B is for Black Jewels

            I began the journey when I was in ninth grade, and I finished it near the onset of my baby steps into the real world. The Queen of the Darkness has become a Song in the Darkness, and I was this close to bawling like a baby all over our dining room table.

            Of course, I’m talking about books. The Black Jewels novels by Anne Bishop. Such a gorgeous story, predating in my history as a reader most of what is currently on my shelves. And last night, I finished Twilight’s Dawn, which I did not expect to be such a lovely wrap up to the story that I thought was finished.

            Your one and only warning if you think you might want to read the books in the future: Spoilers ahead.

            My first big foray into the Internet was a forum for this book series, and we used to debate and discuss all kinds of things about the world, the characters, and where they went after the main trilogy ended. We all acknowledged that Jaenelle, Queen of the Darkness, came from a short-lived race. Therefore, Daemon Sadi would outlive her by centuries, how would he deal with this? We all had our theories, I’ll wager, but I think how Anne Bishop wrote it is just as it was meant to be.

            And Saetan? Our favorite Uncle Saetan? The High Lord of Hell, Prince of the Darkness, and the uncle/father/teacher we all wish we could have in the real world? When he became a whisper in the darkness, I nearly lost it. I’d never given it much thought, but he was one of my favorite characters. Stern but loving, giving guidance and a boot to the ass all at the same time, and teaching what matters about family and honor.

            I knew that this was probably what was coming in the last story of the collection that was Twilight’s Dawn, but still. Jaenelle and Saetan passing away, it hit me harder than I thought. They’ve been characters in the back of my mind for nine years at the very least, ones that made me laugh, made me think, and now, have made me cry.

            It’s amazing how much fictional characters can really come to mean to you. The characters of the Black Jewels novels, of the world of the Blood, will be with me forever, the kind of story that you pass down to anyone who has an open heart and loves to read.

            I’m sorry if this addition to the A to Z Challenge doesn’t make much sense. All I can say is go buy Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop, and read all the books up to Twilight’s Dawn. Maybe you’ll understand.

            I’ll close with one of my favorite quotes from these amazing stories.

            “Far below me, in the psychic abyss that is part of the Darkness, I hear another howling, one full of joy and pain, rage and celebration.”

                        -Daughter of the Blood

The Circus Of Madness Has Begun

           The rumors are true. I’m now among the dirty, unwashed ranks of self-publishing writers on Amazon. And totally kidding about the dirty, unwashed thing, which is redundant anyway… Moving on!

I’m published. It’s available for the world to see, to purchase and have a tiny insight into my brain. That scares me a bit, because Shadows Rising is labeled paranormal romance and there is some…*ahem* romance about. But if this is what I want to do, I have to drop the embarrassment and proudly wear my tag of smut creator. *sigh*

            I am positively blown away by the support coming from family and friends. Honestly, I think Shadows Rising blew up my newsfeed on Friday from all the shares. Bear also brought me pretty flowers. All that will make a girl feel not only special, but hopeful and determined.

            Today I start possibly two new projects, one of which I want to see done and uploaded to Amazon by summer at the absolute latest. Shadows Rising was started five months ago and would have been ready a lot sooner but I dragged out the editing process. Summer seems reasonable, since I want to make this project a little longer. I’ll reveal more about it once it’s underway but I will say this, it’s going to be a departure from Kat and Grady’s world. Still magical, but an entirely different concept.

            With two projects in the back of my brain, begging for attention, I’m going to cut this Monday blog short. If you’ve purchased Shadows Rising, I just want to say Thank you, thank you, thank you! Whether or not you liked it, I would love to hear what you think! You can leave a review on Amazon or contact me through this blog or my social media.

            If you haven’t got it, what are you waiting for? Buy link incoming…

            Have a good week y’all. See you on Friday. Kelswitch, over and out.

Keep The Coffee On Stand-by

            “Welcome to my world. The impossible has been happening to me since I was eleven.”

            “It’s not fucking possible.” Truly agitated for the first time, he dragged his fingers through his hair, staring at her as if trying to figure out a puzzle. “You’re earthborn. By all the gods, how can you be earthborn?”

            “I’ll tell you everything I know if you guarantee my safety and that you’ll leave my cousin alone. He’s done nothing wrong.”

            “He harbored a fugitive,” the Guardian said in a voice laced with steel.

            “He protected his cousin, just as his parents did before they died. Leave him out of this and I’ll come peacefully.” She kept her spine straight, never breaking eye contact with him.

            He considered her for a minute, mulling it over. Finally, he nodded. “Deal.”

            The above is a randomly chosen excerpt from Shadows Rising, the scene where Kat and Grady meet for the first time. It still has to be edited for the final draft. I’m pushing to the last minute, I know, but it’s what I’m good at. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before the seven hour marathon session right before my senior seminar’s second draft was due? A good experience as a writer, maybe not so much for my sleep schedule.

            Some writers thrive off deadlines, others plan accordingly so they’re sipping tea right before. I’ll probably fall somewhere in-between, but so long as I can be relied on to meet an agreed upon deadline, that’s what matters.

            *proceeds to bite nails*

            Between this novella and my rising freelancer status (keep your fingers crossed on that one), I feel that this year will be amazing. Whether or not that will translate to monetary value, we shall have to wait and see (and pray!).

            That’s all I’ve got this morning, besides a mental to-do list that is glaring and tapping its foot. I’ll see you all Friday for the next edition of the Kelswitch. Until then, over and out! Have a good week!

First Comes Reader...Part Two

            As I mentioned on Monday, in one week I plan to upload my novella Shadows Rising to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. From there, you will be able to download it for just .99 cents! As excited as I am, I am also extremely nervous because of the work that has to be done between now and then. So. Much. Editing!

            For this edition of Friday Reader Rambles, I’m going to keep it simple and add on to the January 3^rd post about traits that mark you as a book addict. Enjoy, and have a good weekend y’all.

11. If someone tries to interrupt your reading time, you may snarl at them

            12. You’d blow your last $20 on the latest releases by your favorite authors and never regret a minute of it (never!)

            13. To keep an ending from us (in other words, leave us with a cliffhanger), may mean devastation

            14. Spending $30 on a hardback novel may make you twitch, but you’ll do it anyway just so you don’t have to wait another six months to a year for the paperback release

            15. Your Goodreads account has ten times more books listed than actual friends

            16. To conserve space, you have to get creative with your to be read pile

            I’m sure at some point in the future, there will be a part three to this…

First Comes Reader, Then Comes Fangirl

            Welcome 2014! I hope you all had a wonderful time on New Years Eve and your year has gotten off to a great start. On this edition of Friday Reader Rambles, I’m going to give you something very useful, to help start the year out right. As presented by the Kelswitch, I give you

Ways to Tell You Have a Love Affair with Books.

            1. You stalk your favorite authors on social media

            2. To get a retweet/favorite/actual response from a favorite author is more exciting than it would be coming from a traditional celebrity

            3. You are very particular about how you organize your bookshelves

            4. People who bend their brand new books every way imaginable make you twitch (note to self, never let them borrow one of yours)

            5. When friends do borrow books from you, it’s like sending your young child out on a date and you’re sitting on nails until they’re safely returned to you

            6. E-readers are all kinds of amazing, but nothing beats the feel and smell of a real book

            7. Your TBR (to be read) pile never seems to go down, no matter how much you read (maybe the trips to the bookstore need to stop….naaaaah)

            8. Free e-books are a blessing and a curse – think impossible TBR pile, only digital so no one can see the evidence of your addiction unless they open your Kindle

            9. You have that one book that you would gush about for hours, if only your friends would allow it

            10. Fictional characters can come to mean more to you than your own family

           

            If you found  yourself in any of these traits, do not seek help, but instead go to the nearest bookstore, buy a nice book, and settle down in the café section to sip on your coffee as you read. What better way is there to start 2014?

            Have a good year, peeps. Kelswitch, over and out.