Category: Indie Author

+Character Post+ [from] the Leland Dragon series by Jackie Gamber

Posted Tuesday, 25 February, 2014 by jorielov , , , 2 Comments

Guest Post by Parajunkee

Character Post from the Leland Dragon series:

Leland Dragon series by Jackie Gamber
Artwork Credit: Matthew Perry

{a special stop on the “Reclamation” blog tour!}

{ converse via: #LelandDragons & #7thStar }

Book Synopsis of ‘Reclamation’:

The exciting conclusion of the Leland Dragon Series!

Leland Province remains in danger. The sinister Fordon Blackclaw has returned from the shadows to strike at the heart of neighboring Esra, killing its Venur and making clear his intentions to retake what was once his: Mount Gore, seat of the Leland Dragon Council.

All around, the land grows weaker and weaker. Leland, once thought saved by Kallon Redheart, is without purpose, and within its borders, Murk Forest, a place of mystery and danger, has driven its inhabitants to seek aid. Esra is in flames, and the Rage Desert grows. Dragon and human alike struggle to find their way, and the wizard Orman can sense that there may be more at stake than the affairs of dragons.

Hope remains, yet it is not without obstacles. In Esra, Sela, the daughter of Kallon and Riza, found the well, a source of life, and made herself whole again. But her homecoming is not what she had imagined.

Old wounds buried deep must reopen if life is to continue. Dragons, humans, wizards, and shape shifters are all at risk as the peace between dragon and human has finally been broken.

War is here.

The stakes?

Perhaps the whole world.

 

I am thrilled to peaches to welcome, Ms. Gamber back to Jorie Loves A Story! She will be sharing a special piece for this stop on the blog tour, which features a portion of a character’s journal from the Leland Dragon series! I am always seeking out ways to bring extra content to my dedicated readers and visitors, whilst participating on blog book tours! In this way, I felt having a guest post from the perspective of a character might be quite enjoyable for all who stop by! If you dropped by during my Seventh Star Press Focus Week &/or whilst I reviewed ‘Redheart‘ previously, you are familiar with my passion for this particular fantasy series steeped in lore and built strongly in a world whose heart endears you to return! I hope this glimpse at Ms. Gamber’s writing will prompt you to read the series that has enchanted me for all these moons since I last visited within the realm of ‘Redheart’!!

{ Character Blog: Gladdis by Jackie Gamber }

Dear Journal:

I considered trying to write this journal entry the way Drell has been teaching me to write in his dragon language, but I don’t know enough words yet to be able to say a whole sentence, let alone spell them all correctly. It’s enough of a challenge just to speak it.

Dragonspeak is full of throat growls and front-of-the-mouth consonants that feel like a waterfall through my teeth, and I wish I was better at it because it’s already so close to singing that I want to add melodies and see what happens then. I heard Drell sing once, or rather hum under his breath. When he noticed me looking at him, though, he stopped and pretended it never happened.

I think there is much more to Drell than he lets on.

Drell is very patient with me, which is a good thing. A kind thing. Because Sela is so very busy with all her dragon council business I hardly see her, and without someone to talk to, I would feel swallowed up by this mountain. By the dragons.

Drell helped me root out some dandelions for Orman this morning. At first, I thought Orman was needing them for potions, or magical ingredients of some sort. But Drell thinks the wizard is just trying to make wine.

I think there is more to Orman Thistleby than he lets on, too, but I don’t dare ask. The man can whither a grape to a raisin with one glare of those gray eyes. I’m always trapped between wanting to get his attention, and hoping he’ll never notice me. He keeps talking about how old he is, how tired and frail he is, but I’ve never seen a star burn so bright. Right inside those gray eyes of his.

I held a stone in my palm last night. One of the little nubs Orman is trying to drench in magic. He’s been stripped of all his crystals and things; we all lost everything when we fled Esra to come to Leland. Orman feels the loss more than the rest of us, I think. He thinks he’s powerless without his stones, but I don’t believe he is. Not really. Because when I held the pebble of amber glass (it had fallen from his desk, I was putting it back), I felt it alive. It pulsed through my hand, into my wrist.

He must be doing something right, to make that stone respond to my touch the way it did. As though it knew I was there, in the room, keeping it company. When I laid it back on Orman’s desk, it stopped shivering, and went to sleep.

I almost spoke, to reassure it I would be back, before I realized what I was doing. Strange though. I could swear that crystal already knew what I was about to say.

One of these days, I would like to ask Orman about it. If I can just face those eyes. Maybe today, since Layce has asked me to ask him if he will meet her under the giant fir.

More tomorrow.

Gladdis

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com{ About the Author }

Jackie Gamber is the award-winning author of many short stories, screenplays, and novels, including “Redheart”, “Sela”, and “Reclamation”, Books one through three of the Leland Dragon Series. For more information about Jackie and her mosaic mind, visit http://www.jackiegamber.com

And meet Jackie elsewhere on the world-wide web at:

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

If this doesn’t prompt one to soak into the Leland Dragon series, I am not sure what would! Laughs. I think when you find yourself over the moon in joy in reading a series, you want to read each new installment as quick as lightning, or at least, this is the place I have reached with Leland Dragons! I am ever so very thankful to Ms. Gamber for creating and sharing this little treasure of a glimpse into Reclamation! I will be posting a review of Reclamation on Friday, 28th of February, so please be sure to drop back to read my observations and thoughts therein! I am delighted beyond joy itself for being able to participate on this blog tour because this is one series that I feel so very strongly attached too! Its one of those series that you discover during your ordinary hours of reading, and become struck by the awe of the world which illuminates into view! You get excited at each turnt of a page and your heart leaps a bit in anxiety to see what is going to occur next! This is what I live for whilst reading one story after another! To discover the stories that never quite leave you, and leave a small impression inside your memory!

Virtual Road Map for “Reclamation” Blog Tour:
Be sure to catch the next installments of this showcase on JLAS:
Jorie reviews “Reclamation” & interviews Ms. Gamber within the week!

Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.

Be sure to scope out upcoming tours I will be hosting with:
Tomorrow Comes Media Tour Hoston my Bookish Events Featured on JLAS!

{SOURCES: Cover art of “triptych of Leland Dragon series” by Matthew Perry and the tour host badge were all provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Author Interview badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Jorie submitted a request to host a Character Post as part of the tour and received this special post in response by Ms. Gamber through Stephen Zimmer; for which she is grateful!}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Tuesday, 25 February, 2014 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Character (Guest) Post by Author, Dragon Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Good vs. Evil, Indie Author, Supernatural Fiction, Tomorrow Comes Media, YA Fantasy

WWW Wednesday No.3: A girl with an affinity for the classics!

Posted Wednesday, 19 February, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments

WWW Wednesday badge by Jorie in Canva

I loved the premise of this meme {WWW Wednesdays} due to the dexterity that it gives the reader! :) Clearly subject to change on a weekly rotation, which may or may not lead to your ‘next’ read which would provide a bit of a paradoxical mystery to your readers!! :) Love the concept! Therefore, this weekly meme is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each week you participate, your keen to answer the following questions:

  • What are you currently reading!?
  • What did you recently finish reading!?
  • What do you think you’ll read next!?

After which, your meant to click over to Should Be Reading to share your post’s link so that the rest of the bloggers who are participating can check out your lovely answers! :) Perhaps even, find other bloggers who dig the same books as you do! I thought it would serve as a great self-check to know where I am and the progress I am hoping to have over the next week!

What are you currently reading!? {a two-week retrospective!}

I am continuing to read Crown of Vengeance by Stephen Zimmer, as it will mark my last post tied to the Sci-Fi Experience! I had wanted to read a few more books towards this reading challenge, but I lost too many hours during January to accomplish this task. I, am, however, continuing to read the books I outlined on my participation page for the Experience! I selected a few books for the Wicked Valentine’s Readathon which are as follows:

Selection One: Back to the Classics: The Ladies Paradise by Emilie Zola

Selection Two: Magical Realism (tCC) & Time Travel (SFN & SciFI Bingo): The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Selection Three: Book Itching to Read: Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan*

Selection Four: Book for Review: A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

{*} As previously disclosed, this boomeranged back to the local library; am awaiting its return!

Alongside the books I pulled for Wicked Valentine, I am also in position to start reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (as part of the #LitChat War & Peace Book Club), & Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (as part of the @RiverheadBooks RAL). Once I start to dig into these select classics, I am on my way towards revealing how I have such a hearty affinity for reading classical literature! Over the years I have dreamt of which classics to read first and which to follow in their wake. 2014 marks the year I am finally able to set aside time to start to explore the classical literary world with a curious eye towards the unknown adventures which lie ahead!

What did you recently finish reading!?

I have only finished a handful of novels within the past fortnight or thereabouts, all of which I posted reviews on my blog: The Brotherhood of the Dwarves, Dangerous DecisionsSebastian’s Way, and the Writers Workshop for Science Fiction and Fantasy. The latter of course, was an anthology collection of essays and interviews compiled together to present an excellent primer on genre writing; even if your genre is outside the scope of the title! I found myself writing quite a heap about my recollections and the musings therein which were extracted from the readings!

I am in the process of reading several novels at the moment for each of my different reading challenges as well as having finished my first blog tour book review stop for Penguin Group (USA). As I am reading multiple books concurrently, I will be revealing where I am by page count rather than by chapter or section next Wednesday! I am hoping to be at the end of Chapter X or XI of Wuthering Heights by the 21st (Friday) as well as complete my reading of Crown of Vengeance to round out my focus week for Seventh Star Press! At the close of February, I am equally as hopeful to have read approx. 200 pages of War and Peace whereas my goals for the 23rd of February are too complete Somerset & most of Roses! The Ladies Paradise is on my reading table as well, as I am attempting to read in tandem at the moment! I felt best to initiate a bit of a page count goal per book in order to best ignite a pattern of reading classics in-between modern literature I explore either outside of blog tours or within them! I always have such a fanciful heart to explore literature in all of its beauty, that I felt this might help me focus on books I truly want to finish reading within the time I am allotting! Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s journal of WWW to see how well I did!

A Fall of Marigoldstook me backwards into my memories for the shirtwaist factory fire of 1911 as evidenced and exhumed into a breath of life by Meredith Tax’s Rivington Street; whilst bringing forward haunting memories of observing the horrors of September 11th by telecast. I felt honoured to be asked to be a book review stop on her blog tour, and as you can read in my review, the novel itself touched me on a very deep level. It was a blessing to find closure and peace after two events in history profoundly affected me.

What do you think you’ll read next!?

I received word that my ILL holds are in queue to arrive within a few week’s time in which I cannot wait to see what is waiting for me inside Leviathan Wakes, Jaran, and The Divining!

And, then there was the whole realisation whilst I read this tweet which led to the successive replies:

Launched myself into a bit of mini-quest to find other “foodie fiction” titles that I could plausibly devour at some point in my reading future! Laughs within a smile! Oh, the wondrous thrill of the ‘discovery’!!

  • The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (started; need to finish!)
  • The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister (sequel to above; goes w/o saying!)
  • Chocolat by Joanne Harris (birthday gift; need to read!)
  • The Colour of Tea by Hannah Tunnicliffe (borrowed; returned unread)
  • Julie & Julia by Julie Powell (opted for the motion picture!)
  • Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Ronald Dahl (always saw the films!)
  • How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O’ Neal (loved!)
  • The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (murmurs of curiosity!)
  • When in Doubt, Add Butter by Beth Harbison
  • The Baker’s Daughter by Sarah McCoy
  • The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe by Mary Simses (borrowed, need to finish!)
  • The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santos
  • Eat. Pray. Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (opted for the motion picture!)
  • The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais
  • Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
  • The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
  • The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
  • Coffeehouse mysteries by Cleo Coyle (need to read all of them!)
  • White House Chef mystery series by Julie Hyzy (need to keep up to date!)
  • The China Bayles mysteries by Laura Childs (revolves around a teahouse!)
  • Courtesy of Ms. Lisa via TLC Book Tours the following were also suggested:
  • The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry
  • Eating Heaven by Jennie Shortridge
  • The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher
  • Maman’s Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan
  • Hungry by Darlene Barnes
  • & the forementioned The Colour of Tea & The Lost Art of Mixing

The next books I am drinking in will be books for review and I am quite excited for them to grace my mind’s eye! For I get the absolute pleasure of re-entering the world of the #LelandDragons, as I re-read Redheart by Jackie Gamber before continuing forward into Sela and the bookend third of the trilogy: Reclamation! The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte by Ruth Hull Chatlien is a hearty tome of an account of a side of the Bonaparte family I never had heard of beforehand! My pursuit of Bonaparte has re-strengthened since I read Becoming Josephine by Heather Webb! Whereas Citadel by Kate Mosse is an interest which was encouraged by my Mum when she gave me Labyrinth; in lieu of knowing where I put the book, I have borrowed the two previous books from my local library!

I had a bountiful bookish postal surprise day

in which I happily welcomed in the following books for review:

My Wish List banner

&

Violet Patterson Blog Tour via Tomorrow Comes Media

&

Inscription by H.H. Miller

via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

&

A MidSummer Night’s Steampunk by Scott E. Tarbet    

and Moments in Millenia (anthology) edited by Penny Freeman

via Xchyler Publishing

Whereas I previously announced receiving Citadel & The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte!

I decided to join the 2014 Chunkster Challenge, as I had no idea how many novels I’d read over the score of the year which would qualify as being labeled ‘a tome of a book greater than 450 pages!’ Clearly, I have already begun to read stories in greater quantity of depth, but this is going to be a good record of seeing how many I gravitate towards over a regular year’s worth of reading!

Likewise, I have released posts in part of my participation of:

I will be stitching together my posts this next week for challenges hosted by Bookish Ardmour:

All of which I curate on my RALs & Challenges page, of which I update my progress as well as on my Part II of Reading Challenge Addict! I decided to pull back from several reading & bookish challenges this year, as although they appealed to me in the beginning when I was on the verge of signing into them, I decided in the long-term I would be better off honing in on the ones which were at this point in time the most keen of the lot to participate in! There will undoubtedly be more RALs, Thons, & Challenges forthcoming but these will be the main ones I am concentrating on except to say for the two Jane Austen novels I am reading to correlate with the Jane Austen Readings hosted by Reading is Fun Again!

Quite the exciting time for a bookish soul, eh!?
Have your literary wanderings been as expansive and lovely as mine!?
And, do you have a ‘foodie fiction’ recommendations for me!?

{SOURCE: The WWW Wednesday badge created by Jorie in Canva as a way to
promote the weekly meme for those who want to take part in it.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Wednesday, 19 February, 2014 by jorielov in 18th Century, 19th Century, Anthology Collection of Stories, Back to the Classics, Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Bookish Discussions, Books for Review Arrived by Post, Chunkster Reading Challenge, Classical Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Foodie Fiction, France Book Tours, Get Steampunk'd, Go Indie, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Library Find, Love for Books Readathon, RALs | Thons via Blogs, Reading Challenge Addict, Reading Challenges, Rewind Challenge, Science Fiction, Seriously Series Reading Challenge, SFN Bingo, TBR Pile Challenge, tCC The Classics Club, The Dystopia Challenge, Tomorrow Comes Media, Wicked Valentine's Readathon, William Shakespeare Challenge, Wuthering Heights, WWW Wednesdays, Xchyler Publishing

+SSP Week+ Book Review: The Brotherhood of the Dwarves by D.A. Adams

Posted Tuesday, 11 February, 2014 by jorielov , , , 4 Comments

Parajunkee Designs

The Brotherhood of the Dwarves by D.A. Adams
Artwork Credit: Bonnie Wasson

D.A. Adams page for reviews of all the books in sequence.

Published By: Seventh Star Press, 7 February 2012 (softcover edition)
Official Editor Websites: Site | Twitter | Facebook
Converse on Twitter: #BrotherhoodofDwarves
Artist Page: Bonnie Wasson  @ Seventh Star Press
Available Formats: Softcover and E-Book
Page Count: 238


Acquired Book:

I am a regular blog book tour hostess for Tomorrow Comes Media, whereupon in conversations with Stephen Zimmer about enjoying high fantasy over other aspects of the genre, I was offered to receive a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review direct from the publisher Seventh Star Press. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Initial Thoughts:

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect whilst looking over my copy of The Brotherhood of the Dwarves, as I had revealed inside Mr. Adams’s Guest Post on writing the series that I had first thought the inspiration behind his creation was due to the dwarves in The Lord of the Rings. Although, I have started to pick up my interest into reading the realms of science fiction & fantasy late in 2013, previous to my wanderings thus far along I hadn’t actually delved into stories or authors who focused on dwarves! My entire knowledge going into reading this book is based mostly on my memories of Gimli! Therefore, this is my first example of dwarves in fiction as I entered the sage of Gimli through the motion pictures not the text! (the complete Histories of Middle Earth & Lord of the Rings are on my tCC TBR list!)


Author Biography:

D.A. Adams

D.A. Adams was born in Florida but was raised in East Tennessee. He received a Master of Arts in Writing from the University of Memphis in 1999 and has taught college English for over a decade. His first novel, The Brotherhood of Dwarves, was released in 2005 and has been described as a solid, honest work about camaraderie, bravery, and sacrifice, a very personal journey, more interested in the ways that a person is changed by life’s events than in epic battles and high magic. In 2008, the sequel, Red Sky at Dawn, was released to the exaltation that this novel thunders along, at times with dizzying speed. The action is visceral and imaginative without being gratuitous. Book three, The Fall of Dorkhun, came out in 2011, followed by book four, Between Dark and Light, in 2012.

In terms of writing style, Adams exhibits an effortless narrative voice and a masterful balance between richly detailed descriptions and tightly worded minimalism. The pacing of his stories is breathtaking, with relentless action and captivating plot twists that keep readers riveted page after page. But his true talent as a writer lies in character development. Readers find themselves empathizing with, fearing for, and cheering on the characters as they overcome their personal shortcomings and grow as fully rendered individuals.

Adams is also the father of two wonderful sons and, despite his professional accomplishments, maintains that they are his greatest achievement in life. He resides in East Tennessee.

 

Understanding the order of Dwarves:

Adams does a great job at introducing the reader to the world within The Brotherhood of the Dwarves by outlining the differences of each tribe therein. I appreciated seeing the slight differences in both appearance, personality, temperament, and tone of living. Being an artist and a writer myself, I was leaning towards Roskin’s kingdom of Kiredurk as they focused on art and beauty rather than savage battlements of war. I lit up a bit within the intricate descriptions of the underground city as the engineering feat it would take to create such a structure piqued my interest! (after having read The Race Underground recently for a Book Browse First Impressions selection)

The pace picks up a bit whilst understanding the rite of passage within the hierarchy of the dwarf system. I was reminding myself of the Amish who are allowed to choose whether or not to remove themselves from their Order whilst travelling in the world of the English, or if they choose to take their place within their own society. In this story, young Roskin believes his destiny is attached to not only sorting out the mysteries of his past, but in seeking a long forgotten relic of treasure which is the namesake of the book series! Quite clever when I realised this revelation!

My Review of the Brotherhood of the Dwarves:

The Brotherhood of the Dwarves is set within a well-envisioned world, where each of the individual tribes of dwarves adhere to their own rules and regulations of order. There are dwarves who consider bloodshed and battle the mark of a true dwarf and of strength of their people. Whereas there are other more peaceful dwarves who feel that the pursuit of battle completely is not the best plausible way to live. (I happen to agree with the latter sentiment!) It’s Roskin’s pursuit of unearthing his ancestral roots that interested me the most due to his status as half dwarf and half elf.

Torkdohn is a guiding force in aiding young Roskin in the opening bits of his journey, not only in the sage advice he imparts upon the lad but in the knowledge of the lands outside Roskin’s native Kingdom. Torkdohn is the type of character you wonder if you can trust. The journey Roskin is undergoing is a twist on coming-of age, where he will have to settle out his thoughts and beliefs as far as how he wants to live and the manner in which he applies the lessons he is gaining. He isn’t one to play the fool nor is he one to relish in ignorance. His strength lies in sorting out the middle ground between being a dwarf who can hunt and kill without conscience of the consequences and being a dwarf who embodies the principles of only killing what one needs for subsistence; or for self-defense if need be.

I was quite surprised that I could settle into the narrative as the context dips between the psychological and emotional imagery of the life of dwarves to where the reader is front-row center to the action. There is a necessity of caution between the Kingdoms as distrust and broken alliances are clearly evident. What kept me in the story was Roskin himself who was very much a seeker on an adventure to discover more about himself as much as what it meant to be caught between worlds of the dwarves and elves. As the skirmishes evolve in the story, a few of the sequences were a bit much for me, but given the wager between the incidents was life or death, it stood to reason the battle would be heroic bloodshed or the grave! At one point I was wondering if most of the story was going to be hinged to battle, as although I respect warfare and enbattlements; there are times where I prefer more dialogue and narrative of the back-story or forward motion of the characters.

One of my favourite sections of the novel is when Red and Roskin are sent into exile with a hermit in the mountains named Kwarck. I eased into this section because I appreciated the interactions of the land with the labouring of the characters attempting to pay retribution and gratitude to their host. The inner demons of their conscience hearts were on trial throughout the story as each man had to learn how they would best wrangle out a resolution for their haunted memories. It was here in these passages that I felt were the strength of The Brotherhood of the Dwarves, as it laid the groundwork for why friendship, loyalty, and forgiveness are so very important to grab a hold of.

A sociological conscience is threaded throughout the narrative:

One of the things I appreciated the most about the writing style of Adams is that he lights the undertone of the novel The Brotherhood of Dwarves with a sociological conscious. Where for every cause and effect there is a conscience desire to sort through the internal strife of battlefield emotions tempered with the clarity of seeking a way to avoid confrontation. The way he interweaves the history of the dwarves themselves with the network of experience each dwarf must tackle is a way of endearing the race to the reader. Giving you a window into the reasoning for their differences but also empathy for why they make the choices they do. I think for those who appreciate high fantasy strong in warfare and survival based on hand-to-hand combat action will thrive in this setting because Roskin and his friends give a lot towards that end. For me the violent exchanges bordered on the excessive but another reader might feel they were more mild in nature. I think it depends on your personal levels of acceptance.

Fly in the Ointment:

Despite my own surprise of finding a niche in the story, The Brotherhood of the Dwarves bends a bit too much towards bloodshed for my own heart’s sensitivity. I readily enjoyed the engaging dialogue between the secondary characters and the main protagonists but I quickly surmised that what I enjoyed within the story itself was countered by another battle right around the corner. I think I could have fared better if  those who were hunting Roskin had taken different paths to find him, allowing him the flexibility to travel on his journey without as many incidents of mayhem and death. Afterall, there is only so much one can stomach back-to-back.


This Seventh Star Press focus week was brought together with the help of Tomorrow Comes Media, of which I am a blog tour hostess and book reviewer. To keep up to speed with which authors and books I will be featuring on Jorie Loves A Story in the near future via Tomorrow Comes Media, please check out my Bookish Events!

This marks my sixth post in contribution of:

2014 SciFi Experience
(“Strength and Honor” by Stephan Martiniere, used with the artist’s permission)

You can follow along on the official Sci-Fi Experience site!

Cross-listed on: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fridays via On Starships & Dragonwings

{SOURCES: The 2014 Sci-Fi Experience was granted permission to use the artwork by Stephen Martiniere in their official badge for all participants to show their solidarity during the event! The Brotherhood of the Dwarves cover art, D.A. Adams photograph & biography provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. Post dividers were provided by Shabby Blogs, who give bloggers free resources to add personality to their blogs. Book Review badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Tuesday, 11 February, 2014 by jorielov in Book Review (non-blog tour), Coming-Of Age, Debut Novel, Excessive Violence in Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Fly in the Ointment, Folklore and Mythology, Heroic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Indie Author, Seventh Star Press, Seventh Star Press Week, The Sci-Fi Experience, Tomorrow Comes Media, YA Fantasy

+SSP Week+ Author Guest Post “On writing Ave within the Fires of Eden series” by Stephen Zimmer

Posted Monday, 10 February, 2014 by jorielov , , , , , 4 Comments

Guest Post by ParajunkeeProposed Topic for Stephen Zimmer How did you create the world of Ave initially and did you foresee Ave being shaped into a full-on series? What is the back-story of the research you discovered as you went along &/or what were your methods of deciding the texture of the world? Was there a key moment which left the impression of which direction Ave was heading? How did everything evolve forward past conception of the idea?

The Chronicles of Ave
Artwork Credit: Matthew Perry

As you might recognise, I asked Mr. Zimmer to return to Jorie Loves A Story by featuring an Author Guest Post to discover the early days of conceiving the idea for “Ave” the world in which the “Fires of Eden” series resides. I previously reviewed the “Chronicles of Ave: Volume 1” (the first anthology of the series) which served as my unorthodox introduction to the series! As you will see from that particular post, I was most intrigued by what I found inside! So much so, that it has led me to reading “Crown of Vengeance” of which will be brought to life in a review going live on Wednesday! Be sure to drop back to see my recollections! I also had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Zimmer whilst participating in the Chronicles of Ave blog tour! Blessedly for those of you who are already wrapped up inside this world, there are many more stories yet to be revealed! Let us now yield to Zimmer who will provide the ‘genesis’ of how Ave was first created.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

The Genesis of Ave

Ave is in my heart and has been from the beginning of the road of its genesis that began in the early 1990’s. The origin of this story and how it has grown comes from one of my own personal fantasies. I’ve always imagined and dreamed of what it would be like to go through the wardrobe, to use a Narnia reference, and enter a fantastical world such as the one found in my books.

The entire story involving Ave really did begin on that simple, singular premise, and the idea of an ensemble of characters, all with different backgrounds and circumstances, going into a new world moved it forward as far as a concept for an epic fantasy series. The question of why they are pulled into that world, and what their part is within it, led me to what became the core plot of the series. Before I started writing the first page, I knew the ultimate destination of the series.

I’ve always been drawn to the medieval period, especially the earlier period, including the so-called Dark Ages (I say this as there were a lot of places that continued on a course of progress, from the Byzantines to China, to name a couple). As such, Ave takes on a medieval texture, with a modest presence of magic, as I didn’t want magical or supernatural elements to be too overwhelming in this series (though both play a significant part).

Ave grew into my own personal playground, as far as having everything I would love to see in a fantasy world. It has a full range of cultures , lands, and geographies, with many inspired by historical periods in our own world, and some that are entirely inventive.

One of the challenges of writing this series has been making sure the organic realism of the fully original cultures like the Trogens and Unguhur resonate just as strongly as the ones reflecting a historical inspiration, like the Saxans, Midragard, Avanor, and others. They all need to have the same kind of depth and comprehensive portrayal.

With the historically inspired cultures, I wanted to be sure that there was a strong presence of societies and cultures not commonly reflected in epic fantasy. Readers will see that right from Book One, Crown of Vengeance, when they discover the Five Realms and the five tribes that comprise it. Based upon the Iroquois, the Five Realms and the story of the tribal people within it are a major part of the series.

To bring cultures like the Five Realms to life, research has become a very important aspect of this series. Interestingly enough, in the late 1990’s, when I had the first version of what would become Crown of Vengeance done, one of the biggest reasons I did not try to get an editor or publisher at that time was that I realized that I had not done enough in the area of research to give the books the kind of depth and organic realism that they deserved. It led to several years of immersion into research and rewrites, but at the end of that road I ended up with a book that I was confident in taking onward.

The extended research also honed my thinking and perspective when it came to developing an original culture like the Trogens. Subtle touches about their culture, beliefs, and history added a full dimension to my depiction of them, where before they were coming off as more fantastical than real. In ultimate effect, engaging in serious levels of research developed my thinking process, in a way that truly strengthened this series.

Writing a large-scale series such as this, one that has the kind of depth where I can do short story collections right alongside it, does require some structure, but at the same time I leave myself open to new ideas and adventures that can crop up during the writing of a new title. Having an idea of the core plot of the series, and its ultimate destination, keeps it on a track so that it does not drift or derail into a problematic situation.

Yet at the same time, Ave is truly a playground, and all manner of new creatures, lands, characters, and sub plots can emerge at any given time, and I do want to take advantage of those opportunities. The last thing I wanted to do was box myself in without any flexibility during the process.

I think this is what has led me to using a multi-threaded character-focused style for the Fires in Eden Series. Having multiple story threads does add some complexity to the series, but I also feel it adds a lot of texture and added dimension too. There are layers, there are all sorts of seeds being planted for future payoffs, and for the reader I give a trove of material to enjoy and savor with this kind of depth.

Granted, not all readers may enjoy this approach, and want something more simplistic and linear, but to use a rock band metaphor, there are those who like a more complex and layered musical act like Rush, and those who like a simpler and more straightforward act like ACDC, and there are those who like both. As a reader (and as a rock fan!) I happen to like both complex and straightforward approaches, being in the mood for one or the other at given times. Hopefully, the readers that like the kind of scope I offer will find their way to the world of Ave.

For those that do enjoy this, I have an entire world to explore, one that is being unveiled gradually in the series and in the short stories of the Chronicles of Ave collection. There is so much more ahead and I invite readers along for the grand adventure!

You can follow Stephen Zimmer’s continuous journey with Ave and other stories at: Stephen Zimmer’s website & blog.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Honestly, I knew a lot of thought had gone into Ave, from the moment I first stepped inside its dimension of space and time, it felt as though every inch of Ave had been thought about with care! You have a way of bringing the reader into Ave unaware of its origins and its history, by making the world itself accessible and visually stimulating! As those are what staid with me after I put down the Chronicles! I was quite curious what your method of process would be for creating the multi-layered universe in which Ave resides, and in this lovely Guest Post you have given myself and my readers alike something hearty to ponder! I knew too, there would be hidden depths to the reasonings behind why you elected to create certain classes of people in Ave as much as why there were certain names being used to express who they were. I love how you were studying ancient civilisations in order to have Ave thrive in the past way possible! And, the inclusion of using the Middle Ages as a staging arena for the world itself I think was a classic move on your part to give your world a rooting in our own timeline of reflection. It was especially a time where the world saw the most growth, change, and enlightenment coming out of a period of unrest, uncertainty, and ignorance.

As a writer of whom appreciates writing serial fiction herself, I can understand why you wanted to create a world in which would be limitless in regards to where to expand the threads of Ave’s tapestry and as far as how far you could take your audience! It’s always a lovely gesture to become so well acquainted with your own created world that you can see extensions of the original plot passages igniting new ones down the road! I must confess, although I see my own writings in full view of where I want them to go, I have not yet formulated the fullness of the worlds therein. As in reference of seeing the final destinations of where the characters and the story itself will be ultimately going towards. I give you credit for being able to focus on Ave in a way that befits the benefit of having such a clarity of mind in its creation! I, perhaps, might yield to the fact that my writings have been percolating for the better part of twenty years and have been writ at different intervals of time therein. One of these days I’d love to see everything fall together in a way that will honour my own story.

Your essay here on how Ave knitted together, I think will give all writers (regardless of genre preference) a lot of hope in what they will achieve in their own goals once the bones of what they want to write is out in the open. I can understand what you meant about the difference preferences of readers, where some might prefer the depth vs the low-key approach of subtle nudging, but I for one, tend to choose the complexities of a well-plotted story when I want to soak into epic sagas because it’s the layers in which I get caught up inside which bring me the most joy! They also provide endless hours of reading bliss in order to see how all the connections of lead and supporting cast make off in the installments that follow suit! I always get a kick out of remembering the wholeness of whom is residing in these wicked fantasy stories, because sometimes its nice when the layout is not limited to a cluster of a few but held together with the fullness of an army!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

This Seventh Star Press focus week was brought together with the help of Tomorrow Comes Media, of which I am a blog tour hostess and book reviewer. To keep up to speed with which authors and books I will be featuring on Jorie Loves A Story in the near future via Tomorrow Comes Media, please check out my Bookish Events! Similar to blog tours, when I feature a showcase for an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog.

This marks my fifth post in contribution of:

2014 SciFi Experience
(“Strength and Honor” by Stephan Martiniere, used with the artist’s permission)

You can follow along on the official Sci-Fi Experience site!

Cross-listed on: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Fridays via On Starships & Dragonwings

{SOURCES: The 2014 Sci-Fi Experience was granted permission to use the artwork by Stephen Martiniere in their official badge for all participants to show their solidarity during the event! The Chronicles of Ave: Volume One cover art provided by Tomorrow Comes Media and used with permission. I requested an Author Guest Post on the topic of writing the back-story of Ave’s creation and received the essay direct from the author Stephen Zimmer. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Blog News badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Monday, 10 February, 2014 by jorielov in Anthology Collection of Stories, Fantasy Fiction, Folklore and Mythology, Heroic Bloodshed, Heroic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Indie Author, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, Seventh Star Press, Seventh Star Press Week, Sword & Scorcery, The Sci-Fi Experience, The Writers Life

+Book Review+ Dangerous Decisions by Margaret Kaine #ChocLitSaturdays

Posted Saturday, 8 February, 2014 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

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Dangerous Decisions by Margaret Kaine

Dangerous Decisions by Margaret Kaine

Author Connections:

| Personal Site | Pin(terest) Board |

| Facebook | Twitter |

Converse via: #DangerousDecisions

Illustrated by: Berni Stevens

 @circleoflebanon | Writer | Illustrator

Genre(s): Fiction | Romance | Historical

 Edwardian | Romantic Suspense

Published by: ChocLitUK, 7 December 2013

Available Formats: Paperback, E-Book, Large Print & Audiobook Page Count: 400

Acquired Book By:

I am a ChocLit reviewer who receives books of my choice in exchange for honest reviews! I received a complimentary copy of “Dangerous Decisions” from ChocLit via IPM (International Publisher’s Marketing) in exchange for an honest review! The book released on 7th December 2013. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Inspired to Read:

This perked my ears up a bit because one of my favourite tv serials on right now (although I borrowed the serial dvds through my local library until Series 4 which I am watching on Masterpiece Theater via PBS!) is “Downton Abbey”! I seriously didn’t realise how affected I am by the depth of drama and romance set in the Edwardian era! Although, surprisingly I hadn’t realised this as I have a big attachment to life during the 1920s-1940s! I liked the fact the premise ‘sounds familiar’ as far as the initial set-up is concerned but the writer has written in a twist (at least the premise alludes to it!) that will tip the story on its heel and give the reader a hearty story to absorb! Love that!

 

Book Synopsis:

Have you ever ignored a sense of unease?

Helena Standish knows that a good marriage would enhance her father’s social status but she’s wise enough not to accept any handsome fool. The wealthy and enigmatic Oliver Faraday is considered an ideal match, so why does Helena have faint misgivings? Nicholas Carstairs has little patience with frivolous pleasure-seekers or an upper class that closes ranks against outsiders. Why then is he entranced by the lovely ‘girl in the window’ – a debutante who would appear to be both of those things? A champagne celebration at Broadway Manor marks the start of a happy future for Helena, but no one can predict the perilous consequences of her decision or the appalling danger it will bring.

Author Biography:MargaretKaine
Born and educated in the Potteries in Staffordshire, Margaret Kaine now lives in Leicester. Her short stories have been published widely in women’s magazines in the UK, and also in Australia, Norway, South Africa and Ireland. Ring of Clay, her debut novel, won both the RNA’s New Writer’s Award in 2002 and the Society of Authors’ Sagittarius Prize in 2003. She has now published seven romantic sagas about life in Staffordshire between the 50’s and 70’s. Dangerous Decisions is Margaret’s debut novel with Choc Lit.

 

Serendipitous Rendezvous & the Musings Therein

Very few novels are bold in giving you a precursory insight of the depth of pathos two characters are willing to take themselves forward out of their familiar territories. Insofar as to supposition the nature of the life they are each viewing through a pixel of glass! I oft wondered if those who engage in people-watching ever bemuse their time in expounding on what they feel the person they’ve watched might actually do in real life or if they limit their musings to flights of fancy instead. It’s quite a wicked way to begin the introduction phase of Dangerous Decisions  as it gives the reader a nodding of a clue towards each character’s personality trait.

When does mild curiosity start to turn into a genuine concern about another person’s welfare!? When do causal interactions yield to wanting to spend actual time in one’s company?! How much can you yield through a focused gaze into each others eyes without foreknowledge of each others lives!? The curious heart-strings of when attraction knits a bond between two souls seeking love is one of the questions put forth by Kaine. A world can nearly be lived within the nanoseconds of a first glance. It’s whether or not, each parties share a willingness to acquaint themselves with the other that lends the mystery aspect of the story. Do you listen to your instincts or do you refuse to accept that your thoughts of warmth towards the person are anything but flickerments of wishes; extinguished before they were aflame?

My Review of Dangerous Decisions:

I am a self-taught nature and wildlife photographer, gaining experience by walking in nature and watching water fowl and birds of prey alight near me. This is why one of the most striking inclusions of the book cover art for Dangerous Decisions is the white pelican! I nearly had the opportunity to see white pelicans off the coast of Cedar Key last year, but I wasn’t able to visit during their annual migration as planned! But, oh! The grace of beauty in the one who is on the cover is beyond inspiring! Quite the curious addition for a novel set in the Edwardian era!

Helena is a young woman after my own heart! She’s concerned about the scullery maid who is darting out of the house like a mouse worried over where the cat was last seen! Her heart for the downtrodden and the working class is a blessing to see, especially considering that she was bourne into a sect of notoriety and conventional expectations. Her life appears to have been sheltered to the hilt and its her desire to seek out life experiences to make up for the fact she’s been eluded the truth of the age due to how she was raised. Her desire to protect the welfare of those in need as much as animals without the voice to protect themselves endeared me to her forevermore!

One of the underlying life lessons inside the story is being able to accept your intuitive sensory perception as an accurate barometer of knowing when your entertaining the wrong suitor! Listening to the inner voice which reconciles logic within a balance of reasonable doubt is a necessary tool for all singletons whilst broaching the brink of marital bliss. There is a direct difference between the pursuit of love in its purest of sense and the pursuit of love for sake of wealth, security, and compromise. You have to realise where you stand on the merits of which avenue of matrimony your going to step into and this is where I feel Helena is a bit green around the ears! She makes reading her story enjoyable because your starting to want to root for her to transcend her ignorance of men and listen to the logic of her heart thundering in her head in quiet whispers!

In this story, marriage life is not quite a fit of bliss, joy, and love, but rather a girl who entered marriage with the presumed belief that her husband would be endearingly loving; slowly started to find cause to the murmurings of caution. Her marriage was an illusion she was not willingly able to give credence to being true. There is a twist in the story I kept trying to nibble away at with each passage of narrative. I nearly felt I had stumbled across it but it wasn’t until a pivotal moment in Helena’s life did I finally see the full measure of what the truth revealed! Oy vie, oh my! Kaine etches into Dangerous Decisions a dialogue of intrigue that leaves you rather full of suspense until you have it all sorted out! Its not the type of book you can read in two sittings! You must reach the conclusion in one!

Cacaphobia (fear of ugliness) is presented in a very careful manner so not to over-cede the story but rather to give the audience a vital case to substantiate one character’s behaviour indiscretions. I must admit, I haven’t come across this particular phobia beforehand and how it manifests itself to exclude even the most basic semblance of everyday life and living is truly difficult to process. And, yet, for those who are afflicted by this condition I would presume would rather not feel aghast in situations where they’d rather see what others see rather than what their mind is projecting them to see.

Edwardian England & whisperments of the Turn of the 20th Century:

As the 19th century faded into a new chapter called the 20th, ordinary lives were starting to have rippling effects of change intersect through their lives. The shadow play of posh ton society was going to take a hit as women would start to shake free of convention and find their voice to assert what they would be willing or unwilling to accept as commonplace. Etchings of women’s liberation could be felt as the old ideas were no longer measuring up to the demands for civil rights and liberties, most especially the rights and needs of women. The interesting bit to Dangerous Decisions is how Kaine is interweaving sub-plot and secondary characters into the threadings of the main story arc! She’s giving whisperments of hushed society a bit of a revealing edge to the undertone of the novel. You are whisked off the posh streets of London to duck into the darkened streets where ladies in red tend to tread as much as cloistered women on call live in lofty flats.

The living situations of those below stairs has always fascinated me, as though through tracing my roots in history I haven’t uncovered anyone who lived in service, I am always approaching the narrative of those lives with compassion. The understairs staff always had such a lot to weigh on their shoulders and the blight of living ‘below’ station in most of the ton‘s eyes was not a favourable view of mine! Kaine has a way of getting you into their inner world as they work, converse about rumours of change, and settle into their duties. I felt as though it was Sunday night on Masterpiece Theater as I am raptly viewing Downton Abbey! And, with the knowledge I have gained through reading period dramas (both in historical & romance fiction), as well as what I have viewed in period adaptations & originals,… there is a proper sense of excitement for being moved up in position as much as finding a companionable match in marriage. The servants strive to obtain all the blessings of life as those upstairs but with a strict line of separation between them.

Repleat of course in hearing murmuring echoes of the voices of Mrs. Patmore (in lieu of Cook) and Mr. Carson (in lieu of Bostock! There is such a lively connection between Helena and her staff, that I had inklings of reminders of how much Mary (Grantham) appreciated her staff as well! At least whilst Helena was at Broadway Manor; Graylings is a bird of a different feather completely!

Oliver Faraday & Nicolas Carstairs: a Comparison

Whilst the compassionate heart of a doctor whose long hours and dedication to his patients weary him thin on pleasantries of everyday joy in life, Mr. Carstairs still has a winking of a curious heart inside him. Whereas Mr. Faraday still recovering from the sudden death of a close friend is matrimonially inclined due to realising that without an heir his beloved estate could falter out of his ancestral line. Both men intrigued me for different reasons. Carstairs had a depth about him; lit by the mannerisms and observations he was keen on making during his short entrance. Faraday on the other hand nearly came across as a bit superficially composed, where his agenda to populate the circuit of the London Season felt obligatory rather than sincere. Yet. I felt at their first greetings there was far more to each of these lovely blokes than meets the eye!

For a singleton who appreciates a good romance to read, ChocLit never fails to give their readers blokes to swoon over! Each of the characters I have come across prior to Faraday & Carstairs were always wholly true to their own  ideals and owned their own stations in life. They are built strong and given the freedom to have a strong footing in the story-lines rather than causal afterthoughts. And, likewise are given the full reign of allowing the reader decide who is truly a friend and who is a foe!

NOTE: I added “romantic suspense” to the genre listing above due to the nature of how the story unfolds,…

This book review is courtesy of ChocLitUK,

ChocLitUK Reviewercheck out my upcoming bookish event and mark your calendars!

#ChocLitSaturdays | a feature exclusive to Jorie Loves A Story

*NEWSFLASH* : This marks my fourth *#ChocLitSaturdays*, where I will be spotlighting a book published by ChocLitUK! Coordinating bonus features will alight on my blog in forthcoming weeks! Previous reviews include: The Reluctant Bride by Beverley Eikli; A Bargain Struck by Liz Harris; and Close to the Wind by Zana Bell!! Future installments of ChocLitSaturdays will be forthcoming and announced through the hashtag section on Twitter! Stay Tuned!

Jorie Interviewed Ms. Kaine on ChocLitSaturdays : 22nd, March 2014!

{SOURCES: Author photograph, Author Biography, Book Synopsis, Book Cover, and ChocLit Reviewer badge were provided by ChocLitUK and were used by permission. The book trailer by Animoto had either URL share links or coding which made it possible to embed this media portal to this post, and I thank them for the opportunity to share more about this novel and the author who penned it. Book Review badge provided by Parajunkee to give book bloggers definition on their blogs. Jorie Loves A Story badge created by Ravven with edits by Jorie in FotoFlexer.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2014.

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Posted Saturday, 8 February, 2014 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Britian, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Debut Novel, Downton Abbey, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Literary Adaptations, London, Modern British Literature, Nature & Wildlife Photography Antidotes of Jorie, Photography, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, the Edwardian era