Kasper's Ramblings from Kasper Beaumont - Hunters of Reloria

Hunters of Reloria

Interview with #mythology #fantasy author Juli D Revezzo @julidrevezzo #FSFNet

9/16/2017

Juli D. Revezzo cites a love of fantasy and Celtic mythology and she writes stories encompassing many kinds of fantastical elements. Her published works include historical romances, House of Dark Envy, Watchmaker’s Heart, and Lady of the Tarot; the Antique Magic paranormal series; and Celtic Stewards Chronicles series and more. She is also a member of the Independent Author Network and the Magic Appreciation Tour.

Juli D Revezzo is an author I have followed on Twitter for many years, and I'm delighted that she joined me today on the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network for an author interview.
Here are some of my fave bits:
* In her mythological fantasy, Juli tries to keep true to the well-known portrayals of the characters and to work her story around them.
* I like the fact that Frigga's Lost Army is set in World War II and not in ancient times. Kinda reminiscent of Wonder Woman or Captain America, which I love.
* Juli's aspirations include knitting, like her goddess character. As a crafty type myself, this appealed to me.
* She has written 100,000 words this year, yet still worries about the dreaded writers' block. I'm thinking there isn't a problem there.
* One question I asked was quite relevant due to Juli's evacuation for Hurricane Irma. Can you spot the reference in the interview?
For these and many more fun facts, check out the full interview on the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network.

Juli has a new release due in a few weeks, in the meantime check out her latest:
Frigga's Lost Army.

Synopsis:

In the winter of 1943, eighteen-year-old Benjamin is just a grunt and Army cook--until he finds himself captured, along with his unit, taken prisoner by Mussolini's troops after the Battle of Tunisia.Transported to a POW camp in Italy, Benjamin is plagued with intense visions of the Norse Goddess Frigga and her retinue of Valkyries, berserkers, and other magical beings.
When he encounters a woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to the goddess, he wonders if he hasn't been entangled in a battle between the natural and the supernatural--a battle for the present and the future.

Two for the price of one. Meet the Dragon Authors @DragonAuthors #FSFNet #interview

7/14/2017

Always introduced as Erin and Steven, so I'm turning the tables and introducing Steven Brown and Erin Michelle Sky to you. Together this talented writing duo is known as the Dragon Authors and they have popped in to say Hi.
Erin confesses to being a keen fan of llamas and Anne McCaffrey.  Steven began writing at a young age when his supply of books to read ran out. A love of writing and illustration was born.

The other day I interviewed this dynamic duo for the Fantasy Sci Fi Network.
Here are a few of my fave snippets:
*   They have a new book called The Intuitives available for order
*   They work on something until they have agreement. Kudos to their patience.
*   Their next work sounds like a very exciting and creative piece of fan fiction
*   They do book reviews with a twist: video stick figure reviews
*   I love Steven's idea of writing music
*   Ice cream comes in neon colours - wow!

For all these cool insights and a whole lot more, check out the full interview on the FSFN website.

New release: The Intuitives
Genre: YA contemporary fantasy
Publisher: Trash Dogs Media LLC
Release Date: July 25, 2017

IMAGINATION JUST BECAME OUR GREATEST WEAPON.In Egypt, an archaeological team discovers the lost tomb of Alexander the Great. Seven years later, every public school student in America takes a strange new test, but only six are chosen to attend a summer program at the mysterious Institute for the Cultivation of Intuitive Cognition, where nothing is as it appears to be, including the students themselves.

July bargains from the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network #FSFNet #sale

7/1/2017

Check out these exciting fantasy and sci-fi bargains from
the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network

Elven Jewel is just 99c for July
Synopsis: 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 fulfil 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.

Review: Wonder Woman. The best super hero movie for a long time #WonderWoman #movie #review

6/18/2017

So much has been said about a female super hero lead and a female director, girl power yada yada. Seriously folks, who cares? I sure don't. A good movie is a good movie and I reckon this one is mighty fine. Sure it has some world-building plot and character development which may seem a little slow in places to the adrenaline junkies, but I found it well done.
There is plenty of eye candy for all with gorgeous Gal Gadot and hunky Chris Pine wearing nothing but a few drops of water. The scenery and cinematography are visually splendid.
I went with my 15 year-old comic reading son and he said it was regrettable how much they differed from the comics, especially with the Gods and Chris Pine's character. He thought her powers weren't quite true to the comics, such as her forcefield or telekinetic powers. He also said that the action scenes were awesome, so I'm pleased he came along with me and enjoyed it. I also saw it with hubby who said much the same thing.

For me, it was a great all-rounder with lots of heart, relatable characters and really cool action. I found the backstory of Diana (Gadot) growing up with the Amazons on the hidden isle of Themyscira (I hope I spelled that correctly) all quite wonderful and it brought a cool fantasy edge to the movie for me. I guess she's a bit like a female version of Thor. I'll just step back and let the DC and Marvels fans argue that one out LOL.
I've been a Gadot fan for years from the Fast & Furious movies. I was pleasantly surprised at her emotional depth in the role and such a lovely chemistry with Chris Pine.
Also the battle scenes and horsing riding action were fantastic. The lasso work was well done. 5 stars from me.

Gee..I hope you all get this meme. It's a good one

Until next time, happy days, from Kasper :)

Review of Cherry Pickers sci-fi by Bonnie Milani @homeworldnovel #amreading #scifi

5/12/2017

My review of Cherry Pickers: On the women's penal colony of Sisyphus, 17 year old Nikki has a one-track mind and that is to get her gun licence to impress her mother. The only way to do this is to lure a man from a passing space ship, to pick her cherry. Not quite a romantic coming of age, but a promising synopsis for a speculative fiction novel. Being a penal colony, it's a kill-or-be-killed world, in which having just a machete is really not conducive to survival.

An interesting concept from author Bonnie Milani, is the house bugs, AKA giant hairy spiders, which can be quite the docile type, but can also be aggressive and murderous. There is the whole Black Widow, death-after-mating thing going on here, so it's no wonder there aren't many guys hanging around. Another Sissy planet nasty is the man-eating Nosher plant with its deadly tendrils.
The most enjoyable character for me was Sam, the spider who lives with Nikki, kinda like an eight-legged creepy-looking brother type. Sam is actually really sweet, loyal and noble. He is the only person who is nice to Nikki in the whole story. Unfortunately his future is pretty bleak, with him likely to be mated and eaten in the near future.
The story begins with Nikki searching the house for the book of Grimms, the only book on the entire planet. I didn't really get hooked in by this beginning and ended up having to re-read the first chapter to take in all the alien world-building. There is plenty of information at the start as Milani draws you into her world. Once I got into the story, I found it well-paced and enjoyable. Other interesting concepts included the click speech of the house bugs and the chron implant, which was mentioned briefly. There is action aplenty and a few surprises to keep you guessing. I did find it a little tricky to figure out who was a human and who was a spider, as the personalities seem rather similar. On the whole, I enjoyed Cherry Pickers and would recommend it to new adult readers.
I bought this book on Amazon and this is my honest opinion of the novel.

Drop Everything and Read Day - April 12th #DEAR #FSFNet

4/3/2017

The Fantasy Sci-Fi Network will be celebrating.“Drop Everything and Read Day.” It is designed to remind folks of all ages to make reading a priority activity in their lives. Because, what’s more fun(damental) than reading, really? Much has been written in recent years about declining literacy, so let us do our bit to promote reading.

D.E.A.R. programs are held on April 12th in honour 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!

We encourage you to “Drop Everything and Read” every day throughout the year. The goal of the program is to prompt people to make reading a regular part of their routine . . . whether they’re reading solo or together with their classmates, parents, or friends. So, go ahead and join the millions of families, schools, bookstores, and communities who have participated throughout the years and pledge to “drop” what you’re doing in order to read a good book.

As an organization, library, school, or bookstore, you can participate by hosting a “Drop Everything and Read” event at your location (or elsewhere) during the month of April. As an individual, you can participate by attending an event in your community or by reading at home with your children, siblings, or friends.

You can find loads of great D.E.A.R. resources on the D.E.A.R. website:
http://www.dropeverythingandread.com/resources.html

The Fantasy Sci-Fi Network, of which I am an admin, is having an online author event, as well as books on sale and a Rafflecopter with many great prizes to be won.

Here is the link to the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network event.
Awesome fantasy, sci-fi and steampunk authors will be hosting
in timeslots throughout the day.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1042589222540002/?active_tab=discussion

Here is the link to the Rafflecopter.
There are Amazon gift cards, paperbacks and ebooks up for grabs.

You will be able to enter the competitions on the 12th of April.
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/77a940171/

Magic and dragon mythology make for a roller-coaster adventure by Dianne Astle @bendragonborn #dragons #fantasy #FSFNet

3/19/2017

Ben and the Watcher of Zargon
Synopsis: Grade ten isn’t turning out the way Ben hoped. Ben’s best friend is no longer his roommate, but has been replaced by a strange boy who follows Ben everywhere. Jealousy awakens the dragon fire within Ben when the girl he likes returns to school with a boyfriend. That fire and the scales peeking out from under his shirtsleeves are making it increasingly difficult for Ben to keep his secret. Ben needs to go to his mother’s home world to learn how to transform into a dragon. Meanwhile Ben is changing and if the training comes too late he is in danger of becoming something that is neither human nor dragon.

After reading Ben the Dragonborn (book 1), I was hooked. I bought the sequel the very next day. Ben and the Watcher of Zargon book has a lovely familiar feel to the start, as we again open in the paranormal school where Ben studies with his friends. He is starting to show obvious signs of turning into a dragon, so the principal decides he must go immediately to the dragon world to learn how to be a dragon. Things don't go quite to plan, with unexpected companions and a dragon world on the brink of civil war.
As with book 1, Ben must learn quickly to develop and use his talents to assist the local populace. There a new characters, but a similar theme of teamwork and camaraderie in their mission to save the day.
What I liked: dragons, of course. There are plenty in this book. I also like the characters and their mission. One new character is a delightful surprise. I also found the author's style and craft had much improved in this book. It was really enjoyable.
What I didn't like: the names really did my head in. Everyone in the entire world has a name beginning with Z. There are only so many Z names in existence, and I found it difficult to keep track of which character was which. Thanks goodness for 'Ben.'
I'm looking forward to Ben's next adventure.

School holiday fun with a visit to the whimsical Lollipop Land #childrens #fantasy

1/5/2017

Lollipop Land appears once a year in the Old Pine Rivers Town of Queensland, Australia. It is a different display each year and a perfect escape for the young and young of heart. I went with 2 little fairy friends today and had a wonderful time. We spotted dragons, fairies, elves, sweet woodland creatures and more. Highlights for me this year were the great white bear and the many dragons. Lollipop Land closes on January 22nd, so pop in for a magical playday.
For further details, see Lollipop Land's Facebook page.

Fandri's Adventures book launch #fantasy #FSFNet

12/18/2016

When you have rubber weapons, winners of art competitions, excited children and an enormous cake, you just know it's going to be a lot of fun. And so it was at Kasper's 4th book launch for Fandri's Adventures.
This book launch was a special one for Kasper because her son, Bailey had helped write the first chapter of the book and gave a splendid speech on why he liked the book.
Fan of the Hunters of Reloria series, Joanne also gave a review of why she liked this book as well as all the others. She came dressed as a Fandri-La fairy, which was very cute.
Kasper announced the winners of the 2016 art competition in a video presentation, and the art from the 2015 art competition was to be seen on the big screen and also in the paperback novel itself.
Check out the pictures here, along with Bailey's fun speech.

Win a Kindle Fire, Amazon $$, ebooks and paperbacks at the FSFNet Christmas sale #FSFNet #Sale

12/16/2016

Hi all, the FSFNet (Fantasy and Sci-Fi Network) sale is on this weekend, so please pop in and grab some prizes from the competitions. I will be there on 5-6pm New York EST Saturday night (which is 8am Sunday here in Brisbane), and there are a KINDLE FIRE, free books and an Amazon voucher up for grabs during the hour I host with the my gorgeous writing pals: Cheryllynn Dyess and Kerry Alexander-Hall

Here is a full list of sci-fi and fantasy authors, and when they will be hosting:
Note this is New York time. Please come and chat with them:

Dec 17th 11am-12MD Greg Spry
Dec 17th 12-1pm James McAllister
Dec 17th 1-2pm Nicholas Rossis
Dec 17th 2-3pm Robin Lythgoe and Debbie Brown
Dec 17th 3-4pm Dianne Astle and Will Macmillan Jones
Dec 17th 4-5pm J.d. Hallowell
Dec 17th 5-6pm Kasper Beaumont with special guest authors Cheryllynn Dyess and Kerry Alexander-Hall
Dec 17th 7-8pm A.R. Silverberry
Dec 17th 9-10pm Leeland Artra
** ** **
Dec 18th 12-1pm E.A. Hennessy
Dec 18th 1-2pm CM Lance
Dec 18th 2-3pm Devorah Fox and Raven Oak
Dec 18th 3-4pm Bryan Rainey
Dec 18th 5-6pm L.R.W. Lee
Dec 18th 6-7pm Bonnie Ferrante and H.M. Clarke
Dec 18th 8-9pm Lori Jean Fitzgerald
Dec 18th 9-10pm Lynette White
Note that clicking on each author's name will take you to their Amazon author page, so you can see all their books.

The big event can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/218633468547329

All FSFNet members write pg 13 (AKA suitable for teenagers), and below in all the Sci-Fi / Fantasy subgeners – so there is nothing you can’t find! Swing by and see us, let us know where you got your invitation!

Cheryllynn's fantasy books:

Kerry Alexander-Hall's fantasy book

Kasper's fantasy books: