Contrary to what many people think
about professional writers, or people trying to be professional writers, is
that I do have a social life. It’s quite a good one actually, and I enjoy doing
a lot of fun activities and have lots of great friends. So, with some prodding
from my publicist to be more visible to my audience, I’m drifting away from the
more book oriented blogs to an author oriented topic. So, if any of you give a
hoot, here’s some stuff that I enjoy when I’m not writing.
Firstly, I love being outside. I am
constantly hiking, camping, canoeing, four wheeling, trail running, patio
sitting, tanning, creek walking, boating, swimming, jet skiing, dog walking,
surfing, etc. It inspires me to be outside in fresh air and not cooped up,
which is probably part of my distain for the cold depths of winter. But that
rant is for another time. My affinity for nature stems from my group of friends
and I growing up in a tiny valley along the Mississippi River, and our lives
were centered on being outside. Our little summer community mostly functioned
during its operational season of Memorial Day through Labor Day, and there was
a heavy emphasis on being outside and not being glued to a television. So we
built trails, bike jumps, and wandered around barefoot until we spent some time
at the pool to avoid heat exhaustion. This is still a big part of my life, and
most of our activities are still centered on being outside.
Most of my life outside of writing
is socially centered. I am definitely an extrovert, but privately if that makes
sense. I love being around people, but I can be a bit standoffish when dealing
with strangers. I almost prefer to be in super huge groups of strangers rather
than ten people who know each other and me being the odd man out. However, I can
fake being comfortable like a charm. ☺ I love hosting and having parties, making
awesome drinks, and cooking food. Big groups of friends mingling, being happy,
full, and perhaps mildly intoxicated, are some of the best times in life. And
it is a huge creative outlet for me as well, trying new recipes and ideas. Even
if they flop it’s even more hilarious, because your friends will remember the
failures with a great sense of humor and nostalgia.
This
leads to my next non writing activity, which is managing a restaurant. In 2010,
a very great friend of mine decided she wanted to open a hip French market and
gift shop. Naturally I obliged my services, being a poor post graduate student
and interested in doing something new. We now function as a full time lunch
restaurant, and after five years we are still going strong! And lastly, my
other random hobby that I’ve taken upon myself was to make a giant board game.
I’m going to patent it and try to sell it so I’m not revealing too much of it
here, but is a cool murder mystery game. It is clue-esque, but is set in my
hometown and all of the characters are my friends. It took me a long time to
finish it and get the details right to make it playable, and now I’m just
struggling with the construction of the actual board.
Other than that I love antiques and old
lamps. I am constantly on the hunt for functional oil lamps and neat glass
shaded gals that I can squeeze in somewhere. This also leads to my mild
obsession with cool light bulbs…, and now that I am drifting too dangerously
close to talking about my cats, I will take my leave. That is a few of my non
writing hobbies and enjoyable distractions. I have more, but that will just
have to wait for a later blog.
Thanks for reading!
In Your Dreams
The Aldaya Series
Book One
John Swan
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Date of Publication: Sept. 14, 2014
ISBN:978-0-9906555-0-3
ASIN:B00NI96DC4
Number of pages: Estimated 276
Cover Artist: Natalie Spasic
Book Description:
On an ancient planet within our galaxy, a dark and fearsome terror has awoken from its long slumber. Its task is to work quietly from the unseen, spreading dissent through the vulnerable territories of the free races; weakening them for its master. By a chance meeting, it comes across a young girl in the swampy and mist choked lands of Endmoor.
Her name is Mim, and the pairing of her platinum hair and violet eyes has not been seen since the Great War 1,000 years earlier; and has attracted unwanted attention. Knowing it hunts her, Mim flees and starts on a journey that takes her far across the Great Isle of Aldaya; the only landmass that now sits above the waves.
Unbeknownst to her, she is the key to unraveling the darkness that is falling over the Great Isle; an emptiness that threatens to swallow not only Aldaya, but the Sphere as well, and all its futures to come.
Excerpt:
Her words caught
in her throat and she was unable to breathe. The woman at the table was the
strangest looking person she had ever seen. Her body was thin and gangly, and
her pale skin stuck out jaggedly in places as if it were trying to cover too
many bones. Even sitting down Mim could tell she was tall, and her thin robes
were midnight black and hemmed in places with dark maroon embroidery.
Then Mim took in
her face, and it was paler and more terrifying than the rest of her body.
Her cheekbones
were set a little too pointy and high. The mouth was nothing more than a thin
slit stretched too far across the length of her face. The nose looked as if it
had been removed, shrunk, and poorly placed back on. And her eyes were ghastly
and titled upwards too far, and completely black with veins around the outer
parts. Their color matched the hair that came down from her dark hood, which
had jagged protrusions poking out at a few points near the back.
“Oh! I didn’t
smell a child,” the creature said. As her black eyes met Mim’s purple ringed
with blue, she stopped. “Well, what do we have here? How strange...” She got up
from the table and circled her. At full height, the creature stood at least two
feet taller than Mim.“I can smell the sweet scent of youth a mile away, little
piglet, yet somehow I had no idea you were here.” A cold, pointy, finger ran
across Mim’s cheek and up to her temples. “And what strange eyes you have.”
Mim was rooted to
the ground and dared not move. Whatever stood before her seemed to be a demon
that had jumped off the pages of one of Ilanya’s stories, and as she glanced
towards Miss Barley and Candy for direction, the two were expressionless. They
stared ahead in some sort of trance. What was wrong with them?
A lightning bolt
cracked overhead and the woman let out a high-pitched laugh. When her oversized
mouth opened, Mim could see two rows of sharpened teeth that filled the inside:
one in the front like normal, and another jagged row sitting just behind it.
The two figures that accompanied her said nothing, remaining still and hidden
under their cloaks.
As she looked
down at the blond girl, for the first time in over a thousand years, curiosity
crept into Morra’s mind. The girl had no smell, and try as she might, Morra
Losis couldn’t sense a trace of her except with her vision. But even stranger
were her eyes. Purple eyes like those she had only seen many ages ago, and the
bearers of them had disappeared from the sphere before the Great War in the
north had begun.
But yet here in
front of her one remained, and she wondered to herself whether her queen would
find interest in this young human. Oh, most certainly, she thought. This
revelation was the only thing keeping her from devouring the succulent girl on
the spot. But if she lost her now, she would have to hunt for her like mortals
did, and that was certainly not going to happen. Then the most wonderful idea
came to her mind.
With the
centaurs it had always been the hunt, the Dwarves their precious jewels, and
the Elves their knowledge. But with humans it had always come down to their
desire for freedom and independence. And although she hadn’t been awake for
long, she knew in this age that true freedom could only be attained by one
thing:wealth. She knew exactly what this poor little mongrel desired most just
by looking at her torn outfit and dirty hands. “Well, it seems that one servant
around here knows how to appease a guest of status. And I have always prided myself
on paying the help.”
Morra Losis
snapped her fingers and one of the tall hooded figures glided over, producing a
large coin purse. She dipped her hand in and pulled out a large handful of
endins and sprinkled them into the pot of meat with a smile. The taller
creature then went back to standing by its twin before she drew herself closer
to the girl onceagain. “That is for the meat, dear.” She then reached into a
pocket from the inside of her cloak and pulled out a very small black purse. It
was made of a shimmery fabric and all over it were dark maroon shapes. “And
this is for you.”
As her hand
placed the small pouch in the girl’s free hand, a tremor went through her. She
could barely contain her appetite. She grabbed Mim’s jaw with one hand and effortlessly
lifted her off of the ground, running her forked purple tongue up Mim’s cheek.
The pot dropped to the ground, sending pieces of raw pork and coins spilling
onto the rough floors. Her grip was so tight that she felt the girl’s jaws
beginning to crack. She hadn’t had a meal this intriguing in an age, and her
resistance was crumbling to the need to satisfy her hunger. What can one little
bite hurt? she thought. But as she thought of her master, she quickly let go,
dropping the girl back to the ground and turning back towards the table. As she
bent down and picked up a raw piece of intestine and dangled it in front of her
face, she said, “I just don’t think this will do. I certainly do not eat off of
the floor, and when I feed I have always desired something with a little
more...spunk.” She turned towards the dark greasy haired girl and let out a low
gurgle, briefly revealing her jagged rows of teeth. Lifting her enchantment, the
girl came out of her stupor, and after a moment began shrieking and backing
away.
About the Author:
John Swan has been an independent fiction writer since 2003, with the Aldaya Series being his first published work to date. During that time, he attended Southern Illinois University and graduated with two degrees, both with high honors. He has an Associates in the Sciences and a Bachelors in Meteorology and Climate sciences, with emphasis on research and written dictations.
He spent several years during school helping to open and manage a French Bistro before moving to Honolulu, HI, where he worked for the local Parks and Wildlife service and was finally able to give his writing career the full attention it needed.
His love for writing began at an early age, never passing up chances to submit his works to young writers’ forums through school and his local community. He grew up on a small farm in southern Illinois, but spent his summers in an enchanted little blue cottage on the banks of the Mississippi River. In this valley is where he wandered beneath the trees along the bluffs with his best friends, and where tales of hobbits, mages, boy wizards, enchanted wardrobes and Native American folk lore shaped his writing style and drove him to create an entire universe all his own.
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4 comments:
Thank you so much for this amazing chance, you book sounds so good, Im adding it to my wish list!!
Sharon Obelenus Holland
That's Great. I hope you enjoy it
Everyone max out those entries as Monday is the last tour stop :) Good luck everyone!
Thankyou Roxanne for hosting this tour :)
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