Hunters of Reloria
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What makes the land of Reloria unique? #OWSCyCon2019 Blog Hop  #FSFRL #amwriting

5/4/2019

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​As part of the OWS CyCon 2019, we asked our fantasy authors to write about what makes their world, or the world of another author unique. Each of them has come up with very different answers which reflect their writing processes, their research methods, and their views on world building.
We hope you find these insights interesting, and that they maybe give you some new things to think about when you pick up a new book, or even start writing your own.


After reading this interview, be sure to check out the responses from our other fantastic writers: https://owscycon.ourwriteside.com/fantasy-events-at-cycon/fantasy-blog-tour-what-makes-an-authors-world-unique/


What Makes Reloria Unique?
By Kasper Beaumont

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I have been challenged to write a blog post on what makes the fantasy world of Reloria unique.  I always love a challenge, so grab your dragons and enjoy the ride.

Halflings and their bond fairies
​In the Hunters of Reloria series, the magical land has been invaded before and many defenceless races were killed by the scaly invaders, called Vergai.  At the time of the first invasion, the dragons, elves and mages worked together with men to eliminate the enemy and restore peace to their lands.  Once the Vergai were vanquished, the dragons and humans resumed their own war, most of the mages returned to their own country,  and the elves were left to pick up the pieces.
A magical forcefield was created by the elves and mages, known as the Elven Shield of Reloria.  The elves also wished to offer enhanced protection to the weaker halflings, so they sacrificed some of their magic to create bond-fairies.
Bond-fairies share energy and magic with halflings.  They make the halflings stronger and also share strong emotions with them.  Their life forces are linked so that they can only go a short distance apart and the halfling’s food intake sustains the fairies in a symbiotic relationship.
Meet Fandri and Fandri-La.  These two leave their peaceful village in the Southlands and experience high fantasy adventures together with elves, dwarves and dragons.  Oh, and did I mention a talking bear?
Magical powers used by the wizards and mages
In Reloria there is a magic system which can be somewhat related to some types of witchcraft in our own world.  There are five elemental powers which are: air, water, fire, earth and shape-shifting.  Most magic users have one or perhaps two powers but very strong Mages may have three powers.  Having more than this is unheard of before the beginning of the series.
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Centaurs
In the Hunters of Reloria series, I would classify the centaurs as Pagan.  They have an enormous golden pyramid which is hollowed out and fitted with strong telescopes.  They follow the movements of the planets and stars and believe that celestial events such as eclipses have special meaning.
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Hunters of Reloria series blurb: 
Halfling friends Randir and Fendi and their bond-fairies discover scaly invaders in their magical land of Reloria. They leave their peaceful farm village and embark on a quest to save the Elven Jewel which turns out to be quite a surprise. It’s a race against time to stop the warlike 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. The Elven Jewel is stolen. The quest becomes a race to the portal to retrieve the jewel before it can be taken to the wastelands of Vergash. In further books, a mage must be found to aid them, and they visit the home of the dragons. A battle for Reloria ensues where unless the Vergai are stopped, the consequences for the Relorians is death.
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MFHWEWO
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​Giant Cyclops
When I wanted to make a menacing enemy, I created with these giant Cyclops.  Not only are they intimidating at 20 foot tall but they are fearsome warriors.
The most dangerous thing about them is their eye.  It can heat up into a laser beam which cuts through everything in its path.  Pretty daunting for halflings, bond-fairies, elves and dwarves etc to battle.
Check out the books to find out how the Hunters of Reloria fare against such formidable opponents.
Hunters of Reloria series blurb:

Halfling friends Randir and Fendi and their bond-fairies discover scaly invaders in their magical land of Reloria. They leave their peaceful farm village and embark on a quest to save the Elven Jewel which turns out to be quite a surprise. It’s a race against time to stop the warlike 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. The Elven Jewel is stolen. The quest becomes a race to the portal to retrieve the jewel before it can be taken to the wastelands of Vergash. In further books, a mage must be found to aid them, and they visit the home of the dragons. A battle for Reloria ensues where unless the Vergai are stopped, the consequences for the Relorians is death. Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MFHWEWO
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About Kasper Beaumont
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Kasper J. Beaumont was born and raised in Australia and lives a quiet life with the family in a seaside town. Combining a love of fantasy and a penchant for travel in the Hunters of Reloria trilogy, Kasper started to write on the urging of friends and family and enjoys watching readers become immersed in the magical world of Reloria. Kasper is a pen name for a rather shy author who is happy to remain unnamed.
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Meet Kasper Online

OWSCyCon2019 Author Booth: https://owscycon.ourwriteside.com/forums/topic/kasper-beaumont/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kasperj.beaumont
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KasperBeaumont
Author Website: www.huntersofreloria.weebly.com
Author Blog: http://huntersofreloria.weebly.com/kaspers-ramblings


Learn More About the OWS CyCon 2019 Event
CyCon is the biggest online book event of the year, bringing together authors and readers from all over the world for an entire weekend of book-related fun. Between the organizers, and 230+ writers, you’ll be able to:
· view live (and recorded discussions),
· listen to samples of their stories,
· vote in the various genre tournaments,
· browse the author booths, and
· discover some amazing books and writers.
We hope you enjoy this event as much as we enjoy bringing it to you. For more information, and links to all of the activities, visit us at: https://owscycon.ourwriteside.com/about-ows-cycon/
You never know, you may just find your next best read!

Also, check out the authors hosting in the Fantasy Sci-Fi Readers' Lounge.  It's Gonna be epic!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FantasySciFiReadersLounge/
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Writing challenge awards for February #FSFRL #writings #awards

3/10/2019

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Hey there Lounge Lizards, I'm, please to announce the awards for the February writing challenge in the Fantasy Sci-Fi Readers'Lounge.  

Our intrepid authors have been scribbling and typing their fingers to the bone for the past month in our February Writing Challenge.  Words are logged each day with the minimum being 100 words.  The words have to be new words in a fantasy / sci-fi story. 
In February we again had over 40 authors pen over 1 million words, yes, that 1,000,000 words. Wowsers!  Congratulations to all those who participated.
It is a truly international challenge with authors from all over the world participating.  Our winners for February are: 4 from the United States; 3 from Australia, 1 from Thailand and 1 from Canada.
Our three founders of Lady Cheryllynn, Lady Marsha and Lady Kasper are delighted to award the following prizes:
Most Days Logged
Skin-of-the-teeth Days
Highest daily total
Most days in a row
Highest overall word count
There will also be a special bonus prize to be announced at the end of this ceremony.

 For any authors wishing to join the March challenge: join us here:             https://www.facebook.com/groups/969078436632998

Our thanks to Robin Lythgoe for the prize badges

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Most Days Logged

It was with great excitement that the Founders watched the word counts coming in every day of the February Writing Challenge.  Many authors tied for this prize after writing each day for 28 days.
Lady Cheryllynn, Lady Marsha and Lady Kasper are delighted to award the prize of Most Days Logged to Alli Martin, Avril Sabine, Heather Glidewell, JC Andijeski, Jeanette O’Hagan, Kasper Beaumont and Miriam Dumitra.
 Most Skin-of-the-teeth Days
Sometimes writing at all can be a challenge for our authors, due to writing, family, work or other commitments.  We like to reward the authors who keep going even when pressed for time.  This award for the February Writing Challenge goes to the author who submitted the most days with word counts between 100 and 119 words.  One author blitzed the field this month with a record 9 skin-of-the-teeth days.
Lady Cheryllynn, Lady Marsha and Lady Kasper are delighted to award the prize of Most Skin-of-the-teeth Days to Ashley Barton​.
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 Most words in a single day 
Now this was our most hotly-contested prize.  The lead changed several times as authors submitted some truly amazing totals.  Ashley Barton kicked off the challenge with an impressive 4K.  Esme Wilde jumped in with 5K on day 4. Then LaTanya Hawkins raise the bar with over 10K on day 5, topped on the 8th by JC Andrijeski with 11K and Ashley with 16K. The air thrummed with tension (and the battering of computer keys) until the following weekend. The gauntlet was dropped and a bunch of authors burned the midnight oil and posted huge numbers that were never to be seen again that month. 
 On a personal note I was delighted with a personal best record of 5K that weekend.
When the dust settled on the parchment for the month, several tired authors conceded defeat and probably slept for 2 days straight.  Our runner up was JC on a huge 20K. 
Lady Cheryllynn, Lady Marsha and Lady Kasper are delighted to award the prize for Most Words in a Single Day to LaTanya Hawkins for an astounding and record-breaking 27,180 words. Twenty-Seven Thousand Words in One Day! Congratulations LaTanya.
Most Days in a Row
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Knowing how busy our authors are, we thought to encourage them with an award for the person with the most consecutive chain of days.  To our delight, many authors tied for this prize by writing every single day.  Such dedication is impressive.
Lady Cheryllynn, Lady Marsha and Lady Kasper are delighted to award the prize of  Most Days Logged to Alli Martin, Avril Sabine, Heather Glidewell, JC Andijeski, Jeanette O’Hagan, Kasper Beaumont and Miriam Dumitra.
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A special mention to those who won both the January and February most days for a now 59 days in a row: Alli Martin, Avril Sabine, Jeanette O’Hagan, and Kasper Beaumont.  We have our own little battle see who holds out the longest this year.
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Highest Overall Total
It was a nail biter, watching some huge daily totals coming in and wondering who was going to nab the big prize.  We had several contenders here with monthly totals over 30,000 words each.  These are: Angelique Anderson, Ashley Barton (Our Skin-of-the teeth winner!!), Avril Sabine, Chez Churton, G. Russell Gaynow, JC Andrijeski, Jeanette O’Hagan, Jessica Ney-Grim and LaTanya Hawkins. Well done to you all for writing half a book or more in a month.
Lady Cheryllynn, Lady Marsha and Lady Kasper are delighted to award the prize of Highest Overall Total to an author with an average daily count for the month of over 4,000 words per day.  Our winner with a total of 154,715 words is very dedicated LaTanya Hawkins. Congratulations on this new FSF group record.

Our runner up for this award was JC on 152K words.  Soooo close

** Additional bonus prize **
As well as badges this month a rare gift has been bestowed upon only the February winners who will choose the genre theme for the April Readers’ Lounge hosts. All details will be provided to the winners and we will inform our awesome readers of the results in the next few days.
Lady Cheryllynn, Lady Marsha and Lady Kasper are delighted to award the Genre Choosing prize to Alli Martin, Ashley Barton, Avril Sabine, Heather Glidewell, JC Andijeski, Jeanette O’Hagan, Kasper Beaumont, LaTanya Hawkins and Miriam Dumitra

Make sure to stop by the Fantasy Sci-Fi Readers'Lounge soon
 www.facebook.com/groups/FantasySciFiReadersLounge/
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Announcing the winners of the January writing challenge for the Fantasy Sci-Fi Readers' Lounge #FSFRL #amwriting

2/10/2019

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​Hey there Readers’ Lounge Lizards, we have some awards to present today.
A group of our intrepid authors have been scribbling and typing their fingers to the bone for the past month in our January Writing Challenge.  Words are logged each day with the minimum being 100 words.  The words have to be new words in a fantasy / sci-fi story. 
​In January we had over 40 authors pen over 1 million words, yes, that's 1,000,000 words. Wowsers!  Congratulations to all those who participated.
​Our three founders of Lady Cheryllynn, Lady Marsha and Lady Kasper are delighted to award the following prizes:
Most Days Logged
Skin-of-the-teeth Days
Highest daily total
Most days in a row
Highest overall word count

Our thanks to Robin Lythgoe for the awesome prize badges

​Most Days Logged
It was with great excitement that the Founders watched the word counts coming in every day of the January Writing Challenge.  Many authors tied for this prize after writing each day for 31 days.

And the prize for  Most Days Logged goes to Alli Martin, Avril Sabine, DM Staley, Glen Edens, Jeanette O’Hagan, Jessica Ney-Grimm and Kasper Beaumont.
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Most Skin-of-the-teeth Days
Sometimes writing at all can be a challenge for our authors, due to writing, family, work or other commitments.  We like to reward the authors who keep going even when pressed for time.  This award for the January Writing Challenge goes to the authors who submitted the most days with word counts between 100 and 199 words.  Two authors tied for this prize this month.
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And the prize for Most Skin-of-the-teeth Days goes to Kristie Kiessling and Kasper Beaumont
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​Most words in a single day
Now this was our most hotly-contested prize.  The lead changed several times as authors submitted some truly amazing totals.  When LaTanya Hawkins submitted over 8,000 words on the first day we had an inkling that this challenge would be big, but we had no idea how big. On January the 9th, JC Andrijeski did 8319 and Maro Graham did 12493.  The gauntlet was dropped for a super weekend battle to come.   
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That weekend a bunch of authors burned the midnight oil and posted huge numbers including DM Staley on 10K, JC, LaTanya on 15K, Sable Schwab on 13K and Maro.  We also had G. Russell Gaynor on 15K and Esme Wilde on 16K joining in just for one day.
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When the dust settled on the parchment for the month, several tired authors conceded the winner. And the prize for Most Words in a Single Day goes to JC Andrijeski with a whopping 20,094.  Twenty Thousand Words in One Day! Congratulations JC.
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​Most Days in a Row
Knowing how busy are authors are, we thought to encourage them with an award for the person with the most consecutive chain of days.  To our delighted, many authors tied for this prize by writing every single day.  Such dedication is impressive.

And the prize of  Most Days Logged goes to Alli Martin, Avril Sabine, DM Staley, Glen Edens, Jeanette O’Hagan, Jessica Ney-Grimm and Kasper Beaumont.
​Highest Overall Total
It was a nail biter, watching some huge daily totals coming in and wondering who was going to nab the big prize.  We had several contenders here with monthly totals over 30,000 words each.  These are: Angelique Anderson, Avril Sabine, Cassandra Fear, Cheryllynn Dyess, DM Staley, Glen Edens, JC Andrijeski, Jessica Ney-Grim, LaTanya Hawkins, Sable Schwab and Samuel Peach. Well done to you all for writing half a book or more in a month.
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Our  founders Lady Cheryllynn, Lady Marsha and Lady Kasper are delighted to award the prize of Highest Overall Total to an author with an average daily count for the month of over  4,000 words per day.  
Our winner with a total of 127,573 words is very dedicated LaTanya Hawkins.

Congratulations to all our winners.



If you're a fantasy and sci-fi author and you'd like to join our writing challenges, please join up in the Fantasy Sci-Fi Author Support Group.
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Where did the Fantasy Sci Fi Readers' Lounge come from? #FSFRL

1/22/2019

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"Build it and they will come."  The field of dreams quote is very relevant for this situation.  
On the 13th of December 2018, I said to my friend Cheryllynn, "Hey CeeCee, wanna start a new author group?  I want to run a writing challenge."  She said yes.  That could be the end of the story but it truly is only the beginning.  Shortly after we created it, another author friend named Marsha Moore asked if she could help and have a linked group for readers.  Thus the FSF Author Support group and the FSF Readers' Lounge were born.
A short 5 weeks later we have: 
*  500+ members in the Readers' Lounge
*  a massive Kick Off Party underway, followed by regular weekly author hosting with genre-themed weeks
*  coming attractions including Sales, promos, opportunities to be a Beta reader and sneak peaks of new novels
​* a newsletter with regular updates
*  300+ members in the Author support group
*  a daily writing challenge with over 600,000 words written in just 3 weeks
* writing tips, excerpt feedback, a place to meet and discuss all things writing
​*  an interactive map with author locations
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Group motto: positivity, support and encouragement
A huge thank you to all the founding members.
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The founding members are Kasper Beaumont (author group coordinator), Cheryllynn Dyess - Author (admin, newsletter, birthdays, graphics...) Marsha A Moore (admin, Readers Lounge coord), Sharon M Johnston (mod, content, tweets), LaTanya Hawkins (mod), Michelle Dare (mod, content), Esme Wilde (mod, content), Avril Sabine (mod, content), A.W. Cross (Twitter coord) Robin Lythgoe (graphics).
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Come and join us:



Author Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/969078436632998/

Readers' Lounge: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2043978469031165/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorFsftwitter.com/AuthorFsf

Newsletter: ​https://facebook.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=975b396c4713947f022af27b9&id=5fd3389932

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Fun fantasy writing with the Intricate Worlds Group

9/17/2016

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Writing groups come in all shapes and sizes from social get-togethers to full-on professional assistance sessions.  I'm looking for something in the middle of those two extremes and I think the group I attended today has the perfect balance.
Intricate Worlds writing group is for fantasy and science-fiction authors from around South East Queensland.
Today we had a critique session and a writing activity.  I was really excited to receive some constructive feedback on my Eventful First Kiss story.  The other short stories and excerpts read were very well written and I enjoyed hearing them.  There are very talented writers in the group. 
The writing exercise was to write for 10 minutes about a randomly-drawn character, genre and setting.  My was a haughty middle-aged man with a murder in a Synagogue, written in a post-apocalyptic world.  Apart from me getting tongue-tied trying to pronounce 'post-apocalyptic,' it was loads of fun.
I look forward to our next catch up.
Write on.
Kasper
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Bryan Rainey drops by for a Fantasy Sci-Fi Network interview #FSFNet @bdr2031 #fantasy

2/20/2016

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Bryan Rainey is a fantasy writer with a self-confessed passion for writing.  He has just published a fantasy book called  'Unforseen:' book one in the Starshot Chronicles.  Bryan is madly writing away and has ambitions to finish Southern Desires; I, Ronin; Dragons of the Cosmos; Salvation of Gaalin and its two sequels this year.  Phew, that is a big to-do list!
Bryan also has an alter-ego 'Brien O'Raighne' under which he publishes adult-only fiction.
His writing is a unique mixture of fantasy, science fiction, super heroes, paranormal and horror.
What do we learn about Bryan from his interview?
Well, without wanting to spill all the beans, I can share a few tidbits with you and then you'll have to click on the FSFNet interview to discover the rest.
  • Bryan outs himself as a 'Dungeons and Dragons' Dragon Master, which shows a high level of skill and determination.
  • He talks about the favourite character in his book series, who is the heroine, Fiona.  I am quite intrigued about these 'goblimites' she is battling and must explore this further.
  • Bryan is also a big Star Wars fan (well, honestly, aren't we all?) as evidenced by his list of most-recently read books.
  • I did find it interesting that Bryan (or Brien) likes to write erotica, but lists romance as a genre he doesn't enjoy reading.  I'm guessing his books are not your typical formula and he is bringing something new to the genre.
You can see the full interview here on the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network website.

Here is Bryan's first novel in the fantasy genre: Unforseen which has just been released this month.
Blurb:  Fiona Harley, a princess and Sentinel Knight, escapes her captors in a starfighter.  She manages to reach the nearest jump gate.  As she set up the coordinates to get home, her fighter's navicomputer is hit.
The coordinates scramble as she enters the jumpgate sending her to the planet of Desarti on the other side of the galaxy, where she is stranded.
A young paladin named Gaalin iv Coel Fan rescues Fiona from a sinking starfighter. There is something strange about this young paladin as others arrive to the location hours later.
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G'day Aussie Fantasy Sci-Fi Network members. #FSFNet @K_CopeFunRead @Kia_Crystal @Ind1cated @Lawfabex

6/26/2015

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Hey mates!  We have uncovered 6 awesome Australian authors from the Fantasy Sci-Fi Network.  Check out these talented beauties and their great writing.
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Katrina R Cope
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Kerry Hall and Kasper Beaumont
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Kia Carrington-Russell and Kasper
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LJ Clarkson
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Leisl Kaberry
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Katrina R Cope

Katrina is a quiet, bordering on shy, person until relaxed with the company or after a couple of her favourite reds (Yes, that is all it takes).

She resides in Queensland Australia and is a loyal friend once you pass the barrier. Her three teen/preteen boys and husband of over fifteen years treat her like a princess. Unfortunately though, this princess still has to do domestic chores.
She holds a 2nd Dan in Taekwondo, which she likes to incorporate the experience into her stories. When she has enough time away from her writing to commit to training, she will be going for her 3rd Dan.

From birth, she has been a very creative person and has spent many years travelling the world and observing many different personalities and cultures. Her favourite personalities have been the strange ones yet the ones under the radar also hold a place in her heart. During her last extensive travels, she spent 16 nights in a bomb shelter on a Kibbutz 8 kilometers off the Lebanese border. It was to avoid Katyusha bombs that the resident volunteers decided to name her after (she is still trying to work out why).

PS. Do NOT try to scare her in a dark alleyway even as a joke. Just saying!

Katrina has published four novels in the Sanctum series and is currently working on the Afterlife series.

http://katrenee11.wix.com/katrina-cope-author

Katrina Cope on Amazon.com

Kerry Hall

Kerry's love of life, literature and a deep hunger for learning, has been at the core of her being. Growing up in rural NSW and as a third generation writer, her childhood was surrounded by animals, fiction characters, stories and verse. Kerry's early career spanning thirty five years, plunged her deep into the humanistic side of the nursing field. From the late 1980's, she combined University studies with her clinical knowledge and together
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Kerry Hall with Ken
they melded into a long and distinguished academic career. It was on those poor souls in her lectures, she finetuned her wicked nurses sense of humour. Early retirement however, saw Kerry return to her love and passion for the fiction novel. Not one for letting her mind stagnate, she soon discovered the Indie Author world and a new challenge emerged.  

For the past few years Kerry has been beta reading, critically evaluating and substantive editing fiction novels of varied genres. It was only a matter of time then, she would embark on mentoring and writing her own fiction novel; one inspired by a dream. The Tales of Cerahya, Book one; Morphids will be completed and published in the latter half of 2015.It will be fast paced, action packed with love, life and liberty all at stake. Kerry resides in a quiet community in Tasmania, with the love of her life, husband Ken and their small fur baby that believes she is human. Their five children are all adults now. A country girl at heart; she treasures each and every day. Her only nemesis; 'The spider'.

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Kia Carrington-Russell

Kia Carrington-Russell is a young fantasy, paranormal and romance author writing from her Australian home. Kia is supported by her helpful friends, family and readers. Most of all she is assisted by her Ying and Yang kitties, Isa and Forest, as well as her Cavoodle, Sia, who are always by her side as she busily types away in her office.
Kia completed her first manuscript, Possession Of My Soul: The Three Immortal Blades, when she was fifteen. After graduating from high school, Kia pursued freelance journalism.
 After working for half a year within the sales section of the local paper, Kia realised journalism was not what she wanted to focus on.
Kia started her Precious Living website, which is a self-help blog publishing weekly affirmations. It was a way to express her enjoyment of photography as well as reaching out to readers who might not be feeling positive in their current lifestyles. She often published motivational stories, hoping to fill many with gratitude for what they had, instead of focusing on what they didn't.
In the year of 2014, Kia took her first manuscript seriously, and on May 15, Kia's first book was published. Since then Kia has continued writing and publishing many works from the Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, and Action genres. Kia has many more books planned for the future.
In 2015, Kia's self-publishing services and promotional services became live. She is now CEO of both Crystal Publishing and Crystal Book Promoters, which have been designed to help other authors at an affordable price. The mission is to guide writers through the perilous journey of self-publication.
Kia enjoys dancing, cooking, painting, manga, anime, eating (loves eating), reading, and is very competitive in all games, no matter what game.
Kia has now released 6 novels as paperback and ebook with plans for a further 2 publications in 2015.

Kia Carrington-Russel on Amazon.com

LJ Clarkson

 LJ Clarkson has done many things in her time. Making mud pies as an Environmental Engineer. Bossing people around as a project manager. Reducing flood risk to residents affected by floods. But her all time favorite job is telling stories and making others laugh.

She counts the following as very special talents: singing out of tune, laughing at her own jokes, reciting useless, but very fascinating facts, and a magical habit of magnetizing food to her clothes. If she were a Mastermind, she’d uninvent early mornings, grammar, broccoli, cleaning and her dog’s fussy eating habits.

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LJ is the author of the Mastermind Academy and Heaven and Hound series, and the brains behind Author Resources Database, a promotional site for authors.

Book titles:  The Silver Strand (Book 1 in the Mastermind Academy series) and Heaven and Hound-Rise of the Alpha (Book 1 in the Heaven and Hound series).

We'll have a full interview with LJ Clarkson here on the blog next week.

LJClarkson on Amazon.com
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Leisl Kaberry

My name is Leisl Kaberry and I am an Aussie living in Canada missing the summer heat and beaches of Australia but loving being able to snowboard in the winter… why can’t I just have it all?, the cake and the eating. I am a stay at home mum with four kids, a dog, two cats and a husband… so yep, I keep pretty busy. I am studying part-time a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice, completely different to writing fantasy but I guess it just engages another part of my brain. I never wanted to be a writer when I was growing up, I was determined to be a theatre actor, I still do the bit of theatre from time to time which I enjoy but now I would much rather be writing… can never get it right!
See more of Leisl's interview at:
http://universe.suvudu.com/post/author-interview-leisl-kaberry#sthash.egWvKtlJ.dpuf

Leisl is the author of the Titanian Chronicles fantasy series.  Her first book is available now and she is hard at work perfecting book 2. 

Leisl Kaberry on Amazon.com
Kasper Beaumont

G’day folks, I’m Kasper Beaumont, a fantasy author from Australia and I’m looking forward to sharing my dragon tales with you. I’m a mild-mannered healthcare worker by trade and when I’m off duty, I turn into a creative fiend, pushing the boundaries of fantasy writing. I juggle writing, work and my three young cherubs and enjoying catching up with my writing group, family and friends. Living the dream.

An extract from Kasper's interview by Wendy Van Camp on Suvudu Universe blog
See more at:
http://universe.suvudu.com/post/author-interview-kasper-j-beaumont#sthash.P7eKBMfA.dpuf
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Kasper has published 3 novels in the Hunters of Reloria trilogy and a short dragon battle story, 'The Tragedy of Garass & Asher;'  all of which have received many 5 star reviews.  Kasper is currently working on two short stories as collaborations with young fans: 'Sienna the Huntress' with 12 year old Kyla, and 'Fandri's Eventful First Kiss' with 13 year old Bailey.

Kasper Beaumont on Amazon.com
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Conquering the Spanish market is Raymond Bolton's next goal.  Read it here ... @RaymondBolton #FSFNet

6/9/2015

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Raymond, I’ve just learned that you are having your debut novel, Awakening, translated into Spanish. Why is that?
There are numerous post online about the importance of getting one’s book translated into other languages. Spanish and German are the most important.
After averaging 4.8 stars on Amazon, almost 4.7 stars on Goodreads and receiving all 5 star reviews on Barnes & Noble, I was wondering why sales for Awakening, my epic fantasy, weren’t exploding. Then I learned that Amazon.com has 3.6 million English language titles, of which more than 458 thousand were published last year and more than 600 thousand new titles expected to be released in 2015 with more expected every year after.
I’m being buried.

Then, when I learned (1) next to Mandarin, Spanish is the most widely spoken language on the planet and (2) Amazon has only 93 thousand Spanish language titles and that (3) Game of Thrones and Twilight had recently been translated into this language—thereby indicating demand for the kind of book I write—I decided there might be a way out of my predicament.

Smart thinking.
How did you begin this process?

Initially, I thought I could let translation software handle the bulk of the work, then have a human translator tweak it. After buying the highest rated app on the market, I translated a chapter and sent the result to an editor friend who now teaches Spanish at an Indiana university. Even though I did not reveal what I had done, he got back right away saying, “Your translator isn’t telling you this was produced by translation software. Not only that, it isn’t even grammatical Spanish.”

I gather, then, you have hired a human translator. Is finding a qualified translator difficult?

Certainly, finding the right person takes a great deal of time and effort. But this is not the only obstacle. Getting a book translated into another language is anything but inexpensive. At just a few cents a word, the price quickly moves into thousands of dollars. At professional rates, Awakening’s 109 thousand words would require me to dish out a five figure fee and I don’t have that kind of money. You can imagine my delight, then, when a professional translation firm that wanted to move from business and legal work into literary translation expressed interest, offering to take a significant portion of their fee from the book’s royalties as an inducement. Naturally, I jumped at the chance. It was a game changer.

It sounds as if they approached you.

Not exactly. Actually, it was a case of serendipity. In the course of conversation with one of my clients—I am a high-end hairdresser who has many well-connected individuals in my chair every week—when I mentioned my sales dilemma and my desire to find a Spanish language translator, she told me she knew someone who might be qualified to handle the project. After she had contacted her friend, he got in touch with me right away. He did so because, after reading the book and appraising its reviews, he believed Awakening has the potential to become an international best-seller.

So you hired him.

Actually, I ended up hiring a team.

Really? Will you tell us about them?

I was counciled by several experts to ensure my translators were native speakers, educated at the university level, so I am pleased to describe what a stellar a team I’ve assembled. The director of the translation firm, which has offices in both Boston and San Juan, hails from Barcelona and has a PhD from Harvard University. And though he is certified to interpret in Federal court—a level of proficiency for which very few qualify—he did not feel he was the one best suited for the job. Instead, he chose to oversee the work of one of his editors, a published poet who resides in Puerto Rico. He gave her the assignment because he felt she could produce the most literary result.

Yet, despite even this pair’s amazing qualifications, they made some missteps early in the game. In the first chapter, when one of the characters exclaims, “What in the world have you been doing?” they translated it as, “What have you been doing in the world?” This is very different and it occurred because this figure of speech does not exist in Spanish. As a result, I’ve added a third member to the team: a native English speaker who is professor of Spanish at a college in New Mexico. My instinct was right. Because she is more sensitive to English language nuances and idioms than my primary translators could ever be, Awakening is receiving a world class translation. This also illustrates why an author should have at least a rudimentary understanding of the language in question. If I did not speak as much as I do, I would have missed that initial bobble and the end result would have been the poorer for it.

How do the characters in El Despertar differ from the those in Awakening?

Actually, the books are identical except for an issue or two that cropped up right away. Let’s see. How do I explain this without spoilers?

The first one involved a prophecy. In the English version, it was misunderstood because the accent of the character who related it caused the one to whom it was delivered to misunderstand what was said. As you well know, many English words can sound like other unrelated words. The problem here was that the corresponding words in Spanish could not be similarly confused. We solved this by renaming both a land and one of the characters.

The other issue evolved out of my sailing background. Awakening has several chapters set at sea on a sailing ship and I was not confident my translators could arrive at the appropriate Spanish terminology. For example, in English we call the controlling lines for sails “sheets.” I did not want them to end up sounding like bedding. Taking a sailboat to windward is called “beating.” I could only imagine what mistranslations that might cause.

Consequently, I went online and found several Spanish/English sailing glossaries. I located the appropriate terms and gave them to my team.

Does this begin to illustrate the kinds of problems a translation can pose?

So you are pleased with whom you’ve hired.

I’m beyond pleased. I am privy to all their emails, so when they spend time debating the advantages of such minor details as using Lo versus Le—two pronouns meaning him or to him—because one has a more literary quality while the other feels more dynamic, I know that I am blessed.

How excited are you to have your work translated? Congratulations!

Thank you. I can say, without reservation, I am beyond excited.
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 Regardless of whether this experiment succeeds as I would like, the ride has been exhilarating. While I believe incursions into relatively unexplored markets are the way to go, even if I fall flat on my face, the journey will have been worth it.


How are you enjoying the marketing of the series?

Now THIS is the fifty million dollar question.

My research is indicating that neither Iberian nor Latin American readers are as prone to shop online as are we Americans. Casa del Libro, Spain’s largest brick and mortar bookstore is still huge, such that Internet travel sites directing travellers to Spain list prominently hotels near every Casa del Libro location. Even so, in anticipation of Amazon’s incursion, Casa del Libro is putting up their own Internet sites with ebooks formatted for their preferred eReader, Tagus. I am currently working to get El Despertar listed.

I am also in the process of creating Spanish language Tweets and have several Spanish speaking friends who are looking for other ways I can create buzz.

I am also about to launch a Goodreads Giveaway, targeting readers in Mexico, all of Central and South America, as well as Spain itself.

Finally, El Despertar will be featured in the New Titles Showcase at the Guadalajara Book Fair which runs from November 28 through December 5, 2015. It is the world’s largest for Spanish language books and is attended annually by more than 20,000 Spanish language publishing professionals, as well as—get this—over 750,000 attendees from the general public! THAT’S what I call visibility.

It’s a bit daunting, but I am trying my best to rise to the challenge.


Thanks so much for chatting to us today, Raymond.  We wish you all the best with your Ydron series.


Links to connect with Raymond and view his books

Website & blog: http://www.raymondbolton.com

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

Goodreads:   https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7690905.Raymond_Bolton

Twitter:   https://twitter.com/RaymondBolton

Amazon.com:
http://amzn.to/1FVxgwU

Amazon UK: 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thought-Gazer-Ydron-Saga-2/dp/0991347110/

Amazon AU:
http://www.amazon.com.au/Thought-Gazer-Ydron-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B00OP1HA7G/

Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/RaymondBolton

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+RaymondBoltonAuthor/
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Group book signing with the Writers Anthology Group at Strathpine arts and crafts fair #amwriting @bentbananabooks

5/29/2015

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I am rather impressed that our writing anthology group is known by the acronym of WAGs.  It does sound a little irreverent and mischievous.  Bernie Dowling is the ringleader of the WAGs and arranged a group book signing for us at the Strathpine arts and crafts fair.
It was great to hang out with a bunch of talented and experienced writers and also to meet so many clever art and craft folk.
The Writers Anthology Group produce an anthology of short stories and poems each year all written around a particular theme.  Last year's version was 'Alpha & Omega' and this year's theme is 'Inspired By.'  Pictured here are Vera M. Murray , David MacLaughlin and Bernie.  I was next to Vera with my Hunters of Reloria trilogy and Anne Olsson came later, as well as Bakthi Ross with her delightful, self-illustrated children's stories.  It was quite fun to watch Bakthi doing the digital artwork on her laptop for future books.  I do admire her imagination with titles such as Pumpkin Pants.
You can see the Alpha & Omega Anthology here on Amazon.com
I was also very excited to meet a charming 10 year old artist named Tania who makes polymer clay dragons.  Each dragon she produces is lovingly hand-crafted and painted.  I flicked through her book depicting previous works and each dragon has a unique look and personality.
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You can see some of her delightful dragons above on her display table.  I am so impressed that such a young lady has achieved so much with great talents and the support of her parents.
I have placed an order for Tania to make Ash Dragon for me.  I can't wait to see how he will turn out.  It is so exciting!
I have an email address here for anyone who is interested in Tania's Little Funky Dragons: mila@abv.bg

I really enjoyed getting out and about, mingling with talented local artists.
Until next time, have a great time, cheers, Kasper
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Exciting news from Kasper's writing cubbyhouse.  A new story co-written by 11 year old Kyla

1/31/2015

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Sienna by Hecate Jerrett age 16
Sienna the Huntress and her bond fairy are far and away the most popular of the Hunters of Reloria characters according to her reams of fan mail.  Young Kyla wanted to have a go writing a story of Sienna and her father, Harlon, in the Wild Woods.
The first draft of the fantasy story came back to Hunters HQ yesterday and it sounds great.  We will do a bit of editing and add some tension and emotion, but I must say, I am very excited to be working on this story with Kyla and can't wait until we can share it with all the Hunters fans.
I am stoked to receive any letters, suggestions or fan art about the Hunters of Reloria series.  If you are interested in being a part of this big adventure, please send something or let me know.
Here's a link to the Hunters of Reloria trilogy where you can check out the highly rated Hunters of Reloria trilogy.  Happy reading, cheers, Kasper
Hunters of Reloria trilogy
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    About Kasper

    Kasper Beaumont was born and raised in Australia and lives a quiet life with the family in a seaside town.  Kasper has combined a love of fantasy and a penchant for travel in the Hunters of Reloria series.

    Starting to write on the urging of friends and family, Kasper enjoys watching readers become immersed in the world of Reloria.

    We hope you enjoy 
    Elven Jewel, Hunters' Quest, Dragon's Revenge and the others books to follow.


    Kasper enjoys sharing this blog with other authors in the fantasy / sci-fi and paranormal genres.  You'll also discover interesting facts about Kasper writing, as well as Relorian art, book and movie reviews.  We hope you like it and feel free to leave a message.

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