Bitroux: High Country by Jordan Harcourt-Hughes - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Bitroux: High Country
by Jordan Harcourt-Hughes

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GENRE:   Science Fiction

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BOOK BLURB:

If Merouac ever thought his life’s work would culminate in leading the metal workshops of the Transcontinental Railroad Project, he was sorely mistaken.

Now, his true challenge lies in navigating the other-worldly abilities he’s only beginning to understand—abilities that allow him to tune metal to interdimensional frequencies.

While trying to be a guardian to his niece, Evra, he’s realising she may have more to teach him than he ever expected. At the same time, his decision to help an interdimensional race find refuge underground puts him at the centre of an even deeper mystery.

As reality reshapes itself around him, Merouac faces a growing realisation: the world of Ahm is on the brink of a profound transformation, and everything he thought he knew may soon be shattered.

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EXCERPT THREE:

The two men were slow moving, graceful, each with a high mohawk of golden straw-like hair, and heavily decorated with neck jewels. The neck-ware was gnarled, twisted, fibrous, fragments of plant stems dried and interwoven with beads and fresh flowers, trussed with other leaves and organic material, and embedded with strange jewels that seemed to glow and fade, changing colours across a spectrum of blues to greens and then back to blues.

Tundra inclined his head, made a small gesture and a bow.

‘He greets you,’ Kii translated. ‘Tundra does not speak very much, and so I’ll translate for him.’

‘How do you know what he wants to say, then?’ Merouac asked.

‘I can see it, or sense it, in the atmosphere,’ Kii explained.

Merouac watched in surprise as the Tundra gestured again, imparting information through the aether which Kii seemed to easily recieve and decipher.

Tundra then eased himself into a crouching position and cleared a patch of grass. He shook his head and determined it would not suit, and looked for a sandy patch. He moved over to another, more suitable, patch of ground and beckoned the other two to join him. He went through the same process of clearing the ground, and then used his fingers to trace lines into the sand. He was silent as he did so, but then looked at Kii expectantly, and Kii nodded.

‘Tundra said you did the right thing with the race that was escaping their imploding planet. They are safe, and they will rest in the core of Ahm now. Tundra was just drawing a map for me, to show me where they are.’

Merouac felt a shock run through him. ‘How does Tundra know about the Helara?’ he asked Kii.

‘There are things that can be seen in the energetic environment. He is able to perceive the place where the Helara now rest. It is under the power grid, deep below Suron. There is a cave network, and catacombs with very deep canyons. Below those canyons, this is where you found a place for the Helara to enter the core of the planet. It was the right thing to do,’ Kii said, translating as he watched Tundra’s fingers work in the sand.

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GUEST POST:

Creative Projects: How to Idle in Discomfort and Why It’s ’s Good for You

Yoga has always held a special place in my heart. It centres me, allowing me to slow down, tune into my body, and listen to its whispers of stress or strain.

In yoga, we’re often encouraged to maintain poses longer than what feels comfortable. This practice fosters resilience as we hold challenging poses or return to them after faltering.

Think of the challenge in holding a downward dog for an extended period or maintaining balance in tree pose. These experiences bring up feelings of discomfort and it can be really challenging to not try and wriggle our way out of those sensations.

Away from the yoga mat, life and creative practice offers similar experiences of discomfort. And similarly, it can actually be good for us to persist in these moments. Staying put and enduring the sometimes unpleasant sensations that exist outside our comfort zone can help us grow, and build resilience as we do so.

In the last year I’ve been working through the very uncomfortable final stages of a creative project—my second novel. This phase has demanded my focused attention to ensure all elements of the story seamlessly came together. With life’s day to day busy-ness and challenges, it felt like a herculean task to keep all of the moving parts of the story clear in my head.

But, I have some tips on what I’m doing to stay sane while also staying in this place of discomfort – and I hope they might help you stay the course as well – and grow as a creative practitioner at the same time.

My six tips on how to idle in discomfort – in yoga, creativity and in life

Resign yourself to the discomfort. Accept it, and allow it in. There’s no getting around it, and there’s no wiggling out of it. Be present with it, and realise it’s OK to feel out of your happy place.

Feel the feels: do everything you can to feel, and then name and identify the sensations of discomfort that you’re experiencing. The more you get familiar with the sensations, the better chance you have of making friends with them.

Being ok when your ‘material’ shows up: we all have stuff. And stuff can show up when we’re under pressure. On the yoga mat, as well as in life, our personal material can be the things that can keep us from staying the course. Limiting beliefs. Self –doubt. For me, staying the course with my book means showing up to my ambition. Negative self-talk can start to surface when we’re starting to push through discomfort – so be OK with it being there – but recognise it for what it is – and give yourself permission to change your narrative.

Dig deep, sing loudly: when you’re on point, and trying to stay there, a good music track does wonders to keep you in the zone. I have much-loved albums that are on high rotation when I’m deep in concentration mode, and YouTube playlists for when I’m on struggle street, flying high and diving into the depths of despair – which can all seem to happen in quick succession when you’re out of your comfort zone. Gather your best music and release tension by singing along – its one of my favourite things!

Reduce, off load, streamline and free up: you know those movie scenes, where the engine of the plane is faltering, or it’s running out of fuel, and so people start throwing cargo out the window? Do that. Preserve as much fuel, and as much energy as you can, during times where you’re working through discomfort. It takes energy and focus – and often, that means freeing yourself up as much as you possible can, in order to be present and intentional about it. Defer the other projects. Clear the calendar. Take stuff out of your diary. Make apologies. And give yourself permission to attend to the task at hand.

Make sense of the territory: As I write, I’m also taking note of all of the experiences, and when they occur in the writing process. The feeling of discomfort at the end of the second edit, for example, was definitive territory, and is very specific to that part of the journey for this piece of creative work. I know the lay of the land, now. I’ll remember it for next time – and I might choose to do things differently when I write my next book. I might take even more stuff out of the diary in order to get through this territory in a shorter period of time.

Create small moments of winning: I’m quite serious when I say ‘create the moments’. You might otherwise think that I’m saying something like ‘enjoy the small moments, or practice gratitude along the way… Those things are excellent – and you should absolutely do them. But I’m talking about something different. What I’m saying that is that you need to do something next-level when you’re idling in discomfort. You need to make a plan for bringing in the big guns. Don’t just wait for moments of fun to find their way to you – ensure that you create them with intention. Invite a friend to for a celebratory coffee and share your milestones. Gather the family around for a special meal – just because it helps you relax. Put aside time each day to nourish yourself and celebrate your work and your efforts, even if it’s too early to see the final results.

I hope these tips help you stay strong, flexible and courageous in moments of discomfort – and remember, if you fall over, don’t worry about it! Enjoy a few moments of rest and get back into it!

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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:

Jordan Harcourt-Hughes is an abstract painter, writer and communications professional. She’s passionate about all aspects of creativity, life-long learning and personal wellbeing. Over the last fifteen years she’s led, coached and developed creative professionals across the Asia-Pacific region.

Jordan’s books, studio workshops, courses, coaching and resources are an invitation to explore the rich landscape of creative experiences open to all.

High Country is Jordan’s second novel set in the world of Bitroux.

Website:

https://jordanharcourthughes.com

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/jordaninthestudio

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/jordaninthestudio

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GIVEAWAY:

Jordan will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shocktober: The Biggest Upsets in World Series History by Jonathan Weeks - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Shocktober: The Biggest Upsets in World Series History
by Jonathan Weeks

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GENRE:   Sports History

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BOOK BLURB:

Mays’s spectacular catch in 1954, Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off homer in 1960, and Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit blast in 1988 are just a few of the memorable moments that have dominated highlight reels. The outcome of the Series has not always been terribly surprising—especially during the late 1940s and early 1950s when the Yankees captured five consecutive championships, breaking their previous record of four straight titles from 1936 to 1939. But despite its predictability at times, the Fall Classic has taken many unexpected turns. The 1906 Cubs lost to the weak-hitting White Sox after establishing a new regular season record for

wins. The 1955 Dodgers avenged seven prior October failures with an improbable victory over the seemingly invincible Yankees. And in 1969, the Mets finally shed their image as “loveable losers,” dethroning the powerful Orioles. In more than a century of World Series plays, a number of similar scenarios have emerged; twenty-two of those stories are told in Shocktober.

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EXCERPT ONE:

To understand why members of the White Sox conspired with gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series, one must take into account the financial climate of baseball in the early-20th century. Players weren’t paid exceptionally well (at least in comparison to today). Before the advent of free agency, owners held most of the advantages when it came to negotiating contracts. Players were more or less stuck with the clubs they had signed with until team executives decided it was time to get rid of them. Typical deadball stars were minimally educated and rough around the edges. In their free time, many gravitated to bars and pool halls, where men of questionable integrity could be found. Some players developed relationships with members of the underworld—especially bookmakers who were willing to tamper with the outcome of games in order to turn a profit.

Ty Cobb, one of the biggest names of the era, was paid $20,000 in 1919—equivalent to about $348,000 today. No one else was making that much at the time—not even Babe Ruth. Pitcher Eddie Cicotte, at a little over $9,000, was the highest paid member of the Chicago conspirators. The others were earning significantly less.

A common misconception among contemporary fans is the idea that Chicago team owner Charles Comiskey was a nefarious miser who drove his men to commit the crime of the century. Multiple myths have persisted regarding Comiskey’s penny-pinching ways—the most salacious being the story about how he delivered a case of flat champagne to his players as a World Series bonus in 1917. Other fallacies have been handed down over the years.

In reality, Comiskey was prone to acts of generosity. He allowed a number of Chicago organizations to use his ballpark for free and gave out complimentary grandstand tickets to school children. During World War I, he donated a significant portion of his annual income to the Red Cross. While it’s true that he could also be frugal, charging players for laundry fees, he actually paid his men pretty well. The White Sox Opening Day payroll in 1919 was among the highest in baseball.

While the specific motivations of each conspirator have been endlessly debated, it’s safe to assume that the primary incentive was financial gain. By his own account, it was first baseman Chick Gandil who approached gamblers with the idea of a fix. At the time, the club was divided into two social cliques with tension existing between the two. The educated players fell under the influence of Ivy League graduate Eddie Collins. The rest of the joiners cast their lot with Gandil—a former boxer with an attitude toward authority. Shortstop Swede Risberg played a major role in the fix as well, helping Gandil lure other players (ones who could be trusted to keep their mouths shut) into the fold. Boston-based bookmaker Joseph “Sport” Sullivan convinced New York underworld kingpin Arnold Rothstein to bankroll the plot. Others involved included “Sleepy Bill” Burns (a former pitcher) and Abe Attell (a former featherweight boxing champion). Both were associates of Rothstein’s.

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GUEST POST:

What’s in a Title? How to Create an Intriguing and Eye-catching Book Title

One thing for authors to keep in mind before they begin marketing their work is the fact that (including self-published projects) there are about 2.2 million books released every year. One way to set your masterpiece apart from others is to pick a clever and catchy title. We see this in popular music—especially the rock genre, where two particular albums stand out for me:

--“The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get” By Joe Walsh

--“You Can Tune a Piano But You Can’t Tune a Fish” By REO Speedwagon

Not only are both albums full of great songs, but they have the most memorable titles in rock history—Far superior to the drab austerity of “Van Halen II” or “Led Zeppelin III” (What were those guys thinking? C’mon, man—put a little effort into it!!)

Before we have listened to the first song on an album or read the first paragraph of a book, we gauge our interest by the title. The cover art is a critical factor too, but that comes later—after we’ve evaluated the title. So, it’s important to come up with something that instantly grabs the attention of readers. Unfortunately, writers don’t always have the final say.

When you submit your work to publishers, it carries what’s known as a “working title.” This is merely a suggestion to the editor. There is no guarantee that a working title will survive the editing process. And that can be very frustrating.

Believe me, I know! I have haggled with editors and lost.

That’s why you should come up with more than one title for your book before you submit your work. My own rule of thumb is three: one primary title and two alternates. In choosing a title, I try to inject a little humor with word play—something offbeat that will stand out. But the title must also capture the essence of what’s in the book. And that can be tricky. There have been a few instances in which I think I may have nailed it:

--Cellar Dwellers: The Worst Teams in Baseball History

--Mudville Madness: Fabulous Feats, Belligerent Behavior, and Erratic Episodes on the Diamond

--The Umpire Was Blind! Controversial Calls by MLB’s Men in Blue

--Shocktober: The Biggest Upsets in World Series History

But no matter how clever I think I am, I will never come close to matching the sheer brilliance of the greatest baseball title in history: Red Sox Fans are From Mars, Yankee Fans are From Uranus: Why Red Sox Fans are Smarter, Funnier, and Better Looking.

I don’t mind plugging Andy Wasif’s work because he’s hilarious! And his book belongs in the Working Titles Hall of Fame.

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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:

Jonathan Weeks has written several sports biographies and two novels, one of which was a posthumous collaboration with his late father. He grew up in the Capital District region of New York State and currently works in the mental health field.

Blog:

http://www.jonathanweeks.blogspot.com

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5862273.Jonathan_Weeks

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GIVEAWAY:

Jonathan will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Owls of Wickenden Wood by Shauna Kramer Barnes - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

The Owls of Wickenden Wood
by Shauna Kramer Barnes

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GENRE:   Children's Picture Book

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BOOK BLURB:

Landing in a different reality, the hero of our story is challenged by wise and mysterious owls.

Will the storyteller be able to face their doubts and fears?

Or will they forever remain in the Wickenden Wood?

An inspiring, rhythmic tale, encouraging readers to believe in themselves and to trust in their own innate talents and abilities.

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EXCERPT TWO:

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

This book, "The Owls of Wickenden Wood," is a fun, interesting, and entertaining children's picture book filled with exciting adventures, rhyming sequences, and many, many owls!!

This book, "The Owls of Wickenden Wood," follows an unnamed main character who falls down a hole into a mysterious realm, Wickenden Wood. The main character is then greeted by several owls who demand that the character tells them a story - "that is fresh, that is new, and hopefully one that is funny too!" While the main character is hesitant, they are told they must comply in order to be free. Will the main character agree to the owls request? What story will they tell them? Will the owls allow the character to leave?

This book is ideal for out-loud story time and bedtime readings.

I enjoyed most of the rhyming sequences, however, I felt like some lines were awkwardly worded in order to complete the rhyme. In addition, I think some of the word choices were not suitable for younger learning to read material. For example, words such as: emitted, immense, reluctantly, enraptured, helm, and refrain are not only difficult for younger readers to pronounce, let alone recognize and understand.

Unfortunately, I feel like this book has no identity as none of the characters have names, ages, genders, or characteristics. While this can be seen as a universal identity, able to fit to any reader, I felt like it did the opposite as it seemed unrelatable, distant, and hard to connect to.

This book's blurb references having positive messages of "encouraging readers to believe in themselves and to trust in their own innate talents and abilities." While I do enjoy and appreciate that this book does encompass adventure, imagination, creativity, and curiosity, I found it a bit unsettling that the main character was demanded - more like forced to comply with the owls ultimatum. I'm not sure that was the best way to go about that - do what we say or you can never leave mentality. I love the idea of positively empowering young readers and encouraging them to bravely follow their imagination, fantasy, creativity, innovation, and beyond - and I think this book was trying to push toward that direction, but got a little lost in their rhymes over their message.

This book is filled with moderate abstract crayon illustrations. These illustrations are mostly comprised of dark crayon colors and are a bit more on the younger, drawing style side. However, I felt they were encouraging to young readers who would be inspired to get out their crayon sets and start drawing owls, trees, and leaves too!!

This book is 34 eBook pages cover-to-cover and filled with 16 pages of text and 11 pages of corresponding illustrations.

This book is appropriately “G” rated as there is no swearing, no gory violence, no adult situations, and no sexual content.

At this time, this book does not appear to be part of a book series.

All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it - especially to owl lovers!!  I think all young readers and their families will like this book too!!  So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations**

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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:

Shauna Kramer Barnes lives in Deep Cove, BC, with her husband and daughter. Surrounded by mountains, forests, and the owls who reside in the true Wickenden Wood, she was inspired to write this story and hopefully tell a tale that entertains.

Website:

https://shaunakramerbarnes.com

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/SHAUNAB303

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GIVEAWAY:

Shauna will be awarding a $10 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Secret Plans: Vol. III by Tami Knight - Book Tour - Guest Post -

Secret Plans: Vol. III
by Tami Knight

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GENRE:  Cartoons / Humor

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BOOK BLURB:

Tami Knight started drawing cartoons about climbers when the glaciers were a lot larger. C'mon in and enjoy Knight's rats and humans as they get up to mountains of mischief! This book may even help you re-work yer primal scream!

And, dang, Jon Krakauer wrote the forward.

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EXCERPT TWO:

Tami Knight began drawing cartoons when she was four years old. In addition to being a gifted artist, she was a brilliant young gymnast. As an eighteen-year-old student at the University of British Columbia studying to become a veterinarian, Knight won the Western Canadian University Gymnastic Championships.

Spoiler alert: Knight never became a veterinarian, and shortly after her Championships victory an automobile accident brought her gymnastics career to a screeching halt.

In the aftermath, friends taught Knight to rock climb at Squamish—the vast, breathtaking granite escarpment sixty minutes north of her home. She was a natural, and she instantly became infatuated with her new pastime. Before long, Knight was one of the top female climbers in Canada.

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GUEST POST:

Five Ways to Deal with Rejection as a Writer

  My book is a forty plus year compendium of cartoons about climbing so I’ll tell of a major rejection that happened forty years ago but that which put me on the path I’m on today. 

The fall of 1984, after I’d been drawing cartoons about climbers for a couple of years, I decided to have a go at drawing mainstream cartoons. My big influence at the time was Gary Larson’s The Far Side, so I decided to draw single panels including characters like talking jellyfish, grapes with legs, alien invasions, you know… silly stuff. Stuff that wasn’t really me but I thought I’d try. 

I drew about thirty of these cartoons and, using more money than I’d ever hoped to spend, photocopied several dozen sets of the toons, bought envelopes and stamps and sent them to weekly-type newspapers all over North America. 

I heard back from three. Three! Ugh! To make matters worse, each of these three papers bought one or two cartoons and paid me about 20 bucks (or less) per ‘toon. I screamed into my pillow. So much work for so little return! 

But then the universe opened up, angels appeared and sang glorious. I received a letter from the Washington Post Writers Group asking about my work. Oh. My. Goodness! 

Somebody from there must have seen one of the 20-dollar specials! I danced a little jig and turned a few cartwheels! I was gonna be famous! Rich! I’d be a full -time cartoonist! I put together another bundle of these cartoons and, though my memory of the event has dimmed with time, probably included a letter of gratitude, thank you so much, thank you thank you very much, here’s where you can send my cheques. 

And I waited for the response. 

And I waited. And life slipped along, a few weeks then months and, yeah……years.

<crickets churr and dog howls in the background>

Sigh. 

I realized then and there that I really ought to just continue with the cartoons I knew best. My jellyfish, grapes and aliens were, well, yeah… forgetaboutit. And I also decided that I wouldn’t try make money with the work, I’d get a day job to pay my bills and I’d draw cartoons because they bubbled up inside of me and I needed put them on paper lest they fizz the top of my head off. 

It occurred to me that authenticity and truth in my work was the best way to go. I’d leave behind the idea of making oodles of cash. I’d work on publishing in the outdoor community by talking to people and, if I was published, by making relationships with these ambassadors of my work.

And it worked. Yes, I’ve had more rejections but they pass through me like water though a sieve. Not everyone will like my work, some editors are just dull as old denim and that’s just the way things are. Hah. I’m not here to change hearts and minds but to hopefully give some folks a laugh. 

Thank you for reading!!! 

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AUTHOR BIO:

Tami Knight has been drawing cartoons and illustrations about climbing since 1981. Her work is a regular feature in Alpinist Magazine but has appeared in climbing media all over the world. She was the 2003 recipient of the American Alpine Club literary award. Knight lives in Vancouver, Canada.

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CONNECT WITH TAMI:

Website:

https://tamiknight.com

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/tamiknightcartoons

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/177962266X

Amazon CA:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/177962266X

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-plans-tami-knight/1146482273?ean=9781779622662

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GIVEAWAY:

Tami will award a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Under the Oak (Book One) & The Costume Box (Book Two) Poems by Peter Hynes - Book Tour - Exclusive Excerpt - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Under the Oak
(Book One)
&
The Costume Box
(Book Two)
Poems by Peter Hynes

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GENRE:   Poetry

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BOOK BLURB:

This is the second edition of poetry written by Peter Hynes, after Under the Oak. I hope you enjoy reading these poems, and perhaps I can make you think about things you might not ordinarily think about.

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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:

From The Costume Box (Book Two):

holy fools

you brandish your Bible,

your Torah, your Koran

and nearly every other holy book

that men cling to as you do,

as if you believe it is a weapon

with which you can stave off

the chaos you’re contributing to

when you’re not here

praying for the rapture

to come and take you away

or invoking your god to war,

prepared to be a sacrifice

in the holiest of causes,

little suspecting

there’s a lot of us heathens

praying your god takes you soon,

so we can live or die in peace,

free to choose without some holy fool

forever telling us what to do

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AUTHOR BIO:

Peter Hynes is a Canadian. He began writing poetry many years ago, in high school. His poetry has been published in various anthologies and elsewhere since. This is his first book of poems. He was born in southwestern Ontario. He still lives in the province with his wife and their small menagerie.

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CONNECT WITH PETER:

Website:

http://www.peterhynespoetry.com

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/poetrybypeter57

Goodreads Author Profile:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18656375.Peter_Hynes

Bookfunnel Promo:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/ReflectionsinWords/6nob4jg2l2

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BOOK BUY LINKS - UNDER THE OAK - BOOK ONE:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/4g3tKGh

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3PEHuwy

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Under-Oak-Poems-Peter-Hynes-ebook/dp/B07C598Y91

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Under-Oak-Poems-Peter-Hynes/dp/1773709682

Apple Books eBook:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-the-oak-poems-by-peter-hynes/id1390252033

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-the-oak-peter-hynes/1128518346

Booktopia AU Paperback:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/under-the-oak-peter-hynes/book/9781773709680.html

Walmart Paperback:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Under-the-Oak-Poems-by-Peter-Hynes-Paperback-9781773709680/304304438

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BOOK BUY LINKS - THE COSTUME BOX - BOOK TWO:

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3BZVxcT

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1779623313

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-costume-box-peter-hynes/1146521274

Booktopia AU Paperback:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-costume-box-peter-hynes/book/9781779623317.html

Walmart Paperback:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Costume-Box-Poems-by-Peter-Hynes-Paperback-9781779623317/13930810916

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GIVEAWAY:

Peter will be awarding a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

A Fable of Wood & String by L.T. Getty - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

A Fable of Wood & String
by L.T. Getty

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GENRE:   Young Adult High Fantasy

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BOOK BLURB:

Would it hurt you to just do as you're told?

The O'Connell siblings live in the shadow of their parent's past, held back by obligation to keep the people of Stagmil safe when their father has to lead the non-hunters of their village to drive off a wyvern.

Lily doesn't trust the stranger who calls herself Madeline when she staggers into the pastoral lands. The puppeteer seems to take an interest in Lily's talent with the family mandoline, and she teaches Lily new music. Lily's had songs stuck in her head before, but nothing like this.

Twins Seth and Tiffany however can't wait for their father to return so they can get on with the shearing. Seth should at least be helping hunt the wyvern, and Tiffany wants to take her best friend Molly and head to the nearest city and see the world.

The twins and several other villagers are lured by song into the woods and transformed into marionettes: Seth breaking free before he can be strung, and Lily tainted in a way she doesn't understand. They have the skills to track the woman down, but to restore Seth to his body, and rescue Tiffany and the others?

Tracking the woman takes them far from the familiar woodlands they know, across the sea to an enchanted castle, where in an effort to rescue their sister they'll learn something much more sinister than turning folk into puppets is going on. They'll get help, of course, but not from who they expected.

After all, last Seth checked, foxes are only supposed to have the one tail.

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EXCERPT ONE:

The figure in black started to play something else, and the other’s eyes widened. Tiffany shouted something, and they all reached for the soft wax of the candle but didn’t know what they were doing. In the haste of grabbing the candle, it was knocked to the ground.

Seth ignored his companions and nocked his bow. “Stop what you’re doing or I’ll shoot!”

The figure seemed undeterred. Seth knew he was about to commit murder, but he didn’t care and he wouldn’t leave Louis or any of them to whatever that doppelganger was, and this thing was obviously part of this plot. He loosed the arrow, and the figure only stopped playing to bat it away with the sword hidden under the cloak. Impossible, Seth thought, nocking another with a second between his fingers for quick redraw. He might not be the finest archer—but at this range he didn’t have to be, and no one could deflect arrows in succession for long.

Someone screamed. It looked like Rebecca was caught in a web when she tried to bolt from the glen between two trees. Seth unsheathed his long knife and went to help her, but the figure of Not-Lily appeared, taking off her face and standing near Rebecca. The face was completely blank underneath; Seth let out a surprised gasp before she replaced that face with something with six red eyes, two in the normal place with another four running up her forehead.

Then he saw it—her—grow. The lower half of her body swelled and became massive, bulbous, like the back half of a centaur; her body remained about the same size, but rather than fur and four legs, shimmering black hair and eight legs protruded from the torso, longer at the bend than Dale was tall. She towered over Rebecca. A giant spider . . . woman? There was something eerily feminine about it, a sort of terrible beauty that froze him when his instincts told him to move. She stepped over Rebecca, barrelling down on Seth. He loosed another arrow at her head, but she dodged and shot out webbing from her hands that knocked him backwards, pinning him to the grass. More spider silk flew and pinned his arm to the grass.

Seth tried to wriggle free the monster chased after Dale, and to Seth’s horror, caught him with long strands at his wrists, and wrangled him like a marionette. Dale wriggled against the webbing and she dragged him back, and it seemed that he was transforming in the shadow, shrinking and becoming . . . something else. Seth unbuttoned his over shirt to try to free himself.

Dale was reduced to the size of a doll, and the spider had shifted him to a web in the canopy before going after Tiffany. Brigid flailed between two trees, seemingly stuck in a giant web.

Louis cut Seth free and thrust the bow into Seth’s hand. He shouted something and Seth realized that if he got her attention, there wouldn’t be another time. Louis released his sling in the dark. Seth couldn’t see the rock’s trajectory but the spider reeled, leaving Tiffany and moved with intent on the pair of them. They darted in opposite directions, and by luck the creature honed in on Louis, giving Seth enough time to fire. The arrow bounced off the creature’s bulbous body.

Out of the corner of his eye, Seth thought he saw a fox or coyote dart from the bush and bound through the grass. It ran behind the mandolin-playing creature and bit it in the butt. Suddenly there were two people, but Seth couldn’t watch them.

Seth let loose another arrow, narrowly missing the torso, and shouted at the others to run—he wasn’t sure who it had now, was it Rebecca or Molly? The light was too poor for him to be certain, but whoever the spider held she was shrinking fast.

The creature turned, six red and black eyes focused on Seth, and came down on him with full force. Seth found his limbs caught by two bands of silk and forced above his head, and he was hoisted into the air. He locked eyes with Louis who was looking not only smaller, but . . . wooden. Against his control, Seth raised his hands to his ears and removed the wax, and sound same rushing back.

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GUEST POST:

Crafting Mystical Creatures

 Mythology is full of interesting creatures – from creatures that appear to be hybrids (the chimera) or seem to appear across different lore with bizarre similarities (vampires) so it can seem daunting when you’re setting out world building where to start.

 The good news is that unless you’re writing a more scientifically based, hard style science fiction or fantasy style novel, one doesn’t have to explain how they were created or evolved, and I think the average fantasy reader is okay to suspend their belief a little so long as you are consistent in your lore.

 For the sake of this article, I am going to be focusing on creatures that can live in our plane and need to follow some sort of basics of biology to survive – so some of this advice may not apply if you are creating creatures that are multidimensional and don’t really spend time slumming it with mortals, or are created golems and do not need to eat, sleep, or do anything we otherwise associate with a metabolism.

 Today, science still sometimes has a hard time defining certain species because there is so much variety, especially in the insect world. The world is also relatively well-explored but sometimes microscopic life can still exist in extreme conditions, so if you are interested in creating any creatures who are oddly adaptive to extreme living conditions, I would suggest you research if we have anything like it.

 The first thing I would do when crafting mystical creatures is consider the culture they are coming out of. Foxes, for instance, are seen as good omens in some cultures and bad ones in others, so me calling them kitsunes as opposed to kumiho denotes certain connotations of already established lore, even if I chose to make my kitsunes distinct from other works. Many readers might not be familiar with kitsunes per say but many would be even for periphery works, so it would be good to at least be somewhat faithful to some pre-established iteration.

 Towards the very end of A Fable of Wood and String, I reference a hippocampus, which is sea creature with the head and front legs of a horse and the back of either a dolphin or fish, and is of Greek origin. I’d be grasping as straws to say we’re in an ancient Greco-inspired world, so I can’t say they were crafted by the gods to pull Poseidon’s undersea chariots, but I can come up with another suitable explanation. You don’t have to tell your readers, in fact it can be a lot of fun if the characters in the story argue about how certain creatures came to be and there is no consensus.

 The next thing I would consider is how these creatures would affect their territory, and how that might alter the local ecosystem. The obvious thing would be how much food something large like a dragon needs to consume, and explain why they need to be in areas where they can obtain enough meat. Don’t worry too much if you are worried that you want an ice dragon and you’re worried that most lizards are cold blooded, most readers understand this is a cold-adapted dragon; in this instance I would probably suggest a sea-dragon and suggest the leviathan has a healthy layer of blubber.

 I would then consider limitations or other hindrances. For my kitsunes, I followed traditional lore but took some liberties. It was said that for every hundred years, the fox would grow another tail until he had ten then and then would ascend to the heavens. Also, foxes could not take human form until they were about a century old.

 I was mostly good with this lore until I wanted to introduce a teenage kitsune and, making him 117 didn’t seem right so, I gave myself some rules: He can shapeshift, but not very well and not for very long. Also, they have a limit as to the size they can become; at one point Seth asks point blank if one of them could become a large hulking monster and attack the castle, to which they point out that even if they wanted to it’s not an option.

 I would also consider my audience when I am crafting the mythological characters for my story. For instance, the merfolk in A Fable of Wood and String are as far as I’m concerned are humans living below the sea with fish tails. Conversely, in my Rogue Healer trilogy, I never confirm mermaids actually exist but they are referenced in art and dreams, with them behaving more like predators, because the sailing culture would be wary of monsters and the deep. The difference is A Fable of Wood and String is a YA high fantasy, Rogue Healer is a Sword and Sorcery novel aimed at an adult audience.

 There’s more to it of course, but we don’t want this article to drag on. What are some of your favourite mythical monsters? Any specific iteration one author does differently that you’d like to share? Comment below!

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AUTHOR BIO:

L.T. Getty is a Manitoba Paramedic. She received her degree in English in 2006 from the University of Winnipeg, and has gone on to write several novels. Her latest title, Titan’s Ascent, is a sword and sorcery forthcoming from Champagne Books for 2025.

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CONNECT WITH L.T. GETTY:

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6479207.L_T_Getty

Twitter/X:

http://www.twitter.com/getty_lt

Blog:

http://www.ltgetty.ca

Instagram:

http://www.instagram.com/leiagetty

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GIVEAWAY:

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