A to Z Challenge

Showing posts with label fantasy fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy fiction. Show all posts

Sunday, August 4, 2013

We WriWa #5

Good day to you.  If you've found yourself here, you are probably looking for an eight sentence snippet.  You've probably followed a link from WeWriWa.  If you didn't, then all the more lucky for you.  Every sunday, folks across the world gather to share little enticing bits of either published work, WIP's, or poetry.  Please follow the link to learn more and to find other authors work! 

Sharing more dragons today.  If you remember last week, a dragon snatched Ronan up in his talons and whisked him up in the air.  Ravyn's had the wind knocked out of her, so is having difficulty communicating to the dragons that she is not in need of a rescue.  If you'd like to refresh your memory, click here!
 
 
Lareina stepped out of the door, throwing her hands wide and casting an arc of Light that danced across the skies.  Ribbons of color streamed from her fingers and danced across the magnificent ruby creatures, wrapping them in the power of the Light.  “Stop,” she commanded.

Ena stilled her angry thrashing, and gazed across the trampled grasses at Lareina.  She curled up on the ground and looked up to her son, Ardan, who hovered over the woods.  Ronan still dangled from his grasp, arms wind milling and fear a-flutter in his eyes.

“Drop the boy and come on down,” Ena growled.

“No,” gasped Ravyn, “Don’t drop him.”
 
I hope you enjoyed.  All comments delightfully anticipated and welcomed!!!

Sunday, July 28, 2013

WeWriWa #4: There still be Dragons!


This is incredible...I'm on my 4th weekend participating in WeWriWa, and third week in a row!  This is kind of amazing, I'm actually keeping myself on task : ) 

If you happened upon here by chance, what is about to occur, is me sharing eight sentences from my WIP with you.  The cool thing is...lots of other fantastic writers are doing the same thing, and if you'd like, you can click here...Weekend Writing Warriors! to find their blogs and see what tantalizing tidbits they are posting. 

Last week, Ravyn stepped outside the cabin to talk to the dragon Ena, whom she'd befriended years ago.  If you'd like to refresh your memory, click here First, then here!

“Ena stop, it’s okay, we’re safe!”  Ravyn sped across the ground toward the dragon, but the thrashing tail caught her in the middle of her chest.  The air whooshed from her lungs as she sailed through the air to fall in a heap on the ground.

Ronan burst out of the cabin brandishing a stout shillelagh.  He ran to the dragon, swinging the heavy wooden club overhead.  A second red dragon, larger than the first, careened down out of the sky and plucked Ronan up in its razor sharp talons.  The cudgel fell from his hands to fall to the ground with a passive thud.  Ravyn struggled to find her breath forcing in air past the ache in her chest.

So, I always love your comments.  Would you leave one, pretty please with sugar on top?  Have a great #eight Sunday!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Guest Post: #BBF Sierra Burns reviews The Escape of Princess Madeline

Review: The Escape of Princess Madeline

By, Sierra Burns

 
 
Hello there I am Sierra Burns, daughter of Millie Burns, and I read The Escape of Princess Madeline.
I am 9 and 362/365 years old.  My birthday is in three days : )
 
I think the story is really good.  There are scenes in the story that reminded me of scenes from my mom's book.  Spoiler alert:  Like when the bad guys captured her, and she had to pretend to be unconscious...both books were similar.  That made me smile.
 
My favorite character is Daniel.  I like him because he seems like a really good guy, and he will never give up, he will save Princess Madeline!
 
I would recommend this book to all my friends because it is a very good adventure.  I can see the story play out in my mind.
 
 
 
Thanks, Sierra for chiming in with your two cents!  If you would like to find out more about Kirstin Pulioff and her books, please keep reading! Or click the book above and it'll take you directly to Amazon!
 

Kirstin Pulioff is a storyteller at heart. Born and raised in Southern California, she moved to the Pacific Northwest to follow her dreams and graduated from Oregon State University (Go Beavs!) with a degree in Forest Management. Happily married and a mother of two, she lives in Oregon, and enjoys being a stay at home mom. When she's not writing, she is busy with her kids, church and the family business.
I love to hear from my readers and fans. Please connect with me on my other sites:
Webpage: www.kirstinpulioff.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kirstinpulioffauthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KirstinPulioff
Goodreads:www.goodreads.com/author/show/6558842.Kirstin_Pulioff



Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Review: Lunula By Alyssa Auch #BBF

Lunula

By Alyssa Auch

The Book's Blurb: 

 The witch knows he will hunt her.

If history repeats itself, as it always does, Wynn will have no choice but to cross paths with her feared counterpart, the warlock. If given the chance, he would kill Wynn, absorbing her aura and obtaining ultimate power. In a desperate attempt to outrun destiny, Wynn moves from place to place, hoping to stray from the map laid out by the Fates. But by chance, on an urgent errand for Queen Alexandria herself, Wynn finds she has fallen into the hands of the one man she so hopelessly fled from. Now his captive, Wynn must guard her secret and that of her kingdom, or risk bringing forth a dark age not seen in hundreds of years.

My review:  Every 100 years a witch is born.  Every 100 years a warlock is born.  One has the power of the light, the other the dark.  And every 100 years the witch is killed, her powers stolen. Every 100 years!  History always repeats.  Damn, that sucks!

Did I enjoy Lunula?  You bet your sweet bippy I did!  I loved that Wynn, the main character is not perfect.  She makes mistakes.  Which makes it very easy to relate to her.  I like her stubborn disposition, and yet, she is willing to question that which she has been taught her whole life. Gethin is the warlock that Wynn has spent her whole life hiding from.  I enjoyed the interactions between these two characters, Alyssa Auch did a fantastic job with the dialogue.  

This story is in the first person POV.  This is not generally my preferred writing style, but I'll admit that once I settled in to the story, I didn't even think about it.  I enjoyed the clever similes and metaphor's that Alyssa sprinkles throughout the story.  Nicely done!

The descriptions of the scenery and action also well done!  I could easily see the events play out in my minds eye.
  
The end of the book started to stress me out...until I read the epilogue!  Hope reigns eternal!  Yay!  I can't wait for Poltarion's release (sometime this year)!

So to sum it all up...would I recommend it?  Sure would.  

  Alyssa Auch was born and raised in Pennsylvania with loving parents and three hilarious younger siblings. Her imagination was sparked by the lush, green forests and bright colors of her home that often spoke of other worlds only found in the magic of writing. She brought that inspiration into the fantasy novels she so loves to create.

Currently, Alyssa is a senior at Brigham Young University-Idaho studying Marriage and Family Relations with a minor in English. She is married to her High School sweetheart, and they have three beautiful children who keep them both very occupied. Although her novels are often written in the late hours of the night and during cherished naptime blocks, she devotes a very special part of herself to the power of words and love of storytelling.

Lunula Purchase Links

Publisher Site
http://www.caliburnbook.com/

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Lunula-ebook/dp/B009NINDRC/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1374095002&sr=8-1&keywords=Lunula

Barnes and Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lunula-alyssa-auch/1114110286?ean=2940016079295

Smashwords
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/246157

Author Contact

Blog: http://alyssaauch.blogspot.com

Email: alyssaauch@yahoo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/alyssaauchwrites

Twitter: @alyssa_auch

I am also on Goodreads and LinkedIn under my full name, Alyssa Auch

Monday, July 22, 2013


The Battle for Princess Madeline

By Kirstin Pulioff

Have you been to the Kingdom of Soron yet?  I have, and I met King Theodore and his twin children, Prince Braden and Princess Madeline.  I met the Knight Daniel who won the Princess'  heart and Elias her wizard uncle in his brilliant green robes who returns from exile to teach her the ways of magic.  What a delightful adventure I found between the pages of The Battle for Princess Madeline.

This book is written for middle grade students and I think the author hit the mark, with just the right amount of action without gratuitous bloodshed.  The romance is handled without too much gush!  Your child will either giggle at the gentle little shows of affection, or maybe, like my 10-year old, Sierra, they’ll blush and say, “Eww gross!” while secretly being delighted. 

This is the second book in a series.  I’ve read the first book The Escape of Princess Madeline and was delighted to see that Madeline has done some growing up, and gives some thought to her actions and their consequences.  Madeline has become a thoughtful young lady, who thinks about her Kingdom first, not just her own happiness.  She is still a lil' stubborn, but in a good way.  She's learned to listen to advice and weigh it, but to still follow her heart. 

I feel like the author's voice strengthened in her second book, which delights me to no end, as there are more adventures waiting for Madeline and Daniel.  The writing keeps getting better, with more "show" and less "tell".  Psst!  I believe we’ll be encountering dragons soon!  Squee!  Kirstin is writing the third book now, with a release date of late 2013/early 2014!  Yay, Sierra and I have another adventure to look forward to.

When I review, I don't like to rehash the synopsis too much.  You can get a good idea of what the book is all about at Amazon, and I've provided a link so you can do just that, I also provided the books blurb below for your perusal.  I'm guessing you just want to know whether I liked it or not.  I would highly recommend  The Battle for Princess Madeline for the 4th-8th Grader in your life.
Synopsis:  The Kingdom of Soron bustled with activity as preparations for the Fall Festival began. Lively merchants, hardworking farmers, and musicians eagerly awaited this event of harvest and joy. This year’s festival was even more important, as they celebrated Princess Madeline’s betrothal to her knight champion, Daniel
.
Celebration quickly turns to disaster as Prince Paulsen returns with curious demands, either Princess Madeline will be his, or no ones. Rejection turns to obsession and battle is declared.

In a tense struggle to decide her future, Princess Madeline must choose where to put her trust… in the king’s tried and true plan, the wizard’s cryptic messages and maps, or her own sense of bravery. Follow Princess Madeline on this adventure as she battles evil in an attempt to create a future of love and magic.
Click here for the amazon link to purchase.
 
 
Kirstin Pulioff is a storyteller at heart. Born and raised in Southern California, she moved to the Pacific Northwest to follow her dreams and graduated from Oregon State University (Go Beavs!) with a degree in Forest Management. Happily married and a mother of two, she lives in Oregon, and enjoys being a stay at home mom. When she's not writing, she is busy with her kids, church and the family business.

I love to hear from my readers and fans. Please connect with me at any of these sites:
Webpage: www.kirstinpulioff.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kirstinpulioffauthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KirstinPulioff
Goodreads:www.goodreads.com/author/show/6558842.Kirstin_Pulioff

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Review: The Written


You can find The Written here.

I started this book ages ago. Then things got busy, you know NaNoWriMo, Christmas, paying taxes, kids, heck life. So it sat in my kindle half-read for quite some time. I recently have been working on my daughter's school yearbook. I've gone through so many pictures my eyes started watering and I couldn't distinguish a first grader from a sixth grader and decided to take a break. So, I finally finished reading The Written, by Ben Galley.

This story is Ben's first, but I know there's another just waiting to be loaded into my kindle. I'm looking forward to returning to the world of Emaneska to find out how the story will mature and to see if Ben's writing also matured. I really enjoyed this action packed fantasy novel. The story is unique and powerful, the characters are fully fleshed and come alive. I really wanted to give it five stars, but there were a few things that kept me from doing so. Nothing major, so it still receives a 3 1/2 to 4 star rating from me. I'm so wishy washy I can't decide which to give it. One more edit, with a little heavier red pen and this would deserve the full five stars! I felt like there were times when four or five words could've been taken out and replaced with just one. And some just didn't need to be there at all. I know, picky picky. It's just that with a story of this magnitude, those extra little words make it drag a little. But here's the deal, I did enjoy the story, and I do want to read more. That's all a person needs to know, right?

I won't bore you by rehashing what it's about. If you like magic, DRAGONS, and lots of action and suspense, go see if it's your cup of tea!



Monday, January 28, 2013

Recent Sightings


Okay, so day one...I found a page from a book about the fantastical creatures of Aigerach. Mind you, it appears there are more creatures in this land, but all I found was this one page caught in the branches of the oak tree behind my house. I would love to take a trip to this land, though I dare say, I'd want to whole book to guide me, who knows what other kinds of creatures I might run into.

Aigerach - Fantastical Creatures Abound

1. Dragons - These large flying creatures make their home on Draconis Island, but many a farmer on Aigerach can attest to the beasts appetite for sheep. They are large and scaly with fiery breath. They can be any color, though the red dragons are thought to be most fierce. The majority of dragons shun humans, but the Princess Ravyn befriended Ena, a sassy scarlet dragon. Ena and her son Ardan are frequent visitors to Aigerach, so keep your eyes to the skies if you hope to catch a sight of one.

2. Unicorn - These horse-like creatures are magnificent. They come in a variety of colors, with a large opalescent horn. A large herd lives in Wanderer's Forest, led by a large white stallion, Giallag. Here's a funny thing. Once again, these creatures used to keep to themselves, and were rarely seen, but due to a chance encounter with Princess Ravyn, they have been seen fighting alongside the army of Aigerach. Their voices are melodious, their words sound like musical notes played by a variety of orchestral instruments. If you are out in the woods at night and you hear music floating on the air, unicorn may be nearby.

3. Harpies - In the recent past, Harpies were a nuisance. These half-bird women kept dirty nests, cursed incessantly, and fought constantly. A chance encounter with a harpy in the woods would leave your ears ringing with foul language at the least, your body covered in icky excrement for sure and at worst could end your life. The males of the species are fragile as youngsters. As they lived in squalid conditions, few survived. After an encounter with the Princess Ravyn, the Harpy Clan has taken a 180 degree turn. They keep themselves and their nests immaculate and very rarely drop the f-bomb or any fecal spatter either. There has been a rise in the number of male harpies.

4. Wolves - Okay, so this sounds rather mundane. We've been talking about dragons and unicorn and harpies...but wolves? These creatures remain shy and elusive, but should you run into a wolf on Aigerach, you'll understand why they fall into the fantastical creature realm. Let's just say, once again, the Princess Ravyn has touched some lives with her magic and changed things up a bit. The wolves have the ability to speak, though they don't find communicating with most humans very enlightening. They can also smell the scent of magic, whether it be of the Light or the Darkness. Kialgyn, a large gray wolf, is the Alpha male and leader of the pack.

5. Selkies - Now, technically while they do not live on Aigerach, a couple selkies have been spotted on the mainland. Selkies are creatures of land and sea, part man and part seal. While in their human form, the selkies possess irresistible charm and are able to woo any maid that happens near. The transformation from man to seal occurs due to the magical properties of the seals skin. While in seal form, a selkie can remove their fur to transform into a human. They are very protective about the hiding place of their skin, for there is nothing worse than to be trapped as a human forever. Princess Ravyn and Queen Lareina have kept the story of their time spent with the selkies quite quiet.

6. Mara - A nightmare. Really and literally, not something you want to come into contact with. It is best not to sleep alone, as you will have difficulty breaking its hold over you on your own. A nightmare is nothing like a horse, it is a small demon that will sit on a victim's chest crushing the breath from their lungs. All the while it floods their vision with the most horrible images, the things one fears the most. It savors the fear that emanates from its victims and it feeds their soul to the Darkness. The only way to break their hold, and its rather silly but true, is for someone to offer them a gift the following day if they'll leave.


Come join in the fun of this bloghop and let us all know about your world...




Monday, October 22, 2012

The Next Big Thing!

Hot Damn! I was nominated for the Next Big Thing, and it makes my little heart skippy flippy with joy! The awesome Shell Flower of the fantastic TangentShell was kind enough to give me a little nod! So, I've copied the questions from her blog and here are my answers to the burning questions you all have about my WIP!


What is the title of your Work in Progress?
Oh, I'm not sure yet...Zelera's revenge? I dunno. She's a bad bad girl and she's back to make trouble. I'm about 99% positive that name won't stick, it doesn't have enough...!

Where did the idea come from for the book?
Zelera, the villain from Return of the Crown, of course is making a comeback, and if you thought she was nasty before... A lot of the old crew is coming back for round two and I will introduce a whole new host of characters to spice things up. Let the adventure begin!

What genre does your book fall under?
It's fantasy, sort of in the classical sense. Adventure, magic, fantastic creatures! The heroine's age places it in the YA group, but I'm hoping to write it in such a way that it'll be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Return of the Crown has a fan base as young as 9 on up to Grandma's and Grandpa's, who gladly thank you to not speculate as to their chronological years.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Oh, Jennifer Lawrence(Katniss Everdeen) would make an excellent Ravyn. Hayden Christensen(the youthful Anakin Skywalker) for Blade. Jim Carey would make such a killer Connor, due to Connor's love of disguises and great sense of humor. Katie McGrath(BBC's Merlin's Morgana) would delight as Zelera, beautiful lady who does wicked oh so well.

What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book?
Classic-style fantasy adventure brimming with magic, mayhem and new and engaging mythical creatures.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Return of the Crown was self-published, and I have not chased down any agents yet. It could go either way, and I'd still be a happy camper. It's all about sharing the story, however it gets out there!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I am a little over 11,000 words in. I write in the little cracks of time I can sneak into my day. I am hoping to finish the first draft by Christmas. I might just join the Nanowrimo folks this November. Now that I've written that down, it's going to help me meet my goal? Right?! What a great Christmas gift that'd be!

What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?
I believe this is similar to the Rogue Wizard series by Christopher Stasheff. Quests, mythological creatures, humor mixed in with the action. I have a strong female protagonist rather than a male.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My fans! Those wonderful folks who read Return of the Crown, started clamoring for more. I left the first book open at the end, hoping readers would want more, and by golly they do! Zelera's really outdone herself this go around. I can't promise you everyone will make it out alive this time...

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Dragons? Who doesn't like dragons? Will Blade and Ravyn finally tie the knot? Which character is going to Return to the Light?

Okay, so here're the five fine folks whose WIP I'm interested in seeing more of. Please take a moment to check them out! Tag--you're it!
Richard Long
Wodke Hawkinson
Fel Wetzig
Jessa Russo
Jossie Marie Solheim