Cia

Yes, hopeful. The good side of the coin, at least by the end. Thanks for the review hun!

Scorpion by Aleksandr Voinov My rating: 4 of 5 stars I'm not a big fan of historical work, but sometimes I can't help but pick up one that sounds sooo good. Scorpion lived up to my expectations too! There were many elements of this story that made it read more like a fantasy than a historical book, likely because the time was set so far into the past. The contrast of the gritty soldier's POV to the far reaching and political landscape that made up the plot was refreshing. A simple person myself, I appreciated seeing it from the outside. I'd not have been nearly as involved in the story had I been reading it from another viewpoint, the Leader's, for example. I've recently found myself enjoying MM military stories outside of contemporary fiction plots, and this story fit right into that. We saw all the orders, special missions, rank maneuvering, FUBAR moments and victories. Kendras' role in so many vastly important moments intrigued me. The author managed to make it all plausible that this one person, this ex-street rat turned soldier on the eve of his death, could do everything he did. I will say this, if gritty scenes of pain, sex, or pain and sex, bother you, don't pick up this book. There are many instances of non-con and dub-con that show up. It fits with the time period and the character's lives though, so if you're not easily spooked by dark content matter, I would definitely recommend Scorpion. It has put Aleksandr Voinov onto my radar, and I will certainly be looking for more of his eBooks to read in the future. Edit to add: I just exchanged some comments with the author and was told... nope, fantasy not historical. Perhaps it was the 'real' feel to the story that made me put this in the wrong genre, but either style you like, fantasy or history, this story could work for you. View all my reviews

Interesting. Very ethnic and spooky at the same time. Well done, I'm guessing that the secret chamber was like Pandora's Box and opening it is letting out a great evil. Definite creep out factor on the story. Well done.

Oh they do! Best friends think they know what is best for you, and sometimes they actually do, but don't go about it the right way. Perry might meddle, but it was just enough. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story Jo Ann. Thanks!!

Whew! Lots of drama and anticipation. I can't believe you left it there! I want to know what the symbols were, what the messages mean, if the messages got out... so many questions. Maybe you'll come back to this and let us know sometime. I really liked the story, and I understand with a short story it's hard to let the story tell itself, but I think this would have been a lot better if the story had come from the characters in scenes, and not as much narration.

And to make you realize you can't dither forever and not take a chance too! Thanks for reading Percy!

Well, I did want a bit of angst, but I didn't want to make the story too dark. The hope aspect of Pandora's box has always confused me in the legend so I wanted to play with that. Thanks so much for the review, Mann!

Aww, thank you. I find the idea that the big guys are always all-knowing alpha types. Sometimes they're unsure, and yeah, need a bit of help. Thanks again for the review.

I love stories about the Greek gods. Older civilizations used human nature and regular nature to explain everything. It can lead to some interesting characters when people use that to dictate the nature of their characters. I really liked the idea of the 'box' being a restaurant where people could find a bit of hope, if they were driven to need it by the outside world. Thanks for sharing.

Lovely way to use the theme without really mentioning it. The emotions of the story were great. You had a great arc and a nice twist there to take Brandon from 2d to 3d and make him feel real. One tip I could pass along that I learned is "Alright is never all right to use." You used the word a lot in this story as alright so I really noticed it.

I still have to wonder ... why was something good locked in with the bad spirits? I like the vision of hope, fragile thing that it was in the story. On an editing note, when you use 'Mother' as a name like, 'Yes, Mother.' it is capitalized. When you say 'my mother told me' it's a description of the person and not capitalized.

A story not for the faint of heart. There are a lot of loves that are 'forbidden' in the world. At least Reilly and Brayden cared about each other. I thought the evil dad/depressed and abused mom that barely helps is a bit overdone in this type of story. It would have been nice to have a slightly different villain set up.

I'm glad I wasn't alone in focusing on hope. I liked the paranormal theme. I could almost feel the bleakness of the area and the way it echoed their feelings.

That was a lovely story, Ieshwar. Definitely what I've come to expect from you. I wouldn't necessarily believe it happening in real life, but it seems like it could. A rough subject, but one full of hope at the end. Thanks for sharing!

I really tried reading this, but it is just not my style of story. I applaud your creativity though!

Very creative. Look at all the wild and crazy the fans were letting out of the 'box'. I liked the glass enclosure/transparent life the live stream show echoed. We definitely have become digitized, and your story showed that too. Very nice. Btw... I noticed the text didn't say where Adam was supposed to get kissed. Ryan could have gotten very creative, lol!

Focus on the creative aspects of writing, not the mechanics of the actual writing. Pick an aspect, or aspects of creating characters or plots and have them explore that. One great tool that can be a lot of fun is to work up a list of 'get to know you' interview questions and then use those to develop a character. If you ask the teens to write about teens, then they have a good basis in what they know and it'll be easier for them to relate to the characters they write up. When it comes time to pick the plot ... maybe do up a list of elements. Locations, events, special twists, and number them 1 to whatever for each element. Then have the kids pick numbers and they have to somehow incorporate those elements. You could have 'Location: The beach Event: A race Twist: You have to include an alien species. A kid who likes sci-fi might come up with a big eyed bobble-headed alien and a kid who likes contemporary fiction might make up an 'alien' animal species that washes up on the beach and is stumbled over during the race. We sometimes lose sight of the engagement of a reader comes from a great plot and characters. Yes, if you're looking to be a writer, especially if you want to sell books or eBooks, you should know writing mechanics. However, the most flawless piece of writing without characters that are relatable or a setting and plot that engages the reader isn't going to be worth the time it takes to write it. Besides, one of the tenets of NaNo is WRITE. Don't edit, don't polish, don't worry if it needs to be fixed to be 'right' ... just WRITE. Oh, and here: 40 of the Best Websites for Young Writers

The moment when hope really hurts. Will Ayiwyn take a chance, or is he too scared to reach for who he really wants?

“How exactly can you disregard the misogyny within the mythos relating to the nature of women based on Pandora, then?” Ayiwyn blew out a slow breath, containing his aggravation. He’d been surfing the endorphin high from their run. “Really? Ancient Lit? We’re going to discuss that now?” “Why not?” Perry asked. “It’s not like you’re using your brains.” “I’m trying to concentrate. Thirty-nine.” Perry waved a finger at him, adding an eye roll. “That’s twenty-nine, quit cheating. And you don’t ne

My husband and I aren't overly 'I love you' saying types. We met when I was 16 and it only took us both 3 months to say it and mean it. That was about 16 years ago. It's not that encompassing, heart racing, can't live without saying all day every day, my body aches when we're apart because I want you so bad feeling. That's more obsession and lust than love, especially when it is one sided. Love can be a quiet bit of comfort just knowing that the other person knows you better than just about anyone and they choose to spend their time with you anyway. They're the person you'd want to be with, if you could be around just one person. They make the day better just putting their arms around you and spending time with you. I write romance and yeah, sometimes it's dramatic and all-encompassing, but I think that books and movies have a habit of giving people a false expectation on how they are supposed to realize they are in love. What you describe is how I feel about my husband, and well... like I said, 16 years together doesn't lie. All that being said, don't force it. Don't let him pressure you and don't say what you don't mean. However, have you tried telling him all that jazz about how you feel about him instead?

Thanks Daithi! I thought the amulet was very indicative of what Sayer is feeling. Getting through the stubborness... well, that'll be interesting. Thanks again for the review.

LOL! Yeah ... there's a lot to come. Good news, next week's is ready so you won't have any extra wait. Thanks for the review John!

“Fuck!” His leg barely moved as Birch tried to jerk away from Sayer. “Careful!” His stomach heaved. Birch swallowed desperately but the pain was too much. Bile rose, and he vomited sideways. His eyes slammed shut when his stomach rebelled against his control; seeing it was always worse. This is not what he wanted to do when he saw Sayer again. Humiliation rivaled the taste in his mouth for bitterness. Now he’d ruined the bed and made a disgusting mess. Birch flopped onto his back. “I’m sorry

Also Take Flight by Cia... I think our story filters are still screwy! Darn bugs! My story auto posts on Wednesdays so I know it's in there hiding in the weeds, not wanting to come out with the other stories... grrs!

Happy Birthday hun! I hope you have a lovely day.