http://amandamakepeace.com/blog/

Come say hello! There are links in the right column to let you subscribe via Email or subscribe via a Reader (like Google Reader). This weekend is the first installment of Other Worlds–don’t miss out!

These were created in Apophysis 7x version 15c. Prints are available on Redbubble.

Sunday, August 12, 2012 I will post the first installment in my new serial fiction project, Other Worlds. Why? I thought it might be fun to share a story in little, bite size nuggets. Every installment of Other Worlds will be no more than 200 words and no less than 100 words. I do enjoy a challenge. This project began during StoryADay in May and I knew back then I wanted to create a weekly micro-fiction story. But first I had to do some research on how I wanted to share it with you.

Each week, on Sunday evening, I’ll post an installment. If you miss one don’t fret, just click on the Other Worlds banner in the right sidebar. You’ll be taken to a page with a list of all the installments, in the order they should be read and links to each.

Here’s a description of the story:

Two planets linked by an invisible thread are about to collide. It’s up to Erin and D’aerul to uncover the secret history of the link between their worlds and stop their impending destruction.

Don’t forget, August 12th!

Dragon*Con

I haven’t been to Dragon*Con is many, many, many years. I doubt it will be the convention I remember. For my daughter, this will be her first experience at a large convention. We are going to have so much fun! There will be a lot of wandering, buying, playing, late nights, etc. But there will also be workshops, talks, a ton of art, awards and more.

I’ve signed up to attend the Writer’s Hourly Workshop 2012 with Timothy Zahn: Saturday, September 1: 11:30am – Seminar 7: 101 Ideas in an Hour.

I will also be at:

Pyr Rising - Pyr Publishing presents its up & coming writers and selections- Friday 2.30 pm, Location: Regency V – Hyatt.

How Do You Take Your Steampunk — Light or Dark? – Monday 1pm in Int’l A (Roundtable Room)

I may also be at The Vampire Diaries panel because my daughter will have a fit if she doesn’t see Ian Somerhalder (the actor who plays Damon Salvatore).

It’s doubtful we’ll see everything, since the convention spans more than three hotels, but we’ll have more than enough to keep us happy.

Breakdown by Katherine Amt Hanna
Crackpot Palace by Jeffrey Ford
Reaper by K.D. McEntire

*Amazon says Reaper is available to purchase, but the publication date still says August 24th. I’ve read it, loved it and will have a review next week.

Seven Wonders by Adam Christopher  (Reading now and undecided…)
Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig
Wrayth by Philippa Ballantine

Total Recall by Philip K. Dick
The First Last Unicorn and other Beginnings by Peter S. Beagle
Synners by Pat Cadigan

“With its untold depths, couldn’t the sea keep alive such huge specimens of life from another age, this sea that never changes while the land masses undergo almost continuous alteration? Couldn’t the heart of the ocean hide the last–remaining varieties of these titanic species, for whom years are centuries and centuries millennia?” – Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

~ Created in Apophysis 7x

You can see more of my digital art on Redbubble.

No, I did NOT add these advertisements. No, I have no choice on the type of ads shown on my blog. And, no, I had no idea they were even there. I don’t keep up with WordPress news. I can barely keep up with the blogs I like to read. LOL So, I had no idea they had added advertisements to all their free blogs. Why? Because if I’m logged into my blog the advertisements do not show up. Sneaky, WordPress. Very sneaky…

I’m going to be frank. I’m a little pissed.

I’ve kept my blog on WordPress.com because I liked the community, but I don’t like Ads on my blog. I write reviews for major publishers. I don’t want advertisements on my blog.

What to do…

I could pay to upgrade my account but that would be silly. I already own my domain and I have a server that hosts not only my website but several other artist’s websites too. So. Over the next few weeks I’m going to be moving my blog to my own domain. It is live now, for those of you that want to take a peek and/or subscribe to keep up with my posts. This blog will remain for a while, maybe indefinitely, until I can move my reviews to the new blog. But, in a few weeks time, I will announce when posts will cease here and you can either join me on the new blog or be forever lost in space. ;D

Despite painting, house-sitting, and entertaining my teenage daughter, I have been reading up a storm these last couple of months.

What I’m Reading Now:

Seven Wonders by Adam Christopher

Tony Prosdocimi lives in the bustling Metropolis of San Ventura — a city gripped in fear, a city under siege by the hooded supervillain, The Cowl.

When Tony develops super-powers and acts to take down The Cowl, however, he finds that the local superhero team Seven Wonders aren’t as grateful as he assumed they’d be…

Reviews on the Blog:

Carry the Flame by James Jaros

The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer

The Walking Dead: Issue 100

Upcoming Reviews:

Reaper by K.D. Mcentire (Pyr)

Seven Wonders by Adam Christopher (Angry Robot Books)

Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig (Angry Robot Books)

Mini Review:

vN by Madeline Ashby
Angry Robot Books
Publication Date: July 31, 2012

I found vN via Angry Robot Books (I’m one of their robot army recruits). The description, title and cover pulled me in and I knew I had to read an eARC. But I’ll admit, when I began reading, I thought maybe I’d made a mistake. I was expecting something a little darker, a little more cyberpunk. vN isn’t like that, but it does have it’s share of dark scenes. The beginning seemed a little awkward, almost as if the author wasn’t sure which direction she wanted to take. I almost put the book down. I’m so relieved I didn’t. I kept reading and I fell in love with Amy (the main character) and her band of misfit androids. I laughed, I cried, I worried and by the end of the book I’d gone from thinking it was a 2 Star book to a 4 Star book. I can’t wait for the sequel.

Do you hear me across the miles,
Calling out your name?
Stumbling through the night,
I’ve forgotten the words
but not the significance.
Keep the candle lit and
Take me by the hands,
Home is where I want to go.
The place our hearts
Once danced in time,
Where you knew my thoughts
Before they were mine.
Take me home before it’s too late,
My soul’s grown tired
And the moon won’t wait,
For those lost in desire
By nocturnal wandering’s fate.

Description (via Goodreads):

Having survived the terror of the Alliance and the single-minded fanaticism of its hideous religion, a caravan of survivors moves quickly into the Great American Desert, the wastes of what once was America’s heartland. With her daughters at her side–recently rescued Ananda and her daring older sister, Bliss–Jessie hopes to find sanctuary in the Arctic, now rumored to be temperate. But their enemies are powerful and relentless, and will not rest until they possess the caravan’s most precious treasures: their prepubescent female children, a stolen tanker filled with fuel . . . and a pair of frightened twins, whom the Army of God calls “demon.”

But the danger in pursuit pales before the horror that lies ahead when Jessie, the marauder-turned-ally Burned Fingers, and the innocents in their care face the savagery, the madness, and the monsters that dwell in the terrifying City of Shade.

My thoughts:

If you thought Burn Down the Sky was intense, prepare yourself…

Surviving the Alliance was only the beginning of a long, painful journey for Ananda, her family and the new group of survivors travelling with them. At times, I was horrified by the images/scenes in Jaros’ nightmarish post-apocalypse world. The depths people have fallen into was shocking, but the devastating world also gave birth to individuals who refuse to let go of their humanity. Even in the darkest moments Jaros instills an underlying sense of hope. No one is left unscathed by the hostile lands but their choices are still their own.

Even the youngest characters amazed me with their bravery and willingness to believe better days were ahead. Burn Down the Sky was a call to arms. Carry the Flame is the fight for hope and a better future. It is the rejection of a life of darkness, a life of fear.

Last, Jaros’ The City of Shade makes Woodbury (the infamous town in The Walking Dead) look like summer camp. Just sayin’.

Carry the Flame will be in stores tomorrow!

James Jaros is Mark Nykanen, four-time Emmy and Edgar-winning journalist. Check out his website at:

http://www.marknykanen.com/