The Other World: May 2014

Thursday, 29 May 2014

When You Can't Go Home...

For many students, summer has arrived, and I am no exception. However, this summer has promised to be far different than any other I have ever experienced.

First of all, I am not returning home to work. Instead, I am working at my university as a janitor and I live fifteen minutes down the road from the institution where I already spent eight long months learning. The shift from going home to staying where I am was grueling at first, and there were many tears. But thanks to some sound advice from Anne Elisabeth Stengl, I have a new attitude going into this adventure.

Secondly, I am still in school for another month. In addition to working full time, I have a night class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings--Philosophy and Superhero Mythology. Interesting stuff, but also very expensive textbooks.

Thirdly, I am preparing to leave Canada. In the spring of 2015, I will be attending Oxford University in England for a semester abroad. This will be my first time in an airplane, and I am so, so excited. And terrified. I plan on posting many pictures from my journey here on the blog.

Before that, however, the summer promises other adventures. A few weeks ago, a friend and I attended The Lion King musical in Toronto, then drove all the way to Ohio to see MercyMe in concert. It was an amazing few days full of highways and blasting music and jamming.

Oh, and I dyed my hair! I used to be a rather "dirty" blond, and now I'm...

...rather red.
And this was in a GORGEOUS old church friends and I visited.
I was pretending to sing.

My hair right now is actually more of an orange-copper colour, since it's fading.

I'm slowly getting back into the writing groove after months of writer's block and general dissatisfaction. I am privy to the theme of Anne Elisabeth Stengl's newest Fairy Tale Collection Contest, and am working on brainstorming for it. The rest of you will be in the know in just a few short days. All I can say is--prepare to be EXCITED.

I hope all of you readers are doing well. May the Creator of All bless you with adventures beyond your ken!

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Resistance Blog Tour!

I am very pleased to be part of the blog tour for Resistance by Jaye L. Knight, hosted by Amber Stokes of Editing Through the Seasons. It's the first book in The Ilyon Chronicles, a Christian epic fantasy series.

THE BOOK:

“Don’t you know? Animals like you have no soul.”

Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he’s ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he’s tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.

Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair lives every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.

Following the emperor’s declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance.

Available for purchase on Amazon May 20th!

View book extras at www.ilyonchronicles.blogspot.com.

THE AUTHOR:

JAYE L. KNIGHT is a 25-year-old independent author with a passion for writing Christian fantasy and clean NA (New Adult) fiction. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God's love shines as a light to offer hope.

Jaye is a homeschool graduate and has been penning stories since the age of eight. She was previously published as Molly Evangeline. You can learn about her latest writing projects at www.jayelknight.com.

Find her at:

· Facebook Author Page

· Facebook Series Page

· Twitter

· Pinterest

· Google+ Author Page

· Google+ Series Page

· YouTube

· Author Blog

· Series Blog

MY REVIEW:

I have not yet finished reading this novel, so my review will be incomplete. However, as I did before with another book, I will list what I love about this book so far. (It may contain some VERY SLIGHT SPOILERS, so be aware).

1) The setting: This book combines some of my favourite time periods--medieval and Roman. There are gladiators, castles, scholars... And I even garnered a little bit of a Western feel from one of the towns. It's such a creative blend that I would never have thought to put together, but which makes the world of the Ilyon Chronicles entirely new and fresh.

2) A wolf: Alright, so I am an unabashed fan of wolves. I adore them. I own wolf shirts, wolf pillowcases, I wear a wolf necklace almost every day, I own the entire Julie of the Wolves series, and I have a wolf stuffie that makes its home on my bed. I think they are gorgeous, noble animals. I ADORE them. I try to write them into almost all my novels somehow. So when I read one of the main characters has a close relationship with a black wolf (I wrote one such creature into my first completed novel), I WAS ECSTATIC. The relationship between the boy and his wolf is so potent and wonderful.

3) Knowledge! So Kyrin, the girl character, has a knack for remembering things. I can name only one other story I've ever read in my life where this was the main character's skill. I loved it; I loved reading how it affected her everyday life. That she was lauded for this and not because she kicked everybody's butt was refreshing. I have a feeling Kyrin's going to be a girl to watch--she's going to surprise me, I think.

4) Sibling love: I love books that emphasize sibling relationships. Kyrin's sturdy bond with her twin brother made me smile. It was so sweet, and I really pray that they can remain this close during the series. They may break my heart, though, because they are just that adorable.

5) Character names: Alright, this is really egotistical, but there's a character named Rebekah in the book. Not quite how I spell it, but I was still pretty happy.

6) Faith: These characters face a struggle I can only ponder: if I had to choose between being honest about my faith and my life, what would I do? This novel has a lot of deep questions subtly written into it.

7) Lots of adventure: This book is large, and the author takes you through a good expanse of time. Her writing and how much love has clearly gone into this book reminds me of Jill Williamson and her wonderful "Blood of Kings" series. I have only read the first book in that series, but I loved it. If you love Jill Williamson, give Jaye L. Knight a try!

GIVEAWAY!!!!

Immerse yourself in the world of Ilyon! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win an autographed copy of Resistance (Book 1 in the “Ilyon Chronicles” series), a Resistance-inspired necklace crafted by the author (Jaye L. Knight), a Better Homes “Warm Rustic Woods” candle, and a wolf paw leather bookmark from Lodgepole Leathercraft. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:

Find the rest of the blog tour schedule here.

Wednesday, 7 May 2014

Blog Tour Book Review, Author Interview, and Giveaway: Until That Distant Day, by Jill Stengl!

I am honoured to be part of the blog tour for Jill Stengl's latest release, Until That Distant Day! It deals with one of my favourite periods in history--the French Revolution.

Colette and her brother Pascoe are two sides of the same coin, dependent upon one another in the tumultuous world of the new Republic. Together they labor with other leaders of the sans-culottes to ensure freedom for all the downtrodden men and women of France.

But then the popular uprisings turn bloody and the rhetoric proves false. Suddenly, Colette finds herself at odds with Pascoe and struggling to unite her fractured family against the lure of violence. Charged with protecting an innocent young woman and desperately afraid of losing one of her beloved brothers, Colette doesn’t know where to turn or whom to trust as the bloodshed creeps ever closer to home.

Until that distant day when peace returns to France, can she find the strength to defend her loved ones . . . even from one another?

Jill Stengl is the author of numerous romance novels including Inspirational Reader's Choice Award- and Carol Award-winning Faithful Traitor, and the bestselling novella, Fresh Highland Heir. She lives with her husband in the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin, where she enjoys her three cats, teaching a high school English Lit. class, playing keyboard for her church family, and sipping coffee on the deck as she brainstorms for her next novel.

She blogs at Books, Cats, and Whimsy. Do stop by and follow her to keep up with all her writing and reading-related activities!

"Jill Stengl is one of the rare authors with the ability to transport the reader to another world--a delightfully rich world of scent and sight and sound.” – Kim Vogel Sawyer, bestselling author of Echoes of Mercy

“Award-winning author Jill Stengl has created her greatest work yet in the inspiring and moving Until That Distant Day.” Jill Eileen Smith, bestselling author of the Wives of King David series.

And now you can get it for only .99 cents!

MINI-REVIEW:

As of yet, I have not finished the book (alas!). When I do, expect a full review to be posted here. But right now, I can highlight my favourite aspects:

1. The setting: the food, the culture, the geography. Collette reads like someone living in the time she's in.

2. Collette herself. I was surprised when I read that the main character was someone in her late twenties. This is a point of view I rarely get to read, and it was so refreshing! Collette is someone who has already seen much of life, has made mistakes, and has been affected by them. To me, she is far more intriguing than someone just setting out on her adventures. She has a mysterious air to her.

3. The largeness of Collette's family. I love it when authors write about large families and make them realistic. The siblings read like true people--related through blood but divided by their individual choices. Stengl does not try to create a false unity, and I applaud her for this!

4. The historical moments. Though I learned about the French Revolution in high school, there's a difference between reading a textbook and peeking into the world through the eyes of someone who lives in it. Things I remember from class were far more interesting, and I got excited when I recognized certain people, places, or events.

If any of what I have described catches your interest, definitely give this book a look!!!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW!

As part of this blog tour, Jill Stengl generously offered to answer blogger questions. Here is my question and her answer:

Q: Do any historical figures from the French Revolution make an appearance in your novel and/or your main characters influenced or inspired by any particular historical figures?

A: None of my main characters are based on real people, but they mention several historical figures by name, including General Lafayette, Georges Jacques Danton, Legendre the butcher, Pétion the mayor of Paris, General Dumouriez, and, of course, Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, and their children.

The one direct historical quote I used is that of the commander of the Swiss Guard at the Palais des Tuileries on August 10, a courageous man who refused to leave his post without the king’s order. (The order to return to barracks arrived too late to save them.) You might be interested in this article about the monument in honor of the Swiss Guard, located in Lucerne, Switzerland.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Monument

So very sad!

Thank you for the interesting question, Beka! And thank you for joining my blog tour.

GIVEAWAY!!!