In the Books featuring A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

If you’re interested in this novel, you can check it out here.

Fate, Destiny, or Instinct?

Okay, as you can probably tell by the title of this post I have something on my mind. Now keep in mind it’s nothing earth-shattering or important to most, but over the last couple of days I noticed a weird trend.

I feel I should warn you that I can be pretty philosophical at times and this is one of them. You see, I’m a spiritual person that has a different viewpoint on many things than most. First and foremost is the fate and destiny debate. To me, we’re all fated to be something in this world, but our destiny is the road we take to get there, meaning it’s a path we make with our own choices. What does that have to do with anything, you ask? Well, to put it simply I noticed an odd trend the last couple of days. Let me explain.

I have a history of throwing myself into whatever I’m doing with such intensity that I burn myself out within a couple of months. When I started writing, I did my best to balance everything to avoid that and I was largely successful. Until recently, anyway. Over the last couple of weeks, I felt myself slipping while I was working on the next Sword and the Flame novel, The Lightwalker. To me, many of the secondary characters felt shallow and two dimensional. To me, all my characters are important as I view them as living, breathing entities. You may disagree with that and that’s fine.

To correct that issue, I spent the last few days reading a couple of books I’ve wanted to for a while as well as some for blog tours. One of those I read was the second Sword and the Flame novel, The Purging. I wanted to ensure I kept the secondary characters true to their original designs and for me, a character sheet doesn’t really translate that. I was pleased to find I was only off my a fraction when it came to their dialogue or behavior. I don’t think I need to tell you how good that made me feel. I had fears of having to rewrite the entire book from scratch.

While reading, I also realized I was close to burning myself out with all the writing and editing I’d been doing. Taking the brief time off helped me recharge and I’m back to my old self once more. Pretty cool, huh? You wanna know the strange part? During that time my book sales dropped off. As weird as that sounds, when I chose not to write for a few days my sales stopped. It was something I noticed a couple of months ago as well. When I’d take a day or two off to take care of other things, my sales would also take a day or two off. The reason behind that timing is wide open for debate and I’m leaving it at that, but it is an interesting phenomena.

So what’s that mean to me? I have no idea except that everything around me seemed to agree with my instinct to take a break. Like hitting the pause button on a remote control. Are they tied together, is some greater power at work, or did I manifest it myself are all good questions I’ll leave floating in the air. The important thing is I listened to my instincts and feel great. Today I’m diving back into my work and we’ll see if the universe follows along or if it was a blip on the coincidence radar.

If any of you have had something similar happen or have a thought you’d like to share, I’d love to hear it.

The Sword and the Flame: The Forging by CP Bialois

Reblogged from Ronda's Book Reviews:

• 

This is a wonderful book that I wanted to share with you today. If you are a fan of dragons, witches, dwarfs, etc. then this a book for you.

In a world where magic and the sword rule and dragons are forgotten, a band of friends find each other but can they overcome their own fears and trials in time to fulfill their destiny?

Read more… 667 more words

Awesome review of The Sword and the Flame: The Forging! :)

Announcing the 2013 Assent Publishing "EPIC FANTASY" Contest!

Reblogged from Phantasm Books:

• 

Are you fantasy writers ready for something amazing? We at Assent Publishing Phantasm Books Imprint love a good battle. We invite you to bring your magic shields and supernatural swords, and show us what you got! Check out our new contest, follow the rules and enter for a chance to be the 2013 Assent Publishing "EPIC FANTASY" Champion!

CONTEST RULES…

Read more… 344 more words

In the Books featuring Bram Stoker’s Dracula read by Christopher Lee

Sounds like something you want to check out? You can find it here.

Guestpost featuring Nonnie Jules

Good morning everyone! Today I’m hosting the wonderful author Nonnie Jules and her book, THE GOOD MOMMIES’ GUIDE TO RAISING (ALMOST)PERFECT DAUGHTERS. Without further ado, herrrrreeee’s Nonnie Jules.

Hello and welcome to the 3rd stop of The (ALMOST) PERFECT DAUGHTERS Blog Tour, here at The Bialog. I am so excited to be here sharing with you all my new book, “THE GOOD MOMMIES’ GUIDE TO RAISING (ALMOST) PERFECT DAUGHTERS”, 100 Tips On Raising Daughters Everyone Can’t Help But Love!

As you pull up your chair for us to begin this roundtable discussion, let me begin this chat with the one question I’m always asked when people meet my daughters for the very first time…“HOW DID YOU DO IT?” What they are referring to would be the politeness, the perfect manners, the soft-spoken tones and especially the “Yes, Ma’am, No Ma’am” responses coming from the 20-something year old daughter’s mouth. For some reason, these courtesies (which are normal to us), truly amaze other people. Growing up, my mom gave birth to quite a few kids and although we were never taught in this manner, we somehow automatically KNEW that we were supposed to use THESE manners. And ALL of us did. I could use the argument that maybe this was because our mom was a little strict, but the more I think about it, maybe it was because she wasn’t strict enough and it’s what we yearned for her to teach us, because we saw it in our friend’s families. But nevertheless, politeness, manners and RESPECT have always been a big deal in my world. So, having two daughters born to me who embody all of these, was to me, a given and a blessing.

This book, “THE GOOD MOMMIES’ GUIDE…”, was born out of my love for rearing girls and for wanting as many girls as could be reached by the teachings in this book, to become (ALMOST) Perfect. People often ask me “what is an (Almost) Perfect Daughter?” and i’m always happy to oblige with: “They’re honest, intelligent, driven, compassionate, loving, God-filled and very, very respectful!” They don’t need to be PUSHED to do anything. They don’t have to be prodded and poked to get moving on their chores, their school or homework, and you certainly never have to raise your voice to them. They’re just as (Almost) perfect as perfect can be. They are very caring and loving with everyone they meet, and the only tears they cause you to shed, are great big happy ones! If only there was such a thing as PERFECT daughters, I’m proud to say, mine would definitely fit the bill. But I must admit…they had an advantage over most. I started teaching my daughters when they were still in my womb. When I say this, most often, people stare as if I’m some kind of delusional. But just as studies have proven that children respond to voices and music when they are inside the womb, by my methods, it has been proven that teaching them and their learning capabilities are extended to this theory as well. It is my strongest belief that if you start early, when they are inside the womb, then the road you trod will be a whole lot easier. Remember now, I did it twice, and not back to back. I have an adult daughter and I have a teenager and it worked well both times.

This guide book is filled with 100 of my top tips on guiding daughters and steering them in the right direction. The topics are all alphabetized and range from HONESTY to PUBERTY and DRUG USAGE to SLEEPOVERS (and why you shouldn’t allow them unless they’re in your home). These are real-life situations, with a tip on how to effectively counter and deal with each and every one of them. These are the very tips that I used to rear my own daughters and if you use them, and if you are consistent in your teaching of them, I can almost guarantee you will have (Almost) Perfect Daughters, too. The teachings in this guidebook can be taught as early as newborns and they can continue on, by being reinforced well into their young adulthood. Don’t let the title fool you, though, “THE GOOD MOMMIES’ GUIDE…” is for Moms, Grandmothers, Guardians, and even Dads who have charge of young girls. And just to prove how easy and simple these teachings are, here is an example of one of the fabulous tips you will find inside of “THE GOOD MOMMIES’ GUIDE TO RAISING (ALMOST) PERFECT DAUGHTERS”:

*TEACH THEM HOW TO SET LIMITS WITH BOYS. ‘Boys will be boys’, as the saying goes, but what does that really mean? Well, to me it means that they will do what they are allowed to do…in their homes, with their parents, in school and yes, with the girls. We have to teach our daughters that they should never put themselves in any kind of compromising position with the opposite sex. We have to teach them to say NO and to mean NO any time they find themselves in situations that are too mature for their liking. Boys distract and sometimes cause our daughters to defer their futures. We must instill in them that they have plenty of time to incorporate boys into their lives, but only AFTER they have achieved their goals, realized their dreams and have established themselves, independent of anyone else.

My adult daughter is well into her 20′s. She has graduated 4 years of high school, 4 yrs of college and 3 yrs of grad school with her virginity still intact. Now that is something any girl and her mother would be really proud of. And we are! We, as Mommys, are the perfect role models for our daughters and just as we must be the change we wish to see in this world, we must also be THAT which we would like to see in our Daughters.

I have enjoyed my time here with you all and I so appreciate C P BiaLois giving me the opportunity to share my story and introduce my book to you all. This tour is running thru June 17th and you may find the schedule of each stop on my website at www.nonniejules.com. While you’re there, don’t forget to register to win the grand prize of a $25 Visa Gift Card. Stop by every day, click on the link which will take you to the blog for that days’ tour, and then register again. The more times you register, the more chances you have of winning the grand prize. (A winner will be chosen randomly at the end of the tour). You may purchase “THE GOOD MOMMIES’ GUIDE TO RAISING ALMOST PERFECT DAUGHTERS” here at www.viewbook.at/B00CP62O56 or at www.amazon.com for the SPECIAL LOW PRICE OF ONLY $.99 until the end of the tour!

Please stop by my blog, follow me on Facebook and Twitter and drop by my site any time. There’s always something fun going on. Thanks again for allowing me into your lives today and I wish for you (ALMOST) PERFECT DAUGHTERS!!!

Nonnie Jules, Author

Website: nonniejules.com
Blog:
http://nonniewrites.wordpress.com

Twitter: @nonniejules.com
Facebook: Nonnie Jules
Author Page:
http://amazon.com/author/nonniejules

'Game of Thrones' author George R.R. Martin: Why he wrote The Red Wedding -- EXCLUSIVE

Reblogged from Inside TV:

Millions of Game of Thrones fans are feeling sadness, outrage, and, sure, some perverse excitement after watching Sunday's episode titled "The Rains of Castamere." But for Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, such reactions to "The Red Wedding" are nothing new. Martin has been receiving exclamatory emails about the disastrous Tully-Frey union for more than a decade, ever since he published his Song of Ice and Fire saga's third novel, …

Read more… 1,309 more words

An interesting interview