Category Archives: fiction

Death’s Hand – 5 stars!

Death’s Hand by SM Reine is packed full of action! I highly recommend it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005WZKJN6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=smre03-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B005WZKJN6

I’ve read previous books by this author such as Six Moon Summer and All Hallows Moon.  I have a review of Six Moon Summer on my website:

http://sjordanasble.com/Books__Reviews___Links.html

Her previous books were really good, and Death’s Hand promised to be as well. The writing is impecable and the author’s style is easy to read. This is a very talented author and her new book Death’s Hand only proves it further! 

If you like hot chicks kicking ass then you are in for a treat. Reine tells a complete story in Death’s Hand while dropping hints of things to come. She doesn’t answer all the question and leaves possibilities out there. The heroine saves the day, but does she get to walk away with everything?

Her characters are compelling and interesting. You find yourself rooting for them as they push through the conflicts of the story line. Speaking of story line, WOW! This plot line is solid and interesting.  Take one ex-exoricist, one hunky witch of a partner, and a loyal best friend, then throw in the best friend’s hunky cousin and a couple of corpse-raising necromancers and see what you get… spicy, deadly fun! 

For more on SMReine: http://www.smreine.com/

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In search of Trailers

So, I have content, a story, nearly completed. What next? I’m starting to think about some of the marketing aspects of writing. What do I need to do to promote the book?

I started looking at other writers’ websites, blogs, book covers and trailers. Yes, trailers. Authors are now making video trailers for their books. I’ve seen some really good ones out there too. I’ll post some of my fav’s (their books are awesome also!):

This one has several on one page. A different trailer for each book. Each one has a different feel that represents the different styles of the novels.  http://www.smreine.com/ 

This one has one trailer that shows all of her work. It is a little longer and a bit different, but visually, it is very distinctive. http://www.penelopefletcher.co.uk/video

This one is really cool; she actually did the animation and recorded the music herself… very talented:  http://maggiestiefvater.com/

So, that kind of gives a brief  idea of some great video trailers, and gives me a high bar to measure up to!  (Kudos ladies!) 

So, I’ll be thinking about what I can do for a trailer over the next few months (wish me luck).  I need to have good images that represent my story. I also need great music that has inspired me while writing. Then, I need some text to explain my story without giving too much away, but enticing the public to read my book.

This is going to be a fun challenge!

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I have sales!! Woot!

Woot! It really isn’t much, but the fact that I have sales is really exciting! It means that there are a few people out there that actually purchased my writing for the first time ever AND it is more than just my family! 

In this new journey to become a real author, I published a book of seven short stories called, Stories to Fight Demons By. These are twisted/surreal stories about different kinds of demons; perfect for Halloween! You can purchase this on Amazon or B&N.  I’ll include the links here:

http://www.amazon.com/Stories-Fight-Demons-ebook/dp/B004RH3T46/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319329943&sr=8-1

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stories-to-fight-demons-by-sherri-jordan-asble/1030426408?ean=2940012183842&itm=1&usri=sherri%2bjordan-asble

I hope those that purchased the book liked it. I don’t have any reviews on Amazon or B&N yet, but I’m hoping I’ll get one. So, if you purchased the book and are reading this… hint, hint!

I also have a teaser for my first novel posted on my website and a plug for it in the back of  Stories. Website:

http://sjordanasble.com/Page_2.html

So, this is truly another awesome step forward in my writing journey. I hope that others will celebrate with me – go ahead, raise your hand in the air and give me a “Woot!”

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Legacy of Kings by C.S. Friedman

I’m finally reading the final book in this awesome trilogy! Yeah!

Friedman’s trilogy begins with Feast of Souls. The second book is Wings of Wrath.  Then, the final book is Legacy of Kings.  I had thought I was going to leave all my book reviews on my website, but this one is worth blogging about…

The Magister Trilogy by C. S. Friedman http://csfriedman.com/  is one of the best fantasy/speculative fiction novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Her characters are strong, yet flawed. They make mistakes, they learn, and they go on. They feel human.

Her plot is intricate with over-riding themes, and interesting unforeseen twists. I like my fiction unpredictable.  When you think the story is going in one direction, it jumps in another.  She keeps the pages turning!

So, what is the Magister Trilogy about?  Imagine a world where witchcraft exists, but there is a high price to wield it. The witches in this world pay for their craft with a little piece of their life force every time they cast a spell.  Then enters the Magisters. They steal the life force from others  for their magic, making them all-powerful… well, almost.  It turns out there are monsters invading the land, souleaters, and they will destroy humanity if left unchecked.  The heroes, the lyr, have to fight the beasts.  Woven throughout these overarching story lines are sinister plots and back stabbing traitors.  Who can be trusted? 

One thing I admire in Friedman’s writing is how she develops her character, Kamala.  She slowly unfolds depth throughout the three books. This is a young woman who learns to survive in a man’s world, and not always too successfully. She learns how to be human and how to care for others, even when they might not necessarily deserve it, as the reader learns about her.

The first two books were excellent, and now that I’m reading the long waited for third and final installment, I have to say I’m even more interested than I was when I first started reading the first book.  I think I need to go back and read the other two again!

Check this one out! A great read… 5 of 5 stars!

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good reading = good writing

I’ve noticed that I tend to write better when I’ve been reading really great books! So, as part of my writing  journey, I thought I should mention and share some of what I’ve been reading. I’ve posted a few book reviews on my website that you may want to check out…

http://sjordanasble.com/Books__Reviews___Links.html

I’m also going to share the latest awesome book I’ve read, Blood Song by Cat Adams. This was a fast read. I read the book in a day and a half and I cannot wait for the sequel.  The book is about a tough body-guard who is half turned into a vampire (yes only 1/2 way!) It is partially a mystery to find out who did

 this to her and why, part kick ass vampire book, and there is a nice little surprise twist at the end leaving the reading drooling for the sequel.  The author’s style of writing is easy flowing, easy to read, and gets your attention quick and keeps it.  I highly recommend it and rate it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. I have to take off 1/2 a point because she had so many characters in the book that I lost track a couple of times.  I had to say, “Who? Who was that?” a couple of times.  Otherwise, excellent read!

So, these are the awesome books that I’ve been reading lately. You can enjoy them to and hopefully, see their influence positively reflecting in my writing.

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book trailers are awesome

I’ve been watching a lot of book trailers lately.  They are like movie trailers only for books and they are shorter.  I’m going to make one for the novel I’m working on, so looking at a lot of trailers is a good idea!!

So, here is a trailer for an upcoming book for an author I particularly like.  I adore the trailer and hope I can come up with something half as good.  So, watch it and see what you think! 

[you tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tojCn2Y41ig&w=560&h=349]

 

I have to note also, that Maggie Stiefvater is running a contest for people who post her trailer – so I have a dual purpose! I want in the contest. But, also, the trailer is really neat!! She recorded the music herself and drew the animation. She is so talented. I definitely jealous! 

 

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Facing the Challenges

I started writing this blog to document and share my experiences with writing/publishing.  So, I thought I’d take a minute or two to hash out some of the challenges I’m dealing with at this stage…

One of the most difficult and challenging parts of writing fiction is coming up with the names for my characters. I want the names to be appropriate to the character. The name has to fit. If  I have the wrong name, it doesn’t work well. Sometimes it is very difficult. Sometimes it comes easy. It is also a lot of fun. It is part of creating that character. What is that person like? What are their idiosyncracies? What makes that person who that person is? There are times when that is really hard, especially when that person is an alien or is alien like. It is also difficult when you try to name someone within a historic context. If this character comes from ancient Ireland, they can’t be named Fred, right?!

The other big challenge hitting me right now is getting stuck on little things. I keep getting stopped flat by small things that might not even matter, but I get so hung up on them, that I can’t move forward.  This is what I was stuck on this week:

*A different word for canteen.
*Where did I put my notes on a different story entirely than the one I’m trying to work on.
*I needed to buy a new cushion for my chair in my office where I write

Seems like small things, but I’ve wasted a long of time on these things! Gave up on the thesaurus problem, finally found my notes, and bought a seat cushion (on sale at Kohls!) So, now I’m ready to write… what am I working on today?

I need to do some yoga and focus!!

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What are they talking about?

OMG My BFF Jill, I read the best WIPline yesterday… had me ROTFLMAO…

I love Twitter – but sometimes I don’t know what they’re talking about.  I had to figure out what the heck a hash tag is… #wth. And how to retweet. And how to mention someone… @someone.

It has been challenging, but also fun. It is very fast paced. There is some new thing to read like every 2 seconds! The more followers you get, and the more people you follow, the faster it is.  I also found out that the more people you follow, the more people will follow you back! Ha! #funfollowing

If you leave it on while trying to work on other things (like #blogging or actually doing some serious, #amwriting or #amediting) it can be very distracting… Oh gotta go check out 3 new tweets…

#justsayin

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I’m so stuck…

I’ve been writing a lot this weekend, and it has really been going well… until today.  I keep getting stuck. Saturday, I flew on the keyboard and wrote 15 pages, today…5.

This will sound crazy, but I think my problem is that I’m trying to get my character to do things that she doesn’t want to do.  I wanted her to rebel and fight against her arranged marriage, and she decided she liked the guy… sheesh… you think you know someone.  I wanted her to go directly from point A to point B, and she wanted to hang around and find something else to do around the house.  I don’t think she liked what was coming at point B.  I want her to run away, and she wants to sit around waiting for her betrothed to come rescue her. So, now, I’m just going to have to kill someone! Probably the husband to be. She’s too attached to him, and she has other things to do.

See my problem!?!  I hate when characters get a mind of their own! 

I know that may seem like I just don’t have my story planned out enough, but really I have it planned well. Sometimes when I write, though, strange things happen. I think I actually like the chapter better this way. It feels like she is being more true to her character and reacting to what I throw at her, instead of causing the trouble.  (Don’t worry, she causes a lot more trouble later on.)  But, in the end I think it becomes more interesting than I originally planned, and still ends up where it needs to. 

That’s just a little peek inside my head for what I’ve been writing this weekend. I guess it is more interesting than what I had for breakfast, right!?>

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Want to know about vampires?

I’m working on my new novel, Desolate Incubus.  It is about some bad ass vampires that find themselves on a strange path. They have to figure out what is going on while trying to decide if they are the good guys, the bad guys, or something else completely.

When working on a novel, sometimes I write a lot of “back story” stuff that doesn’t really make it into the story (or at least not in the form I originally write it in).  It is part of the process of creating the characters and universe (or world) in which we put the characters in.  I must have a clear picture of it in my mind before I can tell the story.  So, the following is a bit about how vampires are “made” within the realm of Desolate Incubus. The premise is definitely a part of the story, but this paragraph is not one you will see in directly in the story, at least not in this form. So, this is really a sneak peek, behind the scenes if you will… enjoy.

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It is really simple, yet complex and difficult. You have to drain the potential vampire of as much blood as you can without killing them, and then replace it with vampire blood.  The vampire blood slowly takes over all internal systems and changes the human into vampire. But, it is a difficult process because if you take too much of the blood, they die. You have to be careful not to kill them, and in the heat of a bloodlust, vampires tend to lose control. Vampires are not “dead” or the waking dead or walking dead like all the stories and myths indicate, they are very much alive, just different from humans. If you kill the human while trying to change them, they are just dead. You can’t bring them back from the dead. You don’t get a second chance. After draining the human, you need to give them enough vampire blood to actually take over their system. It is as much art as science. A lot of vampires that try this end up dying because they let the new vampire feed until they themselves are too weak to stop the feeding. The new vampire hits the blood lust stage as the vampire blood takes over, and then the new vampire ends up killing the maker.  Yes, a vampire will die if it is completely drained; little known fact.

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