I’ll admit it. I’m not ashamed. It’s all about Daryl Dixon.
After the second season of The Walking Dead finished up last year, I realized that I, among a million other women, had developed a ridiculous crush on the crude redneck in AMC’s extremely popular show.
For a few weeks, I swooned while thinking about him. I obsessively conducted Google image searches on him and watched a few hundred fan-made video tributes to him on YouTube. I honestly have not acted in such a way since I was awestruck by Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing. But that was when I was in high school. I’m about to enter my forties and I’m suddenly thinking like a schoolgirl again.
My poor husband. Then again - my wonderful husband. He went out and bought me Norman Reedus movies including The Boondock Saints I and II. Talk about enabling an addiction.
A few weeks went by after the season two finale and a little fantasy played out in my head. That’s what readers do - we fantasize. We think about strange things and then let them play out in our heads. Then we follow wherever it leads. Full stories develop, plots emerge and details are painted with vivid colors. All in the mind’s eye. It wasn’t long after that when I realized I had an entire story in my head, from start to finish.
My muse was Daryl Dixon. I always have a muse. But this one was the best - by far.
I set to work putting pen to paper. It didn’t take long. I had every chapter neatly summarized in a spreadsheet. I knew where it would take me. I only needed the time to flesh out the characters and build the world. The editing took more time than writing the story. Before I knew it, Days of Love and Blood was born and the feedback thus far has been overwhelming.
Although Daryl was my muse, this isn’t fan fiction. His character influenced the development of my own character. There is no crossbow, no motorcycle, no overbearing big brother. And the zombies aren’t exactly zombies.
Passion is what drives a great novel. I had passion for my muse. The artistry Norman Reedus provides in acting out his enigmatic character of Daryl Dixon brought me passion. From one artist to another, from one medium of art to another.
I said it in the acknowledgement section of Days of Love and Blood and I’ll say it once more. Thank you, Norman Reedus / Daryl Dixon - your art became my inspiration.
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Website: http://rscarter.com/
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Days of Love and Blood
by RS Carter
Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 21, 2013)
Amazon Link
File Size: 459 KB
Print Length: 253 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1482042053
Publisher: R.S. Carter; 1 edition (January 16, 2013)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Link
About the book:
A post-apocalyptic zombie book for women.
Without the zombies.
Worse than zombies.
The Demon Virus spreads worldwide in a matter of days leaving nothing but a few uninfected people in its path along with disease-riddled survivors who possess homicidal tendencies.
Carson drives across the country, back to her parents’ farm, with her son Ronan to begin a new life in a post-apocalyptic world. There she discovers more uninfected people like herself and attempts to build new relationships after the devastating loss of her husband.
Two men distract Carson from her grief, each possessing different characteristics that she found, loved and needed in her husband. Cooper has a bad attitude but gives Carson the space she needs with his self-sufficient, independent ways. Ben panders after her but exhibits a kindness she appreciates. Neither of them embody all of which she lost in her husband’s death.
The need for human interaction intertwines with the daily struggle of tribulation, remorse and adjustment, revolving around the constant battles between the uninfected and the last remaining homicidal maniacs. Days of Love and Blood is a story which examines the bonds created between people in times of change with an unexpected shocking end that will have you questioning your own threshold for pain.
Blood and Thunder
The Grimm Chronicles Book #5
Authors: Isabella Fontaine and Ken Brosky
Kindle Edition
File Size: 341 KB
Print Length: 118 pages
Publisher: Brew City Press (December 7, 2012)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Amazon Link
Note: I received a review copy of this book free from the authors, Isabella Fontaine and Ken Brosky. The review posted below is based on my personal thoughts while reading the book.
Ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
My thoughts:
Whoa! I just love this book #5! The story was awesome, definitely a must read for readers looking for a quick but nice read. I just love how the author wove the story incorporating the Grimm's "The Fisherman and His Wife" to Alice's "normal" life.
Alice caught a magic fish that could grant wishes. . . one wish that she has in mind is to be free. . . to live a normal life again and to pass the hero stuff to other people. After informing Br'er about this, the rabbit went AWOL, leaving Alice to deal with the hero stuff all by herself.
The story had my full attention from the first page til the last. It was really fun to see Alice enjoy her life once again and be with normal people. I enjoy seeing her with friends and Seth! I love that guy! Anyway, another interesting character was introduced, Chase. There were some revelations and twists here. Absolutely no boring part, one time reading all the way!
I read about the author's rules about the romance part and was a bit disappointed. I am not that into love triangle thing-y but I think this can be a good one. I look forward to reading more from these authors! Highly recommended for readers looking for a clean and enjoyable YA stories.
About the book:
Upon making a surprising discovery in a Corrupted's lair, Alice finds herself torn between her responsibilities as the hero and her desire to live a normal life. She's been granted a unique opportunity to leave the entire world of the hero behind. But before she can make her ultimate choice, her nightmares return ...
A ship is coming. And aboard that ship is one of the most terrifying Corrupted creatures Alice has faced yet. In order to face her foe, Alice will have to do without the help of her scorned friend, Br'er Rabbit.
At school, a miraculous recovery by the star of the baseball team prompts more questions, all of them bringing Alice back to that fateful encounter at the orphanage of doom. To make matters worse, a school bully has taken his terrorizing too far, a friend is in trouble, and the mysterious ship in Alice's nightmare holds a terrible secret ...
This story also contains:
- "The Fisherman and His Wife," by the Brothers Grimm
- Chapter one of "Moby-Dick," by Herman Melville.
About the author:
I received my MFA in fiction writing from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. I've had over a dozen short stories published.
In addition to regularly contributing literary fiction to various journals and magazines, my current project is a Young Adult series called The Grimm Chronicles. Maybe you've heard of it? No? Really? Well ...
My co-author Isabella Fontaine and I devised 3 "rules" for this Young Adult series. They're important to us.
1. There are no love triangles. We've set this as an explicit rule. Our main character might find love, but she won't be hounded by topless boys and she certainly will never spend her time deciding who to spend the rest of her life with.
2. Our hero, Alice, must use her brain to overcome her obstacles. That doesn't mean she can't kick some butt (she definitely can!), but she does have to rely on her knowledge to win the day.
3. Alice will never commit an act of violence against another human being without there being consequences. Sure, she can do battle with evil monsters ... but violence against human beings has real consequences. Too often our heroes of today cause physical pain to people around them in order to achieve victory. Alice is different. Alice respects nonviolence to solve real-world problems, and only uses violence to rid the world of the evil Corrupted.
Through the Crimson Mirror
Author: Daniel Alexander
Genre: Autobiography, non-fiction, parenting
About the book
Through the Crimson Mirror is a story, an autobiography and a unique look at parenting: a view from a child’s point of view. Effective communication should be a two-way interaction, but for a long time society adopted the attitude of “children are to be seen and not heard.” Unfortunately, we are seeing the ripples of that now: depression, alcoholism, obesity, drug use, gang culture, abortions are all on the rise. There are root causes for all of these, which as a society, we are not addressing.
Often the root causes of these problems are crated when people are young, and often parents aren’t aware of this. What Through the Crimson Mirror tries to do is tell the author’s story while sharing all the lesson he wished he had learned while growing up. In addition, the feelings behind the lessons and the reasons for certain destructive behaviours in children.
The author did a lot of research to form the conclusions that are in the book. In addition, the author interviewed many people including teachers, children, parents, reformed alcoholics and drug addicts, prisoners, counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists, people who work with children that have learning challenges such as ADHD and dyslexia and more.
Through the Crimson Mirror touches on many subjects including depression and mental health, loneliness, education and communication to mention a few. It appeals to a wide audience because it’s a story, an autobiography and a parenting book.
About the author
After many tempestuous years at home, the never learned the coping skills to properly survive in the real world and was susceptible to depression. This eventually led to a breakdown, which lead to the inspiration for this book: to help others have a better start to life. Since then the author has become a public speaker, talking about parenting and related topics. The author is also a radio personality in his home country, and often talks about parenting on air.
Read what others have to say about the book (reviews)
http://daniel-alexander-book.blogspot.com/2013/01/indie-book-review-through-crimson.html
http://daniel-alexander-book.blogspot.com/2012/12/indie-book-review-through-crimson-mirror.html
http://daniel-alexander-book.blogspot.com/2013/01/indie-book-review-through-crimson-mirror.html
Links
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