Showing posts with label Elements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elements. Show all posts

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Takhayyal writing prompt 94: Wailing Winter Wonderland


Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's MONTHLY picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal or Imagine.

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.

For this month's prompt, I'm borrowing the image from cozy mystery author Amy M. Reade, whom I've previously featured on Nadaness In Motion in a guest post on writing titled "Researching a Book in a Far-Flung Setting."

The image just spoke to me – probably because I've never been in a country with snow before… I think many across the United States have seen storms this year, so this is your opportunity to tell the world about them and shed them off onto the page (and this blog post).

Oh, and the prompt title "Wailing Winter Wonderland" was a line in Kamelot's amazing song "Temples of Old."


So, are you ready for the writing prompt?

Grab your pen and let's WRITE!

Winter Wonderland - Image by Amy M. Reade



Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.

General rules:
·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.
·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post
·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture
·        Multiple entries allowed
·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.
·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE & WRITE!

Saturday, June 2, 2018

Takhayyal Writing Prompt 86: Raging Sea


Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's monthly picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal/Imagine.

I was a bit stumped with what to post for June, the first month of summer for a lot of schools here, although I must note that sweltering heat has already started here (Egypt). We had a couple of 40-Celsius weeks already and they call it spring!

Anyways, this is an image I took last year of the Mediterranean Sea towards the end of the season. The sea had gnawed at the rocks and it was impossible to swim at this point.

I hope you find inspiration in this sea as it has inspired me year after year.



 
North Coast, Egypt, KM 87. Photography by Nada Adel Sobhi/Nadaness In Motion


Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.
Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.

General rules:
·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.
·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post
·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture
·        Multiple entries allowed
·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.
·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!


Sunday, May 20, 2018

Looking for Dei by David A. Willson - Book Review



"The townsfolk held their breath as if deep underwater, lungs bursting with discomfort until they could reach the surface and exhale the anxiety of the moment."

Looking for Dei by David A. Willson is a quick-paced, elemental adventure with a cast of beautiful heroes.

The novel opens with a monk kidnapping a scarred child, whom we later meet as 16-year-old Nara. The monk, Bilo, has raised her as his own but for years has kept her powers hidden for fear that those in power would find her and seek to use her for their own needs. This has made Nara even more curious about her abilities, some of which she understands and some of which she doesn't.

When the novel opens, we learn that there is a ceremony to test children to see if they have gifts, such speed, strength, an ability to draw the life-force out of people and animals, and so on. However, we also learn that the town where Nara and Bilo, Dimmitt, has not seen any Gifted people in years, which has impoverished the town. Nara learns the reason for this and attempts to make things right. Only it puts her, Bilo, and her friend Mykel on the run for the rest of the book.

As Looking for Dei progresses, we see another side of the story; Nara's twin, Kayna. As the chapters shift between the sisters, the reader begins to compare and contrast the two identical and features but far from identical in traits.

"[Bilo searched] for the power in the runes of scripture. The designs had power, and Nara was part of all that, but he didn't know exactly how, and he was determined to find out. But there was nobody he could ask, and his only guide was an old book. A book about magic. A book he kept very close."

From the beginning, the novel has an even-but-fast pace, with great visual and lots of action.

I like how Willson brings in flashbacks for various characters, giving even evil ones the chance to shine and the reader the opportunity to discover why they act the way they do. At one point, the reader can sympathise with Minister of War Nikolas Vorick because of his background, even though his greed brings about the destruction of many.

Worlds collide when Nara and her twin are reunited, igniting stark contrasts, especially has Nara has been poor most of her life, while Kayna had been living with the most powerful minister in the realm.

"You could be dangerous if you wanted."

One of the things I loved about Looking for Dei was the cover as it displayed an actual event in the novel and as it helped me imagine the main character Nara.

Character development, although slow, is evident for Nara, Bilo, and Mykel. Each of the characters, even some of the supporting ones, develops in some way. I truly enjoyed the change I saw in each of them. Nara is often skeptical about herself and abilities and for good reason, she has not been trained; sometimes, she too naïve or kind, but then the goodness of her heart sets her apart from her twin and from all the characters in Looking for Dei.

In terms of lines or imagery, there were a lot of powerful lines and scenes throughout the book. There were some parts I wish I could quote whole, but couldn't to avoid spoilers.

"Nara knew no way to attack the men; she could only build caves, talk to animals, or make her hands glow with light. None of that would stop men with swords, would it?"

When I was at around 90% of the novel, I could not grasp how the author will end his novel because I felt there was still a lot to. But the ending satisfied me. And I'm thankful for that.

I'm not sure if Looking for Dei is a good title for the novel though.

Although Looking for Dei is in a fantastical world and setting, I couldn't help but notice some Christian allusions in the novel. It could just be me, but I felt them more than once. It didn't affect my view of the book though.

"The twins aren't the twin peaks; they are actual human twins!"

Overall, Looking for Dei by David A. Willson is an exciting and action-and-magic-packed must read full of adventure and characters to root for.


Overall rating: 4.5-5 stars 

Note: I received a free copy of Looking for Dei from its author David A. Willson in exchange for an honest review, which should have come much earlier than May, but personal reasons have prevented me from finishing the book earlier. 


Connect with the author David A. Willson via Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and his Website.



Thursday, September 7, 2017

Takhayyal writing prompt 70: Midnight Magic

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's bi-weekly picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal.






Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.
Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.

General rules:
·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.
·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post
·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture
·        Multiple entries allowed
·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.
·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!


Thursday, April 6, 2017

Takhayyal writing prompt no. 59: Tree of Life?

Are you ready to be inspired?

Grab  your pen and paper or your keyboard and let's write!

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's bi-weekly picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal.







Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.
Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.

General rules:
·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.
·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post
·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture
·        Multiple entries allowed
·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.
·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!


Thursday, March 23, 2017

Takhayyal writing prompt 58: Flames of Fury

Are you ready to be inspired?

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's bi-weekly picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal.





Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.
Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.


General rules:
·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.
·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post
·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture
·        Multiple entries allowed
·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.
·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!



Thursday, August 25, 2016

Takhayyal writing prompt no. 43: Earth & Fire

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's bi-weekly picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal.

I wonder what your muses will bring to the page with this picture...

Author unknown. Image found via Pinterest.



Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.
Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.

General rules:
·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.
·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post
·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture
·        Multiple entries allowed
·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.
·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!


Friday, July 8, 2016

Wings of War Book Blitz - Excerpt & Dream Cast


Wings of War Series by Karen Ann Hopkins
Genres: Dystopian, Paranormal, Young Adult

Blurbs:

Embers

There are descendants of angels walking among us. Ember is one of them.
Embers is an epic paranormal adventure/romance about a seventeen year old girl who discovers that she’s immune to fire and any other injury when she’s in a horrific car crash that kills her parents. Following a violent episode with her aunt’s boyfriend, Ember flees Ohio to live with an old relative in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Ember’s exuberance at escaping a bad home life soon turns to trepidation when she learns that she’s a Watcher, a descendant of angels.
While Ember is instructed about her heritage and the powers that go along with it, she strikes up friendships with two teenagers who live in a frightening walled compound in the forest. Inexplicitly drawn to one of the young men in particular, an impossible romance develops. But it’s cut short when Ember discovers that her new friends are fighting on the opposite side of a war that’s been raging between two factions of Watchers for thousands of years. When the compound’s inhabitants threaten the townspeople, Ember takes action, sealing her fate in the ancient battle of good versus evil, and the grayness in between. Ember is up to the challenge, until she realizes that she isn’t only fighting for the lives of the locals and the souls of her new friends. She may be one of the few champions willing to make a stand for all of mankind as the rapture approaches and the end of days begin.

Embers is the first novel in the dark and gritty YA paranormal romance series, The Wings of War.

Gaia

Watchers and Angels are at war. Which side will Ember choose?
Humankind is on the precipice of the apocalypse.
As the Demons grow bolder and the walls between the planes of existence weaken, Ember is forced to develop her powers as quickly as possible, and she seeks out a powerful earth Watcher to continue her supernatural lessons. Her glimpse of the future demands she fight the dark forces spreading across the earth.
But her new mentor has his own agenda, making her question everyone and everything she ever trusted.
When Ember is thrust into the world of the Watchers, she learns of their plans—ones that defy the scripture and make them enemies of the Celestial Host. Ridding the world of evil gets complicated when it becomes impossible to take sides.
As Ember struggles with morality, she soon discovers that there’s something more frightening than anything she’s faced before.

Tempest

Ember must stop the apocalypse from happening, but at what cost?
The Angels of destruction have arrived, and only Ember stands in the way of their mission to carry out God’s wrath and annihilate His enemies.
When the barrier between celestial creatures and humans beings is broken and Angels descend to Earth, Ember soon learns there’s a fine line between good and evil. As she faces a world full of monsters and magic, a terrifying darkness rises and threatens to destroy everything she’s fighting for.
In the riveting third installment of The Wings of War series, Ember and her friends embark on an epic journey, where unlikely allies are forged and age-old beliefs crumble to dust. And just when Ember accepts love in her life, it’s ripped away from her in the most terrifying way possible.


Excerpt from Ember

Sawyer sobered quickly. The obvious hurt on his face made me regret my words.
            “You’re right. I’m a monster. I won’t argue on that account. But your kind isn’t squeaky clean either. Just because your ancestors were arch angels doesn’t give you the right to police the world.” His eyes narrowed. “Do you know how many humans have died from wars that Watchers caused?”
            “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.
            I was already suspicious about Watchers. Ila scared the crap out of me sometimes with her demeanor and righteous words.
But Sawyer didn’t need to know that I questioned the Watchers myself. His opinion didn’t count.
            When I turned back to him, ready to change the subject, I wasn’t prepared for the darkening of his already almost black eyes. He leaned in closer and our breaths mingled. In and out I breathed, allowing his familiar woodsy scent to fill my nose. I know Sawyer. Oh, I know him.
            Don’t do it, Ember.
            But I couldn’t stop.
            When he kissed me, my lips parted automatically.
            Deep down, I wanted him, desired him madly, and had from the first time I’d seen him in my dreams.
            In that instant, I didn’t care that he was a Demon.






Dream Cast for The Wings of War series

Dream casts are always difficult to come up with because I tend to imagine my characters with very specific looks. Basically, I create a completely new person in my mind. But sometimes I see an actor or model that reminds me of one of my characters. The following are a few picks I made.
*Helen Mirren ~ Ila
I would be so thrilled to have her play Ember’s magical mentor. She’d be perfect!
*Zoey Deutch ~ Ember
Her hair color would need to be altered a bit, but otherwise, she looks a lot like how I imagine Ember. She also has an earthy quality about her that I think would fit well with Ember’s character.
Alex Pettyfer ~ Sawyer
If his hair was darkened and grown out, he has the charisma and enough bad-boy persona to portray Sawyer—I think, maybe.
Maia Michell ~ Piper
She is Piper in my mind.
Scott Eastwood ~ Insepth
Insepth is a larger than life character, but Scott has the right looks and confidence to pull it off.
Anson Mount ~ Eae
I’m a huge fan of the TV show Hell on Wheels and if I had to crush on someone, Anson Mount would be the guy. If anyone could live up to angelic-looking standards, he could ;)
Ivan ~ ??
Do you have any ideas who would be a great pick for Ember’s Russian born shape shifter friend? If you do, let me know. I’d love to hear them!


As part of the blitz there is a giveaway!


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Purchase:
(Embers will be 99c during the blitz!)



About the Author:

Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats. Karen's main job is home schooling the kids, but she finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lived in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.
Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, she found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with the YA paranormal/fantasy series, The Wings of War, and the continuation of the Temptation series. Karen is also excited to announce the Temptation series has been optioned for TV by Pilgrim Studios and is available on Audible.

Author links: