Kasper Beaumont
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Movie review: Hunger Games part 3: Mockingjay is one for only the most diehard fans ****

11/29/2014

 
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This is  the Hunger Games without any Hunger Games.
This first instalment of the two-part Hunger Games finale is packed full of the drama, angst and politics we've come to expect from the franchise, but is severely lacking in the bow and arrow action heroes stakes we have come to know and love.
Now I must confess to being a fan of the book trilogy and knew what I was getting into when watching the movie.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be good and I was pleasantly surprised.

I knew from the books that Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) survive the Quarter Quell Hunger Games of the 2nd movie, and Katniss is taken to the rebellious District 13.  She is joined by a motely group of unlikely heroes such as Haymitch (Woody Harrelson); Effie (Elizabeth Banks) and  Plutarch (the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman).
The story here in this dystopian country of Pan Am concentrates mostly on the political upheaval caused by Katniss's rebellion and the rise of her as the symbol of hope in a war-torn country.  The manipulations of Plutarch and rebel president Coin (Julieanne Moore) thrust the reluctant and shell-shocked Katniss into the spotlight, where she becomes the target of the villainous President Snow (played menacingly-well by Donald Sutherland).
We finally get to see handsome Gale (Liam Hemsworth ) have a chance to vie for Katniss's affections, but the opportunity is missed through a lack of emotional connection between him and Katniss.  Either that or it is the garlic the actor admits to eating as a joke before his close scenes with Lawrence.  (what a mean trick!)
Katniss's heart seems more with rescuing Peeta - who is the prisoner of Snow in the Capital.

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What is it with producers today who seem unable to make the final of a series into one straight movie: think Twilight, the Hobbit, Harry Potter?  Undoubtedly it is related to box office takings, because it certainly doesn't work in this overly long introduction to the real Mockingjay story.

OK, now you want to know whether to fork out the cash for the movie, here you go...

1.  You've never seen or read a Hunger Games instalment - do not try this one.
2.  You only like the Hunger Games for the thrill of the chase - do not try this one.
3.  You have read the books, seen the movies and love it all - go and see it.  You may love it, or you may be a little ho-hum about it, but you'll want to see this before the undoubtably action-packed finale.

Kasper's Rating:
Despite its lack of 'Hunger Games' and a dragged out plot caused by splitting one smallish novel into 2 movies, I still give Mockingjay Part 1 a score of 4 stars for some fabulous acting and heart-felt drama scenes.
So the questions remain for the final instalment next year:
Will the producers manage to finish the film without the pivotal Plutarch character?
Will the Capital erupt in a sea of rebellion from the united districts?
Will director Francis Lawrence stick with the same (in my opinion) unsatisfying ending we read in Suzanne Collins's novel?
For these answers and many more...tune in next year for the finale.



The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is now showing at cinemas.

 Author interview with Mike Philbin, author of Custodian @CUST0D1AN

11/27/2014

 
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Oxford UK-based artist/writer Mike Philbin has been an independently published novelist and short story writer since 1989. He is the man behind the subversive keyboard entity Hertzan Chimera R.I.P. who terrorised the horror community for over ten years, prior to 2004. Chimericana Books has secured the rights to republish all Mike Philbin's novels, including “Bukkakeworld” and “Planet of the Owls” published in 2008 by Silverthought Press (NY). Chimericana Books republished the novels "Yoroppa" and "View from a Stolen Window" published in 2011 by sci-fi-cafe press. "Custodian” and “Tandem” are the 2013 pair of releases. “Liberator” and “Watcher” are the 2014 pair of releases. 
Book title:  Custodian (free planet #1) by Mike Philbin 

Genre:  sci-fi, fantasy, horror, anti-corporate 

Synopsis:
 
A group of Oxford University's finest minds, the eponymous Custodians, offer mankind a technological 'get out of jail free card' enabling them to slip from under the yoke of Corporate Slavery to The Industry. Radical elements within the student body engage themselves in the Patent Wars and start a TV show called Natural Lottery that broadcasts to the global Evertainment System, every night, 7-9 p.m., all channels, full spectrum dominance. You are taken through a physical relocation of your corporate arm of The Industry from Dusseldorf to Oxford. You are 'made redundant' in the most spectacular public fashion and your world starts to (literally) crumble, or pixellate, around you. But there's light at the end of the tunnel of death.  

Publish date: June 15th 2013 

Publisher: Chimericana Books  

Excerpt from Custodian:

Asalah Al Faghori will die tonight and we shall share the moment of her passing so that she can fulfil her promise of a brand-new future so far denied the inhabitants of this cruelly commercial world. 

She will die so that you the people can understand Creativity. 

She will die so that you the people can translate Passion. 

She will die so that you the people can share Kinship. 

She's not going to die strapped to a chair receiving four hundred stab wounds from some lunatic home invader like unlucky French biochemists.  

She's not going to be discovered in some GCHQ safe house, zipped into a locked pink sports bag, decomposed well beyond the few days since her demise.  

She's not going to be discovered with her wrists slit in the wrong way, undigested paracetamol in her gut and no blood near her corpse in the woods.  

She's going to offer her life to the whole world, the scientific world, the political world, the living world. She's going to commit the ultimate sacrifice of her flesh so that there'll be no doubting her dedication, her resolve. She believes this to be the right thing to do. She believes that her sacrifice will be judged right and proper in the great accounting table of history's more significant events. God is on her side, or so she believes.  

 Author Interview:

Kasper: Hi Mike.  Welcome to Kasper's Ramblings.  I'm looking forward to meeting the author behind the Custodian.

Mike: Thanks Kasper.  Pleasure to be here.

What made you choose this genre? 

Most of my writing is visual in that it's a surrogate for a career as a figurative artist I abandoned in favour of writing back in the mid-90's. I like to paint pictures with words, the reader fills in the gaps with his experience (thus far) of life, and reading.
 


Cool.  You have listed: sci-fi, fantasy, horror, anti-corporate as your genres, so it sounds like a wide scope for exploration.
What’s the story behind your book title?


It was originally going to be one novel, titled Free Planet and it was going to be a simple story about how a few clever boffins engineered a turn-around of the ego-based money-ruined financial system so that everyone could live 'for free' rather than being wage slaves and dogma fodder. But as soon as book one was written the opportunity to write a second book, from a Military Perspective, telling the 'real story' about the Custodian Liberation project was irresistible. The three parts of the Free Planet trilogy are called Custodian, Liberator and Reaper.
 

Great idea.
Which scene from your book do you like best and why?
An early scene which goes something like this: 
 
They spot some kid. Some street urchin in a dark hoodie. Smoking Spanish cigarettes as he moves from shadow to shadow. He doesn't seem attached to a Corporation, there are no Ownership logos on his clothing, which is odd. Everybody has an owner, everyone has a corporate uniform. He doesn't seem old enough to be a student. But here he is, within Oxford's wall after curfew; freelancing? This was either some professor's kid out when he shouldn't be or there was a serious security breach, somewhere. It's always nice to know that security breaches exist, gives the boffins something to scratch their heads about, something to put in an invoice for. 

Asalah
catches a whiff of him and something primal goes off in here like a small bomb in the brain, a burning suffusing down to the grumbling pit of her stomach. She is about to swoop down to let Rotimi know that there's a Live Meal down below when she notices he's also spotted the youth. The chase is suddenly on.
 


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I like this scene because it tells of the RE-WILDING, a crucial aspect to the liberation of mankind from his prison homes and his prison jobs. 

Which is your favourite character and why? 

Asalah Al Faghori, she's the reason why the Custodian Liberation in the book really kicks off. She's the powerhouse of the novel and the one who faces the most danger. She's the public face of what turns out to be a covert operation.
 

How do you develop your characters? 

They develop themselves (organically) based on a few critical motivational pointers. I give my characters free reign to 'do their
thaaang' without too much interference from 'their creator'.
 

Have you used any real people in your characters? 

No … well, rarely.
 

I'm sensing a little hesitation here, perhaps someone inspired you and you'd rather they didn't know?
Have you used any real events or places as inspiration for your writing?
 


Yes, I base a lot of my recent novels in my home town of Oxford, that's in England. Oxford is, in many ways, the hub of the whole financial/elite Machine that runs this for-Profit Political world we live in. To set these types of novels within the walls of that non-moral i.e. intellectual, hemisphere is the right and proper approach.
 

I had the pleasure of visiting Oxford two years ago myself and found it an intriguing blend of ancient ways and architecture, and young and vibrant minds.  It must be an interesting place to create fantasy.
What are you working on now?
 


At the moment, I'm working on Reaper (free planet 3) and its companion in another trilogy Kumiko (war world 3). Free Planet vs War World is a major theme occupying my mind at the moment, “Which do we really live on?” and it's fun to explore both sides of the Profit-coin. Plus, I like having a couple of writing projects on the go at the same time to keep them both fresh. 
 

What’s your writing routine? 

I'm thinking of novel material all the time, I'll take notes in a non-lined diary and transpose back into doc format when I can find the time. I have a full-time job as a bus driver.
 

Who are your favourite authors?

Philip K Dick,
Haruki Murakami, Octavia Butler, Chuck Palahniuk, Cordwainer Smith, Robert Ludlum.
 

Who’s your favourite indie author and why? 

Jeff Noon. He's a northern lad, like me, and he's truly out there character, narrative, imagination-wise.
Vurt, Pollen, Nymphomation, it's all kinds of odd.
 

What is your favourite quote? 

Those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand -- Kurt Vonnegut.
 

I love this!
Do you have a blog?


I have something called the Free Planet blog, and it's where I first came up with the idea of a world where you don't have to pay and pay and pay for the basics like food, water, shelter. It was going for about five years with many posts before I started to think of writing a Devil's Advocate novel about it all.
 

What book clubs are you in? 

Book Clubs, none, but I am a member of Writers In Oxford.
 

Cool. I love Oxford.  It's such a melting pot of creativity.  You are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the country with beautiful Uni grounds to idyllic thatched roofed farmhouses.
Thanks so much for stopping by today to share your thoughts with us, Mike.
Folks, please scroll down and check out Mike's links and his imaginative writings.

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Mike's Links:
 
 

Website: http://freeplanetnovel.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Blog:  http://mikephilbin.blogspot.com (the Free Planet blog) 

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

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/53446.Mike_Philbin 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/CUST0D1AN 

Book trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua-_TMqJS74 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Philbin/e/B003Q532QK 


'I love the mermaids, centaurs, and dragons… this has a fast-moving plot and action packed with new characters.' 5 stars

11/24/2014

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After finishing the ELVEN JEWEL, I looked forward to once again be transported to another world. I found this book superb! It was intense! I love the mermaids, centaurs, and dragons… this has a fast-moving plot and action packed with new characters. Their continued journey is treacherous what with battles and magic.

I highly recommend this excellent read for middle school kids, young adults and the young at heart. It will not disappoint!

5 star review of Hunters' Quest on Goodreads by Deborah McClatchy
Hunters' Quest on Amazon
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Dragon's Revenge book launch and fun Youtube trailers

11/21/2014

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The Hunters of Reloria trilogy fans have named themselves the Relorian Alliance and came out to celebrate the release of Dragon's Revenge.
We had sword fighting, a speech from a mythical creature named the Ancient Oracle, and plenty of fun for all ages.
  It was so great to see fans, artists and readers all mingling together.  Thanks so much to everyone who came.

If you missed it, please check out the Youtube trailers.
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Fantastic reviews of Hunters' Quest on @writersweb @RaelenePurtill  Much appreciated, from Kasper :-)

11/18/2014

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“This story will have you sitting on the edge of your chair” says reviewer Gloria Hamilten of fantasy Hunters’ Quest, book two in the Hunters of Reloria Trilogy.

Peaceful Reloria is under siege by scaly Vergai invaders by portal who have captured the Elven Jewel which creates their protective forcefield. These Vergai live across the western sea, and have fled with the elven princess.

Halfling friends, Randir and Fendi and their bond-fairies are members of a group of brave hunters on a quest to recover the stolen Elven Jewel. They must search for a mage who can make a portal to rescue the princess. They thought they knew what the quest would entail, but with an unexpected member and new enemies, not everything goes the way they had planned.


This unlikely group of men, a dragon, dwarves, halflings, fairies and an elf are known as the Hunters of Reloria.

The writers’ web reviewers were absorbed by the richly constructed world of the Hunters of Reloria. Here’s what they had to say:

“The good characters are appealing and, the evil ones have characteristics that the reader can identify with. There are a few romances for good measure and the complexity of family relationships is also illustrated. The characters are believable and develop as the story progresses.

Scenes are varied – the ocean and being ship-wrecked, underwater mermaid world, river crossings, tackling a desert, Magical Palace, snow, air travel. Equally varied are the weapons – a warhammer, swords, long bows, spiked maces, and an invisible magical wave.

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Moments occur when I gasped at the imminent, possible catastrophic tragedy. The end had me holding my breath and anxiously waiting for Part 3.

The language is mature, competent, sophisticated, and easy to read. The author uses wonderfully vivid, descriptive language, even including a little Scottish.

Asher Grey of Flame Mountain is the epitome of a leader. He is enterprising, always polite even when a situation causes anger, and calm under siege. Endurance and a sense of duty no matter what the cost, even if it’s his life are also his qualities. He is flexible and can transform himself into the mighty Asher Dragon to scout enemy areas. As a leader he makes quick decisions to alter a course of action and is always in the thick of fighting even to the point of exhaustion. He also shows a human side for, strong as he is, he can be apprehensive and in need a woman’s encouragement. He also reveals that he has no love for politics.

I appreciated the care the author took to ensure that the reader is clear on who the characters are and their roles in the action. Also his excellent powers of showing what the characters felt throughout the complex storyline ensuring the reader was engaged. He uses delightful images such as the depiction a fairy stamping her foot in frustration.

This was my first fantasy book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn’t ‘out there’ as I thought it might be. At the beginning, there are maps for orientation and a list of the eight Hunters with their appearance and areas of fighting expertise. The colour drawings are exquisite.

The book has a universal appeal. Good male characters are strong and masculine, yet sensitive when appropriate. The female characters are also strong, yet feminine. Evil characters are well-depicted. I found the book to be a clever metaphor for life irrespective of historical setting. It was easy to identify with the relationships and dramas of the personalities.” 
Gloria Hamilten

“Kasper Beaumont’s world of Reloria is hugely populated with pirates, dragon-killing knights, dwarves, mermaids, wizards, and of course or intrepid adventurers, the halflings and their designated fairies.

The Hunters of Reloria are a mismatched band of travellers but they love adventure. From shipwreck to steamy forests and on to sacred villages and Desolate Castle.

Young readers will enjoy the fast paced style of this quest adventure as the band of heroes hurl themselves from one scrape to the next. The adventure does not let up, right to the final battle and the cliff hanger. The adventures are continued in ‘Dragon’s Revenge’”. 
Raelene Purtill

Elven Jewel, the first in the Hunters of Reloria Trilogy is the first experience writing for author, Kasper Beaumont (left) whose three children “provide continual insights and experiences which have inspired me to write.”

The series will appeal to lovers of fantasy from teenage to adult.

Although Kasper has been writing for only a couple of  years, the ideas in her work “have been floating around for a long time”.

Of writing her first book, Kasper says, “Honestly, I sat down one day with an idea of a halfling and his bond fairy, then some bad guys invaded their peaceful life and a novel was born. The halflings carried me along on their adventure.”

And when not absorbed in writing, Kasper works, is at uni, and loves her family to bits.

Hunters’ Quest is now available in the writers’ web bookstore as a PDF eBook and hardcopy book


Thanks so much to Writers' Web for the wonderful endorsement, cheers, Kasper.
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Dragon's Revenge book launch is today!  The dragons are coming.

11/14/2014

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Dragon's Revenge is the final book in the Hunters of Reloria trilogy, with Elven Jewel and Hunters' Quest, the preceding books.

Written with 12-year-olds in minds, the books are becoming very popular with fantasy readers of all ages.  A fan club called the Relorian Alliance is now on Facebook too.

In Elven Jewel, the crystal which creates the Relorian force-field is stolen by mace-wielding lizard-men.   A motley group of halflings, fairies, elves, dwarves and a dragon set out in pursuit.

Then in Hunters' Quest the Hunters discover the jewel has been taken to a distant place which is ruled by giant Cyclops with laser beams shooting from their eyes.  The Hunters gather centaurs and dragons to their cause for the imminent invasion of lizard-men and Cyclops.

Hunters' Quest

Blurb:

Dragon's Revenge is the thrilling conclusion to the Hunters of Reloria trilogy.

Magical Reloria is beset by hordes of invading enemy ships carrying giants with ocular laser beams. People and creatures from across the land band together against the invasion, while our group of heroes, the Hunters of Reloria, seek to restore the defensive shield to their borders. A savage attack on the dragons’ town decimates the population and leads the surviving dragon to pledge revenge against the invaders.
Epic battles with dragons and giants ensue, leading to a thrilling climax.

Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Dragons-Revenge-Hunters-Reloria-trilogy-ebook/dp/B00LHU9WY2/

There is also a Goodreads giveaway:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23264154-dragon-s-revenge

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Interview with fantasy / sci-fi darling, Jenn Nixon, for the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network #FSFNAuthor

11/11/2014

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Jenn’s love of writing started the year she received her first diary and Nancy Drew novel. Throughout her teenage years, she kept a diary of her personal thoughts and feelings but graduated from Nancy Drew to other mystery suspense novels.

Jenn often adds a thriller and suspense element to anything she writes be it Romance, Science Fiction, or Fantasy. When not writing, she spends her time reading, observing pop culture, playing with her two dogs, and working on various charitable projects in her home state of New Jersey.


I was lucky to scoop an interview with Jenn soon after the launch of her new release: Tiva Boon: Royal Guardian.


  • Book title:  Tiva Boon: Royal Guardian   

  • Genre:  SciFi-Fantasy, Upper YA, New Adult

  • Publish date: July 10, 2014

  • Publisher:  Crushing Hearts & Black Butterfly Publishing


Blurb:


The kingdom of Abennelp has enjoyed an age of peace.

Tiva Boon, a loyal and ambitious Royal Guardian is determined

to carry on tradition and become an elite protector to the

throne. It is all she has ever wanted. Possessing abilities and

strength beyond her age, Tiva dedicates her youth and risks

her life in the service of her king to prove she is worthy. With

her goal achieved and her destiny in motion, a mysterious

off-world threat emerges and shatters everything Tiva holds

dear.


Exiled from her home and running for her life, Tiva seeks

asylum with the Union, a universal security force, and attempts

to put the past behind her. Finding herself alone among

various space faring races, Tiva integrates herself into the

strange society using her skills as a protector and befriends

several aliens she meets along the way, ones who will change

her life forever.


When a message from those loyal to her king reaches her

months after she feels safe in her new life, Tiva’s destiny and

the fate of her people collide.




Author interview:


Hi Jenn, welcome to the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network space shuttle.

Jenn: Thanks so much for the interview


Kasper: My pleasure.  Let's begin by asking when you started writing and why?  

I’ve been writing in one form or another since elementary school. In the 5th grade I made a book of poetry for my parents. I wrote video game ideas for the Atari(!), and eventually started to write stories of my own as I got older.


Ahh ... the good old Atari.  That takes me back too.  :-)
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What other writing have you done?

 

I’ve written a few Romantic Suspense novels, I’ve dabbled in Mystery and Thriller, but mostly I stick to Sci-Fi and Suspense.

 

What made you choose to write fantasy and sci-fi?

 

This genre chose me. I’ve always had love for Science Fiction, as a young kid I was fascinated with Batman and Superman, then movies like Star Wars just solidified my geek status. I didn’t start writing Sci-Fi until High School when I fell in love with Quantum Leap and time travel!

 

Geeks rule!
What’s the story behind your book title?


 

Tiva Boon: Royal Guardian was about as straight-forward and easy as you can get when it comes to titles. It’s simply her name and title. I would have gone with something like Chronicles of Tiva Boon, but Riddick stole that from me. J

 

What’s the basic plot of your book?

 

In book 1, Tiva’s growing up on her planet, learning what it takes to become a Royal Guardian to her king, while a strange threat to the kingdom begins to emerge. She’s thrust into an unknown conspiracy which alters the course of her life and planet.

 

That's so cool that one guardian has the potential to save the planet.  Awesome!
Which character from your book do you like best and why?



I love young Tiva, she’s precocious, headstrong, and fiercely loyal. All of her interactions with her parents, King, and friends are very interesting to me and were lots of fun to write. I love her strange futuristic-medieval society and enjoyed writing about her struggles. 

My second would be King Delos. He’s a fair and kind leader who made a few big mistakes in his life that change Tiva’s destiny forever.


How did you develop your heroine, Tiva?


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Some of Jenn's other titles
Tiva is a bit of an enigma when it comes to character development. I originally created her to play a Star Trek Roleplaying game on AOL. Individuals would create a character, they’d be giving a post on a Starship and we would act out self-written episodes of the adventures out ships went on.

It was lots of fun and Tiva became the most fully formed character I’ve ever written about.

Sounds like a fun idea.
Have you used any real people in your characters?


 

In this book, I took many friends names and mashed them up to create the character names. Personality or looks wise, no real person made it into this one, but I have used friends and family on occasion to fill out secondary characters.

 

Which one of your characters would you like to be?

 

I’d love to say I’d be Tiva, but in reality, I’m probably the most like Bet from the Lucky’s Charm series. She’s a bit of a control freak with mother hen issues and that is very me.

 

That description made me laugh out loud.  Good one.
Have you used any real events or places as inspiration for your writing?


 

I didn’t realize I had done this until after the book was finished and I re-read it, but in Tiva’s story, she loses a family member at a very young age which changes her and her outlook on life. At 10 years old, I lost my youngest brother to a freak accident, which obviously changed me, too.



In the Lucky series, I use many real places I have been to around the country to keep her life authentic.

  

Do you have another job outside of writing?

 

Yes, I have a day job working for an Accountant. I’m the Office Manger.

 

What are you working on now?

 

Right now I am promoting my novels and editing a few more to get them ready for publication.

 

Excellent.   I hope we will hear from Tiva Boon again.
What do you do when you have writers’ block?


 

I like to watch movies to help with writers’ block. Sometimes I watch Castle. Other times I just sit at my computer and re-read something I’ve written to help inspire new ideas.

 

Keep on writing.  It has been great having you here on the blog today, Jenn.  I wish you all the best and brightest for the future. 

Thank you for having me!


 

 

Check out Jenn's Links:

Website: www.jennnixon.com

Blog:  www.jennafern.blogspot.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JennNixonAuthor

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/712429.Jenn_Nixon

Twitter:  @jennnixon

Book trailer:  animoto.com/play/Buz4Xuc0p0WeSEKjyeDWfg

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LN8S32U


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5 stars ' A wonderful end to an amazing journey!' September 26, 2014 By Claire Rees.  Dragon's Revenge.

11/9/2014

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'Mage Nnarndam' by Ynne Black
Book three finishes where book two leaves off; Ash, Sienna and Daeron have gone through the portal that leads to where the Vergai live to save the Elven princess, Shari Rose and are now trapped there. Daeron has been captured by the evil cylops who run the land and rule over the vergai and it is now left to Ash and Sienna to save him and the princess. Meanwhile the rest of the ‘Hunters’ have been helping their newest recruit ‘Violetta’ to take her mage trials to become a fully fledged mage. The vergai are getting closer and closer all the time and Reloria have suffered many losses of different races. The Hunters and their new found friends are now ready to make one last stand against the invaders and they hope to save their land and people. Will Ash, Daeron, Sienna and Shari Rose going to make it back in time?
There are some unusual romantic pairings in this book but it works out really well and it is nice that the characters even though are on the way to war still have time to find love. The last battle is intense, sad and full of action with severe losses on both sides. If you loved the first two then you will love this book. The ending is well thought out and ties everything up nicely.
Dragon's Revenge on Amazon.com
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Interview with sci-fi author Jeremy Breitenbach, inspirational author of 'The Gateway'

11/8/2014

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Jeremy Breitenbach, advocate, now author, is a resident of Cincinnati OH, where he was also born and raised.  He has overcome several struggles including a premature birth from which he was not expected to survive, to being legally blind and living with Cerebral Palsy.

Jeremy's first book, "The Gateway" introduces readers to Chicago, IL in 2059, and Dr.  Richard Caulman, a physicist who aims to revolutionize transportation.His plan backfires when the creation leads to an alien invasion, putting the entire world in danger.  See how the story unfolds as Author Jeremy Breitenbach gives you, "The Gateway".

 

Book Title: The Gateway

 

Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror

 

Synopsis: Chicago, IL, 2059.  World-renowned physicist Dr.  Richard Caulman aims to revolutionize transportation with an interdimensional gateway, but instead his creation leads to an alien invasion which puts the entire world in danger.

 

Publisher: Broken Bars Publishing

 

Publish Date: Don't know yet but very soon because the last thing that needs to be completed before it is released is the cover which is being worked on by the artist.

 

Excerpt from The Gateway:

 
It was 10 A.M.  on Monday March 3rd, 2059 in Chicago, Illinois at a  laboratory on the University of Chicago campus; where Dr.  Caulman, was ready to do the inaugural test run on his highly controversial interdimensional gateway.  Dr.  Richard Caulman is a tall (six foot to be exact) skinny clean-shaven 38-year-old man with a somewhat deep voice; he has  very short black hair and brown eyes.  He has a wife Jennifer who is 37-years-old with shoulder-length blond hair a very soothing voice, and blue eyes.  She is about five feet five inches tall with a slightly chubby build.  They have two children: a 12-year-old son (that is in 7th grade) named Richard Jr.  (or Richie for short) he has short nicely cut blond hair, blue eyes,, he has a somewhat high voice, and he is short and skinny; and their ten-year-old daughter named Beth (who is in the 4th grade) she is short with a skinny build.  She has short black hair and brown eyes.  They live in suburban Chicago.

 

He said to his colleague Dr.  Jonathan Reynolds, "John is everything ready for the test of the gateway?"

 

He replied with great enthusiasm, "Yes, everything checks out fine!"

 

"Good.  Dr.  Jones could you come in here please?" A short chubby scientist with thick intellectual-looking glasses, long black hair and blue eyes came into the room.

 

He said, "Yes, Dr.  Caulman.  What can I do for you?"

 

"While Dr.  Reynolds and I go into the other room to switch on the power to the gateway; could you stay in this room, and relay to us what you see in the gateway?"

 

"Of course I will."

 

"Thank you.  Come on Dr.  Reynolds let's go!"

 

Dr.  Reynolds said, "All right." He then followed Dr.  Caulman into the room containing the power supply for the gateway.  Dr.  Jonathan Reynolds is in his 40's with a heavy build, short brown hair brown eyes and glasses.  He has a medium voice (not too high or low; he is a very soft-spoken man).  He is five feet nine inches tall.

 

The room in which the Gateway will be opened is very spacious with a high ceiling to accommodate the height and width of the gateway once it has been fully opened.  The power supply for the gateway is in the room directly to the right of the gigantic gateway room because the power supply is contained within a huge machine; the size of the machine is necessary to generate the enormous amounts of electricity it takes to create the gateway.

 

Dr.  Caulman, once arriving to the "power on" switch, looked over at Dr.  Reynolds and said with great anxiety, "I hope this test works John."

 

"Me too Rich.  We've worked on Project Gateway for ten years now, and if something goes wrong today all of our years of work will be shot to s**t."

 

"I know, but if it works imagine the possibilities.  With the gateway in full working capacity we could have the ability to make travel between anywhere on Earth instantaneous.  Just think paramedics could use the gateway to get patients to the hospital with no need for ambulances, and travel by plane, ship, or automobile will no longer be necessary.  Let's hope that our technology won't be used in warfare.  I'd hate to have our technology cause the deaths of innocent people."

 

"I feel the same way.  Now, let's throw the switch already."

 

"OK.  Here it goes." Upon saying this Dr.  Caulman threw the switch.  A very loud crackling sound was heard; as millions of volts of electricity went into the generator that generates the large electromagnetic field that makes up the gateway.  An hour later the gateway was completely open.  Dr.  Caulman said, "Dr.  Jones what does the gateway look like?"

 

"It's approximately ten feet tall by eight feet wide.  The energy field is blue in color.  I put one foot all the way through it, and I touched ground.  Unfortunately, I haven't seen anything or anyone yet."

 

Dr.  Caulman said, "Great! Everything seems to be going well." Then Dr.  Caulman and Dr.  Reynolds waited for another report from Dr.  Jones.

 

Dr.  Jones asked, "Where did you set the gateway to open on the other end? Is it California where our colleagues Doctors Smith and Polaski are waiting for us so that we can conclude the test?"

 

Dr.  Reynolds said, "Hold on, let me check." He went over to a computer, and began to figure out where they instructed the gateway to open.  When he found what he was looking for he shouted, "F**k!! We didn't set any coordinates!"

 

Alarmed Dr.  Caulman said, "What do you mean we didn't set any coordinates? If we didn't set any then where the f**k did the other end open up?"

 

Dr.  Reynolds replied, "I don't know, but I think it may actually be another dimension.  Let's just hope that there aren't any kind of beings that want to invade our dimension."

 

"If there are Dr.  Reynolds I believe that we will be no match for whatever they are.  If they are humanoids or monsters it doesn't really matter."

 

Dr.  Reynolds replied, "Yeah, I agree.  Either way you look at it we still could be f**ked.  That is, if we've opened a doorway to another dimension.  I'm still not sure if that's what we've actually done."

 

Meanwhile, Dr.  Jones heard something coming through the gateway.

 

"Dr.  Caulman I think something's coming through the gateway.  Please stand by."

 

Dr.  Caulman replied, "OK Dr.  Jones.  Standing by."

 

Five minutes later Dr.  Reynolds and Dr.  Caulman heard a scream of terror coming from the gateway room.

 

"Holy s**t! What the f**k is that! Rich! John! Get in here!" Dr.  Caulman and Dr.  Reynolds raced into the other room.

 

Upon their entry they saw six humanoids accompanied with six hideous creatures.  The humanoids looked just like normal humans except for the fact that they all were very tall, they all had blue skin with silver eyes, and long flowing white hair going down their backs.  The humanoids clothes consisted of: sleeveless buttonless gray one-piece suits with white boots.  All of the creatures were very large with brown skin, large brown eyes, large mouths with razor-sharp teeth, and long very powerful arms.

Author Interview with Jeremy

Hi Jeremy, it's a pleasure to have you on the Hunters of Reloria website.  Your books sounds exciting and I can't wait to hear all about you.
Tell us how you began your writing career:

I've been writing since I was fifteen.  I am legally blind with cerebral palsy.  I use Braille.  I started out writing for fun; writing original stories based off of The Legend of Zelda and original stories based off a '90's cartoon I love called Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, but in the years since
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stopped writing the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog stories, but still continued to write The Legend of Zelda stories.  I eventually created an original series based on The Legend of Zelda consisting of 3 books so far. 
I also began writing my own original stories based on the anime Dragon Ball Z (which I'm a HUGE fan  of); so far writing 3 original Dragon Ball Z stories.  In 2009, I started writing my first real book; a horror/sci-fi book for adults entitled "The Gateway" finishing it in 2011.  While writing that I began writing children's books.  Completed three: "The Abduction of Benjamin Williams," "My Dog George," and "Tim's Story".  (And I'm still working on a 4th: "Lost in Wisconsin".  A friend named Matthew McElwain helped me in coming up with the plot for Lost in Wisconsin so I dedicated it to him and acknowledged him for helping in its creation). 
I also wrote a how-to book entitled "How To Read and Write Braille".  In 2014, I came across Author Ronnie C.  Dawson, CEO and founder of Broken Bars Publishing and told him about myself and all 6 of my books.  I e-mailed him The Gateway, and long story short I started publishing it through them.  The last thing that needs to be finished before it's released is the cover which the artist is currently working on. 
Here's what "all 6 of my books are about - How To Read and Write Braille: details how to read and write Braille, The Gateway: a physicist opens a gateway on a planet within another dimension which leads to an alien invasion; violence and strong language, The Abduction of Benjamin Williams: a family gets betrayed by a neighbor they thought they could trust, My Dog George: a boy's dog runs away, Tim's Story: A boy becomes an orphan after his parents are  killed in a tragic car crash.  (None of the characters in this book are based on actual people.  The basis for this book was inspired by the story told in Contemporary Christian Music artist Steven Curtis Chapman's song "When Love Takes You In", and Tim's red hair was inspired by the hair color of the orphan boy in Steven Curtis Chapman's song "All I Really Want".), and Lost in Wisconsin: a boy gets separated from his parents while they are going on vacation, and due to his dyslexia boards the wrong plane. 
Excerpts from all 6 of these books can be found under the "Notes" tab of both my official Facebook page and my personal Timeline (for those that wish to "Follow" me.  To find my personal Timeline search my name; it'll say I work at Broken Bars Publishing.  Links to my official Facebook page and my personal Timeline will be put at the end of my answers). 
Here's what the books in my original The Legend of Zelda series are about - The Hyrulean Civil War: The Saga of King Link, Book 1 (a civil war breaks out in Hyrule), The Rezlorian Empire: The Saga of King Link, Book 2 (an emperor wants to conquer Hyrule), and The Great Moblin Invasion: The Saga of King Link, Book 3 (the King of the Moblins plans to invade the Upper World).  Here's what my Dragon Ball Z original stories are about - The Return of King Piccolo (King Piccolo returns to Earth to seek revenge on Goku), Turles' Revenge (Several years after his defeat, Turles escapes from Hell in another attempt at taking over the Earth), and The Return of Garlic Jr.  (The shattering of dimensions caused by Janemba destroys the barrier which separates the Dead Zone from Earth's dimension once again releasing Garlic Jr).  Excerpts from The Legend of Zelda original series and my original Dragon Ball Z stories can only be found under the "Notes" tab of my personal timeline.  (They will not be put into Notes on my official Facebook page.  So if you are interested in reading "any of these particular excerpts feel free to "Follow" me.)


 

Wow!  You certainly have a great body of work waiting to be read, congratulations.
 

What inspires you to write horror stories?

  I started with horror as my genre because I'm a huge Stephen King fan.  And I wrote children's initially to write a book for my Godson.  But I enjoyed writing that one book I ended up writing 3 more; finishing two.


 

What did you choose the Gateway title?

 Well, honestly, the only thing I can think of to say is that since the story is centered around the gateway and the danger it unleashes it was the best choice.


 

Describe the Gateway is a brief sentence:

 
The basic plot is Dr.  Caulman, his family, and the world leaders try to combat the alien invasion.


 

How do you create your characters?

  I develop what I want each character's physical attributes, age, and height to be before I begin writing because I find it really helps me in crafting the story


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What is your work in progress?

I am currently working on my 4th children's book entitled Lost In Wisconsin.

I'll keep an eye out for those on Amazon.

What's your cure for writer's block?

When I have writer's block I take a break from writing for awhile.
Describe how The Gateway's cover was developed?
 
I thought up in my head well in advance what I wanted the cover to be: the main alien emerging from the gateway.  I'll describe what I envision for it.  The alien is a humanoid.  His skin is blue (like a dark blue navy blue I think is the best way to describe it), he has silver eyes (his eyes are slits 1-2 inches from side to side), he has long flowing white hair (the hair also covers the sides of his face just past his ears), his ears are rounded and very small and not visible due to his hair length, he wears a light grey one-piece suit made of a soft smooth fabric with no markings on the fabric (the suit is buttonless and sleeveless up to the shoulders and it's not a space suit), he wears white boots that go up over his ankles, the pants portion of the suit go all the way down to the boots, and finally, the gateway itself  is composed of an energy field that is a light blue color.  If that is too much for the artist I do have another idea: just the gateway itself.


I'm so impressed that you had such a detail vision.  It looks great.

What do you like to read when you take a break from writing? 
 

Anything by Stephen King.

 IT, Cell, 11/22/63, Carrie, and Cujo.  There are a lot more books by Stephen King I'd like to read someday.

 

So I'm guessing your favourite author is ...?

Stephen King because of how great his books are and his storytelling skills are.



Good one.  I have enjoyed a good many of his too.


 What other hobbies do you have?

 
I like to listen to music and watch TV when I'm not writing.

Great.  Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us today, Jeremy.  It has been a pleasure.  Best wishes for The Gateway and I hope to see your other works published soon too.


Folks, please check out The Gateway and Jeremy's links.  The Gateway is available at the special price of 99c so please support this dedicated new author.


Jeremy's Links:

 

Official Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/OfficialJeremyBreitenbach

 

My personal Timeline (so those that wish to "Follow" me can do so):
 
https://www.facebook.com/jeremy.breitenbach


Amazon: The Gateway:
http://www.amazon.com/Gateway-Jeremy-Breitenbach-ebook/dp/B00P453Y2M/


My listing on Broken Bars Publishing's Website:  http://www.brokenbarspublishing.com/our-authors

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Never one to miss a new challenge, I'm interviewing a blind author named Jeremy Breitenbach

11/6/2014

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