Showing posts with label steampunk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steampunk. Show all posts

Guest Post + Giveaway: 10 Things That Inspire Me


I am absolutely delighted to welcome Author Astrid Yrigollen to the blog today to share a Guest Post on what inspires her. 
I have not had the opportunity to read her book, His Black Wings yet but a lot of readers have described it as a Steampunk retelling of Beauty and the Beast-Sounds fabulous right?
So without further ado let me turn the blog over to Astrid....
Ten Things That Inspire Me
1. Creation. The natural world and heavens is breath taking and awe inspiring. The beauty, design and variety of everything, even a single kind of say, flower, that can be found in our known universe is inspiring to me.
2. No matter where is comes from, whenever I witness a person’s humility it never ceases to impress me and inspire me to be a better person.
3.Kindness is something that any one can give freely, even the most simple act yet can be so powerful. When I see kindness it always speaks directly to my heart and reminds me to in turn to be kind.
4. Intelligence. I love speaking, listening and learning from intelligent people (who are also open minded).No one person will ever know it all,but it’s fun to learn from everyone you can.
5. Animals. To see the various behaviors of animals that emote human ones, love, anger, jealousy ,tenderness etc. never ceases to inspire me to create animal characters for younger readers.
6. People who stands up for what is right, even when it is not popular to do so.
7. Art in it’s various forms. Whether it’s drawing, painting, sculpting, crafting, sewing and even baking I love to see the things people create.
8. Happy music puts me in to a good mood, therefore making it easier to be inspired and create!
9. On the lighter side of things that inspire me, girly, pretty things,dresses,bows etc. These fashions are past my age group to wear, but I love to see pretty dresses!
10. Cake! All girls love sweets and nothing beats a pretty cake!
Meet The Author:
Astrid Yrigollen is a self published Author of Young Adult and Children’s books. 
Astrid started her writing career when she begun work for the international video game giant, Sega of America. Working her way up the ranks, she began writing companion guides for games. With a love for writing fiction 
since childhood, she took her short stories out of storage and had her first story ever written published. It was only after that she found out that first stories are never published! 
She has resumed writing full time and has succeeded in putting out the titles, The Doughnut Tree, Mysterious Pootkins , and The Mosswoods to name a few. Her short stories have appeared in the literary 
journal, “Threshold Press” and Shock and Awe Magazine.She finds writing for young adults both refreshing and challenging. She always wishes to provide examples of positive role models, conflict resolving methods and communication for young adults with their parents or guardians. 


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His Black Wings


AuthorAstrid Yrigollen
Title: His Black Wings
Release Date: November 2012
Synopsis:

Claren Maidstone has been forced to flee her childhood home after the death of her parents and a vicious assault from a sadistic young man who intends to marry her. Claren changes her identity and finds employment as an assistant to the handsome Fredrick Lowood, a generous yet mysterious benefactor. However, she soon finds out his generosity comes at a price. Fredrick wishes for Claren to befriend his disfigured son who resides in seclusion at their estate, Westwind.

Fredrick Lowood knows what the history books do not teach, that the Grand Council built this new world of peace and beauty on hidden blood and greed. He has plotted for years to bring down the family that enslaved his own people. Suddenly, he has the last living heir in his grasp.

Etrigan Lowood rejects the world that forces him to hide. He is powerful, plagued with a terrible dark beauty: WINGS. It is these wings that carry him out only at night to watch the unwanted intruder in his home. A creature of refined instinct yet little social grace, he is strangely captivated by Claren but knows nothing of how her family’s dark past is intertwined with his own . Through their blossoming friendship, Etrigan realizes he still retains his human heart and yearns for Claren’s love.

Kurten Wandsworth is the only son of the Mayor of St.Marhen. Kurten lives his life fueled by cruelty and lust. Whatever he wants he takes and he wants Claren to be his wife even it if kills her. Scarred by Claren he hunts her down mercilessly until he can set a trap which she will never be able to escape from.

The Giveaway
Enter this International giveaway to win a paperback of His Black Wings by Astrid Yrigollen and some fabulous swag!

Blog Tour: Charmed Vengeance - Suzanne Lazear



Title: Charmed Vengeance 
Author: Suzanne Lazear
Published: Aug 8th 2013-Flux 
Series: The Aether Chronicles #2

Synopsis:
In the Faerie realm, Noli Braddock's relationship with her best friend V has grown into something more. But V's mother, Faerie Queen Tiana, has ruled that they are forbidden to see each other. Returning to the mortal realm, Noli joins the crew of her brother's air-pirate ship, the Vixen's Revenge. There she discovers that her brother has hired the scallywag Faerie huntsman, Kevighn Silver. While serving as shipmates, Kevighn and Noli learn that the Earth Court King plans to find a forbidden artifact--one that will bring destruction to everyone Noli loves.

Although I haven't read a lot of Steampunk books I enjoyed reading Innocent Darkness(The Aether Chronicles #1) last year. You can check out my review HERE (it's one of my earlier reviews). I'm definitely excited for Charmed Vengeance!

Review, Author Interview and Giveaway: UNFORESEEN by Sarah Bartsch




    Author: Sarah Bartsch

     Title: Unforeseen

     Format: eBook

     Source: Received an e-copy in        exchange for an honest review

     PublishedNovember 2012
      Miyako is that rarest of teenage girls in Japan, circa 1915: a Samurai warrior. As technology and war spreads throughout the west, threatening the isolated Japanese way of life, the Shogun -- who rules for the Silent Emperor -- seeks the key to the nation's survival. Miyako's first solo mission takes her through a mysterious portal into a world of bizarre dangers and exciting temptations, where clockwork robots serve their masters and the very air itself can kill. 
This is a stand-alone novella set in The Empires of Steam and Rust universe created by Robert E. Vardeman.

My Thoughts

"She felt lighter as though her shorn hair had been tangled up with worries and doubts and weights and then simply cut away."

Miyako is the protagonist in the story and I really admire the courage that she has shown in this story. Sarah Bartsch's narration made it easier for me to imagine what was going on, but on the downside, I think one must have a background knowledge about the 1915 Japan setting to understand some of the words used in the story.

There were so many revelations in the story and and readers will learn a lot of things about Miyako and her past as the story goes on.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommended for steampunk readers.



 Author Interview



Hello Sarah!

  • When did you decide that you are going to be a writer?
I've written stories as long as I can remember, starting with hardbacks when I was four or five.  They were simpler books, a few pages each, bound in cardboard, handwritten single copies... But I made the decision to be a Writer! a couple years ago.  I'd been fighting it.  I got college degrees and day jobs, but making a living by writing is really all I want, and every day now I'm obsessing over the business and the art of being a genre author.  It's hard and complicated, and I love it.
  • Do you ever get 'stuck' while writing a story? What do you do about it?
Getting stuck happens a little bit of all the time, but I've found I need to push and write even though I'm insecure or confused or not inspired.  Then there are days I cut everything I did the day before because it was horrible, but that's just part of the process.  Sometimes I don't know a scene won't work until I write it out and realize--Miyako wouldn't do that!  Then I rethink it and "put on" the character's perspective and try again.

  • Describe each of the characters in Unforeseen with just one word.
Miyako: Relentless
Sook: Brilliant
Jin:  Devious

Let's get to the fun part!


When I dance, I look like…? 











What is one of your weird quirks?
It's not very weird for a writer to be an introvert, is it?  Um... on top of that, though, I like stale Cheetos. 

If you had access to a time machine where and when would you go? 
There are so many places and times that pop to mind, but after talking about it with my boyfriend, his first idea sounded great to me.   Now, if I get my hands on a time machine, I'm not giving it up easy, but my initial ride would be to Roswell in July of 1947 to see what really crashed there.

If you where running for office what would your campaign slogan be?
I don't really want the job, but if I'm running for President of the United States:  "Dystopian fiction--not my favorite.  Vote for Bartsch to save the world!"

Thank you so much, Sarah! :) a Rafflecopter giveaway