Grant Eagar's Blog, page 11

Escape from Witchwood Hollow - Blog Tour

How far into the hollow would you go?
“After losing her parents in a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, fifteen-year-old Honoria escapes New York City to Arnn—a farming town with more legends than residents, and a history of witchcraft and secrets best left buried.
Everyone in Arnn knows the story of Witchwood Hollow: if you venture into the whispering forest, the witch will trap your soul among the shadowed trees. In the lure of that perpetual darkness, Honoria finds hope when she should be afraid, and a past of missing children and broken promises.  To save the citizens of Arnn from becoming the witch’s next victims, she must find the truth behind the woman’s madness. How deep into Witchwood Hollow does Honoria dare venture?”ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW is Jordan Elizabeth’s first novel.  This young adult fantasy, published through Curiosity Quills Press, is now available for purchase.  https://curiosityquills.com/books/escape-witchwood-hollow/Jordan Elizabeth, formally Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, can’t get enough of the woods, be it splashing through a stream, sitting beneath an ancient oak, or following a path up a hill.  Some of those adventures have led to abandoned foundations.  Exploring the rocks and crumbling bricks sparked Jordan to imagine who might have lived there before, and that train of thought carried her to a wicked legend and an enchanted hollow.  You can contact Jordan via her website, JordanElizabethMierek.com.#Insert author photo.The Movie – as told by Jordan Elizabeth
Some little girls want dolls.  I wanted a camcorder.  It is still my favorite childhood toy and now that I have a new camcorder, I’m sad that people won’t make movies with me anymore.
So, to rewind, my friends and I created sitcoms and movies, and we filmed them.  I have stacks of VHS tapes and DVDs filled with hours of amateur movie magic.  One of our last movies was ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW.  It involved a friend of mine and four cousins.  We had access to my grandmother’s farm, so that served as the set for Albertine’s 1800s world – stone buildings and dirt paths.  The woods were perfect for the witch’s hollow.  Then, of course, we had the “modern” farmhouse for Honoria’s “modern” home.

Once I began to write the book, I had to add more characters.  The original characters included Honoria, Harley, Elizabeth, Lady Clifford, Albertine, Mary-Anne, Paul, Shane, and Lynn.  Maybe someday we’ll all sit down to watch the movie and read the book.  Or, perhaps someday it will be a real movie, and we can laugh at our attempt. 
Jordan Elizabeth is offering up a free eArc of ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW.  To enter for your chance to win a copy of ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW, you will need to share the cover.  This can be on your blog, Facebook, Twitter… Each time you share the cover image, log it into Rafflecoper to record it.  It will give you more chances to win.  There are other ways to enter.  You’ll have to take a look to see what those are!  The drawing for the winner will be held on November 16.<a id="rc-dcedff6d2" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/dcedff6d2/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
Contest

Cover Reveal - Altar of Reality

And now...the moment Mara's we've all been waiting for...

When sixteen-year-old Madeline suffers her first grand mal seizure, she finds herself in an unfamiliar reality, surrounded by strangers wearing familiar faces. Her best friend, Brandon, tells her that the world has fallen to chaos, the aftermath of World War III ten years ago. Madeline doesn’t remember anything from this life— especially not the explosion four years ago that killed her parents and landed her in a coma, or the Lord Commander; a zealot leader of the Southern Territories now searching for her.
Madeline barely has time to process everything before waking up to the life she’s always known. As soon as she dismisses it all as a strange and vivid dream, she finds herself back there once more. Unsure if she’s truly caught in the middle of a brewing rebellion, or teetering on the brink of insanity, she finds herself flipping between the two lives. Her heart becomes torn between two versions of the same boy and the lines between her realities begin to blur as she struggles to save her lives in both worlds.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
Mara Valderran is an author of young adult and new adult books, but she's more than just a madwoman with a writing box. She is an avid reader and fan of all things sci-fi and fantasy. She loves roller skating and movies, though typically not together. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and demanding cat. She hopes to one day meet Daniel Jackson from SG1, or at least the actor who played him. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, playing video games, or counting down the days until DragonCon.
Find Mara Online: Website & Blog  Twitter  Facebook  Google+  Goodreads  Amazon
Be sure to check out the Heirs of War, Crown of Flames blog tour going on right now! There are excerpts, interviews, a giveaway, and more. You can find the tour calendar here. 

My Son Charlie

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This is a video of my son Charlie skateboarding, oops sorry. He hates it when I use the term skateboard I think the appropriate term is 'Longboarding'

Aug 2, 2014

Feb 19 2014

Dec 12, 2013,


War wounds

My Son Isaac

     My son Isaac is now nine. We discovered he had autism when he was twenty months old. I had been working away from home and when I returned he would not look at me.  At first I was looking for some magical cure, but after a while I realized that it was not a short term problem. He was born a month early so that is what they though was the probably cause.
     There really wasn't much development from the time he was two to eight years old., but the last year he has been making quite a bit of progress.
      It has always been difficult to get him to eat, for a year all he would eat for breakfast was chocolate milk, then popcorn.  Since he won't eat what everyone else eats sometimes we forget he hasn't had a meal, which we learned the hard way when the ran into a gas station, grabbed a candy bar and started madly devouring it.
     He can communicate after a manner, we just have to figure out the code. Usually something about the movie he wants to watch.  For the movie Napoleon Dynamite, Isaac would ask for key chain and when he is hurt or sad he asks for a band aid.  He love movies and will include a movie with his routine of pouring water, tying shoes and tormenting his mother. His favorite movies are: Rocket Man, Over the Hedge, Chicken Little, Napoleon Dynamite, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Matilda, Spirited Away, and Toy Story.
     He enjoys dropping dice, dominoes and balls on the tile, and countertops to hear the sound. When we are at the beach he loves to fill a bucket with water then drop sand into it..
     He has been difficult, at time overwhelming, at times a puppy dog in a little boy's body; but he is like someone gave us a million dollars, he is precious to us. Of course he has been a million dollars worth of work as well. I think having an autistic child has been a great blessing, forcing us to reach out of our selves and serve him. He requires our very best effort. We are fortunate to have him in our family.

    This little video reminds me of Isaac.  My brother Hyrum. 



 
     

Cover Reveal - Gears of Brass Anthology

Gear up for GEARS OF BRASS!  Cover Reveal Gears Of Brass Anthology

A world like ours, but filled with gears of brass, where the beating heart is fueled by steam and the simplest creation is a complex clockwork device.  
Within this tome, you’ll find steampunk fairy tale re-tellings, as well as original stories that will send your gears turning.  
Welcome to the steampunk realm, with eleven authors guiding your path. GEARS OF BRASS is a steampunk anthology published through Curiosity Quills.  It will be available for purchase on November 10, 2014.  Within the pages, you’ll come across clockwork inventions and steampunk-ified fairy tale retellings.  Eleven authors will guide you through worlds filled with airships, top hats, and corsets.  Meet the authors:Jordan Elizabeth writes young adult fantasy for Curiosity Quills, including ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW which was published in October and the upcoming TREASURE DARKLY; she’s represented by the Belcastro Agency.J. Millionis the author of Last of the Giantsand can always be found reading or writing. Lorna MacDonald Czarnota is a professional storyteller and author of several books including, Medieval Tales That Kids Can Read and Tell, Breadline Blue, Legends Lore and Secrets of Western New York, Wicked Niagara, Native American and Pioneer Sites of Upstate New York, and Dancing at the Crossroads: Stories and Activities for At-Risk Youth Programming.SA Larsen is represented by Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary and is the author of published short stories, community-interest stories, and magazine articles focused on children. Grant Eagar is an Engineer who would take the tales he told his children at bed time, and transform them into fantasy stories. Clare Weze is the author of The House of Ash (forthcoming) and the co-author and editor of Cloudscapes over the Lune.Eliza Tilton: gamer, writer and lover of dark chocolate; author of the YA Fantasy, BROKEN FOREST, published by Curiosity Quills Press.Heather Talty's stories have been featured in Enchanted Conversation, as well as her own fractured fairy tale site, Mythopoetical (www.Beatrixcottonpants.com).W.K. Pomeroy is a third generation writer who has published more than 70 short stories/articles/poems across many genres and styles, which now includes Steampunk.Christine Baker is the author of Lana's End, The Guild of Dagda, and many more. Natalia Darcy: a bookilicious reader, tea drinker and Zumba aficionado who enjoys playing cards against humanity and washing her hair with ice cold water. You can get your steampunk fix before GEARS OF BRASS is released in November.  To enter for your chance to win a copy of GEARS OF BRASS, you will need to share the cover.  This can be on your blog, Facebook, Twitter… Each time you share the cover image, log it into Rafflecoper (#insert link) to record it.  It will give you more chances to win.  The drawing for the winner will be held on October 27th.  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/dcedff6d3/

Vampire Rules

Felina by Victoria Frances
 
     One of the fun things about writing vampire stories is creating your own vampire rules. What does it take to become a vampire? What are their powers and abilities? What are their weakness? I concede that not all this is original, it is just what I worked out.

     I felt some of the vampire portrayals in movies were a bit unrealistic. Either the vampire killing everyone they bite or turning everyone they nibble on. Why would you want to kill the family cow? And if you turn everyone you bite, then who are you going to get blood from?

     So I tied the vampires to a curse that was strongest during the full moon where the need to have blood was a compelling addiction. During the rest of the time they could eat normally if they so desired.

      In order to become a vampire I had the requirement that the turning had to be part of a ceremony which took place at midnight of the full moon. The person was bitten by a clan leader while the rest of the clan chanted an incantation. I also have the clan leader first apply her own blood to the throat of the victim then bite them; hence mixing their blood and binding them. You don't want to just create a monster, you want to control the monster you create. The leader has certain words she uses to control her clan. while also having a strong paternal instinct to protect her people.

      Fundamentally vampires are predictors, serial killers, stalkers (basic bad monsters) it is hard to generate much sympathy for them.So I can either have my story from the perspective of a vampire hunter which didn't interest me or that of a vampire. If it is the vampire then it becomes a bit of a tragedy since the vampire can only be released from the living hell by a gruesome death. I'm not into tragedies.  I love stories written from the perspective of the monster, therefore I have my vampire only partially turned so that there is some hope. Humanity mixed with the monster.


Please see my short story Devil in a Red Dress which is part of the anthology These Vampires Still Don't Sparkle

These Vampires Still Don't Sparkle

This is my first published short story.The Devil in a Red Dress.

It is part of the anthology These Vampires Still Don't Sparkle by Sky Warrior Book Publishing.

I would like to express thanks to Carol Hightshoe who put the Anthology together and edited it and my my beta readers Mallory, Heather and Elizabeth.


Here is the cover Reveal, Cover by M. H. Bonham



Here is the link to Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/These-Vampires-Still-Dont-Sparkle-ebook/dp/B00N86X348/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412561967&sr=1-2&keywords=these+vampires+don%27t+sparkle


Table of ContentsHer Romanian Stories—John GreyAmong the Herd—Rebecca McFarland KyleHannelore and the Count—Amanda HowardThe Devil in a Red Dress—Grant EagarMiss Transylvania—Jean MartinSheep Interrupted—J.A. CampbellThe Cup of Life—Carol HightshoeThe Thing Named Zoy—Paul Du JatBetter When You Sparkle—Angela MageeMidnight—Russell Scott O’NealMy Dark Genesis—Alex C TelanderA Vampire Amongst Us—RG HalsteadNot As It Seems—Lee PletzersAll Creatures Like to Drink—T Fox DunhamThrowing the Dice—Stephanie EllisRed Georgia Clay—Ariel JayVendetta—Scott Harper The Vampire and the Mermaid—Denarose FukushimaDifferent Now—DJ TyrerAdaptive Strategies—William RD WoodHappy Undead Day—Jeff ProvineThe Judas Goat—Edward AhernThe Clearing—Matthew WilsonOne Day in the Sun—Eric J Hildeman

Cover Reveal - Escape from Witchwood Hollow

I'm excited to be part of Jordan Mierek's Cover Reveal. She has been the impetus of several Anthologies that I'm part of and has done much to help my writing career.

How far into the hollow would you go? 


“After losing her parents in a terrorist attack on the Twin Towers, fifteen-year-old Honoria escapes New York City to Arnn—a farming town with more legends than residents, and a history of witchcraft and secrets best left buried.
Everyone in Arnn knows the story of Witchwood Hollow: if you venture into the whispering forest, the witch will trap your soul among the shadowed trees. In the lure of that perpetual darkness, Honoria finds hope when she should be afraid, and a past of missing children and broken promises.  To save the citizens of Arnn from becoming the witch’s next victims, she must find the truth behind the woman’s madness. How deep into Witchwood Hollow does Honoria dare venture?”ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW is Jordan Elizabeth’s first novel.  This young adult fantasy will be published through Curiosity Quills Press on October 29, 2014.  Jordan Elizabeth, formally Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, can’t get enough of the woods, be it splashing through a stream, sitting beneath an ancient oak, or following a path up a hill.  Some of those adventures have led to abandoned foundations.  Exploring the rocks and crumbling bricks sparked Jordan to imagine who might have lived there before, and that train of thought carried her to a wicked legend and an enchanted hollow.  You can contact Jordan via her website, JordanElizabethMierek.com. .You don’t have to wait for October 29th to explore Witchwood Hollow.  Jordan Elizabeth is offering up a free eArc.  To enter for your chance to win a copy of ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW, you will need to share the cover.  This can be on your blog, Facebook, Twitter… Each time you share the cover image, log it into Rafflecoper to record it.  It will give you more chances to win.  The drawing for the winner will be held on October 20th. 

click on the link below to enter the contesthttp://www.annmnoser.com/

Marie Eager's book of prompts now on kindle.

Since my blog is about prompts, I thought of sharing a link to my niece's new kindle book of prompts.

Her pen name is Marie Eager

Below is the link to it.

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Writing-Prompts-Exercises-Creativity-ebook/dp/B00N6AHSZ6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1409678743&sr=8-4&keywords=creative+writing+prompts

Here is her cover reveal

Time travel

Most of us have wanted to go back in time and change something or do something differently. Here is a secret technique. Just wait a few years and you will be faced with the same situation again, life is like that.   When you are faced with the dilemma again you will now have understanding. You may surprise yourself and do it exactly the same way the second time around.