Book review - Ready Player One

I

'm going to introduce you to a favorite book of mine: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It's a good story and I absolutely love it. (Not to mention the audiobook version of it is read by Wil Wheaton.)

The story begins in a near future world that has been devastated by global warming, depletion of natural resources, and the occasional city going up in a mushroom cloud. The world is in bad shape, and the only thing that makes life worth living is the OASIS. The OASIS is a virtual reality simulation that the entire world can access and live in a world of fantasy, science fiction, and comfort when their normal lives are anything but comfortable.

The story follows Wade Watts, a young man stuck in the stacks in Oklahoma City. He's poor, an orphan, and has no idea how he's going to improve his life. Then a wealthy game designer, the man who created the OASIS, dies. His last will and testament is converted into a massive video game contest that the results of which will lead to wealth and control of his company.

Wade goes through a lot in his search for the Easter egg that's been built into the OASIS. He runs into some problems with IOI, a multi-national company with negative plans for the OASIS. Wade must contend with them, all of the other “gunters” who are hunting the egg, and a relationship with his friends that don't always go the direction he intends.

It's an incredibly long book but it's a good one to get through. Now, I will say the author comes up with some things that are too convenient. There are a few places where his details don't match. But if you can overlook these places you may enjoy the story.

Book Reviews - Hidden, Land of Shadows

Two books to review today. The first is Hidden by Megg Jensen. The other is Land of Shadows by Jeff Gunzel. Both were picked up when they were listed as free e-books on Amazon. Land of Shadows is still free.

I found out about Hidden from the author herself on her Facebook page. I'd been wanting to read it for some time so I jumped at the chance to get it. I wasn't disappointed. Tressa is an amazing character. Her fierce independence and her drive to do something to help her people is amazing. Bastian, the one man she loves but couldn't be with due to the breeding lottery they found themselves caught up in, is completely devoted to her as well. When they and another friend venture out of the fog that's surrounded the village since before she was born, what they find there will leave them changed forever.

At first I found it hard to get into, but that quickly changed. I devoured the book in two days. Ms. Jensen has a captivating way of telling a story, and her characters are real people. They have their good points and their bad. They make mistakes. They pay for those mistakes. The world she's built here as well is very interesting. The settings are such an integral part of things that they almost seem to be a character in and of themselves.

You can find Hidden here.

Land of Shadows was found when I was perusing the Amazon Top 100 Free list one day. This is where I get a lot of my books, for the most part fantasy and sci fi, and I decided when I read the blurb that this one looked a little interesting. I was right.

I admit, I anticipated it being the standard “prophesied quest fulfillment”. I really wasn't that far off, but that only scratches the skin of this story. Eric is perfectly happy with his mundane life. When demons come and destroy that illusion, he must now find his way in the world. His best friend sticks with him and the two of them set off together with a mysterious young woman to find out where his future will lead him.

This was another book that sucked me in after a few chapters. I found myself bored partway through but continued to see if it got better. It did. I finished the whole book in two days. I couldn't bring myself to leave the story. There's a second book to the series that I wish was on the free list. I want to read it. It's gone on my Amazon wish list so I can pick it up when I have the chance.

You can find Land of Shadows here.

Reviews ahead

I've been trying to read a book a day, though one of the books I'm reviewing now it took me two days to read. Partially because it was awesome but I had other things I needed to focus on so I took a break after a couple hours the first day and finished it up the second. All of these were free e-books from Amazon, three of which I found through the "Top 100 Free" in the Kindle Store.

The first book I read was actually something I've wanted to have for a long time. It's the first book in Patti Larsen's Hayle Coven books, Family Magic. I've been interested in seeing how the story unfolds since I first heard about it from Patti herself. So when Patti announced that it was free on Amazon, I jumped at the chance to pick it up.

In the beginning of the story, we meet Sydlyn Hayle (who prefers to be called Syd). She's a rebellious teenager who hates the fact that she's the member of a magical family. She just wants to be normal, and not have to deal with everything. When someone endangers the coven, Syd has to step up and help save her coven.

I was initially put off by how whiny Syd appeared in the beginning. But I moved past that further into the book and was thrilled to see her step up to the plate. I really like this first book and will be moving on in the series when I can. You can get it at the following links:

Amazon
B&N
Smashwords

The next book, which turned out to be more of a novella, was A Dark Kiss of Rapture by Sylvia Gray. In it, we meet Raze, a fallen angel turned vampire. Raze has never found a woman he could love. As the story unfolds, we're taken through a dark and twisted maze to search out an enemy who's managed to dump a dead body on his doorstep. He tracks them to Chicago, where he meets the one woman who has opened his heart. When she's put in danger, Raze steps up to protect her.

This was a wonderful story. Intense, fast paced, but it didn't leave anything out. I'd love to read the rest of the books in the serial and will be picking them up as soon as possible. You can get it at the following places:

Amazon
B&N

The third book I tried reading was Phantom Summer by Amy Sparling. Seventeen year old Taylor Gray moves in with her mother to get away from her traumatic past. When she gets there, she picks up a job doing ghost tours. The guy running it becomes more than just a friend. When Taylor sees a real ghost, her past comes crashing down on her head again.

I will admit, I didn't get through this one. I just couldn't get into the story. I'm not sure if it was the characters, the flow of the story, or the pace since it seemed a little slow to me. I'm not saying it's not a good book. It just wasn't right for me. I don't suggest you take my word for it. Go buy the book yourself and see what you think. You can find it on Amazon:

Amazon

The fourth book I read was the one that took me two days instead of just one. That book is Prince of Wolves by Quinn Loftis. I loved this story and would have finished it in one day except, as I said earlier, I had other things to do and didn't want to get too sucked in.

Jacque is a 17 year old looking forward to her senior year in high school. When a gorgeous Romanian foreign exchange student moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends figure they're just going to be sighing over him and drooling a little whenever they see him.

Then Fane and Jacque discover they have a bond deeper than any either of them has felt before. The only problem is Fane is a werewolf, the son of the Alpha in Romania to be precise and the prince of the pack there. Jacque is his fated mate. Fane never expected to find her in a small Texas town, so he's unprepared for his reaction to her.

Their relationship is threatened by the crazy Alpha in the small town and someone else stepping up to claim Jacque as his mate, even though it's obvious she belongs with Fane. Fane and Jacque have to fight their way through the situation to remain together.

To start, the start of things made me giggle because of Jacque and Fain's confusion. Neither of them expected to have their life mates show up before the senior year of high school started. Fane was actually planning on it taking a couple centuries. So imagine his surprise when he encounters her. The story gets a little more serious as the conflict with the local werewolves gets worse. But they fight it to the end and come out on top. This is another book I can highly recommend. It's still free on Amazon and Smashwords for a little while longer. You can find it at the places below:

Amazon
B&N
Smashwords

All of these reviews are my own, and not influenced in any way by the authors. I would recommend picking up the books and making your own decisions regarding them. Mine are just one in the many that all of these have received.

Enjoy!

The Mancode: Exposed and A Walk in the Snark by Rachel Thompson

I was looking through my book collection for something a little different from my usual epic fantasy and sci fi reads when I found Rachel Thompson's books The Mancode: Exposed and A Walk in the Snark. I've read both of these books before, but I don't believe I've reviewed them. So I thought I'd write up a quick review about the two rather entertaining books.

The books are a series of essays written by Ms. Thompson (@RachelintheOC, @BadRedheadMedia) based on her observations of how silly some of the things both men and women do are. These days she writes some more serious articles, but she still posts some humorous things here on her website.

In A Walk in the Snark, Rachel deviates from her humorous essays occasionally with poignant discussions of a tragic event in her life. She talks about mistakes she made and how they affected her life. She also discusses her children. One of my favorite stories is the one about the head lice.

In The Mancode: Exposed she spends more time on the humor. I can't tell you which one of the essays from this book is my favorite. They're all great.

One thing Rachel does, which I absolutely love, is she has transformed her popularity from her books and her blog into a successful career as a social media consultant. She often posts advice on her blog. She'll tweet and retweet links to blog posts and essays on social media. Her whole business, Bad Redhead Media, is based on her belief that Indie authors need to build a platform on social media and she's there to help them. Her rates seem reasonable to me, and she obviously knows what she's talking about with how successful she's been.

I have a third book of Rachel's, her newest one Broken Pieces. This one isn't supposed to be funny and as of yet I haven't managed to read it but I have it on my TBR list for reading it soon. I know it'll be well written as Rachel's talent shines in her writing.

You can purchase A Walk in the Snark here and The Mancode: Exposed here.

Fight scenes

I don't know about you, but there are two types of scenes that I absolutely hate writing: sex scenes and fight scenes. Sex scenes I end up giggling too much and just can't get into the mood to write them. Fight scenes are tough because I've never been in a fight in my life and the only self defense class I took was judo and that was years ago when I was in high school. It also didn't last long. I was in terrible shape and my parents didn't think it was a good idea for me to keep learning it.

So what am I supposed to do? Luckily I found an excellent book to help me. Rayne Hall's How to Write Fight Scenes. It can be found here on Amazon. I highly recommend it if you're trying to write a credible fight scene.

Ms. Hall gives you a lot of different perspectives, including how males fight compared to how females fight. She talks about different weapons and the effects they have for making wounds. She gives you the breakdown of a way a fight scene should be structured. The book is full of good advice and excellent examples. She also gives you a list of mistakes to avoid at the end of each chapter.

I highly recommend this book if you're having trouble writing fight scenes. I know it's helped me figure out how to write better fight scenes and it could possibly help you.

Out of the Night by Joelle Casteel

I'm going to start with a disclaimer right now. If you are under the age of 18 or easily offended, this book is not for you. Joelle writes BDSM erotic romance with characters with a wide variety of sexual orientations. She pushes the envelope and the boundaries constantly in her writing and her stories are not for the faint of heart. If this warning doesn't turn you away, then feel free to continue reading the review.

Out of the Night is the first book in the Vala's Story series/serial that Joelle is writing. In it, we meet Mearr, a drug addicted 19 year old who's done a lot of things to keep herself alive and free from her parents. Mearr spends most of her time in Night, a coffee shop that doubles as the hangout for a lot of varied people. Mearr's favorite spot is perched at a table in the front window of the coffee shop, a spot the coffee shop owner isn't sorry to see her fill.

Mearr OD's and is rescued by The Queen. The Queen is a male dominant who hopes to help her. He's seen her several times and has grown fond of her, though she has never spoken to him. He hopes by helping her she'll acquiesce to becoming a part of his stable, though what that means Mearr doesn't yet know.

Mearr is taken to the loft for her recovery, and then she is taken to The Queen's mansion, where she is introduced to the rest of the stable. There, with her name changed by her choice to Vala, she takes her first shaky steps into a world of BDSM.

I loved Night. I'm coming into this with no preconceived notions of BDSM. I know very little, and what little I know I've gotten from reading other erotica/erotic romance novels with a mention of BDSM in them. (No, I don't count Fifty Shades of Grey. Never read them, never plan on reading them.) Now, Out of the Night is BDSM light, as she's just being introduced to the world. I understand the series gets more intense as it goes forward.

You can buy it on Amazon here. I enjoyed it, and if you go in for erotic romance with BDSM tendencies, I hope you will too.

Book review: Game of Thrones

I'm coming late to the party, but I've just started reading the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. I tried once, a few years ago when A Game of Thrones first came out, to try to read it but I had a hard time dealing with the head hopping in the writing and I put it down.

I picked it back up after seeing a few episodes of the HBO series "A Game of Thrones". The series was interesting, but I didn't understand why the characters were doing what they were doing. I checked A Game of Thrones out from the library but I had to return it before I finished it. Later, I found four of the books at the local used bookstore so I bought them. I've finished A Game of Thrones and I've now started A Clash of Kings.

I found it hard to follow the book in the beginning. It was the same problem I'd had with it when I first tried to read it a few years ago. The head hopping was very distracting and I had a hard time following along with the story when he kept switching between people and places. As I continued reading this time, instead of giving up after the first few chapters, I grew invested in the characters. I wanted to know more about what was going to happen to them, what their world was like, what their fates were going to be.

My two favorite characters are Daenarys Targaryen and Arya Stark. As you progress through the books, their stories become more interesting. But I found myself looking forward to Daenarys' chapters in A Game of Thrones.

The writing was well done. Once I got into it I was transported into the characters' world. It got a little long winded in places but for a book the size of this one that's to be expected. I found I didn't care as much for certain characters as I did for others. I will admit I skimmed the chapters of the ones I didn't care about. I read enough to know what was going on and then I moved on.

The book was well written, the story for the most part is engaging, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

Authors Welcome - Book reviews on my blog

(Image taken from here)

I stopped doing book reviews because of the kerfuffle on Goodreads and Amazon where authors and fans flamed each other for their reviews. It's not that I don't want to review the books I've read. It's that I'm afraid of being flamed for my reviews.

I don't know what started the most recent mess other than an author responded (poorly, from my understanding) to a review and a flame war started. I think it's ridiculous. Personally, as I rethink my position on book reviews (hey, I've got over 100 books to review via my Kindle app that were free for a time on Amazon as well as the Song of Ice and Fire books) I want to make things very clear as to what I expect from visitors to my blog.

1. Be polite. If your opinion differs from mine, that's fine. Don't come up and tell me "Nuh uh, you're wrong!" and then whine like a little baby. Explain why you think I'm wrong. Share your opinions with me. I am always open to discussions on my blog.

2. No name calling. This should go with be polite, but I'm reiterating it here. Don't call me, fellow commenters, or authors names. Don't badmouth the author just because you've got some kind of grudge against them.

3. No flaming. Again, part of being polite but really, should I even have to write these rules? Aren't they all common sense? Don't feed the trolls. Inevitably there are going to be those who disregard the rules. Ignore them and go on with your own discourse.

Keep things civil, even if you disagree, and things will work out very well. My opinions on the books are my own and in no way, shape, or form reflect my opinion of the author. It is based solely on the writing and the story only.

Writing Wednesday - Zen in the Art of Writing

Today I want to talk to you about a book that I've recently started reading that I find absolutely wonderful. It's called Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity by Ray Bradbury. Now I know I'm probably coming late to the field on this one. I'm sure there are a lot of you out there who've already read this, as you've read a lot of Ray Bradbury's stuff. I'm sad to say I haven't read many of Ray Bradbury's stories, but the ones I have read I do like.

I think my favorite quote so far from this book is as follows: "If you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer."

That's good advice. If writing becomes mechanical for us, if all we're doing is keeping our eye on the commercial market and not pouring ourselves out onto the page, then writing loses its purpose. Writing is supposed to be a release, something we do because we enjoy it. For many of us, it is what we want to do or are doing for our livelihood. I won't deny that. But if you don't write what you enjoy, how are your readers going to enjoy the story with you?

Another part of the book that I like is this paragraph:
     The history of each story, then, should read almost like a weather report: Hot today, cool tomorrow. This afternoon, burn down the house. Tomorrow, pour cold critical water upon the simmering coals. Time enough to think and cut and rewrite tomorrow. But today - explode - fly apart - disintegrate. The other six or seven drafts are going to be pure torture. So why not enjoy the first draft, int he hope that your joy will seek and find others in the world who, reading your story, will catch fire, too?

How many of us worry so much about our first drafts that we sit in agony as we write it, pondering each and every line as if to make sure it's perfect the first time through? Why can't we sit back and enjoy the ride, and worry about fixing it later when it comes time to write the second draft? Our job with our first draft is to paint the background for our story. Each subsequent edit and rewrite is just adding detail to the picture.

Ray Bradbury has a lot of good advice in this book. I can't wait to finish it and see what else he has to say.

I talk a lot today...especially about books!

Hey everyone!

It's Sunday, which would be a weird day for me to do my blog posts given that I usually work on Sundays.  Except I don't work Sunday anymore.  Thanks to my awesome manager, I now have Fridays and Sundays off and work on Saturdays.  I've been trying to get off Sundays since April - when we went outbound/inbound mix at the call center and I started getting the "Why the f*** are you calling me on the Lord's Day?" comments screamed at me - and we finally got them to move me.  This means I don't get two days off in a row, but I'll trade that for an end to the tirades about calling on a day normally reserved for religious observances by a large portion of the population.

One of the awesome things about not working on Sundays is I'm finally able to take part in Twitter chats that I've wanted to get involved in but due to my job haven't been able to.  The first chat is #StoryCraft.  It's usually hosted by @AuthorKimKoning (although this week's was quite ably managed by @SheviStories and @Fireflyfly), and it's at 4 pm MST.  This week's was on world building and as that's one of my favorite topics to talk about, it of course was an amazing start to my return to the #StoryCraft chat.

The other chat I only recently found out about that I checked out today is #fantasychat.  I don't know much about it, other than there was a great deal of discussion on magic today, but I'm going back next week to check it out even more.  It looks like one of the facilitators is @marilynmuniz.  The group who chats seems friendly, and I hope for some more interesting conversations.

Today Himself found out YouTube has not only denied him access to his account but someone flagged him for copyright violation on music he composed himself.  Back when we still had the iMac, we had GarageBand and a few other programs that Himself used to create a handful of techno songs.  He put two of them up on YouTube.  He got an email today saying that one of his songs had been flagged as a copyright violation by a company called Rumblefish and that Himself would now see ads popping up on his video because Rumblefish wasn't asking to have the video taken down.  Those videos have been up since January of last year.  When Himself tried to sign into his YouTube account to do something about it, it came up that the account was closed.  When I go onto YouTube I can find his account no problem.  But on "Timeless Trial", the video Rumblefish said violated their copyright, there is indeed an ad stuck on the video.  Both of us are rather angry at YouTube for this blatant violation of Himself's copyright, and the fact that this now prevents him from utilizing his own music to create an income for himself.

I went to the Rumblefish website.  Their FAQ says he can file a dispute, and he plans on doing that.  But he's still pissed that they decided to slap an ad on his music & claim that he was using their copyrighted material when he did no such thing.  It's just more of a hassle than we want to deal with right now.

Something a little lighter.  I started reading e-books with the intent of posting reviews of them up here.  This week I thought I'd introduce you to a few more of my favorites.  First on the list is Child of the Ghosts by Jonathan Moeller.  Here's the summary as taken from the Amazon page:


When her life is torn apart by sorcery and murder, young Caina Amalas joins the mysterious Ghosts, the legendary spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar. She learns the secrets of disguise and stealth, of assassination and infiltration.


But even that might not be enough to save her.


For the evil that destroyed her family seeks to devour the entire world...


I loved Caina.  She's a smart, spirited girl who starts out as a sheltered bookworm and is thrust into a world of violence and magic that utterly destroys her life.  She is rescued by the mysterious Ghosts - the Emperor's hidden assassins and spies - and becomes one of them so she can avenge her father's murder.  She grows and changes during the book, making several decisions that alter her perceptions of the world.  There are a few editing mistakes, as I've come to expect, but they didn't draw me out of the story.  This is the first book in a trilogy and is still up on Amazon for free.  The other two books in the series Ghost in the Flames and Ghost in the Blood are both $2.99.  I hope to eventually get both of these as well because I want to continue with Caina's story.

The other books I'd like to discuss were written by my friend KD (@KDSarge on Twitter...follow her, she's awesome).  Those would be the three books in her 'Dreamverse - Knight Errant, His Faithful Squire, and  Queen's Man.


First, let's talk about Knight Errant.  Here's the blurb from Amazon:


From pickpocket and con artist to little brother and trusted comrade is a tough transition, but Taro is making it. His new sister, former Marine Eve Marcori, promised his dead mother she'd "look after" him. To her that means family, home--her interstellar freighter--and a solid future. In four years she has trained Taro extensively; the next step is college. Taro would rather be shot, but he never forgets his debt to Eve, so he means to honor her plans or die in the attempt. 


When Eve rescues former joy-boy and current layabout Rafe Ballard, death seems the likely outcome. Rafe is so apparently useless that Eve calls him 'the baggage' and appoints Taro his custodian. Irritated into disobedience by his carefree charge, Taro tries to get rid of Rafe. Instead he gets them both kidnapped by the jealous husband Rafe was fleeing. Though they are off-planet before Taro can act, his training may be enough to bring them safely through--but now he has bigger problems. Forced into partnership--and freedom--with Rafe, Taro begins to see him differently. Kind, funny, and caring, Rafe is everything Taro never knew he wanted. And all he can't have. Eve's plans leave no room for a playboy boyfriend who can never measure up, and Taro can't let her down. 


Caught between the sister he'd die for and the man he's beginning to live for, Taro decides it's time to start making his own plans. And if the new skills aren't enough, he'll give the old ones a try.


Originally I got the book from KD to read and eventually review for her when she first published it back in 2010.  When I got my Kindle I actually went out and purchased the book from Amazon (it's only .99), mainly because my computer ate my copy of KE and I wanted to read it again.  Let me tell you, this woman can WRITE.

Here's my original review:


I could not...absolutely COULD NOT...walk away from my screen until I finished this. I was expecting good. I've read some of K.D.'s stuff before. But this went beyond what I'd read and elevated to pure awesomeness. This came at a good time for me, since I'd already been having a rough time and needed something to make me smile. This did just that.

Taro is a young man torn between his duty to his sister and his desire for a future of his own choosing. When the obnoxious piece of "baggage" named Rafe enters his life, it gets a whole lot harder for Taro to think straight. Especially when "straight" isn't what he wants to be. Being kidnapped, assaulted, thrown out of just about every bar he's ever been to and finding out just how badly jealousy hurts, Taro evolves into a bloody awesome young man.

Taro has to learn to stand up for himself, to get past his emotions, and to finally confront the past and present to secure his future. This was an amazingly well written story.

I don't have much else to add here, other than each time I read it I find myself rooting for Taro all over again.  Seriously, go check it out.


Next book in the set was His Faithful Squire.  Here's the synopsis off the Amazon page:


Former joy-boy Rafe Ballard will miss living on the freighter Pendragon's Dream. Under the watchful eye of Captain Eve Marcori, Marine veteran, no one beat him. He ate well, his life was rarely in danger, and—most important by far—he spent much of his days and all the glorious nights with his beloved Taro. Unfortunately, energetic Taro wants to take on the galaxy without his sister the captain standing by, and Rafe won't be left behind.


He's learned enough to get a real job so he won't be a burden. Taro is beyond capable of keeping him safe. What could go wrong?


With a Marcori in the picture, lots. By the explosive end of his first job, Taro needs back-up. Rafe is all there is.


Hedonist, layabout, and mooch he may be, but Rafe is also deeply in love. For Taro he'll surprise everyone—especially himself.


I'd post my original review here too but it wasn't all that well written.  Let me just say this: wow.  Taro and Rafe leaped off the page as realistic characters.  You get to see a side of Rafe that you didn't get to see in Knight Errant, and you get to see him evolve and change from a layabout bit of fluff to someone who will make one hell of a partner for Taro.   Rafe is actually a fairly intelligent man who has been told all of his life that his only purpose was to make others happy.  Sometimes he can go overboard with this, sacrificing his own happiness in the process.  He learns that he has a right to be happy, that he can be happy with Taro, and that letting someone know what he wants isn't as hard as he thought.


Finally, Queen's Man.  This was another 'read and review' copy from KD.  Joss is very different from Taro and Rafe.  Here's the description from Amazon again:


Joss Ravid works security for a major tribe on Kari's Star, but he'll tell anyone that he doesn't actually care if the ruling families kill each other off. He’s not interested in politics; he just likes getting paid to hit jerks, and also the many opportunities for hitting on straight men. The Galactic-imposed Interdiction may keep Kari citizens stuck on their war-torn world, but Joss has connections. If the situation gets too messy, he can leave whenever he wants.


He’ll also tell anyone he doesn’t care about girls, but that doesn’t stop him from rescuing 12-year-old Paige Carlyle, newly arrived on the planet and newly orphaned by tribe violence.


If Joss were making a “don’t care” list, though, at the very top would be Zeke Cayden, Heir to powerful Tribe Cayden. Never mind that he and Joss were lovers; that’s long gone. Saving Zeke’s life when the shooting starts is just business. Some tribes don’t want peace, and killing a Galactic citizen like Paige—or controlling Cayden through the Heir—would serve them well.


So Joss is on the run, risking his life, his pretty face, and his precious liberty to keep Paige and Zeke alive and the peace plan that can lift the Interdiction on track. Why? Because…how often does a guy get to piss off half a planet while displaying his talents for woodcraft, cross-dressing, and scaring straight men?


When Paige is kidnapped, though, the lives of Paige and Zeke, the leadership of Cayden and the future of Kari’s Star all ride on the wrinkled shoulders of Joss' work suit and he has to decide—does he care, or not?


And here's the review I wrote for that one:


KD offered me the chance to read an ARC of this book and I took it. I've loved her other two books - KNIGHT ERRANT and HIS FAITHFUL SQUIRE - so I was interested in seeing how Joss' story would play out. I wasn't disappointed.

Joss is a chaotic bundle of energy with little respect for authority and a big ego. When he inadvertently witnesses a murder and an attempted abduction, Joss finds himself put in the position of defending a damsel in distress - something difficult for him since he doesn't really care for girls. Paige's continued existence is key in the struggle for the removal of the Interdiction on Kari's Star, so Joss puts his freedom and his life on the line to protect her and Zeke, the annoyingly good looking heir to the Tribe Cayden, when a situation arises that forces the three of them to go on the run.

Initially I wasn't sure if I would like Joss since he was completely different from any of the other characters KD Sarge has written about previously. But as the story unfolded I actually found that he grew on me and by the end of the story I adored him as much as I adore Taro and Rafe.

KD has written a classic theme in sci fi, a war torn world and a single hero being selected to defend the key to peace, but has given it her own twist. Her humor is very much in evidence in this book and the character development is dynamic. Joss' world is vibrant and fascinating, and the characters that populate it move the story along at a brisk pace.

Seriously, just go buy/read KD and Jonathan's stuff.  They're both awesome writers (I don't know Jonathan personally but his writing speaks for itself) and they have some very appealing characters for you to fall in love with.

Amazon link for Child of the Ghosts
Amazon link for Knight Errant
Amazon link for His Faithful Squire
Amazon link for Queen's Man

And as always, if you don't have a Kindle, Amazon has a lovely set of free downloads so you can read Kindle books on your Mac, PC, Android, and iPhone.

A blog post? Really?

*cough, cough*

*sweeps aside cobwebs*

Wow.  Is this thing still here?

Hello everyone.  Thank you for staying with me during my rather long hiatus from blogging.  Between life, work, and the fact that I have no clue where I want to go with this blog I've sort of neglected it.  I still don't know where I want to go with it but I thought I'd at least dust it off and try to get a few posts in.

In the Real World, Himself is working on game design.  He's extremely happy with his decision, and I'm happy to support him with it.  Me?  I'm still working at the evil call center.  Looking for a new job but the job market sucks so that's going slowly too.  Not to mention I don't want to take a large pay cut just to switch jobs.  We can't afford that right now.

In the Imaginary World, aka my writing, things have been stalling there too.  I haven't been putting too much effort into it over the past couple months.  I've instead been reading a lot more.  I've picked up several of the free downloads off of Amazon for my Kindle and I've been reading a lot of self-pubbed and Indie pubbed books.  I have found a few gems, which I will happily share with you.  For the most part, they've just reinforced my desire to make sure the product I eventually put out there is as perfect as I can get it.

If I go traditional, this will be taken care of for me by the editors in the employ of the major publishing houses.  If I go the self-published or with a smaller press, I'll be hiring an editor to go over my work for me.  So many good stories have been ruined by too much prose, grammar and spelling errors, or just basically poor execution.  I intend to not be one of those authors.

This week, to kickstart the writing again, I decided to build the time line of events that goes from the creation of the world to "present day" in Aleran.  Holy crap was that a pain in the ass.  It doesn't help that at two points on my time line I have a LOT going on.  Now I didn't just do a basic time line of events.  I also added plot points and story notes at certain points on my time line.  Let me tell you, when you have three stories running concurrently at the same place on the time line it gets a little difficult to sort out what happens when.  But I managed it and the time line/plot point thingy is done.

I am once again revamping certain aspects of the world because they just weren't working, so I've got some world building to do.  I swear I'm never going to be done building Aleran, no matter how many books I write about it.  I've also got a new story that jumped up and bit me on the butt while I was doing the time line (which I sketched out brief character descriptions and a vague list of some of the plot points for that instead of working on my time line at one point) that I also want to get some work done on.  So it looks like the writing freeze is finally over.

Now, to share some of the gems I've pulled off of Amazon.

The first one is Alice in Deadland, by Mainak Dhar.  It's Alice in Wonderland meets zombies and a world domination seeking military.  This is not my normal read.  I wasn't even sure I really wanted to read it even after downloading it.  But I went ahead and got it and I was pleasantly surprised.  This was also one of the few books I paid for, since I got this with the gift card I got for Christmas when I got my Kindle.  The product description will do this book more justice than I could so here it is.

Civilization as we know it ended more than fifteen years ago, leaving as it's legacy barren wastelands called the Deadland and a new terror for the humans who survived- hordes of undead Biters. 

Fifteen year-old Alice has spent her entire life in the Deadland, her education consisting of how best to use guns and knives in the ongoing war for survival against the Biters. One day, Alice spots a Biter disappearing into a hole in the ground and follows it, in search of fabled underground Biter bases. 

What Alice discovers there propels her into an action-packed adventure that changes her life and that of all humans in the Deadland forever. An adventure where she learns the terrible conspiracy behind the ruin of humanity, the truth behind the origin of the Biters, and the prophecy the mysterious Biter Queen believes Alice is destined to fulfill. 

A prophecy based on the charred remains of the last book in the Deadland- a book called Alice in Wonderland.


Alice is not your ordinary teenager.  She goes through quite a metamorphosis as the book goes on.  She starts out a tough fighter but still generally naive about the larger picture in the world.  Through her experiences with the Biters and the military force known as Zeus, she learns that there is so much more at stake here than the lives of those in her settlement.  How she changes and what her choices ultimately lead her to make this a compelling read, if you like sci fi/horror.


I'll share one more of my new favorite books with you.  This one I did get for free and it's called Blood of the Righteous (The Ki Kalendeen Chronicles, Book 1), by J.E. Sandoval.  This one focuses on the fates of the three remaining children of the Ki Kalendeen family, whose entire family are killed by forces they don't yet understand for the purpose of allowing an evil king to conquer the lands outside of his kingdom's boundaries.  Here's the product description from Amazon.


Murder most foul! 
A noble lord is slaughtered in his manor. His three surviving children suddenly find themselves commoners. The oldest, Gabriel Ki Kalendeen, is a knight in service to the church who must balance his commitment to God with his responsibilities of his family. Eleenia, an independent minded healer, tries to make her way in a in a male dominated society in a profession that permits few females to enter. The roguish David, having survived the attack on his family, takes on a new identity, convinced that he is still a target. Together they struggle against society, their own deep character flaws, and the evil that secretly manipulates the world through intrigue, deception, lies, and murder. But the Sons of Perdition knew not what they did when they spilled the Blood of the Righteous!


One of the only nitpicks I have with this book is in the beginning they say David is fourteen but as I read the first part of the book, he seemed to be much younger - closer to ten rather than fourteen, especially in the medieval setting the author chose for the book.  But that aside, I loved how overprotective Gabriel is of Eleenia, which leads to conflict between the two of them on more than one occasion.  I love the colorful characters that are introduced, especially through David's POV.  This book is no longer free (it's $3.99 now).  Honestly, I'd still recommend it even at that price.


Link to buy Alice in Deadlands
Link to buy Blood of the Righteous

I'll share another couple of my favorites on my next blog post.  Which may be next weekend, or it may be later this week.  I don't know.  It'll be whenever I decide to do my next blog post.  :)

And remember...even if you don't have a Kindle, you can still read the e-books.
Kindle for PC
Kindle for Mac
Kindle for Android
Kindle for iPhone

(No, I'm not employed by Amazon.  I just like my Kindle and want to share.)

Sunday 'fess up...Anni's not having luck with a good title this week

Hey everyone!

Well, it's Sunday again.  And since one of my personal goals is to keep up on my blog this year it's time for another post.

I know.  You're all very excited, aren't you? *grin*

I had my usual week.  I worked. I read.  I wrote.  I played Sims 3.  Oh wait.  I wasn't supposed to admit to that last one.  Uhhhh...just pretend I didn't say it, okay? *shoves her Sims 3 disks under the blanket*

Okay, okay.  We all know (or if you didn't you do now) that I have a Sims 3 addiction.  Finances being what they are I haven't been able to indulge in feeding my addiction by buying all of the new Sims 3 titles.  I'm woefully behind.  I only have World Adventures and Ambitions.  But Ambitions is my favorite expansion out of the two and I love playing it.

I enjoy building lives and screwing with them.  I love the fact that with a few keystrokes I can make my Sims wealthy.  (Boy wouldn't it be nice to do that in real life?  Or click a few buttons and have your dream house built for cheap?)  I just love messing with my Sims' lives and making them live out my dreams.

In a way, playing Sims 3 is also like writing.  I create characters, give them lives, and then do my best to disrupt those lives.  I tend to do it on a grander scale in my writing than in Sims 3, and of course I have more opportunities to cause problems for my characters in my stories.  But it's still the same thing: build the world and then do my best to disrupt it.

I've also been reading a lot since I got my Kindle for Christmas.  My new favorite story is READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline.  Himself brought home the book on CD, a copy of which he'd borrowed from a co-worker.  It took us a week to get through it because of a lack of time to sit and listen to the bloody thing (it's 2 CDs, and runs about 16 hours or so).  I was hooked.

Now I'm not much of a 'book on tape/CD' person because I'm not great at listening and retaining stuff.  I prefer to read.  So I used up what was left of my gift card and bought the book for my Kindle.  Warning if you do buy it for your Kindle...it's $12 on Amazon.  Really expensive.  But to me it was worth it.  I absolutely love this book.  I've actually reread the thing three or four times now.

Here's the best synopsis for the story, better than what I could write.  It's got a lot of '80's pop culture references, and given that I was a kid during the 80's I recognized some of it.  Mostly what I remember is when it went into reruns for a while.  The story does bog down in a few places, but there are some really intense spots that make up for it.

I've got the rest of the books I bought with my gift card to get through too, though I keep getting sucked in to one or two titles and want to read them multiple times before I move on.  I expect to get through the rest of my new books soon...if I can stop reading READY PLAYER ONE, that is.

Writing...writing...writing...oh yeah!  That thing I do when I'm not doing anything else.  Actually, I've been doing a lot of writing.  I've started on another one of my projects.  I'm writing a lot of the back story right now, though I'll probably edit most of it out.  The important thing is to actually get it written first before I worry about what will and will not make the cut.

So here are some random music videos for you.  Everyone have a great week!

Sunday 'fess up...Anni found a new treasure

Hello to everyone on this cloudy, foggy Sunday morning.

As the title says, I found a new treasure.  I've been wanting a chance to read Knight Errant by K.D. Sarge (@KDSarge on Twitter) for some time - ever since she was kind enough to send me the bookmark advertising her book.  When it went up on Turtleduckpress' website, I read through the first three chapters.  I was hooked.  But I wasn't able to secure a copy for myself, finances being what they are.

Last night, after a particularly horrid day at work, I will admit to being rather cranky and depressed on Twitter.  K.D. offered to let me read and review her e-book version of Knight Errant.  I jumped at the chance.  Now, I am a speed reader so it doesn't take me long to read something.  Especially something that drags me in and holds me down until the story is over.  Knight Errant did that.  By the time I was done, I was giggling insanely and commenting to K.D. about how evil she is...and how awesome she is as a friend and a writer.

Here's the link to Turtleduckpress, where you can go buy her delightful book
Here's one of my reviews, posted to my book review blog

Now, on to the writing.

I found a website called 750words and I've been using it to do some free writing, and to work out some random plot problems.  It's really a very useful website.  It encourages you to write with no inhibitions, no distractions, and no other thought than just to write.  My friend Hawke pointed it out to me and I've been going there every day ever since to get my free writing done.  It's helped immensely.

Revisions are going slowly with Only A Name.  I took a break from the chapter by chapter revisions and read through the whole thing.  Once I did that, I began to doubt whether it'd be ready by June.  I'm still going to try to get it there, but I honestly don't know.  I thought it was a good story when I decided to revise it.

Yes, I'm doubting myself again.  I do that from time to time.

I've put some work into Ashe's world and her story.  There'll be some of that in the next Writing Wednesday.  I've also got a new short that might be going somewhere that I started with one of the days of free writing.  I'll have to figure that one out eventually too.

Still looking for an artist to help me out with cover art for the stories I want to toss up on Smashwords.  Still  revising and editing those too.  Read the style guide for Smashwords.  82 pages...my head hurt when I was done, and I'm still not sure I understand the whole thing.  I'll go over it again when I'm closer to being ready to upload the stories.

And, on a final note, my vlog.  This one isn't as interesting as the others - at least to me.  I'm mostly rambling...but I do introduce you to my new stuffy Lovin' Lion!  I collect teddy bears.  I also collect stuffed animals in general, but mostly teddy bears.  I lost my entire collection except for one little bear when we lost everything last year.  So now I'm rebuilding my collection.  Slowly, but it's started.