BLOG TOUR - DAY 2

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

by Andrew Peterson

Web site - http://andrew-peterson.com/
Author moderated blog - http://www.rabbitroom.com/

(Click book for Amazon link)


One of the positve themes that ran through the book was the importance of family. Tink is afraid of heights so their grandfather thinks it best to cure him by facing his fears on the cottage roof. Crippled while very young, Leeli stays inside the cottage to help her mother with chores as walking with her wooden crutch tires her at times. The three had lost their father during the great war after the Fang invasion, and their mother moved the family to live with their grandfather.

Life is good at the cottage for the Igibys. The children learn their T.H.A.G.S. ( Three Honored And Great Subjects) from their mother, and their grandfather, Podo, spends much of his free time fighting and removing thwaps from their garden. Thwaps sound like some type of short, furry gnome with a taste for vegetables.

In one scene, Podo manages to knock out a single thwap who later recovers and throws pebbles at him. The thwap groups are small, and they band together to survive; much like the Igiby family.

Janner becomes discouraged with the prospect of looking after his younger siblings, Tink and Leeli, and feels burdened with his lot in life. Janner later panics when Leeli and her dog Nugget disappear after the Dragon Song is heard from the cliffs on the outskirts of Glipwood. His job was to watch over her at the Dragon Day event, and now she is no where in sight.

*Participants’ Links:

Sally Apokedak
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Todd Green
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Pamela Morrisson
John W. Otte
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

BLOG TOUR - DAY 1


On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness


by Andrew Peterson

Web site - http://andrew-peterson.com/
Author moderated blog - http://www.rabbitroom.com/


I wanted to start off by saying, I enjoyed this book! The humor filled story moves along at an enjoyable pace, and contains many not so average characters. There are unexpected twists in the this young adult fantasy story.


Mr. Peterson may not be a big Monty Python fan, but that's what many of his location names reminded me of - Anklejelly Manor, the Fearsome toothy Cows of Skree, and Peet the Sock Man.
Janner, Tink, and Leeli Igiby live with their mother and their grandfather - a peg-legged retired pirate who is till full of spunk.

Life in their cottage on the cliffs above the Dark Sea of Darkness would be idyllic if not for the amphibian looking Fangs of Dang who hate all humans, and their pets. The children encounter run in after run in with the Fangs, who hate all humans and their pets. Ruthless overseers of the land, the Fangs love to punish and insult humans at every opportunity. After half-spoken answers and unanswered questions, Janner and Tink decide to scout for answers on their own and end up in the most dangerous place in town; the Fang Fortress.





*Participants’ Links:

Sally Apokedak
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Gene Curtis
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Beth Goddard
Marcus Goodyear
Todd Green
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Shannon McNear
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Pamela Morrisson
John W. Otte
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Robert Treskillard
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

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.

The Teaching Company - Research and learn at the same time.
http://www.teach12.com/teach12.asp?ai=16281

Want to learn more about history, mathematics, or economics from the comfort of your car or computer? Then try courses offered by The Teaching Company. These are college level courses for the most part, and presented by top instructors in the field.
If you decide that the course you ordered wasn't up to the promise, the Teaching Company will offer an alternative title or refund your course - even years later. When was the last time you dealt with a company that stood behind their products this well?
The courses aren't cheap - a few are over $500 - but are offered on sale twice a year. The materials ship in nice cases, and contain multiple Cd's or DVDs, along with a short course guide.
One of the courses - The History of Ancient Rome - includes forty-eight 30-minute lectures. After 24 hours of lectures, you should have learned a lot about the ancient Romans, and have plenty of good story ideas or background for your next story.
The Teaching Company is like attending college, and taking only courses that interest you. Even better, there's no hassle of finding that elusive parking place every week and coming in late to class.

Blog Tour - Day 3

AURALIA'S COLORS
by Jeffrey Overstreet
(Book 1 in The Auralia Thread Series )

Book web site: http://lookingcloser.org/auralia/default.htm
Jeffrey Overstreet Author blog: http://lookingcloser.wordpress.com/

This is the final blog tour day for Auralia's Colors. Someone brought up the fact that there is no clear villain. The former Queen is probably the closest thing to a villain in the story, but she disappeared many years ago after letting her greed and control get the better of her. No one protested for long, lest the become a gatherer - an outcast forced to live outside the safety of the city walls - and lose it all any way.
The Wintering had gotten out of hand as it continued year after year with no end in site. Citizens accepted their lot in life, and made the best of their situation by following government demands. Forced to live within the city walls for safety, the walls instead became a self-imposed prison. The Gatherers were more free in their poverty than the city dwellers in their abundance.
Few within Abascar City owned property. It all belonged to the Underkeep for the promise of Spring's future awakening. Over time, the stored treasures owned the citizens. Desires for things replaced their desire to follow The Keeper.

****** SPOILER ALERT **********

Auralia promised to never enter the city, and enjoy the freedom of the forest and lake. When she did enter the city, she gave up her freedom and very thing she enjoyed. She entered not to gain a part of the Underkeep treasures, but because she wanted to follow the Keeper's will. Auralia entered not to benefit herself, but to benefit others. A pure sacrificial gift that helped many, and at great cost to Auralia.

********************************************************************************

For more reviews, and information, check out some of the other fine participant web sites listed below.

Participants’ Links:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
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
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

AURALIA'S COLORS
by Jeffrey Overstreet
(Book 1 in The Auralia Thread Series )



Book web site: http://lookingcloser.org/auralia/default.htm

Jeffrey Overstreet Author blog: http://lookingcloser.wordpress.com/

Blog Tour - Day 2

It's now day two of the Auralia's Colors Blog Tour. I visited some of the participating sites, and they raised some good questions. One site wondered about a Christian theme in the story. I think that was the purpose of the Keeper, who traveled throughout the Expanse - or world - and watched over those who sought him. Abascar City citizens had relegated the Keeper to a children's story character, or a myth for the colorless gatherers that lived outside the city walls.
The book gave me pause after finishing. Could the focus on color status be a reflection on our cultures obsession with wealth and power? Could Abascar's focus on keeping the outside world out of the city, and the city dwellers safely inside the city at all costs represent how we often distance ourselves from others?
For more reviews, and information, check out some of the other fine participant web sites listed below.

Participants’ Links:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
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
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

AURALIA'S COLORS
by Jeffrey Overstreet
(Book 1 in The Auralia Thread Series )



Book web site: http://lookingcloser.org/auralia/default.htm

Jeffrey Overstreet Author blog: http://lookingcloser.wordpress.com/

Blog Tour - Day 1

Jeffrey Overstreet has managed to weave colorful words and descriptions into a story tapestry. Auralia is found as a baby on the Throanscall River by Krawg and Warney - two Abascar outcasts called Gatherers - and raised as their daughter. Years before, the Queen reserved colors for all but the privileged few living within the city walls. Everyone else must wear or own muted colors. Their world has devolved into shades of gray or brown.
Within Abascar City colors denote status and citizens will go to incredible lengths to earn colored 'honor stripes'. Ouside the city walls, gatherers are limited to browns and grays. Wearing other colors without royal permission results in arrest and stays in the dungeon. Free spirit Auralia finds colors in everything she sees and creates beautiful gifts for the poor gatherers in her village - a red yellow scarf, a pillow, all created from colorful forest treasures.

At first read this preoccupation with color seemed odd, but Overstreet pulls it all together into a masterful story. City officials and Abascar's rich manage to drape themselves with brilliant colors so that other's would know their importance. This seemed a strong allegory for extravagent displays of wealth and power in our world. Instead of colors, our world's rich and powerful use money and expensive items for the trappings of their importance.
Overstreet weaves a picture of a world both beautiful and foreboding at once. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the world of the Expanse may soon find the true beauty of the Keeper's world outside the city gates.

Participants’ Links:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Timothy Hicks
Heather R. Hunt
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Kait
Karen
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
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Rachelle Sperling
Donna Swanson
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

Writer's Workbench
Writing help for the grammatically challenged

http://www.emo.com/

Writer's Workbench version 8.18, is a boon to writers at all stages of their craft.
The program works as a Microsoft Word add-on, and keeps any changes or suggestions in a separate Word document file.

You import you file, and choose which area you would like analysed. Click one of 30 buttons and Writer's Workbench will check one of five punctuation areas, three verb areas, or one of seven clarity issues. If you are not sure about a grammatical issue, tutorials and further explanations are readily available.

There isn't a learn user's guide but the program contains plenty of help, and if you still can't find an answer to your program question, call their support line. They will work with you to make sure that you are getting the most out of your use of Writer's Workbench.

April 19, 2008
Sloan Convention Center
Bowling Green, Kentucky


http://www.sokybookfest.org/BookFest08/kwc.htm

The Tenth Annual Southern Kentucky Book Fest and Writer's Conference begins at 8:00.
The conference is held at WKU's South Campus at the Bowling Green Community College.

The twelve free sessions will cover fiction, nonfiction, poetry, songwriting, and writing for children. Some Kentuckt Literary Award nominees will lead presentions, writing workshops, and book readings.

DragonKnight, by Donita K Paul, is a fun read!

This is the third book in Mrs. Paul's dragon series. In this sequel to Dragonspell, young squire Bardon has left the city in hopes of a quiet sabbatical in a cabin beside a lake with his dragon. In stead he finds the emerlindians, Granny Kye and N'Rae, waiting for a knight's aid in the search for a son and father. His sabbatical delayed, Brandon learns that Wulder has plans for him to help the two ladies in their quest. The quest must be completed on time, but they face delays and problems every step of the way.

NaNoWriMo is Over, and it's catchup time!

Well, NaNoWriMo is over for 2007. Over 100,000 entered this year as the program continues to grow.

Annual participant/winner totals:

1999: 21 participants and six winners
2000: 140 participants and 29 winners

2001: 5000 participants and more than 700 winners

2002: 13,500 participants and around 2,100 winners

2003: 25,500 participants and about 3,500 winners

2004: 42,000 participants and just shy of 6,000 winners

2005: 59,000 participants and 9,769 winners

2006: 79,813 participants and 12,948 winners

2007: 101,510 participants and 15,333 winners

Participants write for 30 days, and then spend the next few months trying to catch up on what they've put off or ignored during the month of November.

Nanowrimo provides your creative muse an opportunity to write that story that you've been putting off. By keeping a short deadline, you have to turn off your internal editor. Turn your mind loose, and you'll be surprised at the stories that seem to write themselves.

Signup for NaNoWriMo 2008 begins in October!

It's that time of year again!

NaNoWriMo month starts 12:01 November 1st and runs through midnight, November 30th.

Your challenge is to start from scratch and write at least 50,000 words within 30 days.
Her'e your chance to start that novel you've put off, and keep promising you'll write some day. Well, someday is November 1st, and the choice to start is yours.

NaNoWriMo

Frank Creed's FLASHPOINT:Book One of the UNDERGROUND

(click on cover for Amazon link)

The Writers Cafe Press: www.thewriterscafe.com/projects.html
if readers want free shipping within the US and Canada, plus a signed copy of Flashpoint.

FLASHPOINT BLOG TOUR - DAY 3 PM (again)

Time for another LATE blog post. Fall Festival at school takes up a bit of your time.

Well, this is the final day for the Flashpoint Blog Tour. It's been fun to remember the story, and find out more about Calamity Kid and e-girl from the different blog sites, and the interviews with author Frank Creed. I found out that Flashpoint took ten years to publish, and hope readers won't have to wait that long to enjoy the sequel. I think it's really due out next year.

The characters don't seem to face as many temptations as most people, but I thought that was because they were 're-formed' and closer to living in the spirit of Him. It seems like life would much easier if it were easier to overcome temptations. I was curious about Calamity Kid's gamer background. If he won major game competitions under that name, wouldn't someone try to connect his new identity with his old gamer identity? Maybe that will be in the sequel.

Can't wait.

To learn more about Flashpoint, try these other blog tour sites:

Fantasy Thyme
jamessomers.blogspot.com
Write and Whine
Hoshi to Sakura
Wayfarer's Journal
BlogCritics Interview
Daniel I Weaver
Disturbing the Universe
Grace Bridges
Queen of Convolution
Virtual Tour de 'Net
Christian Fiction Review
BlogYellow30 Sci-Fi: Review
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Interview
Back to the Mountains
MaryLu Tyndall
Cathi's Chatter

Frank Creed's FLASHPOINT:Book One of the UNDERGROUND

(click on cover for Amazon link)

The Writers Cafe Press: www.thewriterscafe.com/projects.html
if readers want free shipping within the US and Canada, plus a signed copy of Flashpoint.

FLASHPOINT BLOG TOUR - DAY 2 PM

Time for a LATE blog post.

Life gets ahead of you at times, and it takes a while to play catch up.

When Calamity Kid and e-girl leave their comfortable middle-class, suburban life style to escape the peacekeepers all their old priorities are thrown out the window. They lose their home their family, and their church. Luckily, what they haven't lost is their faith in God. He watches over them, even at their darkest time. The brother and sister team find all their old important places and things aren't as important as they had thought.

Flashpoint contains action and suspense, but it also contains family. CK and e-girl's parents are arrested as Fundi terrorists by the FBT. They jump to the wrong conclusion about a neighbor's son turning the church family in for reward. Instead, a close family member has sound them out for promises of riches from the One-World government.

Flashpoint also mentions forgiveness for past wrongs, no matter how horrible. With his 'awakened' eyesight, Calamity Kid sees the realitive for what he truely is inside; a creature in pain without hope from the One above. As a Sandman, CK, is held to a higher standard so he reaches out to the person who has wronged them the most.

More Flashpoint Blog Tours:

Fantasy Thyme
jamessomers.blogspot.com
Write and Whine
Hoshi to Sakura
Wayfarer's Journal
BlogCritics Interview
Daniel I Weaver
Disturbing the Universe
Grace Bridges
Queen of Convolution
Virtual Tour de 'Net
Christian Fiction Review
BlogYellow30 Sci-Fi: Review
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Interview
Back to the Mountains
MaryLu Tyndall
Cathi's Chatter

WILDERKING BLOG TOUR - DAY 3

BARK OF THE BOG OWL
(Book 1 of the Wilderking Trilogy) by Jonathan Rogers

To purchase an autographed copy of this fine Middle-grade/YA fantasy, try: www.shop.jonathan-rogers.com

Turn up your speakers, and take a Journey to the Riverbottom Forrest,
Home of The WilderKing: http://www.wilderking.com/

This is the final blog tour day for Jonathan Roger's Bark of the Bog Owl. If you haven't had a chance to check out his Wilderking books, do yourself a favor and rush to your local bookstore and buy a copy or two; one for you and one for a friend. You'll be glad you did.

The book jackets are nicely illustrated with the look of a book from the swamp. That was one of the first things I noticed once I had a copy in hand. Bark of the Bog Owl's cover looks like an exotic animal skin binding. The cover is just a foretaste of the writing and story inside. As I mentioned in Day 2 of the book blog tour, the author brought the swamp and a cave to life for me. You could tell that he had spent some time around both.

For additional information, check out his website at http://www.wilderking.com ,
and the sites of the other blog participants:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Merrie Destefano or Alien Dream
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Karen

WILDERKING BLOG TOUR - DAY 2

BARK OF THE BOG OWL
(Book 1 of the Wilderking Trilogy) by Jonathan Rogers

To purchase an autographed copy of this fine Middle-grade/YA fantasy, try: www.shop.jonathan-rogers.com

Turn up your speakers, and take a Journey to the Riverbottom Forrest,
Home of The WilderKing: http://www.wilderking.com/

Bark of the Bog Owl is the first book in the WilderKing Trilogy.

About The Bark of the Bog OwlEchoing from the riverbottom forest, The Bark of the Bog Owl speaks of wild places still untamed, of quests not yet pursued, of great deeds not yet done.

About The Secret of the Swamp KingThe Secret of the Swamp King continues the story of Aidan's adventures in Corenwald.

About The Way of the WilderkingThe Way of the Wilderking concludes the Wilderking Trilogy with Aidan's return from the swamps and an epic battle for the future of Corenwald.

The hardest part of finishing Bark of the Bog Owl was waiting to start reading the next book. As someone who has never been around a swamp, the book drew me right into the scene. Jonathan Rogers certainly has a feel for the area. An underground scene in the book vividly paints what it must feel to explore a darkened cave, and wade through icy water. Dobro Turtlebane, one of the Feechiefolk, brings to life a fun-loving free spirit that just happens to wear stinky swamp mud and a turtle helmet.
Of course, it's not all fun and games for Aidan Errolson. As the youngest of four sons he's expected to watch the sheep and take care of jobs his older siblings don't want. The threat of Pyrthen invasion hangs over the land. So far Corenwald has fought back the evil Pyrthens four times. Will a new peace treaty with their strongest enemies, who mock the One True God, lead to a loss of all Aidan and his family hold dear?

Read Bark of the Bog Owl and find out for yourself. It's a great story from beginning to end.

Check out these other fine sites to learn more:

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Merrie Destefano or Alien Dream
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Linda Gilmore
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Karen

Frank Creed's FLASHPOINT:Book One of the UNDERGROUND

The Writers Cafe Press: www.thewriterscafe.com/projects.html
if readers want free shipping within the US and Canada, plus a signed copy of Flashpoint.

FLASHPOINT BLOG TOUR - DAY 1.5

Interview with author Frank Creed:

How did you get started in writing?

I first knew I wanted to write mine was eight years old. My divorced working mom sent me to a program at the public library. Once I learned how to read, I loved it. It fascinated me. Among my strongest memories of elementary education were the libraries in the schools I attended.

What led you into Christian speculative fiction?

I've never thought about that. As a lad growing up in the Chicago suburbs, mid-1970s, there was network television, PBS, and a couple of UHF stations. The best station in town was an independent known as WGN. If if you have Direct-TV satellite television, I think that's Channel 300 something. On Friday nights I get to stay up late to watch a show with my mom called Creature Feature—the name of the show, not the name of my mom—that's a whole other issue I'm not going to get into :) My first exposure to speculative fiction was black-and-white movies of the mummy, as well as, Frankenstein, and Dracula.

Around the same time, an uncle bought me a fancy hard copy boxed version of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. I had it for years before I finally read it and fell in love with fantasy. My first exposure to science fiction was probably 1976: Star Wars.

Then came Dungeons & Dragons, and so many other role-playing-games. My creativity was fired.

Mom, of course, loved that my sister and I were both readers. Whenever she took us to a bookstore and we found something we would want to read, she'd buy it for us. When we went into a regular bookstore, I could find speculative fiction. In the Christian bookstores however, all I could ever find was Chronicles of Narnia, and The Space Trilogy. It wasn't long before I stopped looking for speculative fiction in Christian bookstores.

There's so much creativity in speculative fiction with which to present the Gospel, it is a tragedy that publishers have completely neglected the genre. Many other worldviews package philosophy in speculative fiction. Why does it take us so long to figure these kinds of things out? So many souls can be reached . . .

What gave you the idea for Flashpoint?

It began in 19 years, back at the Iran Hostage Crisis. Reporters came on the television and talk about Fundamentalist Terrorists. At Lutheran church Sunday school, they said the Bible was fundamentally true, and that we were fundamentalists. That really bothered me. That was the real beginning.

Do you have many planned Flashpoint sequels?

If hard pressed I could force it into a trilogy. Writing in this setting with these characters is so much fun, I hope it lasts longer than that. But the business reality of fiction is that books must sell. Right now Christian science fiction is about as popular as stuffing one's toe, so we'll just see where things go.

I am currently writing Book Two of the Underground: War of Attrition (hopefully to be released summer '08 by The Writers’ Café Press). Also, The Writers’ Café Press has contracted Mike Roop, a role-playing game designer and member of The Underground, to write an RPG based on Flashpoint, in collaboration with me. It is due for release late spring 2008 and I am very excited about it. Roop designed a prototype a few months back that was extremely impressive. If anyone is interested in checking out the prototype and commenting on it, email me for a copy (admin@frankcreed.com).

Thanks Frank.

Official website: http://www.frankcreed.com/
Writers blog: http://frankcreed.blogspot.com/
Book review blog: http://afrankreview.blogspot.com/
Shoutlife page at: http://www.shoutlife.com/
His new book website: http://www.blogger.com/www.booksoftheunderground.com

Blog Tour Participants:

Fantasy Thyme
jamessomers.blogspot.com
Write and Whine
Hoshi to Sakura
Wayfarer's Journal
BlogCritics Interview
Daniel I Weaver
Disturbing the Universe
Grace Bridges
Queen of Convolution
Virtual Tour de 'Net
Christian Fiction Review Blog
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Review
Yellow30 Sci-Fi: Interview
Back to the Mountains
MaryLu Tyndall
Cathi's Chatter

October Book Blog Tour for
Frank Creed's FLASHPOINT:Book One of the UNDERGROUND

The Writers Cafe Press: www.thewriterscafe.com/projects.html
if readers want free shipping within the US and Canada, plus a signed copy of Flashpoint.

FLASHPOINT BLOG TOUR - DAY 1

In the year 2036, the One World Government has taken complete control. The only remaining enemy of the State, are the new terrorists - Fundamental Christians or Fundis.
Dave and Jen Williams barely escape capture as the Peacekeepers round up their church members for reconditioning. Transferred underground, the two join a Saint cell and with newly 'awakened' bodies, take on the new names of Calamity Kid and e-girl to fight the One World Government and spread a message of hope.

This is a fast read. Not because of few pages, but becasue it is such a page-turner. Plenty of action, and quick dialogue. Frank paints a bleak picture of the future when one turns from God and places ones' faith in mankind. Colorful characters like Calamity Kid, e-girl, and Legacy stand out like beacons of hope in the drab, hopeless world of the Peacekeepers and the FBT.

BOOK TRAILER:

WILDERKING BLOG TOUR - DAY 1

BARK OF THE BOG OWL
(Book 1 of the Wilderking Trilogy) by Jonathan Rogers

To purchase an autographed copy of this fine Middle-grade/YA fantasy, try: www.shop.jonathan-rogers.com

Twelve-year-old Aidan Errolson longs for the adventure and glory for battle,
but feels destined for a life of quiet shepherding on his family estate. At least
things go this way until he hears the bark of the bog owl. Plenty of people
claim to know someone else who claims to have heard the rare creature,
but Aidan is the first in years to hear one himself. The siteing launches an adventure that catpults the young shepard into the limelight at the King's court.

Loosely based upon the story of King David's humble beginnings, Bark of the
Bog Owl developes the rich history of a small land surrounded by the enemy.
While Aidan's country of Corenwald follows the one true God, their enemy -
the Pyrethen Empire - worship reptile gods.

Is twelve-year-old Aidan Corenwald's deliverer - the Wilderking - or the last free Corenwalkd generation?

Well worth the read. Jonathan Rogers will have you rooting for the young
shepherder and his impossible dream.

Jonathan's Webpage (checkout his intro and videos)
http://www.wilderking.com/

Wilderking Blog Tour Participants

Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Janey DeMeo
Merrie Destefano or Alien Dream
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Sherrie Hibbs
Christopher Hopper
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Karen
Dawn King
Mike Lynch
Rachel Marks
Karen McSpadden
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
John W. Otte
Lyn Perry
Deena Peterson
Rachelle
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Donna Swanson
Daniel I. Weaver
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise