Monday, October 14, 2019

Wielder's Prize Launch Day!

After a long wait, my YA fantasy adventure, Wielder's Prize is NOW AVAILABLE to buy on Amazon as an ebook and a paperback.
To survive the outside forces, she must first control the inside forces.

Snatched from the only home she’s ever known aboard the Wielder’s Prize, Jasmine is forced to work as a crew member of a different ship. To survive, Jasmine must dodge her captor who has a personal vendetta against her, outsmart a fearsome magic wielder who has taken a dangerous interest in her, and get back to her ship. Somehow.

Just when she thinks things couldn’t get worse, she learns she too is a wielder—an untrained wielder who is a threat to everyone on board if she can’t control her magic. And she’s not the only out-of-control wielder on the high seas. The secret of that wielder could shatter everything Jasmine thought she knew. 

Time and hope is running out. At any cost, she must get back to her ship and discover the truth behind all the secrets before everything is lost.

Please spread the word far and wide!!

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Don't own a kindle? I decided to go exclusive with Amazon to start with. If you don't own a kindle, you can still read my ebook via Amazon's FREE kindle app.

Why the Pen Name? If you're curious about why I chose to go with the pen name, Elle Cardy, check out my explanation HERE.

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Mini Blog Tour:
Today (14th Oct)
Guest post at Jacqui Murray's blog 
Guest post at Patricia Josephine's blog 

Review of my book by Tyrean Martinson
Spotlight and review on Juneta Key's blog

Follower News on Literary Rambles

Tomorrow (15th Oct) 
GIVEAWAY on Literary Rambles

Next week (21st Oct)
Guest post on Susan Kelley's blog


Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Benefits of Reading Plus Books to Read #IWSG


YA Fantasy Adventure set on the high seas.

A tense adventure that will keep you guessing with all of its wicked twists and turns. – Alex J. Cavanaugh, best-selling author

Jasmine’s whole life is a lie. It isn’t until she’s snatched and forced to work on another ship that she learns how much of a lie it has been. Not only can she wield, but she’s a danger to everyone if she can’t control her magic. And worse: there’s another out-of-control wielder out there who wants her dead.

That's the short version. If you want the longer version, check it out on Amazon.

My release date is coming up fast. So super fast!! Less than two weeks! I'm so crazy busy getting ready for it. Wielder's Prize is my debut. If you haven't guessed already, the ebook is currently available for preorder. Get it now, because once it hits the shelves on October 14th the price will go up.

Please spread the word!!
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The IWSG Question of the month: It's been said that the benefits of becoming a writer who does not read is that all your ideas are new and original. Everything you do is an extension of yourself, instead of a mixture of you and another author. On the other hand, how can you expect other people to want your writing, if you don't enjoy reading? What are your thoughts?

There are no benefits for a writer not to read. None whatsoever.  You’d be doing yourself a disservice by not reading. You’ll also find that most of your ideas won’t be original because your ideas will still be coming from other inputs in your life: crappy tv, movies, billboards, anywhere you gain any form of input.

There are heaps of benefits for a writer to read. So many!! Below are just a few:

1. Reading activates the brain in a way watching shows can’t. Apart from being good for your mental health, guarding against diseases like Alzheimers, it improves mental flexibility which makes writing so much easier.

2. You can’t learn the craft of writing without reading. There’s only so much a how-to book or podcast can teach you. The real lessons come from reading widely and often. Seeing your craft in action is the best way to see for yourself what works and what doesn’t.

3. Reading teaches you about your market. Reading widely within the genre you write in teaches you what else is out there. What you think is an original idea, you’ll suddenly realise is an old trope that’s been done to death.

4. Reading gives you new ideas. Yes, NEW ones. Every idea under the sun is based on another idea. The more input you get, the more chance you’ll be able to form something new from the old.

5. Reading inspires writers. I’m talking about when we read something awesome, it affirms in our hearts and souls that yes, we do want to keep writing.

6. Reading supports the book industry—the industry you want to be a part of. It’s already struggling because people are turning to other sources of entertainment.

And there are so many more benefits. I could go on and on and on… So read!! Hey, I have a book you might enjoy… ;) And if you don't like YA fantasies, then you might like Damyanti's debut crime novel:
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Damyanti Biwas
I'm halfway through this book and loving it so far! 


This is how it starts:
Anjali Morgan wanted to get hold of Nikhil and smack him. He could have hurt himself jumping out of the moving car.
    I told you he’ll be the death of you one day, Mom’s voice played in her ears. You never listen.
   ‘Get back in the car,’ she yelled at Nikhil, but he’d disappeared, leaving Anjali stranded at the narrow, sloping exit tunnel of the capital’s largest shopping mall. Two drivers honked behind her. She wanted to turn and yell at them but held back. You know better than anyone else he can’t help it.
She needed to clear her head before she spoke to him again. He wouldn’t go far. Deep breaths. She leaned out of the car door and inhaled, only for the petrol fumes to hit her, along with the smog and that dusty smell unique to New Delhi. She forgot it most times, but now she choked on it and coughed.
Anjali stepped out of her car, the yellow overhead lights blinding her for a moment. Five cars now queued up behind hers. The driver in the first car had seen a teenager throw a tantrum in front of his harried mother. He slammed the horn and the rest followed suit. She spotted Nikhil’s gangly form down the slope, cantering away.
   ‘Madamji.’ A short Nepali guard in a beige uniform hurried up the slope towards her, his whistle shrieking. ‘Yahan parking allowed nahin hai.’
   ‘I’m sorry.’ Anjali tried to remember the Hindi words, but they’d fled, along with her composure.      
  ‘My son has run away.’
   She was about to sprint after Nikhil when the guard overtook her and blocked the way.
  ‘No parking here.’ He pointed at the cars queuing up behind her. ‘This is “Exit”.’
   Down the slope behind the guard, Anjali watched in horror as Nikhil turned into the parking area and disappeared. The cool air of a November evening made her shiver.
   ‘I need to go get my son. What part of that can’t you understand?’

To keep reading, buy the book. All the author proceeds will go to Project WHY, dedicated to helping underprivileged children, and Stop Acid Attacks, which campaigns for the cause of acid attack survivors. Both are non-profit organizations.

Damyanti Biswas volunteers for the non-profits, Project WHY and Stop Acid Attacks. She speaks passionately on the subjects of gender, violence, and poverty. The narrative of Damyanti’s new novel, You Beneath Your Skin (Simon and Schuster), has been shaped by her years of interaction with women and children in these two organisations. Using a framework of a crime thriller, she conjures in this book an authentic portrayal of poverty, misogyny, and political corruption.

Website, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

The Perfect Place to Write and More #IWSG

August was a busy month. Crazy busy. Mostly it's been all about the mad scramble to get everything ready for the October release of my debut novel. It's been a steep learning curve. Nothing I can't handle, but it has been time-consuming. Then in among all that, I took five days out to drive down to Sydney for my dad's birthday. While I froze to death in the cold Sydney weather, I did take the photo above during that trip. And a bunch of others.

A big thank you to those of you who offered to read an advanced reader's copy of my young adult adventure fantasy set on the high seas. If you didn't get my email for some reason, or are interested in a review copy, then shoot me an email.

 
The IWSG Question of the month: If you could pick one place in the world to sit and write your next story, where would it be and why?

My answer: The perfect place to write is right here, right now. (Or maybe on a cruise to some idyllic islands--just because). I don't need a fancy view or a special nook. All I need is either paper and pen or a computer. That's it. Oh wait. Time would be good. I'm looking forward to when I have time to write again.

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August Reading
Considering how busy I've been, I managed to get through four books this last month. I surprised myself. Admittedly I was reading the biography of Leonardo Da Vinci in short bursts since February, and it's a tiny book too.

One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence -- What can I say? This is my kind of book. Time Travel! It's short and a quick read, and I enjoyed the writing. There are some great phrases that had me laughing out loud, even though it's not a humorous book. This story is a multi-universe take on time travel and has been likened to Stranger Things--probably because it's set in the 80s and the main character likes Dungeons and Dragons.

Leonardo Da Vinci by Sherwin B Nuland-- The language is a little old fashioned and formal but reading about Leonardo's life was hugely interesting. He was a fascinating man.

Grumpy Old Gods Vol 2 -- An anthology of short stories with roots in mythology. What happens when the old gods get old. A great read. Hugely entertaining.

Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson -- written about 15 years ago by an Aussie author. It has won all sorts of awards. I can see why. This is a novel for the younger readers but still enjoyable by any age group, especially if you love Chinese dragons. 

What have you been up to this last month? What reading did you do? What other great achievements did you accomplish? Where would you like to write your next story?

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Young Adult Fantasy ARC Giveaway #IWSG

If all goes well, I'll be releasing my debut novel in October. It's a young adult fantasy adventure set on the high seas. Although it's part of a series, it reads as a standalone. I have completed the maps for it, the covers for all three books in the series and I've even worked out the formatting for the ebook (For the ARC version, anyway--there are still some tweaks I want to do). That was a victory and a half. The formatting for print is yet to come. Eek.

Right now I'm looking for lovers of fantasy who are interested in an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of Wielder's Prize, book one in the Wielder's Storm series. In exchange I'd deeply appreciate an honest review. Shoot me an email (lynfaw[at]gmail [dot]com) or say "Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!" in the comments ;) I'll be sending out a limited number, so be quick.

My current tagline for book one: No training. No discipline. No time.

The IWSG question of the month: Has your writing ever taken you by surprise?
Sometimes I do a detailed outline before I write. Other times I just wing it. When I wing it, anything can happen. Surprises galore! It's lots of fun. Of course, outlining does the same, only earlier in the process.

July Reading
July was a slow reading month because I was down with the flu for half of it and super busy the other half. It was also a month of thrones. Giggle.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas is a young adult fantasy, the first in a series. I quite enjoyed it, though it wasn't quite what I expected based on the cover and blurb. It still carried me away to another land, and I like that in a fantasy.

The Templar Throne by Paul Christopher is the third in the series about Doc Holliday's adventures of tracking down ancient Templar relics. Each book has been different in its own way and all of them have been enjoyable. I think there's another four or five in the series. They are a light, fast read and full of action and intrigue. The first is The Sword of the Templars.

That's all I have for July. I've been reading lots of short stories lately too. It makes me want to write more short stories.

What have you been reading lately? Has your writing ever taken you by surprise?


Wednesday, July 3, 2019

5 Benefits of a Pen Name #IWSG

Exciting News: I will be publishing a young adult fantasy adventure this year. I'm super nervous about it. It will be my novel debut. That's my insecurity revealed for this month. I've decided to take the pen name, Elle Cardy. For so many reasons:

1. My name, Lynda R Young, is super common and I get lost in the crowd. It is so common that I couldn't use it or a variation of it for gmail. It's why I use Lynfaw (faw = fearful and wonderfully, if you're curious).

2. It's shocking how many people can't get my name right. It's not a difficult name. Or you'd think. I get Linda, Lydia, and a bunch of other variations. Just yesterday I got Lydr. Say what, now? Also, my middle initial, which is crucial if I want to be found on Google, is so often left off when someone publishes my work or mentions me online. A little frustrating.

3. It's a long name which means it has to be small on book covers. Yes, I think about these things.

4. Young is at the end of the alphabet. Whoever thought a list in alphabetical order was fair had a name in the first half of the alphabet. Just saying ;)

5. I figured the name Elle Cardy was short, easy to remember, difficult to get wrong, and it separates my nonfiction writing from my novels so there's no confusion. There's also almost none of us on Google. Obviously I won't be hiding my true identity. The plan is that everyone who knows Lynda R Young will also know Elle Cardy and vice versa. I do have separate Instagram accounts though.

@LyndaRYoung for my macro photography.
@ElleCardy for everything books.


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AntipodeanSF Issue 250 is now available in the paperback version. If you’d like your own copy, you can pick it up here. With over 50 stories, it is definitely worth checking out. Otherwise, just go along to the AntipodeanSF website to read the stories online for free for another month.
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June Reading

Red Rising by Pierce Brown -- this was beautifully written. I read it in two days, which for me is fast since I'm a particularly busy and a slow reader. It is set on Mars and is a dystopian. Think Hunger Games on Mars.

Stallo by Stefan Spjut -- this is a translation of a supernatural thriller written in Swedish. I would've liked to have read it in its original language because the translation is a little flat. But the story is awesome. It's the kind of book you settle in with under a blanket. It's about the mythical creatures of the woods that steal children and a woman searching for them. I loved it.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard -- Very similar to Red Rising in so many ways but instead of the Reds against the Golds, it's the Reds against the Silvers. The worldbuilding in this one isn't as rich as Red Rising, but the story is still enjoyable if you love typical young adult books.

NOTE: I am a judge for the 2019 Aurealis Awards. All my book reviews are my personal opinion and don't reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinators, or the Aurealis Awards management team.
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Are you a huge fan of young adult fantasy? Let me know in the comments. What are your favourite books in that genre? Done any reading last month? What were the standouts?


This post was written for the IWSG. Every first Wednesday of the month the members post on their blogs about their writing insecurities or offer some encouragement to others. If you are new to the IWSG or want to learn more, then please go HERE

Note: The new look for my blog is temporary. I'm currently down with flu and it was the best I could do for now.