Book Spotlight: Ennara and the Fallen Druid (Ennara #1) by Angela Myron

Happy Day Beardies!

It's confession time today here at The Bearded Scribe. Gather 'round. Everyone ready? Okay, here I go with my confession: I like playing MMORPG's. I know. I know. What is a classy bookworm like me doing getting my gaming on? I blame this solely on my husband who has been a gaming nerd for way longer than I've known him. I wondered what was consuming his free time and decided, if I wanted some more of his attention, I should give it a whirl. Now I find myself logging on to explore far-away, fantasy lands and to kill mystical creatures. I also like the story lines from the quests you complete while going through the game. A few of you may wonder, "Gee, Autumn, what brought about this confession today?" Well, I'm glad you asked. Today's confession is a great way to lead into my Book Spotlight because the book reminded me a lot of an online fantasy game. Wizards, mystical creatures, far-away lands, quests, potions...it just goes on and on. Enough of me and my online habit, though; onto the book...

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Book Spotlight: The Perfect Player by Devon Winterson

Welcome back, Beardies!

I had the privilege of reading a pre-release copy of Devon Winterson’s debut novel, The Perfect Player, which is due out on November 11, 2013—or, as I’m sure Devon would say, “On the eleventh day of the eleventh month at the eleventh hour.” Devon is a moderator at Writer’s Beat, an online community for writers, and her often hilarious and witty anecdotes and gracious interviews of indie authors can be found at her blog, The Ether of My Imagination.

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Book Spotlight: The Final Descent (The Monstrumologist, Book 4) by Rick Yancey

Hello again, Beardies!

Can anyone please tell me where the last seventeen months have gone? It’s hard to believe, but that’s how long it’s been since I presented our first-ever Book Spotlight on Rick Yancey’s Monstrumologist Series. At the time, I believed it to be a trilogy, and complete. I was saddened, as I always am at finishing a series I’ve loved, and (although my research at the time turned up nothing) I remember wondering if a fourth book could possibly be in the offing. As it turned out, I was right. Rick Yancey had, in fact, planned a four-book series, but just before the publication of The Isle of Blood, Simon and Schuster decided not to publish the fourth volume.

Simon and Schuster may have heard enough from Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop, but Mr. Yancey’s legions of fans had not. Outraged, the fans mounted a campaign to resurrect the series, reaching out to the publisher through letters, blogs, and social media. Shocked by the outpouring from the readers, Simon and Schuster reversed their decision, and Book Four, The Final Descent was finally released in September of this year. And so today, Book Spotlight comes full-circle. Before I start really waxing philosophical, though, let’s talk about The Final Descent!

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Blog Tour: Enduring Chaos (Book One of the Sisters of Chaos Series) by Catherine Fitzsimmons & Ruins of Change Giveaway

Years ago, the last remnants of magic were banished. Yet some forces cannot be suppressed by human hands. For a girl with a gift she can no longer control, her troubles with magic are only beginning.

Book Blurb:
Cursed with fearsome eyes and a dangerous gift, any chance of Damian Sires having an ordinary life was dashed the moment she was born. All her life, she has hidden her abnormalities and fought for acceptance behind the shadow of a veil and her respected merchant father.

When Damian's power spirals out of control and casts her out alone into the world, she finds herself caught up in plots as old as the gods themselves. Bitter exiles, deposed nobility, clandestine knights, and a divine being with an ancient grudge all close in on the unstable power radiating from Damian.

Desperate to keep that power contained, she sets out with mysterious allies in an attempt to find someone who can help her in a world that fears magic. Yet the source of Damian's ability is far more deadly than she imagined.

The World of Elderra:

Enduring Chaos, Book One of the Sisters of Chaos Series, is set in JR Dwornik's world of Elderra, visible in the map above, and featured in Dwornik's novel, Ruins of Change.

Book Spotlight: Truth's Blood by Tyler Roberts

Happy Day Beardies!

October is hands down the busiest month of the year in my house. We have a lot of school commitments, family activities, and of course, my kid's favorite holiday: Halloween. Who doesn't love a holiday dedicated to candy? The time and energy put into selecting a costume and picking out the perfect pumpkin is exhausting. This year I am a classroom mother so I'm planning the Halloween party that has to be lots of fun, create little mess, and have treats that cater to FIVE different food allergies. Fun will be had by all, though. To break up all the festive fall things I sat down and devoured today's Spotlight. Sit back and enjoy because this one is a thrill ride.

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Research, Research, Research

 

"If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us. The free mind is not a barking dog, to be tethered on a ten-foot chain."

~Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.

I’m not talking about research for writing knowledge.  I’m talking research on story facts.  Doing proper research concerning a story idea does two things:  makes your story more believable (especially for those know-it-alls that have intimate knowledge about the setting/character/profession/etc. in your story) and gives you ammunition for future ideas.

To do proper research, the most important thing to look for is credibility.  The old saying goes “There’s two sides to every story.”  Well, when it comes to information in the real world, there are INFINITE sides to the story.  A basic example is hearing something from a friend that happened TO HIM versus that same friend telling you something that he heard from a friend about her cousin’s great granddaughter’s boyfriend.  One has the credibility of being straight from the source while the second…well…we’ll say kindly that nasty rumors have been perpetuated in the same fashion for eons.  (You can’t tell me all those story scenes drawn on vases and cave walls are strictly truths that happened to the artist–especially the “alien” ones.)

Book Spotlight: God Save the Queen (The Immortal Empire, Book 1) by Kate Locke

TA-DAAA!!! Welcome, Beardies and Beardettes,

In this first edition of newly-minted madness, we will be examining God Save the Queen by Kate Locke, a tale to tickle the alternative history and steampunk in all of us. So enough with the blather and let's Beard out!

This book lept off the shelf, waving wildly at me, as I browsed the Young Adult section at one of my local libraries. I recalled seeing it previously jockeying for space at Barnes and Noble and wanted to read it then; but of course, as with any modern mind, some things just slip through the cracks. As I slouched over the shelf, enjoying the bold cover art (I never knew steampunk and noir could have such a comely lovechild), the description captured me. It was then that I knew this child must come home with me.

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Book Spotlight: Mirror of the Nameless by Luke Walker

Bonjour, Beardies!

When I first started The Bearded Scribe in 2012, Elizabeth pointed me to a website, called NetGalley, where I could obtain Advance Reader Copies directly from publishers. I occasionally receive emails alerting me of titles in which I might be interested, and last month one such email landed in my inbox.

Most of the titles didn't capture my interest; none, really, save one: a new horror. Although I am not much for the gory side of horror, I do enjoy a well-written scary tale and the darker side of fantasy. Mix in a bit of divine intervention and some paranormal flavoring, and you have a chilling recipe for a delectable ghoul-ash...

That is the case of the today's Book Spotlight, Mirror of the Nameless by Luke Walker.

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Author Spotlight: M. P. Ness (Complete with Interview)

Welcome back, Beardies!

Earlier, I had the privilege to bring you a Book Spotlight on E.L.F Volume 1: White Leaves. Now, as part of the same blog tour, I’m excited to bring you the virtual chat I had with Mr. Ness.

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Book Spotlight: White Leaves (E.L.F., Book 1) by M. P. Ness

Salutations, Beardies!

It's an exciting day here at The Bearded Scribe! Today, we're honored to host author M.P. Ness and his debut novel, E.L.F. Volume 1: White Leaves. I ran across this title while I was visiting Joshua over Labor Day weekend. The Amazon preview got me hooked, so I jumped at the chance to participate in this blog tour. Not only did Mr. Ness give me the book for review; he was kind enough to let me interview him, as well. We have a lot to talk about today, so let's jump in, shall we?

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Blog Tour: The Fragile Things, Part II by V. Shaw—Book Blast and Cover Reveal

Two girls on the road to self-destruction.

A village upon the brink of collapse.

A past which refused to die.

An epic four-part horror serial.

Book Blurb:
Have you ever had a friend you’d die for? One you’d kill for?

At seventeen-years-old, Jennifer should have the world at her feet. Instead, she’s an ex-heroin addict living in a council estate with Tony, her boyfriend and former dealer. Shunned by her family and friends, she dreams of something greater than she’s been given.

Beautiful and strange, Ebony has moved in across the street. She’s just lost the one person in her lonely existence to cancer. She’s also a centuries-old vampire, struggling to cope with murderous outbursts and the desire to be something more.

When these two lost souls meet, an unusual friendship begins.

But with the news of Morris, Tony’s sadistic best friend and drug-dealing partner, being released from prison, Jennifer knows it’s only a matter of time before his path of vengeance leads to her and Ebony, too.

With a cast of memorable characters, a village full of secrets, and a gripping story, The Fragile Things is a layered tale of friendship, hope, survival and what it truly means to be human.

Book Spotlight: The Keeper and the Rune Stone (The Black Ledge Series, Book One) by Paige W. Pendleton

Greetings from Maine, Beardies!

Not really, unfortunately, but almost!

For those of you who don't already know, I'm a Mainah—that is to say, a person from Maine. While I don't live there now, it is where I was born and raised. It's where my muthah and fathah and the rest of my family live. What's WICKED cool is so does the author of our Spotlight book, Paige Pendleton.

When Paige's Review Request landed in my inbox, I smiled with pride. If anyone was going to review a fellow Mainah, it'd be me, ayuh! And so, no one else on the staff even saw it venture to the Review Request list—I took it for myself.

Those of you who are 'from away' (not from Maine) are probably thinking I've gone and bumped my noggin' with the way I'm talking—well, technically writing—but it's not very often that I get to let loose and use my Maine-speak. Every now and again you'll hear it slip out of my mouth, but it's a rare treat.

Paige and I became fast friends on Facebook even before I started reading her title (I was backlogged for Reviews at the time). We Mainefolk stick together. There aren't many in the world (other than a Mainah) who would even understand the following sentences:

"I pahked my cah up the rud apiece."
--or--
"How 'bout some bugs an' steamahs for suppah?"

And it's for that reason, whether we actually speak that way or not, Paige and I will remain friends; it's also why she and I will keep the translations of them to ourselves! ;)

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