P.H. Solomon's Blog, page 272
July 14, 2016
TOO LIKE THE LIGHTNING
Reblogging on Archer’s Aim..
Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Terra Ignota #1
Publisher: Tor Books (May 10, 2016)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Length: 432 pages
My Rating: 3 stars
Ambitious. Complex. Thought-provoking. Ada Palmer’s debut novel, Too Like the Lightning, is all those things and more. The book truly an intellectual piece of science fiction literature, not only in its themes (political, societal, philosophical, and religious) but also in the ornate, elegant, and nuanced writing style. Demanding your full attention, this novel’s complete depth cannot be appreciated without devoting time and effort to first consuming it before slowly sorting and digesting all its potent ingredients.
Taking place in the 25th century, the narrative is largely the first-hand accounts of Mycroft Canner (though, as a government edited recount, its complete accuracy is somewhat in question) supplemented by information garnered by use of electronic trackers that allow Mycroft…
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The Rise of the Phoenix by Suzanne Burke
Reblogging on Archer’s Aim…
The Rise of the Phoenix
By Suzanne Burke
Series: Greyhound Stories
Paperback: 142 pages
CreateSpace Independent Publishing
February 21, 2016
Color Collector Edition $25
ISBN-10: 1523602619
ISBN-13: 978-1523602612
Trade paper $12.99
ISBN-10: 1523998121
ISBN-13: 978-1523998128
Also available for Kindle
A fantastic fantasy read for both children and adults! Logan peers into the wardrobe mirror and notices that the phoenix bird symbol on his collar is glowing fiery orange. That night, Logan is transported through his dream to a medieval land of enchanted forests, castles, and dragons. There, he meets a beautiful greyhound named Tess and learns of the 500-year-old mystery of the phoenix! Tess and Logan discover, through King Hywel’s book of secrets, that the phoenix is their only hope of saving the kingdom from certain doom. Can they find Logan’s old wizard friend, who can help decipher the code in the secret book, before a terrifying black mist engulfs…
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July 8, 2016
Excerpt from The Bow of Destiny
Athson sat up, his chest heaving. That was too real. His ears rang with the eagle’s screams and his face burned with the rush of frigid wind. What were those words? Something about a bow? He shook his head. Could that be it?
Soul’s-ease – he needed it. No. He’d forgotten it at the ranger station. He’d been so careless.
His gut knotted at Eagle’s Aerie glowing beneath the moon. He remembered the star falling, the knife dripping with blood. His knife. He’d bought it from that Rokan merchant weeks ago and left it in Auguron with Heth and Cireena. He didn’t know why. Athson shut his eyes and the weapon gleamed with malevolence.
He scrambled to his feet beside the low campfire. The sensation of wind scouring his face while falling clung to his mind. He exhaled. “A dream, nothing more.”
Spark flattened his ears and his tail remained still.
Athson inhaled cold air, which cleared his head. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, observing details as his racing heartbeat slowed. The fire needed stoking much the same as when the dream started. The moon hung where it had been in its path when the eagle had dropped him. Odd. It should be lower. More time had passed than what he’d dreamed. Shouldn’t it? Athson grimaced as he rubbed his irritated hands together. He shivered in the chill as the surf rustled in the distance.
“Just a dream.” His thumping heart slackened. “Just a dream.” The slight breeze picked at his clothes. It had nothing to do with anything in his past.
The mountain hound’s tail remained still.
He watched the summit of the bluff. Was the old woman in his dream the Withling? “I hope not. They’re trouble…”
No, he couldn’t talk about those things, he needed to avoid it all – and them. “But it was so real and I remember her wrinkles.” The eagle’s flapping still thundered in his ears. What was this inheritance? What did the visions mean? “If it’s Withling’s business, I won’t be part of it.” He’d suffered enough of their trouble.
Athson flinched at the memory of the dagger. He tossed more branches onto his fire and then rubbed his sore hands together above the growing heat. It was so real. Who were those women? The old woman at the campfire looked like the one who tossed him the packet. Was either the Withling? “The young woman’s interesting.” Athson shot a sidelong glance at Spark.
The dog looked up from sniffing around, sat, thumped his tail and gave a soft woof.
“Really? How would you know? It wasn’t real. I haven’t had my draught in days. You aren’t real.”
He knelt by his blanket and froze on one knee. His jaw went slack for several seconds as awareness flooded his mind. He snatched his weapons – bow, arrows, and long-knife – and scrambled into the surrounding trees.
Spark bounded after him and waited while he panted.
Again, Athson’s heart pounded. He stared back toward his fire and his blanket and what lay beside it. The packet sat unwrapped on the ground.
To find out more about The Bow of Destiny, click over to one of these online retailers:
About the Author
P. H. Solomon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working regularly to hone his writing. The Bow of Destiny is his first novel-length title with more soon to come.
Prequel short stories to The Bow of Hart Saga:
Trading Knives – Kobo, iBooks & Barnes & Noble, Smashwords & Amazon
What Is Needed – Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Smashwords & Amazon
Filed under: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Goodreads, iBooks, Indie Publishing, iTunes, Kobo, Marketing, Pinterest, Self-publishing, Short Fiction, Short Stories, Smashwords, Social Media, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Trading Knives, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: Amazon, An Arrow Against the Wind, Barnes and Noble, blogging, Coverart, Epic Fantasy, Facebook, Fantasy Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Kobo, P. H. Solomon, Pinterest, Self-publishing, Smashwords, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Trading Knives, Twitter, What is Needed, writing
July 5, 2016
Month-Long Smashwords Sale Including The Bow of Destiny
Smashwords is hosting a site-wide sale for ebooks throughout the month of July. The Bow of Destiny is a participating title with a steep 50% off of the current price of $2.99. Never used Smashwords before? Well, you are in luck since all major ebook formats are available including .mobi (Kindle Fire) & .epub (Nook & others). This is a great time to try out Smashwords and get The Bow of Destiny at nice price. Have friends or family who like fantasy? Make sure to tell them about The Bow of Destiny too.
However, if you prefer purchasing from Amazon, I’ll have The Bow of Destiny on sale their throughout the rest of the month at the same price ($1.49). With either vendor you can get the deal! Want to sample my writing otherwise? No problem. Just see the links for Trading Knives and What Is Needed at the end of the post. The links immediately below are for The Bow of Destiny:
About the Author
P. H. Solomon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working regularly to hone his writing. The Bow of Destiny is his first novel-length title with more soon to come.
Prequel short stories to The Bow of Hart Saga:
Trading Knives – Kobo, iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords & Amazon
What Is Needed – Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Smashwords & Amazon
Filed under: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Cover Reveal, Editing, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Goodreads, iBooks, Indie Publishing, iTunes, Kobo, Marketing, Pinterest, Self-publishing, Short Fiction, Short Stories, Smashwords, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Trading Knives, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ebook sale, Epic Fantasy, Facebook, Fantasy, Fantasy Authors Unplugged, Fantasy Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, P. H. Solomon, Pinterest, Sale, Self-publishing, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Trading Knives, Twitter
July 4, 2016
The Anatomy of a SHORT Synopsis – Pt 1
Reblogging on Archer’s Aim
After playing around on the interwebz this week I discovered a theme emerge among my writerly buds…lots of angst over the dreaded synopsis. Now, I’m not saying writing a synopsis is a piece of cake – far from it. But, there is a way to do it that s a little less painful.
The editors, agents and published authors I’ve spoken with have all said that shorter is better when it comes to the synopsis.
WHAT? SHORTER…It’s hard enough cramming the storyline of a 70 – 80K novel into a few pages single spaced. Now I need to cram it into 500 words or so. CRAZY!
True…but totally doable too.
That is, once you really KNOW the arc of your story.
That’s right, a synopsis can be an easy endeavor, relatively speaking, if you have taken the time to plot out your story arc.
For me, the easy way to…
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7 Facebook Groups Every Author Should Be a Member of:
Reblogging on Arhcer’s Aim!
With Facebook Groups, you can connect with multiple networks of people inside Facebook. Not only are groups like private rooms with their own news feeds, there are special features built into groups that make them more useful than the rest of Facebook. So here are 7 groups that authors can make the most out of.
1) Book Review & Promotion A massive group with over 20,000 members, this group has daily promotions for authors to get one step ahead of the rest.
2) Writers Of The World A positive fun group for writers to share their experiences and knowledge with the world.
3) GREAT BOOK COVERS Got a great cover? Then this is the group for you. Get feedback from other members and discover great ideas for future covers.
4) Book Trailers “Now Showing” For authors with book trailers, this must…
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June 30, 2016
Join the Fun! It’s Indie Pride Day!
Today is Indie Pride Day and I’m pleased to direct everyone to a couple of events spotlighting a number of indie authors including yours truly.
First, there’s the Indie Pride Day Book Blast going on over at Angela Chrysler’s site where you can see The Bow of Destiny among the many books and authors spotlighted today.
Next, you are welcome to interact a variety of authors at the Author Showcase event on Goodreads. Stop by my thread starting at 1 PM CT and have a look at what’s going on!
And don’t forget! The Bow of Destiny is on sale thru 7/4 for .99 cents. Have a look and alert friends and family who like to read fantasy. Use the sale links below:
About the Author
P. H. Solomon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working regularly to hone his writing. The Bow of Destiny is his first novel-length title with more soon to come.
Prequel short stories to The Bow of Hart Saga:
Trading Knives – Kobo, iBooks & Barnes & Noble, Smashwords & Amazon
What Is Needed – Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Smashwords & Amazon
Filed under: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Blogging, Creativity, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Goodreads, iBooks, Indie Publishing, iTunes, Kobo, Marketing, Pinterest, Self-publishing, Smashwords, Social Media, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Trading Knives, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: 4th of July, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Epic Fantasy, Facebook, Fantasy, Fantasy Authors Unplugged, Fantasy Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Pride Day, Indie Publishing, Marketing, P. H. Solomon, Pinterest, Sale, Self-publishing, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Trading Knives, Twitter 
The Latest News from Archer’s Aim
Hello everyone! I just wanted to share the latest news about some upcoming events which I’ll also post on the News page later today. There’s so much going on I’m just now getting everything in order.
First, I will be making a few appearances tomorrow for Indie Pride Day. I’ll share the links in a post tomorrow but I’ll be on Angela Chrysler’s blog tomorrow and I’ll be part of a Brain to Books takeover on Goodreads starting at 12PM CT.
The Bow of Destiny is already on sale if you are looking for a bargain – which it totally is! Sale links are posted just below:
Next, I’ll make another blog appearance on July 22nd at Renee Scattergood’s site, Renee Writes for her Friday Author Spotlight. I’ll share more about 
any special announcements for the day as it gets closer.
Expect a few more appearances to occur during July so I’ll get those posted as the schedule is firmed up.
Last, I’ll be on blog tour the week of 8/14-20. Look for more news about that week as time gets closer.
In other news, I can’t share anything specific but I’m delaying (at least for now) my plans to release The Bow of Destiny in print. Something else has come up that may make worthwhile to hold off on this project for a while. I’ll announce any changes to plans when I there’s more to report.
Otherwise, I keep working steadily on An Arrow Against the Wind as my schedule allows. I’m also working my short story anthology (I know, I keep talking about but I have priorities!) but I’ve included a little teaser with a preliminary cover (comments are welcome). Also, I plan to complete the rough draft of The White Arrow as soon as I get An Arrow Against the Wind of to the editor for a final edit.
Welcome to all the new readers of The Bow of Destiny in recent weeks and thanks all the regular supporters!
About the Author
P. H. Solomon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working regularly to hone his writing. The Bow of Destiny is his first novel-length title with more soon to come.
Prequel short stories to The Bow of Hart Saga:
Trading Knives – Kobo, iBooks & Barnes & Noble, Smashwords & Amazon
What Is Needed – Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Smashwords & Amazon
Filed under: 4WillsPublishing, Amazon, An Arrow Against the Wind, Barnes & Noble, Blog Tour, Blogging, Brain to Books Blog Tour, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Goodreads, Holidays, iBooks, Indie Publishing, iTunes, Kobo, Marketing, Pinterest, Self-publishing, Smashwords, Social Media, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, The White Arrow, Trading Knives, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: 4th of July, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Coverart, Epic Fantasy, Facebook, Fantasy, Fantasy Authors Unplugged, Fantasy Fiction, Father's Day, Goodreads, Indie Pride Day, Indie Publishing, Marketing, P. H. Solomon, Pinterest, Sale, Science Fiction, Self-publishing, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Trading Knives, Twitter
June 25, 2016
Bloodline Gypsy by Shirley A. Martin (Members Review from Shawnie)
Reblogged on Archer’s Aim…
Bloodline Gypsy: Jook and Gypsies Vol. 1 by Shirley A. Martin, published June 29, 2013 by Authorhouse.
Goodreads Blurb:
A supernatural thriller of chilling carnage and primal beauty, Bloodling Gypsy unearths the origin of a mythical creature that has plagued history since the dark ages. Tracing an inherent line of magic back to Eygpt in 981 AD, this dark fantasy reveals the mysterious link between gypsies and werewolves. A yoke that, twelve hundred years later, reveals itself in the form of a birthmark stamped on children born of Louvari descent. When Susannah Henika loses her mother in a tragic accident, she moves to a mountain resort town to live with a father she has never known. She falls victim to night terrors and an impending sense of dread. She meets a woman in the woods, Madalina Sadrinovic, whose uncanny ways set Susannah ill at ease. Strange and foreboding events follow…
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June 23, 2016
Dream Excerpt From The Bow of Destiny
A silhouette kneels and rocks, dark against the fire beyond it. A woman’s uneven voice chants:
“The bow shall be hidden from heart…”
The swaying speaker feeds wood into the fire. Sparks snap from the coals and whirl amid the orange-blue tongues. An arc forms in the smoke and fades into the stars.
“The eagle will guide the heir…”
An eagle’s scream pierces the night wind.
“The bow shall be found at need…”
Wrinkled hands tie a wad of cloth with string – a bowstring.
“And the arrow shall Eloch prepare.”
A shooting star streaks across the horizon and drags Athson’s attention from the crouching figure before the popping fire.
The eagle screams again – louder and nearer.
The figure half-turns and tosses the packet at Athson’s feet. He stares at it, then back to the kneeling woman. Her face half-lit by the firelight reveals a pointy nose that overshadows her receding jaw. Grizzled wisps of gray hair wave in the wind. “For you who suffers in silence for a secret.”
Athson stoops and inspects the package. He unties the knot and pushes the string into a pocket. Within the cloth he finds a tattered note and more fabric he guesses is a pennant.
“Zelma’s done it.” She gazes skyward and raises her arms.
“Why more now when so much has been taken already? Why me?” His anger flares and he tosses the packet away. “This isn’t mine.” He whirls and stumbles into darkness.
“He needs to see.” The woman’s voice screeches and slices through whistling wind.
The eagle’s deafening scream stabs his awareness as immense wings snap like a clap of thunder. Talons tear clothing, pierce flesh and snatch Athson into the air. He dangles and kicks as he yells while silver landscape yawns beneath him. The curious sound of joyous cackling trails into the distance.
To find out more about The Bow of Destiny, click over to one of these online retailers:
About the Author
P. H. Solomon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working regularly to hone his writing. The Bow of Destiny is his first novel-length title with more soon to come.
Prequel short stories to The Bow of Hart Saga:
Trading Knives – Kobo, iBooks & Barnes & Noble, Smashwords & Amazon
What Is Needed – Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iBooks, Smashwords & Amazon
Filed under: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Blogging, Creativity, Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, Goodreads, iBooks, Indie Publishing, Kobo, Marketing, Pinterest, Self-publishing, Short Fiction, Short Stories, Smashwords, Social Media, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Trading Knives, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: Amazon, An Arrow Against the Wind, Barnes and Noble, blogging, Coverart, Epic Fantasy, Facebook, Fantasy Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Kobo, P. H. Solomon, Pinterest, Self-publishing, Smashwords, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Trading Knives, Twitter, What is Needed, writing
