Adult Coloring Book Review: Color Universe by Kerby Rosanes

Color Universe
by Kerby Rosanes
October 17, 2023
80 pages
10 x 0.37 x 9.99 inches
A true celebration of phenomenal selections from Kerby Rosanes’s bestselling “World”series

Color Universe brings together some of Kerby’s most dazzling scenes, from extraterrestrial landscapes and dreamlike mythical realms to our own animal kingdom. In this compilation, Kerby has curated a new coloring challenge that features the most awe-inspiring illustrations from his internationally bestselling books Fragile World, Worlds Within Worlds, Mythic World, and Alien Worlds.

This coloring book opens with a sixteen-page full-color section showcasing some of the many ways to color in his works, alongside the illustrator’s personal tips and tricks, which will inspire all readers as they enter Kerby’s universe and embark on their most adventurous coloring journeys yet.

Amazon

 Another coloring book from Kerby Rosanes! The artwork is curated from other coloring books by Kerby, so nothing new. But it is a chance to color again...maybe differently this time. The beginning includes some of the artwork colored by some talented colorists. He then talks about each piece and the techniques they used and gives some tips on how to use those techniques in your coloring.

 So much detail to play with! Have fun.

 

5 "fantastical" Sheep

SharonS

About the Author:

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Kerby Rosanes is an icon in the world of coloring books--his artistry has inspired fans everywhere with its dazzling lines and distinctive flair. The Philippines-based illustrator first burst onto the scene with the instant New York Times bestseller Animorphia (2015). Rosanes has since published 10 more books, built a global fanbase, and worked with powerhouse clients as far-ranging as Nike, Disney, Netflix, Mazda, and Krispy Kreme.

Book Review: Jambalaya Comes Home by Carol Smith & Jambalaya

Jambalaya Comes Home
by Carol Smith & Jambalaya
March 31, 2023
Illustrator: Terri Kelleher
Publisher: Dragonfly-Watch Press
ISBN: 9781734561937
Jambalaya, a tuxedo cat, tells the story of his journey of living in an unhappy home, becoming a shelter kitty, and finally finding his way to his furever family. Co-written with his mom, Carol, and enriched with twenty-five colorful illustrations drawn by Terri Kelleher, Jambalaya Comes Home is a heartwarming tale sure to delight preschoolers, new readers, and animal lovers too.

Jambalaya is a tuxedo cat (black and white) who lived with a family with a bunch of cats. Except he was timid and bullied by the other felines, so the owners gave him up for adoption. He was sad until one day Carol Smith found out about him.

The pictures are colorful and lovely, and the story is simple and sweet. Children will learn from this, not about pets and the families that adopt, but about bullying and families and love. Adults will love the beautiful artwork and understand how a cat feels when adopted and loved by the right family. I think this book will be good for the whole family.

I gave Jambalaya Comes Home 5 sheep.

Reviewed by Pamela K. Kinney

About the Creators:

Writer

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Carol Smith lives in Virginia, USA, with her husband Stewart, and rescue kitty, Jambalaya. She's written a number of books, from poetry to children's literature. Jambalaya Comes Home is her third children's book.

The Cat

Jambalaya Smith, a tuxedo cat, lives with Carol Smith and her husband, Stewart. He had a difficult home life before his new mom and dad adopted him. Jambalaya is now a constant source of joy for his family. Jambalaya Comes Home is his story and first children's book co-written with his mom, Carol.

Illustrator

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Instagram

Terri Kelleher, originally born in Maryland, USA, moved to Ireland in 1994, where she currently lives and works. She has been illustrating children's books professionally since 2012 and, to date, has illustrated over 50 books, along with various other visual arts projects.

Book Review: Fragile World Adult Coloring Book by Kerby Rosanes + giveaway

Fragile World
by Kerby Rosanes
March 16, 2021
96 pages
Publisher: Plume
From the internationally bestselling artist Kerby Rosanes, an extraordinary coloring book celebrating some of the incredible animals and landscapes that are disappearing around the globe

Fragile World is a coloring book to savor, exploring fifty-six endangered, vulnerable, and threatened animals and landscapes—from the Tapanuli orangutan to the hawksbill turtle, from Philippine bat caves to the Baltic Sea.

The illustrations are intricate, detailed, and unforgettable, both magisterial and whimsical. And the result is a stunning tribute to Mother Nature. Fragile World is a coloring experience that is at once vintage Kerby and unlike any other.

Amazon

Fragile World has beautifully detailed artwork! The paper is thick so you don't have to worry about bleed-through. At the end, there is a description of each endangered animal included in the book.

Kind of hard to review a coloring book... it is either good or not, lol. Fragile World is definitely worth buying if you love coloring.

5 "endangered" Sheep

SharonS

About the Author:

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Instagram

Philippines-based illustrator Kerby Rosanes works mainly with ink, fineliners, and markers to illustrate his "doodle" world. He considers his art as a personal hobby which became his part-time freelance work after being recognized by various design blogs, international magazines, and online art communities.

In 2014, Kerby left his job as a graphic designer from a local company to finally pursue his passion: creating more art for personal projects and for clients while collaborating with other artists, global brands, and design agencies around the world.

GIVEAWAY

The publisher is offering a print copy of Fragile World (US only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winning the Internet this Week...Um...not sure what to call this, but it needs to be seen

Got to love those cheesy 80s portraits.

https://ismellsheep.tumblr.com/post/177925189537/catsbeaversandducks-ill-just-leave-this-here

Winning the Internet this Week...funny animals

Funny animal pictures can put anyone in a good mood...hope you have a great day.

http://pr1nceshawn.tumblr.com/post/169382347446/pets-who-could-use-a-little-help

Winning the Internet this Week...Dog punks cat, David Lee Hoth

https://ismellsheep.tumblr.com/post/169084559227

I love these things :)

https://ismellsheep.tumblr.com/post/169060833537/katswenski-my-website-my-facebook-page-see

Winning the Internet this Week...how to pet animals and pet confessions

https://ismellsheep.tumblr.com/post/159944850572/surprisebitch-unamusedsloth-how-to-properly

https://ismellsheep.tumblr.com/post/159750791057/pr1nceshawn-tiny-confessions-illustrated

Winning the Internet This Week...animals too cool for you and Lucille

This has been floating around the internet for a while, but it too much fun.

Animals That Look Like They’re About To Drop The Hottest Album Of The Year.  

http://ismellsheep.tumblr.com/post/158074335717/pr1nceshawn-animals-that-look-like-theyre-about

Who are the best writers? Supernatural writers!

Stephen Morris guest post: Animals in magical or occult practices + excerpt (Storm Wolf book tour)

Animals have long held an important place in magical or occult practices. Sometimes the blood of an animal was needed for a magical ceremony, such as drawing a circle on the ground—in order to contain a demon or ghost—so the animal might be killed in order to drain its blood. One practice from old Italian folk-magic was to take a chicken heart, pierce it with 3 pins, and boil it in water mixed with urine until the heart disintegrated; then pour out the water/urine, pins, and flecks of heart onto someone’s doorstep. The result? Whoever crossed the doorstep first would be driven mad.

Popular fairy tales tell us that princes or other heroes would be turned into animals and had to wait for a princess to kiss them in order to regain their human form. Werewolves or other were-beasts did not need a kiss to regain their human form but would repeatedly turn back into animals until something happened to break the terrible cycle of transformations. Part of the horror of these animal transformations was that the person subjected to shapeshifting retained their human consciousness and was aware that they could no longer speak or were reduced to eating bugs or viciously killing other people.

Mobs demanded that some men be put on trial and convicted of being werewolves, responsible for the deaths of those they killed while in animal form. They were certain that some of their own neighbors were killers who became animals in order to murder and eat the defenseless.

Lawyers, kings, and Church officials insisted that such transformations and shapeshifting was impossible. Those who claimed to have become animals were clearly deluded, these authorities insisted. But the common folk insisted that such shapeshifting was not only possible but continued to happen in their own towns and villages. But who were the real animals—the werewolves or their neighbors who demanded their execution?

Storm Wolf 
by Stephen Morris
Genre: fantasy/historical fantasy
September 1, 2016
ISBN: ebook 978-0-9847731-0-
ISBN: Paperback 978-0-9847731-8-3
ASIN: B01JF9SJTU
Number of pages: 392
Word Count: 116049
Cover Artist: Elliot Kreloff
"LIBAHUNT!" Alexei breaks the terms of the wolf-magic he inherited from his grandfather and loses the ability to control the shapeshifting. His grandfather's magical wolf-pelt was meant to protect their rural village in 1880s Estonia by fighting the terrible storms in the sky but instead, it drives Alexei to kill, slaughtering his neighbors, his friends —even his family.

Heartbroken, Alexei flees his home in search of an enchanter to free him from this hideous curse. Wandering through Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Bohemia, he encounters the Master of Wolves, who forces Alexei to terrorize and murder the local farmers, and the infamous Frau Bertha who traps all those who anger her by turning them into wolves. Will Alexei find a sorcerer who can free him?

Amazon

What Reviewers Are Saying About Storm Wolf

"Morris' werewolf isn't a fur-coated romantic, but a refreshingly murky protagonist who's both flawed and sympathetic; he kills innocents, but never intentionally. There are quite a few werewolf onslaughts, which the author unflinchingly portrays as bloody and brutal.... A dark supernatural outing, featuring indelible characters as sharp as wolves' teeth." -- Kirkus Reviews

"...a unique weaving together and retelling of central and eastern European werewolf folk tales. Set in 1890, when such tales were still being told, Storm Wolf stands apart from contemporary myth and legend retellings... The magic--Alexei's battles with storm creatures, the conjuring of a snake demon from pipe smoke, a witch's talisman of skin stripped from a sailor--is extraordinarily well imagined and described here. Dollops of regional history and glimpses of customs and legends are fascinating." -- Blue Ink Review

“…the beginning of the book also serves to give us a thorough grounding in the setting, which is impressively fleshed out by Morris, and provide an unusual as well as detailed folkloric background for the tale. Morris has done extensive research about the folklore, customs, daily lives, and language of the people of 19th-century Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and it shows. Morris’s initial premise—that of a man who becomes a werewolf willingly to protect others—also puts a welcome and unusual spin on things.

Alexei is also a highly sympathetic, realistically flawed character who the author is clearly invested in, and this enthusiasm is infectious. Trouble seems to hound Alexei (forgive the pun), both as a result of his inner wolf and some seriously bad luck, and it’s easy to root for him to find peace with himself and the world. Morris also takes care to give us enough information about secondary characters for readers to care about what happens to them, sometimes—perhaps especially—when they are in danger of meeting bad ends.

Filled with details that make for a sincerely rendered world, peopled with characters who breathe; STORM WOLF is a thoughtfully constructed fantasy tale filled with emotion and action.” – Indie Reader

Chapter 1: Libahunt 
Edvin 
(Estonia, Winter 1815) 
The wolf, its thick silver-gray fur bristling and standing up along its neck, stood its ground, snarling as the humans approached. Edvin and his father drew their hunting knives and the wolf fought to free itself from the clanking trap, even as it knew that it was doomed. 

Edvin and his father stood before the trapped animal. Edvin heard a quiet whisper. “You’ve seen this done before, Edvin. You helped skin the wolves last year and have been practicing the kill all summer.” His father paused. Edvin’s eyes locked with the wolf’s squinting eyes. “Why don’t you kill this first one of this season?” The boy glanced at the 

older man out of the corner of his eyes and slowly nodded. 

Edvin was able to slip up through the quietly crunching snow to the wolf from behind as it continued to glower at Edvin’s father—yellow eyes glinting, upper lip curled back, and snarl rumbling in the back of its throat, free legs poised and ready to leap at whoever would attack first. When Edvin leapt onto its back and held on with his left hand, the wolf twisted through the air, jaws snapping at the teen. Edvin wedged his knife into the wolf’s throat and pulled the knife back towards him, ripping the muscles, tendons, and arteries in ragged, jerky motions. 

Blood sprayed out in great bursts as the animal’s heart pumped vigorously in its breast. Edvin held on, terrified of the still snapping jaws and knowing that the only safe place was on the giant’s furry back. It seemed to be forever before the monster gradually slowed its writhing and abandoned its attempts to bite Edvin’s young head off, before the shower of blood was reduced to a trickle, before the beast slumped down onto its haunches and then finally collapsed in the now bright-red snow. The iron trap lay still and silent. 

Edvin pushed himself up from the carcass, panting. His breath hovered in frosty clouds before his face. He looked across the corpse at his father. His father grinned broadly before coming around behind and clapping him on the back. They surveyed the carnage before them. 

Dead, the wolf seemed even larger than it had when it was alive and standing before them, crouching and ready to attack. It seemed the largest wolf Edvin had ever seen. As big as, or even bigger than, the wolf Fenrir that the old stories said would devour the sun at the end of days. Together, Edvin and his father hoisted the wolf onto their nearby sled and brought the creature back to their house on the edge of the vast forests of Estonia. Edvin was given the honor of skinning this, his first kill. He was careful to keep the gray pelt with its tawny streaks intact, rather than cutting it into easier-to-handle smaller strips. Then the whole family undertook the job of butchering the meat to be smoked, dried, or eaten that evening. There was enough to feed them for at least a month. 

The skin was large enough for Edvin to wrap around himself three or four times, with the head—easily half again as large as his own—hanging over his left shoulder. The thing was huge, lush, and warm. It was beautiful. Edvin’s youngest sister wanted to add it to her wedding chest, but everyone else agreed that as Edvin’s first kill, it was his to do with as he pleased. He kept it on his bed but would, on occasion, wrap himself in it and play with the younger children, chasing them and catching them, pretending to devour them as they collapsed in giggles and laughter. 

It was five years later that the terrible storm had appeared on the horizon. 

Edvin’s marriage to his sweetheart in the village had been arranged for late in the summer of 1820. It was in the early summer, though, when the fields and gardens were full of the wheat and vegetables to feed the village during the coming year, that a tremendous storm appeared on the horizon, beyond the forest. As the massive thunderclouds slowly approached the village, they seemed to hang so low that they scraped the treetops. Ribbons of storm cloud streamed out behind them in the wind, and lightning flickered high in the sky. Deep within the clouds, thunder rumbled. Treetops tore rips and tears in the heavy, low-hanging thunderclouds and out came the howls of ghosts and devils. 

That was when Edvin took the wolf pelt to the local nõiatar, the village cunning woman. In Estonia, in the traditional village practice away from the German and Russian landowners, it was the responsibility of the libahunt or suteksäija—the vlkodlak, or man-wolf, as many who do not speak Estonian might call it—to drive the storms away from the farmlands and villages. The werewolves of Estonia had been known to fly into the storm clouds and fight the spirits there, the ghosts and devils that bring terrible storms and blizzards that destroy crops and homes. But there had been no werewolf in Edvin’s village for many years, and he knew someone had to defend the farmers against the storm everyone could see coming. Because he didn’t know how to make the werewolf, he took the pelt to the cunning woman—he knew that she would need that to work with, at least. 

The nõiatar took the pelt and rubbed it against her deeply lined face. The fur was thick and soft. Rarely had anyone killed such a large wolf, and keeping such a large pelt intact was even rarer. She studied Edvin. “Do you truly want to do this thing?” she finally asked him. “It is more dangerous than you know.” 

“I do,” he answered. “It is dangerous,” he agreed, daring to look her in the face. “But we will starve next winter otherwise. The storm coming looks more terrible than any we have seen since my father was a boy. It is the duty of the werewolf to fight the storms, and our village has no werewolf. We cannot expect the werewolf of another village to fight the storm for us, and there is no time to travel far to find one who will. I have the wolf skin, so I must use it to save my family and the village.” He pulled himself up, holding his head high, and thrust his shoulders back. “I am young. I am strong. I can fight such storms, but I cannot do it as a man. I must become the werewolf.” 

The cunning woman considered what he had said. “Yes, we need a werewolf to protect the village and it has been long… long since we have had one here. Yes, I can help you become the werewolf. But you must be careful. It is said that the power of the wolf skin can be intoxicating and can make you as drunk as it makes you strong and able to fight the storms. You must not use it every time it rains, but only when there is a true äike, a thunderstorm that can destroy the crops or flood the küla. Our village. You must resist the temptation to use the wolf skin for your own advantage and use it only for the sake of the küla. It is not a power to wield for yourself and your own benefit, but only to protect others. Can you remember this?” 

“Yes,” Edvin answered without a moment’s hesitation. “I only want the wolf skin and its magic in order to protect the village. Or any village that needs our help. But you must do the magic now or it will soon be too late. The storm will be here any moment.”

About the Author:
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With degrees in medieval history and theology from Yale and St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Academy, Stephen Morris brings his extensive knowledge and meticulous research in medieval magical practices to his historical and contemporary fantasy novels. In each of his novels, the magical and fantastic elements are all drawn from authentic occult beliefs and practices from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance or from local legends and folklore.

“I first became interested in the occult and magic when I was very VERY young and saw The Wizard of Oz on television for the first and second times. The first time, my mom says I was terrified of the Wicked Witch’s appearance in Munchkin Land amidst smoke and flames and ran straight to bed! (I must have been 5 years old or so.) The next year I began watching the movie again and made myself stick with it past the appearance of the Witch and after that — I was hooked!

“The Wicked Witch of the West became my favorite character because not only is she the most interesting but she is the only one who wields any real power in the movie. She became my idol for years and years! (When a major storm recently struck Manhattan, I made a comment on FB about the wind picking up our house and depositing it atop someone wearing peppermint stripped stockings and glittering red shoes and my cousin responded: ‘You’ve been chasing those shoes for YEARS!’ LoL!)”

A former priest, he served as the Eastern Orthodox chaplain at Columbia University. His previous academic writing has dealt primarily with Late Antiquity and Byzantine church life. As a Project Leader with Inter-Disciplinary.net, he also organizes annual conferences on aspects of the supernatural, monsters, evil and wickedness, fairy tales and folk tales, and related subjects.

Stephen, a Seattle native, is now a long-time New York resident and currently lives in Manhattan with his partner, Elliot.

Winning the Internet this week...Stranger Sheep, guinea pigs discus pumpkin spice...

You know it had to be done...even the Downside smells sheep.

Made me laugh :)

Winning the Internet this week...Animal Selfie and Hilarious Horror

http://babyanimalgifs.tumblr.com/post/141888403082/baby-animal-posts-blog-for-animal-lovers

This has a bad word in it, but it's funny 

If Horror Movies Were Realistic!
THAT SO WOULD BE ME! LOOOOOOOL
Posted by R'n'B and Hip Hop World on Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Winning the Internet This Week...Don't.Mess.With.A.Squirrel!

I love people who can make these kind of edits. They add joy to my world...

Winning the Internet this week...just take a look and ERMERGERD...THUMP

Yeah...it's pretty disturbing but you just can't look away.

Posted by Markiplier on Tuesday, March 22, 2016

ERMERGERD...THUMP (you need the sound for this one)

http://babyanimalgifs.tumblr.com/post/141751905092/babyanimalimages-baby-animals-here

Comic Review: Hero Cats from Action Lab Entertainment

HEROCATS OF STELLAR CITY TPB 
Writer(s): Kyle Puttkammer
Artist Name(s): Marcus Williams, Ryan Sellers (i), Omaka Schultz (c), Briana Higgins (l)
Cover Artist(s): Marcus Williams

Release: February 4th, 2015

96 pgs. / FC/ All Ages 

Hero Cats Official page

The cutest heroes on the planet have arrived! Meet the Hero Cats of Stellar City in this, their first
spectacular graphic novel. Not your ordinary house cats, they're a tactical action-packed covert
team dealing with extraordinary threats to humanity in ways that will amaze.
Here they come to save the day!

Hero Cats acquaints readers with a group of average looking felines with extraordinary abilities, oh and extreme cuteness.

At just under 100 pages, this quirky but addictive comic gives a brief look at the lives of several unique cats that perform incredible feats when humans aren’t looking. As if cat parents need another reason to be paranoid when we turn our backs on our fuzzy companions right? In any case, this was a fun comic. I’ve never read one before and I loved the simplicity of the graphics, and the entertaining way each cat was introduced. 

As a cat parent myself, I could totally see my three cats telling their own superhero stories which is the biggest reason this comic appealed to me. It’s short, it’s adorable and cat lovers everywhere will enjoy it. In fact, Hero Cats is not only great for the adult comic/cat fan but for kids as well. Heck, I wouldn’t mind if it was turned into a lengthier comic at some point. I could totally see myself anticipating each issue like a kid at Christmas. 

Sheep Rating: 4

Adria

Action Lab Entertainment
The Action Lab is a group of mad scientists who collectively have over 25 years of comic book creating experience. After slaving in obscurity and alone for lo, these many years, these quasi-evil geniuses have now gathered together from around the globe to form a secret research and development collective devoted to world domination through the purification of the comic book art form. The Action Lab has sworn to use its powers for a single purpose — to bring the world the most action packed, most thought-provoking, most entertaining comics available, thereby ushering in a new age of world peace under the dominating yet benign control of the Action Lab.

Their first major release, FRACTURE, was released in July 2011 followed by the now two-time Eisner nominated and five-time Glyph nominated PRINCELESS in October 2011. Action Lab continues to publish genre spanning comics from the all-ages MONSTERS ARE JUST LIKE US, and mature reader books like SNOWED IN and DOUBLE JUMPERS.

Comic Review: Hero Cats Issue #1 Action Lab Comics

HEROCATS OF STELLAR CITY #1
Writer(s): Kyle Puttkammer
Artist Name(s): Marcus Williams
Cover Artist(s): Marcus Williams

32 pgs./ FC/ All Ages

Action Lab Entertainment
Avengers and Justice League move over! The cutest heroes on the planet have
arrived! Meet the Hero Cats of Stellar City in this spectacular first issue. Not your ordinary house
cats, they're a tactical action-packed covert team dealing with extraordinary threats to humanity in
ways that will amaze. Variant fold-out cover limited to 2,000 copies!

Hero Cats! How can you resist? Issue one is narrated by Cassiopeia, at cat living in an observatory with the Quest family in Stellar City. We learn her story and she introduces us to her cat team. We get a little insight into the type of trouble these cats are out to stop.

Hero Cats is either a spin-off or runs in conjunction with another comic, Galaxy Man. You get a few sneak peek pages of that world. It is also for kids of all ages.

The artwork is bright and crisp. It depicts lot of action and humor. This is great comic for kids and for parents to read to/with their elementary school kids.

There is also website and Facebook page dedicated to the feline heroes!

https://www.facebook.com/herocatscomics

http://herocatscomic.com/

If you would like to get your kids interested in comics then check out Action Lab Entertainment's website. There are lot of choices for kids and some really fantastic ones for girls with strong female heroines their age. Princeless has won many awards and recognition. I've reviewed some of that series on this site (here)

(For you adults out there, Action Lab has a mature line Danger Zone with some rock'n comics!)

I'm rating this on its fun factor for kids. As an adult...it's cute factor.

5 "hissing" Sheep

SharonStogner

I say this every time, but best freaking logo ever!

Seventh Star Press Announces Three New Anthologies

Seventh Star Press is pleased to announce that three brand new anthologies are now available in eBook format!

Hero’s Best Friend: An Anthology of Animal Companions

Kindle-Nook

How far would Gandalf have gotten without Shadowfax? Where would the Vault Dweller be without Dogmeat? And could the Beastmaster been the Beastmaster without his fuzzy allies? Animal companions are more than just sidekicks. Animals can be heroes, too!

Found within are twenty stories of heroic action that focuses on the furries and scalies who have long been the unsung heroes pulling their foolish human buddies out of the fire, and often at great sacrifice—from authors both established and new, including Frank Creed, S. H. Roddey, and Steven S. Long.

Whether you’re a fan of Epic Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Science Fiction, or just animal stories in general, this is the anthology for you!

So sit back, kick your feet up, and find out what it truly means to be the Hero’s Best Friend.

Featuring 20 tales, from 21 authors, the new anthology features a spectrum of sub-genres in speculative fiction, but all of them contain the common element of a focus upon animal companions. Hero’s Best Friend will be available in eBook format at the end of the first week of February, with the print version to follow one week afterward.

The authors contained in Hero’s Best Friend, and the stories they contributed, are as follows:

Joy Ward: “Toby and Steve Save the World”
Frank Creed: “Dusk”
Cassie Schau: “The Hunter’s Boy”
Steven Donahue: “Grit”
Jason Cordova: “Hill 142”
Herika R. Raymer: “Dook”
Essel Pratt: “Brothers”
Lisa Hawkridge: “Ezra’s Girl”
S. H. Roddey: “Look What the Cat Dragged In”
Steven S. Long: “The Wolf Sentinel”
Laura Anne Ewald: “Memorandum”
Cindy Koepp: “The Hat”
Ian Hunter: “Scarheid in the Glisting”
Steven Grassie: “The Masterless”
David Wright: “Wind of Change”
Renee Carter Hall: “The Emerald Mage”
Nick Bryan: “The Violet Curse”
Lillian Csernica and; Kevin Andrew Murphy: “The Restless Armadillo”
Douglas J. Ogurek: “Stuck on the Squigglybounce”
Sheila Deeth: “Passage”

A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court

edited by Scott M. Sandridge
Kindle-Nook

The Fey have been with us since the beginning, sometimes to our great joy but often to our detriment. Usually divided (at least by us silly humans) into two courts, the first volume of A Chimerical World focuses on the Seelie Court: the court we humans seem to view as the “good” faeries. But “good” and “evil” are human concepts and as alien to the Fey as their mindsets are to us.

Inside you will find 19 stories that delve into the world of the faeries of the Seelie Court, from authors both established and new, including George S. Walker, Eric Garrison, and Alexandra Christian.

But be warned: these faeries are nothing like Tinker Bell.

Here is a list of the authors and stories to be featured in A Chimerical World: Tales of the Seelie Court

“Extra-Ordinary” by BC Brown
“Dead Fairy Doormat” by George S. Walker
“Taggers” by Christine Morgan
“Wormwood” by Alexandra Christian
“The Harpist’s Hand” by Steven S. Long
“Sanae’s Garden” by Chantal Boudreau
“Mark of Ruins” by SD Grimm
“Birdie’s Life at the School for Distressed Young Ladies” by JH Fleming
“Cultivated Hope” by Jordan Phelps
“Seelie Goose” by Eric Garrison
“I Knocked Up My Fairy Girlfriend” by Brandon Black
“The Body Electric” by Sarah Madsen
“The Last Mission” by Cindy Koepp
“The Beggar-Knight & the Lady Perilous” by Matthew A. Timmins
“The Filigreed Lamp” by Edward Ahern
“Keys” by Michael M. Jones
“Like a Sister in the Proper Court” by Lisa Hawkridge
“Gnome Games” by Saera Corvin
“The Goat Man’s Garden” by Marten Hoyle

A Chimerical World: Tales of the Unseelie Court

edited by Scott M. SandridgeKindle-Nook

The Fey have been with us since the beginning, sometimes to our great joy but often to our detriment. Usually divided (at least by us silly humans) into two courts, the second volume of A Chimerical World focuses on the Unseelie Court: the court we humans seem to view as the “evil” faeries. But “good” and “evil” are human concepts and as alien to the Fey as their mindsets are to us.

Inside you will find 19 stories that delve into the world of the faeries of the Unseelie Court, from authors both established and new, including Michael Shimek, Deedee Davies, and Nick Bryan.

But don’t be surprised if these faeries decide to play with their food.

Here is a list of the authors and stories to be featured in A Chimerical World: Tales of the Unseelie Court:
“In Plain Sight” by Rebecca Leo
“The Wunderhorn” by David Turnbull
“Treehouse” by Kim Smith
“I’ll Watch Over You” by Angeline Trevena
“The Enemy of my Enemy” by Deedee Davies
“Maestro” by Nicholas Paschall
“Prey of the Boggart” by Rony Blechman
“Fear of Little Men” by Mike Pieloor
“Faerie Stories and the Bean Nighe” by Carmen Tudor
“Gifts” by Michael Shimek
“Djinn and Tonic” by S. Clayton Rhodes
“The Bet” by Jodi Ralston
“The Fool and his Money” by Nick Bryan
“The Yielding” by J. A. Ironside
“The Tamer of Beasts” by Doug Blakeslee
“The Last Sword of Barrow Thorns” by Matthew A. Timmins
“The Rose and the Dragon” by Steven S. Long
“The Brothers Doran” by John A. McColley
“Wonderland” by Stephanie Jessop

Sheep Book Review: Othermoon by Nina Berry + Giveaway

Othermoon, by Nina Berry, is the second installment in her YA series Otherkin. This book is just as riveting as the first story in this saga, Otherkin, and layered with emotional drama that had me flying through the pages like a witch on a broomstick. 

Plot:

Everyone has secrets. When Dez rescued a boy, Caleb, from a cage, she discovered secrets she never knew she possessed, Now she's sure she's found the place where she belongs. With the otherkin - and with Caleb. But as the barriers between the mortal world and Othersphere fall, a wall rises between Dez and Caleb, leaving her fiercest enemy her only friend ...and maybe something more. Now Dez must make a devastating choice: keep the love of her life, or save the otherkin from annihilation...

There's YA out there that's geared pretty much for that one age group, and then there's YA that takes on a life of its own and allows anyone of any age to get sucked into the pages, which is what Nina has created here; A story of epic proportions that anyone of any age can enjoy. The typical YA is littered with locker chit chat and who's going with Betty Sue to the sock hop after school. (let's pretend it's the 50's)*yawn* That bores me, makes me want to crawl back into my coffin and sleep for the next century.Othermoon delivers on multiple levels and dishes out the adventure and drama in a very adult fashion while still maintaining that PG-13 reading level. 

Now, I've personally asked Nina if this saga may kick it up a notch at some point, I'd love to see these characters hit the PNR realm. And while she never said yes or no to that exact question I take that as hope! *fist pump* But, back to the story at hand. We jump right back into the world of the Otherkin, a small group of magical other worlders who call earth home and want nothing more then to live their lives and stay in the shadows. 

Out to destory the otherkins are a group of radical zealots that want to "exercise the demon" and kill every last otherkin that's out in the world. Nina sets up this second story very nicely, we pick up a few months after book one and jump right back into the young group of high-school age kids that are learning to control their shifter powers. Amongst it all is friendship, learning new ways of thinking, and forming life long bonds. Prejudice runs rampant amongst the shifters, and while it would serve them better to unite they are at constant odds with one another. 

Dez and her main squeeze Caleb are a strong force, both romantically and power wise. There are some major falling ins and outs that happen this time around. I am so severely invested in this series, already, that I wanted to scream by the end! Caleb, dude, don't talk to me. *turns back on Caleb* Men in general can be pigheaded idiots and while I like Caleb to pieces, I saw a new side to this young man that rubbed me the wrong way! *throws glass of water in Caleb's face*

Othermoon is an adventure and life lesson all kind of wrapped up in one. The stakes are high and the bad guys are worse then ever, action and suspense to the max this time around! There are lots of moral issues and plenty of "what's the right thing to do" type of scenarios taking place. There are hard calls that someone needs to stand up for, and it's all very moving and heartbreaking at the same time. And I would not have it any other way! 

If you've yet to check out this series now's the time! Book two hits shelves January 29th, I will recommend picking up from the start or you will miss out on all the excitement as to where we are now. 

Getting 4 'pretty kitty, nice kitty' Sheep

KD 

***GIVEAWAY***

One lucky winner is going to win a paperback copy of Othermoon. Please list the following in the comments below to be entered to win! 

1. Your Email Address 

2. You must follow our site, tell us how you follow

3. If you could throw a cup of "something" in someones face, what would it be and why? (Get as creative as you want!) 

Contest open to US/Canada ONLY 

Ends January 24th at midnight