-Imani

Except I have not been purchasing anywhere near as many books as I once did. This has much to do with the pricing of books. Hard cover books are excessively expensive. Enough so that unless you purchase them from a small, local bookstore you get anything from a 10-30% discount on purchasing them. Trade editions (the ones that are somewhere between the size of a hard cover and the size of most paperbacks, also known as mass market) are less than 1/2 the price of hard covers only they don’t come with any sort of discount. Shame in my opinion. Mass market prices have gone up $1-3 in the last four or five years. Then you have electronic books. In some cases they are the same price as trade books which makes them more expensive than the physical book. In other cases they are the same price or only $1-3 less, making them the same price I would have expected to pay for a physical copy five years ago. The electronic copy of a book does not have the same value or worth as a physical copy but we, the consumers, are expected to not realize that. That’s without getting into the whole DRM/DRM-free battle. I’ll leave that to my husband to explain.

The long story short here is that I have avoided purchasing many books because I cannot justify putting yet another book on my already overflowing bookshelves that I may or may not read. I also am unable to justify the price of the electronic copy of the book even if that’s the most convenient way to read.

There are two publishers (that I am aware of) that continue to price-fix their e-books so they are more than their physical books and are sold with DRM. The biggest culprit of this, at least of the publishers that I tend to read books from, is Penguin Group which publishes most of its sci-fi/fantasy books under Ace Publishing. They were so bad that I just wrote a letter to Penguin Group voicing my concerns. You can read it at the end if you’re curious.

Some publishers are slowly figuring this out. They are making a token effort at satisfying their consumers. Their electronic books are at least consistently less than mass market books and they are DRM-free. Tor/Forge of Macmillan is the best example that I’m aware of, again because they are the sci-fi/fantasy publishing company for Macmillan. They’ve at least made a few steps in the right direction. O’Reilly Publishing has gone even further. They publish technical books (I keep mistaking them for text-books) and give their consumers the option to purchase the e-book in addition to their physical books for an additional $5 just by entering the ISBN number. Considering the fact that the absolute cheapest I’ve seen any of their books is $32 and they go as high $150 that is a fantastic deal.

I’ve seen individual authors do some really cool things too. Small, self-published authors frequently keep their e-books under $5, closer to $3, and will even give their first book for free to get people reading. There are several authors that I’ve started to read because of programs like that. Even big-name authors give cool deals to their readers when they can. The most recent I can think of was Brandon Sanderson who emailed the e-book of one of his novellas to anyone who emailed him a picture of them holding a copy of the physical book without asking for a penny more. He is really pleased with how that has worked out for him and is hoping to be able to do similar programs with his books in the future. He would really love to see the big publishers doing something like that for their consumers. He’s really pushing it for his next big release and I decided to email his primary publisher, Tor/Forge (Macmillan), to encourage this practice. Again, email can be found at the bottom.

I cannot wait for the time when publishers realize that e-books are the way to go. I am dearly attached to my physical books. I also dread moving them and needing to purchase more and more bookshelves. I like the convenience of my e-reader. I’ve already written about the pros and cons, here, so I won’t repeat all of it. Let’s just go with that the idea that I like both and see the pros and cons of both but like carrying my ereader around a whole hell of a lot more than all my physical books. I tend to hurt physical books when I carry them around.

There are a few good options for publishers. I addressed some of those in my email to Tor/Forge asking them to consider allowing consumers to purchase physical books and then get the ebook version either free or at a much reduced price. I would highly encourage anyone else who seriously enjoys reading books, whether they use an ereader (yet) or not, to email various publishers about this too. You could even copy what I’ve written below, though I would encourage you to add your own thoughts as well. My first email below is requesting a publisher to bundle physical books and ebooks together. The second is my email to Penguin Publishing regarding their horrid ebook pricing. It’s maybe a bit more negative in tone than I normally write, but they continue to anger me. My husband and I both will be writing to every publisher every time we don’t purchase a book because of stupid price schemes. If you’re upset by some of the not so awesome policies of publishers, I would also encourage you to email/write them about it as well.

Whether you do voice any concerns to publishers or not, thank you for reading this.

To whom it may concern,

I am writing you on behalf of myself and my husband. We are both avid readers and have been frequent purchasers of books published by Macmillan or subsidiaries, particularly Tor/Forge books. We have also grown quite fond of e-books due to their convenience and the fact that we can both read the same book(s) at the same time. This has also put us in a bit of a pickle. It is difficult for us to justify purchasing a physical book unless it is a special circumstance, e.g. a release from an author we want to display on our bookcases, but it is even more difficult to justify purchasing the e-book when it is either the same price or within $3-4 of the physical book. An electronic copy of a book is not worth the $5-10 that we are asked to pay. This has led us to purchase far fewer books than we otherwise would purchase. We leave bookstores empty handed seven times out of ten. We both have dozens of books on our individual Amazon wishlists that will never be purchased at their current pricing.

There is a solution that already seems to be working well for the movie industry and a practice that has also worked well for O’Reilly Publishing. When a consumer purchases a movie they often are purchasing an electronic copy of the movie as well. The movie industry does continue to sell movies and continues to make good profits. O’Reilly Publishing has set it up on their website so that a consumer can download a technical book for $5 after entering in the ISBN number for a physical copy of the text that they own. Again, they continue to make profits and have made no indication that they intend to change their policy. I would not propose that you rely upon the honor system like what O’Reilly does. However, what I propose would be two things: A hardcover purchase comes with a free copy of the electronic version of the book in whatever format each consumer’s e-reader supports. A soft cover purchase, whether trade or mass market, will come with the option for a reader to add on the electronic version for $1 more, again in whatever format works with their e-reader. This would also make the decision to shop at the local bookstore, as compared to Amazon or other online retailers, easier.

Another anecdotal note is based on comments from Brandon Sanderson at a recent book signing. He experimented with giving his readers the e-book copy of his novella, Emperor’s Soul, if they emailed him a picture of them holding the physical book. He has had good sales for this novella and has gotten many positive responses from his readers for this action. I personally believe that he is part of the leading wave of authors who have recognized that readers want to have options like this and that e-books will not kill the book industry but can be complimentary if handled properly.

I can guarantee that people like my husband and I, who are not alone in our desire to support authors and new books being released, would make many more book purchases.

Thank you for your time and consideration

Grumpy email to Penguin:

To whom it may concern,

I am writing you concerning the price of the e-book Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein currently published by Ace, a subsidiary of Penguin. This book was released in 1959 and was an award winning and best selling book at that time. It is still considered a must read for any sci-fi reader. However, you have lost at least 2 purchasers of a new copy in all formats because of your pricing for the e-book. $9.99 for an electronic copy of a book that has been available in mass market, currently priced at $8.99, for over 50 years is unacceptable. I have spoken with multiple people regarding my disgust at this pricing scheme, the vast majority of whom also read e-books. When I do purchase this book it will be at a used bookstore specifically with the intention to avoid giving you, the publisher, my additional financial support. I will not purchase any e-books from Penguin Group Publishing nor any of its subsidiaries until your anti-consumer policies have changed. I will also not purchase any other books, physical or audio, from your publishing group. I will continue to discuss my concerns with friends, family and co-workers to educate them on the way some publishers prey on their consumers.

Sincerely, a former Ace/Penguin group consumer,

“It is the nature of the business,” said Tom, grinning. He had worked as a smuggler more than once in order to fund his spies, who got no financial support from Ferndale. “Lucky you chose one who knew me, and knows that if I had found out he had taken off with something meant for me he would have regretted it.”

“I keep forgetting that you know every troublemaker in the world,” said Vondel, propping his chin in his hand.

“You accepted a gift from an enemy captain?” asked Rashieka, her voice ringing with disbelief.

“With the knowledge of their majesties,” said Tom, quickly. “It was kept quiet.”

“You told your leaders and they allowed you to keep my gift?” asked Vondel, now sounding as incredulous as Rashieka.

“There were some questions about what sort of captain would send two enemy spies weapons in a time of war. At first they thought it might be some kind of threat, I had to convince them it wasn’t like that.”

“What sort of wedding present are we talking about?” asked Rashieka.

“A practical one for a time of war,” said Vondel, still calm.

“Matching sheath knives, nice ones,” elaborated Tom.

“Thought about swords, but I thought that knives were better for spies,” said Vondel.

“Well thought,” laughed Tom.”I left mine with my wife, figured it’d be taken off of me.”

“But you brought a knife,” said Vondel, his voice suddenly sharp. Tom simply smiled at him.

“When their majesties asked me what sort of man would arm his enemies, I told them an idiot. Don’t make me right.”

“My men are searching your luggage right now. If they find a knife in your luggage it won’t go well for you. It would be better for you if you told me before they find it,” warned Vondel.

“They won’t find a knife in my luggage,” said Tom, his voice full of complete confidence. Still, he ran a finger down a scar on his face, a nervous habit he only watched when he did not feel he was around friends. The scar was a long and impressive one that barely missed his eye, and tended to draw attention away from any of his other facial features. Back when Tom had been smuggling on the side he had told people it was from a knife fight. In truth he had been jumping a fence, tripped on the top rung, and when he had fallen slashed his face badly on a branch that had been laying on the ground. Since Vondel was a friend, he did not say anything about the nervous tick but instead simply smiled back. Rashieka had the idea that she had just watched a small and rather polite skirmish.

“I’d best be going, duty calls,” said Vondel, standing up, and picking up his coat. “I just came to tell you to watch your step, I do know how you work. My orders are to keep you here for as long as I can, but if you get to be too much trouble, we will have to go to Yose, New Philly be damned.”

“A place that tortures prisoners they don’t like,” said Rashieka, her voice dripping with contempt, fleshing out what she had thought of as a threat.

“Rashieka,” snapped Tom, his voice threatening. He knew Vondel better than she did, and knew a warning when he heard one.

“That will not happen,” said Vondel, pulling on his coat.

“Don’t make promises that you can’t keep,” said Rashieka.

“My family has a lot of money,” said Vondel, “money that I never use. If it comes to it, I’ll use some, and money has a lot of power to stop things I don’t like. I need to go. Tom, for both of our sakes, don’t try to leave this house.”

“As you say Captain,” said Tom, giving a mock salute. “Send food though.”

“From my own supply,” Vondel promised, and he sauntered out of the door, seemingly with a clear conscious and an easy mind. Much to the relief of Rashieka and Tom, he did not send the guards back into the house, though they could see them both standing outside. It gave the two the chance to speak with some semblance of privacy for the first time in a while.

“If you had told him you just had a daughter, he probably would have sent her an ax or something,” said Rashieka, her voice sarcastic.

“I’m not giving out information, didn’t tell him Uzuri’s name either. I suppose Ivor told them I got married, that doesn’t mean the Yose government needs to know who if he hasn’t told them.”

“Maybe you are thinking after all,” said Rashieka, though she sounded as if she doubted it.

So, perhaps it is time I made a “Cy does real life” type post instead of my usual prolific promotions. That is, after all, why I encourage fans, readers, and friends to follow my blog. I want you to get to know me as a real person, and not a promotional machine (so far I’m not sure how well that has worked out). I try very hard to also maintain the correct image for a new author whose reputation is as fragile as glass. It’s something of a personal Catch-22.

Something that has come up often in conversation when discussing my book are the prevalent gay relationships. I will make it clear that I DO write gay fantasy, but I do NOT identify as solely a gay fantasy or gay romance writer. I consider myself a writer, and I consider my genre to be fantasy. I have never tried to really market my book as anything other than what I consider it to be – an epic high fantasy novel. Of course I will thrown in the gaymance tags every now and then – but people have a right to know what they’re getting into, sure! I don’t feel like the sexual preference of my characters should make such a difference in the overall plot – whether it is war or intrigue or whatever have you. But Dragoloth is a country where gay as well as hetero relationships are fostered and encouraged. It is simply their culture – I don’t hate straight people, I don’t bash straight relationships. I don’t try to push any sort of agenda. Whatever the character wants, whatever feels right for the story, or whatever I happen to be feeling like at the time is what ends up being put on paper. Pharun is gay as the longest rainbow – but did you know ****SPOOIIILLLEERRR*** that he was married to a woman for seventeen years? Oh, and he has like – six children? And did you know ***MORE SPOILERS**** that Shrukian has over ten (!) children, and is married to like, five different women - but he has also had several romances with men? Those sorts of relationships are the hub of my character’s souls, and that is something I cannot change – nor do I wish to change it.

My characters live as people – they have basic human desires (even those who are not so human) and needs. They will satisfy those needs however they deem fit. Likewise, I like to give them the liberty to love whoever they want (as long as it furthers the plot, haha) and I am happy to say that many of my wonderful readers have not taken issue with this, rather they have embraced it. It is only a few people (and most often those I know personally) who ever bring it up.

I just had to say my piece. Your thoughts are always appreciated! <3

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

My father has always warned me and my siblings that we would see a revolution – a class war – in America, and I believe that time is upon us. The “chosen” that have ensconced themselves in DC ALL need to be ejected. I would like to re-boot our government from the ground up. EVERY POLITICIAN NEEDS TO GO. The abuse and blatant disregard that IS Washington – the political system, not the city – proves the existing system needs to be completely dismantled and re-invented. But I digress a bit from the original topic of this post; more on my political dissatisfaction some other time…

For now, binational same-sex couples have been thrown under the bus – AGAIN! The Uniting American Families Act is a pariah among legislation and I will no longer waste my time or other resources promoting it. UAFA and I are breaking up. I am still holding out some hope that perhaps DOMA will be repealed by The Supreme Court of The United States (SCOTUS) but I have little reason to believe that august assembly of learned legal scholars will have any more balls than any of the other clowns in DC. Change IS coming, Washington, and you better be ready. We are tired of being ignored, dismissed or traded-off.

Now, my mind wanders instead to visions of…(insert dramatic pause)… Being spooned! Cuddling in bed watching Friday Night Lights reruns! Slow dancing! Preparing dinner together after work! Waking up together!

In other words, I find I’m very desirous of the mundane, intimate behaviors that couples share. I lust for a closeness that goes beyond sex, beyond simply liking someone. I long to be back in that yummy relationship place in which closeness is a given and anything can be expressed and received with complete assurance of emotional safety.

Funny thing is, one of the guys I’m fantasizing about these days is someone about whom I fantasized in a much racier fashion two seasons ago. And I’m dying to learn whether he’s as versatile as my imagination makes him out to be…

Blurb:

When Eleanor Brice unexpectedly wins the heart of Gregory Desmarais, Crown Prince of Cartheigh, she’s sure she’s found her happily-ever-after. Unfortunately, Prince Charming has a loose grip on his temper, a looser grip on his marriage vows, and a tight grip on the bottle.

Eight years of mistreatment, isolation and clandestine book learning hardly prepare Eleanor for life at Eclatant Palace, where women are seen, not heard. According to Eleanor’s eavesdropping parrot, no one at court appreciates her unladylike tendency to voice her opinion. To make matter worse, her royal fiancé spends his last night of bachelorhood on a drunken whoring spree. Before the ink dries on her marriage proclamation Eleanor realizes that she loves her husband’s best friend, former soldier Dorian Finley.

Eleanor can’t resist Dorian’s honesty, or his unusual admiration for her intelligence, and soon both are caught in a dangerous obsession. She drowns her confusion in charitable endeavors, but the people’s love can’t protect her from her feelings. When a magical crime endangers the bond between unicorns, dragons, and the royal family, a falsely accused Eleanor must clear her own name to save her life. The road toward vindication will force a choice between hard-won security and an impossible love.

The Cracked Slipper is a book club friendly fairytale retelling in the vein of Gregory Maguire, with a dash of romance. Set in a pseudo-renaissance, corset-and-petticoats enchanted kingdom, The Cracked Slipper brings a magical twist to women’s fiction.

A real treat, the excerpt:  (Tell me what you think of my choice of 3.  It was a difficult choice.)

“He tugged at his earlobe. “I can’t, Mistress, and I would, just to get you out of this hallway, but Prince Gregory is not here.”

“Not here? What do you mean? It has to be—”

“Two in the morning.”

“Two in the morning,” she said. Something icy formed in her chest, and it wasn’t from the cold tiles beneath her feet. “I see. Well, I’ll be going.” She turned slowly.

“I’m sorry, Mistress.” The gruff voice followed her, but she didn’t want to turn around and see the sympathy on his face. She started up the steps but stopped midway.

There must be an explanation. She could not face tomorrow not knowing. She would wait and see, and it would all be revealed. Probably just some late-night meeting with his advisers, a problem that must solved before the wedding. She would wait until he returned, and then go back to bed happy.

Exhaustion caught up with her and she sat on the bottom step out of view of the guard. She wrapped her arms around her knees and in spite of the cold she nodded off. After some time, maybe ten minutes or maybe an hour, she heard voices. She sat up.

They were male voices, and some of them sounded familiar. She rocked forward on her numb toes and peered around the corner again.

She recognized Dorian first, and then Brian, Raoul, and several of Gregory’s other friends. Dorian struggled to hold someone up. Her heart sank as she recognized Gregory’s auburn hair.

He could barely stand. His legs kept buckling underneath him. Each time they crumpled he reached up with both arms. He grabbed Dorian’s neck and nearly dragged them both to the floor. The other men kept up a constant stream of harassment. She lost track of who said what, but their words rang painfully clear.

“What’s that Gregory? Those two Talessee girls where too much for you?”

“We should have quit after the redhead. She took care of him quite nicely.”

“Did you see the tits on that one?”

“Old Greg was probably seeing four of them. He was so smashed he was already falling over.”

“But his flagpole was standing up!” They all roared with laughter.

“A fine tribute to Cartheigh!”

“Tell me, Gregory, how will your sweet little maid compare with those last two?”

Gregory’s head swung up. “See, what you boys don’t realize…is I can have the sweet little maid and still bang as many whores as I see fit. Benefits of the crown.”

Eleanor could barely breathe. She head Dorian’s voice for the first time. “All right, all right, let’s get you to bed or you’re liable to pass out on the altar.”

Gregory spoke again. “And you know, boys, little Eleanor is not quite as sweet as you may think— I’ve already had my hands on her—”

“Enough, Gregory,” Dorian said. He thrust the stuttering prince off on Brian and Raoul. He took the keys from the guard, who gazed resolutely at the wall.

“Tonight was just practice for tomorrow—”

“Enough!”Dorian exclaimed.

Eleanor couldn’t take any more. Without any further thought she stepped out into the hallway.

They all froze, a bunch of possums blinded by a woodsmen’s torch. Eleanor couldn’t speak. She simply stood there, staring at Gregory strung between Brian and Raoul like a pair of wet stockings left out to dry. Her hands clenched at her sides in tight fists. Blood roared in her ears, but her eyes were dry.

Dorian finally broke the silence.“Eleanor.”

Gregory cocked his head. “Sweetheart, how good to see you.”

His body jerked and he vomited. It covered his boots, and the sentry’s. The guard never moved. The acidic scent hit Eleanor’s nose and broke her paralysis. She fled up the steps. She heard Dorian calling after her but she didn’t stop. She brushed past her own sentry, threw the door open with both hands, closed it and drew the latch. She leaned against it. She had left her candle in the hallway, but she’d built the fire well and it still burned. She jumped at a gentle tap on the door behind her.

Dorian’s voice through the thick wood loosened the tears that had not come downstairs. “Eleanor,” he said, “please open the door. Let me explain.”

“No, go away.”

“He’s just drunk. It’s just talk among men. He didn’t mean any of it.”

“So where were you all? You weren’t out pitching lawn bolls!”

“I don’t deny it, or defend it. But Gregory loves you. He never meant to hurt you. ”

She leaned her head against the door. There was no way she could open it. “I don’t know what to believe,” she said. And then, louder, “Please go away, Dorian. Please.”

“As you wish.”

She sensed him standing on the other side, and then his footsteps moved down the hallway.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Stephanie Alexander grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC, the oldest of three children. Drawing, writing stories, and harassing her parents for a pony consumed much of her childhood. After graduating from high school in 1995 she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the College of Charleston, South Carolina. She returned to Washington, DC, where she followed a long-time fascination with sociopolitical structures and women’s issues to a Master of Arts in Sociology from the American University. She spent several years as a Policy Associate at the International Center for Research on Women, a think-tank focused on women’s health and economic advancement.

Stephanie embraced full-time motherhood after the birth of the first of her three children in 2003. After six wonderful years buried in diapers and picture books she returned to her childhood passion and wrote her own fairytale. Her family put down permanent southern roots in Charleston in 2011. Stephanie is an adjunct professor of Sociology at the College of Charleston.

www.thecrackedslipper.com

http://www.blog.thecrackeslipper.com

www.facebook.com/thecrackedslipper

twitter: @crackedslipper

http://www.amazon.com/The-Cracked-Slipper-Series-ebook/dp/B007FLG8KS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1364778060&sr=1-1&keywords=the+cracked+slipper

Stephanie will be awarding a $10 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Add more clear failure strings when failing to give a quest item to a mob.
Temporarily lower required fame per level to 13.
Minor web page cleanup.

Add an automatic, always reachable waypoint for the central bulletin board
area. The board waypoint and clan waypoints now behave the same, and the
way that clan waypoints work has changed. Low levels will always be able
to waypoint out of a clan/board area to their appropriate island, and
higher level players will always be able to waypoint to the mainland. This
isn’t an ideal solution, but will have to work for now.

http://bit.ly/11aeNLi

“As Walkers, Joey Harker and his fellow InterWorld soldiers can pass between multiple dimensions–a skill they use as part of their mission to maintain peace as rival powers of magic and science threaten to control all worlds.

When a stranger named Acacia Jones does the impossible and follows Joey back to Base Town, things get complicated. No one knows who she is or where she’s from–or how she knows so much about InterWorld.

Dangerous times lie ahead for Joey and the mission. There’s a traitor hidden among them, and if Joey has any hope of saving InterWorld, the Altiverse, and the mission, he’s going to have to rely on his wits–and, just possibly, on the mysterious Acacia Jones.“

This book might say it’s about one thing, but it’s about something else.

Acacia Jones is a red herring, although she does play into the events that unfold in The Silver Dream, she is not as instrumental to the grand design as the book blurb will make you believe.

That warning aside, let us now dive into the sequel for InterWorld:

It’s not as good as the first one. Definitely. By leaps and bounds. And once you’ve come to accept that, you’ll learn to like it for what it is–which is, a good adventure book. That’s how it was for me.

It probably has to do with the diminished participation Neil Gaiman has on this book, but the worlds we visit aren’t as rich as they were in the first novel. Then again, we don’t really dwell too long in any world for any of them to make much impact. The sequel deals more with the interpersonal relationships of the many incarnations of Joseph Harker.

Story-wise, it’s actually very hard to judge the quality of The Silver Dream. Not because it’s not good. It’s just not complete. By the time you finish the novel, it becomes clear that the whole thing is a set-up for something bigger. And you can’t say a book is good, or not good, if the story isn’t finished.

Unless, of course, this was supposed to be a complete story–and then, I must say, it’s really bad. Because it cuts off just as things are about to get interesting. It builds up and builds up, and just cuts off–

Now, if this were a character-driven story, I’d say it’s okay. But our protagonist, while embarking on a journey of self-discovery, is still on the cusp of actually doing something about said self-discovery. His journey has just reached its climax. Or is about to reach it.

So, no. It’s not good in that aspect as well.

Nor is it any good at building up the characters that already exist–or the ones it introduces in this book.

Come to think of it, The Silver Dream isn’t very good at pacing itself either. Things happen. And then something else happens. And midway, yet another thing happens. By the time we reach the latter half of the novel, we see the random things get connected together. But it’s only in the last few pages that we actually see how everything relates together, and by then, it’s being blown up to be bigger than what we thought it to be.

And then the novel ends.

The Silver Dream is a very frustrating book to read, if we’re going to be brutally honest about it. I remember enjoying the adventure aspect of it when I put it down. Going back to it now, I’m questioning what exactly I liked in the book.

I can’t think of a single reason.

I think I have to read the next book, the obvious continuation, to see if this whole thing was worth it.

This begs the question, though, why the publishers (and the writers) thought it would be okay to publish just this part of an obviously bigger story. Why not just release the whole thing as one? Why put in a cliffhanger? This is not television.

First, this story does, in fact, have a title. It’s Ameryn: Tale of the Guardian. This is a story I have been developing since I was thirteen. It is very different now from the way it started out. They all used to be animals. Yeah. This story has grown up with me. “Legend” may take the place of “Tale” at any point in the creative process. In fact, just about everything in this story is subject to change. If there are inconsistencies in the segments, that is why. The creative process means nothing is set in stone. Creativity is a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, writey-wimey stuff. I will do my best to explain any significant evolutions, such as the deletion of a character or a name change.

Second, none of these segments have been in order, except for the ones labeled with letters (7a, 7b, 7c, and the like). I am essentially writing as the Spirit leads, to borrow a phrase. Some of these segments, especially in the earlier ones, won’t even end up in the final book. I wrote them for my own benefit, trying to figure out character background and motivation and whatnot. You’re getting the DVD bonus features before the movie hits the theaters—or even post-production. Because these segments aren’t in order, expect confusion. It is okay if you are confused. I want to confuse you. Do not allow your confusion to trick you into believing you are not intelligent. You’re brilliant. It’s just that I’m a writer who got tired of forcing herself to stick to a timeline.

Third, this is fantasy. There are such things as immortal and superhuman and even magical creatures here. Some of them have names. Some of them don’t—yet. That’s deliberate. For reference, Zon looks like the typical fantasy elf, except his hair isn’t all blonde and Legolas-ish—it’s short and dark. Ameryn’s deformity is deliberately ambiguous right now, and her species is undefined, but she is more elf-like than not elf-like. The king and the princess (Aileen) are Anglo-Saxon-reminiscent human beings. High Sprites are humanoids, pale skinned and scrawny, with pointy, grey-furred ears, black hair, and long rat-like tails. Low Sprites, their cousins, are also pale-skinned, but have red or brown hair, pointed and feathered ears, and long tails with a tuft or fan of feathers at the end. Otterlings are oversized otters that talk and have opposable thumbs. Taurlins are just like centaurs, but instead of being half-horse, they are half deer. Males have antlers. They all have long deer-ears. It’s prettier than it sounds, I promise.

Fourth, almost all of the characters in the story are based off of actual people—friends of mine. That is why a few of the characters have commented on the posts. Thought I should explain that.

Alright, that pretty much sums up all I’m willing to explain at this point. If any of you, my dear and patient readers, ever have a question about the story or the world, feel free to comment. I will answer as best I can.

DONT POST COMMENTS HERE I WILL DELETE THIS POST.

THE NEW PART WILL BE ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL STORY, TO LOCATE THAT STORY CHECK OUT THE RIGHT HAND SIDE COLUMN, YOU WILL FIND IT THERE.

The red colour of rubies is from a small amount of chromium(III). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Fire to thaw that ruddy snow, to break enchanted ice.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

This snippet is from a paranormal fantasy WIP:

Holding her breath, Marceline pressed her thumb against the inner recesses of the cedar box. There was still a chance. She glanced down at her sister, whose eyes brightened despite the shadows beneath. Meggie hadn’t given up, and neither would she. After all, Seth had been nothing if not clever. It had to be here. It just had to. She couldn’t stand another fruitless night. Yet nothing seemed unusual about the box other than its unique curved design. Just when she had the impulse to fling it across the room, the wood shifted, and a drawer snapped open, revealing a tiny cubbyhole hidden by red velvet. Her hand shaking, Marceline brushed aside the fabric and removed a kidney-shaped slat to peer inside. Swallowing hard, she turned to Meggie. “You were right. It’s been here all the time.” A broad smile stretched her lips. “We can pay the time singer now.”

Welcome to the 18th Hump Day Hook of 2013. In this blog hop, each author posts  one paragraph from a book or WIP. Find a list of HDH authors here. Everyone would appreciate a comment and for their post to be liked and tweeted, using the hashtag #HDH. Join the FB page  here.

“I’d love to tell you I had some deep revelation on my way down, that I came to terms with my own mortality, laughed in the face of death, et cetera.

The truth? My only thought was: Aaaaggghhhhh!”

This page is not endorsed by Kickstarter but here to let you get a better image of who they are.

So as some of you know, I have been writing Kalla and the Abyss as well as self publishing it on Amazon. Well at first I wished to keep it the way it was but then I began to realize that wasn’t enough and I needed some extra cash flow for marketing, designing and editing my books.

Currently I am at $150 of $300 needed for the basic necessities. Past that I will have to decide on what kind of stretch goals I want to do. Some options include a 4th book, a psycal copy of the first three bundled together, a guide book to techs and a live video of the Kalla Series. I will need to calculate the prices for each of these and see if it is possible first.

However, I also come to you all, my blog friends, to aid me in getting this kickstarter funded so if any of you guys can spare just a dollar that would be greatly appreciated. If you didn’t know, the kickstarter logo linked you to the project but if you don’t want to scroll up here it is again.

Kickstarter Project