Steven Ramirez's Blog: Glass Highway, page 35

Merry Christmas 2013

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Merry Christmas to all! May you always have peace and love in your life, and a place to call home.

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Published on December 25, 2013 03:00

Shadowman Giveaway

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By Aaron Dennis

Sign up today for the Shadowman giveaway on Goodreads!

What is Shadowman? This novella, published through Damnation Books, is a Dark Fantasy revolving around the charming and somewhat goofy protagonist, Adja.

Follow the rollercoaster adventures of Adja, a young man inadvertently caught up in a web of voodoo and mystique in the colorful Creole backdrop of New Orleans. Mystically transformed into a Shadowman, he reluctantly enters combat with “otherworld” enemies of the spirit domain.

Escalating contests increase tension to unbearable levels as the Shadowman joins forces with a conglomeration of powerful spirits to battle evil otherworld adversaries to protect the world as we know it.

Dennis skillfully crafted each member of Adja’s force with their own intriguing powers and surrounded them in an unearthly atmosphere that amplifies the tension of this story.

You can also learn more about Shadowman by checking out the Google+ Shadowman page.

Anywhere you look, you’ll find some interesting reviews or just drop by the author’s website at Dennisauthor.com.

You can find my book on …

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

This novella is also available in print at Amazon.

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-1hWTCvFBg&feature=youtu.be

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Published on December 19, 2013 03:00

The Prophecy of Three—How I Did It

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By Sam Whitehouse

Everything changed for Simon Falke the first time he fell through the fire…

For as long as there has been Light, Dark has existed. And now the Dark is growing in power, wielded by the witch Morgana, who wants to eliminate the Light altogether.

Two worlds, existing side by side, will collide. A prophecy foretold centuries ago is coming to pass. Three teenagers will discover untold power, drawn into a war they knew nothing about. They must embrace their new lives and hone their abilities, if they are to save two worlds.

The idea for The Prophecy of Three Quartet came from an abiding love of fantasy, myths, legends and folklore. I’ve been fascinated by British and Arthurian legends since the moment I discovered them and I’ve read voraciously about them in both fiction and non-fiction. I’m a huge fan of Rick Riordan and his reinvention of Greek myths, but I thought it was high time Arthurian and British folklore got a chance to be explored. And so, The Prophecy of Three was born. I’ve read J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis and other fantasy authors for years now and I wanted to create my own world, that I had control over. I like books that take ordinary people and throw them into something unexpected, and they discover worlds that exist, hidden, alongside our own.

I knew it would be hard to create a world that was believable and so the first thing I did was get a notebook and fill it with laws, spells, people, creatures, places and anything else I could think of that I wanted in the world of The Prophecy of Three. I ended up filling two notebooks and a lot of sheets of paper before I started planning. I decided it would be easier if I plotted the entire series, then I would know exactly where I was headed. And so I spent several weeks shaping the story arc and the plots of each of the four books. I knew how the series would begin and I knew how it would end. I just had to fill what happened in between. But when I did start writing I found that the series would take me away from my plans, a new character would rear its head, or a subplot would come into being and change the direction of the series. But I was adamant that the end would not change. And, as I’m writing the third book, the resolution to Simon, Evelyn and James’s journey has not changed.

The first book, The Keys of Time, took me three years to complete and is out now on Amazon. Book 2, The Demon’s Hunt is set for release on December 21st and I’m excited where the plot and characters are going. If you want to sample The Keys of Time, take a look at the excerpt below…

Simon ignored the protests of James and Falamir. He felt a hand close around his ankle, but pulled himself free and climbed onto the bonnet of the car. Slick with rain and black blood, the bonnet would have been impossible to hold onto if it were not for the serrated grooves cut into it by the raven’s talons. He looked up to see the giant bird struggling to beat its wings as Evelyn thrashed and beat at it with balled fists. The rain stung Simon’s face and eyes; he had no choice but to look away. He reaffirmed his grip on the jagged tears in the metal, felt them lacerate his palms. Then a squawk, shrill and angry, came from behind him and Simon turned to see another of the other ravens flapping overhead, slashing the air with its claws.

He summoned his magic and, spurred by his fear for Evelyn, it boiled within him and his skin grew hot. He willed it to make him rise up, and an instant later he was travelling away from the car, up through the harsh rain and towards the raven that still clung to a kicking, writhing Evelyn.

The raven shrieked at Simon as he approached and, transferring Evelyn to its other claw, turned to face him. It flattened its wings until they were poised like black knives, then it rocketed towards Simon, who was still rising up through the rain and wind. He saw the raven diving towards him, and for a moment he met Evelyn’s eyes. A searing heat burst through him and he thrust out his hand and bright, flaring fire gushed from his splayed palm. The grey sky was lit up with a pillar of white flames. He willed the fire to avoid Evelyn and the flames arced higher. The raven halted its descent and beat its wings in a desperate attempt to move backwards. Simon cursed as the column of fire only caught the raven’s wing tip before disappearing into the clouds.

Blinking out the stinging, blinding rain, Simon willed himself to go higher. He needed a weapon, something he could control more easily than his magic. As he climbed, he remembered what Falamir had said about their swords: “If it is not with you, all you have to do is summon it.” Moments later he felt something pressing against his hand and he closed his fist around the hilt of his appearing sword.

Evelyn, seeing what Simon had done, summoned her sword too, and began lashing out with it at the raven. But the swirling winds and the grip she was held in made it nigh on impossible for her to land any effective blows.

Simon continued hurtling forwards, tightening his grip on his sword. The next second, he had reached the raven and slammed into the saturated, stinking feathers of the bird’s chest. The feathers scratched his face like barbs. It didn’t take the raven long to recover and it began slashing at Simon with its free claw. Narrowly avoiding the deadly talons, Simon tried to stab with his sword. But every time he let go of the feathers with his blade hand, the raven would swat it aside, patterning his arm with burning gashes.

Author Bio

Ever since I realized that books did not spring from thin air and that people wrote them, I knew that I wanted to be a writer. Growing up on diet of fantasy and folklore and living in the fantasy worlds of Tolkien and Rowling it felt natural for me to write. The Prophecy of Three Quartet was born from my fascination with Arthurian legend and a love of stories that combine two worlds. If I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing and if I’m not thinking about writing I’m reading. I am also a huge fan of Marvel and movies (particularly anything directed by Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Christopher Nolan and JJ Abrams).

You can find my book on …

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Links

The Prophecy of Three official site: http://sam26051994.wordpress.com/

Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Theprophecyofthreequartet

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamProphecy

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Published on December 12, 2013 03:00

NaNoWriMo 2013—Feelin’ Groovy

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Photo Courtesy of Nasos3 via Creative Commons

Well, that was interesting. As I explained in October (see “NaNoWriMo 2013—Taking the Plunge”), my plan was to challenge myself by writing 50,000 words of my new novel—the sequel to Tell Me When I’m Dead—in a month. You may have seen those cheesy daily updates I posted throughout November. Yeah, those were fake. Just a little misdirection. In truth, I pretty much avoided social media and tried to focus on the writing. How did I do?

25,000 words.

“What? That’s it?” you say. “So, you failed, right?”

No, not really. Let’s explore.

Success is Elusive

I was up against some very challenging circumstances—not the least of which was being out of the country on business for a number of days, as well as on other business-related trips. I don’t mean to whine, but trying to maintain a writing schedule while working full time to pay the bills is not trivial. I know folks who do it and are successful. Me, I get caught up.

Also, as I’ve said before, I am a slow writer. I tend to bang out a thousand or so words, then I must regroup while the story continues to gestate in my brain. And please don’t mention outlining. As far as I’m concerned, the world is divided into two camps—those who outline and people like me. That’s right, folks. My name is Steven Ramirez and …

I’m a pantser.

The Emotional Toll

Am I upset about all this? Not in the least. In fact, I feel surprisingly upbeat, and I am looking forward to finishing my novel in the next few months. Once I, uh, get my pants back on.

So how can I be so positive, you ask? Because in October all I had were a few notes and some random dialogue, whereas by the end of November I was able to hammer out the basic structure of my story and get 25,000 words closer to finishing the book.

Not bad for a pantser.

NaNoWriMo 2014?

I don’t think I’ll be trying this again, though. Too many unknowns, too many other commitments. I basically came to the same conclusion as a year ago, when I wrote this. Although I will say that what I’ve written this year won’t end up in a drawer.

I think for me my best bet is to plod along and write the way I’ve been writing. Maybe I’ll learn to speed up, maybe I won’t. But one thing is clear—I don’t plan to stop. Ever. What about you?

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IWSG – NaNoWriMo Junk or Diamond In The Rough? (awriterinspired.wordpress.com)
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NaNoWriMo Report Card. (lsengler.com)