Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Relams Thereunder

The Ancient Earth Trilogy - Book One by Ross Lawhead




Blog Tour - Day 3


Portals, Yfelopes, and a Langtoor, oh my!

(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Realms Thereunder - available from:


I received a review copy from Thomas Nelson of The Realms Thereunder
in conjunction with the February CSFF Blog Tour


Wayne Shepard interview of Ross Lawhead on The Realms Thereunder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMBpp1tHzkk&feature=player_detailpage


After fighting their way through chilly rapids and underground caves, Daniel climbs the rung to above and first sights Langtoor. A huge tree, elaborately carved from stone, it serves as both a barricade to enemies and a beacon of hope to friends. When I first read about Langtoor, the Tree of Life leaped to mind. It holds great promise of protection but also a warning to those who would shun the pro-offered peace.


Ecgbryt describes Yfelopes as twisted humans who have given into their foul ways. Humankind is like this, having turned from what is right and good in the Garden of Eden, they gave into their baser instincts until forcing the removal of everyone but Noah and his family by way of the Flood. When one of the evil ones is loosed in Oxford, Daniel feels obligated to remove it as soon as possible before it can take more humans down with it. Yfelopes also seemed to reflect the influence of sin on a person. The stronger the hold of Evil, the darker the creatures' spirit.


On day two of the blog tour, I mentioned the difference in response to the Realm between Daniel and Freya. I thought this might reflect our own responses to the gift of Salvation. Do we freely accept Christ's and follow as Daniel in the story, or do we take Freya's path of withdrawal and denial? Freya tries to return to her old life, but the Realm keeps calling for her and reminding her of what happened. Daniel didn't want to go back to his old life. He had a new life; a new beginning.


Nioergeard struck me as the promised land built on and of the rock. It it stable and study, a real 'rock of ages'. The city isn't a collection of buildings and monuments, but a growing living community that holds back the darknesses. Made of stone, like the Langtoor, Nioergeard seemed to build upon the work begun with the stone tree. As the city grew, so did it's connection with Langtoor.




Swiogar and Ecgbryt are part of the mighty warrior army held in readiness for the great battle between light and dark. No one is sure when this will occur but they await the time of their need. Christians are advised to be diligent and ready for we know not when our Lord will return. Ealdstan has watched over his people through history. The first chapter with the smith shoeing the horse with golden horseshoes comes to mind as part of long-term preparations. Daniel and Freya are told that Ealdstan has had many names through history as he guided and directed many peoples. Ealdstan takes a long-term approach to life too. He keeps his eye on the prize and doesn't let inconsequential things make him lose site of the goal.


That was something a got out of The Realms Thereunder. We should fight for what is right, and remember what our true allegiances lie and what goal we should strive for. I really enjoyed this book. It was a little confusing at first, but once I saw how the time lines would rejoin the various stories it made for a thoughtful and fun read.


*Participants’ links:
Gillian Adams
Red Bissell
Keanan Brand
Beckie Burnham
Melissa Carswell
Jeff Chapman
CSFF Blog Tour
Theresa Dunlap
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Rebekah Loper
Marzabeth
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirriam Neal
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Joan Nienhuis
Crista Richey
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Shane Werlinger
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant









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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The Relams Thereunder

The Ancient Earth Trilogy - Book One by Ross Lawhead
Blog Tour - Day 2
A thousand years? Is that too long to sleep?

(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Realms Thereunder - available from:

I received a review copy from Thomas Nelson of The Realms Thereunder
in conjunction with the February CSFF Blog Tour


Wayne Shepard interview of Ross Lawhead on The Realms Thereunder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMBpp1tHzkk&feature=player_detailpage

The story begins a half-millieum in the past with the tale of blacksmith who meets a strange man one night who requires his services. After shoeing a horse in a hidden cave with golden shoes, the blacksmith is taken to another cave for payment. When the blacksmith returns to the hillside, the cave opening his re-hidden and the old man is nowhere in sight. The Realms Thereunder cuts to modern day where two teenagers are missing for over two months. The two missing teens are Freya Reynolds and Daniel Tully.

Daniel comes from a broken home. He has little in the way of family, friends, or fun. Readers are introduced to Daniel as he hunts a strange man-like creature with needle-sharp teeth through downtown Oxford, England. Daniel becomes the hunted and is forced to kill the creature. Flash back eight years before and after a miserable birthday morning, Daniel and Freya accidently open a portal to the Realm Thereunder; a place in the far past. Daniel soon acclimates to life in the Realm, and feels like he's found his place at last. He has a purpose and others need him. He's no longer seen as an outcast but as a young warrior. Daniel found a new self confidence and courage during his journey.


Freya comes from a middle-class family and shares birthdays with Daniel. In current day Oxford Freya is an obcessive compulsive who feels she needs to pass through arches, doorways, and entrances multiple times. In her classes at Oxford she keeps to herself unless it is to argue with an instructor about existence of worlds and beings that are viewed as fable and myth. Freya knows better, she's experienced both and it terrifies her. Freya followed Daniel into the Realm and found she couldn't return by the path taken. Rather than the excitement and new life Daniel found, she instead found despair and worry of never returning home. Instead of embracing the adventure, she responded by withdrawing into herself. From the Realm Freya found fear and near-panic of the unknown.

Inside the bowels of the church, Daniel and Freya follwed step after step down a curving stairway that opened on a small room with two sleeping figures on stone tablets. The two warriors were dressed in armor and were covered by a light coating of dust. After waking, the two introduce themselves as Swiogar and Ecgbryt, two sword brothers placed in near-suspended animation awaiting the great battle. The pair find they have slept for a thousand years and were awakened by Daniel and Freya's accidental visit. Swiogar and Ecgbryt have fought evil together in the past, and question why they were awakened now. Perplexed at finding two children, the group leave the sleeping vault to journey to fabled Nioergeard for answers.

At the city carved from rock, the four travlers are introduced to Modwyn, Nioergeard's Lady. Regally dressed, she exudes a quiet power and grace before the weary four-some. Modwyn is introduced as the ward and protectress of Nioergeard. Standing on tradition , Modwyn asks Daniel and then Freya if each will accept her hospitality. It seeming a type of legal binding that all provided an assurance of good character and support. Once plegdes are accepted, Modwyn warms to the teens and sends them to their rooms to rest.


Finally, I wanted to mention Ealdstan, the ancient and very wise ruler of Nioergeard. After passing door after door and climbing stair after stair, Daniel and Freya meet Ealdstan in a distant part of the castle. He seemed half-senile at first, by the way he dropped off at the end of a discussion or in mid-sentence. But Modwyn explains that Ealdstan is thousands of years old, and spends much of his time contemplating matters of the kingdom. This explained to me that he had little use for speech, having spent so much time alone. It wasn't that he was some type of backroom Wizard of Oz trying to hide behind a curtain, rather it was the fact that his farsighted planning had saved the city much over the centuries.

Day 3 Blog: Portals, Yfelopes, and a Langtoor, oh my!
Day Three I'll discuss some possible symbology and thoughts while reading The Realms Thereunder.

*Participants’ links:
Gillian Adams
Red Bissell
Keanan Brand
Beckie Burnham
Melissa Carswell
Jeff Chapman
CSFF Blog Tour
Theresa Dunlap
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Rebekah Loper
Marzabeth
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirriam Neal
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Joan Nienhuis
Crista Richey
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Shane Werlinger
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant





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Monday, February 20, 2012

The Relams Thereunder

The Ancient Earth Trilogy - Book One by Ross Lawhead


Blog Tour - Day 1

A First Novel with a Great Story!


(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Realms Thereunder - available from:




I received a review copy from Thomas Nelson of The Realms Thereunder
in conjunction with the February CSFF Blog Tour


Wayne Shepard interview of Ross Lawhead on The Realms Thereunder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMBpp1tHzkk&feature=player_detailpage


The Realms Thereunder is the first full-length novel for Mr. Lawhead. He's worked with his father, author Stephen R. Lawhead, on a speculative fiction trilogy, created a graphic novel that he both wrote and illustrated, and even published a couple of poetry books in a series named "The Colour Papers." Well, I wondered, he definitely has the credentials but can he write? When I heard that this month's CSFF blog tour review was for a portal story set in England with some good ancient Celtic characters and a bit of fantasy, I immediately thought of Stephen Lawhead. He's one of the few Christian authors I've read who could pull all that off in a book or series.

Apparently Ross Lawhead has inherited the writing gene. He's created an original story in The Realms Thereunder that pulls the reader into a period existing only in time's misty past. Portal stories and time travel are too of my favorite genres. Lawhead has managed to unite the two in a compelling novel. Some reviews I've read about this book suggest the use of Gaelic and Old English only confuse the reader. But someone who thrives on Early Middle Age life and it's history, will appreciate the detailed research this story must have required. It's not like the Wayback Machine on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show where every historical figure spoke 1960's English. If you were transported to the past how much would you actually understand of what's being said or not said? Sure the words sound funny to the modern ear, but that just allows the reader to puzzle out meanings at the same time as the two protagonists.

I enjoyed The Realms Thereunder. I wasn't too sure about the jumping back and forth between the past and the present, but there's a lot of back story to explain and it's all important to the storyline and how the trips to the under realms changed Freya and Daniel. Whether the change was for the best or worst depends on the viewpoint. We can't always make a big difference in life, but sometimes a chance meeting or action sets a much larger chain of events in motion. Ross Lawhead manages to stack each seemingly unrelated event like a house of cards. Each part depends upon every other part and in the end you just step back and wonder how we got there so quickly without seeing it coming.





Day 2 Blog: A thousand years? Is that too long to sleep?
Day Two I'll discuss some of the original characters created for the story and how the Realms changed them.

*Participants’ links:
Gillian Adams
Red Bissell
Keanan Brand
Beckie Burnham
Melissa Carswell
Jeff Chapman
CSFF Blog Tour
Theresa Dunlap
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Victor Gentile
Tori Greene
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Christopher Hopper
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Rebekah Loper
Marzabeth
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirriam Neal
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Joan Nienhuis
Crista Richey
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Shane Werlinger
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant

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Sunday, January 29, 2012



Nice Materials At Holly Lisle Writng Site - Some free!






I just signed up for Holly Lisle's 'How To Write a Series' online course. The description was good, but I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I joined her other two major workshops, How To Think Sideways and How To revise Your Novel. One of the things I like about the Holly Lisle courses are the amount and breadth of material in her lesson. The first lesson included six down loadable-videos ranging in length from just under 15-minutes to over 27-minutes. Averaging 20-minutes each, the six videos are over two-hours long. In case students want to review the presented material, each video includes a transcript. Another documents include text and illustrations of the covered material. As a visual learner, these videos and handouts made learning the material easier.






In the first course, How To Think Sideways, one student commented that there were more than two-thousand pages of printouts included. At the time, I thought this might be an exaggeration. No, if anything this guess was way, way short of the documents. I'm not sure of the total number of pages, but know I printed two reams of paper without making it half-way through the lessons. I mentioning all this because the courses cover so much, and you have a lot more to show for the class than many other courses I've seen that cost much more.






Here's the free material link I mentioned above:







This page describes her free seven-lesson Plot Outline Course, and provides the download. The sample illustrates her teaching style - not dry and boring or rambling with over-sized words - so you can decide if you would like to buy more of her material.

Here is the main web page: http://novelwritingschool.com/

Along the right are free articles, and the many writing courses and clinics available.







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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 :)
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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

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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.



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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:


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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.
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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

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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
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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
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