15 Thursday Jan 2015
Posted in Fun
Tags
author, dragons, entertainment, fantasy, fiction, fun, inspiration, Stephanie Beavers, writer
What’s that? You want to see some awesome pictures of dragons?
I thought so.
Click the pictures to follow them back to their sources.
24 Monday Nov 2014
Posted in Recommendations, Writing
Tags
author, books, dragon, dragons, Elizabeth Kerner, entertainment, fantasy, favorite, inspiration, reading, Song in the Silence, Stephanie Beavers, writer
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, and I definitely didn’t want to forget about Elizabeth Kerner, so here we go!
Song In The Silence is the book that had a great impact on me. I’m not sure I can pinpoint what exactly it is that impacted me, or even why I love this book so much, but I’ll give it a shot.
I love her dragons. Yeah, that seems like a good place to start. I’m picky about my dragons. To me, dragons are the incarnation of all that is fantasy; they should be magical, powerful, and intelligent. I do like dragons of all stripes, but to me, they’re not truly dragons unless they’re those three things. Unfortunately, not many writers seem to agree with me. There’s a veritable plethora of dragons that are just big beasts, or are entirely evil, or who are completely unmagical. I’m not saying that those writers are wrong… they’re just not my kind of dragons.
In the Song In The Silence universe, dragons fulfill my criteria, so this makes for a happy Stephanie. :D
But Kerner does more than that. She builds a thorough, detailed world. It’s Order versus Chaos, good versus evil, in a very structured fashion. There are clear boundaries set for what can and can’t be done, and who can do it. There’s history, but she manages to keep these details from overwhelming the story. The characters and the story are the most important parts of her novel. I fell in love with her characters and her world.
I don’t know if I’ve done her book justice here, but I definitely recommend Song In The Silence. The two sequels are also very good: The Lesser Kindred and Redeeming The Lost. Love fantasy? Love dragons? These books are for you.
17 Monday Nov 2014
Tags
author, Calling On Fire, fantasy, independent author, magic, self publishing, selfpub, Stephanie Beavers, writer
I have some insanely exciting news! (As in I nearly went insane making it happen and now I’m so excited I’m like a chipmunk on a sugar rush. XD)
Calling On Fire is now available!
Two brothers with magical abilities seek to stop an evil mage but find the fate of an entire race in their hands.
For now, the novel is only available in ebook form, but I’m working hard to get it printed as well!
You can buy the ebook here:
Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Smashwords |
Multiple formats are available through Smashwords. Other retailers will become available as Smashwords distributes them.
Novel description:
For centuries, the evil mage Moloch carved out a swathe of destruction, creative in his use of torture, oppression, and outright slaughter. Families, towns, and even whole kingdoms fell before him. But in one village, one boy survived.
Esset’s adopted brother Toman is that boy. Scarred by the tragedy, the two boys swore to stomp out evil when they grew up.
Now adults, they travel the world, seeking out evil wherever it may lurk. Esset can summon fiery creatures from beyond their world, and Toman can make inanimate objects come to life. Together, they look forward to the day that they’re strong enough to take on Moloch himself.
With every battle they grow stronger, but Moloch’s reach is greater than they imagined, and his minions lurk in the most unexpected places. If Toman and Esset can only barely survive the battles against Moloch’s creatures, how can they hope to stand against the mage himself?
Will they be strong enough to defeat him, or will Esset have to choose between his promise to end evil… and his own life?
15 Monday Sep 2014
Tags
author, book cover, Calling On Fire, fantasy, novel, Stephanie Beavers, Stories of Fire and Stone, writer
Thank you very much to Damonza.com for this amazing cover for my upcoming book!
Look forward to the novel soon!
If you haven’t yet, check out my free short story, set before the events in Calling On Fire: And the Wolves Danced
If you want to be notified when this book comes out, sign up for my mailing list!
07 Thursday Aug 2014
Tags
author, fantasy, humor, lab safety, lol, Science, science fiction, Stephanie Beavers, superpowers, unicorns, writer
SCIENCE!
Teleportation, preferably.
19 Monday May 2014
Posted in Recommendations
Tags
author, books, fantasy, gryphons, reading, recommendation, Stephanie Beavers, unicorns, writer
So awhile ago I said I planned to do a few posts on my favorite authors. Now, that fell somewhat by the wayside for awhile, but I’ve finally gotten around to one! There are many wonderful things about this author’s books, but what inspires me about her writing is how beautiful it is. She has a way of storytelling that conjures the most vivid imagery.
In particular, I’m talking about her Firebringer Trilogy. It includes Birth of the Firebringer, Dark Moon, and The Son of Summer Stars.
I’m not usually one to pay any attention to endorsements on books, but when I was writing things, one on the back of Birth of the Firebringer caught my eye. Booklist says, “The language is poetic, with wonderful rhythm and sweeping images…. The world is a compelling one, and Jan is a dramatic hero.” Honestly, Booklist hit it on the head with that one.
The Firebringer Trilogy is about a unicorn prince named Jan as he grows from a rebellious colt to the prophesied leader destined to return them to their true homeland. The whole “unicorn” thing might make it sound like a chick flick, but it’s honestly not. There’s too much adventure and action, from battles with gryphons and wyverns, to capture by fierce enemies and struggles for freedom. The books have also always struck me as being very spiritual, but on a level that supports and propels the story rather than weighing it down.
The books are small, but honestly, the story is epic. If you want to be completely swept away into another world, I very much recommend these books.
10 Monday Feb 2014
Posted in Writing
Tags
author, book, books, Calling On Fire, editing, fantasy, Fire and Stone, inspiration, life, Stephanie Beavers, writing
So I’ve been plugging away at editing my first novel, Calling On Fire, and let me tell you: nothing can prepare you for editing: not even having gone through edits on my short story.
I did expect edits to be harder on my novel. It’s longer, for one, and it’s much nearer and dearer to my heart than the short. I poured not just time into it, but pieces of my heart and soul. And I knew – or at least, suspected – that there were some things wrong with it, and I even had an idea what those things were (although I didn’t know how to fix them.) But I still didn’t expect it to be THAT different: more the fool, I.
As such, editing is taking longer than expected. The demands of my day-life aren’t helping, but that’s no excuse. The book is still DEFINITELY going to be out this year, just not as early as I’d hoped. But as soon as I send the next round of edits to the editor, I’ll be getting the cover design underway and this thing’ll be rocking.
In short, there are two major parts of the book that need significant rewriting, with moderate and minor edits sprinkled through the rest. I’m confident the book will be even better once they’re done – it’ll be tighter, cleaner, and more polished.
And I’m excited. SO excited. You have no idea. ;)
So that’s the update on where the book’s at.
Cheers!
Stephanie Beavers
13 Monday Jan 2014
Posted in Fun
Tags
books, entertainment, fandom, fantasy, fun, inspiration, life, Stephanie Beavers, writing
The “Ten books that have stayed with you” meme found its way into my Facebook. Most people wouldn’t consider my picks great works of literature (although I obviously think they’re awesome), but they’re books that have influenced me and my writing, and they’ve made particular impressions in my mind. Not necessarily in order, but easy decisions came first.
1. Arrows of the Queen –Mercedes Lackey
2. Mossflower -Brian Jacques
3. Exile’s Honor -Mercedes Lackey
4. Birth of the Firebringer –Meredith Ann Pierce
5. Song in the Silence -Elizabeth Kerner
6. Harry Potter -J.K. Rowling
7. Wizard’s First Rule -Terry Goodkind
8. Nicomachean Ethics -Aristotle
9. The Bible
10. The Bourne Identity -Robert Ludlum
So yeah… 70% of my list is pure fantasy. Is it any wonder that I write it?
Now I long to go into detail about some of these authors, right here, right now, but I know I’ve talked about Mercedes Lackey already, and I’m actually planning a series on authors who have inspired me. So expect posts on most of these people in the future!
30 Monday Dec 2013
Posted in Life
Tags
fantasy, fun, life, New Years, News, resolutions, Stephanie Beavers, writing
Well, this is it. Christmas is over, and the new year is almost upon us. I know a lot of people do the whole New Year’s Resolutions thing, but I’ve never been big on it. I know this year I will publish my first book, but other than that… meh. To me, self-improvement and setting goals is an ongoing thing. It is isn’t something I do once a year and not the rest (although I realize that for some people it’s simply a reminder). I’ve also never been big on set deadlines, so I simply work hard at something until it’s done. I want it done right more than I want it done on time.
That being said, there is something exciting about the concept of a new year. So here’s to the coming new year!
As for my general goals, there are some things I want to work towards. First and foremost, I want to publish my two novels. I want to write more, too. I’ve been neglecting my writing lately in favor of publishing and other life stuff. I also want to stabilize my work position (it’s been… interesting, to say the least), and I want to eat better and exercise more.
But how about you, my fine readers? Any resolutions?
12 Thursday Dec 2013
Posted in Fun
Tags
Batman, Captain America, Darth Vader, DC, entertainment, fandom, fandoms, fantasy, fun, Game of Thrones, Marvel, Spock, Star Trek, Star Wars, Stephanie Beavers, Supernatural
And for your amusement:
Live Long And Look At This Little Dog
Superhero Lightsaber Duels
You know nothing, John Snow
That is all.
Stephanie Beavers 