Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Realms Faire Winners / Bookworm News / Writing Update: December Goals / Wattpad Wednesdays: Reborn Chapter 13


This year's Realms Faire is over. Thank you, everyone, who participated, hosted, and was a sponsor during the event. I have the winners for the Riddle Me This prizes.

Riddle #1 - Answer: Dragon - Winner of River Fairchild's Diamonds and Dust: Patricia Lynne

Riddle #2 - Answer: Phoenix - Winner of Christine Rains' The 13th Floor Complete Collection: dolorah

Riddle #3 - Answer: Centaur - Winner of Cherie Reich's People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors: Patricia Lynne

Riddle #4 - Answer: Dryad - Winner of Ellie Garratt's Passing Time and Taking Time: T.B. Markinson

Riddle #5 - Answer: Peryton - Winner of Cherie Reich's Reborn: Samantha Geary Jones


BOOKS READ

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors by Cherie Reich (me!)
The Fire Seekers by Richard Farr
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
A Diva in Manhattan by Aubrie Dionne

BOOK REVIEWS

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Mackie Doyle is caught between worlds in Brenna Yovanoff's The Replacement. I could understand Mackie's  plight as a changeling and unable to fully be within our world and not really belonging in the one he originally came from. He tried hard to be invisible, even though people noticed him. I love Yovanoff's world she created and how she took the idea of the fae and changelings, or whatever you wish to call them, and made them her own. The pace went smoothly and the story was well written. For a new take on changelings, I would highly recommend The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff.

The Fire Seekers by Richard Farr
A new religion sweeping across the globe will change everything for Daniel and his friends in Richard Farr's The Fire Seekers. Having studied the Ancient Near East, Ancient Rome, and Ancient Greece as well as comparative mythologies, I was immediately sucked into this novel. Undecipherable ancient languages, ancient manuscripts, Greece and Mesopotamia are likely to pique my interest, and I often felt like I was reading about old friends throughout the course of this book. The mystery swept me in further. Who doesn't love a good conspiracy theory, after all? But the characters sealed the deal. Daniel is likable and heroic. The cast as a whole is quirky, and I loved them for it. The adventure is intense, and toward the end of the novel, I was holding my breath in anticipation for what would happen next. A fast-paced story, The Fire Seekers by Richard Farr is quite the fun thrilling story. I'm looking forward to the next book in The Babel Trilogy.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Tea-time with a wizard and thirteen dwarves turns into an unexpected adventure for Bilbo Baggins in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. I first read The Hobbit back in 2002 after having seen the first of The Lord of the Rings movies. With the final movie of The Hobbit coming out in December, I wanted to read the story again, and it didn't disappoint. I'd forgotten many things and remembered others due to watching the movies. Tolkien writes this story as if he's telling you the story with asides and foreshadowing. Bilbo is a character to cheer for as he grows from a timid, flustered hobbit to a bold burglar worthy of a fourteenth of treasure. This story is lighter in narration and sometimes a bit silly than Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. I enjoyed reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien again and now I really want to read his Lord of the Rings again too.

A Diva in Manhattan by Aubrie Dionne
Alaina Amaldi must change her image if she wants to keep the role of Pamina in Aubrie Dionne's A Diva in Manhattan. A brash diva, Alaina often gets what she wants, except when it comes to love. Brett Robinson uses his tragic past as a barrier to keep from loving again. I wondered how he and Alaina would ever work out, even though they seemed perfect for each other. The dual points of view kept the tension high throughout. As I have read most of Dionne's work, reading this book was like coming home. I particularly loved the opera/music teaching parts since I once was an opera singer. With tender moments and intense ones, A Diva in Manhattan by Aubrie Dionne is a must-read story for readers who love sweet romances!

COVER REVEAL

The super-talented Erin Dameron-Hill has created the cover art for Untethered Realms' boxed set collection Fantasy Uprising. This collection will release in early December.

A collection of nine fantastic, spine-tingling stories. Magic. Mystery. Murder. Heartbreak and Hope. Defeat and Victory. Fantasy Uprising delivers a heaping serving of the best of fantasy.

Reborn by Cherie Reich: To save a kingdom, a prophetess must challenge Fate.

Fireseed One by Catherine Stine: On a devastated Earth in 2089, the son of a famous marine biologist must travel to a lethal hotzone with his worst enemy who helped destroy the world’s food source, to search for Fireseed One, a mythical hybrid plant that may not even exist. 

Givin' Up the Ghost by Gwen Gardner: In the haunted modern day medieval village of Sabrina shores, Indigo Eady must help a ghost solve his murder before she and her gang become the next victims.

The Marquis by Christine Rains: A retired demon must become the beast he loathes to save the woman he loves.

The Alpha by Christine Rains: A werewolf hunted by her pack must find a way hide or fight a battle she believes she cannot win.

The Rifters by M. Pax: In a strange wilderness town, a misplaced city gal must deal with a secret organization, a man from 1888, and a head-stealing phantom to save her missing sister.

Neverlove by Angela Brown: A tormented suicide survivor must find the power in her pain or risk the Devourer robbing her of a second chance to live, a first chance at love, and her very soul.

The Fall of Shaylar by River Fairchild: Magic is real. So is betrayal. Rivalry, jealousy, a desperate attempt to grab the magic of Shaylar—all converge to bring about the end of the precarious balance between the Five Kingdoms.

Diamonds and Dust by River Fairchild: Magic is real. So is betrayal. Two heirs. A Kingdom of dust on a troubled world. One might resurrect it. One might destroy it all.

BOOKS RELEASED IN NOVEMBER

Burdin of Choice by Alexander Nader
Keeper of the Lost Cities: Everblaze by Shannon Messenger
Yakuza Territory by Milo James Fowler
Captured Love by Juliana Haygert
The Glass Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni
The Trouble with Falling by Rachel Morgan
Tarkin: Star Wars by James Luceno
The Chronicles of Ara: Creation by Joel Eisenberg and Stephen Hillard
Wickedly They Dream by Cathrina Constantine
A Diva in Manhattan by Aubrie Dionne
From the Cradle by Louise Voss and Mark Edwards
Until the Debt is Paid by Alexander Hartung
No Strings by Mark SaFranko
Presumption of Guilt by Marti Green
The Child's Past Life by Cai Jun
Revival by Stephen King
Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Blue Labyrinth by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Legion by Brandon Sanderson
Taken with a Grain of Salt by Aaron Galvin
Married by Midnight by Talli Roland
You Cannot Kill a Swan: The Love Story of Lyuba and Ivan by Ursula Hartlein
Blood on the Badge by David Huffstetler
The Attic of Sand and Secrets by Medeia Sharif
The Unhappening of Genesis Lee by Shallee McArthur

Happy Wednesday!

I've been making very little progress this month on any of my November goals so that means no working on Fall of Gravity or the outline of Destined.

It's a good thing I didn't try doing NaNoWriMo, even though I really missed not doing it this year! I've been having dry eye problems again, and reading and staring at the computer screen for 8+ hours a day sometimes leaves my vision blurry. When that happens, I have to take a couple days away from doing much eye work. Because of this issue, I've decided to take it easier on myself and not expect to do too much for the rest of the year.

Because of the upcoming holiday in the US, I won't be posting next week. I'll be back on December 3rd's IWSG post.

Here are my December goals:
  • Once upon a Nightmare: A Collection - I've decided to work on this one for the rest of November and December. I hope to have the second edition of Once upon a Nightmare (originally titled The Nightmare Collection) ready by January.
  • Format and publish Fantasy Uprising. This boxed set features authors (me included) of Untethered Realms.
What are your December goals?

2014 Stats
45,420 Words Written
2631 Pages Edited
*Stats taken from 1/1/14 - 11/18/14

And it's also time for another chapter of Reborn to go up on Wattpad. To read from the beginning, click here. To read Chapter Thirteen, click here.


Don't forget there's still time to pre-order your copy of People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors. You'll save $3.00 by purchasing now. Pre-order at Amazon / Google Play / iTunes / Kobo / Nook / OmniLit / Smashwords.

27 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Congratulations to the winners!
The cover for that box set is just awesome.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Murees Dupè said...

Congratulations to the winners. Awesome cover. Have a great week.

E. Arroyo said...

Congrats! What an amazing list. Have a great holiday!

Sherry Ellis said...

The cover for the boxed set looks great! Glad your event went well.

Michelle Wallace said...

The Realms Faire was a blast!
I won lots of prizes...

Carrie-Anne said...

I love the Fantasy Uprising artwork!

M.J. Fifield said...

I'm not doing NaNoWriMo this year either, and I miss it terribly. But there's just too much else going on.

Best of luck with all of your goals. I still haven't finished the goals I set in October.

Congrats to the winners!

Crystal Collier said...

What a gorgeous cover for the fantasy collection. I actually have or have read all but one of those titles. Go me!

Unleashing the Dreamworld

Christine Rains said...

Congrats to the winners! And it's good you're going to take it easy on yourself in December. I plan on doing the same thing.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Congrats to the winners.

Your boxed set is beautiful!

M Pax said...

Yay for the Riddle winners! It was a fun faire.

Yay for Fantasy Uprising.

Great goals you have and I'm sure you'll achieve them.

I'm almost done w/ one of my shorts, then BW #6 is coming onto the main deck. The two other short stories will have to take a back seat. I want to have Precipice mostly written by end of the year.

Natalie Aguirre said...

You've been reading lots of different books. The Replacement sounds good.

Hope your eyes get better soon. Happy Thanksgiving!

Anonymous said...

That box set looks amazing.

Congrats to the winners, and thanks for sharing the reviews.

jaybird said...

Hey Cherie! You packed a whole lot into this post and I am, as always, in awe of everything you've got going on girl!!

Enjoy your break and well see you for IWSG on the 3rd!

Anonymous said...

I love The Replacement. It earned a spot on my bookshelf. It also has me wanting to check out more by that author (even though I haven't gotten around to it yet.)

Congrats to the winners (including myself ^_~)

Cathy Keaton said...

Congrats to the winners! I've never heard of a Peryton before, lol.

Whose idea was it to do Fantasy Uprising? I have to admit, I wonder how all these authors get together to decide to publish these indie anthologies I keep seeing around. It's a big mystery to me.

Catherine Stine said...

Aubrie's book sounds cool. Wait... you were an opera singer at one time?!

Unknown said...

Wow, Cherie. So many fantastic books you have shared with us. I wish I could add more to my TBR but I still have Soulless and The Attic of Sand and Secrets waiting for me.
The cover looks awesome, by the way! I'm happy to hear you are taking things a bit slower. You don't want to jeopardize the health of your eyes.
Happy Thanksgiving!

TBM said...

Love the cover for the box set. And all the goodies inside: even better! Happy Thanksgiving!

Tammy Theriault said...

congrats to all the amazing winners! Cherie, seriously, the book collection is going to be crazy!! I can't wait to get mine!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

When I first wake up, my eyes are really blurry. I'm not sure if it's a dry eye problem or what, but it's very frustrating. I hate to admit it, but I've broken down and gotten the cheater readers for the morning hours- afternoon eyes seem to be awake and ready to focus.

Enjoy your holiday!!

David P. King said...

What a fantastic giveaway this was. Congrats to the winners! :)

Mark Murata said...

The Hobbit was epic fantasy for children. The Lord of the Rings seems to start out that way, with Bilbo's antics at the party. But when the Black Riders come into The Shire, you realize this is more for adults.

Anonymous said...

Way to go, winners! And everybody else, too. Lots to read from November. I read The Hobbit every year with my 8th graders, and I never get tired of it. Lots of good class discussions about the growth and development of Bilbo as a classic hero.

cleemckenzie said...

I hear what you're saying about tired eyes. I have to remember to look up and away from my screen or at the end of my day my eyes are scarier than the Prince of Darkness.

Gwen Gardner said...

I missed Realms Faire--had a wonderful vacation, though. No nano for me, either. Maybe next year. Hope your eyes are recovering. Your People of Foxwick cover is gorgeous, Cherie! Congrats.

Romance Book Haven said...

Congratulations to the winners. Awesome cover.