#BlogTour - The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles; We Have A Character As A Guest, And A #Giveaway Too!

I have a special guest for you today, who crossed to our reality just to meet you all. I'll let him introduce himself.

So, tell everyone who you are.

I am the Shadowdancer, but for those who know me well I am called Olek.

Welcome, Olek. So, tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a half-elven male, I live in Harkenen, in the Tremellic valley. I think I’m about forty, or thereabouts. Let me see... I like food, good weapons, good wine, horses, and antiques gathered from hidden places. I dislike the Witch-Hunters, slavers, bad wine, and rats. Rats taste terrible, and the little buggers get everywhere.

My lady, Ozena, says I’m two men – Olek who enjoys food and good company, laughs a lot and is kind – and the Shadowdancer who will kill a man with barely a thought, a man who has done things which would give most men nightmares.

I hope it's the first of those we have with us today. Anyway, how did you end up in the situation you’re currently in?

Which particular situation? The breaking into a fort full of armed Witch-Hunters; the hunting down of slavers; the liberating of elves; the quest to find an invisible elven city that may not even exist?

I go where my master, the Oncoming Storm commands I go, and where it suits us. My life is rarely dull.

Yeah... I can see that. So, is your life now as you envisioned it? If not – then why?

I doubt anyone’s life turns out exactly as they first envisioned. I am the bastard half-breed son of a whore. I am a thief, a murderer, and an outlaw. Officially I’m dead. But then again, I’m a half-elf – society says I have no rights, no property and I belong to my master as a chamber pot, or a fine rug belong to him. Elves and half-elves are little more than slaves so my prospects were not exactly outstanding. As it is, thanks to Lord Archos, I am wealthy, powerful, and educated. Our lives are not exactly...normal.

Fair enough. By the way, do you believe in monsters?

Yes, of course. I’ve fought with undead, giant salamanders, and Witch-Hunters. I suppose depending on your point of view I could be described as a monster or a monster hunter, and monsters can walk on two legs, be charming, and look like ordinary folks.

That's true. So, you call yourself a monster. Have you committed a crime? What was it?

Define ‘crime’... I assume you mean an act which goes against the laws of the land. The laws of Erana are restrictive, and oppressive, and so I tend to ignore them. Have I committed a crime? How long do you have? I’ve killed so many people I’ve stopped counting. It really does get easier after the first one, believe me. Although my first was self-defence. I’ve stolen everything from food to survive, to family heirlooms, to people, to horses, to money, jewels and books. I’ve burned buildings and sabotaged armies. My existence is, technically, illegal so I may as well have some fun.

OK then. But, do you have a moral code?

It’s more of an amoral code. I am loyal to a fault, and I would never betray those I care for – but as I said I am an assassin, a thief, I’ve been a whore, a blackmailer...

Do I only kill ‘bad’ people? That is a relative term. I don’t kill just on a whim – and I’m careful about it – most of the people are a danger to us, and what we fight for. Or have done something wicked... but not all. Good and bad are such...woolly terms. And it depends which side you come in from.

That's a valid point. So, I think I know the answer to this, but would you kill for those you love?

I do and I have.

I thought as much. But, tell me, would you die for those you love?

Without a doubt.

Good for you, though I hope it never comes to that. Anyway, out of curiosity, how do you think others see you?

That depends on if they meet Olek or the Shadowdancer.

Yes... I imagine that's too true. So, Olek, how do you define ‘heroism?'

Someone who does what must be done no matter the personal cost. One who will fight when others can’t and who will

That's a good definition. By the way, do you believe in god(s)?

Only a fool doesn’t believe in the gods in a world of magic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not devout, but in a life such as mine it does no harm to nod to the gods now and then.

That's a fair answer. Out of curiosity, if you could have three wishes what would they be?

The first would be that the land of Erana could be free from the tyranny of the Order of Witch-Hunters; the second would be some dragon scale armour – Drakescale is good but dragonscale – now that’s legendary; three – a child perhaps. Although I doubt, I’m a very good role model.

You're probably right on that last point. Still, a child changes people as if by magic sometimes, perhaps that would happen to you. Assuming you believe in magic... Do you believe in magic?

I’m an adept, I live in the house of a sorcerer lord. You take a guess.

I'll take that as a yes. Anyway, Olek, thanks for stopping by today.

***~~~***

Books in which this character appears:

The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles – Book I
The Shining Citadel – The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles – Book II

***~~~***

About the author:
British-born A. L. Butcher is an avid reader and creator of worlds, a poet, and a dreamer, a lover of science, natural history, history, and monkeys. Her prose has been described as ‘dark and gritty’ and her poetry as ‘evocative’. She writes with a sure and sometimes erotic sensibility of things that might have been, never were, but could be.

Alex is the author of the Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles and the Tales of Erana lyrical fantasy series. She also has several short stories in the fantasy, fantasy romance genres with occasional forays into gothic style horror, including the Legacy of the Mask series. With a background in politics, classical studies, ancient history and myth, her affinities bring an eclectic and unique flavour in her work, mixing reality and dream in alchemical proportions that bring her characters and worlds to life.

She also curates speculative fiction themed book bundles on BundleRabbit.

Her short novella Outside the Walls, co-written with Diana L. Wicker received a Chill with a Book Reader’s Award in 2017 and The Kitchen Imps won best fantasy for 2018 on NN Light Book Heaven.

Alex is also proud to be a writer for Perseid Press where her work features in Heroika: Dragon Eaters; and Lovers in Hell – part of the acclaimed Heroes in Hell series.

Social Media links
Website http://www.libraryoferana.co.uk/books.html
Blog https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/about-a-l-butcher-fantasy-author-poet-author-promotion/
Amazon Author Page http://amzn.to/2hK33OM
Smashwords Author Page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ALB123
Facebook Author Page https://www.facebook.com/LightBeyondtheStorm/
Indiebound Author Page https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=author%3AButcher%2C%20A.%20L
Twitter http://bit.ly/Twi2hJZ3h9
Goodreads http://bit.ly/GR2iqokvK
Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-butcher-8342ab13b/
Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/blog/libraryoferana
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/abmonkey/

***~~~***

$20 Amazon 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Friends Of #FurkidFriday: The Fondant Siamese Cat

Hi everyone. This is Lilie the Westie.

We invited some of our furry friends to come introduce themselves on here. But something weird happened, and now I have a strange new friend for you to meet today. At first I thought it was a tasty snack. But then it started talking, which is how I realized it was a friend instead. Lucky I realized that in time, because Mummy says you mustn’t eat friends, no matter what they smell like.

Anyway, I’m sorry for almost mistaking you for a snack, new friend. But, tell me, who, or what, are you

Meeeooow! I am the fondant Siamese cat. Sir Chocolate created me in his Chocolatier and the Fruitdrop Fairies gave me life with their magic powder sugar. Sir Chocolate and I are good friends and I sometimes visit him and the other animals at the Chocolate Land Zoo.

When I met Sir Chocolate in the wood one day and he asked for my help to rescue the Fondant Five animals who had been kidnapped by the Wedding Cake Elves, I was delighted to be of service to him. I played an important role in rescuing the lion, the elephant, the rhino, the leopard and the buffalo and I am proud of that. Of course, Sir Chocolate formulated the rescue plan and the fondant giraffe and the fondant monkey also helped. We worked as a team to use our individual talents and physical features to help with the rescue. I have always been a loner and it was fun to work in a team to such good effect.

WOW! That’s amazing. I did wonder how food was talking. No offence. Also, it’s great you all worked together like that. So, what sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with?

I live in the wood in Chocolate Land which is between the village of Chocolateville, where the zoo is and where Sir Chocolate and Lady Sweet live, and the Chocolate Chip Hills where the Wedding Cake Elves live. The elves work for the Chocolate Giant making beautiful wedding cakes for clients.

I live with the Marzipan Witch and her housekeeper, a grey cat called Sleepy. I am very happy living with them and love to hear about their adventures making the world a better place to live. You can download a free story about how the Marzipan Witch helped the golden swan here: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/free-story-the-marzipan-witch-and-the-golden-swan/. The story also comes with a free recipe to make a delicious apple pie.

Sounds like you live in a wonderful place, and share it with interesting friends. Also, I hope those reading this will take a look at your story. Once they’re done reading this post, of course. I know Mummy will, because reading is one of her most favourite things to do. Speaking of which, what’s your favourite thing to do?

Sleepy, the Marzipan Witch and I like to find ways of doing good deeds that help other creatures in Chocolate Land live happier lives. Some of our good deeds have been to help the squirrels collect their winter seeds and tending the tiny roses that grow in the woods and helping them grow in the right places so everyone can enjoy their beauty during the summer months. The Marzipan Witch has an amazing spell which she uses to help creatures that are lonely and sad or feel misunderstood.

Oh, that’s lovely! You’re such a sweet kitty. Not just because you’re made of sugary tasty smelling stuff either. Erm.... Sorry. I’m a bit of a food fan. In fact, I was just thinking about how eating is one of my favourite things to do. Sorry. Couldn’t help it. Anyway, another thing I love to do is play with my humans and the toys they provide me with. Do fondant cats play? If yes, do you have a favourite toy? If so, what is it?

Sleepy and I don’t really play like other cats do. We both help the Marzipan Witch to look after our home and do the housework. We both like to bake and cook. I often visit Lady Sweet and help her make her delicious buttermilk rusks. She has kindly shared her secret recipe in Sir Chocolate and the Fondant Five story and cookbook. I also help Sir Chocolate make big pots of custard to feed the animals in the zoo. Custard is one of their favourite foods. Sleepy’s favourite recipe to make is the apple pie you can find in our free story book The Marzipan Witch and the Golden Swan story book.

Yum! Baking is a great choice. Speaking of food... I hope you won’t be upset by my asking this, but I wasn’t too sure how things worked with fondant cats eating. I take it you do, judging by what you said just now? If so, what do you eat, and do you have a favourite food?

Sleepy and I both love our food. We eat the foods we enjoy cooking and baking. We also both like to chase and catch the sugar mice that Sir Chocolate makes. We don’t eat them, as they are friends, but we do like to play with them. Sometimes I tease them a bit and stand on their tails so they can’t run away. I am a Siamese cat you know, and I have a bit of a mean streak sometimes. Sir Chocolate modelled me from his favourite film called Lady and the Tramp. This film has a song dedicated to Siamese cats and this is it:

Yes. You mustn’t eat friends. Mummy says that’s very important to remember, whether you’re a cat, a dog, or anything else. I’m a terrier, so I understand about the wanting to chase rodents. I’m not allowed to chase the ones that live with us though. Oh, and that’s a great movie and song. Mummy loves that one too.

OK, before we end this, is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

I am a very lucky cat to live in Chocolate Land, a happy place where you can eat everything, even the houses and the trees. I enjoy visiting Sir Chocolate and hearing about his amazing adventures all of which are written in the Sir Chocolate books series which is available from TSL Publications and from Amazon. We have a website where we share lovely recipes and step-by-step instructions on how to make all sorts of fondant figurines. You can follow this link to find our website: https://bakeandwrite.co.za/.

The world you live in sounds very fun and tasty. Although, I wouldn’t be allowed to eat a lot of it. Even the bits that aren’t friends so off limits. Mummy says dogs aren’t allowed a lot of that stuff. Especially the chocolate. I’ve got a rawhide bone around here somewhere though...

***~~~***

Author bio, links, etc:

Robbie, short for Roberta, is an author with five published children’s picture books in the Sir Chocolate books series for children aged 2 to 9 years old (co-authored with her son, Michael Cheadle), one published middle grade book in the Silly Willy series and one published preteen/young adult fictionalised biography about her mother’s life as a young girl growing up in an English town in Suffolk during World War II called While the Bombs Fell (co-authored with her mother, Elsie Hancy Eaton). All of Robbie’s children’s book are written under Robbie Cheadle and are published by TSL Publications.

Robbie has recently branched into adult horror and supernatural writing and, in order to clearly differential her children’s books from her adult writing, these will be published under Roberta Eaton Cheadle. Robbie has two short stories in the horror/supernatural genre included in Dark Visions, a collection of 34 short stories by 27 different authors and edited by award winning author, Dan Alatorre. These short stories are published under Robbie Cheadle.

Robbie has also recently published a poetry collection, Open a new door, together with fellow South African poet, Kim Blades.

Sir Chocolate and the Fondant Five story and cookbook

Five zoo animals go missing and Sir Chocolate needs to find them.
Includes five lovely new recipes.

***~~~***

I hope you enjoyed getting to meet the Fondant Siamese cat, and learning more about her and her human, Robbie.

If you’d like to be a friend of Furkid Friday too, check out the “Friends Of Furkid Friday” page to find out how. You might also want to go check out that page to read about other friends the squeaky things and I have had come for a visit.

Lots of licks,
Lilie

#WriterWednesday - March 13th 2019

Make yourself comfortable, because I've been very productive this past week. Not with writing - despite my story's pleas for me to come spend time with it - but with sorting that huge stack of eMails and post notifications that were waiting for me to deal with them. This means I have quite a few posts and articles to share with you today. I'm proud of me for managing to get caught up. I gave myself March to do that, and actually managed to do it before we got half way through the month. And, yes, I did step away from the computer when I started to hurt, and rest when I needed to. I do feel a bit guilty for ignoring my writing in favour of dealing with everything else, but it was a concious decission, and I am glad I did it the way I did, especially since it's easier to get back in to reading something if you have to stop than it is to get back in to the flow of writing something. Now I'm able to sit at the computer comfortably for longer, and have caught up on things, perhaps I can get some writing done?

It's normal to feel a bit guilty when you don't get your writing time in though. I mean, every writer feels guilty sometimes when they don't write. If you're feeling that way right now too, here's how to deal with it. You're not alone! Besides, there is a time to write, and a time to not write. For example, sometimes your plan to just write on the plane (or whatever your backup plan was) can't work out for a valid reason. If that's the case, figure out why, and see what you can do for the future. But don't waste time feeling guilty about it. I'll try not to waste time feeling guilty too.

Have you forgotten to have fun writing? Then make it fun again!

Do you ever feel like you're not making any progress at all? Yeah, me too sometimes. But look at what you've achieved, and break what you still need to get done in to smaller chunks. It helps. Really. It does. Honest. Baby steps really is the way to get big projects done, and helps with solving the 'focussing problem' most writers don't realize they have.

By the way, are you overthinking everything you try writing? Just stop it. Yeah, I know that's easier said than done. But figure out how to do it anyhow. After all, it's one of the reasons why so many beginning writers never become successful - though not the only reason, of course. Having said that, here's why you should give yourself permission to quit, if you find writing really isn't what you want to be doing any more.

If it's not that you want to quit, but that you're just afraid of failing, here's how to write something knowing you might fail. Also, read this right now if you have no idea what you're doing.

Oh, and if you're worried you have nothing new and unique to say, don't be. Just find your own way to say it, even if others have said it already. Don't let that be your reason to quit. Just keep writing whatever it is you love to write.

So, let's assume you do want to keep writing. With that in mind, you're going to want to define success for you - the post I just linked to explains why. Also, here's the biggest change that must happen when you become a 'serious' writer, and some tips for being an effective writer, for you to bear in mind if your definition of success is more than just writing for yourself whenever you feel like it.

If your goal is to become a freelance writer, check out this ultimate answer sheet for advice on how to go about it, and answers to questions you might have.

Not having much luck getting freelance work, or making writing pay your bills some other way? Well, would it really be so bad if writing never became your day job? Short answer: no.

On the other hand, if you do manage to write for a living, here are some tips for the work-at-home author, which you might find useful.

Next, here's a post full of tips on how to establish a writing routine, one on developing a writing practice, another that asks how often you unplug, one that reminds you of the importance of scheduling your downtime and writing time, and another that talks about your priorities. These will come in handy when I'm working on establishing a new routine after a bit more recovery time. Or, more accurately, attempting to. I never have been great with routines. I plan to try a few things though. I'll figure out what works for me eventually.

On a similar note to the previous articles: please remember that sitting at your desk all day, while potentially great for productivity, is bad for your health in the longterm. I mean, look at what sitting too long is doing to your body. Not good, is it? So, remember to take care of yourself while working on your writing. To help you with that, here are some self care tips for writers. So, how's your writing going? Have you been remembering to take care of your health while working on it?

Are you distracted by your phone or other things all the time? Or are you good at staying off the phone and social media when it's meant to be your writing time, and only going online when you're not meant to be writing?

Regardless of how much time you spend online, if you're an author, you need to consider your online presence, and these mistakes to avoid.

Oh, and... Yes. blogs are still relevant in 2019 - just in case you were wondering.

Does showing people what you write ever stop being scary? Short answer: not really. I've published several thousand blog posts, and more than 50 books, and I still get that quivery butterfly feeling when I hit, "Publish," on anything. Probably always will.

No matter how you feel when it comes time to share your work, or even if you share it at all, what do you write?

Do you write short stories? Or, perhaps, you're thinking about doing so? If either of those applies to you, you might want to check out this series of posts on writing short stories for some tips.

Or maybe it's poetry you want to start writing? If so, here's how to start writing poetry.

Alternatively, if you write the kinds of fantasy stories where you're going to need an army in your tale, here's a post that talks about the popular tools of the trade for fantasy armies, another with tips to creating a fantasy army, and another that talks about using military casters.

Whether you write fantasy, adventure, or some other genre, if your characters have to make a journey, here are some tips for when a story hits the road, so you can make sure your characters are prepared for their journey, and that you know where they're going, and why.

Speaking of your characters: have you ever written anything using a decoy/false protagonist? Would you ever do it? As a reader, what do you think of the idea?

In reality, even the best of friends will argue sometimes. With that being the case, it's only natural you'll sometimes have a situation crop up when friends fight in fiction.

No matter who's in your story, or how well they get along, you're going to want to promote your book at some point. So, are character interviews worth the effort? I think so. I also think they're fun to do, and have done several myself.

Speaking of marketing: consider those times when free isn't really free, and word things correctly. We already know books on Kindle Unlimited are free to subscribers, so do everyone a favour and only mention the word "free" in your advert or post if you really mean it. If it's only free to subscribers, or to those who sign up for something, make sure you make that clear from the start.

By the way, have you heard of using your magic garden to tie your stories together? I hadn't either. It's an interesting idea though, don't you think? Could be fun. Mind you, you could say I've done something like it without realizing, because of the use of my pets in many of my stories - both stand alone and series - and poems, especially the degu books, where I've conciously used my degus for all four of them, even though only two of them belong to the series, and one of the stand alone stories isn't so obviously about my own degus (I make it clear that Buddy from "How To Trust Your Human" is Joshua, but don't make it so obvious that Oscar from "Degu's Day Out" is Jasper, because it's not so important for you to know that).

Anyway, no matter what you write, and whether it's part of your own magic garden or not, if you're feeling a little sour about the writing process right now, check out this post on turning a lemon in to a book.

Next, here's an interesting mini series. It talks about how stories go through phases just like matter, considering the solid foundation, the flowing liquid of plot, and the churning gas of ideas. Being the kind of person who likes to exercise both sides of her brain, I enjoyed this combining of the creativity of writing with scientific thinking. I hope you do too.

Last, but certainly not least, always remember that not everyone will like your story, but that doesn't mean it's a bad story. People have different tastes, and that's OK.

#WriterWednesday - November 14th 2018

We're already basically half way throughNovember. Can you believe that? Where is this year going? Ready or not, December will be here soon, which means Christmas is coming up fast!

Speaking of Christmas: my book, "Ulrike's Christmas" was featured in this post in Sally's Cafe And Bookstore, along with some other fantastic books that might make suitable gifts for the children on your gift list this year.

Anyway, in case you missed Lilie's post from Friday: "Where's Noodles?" is now available in audio. The narrator is Judith Bareham, who you can learn more about in this narrator interview. Lilie did an interview this past weekend too, which you can read here. All three of the posts I just linked to provide a variety of purchase links for all available formats. Here's where to buy the book on Audible though. Oh, and here's a story snippet, which I posted on Sunday - in case you didn't see that, and would like to read it.

Speaking of audio book production: if you know the narrator you'd like to work with, you can now speed up your audio book production with direct offer, which is a new feature ACX has added.

I managed to do a bit of writing, but if I was doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) I would currently be failing, since I've only written a few hundred words so far this month. Hey, it's better than nothing though, right? After all, any progress is good progress, whether you're participating in NaNoWriMo or not.

If you're a writer too, how is your writing going? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? If so, how are you doing? Are you on schedule? If not, that's OK. Yes, it is. In fact, here's why it's OK to fail NaNoWriMo.

Regardless of whether or not you're participating in NaNoWriMo, if you don't feel the same way, and want to increase your writing output, here are four foolproof methods to increase productivity.

No matter how fast you write, are you worried your story isn't original enough? Well, don't! we're all basically writing the same things at the same time. The trick is to make them your own, which you can only do by writing. So, just write, and enjoy the process.

Don't think you can write, because you have writers' block? Well, this is what causes writers' block, and why you should just sit down and write anyway. I get it. There's nothing more frustrating for a writer than feeling too tired to write. But sometimes you just have to do it anyway.

Yeah, I know there is a problem with 'just write anyway' being the go to advice. Sometimes you really can't. I get that too. I've been there most of this year. It's up to you to figure out if you really have a genuine reason why you can't write right now, or if you're making excuses because there are other things you'd like to do. If you can though, you really should try to get that writing in. Even if it's just a few minutes a day. That way you can feel the positive effects of writing every day.

Oh, and here's a post for when people say you work too much. Although, sometimes you really do need to listen to those people. In fact, here's why you need a 'nope day'.

Anyway, let's assume you're writing, regardless of when, or how long for. So... Here's what you need to remember when writing the beginning of your story.

Speaking of beginnings: here are four steps to starting your novel.

Are you writing a gory story? Then check out these blood-oozing tips to including gore in a story.

No matter the kind of story you're writing though, check out these tips for making a scene pop.

By the way, most people will never tell you how your writing makes them feel, and that's OK. Though it's nice if they do, you don't need them to. We authors do love feedback though, so if you want to tell an author how what they wrote makes you feel, go for it.

Speaking of giving feedback: this is how to give feedback to anyone, which will be especially helpful for those times when the feedback you need to give isn't exactly positive.

Finally, if you're looking at your 2018 goal list, and thinking how much you still need to achieve if you're going to meet your goals before the end of the year, here are some tips for sailing in to the end of the year.

#WriterWednesday - August 29th 2018

(Cover art by Jacob Blackmon, banner creation by Barbara G. Tarn).

In case you missed yesterday's post: my entire "Zeena Dragon Fae" series is now available in audio from Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. The narrator is Ella Lynch, who was a delight to work with, and who you can learn more about in her narrator interview on Alex's blog. Links for all formats can be found in both my post from yesterday and Ella's interview post. Alternatively, you can use these fancy universal book links, and just click on the book title to find the book at your favourite retailer: Zeena And The Dryad, Zeena And The Gryphon, Zeena And The Mermaid, and Zeena And The Phoenix.

Also, Enid The Spirit Fairy from my "Zeena Dragon Fae" books was interviewed over on Barb's blog on Sunday (August 26th 2018). You can read her interview here.

In other news, I was over on Sally's blog this past Saturday (August 25th). I was one of the brunch guests, as part of her end of Summer party. If you have a few moments, why not pop over there and meet her other guests. Also, you can check out the song requests that didn't make it in to the brunch post, including my own musical request.

I'm glad I set things up for those posts before ending up in hospital, and didn't have to sort them at the last minute after getting home. This is one benifit of my habit of making sure things are scheduled ahead of time whenever possible. You wouldn't even have had posts on this blog last week if I hadn't scheduled them already, because I wasn't feeling up to doing much last week, including sorting blog posts and eMails, or doing writing of any sort. I managed to sort enough eMails to avoid my inbox getting even worse than it was, and wrote the post for Sunday. But that was about all I managed, and I almost didn't even do that much. It was this past Monday (August 27th) before I felt up to doing anything more than that, which is lucky, or you wouldn't have today's post, since only Monday and Friday already had something scheduled for this week.

Speaking of which: sometimes you just don't feel like writing, and that's OK. But should you only write when you feel like it? Probably not. If you've got a good reason not to be writing as much as you'd planned to - health issues, family or work commitments, etc - that's fair enough. But constantly putting off writing because you just don't feel like it will make it impossible to reach any of your writing goals. Taking writing breaks is fair enough, and can often be a good idea, especially if you're dealing with a lot of life stuff, such as hospital trips. Sometimes you have to write when you don't feel like it though. At least, you do if you want to get anywhere with your writing.

So, we all agree you need to write. But which point of view will you write from? If you're thinking of writing in first person, and looking for some tips for doing so, check out this post on how to make writing in first person easier.

Hey, what's going on with CreateSpace and KDP Print? Well, it sounds to me like KDP Print is taking over. I'm sticking with CreateSpace for now myself, partially because I don't want to deal with moving 53 titles from one to the other right now. Yes, 53, since the proof for "Where's Noodles?" is currently on its way to me. I think I'll probably end up with no choice eventually. But right now I don't have to, and could do without making more work for myself when it can be avoided. Though how much longer I'll be able to avoid it is unclear, since I think it's going to happen soon. More on this as I know more myself.

#WriterWednesday - March 14th 2018

The eBook version of "Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes" is now available, as you no doubt figured out from last week's post. The proof for the paperback version is on its way to me, so it shouldn't be too long before the paperback edition is also available. It will take a bit longer for the audio version though.

You know... I'm very familiar with the sense of creative urgency non-writers just can't understand, but lucky that the people I have the most to do with just accept it as being part of who I am. If you're a writer too, I hope you have people in your life who are as willing to accept it, even if they just can't understand.

Either way, if you're working on a story of your own, and worried it's too similar to the plot of something that inspired it, you may like to take a look at this post on how to make an old plot new.

Have you heard the term Noblebright Fantasy before? Don't worry if you hadn't. I hadn't until I read the post I just linked to. I like it though.

Regardless of the way you want to catagorize your story, here are some word count guidelines to help you figure out the generally accepted word count for your story's type, age range, and genre - worth knowing, even if you don't plan to stick to those guidelines.

Regardless of what you write, or how long it is, here's a post that discusses some of the most common plot holes and pot holes, and gives some advice on how to fix/avoid them.

Alternatively, if you write poetry, here's a post you may find interesting that talks about making music with words.

By the way, if you're an author who uses social media - as so many people do these days - here's a post that asks the question, "How many accounts is too many?" Personally, I have my website and blog, and I'm on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ - just in case you were wondering.

No matter where you can be found online, if you're going through some kind of life change right now, here are some tips for writing during a life change, which you may find helpful. You should also remember that you can't do everything, especially not all the time. Go easy on yourself.

Oh, and stop searching for an easy way through... There isn't one. So, how do you know if you’re writing your best work when there’s no one around to critique it? The post I just linked to gives some insight in to that question.

Last, but certainly not least, if you're an author with a book you want to promote, you should give your characters some time in the spotlight by taking advantage of this open invitation. Character interviews are fun to do, and Lisa's posts are generally pretty popular, so it really is an opportunity not to be missed.

When Zeena Met Fizzle

Zeena lay back against the trunk of the tree, her amethyst scales glittering like jewels in the shaft of sunlight that shone down on her from a gap in the tree’s leafy canopy.  Glancing at the apple held in one front claw, the faerie dragon licked her lips as she anticipated the sweet and refreshing snack she was about to enjoy.  Then she tossed the apple in to the air, preparing to catch it in her open jaws.

However, the apple’s journey from her claw to her mouth was never completed, as something invisible came out of nowhere and caught the apple in mid-air.

“Saarik? Is that you?” Zeena asked, squinting in the direction her apple had gone, as though she could see through the invisibility cloaking the creature to the pixie she was sure had just stolen her snack.  “Show yourself.”

But as soon as the creature revealed itself, the faerie dragon knew she’d been mistaken about the identity of the apple thief.

Fizzle wiped his mouth on a leaf as the purple-scaled drite gazed around the unfamiliar surroundings. The crimson dragonfly wings on his back repeatedly fluttered to help him balance on the thin branch. At the sight of the other dragon, he cocked his head to the side and let out a puff of rainbow smoke from his nostrils. The other creature looked like a drite, but there was something different about her that he could not put his finger on.

“Sorry about apple. Fizzle got hungry,” he said, scratching his head with his long tail. “Fizzle lost. Followed friends to big battle. Big things attack and make mess. Fizzle need find friends. Almost drite see friends? One girl with blue hair. Other big man. Another girl smell like magic. Fizzle hope they okay.”

“Oh, you are a drite, not a pixie,” Zeena observed.  “It is fine about the apple.  I thought you were my friend up to mischief.”  She paused then as the words of the other form of dragon fae registered.  “Big battle?” She asked, her eyes widening with alarm.

“Yup . . . Though not here,” Fizzle explained, the strange scents warning him the he was not in his world. He darted above the canopy and went limp to fall back into the trees. “This not Windemere forest. You safe. Fizzle and friends travel long to beat bad man. Many tests and fights. Now, we ready to face bad man. He win then world his. Fizzle and friends win then he die. People already go mad. Not good.”

“That sounds terrible,” Zeena said, despite her relief that her world was safe from the battle of which the drite spoke.  “Tell me more about these friends of yours.  If it is easier for you, you can do so in draconic.  I assume you speak it?”

“Fizzle can speak. Never sure if others know,” the purple-scaled drite admitted as his cheeks turned a little red. He cleared his throat until his voice was much deeper and gruff. “I am traveling with six people who are fairly easy to spot. Aside from those who physically stand out like Timoran with his barbarian height and Dariana with her silver hair, they are not very good at keeping a low profile. If it is not Sari starting a party or Luke getting into trouble then Nyx causes a scene with her temper. She has improved a lot since I first met her, which is good considering the amount of magic that she wields. The one you might miss is Delvin, who you might mistake for a knight and tends to be the most low key of the champions. He does have an enticing scent for anyone with a magical sensitivity. Considering you are asking for a description, I assume they have not come through here.”

“I am afraid not,” Zeena replied, also in Draconic, ignoring the drite’s embarrassment and shaking her head regretfully.  “As you say, I would remember such a group.”  Frowning slightly, the faerie dragon gave the drite a quizzical look.  “They must be really special for you to be so keen to find them.  No offence, but I was under the impression that a drite was more like a pixie in attention span, and unlikely to stick with someone for long unless something forged a strong bond between them.”

“Fizzle know rumor. Not all true,” he replied, returning to Tradespeak out of habit. “Drites not big on wandering. Some get curious. Yet, we stay with forest. Fizzle protect Visindor for long time. When meet Luke, Fizzle see he needed. Fizzle have friend. Friend save forest and world. So, Fizzle help friend. Simple as that.”

“I see,” Zeena replied, also reverting back to the more commonly used Tradespeak.  “Well, if you are going to find your friends in time to join that battle you mentioned, you should probably get back to looking for them,” she suggested.  “There is an apple tree over there if you would like to grab another apple to keep you going until you do,” the faerie dragon added as an afterthought, pointing in the direction of the tree in question.

“Thank you,” Fizzle said before he darted to the tree and returned with an apple in each claw. Still feeling bad about the one he stole, the drite placed one on the branch. “Fizzle hope you have good day. If hear battle, stay safe. Fizzle no know if danger spread. Bye-bye.”

Author Bio & Social Media

Charles E. Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you, and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.

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All cover art done by JASON PEDERSEN

Buy Warlord of the Forgotten Age on Amazon.

Need to catch up? Catch the rest of the LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE on Amazon!

#Writing Wednesday - The Kero's World Post Round-Up - #KidLit #Pets

Not only were there some posts last week on my own blog about my "Kero's World" series to celebrate the fact they're now available as audiobooks, but several wonderful bloggers - many of them authors themselves - have taken the time to post stuff for me on their own blogs recently. When I sent the posts to each person, I tried to make them different enough that you can take a little something new away from each post. So, if you missed any of them, you might want to check them out. With that in mind, here's a round-up of the posts:

Posts from my blog:
#KidLit #Books - The Kero's World Series By @VictoriaZigler Now In #Audio! Plus A #Giveaway!
#KidLit #Pets - Kero The #Westie
#Writing Wednesday - A Kero's World Teaser - #KidLit #Pets

Posts from around the web:
Sunday Surprise: An Interview With Kero
Kero Audio Promo
Kero’s World by Victoria Zigler Now in Audiobook
Series Spotlight – The Kero’s World Series
Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update – Victoria Zigler, V.L. McBeath and Sacha de Black
KERO, The West Highland White Terrier – Guest Post by, Victoria (Tori) Zigler
Victoria Zigler – Kero Audiobook Promo!
Guest author: Victoria Zigler – Kero’s World
Kero’s World – now in audio book

Thank you to those wonderful bloggers who gave me a spot on their blogs, as well as to those people who took the time to share any of the posts that appeared on either my own blog or someone else's blog.

#Writing Wednesday - The Degu Book Post Round-Up - #KidLit #Pets #Degus

Not only were there some posts over the past two weeks on my own blog about my degu books, but several wonderful bloggers - many of them authors themselves - have taken the time to post stuff for me on their own blogs. When I sent the posts to each person, I tried to make them different enough that you can take a little something new away from each post. So, if you missed any of them, you might want to check them out. With that in mind, here's a round-up of the posts:

Posts from my blog:
#KidLit #Books - The Degu Days Duo By @VictoriaZigler Now In #Audio! Plus A #Giveaway!
#KidLit #Book - Degu's Day Out By @VictoriaZigler NowIn #Audio!
#Writing Wednesday - A Degu Days Duo Teaser - #KidLit #Pets
#KidLit #Pets - The #Degu "J" Gang
#KidLit #Book - How To Trust Your Human By @VictoriaZigler Now In #Audio!
Meet The #Narrator: James Watkins
#Writing Wednesday - A How To Trust Your Human Teaser - #KidLit #Pets
#Furkid Friday: Joshua's Thoughts On The #Degu #Books Now Being In #Audio

Posts from around the web:
Now In Audio – The Degu Books
Sunday Surprise: Jenks The Degu's Interview
Narrator Interview – James Watkins
Introducing Author Victoria Zigler’s New Books!
New Release – ‘Degu’s Day Out’ by, Victoria Zigler
Degu Days by Victoria Zigler- Now in Audio Book
Guest author: Victoria Zigler – The Degu Books
Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update – Victoria Zigler, Angid Dokos and Rebekkah Ford
How to Trust Your Human, on #LisaBurtonRadio

Thank you to those wonderful bloggers who gave me a spot on their blogs, as well as to those people who took the time to share any of the posts that appeared on either my own blog or someone else's blog.

#Writing Wednesday - The Toby's Tales Post Round-Up - #KidLit #SightLoss #Blindness

Not only were there several posts in this past week or so on my own blog about my "Toby's Tales" series, but some wonderful bloggers - many of them authors themselves - have taken the time to post stuff for me on their own blogs. When I sent the posts to each person, I tried to make them different enough that you can take a little something new away from each post. So, if you missed any of them, you might want to check them out. With that in mind, here's a round-up of the posts.

Posts from my blog:
#KidLit #Books - The Toby's Tales Series By @VictoriaZigler Now In #Audio! Plus A #Giveaway! #Blindness #SightLoss (LBE)
Meet The #Narrator: Joseph A. Batzel
#Writing Wednesday - A Toby's Tales Teaser - #KidLit
#KidLit #Pets - Toby's #Dog, Max. Plus A #Giveaway!
Interacting With #Blind People, And Busting #Blindness Myths

Posts from around the web:
Narrator Interview – Joseph Batzel
Launch of audio versions of “Toby’s Tales” by Victoria (Tori) Zigler
Sunday Surprise: Toby's character interview
Guest author: Victoria Zigler – Listen to Toby’s Tales
Toby's Tales
Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update – D.Wallace Peach, Mary Smith and Victoria Zigler
Introducing Victoria Zigler and her new children’s books!
Toby’s Tales by Victoria Zigler: Now in Audio Book
Toby’s World – Guest Post by, Victoria (Tori) Zigler

Thank you to those wonderful bloggers who gave me a spot on their blogs, as well as to those people who took the time to share any of the posts that appeared on either my own blog or someone else's blog, or who do so after reading this.

#Writing Wednesday - August 30th 2017

My pirate themed adventure story is glaring at me with such intensity that I can see the accusation in the stare even without sight. Mind you, just the fact something without physical substance, let alone eyes, is able to glare is impressive in itself. Regardless, I see the accusation in the stare, and hear the claims of neglect. I’m trying to offer it reassurances that it’s not being neglected, and it will get the attention it deserves soon. I don’t think I’m doing a very good job of convincing it though, since I’ve done very little with it over the past couple of months.

What I have done though is to get the various guest posts, character interviews, and other promotional posts - including those for my own blog - for the blog tours I'm doing for promotion of each of my five series, as close to being ready to go live as I can without the purchase links for the audio editions of the books. I also need some stuff from the narrators to go in most of them, but my part of writing them is done. All I need to work on now is a couple of character interviews that are being done slightly differently so require me to wait for someone else, and gathering the audiobook purchase links as they become available so I can add them to the posts. Oh, and there's getting the stuff from the rest of the narrators and adding those to the posts too.

I've also been working on the production notes ready for doing the audio editions of the rest of my backlist of books, including my poetry books, and gathering all the eBook and paperback purchase links together for them all (since I plan to include those in the posts, along with the audiobook links, as I'm doing with the posts for the series books). All of the audiobook production notes are ready now; I finished sorting those out over the weekend. So I'll be able to start setting them up for production when I'm ready to. I'm obviously not about to set them all up at once, but I wanted the notes and lists of links ready now so there's a little less work to do when I'm setting them up. While I wait to set those projects up, I can think about how I'm going to approach promotion for those titles without making people sick of hearing my name. I'm considering just doing basic announcements on my own blog for those, so as to not take advantage of those people helping with promotion so much that everyone gets sick of me. Maybe I'll just post for each on my blog, and then do some kind of post to say all my stuff is now in audio afterwards? Mind you, maybe people will get the hint that I'm making my backlist available in audio with the five sets of posts already going up? Anyone out there have any thoughts on the matter? Input would be very much appreciated.

Either way, now those tasks are all done, it frees up a bit more time for me to give that story the attention it's demanding. I can work on it while waiting for audio samples to listen to, audiobook links becoming available, etc. I think my plan of having it completely ready to be published before the end of the year isn't going to happen though. I mean, I could get it done, but I feel like it's a long way from being finished, and I don't want to rush it. Maybe that's a good thing though, since it gives me time to catch up on audiobook production before having a brand new book to announce. Actually, I might hold off on publishing it until next year even if it is ready before then, just so I can focus on promoting the old titles as they become available as audiobooks. Besides, it would probably get lost among the announcements of audio versions of older titles otherwise.

Anyway, if you're a writer too - and regardless of what stage your own writing is at - here's a great article on how to survive and thrive in the writer's discomfort zone.

Finally, check out this excellent post on how to write a book.

#Writing Wednesday - February 22nd 2017

In case you missed my posts for Saturday and Tuesday...

Saarik the pixie was interviewed on Lisa Burton Radio. You can click here to read Saarik's interview.

Also, I was interviewed on Coffee With Architects Of Worlds Afar, and you can click here to read my interview.

***

Are you a writer too? Or, perhaps, you just want to be one? Regardless of which applies to you, here's a fun little post on writing a first draft - what it's really like.

No matter what stage you're at in your current writing project, here are seven tips to putting vehicles in fiction, in case your characters want to use more than just their own feet - or wings, or whatever - to get around.

Last, but certainly not least, make sure you're writing with a purpose... Regardless of what that purpose might be.

#Character #Interview: Saarik On Lisa Burton Radio

Saarik the pixie, from my four book "Zeena Dragon Fae" series, was interviewed by Lisa the robot girl, host of Lisa Burton Radio.

Despite the name of the feature, the interview is a text one, done in a manner that suggests it's the text version of a radio interview. Anyway, it was posted last Thursday (February 16th 2017) over on this site.

If you missed seeing the post, and want to check out Saarik's interview, you can click here to read it.

Then, when you're done, why not grab the books, and learn what really happened.

#Writing Wednesday - January 25th 2017

If you're an author, or even if you aren't, but are promoting the books of one, when you post any links to Amazon on your blog or social media sites, please try to make sure you're cleaning up your Amazon links.

Speaking of promotion - in particular authors promoting authors - fantasy author, Alex Butcher, has some new promotional opportunities available, which you may want to check out. Some are free, some cost, all are excellent opportunities for marketing/promotion.

Oh, and, by the way, if you're an author who spends time on social media, you should probably read these five mistakes authors make on social media, and avoid making them yourself. I'm pretty sure I don't do those things... Well, some of them I know for sure I don't do, and others I try not to do, and hope I succeed in avoiding doing them...

But... Anyway...

Why does your protagonist matter? Find out by reading the post I just linked to. Don't forget though... Antagonists are people too! Also, regardless of whether we're talking about your protagonist, your antagonist, or one of the supporting characters, if you need to get to know your characters more, you should check out the ultimate character questionaire, and have them reveal all to you as the questions are answered, so you can improve the reading experience of your fans by adding in some extra details to make your characters feel like real people. Oh, and don't forget your minor characters.

Speaking of all those extra details... Are you an underwriter who needs to flesh out your story? If so, here are the perils of being an underwriter, with some tips on how to expand on your story.

No matter what kind of writer you are though, here's a great post from one of the STORYSTORM gang on titlestorming... Just in case you could use some help coming up with a title for your work in progress.

Hey, are you bookclub ready? If so, great! If not, the post I just linked to contains some ideas for if you want to change that. Also, if you aren't, don't feel bad... I don't have bookclub questions/study guides for any of my books yet either. I may consider changing that at some point, but we'll see. In the meantime, any bookclubs out there can feel free to use this list of generic questions as prompts to discuss any of my books.

By the way, if you made some writing goals at the start of the year, and are already struggling to keep them, you may want to take a look at these tips to help you keep your writing resolutions, and these tips for tackling a new year of challenges
. Also, though I don't want to discourage you, please bear in mind the sweat and tears in writing... It takes work to turn a story idea in to a book fit to be read by others, so be prepared for that if you plan on writing a book.

Finally, if you want to write great fiction, stop using the "logical" side of your brain.