Knitted by God's Plan: IndieFan

Showing posts with label IndieFan. Show all posts

Sunday, May 24, 2015

How I discovered Ilyon Also: Cover reveal!

This month, one of my favorite books, Resistance by Jaye L. Knight, has had its it's first anniversary of publication - and so Jaye is having a party. (And three wants to come. So three takes five and ... Okay ... blast from my childhood right there. Points to anyone who has ANY idea where that comes from.)

Anyways, part of the celebration is that we can write up posts about how we discovered Ilyon and became die-hard fans. I'll admit that I originally wasn't going to participate in this part of it ... not because I didn't want to, but because I thought I'd already posted it on one of the cover reveals.

But then when I went to hunt it down so I could give it to Jaye ... it turned out that I hadn't put a discovery explanation on either cover reveal - but on my review of the Makilien Trilogy before Ilyon was published, before she was officially Jaye instead of Molly.

My bad. I'll correct that now.

My story begins with the fact that I, myself, am an author. Have been for three and a half years now (Gasp! Has it really been that long?)

Well, about Christmastime directly following the publication of my first book, Amazon released a new promotion gimmick - KDP select. Basically, I told Amazon that I'd only distribute ebooks through them, and in exchange, they'd allow me to have my books for free five days out of every three months. (There's more to it than that, but that's the gist of it.)

So I regularly took advantage of it, since I was eager to get Sew, It's a Quest into the hands of all it's potential adoring fans. Directly following a free spin I would (1) check Goodreads to see who had added it and how eagerly they were reading it and (2) check the list of "Customers who bought books by this author also bought books by these people" in hopes that there were awesome books there that were free and I could read. (And review on my O.Scarlett blog)

Well, one day following one such free spin, I checked said list and saw a "Molly Evangeline." Not the most eye-catching name, I'll admit, but you see, I'd been following a photography blog called "Evangeline" and it'd recently dropped off the internet - so I clicked through in some vain hope that it was the same Evangeline. (My logic is weird, what can I say.)

Not the same Evangeline, but I was confronted but a collection of GORGEOUS COVERS, and a selection of books in CHRISTIAN FANTASY and CHRISTIAN HISTORICAL FICTION, two of my favorite genres.

Alas, the books were not free, and this was before my days of a disposable income. So I added her blog to my google reader and kinda forgot about them.

Several months later, she posted a plea for reviewers. I was a reviewer - I had a blog dedicated to self-published books, after all, so faster than you can say "Free books" I shot her an email asking to read Truth.

I loved it. Perhaps I didn't quite connect with the main character, but the world had captured me, and I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next.

So naturally, I shot her another email asking for the next book. (She'd said I could do this. I wasn't being presumptuous ...) I devoured Courage, though I was a bit disappointed with the plot that seemed to be just a repetition of the previous book. But THAT CLIFFHANGER ENDING!!!!! Alas, the last book was still being edited, so I read The Pirate Daughter's Promise to tide me over in my wait.

Thanks to Swagbucks, I had a tiny bit of amazon money when the publication of said third book rolled around - and she had it on a initial 99 cent sale. I snatched it up IMMEDIATELY and had it consumed within twenty-four hours - a first for me.

And then I was sad because no more Makilien books.

I had a dance of apprehension when she announced the Ilyon Chronicles. On one hand, NEW BOOKS BY MOLLY, but on the other NOT DOLLENAR! I loved the world of Dollenar, and wanted to spend more time there. (Yes, I was very happy when she published "Captivated," such a sweet little story that I'd considered writing fanfiction about)

So I watched her steadily work on this new series, meanwhile I read Makilien a second time (a first for me. I never reread) and had a personal fangirl party over at my blog (which is when I wrote my "how I discovered Makilien stuff"), and managed to squeeze a sneak peak out of her during an interview.

And then, as I was sitting on the edge of my seat, scanning down her pinterest page drooling over all the gorgeous pins on her Ilyon boards (and perhaps stealing some of them for my own boards...) she shot me an email asking me if I wanted to take part in the cover reveal/blog tour/READ A PRERELEASE ARC.

Did I turn her down? Ha ha - NO!!!

Did I have any need to be apprehensive? Ha ha - NO!!!!

(And for the record, her Crete culture is on my list of "societies I would gladly go join if I could.")

Also, this month, she's doing a cover reveal for a prequel novella about the hero, Jace, and the terrible life he's lead. I was supposed to post this two days ago ... but my creativity has been drained by work and fully absorbed by Water Princess, Fire Prince, and I've falling off the blogging ball. So .... since she gave me a readymade HTML thingie, I'm going to let her take over from here.

Check out the cover of Jaye L. Knight’s upcoming novella, Half-Blood, and learn about this prequel story to Ilyon Chronicles! Make sure you also enter the giveaway at the bottom!

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00026]

About the Book

The gasps and murmuring grew. Though some were hardly more than whispers, clear words reached Jace’s ears—dangerous, monster, animal, soulless. He tried to back away from their accusing eyes, but the collar pulled hard against his throat and held him in place.

For all his years as a slave, Jace has known nothing but the hatred people hold for his mixed blood—one half human, the other half the blood of a race considered monsters. Always, he is the outsider and quickly learns it is better to keep to himself. But, when his volatile ryrik blood leads him to do the unthinkable, he is thrown into a world of violence and bloodshed.

Forced to become a gladiator, Jace finds more and more of his heart dying as his master works to break down his will not to become the monster everyone believes he is. When a stranger interferes with his master’s harsh punishment, Jace’s world is upended yet again. But with it comes the possibility of hope that has long since died. Could the man possibly hold the key to escaping the hopeless darkness that is Jace’s life? Is there such a thing as life beyond the cruelty of slavery?

See where Jace’s story all began . . .

Coming This Summer

About the Author

Jaye L. Knight is an award-winning author, homeschool graduate, and shameless tea addict with a passion for Christian fantasy. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God’s love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

You can connect with Jaye on her website, blog, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.

Giveaway

As part of a month long celebration for the one year publication anniversary of Resistance (Ilyon Chronicles - Book 1), Jaye is giving away several fun prizes! Enter for a chance to win using the form below! U.S. entries only please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, May 26, 2014

Interview with Rayad

About the Book (Cover image attached to email)

“Don’t you know? Animals like you have no soul.”

Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he’s ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he’s tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.

Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair lives every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.

Following the emperor’s declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance.

Available for purchase on Amazon May 20^th!
View book extras at www.ilyonchronicles.blogspot.com.

About the Author (Author pic attached to email)

JAYE L. KNIGHT is a 25-year-old independent author with a passion for writing Christian fantasy and clean NA (New Adult) fiction. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God's love shines as a light to offer hope.

Jaye is a homeschool graduate and has been penning stories since the age of eight. She was previously published as Molly Evangeline. You can learn about her latest writing projects at www.jayelknight.com.

Social Media Links

A few weeks back, I participated in the cover reveal of Jaye L. Knight's newest book, Resistance, the first book she's written under her new pen name. Today, I'm participating in the blog tour for this lovely read by featuring an interview with Rayad, one of the characters. He's the father/mentor figure to Jace, the half-ryrik, and while I personally didn't connect with him nearly as well as I did with Kyrin and Jace himself, he is no less an amazing character, as you will see from the interview.

I can't remember if this is a Rayad quote or not. I think it is, though.

1. What is your fondest childhood memory?

There are many I look back on fondly, particularly those with my friend Warin. I think one that stands out the most involved Kalli and Aldor. They stayed with us for a good while when I was young and grew to be like family. I’ll never forget the birth of their first child—a daughter. I was an only child, and though Warin was like my brother, that was the first time I’d ever experienced having a baby in the house. I was pretty hesitant and didn’t know what to expect at first, but I sure enjoyed getting to hold her after a while. It was almost like having a sister for the few months they were able to stay with us.

2. How did you come to know Elom?

My parents were very diligent in raising me and teaching me about Elôm from a very early age. My mother could weave a lesson about faith into even the most unlikely situations. I was seven when I fully placed my trust in Elôm. I had some rough teen years, as I think is typical, but their steadfast faith and diligence was like an anchor for me.

3. Is there anything that you have done that you have regretted?

Unfortunately, by the time you’re my age, you’ve compiled a list of regrets. There are many things I wish I had or hadn’t done. I think I’ll always wonder how things might have been different if I had laid low and not provoked the army captain near my home town. I don’t regret standing for my faith and what I believe, but I do regret that it ended in violence. Though I suppose I can’t regret the path that event set me on. Had I not needed to run, I never would have found Jace. That is the thing about regrets. You wish you could change things, but Elôm can always use a bad situation to bring about something good.

4. Apart from Elom, who do you care most about in the world?

Jace. I’ve never been married and have no children. I was always content with my life and my work, but when you live alone long enough, there are times you wish you had someone to share your life with. Once you reach a certain point, you start to doubt that will ever happen, but then Elôm brought Jace into my life. He’s the son I never had. It doesn’t matter how different our blood may be, he’s as much family to me as my parents were.

5. I don't think you have a Bible in your world, but let's say you do. What is your favorite verse?

We do have some writings and teachings of Elôm called the King’s Scrolls, but there are few complete copies. Most verses and passages are passed down between families. My favorite of those my parents taught me is one my father used to quote often. Though all the peoples walk each in the name of his god, as for us, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.* This is a verse I constantly keep in my thoughts with the worship of idols becoming so prevalent.

*Micah 4:5

I'm also reviewing the book over at O.Scarlett blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, April 11, 2014

Cover Reveal - Resistance by Jaye L. Knight

Last January, I was Molly Evangeline's personal fan girl because I really love her Makilien Trilogy. I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not, though I think I did, but she's also working on a completely new series, the Ilyon Chronicles, which is rapidly approaching publication, though under a new pen name, Jaye L. Knight. Which is a very pretty name which fits her genre much better.

Well, the other day, she contacted me and asked if I wanted to participate in the first book's cover reveal and be a pre-reviewer. I enthusiastically said yes on both accounts. I'll be posting the review later on the O.Scarlett blog, so watch out for it! It's a wonderful book, very different from Makilien, with twice the amazing world building, and a feel that I've only found previously in Christian historical fiction set in Rome pre-Catholicism, and some stories about the Chinese church ... and maybe the Left Behind series. But this is a Christian Fantasy - usually that's about Epic battles of Good vs. Evil. Not persecution.

In short, I loved it.

And just look at this lovely cover! Wow! I've said this before, but I'll say it again. Her covers are the BEST.

“Don’t you know? Animals like you have no soul.”

Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he’s ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he’s tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.

Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair and her twin brother live every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.

Following the emperor’s declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance.

Kindle release date: May 20, 2014

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Rebellious Princess or a Strong Woman?

First off, I have declared myself done with fangirling for the month. I managed to reread the books, interview the author (which post almost instantly jumped to into my top-viewed posts of all time), and do a pretty indepth review of the series. So without further ado, I shall draw a winner.

Not feeling like pulling out my hat, I entered the four names into a list randomizer seven times each for luck's sake and the winner is ...

Kiri Liz!!!!!!!!

Congratulations! (For some odd reason, you're very good at winning my giveaways ...) Anyways, contact me (you have my email) with an email address attached to an Amazon account (otherwise, I can't give you your prize).

Second off, I want to announce my plans for next month. Because February is my birthday month, instead of featuring another author, I will hyper promote my books, Bookania (and Sew, It's a Quest) it particular. I will be giving away paperback and e-copies of the Bookania quests, and I'll be back later with details on how you can earn entries. (Basically, be my fangirls. For my birthday. Thank-you)

Anyways, on to the title of this post. Rebels and Princesses.

Via Pinterest

If you say the words Rebellious Princess among any group of readers or writers, you would probably launch a pretty heated debate. Some readers refuse to read anything else, sickened by what they call "mamby pamby weepy can't do anything for herself" and others are horrified by these women who cast aside their God-given woman-hood.

Personally, I'm in the middle of the road. I like my female main characters to have a good dose of girl power (because, otherwise, they'd have no reason to be in my genre of choice, except to be an annoying, distracting love interest) but I want them to keep their femininity. I don't require skirts, but I do require modesty.

Most of all, I want her to make sense. Not every girl who wanders into a fantasy adventure will know what to do with a sword (most won't) and even fewer are (realistically) going to pick up the skill overnight. A slightly larger majority might know what to do with a bow, but again, not every girl knows how. Since these are skills most girls need to know when they're thrust on a journey, you're going to come up with a good reason.

For instance, to refer to the mother of this strain of ladies, Eowyn knows how to use a sword because "The women of Rohan learned long ago that those who do not live by the sword can still die by it" - Two Towers. While they aren't expected to use them, they still know how if need be - and she chooses to use it. From my own writing, we have Robin, who was accidentally gifted with swordplay from her Fairy Godmother, Clara, whose parents taught martial arts and swordplay in the real world, and Maid Marian, who had no mother or brothers, but did have a doting father who gave her a boy's education.

In order to know what would make sense, you have to understand what is expected of girls in your world. Eowyn was expected to know how to use a sword, if need be. Robin wasn't, and it was also unexpected for her to have a Fairy Godmother. However, Fairy Godmothers used to be more common, and it's not unheard of for them to make mistakes when twins are involved. In fact, the ancestor Robin was named after had had quite a bit of spunk herself. Despite the fact that in Klarand, not many girls know how to fight, Clara was expected to because of the prophesy surrounding her Water Princess persona. In fact, the Klaranders were prepared to teach her the skills necessary if she didn't come with them.

If their skill is one that isn't a given in their society, they should be viewed as a bit of a sore thumb. Even if it is expected, if it's not the norm, there still should be a few fellow females shaking their heads and clucking their tongues. Robin feels very out of place among her peers, especially other girls. She knows how to put princes and lords to shame ... but other girls ... well, it's not chivalrous to attack an unarmed girl (yes, Robin actually does unconsciously adhere to a code of chivalry - part of her gift).

Also important is how she relates to men. Since her skills intrude into what men think are what is rightfully theirs, there will naturally be friction. They will challenge her and try to put her in her place, but she ought to be able to hold her own. Not necessarily win, but she should hold her own. She should not, however, be so good compared to them that they they kiss the dust at her feet - and making her drop-dead gorgeous while she's at it ... well that's just ... no. I'm a huge promoter of every girl can be (and is) beautiful, but when you're in the middle of intense sword fight, she's probably going to quite disheveled and possibly sweaty. Some girls can pull this look off. Most can't.

And I had more thoughts on this subject, but I've misplaced them. Nevermind. I'll probably be back later (maybe in a month or two) with them. Rebellious princesses are a pet topic of mine.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Interview with Molly Evangeline!

Welcome Molly Evangeline! It's an honor to have you over for this interview.

Thanks for having me!

First of all, tell us a bit about yourself. Why did you choose to become an author. (Or to better phrase the question, why did the writing life chose you?)

Well, I’m twenty-five years old, a homeschool graduate, and started writing when I was eight. My mom is the one to thank for that. She’s been writing since she was a teen and wrote a lot while I was growing up. Seeing her collect pictures from old magazines for characters looked like so much fun I had to try it myself. Once I started writing there was no stopping. I’ve always had a very active imagination, and creating stories is the perfect outlet for that. Now I write full time as an indie author and publisher with a couple odd side jobs like making and selling jewelry on Etsy. A few months ago, I decided to start publishing under the fresh new pen name of Jaye L. Knight and focus predominately on Christian fantasy, which has become a huge passion of mine since writing Makilien.

What inspired the Makilien Trilogy?

Lord of the Rings, definitely. I probably wouldn’t be writing fantasy at all if I had not discovered the world of Middle-earth when I was thirteen. My trilogy started out as an extension of the pretend adventures I’d have with my brothers. Makilien was basically me and was the typical real-world girl ends up in a land like Middle-earth. The original series had five books, though I only completed three. It was all for the enjoyment of myself, my brothers, and my cousins who I liked to read it to. Then, sometime after I got into self-publishing, I decided I wanted to do something with Makilien and completely revamped the story, added a few new characters like Torick and this version’s Sirion, and wrote a whole new plot for book three.

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to your writing?

Crazy as it may sound, actually writing is the biggest challenge for me. I love creating stories and characters, but getting it all down on paper can be really hard. I’m prone to bad, prolonged bouts of writer’s block, usually as a result of health problems or other outside stress. Once I get out of the habit of writing daily, it can be really tough to get back into it.

If I were to force you to choose a favorite character from the Makilien trilogy, could you?

That’s tough because I love so many of them, but I’d have to narrow it down to . . . Halandor and Sirion. They have a special place in my heart. And if I really had to pick just one, I’d probably go with Sirion. He’s such a dear character to me. In the end, looking back, I think his character, struggles, and journey were really at the heart of the trilogy.

Are there any other activities you enjoy besides writing?

I’m very creative, so I enjoy most activities that involve creating things. Sewing has been one of my favorite pastimes for several years. I love to design and sew historical and fantasy costumes (I made each of three Makilien cover costumes and their accessories). I also love to take part in historical reenactment of the 18^th century. I dabble in digital painting, but I’m not very good at it, though I’d love to be able to paint my characters. One thing that takes a lot of my time lately that’s not spent writing or editing is making jewelry for my Etsy shop. I’ve always enjoyed putting together jewelry designs, and I’m very excited to now be making a bit of profit on it.

If there's one thing you'd like readers to take from your writing, what would it be?

That God is working even in the darkest, most troubling circumstances. I think that is the one underlying theme that comes through in everything I write. Just the other day I read a note in my study Bible that says God’s way is always best, even when He takes us through the wilderness. That’s been something I’ve had to rely on heavily in my own life and is important in my writing. I’d love it if readers can see what my character go through and how God works through their circumstances and understand that Romans 8:28 is true when it says God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called to His purpose.

Can you share a favorite quote from the trilogy with my readers?

It’s been a while since I’ve read through it, but one quote that always sticks in mind is one from Torick to Elandir and Elmorhirion: “You two are the bane of my existence.” It always makes me chuckle because it is so Torick.

What is your opinion on the new Hobbit Movies?

Personally, I love the movies. Watching them made me positively giddy, and I talked about them for days. I’m not a diehard book purist. I like things a certain way, but I’m very good at letting books be one thing and movies be another. I am still so in love with Middle-earth that I will take it any way I can get it. Seeing the first Hobbit movie was like coming home after a really long time. I almost cried, actually. While the movies have their flaws (and what movies don’t?), I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them and can’t wait for the third one, although I’m going to hate for it all to be over again.

Tell us a little bit about your upcoming series, the Ilyon Chronicles. Any sneak peeks?

I’m currently writing book four of six and editing book one, Resistance, which is scheduled for publication this spring. I had labeled it as young adult, but I now realize it fits better in the recently emerging “new adult” category, so now I’m labeling it “clean new adult.” The whole series started with inspiration for the main guy, Jace. He’s a half-blooded former slave/gladiator who most of society believes is soulless and no better than an animal. He struggles more than any character I’ve ever written, but I’ve connected with him better than any other character. In many ways, he’s a lot like me, though our personal struggles are a bit different. The series is really to tell his story as he struggles with his fears and searches for the truth, but I have an insanely large cast so there are many other storylines entwined with his. Here’s a scene near the beginning of the book between Jace and his mentor that really showcases Jace’s struggle.

A mile into the forest, he opened up again. “Why aren’t my prayers answered?”

Rayad’s forehead creased. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t want to fight. I didn’t want to give in to anger, again. I prayed to Elôm for help.” Jace hung his head. “A moment later, I hit Morden.”

Rayad sighed. “Unfortunately, just because we pray not do something doesn’t mean we always won’t. We are imperfect and always needing to grow. You’ve believed in King Elôm for little more than a year now. Give yourself time. He is working in you, and eventually, looking back, you’ll be able to see it. And remember, our growth is never complete here. Look at me—I trusted in Elôm when I was a boy, but I’m not even close to all I’d like to be. You know me. I can be impatient, stubborn, ill-tempered, but I know Elôm is still working in those areas.”

Despite these words, Jace bit back an outcry of frustrated desperation. They didn’t relieve the churning in his mind or offer a definitive answer to his questions.

“What is it, Jace?” Rayad asked quietly.

Jace swallowed, throat squeezing around his words. Was he even ready for the answers? “What if my prayers aren’t heard?”

“King Elôm hears all the prayers of His children. He hears yours.”

“But . . . what if I’m not one of His children. . . what if I have no soul?”

Rayad pulled Aros to a halt. Niton stopped beside him. Jace squeezed his reins, waiting almost fearfully for Rayad’s response.

Voice calm, yet strained, Rayad asked, “Is that what Morden said to you?”

Jace stared down at Tyra who looked up at him, so calm and patient.

“Jace.” Rayad’s voice was deathly serious now. Jace looked at him. “It is not true.”

Jace matched his tone as he looked Rayad in the eyes, ribs throbbing where his heart hammered into them. “How do you know? You’ve always told me that, but how do you truly know? Everyone believes ryriks are soulless.”

Rayad’s breath seeped out quietly. “Because I don’t believe Elôm created an intelligent race of people without souls. And even if He did, you’re not a ryrik. You’re only half, and I fully believe the human part of you has a soul.”

Any advice for the self-publishing/aspiring authors who read my blog?

Read a lot and never stop learning new ways to improve your craft. There are always things to learn and areas to improve. I just had what I call a “writing growth spurt” thanks to reading through Camy Tang’s writing blog and Rivet Your Readers With Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson. It has really helped me make Ilyon Chronicles the best work I’ve done yet. Also, when you get into publishing, make sure to do your research on how professionally published books are done—how their covers look, how they’re formatted, etc. Unfortunately, no one really pays attention to the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” There just isn’t time to do a lot of research before deciding to read a book. If it doesn’t catch my eye, chances are, I’ll pass over it. It is imperative to have a well written/edited book to be successful, but it won’t mean much if it isn’t visually appealing. Do everything within your ability to create a book that at least comes close to rising to the standards of traditionally published books.

Thanks so much!

And I've asked Molly if she would swing by and answer any questions that you ask in the comments below. Also, I'll be giving away an kindle version of Truth to one random commenter/question asker on this post. I will be purchasing this book as a kindle gift because I already have the complete trilogy, but I do want to support the author.

And good luck to you, Molly, as you continue your writing journey!

Monday, January 6, 2014

Why I'm a Fan of the Makilien Trilogy

The summer before last, after putting Sew on a free for five days spin that was very successful, I wandered over to my author page and noticed the "People who bought books by Kendra E. Ardnek also bought books by ..." section, and for some odd reason the name "Molly Evangeline" popped out at me. I suspect that it had had something to do with the fact that I had been following a photography blog called "Evangeline" and while I had loved the pictures she had been posting, she had mysteriously stopped.

So with some weird hope that this was the same Evangeline, I clicked on the name.

It was not the same Evangeline, but I was only disappointed for a few seconds.Then I realized that this was a Christian author whose books were fantasy and HiFi, my two favorite genres. And her cover arts were gorgeous. Unfortunately, I didn't have any money to buy her books at that moment, so I added her blog to my Google Reader and pretty much forgot about her.

And then she posted that she would give away free e-books to anyone who was willing to review them. And since she was self-published, and that's the sort of books we review over at O.Scarlett, I jumped at the over, reading and reviewing the first two books of her trilogy in quick succession. Unfortunately, book three wasn't published yet at that time, so I had to ask for the first book of the HiFi series while I waited. (Also a good book, but we're not here to talk about it.)

When the third book finally did come out, she had it at a special introductory price of 99 cents, and since I did happen to have 99 cents in my Amazon gift card balance (thanks to Swagbucks) I snatched it up.

Read my Reviews:

Truth

Courage

Trust

So on a whole, how do I rate the series?

Christian message:

5 out of 5

Molly conveyed the message of Christianity, especially the three titular themes, so perfectly and effortlessly, without feeling preachy at all. The allegory in Truth is beautifully done, my only regret is that it seemed to be forgotten two years later in Trust.

Characters

4 out of 5
Most of the characters were brilliant and well developed, but I never connected with Makilien, the main character. (Nor do I fully understand why she was in the battle in book 1, other than the fact that she "wanted to" she almost lost her feminity in that book, though she did recover it in the next two.) Also there were some characters that appeared to be main, but I keep forgetting they exist, Loron in particular. Every time I pick up a book and he shows up, I'm like ... "Oh, right. You're in this story. Hi!" Everyone else, however, I fully enjoyed.

Plot twists
5 out of 5
Molly Evangeline apparently loves plot twists, and while some of them in her HiFi series seem forced, most of the ones in Makilien I loved. They blew me away! Some I saw coming, but most ... well, in effort to not spoil the plot, there is one twist that at first makes a beloved character sink so low that you just want to ... but then you find out! And the beloved character is about twenty times more awesome. (Or at least, he is in my opinion, but I just love twins). Overall, Courage was my least favorite, not because it didn't have awesome plot twists (it did) but because the overall plot arch was almost identical as Truth's. Trust, however, was a beautiful roller coaster, and I never knew what was going to happen next.

World Building.
5 out of 5
I included Dolennar, Makilien's world, as part of my Memorable Worlds series last August. Dolennar was so well thought out, and comes through clearly in the writing. And the map Molly drew is amazing. I wish I could draw maps.

Romance
3 out of 5
While all of the pairings were very sweet and quite suited for each other, there were a few that I just didn't get. In particular, Derrin, Makilien's would-be suitor. He showed up briefly in the beginning of Truth and I promptly forgot about him in the wonderful plot. He lives in Reylaun and has been pursuing Makilien for years. Quite understandable, since Makilien is the main character and everyone wants to marry the main character, right? Fast forward to Courage where, despite the fact that he doesn't really accept Elohim, he decides to skip town with Makilien, Aedan, and Makilien's family. Then he meets Sirion, who Makilien is obviously taken with, and he instantly becomes jealous and all that. Understandable, again. But let's back up there to Aedan, who had been Makilien's best friend since I'm not sure when, and is, quite decidedly, male. Why did Makilien spending time with Aedan never bother Derrin? Am I the only one who thought she might just like Aedan? And then Aedan meets his love interest ... and I won't go there. It was just too contrived and forced. Everyone else, however, and especially Makilien and Sirion, were beautifully done. Rant over.

Romance, Makilien, and forgettable characters aside, I really enjoyed this series, and I do heartily recommend it to anyone looking for good Christian fantasy that doesn't have magic.

Via Pinterest

11. Hidden who had known each other well in their Dragon lives usually don't join the same bands. Very seldom to you see mates together. It's just too painful for them to see those they love like that.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Nutcracker Advent Day 30

Today's nutcracker is on a towel. Holding a tray of desserts. Yummy.

It was a Christmas present from my adopted uncle and aunt.

Don't panic.

I can't think of anything more to say about it.

So I'm going to talk about a new blogging scheme of mine that I'm going to begin next month. Over the last few years, I've slowly become aware of "fans" that aren't used for artificial cooling, but instead are people who really like things. In particular, a lot of people are fans of movies or books. This doesn't mean that they cool the movies or books down, just that the really like them. Enough that they draw fan art, write fan fiction, devote blogs to the books and other such strange things.

And you know something? As an author, I think it'd be really cool if I could have a few of these fans for my own books. Wouldn't it be cool to see fan art of Robin and Robert and other such interesting things?

And this lead me to the thought that maybe some other authors might enjoy having a fan or two themselves.

So starting January, I'm going to choose an author, series, or book and become its fan. It will be a book or series that I have already read and loved, and possibly reviewed over at O.Scarlett. It will not be a popular book, and will probably be indie-published, like my books, and it will definitely not have a huge existing fan base.

Because, after all, feels aren't just for popular books.

As the fan of this book, I will:
Read or reread the book/series/everything the author wrote.
Draw some fan art. (Won't promise it'll be good, but I'll make a valiant attempt)
Do at least one Character Analysis.
Do some Quote thingies ... (Uh ... what are they called? Pictures that have quotes from the books on them, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.)
Post reviews over at O.Scarlett (Unless the reviews are already written. In that case I'll just point you to them)
Buy the books. Probably kindle versions, though since I now have a job, I may feel generous and buy paperbacks. If I already own the book/series/everything the author wrote, I will purchase the Kindle version as a giveaway for one of my readers.
Possibly write Fan fiction. This'll depend on how bold I am.
Contact the author and ask for an interview. And hope that they won't mind a short notice ...
Anything else I can think of or someone else might suggest.

As you can tell, this is a brilliant idea, and I'm quite willing to let any of you join me and become fans with me. You can do the same book/series/author I'm doing, or you can chose your own - as long as there isn't an existing fan base. The point of this is to make unknown authors feel famous. Because its something every author deserves, isn't it? Perhaps later I'll have the brainpower to put together a button that you guys can steal ...

January's series will be the Makilien Trilogy by Molly Evangeline, since I just got around to reviewing its last book and it's fresh on my mind. Since I have all three in kindle version, this means that I'll probably be hosting a giveaway.

Looking forward to 2014! (Though it's scary how quickly it approacheth ... and I'm still far from finished with any of my books that I want to publish next month ... I'd better get busy.)

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