Are you ready?

Tuesday Tea with Mistress Snark

I am pleased to announce a new feature on this blog – Tuesday Tea with Mistress Snark. Yes, she's back. Hold onto your seats as we take high tea where the civilized world never intended it to go.

Mistress Snark will be interviewing a different guest on the second Tuesday of each month in the comfort of her parlor, asking wacky questions and getting strange answers in return – partly due to the influence of Jezebel’s special punch.

If you would like to brave her questions, please email her at:

RiverFairchildAuthor@gmail.com and list “Tuesday Tea” on the subject line.

Anyone and everyone is welcome in the Mistress’s parlor. No writerly questions here, just fun! Come on, you know you want to!

REBORN Cover Reveal

I'm excited to be a part of Cherie Reich's cover reveal for her novel Reborn. Isn't it gorgeous?



To save a kingdom, a prophetess must challenge Fate.

On the day of Yssa’s death and rebirth, the god Apenth chose her as the Phoenix Prophetess.

Sea serpents and gods endanger the young prophetess’s journey and sour the omens. Yssa is cursed instead of blessed, and her duties at the Temple of Apenth prove it. She spends her days reading dusty scrolls, which does nothing to help her forget Tym, the boy back home. But the annoying yet gorgeous ferryman’s son Liam proves to be a distraction she can’t predict, even though he rarely leaves her alone for two sand grains.

Her boring temple life screeches to a halt when visions of her parents’ murders consume her. Yssa races across an ocean to stop the future. If she can’t change Fate, she’ll refuse to be the Phoenix Prophetess any longer. Fate, however, has other plans for her and the kingdom.

Yssa must either accept her destiny or fight to change Fate.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reborn, book one of The Fate Challenges, by Cherie Reich will be released on May 23, 2014. For more information about Cherie Reich and her work, please visit her website or blog. The cover art is created by Laura Sava. To add on Goodreads, click here. If you’d like to be notified when Reborn releases, please sign up for her newsletter here.

Here’s an excerpt from the prologue of Reborn:

He couldn’t forget the council’s words or how they’d cursed his fifth Phoenix Prophetess. But visions of the Kingdom of Amora in flames flashed through his mind. He could taste the ashes, like burnt charcoal, and hear her people’s screams. The prophecy of the kingdom’s destruction leaked sour bile into his mouth. The other gods, including Kisa, the Queen of the Gods, might be willing to turn their backs on their loyal people for Fate, but he wasn’t.

There was also this infant in front of him. She reminded him of his daughter. His mortal family resided in the Underworld, but he couldn’t let this child.

“I have to save her.”

“Think of the consequences, my son.”

He had. They both knew the gods would find a way to curse him and this innocent child, but the price was worth saving the kingdom.

Ignoring his mother’s shrieks, Apenth leaned over the lifeless baby again. His lips pressed against her ashen forehead, so cold to the touch. Postera clawed at his arms, but he shoved away her hands. Nothing would stop him from completing Amora’s prophecy, protecting the city named after his love.

“You are mine, little one.” His hand pressed over her heart. Electric heat flowed from his glowing fingertips. They tingled, nearly burning his flesh, but his hand remained steady. Luminosity brightened around the child and him, further blocking out Postera’s pleas. The room filled with the blinding white light.

“Live.” He commanded, pleaded.

“No!” Postera screamed as the child’s life-thread ripped from his mother’s hand and joined the pulsing jewel on her belt. The piece sizzled, reattaching to the gemstone, and transformed to blood red.

The light imploded into the child. Her flesh glowed for a moment before the room’s shadows returned. A tiny strawberry-colored birthmark in the shape of a phoenix blossomed upon the flesh over her heart. The baby’s lungs filled with air, and a cry broke from her lips.

The Phoenix Prophetess was reborn.

IWSG - Conflicting Advice

 

 

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Visit the main page on Alex's blog for the complete signup list!

This month I'm honored to be one of the co-hosts for IWSG, along with: Bob Milne, Julie Dao, and Sarah Foster.

Let go of your fears. Push through your fears. Embrace your fears.

I've heard all of these in discussions about writing and finally figured out they mean the same thing. It's all in how you look at it – is the glass half full or half empty? It's still a half glass of liquid, no matter what you call it. The difference lies in how you assimilate the message.

A good friend once had a discussion on his blog about putting your characters in the worst possible situation. I'd heard this before and complained in the comments that I automatically think of death as the worst situation and I can't kill my MC! He said something profound to me that clicked. He said, "Turn it around. Make death the best possible thing that can happen to your characters."

I can't remember if I ever properly thanked Jay Noel for his insight and wisdom, so if I didn't, THANK YOU, JAY!

That solution really cleared up the fog in my brain. Don't worry. More fog immediately replaced it. You don't have to worry about me suddenly making sense.

Can you think of any conflicting messages you've received where one way clicked better than the others, even though they all meant the same thing?
Remember to visit others on the IWSG list and share the love!