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Saturday, December 31, 2016

Comic Review: Our Friend Satan

Our Friend Satan
Written by: Dominic L. March
Picture: Michael Murawski , Luke Lalko
Publisher: Timof and silent partners

November 2016
Series : Our friend Satan 
Number of pages : 120
Size : 210  x295 mm
Binding : Paperback
Printing : color
ISBN-13 : 9788365527257
website
Prince of Darkness is going through a midlife crisis. He can not meet the inflated expectations of the modern world. He spends his nights roaming the Hell in a bathrobe and drowning sorrows in vodka. However, a meeting with disillusioned Satanists becomes the straw that poured camel's back. Satan suing the Catholic Church for libel and travels to Earth to clear his name in court.

I ran across the Our Friend Satan's Kickstarter project over the summer and after reading the first 20 pages I knew I wanted to help support it. The concept began as a screenplay, but there wasn't enough money to follow through. The creators had enough storyboard material to make a graphic novel instead.

You can read the first 24 pages here

I really liked the premise: Satan is suing the Catholic Church for deformation of character. But the Pope thinks Satan is no longer scary enough to drive people to the church and he has an idea for a bigger, badder, mechanical Satan. While Satan is on Earth for his trial, hell is being run by Satan's top security officer, Beelzebub. There is the idea that if they can clean hell up a bit, they might get a vacation. And this is where "Scooter" comes in...a robotic vacuum cleaner. Problem is, Scooter becomes sentient and then all *cough* hell *cough* breaks loose!

The story is well written and much more complex than I thought, with mulitple plot threads running simultaneously. The artwork is sharp and bright with an emphasis on facial expressions.

Unfortunately, you can't get Our Friend Satan in English, yet! I got a copy because it was a kickstarter special. The creators are looking for a publisher for the US market for release in 2017. You can read the first 20 pages, in English here. Be sure to keep this one on your radar.

5 "Who uses tentacles and horns?" Sheep




SharonS

About the Creators:
Dominik L. MARCH
idea, script, artistic director
Brain satanic worship. Polish lives in Gotham City - Lodz. I never planned to do comics, but the Prince of Darkness was not proper to refuse. During the day, wandering aimlessly, searching for the meaning of life (and chestnut). At night, he leads a crusade condemned the infernal abyss.

ŁUKASZ Lalko
color, sketch, outline, special effects
Space traveler, being a senior (Poznan). He joined us to art to fill the void left by the bodies, which had lost in the Andromeda. In his youth he was mainly interested in the disintegration of the planet, today focuses on drawing (read: everything will git until he finished his crayons).

MICHAL MURAWSKI
adaptation, sketch, outline
Apparently the amount raised strokes led to the bankruptcy of half Lodz dealers. Inglorious hero of the failed operation to separate man from Wacom. Gray eminence ATL-u. Father, businessman, philanthropist. Shun wafers.

End 2016 with something good! A box of books giveaway.

I Smell Sheep wants to help you say good-bye to 2016 and hello to 2017. And what better way than with books! We are giving away an urban fantasy box and a PNR box.

Fill out the rafflecopter for the box(es) you want. This is US only!

Urban Fantasy box of books!
Paranormal Romance box of books!
And remember Baart and all of us at I Smell Sheep think you smell like awesome!

Friday, December 30, 2016

Spotlight: Silverwolf (Rowankind: Book Two) by Jacey Bedford + giveaway

by Jacey Bedford
January 3, 2016
DAW Mass Market
432 Pages
Some have returned to Iaru to find freedom with the Fae; others are trying to find a place in the world, looking for fair treatment under the law. The course of the industrial revolution may change forever.

Wild magic is on the rise. Creatures of legend are returning to the world: kelpies, pixies, trolls, hobs, and goblins. Ross and Corwen, she a summoner witch and he a wolf shapechanger, have freed the rowankind from bondage, but now they are caught in the midst of the conflict, while trying their best to avoid the attention of the Mysterium, the government organization which would see them hanged for their magic.

When an urgent letter calls Corwen back to Yorkshire, he and Ross become embroiled in dark magic, family secrets, and industrial treachery. London beckons. There they discover a missing twin, an unexpected friend, and an old enemy—called Walsingham.“Swashbuckling adventure collides with mystical mayhem on land and at sea in this rousing historical fantasy series launch set in a magic-infused England in 1800.” —Publishers Weekly

“Bedford crafts emotionally complex relationships and interesting secondary characters while carefully building an innovative yet familiar world.” —RT Book Reviews


Winterwood (Rowankind)
by Jacey Bedford
February 2, 2016
432 pages
It's 1800. Mad King George is on the British throne, and Bonaparte is hammering at the door. Magic is strictly controlled by the Mysterium, but despite severe penalties, not all magic users have registered.

Ross Tremayne, widowed, cross-dressing privateer captain and unregistered witch, likes her life on the high seas, accompanied by a boatload of swashbuckling pirates and the possessive ghost of her late husband, Will. When she pays a bitter deathbed visit to her long-estranged mother she inherits a half brother she didn't know about and a task she doesn't want: open the magical winterwood box and right an ancient wrong—if she can.

Enter Corwen. He's handsome, sexy, clever, and capable, and Ross doesn't really like him; neither does Will's ghost. Can he be trusted? Whose side is he on?

Unable to chart a course to her future until she's unraveled the mysteries of the past, she has to evade a ruthless government agent who fights magic with darker magic, torture, and murder; and brave the hitherto hidden Fae. Only then can she hope to open the magical winterwood box and right her ancestor's wrongdoing. Unfortunately, success may prove fatal to both Ross and her new brother, and desastrous for the country. By righting a wrong, is Ross going to unleash a terrible evil? Is her enemy the real hero and Ross the villain?

About the Author:
website-FB-twitter
Jacey Bedford has a string of short story publication credits on both sides of the Atlantic. She lives a thouand feet up on the edge of the Yorkshire Pennines in a two hundred year stone house. She has been a librarian, postmistress, rag-doll maker, and a folk singer in an acappella trio.


GIVEAWAY
One winner: print copy of Winterwood and Silverwolf
US/CAN Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Sheep Movie Review: Assassin's Creed (2016)

Assassin's Creed (2016)
Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, thematic elements and brief strong language)
Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama
Directed By: Justin Kurzel
Written By: Bill Collage, Adam Cooper, Michael Lesslie
Cast: Michael Fassbender

Dec 21, 2016 Wide
Runtime: 116 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day. ASSASSIN'S CREED stars Academy Award (R) nominee Michael Fassbender (X-Men: Days of Future Past, 12 Years a Slave) and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises, La Vie en Rose). The film is directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Macbeth); produced by New Regency, Ubisoft Motion Pictures, DMC Films and Kennedy/Marshall; co-financed by RatPac Entertainment and Alpha Pictures; and distributed by 20th Century Fox. ASSASSIN'S CREED opens in theaters worldwide on December 21st, 2016.


I'm gonna let little ducky tell you if you should see Assassin's Creed...

Went to see Assassin's Creed with my husband and 15 year old daughter. We are action fans and pretty forgiving of most things, but none of us enjoyed this...well, Holly did because there was a cute assassin, but he eventually died.

First off, the music wasn't very good and too loud. The action sequences were fun, but the other 110 minutes was one dramatic pause for the camera. Even their dialogue was slow. And don't get me started on the "science" used to explain why they wanted the "Apple". Why in the world would the Templar's in the 15th century want it? They didn't have the technology to use it! And why were they guarding the descendants of the Assassin's Creed (who they gave memories of their ancestors to) with security that had no guns? Security. Had. No. Guns. They all ended up getting stabbed to death...cause they had no guns...

Disclaimer: I've never played the video game and had no knowledge of the story. Maybe that makes a difference because the whole premise kind of sucked...and they didn't do a great job of explaining what was going on.

Listen to the ducky...

Don 1 sheep
Holly 2.5 sheep (cause cute guy)

1 "Regressed" Sheep




SharonS


Comic Review: Harrow County #19 from Dark Horse Comics

Harrow County #19
Script: Cullen Bunn
Art and Lettering: Tyler Crook
“Tales of Harrow County” Script: Tyler Crook
“Tales of Harrow County” Art: Aud Koch
Dark Horse Books
December 28, 2016

Genre: Fantasy, Horror

Format: FC, 32 pages; Ongoing
When a charming young man arrives in Harrow County, Emmy is thrilled to welcome new visitors to her home. But he has come with a gang of hunters, drawn to Harrow by the lure of big game: haints. With the promise of a normal life finally within her grasp, Emmy will be forced to question her devotion to the only life she’s ever known.

Emmy finds hunters hunting in the woods and when her ‘father’ and she head to where he used to eat breakfast before going hunting himself, she learns that their prey are not deer or birds or bear, but something much, much older. Much, much darker. When she tries to warn the boy, Luke, who is with the hunters, they laugh and tell him to ignore her advice. Then they all leave on the hunt for the legendary monster.

The short story that is included with the main story, is “Priscilla.” It is about the killing of owls by goblins in the woods of Harrow County.

Harrow County #10 like the proceeding issues in the past, gives what the reader wants, chills from the creepy horror of dark legends spun not from around the campfire, but by word and art of a comic.

I gave Harrow County #19 4.5 spooky sheep






Pamela Kinney

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Comic Review: The Strain: Master Quinlan, Vampire Hunter #4

The Strain: Master Quinlan, Vampire Hunter #4
Writer: David Lapham
Penciller: Edgar Salazar
Inker: Keith Champagne
Colorist: Dan Jackson
Dark Horse Books
December 14, 2016

Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror
Format: FC, 32 pages; Miniseries
Read the comic! Watch the series!

Quinlan races against time to move the dwindling troops into place and support Tacitus’s surge against the Berber horde. Can he hold out against the vampire menace lurking in the desert and fulfill his mission?

* The origin of Mr. Quinlan from The Strain—by Pan’s Labyrinth and Pacific Rim director Guillermo del Toro and writer David Lapham—begins here!

Quinlan and his Roman soldiers battled vampire hordes in this issue. During the last hour before dawn, and later, when the vampires hide during the day in the desert.

The Strain: Master Quinlan, Vampire Hunter is a vampire tale that is gritty, bloody, with a taste of humanity.

5 vampiric sheep




Pamela Kinney

Monday, December 26, 2016

Sheep Movie Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
"Rogue One" (original title)
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Writing Credits: Chris Weitz, Tony Gilroy, John Knoll, Gary Whitta, George Lucas
Cast: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen
PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | 16 December 2016 (USA)
Former scientist Galen Erso lives on a farm with his wife and young daughter Jyn. His peaceful existence comes crashing down when the evil Orson Krennic takes him away from his beloved family. Many years later, Galen is now the Empire's lead engineer for the most powerful weapon in the galaxy, the Death Star. Knowing that her father holds the key to its destruction, a vengeful Jyn joins forces with a spy and other resistance fighters to steal the space station's plans for the Rebel Alliance.


I went to see Rogue One with my husband and 15 year old daughter. We all had a great time. Even though I am ashamed to admit this, my daughter hasn't seen any of the Star Wars movies.

The last six Star Wars movies I've gone to see because I felt like I should. None of them have measured up to those first three. But Rogue One comes close to the magic of those first three. It starts out a little slow. The audience in bounced around between four or five different places in the galaxy as all the pieces of this chess game are set in motion. Once the story focused a bit, I got invested. This was a big problem for my husband. It moved too slow...too much character development (he likes all action).

Rogue One had a more "Star Wars" feel to it. I think it was the comedy element that sold me. The droid K-2SO was fabulous and probably my favorite character. I was also happy with the character development of Jyn (the heroine).
Winning the galaxy!

There was one thing I wish they hadn't recaptured from the original Star Wars...the music! It was the same, and sounded so out-dated and kind of cheesy. But it did bring back memories of the first three movies.

This movie can stand on its own, but it does tie into the original Star Wars movie and will have more meaning if you've seen that one. This one is worth seeing on the big screen.
Husband: 3 1/2 Sheep
Holly: 4 1/2 Sheep

4 "One with the Force" Sheep




SharonS

Guest Post: The Story Behind the Story with Christine Church + giveaway (Beyond Every Mirror book tour)

The Writing Journey

I started writing at nine years old. I know that sounds a tad young, but I wrote picture books that I still have put away somewhere to this day. Reading back on them, they are, as would be expected, “childish,” but still had everything a story requires; a plot, a beginning, middle, end, and main characters. They are all about horses.

By my teens I had worked up to writing short stories about hot guys. But these were stories of guys that were generally placed in really odd circumstances; paranormal or fantasy. At 15, I wrote a short story about a rock star who was on the road, on tour, and when he was in the hotel bathroom, he saw someone appear in his mirror. He was grabbed and dragged into that “mirror world” where he became a sacrificial pawn of sorts and was tortured. The story ended with them tossing him into a bottomless pit. He awoke, back in his hotel bed. He thought it all a dream until he got up and went into the bathroom. When he looked into the mirror, his body was battered and bruised from the tortures he’d endured behind that mirror. Awhile later, I thought that if I fleshed it out, this could be a great novel. So, in 1996 I wrote “Beyond Every Mirror.”

Unfortunately, back then romantic fantasies were pretty much non-existent unless they were really well written time travels. Dimensional travel through mirrors was not good enough, no matter how well written. I spoke to countless literary agents and editors at numerous writer’s conferences.

In the meantime…

In 1998, my first traditionally published book came out (House Cat; How to Keep Your Indoor Cat Sane & Sound) by Howell Book House. I had written this book years before, and it had made the rounds of agents and editors (always the same rejection: “there are too many cat books on the market”).

After several years I was about to put it aside (self publishing was not then what it is today), but had one more card up my sleeve. I asked a highly published pet writer friend if I could send it to her editor at Howell Book House. I did, and then waited. After three months, I had heard nothing, so I contacted my writer friend. “She changed publishing houses,” I was told.

I contacted the editor at her new House (TFH Publications) and was told she “rejected my book and it didn’t fit what TFH was looking for at the time.” I asked her if she thought the editor who had replaced her would like it and was told “No, there’s too many cat books on the market!” If I heard that sentence one more time, I was going to slam my head against a wall. Mine was not “just any cat book,” it was all about the care of indoor-only cats and it was unique, thorough and the indoor cat movement was getting big. I simply was not finding the right editor. So, I put the manuscript away.

The very next day, I received in the mail (snail mail as it is called today) a letter from the NEW editor at Howell Book House. She found my proposal in a slush pile of 200 rejected manuscripts. She loved it. She was a cat person. A year later, with my book just out, the editor who had rejected my manuscript went back to Howell. I was heading to NYC to have lunch with my editor and I met the editor who had rejected my book. She shrugged and said “I was wrong.” I had also received several book assignments from TFH Publications! ALL of those books are still in publication to this day.

Fast forward to 2012. I was at a writer’s conference. I was talking to a big name literary agent about my novel, Beyond Every Mirror. She was very excited about it and asked me to send her the full manuscript. I did, and a few months later, she emailed to tell me how much she LOVED it and wanted it, BUT (ready??) the market was over-saturated with the genre!! Oh well, it was still the best rejection I ever got. And that is why I chose to self publish this book.

Beyond Every Mirror (Anachronistic Dimensions Trilogy book One)
by Christine Church
Genre: Romantic Fantasy
Publisher: Grey Horse Press
Paperback Publication: 10-31-16
Kindle Publication: 11-30-16
ISBN: 978-0692782705
ASIN: B01MG56AW1
Number of pages: 370
Word Count: 130,000
Cover Artist: Christine Church
Beside his own image, Dane Bainbridge sees another; a ginger haired beauty--behind her, red mountains and clouds as if from another world. He's seen her his entire life, a life filled with glamour and fame... and loneliness. For the woman in the mirror is his one true love. But, this he does not know, not until he is dragged into her world--one of bes and lands beyond imagination. One where his sacrifice is the only thing keeping her and the world in which she resides alive.

Once they are together, he remembers it all, and that knowledge means his doom for all eternity. But if he escapes her world, she will perish as will all others behind the looking glass. He is the key that keeps her alive, and she is the key that gives him hope. Can they break the curse that keeps them separated by torture and death? Can they escape together from a world that exists beyond every mirror?


5 Star Reviews
"I have never read anything quite like it and I loved it. Brilliant and well written. Superb!! And the writing style of the author was amazing." Rabia Tanveer, Readers’ Favorite

"Fans of Lord of the Rings, Anne Rice, and all fantasy novels will really enjoy this book! Truly one of the best books I've ever read!" Bonnie, Amazon Customer

“Christine Church gives readers a lovable protagonist. A wonderful love story. Like a dangerous but beautiful animal, this romance novel comes with some nail-biting moments that are definitely worth reading. I recommend this book to vampire fans." ~Benjamin Ookami

"I actually fell asleep with the book in my arms and woke up to read it in the morning." Amazon Customer

"Great fantasy and very exciting, a real page turner." Amazon Customer



December 20, 2014
He remained perfectly still as the chains were wrapped around his body. The metal cooled the heated flesh of his bare chest. All around him echoed a cacophony of screams, bellows and stomping of feet that almost crushed him beneath its weight. The air tightened with the chains and a rush of collective exhilaration and nervousness swirled through his senses. He glanced quickly at the red-faced, muscular man standing beside him, who finished fastening the chains and stepped away.

He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. And then he waited, anxiety pounding in his breast. The air was thick with heat and sweat and smoke, but he'd grown accustomed to it through the years, as with the rest of the ritual. The one thing he could never get used to, however, was the flip-flop in the pit of his stomach that occurred as the platform he stood on slowly lifted into the air, revealing him to the anxiously awaiting crowd that crushed nearer. Starving animals before a feast. He looked straight out, refused to look down, lest the vertigo take him.

How he hated heights.

He listened for the eerie orchestration of strings and organ that marked the beginning of his leisurely descent back to earth. The notes began with a rhythmic resonance that was almost conquered by impatient bellows that quickly turned to a roar of frenzied excitement. As the platform lowered, a muzzy sensation circled Dane’s mind and his throat felt as though his stomach had been hoisted up into it.

He held his breath in anticipation.

An amplified voice echoed over the din. “Ladies and Gentlemen. Through the misty storm they come. Battles rage and blood is spilled and tonight you will feel…the rage of the... Dark Myst!”
The crescendo of notes rose with the screams and soon the vast crowd, shrouded in the mist of machine smoke and lighting from the trusses above, came into view. The platform touched the stage simultaneously with a deafening blast of canon fire, blinding light and searing heat from the pyrotechnics.

Dane thrust his arms outward in an ostentatious display of feigned strength and released his long held breath as the chains fell free of his body. As he leaped forward the crowd crushed against the stage, nearly 20,000 screaming fans all at once a serried mass swarming towards him.

Tingles of excitement clawed at his spine, a feeling that never waned with the years. He ran to the front of the stage and grabbed up the microphone as Bruce struck the first hard note on his Strat. The music pounded out its heavy rhythm and the audience's cries warred with its volume. Sharp beams of laser light cut a zigzag through the haze. Dane twirled around and his heart jumped.

Oh what fresh hell!

He was staring at himself!

The stage had been set up like a room in a lover's palace; giant mirrors everywhere—behind, to the sides, even above, stretching as high as the trusses. Due to a severe snow squall the truck carrying an important part of the band’s stage set had gone off the road and gotten stuck. No one was injured, but the set had not arrived in time to be set up in the sold-out Target Center. Someone had decided the light show would look better reflected. Dane, however, was aghast. Not only was their stage set designed to coincide with most of their songs, but the effects of the colored lights continuously bouncing from mirror to mirror would inevitably result in the whole band plagued with a throbbing headache by concert’s end.

Their manager had to have approved this—someone had to have approved it. No one had told Dane! The mirrors must have been erected last moment. Everyone associated with the band knew how Dane hated mirrors. But now, no matter which direction he turned, he saw himself in his black costume and ragged-edged cloak; which portrayed him as the yin to the band's yang. They were the mist, and he the dark storm.

To keep his attention from the mirrors, Dane fixed his gaze on the audience and the speckled glow from thousands of cell phone flashes, resembling a sparkling star-filled evening that stretched out before him. But he knew he would eventually have to turn around.
By the third song it became maddening, not able to dance around as he normally would for fear of what might be hidden in those mirrors. But, thankfully, half way through the song he spotted one of the girls he'd met the last time he was in town. At last, something to keep his mind and eyes busy. In the front row she stood, arms raised toward him. The bulldozing horde had her pressed against the stage, long auburn hair flittering about as she bobbed her head to the beat of the music. He smiled in her direction, despite his sudden dread at remembering the promise he'd made to her the year before. A promise—ashamedly—he had no intention of keeping.

He had never seen her before that night a year ago, so she hadn’t been a regular. Conquering new territory was always fun. She’d displayed the looks normally reserved by the group of girls who always seem to know just how to be chosen above others and handed backstage passes. This one, however, had taken a different approach. She had approached him on the floor of his hotel as he made his way to his room. Fortunately he had been alone—a rarity. He had invited her in. Ample breasts and a nice round bottom offset by a perfectly slender waist. Dane knew he would be having a good time that night.

She had wanted too much, however, a commitment he couldn't give. Teasing him and denying him her favors until he'd made the vow. What else was there to do? And so he had said exactly what she wanted to hear. And, as naïve as she was, she had believed him. He couldn’t, after all, say no. Not when she lay there in his hotel bed displaying all her luscious charms. But he couldn't keep his promise, either. There were plenty of women in countless towns, women the band’s crew knew were his type. Women who would be offered passes just so he could meet them, drink with them, bed them. And there would be more waiting in the next town after that.

Now, a pass with the name of a local radio as sponsor dangled around her neck. So, she had won backstage passes this time. There would be no avoiding her tonight. What would he say to her? He could not even recall her name. As her fiery glare burned through him, he absentmindedly turned away, catching Bruce’s smug grin as he looked from the girl to Dane.  He mouthed the words “there she is,” as he switched guitars with an assistant for the next set of songs.

Dane smirked, shook his head at his friend, then strutted to the other side of the stage as the next song began—one of the band’s trademark tunes that he wrote about a medieval land of lords and knights. He wielded a sword, one of many from his collection, and proceeded to dance around in choreographed mock swordplay as the hired orchestra played their bit.

At this point, his disappointment surged that the integral element of their regular stage set had not arrived. The video wall depiction of a castle and rolling green hills was installed. However, mirrors now replaced the large faux-stone steps that were to lead to the balcony above the stage, giving Dane the appearance of riding atop one of two red-eyed dragons that should, at that moment, be gazing menacingly down at the crowd, smoke, laser and fire effects erupting from the eyes and fanged mouths. Those that came for the show would be fervently disappointed.

During Bruce’s brief guitar solo near mid-song, Dane closed his eyes for a moment and raised the sword high, drawing in the deep odor of sweat and heat. Machine-created fog crept along the stage and curled around his feet like a chill mist in a graveyard. The lights were so dim he could scarce see even the front row of the audience as the laser lights sliced through the stadium and across his body like sharp-edged blades.

In accordance with his routine, and without second thought, he twirled around—and was suddenly staring right into one of the tall mirrors that littered the stage. The lights brightened. His craggy-hemmed cloak billowed as he spun from the ghastly reflection of his own sweat-soaked face only to catch the same image in the mirror beside that one. His gut wrenched and he tried to turn away, back to the front of the stage, back to the audience. But he froze as movement caught his eye and when he turned his head, she was there—the “Mirror Lady.” His illusion. His own delusion.

Onstage.
As real to him as his own reflection.

No! Not here!

Her thigh-length ginger hair was loose, rather than pulled back in the usual braid. The shining tresses poured over her shoulders like a rushing waterfall and cascaded down a beautiful gown of burgundy velvet that hugged her slim form. The tears in her golden eyes told a tale of sadness that wrenched at his heart, and he felt himself take an involuntary step forward. More familiar to him than Martha or Lance or Sir Kori, the sight of the “Mirror Lady” twisted his gut, a tornado rampaging through him, a tangled enrapture of perplexity and fear, love and pain—as if he had known her for more years than his life was long. And that familiarity drove him somewhere beyond her presence in some glass.
His dilemma with the redhead in the front row disappeared. The girls he’d met in the past or would meet in the future no longer mattered. It was this stranger, this illusion. She alone meant everything—and she scared the hell out of him. But deeper than fear lie an unbearable urge to leap into the mirror and gather her into his arms.

Protective impulses tugged at him relentlessly and he was suddenly frightened not of her but for her. Terror seized his heart, and refused to let go, pounding through him harder than the music that continued to fill the stadium, confusing him profoundly. Passionate emotions thrashed at his brain and his head ached with the need to bring them to the surface. But he couldn’t. A mental barrier walled off the needs screaming for release. Why couldn’t he just go to her; feel for her the love he’d been missing his entire life?
Behind him, the glass’ surface reflected a flurry of activity; lambent light bounced from one mirror to the next, heightening the pain in his head. The small section of audience visible moved and swayed, their images like dancing ghosts in the dark mist of the stadium. Stephan’s long strawberry hair swayed as he bobbed his head up and down while he plucked away at his bass. He hadn’t seen her. At the time Dane didn’t think anyone else saw her, but her form was as solid in the mirror as was his own, as she had been in every mirror throughout his life.

Concentration became impossible. He faltered, his voice cracked and he missed the chorus altogether. Familiar with the music, the mistake must have been quite obvious to the crowd. But he couldn't turn from that damn mirror.

Dane tried to force his mind back to the song when a searing bolt of pain sliced through his head. The clank of the sword and the microphone sounded loud to his ears, even above the music, as they dropped from his hands and crashed to the stage. Feedback screeched from the monitors and the music stopped. The burden of emotion and conflict pressed him downward and, like Alice, he found himself falling. Down. Down. The spotlights swirled like shooting stars and agony screamed through his shoulder as he hit the hard stage floor.

The fog consumed him.

The stadium went dead silent. Bruce and Stephan rushed towards him. Adrian leapt from behind his drums. Road crew members and strangers circled above. The audience pressed closer to the stage, security guards frantically tried to hold them back. Their lips moved, their hands pounded the stage. He saw them all, yet he heard nothing. And then he was forced into a vacuum of darkness.
 


About the Author:
Christine Church has been writing since she was 9 years old. As a kid, she wrote and drew her own picture books, then moved on to short stories as a teen. By her 20's, she was writing full-length novels, but her first success in publication was a nonfiction book about the care of indoor cats, Housecat, published by Howell Book House in 1998. Several more nonfiction books followed, including the major award winning book, Indoor Cats (TFH publications), which won the Iams Responsible Cat Ownership in 2001. After a broken hand, she took a hiatus from writing for quite some time, then returned to find everything had changed and her world turned upside down. She decided then to take a stab at self publishing. Her first novella, Sands of Time, Fate of the True Vampires won Finalist status in the 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Her second book, as well as Beyond Every Mirror, have won five-star status on Reader's favorite.

Tour giveaway 
$15 Amazon gift card 
3 copies paperback, signed. 
5 Handmade metallic bookmarks 
10 handmade jewelry items themed to the book.

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Movie Review: Spectral (2016 Netflix)

Spectral (2016)
Director: Nic Mathieu
Screenplay: Ian Fried
Story by: Ian Fried
9 December 2016 (USA)

Production company: Legendary Entertainment
Cast: James Badge Dale, Emily Mortimer, Max Martini, Bruce Greenwood

PG-13
1h 47min
Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A sci-fi/thriller story centered on a special-ops team that is dispatched to fight supernatural beings.

This was a pleasant surprise! Spectral was originally made by Universal as a 3D movie for theatrical release, but was dropped and Netflix picked it up. This would have been pretty awesome to see in 3D. It is military tactical action packed movie with a supernatural (or is it?) twist. Right off the bat I was impressed with the quality of the movie and effects. Honestly I couldn't tell what was CGI background and what was real. It was so life like. You felt like you were in a war torn city fighting for your life. Even though this isn't based on a video game, like Call of Duty, it seemed like it was.

The story was solid, as solid as a scifi film can be, it brings up the whole "just because we can, doesn't mean we should" moral argument, and there is a twist at the end. If you are a fan of shooter video games or military action or scifi, you'll enjoy this one! 

4 "ghostly" Sheep




SharonS

Comic Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Adult Coloring Book from Dark Horse Comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Adult Coloring Book
Artists: Karl Moline, Rebekah Isaacs, Georges Jeanty, Yishan Li, Steve Morris, Newsha Ghasemi
Cover Artist: Karl Moline
Genre: Art Book
December 28, 2016
Format:b&w, 96 pages; TPB, 10'' x 10''
Price: $14.99
Age range: 8
ISBN-10:1-50670-253-8
ISBN-13:978-1-50670-253-7
Enter the world of the Slayer, the Chosen One who wields the skill to fight vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness . . . Favorite characters and moments from the beloved television series are represented in this delightful adult coloring book. Containing 45 black-and-white, detailed, and original illustrations, you can add color to Buffy and Co.—and, of course, all the Big Bads!

* Includes 45 pieces of beautifully detailed black-and-white artwork!


I got a look at a digital version of this coloring book. They illustrated iconic scenes from the series. One page has dialogue or a quote from a scene and the opposing page will be the illustration of that scene. It was fun to revisit some of the funny and action filled moments from the show.

The artwork isn't what I would call beautiful coloring material, but this is aimed more at the Buffy fandom than the fan of adult coloring books...so it's a "fashion over function" deal.

If you are a big Buffy fan or want to find a gift for a fan of the show then you can't go wrong...they probably aren't going to color it, just put it in their fandom collection (raise hand if you have one *raises hand*). But if you are a die hard coloring booker...this would be pretty basic. 
4 "Slaying" Sheep




SharonS

Friday, December 23, 2016

Book Review: Until Death by Kari Ann Kilgore

Until Death by Kari Anne Kilgore was recommended for a Bram Stoker nomination.

by Kari Ann Kilgore
Publisher: Spiral Publishing, LTD.
ASN: B01M0MA3MB ISBN: 9780990887515
October 4, 2016
180 pages
A haunting tale of love, sacrifice, and redemption.

Leo Sabov never imagined a day without his beloved wife, Maria. Now he faces the rest of his life alone.

After bringing Maria to rest in her native Transylvania, Leo only wants to escape the rumors and superstitions taking over the tiny mountain village.

A former Communist Party boss, a string of unexplainable deaths, and an ancient mama dog force him into mysteries he can’t understand or explain.

Will Leo survive a test even greater than the heartbreaking death of his wife, one with life or death consequences?


Leo Sabov imagined no nightmare worse than losing his wife, Maria. Not until after her death in L.A., when he brought her body home to Transylvania to be buried. And when he finds a tradition of setting a bottle of pălincă in with her body and exchanges it for a bottle of water, does he learn the truth of why his wife could never get pregnant. For what he did has terrible consequences that the small village had worked hard to eradicate long ago when Romania was under Communism and Maria was a child. For Romania is where the legends of the vampire have been told, but it appears they are not fairytales.


A unique twist on the vampire story, with even a surprise for me at the end of the book. If you are tired of the same after same vampire books out there, this one is just what the doctor ordered.

I gave Until Death 5 vampiric sheep.






Pamela Kinney

About the Author:

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Kari Kilgore lives and works in her native mountains of Virginia. From that solid home base, she and her husband Jason Adams find adventures all over the world to bring to life in fiction. Exploring local legends and mythologies in particular delights and inspires them. Kari writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and she’s happiest when she scares herself. She lives at the end of a long dirt road in the middle of the woods with Jason, two dogs, two cats, and wildlife they’re better off not knowing more about.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

The Story behind the Story: Megan O'Russell's Girl of Glass + giveaway


When I started writing Girl of Glass, it was meant as a personal challenge. I love vampires, I love sci-fi, and I love dystopian. I wanted to find a way to mix the three into one story. A dystopian sci-fi with chemically induced vampires is where I ended up. 


But that didn’t seem like enough. If I was going to write about the end of the world in a meaningful way, the end of the world had to have meaning. We’ve seen sun flares, nuclear war, robots taking over the world. All those scenarios are so definite. The world as we know it has ended. We can try and rebuild if we survive. So just try not to die. 

But is that really how it would happen? Would the world end all at once, or would there be a slow decline? What would it be like to know the world is ending but hasn’t quite managed to fall apart yet?

So the story changed: A mid-apocalyptic sci-fi with chemically induced vampires. 

When choosing what sort of person I wanted to create in this story (and inevitably torture), that person’s place in the ever-failing world was almost more important to me than anything else. Gender, race, even age weren’t as important to me as, for lack of a better word, the socio-economic class.

If you were to ask refugees living in camps or people still suffering in war zones right now in our world, their view of the state of things would be vastly different than what most people would say. But the majority—those worried about wrapping Christmas presents and what oil prices might be next week—are the readership. We as writers are targeting the majority: people with cars to drive to bookstores or a device with which to download an eBook. Even having the small amount of money it takes to buy a book is an unimaginable expense to some people, but those who do have the money are the ones Girl of Glass is going to reach. It has to be a story for those who have the means to read it. 

It’s the people who have a bed to curl up in and read at night who are my audience. They’ve seen a girl from a mine country fight the Capitol. They’ve watched poor kids run through a murderous maze. What I wanted to give was a glimpse of the end of the world from the top of the crumbling ladder. What would the end of the world look like from the point of view of the privileged one percent? What would it feel like to know that the world around you is suffering and that people are dying while you eat good food, bathe in a hot shower, and sleep in a safe home? What is your obligation to help those who are less fortunate? What are the consequences of turning your back on the suffering of the majority? Those questions created the story I wished to tell.

What started as a fun puzzle became something more. Girl of Glass is a YA novel with vampires and romance. But my hope is, in its own way, trapped in between the excitement, danger, and blood, there is a glimmer of meaning. A tiny thread of truth that will make people think. If you were the girl trapped in the glass dome at the end of the world, what would you do?

by Megan O'Russell
December 6, 2016 
Fiery Seas Publishing
Young Adult
Two worlds...one glass wall...no turning back.

The human race has been divided. The chosen few live in the safety of the domes, watching through their glass walls as those left on the outside suffer and die. But desperation has brought invention, and new drugs have given the outsiders the strength to roam the poisoned night unafraid – but it comes at a price.

Seventeen-year-old Nola Kent has spent her life in the domes, being trained to protect her little piece of the world that has been chosen to survive. The mission of the domes is to preserve the human race, not to help the sick and starving. But when outsider Kieran Wynne begs for Nola’s help in saving an innocent life, she is drawn into a world of darkness and danger. The suffering on the other side of the glass is beyond anything Nola had imagined, and turning her back on the outside world to return to the safety of the domes may be more than she can stand. Even when her home is threatened by the very people Nola wants to help.



About the Author
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Megan O’Russell is the author of the young adult fantasy series The Tethering, and Nuttycracker Sweet, a Christmas novella. Megan’s short stories can also be found in several anthologies, including Athena’s Daughters 2, featuring women in speculative fiction.

Megan is a professional performer who has spent time on stages across the country and is the lyrist for Second Chances: The Thrift Shop Musical, which received it’s world premiere in 2015. When not on stage or behind a computer, Megan can usually be found playing her ukulele or climbing a mountain with her fantastic husband.