I am both an author and a graphic artist, though my three cats would tell you a different story. They're of the opinion that my only reason for existence is to feed them, pet them and let them in or out of the house! They're good kitties though, and make wonderful companions.
I started writing in my Junior year of high school. At the time, I'd read everything the school library had that interested me, so it just seemed natural to write what I wanted to read, since no one else was. A small group of us would get together and talk stories, developing characters, plot lines and just in general having fun. My universe, and ultimately the books I have in print, developed out of that.
Being a writer is a lot like living on a wild roller coaster. Sometimes all you can do is hang on for the ride while the story pours out of your fingers, and sometimes you have to fight tooth and nail for every letter! It's a lot of fun, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It would be nice though if inspiration didn't insist on hitting me after the lights were out and I was half-asleep so often!
Along with fiction, I also write poetry. I don't write free verse often, it's just not something that matches with my inner self. I stick more with specific rhyme and meter. While some people might consider that restrictive, I am very pattern oriented. The words generate in stanza's, and I usually don't have much control over that.
A single wor
Currently, I am working on a sci-fi fantasy series called The Sojourn Chronicles. There are six books in the series, with the first four in print. Those are :
Book 1 - Wizard's Bane
Book 2 - Villenspell: City of Wizards
Book 3 - Wizards and Wanderers
Book 4 - Army of Misfits
Book 5 and 6 are written, but I have all the art and covers to do yet, so it'll be a while before they are in print.
The story follows an unlikely group of misfits as they journey to unknown lands in a desperate attempt to save the world. Unfortunately, the world doesn't seem to want that salvation and mishaps befall them at just about every step.
All of my books are available on Amazon.com or other online stores. For more information on them, as well as reviews and illustrations, see my web site at:
When I'm not writing, I'm creating art in other ways, mostly digital, though I do have a camera which comes out of it's case once in a while. I'd probably take more photos, but I'm sadly lacking a dark room at the moment, and as nice as digital photos are, they just aren't the same as film. I do a lot of computer graphics, including the covers of my own books, the covers of other people's books, posters, illustrations, email signatures and various other pieces. A lot of my art is created for private individuals, and I don't have it on display any where, but I do have a nice gallery online. If you'd like to take a look, you can visit me at:
http://artwanted.com/crystalwizard.
What little time is left between writing and creating art I use fixing computers for people or pursuing chocolate ;) Seriously, you can't give a free-range chocolate bar a chance to escape!
Books
Wizards and Wanderers by . Crystalwizard
Book three of the Sojurn Chronicles continues the adventure of a small band of heroes as they journey to distant lands in a desperate race to save the world from almost certain doom. The series has been lauded as one of the most captivating epic adventures of all time....
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Barnes & Noble.com Authorhouse
Villenspell: City of Wizards by . Crystalwizard
Continuing their quest to save this world, the company arrives at The City of Wizards. While there, they encounter Magister Rommalt, a fifty-thousand year old wizard, deal with relics of an ancient war that threatens eminent and total destruction of the city, and are constantly under the effects of various magical spells which control their behavior and influence their actions.
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Barnes & Noble.com Authorhouse
Wizard's Bane by . Crystalwizard
How does it feel to materialize onto a dump of garbage and not know where you are? Ask Dale and discover that this world is not as it seems and that he has a path self discovery and personal development of epic proportions. Rarely have I read a story that brings the elements of adventure, fantasy and science fiction into a fast-paced adventure and a very enjoyable story. After reading the first fo...
Amazon.com Amazon.co.uk Barnes & Noble.com Authorhouse
Links
Cyberwizard Productions
Cyberwizard Productions is a small press publisher that takes a fairly wide range of submissions.
The Sojourn Chronicles
The home page for my series, The Sojourn Chronicles. All the illustrations for the books are here as well as reviews and other items.
Abandoned Towers
Abandoned Towers is my magazine.
This is where you can view all sorts of art that I create, from fractals to fantasy to photos and beyond.
Winter Issue's Featured Author- Crystalwizard
Editor of Abandoned Towers Magazine
January 2009 Featured Author : Crystalwizard
Featured Author Section
full view of cover art is on this page....
Fran Jacobs
Author’s Profile in her own words....
Like many writers, I’d imagine, I’ve been telling stories since I was a child. In fact I remember getting into trouble when I was at junior school for telling a ghost story that scared many of the younger children. Back then I was very into spooky stories, vampire stories in particular, but anything dark or strange would hold my interest.
It was only when I reached High School that I moved onto the genre that I now read and write almost exclusively, fantasy. It started on a whim. I’d brought the Dragon Bone Chair, by Tad Williams, for a school trip and after that I was hooked. I read everything I could get my hands on and wrote my first fantasy novel when I was about fourteen. But I did nothing with it as I was too young and didn’t think anyone would take it seriously. Even so I knew that writing was what I wanted to do. But when I spoke to my careers advisor, and told him my ambition, he dismissed it because he said my spelling was poor and I wasn’t very good in my English classes. It was only later that I discovered that was due to my being dyslexic. But I refused to let his comments bother me. Writing was what I wanted to do and I was determined to get somewhere.
I wrote my first, proper novel, one I intended to submit, while at university studying for my Ancient History degree. It was called the Soul Keys, was set in Faerie, and told the story of Salir and his battle to save the realm from his half brother, the mad king Divor’an. But, by the time I began studying for my Masters, another novel had come to mind, while I was listening to Paula Cole’s Hush, that of the Shadow Seer and I switched my attention exclusively to working on that.
At first I didn’t really know where I was going. I had the beginning in mind, based on that song, of a withered boy, dying in his bed. But, as I worked, the story began to take shape and various creatures crept their way in, demons; a strange, dead eyed, bleeding child; a cruel witch, all helping to shape the tale of Candale, Prince of Carnia, into something I was proud of.
After a couple of years of obsessive editing, I submitted it. It was accepted by the first publisher I sent it to! Silver Lake Publishing. Unfortunately they went under before the editing could start. It was a painful, and very annoying, setback, but I persevered and started the submissions process from the beginning again. I encountered rejections, as every writer does and then, on a whim, I let my friend send my novel to her publisher, Writer’s Exchange E-Publishing. They accepted it and the ebook is due to be released this April, with a print version to follow. In the meantime I’m busy working on the sequel to the Shadow Seer, the Seer’s Tower, Book Two of Ellenessia’s Curse.
As well as the Ellenessia’s Curse series I have written a few short stories, mostly to try and build a name for myself. I don’t have many, as I find them difficult to write, being a bit of a waffler, but most of them have been published by a variety of magazines.
I’m so glad that I never listened to my careers advisor!
More about my novel, the Shadow Seer, Book One of Ellenessia’s Curse, including pictures and extracts, and my earlier book, the Soul Keys, which I plan to finish when the Ellenessia’s Curse trilogy is complete, can be found on my website.
Publications
Novels
The Shadow Seer, Book One of Ellenessia’s Curse, published with Writer’s Exchange Epublishing.
For generations prophets have foreseen the birth of the Shadow Seer, the oracle of dark visions and fallen kingdoms. But by the time of Sorron, King of Carnia, their warnings have mostly been forgotten and his name is known only to a handful of scholars.
When Sorron's grandson, Prince Candale, falls deathly ill, the Seer's legends are brought to light once again by his saviour, a witch named Mayrila. She believes that Candale is the fulfillment of those long forgotten prophecies.
She believes that he is the Shadow Seer.
Short stories
‘The Succubus’ was printed with Ballista.
‘This is my heart’ was printed with Art and Prose Magazine.
‘Daydreams’ was published with Alien Skin Magazine.
‘Ume’s Lament’ was published with Forgotten Worlds and reprinted with Golden Visions Magazine.
‘Medyna’s Choice’ the prequel short story to the Shadow Seer novel was published with Neo Opsis and was reprinted with Dred Magazine.
‘The Changeling’ was published with Nanobision and reprinted in Golden Visions magazine.
‘Rules of War’ was published in Chaos Theory: Tale’s Askew and reprinted with Daikaijuzine
‘Community Service’ was published in A Tangled Script of Intangible Soul Engravings and reprinted with Afterburn Magazine.
First chapter of the Shadow Seer won the Dream Passage competition
.Golden Visions ship Artwork provided by Crystalwizard Jan 2009
Fran tells us:
I also run an online shopping website, Megaera’s Realm, named after one of the Greek furies (and my cat.) There I sell a range of hand painted glassware, mugs, mirrors and frames and handmade cards, prints and jewellery, as well as a small range of gothic and Victorian inspired clothing.
Everything I sell is ‘spooky,’ or fantasy or myth based, combining my first love, of ghost stories, black cats, bats and spiders and anything dark, and my passion for literature and mythology. It’s only a small business, but I enjoy running it because I get to express myself creatively in a different way, through the jewellery that I make and sell. And because it gives me an opportunity to meet different people who share the same interests as me, beyond writing.
One of the people who supply my shop, is an artist named Charlotte Thomson who designs the cards and prints that I sell, even went onto design my Shadow Seer cover for me.
The website address for the shop is: http://www.megaeras-realm.com/
Table of Contents:
The Song of Jaelyn By Craig Comer
Looking through the Moon By TW Williams
Mantle of Darkness By Wesley Lambert
The Fall of Fauk Toraum By Timothy A. Sayell
A Father’s Love By Keith Gouveia
A Maiden Drawn to Sea By Y.B. Cats
The Aspiranto By Martin Turton
To link to our featured author and learn how to buy her latest book- or to read more about her, please go here: www.franjacobs.com
Featured Author for July-August-September 2009
CL Rossman
C. L. Rossman (Connie Rossman)
I really didn't start out to be a writer--I've loved reading ever since my parents started me out by reading bedtime stories. Born in Detroit, MI, raised in Dearborn, where I graduated high school, I went to Wayne State U to learn to be a biologist! But the careers of going up north to study wolves seemed to be far and few between; so I feel back on my other major--journalism, and for the next 15 or so years was an reporter, editor and columnist at local papers all over Michigan.
My husband and I moved out to Henderson NV for about 8 years in the 1980's, where our son John was born, Then the whole cycle started repeating itself--bedtime stories--but John wanted something more gruesome, like monsters and aliens from other worlds. W
Well, that led me to invent the Hunters, who are descendents of great cats--but despite having claws and fangs, are actually rather easy on Human eyes. They're like Humans in that they walk upright, but they have extremely good eyesight and hearing, and unlike us, they've chosen to keep their worlds as wildernesses--because they enjoy the hunt and the chase, while still having a comfortable technology. And to rein in their behavior toward each other, they follow a Credo and a Code of Honor, which together make up Hunt Law.
Their lives are a striking contrast to humans' lives, and in my first three books: 'Renegade the Hunter,' 'Renegade the Warrior' and now 'The Mission to Earth' which is coming out Aug. 1 ,2009, we follow their adventures mostly through the livfe of one young hutner, Renegade. The Mission to Earth is part of the Renegade cycle, taking place about 20 years after the events in Book II and introducing new characters. It brings Hunters and Humans directly together and in an action-packed story shows how the two have to overcome great odds including prejudice and terrorism to be able to form an alliance.
At present my family and I are living in northwestern Michigan, with its beautiful natural setting, a great place to live and write. Never fear, there are still plenty of Renegade books to come--if I can type fast enough.... Connie
Book Three of the Hunter Series-
Mission to Earth- available online
August 2009
Click here to add text.
April 2009 Featured Author - Fran Jacobs
Check out Authors Den, Barnes & Nobles online or contact us to find out how you can order your copy of any of these action packed books.
Great reading for everyone! If you enjoyed the series in our print issues- you need to get the book and learn how it all started.
Book Two- Renegade The Warrior
and the book that started it all
Renegade The Hunter
Octobers's Featured Author- Lee Gimenez
Bio:
Lee Gimenez is the author of two books and over fifty short stories. His first book, The Tomorrow Solution, is now available on Amazon.com. His second book, Azul 7, will be published by Whiskey Creek Press in 2009. Lee has been widely published in magazines in the United States, Australia, Canada and England. His stories have appeared in these magazines: Cosmos ; Nature ; Afterburn SF ; Golden Visions ; Orion's Child ; Beyond Centauri ; Escape Velocity ; Bewildering Stories ; Fifth Dimension ; Antipodean SF ; Concept Sci-Fi ; AlienSkin ; Aphelion ; Ascent Aspirations ; Morpheus Tales ; Dark Fire ; The Cynic ; Abandoned Towers ; Calliope ; Sonar 4 ; Arcane Twilight ; New Voices in Fiction ; Expressions ; Skive Quarterly ; Writing Shift ; Green Wave ; Skiveflash. He is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Lee earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia Tech University and a Masters degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. During his business career in marketing, he worked for three Fortune 500 companies, Verizon, Tech Data and M&M Mars. Lee lives with his wife in Florida. Visit his website at: www.leegimenez.com
The Tomorrow Solution is a thrilling, page turning collection of science fiction and fantasy stories by Lee Gimenez. It contains thirty-five stunning tales of speculation on the world of tomorrow. The stories include strange and fantastic future worlds; bizarre aliens; space exploration in far off galaxies; mind bending technologies; androids and artificial intelligence; human cloning; time travel; genetically engineered humans; alternate histories and twilight zone moments. And among it all, the human spirit fighting to master our new universe. This book is now available on Amazon. Link to Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Tomorrow-Solution-collection-science-fiction/dp/1441496084/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237576533&sr=8-6
AZUL 7 is a page-turning sci-fi thriller, set in the 22nd century in the Azul star system. During a homicide investigation, Jake Montoya, a hard-as-nails cop, uncovers several unexplained deaths. Soon after, the Kademi, a bizarre but highly intelligent extraterrestrial race, lands on Azul 7, and offer to trade Faster-Than-Light spacecraft fuel for use of the empty desert lands on the planet. The Governor of Azul agrees, and from then on Jake’s world turns upside down as he finds the dreadful truth about the aliens and the death they bring. He becomes the leader of the Resistance movement, and with the help of his beautiful girlfriend Mei Le Tan, and a resourceful police captain, Erin Lewis, he fights the aliens and his own corrupt government in a bid to save the future of humanity.
