Guest Posts
Guest Post with Bruce Skye, Author of Grayrider & Giveaway
I’m very pleased today to Welcome Bruce Skye, author of Grayrider to Peeking Between the Pages. I really enjoyed his novel and you can see my review of it here. Stay tuned at the end of the guest post with Bruce for a giveaway. Read on to gain some insight into what Bruce thinks about creativity and writing.
Why Not? by Bruce Skye
To be quite honest, I have no idea how someone can write fiction successfully and not be creative. Robert Kennedy said “Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say, why not.” If writers can’t think that way, how can they can they devise the kind of plot twists, in-depth characters and suspense my novels have?
To show what I mean, let me share portions of just a few of the reviews of my fantasy novel Grayrider:
- His great character development and strong story line make this a great read.
- Grayrider was a very good read with lots of twists to the story. I really look forward to another book from this series.
- The story line moves at a fast pace and keeps the reader very involved. I found that I could not put the book down.”
I write what I do for the simple fact I’m a creative person. I’m happiest when I’m working on a novel, in creating new situations the heroes must deal with. And it is always a challenge to give new depth to a protagonist and make him or her more real for the reader. Even though I write fantasy, making the characters—both bad and good—real for those reading my words is important. That adds a great deal to the suspense of the plot.
Creativity is essential to write good novels. I can’t see how you can do it otherwise. Another reviewer commented about me:
- I think this series has potential as Mr. Skye has a very creative imagination that will allow the adventure to continue to grow in original ways.
She’s right. My imagination is quite vivid and I try to make every novel in this series a very different story from the last. The second volume of the Deathsong Chronicles is a direct result of the climax of Grayrider. And the third is a very stark contrast to the first two. And in all of them, I work to keep my readers on the edge of their seats.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A former technical writer, detail is important to Bruce Skye. His research for the Deathsong Chronicles included medieval armor and fortresses, as well as Celtic names and magic. “If you create a world, it must be consistent. And that’s what I strive for Grayrider’s world to be. I’ve built a database of material for each of the Deathsong Chronicles. Those databases aid me in keeping the world the same from book to book.
“When I wrote Grayrider, I followed the advice of Stephen King. I did not write the book following any sort of outline. I have no more idea than my readers do when I write a novel what will happen in the midst of the story. It makes it more exciting for both the readers and myself.”
You can visit his website at http://www.bruceskye.com/.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Gabriel, the exiled king of Rivalin, comes before King Airell to warn him the Ansgarian army will invade his kingdom before the night is over. Airell tells him he has no one to send. Gabriel wants revenge for the murder of his family by the Ansgarians. He decides to fight the incursion without help.
As this takes place, Deirdre (Airell’s daughter), flees the kingdom of Cynyr north of Boadhagh. She knows now her mentor, Morrigan, created the Ansgarian army her father has fought for years. She goes south to warn him of her. Because Deirdre does not believe in herself, the young sorceress has difficulty in performing magic.
Once she is reunited with her father, she tells both he and Grayrider about Morrigan. Her power is growing; only Gabriel’s magical sword may yet destroy her. He must go to Cynyr to fight her. He agrees if Deirdre attends him, seeking her counsel. On that journey they fall in love and foil many efforts by Morrigan to kill Gabriel by both armies and sorcerers.
Grayrider fights Morrigan and sees his beloved slain by the sorceress before he is finally able to kill her. He returns to Rivalin brokenhearted. The ending is a -complete surprise the reader will not expect at all.
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The Giveaway: In Honor of the Book Giveaway Carnival at Bookroom Reviews, my gently read hardcover copy is up for grabs. The rules are simple…leave me a comment with an email address and I’ll draw for a winner on Monday, March 9. This is open worldwide. Good luck!
Visit Pump Up Your Book Promotion here.
Guest Post with Jennie Nash, author of The Only True Genius in the Family
One of the questions I’m being asked about most often with The Only True Genius in the Family is what I believe true genius to be. A perfectly fair question, right? But a really hard one to answer! Philosophers and great thinkers have been pondering that question, or questions like it, for thousands of years. In coming up with what to say, I thought about my main character, Claire, a woman who is plagued by doubt about her ability to make art. She is caught between her famous photographer father and her painting prodigy daughter, and she is convinced that genius skipped a generation in their family. Claire could have bowed out of the family business. She could have said, “I think I’ll become an accountant, instead, or a marathon runner or a CEO of a multinational corporation.” But she didn’t. She felt called to make art, and she fought for the right to do it—a right that she had to grant to herself.
What Claire finds, in the end, is her own creative voice. Instead of worrying about her dad or her daughter or what anyone thinks, she just makes something because it feels right and good. That’s what I think true genius is: figuring out what you are meant to do, daring to do it, and feeling wholly alive in the process.
Guest Post with Lloyd Lofthouse and Giveaway
- Leave me a comment here telling me you’d like to enter. Be sure to leave me an email address to contact you.
- Read my review, leave me a comment on it and get yourself another entry.
This giveaway will be open worldwide. I will draw for a winner on Monday, February 2. Good luck everyone!