Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book Giveaway and Author Interview #NinjaSFF

I am privileged to have Brandon Ellis, the author of Star Guild, Episode Zero on my blog today.
 This book is just one of 45 fabulous  books that you can choose from here on the Ninja Writers website.

Here is Brandon Ellis!

Tell us what inspires you?
To make a difference in another person's life. I know entertainment is key when you write a story, and I think that getting people to "think" outside of the box is key as well. Not only with their mind, but most importantly, thinking with their heart. How can my book improve another person's life? That is the most important question as I write and publish my books.

What makes your protagonist different from the industry standard or genre standard?
In my books, I try to make it a fact that women are just as powerful, if not more, than men. This will be unpopular in some areas of the populace, and it will be popular in other areas. It's just my thinking and how I was raised. No one is better or worse than another, just unique and different. Nonetheless, I have some reluctant heroes that just want to live a regular life but find themselves living a remarkable and dangerous one all in the name of saving themselves and those they are with, and in some cases, saving an entire race of Beings, alien and human.


 Tell us about your book(s)!
I have two book series out right now, which is a total of 6 novels. My first series is the PureLights Series, which won an award, which surprised the heck out of me. The PureLights are a race from another time, another dimension, although they were once in our timeline and our dimension. They were from a past civilization on Lemuria, which was a large continent with a technologically advanced civilization located between Asia and America--where some parts of the Lemuria landmass still exist in America today. It's a popular mythological place, and according to Plato, it was once real. 

Before Lemuria sank, a few leaders knew about this impending disaster and found another dimension to another world, and with their thousands of followers, they traveled through a portal just before Lemuria met its fate. 

However, our story begins with two young adults, Zoey and Coda, who live in a small city bordering a large forest just outside of Portland, Oregon. There, in that forest, they discover the portal. And, once through, they enter a world like none-other, and to top it off, they find themselves transformed. Coda, a black panther, and Zoey, a skylark. 

You can imagine their shock...nonetheless...

They find themselves caught between an age old war and trying to find their way back home. Zoey and Coda go on an amazing adventure that takes them beyond the veils of everything they once knew, and into the terrifying grasp of the unknown.

Here is the link for Brandon's Pure Lights series: 

The other series is also related to a myth and our history. 

In 1849, British archaeologist, Austin Henry Layard, uncovered over 20,000 clay tablets in the Ancient Sumerian city of Nineveh, in an area now known as Iraq. The tablets told of an ancient race that had come before humans, arriving on Earth long ago and bringing with them untold technologies, and a mass genetic breeding program that the tablets claimed to have brought forth the creation of humankind.

And then these Beings left, taking with them everything they had, except the human race.

The problem is, they took some of us. And, those whom were taken have not returned, and have all but forgotten about their past and that these Beings had ever existed.

These humans are now thriving someplace else...alone.

Or, so they thought.

They are about to be in for a rude awakening.

You can find this book here!

Why do you love the Ninja Writers Facebook group?I met the founder of Ninja Writers at the Best Seller Summit in Nashville, Tennessee where four best selling authors gave us tips and strategies on how to become successful in the writing business. Shaunta Grimes, the creator of Ninja Writers, was a guest speaker there. She was amazing and inspired me to no end. I decided to join Ninja Writers shortly after that Summit and I have found no group as active as this one. It's incredible. Everyone here is unique and has a lot to bring to the table. I just hope I can give as much as I receive. 

What is the one thing you can’t write without?
A computer. ;) Well, I could probably write without one. I just love the sound of the keyboard when I type. Also, my family is huge. They give me a lot of ideas just by watching their interactions with the world.

Don't forget to check out all of the free books offered by the fabulous folks over at Ninja Writers! 

When it comes to changing your life

When it comes to changing your life, if you aren't scared, then you are doing something wrong.  - Jen Sincero

Today's prompt for NaBloPoMo is: When is the last time you did something brave?

Reading the the posts from everyone that is blogging this month were so inspiring.  My story of doing something brave my not be monumental to others but it was a huge step for me. I grew up in a very small town in the south.  Lovely town, but the yearning for something bigger could not be suppressed.   So, when the opportunity presented itself, I just packed up and moved to a much larger city in a neighboring state. I knew no one here and had only visited the city twice in my lifetime, but I am slowly forging ahead and making this my home.

I came across this article but one of my new favorite authors Jen Sincero over on the Huffington Post and she can say it much more eloquently than I can. Jen Sincero is the author of the book," You are a Badass, How to Stop Douiibting Your Greatness and Living an Awesome Life."  I am listening to the audio version and had to stop during the first chapter and order the book because I want to be able to write it in and takes notes on the pages.   One of the takeaways from this article for me is: "The key to growth is acknowledging your fear of the unknown and jumping in anyway."

You can check out Jen Sincero on here on Twitter and on her blog.

The mind of a creative person is like....

....... a web browser that has 2,857 tabs open

This quote immediately popped into my head when I saw the prompt:  "When you're having a bad day with your mental health, what do you do to help yourself?" for NaBloPoMo. 

There are days I definitely feel like that this.  Those are the days I feel overwhelmed and instead of trying to do each of my tasks one at a time, the Cannot Connect to Server error takes over my brain and I just disconnect from all of those "Open Tabs".

In the past, my go to has been fried foods, ice cream,candy bars or just a combination of all three! Have you ever tried a deep fried Snickers bar topped with ice cream?   This very unhealthy combination added to a few, well quite a lot, of excess pounds, plus feeling so stuffed, just made me want to sit on the couch and watch Pride and Prejudice (ALL versions, but that is definitely another post).

Going to the gym has been one of the most calming  influences for any anxiety I may be feeling.  The thing that makes me most happy is not a thing, but a person. I have a new grandson and I could just sit and watch him explore his new world for hours on end.

Some days though, sleeping late, eating cookies in bed and watching all of the Netflix does help.  If I am having a tough day at work,  I go for a walk during my lunch break or stop by and check in with a friendly face.  Writing or doodling in my journal is a creative way to lift my mood. Watching funny pet videos on Facebook or posting encouraging comments for others can truly brighten my day. 

On that note, I will leave you with a link to a funny pet video. 

Time to Revitalize

re·vi·tal·ize

1. imbue (something) with new life and vitality

It is way past time to revitalize this blog.  Once upon a time, I did have ideas for an informative, fun, and interesting home for my writing endeavors. My goal for 2017 will be to revitalize my blog and my writing. 

NaNoWriMo 2016 is two days away!  I actually won in 2013 but the past two years have been tough.  I came close in 2014, but fizzled out about the second week on October last year. 

My outline is almost done for this year and I have many scene ideas bouncing around in my.  I did not have much of a plan last year and certainly not a well thought out outline. I discovered last year that working without an outline does not work at all for me.  

I would like to share some links that have helped me prepare for this year:

Shaunta Grimes at http://www.whatisaplot.com/ has a great plot board video. She also has a great tribe called Ninja Writers over on facebook and leads the Ninja Writers Academy.  She is hosting an online book club in the month of November as well.

I love this NaNoWriMo bullet journal idea and have been working away on mine for 2016.

This youtube staple from 2012 by Katytastic explains how to outline utilizing Scrivener, which is one of my favorite programs ever! 

Lost by the Lake

I would love to tell you about my morning sitting on the deck by the lake, watching turtles and ducks happily splash around and birds chirping a happy song. In reality, I am sitting on the balcony of my little apartment overlooking a parking lot with the thunderous sound of nearby city traffic.  At least it is shaded by the fragrance of blooming magnolia trees and I have the glorious time to spend writing.

I have been very remiss in writing my current Work In Progress. Today however, the characters are very much alive in my imagination and I feel I must put the scenes to paper. One would think being unemployed for a month would give me plenty of time to write. Looking for a job however, has been my full time occupation. I declare an afternoon "vacation" day today to commune with my characters, and write the current scenes to free my imagination for fresh new intrigue. 

A new character in my WIP has emerged in my imagination and I feel the need to flesh him out this afternoon before I spend half my evening reading.  I love this worksheet by Rob Blair : Attaching the Flesh: A Character Questionnaire

What's on my currently reading bookshelf? 

There is a wonderful artistic workbook entitled A Declaration of You  (How to Find It, Own It and Shout It from the Rooftops!) by Jessica Swift and Michelle Word. It is chock full of wonderful advice, intentions, and declarations. 

City of Jasmine by: Deanna Reybourn. I adored her Lady Julia Grey series and Whisper of Jasmine. I checked City of Jasmine out at my local library and had to wait almost a month for it to become available. Her characters are intriguing and the plots are exciting. The dreaded slow middle does not happen in her writing and is sure to keep a reader captivated. Her website is gorgeous as well!

My Parachute is a Flower

Seasons always bring the promise of new beginnings. Spring is in the air here, bringing with it lots of pollen, thundershowers, and an amazing coolness in the air. We have had glimpses of the sun, but not much warmth. I cleaned my closet today and put away my winter clothes only to realize later the temperature outside is a mere 45 degrees.

This Spring also brings a season of job search for me. I am excited to take my accumulated skills out into my adopted hometown and meet an employer in search of my skill set.  To facilitate this search, I scoured our local library for books to start me on the best path.

"What Color is Your Parachute" by Richard N. Bolles came highly recommended. I was expecting a multiple choice personality test as was surprised to find this updated book offered much more detailed information regarding job search.

Two of the exercises that have caught my interest have been the "Describe Yourself Discussion" and the "7 Ways of Describing Yourself" flower petals. I was recently asked by a job search mentor to send a description of myself and after reading this exercise, I realize the one I wrote was highly generic and very bland. A re-write is definitely in order.

The flower exercise is one that puts the whole of job searching into perspective. There are 7 petals and each represent an area relating to a career in general. Listing my favorite knowledge areas or fields of interest took some thought to narrow it down to 8.  My preferred kinds of people to work with, salary range, what I can and love to do, preferred places, and working conditions are just part of the flower. Petal 7 was the thought provoking "My Goal,Purpose, or Mission in Life" statement.

I am fortunate that a church in my community provides a service that is beneficial to job seekers and employers. Job seekers are partnered with a mentor throughout the process. Having an expanded support group should certainly be helpful. 

But I don't read that genre!

I will admit it, I am a historical fiction and pre -1950's  cozy mystery addict. Books on the Tudors? My bookshelves are groaning. The same goes for several mystery series. So, naturally, between reading about all of these long ago kings and queens and the occasional country manor murder, there is little time for other types of works. I guess truthfully, I just don't make time for them. Henry did hare 6 wives and there are so many books to read about them!

A few years ago, a wonderful show came on HBO entitled The Game of Thrones. I was quiet happy  to find a copy of the book among my son's science fiction collection. I was even more surprised to find that I loved that book and even more than the television show. I honestly thought I had discovered some hidden treasure of a book and had to laugh at myself for being so behind the current times!

I decided this year, I would once again tackle a genre type project and read something from as many genres as possible, but with a bit of a twist. I want to read new authors, struggling writers, self published writers, and all of those in between. I want to read the writers who truly believe in what they have written and are happily marketing it their own way.

Do you have a book to promote? Let me know and I will buy it, read it, tweet about and most likely blog about it!

Here are some of the sites I will be referring to this year. Be sure to send me your link.

Indie Author Network

Awesome Indies

World Literary Cafe