Chaos, News, and Oct 14th Impending Release!

Greetings all!

First, apologies for the lack of consistency on my posts of late. Between 2015 and 2016 life has been an ever filling bucket of chaos! Whee!

Most of it stems from the dreaded, but horribly necessary - Day JOB! I have to eat, pay bills, all those pesky things one does to survive while working above and beyond to push a writing career. Not for the faint of heart on a normal basis. And with all that's been happening at work in the last couple of years...

People leaving the department like every three months or so in 2015. Owner ship changes. Duty changes. And in 2016 the added fun of an accelerated system conversion at the same time as declaring bankruptcy and coming out the other side. Then add in the layoff and people who survived it leaving at the worst possible time...and you can see how full the bucket is.

I've got my fingers crossed that 2017 will finally have things slow down. I want to be able to WRITE! Got a science fiction manuscript screaming for me to edit it so I can shop it around and a new urban fantasy manuscript with several thousand words already down and tabulated research on the side. Neither of which has seen anything from me in at least six months. :(

The peeps from the writers group I belong to are not sure I still exist! (Been with them for a long time and I've always been anal about getting my crits for any submissions in! Now they never hear from me except to catch a glimpse and a word or two from me at cons. (I'm still alive! I promise! I will do my part soooooooonnnnnn!)

The blog schedule has not gone unscathed, and has gotten worse the last few months Apologies! At least I've still managed to show up at the cons. (Though on the last two I missed a couple of my panels - *gack* - Even after looking at my schedule repeatedly! Mind exhaustion anyone?)

We're hitting 3rd quarter close and audit - so it's not looking good for October. But I'll keep struggling to get back on track. 

And so as part of this long apology for sporadic posting schedules and more I will also be a good author and announce the impending release of my novelette "Charity and Sacrifice."

Release date is October 14th! Less than a week away! And in case you missed the post a few weeks ago - it's already available for pre-order! Kindle,  Kobo, and iBook.

The novelette is 10K words and will only be available in ebook. For a short excerpt check the book page here.  It is a historical/alternate history work set in London, England in the late 1800's. :)

If you wouldn't mind, please help spread the word! And wish me LUCK! (I need it!) :P

With the release date of 10/4/16 for Charity and Sacrifice looming near...

I just found out Charity and Sacrifice (published by Uncial Press) is now ready for pre-order!

Kindle

Kobo

And should also be in the IBook store!

So if you're so inclined - order your copy today! :)

Cover Reveal - Charity and Sacrifice

The final cover for Charity and Sacrifice has been approved! So that means I can now share it!

The 10K word novelette, which will be published by Uncial Press, will only be available as an ebook. The cover looks pretty snazzy though!

I love the big, fat X on the husband. Bwahahahaha!

They'll be sending the novelette out for reviews soon. So I will share those as well as they become available. Publish Date is still set for Oct 2016!

I've added the blurb and an excerpt again to keep the it fresh in your minds for the future. BWAHAHAHA!

Trapped in a loveless marriage, will Elizabeth’s sacrifice to regain Robert’s love be in vain?

All Elizabeth hoped to do was to rekindle the love in her marriage. Yet despite ignoring her social obligations and immersing herself in her husband’s important work, somehow this only made things worse.

Her last hope is her unborn child — a source of unrequited love to fill the void inside her. But that too is taken from her. How? Why?

Her doctor avoids her. Her husband berates her. And there are whispers — whispers telling of things that cannot be.

Yet the more Elizabeth ignores the rumors, the more they press on her to seek the truth, so she concocts a plan to find it. To find it and hopefully exonerate both Robert and herself. To discover the reason she’s lost all that’s dear to her. And she will do it, even if she must venture into Whitechapel to do it.

Excerpt

“Dear, you have to eat something. Don’t you want to get better?” Ada once more offered a spoonful of porridge.

Propped up with hard pillows, Elizabeth could sit at an angle. Millie, her personal maid, had come by earlier and brought her a proper dressing gown as well as a brush and pins. The proprieties must be maintained despite the tragedy. She knew Robert would expect it. And it was the only armor left to her at present.

Chastised, she opened her mouth to take the offered food, though she wasn’t hungry and felt mortified to be treated like a child. A child…

Elizabeth’s eyes teared up but she refused to be embarrassed further by her own weakness.

“Has he been to see you yet?” The nurse’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.

“To whom do you refer?” She suspected, but she wouldn’t help feed the rumor mill any more than necessary.

“Lord Stainton, your husband.”

Elizabeth refused to meet her gaze. “I’ve been sleeping a lot, but I am sure he’s come. He wouldn’t wake me, knowing I need the rest.”

Ada’s eyes widened with feigned surprise. “Oh, that could be it, couldn’t it?” She fed Elizabeth another spoonful.

“He’s a very busy man.” Elizabeth wanted to bite her own tongue, knowing the excuse for what it was, and well aware the nurse did as well. “I’ve had enough, thank you.”

“Are you sure, dear?” Ada leaned forward as if to feed her again, except she left the spoon in the bowl. She stared intently at Elizabeth, her next words voiced in a whisper. “There are things you should know that you’ve not been told.”

Elizabeth’s eye twitched. The hollow hole inside her pulsed with need and apprehension. She presumed he was receiving news of her condition from the nurses as well as using them to pass on his orders.

Her gently worded requests for him to visit were just as gently denied. The suspicion something was being hidden from her had hardened into solid fact. Yet she still possessed no information.

To be forced to gain it from the likes of Ada … Everything that ever poured from the woman’s mouth was suspect. She’d watched her long enough to learn that much.

But how else was she to even glean a hint as to what was being kept from her? “Is that so?”

Ada leaned forward a little more. “I could get in trouble sharing what I know.” The nurse smiled at her, expectation tightening the lines on her face. “But a token, a valuable token, would go a long way toward easing my concerns. Think of it as a bit of charity to someone less fortunate than yourself.”

Charity? Extortion was more like it. Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to grab her bowl and shove its contents in the old hag’s face. Yet something in the back of her mind niggled at the word. It had been used in her presence recently… “I might have something at home which would satisfy you. I’ll have it brought for the morrow.”

Ada stood up to go. “My old heart bleeds with gratitude, milady. I’ll be sure to tell you all I know, once your charity has been received.”

Elizabeth clutched her blanket until her hands went numb, sure the nurse was laughing at her as she bowed her way out.

Coming Soon!

Charity and Sacrifice - Novelette to see release in Oct 2016

Several months ago I got a contract from Uncial Press for my 10K Novelette "Charity and Sacrifice"

Two rounds of edits later and I can share more info and an excerpt to wet your appetite. :)

Trapped in a loveless marriage, will Elizabeth's sacrifice to regain Robert's love be in vain?

All Elizabeth hoped to do was to rekindle the love in her marriage. Yet despite ignoring her social obligations and immersing herself in her husband's important work, somehow this only made things worse.

Her last hope is her unborn child -- a source of unrequited love to fill the void inside her. But that too is taken from her. How? Why?

Her doctor avoids her. Her husband berates her. And there are whispers -- whispers telling of things that cannot be.

Yet the more Elizabeth ignores the rumors, the more they press on her to seek the truth, so she concocts a plan to find it. To find it and hopefully exonerate both Robert and herself. To discover the reason she's lost all that's dear to her. And she will do it, even if she must venture into Whitechapel to do it.

Excerpt

"Dear, you have to eat something. Don't you want to get better?" Ada once more offered a spoonful of porridge.

Propped up with hard pillows, Elizabeth could sit at an angle. Millie, her personal maid, had come by earlier and brought her a proper dressing gown as well as a brush and pins. The proprieties must be maintained despite the tragedy. She knew Robert would expect it. And it was the only armor left to her at present.

Chastised, she opened her mouth to take the offered food, though she wasn't hungry and felt mortified to be treated like a child. A child…

Elizabeth's eyes teared up but she refused to be embarrassed further by her own weakness.

"Has he been to see you yet?" The nurse's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"To whom do you refer?" She suspected, but she wouldn't help feed the rumor mill any more than necessary.

"Lord Stainton, your husband."

Elizabeth refused to meet her gaze. "I've been sleeping a lot, but I am sure he's come. He wouldn't wake me, knowing I need the rest."

Ada's eyes widened with feigned surprise. "Oh, that could be it, couldn't it?" She fed Elizabeth another spoonful.

"He's a very busy man." Elizabeth wanted to bite her own tongue, knowing the excuse for what it was, and well aware the nurse did as well. "I've had enough, thank you."

"Are you sure, dear?" Ada leaned forward as if to feed her again, except she left the spoon in the bowl. She stared intently at Elizabeth, her next words voiced in a whisper. "There are things you should know that you've not been told."

Elizabeth's eye twitched. The hollow hole inside her pulsed with need and apprehension. She presumed he was receiving news of her condition from the nurses as well as using them to pass on his orders.

Her gently worded requests for him to visit were just as gently denied. The suspicion something was being hidden from her had hardened into solid fact. Yet she still possessed no information.

To be forced to gain it from the likes of Ada … Everything that ever poured from the woman's mouth was suspect. She'd watched her long enough to learn that much.

But how else was she to even glean a hint as to what was being kept from her? "Is that so?"

Ada leaned forward a little more. "I could get in trouble sharing what I know." The nurse smiled at her, expectation tightening the lines on her face. "But a token, a valuable token, would go a long way toward easing my concerns. Think of it as a bit of charity to someone less fortunate than yourself."

Charity? Extortion was more like it. Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to grab her bowl and shove its contents in the old hag's face. Yet something in the back of her mind niggled at the word. It had been used in her presence recently… "I might have something at home which would satisfy you. I'll have it brought for the morrow."

Ada stood up to go. "My old heart bleeds with gratitude, milady. I'll be sure to tell you all I know, once your charity has been received."

Elizabeth clutched her blanket until her hands went numb, sure the nurse was laughing at her as she bowed her way out.

Release date of October 2016! The countdown is on! Mark Your Calendars! :P

Movie Review - Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Starring: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, Alan Tudyk, Jimmi Simpson, Marton Csokas, Erin Wasson, and more.

Directed by: Timur Bekmambetov Screenplay by: Seth Grahamme-Smith Based on the Novel by: Seth Grahamme-Smith Cinematography by: Caleb Deschanel Original Music by: Henry Jackman

Premise: History gets written, but sometimes not all the details of what actually happened are disclosed. This is the untold story of Abraham Lincoln. Of the horrors he faced in his youth and the path he chose to try to reap vengeance on those who destroyed his family. A close look at the life of Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. (Rated R)

Review:

1) Acting - Thumbs Up: Benjamin Walker did a great job portraying Mr Lincoln, especially in the later years, as he assumed the poses and mannerisms of the President that we've come to know from photos and other accounts.

There were several surprises in unexpected faces in the film such as Alan Tudyk and Jimmi Simpson. It was great to see them and they added their awesome talents to the film, even in the small bits.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead was adorable as Mary Todd.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Twice in the film the land around the viewer shifts from one time to another, but done subtly with layers being peeled back one by one. These were exceptional! They also were a great way to transfer the audience to another time at the same place and impart the look and feel of the era of each sequence before actually zooming in to those involved.

The fighting scene which ran through the middle of a CGI horse stampede was a sight to see! It truly brought home just exactly the type of supernatural beings Abraham was having to deal with. Where else will you see horses used as weapons? Too much fun.

The entire train sequence too was masterful. And done in such a way as to make some of the amazing actions appear plausible.

3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: Depending on the viewer, they will either accept the film as an Alternate History (the best route to take) or a rewriting of it. In general, the plot maintained historical accuracy, though not always in the specifics. Lincoln had several children, not just one, for instance.

But, pushing historical accuracy aside, and adding a small amount of 'suspension of disbelief', the story worked rather well. There was an odd surprise about the vampires in this universe that played for a nice sub story. I also enjoyed the red herring towards the end.

4) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: Truly wish they'd done this one in IMAX. There were lots of spanning views, moonlit nights, battles, trains, stampedes - plenty of food for the eyes. The sets and locations totally fit the period and the different locations. There were even subtle hints and jokes drizzled here and there amid the posters and advertisements. That was fun!

5) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: A lot of care seemed to have gone into the costumes to better submerge the viewer into the time period. The makeup for the vampires was well done and appeared to fluctuate depending on how recently the vampire had fed, which was a nice touch.

Conclusion: A fun venture into looking at a past that might have been, and one filled with great action scenes and CGI work.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price Of Admission)