New Themes for Writer Wed! :D

With the new year brings a new theme for writer wed on The Eclectic Artist cave. The themes for the coming weeks are: Change, write about a character that has a change of heart or changing his mind.
The next one is: Angels, write a flash fiction with the word angels, or about angels in it.
The next one is: Fire, write a piece of flash fiction about a fire or containing the word fire.
The next one is: Weapons, write a piece of flash fiction containing the word weapons.
Remember all will be read on The Eclectic Artist Cave on WED and will be posted to The Eclectic Artist Cave along with name of writer. Happy writing. Please send to joann@foryoupr.com

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Charlotte Blackwell's Embrace Series

Immortal Embrace 

Sophia Pierce has suffered since her brother left, and is unsure if she will ever get over it. That is until her family decided to move to Wenham, Massachusetts. Her and her siblings have been ordered to protect their little sister, and must return to High school. This is where Sophia finds her soul mate Nathanial and life as she knows it is about to change.

As a vampire, Sophia has always kept to herself, but as a high school student will she learn to step out of her comfort zone a little? Sophia has found a best friend in a powerful witch and a love to call her own. That is until something tragic happens and blood is spilled. Will Sophia be able to resist the sweet scent of her beloved’s blood?
This is Sophia’s story, a story of a girl who finds herself, love and everlasting friendship. The excitement of this story wraps mortals, vampires, witches, and shape shifters all into a romantic tale of young love, friendship, the meaning of family. The story of a girl who tries to finds herself when she thought it was all lost.  

My Review 

I first met Charlotte Blackwell when she came on my show to talk about her book. I was immediately intrigued by not only her concept but also by her warm and giving personality. A few months later I was signed by World Castle Publishing. I had no idea she was already one of their writers. Without hesitation, Charlotte took me under her wing and introduced me to the entire group of World Castle Publishing writers. With her help, I was able to learn a lot of the publishing business and what needed to be done. Little did I know she was going to become one of my closest friends. It gives me great pleasure to talk about her series. 

Immortal Embrace is about a young girl who I completely was able to relate to. As a teenager I remember wanting to be normal or fit in. The thing Charlotte shows in this book is that it's ok to be yourself. Her character Sopia goes through a lot to realize accepting yourself is always the best way. In this book, Charlotte has written about a heart warming family full of love for one another. One thing that brings you into the story is the language she uses in the dialogue. Written in first person, she carries you into the mind of teens through the dialogue, the rhythm of the story and movement of the characters. Charlotte adds another layer to the story through her characters who are witches. The whole of the story is one that will sweep you away into great imagery, good story telling and characters that will capture your heart. I give this book a 5 star rating. 

Forbidden Embrace 

Just when Sophia Pierce thinks her eternal life will be happy and peaceful, something else happens to turn it upside down. With rogue vampires approaching the town she has learned to call home, the Pierce family must prepare for battle. With some magickal help will they be able to save Wenham? Even more trouble arises when Danika, the newest vampire of the family decides this might not be the right place for her. The Pierce family has already lost one love, Caspian, when he felt he was no longer worthy of their family name. Will Danika follow his footsteps and will he be able to save her from a fate far worse than his own?

  My Review 

Sopia is finally at peace with her life. Enter Danika, her new sister. Once again Charlotte shares a world that sweeps you away and carries you into another place where just about anything is possible. All I can say is once again I loved the characters. This story is all about survival and learning how to cope with your own personal gifts. Though most of us don't wake up "Embraced" or turned into vampires, we do have to deal with making the best of who and what we are. What we do often have to deal with are those new people who come into our lives. In this book, Sopia has little to no trust when it comes to her new sibling, Danika. Mistakes are more than just costly in the world Charlotte has created, the are life and death. So the thought of putting a new sibling in Sopia's world adds a new depth to the characters and what they are all about. The romance from Immortal Embrace between Nate and Sopia grows in this book. The sweet tenderness of it all took me back to a time when romance was just that, romantic. Charlotte's use of the English language will take you away into a world filled with vampires, witches and angels. The magic of it all was a lot of fun to read!! 

The entire series is a must read for YA fans and it's something you will always remember. 

 

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Between By Mary Ting

 As the alkins head back to Crossroads, Claudia leads her normal life; but not for long. Having a special soul, Claudia attracts danger, and she soon finds out who Gamma asked to watch over her. The Twelve, known as Divine Elders on Earth, are very much involved when they find out that Aliah, one of the God’s first angels, escaped from the Abyss when the gates were opened by Aden. Needing Claudia’s soul to escape the only place Aliah can reside–a place between Heaven and Earth–he sends his demons in search of all Claudia Emersons on Earth. Taking her soul will enable him to be released from Between and cross over to Crossroads, which would give him immense power. As more secrets are revealed Claudia learns about the venators—nephilim, demon hunters. Now two opposing forces must work together in order to save Claudia and humanity from the most dangerous angel ever created. But along the way, trust becomes a big issue. Will love be enough to keep Claudia and Michael together? Who will make the ultimate sacrifice? Who will betray them all?



 My Review

Mary Ting's story telling abilities immediately wraps around you like a blanket and carries you safely through this world of magic and mystery while giving you the most romantic ride of your life. The love between Michael and Claudia is challenged not only by a couple of new characters that are brought into play but by a past that Michael must now explain. The love story is beautiful and the characters are all well defined. I caught myself giggling out loud at some of the comments and saying Oh no, when I was reading in bed at 1 am. The coolest thing happened as I read through Between, I was so caught up in the story that I began to cry when Gamma had a conversation with Claudia. In fact, I bawled like a baby so much that it woke up my fiance and made him ask me if I was ok. There are few writers out there that are able to surprise me and make me go through such a wide variety of emotions. For that I thank you Mary for writing your story. It touched my heart on many levels and became a wonderful world to sink into.

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World Castle Publishing's New Writers! | PRLog

World Castle Publishing's New Writers! | PRLog

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Mike Saxton's 7 Scorpion's Series

         7 SCORPIONS REBELLION

On May 7th, the mysterious dictator known only as the Zodiac unleashed an event called the Flash Storm, destroying every major city and military base across the world in one moment. No one saw it coming. There was no warning. There was no terrorist chatter. Hundreds of millions perished almost instantly. Humanity across the globe was plunged into chaos. In the days that followed, the enigmatic and frightening Seekers marched on the remnants of humanity, systematically enslaving or destroying everyone in their path.

All attempts to stand up to Zodiac's Grand Army failed. His Seekers, who radiate a mysterious aura that induces intense fear were virtually unbeatable. It seemed as though the prophecies of the End of Days were coming to pass until the day came that a glimmer of hope arose in the form of an exile who had been part of a super soldier experiment. It is up to this man, Vincent Black, to rally a resistance to free humanity from the grips of oblivion, if he can let go of his past.

MY REVIEW


Mike has written a fast paced fun read that made me instantly want to play the video game and see the movie. Amidst the apocalypse setting, he has created three dimensional characters that make you laugh and cheer. The depth of the novel is impressive and should be also listed as steam punk. The vivid details in the realistic setting drew me in with great energy and excitement. The one thing I loved was the progressive action. Not once did I find myself skipping words or paragraphs because I loved every word of it. The whole of the action sequences were described in such a way as I felt I stood invisible in the middle of it all.

I don't want to give away any spoilers. Just needless to say, I'm glad there is going to be another book and I WANT to play the game first!!

The truth is I can't remember the date I finished this book because I read it a couple times. The first time I read it for fun and the second to learn. For those who are writing a lot of action sequences, I strongly recommend you purchase this book and make notes. For those who are wanting a fun, exciting read with all sides of humanity tossed in the mix, this is the book for you. 

While I know I posted this same post a while back. I felt it was necessary to re-post this review so those who are just learning about the series could be brought up to date.

     7 SCORPIONS:REVOLUTION
  The war against the Grand Army raged for over a year and a half. Despite their valiant efforts, the rebels of Militia 28 are losing. With dwindling supplies and eroding hope, they have one last chance. The recent discovery of a weapon long thought lost rekindles their ambitions of eventual victory. If only they can get to it before Night Viper’s past comes back to destroy them.

With his massive Ziggurat almost complete, the dictator Zodiac is poised to unleash his “final solution” upon the shattered remnants of humanity. The pawns are maneuvered into place and secrets will be revealed that will change the face of the rebellion forever. Who is Zodiac? What was the purpose of Project Scorpion? Most important, will the war ever end?

7 Scorpions: Revolution is the sequel to the award winning 7 Scorpions: Rebellion.

MY REVIEW

A few weeks ago, I opened my door to go take my daughter to school and what should be sitting on the steps in a little square box but 7 Scorpions Revolution. I picked up the box and raced into the house to open it. I felt like a little girl on Christmas Day and Santa had delivered early.

Once again I was taken away into a world that was filled with possibility and wrapped up in this small band of renegades who refused to go down without a fight. The story opens up with a break in to a secret location. Part of the dialogue I giggled at right off the bat was, "Vincent's in trouble again." To which was replied, "He's always in trouble," Already absorbed into the story because of the first book, Mike did a good job at letting the readers know what had happened in book 1 and maintained the forward movement of the story.

I also noticed a lot of growth, not only with the characters, but in Mike's writing as well. His use of the English language not only has become more fluid in the story telling, but it also swept me away into a world where by the end I was thinking, WOW this could really happen.

In this book you will find a few new characters and some of the minor questions from book one left behind, are answered. Mike once again takes you on a fast paced adventure that reads like it should be a video game with lots of action. Though I don't want to give away too many of the twists and turns of this fast paced fun to read action filled book, I can tell you this. The end of the book is going to shock you the way the words, "Luike I am your father," shocked movie goers in the 70's. The final blow to the story is sure to make those who are reading the series say HOLY CRAP I DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMING!

If you haven't read the story from the beginning you will be missing out. So I recommend going and purchasing the first one, reading it then reading book 2 before he puts out book 3, which I'm sure will complete the wild ride I have enjoyed being on already!! :D

OF COURSE I GIVE BOTH BOOKS A FIVE STAR REVIEW!!

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With the way of the world heading all digital, I have to ask, how long do you think it will take before there are no longer printed books available? I still love the way a printed book feels in my hands. There is nothing like turning the pages and getting lost in the worlds writers provide for us.


So with that being said, I can't ignore the other side of the coin. I can download books to the app on my phone and take them where ever I go. The time of day doesn't matter because the screen lights up, allowing me to be transported to another reality. Also the real truth is I'm also a gadget geek. I LOVE gadgets. They are fun to play with. 

Does this mean that one day our grandchildren will be asking what we are holding when we pick up an old favorite from our shelves? Will print ever really be gone or will it become more of a collector's item like so many other things that time has forgotten?  


An article published by Smarthouse states, " eBooks Could Cost More Than Print If Publishers Get Their Way" If this is true, then there might be a possibility that print media won't go silent into the night. It won't disappear completely. 


To me, this isn't a bad thing. I do want to know what this means for writers. Is big business making it impossible for writers to be paid and why aren't writers paid more? After all, we are the reason those companies are in business as it is. 

Digital books cost less to produce transport and store, and these savings may not have been passed on to readers. Mass-market paperbacks are usually sold at the same price in paper or e-ink. And yet a $7.99 ebook will generate a profit of around $3.80 for a publisher, under the agency model. The margin shrinks to $2.25 for the physical version.


If this is true then why are writers who land on the best seller lists still making an average of 20 to 50 thousand dollars a year? Why are the profits not going to writers when we are the creators and when we no longer have a budget for PR given to us to market our work to make more sales?


Whether or not print leaves this planet and becomes nothing more than an old piece of nostalgia sold at auctions or not, is really not the heart of the whole issue.  It's a book and between the pages rests invisible blood from each stories creator. We don't write to get rich, we write and create because we love to. Big business is in trouble though and people are starting to feel the crunch. Small publishing companies, like World Castle Publishing,  are taking risks on projects that are less likely to be considered by bigger companies because they think outside the box. The risks are starting to pay off in dividends and many unknown writers are starting to build their own following.


Self published writers are taking the time to hire good freelance editors and cover artists to help put out good quality work. Others are starting their own publishing companies with the help of places like Smashwords, Createspace and other sources. These are also biting into big business and allowing the newer writers to have a chance. Yes, the work is twice as hard. However, if you have a product like my friends Mike Saxton, Elizabeth Kolodziej or Beth Muscat, then you are really getting a good story and being entertained.

Really, what makes a good book? It's the ability to tell a story that draws the reader in. It isn't big or small business. Its the hard work that has been put into each and every word. It's a book...more than a book....it's a world you can carry around no matter what delivery system you choose to use.


Copyright by Joann H. Buchanan

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Arrested for Dancing

On the day of Thomas Jefferson's birthday, 17 people set out to celebrate the Author of the Declaration of Independence by gathering at the Thomas Jefferson  memorial statue and dancing in silence. The park officers interrupted the joyous celebration by first warning the individuals then arresting them for disobeying the law. When asked what law they were disobeying, the officer avoided the question by stating again, "Sir, I'm just giving you your warnings right now. If you demonstrate you will be arrested."

Again, the question was asked, which was followed up with, "You'll find out (if you dance)" by the officer.

Once the officer was unable to state what law they would be breaking the group challenged the officer's authority with a display of movement which the officers took as "Dancing" and arrested the group.

While the 1st amendment allows for Freedom of Speech, there is an added addendum to the law that adds "FREE SPEECH ZONES"  Free Speech Zones are   areas set aside in public places for political activists to exercise their right of freedom of speech as an exercise of what is commonly called "TPM" or "time, place, manner" regulation of speech. Free speech zones are set up by the Secret Service who scout locations near which the president is to pass or speak. Officials may target those displaying signs and escort them to the free speech zones before and during the event. Protesters who refuse to go to free speech zones could be arrested and charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. In 2003, a seldom-used federal law was brought up that says that "willfully and knowingly to enter or remain in any posted, cordoned off, or otherwise restricted area of a building or grounds where the President or other person protected by the Secret Service is or will be temporarily visiting" is a crime.<sup>[47][48]  **Wikipedia** 


Demonstrations are defined as The Regulations provide that, within the park areas of the National Capital Region, Demonstrations” include: picketing, speechmaking, marching, holding vigils or religious services and all other like forms of conduct which involve the communication or expression of views or grievances, engaged in by one or more persons, the 6 conduct of which has the effect, intent or propensity to
draw a crowd or onlookers. [The] term does not include casual park use by visitors or tourists which does not have an intent or propensity to attract a crowd or onlookers.
 
So according to the letter of the law, the officers choice to arrest the group were upheld in court.

Ok so now for my own personal opinion.</sup> 



Though it may appear to some that the group of people were being disrespectful to the Park Officers and the court dismissed the claims made by one person in particular stating that her first and fourth amendment rights had been violated because the group had no literal message that could have been passed on, I still think this was a clear violation of the groups rights. They weren't doing anything seriously wrong and for the most part had the officers just stood back and let the group celebrate for a few minutes the entire thing wouldn't have been used to bog up our court systems. As it stands though, the officers behaved like bullies on a playground. The day wasn't going the way they planned and so they decided to step in and make more of a spectacle  than necessary.


The idea that a small celebration can't be held in front of the very place designed around the individual who WROTE the Declaration of Independence is appalling to say the least. It wasn't like they were trying to vandalize the place. I wonder what would happen if a flash mob decided to meet at a particular time and all just stand still in a pose at the same time.  Would the officers then arrest them for standing still?



The single question that seems to be amiss here is the simple freedom of expression. Is it really illegal to dance in silent reverence to the single person who helped create this fine land we live in and call our own? According to the courts, the answer is yes. So then I have to take this to the next level, what is a legal form of expression and why is it not unconstitutional to dictate legal forms of expression? At what point do we say hey I've had enough when it comes to my personal freedoms being violated? Why is it that the law is designed much like the speech in The Devil's Advocate. Are the rules there really to protect our freedoms or are they more control factors set about by a nation full of fear? 

The officers acted on fear, stating in court that they had no idea if this would have started a riot. To which I reply, "Dancing, to no music, in silence, start a riot? Really?" If that isn't the lamest excuse to squash freedom of expression then I don't know what is. 

There are those who will state the officers were disrespected and so the group got what they deserved. To those who would think along those lines, I ask you this question. At what point do we remember  that this nation was born out of ternary and refusal to be governed to a point of having almost zero rights? America was born out of the simple refusal to be dictated when it came to our simple freedoms. Are we really going to stand by and allow this country to be taken back to a time when the government Park Officers (Rent a cops) included could do as they pleased without consequence?

There are those laws on the books that go against everything this country is supposed to stand for. The law of Extraordinary Rendition is one example. When we turn a blind eye to the smaller freedoms being shred, it makes it easier for the bigger ones to simply disappear.




Though the group was not, so far as I know, taken out by Extraordinary Rendition, this nation, our nation, AMERICA is currently living in a state of fear. It is a silent enemy that attacks without warning and does more damage than an AK-47. We now live in a society where it is better to turn our heads and ignore what is really going on. We live in fear of economic collapse and we live in fear of another attack. We live in fear of being politically correct and have forgotten what the nation stands for. Have we really forgotten the blood that was shed for the very freedoms we say we hold dear? If the answer to that question is no, then as a nation we must look at the truth of what is going on in today's society. We focus more on who the next American Idol is rather than what laws the government is sliding in under the table. We have allowed the Constitution to be shred a little at a time and smiled about it. We have taken out loans on land to bail out big businesses who line the pockets of the very people we elect and behaved as if it's status quot. 


Since when has it been ok to not say, "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!" 


I'm not trying to start a riot here. I'm just asking us to look at the consequences before we turn a blind eye to everything that is going on in today's society. I'm asking to for this nation to say, I can dance when I want to. I stand and cheer for the people who gave us our freedoms and I can say no to laws that are not in MY countries best interest. I can do this because I am an American. I was given this right by my founders, ancestors, grandparents, parents, and all the soldiers who fight the battle of freedom every day. 


It is the very right I have been given by the Constitution so many of our governmental officials want to ignore. To those in power, I ask you to remember those of us you govern and please don't forget that we can fire you. That is OUR right. 


As for the group who only wanted to celebrate one of the founders, you have left an impact that much is sure. 


Thank you so much for listening to me during this, my own personal rant.

 

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The Blog Entourage: How to Make a "Grab My Button" Gadget by Billie Po...

The Blog Entourage: How to Make a "Grab My Button" Gadget by Billie Po...: Billie, author of The Unexpected Mother  I have a treat for you today! We have another guest blogger, who is going to teach us how to p...


I found this blog that has a lot of cool blogger tips. This one is a simple and I have been asked how to do it...so here you are. :)

Thank you to The Unexpected Mother :D
Copyright by Joann H. Buchanan

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Joann H Buchanan Author: Giveaway for I AM WOLF

Joann H Buchanan Author: Giveaway for I AM WOLF: A new GIVEAWAY!!! This week the giveaway on my FB I AM WOLF page is this beautiful silver necklace. It is in honor of the forest that set...

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The Experience Tours: Current Experience

The Experience Tours: Current Experience: The Soulless Experience On Tour: Soulless Light by Joann Buchanan Schedule: Dec. 4: Author Interview @ The Plot Thickens Dec. 5: Give...

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