tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27354181583378121802014-12-22T00:07:42.039-04:00A.L. Collins' The Magic of BastionCheck This Site Often For Upcoming Appearances, Book Signings, Products and Sneak Peaks into A.L. Collins' Newest ProjectsA.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-11827558261126746892014-12-22T00:07:00.001-04:002014-12-22T00:07:42.051-04:00Merry Christmas!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DBUpbk8oYdc/VJeXkC5a9ZI/AAAAAAAAAyk/mYnkVhe3iwU/s1600/sarah-weals-book-christmas-tree-003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DBUpbk8oYdc/VJeXkC5a9ZI/AAAAAAAAAyk/mYnkVhe3iwU/s1600/sarah-weals-book-christmas-tree-003.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>A whole three days until Christmas eve and blogs are bustling with excitement. It's been quite a while, but the new year and website redesign promises that 2015 will be the most active I have ever been! New books, new friends, new adventures. You gotta love it.<br /><br />But for now, Christmas. I hope that everyone is sitting somewhere warm with someone they love, I hope that the joy and good tidings of the season fill you all with happiness and joy. Things are going to be very exciting, I can tell.<br /><br />I think I'll do a countdown to Christmas post as well as some short stories. Each day will be a small Christmas special and an inspiring video to help us endure the hours left to go.<br /><br />And, well, I have a lot of Christmas shopping to do. So there's that. Oy.<br /><br />Three days left to go =) Can you feel it??</div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-33131655037499789162013-10-15T01:32:00.003-03:002013-10-15T01:32:58.873-03:00One Of My Biggest Inspirations! Amanda Hocking<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h4>Letter from Amanda</h4><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VzVwy4gnnlU/UlzFGXD7SpI/AAAAAAAAArM/X_d__7DjZJQ/s1600/author_photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VzVwy4gnnlU/UlzFGXD7SpI/AAAAAAAAArM/X_d__7DjZJQ/s1600/author_photo.jpg" /></a>Hi –<br /><br />All three books in the Trylle trilogy – <em>Switched</em>, <em>Torn</em>, and <em>Ascend</em> – are incredibly personal to me. The world I created for Wendy was one populated by things I loved, places I found magical, people I wanted to be friends with, and hopes and fears I struggled with myself. It’s been an honor to share this world with you and to hear that so many of you have fallen in love with it just as much as I have.<br /><br />I released the first book in the series, <em>Switched</em>, on July 12, 2010, my twenty-sixth birthday. I’d written it over a year before that, but I’d been unable to find an agent or publisher for it. I believed in Switched and refused to give up on it, so I decided to self-publish. Since then, the three books in the trilogy have gone on to sell over a million copies as digital editions.<br /><br />It’s because of this and the incredible response I’ve gotten from readers that I’ve decided to partner with a traditional publisher on the Trylle Trilogy. So many of you have already embraced the series, and without your support, I know none of this would’ve happened. Beginning in early January 2012 with <em>Switched</em>, the trilogy will be released in paperback and as an ebook through St. Martin’s (US) and sister company Macmillan internationally. This means that the series will be available in bookstores and retailers around the world!<br /><br />As a bonus for fans of the series, I’ve included never-before-seen short stories in each of the books, so you can share in new adventures with the characters you’ve grown to care about. The books also have a few extended scenes going more deeply into the world of the Trylle.<br /><br />If you’re not familiar with the books, or even if you’ve read them a hundred times, I hope you join us on the next stage of the journey – experiencing Wendy’s trials and tribulations, her loves and losses, for the first time, or all over again.<br /><br />Thank you!<br />Amanda<br /><strong></strong><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Hocking/e/B003H4L762/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1381811551&sr=1-2-ent">http://www.amazon.com/Amanda-Hocking/e/B003H4L762/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1381811551&sr=1-2-ent</a></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-89134180550124394642013-10-15T01:20:00.001-03:002013-10-15T01:20:31.458-03:00EMBERS will take you on a Wild Ride!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iW03j8WX6VI/UlzB3fhR4YI/AAAAAAAAArA/qSrAwdtFhyo/s1600/cc45980a-56a3-f0a5_.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iW03j8WX6VI/UlzB3fhR4YI/AAAAAAAAArA/qSrAwdtFhyo/s320/cc45980a-56a3-f0a5_.png" width="320" /></a>"I finally got myself a copy of Embers!"<br />Get your copy today. Avalin's relationship with Albert and the entire Twined community takes an unexpected turn. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BE55MJO">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BE55MJO</a></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-82499884328440784382013-10-15T01:15:00.000-03:002013-10-15T01:16:28.878-03:00Best Selling Author Alyson Noel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h1 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--TYSPTBdtdk/UlzBg6nnBdI/AAAAAAAAAq4/imfTRwEezXc/s1600/l4ds9t-b78655150z_120100621131405000geforhj6_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--TYSPTBdtdk/UlzBg6nnBdI/AAAAAAAAAq4/imfTRwEezXc/s1600/l4ds9t-b78655150z_120100621131405000geforhj6_1.jpg" /></a></h1><span class="dropcap">A</span>lyson Noël is the #1 <i>New York Times</i> best-selling, award-winning, author of <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/books_faking.php">FAKING 19</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/books_art.php">ART GEEKS AND PROM QUEENS</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/books_laguna.php">LAGUNA COVE</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/books_fly.php">FLY ME TO THE MOON</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/books_kiss.php">KISS & BLOG</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/books_zoe.php">SAVING ZOË</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/books_cruelsummer.php">CRUEL SUMMER</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/forever-summer.php">FOREVER SUMMER</a> (a LAGUNA COVE/CRUEL SUMMER 2-in-1), <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/keeping-secrets.php">KEEPING SECRETS</a> (a FAKING 19/SAVING ZOE 2-in-1), the <i>IMMORTALS</i> series including: <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/immortals/evermore.php">EVERMORE</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/immortals/blue-moon.php">BLUE MOON</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/immortals/shadowland.php">SHADOWLAND</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/immortals/dark-flame.php">DARK FLAME</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/immortals/night-star.php">NIGHT STAR</a>, and <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/immortals/everlasting.php">EVERLASTING</a>, the <i>IMMORTALS</i> spin-off, RILEY BLOOM series including <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/radiance/radiance.php">RADIANCE</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/radiance/shimmer.php">SHIMMER</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/radiance/dreamland.php">DREAMLAND</a> & <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/radiance/whisper.php">WHISPER</a> with short stories appearing in the anthologies: <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/books_anthologies.php">FIRST KISS (THEN TELL)</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/books_anthologies.php">KISSES FROM HELL</a>, & DEAR BULLY. She is currently at working on her new series, <i>THE SOUL SEEKERS</i>, including <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/soul-seekers/fated.php">FATED</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/soul-seekers/echo.php">ECHO</a>, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/soul-seekers/mystic.php">MYSTIC</a>, and <b><i>HORIZON</i></b> (11.12.13). <br />With over 8 <i>New York Times</i> bestsellers in 2 years, and over 7 million copies in print, her books have been translated into 37 languages, sold in over 50 countries, and have made the <i>New York Times</i>, <i>USA Today</i>, <i>LA Times</i>, <i>Publishers Weekly</i>, <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, NCIBA, and Walmart Bestsellers lists, and have won numerous awards such as: the National Reader's Choice Award, NYLA Book of Winter Award, NYPL Stuff for the Teenage, TeenReads Best Books of 2007, Reviewer's Choice 2007 Top Ten, appeared on the CBS Early Show's "Give the Gift of Reading" segment, and selected for <i>Seventeen Magazine's</i> "Hot List" and Beach Book Club Pick. <br />Chosen as one of <i>OC Metro</i> magazine's "20 Women to Watch," she's been nominated for the <i>Orange County Business Journal's</i> "Women in Business Awards" as well as their "Excellence in Entrepreneurship" award. The dramatic rights for for her adult novel, <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/singles/books_fly.php">FLY ME TO THE MOON</a>, was optioned by Ridley Scott's, Scott Free Productions, with Sharon Maguire (<i>Bridget Jones' Diary</i>) set to write and direct. While the dramatic right for all 4 books in <i>THE SOUL SEEKERS</i> were optioned by Cheyenne Enterprises. <br />Born and raised in Orange County, California, she's lived in both Mykonos and Manhattan and is now settled in Southern California where she's working on her next book. You can visit her at: <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/">www.alysonnoel.com</a>, <a href="http://www.immortalsseries.com/" target="_blank">www.immortalsseries.com</a> or <a href="http://www.soulseekersseries.com/" target="_blank">www.soulseekersseries.com</a>. </div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-66484894164969419622013-10-06T21:18:00.004-03:002013-10-06T21:18:56.760-03:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j3vGorQK7Fg/UlH9xSoMixI/AAAAAAAAAqY/cOwn4Ftaxa8/s1600/51cE86C2eqL__BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-49,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j3vGorQK7Fg/UlH9xSoMixI/AAAAAAAAAqY/cOwn4Ftaxa8/s320/51cE86C2eqL__BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-49,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Mark your calendars! Twined will be available for FREE as a kindle download on October 7th -11th<br /> This revised version also includes a preview of "The Scion's Ascension". A Twined side story that pre-dates the current two books in the Twined series. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QQBPAA"><span style="color: #bf9000;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QQBPAA</span></a></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-48333555731948795012013-09-07T21:15:00.004-03:002013-09-07T21:16:10.021-03:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NkxYfyuafJ0/UivBhgeXTII/AAAAAAAAApM/X_hNbfbqD7U/s1600/My+Project+9_2-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NkxYfyuafJ0/UivBhgeXTII/AAAAAAAAApM/X_hNbfbqD7U/s400/My+Project+9_2-001.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>Mark your calendars! Twined will be available for FREE as a kindle download on October 7th -11th<br />This revised version also includes a preview of "The Scion's Ascension". A Twined side story that pre-dates the current two books in the Twined series. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QQBPAA"><span style="color: #bf9000;">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QQBPAA</span></a></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-15638089847354939432013-09-06T00:50:00.001-03:002013-09-06T00:51:22.549-03:00The Scion's Ascension<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So, what's up guys. If you haven't checked out the new tiny little piece of The Scion's Ascension located in the back of the re-edited Twined, then LOOK NO FURTHER. For I am a bringer of merry times and sudden solutions.<br /><br />Basically, I'm going to post it up on here. See if you like it. The book is my next project once Scarlett's is completely re-edited.<br /><br />Yeah, the first time through some complications took place and the book didn't get properly edited. So I'm giving it a makeover. It's about giving people something to enjoy. The first priority is to the fans.<br /><br />Anyway, here's the piece of The Scion's Ascension.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Castellar","serif";">THE SCION’S ASCENSION<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Chapter 1: Duty Bound, Turncoat Crowned</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> He traced his fingers lovingly over the cover of the text cradled in his lap. Cisaro could recite nearly all its contents from memory. Every phrase he’d ever recited, every vow he’d ever pledged, every oath he’d ever sworn, all of it birthed from this very book. It was his prized possession, given to him from his father, passed on through the generations of the Episcopo bloodline. If things went his way, the position as Head Allegiant of the Misercordia Family would be no different.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro gazed up, towards the sun bleeding through the overlapping treetops. With all the instruction regimens, the newfound duties as DeMarcio’s Second, the not-so-gentle “easing” into a position of extreme consequence, Cisaro marveled at how much he missed having time set aside for personal ventures. Typically, if not sated with some meaningful task to sponge up his freer hours, the young Twined would have gone insane from lack of purpose. Now, with purpose abundant, grass was a greener tincture on the fence’s other side—if he ever found a moment to notice it.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> And a moment he found indeed. It was an hour and a half until Cisaro was to send for another Illusionist. Argrant, one of the older Secretant, had fallen ill and declared himself unable to carry out his daily obligations. If even one Secretant failed to add their contributions to the Greater Illusion, Scollant Sanctuary would be visible to the human world. Grave repercussions would undoubtedly recur.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Until duty beckoned, however, a book, a breeze, and rays of the sun were his only companions. Cisaro rested his head against the grassy slope of the hill, his textbook perched on his stomach.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> A cracking twig, dried from recent lack of rain, caught his attention.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Perhaps nature was not his only companion.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> A figure rushed Cisaro from behind. Years of honing Twined skills granted him with reflexes swift enough to lash out with his book and crack this creeping assailant in the shins. The figure flew forward, tumbled down the hill, and disappeared into the patch of undergrowth circling the trees below.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro would recognize such graceless acts anywhere, even if blindfolded and liquored to oblivion. “An ambuscade. Kelder, truly? When will you learn I outmatch you?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> A knife hovered beside Cisaro’s throat. The Twined’s eyes widened. He heard nothing that suggested another attacker. An auburn-haired boy snickered behind him.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro sighed. “Feign-born bastard.” The one ability he constantly overlooked when fighting Feign-born—Warping.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Come, Cisaro. When will you ever learn I outwit you every time?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Kelder Castile, the day you outwit me is the day I rescind my wishes to become Head Allegiant and banish myself from Sanctuary with an incredulous moxie.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder roared. The knife glistened as it moved with each laugh. “Your sweet talk is cold and appealing like the many frozen treats you owe me.” The weapon caressed the surface of Cisaro’s throat. “Admit it, Episcopo. I caught you by surprise.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro scoffed. “This tactless ambush? You think me blind, deaf, and excessively oblivious?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> His “assailant” brought the knife down to poke at Cisaro’s shoulder blade. “Remember what Drago says, Cisaro. ‘Kind thoughts are the Death Knight’s shield, kind actions are his blade’.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro moved in the blink of an eye. He shifted his body, leaned backwards, and pinned Kelder’s blade-wielding arm at the elbow under his armpit. Cisaro then used momentum to flip Kelder over his hip, causing them both to tumble down the hill and into the shrubbery below.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> The Twined kicked his assailant out of the bushes and into another clearing behind it. Kelder moaned, his rear end sticking up in the air as he clutched at his stomach.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> The knife was thrown, impacting the soft, grassy patch right next to Kelder’s ear.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Do not,” Cisaro towered over the downed boy, brushing dirt and leaves off his navy blue shirtsleeve, “quote my own father to me.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder held up both hands, his face buried in the dirt. “I yield, I yield.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro raised an amused eyebrow. “To yield, one must first pose a threat.” He offered his hand, which Kelder took.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Damn,” said the Feign boy, cracking his back. “Excessively violent as always, my friend.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “To match your excessive stupidity,” said the Twined with a smirk. “Don’t you have something better to do with your time instead of bothering me?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I can entertain myself. I’ve been running errands for Gallant Episcopo the better part of the morning.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro blinked. “My father sent you?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Indeed. Interested now, ass?” Kelder picked a twig from his auburn hair and stuck the end in his mouth. “I suppose Feign nature makes me the ideal errand boy. Being able to Warp from one end of Sanctuary to the other proves a useful skill. Plus, he claims I always know where to find you.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I would believe so, considering you stalk me constantly, Castile.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> A coy shrug. “Stalking implies I try to hide it.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “What did my father need?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Merely to inform you that the task of locating a replacement Secretant for old Argrant has already been taken care of. Your attention is no longer required.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Really? Who did they send for?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Oh, no one cares, Cisaro,” Kelder exclaimed in vexation. “You’re off duty for at least another couple hours. Take pleasure in that.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “My duty is my pleasure,” Cisaro said, wiping off his retrieved textbook with his sleeve.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder picked the book from Cisaro’s grasp. He held the thing beyond the Twined’s reach, who grabbed at it. Kelder smiled, teasing his friend all the while.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Kelder, when I strike you, do not claim I offered no admonition!”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Cisaro Episcopo, you are sixteen years hopeless and have yet to even attempt having a good time. One day, when you’re old, empty, and cursed with an abundance of wasted moments, you’ll look back with consternation at all the things you wished you would’ve done.” Kelder eyed Cisaro down, suddenly very serious. “Have you ever even kissed anyone?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “How is that remotely important or any of your business?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Well, how will I ever brag that I was your first unless I know it’s true?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro, taken aback, ceased reaching for the textbook. “What?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder closed in. “Come on, Death Knight. Let us roll down the hill again, only this time sans clothing.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro let his fist fly into Kelder’s chest, half-seriously. Kelder let out a yelp of pain, falling to the ground and clutching himself while kicking at the air.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “It’s pretty brave to flirt with someone holding the title of Death Knight, you thick.” He rolled his eyes. “Enough with your obnoxious theatrics, Kelder.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> As if on cue, Kelder let his arms flop out by his sides. He watched the treetops sway in the wind, a leafy blanket pierced by beams of sunlight.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I want to go outside.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “You are outside, fool,” Cisaro huffed.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I meant outside the city walls. I want to see the world and sit on a beach with someone I love. I want to meet a human. See how different we really are.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro paused, thinking of the images he’d seen of beaches. All on paper, all lacking the same life he’d heard described in the stories told by people who’d seen them for real. And, yes, he also wished to meet one of the beings he would one day be required to Join with.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “We cannot leave the city,” Cisaro whispered. “At least, not permanently.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Not at all. I’m Feign, Cisaro. I don’t need a human to survive. I don’t get to leave on Pilgrimage, even for a little while.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “If you truly desire to leave, why not Warp from Sanctuary’s domain?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “And let my uncle lose his possessions, the status he worked so hard to keep?” Kelder scoffed. “For an Allegiant candidate, you sure are unfamiliar with the rules. Those who abscond rescind their status here. The family they desert will suffer the accused one’s consequences in their selfish wake.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I know the law, Kelder. I was merely attempting to sate this ridiculous fantasy of yours.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “You think I can be glutted by pictures and stories? I cannot.” Kelder huffed. “I crave touch, taste, and feeling. I need the true experience.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “You are acting like a child.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “You should try it sometime.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “It is not our place to question the Sanctuary’s laws.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Are humans truly so bigoted, Cisaro? I have difficulty believing that. Will they really cast us off at first sight once they learn of our existence? For Cordelia’s sake, we look exactly the same.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “It is not that simple, Kelder,” Cisaro reasoned, feeling a hint of understanding towards his friend’s yearning. At the very least, Cisaro inwardly admitted, he had fallen curious of what sat outside the Sanctuary walls. The closest he ever got to “leaving” was if an outsider Twined in a nearby town began causing trouble, and even then he was to report straight back to Sanctuary afterward.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">“We hold powers of great destruction,” the Twined went on. “Powers those humans cannot and will not understand. You are not the only one forced into hiding. Even those born on the outside must conceal what they are. Revisit the lessons of Salem if you forget our people’s history.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “You cannot give a textbook answer to a dreamer’s query; they don’t mix right and everyone ends up pissed off in the end.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “That’s certainly where I’m headed.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I don’t agree with the Separatists, I never have. They dally in lies and secrets. Did you know the Twined word for separate, secronair, is derived from a dead human dialect? ‘Secrete’. It means ‘to hide a thing away’, as if we are the planet’s shameful little clandestinity.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “No, it isn’t. Secronair stems from the Latin adjective ‘secretus’, which means ‘set apart’.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “What’s the difference?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Purpose. We do not separate ourselves from the world simply to be enigmatic and secretive. We act with surreptitious caution to ensure balance. To avoid startling the dominant human population by brewing a storm we could never hope to contain.” Cisaro’s eyes fell onto a hummingbird sucking nectar from a nearby flower. “When the world is ready for our revealing, that is the time our people will shamble into the light. Until then, this is the way things are. You would do well to appreciate that.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “You don’t get it,” muttered Kelder, which captured Cisaro’s attention. “You’re a pureblooded Twined, and a noble Death Knight besides. I am Feign. I am half human.” He looked up at Cisaro with a sadness the Allegiant-to-be could not decode. “And that is all the citizens of Sanctuary will ever see.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Guilt, summoned from an unknown place for ambiguous reasons, crept from his stomach up into his throat. “When… when I called you a Feign-born bastard, I merely meant—”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder laughed in the softest way. “You’re at a loss for words? How infrequent. No need for fiddling apologies, Cisaro. I am not so easily offended.” Quick as a whip, Kelder was up on his feet and that all-encompassing smile replaced his dismayed expression. “Tell me, future Head Allegiant—if I succeed in finally surprising you, then will you fall madly in love with me?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Taken aback, Cisaro said, “What? Kelder, I don’t like what that implies. I sense you intend to do something reckless.” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Something as reckless as attacking the highest-scoring fighter in the training academy ranks armed with nothing but a butter knife? No. When compared to such feats on a scope of foolhardy grandeur, my future plans don’t seem reckless at all.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro sighed. “You are vague, devious, and that worries me.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Flattery simply encourages my behavior.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Cisaro!”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> A female voice echoed throughout the woodsy area. Cisaro and Kelder exchanged a glance.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “You did not come alone?” asked the Death Knight.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I was about to ask you that,” replied the Feign. He reached over and grabbed Cisaro’s shoulder. “Hang on.” In a flash of light, Kelder teleported the duo back to the top of the hill. There, they were greeted by three individuals. A compact, sinewy, olive-skinned young woman with jet-black, shoulder length hair, a large ox of a teen that had his head shaved so far down you couldn’t tell the color, and a very dark-skinned boy with short, bleach blonde hair swept to one side.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Cisaro,” said the young woman. “What happened to you? You are a mess.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> He glanced in Kelder’s direction. “I tripped down a hill.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Tripped? That hardly seems like you.” She too glanced at Kelder. “But that seems exactly like something you would do.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I have a balance disorder,” claimed Kelder. “The most curious thing, really, it seems to plague me only after I’ve sauced myself with an exorbitant amount of alcohol.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> The woman laughed. “Let’s hope you Warp better than you walk, Castile.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I had no idea ‘tripped’ meant ‘failed to be seduced by a human fool’ nowadays,” the ox teen said. Cisaro could feel Kelder’s face flushing red, clearly uncomfortable. How was it that the Feign was so openly vocal about his affections when he and Cisaro were alone, yet not around anyone else? But it was the girl who beat him to the punch when she snapped, “Seek a quick silence, Tyrade.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Yasu feels sorry for him,” Tyrade said with a laugh. “Poor Feign thick.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “What a trite slur,” Kelder replied. “It’s better fit on Cisaro’s tongue.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I’m guessing that’s not the only thing on Cisaro’s tongue, is it?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> The blonde boy laughed. “Yes, what exactly <i>were</i>you two doing in the woods alone?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> With a roll of the eyes, Yasu strutted towards Cisaro, placed a hand on his collar, and met his lips with her own—a long, passionate kiss that deterred the eyes of all who thought to observe. Kelder was the first to look away.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Is there a reason you’re here?” Cisaro asked when she was done. His words were laced with a kind patience directed towards Yasu and restrained agitation directed at the other two. How one could convey both at once, Kelder did not know.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Tyrade stuttered. “We, uh, just wanted to…”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “There’s a situation,” Yasu said, straightening the collar underneath Cisaro’s navy blue shirt and ignoring the party as if the two of them were holding a conversation in private. “A Maddened Twined on the outskirts of the nearby town, Ledger Hills.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Subspecies?” he asked.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Bloodmutt. An outsider must have reached his limit and fallen into a blind frenzy. There have already been several human casualties—a number that will undoubtedly stack should this issue remain unresolved.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Has my father been notified of this?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “He has. I saw to it personally,” said the blonde boy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Thank you, Dellyn. We will take on the task immediately.” He looked over to Kelder, who, strangely, hadn’t said a word in over five minutes. A record.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Hey, Feign, we require your services,” Tyrade ordered. “And not the kind you’re so freely willing to give, mind you.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder muttered something aside.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro sighed. Kelder and Tyrade had never gotten along. The latter believed that even his daily stool required praise. “Kelder, <i>I’m</i>asking if you would mind Warping us to the armory? It would save us the time wasted walking there.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> He grumbled something, lifted his hand, and a bright light joined the sun’s as they were suddenly transported in front of the metal door to the armory, located within the High Riser building on the west end of Sanctuary.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro blinked, eyes adjusting to the new darkness. “Thank you, Kelder.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Tyrade unlocked the armory door with a series of keys. It opened, the exposed gears turning until the entrance stood clear. Tyrade and Dellyn began to collect their weapons. Cisaro turned to thank Kelder, who was already walking away.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Whoa, hold there. Are you not well?” Cisaro asked.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Cisaro—” Yasu started.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I’m fine,” he muttered, pulling away. “I need to get home. My uncle will be livid to hear I journeyed so far west, even for the Gallant.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Alright.” Guilt still stung the inside of Cisaro’s throat. For what reason, though? “We will meet up later, perhaps?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Perhaps,” was Kelder’s quiet response before he Warped from sight. Now gone, the boy’s absence left Cisaro with the strangest numbness.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Yasu placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was always she who knew the inner workings of Cisaro’s feelings, at times better than he did. It was as if they themselves were Joined, despite the impossibilities of it.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I am sorry,” she said. “I displayed affection to end the goading. Hurting Kelder was not my true agenda.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Of course it wasn’t.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Though, I have to say, there’s something about the way he’s always grinning. Those smiles he puts on… they’re the kind of smile you hide things behind,” said Yasu.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I believe I need to check on some issues once this mission is complete,” Cisaro said, his eyes still trained on where Kelder disappeared. “Do not let me forget, please.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Yasu met him for one more tender kiss. “I won’t.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Good,” he replied, gently tracing her cheek with his curled fingers. With a fiery determination, he announced, “Now, let us fulfill our oath to the Misercordia Demansch.”</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" /></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Chapter 2: Love and Shiv, Note to Give</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder, hands in his pockets, trudged home. The afternoon sky shined beautifully in the distance, mostly blocked out by the Sanctuary wall looming so disapprovingly. No artist, he thought, would ever want to paint a picture of the horizon with a giant wall encompassing most of the view. Painters would want pictures of crystalline oceans, lakes, or verdant hills, not the stony prisons meant to keep you from them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Speaking of stony, the ice pop vendor, Tamrath, was re-opening his shop today after a structural issue plagued him for over a month. Kelder, with a grin, strolled over and purchased a blue double pop from the shop window.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “How are you today, Tamrath?” he asked.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “One problem after another,” Tam moaned. “At least now my roof will not collapse in on itself and crush me underneath.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Since Kelder had lived in Scollant, namely all his life, he’d never once seen the ice pop vendor smile. He imagined you could drop three barrels of honey, wine, and money at his doorstep, and you wouldn’t get so much as a quiver of the lip.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “One of these days, I’m going to make you smile, Tamrath. I swear it.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Tam let out a long, dejected, uninterested sigh.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Right,” Kelder said, eyeing the large man. “Perhaps another day, then.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> As he turned around, to his surprise, three young kids stood in his path. He recognized them from the youth school up the street. Hyperactive Niall, sandy-haired Orlanna, and shy little Beyr. Their daily route always seemed to take them right past his house, so the four had become quite familiar.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Why do you keep buying double pops when you’re always alone?” Niall asked.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Is it because you’re hungry like a pig?” Orlanna asked.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Is it because you can’t count?” Beyr asked.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Not at all, irksome fledglings. I eat alone simply because I have yet to coerce my love to share these treats with me,” he replied.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Orlanna let out a childish, sing-song coo at the mentioning of love.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Does she not love you back?” Niall inquired.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder avoided the child’s wide-eyed, invasive stare. “No. She doesn’t. Not yet, at least.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Perhaps you should try singing to her,” suggested Orlanna.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Woman, have you heard me sing?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Then we’ll sing to her!” offered Niall. “All we ask in return is for you to buy us ice cream.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Why you shrewd little…” Kelder cleared his throat. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Niall. You’ll get fat.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">“Will not!”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Kelder chuckled to himself. Then, with a sadder tone, he asked, “Have your parents told you about me, yet?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Why do you always ask me that, Kelder?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Oh, merely because you’ll hate me when they do.” Before Niall could ask what he meant, Kelder split the light blue ice pop in two, which caught all three of the children’s attention. “Here. No singing required or desired.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Truly?” Beyr asked.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “What must we do to earn them?” asked Niall.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Enjoy them together, I suppose.” He gave one pop to Niall, who licked the treat before it had even shifted in ownership. Kelder then gave the other one to Beyr. “Orlanna, you’ll have to promise to ask Beyr to share it with you.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Why?” Orlanna asked.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “<i>Because you’re fascinated with Niall, and Beyr is fascinated with you</i>,” Kelder thought. “Because I only have two, and Beyr is the elder in this motley trio.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Just by a few months,” added Beyr, sheepishly. “Don’t worry; I’ll split it even down the middle, Orlanna.” This brought a smile to the girl’s face. If only love were that simple, Kelder thought. If only affection could be split down the middle.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Now, run off. If I miss curfew because of this, I’ll hunt down all three of you and hang you by your pants from my rooftop.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> The boys ran off, squealing in delight at Kelder’s faked threats. Orlanna, a few paces behind them, stopped to turn around.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Kelder, we could never hate you,” she said, kindly. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">As much as he wanted to believe the foolish girl, he couldn’t. “Why do you say that?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Orlanna smiled, as children often did when they noticed things that adults could not. “There’s too much sunshine in your eyes.” With that, the girl sped off after her two companions, shouting at Beyr to abstain from eating the entire pop by himself.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “And too many storm clouds in my heart,” he whispered after her, bitter smile fading fast.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder arrived at a lush hillside several minutes later. He stood by the mailbox that had “Castile” written across the side. Cars passed by here and there, their drivers glancing at him as they sped by. He wondered if they ever realized how ridiculous they looked. Stopping abruptly in the middle of the road, nearly causing rear-endings and various other accidents, simply to peer up the street where the Feign boy lived. What idiots.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Kelder.” A black-haired girl, same age as him, appeared at the boy’s side. She wore a charcoal sundress and sunhat, and a parasol, colored the same, obscured her face.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Deyanna,” he said in greeting, but she merely nodded and started silently up the road.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder followed after, ducking under her parasol. But the girl shifted out of the way.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Woman, your mother gifted you with gorgeous looks. You should be taking advantage of them, showing them off.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Are you implying I act promiscuous, Kelder Castile?” she asked, not unkindly.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> He scoffed, hands in his pockets. “I’m implying that you’re ashamed.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> She turned with a sharp look in her eyes. “How dare you,” she snapped, this time unkindly. “I am the spitting image of my late mother and have much pride in it.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder, not amused in the least, flicked his wrist up and caught the parasol on his thumb. The wind took control after, and blew the thing into the overhead tree branches with a powerful updraft. Deyanna yelled out in distress.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I meant you’re ashamed of me,” he said quickly. Deyanna pulled her black hair from her face, refusing to look Kelder in the eye. “Nothing? Not even a little verification? Fine.” Kelder started up the road without her. “You may drop the invisibility field, Dey. By the time you retrieve your umbrella, I’ll already be in the house.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> It had always been like this. Dey’s mother and father, Kelder’s aunt and uncle, had taken him in when his own mother had died from an attack back in their old town. His own father had convinced his mother to elope with him, to pursue a life of wonder outside the city walls. His father, being half-human—Feign, and his mother, a Cloaker with unparalleled mastery over invisibility, thought it would be simple for them to find a life in the human world. Against the wishes of her own parents, and the bitter resentment of her only brother, Kelder’s mother agreed to her lover’s pleas.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Knowing the world of the humans was portrayed as colder, compared to the warmth of Sanctuary.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Knowing that by leaving, her family would suffer punishment in her wake.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Knowing that beyond the walls, there sat a land of wonder waiting for her.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Torn between the love of her man and her family’s begging, Kelder’s mother made a choice. She left.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> And, before she was slaughtered by a human extremist group in the dead of a snowy winter night, she sent her newborn son back to Scollant… in order to save his life.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder shuddered, remembering his early childhood. Feign was a curse word. Feign were abominations. “Remember Salem,” he was told. “Remember the trials of Cordelia”, they said. “Remember the Blackened Plague”. On, and on, and on, he was demonized—his genes, his people, his mistakes.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> The only thing these Twined fought to see was his human blood, even if it sported no difference in tincture.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder walked quietly and quickly into the house, ensuring no neighbors caused any unnecessary clamor. The small two-story home was a nice little chalet built on hilltop. It was cozy, comfortable. His uncle usually slept in a private addition in the backyard, but at this moment, he was actually in the kitchen preparing some sort of meal—duck, by the smell of it. The only member of the household who was absent seemed to be Varrick, Dey’s twin brother.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Oaf, their giant Mastiff hound, trotted over to Kelder and nearly sucked his face in whole with sloppy kisses.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Disgusting,” Kelder said with a grin. “Afternoon, Uncle. Roren.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Roren, Dey’s stocky, square-shouldered fiancé, nodded to him from the wooden kitchen table. That was typically the only interaction he ever had with the man, aside from meaningless small talk concerning work or Sanctuary politics.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Uh, afternoon, Uncle Delias.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Did you complete all of Gallant Episcopo’s errands?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “With an unparalleled haste, Uncle.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “And you brought home your pay?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Next week,” he replied.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> His uncle grunted disapprovingly. “It seems like they push your pay day a week back every other hour. Damn whore-born Death Knights.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder stood to his feet, wiping hound slobber from his cheek.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “They pay me quite handsomely,” he reminded.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “For what you are worth.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> It was the tone in which his uncle spoke that tightened the knot nestled within Kelder’s stomach. “Yes, I suppose.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “There’s firewood in the back that needs chopping. You don’t contribute, you don’t eat. Remember the rules of the house.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Funny. Kelder never asked why the rules only seemed to apply to him. And he wouldn’t today, either. “Of course. Would it be alright if I showered first?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “There’s only cold water.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I don’t mind. It evens out my fiery, passionate soul.” Silence. “That was meant to be a joke.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “If I thought you were funny,” Delias brought down the cleaver on the neck of another duck, “you would have known it by now.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder took what little victories he could manage and moved to the steps leading to the second floor.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Didn’t Dey go out and greet you?” Roren asked.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Greet. Kelder nearly laughed aloud at the word. Inward giggles would suffice. “She did.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Well, where is she?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Dey thought it better if I went up alone, kept a league or two between us.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Ah,” Roren said. “She didn’t want you to be seen with her, I imagine.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Would you?” Kelder asked, quite seriously, and headed upstairs. He hadn’t expected a true answer, until Roren thought to mutter, “Not even if the world were ending.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder showered. Dried off. Went into his tiny room. Oaf was already on his bed, taking up most of the spacing within his personal quarters. Kelder instead opened the window and peered out over the hill. He wished he could move into a nicer home, one with electricity and carpeting. Or more than one bathroom. Unfortunately, when his mother left the walls, this was the standard she set for them. Compared to how his uncle used to live—excessively, to put it mildly—this was an insult of the harshest fashion.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder picked a letter out of his pants pocket. He fingered it gently, the broken red seal standing out like a blood wound on cream-colored skin.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Oaf whined.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Yes, windbag, I broke it.” Another whine. “For I am nothing if not a nosy delinquent, that’s why.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> He had read the letter against his inner suggestions. To defile a secretive note passed from Gallant Episcopo to his son? He shouldn’t have opened it. He should have given it to Cisaro instead of trying to stab him with a butter knife. Kelder gently tried to smoothen out the crumples in the envelope.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I’ll give it to him eventually,” Kelder reassured himself. “I just… I just need to have it resealed and then—”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Wait. The seal. <i>The Episcopo family seal</i>. How could he get the seal fixed if the only Episcopo family seal belonged to the <i>Episcopo family</i>? Especially if Gallant Episcopo kept the sealing stamp on his <i>personal desk </i>located in his <i>personal office</i>?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> The Feign groaned, leaning against the side of the window. “Why am I so stupid?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> He gazed at the letter. Discomfort swirled within his chest in a way he was not familiar with.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “If Cisaro reads this letter, it’ll ruin everything,” he told Oaf. “It’ll <i>change</i> everything.” Oaf positioned himself so that his head rested under Kelder’s arm. “Or maybe it already has. If so, I guess there isn’t much to lose anyway.”</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" /></span> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Chapter 3: Feign Born Freed, Mercy Deed</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro walked the evening halls of his prestigious mansion with a sense of pride that always lingered after a successful mission. With the help of Yasu, Tyrade, and Dellyn, his team was able to successfully take down the Bloodmutt before the beast claimed another human life. As soon as the Frenzied mutt had fallen, the Sanctuary Illusionists and Readers ensured that no humans would recollect what had happened. As far as the town’s inhabitants knew, a large truck had flipped and crashed into a nearby office building, resulting in the destructive aftermath.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> It was tiring keeping the existence of an entire species under radar. Cisaro wondered if the members of human government believed Twined were real. Every once in a while, a human would escape the reach of illusions or Reader tricks and publicly announce their belief in the Twined or the supernatural myths they represented. However, Cisaro’s father had often said that shooting down each and every isolated human claim would only result in suspicion, which achieves the opposite of secrecy’s desired effect.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “It is not about achieving total silence on the matter. It is about picking and choosing which truths the human ear is permitted to catch.” That was his father’s last statement on the matter.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro knocked on his father’s office door. Immediately, he heard a voice grant him entrance. Drago Episcopo sat at a gorgeous wooden desk made from a tree that exerted its own Aurora, much like how the Twined and Feign did. Consequently, the wood stood sturdy against Twined powers and quickly became the ideal material for all wooden constructions. This obviously raised its market value by an impressive amount.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> But the desk was no sturdier than its owner. With midnight-black hair wrapped in a ponytail, crisp, lagoon-blue eyes, and a body sculpted from marble, Cisaro’s father was not a man easily toppled, intimidated, or swayed. He was, however, kind, humble, and honest to a fault. Cisaro knew no pride greater than being the son of Scollant Sanctuary’s Head Allegiant.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Gallant Episcopo,” Cisaro said, and bowed with his hand pressed against his heart. He would call his father by his proper title, Head Allegiant, but Gallant was a Death Knight rank, which technically superseded his Sanctuary position.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Drago raised an eyebrow. “Son, the day is over. That isn’t necessary.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Actually, I have two more minutes until I am technically released from rank. Therefore, it is only appropriate—”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Drago laughed heartily. “Cisaro.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> The boy smiled, taking a more lax stance. “If you insist.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I do.” He stood up and opened his arms, bringing his son into a warm embrace. “Your cheek,” the man observed, rubbing against a cut on Cisaro’s face.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Shallow. It’s not a concern.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Was the Bloodmutt successfully disposed of?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Yes. Fatalities were kept to a minimum. Once we arrived, no human lives were lost.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> The Head Allegiant clasped his son’s hand. “You have again surmounted beyond the standards expected of you. Well done, Cisaro.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “That means the world, father.” The boy’s eyes lit up. “How is mother today?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Not much better, I’m afraid.” Drago returned to his desk. “She’s been comfortable, which is the most and the least I can beg the goddess for at this point.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro had never heard his father beg for anything. “I would like a straight answer. Will mother ever get better? I know—”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Drago was silent for a moment before interjecting, “Did Kelder deliver his message to you?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “An odd interpolation. Yes, I am glad you found a replacement for Argrant. The point I was trying to make about mother—”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “And the letter?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro paused. “Letter? No. There was no letter.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Ah. I see. He must have forgotten. The way he bounces about Sanctuary, I’ll never get it back from him.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “You trust me with the lives of both the humans in the outlying towns as well as all of Scollant Sanctuary’s inhabitants. You trust me enough to become the next Head Allegiant someday. Why can’t you trust I will be able to handle if…” his voice caught, “if mother…”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Drago raised a hand. “Peace, Cisaro. The details of your mother’s illness are… complicated. I trust you will one day understand. What I do not trust is my ability to convey her sickness in the proper light. At least, not yet.” The man’s expression softened. “It is I who requires time to mature, not the other way around. Does… does that make sense?” </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Yes, father.” Though, Cisaro wasn’t exactly sure what his father meant by needing time to mature. “May I ask something else?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Well, the night is young.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “It’s about Kelder.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Drago let out a sigh. “Did he come on to you again?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “No. Well, yes. He always does. That’s not the point.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I know what’s coming. Tell him no. I will not carve his face into the south wall of Sanctuary if he succeeds in belching the alphabet backwards.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Was that actually a discussion you took part in?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “He claims the construction plans are still, quote, ‘in the works’,” the Head Allegiant replied, massaging his temple. “That boy. Some days…”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “It’s about him being Feign.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> The word seemed to kill the flow of conversation completely. Drago, now glancing out the window behind him with a steely expression, seemed immediately distressed. Cisaro had witnessed other people stiffen at the word, but never his own father.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Kelder told me today that he desires to leave Sanctuary. He said he wanted to see the human world, and I believed he was being childish.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Drago still said nothing.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “The way Tyrade spoke, he acted as if being human made Kelder inferior somehow. At first, I dismissed this as a fault of Tyrade’s lackluster personality. However, thinking back, I’ve noticed others behaving the same way. People who I’ve never known to be outwardly cruel to other Twined have mocked and ridiculed Kelder in broad daylight. Some won’t even look at him.” Cisaro shook his head. “Why is this?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Kelder is a Feign born,” said Drago. “Somehow, through the mixing of DNA, human and Twined can conceive half-blooded children. Many Twined see that human half as… a weakness.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Yes, perhaps Kelder isn’t immortal the way a Joined Twined is. But he can Warp, a power exclusive to the Feign. I don’t see that as weakness.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Perhaps weakness is the wrong word. The Twined see humans as inferior. They do so because they are scared of them.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro couldn’t believe it. “Scared?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “The Salem Witch Trials—the prosecution of Twined by way of a religious fervor so great, it lead to countless brutal and senseless deaths. Even before that, The Black Death—a human engineered disease that eliminated one third of Europe’s population, all of them Twined.” Drago leaned back in his chair as Cisaro took a seat of his own. “And in modern times, The Cyfrit. A human extremist group comprised of beings with terrifying technology, bent on ‘cleansing’ the world of our people’s tainting influence. Humans have sought war with us whenever the option sat ready and available. Whenever confronted with a human group who had the option to either attack or converse, never, not once, have I seen them choose the latter.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “None of that is Kel’s fault!”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “You need not preach the value of Kelder’s merit to me, my son. It was I who allowed Kelder to return to the safety of this Hidden Haven to begin with. We do not turn our back on our own.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “What do you mean by returned?” Cisaro inquired. “Had Kelder ever lived outside the walls?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Do you have time for a story?” Cisaro nodded as Drago reached under his desk and poured himself a few fingers of Scotch. “Kelder’s Uncle, Delias, was once one of thirty candidates for Head Allegiant. He was a proud and respected warrior born into a kind and noble family. His sister Marlessa, Kelder’s mother, was practically royalty. Back when I was poorer, it seemed they had everything I’d ever wanted. Money, status, friends. I entered the tourney as the previous Head Allegiant’s chosen second, by some miracle, and eventually Delias and I became the two candidates most likely to claim the position.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro was surprised to hear that. With the little of Kelder’s uncle he’d seen, the man was not of the pleasant sort.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Drago cleared his throat. “There were three portions of the final rounds. Combat, knowledge, and the Circle voting. I had my superior knowledge from years of study, yes, but Delias had a line of sponsors and friends of status backing him. My position as the retiring Head’s second boasted a credibility to some degree, but in the end, the politics led the Circle to vote in Delias’ favor. Twenty out of thirty-five. We had tied, each claiming one victory. All that was left was the combat portion of the exam, for no Head Allegiant could be permitted to cower from the heat of battle.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Drago downed his glass and poured himself one last finger full. “And?” Cisaro asked at length.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">Drago shrugged. “I lost.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">“What?” Cisaro said with mouth agape. “You lost?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">“Indeed. The pressure, the politics, it all was so unnerving that Delias bested me in the last round of tourney combat.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Fairly?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Drago let out a charmed laugh. “Allies and experience have gifted me the skill I have today. I was not born outright as the man you see before you. Though thank you for being that proud of me.” He took a sip of drink before continuing. “Even though Delias’ family was temperate and kind, the same could not be said for Delias himself. He struck me down until I could not stand, taunting all the while. The last thing I remembered was him, standing over me, his arms raised in the air and his boot on my bare chest. It was absolutely the worst beating I’d ever taken in my life. Spent weeks in the hospital afterward.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “That bastard.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “He has a temper, true,” said Drago with another sip. “Twist my arm and I won’t deny it.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “I don’t understand. You’re Head Allegiant now. Something must have happened.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Indeed,” whispered Drago. “Kelder’s mother happened.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “His mother?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “You are familiar with the Law of Abandonment.” It was more an assumption than a question.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Kelder had spoken them earlier. Cisaro repeated the law along with Kelder’s voice in his memories. “Those who abscond rescind their status here. The family they desert will suffer the accused one’s consequences in their selfish wake.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Many Twined strive to see the outside world. To deter them from leaving, the Law of Abandonment was created. It’s an old law, an outdated law, and governing through intimidation does no one any good. However, Kelder’s mother decided to leave Sanctuary with her Feign lover. And when she did, Delias lost everything—his victory in the tourney, his nobility, everything.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Cisaro knew the law was harsh. A rule specifically designed so that the absconding Twined in question would be persuaded by their friends and family to stay, using the ties that bind to prevent desertion. Harsh as it may be, they could not afford to allow any more Twined outside the wall, lest the humans discover their existence.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> It explained a lot, however. Why Kelder lived in that tiny little home with no electricity or heat. The reason he never let Cisaro meet his family or any of his friends. He was embarrassed that his loved ones felt ashamed of him. “Do you think… do you think Kelder’s uncle blames him?”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “Unfortunately, it isn’t my place to wonder that. Not as Head Allegiant.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “What about as a father figure? What about as the closest thing to a parent Kelder has?” Cisaro insisted.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Drago sighed. “Honestly? Not even Cloakers can hide the bruises. And I can vouch for Delias’ intense temper, which I doubt has slackened over the years.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> “You need to speak with him. Who knows how terrible things could be for him at home.” Cisaro’s fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. Yasu’s earlier words only heightened his suspicions. “<i>Those smiles he puts on… they’re the kind of smile you hide things behind</i>.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"> Before Drago could answer, a loud, shrill alarm blared outside the mansion walls. Both father and son stood out of their seat. The sound meant an emergency.</div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> “Cisaro,” Drago said. “Get dressed and head to the main square. I will rouse the other teams. That alarm is not a drill.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">So, there it is! For those of you who read Embers, you get a sort of different look at Cisaro's life. Hope you enjoyed the preview!</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Also, don't feel bad for Kelder. Look, Sad Owl is sad for him.</span><br /><img height="400" src="https://sphotos-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1173760_10151702508554773_1992798262_n.jpg" width="312" /><br />Aww... poor owl.</div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-74640446579385461572013-09-01T01:17:00.001-03:002013-09-01T01:19:04.858-03:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbSjsnGIJQ0/UiK9CG1e0dI/AAAAAAAAAoc/xePODBHtXuw/s1600/TWINED+FINAL+BANNER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pbSjsnGIJQ0/UiK9CG1e0dI/AAAAAAAAAoc/xePODBHtXuw/s400/TWINED+FINAL+BANNER.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Mark your calendars! Twined will be available for FREE as a kindle download on October 7th -11th<br />This revised version also includes a preview of "The Scion's Ascension". A Twined side story that pre-dates the current two books in the Twined series. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QQBPAA">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QQBPAA</a></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-82315723352232754822013-08-25T15:55:00.001-03:002013-08-25T15:57:16.806-03:00Keys and the Keyboard<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lot of people use music while writing. Veronica Roth, author of Divergent and Insurgent and the upcoming release Allegiant, does quite frequently. She actually posted her playlist in the back of her books during a Q&A session.</span><img src="http://static.hypable.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/veronica-roth.jpg" /><br /><div>Can I just pause to say that this girl was 24 when her book was published?<br />Plus, she's so humble and down to earth about her success. If interviews are<br />to be believed, and I believe them, she is an incredible woman who definitely<br />hasn't let all this hype and success change her. It's a shame when that happens.<br />She also listens to a lot of Flyleaf. Awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">LOOK AT HER. SHE JUST LOOKS LIKE SO MUCH FUN.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's those authors that make you go, "wow, I bet they're tons of fun to hang out with", that I really love. People say that about me all the time. Right?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/p480x480/1005263_666964836654279_841519032_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Photo: Workouts are going great, despite my lack of free time. Although, when I agreed to try the new "Hairy Chest 3000" regimen, I was unaware how literal the advertisement was." border="0" height="320" src="https://sphotos-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/p480x480/1005263_666964836654279_841519032_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">RIGHT?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">INDEED THEY DO.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> LOOK AT THAT LITTLE DOG. LOOK AT HER. SHE IS SO MUCH FUN. CONSEQUENTLY, HER OWNER MUST BE A JOYOUS AND VIVACIOUS INDIVIDUAL.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Actually, that's Bella, and she looks like the stuffed fox that shows people the Car Fax. Currently, as I'm writing this, she's licking my big toe. I cannot fathom what appeal that offers to her, but whatevs. It's a free toe-licking house over here. To an extent. Actually, it's not. Never mind.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><img height="181" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpxBnrfw35viveFQIVLeINfTihy9tmjG8MCF7BJoZ2mRcADTjsqQ" width="400" /></div><div>Yes, I get I'm not funny. Why can't I just ever have my moment? Angst, damn, and blast it, why can't I be interesting?</div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, so, perhaps I'm not as awesome as Veronica Roth. But there's more to being an author than standing around with our colorful bombast and waiting for worldwide praise, which is something she and I, and a lot of other people, totally get. (Although, does using the word bombast in a sentence actually make me somewhat bombastic? I'm not sure. That's troubling.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, what Veronica Roth and I also get is the influence music has on mood while writing emotional or action-packed scenes. She writes to Flyleaf and a lot of other really intense songs, and I agree with her methods. Now, sometimes silence is an author's best friend, as is Scotch, but other times I just pace and listen to music to get inspired. Then I write while the song continues on loop. This happens a lot. So much so that I'm surprised I haven't eroded the floor and fallen through the basement ceiling.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's so much good music out there, but I've narrowed down my choices to a couple songs I adore.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/yC_T-KdWCiI/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/yC_T-KdWCiI&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/yC_T-KdWCiI&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This song is perfect. In the Twined series, a plethora of betrayals rocks the heroes' worlds. The initial piano introduction, coupled with the somber, hopeless tone and the line, "felled in the night by the ones you think you love", perfectly captures the sadness when you realize that sometimes, you put people in positions where they can hurt you... and they take it. Trusting is scary at times, we all know that.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/QUQsqBqxoR4/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/QUQsqBqxoR4&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/QUQsqBqxoR4&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This woman. ARGH. LOVE HER. Again, she seems like a hell of a good time. Her messages are always so wonderful. Sara's songs "King of Anything" and "Love Song" have been my favorites since she poked her head into my life back in, like, 2008. This cheerful, dance-like-nobody's-watching salute to bravery conveys the kind of message The Fainting Goats needs to get across. It's hard to frown when you're already smiling. I've heard rumors that she wrote this song to help a friend of hers come out. If that's true, another round of applause for this woman. I have plenty of friends who have faced this issue, and I supported them the best I knew how. Sometimes, all that's left is to lose yourself in something. Preferably funky street dancing.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/FPHhNuSdrYE/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/FPHhNuSdrYE&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/FPHhNuSdrYE&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like different versions of popular songs. That temple-pounding hit of Zedd's is really popular right now. That's why I love the vulnerable sound of the acoustic "Clarity". It's amazing how tempo change and piano can take the same lyrics and melody and convey a totally different feeling. The original song I would save for a motivational scene in my book, where the characters' goals are near accomplished and they're parading forward despite the hardships. This version is more akin to a bittersweet scene of remembrance. Again, brilliant songs and brilliant material has been birthed from their influence. So cool.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/nVjsGKrE6E8/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/nVjsGKrE6E8&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/nVjsGKrE6E8&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lana's voice has always been haunting. The latest song she's done, "Young and Beautiful", can be found on The Great Gatsby soundtrack. It's sad that The Great Gatsby was Fitzgerald's magnum opus, yet he died thinking he was a failure. This song emphasizes eerie tones and runs more than anything, and tells a hypnotic, swaying tale about love and sadness in summertime. "Summertime Sadness" is amazing, and helps me write scenes with a strange detachment, where the messages of my work lean a bit more towards the ambiguous side. If Scott could see his work now... </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/Eco4z98nIQY/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/Eco4z98nIQY&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/Eco4z98nIQY&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Booty Swing". When I told my friends I constantly listened to a song called "Booty Swing" while writing a certain book, they asked, "How many sex scenes does that novel HAVE?" In response, I let them listen to the song. In a magical blend of old and new, "Booty Swing" is absolutely what I need when my books crave a little spice. The upbeat tempo and catchy beat makes my writing flow. I listen to this song at least once per book.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, there's still a lot of work to do today. I'll pop my iPod in, or a CD if I'm feeling old school, and get to it. So many ideas, so little time. I suppose that's an ideal problem to have, isn't it? Thank god I haven't yet dealt with the alternative. That would drive me mad.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Get your creativity revving, listen to a song, dance in public, and don't let your dog lick your big toe. Talk to you soon. Best wishes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A.L. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-52001715951503961232013-08-20T16:13:00.002-03:002013-08-20T16:13:35.785-03:00Full Time Writing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tqqm8VupCEg/TcpmtMIb2pI/AAAAAAAAAHc/dKxkwYShc00/s1600/hurrah.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tqqm8VupCEg/TcpmtMIb2pI/AAAAAAAAAHc/dKxkwYShc00/s400/hurrah.jpeg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, this feels good.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, thanks to a long sought after myriad of good fortunes, I've been given the opportunity to quit my oppressive, degrading job (seriously, half of the plot points in the Scarlett's sequel are inspired by just how shitty some people can be, which both saddens me and works somewhat in my favor on an unfortunate note. Also, on a side-ish note, I guess I just confirmed the Scarlett's sequel. More on that later.) in favor of staying at home and writing twenty four seven so that I may catch up on the progress my job has hindered.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a 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" 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" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OH YEAH BABY</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQU5sZW8wK9-mO46bSdKRTIjDArreY3kE3e13d19COI-vbMseEW" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQU5sZW8wK9-mO46bSdKRTIjDArreY3kE3e13d19COI-vbMseEW" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a day of joyous praying mantis celebration.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I can be sincere, the job was pretty horrible. Things are tough nowadays, and I understand that. I'm realistic. Many times I've sat down and reminded myself to have multiple plans reserved in case this author dream of mine doesn't work out, and I'm not cocky enough to assume success is guaranteed. My roommate and I both worked at the same store. He held a management position. So I stayed employed there a year past my limit in order to help him get the store back into shape, considering he didn't inherit the establishment at its prime. I put a lot of work in that place, did a lot of things that a peon at my pay standard wouldn't do, and after I was taken advantage of and cheated out of five raises, I just had to find another job somewhere else.</span><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still felt guilty. My buddy was so miserable, as were so many of my friends who work there, that I had to stick around as long as I could take it. For their sake. But eventually, you have to look out for your own happiness. When I was walking out the door, he said, "Listen, we've got some bills paid off. Extra income is coming in, and we've monitored the finances. We're stable. In return for your help, I'm willing to work for a while and cover our bills... so you can stay at home and write."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And my jaw hit the floor. Was he being serious? He was. As a now twenty-year-old author who is barely breaking through the surface in the self-publishing world, I have been given the greatest gift someone in my position could ever ask for. The stability needed to focus exclusively on your dreams in order to make them a reality. My friend is giving me the greatest gift while sacrificing his happiness, just as I did for him. I'd never expected this sort of gift. That's where this piece from the Scarlett's sequel came from.<br /><br /><br /> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Jaime's breathing nearly ceased entirely. She'd never been so high up before. Heights. Dizziness. With only feeble-looking metal beams warding off death by descent. Roller coasters embodied everything she feared as a free-spirited girl. A ride to a set destination, an on-the-rails ordeal--a terrible journey where she could not choose her own path. Her hands gripped the front bar even tighter, if that were possible.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "Keep your eyes open," Brady said, nudging her with his elbow. With all the coma-inducing panic, she forgot this nightmare was a partnered affair. "You'll learn something."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "What could I possibly learn from this?" she asked in a pitiful voice, her eyes remaining shut. "This is a fear of heights. Acrophobia. Additional terminology includes altophobia, batophobia, hypsiphobia, aeroacrophobia, which may prove more appropriate since the latter term applies to a fear of high-up open places in general--"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "Jaime, enough. Stop analyzing everything and just open your eyes."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "I'm fine the way I am."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "Are you?" he asked. "Are you happy where you are in life?"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> The question startled her. It was the same thing she asked herself every night during her 3 a.m. reflection. It was the same question she could never truly admit the answer to. Until now.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "No." What was it about terrifying heights that could make a person so truthful? "No. I'm not. And I'm scared to admit that because if I'm not happy, then that means I must have done something wrong. I am terrified that nothing in this career path is guaranteed. Now that I finally have what I've always wanted, friends, I'm wasting priceless moments that I could be spending with them on some venture that may or may not be worthwhile. Lastly, I am so very terrified of regretting my choices. I am terrified of always waking up at 3 a.m."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Through the sound of clanking, Jaime felt a sharp upward pull. Her heart dipped back towards her shoulder blades as the cars tilted upwards, climbing the mountain of regret she had forged in her mind. Sweat formed at her temples, nearly cooled in an instant by the chilly winds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Brady said, "You look around and see the people who hold equal pieces of your heart sacrificing everything for your dreams. You see Ashton, Meg and the others all fighting tooth and claw to survive, fighting to help you deliver your potential to the world. And you're right, that fear of failing them is a terrifying thing to withhold."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "What if I've made the wrong choice, Brady?" Jaime asked, eyes still shut. "When you choose one path, you forfeit a million others. What if I chose the wrong one in a million?"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "These people are willing to do anything for you, dedicating every moment of their lives to the Jaime Williams cause. If we had more tickets left, they'd be right on this coaster with us, riding every step of the way by our side. But it isn't the ride that tells you where to go. You can help your friends reach the places they need to be. It's in your hands now. It has always been."</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Could that be true? Yes. Jaime saw it now. Everything she'd done, from falling into that depressed funk, letting the restaurant take over Bryant's life, buckling under instead of rising strong, those were all her decisions. She gave those hardships her blessing. And now, Jaime wouldn't be the only one who would pay the consequences, should she give up and let the tribulations take her.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Her friends had just as much to lose. Have sacrificed too much for her to topple under pressure.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "I don't know if that's inspiring or terrifying," whispered Jaime.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> She felt the pressure leave her body. Now, the feeling was weightlessness. She was at the top of the mountain, the peak of the ride. It was up to her to keep her eyes closed, or...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "To be a successful author," said Brady, "a successful person, you must feel equal parts inspiration--"</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Jaime opened her eyes. The roller coaster had peaked to reveal the layout of the town of Heightway against a beautiful pink and light lavender sky.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> "--and fear."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> The nose of the car dipped, hurtling downward. The wind screamed, the sound of her accelerated heartbeat booming in her ears. Faster and faster, unpredictable, a rush of life so intense it could raise the dead and breathe joyous vivacity into saddened bones. No more feeling worthless and wallowing neck-deep in the mucky swamps of doubt. It was time to take life in her hands. It was time to forge a path filled with verve and friendship. Because some dreams were meant for sharing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Jaime's eyes stayed open for the remainder of the ride. And at one point, she even let go of the bar.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have named this sequel The Fainting Goats. After I re-edit the first Scarlett's and the first Twined, the latter of which will now come included with the short back story called "The Scion's Ascension", which features a young Cisaro and how he took over as the head of a very prestigious Twined Family.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the edits are finished, I will be moving forward with posts, updates, and continue writing The Fainting Goats, Dead No More, Utopius, and a Twined side-story called Intertwined.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For now, I am free to pursue writing as a full-time career and I'm very grateful. I won't waste this opportunity. You guys have reacted positively to this news so far, so thanks again for the continued support.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Best wishes,</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A.L.</span><br /><br /><br /></div></div></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-53787933569714909462013-05-10T22:14:00.004-03:002013-05-10T22:14:56.874-03:00A.L. Collins Author Appearance Meet & Greet and Book Signing!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">A.L. Collins will be at Hampstead Days in Hampstead, Maryland 21074 on Saturday May 18th from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Stop by to chat and pick up a signed copy of one of his books. Embers the second book in the Twined series will be available also! His display is located on Main Street across from the entrance to True Value Hardware. Just look for the large banners of his book covers. Hope to see you there!!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zoNZTFBnr1I/UY2a-ImKHsI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/u70N6T4mHpA/s1600/484326_403597109687045_1434832930_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zoNZTFBnr1I/UY2a-ImKHsI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/u70N6T4mHpA/s1600/484326_403597109687045_1434832930_n.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HLKre5uQtRc/UY2bHFkVdJI/AAAAAAAAAcY/vslgtYuglD4/s1600/Twined+and+Scarletts+combo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HLKre5uQtRc/UY2bHFkVdJI/AAAAAAAAAcY/vslgtYuglD4/s320/Twined+and+Scarletts+combo.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rxhSxuDosSo/UY2bVyut8QI/AAAAAAAAAcg/vitI9wa_XCk/s1600/EMBERS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rxhSxuDosSo/UY2bVyut8QI/AAAAAAAAAcg/vitI9wa_XCk/s640/EMBERS.jpg" width="465" /></a></div></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-40446288644043229652013-03-29T22:12:00.001-03:002013-03-29T22:12:08.807-03:00A.L. Collins To Be On The John Carver Radio Show!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="userContent">A.L. Collins will be on The John Carver radio Show this Wednesday April 3rd at 9:00 a.m. Here is the link so you can hear the show!<br /> <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thejohncarvershow/2013/04/03/john-carver-show" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thejohncarvershow/2013/04/03/john-carver-show</a><br /> If you would like to call in and talk to A.L. Collins call this number 661-467-2408 at 9:00am on Wednesday, April 3rd!</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tXN6y-L6ZPc/UVY70BtcBXI/AAAAAAAAAbc/862yx13IRpE/s1600/safe_image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tXN6y-L6ZPc/UVY70BtcBXI/AAAAAAAAAbc/862yx13IRpE/s1600/safe_image.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-17152920898779298392012-11-17T02:58:00.001-04:002012-11-17T02:58:50.413-04:00EMBERS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><br /><div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_50a7355c0eab17f25923673"><span class="userContent">I've been hunted by a predator. One who wants me dead for reasons unknown, motivations driven by events of a foretime I cannot and care not to remember. I've been saved by an enigma, one who I've doubted, questioned and blamed--one who needs my very existence in order to survive. You tend to see yourself in a different light when you face odds stacked so high against you. You adapt in the panic, t<span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span><div class="text_exposed_show">hrive in the heat of defiance. In the end, you either stand up for yourself and fight back--<br /> <br /> --or you live only long enough to wish you had.<br /> <br /> I haven't escaped the Lynx's clutches, not yet. Even though Albert saved me, even though we've decided to work together, that doesn't mean the danger has passed. She's still out there watching, waiting. She's contracting the best of the best to come find me, and end my life once and for all.<br /> <br /> There are too many variables to consider, her army is too great for me to have any hope of this ending well. I'm tired of living in the past, I'm going to take my future and shape it into a world without her alive to do me harm. It figures I only realize what I have when it's on the verge of slipping away. <br /> <br /> She's taken what I love, what I need. I am going to get it back. They tell me that hiding is futile, that they'll find me eventually.<br /> <br /> I'll make sure they won't have any difficulty with that.<br /> <br /> And when all is done, I'll snuff out the last Ember myself.</div></span></div></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-28157077290174681222012-09-23T18:36:00.000-03:002012-09-23T18:36:52.033-03:00TWINED IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE ON KINDLE UNTIL MIDNIGHT SEPTEMBER 24TH!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4aBRNK84C6E/UF-AvXFgr_I/AAAAAAAAAaM/_qpOPQgT34A/s1600/Twinedashnoborder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4aBRNK84C6E/UF-AvXFgr_I/AAAAAAAAAaM/_qpOPQgT34A/s400/Twinedashnoborder.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QQBPAA</div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-40546906482836839152012-09-22T14:49:00.003-03:002012-09-22T14:52:40.985-03:00TWINED STILL GAINING GREAT REVIEWS!<a href="http://askdavid.com/reviews/book/ya-supernatural-thriller/2099" target="_blank">Just Click Here To Read A Few Of Them!</a>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-53011500445574292022012-08-31T00:50:00.000-03:002012-08-31T00:50:51.408-03:00EMBERS To Be Released Soon!! The Second Book In The Twined Series!<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5352838.A_L_Collins/blog"></a>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-30648906790935957362012-08-13T20:50:00.002-03:002012-08-13T20:53:45.638-03:00EMBERS The Second Book In My Twined Series To Be At The Editor Soon!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thebookoftwined.blogspot.com/">http://www.thebookoftwined.blogspot.com</a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vf8zQXOCvRQ/UCmSn96dOjI/AAAAAAAAAZM/bcMHeEqc0rw/s1600/EMBERS_2_2-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vf8zQXOCvRQ/UCmSn96dOjI/AAAAAAAAAZM/bcMHeEqc0rw/s400/EMBERS_2_2-001.jpg" width="308" /></a></div></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-71419274812829268572012-06-16T15:43:00.001-03:002012-06-16T16:01:22.727-03:00The Dimensions Of A Stories Idea. TWINED Revealed!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="color: #741b47;">The idea for <u>Twined</u> really came quite suddenly. Usually I don’t do romance books. Well, I don’t do books that are entirely romance. It’s just not a strong suit of mine to focus on love or lovers alone. But with <u>Twined</u> I wanted something different. I wanted something new. <br /><br />I thought of the premise of love. How risky it is to bank all of your happiness on a variable such as another person. You don’t know how they’re going to act, react or even what their motives could be. How can we know, for certain, what their intentions are? Do they truly love you? Do you truly love them back? Do you want to? These are all questions that lovers are forced to decipher on a daily basis. That’s what makes love exciting. That’s what makes it dangerous. <br /><br />I always thought of romance as one person needing another; one person needing another in order to have true happiness. It’s as if we’re made incomplete, and we can only finish our design with the help of another, or in some case several other, human beings. That concept intrigued me. And then the core idea of <u>Twined</u> hit me. What if there were people out there who literally needed another person to survive? What if there was a species identical to humans that thrived on partnership to exist? To truly be happy? That’s when I thought of this book. <br /><br />The idea of the book is that the Twined are a species that parallel humans in many ways. However in order to survive past their early twenties, they must perform a ritual called a Joining with another human being. Through this ritual the Twined enters a symbiotic relationship with a human of their choosing, allowing them to live a full life and giving them access to supernatural abilities. The Twined literally need other people to survive. If they don’t form a bond, then they wither and die as their bodies prematurely shut down. <br /><br />Now the Twined are known as creatures that distort reality. In their hidden language they are called the Sathantia, or the “seam rippers”. They have been around since the beginning of time, hidden from the world. But the secret is slowly revealing itself in these modern times. It is thought that the world is on the cusp of an all-out Twined revealing. However for the time being, the existence of the Twined remains a carefully and well-guarded secret. <br /><br />The core idea of <u>Twined</u> is that often you must find the other half of yourself within the love of another person. Be that through friendship, true love or fate. There’s a whole dimension to a character that can be studied based on how said character treats other people. Relationships are a powerful thing. And it’s interesting to see a man like Albert, who so desperately needs someone to Join with, wind up with Avalin who wants anything but another complication in her life. The chemistry in this book I think is great and I believe it will only get better with time. <br /><br />The inspiration for <u>Twined</u> did indeed stem from the idea of love. There are a lot of key social values in this book, like loyalty, honesty and trust. We’re a social species by nature. Forming bonds is coded into our brains, into our DNA. I think that we are meant to love for a reason. Because sometimes you have to look through someone else’s eyes to truly realize the best things about yourself.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #741b47;">Think back for a moment on that one person in your life that just made your heart pause a split second. The one who made you take that proverbial double take while walking through the mall or sitting at a stop light. Maybe you had your eyes on them for a while, maybe it was a meeting of chance, but you'll never forget that first magical moment. Now, what if your very existence on this earth depended solely on becoming bonded to that person?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #741b47;">The book Twined is a fresh and new concept that will have you turning pages and absorbing their contents at a rapid pace. Before the world get's in your way, give it a try, it's only .99 cents on kindle available at the link to your right.</span><br /><span style="color: #741b47;"> My very best to you and yours,</span><br /><span style="color: #741b47;">A.L.</span><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/TWINED-ebook/dp/B007QQBPAA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339872365&sr=8-1&keywords=twined">http://www.amazon.com/TWINED-ebook/dp/B007QQBPAA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339872365&sr=8-1&keywords=twined</a><br /><br /></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-9547979179294182142012-06-07T13:28:00.000-03:002012-06-07T13:28:59.665-03:00TWINED and SCARLETT'S Available FREE as e-Book Download from June 7th to June 11th!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ExTJYI1O2Sg/T9DWtK1PcpI/AAAAAAAAAUY/BcjNZb5uxZg/s1600/combotwinedscarletts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ExTJYI1O2Sg/T9DWtK1PcpI/AAAAAAAAAUY/BcjNZb5uxZg/s320/combotwinedscarletts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Fiction Author A.L. Collins is offering his two newest Y/A novels TWINED and SCARLETT'S for FREE from June 7th to June 11th as e-book downloads! Just go to the links below and download them onto your computer, kindle, I-phone, I-pad or any other device that supports the kindle app. You won't be disappointed! <br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/TWINED-ebook/dp/B007QQBPAA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1338962567&sr=1-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/TWINED-ebook/dp/B007QQBPAA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1338962567&sr=1-1</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scarletts-ebook/dp/B007K9COLW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1338963899&sr=8-2" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Scarletts-ebook/dp/B007K9COLW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1338963899&sr=8-2</a><br /><!-- START CLTAGS -->A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-53493152095990887022012-05-08T00:50:00.001-03:002012-05-08T00:52:47.645-03:00TWINED PART II COVER REVEAL!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rHmUDT_BRoo/T6iWPYqZV3I/AAAAAAAAAUM/sev82-HuSTY/s1600/TwinedNew1-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rHmUDT_BRoo/T6iWPYqZV3I/AAAAAAAAAUM/sev82-HuSTY/s400/TwinedNew1-001.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Twined II is on track for a June 15th release date! </div></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-34769329105968021072012-04-26T03:15:00.003-03:002012-04-26T03:42:51.214-03:00Upcoming Events and Appearances for A.L. Collins!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--w_VitQNnHQ/T5jPXIK_LJI/AAAAAAAAATg/08rV1iZSD6U/s1600/19a18dda-595c-11df-89e8-001cc4c03286_preview-300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--w_VitQNnHQ/T5jPXIK_LJI/AAAAAAAAATg/08rV1iZSD6U/s200/19a18dda-595c-11df-89e8-001cc4c03286_preview-300.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: x-large;"> HAMPSTEAD DAY 2012 - Saturday May 19th</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">A.L. Collins will have a booth at this years Hampstead Day in Downtown Hampstead, Maryland. Just look for his banners and stop in and say hello! A.L. will be signing copies of his most recent novels... Scarlett's and Twined!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9LRaxZUx-Y/T5jPckiSylI/AAAAAAAAATo/2j1FHnHrE8c/s1600/19086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y9LRaxZUx-Y/T5jPckiSylI/AAAAAAAAATo/2j1FHnHrE8c/s200/19086.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;">NORTH CARROLL PUBLIC LIBRARY - Saturday </span><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;">May 26th 2:30pm - 4:00pm 2255 Hanover Pike Greenmount, Maryland 21074 </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;">(410) 374-1212</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> A.L. Collins will be having a book signing and meet and greet for friends and fans. Light refreshments provided. Come and mingle!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q736C1ZeHV0/T5jPgDBhC0I/AAAAAAAAATw/_PR0STyzsLQ/s1600/BWlogo_jpg_w300h163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q736C1ZeHV0/T5jPgDBhC0I/AAAAAAAAATw/_PR0STyzsLQ/s200/BWlogo_jpg_w300h163.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">THE BOOK WAREHOUSE </span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">BOOK SIGNING </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">Saturday June 2nd </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;"> From </span></span></span><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">2:00pm - 5:00pm </span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">The Outlet Shoppes at Gettysburg</span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">1863 Gettysburg Village Drive</span></span></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325 </span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-large;">(717)334-2829</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="background-color: #3d85c6;"></span></span></div></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-71955372509534666492012-04-09T14:22:00.000-03:002012-04-09T14:22:06.774-03:00Scarlett's And Twined Piling Up Five-Star Reviews On GoodReads!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tBtgg9BrvPk/T4MUB8tmeeI/AAAAAAAAASg/Or2sfFxCNSM/s1600/Scarletts+Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tBtgg9BrvPk/T4MUB8tmeeI/AAAAAAAAASg/Or2sfFxCNSM/s320/Scarletts+Final.jpg" width="246" /></a></div> Well it now April 9th. Scarlett's has been officially released for 16 days! It has sold quite a few copies (especially on Kindle for .99 cents) more importantly Scarlett's has been gaining momentum with SEVEN 5-Star <img alt="5 of 5 stars" height="15" src="http://dkt27ch3b0vq7.cloudfront.net/images/layout/stars/red_star_5_of_5.png?1333759796" title="5 of 5 stars, it was amazing" width="75" /> Reviews!! Over One Hundred peolpe have added it to their To-Read List and on the Scarlett's Book Give-away Contest 417 People have requested a copy. This contest doesn't even end until April 26th!<br /><br />Twined Has officially been released as of April 4th. It only has two reviews but both are 5-Stars! <img alt="5 of 5 stars" height="15" src="http://dkt27ch3b0vq7.cloudfront.net/images/layout/stars/red_star_5_of_5.png?1333759796" title="5 of 5 stars, it was amazing" width="75" /> Twined remember has only been on GoodReads for five days and has already had 94 people add it to their To-Read list! As of today the Twined Book Give-Away has had 371 people requesting a copy!<br /><br />Two different genre's of books and both are gaining great reviews! It's just a matter of time until people start to discover this uniquely talented young author! Oh and for all those that may be wondering, the answer is YES! Both Scarlett's and Twined have the second books in their series being worked on as we speak! Twined Part II should be available sometime in May of this year. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4z4cmqmrlrI/T4MUIAkDsZI/AAAAAAAAASo/msuCFZLXi_8/s1600/TwinedAsh-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4z4cmqmrlrI/T4MUIAkDsZI/AAAAAAAAASo/msuCFZLXi_8/s320/TwinedAsh-001.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><br />Scarlett's second book should be available in July of this year!<br />A.L. is the hardest working person I know. Although I spend countless hours marketing and trying to get the word out about him, he far surpasses me as his fingers fly on the keyboard of his laptop churning out one Fantastic Story after another! He is definately dedicated to what he loves, and he truly loves writing books!<br /><br />We are always looking for Book Reviewers, and would gladly send out copies of A.l.'s books in exchange for an honest review. if you are interested or know someone who might be, please reply to this post at the bottom and I will get back in touch with you right away! <br /><br />Thank You and Happy Reading!<br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">J.S.Huntington</span> ~ Publishing Manager<br />Personae Publications<br /><br /><br />Posted on behalf of A.L. Collins All Rights Reserved 2012</div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-69617644081333148382012-04-03T14:05:00.000-03:002012-04-03T14:05:42.368-03:00Get Lost In Another World... Read A Book!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M8VbqC1_LMs/T3stwjdZfgI/AAAAAAAAASA/nrpXAmqxHR0/s1600/Magic-Book-Wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M8VbqC1_LMs/T3stwjdZfgI/AAAAAAAAASA/nrpXAmqxHR0/s400/Magic-Book-Wallpaper.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-36533605962581664932012-03-31T17:58:00.001-03:002012-03-31T18:00:32.784-03:00Taking Those Timeless Less Than Classics To Another Level. Not Cut Out For Reading...How About Art?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">You’ve probably seen <a href="http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/the-phone-book-carvings-of-alex-queral.html" target="_blank">book carvings</a> before, but Long Bin-Chen’s works are definitely in a league of their own.<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F8GiHBftLIM/T3dr6NwHd4I/AAAAAAAAARo/3T_wv4ro3pE/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="132" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F8GiHBftLIM/T3dr6NwHd4I/AAAAAAAAARo/3T_wv4ro3pE/s200/untitled.bmp" width="200" /></a>Taiwanese artist Long Bin-Chen uses <a href="http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/the-intricate-book-carvings-of-julia-feld.html" target="_blank">discarded old books</a> to create incredibly detailed sculptures that look like they’re made of marble or wood. Although all his artworks are made out of several books, he carves them all in such a manner that they fit together in a seamless manner. While he could use any books he gets his hands on, Long Bin-Chen only uses those that are relevant to his sculptures. For example, for one of his Buddha heads, he used New York telephone books. This way, the head will represent a caring Buddha from the East who came to take care of the west.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fKyRN5LWd68/T3dr0H7ZJvI/AAAAAAAAARY/uYkDhqpzZWo/s1600/book1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="149" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fKyRN5LWd68/T3dr0H7ZJvI/AAAAAAAAARY/uYkDhqpzZWo/s200/book1.bmp" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Bought from trash collectors or collected directly from the streets, the books and magazines are first carved with a band or chain saw and then with a dental sander, for finer details.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C9wOM2ATkY0/T3dr29XDK-I/AAAAAAAAARg/JKi3sBJrGw4/s1600/book2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="132" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C9wOM2ATkY0/T3dr29XDK-I/AAAAAAAAARg/JKi3sBJrGw4/s200/book2.bmp" width="200" /></a> Okay very interesting really... I'm sure that many of the authors out there are secretly hoping that their books are read and kept intact instead of being mutilated in the name of art! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I must admit though that I have read some books that would serve the masses much more as a beautiful piece of art rather than a literary time waster! It just goes to show that those eccentric ones, those that everyone look at a little differently surely have proven if you can dream it you can build it. Beauty and art for that matter are truly in the eyes of the beholder. Yes, I believe it is impressive. Hours upon hours of tedious time consuming work. So attention all you authors who believe they have written the next best-seller, it might just show up on a pedistal at your local art museum instead of the shelves of the local library! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3v3JKk4Ze8E/T3dsAFN1DsI/AAAAAAAAAR4/ta8tarVcMPQ/s1600/texni_me_biblia-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3v3JKk4Ze8E/T3dsAFN1DsI/AAAAAAAAAR4/ta8tarVcMPQ/s400/texni_me_biblia-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8g6dN-etZ6g/T3dr9VIk5OI/AAAAAAAAARw/1W0FiKnIoXk/s1600/texni_me_biblia-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8g6dN-etZ6g/T3dr9VIk5OI/AAAAAAAAARw/1W0FiKnIoXk/s400/texni_me_biblia-9.jpg" width="266" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">Written by J.S Huntington copyright 2012 with contributing text from Spooky copyright 2010</span></div></div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735418158337812180.post-67036975040517303382012-03-31T06:11:00.002-03:002012-03-31T16:55:23.624-03:00Scarlett's New Book Trailer Video<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-15a71e5447de4bcb" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/get_player"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="flashvars" value="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D15a71e5447de4bcb%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1421368749%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D12C9EE49A785AF255999948A1FFEDC40E35C6DF7.58C78BB59793B786D6D8681BBA390DB7AEB8C3FF%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D15a71e5447de4bcb%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DE_VseLgoceOhSl_S6a7I9XEqNqc&autoplay=0&ps=blogger"><embed src="//www.youtube.com/get_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="320" height="266" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashvars="flvurl=http://redirector.googlevideo.com/videoplayback?id%3D15a71e5447de4bcb%26itag%3D5%26source%3Dblogger%26app%3Dblogger%26cmo%3Dsensitive_content%3Dyes%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1421368749%26sparams%3Dip,ipbits,expire,id,itag,source%26signature%3D12C9EE49A785AF255999948A1FFEDC40E35C6DF7.58C78BB59793B786D6D8681BBA390DB7AEB8C3FF%26key%3Dck2&iurl=http://video.google.com/ThumbnailServer2?app%3Dblogger%26contentid%3D15a71e5447de4bcb%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw160%26sigh%3DE_VseLgoceOhSl_S6a7I9XEqNqc&autoplay=0&ps=blogger" allowFullScreen="true" /></object></div>Thanks to Colbie Caillat for the perfect Feel-Good song for A.L.Collins New Novel Scarlett's! Sit Back Relax, Smile,Laugh and Sing Along! If this video doesn't bring a smile to your face then....Buy The Book!!<br />Available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/">http://www.amazon.com/</a> in paperback or e-book and <a href="http://www.createspace.com/3804256">www.createspace.com/3804256</a> Also, check out the Scarlett's Blog at <a href="http://www.thebookofscarletts.blogspot.com/">http://www.thebookofscarletts.blogspot.com/</a> </div>A.L.Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14106791489616481160noreply@blogger.com1