Kasper's Ramblings from Kasper Beaumont

Interview with Tima Maria Lacoba, author of the Dantonville vampire Series @TimaMariaLacoba

4/23/2015

Tima is a former ancient historian and archaeologist who accidently smashed a 3,000 Egyptian vase while on her first dig! The supervisor made her glue it back together again. It took a week. From there she went on to specialise in late Roman-British archaeology, and the military forts along Hadrian’s Wall, because buildings don’t smash as easily. Now she has combined a love of history with another passion—story-telling—to create a dark tale of Roman soldiers cursed by a British witch.

Tima has always been a storyteller, but it wasn't until five years ago that she seriously ventured into writing. The result was Bloodgifted. In 2011 it was shortlisted in the Atlas Award and eventually came fourth place. In 2012 it was listed among the top ten in the Choclit Search for an Aussie Star

Competition. In 2013, she was offered a publishing contract but declined in favour of going indie, preferring the idea of being in charge of her own creation.
Bloodgifted is just the start of a four-part series entitled, The Dantonville Legacy.
Book 2, Bloodpledge, was released four months ago, and Book 3, Blood Vault, is due for release June 2015. She also intends to satisfy her fans requests by writing individual books on the other characters in the series. So Terens, Cal Jake and Sam will each have their own story.

Tima currently lives on the Central Coast, an hour's drive north of Sydney in Australia. Her little house is surrounded by bushland, possums and seed-dropping Rosellas on one side, and waterways on the other.

Between bouts of writing, she can be found in the kitchen baking yet another chocolate recipe. This activity is responsible for forming more gothic, urban fantasy stories in her mind for future books

Book title: Bloodgifted, Book 1 of The Dantonville Legacy

Genre: urban/fantasy/paranormal romance

Synopsis:

Being unable to age is only the beginning.

Laura Dantonville is shocked to learn her strange genetic mutation, is linked to a dark family secret—a centuries-old curse that turned her Roman ancestor into a vampire. Now that she has come of age, she is the key to breaking that curse. But she’s also the prey of rogue vampires who inhabit the city’s frightening and violent underworld, as her blood gives them the ability to daywalk. For her protection she’s assigned a guardian—the handsome, sexy and dangerous Alec Munro.

And he wants nothing to do with her. If not for her family, Alec Munro would never have been transformed into a vampire. He owes them nothing, yet he also knows his own fated role in breaking the curse, and the unthinkable consequences should he not accept.

To the Brethren, the ending of the curse spells disaster.
Among a powerful few, malice grows . . .

Publish date: July 2013

Publisher: Tima Maria Lacoba

BLOODGIFTED EXTRACT

I spun around to face him, but as I was still out of breath all I could do was stand there, with my hands clenched by my side, and glare at him. He moved away from the door and came slowly toward me. I took a step back.

‘It occurred to me I don’t like the idea of becoming a single mother,’ I managed to say between breaths.

‘You should have thought of that sooner.’ He pulled his T-shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor.

I stared open mouthed at his chiselled body, the rippling muscles of his torso and the sword and serpent tattoo on his left breast. It was identical to the image on the stained glass window. On impulse, I reached out and touched it.

‘All the men have one. It marks us as belonging to Luc’s clan,’ he said. ‘Does he have one too?’ ‘Yes.’ The look in his eyes intensified. ‘Keep touching me, Laura.’ My hands traced the hard planes of his chest, stomach and the delectable trail of dark hair that disappeared below the tops of his jeans. ‘You told me never to touch you again. You still feel that way?’ 

‘If I did, I wouldn’t be agreeing to this. It’s only sex, nothing more. A means to an end.’ 

‘Did I promise anything more?’ 

No, he didn’t. This was, as he so succinctly put it, a business arrangement.

Author Interview with Tima

Kasper: Hi Tima, welcome to my blog. I'm looking forward to learning more about the writer behind the exciting Dantonville vampire series. I read Bloodpledge last year and enjoy your writing.

What made you choose this genre?
Tima: Thanks Kasper, a pleasure to be here. Hi everyone, I enjoy writing urban/ fantasy/ paranormal as it gives more scope for the imagination, letting me delve into the realm of the supernatural. Hey, I fell in love with Bram Stoker’s Dracula when I was seventeen!

Which scene from your book do you like best and why?

The chapter entitled, Vampire Ball, was so much fun to write. I introduced historical figures who had disappeared—whose bodies were never found. It was too much to resist. Of course I had to make it appear that their disappearance was a result of them having to hide their being turned into vampires!

Which is your favourite character and why?

I love them all, but Laura—my MC—was fun to write. She’s an ordinary young woman placed into an extraordinary situation. She’s not the kick-arse type of heroine you find in many urban-fantasy books today. Laura’s the archetypal girl-next-door: she smart, funny, loving and loyal to those she loves, and she has no idea how to use a sword, dagger of any other type of weapon. She could be you or me.

Have you used any real events or places as inspiration for your writing?

Oh yes. While working on my Master’s thesis on Roman Britain, I came across an ancient Roman fort in the UK (Vindobala). It was abandoned in the mid 3rd century for no apparent reason. An idea popped into my head and I wrote it down. Ten months later I’d written Bloodgifted.

What are you working on now?

Currently I’m a third of the way through writing Book 3 in my Dantonville Legacy Series – Blood Vault. I’ve given myself a deadline of July this year.

Remind me to check that one out when it's published. I enjoyed book 2 and have posted my review here.

What do you do when you have writers’ block?

I hate when it happens, but it does, I do something physical like go for a walk, tend my garden, bake a cake or pick up a crafty project. The activity gets the oxygen pumping through my brain and the ideas eventually come.

Baking hey? I might give that one a try next time. I bet it makes you feel better too.

How did you go about developing your cover artwork?

I’m lucky to have a talented cover artist. She knows my books and chooses just the right images that reflect the stories within. Her name is Patti Roberts from Paradox Designs.

If you could only take three books with you through an interstellar portal, what would they be?

That’s a hard one as there are so many. But to narrow it down, I’d choose: (i) the Bible, (ii) Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, (iii) Gena Showalter’s The Lords of the Underworld series.

Who are your five favourite authors?

JRR Tolkien, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charlotte Bronte, CS Lewis and Gena Showalter.

What is your favourite quote?

I love this one from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly past.”

Which book character are you most like and why?

Alice in Wonderland, because my character of Laura was based on her: a girl who finds herself in a strange, and slightly frightening, place.

What’s your favourite line from a book?

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

Who would you choose to read your audiobook?

If dreams truly came true, I’d love to have Hugh Jackman read Alec and Cate Blanchette as Laura.

That would be awesome! I hope your wish comes true.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, Tima, to share your story with us. Best wishes for the Dantonville Series. I look forward to the next instalment.

This is the male MC, Alec Munro on the cover of Book 2 of the series, Bloodpledge

Here are the links to connect with Tima and check out her books:

Website/blog: – http://timamarialacoba.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook/TimaMariaLacoba

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads/TimaMariaLacoba

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timamarialacoba

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXg_aQvKXU0

Amazon: amzn.to/18mq9Bd

iTunes: - http://bit.ly/SpEXHs

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1DI8LW0

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1NZ9VMi

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1iHUN6K

2 Comments

Princess Penelope confesses she is begrudgingly becoming fond of Sir Varnon. Hunters' Quest review.

4/22/2015

Awesome cover artwork by the talented Scott Patterson and graphics by Troy Stoilkovski

'The amazing author Kasper Beaumont definitely did not let her readers down with the second book of the Hunters of Reloria trilogy-Hunter’s Quest. Just when I thought for sure she had exhausted all her creativity in the previous book, she pulled more magical and interesting characters out of her hat: adding siren like qualities to the mystical mermaids, creating an apprentice on the verge of becoming the most powerful Madge, a clan of people that live in the jungle, centaurs, and more vengeful monsters ready to fight against the amazing and oddly paired team that the author is able to hold together with the simplistic need for survival against others that want to take over.

December 20, 201 What surprised me the most about this tale was the fact that the author actually made me like Sir Varnon, the character that I despised in the first book by giving him a little more depth and compassion as well as and insight to his home life as well. She also takes her readers into the world of the Mountain men and provides the interesting backstory of Ash and why he chose to leave his colony in the first place. I found Garass to be a most fitting name for the way this particular character acted at first until he was able to see past the manipulative ways of the one he once loved. He and Ash are able to resolve the previous conflicts, and justice is rightly served to the one that created the problem in the first place.
I was also hopeful that Randir would find someone special and I was delighted when he found the charming and sweet Ennis, who is in a tough situation and I am anxious to see if the two will be able to meet again. All in all I would suggest this series to anyone looking for an exciting read and look forward to the finale!

Amazon

Interview with Jeremy D. Hill, author of Gifted: Utopia @arcades666

4/14/2015

Jeremy D. Hill is an exciting sci-fi, fantasy and horror author who has published ten eclectic novels. He has dropped by today to tell us all about his new release: Utopia, which is the first book in The Gifted Series.
Jeremy's author bio: I was born and live in a small town in Tennessee in 1975. I am a lifelong comics lover, metal-head and AD&D fanatic. I’ve been writing since the late 90's, always with an eye on being published someday.

I am fascinated with swords and sorcery fantasy and horror and am always drawn to vampires and the undead in a lot of my own work.

* Book title: The Gifted: Utopia

* Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction

* Synopsis: The U.S. government had planted the seeds for a new kind of soldier as far back as World War II. They watched and they waited. Now, Sean Miller finds out that experiments carried out on his grandfather have made him special and that he isn't alone.

His life has now been forever altered. Can Sean and his newfound friends stay one step ahead of a power hungry secret organization and an immortal madman from a war long since over.

Utopia is the first instalment of the Gifted Series - a down to earth super-heroic tale of intrigue, conspiracy, action, romance and much more. You can read an excerpt from Utopia at the end of Jeremy's interview.

* Publish date: Winter 2015, currently serialized at http://www.jukepop.com/home/read/2274

* Publisher: Self published

Author interview with Jeremy D. Hill

Welcome Jeremy, it's great to have you here at the Hunters of Reloria blog. I'm looking forward to hearing about your new release, Utopia.
What was the defining event that made you start writing?

I’m not sure there is a particular singular moment. I’ve always read books since I was extremely young and wrote my own stories too. I’ve always been fascinated by someone else playing that movie in their head, like we all do, when we read and knowing it was my “script”, as it were, that they were drawing from.

What other writing have you done?

I used to write a lot of opinion or review columns for a few comic book, tabletop rpg gaming, movie and even pro wrestling websites that don’t exist anymore in the early 2000’s. Lots of fan run stuff that I was doing as a hobby, but a few that I was paid a little bit for. I also did a lot of fan fiction on sites like deviantart and elfwood and co-wrote a screenplay with a friend that was entered into the first Project Greenlight screenwriting competition. I really saw myself going down the screenwriter path before finally focussing on writing.

It sounds like you have quite a lifelong passion for writing.
What made you choose the sci-fi genre for this novel?

The genre kind of chose me. I set out to write a Science Fiction/Fantasy story about modern day people with abilities or powers, but the story kind of progressed into more of a Young Adult novel. I’m inspired by some of the quality writing and character creation I’ve seen and read in comics, so I set out to create something with a comic book feel with my world.

What’s the basic plot of your book or series?

It follows a group of teenagers and young adults who are trying to rescue others like themselves from a shady government organization. The organization wants to reap the rewards of an experiment carried out over half a century ago on their grandparents during World War 2.

Which scene from your book do you like best and why?

Anything that includes Adam being Adam, but if I had to choose it would be the scene where he is left at the motel in the middle of nowhere. He eventually goes across the street and deals with a service station attendant and steals his truck to follow the rest of the group.

I think it’s my favourite scene because it shows just how much foresight Adam puts into everything he does and it also shows that he’s still a kid and likes to be mischievous too, even if he is extremely dangerous and cruel at times.

Which is your favourite character and why?

Adam is definitely my favourite character to write. He was originally intended to be a smaller character in the story, but he was just so much fun to write, that I made him part of the main cast of characters.

I like him because he’s the wildcard in everything. He is the exact type of disillusioned, “me against the world”, teenager full of angst, that I hope will enjoy reading this book.

It sounds like Adam had quite an influence on the storyline. He sounds like fun. Have you used any real people in your characters?

I draw a lot from friends and people I know. Certain quirks or speech patterns of my unique group of friends will usually find its way into a character when I create a new one. Sometimes subconsciously, but other times intentionally.

What’s your writing routine?

I almost never write before midnight. I seem to be the most creative really late at night. I usually try to do at least 1000 words in one go, but most of my time is spent editing or revising. I don’t want a single word wasted. I self edit as I go probably too much, but that’s how I like to work.

What do you do when you have writers’ block?

I usually watch a movie. I’m a huge movie lover and can spend all night watching many in a row when I’m bored or unable to work on my own stuff. I tend to watch horror movies mostly, but I will watch pretty much anything I haven’t seen before.

How did you go about developing your cover artwork?

I made my cover myself. I spent most of a whole week learning tricks and tips in Photoshop to make my cover. I wanted a painted cover, similar to classic fantasy books with covers by Frazetta or Boris, but used stock photography and photoshopped it into something I wanted.

Very impressive.
How do you handle marketing on social media?

I’m still new at marketing my own stuff. I use my Facebook author page and twitter mainly, but I try not to be the guy that constantly spams his own stuff. At some point I will branch out and maybe purchase advertisement, but I don’t think I’m at that stage yet.

Who are your five favourite authors?

I love fantasy writers; J.R.R. Tolkien, Margaret Weiss, Tracy Hickman, Robert Jordan, Anne McCaffrey, Neil Gaiman… there are so many.

What is your favourite quote?

“In the end, we were all human… drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our brokenness.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Where do you like to travel to?

I’d love to visit England or Scotland for the history and because I love castles or Japan for the strangeness of their culture.

Do you prefer ebook or hardcopy?

Holding something physical in my hands will always be preferable to an ebook. I will always prefer hardcopies.

Thanks so much for dropping by and sharing your story today, Jeremy. I wish you all the best with the Gifted Series. Thanks so much for including an except from Utopia below.

Jeremy' links:

Website: http://thegiftedseries.webs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeremydhillvv
Twitter: @arcades666
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/jeremyhill
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/jeremy-d.-hill
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dio666

Excerpt from Utopia, Chapter 5

“He’s prepared for you now,” the lab tech said.

Jonah Parker and Dr. Mann stood outside a large concrete room somewhere deep within the OSA complex. Jonah fumbled with something in a locker located next to the entryway and held out his hand to Dr. Mann - in it was a respirator.

“You might need to wear this,” Jonah said. “First timers usually do.”

“What is it for?” he asked.

“So you don’t get sick.”

Confused, Dr. Mann accepted the respirator and slipped it over his face. And then at Jonah’s beckoning entered the large room. Several security guards and a few lab technicians were inside, all but a few wore respirators. They stood mostly toward the walls. Mann’s eyes went to the center of the room. A small boy, perhaps no older than fourteen or fifteen sat strapped into a thick metal chair bolted to a platform with rollers, his eyes darting all over the place, a manic and confused look on his face.

“This is Adam Donald Feldhaus and he’s a monster.” Jonah said motioning to the young boy. “You can call him Adam, but we’ve been calling him simply the bloodhound.”

“Bloodhound?” Mann inquired, still a bit confused. “I don’t exactly understand what these masks are for? What can the boy do?”

“Adam has many genetic talents, Dr. Mann,” Jonah explained. “The mask is so you don’t get nauseous and make a mess of our lovely floor. Adam is capable of making people in his proximity extremely sick. We at first believed it to be an involuntary reaction but he has proven he is very capable of controlling it. We believe his skin secretes some sort of pheromone-like chemical that causes a debilitating sense of vertigo, nausea and even can make you faint. Some of us, like myself, have

spent enough time in his presence we aren’t easily affected. Although, I don’t mind telling you I am stifling the urge to spill my lunch on this floor right now.”

“You would not only be wise to keep the mask on, but also don’t ever, ever touch him or let him touch you.” He continued. “Another of Adam’s monstrous abilities is that if he makes skin to skin contact, the effect I just mentioned is ten-fold. I’ve seen it firsthand and he’s killed people with it.”

“Killed with a single touch? Amazing!” Mann spouted. “How long has he been here?”

“Adam, much like his biblical namesake, is the first.” Jonah said. “He was the first one we discovered and he’s been under our ‘care’ for the past three years or so.”

“How did it manifest? How was he discovered?”

“He moved with his mother to the small town of Hitchfield, Pennsylvania, shortly after the death of his father. Three years ago the NSA, Homeland Security and perhaps a dozen other agencies descended on this small little town, assuming that terrorists had unleashed a biological weapon. The only biological weapon in that town was Adam and when it was all said and done over five hundred and twelve people died; a hell of a thing to successfully cover up, mind you.”

“You see, when he isn’t sedated like he is now, he is a walking contagion. The multi-drug cocktail we keep him on suppresses his ability, to a degree. If not, just breathing the same air he breathes could be fatal to us all - if he so chooses.”

“That does sound like a monster.” Mann stated. “Not to sound like a monster myself or anything, but why keep him alive?”

“I’d put a bullet in his grey matter right now, if it was up to me.” Jonah said. “But you know the bureaucrats; all they see are profits from future biological weaponry here. If not under our supervision, he’ll be a labrat for one agency or the other, probably until he’s old and grey.”

Mann looked hard at the young boy. It was obvious now he was heavily drugged. His manic eye movement and his drowsy facial expression made him almost look insane, but for the briefest of moments he would lock eyes with Dr. Mann. In that moment, all Mann could see in the boys eyes were hate.

“So you house him here, I gather?” Mann asked. “How many do you have in this facility? Are there others?”

“Yes, and counting Adam, there are three in total.” Jonah replied smugly, as if he was proud to be warden of such a collection. “We have over a dozen or more at our Dallas facility and even one that has chosen to work with us in Hartford.”

“Is he trusted?”

“As far as he can be, I guess. I wouldn’t trust the damn freak though.”

Mann nodded in agreement and began to slowly circle Adam. “So why do you call him Bloodhound?”

“He has a third talent that I’ve yet to mention. We discovered it quite by accident when he bit one of our techs a year or so ago. I doubt even he knew he was able to do it.”

“Let me guess.” Mann interrupted. “He’s a vampire.”

“Not quite.” Jonah stifled a laugh. “Our techs routinely interview and quiz him on a multitude of subjects, at least three or more times a week. It’s proven to be the only way to keep him somewhat in the here and now - to engage him, instead of allowing him to permanently drift off to neverland on the cocktail we pump into him. He’s amped full of some serious psychotropics, you know?”

“The tech that was bitten survived with a minor injury and returned for work the next day. She began her interview like normal but soon had to leave the room in a panic, when he started reciting verbatim things she had wrote in her journal at home the previous night. She really went bug-eyed when he told her he had seen the odd birthmark that she possessed on her left breast and that her normally long relaxing bath was cut short due to a trivial phone call from her brother.”

“How did he know all this?”

“She and the rest of us initially thought there was a breach of security and that he had gotten out of the compound somehow and perhaps followed her.” Jonah explained. “But later we discovered that the tiny bit of her blood he must have ingested when he bit her caused a brief but intense psychic connection. From what we believe, it manifested a few hours after her shift ended and lasted about an hour. She was totally unaware that he essentially was ‘in her head’, seeing what she saw and experiencing it to a degree.”

“And you have replicated this effect?”

“Oh, yes, Dr. Mann.” Jonah bragged. “With normal people like you or me, it’s hit or miss. Sometimes he makes a psychic connection, sometimes he doesn’t; and even then it can be as brief as a few minutes or upwards to a little over an hour. But like I said we have four monsters here - Adam and three others. The effect is amplified when employed upon the other three. Adam’s psychic connection with someone like him is almost instantaneous and lasts as long as three or four hours. In addition to that is the fact that he can also track them while psychically linked.”

“His body seems to absorb the genetic information and then like a psychic search engine it ‘looks’ for matching code. His range is unknown, but we’ve

managed to track test subjects as far away as sixty miles.” Jonah continued. “And you, Dr. Mann, have brought me Sean Miller’s blood.”

Know someone struggling to read? Drop Everything and Read Initiative on Sunday may help them.

4/8/2015

0 Comments

I count myself lucky to have learned reading and writing in childhood, without difficulty. There are, however, may in our society who struggle to grasp literacy and need our help to develop that lifelong enjoyment and enthusiasm for literature.
One of my children struggles with a learning disability and despite an immersion in stories from an early age, is still needing plenty of learning support at age 7.

Luckily our child has parents and teachers who recognised her needs early on and we were fortunate to access early intervention programs. We have been reading together every day, plus special needs teachers, and even participate in creative storytelling every night, with making up a new Meg and Mog story at bedtime. We've been going for a year and still manage to devise an original tale each night. Thank goodness for Helen Nicoll's inspiration!
There may however, be other children who come from a family where reading is not so ingrained and encouraged on a daily basis. It is for these, and indeed as a great exercise for us all, that I am writing today to endorse DROP EVERYTHING AND READ DAY (D.E.A.R.).

When is D.E.A.R. celebrated?
D.E.A.R. programs have been held nationwide on April 12th in honor of Beverly Cleary’s birthday, since she first wrote about D.E.A.R. in Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (pages 40-41). Inspired by letters from readers sharing their enthusiasm for the D.E.A.R. activities implemented in their schools, Mrs. Cleary decided to give the same experience to Ramona and her classmates. As D.E.A.R. has grown in popularity and scope, the program has expanded to span the entire month of April . . . offering classrooms and communities additional time to celebrate.
There is plenty of information available about D.E.A.R. Day on the internet and you are encouraged to contact your library for information on events in your area. The event started America and is now a global phenomenon.

Locally, I will be celebrating Drop Everything And Read Day with some new House of Night novels from my library.
Publically, I am part of a group of fantasy authors, known as the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network, who have been championing the great D.E.A.R. initiative for the past month. You can follow on Facebook or Twitter, using hashtags such as #DEAR and #literacy #FSFNet to follow the events.

Whatever you do to celebrate, I wish you happy reading

Cheers, Kasper

What will you be reading on D.E.A.R. Day?

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Hot cross buns, one a penny, 2 a penny, hot cross buns #Easter

4/4/2015

We really are spoilt for choice these days with the wide variety of hot cross buns gracing the stores.
I was always a traditionalist, with a penchant for the spiced, fruit-filled variety. On recent shopping expeditions, I have also seen fruitless, choc chips, chocolate mixture with choc chips, and now I have even seen caramel.

None of these variations was enough to tempt me away from my traditional ones... that is, none until this week. You can blame Aldi Stores for my adventures on the wild side. Aldi have released Belgium chocolate crossed buns, with chocolate chips and sour cherries. Well, I never!
Drawn in by the intoxicating allure of the name, I grab a packet and hid it under the bread in my trolley. I didn't want anyone to catch me being ever so indulgent during the fasting season of Lent. Of course, I do wonder if many people do partake of this religious ritual, judging by the oodles of chocolates and Tim Tams gracing the specials boards at the end of each aisle.
Hmm ... where was I?
Oh yes, so I decided the Belgium hot cross buns were too decadent for my halflings, so I brought them to work, where they were much appreciated. We did discover that the traditional toasting of the buns prior to eating makes for some very sticky fingers, but we were prepared to sacrifice cleanliness in favour of yumminess. They were delicious.
You'll be pleased to hear that I relented, and did manage to take a couple home for the halflings as well. Definitely 1 or 2 are sufficient for my waist-line.
Mmm Mmm

Happy Easter everyone.

So, what is your favourite hot cross bun flavour?

Dragons love a full stomach. 'Rainbow Dragon' by Ashleigh, age 11

'Exciting prologue to a best-selling series' review by Professor Joshua Grasso @JoshuaGrasso #dragons

4/2/2015

0 Comments

Image by Mike Fertig, graphics by Troy Stoilkovski

'This is a enticing short story introduction to Beaumont's world, and a nice way to sample her fantasy vision for those who haven't read her much-lauded novels. Though a very short read, the story is full of drama, passion, and a touch of humor as well. Beaumont's strength as a fantasy writer is being able to take long-lost forgotten (or never-were) worlds and translating them to the present. The dialogue and perspectives of the characters are not far removed from a modern romance novel or a scene from a romantic comedy, perhaps; and yet, this gives the fantasy world a deep humanity that belies the swords and sorcery that surrounds it.

'I believe that fantasy is a mirror for our modern world, abstracting our emotions and society through a lens of adventure and magic. The emotions here are real and keenly felt, and the characters (as I suggested earlier) can be found in any town the world over. That's what makes this story work, and why any lover of fantasy--particularly of the Young Adult variety--would eagerly snap up this tale and hunger for more.

'My only slight quibble would be that parts of it read a little too conventionally, and though beautifully written, it doesn't seem to stand up as a short story exactly. It reads more like a colorful episode in a longer work, and as a story it leaves the reader with a sense of wondering why it needed to be a stand-alone work (you sense there's something missing, or a story line that needs to continue). I imagine that this would make a fine Prologue or Interlude to a larger work, and that connective tissue would make its characters stand out in greater relief. But this is a minor issue and as long as you can read this story as part of a larger universe, rather than a stand-alone work, I think it will bring you great satisfaction (all the more so if you've read her other novels).'

Review posted on Amazon.com by Joshua Grasso

Blurb:

Every great series has a beginning. Teenage Asher discovers that he has fallen in love with his best friend's girl. Can the dragons survive the tempest of emotions that ensue? Parental guidance recommended for young readers due to sensual and violent content.

The highly acclaimed story is now available on Amazon for just 99 cents. Discover the world of Reloria today.

'Asher' by John Sparks

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Interview with Tima Maria Lacoba, author of the Dantonville vampire Series @TimaMariaLacoba

Princess Penelope confesses she is begrudgingly becoming fond of Sir Varnon. Hunters' Quest review.

Interview with Jeremy D. Hill, author of Gifted: Utopia @arcades666

Know someone struggling to read? Drop Everything and Read Initiative on Sunday may help them.

Hot cross buns, one a penny, 2 a penny, hot cross buns #Easter

'Exciting prologue to a best-selling series' review by Professor Joshua Grasso @JoshuaGrasso #dragons

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