Way to Your Heart Blog-hop - Part 2

First off, happy birthday to Less Than Three Press! They put in so much love, effort and time, and there is so much love for these ladies and the work that they do! There is a bloghop to celebrate this fabulous publisher's fourth birthday, with many authors participating. Many are also doing giveaways, so check out the main post!

I had to think about what I love for this post, and it's come down to two major contenders. There are, of course, the usual (reading, writing... tumblr >.>) but for these posts I'm going to focus on non-writing related loves: video games, and horseback riding. Last week's post was on horseriding.

Today's post is about video games.

~*~

Persona 3/4

I have an odd relationship with videogames.

It seems like I play them an awful lot, and yet I've really only finished about 6 of them all the way through to the end. Some of them might count multiple times (see: Suikoden 2, which I finished 4 times to get every ending possible; or Dragon Age: Origins, which I finished 4 times with different characters), but most of them count only once. 

I tend to play massive RPGs, mainly of the Japanese RPG variety which means that the main character is usually uncustomisable, there is a battle party that you take into  fights with you and they are usually turn based. I'm incredibly bad at first person shooters, which seems to be encompassing more and more western rpgs, so the JRPG really works for me. (No, really, my default for shooters is to run behind anybody else I'm playing with.)

FF6

I've played most of the Final Fantasy series (with 6 being my favourite)--but I've never finished a FF game. I think my problem with finishing those games tends to lie in the fact that towards the end, I get so attached to the characters and the story, that I don't want it to stop. So if I never finish the game, we're all set into a state of limbo, and I can pretend there's several more discs to get through before I reach the end. I've made it to the final area in FF8 about 5 times now, and have never done more than step through the doors, save, and quit the game.

But you know what? My system works for me. It frustrates my friends to no end, but it leaves me characters to come back to, and I enjoy that. The most enjoyable part of the games for me are the funny little dialogue lines, or the character development--essentially the story. If there's not enough story (Dragon's Dogma, I'm looking at you) then there's just not enough to keep me enthralled with the world, and I don't even make it anywhere close to the final area.

Dragon Age : Origins

I am, however, extremely skilled at one particular thing: I can make characters. I have about 8 characters on

World of Warcraft which was the limit when I stopped playing, and those 8 were not the original 8 I made when I first started playing. I started 13 different play throughs of Dragon Age: Origins, just to see every single difference that could possibly happen between races and genders. And I still maintain that the romance my male dwarf, Nemo, had with Morrigan was written in the stars. He was the prettiest dwarf ever, a ridiculously fun challenge which I had with the character creation screen.

And that is one thing I love about the western style RPGs; the character creations and the ability to romance your party if you want to. (Alistair <3) They also tend to be more player-choice oriented, enabling you to go where you want and do the quests you want rather than following the absolute set storyline through to the end. And yet, my Finishing-the-game stats are not really any more or less with the extra availability of options.

Genso Suikoden 2

I guess the reason I play them so often and never seem to finish them is simply because they're one of the best ways of escapism for me. And because I never finish them, I never have to set those characters down. Even if I have to start a new game, I know they'll be there, and I've never had to say goodbye to them, so they'll be around forever. I have to say goodbye to book characters that I love, and no matter how many times I reread the same book, I know I will always have to say goodbye to them. With my videogame characters, who I can love just as much, I've never had to say goodbye.

And by the way? Playing Suikoden 2 four times for each ending? Worth it. In fact, now I feel like playing it again. 

~*~

For the Giveaway!

I will be giving away 1 digital copy of each of my books, or if you already own them, then a $10 Gift Certificate to LT3 Press! So all in all, 6 lucky winners per post!

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what your favourite form of escapism is, whatever makes you happiest. I suspect books and reading will be a main one! Please leave an email address so I can contact you. The Give Away will end at 12 PM (PST) on April 15th.

Way to Your Heart Blog-hop - Part 1

First off, happy birthday to Less Than Three Press! They put in so much love, effort and time, and there is so much love for these ladies and the work that they do! There is a bloghop to celebrate this fabulous publisher's fourth birthday, with many authors participating. Many are also doing giveaways, so check out the main post!

I had to think about what I love for this post, and it's come down to two major contenders. There are, of course, the usual (reading, writing... tumblr >.>) but for these posts I'm going to focus on non-writing related loves: video games, and horseback riding. Next week's post is about videogames.

Today's post is going to be about horse riding.

~*~

I can't remember a time when I haven't loved horses. I was seven when a friend of mine got a horse, which was the instigator for my lessons as there was no way my parents were going to let me ride her brat of a pony without knowing how to ride at all. My brother and mother joined me for the first few years of lessons, and then we moved, and the lessons stopped.

Recently, I've been able to take up horseriding again. I've been doing it in Canada for almost two years now, and it was, quite frankly, astonishing to find out how my general mood improved with just a weekly lesson, which is usually about 2 hours of 'horse time'. There are the occasional days when I stay longer, and I come home in a state of absolute horse bliss, even if the past five hours have been spent primarily mucking stalls. 

There is something about horses that just calms me, and warms me up inside, that makes it worth getting up at 6:45 AM on a Saturday to make it to the barn in time. I never understood how sport enthusiasts could get up early (in the freezing cold, more often than not in Canada) and drive the distances needed to get to their location--at least, I never understood it until recently. As a child, you tend not to care too much about waking up early and the effort of getting ready in time, but as an adult, especially when you work 35+ hours a week, weekends are more important for sleeping in than ever. And yet, I'm perfectly happy to leave however early I need to.

There are many different aspects to horse riding, and general horsemanship that make the time spent more than worthwhile. I think the bond you make with the horse is one of the best rewards that you will ever come across. I adore my cat (really, he deserves a post of his own) but there's just something more that the horse I ride can give me that's on a whole different level than what my cat can provide.

They are beautiful, powerful animals; and when they learn to trust you, to obey you, it makes you powerful. Maybe that's when you discover a little more about the person you are--when you have that power, you can choose what to do with it.

Maybe it's because they are also so silly sometimes, so quirky, so frightfully naughty; each horse I've ridden has had it's own problems, but once the bond is there, they've generally tried their best for me, and it makes me want to do my best for them in return.

It's the most powerful partnership I can think of, and my life would be (was, for quite a few years) stagnant without it. Now that I've got the opportunity to ride again, however, even with the day to day uncertainties that plague everyone--I, at least, can forget them for at least two amazing hours each week.

~*~

The next post (on video gaming) will be next Thursday, the 11th of April. (Edited: See the post now)

For the Give-away!

I will be giving away 1 digital copy of each of my books, or if you already own them, then a $10 Gift Certificate to LT3 Press! So all in all, 6 lucky winners, per post!

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what your favourite outdoor activity is, whatever makes you happiest. Please leave an email address so I can contact you. The Give Away will end at 12 PM (PST) on April 15th.

Gemstone Snippet

It's been a while since I posted, so here's a snippet from something I've been working on lately between day jobs and life in general.

The floor rocked below him, and Clancy woke up with a groan, feeling around the bed to try and pull his blankets up because he was cold, and felt awful. There were no blankets within reach, but he did encounter a hand, and curled his own fingers around it for a moment, struggling to think clearly over the haze in his head. What had happened? Had there been an accident? He assumed it was Eamon's hand he was holding, which was a relief because if Eamon was trying to heal him, then Eamon had at least escaped uninjured.

"Can you let go? I'm going to need my hand again in a moment."

That voice, however, was decidedly not Eamon's, and Clancy battled to open his eyes, staring blearily up at the wooden ceiling, even as the floor rolled beneath him again. He didn't think Merriston was so prone to earthquakes—and this was entirely unlike any earthquake he'd ever encountered, actually. Too smooth, too continuous. In fact, the only experience like this that he'd ever had was when his cousin had forced him onto a small rowboat on the lake back home. The boat had capsized, which had been mildly terrifying, but it had earned Clancy a few swim lessons in order to—

"Can you hear me? I need you to let go of my hand now."

Clancy deliberately squeezed even tighter. "I don't think you're Eamon."

There was a pause. "No, I'm not."

Clancy sighed, and turned his head to consider the young man at the side of the bed. Couldn't be older than twenty at the most, which made him only a little bit younger than Clancy, presumably. Black hair that would have fallen in his eyes had he not been wearing a bandana, and calm, serious brown eyes that watched Clancy speculatively. Clancy looked back for a few minutes, then sat up, pressing his free hand to his head with another groan. "What did you do? My head feels like its full of cotton."

The other man hesitated visibly. "We needed to make sure you would come along quietly."

"Come along where quietly," Clancy replied, and looked around properly. His vision was clearing now, and he could feel the stone at the base of his throat start clearing his head as well. It was getting easier to think, and the first thing he noticed was a small port window in the wood panelled room. The floor pitched and rolled again, and Clancy narrowed his eyes. The room was small; just large enough to hold a thin bunk, and a small desk and chair. The desk was built into the wall, and the chair was bolted to the floor. There were maps on the walls, but maps completely unlike those he'd ever seen very often. He knew maps that focused on lands; roads and towns and the like. These maps seemed entirely comprised of water, with lines and circles drawn on them.

Clancy scowled. "Where am I?" The young man looked around, shrugged, and tried to pull his hand free. Clancy latched on even more determinedly. "I'm not letting go until you tell me where I am. And where is Eamon?"

The young man sighed. "Well, about that, you see. We had to leave the rest of your party behind, and I'm sorry about that, but there was only enough men to get you back to the boat. We—I need your help."

So there you go! Clancy and his mysterious kidnapper! :D

Happy Friday!

Coming Soon ~ Change of Heart

As a part of LT3's Kiss Me at Midnight Collection, I wrote a story Change of Heart, about two young men: Adam and Ben.

Adam is intent on only having one night stands in order to distract himself from a crush that has lasted years; Ben is fine with one night stands, but is willing to look for more with the right person.

The blurb is as follows:

Adam has been in love with Tommy for more than half his life-but Tommy is utterly straight and is just not interested. Adam drifts along in life with flings after one night stands; safe in the knowledge that no one night stand could ever compare to the hold that Tommy has on him. That is, until he meets Ben. Ben is funny, hot, and direct; moreover, he seems to know exactly what he wants: Adam.

Change of Heart will be available on January 23rd as a part of the 3rd Bundle for the Kiss Me at Midnight Collection.

As a pre-release bonus, the picture that inspired Ben, and the story itself:

Coming soon! - Bestiary ~ Truest Mage

Zephyr and Arion's story will be coming out on 21 of November, published by LT3. It's a part of The Bestiary collection, and will be available as an individual ebook or as part of a bundle. There are 4 total bundles that will be available (Truest Mage will be a part of the third bundle) and all will be released as an entire collection once all the bundles have been released. Each bundle will also be available in print at a later date.

When Arion's church gets one of the famed statues of judgment, the last thing he expects is for the statue to disrupt his life by activating his mage potential, and then telling him that the statue is actually a unicorn named Zephyr. Spurred on by the need to train his now active magic, and also from a sense of compassion, Arion lets Zephyr into his head, offering him a chance to find a way to free himself from his stone prison.

Zephyr is a less-than-typical unicorn, with a penchant for running using Arion's body, and Arion is a compassionate soul who let Zephyr take half possession (although its more like a welcome house guest than a full possession.)

V. Rios drew some art for the collection, and this is her rendition of Zephyr, which I absolutely love.

I'm really pleased with this story and these characters, and am very excited for November to come!