The Adelfian Prophecies Series, now on Facebook!

Guess what, everybody? My epic fantasy series, The Adelfian Prophecies, now has its own Facebook page, where you can not only keep up to date on all the latest happenin's as I continue writing the series, but also take part in discussions about the series, ask questions about already-released or upcoming books, share favorite scenes or characters, talk about what the stories mean to you...and well, maybe even get a sneak peek or two.
I'd love for you to join me, so visit facebook.com/TheAdelfianProphecies, like the page, and let the journey begin!

Sneak Peek of The Second Prophecy!

As promised last week, here comes a special preview of the sequel to The Song of the Wren-Falcon!

Tentative Title: A Traitor’s Prayer

Possible Alternative Title: The Flight of the Moth

Characters: Many of the characters you know from The Song of the Wren-Falcon, but with a few new faces thrown into the mix—and, well, some old faces making re-appearances in such unexpected ways that they might as well be brand-new characters!

Conflict: Since the end of The Song of the Wren-Falcon, Adelfia has enjoyed six years of peace. Sorek and Orienne are busy with their growing family, as are Cyrus and Viette, and Ryker and Ashnin. Sorek’s biggest problems are trying to keep neighboring countries happy about trade rates, and trying to figure out where his four-year-old learned the word “disembowel”…until a message from Moritar gives him reason to fear that the peace they have been enjoying may not last much longer.

A mysterious dark power has taken hold in Moritar’s capital city. King Saras is dead, murdered by sorcery. And although the ominous turn of events points at Shekiah Hyn, the only known sorcerer remaining in Moritar, she has disappeared and not even Adelfia’s deepest spies can locate her.

Sorek fears that the peace is ending, and that things are about to take a turn for the worse. What he doesn’t know is that the Second Prophecy is about to fulfill itself in ways more wildly incredible than anything he could ever have imagined.

Old fears are about to raise their heads again. Old wounds are about to be reopened. Dark pasts will be revealed. Friendships will be strained to the breaking point. Love will bloom in impossible places. The darkness will deepen, and the cost of defeating it will climb.

What I’m Excited About: In this book I not only get to continue the personal stories of the central characters from Book 1 (characters like Sorek, Orienne, and Allegar), but I also get to dive much deeper into some of the secondary characters who didn’t really have that much time in the spotlight in the first book (characters like Gabriel, Albrius, and Shekiah). I’m so excited about this! It was hard for me to leave these characters largely unexplored and undeveloped in Song of the Wren-Falcon, but the wait is definitely proving worth it! (Now you all can get to know them as well as I do!)

I’m excited about the message of this story—in many ways a re-hash or continuation of the message of Book 1, but woven through enough plot twists and surprises to make it fresh and new.

I’m excited to introduce a couple of new characters as well…but their identities are still classified and you’ll just have to wait and read the book. :P

And of course, because I am a hopeless romantic, I can’t help being super excited about the two love stories that will play out over the course of Book 2. I won’t say much—this isn’t a spoiler post, after all—but I will say that one of the love stories will be both hilarious and heart-wrenching, and the other one will be deeply moving and absolutely gorgeous. And heart wrenching. (Sorry, that’s just the way it turned out. Don’t worry, my publisher and I are currently discussing the logistics of inserting small packets of tissues in the back of every hard copy of the book. [Some restrictions apply; not available with digital versions of the book.])

But what I’d really like to know is: What are you looking forward to in Book 2? What are you hoping to see? Share your thoughts! Who knows? If I like your ideas, you might just end up influencing the story. So don’t be shy!

So...what's next?

So now that Song of the Wren-Falcon and A Knight on the Old North Shore are out, what's coming up next from author Mary Ruth Pursselley?

I'm glad you asked!

Of course, if you're one of those who have been asking about the sequel to Song of the Wren-Falcon, let me assure you that it is in the works! I must confess, we're still in the first-draft stage at this point...but it's coming. Recent experiences with setting goal dates and deadlines for myself has led me to decide that I am not going to do so with this project, other than to say that, God willing and the Twilight fans don't attempt a world takeover, it will be out in the first half of 2016.
Since you've all been so sweet with your feedback about the book (and your reviews on Amazon make me want to melt), and it absolutely makes my day every time someone eagerly asks about the sequel, I thought I might as well give you a few little sneak peeks...next week. (Okay, sorry, but I can't help being just a little devious.) In the meantime, here's a look at what else you can expect to see from me over the next several months:

The Shadowfields - An historical novella in the spirit of The Secret Garden...with a tiny dash of Northanger Abbey thrown in. This one will be available both in print and as an e-book.

The Pirate Shrine - High-seas fantasy adventure with generous helpings of espionage, political intrigue, swashbuckling action, and maybe just a little romance. This one will also be available both in print and electronic versions.

Plus, more short collections like A Knight on the Old North Shore! I have two of these in the production stage at this point, but neither has a fixed title yet. These will be available exclusively as electronic versions, with a compilation volume of all of my short books planned to release in print eventually.

Of course, these plans are all writing-related, and there's a whole lot more than that going on in my life right now...but more on that at a later time, too. ; )

A Knight on the Old North Shore Now Available on Kindle!

Greetings, all! After a ton of delays, technical difficulties, and the complications of life, I am thrilled to announce that A Knight on the Old North Shore is now live and available on Kindle!

Click Here to download it for only $0.99. 

I am so super excited about this project, which also happens to be the pilot project of Magical Ink Media, a publishing co-op that my friends H.A. Titus and Elynn W. Marsh and I have started together.
Special thanks to Elynn for designing the gorgeous cover art, and to Heather for doing the editing and formatting. I couldn't have done it without you girls!
And now, for the rest of you, get on over to Amazon and check it out! Elves, dragons, mysterious travelers, stormy shores, unstable portals...there's something here for everyone. Be sure to post a review on Amazon as well as Facebook, personal blogs, Goodreads, and wherever else you feel inclined once you've read it.

Enjoy, everybody!

Calling All Bloggers! Free Books!

(I knew the 'Free Books' would get your attention even if the rest of the title didn't. ; ) )

Hey, everybody! As you know, my short book, A Knight on the Old North Shore, is coming soon, and I'm looking for a few enthusiastic readers to help me give it a good welcome into the fiction world.

Intrigued? Read on.

If you:

-Love to read
-Love fantasy
-Love old-fashioned storytelling and poetry
-Have a blog
-Love writing book reviews

...then send an email to editor(dot)thewriterslair(at)gmail(dot)com and tell me so. You could receive a free advance copy of A Knight on the Old North Shore! In exchange (okay, so I guess it's not entirely free if I'm asking for something in exchange, but...whatever) I'm asking you to write a review of the book (be honest--I want your sincere opinion, and you're not obligated to say you like it if you don't) and post it to your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, whatever you have. Once the book releases, I also ask that if you have an Amazon account you post your review on the book's Amazon page as well.

I'm only giving out five advance copies of the file, and it's first come, first served, so don't be shy and don't wait around!

Coming Soon: My New Release!

That's right! Since the release of my novel last November, I've been hearing from lots of you who read my book and wanted more. (Thanks, by the way! There's no better way to make an author's day!)
The sequel to The Song of the Wren-Falcon is still in the works...but it is in the works, never fear! So to tide you all over until it gets here, I'm releasing a mini-book collection of some of my short works.

A very few of you may remember my poem, A Knight on the Old North Shore, from several years ago. For those of you who don't remember, it was the first work I ever published, back in 2009. The interesting thing is that today, among those who know it, it is still by far my most popular and loved work.
So it seemed appropriate to make it the title work of this collection. It will appear alongside three other works, two short stories and another poem.
The official release date isn't set yet, but it will be soon, and of course I'll let you all know. This will only be available as an e-book, since it's so short (printing wouldn't really be cost effective for anyone involved), but it will be available in multiple formats, so no matter what e-reader you use, you'll be able to get it.
Stay tuned--I'll keep you updated on its release!

Book Review: The Sparks

Title: The Sparks
Series: The Feud

Author: Kyle Prue
Genre: Fantasy, YA

I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into when I agreed to review this book--not only is it a new release, the author is a new face in the fiction world, so I really had nothing but the publisher's information to go on.
What I found when I read the book is that Kyle Prue is a highly talented young writer with an extreme amount of potential. He had the idea for this book when he was sixteen, and now as a senior in high school he's a published author. (I know nothing I dreamed up at sixteen was worth publishing!)
The Sparks is set in the city of Altryon, a place riddled with political tension and turmoil and ravaged by a deadly feud among the families of Taurlum, Vapros, and Celerius. The genre is definitely fantasy, although there is mention of muskets and other firearms being used and the overall feel has slight hints of a historical flavor.
The story focuses mainly on the teenage children of the three feuding families. The author does a fantastic job of keeping the somewhat large cast of characters clearly organized and distinct, which is highly impressive. (I know from experience how hard it is to keep a big cast straight!) Bear in mind, these are teenage children of dysfunctional families who have been feuding, harassing, thwarting, and murdering each other for centuries. The natural result is that the book has a bit of teen angst underlying it. Ordinarily teen angst is a gigantic

turnoff for me, but in this case it was kept very low-key and, as I said, completely natural. Teens in this kind of situation are going to experience angst, it's just a fact. And each character has a unique ability--their own special 'superpower' for lack of a better term--that makes things even more interesting.
The plot itself is complex and fascinating, and the author has done a great job weaving together the individual character arcs while fitting all of them perfectly into the plot progression involving the feud itself, the political environment of the kingdom, and the growing danger that begins to threaten the main characters even more than the feud they are a part of . Not to mention, there is a satisfying number of twists and surprises to keep things interesting. The pacing of the story was perfect--the book kept me turning pages and seemed to fly by in no time.
There is some mild-ish language scattered throughout the book, and a very small amount of mildly suggestive content, so readers should be aware of that.
On the purely technical side of things, this book is printed on very white paper with an ink that is very bold and clear...as long as the light isn't shining directly on it. But when I tried to read with the book laying open on the table and the overhead light shone directly on the page, the ink was actually very shiny and reflective, making it impossible to read the words, which I found highly annoying. So, read it in indirect light or on your Kindle, otherwise you can't actually read it.
I'm not big on making predictions when it comes to things like this, but in this case I'm going to make an exception: Kyle Prue is an author to watch. I love the fact that he is aware and concerned about the tendency among teens, particularly boys, to give up reading when life starts getting busy. His conscious, deliberate efforts to write something that appeals to teens in order to keep them reading is extremely commendable.
I'm not going to say this is one of my favorite books ever, but it's definitely an interesting, engaging read that kept me turning pages start to finish. If you're looking for something different and unique, or looking for an up-and-coming author to watch, check out The Sparks by Kyle Prue.
~*~*~*~
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. A favorable review was not required.

Book Review: Fortress of Mist

Author: Sigmund Brouwer
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Series: Merlin’s Immortals

I’m honestly not sure how to go about writing a review for this book, other than just to come right out and say it: It’s appropriately named—I felt like the entire story, every scene, every character, every plot point, was shrouded in mist. I didn’t feel like I could see anything or anyone clearly. I didn’t understand why the characters did what they did. I didn’t understand what was going on, where it was taking place, or what the purpose was. In some parts of the book, with all the deceptions, double agents, and secret identities going on, I couldn’t even tell which character was which—let alone who was good, bad, or indifferent. I really just felt like I was squinting at this story through a thick fog.
I wanted to love this book—really I did. And who knows, I might have had I actually been able to tell what in the world was supposed to be going on. But as it was, I honestly couldn’t see through the mist to the fortress.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review. A favorable review was not required.

Join the Discussion!

I know that at least most of you who have ordered a paperback copy of Song of the Wren-Falcon won't have your books yet, but I also know that some of you have already purchased the e-book version and started reading. (Give yourselves a hug for me.)
If that's the case, of course post your review on Amazon as soon as possible. Nothing helps a book get off to a good start like getting some good reviews right off the bat.
But once that's done, you can also pop in at Shelfari.com and join in a discussion about the book! General impressions are welcome, of course, but I'd love to get some deeper conversations going as well. How did the book make you feel? What did the story make you think about? Do you have a favorite or least favorite character? Who, and why? What are you hoping to see in the sequel? (You know, the kind of conversation you and a friend might have talking about books over a cup of hot chocolate.)

I'm excited to hear your thoughts. Chime in and let's get talking!

The Song of the Wren-Falcon Now Available on Kindle!

Well, it's Day 3 of The Song of the Wren-Falcon's existence as a published book, and it's a special day because it's now available as an e-book as well as in print!
I know some of you awesome people out there have already ordered your own print copies, and may I just say - you rock. But for those of you who prefer the e-book format (or who just can't wait for the print copy to arrive in the mail), the e-book is here!

Click Here to download the Kindle format.

Click Here for other e-book formats.

And of course, no matter what format you read The Song of the Wren-Falcon in, don't forget to write a review and post it on Amazon, GoodReads, and blogs. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think! :D

Life and Writing Updates

No, I haven't died suddenly, or been stranded off-world due to a DHD malfunction, or kidnapped by goblins, or incarcerated by the FBI, CIA, DHS, IRS, ICE, KGB, or any other organization with the capability of making someone vanish for an extended period of time.
Well then, you may ask, where exactly have I been?
Well, for the entire second and third week of May, I was flat on my back with a massive respiratory infection. Not exactly how I wanted to get my spring started off. The last time I was sick for that long at once was when I was six years old and had pneumonia. Thankfully I'm well now. Unfortunately, I passed the joy on to my family, who have been passing it around ever since. (When your family is the size of mine, it takes a while for sicknesses to go through everyone.) We're down to the last two of us, though, so hopefully we're almost done! ; )
And then there was the internet...
We live in what many people refer to as "the sticks", so internet service is difficult to get, but we've been quite happy with the provider we were using. Unfortunately, during my convalescence, the company whose tower our provider used de-programmed our bandwidth, leaving us with no internet whatsoever. We've talked to other providers, but most of them want to chop down trees or dig trenches or charge a king's ransom just to get it out to us, let alone the monthly fees. We've found another wireless provider who can get service to us without any such drastic measures, but they're still building the tower that will be serving our area, and it won't be finished for another few weeks.

So in a nutshell, that's where I've been for the last month. (I know, only a Pursselley would have an explanation that complicated, but it's the truth.)
Then, of course, there were the wiener dogs, and the snow storm, and the tornadoes... yeah, it's been a circus.

If you're interested in an update on my writing, here's the scoop:
Son of the Shield is in the editing phase as we speak! Splashdown Books has a really unique editing system that consists of all the writers in the "family" working together on different projects. Right now, one of the other authors who writes the same genre is going over my manuscript, making corrections and suggestions. Once she's finished the ball will be in my court for a while. I'll be sure to keep you all updated when that happens!
We've already made a few changes right off the bat:

I was thoroughly embarrassed to realize that every time I thought I was using the noun "Prophecy", I was actually using the verb "Prophesy". And in Son of the Shield, that's a word that gets used pretty frequently, so there were a lot of instances of that mistake. *head-desk, head-desk*

We also added in a scene or two with Ryker Verone, one of the secondary characters, to flesh out his subplot a little bit. I certainly didn't mind that! Captain Verone is a fantastic character who I love working with, so any chance to do more with his story is A-okay with me!

We've also added a little bit of shading and layering with the main character so far, but I am not at liberty to disclose the details of that at this time. (Mwa-ha-ha-ha!) Just let me assure you that it's going to make the story even better.

The biggest change we've made so far, though, is to change the story's title. (*pauses to wait for collective gasps to die down*) Yes, I know, you've all been hearing about Son of the Shield this and Son of the Shield that for a long time - some of you for years. Trust me, it's hard for me to get used to, too. But believe me when I say it's for the best.
The truth is, I was about two years into the writing/rewriting/editing process when I realized that the title Son of the Shield didn't really fit closely with the story anymore. It was, after all, the title I had chosen literally on Day 1, the day I first had the idea for the story, and long before I really knew what the story was about. The more it grew, and the more I learned about it, the less SotS really fit. But by that time, the story was two years old and SotS was what I was used to calling it. Plus, the title could work, albeit loosely. So I just left it alone. Honestly, when I first sent it off to Splashdown for consideration, I suspected they might ask me to change the title.
And, sure enough, it was one of the first things Grace suggested after she accepted it. Unfortunately, by that time I had been living with the story for six years, so asking me to change the title was something like asking a mother to re-name her six-year-old child. I had absolutely no idea where to start. So, armed with some suggestions from Grace, I sent a query to all of my friends who have already read the book, asking them for suggestions.
They sent me quite a few, but even staring at a list I drew nothing but blanks. The story simply was SotS in my mind, and I couldn't get past that. In desperation, I sent the list off to Grace, and she made the choice. Ready to hear it?

SotS's new title is:

Song of the Wren-Falcon

Different, I know. Trust me, it doesn't sound weirder to any of you than it does to me. But I'm getting used to it. In fact, I'm even starting to really like it.

Now, that doesn't mean that I don't still draw a blank when someone hears that I'm getting a novel published and asks me what the title is. (My best friend has had to jump into multiple conversations to remember it for me, while I'm standing there blinking, saying "Um...") Really professional, I know. But I'll have the hang of it eventually... I hope.

 

So there's what's happening in my life these days. I don't often have the chance to use public Wi-fi, so I'll probably be pretty quiet for a little bit longer, until I get my internet back at home. But in the meantime, I hope everyone's spring is turning out to be as beautiful and exciting as mine is!

P.S. I'd love to hear what you all think of SotS's new title, so be sure and leave a comment to let me know!

The Hobbit, and a Yorkie's Journey to Middle Earth

Last Wednesday I brought home my very own copy of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I was so excited! I was the only member of my family who had seen it up to that point, so I couldn't wait to share it with them.
It was Friday evening before life and everyone's schedules allowed time to settle in for a three-hour movie, but settle in we did, equipped with drinks, jelly beans, and knitting. (Well... Mom and I had knitting, anyway.) With the fireplace roaring at our backs as the snow and wind howled outside, we set off on our journey into Middle Earth.
My Yorkie Terrier, Cricket, decided to join us, curled up in her usual spot on my lap. Normally, she pays little to no attention to anything on the TV screen, and instead just sleeps on my lap or snuggled down in the chair next to me. (A notable exception is the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, which for some reason holds her absolutely spellbound. So whenever she needs a haircut, I just spread a towel out in front of the TV, put Pirates in, and cut her hair while she lays perfectly still watching the movie. If it works, it works.)

For the first part of The Hobbit, Cricket stayed pretty still, dozing on and off and occasionally wiggling just enough to get tangled up in my yarn. She flicked her ears up a few times whenever the goblin army would make a sudden loud noise, but other than that she didn't seem to be paying any attention.
But then it happened: Gollum crawled his way onto the screen, hissing in his slimy voice.
And Cricket was not happy about it.
Next thing I know she's sitting bolt-upright on my lap, growling at the screen. When Bilbo spoke, she stayed quiet, but when the camera switched to Gollum and he started talking, she growled and snorted until he went away again.
Usually I'm glad to get any Gollum scene over with as quickly as possible, but Cricket was so entertaining that I was almost sorry to see him go.
But then there were the Wargs. The bravado Cricket had displayed while warning Gollum to keep his distance was quickly forgotten - or rather, flung aside in panic as she flailed her way through my knitting project and started trying to climb me.
By the time I got my knitting put down, Cricket was huddled against my chest, her claws hooked in my shirt collar, shivering and whimpering. Having experienced a similar episode when the Hulk appeared on The Avengers, I knew what was going on, so I snuggled Cricket up and tried to cover her eyes. But she didn't want that either, and kept pushing my hand away from her face to look back at the screen... only to shrink back whimpering in fear again. I guess maybe she was afraid that if she looked away the Wargs would sneak up and get her.
A word to the wise, then: if you haven't watched The Hobbit at home yet, and you have small pets around, it might be a good idea to put them in another room. ; ) My poor little Yorkie's journey to Middle Earth via The Hobbit was not nearly as enjoyable for her as mine was for me.

On that note, though, yesterday I got to watch a live behind-the-scenes tour with Hobbit and LotR director Peter Jackson, which included a sneak peak of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. They were offering it online to everyone who bought the DVD as soon as it came out. And it. Was. Awesome!
As if I wasn't dying already, waiting for the second installment of The Hobbit, they had to spend almost an hour taunting viewers with questions and answers about both An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug, snippets of production footage, guest appearances by actors from both LotR and The Hobbit, and a short finished scene from the next movie.
Those of you who watched it won't need to be told how I'm feeling right now. For those of you who didn't, let me just say that March and December have never, ever, seemed farther apart. If the theater would let me reserve my tickets now, I would. I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas - I cannot wait for The Hobbit Part II!!!
Just sayin'.

Well, I'm off now, to venture out into my own fantasy world (i.e. get some writing done). Here's hoping all of you are getting your week off to a great start!

Movie Review - Snow White and the Huntsman

*Warning: Contains Spoilers*
Well, I finally got around to seeing this movie for myself, so the friends who've been telling me to for ages can now rest easy. : )
Fairytales can be very tricky to work with, I've learned, especially when it comes to fleshing them out so that the classic fairytale coincidences aren't so... well, coincidental (i.e. 'and then the prince just happened to come riding through the woods and decided to kiss the dead princess and voila! she wasn't dead after all and she woke up! The end.), but I thought that this one was very well done in that regard. All the plot threads concerning character relationships and connections were done very nicely, in my opinion.
The characters were a bit of a mixed bag for me, though.
The huntsman was definitely the most interesting character; I loved the relationship between his backstory and his natural personality traits. Not all of his decisions made complete sense to me, (Remind me again just exactly how leaving the princess alone makes her safer than she would be with you when she's the one the evil queen is really after?) but he was still a fairly well-developed character and a rough-around-the-edges but still really sweet guy.
Snow White was rather... oh, how shall I say this?... muddled? Maybe it's the result of some residual fairytale 'just because'-ness. We know the princess is as beautiful inside as she is outside, and she's kind and warm and loving and compassionate and sweet-spirited... but we have no idea why. She's just that way, just because. The years she's spent in solitary confinement seem to have had no lasting ill effects on her, which is quite interesting considering the young age at which her imprisonment began. Due to my own pathetic lack of ability when it comes to acting, I'm a little hesitant to criticize someone else. However, I will say that Snow White was very lacking in expressiveness. I think that was what created the muddled feeling of her character - her lack of expressiveness made it very difficult as a viewer to tell what she was feeling or thinking, which made the whole thing feel confused and rather shallow. Her unwavering confidence in herself was a little odd, too. Never once over the entire course of the movie did she wonder "What if I can't do this? What if it isn't enough? Am I really the fairest of them all? Is that really enough to undo all of this?". It was just rather strange. I like characters who have at least enough sense to question themselves from time to time.
The evil queen Ravenna, while indeed exceedingly evil, was in my opinion just downright bizarre. I understand, evil people do evil things. No problem there. However, I fail to understand what bathing in a strange, white, paint-like substance has to do with being evil. At first I thought "Oh, this will come back later and be connected to something significant"... but it didn't. I have no idea what it had to do with anything at all, actually. There were also some cliche aspects to her character - portrayals of cruelty that didn't contribute anything of real significance (We know she's evil. We don't need to watch her eat the hearts of songbirds to figure that out.).
The movie as a whole was extremely dark - the darkest movie I've seen in quite a long time - with very little relief. I understand, the queen is holding the kingdom under a spell of black magic which necessarily means there has to be some darkness, but with only a few moments of relief over the course of the entire movie it got a bit depressing.
There was also a slight problem with randomness, and things just sort of dropping into the story without being attached to anything else or given any kind of a segue. The bath-in-white-paint thing was one such instance. Another one was when the huntsman and Snow White are on the lam through the Dark Forest, and he suddenly stops, hands her a knife, and teaches her one move with it. Then they're off again. But at the very end of the movie, that one move ends up being the one that both saves her life and enables her to kill the evil witch. But between those times she's successfully used a sword to fight her way through dozens of soldiers. So... yeah.
And of course there was the love triangle that was completely unresolved. All I can say is that it had better be resolved in the sequel.
On the whole, not a movie I would necessarily get excited about seeing again, but a good one to have seen.

Any thoughts from others who've seen it?

Book Review - The Floating Island

Author: Elizabeth Haydon
Series: The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Starscape
Pages: 351

I stumbled across this book in the library last week and, in spite of the fact that I had never heard of it or its author before, I was intrigued so I picked it up.
The Floating Island is the story of Ven Polypheme, a young Nain (similar to a dwarf) boy who finds himself thrown into a 'series of unfortunate events', as it were. Being attacked by pirates, nearly drowned, threatened by unintentionally-made enemies, and forced to seek shelter in a haunted inn, are just a few of the mishaps that befall him along the way as he seeks to find his way home and, at the same time, satisfy his own insatiable curiosity and desire for adventure.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I must admit, I have absolutely no idea what the dragon on the cover has to do with anything in the story - a talking cat, or a mermaid, or even a ghost wolf would have been much more appropriate and applicable - but it was still a very fun story.
My one complaint was the part of the story that hinged on the cursed spirit of someone who was buried at a crossroads, and the characters' quest to bring the spirit rest in order to restore the magic of the land surrounding the crossroads. The magic itself didn't bother me that much in and of itself, because of the author's explanation that magic was a force or energy built into creation when the Creator (and yes, she capitalized Creator) made it. I was more bothered by the ghost character who came into the story, and by some of the ghost-related circumstances that arose, however. I won't say I would never let my kids read this book, but I would definitely wait to let them read it until they were mature enough to understand the true nature of ghosts and spirits and not be confused. I would let my 18-year-old brother read it without a second thought, but I wouldn't give it to my much more impressionable 13-year-old sister.
So on the whole, a very fun, lighthearted fantasy read, but one I wouldn't necessarily recommend for the young audience it was intended for.

Character Costume Challenge - Orienne Seritan

For this 'edition' of the Character Costume Challenge (started by Gillian Adams on her blog), I decided to dress as Orienne Seritan, the leading lady from my first novel, Son of the Shield.

Orienne is a twenty-four-year-old Adelfian woman whose older brother, Allegar, is one of the six highest-ranking leaders in the nation. Allegar has been her only family since an epidemic claimed both of their parents years before, and Orienne travels with him everywhere he goes. Since this prevents her holding down a normal job, she volunteers at healers' wards (hospitals) wherever they're staying, and serves the Adelfian government and military in a diplomatic capacity when needed.
Orienne is a tough girl who can get down and dirty if she has to, but she much prefers peace and quiet. Her greatest dream is for the war between Adelfia and Moritar to end, and to settle down and start a family of her own.
She has dark brown hair, by the way, so just pretend my blond hair is brown. ; )

Orienne's shield pendant - a gift from her brother, that she wears everywhere, every day.
Normal Adelfian attire for a woman usually consists of a plain shirt with any of several variations of vest or overshirt on over it, and a garment the Adelfians call 'larrons' - basically a pair of pants with some kind of overskirt over it. There are plenty of styles and variations of these too; with the practicality of pants and the femininity of skirts rolled together, they help make any outfit both serviceable and tasteful.

"A lone mountain rose sharply from the center of the Basin, towering above everything for miles... And covering [its] slopes was Farindel. The tarekstone walls of the city's structures reflected the sunset's light, making Farindel look like a shining mounting or ivory." (from Son of the Shield)
 
I know, I know, but I just couldn't resist the temptation to replace the cows and bale rings I was actually looking at with at least a rough representation of Farindel (the capital city of Adelfia). The artwork I used for the background is not mine. I have no idea who the original artist is, but no copyright infringement is intended.

A mud-covered, purple-eyed Orienne after a very long and strenuous several days of being dragged through the mountains, fighting and running for her life, and experiencing crushing heartbreak. (Yeah... I'm not really nice to my characters.)

Orienne in much better circumstances, clean, rested, and happy. You might also notice that her eyes are now green. That's because the color of her eyes changes according to the emotion she's experiencing. There are seven basic colors that they turn, with variations and fluctuations depending on the circumstances. After all, whose emotions are ever completely clear-cut and unmixed? : P

For formal or special occasions, larrons get traded in for actual skirts or dresses. ; )
This is my representation of the outfit Orienne wears in one of the last scenes of the book - a huge, once-in-a-lifetime ceremony that she and the other main characters all get to take part in. By this time she's been through a lot physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It's been a rough journey, and she knows she will never again be the person she was before the journey began, but she's okay with that. She knows that the Shield is using every one of the events that have taken place for His glory, and she's coming to a place of accepting whatever she has to face as part of His plan... including the one last, daunting task still awaiting her completion in the very last scene of the book.

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Well, that about wraps it up for this round of the Character Costume Challenge!
Very special thanks to my brother Caleb for hiking all over the place with me and taking all the pictures. You did an awesome job, bro!
Thanks once again to Gillian Adams, who is the reason we have the CCC in the first place.
And of course, thanks to all you loyal blog followers. I hope you've enjoyed this little look at a character I've spent so much time with over the last six years. (Yep, I said six! This month marks the sixth anniversary of the very first idea I had for Son of the Shield. Man, that's hard to believe!)
I had a ton of fun doing this, and I'm already looking forward to the next edition of the Character Costume Challenge!

Until next time,
Mary

Movie Review - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey! (And a Giveaway)

*Warning: May Contain Spoilers! If you're interested in the giveaway, but don't want to read the review, just scroll down until you see bold font.*

While I wasn't able to go to the midnight premier as I had originally hoped, I was able to go see The Hobbit on its second day in theaters. Definitely the earliest I have ever gotten to see a newly-released movie. I hope I don't get uppity...
But enough of that! I'm sure you're all dying to hear my erudite and witty opinions of the film, right? (Or, more truthfully, I've already exhausted my entire family with my ravings and swoonings and shriekings and carryings-on and just need someone new to blather to.)
So here goes:

I was rather uneasy about the whole idea of The Hobbit being made into a trilogy of movies, and apparently my unease was shared by quite a few people. But after seeing An Unexpected Journey, I am no longer worried in the least.
There was quite a lot of filling in and fleshing out done, with a few additions that weren't in the book, but in my opinion it didn't harm the story in the least. (Like the air raid scene at the beginning of the movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - it just helped ground the story and set up a rich, well-developed stage.) And, it's going to make for an absolutely fabulous trilogy of movies!
Much of the additional material ('additional' meaning 'not in the book') was for the purpose of setting The Hobbit up more solidly as the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, making it a little easier for viewers to see how events are leading up to the War of the Ring. There were plenty of fun references and remarks included, too, that are only meaningful if you've seen the Lord of the Rings movies or read the books, which makes it fun.
There were other things added or expanded upon too, most of it for excitement and/or action purposes. For instance: for a resident of Middle Earth, it's perfectly natural that you should have a pack of orcs hunting you for no other reason than you tromped through their territory. But for a movie viewer, it's more exciting if the orc leader has a long-harbored grudge against the leader of your party and is hunting him down for vengeance. As I said earlier, I don't think it harmed the story at all.
I have to say, in spite of how many times I've read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, I never really grasped just how cool dwarfs could be. I absolutely love what Peter Jackson and the production team have done with the dwarf characters in this movie (and I'm totally going to have to write a story about dwarfs now!). And of course, the hats must go off to the actors who have done such amazing jobs with their roles!
I have this thing about dark, brooding characters, so naturally Thorin Oakenshield had my full attention from the get-go. But I also love the light-heartedness of the brothers Fili and Kili, which they blend perfectly with their skill as warriors. Oftentimes in characters of that type, one side is overdone while the other is left wanting, or else the transition from 'fun' mode to 'battle' mode seems awkward and unnatural. Not so with these two. They make it perfectly natural, and in fact remind me a little bit of my own brothers. : ) And of course, what's not to love about sweet, unassuming Bilbo Baggins? I love, love, love the honesty and sincerity that Martin Freeman has brought to his character, blended so well with Bilbo's feelings of inadequacy as a member of Thorin's party.

And Bilbo's speech at the end of the movie... one that wasn't in the book but is so good that it could have been... just made my heart melt. Gotta say it.
The cinematography of the movie was just as amazing as it was in the Lord of the Rings movies - sweeping landscapes that leave you totally convinced Middle Earth is a real place that is out there somewhere, panoramic shots of mountains, amazing CGI settings and graphics, and great action shots and sequences. There was just one kind of weird, distracting thing I noticed, when the dwarfs have all been captured by the goblins and the goblin king is taunting Thorin. The camera is cutting back and forth between them during their exchange, but every single time it cuts to Thorin his head is down, and he's slowly raising his eyes to fix the goblin king with a withering glare. Don't get me wrong, he's got glaring down to an art and the whole slowly-raising-his-eyes-which-are-blazing-with-hatred thing made for a great shot... the first time. The third and fourth times, it started getting a little weird. Probably just an editing error, and really nothing that even matters in light of the rest of the movie's sheer and massive epicness, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.
And the soundtrack... oh, the soundtrack! I had chills listening to the dwarfs sing 'Misty Mountains' around Bilbo's hearth, the battle music was amazing, the Ring theme came in at just exactly the right moment, and the Shire theme (also coming in at exactly the right moments) was as heart-tugging and beautifully sweet as ever.

Which brings me to the second part of this post: The Giveaway!
The Ink Slinger is having a giveaway of The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtracks, and you're invited to enter! I'm not familiar with The Dark Knight soundtrack, but it's by Hans Zimmer so it has to be amazing. And I am here to testify that the Hobbit soundtrack is one you will definitely want to add to your collection. So Click Here and get over to the Ink Slinger to enter the giveaway. And if you haven't seen The Hobbit yet, get thee to a theater and do so with all haste!

God Adventures

I'm currently reading Perelandra, the second book in C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy. I'm not very far into it yet, but one line in particular really grabbed my attention:

"A man who has been in another world does not come back unchanged."

This really resonated with me, because it made me think about my writing and how, as a fantasy writer, I have the privilege of 'voyaging', in a sense, to other worlds. Take Reyem, for instance. Reyem is the fictional world of Son of the Shield and the series following it. I've been discovering, exploring, and writing in that world for five-and-a-half years.

And I don't have to think twice to know that it's changed me.

Because of the time I've spent working on, thinking about, and praying about Son of the Shield as well as the overarching plot of the Adelfian Prophesies series as a whole, I have had to spend huge amounts of time studying and thinking about things like God's grace, His forgiveness, His sovereignty - all elements necessary to the story, that I wanted to be sure I was communicating well. Had I not written Son of the Shield, I might never have thought about those things as much as or in the specific ways I have.
While writing in Reyem I've lived through the losses of loved ones, personal disappointments and stresses, and financial struggles. I've also seen God provide comfort, solace, hope, peace, courage, as well as physical and financial needs, without fail. All of that has, in one way or another, entwined itself with my writing. Sometimes the situation I was living in helped me work through part of the story. Sometimes an element of the story that I had already worked through and poured prayer into turned out to be God's provision, ready for me even before I knew I needed it. Sometimes it was as simple as knowing exactly how to describe a character's feelings, because I had experienced them myself.

My 'voyage' to the world of Reyem and the time I have spent there have been well invested. I believe it is an adventure that God has invited me to take part in, at least partially for the purpose of teaching me more about Himself.
That's the thing about 'God adventures': they're always for a purpose, and they never leave us the way they found us.