Shannon McRoberts Author Interview

1) Can you start by telling us a little about yourself?

I am just your average mother and wife.  I work all day at a desk job that doesn't pay enough and is rather boring.  But, I am grateful to have the job and I get to practice writing while there b/c I have to write a lot.  I love to play MMORPGs when I get a chance, but between my fantasy worlds in the books and the fantasy art I create I don't have a lot of time to game anymore.  Oh and then there is day job work.  BLEAH!   

2) How did you get into writing?

I went to a lot of schools where you had to write.  I've written many technical papers and many technical things at the jobs I've had.  However, creative writing actually started for me with poetry.  I don't know what it is about poetry, but in 3 seconds I can tell if what I wrote is good or trash.  Prose isn't that easy.  I tried many times to make stories, but it took me until 2004 to actually get an idea and start writing it.  That turned out to be The Secret of Genetic Corp X.  Then I had an idea for another story that I thought was trash and gave up.  I later resurrected it to become a major part of Athine Verses: The Beginning.  

3) Let’s talk about one of your books. What is it about?

Verses of Athine:  The Daughter of Ares Chronicles is about Athine, the Daughter of Ares, and the world she lives in.  Through out the story she meets and interacts with notable mythological characters you may know...Zeus, Hera, Ares, Dragons, Vampires, Vlad....or do you know them?  I have been told I take mythology of all kind and turn it on its ear.  You really should visit the trailer I made for the book too.  I'm not the best trailer maker, but the art work is all my own and it is set to some cool music I purchased at Renderosity.    

4) What inspired you to write the book? Are the characters based on anyone?

I love fantasy and things with strong female leads.  I have watched too much Buffy, Xena, and Red Sonja to ever write a lady in distress romance.  My ladies pick up giant weapons and have larger than life powers.  I think Athine is probably a part of myself.  Really all of the main characters can be said to be small pieces of me, but what writer doesn't have at least one character that is the embodiment of them.  

5) Are you working on another book at the moment?

The next book in my series Cursed Bloods has been started and outlined.  I am trying to sit down and write it.  I find it hard to do sometimes!  I think this one may be close the 50,000 word mark because I have 12,000 in and no chapter has been completed yet AND I don't have half of them written :)  I also have a brief idea about what book 6 in the series may bring and possibly a few short stories.  

main site:  www.shannonmcroberts.com

book site:  www.daughterofares.com

twitter:  @obsidianpoet

blog:  obsidianpoet.blogspot.com

trailer:  http://youtu.be/NzWjYUkZq60

Maer Wilson Author Interview

Today we're changing gear from the usual review as my blog is taken over by fellow indie author, Maer Wilson. Enjoy!

1) Can you start by telling readers a little about yourself?

Thanks for having me on your blog today, Terry. I grew up wanting to act and did that professionally until I was in my early thirties. From there I retired and went into business and later teaching Theatre. I have pretty eclectic tastes and enjoy doing a variety of things. I’ve always loved to read, and have been interested in fantasy and later science fiction for many years. I’m a gamer and play several MMOs. Yep, more fantasy and sci fi there. I co-host a literary podcast called MythBehaving and write for two fansites. I have two dogs who are my little loves and keep me entertained.

2) Can you tell us how you got into writing?

I’ve been creating characters for years, beginning back when I acted, so that part of writing, I’ve been doing for ages. About twelve years ago I tried my hand at a musical play, which was pretty awful. But the story was solid and I was able to rewrite it into a non-musical screenplay. It worked much better in that format, but I never did anything with it. After that, I didn’t do much until Relics.

3) Can you tell us about your book. What's it about?

Relics is a Contemporary Fantasy that takes place in San Francisco and follows the exploits of husband and wife detectives, Thulu and La Fi. The couple’s clients are usually dead, which is fine with them since they work only with the supernatural. But their simple job to find lost relics for an ancient daemon turns into a grand adventure when the creatures of myth and magic return to Earth, confirming that humans are definitely not alone.

4) What inspired you to write a story like this? Are the characters based on anyone you know?

No, not at all, the original inspiration came completely from the names Thulu and La Fi. It started as a lark, pretty much. These characters came to me when I made up the names to use as nicknames for some friends. The characters’ pull was so strong I decided to keep the names for myself and see where they took me. They took me into a world that has become loads of fun to visit.

5) Is there anything that you are working on at the moment and can you tell us a little bit about it?

Book 2 in the series is currently with my publisher. I’m working on Book 3 and have two short story prequels in the series, one of which will be coming out soon. While telling almost anything about them would give away spoilers, I will that the series didn’t go where I originally thought it might. The story is far larger than I had anticipated.

Maer Wilson and her book, Relics, can be found at the links below:

Maer’s Website: http://maerwilson.com/

Maer’s Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maer-Wilson-Author/149085628472833

Maer’s Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MaerWilson

Relics at Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17767013-relics

Relics Paperback at Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Relics-Maer-Wilson/dp/1939173310/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1_E8ZZ

Relics Kindle at Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Relics-ebook/dp/B00CLB6HUI/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1_DARZ

Relics at Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/relics-maer-wilson/1115158495?ean=9781939173317

Relics - The Book Trailer link on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un2PHs5oGwg

Crashing Down to Earth Launch

Hi all! Friday is finally here and so are the release details for my new book!

Hayley Foster is a woman with a secret. Her flatmate is her guardian angel. But with the terrifying events of two years ago firmly put behind them, Hayley finally dares hope for a quieter life for her and Alex to enjoy.

But it is not long before the old angel’s past comes back to haunt him in the form of an ex-lover. As Alex tries to protect Hayley though, it quickly becomes apparent that far greater powers are at play, far bigger than either of them could ever have possibly imagined.

Join Hayley and Alex in the first part of their epic journey as they try to save Glasgow, as well as each other, from doom.

Crashing Down to Earth will be available from Amazon and Smashwords this August.

The Dragon Thief Review

There be dragons and merfolk off the starboard bow in JL Mbewe’s short story, The Dragon Thief. This is the first work I’ve read by the author and it acts an introduction to her forthcoming trilogy of fantasy novels, set in the same fictional world. 

Semine is a student living with merfolk far from home, training to become a Guardian. But while carrying out her studies, she is contacted by her mentor Raven, who tells her that the teachings of their order are a lie. I can’t really say much more than that without spoiling the story but put it this way, Semine has to decide whether to become a rebel or stay the course with her studies. 

I did enjoy this story. It was quite intriguing and had some fresh ideas, mostly with the merfolk characters, for a fantasy novel. There were a lot of interesting environments as well which were beautifully portrayed. 

Unfortunately, I feel the story failed to hit home the gravity of how serious Semine’s rebellion would mean if she chose to walk that route. The story did enough to leave the impression that she would get into trouble. 

But when the book only gives you a vague impression of what the Guardians do and poorly references the ancient, sacred rules they follow, it leads to a lack of understanding about what she is doing wrong; or in fact what the Guardians are apparently doing wrong. It is slightly confusing.

Also there were a few typos and silly errors in this book, especially near the start. If you let these slide though, it is a very well told, well rounded, engaging short story. 

It gets 6/10.

Crashing Down To Earth Cover Reveal

Well chaps and ladies, in a break with tradition, I am posting on a Monday (Oh my god! Drop everything!).

Anyway, as the title of this post suggests, I'm going to be revealing the cover for my new book. It will be revealed first on Facebook, followed by on here. Besides the cover reveal, there will also be a preview, extract, and release date details. 

All this wonderful stuff is coming your way this Friday at 6pm, BST time.

Unfortunately I can't say more than that for now. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Friday. Stay tuned. ;)

The Starship Damrey Review

Ever woke up alone? Ever woke up alone stuck in a cryogenic pod with no way out on a seemingly pilotless spaceship? I thought not. 

This week I have been playing The Starship Damrey on the Nintendo 3DS. This game is classed as a horror and the trailers add well to that impression. However, unfortunately, after a short while, the tense atmosphere dissipates. 

As previously mentioned, the game starts with you waking up in a cryogenic pod. You cannot get out and the computer informs you that being in suspended animation may have led to amnesia. What you must do next is hack into the computer system. Once you’ve done it, it seems quite simple, but the first time you play, you will eventually resort to smashing buttons. 

Anyway, once you’ve hacked the computer, you then in turn hack one of the onboard robots. The robot acts as your eyes and ears for the rest of the game as you explore the dark - and seemingly abandoned - Starship Damrey. 

There are two scary moments early on, but after that, the game becomes really tame. For a while you will be looking up and down dark corridors to see if something is going to jump out. But after about the second hour, you won’t care anymore; simply because, there is nothing there. 

The game also gets quite monotonous after a while, degrading itself to a simple game of moving one item to another area, followed by the same again and again, and again, until your eyes bleed. If only robots could cry or bang their heads against the wall in frustration. 

The graphics are also a bit ropey, but I’ll let that slide as this is a short game and it was made by a small studio. The cut scenes, however, are just beautiful. 

One thing I will say is it’s refreshing to play a game that doesn’t have instructions or tutorials. Game hand-holding is something of a pet peeve of mine, especially on the consoles. Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an example that spring to mind, what with an instruction booklet, a poster with instructions and a separate disc with the same ones on it. Talk about patronising. I used mine as a coaster. Assassin’s Creed is another series that is becoming worse with every progressive title. 

But I digress. 

The Starship Damrey does finish with a clever twist, but I don’t feel that is enough to save it. I think it’s a shame really. It is one of those games that starts off really promisingly and has a lot of good ideas; both story and game play wise. These should have been expanded on a lot more and the game would have been much better. 

The Starship Damrey gets 5/10.

Woochi The Demon Slayer Review

If you’re into obscure movies then they don’t come more obscure than Woochi: The Demon Slayer. Considering it had a full size production team and a large cast, it’s surprising that this movie doesn’t have a Wikipedia page. And that is surprising when we live in an age when everything has a Wikipedia page - including my toothbrush. 

Anyway, despite sounding like a poor man’s Harry Potter rip-off with the title, Woochi, tells the story of an arrogant, womanizing wizard, of the same name. After getting into a fight with two goblins, then being tricked, Woo-chi and his friend are imprisoned in paintings for five years by three demi-gods. Realising their mistake in modern day South Korea, (the good Korea *thumbs up*) and needing help to capture the same two goblins, the three wake Woo-chi and his friend up and ask for their assistance. 

While running around cities and having fights in urban settings for the next hour or so, Woochi has to contend with the man who killed his master five hundred years ago, and who tricked the three demi-gods. 

The premise sound s a little silly, but if you watch the film, it is pulled off really well. The acting is sincere and the fight scenes are very impressive, as are the sets. 

Also, I don’t know why they’re called goblins. The two goblins Woochi and the others are trying to capture look like a rabid version of Splinter from TMNT and a pissed off Easter bunny. They couldn’t look less like goblins, to be honest. 

                                          ^ See? Pissed off Easter bunny. Stay well back.

That said though, the CGI of the monsters is a bit ropey. There’s a scene where Woochi fights then early on in the film and they just stick out like the over-personified animals that they are. 

Fortunately the rest of the fight scenes are between humans, so they are visually more pleasing to watch. The other times special effects are used are also better than the haphazard monsters. 

If you don’t want to watch Woochi for the story, then I would still say watch it for the comedy and the fighting. There are a lot of jokes in the two hour film, most physical based, with some great one liners thrown in. 

The story also gets a little confusing towards the end, and I’m not quite sure that I still fully understand it, but hey, this is still a well rounded film and one that deserves a lot more attention that it’s got to date.

Woochi: The Demon Slayer gets 7/10.