Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Underground Rising
Tales from the Underground

based on the series by



Frank Creed

(click image for Writers Cafe link or click link below)





Underground Rising - available from
:

The Writers Cafe: http://www.thewriterscafe.com/books/underground_rising

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/UNDERGROUND-RISING-Underground-Frank-Creed/dp/1934284122/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320107650&sr=8-1







Explore the world of 2030 where heavily armed Neros patrol the USA streets, German alleys, and New Zealand tunnels. Citizens are now protected from the new the One World State enemy, the Fundamentals, formerly called Christians. The ongoing battle has escalated onto two fronts, the physical and the spiritual. Saints, mindware enhanced believers, must fight ever encroaching darkness to save the mind, body, and soul of citizens everywhere. Underground Rising builds on the bleak future world created in Frank Creed's two award-winning novels Flashpoint: Book One of the Underground and War of Attrition: Book Two of the Underground.

Editor:
Frank Creed

Authors:

Stephen Leon Rice
Deborah Cullins Smith

Greg Mitchell
Gavin Patchett
Lydia Daffenberg
Karen McSpadden
Grace Bridges
Timothy Hicks
Terri Main

On Monday, October 17, five of the contributing authors gathered online to discuss the anthology Underground Rising here is a transcript of our discussion:

Greg Mitchell: As part of our festivities for the new Biblical Cyberpunk release, Underground Rising: Takes from the Underground, I held a roundtable discussion with series creator and editor Frank Creed, and three other (including myself) contributors to this groundbreaking anthology! First off, let’s just go around the room and introduce ourselves. I’m, of course, Greg Mitchell, author of “Ex-Communicator”, the first story up in the anthology.

Frank Creed: I’m Frank Creed. I wrote and co-wrote several contributions to Underground Rising: Tales from the Underground.

Steve Rice: I’m Steve Rice, proudly pseudonym-free for ages. I also wrote “Bear Feat” for the anthology.

Timothy Hicks: I’m Tim Hicks from western Kentucky. I co-wrote “The Sandman Cometh”, a prequel story from the Flashpoint timeline.

Greg: And Grace Bridges! Representing our ladies tonight.

Grace Bridges: Hello from New Zealand where it is currently tomorrow afternoon! “Underground Undersea” is my contribution.

Greg: Frank, how did the idea for the anthology come about? Correct me if I’m wrong, but is this the first Christian Fiction anthology where other authors have come in and added stories to an author’s pre-existing series?

Frank: It’s the first of which I know, but surely it’s been done before. The idea came from the Underground’s origin, back in a cyberpunk series called Shadowrun.

Greg: Yes, Shadowrun! Many a fond memory.

Frank: Many authors wrote that series of books and I wanted to see what it would be like for other Christian artists to share in the Underground setting. The Underground is like Shadowrun but without magic or fantasy races.

Greg: Street samurais and deckers all around! Was it hard assembling so many different authors with their own voices under the Underground umbrella?

Frank: Not really, the contributions really stood on their own merits. Nothing felt forced from the creative standpoint.

Greg: What’s it like to see the finished product? I know, just on my end, I felt an enormous sense of pride from the end results. …Good Godly pride, naturally :p

Frank: It’s the end of years’ worth of effort, so there’s a sense of relief! But from a qualitative perspective, these really are some great stories that I’m sure will entertain readers of Christian cyberpunk.

Greg: Here’s a question for everyone: Do you think it’s possible to jump into this anthology with little to no background knowledge of the Underground novels?

Steve: Not if you use established characters.

Grace: As a reader? Sure. As a writer, nope. Either way, it’s very immersive.

Steve: The major problem is the voice. It’s very distinctive, like noir.

Tim: Not too easy. Knowing the storyline helped work out how the story tied back to the books.

Frank: I think it is possible. There’re plenty of examples of showing the technology with a brief explanation of what it is.

Grace: I return to the Underground when I need my imagination provoked for whatever. Some of you know that Flashpoint caused me to write a novel.

[Frank adds a smile here]

Greg: Wow, I didn’t know that Grace. What’s the story behind that?

Grace: The night I read Flashpoint, it fired up my imagination so bad. I had this dream… Cyberpunky, but that was all it had in common. I had to write it down. It became Legendary Space Pilgrims.

Greg: Frank, you corrupted...er, inspired young minds! That’s got to make you feel good, sir.

Frank: It really does. There have been many events that have come from writing Flashpoint, and inspiring Grace was one of those.

Grace: Actually [my novel] Faith Awakened came out at the same time as Flashpoint, almost to the day.

Greg: Okay, so now we know Grace was familiar with Flashpoint going in--I have to admit, Frank had to give me a crash course before I wrote my story (though now I’ve read both books and am all caught up :)). How familiar were the rest of you with this series before coming on board?

Tim: I enjoyed Flashpoint and wondered about how the world got into that predicament. I asked Frank about a nickname after Flashpoint and why it wasn’t recognized by the One World Order. Frank told me that was answered in his next book. Both books made me think, “What if?” Grace’s Faith Awakened and Flashpoint. That’s where my story idea came from. I wondered about the history before the story. Kind of like Paul Harvey’s, “The Rest of The Story.”

Grace: You’ve read Faith? Oooh :)

Tim: Yes, I read an ebook version. It was a pretty neat idea.

Steve: I had read Flashpoint (and Faith Awakened, for that matter), as well as writing a few virtual reality stories (“The Story Machine” and “Virtual Messiah”). And I had discussed things with Frank. He still hasn’t gone to the cops, so that’s a good sign.

Greg: Steve, your story “Bear Feat” actually stars Calamity Kid and e-girl, the heroes from the main books--was that awkward coming into those characters that were already pretty well-defined in their voices?

Steve: Not really. I’m a mimic anyway. The fact they were well-defined simplified matters. It was integrating them with my type of story and character that was tricky.

Greg: Well I thought you did great. Two continuity questions that are bugging me. Frank, how many sisters does Tinker have?

Frank: For now, Tinker only has two sisters. We'll have to leave that one open to creativity, though!

Greg: And, Grace, when does your story take place on the Underground timeline? You’ve got Calamity Kid and Legacy, right? (For those who don’t know, Legacy is captured somewhere in Book One…)

Grace: Yes. This actually occurs way down the track in what could be Book 4.

Greg: Wow!

Grace: So it’s after a bunch of drastic stuff has gone on. I have another story set then, too.

Greg: Not in the anthology, though.

Grace: No.

Greg: Ah, you tease us then.

Grace: All in good time, eh, Frank? :P

Frank: Indeed! I’m still writing Devil’s Hit List: Book Three of the Underground. Book Four will be co-written by Grace.

Greg: Whoa, big announcement!

Grace: Old news? It’s been settled for 3 years that I know of ;)

Tim: Cool! :D When can we pre-order?

Greg: More importantly, is Big Hoss Dupree [from “Ex-Communicator”] in it... oh wait, that’s not very important at all :)

Frank: You heard it here first! Pre-orders in a couple years. I write slowly. : )

Grace: So do I, and I got some other stuff on the fire at the moment.

Tim: Quality takes longer than quantity :)

Frank: Everyone will like Hoss, by the way, Greg.

Greg: I hope so! Tim, we talked about your story “The Sandman Cometh” being a prequel to the main series--was that tough to talk Frank into?

Tim: I hoped Frank would take a chance on my story. I wondered how the equipment in Flashpoint came about. What about the Sandmen before they had all the spiffy gadgets?

Greg: I’m glad he did. It was a neat peak into the past. Frank, in the “About the Author” in the back of Book Two: War of Attrition, it talks about “The Last Newspaper”. Now that’s the same story in the anthology correct? You wrote that thing back in 1983? How long have you had all of this in your head, man?!

Frank: The original version of “The Last Newspaper” was written back in about 1982, but that story was lost through time--I no longer have a copy of it. The version of “The Last Newspaper” that appears in Underground Rising was rewritten last year to fit into the Underground setting. It was not originally an Underground story. This stuff has only been in my head for about twenty years. : )

Greg: Oh, is that all? Well, I guess it’s a start :) I have to say, I read through the anthology for the first time the other day and was really impressed with it. Even though there are all of these different authors, working in their own little corners of the globe, the stories fit together quite naturally to tell a story of the Church in persecution. It was actually really inspiring, I thought.

Frank: I’m so pleased with the end result. I guess you could say “proud”.

Greg: I’ll hit Grace with this one first, since she’s our resident small press (she’s the woman behind Splashdown Books)--Do you see Christian Fiction making a turn, getting away from the predictable and exploring more fertile imaginative ground?

Grace: I certainly hope so! I have a number of very interesting submissions in my pile right now. Especially of a sort that mashes up the genres. I love that stuff!

Greg: Steve, do you think something like the “Biblical Cyberpunk” genre will be able to spill over into the “mainstream” Christian Fiction market, or do you think it, in a sense, belongs underground? The wild untamed, and all of that?

Steve: Spills are always possible. All these clumsy people, you know. I suspect that the mainstream will only do unusual and genre-bending work to copy the secular media. So the “underground” will likely remain so unless/until there’s a breakout story that becomes a major movie.

Greg: And perhaps that’s a larger problem that many within the “Christian Fiction” market see—a tendency to follow the trends, rather than set them. But I think Underground Rising is trendsetting stuff, no doubt, and I hope people catch on to it. I see a lot of naysayers of mainstream Christian fiction--and I wonder, if the anthology did go “mainstream” in popularity, would that somehow take away from its coolness factor in the eyes of the naysayers? You know there’s always that garage band that gets a Billboard Top 100 hit and everyone accuses them of “selling out” :p

Frank: I do hope the Underground gets the chance to “sell out”! It would mean a great deal to me if our work reached that kind of exposure.

Greg: Grace, what are your thoughts? Do some things belong on the fringe--not for lack of quality, mind you, but just because some people won’t touch “mainstream”, no matter how pure-grade awesome it is?

Grace: I don’t subscribe to that at all. Yes, some things are weird, but weird is becoming ever more mainstream. The weirder the better, even. And those who won’t touch it for whatever reason--they’re missing out.

Greg: I agree. I think that anyone--whether they “get” cyberpunk or not--can be really encouraged by this book. A) It’s refreshing to see the level of talent and B) it’s talking about things people can relate to—the loss of freedom and how we fight to hold on—it just happens to be set in the future.

Tim: The Underground world makes the point that everything matters to The Boss (as God is known in the Underground books), and he is in control. That’s why I liked the series. It made me think.

Greg: Frank, fans get a special treat at the end of the anthology--You’ve got a sneak peak at Book 3! What’s in store for the next installment, Devil’s Hit List?

Frank: In War of Attrition: Book Two of the Underground, the heroes lose their HQ because the Ash Megacorp is turning it into a Rehab Ward, to produce something called “Virtual-e”, which is a virtual plague. In Devil’s Hit List, the saints battle production of virtual-e.

Greg: And how far are you into the writing process on that one, O Slow Writer?

Frank: It’s about halfway done. I hope to have a release date around August 2012.

Greg: So, what’s next for everyone? What projects are you guys working on?

Steve: I’m working on a few projects, but I’ve become increasingly skeptical of “Christian” fiction. It’s usually no such thing. That’s why I largely stopped doing reviews. But I’ll probably publish online now and then. Evolutionists excuse the lack of transitional forms by “punctuated equilibrium,” which posits occasional change at the margins of genetic society. I think that’s how Christian writing will have to work for the foreseeable future.

Grace: I’m barreling towards the end of Godspeed, the sequel to Faith Awakened. It stands at 47,000 words out of a projected 60k, and I’m deep into the tangle of virtual reality once again. All going well, it should be out late next year. I’m also very excited about the Avenir Eclectia project, where Frank and Greg are participants. There will be an anthology for that next year, too.

Frank: Good news.

Greg: Tim, what are you cooking up?

Tim: Thanks, I’m working on a supernatural story about a medieval piece of stained glass that shows a person’s true spirit. Forces don’t want things known. But the killer needs to be found.

Frank: How about you, Greg?

Greg: Lots of different stuff, but most immediately, the second book in my The Coming Evil Trilogy comes out in February. It’s entitled Enemies of the Cross and is chock full of drooling monsters. Frank, what say you? Might there be an Underground Rising 2 in the future?

Frank: Perhaps. It depends on how Underground Rising sells. If there’s a demand, there must be a sequel!

[To this, Tim gives a thumbs-up]

Greg: So, I open this up to you guys, here at the last. Anything you want to ask each other?

Frank: Greg, do you have any other Dupree stories in mind?

Greg: Ha ha, not at present. But give me about fifteen minutes and I bet I could come up with something ;) That was a pretty easy character to write! He wrote himself, practically.

Tim: What about a cross-over story between story worlds? Underground meets Faith Awakened?

Frank: Grace’s time setting is ahead of mine.

Grace: Mine is in 2079.

Frank: We would need a Tardis, no?

Grace: Well, in fact I have a very enhanced character in Godspeed... Frank, we should talk.

Frank: Oh, Grace is already on this!

Greg: Closing thoughts?

Frank: Underground Rising has taken at least three years to compile--I want to thank everyone for their patience as this has come together.

Greg: Thanks for the opportunity!

Tim: Yes, thanks Frank. It was nice meeting everyone here tonight.

Grace: Yup. Awesome!!

Steve: It was good to be around Frank and Grace again, and to meet the rest.

Greg: Thanks for participating everybody.

Frank: Cool--thanks for moderating this thing!

Greg: Well, folks, that’s all we got. We hope you were entertained, enlightened, and inspired to go out and buy this book! Go! Go now! Quick!

Thanks to everyone who hung out in the chat and thank you all for reading :)





Wednesday, October 26, 2011







Author’s Web site - http://www.stephenlawhead.com/


I received a review copy from the nice people at Thomas Nelson of The Bone House
in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour







Here on the last day I thought I'd mention some questions I had about the series, and ley travel in particular. Kit's great-grandfather Cosmo explained his slowed aging by travel the ley lines. I wondered if ley travel leaves some type of temporal field around the traveler. Since you can travel to multiple places in the past, and Kit's servant traveled with Kit to the servant's future, can Kit find a ley line leading to Kit's future? Could Kit, or Lord Burleigh, travel back to the time just before Kit first left and stop him from leaving? If Kit can't travel to his future, would he be safe from Lord Burleigh in a time-line after Burleigh existed? And, does the time spent in another ley time line equal the time gone on their home time-line? I guess I'm wondering if Kit and Mina will encounter a Rip Van Winkle effect and return years after they first left London. If it sounds like I'm thinking too deeply on the Bone House and The Bright Empires series, then that says something about how well I enjoyed the book.


The Bone House reminded me a bit of an earlier Lawhead book series, The Paradise War. In that series, two college students travel by means of a Scottish stone cairn at a special time of day to another place that seems another time. Both series involve moving two modern day people o another place, but The Bright Empires story adds another wrinkle by including travel through time. One of the things I enjoy about the Bone House is how the author works in real places, real times, and even a few real people. His eye to detail shows in how well he crafts the story and places the reader in a place and time totally foreign to a modern reader and still brings it to life.


Some readers may find The Bone House a harder read than most books, but I appreciate an author who writes to make you think rather than spoon feed you each detail to make sure you understand. I enjoyed the second book in the Bright Empires series, and look forward to reading what new twists and turns Mr. lawhead can manage to pull off in the third book of the series.



*Participants’ links:
Noah Arsenault
Red Bissell
Thomas Clayton Booher
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
CSFF Blog Tour
Jeff Chapman
Carol Bruce Collett
Karri Compton
D. G. D. Davidson
Theresa Dunlap
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Tori Greene
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Janeen Ippolito
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Marzabeth
Katie McCurdy
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Chawna Schroeder
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Bone House


The Bright Empires - Book Two by Stephan R. Lawhead


Blog Tour - Day 2
Been There, Done That, Got the Papyrus T-Shirt





Skin Map(1st book in series) Trailer:















One thing that came to mind as I read The Bone house was how some of the locations were revisited, yet no one seemed to run into their self. This seemed confusing until I read that Mina told Kit to meet a man known as the Last Man on Earth Who Everything before a later meeting when the group would reconnect. The plan to collect an item before the Burleigh men seemed like a good idea. As long as Kit's group arrived earlier, they could gain the advantage. Yet even with this type of foreknowledge, plans didn't always work out as planned. In one timeline, a close run-in with the Burleigh Men and the Duke himself led to Kit's sidekick getting shot and almost captured. Kit tried to escape, but the ley lines failed to work as expected. He became separated from his team, and then Mina couldn't locate him. Kit became stranded in another place, in another time, and with no easy way out.


Through it all, a greater plan is in place for Kit, Mina, and the others' life. It's a plan the Master Planner has had in place since the beginning; a plan that existed long before the Skin Map. The idea of a Master Plan seemed a central theme of the book, and maybe the series. Life doesn't occur haphazardly. Things often happen because of choices made. Making a bad choice doesn't cancel the Lord's plans for a life, but it may require extra work one someones part for the same result. This is something I felt Kit has yet to discover. Though Evil may seem to be winning at times, the conclusion is already known and Evil is destined to be defeated.



Monday, October 24, 2011

The Bone House


The Bright Empires - Book Two by Stephan R. Lawhead


Blog Tour - Day 1
Ley, Ley, La Ley Lines





Author’s Web site - http://www.stephenlawhead.com/



I received a review copy from Thomas Nelson of The Bone House
in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour




Author Trailer:









The Bone House is second in the Bright Empires trilogy by Stephen R. Lawhead. It's rare that a second book holds my interest as much as the first. Some how, Mr, Lwhead pulls it off. Kit and Mina are back and closing on the Skin Map's location. In this book, Kit strikes me as a character akin to Ralph Hinkley in the 1980's TV series, The Greatest American Hero. He's learning as he's going becasue he doesn't have an instruction manual. This makes for an exciting read as the reader isn't quite sure what to expect as Kit rides the ley lines from place to place and time to time. Wilhelmina, Kit's former girlfriend who goes by Mina, has hit her stride in the past. She's co-owner of the hottest, and only, coffeehouse in Prague, part owner in a shipping company, and knows the Austrian Prince. Just when things seemed darkest for Kit, Mina shows up with a ley line-type GPS.




One of the things I enjoyed about the Bone House is the history slice of life Mr. Lawhead brings the reader. He seems to understand each period, easily moving between changes of manerisms and speech as the characters travel the ley lines. One of the most interesting examples for me was the character ported to the Stone Age. We know little about the people and period, but the author brought the world to life. There was little dialogue, but you almost feel the excitement as modern man learns to communicate with stone age man.




Ley lines connect times and places and we find out they aren't always running. As I read, I wondered if ley lines farther from Kit and Mina's home time and place require some kind of re-charge period. This might explain the Stone Age ley line's limited window of opportunity. The leys remind me of a computer processor. Circuits open and shut, and sometimes one-way travel is allowed, but shunted off in a new direction. Billions of possible combinations exist, and it seems impossibly complex. Yet, to the one who design it all, it makes sense.




Day 2 Blog: Been There, Done That, Got the Papyrus T-Shirt


*Participants’ links:


Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Monster in the Hollows
The Wingfeather Saga - Book Three by Andrew Peterson

Blog Tour - Day 3
(The Final day)

Sometime Life Throws a Curve, Just When You think You Have Things Figured Out.

(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Monster in the Hollows - available from:

Book link - https://store.rabbitroom.com/books/the-monster-in-the-hollows
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Hollows-Wingfeather-Saga/dp/0982621434/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316311564&sr=1-1
Series Web site
- http://www.WingfeatherSaga.com/
Author’s Web site - http://www.andrew-peterson.com/



I received a review copy from Rabbit Room Store of The Monster in the Hollows
in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour

The Monster in the Hollows opens in a ship's hold with Janner recovering from Kalmar's attack.
I remember thinking that the book had barely started and here Janner was withe aches and pains. The Wingfeather family just has one thing after another thrown at them. The family's tragic journey keeps going from bad to worse. It makes for good story, and suspense, but how much should a person have to take? Then I remembered the story of Job. The Wingfeather crew shares some similarities with the Old testament man of God. Job never wavered in his faith even when life went from bad to worse. The Wingfeather family lost their house overlooking the ocean after a Fang attack. Terrible foes attack and mistreat them. Yet, through it all the Wingfeathers hold on to their faith in The Maker and see him as their ultimate deliverer from harm.
Plans seem confounded at every turn, and expectations disappointed. But, it's not The Maker who brings the trouble but others acting on personal grudges or for personal gain. After winning their way across The Dark Sea of Darkness , I still like that title, Janner and his family are attacked by those they expected aid from. People change and people who survived hardship change even more. The Green Hollows were still green, but the Holish people had withdrawn from outsiders more than before in order to survive. Then, the unexpected treatment of Kalmar and by extension his mother, made me wonder why the Wingfeathers even bothered going to the Hollows.
After reading about their arrival is when I wondered if a part of the story is things happen to us or because of us for a reason. Did Leeli need to learn Hound speak? Did janner and Kalmar need to learn how to spy and protect each other? And did the people of the Green hollows need to learn that their choice to cut themselves off might eventually cause them more harm than good? A bad choice by Kalmar could still bring something good out of it later because The Maker sees what is to come, and not only what has already passed. AS i mentioned in an earlier post this week, I thought book three in the series was a little darker than the previous books. But sometimes we need to go through the valley before we strengthen enough to move up the mountain side and into the sunlight.
Once again Andrew Peterson wove a great tale. This book developed the characters and their story, and treated readers to the background story of how Podo Helmer, the children's grandfather, literally fought for his wife. It was a fun read. Hats off to Mr. Peterson's engaging tale. Sadly only one book remains in the Wingfeather Saga.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011



The Monster in the Hollows


The Wingfeather Saga - Book Three by Andrew Peterson



Blog Tour - Day 2

Guilding, What's Your Gift?

(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Monster in the Hollows - available from:

Book link - https://store.rabbitroom.com/books/the-monster-in-the-hollows
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Hollows-Wingfeather-Saga/dp/0982621434/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316311564&sr=1-1
Series Web site
- http://www.WingfeatherSaga.com/
Author’s Web site - http://www.andrew-peterson.com/





I received a review copy from Rabbit Room Store of The Monster in the Hollows
in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour

What's Guilding? It's the Holish equivalent of specialized training. Peterson's regular education followed by your speciality makes sense. Students are allowed to study their area of interest. The three Wingfeather children meet an interesting character named Head Guildmadam Groundwich. Tall and powerful, the Head Guildmadam is described as a "ten-whiskered woman." When I read her description, the image that came to mind was someone like a female Hagrid from the Harry potter series. I wasn't sure if this was a possible antagonist, or a potential ally. It turned out Olumphia Groundwich hadn't fit in when she first attended the guild hall. The other students had picked on her and Nia had been her only friend. The idea of sticking by your friends and being considerate of other's feelings seems a reoccurring theme. The Wingfeather family are frequently saved by the kindness of friends.


Olumphia - her name reminded me of Mount Olympus - tours the children to the various guilds. Leeli has a way with animals and is assigned to the Houndry; a place for ... hounds. Janner and Kalmar are taken to classes with interesting names like the juicery, the needlery, the bookbindery - which Janner especially liked, and the boatery. There were other guilds of course, but these all came with active sounding names that described what they did. One of the things I enjoy about Peterson's stories are his creative names for people, places, and things.

I wondered if the guilds were in the book to represent our God-given gifts or life skills. Janner wanted to take the bookbindery classes, and the houndry was a perfect fit for Leeli. Kalmar was another matter. Like I mentioned in yesterday's blog, he still felt buyer's remorse over his choices and wasn't sure he would fit in with any guild. As the family find out, The Maker always has a handle on what is happening, and things happen for a reason. Leeli's training comes in handy during a confrontation. Later, Kalmar and his Throne Warden find their guild training was needed too.

Tomorrow I'll talk about the need to keep changing your plans. Life happens.


Tomorrow: Sometime Life Throws a Curve, Just When You think You Have Things Figured Out.





*Participants’ links:
Gillian Adams
Red Bissell
Jennifer Bogart
Thomas Clayton Booher
Beckie Burnham
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Cynthia Dyer
Amber French
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirriam Neal
* Eve Nielsen
Joan Nienhuis
Donita K. Paul
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant

Monday, September 19, 2011





The Monster in the Hollows




The Wingfeather Saga - Book Three by Andrew Peterson





Blog Tour - Day 1



Not All Monsters Are Scary Looking



(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Monster in the Hollows - available from:

Book link - https://store.rabbitroom.com/books/the-monster-in-the-hollows
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Hollows-Wingfeather-Saga/dp/0982621434/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316311564&sr=1-1
Series Web site
- http://www.WingfeatherSaga.com/
Author’s Web site - http://www.andrew-peterson.com/








I received a review copy from Rabbit Room Store of The Monster in the Hollows
in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour


Book three in the Wingfeather Saga seemed a little darker in tone than the earlier books. I guess life isn't always sunshine and brightness, especially where Gnag the Nameless is involved. Janner and his family have fought their way across the sea to make the safety of the Green Hollows. But life has changed quite a bit since Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli's mother and grandfather left the area. The story opens with Janner recovering from wounds by his now furry brother. The Green Hollows are recovering from wounds of their own by Gnag and his Fang hordes. The Holish people judge Kalmar a monster and want to lock him away for their safety after the suffering faced at the hands of bloodthirsty Fangs.

Arrangements are made and promises are made but at a terrible price for failure. As Throne Warden, Janner must face his responsibilities to protect his stronger and faster brother, the King. Janner reluctantly agrees to defend his brother from physical and verbal assaults at their new school, but soon is confronted by the school bully time and again. Peterson seemed to paint Kalmar as more sad and emotionally hurting than scary. As I read the book I questioned more and more who the monsters really were.


Do we act any better toward to outsiders or new people than the Holish people? After we've been hurt time and again, are we too quick to judge those who may be innocent because they are different from us? Kalmar choose unwisely and regretted his choice each day. In the third Wingfeather book, Peterson made me wonder if the real monsters are those who do a great evil and desire repentence, or those who needlessly provoke someone else to harm them.


Tomorrow: Guilding, What's Your Gift?


*Participants’ links:
Gillian Adams
Red Bissell
Jennifer Bogart
Thomas Clayton Booher
Beckie Burnham
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Cynthia Dyer
Amber French
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirriam Neal
* Eve Nielsen
Joan Nienhuis
Donita K. Paul
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant

Wednesday, June 01, 2011


Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Novel-Chiveis-Trilogy/dp/1433509253/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306946618&sr=1-1



The Sword
by
Bryan M. Litfin

I found this book on Kindlenationdaily a few weeks ago as a free ebook. The story takes place four centuries in the future after a cataclysmic man made virus and then nuclear attacks. The Sword is an adult Christian fantasy with a good message about needing God both personally and as a society.


I enjoyed the characterization. The main characters were believable. Rather than all good or all bad, they possessed some of each. Society is defined by three secondary religions which are ruled by one supreme deity. All four religions seem to defer to man's baser instincts creating much of the conflict and tension. The Sword is the first book in a trilogy. Book two, The Gift, released this Spring, and the third book is due out next year.



Author Interview

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m30JSPN5TVQ2XS/ref=ent_fb_link

Wednesday, April 20, 2011





The Strange Man




The Coming Evil Trilogy - Book One by Greg Mitchell




Blog Tour - Day 3

Rosalyn, Appearances Can be Deceiving

(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Srange Man - available from:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1616381949 CBD: http://www.christianbook.com/the-strange-man-coming-evil-trilogy/gret-mitchell/9781616381943/pd/381943?item_code=WW&netp_id=805698&event=ESRCN&view=details Author Webpage: Greg Mitchellhttp://thecomingevil.blogspot.com/



I received a review copy from Realms of The Strange Man in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour

Rosalyn struck me as someone you should take a second look at as a character. The town looks down on her, not for anything she ever did but for an alcoholic mother and a father who ran off.
A partier, a flirt, and more, yet Rosalyn has the strength of character that surpasses Dras. The two are best friends since childhood. Dras' parents took Rosalyn under their care when she was left alone. When others spoke harshly and thought ill of Rosalyn, Dras stood up to them for her. Years passed and now Rosalyn takes care of Dras; the little boy who never grew up. She's there when he needs the support of a kind word, when he watches horror movies late at night, and even when he's had to many drinks at The Rave club.

I guess a one word description for Rosalyn would be compassionate, while a one word description for Dras might be fun-loving. Yet, there comes a time in your life that you receive a wake up call to put away the ways of your youth and take up the responsibility of adulthood. This wake up moment for Dras came when he met the Strange Man face to face. His life would never be the same. He feels an overriding desire to warn Rosalyn about the danger, no matter the cost. She thinks he's joking at first, then tells him to leave her alone. The tension mounts as Dras tries to get help from his brother the minister, but he has been hurt too many times before by Dras' choices. The story builds and in the climax scene, Rosalyn is confronted by a truth long avoided. Will she decide to leave Greensboro for the promised greener pastures, or stay with Dras who has changed in a way she's not all that sure that she likes?

Read The Strange Man for an intense story. It's a tale that will leave you pondering long after the last page.



*Participants’ links Noah Arsenault Red Bissell Kathy Brasby Grace Bridges Beckie Burnham CSFF Blog Tour Amber French Tori Greene Katie Hart Bruce Hennigan Timothy Hicks Jason Joyner Carol Keen Inae Kyo Emily LaVigne Shannon McDermott Matt Mikalatos Rebecca LuElla Miller Gavin Patchett Andrea Schultz Kathleen Smith Donna Swanson Jessica Thomas Steve Trower Fred Warren Dona Watson Phyllis Wheeler

Tuesday, April 19, 2011


The Strange Man

The Coming Evil Trilogy - Book One by Greg Mitchell


Blog Tour - Day 2


An Ill Wind Blows Into Greensboro


(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Srange Man - available from:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1616381949 CBD: http://www.christianbook.com/the-strange-man-coming-evil-trilogy/gret-mitchell/9781616381943/pd/381943?item_code=WW&netp_id=805698&event=ESRCN&view=details Author Webpage: Greg Mitchellhttp://thecomingevil.blogspot.com/
I received a review copy from Realms of The Strange Man in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour


One of our fellow blog tourers - tourists? - mentioned shared similarities The Strange Man with some of the Ray Bradbury stories. A few brain cells clicked, and movie scenes from Something Wicked This Way Comes came to mind. Both stories mention an ill-wind blowing in with an evil man who walked slowing down the middle of a small town street. Both stories involve an evil being using temptations and misdirections to bring suffering. Bradbury's tale occurs in Greentown, Illinois after a carnival travels into town.


Greg Mitchell's story begins in the forest outside Greensboro then picks up steam as the winds of change billow and boil the darkened sky. Dras' older brother, Jeff, is afraid of the darkened sky when the storm first appears, and with good reason. The scene where Dras is chased by a billowing tempest of imps made me wonder in a later scene if these same small evil creatures first appeared to the townspeople as a boiling, black cloud in the sky. The imp cloud roars through Greensboro like a speeding freight train howling wind as they chase their prey, Dras, through town. This tumbling wind and roaring sound were mentioned in yesterday's blog of I Peter 5:8 and the sound of a roaring lion. The author's description of a tumbling, torrent of grinning imps washing away cars, buses and small buildings in their wake created a strong visual as I read.


Now, when thunderstorms rumble outside, I'm sure The Strange Man story will come to mind. Tomorrow I will discuss more about the characters. One of the things that puzzled me most of the book was the reason why The Strange Man was determined to capture Rosalyn for his own.


Tomorrow: Rosalyn, Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Monday, April 18, 2011




The Strange Man

The Coming Evil Trilogy - Book One by Greg Mitchell


Blog Tour - Day 1


Evil isn't Always Ugly at First Glance



(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Srange Man - available from:




Author Webpage: Greg Mitchellhttp://thecomingevil.blogspot.com/


I received a review copy from Realms of The Strange Man in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour



Evil isn't always pretty. Evil isn't always ugly. In The Strange Man, Evil portrays both. Victims in this story didn't recognize Evil until it was too late. The Rave Scene is the local late night hangout for those wanting a little dancing, a little drinking, and a little carousing. One night, a tempest blow into town bringing with it Evil afoot. A gaunt man walks into town carrying a century old grudge against the town of Greensboro. He has savored this moment, and hopes to enjoy the the exquisite pleasure he gains from the suffering of others. He visits The Rave as the crowd are the most easily swayed to his pleasure.


At the Rave, The Strange Man blends into the background as he surveys those inside as potential puppets for his will. He spots the main characters' girlfriend, Rosalyn, and while fixated on her, the Strange Man bumps into Lindsie and displays his true features. Lindsie leaves The Rave. The Strange Man changes his appearance to appear handsome and tries to tempt Rosalyn away from Dras, who becomes drunk. His plans thwarted, the Strange Man chases down Lindsie displaying his true appearance.



I'll admit some of this book's scenes sent cold chills down my back. Normally I don't read horror, but I soon found myself getting into the story. The characterization is very good. Even the Strange Man seems just plain, well evil. When asked for pity or sympathy, he laughs and sets loose creatures of outer darkness on the victims. Little in the town of Greensboro is black and white. The townspeople look down of Greensboro look down on Rosalyn, because of choices by her parents. Dras' brother, the minister, has doubts and the strange storm heralding the coming of bad times bothers him more because of a childhood fright of storms. Dras is painted as a happy-go-lucky kid brother who watches scary movies with Rosalyn, and sponges off his elderly parents. Each of these encounter some facet of Evil, but as a different appearance.



Most of all, I think the author captured the essence of Evil. The Strange Man's actions and ploys reminded me of I Peter 5:8 where the Devil is described as prowling around like a roaring lion seeking to devour. We can never take our adversary Satan too lightly, lest we end up like the characters in this book and become devored through too readily giving in to temptations rather than leaning on the true source of strength.


Wednesday, April 06, 2011

TALES OF THE DIM KNIGHT by Adam and Andrea Graham


Order Tales of the Dim Knight from Amazon Order Author Signed Copy from Cross Purposes $10.95 US (plus $3 shipping) Order the Kindle version (Readable on iPad and other devices) Order other eBook formats from Smashwords (PDF, mobi, rtf, lrf, etc.)




* I received a printed and Kindle copy of the book for the purposes of this book tour *


What's not to like about a super-hero who's a regular guy, except for the costume and super powers, and with the same worries as most people today; mortgage, getting ready for work, making time for family? Comic book ultra-fan Dave Johnson is granted special powers by an alien in a FBI closet. Now he has two jobs. Clean up the FBI building by night, and clean up area crime by day and during his free time. When's a poor super hero supposed to sleep?

Things go from bad to worse for Dave. His two sons feel forgotten, and his banker wife, Naomi, is convinced Dave has a new love interest. Dave keeps it all to himslef as he knows from his comic books what happens to a super-heroe's family when their secret identity is discovered. Along the way Dave discovers a bit more about himself, and finds he must face hard choices and harder regrets. I wasn't sure what to expect at first as I opened Tales of the Dim Knight. Was the book a medieval story with the usual wry Graham wit, or a space-opera judging by the cover image? Actually it was both in a way. A space alien resided in special bracelet inside a top secret closet at the FBI. The creature granted the main character fantastic abilities in the hopes of achieving his own gains. Every gift has its price, and this gift reminded me of the old saying about beware of aliens bearing gifts, or something to that effect. There wasn't a lot of action at the beginning of the book and I began to wonder when Dave would take up his super-hero mantle like movie super-heroes. But then, real life isn't as fast paced as in the movies. Dave didn't want to rush into his new crime-fighting job. He needed a persona. He needed an outfit. He needed a name. Dave was slow and careful at first, there were a lot of decisions to make. Through the story Dave grows a little as a hero, and a lot as a person. His response to a personal tragedy is to create a new hero who can respond with darker actions. A child's response makes Dave see a side of himself he doesn't like. Tales of the Dim Knight spoofs some of the directions society would have us move. When his wife, Naomi, is convinced Dave's unexplained absences could only mean another woman is involved, she turns to s self-help/divorce guru for help. When Dave tries to fight crime, he's hit with threats of legal action and red-tape from City Hall. when he trie to enforce one law, he's given a ticket for breaking another law. I also enjoyed some of the names involved. A group of super-heroes in New York join forces to combat terrorists with a nuclear bomb. I especially liked Captain France, Half-Brain, and The Group with No Name. It seemed like the authors had a fun time writing Tales of the Dim Knight, and I enjoyed reading it.



Interview: Where did you get the idea for your latest book, Tales of the Dim Knight? I've always loved well-done spoofs. I was a huge fan of "The Tick" growing up. So I decided to sit down at the keyboard and indulge in poking fun at as many superhero conventions as I could. Little things like "plot" came later. I noticed the main character, Dave Johnson, works as a night custodian for the FBI. Did you want to create a relatable hero with a believable job rather than another multimillionaire hero in a cape who runs around the city? I did think we had far too many single superheroes with large amounts of disposable cash. I wanted to explore how an ordinary person with a house, a wife, and a mortgage payment would manage. Plus I had the issue of introducing our hero to Zolgron, the symbiotic alien. The final scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark inspired me to decide Dave would be the janitor of a warehouse containing top secret stuff the FBI didn't want people to know about. Did you have any other places in mind when you chose the story location? I chose the city of Seattle as the location for most of the action because, for whatever reason, there's some East Coast bias on the Superhero front. Every major superhero is from New York or some New York-like city such as Gotham City or Metropolis. Though, Dave's hometown of Bryerton is the scene of some action, and, at first, I had the story set in the real city of Bremerton . But our research turned up some things about Bremerton that simply wouldn't work. I also fictionalized New York City as Megalopolis after we ran into a problem with an out-of-town scene involving the Empire State Building . We later cut that scene. However we'd already changed the book and it was a nice parody of Metropolis. How did you chose the names for the book's super-heroes and super-villains? I don’t struggle with coming up with names. If they don't work, Andrea renames them. :) Seriously, regarding Dave Johnson’s name and his family’s names, that was just what their names were. The superheroes and supervillains were challenging. The chapter where Dave searches for a superhero name was based loosely on my own search for a name that hadn't been taken by another superhero/supervillain. While it probably wouldn't be grounds for anything legal, I wanted to avoid any potential trouble. I think I succeeded. Although, I did find out after I'd written the book that there was a youth group somewhere named "Powerhouse." Andrea does seriously edit a lot of the names I choose for various reasons. She'll change names if she doesn't think it sounds right for the character, per the time she changed the name of an action hero of mine from Smithers to Snyder.) She also changes names too similar to another character’s name or if I chose a name she feels I’ve overused between manuscripts, or if the meaning or origin of the name does not suit the character, such as when I gave a proud second generation Italian-American mobster the Portuguese name Marcos, which Andrea changed to the Italian name Marco. From the comic book characters and storylines mentioned, it sounds like you know quite a bit about the genre yourself. Did you grow up on a steady diet of comic books yourself, and who were your favorites? My dad was actually pretty strict and wouldn't let me and my younger brother read comic books other than Disney ones or very old comics. We once picked up a huge stack of comics from the 1950s for about a dime each from a pawn shop. But I understand Dad’s decision. A lot of comic books have turned dark and cynical. Although, some new kid friendly lines have come out in recent years. However, my younger brother and I were allowed to watch Superhero movies and TV shows, and that I did quite a bit of. I was fortunate to be a teenager in the 1990s when there was a plethora of You-name-it: the Animated Series. Spider-man, Batman, Superman, Darkwing Duck, and the Ninja Turtles all captured my imagination. I was also a huge fan of the live action Zorro series and loved Lois and Clark : The New Adventures of Superman. I delighted at the adventures of old cartoon superheroes, too, including Hong Kong Fooey and Underdog. Curiosity led me to study up on the history of superheroes, which provided much of my understanding of their stories. And to think my parents thought I was vegging out. Little did they know that I was doing research. Any plans for a sequel or related stories? In the initial draft of Tales of the Dim Knight, the ending foreclosed the possibility of a sequel, or at least made it pretty hard for there to be one.) However, when Andrea and I were working through the rewrite last summer, she suggested a more open-ended finale and I agreed, since I have had some ideas for a sequel. I've found superhero plots that we hadn't parodied yet, such as time travel, alternate universes, a shrink ray, and our hero losing his sight (temporarily.) We haven’t really taken on the super-powered super villain or kryptonite yet, either. I've also debated spinning off a book or two about the detective character that makes his entrance towards the end of the book, which sort of makes him a parody of using an existing superhero series to test the pilot of a new hero. Thanks for your time, Mr. Graham.



Other Tales of the Dim Knight Blog Tours:


3/20 David James newauthors.wordpress.com This review includes a contest. Rack up the most points to win an autographed copy of Dim Knight! 3/27 David James interviewed Powerhouse, Emerald Avenger, and Dave Johnson. 4/3/ Phyllis Wheeler www.Christian-Fantasy-Book-Reviews.com 4/4/ Noah Arsenault http://noahsreads.blogspot.com/ 4/4/ Sarah Sawyer www.sarahsawyer.com/blog 4/5/ Tammy Shelnut http://www.bluerosesheart.blogspot.com/


4/7 Joan Nienhuis http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com 4/8 Carol E. Keen http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/ 4/9/ April Erwin http://www.projectinga.blogspot.com/ 4/11 Morgan L. Busse http://morganlbusse.wordpress.com 4/14/ Emily LaVigne http://southernfiberreads.wordpress.com/ 4/15 Chawna Schroeder http://chawnaschroeder.com 4/22 Frank Creed http://afrankreview.blogspot.com 4/28/ Beckie Burnham http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com 5/3/ Amy Cruson http://the160acrewoods.com


Be sure to visit the other blogs for more on this enjoyable book!