Amy Sumida's Blog - Posts Tagged "godhunter"
Halloween at Moonshine
I just spent a great evening with my friend Krystal up in Wahiawa. It helps to have someone to bounce ideas off of and Krystal has been indispensable in that capacity. She gives me honest feedback and her questions often lead to character development that wouldn't have been otherwise included.
Tonight we discussed several projects I have going on. First is a children's book I'm writing and illustrating, second a dating guide, third a romance novel I wrote years ago, fourth possible topics and characters for my next book in the Godhunter series, and lastly, the current book I'm working on in the Gidhunter series.
I'd informed her that it was about time Vervain experienced another holiday with us and what better than Halloween? I'd decided she'd throw a Halloween bash at Moonshine and had a list of gods who needed costumes. Not only did she help me choose a costume for practically all of them, she helped make the experience into a great memory.
What fun to contemplate the minds of gods and what each character would want to pretend to be for a night. We considered and rejected several ideas for each one, pontificating over why Kirill would want to do that and whether Thor would really be open to wearing such and such, while coming up with whole back stories for their costumes.
Then we walked into Wahiawa for dinner and found the only real restaurant in the town, purely be accident. For those of you who don't live in Hawaii, let me explain Wahiawa to you. It's country but country in the way that a town bordering a military base can be. It's charmingly ghetto country. Safe enough to walk through but stay on the main roads unless you're a local. The main road in fact looks more like the side street of a major city, it's biggest attraction is the Walgreens and the food selection is relegated to Mom and Pop marts and hole in the wall eateries. You're lucky if you find a place that has more than ten tables.
So when we walked into Cafe Olive and the waiter asked if we had reservations, please understand the depths of our confusion. Reservations for a restaurant in Wahiawa? Are you out of your damn mind? Did they know they had only 14 tables in the tiny place and 6 of those were pushed together?
Despite the lack of our reservations(and the mounting internal reservations we were beginning to have for the place) they found us the tiniest table in existence exactly five feet away from a speaker blasting music from the live entertainment which consisted of one local man and a guitar.
We grimaced at each other and contemplated making a run for it but our only other option for cuisine had been the Mexican restaurant down the street which was even smaller and happened to close at 3pm on Sundays. So we patiently waited for someone to bring us menus and hoped for the best.
It was wonderful and I happily declared to Krystal, halfway through my Crab Alfredo that I believe we'd found the only real restaurant in Wahiawa. She agreed, and we both delighted in the meal that cost us individually under $30 each, with tip. The freaky Asian manager who kept hovering near us like a nun with a ruler, was disregarded over the flavor of my spumoni pie.
During dinner we discussed my books some more but we also spoke about other books being turned into movies and ended up having a heated gripe fest over how Hollywood often "F"ed things up. I've recently seen The Mortal Instruments and so felt the need of spewing my great disappointment all over her supper, which she took surprisingly well and reciprocated with her dislike of actors who were being considered to play parts in the upcoming movie version of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels. Now before you criticize me for reading a teenager book, I'd like to defend myself by blaming it entirely on my sister who happens to be twenty years my junior. She insisted I read the Mortal Instruments series even though I wanted to chuck them out the window after the first installment.
Having said that, I did enjoy them as a bit of fluffy, teenager paranormal romance. So I was excited to see what they'd do with it on the silver screen. Sigh. Several characters were misrepresented in my eyes and the story was changed a bit but I won't bore you anymore with that. My evening was all the better for getting my dissatisfaction off my chest and Krystal bore it well. So I'm now prepared to write my Halloween scene and will do it unhampered by movie disappointment or a lack of costume ideas. Thank you Krystal and thank you all for reading my ramblings. Good night.
Tonight we discussed several projects I have going on. First is a children's book I'm writing and illustrating, second a dating guide, third a romance novel I wrote years ago, fourth possible topics and characters for my next book in the Godhunter series, and lastly, the current book I'm working on in the Gidhunter series.
I'd informed her that it was about time Vervain experienced another holiday with us and what better than Halloween? I'd decided she'd throw a Halloween bash at Moonshine and had a list of gods who needed costumes. Not only did she help me choose a costume for practically all of them, she helped make the experience into a great memory.
What fun to contemplate the minds of gods and what each character would want to pretend to be for a night. We considered and rejected several ideas for each one, pontificating over why Kirill would want to do that and whether Thor would really be open to wearing such and such, while coming up with whole back stories for their costumes.
Then we walked into Wahiawa for dinner and found the only real restaurant in the town, purely be accident. For those of you who don't live in Hawaii, let me explain Wahiawa to you. It's country but country in the way that a town bordering a military base can be. It's charmingly ghetto country. Safe enough to walk through but stay on the main roads unless you're a local. The main road in fact looks more like the side street of a major city, it's biggest attraction is the Walgreens and the food selection is relegated to Mom and Pop marts and hole in the wall eateries. You're lucky if you find a place that has more than ten tables.
So when we walked into Cafe Olive and the waiter asked if we had reservations, please understand the depths of our confusion. Reservations for a restaurant in Wahiawa? Are you out of your damn mind? Did they know they had only 14 tables in the tiny place and 6 of those were pushed together?
Despite the lack of our reservations(and the mounting internal reservations we were beginning to have for the place) they found us the tiniest table in existence exactly five feet away from a speaker blasting music from the live entertainment which consisted of one local man and a guitar.
We grimaced at each other and contemplated making a run for it but our only other option for cuisine had been the Mexican restaurant down the street which was even smaller and happened to close at 3pm on Sundays. So we patiently waited for someone to bring us menus and hoped for the best.
It was wonderful and I happily declared to Krystal, halfway through my Crab Alfredo that I believe we'd found the only real restaurant in Wahiawa. She agreed, and we both delighted in the meal that cost us individually under $30 each, with tip. The freaky Asian manager who kept hovering near us like a nun with a ruler, was disregarded over the flavor of my spumoni pie.
During dinner we discussed my books some more but we also spoke about other books being turned into movies and ended up having a heated gripe fest over how Hollywood often "F"ed things up. I've recently seen The Mortal Instruments and so felt the need of spewing my great disappointment all over her supper, which she took surprisingly well and reciprocated with her dislike of actors who were being considered to play parts in the upcoming movie version of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander novels. Now before you criticize me for reading a teenager book, I'd like to defend myself by blaming it entirely on my sister who happens to be twenty years my junior. She insisted I read the Mortal Instruments series even though I wanted to chuck them out the window after the first installment.
Having said that, I did enjoy them as a bit of fluffy, teenager paranormal romance. So I was excited to see what they'd do with it on the silver screen. Sigh. Several characters were misrepresented in my eyes and the story was changed a bit but I won't bore you anymore with that. My evening was all the better for getting my dissatisfaction off my chest and Krystal bore it well. So I'm now prepared to write my Halloween scene and will do it unhampered by movie disappointment or a lack of costume ideas. Thank you Krystal and thank you all for reading my ramblings. Good night.
Splelunking Sebastian
So I admit I'm a cat lady. If you've read any of my books and have read even further, the About the Author blurb in the back, you'll know that I have two of them. I also sleep in a very high bed, which I have to climb up into at night. It's kind of the axis of my little world and I do a lot in that bed... get your mind out of the gutter. Everything I need is within reach when I'm up there, my TV is balanced on top of an armoire across from my bed etc.. I have very high ceilings and I've also created a little network of ledges that allow my kitties access to everything. They can run everywhere, except two places which I've blocked off because of the breakables I display there. Of course, this is where they want to go the most.
So this morning, or should I say mourning, I was awoken early(and by this I mean 11am as I'm a night owl, usually up to 4 or 5am)by the unmistakable sounds of my cat Sebastian tromping through areas unknown...unknown to him that is. He had somehow leaped from a ledge onto the top of the TV laden armoire and proceeded to explore behind the precariously positioned flat-screen and the delicate freestanding Oriental shelf adorned with very expensive porcelain mermaids. Sigh.
So I clear a way for him to jump back to the safety of my bed but no, this is not what the adventurous cat wants. Instead of choosing the easy way out of his risky business, he instead wedges himself into the space behind the armoire(which is about 7 feet tall) and proceeds to spelunk his way down the back of it, emitting a horrible eeking scratch of a noise the whole way down. Now my 20lb feline is stuck behind the armoire, and the only way out is blocked by yet another cabinet, piled high with electronics.
I had to move everything out so he could crawl out, while Dominic, my other cat, sat watching it all with a confused air and a look that clearly stated his disgust in his brother's behavior. I thanked him for his sanity as I cursed Sebastian's kitty curiosity which almost resulted in the usual end: death.
And the day has only just begun.
The good news is, Harvest of the Gods, the first book in my new split series, is almost done, I'm going through the polishing stage and next it will go for review with my best and most helpful critic, Krystal. I'm still stuck on the cover though. Also, my first children's book, There's a Goddess Too, is out and for sale on both Amazon and Createspace.com.
So this morning, or should I say mourning, I was awoken early(and by this I mean 11am as I'm a night owl, usually up to 4 or 5am)by the unmistakable sounds of my cat Sebastian tromping through areas unknown...unknown to him that is. He had somehow leaped from a ledge onto the top of the TV laden armoire and proceeded to explore behind the precariously positioned flat-screen and the delicate freestanding Oriental shelf adorned with very expensive porcelain mermaids. Sigh.
So I clear a way for him to jump back to the safety of my bed but no, this is not what the adventurous cat wants. Instead of choosing the easy way out of his risky business, he instead wedges himself into the space behind the armoire(which is about 7 feet tall) and proceeds to spelunk his way down the back of it, emitting a horrible eeking scratch of a noise the whole way down. Now my 20lb feline is stuck behind the armoire, and the only way out is blocked by yet another cabinet, piled high with electronics.
I had to move everything out so he could crawl out, while Dominic, my other cat, sat watching it all with a confused air and a look that clearly stated his disgust in his brother's behavior. I thanked him for his sanity as I cursed Sebastian's kitty curiosity which almost resulted in the usual end: death.
And the day has only just begun.
The good news is, Harvest of the Gods, the first book in my new split series, is almost done, I'm going through the polishing stage and next it will go for review with my best and most helpful critic, Krystal. I'm still stuck on the cover though. Also, my first children's book, There's a Goddess Too, is out and for sale on both Amazon and Createspace.com.
Update for The Godhunter Series
Just a quick note to let all of my readers know that yes, I am working on the next two books in The Godhunter Series. Vervain's adventures are continuing, much to her chagrin and my delight. I hope to get them out within the next three to four months but I will keep you all updated and publish as soon as possible. The working title for the next books in the series split are Cross My Heart & And Hope To Die. Cross My Heart will be book 10, following Vervain through the God/Human Realms and And Hope To Die will be book 11, following her through the Faerie Realm. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and support. You keep me inspired and most importantly, keep me writing.
Numbering Issues, Title Changes, and Summaries
Just a quick update. I was informed today that Amazon hasn't numbered any of my books in my Godhunter series. I went on and edited the details and found that they are listed as part of a series and I put the number into the spot indicated but Amazon just didn't put it on the book description. So I've gone through all the descriptions and added numbers to the series title. I apologize for any difficulties this may have caused anyone and hope that this takes care of it.
Also, I'm almost done with the next two books in the series but I've had title changes. After much deliberation with my editor/friend Krystal, I've settled on "Into the Void" for book 10 and "Out of the Darkness" for book 11. I'll be painting another split cover so the books can be put together to reveal a whole picture and I'm looking forward to starting the painting but I've just been so caught up in Vervain's latest debacles. I told Krystal that these are my favorite books so far and she dryly replied that I say that every time. Sigh, I know, but I love seeing my characters evolve and I hope all of you will enjoy the paths they're taking too.
To give you a little summary of what to expect in the next books, Into the Void follows Vervain on her quest to find Odin but she becomes sidetracked by mermaids and zombies... don't roll your eyes, these aren't your average zombies... or mermaids, for that matter. Out of the Darkness has the seasons returning to Faerie and Vervain has to deal with the changes it brings not only to the land but to the fey, and to Faerie herself.
I can't wait to share these new stories with all of you and move on to the next book, which is already bubbling in the back of my mind. I may stop the split series here and return to just releasing one book at a time but I'm not sure yet. We'll see where Vervain takes me.
Also, I'm almost done with the next two books in the series but I've had title changes. After much deliberation with my editor/friend Krystal, I've settled on "Into the Void" for book 10 and "Out of the Darkness" for book 11. I'll be painting another split cover so the books can be put together to reveal a whole picture and I'm looking forward to starting the painting but I've just been so caught up in Vervain's latest debacles. I told Krystal that these are my favorite books so far and she dryly replied that I say that every time. Sigh, I know, but I love seeing my characters evolve and I hope all of you will enjoy the paths they're taking too.
To give you a little summary of what to expect in the next books, Into the Void follows Vervain on her quest to find Odin but she becomes sidetracked by mermaids and zombies... don't roll your eyes, these aren't your average zombies... or mermaids, for that matter. Out of the Darkness has the seasons returning to Faerie and Vervain has to deal with the changes it brings not only to the land but to the fey, and to Faerie herself.
I can't wait to share these new stories with all of you and move on to the next book, which is already bubbling in the back of my mind. I may stop the split series here and return to just releasing one book at a time but I'm not sure yet. We'll see where Vervain takes me.
New Books for sale on Amazon
Ok everyone,books 10 & 11 are for sale now on Amazon:
Into the Void(book 10)
http://apps.toshiba.com/ie8webslice
Out of the Darkness(book 11)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HYNDUU8
I hope you enjoy them.
Into the Void(book 10)
http://apps.toshiba.com/ie8webslice
Out of the Darkness(book 11)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HYNDUU8
I hope you enjoy them.
New Books
I've just finished the next book in The Godhunter Series, Perchance to Die. I'm just polishing it up a bit and then I'll be releasing it on Amazon. I'm very excited to have #12 in the series come out but I've also been working on another book. A book to help my fellow writers publish and market their books on Amazon.
It's been a long journey for me, a lot of trial and error, a lot of research and long hours on the computer trying to learn about promotion of self-published books. So I decided to share my information and publish a book on how to self-publish.
I just finished today and the book is currently going through the publishing process. It should be out on Amazon within the next couple of days. It's called Publishing Prosperity, How to Publish and Market Your Kindle Ebook, and it's a rather short book, about 25 pages or so, but it has all my hard earned tips and tricks to success in it. I've always hated having to scan through page after page of information that could have been presented more concisely and saved me a bunch of time.
So that's what I've tried to do, present the information in a way that people can understand and follow easily, in as few words as possible.
I've also re-released my book The Vampire-Werewolf Complex, How to use Paranormal Romance to improve your relationship. It's a funny dating guide and I've freshened it up a bit with some new content and a new cover. That book is already out for sale on Amazon.
It's been a long journey for me, a lot of trial and error, a lot of research and long hours on the computer trying to learn about promotion of self-published books. So I decided to share my information and publish a book on how to self-publish.
I just finished today and the book is currently going through the publishing process. It should be out on Amazon within the next couple of days. It's called Publishing Prosperity, How to Publish and Market Your Kindle Ebook, and it's a rather short book, about 25 pages or so, but it has all my hard earned tips and tricks to success in it. I've always hated having to scan through page after page of information that could have been presented more concisely and saved me a bunch of time.
So that's what I've tried to do, present the information in a way that people can understand and follow easily, in as few words as possible.
I've also re-released my book The Vampire-Werewolf Complex, How to use Paranormal Romance to improve your relationship. It's a funny dating guide and I've freshened it up a bit with some new content and a new cover. That book is already out for sale on Amazon.
I've got an app for that
You can now get an app to read Vervain's blog on your android phone at Google Play. I'm so excited to be able to share her on other platforms and I hope you'll all support us as we launch the Godhunter world into its first app. You can get the app here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...
There's been such exciting developments for us lately, with an interview by Matt Posner:
http://schooloftheages.webs.com/apps/...
and I'll be featured in a guest post on 3/13/14 on Beth Barany's site, talking about kick ass heroines in literature:
http://author.bethbarany.com/
Also, I'll soon be releasing the 12th book in the Godhunter Series, Perchance to Die.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...
There's been such exciting developments for us lately, with an interview by Matt Posner:
http://schooloftheages.webs.com/apps/...
and I'll be featured in a guest post on 3/13/14 on Beth Barany's site, talking about kick ass heroines in literature:
http://author.bethbarany.com/
Also, I'll soon be releasing the 12th book in the Godhunter Series, Perchance to Die.
Book 12 is on amazon!
Well finally, right? Perchance to Die, book 12 in The Godhunter Series is finally published and on sale on Amazon. Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J44Z8UK
And here's a short description:
Vervain Lavine, Godhunter, Witch, Shapeshifter, Goddess, and Faerie. Life has become a little confusing with so many titles but the one place Vervain could always find sanctuary was in her dreams. Now even that is taken from her when an unknown god starts hunting the Godhunter in her sleep.
Then there's Odin, or rather Griffin, who has yet to remember his true past or the part Vervain played in it. Add to that the assembling of a mutant army led by a sharp-dressed and sharply coiffured Indian, and you have a recipe for an epic nightmare. If only she could get a moment's rest, Vervain might be able to deal with it all but even in Faerie she can't escape. The newly created dark fey are having problems controlling their element. Between the dark fey and her dark dreams, the Godhunter's unable to find any solace and sleeping has become only another way to die.
There's also a special offer in the back of this book for all of you readers who have joined me on this journey. Thank you so much!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J44Z8UK
And here's a short description:
Vervain Lavine, Godhunter, Witch, Shapeshifter, Goddess, and Faerie. Life has become a little confusing with so many titles but the one place Vervain could always find sanctuary was in her dreams. Now even that is taken from her when an unknown god starts hunting the Godhunter in her sleep.
Then there's Odin, or rather Griffin, who has yet to remember his true past or the part Vervain played in it. Add to that the assembling of a mutant army led by a sharp-dressed and sharply coiffured Indian, and you have a recipe for an epic nightmare. If only she could get a moment's rest, Vervain might be able to deal with it all but even in Faerie she can't escape. The newly created dark fey are having problems controlling their element. Between the dark fey and her dark dreams, the Godhunter's unable to find any solace and sleeping has become only another way to die.
There's also a special offer in the back of this book for all of you readers who have joined me on this journey. Thank you so much!
Book 13 Tracing Thunder
Hey everyone,
I know, I know, I haven't been posting on Goodreads. That's because I've been consumed with Vervain's blog on Tumblr. If none of you are on there, it's at http://vervainlavine.tumblr.com/
Anyway, just posting to let all of you know about my upcoming release of book 13 in The Godhunter Series, Tracing Thunder. It should be out on Amazon by the end of the month. I'm just waiting on my cover artist.
Until then, please check out the trailer, for some reason, Goodreads isn't recognizing this link, so I'll put it here until I can fix the problem.:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJrMp0...
Thank you all for your loving support!
I know, I know, I haven't been posting on Goodreads. That's because I've been consumed with Vervain's blog on Tumblr. If none of you are on there, it's at http://vervainlavine.tumblr.com/
Anyway, just posting to let all of you know about my upcoming release of book 13 in The Godhunter Series, Tracing Thunder. It should be out on Amazon by the end of the month. I'm just waiting on my cover artist.
Until then, please check out the trailer, for some reason, Goodreads isn't recognizing this link, so I'll put it here until I can fix the problem.:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJrMp0...
Thank you all for your loving support!
