A story blog by Dana Marton: The Reluctant Concubine

Dana Marton's The Reluctant Concubine is good fantasy romance about a girl who is a healer but is taken from her people in order to become a slave. Don't let the title fool you.

She's following in the footsteps of Ilona Andrew's Clean Sweeps and Grace Draven, blogging her chapters until the book is done and taking it off the blog after. Like I do too!!!

She updates it 2 chapters a day. Marvelous. It's the first thing I check every morning!!!.

#NOWREADING Karina Cooper St. Croix #5 Engraved (SPOILERS)

Summary:

Cherry St. Croix returns to the fog-ridden streets of Victorian London, where the balance of power threatens all that she loves.

I will not wither without laudanum. Sober and determined, I have chosen another way—alchemy, and the pursuit of wellness it embodies. My name is Cherry St. Croix, and though freedom is finally at my fingertips, I return to the blackened streets intent on righting the wrongs I'd left behind.

All is not well in London low. Caught in a war between gangs, men are torn limb from limb, and I am called on to ascertain how. The immoral Karakash Veil is no doubt involved, and Micajah Hawke, a prisoner in his own Menagerie, cannot soften the danger this time.

Armed with the alchemical arts I have learned, my ever present guardian, and what few friends are left to me, I embark on a campaign to rescue the ringmaster I cannot abandon, save the Brick Street Bakers from annihilation, and finally face that which frightens me the most—my own heart.

Thoughts:

So, we left Cherry in the last book heading off to London with Maddie Ruth and her guardian/tutor Ashmore. Sobered up and armed with alchemy, she's headed off to save Hawke. 

The book was fast paced and full of action and creepy people. 

Though I'm intrigued by Hawke and Cherry, I'm not really sure I want them to be together, primarily because Hawke's a headcase and asshole extraordinaire. I'm not saying that he's incapable of love or sacrificing himself but damn, dude, REALLY? If you read this book and the last one, you'd get why I would think so. 

And btw, I'm still hard up on Cherry just realizing that Hawke had been protecting her all this time. Maybe it's the opium, maybe it's her own prejudice, maybe it's her denial on how she feels for Hawke but still, girl. 

The book doesn't really give you time to breathe and process, and Cherry gives one hell of an impression of the energizer bunny. She was SERIOUSLY determined to save Hawke. 

Ashmore was awesome, supportive and practically the white knight to Hawke's sort-of-villain.

I seriously want to burn the Menagerie into the ground. Glad people beat me to it. That place was creepy in the first place but at least not evil, it was a place where rules were scarce and darkness lurked around the corner but when Hawke was no longer the ringmaster, that place went to the pits. 

And I want to smack the Veil upside the head. 

I'm now really eager for the sixth book because now Ashmore and Hawke would exist in the same scene. Man, that would be so FUN. 

#NowReading Sherry Thomas' The Elemental Mage Trilogy (ARCs)

It all began with a ruined elixir and an accidental bolt of lightning…

Iolanthe Seabourne is the greatest elemental mage of her generation—or so she's being told. The one prophesied for years to be the savior of The Realm. It is her duty and destiny to face and defeat the Bane, the greatest mage tyrant the world has ever known. A suicide task for anyone let alone a sixteen-year-old girl with no training, facing a prophecy that foretells a fiery clash to the death.

Prince Titus of Elberon has sworn to protect Iolanthe at all costs but he's also a powerful mage committed to obliterating the Bane to avenge the death of his family—even if he must sacrifice both Iolanthe and himself to achieve his goal.

But Titus makes the terrifying mistake of falling in love with the girl who should have been only a means to an end. Now, with the servants of the Bane closing in, he must choose between his mission and her life

After spending the summer away from each other, Titus and Iolanthe (still disguised as Archer Fairfax) are eager to return to Eton College to resume their training to fight the Bane. Although no longer bound to Titus by a blood oath, Iolanthe is more committed than ever to fulfilling her destiny—especially with the agents of Atlantis quickly closing in.

Soon after arriving at school, though, Titus makes a shocking discovery, one that makes him question everything he previously believed about their mission. Faced with this devastating realization, Iolanthe is forced to come to terms with her new role, while Titus must choose between following his mother's prophecies—and forging a divergent path to an unknowable future

Publishing News #Oathbreaker1

Signed a contract with Wayang Force to publish Oathbreaker 1. 

So, I'm moving again.

This will be the third time I'll be moving in a year. Geez.

Glad for the move though, finally I would have time to write full time.

Speaking of writing, guess what? It's NOVEMBER which means NANOWRIMO.

Gah, I'm such a masochist.

To make matters worst I decided to pull out DreamWalkers from the idea book and though I have some idea about what it's about, I'm pretty much winging it at this point. I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad one.

Well, at least I'm writing.

There were things that happened which brought several questions to the front of my mind, certain doubts if you will, that made me rethink about the big decisions that I made in the last 10 years. 

And though I don't regret that I made them, I regret the consequences that the people around me had to live with because of it. It's strange to say it, but the bottom-line is I feel guilty for not feeling guilty enough.

...only humans would be this complicated, right?

Other than a little cough and feeling a little lazy and sluggish, I'm good. I hope that things would only get better from now. 

BOOK IS FINALLY OUT!!! WEEE

You can get the printed book here.

The ebooks will be on a sister site that is still in progress. 

I am so happy and relieved.

Though I wince at the mistakes I found on my copy edit, but since the printed book is applying a system called POD or Print on Demand, I assume that we can fix those as we go along.

I hope.

Tee hee.

BUT YEAH, BOOK IS OUT!!!

BookTalk: Kelly Keaton's Gods and Monsters #1 Darkness Becomes Her

Summary

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is. Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

Thoughts

First of all, I just have to say it so I can move on. Sebastian. *sizzle*

Ari is shy of her eighteenth birthday and is searching for any news about her mother.
She found out that her mother committed suicide and that the female half of her family was cursed, always dying at their 21st birthday. She needs answers and she can only find it in New 2, where she was born. We know New 2 as New Orleans post-hurricane. In Kelly Keaton's world New Orleans is an isolated country that governs its own and controlled by the Novem; 9 families that rich and powerful. There are murmurs of 'magic' and 'vampires' and 'supernatural' about New 2 which isn't surprising since, well, it's New Orleans.

In New 2 she stumbles into a group of freaks, people who like her, are peculiar in some way. Chunk who is able to fix everything, Henry whose eyes seem to glow in the dark, Violet who has fangs for teeth and Sebastian who is able to influence people to do what he wants them to do.

In her hunt for her history and the secrets of her family, she is also hunted by strange armored men who tries to kill her and by the Novem itself.

This story is dark. Oh, trigger warning: rape.

The story is well written and well plotted, taking the Greek mythology, religion and paranormal creatures and supernatural elements that we know and crafted it into a tightly wound story that is rich and exciting. The characters are fun and engaging, some more than others and the chemistry between Sebastian and Ari is insane.

I love the genius of Kelly Keaton that she sets her story in New Orleans. It makes all these crazy things happening in the book believable and it gives the book an ambiance that is otherworldly.

The Novem itself is interesting: 3 families who have magic, 3 families who are shapeshifters, and another 3 who are vampires.

The action is amazing, Ari is kick ass and the story telling so detailed and intricate that you can see it in your mind.

I am most definitely reading book 2. And it's actually already out!! Just read the excerpt and woah, it pushes limits.

Reading Next:

Publishing News and Reminders

I thought since Touched is in the publishing process that I update on the news I got from publishes about where you can get Touched. Like I mentioned before, the trilogy will be first available as ebooks, with an epub format. We will also be searching for foreign publishers so we can get it on print. Meanwhile, agent have ideas about translating it into Indonesian for the purpose of Indonesian market.

Anyway, editor mentioned that Digital Mizan, my publisher has some ebookstore partners: Qbaca by Telkom on Android/google play platform, wayang force on appstore, scoop on android and appstore, indobooks on android, also we are on negotiation process with http://smartebook.com , and some ebookstore in thailand and Vietnam. They are also considering and reviewing the terms from Amazon.

Hardcopy of manuscript has finally arrived in my editor's hands and now I'm waiting for news about the covers. 

Since we're waiting, I thought I'll refresh your memory (and mine) with the early chapters of the book and dreamcasts. I will also upload some snippets along with a playlist. 

Updates on Guardians of Volk

Wohoo, writing is going GREAT...and I'm hoping I'm not jinxing myself for later. But anyway, here are snippets, yes, snippet with an s, there are 2 snippets for you read!!!!

GUARDIANS OF VOLK SNIPPETS

The awesome thing is, I've finally figured out what to write on the 2nd and 3rd book, well, actually I just merged some ideas for books together and voila, awesomeness!!! It's really going to be GREAT!!!

Have updated Dreamcast of The Guardians and The Companions.

*wipes brow*, evidently when you have 18 sort of Main Characters, you really have to do a dreamcast whether you want to or not. It helps to get them straight and when you want to describe how they look.

Have finally finished with the dreamcast, had a hard time in finding Indian/Middle Eastern Actors/Models to dreamcast. Anyway, you find it here.

And 1st snippet Guardians of Volk could be found here!

Updates of NaNo's Novel

*sigh* I changed the trilogy title again.. From The Three Kingdoms, to The Three Cities, to the Three Kingdoms again. Anyway, compiled a few images into background ideas about the Kingdoms!! Enjoy!!!

Update on The Three Cities dreamcast

Finally added to the dreamcast, this time it's the lead male character: Arista Dasciano.

Background ideas for The Three Cities series

Found some artwork in deviantart that fits with some of what I imagined of the three cities to look like, and some background for the first book: Guardians of Volk!

You can read all about it here!!!

The Three Cities news!!!

Tuesday, 09 October 2012

Peeps, The Three Cities Blog is LIVE.