SeeShel Writes

LDStorymakers Conference

2012-02-02T21:45:00.000-07:00

I attended LDStorymakers conference for the first time last May and I'm totally hooked! From the Boot Camp to the Workshops to Pitch Sessions with Agents and Editors, this conference has it all, and for a cost that is a fraction of other comperable conferences. If you are a writer, use to be a writer, or dream of being a writer, it is an investment you won't want to miss out on.

Check out this years conference line-up at the conference site.

The Armor of Light

2011-12-31T13:25:00.003-07:00

Blurb

Ember has been accepted into the mage academy, but not without cost. She has gained a new enemy, ancient and dark, whose entire purpose is to destroy all white magic and her along with it. After nearly losing her life in a brutal attack, DeMunth is assigned her guardian, and the keystone he wears, The Armor of Light, begins the transition that will make it a true power. Kayla has lost most everything of importance to her—the people, the prestige, and all she fought for the past ten years. With nothing left to lose, she continues her search for the birthplace of The Sapphire Flute and the Wolfchild she believes to be its player. Her journey will take her to strange, foreign, and often dangerous places, and everything she had thought to be true will be proven wrong. In a showdown full of betrayal and heroic loss, Ember and Kayla finally meet on the battlefield, fighting a war on two fronts—against C'Tan and her people, and the mysterious enemy bent on destroying all magic—the shadow weavers.

Title: The Armor of Light
Author: Karen E. Hoover
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pub Date: September 2011
Ebook, Smashwords

Show Less

The Armor of Light is book 2 in the Wolfchild Saga fantasy series, and is filled with a perfect mix of magic, adventure, romance, betrayal, and battles between good and evil. Karen Hoover is a master world builder whose descriptiveness opens colorful panoramas in the mind and whose authentic characters capture the heart. We even get a deeper glimpse into the mind and heart of the antagonists in this second volume of the series.

Where second books in a series so often don’t live up to the first installment, The Armor of Light is a wonderful continuation, perhaps even surpassing The Sapphire Flute, in its energy and excitement! And the ending!

I highly recommend The Armor of Light as well as The Sapphire Flute.

You can check out samples chapters and find ordering information of both books on Karen E. Hoover's website.

Book Review - Double Deceit by Stephanie Humphreys

2011-09-01T04:00:00.113-06:00

Back Cover Blurb

Someone is watching...

As a young widow, all Elaina Bryant wants is a fresh start. Determined to put ten painful years behind her, she returns to her hometown and moves in with her sister, Natalie. Elaina soon accepts a job working at a small bookstore owned by the handsome Ryan Hill and his mother. Despite her reluctance to become romantically involved with anyone, she is drawn to Ryan and finds herself falling in love.
But someone isn't happy with Elaina's new life and is watching her every move. Her tormentor seems determined to destroy her sanity and her future, but Elaina can't convince anyone the threat is real. Natalie is preoccupied with her own blossoming romance, and Ryan and Elaina's friend Peter seem to believe the threat has been manufactured in her own mind a result of her guilt and grief.
Now Elaina's plans for a new start are crashing down around her. She knows she will have to find the answers on her own before she can ever overcome the past and enjoy love and happiness again. But how can she protect those she loves when she doesn't know whom to trust?

Double Deceit grabbed me from the first sentence and held me until the last! Stephanie is expert at raising the type of questions in the reader’s mind that kept me turning the page to find answers. She has created the perfect blend of suspense and romance, as well as showing realistic consequences of emotional abuse. Multiple twists and turns caused me to change theories here and there along the way. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Stephanie blindsided me. It’s not too often that I find myself saying, Whoa, I didn’t see that coming! But Stephanie pulled it off.

The only downside: While the author was vidid in her discription of the tasks of day-today-day living, leanding a real quality to the characters, the overabundance created slight lulls in the story.

Overall:

An excellent read. I would recommend it for ages 14 and up.

Have a taste—an excerpt from chapter one:

I turned my car onto the side street that led to my childhood home. Unease settled into the back of my throat, and I didn’t know if I could get a coherent word out. I pulled into the driveway and slammed the door, hoping the noise in the otherwise quiet afternoon would draw someone out of the house. But nobody ran down the sidewalk with outstretched arms ready to welcome back the prodigal child. I wasn’t surprised.

A disturbing thought crossed my mind as I stepped away from the car. What if strangers lived there now? I pulled the packet of letters from my purse and looked at the date on the last one. It had been sent over a year and a half ago. As I unfolded the letter, the accompanying obituary fell to the driveway. My sister’s handwriting spelled out the tragic loss of our beloved mother and pleaded for me to come home—at least for a visit. I eased the letter back into the envelope and picked up the newspaper clipping. What would she say when I told her I had come back for good?

Visit Stephanie's Blog for information on her blog tour contest, and check out all of the stops on the Double Deceit blog tour:

You can also purchase Double Deceit at Amazon

FLASH!

2011-07-16T17:03:00.004-06:00

Autobiography In Five Short Chapters
CHAPTER I

“I walk down the street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I fall in.

I am lost…I am hopeless.

It isn’t my fault.

It takes me forever to find a way out.

CHAPTER II

I walk down the same street.

There is deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend I don’t see it.

I fall in again.

I can’t believe I am in this same place.

But it isn’t mu fault.

It still takes a long time to get out.

CHAPTER III
I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the side walk.

I see it there.

I still fall in…it’s a habit…but,

my eyes are open.

I know where I am.

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.

CHAPTER IV

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.

CHAPTER V

I WALK DOWN ANOTHER STREET.

By Portia Nelson

FLASH!

2011-07-07T13:31:00.000-06:00

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

Henry David Thoreau

Zion vs. Babylon

2011-06-29T16:21:00.001-06:00

I will be dividing books I review on my blog into two categories: Babylon Reads, and Zion Reads.

Babylon Reads? Sounds a bit risqué, you say? Why would I read such books?

Well, allow me to elucidate. Since most of what I read is considered young adult, I have formed definite opinions on which books I feel are truly suitable for young adults and which are labeled as such erroneously. So, even though I may find a book well written, intriguing or not necessarily deserving of a “Babylon” status if marketed for adults, if it is unsuitably designated as YA, I shall graciously impart of my “very subjective” estimations. Books may also earn a “Zion” status with an age specification: i.e., Zion Read—16+. The filling of my Zion Reads and Babylon Reads bookshelves will commence soon, so check back often.

Oh, and as long as you’re here, see the “Follow” button to the right? Just above the lovely little photos of my faithful, and much appreciated, followers? Yeah, that’s the one. Click on it and become a follower of my blog. (No, I won’t be able to stalk you, even if I were so inclined.)

FLASH!

2011-06-22T12:30:00.002-06:00

"How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live." Henry David Thoreau

Here I am standing. I'll be back to writing after a bit of living. (Do you hear that? Yep, it's my family cheering and doing a 'raise the roof'.)

7 Random Things

2011-06-17T15:45:00.002-06:00

In keeping with the honor of receiving the “Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award”, here are 7 Random things about me.

1. I spent a winter living on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Gallup, NM – 2 room shack, outhouse, woodstove for heat and cooking (thus chopping beaucoup firewood), the whole shebang!

2. I was raised in western Oregon and spent a year living in our summer getaway overlooking the beach. I miss watching the sunset over the ocean and falling asleep to the crash of waves breaking upon the shore.

3. States I’ve lived in: Utah, Oregon, Wyoming, New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado and Idaho.

4. Things I’ve tried and enjoyed(some more than others): Ballroom dancing, Whitewater rafting, Rock climbing, Repelling, Weightlifting, Hiking, Cliff diving(more like cliff jumping while screaming), Snorkeling, Aerobics, Kickboxing, Volleyball, Softball, Tennis, Cross country skiing, Traveling and Writing.

5. Creative things with my hands that I’ve managed to pull-off: Scrapbooking, sewing, wooden wall plaques and basic cake decorating. That’s about it! My creativity tends to be limited to my mind.

6. I still have a vivid memory of saving a girl from drowning during swimming class. I was in grade school. I’m not sure where the instructor was at the time, and I don’t remember the girls name.

7. I use to want, more than anything, to skydive, though with age, I’m not certain if I’ve grown more fearful or more wise.

And now, for the 5 blogs I have selected upon which to bestow

"The Irresistably Sweet Blog Award"

Drum Roll Please!!!

Holly - Holly Lin Design

Canda - Canda's InkBlast

Brenda - The Startled Spyglass

Karen - A Writer's Ramblings

Robin - Robin Weeks

Please check out their blogs and follow them if you're so inclined:

Congratulation Ladies!

To claim your award:

1. Copy and paste the award to your blog.

2. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.
3. Share seven random facts about yourself.
4. Pass the award along to 5 deserving blogging buddies.

5. Contact those buddies to congratulate them.

AWARD!

2011-06-16T14:20:00.002-06:00

Wow! Look what my wonderful Authors Incognito pal,
Donna Weaver, gave me.

"The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award"!

Soooo cool! Thanks Donna.

You can check out her blog here.

I'll be sharing 7 random facts about myself and passing along this prestigious award to 5 deserving blogging buddies in my next post.

FLASH!

2011-06-15T16:54:00.001-06:00

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

- Albert Einstein

Kudos!

2011-06-13T10:23:00.003-06:00

The local library has a 'Summer Reading Program Kick-Off' where youth are suppose to come as their favorite Novel character. One of my youth readers, Beth, told me she wants to go as either Ocean or Penelope from Ocean Wylde. I took it as a great compliment!

FLASH!

2011-06-12T09:12:00.001-06:00

"Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood"

Steven Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Ocean Wylde Gives Thanks

2011-06-07T12:18:00.006-06:00

I want to extend a special thanks to all those who have given support, praise, encouragement, editorial reviews and proofreading suggestions on my manuscript. First and foremost, my sister, Sally, who read and commented as I wrote, you are so invited to my launch party! My author friends, Kate Kae Myers and Laura Bingham, your input and suggestions have been invaluable. Carol and Lorraine, your editing skills cleaned up a real mess and taught me so much about punctuation (which is definitely not my strong suit!). You have gone above and beyond! Jessica, Tawnya, Suzie, Jeri, Levi, Natalie, Colin, Barbara, the Hoover Table at LDStorymakers Boot Camp, my Critique group at CrittersInk, (Rebecca, your great!) and my youth readers, Megan, Beth and Trinity, thank you all so much! Ocean Wylde would not be what it is without all of your input. Your encouragement and belief in me have kept me going long after I may have otherwise given up. (I wish you were all agents!)

This is the first novel I have written, and one in a planned series of five. (I never start small). Book two, Journey to Menpotis, is in progress, with the others mapped out in my head. I am very optimistic they will be published despite the odds.

I'm Blogging!

2011-06-07T12:08:00.002-06:00

Okay, I’ve joined the world of blogging. Now you can keep posted on all things related to writing, reading and occasional flashes of brilliance.