Kim Iverson Headlee's Blog: Book Musings from the Maze of Twisty Passages, page 29

Spotlight on Pan by K.R. Thompson, Untold Tales of Neverland series #fantasy

BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – Pan
SERIES – The Untold Stories of Neverland
AUTHOR – K.R. Thompson
GENRE – Fantasy/Fairytale/Short Story
PUBLICATION DATE – August 10, 2015
LENGTH – 15,000 words
PUBLISHER – Createspace
COVER ARTIST – Alchemy Book Covers
BOOK SYNOPSISNeverland has always been their sanctuary—until now.

Magic is dying in Neverland and only one pixie is brave enough to search the human world for someone to believe. Tink finds a desolate boy flying in the night, peering in windows, searching for the life he once knew. But can she convince him to abandon his quest and save Neverland?

Discover the untold story of the boy destined to become Peter Pan. EXCERPTAt least the boy was taking his task seriously, the pixie decided, watching him raise up on his toes in an effort to gain a better look inside one darkened, upstairs room. Some guardians were lazy, but this one was not, which was just as well, she noted, as the small, shadowy figure of a child exited through the window and joined him. A few seconds later, the two flew off into the night sky. The children of humans could be a handful—the ghosts of them even more so, especially when they realized they were no longer among the living. It only made sense to appoint another child to deal with their sorrow and accompany their spirits to the other side.

The source of her attention currently gone, the pixie idly kicked into the open air. Small bits of dust sprinkled each time her feet touched the open mouth of the monster she’d been making a seat of. She glanced down, noticing his bottom teeth now sparkled like gold in the moonlight, giving him an even more ferocious look.

The poor thing looked dreadful, with long curling teeth and bulging eyes—nothing at all like her own pretty, golden self. She gave him a bright smile. Likely, that was the only kindness ever given the monster forever stuck up here on the edge of this roof, so she reached down and gave his hard cheek an affectionate pat before turning her attention back to the sprawling town below. After all, she hadn’t come to save this monster. She’d come for the boy and soon he would need her—but not nearly as much as she needed him. BUY & TBR LINKSAMAZON KINDLE US | AMAZON KINDLE CA | AMAZON KINDLE UK | AMAZON PAPERBACK | GOODREADS
AUTHOR BIOK.R. Thompson writes paranormal stories with a bite and fairy tales with a twist. An avid reader and firm believer in the magic of books, she spends her nights either reading an adventure, or writing one.She still watches for evidence of Bigfoot in the mud of Wolf Creek.AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKSAMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADSThis Tour Was Organized & Hosted By:
  Special Thank You To Carly's Book Reviews for the HTML Creation
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The Round Table is born in RAGING SEA Ch 7/Sc 1 #amwriting #Arthurverse

Graphic overlay (c)2015 by Kim Headlee. Last month I reached a decision about my writing that has been uncharacteristically long in coming. Those who know me know that I am quick to analyze the facts and set upon a course of action. 

After much debate—mostly with myself—I have decided to release Raging Sea in novella-size sections to keep supplying fans of my work with fresh content while I continue to wrangle with Angusel and the other viewpoint characters into sharing the rest of their story with me. 

After a heckuva lot more internal debate, I have decided to release these installments solely on Kindle (and therefore also via Kindle Unlimited) until the full-length novel is ready for publication.

Part 1 of Raging Sea is subtitled Reckonings and will consist of the first six chapters of the parent novel, around 25K words. As with all my work, it will be professionally edited and will feature a fantastic cover by Natasha Brown of Fostering Success, one of BookBub's favorite resources for book cover design.

Beginning today, I will no longer include links to past blog posts for excerpts in chapters 1-6, though for a while longer you may still find them by searching The Maze for the keyword phrase "Raging Sea". Next week I will begin building a new "past excerpts" section, starting with today's post.

Speaking of today's post, I need to give some background about its title:

The vast majority of the 25,000 (give or take) adaptations of the Arthurian Legends throughout the centuries refer to the Round Table as a physical (if preposterously proportioned and constructed) piece of furniture. Those of you who are familiar with my earlier novels Dawnflight and Morning's Journey won't be surprised to see me redecorate "Camelot" with something other than a table. :D

Raging Sea Chapter 7, Scene 1©2015 by Kim HeadleeAll rights reserved.
THE PARADE VIEWING area at Caer Lugubalion was awash with color, the earthy, plain-spun robes and tunics and cloaks and caps of the clergy and common folk forming the vast majority, interspersed with ripples of the saffrons and woads and crimsons and purples sported by the wealthier visitors. Men and women selling meat, bread, and drink circulated among them like little eddies in the human current.

The crowd’s size appeared just as large to Gawain as that of Uncle Arthur’s wedding to Aunt Gyan, and it also included his parents and younger siblings, his aunt Morghe, his grandmother Chieftainess Ygraine, other Brytoni and Caledonian rulers and their families and retinues, high-ranking clergy members, and other worthies. He felt his chest swell with pride—and not just because he was now commanding Sixth Ala’s Fifth Turma.

His horse Arddwyn fidgeted as they awaited the signal that would start their part of the procession. He tightened his grip upon the reins and adjusted his cloak, as ordered prior to the parade’s commencement, to conceal the rest of his new uniform.

First the infantry cohorts had to finish marching onto the field, complete a circuit of the parade ground, and come to a halt encircling the perimeter, leaving an avenue for the day’s central attraction, bisected by a shorter avenue leading to the viewing platform. This would not be a typical parade, starting with the fact that Uncle Arthur and Aunt Gyan were not leading it. General Cai had led the infantry cohorts onto the parade ground while Arthur and Gyan waited at the end of the line with Uncle Peredur and the rest of the Horse Cohort. Gawain squinted to make out the gold-tipped crests—Gyan’s blue and Arthur’s red—of their parade helmets from his place with Sixth Ala, five alae behind where they sat mounted with the First.

Arddwyn snorted, wrestled with the bit again, and pawed the ground. Gawain calmed him with a whispered word and a pat, though he sympathized with his warhorse. Every soldier at the fortress had been drilling for—and grumbling about—this day for the past week, though he for one had been glad of the practice, since he would be part of the primary deviation from the traditional sequence of events.

The last infantry cohort marched to its place and halted. General Cai shouted the order for all units to face the long aisle; another deviation, since the troops usually faced the viewing platform.

First Ala’s signifer raised his unit’s banner, prompting the signifers of the remaining alae to do the same. A horn blew, the banners canted forward, and the Horse Cohort surged ahead. They guided their horses between the infantry units down the long aisle, and maneuvered them to face the platform before halting. By the time Gawain’s unit reached the aisle, he saw that Arthur, Gyan, and Peredur had already split from the Horse Cohort to ride partway down the bisecting aisle, and they were turned to watch the entrance of the rest of the horsemen. A fourth, Centurion Bohort, accompanied them carrying a furled blue banner. When the last ala—the Eighth—had completed its maneuvers and had halted, the four commanders wheeled their mounts to face the platform.

“On this day my sister, the Lady Morghe, departs for her wedding to Chieftain Urien of Clan Moray of Dalriada,” Arthur began, pitching his voice as though on a battlefield. This announcement prompted cheers from the crowd, and many heads swiveled toward Morghe where she sat on the viewing platform, though the soldiers remained stone-still as they’d been ordered to do from the first moment of the first day of drills. “In honor of this auspicious occasion, the Comitissa Britanniam has created a special cavalry unit.”

At Arthur’s nod, Gyan said in her Caledonian-accented but excellent Latin, “This unit contains the best horse warriors of the legion. By this time next year it will be a full ala, and the Pendragon and I will host annual cavalry competitions as needed to replace members. Since the unit’s first duty is to escort Lady Morghe and her party, Tribune Peredur mac Hymar, prefect of the Horse Cohort, will serve as temporary commander.” She gave her brother a brief smile.

Centurion Bohort raised the new unit’s standard: a dark blue dragon on a gold field.

“Comites Praetorii,” shouted Peredur, “front and center!”

Gawain bit the insides of his lips to prevent a grin from spreading across his face as he flung back his cloak and nudged Arddwyn out of formation, joining the other twoscore and two men riding at a slow canter around the Horse Cohort to the crowd’s sustained roar.

His inward grin died as he passed First Ala and saw Angusel mounted beside that unit’s commander, Centurion Cato. Angusel was wearing a bronze Phalera Draconis identical to Gawain’s, and for the identical reason. That disc might proclaim he and the whelp as being part of a military brotherhood more exclusive than the new squad with which Gawain was affiliated, but there was no way on this side of hell that he’d ever acknowledge such a kinship. Gawain steeled himself against the disgust that threatened to shudder through his soul; this day belonged to Gawain’s kin by blood and by marriage, and hatred deserved no place here.

From the corner of his eye he saw Angusel glance down and away, and Gawain felt his heart give a short, odd lurch.

***
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Guest Post and Spotlight on The Devil of Kilmartin by @LaurinWittig Scottish #historicalromance

BOOK INFORMATIONTITLE – The Devil of Kilmartin
SERIES – Kilmartin Glen
AUTHOR – Laurin Wittig
GENRE – Historical Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – 09/2010
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) - 256
PUBLISHER – Laurin Wittig
COVER ARTIST – Rebecca Poole/dreams2media Book SynopsisIn the dark of night, Elena of Lamont must flee her home after her father's death to escape the brutal clansman determined to satisfy his lust for power -- and for her. But as the captivating beauty runs from one dangerous man she finds herself landing in the arms of another, one whose passionate embrace offers perils of its own...

As the chief of the Lachlan clan, Symon MacLachlan vows to protect the fiery-haired lass whose gentle touch relieves the demons clawing at his soul. Despite her fierce denials, he is certain Elena is the legendary Lamont healer -- and certain that he must have her for his own. Desperate for her soothing caress -- and unable to quell the desire burning inside him -- Symon is compelled to lure Elena into marriage. But will he be able to win the love of the tender enchantress who has stolen his heart?BUY & TBR LINKSAMAZON KINDLE US | AMAZON KINDLE CA | AMAZON KINDLE UK | AMAZON PAPERBACK | NOOK | KOBO | ITUNES | GOODREADSExcerptSymon woke slowly to the sound of a steady rain dripping off thatch, the earthy smell of peat smoke, and the hard, cold stone beneath him.

His head throbbed, and every muscle complained of hard use. He opened his eyes slowly and looked about him. Memory rushed in, crowding his aching head with images of a bedraggled lass. A lass who was either daft or foolishly brave. Another memory presented itself, one of ease and balance and a clearing of the cloud afflicting his mind, relief for his suffering body. Aye, he remembered the lass who had stilled the ravages of the madness for a time.

Symon rose, cursing his unsteady legs. The need to touch her again, to feel the clarity and brightness she had caused, had him groping for the door latch. Cloud-softened light stabbed his eyes, increasing the hammer blows inside his skull. He paused, long enough to let his eyes adjust and his legs prove their ability to hold him upright.

At last he raised the latch just as the lass opened the door, brushing dirt from the skirt of her grimy gown. She looked up, saw him, and stopped.

"Good day to you," Symon said.

Elena nodded. Symon took the chance to really look at her here in the light of day. Her hair was flame colored. Not the color of a roaring fire, but the color of glowing embers, shifting and changing in the morning light from deep auburn to glossy brown to burnished gold.

The urge to drag her to him shook him in its intensity, nearly overwhelming his hold on reason. He fought it, disgusted with his own weakness. He was chief of Clan Lachlan, a warrior, born and trained to lead his people. He should be the one providing for others. He should not be some weak-kneed fool looking to this lass for help.

Yet he had little choice.

Purple-green marks marred her pale skin, telling of someone's hard use. Anger surged in him, tempered with an unusual softness. No one should treat a woman so.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, needing to break the tension building in the silence. She nodded. Symon looked past the bruises. He was not so ill he did not appreciate her long limbs and narrow build. He could even appreciate the stubborn set of her chin, and the flash of determination that came and went in her eyes. He held his hand out for her to take, but she did not touch him.

She started to back into the dark confines of the cottage, then changed her direction and edged along the rough wall a few steps. Symon moved with her, until she bumped into a stump left there.

"Take my hand," he said, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice. He needed her to touch him. He needed her to prove his suspicions; to feed his hopes.

The lass looked at him. "I don't wish to take your hand," she said, watching him, wariness etched round her eyes.

The pounding in Symon's head increased as he fought to keep his voice level and his manner mild. He fought to keep from grabbing her, testing her effect upon him, questioning her true purpose here. He stared into her eyes, commanding her with every thought to take his hand, prove him right. Save his life.

At last she put her hand in his, lightly, barely touching, as if she were afraid to press her skin to his.

Nothing – save the continued hammers inside his skull. No peace, no calm, no ease washing over him, not even the warmth he remembered, for her hands were icy. He had wanted so much more. A tiny hope-harboring part of him he'd thought long dead was disappointed. Abruptly he turned toward the byre, pulling her along behind him.

"Release me, Devil!"

Symon winced at the familiar epithet that sounded more harsh from her lips than from all the others who had named him so. She hauled back on his hand, nearly upsetting his tenuous balance.

"Where are you taking me? I'll not be dragged along like some animal." She tried to pull her hand free of his grip. "I don't belong to you."

Symon stared at her, then released her abruptly.

"Lass." Auld Morag stood in the doorway, a funny sort of look on her face. "Get your washing up done. I've a fine fat rabbit to help break your fast." She glanced at Symon and cackled, raising the hairs at the back of his neck. "Do not worry over Symon's scowling face. His head is pounding and his mouth's like sand. You know aught of headache cures, do you not?"

Elena's eyes were wide, and Symon could see the rapid rise and fall of her breathing. She was afraid. Auld Morag was a bit off-putting, but surely she had not frightened the lass so much last night.

"I have willow," Auld Morag continued as if Elena had answered her. "Make him a tea to ease his pain. 'Twill benefit us both if we cease the drumming in his head."

The lass said nothing, but shook free of his grasp and made to pass by him.

Symon spun about to follow her and immediately regretted the quick movement. He grabbed her arm to steady himself and closed his eyes for a moment. He could have sworn he felt her reach out and sooth his brow with cool fingers against his sweat-sheened skin, easing his head. But when he opened his eyes the sensation vanished. She had not moved. AUTHOR BIOLaurin Wittig is a Kindle Top Ten bestselling, award-winning author of exhilarating historical romances. She loves to set her stories amid the conflicts and mystical culture of the Scottish Highlands. Readers say, “Great stories with magical mystery.” Romantic Times says, “She’s well on her way to becoming one of the genre’s finest storytellers.”GUEST POSTWhat fascinates you about the Scottish Highlands?An easier question would be what doesn’t fascinate me about the Scottish Highlands! I’ll answer yours though. :)

The land itself fascinates me: rugged and harsh, yet filled with beauty that thrives in spite of the difficult terrain. It speaks to me at a gut level, as if I’ve come home. The weather is equally fascinating, and has provided lots of good trouble for my characters. As someone who runs hot all the time, the cool, brisk, fresh air of the Highlands is my ideal weather, even when it rains, though I admit I’m not keen to live there in the winter. I love the many burns (streams) and cascading waterfalls, and the heather and gorse growing on the mountainsides. I really love the lochs (lakes) with their dark depths and frigid temps and the legends that surround at least one famous loch.

But mostly it’s the people and the history that surrounds them that fascinate me. I love that magic is such an accepted part of the culture of Highlanders and that a healthy respect for their surroundings has created a strong people who look after each other and take their responsibilities for the greater good seriously, even when they resort to their claymores and Lochaber axes to seek justice. I am fascinated by a culture where women were considered equals in status with men, and often took on jobs – even becoming chiefs of clans at times – that were denied women throughout most of the world. I often use this unusual piece of cultural history in my books.

And I have to admit, my fascination is personal. My family traces its roots back to the MacGregors in Scotland. I was first introduced to my heritage when I was ten at an American Clan Gregor Society gathering, then traveled to Scotland the next year. I have been fascinated by Scotland ever since.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKSAMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | WEBSITE / BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST | GOODREADS

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All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
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...and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

The Business of Writing: Do Your Homework! (DIY Book Trailers part 1) via @nancyjcohen

So you're a brand-new author with a brand-new book that just begs to have a brand-new trailer shouting its brand-new virtues... but your budget for such promotional items is best described as "shoestring"—of the baby booties rather than combat boots variety?

No problem; you can create your own!

Rather than reinventing the wheel, I have received permission from author Nancy J. Cohen to re-blog her wonderful article that was first published 8/10/2015.

In fact it contains such a tremendous wealth of information that I'm going to break it up over two weeks, with next week's installment covering the actual how-to aspect.

Nancy writes:

Would you like to create your own book trailer in Windows Live Movie Maker? If so, be prepared to spend time on a learning curve. The first effort is the hardest, but then you’ll know what to do for subsequent titles. Just follow these steps that apply to Windows 7, and you’re on your way. Go Here to download Windows Essentials 2012 for free. It works with Windows 7 or Windows 8. Or check your list of Programs to see if it’s already installed on your computer.

View the Book Trailer for Peril by Ponytail: http://youtu.be/T2Vao7yDIVY

Various companies will do trailers for you on the cheap, but their work is similar to what you can do with a slide show. I’d rather pick out the photos and music that best suits my story. If you’re a big moneymaker, a bestselling author, or perhaps a thriller writer whose work demands a broader canvas, then you can go for moving videos, productions using real actors, or voiceovers. [Note: the above embedded trailer for Liberty by Kim Iverson Headlee is a professionally produced trailer that sets a very high bar for DIY-ers. :) ~kih] But if you’re an average writer who wants to give your readers a taste of the story without making a big splash, this will work for you.

Do Your Homework and Watch Book Videos
Go to author sites on YouTube and find trailers for books in the same genre as your work.Write down the text on each slide and note the type of image accompanying it.Listen to the music. How does it make you feel? Does it create a certain mood?Does the story move quickly while giving you an idea of the plot and main characters?How long is the trailer? Is it too long? Or too short?What do the credits say at the end?
Write Your Text

Now write your own text in verses to fit on each slide. Remain brief, offering your story points in as few words as possible. The text should give the reader an idea of what your story is about, the tone of your work, and an introduction to your main characters. Ask your critique partners for input. You’ll need other critical eyes to help you hone down your plot to a few sentences with punch. It’s not an easy task.

Remember the adage: Short and Simple. Try to keep your video under 2 minutes.

At the end: Add your book cover and publishing info, where readers can buy your book, music and photo credits, and review quotes if desired.

[Note: The best promo materials have a way to capture sales, so add to your book's slide a QR code for your book (you know, that funny little square not-a-barcode thingy), perhaps directing customers to the Kindle edition if that is where you log most of your sales. QR code readers can capture the code straight off a computer screen. My favorite web site for generating free QR codes is QR Stuff. ~kih]

Search For Images

http://www.123rf.com One medium-sized image at 72 dpi for Web usage is approximately 824 x 581 px and costs 2 credits. You can buy 40 credits for $38. Music is available here too. Make sure you read the fine print on the licensing terms. If you want to use an image as a book cover, you may need an extended license. [Note: And "Editorial license" is only for web and newspaper use, never for book covers. It can be as much as a 4-figure (i.e, >$1,000) mistake to make. ~kih]

http://www.bigstockphoto.com/ Small-sized images are 900 x 743 px and are 1 credit each. You can buy 10 credits for $35 or 25 credits for $49.

If you see a photo you like, look at the description and put that same wording into the search box. Similar photos will pop up. Or go to the photo you like and click on the Related Images displayed. Figure out how many credits you’ll need per photo and what the packages cost. Also check the licensing terms to be sure they meet your needs.

Here are more photo sites. Some of them also have music available.

http://www.istockphoto.com/ This one is pricey with 1 credit for $12; 6 credits for $60.
http://depositphotos.com/ (30 credits for $32)
http://www.dreamstime.com/
http://browse.deviantart.com/resources/stockart/
http://www.canstockphoto.com
http://www.corbisimages.com/
http://www.epictura.com/
http://us.fotolia.com/
http://www.fotosearch.com/
http://www.freestockimages.net/
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
http://www.freefoto.com/index.jsp
http://www.freeimages.com/
http://www.freephotosbank.com/
http://www.fontplay.com/freephotos/
http://www.ingimage.com/
http://www.jupiterimages.com/
http://www.gettyimages.com/creativeimages
http://www.gettyimages.com/photolibrary
http://photopin.com/ (For Blog Posts)
https://pixabay.com/

Whichever site you choose, register for an account so that you have a Lightbox, or a Likebox as it’s sometimes called.

[Note: If you find a site that has images that you like but you're not ready to pay, sign up for their customer email so you can get notices on special sales! In that way I was able to download 5 high-quality, standard-licensed images for a nickel via Dreamstime last year, and you can see them on the covers for The Color of Vengeance , The Challenge , and a forthcoming release titled Twins. :) ~kih]

In the site’s Search feature, put in keywords for the type of picture you want (i.e. romantic couple, beautiful redhead, businessman, airplane over island). Scroll down until a photo catches your fancy. Click to add it to your Lightbox (at 123rf, you click the little heart). You can search this way for Photos, Video Clips, and Music.

Match an image in your collection to each verse in your text. Then purchase enough credits to buy the ones you want. Click on the image and then on Download. Save it to your computer.

Whichever site you use, check the licensing requirements before you make your purchase. As mentioned above, some may require an extended license to use the image as a book cover, in a collection such as on a Pinterest board, on a coffee mug you offer for sale, and so on.

Search For Video (Optional)

Live action can add spice to a video but it also takes up time and increases the size of your file. Many of the sites listed above will have royalty-free video clips, but here are some more.

http://www.alunablue.com/
http://www.archive.org/details/stock_footage
http://www.artbeats.com/
http://www.footagefirm.com/free-footage
http://www.gettyimages.com/Footage
http://www.gotfootage.com/
http://www.stockfootageforfree.com/
http://vimeo.com/groups/freehd
http://worldclips.tv/

Search For Music

Searching for the right music can be a time-consuming task. Decide upon the tone of your video and put keywords into the search feature on these sites. Is your story dark and scary? Light and funny? Upbeat and bouncy? Intense and mysterious? The music is important because it elicits an emotional response in your viewers.

Check the length of the music clip against the length of your trailer, and make sure it’s long enough. You can repeat the music if necessary to extend its length on your video, but there might be a slight gap where the first one ends and the clip restarts.

http://www.stockmusic.net/ $39.95 per track; Pay once, use forever. My Favorite.
http://www.melodyloops.com/
http://www.audiomicro.com/
http://freeplaymusic.com/
http://www.freesoundtrackmusic.com/
http://www.gettyimages.com/Music
http://www.ibaudio.com/
http://incompetech.com/music/
http://www.istockphoto.com/audio.php
http://www.opuzz.com/
http://www.stockmusic.com/

[Note: The word "free" in most if not all of the above sites does not refer to $0 cost but "royalty-free"—as in, you pay one upfront licensing fee, which entitles you to forever usage of the image, music, or video clip. I do encourage you to read the fine print about licensing requirements so that you don't end up getting slapped with, oh, a $1,200.00 bill for improper use. That happened to a client of my book layout designer's, and the site in question was GettyImages. Proceed with care, and good luck! ~kih]

Next week on The Maze: You've done your homework, written your script, selected & paid for your music and images... now what??

***
All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
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— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
...and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. Please enter often, and good luck!

The Kind of September from the Dawnflier (Sept. 2015) #IAN1 #ASMSG #MFRWOrg

Try to remember the kind of SeptemberWhen life was slow and oh, so mellow...
Thus begins the lyrics of Try to Remember, which first appeared in the musical comedy The Fantastiks. It's a song that I have always loved but couldn't bear to listen to for the past fourteen years.


Here is one of my favorite recordings,
sung live by Andy Williams in 1965.


Why am I waxing so sentimental this month? Fourteen years ago, while the nation was reeling from the terrorist attacks, my mother—a Brooklyn native who was residing in Seattle at the time—died that same day. According to my dad, she never realized what was happening to her beloved city; she thought she was watching a disaster movie.

Although that was a stark testament to her failing mental capacities, I am thankful she was spared suffering the emotional anguish on her last day on earth.

For me, stuck in Washington, DC with no way to be with my dad because the national airspace had shut down, it was sheer torture—all the more so because I couldn't get this song out of my head.

Today, Try to Remember and the memories it evokes makes me tear up a bit, but at last I can enjoy it once again. I am thankful for that too.

***
This wouldn't be an issue of The Dawnflier without updates about my books:
Snow in July hit #1 in the Amazon category of Kindle Teen Historical Romance twice in August (the 10th and 30th); thank you, everyone who bought a copy to make this amazing feat possible! The Challenge is being produced as a graphic novel; stay tuned for Episode 1 to be released on Kindle soon. :)There are still spots available for The Challenge 3-day blast tour, September 16-18. The novella will be offered FREE on Kindle for your blog's visitors to download during this time, regardless of whether they are subscribed to Kindle Unlimited. Please visit the signup sheet for more information, and it's only a 6K-word read if you're thinking about writing a review. The Dawnflight review tour is now full and set for Mondays this month beginning September 7th. Keep watching the Dawnflight page for all the latest reviews and other news. If you are one of the reviewers who has signed up, thank you very much!Other tours with an opening or two include Morning's Journey (Mondays in October) and King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court (Mondays in November).Hot off the press: December 1–7 will be a review tour of three unrelated novels: King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court, Liberty, and Snow in July. Bloggers who sign up here will have their choice of reviewing one, two, or all three books! I don't have any appearances scheduled this month other than making a semiannual trek to Myrtle Beach for another "mom's vacation" to write and relax. My next appearance will be at Rising Star 24 comic-con (Bluefield, WV) October 23-24, where I will be unveiling my workshop, The Business of Writing, based on my weekly blog posts.

As always, thank you so much for your interest in and support of my work!

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Angusel faces his trust issues in RAGING SEA Ch 6/Sc 5b #amwriting #Arthurverse

Graphic overlay (c)2015 by Kim Headlee. "Trust between warriors must flow both ways, even between superior and subordinate." 

I learned this truth decades ago as a cadet at the US Air Force Academy. 

For a fighting unit to be effective, each warrior must be able to trust his companions at arms to guard his back, his subordinates to obey his orders, and his superiors to issue orders that are lawful and in the best interests of the mission.

Anything less, at any level of the command, invites death.

In the first two installments of The Dragon's Dove Chronicles, Dawnflight and Morning's Journey , at least half of the scenes are written from Gyan's viewpoint. Since Raging Sea concentrates upon Angusel's story, my plan is to not write any of the scenes from her viewpoint—though today's scene tempted me.

I remained true to my intention here, I but do share a glimpse of how Gyan feels as filtered through Angusel's perspective.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea  Chapter 1: Scene 1 | Scene 2 | Scene 3 | Scene 4 | Scene 5 |Chapter 2: Scene 1-A | Scene 1-B | Scene 2 |Chapter 3: Sc 1-A | Sc 1-B | Scene 2 | Sc 3-A | Sc 3-B |
Chapter 4: Sc 1-A | Sc 1-B | Sc 2-A | Sc 2-B | Sc 2-C |
Chapter 5: Sc 1-A | Sc 1-B | Sc 1-C | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4-A | Sc 4-B |
Chapter 6: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4 | Sc 5-A |
Raging Sea Chapter 6, Scene 5b©2015 by Kim HeadleeAll rights reserved.
“I cannot pretend to understand how you feel about being here,” she continued. “Though I can guess. Trust between warriors must flow both ways, even between superior and subordinate. Last year I betrayed your trust in the very worst way imaginable, and I am sorry.” Her gaze became hooded, and she bowed her head. “More sorry than I can possibly say. If there was a way to change the past, I would do so without hesitation.” She closed her eyes in a long blink, and when she opened them again he thought he saw the lashes glistening with tears. Blinking twice more, she regarded him. “It remains my earnest prayer that you might choose to forgive me one day.”

Forgive her? For acting well within her rights and meting the punishment he deserved for failing her and her son?

Yet as her words settled into his mind, he realized with no small surprise that she was right. He couldn’t die for someone he couldn’t forgive.

And he couldn’t make a promise that he might never fulfill.

So he did the only thing that came to mind: he gave her another Ròmanach salute and said, “I shall correct my uniform and report to Centurion Cato to begin my new duties in First Ala at once, Comitissa.”

“A moment, Optio.” While his curiosity mounted, she stepped to a shelf and retrieved a linen pouch that was smaller than his bian-sporan, though not by much. She tugged on the pouch’s cords to open it and pulled out a bronze disc embossed with the legion’s dragon. “This phalera is yours. For saving my life.” She sighed. “I stood no more deserving of your brave actions that night than any convicted traitor.”

Again he wanted to disagree, but again he couldn’t.

With a brief, sad nod, she stepped forward to press the phalera into his upraised palm. As her hand withdrew, her fingertips chanced to brush his hand. He clenched his fist over the disc to suppress the tingle shooting up his arm. Perhaps she had felt it too, if her flash of surprise was any indication.

Her look was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Its memory remained with him, dragging on his heart. He sought for something—anything—he could say to change their present circumstances.

The words he knew she needed most to hear remained lodged in his throat.

*** The end of Chapter 6 ***
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The Business of Writing: Expenses #ASMSG #MFRWOrg #IAN1 #IARTG

Pre-decimal till, Museum of Liverpool
by Reptonix free Creative Commons
via Wikimedia Commons. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, tax specialist, or professional accountant. I'm just an author with a decade and a half of experience running my writing business. 

I'm here to share some ideas about the types of expenses related to writing and how to manage them. For specific questions, please consult your lawyer, tax specialist, or accountant!

Yes, writing is a business, with expenses as well as income. And it's not too late—or too early—for you to start organizing those records for the Tax Man if you haven't already begun to do so.

Since I incorporated my computer-consulting practice two decades ago and my corporate lawyer gave me the green light to include my writing business, I have kept a series of Excel spreadsheets, one per year, each with separate "tabs" (worksheets) delineating the major expense categories.

With this information I can then classify the appropriate amounts in QuickBooks whenever I write a check against my corporate account to pay myself back for out-of-pocket expenses. It all gets delineated by category in my balance sheet, which comes in very handy for filing my corporate tax return each March.

The major expense categories I track related to writing include:
Advertising: paid mailing lists, print ads, web promotions (blog tours, tweet packages, web site design & maintenance, and so forth), booth fees at book fairs and conventions, and contest entry fees (because you're advertising your book to the judges).Bank Charges: fees deducted from royalty payments from publishers who pay me via Paypal; currency conversion fees for foreign purchases of writing-related materials such as research books; ATM fees when the cash withdrawal is used for purchasing writing-related goods or services.Gifts & Charity: the fair market value of books or other writing-related items donated as door prizes, given to museums, etc.Dues & Subscriptions: amounts paid to writers' organizations; writing-related print and online subscriptions such as Writer's Digest and Publisher's Lunch.Inventory: the cost (including shipping & taxes) of purchasing my books for resale, delineated by book title, edition type (print, audiobook, e-book), and if a print edition, whether it was purchased new or used. I only pay myself back for print edition purchases; the other editions are usually onetime buys to have the e-book or audiobook available on my Android device as "show and tell" at personal appearances.Meals: the cost of business meals. Since this is a category that's often flagged for audit, I usually don't bother recording those expenses, but I keep the tab from year to year just in case.Office Supplies: self-explanatory, but I do include software purchases in this category, such as my annual purchase of Turbotax for Business, any QuickBooks upgrades or add-ons, etc.Outside Services: occasional payments made to service personnel such as translators, artists, book cover and layout designers, editor, book trailer designer, web hosting provider, computer repair technician, printer of promotional materials, and so forth.Postage: again, self-explanatory, but I also include the annual fee to maintain a box at my local Post Office, since that is the address of record for most of my corporate mailings, and for fans of my writing.Professional Services: annual payments made to professional service personnel such as my corporate lawyer. Back when I first started my company and employed a freelance accountant before I transitioned to keeping my own books, I recorded his fees here too.Research: purchases of books and other materials in the course of researching my novels. This is not a traditional tax category but one I established because I didn't want to lump those purchases under Office Supplies.Telephone: for the past two decades I've been recording half the monthly cost of my landline expense. This was the common wisdom for delineating business versus personal use when I started the practice, and for me it still makes sense because my DSL Internet service is bundled with my landline, and probably 90% of my online activity is directly related to writing and the promotion thereof. I don't bother to expense my cell phone usage because probably only 5% is writing related.Travel: convention registration fees (sub-categorized as Education for such publishing-industry-only cons as RWA National), hotel room costs (including houskeeping tips but excluding meals and other incidental charges), and transportation (air and rail tickets, tolls, and automobile mileage).
A side note on the mileage method for automobile deductions: I use mapping software to get the one-way distance, create separate lines in my spreadsheet for the "to" and "from" legs, and multiply it by the IRS Standard Business Mileage Deduction for the given tax year. For tax year 2015, the business mileage deduction is $0.575 per mile. The Standard Mileage Rates at a Glance page gives you the current rate as compared with the previous tax year. To obtain the value for any other tax year, visit http://www.irs.gov/, and search on "standard mileage deduction" and the year you want to look up.Every item in my spreadsheet is backed up with either a paper or electronic receipt.

You might have noticed that I didn't mention expenses related to the "home business" deduction. The reason is that I don't ever bother with trying to claim it—even though I am situated to do so under current tax laws—because I have no desire to reduce the tax basis of my residence. The home business deduction amounts to a "get you now or get you later" type of situation as far as the IRS is concerned, and I choose the "get you now" option so that I don't complicate matters either for myself or my heirs later.

Once I have paid myself back for an out-of-pocket expense, I record the date paid in the appropriate place, which automatically updates the "amount remaining" fields on the category's worksheet and on the summary worksheet. That way I can see at a glance how much is yet to be repaid in which category.

This is of course just one way of organizing your expense records. If you use another system that works for you, I would love to hear about it!

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Spotlight on Surviving Outbound by @Liza0Connor #scifi humorous romance #giveaway

There is a mystery surrounding the sentient giant bull called Blue. Who took him off his planet and placed him on Earth? Was it someone who wanted to save or kill him?

And how can the Sargons —that’s what Blue’s kind are called—remember so far into the past? And not just a single line of events, but every event, even those that have collapsed and no longer exists.

As Marybell, the sentient ship computer, examines Blue’s magnificent brain, she postulates that the entire planet of Terranue comes from a far, far earlier time, and it’s placement in every single universe in their multiverse suggests the possible  continued existence of the First God who created the very first big bang. Based on the memories of the Sargon, she postulates three things:  

Oops! I was just advised that you’ll have to wait until the blogs for book 3 to find what she postulates. My bad!

So let’s focus on what we do know about Blue:
He’s cranky, but then who wouldn’t be if prairie mice tried to make you their beast of burden? He’s very large, even larger than the bulls used in national bull riding events.Whoever dropped him on earth changed the color of his long blue hair to the color brown, no doubt to help him blend with our cows. Then Blue changed himself back to the color blue so Tamara would chose him rather than any of the other calves at the auction.For many years now, Blue is only controlled by reason. Mind commands don’t work on him. His mind is far stronger than a mere human’s. His main caretaker has been a mind-deaf named Saran. She has loved and cared for him since he was a young calf. When she needs to clean his pen, she kindly asks him to step out and enjoy the sun and fresh air, and when she has cleaned his stall, she asks him to return. Blue greatly prefers requests over commands. And not surprisingly, he falls in love with Saran.  But don’t worry. They won’t break any publication laws. Their love is platonic. Blue knows his purpose in life, and that he doesn’t belong on Earth. So he’s getting on the Outbound ship with or without Tamsarandem.
Which leads me back to my initial question:

Do you think the entity who placed him on Earth wanted to protect Blue by putting him on a safer planet where he would flourish in the care of Saran,

OR

They wanted him off his proper planet so the prophecies concerning Blue could never happen.

Which do you think? 

Think hard. One commenter who has the best answer and LEAVES THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS will get a free book of either The Gods of Probabilities or Surviving Outbound, their choice.

Surviving Outbound
by Liza O'Connor

Synopsis
Saran along with her ‘not dead, just no longer human’ soul-bond—Tamara, and their giant blue bull leave in search of a handler so Blue can escape Earth and travel outbound. The man Saran meets and falls in love with turns out to be Tamara’s husband. Their spiritual joining of three sets into play a prophecy written long ago. Together, they become Tamsarandem, the most powerful soul-bond in all the multiverses.  

The shamans pay for their voyage to Terranue, an unknown planet, never before colonized by humans. In return, Tamsarandem must look after the other colonists and help them to prosper and find their Paths of Light. They will need to do this mostly on their own, for the Gods are running out of authorized interventions. However, the God Pane, with the help of the sentient ship-computer, Marybell, constantly search for clever workarounds to ensure The Path of Light will reign supreme upon the final collapse. But there is only so much they can do within their bureaucratic rules.

Having failed to stop Tamsarandem from leaving Earth, those who walk the Path of Darkness embed their own people, including their darkest lord, on the ship to ensure it will never arrive at Terranue. 

Excerpt
Satisfied Saran was fine, Dmitri stepped outside and cursed beneath his breath. His brother had evidently tossed the bucket of oats at Blue, for flakes speckled the grand fellow’s entire back and head.

He apologized verbally to the bull since he had closed his mind again. “My brother is the baby of the family, and Mother has never made him work a day in his life. I asked him to give you a large bucket of oats so I could see to Saran.”

A low grumbling voice spoke in his head and asked how Saran was doing.

“She drank a full glass of water and was nibbling on a sandwich when I left her.”

Blue snorted. “Could use some water myself.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll bring it now, along with fresh oats and a brush to clean off your coat.”

“I wait with anticipation,” Blue replied in an acerbic grumble.

In all his life, Dmitri had never spoken to an animal with such an expressive voice. Most had only rudimentary language skills; many simply chose to send pictures to communicate their needs.

Dmitri didn’t find his brother in the barn. He would bet the ranch that the lazy sloth was inside playing video games. He tucked a brush in his shirt and carried two large pails, one with oats and one with water, to Blue. As the bull enjoyed his meal, Dmitri brushed the bull’s longhaired coat free of oats, burrs, twigs, and a thousand other items picked up during their travels through the woods.

He knelt down and inspected Blue’s hooves, mentally asking the bull if there were any pains.

“Nothing that won’t wait for Saran,” the bull replied.

“I have a vet on staff. He’s very good.”

“No one but Saran. If you are eager to be helpful, get me another bucket of water.”
Dmitri smiled at the brashness of an animal ordering about his handler. When he returned with more water, he continued brushing the fellow. “I’m amazed Tamara put up with you, Blue,” he teased.

Suddenly, Tamara’s voice answered. “I didn’t. When I handled him, he did what I said.”

Blue snorted, and his reply resonated in Dmitri’s head. “I was considerably smaller then. Now, I am only handled by reason.”

Dmitri stroked him behind his ear. “I will try very hard to remember that.”

“See that you do,” Blue huffed.

Sales Links

Book 2: Surviving Outbound: Amazon

Book 1: The Gods of Probabilities: Amazon

About the Author

Liza is a multiple genre author of 15 novels. A Late Victorian Series, The Adventures of Xavier & Vic, plus a spinoff, A Right to Love, is an ongoing series. A Long Road to Love is a humorous Contemporary Disaster Romance series of five books. She has two single books. One is a humorous, bad boys contemporary novel with ghosts, called Ghost Lover, the other is Untamed & Unabashed, a spinoff from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Now, she’s rolling out her Science fiction series (with romance & humor) called The Multiverses. The first four books are slotted for last half of 2015.  In addition she hopes, if she hasn’t dropped from exhaustion by then, to re-release a sometimes humorous/suspense thriller called Saving Casey.

For more information about Liza O'Connor, investigate these sites:
Liza's Multiverse Blog | Liza's Blog and Website | Facebook | Twitter |


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Angusel returns in RAGING SEA Ch 6/Sc 5a #amwriting #Arthurverse

Graphic overlay (c)2015 by Kim Headlee. "It will be impossible to ignore the shattering of lives that happens in Morning’s Journey in future works of Headlee’s, and it left me feeling ill. This was, of course, by design." 

So reads a portion of one of my favorite reviews to date of Morning's Journey, predecessor of Raging Sea. 

In Arthurian Legend, the relationship between Lancelot and Guinevere is ever a rocky one, often resulting in anger, jealousy, fear, grief, and even madness. I begin that cycle in Morning's Journey and continue it in Raging Sea.

Today's excerpt shows Angusel in a face-to-face meeting with his former friend and mentor, Gyanhumara, for the first time since she had banished him from her lands. Whether they choose to reunite or not will fall upon both of them.

Previous excerpts of Raging Sea  Chapter 1: Scene 1 | Scene 2 | Scene 3 | Scene 4 | Scene 5 |Chapter 2: Scene 1-A | Scene 1-B | Scene 2 |Chapter 3: Sc 1-A | Sc 1-B | Scene 2 | Sc 3-A | Sc 3-B |
Chapter 4: Sc 1-A | Sc 1-B | Sc 2-A | Sc 2-B | Sc 2-C |
Chapter 5: Sc 1-A | Sc 1-B | Sc 1-C | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4-A | Sc 4-B |
Chapter 6: Sc 1 | Sc 2 | Sc 3 | Sc 4 |
Raging Sea Chapter 6, Scene 5a©2015 by Kim HeadleeAll rights reserved.
Although it had been a year and more since Angusel had last set foot within the praetorium at Caer Lugubalion, his memories of its every door and corridor, column and tile, step and statue surged forth with heart-rending intensity. Nothing about this opulent Ròmanach palace had changed.

Everything about himself and his relationship to its primary residents had.

Clenching fists and jaw, he lengthened his stride.

Two guards flanked the door leading into the workroom of the Comitissa Britanniam. They saluted him, and one requested the purpose of his visit. Angusel returned the salute. Upon hearing his answer, both guards saluted again and allowed him to enter.

Four pairs of eyes stared at him, though the mouths belonging with two of those pairs no longer possessed the ability to voice a comment. Below the shelf displaying the embalmed heads of Niall the Scáth and Ælferd the Sasun stood . . . her, beside her clansman and aide, Rhys. Angusel grieved to see her hair cropped as short as ever, though he chewed the inside of his lip to suppress the reaction. It appeared that she and Rhys had been discussing something Rhys had written; parchments and quills and nibs lay scattered across his worktable amid pots of different colored inks. They straightened upon Angusel’s entrance. Their intense scrutiny made his face heat and his pulse pound. To keep from retreating, he raised the shield of military protocol with a sharp Ròmanach salute.

“Optio Ainchis Sal a Dubh Loch reporting, Comitissa.” He lowered his fist but didn’t relax it. “As ordered.”

She cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Rhys. The centurion nodded once and left the chamber. She beckoned Angusel into her private workroom. He mentally girded himself as though entering a lioness’s den.

And what a den it was, filled with Caledonach furnishings carved with symbols of the gods, the shelves overflowing with scrolls, three of the walls covered with swaths of wool woven of the various Caledonach and Breatanach clans’ patterns—though the Albanach and Móranach colors were conspicuously but not surprisingly absent. Two embroidered dragons faced off between the windows behind her worktable, each ramping across a field of gold: one scarlet and the other midnight blue. Surmounting the banners, her battle sword Braonshaffir gleamed from polished pewter hooks shaped like a dragon’s talons.

Arms folded and expression stern, she regarded him for what felt like an eternity.

“Visit the quartermaster before you report to Centurion Cato of First Ala. You are out of uniform,” she declared at last.

Of all the things he’d expected her to say, this didn’t number among them. He gave his head a slight shake. “My lady?”

“Trade your Caledonach boots for Breatanach ones. Then begin your duties as optio for First Ala. You did bring Stonn with you, I trust?”

“Aye, my lady, but I thought—that is, your invitation to join the new unit—” Gods, he felt like a dithering fool, and her scowl was darkening by the moment. He clamped his mouth shut.

“The Comites Praetorii needs men who will lay down their lives for me without a second thought.” Her upraised hand stilled his protest. “That is why I requested volunteers. I had hoped that you—” She lowered her hand and chafed her arms, her expression softening a wee bit. “Since you say you were ordered to answer my invitation, I must conclude that you are not yet ready to join my unit.”

He wanted to disagree but couldn’t voice a lie, no matter how much he desired to reclaim his place at her side.

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The Business of Writing: The Pen Name #ASMSG #IARTG #MFRWOrg

George Sand by Nadar, 1864.
Public domain, Wikimedia Commons. Close your books and grab your pens, class. Here is your pop quiz for the day!

Who was/is...?
Mark TwainGeorge SandCJ Cherryh Kimberly Iverson Just about everyone with decent grades in high school English should know that Mark Twain is the most famous pen name of several used by Samuel Langhorne Clemens.

Bonus points if you knew (or were able to look up) that George Sand was born Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin, and that Carolyn Janice Cherry went by her initials and stuck an h onto the end of her name so that her science fiction novels didn't appear to be written by a romance author.

Mega bonus points if you figured out that "Kimberly Iverson" is me. :D

There many reasons to establish a pseudonym, some relevant to this day and age such as Clemens's intent to prevent any potential literary backlash from affecting his brother Orion's political career. Other reasons—for example, a woman inventing a man's name because authors were predominantly men, as in the cases of Dupin and Cherry—perhaps not so much. I even see men's names on erotica romance these days (though I will be a good girl, for once, and refrain from speculating upon the content of such works :D).

Establishing a pseudonym (once you've invented one that you like, and done enough research to ensure that no one else is using it) is as easy as typing it on the title page.

Managing one or more pseudonyms, however, is the real trick.

The blog post written by Derek Haines (
What Haines doesn't cover is that you can establish multiple author pages via retail and book discussion forums such as Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing, etc.

When it came time for my literary agent to shop around the first edition of my novel Liberty in 2003, he advised that I submit it under a pseudonymt since Dawnflight hadn't been an "overnight sensation." I chose "Kimberly Iverson," and my agent found an editor at HQN Books who was willing to take a chance on a "first time" author with the project. When she learned that I had published with Simon & Schuster just a few years earlier, it made Liberty all the easier to sell to her management.

I already had a "Kim Headlee" author page on Amazon, so I created one for "Kimberly Iverson" tied to a different email address to delineate the two accounts in their system. Simple as that.

Once I started self-publishing under a blend of both names, "Kim Iverson Headlee," I added the other permutations to each of the books' "contributor" fields in the metadata so that fans of "Kim Headlee," "Kimberly Iverson," or "Kim Iverson Headlee" can find all my books all the time.

Having one or more books in print automatically gets the author's name established in discussion forums such as Goodreads. In my case, I had to contact a super librarian in the Goodreads Librarians Group to sort out the merging of my "Kim Headlee" and "Kimberly Iverson" author profiles into "Kim Iverson Headlee." These folks are very supportive and helpful, and they will also advise when and how to make changes for yourself.

I recommend all authors join the Goodreads Librarians Group, because you never know when you'll need extra information, or when some glitch or special request might pop up that you cannot fix on your own.

I chose to merge my various pen names for several reasons, not the least of which being that it's easier to manage one author page per platform than three. Whether you take this approach or not is entirely up to you; I'm just here to tell you that it's quite doable.

Best of luck to you, whatever name give your pen!

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