REVIEW: Rise (Paper Gods #2.5) by Amanda Sun

Rise is FREE on Amazon, Kobo and Barnes and Noble!

Synopsis: A long, long time ago, before the world was as we know it, Izanami and Izanagi came into being. Two of the first of the ancient gods of Japan, they crafted the world from ink and their own imaginations. Izanagi wants, more than anything, to be with Izanami—but one moment of pride could tear them apart forever.

Yuki and Tanaka have been friends for as long as they can remember, but lately deeper feelings have been bubbling under the surface. How do they navigate the transition from friendship to true love without destroying the powerful bond between them?

Set a millennia apart, can these two couples, living parallel love stories, find their happily-ever-afters?

Review:

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the Paper Gods series, a dark paranormal trilogy set in modern Japan. I devoured the first two novels (you can read my review of book two, Rain, here), and the prequel novella, Shadow. When I found out about Rise, I may or may not have squealed in undignified delight.

What’s better than a novella about two of my favorite characters to tide me over until the release of the final book? A free novella about two of my favorite characters!

Rise is actually two stories in one, woven together, alternating between chapters. Half the novella tells of the tragic romance of Izanagi and Izanami, as well as the origin of the ink. The other half is the modern story of Yuki and Tanaka. That’s the part I was really excited to read.

One of my favorite elements of the Paper Gods is the well-developed cast of secondary characters. Too often, secondary characters seem more like props than real people, placed strategically in the narrative to help or hinder the heroes at the appropriate moment. Best-friend characters, especially, seem to have nothing to do but lie around and wait for the protagonist to call.

In the Paper Gods series, however, I really get the sense that the secondary characters have rich inner lives. If you just turned the camera on them, you’d find that they have their own stories to tell and their own problems to navigate, even if those problems aren’t supernatural (at least, not yet). Amanda Sun takes care to include the little details that go a long way toward building a well-rounded character—like how Tanaka practices calligraphy and plays baseball, and how his favorite American TV series is Lost.

The secondary characters’ lives don’t revolve around the protagonists, Katie and Tomo; rather, their lives run parallel, connected but independent. Each character—Yuki, Tanaka, Myu, Shiori, my love and my darling Satoshi, who I desperately want to have his own short story or novella—is the protagonist of his or her own story. We just don’t see it all “on-screen.”

Except in Rise, we do! In this novella, the camera focuses on Yuki and Tanaka, and their awkward, adorable budding romance. The tension between them has been building steadily for two books now, and it was great to see all those shy glances and blushes finally come to fruition.

Their story is more than just romance, however: The modern-day chapters of Rise take place just after the end of Rain, and bridges some of the gap between Rain and the upcoming final book, Storm. For the first time, Yuki and Tanaka have a brush with the Kami. What’s more, the Kami are getting bolder, leaving menacing graffiti in public places… and adding to their body count. Something big is about to happen, I just know it—but I won’t find out just what until Storm comes out this summer.

I actually had to read Rise twice. The first time, I was so impatient to get to the parts about Yuki and Tanaka that I cheated a bit and skimmed the Izanami and Izanagi parts. (I know, I know, I’m bad! I just really love Tanaka, okay?) As soon as I was finished, though, I went back to the beginning and read the whole novella again, this time savoring the Kami chapters as much as the chapters about Yuki and Tanaka.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the Kami chapters, but I will say this: They’re dark, they’re fascinating, and they enrich the world of the Paper Gods. We finally learn about the origin of the Kami and the ink—and we even get glimpses of a few Kami who will be very, very important to Katie and Tomo’s story.

If you’re already a fan of the Paper Gods, then Rise is essential reading. On top of that, it’s free, so you’ve really got nothing to lose and a whole lot to gain.

If you haven’t started reading the Paper Gods series yet—what are you waiting for? This is one of my favorite paranormal series of the last few years; I really can’t recommend it enough. You’ve got two months to catch up before Storm comes out on June 30, so get cracking!

Connect with author Amanda Sun online:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Song of the Sea

I recently had the opportunity to watch Song of the Sea, a fantasy film from Cartoon Saloon, an Irish animation studio. Here’s the summary:

"Based on the Irish Legend of the Selkies, Song of the Sea tells the story of the last seal-child, Saoirse, and her brother Ben, who go on an epic journey to save the world of magic and discover the secrets of their past. Pursued by the owl witch Macha and a host of ancient and mythical creatures, Saoirse and Ben race against time to awaken Saoirse's powers and keep the spirit world from disappearing forever."

I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a long time—but not as long as my sister! She’s intensely interested in selkies, and she’s a big fan of Cartoon Saloon’s last movie, The Secret of Kells. Naturally, she was thrilled when Song of the Sea was announced, and she’s followed its production closely for the last few years.

If you enjoy my books—and chances are that you do, or you probably wouldn’t be reading my blog—then I think you’ll find a lot to love about Song of the Sea. Looking at it as a writer, it’s exactly the kind of story that inspires me and gets me excited about storytelling. In particular, it got me excited about the stories I’m telling right now, because it’s a shining example of what a story in my current genre can achieve.

Yes, Song of the Sea and the Flicker series are stories in the same genre! They’re both urban fantasy. More specifically, they’re both urban faerie. I’ve never seen an urban faerie story told in this medium, and I think this movie opens up a whole realm of possibilities for other projects like this. (You know, if Flicker were ever adapted into a movie, my dream would be for it to be animated. In my head, the story has always looked like an animated movie.

Let me tell you: Song of the Sea is full of faeries—the otherworldly, folkloric kind. There are selkies, of course, but there are also members of the Daoine Sidhe (specifically stated to be such, too, which came as a pleasant surprise to me). A few other figures from Irish mythology appear, including Macha.

The movie is an interesting take on traditional selkie stories. Those tales tend to be romantic tragedies, and while Song of the Sea does touch on those elements, at its heart, this is very much a story about family. (I’m sticking to my usual advice, though: Don’t marry a selkie. Actually, it’s probably best not to marry any of the faerie folk. It never works out.)

Previous knowledge of Irish folklore and mythology isn’t necessary to enjoy the movie. But if you’re a bit of a folklore buff like me, I urge you to check it out for the references alone.

I would be remiss not to gush about the animation: Song of the Sea is an absolute visual treat, lovingly animated by hand. Animation aficionados, take heed: I promise you’ve never seen anything like it. Personally, I could stare at the backgrounds all day. If you don't believe me, check out the trailer:



Please, do yourself a favor and watch Song of the Sea. You deserve it!

Bad Boys and Boyfriend Material: Redefining YA Romance

I recently returned from RadCon, where I had the opportunity to speak on a number of interesting panels, with a number of interesting people. One of the weekend’s best panels was about young adult fiction—always a favorite subject of mine, especially when I get to talk shop with authors Alma Alexander, Frog Jones and Robert L. Slater. The discussion was lively, and one topic that came up has continued to bounce around in my head:

Do you write messages or themes into your books?

Actually, I do, though I’d never really talked about it in public before RadCon. While I’m not sure I would classify them as themes, exactly, I definitely write certain concepts into my books: concepts I want to celebrate, as well as concepts I want to challenge or deconstruct. The example I gave in the panel was the romance (and, in some ways, lack thereof) in the Flicker series—and I want to explore that further here.

I wrote Nasser and Filo as direct responses to some of the tropes and trends in YA fiction that have been driving me up the wall for the last few years.

(I'd like to take this opportunity to direct your attention to the absolute goldmine that is @BroodingYAHero. By some miracle, I happened across the account while formatting this blog post, and it points out everything that frustrates me about YA romance, in the funniest way possible.)

Before I wrote Flicker, I was burned out on YA heroes—specifically, I was burned out on what I call “Beautiful Jerks.” You know the kind: broody, mysterious, constantly giving mixed signals. He tends to be overprotective and controlling, sometimes to the point that the heroine is actually scared of him (though this fear often becomes confused for attraction and feelings of love). His only redeeming quality is his smoldering good looks, and that’s supposed to make up for the rest of his terrible personality.

The kind of romantic lead that interested me—genuinely sweet and respectful, from start to finish, basically the opposite of the “bad boy” type—seemed to be considered pretty boring by most people. Nobody seemed to be writing heroes like the one I wanted to read about. I had no choice but to write my own.

Top 5 Reasons to Try Scrivener During NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month is almost upon us! To help you prepare, I want to talk about my favorite writing tool and the best ways to make it work for you this November: Scrivener, the best word processing program out there.

Anyone who has tried to write a novel using Microsoft Word knows that it’s not designed for long projects. Moving a chunk of text from one part of the document to another is a frustrating exercise in copy-and-paste. Looking at two scenes side-by-side involves a lot of clicking between windows. Referencing research materials means sorting through documents in other programs.

In general, Word is a clunky, cumbersome program that just isn’t suited for big projects like novels, or for writers who don’t work in a strictly linear fashion. Microsoft Word assumes that everyone writes in chronological order, from beginning to end; Scrivener makes no assumptions at all. It’s designed to work around you, not the other way around.

Scrivener has tons of features, and I certainly use many more than the five I detail here, but these are the ones I think will be most useful during NaNoWriMo.

Note: I’m not associated with Scrivener in any way, and I’m not getting any kickbacks or anything of the kind. I’m just in love with this program. I even wrote this blog post in Scrivener! It transformed the way I write, and I think everybody should at least give it a try and see what it can do for them.

Thrills and Chills Book Signing

Are you going to be in the Coeur d'Alene area this Saturday, October 25? If so, be sure to drop by Hastings between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. for the Thrills and Chills Book Signing!

I'll be there, along with four other local authors: Brooklyn Ann, Shelley Martin, Bonnie R. Paulson and Frank Zafiro.

I can't think of a better way to warm up for Halloween, or a better opportunity to meet some very interesting authors and pick up a few new reads! Think: vampires, gargoyles, serial killers, zombies, fey and plenty more! Plus, there will be plenty of swag and prizes up for grabs.

This is my first multi-author book signing, and it promises to be a real party. Come say hi!

Meet My Character Blog Tour!

Welcome to my stop on the Meet My Character Blog Tour! Here's how it works:

"This tour highlights a main character from your WIP (work in progress), recently published work, or soon to be published work. The person who invites you will have a set day to post. You will post one (or two) weeks after that, the authors you tag will post one/two week(s) after you, and so on."

Sounds like fun, right? I thought so, too. I was tagged by the inimitable Ren Cummins. Here's his bio, as posted on his site:

I write. I’m a writer, perhaps much the way my act of breathing makes me a breather. Wait, that’s a poor example.

I began with sketching, but my love of music and math turned me into a musician, and from there prose and poetry fashioned me into a writer. My first series, the young adult (steampunk) fantasy series “CHRONICLES OF AESIRIUM” about a young girl who becomes an angel of death, marked my work as a light hearted and optimistic look into death and darkness, but I’m sure that’s just the lip of the rabbit hole. 

I also helped found Talaria Press, a loosely affiliated gang of misfits whose work can be found at www.talariapress.com – come join the parade, there’s space enough for all. 

Also, feel free to follow me on Facebook and Twitter!

And here are my answers!

1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historical person?
The main character of my WIP (Book 3 in the Flicker series) is Lee Capren.

2) When and where is the story set?
The story is set in present-day Washington State. I took creative license with some of the locations, such as Siren Island, a fictional island in the otherwise-real San Juans, where mermaids swim in the coves and curses occasionally befall the residents. But you’ll also find a number of real Washington locales, including Deception Pass and the Seattle Underground.

3) What should we know about him/her?
Lee’s a pretty ordinary girl, right up until she’s spirited away by faeries to serve as a portrait artist. Now she’s a girl with a little magic and a lot of determination.

4) What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
Lee’s a pretty ordinary girl, right up until she’s spirited away by faeries to serve as a portrait artist. When she finally escapes (with the help of Nasser, a boy whose magic has always been more of a curse than a gift), she discovers that what felt like a few nights in Faerie spanned years in the human world, and her entire life has crumbled away. Lee soon finds herself living above a shop that caters to the city’s beguiling magical crowd and struggling to cope with her new life, all while dodging the denizens of Faerie who will do anything to get her back.

5) What is the personal goal of the character?
At this point in her life, Lee would settle for living peacefully—no evil faeries, no curses, no brushes with death. She’s coming to terms with all the magic and weirdness that have become part of her life. The constant threats her and the safety of her friends that come with it? Not so much.

6) Is there a working title for this novel if it is a WIP, and can we read more about it? Or: What is the title of this novel and where can it be found?
The title of this novel is Lights. The first two installments in the series, Flicker and Brightly, are available now, as both ebooks and paperbacks—and Flicker is free to download on Amazon, Kobo and Smashwords!

7) If a WIP, when can we expect the book to be published?

I hope to publish Lights in late 2014 or early 2015. Check back on my blog or my Facebook page for updates on the book’s progress!

Now, I've been challenged to tag a few more authors. I've picked two of my favorite dynamic duos. First up: Allana Kephart & Melissa Simmons, authors of the Dolan Prophecies.

Allana Kephart has been making things up and bending people to her will from a very young age. She loves animals and reading and spends a large amount of time thinking up ways to torment her characters. 

Melissa Simmons is an avid reader who married her soul mate and is the proud mother of a spoiled cat. She spends her days helping promote independent authors and doing what the voices in her head tell her to. 

They share a love of coffee and the color purple, as well as a brain.

My second tag is Frog and Esther Jones, the minds behind the Gift of Grace series: 

Frog was born at a very young age in a small town in Eastern Washington, where he still managed to grow up nerdy despite all social pressure to the contrary.  Oh, sure; he bucked hay and rode truck with the good ol' boys, but he also played a fair amount of D&D when he could.  An Eagle Scout and a jazz saxophone amateur, Frog came out of his childhood a little twisted, just perfect for an artist. 

At Eastern Washington University, whilst wearing a fedora and a trench coat and carrying a cane, he met Esther, fell in love, and graduated with a couple of worthless degrees.  Frog then went on to the grand University of Idaho Law School, wherein he passed with honors.   

Frog now practices in Washington, and writes from his home in the Olympic Peninsula. He has hand-constructed a Roman onager, which sits in his garage.   

Because it is Frog drafting this website, Esther is the most wonderful lady to have lived ever.  Of all time.  Born and raised in Renton, Washington, Esther began her stay at Eastern Washington University aiming for a degree in creative writing.  She missed, and ended up with a degree in technical writing instead. 

Almost a decade later, Esther once again began writing creatively.  In order to prove to herself that she could still write a short story, she set herself a goal of entering the SpoCon League of Extraordinary Writer's competition.  To do so, Esther consulted with Frog, and began generating the world that would eventually envelop The Gift of Grace trilogy.  The short story produced as a result not only entered, but won that competition. 

Following that, Esther has collaborated with Frog on The Gift of Grace, as well as more short stories.  Her interest in writing has driven the team of Frog and Esther to heights that neither could have reached alone.

Self-Publishing 101: Part 3

Read Part 1 in this series: Should You Self-Publish?
Read Part 2 in this series: Self-Publishing Supplies

It's time for our third lesson! This week is all about book covers.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of a professional, eye-catching cover. If your cover is ugly, cheap-looking or amateurish, that alone will kill your book.

I’m not exaggerating. You might’ve written the greatest book in all of human history—but if the cover is bad, nobody will read it, and all your hard work will mean nothing.

This week, I’m going to show you how to keep your book off of Lousy Book Covers.