IY: Aaaaaaaand Breathe!

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Ileandra Young

Strictly speaking I should be talking about my next fantasy creature right now. I’m not doing so because I haven’t decided that creature is yet, though you can help me out with that by picking something from this poll.

The other reason is that I would like to talk to you about ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge.’ On Saturday night I finished my final read through prior to sending the document to betas. At the time of writing, the novel is with four different readers. Two have read for me before, two haven’t.

I feel sick.

open clip art, sick smilie

I know this is part of the process and I know it has to be done, but my insides are curling up and in over themselves every time I think about it. Worse than that, I keep thinking of things I want to tweak or change. It’s been a day!

I’m going to be okay. I know that. Feedback for ‘Silk Over Razor Blades‘ has generally been incredibly positive with three clear reviews ranging from 4*-5*. ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ is just more of the same and it ups the ante. But I am terrified.

I’m writing this post mainly to force myself to acknowledge what that feeling in my gut is. To recognise that this is another part of a writer’s life and that it will pass. Well . . . I’m not sure my stomach agrees, but we’re getting there.

See you tonight! x

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IY: eBook Review: Reboot, Pippa Jay

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Ileandra Young

Reboot Cover Art

Credit: Pippa Jay

Author: Pippa Jay
Title: Reboot
Genre: Sci-Fi
ASIN: B00JD0M8DA
Length: ’26 pages’

‘”Welcome to immortality in utopia!”
From the moment Damien signed up for a perfect life with ReGen Inc., he didn’t ask any questions. He didn’t want or need to know. But after he’s rebooted this time, there are gaps in his memory he can’t ignore, and people he no longer recognizes are accusing him of betrayal. When someone dies, he’s determined to go looking for answers…but sometimes it really is better to forget.

A cyberpunk short story.

It’s been ages since I wrote a book review. I thought I’d ease myself back in with some shorts. And boy did I pick a good’un!

Cover:

five starsAwesome. Beautifully composed and very telling of what to expect (but only after having read the book – which I think is a great feature). It’s got a great ‘sci-fi’ feel without being in your face and even though I lean away from faces/people on book covers this one didn’t distract my reading of the piece.

Story:

five starsTricky to do this without giving too much away but Damien signed up for a new, immortal life with ReGen Inc and gets ‘rebooted’ if he irreparably damages his body. It’s a process he’s gone through many times before, except this time he can’t remember the events leading up to his current reboot.

I love this idea and as I was reading I could see it on screen. This story belongs in a cinema, played out with a racing score, brilliant effects and talented actors.

Characters:

four starsLike any good story the cast is minimal and integral to the fast paced plot. There wasn’t a single wasted character here and I appreciate that. Damien’s character is beautifully written with just the right blend of confusion and irritation laced through to pull us nicely through the plot. At no point did I find his musings over done or expositional, they just were.

Overall experience:

four starsI read this story while The Sprogs were in the bath and I managed it because I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Yes, it’s a short story, but it was such a pacey and exciting short story that I didn’t need to put the Kindle down as I have in the past with other shorts.
It made for a great pit-stop reading experience, which I’ve found to be something Pippa is particularly good at.

Final score:

4.5 starsAverage across all scores 4.5 which is a clean 4.5 stars.
This is the third short I’ve read by Pippa and though I’m reviewing them out of sequence, I just want to say that I’m THOROUGHLY enjoying going through her work. This short is an excellent example of pulling a reader along for the ride, letting them learn as the characters do in a way that doesn’t feel at all like you’ve been cheated. The ending of this piece is particularly jaw-dropping and rounded off a great sci-fi-mystery in a totally satisfying manner.
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RS: I Haz Planz 30/07/15

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Raven ShadowHawk

*sigh*

Anyway . . . another week down and we’re right on the cusp of a new month. How does it look?

Actions Last Weekblank calendar from OpenClipArt

~Work out how to put up Goodreads author interview . . . and do so!
Not an interview so much as questions that pop up for authors to answer. I’ve done that, but I don’t want to spend too long answering automatic questions, so I’ve not done any more. If you guys have something you want to ask about, feel free to write up a question for me here.

~Send x2 review requests for ‘Sugar Dust’ and/or ‘The Full Story’
Two more requests sent. I’ve had further confirmation this week (thanks Nick!) that reviews are really very important. I need to find a way to encourage people to write more. Not sure how yet . . . but I will.

~Locate (and put in a safe place) all the feedback for ‘Slippers & Chains: Second Base’
Done. In fact, I’d all ready done it. Or there was nothing more to add since the last time I totted up the comments. Regardless, it’s done and I’m ready to go at the novel with fresh eyes. Just let me at it!

 Activities For This Week

  1. Release the ‘Sugar Dust’ paperback (squeeeeee!)
  2. Send x2 review requests for ‘Sugar Dust’ and/or ‘The Full Story’

Thoughts…

Really don’t have much to do for now. I could cheat and put some of August’s goals in here, but I think Ileandra will appreciate what is, essentially, an additional week to clean up ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ to beta standard.

Then, and only then, will it be really my turn. ^_^

Oh, and:

Raven posing with paperback copy of Sugar Dust

Nearly ready!

Raven's Signature In Black

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RS: Tropes In Erotica – The Crass/Foul-Mouthed (Sex Addict) Best Friend

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Raven ShadowHawk

Cover art for Slippers & Chains: Sugar Dust

Available Now

*sigh* This is another trope I’m guilty of. What can I say, I actually quite like it. ^_^

Those of you who aren’t familiar with ‘Sugar Dust‘ won’t know about Cindy . . . I’m going to tell you about her.

She’s Karen’s best friend and flat mate. She’s a firm, out and proud lesbian, described as short, skinny, covered in tattoos with ice-white hair, shaved into a shoulder length strip down her head. She’s also the most foul-mouthed character I’ve written (and published) to date.

Here’s a tiny snippet, not from ‘Sugar Dust’, but from the second in the series, ‘Second Base’ which is currently with beta readers.

Cindy slapped her thigh. “Oh my fucking god, you’re going to be so high.”

“This isn’t funny!”

“It is. You get so horny when you’re high, it’s amazing. Why do you think I keep offering to cook?”

Dan inched away from the two women. He saw the storm brewing and preferred to be out of range.

“You cook because it’s your turn.”

“I cook because I get to spice up the food.” She winked.

“You spike my food?” Sam’s voice rose several octaves.

Cindy closed the small space between them and tucked a wisp of straight brown hair behind Sam’s ear. “You are so fucking hot when you’re pissed at me. That’s the other reason. I love it when you go all ‘copper’ on me.” Still smiling, Cindy shoved her girlfriend against the sideboard. “We’re gonna have so much fun tonight. You’ll be high, I’ll be drunk and we’ll fuck like bunnies until we’re too sore to move.”

This is tame, for her, but I don’t want to give away her best lines. 😉

Cindy likes sex. A lot. Like other ‘best friends’ in this trope, she makes no secret of the fact and is active and vocal in her encouragement of the lead (in this case, Karen) to ‘go out and get some.’ These characters can often (but not always) be gay too. Dunno why . . . they just are. *shrugs* Cindy is gay for the simple fact that my personal life is so full of LGBTQ folk that it feels unnatural not to include the same in my writing.

I’ve seen this character a dozen times over and though it’s usually a woman it can be a man too. What I love most about this trope, however, is that if done well, this character can tell you tonnes about your main character, just through their interactions. If readers enjoy them there is a risk that requests will come through to give this character their own story (yes . . . there will be Cindy shorts coming up one day) but given that these characters tend to write themselves, it’s a simple thing to do.

So long as they are real and three-dimensional. No one wants to read a 15,000 word sex joke, right?

 Raven's Signature In Black

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IY: Mah Plans 27/07/15

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Ileandra Young

What a day. -_- I feel a bit raw. On the bright side I’ve got a lot done this week and I’m pleased with the results. Wanna see?

Actions Last Week

~Complete editing on another chapter of the remaining secondary timeline

. . . nuff said.

checking off feedback~Read through first chunk of ‘Dead or Alive’ in full in preparation for deep edits
Not only have I read through my notes from feedback sessions with PWG but I’m two thirds of the way through deep edits. Last night I pretty much just thought ‘Fuck it . . . let’s just do this shizz.’ And away I went!
Feels pretty good to know this first part will be ready to go soon. I’ve also spent a lot of time thinking about exactly how I want to release these stories. I’ll chat about that in my monthly round up next week. 😉

~Make two review requests (in person/via email/via blogs/via strangers) for ‘Silk Over Razor Blades’
Yep, two made and as well as that I had a promo post plus a review from the extremely kind, Rachel Lawrence. Find the promo here and the review here. Heh, that put a smile on my face today when nothing else seemed to. 😉

Activities For This Week

Wheeelp . . . if I plan to meet the goals for July I need to get a bit of a wiggle on. The big stuff is done, but now it’s the nitty-gritty.

  • Complete deep edits on ‘Dead or Alive’ and leave to rest
  • Transfer ‘Walking The Razor’s Edge’ to Kindle in preparation for full read through
  • Finalise cover art for first instalment of ‘Dead or Alive.’

Thoughts…

generic calendar with mountains from OpenClipArt‘Dead or Alive’ is a fun project. I’ve never done anything like this before. I will give you all the details next month, but for now, know this: I’m working on the cover. And I’m asking for your help. If you’ve not seen this video yet, please take a moment to look at the mock ups I’ve created for different parts of the ‘Dead or Alive’ serial.

I need to know what covers/images/tones/fonts/atmospheres you like best. Not knowing anything about the book – as is often the case when you browse – which of these covers would you pick up for a closer look? Which of these designs would draw you in to read the back blurb? Which of them speaks to you of a genre you may enjoy reading?

Any and all comments eagerly welcomed and very much appreciated!

Yeeeeah, that’s pretty much it. Catch you next week lovelies. ^_^

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Posted in Goals Posts *haha!*, Ileandra's Posts, Saar's Legacy, Walking The Razor's Edge | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments