More than just a Kiss Blogfest

Of Oak and Dragons

This conversation takes place after the kiss between Leah and Ruen. A snoopy preternatural rapier is listening in on the conversation.

“What about you?”

“Um, what?” Ruen's focus came back to me.

“You kissed me. Why?”

“It seemed like the thing to do." He rolled his eyes as if it should be obvious.

I stared until he fidgeted with a bit of grass clinging to his jeans, brushing it off as if his life depended on it. “I don’t know why,” he said at last. “Wanted to, I guess.”

My sour expression caused him to make an impatient sound.

“Seriously?” he said. “That’s your biggest worry right now, that I kissed you?”

I huffed. The sheep across the fence were eyeing us as if we had three heads.

“Did you like it?” I asked the sheep. They didn't look like they gave a damn.

When he didn't speak, I hazarded a glance. He was grinning. “It wasn't bad,” he said, cocking his head. “But I don’t have anything to stand against it so I wouldn't know.”

“You've never kissed a girl?” I was incredulous.

“Nope.”

“Wow.”

Gawd, the Rapier groaned in my head, this has to be one of the most disgusting conversations—

“Did you want to try it again?” he asked laughing. “Just so I can compare it?”

“Oh, be still my beating heart.” Jackhammer, more like.

His eyes danced then dropped to my mouth.

“Besides,” I said, hurriedly. “Right now, I’m the best kisser you've ever had.”

“Oh, yes. I can truly say that was the best experience I've had.”

“Why did you do it?”

Friday Farm Life

Or what to do when faced by a bull

Beef cattle can be touchy. Momma cows, right after they calve downright belligerent. But who can blame them? 

Here she is tired but happy after the Blessed Event. Then a biped shows up and sprays nasty smelling liquid on the navel of her Bundle of Joy. 

The situation can lead to an event rodeo folk call Freight Trained, run over by a cow at top speed.

The bull has the same attitude. Corner him and someone’s going to get hurt. First off, they’re bigger, got that

muscle roll behind their ears, and sex is on their mind. Not a lot of give in that kind of beast. Especially when the last is in play.

We don’t keep cows or bulls that turn mean. Nothing is worth injury or our lives. Still you never know what might happen even with a semi-docile critter.

Yesterday we had to get the bull in, a fine red Angus three year old 2 ton feller who felt his dignity was on the line. Not really a belligerent bull but he had his share of pride and character. 

I stood in the corral about six feet from the gate while the hubby tried to separate the bull from a cow and calf. He was on the four-wheeler giving him some protection and authority. But the bull was in an arguing mood. He got away from the hubby and came charging at me.

Head down, eyes on the surest path out. 

And that was through me.

So what do you do? Here are your choices:

• Turn and try to make it over the fence. Hell no. Expect to be freight trained.
• Freeze and scream. Interesting prospect but expect to be freight trained, only backwards.
• Take a step toward the bull, raise you arms like a psychotic scarecrow, and roar. Bingo. That is what I did.

Bull stopped so close that I could have slapped his nose. However, I showed common sense and did not. He dipped his head and I yelled again. The sound coming out of my mouth would have impressed a Boeing 747.

He turned and fled and my hubby said in a low voice, “Maybe you might want to get on the other side of the gate now.”

Bull was separated. My throat hurts. And I have shaky legs.

Ah, life on a cattle farm.

IWSG - Asking for Help

IWSG

It’s a family reunion and everyone is mingling, talking about their little escapades. Except for that one gal sitting by herself reading.

Now, go to another scene. A kid is stacking blocks. The blocks topple and fall. When an adult starts to show the proper way of building a tower, it enrages the tyke who exclaims, “I do it.”

Prepare yourself for a revelation.

I am the quiet one reading in a social gathering with the “I do it” mentality. I don’t like to ask for help, and making a spectacle of myself is abhorrent.

I come from a long line of no-talkers. My brothers are the same way. When we get together in one room, we are comfortable with silence. Drives my daughter and hubby CraZy.

So how does a mutant market books?

Believe me, it is excruciating. Standing on a virtual platform and yelling “Look at me!” is like peeling skin off one strip at a time.

But I do it because I want my book to sell well and justify all the faith my publisher, editors, family, and beta buddies have in me.

I do it because to do otherwise is to quit halfway to the finish line when I’m ahead. 

Matthew Keith Reviews, The King's Son

From time to time, I will post reviews and interviews by Matthew Keith.


The King's Son by JF Castillo


"In this fantasy adventure novel, a young prince undertakes a journey to save his his kingdom. His father, the king, is old and sick. The kingdom, as a result, has been neglected and poorly governed. Both the king and the prince are very unpopular, seen by the people as unfit rulers.

In the midst of this upheaval, the prince is told that an artifact of great significance - a key - has been stolen. In the wrong hands, this key could open the door that could lead to the ruination of the kingdom. The prince is tasked with finding the thief and returning the key. Seeing it as a chance to prove himself to his people, the prince gladly accepts the task and the plot is born.

This is a well-wrought story with many twists. Most of the characters don't turn out to be who you think they are, making you second-guess many of their decisions only to find later they had an agenda all

Although there are a number of editing issues that have a tendency to interfere with the pacing and flow of the writing, they are not enough to keep the story from holding your interest through to the end, which is left wide open for a sequel.

I look forward to seeing more from JF Castillo and would recommend this story to any fan of classic fantasy adventure.

I give The King's Son 3.5 stars out of 5."

Disciple, part III

Nothing’s simple when defending a besieged city — or a human heart.

World-building is easy. Just add a unicorn or two, a few alien children, a dystopian world, and Boom! there it is.

Making that world believable? Not so much. 

But doing both, creating and making it believable? Ask the readers of L. Blankenship's Disciple. They'll whoop and holler, Heck Yeah!

Disciple, part III continues the story of Kate, the peasant girl who rocked the status quo. From the highest born to the lowest. And all the Deity in between.


Author Interview:
Tell us about yourself.

Pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain! No, seriously, there isn't much to say. I'm forty-something, I live near Washington, DC, I have two cats and a dog. I love music and maintain a hefty iTunes library. All things fantasy, science fiction, or non-fiction fascinate me, whether it's books, movies, or TV shows.

Tell us about your book.

Disciple is the story of a young woman fighting to defend her homeland with her developing magical skills. And trying to not get her heart broken along the way.

It's a six-part story, which I know because I've written them all. Today I'm releasing Disciple, Part III – we're halfway there!

If you could only have one superpower what would it be?

I kinda like the one I already have, to be honest. This writing thing rocks.

Who is your favorite character from one of your books and why?

(thinks long and hard) I have a tremendous amount of sympathy for Kiefan because he felt so trapped by his sense of duty and by factors that were completely out of his control. The progress he made, over the course of Disciple, toward being able to say no to certain people and to have the courage to pursue what he needed personally... that was a journey that I needed to take right alongside him. And I'll always be grateful to him for that.

What are you working on now?

I am working on, in no particular order: prepping Disciple, Part IV for publication, organizing a new science fiction novel, and revising Hawks & Rams.

What’s your favorite movie?

I hate having to pick just one! The complexity of Inception was delicious. I can quote most of The Princess Bride from memory. Amadeus is one of the few movies to ever make me cry. 2010 left a huge imprint on my young sci-fi mind. There's plenty more where that came from...

What’s your favorite quote?

My favorite changes every few weeks. Currently, it's a quote from C.S. Lewis: “When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”

What genre do you write and why?

I write fantasy and science fiction because I love world-building. I love the research, I love the what-ifs, I love all of it.

 

Name five things that are on your desk right now?

Tins of Altoids (cinnamon and peppermint), nail clippers, a spray bottle of glasses-cleaning fluid, the marked-up current draft of Disciple, Part IV, and my wedding ring.

Chocolate cake, strawberry shortcake, apple pie, or pecan pie?

Strawberry shortcake, as long as it's completely home-made. Well... the whipped cream can be from a spray can, but no Cool Whip allowed. Because if I'm going to be wearing it for the rest of my life it should be worth it, you know?

How can readers find you?

I'm all over the place:

Book blog: 

Writing blog:

Twitter: 

Facebook: 

Google +: 

Goodreads: 

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Blurb for Disciple, Part III:

Kate fought for her place as a healer in the war’s front lines. Serving her homeland has been her goal since her magical gifts earned her a coveted apprenticeship with the kingdom’s greatest healer. She believes she’s prepared.

But nothing’s simple when defending a besieged capital city — or her heart.

She loves the prince, who means to protect her even though his duties as a knight keep him on the battlements, fighting the enemy’s monstrous army.

Kate’s husband is the one who checks on her, lingers over dinner, and slowly but surely charms her. She’s all too aware that her beloved prince threatened to kill him if he touches her.

As the enemy thunders against the city walls, the kingdom needs more from Kate than just her healing magic. All disciples must put aside their tangled feelings and stand in the homeland’s defense.

Kate believed she's ready for a war. She isn't.