Fantasy Chat: Men of Foxwick - Cover Reveal: Ellie Garratt's Taking Time - W4WS

Men of Foxwick is now available!

This fantasy short story collection features five men from the Kingdom of Foxwick.

A blind teen seeks a place in the kingdom. A dragon seer journeys to Wintermill to spy on the queen. A sword master’s worst fear comes true when he fails to protect the royal family. A king falls in love with an herb witch, but will she feel the same way? A hunter will rise to the challenge to hunt down a man-eating monster.

Short stories in this collection: Blind Scribe, Dragon Spy, Sword Master, Courting Magic, and Monster Hunter

 

An Excerpt from “Blind Scribe” in Men of Foxwick

Dallan counted his steps as his mama and he weaved through the busy streets of Foxwick. Twenty-six, twenty-seven. They’d passed the fruit stand and were now farther into Foxwick than he’d ever been in his fifteen summers. People, just moving shadows, brushed against his shoulder. He scrunched toward Mama to make his lanky frame smaller. The odor of sweat and manure combated the more pleasant scents of flowers and baking bread. A bead of sweat trickled into his hairline, and he longed for the comfort of their small house.

“Keep up, Dallan.” Mama’s skirts brushed against his pants’ legs.

“Where are you taking me?” He clung to her arm and dragged his feet. They’d gone too far. The shadows darkened, as if the sun had slipped behind the horizon, and he had no clue where he was now.

She halted mid-step before yanking him forward. “I do not wish to do this, but we have little c-choice.”

“Do what, Mama?” He wanted to dig his heels into the pavement and halt their progress. Had she decided he was more trouble than he was worth? Times were tough, and he was such little help. He tried to plow straight—despite counting his steps and placing one foot in front of the other—but he often tripped over the rocky soil. He tried cooking, but he couldn’t even boil water without scorching it. Though he wasn’t too bad as a tailor because he could count stitches and feel where he needed to go, he still needed guidance.

She pulled him closer. Rough stone rubbed against his arm through his thin shirt. A sob hitched in Mama’s throat as she emitted a mouse-like squeak. She embraced him tightly and then smoothed his damp hair from his face. “My sweet boy, I’m so, so sorry.”

“What’s wrong?” His heart pounded like a horse galloping across an open field, each hoof beating the ground in a frantic rhythm.

To purchase: Amazon / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Kobo / iTunes / Nook

Click here to add on Goodreads. 

Also, I have a special announcement for my email newsletter subscribers. Click here to sign up for my updates and receive a coupon for a free copy of Women of Foxwick! And tomorrow (Tuesday), I'm going to be on the Untethered Realms blog with an excerpt from "Sword Master," another story in Men of Foxwick.

Please check out the other fantastic bloggers who may be spreading word about Men of Foxwick throughout this week.
 

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Science fiction stories of time and space... 

The future of humanity must be decided in Next Phase. Winning the Planetary Lottery is not as lucky as it first seems in Schrodinger's Gamble. An apocalypse and its aftermath threaten to tear one couple apart in Daiker's Children. In Life As I Know It a reclusive man finds both his heart and home invaded during an alien harvest. In Taking Time a demon seeking shelter on a distant planet finds himself facing a very different kind of demon, after answering a frontier settlement's plea for help.

Stories range from flash fiction to novelette in length.

 

Publication date: 15 July 2013

  

A life-long addiction to reading science fiction and horror, meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and online. Passing Time: Nine Short Tales of the Strange and Macabre was published in March 2013 and contains nine previously published stories. Her first nine-part science fiction serial will start in September 2013. 

Author Links:  

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

 

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Monday, June 17th, Writers4Writers is helping propel Marta Szemik, into the top selling charts. Get ready to tweet and facebook.

IWSG: Editing

 

It's the first Wednesday of the month, so you know what that means ... it's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group meeting. IWSG was created by the awesome ninja captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, and you can find out the other members of the group here.

As you see in my blog post title, I'm pretty much insecure about editing this month. I don't know if it was from the craziness of April, working to publish Men of Foxwick this month, announcing my debut novel for next year, just catching up on everything in May, or the summer schedule starting at work (means much less sleep), but it has all left me rather anxious when I sit down to edit my own work.

This anxiety hit me the hardest when getting ready to do the final edit of Men of Foxwick. I opened up my critique partner's notes and my document. Then, I had an anxiety attack complete with the feelings of apprehension, trouble concentrating, pounding heart, shortness of breath, and twitches. I pushed through and managed to edit the first story in the collection, but it took me a good part of the day to do so. Then, it took me several days to edit the second short story. Another week to edit two stories, and then on Sunday, I finished the last story. That's right. It took me off and on three weeks to do a final edit on five stories (around 27,000 words).

The thing is I'm not sure why I was so nervous about it. They're great stories, even better now with the edits. Maybe it's because I haven't published anything since last November or because I haven't revealed the cover art yet, except to a few people. *shrugs*

Or maybe it's because I'm falling further and further behind in everything I need to do, so I keep getting distracted when I need to be editing. *sighs*

So, yeah, insecurity, I have it this month. And I also apologize for not visiting blogs quite as much the last couple weeks. I've been so busy trying to edit that I haven't had the time to do much else. Everything should calm down next week, though, since I'm almost ready to publish Men of Foxwick.

What are you insecure about?

Wednesday's Writing Update: June Goals

 

Happy Wednesday!

May seemed to be a catch-up month for me. I was catching up on blog posts, emails, and more. Unfortunately, writing and editing didn't happen quite as well as I'd hoped and had me revising my production goals. Instead of working on The Loveless Princess, I'm now working on the short story collection Neighbors of Foxwick, which I hope to finish in June. As for The Loveless Princess, I hope to get back to it in August.

My June goals are as follows:

• Finish outlining Reforged, Book Two of The Fate Challenges, so I'll be ready to write it for July's Camp NaNoWriMo (a 50,000 word goal, although it'd be awesome if I can write the complete first draft of Reforged).
• Finish editing Part III of Reborn, Book One of The Fate Challenges, so I can send it to my first group of critique partners by June 30th.
• Edit Part I of Reborn, Book One of The Fate Challenges, based on my first group of critique partners' edits.
• Proofread/Format/Publish Men of Foxwick by June 17th. This fantasy short story collection should be out a few days before June 17th, but that date is the official release date.
• Write the short stories in Neighbors of Foxwick.

What are your June goals?

2013 Stats since January 1st

77,067 words written

922 pages edited

Fantasy Chat: Help Wanted, The Ghost Cover Reveal, and Writers4Writers

 

In less than a month, Men of Foxwick will be released.

The release date is June 17, 2013, and I could use some help promoting the release of my fantasy short story collection. I don't want to do a major blog tour or anything like that, but I thought it would cool to do a cover reveal/promo post.

If you're interested, all you would have to do is sign up. Then, I'll send you a document before the release date, so you can choose between a small, medium, or long post to post the week of June 17th. It's as simple as that, and I would be forever grateful.

Here is what Men of Foxwick is all about:

A Fantasy Short Story Collection

Men of Foxwick will feature five short stories involving men from Foxwick.

A blind teen seeks a place in the kingdom. A dragon seer journeys to Wintermill to spy on the queen. A sword master's worst fear comes true when he fails to protect the royal family. A king falls in love with an herb witch, but will she feel the same way? A hunter will rise to the challenge to hunt down a man-eating monster.

Short stories in this collection:
Blind Scribe
Dragon Spy
Sword Master
Courting Magic
Monster Hunter

Sign up for the cover reveal/promo post here:

And now we have the cover reveal of The Ghost, the last book in the 13th Floor series by Christine Rains!

Chiharo Black lives with six supernatural tenants in a haunted building's mysterious thirteenth floor. Of course, no one knows she's there except the cats. Being a ghost can be a bit frustrating and lonely, but it isn't as bad as her mother made it out to be.

Until another ghost intrudes on her territory. Jeremy Emerson wants revenge on the vampire that killed him and won't stop until he has it. To top it off, a nightmarish shade sneaks in and leeches the energy from the building's residents before setting its sights on Chiharo and the thirteenth floor. She can't decide which one is more frightening: the one wanting to eat her soul or the one who might win her heart. 

Chiharo must convince Jeremy to stand with her against the hellish parasite. If they cannot work together, the greedy fiend will not only drain their energy but everything that supports the thirteenth floor's existence.

About the Author: Christine Rains is a writer, blogger, and geek mom. She has four degrees which help nothing with motherhood, but make her a great Jeopardy player. When she's not writing or reading, she having adventures with her son or watching cheesy movies on Syfy Channel. She's a member of Untethered Realms and S.C.I.F.I. The 13th Floor series is her first self-published series. She has seven novellas and twenty-one short stories published.

Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Writers4Writers has two more fabulous authors to promote today. Go to Laura Eno and Marian Allen's blogs for tweets and Facebook posts and find out more how you can support them!

IWSG: Changes, May Goals, and Jessica Bell's Adverbs and Cliches in a Nutshell

 

It's the first Wednesday of the month, so you know what that means ... it's time for another Insecure Writer's Support Group meeting. IWSG was created by the awesome ninja captain Alex J. Cavanaugh, and you can find out the other members of the group here.

Okay, I love the A-Z Challenge, but who else is glad it's now May? *laughs*

I've been doing a lot of thinking when it comes to writing and blogging, and I've realized I need to cut back a bit on the latter. Between Surrounded by Books Reviews and this blog, I've been blogging from six to eight posts a week (not including the twelve posts a week during A-Z). That's a lot. So, I've decided to start blogging on Mondays and Wednesdays. Only.

Here, I will continue my typical Monday and Wednesday schedules. Mondays will look like: 1st Monday - Book Chat, 2nd Monday - Purrsonal Stories, 3rd Monday - Fantasy Chat, and 4th Monday - Bookworm News. And Wednesdays will be: 1st Wednesday - IWSG, 2nd Wednesday - Indie Life, other Wednesdays - Writing Update.

If you've been following this blog for a while, then you'll notice what's missing. Yes, that's right. I'm giving up Friday Flash. I've been participating in Friday Flash off and on since July 2010. I love writing flash fiction, but most of my writing nowadays is focused on longer works. I do still love showcasing my writing on this blog, so instead of flash fiction, I will start having excerpts/teasers of my writing in my Wednesday Writing Updates.

And I'll still be open to guest posts/interviews/etc., but I'll move those to Mondays and Wednesdays as well.

Why the change? I've figured I have another  215,000 words to write this year, give or take a few thousand (20,000 or so in The Loveless Princess, 80,000 or so in both Book Two of the Phoenix Trilogy and in Book Three of the Phoenix Trilogy, and 35,000 or so in Neighbors of Foxwick). At least a hundred thousand of those words will be written in July (Camp NaNo) and November (NaNo). I'd like to have all this writing done before December, so that means I'll need to write 23,000 words a month (excluding the 50k in both July and November and zero in December). That comes to around 766 words a day. With that type of word count needed, then I must make changes and focus on writing more.

And I still want to visit people's blogs too, so I thought cutting back on the blog a bit will give me more time for everything. We'll see how it works out.

Also, since A-Z was going on, I didn't do my typical goal's post, so here are my goals for May:

1. Finish writing The Loveless Princess, do a self-edit, and send to critique partners.

2. Do final edits on Men of Foxwick. I should have my short story collection back from CPs by May 20th. That'll give me time to do a final edit, proofread a couple times, and format in May/June for a June release. 

3. Catch up on blogs/emails.

4. Finish doing my self-edit on Part III of The Phoenix Prophetess and send to a few CPs.

That's it. Do you have some May goals? Are you changing up your blogging schedule?

2013 Stats

Counted since January 1

75,610 words written (35,006 in April!)

795 pages edited     

And we have a special message from the lovely and talented Jessica Bell:

Too many adverbs and clichés in your writing? I've got just the fix for you.

by Jessica Bell

Writers constantly have rules thrown at them left, right, and center. Show, don’t tell! Stop using so many dialogue tags! More sensory detail! More tension! Speed up the pace! Yada yada yada ... it can become overwhelming, yes? I used to feel overwhelmed by it all too. In fact, I still do sometimes. It’s hard enough to get the words on the page, let alone consider how to put them there.

In Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, she says that in order not to be overwhelmed, a writer needs to focus on short assignments. She refers to the one-inch picture frame on her desk and how that little picture frame reminds her to focus on bite-sized pieces of the whole story. Basically, if you focus on one small thing at a time, the story will eventually come together to create a whole. I believe the same applies to learning the craft of writing. If writers focus on one aspect of the craft at a time, the process will seem less daunting and piece by piece it will come together.

My name’s Jessica Bell, and my own struggles with feeling overwhelmed inspired me to write the Writing in a Nutshell Series of pocket-sized writing guides. So you can learn to hone your craft in bite-sized, manageable pieces. In the first book of the series, I focused on demonstrating how to transition “telling” into “showing.” In Adverbs and Clichés in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions of Adverbs and Clichés into Gourmet Imagery, I deal with another of the most common criticisms aspiring writers face: to absolutely avoid adverbs and clichés like the plague. But see, right now, I just used one of each. I also used a couple in the first two paragraphs of this post because they come naturally, and we utilize them frequently in everyday speech. But in fiction, too many adverbs and clichés weaken your prose. It’s considered “lazy writing,” because it means we don’t have to show what’s happening.

If your manuscript has too many adverbs and clichés, it most likely means that the emotion you felt while writing it is not going to translate to the reader in the same way. So how exactly can we approach the subversion of adverbs and clichés? For starters, play around with simile and metaphor when you’re trying to convey emotion, and for action, use strong verbs to show it happening in real time.

The key? Think smaller details rather than the bigger picture.

Need some help and inspiration?

In Adverbs and Clichés in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Subversions of Adverbs and Clichés into Gourmet Imagery, you will find thirty-four examples of prose which clearly demonstrate how to turn those pesky adverbs and clichés into vivid and unique imagery. Dispersed throughout are blank pages to craft your own unique examples. Extra writing prompts are also provided at the back of the book.

“Jessica Bell's latest pocket guide, Adverbs and Clichés in a Nutshell, will inspire you to leave bland behind and pursue your creative best. With force and clarity, she demonstrates how adverbs and clichés hobble vibrant writing. She then marks a course toward unique expression and provides workouts that will help writers at every level develop a distinctive voice.” ~Laurel Garver, freelance editor, author of Never Gone and Muddy-Fingered Midnights

Purchase links:
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Ca | Kobo

Bio: The Australian-native contemporary fiction author and poet, Jessica Bell, also makes a living as an editor and writer for global ELT publishers (English Language Teaching), such as Pearson Education, HarperCollins, Macmillan Education, Education First and Cengage Learning.

She is the co-publishing editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, and the director of the Homeric Writers’ Retreat and Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca.

For more information about Jessica please visit:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

M is for Men of Foxwick

 

This year's A to Z Challenge theme is: All About Foxwick.

M is for ... Men of Foxwick

Men of Foxwick will feature five short stories involving men from Foxwick. 

A blind teen seeks a place in the kingdom. A dragon seer journeys to Wintermill to spy on the queen. A sword master’s worst fear comes true when he fails to protect the royal family. A king falls in love with an herb witch, but will she feel the same way? A hunter will rise to the challenge to hunt down a man-eating monster.

Short stories in this collection:

Blind Scribe
Dragon Spy
Sword Master
Courting Magic
Monster Hunter 

I hope to have this short story collection published around June. *crosses fingers*

An unedited excerpt from “Dragon Spy” in Men of Foxwick:

“So you are a dragon seer?” King Javen motioned for him to rise from the floor.

“Aye, my king.” Harthro stood and kept his head lowered out of respect. His gaze flicked to the white-haired king. Although he’d glimpsed Foxwick’s ruler during the Mage Games and other official affairs, he hadn’t had the honor of meeting him in the castle before today. King Javen was older than Harthro had assumed.

“I need your services.” The king leaned forward, resting his forearms upon the gilded throne.

“I am here to serve you. What do you wish of me?” His breath shuddered in his chest. Harthro wanted to help his kingdom, but he didn’t know what a reclusive woodsman could do for someone as great as Foxwick’s king. 

“Toward the south lies Wintermill and Snow Mountains. Ugly rumors float from that frigid land. Their queen is up to no good, so I need a spy to gain her trust and relay information between our two kingdoms.” The king reclined and pressed his fingers against his lips. Candlelight gleamed reddish-orange against his crown. “Queen Eirwyn plans to use dragons.” 

Wednesday's Writing Update: A Short Story and Susan Kaye Quinn's The Debt Collector

 

Happy Wednesday!

If you've been following this blog at all, then you'll know I like to re-evaluate my goals. I swear sometimes they change by the hour these days. My goals have changed again to some extent. Frankly, I was trying to do too much in too short of a time. Yeah, I have that problem, so I decided to simplify my life.

This month, I'm working on the short stories in Men of Foxwick. Before the end of February, I finished "Dragon Spy" and in January, I wrote "Blind Scribe." That means I have three stories to write before the end of the month: "Sword Master" (done!), "Courting Magic," and "Monster Hunter." Once I finish these stories, I'll do a self-edit and then send them to half my critique partners. Then, once I get them back, I'll do another edit based on their comments and send it to the other half. Another set of edits or two, then proofreading and publishing. If all goes as planned, people might be able to purchase Men of Foxwick in June. *crosses fingers*

As for everything else I had planned to do this month, it's now been shoved off to other months (Part III of The Phoenix Prophetess in April and The Loveless Princess in May).

I think simple will be better, right?

What are you working on?

By the way, there will be no more Friday Flash for a while, so I'll see you on Monday for Bookworm News.

And Susan Kaye Quinn has a new serial series out today! The first episode in The Debt Collector is Delirium.

The Debt Collector by Susan Kaye Quinn

From the author of the bestselling Mindjack series comes a new future-noir serial, The Debt Collector. The first episode, Delirium, launches today (3/20).

What’s your life worth on the open market?

A debt collector can tell you precisely.

Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He’s just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the people who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja’s sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane… until he collects again. But when his recovery ritual is disrupted by a sex worker who isn’t what she seems, he has to choose between doing an illegal hit for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle alone—a dark pit he’s not sure he’ll be able to climb out of again.

Contains mature content and themes. For YA-appropriate thrills, see Susan’s Mindjack series.

Delirium is approximately 12,000 words or 48 pages and is one of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating. You can find out more about the series at the DebtCollector website and facebookpage. The DebtCollector newsletter is a special list just for episode releases.

Early Praise

 “The street-smart science of LOOPER meets the cold, just-the-facts voice of DOUBLE INDEMNITY in this edgy, future-noir thriller that will have you holding your breath, looking over your shoulder, and begging for more.” —Leigh Talbert Moore, author of The Truth About Faking, The Truth About Letting Go, and Rouge

“Do you owe more than your life is worth? No worries. A more deserving person than you can benefit from that excess life—and someone else will get paid with it. Enter the Debt Collector.” —Dianne Salerni, author of We Hear the Dead, The Caged Graves, and The Eighth Day (HarperCollins 2014)

The first three episodes of Debt Collector will be released a week apart, starting Wednesday 3/20. The remaining episodes will release every two weeks. Delirium can be found on Amazon, BarnesandNoble, iTunes, Kobo. Or add it to your TBR on Goodreads.

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling YA SF Mindjack series. Debt Collector is her more grown-up SF. Her steampunk fantasy romance is temporarily on hold while she madly writes episodes to keep Lirium happy. Plus she needs to leave time to play on Facebook. Susan has a lot of degrees in engineering, which come in handy when dreaming up dangerous mind powers, future dystopias, and slightly plausible steampunk inventions. Mostly she sits around in her pajamas in awe that she gets make stuff up full-time.