New Anthology: Still Standing

Hello, all.
I do hope your Halloween was enjoyable. I made my own Viking costume and threatened people with an ax. Good times. What did you dress as?
I wanted to pop in and share some news with you, valued readers. Hollow Hills has a new anthology coming out next month titled STILL STANDING. This collection of short stories and poetry will benefit Crisis Text Line, a non-profit that helps those in crisis. Find out more about this wonderful organization here.

Various authors came together bringing unique fantasy and science fiction tales to this amazing anthology. The stories and poems involve bullying, harassment, or ill-treatment by others in some way. The stories may get dark, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Our protagonists will not be kept down because in the end they are still standing tall. 
For more information about each story in the anthology, visit the Hollow Hills website. 

My story, "The Brave Blacksmith" is about a man who became a legend but walked away from his past life. Now he does odd jobs, enduring bullying from local villagers and even his own employers sometimes. Merely trying to make it through each day while dealing with his own inner demons, the queen of his land suddenly calls upon him to track down and help a sorcerer in a neighboring kingdom. Accepting the quest may mean a break from his daily struggles, but his pain still follows him as he heads out with his trusty tools to locate a powerful stranger.

Follow Blacksmith on his adventures in STILL STANDING, coming December 14th. Pre-orders are available now.

Universal link – https://books2read.com/stillstanding

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JQ1R9P8

Lulu – http://www.lulu.com/shop/product-23873712.html

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41969929-still-standing

100% of royalties will go to Crisis Text Line, so be sure to grab your copy today!

New Addition to A Vampire Series

That's right, folks. The Some By Day, Some By Night series has a new addition! 
I was pretty excited to get this one published so let me give you guys the yummy details. The Smell of Death & A Taste of Blood is a collection of short vampire stories of horror, action, and tragedy. Here is the summary:
Can you survive...
          ...what's waiting for you?
Delving into the world introduced in the Some By Day, Some By Night series and continued in Lord Gerard's Coven, this collection of short stories begins before written history, jumping through time and ending during the events of Threads of A Web. Welcome to a world of vampires, humans, and maybe even something else. Though each tale can stand on it's own, readers of the two series will enjoy these extra background stories. Have you wondered:
Why does Serahfine despise humans?
What was Morgan like before she was changed?
Who was the very first vampire?
What happened to Lionel's wife, Roberta?

Questions will be answered. Pasts will be explained. But only if you can handle
THE SMELL OF DEATH & A TASTE OF BLOOD

Isn't that cover just wonderful? Eye catching and creepy, just what I wanted! The talented Julie Nicholls did an amazing job! 

Though this collection is part of the Some By Day, Some By Night series, it also involves characters from the sister series, Lord Gerard's Coven. Both series involve vampires throughout history, their stories intertwining and proceeding into the distant future. The difference is, Some By Day focuses on the individual vampires and their personal struggles and romances. Lord Gerard focuses more on the small battles, impending wars, and other science fiction fun.  I recommend reading both to get all the delicious backstories!

The Smell of Death & A Taste of Blood is available at Amazon here. 

Happy reading, everyone!

March Reads and Reviews

After having read very little in February, I tried to make up for it in March by reading a lot. A lot for a busy person like me, anyway. I read twelve books last month! The best part is, I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them. Nothing under four stars this month!

I read more trade books than indie books this month so I will only be posting reviews for indie books in the YA or adult market. The children's books I read are reviewed on my other blog.

Jade
by Rose Montague

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:
Action packed and fun! I loved the tone of this book and how Jade's true nature is kept a mystery for a time. A real page turner.
My only complaint is the pacing. It was a tad fast for my taste, I would have liked to slow it down and see more of the initial spark between Jade and Jane, let that romance build more.
Great read!

To purchase this title, find it on Amazon here.

Demon Within
by Julie Nicholls

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:
I couldn't put it down!
This story was exactly what I look for in a romance. The author took her time introducing us to each character, leaving a bit of mystery to be discovered along the way while letting the reader become emotionally invested in their own stories. The action was exciting and the romance sizzling. Some twists were predictable, others less so, but all done so well that it felt genuine.
A great read that hooked me, reeled me in, and left me wanting more. 

To purchase this title, find it on Amazon here.

Five Seven Five
by C. E. Wilson

Rating: 5 Stars

Review:
This story sucked me in from page one!
A colony that lives underground. Strict enforces of the rules, rules that no one really understands. A girl curious about the world above. A death that will change everything.
I couldn't help but to root for White from the start. Her character is flawed, headstrong, and endearing, everything I love in a protagonist. The vivid details and original story line made this book very hard to put down! Excellent read. 

To purchase this title, find it on Amazon here.
 

Stake Out
by Lily Luchesi

Rating: 4 Stars

Review:
A great start to a promising series!
A killer on the loose, a doomed romance, and paranormal creatures functioning in modern society make for an exciting story. It has issues that usually accompany an author's first book like head-hopping confusion and showing versus telling, but the story itself shines through. I enjoyed the bit of mystery and romance just as much as the action and fight scenes.
Very well done and can't wait to read the sequel!

To purchase this title, find it on Amazon here.



A few other books a read include Hollow City, the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Excellent book, can't wait to read the third and final story! The Sandman Volume 9, which, geezus, almost killed me with that ending. I also finished off a manga series I started reading many years ago, Descendants of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei).  

All in all, it was a great month for reading!

Insurge-what?

Yes, I know you aren't supposed to compare the movies to the books they are "based on" (Use that term loosely, Hollywood). But sometimes, it just can't be helped.

As I'm sure you've figured out, I saw Insurgent tonight. I went in with an open mind, kind of, and was determined to enjoy it even though I knew it would be a bit different from the book, like the first of the series, Divergent was. Well, this wasn't different from the book so much as a different story altogether. Okay then, let's look at it as just a movie. Just a sequel to the first movie. Let's do that. 
FYI, I haven't read Allegiant but I'm already afraid for that book to movie disaster in the making.
(SPOILERS AHEAD!)

My first issue is the pacing. You're trying to shove a lot of stuff into one movie and it felt just way too rushed. Concepts are being thrown at the audience at such a speed that I feel like people are just left confused and trying to figure out what the hell it was even all about.
Honestly, I can't remember who that black guy, Tris's friend, was supposed to be. I think his name was mentioned once (Well, whispered maybe) and that's how many times we saw him in the movie. So how are they close friends who hang out on top of a building at night to chat when I don't recall seeing him before and never have to worry about seeing him again? That guy was in and out faster than a ninja. So then, what was the point of his role? 

My next problem was that there were no mysteries here. Everyone seemed to know everything that was going on as it happened. Secrets were revealed all too easily. There were no serious problems to work out because someone will just come along and tell you the answer pretty soon.
Also, how in the name of Tris's too-short hair did Four know about the box? I actually complained out loud about that scene as it played out. Tris never knew about a fricking box until it was shown to her. She never tells Four about it. So how does he magically know about it when she says she has to go get it? Are we to just assume that some guard was all like "Yeah, they're torturing your girlfriend to open a box."? We have to, right, since there's no other explanation?

As a movie by itself it was okay. I should have waited for DVD but oh well, that's money I can't get back. You're welcome, overpriced movie theater. It had action scenes and parts where yes, I actually had to hold back some tears, ("I can't forgive myself.") but as a whole, it could have been better. It could have been much better.

Now, compared to the book. A lot was changed. A few things were not. Some things that were changed were understandable to me. I got why it had to be done. Some things did not need to be changed and there was no reason to change them. Hollywood needs to stop assuming that the audience members are idiots who can't put two and two together. We can handle mysteries. We can handle complex concepts. Otherwise, why would we be going to see a YA dystopian, post apocalyptic, fantasy/sci-fi, however-you-want-to-categorize it movie? Did you ever think that dumbing down this stuff might actually be making our teens, I don't know, dumber?
We can also handle relationship problems between two young adults which take place during the entirety of the book but not at all in the movie. The lovey-dovey puppy dog crap on screen actually had me rolling my eyes in frustration.

To conclude, if you've read the books, don't see Insurgent in theaters. Wait and Redbox it for less than $2. If you haven't read the books, go see it if you like action; sappy, uncomplicated romance; plots that sometimes don't make sense; and everything laid out on the line for you.

Fan Fiction: Not Just Smut

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