from Soulhunger’s bite, she can be broken and killed like any other mortal. The Hunter has faced many brutal thugs and street toughs, and they all lie dead.

Winner: The Hunter. Death does not come so easily for the assassin of Voramis.

Want to find out more about this poisoner who would dare challenge the legendary assassin of Voramis to the death? Click here to read about Aviere Mye…

 

Who do YOU think would win? Did we get the match-up right? Leave a comment below and let me know…

 

You would post the same duel to the death on your blog, but changing it so YOU challenge ME, and you post a link to my books. Sort of a cross-promo, but in a hella-fun way!

 

 

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Awesome Resources for Creative Writing: MS Wishlist

When it comes to creative writing, I sit down with a very definite goal in mind: tell a story I have already outlined and defined. However, that’s just me. I know many writers actually like hearing ideas and inspiration from other sources. It helps them to come up with creative concepts that are more “marketable”.

To that end, I present to you the latest resource for creative writing: Manuscript Wishlist, or MS Wishlist.

MS Wishlist is a website where agents and editors post their “I wish I could have this!” For example, here are a few of today’s (Monday Sep 19th) wishlist posts:

#MSWL in YA or Adult -> original ghost stories, eerie near-contemporary settings, long buried secrets, high concept coming of age.
You know what I really want to read? The BAD MOMS for the expecting moms-to-be and the not-gonna-happens and the not-quite-yets. #WF #MSWL
Really want a story about a girl who works in a library and falls in love with someone through the books she pulls for them.
Craving exciting high fantasy: rich secondary world, complex characters, subtle magic, and high stakes.
Old Hollywood was the worst. Love to see something set there that doesn’t sugarcoat it.

These are all posts by agents and editors from big-name literary agencies and publishing houses, so you know they’re ideas that could appeal to the people you need to reach to get your books in the right place. If you’re looking for a direction for your next story, this is an EXCELLENT site to check out.

You may be thinking, “But I want to write the story I want to write!” Good for you. You should always try to tell the story that is as true to YOU as possible.

But, let me tell you this: what if you could tell YOUR story, but make it something people are looking for? If you can tweak your story so it will appeal to agents before you even write it, you have a MUCH better chance of success in the long run!

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Duel to the Death: Cassie Dune

I, Andy Peloquin, challenge you, Victoria DeLuis, to a duel to the death! But it is not we who will fight, but our characters…

In the black corner, weighing in at 180 pounds, standing a cool 6 feet tall, the Hunter of Voramis!

Tale of the Tape:

Superhuman reflexes, strength, speed–think Captain America, but stronger
Thousands of years of weapons training
Body has accelerated healing factor–can survive a sword to the heart (can be killed by drowning, iron weapons, beheading, and suffocation)
Cannot be killed by anything but iron
Accursed dagger that heals him when he kills
No magical abilities whatsoever
No hesitation to kill if he perceives opponent as a threat/obstacle to his desires–classic anti-hero

In the purple corner, weighing in at a miniscule 110 pounds, standing a tiny 5’ 4”, the necromancer Cassie Dune.

Tale of the Tape:

Cassie is the bearer of a Caim tattoo infused with metal from the Pair Dadeni (the Black Cauldron of Rebirth). This tattoo enhances her magical ability to:
Control spirits and raise the dead
Cast a powerful circle of protection, that creates a shockwave of energy around her, casting her enemies away and denying them the chance to cause her physical harm
If gravely injured, the tattoo brings forth the power of the cauldron of rebirth and heals her mortal wounds
A guardian of trapped souls, Cassie has released thousands of spirits trapped within enchanted artefacts and sent them to their awaiting afterlife, and she would feel it her duty to free those trapped within Soulhunger

Two enter the ring, only one can leave alive!

To kill Cassie: The Hunter would try to overwhelm her with his inhuman speed, strength, and skill. All he has to do is pierce her skin with Soulhunger, and the dagger will consume her soul. Not even someone with considerable magical abilities can survive Soulhunger’s bite–it was created to kill demons.

How would Cassie kill the Hunter? With her circle of protection in place, Cassie would call forth ghosts and zombies to attack the Hunter, while utilising her magical abilities to weave an unbreakable bond into the structure of Soulhunger at an atomic level. When, at last, she becomes one with the accursed blade, she would fracture and destroy it from within, freeing the trapped souls in the process. Without his blade to heal him, Hunter will succumb to the zombie horde, who will not hesitate to rip his head off.

Winner: Cassie Dune. Not even the Hunter can stand before a horde of the undead.

Want to find out more about this necromanceress who would dare challenge the legendary assassin of Voramis to the death? Click here to read about her…”

Who do YOU think would win? Did we get the match-up right? Leave a comment below and let me know…

Want to match your character against the Hunter? Click here to enter your protagonist/antagonist in a duel to the death!

 

 

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Guest Post: How To Promote Your Work On Social Media (Without Being Annoying)

Today, I’ve got a guest post on being smart with your social media:

 

As any writer who has been writing for a while knows, writing a book takes countless hours of hard work. And the hard work doesn’t end there: promoting your book will take a lot of effort. Yet all your promotional efforts will be worth it if it grows your reader base and helps you sell more books in the long run.

One of the ways many writers promote their work is by using social media. Most people use at least one form of social media, be it Facebook, Twitter or even blogs. This makes it an excellent tool to help you reach as many people as possible. There is one caveat though: you will only harm your reputation and book sales if you begin to annoy people on social media. Plastering messages about buying your book everywhere is likely to irritate users. It might even drive potential readers away. Social media can be a powerful tool, so use it wisely.

Create Your Author Platform

One of the cornerstones of a successful social media promotion campaign is an outstanding author platform. The term “author platform” is a little tricky to define because different people have different views about it. In terms of social media, the most relevant definition is that your author platform allows you to open a channel of communication between yourself and your readers. Creating your author platform on social media is an effective way to do this.

The easiest way to build your platform is to start a blog. While there has been some debate about whether or not blogs are social media, they certainly seem to fit the definition. At its most basic level, social media consists of applications and websites that allow users to take part in social networking and to share content. Blogs are a form of communication and many people will leave comments in response. Is that not a form of social media?

Once you’ve started your blog, you need to use it in an effective manner. Remember that your readers want to learn more about you and your work. So don’t limit your posts to information about your work, make sure to write posts that help your readers get to know you as a person. You will also want to avoid posting the same information continuously. People love novelty, so keep adding new details in your posts. This will keep your readers excited.

As we mentioned before, an author platform creates a channel of communication between you and your readers. This means that you need to play an active role in your blog’s comment section. Respond to comments and get to know your readers a little better. This will show them that you’re interested in them, which help will keep them interested in you and your work.

Expand Your Social Network

Once you’ve created your author platform in the form of a blog, you should start joining other social media websites. There are so many, but you should try to join as many as possible. Try Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Goodreads and as many others as you can find. Create pages or groups for yourself on each platform and link them back to your blog. Remember to put the details of your work and a link to your blog in each of your social media account profiles.

Again, don’t use the same information repeatedly. Add new information about yourself and your work to your pages and groups regularly. Remember to get involved with your followers and readers by replying to their comments. If you have any trolls, simply ignore them or delete them.

Expand Your Footprint.

After expanding your social network by joining social media websites and creating pages and profiles for yourself, you need to expand your social media footprint. You can do this by finding and joining other social media users, pages and groups that are related to the topic or genre of your work.

Once you’ve done this, you need to get involved with the users of those pages and groups. Join in conversations in the comments sections or start your own relevant conversations. As previously mentioned, don’t just talk about your book 100 percent of the time. Make meaningful comments and if other users find become curious about you, they can follow the link to your blog in your profile.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that social media is an exceptionally useful tool for promoting your work, provided you use it correctly. Have you got any other good ideas about how to use social media to promote your work? Any thoughts about those mentioned above? Please tell us all about them in the comments section below.

 

About the author: Caroline is an entertainment and technology blogger with a special interest in books and publishing. You can see more of her work at Culture Coverage and Secure Thoughts.

 

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Wicked Wednesday: A Few Good Authors

Instead of the traditional book reviews, I’m going to do something a tad different today: I’m going to shine the spotlight on a few authors worth checking out…

Victoria DeLuis

Victoria DeLuis has been writing since a young age, but never had the courage to pursue writing as a career. When her daughter was born in 2010, Victoria decided that she wanted her daughter to grow up and follow her dreams, and the best way to ensure this was to have parent who followed theirs. Victoria, therefore, returned to University part-time, to study creative writing. After graduating in June, it was time to put all her study and hard work into practise, and the Independent Necromancers Bureau was born.

Victoria lives in Wales with her husband, daughter, three cats, and one dog.

Website: http://victorisdeluis.com

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/b7NMj5  A Matter of Death is FREE to all newsletter subscribers

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-DeLuis/e/B01IBREYUU/

Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456918.Victoria_DeLuis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriadeluis

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeLuiswrites

Here’s a book I’d say is worth a look:

Till Death

In a world where rogue necromancers control the dead and turn them against the living, The Independent Necromancers’ Bureau works to keep law and order.

When some uninvited guests show up at a wedding party, Cassie Dune— an agent with the INB— must fight to stop them. With the aid of Detective Inspector Luke Baron, Cassie must stop a rampaging horde of zombies before it’s too late— an act that causes her to learn more about her power and its origins.

Tricia Drammeh

Tricia Drammeh is an author of multicultural fantasy, young adult paranormal, and contemporary fiction. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, children, and three adorable animals. When she isn’t writing, she can be found devouring books and consuming vast amounts of coffee.

Website & Blog: http://www.triciadrammeh.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tricia-Drammeh-Author/453408644723825

Twitter: @triciadrammeh

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Tricia-Drammeh/e/B008UI2CE6/

A book worth checking out:

Spellbound (Spellbringers, Book 1)

The Demon Re’Vel stalks his prey in the forest of dreams, slowly gaining control over the mind of his victim. Rachel doesn’t realize the Demon is real. In fact, she doesn’t believe in magic, Demons, Hunters, or any of the other things the Alexanders have warned her about. She resists their protection, but can’t resist her overwhelming feelings for Jace.

Alisa has been drawn to Jace since the day she saved him from a Hunter attack. A mere human in a world of Spellbringers, Alisa has been embraced by the Alexander family as a hero, but not everyone is willing to accept her. Jace’s intimidating older brother, Bryce, keeps his emotions and his secrets hidden. When Bryce confides in Alisa, it puts her relationship with Jace and the entire Alexander family at risk.

Danger, secrets, and betrayal collide, and when the Demon makes his claim, the small, southern town of Oaktree becomes a battleground for Rachel’s life.

TJ Ryan

TJ Ryan is a Canadian author, born on the rainy West Coast (or is that wet coast?) of British Columbia. He spent his early years travelling the world, obsessing over new cultures and culinary experiences. Preferring spaceships to airplanes, he has now settled into his little slice of rainforest paradise, escaping reality through Science Fiction.

He is known for packing high levels of action and mystery into his writing, and his latest book The Dead Planet has a growing number of 5 star reviews. TJ has a number of exciting new sci fi books planned for this year, including the second book to his Broken Earth Saga space opera series.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorTJRyan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authortjryan

Blog: www.tjryan-author.com

A book of his worth checking out:

The Dead Planet

A dead planet. A rogue AI. A secret mission.

Tara Royce’s first day as the Academy’s newest Earth Defense Engineer was anything but ordinary. If humanity has any hope of returning to the dead planet in the next few thousand years, that is assuming it regenerates at all, they must first protect it from alien attack – and the Defense Engineers are its first and last line of defense.

Aliens aren’t the only thing the new Engineer needs to look out for, though, and she soon discovers that the stakes are much higher than she ever could have imagined.

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Awesome Resources for Creative Writing: Word Dreams

One of the hardest parts of creative writing (for me, at least) is communicating emotions.

Oh, it’s easy to say “John felt mad”, but that’s crappy writing. Instead, you want to say it more like “John clenched his fists against the rush of heat in his chest”. That shows the emotion rather than telling it–always much more immersive, and thus better writing all around!

In a previous post, I already mentioned the Emotions Thesaurus. Now, I’ve found another awesome resource for writing emotions: Word Dreams.

The website Word Dreams contains a lot of valuable resources: classes, book reviews, and LOTS of amazing tips for writers. But it’s the “How to Show (Not Tell) an Emotion” series of posts that I found incredibly useful.

The list is broken down into three segments:

How to Show (Not Tell) an Emotion A to D

How to Show (Not Tell) an Emotion E to O

How to Show (Not Tell) an Emotion S to Z

These give you a fairly complete list of emotions, and simple ways to write them. For example:

Stress — Withdrawing from others, Angry outbursts, Low energy level, My stomach gets tense.

Excitement — heart race, cheeks flush, pupils dilate, skin tingles, and breathing quickens.

They’re simple examples, but they can help you to avoid all those clichéd ways of showing emotions (eyes widening in surprise, clenching your fists when angry, etc.).

I just discovered this page last week, and already I’ve used it a half-dozen times in my own writing. DEFINITELY a useful resource for any writer who wants to “show” instead of “tell” the emotional side of their characters and settings.

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Duel to the Death: Mercy

I, Andy Peloquin, challenge you, Sarah Buhrman, to a duel to the death! But it is not we who will fight, but our characters…

In the black corner, weighing in at 180 pounds, standing a cool 6 feet tall, the Hunter of Voramis!

Tale of the Tape:

Superhuman reflexes, strength, speed–think Captain America, but stronger
Thousands of years of weapons training
Body has accelerated healing factor–can survive a sword to the heart (can be killed by drowning, iron weapons, beheading, and suffocation)
Cannot be killed by anything but iron
Accursed dagger that heals him when he kills
No magical abilities whatsoever
No hesitation to kill if he perceives opponent as a threat/obstacle to his desires–classic anti-hero

In the yellow corner, we have Mercy, the embodiment of Odin’s will and the vanguard of his army.

Tale of the Tape:

Carries a bowie knife that transforms into a sword
Master of virtually all fighting styles, having been on earth for hundreds of years doing Odin’s bidding.
She is a god-creature, an extension of Odin, she has no soul and cannot be killed–she is simply absorbed and re-manifested through Odin.
Mercy is protective, determined and compassionate – for a Valkyrie. Mercy is a manifestation of Odin’s empathy for humanity.

Two enter the ring, only one can leave alive!

How would (your character) kill the Hunter? Valkyrie weapons are made of cold-iron, as that is a primary weakness of the Jotun, the ice and fire giants, enemies of the Aesir and of Odin. Mercy recently finished helping Nicola begin her quest, leading her sister-Valkyrie in battle against not-so-good-ol’-Bob and his demons, given to him by Jehovah (at least, they are pretty sure it’s Jehovah). She has experience with demon-kind and with monstrous creatures, and she will simply fight until the enemy is defeated. That’s what the Valkyrie do.

To kill (your character): The Hunter would try to overwhelm her with his inhuman speed, strength, and skill. All he has to do is pierce her skin with Soulhunger, and the dagger will consume her soul. Not even someone with considerable magical abilities can survive Soulhunger’s bite–it was created to kill demons.

Who would win?

Faced with the almighty power of Odin’s messenger, one who wields the cold-iron (the Hunter’s weakness) of the Aesir, the Hunter would grit his teeth and fight until his last breath. With no soul for Soulhunger to consume, he would have no way to heal himself from the iron’s poison.

Winner: Mercy. Not even the Hunter can withstand the power of the gods.

Want to find out more about this Valkyrie who would dare challenge the legendary assassin of Voramis to the death? Click here to read about her…

 

Who do YOU think would win? Did we get the match-up right? Leave a comment below and let me know…

Want to match your character against the Hunter? Click here to enter your protagonist/antagonist in a duel to the death!

 

 

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12 Mistakes that Will Make Your Editor Cringe

Today, I’m excited to bring you something awesome and new!

During the launch party for The Last Bucelarii (Book 2): Lament of the Fallen, I had so much fun with the virtual discussion panels that I decided  to do them on a regular basis. I want to do at least one or two per month, all on topics of interest to readers and authors.

This first one is one that ALL authors will want to check out. The title “12 Mistakes that Will Make Your Editor Cringe”.

In the video below, I sit down with three awesome editors and talk about writing mistakes that will turn any editor’s stomach. Watch it and see for yourself how you can avoid irritating your editor:

Quick Recap:

The 12 mistakes are:

Not reading submission guidelines
Awkward, clunky, or incorrect dialogues
Describing dialogue instead of having the dialogue
Magic without a price/cost, undeveloped magic system or deus ex machina
Deus ex machina
Underdevelopment of romantic relationships — “it’s meant to be” BAD!
Dialogue tags poorly used
Too many big words, especially when used incorrectly. Using the words RIGHT!
Crutch phrases that are lazy writing. “Almost”, “somehow”, “thought to myself”,
Incorrectly used modifiers.
“Who” and “that” used incorrectly
Books with female leads that don’t pass the Bechdel test

The Panelists:

Megan Hannum is a developmental editor and writing coach at Whynott Edit, helping writers refine their words, strengthen their skills, and tell the best possible version of their stories. It’s been said she has “a supernatural ability to see what’s missing,” which she uses to get writers from completed draft to publishable manuscript. Sign up for a FREE 30-minute consultation to kickstart your revision now!

Website – www.thewhynottblog.com

Facebook – facebook.com/whynottblog

Twitter – twitter.com/whynottblog

 

Heidi Angell is a bibliophile, lexicomaniac and wordsmith. She is the author of The Hunters Series, The Clear Angel Chronicles, and The Hell School Series. She also created Royal Prince Vince, and Creative Exercises to Inspire. When she is not reading and writing, she can be found spending quality time with her lovely family camping, hiking, swimming, or watching movies.

Website:  www.heidiangell.com

Maura Van der Linden is an expert in both technical and creative writing, and has spent her life helping authors perfect their craft.

Website: http://www.thecontenteditor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheContentEditor/

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Book Review: Worldwaker by Dean Wilson

It’s Book Review Wednesday, and I’m so thrilled to be bringing to you the latest in The Great Iron War steampunk series by Dean Wilson. I’ve reviewed Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, and Book 4 in the series, and I’m stoked to see how we’re getting close to the end of the epic adventure!

Worldwaker

Every victory is its own defeat. General Rommond’s efforts to amass technological superiority over the enemy has resulted in the creation of a weapon that could destroy everything, and a faction just mad enough to use it.

The Armageddon Brigade has awoken from its deep slumber, and it seeks to wake the world with it. Attracting the brightest, and most unstable, of minds, this splinter group of the Resistance has become the greatest thorn in Rommond’s side.

The Resistance and the Regime must unite to defeat a foe that answers to neither of them. Yet their deep divisions and long-held suspicions threaten to end the Great Iron War once and for all—by ending everything.

My Review: 4 Stars

As always, Dean sparks our imaginations with his creative use of steam-powered machines. This time, it’s steam-powered airplanes!

I enjoyed the latest adventure of Rommond, Jacob, Whistler, and Taberah, with its high stakes, clever dialogue, well-developed characters, and intriguing story. I was thrilled to see the Resistance finally start getting serious about taking the fight to the Iron Empire. I can’t wait to read Book 6 and find out how the story ends.

That being said, I had a bit of a harder time with this book than with others. While the previous four gave me a very clear sense of location, I found my mind sort of drifting as he described the aerial battles and particularly their attack on the flying bomber. While his previous machines (Hopebreaker, Lifemaker, Skyshaker, and Landquaker) were all described in excellent detail, we didn’t get much description of the bomber airplane. It made it a bit hard for me to visualize what was going on.

But I loved the supporting characters introduced in this book, and the ending was beautifully satisfying. Definitely a good book, but less immersive than the previous ones.

Here’s a Taste:

As the Regime and Resistance planes approached the Dreamdevil, it became clear that there would be another problem. On the giant wings of the aeroplane, men and women walked to and fro, as if they were unaware that they were thousands of feet up in the air. More of them clambered out of a hatch on top of the plane, racing up a small ladder placed precariously at the front of the wings. They all had backpacks on, but they did not contain parachutes. They contained wings.

“Hell,” Jacob said. “And I thought flying inside this thing was bad enough.”

One of the wingwalkers pulled down sharply on the strings attached to his backpack, and the wooden wings unfurled. They opened out like one of the fans used by the royalty of old, thin wooden slats held together with paper. The wings did not look any more durable.

It seemed as though the aerial daredevils were preparing to leap off, but Rommond pushed open the glass canopy of his plane, stood up, and pointed his pistol at one of the wingwalkers. He fired, and the man stumbled backwards off the wing, plummeting to the ground.

Rommond ducked back inside to stabilise his aircraft, pulling the canopy door shut. As he did so, Armax opened fire on the wingwalkers on the other wing, using the monoplane’s built-in machine guns. The bullets struck several wingwalkers, but they also struck the wing and hull of the plane itself.

“For God’s sake, don’t shoot!” Rommond cried. “The last thing we need right now is a spray of bullets flying towards that bomb.”

“But you just—”

“I know what I did, and I know what I’m doing,” Rommond barked. “If you can fire a perfect shot with a pistol, then fire away. Otherwise, keep your gun muzzled, and your mouth too.”

The moment came, and the first of the wingwalkers leapt off. Some dove, opening their wings as they fell, while others let the wind catch their already unfurled feathers, drifting and floating with the aerial tide.

“Here they come,” Jacob said.

One of the wingwalkers raced towards him, but he turned sharply to get out of the way. He could see others heading for the other planes, but his mirror showed that his own attacker was also turning to catch him.

Jacob veered right, then left, but the wingwalker was more agile than his aircraft, following it with ease. While he turned sharply, his assailant turned agilely, and it was clear from the controlled folding and unfurling of the wooden feathers that the Armageddon Brigade had tested them thoroughly.

The wingwalker closed on him, so much so that he could see the man’s grin in the mirror. Then he heard the cheer of Armax on the radio, and saw his comrade fly his plane straight into the wingwalker, crushing it like a fly against a windscreen.

“Too easy!” Armax boasted. “You should’ve made windshield wipers on these!”

As Jacob dove, he saw another wingwalker diving towards Whistler’s plane, but the boy performed a swift barrel roll to avoid it, and it flew onwards to seek out an easier target. Then another came, this time from the side, but Whistler performed another roll, striking the aerial acrobat with the wing of his plane. The man fell, dazed, and his feathers fluttered and broke apart in his descent. Yet Whistler had little time to celebrate, for another wingwalker managed to land upon the edge of his wing. He tumbled again, but the wingwalker held on, and the boy was getting dizzy.

“Hold on, kid,” Jacob said over the radio as he flew down to slightly above the same height. He could see Whistler looking back at him, and looking anxiously at the wingwalker clambering up the wing. He turned sharply on his side, sending the attacker sliding down, but he never tumbled off, always seizing the edge just in time. Yet this constant throwing helped bide the boy some time as Jacob’s aeroplane approached.

“He won’t fall off,” Whistler said.

“I’ll need you to keep it steady,” Jacob replied.

“I’m trying to shake him!”

“Don’t.”

Whistler must have had a lot of trust in Jacob, because he immediately steadied his aircraft, giving the wingwalker a level footing towards the cockpit. The man closed up his wings and ran, but even as he neared the glass canopy, Jacob’s plane flew in, and the wing narrowly passed over the airfoil of Whistler’s vessel, knocking the wingwalker off. They watched as he tried to open his feathers in the drop, but plummeted instead.

About the Author:

Dean F. Wilson was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1987. He started writing at age 11, when he began his first (unpublished) novel, entitled The Power Source. He won a TAP Educational Award from Trinity College Dublin for an early draft of The Call of Agon (then called Protos Mythos) in 2001.

He is the author of the Children of Telm epic fantasy trilogy and the Great Iron War steampunk series.

Dean also works as a journalist, primarily in the field of technology. He has written for TechEye, Thinq, V3, VR-Zone, ITProPortal, TechRadar Pro, and The Inquirer

Find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GK94YYC/

Read his thoughts on his website: http://www.deanfwilson.com

Connect with Dean on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deanfwilson

Tweet at him: https://twitter.com/deanfwilson

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+DeanFWilson

 

 

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Awesome Resources for Creative Writing: Social Media Scheduling Services

While most of us authors work hard to excel at creative writing, one area we usually fall short in is marketing.

Yes, the dreaded M-word that every writer hates to think about! We’d all rather bury our noses in our work and let someone else handle the marketing for us. Sadly, if you want to be successful as an author, you have to spend time marketing. But there are a lot of tools that can help you out. I’ve found that social media scheduling services are an AMAZING resource, one that has helped me to have a lot more time to focus on writing.

Hootsuite, Buffer, Everypost, Sprout–these are just a few of the scheduling services around. The way they work is simple: you upload a post (complete with links, videos, images, etc.), input the date you want them to publish, and click “Schedule”. You can go about your business, knowing the service will schedule the post for you.

This is SO handy if you want to spend more time writing and less time marketing. For example, I’ve scheduled 4-5 posts per day:

2-3 posts with resources for writers and authors
1 post linking back to interviews/guest posts/podcasts where I show up
1 marketing post with a link to my book/s
1 blog post (4 days a week)

I’ve scheduled them a week in advance, and the scheduling service will post them to my social media accounts for me. I invest an hour every week, and I’m DONE! It’s quick, easy, and highly effective. Sure, it takes a bit of planning ahead, but it’s fairly easy to get into that mindset. Throughout the week, I’m collecting links to articles and useful resources, so I always have plenty of material to post.

Which service is best to use?

Hootsuite is designed more as a social media management platform, and it makes it easy for you to manage your various platforms and work with other people (PAs, fellow authors, etc.) to manage social media pages. It has the widest range of supported networks, and it offers analytics of your social networks.

Buffer is a content publishing platform, one that makes it easier for you to publish quality content to your social networks. It supports fewer networks, but it provides analytics on your published content.

Everypost is also a social media management tool, one that links to a lot of different networks, allows you to post to multiple pages, and offers a wide range of other features.

Which is best? Everyone has their own preferences, but I’ve found Hootsuite to be the easiest to use. However, check them all out to find the one that suits your needs best!

 

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