Bitroux: High Country by Jordan Harcourt-Hughes – Interview and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A randomly drawn winner will be awarded a $25 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Are you a big listener of podcasts?

I love everything about podcasts. I listen to them, make them and teach others how to create podcasts as well through my creative courses. And I also love audio books – I listen to them whenever I’m on the road.

Tell us about the podcast that you created as part of the process of creating artworks for the book.

I thought it would be really interesting to create a podcast that explores the process of starting and finishing a creative project in six months; hence the name of the podcast (168 Days of Magic). The podcast has three thematic pillars – creativity, wellbeing and meaningful productivity.

What were the creative goals that you set out to achieve, and talk about during your podcast, as you were working on the artworks for Bitroux: High Country?

As an artist and a writer, I wanted to create an illustrated book for adults, but I’ve always struggled to find anything like what I wanted to create. So, I just had to create my own framework. The goals I set for myself included creating a distinct style of visuals for the book, integrating my paintings and my ideas about language, and actually getting the book over the line! And, of course, I wanted to improve as a writer and an artist in the process.

Are you a fan of project management frameworks for writers?

I’m more about the value and benefit of creative projects just for the fun of it. I don’t think the size of the project matters. It doesn’t have to be a novel. It can be journaling, gardening, painting; anything really.

But in my professional life working in marketing and communications, we use project management frameworks a lot. And they’re useful for really asking good questions. What are you doing this for? Who are you doing it for? What do you want to get out of it? Who will benefit?

As much as anything, those kinds of questions can really help us to define our own creative, personal and life goals. And that’s fun and it’s healthy and it allows us to add our own meaning to our work, which is important.

What would you recommend to other artists, writers and creative practitioners?

I think that all artists – writers, designers, painters –whatever creative profession you’re in, the question of why you are doing the work is helpful. You don’t have to tell anyone else, but you should at least be able to answer that question for yourself. Why is this meaningful an important to me? Why am I investing my time and energy into this work? I often encourage people to write their own creative manifestos because if you know your why, it helps you get through the parts of the work that are more challenging.

If Merouac ever thought his life’s work would culminate in leading the metal workshops of the Transcontinental Railroad Project, he was sorely mistaken.

Now, his true challenge lies in navigating the other-worldly abilities he’s only beginning to understand—abilities that allow him to tune metal to interdimensional frequencies.

While trying to be a guardian to his niece, Evra, he’s realising she may have more to teach him than he ever expected. At the same time, his decision to help an interdimensional race find refuge underground puts him at the centre of an even deeper mystery.

As reality reshapes itself around him, Merouac faces a growing realisation: the world of Ahm is on the brink of a profound transformation, and everything he thought he knew may soon be shattered.

Enjoy an Excerpt

There was something about that zone of quiet concentration. It was always somewhere in the middle of those quiet moments where the blue light of the Top Hats had started to appear at the edge of his gaze. It had always been hard to see the things directly in his sight; they shifted and moved and always seemed hazy and insubstantial. He wondered if, in those moments, he had drifted into the Maolfi state without realising it.

He kept working. The surges of static came and went, heating his body, and then leaving, giving him a sense that his whole body was buzzing, vibrating. He kept moving, concentrating only on the wood. And things started to shift, but not in the way he had anticipated.

Soon, two piles had been moved and Merouac was starting to feel a welcome feeling of tiredness. He contemplated leaving the last pile of wood for the morning but kept moving instead. Then, something sounded.

He looked up. Nothing. Had anything made a noise at all? He felt sure he had heard something. All was still. What was it that he thought he had heard? Like someone or something was crashing through the trees, perhaps. He shook his head. Nothing unusual stirred, the flickering lights continued and below he could see hummers and their fluorescent markings shimmering in the trees.

Then he realised. He hadn’t heard it. He’d felt it.

He closed his eyes, tried to make his way to the place the Faurin called the Maolfi state. Kii had wanted him to find a place of deep listening. And perhaps what he was just starting to understand was, that you could listen with all your body, and feel sound in other ways than just noise.

After a time, he opened his eyes again and saw spheres hovering in the air, full of something he couldn’t quite comprehend.

Reaching out to touch them, they felt full and weighty and yet his hand could partially pass through them. They were not solid, and yet they were full. Like bubbles being blown by some invisible child, they formed and hung in the atmosphere.

They grew larger, then fuzzier, then collapsed from their own weight, dripping a strange sentience that dispersed back into the atmosphere. Often, they formed again straight away, the same spheres, the same size and colour, the same weight, only to burst and disperse once again.

Some of the smaller ones were only as large as his hand. Others, twice the size. And then hovering at greater height, larger spheres his whole body could have walked through. They shifted and mutated, formed and faded, pulsed and glowed. They were magical.

‘This is different,’ he said out loud, and grinned.

About the Author: Jordan Harcourt-Hughes is an abstract painter, writer and communications professional. She’s passionate about all aspects of creativity, life-long learning and personal wellbeing. Over the last fifteen years she’s led, coached and developed creative professionals across the Asia-Pacific region.

Jordan’s books, studio workshops, courses, coaching and resources are an invitation to explore the rich landscape of creative experiences open to all.

High Country is Jordan’s second novel set in the world of Bitroux.

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The Mark of the Unseen God by Benjamin Patterson – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Benjamin Patterson will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Hi, my name is Benjamin Patterson, a medieval fantasy author from Queensland, Australia. I write low-order, clean fantasy. Here are my five musts, every fantasy story should include.

1. Adventure – Adventure defines the genre in my opinion. Characters should be discovering new worlds, encountering foreign creatures and having their minds blown every other chapter. Whether those new worlds and creatures force themselves upon the protagonist’s doorstep, or the protagonist embarks on an epic quest in strange lands, it does not really matter. As long the adventure is there in some shape or form.

2. Impossible Odds – The greatest fantasy novels feature near undefeatable enemies. Readers are get halfway through the story and wonder how the goodies will survive, let alone win.

3. Suffering – Nobody wants to read a story where everything goes right. Fantasy must be hard on its characters. The anguish they endure must be horrific, their suffering unbearable. It makes their eventual victory so much sweeter when they’ve paid the ultimate price.

4. Romance – Now remember, I’m a clean fantasy author. That does not mean romance should be ignored. Great fantasy includes a compelling love story. The inclusion of a love interest elevates the stakes and tugs on the heart strings. It imbues the story with extra context. Fantasy thrives on the extra story threads.

5. Sword-fighting – I might be alone on this one, but to me, sword-fighting is a must. As a youngster, I fell in love with Zorro, The Princess Bride and The Scarlett Pimpernel. These are all great swordsmen. There’s nothing better than a duel to the death, and you’ll never convince me otherwise.

So there it is. That’s my list. You might be screaming at the page right now, saying “but where’s the magic? The fae? The elves?” If that’s the case, please include your musts in the comments. I’d love to know what else I’ve missed.

Look to the hills with dread: Salmmonaksa has arrived. His armies swarm like a plague of locusts. As the emperor prepares for his final assault, the Home City trembles. Overrun by desperate refugees, the monarchs have gathered to plot their defence. High King Eldilin is back at the helm, but there’s no food and no answers.

Princess Kathryn has not given up hope. Lying on a cot in her room is the man destined to save the realm. They desperately need him, and for the prophecies to prove themselves true, but he will not wake no matter how much she prays. Even if he did, he cannot do it alone. Many more will die, that is certain.

The Mark of the Unseen God is the final instalment of the Markulian Prophecies, a refreshingly original tale set in a breathtaking medieval world. To rid realm of evil, everything will be required. There is no peace without sacrifice, and no love without loss. May who they are and what they have be enough.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Footsteps. The prisoner must have heard them because he looked up and squinted. Oh, what a wretched expression on his face. Somebody was out there in the darkness, but he could not see them. She was safe back here, out of his sight. Out of his reach.

Secure in her anonymity, she revelled in his pathetic appearance, his arms stretched out and clasped in irons, his legs chained to a bolt hole in the floor. The remnants of his meagre ration stained the front of his tattered shirt. The way the moonlight whispered down from the grate above and circled about him, one could have been mistaken to think he was a showman, a figure of fame, the centre of a play or musical. Alas, he was wrecked, thin, a character pitiable above all men. Once respectable, now despised … and rightly so.

About the Author: Benjamin Patterson lives in North Queensland, Australia with his wife and four children. When not writing, arguing with pilots or volunteering, he’s battling a life-controlling addiction to sport, an addiction his poor wife has discovered is easily passed from father to sons.

The Mark of the Unseen God completes his first fantasy trilogy. He hopes you enjoyed reading it as much as he enjoyed writing it. Writing is not easy. Without the encouragement of friends and family, the series would never have made it to print.

Though the series has sold well, Benjamin remains about one million book sales short of his goal. You can help him fulfill his goal, and encourage him to finish his next writing project, by writing rave reviews in every forum available and catching up with him on his social media sites.

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Sanctuary by Ginny Fite – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ginny Fite will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Sometimes losing your children is the only way to save them. The year is 2039. Chased by government goons determined to quarantine her and a virus that might kill her at any time, Jean Bennett races a thousand miles to Canada to get her five children to safety. On a journey unlike any they’ve ever taken, Jean learns who she is and what she must do to save her children.

Enjoy an Excerpt

THE infection hit with such ferocity and speed that all public transport had shut down by the end of my husband’s meeting in DC, sixty-five miles from home. No car, no commuter train, no way out.

In the five hours since he’d arrived in the city that morning, police had blockaded roads and barred highway entrances. Airlines delayed flights and then canceled them. Residents, under threat of arrest, huddled in their homes, and universities restricted students to dorms. Government officials shuttered public buildings, closing, and locking the gates.

Television news showed black-helmeted National Guardsmen herding panicked tourists back toward their hotels as they stampeded down unfamiliar streets. Coast Guard cutters patrolled the Potomac River; helicopters buzzed overhead. From Capitol Hill to the Ellipse, red lights on Constitution Avenue blinked on and off. Front pages of the morning newspaper skittered across empty streets.

I waited for Ted to call.

About the Author:Ginny Fite is an award-winning journalist and author of nine traditionally published novels, three collections of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a book of humorous essays on aging. A graduate of Rutgers University and Johns Hopkins University, her 40-year career in communications included posts in newspapers, government, higher education, and a robotics R&D company. Pushcart Prize nominated, shortlisted for the 2019 SFWP prize, a finalist for the 2020 Bakwin Prize, winner of the FAPA gold medal in fiction for the collaborative novel Thoughts & Prayers, her stories have appeared in The Delmarva Review, Women Arts Quarterly Journal, Heartwood Literary Magazine, Coffin Bell, and the Anthology of Appalachian Writers. Writing about ordinary people who grapple with extraordinary circumstances, her novels span the genres of mystery, thriller, adventure, speculative, and women’s fiction. Learn more at the author’s website.

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Winter Blogfest: Kathleen Buckley

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win any one of my e-books. They’re all clean (no explicit sex) but not exactly sweet. Think of Georgette Heyer or Mary Kingswood.

 

Christmas Memories of My Father by Kathleen Buckley

 

Many of my childhood Christmas memories are of my father. He loved Christmas: the food, the gifts, the music. When he was a child, gifts were clothing rather than toys.

One year in Fairbanks, Alaska, Christmas trees were in short supply; they weren’t locally sourced unless you went out and cut one, not an attractive option at -50° F. (-45.5 C.). Gritting his teeth, Dad bought an artificial tree. It was white and fluffy like a Persian cat. We never bought another tree: the limbs on this one were all in the right place, it was easy to assemble, the right size, and it didn’t shed needles.

But mostly I recall the food rather than gifts or decorating because he liked to cook, although the vintage broadsword he gave me one year was a delightful surprise as was the KitchenAid Junior mixer the year I broke a wooden spoon mixing the very stiff dough for a Portuguese Christmas cake. The mixer is still going strong some forty years later.

I don’t recall why he began to make fruitcake, but once he did, his Christmas preparations began in September. He’d soak quantities of candied fruit in brandy in a big container that was stored in the front hall closet. Fortunately, everyone, including guests, used the back door. Then he’d make the cakes in tube pans. When they were done, he’d put them in decorative cans and put a brandy-soaked sponge in a paper cup in the center and let them age, refreshing the sponges occasionally. They made better gifts than the mass-produced fruitcake loaves.   

There was the year we visited family friends on Christmas morning and left the turkey soaking in the sink. When we came home, our Siamese cat had eaten the skin off the breast. Our turkeys always roasted with a strip of bacon on each drumstick and one or two on the breast. A few more strips covered the damage and kept the breast moist.

   

Most of all, I remember the turkey stuffing. Bread stuffing tends to be bland. Dad’s stuffing scented the entire house. In addition to pork sausage and ground beef, it contained poultry seasoning and cinnamon. I still make it, although I no longer cook a turkey. Sausage stuffing has made a comeback. I applaud the trend but think Dad’s is better.

Ingredients

1 pound bulk pork sausage (one of those rolls like Jimmy Dean’s is what I use)

1½ pounds of lean ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 cube chicken bouillon or equivalent in the powdered form

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

¼ teaspoon pepper

¾ cup fine bread crumbs

5 teaspoons cinnamon

2 ½ cups water

Fry the sausage and beef, mashing it fine so there are no lumps. Sauté the onions and add them and the crumbs. Add the celery salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Dissolve the bouillon in the water and add it. Cook until the flavors blend, then add the cinnamon and cook a little longer.

 

Allan Everard, an earl’s illegitimate son, is dismissed from his employment at his father’s death but inherits a former coaching inn. Needing to make a new life in London, he begins by leasing the inn to a charity. 

Unexpectedly orphaned, Rosabel Stanbury and her younger sister are made wards of a distant, unknown cousin. Fearing his secretive ways and his intentions for them, Rosabel and Oriana flee to London where they are taken in by a women’s charity. 

Drawn into Rosabel’s problems, with his inn under surveillance by criminals, Allan has only a handful of unlikely allies, including an elderly general, a burglar, and an old lady who knows criminal slang.

A traditional romance.

 

 

Kathleen Buckley has loved writing ever since she learned to read. After a career which included light bookkeeping, working as a paralegal, and a stint as a security officer, she began to write as a second career, rather than as a hobby. Her first historical romance was penned (well, word processed) after re-reading Georgette Heyer’s Georgian/Regency romances. She is now the author of ten Georgian romances: An Unsuitable Duchess, Most Secret, Captain Easterday’s Bargain, A Masked Earl, A Duke’s Daughter, Portia and the Merchant of London, A Westminster Wedding, A Peculiar Enchantment, By Sword and Fan, and Hidden Treasures. While an eleventh is in production she is writing the twelfth.

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Winter Blogfest: Kristina Kelly

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of Tavern Tale. 

The snow is falling, the wind is chilling, and maybe I can’t feel my fingertips. But it’s a wonderful time to share my favorite winter moments in fantasy.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Likely the most memorable for me, the whole story is Christmas with high stakes. The snowy landscape, a sleigh, gift giving and Father Christmas. While the Long Winter’s reason for existing isn’t all smiles and giggles, I can’t deny the coziness that comes with a setting of snow and people (er, animals) coming together. But Tomnus, please put on a shirt.

The Fellowship of the Ring

Stay with me on this one. I really like the scene where the fellowship is trying to pass over the mountain and the snowy storm thwarts their plan (whether it is the mountain itself, or Saruman as shown in the movie). In the movie, the scene of treking through the snow is just cinema magic to me. And then, they go into what could be the cozy fires beneath the mountain but, you know, find a balrog. LOTR is a Christmas movie and you can’t convince me otherwise.

The Lady’s Crownbearer

My coauthor and I created an in-world holiday, The Day of Laphrim, for our series the Etherea Cycle and wrote a short story for it. Having a wintry scene is a little difficult when the seasons don’t change (the world is tidally locked which means it doesn’t spin). But the holiday is like Christmas mixed with Mayday – gift giving, music and singing, festival yummies like roasted nuts and popcicles in the shape of Laphrim’s feet, and weaving ribbons around a special tree. And, a mythical creature with antlers like tree branches is said to appear.

Icewind Dale Trilogy

Focusing on the Crystal Shard, it makes me nostalgic for hunting giants in the tundras of the MMORPG Everquest. Drizzt, the drow elf, also roams the Tundra of Icewind Dale hunting yeti and giants. Since the whole setting is a winter icy landscape, there are many scenes of cold…and more cold. But I particularly remember several key moments like an avalanche and a crystal tower which really made me think of a giant icicle. While I loved the descriptions, I’m glad I don’t live there.

What about you? What’s one of your favorite winter scenes in fantasy?

“What if the side quest is really the main quest?

Divine, a healer of the Goddess of Souls, has chased the thief who stole her talisman across half of Trelvania. The talisman is the key to accessing her magic well, and without it, she is powerless. While chasing her betrayer, former girlfriend, and servant of the Goddess of Condemnation, Divine meets Saph, a flirty tavern owner with an eyepatch and a proposition. Saph will help Divine locate her talisman if Divine helps her complete a mysterious quest in a chest.

Inspired by RPGs and set in scenic autumn, prepare for an adventure with gods and goddesses, deceitful exes, axe throwing, and fantastical creatures. Can Divine learn to trust again and find romance in the middle of finding her magic?”

About the Author: Kristina W Kelly writes fantasy, sci-fi, and poetry and loves being a geek. Her coauthored novel, Trials of the Innermost, is book one in the epic science fantasy series The Etherea Cycle. Her debut sapphic fantasy romance adventure, Tavern Tale, releases January 7, 2025. She is the author of Imaginari, a sci-fi and fantasy poetry collection paired with her photography. Kristina is a trumpet player but dabbles in other instruments, plays video games, and tends to her flower garden and two children in Indiana. Several of her short stories have received honorable mention, silver honorable mention, and semi-finalist from Writers of the Future. She is amazed by nature and enjoys painting vivid scenes for her readers. She loves going on new adventures in the great wide somewhere (sometimes just by picking up a new book).

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Winter Blogfest: Susan Howell

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of The Spirit of Vanderlaan.

The Gift

As we enter the holiday season, I’m thinking a lot about my dad who died this time last year. I wonder what he’s experiencing in his new life, while our family adjusts to his absence within our own. I think of Heaven as a place of peace, joy, and the culmination of all we’ve hoped for during our time on Earth. While mansions, streets of gold, and pearly gates come to mind for many, others claim that figurative images can’t begin to capture an afterlife much grander than any of us could dream. Some believe those who have gone before us are with us still, rejoicing in our happiness and comforting us in sorrow; others believe in a separation – albeit temporary – between us and them. Some assume that in Heaven we immediately become all-knowing; others, that our learning will continue throughout eternity.

Like most things faith related, I don’t suppose we can know for certain what the next life holds until we experience it ourselves. I find that frustrating. I would much prefer knowing the specifics. In fact, I really wish Dad would just send me a sign. Maybe a balloon drifting from a cloud with a message inside giving me a hint of what to expect. Or more likely – since this is Lowell Harris we’re talking about – a recording of him strumming a guitar and singing about what he’s seen so far. Oh, how I would love that!

It seems a lot like waiting for Christmas morning to find out what’s inside those packages under the tree. You pick up the one with your name on the tag and examine it. You shake it, consider the size, and try your best to figure out what’s inside – ruling out some ideas and considering new ones based on what you hear shifting around in there. Even when we have no idea what’s under the paper and the bow, if we’re confident in the giver, we anticipate good things. In fact, the anticipation and pondering of possibilities is a big part of the fun.

I believe the same is true of Heaven. Even though we don’t yet know what it holds, we can enjoy the anticipation while pondering the possibilities, knowing the gift of Heaven will reflect the goodness of the giver.

I hope your holidays are filled with the anticipation of good things – both on Christmas morning and in the life to come.

Was it coincidence that brought them together – or a ghost with a purpose?

Susan Harris Howell is a psychologist on faculty at a small university in Kentucky where she has taught and mentored young adults for over thirty years. The Spirit of Vanderlaan draws on that career to capture the camaraderie and warmth between a professor and the assortment of personalities which inhabit her office. While The Spirit of Vanderlaan is her first work of fiction, she has published extensively on equality between men and women. Her first book, Buried Talents, explores gendered socialization and was published in 2022.

Susan is married to Dwayne and has two grown children, a daughter-in-law, one adorable grandson, and an incorrigible beagle, named Doc.

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Mindcraft by Darryl Vidal – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Darryl Vidal will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

On the eve of the Global MindCraft Universe Challenge, Justin Turner, a teenage master of the titular virtual reality game, and his friends (known online as the Digital Mavericks) discover a sinister underbelly within the MindCraft Universe that may use artificial intelligence and virtual manipulation to end the world as we know it.

Enjoy an Excerpt

A neon blue sky with puffy white cumuli-nimbus clouds provided the background for a grassy landscape speckled with pastel flowers. Eucalyptus trees lined the sides of some sort of football or soccer field. In the distance, hundreds of armored medieval warriors came thundering down the hills, shields and swords in hand.

They were storming toward a massive medieval castle of limestone and granite stretching across the near end of the playing field; a vast mote surrounding it. The massive walls stretched twenty to thirty feet high, which normally provided sanctuary from siege. But in this instance, a large hole had been blown through the castle walls with granite boulders, near the gates and bridge that secured entry into the castle.

A closer group of workers and warriors, commanded by the screaming artillery master and aided with oxen, moved giant catapults away from the castle walls to expose the holes for the armored warriors coming down the hill. Next, they started loading giant balls of pitch, a thick black tarry substance, to be set on fire and launched over the castle walls.

Justin Turner, in full VR regalia, used his hand controllers to assemble 3D blocks to repair the wall before the hordes of warriors arrived. The glow of the forty-two-inch curved gaming monitor cast an illuminating light on his determined expression. In the virtual realm of MindCraft, Justin went by the handle ByteMaster, due to countless strategic victories and an uncanny ability to outsmart opponents.

About the Author:

Darryl Vidal is an accomplished entrepreneur, author and education technology consultant with over 30 years of experience working with the largest school districts in Southern California. He is a futurist and fan of Artificial Intelligence, and an avid reader of the sciences, philosophy, and techno-thrillers.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Information Management and a Master’s Degree (MA Ed) in Education (Instructional Technology) from California State University, San Bernardino. He has also published eight critically acclaimed books on Educational Technology, Ed Tech Strategic Planning and Digital Transformation, and has developed the formal strategic planning and project management methodology known as MapIT.

Darryl has been a student and teacher of the art of Kenpo Karate for over 50 years. He has been teaching Karate in Murrieta for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for the past 30+ years. He also founded and heads the Murrieta Stick Fighting Club (Filipino Martial Arts). This has led to him earning the highest honor given in martial arts when he was promoted to Grandmaster – Ju Dan, 10th Degree Black Belt in 2012.

He is widely known for his appearance in 1984’s The Karate Kid, playing himself in the tournament semi-finals, as well as acting as a stunt-double for Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi). He is also credited with inventing the iconic Crane Kick.

MindCraft: The Educational Singularity is Darryl’s second novel in over twenty years and his first science fiction endeavor.

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Researching Tips by Hildebrand Hengest Hermannson – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Researching Tips

Find accurate sources of information when researching material for your book. Many guru books and websites are well-intentioned but inaccurate; even quality authors can have biases. Ask yourself—what are their sources? Is the information being accurately relayed? Can you find those sources and read them yourself? It is always best to find the primary source.

A mountainous thundering bull breaks up battling tribesmen, summoning three struggling youths, as an insidious unseen enemy turns tribes against tribes—pitting rich against poor, sons against fathers, and men against gods. Its insatiable hunger for division threatens to plunge mankind into a dystopian realm ruled by man-eating wolves.

A miraculous seven-headed horse, a symbol of unity, assembles the struggling youths of extraordinary origin into a journey of self-discovery. There Sunu the Saxon Poet, Rufus the Roman Stoic, and Keresaspa the Sarmatian Priestess must overcome pride, aversion, and unforgiveness; there they must learn from historical heroes, philosophers, and amazingly similar gods to battle the unseen monster and its rising wolfmen.

Fated to part ways to face the demons at home, Sunu, Rufus, and Keresaspa must reunite as they bring divided peoples together to fight the source tearing everyone apart. They must heed the divine wisdom of the seven-headed horse and justly wield the seven magic weapons they’ve mysteriously been given to overcome the unseen enemy and understand the higher purpose of the mountainous thundering bull.

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Sunu meets the seven-headed, winged horse, Long Ears (CH 4 of The Fate of Our Union).

Sunu’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at a white stallion with seven handsome heads, spreading a glorious pair of wings. It towered at twenty-one hands, and its seven heads encircled its neck like temple pillars; one faced forward, one angled to the left, one angled to the right. A head was on each side, while two in the back angled left and right. “You are the one we’re speaking to,” its pink lips uttered under black nostrils, the words echoing in Sunu’s ears like a divine melody.

“It’s as if all seven were as one!” Sunu imagined the sacred horses merging, gazing breathlessly as they surrounded the seven-headed, winged stallion inside the birch grove. His heart raced in suspense, his eyes wide with wonder, as he awaited its next move.

The stallion’s seven heads repeated, “As one.”

“I’ve heard of a horse with eight legs.” Sunu imagined Woden’s horse, Sleipnir. “But never one with seven heads . . . that can speak . . . and has wings!” Visually high, Sunu gaped at every beautifully mane-draped head under the dreamily feathered wings.

The stallion’s forward-facing head replied in a deep, resonant voice, “It’s time you heard.”

About the Author: Hildebrand Hengest Hermannson’s deep-rooted fire for Indo-European culture and Western Philosophy ignites his first novel, The Fate of Our Union, the inaugural piece in a planned series. His work draws inspiration from the national epics The Saga of the Volsungs (Norse), Mahabharata (Indian), Aenid (Roman), Odyssey (Greek), Táin Bó Cúailnge (Celtic), and Shahnameh (Iranian), weaving these rich cultures into original stories featuring fantasy world-building, dynamic characters, and intricate plots and themes. His Wild Hunt of thought breathes life into his spiritual, ethical, and cultural interests, inspiring us all to strive for imperishable virtue.

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Why Should Readers Pick up Licensed to Rear? by Riya Aarini – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a book-themed T-shirt to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Why Should Readers Pick up Licensed to Rear?

An estimated 1-2 million kids run away each year in an attempt to escape the harsh realities of home. What if zero kids ran away? What if all kids felt loved and wanted?

I created this ideal world in Licensed to Rear. Children, who are often vulnerable and helpless, have a higher chance of growing up happy and loved in a nation with a law requiring that would-be parents earn a parental license. Given the time and energy it takes to earn a parenting license, it is less likely parents would act negligently toward their own children. In short, earning a parental license gives kids a greater chance of enjoying a good, happy, carefree childhood.

I encourage parents and would-be parents to pick up Licensed to Rear and give it a shot. The story explores a world unlike the one in which we live. It is an idealistic world that offers pointers for our real world that benefit all of society.

Granted, earning a license to parent is not the answer that solves all problems, just as earning a driver’s license does not prevent all bad drivers from hitting the road. However, the odds improve for children when the role of parenting is not taken for granted.

In the book, I explore how parenting is not a right but a privilege. Rights and privileges differ in that rights can be taken away when they are abused. The antagonist in the story, Peter Losor, challenges this concept in a very comical way.

Readers hungry for a stimulating, intellectual read will find as much satisfaction in reading both sides of the argument—being for or against the law requiring a parental license—as I had in writing them.

Mila Winston aspires to earn a professional license to practice parenthood. It’s all she needs to start her family in the happiest micronation on Earth. Newcomers flock to Coolbeensia to fulfill their dreams of raising children here, where kids are guaranteed loving—as opposed to horrible—parents.

But mighty obstacles test Mila’s grit. Peter Losor, a chap with an annoying air of bravado, questionable parenting skills, and a defiant personality, stirs up trouble, eventually challenging the very law that defines Coolbeensia—that licensure is mandatory to enjoy the privilege of raising children.

Will Mila survive her trying ordeal and achieve her ambitions of being a licensed parent in the quirky yet revolutionary micronation? Find out in this satirical, contemporary family fiction novel that will leave you second-guessing the ideals surrounding the prestigious job of parenthood!

Enjoy an Excerpt

Mila ran to the side of the bed and plucked a glossy brochure off the nightstand. It had been folded and curled to reveal a particular page, as if waiting to be pointed out. “See?” She set her slender index finger on a small ad at the bottom of page nineteen. “I think we should move here.”

“Coolbeensia? Huh, an odd name.” Jason looked off into the distance. “But I think I’ve heard of it before. Isn’t that the place where you need a license to have children?”

Mila smiled, nodding emphatically. He’d heard of it, which eliminated the first hurdle and pushed them one step closer in the right direction. “Yep, it’s perfect.”

“How’re we going to get a license to raise a family?” His shoulders inched up. “It’s unheard of.”

“But brilliant.” Mila patted her husband on the arm. Naturally, he showed concern, as they’d discussed having children long before they officially tied the knot. Having a full house was important to them both. Children would complete their family, plus a furry pet or two, besides the giant stuffed bear.

“It’s no biggie. It’s just like earning a license to drive. You’ve done it before, and so have I. We’ll be assured that we’re surrounded by qualified parents who know how to keep their kids safe. Isn’t that like what a driver’s license is for?” She gazed at him, hoping her brief but logical answer would convince him.

About the Author Riya Aarini entered her small part of the world one summer day in the Pacific Northwest. She writes in an eclectic mix of genres, including humor and contemporary fiction. If you enjoy quirkiness with a pinch of whimsy, you’ll have an appetite for her books.

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Licensed to Rear is available everywhere books are sold, including Amazon.

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One of My Own Writing Quirks by Robyn Singer – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

One of My Own Writing Quirks

I don’t have the easiest time staying focused. I often get lost in my head, distracted by something on my phone, or crave something specific to eat or drink. As a result, I’ll often only write a single page, paragraph, or even sentence during a writing session before I need to take a small break. What the break entails depends on where I’m writing, but it always involves going on the move. If I’m at home, I’ll pace around my house for a few minutes. I’m at the library, I’ll get up, chat with some of the librarians, and flip through the new releases. And if I’m at the coffee shop, I’ll pack up my laptop and take a walk around the block to avoid giving into temptation and stop myself from buying a muffin or pastry.

Because I need to immerse myself back into the scene I was working on after taking a break, I re-read everything I’ve already written during the session before I continue. The more I re-read, the better I understand my own characters and how they speak and, the further I get into writing a book, the longer I’m able to write at once, without a break, because I no longer even need to think about what my characters would say next. This is what results in an aspect of my writing that I’m not entirely happy about, but that I’ve embraced. Dialogue is my specialty, it’s what I love, and I’ll often have long stretches of it with only minimal action. I of course still do my best to make the action I do include meaningful to the characters, but I do sometimes get lost in the conversations I write. Fortunately, I never only write a single draft, and I flesh out my scenes to the best of my ability during my second pass.

Layla N’gwa is finally free to attend art school and live a life of peace. She’s sipping spinach smoothies in the quad with her new friends, attending protests against the ongoing war, and studying to fulfill her dream of becoming a great glassblower.

Layla’s former friend, Kaya Langstone Bythora-the boy-band-loving cyborg princess of the Cykebian Empire-has embraced being evil since killing Yael, and now acts as the ultimate sword of her mother, Empress Molina. With Kaya’s help, her mother will become the absolute ruler of the universe by winning the war with the Utozin Authority. Kaya wishes she wasn’t doomed to be a monster but feels resigned to her fate and just seeks acceptance from her only friend, Layla.

Layla loves her new life, but she can’t stand back and watch as Kaya is used as a weapon and her old professor conquers planet after planet. As a war rages with the fate of all life in the balance, Layla and Kaya find themselves on opposite sides. Kaya may be the most powerful cyborg ever designed, but Layla has some new tricks up her sleeve. Has absolute order snuffed out all freedom, or is there still room among the stars for a little chaos? Only together can Layla and Kaya find the answer.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Good morning, human!

I yawned as I sat up in my bed and stretched my arms out, reaching for the sun. “Good morning, Juri.”

Leaping out of bed and greeting the day, I pulled my curtains open to reveal the beautiful sky. It was a perfect, light shade of magenta that made the stunning cobalt sun stand out even more than it usually did as it rose.

Proquenna was a beautiful world, with fabulous flora and adorable fauna, and Fexxa University’s campus was the prettiest spot on the whole planet. Every student here was an elite artist, and we were all permitted to put up our pieces wherever we wanted. The shelves in my own dorm room were, of course, filled exclusively with some of my awesome creations, but once I stepped out into the dormitory halls, and especially once I stepped outside the building, I couldn’t turn around without seeing a masterpiece of a painting or sculpture created by one of my peers or instructors.

It had been the perfect environment for me to study and truly hone my craft. Thanks to the instruction of Ms. Bunny, the reading assignments others might have skimmed through, and the vast resources offered by the school, I wasn’t the same glassblower I’d been a year ago.

This school was everything I’d always dreamed of. By the time I graduated in three years, I was going to be renowned as one of the best glassblowers in the universe. I may have valued the craft over gidgits, but if I did get super rich off of my work, I’d be able to rub it in g-gma’s face. Hopefully, she’d gotten over the whole blackmail thing and wasn’t plotting to kill me.

What are you standing around for? Juri asked. Get dressed and go get us some foooooood!

I nodded. Under different circumstances, I might have.

About the Author Robyn Singer is a lifelong New Yorker, and since she was a kid playing with her action figures, all she’s wanted to do is tell stories. She went to SUNY Purchase to get a degree in Playwriting & Screenwriting with a minor in Film and has produced several comic books, but she’s always had her eye on becoming a published novelist.

As an Autistic, bisexual trans woman, diversity and inclusion in stories are vitally important to her, and she seeks to represent as many groups as possible in her work. While she wants to show characters of marginalized groups experiencing joy, she also draws inspiration from real-world problems which bother her.

The Sunrisers was her debut novel. The Order of the Banshee is book 2 in the The Ricochet Trilogy. Robyn was the author in residence for the first quarter of 2022 for Cinnabar Moth Literary Collections. She writes novels and short stories of all genres and for all ages, and she continues to produce comic books. Her ongoing series, Final Gamble, began publication by Band of Bards in 2022.

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