One of the hardest things to do when you are a creative person is to sell your own work, especially when our society is stuck on this notion that all artists/writers/creators must starve and suffer for their art. Well, Russell Nohelty is here to tell you that it’s a load of crap in Sell Your Soul: How to Build Your Creative Career, and I agree with him. Luckily, he’s also written a handy-dandy guide to walk you through the emotional and practical aspects of selling your work.
Small-town English vicar Penny White thought the hardest thing she’d ever do is try to move on after the death of her husband eighteen months ago; then, she nearly hit a dragon on a dark highway, gave him last rights, and discovered a magical world beyond normal human sight. Lloegyr, a realm populated with various mythical (by human standards) races needs another priest liaison, and Penny’s quick thinking when faced with the giant dying reptile and love of Doctor Who make her prime candidate number one. Will chatting with parishioners about poor hymn choices ever live up to the excitement of traveling to another realm? Will she manage to make her gryphon associate stop terrorizing the birds in her garden? And what is really going on between her and Raven, a beautiful green-black dragon that stirs emotions she thought long dead?
Sallot "Sal" Leon’s only motivation is avenging the loss of their family, friends, and country. As the last-known living Nacean, Sal’s primary motivations are survival…and revenge against the nobles that abandoned their country to the shadows. Petty thieves don’t have much access to nobility, but a chance carriage robbery garners a flyer advertising auditions for one of the Queen’s assassins, Opal, which could open the doors of the palace to a crafty, ruthless thief with an agenda.
secret history
noun
1. a version of historical events which differs from the official or commonly accepted record and purports to be the true version; Also called shadow history1
Horror comes in many forms, but great horror sticks with you long after you’ve finished, haunting both waking hours as well as dreams, if you’re lucky. The Eyrie is a wonderful addition to the horror world, with stark images of black-and-white creatures that one definitely never wants to meet.
“Yeah, I really do enjoy this crazy bulls--t. I've been doing it in one form or another my entire life. Main difference is the stakes. Getting suspended from school, having an account or two banned, worse, maybe doing jail time. And for what? A few pranks and some stolen premium sports feeds? This time, it's for a bigger reason. Rescuing a teammate and trying to keep the world safe from twisted people with way too much power.
I turn the rig down a side street, managing not to take the corner off a building, and park. We're still doing this, no matter what these people know about their boss. It's the rush, gotta be. The stakes, I'm less sure about. Maybe that's how all the supposed heroes feel.”
The vacuum of space is filled with treachery.
Cthulhu. Azathoth. Nyarlathotep. Zoth-Ommog. Yog-Sothoth. Gla’aki...? The various deities, gods, and great ones H.P. Lovecraft created in his day have taken on a life of their own, transcending from short stories and novellas to appearing in board games, comic books, and other media. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu is no doubt the most famous of them all, yet even other authors’ creations have found longevity, such as with Lin Carter’s Zoth-Ommog.
When I first volunteered to review this book, all I knew about it was that it was an anthology of Steampunk stories, including one story by an author whose work I enjoy (Madeleine Holly-Rosing, creator of the Boston Metaphysical Society comic). That alone was enough to pique my interest. But as it turns out, Some Time Later is more than that.
In Ten Dead Comedians, Fred Van Lente puts a twenty-first century comedic spin on Agatha Christie’s classic mystery, And Then There Were None. Van Lente’s plot and language are clever and witty throughout the pages, as the comedians get killed off one by one on a deserted island. The characters are brilliantly developed throughout each chapter. They include a variety of different types of comedians—from a podcaster to a late night host. Van Lente does a great job highlighting and maintaining each character’s original style. There are really reminiscent of current, real-life comedians (though I don’t know about Oliver Rees…). The characters aren’t particularly fond of one another, which brings about frequent comedic banter. And they each have their own individual vices, making their deaths perhaps less tragic.