It might seem a little crazy, but I’ve been debating for three months in regards to which fountain pen I should purchase. The options, once you start looking into them, are almost endless!

In truth, I would like to own both a fountain pen that can be pump-filled, and a dip pen. There is something about the tactile sensation of dipping the pen, perhaps it is the extra care that is needed to form the words, that really draws me in. I find it easier to focus when I’m writing with a pen that is smooth and glides across the paper. I tend to write more slowly, not in the frenzied dash to get it all out at once, and I tend to write with more care, because I like the look of what is appearing on the page before me.

It’s a glass dip pen. And I want it.

Ballpoint pens are messy. The ink isn’t smooth, it’s lumpy, the line fades in and out – they really are the poor mans pen. (Which obviously means they are perfect for a not-quite-starving artist, but that doesn’t mean I like to use them!) If you tend to write, rather then type, I think having a pen you truly love is a great idea.

Gel pens are all fine and dandy, but they still don’t come close to the wonderful sensation of using a quality fountain pen.

Like this one. It’s pretty. And $150.. and an extra $125 for the 18K Gold nib.

Since I can’t decide for myself – I’m open to suggestions. If you have a particular pen you love, tell me about it! Keep in mind I won’t be buying any $150 pens for a while – I’m looking for the great, but inexpensive variety.

Currently my pen browsing takes place at www.gouletpens.com <- check it out.

I like to check out the ‘coming soon‘ lists – not only to see if there is anything I should be excited about, but also to fuel my attempts to discover if certain fantasy books are available on kindle yet.

There are several fantasy series which I am waiting for with bated breath, including a few by David Eddings – I’ll be blogging about them the instant they are released on kindle!

However – the author I’m going to mention today is Terry Brooks. Author of the Shannara and Magic Kingdom for Sale series as well as a plethora of other novels.

He has two books coming out on kindle over the next little while, both of which can be pre-ordered (which will result in them being downloaded to your kindle the very instant they are available), and both of which are part of the Shannara Saga.

The first is The Measure of the Magic: Legends of Shannara, and it will be released… dun dun dun… tomorrow! August 23rd 2011.

Book Description: “For five hundred years, the survivors of the Great Wars lived peacefully in a valley sanctuary shielded by powerful magic from the blighted and dangerous outside world. But the enchanted barriers have crumbled, the borders have been breached by predators, and the threat of annihilation looms large once more. Sider Ament, bearer of the last black staff and its profound power, devoted his life to protecting the valley and its inhabitants—and, in his final moments, gave stewardship of the black staff to the young tracker Panterra Qu. Now the newly anointed Knight of the Word must take up the battle against evil wherever it threatens: from without, where an army of bloodthirsty trolls is massing for invasion; and from within, where the Elf king of Arborlon has been murdered, his daughter, Princess Phryne Amarantyne, stands accused, and a heinous conspiracy is poised to subjugate the kingdom. But even these will pale beside the most harrowing menace Panterra is destined to confront—a nameless, merciless figure who wanders the devastated land on a relentless mission: to claim the last black staff . . . and the life of he who wields it.”

The second is The High Druid of Shannara Trilogy; release date – October 25, 2011.

The complete three-book series.

Book Description: “Twenty years have passed since Grianne Ohmsford denounced her former life as the dreaded Ilse Witch. Fulfilling the destiny predicted for her, she has established the Third Druid Council and dedicated herself to its goals of peace and defense of the Four Lands. But the intrigue, treachery, and sinister deeds that have haunted Druid history for generations continue to thrive. And despite her devotion to the greater good as Ard Rhys, the High Druid of Paranor, Grianne still has bitter enemies who will stop at nothing to see her deposed—or destroyed.

As wicked plots are hatched, the Ard Rhys suddenly disappears in the dead of night and without a trace. Now, barely a step ahead of the malevolent forces at work, Grianne’s brave nephew, Pen Ohmsford, embarks on a dangerous mission to find and deliver the High Druid of Shannara from wherever she may be held.”

If you’ve never read any of the Shannara series and you’re not sure why you should care – then I would have to recommend that you check out The Sword of Shannara – the beginning of it all. (Or, if you want the whole first series in one go, there is also The Sword of Shannara Trilogy)

I love to share information, I can’t help it – it makes me happy. SO, in that light, I want to make sure that all E-reader users who read my blog know the following:

You can find ebooks on more websites than just your normal Amazon.com, Barns&Noble or Chapters.

The one I’m going to tell you about today is called Smashwords. This is a website where indie writers can publish their works. You’ll find a great selection of indie ebooks – and the great thing is, it doesn’t matter what e-reader you use, because you can download the book for a plethora of different devices on this website.

You can leave reviews, save your favorite authors, and there are several payment options including my preferred choice; Paypal. If you’re looking for a nice free read – Smashwords is ideal because it will allow you to filter out the free novels.

I’ve tested it out myself, purchased several books there already, and I have found nothing to complain about.

I highly encourage you to check it out – and of course you are always welcome to come back here and tell me what treasures you have discovered!

Go To Smashwords!

Amazon has decided to make it a little easier for readers to discover and recognize Indie Novels – these being the ones that were published via Kindle Direct Publishing, straight from the author – no big publishing firms and all that jazz. They have set up a section of their site specifically for the Indies.

I’ve personally found better luck with the smaller fish in the Indie ocean, but regardless of your preferences you’re bound to find something there.

There are a few perks to buying Indie books – first you can rest assured that a much higher percentage of the profits are making their way to the writer’s pocket, always a good thing. Secondly, because of this the prices also tend to be a little less than your big name book sellers will charge. As such, you can feed your ravenous novel addiction without breaking the bank. Third, you never know what treasures and unusual species you might find if you do a little exploring!

A few of the Indie Fantasy Books you will find in this new category include:

Click HERE to check it out. 

Alright folks, things are going to be changing around here. I’ve decided to shift the focus of this blog from ‘whatever I’ve read recently’ to ‘fantasy ebooks’. Honestly, trying to maintain any level of variety is next to impossible. I’m a fantasy buff, it is my true love. I have regular forays into science fiction and romance, but they still make up a small percentage.

Not to mention the fact that I’ll have better luck luring in readers if this blog is more focused.

Now that I’ve mentioned this – prepare yourselves for changes over the next few weeks.

If you’ve visited here before, I’m sure you have already noticed many of the extensive changes I’ve made!

Thanks for tuning in!

“Robbing a stagecoach on Christmas Eve and kidnapping a woman passenger is the last thing Luke Sullivan expects to do. He just wanted to reclaim the money stolen from him, but ends up with a feisty copper-haired orphan thrown over his shoulder who was on her way to marry Sullivan’s bitter enemy.

Emily McCarthy is an orphan out of options. Forced to marry because she was too old for her orphanage, she doesn’t take kindly to her “rescue.” Still she trusts God can turn any situation to good especially when it seems Sullivan may just be the man of her dreams. But Sullivan’s crossed a dangerous man unused to losing and Emily may just be the prize he’s unwilling to sacrifice.”


From Bethany House Publishing comes a romantic, Christian western. Though it is promoted as a romance novel, that aspect is minor enough that any Christian Western fan would enjoy the story.

The romance is completely innocent, so I would consider it a fine story for young adults.

/5


The Vigilante’s Bride Formula:

3 x dollops of action
1 x heaping spoon of romance
1 x sprinkle of flair
and
1 x teeny piece of mistletoe

Even though I’m still not close to finishing my novel – I am perhaps nearly halfway through the first draft, I can’t help but wonder what happens once I am finished it. (If it ends up as something I am proud of.)

After editing, should I ship it off to an agent? Or should I find a copyeditor and beta readers and ensure that it is the best it can be before doing anything at all? If I do that, would I have it edited first and then the beta readers go through it – or the other way around?

Do I want to go through the long and arduous process of trying to get it published the traditional way – or should I take the leap and self-publish it?

These are only a few of the questions that plague me right now – and I haven’t even finished it yet! It boggles my mind that for every question that is answered about the publishing industry – 15 more will crop up in their place.

I can only hope that when the time comes, I am able to make the decisions that are the best for me.

Phew!

Over the past few years I have tried out a number of writing programs and word processors to see if any of them make a difference. My biggest problem tends to be concentration, and I tried many in the hopes that if they could eliminate distractions, I would be able to write for longer periods of time.

A lot of writers seem to use Write or Die, however just the thought of this program stresses me out beyond belief (as some settings will actually start deleting your writing if you don’t continue typing). It is meant to motivate you, push you to keep writing no matter what, and I like solving all the problems before I start – not just writing whatever pops into my head.

If you’re curious about it, as it seems to work for many people, you can find it HERE.

I also tried out a few that eliminate the distractions by giving you nothing but the text. You see no menus, your task-bar is hidden and they do, without a doubt, make concentration easier. Especially if you are an internet addict like myself.

The biggest problems I’ve found with the ones I tried is that they had no spellcheck capabilities and the contrast was quite hard on the eyes. I used one for a few months with some success but eventually abandoned it for OpenOffice. (A free standard word processor).

I gave up trying out such software for a year or two until my brother sent me a link for one that he had come across. It had a free trial, so I figured I would give it a try.

The program is called ZenWriter and it is without a doubt, the best writing program I have ever used.

Their tag line: Only you and your thoughts.

It features soft, washed out and interchangeable backgrounds that are tame enough not to distract but help me with the difficulty of staring at a computer screen. It also comes with sound options including music, and typing sounds. It might be odd, but I usually have it set to typewriter sounds – the clack of the keys helps keep me in the zone like nothing else has.

The menu of the program disappears after a few seconds of not using the mouse, doing away with the distractions as it also hides the task-bar. It has a spellcheck that can be turned on, but won’t distract you with bright red underlines.

You can modify the size of your text and the font as well, and as a last point in its favor – it automatically saves everything that you type.

You can download the trial version HERE, and the full program is only $9.95. It is the first and only writing program that I have bothered to buy.


5 stars – I love it!

“Hi, I’m Priscilla, an ordinary seventh grader with some extraordinary gifts. As if middle school isn’t hard enough, not only do I have to fight pimples and bullies, but genetically enhanced assassins trying to kill my family and me! But with the help of my genius best friend, Tai, we’re gonna bring down the evil Selliwood Institute, an organization dead set on turning children into killing machines.”

 This novel has the honor of being the very first kids book that I’ve read on kindle.

The premise was intriguing and I’m always looking for good books for the plethora of young relatives that I have.

I say kids book because it doesn’t quite hit young adult, in my opinion, but it isn’t really munchkin material either. Personally I think this book would best suit those in the mysterious ‘tween’ time of life. (The main character is in 7th grade after all.)

The book is fast paced with problems and intrigue that someone younger can relate to. It’s fun, playful, full of adventure and written from the point of view of the main character, Priscilla.

For concerned parents my warnings would be; there is some violence and references to sex ed, puberty and smooching – though nothing detailed or overly graphic in any way!

/5

Priscilla the Great Formula:

1 x cup of adventure
2 x sprinkles of puppy love
1 x pinch of friendship foibles
2 x shakes of magic
and a sliver of wishful thinking.

Sequels include:

Priscilla the Great: The Kiss of Life
and
Priscilla the Great: Too Little Too Late

Though I knew of the existence of this genre, it saddens me to say that I didn’t really know what it was until about a year ago. Just in case you are in the same boat that I was, I’m here to explain it for you.

Steampunk is a mash-up of science fiction and alternate history. It is set in the past, usually the Victorian era, and features technology that someone from that time would have envisioned. The technology isn’t sleek and sophisticated but often steam powered and a little bit clunky. Visible gears and parts seem to be another common detail.

Still confused? Though it is the opposite of what this blog is about – it is easiest to explain with reference to a movie. You know “Wild Wild West”? Steam powered wheelchair, giant mechanical spider and all that jazz? Well that’s steampunk!

Now, when it comes to steampunk novels I’m still pretty unaware. If writers like Jules Verne and H.G. Wells were writing today, their novels would be steampunk – but because they were written in the time they were set in, they are actually just speculative fiction. (Though there is nothing ‘just’ about their works – I heartily recommend them!)

Because I’m curious, and I’d love to review a few, I’m looking for some great steampunk novels. I have read a few, but none of them have made it into the ‘to be reviewed pile’. I have found one that I haven’t read yet, but I will happily accept additional suggestions!

I hope this post helped clarify a rather intriguing genre for you – if you have any questions please feel free to let me know!