September Edition of Fleet Life and Elvetham Heath Directory

Here are the books that I have had featured in this month’s Fleet Life magazine. For the online version go to http://www.fleetlife.org.uk, click on the online directory and once it is loaded find my page of book reviews on page 6.

September Fleetlife

This month you’ll see;

Gypsy by Cynthia Harrison

Archer of the Lake by Kelly R Michaels

The Silence of Juliet Mann by Joanne Phillips

Ignoring Gravity by Sandra Danby

and The Last Observer by Dr Gary Vasey.

For the Elvetham Heath Directory, find a copy of the online version at http://www.ehd.org.uk. Click on the online directory and once it’s loaded turn to page 6

EHD Sept

This month you’ll find;

Kings and Queens by Terry Tyler

Business As Usual by E.L. Lindley

Some People Prefer Hotels by Nigel Hicks

The Birr Elixir by Jo Sparkes

A Woman’s Choice by Annie Thomas

 

Guest Author Kelly R Michaels

Today our guest is Kelly Michaels author of yesterday’s book Archer of the Lake. Here is a link to the post if you missed it. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-5gm

Kelly R Michaels

Let’s find out more about Kelly.

1) Where is your home town?
It’s a small, rural town in southern Tennessee called Fayetteville, and I’ve lived here my entire life.
2) How long have you been writing?
 I’ve always created stories as a result of childhood insomnia, but I recall actually writing them down when I was about twelve years old.  I was very ambitious then, trying to compose a six book epic.  That particular endeavour faded away, but all throughout high school and college I’ve been very persistent about writing constantly. I have pile of old notebooks completely filled as well as abandoned Word files saved on flash drives.  It’s hard to actually put a quantifying number on how much I’ve written.
3) Is Fantasy your preferred genre?
Yes, you could definitely say that, but my interests also expand to science fiction, historical fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and other genres as well. But fantasy is my favourite.  There’s a quote by J. R. R. Tolkien–“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory…” And I think that nicely sums up my fascination with fantasy.
4) What idea sparked the writing of Archer of the Lake?
 I hate to sound cliche, but it came from a dream.  In early 2012, I awoke from a very vivid dream, and it wasn’t exactly a dream in the sense of something happened. The last thing I remember before waking up that morning was a specific tableau.  The scene was a certain congregation of elves, all sitting about in a room.  There was one elf who sat alone, an obvious outcast to the others.  Another elf was not secluded from the main group but she was distinctly reaching out to the outcast, as a gesture of friendship and goodwill.  The image was so inspiring to me that I developed a story around these two elves, who eventually turned into today’s Feraan and Caelfel.
5) Can you tell the readers briefly about the seer’s first prediction
The Seer sees a dead city in flames.  She sees that the culprit behind this appalling act has the power and ability to use this method of mass destruction to wreak havoc and death across the world.  However, the one thing she cannot see is who is behind it.  The Seer charges Feraan with the task of eradicating this evil and bringing the one responsible to justice.
6) Why is Feraan a wanted elf?
Before the incident, Feraan had been widely known as an elf with a penchant for mischief.  Quite simply, he did not fit in with the typical serenity of elves.  After the incident, when Feraan completed his task of eradicating the evil in their forest, the Councilors are left with no explanation of how this evil came to be. Thus they seize the opportunity to frame Feraan for the crime, and his previous reputation easily casts him as the scapegoat in the eyes of his community.
7) What is it that the Princeling wants from Feraan?
The Princeling simply wants revenge from Feraan.  Feraan, with his notoriety as the Wandering Elf, often meddles in affairs when he believes powers are left uncheck.  A few years before the main events of the book took place, Feraan defeated a human sorcerer who was very dear to the Princeling, and the Princeling never forgave him.
8) What is the importance of Caelfel being called The Archer of the Lake?
When Caelfel is called into battle, she is an archer.  In fact, her primary combat skill is archery.  I mentioned in the book how her parents named her after a lake, Rumfel Lake, to be precise.  Specifically, it is where she was conceived, so the lake is her namesake.  It is a part of her.  Feraan has a dream about the Archer of the Lake, who is symbolically a guardian of the forest, as evinced in the battle hymn Olwen sings to himself.

So Caelfel essentially becomes the Archer of the Lake, fulfilling a role in the threads of fate, even so that her bow becomes significant, receiving the name the Lake Bow from the Seer.  The Blind Seer knows Caelfel has an important role to play, and Caelfel’s journey has not ended as Archer of the Lake.
I also took careful measures in choosing Caelfel’s name from a linguistic perspective.  “Ceallach” is a Gaelic words which can have many meanings, but a primary usage would be “warrior”.  And what is a warrior if not a defender of homestead?  The importance of the Archer of the Lake is a protector, and Caelfel fills that role many times.
9) Are you writing a second book in the series?
 I am!  I tentatively plan to title it “Prince of the West,” and as I mentioned before, Caelfel’s journey is not over.  I am about a third of the way completed with the first draft, and I can safely inform you that Caelfel has to confront another mythical creature on her ventures!
10) Where can readers find out more about you?
Readers can visit my website at www.kellyrmichaels.com
Archer of the Lake
Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Thank you Kelly and Good Luck with the next book.

Archer of the Lake by Kelly R Michaels

Archer of the LakeArcher of the Lake by Kelly R. Michaels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Archer of the Lake is a fantasy story. The scene is set when we meet Feraan Auvrearaheal known as the wandering elf. A meeting is being held of the Chthonic Order. A prediction is received from Sibylla the Blind Seer warning of evil in the forest.

Eighty years later, we are introduced the elves who live in the Honey Water Empire. Caelfel Gyssedlues is a young elf at just seventy-six years of age. She is part of a group who are under attack from Goblins, killing sixty-three of them, she is sent to check that they are all dead. Alone,she meets a stranger and both are attacked once more. The stranger is unconscious but not dead, her fellow elves insists she leaves him for dead, but Caelfel refuses and sets out to seek a healer.

Caelfel wants to study magic and her chance comes as the college selects new students. It is predicted she will be a powerful magician. But she only gets one day of lessons from Sir Kennyrateur before she is arrested for necromancy and treason. She escapes execution only after Lady Gwyndolyn Ernmas, the master of auras, proves her innocence.

Auras are very important to elves and Caelfel finds that her’s attracts some unwanted attention. Others are after her and her friendship with Feraan is putting her at risk. With the seer for-telling the importance of a she-elf in future events, Caelfel’s life path leads to a kidnapping and a dangerous rescue.

There’s a lot going on in this story and many characters with names which I struggled with. The ending opens the way for a second book.

Find a copy here from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Good Deeds Year 2, Week 7

Welcome to my second Year of Good Deeds, a challenge I set myself during April 2013. I decided to do at least one Good Deed a day for a whole year.

New Good DeedsDuring my week I’ll also being updating you on My Kindness Challenge which I’m also doing. I read about a new challenge to make the world a better place to live in. “Speak Kind Words, Receive Kind Echoes” see the inspiration on  The Kindness blog . During my learning process I’m donating money to charity for my slip-ups to make me work harder to achieve results. I earn no money from any of my book reviews, so having little to spare should focus my mind.

This week I’ve been doing the following;

June 1st – Today the two local magazines that I write book reviews for uploaded their online versions, so I sent out my promotional post and tweeted and e-mailed the authors who had books featured. Any appreciation you feel for the book review features can be e-mailed to the editor alex@fleetlife.org.uk or alex@ehd.org.uk Here is a link to my post http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-5eS

June 2nd – I’m getting better at the kind comments if I don’t rush into a conversation, but stop and think about my reply first. Today was my morning helping out at school, the first Monday back after a week of school holidays. Finished reading Gypsy by Cynthia Harrison and sent off my review.

June 3rd – Stayed on at work today and did some extra filing that I hadn’t been asked to do, but which needed doing. Went straight on to read book 2 in the Travelling Girls series by Cynthia Harrison and finished reading Sweet Melissa in one evening.

June 4th – Sent off my review for Sweet Melissa and began reading A Gunman’s Destiny by Randy Mixter. Went to see my parents and sorted a couple of computer queries. Thought I did pretty well with my kindness challenge when Mum talked about all the latest village goings on.

June 5th – Sent off my review of A Gunman’s Destiny. Went into town and bought a shirt at a charity shop rather than brand new, for a fancy dress party we are going to in a couple of weeks time. Met friends and now I need to add a £1 to my charity Kindness pot, let my mouth run away with me again! But I am learning from it.

June 6th – Had my hair cut today and left tips for the lovely ladies. Oh Goodness!  A kindness challenge! Once we’d covered my weekend and holiday plans the conversation just waited to be filled with a good moan. I had to dodge several pot-holes in the conversation and tried to disappear into my book, but eavesdropping on other clients was interesting, most were failing in areas of kindness. Am reading Archer of the Lake by Kelly R Michaels.

My son has 6 cricket matches in the next 7 days so think of me will you;

CHEF – “quick get in the car, I forgot to turn the vegetable off before I rushed to pick you up from school, I was trying to get dinner cooked early” Rally drives out of the car-park on two wheels!

TAXI DRIVER – Late to match, abandons car in a great space, later realising the front windscreen faces oncoming hard cricket balls when hit for a 6.

WASHER-WOMAN – Tries hopelessly to get grass and mud stains out of cricket whites, sends son off in “nearly whites”

SUPPORTER – Sits dutifully on the side-lines for 2.5 hours, freezing as the sun goes down and the wind blows. Misses all of son’s best moments because I was either chatting to someone else or secretly reading a book behind large dark glasses and feigning interest in the game.

LISTENER – Dutifully nods and makes appropriate noises to the post-match blow-by-blow analysis which lasts all the way home and for the rest of the day or night with rest of the family joining in. Not expected to make any useful contribution as calling the Umpire the “Referee” and asking why they didn’t use the “off-side ruling” doesn’t go down well.

BEST MUM THERE IS  – Replying to all the e-mails from the team managers, providing cricket teas when asked, finding the obscure village cricket pitch on an old fashioned paper map when Google gets lost, making sure there’s a fresh drink in the bag for each match and taking out the stale bottle days later. Washing all those sets of whites in time for the next match and being there for when things didn’t go too well.

June 7th – Finished reading Archer in the Lake and sent off my review. Rain this morning meant cricket was cancelled, we had a game last evening at a picturesque village cricket green out in the English countryside with warm sun and a win for our team. The sun came out this afternoon and I went for a lovely walk this evening and picked up litter along my way.

 

Good Deeds Year 2, week 6

Welcome to my second Year of Good Deeds, a challenge I set myself during April 2013. I decided to do at least one Good Deed a day for a whole year.

New Good DeedsDuring my week I’ll also being updating you on My Kindness Challenge which I’m also doing. I read about a new challenge to make the world a better place to live in. “Speak Kind Words, Receive Kind Echoes” see the inspiration on  The Kindness blog . During my learning process I’m donating money to charity for my slip-ups to make me work harder to achieve results. I earn no money from any of my book reviews, so having little to spare should focus my mind.

This week I’ve been doing the following;

May 25th – Finished reading Fallen for Rock by Nicky Wells and sent off my review. Will be starting The Birr Elixir by Jo Sparkes next. Have agreed to read and review two more books, Fairy and Blood: Lilac by William Crisel and Archer of the Lake by Kelly Michaels. Cricket was cancelled this morning so my chance to lend some plastic cups out as a good deed was scuppered. So it’s all book good deeds today.

May 26th – Continuing with my big book edit of my own book to make it a much better read. I’m procrastinating too much, but when I do sit down and get on with it I enjoy myself mixing with all the characters again. Finished reading and sent off my review of The Birr Elixir by Jo Sparkes Today I’m reading Derek’s Good Relations by Mac Black. We have the in-laws coming for tea, this will be a big challenge for my kind comments because they love a good moan and have a lot of negative talk. Perhaps I can find a lovely reward for myself if I make it through, there’s chocolate in the cupboard! Hmmm!

May 27th – The baby birds have flown, (we had a camera in a bird-box and watched as a blue-tit laid 7 eggs and raised her young) but sadly nature has been cruel, Magpies have seen the flight and at least one has bitten the dust. I’ve been out to chase them away but they have their own young to feed.

Picked up some litter this evening.

May 28th – Finished reading Derek’s Good Relations by Mac Black. Sent off my review. Picked up some litter whilst out for a walk. The kindness challenge is going well this week, it helps that we haven’t been out for a couple of days.

May 29th – The June issue of Fleet Life has been delivered today. My book reviews are on page 6 this month. The on-line version will be out shortly, meanwhile the following books have been featured; Tall, Dark and Kilted by Lizzie Lamb, The Black Hours by Alison Williams, The 20’s Girl, The Ghost and All That Jazz by June Kearns, Saving Our Pennys by Roy Dimond and Jeff Leitch and Black Rose by Jenna Ryan.

Bumped in to a friend in the supermarket and practised by Kind words challenge. Rose to the challenge when my brother phoned wanting accounting work started and completed before tomorrow, definitely one needing special care with the kind words.

May 30th – An opportunity to help out a friend in need today, with a broken car and a child in hospital we are able to pick up her son and take him to cricket.

Have just written the book review drafts for the July issues of Fleet Life and Elvetham Heath Directory. Just awaiting the June editions to go on-line.

May 31st – Finished reading Fairy and Blood: Lilac by William Crisel and sent off my review. Went out for afternoon tea with friends and took flowers for my hostess. Tested my kind words challenge again this afternoon. May have to put a £1 in the pot! Am now reading Gypsy by Cynthia Harrison.