Narrator Interview – Ella Lynch

Tags

audio book narrator interviews, Audiobooks, narrator interview, voice artist

*Name: Ella Lynch

*Tell us a bit about yourself: I am a 31 year old mum of 1, with a passion for reading and living authentically.  I love food, books, living in each moment, my family, crochet, camping, fires, the ocean… I’m vegan and was brought up as a vegetarian.  I suffer with anxiety and OCD, and have found that being open about this helps others to realise that we all have our demons, but they don’t make us bad people, just human.  I got a triple distinction in my National Diploma in Performing Arts from Truro College in Cornwall.  I am trained as a dental nurse, started training to be a midwife (!) and am finally now living my life-long dream of narrating audiobooks!

How did you become involved with audiobook narration and production? I have wanted to be a narrator and voice actress for as long as I can remember.  I studied Performing Arts in College 15 years ago, and when I didn’t manage to get into Drama school afterwards I was so crestfallen I pushed the idea of following my passion to the back of my mind.  My anxiety felt too big to be able to find a way to realise my dream, so I didn’t try…

Fast forward 14 years and I have had many different jobs, am married with a 5 (nearly 6) year old daughter and 2 cats. I had recorded a couple of picturebook audios on YouTube a couple of years ago, and loved it, but my technical knowledge was nil, and what with working part-time as a waitress in a vegetarian restaurant and being a full-time mum I had no time to really invest the energy in to researching how I could make my dream into a reality.

My daughter started school in September and I thought maybe finally I could dedicate some time to at least *trying* to find a way to read storybooks out loud for the enjoyment of others.  I was visiting a friend Claire, and she asked me if I had started to do the voice work I so desperately wanted to, I said no, I didn’t see how, I didn’t know where to start, I would probably fail any way, so what was the point.  My wonderful friend said that that was fine, I could live like that, but I wouldn’t be living my authentic self.  I would only be realising half my potential.  She said she would help me find some voice acting courses and made me see that actually, you know what, I WANTED this.  Really badly.  And if I did try, and fail, I wouldn’t have lost anything.  And at least I would have tried.

So I got signed up to 2 courses that very day, a voice acting workshop with a renowned voice coach Jacquie Crago, and a podcasting course.  From that moment I spent hours and hours researching how to make the best studio and how to get work.  Another friend Ruth got me in contact with a friend of hers that has done voice work and he sent me the most invaluable email detailing all the things I needed to know, but didn’t know how to ask.  I bought the equipment and I started practicing.  I applied for jobs on Mandy.com and joined lots of different websites trying to find work.  I didn’t get anything, but I was fired up and excited.  I didn’t feel like every job I didn’t get was a failure, I felt like it was an incentive to do better, to try harder, to learn more, to hone my skills.  And then I came across ACX.com via a brilliant voice actor Howard Ellison; we met on the Jacquie Crago workshop.  I built my profile and started to audition for books.  I was then approached via my ACX profile and asked to audition for a book.  I couldn’t believe it, was this some kind of hoax?  I auditioned, and got it!  I had landed my first real narration gig and I was so thrilled!

Is this your day job? It is my day job, my evening job, my everything in between job!  As I said I have a 5 year old, my husband works all manner of shifts for the NHS so I have to do the school runs, and I am still working part-time in my local veggie restaurant.  I have just dropped a day waitressing, so now I have 3 days in the studio, and every week-day evening too.

Tell us about some of the titles you’ve narrated. Do you have a favourite amongst these? I have narrated a range of titles so far.  The genres are quite funny in that I have narrated an erotic thriller alongside children’s books, short stories and lesbian romance!  My first job was “Always In My Heart” by M Claire Gager.  I loved it, but it was a bit of a baptism of fire as it was nearly 6 hours long.  However, by the end of producing that book I had learnt so much about editing, and that gave me confidence and valuable knowledge.

I don’t think I do have a favourite, as they are all so different, and they are all good!  I narrated “Photo Shy” a short story about an abuse scandal in the modelling industry – I enjoyed the challenge of making something enthralling in such a short space of time.  I loved narrating the Zeena Dragon Fae series as I had to think of different voices for the various magical characters, and it has a lovely moral message at the end of it all.

Do you have a preferred genre?  Do you have a genre you do not produce? Why is this? I have really enjoyed narrating from all genres so far.  I don’t have anything I won’t produce yet, but you never know.  If something didn’t sit right with me then I don’t think I could narrate it.  I need to be authentic to myself, and to the listener.  I am a good actor, but I think anything I felt uncomfortable with could come across in my voice, and that wouldn’t be fair on my listeners.

What are you working on at present/Just finished? I have just finished narrating and producing the Zeena Dragon Fae series by Victoria Zigler.   This series is about Zeena the faerie dragon. She doesn’t think she’s special, even though she’s the only one of her kind to have mastered the magic for all five elements equally. But when a dryad named Kishi comes to her for help, she doesn’t hesitate. Together with her best friend – a mischievous pixie named Saarik – Zeena sets off to free Heidi the earth fairy, as well as to save the woods and the creatures of Earth.  The first 3 books in the series are available for purchase now from Amazon, Audible and iTunes, and the 4^th title is just going through ACX’s quality checks, but should be available in the next few weeks too.

I am currently in the editing stage of “The Road Ahead” by A E Radley, which is a novel about 2 women from very different backgrounds, forced to share a long car journey home, and the relationship that forms between them.

*Tell us about your process for narrating?  (Be as elaborate as you like.) I like to read the whole book through in my head first, so I have a feel for the story, and know how many characters there are, and what is going to happen.  Then I get to work!  With ACX you have to submit the first 15 minutes for approval before you continue with the whole book, so I narrate the first 15 minutes and then I edit it and submit it.  I use a Rode NT1-A microphone and pop-shield, with a Behringer Uphoria UMC204 HD interface, and MacBook Air.  I use Garageband to record and edit.

Once the first 15 minutes is approved I will narrate the rest of the book.  Depending on how long it is I will either record it all in one sitting (eg if it is a short story, or a children’s book less than 2 hours long) or I will record in a few sittings.  I record mostly in the evenings as that is when it is silent in my house!  I always do a vocal warm-up before I start recording, I guess I should say a body warm up, because you use your whole body when you are narrating, not just your voice.  I do head, neck and shoulder rotations, along with different vocal exercises.  I have a big glass of water near by, and I record.  I tend to read standing, but sometimes if it’s a long read I will sit down for a bit.

I don’t edit until I have recorded the whole book.  Once it is recorded I will work through it systematically chapter by chapter, and once each chapter is retail ready I will upload it to ACX so that I know it is good to go.

What aspects do you find most enjoyable?  The recording!  I love it.  I get totally in the zone.

What do you find least enjoyable? When my Mac has technical issues and corrupts files.  That is infuriating!  And when aeroplanes or too many cars drive past when I am recording.  I don’t have a completely sound-proof space so I have to just pause and wait for them to go past and then carry on.  That can be very frustrating when I am mid-flow.

Have you ever found an author you couldn’t continue to work with? How was this resolved? Yes I did have an author I couldn’t work with.  This was due to the content of their book.  It wasn’t clear in the book description when I auditioned, but once I started reading I knew I didn’t feel comfortable with the subject matter, and it wouldn’t be fair to me or them for me to continue with the job.  It was fairly easily resolved.  I sent their agent a polite email explaining how I felt, and apologising.  They offered for me to narrate under a pseudonym, but I declined, and then we contacted ACX and the contract was dissolved.

Do you consider royalty share when looking for books to narrate? If not why is this? Yes I do plenty of royalty share deals.

Do you listen to audiobooks? YES!! I love them!  I grew up listening to audiobooks every night to go to sleep.  They were on cassette tapes, so they were “story-tapes” to me.  I had a few firm favourites that I listened to for years.  Five on Treasure Island, The Sheep Pig, Elidor and Danny The Champion of The World.  If I could tell my childhood self that I am narrating audiobooks as a grown up I would be absolutely over the moon.

*With many people owning MP3 players do you think this is the future of storytelling? I think that it is great that more people are engaging with books now because of MP3 players.  Some people struggle to find the time to sit down with an actual physical book or kindle, but listening to an audiobook allows them the freedom to enjoy the stories in a different way.  I think there will always be space for real-life storytelling, you can’t take away from the magic of sharing a book with a loved one in person, so I don’t think people will stop physically reading to their children or partners, but I think that listening to an audiobook is so magical and relaxing, and the current market seems to be ever-expanding, it can only be a good thing.

Why do you think audio books are becoming so popular? I guess like I said above, it’s a way for people to enjoy a story without necessarily having to sit down and dedicate their full attention to it.  They can listen in the car, on the bus or train, whilst walking the dog, or out for a run.  People like to be entertained, and audiobooks are entertaining, but in a relaxing way.  They don’t ask anything from you except your ears.  What’s not to love?!

Can you remember the first audiobook you owned? I think the first one was this tape which had 2 stories on it – “The Princess and The Dragon” and “Scaredy Cats”.  I can still hear the Scaredy Cats song in my mind now.

Has ACX/Audible fulfilled your expectations? (such as earnings, ease of use, workload etc.?) Yes.  So far, so good.  It has only been 4 months since I started getting work through ACX so earnings wise I am a bit thin on the ground so far.  But I am so happy to be able to apply for any book that is up for audition, and to be getting work regularly doing my dream job.  It’s great.

Have you ever had a negative experience producing a book? Not yet, no.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve had? It was from my friend Claire, telling me that if I didn’t try then I would only be living a half life.  I wouldn’t be being true to myself.  I will forever be grateful to her for making me realise my potential, and jump in head first, giving it my best shot.

What is the worst piece of advice you’ve had? I haven’t had any bad advice with regards to narrating yet.  Everyone has been very positive and supportive.  I don’t have any other narrator friends though.

If you could narrate any book you wanted which would it be and why? Oooooh, the Harry Potter series because I LOVE HARRY POTTER, but Stephen Fry did an exceptional job with that, so I wouldn’t want to try and improve upon that.  Maybe an Isabel Allende novel.  I absolutely love her work, or A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.  That book really got me.  It was amazing.  So raw and painful, but so beautiful at the same time.  As long as I could narrate it with my British accent I would love to narrate that.

Please tell us a silly fact about yourself. When I was pregnant I had a mad craving for Broccoli.  At the time there had been flooding on the farms and all the broccoli harvest was destroyed.  I went into my local Tesco after a yoga class like a woman on a serious mission.  I couldn’t find broccoli anywhere and I was getting very wound up about it.  An employee managed to find me a bag of pre-cut carrots and broccoli, the only one in the store, and I could have kissed her I was so happy!!

Where can we learn more about you?

I am on Instagram as @voice_and_narration_with_ella

Twitter as @narrator_ella

Facebook as @voice.and.narration.with.ella

You can find Ella and Tori’s books here:

Book 1 – Zeena And The Dryad

Zeena and the Dryad – Audible UK

Zeena and the Dryad – Universal Link

Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, I books, Monadori, Indigo

I-tunes

Amazon Canada

Book Depository

Zeena and the Dryad – Goodreads

Book 2 – Zeena And The Gryphon

Zeena and the Gryphon – Audible UK

Universal Link books2read.com/ZeenaGryphonVZigler

Smashwords, Amazon, I books, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Indigo

Zeena and the Gryphon – Itunes

Amazon Canada

Book Depository

Goodreads

Book 3 – Zeena And The Mermaid

Zeena and the Mermaid – Audible

Universal Link books2read.com/ZeenaMermaidVZigler

Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, I books, Barnes and Noble, Indigo and others

I tunes

Amazon Canada

Book Depository

Goodreads

Book 4 – Zeena And The Phoenix

Zeena and the Phoenix Audible UK

Universal Link Zeena and the Phoenix Universal Link

I tunes

Amazon Canada

Book Depository

Goodreads

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Review – A Sword’s Poem – Leah Cutter

Tags

Book reviews, fairy tales, Fantasy, Japanese Fantasy, Reviews 2018

Review – A Sword’s Poem – Leah Cutter

https://amzn.to/2LuiVmc

#Fantasy #Fairytale #Japanese

When Hikaru’s new husband is murdered by a wicked sorcerer, his soul stolen and forged into a mystic sword she risks all to find her love. Magic, betrayal, courage and love weave an intricate tale in Heian-era Japan; the author spins the world beautifully – as seen by the fox-fairy, and the human heroine. This is a tale of love, sacrifice, revenge and self-understanding – but more than that it’s a wonderful fairy-tale set against a background with which many Western readers will be unfamiliar. Ms Cutter brings this world to life, and its vibrancy and ritualism are everywhere in the story. Poetry features everywhere, and the language is very lyrical. I can imagine sitting around a campfire as someone recounts this as a heroic tale and getting totally caught up in it.

It’s primarily told from the point of view of the female characters – in a largely male-oriented world, which makes a nice change. These women are powerful, resourceful, braver than the men (in many cases), dutiful and self-reliant and such characters bring this sword and sorcery tale to life.

Recommended! 5 Stars

Book Spotlight – The Beast of Talesend – Fantasy – Bundle

Tags

book spotlight

Basic Book Spotlight

Title: The Beast of Talesend

Author: Kyle Robert Shultz

Genre: Fairytale fantasy

Main character description (short): Nick Beasley, a detective famous for debunking magic.

Synopsis: Private eye Nick Beasley lives in a world where fairy tales ended a long time ago – where zeppelins now soar the skies instead of dragons, and where the first automobiles have taken the place of flying carpets. He’s made a name for himself across the Afterlands by debunking fake magicians and exposing fraudulent monsters. This is the modern age, after all. Magic and monsters are long gone.

At least, that’s what Nick believes. Until he gets magically transformed into a monster, that is.

The only person who may be able to help Nick is Lady Cordelia Beaumont, one of the last enchantresses in the Afterlands. But in order for her to cure him, they’ll have to retrieve a powerful artifact from a ruthless crime lord – who is also Cordelia’s father.

The fate of the Afterlands lies in the hands of a runaway enchantress and a monstrous ex-detective. What could possibly go wrong?

Brief Excerpt 250 words:

“What do you mean?” I roared. “Don’t tell me that! You said, back in the castle, that you were going to change me just to convince me magic was real, and then change me back! So why can’t you just do that now?”
“It’s not that easy,” Cordelia insisted. “Magic has rules.”
I stared at her in disbelief. “It’s magic. By definition, how could it possibly have rules? Magic is a contradiction of every law in the universe!”
“Of course it has rules,” she shot back. “If it didn’t, then you could just do anything you wanted to with it!”
“Can’t you?”
“No! There are all sorts of things magic can never do. Raising the dead, for example.”
“I’m not asking you to raise the dead! Just break this spell!”

Why should readers buy this book (50 words max)?

Because admit it, you’ve always wanted a 1920’s noir-ish detective novel with shades of Doctor Who featuring a snarky monster protagonist; you just never knew how to put that desire into words before. You’re welcome.

Links etc: https://bit.ly/2JNjPum

Here Be Monsters Bundle – Now on Preorder

Tags

book bundles, Fantasy, Fantasy Creatures, Here Be Monsters Bundle, Indie Authors, monsters

I am delighted to announce the latest in the Myth, Monsters and Mayhem series of fantasy bundles. Here Be Monsters is now available on preorder.

Here Be Monsters

We love to fear them and fight them. Monsters come in many forms, from the monsters within to the monsters outside and under the bed. Dare you venture into the caverns and the castles? Dare you enter the darkness of an accursed soul?

An eclectic collection of dark creatures and those who fight them. You have been warned.

Here Be Monsters features 19 tales of myths, monsters, and mayhem.

Universal Link books2read.com/HereBeMonstersBundle

Amazon https://amzn.to/2JKTGrX

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/here-be-monsters-10

Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/2JBwvUY

I-books https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1397846083

Bundlerabbit https://bundlerabbit.com/b/here-be-monsters

Featuring

1. Monster Town” by Steven Savile
2. “The Magic of Fabulous” by Michele Lang
3. “A Murder of Crows” by DeAnna Knippling
4. “Minotaur” by DJ Chamberlain
5. “Tales of Erana: The Warrior’s Curse” by A. L. Butcher
6. “Blackbeard’s Aliens” by Robert Jeschonek
7. “Caught Between Monsters” by Stefon Mears
8. “Night Terrors” by J.A. Pitts
9. “Beasts of Tabat” by Cat Rambo
10. “Demon Daze” by Deb Logan
11. “A Knot of Trolls” by J.M. Ney-Grimm
12. “The Stolen Tower” by A. L. Butcher
13. “The Maker, the Teacher, and the Monster” by Leah Cutter
14. “One Red Shoe” by Russ Crossley
15. “Dawn of the Chupacabra” by Kyle Bergersen
16. “To Be a Monster” by Jamie Ferguson
17. “The Beast of Talesend” by Kyle Robert Shultz
18. “Children of the Monster” by Russ Crossley
19. “The Genie’s Secret” by Robert Jeschonek

Review – Beneath the Knowe – Anthea Sharp – Fantasy/Fairytale

Tags

Faerie, fairies, Fantasy, Reviews, Reviews 2018, Short story

Review

Beneath the Knowe

5 stars

This is a rich and lyrical short story of fairyland, glamour, one woman’s courage and magical music.

Maeve is a resourceful young woman who wants more from life than marriage to a man she barely knows, and the mundane existence of her kin. She has music within, a glorious melodic soul that yearns to be heard, but women cannot be bards.  When the fairies who ‘protect’ the clan take the chieftain’s baby son, Maeve’s nephew, nothing is to be done. Such is the bargain. Eventually, the menfolk challenge the fairies, and are sent home beaten and ashamed, minus the human infant.

It takes a woman, and a magical, musical soul to challenge the great Fairy King on his own turf -Maeve, and her music. Of course, bargaining with fairies has its price.

I loved this tale, with its vibrant imagery, innocent yet determined courage and a glimpse of the power of Anthea Sharp’s writing. Although this tale is short, it is enough of a taster to want more of this author’s work.  I will definitely be venturing into fairyland with Ms Sharp again.

Beneath the Knowe Amazon UK

Beneath the Knowe Amazon US

New Release! Here Be Fairies Bundle

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book bundles, Bundles, fairies, fairy tales, Fantasy, Fantasy Creatures, Here Be Fairies Bundle

OUT NOW!!!!!!

Here Be Fairies Bundle

https://bundlerabbit.com/b/here-be-fairies

Universal Link https://books2read.com/HereBeFairies

Amazon https://amzn.to/2GTpU6V

Amazon UK https://amzn.to/2HvhsYD

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/here-be-fairies

Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/2EFK3rd

I-books https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1370755892

Fairies, fair folk, imps, trolls, and pixies—they haunt our myths from Ireland to Iceland and everywhere else. Join in the fairy fun, or fairy fear, as good, bad, and mischievous they show themselves. Dare you take the trip to Fairyland? No one who returns is ever quite the same.

A 13 -book fairy bundle.

Featuring:

 

Flower Fairies by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Bride Thief by Brigid Collins

Feyland by Anthea Sharp

Phouka by Liz Pierce

The Giving Year by Alexandra Brandt

Summerland’s Paladin by Diana Benedict

Real Girl by Leslie Claire Walker

The Troll’s Belt by J.M. Ney-Grimm

The Clockwork Fairy Kingdom by Leah Cutter

The Kitchen Imps by A. L. Butcher

Faerie Fruit by Charlotte E. English

By Winter’s Forbidden Rite by DeAnna Knippling

Dark Dancer by Jaleta Clegg

 

Here Be Dragons Bundle – #Fantasy

Tags

book bundles, Bundles, dragons, Fantasy, Here Be Dragons Bundle

Here Be Dragons – Myth, Monsters and Mayhem

Vol III 

They stalk our myths and hunt our past—dragons—humankind’s greatest and oldest foe. Good, bad, legendary and deadly. Dare you enter the dragon’s lair?

Tales of dragons, their friends and their foes.

Available for pre-order now! Released 31st March 2018

Available on

Here Be Dragons on Bundle Rabbit

Kobo

Amazon. com

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

I tunes

Featuring 13 fabulous dragon-themed stories.

The Crown and the Dragon – John D. Payne

Dragon Writers – Lisa Mangum

Of Blood and Scales – A. L. Butcher

Devouring Light – J.M. Ney-Grimm

Ascension of the Whyte – Karen Wrighton

Of Dragons and Centaurs – Deb Logan

Night of the Clockwork Dragon – Louisa Swann

The Legend of G and the Dragonettes – Russ Crossley

The Dreamweaver’s Journey – Diana L. Wicker

Graybill – Rita Schulz

Star-drake – J.M, Ney-Grimm

Like at Loch Ness – Karen L. Abrahamson

Winter Glory – J.M. Ney-Grimm

 

Swift Six Author – Linda Jordan – Fantasy/Bundle author

Tags

Author interviews, Bundles, Fantasy, Indie Promotion, Spec Fic, Swift Six

 

Name: Linda Jordan

Queen of May

What attracts you to the genre in which you write? I write in several different genres—fantasy, science fiction, young adult fantasy and mystery. Basically, I go where my ideas lead me. Sometimes, mystery gets mixed into the other genres. I also write the sort of books I loved to read as a kid. Not so much the mystery—I watched those on tv. But fantasy and science fiction were my core reading material from fifth grade on. As soon as I discovered them, I knew I was home. So when I began writing in my twenties, it was just natural that my characters and worlds would fit there.

What piece of writing advice do you wish you’d known when you started your writing adventures? I wish I’d understood the importance of practice. That I had to let many words stream out my fingertips before I’d get to the good stuff. And how essential it was to sit down on a regular basis, hopefully daily, and just get out of my own way. Tell my critical brain to take a few hours off.

And. Just. Write.

If you could have dinner with any famous person or character who would you choose? The first person who popped into my mind was Tyrion Lannister. I think he’d make a truly entertaining dinner companion. The things he could tell me. Maybe even how the books end!

Who has been the greatest influence on your own work? I can’t pick just one person. I’ve absorbed everything I’ve ever read. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Anne McCaffrey, Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, J.K. Rowling, Connie Willis, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Robin Hobb and Sarah Addison Allen come to mind.

I’ve also had fabulous teachers. Taken workshops from Steve Perry, Terry Carr, Suzy McKee Charnas, Norman Spinrad, Vonda McIntyre, Kris Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith. The last two being the teachers I’ve benefitted from the most.

I’ve belonged to critique groups with wonderful writers. Been supported by other wonderful writers. Probably one of the largest influences on my work is my husband, who goes out five days a week and brings back money and benefits. Which allows me to stay home and write! And our daughter, another inspiration. At 14, she’s tapping away at her own keyboard, creating her own stories. For hour upon end. She’s amazing.

Do you think the e-book revolution will do away with print? No way. I can’t see that. Too many people love the tactile experience of paper books. Even kids who’ve grown up with their brain always attached to a phone or tablet. They read paper books. Ebooks are convenient, I love them. I don’t see paper leaving us anytime soon.

Which 3 books would you take to a desert island and why?

Only 3?

They would have to be large. Something I could take my time and delve into. The compact Oxford English Dictionary? Is that still even around? Maybe I’d just take one volume.

I’d need a non-fiction book. Something entertaining and enlightening. Maybe Barry Lopez or Terry Tempest Williams.

But how could I live without a Fantasy or SF book? Maybe I could cheat and say Blackwatch & All Clear by Connie Willis, since they’re all one book.

Seriously, questions like this make me want to throw up my arms in defeat and run screaming from the room. Being limited to only 3 books for the rest of my life would be a special kind of hell.

So maybe I’ll toss all the above out and just say a trilogy by Robin Hobb. Any trilogy. Just three fat books to chew on until I’m rescued from the island.

 Author bio and book synopsis Linda Jordan writes fascinating characters, funny dialogue, and imaginative fiction. She creates both long and short fiction, serious and silly. She believes in the power of healing and transformation, and many of her stories follow those themes.

In a previous lifetime, Linda coordinated the Clarion West Writers’ Workshop as well as the Reading Series. She spent four years as Chair of the Board of Directors during Clarion West’s formative period. She’s also worked as a travel agent, a baker, and a pond plant/fish salesperson, you know, the sort of things one does as a writer.

Currently, she’s the Programming Director for the Writers Cooperative of the Pacific Northwest.

Linda now lives in the rainy wilds of Washington state with her husband, daughter, four cats, seventeen Koi and an infinite number of slugs and snails.

That’s the official bio.

In reality I divide my days between writing, doing massive amounts of publishing (editing, copy editing, formatting, creating covers, keeping up two websites—one very badly—and pretending to do social media.). That’s my day job. The other jobs include herding the four cats and the teenager, planning everything in our lives (and re-planning them when plans go astray), keeping the budget together, cooking, organizing the to-do list for the half-acre garden, shopping and everything else. Sometimes I clean, but not often. Mostly when I’m procrastinating on writing, because I can’t figure out what comes next. Or I’ve set up an unsolvable problem and my brain is working on it as I clean places that haven’t been touched in a decade, maybe two.

Tell us about your book(s) – title, genre etc (short)

The Queen of May is set in the same world as the entire Bones of the Earth Series. Just a whole lot earlier in time. Faerie Unraveled is the first book in the series. Followed by Faerie Contact, Faerie Descent and Faerie Flight. The final book in the series comes out this April—Faerie Confluence.

Linda has a VERY impressive library to her name – I have posted a selection here, but suggest you check out her bio links for all the others. 

Promoted books Faerie Unravelled 

 

Bundles

Faerie Summer Bundle

Spring Surprise

Novels:

Faerie Flight, 2018, print, ebook, Fantasy

Horticultural Homicide, 2017, print, ebook, Cozy Mystery

Faerie Descent, 2017, print, ebook, Fantasy

Faerie Contact, 2016, print, ebook, Fantasy

Faerie Unraveled, 2016, print, ebook, Fantasy

 

Collections:

Bibi’s Back, 2017, ebook, Fantasy

To the Stars and Back Again, 2017, ebook, Science Fiction

Stories of the Jeweled Worlds, 2017, ebook, YA Fantasy

 

Bibi’s Bargain Boutique, 2012, ebook, Fantasy

Elements, 2011, ebook, Fantasy

Elemental: 5 Stories for Teens, 2011, ebook, Fantasy & Science Fiction

Short Fiction:

Coming Into Being, 2018, ebook, Fantasy,

The Magic of Clay, 2017, ebook, Fantasy

To Death and Back Again, 2017, ebook, Fantasy

 

A Breath from Elsewhere, 2012, ebook, Fantasy

 

 

Links

My website: www.LindaJordan.net

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LindaJordanWriter

Metamorphosis Press website: www.MetamorphosisPress.com

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/creativelunatic/

Twitter (where I rarely go): Linda Jordan@LindaAJordan

Instagram: lindajordanwriter

 

 

Winter Warmer on Sale – Last Few Weeks!

Tags

Books on sale, Bundles, Sale, Seasonal Books, Winter Warmer

Winter Warmer Bundle

Tales of the Seasons – volume 1

https://www.books2read.com/Winterwarmer

https://bundlerabbit.com/b/winter-warmer

Get it now before it vanishes!

Last few weeks and only $3.99!

Winter – A time of festivity, of hardship, and cold. Perhaps it remains the most superstitious of seasons and for many the most beloved. Snow, feasting, gifts, religious importance, family and getting together. And of storytelling!

Thirteen tales set in, or about, the harshest season. From witches, winter realms and faery kings, to snowmen who build winter people of meat, to heroes battling to save a friend, and detectives trying to solve wintery crimes and mysteries, to Christmas romance there is something for everyone in this winter warmer.

Book #1:

Sanctuary

Book #2:

Snowman’s Chance in Hell

Book #3:

Tollard’s Peak

Book #4:

Phoenix

Book #5:

The Tuxedoed Man

Book #6:

Nutball Season

Book #7:

The Dreamweaver’s Journey

Book #8:

Dark Dancer

Book #9:

Coconutty Christmas

Book #10:

Nobody’s Child

Book #11:

Freak Sanctuary

Book #12:

Desperate Housewitches

Book #13:

Winter Glory

 

Swift Six Character Interview – Oeliana #Fantasy #ImmortalsBundle

Tags

Character Interviews, Fantasy, Fantasy Creatures, Immortals Bundle, mythical creatures., Strong female characters, Swift Six

 

Tell us about yourself: (Name, race/species, etc.)

Oeliana, Nymph of the Shimmering Forest, Guardian of the Maiden’s Grove, Keeper of the Sacred Pools. I am a nymph – what you would call a forest spirit. I am born of the forest, and it cannot die whilst I live… but creatures of magic like myself are hunted and destroyed, so I live in seclusion.

I have skin the colour of polish oak, and hair as green as ivy. To you I’d look like a tall humanoid, to an elf I appear more Elvish, I can be the wind in the trees, or the bubbling springs.

Which book/world do you live in?  

My home is the Shimmering Forest, which is located in the land of Erana. Once the Great Forest covered all the land but then the gods, in their wisdom, gave life to the elves and trolls – who honour the forest, and the humans and fae – who do not. The Shimmering Forest is not live your forests, it is the Primal Forest, the Mother of All. It is magical; primal, raw and wild magic, like the days when the land was young, and the gods still walked here. My Glade is a Sacred Glade, of the old times, now the magic is fading, dying.

My story? My legend is told in The Legend of Oeliana, a short tale (I wanted more – one cannot recount a life of centuries in a few pages) and this, in turn, features in larger works, so I am told. I also feature in The Shining Citadel, when I assist the Lady of the Light, and the Lord of the Storm, with their quest to find the Shining Citadel of Lor’Arthinis. For when the Blood that Flows with Light again walks among us the magic will rise again! It will either save us or curse us to oblivion.

The Legend of Oeliana – Single https://bundlerabbit.com/products/detail/legend-oeliana

How do you see your world?

My world is dying. Magic sustains it and once it was everywhere and in all things to some extent. But the races warred, and the Plague came, and the magic began to die or hide.  Some say magic is alive, and yes if the wind is alive, or fire, or water. It does not think as you or I think; it knows, it senses and it gives sentience when it chooses. It wants to live, and to replicate. It wants to flow through the land, circle in the sky and pour through the rivers. But the Plague fed on magic, sometimes corrupting, sometimes destroying after the Plague hit the Elven Kingdoms worst of all, and their civilisation fell to dust the Civilisation of Men arose on the ashes. And they blamed the elves for the Plague and the wars, and as the elves wielded the greatest magic all who were magical were hunted. The land wept, and is weeping still.

What part do you play in this tale?

I am the Keeper of the Heart of the Maiden – one of the Items of Power needed to unlock the spell on the Citadel. But in my own tale I saved an elven prince from the mighty Indis the Fierce – the lord of the forest. I see you think him a man of some sort? Humans are weak, their lives are fleeting like a summer breeze in the trees. No Indis was and is a Dire Boar and even the Great Cats walk in fear of the Tusked Lord. People, generally, are more foolish than beasts and thus this prince, Rii’Athellan – the Morning Star, took into his head to hunt the great Indis.

Perhaps I should have let Indis have his victory, I should not have interfered. This prince was handsome, and I was lonely, you see. Even a creature of magic craves a mate, and offspring.

I knew not that this prince had a wife-in-waiting and for the outcome to that dilemma you must read.

Do you consider yourself a good person/creature?

What are good and evil? That depends on one’s point of view. I do not kill without necessity, but I often do not save when I could. I have taken life and preserved it. I do not abide by the laws of men or elves, for they are not my laws and mean nothing to me. I do not think myself cruel – for cruelty serves no purpose except for its own sake.

The destruction of the forest, and the ruination of magic are wicked, and I will protect both my forest and my magic how best I may.

Do you follow any religion?

I have seen the gods, long ago, and I have consulted with the Lady of the Skies when the drought, or the snow comes. But I am not ‘religious’. I do not have to ‘believe’ in what I know to be real. Things either are or they aren’t. If they are then respect them, if they aren’t then there is no bother. The gods are not evil, nor are they good. They are the gods and do as they please.

What is your favourite colour/food/music (pick one)?

My favourite colour is green, my favourite food is the wild mushrooms which grow near to my cottage, and my favourite music is the bubbling of my pool in the full moon.

Excerpt

When the world was young, and the wild magic flowed like the Great River, there lived a nymph, a spirit of the forest. Such beings once walked beneath the sun and moon; they were creatures of magic, incarnation of tree, of water, and the very essence of life itself. Oeliana was the nymph’s name, for this was also the name of the pool, deep, still and silver, from which she had been born when first the sun caressed the land. Fish swam among bright green fronds, scales of silver and azure, frogs and toads rested on dark grey rocks, long tongues feeding on the hovering flies and dragon-flies which darted above, seeking even smaller creatures for their dinner. Deer, wild goats and boar fed upon fallen apples and the widespread fungi; the Shimmering Forest was bountiful to its inhabitants, animal and person alike. Herbs grew there, thick and tall, even in winter. The herbs of the forest provided medicine for those who knew their power. Wild-goats, now tamed, provided both milk and a substitute for the companionship she lacked.

Hers was a life of duty, she was custodian of the trees, the forest creatures and pools, and so her time passed, timeless as she was. Even the common elves visited Oeliana, seeking guidance and the wisdom of the forest, and occasionally healing when their own healers had failed. They would bring gifts of food and polished stones or shells and the pool slowly filled with the gifts, for what use were trinkets to a nymph? Yet she was lonely for those who came and did not stay, they came for their own ends, and left with no further thought of the nymph. The spirit of the forest craved the touch of another, for she had seen the lovers who sometimes came to her glade and heard their words of love and their cries of pleasure. Never had she been loved nor experienced the passion which fascinated her as the lovers moved together on beds of moss and leaves. Magic demanded a high price and Oeliana was a creature of magic, and loneliness was the price she paid. So she watched, longing for a companion, and she prayed to the ancient gods, for even immortals need the favour of higher beings on occasion.

Rii’Athellan, the Morning Star, was a hunter, magic showed itself in many ways and the elven princeling was graced with a goodly portion. This day he had given his entourage the slip. The forest contained many dangers, even for one of his bloodline, but he preferred to hunt alone; the larger and fiercer the beast the more it pleased the elven prince. As silent as the grey fox and confident as an eagle, Rii’Athellan crept towards the clearing on the trail of a huge dire-boar. His father thought him reckless, but the young man craved danger, bored as he was from the politics of court and wishing he was allowed a little more excitement. He was not the heir, and he had not yet found his place in the world; he cared not for diplomacy and was jealous of his brother. He knew the Grove of the Maiden; oft before had he brought the girls whom he also liked to hunt and capture, although they were more willing prey and his favoured weapon was not a bow. These passions were conducted, if not in secret then with discretion, for this lord of the elves had been promised long since to Almethea, the daughter of the house of Il’thricken, a house both powerful and magical. This bride he cared not for, but duty-bound he would suffer the marriage. Such a one had little choice; alliances were all when elves made war.

This particular beast was Indis the Fierce, large, ill-tempered and canny; even the Great Cats walked in fear of Indis and the boar himself feared nothing, for he had never yet met his match. As tall as the elf at the shoulder, the hooked tusks of the boar were as long as his forearm. The elf murmured a prayer to his gods and nocked his bow as the boar snuffled among the trees, gobbling orange fungus and fallen apples. Occupied with filling his mighty jaws, the boar did not hear the elf, nor perceive the threat.

 

Links to book etc.

And as part of 

Immortals Bundle

Monsters, Myth and Mayhem Vol 2

Universal Link https://books2read.com/Immortalsbundle

Bundle Rabbit https://bundlerabbit.com/b/immortals

Also features in Tales of Erana: Myths and Legends

Universal Link https://www.books2read.com/talesoferanaMyths

And The Shining Citadel 

Universal Link  https://www.books2read.com/ShiningCitadel