Bump in the Night Book Review: 10 Tales of Ghosts
I love a good ghost story and the ten tales in Haunted, Ten Tales of Ghosts edited by Rayne Hall do not disappoint. Each short story is well written and unique with a clever ending. My favorites: the sci-fi ghost story, “A Puddle of Dead” (brilliant title) by Grayson Bray Morris, followed closely by the cautionary “be wary of hitchhikers” tale “Take Me To St. Rochs” by Rayne Hall. “Breakwater Beach” with its déjà vu by Carole Ann Moleti and “The Explanation for Ghosts” by Douglas Kolacki hooked me as well. But frankly, all ten were excellent reads. I highly recommend this anthology.
You can find this collection of good, spooky fun on Smashwords and Amazon.
Rayne Hall is professional writer and editor. She teaches online workshops for intermediate, advanced and professional level writers.
Image Credits:
Author portrait (Woman in Blue) by Kuoke. Copyright Rayne Hall.
Book Cover, Copyright Rayne Hall
Book Review Ahoy! Cutlass: Ten Tales of Pirates
Rayne Hall – editor of the entertaining “Ten Tales” anthologies (vampire, ghosts, and more) – has released another winner in her popular series. “Cutlass: Ten Tales of Pirates” offers an engrossing journey into the swashbuckling worlds of ten talented authors. My favorites in the anthology feature kickass female pirates: Kris Radcliffe’s sci-fi romp “Diamonds and Bones”, Jonathan Broughton’s “The Pensioner Pirates of Marine Parade” (geriatric pirates = awesome), and Rayne Hall’s “Scylla and the Pepper Pirates.” All ten tales are great reads, well written with clever and satisfying endings. Two enthusiastic swords up for this anthology.
You can buy the book on Amazon.
Rayne Hall is professional writer and editor. She teaches online workshops for intermediate, advanced and professional level writers.
Image Credits:
Book Cover, Illustration by Paul Davies. Copyright Rayne Hall.
Author portrait (Woman in Blue) by Kuoke. Copyright Rayne Hall.
Special Guest: Author J. D. Revezzo
I’m delighted to welcome a special guest today, my chapter mate from the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Chapter of Romance Writers of America, J. D. Revezzo. She’s here to tell us about Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, an anthology of dark tales whose proceeds benefit cat charities. But first, let’s learn some fun facts about J.D.!
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing seriously for 16 years.
What’s on your bookshelf and/or in your To Be Read pile?
Agh! Too many books to count. I have a never-ending to be read pile but the top of my stack right now is The Fairy Queen of Spencer’s Butte by Jolene Dawe and Catch the Lightning by Catherine Asaro
Do you have a favorite author?
Of course. Michael Moorcock, and Virginia Woolf top the list, then Poe, Asimov, Melanie Rawn, Romantic comedy author Kathy Carmichael…the list could go on for ages.
What two authors would you love to chat with over a meal? Better yet, what two authors would you take on a writer’s retreat? ?
Herm, a week alone to pick Michael Moorcock and Virginia Woolf’s brains would be fun. 😉
If the Earth was about to be destroyed to make way for a Hyperspace Bypass (Hello, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and you have mere minutes to vacate, what book would you grab to take with you? In addition to your towel, of course. ?
LOL – Good question! The answer would have to be Sailor on the Seas of Fate by Michael Moorcock (are you sure I can’t take more than one???) or Warhound and the World’s Pain by Moorcock.
Favorite food: Anything Italian, and coffee.
Favorite color: Purple
Favorite music: Again, an eclectic mix. Everything from Heart to Metallica, to indie artists like Kate Bush.
Favorite supernatural creature? Do sorceresses count?
Favorite TV show? Once upon a Time.
Milk chocolate or Dark chocolate? Milk chocolate?
Vampires or werewolves? I like the idea of immortality….but…I’m partial to were creatures, like my were cat. 🙂
Sexy demons or sexy angels? Actually, if I can’t have a sexy Celtic god or warrior…let’s go with Angels.
Dragons or witches? Witches.
Tell us about your story and the anthology in which it appears.
The anthology in which my story appears, Dark Things II: Cat Crimes is a collection of twenty-one+ cat-themed stories, of dark mischief compiled by indie author Patty G. Henderson (Author of the Brenda Strange mysteries) with the intent of helping various cat charities, and no-kill shelters.
My story = “What Sekhmet Keeps” by J.D. Revezzo
Betrayed by a false lover, cat shifter priestess Onfalia Mau lost her lioness soul and freedom to her lover’s treachery and Sekhmet’s wrath. Now, after three thousand years, Donkar has returned with one thing in mind: to steal the goddess’s scepter. Onfalia knows that to do so means to unleash Sekhmet’s unholy, bloody Slaughter on the world and she’ll stop at nothing to foil Donkar’s plans.
Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, edited by Patty G. Henderson is available for purchase on Amazon.com
Tell us about your charity.
Cat House on the Kings. According to their website, they’re a no-kill, lifetime sanctuary for stray and abandoned cats, located out in California. If your readers wish, they can learn a little more about them at their website: http://www.cathouseonthekings.com/
About J.D. Revezzo
J.D. Revezzo has long been in love with writing, a love built by devouring everything from the Arthurian legends, to the works of Michael Moorcock, and the classics. Her short fiction has been published in Dark Things II: Cat Crimes, The Scribing Ibis, Eternal Haunted Summer, Twisted Dreams Magazine and Luna Station Quarterly.
Special Guest: Author Sapphire Phelan
I’m delighted to welcome a special guest today, my chapter mate from the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Chapter of Romance Writers of America, Sapphire Phelan. She has a new release coming out this week, The Witch And the Familiar and is here to tell us all about it, along with some fun facts about herself.
How long have you been writing?
Ever since I was eight, but first time published was when I was 17-years old, for three poems in Hyacinths and Biscuits Magazine. I got paid for them, too.
What’s on your bookshelf and/or in your To Be Read pile?
I had a giant pile of books by my side of the bed here at home and many eBooks on my Kindle. I just pick out of pile of print or an eBook from the Kindle and start reading. I also get books from the library—next one I want to reserve is that new Stephen King novel—out of his Dark Tower series.
Do you have a favorite author?
Gosh, I have many favorite authors. There are always new ones I discovered and get hooked by. Some though are, Shirley Jackson, Karen Marie Moning, Jim Butcher, Shannon Butcher, Neil Gaiman, Jules Verne, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Madeleine L’Engle, and many more…
Favorite food: Sushi and chicken and dumplings.
Favorite color: Purple.
Favorite music: I like all kinds.
Favorite supernatural creature? Werewolves and other shapeshifters.
Favorite TV show? Supernatural.
Milk chocolate or Dark chocolate? Like both, but milk edges over dark.
Vampires or werewolves? Werewolves. I like the vamps, but werewolves had my heart for years.
Sexy demons or sexy angels? I like both.
Dragons or witches?
Dragons! I have been into them since 1971. Just bought me a pair of dragon earrings at Ravencon, a scifi convention I was a guest at. Though love the witches in my The Witch And the Familiar books.
Tell us about your new release!
Best way is through the book blurb and an excerpt. I can also tell you, this print release, The Witch And the Familiar is both e-novellas, Being Familiar With a Witch (won the 20120 Prism) and A Familiar Tangle With Hell.
Mortal woman Tina discovers she is part of a prophesy that says she and Charun, her demon Familiar, must make love so she can become the witch she is fated to be. If she doesn’t do it and stop the demon army bringing Armageddon to the Mortal Realm on Halloween, she won’t stand a chance in Hell.
A year later, just when Tina and Charun thought it was all over and that their life would be normal—another prophesy pops up. If Lucifer snatches Tina and mates with her before the last chime before midnight of the new year and gets her pregnant with his son, that the real Armageddon would begin, spelling the end of life as they knew it. This time they get help from an archangel, Jacokb, but with demons, Lucifer, and a cute demon bunny with fangs out of a Monty Python nightmare, out to stop them and Heaven not lending a hand, will Tina this time lose the battle and become the mother of the Antichrist and the start of a new Hell on Earth?
Want more? Read an excerpt from The Witch And the Familiar
About Sapphire Phelan:
Sapphire Phelan is an author of erotic and sweet paranormal, fantasy, and science fiction romance, along with a couple of erotic horror stories. She also writes as Pamela K. Kinney, for horror, fantasy, science fiction, and nonfiction ghost books. She lives in Virginia with her husband and two cats, Ripley and Bast. She admits she can always be found at her desk and on her computer, writing. And yes, the house and husband sometimes suffers for it!
More Sapphire! Web site, Blog, Newsletter, Facebook
Buy The Witch And The Familiar at Phaze Books
Sapphire Phelan, 2010 PRISM Winner
Dark heroes and heroines with bite…sink your teeth into a romance by Sapphire Phelan today.
Blog Tour Giveaway
I am doing a giveaway for the whole blog tour April 23rd through April 28th. Leave a comment here or at any of the blogs on the tour. You can leave a comment (plus your email, so I can contact you) at each blog, to get more chances, but no more than one per blog, please. The giveaway is a signed copy of The Witch And the Familiar. This is only for USA commenters though (due to price of mailing outside of US). For those outside of US, I will give instead a gift cert for price of the book at Phaze Books, so that I can email you.
Book Review: Teresa Morgan’s Cinderella and the Sheikh
I live and breath urban fantasy and paranormal romance, but every once in a while I dabble in reading other genres. Recently, I read a couple of Sheikh romances. Here’s my review of one of them.
Cinderella and the Sheikh
(Book Review)
Teresa Morgan’s Cinderella and the Sheikh is an interesting and entertaining take on the classic Cinderella story. I particularly enjoyed the attention to detail given to the cultural and socioeconomic differences between Libby and Rasyn. It provided authenticity to the narrative and kept me turning those virtual Kindle pages. The author’s rich setting descriptions provided great visuals for my imagination while also keeping her heroine off-kilter much of the time and thus adding to the dramatic tension.
Thumbs up for the overt nods to the Cinderella classic (Libby losing her shoe on more than one occasion, Libby remarking that Rasyn is “charming”, etc.) and for creating a curvy, well-endowed, size thirteen heroine. The Epilogue provided a satisfying HEA.
This is the 2nd Sheikh book I’ve read, the first being Ms. Morgan’s “Handcuffed to the Sheikh”. I’m intrigued enough to read more in this genre.
(end book review)
You can find Teresa Morgan’s book on Amazon
Blog articles on Sheikh Romance:
- Sheik Romance and the Passion of Arabian Nights by Keira
- The Sheikh as Hero by Romance Author Liz Fielding
- Gender, Sexuality and the Idea of the ‘Medieval’ in Modern Popular Sheikh Romance by Amy Burge
Book Review: Loving Trixie Fine
I read a lot, and sometimes I write reviews. Here are my thoughts on a fun genre-mash-up novel.
(Review)
Loving Trixie Fine by Beth Henderson and Letty James
“An Extra Fine Read”
“Loving Trixie Fine” is a fun romp that starts with a literal bang and keeps on hopping until the end. The authors provide a masterful blend of fantasy, romance, comedy and suspense, along with two extremely likeable good guys. Bea/Trixie and Zack are strong, confident, intelligent professionals and this comes across in every bit of dialogue. I love the fact they’re both older (and wiser) than your typical romance hero/heroine. My favorite scenes involved the two of them, as their banter and attraction/love for each other kept me riveted. The authors also created vivid and entertaining bad guys. The story has a thoroughly satisfying conclusion (no spoilers here), yet also leaves room for a Part Two. I sure hope there’s a sequel.
(End Review)
“Loving Trixie Fine” is available on Amazon.
Book Review: Writing Fight Scenes by Rayne Hall
Last week, Rayne Hall visited my blog and shared thirteen mistakes to avoid when writing fight scenes. This week, I’m posting my review of her book on the subject: Writing Fight Scenes.
Must-Have Resource for Your Writer’s Toolbox
I’ve taken a couple of excellent online classes with Rayne on magic and editing and was pleased to read this invaluable resource encapsulating her fight scenes workshop. The book provides a basic overview of weaponry, various fight situations, gender differences in conflict, etc. and also offers the writer practical tips on word choices for optimal pacing, mood setting, and realistic dialogue. Visual examples of various fight scenarios are also provided via You Tube URLs. My one wish for the e-book: a full table of contents allowing the reader to jump to each chapter (my version stopped at Chapter 2). Bottom line: a worthwhile read and handy resource. If Rayne ever writes a magic reference book, I’d definitely read that, too.
Buy The Book
Writing Fight Scenes is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
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Rayne Hall is a professional writer and editor. She teaches online workshops for intermediate, advanced and professional level writers.
For an up-to-date list of classes with Rayne Hall visit: https://sites.google.com/site/writingworkshopswithraynehall/ Image Credit: |
Special Guest: Rayne Hall on Fight Scenes
The fabulous Rayne Hall has graciously provided this post on Writing Fight Scenes. Enjoy!
Thirteen Mistakes Writers Make With Fight Scenes
by Rayne Hall
1. Nothing at stake…. as if the characters put their lives at risk without purpose
2. Absence of emotion… as if the fighter didn’t feel fear, fury or despair
3. Generic setting… as if the fight took place in ‘white space’
4. Making it easy for the hero by giving him a superior weapon, superior armour, superior strength
and superior skills… as if he couldn’t rise to a genuine challenge
5. Fighters holding a leisurely conversation with long, carefully articulated sentences.. as if they had plenty of breath to spare during the swashbuckling
6. Implausible fight skills… as if the situation instantly granted the Regency damsel a black belt in
karate
7. Inventing a fancy weapon for the hero… as if a gimmicky-shaped sword stood a chance against a
blade of tried-and-tested standard design
8. Long sentences… as if fighting was a leisurely, slow-paced activity
9. Lots of adverbs… as if any sense of speed created by a verb must be squashed instantly
10. Weapons from the wrong period … as if an ancient Greek would use a medieval greatsword, or
a Norman knight a 19th century cavalry sabre
11. Weapons performing tasks they can’t do … as if an epee sword could split skulls or a small
pistol stop a running target at a thousand feet
12. The character thinks deep philosophical thoughts… as if fighting off deadly blows were so easy
that he could concentrate on something else
13. The fighter observes what his mates are doing at the other side of the battlefield and the sun
setting on the horizon… as if the immediate danger didn’t require all his attention
Rayne Hall is professional writer and editor. She teaches online workshops for intermediate, advanced and professional level writers.
Online Class: WRITING FIGHT SCENES
Even if you’ve never wielded a weapon, you can create fictional fights which leave the reader breathless with excitement. You will understand different types of weapons and how to write about
them, and apply the six-part structure of great fight scenes. Decide how much violence your scene
needs, how to describe the terrain, how to create reader emotion, how to combine fighting with
dialogue, which senses to use when and how. Learn about female fighters, improvised weapons,
self-defence moves to get your heroine out of trouble, battle scenes, building suspense, adapting
your writing style to the fast pace of the action, and much more. Write a fight scene so entertaining
and so realistic that it stays in the reader’s mind. If you wish, you may submit a scene for critique at the end of the class.
April 2012 Lowcountry RWA: http://www.lowcountryrwa.com/online-workshops/
July 2013: Fantasy Futuristic & Paranormal: http://www.romance-ffp.com/workshops.cfm
For an up-to-date list of classes with Rayne Hall visit: https://sites.google.com/site/writingworkshopswithraynehall/
Image Credits:
Female Pirate with Sword, Illustration by Paul Davies. Copyright Rayne Hall.
Author portrait (Woman in Blue) by Kuoke. Copyright Rayne Hall.
Query sent for Eva’s Homecoming
Just sent a query to romance publisher The Wild Rose Press for my Heartland Collection story, “Eva’s Homecoming”. I think it’s a good match for their Faery Rose Line. I hope they do, too!
About Me
Celia Breslin
San Francisco, CA.
Author. Editor. Gamer. Sign up for my Occasional Newsletter for special offers, new release details, and a free story welcome gift!
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