Kayelle Allen Archives - Page 4 of 6

Trouble follows Tornahdo (excerpt from Lights Out) #SciFi #PietasFans #FreeBook

Kayelle Allen 12/17/2019 Kayelle Allen 6 Comments

Tornahdo knows it's trouble when this guy shows up...

Ravenstongue sauntered toward him. "Why you here?"

Tornahdo kicked back in his chair. After stretching out his legs, he crossed his ankles. "Why do you care?"

"Big ops tomorrow. Lights out in ten. Time for you to go home and go to bed."

Behind the bar, the keeper closed up shelves and battened down doors.

"Yeah?" Tornahdo flicked a hand toward the door. "I'll follow you out."

"I'm not leavin'. Didn't you hear? We passed inspection with the highest scores. Got a free night out." Ravenstongue jabbed a finger toward Tornahdo. "But you gotta go home like a good boy."

In no kingdom in the galaxy would that happen.

Ravenstongue lifted two fingers, signaling his cohorts.

The keeper ducked behind the bar while the goons flanked their wannabe boss, imbecilic grins in place.

A pair of demons usually sat on Tornahdo's shoulders. The bad demon laid out strategy while the good demon discouraged action. Tonight, the good demon flipped a middle finger toward Ravenstongue with a not-so-subtle suggestion to kick his ass.

Tornahdo took his time rising, slid his chair under the table. "What did you say?"

"I said, 'You gotta go home like a good boy.'"

Hanging his thumbs in his belt, Tornahdo gave him a slow smile. "Go back to the bar, finish your drink and we'll pretend we're all friends and leave together. This is your last chance for a peaceful end."

"Peaceful." With a scoff, Ravenstongue jerked his head toward Short Goon. "You hear that?"

"Yeah. Maybe we oughta do what--"

Ravenstongue jabbed him with an elbow.

"I mean, yeah! I heard that." He leaned closer to his boss. "We gonna?"

"No, you idiot. Shut your face and back me up."

How did these hotheads enlist? Ghost Corps must have been desperate for bodies. Literally. A fighter's corpse they could reanimate. Which was a sobering thought.

Was that what the corps thought of him?

Lights Out by Kayelle Allen

He can save mankind. After he does one important thing. Die.
Join the Ghost Corps, they said. You'll live forever, they said. You'll save mankind, they said. They didn't say that to do it, first he had to die.
When Tornahdo signs on the dotted line, he puts his life into the steady hands of the mighty Ghost Corps. Three grisly deaths and three agonizing resurrections later, he's assigned duty on the space station Enderium Six.
He's facing his most dangerous mission yet, the very reason the corps exists.
Do they expect him to win? Fat chance. Tornahdo and his team are already dead and this mission is codenamed "Lights Out." No, there's more to this than he can see.
To discover the truth, he must face an unbeatable, unkillable enemy, and this time--somehow--find a way to keep himself alive...

Any of my characters mentioned on this page may be found in multiple books in my story universe. (Pietas images - Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay) Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

Experience Art, Sci-Fi, MM Romance, and Space Opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them by joining my newsletter.

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Go home. This is your last chance #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 04/30/2019 Kayelle Allen 8 Comments

Ravenstongue sauntered toward him. "Why you here?"

Tornahdo kicked back in his chair. After stretching out his legs, he crossed his ankles. "Why do you care?"

"Big ops tomorrow. Lights out in ten. Time for you to go home and go to bed."

Behind the bar, the keeper closed up shelves and battened down doors.

"Yeah?" Tornahdo flicked a hand toward the door. "I'll follow you out."

"I'm not leavin'. Didn't you hear? We passed inspection with the highest scores. Got a free night out." Ravenstongue jabbed a finger toward Tornahdo. "But you gotta go home like a good boy."

In no kingdom in the galaxy would that happen.

Ravenstongue lifted two fingers, signaling his cohorts.

The keeper ducked behind the bar while the goons flanked their wannabe boss, imbecilic grins in place.

A pair of demons usually sat on Tornahdo's shoulders. The bad demon laid out strategy while the good demon discouraged action. Tonight, the good demon flipped a middle finger toward Ravenstongue with a not-so-subtle suggestion to kick his ass.

Tornahdo took his time rising, slid his chair under the table. "What did you say?"

"I said, 'You gotta go home like a good boy.'"

Hanging his thumbs in his belt, Tornahdo gave him a slow smile. "Go back to the bar, finish your drink and we'll pretend we're all friends and leave together. This is your last chance for a peaceful end."

"Peaceful." With a scoff, Ravenstongue jerked his head toward Short Goon. "You hear that?"

"Yeah. Maybe we oughta do what--"

Ravenstongue jabbed him with an elbow.

"I mean, yeah! I heard that." He leaned closer to his boss. "We gonna?"

"No, you idiot. Shut your face and back me up."

How did these hotheads enlist? Ghost Corps must have been desperate for bodies. Literally. A fighter's corpse they could reanimate. Which was a sobering thought.

Was that what the corps thought of him?

Lights Out by Kayelle Allen

He can save mankind. After he does one important thing. Die.
Join the Ghost Corps, they said. You'll live forever, they said. You'll save mankind, they said. They didn't say that to do it, first he had to die.
When Tornahdo signs on the dotted line, he puts his life into the steady hands of the mighty Ghost Corps. Three grisly deaths and three agonizing resurrections later, he's assigned duty on the space station Enderium Six.
He's facing his most dangerous mission yet, the very reason the corps exists.
Do they expect him to win? Fat chance. Tornahdo and his team are already dead and this mission is codenamed "Lights Out." No, there's more to this than he can see.
To discover the truth, he must face an unbeatable, unkillable enemy, and this time--somehow--find a way to keep himself alive...
Lights Out is in the Science Fiction/Space Opera anthology The Expanding Universe Vol 4, edited by Craig Martelle out Sept 17, 2018
https://kayelleallen.com/lights-out-save-mankind/

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It’s Christmas Eve and a cop is at the door… #SweetRomance #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 11/28/2018 Kayelle Allen 14 Comments

From A Romance for Christmas

Dara was gaining strength daily, and would finish therapy the first week of January and return to work. Disability paid for the basics - lights, phone, water, trash collection, and she'd never bought anything on credit, refusing to dig herself into a hole she'd never escape once it got started.

She went to the closet and pulled down a box with a ball, crayons, paper, and three books. A friend had brought over a few things as well. This wasn't the grand Christmas she had wanted for her daughter, but all the other valuables had been sold. There was nothing left but her wedding ring.

She didn't wear it. Removing it had been part of saying good-bye to Jack.

They said it would help, and it had. Sort of. But not much.

Dara sank into one of the kitchen chairs and put her face in her hands.

Sometime later, when the doorbell rang, she grabbed a paper towel and dried her eyes. The clock over the stove said nine o'clock. Who would be calling at this hour on Christmas Eve? She stuffed the wet towel in her robe pocket on the way to the door.

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Time Travel (part 2): Sci Fi or Historical? #SciFi #Historical #Book

Kayelle Allen 05/06/2018 Kayelle Allen

In this two-part discussion on time travel, I’ll share a fascinating discussion in my reader group. I love science fiction and fantasy, space opera, whether film, TV, book, or magazine. Likewise, time travel has always fascinated me. But is it sci fi or historical? I decided to ask my readers. Here is the winning response, from Jackie. We had a great discussion.

QUESTION: Is a time travel in which characters travel to the future a Sci Fi? Would one in which they traveled to the past be historical?

I offered a $10 gift certificate to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon (winner’s choice) for the best answer. One of my readers is author Dariel Raye, who in turn asked some of her readers. I got responses from both groups. (read part 1 of this discussion)

Jackie:

Your description of sci/fi and historical time travel seems right. Also if its not too far into the future or past then I suppose it would just be plain old time travel. I guess one would have to know how long ago historical really is, and how far into the future is really sci/fi. Interesting time line question to think about.

Kayelle:

Hadn’t considered that. So maybe there could even be levels of historical or futuristic. Maybe ancient history or far future? I like that!

Jackie:

Yeah I think there would have to be different levels. Not as simple as 1 2 3 or A B C. Maybe more like middle ages or maybe even just a simple as a year like 1800’s historical. Now future we would have to come up with different era names.

Kayelle:

Any in mind? What would you call them?

Jackie:

I am not sure what I would call them. Maybe something involving destiny, or future generations, or the coming of? What do you think?

Kayelle:

Well now that’s different. A time travel to the future wouldn’t affect the past, until you were in the future — and then your actions would be in the past. So the new future’s past would definitely be altered. Kind of makes your head spin, doesn’t it? 😉

Jackie:

LOL yes it does. I actually read what you wrote twice. I am reading a series now that has time travel involved, both past, present and future. So many things change and sometimes one doesn’t realize when you change one thing it can bring about a much different out come than you expected or wanted.

Kayelle:

I love the idea of time travel. Time is moving, but so is space — the Earth will never again be physically in the same place it was when we leave a specific time. Which means if we tried to go back in time, we would also have to go back in space. So not only would time travel be traveling within time, but also everything time affects. Wear, distance, surroundings… how could we ever create something complex enough to take all that into consideration?

Which just fascinates me. I don’t think I’ve come across time travel that deals with that aspect. What about the series you’re reading now? What is it?

Jackie:

Wow I had not thought about that. The series I am reading did take some of those thoughts into consideration. Not only did circumstances change but so did the surroundings and also the people. They looked very different as well. I am reading a YA book series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Its called the chronicles of Nick. Very cool with a dark humor to it. It was fun picking each others brains and trying to come up with a creative idea.

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Time Travel: Sci Fi or Historical? #SciFi #Historical #Book

Kayelle Allen 04/29/2018 Kayelle Allen

In this two-part discussion on time travel, I’ll share a fascinating discussion in my reader group. I love science fiction and fantasy, space opera, whether film, TV, book, or magazine. Likewise, time travel has always fascinated me. But is it sci fi or historical? I decided to ask my readers.

QUESTION: Is a time travel in which characters travel to the future a Sci Fi? Would one in which they traveled to the past be historical?

I offered a $10 gift certificate to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon (winner’s choice) for the best answer. One of my readers is author Dariel Raye, who in turn asked some of her readers. I got responses from both groups. I’ll share some here and the winning response next week.

Jean:

Anything that removes you from your present time, whether it be future or past, in my opinion is SyFy.

Kayelle:

Good point! I suppose that is quite true. 🙂

Donna:

I think they both would be Sci Fi as the ability to time travel does not exist at this time.

Kayelle:

ooh very clever answer! So true. Do you think it’s something we’ll ever have?

Donna:

At this point in time, I don’t think it is possible (who knows what the future holds) but it would sure be nice to be able to go back in time to experience history (there is so much I would like to experience) without changing it (be like a fly on the wall). One can dream. I’m not sure how going forward would work — would we be going into our own future or the future in general is the question. Would we be able to change anything in the future if it was bad? Future time travel generates a lot of ethical questions. What do you think?

Kayelle:

I know current science says it’s impossible. But 500 years ago, smartphones would have been considered witchcraft. Who knows? But wow I would like to be that fly on the wall myself. Long as someone didn’t swat me! LOL

I’d love to go into the past. Always been fascinated by Alexander the Great. I think a time travel story about a doctor going back in time to save Alexander’s life might be good. Except maybe it turns out that his being there is actually what killed him… Which means he had already gone back before he decided to take the trip. No matter how you look at these stories, you get mental vertigo!

Lacey:

I think that while time travel is Sci-Fi a book that uses it as part of the plot doesn’t have to be in that category. There’s a big difference between a story based on a time-traveller (where the main point of the story is that the character time travels and their adventures doing so) and a story where time travel is used as a plot device to get a character to a specific period of time (where the main point of the story is what happens to the character after time travelling).

I don’t think a book where the character gets to the past through time travel would be a historical novel because the character’s perspecitive and attitudes would still be from current times even after arriving in the past.

Kayelle:

Nice insight! You make great points. It’s still contemporary to the time traveler in a sense. And since it’s not the main plot (necessarily) it could be just a plot device.

I hadn’t considered that traveling to the past would still keep the person with a contemporary attitude. That’s excellent! Have you read any good time travel stories lately?

Lacey:

This one is awesome. It’s actually part of a series but I read them out of order lol, I bought the first one but haven’t gotten into it yet but they can be read stand-alone.

https://www.amazon.com/Chronothon-Time-Travel-Adventure-ebook/dp/B00QHIYBZ4

Kayelle:

Wow that is one different idea. A time traveling Amazing Race. I can see that could be totally misused and abused. I put that on my wishlist. Thank you. 🙂

Glenda:

I did see what Wikipedia said (the first paragraph) which is very similar to what I learned. The last sentence sums up the total.

Speculative fiction is an umbrella genre encompassing narrative fiction with supernatural or futuristic elements. This includes, but not limited to, the genres science fiction, fantasy, superhero fiction, science fantasy, horror, utopian and dystopian fiction, supernatural fiction, as well as their combinations. Anything using speculative science– something that hasn’t been invented– is also Science fiction. (Science- not invented- speculative- fiction)

Kayelle:

Good answer! So by these standards, you think time travel is always scifi?

Glenda:

Yup… It can be historical Science fiction (Yes, it really does exist) as well as speculative fiction. I would go with historical science fiction but I have seen time travel to the past and it is always in the science fiction/romantic section – if that is the premise.

Kayelle:

I can believe that. I have a sci fi that has a major plot of archaeology. Trailing Kaiwulf is about a character who’s trying to discover the history and meaning of these huge “gates” they are finding on multiple planets. Think mini size St Louis Arches side by side. So while the story is very much sci fi it is also very much archaeology. I guess you could have historical sci fi as well.

Kind of spins your head around, doesn’t it?

Glenda:

All if it does. I go with science fiction when anything has hard science and fantasy if it is based on ‘magic’. If it can be explained with speculative science—SciFi. If it relies on anything of the paranormal—fantasy. Of course, that all spreads over into other branches. Mind boggling possibilities with all of it. 😀

I would love to read it when you have it completed.

Kayelle:

Oh, that book is done. Want it in Kindle, epub or pdf? I’ll send you a copy.

Glenda:

Kindle and thank you!

Kayelle:

Here you go. This is the story concept:

Find an invisible man in another dimension? All in a day’s work at TRAIL.
Travel to a godforsaken planet on the outskirts of space. Check. Hold intrusive military goons at bay. Check. Find an invisible man in a different dimension. Check. Finish the vacation TRAIL yanked you back from to do it? Easier said than done…

I plan more books in the TRAIL series. Trace, Rescue and Identification League is a group of bounty hunters, missing person investigators, and agents who recover the unrecoverable.

Characters from this book will cross over to another book’s sequel. The “gates” they are investigating were created by the immortal king in my current Bringer of Chaos series. I write in a huge universe and it’s all tied together by this king, either as his loyal followers, his enemies, or someone being manipulated by one of the two. The one thing I haven’t done yet is a time travel. I’d like to try it one of these days.

Glenda:

Thank you! I will definitely read and review. Time travel has a wide variety of possibilities. Research whatever time period is going to be time consuming but it will definitely be worth it. I do read a lot of historical fiction and if something seems off—I research. (I can’t stand glaring errors! LOL) Of course, I like research so that is a plus or negative depending on what side of the book you’re on.
The bottom line that I have found over time – As long as you don’t make glaring mistakes–it is your world, your mind, and your creation. Have fun!

Tune in for part two next week…

What do you think?

All these comments spurred wonderful discussion and thoughts. I’m more fired up than ever and eager to write a time travel. Someday! Not sure when.

What is your favorite time travel book, film, or TV show? Share it in the comments.

Would you like to be part of next month’s discussion? To participate, join the reader group. Kayelle’s Reader Group

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Author Facade: being who you are as a writer #Author #MFRWauthor #INFJ

Kayelle Allen 03/05/2018 Kayelle Allen 5 Comments

Author façade. Do those words go together? Yes. When people ask me what I do, I could say I’m a wife or mother. I could say I’m a veteran. Or retired. Or any number of things. So could you, right? But what I say is, “I’m a writer.” An author.

The Author Façade

I’ve been published since 2004, and without exaggeration, I can say I’ve written hundreds of blog posts, tens of thousands of emails, and millions of words. I’ve posted on blogs all over the net. Why? So readers can know the person behind the author façade. Is Kayelle Allen an author façade? Well, maybe façade is not the best word. One dictionary I consulted defines it like this:

Façade (1) A showy misrepresentation intended to conceal something unpleasant. — I certainly hope I’m not unpleasant. That doesn’t sound good, does it? No, not at all. I think my author facade fits the second definition better.
Façade (2): Frontage, the face or front of a building. Window dressing. — Or does that make my author façade somehow equal to drapes? Surely not.

I prefer to see my author façade as the best of who I am. My best-foot-forward attitude. My who-I-am when I’m on-my-best-behavior self. Okay, those of you who know me best can stop snickering. I can hear you all the way over here.

The thing is, my author façade is reality. The Kayelle Allen online is who I really am. Every person has something of a façade when it comes to public life and there are things I don’t share online. But I strive to be faithful to my private life when presenting my author self in public. I attempt to keep my author façade true to my real persona. So who am I?

I’m an INFJ (Myers Briggs temperament). The letters stand for Introversion (I), Intuition (N), Feeling (F), Judgment (J). I’m an introvert (I) in that I get my energy by being alone. I have blazingly fast insight (N) into people. I tend to go with feelings (F) over facts because I trust my own intuition, and once I make up my mind (J), I act without hesitation or looking back. Who are some other INFJs? Oprah Winfrey, Billy Crystal, Nelson Mandela, Carrie Fisher, Nicole Kidman, and Adam Sandler. Try this article if you want more insight.

My inside age and outside age are not equal. I may have aged, but I am not old. Wiser? Yes. Goodness. You couldn’t live my life without learning a few things. Smarter? Debatable. I’m a US Navy veteran (Viet Nam era) and a member of RomVets (female romance writers who served in the military). I’m also a former Toastmaster. I love getting up in front of people and talking. That’s the number one fear in America, but I happen to love public speaking. You’d get me on a roller coaster only by dragging my dead body, but I will happily speak to a convention full of people. Weird, huh? I’m the founder of Marketing for Romance Writers, a peer-mentoring group for authors. Don’t get me started on that. I love MFRW! Click the link for in depth info about MFRW.

I think I’m someone you’d like if you got to know me. Because as much as being a writer is like being a different person, my author façade is the presentation of a real person. I invite you to follow and get to know me. I’d like to get to know you too. Please, tell me about your “façade” as a person. Who are you?

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Book birthday: Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire #Pietas #SciFi

Kayelle Allen 12/29/2017 Fallen Empires

Congratulations, it’s finally a book birthday!

Holding Bringer of Chaos in my hand — both book 1 and book 2 — what a feeling! As a rule, I don’t use exclamations on this blog, but for this? A book birthday is a wonderful thing. You can have a book birthday on the anniversary of its release, but for this event, I’m claiming today as the day the book is born. Officially.

I started writing it years ago. I was 17 and sound asleep at home, dreaming. I was walking the length of a vast receiving chamber, headed for the woman who sat on the throne at the end. The empress was the twin sister of a dangerous man who was not present. He was older but he was not the king. I didn’t know why but I knew that made him dangerous.

I had to walk through rows of soldiers who stood at attention, facing forward. I could not see their faces. I was not afraid to approach the throne. The woman looked amused at how long it took me to go such a long distance. I kept walking and walking but never seemed to get closer. I turned around to see how far I had come. That’s when I saw the faces of the soldiers, and my breath caught.

Every one of them had the heads of gray cats.

I woke up and sat straight up in bed. Why that image should have been so frightening, I don’t know. No one was attacking me. No one glared at me. They just looked right at me, and that was enough. All these years later, that dream still haunts me.

From that dream was born most of the Tarthian Empire series. The woman on the throne became Empress Rheyn Destoiya. The cat-headed soldiers became the Praetorian Guard, peopled with the Kin, a feline-humanoid race. (My Kin do not have cat-heads but they are quite catlike and have pointed ears higher up on their heads than a human’s.) Her missing older brother became Pietas, hero of my last two books.

By releasing Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire, I’m telling the story of that missing sibling and how he came to be such a dangerous man.

I hope you’ll get to know him as I have. Discovering the Bringer of Chaos has been a lifelong attempt. Below is an excerpt from the book for you to sample, and you can download the entire first three chapters here.

Book Birthday – an excerpt

In this scene, Pietas discovers that his friend, Six, has been taken hostage by Mahikos, Pietas’s father.

“Are you looking for this?” His father’s unmistakable voice came to him before the man’s faint outline revealed itself in the dark.

Mahikos had captured Six and pressed a knife blade to the ghost’s throat. At the point where the blade dug into him, blood oozed.

The blank passivity on his friend’s face revealed what Pietas had feared. Six had been compelled into submission. He would stand there and let Mahikos kill him.

Rage propelled Pietas forward.

“That’s far enough, Son.” He dragged Six backward. “Unless you want your own hands covered in this human’s blood.”

Pietas ground his teeth. For this, his father would forfeit his life. “I will end you, old man.”

“Will you?” Mahikos dug the knife edge into Six’s neck. “You dared bring this abomination into our camp after it threatened your mother–the woman I love–and you want to end me? This thing is going to die by my hands!”

Time slowed to a crawl. Someone had told him.

Joss? Too loyal.

The twins? Too detailed.

Dessy? Had she been so quick to betray him?

Pietas drew every vestige of Compulsion he had and threaded Chaos along its invisible bands. Mahikos was immune to both, but aligned, they might soften his will.

Wait. Immune. Immune!

That word rattled around his head, a stone bouncing off the sides of a bottomless metal pit.

Pietas had practiced compulsion, sending command after command to Six.

The man was immune.

Six, blink twice if you hear me.

He gave two quick blinks.

How he treasured this man! Good job, ghost. You stalled him. If you’re hurt, blink once.

Six remained steady.

Excellent. I should never have left you. I’m sorry. On my mark, drop and get out of the way. Joss, go right. Distract him.

I serve. Her mindvoice packed the simple Ultra vow with raw emotion.

Now!

Joss screeched a war cry and bolted right.

Pietas shot to the left.

Startled, Mahikos flinched.

Six hit the ground and scrambled aside.

Reversing course mid-step, Pietas used his full bodyweight and slammed Mahikos into the ground. The knife flew from his father’s hand. The two men rolled, each grappling for supremacy.

Mahikos was a full foot shorter and similar to others in the scientist class, slight of build. He’d altered his own genetic makeup and now possessed the greater strength of the warrior class. The man got in one blow to Pietas’s jaw and a second to his head.

The world went white hot–then red.

Nothing existed beyond this enemy.

This retribution.

This hatred.

This rage.

Pietas flipped his father onto his stomach and rolled atop him. One arm beneath the man’s throat, the other bracing the first, he crushed his father’s airway.

Mahikos clawed at the arms pinning him, but without air, soon weakened. His struggle slowed, then ceased. In one swift move, Pietas shoved his father’s face into the dirt.

That would have killed a human, but the Ultra metabolism had kicked into battle mode while they fought. The man healed before Pietas could move back. Gasping, Mahikos clawed for the knife.

With his longer reach, Pietas claimed it first. He rolled his father onto his back and knelt atop the weakened man’s arms, pinning him.

He showed him the knife. “Are you looking for this?” he asked, echoing his father’s earlier words.

Mahikos stared up at it and then at him, wild-eyed, choking for air.

Pietas wrapped both hands around the hilt, drew back the blade, and plunged it down.

“No!” His mother’s voice rang out. “Pietas!”

He stopped the blade but the tip had already punctured his father’s skin. Pietas ached to ram it deep, deep, all the way past skin, muscle, and bone, straight into the man’s heart. Twist it. Break it off.

“No!” His mother pleaded. “He’s your father. Pietas. Please! For me. For me.”

He held his father’s life in limbo, suspended between cold indifference and hot fury, buffeted by his mother’s plea.

When the immortal Pietas is marooned on a barren world with no food and few survival tools, he knows it could be worse. He could be alone. But that’s the problem. He’s not.
Half a million of his people sleep in cryostasis, trapped in their pods and it’s up to Pietas to save them. But before he can, he must take back command from a ruthless enemy he’s fought for centuries. His brutal, merciless father. Immortals may heal, but a wound of the heart lasts forever…

Celebrate the book birthday on Amazon and in print. Free on Kindle Unlimited
http://amzn.to/2ABIcCI
Review this book on #NetGalley https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/127569

Please help me celebrate this book birthday by sharing this post with your friends.

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Layering emotion into characters: Writing Pietas #writerslife #writers

Kayelle Allen 09/25/2017 Kayelle Allen

What does layering emotion into characters mean? Isn’t writing: “No!” he screamed angrily telling instead of showing? Yes, it is. So how do you add emotion without telling the reader what the emotion is? Here’s how to show, not tell.

To layer emotion, look at two things.

To add emotion to your writing, look at verbs and nouns. Before you heave something at the screen, let me show you what I mean. This is the opening paragraph of my upcoming military science fiction novel, Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire. I wanted to show that the main character, Pietas, is unhappy about being in a dark forest. He feels trapped. It’s closing in on him, but you can’t write that. It’s telling. So I focused on words that had a negative connotation instead. Here’s the first paragraph:

Would this incessant nightmare of darkness never end? The steaming, lightless rainforest stank of alien spores and enough flowers to choke the dead. Let the others inhale all they wanted, but this cloying scent left a sickening taste in his mouth. Pietas gagged, but controlled his stomach.

Verbs

Here is the same paragraph with the verbs highlighted in red.

Would this incessant nightmare of darkness never end? The steaming, lightless rainforest stank of alien spores and enough flowers to choke the dead. Let the others inhale all they wanted, but this cloying scent left a sickening taste in his mouth. Pietas gagged, but controlled his stomach.

The first verb, would, is passive, but used to ask a question with a negative connotation, which lends power. The rest have their own inferences, mostly negative. Since the goal is to show the character feels trapped, using verbs with negative concepts helps set the emotional stage.

Examine the verbs in your own first paragraph, or whatever section you think needs more emotional impact. How can you alter them to convey the emotion your character is experiencing? Is it positive?

Here’s the same paragraph, in the same location, experienced by a person who loves the setting.

The enveloping darkness cocooned him like warm gloves, blocking unwelcome light and filling the air with the scent of flowers. Others in his party failed to appreciate the floating spores and drifting pollen; he glimpsed the magnificence of this alien world through its ancient forest. He inhaled, drawing in its sweet fragrance.

By describing the setting with an eye toward emotional descriptions, you can alter the reader’s perception and let them see the character’s point of view.

[bctt tweet=”Writers build emotion by choosing powerful verbs and nouns” username=”kayelleallen”]

Nouns

Here’s the paragraph with nouns highlighted in red.

Would this incessant nightmare of darkness never end? The steaming, lightless rainforest stank of alien spores and enough flowers to choke the dead. Let the others inhale all they wanted, but this cloying scent left a sickening taste in his mouth. Pietas gagged, but controlled his stomach.

It evokes uneasiness with words like nightmare, darkness, spores, dead. The adjectives and adverbs around the nouns add to it: incessant, never, steaming, lightless, alien, wanted, cloying, sickening. All the words are negative or lean toward the negative. In the end, the reader knows exactly what the character is feeling without coming out and telling them.

By the next page, Pietas finally escapes the gloomy forest. The paragraph that describes his joy never says “He was happy” but you get it. He burst into the welcome light, squinting and shielding his face. After hours tramping through deep shadow, the noonday heat caressed his head and shoulders like a friend, hoped for but long lost.

Build emotion by choosing powerful verbs and nouns that evoke the feeling you want to convey. Your readers will fall in love with the story, empathize with the characters, and scout out more of your work.

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Looks like a Holly Jolly Hop #HolidayRecipe #giveaway

Kayelle Allen 12/13/2016 Kayelle Allen

Welcome to the Holly Jolly Hop. This hop runs from 13 – 20 Dec 2016, and is held on Facebook. There are 60 authors taking part, which means multiple prizes and opportunities to win.

The Prize for my stop is (winner’s choice) either a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card. My prize is open internationally for Amazon readers, and the US for Barnes and Noble. Your prize will be emailed to you, so if you win, I will need your email.

The featured book for this hop is A Romance for Christmas. This sweet feel-good holiday romance reaffirms all you love about Christmas. It’s Christmas Eve, and the end of a year in which everything Dara loves was lost. Everything but her little girl and a fierce determination to survive. When a cop brings Christmas to her door, he brings another gift she never expected to get.

Holly Jolly Hop Bread Pudding Recipe

I don’t bake often. Since I retired, I try to grab lunch and dinner out with friends, or pick up convenience foods. My local grocery stores have wonderful, fresh made items prepared and all I have to do is take them home and pop them in the microwave. But when it’s Christmas, I love to make bread pudding. This recipe is easy, and it’s a favorite.

You can download and share this recipe in pdf format. It includes the Bread Pudding recipe plus bonus recipes for Sweet Butter Topping and Cinnamon Sprinkle

Bread Pudding Ingredients
1 loaf whole grain bread, broken into small pieces
2 12 oz. cans evaporated milk
1 cup water
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
5 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, softened
(Optional: Add 1 cup raisins)

Place broken bread pieces in a large bowl. If using, add the raisins.
Combine milk, water, vanilla, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sugar, and blend well.
Pour over the bread and toss to coat. If dry, add 2-3 teaspoonsful of water, one at a time, until bread is well moistened.
Pour mixture into a greased 13×9 inch baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until set.
Serve warm with ice cream, or drizzle with your favorite icing. Download the PDF for additional recipes.

Holly Jolly Hop Entry

ON DECEMBER 13th go to my Facebook page: http://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author and find the post for the Holly Jolly Hop. It’s right at the top. While there, comment with the name of a friend you’d like to see at Christmas. That’s all there is to it!

If you like my page I can tag you if you win. This is not required but greatly appreciated. Tell your friends about this giveaway. Like this post, share this post, tag a friend, tap someone on the shoulder, etc.

You must enter on Facebook. Comments here are great, but they won’t enter you into the Holly Jolly Hop.

The next Holly Jolly Hop stop is here: https://www.facebook.com/mjohnstonwriter/ and you’ll also see that link on my Facebook page. For more fun hops and goodies from other events, visit Fiction Books, Readers, Writers, and Reviewers on Facebook. Have fun and enjoy hopping!

Enter to win the Grand Prize Kindle Paperwhite and find a list of all stops and giveaways on the hop on CM McCoy’s website. http://www.cmmccoy.com/blog/holly-jolly-holiday-giveaway-kindle-paperwhite-or-50-gc/

The Holly Jolly Hop giveaway is open until 11:59pm EST, 20 Dec 2016. The prize from me is open internationally. Other authors in the hop may have different requirements. Random winner selected from comments. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Facebook is not responsible for the Holly Jolly Hop giveaway.

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Photon: more than just torpedoes #astronomy #wotd #scifi

Kayelle Allen 11/25/2016 Kayelle Allen

“Photon torpedoes! Fire!” If you thought that was a line right out of Star Trek, congratulations. You were right. The show has been on television, in movies, books, and other media for fifty years now. The imaginative people who created and wrote it have amassed a galaxy-sized universe in which they can release stories. There are entire wikis devoted to the Star Trek series.

Writing good Science Fiction is more than the product of a good imagination, however. Along with writing and editing skills, marketing, networking, and willingness to work hard, a scifi storyteller also needs science fact on which to base that fiction.

When I’m researching a story, I start at the bottom and work my way up. I subscribe to Astronomy Magazine and read it both digitally and in print, skipping few words in either edition. Because I’m no science expert, I depend on material created by those who are. When I don’t understand a concept, one way to grasp the basics to start with a book or website geared toward young readers. A good one is Ducksters which has a science section called Physics for Kids. It contains simple information in an interesting way and suggests other places to continue research. According to them, a photon is not made of smaller units, which means it’s an elementary particle. It has no electric charge or mass, and it’s stable. There is a list of other qualities. To read more, visit http://www.ducksters.com/science/physics/photons.php

There are numerous other resources a writer can use to research and learn. In the Astronomy Word of the Day series, I’ll be sharing material I’ve gleaned over the years, as well as resources where I’ve found them. While I won’t share a word every day, there will be one at least once a week. Be sure to bookmark this page and follow the blog for more.

Photon: Astronomy word of the Day

A photon is one of the basic units of light. It has properties of both a particle and a wave, which allows light to be diffused and refracted. A photon has no mass and does not carry a charge. They form the most visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The word comes from Greek (phos or phot) meaning light. Combined with electron (an English word), the word photon means “particle representing the smallest distinct and separate amount of light.”

In the Star Trek universe, there are multiple types of photon torpedoes and were fired in a tube-shaped case. The warhead itself contained a detonation chamber filled with antimatter. When detonated it created a a matter-antimatter explosion and ion radiation (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan).

So are there really photon torpedoes? Would they work? Not according to theoretical physicist Michio Kaku. He says a photon torpedo would have as much power as a flashlight. I can see the battles now… Captain Kirk (or another Star Trek captain – take your pick) orders the photon torpedoes to fire, and the entire crew of the ship whips out flashlights and shines them on the enemy. That would, in truth, be as effective as a “real” photon torpedo.

So while “photon torpedo” sounds good in scifi usage, the actual definition of photon means torpedoes won’t be in our future. At least, not like the ones in Star Trek.

Like this type of post? Want to see more? What other words would you like to see? Please leave a comment and let me know.

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Trouble follows Tornahdo

Lights Out by Kayelle Allen

Bringer of Chaos

Go Home

Lights Out by Kayelle Allen

It's Christmas Eve and a cop is at the door... #SweetRomance #MFRWhooks

From A Romance for Christmas

A Romance for Christmas

QUESTION: Is a time travel in which characters travel to the future a Sci Fi? Would one in which they traveled to the past be historical?

Jackie:

Jackie:

Jackie:

Jackie:

QUESTION: Is a time travel in which characters travel to the future a Sci Fi? Would one in which they traveled to the past be historical?

Jean:

Donna:

Donna:

Lacey:

Lacey:

Glenda:

Glenda:

Glenda:

Glenda:

Glenda:

What do you think?

The Author Façade

Book Birthday – an excerpt

To layer emotion, look at two things.

Verbs

Nouns

Holly Jolly Hop Bread Pudding Recipe

Holly Jolly Hop Entry

Photon: Astronomy word of the Day

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