SundaySnippets, #WeekendWarriors, 'Dancing With Fate' "You're back. I wondered if I would see you again."

Hello fellow Snippeteers and readers.  Welcome to my Weekend Warriors post. I'm continuing  with another snippet from my fantasy novella, Dancing With Fate. Thank you to everyone who's been following my snippets so far, and been kind enough to comment. Sorry I didn't manage to get around as many blogs last week as I wanted to, it was a really busy week. I'll try to do better this time.

Weekend Writing Warriors   

Eight Sentence Sunday

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Don't forget to visit the other authors at the link above, there's something for all tastes.

BACKGROUND:

Having fulfilled the mission set by Apollo, Terpsichore the muse of dance  is about to return to Olympus when she meets the mysterious Myrddin.  She is lured into a bog by the evil Ellilldan, the fire demons.Myrddin rescues her. Although there is a mutual attraction between them, Myrddin is betrothed to another. As she prepares to leave, having bathed in the waterfall nearby, a messenger from Apollo tells her to go with Myrddin -- that he is in danger.


This is a few paragraphs on from

Last week's snippet ...

SNIPPET  (As always, please forgive the creative punctuation to comply with the ten sentence rule. Very slightly changed from the published version.)

Myrddin tightened his saddle and looked over his shoulder as he heard soft footsteps behind him.

"You're back. I wondered if I would see you again."

She seemed surprised, almost startled. "I didn't think I'd been so long, besides, how far did you think I'd have travelled without my horse?" Her tone seemed unusually sharp. Perhaps she'd been more upset by her experience with the Ellylldan than she let on.

"That’s a good point, I don’t suppose you’d want to leave such a good animal behind. I have saddled her for you, the girths just need tightening."

"Thank you, you are very kind." She pulled the leather strap up a couple of holes and vaulted into the saddle before Myrddin could offer assistance.

BLURB - DANCING WITH FATE

When Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance, is assigned to revisit the land of Wales, her task seems simple enough. She is unaware there is a hidden agenda. Before she can return to Olympus her path crosses that of the mysterious Myrddin, and

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 her heart is lost. But Myrddin is promised to another. His mind is set on the dangerous task that lies before him, and the woman he has sworn to save. Nevertheless, he cannot deny the growing attraction between him and the beautiful stranger he meets along the way.  

Terpsichore and Myrddin face a deadly force that threatens to part  them  forever. Is she destined to lose the only man she has ever truly loved? Is there nothing she can do to save him? Finally, when all seems lost, in desperation she finds herself DANCING WITH FATE. 

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Review of Everything Under The Sun

I featured this book a couple of months ago when it toured with Goddess Fish Promotions. Apologies for taking so long to read and review it. I can recommend it - and if you decide to purchase it, I think you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Everything Under the Sun
By Jessica Redmerski
Genre: Dystopian/ Post apocalyptic
Age category: Young Adult/ New Adult/ Adult
Pages: 683 pages
Release Date: 28 August 2017

Blurb:

Thais Fenwick was eleven-years-old when civilization fell, devastated by a virus that killed off the majority of the world’s population. For seven years, Thais and her family lived in a community of survivors deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. But when her town is attacked by raiders, she and her blind sister are taken away to the East-Central Territory where she is destined to live the cruel and unjust kind of life her late mother warned her about.

Atticus Hunt is a troubled soldier in Lexington City who has spent the past seven years trying to conform to the vicious nature of men in a post-apocalyptic society. He knows that in order to survive, he must abandon his morals and his conscience and become like those he is surrounded by. But when he meets Thais, morals and conscience win out over conformity, and he risks his rank and his life to help her. They escape the city and set out together on a long and perilous journey to
find safety in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Struggling to survive in a world without electricity, food, shelter, and clean water, Atticus and Thais shed their fear of growing too close, and they fall hopelessly in love. But can love survive in such dark times, or is it fated to die with them?

You can find Everything Under the Sun on Goodreads
You can buy Everything Under the Sun here on Amazon

MY REVIEW
This is a roller coaster ride. From the start, none of the characters have it easy. People die, sometimes quite unpleasantly. Thais, the main character, dedicated to protecting her young sister who is blind, despite being scarcely more than a child herself.Sweet and innocent Thais is also strong and determined. 

Then there is Atticus. A flawed hero, shaped by events in this cruel distopian world, he doesn't turn a hair when it is necessary to kill, but with Thais, he is gentle, concerned, and oh so considerate, in  contrast to an environment filled with evil men who are quite the opposite. 

The book is long, but I never once felt that it dragged and it kept me flipping my Kindle pages to the end.

There are many twists and turns. Characters the reader gets fond of are brutally killed, people they thought they could trust betray them, and through it all, Thais is forced to rely on Atticus although the horrendous things she's been forced to see and endure have made her fear and mistrust men in general. She is far from a weak, simpering heroine though, strong and quick witted her own right, she is a perfect match for him. Despite her initial mistrust, the chemistry sizzles between them and Atticus is such a charismatic hero,  the reader is likely to fall for him as heavily as did Thais herself. 

The ending of the book came as a complete shock. In fact my only criticism of the book is that I thought this was a 'standalone', but there is apparently a second book in the offing, and although not a complete cliffhanger 'Everything Under the Sun leaves enough of a question at the end for me to make a mental note that I have to read that second book when it comes out.

A  gripping, sometimes uncomfortable, but always exciting and enthralling read.

Resist and serve Spotlight and #Giveaway

Resist and Serve

by Sean Caissie

Genre: ScienceFiction, Dystopian Adventure

Rick Olmos's memories are scattered at best. The world he knew appears to
be gone and its place, one of oppression, war and resistance. A
desperate people wage a guerrilla war against a technologically
superior enemy called The Directorate and the aren't exactly
winning. 

Rick's 

seen these odds before but more imporantly, he feels honor bound to

save the person who saved him, a fierce resistance fighter named Gia.
She put everything on the line to free him and he's not about to let
her fate decide her future.

But 

The Directorate has put a plan in motion to eliminate the resistance

once and for all. Rick finds himself in a position to help but he may 

have to forsake his own agenda to preserve humanity's last hope for

freedom.

Goodreads
* Amazon

Sean Caissie has been a part of the Information Technology community for nearly 20 years. He studied at Seneca @ York with specialties in both computer security and networking. He also had comprehensive knowledge in computer engineering.

His l

atest passions outside of writing include hosting, designing and 

building mobile apps.

Currently he resides in Toronto with his wife, 1yr old daughter and cat.

*

Twitter

                                            * Amazon
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Follow the tour HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Galactic Mandate - Blog tour and #Giveaway

Galactic Mandate: A Radical Cause

by M.R. Richardson

Genre: SF, Space Opera

The galaxy is in turmoil. The two main powers, the Acolyte Empire and the Clone Defense Force, vie for supremacy. 

Caught in between are the weaker Galactic Planetary League and independent planets, pawns to be used and discarded in the greater game. The peace of the galaxy rests on a powder keg…and the fuse is about to be lit. 

As the son of the Acolyte Emperor God-Reign, Devante lives a life of power and luxury that few can fathom. Since childhood, he has devoted his life to one thing: freeing the clone slaves of the CDF and banning the practice of cloning throughout the galaxy. But he is about to uncover a secret that goes to the heart of the empire he loves and serves, one that will set him on a course Of vengeance and destruction that will shake the galaxy to its core. 

Against this backdrop of war, treachery, and intrigue, Galactic Mandate tells an epic saga of god-emperors and assassins, spies and queens, princesses and  Slaves. 

The lives of all will be irrevocably changed as Devante embraces his destiny—for when empires collide, no one is safe, and there is no place in the galaxy to hide. 

Goodreads
* Amazon

M.R. Richardson is a new African-American science fiction author. He hopes to spread a new type of story. Something raw, and Original that everyone over 18 can enjoy. M.R. Richardson is the author of Galactic Mandate: A Radical Cause, and

the founder of Room 10 Publishing.

Website
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* Amazon
* Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive content and a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Goddess Fish Anniversary Party and #Giveaways

Welcome to the Goddess Fish Promotions Tenth Anniversary Month Long Celebration!

Who is Goddess Fish Promotions? And what do we do? We're glad you asked!

We didn't want your visit here to be dry and boring, so we decided to have a poetry competition and put what we do into verse. Here are the initial entries:

Marianne:

Roses are Red.
Violets are Blue.
I'm awful at poetry.
Coffee.

Judy:

We can edit your book
find things you didn't see
It will be fun to look
at the changes from me.

Yeah, for some reason, Judy won!

Even better, her poem is correct. We DO offer editing as one of our options. Here are a couple of testimonials from clients:

I worked with Marianne on a complete edit and was very happy with the results. Her feedback was clear, easy to follow, and she probed on things I hadn’t thought of. She was also responsive whenever I had questions and helped me work through a few issues. Her feedback and guidance improved the quality of my manuscript, all at a very fair price. I’m working on my next book and plan to use their services again.

-J B Glazer, author, In Search of Mr. Anonymous

*

Choosing the right editor for a project is incredibly important to an author. Let’s face it, we want the best for our books. When I was considering editors for my first indie-published book, Regenerate, I naturally thought of Goddess Fish Promotions–and I’m so glad I did.

Marianne Arkins and Judy Thomas are incredibly attentive and professional during the entire editing process. Their input was invaluable and the story is much stronger because they cared enough to help unsnarl plot points and find order in the chaos..

I can’t wait to work with them again. Truly, a top-notch editorial team! – Sarita Leone, award-winning author of Regenerate

We also offer Virtual Book Tours, Graphic Design, Social Media Promotion and more. You can see more testimonials here.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know us a little (more information is below) and we'd like to do the same. We'd LOVE to see a little poem that tells us a bit about you in the comments. We'll be awarding random book giveaways and $5 Amazon GCs to some of the best poetry we find. It might not be at every stop, but when something really makes us smile, we'll reward it! Come on, be daring...

And now, more about us:

About Goddess Fish Promotions

Goddess Fish Promotions was established October 14, 2008. Why? Well, when Marianne became a published author and got her the first taste of trying to promote a book on a budget, there was only one other virtual book tour company in place at the time, and their fees were simply too high for a small press author. After coordinating and running her own tour, she knew other authors could use the same service for a reasonable price. Thus, Goddess Fish Promotions was born.

Because both Judy and Marianne were authors and editors prior to running Goddess Fish Promotions, they approach the business with a unique point of view, and treat their clients how they would expect to be treated.

The people behind the fish

Judy Thomas

Judy has a college degree in English and she’s worked in retail, education, at her local library as well as an editor for a small press and for the now defunct ShadowKeep Ezine. She’s also a published author so can see things from both sides of the fence. In 2013, she “retired” and now spends her days helping authors make their dream come true—as well as working as much as she can with her local theater group.

Marianne Arkins

Grammar freak and coffee lover, Marianne wrote her first novel at ten years old, built her first commercial website in 2000, and published for the first time in 2006. She worked as a professional editor for just over a year, and knows what it’s like to write, edit and promote a book on a budget.

http://www.goddessfish.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GoddessFishPromotions
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GoddessFish
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/goddessfish/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariannejudy/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Goddessfish


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marianne’s five favorite books on writing

On Writing by Stephen King

Okay, there isn’t a TON about actually writing (i.e. the nuts and bolts), but it was an easy to read, very inspiring book and it's on my keeper shelf to re-read every now and then when I need a boost to keep going.

Fiction: The Art and Craft of Writing and Getting Published by Michael Seidman

A good novel on the craft of writing. Some of the information about the actual publishing is out of date (because of the self-published craze), but the rest is really valid and good info.

GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by by Debra Dixon 

Should be mandatory reading for all new authors. Seriously. Put this on your list.

Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass 

I'll be honest -- I found the book itself a little dry and difficult to get through, but I use the workbook every time I write a book or short story. The things he challenges you to do are amazing and really make you dig down to create a story with as much depth and interest as possible.  I'd suggest borrowing the book and reading it, but buying the workbook.  Seriously, if you only buy one book on this list, make it the workbook. You won't regret it.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Just good reading. Really puts things into perspective.  I forever keep my daughter from falling to pieces when she feels like she has too much on her plate by saying, “Take it bird by bird.” Another one to read when you need the motivation to move forward.

What books on the writing craft do YOU recommend?

Giveways:

For Everyone: One $50 Amazon/BN GC, two $25 Amazon/BN GCs, Two $10 Amazon/BN GCs
a Rafflecopter giveaway


For Authors: 2 $10 GC for any Goddess Fish Promotions service, Winner’s choice of either a free blurb blitz (2 wk) or book blast (5 day), 50% off any tour (excludes Review tour or Full Service Tour), 4 free 25 page complete book edit, 2 Winner’s choice of teaser or social media cover graphic design
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour HERE

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join