Guest Post: Alex Stargazer, Author; 17

Hello everyone at To the Point! It’s my pleasure to be your guest blogger today. But—perhaps some introductions are first in order?

Who I Am

I’m a writer—of fantasy, of romance; of all that brings creativity from me, and wonder to you. My nom de plume is Alex Stargazer; in life I am known as Alex Bujorianu (there’s a mouthful for you).
Of interest to you may be my age: seventeen. Yeah, that’s right—I’m still a teenager. And with a 500 page novel under my belt, along with a short story, and an upcoming novella, you could say I’ve a bit of experience doing what I do.

I’m also a poet. I write classical poetry, mostly (I do love my archaisms) although equally my topics tend to be modern.

What I’m Here For

I’m here to talk about my book: the Necromancer. It’s 500 pages (as mentioned) and it’s about... a Necromancer. More specifically, it’s about the vengeance of a betrayed soul; of the horrors wrought by the powers of necromancy; and it’s about a girl. A mere apprentice, unwittingly charged to stop this great evil.

If that sounds interesting, here’s the blurb:

From the fires of deceit, he was reborn in ice. His name bequeathes fear into the mighty; and death into the meek.

Meet Neshvetal: a being of darkest magic—beautiful, powerful, and eternal. Or so he thinks...

What About... Being Seventeen?

Here’s a shocker: I’m seventeen now, but I released it when I was sixteen, and began the first draft at fourteen.

I’m not sure how I ought describe the experience. Mostly, I felt... compelled, to write the Necromancer. It is the product of years of hyperactive imagination, musing, and hidden desire.
It wasn’t easy. There were at times when I was doing over an hour a day, nearly every day—and that’s on top of my schoolwork. I spent most of my summer holidays working on it. And I doubted myself—doubted whether I could do it, whether it was any good... whether I could ever reach the level I dreamed of.

But, I finished it. And people seem to think it’s pretty good. What can I say? I’m flattered.
But most of all, I feel that the Necromancer has started me on a road that—while long, and possibly arduous—will yet bring me to a place I could never have dreamed of.

Perhaps I’m just being romantic. But I don’t think so.

If You’re Interested...

Check out the Necromancer on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23436152-the-necromancer

You can also buy it on Amazon—or, if you prefer, my blog has links to several other retailers.

'Once Upon a Guest Post' a Guest Post by Jordan Link

Hey, I’m Jordan, and my debut novel, The Sacrificed, is being released on May 6^th with Entranced Publishing. With that said, I’m flattered to be on such a popular review blog!

Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, I found myself dreaming. But replace those elegant gowns with sweatshirts, those arching rainbows with deep gray skies, and you have reality. Of course, I’m not one to dwell on the real world. I have never been, and I never will be.

A few years ago, I found retreat in novels. It didn’t take long for me to discover their magic, especially the magic of fantasy and science fiction. Embodying their brittle pages were places: places where I could go when the comfort of friends was nowhere to be found. My imagination expanded like a wildfire. My own dreams were trapped doves, eager to escape their temporary cages. Friends were no longer a must. There were bounties of characters that could tear at my heartstrings, could make me despise them with every grain of my being. A character, no matter how cruel, would never tell me to close the book and leave.

When I first came up with the idea for my manuscript, which would eventually reach that final rung so many authors aspire for, it was not a fairy tale. It was a dark, romantic tale of rebellion, starvation, and the divisions of a society that would never exist unless I wrote it there myself.

The result was the City of Centsia, the homeland of 16-year-old Emerald Hayden and her winged counterpart, Dusk. Though at first its surface appears to be glittering and pristine, like Snow White’s poisoned apple, it doesn’t take long for worms of the city’s corruption to chew through to the surface.

In the end, a real world Cinderella got everything she could ever wish for: a published novel, a glut of trustworthy friends, and another blank Microsoft Word document just waiting for the next enchantment of her fingertips.

Thank you for stopping by Jordan & best of luck with the upcoming release!

More about Jordan Link: 

Jordan Link is currently contracted with Entranced Publishing for her novel "The Sacrificed", which will be released on May 6, 2013. She won first place in Jack L. Chalker's Young Writers Contest of 2012 for her short story “The Bubble”, and attended Balticon 46 last year. She earned an honorable mention on December 3rd for the Young Voices Foundation Short Story Contest and will be published in their anthology "Oh, the Stories They Tell!" which will be available on Amazon. Her early love of reading inspired an equivalent passion towards writing, and she plans to continue doing so.

Jordan can be found at the following internet watering holes: Facebook, the Twitersphere, her blog & good ol' Goodread  

And don't forget to follow @TheJessle or subscribe to TTP to make sure you don't miss tomorrow's bridal title train wreck! 

Guest Post : SYTTENDE MAI - by St. Bende & Part of the 'Elsker' Blog Tour!

Hei hei.  I’m ST Bende, and I enjoy baking, skiing, watching IndyCar races, and all things Scandinavian (but not fish).  I love writing about Norse mythology, and my debut series, THE ELSKER SAGA, has just released from Entranced Publishing.  It’s great to meet you!

Since ELSKER’s release coincides with Syttende Mai, Norway’s independence day, I thought I’d share one of my favorite Scandinavian celebrations.  On May 17^th, Norwegians get together to celebrate their country’s independence.  Those lucky enough to have bunads -- traditional outfits distinguished by region, and passed down from generation to generation -- wear them proudly.  My favorite is the bunad of Trondheim, with its pale blue and silver fabrics and red accents.  *sigh* 

If you happened to be in Norway in May, you’d find children’s parades, with cherubic celebrants proudly waving their flags.  And in communities across the world, those of Nordic descent get together to honor their heritage.  I’ve gone to several celebrations, some more structured than others, but my favorite is an informal event held on a field.  Friends of Norway gather, some in their beautiful bunads and others in picnic-attire, all with flags in hand and Ja Vi Elsker (the Norwegian national anthem) on their lips.  After a blessing, revelers queue up behind a local high school band and march around the field three times.  The parade has no spectators since everyone’s marching together, waving flags, telling stories and laughing.  Those with extra energy go for a fourth lap.  Afterward, everyone enjoys hamburgers and Norwegian waffles (so, so good), handmade crafts and the three-legged race.  It’s simple, joyful, and absolutely perfect.

I always mark Syttende Mai with a fresh batch of Norwegian waffles.  They’re the perfect blend of sweet and savory, the ultimate comfort food.  I’ve served them to everyone from toddlers to great-grandparents, and they’ve always been a hit.  Waffles even play a bit role in ELSKER, so I included my favorite Norsk waffle recipe on the last page of the manuscript.  I wasn’t sure if it would make the final cut -- who puts a recipe in their novel? -- but my editor kept it in.  *Thank you, Eden Plantz!*  Hopefully you’ll love it every bit as much as I do.  Oh -- if you’re feeling rebellious, try using Nutella instead of a tart jam.  It’s not traditional, but boy, howdy is it delicious.

THE ELSKER SAGA is available now from Entranced Publishing.  

TUR, the prequel, can be downloaded for free at http://www.entrancedpublishing.com/imprints-2/blush/elsker/

ELSKER, Book 1, is available from Entranced, Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Find ST Bende on Twitter, or at http://stbende.blogspot.com/

Author Bio:

Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, ST Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of the musical Cats.  Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired The Elsker Saga.  She hopes her characters make you smile and that one day pastries will be considered a health food.

 

Reading Through the Eyes of a Writer - Guest Post written by Ria Majumdar

When Ria Majumdar suggested she write a piece about how writers read as a guest post I jumped at the chance. While T.T.P. doesn't typically wander into this territory, she's done a great job at capturing why I found myself keeping this blog in the first place. But that's enough from me. Frankly speaking, Ria does a better job explaining it then I ever could.   

We all love reading books. If that had not been the case then you wouldn’t be hanging around on a blog that deals with book reviews, unless of course, you are stalking me…

But have you ever read a book that was so good, I mean, so insanely out-of-this-world that it left an imprint on your brain? In fact was the book so exhilarating that it sparked the urge to write something similarly extraordinary in you? An urge that didn’t let you rest since that day so badly that you have been churning out one crap story after another in pursuit of that golden story that would land you in the ranks of that one book that changed your life?

Well, if you have experienced this (like me with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) then congratulations, you are a writer.

Writers have always been voracious readers. We read, cry over the fact that we aren’t good enough, and read more. Well, the cycle can be crueler with you tearing up your manuscript after finishing a particularly awesome book because you realized that your writing sucks big time.

Anyway, this is how a writer reads:-

1. Goes to a book shop and browses through the volumes until their flying fingers land upon a book that “calls to them” (read: has an amazing cover and that’s why drew attention). Yup, they say don’t judge a book by its cover but don’t we all do just that?
2. Turns the book over and reads the blurb. If it sounds intriguing then turns to the first page and reads a few paragraphs.
3. Stops reading because they are getting hooked and realize that their own manuscript at home is a crappy excuse for a novel.
4. Reads the quotes of authors and magazine editors who read the book and found it hot and happening and imagines their own book described in such mushy terms, then frowns as the suspicion that maybe these people were paid to write such good stuff clouds their mind.
5. Hushes the sarcastic insights and buys the book.
6. Reads it in one sitting if it’s good and cries over how crappy their manuscript is.
   
   
   OR 
   
   
   Reads the book halfway and laughs at the contents if it’s bad. Then feels overjoyed that they are really, really, really good at writing until their family turns up to beat out the enthusiasm. (We are woefully misunderstood folk.)
   
   
7. Repeats process… on an e-reader now because we are all modern, aren’t we? 

So that’s how we writers read, petting the green cat of jealousy as we enjoy the magic woven in words.

How do you read? Ever felt the spark I was talking about earlier? Do share your thoughts in the comments below.

About the Author:-

Ria Majumdar is a writer, reader, blogger and undergraduate dentist. She loves her library, which is currently overflowing with books and thinks it’s too weird to write about her own self in third person. So hi, if you want to read more of what I write, feel free to jump over to my blog The Spyglassviewer (http://spyglassviewer.wordpress.com) and enjoy some of my dry humor!