Meet in Vegas for the RT Booklovers Convention April 12-17, 2016

 

If you write popular fiction, you are probably familiar with RT BOOK REVIEWS MAGAZINE, and with their annual BOOKLOVERS CONVENTION. This year it will take place in LAS VEGAS, at the RIO HOTEL AND CASINO, and promises to be lots of fun. It always is.

I've been attending RT off and on since the turn of this millennium. Thousands of readers flock to meet their favorite authors and have fun in sumptuous dinners involving themes and costumes. This year, Vintage and Steampunk promise fantastic photos, with a CIRQUE DU PUNK costume contest. With food and drink flowing, and authors and readers cutting loose, there is never a dull moment. For authors, it's an opportunity to meet with readers of their particular genre, since so many are represented.

Beautiful Evening gowns at RT 2009 with authors from Arizona: From left to right: Christine Jones, Eden Robin, Vijaya Schartz, and Beverly Petrone (Chris and Bev write as a team as Tia Dani)

 Although RT (initially Romantic Times) started reviewing only Romance, it has now grown to encompass all genres of popular fiction. Yours truly will be co-hosting an event called THE INTERGALACTIC BAR AND GRILLE, with the queen of sci-fi romance, Linnea Sinclair, and a dozen dynamic authors of the subgenre. We will have games, prizes, food, drink, and will forge a friendly bond with the 300+ readers of this particular genre attending the convention.

There are also panels with publishers, editors and authors, writing workshops, pitch sessions with editors and agents, and an award ceremony for the best books of the year... It's also an opportunity to meet the most famous cover models, and take pictures, of course.

What a 300 author book signing looks like (RT 2014 in New Orleans)

The giant book signing on Saturday will gather over three hundred authors, including the greatest, and many new, small press, and self-published authors. No point in naming names, I would make too many enemies. The list is on the site HERE

The registration fee and the hotel are not cheap, but you can share your room. And if you must fly, it can be an expensive experience, but if you've never done it, you owe it to yourself as an author to try it at least once. Since this year it's in Vegas, I'll be driving and lugging my books, which cuts the cost by skipping airfare and shipping.

I'm sure this year's convention is sold out, but registration for next year will start in September. Here is the website for future reference: https://rtconvention.com/

I'll let you know how it went when I return.

Vijaya Schartz
 Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick
 http://www.vijayaschartz.com
 Amazon - Barnes & Noble - All Romance eBooks - Smashwords - iBooks - Kobo

Gods of Egypt, ancient aliens and myths - by Vijaya Schartz

The male gods: Thoth god of wisdom, Horus the defeated rightful king, Set the evil uncle murderer and usurper

GODS OF EGYPT explodes on the big screen and just blew my mind. Love, passion, hatred, revenge, greed, power hunger, and redemption. It has it all, even humor. I loved the script, the storytelling, and the fresh take on the myth. I like that it respects the legend. I also like the fact that the sun god Ra resides in space, on what looks very much like an alien spaceship. The gods are much taller than humans, and liquid gold flow in their veins. Cool

Don't wait for the DVD. This super-production, reminiscent of the great movies of the fifties with high pagentry and lots of extras, must be seen on the big screen, preferably in 3D. Today, of course, we use digital images and blue screens, and the result is amazing. Morphing gods larger than life and alien ships in orbit are possible, and incredible creatures come alive. We understand why the Egyptians revered their gods when they exhibited such powers.

Hathor, goddess of love and Zaya, beauty of the Nile, a simple mortal in love.

I am a new fan of Nicolaj Coster-Waldau playing Horus. Gerard Butler makes a formidable evil brother Set, and the goddess of love, Hathor is played by the beautiful Elodie Yung. As for the mortal couple, Brenton Thwaites and Courtney Eaton as Kek and Zaya, they have the right amount of innocence, chemistry, faith, courage, and determination.

I like the fact that this movie doesn't focus on the better known story of the dismemberment of Osiris by his brother Set. Instead it features Osiris's son and rightful king, the god Horus. Portrayed as a happy go lucky rich boy who loves parties, Horus has a rocky start when on his coronation day, Set kills his father, beats up Horus and steals his all-seeing eyes, his woman... as well as his kingdom... which Set quickly exploits and enslaves for his own aggrandizement. Blind and dispossessed, Horus falls into depression and despair. It will take the example and encouragement of two of his fiercest worshipers to give him the strength and courage to fight back and free his people.

How relevant to our times is this story? More than you think. Greed and power hunger are still a strong motivation among the elite. Love can still move mountains. A few courageous souls can defy their betters and win great battles against impossible odds. Besides, we still honor the old myths. We only have to look at our dollar bill to see the eye of Horus, the all-seeing eye, atop the Egyptian pyramid. Where do you think this came from?

I strongly encourage you to see this movie. You won't regret it. In the meantime, you can read more about gods and aliens with incredible powers in my CHRONICLES OF KASSOUK series. WHITE TIGER is still free at ARe, and Snow Cheetah just received a 5-star review from Fallen Angel Reviews. "On top of being an incredible Sci-fi story, this book had many unique aspects. The biggest of which was one lovable and fun-loving snow Cheetah called Pangura, a pet, and the soon-to-be Queen Natalia... This story ensnared me from the very beginning with the many plot twists, fascinating characters, many Science fiction themes, and a love story that was truly inspiring. This was a wonderful addition to the Chronicles of Kassouk series." Fallen Angel Reviews - 5 stars

Vijaya Schartz
 Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick
 http://www.vijayaschartz.com
 Amazon - Barnes & Noble - All Romance eBooks - Smashwords - iBooks - Kobo

DAMSEL OF THE HAWK is in pre-order at Amazon and Smashwords!

I'm very excited about my new release, DAMSEL OF THE HAWK - Curse of the Lost Isle Book 7 (standalone) - Medieval Fantasy Romance. Although the release date is April 20 2016, it's already in pre-order:

in kindle http://amzn.com/B01CH93SNM 

at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/620349

 

 

1204 AD - Meliora, immortal Fae and legendary damsel of Hawk Castle, grants gold and wishes on Mount Ararat, but must forever remain chaste. When Spartak, a Kipchak warrior gravely wounded in Constantinople, requests sanctuary, she breaks the rule to save his life. The fierce, warrior prince stirs in her forbidden passions. Captivated, Spartak will not bow to superstition. Despite tribal opposition, he wants her as his queen. Should Meliora renounce true love, or  embrace it and trigger a sinister curse... and the wrath of the Goddess? Meanwhile, a thwarted knight and his greedy band of Crusaders have vowed to steal her Pagan gold and burn her at the stake...

 

HAPPY READING!

 

Vijaya Schartz
Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
Amazon - Barnes & Noble - All Romance eBooks - Smashwords - iBooks - Kobo

 

 

DAMSEL OF THE HAWK - the story behind writing it - by Vijaya Schartz

Getting to the end of writing DAMSEL OF THE HAWK (scheduled for release April 20, 2016), I cannot help but look back upon my first brainstorming sessions for the plot of this book. How it evolved since then amazes me. Then again, it happens with all the books we write. The semi-finished product as I near "the end" goes far beyond my expectations. It's a good thing.

I know many writers write from a rough draft. I never could. When I tried, I had to throw it away and start the novel again from the beginning without looking at the draft. Although I'm a plotter, my plot is never set and constantly evolves with the characters' reactions as the story unfolds. New villains appear out of the shadows, creating different conflicts and changing the backdrop and the course of the story. As I research minor details, better ideas come along and change everything again. Characters are forced to deal with unforeseen situations. The black moment is not what I predicted at all. Until the denouement, I do not know what the theme of the story is. That's what keeps me writing, what keeps me intrigued, what keeps me excited about my characters, what keeps the story alive in my mind, brimming with possibilities.

As I discover the heart of my story, that's usually when the final title comes to me. This book had several working titles in the six months it took to write it, none of them worthy of mention. Damsel of the Hawk appealed to me because of its medieval feel, and the tight connection to the heroine and her circumstances. This is also when I start looking for images to inspire the cover designer for the cover. I've been blessed for this Curse of the Lost Isle series:

  

 

The inability to write from a complete draft is what prevents me to participate in events like NANOWRIMO. That draft written in a month would be of no use to me. So I write my novels from a rough outline, ten pages or less, one paragraph per expected chapter, with the beginning, the main scenes, the major plot twists, and the expected ending. I leave plenty of room for change, to implement new ideas as they come, adding more chapters to the outline. Often, it means I have to go back to the beginning and add or rewrite several scenes to accommodate a new plot line, introduce a new character, give the reader clues, or foreshadow a future plot twist. It works for me. I don't mind rewriting as I write.

Then, when I have a complete story with all its intricacies and its nuances, comes the real work, the polishing, the fleshing out, the recasting of every scene to make it part of the whole. Emphasizing the theme, adding emotion, polishing the action scenes, the love scenes, making the reader part of the story by adding more setting and sensory details... That's usually the last month in my novel writing process.

Can you tell I love writing? Well, I do.

DAMSEL OF THE HAWK

Curse of the Lost Isle Book 7 (standalone)

Available for pre-order in early March:

1204 AD - Meliora, immortal Fae and legendary damsel of Hawk Castle, grants gold and wishes on Mount Ararat, but must forever remain chaste. When Spartak, a Kipchak warrior gravely wounded in Constantinople, requests sanctuary, she breaks the rule to save his life. The fierce, warrior prince stirs in her forbidden passions. Captivated, Spartak will not bow to superstition. Despite tribal opposition, he wants her as his queen. Should Meliora renounce true love, or  embrace it and trigger a sinister curse... and the wrath of the Goddess? Meanwhile, a thwarted knight and his greedy band of Crusaders have vowed to steal her Pagan gold and burn her at the stake...

In the meantime, catch up with the Curse of the Lost Isle series at:

 Amazon - Barnes & Noble - All Romance eBooks - Smashwords - iBooks - Kobo

 Vijaya Schartz
 Blasters, Swords, Romance with a Kick
 http://www.vijayaschartz.com