The Picture - In Memory of My Grandmother

This post was originally scheduled for Friday, 7 November, 2014, what would have been my grandmother's birthday – but due to personal reasons, I could not post on that day.

This poem is dedicated to and inspired by her, the life she lived as well as that of her sisters, some of whom have also passed away.

The Picture

An old grey and white picture

Sits silently in the entrance

Happy, youthful faces

Smiling, welcoming all who enter.

Seven sisters and one brother;

A family,

Young and vibrant once.

Time passes,

The picture stays,

Slowly fading.

One by one

They are consumed,

A face fades,

A smile is erased.

One by one

They disappear,

Snatched by Time’s

Ever-moving clock.

A family photo

Welcomes all

But brings both

Smiles and heartaches.

A greying, fading photo

With a hundred inter-connected lives,

With a thousand intricately-bound memories.

Warrior Mine - Cover Reveal

This post is a cover reveal for Megan Mitcham's Warrior Mine, the fourth instalment in the Base Branch Series.

Book & Author Info:

Warrior Mine by Megan Mitcham

(Base Branch #4)

Publication date: January 1st 2015

Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Synopsis:

A silver fox learns new tricks.

The Base Branch office in Washington D.C. is so heavily fortified it makes Fort Knox look like a 7-Eleven. After twenty years in covert ops, nothing fazes Commander Vail Tucker. When a lightning bolt of feminine fury crashes into the interrogation room, holds him at gunpoint, and takes over the task with his prisoner, he’s more than surprised. She escapes without a trace, but Vail is unable to remain dispassionate. He must know what is so important the beguiling woman would risk her life to find it.

Carmen Ruez is deadly and desperate—a combustible combination. Born into the remnants of the Arellano Felix Organization, drugs and violence kept her in a gilded cage—until a twist of fate showed her the roots of their riches, making her yearn for freedom. She works for it. Fights for it. But her brother crosses the line to keep her loyal to the treacherous family she is determined to leave behind.

Following instinct, Vail uncovers Carmen’s motives and is galvanized by a protective instinct he hadn’t known he possessed. Determination and desire force them to work together to defeat those loyal to Carlos Ruez and the AFO. But are those traits enough to make them fight for a future together?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23476386-warrior-mine

About the Author:

Megan was born and raised among the live oaks and shrimp boats of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where her enormous family still calls home. She attended college at the University of Southern Mississippi where she received a bachelor's degree in curriculum, instruction, and special education. For several years Megan worked as a teacher in Mississippi. She married and moved to South Carolina and worked for an international non-profit organization as an instructor and co-director.

In 2009 Megan fell in love with books. Until then, books had been a source for research or the topic of tests. But one day she read Mercy by Julie Garwood. And Oh Mercy, she was hooked!

Megan lives in Southern Arkansas where she pens sizzling suspense novels.

Author Links:

http://www.meganmitcham.com/

https://www.facebook.com/meganmitchamauthor

https://twitter.com/MeganMMMitcham

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6552758.Megan_Mitcham

October recap, November to come

October is over – in case you haven't already noticed!

I was able to commit to my bi-weekly posts of Friday and Tuesday, though not entirely according to the schedule I set.

I did however learn that I should at least have a rough draft of the posts that I need to do every month and a couple of back up posts for those that don't make it on time, especially when it comes to book reviews.

October marked the two-year anniversary of Nadaness In Motion and it also had my 26^th birthday.

In October 2014, I took part in my first EVER blog tour, by posting a book review of Aoife Marie Sheridan's newly-published novel Hunters.

There are other blog tours to come, one in November and possibly another in December.

I'm lagging behind with my reading, however, but have no fear, reviews will be there soon!

Book reviews posted in October:

A Fistful of Evil

Writing About Magic

The Colour of Dishonour (short story collection)

Lost haven (novella)

Hunters

Paulie – A short story(review)

I also posted a humourous short story of mine titled "The Wizard's Apprentice". Comments are highly appreciated. How's my sense of humour?

I also did an interview with Rebecca Chastain, the author of A Fistful of Evil. Check it out here.

I was planning on reviewing Bram Stoker's Dracula for Halloween but did not make it. Also my alternative post, a review of Darren Gallagher's Strings (a collection of 33 horror short stories) was not successful, however, I am halfway through the book and I hope to post it this Friday.

I have a rough draft of my posts for November, or at least for the book reviews:

Strings by Darren Gallagher

Hand of Fire by Judith Starkston

Krymzyn by BC Powell

Bound by Duty by Stormy Smith

The Duality Principle by Rebecca Grace Allen (Blog Tour, 28 November)

And of course there is more to come!

Hate - Poem

It sits still,

Slowly simmering,

Waiting patiently…

Waiting for that moment

When the shell bursts

Unravelling the horror within!

It knows your weaknesses,

Your dreams and your desires.

It waits

For that moment

To shine like a black smoke

On a beautifully calm morning.

It creeps to your mind and heart,

Both at once

Enveloping them in a shadow of fury.

As silent as a snake,

It knows where to hide

And when to strike!

Fear itself fears it.

Hot like iron coming from the furnace,

It is loud and angry,

Like adrenaline rushing through your body,

It knows no end.

It's possessive,

Addictive,

Like black magic.

It inflicts the powerful

More than the weak,

For it seeks those with the most to lose.

It is unresting,

Unrelenting.

When it strikes,

It gushes

Unchallenged!

It is intelligent,

It knows you.

Like heroin,

When it possesses you,

You cannot control the urge,

The need, the desire…

You let it rule you.

Like a Vampire,

It lusts for blood.

Like an angry boulder,

It desires utter destruction.

Can you hear it?

It's like furious hooves

Trampling a colourful flower bed.

It is pure

Possessive

Paralyzing

Hate!

- Note: I was planning on a book review for a scary short story collection for Halloween but stuff happened so I figured why not post a scary poem instead.

Comments are highly appreciated on this one.

Paulie - short story review

'Paulie' is a short story by M. A. Myers. I'm not sure when and where I got hold of a copy of this, but I've had it for a while and what better time to read a short horror story than in the spooky month of October!

'Paulie' opens with Alice, a mother of three, who recently moved from the city to a farmhouse. She is preparing dinner and waiting for her husband to return. Soon after everything is set, a most awkward and terrifying announcement is made on television and everyone is advised to stay indoors. The news anchor says that some sort of disease or symptom is affecting people and turning them into killers.

The short story is about 14 or 15 pages long on PDF. It starts at a fairly slow pace but following the announcement, the pace picks up immensely.

Paulie is the name of one of the characters in the story, and what I like about this story is the constant sense of mystery in what is going to happen and what is happening.

Myers gives vivid description of every character and detail in his story, so there is nothing lacking in that area; the reader can easily picture everything.

I liked how Alice is portrayed as a very strong character. In spite of pain, both physical and emotional, she struggles to go on and save whatever is left of her family.

What I did not like about the short story was the very long paragraphs used and the occasional repetition of words used to describe the horrors Alice comes up against, but otherwise 'Paulie' is an enjoyable read.

I was also curious, why this disease as I call it does not affect her of all people.

Note: Glad I finally got to read it – if I had received it as a free copy for a review, my apologies for taking so much time.

Interview with author Rebecca Chastain

Earlier in October, I reviewed A Fistful of Evil by Rebecca Chastain. Check out my five-star review here.

Today, I'm interviewing the author, so without further ado, please join me in welcoming Rebecca Chastain on Nadaness In Motion.

A bit about Rebecca:

Q: What is your favourite food?

Rebecca Chastain: It’s a toss-up between burritos and Thai food.

Q: You favourite colour(s)? RC: Green, specifically a bright new-growth green

Q: Are you a full-time writer now? Or do you have a job alongside your writing?

RC: I’m working toward full-time status and saving up to make the leap, but right now I have a day job as a freelance editor. If I can’t be a full-time author, this is the perfect job combo: I work from home and can squeeze in extra writing time between projects. Not to mention it keeps my copyediting and proofreading skills sharp.

Q: What countries do you hope to visit in the future? (Any chance Egypt would be in the list? J)

RC: I’d love to visit Egypt! I’ve been doing a lot of research about the Aztec and have added Mexico City and Teotihuacan to my travel plans. I dream of taking a month tour through Europe, too. The last time I went without my husband (it was before we met, so I didn’t ditch him), and I really want to see it with him.

Q: Will you be taking part in NaNoWriMo this November? (If yes, what's the title you're working on or what should the story be about?)

RC: I won’t be officially taking on the challenge, but I am in the middle of writing the Aztec story, and on good days (non-work days), I’m averaging 4,000 words a day, so I might succeed by default.

On A Fistful of Evil:

Q: What are your favourite and least favourite aspects about your lead character?

RC: I love Madison’s perpetual ability to bounce back to optimism and fool herself into thinking she’s got a handle on situations that are well beyond her expertise. It gets her into lots of trouble, which is fun for me. It’s hard to say I have a least favourite aspect of her. The novel I finished before A Fistful of Evil had a main character who spent far too much time in her head, which was annoying, so I was very intentional in creating a character I loved to write when I sat down to create Madison. But Madison’s tendency to jump before looking would drive me nuts if she were my friend.

Q: Apart from the second book in the series, are there any other projects you're working on?

RC: Yes! I have a couple of books in the works, including a magical realism romance called Tiny Glitches set in present-day Los Angeles that involves a woman whose very presence destroys electricity and her quest to hide/save a kidnapped baby elephant. That book is currently in edits. Right now I’m writing an alternate history fantasy novella set in the Aztec empire, with a main character who is half Aztec, a quarter Romani (Gypsy), a quarter Fae, and who could whip Madison’s region into shape with both hands tied behind her back (but this isn’t a competition of who is tougher, right?).

Q: How many parts are you planning for the series?

RC: There will be at least three books in the Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer series, and hopefully many more beyond that. I have a handful of ideas bubbling around in the back of my imagination, and I’m sure Madison will be getting into trouble that will have ongoing repercussions into future novels, novellas, or short stories.

Q: Have you finished your first draft for the second novel? Have you settled on a title?

RC: I finished a draft of the second novel. At one point, I thought it was the final draft. I wrote A Fistful of Evil years ago (7 or 8, I can’t remember now) for [National Novel Writing Month] NaNoWriMo, and then the sequel the following year, also for NaNoWriMo. I read back through book 2 recently, and what I wrote was a great rough draft/outline that needs a lot of polish and additional writing. I’m really looking forward to diving back into Madison’s world! I don’t have a title for the second book. Titles are hard for me. I filled out four pages of titles ideas (most absolutely atrocious, like IMPS, VERVET, AND DEMONS, OH MY! and FOX ON THE RUN) before finally getting to A Fistful of Evil.

Moving on to some book/writing/publishing-related questions:

Q: How did you design the cover of your book? Some writers say they use Pinterest, others go through Google Images; how was the A Fistful of Evil cover formed?

RC: I have zero design skills, and very little patience with Photoshop, so I knew I wasn’t going to attempt a cover on my own. I hired Damonza for the cover, and they wisely ask for examples of covers you like. For that, I took a trip to my local bookstore and cruised around online bookstores to find good examples. Then Damonza sent me two examples. I think they nailed it!

Q: What, in your opinion, is the hardest part about writing a novel?

RC: I’m an extreme outliner. I’ve learned by trial and a lot of errors that making an incredibly detailed outline can save me months of headaches in edits and rewrites. But it’s really hard once an idea starts to come together to not jump in and start writing too soon. I actually have created a checklist that the outline and all the characters and scenes have to pass before I begin writing. Getting the outline just right is the second-hardest part, because it means recognizing the flaws in my own stories. Sometimes I’m so close to the story and so in love with particular pieces that it’s hard to separate out what is going to make a good novel from what would be fun to write.

Q: Can we get a sneak peak about the second novel or the synopsis?

RC: I can’t provide a synopsis yet, but I can tell you that we’ll get to meet more enforcers as well as Madison’s family. Also, Madison’s not just fighting evil in book 2; she’s doing so in the middle of Black Friday. At a mall. (That just gave me chills. I really feel for the torture I put Madison through in this next book! J)

About Chastain's novella Magic of the Gargoyles:

Q: Is the novella Magic of the Gargoyles a standalone piece or are you planning a series for it?

RC: I wrote Magic of the Gargoyles with the idea that it would be a short story. I’d heard of other author writing a sort of palate-cleanser short story between novels, and that seemed like a great idea. Then Magic of the Gargoyles ballooned well past the 12 pages I’d originally planned, and the world became so much more than I first sat down to write. Long answer short: It’s a standalone story, but at some point, I’ll like to give the main character’s best friend an adventure of her own. I just don’t know when that would be.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

RC: Thank you for the fun interview. Talking about my future projects has re-energized me to get back to the desk and write some more!

I'll be reviewing Magic of the Gargoyles soon, so stay tuned!

The Wizard's Apprentice

The wizard's apprentice scratched his head, staring at the beetle in consternation. It was greatly deformed as though it were mocking him. Its body was flipped over with its head at an impossible and queer angle and its arms and legs were up in the air. 
It looked disgusting. 

He thought it had a sarcastic and proud air about it; but it was a beetle and it couldn't possibly have such an air to it, he noted to himself.

The apprentice went by the name 'Nozo' owing to his massive nose which he never forgave his parents for and which his friends or rather apprentice mates and rivals said that he looked like a human being sprouting out of a nose.

The beetle was not meant to look like that. The high Wizard had given him the task of performing a spell-and-potion combination, the highest level of magic but things didn't seem to be going very well.

The experiment did not seem to be going as planned in fact the whole room did not seem to be going as planned. Everything was in shambles. Some of the books and stools were on the floor, all the open books lying about were not of any help and Nozo was now more lost and nervous than when the High Wizard had called his name earlier.

Performing tasks for the High Wizard was an honour; an honour he seemed to have greatly dishonoured. 

He wasn't sure where he had gone wrong but he was a fair bit sure that the spell went something like:

"Tiny Beetle Betty 
turn into cake and confetti!"

- Or wasn't it? 

He couldn't be sure and with the little time he had left, he was beginning to consider turning himself into a beetle and suffer being accidentally squashed in the near future. Especially since he was going to get figuratively squashed by his rivals in the nearer future.

Nozo inhaled deeply through his massive nose. He looked down at the beetle again and felt his inhumanely-sized nose was getting in his way.

"OK beetle! Here's the deal. You need to become a form of food and as much as I would have liked to transform you, I have failed. And as much as I would have liked to cook food in the kitchen, I would fail beyond anything you and I can imagine. So here's the deal: You need to impress the High Wizard. I don't care what you do, just do it or die trying!" Nozo held his wand and instructed the poor creature lying on its back.

It didn't respond – as though he thought it would.

At that moment, the door opened and the High Wizard entered, his blue-and-purple robes flowing behind him. 
He looked at the room. It was a mess – as he had expected. But so were all the other apprentices' work rooms.

There was however a strange and almost desperate look on the High Wizard's face.

"I'm working as fast as I can, your grace!" Nozo mouthed quickly.
"Work all you want Nozo. I know failure when I see it." The Wizard said sadly.

"But… Why? I did everything by the book – I think," Nozo started mumbling.
"I can see that. You did, however, miss one valuable point," the Wizard said and sighed. 

Nozo looked at his teacher questioningly. 

"The beetle is a male. You needed a female beetle for the spell to work! Bozo!"

Hunters - Blog Tour/Book Review

Synopsis:

Abigail is nineteen. Her job, she hunts demons.

Her life so far has been tough. Having witnessed her family’s death and her mother’s suicide, she’s been taken in by a priest, who believes her when she says that she sees ghosts. Father Peter trains her as a demon hunter with three other members, one being Daniel, who isn’t what he seems.

But when a possession goes wrong, and ghosts start to attack Abigail, the tight rope she has on her emotions soon starts to loosen. Abigail draws the unwanted attention of the Reote, and she finds out a lot more than she was willing to learn.

Knowledge is power, but for Abigail, it’s her undoing, and the only thing keeping her together is Daniel.

Review:

"Ghosts, angels, and demons exist. They are not the things from movies. They are so much worse." (p. 43)

Hunters is the first instalment in The Demon Series by Aoife Marie Sheridan.

I enjoyed the novel, loved the characters but the protagonist, Abigail, I hated her!

It’s the first time for me to dislike a central character so much.

Abigail Thornton is a nineteen-year-old vodka-aholic demon hunter. But instead of demon hunting, it seems she has a knack for attracting demons – for reasons unknown to her or the reader.

In the first demon-hunting encounter the reader comes across, the demon recognises Abigail and calls her by her name. The situation is unheard-of, even for a hunter.

I particularly like how every character is a mystery, not just the central character or Daniel, who is always by her side and is like every girl's dream, but also Cathy, Nicholas, Father Peter, even Simon, to a small extent.

Abigail has had a rough childhood. Her mother, as she remembers her, suffered from depression and was rarely herself. Her father was never around and her childhood was spent playing with her brother Sam. Abigail came across her mother's body after she had committed suicide. But that wasn't the worst thing eleven-year-old Abigail saw that night, there was someone else in the bathroom, a dark figure, whose face she had never seen before.

Abigail and I can agree that some characters are just down-right obnoxious like Steven and Cathy, though the latter can be good at times.

There is a thin line of romance in the novel, between the often unfeeling Abigail and Daniel. The love is not unrequited, it's a mystery of its own. However, one often gets the urge to want to smack Abigail on the face, like when Cathy does, but for different reasons.

Sheridan lays out several mysterious threads throughout the novel, a sort of large setting for the parts to come. Some threads are answered, others are not. As the saying goes "The more you know, the less you know." (No idea who said it), but that's the situation with Abigail. She has so many questions about herself, her parents, her life, Daniel. But as she begins to ask questions, she begins to fear the answers that she will hear. Worse, answers come to questions she never even thought of; they begin to surface, particularly those of her birth.

Hunters is narrated in the first person perspective, mostly from Abigail's point of view, though occasionally from Daniel's. Abigail might be a sad and angry teen most of the time, but she is highly sarcastic, giving some dark humour to the already dark story.

I look forward to reading the coming instalments in the series and to see how these threads of mystery will come to light. I hope more questions will be answered rather than asked.

About the Author:

Aoife Marie Sheridan has loved reading from a very young age, starting off with mills and boon's books, given to by her grandmother her love for romances grew, by the age of 14 she had read hundreds of them.

 

Aoife had a passion for writing poetry or in her eyes her journal entries. Aoife won first place for two of her poems and had them published at the young age of nineteen. Realising she needed to get a real job (What writing isn't) she studied accountancy and qualified working in that field for many years, until her passion for reading returned.

Aoife's first book Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy) came to be after a dream of a man and woman on a black horse jumping through a wall of fire and the idea of Saskia was born. Now with her first novel published and taking first place for Eden Forest with Writers Got Talent 2013, Aoife continues to write tales of fantasy and is currently working on her third book for the Saskia Trilogy amongst other new works.

Connect with the Author via Amazon Page, Facebook, Twitter, Website, Goodreads, Blog, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Mailing List, TSU.

Also, check out my five-star book review of Eden Forest here.