Or, are humans too engaged with the shiny new toy to make appropriate choices?
The Era of Cyberespionage
Take for instance, China’s DeepSeek A.I. flooded the market, which drove people to its cheap price point and technical scope. The application may look good and contribute to problem solving, but at what price? Any Chinese corporation is owned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government at the tune of 51%. Add to that reality is that the Chinese people are conscripted to spy on their fellow citizens and everyone else around the world (https://thediplomat.com/2019/02/the-real-danger-of-chinas-national-intelligence-law) for the communist regime. You, your data, and your privacy are in the hands of an aggressive foreign government campaign to infiltrate other countries’ culture, norms and mores, as well as conduct influence operations onto an unsuspecting populace.
The reaction mustered by the ego begins: “But I am an artist, creator, musician, and/or writer, I need to reach my people! I am an independent creator. All marketing falls on my shoulders. How can I become an international sensation without going international?”
Response: How can you reach anyone, if you lose your soul? If you are going to be a victim of cyberespionage at home or abroad, then be a really smart victim.
Counter the Cyberespionage
What can creators do to protect themselves from overt government, foreign and domestic, overreach into our private data and lives?
Creators can reach their audience as long as they do a few extra steps. For one, do not download or use any application from China. That would be the ultimate protection. However, if you cannot resist the siren song of the CCP, then have a separate device or phone to use these applications. A burner phone with no trace to your personal accounts of other social media, banking, or purchases would be a wise alternative. In the age of A.I., no one can be too careful with their data.
That sets up the corporate governance angle to cyberespionage. Corporations steal users data as a commodity. Accounts that are FREE, aren’t free. Your data and privacy are being sold to the highest bidder in a modern version of the slave trade.
Copyright your creation in the USA, and in other countries where your creative items are sold, would give you legal standing in a criminal case. Don’t use your foreign social media to publish books on other platforms using the same device or cellular/smart phone. Purchase a good virus defender on all of your technology: computer, phone, or anything else that you create on. And, always keep a downloaded, original version of your creations: books, photos, images of created works, music, and videos, preferably burned on a disk for safe keeping. If a legality arises, you have proof the work is yours.
Conclusion
In the ever-changing landscape of technology and its intrusion into our privacy, humans need to safeguard their information like never before. Sometimes due diligence can make the difference between selling books, audiobooks, and videos of creative works, or being a victim of piracy from within and without.
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DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology. Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the way she perceives the creative arts.
As a writer, DL Mullan loves to stretch her imagination and the elasticity of genres. She writes complex multigenre stories in digestible and entertaining forms, be it poetry, short fiction, or novels. Her science, history, mythology, and paranormal research background is woven into her writings, especially in Undawnted’s Legacy Universe. Ms. Mullan’s creative endeavors are available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is also an award-winning poet.
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Undawntech” is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press.
Being an author today is more than just writing the book. Authors in this digital age have more opportunities than ever before. Whether you pursue independent or traditional publishing models, or a combination of the two, being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.
In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.
Editors can be expensive. WordCrafter offers editing services at low prices, but even then, the words add up and I wouldn’t say it’s cheap. As an independent author, it’s not always easy to come up with the money to hire an editor, but it is imperative to have another set of eyes go over every word of my manuscript, so I can publish a quality product. As The D.I.Y. Author, I’ve come up with a few methods of accomplishing this without straining my pocketbook too much.
Novel Length Works
For novel length works, once I finish the first draft, I do one pass over of self-editing when the manuscript has sat for a day or two. I’ve heard that it’s important to let it sit for a while, so I do, but I limit the time it sits, keeping the story fresh in my mind. This is where I find the weak spots which need enhancing, embellishing my descriptions and extending or cutting dialog. In The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles, I also used this opportunity to plant little easter eggs which connect back to the first book, for those who have read it.
When that is done, and the necessary edits have been made, I do another run through, reading it aloud. When you read aloud, you catch errors that a silent reader might skim over. Sometimes I can find a beta-listener to help me with this. This is where I do my developmental edit, looking at things like if the storyline flows smoothly, and if my characters are staying true to who they are. My beta-listener doesn’t have to be versed in the craft of writing, because their job is to offer an opinion from the listener’s, or reader’s, perspective.
Only when this is completed is the manuscript ready for a second set of eyes. Editing is a difficult job, and I think it’s important to send your editor or beta-reader as clean a manuscriptas possible. It saves making major changes at the end, too. If I can’t afford to pay an editor, I seek out a beta-reader to do the job. I have a few other authors who I exchange services with who can be called upon for this task.
To finalize, I do a final proof read before I publish, making sure all the ‘t’s are crossed and ‘i’s dotted. During this part of the process I use the editing tool which come with MS Word and ProWriting Aid Everywhere, which are both free and help me spot places which could be worded better and possible misspellings. Both of editing programs are AI powered, but they don’t always agree on corrections, or agree on things which should be changed. And they don’t have the final say. I still reserve the privilage of acceptance or rejection of all AI suggestions.
This system is not fullproof, and I use a professional editor whenever I can. When writing The Rock Star & The Outlaw 2: Seeing Doubles, I referred back to the first book a lot, and found many errors that all of these processes had missed. I’m now in the process of revising and correcting those errors, so I can republish the first book, before releasing the second.
Short Fiction
For short fiction, I follow the same basic processes as novel length works, but because they are collaborative works, it is much easier to get a second, and sometimes even a third set of eyes on each story. When putting together an anthology, I read story individually and request the desired edits from the authors. For my own stories, I recruit a beta-reader to go over it while I’m editing everyone elses. (This is after I’ve read it through twice; once aloud.)
After I receive the revised stories, I put the manuscript together, and give it yet, another read through, checking for any errors which may have been missed. Once it is formatted and ready to publish, I send the entire manuscript out to each of the authors, requesting that they proof read their story and one or two others, so that each story has at least two or three sets of eyes, other than my own, scrutinizing it. This collaborative form of editing ensures a quality product and it doesn’t cost me or any of the contributors anything but our time and keen eyes.
Author’s Note: You can find these editing tips and more writing tips for writing and publishing yourself in The D.I.Y. Author.
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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; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, her the first three books in her kid’s book series, My Backyard Friends, her poetry collection, Small Wonders, and her writer’s resource, The D.I.Y. Author. 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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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Writer’s Corner” is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press.
Being an author today is more than just writing the book. Authors in this digital age have more opportunities than ever before. Whether you pursue independent or traditional publishing models, or a combination of the two, being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.
In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.
A gripping journey of a mother’s relentless pursuit through danger and deceit to reclaim her missing son.
In a gripping tale of courage and desperation, Annabelle’s world spirals when her son Fergus is abducted. Teaming up with her husband Benny and best friend Barb, she embarks on a relentless quest for clues. Facing uncooperative local police, they turn to the FBI, uncovering chilling ties to Annabelle’s past and a kidnapper driven by vengeance. With time against them, Annabelle forms an unlikely alliance with a mob boss, both united in a single mission. This intense story captures the fierce determination of a mother fighting against all odds to bring her child home.
My Review of The Silent Children
I purchased a digital copy of The Silent Children, by Marie Wilkens from Freebooksie. All opinions stated here are my own.
I was confused when looking for an image for this book. All I could find is the above image for the box set of 3 books, and the book I read was definitely just a single story about a single child who was kidnapped and his mother’s relentless search to find him.
My first thoughts when reading The Silent Children, was that this was this author’s first book, as there were many typos and logic inconsistencies throughout the story, which had more tell than show. But again, when looking up the book’s information, I was surprised to see that Marie Wilkens has many books under her belt. I just hope they are of better quality than this one.
While there is a good story here, the title alludes to a story of several children in peril, which is what I expected as I picked it up, so the author didn’t really deliver on the promise of the premise. I had trouble with the buy-in because the events portrayed as the distressed mother desperately searches for her son would never actually happen in real life. She would be charged with impeding an active investigation by the FBI, regardless of who her friends were. Of course, it had to unfold that way in order to allow the mother to be the hero, but it is not very realistic to what would happen in real life.
The telling of the story is just that, with a bit of dialog and action thrown in here and there. It doesn’t put the reader in the scene, but is more like a tale told around a campfire. Because of this, I was unable to relate to the character and feel her desperation. As a mother who lost a son to suicide, I should have been able to empathize with this character, and I couldn’t do so, even when I tried. Her feelings and actions just didn’t ring true.
It is a story worth reading, but not what you think from marketing materials. Because there is a good story here, in spite of the misleading title, and the inconsistencies in both writing and promotions, I give The Silent Children three quills.
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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 on the Book Review tab above.
If you are a rising author just beginning publishing journey or a seasoned pro who is making it work for you and would like to share how it’s done, I want to hear from you! I’m looking for authors to interview for two blog series: “Chatting with New Blood” and “Chatting with the Pros”. I offer both interviews and a book review for both series.
So send me your pitches and let me know what you have to offer my readers. Let me add your name to the 2025 interview schedules. I have openings as early as February. If you have a book scheduled to come out, let me know and I’ll try to schedule your interview around the release. Send your pitch to KLBWordCrafter@gmail.com with the series title your interview would fit in the subject line.
Check out past segments below to see what an interview and review on these blog series looks like to see if you might be interested.
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; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw,as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource. 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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This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.
Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.
Ben Matthews is a mathematical linguist studying spontaneous languages at Columbia University in New York City. Recently home from committing himself to a northern New Hampshire psychiatric center, he spends a relaxing late-May day bonding with his son, Jimmy, at South Street Seaport.
They’re watching a juggler when the East River to Brooklyn and beyond becomes a white sand desert. A sirocco wind raises waves and whips ice cream wrappers, crumpled napkins, visitor guides, ticket stubs, and other ground level trash in town.
Three creatures, their images shimmering in the heat like a mirage, walk across the sand towards The Battery and TriBeCa South. Ben is knocked down and loses track of Jiminy as people race to safety.
The desert fades away, the sirocco recedes, and the three creatures walk up to Ben. The one in front says, “We are Healers from the Land of Barass.” It points to the one on its right. “He is Cetaf, who cries for his own pain.” It turns to the one on its left. “This is Jenreel, who tends to his own needs. I am Beriah. I will tell you how I feel.”
The creature offers Ben its hand. “We are Healers from the Land of Barass.” All Ben can think of to say is “I’ve lost my little boy.” Beriah helps him up. “Then you must find him.”
Ben, aided by The Healers from the Land of Barass, embarks on a quest through Manhattan and learns he’s lost much more than his son, and finds much more in himself.
My Review of The Book of Wounded Healers
I requested a review copy because I know Joseph Carrabis writes fiction that makes you think. Every book of his I’ve read, I’ve learned something from, as well as being thoroughly entertained. I have read and reviewed several of his books and you can find those reviews at the following links:
I received a digital copy of of The Book of Wounded Healers from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.
The Book of Wounded Healers is a journey into the truths of humanity through the eyes of a man named Ben, who loses his son in the confusion, upon the arrival of three visitors, ambassadors from the Land of Barass. Once Ben’s son, Jiminy, is safe, he goes on a walk-about over the island of Manhatten with the alien tourists, and he learns to see, as they do, stirring his own memories, and bringing him revelations about himself and his fellow human beings.
I am not a mathematician, and I won’t claim to understand the formulas Ben uses to explain the truths of the human condition. But I understood enough to relate many of them to my own life and know they are valid. The revelations that Ben makes for himself can be applied to our own lives.
A tale of truths, brilliantly woven into the tapestry of a story. I give The Book of Wounded Healers five quills.
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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 on the Book Review tab above.
During our recent trip of Babanango Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, we had a good sighting of a secretary bird roosting in a tree. That sighting prompted the creation of this poem which tells you all about this fascinating bird.
Ode to a Secretary Bird
My mouth smiles, a grin spreading from ear to ear
When I spy the Secretary Bird perched in a tree
It looks around, hoping its favourite food will appear
A slithering snake its equivalent of scones and tea
An eagle type body perched atop legs like a crane
Giving it a height of up to 1.3 meters; tall for a bird
Crazy feather spikes surround its face – a bad hair day
Or does it think it’s a lion with a shaggy black mane
During a courting ritual, its frog-like call is heard
The rest of the year, a calm silence holds sway
Picture caption: Secretary bird with its black crest up. Picture by Robbie Cheadle
***
Breeding usually takes place once in a year
During spring and summer when food is plentiful
The male helps to incubate the eggs, he’s quite a dear
Mating with one female for life, he’s also faithful
Preferring to stay grounded, it will fly if it must
Legs sticking out behind it in a ridiculous way
Outside of mating or nesting, it does its thing alone
When it needs to run, you only see a cloud of dust
With a wingspan of two metres, it creates a great display
Living out its life within a fifty square kilometre zone
Picture caption: Secretary bird stretching in an acacia tree. Picture by Robbie Cheadle
***
Grey tailcoat and dark knee-length pants its claim
To male secretary status – it even has goose-quill pens
Carried behind its ears, the combined cause of its name
Also called ‘Devil’s horse’ by its traditional African friends
In honour of the great speed at which it hunts its prey
Including reptiles, amphibians, and mammals like rats
And venomous snakes which it beats to death on the ground
Popular due to their diet, people encourage them to stay
At keeping land free of vermin, they’re better than cats
Once they were numerous, but they no longer abound
Picture caption: Secretary bird in an acacia tree. Picture by Robbie Cheadle
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This bird’s endangered classification mankind’s great shame
Along with its relatives, buzzards, vultures, and harriers
The fault of human greed and selfishness, nothing else to blame
I’m grateful some are protected behind fences and barriers
An important feature in the South African coat of arms
It’s chest a protea, also endangered or vulnerable to extinction
Powerful legs formed by a crossed knobkierie and long spear
Symbolism as the protector of the nation one of its many charms
You’d expect its status to afford it a measure of distinction
The loss of this messenger of the heavens not something people fear
A fascinating YT video featuring a secretary bird (not my video):
About Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Roberta Eaton Cheadle, is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has two published novels and a collection of short stories and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories included in several anthologies. She is also a contributor to the Ask the Authors 2022 (WordCrafter Writing Reference series).
Roberta is also the author and illustrator of sixteen children’s books, illustrator to a further three children’s books, and the author and illustrator of three poetry books published under the name of Robbie Cheadle, and has poems and short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
Roberta’s blog features discussions about classic books, book reviews, poetry, and photography. https://roberta-writes.com/.
Like this post? Are you a fan of this blog series? Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “In Touch with Nature” is sponsored by the Midnight Anthology Series and WordCrafter Press.
Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories: 20 authors bring your nightmares to life in 23 stories of ghosts, paranormal phenomenon and the horror from the dark crevasses of their minds. Stories of stalkers, both human and supernatural, possession and occult rituals, alien visitations of the strange kind, and ghostly tales that will give you goosebumps. These are the tales that will make you fear the dark. Read them at the Midnight Roost… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Roost-Kaye-Lynne-Booth-ebook/dp/B0CL6FPLVJ
Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow: 17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest fears. Read them in the Midnight Garden… if you dare. https://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Where-Tales-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0DJNDQJD3
I think this film is one of the best roles that I have seen Jack Black in. And no, he’s NOT Santa.
But he does make a pretty good Satan.
This 2024 dark comedy holiday film is based on a simple premise: What happens when a misaddressed letter to Santa winds up in Satan’s mailbox instead? And Jack Black is in his element as the demon charged with delivering Liam’s wish and claiming his soul.
Liam Turner, (played by Robert Timothy Smith), is a genuinely nice eleven-year-old kid with learning diabilities. He knows he’s too old to still be writing to Santa, but he just had to try. But he misprints the letters of the addressee of his letter, and his letter goes to Satan instead, summoning a demon to offer him three wishes and claim his soul.
Liam’s family is broken after the death of his younger brother, he’s never been one of the cool kids, and there’s this really cute girl at school… so there’s plenty of stuff that he could wish for. When Liam becomes popular at school and wins the heart of the girl he’s sweet on, things seem to be working out fine. But all things have a price, and when Liam discovers the real score, he decides the price tag on this deal is too high and he refuses to make more wishes.
The demon will go to great lengths to get Liam to make the third wish and seal the deal, and there’s one thing that is worth more to Liam than his soul. To find out what it is, and how it all turns out, you’ll have to watch the movie. No spoilers here.
About Author Kaye Lynne Booth
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; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw,as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource. 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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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Everyone is a Critic” is sponsored by The Rock Star & The Outlaw and WordCrafter Press.
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.
In 1887, 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.
I am very excited to welcome talented artist, poet, and author, Dave Williams to “Treasuring Poetry”. Dave is discussing his thoughts on poetry and I’ve reviewed his unique poetry book Gasp! Poetry!
What is your favourite style of poetry to read i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc?
Freestyle. I like playful poetry, and poetry that causes me to think of stuff in different ways than my status quo. Also, I’m a big fan of short poetry about nature. Doesn’t have to be haiku. Poems that focus on one aspect of nature, be that a particular animal or plant or season. This kind of poetry is like a seed for me to meditate over that aspect of nature.
What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?
My favorite poem by another writer is “maggie and milly and molly and may” by E. E. Cummings. I love it because it’s lively and frisky and profound. And because it reminds me of growing up near the Atlantic Ocean. And because one of my daughters is named Molly (with a capital M, not lowercase like in the poem — although she’s welcome to be creative with the capitalization of her name if she likes).
What is your favourite style of poetry to write? Why?
I enjoy writing freestyle the most. Limericks and haiku can be fun to write by following their rules. But I typically go with freestyle because I don’t have to worry about rhymes or syllables or meter.
What is your favourite of your own poems?
A tough question, Robbie! One poem of mine doesn’t jump out as a favorite. I looked through Gasp! Poetry! to find one to include here. I chuckled over several poems, but the poem that clicks with me right now isn’t aimed at humor. Rather, it feels hopeful:
Chickadee
Seeing an eagle,
the chickadee
aspired to greatness:
soaring high in the
Great Blue
Yet he could not
transform into that epic bird
In her son’s sullenness,
mama chickadee asked
the elders to offer wisdom
They told him
there’s a quiet dignity
in being a chickadee
and that
warmed his heart.
Your poetry collection Gasp! Poetry! has a most unusual name and blurb. Please tell us a bit about this book, what the poems are about, and what your intentions were will the collection.
The cover tries to warn people who have no interest in poetry. The title and cover illustration pretend what such a person’s reaction might be to a poetry book. They might throw up their hands and shriek, “Gasp! Poetry!” Then they’d run for the safety of a Non-Poetry Zone. Where, after catching their breath, they might tell other people how close they got to a poetry book and how terrifying it was. The cover uses drama for humor (hopefully).
Some poems in the book aim for silliness, while others are serious. The topics are assorted. One short poem is about a monkey taking a bath. One long poem is about how Scheherazade told a thousand tales to avoid being murdered. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, chances are good that you’ve read poems from this collection.
My intention was to package a bunch of poems on my blog, and ones that haven’t been published there yet. I hoped to entertain readers who like playfulness and absurdity in poems.
You write both novels and poetry. Which do you prefer?
Novels. Even when short, they’re more immersive than poems — which are like sketches to me (since I don’t write epic poems). I enjoy pondering possible plot paths of novels, as well as possible backgrounds of characters. It’s akin to reading a book and being immersed in the story. But with novel writing, the story can unfurl in various, potential directions. Joy is in exploring and shaping the story. So is frustration. But it’s worth the frustration when the book is finished.
My review of Gasp! Poetry!
Picture caption: Cover of Gasp! Poetry! featuring a hand drawn circle man with his arms thrown upwards in anguish.
The amusing title of this poetry collection by Dave Williams is indicative of the nature of the poetry. All of the poems are clever, slightly dark, and poke fun at humans and humanity in general. In other words, these poems are brilliant and hugely entertaining.
Is a Poem about Grains of Sand on a Beach Too Pretentious? “I wondered that question, lying on a floral beach towel, a speck in a crowd of swimsuited people – all of us were lumps of cookie dough glazed with sunscreen and coconut oil baking in this oven.” The short extract above is a great example of Dave dark humour in relation to human behaviours and his engaging descriptions.
Valor is a great example of the poet’s quick and clever mind and attitudes towards adversity: “”You’re not sharp enough?” “Get some sides!”
Yells were hurled from the crowd of octagons at the little circle. “You look ridiculous!”
The circle puffed up with valor, said “I am what I am,” refused to conform, then rolled defiantly towards home.”
This was my favourite poem in the book. I really enjoyed the personification of shapes and it reminded me of Flatland by Edward Abbott Abbott.
There is some wonderful life wisdom encased in these freestyle poems. A short extract from Ocean Inside which captivated my mind: “Meanwhile I work against the urge to liquefy myself and pour myself into the container others have sculpted for me”
Having gone through my own teenage years and watched three sisters and two sons go through theirs, I am acutely aware of how very real this pack mentality is with young people. Sometimes, people never manage to escape its grip and find their own path in life.
If you enjoy dark humour, excellent poetry, and life truths, you will love this engaging and entertaining collection.
Picture caption: Author photograph of Dave Williams
Surely many people are named “Dave Williams” and this particular Dave is a redheaded one who enjoys writing speculative fiction, drawing, and reading. He lives in Maryland with his wonderful wife, two inspirational daughters, and two cats (a lazy one and a playful one).
South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.
I received a copy of Falling to Fly, by Todd Fahnestock in the 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle, and it was so fortunate that I did. This book is a must read for all struggling authors who have fallen more than once, and brushed themselves off to continue forward in pursuit of their writing dream.
This book is essentially the story of the author’s writing journeyThere were so many things that Fahnestock talks about that I could relate to. He talks about the failure of academia to validate genre fiction as legitimate literature. I was fortunate enough to stumble onto Western State Colorado University, where there M.F.A. program deals directly with genre fiction, but it is a rare program. Fahnestock did not let educators rigid viewpoints deter him, but instead rejected the idea of letting educators shape his writing career.
I also related to his “Say Yes to Everything” policy of not letting any writing opportunity which presents itself pass you by. That is what led him to in-person selling at Cons, and sent him on the path to success in his writing journey. Although I have been fortunate to attend a few writing conferences, the only time I had a booth was at the beginning of my own writing journey, before I had any books to sell. If you follow me, you may know that I sold poems on pretty backgrounds at that conference, and was surprised to earn $100 doing it. While that first conference experience didn’t send me soaring up the ladder of success, it did prove that the possiblilities are there when it comes to direct selling. Fahnestock’s experiences just reinforced this for me, reminding me that I’m not going find my success from behind my laptop.
There are two parts to writing as a business, and in order to be successful as an author, you must school yourself in both craft, and in publishing and marketing, which make up the business part. When I graduated with my M.F.A., I was ready to write and create story, and they primed me to enter the world of traditional publishing, which at that point in time, 2016, was the way it was done. But, I was in my forties, and I didn’t feel like I had time to wait years for someone in the traditional publishing to notice how awesome my stories were. They hadn’t prepared me to delve into the world of independent publishing, which at that time, still left a bad taste in most author’s mouths and held stigma in reader’s minds, well. Like Fahnestock, I stumbled through the plethora of information, and misinformation that flooded the Internet, and muddled my way through the independent publishing arena. Unlike, Fahnestock, I didn’t find the answers I was looking for, and I turned back to academia to learn the necessary skills to navigate the independent publishing community.
The author talks about his attempt at the rapid release marketing strategy, and why it didn’t work for him. He surmised that he was only able to keep the hype going for a short period of four months, and that if he could find a way to keep it going year round, he would have seen better success from his efforts. Then, he went out and found a way to do just that, by collaborating on an epic fantasy series with other fantasy authors. I employ a similar strategy by publishing in volume, releasing 5 – 8 books per year, but they aren’t in a series.
I found this book at a serendiptous time in my life, when I’m trying to pull myself up from a period of failures and obstacles over the past two years, and Fahnestock reminds me that I must keep working to achieve my Dream. He reminds me that sometimes it’s necessary to fall in order to fly.
Glimpse the gritty, behind-the-scenes struggles of author Todd Fahnestock as he reveals his dreams, trials, and adventures through the creative swamps of writing and the hard-edged world of publishing.
Fahnestock dodges junior high bullies armed with needles taped to Bic pens, cracks into traditional publishing by hitchhiking to the middle of nowhere to meet writing legend Gary Paulsen, and nearly falls to his death hanging cables inside an oil tanker. All to follow the author’s dream.
Submerged in the treacherous, ever-changing ocean of art and business, Fahnestock paints an unforgettable portrait with honesty and touching vulnerability.
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; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw,as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource. 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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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Review in Practice” with Kaye Lynne Booth is sponsored by The Women in the West Adventure Series and WordCrafter Press.
My guest this month on “Chatting with the Pros” is Todd Fahnestock, a talented epic fantasy author for both adults and teens. I met Todd, kind of, when we both participated in the 2024 Novel Writing Story Bundle. In fact, his nonfiction writer’s resource, Falling to Fly, is the subject of this month’s “Review in Practice”, and you can catch that post this coming Monday.
He is the author of many epic fantasy series and that fascinates me because epic fantasy spans long periods of time, with multiple characters and multiple storylines to follow. As an author, I’ve been playing around with writing in multiples, (see this month’s “Chatting with the Pros” segment), I find it fascinating to learn how other authors handle this aspect of writing. So, let’s get right to the interview.
About Todd Fahnestock
Todd Fahnestock is an award-winning, #1 bestselling author of fantasy for all ages and winner of the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age Award. Threadweavers and The Whisper Prince Trilogy are two of his bestselling epic fantasy series. He is a founder of Eldros Legacy—a multi-author, shared-world mega-epic fantasy series—three-time winner of the Colorado Authors League Award for Writing Excellence, and two-time finalist for the Colorado Book Award for Tower of the Four: The Champions Academy (2021) and Khyven the Unkillable (2022).
His passions are great stories and his quirky, fun-loving family. When he’s not writing, he travels the country meeting fans, fabricates philosophy with his son, plays board games with his wife, dissects movies with his daughter, and plays to the point of bruises with Galahad the Weimaraner.
Visit Todd at toddfahnestock.com.
Interview with Todd Fahnestock
Kaye: Tell us a little about your background or your author’s journey.
Todd: Ha ha! Well, if you want the entire story, I highly recommend reading Falling to Fly, which is a memoir I wrote about this very question. It goes into detail for about 50K words about my writer’s journey, starting with the little beginnings of discovering epic fantasy novels when I was fourteen to speaking in front of a packed-house at Planet Comicon in Kansas City.
I’ll try to do a shorter version here.
So when I was in 8th grade, I was waiting for my brother to pick me up from school, and I wandered over to the public library which was, conveniently, just across the street from Smiley Junior High. After thumbing through the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit editions in the magazine section, I started wandering through the stacks looking for something a bit more mentally stimulating. I stumbled across Lloyd Alexander’s The Book of Three. The cover just captured me; it transported me away to a place that felt foreign and familiar at the same time, so I opened the book and…
Wow. I hadn’t even known what I was looking for, but The Book of Three had a huge, helping of it. I got lost in the epic fantasy trope.
The story is about a young man my age who has no idea about the magical, dangerous world outside his little farm. The highest honor he can imagine is being promoted to assistant pig keeper within the farm, but he gets swept into an epic journey where he will fight alongside kings, battle legendary monsters, and foil supernatural villains.
I was hooked.
In fact, in a very real way, fantasy books saved my life. My parents were going through a divorce at the time, and in my real life I felt clipped free on a tumultuous ocean, drifting in a boat with no rudder. Fantasy books became a safe port for me. Inside a fantasy story, I could feel powerful. I could feel heroic. I could be unafraid. I clung to those stories like a lifeline.
I went on to read Weis & Hickman’s Dragonlance series, Brooks’ Shannara chronicles, and Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. I devoured every fantasy book I could find.
When I got a little older—eighteen years old to be exact—the most amazing thing I could think to do with my life was to write stories like the ones that had captivated me in my junior high days. So I did. I started writing my first novel in an Independent Study class during my senior year.
It was a magical story about a nigh-invincible, acrobatic swordsman named Koric… with absolutely NO possibility of being published. But I thought it was amazing, so I wrote a second, and a third, and… well, here I am now.
Kaye: Why do you write fantasy as opposed to other genres you might write?
Todd: I’ve actually written in a few other genres: memoir, middle grade, time travel. I even have a 1980s road trip, coming-of-age story with a twist of magic (not sure exactly what genre that is), but I always come back to high fantasy.
I think it’s for two reasons. First, fantasy is completely open-ended. I can get as imaginative as I want while doing little to no research. Anything about the world I don’t know, I can simply invent, and that’s my strong suit.
Second, high fantasy is optimistic. It’s hopeful. High fantasy is the very essence of triumph. I drag my characters through hell, but it is with the hope that they will find their way through the dark, that they will prevail in the end. I love that trope. I simply can’t get enough of it.
So that unique combination simply draws me back again and again. If I’m feeling silly, I can create some snark to serve my mood, a crusty little gromnambulan who rides on the character’s shoulder and has a penchant for eating poker chips or something. If I’m feeling angry and vicious, I can pour all of that negative energy into the most vile villain I can create. I can make that pessimism useful to convey the overall optimism I hold by coming up with a way for my heroes to defeat him. And, of course, I love creating heroes most of all, unlikely misfits who find a way to prevail or—I also love this one—destined characters with unbelievable abilities who are going to be put to the utmost test of their strength/brilliance/competency.
Kaye: You write epic fantasy. Is it more difficult to keep the stories going in epic proportions?
Todd: Ha ha! I don’t know that I’d say it’s more difficult. More difficult than what? Than doing research on how strains of a biological weapon breed and multiply so that I can accurately depict a world-threatening event in a thriller? I don’t know. I’ve never written a thriller.
I know I hate doing research and I love imagining things, looking for my own internal logic rather than sticking to the hard facts of the real world. So maybe in my case, it’s easier to keep stories going in epic proportions than doing that. Epic fantasy is what I’ve known for decades. It seems natural to me.
But it’s not easy.
I do struggle often with trying to fit something together over a larger arc, but I’m getting better at it every time I finish a longer series.
I think holding the threads of an epic story takes up a lot of RAM in my head. In the real world, I’ll forget names. I’ll forget dates. My wife often gets frustrated with me because I can’t remember to bring something up from downstairs that she asked me to get literally two minutes ago, but I think a lot of this is because most of my brainpower is subconsciously sorting plot threads so that when I get to the keyboard, things seem to ‘magically’ sort themselves out.
That’s just a theory, but it seems applicable.
Kaye: You are an author of fantasy for all ages. Can you talk about the main differences in writing teen and young adult fantasy, and adult fantasy?
Todd: Sex.
Ha ha! No, not entirely. But that’s a big one. When people come up to my booth and ask me what age range a book is, that’s what they’re mostly asking about. I’ve interacted with many readers at many cons—and I’m mostly talking about parents who are looking for something for their teenage or tween-age readers—and they don’t care that much if Khyven the Unkillable is hacking a sword through a mythical cat beast. They wanna know if there’s any graphic snogging in the book.
I’ll even often have some pretty creepy or frightening descriptions of monsters—bordering on horror—but it doesn’t seem to bother parents or young audiences. I think young readers can handle more than we give them credit for. And a lot of them are hungry for that kind of thing.
Other factors, especially with readers younger than eleven or so, is the vocabulary. Too many big words and you’re gonna lose them. But there are a LOT of precocious eleven- and twelve-year-old readers out there, and the more epic—and complicated—the story, the more they love it. It’s interesting.
For the last three or four years, I’ve been hanging in the PG-13 range (Eldros Legacy). There are a few romantic relationships in that 5-book story, but it’s just a bit of kissing and if it’s something more, it’s only implied. We close the door, put a sock on the handle.
Adults often WANT the spicier side of things. They want a little more description of the snogging, a bit of a heavier emphasis on the snogging. So when I’m writing an adult story, I try to up the sexy quotient. I don’t think I ever get “erotica” graphic, but I dance right up to the edge of it.
Kaye: Which do you enjoy writing most, heroes or villains? Why?
Todd: Heroes. I never get tired of exploring how and why someone becomes a hero, whether it’s to themselves or to the world, whether it’s a badass warrior who’s selfish and needs to learn to put others above himself or a geeky high school kid who needs to find his confidence.
I think we’re all trying to find our inner hero, whatever that hero looks like. Joseph Campbell stipulates in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces that we have a regular cycle we go through as humans.
Step 1: We start in our comfort zone (status quo)
Step 2: We are pushed into the Special World (something NOT the status quo)
Step 3: We go through trials
Step 4: We reach a crisis point
Step 5: We find the wisdom/strength/magic sword to overcome the crisis
Step 6: We defeat our internal or external demons
Step 7: We return to the status quo
There are other details he illuminates, but those are the basics. This is the format of the Hero’s Journey, and it is used in hundreds of stories you’ve read or movies you’ve seen. The original Star Wars is a classic example, but you can find it everywhere. This format is used over and over and over again, and the reason is because it resonates so powerfully, so intimately, with us. And the reason it does is because we LIVE this journey almost every day.
Step 1: We head out to work (status quo)
Step 2: We come across a frustration (car won’t start).
Step 3: We go through trials (inspecting the car/Googling the problem/finding the part/installing it ourselves or taking it to a mechanic).
Step 4: We reach a crisis point (yelling and throwing the wrench/kicking the fender).
Step 5: We find the “magic sword” (money, time, effort).
Step 6: We fix the problem.
Step 7: We get back on the road…
There are a million ways to solve these problems, and there are a million different kinds of heroes to solve these problems. I haven’t yet tired of exploring all the different facets.
As an aside, I do enjoy writing villains, too. I love it. It allows me to dance in my dark side, to imagine the very worst of the worst. It’s… cathartic. And frightening. Thinking of the things that lurk in my dark side sometimes makes me shiver. But bringing those thoughts into the light…
…and then having the heroes bring the smackdown is very satisfying.
There’s a scene in the fifth Eldros Legacy book where one of the characters has been abused and twisted and tormented by one of the villains. She finally gets the chance to bring justice to him in a very personal (and bloody) way. I stand up and cheer when I get to that scene.
Kaye: Would you tell us about your podcast, Fantasy in the Margins?
Todd: Absolutely. This is a new thing I started in November of 2024. Essentially, I release a three-chapter chunk of the audio book Khyven the Unkillable (the first book in the Eldros Legacy: Legacy of Shadows series) each week, and then I do an author’s commentary on the chapters. Sometimes I’ll talk about what I liked the most—or hated the most—about its creation.
Oftentimes I’ll break it down as though I’m teaching a writing class on how to put together a story. I talk a lot about Save the Cat (a writer’s how-to book). It’s a lot of fun.
It’s also a great way to get the audiobook for free.
Kaye: You sell direct on your site. In addition to books, you also sell merchandise related to your books. I took a peek, and there’s some pretty cool stuff there. Does selling direct from your site offer you an advantage as an author?
Todd: It has huge advantages as an author.
My policy is to use all the platforms I can. I’m on Amazon. I’m in bookstores. If someone wants to find me or has a preferred platform they like to buy from, I make it as easy as possible.
But I spend a lot of time meeting readers face to face. I make and build relationships with them, and they buy directly from me at those events and online. Often, they would like to continue buying directly from me, and I want to let them. Thus, the website.
An added benefit is that if I sell directly, I make more money per book.
The merchandise is fun, too. That was started by my assistant, and it’s awesome to think people have Wishing World blankets or Eldros mugs in their houses.
I think it also helps in building my brand. The more stuff with my name and/or my characters on it that is out in the world, the more recognizable my brand becomes.
Kaye: Your work has won or been considered for many awards over the years. Which of these would you say you are the most proud of, and why?
Todd: Oh… That’s a tough one. It was such an honor to have one of my short stories (written with my friend Giles Carwyn) be selected by the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teenage. It was completely unexpected, and we were actually living in New York at the time, so we got to go to the reception.
Getting nominated twice for the Colorado Book Award (for Tower of the Four: The Champions Academy and Khyven the Unkillable) was quite an honor.
But I think my favorite are my wins from the Colorado Authors League. I have three of those now for Tower of the Four: The Champions Academy, Khyven the Unkillable and Ordinary Magic, a memoir about me and my 14-year-old son hiking The Colorado Trail, a 486-mile trek from Denver to Durango.
Kaye: What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
Todd: Oh jeesh. You’re going to make me pick ONE?
Sorry. Can’t do it. Gonna give you three.
Margaret Weis, author of the Dragonlance novels, once said to me when I was a wide-eyed fledgling novelist:
“You can’t listen to the bad reviews… but you can’t listen to the good reviews either.”
It was like a Zen Buddhist koan. I totally understood the first part. Don’t let the haters get you down, right? Got that. Old wisdom.
But the second part? I puzzled over that for years. Why NOT listen to the good reviews? Isn’t that the whole point? People who love what you do telling you so?
Yeah, I didn’t get it until I started having success… and then it hit like a hammer.
When Tower of the Four won awards and Khyven the Unkillable was creating a buzz behind-the-scenes in the publishing industry, I was on top of the world. I felt like I was finally hitting my artistic stride. I could do no wrong.
Then I went to work on my next book. The demons in my mind swarmed me: “What if this book isn’t an award winner? What if you’ve lost your mojo?”
I completely locked up. I struggled to get to the midpoint and then gave up with a gasp, thunderstruck and full of fear that I’d lost my ability to write.
I had to set aside that work-in-progress and intentionally write a “crappy novel.” That is to say, write without fear of disappointing anyone, especially myself. To just let myself create whatever came out. That broke the log-jam. I found my stride again, but I will remember that lesson forever.
Another great bit of advice was delivered by Jim Butcher, author of the Harry Dresden Urban Fantasy phenomenon. He said:
“Don’t worry about getting ridiculous in your writing. You are in far greater danger of losing a reader to boredom than from a reader saying, ‘This is too silly. I can’t possibly read more of this because it’s so ridiculous.’”
I carry that with me everywhere. To me it means: be brave when you write. Write the things that scare you, things you’re afraid people will judge. That’s the good stuff. That’s the stuff people identify with. I assure you, you’re not alone in feeling like others might judge you. And the readers that feel those same things will develop a kinship with you, the author who understands them. That’s what makes fans.
Lastly, Dean Wesley Smith once said during his Writing into the Dark class:
“Stay in your creative mind when you write.”
He clarified by saying writers have a “creative mind” and a “critical mind.” My impression was that Dean didn’t have much use for the “critical mind.” Even when editing. He said that the creative mind, when it comes across something that doesn’t work in your writing, will say something like, “Oooo! This gives me the opportunity to create this.” Or “Oh wow. I see what I was trying to do here. I wanna rewrite this so that I can get closer to my vision.”
The critical mind, on the other hand, says things like, “This chapter sucks! What were you thinking?”
In short, the creative mind is excited.4 The creative mind wants to build.
The critical mind wants to criticize. It is not a builder.
As a writer, stay in the creative mind.
Kaye: Thank you for being my guest today, Todd. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you. Before we go, tell us where readers can go to find out more about you and your books.
Todd: Thank you for having me! This has been a treat.
As to finding my books, you can get them from my website: toddfahnestock.com
For ebooks, it’s cheaper for you (and more money for me). And if you’re a hardback or paperback reader, you can get signed copies!
You can also get unsigned books on Amazon or order them from your local bookstore, too. They’re all there.
Thanks again, Kaye. Have a fantastic weekend!
About Tower of the Four: The Rise of Magic
In a world where magic binds fate, trust is the most dangerous spell of all.
Ovalia was once a powerful mage, bound by loyalty to her closest companions. But when betrayal strikes, her friends—four trusted allies—cast her into The Dreaming, a nightmarish dimension where time and reality twist and tear apart. There, a dragon of unimaginable power incinerates her in a burst of fiery wrath.
But death is not the end.
Resurrected by an ancient magic, Ovalia emerges from The Dreaming stronger, fiercer, and driven by a singular purpose: vengeance. With her power growing in ways she cannot yet control, she will stop at nothing to make her former friends pay for their treachery. Yet the deeper she plunges into a world of revenge, the more she discovers the dark secrets of those she once trusted—and the devastating price of her resurrection.
Now, as shadows close in and alliances shift, Ovalia must decide whether she will remain a weapon of destruction… or become something far more dangerous.
My Review of Tower of the Four: The Rise of Magic
I received a digital copy of Tower of the Four: The Rise of Magic, by Todd Fahnesstock, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated here are my own.
Tower of Four: Rise of Magic, comprises episodes 7-9 in Todd Fahnestock’s Tower of the Four fantasy series. Even though I have not read episodes 1-6, I found the rules of the world clearly outlined where needed and had no problem following the later episodes in this volume.
The world building is top notch, as Fahnestock does a great job of introducing us to a world of magic, where seemingly nothing is impossible. Or is it? Fahnestock takes us on an adventure, as magic is conception on this world, through several turns of the tables over the centuries, cluing readers in to the rules of magic, and showing us just what it can do.
The characters are well-developed, but unpredictable, which in epic fantasy, can be a good thing. You never know who will be tempted or tricked into switching sides, and of course all good villians have an unsuspected trick up their sleeve. In this epic tale, the villians have more than a few. But, as is often in life, the character’s true inner selves, may be their downfall.The possession of magical powers changes people in unsuspected ways, and those who are at first percieved as heroes, may later be seen as villians in this tale of betrayal and revenge.
A magical adventure that is truly entertaining. I give Tower of the Four: The Rise of Magic five quills.
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Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.
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This segment of “Chatting with the Pros” is sponsored by The Rock Star & The Outlaw and WordCrafter Press.
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.
In 1887, 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.
