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Susan A. Royal

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Susan A. Royal

Monthly Archives: November 2014

My Review for A Different Kind of Knight by Mary Waibel

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by Susan A. Royal in article

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Tags

creatures, fantasy, knights, Mary Waibel, MuseItUp Publishing, mystery, romance

Different Kind of Knight

By Mary Waibel

It’s always nice to find YA stories with strong characters, both male and female, and I especially like it when they’re not cardboard cutouts. Rielle and Brody are human. Even though they’re trying to do the right things, they question themselves and worry they’ve made the right decisions. They make mistakes and learn from them. Add in a mystery, fantastic creatures and romance and it all makes an enjoyable read.

If you have young readers who like adventure stories with lots of action, they will like this book.

Dinner and a Movie Monday ~ Planes, Trains and Automobiles

24 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by Susan A. Royal in article

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Tags

family, macaroni and cheese, Planes, Thanksgiving, Trains and Automobiles

planes trains and automobiles

Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a 1987 comedy, starring Steve Martin, who is perfect as Neal Page, a high-strung marketing executive who meets John Candy’s Del Griffith, and optimistic, overly talkative, and clumsy shower curtain ring salesman. Neal Page is trying to return to his family for Thanksgiving in Chicago after being on a business trip in New York. His journey is doomed from the outset, when he and Del Griffith pair up later and begin a hilarious adventure to help Neal get back to his home.

It’s a comedy of errors watching two these men whose personalities could not be more different. Their flight is diverted because of a blizzard and what should have been a 1 hour and 45 minute New York-to-Chicago flight turns into a three-day ordeal. They catch a train, but the locomotive breaks down, leaving the passengers stranded in the middle of nowhere. After reaching the nearest town, Del sells his remaining stock of shower curtain rings to buy bus tickets, but neglects to tell Neal that they are only valid to St. Louis. Del comes to the rescue with a rental car. Attempting to complete the journey by car, the reunited pair soon find themselves arguing again. They finally make it to Chicago, three days late, in the back of a refrigerated truck.

At the end Neal finally realizes Del has no family and he invites him to his house for Thanksgiving. It’s an entertaining movie with a sweet ending, just right for a family holiday.

plane trains and automobiles

In honor of Thanksgiving, here is one of my recipes for a family favorite ~ Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 cups milk
1 16 oz carton sour cream
5 1/2 cups shredded cheese (whatever kind you like. I usually use sharp cheddar)
Freshly ground black pepper
4 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1 large onion, sliced thin
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain.
Fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and crumble. Saute onions in bacon grease.
In a small saucepan mix the milk and sour cream. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, to keep lumps from forming. Layer in a greased 3 quart baking dish and top with cheese. Scrape into a 3-quart baking dish top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Twisting Tales One Story At A Time

21 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by Susan A. Royal in Interview

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Tags

Different Kind of Knight, knight in shining armor, Mary Waibel, MuseItUp, romance

Today I’m pleased to welcome Mary Waibel, another one of my fellow authors from MuseItUp. I am so lucky to be included in a group of diverse and interesting people.

YA Author Mary Waibel is a romantic at heart. Her love of fairy tales, fantasy, and happy-ever-after fill the pages of her stories.

When not twisting her own tales, she can be found with her nose buried in any book she can get her hands on. Some of her favorite authors are Nora Roberts, Shannon Hale, Lisa Shearin, and Kristin Cashore.

Mary lives in upstate New York with her wonderful husband, hockey player son, and two cats. Many a Friday or Saturday night she spends hours gaming with family and friends. In the fall and winter she can be found at the ice rink, cheering on her son and his team, and in the summer, she enjoys escaping with her family on camping trips all over the states.

Interacting with her readers is one of Mary’s favorite parts of being an author. You can find her at these sites:

Website: http://marywaibel.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormarywaibel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mewtweety14
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6456213.Mary_Waibel
Blog: http://waibelworld.blogspot.com

Mary Waibel

Since her 2013 debut with Quest of the Hart, Mary Waibel has been collecting 4 and 5 star reviews for her work.

Quest of the Hart
“It’s empowerment on paper.” ~Michelle Pickett, bestselling author of POD’s

Charmed Memories
“…while this story is immersed in fantasy land, their was a believability to the characters that enabled me that cherished connect I love to have with the characters.” ~Rachel T., The READING CAFE blog

Different Kind of Knight
“My favorite of the Princess of Valendria series, so far…there is action and adventure and strange and wondrous creatures, but mostly there are two people who you get to watch fall in love.” ~Kai Strand, author of The Super Villain series

The Mystery Prince
“…a sweet romance with a fairy tale feel…” ~Crystal Collier, author of the Maiden of Time series,

More reviews, and excerpts of Mary’s books, can be found on this page of her website: http://marywaibel.blogspot.com/p/books.html

Be sure to stop by Mary’s author site and sign up for her newsletter to keep informed about her latest news, as well as special offers, sneak peeks, and spotlights of other authors. http://marywaibel.blogspot.com

Different Kind of Knight

Through a twist of fate, Princess Gabrielle became First Knight of the King’s Elite Guard, a position always held by the second born male. She’s spent years proving to the Minsters of Faldaera she is capable of leading the king’s Army.

When mythical creatures plague her kingdom, Rielle is sent to capture Captain Brody, the alleged culprit behind the attacks and the man who broke her heart four years ago.

Brody, Crown Prince of Delphine, is living in self-imposed exile, atoning for the sins of his father. But Fate has different plans for him. Tired, beaten down, and ready to give up on life, he is tossed into the path of the one person he would do anything for―Princess Gabrielle.

With a traitor in her ranks, and a mark on her head, Brody joins forces with Rielle, hoping to keep the woman he loves safe. Happily-ever-after is not guaranteed, and mythical creatures aren’t the only danger the couple face. As battles rage, Rielle has the chance to prove herself a capable leader, but will doing so cost her the love of her life?

This is a fun part. Mary and I each decided to do a sketch on one of our characters. Below you find out a little something about Prince Brody and get it straight from the horse’s mouth.

I made arrangements to meet up with Prince Brody in the rose garden for a short interview before he and Princess Gabrielle left. Fortunately, the weather cooperated, and we enjoyed blue skies and birdsong as we talked.

Me: Thank you so much, Your Highness, for agreeing to see me this morning. I know you and the princess are anxious to get underway.

Brody: It’s my pleasure, and please, call me Brody or Captain.

Me: (arches brow) That seems a bit informal, I mean, you are the Crown Prince of Delphine.

Brody: (laughs) True, I am, but deep down, I’m just a simple man. You can leave the lofty titles for Devlin and Trevor.

Me: Well, then, Brody it is. So, things have been pretty rough for you the last year.

Brody: That’s an understatement. Learning my betrothed and cousin were killed was bad, learning my father was the culprit sent me over the edge. For a while, I thought I might never come back. I even considered giving up my kingdom.

Me: What happened to bring you back from the edge?

Brody: A girl from my past. (grins)

Me: Ah. Princess Gabrielle.

Brody: Yes. Rielle saved me from the edge and helped me find my way again.

Me: Interesting. When we spoke, she said you saved her.

Brody: Well, then I guess you could say we saved each other.

Me: How?

Brody: If you really want to know, you should read DIFFERENT KIND OF KNIGHT. It’s the story of how Rielle and I met, for the second time, and fell in love as I worked to keep her safe from the mystical creatures and traitors plaguing her kingdom.

Me: A love story with danger and strange creatures. How exciting. Where can we find your story?

Brody: DIFFERENT KIND OF KNIGHT is available from MuseItUp Publishing, Amazon, and most major retailers.

Me: Thanks, now before you go, would you mind a few rapid fire questions?

Brody: Go ahead.

Me: Coffee or tea?

Brody: Ale. It keeps better aboard ship.

Me: Favorite season?

Brody: Summer. Best time for sailing.

Me: Favorite color?

Brody: Amber, just like Rielle’s eyes.

Me: Beach or mountains?

Brody: Sea. Sorry, I’m being a bit of a rule breaker here.

Me: (chuckles) Nah, you’re just being truthful. Thank you again, and safe travels!

I especially requested to feature Different Kind of Knight, because I love the title. Mary has been kind enough to send me a copy of the book, and I can’t wait to sit down and devour it. It promises to be a great read.

Thanks so much for your time, Mary.

Autumn Leaves

12 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by Susan A. Royal in Interview

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

change of seasons, drive in the country, fall, leaves, Sunday afternoon

fall in the country

Another one of the traditions in our family is to take long drives out in the country, particularly during the changing of the seasons. When we first moved to east Texas, it thrilled me to learn we’d actually get to enjoy fall weather. In south Texas, where I was raised, it wasn’t unheard of to go trick or treating wearing shorts and flip flops or celebrate Thanksgiving with the air conditioner going full blast and sweating over the turkey.

fall swing

We’ve been known to drive for hours down oil top roads and over rickety bridges past old deserted houses and through cemeteries, stopping to look at the dates and wonder about the people laid to rest there. Who were they? Where did they come from? What were their dreams and hopes? We’ve driven past abandoned community centers and old school buildings that used to serve a community long gone.

And since we live within driving distance of Pittsburg, Carthage, Paris, Omaha, and Palestine, (Texas, that is) we can cover a lot of ground on a Sunday afternoon drive.

Dinner and A Movie Monday ~ Road To Perdition

10 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by Susan A. Royal in movie review

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Corned Beef, Daniel Craig, Jude Law, Paul Newman, Road To Perdition, Tom Hanks

Road To Perdition

The Road to Perdition is a 2002 movie, starring Tom Hanks who plays Mike Sullivan. In his son’s eyes, he’s an ordinary upper middle class father who works hard for a living to provide for his family. He goes to work every morning and comes home every night, but his job is far from ordinary. He works as a hit man for a living during the depression for Irish crime boss John Rooney, who has been a father figure to him. When Sullivan’s son is witness to Rooney’s execution and the rest of his family is killed, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run. He’s desperately trying to save the life his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him. Even though we witness what happens throughout the movie and realize what happens to his family was because of the choices he’s made in life, it’s still a poignant movie about the rites of passage. Sullivan still manages to be a father figure to his son, teaching him the same things fathers have taught their sons for years…how to be a man.
Others in the cast include Paul Newman, who plays John Rooney. He’s always been one of my favorite actors and not just because of those gorgeous blue eyes, either. In this film, he makes his character almost likeable. You feel real sympathy toward him, especially when he has to deal with his son, played by Daniel Craig, another one of my favorites. You love to hate his character, because he has no idea of concept of right or wrong. Jude Law is chilling as the hit man sent to kill Mike Sullivan. The music is haunting and the cinematography is beautiful
Road To Perdition
For dinner we’re having (what else?) Irish Stew
• Wash and cut onions into moderate size chunks and add to the pot. (dont like onions? Do not worry, this can still be cooked without onions).
• Wash carrots and cut into chunks (some prefer thicker chucks for taste).
• Wash and peel the potatoes (spuds) then cut each one in half.
• Slice the meat into smaller pieces. If using stewing mince roll into meatballs.
• Get a large pot and fill it with water. Add the potatoes and meat.
• Heat pot until water boils then add carrots and onions.
• Keep on a low boil and stir every now and then until vegetables are cooked.
• Serve hot!
Cooking time should be approximately 60 minutes or when the meat is fully cooked and the potatoes are soft inside (check using a fork).

A great big Texas Welcome to Margaret Fieland

07 Friday Nov 2014

Posted by Susan A. Royal in Interview

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

aliens, Broken Bonds, Margaret Fieland, MuseItUp, science-fiction

Margaret Fieland

Sit yourself down and have a glass of iced tea. Join me in welcoming Margaret today. We’re going to get a peek at her writing and learn some interesting things about her. Let’s start with her bio.

Born and raised in New York City, Margaret Fieland has been around art and music all her life. Her poems and stories have appeared in journals such as Turbulence Magazine, Front Range Review, and All Rights Reserved. She is one of the Poetic Muselings. Their poetry anthology, Lifelines, was published by Inkspotter Publishing in November, 2011. She is the author of Relocated, Geek Games, and Broken Bonds, published by MuseItUp Publishing , and of Sand in the Desert, a collection of science fiction persona poems. A chapter book is due out later this year.

brokenbonds

Broken Bonds Blurb and excerpt:

Sex with aliens? How about romance with aliens? A treason accusation? Brad Reynolds has his hands full. When Major Brad Reynolds is assigned to head the Terran Federation base on planet Aleyne, the last thing he expects to find is love, and certainly not with one of the alien Aleyni. How can he keep his lover, in the face of political maneuvering and of Ardaval’s feelings for his former partners — and theirs for him?

Brad clasped Ardaval’s outstretched hand, and the other man’s suppressed arousal flowed over him. Aleyni considered the touch of hands an intimate gesture because the contact conveyed the other person’s thoughts and emotions. Brad may not have the mind speech abilities of the average Aleyni, but by God, he was empath enough to get plenty from Ardaval’s touch.

They started to amble around the building. Bright red and purple flowers swayed in a light breeze, and the sun blazed out of a bright blue sky.

“Tell me something about yourself,” Ardaval said.

Brad grinned. “I’m single, no entanglements.”

Ardaval nodded and stopped walking. They’d come perhaps half way around the building, and the other officers and a couple of Aleyni stared at them through the large windows. “Any family?”

“I have two sisters, both younger, both married and living on New Arizona.”

Brad glanced at the mountains visible across the glittering desert sands. The rocks showed purple instead of the red of his home world, and a wave of homesickness flowed over him. He wanted to visit his family; he last visited New Arizona more than five years ago.

Ardaval glanced at the gawkers before they continued around the building.

“New Arizona is where the first ship to encounter the Aleynis settled and formed
their colony.”

“Yes. My grandfather claims we’re descended from a couple of the first ship’s
officers.”

“Aleynis settled there, along with the original colonists, I believe,” Ardaval
said.

“A number of Aleyni joined the Terran settlers, and now New Arizona has a sizable Aleyni population.” Brad peered into a window as they walked past, and one of the officers stared back. Too bad. He would give a lot to be alone with Ardaval.

“Come visit me.” Ardaval turned Brad’s hand over and kissed the palm.

“A spectacularly bad idea.” Brad smiled, and his eyes crinkled at the corners.

Ardaval nodded. “But you’ll come nonetheless.”

As Ardaval strode away, Brad contemplated the other man’s retreating back. He’d visit. He wouldn’t be able to help himself.

Here are some more fun facts about Margaret:

What made you finally get serious about writing?
I’d written poetry for years, poetry that I scribbled in notebooks. Then one day I wrote a poem I wanted to keep, and be able to find again – the notebooks were kind of hard to search {wry grin}, especially as my handwriting is atrocious. So I found a couple of online communities and stored my poems there. They didn’t stay there; one of my sons turned me on to Yahoo Briefcase. I now use Google Drive and MS Onedrive to store copies of my documents.

But anyway, to return to the question, one Chrismas vacation I was alone in the house and decided to read one of my favorite online poetry ezines (now defunct, alas). They were having a contest, and I had a poem handy which I submitted. The poem was one of four finalists. It didn’t win, but, thus encouraged, I started submitting for publication, taking courses, keeping track of my poems, and the like.

Later that year I came across the Muse Online Writers Conference and ‘met’ Linda Barnett Johnson. I wanted to join her writing forums, but she required everyone to write fiction as well as poetry. I started writing fiction then, and got hooked.

I had a similar experience with an online contest and it gave me the confidence to take things a step further.

Name a book/author you can read again and again and always learn something new.
My favorite book to return to is Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. I am a big fan of his poetry and can still recite the first two stanzas of Jabberwocky from memory. You Are Old, Father William, is another favorite. There are so many wonderful, whimsical moments in the Alice books.

Isn’t it funny how books from our childhood seem to stay with us forever?

Tell us about your current WIP.
I’m working on a prequel to the Novels of Aleyne series. It recounts the first encounter between the Terrans (us) and the Aleynis. It’s going pretty smoothly so far {knock wood}, especially as I have Constance Trusdatter’s poems and journal to work with.

Give us an interesting or fun fact about your book/series (one we couldn’t possibly know).
So who, you may ask, is Constance Trusdatter, and what the blazes do her poems and journal have to do with the prequel?

I started writing Relocated, the first Aleyne novel, for 2010 NaNo. Up until then the longest thing I’d written was about 15,000 words, a preteen novel that I’ve set aside because it needs a complete rewrite. I was worried about making the word count, and moreover, I wanted to participate in Robert Lee Brewer’s November poem-a-day chapbook challenge.

What I did was create an imaginary poet, Raketh Namar, and wrote thirty of his poems. A number of them are included in Relocated, and I published the entire collection, Sand in the Desert.

When I started writing Geek Games for 2011 NaNo I did the same thing: created an imaginary poet. I created Constance Trusdatter and wrote not only thirty of her poems, but also her journal, which recounts a bit about the first encounter of the Terrans and Aleynis. I don’t yet know how much of the journal will end up in the finished novel, but it does give me a rough outline of how I imagined the events.

I’m realizing there’s a ton of research and background necessary when writing. If we included all of it in our book, we’d be guilty of the infamous info-dump. But it’s all important, whether or not it ever makes its way there. We need to know our characters’ background and how they will react to things.

What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
Walk my dogs. Make a mess in the kitchen. Play music. Read. I’m a total book junkie.

What is the one thing you never seem to have enough time for?
Right now it’s playing music. I almost always get side tracked when I start to play. It doesn’t help that my playing causes my spouse’s ears to ring, or that the upper register on my piccolo gets our dogs to howling.

Margaret, it’s been great getting to know you better. Thanks for coming and good luck with your book sales.

Website: http://www.margaretfieland.com/
Blog: http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/
Email: margaret.fieland@gmail.com
Buy links:

Publisher’s website:
http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/new-releases/broken-bonds-detail

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Bonds-Novels-Aleyne-ebook/dp/B00E5SGVSS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1374851946&sr=1-1

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/broken-bonds-margaret-fieland/1116214695?ean=2940148784913
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/broken-bonds

Where to find me on the web:

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/margaretfieland/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/margaret.fielandAuthor
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/madcapmaggie
goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4417476.Margaret_Fieland

A Starry, Starry Night

05 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by Susan A. Royal in article

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

dancing under the stars, firepit, hot chocolate, smores, telling stories

A starry, starry night

One of the things my family loves to do on a crisp fall evening is to have a fire in the fire pit. Sweaters, blankets and quilts are rounded up, fire wood gathered, coffee brewed or hot chocolate made. Someone usually digs through the pantry ing the hopes of finding ingredients for s’mores and make a mad dash to the store if necessary.

When everything is ready, we circle the chairs around a blazing fire and talk. No television and no electronics. We actually spend time communicating with one another. Even the kids.

It’s always a good opportunity for story telling. I love to share the old stories my grandparents and parents passed down to me while spending an evening on the front porch swing or one of those old metal gliders that squeaked. I always preferred to stretch across the cool concrete and listen to them talk about things that happened long before I was born.

We all have lots of stories to draw from, whether it’s camping trips that flirted with disaster or one of the numerous road trips taken through the years. Someone might even bring up the one about the year two cats got into a fight…in the branches of the Christmas Tree. And we laugh no matter how many times they’re told.

Last year I was fortunate enough to make a very special memory, and one I find myself revisiting often. It was a cool, clear night in October with ground fog creeping across the fields beyond the house. The moon was yellow and full. My grandson, Caleb, was seven at the time and full of energy. He was twirling around in circles beside the fire. He insisted he was dancing and kept insisting that I join him.

“Oh, honey,” I said. “It’s really dark out here, and I can’t see what I’m doing. I might fall down and break my ankle.”

“Take my hand, Granny,” he said, reaching out for me. “I won’t let you fall.”

How could I refuse? That’s how I ended up, dancing with my grandson under the stars on a beautiful fall night. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

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