Kasper's Ramblings from Kasper Beaumont

Story Time reads with Kasper: 'The Chronocar' by Steve Bellinger @computersteveb #OWSCyCon2019 #scifi #timetravel

6/18/2019

In partnership with OWS CyCon 2019

Title:The Chronocar
Author: Steve Bellinger
Genre: Sci-Fi, time travel

Blurb: Simmie Johnson was born the son of a slave. He was also a genius. After earning a PhD in physics from Tuskegee Institute, he wrote a paper outlining a theory for time travel, including plans for a time machine—called a chronocar—which was published in a scientific journal in the early 1900s .
Since the technology required to build the chronocar did not yet exist, the paper and its brilliant writer faded into obscurity.

A century later, a young Illinois Tech student, Tony Carpenter, discovers the journal article and decides to build a chronocar so he can travel back to 1919 to meet the black scientist he hopes to emulate. Unfortunately, time is not on his side. Dr. Johnson is living in Chicago’s Black Belt with his beautiful daughter—and Tony arrives just in time for the bloodiest race riot in the city’s history. Can Tony use the chronocar to save his new friends, or will his attempt forever alter the future he hopes to return to?

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Chronocar-Stev...

(c) Used with permission.

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Probing the depths with dark fantasy author Ross Ellison #author #interview for the Fantasy SciFi Readers' Lounge #FSFRL

6/16/2019

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Today's spotlight author is Ross Ellison

Author bio: Ross Ellison is an Author, Entertainer, Video Game Streamer, and All-Around Menace to Society. Living in Orlando, Florida he currently is working on the next two novels in his Search for Eden Series which the End of Utopia Anthology serves as an introduction for.
He also is working on a Post-Apocalyptic Series with the working title of “Earth Everafter” If that was not enough, he is also working on two new series’s based on Dungeons and Dragons Campaigns of his own design.

One is titled “Cycle of Millennia” and the other is titled “Centrum Glacies” The first and second Novellas of Cycle of Millenia are published digitally.

Book title: Cult of Orabaras
Genre: High Fantasy/Dark Fantasy
Synopsis: After making their way to Iron City of Blacksmiths Grez the mysterious Monk and his companions are forced into a tournament. But while Hadron the Barbarian fights for glory, and Sneak Peak the Rogue seeks to make as much money as he can, something stirs in the shadows. Belwyn the Paladin senses trouble from afar. Velros the Knight is on guard for danger. However, it is Kal the enigmatic Psionic who discovers a new foe. Despite remembering a warning granted by Fairy Dragons about Magic Users, the group is unable to avoid the webs of the deadly Cult of Orabaras. But what could their malevolent purpose be? And why is this group of misfit adventurers attracting their interest?
Publish date: April 20th, 2019
Publisher: Timelost Storyteller

Author Interview:

Hi Ross, welcome to the Readers' Lounge levitating interview couch. Buckle up and we'll take off
Hi Kasper: Glad to be here. Let's go....oooooooooo. Wow, this Lounge is fast!

It is indeed. So Ross, what makes your writing unique compared to others in the dark fantasy genre?
Dark Fantasy is a genre that is constantly pushing boundaries, taking names, and crushing tropes left and right. I go out of my way to lump suffering from physical and metaphysical sources upon my characters while ensuring that my readers are emotionally invested in the worlds I weave. By daring to deconstruct even the tropes of Dark Fantasy itself, I create new stories from the corpses of those before.

Awesome answer. You sound like a pioneer in the genre. What made you choose this dark fantasy books?
I chose Dark Fantasy as I normally do for my stories because unlike the other variations of fantasy, the shackles are gone, and the restraining bolts destroyed. Anything goes in Dark Fantasy. I can raise the horror levels to numbers unprecedented in any other genre. Not to mention I can deal with themes such as abuse, human trafficking, brainwashing, wicked Gods, genocide, and extreme racism and give them their due under the Dark Fantasy genre.

What’s the basic plot of your series?
Cult of Orabaras is the second story in a much longer series called Cycle of Millennia. The tale begins as a group of adventurers each with emotional baggage is pulled into a Stone Giant’s highly convoluted schemes. As they try to escape this annoying pest, their adventures slowly trend towards the odd. Eventually these trends expose the heart of the world they live in. Funny enough, the entire premise of this series was born out of a Dungeons and Dragons Campaign I have been running for over two years-and counting.

Sounds like you're a dedicated Dungeon Master.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to write a book?
The most important piece of advice I give to anyone writing is to write first and edit later. Getting bogged down in cleaning up a story is the most common cause of writers block. As a bonus, I believe the best way to learn how to shake this habit is to participate in Nanowrimo in November. Once you learn to vomit words on the page and realize that no matter what, a first draft will always be terrible, you are on the way to becoming a talented storyteller.

What are you working on now? I am working on many projects simultaneously. Currently, I am editing a Dark Fantasy Novel titled The End of Utopia as well as writing the first draft of that one’s sequel novel The Messiah of Nightmares.

This second novel in The Search for Eden Series is without a doubt one of the darkest, most tragic, if not the most tragic book I have ever written. Meanwhile I also am completing the first novel in a post-apocalyptic series titled Earth Everafter. Of course, my current focus is on the third novella in Cycle of Millennia. That is also known as the book I am presenting in this interview.

How did you go about developing your cover artwork?
Admittedly, I am embarrassed by my answer to this question. My current cover is nothing more than a placeholder. Currently, I am essentially broke and cannot afford to properly pay an artist. I simply used free use images and did the best I could to create a cover. Not one I am pleased with by the way. I honestly can’t stand the cover and it is one of the first things I will change when I can afford to.

Hey, everyone has to start somewhere. Hopefully readers will give it a chance when they hear how amazing it is on the inside. Word-of-mouth can be powerful too.
How do you handle marketing on social media?
I am constantly experimenting with my different social media platforms to see what works best. Given that I am not making sales anywhere near needed levels, I consider my social media marketing to be at complete failure level. I’m in need of advice when it comes to doing this more appropriately.

Who are your five favourite authors?
My five favourite authors are Brandon Sanderson, Gen Urobuchi, Kentaro Miura, Robert Jordan, and R. A. Salvatore

What do you write about in your blog?
My blog has gone through many changes. I tend to focus on travel now, but that could always change down the road.

Are there any writing styles or genres you dislike?
I despise Hallmark Style stories that are predictable. Indeed, I mostly hate Romantic Comedy and Cringe Comedy in every form. To me storytelling is there to take light and smother it darkness. Stories exist to showcase people with hope and slowly crush all of it out of them into they go insane. I write so that I can prove that there is no amount of love and light that hatred and darkness cannot smother out of existence.

Quick quiz:
Favourite thing to cook: I don’t really cook. I exist off cereal, pizza, pasta, and smoothies.

Silliest saying: The best way to transform even the most well-meaning person into a terrible one is to convince them that their time is valuable.

Best holiday spot: Tel Aviv, Israel is my favourite city in the world.

Most played song: I listen almost exclusively to video game, anime, and movie soundtracks. I have no idea which song I have listened to the most.

With writing, are you a plotter or (seat-of-your) pantser? I am what is known as a “Planster”. I combine both styles of writing together. Normally, I know how my stories begin and how they end. Then I make the middle up as I go along. Usually, my goal is to traumatize every one of my characters through most of it.

Do you prefer to read SciFi or fantasy? I prefer Dark Fantasy and Grimdark Science Fiction over the other choices for reasons I outlined in earlier questions.

Best superpower: The only correct answer to this question is multi-universal level reality warping. At that stage, you control time, space, entropy, all of reality, and are completely omniscient. Why settle for one power, when you can have all of them, be completely invincible, and have the entire multiverse revolve around you?

Number one thing to do on your bucket list: My number one is to force the Abrahamic God to bleed. Then ensure it is punished for all the sins and atrocities it has committed against humanity.

Wow, you sure have some fascinating ideas. It's been a real pleasure learning more about you today, Ross. Our Readers' Lounge is coming in for landing now. Best of luck with your Cult of Orabaras novel and the series to follow.

Readers: let's check out some of Ross's writing and his links.

Ross Ellison's links:

Website: http://t imeloststoryteller.com/

Blog: http://timeloststoryteller.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetimeloststoryteller/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TLStoryteller

Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Cult-Orabaras-Cycle-Millennia-Novella-ebook/dp/B07QZNTV4S/

Excerpt from:Cult of Orabaras
Prologue: Public Nudity

Kal looked in wonder at Iron. The massive city had walls that created a mazelike barrier. The many alleys that veered every which way made his head spin. Worse than the physical barriers stood the mental ones. He had to intentionally shut off his telepathy or risk madness.
The sheer number of people living in the city was the cause. Going against his natural instincts was quite the difficult affair. However, there was a second issue to attend to. Unfortunately, his armor posed to create a new problem. And if Kal did not make his next move perfectly, his newfound friends would be forced to take a fall.
Looking quickly at his fellow adventurers, he tried to figure out the best one to relay his message to. Should he tell the Monk? Grez was a rather impulsive individual and would try to argue. Not to mention his strange monkey tail might lead to related trouble. That route was no good.
Next, he looked at Sneak Peak. The Giant Rogue was the only reason he was not dealing with trouble already. This was his last choice of confidence. He had a large list of crimes from what the rest of the group had informed the “Psionic”. That word reflected on Kal’s mysterious powers.
Hadron, the Barbarian was like the Monk, too impulsive to be of much help. That left both the Knight Velros, and Paladin Belwyn. These two were by far the most dependable. Thus, he warned them both as the guards finally noticed the second unusual person beside the Giant.
{I’m gonna run away and have the guards chase. Pretend not to know me.}
He dashed away from the front gates before any had a chance to voice a complaint. Footsteps from behind told that he was being followed. Just as expected of course. Kal had been worried that the moment he stepped into Iron, that none would be able to see his armor.
A long time back, a Wizard had given him a magical set of armor. What the whimsical caster had not told him was the second magical property of his clothing. Unless those looking at him had the aptitude for Magic, they would see nothing but his birthday suit.
But being naked in a major city was only the first of his two problems. His race was the second. Kal was not a Human like most who lived in Iron. Nor was he an Elf or Dwarf. Both these races had a couple members scattered nearby. He was not an Orc or Giant, which would have been met with hostility. Said hostility was already a problem for Sneak Peak.
No, Kal was a Tiefling. His mixed blood involved Infernal origins. And considering his nudity, at least to the nearby guards, that spelled double trouble.
Even as he ran down a relatively empty alley, one that probably had crime at night, from the looks of it, he still got a few shrieks.
“It... its naked!” A Human cried. A merchant based on the wares he was holding. Kal wanted to protest that this was false, but he had no time. The guards reacted to the noise and were following.
He foolishly turned around to inspect what chased him. This forced his defenses down. An unfortunate thing when he collided with another person. They wore heavy armor based on the pain his body felt on impact. That could only mean one thing.
“Stop right there!” The Guard commanded. “You are under arrest for public nudity and…” The tall soldier looked the Tiefling up and down. “And… for being a Monster! Yes, that is right!”
“I am not a Monster!” Kal declared. He would not bother denying the nudity.
“Is that an admission of guilt for nakedness?” One of the Guards from behind demanded and grabbed him. He could not get thrown in prison. Especially if it would reflect badly on the rest of his friends.
Kal also would not fight them. Escalating this attempted arrest would only lead to worse things. The Tiefling did the only reasonable thing in this situation. He flew into the air and demonstrated that the wings on his back were not just for show.
“Not so fast!” One of the Guards yelled from below. “You will not get away lawbreaker!” Kal intended to do just that. Admittedly, his plan was not so great since eventually he would need to return.
But for now, he needed to get away from this alley. While he was in the air, the buildings around him all rose to a considerable height. He was still an easy target to hit with projectiles.
From the corner of his eye, he saw an object flash as it flew to his position. Kal had little room to maneuver, but the Tiefling had been in worse situations than this. Whether that remained true was debatable when the truth of the attack made itself known.
It was no arrow that Kal had failed to dodge. It was a net! The heavy contraption was pulling him towards the ground. And if he used any of his spells, there was too much risk of harming innocents.
What sort of City has Guards that carry nets?
“Get the Captain!” one of the Guards commanded to the rest. “I’ll watch him.” Kal groaned realizing he could be trapped here for quite a while.
However, his terrible luck ran out almost immediately. A new Guard entered the alley and his armor indicated that he was far more important than the others.
The Captain wasted no time asking the important questions and pulled out a long blade. The look on the Human’s face warned Kal that if he answered wrong, his throat and head would be separated.
“Why are you here monster?”
“I am not a monster!” The Tiefling responded with once again. Yet as far as appearances were concerned, this was false. “Er… I may look like one, but I promise I’m not.”
“Even if you are no monster, you are still naked in this City. That is against the law in most of Spatia!” A quick reading of the Captains mind showed Kal how he was to get out of this situation.
“I am here for the festival!” Kal had no idea what this event was, but it was the only way to avoid falling behind bars.
“Is that so?” The Captain did not look convinced. This gave the Psionic a second idea. Please work. Casting a telepathic command, the Tiefling forced the idea that he and the Captain were friends.
“Very well.” The Captain’s face softened. “You there, take him to proper lodgings. And get some cloths sir!” Kal was unable to do so. It was one of the side effects of his armor.
Whatever this festival was, he could not be arrested for all but the most serious of crimes. Now he just had to attend. Whatever that meant.

(C) 2019 Ross Ellison

Readers' Lounge:
This is a gathering place for all those who love the thrill of magic and futuristic adventures! The Fantasy and Sci-Fi Readers Lounge authors created this group as a way to interact with our readers and introduce them to other authors they may not know but would love to read. We want the group to be fun—a place for new discoveries, friendly chats, and a hangout where we can share our love of books.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FantasySciFiReadersLounge/

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Solstice scavenger hunt for the Fantasy SciFi Readers Lounge #FSFRL #fantasy $75 #giveaway #freebooks

6/14/2019

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What is a Solstice?

A solstice occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. Seasons of the year are determined by reference to both the solstices and the equinoxes.
The term solstice can also be used in a broader sense, as the day when this occurs. The day of a solstice in either hemisphere has either the most sunlight of the year (summer solstice) or the least sunlight of the year (winter solstice) for any place other than the Equator. Alternative terms, with no ambiguity as to which hemisphere is the context, are "June solstice" and "December solstice", referring to the months in which they take place every year.
The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol ("sun") and sistere ("to stand still"), because at the solstices, the Sun's declination appears to "stand still"; that is, the seasonal movement of the Sun's daily path (as seen from Earth) stops at a northern or southern limit before reversing direction.

We are celebrating the June 21st Solstice with a fun blog tour Scavenger Hunt.

Solstice Scavenger Hunt

FSF Readers Lounge Presents its first ever Solstice Scavenger Hunt. Running from June 16th to June 29th - 19 authors joined forces to offer readers a chance at $75 cash via PayPal and 19 eBooks as a Grand Prize! 38 secondary prizes (an eBook from one of our participating authors) will be given to randomly chosen participants with the correct answer.

To play for a chance to win, you must go to each of the authors sites listed below, collect the "hidden" word(s), unscramble them, and then enter to win!

Enter the Rafflecopter Here
Entering does not enter you into anything! You have the option to choose who to subscribe to and who to follow - the only requirements are
1- you must follow the Facebook page for the Readers Lounge in order to get the winners announcement and -
2- use the link to enter the giveaway, but I hope you choose to follow the wonderful authors participating in this hunt!

$75 Cash via PayPal

eBooks up for prizes:

A Bit of Magic
Azimuth
Bonded
Curse Breaker: Enchanted
Dragon Blood
Elven Jewel
Forever People
Ian's Realm Saga
Schrodinger's Cat
Shadow's Hand
Sleepless Flame
Tattoos
The Fox and The Hunter
The Glass Gargoyle
The Hand of Atua
The Shikari
This Cursed Flame
Witch's Moonstone Locket
Wolves' Gambit

Make sure to visit all the sites to gather all your words! Happy Hunting!

Click on each author's name to go to their blog and find the key word.

Rennie St. James
Marie Andreas
Selina J. Eckert
Linn Tesli
Marsha A Moore
Kasper Beaumont
PJ MacLayne
D.L. Gardner
Katie Cherry
Dora Blume
Odin Oxthorn
Charity Bradford
Eileen Schuh
Noelle Nichols
Alison Lyke
Mae Baum
Melinda Kucsera
Stacy Overby
Cheryllynn Dyess

List of prizes

* Azimuth by Rennie St. James https://writerrsj.com/blog/
* The Glass Gargoyle by Marie Andreas http://faeriesdragonsspaceships.blogspot.com/
* This Cursed Flame by Selina J. Eckert https://sjeckert.wordpress.com/…/solstice-scavenger-hunt-20…
* The Fox and The Hunter by Linn Tesli https://linntesli.com/blog/
* Witch's Moonstone Locket by Marsha A Moore https://marshaamoore.blogspot.com/…/solstice-scavenger-hunt…
* Elven Jewel by Kasper Beaumont http://huntersofreloria.weebly.com/kaspers-ramblings
* Wolves' Gambit by PJ MacLayne http://www.pjmaclayne.com/mountain-musings/
* Ian's Realm Saga by D.L. Gardner https://diendrial.wordpress.com
* Dragon Blood by Katie Cherry https://www.facebook.com/KatieCherryFantasy/
* The Shikari by Dora Blume (DM Staley) www.dorablume.com
* Sleepless Flame by Odin Oxthorn (Ox Woden) https://www.odinsmusings.com/
* The Hand of Atua by Charity Bradford charitywrites.blogspot.com
* Schrodinger's Cat by Eileen Schuh http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com/
* Shadow's Hand by Noelle Nichols www.noellenichols.com
* Forever People by Alison Lyke http://www.alisonlyke.com/blog
* A Bit of Magic by Mae Baum https://maebaum.com
* Curse Breaker: Enchanted by Melinda Kucsera https://melindakucsera.com/blog/
* Bonded by Cheryllynn Dyess www.cheryllynndyess.com
* Tattoos by Stacy Overby www.thisisnothitchhikersguide.com

Elven Jewel prize from Kasper
This fantasy adventure begins when the magical continent of Reloria is threatened by cruel, scaly invaders called Vergai from the wastelands of Vergash. These invaders are barbaric and are intent on destroying the protective elven forcefield and conquering peaceful Reloria. The Vergais’ plan is to steal the Elven Jewel which is the key to the Relorian defence system.

Halfling friends Randir and Fendi and their bond-fairies are the first to discover the invaders and they embark on a quest to save the Elven Jewel. They leave their peaceful farm village with their fairies and race against time to stop the invaders. They join forces with dwarves, elves, men and a mysterious dragon, and call themselves the Hunters of Reloria.

The quest is perilous, with numerous encounters with the ruthless Vergai, who are determined to fulfill their mission. The Elven Jewel is stolen and the quest becomes a race to the portal to retrieve the jewel before it can be taken to Vergash. A battle for Reloria ensues where the consequences for the Relorians is death, unless Vergai are stopped.

The mystery key word from Kasper is:

Remember to visit all 19 blogs to find the other key words, create the popular fantasy quote and
Enter the Rafflecopter Here
to win $75 and these awesome books

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Story Time with Kasper. Call Sign: Baby Daddy. A romance novel by SI Hayes and J Haney #military #romance @shannonihayes @authorjhaney

6/13/2019

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In partnership with OWS CyCon 2019

Title: Call Sign: Baby Daddy (Navy SEAL Liaisons Book 1)
Authors: S.I. Hayes, J. Haney
Genre: Military / Contemporary Romance

Blurb: To those who say War is Hell, I say, try being married to a person you don't even know. That's my dilemma.
My name is Ozmond Zayne and after nearly fifteen years in the US Armed Forces, ten of them as a US Navy SEAL, I am about to face my greatest of foes. A wife and daughter.

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Story Time with Kasper: Finding Eliza. A historical fiction novel by Stephanie Pitcher Fishman @spfwritesbooks ‏#historical

6/13/2019

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In partnership with OWS CyCon 2019
Title:Finding Eliza.
Written by Stephanie Pitcher Fishman
A historical fiction

Blurb: "It’s just a little family history. What could go wrong?" When Lizzie Clydell agreed to join her grandmother at the church’s genealogy group meeting she expected nothing more than lemon squares and a few stories. Instead, an old diary leads Lizzie down a dusty road of lies, hidden family secrets, and a lynching that nearly destroyed her family.
Still struggling with the loss of her parents two decades earlier, Lizzie must confront a painful past that others hoped was forgotten. Her journey becomes even more difficult as she realizes those around her may not be as they seem.

Can Lizzie make peace with the past or will it destroy the relationships she holds most dear? Joining her is a group of lifelong friends known to Lizzie as The Gals.

Headed up by her own grandmother, the group of women guide her through the past with humor, encouragement, and tough love as she learns about grace and forgiveness. Set in small town Georgia, Finding Eliza is a contemporary story with flashes of historical fiction as Lizzie digs into 1930s segregation, illegal interracial relationships, and the fear of the KKK.

(c) Used with permission

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Story Time reads with Kasper: 'The Chronocar' by Steve Bellinger @computersteveb #OWSCyCon2019 #scifi #timetravel

Probing the depths with dark fantasy author Ross Ellison #author #interview for the Fantasy SciFi Readers' Lounge #FSFRL

Solstice scavenger hunt for the Fantasy SciFi Readers Lounge #FSFRL #fantasy $75 #giveaway #freebooks

Story Time with Kasper. Call Sign: Baby Daddy. A romance novel by SI Hayes and J Haney #military #romance @shannonihayes @authorjhaney

Story Time with Kasper: Finding Eliza. A historical fiction novel by Stephanie Pitcher Fishman @spfwritesbooks ‏#historical

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