Welcome to the WordCrafter The Rock Star & The Outlaw Book Blog Tour! We have a great tour planned this week and I hope you’ll visit each stop to learn more about what went into this exciting time-travel adventure. We have a great give-away, too, offering 5 digital copies of The Rock Star & The Outlaw. And you get an entry just for leaving a comment at each stop to let me know you were there. You’ll find the Tour Schedule below, so let’s get started!
Tour Schedule
The Rock Star & The Outlaw, by Kaye Lynne Booth – September 18 – 22
Monday – Sept. 18 – Opening Day – “Amaryllis & The Pretty Reckless” – Writing to be Read
Tuesday – Sept. 19 –“Writing with music and LeRoy McAllister & Review” – Carla Loves to Read
Wednesday – Sept. 20 – “The characters of Nick and Monique” – Writing to be Read
Thursday – Sept.21 – “Prostitution in the American West and the character of Maggie” – Roberta Writes
Friday – Sept. 22 – Closing Post – “Writing the Villian & Juan Montoya” – Writing to be Read
Amaryllis & The Pretty Reckless
Amaryllis Maria Sanchez is a composite character. She’s a cross between Sharon Stone’s character in Basic Instinct and Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless. She’s an adrenaline junkie, who likes to tempt death and lives life to the extremes. She’s a rock star who is at the top of her game when she’s on stage. After she kills her drug dealing, domineering boyfriend to save herself from his wrath, she figures she’s already damned herself, she figures she might as well ride out the storm that’s headed her way. But, when she crosses paths with a time-traveling cowboy who offers a way to stay ahead of the game and a place to run to where she won’t ever be found, she sees the potential for a whole new life of adventures.
Amaryllis began as a character like Sharon Stones character in Basic Instincts – a daring woman who plays a deadly game. I like Sharon Stone in just about anything, but I admired the way she played this character in particular. I challenged myself to create a character with that same adventuresome nature, and that self-confident, ‘on top of the world’ attitude.
The idea for her method for killing Claude came from an actual murder case I heard about on the news. I thought it was unique, and I knew I wanted to use it in a story.
My son introduced me to the music of The Pretty Reckless, and I fell in love with the voice of Taylor Momsen. Ibought their CDs and played them on my commute to work, and a story about a female rock singer began to form in my head, and the Sharon Stone-like character somehow merged in my mind with the woman who emerged in my mind from their music. That woman was a lot like my image of Taylor Momsen. And so, Amaryllis Maria Sanchez emerged on the page. Their music inspired me and I’d like to share some of it with you. The video is an official music video for “You”, by The Pretty Reckless.
“You”, by The Pretty Reckless
About the Book
A time-traveler oversteps his boundaries in 1887. Things get out of hand quickly, and he is hanged, setting in motion a series of events from which there’s no turning back.
LeRoy McAllister is a reluctant outlaw running from a posse with nowhere to go except to the future.
In 2025, Amaryllis Sanchez is a thrill-seeking rock star on the fast track, who killed her dealing boyfriend to save herself. Now, she’s running from the law and his drug stealing flunkies, and nowhere is safe.
LeRoy falls hard for the rock star, thinking he can save her by taking her back with him. But when they arrive in 1887, things turn crazy fast, and soon they’re running from both the outlaws and the posse, in peril once more.
They can’t go back to the future, so it looks like they’re stuck in the past. But either when, they must face forces that would either lock them up or see them dead.
Book Trailer
Video Trailer for The Rock Star & The Outlaw
About the Author
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; and book 1 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
The Giveaway
Leave a comment below to enter the giveaway
for a chance at one of five digital copies of
The Rock Star & The Outlaw.
That wraps up the tour for today. Join us tomorrow on Carla Loves to Read for a guest post about the character of LeRoy McAllister and a review of the book.
Fire destroyed her life yet ignited in her a new purpose.
When the last ember of Rayna’s home burned out she vowed to find the dragon responsible and slay it. Orphaned and alone she gets caught up with the Forsaken Force, a band of mercenaries who do as they please. In order to stay alive, Rayna must earn their trust through demonstrated skill and a fiery spirit.
The brothers-in-arms become like a second home until tragedy strikes again. With her need for vengeance renewed, Rayna grows even more determined to slay the dragon that burned her life or die trying.
Rise of the Dragonslayer is a prequel to the Time of Dragons series by fantasy author Cynthia Vespia.
My Review
Rise of the Dragon Slayer, by Cynthia Vespia is short prequel to her Time of the Dragons series, which tells readers how Rayna came to be on a quest to irradicate the last of the dragons which torment the lands of her home. I recently read and reviewed Book 1 of the series, Rayna the Dragon Slayer, (You can see my review of Rayna: Dragon Slayer here), so I was pleased to be able to read the prequel for free when I signed up for her newsletter. From what I can tell, that’s the only way to get this book, so instead of a purchase link above, I’m including the URL to sign up for her newsletter here: https://www.cynthiavespia.com/free-story
Rise of the Dragon Slayer tells the story of how it all started. It reveals the reason for Rayna’s hatred and desire for revenge of one dragon sets her on a quest for the death of all dragons. We see her face her very first dragon. It’s a short read, and I can’t say much without giving away spoilers, but I will say that I was amazed at the creative way in which she defeats the dragon, and I think you will be, too.
A perfect prequel to the Time of Dragon’s series, Rise of the Dragon Slayer is original and surprising. A thrilling dragon hunting adventure. I give it five quills.
When magical bad guys hurt people, I take care of them. Permanently.
This doesn’t make me popular with the rest of the magical community — as you can tell from the numerous break-ins and assassination attempts I’ve endured over the years. But thanks to my half-elven blood, a powerful sword named Chopper, and a telepathic tiger with an attitude, I’ve always been able to handle my problems with aplomb. Maybe some cursing and swearing, too, but definitely aplomb.
That changes when my boss is afflicted with a mysterious disease, a government agent starts investigating me, and a godforsaken dragon shows up in the middle of my latest job.
I’ve taken down vampires, zombies, and ogres, but dragons are way, way more powerful. And it doesn’t look like this one is going to like me.
Worse than that, he wants to use his magic to compel me to do his bidding, as if I’m some weak-minded minion.
That’s not going to happen. I’d die before being some dragon’s slave.
But if I can’t figure out a way to avoid him, save my boss, and get rid of the government spook, I’m screwed. Or dead. Or screwed and dead. And that’s never comfortable.
I listened to the audiobook of Sinster Magic, book 1 in Lyndsay Buroker’s Death Before Dragons series, narrated by Vivienne Leheny. Although I have listened to many of Buroker’s Science epic fantasy stories, this was the first urban fantasy by her that I had read. It has Buroker’s usual snark, which I love, and Leheny does a beautiful job with the narration as always, portraying a full cast of dwarves, vampires, dragons, and other dimensional tigers, as well as other supernatural beings and humans alike.
I listened to Buroker on the Six Figure Author podcast because she is a multi-genre author, and I enjoyed hearing how she handled the marketing for books of different genres. Buroker keeps her mailing lists seperate, because she believes that the readers of one genre wouldn’t be interested in reading her works in a different genre. Her co-host Adrienne Pearson does the same with her genres of fantasy and romance, too. In theory, that makes a lot of sense, but I have to say that I enjoyed this urban fantasy story just as much as I have the epic fantasy stories I have heard by her. Of course, I’m a multi-genre author, as well as a multi-genre reader, so perhaps I do not fall within the norms.
Delightfully distinctive characters and the Buroker snark makes for quite an entertaining urban fantasy story. I give Sinister Magic five quills.
Masterclass Articles offers eight tips for character development: establish motivation and goals, choose a voice, do a slow reveal, create conflict, create backstory for important characters, give characters believeable traits, create a visual image of characters, and give supporting characters conflicting traits. While these are all useful tips in character development, and they all kind of mesh in together, although the reveal, the visual image, and the supporting characters have more to do with the presentation of your character to readers once you have a fully developed character. You can read the full article here: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-develop-fictional-characters#4Zt0GK2DaQjsNILtGsWJYO
There are many ways to grow and discover your characters. We will talk about two methods of character development here. One method I use are character triangles, which give characters motivation and goals. And Shadow Theory is useful in creating a history and backstory for your characters, and are useful in determining what the points on your character triangle are. Determining your characters fears or flaws attributes them with believable and relatable traits.
Character Triangles
It is important that a writer creates unique and interesting characters by giving them a history, and both internal and external conflicts that are similar and relate to the theme. No one wants characters which are flat and two-dimensional. In order to write characters with depth you must know what their motivations are, and for that, characters must have a good idea of their background or where they’ve come from, and where they are going, or what their dreams are, in order to understand who they are in your story.
Let’s take a look at one of my characters from a horror screenplay that I wrote. During the writing, I found that the characters in this piece lacked depth, and I will take you through the process I used to make them more complex and well rounded. The screenplay now sits in a virtual trunk somewhere and will likely never see the light of day, but for the purposes of demonstrating how more depth might be revealed in a character, it serves my purpose well. This is the format we use introduce a character in a screenplay, but I find it helpful to use in my fiction writing, enabling me to see how fleshed out my characters are. The words in parenthesis indicate the function a trait serves (want, need, or fear/flaw) on the character triangle, which I use to determine character motivation.
My protagonist, Justine Avery is a young journalism student who goes to stay at a purported haunted house on a dare.
This was my origianl introduction for the protagonist: JUSTINE AVERY – 24, naive, fresh out of college with a degree in video/cinematography, she thinks the chance to work on Kaylee’s documentary might be her big break (want), so she wants this gig more than anything, bad enough to take it even though she’s scared to death of what might happen (fear). She needs to keep her integrity, so she can look at herself in the mirror every morning.
Now here’s the rewrite I did to try and deepen Justine’s character: JUSTINE AVERY – 24, naive, fresh out of college with a degree in video/cinematography, she thinks the chance to work on Kaylee’s documentary could lead to her big break into the business (want), so she wants this gig more than anything, bad enough to take it even though she’s scared of blowing it (fear), because of her low self-esteem and an inability to believe in herself and her abilities (flaw). She needs to learn to believe in herself and have confidence in her talent and skill.
I think this version is a little better. I changed her fear and I gave her a fatal flaw which could be her downfall unless she can triumph over it. (And the fear is directly connected with her flaw, which ties in with my theme: Self-Reliance. This offers her the potential for the needed transformation in the scene where her boyfriend, Mitch, forbids her to go on the gig and she chooses to walk away.)
It shouldn’t take much to also work in the details of her added backstory, which isn’t in my original bio for her: Raised by controlling, overbearing parents, she learned early in life that it is easier to go with the flow than to risk tipping the boat over with resistance. Currently in a relationship with Mitch, an overbearing, controlling guy who managed to turn their first overnight date into his moving in party so smoothly, Justine still isn’t sure how it happened. Mitch is verbally and emotionally abusive to her, but he derides her so much, she has come to believe the things he says about her and she harbors huge doubts about her own self-worth.
Justine is beginning to seem more like a character with some depth and we can get some idea of what motivates her actions. Allowing her a flaw of low self-esteem not only turned her into an imperfect human, but it offers her the choice of staying in a stagnant relationship and continuing to employ behaviors which are no longer effective, or transforming into the self-reliant woman hinted at in that early scene with Mitch. It is much clearer now what her arc will be, and it’s all tied in with the theme.
The character triangle which I use represents this transformation loosely, depicting the character’s want and need, which are not the same, although the character may believe that they are, and their fear or flaw, which is an obstacle to be overcome in order to achieve the character’s want. The want is the concious desire that motivates the character, while the need may not be so obvious, because their need is subconcious and the character may not realize that their need exists. The need is what the character ends up with, and is often in opposition to what the character desires.
Shadow Theory
Another method that seems to work well in creating in-depth or complex characters is the shadow theory of character building, which is the idea which delves into the hidden or repressed aspects of a character, and these traits usually play a part in the character tranformation which must occur for the character to complete their arc. I’ve been experimenting with incorporating this method into my own character developemnet.
This theory claims that traits that are apparent on the outside, have an exact opposite trait residing on a subconcious level, and the two opposites may be in conflict-kind of like the two little guys sitting on the character’s shoulders, telling him what to do. This type of depth is often revealed through subtext, because the dialog is what the character says, but it may conflict with what they are actually thinking.
K.M. Weiland explains it this way – “I call this trick shadow theory, and it’s simply this: whatever is visible in a person’s external personality is an indication that the exact opposite resides in the shadow.” You can learn more about the shadow theory, which stems from the theories of human behaviors developed by Carl Jung and how to use shadow theory to create deeper and more complex characters here: “How to Create Insanely Complex Characters Using “Shadow Theory”“
Both of these methods can be used to delve into your characters and give them depth and complexity. I have used just the character triangle to shape my characters
In next month’s segment of “Writer’s Corner”, we’ll talk about the visceral portrayal of your characters , which will cover the Matips we didn’t hit on here, so be sure to drop by.
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; and book 1 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.
Atlas is a struggling colony on an untamable world, a fragile society held together by the Truthsayers. Parentless, trained from birth as the sole users of Veritas, a telepathy virus that lets them read the souls of the guilty. Truthsayers are Justice—infallible, beyond appeal.
But sometimes they are wrong.
Falsely accused of murder, Troy Boren trusts the young Truthsayer Kalliana…until, impossibly, she convicts him. Still shaken from a previous reading, Kalliana doesn’t realize her power is fading. But soon the evidence becomes impossible to ignore. The Truthsayers’ Veritas has been diluted and someone in the colony is selling smuggled telepathy. Justice isn’t blind—it’s been blinded.
From an immortal’s orbital prison to the buried secrets of a regal fortress, Kalliana and Troy seek the conspiracy that threatens to destroy their world from within. For without truth and justice, Atlas will certainly fall…
Blindfold, by Kevin J. Anderson takes place on the colony of Atlas, where the lands are divided among several landowners, each doing his part to make Atlas run like a well oiled machine, but not everyone plays by the rules. Killiana is a young Truthsayer who, comes to believe that her mindreaading powers may have falsely convicted Troy Boren, a young man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. When she unwittingly uncovers that one landowner isn’t playing fair and may soon take over control of the colony, she finds herself a fugitive with Troy, as they fight to uncover the truth.
As all of Anderson’s works, Blindfold is well written and skillfully crafted to emmerse readers in the story. It keeps the reader guessing, and that keeps pages turning. I give it five quills.
The Rock Star & The Outlaw Kickstarter campaign ending soon
There are just a few days left for you to join in on our campaign! The more we raise, the more rewards we can offer. With the campaign ending soon, it’s almost the last chance to show support for author and project. The deadline is 8/31/23, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to get an early digital copy of the book, a signed print copy, an interview with the author, posters and so much more, available exclusively through the campaign.
The Rock Star & The Outlaw won’t release through distributors until September 18, so it is only available through my Kickstarter at this time. So click on the Kickstarter to learn more about this rocking time-travel adventure.
The Rock Star and The Outlaw is a story from my heart, inspired by the music of The Pretty Reckless, which is my favorite band. It’s a time-travel adventure. Amaryllis Sanchez is a rock Star in 2025. LeRoy McAllister is an outlaw from 1887. They’re both running from the law and other outlaws in their respective times and when they meet, it’s a non-stop adventure through time.
Check out the book trailer video on the Kickstarter page to learn more.
The Rock Star & The Outlaw Book Trailer
More About the Book
A time-traveler oversteps his boundaries in 1887. Things get out of hand quickly, and he is hanged, setting in motion a series of events from which there’s no turning back.
LeRoy McAllister is a reluctant outlaw running from a posse with nowhere to go except to the future.
In 2025, Amaryllis Sanchez is a thrill-seeking rock star on the fast track, who killed her dealing boyfriend to save herself. Now, she’s running from the law and his drug stealing flunkies, and nowhere is safe.
LeRoy falls hard for the rock star, thinking he can save her by taking her back with him. But when they arrive in 1887, things turn crazy fast, and soon they’re running from both the outlaws and the posse, in peril once more.
They can’t go back to the future, so it looks like they’re stuck in the past. But either when, they must face forces that would either lock them up or see them dead.
About the Author
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is her passion. It is a very strange time indeed when Kaye Lynne does not have at least three WIPs, in addition to her other writings, teaching and other life activities. Kaye Lynne lives, works and plays in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.
Visit her author’s blog and website, “Writing to be Read” to learn more about Kaye Lynne Booth and her writing. https://kayelynnebooth.wordpress.com/
Release through distributors & book blog tour
If you miss the Kickstarter, The Rock Star & The Outlaw will release through distributors on September 19, 2023, and to celebrate, well be running a WordCrafter Book Blog Tour September 18-22.
Coming Soon: Midnight Roost
The 2023 WordCrafter Anthology, Midnight Roost will be scheduled for release October 17, 2023. This anthology of weird and creepy stories features works by talented authors including Zack Ellafy, Chris Barili, Joseph Carrabis, DL Mullan, Christa Planko, Paul Kane, Sonia Pipkin, C.R. Johansson, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Patty Fletcher, Keith J. Hoskins, Denise Aparo, Julie Jones, Rebecca M. Senese, Mario Acevedo, Kaye Lynne Booth, Michaele Jordan, Robert Kostaczuk. Midnight Roost also features the winning story from the 2023 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, “Red Door House”, by Isabel Grey. More to come in next month’s “WordCrafter News”.
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Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.
Can Michele close the book on her neighbor’s mysterious past before a killer sets his sights on her?
With her kids away for the summer, widow Michele Lopez Hanson struggles with her newfound solitude. When her unmarried retired neighbor Gidget asks her to document her career in the art world, she’s eager for the company…and the advice on coping with an empty nest. But their trek down memory lane turns into a missing person search when Gidget dies and leaves behind a will that tasks Michele with finding her long-lost love child.
Before the casket lid closes, she feels a wave of sympathy for the endless stream of mourners from Gidget’s days as a high-powered art dealer. But when she learns the murderous truth behind Gidget’s death and she’s named the prime suspect, Michele realizes any one of the grieving artists and collectors could be the love child’s mystery father or her neighbor’s killer. To complete the memoir and clear her name, Michele must discover the ugly motives behind the picture-perfect murder before she joins her friend six feet under.
I listened to the audiobook edition of Fighting for Anna, a Michelle Lopez Hanson mystery, by Pamela Fagan Hutchins and narrated by Natalie Gray. I was immersed in this story from the very first chapter, when Michelle finds her elderly neighbor dead and the deputy she reports it to is so hostile toward her, foreshadowing the accusation later that she is the murderer. This story is well crafted with an intricately woven plot, and a diverse set of distinctive characters.
Michelle’s nieghbor is an elderly lady who was once the belle of the Houston art scene, who wants Michelle Lopez Hanson to be her biographer. But when Michelle and her kids find her neighbor dead, things begin to turn strange. Especially when it is revealed that Michelle was named as the beneficiary in the neighbor’s will and Michelle makes it her personal mission to make sure the woman, Anna’s, last wishes are fulfilled. When it is revealed thaat Anna was poisoned and Michelle is arrested for the murder, things really begin to heat up, and it just keeps getting hotter as Michelle with each clue that Michelle uncovers.
Natalie Gray has a wonderful voice which matches what I thought the character of Michelle Lopez Hanson would sound like. In addition, she manages distinctive voices for each character, and paces the story well.
An audiobook that will keep you listening to the very last page. Well crafted to keep you guessing, with just enough twists to maintain anticipation throughout. I give Fighting For Anna five quills.
(The Special Chirp Link above was given to me for sharing this book with others by Chirp. It offers this audiobook for $1 to new Chirp users, but it is regularly priced for repeat customers. I receive no monetary compensation or gain if you use it.)
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review here.
It was a busy summer in the bird sanctuary, with many, many visitors, some the old reliables I’ve I’ve seen before, but also some new faces and today, i’d like to share some of them with you.
Unidentifed WarblerJuvinelle White NuthatchUnidentified Baby Black-Headed GrossbeakAmericanRobinWestern TanangerWoodpeckerHummingbirdTurkey Vulture
I’ve had the little yellow-bellied warblers in the first photo this year for the first time. I think they are warblers, but have been unable to identify the type as yet.
White Nuthatches are year round residents. The one in the photo is a juvenille. I always talk about seeing babies, but in truth, I never see the babies. If they are old enough to be where I can see them, they are juvenilles, but they are still awfully cute and I enjoy watching them.
The third photo is an unidentified baby or juvenille. I would guess it to be some type of wren. You can tell it is a young one because of the ruffled appearance caused by the fine baby feathers which haven’t all been shed.
Black-Headed Grossbeaks are summer residents and I’ve seen several youngsters raised each summer. They are gluttons who like to clean out my feeders. The one in the photo sat there eating for a long time, hogging up the whole feeder.
I watch for the American Robins to return as a sure sign that spring has arrived. They have babies twice a year, so I’ve watched several Robin families grow up, and although I can’t be sure, I think the babies return as adults to raise their own families the next year.
The Western Tanager is one of the most colorful birds I’ve ever seen in the wild. Although I have seen them in years past occassionally, this year, I had them in droves. I believe I mentioned this in my last post from the sanctuary, when talking of my colorful trees.
Woodpeckers are frequent visitors, and some years they nest in the sanctuary. The one in the seventh photo is either a Strickland’s or a Nutall’s Woodpecker. I’m not sure which.
Hummingbird’s and welcome visitors every year. The green-backed Rufus Hummingbirds arrive in the spring, even earlier than the Robins. In July, I get the Allen’s Humminbirds, which are orange and more aggressive. When they arrive the skies become a flyzone as the Hummingbird wars begin. The one in the eighth photo is a Rufus Humminbird who stopped to perch atop a Mullien plant and say good morning.
The Turkey Vulture was a surprise visitor which I had only seen one other time. They are birds, but not the kind I put out food for, so they usually don’t pay the santuary much mind. But this guy dropped in unexpectedly and hung out a few minutes, long enough for me to snap some photos. When he flew away, his wingspan was huge. They are ugly, but majestic birds, bigger than hawks, but perhaps about the size of eagles.
In the first picture below you see both a woodpecker and a Cassin’s Finch. Woodpeckers often hang on the bottom of the feeder as their size makes perching difficult. They also hang from the hummingbird feeders, not for the nectar, but for the ants that it attracts. The Cassin’s Finch always look to me like someone splashed red paint over their heads, a glimpse of bright red or pink in a sea of green pine boughs.
On the ground in the second picture below is a juvenille mourning dove from the second batch of babies I’ve seen this year.
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For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; and book 1 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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Want exclusive content? Join Kaye Lynne Booth & WordCrafter Press Readers’ Group for WordCrafter Press book & event news, including the awesome releases of author Kaye Lynne Booth. She won’t flood your inbox, she NEVER sells her list, and you might get a freebie occasionally. Get a free digital copy of her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction, just for joining.
I didn’t think my life could get weirder, but I was wrong…
Fifteen-year-old Amelina Scott lives in Cambridge with her dysfunctional family, a mysterious black cat, and an unusual girl who is imprisoned within the mirrors located in her house. When an unexpected message arrives inviting her to visit the Crystal Cottage, she sets off on a forbidden path where she encounters Ryder: a charismatic, perplexing stranger. With the help of a magical paint set and some crystal wizard stones, can Amelina discover the truth about her family? A unique, imaginative mystery full of magic-wielding and dark elements, Bloodstone is a riveting adventure for anyone interested in fantasy, mythology or the world of the paranormal.
TRIGGER WARNING: this book contains mention of self-harm, mental health issues and alludes to the potential dangers of sexual attraction, which may trigger younger/sensitive readers.
INSPIRED BY: The World Famous Corpus Christi Chronophage Clock, created by Dr. John C Taylor, OBE, and artist Anya Gallaccio’s Crystal Grotto, in Juniper Artland, Scotland.
Bloodstone is Book 1 in M.J. Mallon’s The Curse of Time series. I’m not sure what I expected when Ipicked up this book. I’m a sucker for time-travel stories, and the subject of time and parallel worlds perplex me, so I suppose I expected something along those lines given the claock on the cover and the series title. But that is not at all what this book is. But, Bloodstone may be just as enchanting.
This tale is a young adult novel dealing with the issues of a fifteen-year-old girl who has a very strange life. While her home life may be disfunctional, other parts of her life are magical in this delightful tale of magical realism. Things happen which may seem odd or unusual, but they seem to be everyday occurances in the fantastical world which Mallon has created.The result is a paranormal fantasy that deals with real adolecent issues like friends and boyfriends, peer pressure, depression, self-harm, and betrayal, in a manor that raises awareness, and still entertains.
Another unexpected touch the author offers up in this story is a syllabic poem as the heading of each chapter, which offers a hint to the events in the chapter to come. I found this to be a clever way to clue readers in and creative way to add to the magicalfeel of the story.
A refreshing surprise, Bloodstone captured my attention and my heart. I give it five quills.
You may be aware that I’m currently running a Kickstarter campaign for The Rock Star & The Outlaw, my time-travel adventure novel,which was inspired by the music of The Pretty Reckless. It’s a rocking story that you won’t want to miss, and you can learn more about it and support the campaign through the link above. But it’s come to my attention that many of you, who might happily buy this book through a distributor, which is the route we are most used to using to buy books, may be hesitant to purchase through this less familiar method of book buying. I thought I might offer some insight into how a Kickstarter works and the reasons why you might buy books via Kickstarter.
How does a Kickstarter Work?
Kickstarters are a method of direct selling that operates on the large spike business model, meaning the author gets a large spike in sales, rather than having them trickling in through distributors. Big name authors like Brandon Sanderson, Kevin J. Anderson, Dean Wesley Smith, and Joanna Penn are launching campaigns that are funding within minutes of launch, and making major money buying adding stretch goals to keep momentum going throughout the campaign.
As an unknown author, my first campaign, for Delilah, didn’t fund until the very last day, but it did fund. So it is possible for the little guy or gal to make a buck from our books this way. I set my goal lower, at $500, which I felt I could more likely reach, while the big authors shoot for thousands. I’d love to reachy goal early and be able to add some of those stretch goals like to the big guys though.
Kickstarters are crowd funding, so they are an all of nothing deal. If the campaign pledges meet the campaign goal set, the author receives all the money raised, minus Kickstarter’s 5%, (which is a lot better than the 30% which most distributors take). But if you don’t meet the funding goal, then none of the pledges are collected and you aren’t responsible to deliver any of the rewards.
As an author, you decide what your reward levels will be and what rewards will be offered. As a reader, you can support a Kickstarter for any amount, even $1, with no reward, (and yes, people do do this just to support an author they like or a project they feel is worthwhile), or choose a reward level offered by the author. Once you back the campaign at some level, you will be able to see the add ons which are available at that level for an additional cost, making even more deals available to you.
Because Kickstarter also promoted your campaign, you are able to reach a whole new audience of potential backers in the Kickstarter community. They have a whole community of people who back the projects which they feel are worthwhile, so it’s a great way to expand your audience.
The video below offers a brief overview. (Note: there is no audio for this video).
Support authors you already love or new authors you’d like to give a try.
Get books for less before they are available through distributors and exclusive items which you can’t find anywhere else, like signed print copies and other merchandise.
Check out my Kickstarter campaign for The Rock Star & The Outlaw to see what it’s all about. If you like the project, show your support at the reward level.of your choice while your there. All support is appreciated.
