Showing posts with label elves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elves. Show all posts

Guest post: "A Day in The Life of One-Thousand Voices" by Fantasy Author J.J. Sherwood



Me: My day begins as any writer’s day begins: I wake up.

Ishmael: Drop everything you are doing, people. This is going to be good. …And for those of your who didn’t catch on: that was sarcasm.
Me: …And then I immediately have to deal with delightful characters like Ishmael.
Ishmael: That was also sarcasm.
Me: Aside from voices like his, I fortunately have four cats who are the cutest little buttons in the whole wide world!
Ishmael: Metaphor.
Me: …Are you going to do this the entire time?
Ishmael: If the mood strikes.
Me: …Anyways. Four adorable cats. I have to feed them when I get up or they’ll follow me around as a little clowder and beat each other up. They’ll also pull my hair.
Ishmael: Literally.
Me: But as soon as their little bellies are full—despite their insistence that they are not—I can get to work. Well, after I make certain that a chair with a box is ready beside my own chair so that the youngest of the four can sit beside me and sleep.
Jikun: Or so the rest of us don’t have to sit on the floor.
Sairel: I don’t think you’ve ever been in the room when she’s working… Zauviir always gets the chair.
Zauviir: Obviously. I’m the best.
Me: On any given day, I have to crank up the white noise video on youtube to drown out external… and internal—
Darcarus: …she’s talking about us now, isn’t she…?
Me: —distractions. I sometimes enjoy listening to soundtracks like Batman or Baldur’s Gate, or works by Thomas Bergersen, but generally, it’s the white noise of an 11-hour looped fan bit.
Ishmael: Incredibly stimulating. …That was—
Me: Sarcasm again. Yeah yeah, I get it. Then I dive into writing. Or editing. Lately, it’s been editing for the Steps of Power second novel, Heroes or Thieves. I currently strive to edit about 25,000 words a day. Which may seem like a lot, but in the scope of a 180k+ novel that I need to edit at least 12 more times before its release on February 1st, 2016, it never seems like enough. (That’s 60 pages in 6”x9” book form, btw). I try to finish up in the late evening so that I can spend some time with my husband—
Darcarus: We all know what that means.
Me: …And then I jump back to work for a little while more before I play an hour or so of League of Legends with friends and family. Writer first. Gamer second.
Evrae: Bad gamer, as it is.
Me: No one asked you. And THEN, I finish off the day as any good fantasy writer should do: I enjoy third dinner at 2am. Third dinner… You don’t do that? Imagine buttered, crispy grilled cheese on sourdough bread with a side of almond, salted, and peppered asparagus and a sweet apple with fresh, natural peanut butter… How much do I weigh, you ask?
Gidius: Don’t worry, one day it’ll all catch up with her and the world will have justice.
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Title: Kings or Pawns (Steps of Power, The Kings: Book I)
Genre: Fantasy
Author: J.J. Sherwood
Publisher: Silver Helm
Purchase at Amazon
About the Book:
Kings or Pawns is the first novel in the Steps of Power series. It takes place after two very significant events in the world—the continental division between the human and elven races after the betrayal and death of Aersadore’s hero, Eraydon, and the recent Royal Schism that has left the elven nation’s politics even more corrupted than was prior. The new elven king, Hairem, is determined to overcome the council’s corruption and restore the elven lands, but he has far more to contend with than just the politics within the capital: an assassin has begun killing those loyal to him, a rebelling warlord threatens the city from without, and an unknown beast devastates the king’s forces at every turn. There are multiple points of view—the youthful and naïve king Hairem; the mute and spunky servant girl, Alvena; the mysterious and arrogant foreigner, Sellemar; and the cynical, dry-humored General Jikun.
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About the Author:
JJ. Sherwood was born in Tucson, Arizona on New Year’s Eve—and has always had a flair for the dramatics. JJ began writing in kindergarten and her first work was completed by the age of 5: a riveting tale of a duck attempting to climb into an apartment during the pouring rain.
Unfortunately this book is not in print, but it served as the first spark that spurred on a lifetime of creativity. JJ continued writing throughout her school years and escaped the horrors of short-story writing in college, ready and eager to write meaty, character-driven novels. With over 250 well-rounded characters developed from her nearly 20 years of roleplaying, JJ dove straight into the rich history of Aersadore, ready to let her puppeteers pull her creative strings.
JJ lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her spouse, parrot, bearded dragon, and four cats who look far too similar.
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Book Review: ‘Known Devil’ by Justin Gustainis


knowndevil-cover
Known Devil is the third instalment in Gustainis’ Occult Crime Uniturban fantasy series. Though I had not read the first two books, this one was completely stand-alone and didn’t make me feel I was missing anything. I have, however, read other books from Gustainis in the past (Evil Ways, Black Magic Woman andSympathy for the Devil), and thoroughly enjoyed them. He is a fabulous writer.
In this exciting new series, Detective Sergeant Stanley Markowski of the Scranton PD’s Occult Crimes Unit,  and his partner, vampire detective Karl Renfer, try to keep law and order in a world where supernaturals — or supes — have come out of the closet and walk the streets with humans. Markowski’s daughter, a vampire witch, is eager to help and offer her expertise, especially because she’s attracted to Karl.
A new drug has hit the streets, Haemoglobin Plus — better known as Slide — the first drug that addicts supes, and as a result, a new wave of crimes has risen in Scranton. Stan and Karl are right on the case, interrogating both humans and supes alike, trying to find out who is behind the new drug: Pietro Calabrese, the Godfather of the local vampire family? Wizard Victor Castle, the unofficial head of the city’s whole supernatural community?  The Delatasso family? Or the new Patriot Party, who has  declared supes “abominations before the Lord?”
If you love urban fantasy a la crime noir, you’ll love this book. Gustainis is smart, gritty, snarky. I just love his sharp, witty descriptions. Take a look at a few:
“He had salt-and-pepper hair, wide-set brown eyes, and a thin moustache in the middle of a face that was no harder than your average concrete wall.”
“He stared at me with eyes that had probably looked dead even before he became a vampire.”
“The terrace outside the front door is open in warmer weather, for those who like sharing their food with the local bugs. I prefer to eat inside, where the only insects I’m likely to encounter have two legs.”
“I saw a puzzled look on his face — maybe because Karl’s grip, like every vampire’s, is colder than a banker’s heart.”
Gustainis is also a master at providing comic relief. I laughed out loud at times. Stan is a likable, sympathetic character, tough yet kind when needed. The world building, the setting, and all the supernatural details come through in a genuine, realistic way. I also enjoyed all the police procedural, showing once more, as in his other books, that Gustainis has done his research well.
The story moves at a fairly quick pace, propelled by entertaining dialogue and lots of action scenes. Particularly interesting is the dynamics between humans and supernaturals now that they have to co-exist side by side. But best of all, is the author’s gifted prose, a pleasure to read. Highly recommended for fans of detective urban fantasy!
Visit the author’s website.
Find out more on Amazon.
My review as originally published in Blogcritics.
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