tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17342234370102300522024-03-18T21:09:12.488-07:00Anna SilverASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-22708524604619336132016-11-10T16:40:00.000-08:002016-11-11T19:59:40.847-08:00The Most Important Blog Post I May Ever WriteI've been trying to write this blog post for two days. I either kept erasing what I started with, or found I couldn't begin at all. There is a whole in the world right now, and trying to speak to that seismic rupture feels a bit like shouting into a supernova.<br />
<br />
As an author, I indulge in words. I love them. I coddle them. I stroke them gently and string them like beads, wearing them with pride the way a child wears a candy necklace. And yet, there are times where I find words are woefully inadequate to express all that I'm feeling. This is certainly one of those times.<br />
<br />
To say I woke up on the wrong side of this election is a gross understatement. We are <i>all </i>on the wrong side of this. And right now the country is split not between Republicans and Democrats, nor winners and losers (for we are all losers in this election), but between those who recognize our peril and those who do not.<br />
<br />
Of course, I'm used to seeing things others do not. I am an INFJ. An HSP. An Empath. And a Projector with a 'spleenic authority' in Human Design. My natal Neptune is conjunct my ascendant in the twelfth house (Sagittarius). I am extrasensory--clairvoyant, clairsentient, clairaudient, and claircognizant. I do, indeed, see dead people (I call them "the people who aren't there"). I am a master reader and teacher of both tarot and lithomancy.<br />
<br />
I say none of this to impress you. These things are not glamorous. In fact, they are far from it. I am hypersensitive. A human barometer. And in practical application this mostly amounts to me being and feeling a mess a great deal the time. There are many occasions where my senses are feeding me an enormous amount of information that my mind struggles to process, my body struggles to hold, and my spirit struggles to translate. These are the occasions where words often fall short.<br />
<br />
And I have <u>never</u> felt about an election the way I do this one. In the last 48 or so hours, I have slogged through a fog of cognitive dissonance and wrestled with a maelstrom of extrasensory data that is near debilitating. For all my gifts, I could do nothing to stop the calamity I saw coming much too late, prefaced by an increasing sense of urgency about the need to vote as we neared the election and an unspoken horror at having Trump as a candidate at all.<br />
<br />
I do not write this as a Democrat. Nor as a liberal. Nor even a woman. Though I can be defined, in part, by those terms.<br />
<br />
I write this as an American and a human being.<br />
<br />
We owe it to ourselves, to one another, and to our children to be better than this.<br />
<br />
I wanted to take a step forward. To celebrate the first female American president. To laud that victory not just for American women, but for women all over the world. For that's truly what it would have been.<br />
<br />
Instead, I don't just find myself mourning what could have been, but as I said in another <a href="http://www.sacredvoices.net/blog/crystals-to-soothe-your-election-hangover" target="_blank">blog post</a> on my other website, mourning who and what I believed we stood for, civil liberties and religious freedom for all. Because we didn't just miss a step. We have taken a humiliating slide back toward oppression, hatred, and violence.<br />
<br />
I don't agree that Trump voters are all, or even mostly "deplorables". I know good people who voted for him.<br />
<br />
And I have witnessed enough elections and presidencies to know that a great deal of what is promised in campaigns never comes to pass.<br />
<br />
But we have, without a doubt, elected a textbook narcissist into the highest governing office in our country. And I don't mean he is arrogant. I am referring to Narcissistic Personality Disorder (Google it), a mental health condition that is near impossible to treat and is characterized by an inflated ego, an obsessive need for attention, a total lack of empathy, and a penchant for erupting at the slightest criticism. Dangerous qualities for anyone in a position of power.<br />
<br />
Good leadership cannot exist without compassion. And compassion is not possible without empathy. This is very simple math, folks.<br />
<br />
Trump has shown us who he is on the campaign trail. He will not magically evolve into the man we'd all like him to become now that he's the president-elect. A narcissist sees noone but himself. We don't exist in this man's psyche. We have erased ourselves from the conscience of the White House. Indeed, we have erased it's conscience all together. The misogyny, racism, and bigotry he used to win are not going anywhere.<br />
<br />
I cannot, try as I might, wrap my heart around the fact that we made this choice. That despite how verbally abusive he proved himself to be, and how physically abusive he was overwhelmingly accused of being, we didn't stand together for something higher. We deserve better.<br />
<br />
Let me say that last part again: WE DESERVE BETTER.<br />
<br />
Is this is how much our culture and our country still fears a woman in power?<br />
<br />
The reason I have never felt about an election the way I do this one, is that we have never had an election like this one. In the end, this did not come down to policies and platforms. It was not about trade and economics and legislation. However you chose to vote, whatever your motives and intentions, and I believe many of them were good despite the outcome, this came down to humanity. We either voted for it or against it. <br />
<br />
I would like to express something with the power to inspire, but I'm not there yet. Mending the rent in our collective anima will take time. My healing is a broken road I am just taking into view, where the light dawning ahead has yet to reach the footfalls of these last couple of days. Hope still feels a long way off. Belief, optimism--they have become points on the journey I aspire to. But they <em>are </em>there, in the distance. And that, in spite of it all, is enough to carry on.ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-22476480735864538522016-10-24T20:31:00.001-07:002016-10-25T09:25:31.610-07:00Jolly Fish Press Closes (kind of) and SONGBYRD Goes AWOLI've been avoiding this.<br />
<br />
But I promised a post by the end of the week, and now it's the start of the next week, and I feel like a <br />
heel if I keep stalling. <br />
<br />
If you follow me on Facebook, or follow JFP on Twitter, then you likely know by now that my publisher, Jolly Fish Press, has announced it is closing. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAaxWPSPZIzDPEUz9INGSN1vaIR65zqriU3KuHLYukXEObxKQRmV6BDv_uec1k41CYk3V6WU5A0lqmzbUAhK3LTimkZSmf2ib2z0U65Ezy4ave5pSb3PGCxmDgtxtJtKFFjtqu_EA4dQ/s1600/JFP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAaxWPSPZIzDPEUz9INGSN1vaIR65zqriU3KuHLYukXEObxKQRmV6BDv_uec1k41CYk3V6WU5A0lqmzbUAhK3LTimkZSmf2ib2z0U65Ezy4ave5pSb3PGCxmDgtxtJtKFFjtqu_EA4dQ/s1600/JFP.jpg" /></a>Of course, this very public announcement was swiftly followed by a series of tweets and vagaries hinting at a possible life raft, though that has yet to be confirmed. There is a host of speculation, surprise investors or a buyout, but only time will tell. Well, that and their Twitter feed. Because if you have been following their Twitter feed, then you may have caught on to the fact that many of the authors found out through the same social media routes as the general public. JFP has apologized for this oversight, but as one of the authors who was blindsided, I can assure you that it didn't make it sting any less.<br />
<br />
Part of my reluctance to post this week was that I didn't want to come online and whine at you about this, the latest in a series of disappointments that have pockmarked my writing career. Though, if I've learned anything, it's that you don't get a flawless writing career, pockmarks come with the territory. I wanted to wait until I had good news to share, or at least something more definitive for you about SONGBYRD's future. <br />
<br />
But at this point in time, a lot still remains to be seen. I can tell you my agent is on it like Donkey Kong. And really, she's among the Donkey Kongiest of literary agents around. (I'm not sure that last sentence makes any sense at all.) And I can tell you that there's a lot of reason to hope this will turn out well for SONGBYRD. And I can tell you that all the tarot readings I've done on this issue, and I've done plenty, are pointing to good things. But I still can't tell you what those things are. Not yet.<br />
<br />
You'll have to bear with me. <br />
<br />
That said, I'd like to eulogize my publisher of the last year. Though we didn't get to travel long together, I am grateful for the company. Writing is lonely work. The opportunities I get to share it with someone are like gold to me. My editor at JFP was phenomenal, full of vision and encouragement. She will be sorely missed. And anyone who is willing to take a chance on my work is someone who's made a positive impact in my life. For that alone, I am sincerely thankful. JFP was a small press, but they made a sizeable splash in their time, and it's always sad to see a reputable publisher close its doors. Fewer publishers means fewer books and less diversity in the market. And that is truly a tragedy for all mankind. <br />
<br />
RIP JFP. <br />
<br />
I wish you all the best. May your investors have deep pockets, should they choose to carry on your good name. And may the authors who remain, as well as those who move on to greener--or at least equally green--pastures, meet with big royalties, high rankings, great reviews, and enthusiastic readers.<br />
<br />
*dabs at eyes with tissue*<br />
<br />
With that out of the way, I'll sign off for a bit. But remember, keep posting reviews of SONGBYRD while it's up. Amazon will save and relink those for me. EVERY REVIEW COUNTS. <br />
<br />
As soon as I have further news about SONGBYRD's future whereabouts, I'll post an update. <br />
<br />
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ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-45573826422911177902016-10-01T08:47:00.001-07:002016-10-01T08:47:00.998-07:005 Things You Probably Didn't Know About SONGBYRD1. The original title was FREQUENCY.<br />
<br />
In my initial draft, SONGBYRD had a bit stronger sci-fi + action/spy vibe, and the working title was <i>Frequency</i>, which fit that tone. But my dedicated editor fell in love with the women of SONGBYRD and their family history, convincing me that playing that side of the story up would serve it better in the end. The revised, final edition with its gothic undertones and mythological foundation begged for a new title. We brainstormed and threw some ideas out there to see if they'd stick. In the end, <i>Songbyrd</i> won out.<br />
<br />
2. Tempest was not a character in the original draft.<br />
<br />
My original antagonist was male, older, and related to Innocence in a totally different way (10 points if you can guess who it was!). Revising SONGBYRD led to the birth of one of my favorite characters, Tempest. Restless and deviant, she represents everything Innocence fears about being a Siren. She owns the predatory nature of their lineage and has allowed her shadow side to fully take over, making her a delightful character to write.<br />
<br />
3. Stonetop is not a real place, but the Texas Hill Country is.<br />
<br />
My parents lived in a little Hill Country town called Blanco for many, many years. When I was looking for a place to set SONGBYRD, I was tired of the Houston setting, which is where I live and therefore easiest to write about. I wanted something different, something that would create a stark contrast to the moody ocean landscape Sirens have long been associated with. The Hill Country came to mind and seemed perfect. With it's decade-long drought and arid landscape, it fit the bill. Plus, after countless weekends there, I could write about it as easily as I would my own city. But I decided a fictional town was best. So Stonetop was born.<br />
<br />
4. <i>Summon</i> was inspired by a real name.<br />
<br />
My daughters had a friend named Summon (same pronunciation, different spelling), and I thought it would make a wonderful character name, but spelled like the verb. That was the beginning of the names of the Byrd women. After Summon, I decided they all needed to have similar names that hinted at their underlying personas. Of course, Innocence's name was intended to be contradictory, just like her past.<br />
<br />
5. Originally, Dalliance disappeared of her own volition.<br />
<br />
In the original version, Dalliance wasn't taken into custody for the death of Ray, but chose to turn herself in to a mystery antagonist in order to protect her daughter, leaving Innocence alone and abandoned. Likewise, she doesn't get returned to Innocence in the end, but remains aloof as the story closes with Innocence and Summon hunting her down.<br />
<br />
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ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-88312474069640326322016-09-13T15:40:00.003-07:002016-09-14T23:02:08.497-07:00Women Gone BadIn my last post I mentioned towards the end that I like to write about "bad women".<br />
<br />
I should clarify. I like to write about women doing and saying things our culture has been trying to tell us for centuries are inappropriate for women to say or do. I like to write about women making mistakes, showing self interest, and coming into their power. I like to write about the complexity of their relationships. I like to write about their independence, their sexuality, and the complicated and dynamic way in which they interact with the worlds to which they belong.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiYFcy-QKN76Fjkr_8-kOkJk5z3kNoc4X8D6lvy7J0gMpk-rfROfqlXbTne6D5zfp3FLEJkXG8Df_r0YiNizuIJ6VqylFyEoKTP2Ou6Bma9un6uRy1AF6PR4nP506nQKwLzsUOVVaeZc/s1600/Anne_boleyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWiYFcy-QKN76Fjkr_8-kOkJk5z3kNoc4X8D6lvy7J0gMpk-rfROfqlXbTne6D5zfp3FLEJkXG8Df_r0YiNizuIJ6VqylFyEoKTP2Ou6Bma9un6uRy1AF6PR4nP506nQKwLzsUOVVaeZc/s200/Anne_boleyn.jpg" width="152" /></a>I grew up loving women which were singled out as representatives of how the fairer sex should <i>not </i>behave, such as Jezebel, Anne Boleyn, and '80s Madonna. I believed there was more to them. That they could not be summed up in the seedy, one-dimensional drafts I was being given. I found their stories the most compelling, the most curious. I was hungry to know more about their motives, what drove them.<br />
<br />
Every one of my characters is born out of these women. Some aggregate of their parts.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzaao1tuiSr2AhwzzcYwMU9pL6nD2F30pAVZaXMzOQtwhLCLGjFa8z5p8ORPpfhIiyU_0XOL9im3K66__JpnjQ6vQpaeqvOk30Zlp6tGR-i8j5PGzpuBL_REcqAJtzS8e8sxWuqtPvSY/s1600/maddona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzaao1tuiSr2AhwzzcYwMU9pL6nD2F30pAVZaXMzOQtwhLCLGjFa8z5p8ORPpfhIiyU_0XOL9im3K66__JpnjQ6vQpaeqvOk30Zlp6tGR-i8j5PGzpuBL_REcqAJtzS8e8sxWuqtPvSY/s200/maddona.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
Certainly, the women of SONGBYRD are no exception. Someone recently asked me which of the characters on SONGBYRD I relate to most. And I answered that it was Innocence's mother, Dalliance Byrd. Not because I am half so deadly or interesting as Dalliance, but I can relate to the mother in her, the I-would-do-anything-for-my-kid syndrome. I am a bear when it comes to my cubs.<br />
<br />
But I love something about each of the Byrd women, even Tempest. They are all fierce in their own way. Innocence is so deeply conflicted and unsure of how to trust herself, her mother, or the world at large. Dalliance, a blaze both tragic and ferocious. Summon is a powerhouse, bright as the North Star, at the command. And Tempest is the storm brewing in every woman, the fury that hell cannot match.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUZG6zGgoDXVpuSodWpMwYDWHeFgtLdyjub0Lj7Cnt5_m7M3-BzBm7K1TzqAM6t-t5lO5k-On7J5_ETg2Ps9Z-m4km0pGWYgZvZnqlk7kYfGMf463PZ7pOGaKuNd7N3v7gxnwk42v0uk/s1600/Queen-Jezebel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUZG6zGgoDXVpuSodWpMwYDWHeFgtLdyjub0Lj7Cnt5_m7M3-BzBm7K1TzqAM6t-t5lO5k-On7J5_ETg2Ps9Z-m4km0pGWYgZvZnqlk7kYfGMf463PZ7pOGaKuNd7N3v7gxnwk42v0uk/s200/Queen-Jezebel.jpg" width="157" /></a></div>
Writing about how they interact with one another and each with their deeper selves, their fears and desires, was a constant joy. I never tire of my characters, of diving into the cogs and wheels that churn at their core.<br />
<br />
But then again, I like to write about these things in general<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;">—</span>complex relationships, conflicting emotions, multidimensional personalities. For me, it just comes easier and more naturally in regards to female characters. Maybe because I am one. Female, I mean. And a character, or so I've been told.<br />
<br />
It even extends beyond my writing to my reading. I am almost prejudice in my book selections. I rarely choose books with a male protagonist. They just don't lure me in as often. Maybe because I can't relate as easily.<br />
<br />
Overall, I adore complicated and conflicted temperaments, male or female, both in reading and in writing. I don't see the world as black and white. And so I don't reflect that in my work. We all carry the potential for good and bad within us. And from one circumstance to the next, those roles can change.<br />
<br />
I usually give my protagonists an edge<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;">—</span>a juicy flaw or bad habit, something that makes them real. And I give my antagonists a vulnerability that will trigger the reader's empathy. Because I think that hits closest to home and makes a story more plausible, and therefore more influential on the reader. And after all, that is my goal. To sweep you up in the flurry of experiences that are my character's stories, where your own troubles will pale in comparison. To have you feel as they do, to love and rage as they do. And to embrace your own complexities as you do theirs. So that in them, you may come to know yourself as so much more than black or white, good or bad, but as the dazzling, baffling, ever shifting Jackson Pollock masterpiece that you are.<br />
<br />
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</i>ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-55979672031525038092016-08-24T19:37:00.003-07:002016-08-24T19:37:59.135-07:00The Real SirensI love greek mythology.<br />
<br />
I discovered it serendipitously in my elementary school library and I was instantly hooked. I read through every book I could find on the subject, wherever and however I found them. By the time they started teaching it to us my freshman year of high school, I was already thoroughly versed in all things centaur, satyr, and nymph. I was weird like that.<br />
<br />
So it's really no wonder I ended up drawing from my love of mythology for my fiction. SONGBYRD was inspired by the mythical Sirens of ancient Greece. I wanted to bring them into the modern world and make them so real we'd never even know it if we passed one on the street.<br />
<br />
What might be surprising however, is that the real Sirens from ancient myth have diverged in pop culture somewhat from their classical origins. And while my book is contemporary in setting, I stuck to the Greeks' vision of the Siren, not today's twist on it.<br />
<br />
So what's the big difference?<br />
<br />
Well, it's a matter of parts. Animal parts, that is. (Minds out of the gutter. Keep it clean, people.) Today's idea of the Siren looks something like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmaUcBF3XFJ7Uqh5sChQ_opAi6vIDLBsrpxqPGJEbt_Xyf1ZMH_dW3C6ITf93jAZVloObggDbKKKl_yk5VoDzxdI3HWP-to1CJ2u976mgOWRVWoM8cs7mNgdvAuN5Pv2KEKGGMu51n5I/s1600/sirens-1900px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmaUcBF3XFJ7Uqh5sChQ_opAi6vIDLBsrpxqPGJEbt_Xyf1ZMH_dW3C6ITf93jAZVloObggDbKKKl_yk5VoDzxdI3HWP-to1CJ2u976mgOWRVWoM8cs7mNgdvAuN5Pv2KEKGGMu51n5I/s320/sirens-1900px.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Sultry half-fish women who lure men to their doom with the promise of forbidden sex. <br />
<br />
And then eat them. Or something.<br />
<br />
Now don't get me wrong. I love a mermaid as much as the next author. Probably more. Don't even ask me about the impact the movie <em>Splash</em> had on my malleable, innocent, child's mind. But the true Sirens weren't mermaids at all. And they weren't necessarily beautiful. The ancient Greek version looked something more like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oolGS65BOdJ0cQU2X_jeQydmALLDS3OePc-CJM0Vk9_nOL8un0YgeHiMhI7cD0gkdrK6OfWU_cHTNG7ImrSc6CAG7VwRWjJTPLcKnJCQRy72D4YAWQUuneAGcFedTLhDS2jPnY__IM4/s1600/O21_1Seirenes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oolGS65BOdJ0cQU2X_jeQydmALLDS3OePc-CJM0Vk9_nOL8un0YgeHiMhI7cD0gkdrK6OfWU_cHTNG7ImrSc6CAG7VwRWjJTPLcKnJCQRy72D4YAWQUuneAGcFedTLhDS2jPnY__IM4/s1600/O21_1Seirenes.jpg" /></a></div>
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Deadly half-bird women who lure men to their doom with their hypnotic singing voices.<br />
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But don't kill them—not directly anyway. They just kind of watch as their ships crash to smithereens.<br />
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Of course, when you think about it, birds make more sense. Fish don't sing. At least, I don't think they do. Unless you count whale noises. Which are eerie and haunting but hardly alluring enough to lead to certain death. Birds, on the other hand, are the most beautiful vocalists on the planet. And we have a history of associating feathers and wings with heavenly and spiritual messengers. Just think of angels and fairies. And while angels and fairies may seem benign, in older folklore they quite often were considered dubious if not outright dangerous.<br />
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I'm not sure the ancient Greeks were getting all hot and bothered over Sirens the way we do today. But then again, that's our culture. We hypersexualize everything, especially everything female. And to be honest, I did draw on that tendency in SONGBYRD, raising questions (and eyebrows) about female sexuality, about where the ethical line in the sand is drawn in regards to women using their attractiveness and appeal to get ahead, and whether our romantic idea of one woman to one man is the only viable one. <br />
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So in all fairness, I guess you could say I drew inspiration from both wells. That of the winged minstrels of ancient Greece and the femme-fatal fish women of today. <br />
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I love both takes because, as I so recently replied to a reader's question at the reading/signing I did earlier this summer, "I love bad women." You know that saying, <em>women who behave rarely make history</em>? Well, they also rarely make for interesting characters. But give me a woman of ill-repute, someone who breaks all the standards her culture and society place on her, someone who lives by her own rules, trashes her reputation, and torches the family's good name. Someone infamous, or dangerous, or at least moderately offensive. And I can spin storytelling gold with that. One thing all my books have in common are "bad women". Or bad girls one the verge of becoming bad women. And SONGBYRD is no exception. In fact, it's the gold standard. Every woman in this novel is questionable at best. And that's exactly how I like it. <br />
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You can see why the Siren mythology was irrisestible to me. I hope you find it equally delicious while reading SONGBYRD. <br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Songbyrd-Anna-Silver/dp/1631630741" target="_blank">Click Here</a> to purchase SONGBYRD now!</div>
ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-77258211211549481762016-08-18T10:44:00.001-07:002016-08-18T10:44:15.292-07:00Paperback in Hand<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Songbyrd-Anna-Silver/dp/1631630741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471542196&sr=8-1&keywords=songbyrd" target="_blank">SONGBYRD</a> has finally had its print release!<br />
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After a couple of setbacks due to distribution issues, one of which pushed us more than a month beyond our original release date, I can at last announce gladly (and truthfully) that <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Songbyrd-Anna-Silver/dp/1631630741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471542196&sr=8-1&keywords=songbyrd" target="_blank">SONGBYRD</a> is available in paperback as it has been in ebook. No more "Preorder" status on Amazon. You can buy and expect to receive your copy promptly!<br />
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And my own paperbacks came in only days before ...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4dDslVpkbTSxPvspljuUEh-wSMDL6dAQhxSosYRYe1p39NEPE8secfR1l2QT9jm1b2sxW_Wf3JUNSFo9dBzr-G1BixB5oAwjumtwAfPyo2fc8I1Jc6LQW4iVGsegw94_Jkp0F7fGs3A/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4dDslVpkbTSxPvspljuUEh-wSMDL6dAQhxSosYRYe1p39NEPE8secfR1l2QT9jm1b2sxW_Wf3JUNSFo9dBzr-G1BixB5oAwjumtwAfPyo2fc8I1Jc6LQW4iVGsegw94_Jkp0F7fGs3A/s320/books.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is my first experience with a genuine print release, so it's been a learning experience in many ways. I'm so grateful to my publisher,<a href="http://www.jollyfishpress.com/" target="_blank"> Jolly Fish Press</a>, for giving this read a chance. And also to my agent, Thao Le, who has been by my side through the whole process.<br />
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Most of you will not know that <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Songbyrd-Anna-Silver/dp/1631630741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471542196&sr=8-1&keywords=songbyrd" target="_blank">SONGBYRD</a> began its journey quite differently, including having a different title, and underwent extensive revisions to become the speculative gothic treat it is now. While it was always dark, my novels typically are, there was a very different angle to the original manuscript which we exchanged for a richer family history and more sinister female lineup. I love the finished product. I hope you agree.<br />
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The delays we experienced on my paperback release took the wind out of my sails a bit, and made the actual release date feel a little anticlimactic. But I'm ready to get on board with promoting this work now that it's out there. Keep your eyes peeled for some up and coming event dates as well as a<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.2px;">—</span>fingers crossed<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 19.2px;">—</span>rigorous blog tour.<br />
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If you're a blogger interested in reviewing <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Songbyrd-Anna-Silver/dp/1631630741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471542196&sr=8-1&keywords=songbyrd" target="_blank">SONGBYRD</a>, you can contact me via my contact form on my website.<br />
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For all other readers, do me a solid and hop on Amazon once you're finished to leave a reader review! This is truly the highest compliment you can pay an author you like. And I love chatting books and characters and all manner of book geekery with anyone who will listen, so you can always contact me with questions or comments about any of my novels.<br />
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If you want to hear more about me, my work, my writing process, and then some, be sure to tune into Joy Ride on <a href="http://www.radiobrave.com/" target="_blank">RADIO BRAVE</a> next Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. for my first-ever radio guest appearance!<br />
<br />ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-43029670741248599042016-07-25T20:47:00.000-07:002016-07-25T20:47:12.653-07:00STRANGER THINGSI have recently dived in to Netflix's new series, <em>Stranger Things. </em>I will try not to spoil anything, but all I can say is ...<br />
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What's not to love?<br />
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This tromp through '80s nostalgia is just rich enough in plot to work, with the perfect amount of predictability and vintage cheese to balance it--all told through the acting of old faves like Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine as well as plenty of new faces.<br />
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Imagine E.T., Goonies, and the more recent Super 8 all rolled into one delicious rice ball. Plus, a few shout outs to Poltergeist and Alien mixed in for flavor. There's a troupe of adorable Dungeons & Dragons nerds (I use that as a term of endearment. We've played D&D with our son. Sadly, I am not cool enough to be any good at it). An orphan girl turned LSD lab rat. A classicly down-on-her-luck single mom. A gaggle of good-for-nothing teenagers, a la Brat Pack. A blue-collar small town. An elusive government science lab. And a missing boy. Did I leave anything out? Oh, and an unidentified predator from another world lurking in the shadows. <br />
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Toss in a dozen LOTR references, memorabilia from my early childhood, bad fashion, good music, and credits with a font that looks like it was ripped straight off the cover of a vintage Stephen King paperback. As well as all the obvious tropes like man-pain and slut-shaming.<br />
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If you aren't entertained by the mysterious monster/psuedo-alien plotline, then you will at least be titillated by the best '80s version of seek and find since Hot Tub Time Machine. I've already spotted a <em>Dark Crystal </em>poster in Mike's bedroom. And I'm pretty sure Steve's bedroom might be the same set from Weird Science. Just sayin'. <br />
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And then there's Will's older brother, Jonathan, who is like the love child of River Phoenix, Christian Slater,<em> and</em> Leonardo DiCaprio. Maybe with a little of that Terminator kid thrown in for good measure.<br />
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My favorite quote thus far? "Science is neat, but I'm afraid it's not very forgiving."<br />
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Favorite '80s find? Barb's stirrup pants as she sulks on Steve's diving board. Don't believe me? Rewind that mother and look again. You'll see 'em. She slipped the stirrups off her heels.<br />
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My favorite character? Steve's hair. It deserves its own Twitter handle.<br />
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If you haven't binge watched it yet, scoot it up on your to-do list. But don't blame me if you don't like it. They had me at the <em>Dark Crystal </em>poster.ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-36799940155287349982016-02-19T12:15:00.002-08:002016-02-19T12:15:24.752-08:00SONGBYRD Cover RevealThe journey to realize and manifest a book is like nothing else I know. You spend months (at least in my case) dreaming up these characters, making them so real in your mind that they are as close to you as any of your friends. You pour emotion into them. You decide things like what their favorite color is and what they snack on or watch on t.v., what kind of music they like, what makes them cry. And then you tell their story. Day after day, you sit alone and listen for their voices. And you write exactly what you hear, seeing it all unfold in your mind and trying desperately to do the whole thing justice. Because, godammit, they chose <em>you</em>. And that feels important and blessed and fragile all at the same time. Even if you're not going for a Pulitzer.<br />
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And once your book is done, you go through it all over again in some twisted, other-dimensional reality known as "rewriting". And then you do that a few more times because <strong>it always feels like you only get one shot. </strong>And then you beg, and maybe pay, friends and editors, or editors who are friends, or vice versa, to do it with you and for you. And then you give it a final once over. And this will be the last time, you promise yourself.<br />
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This is where it should be done, right? Wrong.<br />
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Now you begin the long process of submitting. Maybe you have an agent, maybe you don't. You try to sum up all the glory and emotion and gruel of your novel into one page called a query letter. And again, you go over and over this thing until your retinas bleed because <strong><em>it always feels like you only get one shot.</em></strong> And you send this to dozens of strangers and hope and pray and wait. And wait some more. And wait until you feel like your head is going to cave in on itself with the emptiness. And you try to write other things and do other things. You take up knitting or join a critique group pretending you are moving on and have let it go. But really, it's all just more waiting.<br />
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A 1,001 ways of waiting.<br />
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And then you land said agent, if you hadn't already in some previous version of these same crazy events. And guess what? You start over at the beginning. You get to read and write your whole story all over again, a few more times if your agent is good and as invested as you are. They call it revising this time, but deep down you know it's all really the same. And why do you do this? Because <strong><em>it always feels like you only get one shot. </em></strong><br />
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By now, you know your novel cover to cover by heart. Your patner catches you reciting passages in your sleep. And you are tinkering over details like, "Do I really need to mention the flats she's wearing in this scene?"<br />
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And when your agent feels confident you have polished that novel to a high, undeniable shine, you start over at step two. Now they get to send out the letters, but you both go through the waiting. Again, you write other things. Make up other characters. Take up hobbies like watching paint dry. And then, if all goes well, you land a deal. And now it's finally done, right? Wrong.<br />
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Go back to step one. Only this time, with an editor. Which is kind of like revising it with your agent if your agent was the love child of Edward Scissorhands and Howard Hughes (<em>Bring the milk</em>.<em> Bring the milk</em>.). You write the flats out. You write them back in. You change the color. Twice. You change them to heels. And then you write them out again, this time for good. And you labor and you love and none of it is in vain because <strong><em>it always feels like you only get one shot.</em></strong><br />
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And somewhere out in the universe, some other stranger is going through a similar process with your cover. Dreaming up concepts. Mocking up concepts. Asking rhetorical questions to an otherwise empty room, "Is she too pale?" Handing it off, getting it back. And so on and so forth.<br />
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And then one magical day these two labors of love come together, and a book is finally born. And the pride and joy are overwhelming. <br />
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Today, well, technically a day a couple of weeks ago, is one of those days for me. We went through three other covers before settling on this one. SONGBYRD wasn't as easy to capture in pictures as it was in words. But I think this cover does a solid job. It's dark, mysterious, and alluring. And that really sums my story and my characters up. I hope you love it as much as I do!<br />
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SONGBYRD releases June 7th. It is available for preorder on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Songbyrd-Anna-Silver/dp/1631630741/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455912529&sr=8-1&keywords=songbyrd" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/songbyrd-anna-silver/1122804554?ean=9781631630743" target="_blank">BarnesandNoble</a>. <br />
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ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-3929796869912957752015-09-03T14:45:00.002-07:002015-09-03T14:50:54.653-07:00Authentic Alignment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNLIQGqP6sJX8LeoGWK0oCPxP_a42zXJ5nqQoHHHxtD4MnYqyGnHN2ySL9BaSTYnTni34hxrsHcGm3W7Yvlk1dZdzNPqs_Zjjek781Jzaxx7q1xPg3t-aDQ-rPlRh0JVZQcuEsN1U464/s1600/file000275854435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNLIQGqP6sJX8LeoGWK0oCPxP_a42zXJ5nqQoHHHxtD4MnYqyGnHN2ySL9BaSTYnTni34hxrsHcGm3W7Yvlk1dZdzNPqs_Zjjek781Jzaxx7q1xPg3t-aDQ-rPlRh0JVZQcuEsN1U464/s200/file000275854435.jpg" width="150" /></a>The definition of a rift is "a crack, split, or break in something", or "a serious break in friendly relations". The implication here is that wholeness must first exist for a rift to occur. </div>
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I have become a rift.<br />
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In the last six months, some part of me deviated from the rest, hijacking my life, and the gap inside grew wider and wider until <em>no</em> part of me could function anymore. <br />
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Our brains like to classify things, to divvy them up with neat little labels that define each part in a tidy sum of words. But separate from one another, our parts are as good as dead. I'm not a brain or a heart or a liver. I AM that which lies beyond the sum of my parts. That mysterious circle of me is the property we call <em>spirit</em>. It is the whole self<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #a1a1a1;">--</span></span>beyond ego, beyond mind, beyond personality. And it houses what I like to call the "authentic self". <br />
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The authentic self has a list of Core Needs, and every one of them is as essential to our "thrival" (more than mere survival, our ability to thrive) as air and water. When we try to shut one or more of these needs down, the result is interior chaos and exterior dysfunction, a rift in the self, a schism of the spirit, a tear in the very fabric of who we are.<br />
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So what do you do once you've found yourself a house divided? How do you heal to move on?<br />
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You must shift into a space of authentic alignment, reconnecting with each and every piece of yourself, and taking inventory of <em>all </em>of your Core Needs. Like a chiropractor for the soul, aligning with your authentic self restores balance to your whole being. Energy flows, life is renewed, and the journey becomes effortless. <br />
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Here is what the last six months have taught me: I journey as a whole, one grand and glorious being, or my journey ceases.<br />
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Opposite of the brain, the heart brings things together, unifies, incorporates, harmonizes. The road to authentic alignment lies through the heart. Through the powerful alchemy of love, through self acceptance, compassion, and nurturing our <em>whole </em>being, we find the strength to pull ourselves together again. The heart holds dominion where the rational mind has no power. And when logic and reason fail to put the pieces back in order, as they inevitably will, love finds a way. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXf5uNIegH7ybNdsXaILjW25PzYqX9u-qkvKEc1UOS-_WXLZvTeDSERiE4G6yMXUImbIkBMODC4s3-jkY6asdshFc-T1lOhyphenhyphendTd3-MJ5b3CPiBrF13aJgQ7H6As_X4svOmV-teB7cQ8w/s1600/AnnaSilverSig.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXf5uNIegH7ybNdsXaILjW25PzYqX9u-qkvKEc1UOS-_WXLZvTeDSERiE4G6yMXUImbIkBMODC4s3-jkY6asdshFc-T1lOhyphenhyphendTd3-MJ5b3CPiBrF13aJgQ7H6As_X4svOmV-teB7cQ8w/s200/AnnaSilverSig.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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You can read more about my journey to wholeness <a href="http://www.sacredvoices.net/blog">here</a>.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXf5uNIegH7ybNdsXaILjW25PzYqX9u-qkvKEc1UOS-_WXLZvTeDSERiE4G6yMXUImbIkBMODC4s3-jkY6asdshFc-T1lOhyphenhyphendTd3-MJ5b3CPiBrF13aJgQ7H6As_X4svOmV-teB7cQ8w/s1600/AnnaSilverSig.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<br />ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-8144011494506168342015-07-06T18:39:00.003-07:002015-07-06T18:39:42.250-07:00On Being Acquired ... AgainI intended to write this post shortly after the announcement went live that my YA speculative novel, <a href="http://blog.jollyfishpress.com/2015/06/jfp-acquires-new-ya-contemporary.html?m=1&utm_content=buffer72066&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer">SONGBYRD</a>, had been acquired by <a href="http://jollyfishpress.com/">Jolly Fish Press</a>. That was a month ago now. You can see how easily I fall behind. The struggle is REAL, y'all.<br />
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However, the upside is that I've been spending my spare time on revising said novel in order to bring my readers the very best work I can. For those of you who've read OTHERBORN and/or ASTRAL TIDE, this novel will be somewhat of a departure from the Anna Silver you're used to. SONGBYRD has a contemporary setting and characters, but it boasts the kind of fantastical twists and turns that are turning out to be my calling card. I really can't wait for you to get to read it!<br />
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Already brainstorming cover art concepts, I've been struggling to settle on one image or one concept to represent this novel full of complex characters and circumstances. And I guess some of that may be because I'm still revising, and the work is shifting under my fingers, taking on a new, final form that still has yet to fully reveal itself. It's exciting to watch this final version of SONGBYRD emerge, but also a little frightening. I never know exactly where a novel is going to take me, or how the characters may surprise me along the way. And I know it sounds crazy, but I often feel, once I reach a certain point, that I have very little control. Yet I know editors, critics, readers--everyone will hold me responsible for the words and actions of my characters. As I grow as a writer, I bump into this quandary more and more. I have a desperate, almost feral, need for the work to be free. To feel uninhibited in my writing. And at the same time, I feel a growing sense of responsibility for what I put out there. This is my voice. This is my opportunity to make a difference. Especially because I'm writing YA. I might be molding young minds *shivers uncontrollably*. <br />
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I feel a growing empathy for other authors who have been targeted and criticized for work that falls short of the high ethical ideals we <em>think</em> everyone should be writing about, or who have been treated as condoning the behavior of a character of theirs simply because they wrote it. (I'm not naming names. NOTICE, I DID NOT NAME ANY NAMES.) And I empathize with the critics as well. They're not wrong to point out some of the things that they do. I don't think there's a hard and fast line in the sand for us to follow. I think the waters we authors are swimming in are so murky we're lucky to venture back out alive and in tact ... mostly. <br />
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I know for myself, I write characters who intrigue me. And the characters who intrigue me most are troubled. They're complex, neither good nor bad. They muddle with all sorts of conflicted emotions like self loathing. They often make terrible choices. I know, I watch them do it in my head. It's like watching an old horror movie. You tell the cheerleader in her pajamas at summer camp not to go into the boathouse alone at night. You shout and scream and throw popcorn at the T.V. screen. But you know this character. And she is determined to meet up with that hot counselor from Cabin B, even if it means she has to bleed out after being carved up by the machete killer who's been stalking the camp grounds. There really is no stopping her. SHE WANTS TO DIE.<br />
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Anyway, this was not the particular rabbit hole I planned for this blog to go down, but here we both are. I hope when SONGBYRD comes out that it challenges you in unexpected ways. And I hope when that happens that you don't overthink it. I hope it's fun, and juicy, and keeps you up at night. Please don't emulate my characters. Love them, hate them, read them. But never, ever emulate them. Learn from them. From their mistakes. Let them raise questions they can't answer. Nor can you. And when that happens, don't come to me. I usually can't answer them either. <br />
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ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-74207300324953234182015-04-14T10:30:00.000-07:002015-04-14T10:30:10.466-07:00New (Old) Work on Wattpad!Hey folks! <br />
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So I've <em>finally </em>posted my novel, Divine Intervention, in its entirety on Wattpad for your reading pleasure. Keep in mind, this was the second novel I ever wrote, but it was also the first to get some serious agent/editor attention. And while it never placed, I was proud of it just the same. <br />
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I billed <em>DI </em>as <em>sub</em>urban fantasy--the love child of Percy Jackson and chick-lit with a Mesopotamian twist for YA readers. What a mouthful! But that pretty much sums it up. Hinging on my love for ancient mythology of all kinds, I wrote this to be a savvy, funny, and at times bawdy take on the gods and goddesses of old, a sort of diary of a teen demigoddess. I was informed by an agent later that this is called paranormal lite, and its frowned upon in YA. But it was a joy to write and I'm happy to be sharing it with the rest of the world finally. Intended to be the first in a series (aren't all YA?), the ending may leave you wanting more. And in truth, you may have to go hungry. I'd love to write a sequel, but realistically, I have more pressing work and very limited time. I have put it out there that if I reach 10,000 reads on Wattpad, I'll write and post a free sequel. That said, I am woefully short of my mark, so don't get your hopes up. <br />
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In any case, I hope you take some time to give it a skim and who knows ... maybe you'll get sucked into Sadi's world of covert lords and bitchy goddesses all rolled into the typical, and not-so-typical, drama of high school. Enjoy! (Click the cover image to link to it on Wattpad!)<br />
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ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-89096618260148986422015-02-18T09:04:00.002-08:002015-02-18T09:04:41.243-08:00Where's My YA?Recently, I visited a bookstore. <br />
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This used to be something I did all the time. But as I stated in a previous post, I've been on ... sabbatical? Hiatus? Take your pick of nice, colorful words. I was still reading, but not as much, and definitely not as much fiction. I had some healing to do. My focus was on getting my head back on straight and catching all that life was punting at me. <br />
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Back to the bookstore. Having finally decided it was time to get my arse in the saddle again, I headed to my nearest retail literature outlet to stock up on some juicy pages. I made a bee line for the YA aisle(s), as that has always been my favored cup of proverbial tea. And then I proceeded to wander restlessly up and down, picking up novels, slamming them back on the shelves, nodding my head, and muttering under my breath. Several teens fled for fear of the "mentally unstable lady talking to herself". <br />
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What happened to YA while I was gone? <br />
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Where were the angst ridden tomes of my past? <br />
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What's all this crap written in verse? Why are the paranormal creatures so woefully underrepresented? Where's the fantasy? The imagination? The sweeping landscapes and over-the-top romances this genre is known for? <br />
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Now, hear me out. I'm sure there's a lot of wonderful work on those shelves. I'm not criticizing the work of other authors. But I definitely felt like a major shift had happened, and the YA I fell in love with was gone. I'm curious if anyone else feels the same. Or maybe my particular bookstore is not a solid representative. In any case, please, <em>please </em>fill me in on what you've been reading and loving. Because I am lost in this new sea of contemporary fiction and thrillers. I need guidance. And if you've got a secret stash of PNR, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and their hybrids somewhere, let me in on the password!<br />
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ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-45332738769491936222015-01-11T19:43:00.000-08:002015-01-11T19:56:58.732-08:00New Year, New Work, New PossibilitiesWow. <br />
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WOW.<br />
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Long time, no post.<br />
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I've been ... well, in fact I've been hiding. Recovering from the implosion that was my life in 2013, and the shrapnel and PTSD that lingered on into 2014. I had little that I would have dubbed worthwhile to report. And my plans for the Otherborn final book have all but disappeared behind a mountain of new responsibilities. I'm not sure I'll ever dig them out again. And for a while it seemed this whole author shindig might just be a wash. <br />
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In truth, it's still hanging by a thread. But it's a thread I refuse to let go of. If I have to chew my way through life in order to keep my fingers firmly knotted around this one, small thing for myself, then I will. <br />
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For now, that means snatches of time and snippets of words, and an agent I feed pages to the way the Romans must have fed the lions in the Coliseum--gnarly bones and scraps of old gladiator until a fresh kill could be arranged in proper "spectacle" style. <br />
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And while I sometimes miss being able to sidle up to my pc morning after morning in my Mr. Roper bathrobe, chugging coffee and chapters until the kids come home, I'm glad to be writing at all. And I'm proud of the work I'm doing, whether it goes anywhere or not. AND, I must admit, my life is full of many wonderful things which have truly been a blessing to me. There's probably a little more balance now. I'm told that's a healthy thing.<br />
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I would like to see more time and energy go back into writing in 2015. I'd like this to be the year I <em>remember </em>how it feels to really grind a novel out. One that I'm so immersed in it's hard to come up for air. I wrote a novel last year. I even like it. But I didn't feel present for much of it. <br />
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In truth, I don't know what 2015 holds for Anna Silver. I hope some good things. Maybe some big things. I'd be happy with <em>any</em>thing. Just so long as she's still here. So long as I still get to be her. I think she has a lot to say yet. <br />
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We'll see.<br />
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ASilverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753869242739596584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1734223437010230052.post-53999231171719767432014-06-20T05:30:00.000-07:002014-06-20T08:18:21.771-07:00EuphorYA Guest Post: RaShelle Workman
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<em>Welcome to EuphorYA, A Speculative Fiction Scavenger Hunt! I am so excited to be the first stop on this amazing adventure in YA fiction and bringing you the post of renown author, RaShelle Workman, whose work I am a personal fan of. Here's how EuphorYA works. Everyday several blogs will be hosting the posts of EuphorYA authors. Contained within each post is a secret word. You can locate this word by its color (blue, red, or pink), and by the fact that it will be both bolded and italicized and embedded within the content of the post. Visit each blog for that day and string the words together to form a phrase. Then enter that phrase in the rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win one of three prizes! In addition, every author on every post will be giving away their own personal prize in their own personal giveaway. So you have tons of chances to win! And each post contains special content from your favorite authors that you can get nowhere else. Which means everyone is a winner in EuphorYA! Enjoy! ~Anna Silver</em><br />
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Welcome to Anna Silver's blog, the first stop on the EuphorYA scavenger hunt. Be sure to hit all of the blogs today AND don't forget to stop by the Facebook party. Click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/627730590650828/" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: large;">HERE</span></b></a> for the link.<br />
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I'm so excited to talk to you today about my newest novel, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-So-Beastly-Book-ebook/dp/B00KHZ2F1A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402416264&sr=8-1&keywords=a+beauty+so+beastly" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f1c232;">A BEAUTY SO BEASTLY</span></a>. It comes out July 3rd, but is available for preorder at only .99cents on Amazon.<br />
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It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. But if you've read any of my fractured fairy tales from the Blood and Snow world, you know that my retellings are... different. </div>
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There's:</div>
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Snow White with a vampire twist. ~ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Snow-Volumes-1-12-Season-ebook/dp/B00BH6IPEO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1402418257&sr=1-1&keywords=blood+and+snow" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">BLOOD AND SNOW</span></a></div>
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Cinderella just might be a witch. ~ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Cindy-Chronicles-Complete-Volumes-ebook/dp/B00GV10GMO/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0VJVFYH2DK3VYWD3DW47" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">THE CINDY CHRONICLES</span></a></div>
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Jasmine is... well, you'll have to read that series to find out. Know this, she's awesome! ~ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Lies-Blood-Snow-Season-ebook/dp/B00JAQ40XI/ref=pd_sim_kstore_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=0J9P5NNVT4QEHFD2958S" target="_blank"><span style="color: cyan;">VAMPIRE LIES</span></a></div>
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Here's the summary for <b>A BEAUTY SO BEASTLY</b>. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">“For your vanity, your cruelty, and your cold unfeeling heart, a curse I leave upon you . . .”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">What happens if the beauty is also the beast?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">The stunning Beatrice Cavanaugh is considered American royalty. She has everything except the ability to love. Cursed on her eighteenth birthday, she becomes more beastly than ever, having a newfound craving for raw meat, and an undeniable yearning for the night. Bitterness is her only companion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">After accusing a maid of stealing, a disgustingly kind and exquisitely handsome guy named Adam shows up asking Beatrice to drop the charges against his mother.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Infuriated by his goodness, Beatrice vows to break him. Destroy him. Make him hurt the way she hurts. So she agrees. On one condition: Adam must take his mother’s place as a servant in the mansion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Because Beatrice won’t stop until he’s more beastly than she is.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19px;">I'm so excited to share an</span><b style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large; line-height: 19px;"> EXCLUSIVE </b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19px;">first look at the beginning of </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 19px;"><b>A BEAUTY SO BEASTLY</b>:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nearly eighteen years ago…</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Go, Lenora. They cannot catch us.” Fisher pressed his nose against her furry cheek, urging her on. His whiskers tingled with the realization that the Locanis were close. Too close. If the werewolves caught them they would kill them. As the last of the Vaktare royalty, Fisher and Lenora and their unborn child had to survive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fisher glanced back, peering into the dark night. Heavy clouds covered the night sky. Occasionally they would part, revealing the large full moon. They were so high in the mountains it almost looked as though the moon had touched down and that if they kept running, they’d run right into it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Leaves blew in the brisk wind, casting shadows along the ground. A strong smell of smoke wafted through the air and Fisher knew the werewolves had burned their homes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He faced forward, and quickly glanced down, making sure the pendant was still there. The red stone gleamed in the moonlight. He then turned his attention to Lenora. His mate carried the child that would save their species and restore peace between the werecats and the werewolves once again. At least that’s what their medicine woman explained, giving </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fisher the pendant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I can’t do it.” Lenora stopped, panting. He smelled her fear, her fatigue. She swayed, her swollen belly nearly touching the ground before she caught herself. Then she stood, wrapping her clawed paws around her pregnant mound. “Our child is unhappy with all the running. It’s making her sick.” As though to prove the point, she retched on the ground. “It’s making me sick, too.” Lenora fell onto her side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fisher moved close, taking a protective stance over his eternal companion, sensing the Locanis were close. The werewolves wouldn’t be merciful if they caught him and Lenora. They would slaughter without remorse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Life in the realm of Hiraken hadn’t always been that way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the beginning the Locanis had been the Vaktares’ guardians. They’d been created to keep the Vaktare safe. Over time, the two species had become so much closer than that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They’d become allies. Instead of master and servant they were equals. In their human forms they’d erected entire cities and built pyramids. In their animal forms, they’d hunted together, using the strengths of each species to capture their prey easily.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every Vaktare was born with a distinct advantage over the Locanis. They were each born with one special ability. Whether it was telepathy or conjuring or the ability to see the future. Each ability depended on the individual.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fisher had been given the gift of conjuring, which was why he would be able to use the pendant. Lenora was given the ability to control the elements. But since she’d become pregnant, it took too much energy for her to use the power.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the end, even the Vaktare with all of their abilities hadn’t been able to keep Locanis from winning the war. Their numbers and their will to be free made the Locanis stronger. Oppression was the ember that ignited the flames of freedom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It had been Fisher’s father, Kevoney, who’d betrayed the Locanis and enslaved them once again. He’d declared that the Vaktare were the supreme species and established laws to put the Locanis back into the position he believed they were designed for. Servitude.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After many hundreds of years, the Locanis and the Vaktare grew to despise one another until finally the Locanis rose up and destroyed all of the Vaktare, except Lenora, her unborn child and Fisher.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those chasing Lenora and Fisher were the worst of the worst of the Locanis. They had been his father’s servants. And </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kevoney had not been a kind master. He’d been ruthless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the Locanis howled not too far in the distance. Others howled in response. There were at least a dozen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Please, Lenora. Get up.” Urgency caused him to roar. “If we can get to the top of the mountain, we’ll be able to jump realms. It isn’t far.” Fisher backed away, waiting for her to stand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lenora’s legs shook and wobbled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Oh,” Lenora cried. “I think the baby is coming.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fisher feared they were dead. “How much time do we have?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Her ears twitched and she shook her head. “Minutes, possibly just seconds.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fisher knew there was no way to predict when the child would come but he wouldn’t let them give up. Coming up behind her, he shoved his head against her back leg, helping her move.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another set of howls told Fisher the werewolves were gaining fast. He paused, closing his eyes. He needed a spell that didn’t require any ingredients, something that would slow the werewolves down. If only Lenora could use her talent and create a great thunderstorm to conceal and wash away their scent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What is it,” Lenora asked, her breathing heavy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fisher opened his eyes. She looked exhausted and sick. He couldn’t imagine what she must be going through. But if she could use her power . . .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lenora seemed to understand. She took a deep breath and Fisher immediately felt the winds pick up. Dark thunderclouds appeared in the sky and it began to rain heavily. She closed her eyes, focusing. Fisher watched her sway and he ran to her. He stood up on his hind legs. He could change into his human form, but then all of his werecat strength and agility would leave him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So he lifted Lenora in his front paws and began walking the remainder of the way up the mountain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">That high up, the wind whipped fiercely against their faces, slapping through their fur, stinging their skin. He kept going, bowing his head against the elements his wife had created.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Stop you mangy cat!” Even through the downpour it was easy to hear his words. They cut through him with force. The wind blew downhill, toward the werewolves, but he could still smell them, their anger.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It had been the leader of the pack, Adam, that addressed him. The werewolf was young and arrogant, but he was also fearless and exceptional in the art of killing. Many Vaktare had died with their throats in his mouth, their blood dripping from his fangs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">“It’s okay. </span><b><span style="color: blue;"><i>Keep</i></span></b><span style="color: #222222;"> breathing.” He spoke softly to Lenora, keeping his back to the werewolves.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lenora opened one eye, giving him a look that said if she had more strength she’d claw his eyes out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I know. Sorry,” he whispered, a wisp of a smile on his face.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She rested a paw against his cheek. He leaned into it, setting her down. He would use the pendant. If they weren’t close enough to the gateway, it didn’t matter. They were dead anyway</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Turn around, Fisher. Don’t be a coward, like your father. Face your death honorably.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fisher’s hackles rose. He wanted to make the werewolf pay for his insolence. Instead he chanted the words for the incantation. The wind and the rain kept the portal hidden until it was nearly big enough to jump through.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Go,” he shouted ferociously, shoving Lenora through its opening.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fisher took a step toward the portal, but Adam was suddenly on his back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“So you are a coward,” Adam hissed, sinking his teeth into Fisher’s shoulder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With a mighty heave, Fisher pulled Adam off him, trying to snap his neck. “You’re a lot of talk, Adam.” Fisher noticed the gateway was already starting to close. He took another step toward it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adam stood, shaking his head. Then he charged. Fisher planted his feet. Adam lowered his head, preparing to ram Fisher. At the last second, fisher sidestepped and leapt into the closing portal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He heard Adam howl in frustration just as the gateway closed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was dark in the new realm, but his enhanced sight allowed him to see that Lenora was on her side, breathing heavily.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Lenora,” he shouted, running to her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She didn’t speak. As the baby came, Lenora let out a loud roar. Then fell silent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fisher took the child and cleaned it. “Lenora,” he whispered, when the baby started to cry, it’s a girl. We have a baby girl.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where he’d been so excited for the child, he now found that he had no emotion at all. He was in his human form, as was Lenora and the child. “What should we call her?” The question seemed appropriate, though he couldn’t feel a need to name her. It was strange. He remembered he’d had emotions, what it was like to smile, to love, but he couldn’t find where they’d gone. The medicine woman had explained that when they crossed into the human realm, all emotion would vanish. She’d said that in order to shut away the werecat part of them, the enchantment would also seal all emotions as well. Otherwise the spell wouldn’t be strong enough. He hadn’t believed such a thing was possible. But it was true.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I feel nothing,” Lenora said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Neither do I. That’s what she said would happen.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lenora closed her eyes, nodding. “We’ll name the child, Beatrice.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Agreed.” Fisher glanced down at his naked chest. The pendant was gone. He remembered when Adam rushed him, as he’d moved to the side, he’d felt a tugging. “Adam has the pendant.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“He won’t be able to use it. He has no power. We are safe.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Fisher nodded, but a strange buzzing from deep inside made him think otherwise. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyS0xJ5s3YGsqaVNRMYF6vvA0XFIVfdShOaCGu_3ECBz_q9N0YvBJIE7pKdHxVm5Va_JbP8nL3OoHohuUHK5jElLA0eTX4eG13PGZj3TBSNriDmRCbV7R9i72-Ckr5Nt9nQe069U8U8g/s1600/6-7-14me2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGyS0xJ5s3YGsqaVNRMYF6vvA0XFIVfdShOaCGu_3ECBz_q9N0YvBJIE7pKdHxVm5Va_JbP8nL3OoHohuUHK5jElLA0eTX4eG13PGZj3TBSNriDmRCbV7R9i72-Ckr5Nt9nQe069U8U8g/s1600/6-7-14me2.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">RaShelle Workman is an international bestselling author. She writes fractured fairytales with bite and young adult science fiction that's out of this world. RaShelle likes cherry pie, movies, family adventures, and chocolate. If you want to get on her good side, send chocolate. RaShelle's sold more than 500,000 copies of her books worldwide. Sleeping Roses, Exiled, Beguiled, and Dovetailed have foreign rights contracts with a Turkish publisher.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Her books include:
</b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sleeping Roses
</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Exiled</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">
Beguiled</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">
Dovetailed</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">
Blood and Snow (1-12)
</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Cindy Chronicles
</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Vampire Lies (Blood and Snow Season 2)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Short stories:
</b><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rose, Undercover
</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cindy Witch
</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Hunter's Tale
</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gabriel</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">After the Kiss</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Zaren's Travels</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Visit www.rashelleworkman.com to join RaShelle's EXCLUSIVE mailing list and be entered to win a signed paperback copy of Blood and Snow volumes 1-4 (Special Edition). And be sure to like her Facebook page for all the latest news: https://www.facebook.com/rashelleworkman</span></div>
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<em style="background-color: transparent; font-size: x-large;"><strong>EuphorYA Scavenger Hunt Blog Stops</strong></em><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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Here's the schedule for the EuphorYA Scavenger Hunt. Each blog stop features exclusive content from one of our authors as well as a giveaway.<br />
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Collect the blue / red / pink colored words to make the daily secret phrases.<br />
Then enter for your chance to win the Grand Prize Giveaway--$75 Amazon / Nook gift card (first prize only), books and swag (first, second and third prizes).<br />
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<b>Day One Stops, Friday ,June 20 </b>- <span style="color: blue;"><em><strong>Blue Phrase</strong></em></span>
<a href="http://www.annasilverauthor.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Anna Silver</a> | <a href="http://chloejacobsworld.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Chloe Jacob's World</a> | <a href="http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Elana Johnson</a> | <a href="http://booksbyintisar.com/blog/" target="_blank">Books By Intisar</a> | <a href="http://www.alicross.com/index.html" target="_blank">Ali Cross</a><br />
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<b>Day Two Stops, Saturday, June 21</b> - <span style="color: red;"><em><strong>Red Phrase</strong></em></span>
<a href="http://elisabethwheatley.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Elisabeth Wheatley</a> | <a href="http://www.catseyechronicles.com/" target="_blank">T.L. Shreffler</a> | <a href="http://www.rashelleworkman.com/" target="_blank">RaShelle Workman</a> | <a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.kellywalker.net" target="_blank">Kelly Walker</a> | <a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.hannieclark.blogspot.com" target="_blank"> Hannah L. Clark</a> |
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.christydorrity.com" target="_blank">Christy Dorrity</a><br />
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<b>Day Three Stops, Sunday, June 22</b> - <span style="color: magenta;"><em><strong>Pink Phrase</strong></em></span>
<a href="http://rhiannon-hart.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Rhiannon Hart</a> | <a href="http://natashahanova.com/" target="_blank">Natasha Hanova</a> | <a href="https://www.blogger.com/www.tracyebanghart.com" target="_blank">Tracy E. Banghart</a> | <a href="http://authorkaitlyndeann.wordpress.com/blog-posts/" target="_blank">Kaitlyn Deann</a> | <a href="http://www.jadiejones.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jadie Jones</a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">EuphorYA Giveaway</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/701ca029/" id="rc-701ca029" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span></b>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Some of Beatrice's Favorite Things </span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJlJvxWzSCcOOabBweUqyeZSgZSHOCNP5dbNi9XMTsDhKbkQ2-ErCbiqhVFg9pDMyojNp8SHPy9xBGbk6mKppOyC7lMWqfjzgCIwpkrmChxKGOtUKSxXAKMTPsbK-B4gHWrTVnZ95CBk/s1600/beautygiveaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJlJvxWzSCcOOabBweUqyeZSgZSHOCNP5dbNi9XMTsDhKbkQ2-ErCbiqhVFg9pDMyojNp8SHPy9xBGbk6mKppOyC7lMWqfjzgCIwpkrmChxKGOtUKSxXAKMTPsbK-B4gHWrTVnZ95CBk/s1600/beautygiveaway.jpg" height="234" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/62100917/" id="rc-62100917" rel="nofollow"><b><span style="font-size: large;">a Rafflecopter giveaway</span></b></a>
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