New Release - The Witch-Queen (Legends of Winatuke Book 1) by Sarah J. McNeal

The Dark Isle has been a refuge for evil since time began in the world of Winatuke, and the most depraved and wicked of them all is the witch-queen, Mahara, who rules over the malignant kingdom of darkness.

Mahara has taken a captive, a prince of the Nimway people, and she plans to use him for the revenge that burns in her soul. By forcing her own daughter, Isadore, into marriage with Prince Gabriel, she hopes to gain the power she craves over the Nimway—especially her ex-lover and Isadore’s father, Raven.

Her scheme goes awry when love begins to grow between Isadore and Gabriel. Isadore realizes the only way to save Gabriel is for them to escape together, but at the last minute, that plan fails. Separated from Gabriel,  Isadore is forced to continue to the Nimway kingdom of Valmora alone to seek help from her mother’s enemies.

Once Isadore gains their trust, Gabriel’s brother, Raphael, volunteers to travel to present-day Earth to get help. To save his brother, he must bring Raven back to the world of Winatuke, and ask him to risk his own life in the battle against Mahara’s evil forces.

It seems an impossible task. How can they ever defeat Mahara? With the evil forces she can summon at will, it seems Gabriel’s life will be forfeit. But Isadore refuses to allow that, risking her own life to save him. Forced to follow her heart, Isadore wonders if she can ever win her father’s trust or Gabriel’s love. She only knows she must defeat her mother’s evil vendetta for all time. No matter the consequences she must vanquish THE WITCH-QUEEN…

EXCERPT

     "You think you can fool me, Isadore, but you should know by now that is impossible." Mahara's eyes glowed like two red hot coals of anger as she faced her daughter. "What were you doing with my prisoner yesterday, that arrogant Nimway brat?"

     "Nothing, Mother, I swear it. I only wanted to see what the filthy Nimway looked like." Isadore could not quite look her mother in the eyes. She bent her head to avoid facing her, and stared at the floor. "I did talk to him just a little." She whispered her confession.

     Mahara whirled around, her black gown whispering and swirling around her as if it had a life of its own. She lifted Isadore's chin with her long, thin finger so Isadore would have to look at her. "And what did you two converse about? Be very careful that you tell me the whole truth," she warned, "I shall know if you lie, or omit anything." There was a nasty tone in her voice.

     Isadore shook visibly in her fear. She knew her mother's powers. There was reason to be afraid…very, very afraid. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "We talked about my father."

     Mahara's eyes grew black with rage. "How could you talk with a child of my enemies about the very thing for which I hate them?" She dug her fingers into Isadore's shoulders and shook her. "Why? Why would you do such a thing?"

     Isadore could barely look at her mother so great was her fear. She didn't want Mahara to see this weakness in her. Her words stumbled from her lips, "I...I wanted to know if...if..."

     

New Release — Einar of Vindemiatrix by Michael E. Gonzales

When King Thurban the Great is murdered at the hand of his younger brother, very few of his loyal knights survive. Sir Einar, one of the fiercest knights of King Thurban’s realm, has lost his entire family in the carnage. Giving up on a life of his own, he chooses to travel and teach others the principles of chivalry. For those who believe in a knightly code, he will also show them the deadly way to wield a sword in battle—including Ascella, a young woman who convinces him she is an apt student.

Though many years have passed since Einar’s painful losses and King Thurban the Great’s murder, the knight finds a way to avenge his honorable liege—but he cannot do it alone. To return Vindemiatrix to the rightful heir and restore the holdings to their former glory, he needs magic—the most powerful magic he can find.

With the help of a powerful witch, a dragon, an army of centaurs, and beautiful Ascella, Einar is determined to find a way to make things right once more in the land he loved. But he’s never fought an enemy so prepared to hold Vindemiatrix in its powerful grip—and this is a battle to the death. Can he risk losing everything he holds dear a second time?

EXCERPT

     Thurban laid his bloody hand upon Einherjar’s shoulder, and glancing about at his ruined castle, and the burnt lands surrounding it, he exhaled slowly, and lamented, “The end of my reign is in sight, the end of Vindemiatrix.” The king beckoned to his generals, and with their aid, withdrew to the throne room to make final preparations.

     Sir Einherjar remained on the last wall of the castle’s inner defenses. The hated enemy threw themselves upon them yet again.

     “Look hither!” a voice shouted. Einherjar saw the man, among the many atop the wall, pointing to the north. Turning, he beheld a sight more terrible than an enraged dragon. The keep was ablaze, its windows belched black smoke.

     “The women and children!” someone screamed.

     Murfrid, standing near, turned to Einherjar, “I’m sorry for you, Sir Knight, I truly am.”

Einherjar stood transfixed, his mind wrapped in pain, disbelieving his own eyes. His breath, and his heart frozen―

     

Einar of Vindemiatrix by Michael E. Gonzales

As I write these lines, we are on the event horizon of the release of my latest novel, Einar of Vindemiatrix.

This story marks my first sojourn in to the genera of Fantasy and a temporary step back from Space Opera.

I found this story difficult to write because I have a logical thought process, and in Fantasy logic, and the rules of physics are overpowered by magic.

Fantastical creatures, monsters, powers that defy explanation, these combined with more comprehensible things like, envy, greed, lust, all of which merge to present an aging Knight with foes beyond his formidable skill as a warrior.

He will need help and receives it from the strangest places.

“When Good King Thurban the Great is murdered at the hand of his younger brother, very few of his loyal knights survive. Sir Einar, one of the fiercest knights of King Thurban’s realm, has lost his entire family in the carnage. Giving up on a life of his own, he chooses to travel and teach others the principles of chivalry. For those who believe in a knightly code, he will also show them the deadly way to wield a sword in battle—including Ascella, a young woman who convinces him she will make an apt student.

“Though many years have passed since Einar’s painful losses and King Thurban the Great’s murder, the knight finds a way to avenge his honorable liege—but he cannot do it alone. To return Vindemiatrix to the rightful heir and restore the holdings to their former glory, he needs magic—the most powerful magic he can find.

“With the help of a powerful witch, an army of centaurs, and beautiful Ascella, Einar is determined to find a way to make things right once more in the land he loves. But he’s never fought an enemy so prepared to hold Vindemiatrix in its powerful grip—and this is a battle to the death. Can he risk losing everything he holds dear a second time?”

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Fantasy by Michael E. Gonzales

I recently finished a fantasy novel, my second actually, and I have been thinking about the distinctions between fantasy and fiction, specifically Science-Fiction.

In SyFy the writer must adhere to the basic tenets of science as much as possible. In HARD Sci-Fi the only thing an author can get a pass on is time travel and FTL (Faster Than Light) travel. All else must have a firm scientific foundation.

In so called “soft” SyFy the Author is allowed considerably more latitude, but the hard-Sci-Fi fans will not look sideways at your stories. Nevertheless, in all SyFy there are certain rules that must be followed. I have not found these rules restrictive of my imagination, however. They just insure you remain in the genre.

Not that these rules can’t or haven’t been bent. In my novel, Across a Sea of Stars, I have blended SyFy and fantasy in a rather seamless manner, if I do say so myself, and I’m far from the first to do so.

Fantasy, on the other hand, presents the author a limitless canvas upon which to allow his imagination to explode, to explore its own vast depths.

Having said that, there are a few rubrics an author should operate within. In the world of fantasy, as in every genre, there are canon one should, generally adhere to, i.e.:  should you bring a dragon into your story the reader will expect you to present that dragon as he exists in popular thought. 

Oh, don’t get me wrong, you can take considerable license, but should you describe a mouse with bat wings who is able to spit ice cold rainbows he’s not going to be generally accepted as a dragon, accept in children’s book, of course.

I have discovered  there is a very large segment of the fantasy readership out there who are dragon devotees.  They will seldom accept anything short of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Smaug as a dragon. Unless of course you are very, very good with your winged mouse.

And there is also sacred canon to be observed. If you should invoke any part of the Arthur myth into your story be prepared to plunge in to vast amounts of research long before you even open Word, or prepare to burned on the spit of public rejection.

In fantasy there are certain “must haves” such as magic, wizards and witches (in some form or another) and creatures from legend, or from the legends you create.

So, it would appear that the limitless canvas has its signposts, its roads and paths, some seldom trod. Regardless, fantasy writing, for me, has been a great deal of fun. I will linger in this genre a while, I think.

I do hope those who have read my SyFy stories will follow me...down the yellow brick road.

Please visit my Web Site:  http://www.mikegonzalesauthor.com/home.html

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* * * * * *

Dark Moon Rising, Battle of Broken Moon, Across a Sea of Star, The Vampires of Antyllus, The Blue of Antyllus, Action, Action Adventure, Alien worlds, Aliens, battle, Dark Moon Rising, FireStarPress, Michael E. Gonzales, mikegonzalesauthor.com, NewRelease, Romance,science fiction, syfy

Which Book? By Michael E. Gonzales

I have often asked myself, “What makes the reader, of any given genre, choose one book over another?”

Number one, of course, is author recognition.

However, as I can a test, new, unknown authors oft times get their books read too.

There are many factors, the synopsis, the title, the cover, the reviews, and of course a good marketing plan.

But when the rubber meets the road it’s a reader, sitting at his computer, or standing by the shelves in a bookstore, who makes the final choice. With luck, it’s your book (or better yet, mine) that she purchases.

But why?

On Amazon, there are over six million titles. What induced the reader to select one book over the other?

Oh…I wish I knew.

There have been studies, of course, they can tell you what age group of what gender buys what genre, in what quantiles, at what time of year…during a full moon.

I’m sure keener, cooler, more analytical minds than mine can put this data to good use. Would that I was one of them.

Characters too, will aid a reader in that decision. A fellow writer recently asked, “What is it that makes a character memorable?” an outstanding question!

Memorable characters have been both protagonist and antagonist. In Lord of the Rings, Frodo is as well remembered as Sauron.

Few remember Professor Pierre Aronnax, but none can Forget Captain Nemo.

Do we look for ourselves in the hero of a story? And what if we see our reflection in the villain?

In a comment from a woman who read Dark Moon Rising, my first novel, she lamented that I had spent too much time on character development, she thought I should jump right into the action. In fact, we’ve all read stories where you get to know the characters as the main body of the action unfolds.

This is not at all wrong, of course. It has been said that if you don’t grab the reader’s attention on the first page, better the first paragraph, then you never will. No pressure there.

I like to have my protagonist, and some of his back story, developed before I drop him, or her, into the thick of things. Think of the Wizard of OZ, we pretty well know Dorothy before she piggybacks a ride on that twister.

In Across a Sea of Stars, we’ll get to know Captain Chris Salazar, before he’s off the see the wizard. But as the story unfolds we’ll learn he is a very troubled young man who is, literally, haunted by his past.

The plethora of characters Chris meets on his journey will of course develop as the story unfolds. We will like some of them a great deal, love several more, and totally despise others.

In Across a Sea of Stars I have blended Science-Fiction with Fantasy, and Romance, and created a story that I believe will captivate every reader no matter your age, gender, or favorite genre. It will enthrall you no matter how many you purchase, regardless of the month of year…and during any phase of the moon.

You may have noted that I failed to answer even one of the questions posed in this piece, that's because I'm still learning. And frankly I think the answers to the questions will all be very subjective. I don't believe, as I once did, that there is a magic writing formula out there kept a closely guarded secret by a select kabal of wildly successful authors.

The real answer is talent and imagination, and though you can get a definition for each in the dictionary, the concepts are still subjective. We've all discussed popular books with others, and though most love them, there are always those who consider the author a no talent bum. 

I believe it was PT Barnum who said, I will paraphrase him here,

"You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time."

By this I mean to say, there is an audience out there for every author.

Please Visit my page, Michael Gonzales, fictionist:http://www.mikegonzalesauthor.com/home.html

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THE WILLING SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF by Mollie Hunt

 

 “Suspension of disbelief or willing suspension of disbelief is a term coined in 1817 by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative…” ~Wikipedia

 

Without what is known as the suspension of disbelief, there would be no story. At least there would be no fiction, and I bet a good percentage of essays and memoirs would take a hit as well. Suspension of disbelief is the leap of faith the reader must take to enter into worlds not their own.
 

Without suspension of disbelief, old ladies could not be young again in the arms of the handsome prince, stranger, outlaw, bad boy, bad girl, or alien. Without suspension of disbelief, space ships couldn’t zoom across space “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” Without suspension of disbelief,  a small New England town couldn’t sustain a murder a week for 12 years. Without suspension of disbelief, zombies couldn’t apocalypse, heroes couldn’t save the world, cats couldn’t talk, and pigs couldn’t fly. You get the picture.
 

 

 

How does a writer achieve suspension of disbelief? It’s far more complex than tossing out a quirky plot to see where it lands. A reader must be drawn in gently as if into a trap, inch by inch without ever realizing they are being led. That requires a preliminary foundation, baby steps down the rabbit hole.

 

 

FANTASY FAIRY KITTEN CATS

by Artist Cyra R. Cancel

 

In my sci-fantasy series, Cat Seasons, I need my reader to believe cats can save the world from alien and otherworldly threats. To do that, I first must convince my reader that cats can talk - within the first chapter! I personally have no problem accepting miraculous cat behavior – I wait longingly for Tinkerbelle or Little or Red to say something! Anything! It doesn’t have to be profound or prophetic, just a hi, how are you would be fine - but some readers need more convincing. It turns out my protagonist does, too. As the cats convince her, they convince the reader as well. It’s not just dialogue, though – “Hi, I’m a talking cat” doesn’t cut it. There has to be more. Environment, a dream-like state, an intense sensitivity to scents and sounds,  and a sprinkle of deviant moonlight all help to persuade. I try to create a picture so compelling, the reader wants to believe.

 

In my Crazy Cat mysteries, I parallel  a truer universe, one where people work and volunteer and pay bills and go to the bathroom. But then suddenly the path takes a twist into the unfamiliar, landing the reader in the midst of murder and mayhem, where hopefully, they don't in reality go.

 

 

Mystery Cat by LadyTashigi

 

Suspension of disbelief is in the details, the mix of fact and fantasy. It’s in the description, both what is offered on the page and what is left out. It’s in the presentation of evidence that, unlike law, is not beyond reasonable doubt. It is the miracle of possibility.

 

Do you believe? Do you want to?

 

 

Elf Ranger by cypritree

 

 

Check out more blogs by Mollie Hunt at:

Mollie Hunt: Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries and more

 Happy reading!