Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Transitions by Nancy M Bell
Monday, October 17, 2022
Coming to the End of a Series by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #fantasy #Series #moon Rising
In December Book five of this series Seppal will arrive. I finished this book around the tenth of the month and to my surprise, I began planning the sixth and final book of the series, I usually don't write this way but one doesn't fight with the idea factory. I usually alternate genres. The interesting thing is that I have the book planned and have already rough drafted the first chapter. Now, rough draft are just that, rough. I'm not sure how other people write. Each of us finds our own way. Sometimes I envy those whose idea factory stays with a single genre, That's not my usual way.
Seppal tells the story from two points of view, a bit different from the others in this series but that's the way the story came to me. As always, there are the Three and Three and their talismans, a sword , a staff and a wand. Was interesting to take this story just with two characters. Not to worry. There will be six viewpoint characters in Keltoi but the format is a bit different too.
Does your idea factory make you change your pattern of writing? I find this happens seldom but I always listen.
Can't wait to see Seppal on line and the cover for this series Moon Rising are always interesting. Must get back to work. Chapter 1 is written but I must type it in, along with little comments as to where I need to explain or make slight changes.
My Places
https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3?v=wall&story_f
http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com
https://www.pinterest.com/shadyl717/
Buy Mark
https://bookswelove.net/walters-janet-lane/
Sunday, October 16, 2022
A Bright Darkness, by J.C. Kavanagh
![]() |
| A Bright Darkness Book 3 of the award-winning Twisted Climb series |
Next month, the final book in The Twisted Climb series will be published. I have to tell you that writing and researching this book has been an epic journey. When I was in school, Native Indian history was largely ignored. What a shame. It's my hope that A Bright Darkness will provide the reader with a glimpse into their phenomenal energies.
Patty pressed her body against the dream world’s cold rock wall,
her hands searching for outcroppings and niches. She was close to the top. The
ghostly rays from the moon illuminated more footholds on the rock wall above
her and she climbed higher. Though the cliff wall was about 40 metres tall, the
many ledges and footholds made it an easy climb. Within moments, Patty’s fingers
touched the smooth flat surface at the top and she peered cautiously over the
edge. It has to be a surprise attack.
There they were – her teenaged daughter, Jayden; the
handsome dark-haired fellow; the carrot-haired guy, and a young child. They
were at the opposite edge but close – just a stone’s throw away. The flat rock
surface at the top of the cliff spanned a mere five metres across to the other
side. Beyond that, a yawning blackness dropped into a steam-filled volcano vent.
Ah, and there... there was the boy she followed so
relentlessly. “Dick” they called him. The boy with the thick red scar etched
across the top of his sickly, bald head. She was going to get rid of Dick once
and for all. She lowered her head slowly, remaining out of sight.
It was almost time.
She waited, panting with excitement, hands and feet braced,
heart racing.
Now. Patty slowly
raised her head and then gasped in astonishment. The carrot-haired boy and the child
were gone. Had they jumped into the
volcano? Dick was standing at the edge, his long, scarecrow-like arms
dangling by his sides. At his feet lay the cable cutters that he carried as his
personal weapon. Maybe he pushed the kids
into the abyss?
Her gaze shot over to Jayden and the handsome guy. Jayden
was whispering and emphatically gesturing toward Dick. Before Patty could pull
herself over the top, her daughter and the young man clasped hands. She watched
as they sprinted forward and picked up the scarred boy in an arm-tackle
manoeuvre, much like the ‘red-rover’ game she used to play as a child. Dick struggled
but he was helpless to untangle himself from their grasp. The duo leapt off the
cliff, taking Dick with them.
Patty scrambled onto the rock surface. All was quiet. White
wisps of steam floated up from the hot volcano vent. She was alone.
“Fools!”
Walking to where the kids had jumped, she picked up the long-handled
cable cutters. Holding the tool up to the light of the full moon, she shook it
angrily. A primal howl erupted from deep within her, the high pitch gaining
intensity until she could hold it no more. Before she could take another
breath, a pack of wolves began a matching chorus of howls. Their voices echoed eerily
across the valley.
Patty smiled – a cold, soul-less, unholy display of emotion.
She manifested neither joy nor love, not even sadness for the fate that must
have befallen her daughter and the others. Instead, her green eyes were dark
and malignant, their gaze excreting a menacing hatred. She slapped the cutters
across the palm of one hand and stepped toward the volcano’s edge. Steam and an
orange glow came from below. She peered into the depths and the pupils of her eyes
reflected the hellish glow swirling beneath.
“Fools!” she repeated. “Dick was mine to destroy.”
* * *
![]() |
| Ancient depiction of Mishibeshu, the mythological Sea Monster / Underwater Panther of the Anishinaabe tribes. Photo from the National Museum of the American Indian. |
![]() |
| The mythological Thunderbird, crest of the Anishinaabe tribes |
Until next time, stay safe everyone :)
Friday, October 14, 2022
If there’s MAGIC, is it still a MYSTERY? By BC Deeks, Paranormal Mystery Fiction Author
From the time I read my first Nancy Drew Mystery, I was hooked on the puzzles that are at the root of every mystery book. From Nancy, I moved on to my brothers’ stack of The Hardy Boys, dived into my best friend’s collection of Agatha Christies, and the rest is history. Now I’m a career author, and my stories always have a mystery at their core, but I don’t stop there.
Mysteries
form the PLOT, but what about CHARACTER and SETTING. There’s nothing that says I
can’t add more layers to my story through the other elements while staying true
to the bones of a good mystery. Why can’t I let my imagination run wild and
weave in magical spells, alternate universes, and portal magic? …As long as I
still follow the rules of a good mystery!
Mysteries are stories that have, as their base, a crime (most likely a murder) and someone who strives to solve the crime or catch the killer. I’m not the only author running amok with the genre fiction. Today's mystery and suspense writer can go literally in any direction, genre, and sub-genre. Romance, Science Fiction, Paranormal, and Mainstream novels routinely tap into the elements of mystery fiction. This has opened the doors to some new and exciting direction like the cozy paranormal mystery series from authors like Mary Stanton or Heather Blackwell. That doesn’t mean that you can throw out the traditional bones of a mystery. The tried-and-true formula still applies along with many of the other fundamentals we’ve relied on for decades.
Mysteries
must meet the expectations of its audience, but are its components really so different
from other genres?
· Strong Mystery PLOT
· Depth of CHARACTERS
· Multiple sources of CONFLICT
· Strategic Placement of CLUES
·Creative use of RED HERRINGS
With the
exception of the last two, not so much.
The
mystery form is not as rigid as in the past, although you need to observe some accepted
boundaries or readers tend to get upset with you. The crime must be serious
enough for the reader to want it solved, and there must be a penalty for NOT
solving the murder. There must be detection--a crime cannot solve itself. You
must play fair with the reader. Every clue discovered by the detective/sleuth must
be available to the reader somewhere in the book and clues and red herrings must
eventually lead to solving the crime. If it is a whodunnit there must be several suspects and the murderer must be
among them. If is a whydunnit, you
will know the murderer and the question becomes which of the motives is the
reason the crime was committed.
In
my paranormal mystery, WITCH UNBOUND, two murders bring Marcus Egan, a magically
powerful Guardian Warlock to the mortal realm. The daughter of the murder
victims, Avalon Gwynn, is an untrained hereditary witch who is a danger to
herself, and both the mortal and supernatural realms, without his help.
Together they battle dark forces while trying to find her parents’ murderer. It’s
a traditional whodunnit wrapped in magic and romance that I hope readers will
enjoy.
I write heartwarming stories of mystery and magic. WITCH UNBOUND is the
first book in my paranormal mystery series Beyond the
Magic and is available OCTOBER 1. To learn
more about my Beyond the Magic series or my author life, please find me
on my website at www.bcdeeks.com or on Facebook.
Author B.C. Deeks writes heartwarming stories of mystery and magic. Born and raised in Newfoundland (Canada), she currently lives in Alberta. Find all BC Deeks’ news at www.bcdeeks.com.
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Walk In Beauty
![]() |
| Dine Woman, 1905 |
In beauty I walk
With beauty before me I walk
With beauty behind me I walk
With beauty above me I walk
With beauty around me I walk
It has become beauty again
It has become beauty again
It has become beauty again
It has become beauty again
Hózhóogo naasháa doo
Shitsijí’ hózhóogo naasháa doo
Shikéédéé hózhóogo naasháa doo
Shideigi hózhóogo naasháa doo
T’áá altso shinaagóó hózhóogo naasháa doo
Hózhó náhásdlíí’
Hózhó náhásdlíí’
Hózhó náhásdlíí’
Hózhó náhásdlíí’
Here in the US, Columbus Day has ben replaced by Indigenous Peoples' Day, celebrating the first peoples of lands throughout the globe.
I am so grateful to my Huron and Chippewa grandmothers and all the native people who have welcomed me into their lives and shared their culture. I could not have written these novels without their guidance and encouragement.
Deep gratitude and a hail and farewell to our precious John Wisdomkeeper who has been such a friend to all of us here at BWL publishing. He walks in beauty.
Popular Posts
-
Click here for purchase information I have been fascinated with the Icelandic tradition of Jolabokaflod ever since I found out about it. J...
-
To learn more about Rosemary please click on the image above. I am a fan of well written historical fiction which recreates past times. A...
-
Amazon Barnes and Noble Thank goodness for the picture option on my phone that lets me scroll through the last 12 months to see wh...
-
The Curse of the Lost Isle series starts in the time of Charlemagne and the Viking Invasions and ends during the Crusades.Find these books o...
-
“Another platform for book promotion? Aren’t we swamped already?” Good question. TikTok is not for every author, but for som...
-
For the teen or young adult on your Christmas list - this is it! Click the link below: https://www.bookswelove.com/shop/series/the-twiste...
-
I was first introduced to Larry Sellers in 1992, before the television show “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” premiered on Saturday nights (runn...
-
Happy Belated Birthday, Dear Wolfgang! 261 years young & still delighting audiences... http://www.bookswelove.net/autho...
-
The holiday season is almost upon us. My favorite time of year and it begins with Thanksgiving. Actually in my house, it begins a week or s...
-
Find my Navajo Code Talker series here Here in Vermont we are currently in a deep freeze and there's snow on the ground. In short, it...










