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Ramblings from Lady Rosalie and her guests...concerning new releases, life as a published writer and general stuff...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Hunted, Haunted, Homesick. As seen on Museitup Blog this week.
How did Caleath get in this mess?
Hi, my name is Gwilt and I am one of Caleath’s traveling companions. I don’t recommend trying to pin him down for an interview, but I can recall a night when he seemed less reticent than usual. I too wanted to know all I could about this stranger to our shores. So I risked asking him some questions concerning his journey. Here is my version of what transpired.
Curious, I asked…
“Where are you going? How is it that you speak our language? Chesney told me you speak all dialects?”
“What is this? Question time?” Caleath sipped the stew I offered. “What did the smith tell you?”
I was grateful light from the lantern left my face in shadow, as Caleath seemed to search for signs of derision. “Mostly he talked about the sinking of the Albatross. Why did you risk falling off the edge of the World? To get here? Why here? There is nothing for you here but more grief. Why do these assassins hunt you?” I paused to gather my breath.
“For starters, there is no edge of the world. This is a planet like so many others, a sphere.” Exasperation seemed to fade as Caleath continued. As though conversation could keep despair at bay, Caleath’s tone mellowed. His attention seemed to focus on appeasing my curiosity. “You can’t fall off this world. That would be too easy.”
“You say?” I scoffed in disbelief. “How do you know?”
“Balls of a hairy goat, I come from another world. Do you think I stepped through a portal? Every star in the sky has the potential to host another world.”
“Why are you here? Did you anger your god?” I probed deeper while my luck held. I could ponder his strange answers later.
“What I did was even worse than that. I defeated a powerful madman in a contest of skills. It was a game. Somehow my success enraged this lunatic into wanting to destroy me.” Caleath paused, as if reluctant to continue. “Death would have been too easy. Ephraim did more than simply destroy me. He has made my life a living hell. Now I find he sold viewing rights to all and sundry. Satellites monitor my every move. You don’t need to understand how, to know it isn’t my idea of fair play.” Caleath pushed away his half-finished stew, bridged his hands and rested his forehead against them before he took a steadying breath.
“I’m sorry,” I sensed my companion’s despair seeped through cracks in an iron will. “You needn’t speak of this if it causes you grief.”
“If it concerned me alone,” Caleath delivered his words as though anger chiseled each syllable from flint. “I could bear the pain. I will seek my revenge, rest assured.” He took a shuddering breath and released it slowly. “It is the others who were innocent and yet have become involved for whom I feel the most anger. Rybolt’s exile was wrong. To die in the name of entertainment is wrong. There have been others, there are still others out there, driven to seek and kill me.”
“All because of a game?”
“It was quite a contest.” Caleath met my disbelief with sadness. A muscle beneath his eye twitched, pulling at the corner of his mouth. Grief leached color from blue eyes and for a moment I looked into gray depths, as tormented as a storm-ridden ocean. I sensed ghosts clamoring beyond the walls of the cottage.
“What sort of a contest?” I recognized a cathartic need in my companion.
“The Game?” Caleath almost smiled. “It was awesome. Virtual realities beyond your wildest imagination uploaded via our implants. Rybolt and I lived for the time we spent in Virtual Reality. It was your basic game of skills. We took on artificial characters and played to the death. Kill or be killed.” Caleath seemed unaware of the trouble I had trying to follow his jargon. For a few moments, his expression relaxed as if remembering his past helped him banish haunting spirits. I listened in awe. “All our opponents were virtual images. No one ever took hurt from the game. No contestant ever shed blood.
“For his plans to succeed Ephraim needed to find an obscure world like yours. One he found in my files. I trained as a surveyor of viable planets. That’s how I know your manner of speech, your landforms, cultures, history. I filed information gathered on hundreds of planets and stored the data on a chip in my head. Ephraim just needed a world he knew would not warrant the Federation’s interest. Gods, one from which escape would be almost impossible.” His voice trailed away.
“Escape?” I prompted.
“That’s right.” Caleath looked into my eyes, as if discovering new energy with a memory of hope. “I am going to get off this rock. I will see Ephraim pay for his evil.”
“How?”
“To start, I intend staying alive.” Caleath leaned forward. Only a runnel of sweat coursing down his cheek betrayed his angst. Even the ghosts whispering around the hut quieted as Caleath’s conviction gave him strength. “I have a beacon I must find. As long as Ephraim doesn’t know of its location, I have a chance of catching a ride. It will enable me to leave this place. Once free from here, I can work to see Ephraim face justice. If necessary I am prepared to kill him myself and damn Federation rules.”
“I will help you.” My enthusiasm seemed to shock Caleath. “Even if I don’t understand all you tell me.”
“It’s not your fight, Gwilt.” Caleath’s confident attitude appeared to evaporate. His voice grated as if choked by regret. Eyes narrowed and color drained from gleaming cheeks. Beyond the walls, scurrilous ghosts wailed in the cover of encroaching night. “I have said too much.”
“You carry too much grief with you. It weighs on your soul. It is your guilt that allows the dead to plague you.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” Caleath replied. “No, I am not so compassionate. The ghouls are a gift. I told you already, from the lords of dark sorcery.”
“I can feel them, sense their loathing. They hold you responsible for their deaths.”
“They should be free to cross over. The dread lords have bound them to my life force. Every night they come. They would drive me mad but insanity has been out of my reach. The nanobots prevent one from losing one’s mind.”
“And now?”
“Now the nanobots have been destroyed I am afraid I will not cope with their company.”
My hair stood on end when Cyd howled to the moon. As if rejoicing in Caleath’s admission of weakness the spirits circling beyond the sanctuary of light railed with renewed vigor. I recognized genuine gratitude in Caleath’s gaze when he made eye contact.
“That’s why I asked you to stay.”
“I will stay with you. The dead do not frighten me.” I lifted my chin and brandished the wooden spoon. Vengeful ghosts would not touch me.
Caleath’s eyes glinted blue. He shared a wry smile. “You are a braver man than I am, Gwilt.”
“I doubt that!” I changed the subject. “You sailed a ship off the edge of the world.”
“I didn’t think she would sink!” Caleath shook his head. “I might have reconsidered my actions if I had known that.”
Somehow I don’t think he would have altered his actions. When September comes you too can read his story and decide for yourself.
Curious, I asked…
“Where are you going? How is it that you speak our language? Chesney told me you speak all dialects?”
“What is this? Question time?” Caleath sipped the stew I offered. “What did the smith tell you?”
I was grateful light from the lantern left my face in shadow, as Caleath seemed to search for signs of derision. “Mostly he talked about the sinking of the Albatross. Why did you risk falling off the edge of the World? To get here? Why here? There is nothing for you here but more grief. Why do these assassins hunt you?” I paused to gather my breath.
“For starters, there is no edge of the world. This is a planet like so many others, a sphere.” Exasperation seemed to fade as Caleath continued. As though conversation could keep despair at bay, Caleath’s tone mellowed. His attention seemed to focus on appeasing my curiosity. “You can’t fall off this world. That would be too easy.”
“You say?” I scoffed in disbelief. “How do you know?”
“Balls of a hairy goat, I come from another world. Do you think I stepped through a portal? Every star in the sky has the potential to host another world.”
“Why are you here? Did you anger your god?” I probed deeper while my luck held. I could ponder his strange answers later.
“What I did was even worse than that. I defeated a powerful madman in a contest of skills. It was a game. Somehow my success enraged this lunatic into wanting to destroy me.” Caleath paused, as if reluctant to continue. “Death would have been too easy. Ephraim did more than simply destroy me. He has made my life a living hell. Now I find he sold viewing rights to all and sundry. Satellites monitor my every move. You don’t need to understand how, to know it isn’t my idea of fair play.” Caleath pushed away his half-finished stew, bridged his hands and rested his forehead against them before he took a steadying breath.
“I’m sorry,” I sensed my companion’s despair seeped through cracks in an iron will. “You needn’t speak of this if it causes you grief.”
“If it concerned me alone,” Caleath delivered his words as though anger chiseled each syllable from flint. “I could bear the pain. I will seek my revenge, rest assured.” He took a shuddering breath and released it slowly. “It is the others who were innocent and yet have become involved for whom I feel the most anger. Rybolt’s exile was wrong. To die in the name of entertainment is wrong. There have been others, there are still others out there, driven to seek and kill me.”
“All because of a game?”
“It was quite a contest.” Caleath met my disbelief with sadness. A muscle beneath his eye twitched, pulling at the corner of his mouth. Grief leached color from blue eyes and for a moment I looked into gray depths, as tormented as a storm-ridden ocean. I sensed ghosts clamoring beyond the walls of the cottage.
“What sort of a contest?” I recognized a cathartic need in my companion.
“The Game?” Caleath almost smiled. “It was awesome. Virtual realities beyond your wildest imagination uploaded via our implants. Rybolt and I lived for the time we spent in Virtual Reality. It was your basic game of skills. We took on artificial characters and played to the death. Kill or be killed.” Caleath seemed unaware of the trouble I had trying to follow his jargon. For a few moments, his expression relaxed as if remembering his past helped him banish haunting spirits. I listened in awe. “All our opponents were virtual images. No one ever took hurt from the game. No contestant ever shed blood.
“For his plans to succeed Ephraim needed to find an obscure world like yours. One he found in my files. I trained as a surveyor of viable planets. That’s how I know your manner of speech, your landforms, cultures, history. I filed information gathered on hundreds of planets and stored the data on a chip in my head. Ephraim just needed a world he knew would not warrant the Federation’s interest. Gods, one from which escape would be almost impossible.” His voice trailed away.
“Escape?” I prompted.
“That’s right.” Caleath looked into my eyes, as if discovering new energy with a memory of hope. “I am going to get off this rock. I will see Ephraim pay for his evil.”
“How?”
“To start, I intend staying alive.” Caleath leaned forward. Only a runnel of sweat coursing down his cheek betrayed his angst. Even the ghosts whispering around the hut quieted as Caleath’s conviction gave him strength. “I have a beacon I must find. As long as Ephraim doesn’t know of its location, I have a chance of catching a ride. It will enable me to leave this place. Once free from here, I can work to see Ephraim face justice. If necessary I am prepared to kill him myself and damn Federation rules.”
“I will help you.” My enthusiasm seemed to shock Caleath. “Even if I don’t understand all you tell me.”
“It’s not your fight, Gwilt.” Caleath’s confident attitude appeared to evaporate. His voice grated as if choked by regret. Eyes narrowed and color drained from gleaming cheeks. Beyond the walls, scurrilous ghosts wailed in the cover of encroaching night. “I have said too much.”
“You carry too much grief with you. It weighs on your soul. It is your guilt that allows the dead to plague you.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” Caleath replied. “No, I am not so compassionate. The ghouls are a gift. I told you already, from the lords of dark sorcery.”
“I can feel them, sense their loathing. They hold you responsible for their deaths.”
“They should be free to cross over. The dread lords have bound them to my life force. Every night they come. They would drive me mad but insanity has been out of my reach. The nanobots prevent one from losing one’s mind.”
“And now?”
“Now the nanobots have been destroyed I am afraid I will not cope with their company.”
My hair stood on end when Cyd howled to the moon. As if rejoicing in Caleath’s admission of weakness the spirits circling beyond the sanctuary of light railed with renewed vigor. I recognized genuine gratitude in Caleath’s gaze when he made eye contact.
“That’s why I asked you to stay.”
“I will stay with you. The dead do not frighten me.” I lifted my chin and brandished the wooden spoon. Vengeful ghosts would not touch me.
Caleath’s eyes glinted blue. He shared a wry smile. “You are a braver man than I am, Gwilt.”
“I doubt that!” I changed the subject. “You sailed a ship off the edge of the world.”
“I didn’t think she would sink!” Caleath shook his head. “I might have reconsidered my actions if I had known that.”
Somehow I don’t think he would have altered his actions. When September comes you too can read his story and decide for yourself.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Hunted, Haunted, Homesick. How did Caleath get in this mess?
Today you can read an interview with characters from The Chronicles of Caleath on the Museitup Blog
There are also entries from other of the Muse book characters. What a great way to check out a new title.
Learn more about Caleath ...
The Unhewn Stone See what Stefan from the Unhewn Stone has to say about being stranded in the 14C when William Tell is alive and well.
There are also entries from other of the Muse book characters. What a great way to check out a new title.
Learn more about Caleath ...
The Unhewn Stone See what Stefan from the Unhewn Stone has to say about being stranded in the 14C when William Tell is alive and well.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Today I am a guest on Museitup Blog...
Hi, if you have a moment... and even if you don't have long, drop by MuseitUp Blog and meet some of the authors who have books coming out this year. That includes me! Please check us out and leave a comment if you dare.
See you there.
See you there.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Floods in Queensland
Prayers and deepset sympathy goes out to those facing loss and despair after the floods have done their worst.
Photos from the ABC show the before and after inundation in graphic clarity.
Before and After Photos from ABC of Queensland floods
Photos from the ABC show the before and after inundation in graphic clarity.
Before and After Photos from ABC of Queensland floods
Monday, January 3, 2011
Unveiling His Princess by Lindsay Below, Released today!
Hi Lindsay, welcome to my blog. Congratulations on the release of Unveiling His Princess and thanks for being here today.Unveiling His Princess was inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairytale "Princess Mouseskin". Here's the blurb for it:
When Natalia’s horrid stepsister locks in her a closet, steals her identity, and sets out to marry Prince Bennett in her place, Natalia nearly gives up hope. Luckily, she has a fairy godmother willing to guide her steps. Dressed in nothing but a mouse-skin pelt and assured that Bennett will recognize her even though they’ve never met, she sets out for his palace.
Prince Bennett knows that he must marry his princess, but when he meets her, something seems amiss. He cannot reconcile the lively, veiled beauty he consorts with at night with the waspish princess he meets during the day. And to make matters worse, he can barely fight off his attraction to a fur-clad scullery maid. Whatever will he do?
This sounds like a fairy tale that a child might enjoy, it’s not though is it?
Oh, not at all. This is an 18+ book. It is published through Liquid Silver Books, with a sensual heat rating. While it is essentially a the retelling of a fairytale, Natalia finds herself in a compromising position along the way as she struggles to convince Bennett that she is his rightful bride.
Other than ‘author’ what are three words you would use to describe yourself?
Determined. Persistent. Stubborn. Yes, they’re all synonyms. Yes, they’re all me.
Do they define you as a writer?
Absolutely. It’s my opinion that you can’t get anywhere in this business without a little persistence. Remaining determined in the face of obstacles which might have discouraged others has led me to being published at the age of 20 (soon to be 21 - be sure to join me at http://lbelow.blogspot.com on January 31st to celebrate my birthday bash. There will be prizes!)
If you had to describe the story behind Unveiling His Princess in three words, which would choose?
Dignity, Disguises, Devotion
Today is release day. How long is it since you first put pen to paper on this story?
I was fortunate that this story was contracted and published quickly. I wrote the first draft from January 15-17 2010.
Did you have a regime when writing? A special place, time, mood or do you snatch opportunities to pen ideas or write a few lines?
I’m fortunate enough to be able to write full-time. That being said, I do snatch every available moment. I like to be as industrious as possible.
Does your Muse follow rules and plot lines or does she offer ideas on a whim?
Oh, definitely on a whim. For instance, just the other night I got this brilliant idea for a fantasy that I’m itching to follow. But I’ve learned that in order to actually finish anything, I need to have some semblance of discipline. Unless I get a writer’s block, I try to finish my current project before moving on to something new.
Would you please tell us about how you decided to publish your book? Ebook v print is often debated.
Ebooks I think are fantastic, especially for a book such as Unveiling His Princess. You see, this book is a novella. While there is a chance that it might be chosen for an anthology, more likely this book would have sat around gathering dust if epublishing had not made it possible to publish such a story. Now, you get to read it at a low price :)
Would you like to share an excerpt? We are keen to learn more about Natalia and Prince Bennett.
Pushing away from him, she caught up her skirts. “I beg your pardon, Bennett, but I really must go.”As he was left gaping as she ran from the ballroom. Without thinking, he dashed out of the ballroom after her. “Natalia!” he called as soon as he reached the corridor. “Natalia, wait!”
Thankfully, she slowed to a stop and turned around. He ogled her ankles, but quickly raised his gaze to her–still covered–face. He had more immediate concerns to be focusing on. She didn’t say anything, so he continued, “Why did you leave so suddenly?”
She glanced behind her as if she longed to continue on her way, but she answered, “I saw … someone unpleasant.”
His face turned to stone. His mind roared. He knew he must seem terrifying, but for some reason the thought of anyone upsetting his bride-to-be awakened his most primitive urges. “Who?” he snarled. “Is it a man?”
She shook her head. “No, Bennett. No, it’s a woman.”
Stepping forward, he closed the distance between them. He didn’t know what he could do for her, how he could ease her path. The trials of women were a mystery to him. “Who?” he repeated, this time gently. “I can ensure she is never invited to another event.”
The maddening woman shook her head again. Surely she understood that he couldn’t simply let the matter lie? “No. It’s perfectly all right. I am tired, in any case. I did only travel here today.”
He smiled tightly. “Perhaps I should have waited until you were recovered.” He took another step toward her. He could reach out and touch her now if he wished. And oh, how badly he wished. He took another small step and lifted his finger, tracing her veil.
She backed away. “Don’t,” she said. Her voice trembled. At least he affected her in some small way, he reflected.
If she thought keeping her virginal veil across her features would stop him from kissing her, she was wrong. He shifted, crowding her. “I suppose I’ll just have to kiss you with it on.” And he did.
Unveiling His Princess is being released today, where can we get this book?
This book will be available from Liquid Silver Books tonight after 7 PM EST. The website is www.liquidsilverbooks.com
How can we follow your career?
You can find me online at www.lbelow.net, though I also love to chatter on at my blog (http://lbelow.blogspot.com) and on my Twitter account (http://twitter.com/LBelowtheauthor). I also love to receive email - you can contact me at lbelow(at)lbelow(dot)net.
Thanks for having me, Rosalie!
Great getting to know more about you, Lindsay and 'Unveiling His Princess'.
Great getting to know more about you, Lindsay and 'Unveiling His Princess'.
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