Category: Fantasy

NineStar Press’s 1st Anniversary! Come Celebrate with Us! (giveaway)

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WWW.NineStarPress.com

It’s our first anniversary.

Thanks to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for hosting us today!

Don’t forget to comment here, on our Facebook posts, and our Tweets. We will be giving books away each day to commenters.

 

You will also be added to the drawing for a FREE year of books.

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I have been muddling this over for quite some time, and today I thought I’d take the time to put it into words.

This year has had so many things to celebrate, and so many others to mourn.

We opened our doors on November 23, 2015, by releasing our first two books. At the time, I was an editor for NineStar, but I had dreams of making it my home. I wanted to see more books by unknown authors, about subjects I hadn’t seen before with characters I felt strongly about.

So, we released books, and things were looking pretty good. In the first part of 2016, the owner asked me to step in for her because she was under the weather. Then in May, she decided to sell the company, which is how I became the owner. A time to celebrate and a time to mourn! I was getting my dream, but it came at the cost of someone losing theirs.

I worked to make NineStar something I could be proud of. I listened to the community and saw the upheavals and anger over bi-erasure and casual racism and so many other offensive things. It was a time to mourn the loss of the togetherness I once felt.

We have to stop and listen to the hurt some books cause. Take it to heart. People are saying they are hurt, and if we ever want to fight what’s coming, we have to stand up for others in our community and celebrate the similarities and differences in the LGBTQIA+ community.

We have a lot to mourn right now. We have a lot to fear. The things taking place in the US government are scary as hell. I still mourn every day. I still panic over it. But I also see more people talking about how to make a difference. How to fight back. So while it may be a while before we can celebrate our wins, we can fight.

But we need to listen to others and become a better community. When someone says they are hurt, listen to their hurt. Please don’t tell them to be nicer about expressing their anger and hurt and frustration. These are real people with real hurt. Ask questions, research, understand why they are hurt. Do something about it. Stand together, even if it means losing a trope or having to change some opinions. I have seen this community do some amazing things, but what’s coming will be our biggest challenge yet. And I may be misguided, but I believe we can better fight this if we do it as a community rather than fractured pieces.

The lives of the people we celebrate in books may be changed forever, and it’s time to stand for those lives in the real world.

Raevyn ❤

NineStar Press

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Love Mythology & Romance? Check out Labyrinth by Alex Beecroft (giveaway)

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Labyrinth by Alex Beecroft
Riptide Publishing
Cover by: Simoné

Release Date:  November 21, 2016

Read an Excerpt/Buy it Here

About Labyrinth

Kikeru, the child of a priestess at the sacred temple of Knossos in ancient Crete, believes that the goddesses are laughing at him. They expect him to choose whether he is a man or a woman, when he’s both. They expect him to choose whether to be a husband to a wife, or a celibate priestess in the temple, when all he wants to do is invent things and be with the person he loves.

Unfortunately, that person is Rusa, the handsome ship owner who is most decidedly a man and therefore off-limits no matter what he chooses. And did he mention that the goddesses also expect him to avert war with the Greeks?

The Greeks have an army. Kikeru has his mother, Maja, who is pressuring him to give her grandchildren; Jadikira, Rusa’s pregnant daughter; and superstitious Rusa, who is terrified of what the goddesses will think of him being in love with one of their chosen ones.

It’s a tall order to save Crete from conquest, win his love, and keep both halves of himself. Luckily, at least the daemons are on his side.

Labyrinth is now available from Riptide Publishing! http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/labyrinth

About Alex Beecroft

Alex Beecroft is an English author best known for historical fiction, notably Age of Sail, featuring gay characters and romantic storylines. Her novels and shorter works include paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary fiction.

Beecroft won Linden Bay Romance’s (now Samhain Publishing) Starlight Writing Competition in 2007 with her first novel, Captain’s Surrender, making it her first published book. On the subject of writing gay romance, Beecroft has appeared in the Charleston City Paper, LA Weekly, the New Haven Advocate, the Baltimore City Paper, and The Other Paper. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association of the UK and an occasional reviewer for the blog Speak Its Name, which highlights historical gay fiction.

Alex was born in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and grew up in the wild countryside of the English Peak District. She lives with her husband and two children in a little village near Cambridge and tries to avoid being mistaken for a tourist.

Alex is only intermittently present in the real world. She has led a Saxon shield wall into battle, toiled as a Georgian kitchen maid, and recently taken up an 800-year-old form of English folk dance, but she still hasn’t learned to operate a mobile phone.

She is represented by Louise Fury of the L. Perkins Literary Agency.

Connect with Alex:

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Labyrinth, one lucky winner will receive their choice of an eBook off Alex’s backlist! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 26, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

An Ali Audiobook Review: Counterpoint (Song of the Fallen #1) by Rachel Haimowitz and Narrated by Craig Beck

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

counterpoint_audiobook2400It is the twilight of mankind. Depleted by generations of war with a dark race, the human kingdoms and their ancient alliance stand on the brink of extinction. The outlands are soaked with the blood of the fallen. The midlands are rotting with decadence and despair.

Elfkind, estranged by past crimes, watches and waits for nature to run its course.

And then the two collide.

Ayden’s life has long been guided by two emotions: love for his sister, and hatred of all things human. When he’s captured in battle, he must for his sister’s sake swallow his pride and endure slavery in the service of a human prince, Freyrik Farr.

Freyrik’s always known elves to be beautiful and dangerous, but never has one affected him as deeply as Ayden. Can his life of service to his people leave room for this attraction? Dancing on a dagger’s edge between duty and high treason, Freyrik discovers that some choices can change a life, and some an entire world.

Between prejudice, politics, pride, and survival, Ayden and Freyrik must carve a new path, no matter how daunting. For nothing less than the fate of both their peoples rests on the power of their perseverance and their love.

I really enjoyed this story.  I had never read this author before so I had no idea what I was going in to so I was pleasantly surprised and I have a new series and a new author to follow.  There is elaborate world building and the writing was very engaging.  I loved both of the main characters and the complicated situation they find themselves in unfolded seamlessly.  While Ayden enters into the relationship as a slave there is no forced sexual situations (which I was a little nervous about going in to this).  The relationship progresses over time and as trust builds Ayden begins to care for Freyrik.  I love when an enemies to lovers trope takes the time to show how the relationship unfolds and I think the author did a great job with that here.  I could totally belief that they were falling for each other.  It was a slow build and those always pay off so well in the end for me.
There is a warning about violence and there is some, but I didn’t think it was too bad and there wasn’t much of it.  The story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger but fortunately the second book is already out so I can move directly on to that.
This story was narrated by Craig Beck.  I don’t think I’ve ever listened to him before but now I’m totally a fan.  I thought he did an excellent job on all of the voices and the story as a whole.  I would definitely recommend this audiobook.
Overall this was a really good story for me.  I would recommend it for fans of the fantasy genre and people who enjoy the enemies to lovers trope.
Cover by Simone’:  I like the cover.  It is an older cover but I still think it fits well with the fantasy concept of the story.
Sales Links

Audiobook Details:

Published  by Riptide Publishing (first published July 31st 2010)
ISBN139781937551193
Edition LanguageEnglish
URL http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/counterpoint-song-fallen-1
SeriesSong of the Fallen #1

J.K. Pendragon Talks Editing, Writing Guides, and J.K.’s latest release ‘Junior Hero Blues’ (guest post and giveway)

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Junior Hero Blues by J.K. Pendragon
Riptide Publishing

Cover by: Michelle Fairbanks

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to have J.K. Pendragon here today to talk about editing their latest release Junior Hero Blues. Welcome, J.K.

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Editing Junior Hero Blues – Before and After

by J.K. Pendragon

Today I want to talk about editing. I was lucky to have a fantastic set of editors for Junior Hero Blues, and the experience was really rewarding. I felt like I was really able to tighten up and improve the book without losing the quirky narrative style, which was something I was worried about.

One of the biggest changes made was an aspect of Riptide’s style guide which says that dialogue tags should be replaced with action tags whenever possible. Here’s an example of the before and after:

Before editing:

“It’s beautiful,” I said, leaning forward and unbuckling my seatbelt. “I think I can see my apartment.”

“My house is over there too,” said Rick. “I never could figure out which one it was though.”

I leaned on the dashboard, standing up a little to see farther. I could feel Rick’s eyes on me as I bent forward, and I almost blushed. I sort of liked it though. I looked over at him and grinned, and he blushed instead.

“Uh.” He looked uncomfortable. “Sorry.”

I sat back. “For what?”

“Nothing.” Rick didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands. He rubbed them together, patted the steering wheel, touched the back of his neck. “I mean, I’m just glad you agreed to come up here with me.”

I fought the urge to hunch forward again. “Do you… actually like me?” I asked.

Rick looked confused. “Of course! Why would I ask you out if I didn’t.”

“It’s just,” I gestured at myself. “I know I’m not like, much of a catch.”

“I think you’re gorgeous.” The way he said it, all serious and passionate sent a shiver down my spine. He was still blushing a little, his neck and face tinged pink. “Really, I even like your glasses and your big sweaters and everything. And I like how you are.” He seemed like he was having trouble expressing himself a bit, but he charged on. “Everyone else is so preoccupied with school, it’s like it’s the only thing about them. But you seem like… like more. Like you’re ready for things to get better, instead of trying to hold on to something that isn’t that great anyway… ” He grimaced and turned his head away. “Sorry, I guess that’s all kind of presumptuous.”

“It’s true though,” I said. “No one’s ever said it like that before, but you’re right. Things will get better. I’ll make them better.”

After editing:

“It’s beautiful.” I unbuckled my seat belt to see better. “I think I can see my apartment.”

“My house is over there too,” said Rick. “I never could figure out which one it was though.”

I leaned on the dashboard, moving forward to see farther. I could feel Rick’s eyes on me as I bent forward, and I almost blushed. I sort of liked it, though. I glanced over at him and grinned, causing him to blush instead.

“Uh.” He looked uncomfortable. “Sorry.”

I sat back. “For what?”

“Nothing.” Rick didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands. He rubbed them together, patted the steering wheel, touched the back of his neck. “I mean, I’m just glad you agreed to come up here with me.”

I fought the urge to hunch forward again. “Do you . . . actually like me?”

“What? Of course! Why would I ask you out if I didn’t?”

“It’s just”—I gestured at myself—“I know I’m not, like, much of a catch.”

“I think you’re gorgeous.” The way he said it, all serious and passionate, sent a shiver down my spine. He was still blushing a little, his neck and face tinged pink. “Really, I even like your glasses and your big sweaters and everything. And I like how you are.”

He seemed to be having trouble expressing himself a bit, but he charged on. “Everyone else is so preoccupied with school, it’s like it’s the only thing about them. But you seem like . . . like more. Like you’re ready for things to get better, instead of trying to hold on to something that isn’t that great anyway . . .” He grimaced and turned his head away. “Sorry, I guess that’s all kind of presumptuous.”

I didn’t think it was presumptuous at all. He’d described me better than I’d ever been able to describe myself. Plus, he thought I was gorgeous? It was lucky I didn’t explode from ego right there. “It’s true though. No one’s ever said it like that before, but you’re right. Things will get better. I’ll make them better.”

So as you can see, there’s not a huge amount of difference, but the differences that are there are important. One particular issue I had was using a dialogue tag followed by an action.  For instance:

“It’s beautiful,” I said, leaning forward and unbuckling my seatbelt.

can easily become:

“It’s beautiful.” I unbuckled my seat belt to see better.

You don’t lose any of the meaning, and the whole thing is tightened up for easier reading. In the case of the last paragraph it’s even better, because when I went to replace the “I said” tag, I ended up having an opportunity to give more insight into the main character’s thoughts, which is always a good thing.

I ended up really liking this style guide rule, and I learned a lot from it. When I’m writing now, I always think “do I need a dialogue tag here, or can the action just serve as the tag?” and I think that’s really streamlined my writing.

Obviously said isn’t dead, and it’s almost always better to just use “said” than an elaborate dialogue tag like “uttered” or “ejaculated.” But there’s also the option of just cutting the dialogue tag entirely, which is something I’ve found super useful, and maybe you will too!

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to leave a comment with your name and email address for a chance to win one of three $15 Amazon gift cards! Bye!

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About Junior Hero Blues

Last year, Javier Medina was your average socially awkward gay high schooler with a chip on his shoulder. This year, he’s . . . well, pretty much the same, but with bonus superpowers, a costume with an ab window to show off his new goods, and a secret identity as the high-flying, wise-cracking superhero Blue Spark.

But being a Junior Hero means that Javier gets all the responsibility and none of the cool gadgets. It’s hard enough working for the Legion of Liberty and fighting against the evil Organization, all while trying to keep on top of schoolwork and suspicious parents. Add in a hunky boyfriend who’s way out of Javier’s league, and an even hunkier villain who keeps appearing every time said boyfriend mysteriously disappears, and Blue Spark is in for one big dollop of teenage angst. All while engaging in some epic superhero action and, oh yeah, an all-out battle to protect Liberty City from the forces of evil.

Welcome to the 100% true and totally unbiased account of life as a teenage superhero.

About J.K. Pendragon

J.K. Pendragon is a Canadian author with a love of all things romantic and fantastical. They first came to the queer-fiction community through m/m romance, but soon began to branch off into writing other queer fiction. As a bisexual and genderqueer person, J.K. is dedicated to producing diverse, entertaining fiction that showcases characters across the rainbow spectrum, and provides queer characters with the happy endings they are so often denied.

After writing in the romance community for several years, Junior Hero Blues is J.K.’s first book for young adults. Having been very positively affected by the queer books they came across as a teen, J.K. hopes their young adult books can have a similar effect on teens who may have a harder time finding books about people like themselves.

Notable works by J.K. Pendragon include Ink & Flowers, a contemporary romance novel with coming out themes, and To Summon Nightmares, a horror-fantasy that follows the journey of a young trans man into a world of magic and danger. To Summon Nightmares is the winner of the 2015 Rainbow Awards’ Best Transgender Fiction award. J.K. also contributed to Less Than Three Press’s Geek Out: A Collection of Trans and Genderqueer Romance.

J.K. currently resides in British Columbia, Canada, with a boyfriend, a cat, and a large collection of artisanal teas that they really need to get around to drinking. They are always happy to chat, and can be reached at jes.k.pendragon@gmail.com and on twitter @JKPendragon.

Connect with J.K.:

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Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Junior Hero Blues, three lucky winners will receive $15 Amazon gift cards! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on November 12, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!