alchemyofscrawl

Love Lost by Tracy Falbe

corruss2012 — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:22:21 +0000

Thank you Alchemyofscrawl for allowing me to reveal the fantasy world in Love Lost with your alphabet soup game.

A is for Alloi. She is a powerful champion of the tabre race of Nufal. The increasingly desperate battle to defend her realm from the rys has forced her take charge of the war. Although she has her rivals among her own kind in check, they are only waiting for her to prevail against their mutual enemies before they move against her and her followers.

L is for Loxane, the Shamaness of the Kelsur Tribe and High Priestess to Onja, the rys Goddess. The strict patriarchy of the tribal kingdoms means nothing to Loxane. Beautiful, mystical, and dangerous, she does what she pleases, loves who she wants, and kills unbelievers.

C is for Cruce. He’s a champion to the people of Nufal. He’s forsaken the religion of his birth to serve Alloi. Blessed with magical weapons and armor, he leads the armies of Nufal. Although yoked by great responsibilities, he is sustained by a dream of winning the peace and enjoying the love of his family.

H is for Hedenar. This remote town of pious settlers on the Nufalese frontier was hit hard in an earlier invasion. The young woman Veta called it home but was forced to lead survivors to the city of Kahtep and live as a refugee.

E is for the Eschalam. This title for the tabre leader of the Drathatarlane Sect replaces the name of the tabre in the position. For millennia, Eschalam after Eschalam has ruled from the sacred city of Drathatarlane where humans may not go.

M is for the monsters unleashed in the final battles. The tabre twist captive humans with vicious mountain predators to create fenthakrabi to aid them against the magically protected hordes of the rys.

Y is yearning for freedom, for peace, for glory, or for the love that cannot be fully returned.

O is for Onja. Proud as the Queen of the rys and empowered by her newly attained divinity over the humans of the tribal kingdoms, she will pursue the outer limits of magic to defeat her enemies. There is no mercy in her heart, and she will exploit the soft temptations of true love.

F is for Founding Tablets, the sacred laws of Kwellstan written in stone. This code serves as the basis for the human legal system of Nufal and inspires them to believe in the superiority of their civilization.

S is for souls because physical death is not the end of danger for the enemies of the rys.

C is for compassion. Its soft power will overcome hate when all is lost.

R is for Rayden, the loyal friend of Cruce who serves at his side and keeps his secrets.

A is for Amar. He is the dreaded Overlord of the Kezanada and the conqueror of the tribal kingdoms. Known as the most favored of the Goddess Onja, he craves the final challenge of defeating Nufal. People whisper of him in fear and call him dro-shalum, meaning curse demon.

W is for why. Why is surrender not an option? Why can’t peace be made?

L is for Love. Love brings bravery. Love inspires hope. Love demands sacrifice.

Love Lost is the final novel of the Rys Rising series by Tracy Falbe. To learn more about her fantasy novels please visit Brave Luck Bookshttp://www.falbepublishing.com/braveluck/love-lost-rys-rising-book-iv.html

You can start the series for free or jump in and join the epic ride for the final unforgettable moments in Love Lost.

Also find Love Lost for Amazon Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009ROFGKY

#bookreview Passage to Mesentia by Dorlana Van

corruss2012 — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 11:25:29 +0000

My Review:
I think two stories are included now because the book cover is different from the one I have. I think there’s even a name change from Lilly to Bella. Really? lol It is a short read and it’s okay. There’s just nothing really original here and the only reason I liked it was because I am a sucker for all things Egyptian. Plus it was a chance to picture Oded Fehr‘s face and voice as Ben. I’ll take any excuse to do that.

Book Blurb:
Passage to Mesentia: Wade and Bella’s lives have been turned upside down since the murder of Bella’s archaeologist parents and the arrival of a mysterious stranger named Ben. They decide to form a partnership with Ben in order to search for an ancient Egyptian artifact that they hope will reveal the secret to her parents’ deaths. Tension mounts when Ben’s supernatural identity and romantically tragic love story begins to lure Bella towards him. Will Wade and Bella’s love endure, or will Bella be drawn in by the dangerous quest and find Ben too intense to rest?

Author Bio:
Dorlana writes supernatural fairy tales, paranormal mysteries, and young adult dark fantasies.

She is the author of 2 fairy tale inspired YA novels (Silverweed & The Princes of Tanlgeforest) 2 supernatural mysteries (Jaclyn’s Ghost, & Passage to Queen Mesentia)and a short story collection, Supernatural Fairy Tales.

She also has one chidren’s book, Ninja vs. Pirates.

Dorlana is currently working on another supernatural fairy tale and a romantic comedy.

The inspirations for her books and short stories are classic fairy tales, the supernatural, the roaring 20s, and ancient Egypt. She’s a long time fan of Anne Rice, has a writer-crush on F. Scott Fitzgerald, and her all time favorite book is The Picture of Dorian Gray. A bit of a foodie, she adores stories that have tie-ins to food (Books: Like Water for Chocolate & Garden Spells – Movies: Julie and Julia & Chocolat my favs)

Stop by her website/blog: www.dorlanavann.me for more info about her and her books.

#bookreview The Humanist Guide to Happiness by Jennifer Hancock

corruss2012 — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 22:06:19 +0000

My Review:
Having my young daughter deciding that she also wanted to follow this path, I thought this book was a great way to talk about this issue with her. It is very clear and concise with wonderful examples. Great, clear introduction to this subject.

Book Blurb:
This is a book that basically says – here are personal ethics, here is why they are important, and here is how you can apply them to your daily life and why doing so will help you live a happier more productive life. Life isn’t easy. It is filled with challenges. How we navigate those challenges determines our success in life. If you want to learn more about how to think more effectively about the choices you make, this book will help.

People who can benefit from this book include:

*Anyone who wants to learn more about Humanism and it’s practical application to daily life
*Teens and Young adults looking for advice on everything from dating to dealing with jerks at work or at school.
*Anyone who is struggling with self-identity issues
*Anyone who is experiencing grief and wants a Humanist perspective on how to cope with it
*People dealing with addiction that are looking for secular advice on how to gain the courage to confront their addiction.
*Anyone who wants easy to understand lessons on how to start practicing Freethought
*And anyone who wants to better understand the benefits of applying critical thinking skills and ethical values to every day problem solving

Author Bio:
Jennifer is a Humanist Life Skills educator. She helps transform people’s lives by teaching people how Humanism can help them in all aspects of their life and how it can help them to be the best most ethical person they can be. Her work focuses on 3 key areas: How to make better decisions through critical thinking. How to improve your relationships through compassion. How to infuse your life with meaning and purpose by prioritizing your ethics. By sharing her pragmatic Humanist approach to living life fully and intentionally, Jennifer has transformed the lives of those who have been touched by her work. By encouraging people be the best, most ethical humans they can be, she consistently challenges people to think about and question who they are, what they are and more importantly, how they want to be. Her work encourages people to rise to the challenge of living fully; embracing both the good and the bad as part of what it means to be alive.

#blogflash2013 Day 11 Running

corruss2012 — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:52:58 +0000

There’s one good chase scene in Sacrifice! Otherwise, I don’t run. I’ve never understood running even when I did it in Track & Field during school. I stopped running as soon as I left Junior High. I like walking but now because of medical issues I can’t even do that for long periods of time. I wanted to do a walking marathon but had to pull out when my foot told me it wasn’t going to happen. Oh well, sitting is good!

#bookreview Homer by Mark Raab

corruss2012 — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:48:14 +0000

My Review:
The dog saves the day in this quick story that pulls at the heart strings much like Marley and Me.

Book Blurb:
Cliff Thompson discovers his puppy, Homer, has a gift. He can talk. A lot. When Beth and 10 year old son Kevin move in down the street, Homer thinks he may have found what he’s been wanting for so long–the love of a child. But Kevin is bitter over his parent’s divorce and takes out his anger on Homer. Then, as Cliff and Beth become close, Cliff suddenly faces losing Homer forever. Your heart will be stolen in this uplifting tale of one man’s journey toward rediscovering life and love, after loss, with a little help from a dog named Homer.

100% of the proceeds from the sale of this book are being donated to One Step Closer Animal Rescue (O.S.C.A.R.) oscaranimalrescue.org. OSCAR is a non-profit, 100% volunteer, animal rescue group. Your purchase helps OSCAR save more lives. Thank you for your support.

Author Bio:
“HOMER” holds a special place in my heart. I wrote this story as a screenplay back when I adopted my first dog; a yellow lab I named Homer. Sadly, I lost Homer in November 2009. I look at this book as my way of paying tribute to Homer. And if the book can be used to help other dogs, that will be his legacy. Homer was a wonderful dog and I miss him very much.

#blogflash2013 Day 10 Time

corruss2012 — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:52:40 +0000

Sacrifice covers a good chunk of time. It starts in late Spring, right before Summer starts then heads into Fall. I had to go over the timeline because I wanted to make sure what was happening could happen. The Summer is really hot and although yes, people are out and about, it’s still difficult to do a lot of things outside. The time it took to write Sacrifice was a year and a couple of months. I started it one NaNoWriMo November (I only get a novel started but never finished) and was still working on it when the next NaNoWriMo came around. It still took me another two months of heavy writing to get it done. This is the longest story I’ve ever written and also even with a well-laid outline there ended up being some major parts re-written to fit the changing plot. For several months I had no idea what the ending would be. Now I’m month deep into the blog tour for the book. I hope to come up for air in April. Whew! Time flies when you’re having fun.

#blogflash2013 Day 9 Spring

corruss2012 — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:41:18 +0000

Sacrifice starts in the spring, right before summer. Spring in the desert means something different. Sandstorms! Sandstorms that blot out the sun! Blowing sand that coats any parts of your body that is exposed. It blows in under the doors, through windows (even if they’re shut), and sends shopping carts racing away from you even haven’t finished taken your groceries out yet. But there are occasional days when the winds are calm and the pleasant temperature and blooming trees can be seen and enjoyed. That’s the best part of Spring in the desert.

#blogflash2013 Day 8 Chocolate

corruss2012 — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:24:35 +0000

There is no chocolate in Sacrifice. What was I thinking? There should always be chocolate. I’ve liked it as far back as I can remember. I don’t like just chocolate though. I like it mixed with caramel or nuts or both or sometimes fruit. I’ve even had it with chili spice and then someone thought to return chocolate to its true nature which is dark chocolate. I LOVE mole which is a spicy chocolate sauce perfect for chicken and rice. Did I at least mention mole in Sacrifice? No? Gawd, epic phail! Oh well, I’ll eat a piece of dark chocolate and get over it.

#bookreview Surviving the Spike by Nader Elhefnawy

corruss2012 — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:48:12 +0000

My Review:
Another strong urban fantasy novel. Futuristic where people are modified and when parents chose to do this to Bonnie, there are, of course, consequences. This was different with a slow build up. In this first part of the series you do get a full back drop of everything that has happened. Although I liked the read, the usual thing to do would be start in the middle of the action and then get flashbacks as to how the protagonist got to where she is. But, the writing and characterization were good and I like the ideas the author is exploring with his story.

Book Blurb:
Just before her eighteenth birthday Roberta Jennings finds out that she was born in an illegal experiment in genetic engineering. In the cover-up that follows, she gets sucked into a warped version of a witness protection program.

Roberta ends up working for a private intelligence firm which immerses her in a world defined by the ambitions of the wealthy and powerful, and the technological pursuit of transcendence. She struggles to get her old life back, but cannot escape the intrigues surrounding her, which culminate in the mystery around a Medieval sword she has been ordered to deliver to an anonymous client – while being pursued by a team of killers determined to stop her.

Author Bio:
Nader Elhefnawy holds a Ph.d in Literature from the University of Miami, and a B.A. in International Relations. He has taught English at several colleges, including the University of Miami where he was a Visiting Assistant Professor in 2007-2008, and has published scholarship in both of the fields in which he holds degrees. Dr. Elhefnawy can be found online at his blog, RARITANIA.

#blogflash2013 Day 7 Nature

corruss2012 — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:51:03 +0000

Nature vs Nurture? Man vs Nature? Nature as an element unto itself that doesn’t really care what we’re doing (because man is an arrogant lot). In Sacrifice I was just happy to try and get the descriptions of this particular place, El Paso/Juarez right. I wanted it to be real to those who live/ have lived here and accessible to those who live thousands of miles away and have never even heard of the place. I love this area, although the sandstorms have become quite fierce, the endless sunshine makes everything seem wonderful even when it’s not.

alchemyofscrawl

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#bookreview Passage to Mesentia by Dorlana Van

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