Contests & Guest Posts - Other Humanotica News and Recap

This has been a fast and furious week. Just wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that there are two contests running at the moment where you can win a copy of the first book in the Humanotica series, Silver. Here are the links:

Contests:

At Booked Up Reviews, here's the link to the contest page:

http://www.boookup.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-tour-part-3-darcy-guest-post.html (ends 3/31/12)


The other contest running is at Ramblings From This Chick, and that can be found at this link:

http://www.ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/2012/03/guest-post-with-author-darcy-abriel-and.html#more (ends 3/29/12)

Review

And I'd like to share with you the latest new review that was just posted at Booked Up for Haevyn, the second book in the Humanotica series.

"This book is 4 star material, a brilliant must-read. I was blown away with the story and the fascinating world Darcy has created. ... I’m hooked; I can’t get enough of this amazing series and hope it’s not too long before we get another addition to it. If you love erotica, adventure, scifi and nail biting drama, you need to try this series. You will not be disappointed." - Booked Up Reviews

Link: http://www.boookup.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-tour-part-1.html


Read an excerpt and more reviews for Haevyn at: http://www.darcyabriel.com/haevyn.html



Recap of Posts Regarding Backstory for the Humanotica Series

Read the first chapter at: http://dreneebagbypresentsfirstchapters.blogspot.com/2012/03/haevyn-by-darcy-abriel.html

Read my guest post, "Haevyn and the Dreaded Factorium" at: http://www.melissaschroeder.blogspot.com/2012/03/guest-author-darcy-abriel.html

Read about creating the city of Quentopolis on my blog: http://darcysnocturnalwhispers.blogspot.com/2011/12/creating-city-of-quentopolis.html

Read about naming the characters for this story on my blog: http://darcysnocturnalwhispers.blogspot.com/2012/01/haevyn-first-glimpse-and-something.html

Read about an early conversation with Haevyn on my blog: http://darcysnocturnalwhispers.blogspot.com/2011/06/in-speaking-with-haevyn.html

Read my guest post about "Haevyn and Emotional Cost" of living in a world such as Quentopolis.
http://www.boookup.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-tour-part-2-darcy-guest-post.html

Read my guest post about "Haevyn and the Elite Logical Life Core" at:
http://www.ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/2012/03/guest-post-with-author-darcy-abriel-and.html#more

Thanks!

Darcy

On the flesh of language

Started reading a book the other day, "The Spell of the Sensuous" by David Abram. It's a nonfiction, rather scholarly book, coming under the subject heading of "nature/philosophy." I was looking for a book in relation to human spirit and the natural environment.

In the chapter I'm reading this morning, "The Flesh of Language," I found this passage particularly noteworthy, and wanted to share it.

"We thus learn our native language not mentally but bodily. We appropriate new words and phrases first through their expressive tonality and texture, through the way they feel in the mouth or roll off the tongue, and it is this direct, felt significance--the taste of a word or phrase, the way it influences or modulates the body--that provides the fertile, polyvalent source for all the more refined and rarefied meanings which that term may come to have for us."

I love words and how they work together and how evocative they can be. The sensations that can erupt from the use of a single word, or a phrase woven together.

Language at its core can be a primal thing. When an infant utters that first cry when he or she emerges into the world, this is not a learned response. It is a response to a bodily event. It comes from within, not without, yet it is a response to exit from that safe, warm environment of a mother's womb, into a larger, unknown environment. For that small individual, the utterance of that first cry represents many things, none of them actually learned. It is instinct at its most basic level. A reaction to altered bodily state and the spark of recognition to that state.

A cry--pain, happiness, despair, joy, anger, surprise, ecstasy. That sound--the word "cry" is so much more--that bit of language is represented differently for each emotion, each sensation, each experience.

"He cried out," informs us little of the experience. "He shouted for joy." "She sobbed," "He groaned," "The drawn out unearthly howl echoed through the moonless black night." "His bitter words scorched her with the fury of his anger."

Words are not simply words. Nor is a phrase or sentence just a bunch of words to trip the story along. Nor should they be a mimic of some other story that one thinks fits the scene. Language has to be real to these characters in this story, in this moment. Time, space, moment, era, world, instinct, sensation. Shy, bold, brash, demure, aggressive, dominant, submissive, sophisticated, extrovert, introvert, slave, master, powerful, sly, coarse, smooth, Caucasian, Hispanic, African-American, Native American, Black, White, Asian, man, woman, child, infant, ghost, shapeshifter, wolf, bird, fish, merman...Quentopian, Orictan... or any combination. How will the cry differ? I want to feel the words in my bones. I want to taste its color. Let me experience the words deep into my soul. I want them to grip to squeeze, my heart and mind.

Haevyn - A first Glimpse, and something about names

I was going to share a bit about the E.L.L.C. - the elite logical life core, this week, but this morning I received the final cover for Haevyn.

Here it is, the cover for my upcoming novel, Haevyn, the second book in the Humanotica series, coming from Samhain Publishing. I've just been given permission to share it. Due to be released in March 2012.

My thanks to Kanaxa, who has done an absolutely fabulous job in capturing the essence of Haevyn with her imagery for this cover.

What's this story about?

Duty and honor demand the ultimate sacrifice.

Everyone has their poison. For Haevyn Breina, it’s her inability to resist a dare. This time it’s a challenge from her friend and lover, Grisha, to sneak into the popular, illegal cage fights that always end in all-male orgies. Eagerly she snaps up the gauntlet, unaware that she will end the night forever changed.

When expatriate humanotic warrior Entreus locks eyes with Haevyn at the sex-fueled event, he is instantly captivated. Despite a duty that binds him to an exiled malevolent sorcerer, he seeks her out in a shattering, illuminating encounter.

Grisha’s plan is in motion—to bring both his warrior lovers together and heal their scarred souls with a combined passion that he alone cannot provide. But Haevyn’s tormented past refuses to die. And Entreus will not rest until the Core that ruined his life is destroyed.

Amid ever-tangling emotions and a brutal plot to take over the city, the three lovers walk a tightrope that could be cut at any moment. Fighting for justice, bound by duty…and a love that could alter the foundations of their world.

Warning: Watch out for oiled-up, naked trinespined warriors battling for top position, feisty tracer females that fit oh-so-snugly in between, and sexy nights that segue into complex relationships. Beware of tebitcheckers wielding those nasty little contulators at illegal, testosterone-drenched cage confrontations.


Something to think about. In naming my characters I often look to name meanings or what I want the name to say about a person. With Entreus, I wanted sort of a gladiatorial sort of name and came up with his name. For Haevyn, it's sort of a play on what she's unconsciously seeking. And with Grisha - well, Grisha is a Russian from of Gregory. And if one looks up the meaning of Gregory, it means "vigilant watchman." I think in many ways this name is appropriate for him.

And those illegal cage confrontations are officially, or unofficially called...Cockrage Events. Man games.

More on Perceived Ebook Price Fixing

Today The Guardian (via Publisher's Weekly) posted an article on Apple's struggle to Defeat Amazon. More on the big, bad Amazon and efforts to justify an agency model of price threshold to perhaps guarantee the survival of other heretofore giants in the publishing industry.

There seems to be nasty growing pains at the upper echelons of the publishing world. I sense much desperation to hold a place that tended to squeeze the availability of the printed word as in narrowing the choices available, attempting to define what sells, and creating boundaries that tended to squeeze out creative, more niche, talents, and went for the sure sales. I understand the need to stall monopoly. I understand the need that in order to survive, a company, even large corporations, need to show a profit and they don't want their books becoming loss leaders for a company such as Amazon, who has broadened its merchandise scope. Really, I do understand this.

But, the costs, long-ranging, in production of ebooks versus long-ranging in production of a mass market paperback, trade paperback, hard cover, is not the same. Once that ebook is produced, one does not have to revert to more print runs, one is not subject to returns, one is not subject to landfill for books that do not sell as well as anticipated.

The argument that Amazon's market share has been reduced as a direct result of this sort of agency model is...well, suspect. Let's see, the market is flooded with all brands and models of tablets, such as Kobo, B&N, Google, Asus, HP, etc., etc. It seems to me that new consumer/readers will be purchasing as a first choice using a company that provides the app that makes it easiest to purchase what they want. In many cases, that will include discounts and gift certificates for new owners of these devices. My daughter just purchased two Nook tablets for her household, where do you think she's going to buy her books? I can't seem to find a Nook app for my Android tablet, I had a seamless download of the Kindle app. If someone has a Sony reader, or a Kobo reader, where do you thing they're going to purchase? Oh yeah, then there's the iPad. Mustn't forget that one.

I tend to be a bit savvy about techie stuff, so I'll probably be purchasing from a large range of sources, often small publishers because I know the author makes more when I do that.

I doubt I'd put the fluctuation in market share down to the agency models. That justification doesn't hold water. To me, what I see is that the consumer is caught in the cross-hairs of this battle. They are the ones who will suffer and pay the price. Right along with the authors aligned with the major publishers, especially mid-list and new talent. High prices for books mean less purchases made by the average consumer. And again, I see this particularly when you're talking about an ebook, where there is likely not the same reprint and stocking issues associated with those sales. Who's really being affected here? What is really impacting the market fluctuation? Or is it just an "I've got more clout than you and I don't care who suffers, as long as you get your wings clipped"?

I read a lot, and as I've mentioned before, it's across mediums. I have one research book on my Kindle DX, I have one short story up on my Android tablet, and I have a hard cover from one of my favorite authors. Yup, I'm into reading a bit each day from all three.

But for readers out there who want a good read, perhaps you might check with my publishers, they're always giving good deals on books. Take a minute to check out Amber Quill Press and Samhain Publishing if you want good prices for ebooks, and great stories to read, and formats that will work well on pretty much any readers, with customer service departments that are on the ball, ready to help. I'll also recommend Loose Id. Some wicked great reads from these publishers.

And now I've got to get back to writing.

In speaking with Haevyn...

I'm working my way through the almost final draft of a WIP that's been making me crazy. I've been having conversations with three of the characters. So, there's Haevyn, who's in a newly-formed special branch of the Regulate military. A very special branch. She's secretive, she has been from the start. She won't even talk to me, the person who's transcribing her story.

"Why him, Haevyn? What is it about him that keeps you coming back?" I take a bite out of the double cheeseburger.

There's a look in her eye, I can feel those secrets there, hiding, cringing in the corner, in the shadows. Her whole demeanor goes still, almost like a statue. I bet she learned that stance when she was in training. But then she slides a glance toward me.

"Do you mean, Grisha?"

"Yes, him," I say, then take a sip of the coke. Mind you, I was having this discussion in a McDonald's at Walmart's. Call me crazy, but she finally opened up about Grisha. Why here, why now, in the middle of a freaking fast-food place, I have no idea. But, hey, I'm going with it. I rummage for the notebook, the pen, I'm ready. "He's just a simple fisherman, really has nothing in common with you."

I see a curl of the lip, but in contrast there's a sheen of tears in her eyes, and she gets that far away look. Whatever memory it is, this seems to be one of the good ones. "He makes me laugh. He makes me...safe."

"Safe?" I ask as I dip the tip of a really salty french fry into the cup of catsup and pop it into my mouth.

A tear rolls down her face. "I've known Grisha since we were school friends. He was there at the most embarrassing moments of my life. He was there...before."

"But he doesn't know everything about you, does he?" I offer her a napkin, which she refuses, lifting her chin, a rather stubborn, set look to her face. The cheeseburger is starting to taste like dust. I so feel for this woman. I have to keep digging because there are so many layers to her.

"He knows enough. I don't need him to know more. He makes me laugh, he makes me feel safe. And in Quentopolis, that's a damned hard thing to do."

"And the other one?" I can't help asking.

"The other one?" For a moment she seems confused and then a look of understanding comes into her eyes. The tears dry and now I see something different. A fire simmering just below the surface. "You mean the warrior...from cockrage. I only met him the other night."

"Yes, but, that was quite a meeting wasn't it? Does he make you laugh?"

A look hinting at different secrets comes into her face, the heaviness of expression, the sensuality is almost tangible. Something darker here, burning in her gut. "He's a warrior, he's seen battle, he knows. And my goddess, to see him fight, to watch him take a man." She releases a shuddering breath.

Is it hot in here or what? I hunt around for the fire extinguishers. I clear my throat. Okay. Keep the conversation going. "What does he know?"

"The secrets. He's been to the abyss. He understands the darkness, the danger. He understands the primal rage that tries to consume you. He's felt it, he's been there."

Ahh, now I'm beginning to understand. These two men are very different indeed. Hmm, wonder how this will all work out for Haevyn?

But, boy, am I glad she finally opened up about the men in her life. Damn, she's been close-mouthed.

Of course, there is that other dude who needs to open up more. Jericah thinks he's too high and mighty to speak with this writer. If he's such a damned powerful sorcerer, how'd he get stuck in such a predicament anyway? In your face, pal, start talking. He's going to have to talk to me one way or the other. I get them all to reveal...eventually. I'm darned tenacious about that. I've got some ideas about his secrets. We'll see how right I am.

In the meantime, I've got to get the groceries. After all, that's really what I'm supposed to be here for.

Guest Blogging Today - The Erotic Mind of a Twisted Fantasy Writer

Today I'm guest blogging at Gabriella Hewitt's blog, talking about my novel, Silver. Take a moment to stop by. Musings from my twisted imagination, one might say. Something to start your week out with. The Erotic Imagination of a Twisted Fantasy Writer.