Beacon News » Book Release

Elizabeth Barrette Releases New Poetry Books

Kelly Christiansen — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 01:41:16 +0000

Front cover of From Nature's Patient Hands by Elizabeth Barrette

It is with great pleasure that I announce the release of not one, but two stunning books of poetry by Elizabeth Barrette.

Elizabeth has been a poet for many years, has been involved both with writing and editing poetry, and has a wide range of experiences that she brings to life for the rest of us through her verse.

Unlike some poetry which is written primarily by poets for poets, rife with difficult to understand symbolism and praised by high brow literary journals… but avoided by common folk, Elizabeth’s work shines and calls to all people – whether they be stuffy literature professors or a kid flipping burgers at the local fast food joint.

Prismatica is a marvelous collection of poems with a science fiction theme while From Nature’s Patient Hands takes the reader outside and conducts them on a walk through the countryside, exploring the seasons and the natural world we live in.

Front cover of Prismatica by Elizabeth Barrette

It is my hope that everyone will treat themselves to a copy of each of Elizabeth’s books, then read and re-read them for many years to come.

Sincerely,
Crystalwizard – Managing Editor Cyberwizard Productions

Excerpts:

Prismatica

The Potential Engine

The cat and the quarter saved the world,

but perhaps I should explain further.

It was the quarter I found while mining the couch for pizza money,

and the cat kept knocking it off the coffee table;

I was mesmerized by the transition from potential to kinetic energy

and back again, which reminded me of the transmission in a car.

Then I recalled a particular page of class notes from college,

before I switched my major from Art to Engineering,

back when I framed my notes in aliens and starship engines,

that day the Philosophy professor talked about harnessing

the potential of humanity – and it all clicked.

But only if I could find those notes. After sixteen years and six moves.

I excavated under the bed, in the garage, in the attic.

I overturned tubs and emptied brigades of boxes.

Only as the setting sunbeams lanced through the dust did I find them:

high on a shelf, filed by date, where my partner had put them away.

So I built the potential engine, fiddled with the transmission a bit,

and shifted humanity into a higher gear.

You’re welcome.

Now please pet the cat, because she knows she saved the world.

Countdown

Ten little, nine little, eight little golden toads…

“Amphibian Declines in the Cloud Forests

of Costa Rica: Responses to Climate Change?”

blared the headlines. I stare at the picture

and count the little bright-eyed creatures

gathered around their puddle, moist and glistening,

like the ghostly images of stars already gone nova.

Seven little, six little, five little rainforests…

“It is hypothesized that a climate warming,

particularly since the mid-1970s, has raised

the average altitude at which cloud formation begins,

thereby reducing the clouds’ effectiveness

in delivering moisture to the forest,” reads the article.

Amphibians, forests, lungs – all require moisture. Water

is life. This dessication threatens everything.

Four little, three little, two little human babes …

Another page, another problem. Bovine Growth Hormone

in the milk draws accusations from scientists:

“These chemical con artists have been blamed

for rising infertility rates and reproductive problems

in animal and human populations.” I rest a hand on my belly

and wonder if my untried womb will perform to specification

when I decide I’m ready to start a family. In the dry air of spring

I can already taste the summer drought. Fingers fold against my palm.

No little Terran lifeforms.

From Nature’s Patient Hands

Sugar Snow

When the powder comes down

On the chocolate-frosted fields

And the cold wind tastes like candy,

Like peppermint, I remember how

The swift snap of late-winter weather

Brings out the sap in the maple trees,

What they call the “sugar snow”

And it seems strange that another name

For the same time of year was the

Hunger Moon.

Bird of Paradise

Apus ventures forth only tentatively,

Its stars a dim glimmer, plumage

Sketched out in crest and tail

As it pecks pale crumbs

From the jungle floor, hiding

Its glory behind night’s black leaves.

Thunderfist

The sky closes its fist.

Gray clouds curl in like fingers,

wringing water from the air.

The sky shakes its fist,

hammering on the horizon.

Thunder rumbles as air

seeks to escape the mayhem.

The sky holds a fistful of light,

sunbeams sneaking out between fingers.

A rainbow trickles down the clouds

to touch the warm wet earth

steaming in the sun.

The sky sighs and releases its grip.

Thunderclouds vanish,

dark hand slipped back into blue pocket.

The air hangs silent and still,

but when the temperature drops

that fist will flex again.

New Novel Takes Readers On A Magical Journey

Kelly Christiansen — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 04:24:20 +0000

The Silver Cage by Mik Wilkens

Scottsdale, Arizona, resident Mik Wilkens’ new novel, The Silver Cage, marks her debut as a fantasy writer, but Wilkens’ residence isn’t the novel’s only tie to Arizona. The main character, business consultant David Conner, was born and raised in Flagstaff and now lives in Scottsdale.

“People tell you to write what you know,” Wilkens said. “I write fantasy and science fiction, so I don’t get many opportunities to do that. With The Silver Cage, I realized I could finally take that advice to heart by setting some of it in places I’m familiar with.”

Several scenes in the novel take place at David’s Scottsdale home, at the Tempe Festival of the Arts, and in Flagstaff, but the majority of events happen on the magical world of Lucasia. After coming to the aid of a mysterious young woman, David finds himself transported to the strange world where he encounters dragons, shapeshifters, and other creatures of myth.

“I wrote The Silver Cage as a modern fairy tale,” Wilkens said. “By ‘fairy tale,’ I don’t mean the traditional, short folk tales written for children. Instead, I use the term as defined by Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien in his essay ‘On Fairy-Stories.’ Tolkien said that fairy tales are not stories about fairies or other fantastic creatures; rather they are about the interaction between humans and such beings. David, a sensible, modern-day businessman, is the human that interacts with the fantastic creatures.”

In the novel, David acts as a guide for the reader as he explores Lucasia, investigates how and why he ended up there, and uncovers the layers of intrigue that surround the lives of the world’s inhabitants. Along the way, the reader encounters familiar fantasy elements such as unicorns, werewolves, dragons, and magic swords, but each has a twist that makes it different from similar elements found in other fantasy stories.

Wilkens hoped that by having a modern person interact with standard but slightly skewed fantasy elements, the story could be enjoyed by people who have never read fantasy as well as by those who are already fans of the genre. She appears to have succeeded. When asked about her acquisition of The Silver Cage for publication, Staci Helling, senior editor at LazyDay Publishing, said, “Fantasy has never appealed to me, so when I came across The Silver Cage, I was amazed that I really enjoyed it. It was a fantasy, but written in a way that made me want to read more. Mik Wilkens has changed my entire opinion of the genre. Her book captured my attention, and I can’t wait to read more.”

The Silver Cage is available for Kindle, Nook, and other ebook readers through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, and other leading digital distributors. It was published by LazyDay Publishing, www.LazyDayPub.com.
Website Url: http://www.TheSilverCage.com/

Announcing The Release Of Shoes Snd Ships Snd Sealing Wax By Alma Alexander

Kelly Christiansen — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 03:31:17 +0000

Author Alma Alexander

Fantasy novelist Alma Alexander has recently experimented with the Espresso POD machine installed in her local independent bookstore, Village Books in Bellingham. “It wasn’t a hugely commercial project,” she said, “and it probably wouldn’t have been interesting to my regular publishers – so I put it together myself, this little book of a selection of the best of my essays which appeared on up to five different blogs over the last five years or so plus a couple of original essays never before seen in public. I called the little book “Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax” – because, naturally, the time had come to “talk of many things”.

Front cover of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax by Alma Alexander

The book is available at

http://www.villagebooks.com/book/9780692011935

or directly from the author, via email through her website (www.AlmaAlexander.com)
Website Url: www.AlmaAlexander.com

Announcing the Tenth Orbit By Gustavo Bondoni Giveaway, Win A Signed Copy Of The Book

Kelly Christiansen — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:40:57 +0000

Tenth Orbit and Other Faraway Places, Gustavo Bondoni’s debut collection, has just launched from Altered Dimensions

Author Gustavo Bondoni

press. This is a collection of amazing, thought-provoking, and most of all entertaining science fiction stories from this modern

master of short fiction. These stories have been published all over the genre – from mags to anthos to websites - and are together in book form

for the first time. Also included are new stories written specifically for this collection, making this book a must-have for all fans of short-form SF.

Front cover of Tenth Orbit by Gustavo Bondoni

The rules:

1) There are no geographic limitations - we will ship worldwide.
2) The contest is open to people on LJ, Facebook and random passers-by.

3) There are three ways to enter:

- Post an entry on your blog, FB or other forum linking to the book itself and telling your readers a little about it (there is info below).
- Post a review of the book (for those who have already bought or read it) on your blog. It doesn’t have to be favorable, but tell them what you liked and what you disliked.
- Post an Amazon review (same as above) of the book or of some of the stories you may have read.
4) In all cases, leave a comment here: http://bondo-ba.livejournal.com/205118.html for your entry to be registered (don’t forget to tell us how to reach you). Each post is worth two entries, each review is worth four, and links to the contest post itself (aka this post) are worth one. People who have already posted when the book was launched, or have written reviews are already registered and entered.
5) The contest will last for one month. I will draw names out of hats (actually one name out of one hat) on December 15th.

The links (linking to any of these pages counts – it is not necessary to link to all):

- Amazon page for the paperback.
- Amazon Kindle page.
- B&N page for the paperback.
- Publisher’s page.

A little about the book (helpful for creating the posts ):

Tenth Orbit and Other Faraway Places is a collection of science fiction stories by Gustavo Bondoni. Originally published in a diverse range of genre magazines and anthologies, they are together for the very first time. Bonus material includes three stories written specifically for this collection. This is conceptual SF in its purest form, returning to the genre’s roots as the literature of ideas.

Peadar Ó Guilín, author of The Inferior referred to the collection as “old skool SF where the premise takes centre stage without taking all day”.

ToyBox Books “Between A Roc and A Hard Place” Receives A 2010 Holiday Seal of Approval

Kelly Christiansen — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:14:44 +0000

Front cover of Between a Roc and a Hard Place by Danny Birt

NATIONAL PARENTING CENTER IS ALL FIRED UP OVER TEPHRA THE DRAGON’S NEW HOME

Winston Salem, NC (November 16, 2010) – If you found a baby floating down a stream in a wicker basket, or even opened your door and found that baby on the front step you’d take him in, wouldn’t you? Well, what if it was a baby dragon? That’s precisely what happened at the National Parenting Center when they found children’s novel, Between A Roc and A Hard Place, at their award-submissions door.

In spite of the obvious fire hazard the mythical little lizard represented (especially being made of paper and all), The National Parenting Center judges took her in, and promptly awarded Tephra and her new family of Rocs the National Parenting Center Holiday Seal of Approval for 2010.

ToyBox Books Between A Roc and A Hard Place, by Danny Birt

Award Category: Children’s Books

Recommended Ages: 9 and Up

Price: $12.00

“Between a Roc and a Hard Place is the story of a young dragon named Tephra, who is abandoned as an egg and is subsequently adopted and raised by a family of giant birds (Rocs). Through trial and error, Tephra and her family members learn along the way what being a family really means. The story explores intricacies of adoption, especially interracial adoptions, all without ever mentioning the word ‘adoption.’ This theme is subtle to be appropriate for young adults who are exploring where they came from and who they are. The story follows a single character and can be read by young adults as such, but each chapter is written as a separate short story based around different characters’ interactions with the main character, making it accessible to younger readers who might read a chapter each night with their parents. Danny Birt, the author, has an MA degree in music therapy, and has worked with children who have special needs.”

Between A Roc and a Hard Place is published by ToyBox Books, a division of Cyberwizard Productions, a traditional, royalty-paying small-press publisher that provides high quality, enjoyable reading material for children and young adults.

The paperback book can be ordered online at http://www.childrens-publisher.com/. Children as young as 9 will enjoy reading the book with their parents, and young adults will devour it, dare we say, like a dragon.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARENTING CENTER

The National Parenting Center was founded in July of 1989 with the intention of providing the most comprehensive and responsible parenting advice to parents everywhere. The advice provided is furnished by some of the world’s most respected authorities in the field of child rearing and development.

The National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval program, created in 1990 as an adjunct to TNPC’s support services, identifies the finest products and services being marketed to the parent/child audience. From educational and entertainment products and equipment to travel destinations, the consumer oriented testing process solicits evaluations from parents and their children. This award signifies to other parents that their peers have acknowledged a product’s quality and desirability based on a wide variety of determining factors.

By any yardstick there is no denying that 2010 was a tumultuous year throughout the world and here at home. As it releases the final Seal of Approval report of 2010, and awards the first 2011 Seals of Approval, The National Parenting Center wants to recognize the hard work and dedication it takes to persevere in a climate and times such as these. The companies and the people behind them have created products and services that really connected with its testers and are deserving of this award as well as the benefits that come with Seal.

It is the sole intention of The National Parenting Center to advise, support and guide parents with sound, responsible advice.

ABOUT DANNY BIRT
Danny has played the roles of author and editor in science fiction, fantasy, and professional publications such as The Raintown Review, Strange Worlds of Lunacy, Flashing Swords Magazine, and Musica Ficta. His fantasy series “The Laurian Pentology” is being published through Ancient Tomes Press, with the books “Ending an Ending,” “Beginning” and “Beginning An Ending” already in print. Two more titles to complete the pentology are forthcoming. In addition to literary publication, Danny composes classical and filk music, such as his nonstop hour-long piano solo “Narcoleptic Pianist,” and the ever-peculiar and hilarious album “Warped Children’s Songs.”

Announcing The Release Of From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine’s Journey in Myth and Legend by Valerie Estelle Frankel

Kelly Christiansen — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 15:28:09 +0000

Many are familiar with Joseph Campbell’s theory of the hero’s journey, the idea that every man from Moses to Hercules grows to adulthood while battling his dark alter-ego. Now From Girl to Goddess explores the universal heroine’s journey in ancient tales from Chile to China, upsetting popular notions of the passive, helpless girl. The questing heroine, whether a Samoan mermaid or Mayan moon goddess, seeks enlightenment and strength through a quest of ordeals leading to symbolic death. Rather than a sword, she wields magic slippers, a mirror, a chalice. Only after she has defeated her dark side, the wicked witch, can the young woman grow into a bestower of wisdom, the protecting queen and arch-crone, in this universal journey.

From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine’s Journey in Myth and Legend is new from McFarland and Co. (Fall/Winter 2011, $35.00, ISBN 978-0-7864-4831-9). It is available on Amazon, Baker & Taylor, Google Books, and other popular book channels. This is the first and only book to present the classic heroine’s journey step by step through world myth, just as Joseph Campbell did for the hero in his groundbreaking The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

The book analyzes the heroine all across the world, examining her step-by-step trials in tales from the beloved Vietnamese Cinderella and Scottish Tam Lin to the crone-goddesses Spider Grandmother and Copper Woman. This includes many rare feminine epics, which until recently were preserved only in oral history. The accompanying website offers an extensive booklist, charts, resources, and an interactive heroine’s journey wheel at www.vefrankel.com. Marketed for an academic readership under Humanities/Mythology and Women’s Studies, this book is an essential tool for feminists, folklorists, fantasy fans, powerful women, and readers and writers from all disciplines.

From Girl to Goddess
The Heroine’s Journey through Myth and Legend
Valerie Estelle Frankel

Release Date: Fall/Winter 2010

List price: $35.00

ISBN: 978-0-7864-4831-9

Category: Humanities/Mythology, Interdisciplinary Studies/Women’s Studies

Pages: 376

Format: Softcover

Contents: folklore index, notes, bibliography, index

Author website: www.vefrankel.com

Table of Contents & Excerpts at www.McFarlandpub.com