The Muse Online Writers Conference

MuseItUp offers a free online conference OCTOBER 13 - 19, 2008.



There are plenty of workshop and chat opportunities in many genres. I haven't attended the conference in the past years, but plan to this fall.

2007 Conference Info:

2008 Conference Registration:

The Shadow and Night - Tour Day 3
by Chris Walley

Web site - http://www.chriswalley.net/
Author blog - http://chriswalley.blogspot.com/

This is the final blog tour day for The Shadow and Night. I'll confess that I'm still reading the final chapters, so I'm not quite finished. That's not to say that it's not been an enjoyable journey through the story, but rather that I find myself stopping to mull over some aspect of the characters or Farholme. A book that pulls you in so well that you want to stop and savor the moment says something about how well it affects readers.

On the last day I wanted to mention something that struck me as different with The Shadow and Night from some other books that I've read. Merral and Vero came across as pacifists at heart; their whole society is structured that way. With the end of war and strife knowledge of fighting has been all but forgotten. Even when threatened by the two mutated humanoid species in hand to hand combat, Merral and Vero fell misgivings over what they must do to survive.

When forced to at last protect Farholme against the invaders, FDU members still question whether a defensive posture would be interpreted as too aggresive. Sentinal Vero points out that all must stand against the Evil, or all will fall to Evil. Merral encounters changing attitudes among Farholdens as a small stray from Assembly laws grows into a wider societal gap. Evil needn't conquer Farholme all at once when a series of gradual victories work just as well. Merral has been warned to stand firm in the Lord during this period of testing in preparation of the coming battle. Yet around him he sees people he cares for changing - his parents argue and complain, and Isabella wants more than just a simple engagement commitment out of him.

Evil knows our weaknesses, and Merral faces the enemy both without and within. The future of Farholme is at stake, but then so is Merral's future life.

The Shadow and Night pulls the reader deep into the story, and will make you stop and think long after you've finished the book.


Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Rebecca Grabill
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Heather R. Hunt
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Pamela Morrisson
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

The Shadow and Night - Tour Day 2

by Chris Walley

Web site - http://www.chriswalley.net/
Author blog - http://chriswalley.blogspot.com/

On the second tour day for The Shadow and the Night, I wanted to mention some of the technology and how it fits into Assembly socity. Worlds are connected by Gates that enable vast ships to jump 40 or 50 light years at a time in a matter of moments. Short travel jumps between gates help the Assembly worlds stay connected both economically and socially.

Merral's almost fiance, Isabella, works as a child pyschologist to compare her patients against the Assembly norm. This continous re-evaluation has helped strengthen the stability among the star systems for past 11,000 years. Technology and the environment are checked and rechecked on the made worlds - humanly modified dead worlds. The pre-story begins with the remote seeder ship Leviathon-D preparing the world for future colonization.

Society accepts technology as long as it doesn't create harm to another being. Growing and modifying new plants is an ongoing process, yet plants are as advanced a life form as they may change. Merral's young cousin first sights one of the alien creatures in the high woods overlooking her town. Merral and Vero travel to the wilds, and find another more dangerous creature in league with the first. Both creature types appear as modified humans; a clear blasphemy of the laws.

Wars have been ended, so when Merral and Vero are forced to fight the mutated creatures in the Northern expanse, the fighting is seen as an alien concept to both. Yet, they must learn quickly if they, and Farholme, are to survive. The pair try to warn a ship's captain about impending doom of the Gate, but are told again and again that the Gate never fails; it just works.

The second book takes up days after the greatest catastrophe Farholme has faced since it's founding. Families and friends have been seperated by light years, and society appears to be unraveling. Electronic diary security has been compromised, and Merral begins to wonder who can be trusted. A darkness is settling over Farholme containing both physical and spiritual danger.

Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Rebecca Grabill
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Heather R. Hunt
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Pamela Morrisson
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

The Shadow and Night - Tour Day 1
by Chris Walley

Web site - http://www.chriswalley.net/
Author blog - http://chriswalley.blogspot.com/

The Shadow and the Night is composed of two books - The Shadow at Evening and
The Power of the Night - combined into one 613 page book. The first half of the book begins the tale of forester Merral D'Avanos on Farholme in theyear 13851. Evil has been defeated for millenniums under the control of the Assembly.

Connected by interstellar Gates, Farholme lies at the outskirt of Assembly civilization hunders of lightyears from Ancient Earth.

The story starts out slowly, keepng pace with Merral's travels through the icy north forests. Life seems normal at first, but with a strange foreboding Merral notices telltale signs of unease and a certain strangeness in his uncle's actions.

When Merral returns home in time for Nativity celebration, he is surprised to find Sentinel Verofaza Ennand from Ancient Earth at his parent's home. Something big is about to occur for a sentinel to travel the eight gates to Farholme; and why has Verofaza chosen to visit his house?

Participants’ Links:
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Rebecca Grabill
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Heather R. Hunt
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Pamela Morrisson
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Ashley Rutherford
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

Beyond the Reflection's Edge

Bryan Davis' new book, Beyond the Reflection's Edge, is scheduled for a May 2008 release. The YA fantasy involves a boy and a girl, a camera that takes pictures of what's not there, and a violin that plays odd sounds only the girl hears.

This book marks a departure from Mr. Davis' two successful dragon series published by AMG Press - Dragons in our Midst and Oracles of Fire.

If you would like to pre-order an autographed copy of Beyond the Reflection's Edge, click here.