guest blog post for the Tundra 37 Book tour

Matchmaker, Matchmaker Make Me A Match…

Anyone familiar with Fiddler on the Roof knows what I’m talking about…couples being matched up. This is exactly what they do on the colony ships in my New Dawn series, and for good reason. Generations must live on the ship, and with such a closed environment and harsh deep space conditions, the survival of humanity lies on producing the strongest, hardiest future generation. Desperate times calls for desperate measures.

In Tundra 37, the main character, Gemme Reiner, is the matchmaker. She loves her cushy job with a nice view of deep space and a comfy chair to swivel around in. Yes, she has thousands of matches to supervise, but the computer does most of the work, and all she has to do is hit the approve or disapprove buttons. It’s very simple up until the day her match flashes on the screen. He’s the gorgeous lieutenant that everyone wants for themselves. Not only will she look like she’d contrived the pairing, she just might lose her job. And she can’t even think about his hands touching hers, or how he’d make her feel. Out of the question.

After Gemme presses the delete button on her match, a comet shower pummels the ship, destroying the pairing system forever. Her job as the matchmaker is over, and she must join an exploratory team, led by the handsome lieutenant, to find minerals able to power what’s left of the ship. Only, she finds much more than minerals in the vast tundra. The truth to why the computer has entwined their destinies unfolds in an ancient alien device buried deep in the snow.

What would you do if you were matched to the hottest man on the ship? Would it be a blessing or a curse? Would you press accept or delete?

~Shawn Kirsten Maravel~: Make Kony Famous

~Shawn Kirsten Maravel~: Make Kony Famous: I have been seeing this "Make Kony famous" stuff around for the past few days and had ignored it until now. Do yourself a favor...don't igno...

Review for “Fezariu’s Epiphany”

 Book Cover and Synopsis

Title: Fezariu’s Epiphany
Author: David M. Brown
Genre: Epic Fantasy

12-year-old Fezariu thought his mother died when he was little, but when his beloved stepfather dies the boy discovers she is alive and well - and working at the most famous brothel in all of Elenchera. When she cruelly rejects him it's more than he can bear, and he runs away to join a band of ruthless soldiers for hire. The Merelax Mercenaries will fight for anyone who can pay them, no matter the justice of the cause.

Fezariu grows up among the soldiers and becomes one of them. He thinks his time with the mercenaries has hardened him. But a campaign in his old home town pushes him too far, and he discovers what really happened to his mother. Maybe there are some things money shouldn't buy... and maybe it's time Fezariu took his revenge.

Review

Fezariu’s Epiphany was an excellent read.  The world created by David Brown is rich with details and poignant emotion.  The story is mainly is third person, but mainly focuses on Fezariu.  All the other people whose eyes you see through have a direct or indirect impact on the fate of Fezariu.  I enjoyed getting to know this world, which while futuristic was still fairly primitive.  It was very enjoyable.

All that said there were several things in the book that were difficult for me to follow or that were harder to believe that others.  I was also confused by the title, Fezariu’s Epiphany.  He never has an Epiphany.  He is told what should have been obvious to anyone by someone that loves him but he doesn’t love back.

Book Excerpt

“…Fezariu thought about his life:  his birth in Larchfield, his later childhood on the sleazy streets of Clarendon and finally his blossoming career in the Merelax Mercenaries.

Fezariu’s memories, so vivid in their poignancy and regret, played out smoothly in his mind and helped him to forget the frostbite that was now beginning to cripple is body.

Fezariu remembered his reason for becoming a mercenary in the first place, the same reason that had led him to this lonely place in the forest.  It had all started in the White Oak, a squalid brothel in Clarendon, and Fezariu’s sad fate had been down to one woman – a prostitute named Wild Jessamine.”

Author Bio

David Brown could be considered a fantasy fanatic, especially since he has spent the last 10 years developing a 47,000-year history for his fictional world of Elenchera. When converting his obsession into literary form, David commits himself to a rigorous writing and editing process before his work can meet his approval. Combined with the critical eye of his wife and a BA Honors in History and English, David's dedication leads him to his goal of inspiring readers through heartfelt stories and characters.

Although David is inspired primarily by fantasy fiction, he also finds his muse in the form of anime, world cinema, history, and biographies. His own books, Fezariu's Epiphany and the in-progress A World Apart, combine aspects from worlds both old and new into compelling tales of a world not soon forgotten., David himself certainly does not lack a spirit of adventure; in fact, he left his job in 2007 in order to spend a month traveling. Second only to meeting and marrying his wife, David counts this as one of the most amazing experiences of his life.

Important Links

The Elencheran Chronicles    http://elenchera.com

The World According to Dave            http://blog.elenchera.com

Twitter            http://twitter.com/elenchera

Facebook:        http://www.facebook.com/fezariu

Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11451305-fezariu-s-epiphany (book page)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fezarius-Epiphany-Elencheran-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B00515BM9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327742120&sr=8-1

B&N:   http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fezarius-epiphany-david-brown/1102095604?ean=9781456500597&itm=1&usri=fezarius+epiphany

Book Depository:  http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Fezarius-Epiphany-David-Brown/9781447718772

IndieBound:  http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781456500597?aff=elenchera

Free FREE reads

Free Reads Week

This week, from March 12^th to March 16^th, InkSpell Publishing is organizing a free reads week. That means that you can read free short stories by some of the InkSpell Publishing authors.

On March 12^th,  you can read Forever Yours by Shilpa Mudiganti, the author of contemporary romance novella Always You. In Forever Yours, main character Amelia loves Aaron, her fiancé. But she also loves Damon. Can one be in love with two men at the same time? How do you define infidelity? Or fidelity?

On March 13^th, InkSpell releases Love, Lies and other Disasters, a contemporary romance short story by Cecilia Robert, the author of Truly, Madly, Deeply You. In Love, Lies and other Disasters, the one person Celina fought so hard to get over five years ago is back, and has kidnapped her. He says he wants a second chance to prove his love. Will she allow him to glide back into her life and heart?

On March 14^th, you can read Beyond The Hidden Gate by Debbie Peterson, the author of paranormal romance novel Shadow of the Witte Wieven. In Beyond The Gate, Aynia doesn’t remember anything, save her name. Can Aeden help her remember who she is, the love they shared and the importance of the quest for which she risked her life? Or will the power of an evil warlock shatter all they hold dear?

On March 15^th, InkSpell releases yet another contemporary romance short story, this time Coming Together by Naya Nikki, author of Familiar Ties. Life is complicated when you are pregnant at 17. But when the father doesn’t know and he’s marrying another right in front of you, it is bound to break your heart. What does Ellie do? Cry on her daughter’s shoulders?

Last but not least, on March 16^th, author Stephanie Lawton’s short story After Taste will be released. In After Taste, nothing can shield him from the horrible dream. Nothing can protect her from a danger she can’t see.

If you want to read these mix of romantic, tense and suspenseful stories, then head over to the InkSpell Publishing website. And there’s more. Not only is InkSpell Publishing handing out free short stories to their readers, they’re also organizing a contest at the end of the week. Participants in the contest need to answer one question from each story correctly, and in return they can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card and an InkSpell novel of their choosing! What are you waiting for?