Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
It’s Christmas…in July?
Folks, I needed to make sure to let you all know that I’m taking part in the forthcoming Christmas in July event, held on Monday, July 25, 2016, on Facebook. (Go to this page and sign up, if you’d like, though I will be reminding people of this Sunday night as well if at all possible.)
Here’s the full list of the invitees to the Xmas in July Party:
10am -11am – Author Barbara Ehrentreu
11am – 12pm – Author Uvi Poznansky
12pm – 1pm – Author Barb Caffrey
1pm – 2pm – Author Dellani Oakes
2pm – 3pm – Author Rebecca Vickers
3pm – 4pm – Author Viv Drewa
4pm – 5pm – Author K.L. Nappier
5pm – 6pm – Author Christine Amsden
6pm – 7pm – Author Cris Pasqueralle
7pm – 8pm – Author Maria DeVivo
Now, if you are a fan of Twilight Times Books, you are probably aware that both Maria DeVivo and Christine Amsden are TTB authors. Maria’s most recent book is THE RISE OF STURD, a fantasy with both dark and comedic elements set in her Coal Elf series; Christine’s most recent book is KAITLIN’S TALE. They’re both fine authors and I’m proud to say that I’ve helped to edit their books in the past — Maria with THE COAL ELF, and Christine with KAITLIN’S TALE.
I’ve “met” authors Uvi Poznansky and Dellani Oakes to a degree online; they’re both very warm-hearted people with some interesting books and stories. Everyone else, I’ll be meeting for the first time along with you…but we all intend to give you a fun-filled day filled with contests, prizes, and much more.
Now, as to what I, personally, will do? You need to show up to the online party to figure that out, but I will give you a couple of hints…the year 2002 may factor into the discussion. (Just sayin’.) Perhaps my favorite authors will be discussed…and, finally, I may discuss the environs of Northern California just a tad, if I feel the need.
(Or not. This is a work in progress!)
In case you want to get into the Xmas in July spirit and buy one of my books now, here are the links to both of my novels at Amazon; each are e-books.
AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE is here. (Still just ninety-nine cents in United States dollars…how can you beat that?)
…and A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE is here.
That’s both halves of the Elfy duology, right there, available for less than what you’d pay for a meal at McDonald’s…lots of great reading for a teensy price, and you’ll get to meet the funniest young adult couple in fantasy in the bargain. (So how could you go wrong?)
Oh, you want to try before you buy? I guess I can understand that…here’s the link to TTB’s sample chapters for AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE, and here is the link to the sample chapters for A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE.
Now, let’s get ready to rumble…er, read!
On Reading, Writing, and Blogging
Folks, as you know, I’m celebrating the International Authors’ Day Blog Hop, started by writer/blogger Debdatta Desgupta Sahay of b00k r3vi3ws.in and celebrated by a wide variety of writers and bloggers worldwide (including yours truly). But because time was short when I joined the blog-hop initially, I didn’t talk about something Ms. Sahay and many other bloggers in this particular hop have…and that’s about why they love books.
Now, it’s time to change that.
So, why do I love books so much? Is it because they offer different ways of thinking than my own? Is it because of the stories they provide? Or is it simply that I love to see the different ways writers put words together?
Maybe it’s all of that. Or maybe it’s all of that plus more…
Early in my life, I realized that I loved to read. Maybe this is because my grandmother read to me often as a youngster, as did my parents…I remember that by age four or so, I could read books that most kids didn’t pick up until third or fourth grade. By the time I was eight, I was reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden mysteries; by age ten, I’d graduated to Sherlock Holmes and baseball biographies (including of Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays, among others). By age twelve or so, I was reading about the civil rights struggles, and various histories…by age fourteen, I was reading Robert A. Heinlein’s TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE and had read through all of the Andre Norton books I could find, including her Witch World books, the three books set on Warlock, the Time Traders saga, and more.
And with every book I read, the more things I learned. I tried not to stop myself from reading anything I felt I needed to, which sometimes got me into a bit of a pickle (when I was in my early teens, and a boy I liked saw me reading OUR BODIES, OUR SELVES, I remember flushing bright red). But mostly, it taught me that every book, every genre, every author has something to say — and that every book, in its own way, is precious.
Now, there are books that, once read, I have never picked up again. (LORD OF THE FLIES was one of those. Ugh!) I’m human, and I have things I’m partial to…which, considering I grew up to be a science fiction, fantasy, and romance writer, tends to be a little more eclectic than most.
Still. I urge people to broaden their horizons. We writers need to read all sorts of things in order to formulate our stories. And sometimes, we write characters who are nothing whatsoever like us — yet we must do so with conviction, or the reader will tune out. How do we do that unless we’re willing to listen to others who don’t sound like us? Or at least read books that challenge our assumptions, and make us think about the choices we make, and why we make them?
But even if you’re not a writer, I still urge you to read outside your comfort zone. (Writer/blogger Susan Toy has a great set of memes generated from a recent insightful blog post of hers; the memes were created by Chris Graham, of TSRA PROMO GRAPHICS & VISUALS — otherwise known as Chris the Story-Reading Ape.** Chris runs a great blog, and offers many services to indie authors free of charge; if you haven’t been to his blog yet, you really should hightail it over there.)
In fact, here is a great visual put together by Chris G. on behalf of Susan Toy, using her words:
As the author of some very different-than-usual books (including AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE and A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE), I have to hope that more people will start doing just that. And soon.
Anyway, I love reading. I also love to write, especially when the words are flowing and the story’s making sense…and as a blogger, I’ve enjoyed getting a chance to meet people from all over the world.
That is the main reason why I signed up for the International Authors’ Day blog-hop, and it’s why I hope you’ll continue to enjoy reading my blog if it’s the first time you’ve ever stopped by.
Happy Sunday, folks! Keep hopping along…and remember, if you haven’t done so yet, you can get my military SF story “To Survive the Maelstrom” for free as an e-book from Amazon for another day or so, give or take a few.
—–
**I hate to admit this, but half the time, I write “Chris the Story-Telling Ape,” even though Chris Graham uses TSRA — or “The Story-Reading Ape” — as part of his own company name! Fortunately for me, Chris does not seem to mind this…one of these days, Chris, I’ll get it right. (Starting today, I hope.)
Announcing…”Realms of Darkover” Is Out!
Folks, I’ve been so preoccupied with edits, my novel CHANGING FACES, and other things that I completely forgot to announce this very important event:
REALMS OF DARKOVER is out! And my third story in the Darkover universe, “Fiona, Court Clerk in Training,” is included.
What’s my story about? Well, all three of my stories have been about Fiona n’ha Gorsali or members of her immediate family; this one features Fiona as a child, when all she wants is to become a judge like her father. But Darkover has never before had a female judge…and even though her mother is a Renunciate and her father has no objection to Fiona becoming one as well (indeed, Fiona must become a Renunciate, or she can’t become a judge at all; Darkover has very straitened paths for women unless they choose the Renunciate path), it’s still not going to be easy for Fiona to obtain her heart’s desire. And as we see, the first step on Fiona’s path toward becoming a judge is to become an official court clerk, despite her tender age.
I had a ball writing about Fiona as a feisty thirteen-year-old, and I hope you’ll enjoy my story immensely, along with all the other great stories in REALMS OF DARKOVER.
Blog Exchange, Day 2: Janet L. Walters Talks Writing, Books, and More!
Folks, it’s Day 2 of my blog exchange with author Janet L. Walters. (My guest blog at Janet’s site is available here: https://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com/2016/05/saturdays-blurbs-featuring-books-by.html) I hope you’ll enjoy her thoughts on writing her latest book series…here we go!
When I began the series At First Sight, it meant rewriting a number of older stories and fixing the problems and updating the information. These are spicy romances, all contemporaries, and the first four concern the love lives of two sisters and two brothers. Somehow, a pair of their friends and colleagues slipped into the mix and there could be more people coming aboard when I have time to dream up more situations.
The first book involves Allie who edits a magazine for a family-held magazine, Good Cookin’. Her story involves a Chef, Greg who owns and heads a restaurant called Five Cuisines. Allie sets out the gain the interview and her father forbids this. He owns the magazines. Allie isn’t one to sit back. Greg is told by his mother not to let any Blakefield near the restaurant. This is how the fun begins.
In the second book, Meg Blakefield is dragooned to pick up the magazine group’s photographer at the airport. She has had a crush on him since the day he began work but she has also managed to anger him. Steve likes to tease Meg. He loves to see her blush. On his last photo shoot he had an accident resulting in a broken leg and a lot of bruises and scrapes. He would like to have Meg in his bed. When she learns there is no one to stay with him, she volunteers and adds rules to her already Rules of Life. The meeting sets off some fireworks. Her magazine is Good Lookin’ and she has a real love of silk and underwear.
The third book finds Mark Blakefield viewing a picture one of the writers from Good Travelin‘ has taken on a trip to Vermont. He sees a picture of a boy who could have been him at the same age. He also recognizes the child’s mother as the one who got away. They had a hot and heavy college romance but she vanished before the semester ended. He has looked for Christa Parsons. When he lands at the inn, he learns her name is and always has been Christa Sommers. He wants her and he wants his son. Can their love be rekindled?
The fourth book finds Matt Blakefield running from Mark’s wedding with the words “You’re next.” He thinks no way and takes off on his motorcycle. A rainstorm has him barely able to see and finding no place to stay. He runs into a pine tree outside a cabin. He discovers Cassie is the girl he insulted and made fun of in high school. Someone he has never forgotten. Cassie is hiding at the cabin trying to come to grips with her fiancé’s desertion and marriage to another woman weeks before their wedding. The notification came via an email. She recognizes Matt and decides a night with him is something she just might enjoy. He leaves the next day without an exchange of numbers. Then he discovers she has something he wants and he needs to find her.
The fifth book belongs to their friend and attorney Tony Carlin. The death of his brother and being named as one of the guardians for his infant nephew brings him in touch with Lauren. Lauren is the child’s aunt and has also been named as guardian. They met four years before at the wedding of his brother and her sister. Lauren was at the end of her runaway period. His first impression of her wasn’t great but still he thought about sex. He is still thinking about this and he also feels she’s not a good guardian for the little boy. He makes assumptions and you all know what that means.
The sixth book finds Jules Grayson trying to convince Grace to sign a contract to have her cupcake bakery featured in Good Cookin’. She’s reluctant and he takes a trip he’d rather not take. After his father’s conviction for a Ponzi scheme and his mother’s suicide, he ended in a group home. The home was next door to where Grace landed after her mother overdosed. Grace is the only girl who ever turned Jules down when he tried for a hookup. Seeing her again brings up the desire to accomplish what he never had. Grace is choosy about the men in her life. She has no desire to be like her mother. Jules falls in love with her cupcakes and desires her in his bed.
Website: http://janetlanewalters.com/home
Blog: http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetL717
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3
So…there you have it! Janet has an interesting series, and I do hope you will check it out forthwith.
Special Guest Blog 2-Day Event, Part 1: An Interview of Author Janet L. Walters
Folks, author Janet L. Walters and I are exchanging guest blogs today and tomorrow…I hope you’ll enjoy her insights! (My Day 1 guest blog for Janet can be found here: http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com/2016/05/friday-who-she-was-before-featurning.html)
Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys creating tales in many forms? Does your reading choices reflect your writing choices? Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?
I bill myself as the eclectic writer but lately I’ve realized most of my stories are romances but they fit into subgenres of romance. Except for some of the YA stories but even there, there are boy/girl relationships that can be developing. Even my mysteries hold a bit of romance for the heroine that takes five books to lead to her marriage. Some of my romances are contemporary, some paranormal, fantasy, historical and suspense. They range in heat level from sweet to spicy.
My reading choices are just as different. I read most everything but not all books are enjoyed as much as others. With the number of books floating through the internet and my Kindle handy, I read a lot. I do not read horror.
As to what I wouldn’t attempt to write. Anything with hard science. I know nothing about technology and while I admire people who do I’m not going to try. I don’t see a horror book in my future. Though sometimes I can write dark horror is beyond dark to me.
Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write? Does one of these come easy and why?
There are days and days. Sometimes I have difficulty reining each of the three into form. I’m usually more able to identify with the heroine and her emotions. The heros often give me trouble, especially when they speak. They don’t always come across as male but a sort of neuter kind of person. Now villains usually come easy because that allows me to let some of my evil nature escape.
Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?
I turn to Astrology to develop my hero. After the idea for a plot comes into my head, I begin to look at what kind of hero I need. Turning to my many Astrology books, I find a sun sign which will show my character’s inner nature. This may be different from the face he shows the world. For that I look for an Ascendant that fits what the character is becoming in my head. For the emotional quality, I look at his Moon Sign. This usually gives me how his emotions differ from the two other elements. This makes for a complex character. And often tells me what his interior conflict will be. The outer conflict can also be found in the three elements of his character. Once this is in place, I develop the other characters, though one or both of them may have entered my imaginary world before.
Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?
For my heroines I also use the same process as I do the hero. There are times when the heroine appears before the plot and I must find a hero and a story for her. Using the what if can bring a heroine to life. Many of my heroines are nurses or have other skills that are somehow medical. Here I can pull things from women I knew when I worked as a nurse. Something will remind me of a trait or a worry one of these former colleagues displayed. Also in my heroines, there is a little of myself. Not myself as I am but myself as I wish I was.
Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?
Villains for me are the easiest to write and they aren’t necessarily the bad guy. In my latest release in both paper and electronically, the female lead begins as a villain. To make her human meant she needed lessons to be learned. She did love her land and her parents but she performs an act that makes her seem not to be a good person. Through the first four stories in this collection, she remains unknowing of what she must do. She needs to learn how to love. Each story gives her a small hint about love and the final two stories show what lessons she has learned.
The trick with making villains is giving them traits that make them human. This is easy with the opposing character who isn’t a true villain but one who has his own ideas about the lives of the hero and or heroine. This person can have good reasons for their feelings and can be made while not likeable at least interesting. The character who is truly evil is harder to find a reason to make them seem less that evil. The trick here might be to develop their degree of evilness in increments through the story. At least that’s the way it works for me.
What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain?
By the time this interview goes live at least four of my latest series will be released. This one is Seducing the Doctor. The hero is Matt Blakefield, a man who doesn’t want to fall the victim of the Blakefield curse. He doesn’t believe he has ever fallen in love but there is a girl he can’t forget from his high school days. He believes he remembers her because he hurt her by saying words he really didn’t believe because of a prank by the school’s cheerleaders.
What are you working on now?
Currently I am re-writing the final two books in the At First Sight series. Seducing the Attorney and Seducing the Baker. The first book involves a couple who met four years ago at the wedding of his brother to her sister. Now they have become the guardians for their nephew. The second book involves a reluctant hero who vets new employees for a publishing company and who locates lost people and the only girl who ever turned him down when he was a bad boy teenager. She now owns a cupcake bakery one of the magazines he works for wants to do a feature article about. She is reluctant.
How can people find you?
Website: http://janetlanewalters.com/home
Blog: http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetL717
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3
——————-
Come back tomorrow for another post from Janet…you don’t want to miss out!
Amazon Turbocharges Book Marketing – but at what Price
Nicholas Rossis has a great take on Amazon’s new book marketing options…but beware, folks.
As I said to Nicholas at his blog, the big indies I know do not need this service; they are already discovered. And the middling-sized ones who might need it probably can’t afford it, while the struggling indies (I’d put myself in this category) have no way to pay for it whatsoever whether they need it or not. (I’d like to think I don’t, and that I’m growing my audience organically. Maybe that’s a forlorn hope, but that’s my hope.)
Anyway, do go read Nicholas’s insightful post, and see what you think.
———————— Nicholas’s post follows:
The Passive Guy alerted me to a big change in the way Amazon does book marketing. As Amy Collins of The Book Designer reports, starting today, Amazon is expanding its Amazon Marketing Services (AMS…
Source: Amazon Turbocharges Book Marketing – but at what Price
Two New Books from Friends to Share…
Folks, it’s Saturday. Time turns to reading, at least for me…sometimes to book reviewing, too (though I’m way behind on that, I do intend to get back to it sooner or later).
Today, I have two great books to share with you, especially if you enjoy military science fiction/adventure stories.
First, my friend Loren K. Jones’s second e-book from Twilight Times Books is out; it’s a short story collection called STORIES OF THE CONFEDERATED STAR SYSTEMS. I edited this book, and it’s a fun, fast read with a lot of great stories…right now, it’s only ninety-nine cents, too! (That won’t last long.) I grabbed my e-book copy right away, and hope you will, too.
Edited to add: If you want a copy from OmniLit, go here; if you want a copy from Barnes and Noble.com, go here. I now return you to your regularly scheduled blog post, already in progress…
“But Barb,” you protest. “I want to know what I’m getting into, before I buy this book, even for ninety-nine cents.”
Ah. Well, I have you covered…there is a free sample of Loren’s newest up right now at the Twilight Times Books website.
“So, who’s your other friend, Barb, that you’re ‘pimping’ today?”
Hmmm. I’d not use that word, quite…it’s more of an informative thing, really.
“Spit it out, Barb.”
OK, OK. My friends Jason Cordova and Chris Smith recently released KRAKEN MARE as an e-book. It’s about a disillusioned former Marine, who stumbles onto a mystery after taking a job on Titan’s moon. But it’s not a benign mystery; oh, no. (That would be too easy.) Instead, it’s a mystery that will “shock the foundations of the universe…something out of a nightmare,” as the book description says.
I don’t have a picture to add to this one…but I can tell you I’ve read several chapters already, and am enjoying it quite a bit. (No one does military SF/horror hybrids quite like Jason Cordova. And Chris Smith’s influence is felt in myriad ways…this book will not disappoint.)
Hope you enjoy them!
A Quick, Drive-By Bloglet…
Folks, I’m still here. I’m just absorbed by a number of things right now, including several ongoing edits and trying to devote some brainpower toward fixing another thorny problem in CHANGING FACES. Because of that, I haven’t had a whole lot of energy to devote to blogging.
That said, I wanted to make sure everyone knew about N.N. Light’s news. From her recent blog post:
Planting the Seeds of Love: A Novella has passed the first round of The Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Awards – Summer 2016. WHOO! This is the first award I’ve entered for this book and I’m super excited.
The next round is called the Nomination Round and this is where I need your help.
Folks, “Planting the Seeds of Love” is my friend N.N. Light’s contemporary romance novella. I read it, I enjoyed it, and I thought it quite interesting. (I keep meaning to review it at SBR right along with PRINCESS OF THE LIGHT, also written by Mrs. Light. And I keep running out of time. Sometime soon, I have to make time to review these books.) And now, Mrs. Light’s novella has been nominated for an award…but she needs fifty nominations between March 14 and March 31, 2016 to move to the next round.
If you’re like me, you probably don’t want to nominate a story you haven’t read. That said, rectifying that problem is very easy…go buy a copy at Amazon right now, or borrow it if you’re a member of Kindle Unlimited (as it’ll be free). Then, if you enjoyed “Planting the Seeds of Love” as much as I did, go to this link at the Romance Reviews and nominate it. (If you’re not a member of the Romance Reviews, it’s easy to become one. I did it about twelve hours ago…so can you.)
Thus concludes today’s quick, drive-by bloglet…I hope to be back to blogging, book reviewing, and other such interesting activities Real Soon Now.
Want to Read a Free Copy of AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE on 3/6/16? Here’s How
Folks, in honor of Read an E-Book Week, my publisher, Twilight Times Books, is giving away free e-books from March 6, 2016 to March 12, 2016 — one full week — at their website only. Every day, two e-books will be given away for free, including copies of SCHOOLED IN MAGIC by Chris Nuttall and THE CASE OF THE DISPLACED DETECTIVE: THE ARRIVAL by Stephanie Osborn later in the week.
“But Barb,” you say. “What’s this about a free copy of AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE? I want details!”
OK. For those detail-minded among you, AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE will be given away, free of charge, at the Twilight Times Books website starting at midnight 3/6/2016 and ending at midnight 3/7/2016. (Go to this page, and you will find the links when they become active.)
So if you love free e-books — and really, who doesn’t? — this is your chance to get the book that Rosemary Edghill called “is a fresh and unexpected take on the urban fantasy genre with a charming and original protagonist.” She further said, “You’ll want to read this one.”
Author Stephanie Osborn is also in AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE’s corner, saying, “(It’s) filled with fascinating characters both good and evil, characters that, because of their strengths…and weaknesses…seem to come to life for the reader, and a riveting conundrum of a mystery with many facets…The further into An Elfy on the Loose I read, the deeper it drew me into the story. And I went eagerly!”
Others who’ve loved AN ELFY ON THE LOOSE include authors Jason Cordova, Katharine Kimbriel, and N.N. Light…so, really, what are you waiting for?
Go grab your free copy as soon as it becomes available…then, if my story about Bruno the Elfy and Sarah, his mostly-human teenage girlfriend has intrigued you, go read the second half of the Elfy duology, A LITTLE ELFY IN BIG TROUBLE, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and OmniLit/All Romance for just $2.99 USD.
Then come back and let me know what you think. (I won’t bite. Promise.)
Barb Caffrey's Blog 