Maps!

Not sure about you, but when I read a novel and it has a map in the front, that book just got ten times better. Small details like that make the entire adventure more fun.

Making those maps on the other hand, is a royal pain. I'm still going to have one in the front of the Lionheart Abyss series, but maps aren't my cup of tea.

After all, I am more of a coffee drinker.

Give me your thoughts on fantasy maps in novels below and be sure to check back soon for more news about the upcoming Lionheart Abyss saga.

I tanked NaNoWriMo

Whelp, I honestly expected this. Work got the best of me. I ended up with a super low word count. Not even 20,000 words. I'm not really disappointed in myself because I worked like 60 hours over the holiday weekend alone.  Maybe next year.

Another 1,000 words down

Each little bit is bringing me closer to my goals!

I wrote the hardest scene yesterday.

Yesterday I picked up writing again for a short while and in doing so, I pushed myself. It was the hardest thing I have ever written, but it turned out so good. So emotional and raw. I had my partner read it and she even became excited for the manuscript to be finished.

I can only hope to have more days like that this month.

Word count down the drain.

Yup, this year went exactly how I figured it would.  I have no time, or energy to write. I've even lost the inspiration that I had last month. It's just buried under the pile of work stress. I normally only have about 3 hours a day to myself where I am not working or driving to and from.

It's been hard this year and to be honest to myself, I won't finish anywhere near on track. But I do still have my deadline, and a few days off coming up.

I'll be interested to see where they go.

Day 5 NaNoWriMo

Well, day 5 has come to an end and I can't say that I am proud of myself. I'm just over 3,000 words. Done with chapter one, yes, but nothing to be proud of. I am already behind, that's normal so I'm not worried, but I have a day off coming up soon. Maybe then I can get some big numbers down.

3 Pages of Plot

As part of this year's NaNoWriMo I am pulling out every trick I have. Including mapping out a plot. Took me 3 pages of hand written notes, but I am so ready to start this year's challenge.

I have a release date.

So with how excited I am about NaNoWriMo this year, I decided to mix  that with my personal goals. So sense this will be released for free in chapters, I've decided to release the entire novel as one, but for sale. Today I happily announce my release date.

MARCH 1st 2018
The Adventures of Ragnar (title subject to change )

I have a lot of work a head of me, and I can't wait.

NaNoWriMo 2017 prep

Okay, so as I'm sure you all know, November is just a few days away. Now, for the part that you might not know is that it's national novel writing month. It's a challenge to write a new book from start, to at least 50,000 words in the span of said month. I'm about to do it again.

This year, I'd be curious to see if any of you would be interested in following my personal goals and progress.

What's it about?

Glad you asked. It's a fantasy novel that follows a tribal man who's life gets turned upside down when he is sold into slave trade. His adventures only grown from there as he not only finds himself, but adventures with a band of pirates, finds love, and must make the hard choice of happiness, or to save the world.



I'm so excited for this year. I'm also already behind. Gotta finish up my character sheets!

Late night character building

Yup, I work my normal job tomorrow too, but I'm not about to let that slow down. My NaNoWriMo prep!

Witchling Review

Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn.

     Today I want to share with you all the first book in a series that I have very much enjoyed. I sadly have not kept up with the series due to moving and lack of book stores, but I will one day catch up. -looks over at my pile of unread books- One day.

     I really enjoyed how the author made the series revolve around strong female leads. As a girl growing up, those types of books were hard to find. She also is an author who isn’t afraid to show her characters faults. I know a few series that try to idolize them or just ignore that concept. Yasmine embraces them. She lets them struggle with themselves and I personally love it. She created a well rounded world that’s believable. She’s also put many hours into the research of magic and the creatures that surround the characters as well. I know that had to have taken a lot of time.

Three magical kick-ass sisters are faced with an unexplainable murder. They have their hunches that it has something to do with Shadow Wing, the leader of the Subterranean Realms. His plan is to raze human kind to the ground, making it into his own personal playground. The D’Artigo sisters are the only ones willing to step up and stop him, or at least try to.

Some characters to watch:

Camille- A wicked-good witch who’s magic sometimes goes a little astray when she least expects it.

Delilah- A shape-shifter who shifts into a tabby cat whenever she’s under a lot of stress.

Menolly- A newly turned vampire who is still trying to get the hang of her new life.

[Click here to get yourself a copy!]

Daughter of the Bright Moon Review

Daughter of the Bright Moon by Lynn Abbey

This novel was published in 1979, and Lynn Abbey’s first published work. It was also nominated for the “Locus Award” for Best Fantasy Novel.

In a world where men rule and women are expected to be just that, ladies, Rifkind won her freedom, her war-horse, and her own sword. She is a healer who has been graced by the power of her moon goddess. Her destiny well decided for her, she must travel, with her only trusted friend Turin her war-horse, to a new world were and evil sorcerer controls the land.

I’ll try to keep my actual review on this short. It will as always have minimal spoilers if any at all and will be one hundred percent my own opinions. To start off, I will say that I greatly enjoyed this book. It took me about a week to finish and I enjoyed every moment of it. Even to the point where I was sneaking in a few pages even while on the bus on my way to my day job.

I’m going to start off with my biggest gripes about the book, and while I do so, I must keep in mind how old this one is. Yeah sure forty years doesn’t sound like a long time, but it is for a book, and how they have evolved sense then. Some of the writing was a bit confusing, lacking some words that would have been in newer books. A few places where I found myself going back to get the full picture of things and set ups. The battle’s were especially this way for me. I also felt it lacking a bit more background information that I would have personally preferred. It speaks of events that were normal for this woman’s tribe but yet they meant little to be because I felt like I was missing why they were important to her.

Now let’s move on to the things I enjoyed about it, and why you should really read this one. First off, the leading lady is amazing. Far from flawless but to headstrong to need any man. Speaking of, a bit of a spoiler here, I was so happy to see the two main characters stay friends and not hook up. Truly that in itself is an amazing point. Another aspect that truly made me enjoy this book was the research put into the main secondary character, Turin, the War-horse. Lynn made a world that was so well thought out that you understood how the powers worked within it. I always appreciate that.

While it may be a bit harder to find, for sure snag yourself a copy. Great Characters, kick ass woman who can hold her own, and a beautiful world to set it all in.  

"Rise from the Grave" Now out!

I'm super excited to bring you the news about my newest release. "Rise from the Grave" A short from the Lionheart Abyss series.

Valdis isn't having such a good day, and the grumpy litch from a few towns over isn't about to make it any better.

Click here to get it.

Silver Mane Part 13

     “What’s going on? Why does Kavos suddenly have such a problem with me?” Ana stood her ground and stomped her foot into the dirt, tears behind her eyes. She just finally started to feel like she was making ground with the pack and then this whole mess. He was so mad at her when really she was the one that had almost just died.

     Alice sucked in the cool evening air and sat down. Her fur kept the chill off of her. Ana was too mad to be cold, at least at this point in her range. “Sit please.”

     “I’m not your pet to command!” Ana snapped back at her.

     Alice again took another deep breath. She wasn’t the beta of the pack so there would be no rolling, but she did respect Ana as an alpha. As odd as the situation was, she really did love her alpha, and this was her choice in mates, so be it. “Forgive me Miss, I just didn’t want you to stand through a very winded explanation.” She lowered her head and didn’t look the human in the eyes.

     Ana looked at the wolf before her, her gaze softened as she noticed her body posture. The wolf kept her head down and for once Ana started to feel bad for the wolf. She decided to sit down. She was still mad about what was going on, but at least she would get some answers. If this was going to continue, she was going to leave. This wasn’t what she signed up for, again, she didn’t want any of this. She never asked to be a slave, and the tears finally burst through. “I’m sorry, this is all just too much. None of it makes sense, and I just can’t.” She buried her face in her hands and let the tears run down her face and pool in her hands.

     Alice sat there watching, she didn’t know if she should just continue or let the girl cry. Humans are so confusing to her and she cocked her head. Without thinking she scooted over to the woman and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close to her chest. Ana snuggled into her fur and slowly stopped crying. Alice took that moment and told her a story from all too long ago.

     “Many moons ago, before the Elders created the council, before the humans made their castles there was only the night.” Her voice was calm and soothing, this was the story of their pack. One that every pup had heard at one time or another. She knew it by heart. “In the night there were monsters. Some lived in the water, some in the sky, but the ones that lived on land, fought for it. There was never enough land for each to have his own.” She took a deep breath and ran her paw through the woman’s hair. Her eyes closed as she continued the story. “There were two clans. One of fur, and one of blood. We hunted together at one point, but those days didn’t last forever. One hard winter animals became scarce. Food was limited and the two clans were getting possessive over the limited food. The blood clan turned towards humans for food. Their new prey quickly became their favorite. The humans however, entranced by their charm and beauty turned against the other creatures. They turned on the wolves that lived in the area. The fur clan was hunted, skinned and hung on walls. The blood clan, they blended in with their prey. Sense then, the two have turned against one another. They will never hunt together again.”

     Ana had found comfort in the wolf’s voice and by the end of the story her tears had stopped all together. “So that’s why you hate each other? Because vampires started killing humans and wolves though it was wrong.” Her statement showed that she was paying attention.

     “In short I suppose that would sum it up fairly well. Of course there is much more to it, but I won’t bore you with politics.” Alice looked down at the woman who had curled up in her lap. She missed her pup in that moment and her heart hurt, the sadness welled up to her eyes like it hadn’t done for many many moons.

     Ana interrupted her thought process with a simple question this time. “Why was Kavos so mad at me then?” Her brain could wrap around the concept of hating the vampire for killing people, but why be mad at her. She was in trouble and some random woman helped her.

     “The simple answer to that, is because he cares.”

     “And the longer answer?” Ana prodded.

     The wolf sucked in a deep breath while her brain tried to figure it out herself. At least how to explain it to a human. To a wolf, it was simple, but she didn’t quite think that Ana would understand it the same way. “First off, he was in a panic because he didn’t know if she has already claimed you. That would have been all sorts of bad. You would then be the most important piece in a very bloody war. Another reason I’m sure is that if anything happened to you while you were in his care, Stela would,” She tried to find the right words without telling Ana the gruesome truth. “Well, let’s just say that your she-wolf wouldn’t be so happy or forgiving about that.” She couldn’t help but laugh a little at her own wording. “Mostly though, he was scared. Scared of loosing you. Of that blood sucker stealing your would or hurting you.”

     “But she actually saved me.” Ana tried to point out, thinking that it would make the entire mess easier.

     “He didn’t know, nor do I think it matters at this point. First off, you are safe, so that’s good. Second, and the bigger of the two issues, we now know there are vampires in the area.”

     “The people in the village seemed to know her and respect her. The guy was about to hurt me, and when she stepped up in turned into a puppy.” Alice twitched at the word. “Oh sorry.” Ana laughed a bit as she wiped away her final tears.

     “Of course they do. Her family, or at least she, has been around for most of their lives. They all know her so to speak.” Alice explained.

     “Doesn’t that mean then that the town would be more accepting of the pack then?”

     “Yes and no. I doubt they realize what she is. However, it does seem that they are accepting of long living families. I don’t think our problem will be with the town. More so with them.” Alice let the silence creep over the two in the small cave. The rest of the pack should be back any moment. She pulled the exhausted Ana into her arms and against her chest and within moments the woman was fast asleep.

Rise from the Grave pre-orders open!

     That's right, pre-orders are open and it will release this Saturday (5/27) and with the pre-order it will arrive directly on your device when it goes live.

Get it first, here.

Silver Mane update

     I finally got myself back on track and am happy to announce that this Wednesday there will be another Silver Mane post. I'm also working on a few other little things that are exciting to me, so be on the lookout.

Silver Mane Part 12

Start Here

     Ana kept pace with the woman, the illusion never breaking as her eyes stuck fast to the ground. She fell into a rut. She knew what she was supposed to do, after all she was just a runaway slave, and you don’t go running off after someone just saves your life. The woman stopped and turned on her heel, her head held high. “Oh, I’m sorry dear, didn’t realize you were still following me. Can I help you?” There was a deep hunger in her eyes as they narrowed at Ana.

     The young girl was taken aback. She honestly didn’t know quite what to say or really what was going on. “No.” She ended up stammering out the simple word while fear welled up inside. She didn’t have to say much more because finally Kavos had caught up to her and she spotted him in the crowd. “Oh!” Her full attention turned towards him and the mysterious woman turned to look as well. She wrinkled up her nose as he came near. There was a low growl and immediately Ana realized something was off between the two. “Thank you again miss.” She bowed low trying to break the tension of the two. “This is my half brother,” it was the lie that they ran with, after all it was simple enough. “I got separated.”

     Ana was about to say more but Kavos stepped up, his chest was pushed out and every muscle was tense. “I’ll be taking her home now.” There was a growl as he wrapped his hand around Ana’s wrist. It was so tight that she began to worry that he might actually hurt her, or worse, shift back.

     The woman turned her attention to the girl. She held Ana’s gaze and spoke only to her. “If you ever get tired of running with animals, come find me again.” She smiled, it was a wicked smile. She knew everything. Even Ana could tell, but she didn’t know how.

     Kavos growled again deep in his throat and pulled Ana away before she could say anything. Her eyes were fixed on the woman as she disappeared into the crowd. As the two seemed to rush from the city. As soon as the thriving village was behind them Kavos shifted back into his wolf form. It seemed a lot less painful but it didn’t seem any more pleasant to watch. Without word or warning he grabbed at Ana. His paws gripping her shoulders hard. “Did that bitch touch you? What did she do!?” He was yelling and shaking the small woman.

     His anger scared her. Ana couldn’t understand what was going on. She couldn’t help herself and started to sob while the hulking white wolf stood there shaking her and yelling. She tried to find her voice in the madness that was going on around her. “Kavos… Stop… Please.” She could only get one word out at a time while he shook her. The pressure on her shoulders was starting to hurt and she could feel his claws digging into her skin. Tears raced down her face leaving clean trails where they went.

     “Kavos!”

     Ana melted at the voice that echoed around them. It was enough to stop the white wolf in his anger but he didn’t let her go. Either way, Ana didn’t care. Stela was there, she was safe. Her wolf was there and everything was going to be okay.

     Stela stood up on her hind legs, making herself as tall as she could and she squared her shoulders while she made her way down the small rocky ledge she had been standing on. “Let her go Kavos.” There was a bellowing growl deep within her chest. Her movements were slow but deliberate. Kavos let Ana go and took a stumbling step back as his mind returned to him. “What happened?”

     Ana ran to the alpha and threw her arms around the large wolf. Stela picked her up as if she was a child and the woman ran her hands through the animals thick fur. It was beginning to feel like home. She took a deep breath and smelled the scent of her wolf and for the first time she really started to notice her. Stela was always dark to her, but now that she looked she could see how her back was much darker than the front, save for one small patch at the base of her neck and between her shoulder blades.

     “There was an enemy in the village. She was after Ana. Or Ana was after her, I don’t know and I don’t care. All I seen was her,” His paw pointed to the woman who was curled up his alphas arm. “following a blood sucker.” He spat the last words. It was so out of character for him to be so mad, normally that was Aurel, but for some reason Kavos felt as if for the first time, this human had put him in danger.

     “Calm down Kavos. Alice, please go take Ana back to the den.” Her eyes never left her second in command. Alice stepped up and held out her arms, and Ana was dropped into them.

A Message in a Bottle

     The salt water rushed against my feet. Pulling my arm back I hurled the amber colored bottle into the salty spray. The soft plunk of it hitting the water echoed back to my ears. It reassured me that I didn’t throw like a girl, or so the saying goes. I stood there until the sun set. Every day after I returned, and waited.

     Such a small bottle it was, but it drifted for days. The tides of the world pulled it out to sea only to push it towards another chunk of land. The tiny object was at Poseidon’s mercy. However, it wasn’t the only thing adrift on the tide. “All hands on deck, we sail towards port!” The captain roared over the waves that crashed against the hull of a ship. She was different. Her boots clopped against the deck and she walked across the wooden timbers. Her eyes scanned the open water looking for any hint of land.

     “Aye Cap’n.” Loki growled as he pitched the wheel towards the now visible land mass. The rest of the crew scattered and tended their posts. The ship groaned and creaked as it pitched. The ship was tired and so was the crew. A good rest and a payday was just a few knots a head. “Hey Cap’en,” He roared over the boat to get her attention. “what’s that just off starboard?” The hulking cat took one hand off the wheel and pointed at something that was shimmering off the waters surface.

     Bella turned to see whatever he hand pointed at. She watched it flicker in the sunlight for a few moments before she could make out the shape to him. She huffed and turned back to her first mate. “That be trash Loki.” A scowl crossed her face and she walked away from the side of the ship.

     One of the younger crew members heaved himself over the ship. “There’s a paper in it Captain.” He called out.

     Bella snarled at the comment but she was too tired to care. The ocean took a toll on you while you were out and this group of men did nothing to ease it for her. “Fine, grab it, but I’ll not be sending anyone after ya if ye fall in the foam.” She meant every word. The lad would have to swim himself to shore if he lost his footing.

     The lad that spotted it took no time to shimmy himself down the side of this ship. With nimble fingers he snatched up the bottle and the message inside and hauled himself back up topside. As much as he wanted to open it, he kept the cork stuff in and handed the entire bottle over to the Captain.

     Bella took the bottle and instead of just pulling out the cork, she smashed the neck of it against the ships rail. The glass shattered and she dug out the slip of paper. It was odd. The writing was too nice to be a child’s, and the paper had such weight and texture. A heavy scent of earth and flowers, accented with a musk wafted up towards her nose. Something was odd about this. She unrolled the scrap and her eyes fell upon the short message and she smiled.

     I want to have an adventure. ~S

Silver Mane Part 11

Oh dear gods it's been over a month sense I've posted on of these. I am so sorry everyone! If you need to start over, all chapters are linked and shouldn't take long to read through. 
Start Here


     Ana glanced at her travel companion as she walked out, food in her hand. It was such a small glance, no more than if she was looking over to see what was on his plate. There of course would be a time gap from when she left and Kavos decided to leave as well, but again, it was safer that way. The girl took this opportunity to explore the town a bit more. They would be living here now and it wouldn’t hurt to get to know it a bit better. She wandered from one stall to the next looking at what each had to offer. One was filled to the brim with dried flowers. Some had been pressed into glass, others just hung in bunches. Her hand traced the one that was in the glass. It was smooth and perfectly preserved. Ana’s nimble fingers picked it up and brought it closer to her face to get a better look.

The stand keeper was less than kind. The man was massive and built like an ox. His muscles arm muscles bulged as did the veins around his neck. There was a look of anger on his face. He reached over the small wooden stand without even having to get up from his seat. His sausage like fingers wrapped around her arm, all the way around. His hand made her arm look like a twig. He pulled her into the tent and his foul breath assaulted her, even through the heavy scent of flowers. “Ye weren’t try’n ter pilfer ‘dat were ye?” His words were garbled with his heavy accent.

Ana’s blue eyes widened as she realized what this man was. He was no normal merchant, he had to have been a pirate. His face was covered with stubble and scars, his hands were well worn and his skin was as tan as Tucker’s fur was. Fear flooded her and she pulled away from him. It was no use his grip was too strong. “Let me go! I was only looking.” She tried to pull away again and it still was of no use.

“Ya look w’th yer eyes naught yer han’s.” He snarled and started to stand up.

“She’s with me.” There was a cool voice that while low, seemed to dance right around the crowd. “I would let go of her, if you know what’s good for you.” A woman walked up to the small booth. Each step was graceful and she seemed to have a power behind her.

The pirate looked up from Ana, ready to challenge whoever threatened him but as his eyes met this woman they widened and his grip relaxed at once. “Sorry Miss, didn’t know she was yer’s.”

Ana looked back at her savior and her jaw hit the floor. The woman who had defended her was beautiful. Her hair was long and jet black and her skin was flawless. It took her only a few moments though to remember what was going on around her. She went right back into slave mode. She bowed low and kissed the woman’s hand. “I’m sorry Mistress, I just thought these would look lovely in the drawing room but I wanted to make sure they were real and not some cheep fake.”

“Fake!” The man behind the stand started to rage again and when he stood his head smacked against the top of the small stand. He seemed to have more to say but it was interrupted by the pain.

Again the strange woman took control of the situation. “And she did right to me by that.” Her eyes narrowed at the pirate. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was dangerous. Again he took on a calming demeanor and sat down. “She was also correct that they would look nice in my drawing room, however, you sir have left a bitter taste in my mouth. Come girl.” She commanded and just started walking back towards the center of town. Ana could only follow her.

The vendor seemed to have calmed himself and called out to her as the women started to move. “Wait miss! I’ll ha’ve the price. What’dya say?”

The elegant woman froze and smiled. She turned on her heel and walked back to the small table and picked up the small glass plated flower. She too turned it over in her hand and looked intently at it. “Deal.” Her tone was still unamused, but at least the man had made the sale. She tossed a few coppers down onto the wood and walked away without another word. 

A bit more about "Werewolf Wednesday"

I’ve recently had an idea, and we all know that never means anything good for my scheduling, but as always, I’m going to do it anyway. #werewolfwednesday happened to be trending on my twitter feed the other day and put two and two together. “Silver Mane is werewolves, and people like those. Why not move the release date of a werewolf series, to werewolf Wednesday? This won’t change much really, just moving it to Wednesday. This also gives me a bit more time to work on the newest post for “Silver Mane” and perhaps I can even squeeze in some editing on the project.