Thursday, December 31, 2015

Do You Have Goals? Hop Final 2015 and Look Ahead to 2016


Many thanks to Misha Gericke and Beth Fred for hosting this blog hop all year long. I highly recommend it! 

End of the year wrap up (new goals at the end):

1. Publishing and Write 1 Sub 1 Goals:
My goals this year were at the top of the insanity list. I had hoped to publish several projects, and I did publish many of them. Some were short story e-books, and some were longer. 

For December, I had hoped to have a beautiful blog tour for my newest book Champion's Destiny.
I got sick. Life happened. I changed the pre-order date, and then tried to change it again . . . hahaha. The pre-order system has had the last laugh.

Please note: If you pre-ordered Champion's Destiny, I am so thankful for your faith in me!
However, you will receive an updated version within the next two days - please consider letting your kindle or your kindle app re-load the book. I would greatly appreciate your grace in this matter. If you haven't ordered it yet, please wait a few more days. Official announcements will be on my IWSG post.

Write 1 Sub 1 has been going awesome, except I keep forgetting to update my stuff at the Write 1 Sub 1 site. I had eight more stories published this month, and I'm at 41 newly published stories for 2015! 

2. Marketing:
Twitter, facebook promo-groups and my first book is still free for e-book. 

3. Exercise Goals:
Hmm. I was sick. I had vertigo for 8 days. I had a sick kid. Then, I had dental work done followed by muscle spasms in my jaw for a week, and then I had another sick kid, and some more vertigo. 

Somehow, with a lot of rest, we enjoyed a few days of Christmas. Plus, I walked about 13 miles this month, and did some much-needed stretching.

4. Invitational Goal:
Despite all the sickness, I helped a little with a retirement party for Coach Alan of the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Team.

5. Spiritual Goal:
I did a lot of praying around visits to the doctor and sleep. 

Now, a word from Coach Alan:

"FINISH!" (wait beat and gather more air to bellow at an even louder volume) 
"FINISH STRONG!"

Despite all the issues with health and with Champion's Destiny, that's what I'm going to do, both this year and next!

Semi-sane "Big, Dream Goals" for 2016 in "Mini-Top Secret" Form:

1A (short term). Finish the paperback version of Champion's Destiny and prep it for widespread e-book release. Just finish this one strong, even if it feels like I'm limping across the finish line with it.

1B (long term). Write Strong!
  •  25,000+ words a month. (this is the slightly insane goal of the year, we'll see if it needs tweaking.)


2. Market with Strength.
  • Use what works for me.


3. Publish with Strength.
  •  indie-publish some, and query some.


4. Live Strong!
  •  Make goals, keep a health journal/diary, and stick to it.
  • Remember that all recent test results have come back "ridiculously good" (doctor's statement)


5. Worship with Strength. 
  • prayer, Bible study, and singing. 
6. Gratitude and Grace = Strength.

7. Rest, as needed.



I'm looking beyond the finish line so I can finish, and finish strong. :)


And, if you can't tell, I'm ready for 2015 to close so I can open the next chapter of life, planning to live 2016 fully each day.



















Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Interview with Peter Churness, author of The Breaking

Please welcome Peter Churness - Pastor, Friend, Musician, Composer, Video Game Creator, and Writer! 

When I first heard that Peter Churness, Pastor and friend, had written a book, I said to myself, "is there anything this guy can't do?" And, when he asked if I could proofread it for him, I agreed. So, after the proofread, I asked him when he planned to release the book or if he planned to send it off to a publishing house. 
He said he wasn't sure when he would be ready for that. 
I encouraged him to go for it.
He has a busy life of a Pastor, so . . . I've been waiting for a while now . . . but his first book, The Breaking, is finally out! And, I got first dibs on interviewing him. :) 
He's been on TV before, so I figure that this is huge. (Peter is probably just shaking his head now, turning red, and chuckling.)

1. What inspired you to write The Breaking?

There were really three things that helped to inspire me to want to write a book about Abraham’s early life. 

First was a suspicion that there was a political backstory of some kind.  Though we know from Scripture that God called Abraham to leave the city of Ur, there is archeological evidence that the city of Ur was destroyed by invading Elamites about the time that Abram would have been migrating north.  It’s quite possible Abram initially left as a refugee. 

The second thing that struck me was that I suspected that there was a love story here somewhere.  The fact that Abram apparently stayed faithful to Sarah (pre-Hagar) all those years she was barren hints that there was real love between the two. 

And then finally, and most importantly, I’ve always been fascinated with the question of where Abraham’s faith came from.  He grew up in a pagan culture worshipping the moon goddess Nanna.  
Where did his belief in a one “Most High God Creator of Heaven and Earth” come from? 

So not only is there a political story and a romantic story, there is also this story of Abraham’s spiritual journey.  And that’s really what the book is about – it’s about Abraham’s conversion.


2. What inspired you to include references to the Epic of Gilgamesh in The Breaking?

It was really the Epic of Gilgamesh that gave me the idea to take my ponderings about Abraham’s life and turn it into a novel form.  There are some great motifs in the Epic of Gilgamesh – friendship, search for life’s meaning, etc.  Though it’s very unlikely that the Epic of Gilgamesh had anything to do with the real Abraham, the setting is very close – it’s generally the same geographic area of Abraham’s youth and it refers to a time within a couple hundred years of when Abraham was alive, which is negligent when you consider we’re talking about someone who lived 4500 years ago.  

And then of course there is this wonderful reference in the Epic of Gilgamesh to this “sole survivor” of the Flood named Utnapishtim (the Babylonian Noah).  And so that drew in my long-time fascination with the pre-flood world.  A friend of mine and me, during our seminary days, developed an elaborate fantasy world based in the pre-flood world.  This Abram series of books in some ways is simply an introduction or teaser into that deep backstory of the world before the Flood we’ve developed from which we have conceived of eventually developing further novels and also video games.


3. What was your favorite part of the writing journey for The Breaking? The creative conquering of the blank page? The tireless march through revisions? Or, the finishing touches of putting the book together?

Interestingly, I actually enjoyed each of those aspects, but there probably is nothing that really matches the “conquering of the blank page” as you say.  Though the book has structure and the plotline was planned out and outlined from the start, the actual emergence of each set of dialogue or description of environment or whatever, is certainly a much more dynamic and spontaneous thing.  And so it was always an adventure to come back to the laptop and to wonder as I began to write the next chapter or section – okay… I wonder what happens next!?


4. Do you write with music playing in the background? Or, with silence?

I love music.  I love playing and writing music as well as listening.  For that reason, I usually write in silence.  Music tends to distract me.  I’m tempted to break away from the creative writing experience and listen instead to the creative music experience of someone else.  The exception to this is I sometimes will listen to classical music when I write, mainly to shut out the white noise.


5. Do you have a tip /quote/inspiration you would like to share with writers and/or readers?

One of my favorite all time quotes, and one that also has relevance to my writing of The Breaking, is a quote by C.S. Lewis when he said, “Enemy occupied territory, that’s what the world is.  Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed – you might say landed in disguise – and is calling all of us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.” 


All of human history is a great epic story of how our planet entered into this Great Rebellion against its rightful ruler, and about how the Creator has ever since been working out a grand scheme to win the hearts of humanity back to Himself.  There are many facets to that story, but when it comes to looking at the Biblical narrative as a whole, I think of everything before Abraham as being like the preface of God’s great novel of salvation history.  With Abraham we turn the page and come to chapter one.  The Breaking seeks to imaginatively fill in some gaps and unpack some of the hidden drama of that first part of God’s great epic novel.


He grew up a Sumerian Prince with Dreams of Leading Armies and Conquering Kingdoms. 

His true destiny was something far greater....
 
Before he was known as Abram, his name was Enkidu, the youngest son of King Terah of Ur.  His dream was to resurrect the glory of the Old Sumerian empire, with himself at the head of its armies, and with his childhood friend Gilgamesh of Uruk as the future High King of the realm.  But his aspirations are clouded when a battle with a fierce desert warrior leaves him mortally wounded.  As his life ebbs away, he hears a Voice calling to him: “Come away with Me.”  Even as he despairs, he is saved by a mysterious traveler from the West, and when he recovers, he finds his ambitions conflicted by the haunting
memory of the Voice.

So begins an epic tale of political intrigue, romance and the emotional soul searching of a man who would become one of the world’s most influential figures.  Three great religions would come to claim him as their forefather in faith.  But where did Abraham’s faith come from?  Part historical fiction and part fantasy, The Breaking tells that story. 




About the Author

Peter Churness lives in Gig Harbor, Washington where he is the pastor of One Hope Church (www.ohcgh.com).  He’s been married to Sandy for nearly 20 years (all of them blissful) and has three fantastic kids, Hannah, Megan and Caleb.  In addition to doing church stuff and writing he also has been involved in making spiritually themed video games (see www.TheRebelPlanet.com).  He also sings and plays guitar and has composed and recorded an acoustic guitar version of Handel’s Messiah (you know, because Handel’s version wasn’t good enough). (He's kidding, btw.)  Check that out at www.MyMessiah.org.


Links:
Twitter:  @peterchurness and @therebelplanet



Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

IWSG: Delays

Many thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh and all his awesome co-hosts for keeping this encouraging blog fest going each month!
Co-hosts: 

As I stated in my goals update post last week, I have delayed my release of Champion's Destiny because it just isn't ready yet. In proofing, I found a minor plot issue that I thought I had resolved. That kind of sucked. Okay, well, it really sucked. It's true that it was resolved with a paragraph of writing, but it gave me pause. If that one slipped by me on other content edits, are there others? 

Plus, I need to add a bunch of description in a couple of chapters. I pictured it all so well in my head . . . on the page, it wasn't there. Agh. 

Anyway, I made a tough decision and it has had some cascading effects. I have to figure out how to delay my book blog tour. I'm hoping that bloggers who have been so kind to offer a spot at their blog will be kind enough to let me back out now. I'm feeling bad about all of it.

At the same time, I know it was the right decision. I want Champion's Destiny to shine.

This whole process had made me realize that I can't decide on release dates until my book is so ready that it feels like it can be wrapped up in Christmas paper and mailed to a long lost relative. Unfortunately, I set it for pre-order for Kindle, and I can only delay it one month. It has to be Christmas wrap ready within weeks. I know I can do it, but at the same time, I'm having doubts.

So,  I'm going to be in the final editing cave . . . 

Have you ever had to delay a project? Is there any way to make it . . . feel less sucky?


On an upward note:
Awesome Book News
The Reader, Book 3 in The Rifters series by M. Pax, is out!
The Reader info:

Buy links:

AmazonUK / AUS / CA / DE / FR / ES / IT / NL / JP / BR / MX / IN
iBook / Nook / GooglePlay / Kobo / Smashwords / inktera / Scribd

With the rift closed for the season and no more monsters to fight, Daelin Long gets bored as librarian in the podunk town of Settler, Oregon. A job interview and her brother’s arrival present a tempting opportunity to escape, until her brother and her best friend, a ghost, disappear.
While Daelin searches for them, more mysteries pile up: dead people coming back to life, portraits of the town founders replaced with strange white trees, and people on the other side of the rift returning. It’s impossible. The portal that allows monsters from other universes to come to Earth is sealed until next summer.
The Rifters, a secret group protecting our world, believe the troubles are nothing more than the tantrums of an offended ghost. Daelin disagrees. If she’s right, the evil hell-bent on destroying Earth has new technology making the rift more deadly.
Before the monster summons the next apocalypse, Daelin must find it and destroy it.
Book 3 in the Rifter series.
Need to catch up? You can read books 1 & 2 in the Rifter series for free by becoming an M. Pax Reader. ENTER MY DIMENSION

Reviews
“The world Pax creates here is like the Wild West meets Ghostbusters with some Stargate and a bit of Steampunk thrown in. Even though everything seems a bit familiar, it’s not, which is what makes it compelling.”CHOOSE YOUR OWN END
“This book catapults the reader right in mid-events and, like Daelin, one is forever trying to figure out the ins and outs of the situation. Though readers have one advantage in that we are prepared to believe. However, what in some books can be annoying, becomes an enjoyable ride, where you are constantly excited to see where the plot will take you next. I really enjoyed the slightly wacky and off center world of Settler.” AMAZON


The Reader Tweets & FB

People & ghosts are not what they seem. Is it a monster? The Reader http://goo.gl/6e77ZI #fantasy #scifi

A ghost with a bad temper & fake people. This town is strange. The Reader http://goo.gl/6e77ZI #fantasy #scifi

There's something wrong in the woods. Monsters or ghosts? The Reader http://goo.gl/6e77ZI  #fantasy #scifi


Bio

M. Pax is author of the space adventure series The Backworlds, plus other novels and short stories. Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckons  to her, and she blames Oregon, a source of endless inspiration. She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers as a star guide and has a cat with a crush on Mr. Spock. Learn more at mpaxauthor.com.







Friday, November 27, 2015




1. Publishing Goals:
Champion's Destiny - DELAYED. The reality is, it still needs a bit more work. I'm not sending it out there as it is. I just can't. It feels sucky to delay it one more time, but I think it's the right decision.

2. Writing and Write 1 Sub 1 Goals:
I'm in revision, but I did spend a bit of time re-writing whole chapters that desperately needed new life.

In short stories, I got my short story off to the Turning Points Anthology, being put together by Randi Lee, so I completed a Write 1 Sub 1 Goal. (Except, I was revising this one, too, so it doesn't really count as new writing.)

3. Marketing
Um, twitter-pated, and helped a friend tweet and post about his new book. (He's supposed to stop by my blog one of these days, but that was delayed, too.)
My first book is still FREE.
Also, I took part in #99centnovember - still going.


4. Exercise Goals:
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha - agh. I lost track of miles and I definitely haven't walked that much - maybe 20 miles out of the 40-50 I had hoped to walk. Biking - not really. Kayaking - probably 10k in the first half of the month.

5. Invitational Goal:
I'm part of a party planning committee for a retirement party for an awesome kayaking and canoeing coach, so I've been inviting people to help out with that. Plus, I invited a friend to Thanksgiving dinner.

6. Spiritual Goals:
Prayer is okay, Bible study hit a low in the first half of the month and picked up for this last week, and I've helped out in a few small ways at church.

I'm looking forward to the family advent calendar - which is a little kid "lift the flap" kind with cartoon pictures and tiny devotions. My kids are way older these days, but we all still like bringing out this same calendar every year, lighting candles, and praying together.

Life has been . . . interesting, in good, bad, and well, just plain interesting, kinds of ways. I feel a little like taffy lately - stretched and pulled. Hopefully, it will make me sweeter. :)




Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!


I admit that much has not gone as previously planned this month, but yet, I am thankful.

I am thankful for bloggers, and readers, and writers, and family, and friends, and turkey dinners, and turkey dinners with vegans and omnivores sitting side-by-side at a laden smorgasbord table.

I'm thankful for life, sun, rain, wind, snow, and varying temperatures.

I'm thankful for the positives and the positive people.

I'm thankful for my church and my pastor, and the retired missionary in our church who reminds us to open our hearts and homes to everyone in Christ, from our neighbors to refugees.

What are you thankful for?



Happy Thanksgiving!





I'll be here Friday for a goals update and a bit of news about being delayed . . . (but not de-railed)

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Extremely Late Realms Faire Wrap-Up with Prize Notifications (and some news)

As a first year host for a Realms Faire game, I loved it! I admit that with crazy, busy life being what it is, I didn't feel like I spent enough time in the blog-world to truly host well, but I appreciated all the awesome responses to my hero's dilemmas.

Thank you for sharing your amazing creativity and talent!!!

The randomly picked winners from each day were:
Day 1: Yolanda Renee
Day 2: Cherie Reich
Day 3: Arlee Bird
Day 4: Nick Wilford
Day 5; Alex J. Cavanaugh

And, if you participated but didn't get a prize, you might find a little something extra in your inbox later today. :)


Again, I apologize for my lateness. I have been swamped a bit with life (my kids attended a three day kayaking and canoeing training intensive in Seattle aptly named "Frostbite" with some amazing local and Olympic level coaches and I drove them every day), and then I finished my weekend with a nasty stomach/digestive bug that's going around my area. For good humor, I tried to remember all the different slang terms for vomit . . . power hurling, urping, ralphing, etc. You probably don't want to know all those terms.

Anyway, I'm on the mend, but I'm a little behind in e-mails, including getting prizes to winners. I'll be trying to get that back on track today.

Also, I have newsish type stuff.
Next week, I'll post twice. 
One of those posts is super-important to me.
It's for a book that I proofread.
Although the writer is a multi-talented guy - musician, game programmer, and pastor - he's been holding back on publishing his book for a few years now. 
(He would be a great member for IWSG, but he doesn't blog.)
I would really like to support him in his book endeavor.

So, please, if it's a matter of commenting on this post or Monday's post . . . don't comment today, please comment on Monday. 

Here's a sneak preview of his cover (literally, I'm one of four people posting it anywhere):

So, if you never pictured Abram of the Bible as a young warrior dude with an attitude, well . . . this book might just hold some surprises for you. :)






Friday, November 13, 2015

Realms Faire, Day 5: Hero's Dilemma: A Dragon's Nap, Interrupted

Yesterday's Winner: !

Hero’s beware! 
Here at the House of Hero’s Dilemma, a new cliff-hanging adventure will dangle new heroes above the depths of destiny or despair. In 100 words or less, a hero will face a danger in story form.

Each day, the people of Realsmdom will decide the fate of these heroes in three sentences or less. If fateful endings are giving answer in poetic form, an extra entry for prizes will be awarded.

Daily e-book prizes will be awarded via random name-pulling from the entries after 8p.m. Pacific Time. Everyone is invited to participate.

People of Realmsom, you have the power of storytelling might to decide the fate of the would-be heroes. Will they die in glory or shame, live in victory or defeat?
 It is up to you.

Hero's Dilemma, Day 5: A Dragon's Nap, Interrupted

Curling around his favorite toy, Dragos purred himself into a midday nap on the deck. His human, Gwendy, would be home soon to praise his silky mane, and he wanted to be thoroughly rested for the occasion.

Something flicked his nose.

Dragos woke to see a knight in flame-retardant armor standing before him.

“Wake, foul beast and take your true form so I might rescue the maiden you have ensorcelled!”

Dragos yawned and allowed his dragon form to flow outward. His inner fire rumbled in his chest.

The knight brandished his sword. “Avaunt!”


His charge was interrupted by Gwendy’s arrival.

What happens next? Write the ending in three sentences or less (verse for a bonus entry) to enter to win A to Z Flashes of Foxwick or People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors by Cherie Reich.

Draw back the curtain and glimpse the extraordinary world of Foxwick and their neighbors!

Magical creatures abound. A phoenix flies proudly while a little dragon makes a new friend. Siblings fight and let their magic light up their lands. A future queen's love can turn a man's heart to ice. Lady Death meets an unusual companion and more stories from the kingdoms of Foxwick, Wintermill, Valdale, and Lochhollow.

These twenty-six flash fiction fantasy pieces will take you on a journey through the alphabet and to faraway, magical lands.
The kingdom hangs in the balance.

War threatens Foxwick on all sides.

The dreaded Shadowlands gains more souls. From the shrouded trees in Greymist Forest to the arid Blackden Barrens, monsters roam in search of their next victim. Sirens lure ships beneath Merrilea Sea. In cold and snowy Wintermill, royals plot to claim Foxwick as their own, even if they must use dragons and sorcery. Marriage between Foxwick's king and Lochhollow's princess creates a perilous alliance. Although brave Valdale will come to Foxwick's aid, the cost may be more than a true friend can stomach.

Set over a hundred years, these seventeen fantasy short stories explore the people, creatures, and lands in and around the Kingdom of Foxwick.


And, after you have decided the fate of the Hero’s Dilemma, try your hand at the other Realms Faire Events for more fun and prizes!






What happens to Dragos? 
Decide his fate in three sentences or less. 
(Bonus points for poetic verse)
And, remember to include your e-mail address and book preference with your entry.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Realms Faire, Hero's Dilemma, Challenge 4: Renegade or Die


Yesterday's Winner: Arlee Bird!

Hero’s beware! 
Here at the House of Hero’s Dilemma, a new cliff-hanging adventure will dangle new heroes above the depths of destiny or despair. In 100 words or less, a hero will face a danger in story form.

Each day, the people of Realsmdom will decide the fate of these heroes in three sentences or less. If fateful endings are giving answer in poetic form, an extra entry for prizes will be awarded.

Daily e-book prizes will be awarded via random name-pulling from the entries after 8p.m. Pacific Time. Everyone is invited to participate.

People of Realmsom, you have the power of storytelling might to decide the fate of the would-be heroes. Will they die in glory or shame, live in victory or defeat?
 It is up to you.

Hero's Dilemma, Day 4: Renegade or Die
Bay Shannon ran his fingers over the cracked console of the ancient fighter. As a child, he had fought imaginary battles with renegades. He had never imagined that he would become one.

His friend Jay’s static-filled voice came from the radio at his hip, “B, you’ve got incoming.”

“Got it.”

Bay started the engines, and arced his fighter into the sky above his family’s devastated fields.

Two corporate fighters streaked towards him.

Bay flew like a scared rabbit, hoping the C-fighters wouldn’t bother to read his ship’s infrared.


Two streaks of plasma-fire rushed towards him.


What happens next? Write the ending in three sentences or less (verse for a bonus entry) to enter to win Thanmir War by Loni Townsend.


The Earth Clan has declared war and a landscaper is at the dead center of it. 

Derek thinks his chronic headaches are the worst of his problems. 

He's wrong. 

He wakes up in the middle of an unknown forest, surrounded by a couple dozen dead men he has no memory of killing. His only way back to society as he knows it is MaTisha, an amnesic woman with the power to transcend world boundaries. 

But going home isn't as easy as he had hoped, not when MaTisha is sought by two opposing armies prepared to do anything to keep her from the other side. 

Derek finds himself caught in the center, mixed up with mercenaries and guardians. And now, he's been possessed by a murderous alter ego with a personal mission to keep MaTisha safe. He wants nothing more to return to the life and family he loves. 

But his alter ego has other plans.

And, after you have decided the fate of the Hero’s Dilemma, try your hand at the other Realms Faire Events for more fun and prizes!






What happens to Bay? 
Decide his fate in three sentences or less. 
(Bonus points for poetic verse)
And, remember to include your e-mail address and book preference with your entry.






Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Realms Faire, The House of the Hero's Dilemma Challenge 3: What's a knight to do?


Yesterday's prize winner is: Cherie Reich!


Hero’s beware! 
Here at the House of Hero’s Dilemma, a new cliff-hanging adventure will dangle new heroes above the depths of destiny or despair. In 100 words or less, a hero will face a danger in story form.

Each day, the people of Realsmdom will decide the fate of these heroes in three sentences or less. If fateful endings are giving answer in poetic form, an extra entry for prizes will be awarded.

Daily e-book prizes will be awarded via random name-pulling from the entries after 8p.m. Pacific Time. Everyone is invited to participate.

People of Realmsom, you have the power of storytelling might to decide the fate of the would-be heroes. Will they die in glory or shame, live in victory or defeat?
 It is up to you.


Hero's Dilemma 3: What's a knight to do?

With a battered cookie sheet for a shield and a branch for a sword, Taylor fought the dark knight.

Laughter broke her concentration.
“Would you look at her! I told you she’s crazy!”

Taylor took one look at her true enemies, and ran.

Rushing headlong through an overgrown set of bushes, she tripped over a root, and slammed into the back of a knight who looked like he had stepped out of the pages of Medieval Armor.

She backed away and shook her head. Her imagination was never this good.

He held up his black-gauntleted fingers, and . . .



Well, what happens next? What is Taylor’s fate?
End the story in three sentences or less by midnight Pacific time for a chance to win an e-book copy of The Vanished Knight by M. Gerrick aka Misha.


The entity living inside Callan’s soul orphaned her at age eleven. By the time she’s sixteen, it’s ensured her being shunted from one foster family to another. 

Her thirteenth foster assignment should be routine. Except...it's not. A psycho in medieval armor kidnaps her and she ends up in a magical world. There, she accidentally discovers a secret her parents had kept until the day they died. 

Both actually came from this magical world, but left before Callan was born. To cover their tracks, they’d lied about everything. Even who they really were. 

Driven to find out where she comes from, Callan’s trapped in a race for life and death. Walking away isn’t an option, but if she stays too long, the entity will find its next victim. 

In this world where secrets are sacrosanct and grudges are remembered, finding the truth will be near impossible. Especially when Callan has her own homicidal little secret to deal with. 

One with a taste for destroying her life.



And, after you have decided the fate of the Hero’s Dilemma, try your hand at the other Realms Faire Events for more fun and prizes!






What happens to Taylor? 
Decide her fate in three sentences or less. 
(Bonus points for poetic verse)
And, remember to include your e-mail address and book preference with your entry.



And please, if you are in the USA, and you know a Veteran, give them a huge thank you or a huge hug today!





Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Realms Faire, House of the Hero's Dilemma, Day 2: Fairy Tale Gone Wrong

Author side note: I apologize for being late today - somehow I didn't get this set for automatic posting. 

Yesterday's prize winner is: Yolanda Renee!


Hero’s beware! 
Here at the House of Hero’s Dilemma, a new cliff-hanging adventure will dangle new heroes above the depths of destiny or despair. In 100 words or less, a hero will face a danger in story form.

Each day, the people of Realsmdom will decide the fate of these heroes in three sentences or less. If fateful endings are giving answer in poetic form, an extra entry for prizes will be awarded.

Daily e-book prizes will be awarded via random name-pulling from the entries after 8p.m. Pacific Time. Everyone is invited to participate.

People of Realmsom, you have the power of storytelling might to decide the fate of the would-be heroes. Will they die in glory or shame, live in victory or defeat?
 It is up to you.

Hero's Dilemma 2: Fairy Tale Gone Wrong
For as long as Rowan could remember, her dad had sung her to sleep. Even when she was old enough to have friends over, he sang them all to sleep. Plus, he insisted she have a night light in her room. 

The older she got, the more she realized this was strange, if not downright embarrassing. 

Then, one night, after pretending to go to sleep, she shut off her night light.

Within a few minutes, a shadowy figure appeared outside her window with a bag of sand in his hands. But, when he reached for her windowsill, she could see . . .


See what? How does our heroine, Rowan, fare against this shadowy villain?


End the story in less than three sentences by midnight Pacific time for a chance to win an e-book copy of Give Me Your Teeth by Jeff Chapman! 

Jimmy's mother is not your mother's Tooth Fairy. 

Ten-year old Jimmy wonders where the Tooth Fairy keeps all those teeth. It's a silly question and he plays along to get some coins, confident there's no such fae, or is there? What did he really see in the middle of the night? There's no such doubt about the bully and his sidekick preying on the kids at the bus stop. When Jimmy defies demands to hand over his money from the Tooth Fairy, he moves to the top of the bully's radar. Will the club-fisted terror really put out Jimmy's teeth? Or is the Tooth Fairy not so harmless? 

Give Me Your Teeth is an urban fantasy novella about a boy's confrontation with schoolyard evil and the fantastic. You'll never think of the Tooth Fairy in the same way. This one has teeth, lots of them, and she's not afraid to use them.


And, after you have decided the fate of the Hero’s Dilemma, try your hand at the other Realms Faire Events for more fun and prizes!






Realms Faire Events:
Hosted by Cassandra Webb. Daily prizes.
Your character squares off with another writer’s darling. Can you win? The audience decides.

Hosted by Cherie Reich
I am a book so popular they made a movie of me. Within the what if realms I lie. Horror? Fantasy? Or am I Sci-Fi? A riddle every day during the Realms Faire for you to take your best guess and have a chance to win a prize most splendid.

Hosted by Christine Rains
Come by and soak a blogging friend with wet sponges… or witticisms. Prizes drawn daily.

Hosted by MPax. Prizes for the winning knight. Prizes drawn daily for the crowd.
Up to 10 knights can joust. Each will battle daily. Magic words will be granted to each knight to pass out to their adoring fans. Knights score points by commenters using their magic words. Knight with the most points at the end of the week wins. What does the knight win? A year of promo on my blog in the slider and a tumbler printed with your championship boasts and badge (SEE HERE).
Winners are drawn daily from the adoring crowds.

Hosted by M. Gerrick
Every book offered as a  prizes will be hidden behind a doorway. Under each door will be the blurb for the hidden book. Each correct answer will be put in the drawing for the book given as a prize. random.org will be used to pick the winners.

Hosted by Untethered Realms. A simple word game. Prizes drawn daily.

Hosted by Julie Flanders
Each day I will give clues to a famous ghost from literature or movies. I’ll give new clues throughout the day until someone guesses the right ghost. The first one to guess correctly will get a $5 Amazon gift card and a bundle of ebooks.The only rule is that the same person can’t win the daily game more than once.
At the end of the week everyone who left a comment will be entered into a drawing for the grand prize which is a $30 Amazon gift card and a bundle of ebooks.

House Waibel is hosting the Stockade Brigade. Warrants of arrest have been issued for select authors accusing them of witchery and wizardry. The pillory has been erected and the trial dates set.
Good people of Realmsdom, I call upon you to bear witness to these trials and offer your testimony for or against the author’s crimes.
Points will be awarded for wordsmithing a comment in your best Olde English afore 8 of the clock in the Eastern time on the following scale:
5-Ye speak as one from the days of Queen Bess.
4-Ye could pass muster as a Ren Faire cast member
3-Ye could pass as a Ren Faire attendee
2-Ye wouldn’t be foolin’ yer mother
1-Ye stand out like the sun in a cloudless sky
An e-book will be given every day to the witness who scores the most points. Fear not, your daily score will be accumulated and the person with the highest score shall receive a special prize at the end of the week. So, brush off your Olde English and prepare to testify.

Hosted by L. Diane Wolfe.
You are charged with tracking down the unicorns!
Every day, a new blogger will host a photo. You will have to find the unicorns in the image, much like the famous “Where’s Waldo?” Leave a comment stating how many unicorns you find in that image. The most correct guesses out of five, wins.
Prizes will include books and gift cards.
Five images – many unicorns – only one winner!

Hosted by Realms Faire HERE. Prize packages up for raffle.

Hosted by River Fairchild Prizes drawn daily.
A vortex opens. Five people are trapped in the Underworld with only one way out – challenge an immortal to a contest of skill. The odds are against those brave enough to accept but enthusiastic fans can help them win their freedom with magic words given to each contestant. Daily prizes awarded to each challenger and a commenter chosen at random.

What happens to Rowan? 
Decide her fate in three sentences or less. 
(Bonus points for poetic verse)
And, remember to include your e-mail address and book preference with your entry.