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 |  It's about adventure! Life, Scouting, Family, writing what else is there? |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 25 OCT 2021: Just a little about me. I've been married for 30 years in NOV this year!! and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys in their teens. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. I love to write, but since I've been so involved with the Boy Scouts program since 2015 (now Scouts BSA since girls were invited to come on board) I haven't written much. I hope to get back to more writing soon, as I'm scaling back my BSA commitment. Update on this: I was able to get out 2 stories that were previously published. The update/publishing is going slow. I like to get out in nature, take walks around Castaic Lake, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bi about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there.  Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." |
| Happy Labor Day all! I thought I'd break from my character studies for a bit to say Happy Labor Day. I just did article for Associated Content about the history of Labor Day and I thought I'd share a little with you. The first labor day was celebrated on Sept. 5th, 1882 in New York City. It was organized by the Central Labor Union. In 1886, due to the labor unions, an eight hour work day was instituted by the federal government. In Sept. 1887, Oregon was the first state to recognize the holiday and in 1894, it was made a Federal holiday. The intent of the holiday is to celebrate the average worker with parades and picnics. Mind you, I don't think we see many parades and picnics these days. I guess it depends on where you live. Hope your labor is low key and fun. I'll be working.  ************ That said, I just want to give extra kudos to Kim-Marie who wrote the Short Stories Newsletter this past week. I had a chance to read it at work and in it she discussed character voice, which is very important in writing in that it gives your character - and your story a feel of authencity. For me, voice is something that has evolving and is currently evolving. I can capture it really good in first person, but I'm still working on my 3rd person voice. If you know of a good story using character voice, let me know. Well, I've just expanded my reading library. Mind you, it's tough to read when I'm trying to work on my writing as well. Right now I'm reading "A Doorway to Hearts," by SHERRI GIBSON   I'm also impressed with IUniverse's release of my novel, "Destination: Berlin." If you get a chance, check it out. Have a nice, relaxing holiday. |
| Hi, all! I had Thurs/Fri off and let me tell you, it's been busy! I just went through my subscriptions of WDC newletters, and I every week I award one or two newsletter writers a merit badge. Why? Heck, writing a newsletter isn't easy and it requires a lot of work & research. I edit the Drama newsletter myself and in order for me to put out a quality newsletter I dedicate a good amount of time to it. That said, when I award a badge, I'll post a note here. This week's newsletter merit badges went to: Starr Phenix  for a great Romance/Love newsletter about "alpha" female/male roles in romance writing. Elisa the Bunny Stik  for a fabulous Contest/Activties newsletter about the importance of judges for a contest. My contests, "BEST OF THE REST," and "SHOW OFF YOUR BEST AT THE SANDBOX" would not be as successful as they without the support of my judges. It was nice to see a newsletter about that.Well, yesterday, as I was driving back from Costco I got a flat tire about 3-5 miles from my house. Thankfully I was able to get off the freeway and pull off to the side of the road in a safe location, but I had my two kids with me, 11 months, and 5 years. I called AAA who quoted me 50 minutes. Sigh... It was hot yesterday - 111 degrees on the car's tempature gage. Joseph (11 months) got really red in the face. I did too. Andrew, thankfully, held up well. The AAA guy came in 35 minutes - thank God, and put the spare tire on in no time. I got us home and Joseph got a bottle & a rocking. Then Andrew and I proceeded to drink a bottle of cold Arrowhead water. Anyway, the 4Runner needs new tires now which sucks, yet it's due. I've got 47,000 on it and I drive it like a fiend so it's time....Sigh...there's just no rest for the wicked. I just want to say today is the 10 year anniversary of Princess Diana, and I wanted to talk about that for a little bit. I was 12 or 13 when she married Prince Charles and I remember thinking how cool is that? She married a Prince and she's totally cool. She's a Kindergarten teacher! But the marriage was complicated and complex and within ten years it had broken down. Still, I admired Diana. Especially when she admited to the buliema. It made her so...human. To me, I easily identified with her. I was in stationed in Hungary on a 90 day deployment to Operation Joint Guard on 31 August 1997. In fact, I remember being in the chow hall where they had a TV on and that's how I heard about her death. I can't begin to describe the saddness I felt, I just felt like I'd lost a friend. My heart went out to her sons. Today, Princes William & Harry are fine men and I think she'd be proud of them. Anyway, I just wanted remember Diana today. She touched a place in my heart few public figures do. Now, I wanted to continue my look at characters, so I thought I'd offer up a couple of insights and tidbits to my character, Corporal Sharon Cates, from my novel, "Destination: Berlin." Sharon Cates has high expectations of herself. She joined the army not because she got an enlistment bonus or because of the Army G.I. Bill, she joined so she could come to know that part of her father's life that he wouldn't talk about. It's a reason she won't devulge to just anyone. Sharon's pretty much a model soldier. She excells in her fitness tests and does well on the board. She's received a couple of awards. Because of her performance, she's promoted and given a chance to go to Berlin to participate on the Berlin Orientation Tour. Her personal life is a mess since she's neglected it. Her boyfriend can't stand her professional focus and it eventually drives a wedge in their relationship. Sharon maybe a good soldier, but she has a non-exisistant private life. On the way to Berlin, the duty train derails and Sharon discovers she had top secret material on her that the Stasi and KGB are willing to kill her for. This is truly a test of her military mettle as she makes her way across East Germany, hunted by the enemy. Destination:Berlin is an action/adventure story with a female soldier in the lead role. If you read it, I hope you find Sharon Cates interesting.   |
| Just thought I'd do something a little different. This week is "character week" and I'll be offering up some tidbits and insights to several characters from my novels, starting with Mihai Sigmaringen from my novel, "The Wolf's Torment." The Wolf's Torment takes place in the mid 1800's in the country of Moldavia on the Black Sea. As the story opens, Mihai is the Crown Prince called back from London to learn his duties and take a wife. He must secure the succesion of the crown since his father is dying - of syhpillis. Mihai is young as book opens, 18. And he's also in a pickle. He's just discovered his mistress is pregnant, but she's been playing him, using him for his royality and royal connections. She thinks Mihai is going to make her rich. Mihai, who is genuinely in love with her is devasted to learn of her emotional betrayal. His love turns to hurt and while he vows to take care of her, his feelings have changed. When he goes back to Moldavia, he meets his intended, Lady Theresa von Kracken. Theresa is much more to his liking, but he vows not to fall in love with her because he doesn't want what happened with Alex to happen to his relationship with Theresa. Just as Mihai is settling into his life in Moldavia, his best friend, Viktor is bitten by a werewolf. Mihai doesn't care for the supernatural elements that haunt his country. A witch killed his mother and he witnessed the brutal event. Still believes in Viktor's humanity and does his best to help his friend deal with his "ailment." It's not that easy. Mihai's feelings for Theresa steadily grow stronger, but his duties take him away from her, and his anxieties over Viktor worry him. As Viktor begins a decent away from humanity and embraces his now wolfen nature Mihai will need to make a decision - his family with Theresa or his nation. During the course of the novel Mihai becomes King when his father dies. It's a sad, yet poignant moment as Theresa tries to breach his defenses regarding his feelings of love. The journey is a coming of age story then, of how a boy becomes a man and how a prince becomes a king. |
| And I have to say, I love their magazine. It's full of useful, helpful stuff and they even have a bunch of contests they sponsor. There's a great article in there by Jodi Picoult which talks about what you can do as an author to help get the word about your novel. Some are expensive options like do a book tour and hire a publicist, but one note she makes is don't underestimate the power of the web. So to piggy back on that, if your an author, get a website it and then develop an email list. Things may move slow at first but they'll come along. That said, visit my website and sign up for email list. I do a monthly email list and I'd love to have you. My website is: http://sgcardin.tripod.com I'll be working on my Drama newsletter today at work for 5 Sep and my topic is still on writing characters, this time I'll be talking about a character's background and how that's important to the story/novel you're putting together. Characters really help to bring a story come alive. That said, Who are some of your favorite characters that you've read about in the last six months? All time? One of my favorites is "Whitney," from "Whitney, My Love," by Judith McNaught. Tina Brown in her book, "The Diana Chronicles" brings Diana alive. C'Mon and share some of your favorite characters. I'd love to hear about them. Steph |
Well, I finally finished reading "The Diana Chronciles" by Tina Brown. I always rather admired Princess Diana. For me, she had the fairytale wedding, but marriages are something you have to work at, and the Wales, well, they didn't get it right. But over the course of her marriage, Diana had to deal with childbirth and bulimia, the fact she a "star" within the royal family to the people and eventually, divorce. That's quite a plate. Anyway, I wanted to read a book about Diana that showed both sides - not only of her, but her life, her marriage and after going through the recent rash of books on Amazon, I decided on Brown's book. She didn't disappoint. First off, I really liked Brown's writing style. It was easy to read and to get into. Brown will immediately take you to Diana's world and do it effortlessly. Once I started reading, I didn't want to put the book down. Second, Brown made Diana appear ever so human. Diana's pluses include her empathy and her intutiveness when it came to raising her boys. On the down side, she embodied the Spencer temperment, much in the way her son, Prince Harry does - sometimes it can be desctructive if not reigned in. Anyway, reading is important to anyone's writing, and one thing I picked up from Brown is her infectious writing style, and her fair presentation. Charles comes across real here, and while his actions & behavior cast him unfavorably, I came to understand him and his character. Mind you, Diana is no saint either, but her actions are so understandable considering the pressures she faced. For a good honest book about Princess Diana, I highly recommend Tina Brown's. |
| Here's a link to the Amazon.com page: http://www.amazon.com/Destination-Berlin-S-Cardin/dp/0595164196/ref=sr_1_6/103-7... Sorry I haven't updated in a while. It's been a busy 2 weeks in real life! Just thought I'd share my latest excitement with you all! Here's an excerpt: Chapter One Somewhere in East Germany July 1988 Spies. Espionage. Danger. The Berlin duty train hinted at it all as it carried the four allies between the West and occupied Berlin. Corporal Sharon Cates was high on the potential thrill, but her military common sense kept her anchored to the fact that hints rarely ever gave way to facts. She walked through the doors and into the duty train’s dining car, wearing her class “A” uniform. It was relatively empty. A lone concession window was open selling coffee and brötchen. She bought a cup and sat down next to a window. It was dark outside, and she couldn’t see much. The train itself felt old with its dull, gray cars wearing cracks in its paint like an old woman’s age lines. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was two o’clock. Sharon knew she should be asleep, but she was too excited. Soon she’d be in Berlin, and she was thrilled. Going to Berlin would be stepping into living history. She put her briefcase on the table and took out a guidebook to Berlin, thumbing through it as she drank her coffee. There were so many places to see, but none she wanted to see more than the Brandenburg Gate. It stood in proud, yet silent testament overlooking West Berlin as if offering hope to all. A faint creak pierced the air breaking her thoughts. When Sharon looked up, she spied a Soviet soldier also buying a cup of coffee. A warm shiver slid down her spine. After all, she knew the Soviets also used the duty train; she just thought she’d never see one. He was tall and filled out his uniform well. From the markings on his uniform, she gathered he was a non-commissioned officer, but that was all. To her surprise, he approached her booth. “Good morning, Corporal. I am Junior Sergeant Dimitri Nagory of the Soviet Army. May I join you?” Sharon looked up. He was talking to her—in English! She motioned to him to have a seat. Dimitri sat down and smiled. “If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your name, Corporal?” “Sharon,” she answered, as distantly as possible. She never thought she’d meet a Soviet soldier on the Berlin Duty Train. This felt like a page out of a LeCarre spy novel. “Sharon Cates.” “Is this your first time on the duty train?” he asked. Sharon stared at him. Nosey Soviet. Cpt. Heathers had cautioned her about them during her security briefing. “Because it is the first time I have seen you,” Dimitri continued, sipping his coffee. “Ah, yes,” Sharon finally answered. Should she finally entertain those hints of espionage and secret spy scenarios? “It’s my first trip to Berlin,” she added. “I see. Are you attending the Berlin Orientation Tour?” “How did you know?” “Most of the Americans I see on the train travel to Berlin for that purpose,” Dimitri explained, grinning. “If you don’t mind my asking, why are you on the train?” Despite the desire to keep her composure, her lips curved into an inquisitive smile. “I work in the Soviet embassy in London. My headquarters are in East Berlin. I travel between London and Berlin every two weeks,” he answered. “And you can tell me that?” she asked, raising a surprised eyebrow. “It’s common knowledge,” he added. “Do you make it a habit to talk to Americans on the train?” Sharon asked. “No, I don’t. I usually sleep in my train car, but I haven’t had much to eat today so they let me out to do that,” he replied. “Touché,” she said curtly. “So, Jr. Sgt. Nagory, what do you do in your army?” “I am a translator for my superior, Major Orlov. I’m fluent in German and English. And you?” Sharon felt mildly inadequate, but she had to admit this was thrilling, in a forbidden way. “I studied French in high school, but I wouldn’t consider myself fluent in it.” “Languages aren’t for everyone. What do you do? I notice you wear the cross pistols on your lapel. Are you military police?” Sharon pursed her lips. “Yes, I’m with the military police,” she said simply. She couldn’t take it any further. He didn’t need to know she guarded nuclear weapons at a remote American kaserne in West Germany. “How long have you been doing…this?” She pointed aimlessly with her hand out the window. “Translating?” “Four years,” said Dimitri. “And you?” She chuckled. “A little over three years.” He seemed sincere, but was it possible that a Soviet soldier could be curious as opposed to inquisitive? The way he smiled at her, he must be curious. But why? Why would he start a conversation with her – an obvious stranger to him. “If you don’t mind my asking, why did you join the military?” “I wanted money for college,” she answered flatly. “Why did you join?” “I was conscripted.” “Of course—conscripted. That’s like being drafted, isn’t it?” said Sharon. “Yes, it’s like a draft.” “America did away with the draft after Vietnam, I believe,” she added. The Soviet took a sip of his coffee. “Your accent, I can’t place it. Where are you from in America?” His question caught her off guard. So much for small talk. “Maine. It’s in New England,” she stammered, wrinkling her brow. “I am from Leningrad. I do not have an accent,” he said. “You speak with a British accent,” she replied, now befuddled. Enough was enough. “I do not!” “Jr. Sgt. Nagory, with all due respect, isn’t this getting kind of personal? We just met. Why would you ask me these questions? Are you trying to get information from me? Here we are in a dining car on the duty train between Bremerhaven and Berlin and we’ll probably never see each other again.” “No, I am not trying to get information out of you for military purposes. We may never cross paths again, but maybe this would be a nice story to tell my grandchildren—how I met an American on the duty train and that the Americans are not the evil people the government believes them to be,” Dimitri replied smoothly. “I’m sorry,” said Sharon. “It’s fine. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Corporal.” Sharon realized she wasn’t uncomfortable with him, but with the principles his army uniform represented. She held out her hand. “Friends? For the night? Tomorrow, when we step off the train, we’ll be enemies again.” “Friends…for tonight,” he confirmed, taking her hand. Sharon was impressed with his firm handshake. The train car violently lurched. After a brief pause, a loud crack filled the air and the train began to roll over, slamming into the ground end on end. Sharon plowed into the Soviet junior sergeant. At first she felt a searing heat surround her. She tried to look around, but the images that assaulted her eyes were blurry. The heavy metallic scent in the air made her gag. She felt as if she were soaring, and when she landed, her lungs exploded. Pain shot through her torso. The bright light that had dominated her sight was now replaced with cool blackness. “Corporal? Corporal? Are you all right?” Sharon stirred and struggled to sit up. “Yes, I think so.” About 500 meters east of the train derailment, there was a fire. Faint voices from that direction filled the air. The night sky, once black, was now filled with gray smoke. As her vision came into focus, she found her dining companion kneeling next to her. The heavy lines of concern Dimitri wore surprised her. She clenched her fists, tensing, and was met by a pain twice as impressive as Dimitri’s concern. Her hand shot to her left side almost as quickly as the pain. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Feels like my ribs,” she grimaced. “I think I landed on you when we were thrown from the train. I’m sorry,” Dimitri said. Sharon nodded. What a way to start her trip to Berlin. They had already crossed the East/West German border and she had no idea just how deep they were into East Germany. “What happened?” she asked. “There was an explosion on the train.” She paused, letting his words sink in. This was serious. Was it an accident or an act of international sabotage? What could cause such a violent explosion? Trains in Europe were supposed to be one of the safest ways to travel. “The smell of gunpowder is in the air,” Dimitri continued. “This doesn’t bode well,” Sharon added. “No, it doesn’t,” Dimitri affirmed. Sharon reached over expecting to clutch her briefcase. Instead there was nothing. “Oh my God!” “What?” asked Dimitri. “Where’s my briefcase?” Sharon barked. She got on her hands and knees, squinting her eyes as she looked for her missing luggage, doing her best to ignore the throbbing pain in her side. Dimitri put his hand on her shoulder. She stopped. Their eyes met. “You need medical attention. What’s so important you have to find your briefcase?” he asked. “My travel papers for Berlin are in there. I don’t want to be without them,” she replied. “I’ll help you then,” said Dimitri, frowning. Sharon nodded her head and they began to scour the immediate area. For the first time since she jumped out of an airplane, a sense of unflinching panic filled her. Cpt. Heathers stressed to her that she needed to keep her paperwork with her at all times. The Soviets or East German police wouldn’t hesitate to detain her if she couldn’t produce her travel papers. Sharon’s eyes cut to Dimitri. He scoured the dirty ground just as determined as she was to find her briefcase. If only she had her mini Maglite on her, but she didn’t have any pockets big enough in her dress uniform, so she put it in her briefcase. She got to her feet and stumbled to the nearby bushes. Maybe her briefcase landed in there. In the distance, she could see people scurrying around the train. Dimitri joined her, pointing past the shrubs. “They’re searching for people,” he said. Several fire trucks, small from the distance, rolled onto the scene. “Argh!” Sharon bent over, clutching her side. A sharp pain reminded her she was injured herself. Dimitri stopped what he was doing and wrapped an arm around her, providing her with support. “You need a medic.” “I need to find my briefcase!” she barked. “Something isn’t right,” said Dimitri through tight, impatient lips. “I don’t believe this was an accident. I’ve ridden the duty train many times and nothing like this has ever happened. Stay here and wait for me. I’ll bring a medic to you.” “No, I am not waiting for a medic. I need to find my briefcase first,” she replied hotly. Who was he to dictate orders? Her sense of urgency spiked. “We’ll find your briefcase, but first you need medical attention. You can barely walk,” Dimitri replied calmly. Almost too calmly for Sharon’s tastes. After all, she could walk, her ability just wasn’t as pain free as before. What did she in his eyes? Concern? Yet it appeared laced with confusion and urgency. About what? Maybe she’d have better luck looking for the briefcase herself. “Fine – go find a medic. I’m going to keep looking for my briefcase,” said Sharon. “You’re exasperating,” Dimitri said. “So are you. No wonder why our armies are enemies,” Sharon retorted. “But we promised to be friends for the night,” he shot back. Sharon went to say something, but nothing came out. For once, she couldn’t think of a thing to say. Dimitri smiled. “I’ll be back shortly,” said Dimitri. “Go,” replied Sharon. She watched him quickly disappear from view, partially concealed by shadows, yet half in the light coming from the fire’s blaze. She walked across the clearing and stood next to one of the tree’s surveying the area, trying to find even a hint of her briefcase. From her spot, she felt soothing warmth emanating from the blaze. Against the dark sky, the roaring fire stood out. The pungent, smoky aroma coming from the burning wood and metal kept taunting her to vomit. Still, she held onto her senses, despite the ache in her ribs. How could this have happened? This was a hell of a reward for winning Soldier of the Quarter. Sharon quickly surveyed her clothes. Her class “A” jacket was gone, lost in the wreckage. Her pumps were scuffed, her nylons had runs in them, and her skirt was dirty. She wore a short-sleeved class “B” shirt, also dirty. Surprisingly, her ribbons hadn’t fallen off. An Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM,) two achievement medals, a good conduct medal, and the army service ribbon stood proudly displayed over her heart, along with a driving badge and her jump wings. On her right chest, the MP regimental crest was still there. As per regulations, her nametag, which would have been under the crest, wasn’t worn. Her corporal bars were still firmly attached to her shoulder lapel. What was going to happen now? She was worried Dimitri would return with the KGB. Oh, that was a foolish notion. What would the KGB want her for? She had very tight lipped about what she did for the army, and she blended in with every other American on the train. Sharon closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What a way to cap off the past couple of months. Three months ago she had won Soldier of the Quarter for her battalion. This was a great accomplishment, but even more than that, it gave her legitimacy as a soldier, a good soldier. Her platoon sergeant recommended her for promotion. She did well on the promotion board and scored high. She’d only been back from the Primary Leadership Development Course (PLDC) a week, the month-long leadership school she needed for promotion to sergeant. On July 1, her company commander officially promoted her from specialist to corporal, a junior NCO rank. Her professional life was soaring, which she could hardly say about her personal life. The separation had played havoc with her relationship to her boyfriend, Specialist John Eddington. That and the fact he was jealous of her professional accomplishments. They’d argued practically every day she’d been back. Then on Thursday, after a fierce argument in front of her platoon at the club, Sharon knew it was over. Now, here she was, waiting for a Soviet soldier to return with help. Her eyes probed the shrubs and bushes around her for her briefcase. The four World War II allies rode the duty train. There were two trains, one that left from Bremerhaven and one that left from Frankfurt. She caught the train in Bremerhaven. After all, she was stationed in Osnabrueck, a city in northern Germany in the British zone of occupation. Bremerhaven was only two hours away. Frankfurt was three and a half hours away. When Captain Heathers gave her the security briefing on Friday, he told her she might encounter Soviet soldiers. Heathers’ voice still rang in her ears. “It’s all a cat and mouse game with them. MI will debrief you when you get to Checkpoint Bravo. If you can find out anything of strategic value, do your best. If not, just keep any conversations with them casual. You can bet they’ll attempt to engage you…” Meeting Soviet Junior Sergeant Dimitri Nagory was like meeting a nervous chatterbox. She wondered if soldiers in his army were like him—curious about Americans. She let him think she was a traditional police officer, but in the army the military police had several jobs, including physical security. She worked at a NATO site in the heart of British-occupied Germany. Her job was to guard short-range tactical nuclear munitions. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was important and it required her to be somewhat secretive regarding her work. She sighed, as her eyes adjusted to the contrasts between fire and darkness. Her thoughts drifted to her relationship with John. It had been based on pure attraction. How could she think of John at a time like this? Was it because she feared Dimitri would betray her as John had? Certainly his motives would be understandable. He was the enemy, after all. John was an American. Even if he was a lousy boyfriend, he had to be loyal to his country. Didn’t he? Her eyes cut to an unusual sparkle of light about twenty-five meters away in a tree branch that was just slightly higher than eye level. Could it be her briefcase? She took a deep breath and walked toward it. |
| I just recieved this review back from Clairon Foreword, a reputable book reviewer and I wanted to share with you: FICTION: ROMANCE / FANTASY The Wolf’s Torment S.G. Cardin iUniverse 355 pages Softcover $20.95 ISBN: 978-0-595-41733-9 4 stars A good romantic novel is not the massed-produced formulaic massively consumed quickie book commonly known as a “Bodice Ripper.” A romantic novel is more than thin plot lines designed to get the main characters from one sexual congress to the next. S. G. Cardin’s debut novel, The Wolf’s Torment, is a romantic novel without being a clichéd ridden “romance” novel. With elements of historical fiction combined with the gothic supernatural, The Wolf’s Torment is in the similar vein as Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles and The Mayfair Witch Chronicles, but the story is also convoluted like Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations as well as dark Arthurian undertones. It is an erotically charged novel with powerful sexual scenes that are not gratuitous, but necessary for the development of character and plot. Cardin’s hero, child Prince Mihai Sigmaringen of Moldavia in the 1800s, watches helplessly as his mother is murdered by an evil witch. An older Mihai realizes that he lives in country with real monsters, and the modernization and unification of Romania is the only way to rid Eastern Europe of these ancient evils. Cardin writes, “He had a future to fulfill… He would modernize the country and drive out such beings as witches and werewolves that would have the rest of the world think his country as uncultured.” But the ancient evil persists, and Mihai’s best friend Victor, who he met in England while attending university, is bitten by a werewolf. When the beast overcomes the man, Victor’s werewolf nature invades his humanity and he betrays Mihia. Mihai makes his own betrayals: to see his plans reach fruition he submits to an arranged marriage to the Lady Theresa von Kracken, even though Alexandra, his gold-digging mistress from London, is pregnant with his baby. Theresa believes that Mihia is the prince that her precognitive dreams had shown her as a child. After the death of his father, Mihia is crowned King and Theresa becomes his queen. Like Lancelot and Guinevere who betray King Arthur’s trust, Victor has his way with Queen Theresa—the difference being Victor drugs Theresa and takes advantage of her vulnerability. Unlike Guinevere, she never stops being deeply in love with her husband. The story turns desperate as King Mihia relentlessly drags a reluctant Moldavia into a modern age, even while chthonic forces attempt to pull Moldavia out of enlightenment and back into the darkness of magic, fear and superstition. Cardin has provided a Q and A session as well as deleted scenes and discussion issues. Readers that enjoy fast-paced novels with some scares and mystery will find themselves waiting impatiently for a sequel to this historical and supernatural romance. Reviewed by Lee Gooden |
Just want to thank my friends Starr Phenix AlyM  and Alyce Mitchell  for their helpful comments and crits about the review & the material for "Wolf's Torment." They helped to brighten my day. Yesterday I took the boys over to Grandma's and used the pool. Andrew had a great time splashing around in it and even Joseph laughed and splashed. Not much else going on except work and trying to keep up with my emails! ((hugs)) Steph |
| from Kirkus on the Wolf's Torment. I was a bit bummed, yet okay with it. The opening line is: An adequate, yet insubstantial tale about witches, werewolves, and vampires in 1860's Romania. Well, I'm happy the writing is adequate. Still that's vague. What's adequate? The technical (mechanics) aspects of the writing? The character development? The plot? I think, put together as a whole, the story is adequate - yet insubstantial. What's insubstantial? I guess it means it doesn't stick out. There's nothing here that makes the story shine. Is it lacking something? Plot? Character development? I guess I'm leaning toward character development. Here's another line from the review: In developing the characters, Cardin relies too heavily upon emotional shorthand, a tactic that frequently makes their actions seem rash or unplanned. Emotional shorthand. I must do more research into this. Sigh... Here's another qip: The author strives for substantive—if supernatural—historical fiction, but too frequently indulges in lurid melodrama...the story's elements fail to come together. Sigh... Yeah, I guess that's what I was striving for. If anything, I find the review encouraging in that it recongizes what I was striving for - I'm just disapointed I came up a little short. Not trying to bitch here, but looking for constructive feedback so as to improve. |
| Forgive my absence! It's been very busy around here. I can't necessarily I've been working more hours, but my off days have been busy. After work on Saturday, 4 AUG, we went to a family get together and on 5 AUG, my off day, we went to my work's picnic with the kids. One of the nice things about work is that I can write and read during down time. That said, lately, I've been investigating genre writing rules, taking a look at the rules for Romance Writing since I intend to expand my short story, "The Wolf's Kiss," into a romance. One of the big things to consider is that a Romance must have a "Happily Ever After." That's a pretty solid that a writer shouldn't play around with. Boy & Girl are firmly established and live together happily ever after. Another pretty firm rule is "I've only got eyes for you." When the heroine and hero finally meet in the story, it's now about how they "get together." There's no 3rd party love interest because then someone in the trio doesn't get happily ever after. Still, another rule is Point of View. While I've come to the conculsion that the Romance Genre is forgiving of the "Lonesome Dove," Pov, (Lonesome Dove is where the POV switches WITHIN a scene between characters. Most editors/reader tend to shy away from this because the head hopping can confuse them) the main point of view should be written through the heroine's eyes. We love our hero, but he's not the only that's going to give the romance the emotional heartstrings it needs, it's the woman. What I've found in my explorations is that the 1st person or 3rd person limited from the heroine's POV is the most acceptable. Other rules that give leeway are: Readers come to care about the characters Readers identify with the heroine, Readers fall in love with hero, Readers believe there's a happy ever after Mind you, the above set gives you as a writer lots of room to play with, but don't break them. Remember the TRADITIONAL structure of a romance is: introduction of characters and problem, expansion of characterization and intimacy, a physical culmination at the mid-point, the introduction of a new problem, and the resolution of the relationship. One way you can play with the rules is to expand on the sex scenes within the romance. You might be "pushing it" a little, but if you keep in the structure, it will work. Now that you're familiar with the rules, here's my guidance for breaking them: You must know what the rules are. You must recognize what you hope to accomplish by breaking the rules. You can't break all of the rules at once. And when you break the rules, you must break them very, very well. I hope that helps when it comes to the romance genre. |
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