Mishka Jenkins's Blog, page 8

Posts to Check Out and a BIG thank you!

I just want to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has nominated me for blog awards over the entire time I’ve had my blog :)

I’m really sorry I haven’t had a chance to participate in them, as much as I want to!

Please don’t think I am dismissing the nominations, because I’m not! I am always really appreciative to be thought of by other bloggers for these awards and it always puts a smile on my face :)

So, thank you!

Speaking of other bloggers, why not check out some of these posts?

This was a list I made of some fun posts to check out before I went on vacation.

http://coffeewriterepeat.wordpress.com/2014/08/30/why-i-dont-write-every-day/ – Writing everyday isn’t for everyone, I know I couldn’t do it!

http://winterbayne.com/2014/08/30/the-catalyst/ – Brilliant first act of Winter’s sci-fi short story! Brilliant read, I definitely recommend checking it out :)

http://mbarkersimpson.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/master-of-disguise-a-short-story-featuring-bobby-jones/ – Love being able to find out more about minor characters in books. Mel gives us a glimpse of a character from her newest release, Hands of Evil in this post.

http://callummclaughlin.wordpress.com/2014/09/01/china-doll/ – An incredible poem by the very talented Callum.

http://bumblesbooks.wordpress.com/2014/09/02/new-old-books/ – Great post about reading books we loved from our past!

http://topazwinters.wordpress.com/2014/09/02/blog-hop-meet-rosalyn/ - Topaz continued the hop I failed at on Monday :D Check out her answer and meet her character, Rosalyn from her upcoming book Frozen Hearts.

http://kaleiyahp.wordpress.com/2014/09/02/omg-100-followers/ – Congrats for 100 followers! But also, this was a brilliant post about doing what you love and not stopping because of doubts and fears! Definitely worth a read, very motivating.

http://permashift.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/bein-an-author-vs-bein-a-writer/ – This post was full of awesome and a great message to all authors!

http://morebooksthanshoes.wordpress.com/ – A great idea for choosing a book from your TBR list (especially as mine is just rowing and growing!).

http://aliisaacstoryteller.com/2014/09/04/uisneach/ – Another brilliant post Ali, I highly recommend checking out her other posts on the mystical places she’s visited!

Have a lovely Sunday everyone!

The Magic Spark Cover Reveal!

Here it is! The title and cover reveal of my next book, The Magic Spark! :D

Blurb:

Successful businesswoman Alex is content with her life in London, and any ideas of romance have been left on the back burner. But when her fairy godmother, FG, waltzes into her office one morning announcing she has come to help Alex rekindle a passion for life and love, she is about to check herself into therapy!

The fairy godmother’s incessant wand-flicking soon lands them in the isolation of the Scottish highlands, where Alex’s next client, Mal Ross, not only stirs her professional interest but her romantic ones too.

Tasked with the enormous challenge of turning a historic castle into a flourishing hotel, the pair must work closely together whilst attempting to avoid the awkward situations the rom-com obsessed fairy godmother keeps forcing them into.

But the path of love is never smooth, no matter how much magic you throw at it.

The Magic Spark is a light, enjoyable read, full of fun and romance.

Excerpt:

Forking over a flowerbed by the castle walls was Alex’s supposed perfect match, his plain grey t-shirt stained with mud and his ripped jeans just as dirty. His face was hidden behind a thick curtain of dark brown hair, layered and falling to the base of his neck.

“That’s him?” Her voice choked.

FG beamed a grin. “Look at him!” She spread her hands out in emphasis, apparently proud of the man she’d found for Alex. He stood up, running his muddied hands through his hair, excitement bubbling within Alex as the hint of a chiseled jaw line shadowed with heavy stubble became visible.

Alex rolled her eyes and folded her arms at FG’s enthusiasm. “He’s lovely, but that’s not the point-”

“Lovely? That’s all you’re going with?” FG cocked an eyebrow and they both turned back to the man who dug his hands into a pile of compost, the muscles of his arms flexing as he did so. When he leant his head back, his face became visible.

Alex wished he hadn’t been so damn handsome, it only made attempting a blasé attitude that much harder.

“He’s very nice.” Alex tightened her lips, but FG kept her brow raised, the expression battering against Alex. “Fine! He’s gorgeous.” It wasn’t a hard admittance to make.

“You got that right.” They both looked at him again, the man thankfully too far away from them to hear the conversation. Her only consolation was that he was the gardener and not the owner, at least he could be avoided.

Alex ripped her focus from the man back towards FG as she pulled her wand out of thin air. The woman flicked the star end towards the gardener and a sudden ray of sunshine burst through the heavy cloud cover and lit the man in a spotlight.

Again FG flicked her wand, but this time directly at the man. A stream of gold glitter smashed against him, but he didn’t seem to notice it. Instead, he blew out a heavy breath as though growing hot under the beam of sun that shone only on him.

He gripped the edge of his shirt and yanked it up to wipe the sweat forming on his brow, revealing a lithe, well-toned body beneath that Alex couldn’t seem to rip her gaze away from.

It took quite a bit of mental strength to finally tear her attention away and avert it to the grass beneath her boots. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she groaned. “Stop it!” She slapped FG’s hand, the wand now directed at the ground.

The sun disappeared and the man went back to working, instead of posing like a model in a Diet Coke ad.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it,” FG said with a sly smile and a wiggle of her brows.

Alex gritted her teeth. “Let’s just find the owner and get this business over with.” She turned away, ignoring FG who was staring at the gardener once again with a dreamy gaze. “Shall we find our rooms?”

“Only if I can take him to mine,” FG replied and Alex rolled her eyes, nudging the woman back to the front of the castle.

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I was pretty pleased with how the cover turned out, which once again I did myself, including drawing out the silhouettes!

The Magic Spark is out on Tuesday 30th September!

Hope you enjoyed the preview!

Have a great weekend everyone :)

Banned Books Week

Photo by Timberland Regional Library on Flickr – Click on Pic for Photostream

There have been some great posts for Banned Books Week this week around the blogs, EclecticAli especially has really had some good ones! And seeing as the quiz last week went down so well, I thought I’d post another.

Which Banned Book Are You?

I got Things that Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958)

You value strength above all else and have a fiery temper. It is the power of fate or your chi, not your own actions, that determine success or failure in your life. You embrace your culture and stand strong against imperialist forces that threaten your way of life.

See which one you are- Which Banned Book Are You?

Why not post what you got in the comments? It’s always fun to find out the results! :)

Have a great weekend everyone! Tomorrow is my own title and cover reveal, which I am pretty excited about :D

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Progress Report:

Status of fifth manuscript: Final edit.

- Cover complete.

– Blurb complete.

– Marketing mostly done!



Books read: 2/4

Frozen Hearts Cover Reveal!

Today is a pretty exciting day as it’s the cover reveal of Topaz Winters’ upcoming book, Frozen Hearts!

I have been really anticipating this for a while as Topaz is an incredibly talented writer, and the snippets I’ve read from this book have me waiting for it’s release rather eagerly :D

Stunning, right? Makes me even more excited!

Blurb:

“Rose, don’t try to tell me what’s real or not real. I live and breathe impossibilities.”

Rosalyn Lawrence is not the type of girl who strays from the norm. She’s not the type of girl who goes on whirlwind adventures or travels across the world and beyond or fights fire-breathing dragons to the death. After all, fairy tales exist only in books, and Rosalyn is happy to keep it that way.

But when her beloved little brother Benjamin disappears, Rosalyn’s entire world comes crashing down. Then a boy with a wand climbs through her window and she learns that the grieving queen of a shockingly desolate enchanted land has abducted Benjamin. If she chooses to be sucked into the magic of this land, its power – and the power of an enemy she isn’t quite sure even exists – could destroy her.

A world of frozen fantasy is waiting for Rosalyn – and if she will succeed in bringing Benjamin home, she must learn how to trust herself, use her wits, and perhaps discover an inner magic she never knew she had.

Excerpt:

Rosalyn woke in the middle of the night.

Her head was clouded, cobwebs of sleep still lingering, a fog drifting over her senses. The surface she was lying on was soft. As she sat up she saw a figure, not quite near enough to touch, motionless on the floor. She couldn’t seem to recall his name.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she realised that his shirt was off and his back was to her, bare in the soft moonlight. She looked out the window. The stars seemed to glisten, impossibly dense confetti scattered over the blanket of night. The moon hung suspended as if from a child’s mobile.

She stood, moving closer to the figure on the floor. The rise and fall of his chest was almost imperceptible. His face was still just out of her line of sight, his name still just out of the grasp of her slumber-clouded memory.

In the moonlight she caught a glimpse of something on his back. Her fingers glided down to it and she traced it, feather light, afraid for reasons she could not fathom of waking him. The scar joined another and another, until all at once she realised that she was connecting a veritable constellation of pain across the canvas of his back.

She gazed down at them. They were old, she could tell, but they still looked painful. The skin was gnarled, as if some heavenly hand had reached down, ripped it off of his back, and then bunched it up and pasted it haphazardly back on – and she knew she should be horrified at the sight, knew she should be pitying him or turning away in revulsion, yet she could not bring herself to. All she felt was the inherent need to know: how had he gotten them? Did they still hurt?

Was Chase all right?

And there was his name, pulled from the graveyard of her memory: Chase. A boy with a crooked smile and a secret she’d never been meant to discover.

Somewhere in the back of her mind a deep voice with a cold accent surfaced, murmuring something about his father. What had he told her? She struggled to remember, and finally it hit her. “Let’s just say he wasn’t the best role model,” the voice had said.

The gashes were long healed, yet so deep, so thick and ragged that she almost didn’t want to think about who might have put them there – his father? she wondered, and then wished the thought had never crossed her mind.

She couldn’t bear to look at them for a moment longer. Turning away from his pockmarked body, she glanced up at the stars once more before climbing back into the small cot and letting sleep overtake her – an uneasy sleep, riddled with nightmares of long, thin sticks of ice, dark men and evil laughter, unbearable pain

lacing through her back. This time the stars did not look like confetti, but teardrops.

In the morning, she would have no memory of her nighttime awakening.

And the boy lying across from her would never tell her that his eyes had been open the whole time.

–

TOPAZ WINTERS is a songbird, word hoarder, and cheesecake connoisseur. Sometimes she composes music. Other times she writes books. If she knows you, she’s probably written about you. Topaz’s debut novel, Frozen Hearts, drops this year, and her first album in 2015. She enjoys strong coffee, ugly cats, and the taste of words.

Topaz rambles about writing, music, and the meaning of life over at her website.

End of Month Indie Review: Destiny of Kings by Fiona Tarr

Destiny of Kings by Fiona Tarr

*I was given this book in exchange for an honest review*

Blurb: The King is going slowly mad, bewitched by the dark magic and seductive powers of the Egyptian Princess Jezebel. Martinez, the King’s general must choose between the life of a young shepherd boy who is like the son he never had or the man who is his King and lifelong friend. The One True God has shared a prophecy with the old seer Samuel, while the little Holy man Narayana claims the Universe has called him out of meditation to restore balance. Francesca the Priestess carries the burden of responsibility, until her faith is rocked, her heart opened and her resolve challenged. In a world where control is only an illusion, evil is subjective and the most righteous are challenged, an unlikely group will be drawn together to restore balance once more.

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Destiny of Kings is a retelling of the story of David and Goliath, but involving much more than that. There are witches and priestesses, kings and monks, and a whole plethora of exciting events that bring them all together in a destined path.

Destiny of Kings involves a lot of different points of views from a range of characters. Though the points of view could jump around quite a bit, I didn’t find it difficult to keep up with and enjoyed being able to view different points of the stories through such varying characters.

The story pretty much follows the tale of David as he is destined to become King of Israel and what he must do to accomplish that. The character of David was written really well and, in fact, all of the characters were brilliantly written and unique in their viewpoints. Francesca was probably one of my favourites, and Martinez, the two of them were strong characters that I would have been happy to read a lot more about.

This is a well-paced book that didn’t feel like it lacked at any points, though I did skip over some hunting scenes. Everything flowed nicely and at some points when I thought it was going one way, it would quickly turn in another direction and surprised me, which was nice as it kept me excited to turn the page and find out what came next to these characters I really came to care for.

The way the book was written made it feel like an old book, like a telling of a tale passed down through the years, which I absolutely loved! It gave the whole story a kind of other-world feel whilst I was reading and took me to another world and time.

Now I have to admit, I am not a religious person, so I think a lot of the biblical references were lost on me! But I also have to say not to be put off this book if you’re not a fan of bible tales or religion, it’s a good story in itself, and the religious side of things wasn’t that heavy, it was just like magic or faith in any fantasy-type book.

The only reason I didn’t give this book full 5 stars is due to the amount of errors throughout, including spelling and grammar. It really just needs someone with fresh eyes to go over it and pull them out. Still, I kept reading even through the errors as I was enjoying the story so much.

Overall I have to say I loved this book, the story pulled me in without realising and I found myself eager to read it everyday to find out what happened next. It’s a great read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a sweeping tale filled with great characters and exciting adventure.

Links:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Barnes and Noble

Goodreads

Romance Weekly Blog Hop #lovewritechat

It’s Romance Weekly Blog Hop time! And we’re back to questions this week :)

If you’ve joined me from Carrie Elks’ blog, then a big welcome!

1. You’re moving right along with a storyline and suddenly it takes an unexpected twist. Do you go with the flow and follow where the twist leads you or do you conform your story to your way?

Suprisingly, considering my need for everything to be organised and go to plan, I actually go with the flow :D

When a plot takes a route I wasn’t expecting, then to me that is one of the best things it can do. If it’s a surprise to me, then it will be a surprise to readers. Plus, it’s always great fun seeing if you can weave it back into your original plan and have fun with matching everything up again!

2. What time of year is your best time for writing? Winter, Summer, Fall, Spring?

Fall or Winter. Those are the seasons that inspire me to stay inside and cosy up with a cup of tea and get some writing done :D The weather also usually drives everyone else indoors, so it’s super quiet!

3. When looking for a publisher do you chose a traditional press, indie route, or one that does both,ebook and print?

I am a self published author, so thankfully I don’t have to worry about that! I love the freedom self publishing gives me and also the control I get to keep.

I’m not very good at giving over control of my work, especially things I’ve worked so hard on! :D

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Now check out what J.J. Devine, author of Into the Darkness, has to say in response to these!

How would you answer these questions? How do you react when a plot takes an unexpected twist?

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Progress Report:

Status of fifth manuscript: With the readers.

- Finished the cover!

– Need to do promotional things.

– Need to write blurb.

Books read: 2/4

End of September Indie Review: Written and ready.

Choices, choices…

Photo by Lauren Macdonald on Flickr

So, my fifth manuscript is finally with the readers, and from the comments so far it sounds like it’s going great :D

During the couple of weeks my readers have my manuscript, I usually start working on my cover, but also planning out my next book. This is so I’m totally organised and can begin writing as soon as the next month comes around.

The problem is choosing which book to write next.

Starting a new book is always exciting, with the thrill of finding new plots and twists, and figuring out characters to fill the world with! But there’s always a huge amount of nervous anticipation too, because I want to make sure I choose the right one.

It’s probably the same for all authors, but I do write a ton better when I’m really enjoying the story and characters I’m writing. And although I have a load of story ideas, I need make sure I figure out which one suits my current writing mood, and which one will keep me inspired and enthusiastic all the way through.

So, this week will be half working on getting organised on my new release, whilst also sifting through my piles of notes and notepads, trying to find which story is going to grab hold of my interest next.

It’s a tough job, as I already have about 4 which are really getting me inspired!

Starting and choosing a new story is definitely one of my favourite parts of being a writer :D

How do you pick which story to write next? Do you have a bunch of story ideas to choose from? Is starting a new project one of your favourite things as a writer?

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Progress Report:

Status of fifth manuscript: With the readers. Need to do cover/trailer/marketing.

Books read: 2/4

End of September Indie Review: Written and ready.

A bit of fun for Friday!

I found an awesome link on Lorraine Loveit’s blog.

It’s a quiz you can take to find out what classic novel describes your life :D

I got Bram Stoker’s, Dracula… Not entirely sure what that says about me!

‘Pensive and brooding with a penchant for solitary confinement, your fantastic story unfolded within the pages of Bram Stoker’s gothic classic, DRACULA. Others mistake you for ‘unhappy’ on a regular basis, but simply do not understand that you are different – and that is completely okay. You tend to shun everything else around you as you immerse yourself with whatever captivates your mind – which leads to sacrifices but ultimately ends in incredible results. Your inner workings are as fascinating as your outer layers, a true rarity.’

Why not have a go and post what you got in the comments?

http://www.playbuzz.com/jonb10/what-classic-novel-describes-your-life

*Have a great weekend everyone! I’ll be back on Monday!*

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Progress Report:

Status of fifth manuscript: With the readers! Woohoo!

Books read: 2/4

End of September Indie review: Written and ready.

Formatting your self-published novel – DIY or hire someone?

Mishka Jenkins:

Re-blog Thursday!

Some good points on formatting- DIY or Get Help?

Originally posted on Into Another World:

You have written your novel and now are ready to publish it as an e-book. But your file needs to be submitted in the proper format as required by the publisher. So do you do it yourself or hire someone to do it for you?

Well, that really depends on how computer savvy you are. I have done the formatting for all my books with no problems. I know of other authors who would never want the headache of formatting their book and hire someone to do it.

Option 1 – Do it yourself

You can follow the step-by-step instructions offered by Smashwords to prepare your manuscript.

Amazon too offers a simplified formatting guide.

Advantage – It is free. If you are relatively proficient at MS Word, it is not difficult to follow the Smashwords guide. Amazon’s is a little more complex.

Disadvantage – if you aren’t proficient in…

View original 249 more words

Books and Reading Wednesday- Mid-September Book Review!

The Scandal of the Season

Very pretty cover!

Goodreads blurb:

London, 1711. As the rich, young offspring of the city’s most fashionable families ll their days with masquerade balls and clandestine court-ships, Arabella Fermor and Robert, Lord Petre, lead the pursuit of pleasure. Beautiful and vain, Arabella is a clever coquette with a large circle of beaus. Lord Petre, seventh Baron of Ingatestone, is a man-about-town with his choice of mistresses. Drawn together by an overpowering attraction, the two begin an illicit affair.Alexander Pope, sickly and nearly penniless, is peripheral by birth, yet his uncommon wit and ambition gain him unlikely entrance into high society. Once there, privy to every nuance and drama, he is a ruthless observer. He longs for the success that will cement his place in society; all he needs is one poem grand enough to make his reputation.

As the forbidden passion between Arabella and Lord Petre deepens, an intrigue of a darker nature threatens to overtake them. Fortunes change and reputations — even lives — are imperiled. In the aftermath, Pope discovers the idea for a daring poem that will catapult him to fame and fortune

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This book is a fictionalised version of an actual historical event. A soon-to-be baron, Lord Robert Petre, seduces London’s beauty, Arabella Fermor, whilst he is also involved in a Jacobite plot to assassinate the Queen and put the exiled prince on the throne.

Sounds exciting, right?

It was supposed to be a sexy, thrilling story of a scandalous affair whilst being dangerous with all the Jacobite intrigue.

But when I got to the end I was just kind of like, ‘What actually happened in this book?’.

Don’t get me wrong, it was alright. It was a book I was happy to read, it’s just not much actually happened. It wasn’t all that exciting, the characters weren’t overly compelling, and the main romance wasn’t the romance I was interested in. I didn’t really care if Arabella and Lord Petre got together, I was much more interested in the blossoming relationship between Alexander and Martha, which was sweet and lovely and didn’t get as much attention as it deserved.

There were an abundance of characters and viewpoints throughout and sometimes, especially at the beginning, I struggled to keep up with the amount of characters being thrown at me. But I got there in the end and started recognising who was who.

The writing suited the time period the story was set for, and I did enjoy the fact that it was about real historical events. But again, not the most exciting event to write a book about, in my opinion.

I dunno, it was just not a book that I could get excited over or really involved in. The ending left me disappointed, as it just kind of ended without really wrapping things up.

What I did like most about the book was the Afterword, where the author detailed what happened to the people in real life after the events in the book, that was really interesting.

Overall, it was an OK read, I don’t regret reading it, but it certainly didn’t get me excited to find out what came next or really care about what happened to the characters throughout.

I would recommend it to those interested in this particular event and time in history, as you’d already have an interest in the subject.