Thank you twitter! A few weeks ago I noticed a lovely author, Heather Novak, was posting links to participate in an ARC for a new adult anthology. Being a fan of both romance and paranormal, Falling Hard looked perfect for me, I wasn’t wrong. [goodreads review]

Five red-hot stories, all deliciously intertwined!
#romance #paranormal #erotic

Forbidden: Freshman Year
Shelly Bell 
Freshman year is one of the three non-paranormal stories. Isabella and Tristen meet at a BDSM party and after being clear with one another that it’s a one night only arrangement, they part ways. Both are shocked to see each other at college where Tristan is now Isabella’s Professor… and boss. 

Both characters were written exceptionally well, and in the amount of time the short story provided the reader was able to learn about their rich backgrounds and character flaws. The story was vivid with a life to it that made it believable, enjoyable, and a wonderful erotic. The main flaw to it would have to be the cliche storyline, that while written well, is starting to feel tired.

Tin Man’s Dance
MK Schiller
Lilly is a college dancer with big dreams and little to no social life, but when Hutch cons his way into her seat at a concert she’s attending, her social life changes. Lilly’s dreams are big though, and when they come true, she’s forced to make a very difficult decision that both of them will have to live with.

This was one of my favorites, it was sweet and paranormal free, a well rounded love story with the ability to heal the reader’s soul as Lilly healed Hutch’s. The love story’s pacing was well done, and blinded me to the fact that they were strangers in love. PTSD is a difficult story telling device to tackle and this author executed it brilliantly.

This is also the first story that introduces the rest of the anthology’s characters and it did so in a non obtrusive way that made that ah-ha moment when I was introduced to the other characters later so much better.

Dark Hearts
Aliza Mann 
Mitch is a werewolf just trying to get through the month and stay under the radar, but when he meets Aurora, a half-demon, at a party one night, all bets are off. Each has their baggage and it’s only through their commitment to one another will either survive.

This was the first paranormal story of the bunch and jared me a bit when I first began to read it. The abrupt mix of paranormal and the increased raunchy tone of the story left this as my least favorite of the book. The characters were stereotypes and lacked that deeper connection that all of the other stories had. The “imprinting” love that the two characters shared felt too easy, unbelieveable, and even the characters felt like they didn’t want it.

High Stakes
Sage Spelling
Cat is a quiet librarian with a secret and Blake is the jock with family pressure to be more than perfect. When Blake’s family hires Cat to help him raise his grades in all of his classes, they had no idea what they were in for.

Cat and Blake were an excellent pair of characters. Their familial issues and social issues contrasted beautifully with one another and presented real world social issues in an enjoyable way that seamlessly integrated with their love story. Their pressures gave them a similar struggle to bond over and was wonderful to read. My main critique was the abrupt ending, while it’s a short story and there isn’t much room for epilogues, this story's ending was jarring.

Hunting Witch Hazel
Heather Novak 
Grayson and Hazel are two very different people. In fact, they are basically different species, but sometimes love can conquer all, and may even lead to outcomes unexpected.

This was the perfect ending to the anthology. The stories all tied in nicely with a pretty red bow, and even managed to merge the multi genre and paranormal versus real together. Hazel and Grayson also had the most successful of the instant love stories, partly due to their minor roles in the preceding stories, but there was more to it.  Sure, Hazel was described in Mitch’s story and we had some prior knowledge about her. Grayson was mostly a mystery, but with the few sentences of background about how Grayson had been watching Hazel and had been trying to get close to her for quite a long time, it made the reader feel like their relationship had been in progress for a much longer time.

Hello Friday! Let me first start off by saying, short weeks are wonderful. I swear it’s only Tuesday. Being a short week, it’s also been a busy one. I’ve been staying at work late so there’s been a few ten hour days, and not a lot of writing has been done. I did manage to type up my backlog of doodles though, so there was lots to choose from for posting today.

I’ve also made the decision, I am switching back off Keeper’s and back to Stealth for the first round of edits. This will ensure I have a project to work on in July for Camp, and hopefully I’ll be able to finish up Stealth sooner than planned and get to querying. UG.

Sunday, I will have a special super secret book review coming out for an ARC release… make sure to check back then for an early sneak peak at the Falling Hard review.

I hope you enjoyed your three day weekend and maybe even have something fun planned for this one. Thanks for sticking with me and Happy Reading!
~Eliza

Fiction Friday 11:
Muse: None
Prompt: If you were exiled, what three things would you take with you?

They are coming for me. 
They asked what I want to take with me. Apparently, those of us being “relocated” at least get a last request. It’s funny really, they treat us like we are honored. Those of us who have lost faith, or in my case, never had any, except their gifts with reticence. I know the truth behind why they selfishly abandon groups of people to the wild and I have nothing left to say to them. 
They’ve given us a few options of goods to take. I chose my notebook, I didn’t select any inks. That granted me a few looks, but why waste my second object when there are always other means of capturing words on paper. 
Against their wishes I also asked for a med kit. They do not seem to like the idea of us out there fighting to survive, it must ease their conscious in thinking one good sickness and we’d be done for. 
Lastly, I asked for one wolfen pelt. Even though they drop us with rough hewn clothes, nothing is fit enough for the harsh winters that will undoubtedly fall us. 
There is movement outside the holding cell. 
They are coming for me. 
I am sorry, I could do no more. 
They are here. 

It has been awhile since I’ve had an article spotlight on the blog, so here’s a great one. 7 Lessons You Need to Learn When Writing Your Book written by Maria Ross. I’ll admit to having learned a few of these lessons… and to not have learned a few of them yet either. (Specifically number 1) Here’s a few of my favorite points from her article, make sure to visit Huffington Post and give it a full read.

1. Discipline your muse:
Sorry, folks. Inspiration doesn't always just "strike" especially when you're on deadline. If you sit down and start writing, just like showing up to a job, you'll produce brilliance on some days and crap on others. And if you need to take a break one day, take it. Ditch the guilt and then get back to the work tomorrow.

2. Commit out loud:
People need to understand your schedule may be different. You might not be at your spouse's beck and call and you may have to pass up on certain activities. How do you make this happen? Not by hiding your writing in the dark of night, but by sharing your goal with the people in your life. State your intentions out loud so you not only force yourself to commit but you set others' expectations of your time and attention.

3. Get comfortable with feedback:
No one is perfect and every writer will tell you that good writing is re-writing. You need objective outsiders to review your work, especially from professional editors and proofreaders. What may make sense in your own head could leave readers scratching theirs. 

4. Picture your reader:
It helps to identify your audience as a real person: picture an actual reader. You absolutely need to be clear about for whom you are writing and what they will get. What questions might they have? What information would they want to know? What would move, delight or inspire them? 

5. Prepare for diverse reactions:
This one was a shocker. Turns out, the people I thought would be most excited by my book writing efforts expressed passing interest (if that) and others who I thought wouldn't give a damn became my best cheerleaders. At first, it really irritated me and, honestly, made chipped away at my confidence. Here I was, doing something that absolutely petrified me, and it was like certain people close to me were not even acknowledging it. But I finally learned that my big dream was big to me and people are usually just doing the best they know how. They have their own lives to live and dreams to pursue and may not even realize how deeply their reactions (or non-reactions) are hurting you. 

6. Prepare for self-doubt....often:
This is natural when you follow a dream. Someone once said that if you're scared, then you know you're doing the right thing. Every writer has at one point during the writing process thought, "What the hell am I doing?" But if you believe in yourself, your knowledge, and your story -- and never lose sight of the value it will provide -- that will help you stay the course. 

What a strange week it has been! Lots of crazy, at work, at home, everything. I attempted, (yup, that’s the strongest word I can use here) to work on Keeper’s Thursday, but apparently it wasn't in the cards, thanks Starbucks for really bad wifi. I’m ready to fix this rut though, once a week I’ll be heading to a local coffee shop for some out of the house work time, and a few other days at home will be scheduling a dedicated writing time. With that, I’m also looking to move myself when I am at home and work in a new location, dining room table by a window maybe… we shall see. Either way, I've got a book to write (three actually) and I need a productivity increase.

I also began reading an AMAZING ARC novel of a collection of short stories, Falling Hard, and I can’t wait to share the review with you next week. This one is a must read!

Alright, enough of that chatter, let’s get to what you've really come to read; this week’s doodle. 

Happy Reading!
~Eliza

Fiction Friday 10:
Muse: 642 Things to Write About
Prompt: Write about a broken promise

      “She said we’d be together forever,” Lizzy sniffed, “that she’d never leave me and that I’d always be protected.”
      “Lizzy, you know she had no choice. Do you really think this is the life she’d have chosen for herself?”
      “She should have been more careful.”
       “Lizzy…” The woman said shaking her head and frowning.
      “What! She knew taking the stims could lead to this!”
      “I know.”
      “She lied! She should have never taken that crap, than maybe she’d still be here, normal, and protecting me. ...Loving me”
      The woman reached across the table and took Lizzy’s hand in hers. “She still loves you. She knows who you are.”
     “She does not. Her brain is fried from the stims, she doesn’t even know who she is anymore.”
      “Lizzy…”
     “Don’t Lizzy me!” She ripped her hand from the other woman’s grasp and tucked it back in her lap, “She broke her promise! Stims were more important than being my mother and now she’s a raging lunatic!”
      “I know, and I’m sorry, but you have to accept her for who she is, flaws and all.”
      “You’re right, she is flawed.”
     The woman’s watch beeped and she pushed back from the table, “My time’s up.”
      “I know,” Lizzy exhaled, stood up and gave the woman a quick hug, “have a good night.”
      “I will, be well Lizzy.” The woman turned and walked to the door. Halfway across the room her posture shifted and she hunched over, the confidence in her shoulders draining, she stopped  and pounded on the steel door. “Screw you Dirk, get me the hell out of this fucking rat hole!”  She turned and sneered at Lizzy before the door slid back and the woman exited.
      “Be well,” Lizzy said rubbing the tension from her neck, “Mother.”

Here’s another two-bite novel I picked up a while back, A Family Affair by Mary Campisi. [goodreads review]

Christine’s father is her hero, and with a mother constantly on pain pills and trying to control every aspect of her life, her Dad’s approval is a strong motivator. When her father is killed in a car accident, she’s left to finalize his last wishes while her mother grieves, but what she finds is more that she expected. Her father’s lies go back over a dozen years and Christine finds herself unable to let them go.  Determined to find the truth about a man she loved, she follows every lie until she finds the whole truth.

There were a lot of characters in this story; Uncle Harry, the boyfriend Connor, Lily, Nate, Christine, and more. All of these characters were drastically different from one another, so much in fact that it felt forced, I’m not sure if any of these people could be in one room together without wanting to kill each other. With all of these personalities the author then added in different point of view passages which added to the yo-yo feeling of going from one wholesome character’s POV and then to Uncle Harry’s alcoholic sexual predator inner monologue, etc.

Christine’s love interest in the beginning of the novel was Connor and it was obvious that the author wanted to convey a lackluster relationship, Connor was a sleaze and a throw away. The man Christine eventually ends up choosing was not much better. There was no spark between the characters at all and it felt like the romance was just another check box. What made up for that was Lily. Lily’s character and her relationship with Christine was the reason I continued to read the novel. *spoiler* Lily has down syndrome and it was clear that the author is either an epic researcher or has first hand knowledge and experience with this condition. Lily’s interactions, innocence, and personality was full of light and brought tears of both sadness and joy to my eyes on multiple occasions. Lily made this book and I would read it again just to read her sections.

With everything and the kitchen sink in the plot; death, sex, special needs, romance, lies, politics, big city, small town, etc, it would have been nearly impossible for the book to be amazing at all of it. What it excelled in was the plot, the twists and turns were fairly satisfying. With so many plot devices there were some loose ends as expected, but they weren’t plot lines being forgotten, more along the lines of not enough book to explain reactions to everything and how Christine reacts to unearthed family lies.

In my time as a writer I have met hundreds of new writers and seen just about as many style, techniques, and points of view on every aspect of the craft. There’s plotter or pantser. Those who work on one project at a time and those who have multiple simultaneously in progress. There’s even a difference on why authors write. That sounds like an obvious statement at first glance right? Money, fame, passion, etc. but what I really mean, is what keeps them from stopping.  What drives an author so hard that they slave hours at a time over a red and inky manuscript that may or may not ever be released into the wild. 

I’ve met a few different people who have the desire to leave their mark on the world and writing will let them do that. Through their writing they are able to leave a piece of themselves behind when they're gone. I admire these people, and I envy them. 

I've been told quite a few times that writing for yourself as in the "I write for me, if people don't like it, then don't read it" mentality is wrong, that just by virtue of writing, you are writing so others will read it. I'm not sure I agree with this mentality, partly because of why I write. Because I have to.

Writing and reading work interchangeably for me. I write because if I do not, then I experience a creativity overflow. Basically, my imagination becomes too vivid and seeps over into my dreams. Night terrors. If you have never experienced one or don’t know what they are, you're lucky. Night terrors are usually grown out of, however, some of us are not that lucky. Simply put, a night terror for me is when my dreams blend with the real world around me. In the beginning I would wake up startled, blood pumping and heart racing, but able to eventually get back to sleep. Then they got worse, I’d wake up screaming. This past week I experienced the worst one I’ve ever had. I not only woke up with my heart racing and a scream torn from my throat, but I woke up crying and in the middle of my run into the living room to get away from my terror. What am I so afraid of that can wake me from my dream and keep me from sleeping in my own bed for two nights?

Spiders.

Yup, apparently I am more afraid of spiders that I ever thought possible. Actually, I’m sure some dream guru would tell me otherwise.

*pulls glasses down* 
“Your subconscious is seeping into your dreams, and in reality you’re not afraid of spiders but of something else and your dreams are manifesting your fears of blah blah blah…”

Yeah, like that. 

Here’s what I do know. Without fail, when I stop reading or writing for extended periods of time, my brain kicks it into high gear and the night terrors start. What that means, is I need to fix my schedule and get back to work, Keeper’s is waiting and my brain knows it.

Friday, we meet again and this time you have the last laugh. Alright, I'll admit it, I got ZERO work done on Keepers this week. I know I know, I'm horrible. This sleep monster is hard to beat, but I'm working on it. Promise. 

On the plus side, I've been prompt writing and stretching my writing biceps nightly, and I actually have so many good prompts for Fiction Friday's it's becoming hard to decide which to share. Also, (oh I can't wait to share this...!) I have been plotting a new novel! Yup, that's right, an entirely new story, new characters and need adventures. Don't worry, this won't mean I won't finish Keepers or Stealth, this new story will take Stealth's place as my stand alone novel worked on while I continue with book two of Keepers. Writing won't really begin until later in the year, but this will be my experiment in being a plotter versus a pantser. Am I ready to tell you everything about this new book now? Nope, Shhh.... It's a secret. 

Jennifer slicked her lip gloss on to her lips and puckered her them at the mirror. "Perfect!"  
She fluffed up her hair and dabbed at the corners of her eyes, the smokey eye shadow clinging to her skin like the dew off of a fresh morning leaf. She stepped back and admired her made up face, skimming her freshly manicured nails over her tight red dress. Her perfectly sculpted calves were highlighted by her sky high heels; black and strappy. 
During her preening, a cell phone rang from atop the nightstand across the room.  She raced to it and answered without looking at the caller ID, "On my way!" She giggled into it and hung up. She skipped out of her apartment and on to the street. When she stepped out and onto the stoop, a crunch beneath her feet stopped her in her tracks. She looked down and the streetlight glinted off of something there. She bent down carefully and picked up a single rose wrapped in cellophane. A card was tucked the the wrapping; one word written in fancy script on a piece of card. 
"Goodbye". 
She looked out into the black of night, tears forming in her eyes.  The crack of a gunshot broke the night’s silence and silenced her forever.

Oh, to be as awesome as Brandon Sanderson.  I hope that my writing career will be filled with half as much grace and determination that this man has. Mitosis is 1.5 and Firefight is book two in his series of super humans and they do not disappoint. In fact, I think he topped Steelheart. [goodreads review - Mitosis | Firefight]

With Newcago free from Steelheart’s tyranny, David and the Reckoners have set up a human run government in the city of metal.  Epics from all over the country have begun hearing of the Steelslayer and when they come to Newcago, the threaten the delicate balance the Reckoners have built (Mitosis).  When they realized the High Epic of Babylon Restored was sending Epics to target the Reckoners specifically, they set their sights on Regalia’s elimination (Firefight).

The characters in Brandon Sanderson’s books are amazing. Everyone of them has a depth to them that makes you want to reach out and slap them or hold them. They have flaws and personalities and sometimes surprise you. David, Megan, and Jon are three perfect examples of his character prowess.  David is simply a human with drive, and fears, and a desire to right the world.  While Jon is the opposite of his coin, scared of change and of losing himself, he plays it safe and plans each of his moves down to the last detail.  But when Megan enters the picture, both men struggle with their tenuous relationship with one another and Megan becomes a large roadblock in their ability to work together effectively.  

Just like the characters, the settings are vivid and descriptive and extremely imaginative. Babylon Restored is by far the BEST post apocalyptic city I have ever read. I won’t spoil it because it brought a smile to my face twice in the book, the initial introduction and later in the book.  With the major cities belonging to High Epics, each city morphs into a reflection of that Epic and begins to take on some of its characteristics, Newcago is made of steel… Steelheart. It makes sense and serves as a constant reminder to the characters and the reader that the Epics have complete control over the humans living in their cities.

Plot. My jaw was on the floor.  So many unexpected things happened in this novel that had me experiencing so many emotions. The mastery over story arcs, both the larger trilogy and the individual installment of Firefight is fantastic.  Along with fantastic writing, an inventive “magic” system, and amazing character this is another book by Sanderson that has a coveted place on my shelf.  2016 can’t come fast enough!

Let me start off by saying, my husband is one of the designers on Never Alone: Kisima Inŋgitchuŋa, and while I’m extremely proud of him, this post is not endorsed by, requested by, or sponsored by E-Line.  I’m simply a fan of storytelling and video games. So lets talk about both. 

Video games.  To some people they are a media that rots kids brains and leads them to violence.  To others, it’s barely even a blip on their radar, or maybe it is, but they don’t think they play video games, after all Bejeweled isn't a video game, it’s an app….right? But then there’s a third group of people, those who dive into video games head first, as art forms, storytelling platforms, and even games for change.  In the last year, one game has seen to change how the worldviews games and what it means to play an “educational video game”.  Long gone are the days of Math Blasters and Zoombinis, today, the world has Never Alone: Kisima Inŋgitchuŋa.

For those of you who have yet to experience Never Alone, here’s the quick background. Never Alone was developed by a small indie studio, E-Line Media, in partnership with the Alaska Native Cook Inlet Tribal Council and published by Upper One Games.  The tribe’s elders sought a way to leave their stories and lore behind for the next generation in a way that would both educate and interest them.  When they finally decided on using video games as a platform, the new genre of “World Games” was born.

While Never Alone is still a game, let’s talk about its story.  In between platforming puzzles and epic boss fights, story is woven into every aspect of the gameplay like a tapestry.  There’s of course the main story line that as a character(s) you are playing, but the addition of owls located around the levels add the benefit of added information in the form of cultural insights.  These quick little video feature a wide range of speakers and topics and further explain the Inupiaq culture and lifestyle. They share experiences and give background to topics addressed in the main game and others that aren't.  Seeing and hearing, and sometimes not in English but in their native language -North and Northwest Alaska Inupiatun, the individuals who experience these daily cultural insights enrich the player’s learning.

Even the game’s cutscenes are drenched in history.  A portion of them are drawn in the traditional scrimshaw art style, a process by which the artist engraves patterns, words, and pictures onto whale bones and other hardened materials.  The art is beautifully rendered and animated and further helps to steep the player in history that they may just find “neat” even if they are unaware of its history. 

The basis for the game’s narrative stems from a story originally told by Robert Nasruk Cleveland in which a protagonist finds the source of an endless blizzard.  Interwoven throughout the game are concepts from other stories, such as the Sky People or the Manslayer.  While Nuna and her arctic fox were created to drive the narrative, they too were given the utmost care and research prior to their introduction.

In no way is this a review of the game, there are more than enough of those already in the world, but regardless of review, this is my ask of you.  Play the game.  Bug count and mechanics aside, this is a game that can and will change the world, it’s an entirely new genre of game, and one that has the potential to influence an entirely new generation of gamers.  So what about this game makes it world changing? How about that every word, every character, and every theme is dripping in history. If you're not into history, then ignore it, you can still play it and enjoy the game and who knows, you may just learn something without trying... If you don’t believe me, trust the awards its won, or better yet. Play it for yourself.

Have you played Never Alone, what are your experiences with the game?
Leave your comments below to share your stories.

Wow this has been one heck of a week! 
It was super productive and I’ve started working out the kinks in my scheduling.  Also, I think I may have fixed my sleep/motivation issue too, so cheers to WANTING to write before I sit down to do it, rather than sitting down to start and then realizing how much I want to do it after forcing myself into it.  Motivation is a tricky tricky thing.  

In other exciting news, I was contacted for an ARC of a suspense novel, so keep your eyes open for that in the July/August time frame.  As well as being accepted to review a different ARC for an author I really enjoyed and have reviewed in the past.  That is due by the end of May and I can’t wait to dive into it.

Finally, this week I contacted an author who my Mom met at a book signing.  This author (who I will not call out in case she wishes to remain keep anonymous) is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author who writes romance novels and children’s books (how cool is that!) and she was gracious enough to chatter with me via email.

This week has been a rollercoaster of greatness and I hope yours was just as special.

Happy Reading!
~Eliza

Fiction Friday 08:
Muse: 642 Tiny Things to Write About
Prompt: Write about a time you… broke a bone.

I jumped down from the tree, my body forming an elegant arc right before I hit the ground.  I tucked my head, pushing my chin to my chest and grunted as my back met the hardened dirt and I rolled.  When my momentum was spent, I sprang to my feet and raced across the training yard and skipped over a few spike traps, but as I began counting my success as guaranteed something flashed in my peripheral vision.  Ray’s steel-toed boot stuck out from behind the last barrel hurdle.  He sneered as my foot collided with his, my reflexes too slow to course correct in time.  Gravity took over and as my knee collided with a barrel I heard a loud sickening crunch before I felt the pain.  I went down quickly, my eyes filled with tears and fury.  Before meeting the eyes of my overseer, I searched for Ray, he was no where to be found.