The mountains of rural Georgia will never be the same after a series of viscous murders rock the area to its core. Not only does the killer target children, his gruesome murders are designed to inflict the ultimate agony upon their parents and to instill extreme terror within the small communities.

TITLE: Star Wars: Invasion Volume 3- Revelations
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
RELEASE DATE: April 25, 2012
ISBN: 9781595828828 
AUTHOR: Tom Taylor
CONTRIBUTORS: Chris Scalf; Colin Wilson; and Wes Dzioba 

. . . And the walls came a tumbling down

I’m headed into a new phase of my life. I’m transitioning from unpublished author begging agents to read a few chapters to hot, middle aged mama (hot is an overstatement of my general aura), boldly self publishing my novels for all the world to see.

I have spent the last ten years working the agent/publisher gig; writing, querying,  attending conferences, reworking my synopsis, posting & reading at publisher and industry sites and generally immersing myself in an industry that equally prizes innovation, cherishes imitation (read sequels), is entirely subjective and seems unable to  understand that their world is on the cusp of a change so large that they’d best soon schedule a meeting to address that change or someone may escort them out of their office when the rent goes unpaid.

Truthfully, I’m a little pissed off. It’s like a spent a boatload of time cataloging 8 tracks to find out the players are no longer made. I’ve been following this business for a quite some time, I knew change was coming. I remember when I found out about the first ereader and thought to myself, change is coming. But who knew when? And who could have predicted the depth and breadth and speed with which a centuries old industry was turned on its head.

A while back, I wrote a book called A Song After Dark. I remember thinking it was crap when I finished it, and I was afraid to show it to anyone. Truthfully, I’m very harsh on my writing, and most of the time I think it’s terrible. It takes someone whose opinion I trust to look at my writing and tell me that it’s pretty good.

That wasn’t my first novel, more like my eighth. But the situation hasn’t changed. It rides ever onward, morphing and reappearing with each book and story. I’ve learned, after almost a decade, to have fun with it, to love that part of writing—journeying into the unknown, into your own subconscious. It’s scary at times, but it’s always rewarding.

Luckily, I have my girlfriend, whose opinion I trust and who encourages me endlessly. I know now that looking at one’s own writing and being unsure of whether it’s good or not is just part of the game. The same goes for those times during writing a novel when you wonder whether you’ve taken the right path or not, when ask yourself where the hell all this nonsense is going, when you doubt whether you’ll ever finish the thing at all. It’s all a natural part of the process. Learn to love it, to let the third eye do what it will. Then, when the story has finally laid itself upon the page, clean up the mess and turn that coal into a diamond.

Letting Your Story Flow

by Brian Beam

Like many writers, I have had my share of discarded manuscripts, some only paragraphs, others dozens of pages. So many hours, so many ideas, all thrown away.

At the height of my frustration at not being able to finish a complete fantasy novel, I knew I had to try something else. I wanted to identify that special “something” which would allow me to fulfill my dream of finishing my first novel. Through articles about writing, interviews with my favorite authors, and instructional books, I found that a common theme was outlining your story. 

So, I started outlining. However, instead of discarding my manuscripts, I found that I couldn’t even start one to discard. It made no sense to me. The story was right there on the page. All I had to do was expand it into narrative. It should have been easy. For me, though, easy as it may have been, the inspiration to write those stories evaporated.

After taking a step back, I realized that I felt too constrained with my outlines. I had written out the flow of the stories, but then I felt stuck to that flow. Getting new ideas meant going back through my outline to figure out exactly how that new idea would affect the rest of the rest of the plot points. It felt tedious. I kind of gave up.

After a few years of minimal writing, I got a general idea for a series of short stories. It was the first idea I had been excited about in so long that I just had to put it to paper. I forewent the outlining, just wanting to enjoy the feeling of writing again. I was only a couple pages in when I realized that my first idea was not going to work as a short story. My new plan was to expand my story into a trilogy of novellas.

 
Pirate Therapy and Other Cures
BY: Mark A. Rayner
PUBLISHED BY: Monkeyjoy Press
PUBLISHED IN: 2012
ISBN: 9780986662782
Pages: 158

  
    When I saw the book request from author Mark Rayner for his book Pirate Therapy and Other Cures, I had to laugh and at the same time I wondered what Pirate Therapy was. Mark Rayner has a website/blog skwib.com where he publishes flash fiction, in which some of those stories have made it into this book. I don’t read very many humor books, so I was skeptical about reading Pirate Therapy and Other Cures.

    The author has collected some of his best flashes for this edition, which are hilarious tales that will put a smile on your face. You’ll learn what happens when a worldwide virus turns it’s victims into clowns; learn about the strange mythology of unicorns; learn about what high fiber foods you should be eating (if you are a cyborg); find out how Batman really feels about his Justice League of America team; learn the history of Groundhog Day; and learn ten great facts about Canada.

 
TITLE: Star Wars: Knight Errant Volume 2--Deluge 
AUTHOR: John Jackson Miller
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics 
PUBLISHED DATE: June 5, 2012
ISBN: 9781595826381
ARTIST CONTRIBUTORS: David Daza, Iban Coello, Ivan Rodriguez, Joe Quinones, Michael Atiyeh, and Sergio Abad



Set in the beginning of the Old Republic, a 1,000 years before the birth of Luke Skywalker, this epic tale centers around a young female Jedi Knight named Kerra Holt, who is attempting to fight against the evil Sith Lords. The Sith Lords are trying to control large portions of the galaxy while continuing a war with the Republic. In the five issue series titled Deluge, Kerra Holt returns to the ocean world of Aquilaris, the planet she once called home, which is currently under control by the Sith Lord Daiman.

As soon as Kerra arrives she jumps into a battle against the Sith Lord’s army and she allies with other Republics. Her people have been enslaved and she’ll do anything to save them. Soon, she realizes that there is another enemy - a Hutt. Now determined more than ever, Kerra must go against all odds to stop them from flooding her home planet.

The Thirteen
BY: Susie Moloney
PUBLISHED BY: William Morrow
PUBLISHED IN: 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-211766-3
Pages: 330

    After being fired from her waitress job at a strip club, Paula Wittmore is notified that her mother has taken ill. She packs up her bags along with her teenage daughter, Rowan, and returns to her home town, a suburban called Haven Woods. Everything may look normal there, but Haven Woods has dark secrets at every corner, including several strange deaths and apparent suicides.

    Returning home is putting Paula on an emotional rollercoaster as she reunites with some of her childhood friends, not to mention her mother’s strange frenemies - twelve women bound by terrible secrets that requires a thirteen to be sacrificed.

How to Start and Make a Conversation: How to Talk to Anyone in 30 Seconds of Less
BY: Christ Gottchalk
FORWARD BY: Deanna Anderson, M.ED, CCC/SLP Speech Language Pathologist
PUBLISHED BY: Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60138-383-9
Pages: 288

 Before there was Facebook and Twitter, there was a thing called talking - actual face to face communication. In the book How to Start and Make a Conversation you'll learn how to talk to anyone in thirty seconds or less. You may think this is easy and just text somebody, but in the competitive business world, or just life in general, good communication skills are required.

The book's target readers will be mostly shy men and women who have a hard time getting up the nerve to talk to someone, but it can easily be used by students, teachers, business owners, etc. The author quickly takes you through the basic reasons of why conversation is important in our society. There are many reasons why someone can struggle with communications, like social anxiety, fear of rejection, self-esteem, etc. Throughout the book you'll learn about how important body language is; speaking to a stranger in thirty seconds or less; how to make small talk; how to leave a conversation; communicating at work; making friends; the romantic art of conversation; and learning how to communicate in the social media world.

"For the first time in a long time, I don't know what my future is,
Meggie." Allison rested her head on Meghan's shoulder.

"If you can stop controlling your life, maybe God will finally have
a chance to get a word in edgewise and be able to tell you want he
wants for your life."

page 56, Wish You Were Here by Beth K. Vogt

Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors Volume 1 is another DVD that I won in a recent giveaway. I didn't recognize the name or the cover art. It wasn't until I played the first episode that I finally, more like vaguely, remembered the show, as I was a four-year-old when it aired on television. Actually, I don't recall much about the show, but I do the toys, which were released by Mattel before the show was created. Mattel needed a way to explain the strange looking silver vehicles and the even stranger looking organic/machine vehicles, thus Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors was created. Talented writes such as Larry DiTillio, Barbara Hambly and J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5, wrote most the episodes.

Here is the series main plot: Audric, a botanist, was experimenting with biotechnology, and developed a crop that could grow in any environment.  A burst of radiation from a solar flare mutated one of his crops, transforming it an evil creature called Saw Boss. The other plants transformed as well and were called the Monster Minds. Audric created a magic root to destroy Saw Boss, but time was not on his side as his laboratory is being attacked. He splits the magical root in half and gives the other half of it to his faithful servant, Oon. He commands Oon to take the root to his son, Jayce, and serve under his command.

Oon (a magically animated suit of armor servant) finds Jacye along with Gillian (a wizard/scientist), and Flora, who was created from a flower by Audric. With the help of a Han Solo ripoff character, Herc Stormsailor - a pilot and  mercenary, they become known as the Lightning League. They use their ground vehicles to battle the Monster Minds vehicles, that are grown from vines. The Lightning League travels to planet to planet by the Pride of the Skies II, Herc's space barge, as Jayce searches for his missing father.

With an unique title, Princess Alessa, the Frog War, and a cool cover to go along with it, I was very eager to jump into this young adult fantasy. I was looking for a quick read in between reviews, and, well, I was shocked to find out the book was over four hundred pages. There is nothing wrong with a four hundred plus length. Some of the best books for children and young adults are way over it.

We, the readers, journey into a land called Gracbog, where the Princess Alessa has a strange encounter with a talking frog, Erwin, from a gypsy circus, warning her that the High Priest was plotting to kill her father the king. Of course, this is to throw the kingdom off as the frogs, yes I said frogs, starts a war with everyone.

The Taker
BY: Alma Katsu
PUBLISHED BY: Gallery
PUBLISHED IN: 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4391-9706-6
Pages: 456


After midnight, Dr. Luke Findley of St. Andrew, Maine gets an unusual patient, murder suspect Lanore MeIlvare. A young man’s body had been found in the nearby woods along with “Lanny”. As Luke attends to this young woman, who the police said looks “pale”, which is probably due to the cold Maine temperatures, Lanny begins to tell the doctor an unbelievable tale. The man’s body that is now in the morgue is none other than the body of Jonathan St. Andrew, which cannot be true as no St. Andrew has been alive for a few hundred years.

    Pleading for Luke to help her escape, Lanny continues her story which starts in 1811 and talks about her admiration for the town founder’s son, Jonathan, despite her father’s and brother’s hatred for the St. Andrew family. You see St. Andrews were quite wealthy, while everyone else struggled to get by. Secretly, and despite being a few years younger, Lanny develops a friendship with Jonathan that later turns into a fling, one that results in her pregnancy. Lanny tries to hide her situation from her family. Jonathan becomes engaged to another very young girl, an arrangement made by his father. With nowhere else to turn, Lanny tells her parents of her pregnancy. Her father is furious and embarrassed. The decision is made that Lanny will be sent to Boston to live at a nunnery, in which the baby will be given up for adoption.

There are many aspects to creating interesting characters. First of all, they have to seem true to life in some of their traits, and at the same time inhabit unique qualities so a reader will not always guess what each character will do or say. Secondly, three dimensional characters have spark and sizzle since they are deep in their feelings and thoughts as we all are in real life.

The creation of characters derives from an amalgamation of traits that we recognize as well as original ones from our imagination. When people describe the writing of characters as though ‘they write themselves’, this too occurs at times. Dialogue and/or action seems to jump into the story before we’ve had a chance to fully nurture it. Then comes the revisions and editorial process. None the less, between the muses and the unconscious, there is a whole active world inside our minds and in our spiritual existence, that is simply waiting to explode and dance on paper and in digital form! It is up to us, to release this energy when we feel it, and control portions of this in order to unleash characters that have deep inner conflicts as well as challenges they face externally.

TITLE: Locke & Key Volume 5: Clockworks
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2012
ISBN:  9781613772270
WRITER:  Joe Hill
ARTIST: Gabriel Rodriguez




IDW Publishing and NetGalley have kindly let me review the upcoming Lock & Key Volume 5 graphic novel which consist of six issues. Only the first issue, Chapter One - The Locksmith's Son, was available for me to review, which is set in the year 1775 at Lovecraft, Massachusetts Bay. Sixteen year-old Ben Locke and his younger sister Miranda watch helplessly as their parents are hanged by the redcoats. Ben promises to settle his father's debts which leads them 120 feet below ground, where they meet Colonel Adam Crais and what is left of his minutemen. The Colonel and his army had dug up a strange door, and when it was opened, it unleashed bloody thirsty demons. Ben Locke is a son of a locksmith and he is determined to create a lock strong enough to hold the door shut forever.

What an exciting topic and thank you for inviting me…I am addicted to both coffee and writing so I should fit right in.

To say that creating real characters is the most important thing in a story would be an understatement. Books are about people and we need them to be real, even if they are not. Your characters drive the story and in the end, are the people who will make readers love your book.

What do I mean by that? Sara Maple is the lead in my newest novel "Maple Express." She became a real person in my mind long before I put her on the page. I started by giving her a complete backstory. I wrote up a list of her family, her likes, and dislikes, where she lived, her grades in school and so on. I left nothing to chance. By the time I wrote her into my story, Sara had become a young girl that both appealed to me and repulsed me. She loves her friends but treats them terrible when she doesn't get her own way. She can be sweet when she wants to be but acts like a spoiled brat and is a bully at times. Yet, she shows her compassion by working at the Alzheimer clinic as a volunteer. In the end, she has a mother and father, a best friend, and a boy she has a crush on, just like every other girl. As well, Sara suffers with the same insecurities we all face in life.

In Alan Watts 90 Day Novel Alan discusses how important it is to sit down and write extensively about your character. Your character needs a full life. This is necessary to bring your character into the real world because readers are good at identifying a fake character.

"No one would do that," or "no one would act like that," is a sure sign something went wrong during your character development. I once wrote a semi-biographical novel about things that actually happened to me while I was growing up. A publisher reviewed my book and sent a nice letter to me explaining that the writing was fine but that no real character would do that. My wife and I had a great chuckle over that. I agree my younger years were a little bizarre but the things I wrote about did actually happen.

Since today is Friday the 13th, I thought I would honor one of my favorite horror movies from the 80s titled Friday the 13th part 3. Released in 1982 when I was one-year-old, the movie picks up a day after the Camp Crystal Lake killings from the second film. Chris Higgins, along with her pals Shelly, Debbie, Andy, Vera, Chuck and Chili, returns to her family cabin, called Higgins Haven, the first time since she was attacked by a disfigured man two years earlier. Already at the cabin is Chris's boyfriend, Rick (who is way to old for her).

Shelly (the goofball of the group) and Vera run into a group of bikers briefly. The bikers follow them to the cabin, where the bikers attempted to burn down the barn, but Jason is hiding there and he gets rid of them. While Chris and Rick go out for a drive, one by one Jason slaughters her friends Then he slips on the hockey mask for the first time.

 Had it all been just a dream? If the Frog had been forbidden to predict the future of the royal family, he had to obey. The King could have had him hanged otherwise. Alessa was more and more convinced that her conversation with the Talking Frog had only taken place inside her head. 

I recently won a giveaway that including several cartoon DVDS and as soon as I ripped open the box I saw the cool cover of The Best of Archie's Weird Mysteries, which is a homage to the 50's and 60's B-movie posters. I recall watching the Archie Show when I was kid, but I was unaware of this incarnation. After doing an online search, I learned that the series lasted only one season, 1999-2000, with 40 episodes.

1. Attack of the Killer Spuds
2. Me! Me! Me!
3. Driven to Distraction
4. Attack of the 50-foot Veronica
5. Invisible Archie
6. The Haunting of Riverdale
7. Cure of the Mummy
8. Fleas Release Me
9. Mega-Mall of Horrors
10. The Jughead Incident

The Kids of Dandelion Township
BY: Nicole Borgenicht
ILLUSTRATED BY: Lisa M. Griffin
PUBLISHED BY: CreateSpace
ISBN: 978-1466466401
RELEASED: 2012
Pages: 52


In the small Dandelion Township, children become friends with everyone, no matter what their religion/culture or ethic background is. The town is like no other, there is a magical forest and a strange zoo run by ex-circus trainers, where the animals are also magical. In this tale, we the readers are introduced to a group of kids, Mary, Tammy, Sherri, Sandy, Carlos, Dylan, and Tyler as they explore the amazing wonders and hidden magic of the Dandelion Township.

    I would have loved to live in Dandelion Township and explore the hidden corners of the mysterious woods. I wish that reality would be likes this with kids becoming friends with everyone, despite their flaws, color of skin, and backgrounds. The author has done a marvelously job writing a fun story that children would want to read, and at the same time giving them a wonderful understanding of what friendship really is. I recommend the book to all readers of all ages.

 
Publisher: IDW Publishing (2011)
ASIN: B005WL815I
Writer: Chris Roberson
Pencils: Jeffery Moy
Inker: Philip Moy
Colors: Romulo Fajardo, JR.
Letters: Robbie Robbins
Editor: Chris Ryall

    A group of super-heroes, consisting of Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Chameleon Boy, Brainiac 5, and Lightning Lad, are traveling back to Earth in a time bubble, but are suddenly caught in a vortex that takes them out of their time. Meanwhile, the crew of the Enterprise is returning to Earth because Captain Kirk is giving a commencement speech at the Starfleet Academy graduation. Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, Lt. Urha, Ensign Chekov, Lt. Commander McCoy, and Lt. Sulu beam down to Earth for their shore leave, but they are in for quite a surprise. This isn’t their Earth. They’re in alternate reality where Earth is controlled by the Imperial Planets. The Imperial army automatically realize that there are intruders on Earth and begin to attack. The crew of the Enterprise and the super-heroes must defend themselves against the army.

The Captive Heart
BY: Dale Cramer
PUBLISHED BY: Bethany House
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0839-3
RELEASED: 2012
Pages: 352




 In their second year in Mexico, the Bender family has been through tough times, ravaged disease, and ruthless bandits. The Bender’s daughter, Miriam, is falling in love with a local native, Domingo, who is naturally a gentle person, until someone he loves is in jeopardy. He cares for Miriam and likes to calls her Culnezqui, which is the Nahuatl word for Beautiful one. Miriam is confused as she doesn’t know if they relationship is romantic or are they just friends.

    The Captive Heart got piled under a few other books, before I grabbed it the other night. This is my first read with author Dale Cramer, and my first read of an Amish book by a male author. What makes this novel spark is that it is based on actually events, and is set in Mexico, instead of Ohio or Kansas. The characters are well written and plot is top notched. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Captive Heart, and I recommend it to all readers.

 
Brush of Angel’s Wings
BY: Ruth Reid
PUBLISHED BY: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 978-1-59554-789-7
RELEASED: 2012
PAGES: 358


  
In this second installment in the Heaven and Earth series, we are introduced to two new characters, Rachel Hartzler and Jordan Engles. Rachel is not your typical Amish girl. While all of her friends are becoming wives and mothers, Rachel would rather be in the field helping her father, a role she took over after her brother died. Rachel is horrible cook, and she can’t thread a needle. At the same time, Jordan Engles has returned to his Amish life, after his mother’s death. His mother had been shunned years before, and Jordan had promised to return to her roots. Rachel’s father hires Jordan to help on the farm so Rachel can learn housework. Naturally, sparks fly between Rachel and Jordan.

It didn't occur to Nevin that the man might have been driven

out by the authorities, that he might be on the run. That in his

maddness he could be give to visions and grandiose predictions,

putting ideas into the heads of gullible young girls and threatening

those less than willing to do as he wished.

 
Lightning-fast Chinese for Kids and Families
EDITED BY: Carolyn Woods
PUBLISHED BY: CreateSpace
PUBLISHED IN: 2012
ISBN: 978-1470138820
Pages: 78


    Growing up in a small town, my high school only offered French as a language class. Honestly, I never planned to use French in real life. Three of the most used languages in America are English, Spanish, and Chinese. Knowing these three languages is necessary if you want to succeed in the job market today.

    Lighting-fast Chinese for Kids and Families is written for parents/guardians to help their children to learn Chinese in a fast and simple manner. There are fifteen different conversations that you can learn while performing daily tasks, like preparing dinner; walking outside; etc. During meals you can simple ask the question ‘What’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner?’, and teach your family how to reply by repeating a few Chinese words. Children can easily learn a language by pointing to a favorite toy and teaching them what the word is in another language.

Writers on the Edge
EDITED BY: Diane M. Raab and James Brown
PUBLISHED BY: Modern History Press
PUBLISHED IN: 2012
ISBN: 978-1-61599-108-2
Pages: 188

    Addiction and depression can consume anyone, even us writers. From Modern History Press comes a bold new book Writers on the Edge, where 22 writers speak about their own addiction and dependencies. Editors Diana Raab, award-winning memorist and poet, and James Brown, author and Professor of English in the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing at California State University, San Bernardino, has complied together memories, poetry, and essays by contemporary authors who bring a new truthful edge with the world of addiction.