All posts by NewEngland_Muse

I'm a traditionally and self published author. I write in the genre of children and YA at the moment but working my way up to adults. I'm a sports loving, photo taking gal who loves to sing/dance to my own enjoyment. I love to laugh even at myself. I am also owned by 8 birds and 2 hamsters, and yes they know it. :)

The Sword and the Flame: The Dragonmaster Cover Reveal

 

The DragonmasterBlurb:

When the Gods call, mortals answer.

Reaching Solava Proper seemed like the end of their journey, but fate and the Gods have other plans for Gilliam and his friends.

Old friendships are rekindled and strained as the friends are forced to find a way to prevent an upcoming war and protect an innocent princess tied to the heart of it all.

Through their adventures, the Phoenix watches as he prepares for a possible conflict between the Gods. When a single move could mean failure, will his efforts succeed or be for naught?

Excerpt:

Without a word, Fauna nudged her horse toward the portal with Mern at her side. The usual floating and light-headed sensation swept through them as they traveled the roads of magic. Once they stepped through, the portal closed, but not before a smaller shape hurried into the opening behind them. With its use completed, the portal closed as though it had never been there.

Stepping through into a strange forest was bewildering at first, but Mern and Fauna’s previous use of such traveling methods gave them the knowledge that the feeling would pass. For the one following them, it proved something else entirely.

Reh Venata was many things, but a dabbler in the ways of magic wasn’t one of them. The magical portal had looked like a doorway, but once inside she found it difficult to navigate. Countless voices called to her from every direction, and images of places she had wished to see again appeared all around her.

The only thing she could so was try to follow the magus further, but her feet couldn’t find a purchase on the swirling ground. She was about to scream for help when the pair disappeared. The swirling whiteness of the portal shifted and started to shrink. Without thinking, Reh let out a squeal of fright and dove toward the first image she saw of a chamber room.

She closed her eyes and prayed the image she saw was in her father’s castle. The next thing she knew, she landed on her stomach with a thud among a series of shouts and curses. It took her a moment to realize she was laying on someone.

“Get off me, blast you, or I’ll send you to the Abyss!”

At hearing the shouting, Reh expected to be back with the Goblins, but when no one grabbed her, she forced her eyes open and found herself in a dining hall. It took her less than a second to understand she wasn’t in her father’s castle, but it looked familiar. When she looked down to see a Dwarf with a gray-touched red beard beneath her she let out a gasp.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to… I mean, I did, but I… Oh, dear.” Reh tried to push herself from her perch on top of the Dwarf, but her hand slipped and she drove her knee into him. The Dwarf’s eyes crossed, his face turned red, and tears poured down his cheeks.

“Blasted… Gods…” The Dwarf rolled over and spilled Reh onto the stone floor.

Reh pushed herself to her knees and looked around at the faces staring at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything.” Gentle hands took hold of her shoulders and helped her to her feet.

“It’s all right. No one is blaming you.” The man holding her smiled.

CP Author Pic

About the author:

CP Bialois’ love of words began as a small child when his father bought a stack of comics to teach him the reading skills he wasn’t mastering in class. Before long, he was reading at an advanced level and teachers were shaking their heads over the unconventional method.

Growing up in the ‘80s, Bialois was exposed to even further inspiration through the popular cartoons of the day. Transformers, in particular, sparked his imagination and led to him put his first stories on paper. After a decades-long break, Bialois began getting back into the world of writing by joining some role-playing groups. These groups taught him about fleshing out characters and building worlds that stuck with him as he began writing short stories for fun.

To his surprise, Bialois would end up completing his first full-length novel, Call of Poseidon, in 2007. Armed with a finished product, Bialois began working on another book, The Sword and the Flame, unsure of what he would ultimately be doing with either. As with many others in the later part of the first decade of the 2000’s, he found himself out of work and looking into new options. Over the next two years, he would spend most days at the library, completing an additional half-dozen works.

Twelve books later, Bialois is planning for the release of many more and enjoying the feedback he receives. The up-and-coming author takes inspiration from favorites such as Steven King, Tom Clancy and Sue Grafton. His love of history, fantasy and old monster movies has also served as a muse.

When he’s not busy writing or chatting on his social networks, Bialois enjoys watching hockey and football as well as Metallica DVDs. He currently lives with his wife- a fellow writer- and their fur children. CP Bialois is also active in several South Florida writing groups, as well as the online writer community, and the Florida Writers Association.

You can find CP through his website at cpbialois.wordpress.com.

Contact Links

Blog: http://cpbialois.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCPBialois

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CPBialois

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5286504.C_P_Bialois

 

Your book cover: It’s important

Jasper ebook cover small

Book covers are so important. It is the first thing readers will see when your book catches their eye. One has to spend some time with the illustrator, being willing to compromise and also knowing when to stand firm at the same time.

I am fortunate that I have two illustrators that are awesome. Squirrel Mafia was easy, with it being a non fiction book, since all the pictures in the book and cover are ones I personally took from around my area. For my Jasper series it involved me sending the team close to 100 pictures of Jasper so they could get a good idea of what he was like, his mannerisms and positions that he had. So the two covers reflect that.

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It again takes time. I have had to tell them a/Ah hmm can you lighten this portion of the book? b/ Can you lower the title a bit? c/ Can you make the font for book 2 a bit more bigger? d/ Ah hmm that is not the title I ended up with to f/ No that won’t work at all.

The team that does Jasper is wonderful and are willing and open to listen to my ideas and thoughts when it comes to the cover and the pictures inside . I am fortunate they give me leeway with each of my books and also welcome suggestions and don’t get upset when I say no that is not going to work period.

I want it just right. It is a tiresome process and stressful one at that for I want it as great as I can get it. Not everyone is going to like it. That’s okay for you can’t please everyone. What I need to do is get a cover that represents the material inside to the best of my ability.

Literary grant: free money

money

 

In 2013 the local art council of the county was offering a literary grant. You could ask up to $2500. The point of the grant was to fund projects that would help us progress to the next level of our career. I was fortunate to be one of seven applicants to get awarded.

The rule is you can’t apply two years in a row if you win. That was okay for last year the grant was not strictly literary but all art. However this year they are funding another literary grant and I am debating trying for it or not. Time is not on my side and I hate to do a hap hazard job of it and then not stand a shot of getting my grant application approved.

I have written up half of what is required so far but the deadline is next month and time is going by fast for me to get it all done. So I am flip-flopping on this issue. It’s free money to spend on what I need. It is worth a shot even if I don’t win, right? I am trying to figure out what to legitimately ask for, quote the prices and keep working on this applicant and see where it falls. For as my motto has been for the last few years when it comes to my writing has not changed, “All they can say is no.