Why Do I Write.....Blog Hop

I was recently tagged to write about "Why I write" by my friend Allison Christie, who I met via Twitter and YES, there are some real people on there.

Apparently, I am the reason Allison began to blog, which I have to say delighted and honoured me. Especially the thought  that I could be anyone's inspiration to do so.

So, I must say thank you to Allison for tagging me so that I may tell you a little more about why I write. 

You can find Allison's Blog here.

Basically, I have always written. Be it a diary, poems or stories. As a child I used to make a library from the books around me, ( my own and others ). I would make little library tickets and stick paper in to the books, writing down return dates on them. Producing my own little library in the process.

The first real hardback book I received was from my eldest brother and his wife, and it was Pinochio by Carlo Collodi. Added to this were other books over time. Heidi, Little Women, and numerous books by Enid Blyton such as The Magic Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair. My love of horses was reflected in the numerous books I acquired over the years too, such as Silver Brumbies of the South and of course Black Beauty.

Now I have hundreds of real books, and thousands on my kindle. I devour books, reading them in short shrift. I sometimes even amaze myself at how fast I can read. Not every book deserves to get read to the end though, I have stopped after a page, and sometimes after a few chapters. Life is too short to read something that does not capture my imagination. 

My love of books, and my need to write down the stories in my head, and those that I dream about, have led me to begin to write the novel I am currently working on, and my WIP ( work in progress ). This book is also the first book I began to write, and seems to becoming an epic. I used to write it in secret and hide it away in my bottom drawer in my bedroom. I felt guilty writing it, and thought that family and friends would laugh if they knew THAT I was writing. Especially, when they found out WHAT I was writing. You see my inspiration for starting the book was reading 50 Shades, with the thought that I could do that. Write a book like that, only mine wouldn't be as repetitive. I used to skip over the contract when it came up, and some of the sex scenes were quite repetitive too. But, it sold, despite all that repetition.

My WIP is The Prophecy Unfolds ( Dragon Queen ) which will be going for editing and to my beta readers very soon. So watch this space and it will be available for pre order via Amazon.

This is a paranormal romance, erotica, sci fi based on a Steampunk world.  An exciting story following the adventures of Alex after she is kidnapped and transported via portals to the world of Syros. Syros is inhabited by paranormal creatures such as dragons, werewolves, dragon riders and magicians amongst other mythical creatures. An epic tale of daring do and opression.

Meanwhile, with the help of my good friend John Dolan I began to blog. Short little posts initially, about the book. Then, as time went on I discovered that I could write about all the things that I love. This went on to include attending gigs by Indie bands, book reviews, event reviews and short stories. I was honoured to have a number of short stories written with myself as inspiration.I am also on the cover of a book called Scarlett too, YES that is my derriere that is out there in the ether on Amazon.

The short stories that I wrote, and published on my blog proved so popular that they became the basis for my first published book entitled Bound for Passion. The cover provided by the amazing artist Alan Hurley from Ireland, and the cover graphics were produced with the help of my good friend and fellow author Jonathon Fletcher.

An updated, edited, improved and (hopefully), typo free version of the book will be available shortly.

As time has gone on I believe that I have improved, and that has been conveyed to me by friends and fellow writers. So expect numerous books in the future.

At the end of the day I write because I can. 

I write because I love to write and to get the stories inside me down on paper.

 They come in many forms and genre too. Erotica, paranormal romance, sci fi, BDSM, and get this........children's stories! Although they won't be under my pen name of Scarlett ,so you may never know you are reading one of mine.

So now I have to nominate other writers to see what drives them to want to write.

Well I have some victims....oops other writers who are going to tell you their reasons for writing,

 they are...in no particular order 

Charming Man author is first up and can be found at his webite and also on Twitter, Amazon, Smashwords, Facebook and Goodreads.

For those of you looking for something a little more arousing, Charming Man offers a written insight into the realms of sensual romance.

Exploring the thought provoking world of encounters between strangers, sexual fantasies, illicit relationships and voyeurism, Charming Man attempts to reach the inner desire for erotic excitement that he believes lies within us all.

Although all works ultimately leave nothing to the imagination, each treads a slow and tortuous path, building slowly to prolong the feeling of anticipation.

Next up is

K D Forsam who is a book reviewer, Writer and author estraordinaire, she also loves to retweet others.

You can find her here on Twitter, Facebook, Amazon and her website. 

and finally my good friend and author D J Bowman- Smith is joining us 

She is on Twitter,  Facebook, Goodreads, and her website

. 

Another addition to the Blog hop is Jason P Crawford

Jason P. Crawford was born in Louisiana in 1981. His writing career began in 2012, when he sat down for some "writing time" with his wife and sister-in-law. He has always been fascinated by the magic in the real world, leading him to focus most of his efforts on urban fantasy and science fiction.

In addition to publishing his own work, he has spent time as a freelance writer, preparing articles and ghost-writing for others. In addition to Chains of Prophecy, Jason has completed The Drifter, a story about gods walking in the world of men, and Cycles of Destruction: Earth, a science fiction novel which reveals the true history of the human race and the forces that shaped it. His life as a husband, father, and teacher (as well as hardcore gamer) have opened up and nurtured a wealth of imagination and given Jason a tendency to flights of fancy, and those flights give rise to his work.

You can find him on Twitter, Facebook and his website

Keep your eyes peeled for my next blog post

You may just enjoy it 

Scarlett

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Blog Tour for Dragonbride (The Dragon Chronicles, Book #1)

Dragonbride (The Dragon Chronicles, Book #1)

Now availabel in paperback and Ebook

https://raaniyork.files.wordpress.com

Dragonbride

(The Dragon Chronicles, Book #1)

Shalima, “Daughter of the Light”, was born under special circumstances. She was raised by her aunts instead of her mother because she needed to be prepared to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Scriptures, which told that she was the only Magician on Earth.

Her aunts carefully prepared her for her obligations and her sacred duty. She will have to get married to the Holy Golden Dragon, the King of the Dragons, a huge Earth Dragon with magical talents. She cannot believe that she is the “Chosen One”, who has to protect the Dragon Species, all of Nature and finally the Earth. But when she turned into a teenager it seemed that the Old Scriptures were right. 

Author Bio

Raani York has been a high volume writer for years. She has published articles, letters, short stories, poems, continuation stories and descriptions of all kind. She also writes novels, some of which can found on her website.

Raani has been educated in Switzerland and in the U.S. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. She also obtained diplomas in Graphic Design, Color Studies and won a prize as a Logo Designer. She speaks four languages and several dialects.

Raani York works and lives in Switzerland and the U.S. and travels often. 

Next to her writing and her cats, Raani likes reading, blogging, Martial Arts, skiing, horseback riding, sky diving and enjoys playing the classical piano. 

Contact:

Website: www.raaniyork.com

Blog: www.raaniyork.wordpress.com

Email: raaniyorkca@aol.com

Google: https://plus.google.com/115854197563561201228/posts

FB: www.facebook.com/raaniyork

FB Author Page: www.facebook.com/DragonScriptures

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RaaniYork

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/raani-york/5/922/b37

Myspace: myspace.com/raaniyork

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/user/show/12628426-raani-york

Microcerpt: microcerpt.com/raaniyork/

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/raaniyorkca/

Teaser:

    The mountains possessed a dark but seductive beauty, and they lay in wait for the ones who came through the Fire Hell. The powdered white peaks of the sparkling black mountain-world watched for them with longing.

  The Diamond Mountains gave the illusion of being much closer than they really were, and many a pilgrim had been lured to his death by the promise of riches hidden on their slopes. These mountains were so named because of the rough gems strewn about the black volcanic soil. When the sun shone overhead the gems made the mountains sparkle and shimmer brightly, and at night they made the moonlit mountains glow with a soft silver light.

  People, blinded by both their greed and the tantalizing glittering of the sunlit earth, imagined that there was immeasurable wealth lying there on the ground, just waiting to be picked. However, the mountains never betrayed the secrets they held. None who had ever walked those slopes could find the diamonds hidden within the black soil, for the mountains protected themselves.

  Although healthy forest still grew in the foothills, the undergrowth became sparser just a few hundred feet up, and then the treeline ended. Where stunted trees would normally grow the forest just stopped, as if some unseen hand had cut it short. All that remained were dangerously sharp, dry rocks. Just below the snowline, the rocks disappeared, and the glittering black soil took their place. 

Moreover, at the summit it seemed as if the Creator of All Things had dusted the peaks of the fissured mountain range with powdered sugar, for they were covered with a deceptively soft-looking, yet extremely sharp-edged eternal snow.

  The mountains never betrayed their secrets...

  And if a wanderer were to climb those peaks, going up to the Fire Hell and searching to quench his thirst at a splashing mountain spring, he would find no cool, refreshing water. Instead, these living mountains would seek to frighten him by shrouding the ground with a mysterious fog that made it impossible to see where he was putting his feet. Pilgrims sometimes drowned in the sulfurous pools of water hidden within the hellish rocks when the fog appeared, and if they left the main trails, they would know true fear, for they would be led down treacherous sidepaths that seemed to take them somewhere, yet actually led them nowhere but to their doom. 

  The mountains never betrayed their secrets...

  Though many thought they would find the cool relief of the shadows by early evening, the ascent would continue for another three torturous days. During those three days, their throats would scream for water, and their eyes would tear up in the swirling sand. Blown up by the hot desert winds, the sand burned as it fell upon a traveler's face and skin. Eventually their limbs would become heavy, and they would barely be able to move; thus, the wanderers would be forced to crawl on, farther and farther, until sheer luck eventually brought them to civilization... to people.

  In a canyon between two hills below the mountain range there was a village. It had no official name, but the people living there called it Alpcateçu, which meant Oasis of the Mountains. Anyone who wanted to climb the mountains had to pass through the village. A few taverns and inns surrounded the village fountain, where a market was sometimes held.

  Some houses and huts had been built in the wide hills and even at the edge of the forest... and in one such place, hidden within the woods, almost four hundred feet past the deepest thicket and connected to the village only by a sidepath lay the place in which I had been born. 

Buy the Book:

on Smashwords: https://smashwords.com/books/view/479647

As an Ebook for following formats: epub, mobi, pd,f rtf, lrf ,pdb, txt, html

The Paperback version on Amazon will be released very soon! More buyer’s links will be available within the next week.

Scarlett

xXx

Doncaster Steampunk Rally 2014 - Part One

I spent the weekend of  21-22nd of June 2014 in Doncaster, stopping over at The Deaf Institute for the duration of the Steampunk Doncaster Tiffin In The Park Rally 2014. I travelled over on the Friday evening in anticipation of the event.

As some of you may well know I love all things Steampunk, I wrote an article for my Canadian friend Casey Ryan of Cutting Rooms MRB, entitled  Brass, Leather and Ingenuity: A Steampunk primer by guest Scarlett Flame. This guest blog may go some way to explaining a little about Steampunk, and its origins. While you are there, why not check out Casey's podcasts, and his interesting and amazing guests.

My latest work in progress is set on a Steampunk world, and is due to be released within the next two to three months. The novel is called The Prophecy Unfolds (Dragon Queen). It is about dragons, werewolves, magicians and much more, hope you will check it out when published.

This will be my second published novel and a cover reveal is anticipated, including the ability to preorder the novel via Amazon

I love Steampunk, especially the clothing and  this was the ideal opportunity for myself and all my friends to dress in our Steampunk finery.

This was a fabulous weekend with like minded people, and also an opportunity to admire the amazing and inventive outfits that were worn by those individuals. There were numerous events ongoing in order  to keep people amused, and entertained. These included,  fashion shows, pole dancing, Bartitsu, music, photography and writers workshops.There were also a large number of stalls selling everything from autographed books, jewellry, clothing and artwork, to hats and detailed goods.

My very good friend Malcolm from Steamretro had told me about the event and this was our first face to face meeting. I also had the pleasure of having company for the journey over to Doncaster from Manchester, in the form of Bastian Coll. Bastian had travelled over from Spain for the event. Bastian makes hand made, bespoke furniture, and has a facebook page called Handmade Essence. 

Steamretro is on Twitter and Facebook too 

I will let the photos and the videos speak for themselves in the main then at the end of my review I have links to the many people and stalls that made this an amazing event.

Amazing selection of sandwiches and cakes were available from the ladies of Vintage Teas of Doncaster

Plenty of gorgeous items to purvey, as I wandered around the numerous stalls at Doncaster

A number of authors also attended this event, myself included. Writer's workshops were also held upstairs near the bar.

This is Craig Hallam author, (shown above) Craig has a blog, and his books are available via Amazon. Craig has a new book due out in September called The Adventures of Alan Shaw, so check out the links above for more details.

Also in attendance were a number of other authors including L M Cooke creater of the series of books The Automata Wars. Her website includes a blog, and videos of the band she is the vocalist for, Crimson Clocks. 

The line up for the band is as follows -  

Linzi sings, writes fiendish words and music, plays violin, guitar and is classically trained.

Jo is also classically trained, plays a demon violin , a belting oboe and sometimes rocks on bass.

Colin plays lithe, trouser-trembling bass guitar as well as lead guitar.

Steve beats the drums that drives everything along.

We had the absolute pleasure to watch, and listen to the band perform as part of the entertainment provided at the rally

Author Gareth Wiles was also in at Doncaster, Gareth can be found on Facebook and Twitter as  @sheepbone. 

His bio on Amazon describes Gareth this way -A  misanthropic streak coaxed Gareth to turn his back on a potential career in teaching teenagers the joys of Shakespeare and instead aid pensioners in the joys of a weed-free garden. Life and death is quick and constant in his world, a world often on the fringe of society. He can regularly be found signing his books at comic cons.

Tenebrous Texts.

Another attendee at Doncaster was 

an independent small-press publisher, called Tenebrous Texts, working with a small roster of authors and artists. 

Launched on 3rd August 2014 is 'Sorrow Works', a collection of poetry and photographs, taken by Steven C. Davis.

After that is Book 1 of 'The Heart's Cog Imperative', a Steampunk adventure epic by Steven C. Davis and S. J. Stewart, due to be published on 7th March 2015.

Jane Yates is another author I had the pleasure to meet at Doncaster. Jane, a dyslexic, mother, artist, and story teller who yearned for further challenges and found the Open University helped her study. She explored a mixture of physics and other sciences, the environment and technology. This prepared her to get a full degree in Environment and Archaeology from Lampeter University.

Jane is now in Oxford and works at the Pitt Rivers Museum, a museum of anthropology and world archaeology. Her Paradox Child series of YA books features the museum and its objects. Her other books… are steampunk, magic, time travel and YA. 

Jane can be found on Twitter and Facebook,andis a regular contributer on Goodreads

Next up and also another author I met at Doncaster by the name of Alex James. 

Alex is a science-fiction and fantasy author who has Asperger Syndrome, and whose writing focuses on the themes of alienation and empowerment, which give unique qualities to many of his characters. He writes about these themes because they are familiar to him.

For his first novel The Antpod Faction, he was inspired by a condition he has, called Asperger Syndrome, which is a lifelong condition that can affect the way a person communicates and perceives the world. The Roc Isle series was inspired by author R Scott Bakker’s Prince of Nothing trilogy because of the war, military, and dark fantasy elements that were worth exploring.

Alex is currently working on science-fiction superhero and fantasy adventure stories.

I agree with Alex about a unique take on the world and there are inumerable famous people that were also diagnosed with Asperger, including Sir Alfred Hitchcock KBE , Henry Gates, Michael Palin, CBE, and Sir Isaac Newton FRS. To name just a few.

You can find Alex on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads

Well, so much for part one of this article

Part two to follow shortly

Bye for now

Scarlett

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