Copper Descent by Angela Hartley - Book Review

“Copper Descent” is the tale of Nina Douglas, a Native American girl with a secret. She walks into the dream world, even though her mother forbids it. Nina and her family are the last of their tribe, their village destroyed by Sinuf, a dark god from before the beginning of time. Nina's mother is afraid that Sinuf will find Nina in the dream world and take control of her, turning her mysterious gifts into something dark and sinister. One night the dream world shows Nina a terrible vision of the future. Afraid her mother will be angry with her for walking into the dream behind her back, Nina keeps the vision to herself. Her decision ends up costing her dearly and turning her world upside down. Guilt forces her to make a difficult choice sacrificing a part of herself forever. At last she is safe from the dark wolf of her dreams… or so she thought. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's been a while since a book has really impressed me, especially a debut novel by a new author. This is the case with “Copper Descent.” Right away you’re drawn into the story, and your attention is held by the author’s creative attention to detail. She has a talent for blending the modern world and realistic settings with Native American folklore in a way that makes everything seem plausible. The pacing is great in this book. I never once found myself getting bored or wanting to skip ahead. As is the case with most books the best character is the Villain. In “Copper Descent”, Angela gives us Sinuf, an interesting twist on the classic image of Lucifer with roots in both christen mythology and Native American lore. The effect is an antagonist that is sexy, deadly, haunting and somehow likable in a bad-boy-kind-of-way.The kind of guy that lures women with tendencies towards fixer uppers. I found myself hoping that maybe Nina could turn this cold-hearted serpent around so that perhaps he could redeem himself in the end. At first I found that I didn't really like Nate, Nina's love interest. He came off very immature and just plain rude at first. Later on, when he came back into the story, he seemed to have grown up some and turned into my second favorite character. The story was never predictable and kept you guessing. 

My only complaints are these: The action seemed a bit choppy in the last couple chapters. This wouldn't be a big deal as most modern books seem to be written this way, except that this book was not up until the end. It's not really noticeable except in two spots where it took me out of the story. Perhaps in the excitement of wrapping up the book these moments were rushed a bit to render the scenes a little confusing instead of having the natural flow the rest of the book had. Secondly, the ending wasn't what I was hoping for. There was a bit of a Wizard of Oz ending to it, "You had the power within you all along." Although it was well-written and made perfect sense with the book, the final fight seemed to easily won for my taste and a was little anti-climatic. My last issue with the book is that I never fell in love with the leading lady, Nina. She was well-written and had complexity to her, and had some good dialogue and great hero moments, but for some reason I never really became invested in her. I don't think this is at all the author’s fault, just for some reason she just didn't resonate with me. 

Despite these minor flaws I still found “Copper Descent” to be a wildly creative, well-written, and exciting read! I give it five stars. I would recommend it to anyone with a love for Urban Fantasy, Horror and an interest in Religious Mythology and Native American Folklore.

Now go forth read, and decide for yourself if it's as good as I say it is. And if you love it, too, make sure to tell everyone you know about it. You can find the book or follow the author at the following links.

Amazon
Goodreads
Blog
Foxhollow

R.J. Craddock

The Princess and The Prom Queen by Jaclyn Weist - Book Review

Nowadays there are as many different kinds of books as there are readers. Furthermore, there are many different ways to publish a book in today's ever-growing digital age. Besides the big publishing houses, we now have smaller presses and many self-publishing options for the modern author in which to choose. This book in particular was published by a small Utah press called Trifecta books.

First off, the cover and title did little to peek my interest, both unimaginative and typical of the YA market. However, I decided to look passed this and give the book a chance.

The Pros:
The concept is clever and wildly imaginative putting a twist on my favorite fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty"and combining it with time travel and the old classic "The Prince and the Pauper." The book begins with  Jenny a typical teenage girl from present day USA who wakes up to a prince kissing her, in a mid-evil castle discovering that she has switched places with Princess Genevieve who happens to be the real life person the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale was based on. This gives the story two interesting settings and concepts. The plot is fast-paced for younger readers, and the story is not too predictable with some good plot twists.

The Cons:
I desperately wanted to love this book because of the "Sleeping Beauty" element, but alas I just couldn't and I'll tell you why. First off the inciting incident happens too fast. We're only a few pages into the book, we've barely even met Jenny, and we're suddenly thrust into another time when she awakes as princess Genevieve. We don't have time to care enough about her before her life gets turned upside down. Generally the industry experts will tell you to introduce the inciting incident early in the book, but I feel in this case this idea was taken to an extreme. There is little to no description or world building which made it a very bland read. For me the beauty is in the details. One can get away with little description in a modern timeline but typical Fantasy readers expect to be drawn into a whole new world. Descriptive writing that creates atmosphere is how this is done. Because of the lack of detail this book reads more like a first draft then a finished novel. Everyone has heard the saying "Show, Don't Tell" well... this book tells and never shows. The dialogue is basic giving little to no sense of the characters' personality. Some plot points are weak and unbelievable such as: Jenny's parents are far too willing to believe that their daughter has been replaced by a mid-evil princess. I would've liked to have seen a little more skepticism on her parents' part. I have a hard time imagining any reader over twelve really enjoying this book. I, myself, never got emotionally involved with the characters perhaps because they were two dimensional and never felt real. In the end the villain is defeated too easily, the ending wrapped up too fast, and a solution to the main conflict of the book solved too conveniently. Had the ending been better I would've given the book another star.

Also, I noticed nine missing or misused words. Had this been self-published I would've dismissed this but as a professionally published novel this looks bad. As a self-published author I know my books have a few mistakes in them. Whereas I don't have the resources to hire a team of editors to find every flaw in my novels, this book, being published by a press, that claims to have experience should not have this many mistakes.

"The Princess and the Prom Queen" is a creative tale with a decent plot that just didn't reach it's full potential. I give it two stars. So low a rating I have never given a book in my life. I generally don't like to leave a bad review. As an author myself I know what it feels like to receive a review like this. However, I feel so passionately about my bad experience with this book I feel I owe it to other readers to share my thoughts and feelings. On the upside a few bad reviews lends a book more credibility for perspective readers. When a book has only five and four star reviews one can't help but wonder if they're all written by friends and family. As a close I want to add that as beauty is in the eye of the beholder so merit is in the mind of the reader. What was an unsatisfying reading experience for me might be a great experience for another reader. To best judge if you would agree with my critique of this book I would recommend reading my other reviews or just plain reading the book for yourself. Click here to get "The Princess and the Prom Queen" 


Now go forth and read and then read some more!
Till Next time,

R.J. Craddock

The Offspring Blog Tour - excerpt from The Forsaken

The Offspring Blog Tour is almost over! If you've been following me on Facebook, Twitter or my website you might have been following the blog tour as well. Today the tour stops by here on my own blog for an excerpt from book one The Forsaken. This is a tidbit for those who haven't read the first book in The Children of Cain series. Enjoy the read and go pick up the book at the links below.

Her eyes still sting from the tears she cried an hour ago, the remnants dry upon her rosy soot-covered cheeks. She cannot go back to where she came from, and there is no place for her to run, but still she has to flee. Everyone is gone now, everything in flames. There is nothing left but ash and tears. She has to keep walking for there is nothing left to do. She is utterly alone in the world. All she can feel is the bitter cold as she walks endlessly through the woods; the only living thing in an empty world of white. A mixture of glacial air and lingering smoke causes her lungs to ache, her rasping coughs blowing out in white clouds. Her whole body is frigid and stiff, as cold as the snow that is all around her. She notices that even the morning sky above her is white, vast, and empty. She continues on, her stockings soaked through, and her feet past feeling, numb.

She lost one of her shoes a while back, walking over a bunch of fallen branches. Her foot had slipped into a crevice, and when she tried to pull her foot back out, her shoe did not come with it. Her little arms were too short to reach the shoe, so she had simply left it there. However, walking with just one shoe proved uncomfortable, so she took it off her foot, holding the lonely shoe clasped in her hands and pressed against her chest.

The blackened soiled clothes on her back are her only possessions in the whole world. Her short dress, once sunny-yellow trimmed with frilly white lace, is now dirty with ash and dried blood; the lace is gray and singed. Her once-white stockings, now gray with holes burned away in places. Her green winter coat, musky with the smell of smoke, is still in pristine condition. Around her neck, she wears a gold chain necklace with an oval-shaped locket branded with the symbol of a burning rose and the name Gwenevere engraved upon it. The locket is the only tie to her past, the only remnant of her identity.

She hasn't seen a single soul, no towns, no houses, and no roads. She makes her trek toward an unknown future, leaving behind her painful past. An image of her mother’s beautiful face creeps into her dazed mind, making her want to start crying all over again, but she holds back the tears.

“Crying never got the world to stop spinning,” her father had once said. Or at least she thought the man was her father. She had only met him a handful of times; he always came to visit their little cottage late at night. She would see him only briefly before she was sent off to bed, and he was long gone before she awoke the next morning. Nonetheless, she learns quickly not to cry, pout, or go to him for comfort. He is always serious, worried, and cold.

If he is my father, then why didn't he live with us? Why did he feel like a stranger? Why wasn't he there when the fire came and ate up everything? A father is meant to protect his family.

Her eyes begin to water. She sniffles, forcing back the tears, pushing the memories away. It is better that she forgets them and leaves them behind her, and so she does. With every step she takes forward, she puts more distance between herself and the world with which she once belonged. Hour after hour goes by and fatigue makes it easier to shut out all thoughts and feelings. She thinks of nothing but walking in a straight line, as the wind blows through her long black hair.

Brushing the errant strands out of her eyes, she sees a man, a tall dark figure lurking amongst trees ahead of her. One moment she was alone in the forest and then suddenly the stranger is there, watching her. She blinks several times but the apparition remains. She hesitates only a moment then continues. Not wanting to show her fear, she avoids his eyes.

He looks warm in his long, black, trench coat, tall leather boots, and black suit. But something about him is wrong, frightening. With a dark unnerving determination, she senses his gaze follow her wherever she moves. A bone-deep chill comes from his direction. Quickly she deviates her course slightly off to the right, planning to simply pass him by.

As she comes closer to the dark stranger, he makes a quick move toward her. She bolts, breaking into a wild run. The forest becomes a blur around her as she speeds forward in a headlong dash.

Keep running. Don’t look back. 



That's all for now. If you want to read more you can get The Forsaken and The Offspring here:

Author Website

Webstore

Smashwords

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Now go forth, read and have a great week!

R.J. Craddock

Fire Light by J. Abram Barneck - Book Review

April 17th - 19th I will be at the Salt Lake City Comic-Con sharing a table with the Author of this book. I figured I better know the other novel in which I'm sharing my booth. So I got it on kindle, and jumped right into it. Here are my thoughts:                                                                                                                                                                              J. Abram Barneck's "Fire Light" is a unique YA Urban Fantasy set in the Great Salt Lake Valley. The protagonist, Jacob Stevens, is a seventeen-year-old geek turned jock who will do anything to seem normal, although he's anything but. Then one day he meets Charles O'Brien, an FBI agent who brings with him an ancient magical textbook and some bad news for Jake: someone is trying to kill him.Why? Because it turns out Jake is a Druid.  Some mysterious organization has been hunting down all the Druids, even the potential ones, like Jake, with the intent to exterminate the ancient society. Running for his life, Jake is torn away from his family and the life he took for granted. Helping O'Brien uncover the identity of the ones responsible for this genocide, Jake is thrust into a dangerous world filled with magic, Nightwalkers, and even a Vampire King! Sounds exciting right? Well, it is and it isn't. Although the writing was excellent throughout the book, and the plot was very well thought out, for me "Fire Light" had a few weaknesses.

1) The inciting incident doesn't happen until chapter twelve. For those of you who don't know what an inciting incident is here's the definition. When an event happens to the protagonist forcing their lives to change from the norm to adapt to the story's plot. Pretty much it's the part that kicks the story off and gets the ball rolling. Most writing gurus and creative writing courses teach that an inciting incident should happen in the first act, within the first few chapters in a novel or the first ten pages in a screenplay. If this was a typical epic Fantasy novel like Robert  Jordan's "The Eye of the World" the reader would expect this kind of build up because the writer is introducing them to a whole new world. However, the author of "Fire Light" spends the first twelve chapters of the book just getting us acquainted with Jake. We learn about his parentage, his sister, his geek lifestyle and we meet his friends and other supporting characters. All good things to learn as this helps to establish Jake's character, but it drags on a bit. Had I been a beta reader for this book I would've suggested condensing this whole segment to help the story move along more quickly. 

2) Just before the story finally picks up, the author forces a love connection between Jake and his sister's best friend Kendra. At this point it was the last thing I wanted to read, I just wanted the fantasy element to happen already. Also, I found Kendra's character weak and inconsistent. She's described as confident but then goes on to do things that make her seem insecure, childish, and desperate. I found it hard to care about her and was relieved when the inciting incident finally arrived and Jake was taken away into another world. I found myself hoping we'd never see Kendra again. 

However, once the story took off, it kept on going! The pacing from chapter twelve on was fantastic, keeping you interested and wanting more. Later, another female character was introduced, Alexis, who didn't annoy me and I found I suddenly needed to finish the book more because of her than anything else. The author managed to surprise me in some places and that's not easily done. The author didn't shy away from darker subjects yet kept things somewhat PG-13 with which I was impressed. He kept the dark fantasy world realistic without getting too morbid for young adult readers to enjoy. The ending was action packed and exciting without being too over-the-top or unbelievable. The big climax did not disappoint as many YA books do, and kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end. When it was all said and done I found myself eager to read the next book! Which unfortunately does not yet have a release date set. 

Is "Fire Light" a worth while read? Yes. Will I be reading the next book in the series? You betcha! Does it take a while to get going? Sure, but the pay off makes it's well worth the wait. So, overall I'd give "Fire Light" four and a half stars! 

Now go forth and pick up "Fire Light" by J. Abram Barneck, (at the following links) and find out for yourself what "Fire Light" is all about. Till next time.

R.J. Craddock

Amazon

Barnes & Noble
Facebook Fan page

The Second Time Around

Those of you who are my regular readers are aware that I already have one published book "The Forsaken" under my belt. If you're new to this blog, this is news to you. But I have other news. My second book "The Offspring" is coming out in April 2014. Both books are part of a six part series called The Children of Cain. This is an epic Urban Fantasy series that rolls biblical and mythical tales together into a modern world with characters as realistic as you and me. It's dark, deep, and meaningful, set in real life situations with a dash of magic thrown in for good measure. If you'd like to learn more check out my website www.rjcraddock.com.  

If you're an aspiring author or know one whose thinking of self-publishing here is a quick tale of my own self publishing journey for you to read or share with anyone who might benefit from it. I've written my whole life but only gained the confidence to pursue it as a career a couple years ago. I submitted my manuscript to publishers for a year and a half. I did receive an offer but the company didn't have a solid reputation so I declined. With the support of my husband I decided to self-publish my first book "The Forsaken". However, I was taking a blind leap of faith and really didn't grasp what I was getting into. I only started blogging and building my online presence a few months before the book was released. When it was launched there was very little hype so it didn't get the launch it deserved. I also hadn't taken enough time with the editing process and had rushed the book to print. When I received my first shipment of the book I could tell from page one that having just one editor had been a big mistake. We did, however, hire another editor (a more experienced one) and a few months later released a second--and much improved--edition of the book. One up side to self-publishing I found is that I got to design the whole book myself. For most people I wouldn't recommend doing this. However, I am an artist as well and studied animation, media arts, and graphic design in college. Actually, the idea of having no say in my own cover art drove me crazy so it was the best solution for me. It was a lot of work, but well worth it in the end. I probably won't do it for another series but for this one it made since to do it myself. Overall it's been a great experience. Like I said before my second book "The Offspring" comes out in April and the process is definitely smoother the second time around. I would advise anyone thinking of self-publishing to read blogs like this http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2013/12/26/five-mistakes-killing-self-published-authors and do a lot of research about the business before they make up their minds. It's not for everyone but self-publishing can be very fulfilling. 

Anyway, that's all for now. Make sure to check out my new and improved website for details and updates about The Children of Cain series. Now go forth, read, write and share. Enjoy the video below of one of my favorite CAKE songs (The video is a little silly but the song is awesome) Come on back to visit the blog next weekend. 

R.J. Craddock

Blog Block

If you follow my blog regularly you might have noticed that I've gotten a little lazy as of late with posting my 

weekend blog. The reason for this is that I'm having blog writer's block. When I first started blogging it felt like I 

had endless things to write about, and my energy level was high. Seven months later I'm starting to loose my 

steam. I try to keep this blog focused on my books, books I like, movies, and things related to the genera I write - 

Urban Fantasy. It feels as though I can only say so much about these things before I start repeating myself. So, I'm 

open to suggestions here, my readers. Is there something in particular you'd like to hear more about? Something 

related to my novel "The Forsaken" or book two "The Offspring"? Or perhaps you're curious about my writing 

process, or interested to hear about the other books I'm developing? How about a Q and A session? Anything at all, 

I'm open to new ideas here. Just leave me a comment on this blog or on my facebook page.

As far as book two is concerned, I'm right on schedule. I'm about to head into the first round of beta readers. I'm 

looking forward to hearing all that they have to say and using their feedback to improve my novel. Anyway, before 

I go I'd like to remind you all that Monday the 29th (today) marks the beginning of my facebook event: "Barnes 

and Noble take over!" Just read the previous blog for more details about that.

Below I've added the link to my book trailer for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy. Well, that's all for now. Now go forth, 

read, drink hot coco, and watch movies for tomorrow we'll just do it all over again!

R.J. Craddock

The Forsaken Reel

The Magic Formula

  

Takes Over

If you've visited my facebook page recently you might have noticed I've created a new event called "Barnes and Noble take over!" I promised to share details of this event, so here it is.

Recently a good friend of mine and fellow author told me The Magic Formula to getting an indie book on the bookshelf of a big chain like Barnes and Noble. She explained it to me as it was told to her by her publisher, a small local press. However, after she was done telling me, I still didn't quite understand it, so I had her detail it to me again. When I tried to explain this to my husband he was completely confused. So being a visual person I decided to make a little diagram.

The Magic Formula

Phase One: Three different people have to request/order the same book (The Forsaken) from the same Barnes and Noble store in the same week, in three different locations in the country. This gets that book stalked in the Barnes and Noble warehouse.

Phase Two: Three different people have to request/ order the same book (The Forsaken) from the same Barnes and Noble store in the same week, in three different locations in the country. This gets the book stalked on Barnes and Noble bookshelves nation wide!

I thought it might be a fun experiment to give this Magic Formula a try myself. So the point of my Barnes and Noble take over event, is to try and orchestrate Phase One the next week. If anyone who hasn't bought the book yet would like to be apart of this please leave a personal message on my Facebook fan page https://www.facebook.com/RJCraddockAuthor. We'll be launching into Phase One starting Oct, 21st. Let's see if we can make this thing work, shall we?!!!

I'll keep you all up to date with the events' progress, and let you know when Phase Two starts. That's all for now, so go forth and share this post with everyone you know, lets get this baby viral! Thanks. :) Until next week.

R.J. Craddock

We've Got It Covered

We live in a time when the old adage "You can't judge a book by its cover" just isn't true anymore. When a reader is searching for a book online the first thing they judge is the cover. If that interest them than they'll read the description, summary and reviews. If the cover doesn't grab their attention right away the book gets past by as they scroll on down the never-ending list of titles available.

 For those of you who don't know the cover design and all illustrations for my book "The Forsaken", were done by yours truly. It's been a life long dream to find a way to marry my two great passions: writing and art. Having studied at the Art Institute of Phoenix, I decided to take that experience and do my own Cover for my debut novel. However, I soon found that this is easier said than done! I wanted to make a cover that conveyed the genre and feel of my book, that caught the eye but wasn't too similar to other popular covers. As it is part of a six part series, I also felt I needed to come up with a style that would be easy to carry through each subsequent cover, something that made it recognizable on sight as a part of the same series. I started researching books in my genre, Urban Fantasy. What I noticed is that they all looked eerily the same. Then I started looking st some of my favorite book covers from every genre and sat down to examine what it was about them that caught my eye. One of these books is "The Dragon and the Unicorn." by A.A. Attanasio.

I have to admit that I bought this book entirely for its cover and have had it for years but have still never read it. However, I do intend to start it next week. One reason I love this cover is because of the use of negative and positive space, and the contrast with the black and white. It's simple yet dramatic and some what mysterious. I'm a big fan of negative and positive, black and white imagery and use it often in my own art. It seemed only natural that I would use the same concept for my cover.

The black and white background represents the good and evil existing within my main character, Gwenevere, and her struggle to figure out her own identity and her true nature. The stars and snow textures represent the many struggles and trails she encounters in the book. The silhouettes of the girl's face, showing the two sides of her personality, were meant to look like a ying and yang sign. The locket in the middle is an iconic item from the book. Green and red are used as accents, signifying her magical gifts. The fiery font of the title representing the refining fires she'll go through to become the person she was destined to be. I made sixteen different versions of the cover before arriving at this one. I have to say that all the work was worth it and I am very satisfied with it.

Book two of the series "The offspring" is nearly complete and I'm currently working on the cover art and illustrations. I can't reveal the new cover yet but can tell you that the black and white (negative and positive space) and fire fonts are all incorporated in it. One fun difference I've made is to change the color of the spine. Book two will have a white spine, everything else changed to contrast. I plan to switch the color of the spines throughout the series, so that, should they be siting together on a shelf they would be black, white, black, white, black, and white. Needless to say the complete collection will look rather sharp together on your book shelf or mantle.

I've received many compliments on "The Forsaken" cover, and hopefully I can make book two's cover as effective as the first. I've enjoyed the process--although grueling--of creating them both and look forward to doing it again for the rest of the series. If you like what you see you can check out my book on my website, Barnes n' Noble and Amazon. Now that I've covered the cover art of my books, you may now go forth and have a fabulous weekend full of leisurely reading.

R.J. Craddock

Excerpts are for Perverts

So I'm getting really bad at posting my blog on Fridays. This is supposed to be a weekend blog so just as long as I get it posted before Monday I figure I'm good. Anyhow, you're probably wondering about the salacious title of this post. Well, I had to get your attention somehow! 

Okay, I'll get serious now. This weekend post is an excerpt from my urban fantasy novel "The Forsaken" (Children of Cain Series - book one). I've been adding a new chapter from the book to Wattpad each month. Currently we're on chapter five "The Boy in the Tower" 

What is Wattpad you ask? Here's the Wikipedia definition to explain it:  Wattpad is an online community for writers (and readers) Users are able to post articles, stories, and poems. The content includes work by undiscovered and published writers. Users are able to comment and like stories or join groups associated with the website. Around five in ten users are U.S. based; traffic also comes from the U.K., Canada, the Philippines, Australia, and more. The most frequently voted stories (every day) appear on the "What's Hot List". These stats change daily, due to reads and votes by other users. Wattpad also has a Featured Story list, which promotes content reviewed and approved by Staff and an editorial review board. Many of these featured stories are written by self-published and professional writers from different genres.

If you're on Wattpad, here's the link to read "The Forsaken" on my profile: Chapter Five - The Boy in the Tower For those of you who aren't involved in Wattpad, here's an excerpt from chapter five of "The Forsaken". Enjoy! 

*******************************************************************************************************************************

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t jump,” he demands, staring Gwen down, determined to scare the little girl away.

            “Because she needs you as much as you need her,” Gwen replies calmly, not the least bit intimidated by Douglas’s cold manner.

            “What’re you talking about?!” Douglas shouts, exasperated and surprised by her strange response. “Just leave me alone!” he yells at her, turning his back on her, determined that this time he would  jump even if he has to do it with Gwen watching. He doesn’t care anymore. He’s had it.

“Soon a couple will come. She’ll see you and she’ll love you right away. You’ll remind her of her little brother Thomas; he died when he was your age. They won’t care where you come from, or what you’ve done, or what’s been done to you. They’ll adopt you just as you are,” Gwen prophecies.

Douglas stops dead in his tracks, his back still turned away from her, he looks out of the bell tower at the Orphanage and the courtyard below.

“I’m not sure what will happen after, but she seems really nice, like someone who’d be a really good mom. I think you’re going to be happy

with them,” Gwen replies, feeling suddenly jealous of the glorious future Douglas has before him, something Gwen knows she will never have. She has been adopted and returned so many times now that, after two years, the Nuns had finally given up and no longer even show Gwen to prospective parents. It hasn’t bothered her before, but just now, she feels utterly unwanted and alone in the world. But now isn’t the time to feel sorry for herself. She still hasn’t fulfilled her obligation to save Douglas; this is her top priority at the moment.

“That’s a good enough reason, isn’t it?”

            Slowly, Douglas looks over his shoulder at Gwen.

            “How can you…?” Douglas begins to ask but Gwen cuts him off.

“I told you, just trust me. I just know things sometimes. It doesn’t matter how or why!” Gwen shouts at him, losing her patience.

            Douglas doesn’t know how to react, so he just stands there, stunned and speechless. 

*********************************************************************************

There you go. I hope that little tid bit peeked your curiosity. If you want to read more either login/join Wattpad to read the book for free (but make sure you vote for me and share it like crazy)! Or, you can buy "The Forsaken" in print or kindle form at www.rjcraddock.com. It's also available online at Amazon and Barnes  N' Noble. Now go forth and have a superb weekend!

R.J. Craddock

Some like it DARK

Most fiction writers put a lot of themselves into their hero/heroine. They either draw from their own life experiences when the character faces trials, or they endow the lead with some of their own characteristics. You have to invest a lot of time into your protagonist, to make them likable, interesting, and readable. Then you have to make the plot thicken so here comes the conflicts, the antagonist/villain, or natural disaster to liven things up a bit. So as a writer one has to do some pretty terrible things to their beloved characters. Which in itself is a little twisted if you think about it. It's like tormenting yourself, tearing out your own heart and soul and punishing one you love for the enjoyment of others. Yep, we authors are a sick twisted bunch.

In my series the "Children of Cain" my heroine, Gwenevere, goes through quite a lot to put it mildly. But for me, the dark nature of her reality is what gives the series a sense of realism. I, like many before me, have drawn heavily from my own life when creating my literary fantasy land. And although my childhood was not an easy one, I attribute the person I am today to my ability to overcome and learn from past mistakes and trials. To me a story such as mine wouldn't be realistic without the darkness. Her strength of character wouldn't shine forth without the obstacles to push her to find greatness within herself. So, although I love and worship my little sarcastic green-eyed Witch (Gwen) I have to push her to the breaking point time and time again.

Before publishing the first book ("The Forsaken") in the series, I had a group of beta readers give me some notes. However, a few felt that there was too much darkness in the subject matter. Some objected to certain "bad" characters in the book not understanding why they had to be a part of the story or why Gwen had to go through these terrible things.

Something all writers understand, but not all readers do, is that every obstacle, every plot turn along the journey is carefully orchestrated to develop the character or to move the story along. There is a reason Gwen has to go through these things, it's all to turn her into the person she needs to be by the end of the series when she has to make some pretty hard choices.

One of my favorite dark tales is "The Black Jewels" series by Anne Bishop. A great read if you like Fantasy, dark magi,c and amazing world building. I've noticed that the books that I truly enjoy are the ones that aren't afraid to go into dark places and expose the weaknesses of their world. However, they often end with a message of hope that seems to reiterate the saying, "There can be no light without the dark."

But what do you think? Do you like things on the dark side or do you prefer to keep the mood light? What are your favorite books? Whether dark or light, share them in the comments. Now go forth and read, love, and enjoy life. Till next weekend.

R.J. Craddock

Brenda Birch Gallaher: Author interview with RJ Craddock

Brenda Birch Gallaher: Author interview with RJ Craddock: R.J. Craddock, Author Author Bio R.J. Craddock was born Ruth J. Harris July 7th, 1983 in Oaka Taumuning, Guam. Ruth is a naturalborn ...

Print, eBook, or Audio book, Whats your poison?

In case you haven't heard yet my book "The Forsaken" is finally available on kindle! Whoo-hoo! The next step is to start recording the audio book version.

I noticed that in the last two months since my book was released that there are all sorts of different kinds of readers. I personally have a thing for traditional printed books. Whether leather bound, hardback, or paperback, I love them all! I try to collect all my favorites. At one point I had a job that was obscenely boring but was fortunate in that they allowed me to listen to audio books on the job. During this time I read/listened to a lot of books! I learned to love audio books almost as much as printed ones. My favorite audio books are "The Outlander" series by Dianna Gabledon, and "Inkspell" by Cornilia Fluke. The second book in the "Inkspell" series was narrated by Brendan Fraser. Let me tell you that he makes a wonderful narrator. Apparently the author invisioned him as the lead character (Moe) while she wrote the book. Brendan Fraser did ultimately play "Moe" in the film version of Inkspell. Cool huh?

Anyhow, I've been going all around town talking to people about my book and passing out bookmark/buisness cards. Half the people I've met were interested in the book only if it was in eBook or Audio book format. I found this curious at first, because I am not one for eBooks myself. However, as I spoke more to readers about their preference in format and why, I started to understand why someone might like their book digital, or audio instead. So here it is, the pros and cons of a printed book, eBook, and audio book.

Printed Books

        Pros:                                                                     Cons:                     
        1.Something to hold on to                                    1. Easily damaged.
        2. Looks pretty on a shelf                                     2. Worse for wear when you lend it out        
        3. You can show it off when people visit             3. Can be bulky to carry around.
        4.You're bookmark lets you see physically          4. Collecting them can turn you into a hoarder
           how far you are in the book, you see                5. Need to be dusted on a regular basis
           your progress.                                               
        5. There's nothing like the smell of a new
             book!

eBooks

            Pros:                                                                 Cons: 

            1. Quick delievery/instant download              1. Rarely have pictures in them

            2. No shipping costs                                        2. Turning pages is more fun than swiping

            3. Portable                                                       3. No new book spell, or glossy cover.

            4. Collect as many as you want and they        4. You can only show off your collection online

                all fit in your pocket                                   

            5. Easy to lend to friend, no bent spines

                or torn pages.

            6. Cheaper than print or audio books

                                        

Audio Books

            Pros:                                                                   Cons:
            1. Available in many formats                              1. No pictures
            2. Can be bought in a store or online                  2. No new book smell, no flipping pages
            3. You can read/listen anywhere                         3. Needs absolute silence, other noises ditract
            4. Hands free, you can read while you drive       4. You might not like the Narrator
            5. Talented actors read it to you                        


Those were all the pros and cons of each format I could think of. If anyone out there has some other pros and cons they'd like to add feel free to list them in the comments below. Now go forth and get "The Forsaken" on kindle (if your a kindler) or else get it in print, or if you like, you can wait for the audio book coming soon!

R.J. Craddock



Wings – Book Review

Every once in a while I read a book and am blown away by the creativity of the concept. So blown away, in fact, that I wish I had written it myself. One of these books is “Wings” by Aprilynne Pike. It's a YA Urban Fantasy wherein a teenage girl named Laurel discovers what looks like giant pedals growing from her back! While trying to hide her body’s strange reaction to adolescence, she seeks out the answers to her true identity. Because it turns out her parents aren't her parents, she was found on their door step when she was three. So who is she really? It just so happens she's a Fairy, and those pedals on her back are her wings. In this story the author creates her own folklore wherein Fairies are really highly-evolved intelligent plants. That’s right, plants. They are grown, not born. Once they hit maturity the females grow giant flowers out of their backs that humans have always mistook for wings. The Flowers can be pollinated by the males who have spores on their palms.

Sorry if I'm giving too much away here but the concept is so original, it's too cool not to talk about it. But never fear there’s a lot of story going on with our heroine, Laurel, as she comes to terms with who she really is and how to balance her life between the human and the Fairy world. Filled with adventure, action, love triangles, and teenage angst, it's a great read for anyone who enjoys a fun twist on the classic Fairy lore.

“Wings” is book one in a four-part series by Aprilynne Pike. I've read the first two: “Wings” and “Spells.” They are both excellent. I just bought book three “Illusions” and I can't wait to see what happens next in Laurel’s crazy, mixed-up human/Fairy world.

I give “Wings” a five star rating. A good-clean-fun and wildly imaginative read. Now go forth and check it out for yourself. Aprilynne Pike, whose work is worth getting to know.

R.J. Craddock

Second Edition of "The Forsaken" now available!

I'm not sure how many of you read my blog post about the interesting errors we found in the original first edition of my debut novel "The Forsaken" but either way I'm glad to announce that the second edition edits are done and the new improved version of "The Forsaken" is now available on my website www.rjcraddock.com

Along with fixing the typos we also tweaked the cover a little. Nothing too major but enough of a difference that if you compare the first edition and the second edition you'll be able to tell them apart.
Also, the eBook version of "The Forsaken" is under way. I'll keep you posted on its release. I'd like to announce that the book will be available as an Audio book in the near future. I'm really excited about the audio book because we're going to do it a little differently. Instead of having one narrator and one voice doing all the characters in the story, we'll be doing a different voice actor for each part. My husband, Jonny Craddock, who is a very talented actor, will be the narrator. I will be doing the voice of my lead character Gwenevere. The other members of the cast are still being, well... cast. I've always enjoyed audio books myself, so this is a really fun project for me. I'm looking forward to lending my voice to my own story, and hearing the whole story when it's finished. Keep checking back on my blog, Facebook, Twitter, and my website for more info about the eBook and Audio book releases.

Now go forth and get your copy of the near-perfect second edition of "The Forsaken". You know you want to!

R.J. Craddock

Has every story been already told?

My book "The Forsaken" (The Children of Cain) (volume one) has been out for a month now! I've had my launch party which was a blast and I'm just reviving my advertising campaign. Recently my husband and I were brainstorming for ideas and thought maybe it wouldn't hurt to rent one of those kiosks in the mall and sell the book there. Ironically, tonight as we strolled through the mall with our kids, we came across a man doing just that. A local man named C. David Belt who asked if he could tell us about his book as we were passing by. I said sure and listened to his whole pitch. When he asked my name, I told him I was an author as well and had just published my first book May 1st. We chatted a little about publishing and such. I gave him one of my bookmarks/business cards and I took one of his.

I went to find my husband, who, of course, had wandered off like he always does into one of his favorite stores. When I found him I had to tell him the crazy shocking coincidence I had just experienced. On the cover of this fellow author’s book the title reads: "The Unwilling" (The Children of Lilith) (volume 1). I thought, "You've got to be kidding me! What are the chances I would bump into this guy one month after my book came out, an author with a series that has a startling similar title to mine?" My husband had to go back and talk to him. First, to pick his brain about the whole kiosk thing and how profitable it is, and second, to get a better idea of what this author's book was really about and if there were any other similarities to my book. As we talked to him it became clear that our books are nothing alike. We just both happened to pick similar titles for our series. He explained that Lilith, in his mythology, is the daughter of Cain not one of Adam's supposed wives. She is the mother of all Vampires. "Wait, where have I heard that one before... Oh, yeah, they're doing that on HBO's "True Blood", too!"  His book is also an LDS Fiction, believe it or not; an interesting idea for a Vampire novel if you ask me.

This encounter, along with other recent observations, has made me wonder, "Has every story already been told? Are there any truly original ideas left?" The answer is yes and no. After all this time with mankind thinking, exploring, imagining, creating, and storytelling, of course you'll see similarities, duplicated themes, titles, ideas, and names. However, every one of us sees the world differently. We can all look at the same picture and get a different emotion from it. We can all hear the same song and extract a different denotation. We can hear the same story and get inspired to write one of our own, however, they won't be alike other than the fact that they came from the same concept.
Did J.K Rowling invent witchcraft, wizardry, mermaids, dragons, werewolves, prophecies of a chosen one, or an indomitable villain? No, she didn't. Did J. R. R. Tolkien invent Dwarves, Elves, a dark lord, dragons, Wizards, Trolls, and Goblins? No, he did not. However, what these authors--and others like them--did do was take the basic elements of mythology, folklore, and legend and twist them. They re-imagined them into their very own unique tale, building their own worlds on the bones of ancient stories passed down through the generations of culture and literature. Along the way they contributed a few new ideas of their own to the mix, creating Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and new races of creatures like Hobbits and Oarcs. And because they dared to let their imaginations runaway with them they created something very special and earned a place in the history of literature.

Recently, while playing with my three young sons, my oldest son said something that sparked an idea for a new book. I started writing it and told my mother a little about it. She said, "Oh, someone already wrote a book like that. Your sister would know the one I'm talking about." So, I asked said sister and she explained the concept of this other novel and really it wasn't that much like my own at all. Should I let this stop me from writing my own book? So someone else had a similar idea to mine; I had not heard of the book when I started writing mine. Also, because that author and I are two very different and unique individuals even if our books have a similar concept they will be completely different in every other way.

So what's my point here? My point is that, in literature, it's almost impossible to copy another person's idea. You cannot write exactly all the same words in the same order develop the same exact characters and plots as someone else because you are you. Each writer, each human being has their own way of seeing and interpreting the world, thus no two writers will ever write the same book. Anyway, I just wanted to share that with you all and encourage other authors to keep writing. Don't let someone else's similar idea stop you from writing your own story. Dream up your own world and take it to the limits of your imagination. No two people are the same. No two books are the same either. So, in case you were wondering, I am going to write that other story. Maybe I'll tell you about it someday. For now I'm still working on "The Children of Cain" and promoting my first book "The Forsaken" If you're interested in looking up the fellow I met tonight his website is www.unwillingchild.com his Publisher's site is www.parablespub.com. His book is called "The Unwilling" and his name C. David Belt. If you want you can always read mine and his back to back and let me know how we match up. To get my book go to www.rjcraddock.com. I plan on getting his book and reading it myself. Once I have it and have read it, I'll be sure to post a review of it here.

Now go forth, be fruitful and multiply the many great ideas upon the face of the earth... and go get your copy of my book while you’re at it. Until next time...

R.J. Craddock