I Don’t Get It...

...or things I don’t understand about our modern day culture. Trends these days are as flighty as a leaf in a hurricane. Why? I don't have a clue.

For instance:

Frozen. I heard all the accolades. Read the headlines about how marvelous it was. I almost bought the DVD on hype alone. Holy Talking Cats, sure glad I didn’t. I saw it recently and, please Lord, wash that song out of my head. Can’t say I hated it by any means. But it sure wasn’t How to Train Your Dragon 2. I watched that animated feature several times and could sit for another showing easy.

Warbling. A beloved song is introduced and you smile in anticipation...until the singer starts in. She or he begins embellishing every other note into what I call warbling. The “artist” supplies ten sounds to a single tone and everyone claps and proclaims he or she a star. Sing it right, the way it was composed. Warbling corrupts the melody.

Taylor Swift. This young lady writes music, gives to charity, doesn’t twerk, do drugs, slut around, and enjoys life. At twenty-five, she is one of the most influential women of the age. She accepts the responsibility and acts on it. According to an interview done for US Weekly, "I put every one of my actions through a filter before I do them because that's the way my life is," Swift continued. "That the reality… If I do something reckless or thoughtless or careless, or I treat someone badly, that doesn't just affect me; it affects that person. Then, if that story gets out, or some 10-year-old sees that I did that in a news article… my actions do have ripples."

So why all the snide remarks, the hate? Beats me. Herd mentality? Jealousy? I don’t get it.

And while I’m on the subject...Books, specifically, Twilight. It was a life-changer for me so the horrible comments about it leaves me appalled. Why the vitriol? Why the nastiness? I Do Not Understand.

Politics. I do have opinions, but I keep them to myself in this regard. But other writers don’t. They spout. They gnash. They invoke Hellfire in the name of Justice. Everyone has an opinion and it’s good to converse on the subject. But Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat, don’t take a headline and assume it is unadulterated fact. Do research. Check into stuff. Then have an intelligent discussion. 

But remember, you’ll probably alienate half of your audience.

Do you agree? Disagree? See a trend you don’t understand? Share, share.

IWSG – Losing the Desire

IWSG—Insecure Writers Support Group, coming together on the first Wednesday of every month for a virtual pat on the back. 

It starts with excuses.

• I’m too busy to write.
• The passion to finish the ms isn’t there.
• Rejections, bad or no reviews.
• Self-flagellation, as in, “I’m not any good so why bother.”
• Life strikes.

All the above hits every writer/author. So how do you fight through it?

Not looking for sympathy here. Looking for advice.

Insecure Writers Support Group: The Final Frontier.

These are the continuing voyages of the Ninja Captain, AJC. His mission, to explore all new writing venues, to seek out new authors and new blogs. 

To boldly go where no blogateer has gone before.

Who's Your Hero Blogfest - Abraham Lincoln

Everyone has a hero, someone they admire. Michelle Wallace and J.L. Campbell know it's true. They're sponsoring a blogfest highlighting our personal heroes. Go here to find out more.

My hero? Easy. Abraham Lincoln. Always and forever.

I admire his ambition to better himself, to learn to read and write when so many of the population did not. To overcome the loss of his mother at an early age and bond so readily with his stepmother. When his ambition led him to run for office and eventually the Presidency, the country could not have picked a better man during the worst time in this country’s history. It was a place in time that required someone exactly like him. 

Providence maybe?

Feb 1861

In four years, from 1861 to 1865, he aged from a hearty, mature man in his best years to a bent scarecrow. Worries ate at him until his bones showed through his skin. Too many decisions, too many against him. Vitriol lashed him from political enemies and sometimes his generals. The deaths of his sons, the loss of so many on the battlefields. How could it not weigh on his mind?

March 1865

In the end, he might have felt the approach of death. Other assassination attempts on his life had failed but Hate can manifest into something almost visceral, an indescribably horrible burden.

Yet, he continued. Only by his will did he stand erect. Because surely the ambition of his younger days was long gone.

Abraham Lincoln gritted his teeth and continued. Prevailed. 

And when he was killed, he truly “...Now belongs to the Ages.”

Cephalopod Coffeehouse Chat - The Slow Regard of Silent Things

From the ArmChair Squid: “The idea is simple: on the last Friday of each month, post about the best book you've finished over the past month while visiting other bloggers doing the same. In this way, we'll all have the opportunity to share our thoughts with other enthusiastic readers.”

Join the club here.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things - Patrick Rothfuss

The author says, “Don’t buy this book”. Yep. Right out loud, he says it. Well, in print anyway. And—shockingly—I can see

his point.

No matter what the pundits say about “don’t buy a book by its cover”, good designs kick derrieres when it comes to marketing. If the cover to Slow Regard entrances a reader who buys it without knowing Kvothe and his story, this book will disappoint. If the blurb grabs your interest, for Pete’s sake, don’t start with this book. Find Name of the Wind and “do things proper”.

If you think you can barge your way into a museum filled with perfect artifacts and expect to understand it, oh, how wrong you are. The best comparison I have is The Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion. If you’ve walked Middle Earth behind hobbits and Gandalf, you know who they are. They need no introduction. But to jump feet first into Silmarillion without that knowledge is like diving into a pool without knowing the depth. And the shock might keep you from trying it again.

For those acquainted with Kvothe, who have read every line and hold the story dear, Slow Regard is like holding a long-lost present from a beloved grandmother. I can see her gnarled hands stretched out to me, giving me a teacup for my very own. There is no value to the cup. No antique dealer would want the chipped thing. But to experience again the memories is to bring my grandma back to life.

The Slow Regard for Silent Things is just that precious. Priceless. For those who hold the memories of The Kingkiller Chronicles and want more.

The definition of epic fantasy: The Kingkiller Chronicles, a series made up of Name of the Wind, The Wise Man's Fear, and the third and yet-to-be released, Doors of Stone.

Start with these and you'll experience some of the best fantasy reading ever.

Leave Slow Regard for after.

I Do It

When my little brother was three or so, his favorite phrase was “I do it.” 

Our parents would try to help him set up a game and he’d brush them off with I do it. Someone would put a

plate of food in front of him and start to cut up his sandwich into smaller bites. “I do it” and he’d push their helping hands away. Or hold him going down a slide, guide him around a ditch, follow him out the door. I do it, I do it, I do it.

In other words, he hated asking for help.

In that trait, we are very similar. I cringe from asking for assistance. It’s not that I don’t need it on occasion but it goes against my willful nature, I reckon.

• And so I use an axe to chop the ice from a blocked sewer on my own without asking for help. (hey, after tentatively hitting the stinky stuff trying not to get the crud on me, one splat in the face made me say, “Oh well,” and swing mightily to get the job done)
• Plaster and tape 20 by 30 foot room alone.
• Face down a charging bull.

Yes, I am the independent sort. Sometimes stupid but definitely independent.

This leads me to today and my release of Mage Revealed. I swallowed my reluctant nature and asked several of my highly valued blogger friends to assist me in the announcement. Their response made my “allergies” kick in. 

At least that’s the excuse I give when confronted while holding a tissue.

Thank you:

Alex, my uber blogger, who told me the stress never gets even better after the second book. He should know since his fourth novel is in edits and he can’t stop writing.

Marcy – an amazing and humbling post. Truly my rock and friend, beyond priceless

Angela Brown, author of Neverlove and has one of the coolest pen names, Rayven Godchild for her self-pub series. I blush even looking at the covers.

Ellie. One of my all-time, most favorite humans on Earth. I mean she met Shaun (of the Dead) aka Scotty for Goodness sake.

Christine Rains – one of the most delightful (and talented) authors I know, author of The Thirteenth Floor series.

Heather, author of Maguire’s Corner. Her next book in the series, One Good Catch is humming along and should be out next year.

Thank you one and all. My appreciation knows no bounds.

Mage Revealed Released

Mage Revealed

Book Two of The Magic Withheld series

Struck with enough malevolent Spirit to turn him into a raving beast of a man, Bert Reese fights to remain human. Alone, he walks a slender path between sanity and madness. Then, an unlikely source enters his life to help—one of the now-hated mages.

But Ashleigh is different and calms his butchered senses. Her fierce nature is the only rock that stands between him and the crevasse that is beast. In all ways, she walks beside him toward a new beginning. But at the end of their journey lies the one who used Spirit against him. Questions arise; did Tiarra, head of the Imperium, lose her magic, die, or simply give way to the new order? Or, like a spider, does she wait for a mage to blunder into her web?

Forced on him without a care for his humanity, Bert is the mage who should not exist, born with a different kind of magic. 

And the gates of Hell are no match for the magic he wields.

Excerpt:
Bert whirled her around, gripped in the circle of his arms. Ash squealed and laughed as her feet left the ground.

Still the lightning crashed, deafening and brilliant.

“So you’re a mage now. Full blown and no walls,” he said after setting her on her feet. He stepped back and released her to look her up and down as if assessing her. “I don’t see a difference. Just the same Ash as before.” He wrapped his arms around her tight and kissed her mightily.

Strange how close she seemed to him. Even when she broke from his grasp, it was as if he was still touching her.

Skertttt…boom. Boom. BOOM.

Three quick strikes hit the earth only missing the house.
Ash flinched. She held up one hand to the sky. “Ack. Okay, stop now. Stop. GAH.”

Another bolt arrowed into a maple tree. Sparks bloomed like a flower from the trunk.

“Stop,” Ash yelled. “Why can’t I control it?”

Fear shot through Bert. Why couldn’t she stop it? Wasn’t it hers to control?

He took a step. Then another and another until he stood in the grassy lawn in the open. He held up his shaking hands, limbs that quivered as if in palsy.

“Stop,” he murmured.

Deathly quiet reigned over the back yard of the McIntyres’ house. Ash licked her dry lips. After the second try, she finally spoke, her voice cracked and low in wonder.

“You’re a wizard.”


Bert stared at her like a man who had lost all hope. 

I am the Huntress of fantasy on www.spiritcalled.blogspot.com, Facebook, Twitter, and the writer’s critique site, www.unicornbell.blogspot.com. 

Find Wilder Mage and the sequel, Mage Revealed at Amazon

Note: My apologies. The link did not go live until 1 pm CST. 

The Day Before

Tomorrow is release day for Mage Revealed and I feel kinda funny about it. 

Anticipation? Yes. Worry? Always. 

I question if it will achieve the measure of success that Wilder Mage did. I hope so.

Someone asked how that “success” has affected me. Folks must gauge it differently than I do, I reckon. I was just happy so many read and enjoyed my debut novel. 

The journey from Wannabe to Published had speed bumps that resulted in dents in the chassis. And occasions of what we call black ice, slick spots in the road that you don’t see until you hit them. 

Then it's Hold on Nellie, cuz suddenly you're going sideways headed for the ditch.

If arriving at Published Author can be labeled success, it's due to research, luck, and Providence. 

Research: of writing techniques, blogging, critique partners, hook sentences, agents, and publishers. 

Luck: due to writing a genre people like.

And Providence, because there can be no other way.

In addition to the above, I also list other writers as the reason for my achievement. Is there a business like this, made up of established authors, ready and willing to give of their time and expertise to aid the newbies? It still astounds me to no end. But, like I said last year, it’s got to be because they only want to feed their own reading needs. 

Got to be, *grin*.

So tomorrow is the big day and Mage Revealed is going into the hands of many people.

As it says in my acknowledgements, 

To my Once and Future Readers, always and forever my gratitude.

Messes and Mages

Facebook and I get along. Mostly. I like meeting my friends and family, seeing pictures, and commenting. Sometimes the BuyMyBook gets to be too much and I wander off.

And then I see something like Jessica Bell's post about her messy desk and my faith in FB returns.

My place of business is not so bad. At this moment. 8:34 and 45 seconds. But it should return to its cluttered ways soon enough. 

I will admit to one thing. I have a drinking problem. 
I start one, forget it's there, and begin another. Tea, coffee, pop. Whatever.

So what does your desk look like? (I'm telling you right now, Ellie, I don't believe your desk looks like that)

Send and I'll post. 

Also, notice the countdown to the right. It is there for a reason. 

Mage Revealed is coming. Yes. Finally. Ebook AND paperback.

Farming, Fall, Rocks, and Critters

 It is the season.

Of Harvest Moons

Sunsets of Glory

Of Cats

And Large Dogs.

Of rocks

Every shape.
Every size.

Flat ones. 

Colored ones. 

The mist rising from a pond like apparitions from a haunting.

The moment before sunrise. 

Heaven Came Down, and Glory Filled My Soul.

I wait for the season, pining, and it is over too soon. 

The fall days, when Life sighs and readies itself for its long sleep of winter.

And something takes a bite out of the Hunter Moon.

The Walking Dead Season Five Premiere

I never saw the lure of the zombie-genre. 

Then a year and a half ago, I got into The Walking Dead. And when I say "into" I mean more than the original Star Trek. Believe me, that is saying something.

So now I say, to family and friends, for your own safety, do not call me after 8 pm Sunday, October 12th.

I mean it.

Seriously.

 I. Will. Hurt. You.

WINNERS! of the Shelfie Blog Hop

AND HERE ARE THE WINNERS

of the Shelfies Blog Hop!

The winner of the 13th Floor Collection by Christine Rains is: 

Ellie Garratt

The winners of Wilder Mage and Mage Revealed by CD Coffelt, aka Huntress, are: 

Eric Juneau and Tyrean Martinson

The winner of an ebook by Elizabeth Seckman is

Alex J. Cavanaugh

(Alex also receives honorable mention for appearing in the most shelfies!)

The two winners of ebooks by Tara Tyler are 

Chrys Fey and Sarah Foster

The winner of Effigy by M.J. Fifield is

Michelle Wallace

And the winner of an interview by Stormy the Weather Gnome at Heather Gardner's blog is 

Carrie Anne Brownian

And the Grand Prize Winner of $40 is 
Rebecca Bradley!!

Shelfie Contest. Last Day to Enter

Take a picture of your book or favorite books. Enter and WIN! How could that be any easier?

Dates: Last day to enter...TODAY, 
Monday, Oct 6
Entries: Take a picture of you and your book(s) - your favorites or your own novels. Or you can just arrange the books in a special way and take the picture - but you do get extra points for being in the photo.
Formats: Tweet, Facebook, Blog - just make sure to include a link(s) to each.

Tara Tyler's co-hosts, co-conspirators and contributors: Heather M. Gardner, Christine Rains, Vikki Biram, CD Coffelt aka Huntress, M.J. Fifield, Elizabeth Seckman, and Rena Rocford

But that's not all - check out the fabulous prizes! It's easy and profitable! I hope you'll join us and spread the word =)

Contestants:

Ellie Garrett
L. Diane Wolfe
Gina Stoneheart
Stephen Tremp
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Tyrean Martinson
Tami Aschenbrenner
Elizabeth Arroyo
Chrys Fey
Eric Juneau
Loni Townsend
Nicki Elson
Rebecca Bradley
Susanne Drazic
Carrie Anne Brownian
Michelle Wallace


a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am amending my giveaway to include not only

Wilder Mage but also the sequel, Mage Revealed. Ssss. Don't tell Tara or she might enter her own contest.

Wilder Mage contest still going on at Goodreads. If you don't win it in the Shelfie Blog Hop, go here and enter.