Sooooo, I've been given permission to post this one time only teaser of the newest Iron Fey book, The Lost Prince. This is Ethan's story, and I hope you enjoy it! Without further ado, here it is:
***
My name is Ethan Chase.
And last night, I found out that my sister, whom I hadn't seen in nearly thirteen years, was dead.
Worse, they say she was found with Puck's dagger plunged through her heart, and a note pinned to the blade.
The note only said three words...
HAPPY APRIL FOOLS!
:P
***
Ahahahaha, oh the look on your face! I love this holiday!
-Puck
>:D
Showing posts with label Randomness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Randomness. Show all posts
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Hotties Of Lit
Soooooo...
This post is all about HOT GUYS. That's right, this totally random post is the brainchild of Marni Bates and several other YA authors (including yours truly) who really just wanted an excuse to post pics of hot guys and giggle and swoon over them. And so you may giggle and swoon over them as well.
So, onward to HottiesOfLit.
WARNING: Major, uber, unapologetic geekiness ahead. You'e been warned.
Okay, so here's the thing. I'm one of those weird, geeky girls who don't really swoon over many real guys. And by that I mean living people. Barring one exception, which of course would be...
BIN BONS (aka Ben Barnes)
My love for Ben is nothing new. I've said for a long time that if I could choose my perfect Ash, Ben would be it. I mean, look how perfect he is.
Yep, that is my Ash, and there's no talking me out of it. ;)
But, other then BinBons, I really don't have any living actors or hot guys that instantly jump to mind. In fact, if you want to meet the boys who give me the most inspiration, and the ones I've swooned over, you'll have to turn away from movies and television, and look to video games and anime.
That's right. Let me introduce you to:
MY TOP SWOONIEST BOYS OF ALL TIME
Swoony boy #1
Squall Leonhart
Final Fantasy VIII
I was obsessed, OBSESSED, with Final Fantasy VIII, mostly because of this boy here. Squall Leonhart, the angsty, taciturn, brooding lone wolf and reluctant hero. His story of how he went from a hostile, closed off soldier to a leader willing to sacrifice everything for the ones he loved was one of the most inspiring stories I'd ever experienced. And of course, the love story was fantastic.
More pics of Squall. It's okay, feel free to drool over a drawing.
And let me include one of the best moments of FFVIII. Final Fantasy fans, I'm sure you remember this. I'm sure you squee-ed over it as much as I did. That and the ending.
Swoony boy #2
Cloud Strife
Final Fantasy VII
Yes, its another broody angsty FF boy! Seriously, though, this game is what started my obsession with Final Fantasy. From the second Cloud leaped off that train, I was hooked. And when THAT moment came (FF fans, you know the one I'm talking about, the one with a certain flower girl and a one-winged devil) I screeched in shock along with the rest of the gaming world. More on THAT swoony man later. But here is Cloud, in all his angsty glory.
Sob along with me, now. Oh, Aerith. *sniffles* The ending of Advant Children KILLED me. Ripped my heart out and stomped on it. It was absolutely glorious.
Cloud being a bad-ass, because he is.
Swoony boy #3
chaos
Xenosaga
chaos isn't the type of boy I usually go for. He's not angsty, hostile, brooding, or tormented. He's the exact opposite, actually: kind, helpful, sweet, caring. He never complains, keeps his own council, and hangs back in the shadows, giving everyone else the spotlight. But he was the most mysterious character of the entire Xenosaga series, and the secrets he carried were staggering. (Seriously, once you knew who he really was, you were like WHAT?!?) He was a stoic and could appear melencholic at times, though he never burdened anyone with his secrets and always helped whenever he could. I fell hard for his character, which is why he earns a special spot in my swoony boy list, as the only one who is not a typical bad boy.
A tiny hint as to chaos really is.
HOT BOYS OF ANIME
Oh, ho, you thought we were done, didn't you? Nope, my list of swoony boys doesn't just include video games. I love the boys of manga and anime, too. Here are a FEW of my favorites.
(Note: I love most of these boys because of the stories that surround them, not just because they're nice to look at. Okay, so there's that, too.)
Tamahome
Fushigi Yugi
One of the most epic love stories in anime. (Even though the "Miaka!" "Tamahome!" got a little grating after a bit.)
Heero Yuy
Gundam Wing
"Omae o korosu."
Uchiha Sasuke
Naruto
Vash the Stampede
Trigun
Love and PEACE!
Sesshomaru
Inuyasha
Yeah, he's a villian and a (literal) demon, but he's so much more elegant and refined then that hot headed brother of his.
Tooya
Ayashi no Ceres
A few pics of him and Aya, because they're adorable together.
And, we come to the special mention of this post. The swoony hot guy who is probably the most infamous yet sexy villian in all of gamer-dom. He's so infamous, he has popped up not only in his original game, but a movie that came after it, and several other games, as the ultimate unbeatable bad guy. And he is sexy, there is no denying it.
Of course, I'm talking about...
The infamous Sephiroth.
Final Fantasy XII, Advant Children, Kindom Hearts, other
Sephiroth was the inspiration for the villian in The Iron King. Ever wondered what Machina looked like? Wonder no further.
Yup, Sephiroth is a bad ass and he knows it.
So that is my incredibaly geeky post on my favorite swoony boys of video games and anime. Its not the whole list, of course, because then we would be here all week. But these are a few of my standouts, the boys and the stories who inspire me, who make me sigh and laugh and sob and write heartbreaking, tragic endings to my novels. I hoped you had as much fun reading as I had writing this, and be sure to check out some of the other participating blogs and the hashtag #HottiesofLit on twitter for more pics of swoony hot guys.
Also check back later tonight to see who won the signed Immortal Rules arc!
Until next time,
Julie
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Chicks just wanna have fun
Are you getting tired of chickie pix yet?
Too bad.
Today I took the girls out and let them run around the office for a bit. I scattered some grass clippings about so they could have something to peck at, but they seemed much more interested in the bag of wood chips in the corner. It was so cute watching them run around in a little flock, like schooling fish. Or, chickens.
Chickies having fun:
Chickie closeup
Ooh, what's THAT?
Office chicks.
Aren't they cute? I wish they could stay this size forever. I also wish my office had tile or linoleum instead of carpet. Messy chickies!
Julie
Too bad.
Today I took the girls out and let them run around the office for a bit. I scattered some grass clippings about so they could have something to peck at, but they seemed much more interested in the bag of wood chips in the corner. It was so cute watching them run around in a little flock, like schooling fish. Or, chickens.
Chickies having fun:
Chickie closeup
Ooh, what's THAT?
Office chicks.
Aren't they cute? I wish they could stay this size forever. I also wish my office had tile or linoleum instead of carpet. Messy chickies!
Julie
Friday, March 9, 2012
Chickie Day
So today was an exciting day.
It was CHICKIE day.
Yes, I mean baby chickens. What did you think?
These little guys, sorry little girls, will be for eggs only. And maybe spider eaters. The hubby and I have a nice coop for them when they're big enough, but for now, they're staying in one corner of my office, peeping. LOUDLY. Who knew something that small could produce such an earsplitting noise? Ah well, the joys of animal husbandry. Here are those pics I promised.
New arrivals. A six pack of peepers, lol.
In their new home.
Close up.
2 Chicks on books, LOL! (This is for you, Jamie and Patricia.)
%&@#%!
Oh so fluffy! I think my days just got a lot more interesting. ^__^ What do you think?
Edit:
So, it seems one of the six chickies has decided that I am her mother. If I put her in the box with the others, she peeps and tries to leap out (which is hilarious as she can only jump an inch and a half). But if I take her out, she settles down and is happy.
I foresee a long night ahead, lol.
Julie
It was CHICKIE day.
Yes, I mean baby chickens. What did you think?
These little guys, sorry little girls, will be for eggs only. And maybe spider eaters. The hubby and I have a nice coop for them when they're big enough, but for now, they're staying in one corner of my office, peeping. LOUDLY. Who knew something that small could produce such an earsplitting noise? Ah well, the joys of animal husbandry. Here are those pics I promised.
New arrivals. A six pack of peepers, lol.
In their new home.
Close up.
2 Chicks on books, LOL! (This is for you, Jamie and Patricia.)
%&@#%!
Oh so fluffy! I think my days just got a lot more interesting. ^__^ What do you think?
Edit:
So, it seems one of the six chickies has decided that I am her mother. If I put her in the box with the others, she peeps and tries to leap out (which is hilarious as she can only jump an inch and a half). But if I take her out, she settles down and is happy.
I foresee a long night ahead, lol.
Julie
Monday, March 5, 2012
Winter Wonderland
So, today I woke up and the world looked like this:
That's a lot of snow, especially for KY, in March. Maybe Ash is in a mood again. :P
Dodger: "I wanna go out and play."
Stitch: "Where did the ground go?"
That's a lot of snow, especially for KY, in March. Maybe Ash is in a mood again. :P
Dodger: "I wanna go out and play."
Stitch: "Where did the ground go?"
Monday, February 6, 2012
Ash, Meghan, and Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is coming!
The holiday of loooooooooooooooove, in all its sappy glory. Lol, I happen to love Valentine's Day, and as a special treat for all my fans who've been so good to me, I was inspired to write a short story with Meghan and Ash, and how they spend their first Valentine's Day.
It is nearly five thousand words of shameless FLUFF, so be warned.
The short story, AN IRON FEY VALENTINE, will be posted here on February 14th, and also at theironfey.com, so be sure to check back, and spread the word.
See you on February 14th. Until then, please enjoy these teasers. :)
***
"Relax, Ash. Humans do this all the time. It's called a date."
"So, you're implying that this...Valentine's ritural involves courtship. Dinner, flowers, that sort of thing?"
"Also, that means no swords, knives, or ice-daggers, Ash. Leave all sharp pointy weapons at home."
The holiday of loooooooooooooooove, in all its sappy glory. Lol, I happen to love Valentine's Day, and as a special treat for all my fans who've been so good to me, I was inspired to write a short story with Meghan and Ash, and how they spend their first Valentine's Day.
It is nearly five thousand words of shameless FLUFF, so be warned.
The short story, AN IRON FEY VALENTINE, will be posted here on February 14th, and also at theironfey.com, so be sure to check back, and spread the word.
See you on February 14th. Until then, please enjoy these teasers. :)
***
"Relax, Ash. Humans do this all the time. It's called a date."
"So, you're implying that this...Valentine's ritural involves courtship. Dinner, flowers, that sort of thing?"
"Also, that means no swords, knives, or ice-daggers, Ash. Leave all sharp pointy weapons at home."
Monday, January 2, 2012
Dystopian vs. Post-apocalyptic
So, 2011 has come and gone, and we welcome in 2012 with hopes and dreams and the excitement of all the cool books coming out this year. The blogging world has been awash with these lists of "must-have" books of 2012, making me realize two things.
1. There are a LOT of dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels coming out this year.
2. There are a LOT of people who think they are one and the same.
And, since I myself have a post-apocalyptic vampire novel coming out in 2012, I thought I would try to clear things up. Post-apocalyptic and dystopian are not the same. They are two different beasts; though they have similar qualities, it is wrong to lump them together. Here are my thoughts on why:
DYSTOPIAN
Dystopian has been the popular term of late, the catch-phrase for all novels that feature a futuristic society, a world-ending event, survivors fighting against horrific conditions, etc. However, a dystopian novel is about a SOCIETY where something has gone terribly wrong. Many times, the society's evil and corruption is portrayed as normal, as in the Hunger Games where Tribute Day was a day of celebration. Other times, the evil is hidden, though there are always hints just below the perfectly groomed facade. Dystopian is the opposite of Utopian, where society IS perfect and everyone is happy, except the utopian society almost always turns out to be dystopian, because a perfect society would make for a very boring book.
Dystopian and post-apocalyptic can be easily confused, because a dystopian society usually rises from the ashes of a post-apocalyptic event. However, a dystopian novel's focus is on the society, and everything wrong with it, rather then the event itself.
Examples of Dystopian novels: The Hunger Games, 1984, Matched, Uglies
POST-APOCALYPTIC
A post-apocalyptic novel, on the other hand, is about a world-changing, cataclysmic event: floods, zombies, the super flu, earthquakes, solar flares, the moon falling out of alignment, etc. The event could have already happened, or is in the process of happening, but post-apocalyptic novels are about the survivors and how they deal with this new, deadly world. It could even have hints of dystopian in it, as new societies emerge from the remains of civilization. But a Post-apocalyptic novel is about the survivors, and everything they face after the world ends.
Examples of Post-apocalyptic novels: The Road, Life as we Knew it, The Stand, Ashes Ashes.
Is it possible for a novel to be both? Yes, absolutely. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan comes to mind. Clearly, the world has fallen to the zombie apocalypse, but the novel is also about the village and the society surrounded by the forest. So there are crossovers. But I wanted to point out the differences between dystopian and post-apocalyptic, because they are not the same. So when you do get that book you've been dying to read, you'll know what to call it. ;)
Note that this is just one person's opinion on the matter. Feel free to discuss or argue the point in the comments, though please keep it clean. I am in no way an authority on all things dystopian/post-apocalyptic; this is just my understanding of the differences between them.
1. There are a LOT of dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels coming out this year.
2. There are a LOT of people who think they are one and the same.
And, since I myself have a post-apocalyptic vampire novel coming out in 2012, I thought I would try to clear things up. Post-apocalyptic and dystopian are not the same. They are two different beasts; though they have similar qualities, it is wrong to lump them together. Here are my thoughts on why:
DYSTOPIAN
Dystopian has been the popular term of late, the catch-phrase for all novels that feature a futuristic society, a world-ending event, survivors fighting against horrific conditions, etc. However, a dystopian novel is about a SOCIETY where something has gone terribly wrong. Many times, the society's evil and corruption is portrayed as normal, as in the Hunger Games where Tribute Day was a day of celebration. Other times, the evil is hidden, though there are always hints just below the perfectly groomed facade. Dystopian is the opposite of Utopian, where society IS perfect and everyone is happy, except the utopian society almost always turns out to be dystopian, because a perfect society would make for a very boring book.
Dystopian and post-apocalyptic can be easily confused, because a dystopian society usually rises from the ashes of a post-apocalyptic event. However, a dystopian novel's focus is on the society, and everything wrong with it, rather then the event itself.
Examples of Dystopian novels: The Hunger Games, 1984, Matched, Uglies
POST-APOCALYPTIC
A post-apocalyptic novel, on the other hand, is about a world-changing, cataclysmic event: floods, zombies, the super flu, earthquakes, solar flares, the moon falling out of alignment, etc. The event could have already happened, or is in the process of happening, but post-apocalyptic novels are about the survivors and how they deal with this new, deadly world. It could even have hints of dystopian in it, as new societies emerge from the remains of civilization. But a Post-apocalyptic novel is about the survivors, and everything they face after the world ends.
Examples of Post-apocalyptic novels: The Road, Life as we Knew it, The Stand, Ashes Ashes.
Is it possible for a novel to be both? Yes, absolutely. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan comes to mind. Clearly, the world has fallen to the zombie apocalypse, but the novel is also about the village and the society surrounded by the forest. So there are crossovers. But I wanted to point out the differences between dystopian and post-apocalyptic, because they are not the same. So when you do get that book you've been dying to read, you'll know what to call it. ;)
Note that this is just one person's opinion on the matter. Feel free to discuss or argue the point in the comments, though please keep it clean. I am in no way an authority on all things dystopian/post-apocalyptic; this is just my understanding of the differences between them.
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