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FREE eBook on Amazon KDP 18-22 January 2021 –download now! |
Did you know that your pantry probably contains the same substances used by Ancient Egyptians to make mummies? I’m not seriously suggesting you try this at home, but the main substance used to pack the cleaned organs and body was natron; a combination of sodium carbonate and baking soda. A simple marinade of wine and spices was used to clean the removed internal organs. (Personally, I prefer to drink the wine! - but that's just me). While oil, another common kitchen staple was used to rinse residues out of the abdominal cavity - the variety was probably cedar. Next we might have to raid the laundry for wads of linen to stuff under the skin to plump out sunken cheeks. (Ancient botox???). From outside yards we could scavenge sawdust or mud to top up the body’s cavity (tar was another favourite). The entire contents of the linen cupboard might have to be sacrificed to wrap the Mummy in multiple resin soaked layers. Looting the jewellery box would be our next step as precious gems and magic amulets were often inserted inside the linen layers. Stretched out these bandages could measure 2.5 km! The Ancient Egyptians believed their ka (spirit) required their physical body so they mummified it to last forever. It’s an interesting concept and one I explored in Golden Scarab with the High Priest committing a sacrilege not only against the physical body of his foe, but stealing his afterlife, too. |
Other Fantasy Stories by Wendy Scott
Once again, thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of this post. Good luck on winning my giveaways! I’ll see you at the next stop of this awesome BLOCK PARTY!
Congratulations to the winners:
(2) $5 Amazon gift cards - Charles Jones & Ted Berner
(2) ebook copies of Lodestone - Gracie Bradford & John Podlaski
(2) ebook copies of Tiger House - A. M. Manay & Mark Bierman
(2) ebook copies of Ferrasium - Forrest Stepnowski & John Fioravanti
(2) $5 Amazon gift cards - Charles Jones & Ted Berner
(2) ebook copies of Lodestone - Gracie Bradford & John Podlaski
(2) ebook copies of Tiger House - A. M. Manay & Mark Bierman
(2) ebook copies of Ferrasium - Forrest Stepnowski & John Fioravanti
Please welcome Karl Morgan #RRBC Spotlight Author July 2019!
CARL PRESCOTT AND THE DEMON QUEEN
Carl Prescott may have saved the world from the Beast, but the duties of the Invisible Hand never end. The story begins when a medieval castle is discovered hidden beneath the Thorndike Institution. While the professors search for clues, our hero is summoned to Hell to meet the demon Sylvia. She once ruled a satanic kingdom in Eastern Europe from that castle, and will do so again.
There is much more to this beautiful woman than evil intentions. To stop her plan, Carl must first understand why she is so focused on him. To learn the truth, he must face God, Satan, and Death. In this nonstop action-packed adventure, he must stand at the Crossroads of Existence and cross the Rope Bridge to meet his destiny.
If he succeeds, life can return to normal. If not, the galaxy and every soul therein will be devoured by a voracious black hole, which even God will be powerless to stop.
There is much more to this beautiful woman than evil intentions. To stop her plan, Carl must first understand why she is so focused on him. To learn the truth, he must face God, Satan, and Death. In this nonstop action-packed adventure, he must stand at the Crossroads of Existence and cross the Rope Bridge to meet his destiny.
If he succeeds, life can return to normal. If not, the galaxy and every soul therein will be devoured by a voracious black hole, which even God will be powerless to stop.
Author Bio:
Karl Morgan has a lifelong fascination with stories in the science fiction and fantasy genres, whether it was the Tom Swift novels by Victor Appleton he read as a young boy, or television like Lost in Space and Star Trek, and especially films like Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. All of those tales put the protagonist in terrible situations where the odds are against them and, yet, somehow they prevail. The reader/viewer is always left with a sense that something greater than ourselves is watching over us.
In his new Carl Prescott young adult fantasy series, the journey continues as our hero faces terrible danger and odds to help his friends and family. At the end, he will learn new things that will change his perspective on life.
Karl lives in the San Diego area with his best, four-legged friend, his toy poodle Chachis.
Follow Karl online:
Twitter
Facebook
Website
Karl Morgan has a lifelong fascination with stories in the science fiction and fantasy genres, whether it was the Tom Swift novels by Victor Appleton he read as a young boy, or television like Lost in Space and Star Trek, and especially films like Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. All of those tales put the protagonist in terrible situations where the odds are against them and, yet, somehow they prevail. The reader/viewer is always left with a sense that something greater than ourselves is watching over us.
In his new Carl Prescott young adult fantasy series, the journey continues as our hero faces terrible danger and odds to help his friends and family. At the end, he will learn new things that will change his perspective on life.
Karl lives in the San Diego area with his best, four-legged friend, his toy poodle Chachis.
Follow Karl online:
Website
Lessons I have learned about the writing proces
It is hard, sort of.
For me, writing comes in spurts of inspiration. When the muse is sitting beside me, ideas pour from my mind through my fingers and onto the screen in front of me. At times, I beg my fingers to type as quickly as the thoughts coursing through my cerebral cortex. By the time my muse takes a nap, hours may have passed and I feel wonderful and excited for what comes next. My second sci-fi novel comes to mind. It is entitled The Second Predaxian War. The rough draft for that 60,000 word story was written in four weeks. Those are the good times.
Good times are not that common. Carl Prescott and the Sleeping One is illustrative. While I do not remember how long the rough draft took, six months passed between the day I started and the day I sent it to my editor for review. The book was somewhat longer than the earlier example, but not six times longer. There were other reasons for the longer period, such as my employment situation, working to publish earlier novels, etc.
The only advice I would offer on the process is to not reread your story until the rough draft is complete. The two best days in an author’s life are the publication date and the day the rough draft is complete. On that day, you are an author. You have written a book. Starting over and trying to fix problems is a death knell. You may decide massive rewrites are needed, or worst of all, you may decide the whole book sucks. In effect, you are denying your right to be an author. Do not do that. There is plenty of time, I mean really a lot of time, to fix it once the words “the end” are typed at the bottom of the last page.
Write for the reader, not yourself.
Some time ago, I read a book by a well-known author about the writing process. He warned writers about telling their own story, especially in memoir form. There are two exceptions to that. One, if you are a famous celebrity (film, TV, music, politics), millions will buy your book to learn about your every habit. Two, if you have been through some terrible times due to illness, war, and the like, others in the same position may flock to your story to find solace in their own lives. For the rest of us, we have to entertain our readers. While we will make the story our own by incorporating our beliefs and convictions, the reader must have an incentive to read it. Being a guy, I like fast-paced action stories, which is exactly what I prefer to write as well. In essence, we are screenplay writers, actors, directors, and producers all rolled into one. Write something to make people glad for the experience of turning each page.
Do not give up.
Yes, I have written quite a few stories, and yes, I wish more books were sold. One thing I have learned about myself is that storytelling is my passion. I hope one day to be able to focus on marketing more. That may have to wait until I give up my day job. At my age, that is not too far away. With the online tools now available to writers, all I pay for is editing and cover illustration. That means I am free to do what I love for a long time to come. That pleases me immensely. If you feel the same as I do about writing, please realized how blessed we are to share our words with the world.
For me, writing comes in spurts of inspiration. When the muse is sitting beside me, ideas pour from my mind through my fingers and onto the screen in front of me. At times, I beg my fingers to type as quickly as the thoughts coursing through my cerebral cortex. By the time my muse takes a nap, hours may have passed and I feel wonderful and excited for what comes next. My second sci-fi novel comes to mind. It is entitled The Second Predaxian War. The rough draft for that 60,000 word story was written in four weeks. Those are the good times.
Good times are not that common. Carl Prescott and the Sleeping One is illustrative. While I do not remember how long the rough draft took, six months passed between the day I started and the day I sent it to my editor for review. The book was somewhat longer than the earlier example, but not six times longer. There were other reasons for the longer period, such as my employment situation, working to publish earlier novels, etc.
The only advice I would offer on the process is to not reread your story until the rough draft is complete. The two best days in an author’s life are the publication date and the day the rough draft is complete. On that day, you are an author. You have written a book. Starting over and trying to fix problems is a death knell. You may decide massive rewrites are needed, or worst of all, you may decide the whole book sucks. In effect, you are denying your right to be an author. Do not do that. There is plenty of time, I mean really a lot of time, to fix it once the words “the end” are typed at the bottom of the last page.
Write for the reader, not yourself.
Some time ago, I read a book by a well-known author about the writing process. He warned writers about telling their own story, especially in memoir form. There are two exceptions to that. One, if you are a famous celebrity (film, TV, music, politics), millions will buy your book to learn about your every habit. Two, if you have been through some terrible times due to illness, war, and the like, others in the same position may flock to your story to find solace in their own lives. For the rest of us, we have to entertain our readers. While we will make the story our own by incorporating our beliefs and convictions, the reader must have an incentive to read it. Being a guy, I like fast-paced action stories, which is exactly what I prefer to write as well. In essence, we are screenplay writers, actors, directors, and producers all rolled into one. Write something to make people glad for the experience of turning each page.
Do not give up.
Yes, I have written quite a few stories, and yes, I wish more books were sold. One thing I have learned about myself is that storytelling is my passion. I hope one day to be able to focus on marketing more. That may have to wait until I give up my day job. At my age, that is not too far away. With the online tools now available to writers, all I pay for is editing and cover illustration. That means I am free to do what I love for a long time to come. That pleases me immensely. If you feel the same as I do about writing, please realized how blessed we are to share our words with the world.
Hexborn. Abomination. Unclean. Young Shiloh knows exactly what she is. She just refuses to let that stop her. Her illness might make her an outcast, but her broken body hides great magical power. And she intends to make the most of it. Silas, the king’s ruthless fixer, seeks to use that power to preserve the uneasy peace the kingdom has enjoyed since the end of the Siblings’ War. Silas hauls Shiloh from her mountain village to the wizard academy at the king’s court, where magic and political intrigue conspire to create danger around every corner. Can this child of war save the peace? Or will old sins rise to threaten Shiloh, Silas, and the kingdom of Bryn? |
My 5* Review:
One of the best fantasy stories I've read!
The cover alone called me to grab this book - absolutely gorgeous! Shiloh's story hooked me from the first page with action and questions, and without being burdened with too much backstory (this was deftly fused into the story). A first rate YA fantasy story with superb and seamless world building. The characterization was in depth and I empathized strongly with Shiloh. Clever plot elements enhanced this royal tale of bigotry, court intrigue, and treason. Witchcraft at its best and richly deserving of all five stars! Loved it and I will soon be reading, Unclean, book 2, in the series.
One of the best fantasy stories I've read!
The cover alone called me to grab this book - absolutely gorgeous! Shiloh's story hooked me from the first page with action and questions, and without being burdened with too much backstory (this was deftly fused into the story). A first rate YA fantasy story with superb and seamless world building. The characterization was in depth and I empathized strongly with Shiloh. Clever plot elements enhanced this royal tale of bigotry, court intrigue, and treason. Witchcraft at its best and richly deserving of all five stars! Loved it and I will soon be reading, Unclean, book 2, in the series.
Fantasy Author
Wendy Scott shares her thoughts on writing & features books she loves to read.
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