Review of Secret Admirer Pact by Bernadette Marie plus her Top 10 Favorite Rom Com Movies

 

If you're in the mood for a cute, clean "friends-to-lovers" romance, then this is the book for you! Today I have an excerpt for you as well as my thoughts after reading it. And then the author is also sharing her Top 10 Rom Com Movies. How does your list compare to hers? Let us know in the comments and then follow the tour for even more.

The Babel Apocalypse Audiobook by Vyvyan Evans

 

The spoken word is quite powerful, and having this science fiction book available in audiobook is almost crucial to the storyline. Check out a written excerpt from The Babel Apocalypse and then follow the tour for more! Also read about author Vyvyan Evans' thoughts on the future of language streaming. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Meet Hannibal Jones from Subtle Felonies by Austin S. Camacho

 

As you likely already know, I'm a sucker for character interviews! I love how creative authors can continue to be with their characters and almost always want to read the book immediately after "meeting" the MC. Today you get to hang out with Hannibal Jones from Subtle Felonies, a mystery/thriller by Austin S. Camacho. You can also get a sneak peek inside with an excerpt from the book! Be sure to also check out the rest of the tour and enter the great giveaway!

Meet Magenta Kim from Grandpa's Cabin by Ross Victory

 

Today I have the honor of introducing to you the author Ross Victory and his horror/sci-fi novel Grandpa's Cabin. Not only are you getting an excerpt, but also an interview with the character of Magenta Kim! I love character interviews! Please enjoy and download your own copy of the book before following the rest of the tour. Best of luck in the giveaway!

Marian by Gayle Feyrer

 

Historical romance with some familiar characters and setting. Read an excerpt from Marian by Gayle Feyrer and then follow the tour for even more! You can also learn more about the author's Top 10 favorite movies. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Top 10 Interesting Things About Girl Hidden: A Memoir by Jesse Rene Gibbs

 

I find memoirs to be absolutely fascinating. I love to learn about people because it gives me a better perspective on the world. Today I have a new one for you. Read an excerpt from Girl Hidden by Jesse Rene Gibbs and then stay tuned to learn the top 10 things you need to know about this book. Follow the tour for even more! Best of luck entering the giveaway!

The Delicate Affair of Colonel Baquiste by Luki Belle

 

Mix some gothic paranormal with your military fiction and behold, a new thriller from Luki Belle. Read an excerpt from The Delicate Affair of Colonel Baquiste and then enter to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card in the giveaway. Also find out what the author imagines a movie version of her book would be like! Follow the tour for even more!

The Babel Apocalypse by Vyvyan Evans

 

I've got another one for fans of science fiction! Today you can read an excerpt from The Babel Apocalypse by Vyvyan Evans, first book in the new Songs of the Sage series. Then you can take a sneak peek at the rest of the series! Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for even more fun and then check out the great giveaway at the end!

Prince of Blue Flowers by Ryu Zhong

 

Enter the adventurous fantasy world of Ryu Zhong's Prince of Blue Flowers with this excerpt and insight into writing about immortal gods. Be sure to check out the tour for even more fun. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

The Legend of the Mick by Jonathan Weeks

 

Baseball season is upon us! What better time to dive into a great sports biography? Especially when it's about one of the all-time greats! You'll get to read an excerpt from The Legend of the Mick by Jonathan Weeks as well as the author's 10 Tips for New or Unpublished Writers. Remember to follow the tour for even more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

The Worst Kind of Truth (A River City Novel) by Frank Zafiro

 

I do love a good police procedural series. So Frank Zafiro is here today to share an excerpt from his new book, The Worst Kind of Truth, as well as his Top 10 Police Procedural Series (TV and Books) and a bonus excerpt. Let him know what you think in the comments section! And then download your copy before you move on through the tour. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

The Cannibal's Guide to Fasting by Dana Hammer

 

I love, I love, I LOVE when book characters stop by for a chat! And today, Igor Fenenko from Dana Hammer's The Cannibal's Guide to Fasting is here to let us know what he thinks about the book about him. And it's a great post! There's also an excerpt that you can enjoy before you download your own copy. Be sure to follow the tour for even more fun. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

The Chronicles of Antecede: Lost and Found by C.M. Sage

 

Today we welcome author CM Sage to Andi's Book Reviews. She's sharing with us an excerpt from her new fantasy, The Chronicles of Antecede: Lost and Found, as well as her Top 10 movies. How does your list compare to hers? Let her know in the comments after you download the book. Then follow the tour for even more fun. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Read a deleted scene from Finding Persephone by PJ Braley

 

How many of you like to watch the deleted scenes on your DVDs? (Or should I say, do you remember watching those on your DVDs? They don't always have them streaming, lol.) Did you know that books also often have deleted scenes? Today you get to read a deleted scene from PJ Braley's new book Finding Persephone. You also get to take a peek at an excerpt that did make the final cut. Download your copy and let the author know your thoughts in the comments section. And then happy trails as you visit the rest of the tour for more! Best of luck entering the giveaway!

The Prophet's Debt by Robert Creekmore

 

Embrace the dark side with Robert Creekmore's book Prophet's Debt. Immerse yourself in an excerpt and then read about what he would want with him if lost in the Appalachians where this story takes place. Share your thoughts in the comments and then follow the tour for more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

In Between Stories of the Eververse by Darby Harn

 

Do you ever think about parallel universes in your favorite book worlds? Stephen King famously did it with his books Regulators and Desperation and it was fascinating. I also see it a lot in some book vs series/movies adaptations. (Top of my mind are Dexter and Bridgerton.) Today, author Darby Harn tackles this subject as well as sharing with us an excerpt from his speculative fiction, In Between: Stories of the Eververse. Take a look and share your questions and thoughts in the comments. Download your own copy and then follow the tour for more! Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Review of Summer of Georgie by Kerry Crisley

 

This debut novel from author Kerry Crisley is one of my first favorite reads for this summer! Enjoy an excerpt and then download your own copy to see what I mean. Also enjoy the playlist for Summer of Georgie that she has provided. Leave your questions and comments along the way as you follow the tour. Best of luck in the giveaway!

Divided Fates (Immar and Stauros #2) by Stephanie M. Allen

 

Today's it's all things fantasy! Read an excerpt from Stephanie M. Allen's latest fantasy book Divided Fates and then her top 5 list about all things fantasy! Follow the tour for more! Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Witchslayers Scion by L.T. Getty

 

Fantasy fans, check out this excerpt from Witchslayer's Scion by L.T. Getty and then learn how the author creates her characters' many layers. Download your copy and then follow the tour for more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Koth’s life was decided for him since before he was born, for his ability to heal wounds by touch is rare even among his people. When an attempted kidnapping turns to sacrificial murder, he embraces vengeance and the sword. As he journeys far from his small isolated village in the north, he learns the truth as to why his bloodline is targeted by strange magic, in a world still rebuilding from a time when dark sorcerers didn’t bother with secrecy.

Koth thinks his quest is straightforward enough--find the men responsible, and kill them--and any who aid them. He will soon learn that those who have both privilege and power, there are few things they lack--and in the pursuit of godhood, their allies can prove even more sinister as mere mortals seek to advent empires and dynasties.

Read an excerpt:

“Something’s wrong,” Una said. “Koth, wait here.”

“Why?” If there was a problem, she should be waiting outside for him.

He sensed inside, his aunt’s thoughts remained hidden from him. Una shouted, and he ran inside the building. He thought there were lights on inside, but he saw no candles.

The tea house was very dark, and he felt a sudden dread—he wanted to leave. Baro barked from the outside. ~Una!~ he thought, before something hit his neck.

He knew at once it was a poison dart, and ripping it out he tried to smell what it was. Seeing metal reflect moonlight and he moved his hand, his skin cut. Moving instinctively out of the way, his next reaction was to purge the toxin that coursed through his body and tried to understand the wound. It was mostly his forearm, deep but he could still use it, the bone unaffected. He’d do a better healing later. He focused on something not unlike a burn before going for the knife at his hip. Striking 85 in the next liquid motion, Koth realized he was attacking his aunt.

She grabbed onto his injured flesh and seared it, destroying, weakening the sinew and the cartilage and causing it to age and die, following up the bloodstream, to find the heart and kill. Koth tried to brace; he couldn’t heal and keep her at bay. He was physically stronger and much heavier, but she was weakening his muscles. He tried to wrench the knife from her.

He knocked the blade to the ground then tried to lock minds with her to find nothing short of blinding pain take him over, wrestling him to the ground and making him drop his knife. She took the dagger and when he tried to force himself up, a familiar sense washed over him. Magic, but not coming from Una.

“Do not kill him yet,” Yeshbel said, “we will bleed him first.”

Book Links:

Amazon US *  Amazon CA * Kobo * Goodreads * Champagne Books * Barnes and Noble 

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Character Creation – Peeling back Layers to Their Motivation

Writer’s Guides often talk about knowing your character inside and out, and I don’t disagree. But instead of knowing how they’d react, we need to give them something that allows the reader to empathize or at least understand their motivations.

I’m not talking about ‘rescue the princess’ or ‘save the kingdom’. A noble character like Superman might go about saving the world in a different way than a more broody character like Batman, even if we were to give Batman Superman’s powers for the time necessary to tell the story. The question I ask myself is, how is this character going about that same plot differently, and why should the audience care? Or, if I were to switch out leads, how would the story differ?

For instance, in my first novel Tower of Obsidian Kale is a traditional hero figure, but he’s also a bit of a people pleaser. He’s betrayed by his Lord’s men, but keeps wearing his honor about him, doing what is right or at least what would be expected of him.

Koth from Witchslayer’s Scion is very different. He’s dissatisfied with his lot in life, preferring to hunt as opposed to heal, and sets out on a path of revenge after his brother’s murder.

If I were to switch their plots, I’d imagine that Kale wouldn’t take up the mantle out of revenge. He’d be aware of the quest before him, and set out to ‘smite the evil that is in the lands’. If Koth was betrayed by his Lord’s men and captured, once his captors become prisoners like him I’d imagine he’d not be too kind to any of the men who were responsible for his predicament. Now I’m imagining Koth going to the tower and thinking becoming part of the tower as being Cursed with Awesome.

When I create a character I’m usually starting out with them fulfilling a role. I try to get in their headspace because how a character reacts to a situation determines the tone and course of the plot. You may think this is as simple as, “The plot demands that they go to an Inn. Kale would pick a nice one, Koth would pick a seedy one.” That’s a launching point. The plot may require both men to sneak in, but given what little I’ve established for readers who aren’t familiar with either character, Kale might be worried that someone saw him going into a house of ill-repute, whereas Koth just needs somewhere to lie low, and maybe he can win some money at dice while he’s there (he won’t).

Once I start to give them a bit of a personality, the next thing I like to do is ask myself if the character is very similar to another one I’ve written. There’s nothing wrong with liking heroic figures with tragic pasts, or noble characters or whatever, but I want characters to feel like only they could fulfill that role. That isn’t to say that Koth should be the only archer or the only one who can fight mages. Koth is initially driven by his anger and his anger should have a consequence. Koth is lippy and drives other people away as opposed to letting them get close. Koth has powers that allow him to heal, but part of which also makes him take on empathy, and he’s an emotionally immature man when he sets out. There’s a reason he doesn’t want to take on other people’s emotions, he’s internalized healing as feminine and soft, but it doesn’t take long for the reader to realize that what he and Una does isn’t just instant love and repair. Now, most people in this world would kill for the kind of ability Koth takes for granted, and if he plays his cards right, he would be well-received almost anywhere, but he chooses to generally not play well in most sandboxes. That says a lot about his personality. So far, Koth fulfills the requirements of an anti-hero, but, how does he differ from other anti-heroes?

There’s a lot to Koth that makes him unlikeable and probably a little hard to take for certain readers. Koth’s motivation is revenge but really what he felt was helpless when he watched his brother die. He could do nothing to stop his brother’s death, or the death of a child that took place literally days prior to that murder. He felt trapped by his station in life and wanted an out. The out arrives, and it’s not what he wanted at all.

He spent almost a year learning to poison and tracking down one of the men responsible. By luck, he does find one of them. Because it was personal, he deviated from the calculated plan and it almost killed him.

But he deviated from the plan a second time and saved someone who needed help. At first he cursed himself because he was caught and spent months captive. But then, it turned out his actions saved the right person, who was able to help not only Koth but his aunt, and that action not only led to an alliance but a willingness to save as opposed to kill.

The second book I dive into this more. Koth begins to realize that killing Radij won’t bring Bizen back; nothing can fix that hole. He licks his wounds and now that he doesn’t let his emotions become the better of him, becomes more calculated in dealing with mages, as well as letting other people help him, and not in a “I’mma steal your rations for the greater good.” Sort of way, either.

You’d think it be less interesting when he technically became a better person but he doesn’t see the error of his ways and completely change. He’s still a lippy jerk by the end of the book, but now he’s a lippy jerk who’s become less easy to manipulate. He’s far from perfect and man he’s got issues, but it’s a realistic progression of his character and a reader who is nothing like him can understand him.

Now that we have his motivations and arc, I can start plugging the holes of character development. I give him little nuance issues and quirks, and the more time we spend with the character the more time we really get to know them. I love it when you meet a character and you’re in someone else’s perspective and you think a certain way about them, but then you finally get into that person’s motivations and headspace and you find it was a shallow interpretation of what was going on. It makes for a better reread of the material.

This is one character in the book, and Koth wears his flaws like some people wear their heart on their sleeves. I’ll compare him to another central character who I’m going to say was emotional immature.

In my kid’s book, The Mermaid and the Unicorns, Daphne’s motivation initially is to become an elemental like her best friend. What she really wants is to be the best. It’s stated outright on the second page that she ‘hated to lose to anyone’ and she’s very competitive. I gave her some positive traits (brave, loyal, competent, but a bit reckless and prone to jealousy). Not only is it not realistic to be the best at everything, always, it’s not a healthy place to be in when you’re constantly trying to project yourself as better than everyone else.

The reader can’t relate to having magical powers or being a mermaid. They can relate to a desire to be the best. They’re also more likely to sympathize with her because she’s a young teenager who grows and matures throughout the story, unlike Koth who needs two books to get there.


So how about you? What are some of your favourite characters arcs, or just in general?

About the author:

L.T. Getty is a rural paramedic from Manitoba. She enjoys writing science fiction and fantasy and generally being creative.

My Blog: https://ltgetty.ca/

L.T. Getty will be awarding a $25 GC, of the winner's choice, to an online bookseller to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Some Other Traveller by Lyn McConchie

 

Today we welcome author Lyn McConchie to the blog as she shares an excerpt from her post-apocalyptic book Some Other Traveller and gives us insight into a day in her life as an author. Be sure to follow the tour for even more as well as bonus chances to enter the giveaway!

When the world’s civilizations collapse from a lethal pandemic, being old can mean you have the experience and wisdom to survive and to see that friends and family do as well. Donal and Sheila McArn are seventy when most of the world is dying, and they must hold the line for everything they know. They may not have long, but so long as they live, they’re going to do their best – and anyone against them had better step back. NOW!

Read an excerpt:

Kaylie died an hour later. Ricky had all his things packed by then, Donal had dug a small grave, and we placed her in that, the teddy bear – a bright pink one that Ricky said she still loved – tucked in beside her. After that, he clung to my hand.

I drove home, and when I would have left the lad with Janet, he clung to me like a limpet, his eyes wide in fear of losing someone else. I put him to bed in the spare room, slept in the bed opposite, and took him with me the next morning. Janet took the accumulated cash, along with a list and several friends, utes, and her car with a trailer. We removed the Black and McMallan animals, several small portable sheds, and salvaged useful items from houses and outbuildings. During which time Ricky was never out of eyeshot, and when my hands weren’t employed, he clung to one of them.

We drove home to eat dinner, I put him to bed, and when he asked, I answered, “Yes, this is your room now. You’ll go to school here once it opens again. The place is called Glen Mhairi. It’ll be your home.” And then the tentative question that almost broke my heart. “Aye, you can call us Grandma and Grandpa if you want. We’d like that.” He fell asleep still trustfully holding my hand, and as I looked at that peaceful face, I knew the truth.

After all those years and with never a child of our own, we finally had a grandson.

Book Links

Amazon * Smashwords * BN * Kobo

(affiliate links included) 

A day in the life of this author.

I regularly forget the date. Why? Because I’m also a farmer and my small farm requires attention twenty-four/seven. So there’s little to remind me of the date. The day, yes. Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday I write; the date often has no relevance to what I’m doing. But doing both jobs, often requiring that I try to fit two days’ work into one, can be – hectic, funny, upsetting, involving, and; some of the things on the farm can cross over into my writing (As can my cats and my friends, and my friend’s cats…) That’s the thing about writers, all is grist to our mill. My most recent published book, Some Other Traveller, attracted both a friend and her alpacas into the story. The book I’ve currently just finished sucked in a local dog – a massive black beast whose looks belie his gentleness.

But a day in my life can hold a lot of events. That morning was the bad, the good – and the “this will keep you occupied for days.” I rose at 6:00a.m., breakfast, out to feed the livestock. As I did so, I discovered my place was white with frost. Urk, first front for winter and it’s early. I shot back inside, stoked the fire vigorously, and got on with Some Other Traveller. Followed three hours later by the good when the geese announced that not only was the mail-car here, it was spending time. An indication Tracey was unloading parcels. Continuing goose commentary suggests she’s unloading a lot of parcels. I whizzed out, yes indeed. Five parcels of books crammed into my mailbox. I beamed, that would be the third on my list; “this will keep you occupied for days.” Back to my book. Two hours later as I completed, “Oh, heck, the world’s about to end, we don’t feel fine and we’re seventy,” why is this happening to us? I realized it was cold.

I trot out to the woodshed, collect a massive armload of wood, and scuttle back into again. That had been an earlier item on the “good” list. My firewood merchant – like most people in a rural area, a personal friend too – worried I might freeze if distancing or zones lasted too long and I ran out of firewood, delivered all my ordered firewood in two massive lots. That left me with eight cords, enough to see me through for months. I stoke the fire, shut the dampers down, and return to Some Other Traveller. Until the phone rings. The meter-reader, “I’ll be at the gate in a minute.” Right. Go outside, watch him pull up, bellow “Stand down” to the geese, the meter is read, he departs and I go back to the book. “The motor-bike thieves made a mistake in assuming Sheila was the nice old lady she appeared. Guns, bodies, investigating what they may have as stolen goods in their rooms in the boarding house”… Stoke the fire again and have a late (very) lunch.

I’m tiring. Creativity, no problem. Physical energy, nope (I’m 76 and crippled from an accident in 1977.) “But there’s strange sounds and something in a wardrobe”…The geese sound off; I glance at the clock. Oh, dinner time for them all. Amble out and feed 20 hens, 8 geese, and Daisy Duck. And that’s writing for the day. I’m so wiped out I’m having to think about each step I take as I start dinner. I eat that, and retire to bed at eight p.m. with one of the new books. Another day in my life is over. It’s been a productive one, over 20 pages written, the meter was been read, the hens laid nine eggs, and I’m going to sleep very well tonight.

About the author:
Lyn McConchie started writing in 1990 and within a year had short stories and poems published. In 1993, her first book – a humorous true-life work (Farming Daze) about her farm, friends, and animals appeared – this was followed by six others in that series. As a joke between them, a long-time friend of Lyn’s, Andre Norton, was given a book Lyn had written set in one of Andre’s worlds. Andre was impressed with the work and took it to her agents who sold it to Warner books. This led in turn to Lyn writing another six books in Andre’s worlds, which were published either by Warner or TOR. Lyn has won seven short story Muse Medallions from the (International) Cat Writer’s Association, and six Sir Julius Vogel Awards for her books. Since the original book, Lyn has seen almost fifty more books appear plus over three hundred short stories, and says she has no intention of stopping so long as she is able to write.


Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lyn.mcconchie.397

http://lynmcconchie.com/new/

Night to Dawn Magazine & Books will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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