Review: The Perfect Player by Devon Winterson

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Blurb:

"A forbidden tryst exposes a threat and sets a secret plan in motion, and twenty-year-old Marisa of Mynae discovers her life is all a lie. But even as a cryptic journal reveals her true purpose and a trail of hoofprints leads her to a demon renegade, Marisa balks at fate’s course until evil devours her people and imperils her father’s life. Only then does she learn what it takes to play – and win – a deadly game of predator versus prey." 

Review:

I had the privilege of reading a pre-release copy of Devon Winterson’s debut novel, The Perfect Player, which is due out on November 11, 2013—or, as I’m sure Devon would say, “On the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour.” Devon is a moderator at Writer’s Beat, an online community for writers, and her often hilarious and witty anecdotes and gracious interviews of indie authors can be found at her blog, The Ether of My Imagination.

As with all indie books I read, I started The Perfect Player as a skeptic, but soon became a believer. Granted, the hook in this dark fantasy comes a bit late. I didn’t feel fully engaged in the story until Marisa’s “crazy” mother makes an appearance toward the end of Chapter 2. After that point, there were times when the story was so intense that I could not put my Kindle down. While I read, I’m sure my eyes were bulging out.  

What I loved most about The Perfect Player were the layers of history and backstory woven into the plot. I kept saying to myself, “Wow, this is really complex.” The life Marisa thinks she is being prepared for is only a façade masking what really happened in the lives of her parents, and even events as far back as the creation of the world. These secret events provide a delectable puzzle to be worked out, both by the reader and Marisa herself.

Now, I did find some of my pet peeves in the writing style, and on occasion, the villains and the heroine speak lines that are just short of original in flavor. But most of the time, Devon’s writing is poetic, powerful, and rife with treats to the senses. She has painted a vivid world in which Marisa walks through lavender grasses with bare feet and drinks scented, opalescent elixir instead of water. Her characters soon spring off the page, full of flaws, complexity, hidden motives, and deep unfulfilled desires.

One of the most rewarding elements is that none of these characters are safe, not even the heroes we come to love. Unexpected twists and sudden loss make The Perfect Player a page-turner. Who will survive until The End? You’ll want to add this debut novel to your to-read list and find out on the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour.

I give The Perfect Player 4 out of 5 magic wands:

Purchasing information: The Perfect Player will be available on Amazon, in print and for the Kindle, on November 11, 2013.
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Janis Accepted!

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Who doesn't love Janis Joplin, eh? I mean, really. The wailing, the rebellion, the angst, the soul in that whiskey voice. A year ago, I posted about the Janis story I was writing, and in the months since I have been trying to sell it. We finally got a bite. Voluted Tales, a lovely subscription-only ezine, has picked up the story and will publish it on October 25th.

Thanks goes to my critiquers at LegendFire. Undoubtedly, they helped me work out the kinks. The success is theirs, too.

Now it's time to raise a glass of Southern Comfort and celebrate. Cheers, all.
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Bearded Scribe's 500/1000 Follower Giveaway!

Greetings, Beardies!

A while back I had mentioned on Facebook (and by default, Twitter) that, in honor of reaching 500 Likes on our Facebook Page and 1000 Followers on Twitter, I would be holding a Giveaway.

A Giveaway, there shall be...and it's a doozie! We have some great prizes, donated by some great authors. In addition to their generosity, I've decided to donate a prize of my own.

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The Prizes & Their Benefactors:

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Joshua Allen Mercier is the Founder and Executive Editor of The Bearded Scribe.  He is a passionate reader and an aspiring author currently shopping his first manuscript, The Assassin of Aldarhaij. He studied Creative Writing at Alma College and is a self-confessed nerd, linguaphile, and Grammar Nazi. He believes that Oxford comma is not optional, and that its absence is a punishable crime. 

World-Building Critique & Feedback. With this service, I'll review your world-building material and notes for consistency and clarity, discrepancies and weaknesses, strengths and uniqueness, among other factors. I will offer a thorough critique with detailed feedback, pointing out places in your world that need work or reinforcement. The service includes the initial email exchange of your notes, my critique and feedback, and two, thirty-minute sessions via Facebook or iMessage (in addition to an initial 30-Minute Consultation).  Prize valued at $70

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Cidney Swanson is the author of The Ripple Trilogy and the Saving Mars series.  She has always had a thing for words. At an early age, she knew she’d be a writer. Her dad taught literature, and her mom made sure she and her sister had library books.

Her parents took the sisters to see Shakespeare plays as well, and as a seven-year-old, Cidney interrupted the actors performing The Merchant of Venice when one of them lied to another in Elizabethan English. Cidney recalls seeing the actors onstage breaking into choked laughter when she called out, “You liar!” No one mentioned to her that Shakespeare was difficult to understand, so she simply followed along, commenting when she couldn’t stand the fibbery anymore.

By the time she turned nine, Cidney read and wrote stories constantly. She found Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and became convinced the author had modeled her character “Jo March” after her. As a teen, she fell hard for fantasy and science fiction and soon wrote her futuristic tales in Tolkien’s Elven script. (Which also came in handy for hiding journal entries from her sister.)

Cidney traveled with her teacher-parents every summer, driving through Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and a dozen European countries by the time she reached high school age. She was able to travel abroad three out of her four years in college as well, adding Israel and Eastern Europe to her list.

Through her twenties, and into her thirties—which she describes as her “decade of giving birth”—Cidney journaled, wrote poems and essays, and started novels that were never finished in between chasing chickens and changing diapers. She also started two successful businesses and home-schooled her kids with her husband’s help. She describes those as great years for taking in life, an activity she highly recommends for any aspiring writer.

Cidney lives with her husband and assorted animals and kids in Oregon where she writes full-time, planning her next novel and her next international adventure with equal enthusiasm. She no longer, however, interrupts theatrical performances. Even if someone’s lying.


One (1) copy of Defying Mars.  One winner will be handsomely rewarded with a copy of Defying Mars, the second book in the Saving Mars series.

Jessamyn has escaped Earth with food for her starving world, but her troubles are just beginning. She must rebuild her life without Pavel, the Terran boy whose kiss haunts her. Her success is further tainted by the loss of her beloved brother. Ethan disabled the deadly lasers orbiting Mars, but this has created a fervor to re-open trade with Earth which Jess knows would be disastrous. Add into the mix a secret which could launch an interplanetary war, and Jess finds herself at the center of an intrigue where, in order to save the world she loves, she must defy it.

Five (5) Specialty Saving Mars Bookmarks.  These collector bookmarks, inspired by the cover from the first book in the Saving Mars series (aptly titled, Saving Mars), are from a remaining limited quantity, generously donated by Cidney.

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Lana Krumwiede’s first name rhymes with banana, and she pronounces her last name KRUM-widdy, as in a clever bread fragment. But don’t worry too much because she’s not touchy about it.

In third grade, Lana wrote in her autobiography that she wanted to be a mother, a writer, and the church organist. The organist thing didn’t work out very well, but the other two dreams made up for it. Her work has appeared in Highlights, High Five, Spider, Babybug, The Friend, and Chicken Soup for the Child’s Soul. Freakling is her first novel. She also has a picture book under contract with Candlewick.

Before she remembered she wanted to be a writer, Lana worked as an office manager, a stay-at-home mom, a preschool teacher, a Spanish teacher, a bilingual kindergarten teacher, a swimming instructor, and a reading tutor. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and youngest daughter. Her three older children are off having adventures of their own.

Lana has tried psi many times, especially in association with cleaning house, but could never make it work. She does have a few mildly supernatural abilities, which include untying knots, peeling oranges, and dominating in board games. Her perfect day would include reading, writing, swimming, cooking, telling jokes, spending time with family, and pie.

Two *SIGNED* Copies of Freakling.  

In twelve-year-old Taemon’s city, everyone has a power called psi — the ability to move and manipulate objects with their minds. When Taemon loses his psi in a traumatic accident, he must hide his lack of power by any means possible. But a humiliating incident at a sports tournament exposes his disability, and Taemon is exiled to the powerless colony. The "dud farm" is not what Taemon expected, though: people are kind and open, and they actually seem to enjoy using their hands to work and play and even comfort their children. Taemon adjusts to his new life quickly, making friends and finding unconditional acceptance. But gradually he discovers that for all its openness, there are mysteries at the colony, too — dangerous secrets that would give unchecked power to psi wielders if discovered. When Taemon unwittingly leaks one of these secrets, will he have the courage to repair the damage — even if it means returning to the city and facing the very people who exiled him?

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Brian Rathbone is a former horse trainer and computer programmer.  He used his old world knowledge and love of fantasy fiction to create The World of Godsland fantasy series, which begins with The Dawning of Power trilogy.  

Brian began working from home, finally finding the time to write down the story that had been growing in his mind for over a decade. At times he felt like a juggler in motley while he balanced the writing of code and the writing of fiction, but it’s all been worthwhile.

He is currently working on writing Fifth Magic, the seventh book in his World of Godsland series.

Two Copies of The Dawning of Power trilogy, the first three books of his World of Godsland series.  Echoes of the ancients’ power are distant memories, tattered and faded by the passage of eons, but that is about to change. A new dawn has arrived. Latent abilities, harbored in mankind’s deepest fibers, wait to be unleashed. Ancient evils awaken, and old fears ignite the fires of war.

In times such as these, ordinary people have the power to save the world . . . or destroy it.

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Paige W. Pendleton. The secrets of the Red Paint People have haunted Maine for 7000 years. Paige is busy writing those tales.

She is currently working on The Keeper and the Scimitar of Salaman, the third installment of her Black Ledge series.

Two Copies of The Keeper and the Rune Stone.  An unholy ritual, a ticking clock. Four children discover that there are things that go bump in the night...

Centuries ago a group of Elves committed an unholy ritual. But the ritual was a spectacular failure. It transformed the Elves into the Noctivagae - the beings we know as vampires.

Striving to maintain a fragile peace, the ancient Elves and Dwarves negotiated an accord, which they've renewed every year on the summer solstice. The ceremony depends on the magical Rune Stone, but it's missing. If it is not found—and quickly—the consequences could be dire, and not just for Elves and Dwarves.

Four children, Rob, Jack, Eleanor, and Flora, stumble into the fantastical excitement when they happen across a wise being who inhabits a nearby cave. He is the Keeper of the Realm. He befriends the children and enlists their help.

The adventure that follows is based on my suspicion that Elves and Dwarves came to Maine with the ancient Norse in the time of the Red Paint People. The story is filled with suspense, magic, adventure, and charming supporting characters. It’s both heart-warming and heart-pounding.

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Gregory S. Close has lived on both coasts of the United States (and that wholesome corn-fed part in-between) as well as Dundalk, Ireland and the tiny islands of the Kwajalein Atoll.

Greg loves travelling and sampling the native cultures, foods, customs, and beers of the world. Greg is married to a rocket scientist and lives in California with his two daughters, a cat, and one and a half dogs.

Three Copies of In Siege of Daylight. This new epic literary fantasy follows Calvraign, who is an apprentice to the king’s bard. His studies are filled with prophecy, romance, mythic enemies, and magic, and he contents himself with such fantasies until the day that he is suddenly called to the capital city. His best friend, Callagh, the most skilled huntress in their village, senses something isn’t right with Calvraign’s hasty summons and follows him. Her instincts prove true, as his arrival throws the king’s court into chaos, and the two are abruptly torn from their simple country life and plunged into a real-life version of Calvraign’s tales. A menacing prophecy reveals that an all-encompassing dark magic has already been loosed upon the world, and there is only one way to stop it. Calvraign must reverse the Darkening before treachery takes the life of the crown prince and plunges the kingdom of Providayne into chaos. And Callagh must keep him alive long enough to do it….

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Daniel Harvell wrote one short story at the age of 10 about a pit on the moon laden with poisonous hamburgers, and suddenly he was an author. That’s the way he saw it when “Murder on the Moon” became an instant hit with his fourth-grade classmates. He’d always been a voracious reader, but upon sharing his little yarn with friends, Daniel suddenly realized the freedom (and power!) of becoming the storyteller. Over the next few years, he would go on to write several short stories, mostly involving murder mysteries and his schoolmates.

The thrill of whodunits subsided when he discovered the long and (theoretically) rewarding payoffs of the soap operatic style of telling tales, which was followed quickly by his unearthing of the superhero fiction genre (which is just soap operas in spandex). Fast-forward to Daniel's last semester at Florida State University, where he was starting to regret my decision to pursue a business management degree instead of something more literary. He had big stories in his head. Instead of second-guessing his educational path, however, Daniel used his free time to pursue his passion. A few months later, his first novel had arrived in the world—and it wasn’t pretty. Like all writers, though, he had to start somewhere.

Daniel went back to the drawing board with his ideas for The Survivors—a contemporary fantasy story about what would happen if real people found themselves empowered with superhuman abilities. But The Survivors wasn’t so pretty either. The concept was fun but the execution was rough. It was temporarily shelved while he set out to learn how to be a better—and publishable—writer. And 10 years later, Daniel thinks he may have learned a thing or two.

He wrote another novel in the interim years (more on that soon!), but The Survivors will always be his baby. In many ways, the work of an artist is like his or her child. Now his little one’s ready to play with the big kids. After the many years of edits and rewrites, Daniel is proud of the novel into which it has grown.

Two Copies of The Survivors.  When seven strangers impossibly survive a horrific airplane crash, they find themselves changed in remarkable ways. The survivors are endowed with powers that defy explanation. Some are blessed. Some are cursed. 

Going their separate ways, they adapt their extraordinary "gifts" to their ordinary lives. The results, however, aren't always pretty—particularly when one of them engages in a killing spree. With little more to go on than the psychic link that they all share, the survivors seek out one another to uncover the murderer and bring him or her to justice. 

The fireman, the grandmother, the psychiatric patient, the basketball player, the mute girl, the rich blonde, and the man in the wheelchair—they all have secrets worth hiding. They can't trust each other. They can't even trust themselves.

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S.M. White has read a metric ton of text in his life. You could probably crush a dozen men beneath the weight. He studied creative writing at Spalding University, which turns out is simply reading and writing; that was nice. He has spent countless hours watching fantasy films, at times awed and at other times disappointed. He has held swords and shields and dead things. He once undertook a daunting quest to recover the stolen car keys to his mother's station wagon. Maidens have handed me favors ranging from bracelets to perfume-drenched letters to lengths of fake hair. When he encounters dragons, he keeps his wits about him and his gold coins close. He is a liar. He is a thief: he has stolen words out of men's mouths and claimed them as fictional musings. His friends often question him on his whereabouts (they seldom check Medieval Outfitters). He is not a serious person; of this, he is serious. He spent his formative years training to be a ninja. In this, he can don dark clothing and climb the tallest trees, he can do a front roll and a cartwheel, and he can fashion a smoke bomb from a tennis ball and match heads. If you were to ask him a question, he would instantly become evasive and confusing (mostly as a product of his uncertainty, but also because he's super mysterious).

Say something poignant, the Internet says.

Very well. He has won many insignificant things and has lost many precious things. This, he feels, is important. It is one thing to hold an object in your hand knowing its worth is a paltry measure in regards to what you might have been holding. This idea of loss is a vibrant and living thing. It lets you see that what is offered is not always what should be taken, and that what should be taken is hardly ever offered. And there waits cynicism, the most powerful of writerly attributes. If you don't know hopelessness, or dejection, or heart ache, you do not know conflict. Pain can be observed on television, or read about in the paper. But to live it, that it what molds a heart and moves a soul. His writing can be dark and terrible and harsh. This is not a product of formal training, or awards, or degrees. It is a result of his humanness, of his longing to understand agony and love and how the two survive in the same world. His stories are studies of the human heart, of humanity's need for good, and of the dreadful movements of evil as done by minds capable of love.

Three Copies The Lonely Man: The Witch's Price. A man responsible for the downfall of a nation. The nation responsible for the downfall of a man.

Mhets and six other greedy men quested to steal the Chained God’s treasure. They were successful. The gods, in their fury, took the lives of Mhets' companions one at a time, and now seek to snuff out the remaining thief. To survive, and to further spite the divine for their part in taking the love of his life, Mhets finds refuge in a witch’s hand. But the vile deal he enters into promises nothing but trouble. Sorcerers, mercenaries, and death wait on the horizon as he moves to complete his end of the terrible bargain. Journeying at the behest of the witch, Mhets learns just how black his heart has become, and how that darkness inside him might spell salvation for the world.

This installment starts the tales of Mhets Sorrowbringer, a man wronged and angered in life. He owns a past riddled with atrocity, betrayal, and death, but here is where his true story starts. Here is where the man called Mirthless Mhets begins to write his legend.

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The Tour Hosts:

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I Heart Books is a page whose focus is on the promotion of reading, books, and their authors. They provide service for both trad-pub and self-pub authors of all genres. They strive to bring their readers fun and positive posts, while keeping up with current news in the “book world."

Good Choice Reading focuses mainly on Young Adult, New Adult and Romance in all genres. The blog is coordinated by a wonderful group of girls who love to read and share the love they have for books with others!

Diamonds & Coal Book Reviews is run by Anna, an unrepentant 23-year-old nerd. She loves all different sorts of books, has watched too many movies to count, and is always happy to discover new music. That said, her graphic novel/superhero passion knows no bounds. (Hellboy is her favorite—you'll never convince her any other superhero is better!) When she's not at work in the Electronics Department of her local Target, every waking moment revolves around her blog. Come and join her in finding more of the interesting, shiny things in life.

Fae Books is run by Sarah Fae Graham, a 24-year-old Army wife who lives in Catterick Garrison in the United Kingdom. Fae Books is all about promoting authors, bloggers, writers and everything bookish in between. It hosts a lot of giveaways as well as free book posts, excerpts, interviews, and guest blog posts from the people with whom Sarah Fae is working. She runs a reviewing team who are in high demand and tend to book six months in advance. She's also in the process of beginning her own Tours. You can find more information on Sarah Fae and Fae Books by clicking on the above banner—it's never too soon to get Fae Books involved.

Alexis Holcomb is currently a writer, but aspires to one day be a full-time author. She specializes in fiction and loves inspiring others to follow their passions and dreams. She's a hands-on type of person that can just as easily fix a 3 course meal for a group of friends as she can do maintenance on her or her husband's vehicles. She's proud to be an Air Force sergeant, a wife, a mother, a teacher, and a writer.

Alexis is also a contributor at The Bearded Scribe.

Wordweaver. A child of the American Great Plains, Court Ellyn moved wherever the oil industry took her family. Born in the panhandle of Texas, she has lived from one end of the Lone Star state to the other, as well as New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Indiana. She is settled at last, or so she hopes, in a growing town southwest of Oklahoma City with her husband, her fat cats, and her writing.

Having to move frequently, drove her to fill her playtime with characters and stories that, at first, she acted out with her sister. Then, when she was fourteen, she began writing what she calls “poor and unrealistic historical fiction,” primarily because her mother discouraged her from reading and writing in the fantasy genre. But because of films like The Never Ending Story, The Princess Bride, and Willow, her fate was sealed. Throughout high school her tastes gravitated toward the fantastical until she secretly purchased her first fantasy novel at a gas station. Her mother warned her, “Be careful.” And so Ms. Ellyn has been carefully reading and writing fantasy ever since.

Ms. Ellyn attended the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, which she claims provided an excellent liberal arts education but failed to dispel the dragons. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2000 with a degree in English and History and an emphasis in Creative Writing. Shortly after, she married her high school sweetheart and determined to write professionally. Sadly, she learned the hard way that a college education does not guarantee book sales. Regardless, Court’s stories have since appeared in numerous magazines such as Kaleidotrope, Silver Blade and the Dead Robots’ Society’s Explorers: Beyond the Horizon anthology. In the spring of 2012, she celebrated the publication of the first novel of a fantasy series, over which she labored for a more than a decade. After a literal outpouring of sweat and tears, both Volumes of Book 1 are available at CreateSpace and at Amazon.

Court is also a contributor at The Bearded Scribe.

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The Giveaway:

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck to Everyone!  And have FUN!

Sneak Peek: Sons of the Falcon

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I am pleased to announce that my website has been updated to include a sampling of Book 2 of the Falcons Saga. Yes, you may read the first chapter of Sons of the Falcon at this link.

I never expected the kind of response these novels have received, and so this is for all of those readers who have asked me how the next book is coming along and how much longer they must wait for its release.

The date keeps moving, and I have stopped being optimistic by saying Christmas of this year. I will be much farther along by then, but not finished. Alas. This is a one-woman show, after all, and that includes all the design, layout, and finding as many typos and incoherent rambling as my aching eyes can. I could rush it, but I would not be proud of it. Therefore, in the meantime, may this peace offering satisfy a little of your curiosity, but not all of it. ;)

(Remember, this book is still undergoing revision; while I am currently happy with how Chapter 1 has turned out, there will likely be some textual changes in the final version. Also remember, no copying or reprinting this sample at all without my written permission. I shall send Athna to bombard any pirates I find.)
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Cat Immortal

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RAPHAEL

October 14, 2005 - July 8, 2013

Well, I meant to get a chapter+ written this week, but on Monday morning I woke up to find my most faithful companion sick. He died at noon. I'm still sick over losing him. Caring about the scene I need to be working on comes and goes in fits, so I write when I can focus on words. 

It's really amazing to discover how many habits I had that revolved around this little guy. Very strange adjusting to a different way of doing and thinking. The worst part was Monday evening dinner time. I went to the garage with my two other cats in tow, and looked down at the floor where three bowls waited to be filled. I had to decide which one to pick up and set aside. Raphael always got his bowl of food last because he was too sweet to steal a bowl from the other two, and because Gabriel and Sonora don't like each other, I have to separate their bowls at arm's length, then I would set Raphael's bowl down in the middle. So I picked up the middle bowl and put it on the shelf, sobbing the whole time, of course.

I've had too many pets during my lifetime to get sappy over most of them, and I am usually not the type who posts sappy obituaries about an animal on my blog, but this one was different. I won't be replacing him any time soon.

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Review: Wool by Hugh Howey

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I have jumped on the Wool bandwagon. It's rare that a self-published book keeps me reading to the end, but Wool by Hugh Howey managed to pull it off.

A full review of this post-apocalyptic novella is up at The Bearded Scribe. I usually like to write a second version of these reviews to post on my own blog, but time is a luxury these days, so I invite you to head over to Joshua's fabulous blog and read the review there.



Blurb:

"Thousands of them have lived underground. They've lived there so long, there are only legends about people living anywhere else. Such a life requires rules. Strict rules. There are things that must not be discussed. Like going outside. Never mention you might like going outside.

Or you'll get what you wish for. "

In Brief:

Suffice to say that this short read does not disappoint. There is a good reason why it has attracted the attention of Simon & Schuster and 20th Century Fox. If I'm any judge, we'll be seeing a lot more of Wool and its talented author Hugh Howey. Check it out for yourself. The download at Amazon is currently free.

I give Wool 4 out of 5 magic wands.

Anyone who has followed Wordweaver for a while knows I'm a sucker for great art. Check out these other gorgeous covers for Wool:

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Tornadoes and the Falcons Saga

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That, right there, is the kind of thing that is slowing down my progress lately. These suckers will not stop coming. It's been the stormiest spring in my memory. More storms are projected for tomorrow as well, and Thursday. Hopefully no more clouds that look like this. This is the kind of cloud you never want to see bearing down on you. I took this picture on my husband's iphone last Friday. The storm itself was about six miles northwest of our house at this point, but soon after this, the storm exploded south and overtook us. So last Friday was my first official trip into a storm cellar. Bound to happen sooner or later, living in Tornado Alley as I do. Today we learned that the primary tornado spawned by this particular cloud was rated an F5, which is the strongest tornado rating available to date, and it's been classified as the widest tornado ever recorded. Over 2 miles wide. That's a nightmare, folks.

Once the tornado swept past, the storm dumped up to 10 inches of rain in places. Oklahoma City was flooded, houses and business and cars were ruined, several people drowned.

Devastation and human loss seem to have filled my viewfinder lately. It's unbelievably difficult to write about crisis in my characters' lives when real-life crisis is affecting so many people around me. Words suddenly seem inadequate, but the twins and I are gradually punching through the pain, a paragraph at a time.

RECENT PROGRESS
Chapter(s): 25-26
Death count: 200+
Good things that happen: A love story blooms.
Bad things that happen: A terrible choice looms for Carah.
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A Month In A Day: Falcons Saga, Progress Report

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Ugh! Some passages are just harder to write than others. It's like switching gears and the gears catching and grinding and groaning before the car speeds ahead. Blech. So after the great gory carnage chapter, the following several chapters all take place during the same night. This one night is taking me a full month to write. It's very strange, getting up in the morning, eating, writing, going back to sleep, then waking up again and finding my characters still living out the same horrible day. Poor suckers. It's a nightmare for them, it's a nightmare for me. One day soon. One day we will get over this hump and forge ahead.

Worse, I don't like anything I wrote yesterday, which means scrapping that passage and starting over. The goal: never let the readers know it was painful to write. Write it until it's easy, write it until I like it, then they will like it too. That's the theory anyway.

RECENT PROGRESS
Chapter(s): 23-25
Pages Revised: 17
Became: 35 pages (and still growing)
Death count: 100+ 
Good things that happen:  The Goddess makes a move.
Bad things that happen: The Black Falcon suffers agonizing disillusionment.
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Review: 19 Varieties of Gazelle by Naomi Shihab Nye

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In celebration of National Poetry Month, how could I not write a review of my favorite book of poems?

Blurb:

"Fowzi, who beats everyone at dominoes; Ibtisam, who wanted to be a doctor; Abu Mahmoud, who knows every eggplant and peach in his West Bank garden; mysterious Uncle Mohammed, who moved to the mountain; a girl in a red sweater dangling a book bag; children in velvet dresses who haunt the candy bowl at the party; Baba Kamalyari, age 71; Mr. Dajani and his swans; Sitti Khadra, who never lost her peace inside.

"Maybe they have something to tell us.

"Naomi Shihab Nye has been writing about being Arab-American, about Jerusalem, about the West Bank, about family all her life."

Review: 

19 Varieties of Gazelle, was released in 2002, months after the attack on the World Trade Center. The collection is clearly close to the heart of poet Naomi Shihab Nye, who was born to a Palestinian immigrant and grew up in both San Antonio, Texas, and the Old City in Jerusalem.

I cannot state it more clearly: I love this book of poems. It's the book I keep on my nightstand and read morsel by morsel in stolen moments when I can stand to have my heart broken and seek to have my spirit lifted by the nobility of day-to-day human existence. These sixty poems are simple and profound. They draw tears from me and put my heart in my throat every time I read them. The words, the images bring people of a far-away culture right into the room with me, and they are not alien but familiar, not "those people" on the other side of the planet, but neighbors. Each poem is a snapshot that shows you details that you wouldn't have seen otherwise. And suddenly the barriers are gone.

It's no wonder that this remarkable collection was a National Book Award Finalist. I love poet William Stafford's statement that "reading her work enhances life." Yes, that's it exactly.

I give a blazing five magic wands to Nye's 19 Varieties of Gazelle:

(some of the proceeds from the sale of this book go to Seeds of Peace)

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National Poetry Month - Shakespeare

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From us celebrating National Poetry Month, "Happy Birthday, Master Shakespeare! You're an inspiration to us all."

For your reading pleasure, a sonnet and an excerpt from my favorite poem, that just so happens to refer to one of the Bard's most beloved works:



Sonnet 100

  Where art thou Muse that thou forget’st so long,
    To speak of that which gives thee all thy might?
    Spend’st thou thy fury on some worthless song,
    Darkening thy power to lend base subjects light?
    Return forgetful Muse, and straight redeem,
    In gentle numbers time so idly spent;
    Sing to the ear that doth thy lays esteem
    And gives thy pen both skill and argument.
    Rise, resty Muse, my love’s sweet face survey,
    If Time have any wrinkle graven there;
    If any, be a satire to decay,
    And make time’s spoils despised every where.
    Give my love fame faster than Time wastes life,
    So thou prevent’st his scythe and crooked knife.

... ... ... 

From "The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot:

Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
“That is not it at all,
That is not what I meant, at all.” .      .      .      .      .      .      .      .	110
No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,	115
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—
Almost, at times, the Fool.
I grow old … I grow old …	120
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

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Falcons Saga, Progress Report

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LAST WEEK'S PROGRESS
Chapter(s): 20-22 
Pages Revised: 30 
Became: 44 pages 
Death count: 100+ 
Good things that happen: Well, at least someone escapes the carnage. 
Bad things that happen: The schnizzle hits the fan. Innocence and security are illusions that have been shattered. At last.

In these three chapters, there is so much build-up to the (undisclosed) catastrophe that I was really shocked to see that in the original draft the actual catastrophe was over in less than three pages (?!). That wouldn't do at all. The catastrophe has to equal the weight of the build-up, else a reader might sneeze and miss the payoff, and that will never do. Therefore, I spent several days last week, expanding the carnage. I was trying for a GRRM "Red Wedding" kind of scene, but I'm not sure I nailed it. Nevertheless, it made for disturbing writing. There are good reasons why I don't write hack-n-slash or horror. My stomach, my nerves couldn't handle it. Point is, the bloodshed has begun, and for the Sons of Ilswythe, nothing will ever be the same again. And that's the way we like it.
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National Poetry Month - A Found Poem

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Found Poems are so much fun. It's surprising to me that these are actually legal, given copyright laws, but I'm the last person who will claim to be an expert in copyright law. The poet is not claiming to own the original text, just the poem made out of it, and I guess that makes all the difference.

Yesterday, the first day of National Poetry Month, our assignment at LegendFire was to write our own found poem. I chose a book at random off my shelves, and it happened to be a short collection of Plato's writings. I cracked it open and read, "He says he knows how the youth are corrupted and who are their corruptors." Well, if that is not inspiration for a poignant poem, I don't know what is. So I kept gathering lines that I had underlined in college, and here are the results:

APOLOGY*

Someone has been prosecuting you?

He must be a wise man

The charge?

That I am a poet or a maker of gods.

He says he knows how the youth are

corrupted and who are their corruptors.

He must be a wise man.

The youth like to hear the pretenders examined;

they do not like to confess that their

pretense of knowledge has been detected.

He must be a wise man.

Happy the condition of youth if

if

if they had only one corruptor

and all the rest of the world

were their improvers.

He must be a wise man.

The sign he ridicules?

A voice

which comes to me and forbids

but never commands,

and this is what stands in the way.

The truth is that only God is wise;

in this oracle he means to say:

the wisdom of men is little or nothing.

I should have perished long ago,

done no good either to you or myself.

I cared not a straw for death

my only fear was of doing an unrighteous thing.

The difficulty is not avoiding death, but avoiding

unrighteousness.

I would fain prophesy to you:

There is reason to hope that death is

a good. Either

death is a state of nothingness, or

there is a migration of the

soul from this world

to another.

The hour of departure has arrived and we go our ways.

I to die, and you to live.

Which is better,

God only knows.

*taken from Euthyphro and Apology by Plato

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April Is National Poetry Month!

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I'm so excited to devote some time this month to exploring and celebrating the time-honored and universal art of poetry. Is there a culture who has not sung its traditions, histories, and mythologies in rhythmic lines accompanied by a harp, a chorus, a dance? Today, we prize "To be or not to be," odes to nightingales, candles burning at both ends, and Bukowski's lines of drunken bitterness. Powerful, memorable, evocative, expressing our darkest hours, our brightest victories, like little else can.

For months now, I've been so driven to make progress on my novel rewrites that I have neglected all other written forms: short stories, poetry, even blogging. But thanks to LegendFire's poetry forum leader, I have the perfect excuse to pause for a moment each day this month and spend time with a poem or a poet or scratching out a few lines of my own. This innovative forum leader brought National Poetry Month to our attention over the past couple of weeks and has put together a month's worth of activities for our members. I'm sure we will be challenged to read, write, and stretch our skills. Will I be brave enough to post my own attempts at poetry here? Or will I keep them tucked away on the forums? I'll post as the whim hits, shall I?

For more information about the annual celebration of poetry visit POETS.ORG
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Website Blues

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Up down up down. The roller coaster is giving me ulsers. So what does this fantasy writer do during writing breaks throughout the day? She makes sure her online writing community is functioning properly. Recently it's been rough going.

I love my writing community. It's a haven for so many beginning writers. There are so many of us addicted to the site and to keeping it running that when things go bad, I'm devastated for the members. Well, the site has been growing so much and we've been blocking so many evil spambots and inputting so much information there that things had started running slowly. Dragging, actually. Painfully so. It's my job as administrator to keep things functioning as smoothly as possible, and my husband's job to implement all those things because the backbone of such a site is beyond my comprehension. He is good about drawing little pictures on scrap paper or napkins snatched off the breakfast table, so I can have a visual of how this box connects to that piece of information so that LegendFire can function at all. It's an amazing, dizzying network.

Last week we decided to upgrade our firmware (which is always stressful because of unforeseen complications), in the hopes of fixing the dragging load times. Alas, no success. We turned our magnifying glass elsewhere, to finding excess information that was being loaded during every click anyone made and archiving that. Turns out our spam blocker had blocked over 10,000 ip addresses. Now, that's a lot of evil spambots trying to access our insignificant little community. A positive step forward. So, just as things started running quickly and efficiently again, our webhost has a "major outage" which keeps taking down our site. My author's website is hosted by the same host, and has likewise been up and down, up and down, which can't be helping how I'm perceived to readers (and potential buyers) who know no better.

There are some things that one must learn to release. Control over uncontrollable situations being one of them. It's been hard not to panic over the past couple of weeks. Once the issues are all resolved, they won't matter one bit. The roller coaster will come to a stop, and my upset stomach will settle down nicely.

In the meantime, what can I do but write? Right? :D Woe! Woe to Aralorr! In the next few pages, innocence shatters forever.
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Some Kind of Update...

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I feel terrible about not posting at all in February. Not even one little progress report. I've been too focused during my writing hours to stop and blog, but it's Friday and I feel more relaxed, so here I am. To be honest, I'm leery about book updates now, because I don't want to spoil the reading for anyone. I'll just continue to be vague, shall I?

LAST MONTH'S PROGRESS
Chapter(s): 16-19
Pages Revised: 29
Became: 42 (yes, it's safe to say that I'm nearly doubling the current content)
Deaths: 1
Good things that happen: Carah receives unexpected help in learning to become avedra
Bad things that happen: The Black Falcon invites kings, lords, and ladies to a suspicious gathering

Wait! Who is Carah, you ask? Well, here's a hint: she likes to call herself the Duke of Ilswythe, because she doesn't like to be outdone by her older brother.

In other news, my short story Resurrecting Janis has made it to the second round of reading at a particular online magazine. Martin Davey confessed to me that even though one of his stories was rejected by this same magazine after making it to the last round, he received a full critique from the slush readers. Such a critique would be well worth a rejection, which is a far cry from a form letter. So either way, I'm looking forward to the zine's response.
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Inspiration: Lothiar

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If I found the perfect image of Lyrienn long after I wrote her, I had two strong images for her brother from the very beginning. Both sources will prove how long ago I wrote the first draft. The first comes from the cinematic trailer for Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos.

This fallen hero provided the fun visual inspiration, and Lothiar has remained fairly true to it despite the numerous changes the novels have undergone.

The second source is closer to home and far darker. About the time I turned my attention to writing my villains, two airplanes flew into the World Trade Center. The media repeatedly played footage of the man responsible.

These kinds of images troubled me for years. This soft-eyed murderer sitting with his back to a rock wall so no one would be able to identify his location as he rallied support for his cause and laid blame on his victims. This is the kind of evil that provided the backbone for Lothiar. Of course, fiction can't touch the horrors of real life, despite my efforts to weave the proper words.

CHARACTER PROFILE
Project: The Falcons Saga
Name: Lothiar
Race: Elf
Home: Lady's Palace, unknown reaches
Family: son of Danyth and Leavhan, older brother of Laniel and Lyrienn
Significance to the story: Kieryn's archenemy.
Extra Tidbits: His name means "ash"
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Back at it - Falcons Progress Report

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*whew* Sporadic writing during the holidays causes me to feel that I've made little progress, but rewriting one chapter and making it three isn't bad. It's been the villains, all through December and January. In the original draft, I devoted too little time to my villains until it was too late. They turned out flat and boring, and even I snoozed while reading through their scenes. No longer. The son of the Black Falcon becomes three-dimensional, with a single unhealthy obsession that eventually changes everything for the worse. Dark decisions follow, and Chapter 14 provides the turning point for volume 1 of Sons of the Falcon (title subject to change).


HOLIDAY PROGRESS
Chapter(s): 10, 12, and 14 
Pages Revised: 7
Became: 34+ pages
Deaths: 1
Good things that happen: ...
Bad things that happen: a neglectful father turns his son toward an unhealthy friend
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I'm such a slacker...

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 ...when it comes to writing during the holidays. November and December wreak havoc on my routines, so eventually I just stop trying and wait for January to roll around. Roll around it has, so here we are, back to blogging.

How were your holidays? I hope they were filled with chaotic joy and so many blessings your hands are too full to hold them all.

Ours started out with a bang. For Thanksgiving, my husband and I had the opportunity to break every beloved tradition and take a road trip with friends. We ended up in Moab, Utah, in a gorgeous rental house. The weather was ideal, cool air with a warm sun to bask in while we ate turkey sandwiches atop the slickrock formation. Then while our friends challenged themselves on mountain- and road bikes, my husband and I hiked around the arches. This is one of our favorite places on planet Earth.

La Sals from Slickrock

Double Arches, Arches National Park

In other news, one of my dearest acquaintances from the online writing world flattered me to pieces when she asked to interview me for her new blog The Ether of My Imagination. Kimberly's posts will be focusing on writing instruction and Indie authors, and her delightful sense of humor is not to be missed. The interview is now available, so head on over and check it out.

Happy 2013! I wish you all the best in the coming months.
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