Book review – Phoenix Element: Normality Twisted

Book review – Phoenix Element: Normality Twisted

Black Rose Writing

Jennifer Kibble brings together science and magic in the first book of her series, Phoenix Element: Normality Twisted. Young Jennibelle, a normal fourteen-year-old, encounters the same worries as most girls her age: relationships with her father and Uncle Raven, overbearing friends like her pal Teresa, and the occasional babysitting gig with young Miles. But, when Jennibelle meets a new student named Kyle, everything begins to change. As Jennibelle and Miles visit the mall one evening, they see a news report that shows portals opening all over the world and robots entering into her world. Shocked, they decide to leave, but not before a portal opens before them. Luckily, Kyle is waiting in the wings to save the day, using his electrical powers and special portal opening device. He whisks Jennibelle and Miles away to another planet and hides them, but then loses them to the evil Ozma. After a harrowing adventure and escape, Jennibelle settles back into her former life on Earth, but not for long. Before she can get comfortable, she is caught up in magic, interplanetary adventures, and an education she never dreamed she’d  have.

Ms. Kibble successfully sets up a world full of magic, science, and wonder in her science fiction/fantasy novel. While the vast number of characters are difficult to keep up with, they are fairly well executed, if not entirely developed. The story takes a breathless pace, leaving a bit of presence lacking and the plot is a bit overwrought. However, the story is cohesive and allows the reader to follow the action without a great deal of re-reading. Such concepts as reincarnation and pantheism are touched on in the story as well. Overall, the book is a fun read and leaves the reader with an expectation that more character development and adventure will happen in her second book of the series, Phoenix Element: Mages of Vane.

Write What You Love

 

We’ve all heard it: “Write what you know.” This is a true statement and I try to abide by it as often as possible. Writing what you know means you already have ready content in your mind that’s ready to come out onto the page in a smart and intelligible fashion. Ultimately, though, writing what you know means that you’re writing about something that means something to you; something significant.

When inspiration strikes, you have a decision to make. If you’re like me, you can see right away whether or not the idea is pithy. Sometimes, the concept has to stew and become flavored properly. But, in those rare moments, when a story gets into your heart, you know it’s magic. You can’t escape it because it’s most literally a part of you.

Writing what you love is the pinnacle of a story’s becoming. It’s creation in the purest sense. Write what you love.

Harvey Klinger – On Writing: The Importance of Passion

Agent Harvey Klinger offers thoughts on the importance of having a passion for what you are writing and how formulaic writing often doesn’t work in place of passion

Do You Need a Beta Reader? @YAWordNerds @ErinLatimer2

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Outlets

My family loves art; just about any kind. My wife is an artist with a BFA from University of Georgia. She’s good at just about any visual media you can imagine from fiber art to digital design. Luke, my eldest son, is very much like his mother. He can do just about anything. Noah is bound to be a musician, like me. We both love to sing and play just about anything.

I’ve found that my writing, when it’s ebbing or slowing, can be helped through another art form. For example, the paintings above were done by me or my sons and me. The tall, slender painting was titled “The Bible Lands” by my boys. I had asked my Uncle Tommy, who is a house painter, if he had any old dropcloths he didn’t use anymore. He gave me a huge one that i cut down into two pieces. The tall, skinny piece is actually nine feet tall by two feet wide. The second painting, I titled “Cherry Trees”. I painted that one and it’s about seven feet by six feet. They were both fun and cathartic and, best of all, cost very little to do. Uncle Tommy gave me the canvas, my Dad gave me the wood pieces to build the frames for stretching, and the paint is from a bunch of leftover cans of house paint.

So, if you ever feel like you’re about to explode and need to let some creativity out, think about another artistic outlet. Love your art, my people!

TOOLS RULE

TOO CUTE NOT TO POST!

My Dad and I built me a workshop a year or so ago. He’s a carpenter by trade, so this little book trailer really tugged at me.

Called to Write: Tips for Christian Authors

Your writing tells people something important. Work to get it out there!

Playing for Pay

During a conversation with my wife recently, she brought up the interesting fact that a great deal of our culture is based on paying people to play so that we can watch them. I’ve noticed since then that there are many instances in which this is true.

It all seems to start when we’re children. We might go to a friend’s house to watch him or her play a video game or draw something. I know when I was a kid, I loved to sit and watch my younger brother play Nintendo games. I could sit there all day and watch him play, because he was good at it.

Of course, as we grow, we love to watch movies because the actors are good at playing parts. Professional athletes are paid because they’re skilled at playing a specific sport. Writers are paid for the books they write because they can tell stories well. As a writer, I can tell you that this is not an easy thing to do. It takes years of consistent practice, research, reading, and listening to become a good storyteller. And you never stop learning. I can only hope that I can continue to progress in my chosen art form and interest more people in watching me play. Enjoy your fun!

Soulbook Publication in 2014! @Enwrightened

NEWS FLASH! I just received a contract to publish Soulbook from Ben Wright at Enwrightened Publications! This will make two books, one fiction and one nonfiction, published in 2014! I think my heart might explode!

Meghan’s Revision Process @YAWordNerds

Meghan’s Revision Process…very thorough