AtoZChallenge2015 - P is for Paladine

Hello and welcome to day 16 of the AtoZChallenge 2015.

Paladine is one of the major deities from the Dragonlance series of fantasy books. He is the leader of those gods who stand for Good. He is the older brother to Takhisis, leader of the deities of Evil, and Gilean, leader of the deities of Neutrality, and father of three lesser deities of Good.

He was one of the first gods summoned from the Beyond by the High God, the entity who created the universe.

During the Dragonlance novels, Paladine appears as his avatar Fizban the Fabulous, a somewhat clumsy and absent minded wizard, so that he can help in the quest.

He is the patron deity of the Order of the Rose, an order of knighthood dedicated to good, and he is also the creator of the elven race, who call him E'li. Each deity in the Dragonlance universe has a divine portfolio of concepts over which they hold dominion and Paladine's are as follows: order; hope; light; redemption; good dragons; kingship.

He shows his very great character by agreeing to become mortal to maintain the balance of Good, Neutrality and Evil when his sister Takhisis is stripped of her immortality as punishment for her crimes. He becomes Valthonis, a mortal elf, and still tries to be a force for good, travelling all over the Ansalon to spread peace and wisdom.

I remember reading The Dragonlance Chronicles as a teenager and being utterly fascinated by the depth of the characters and the universe around them. Took me a while to get my head round the whole Good, Neutral and Evil set up, but it is a very clever device to enhance the action. If I am honest, it was a bit too real for me at times, wow do those characters go through some rough patches ;).

Sources: Wikipedia | Dragonlance Nexus

Are you a Dragonlance fan? Have you ever role played, this or other universes?

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My Other Blogs in the AtoZ: Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

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Click here to see all other participants in the AtoZChallenge.

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I publish my books through my own company, Wittegen Press, which I run with my sister Sophie Duncan. For information about our books, sign up for The Wittegen Press Newsletter:

We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.

We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.

Assassin's Blood
Natasha Duncan-Drake

Curse of a Banshee
Sophie Duncan

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AtoZChallenge2015 - O is for Onimar Synn

Hello and welcome to day 15 of the AtoZChallenge 2015.

Now I'm usually a Marvel girl, but I have dipped into DC to bring you Onimar Synn. He is an extraterrestrial demon who feasts on souls for nourishment and adds his kills to his zombie army. He is a foe to the Justice Society of America.

He hails from the planet Thanagar, homeworld of the hawk-like Thanagarians. Early in the planet's history it was plagued by seven demons and Onimar Synn was the nastiest of them all. He was originally defeated by their great hero Kalmoran, who imprisoned him underground in a cage of Nth Metal (a metal with some very useful properties).

Unfortunately, after a war on Thanagar, Onimar Synn escaped his imprisonment and started to take over the planet. He collected Nth Metal and used its properties to increase his power. He is defeated this time by Hawkman and Hawkgirl using the Claw of Horus together to disrupt his Nth Metal body.

However, it's hard to keep a good demon down and he returns in a later war. This time the heroes who defeat him split his body into seven parts to put in the centre of a different suns to stop him reforming again. Now that is a serious demon.

Sources: Wikipedia | DC Wiki | Hawkman Wiki

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My Other Blogs in the AtoZ: Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

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Click here to see all other participants in the AtoZChallenge.

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I publish my books through my own company, Wittegen Press, which I run with my sister Sophie Duncan. For information about our books, sign up for The Wittegen Press Newsletter:

We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.

We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.

Assassin's Blood
Natasha Duncan-Drake

Curse of a Banshee
Sophie Duncan

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AtoZ Sites I am really enjoying visiting.

If you are looking for today's AtoZChallenge Post - N is for Nienna click here

So I meant to do this yesterday since we were halfway through, but, with beautifully ironic timing the widget we use on our Wittegen Press blog to allow people to subscribe to our newsletter on MailChimp blew up on the very day we were actually talking about the mailing list on the blog. M is for Mailing List is over here at Wittegen Press, if you'd like to see it :) I therefore spent yesterday trying to figure out what had broken and then switching 26 posts, 1 page and the widgets on the site to a new plugin.

AtoZChallenge Sites I Am Visiting Every Day

I record all the sites I visit and who visits me in a spreadsheet so I can keep track. I'm actually visiting over 50 sites every day, but here are a few I've visited almost every day and think everyone should check out. That's not to say there aren't other wonderful ones as well, but I had to make some choices and here are my top 10 :)

• Zalka Csenge Virág @ The Multicolored Diary (MY) - Epic stories is the theme and the posts are absolutely wonderful. and I'm cheating and counting this in the same entry because it's the same blogger :) MopDog - Hungarian weirdness - 26 ways to Die in Medieval Hungary - absolutely fascinating. The one about dying from ear ache is my fav so far.
• S. L. Hennessy @ Pensuasion - Daily movie smackdowns - pick your favourite :)
• Sara C. Snider - Great short fantasy stories with a theme of tree names - quick, enchanting, individual reads.
• Elle @ Erratic Project Junkie (CR) - great craft project with detailed instructions
• CollectInTexas Gal - great posts with lots of brilliant pictures about growing up in the 50s and 60s - very funny in places
• Jeremy @ Hollywood Nuts - Disney, who doesn't love Disney?
• Patricia Lynne (WR) - flash fiction written every day against a chosen word.
• Alex Hurst | A Fantasy Author in Kyoto - absolutely beautiful photos and descriptions of living in Japan
• Chrys Fey - Write with Fey (WR) - Disasters - natural one, man made ones - everything about distasters
• Samantha Bryant-Balancing Act - Samantha is talking about her new book Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel and how she came to write it. It sounds like an awesome book.

So there you have it, some of the wonderful blogs I have been visiting this month in no particular order. I look forward to finding more as the challenge goes on as well as continuing to visit all of those I am enjoying.

Do you have any favourite blogs in the AtoZ you think I should visit? Please tell me about them in the comments.

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I have two other blogs that I share with my twin Sophie in the AtoZ as well, so I'm going to plug them too :)

• Wittegen Press Blog - we are talking about the whys behind some of our books and on the day of the post giving the book in question away FREE
• Fantasy Boys XXX - daily drabbles (100 words) about fantasy boys inspired by colours. Some posts have adult content.

AtoZChallenge2015 - N is for Nienna

Hello and welcome to day 14 of the AtoZChallenge 2015.

Nienna is a character from J.R.R.Tolkien's legendarium (his collective works of Middle-earth). She appears in The Silmarillion and she is a Queen of the Valar and one of the Artar - the Holy Ones of Arda.

Her name contains the Quenya word nie, which means 'tear' and her name means "Weeping" or "She Who Weeps". She grieves for all the suffering in the world and is responsible for the mercy and grief spread across Arda. Her gift to the Music of Ainur was a deep sadness, from which grief entered the world at its creation.

However, her message is not really about eternal grief, it is about pity and endurance and those who listen to her learn these gifts. Her greatest student will be very familiar to all Tolkien fans: Gandalf.

She helped create The Two Trees, the original light for Arda, but watering them with her tears. Then when they were destroyed she mourned their destruction and her tears brought healing, allowing the trees to bring forth their last flowers to create the sun and the moon.

I've always thought that so much of Tolkien's work is wonderful, but sad and Nienna seems to echo this so very well.

Sources: Wikipedia | Tolkien Gateway | Tolkien Wiki

Are you a Tolkien fan? I have to admit I love his stories, but sometimes I feel very bogged down with the prose - especially all the singing :).

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My Other Blogs in the AtoZ: Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

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Click here to see all other participants in the AtoZChallenge.

---

I publish my books through my own company, Wittegen Press, which I run with my sister Sophie Duncan. For information about our books, sign up for The Wittegen Press Newsletter:

We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.

We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.

Assassin's Blood
Natasha Duncan-Drake

Curse of a Banshee
Sophie Duncan

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First Name

Last Name

AtoZChallenge2015 - M is for Muad'Dib

Hello and welcome to day 13 of the AtoZChallenge 2015.

Muad'Dib, also know as Paul-Muad'Dib and Paul Atreides is from the series of books about Dune by Frank Herbert.

He's not technically a god, but he is a godlike figure and has incredible powers that make him the messiah for the indigenous inhabitants of Arrakis (aka Dune), the Fremen.

Paul starts off simply as the son and heir of Duke Leto Atreides. He is special because his mother Jessica, concubine of Leto bore a son when she had been instructed by the Bene Gesserit sisterhood to bare only daughters. They fear he may be the Kwisatz Haderach, the super being they have been attempting to breed for generations using the spice, a substance found only on Dune.

After betrayal to their ancient enemies the Harkonnens, Paul and Jessica escape into the dessert to the Fremen. This where Paul takes on the name Muad'Dib as his adopted name. Paul's powers grow when he takes the water of life. This is the poisonous regurgitations of a drowned sandworm and it is deadly unless transformed by one trained in the ways of the Bene Gesserit. After being in a coma for weeks he wakes, able to clearly see possible futures and with godlike prophesy.

He leads the Fremen to Jihad against the Emperor and the Guild of Navigators, using the spice as leverage. Without spice there is no space travel and no superhuman powers. Paul become Emperor himself only to realise he is trapped by the future he sees.

I really like Dune as a book, although I find the sequels a little less to my liking, and I love the film and mini-series adaptations of the book. I have to admit when I saw Jupiter Ascending I thought Dune on Acid! :)

Sources: DVDs | Books | Wikipedia

Have you read Dune? Have you seen either of the screen adaptations? What do you think?

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My Other Blogs in the AtoZ: Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

---

Click here to see all other participants in the AtoZChallenge.

---

I publish my books through my own company, Wittegen Press, which I run with my sister Sophie Duncan. For information about our books, sign up for The Wittegen Press Newsletter:

We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.

We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.

Assassin's Blood
Natasha Duncan-Drake

Curse of a Banshee
Sophie Duncan

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

eBooks-tree.com a Shout Out to All Authors

If you are looking for today's AtoZ post it is here: L is for Loki

Now, on to the heads up for all authors.

The site ebooks-tree(dot)com (I am not linking directly so they don't get the SEO) is stealing work and using it to extort credit card information from people. They also have copyright works by many famous authors.

I have so far found 2 of my books listed there for download and a large number of my fanfics lifted from AO3.

Authors, go and check to see if your work has been stolen.

To get it removed you need to use this format:

Pursuant to 17 USC 512©(3)(A), this communication serves as a statement that: 

(1). I am the exclusive rights holder for Title(s)

[link for each work where YOU listed it] 

(2). These exclusive rights are being violated by material available upon your site at the following URL(s):

[link for each work where it SHOULDN’T be listed] 

(3) I have a good faith belief that the use of this material in such a fashion is not authorized by the copyright holder, the copyright holder’s agent, or the law; 

(4) Under penalty of perjury in a United States court of law, I state that the information contained in this notification is accurate, and that I am authorized to act on the behalf of the exclusive rights holder for the material in question; 

(5) I may be contacted by the following methods:

[email], [phone], [address]. I hereby request that you remove or disable access to this material as it appears on your service in as expedient a fashion as possible. 

Thank you,

 [full name]

Use their contact form with "DMCA  Complaint" in the subject line.

UPDATE (15-Apr-15): All my works (bar one of my fanworks) seem to have been removed, so it looks like the process does actually work.

Also then complain to their service provider CloudFlare using this form: https://www.cloudflare.com/abuse/form CloudFlare say it is nothing to do with them.

AtoZChallenge2015 - L is for Loki

Hello and welcome to day 12 of the AtoZChallenge 2015.

Historically Loki is  trickster god from Norse Mythology, but the fictional portrayal I am interested in is Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He is played by Tom Hiddleston and is at times sympathetic and at others completely unforgivable. I love him.

I even have a little Loki "shrine" on my desk :) (please ignore the dust!).

Loki is chaos embodied. In the first Thor film he is a trickster, but, to begin with his motives are fair. He allows Jotun into the vault to mess up his brother,Thor's coronation because Thor really isn't ready to be any sort of king. Yes he lets them in just to be killed by the destroyer, but these are the creatures he has been brought up to hate and in Asgard the general attitude seems to be, if it is bad, kill it.

It's when he finds out he actually is Jotun hidden under his Asgardian skin that things begin to go downhill. I think it's quite reasonable to say Loki has something of a mental break as his reality folds around him and he ends up trying to destroy all of Jotunheim just to prove he is still a son of Odin.

When he returns in Avengers he is the out and out baddy, but, given that he looks like he's been through a terrible ordeal, it could be argued he is neither of sound mind nor sound body throughout the whole thing.

Then in Thor 2 we have Loki's redemption, sort of :).

I love Loki for many reasons:

1. Tom Hiddleston is gorgeous (I can too be shallow!)
2. Loki is so complex
3. He's a bad guy who isn't completely bad
4. He has awesome powers - he can shape change, teleport, create illusions and much more
5. He has a huge brain

Loki is simply fabulous!

Are you a Loki fan? Which is your favourite version, myth, MCU or another incarnation?

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My Other Blogs in the AtoZ: Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

---

Click here to see all other participants in the AtoZChallenge.

---

I publish my books through my own company, Wittegen Press, which I run with my sister Sophie Duncan. For information about our books, sign up for The Wittegen Press Newsletter:

We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.

We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.

Assassin's Blood
Natasha Duncan-Drake

Curse of a Banshee
Sophie Duncan

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

AtoZChallenge2015 - K is for Kroll

Hello and welcome to day 11 of the AtoZChallenge 2015.

Kroll is one of those awesome monsters from Tom Baker era Doctor Who. You can probably tell by the amazing special effects in the image above ;).

Kroll is the god of the Swampies, the primitive people indigenous to the marsh moon of Delta Magna. They have worshiped him for generations and call his appearances throughout their history 'manifestations'.

Humans have come to the moon to mine for methane, which is a bi-product of Kroll's bodily processes while he remains mostly dormant under the marsh. Unfortunately for them their drilling and firing of the methane canisters into space wakes Kroll up. According to the Swampies this is the fourth manifestation of Kroll.

Kroll is actually a mutated giant squid, brought to the planet by humans in the past. At some point the Swampies had a sacred object which was on their High Priest when he was eaten by Kroll before he was huge. This object was actually a segment to the Key to Time and cause Kroll to grow to a mile wide with large numbers of tentacles.

When the Doctor and Romana retrieve the segment of the Key to Time, Kroll returns to his normal size and loses his god like proportions.

Sources: Tardis Data Core - Kroll | Tardis Data Core - Ep | Wikipedia

So, who's a Doctor Who fan? Who is your doctor? Mine's Tom Baker, because I remember watching him every Saturday evening in the 70s.

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My Other Blogs in the AtoZ: Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

---

Click here to see all other participants in the AtoZChallenge.

---

I publish my books through my own company, Wittegen Press, which I run with my sister Sophie Duncan. For information about our books, sign up for The Wittegen Press Newsletter:

We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.

We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.

Assassin's Blood
Natasha Duncan-Drake

Curse of a Banshee
Sophie Duncan

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name

Guest Post: Barbara Freethy - Callaway Blog Tour

Today I am very happy to welcome Author Barbara Freethy to my blog to talk about her books The Callaway Family Novels.

#1 NY Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy talks strong women, hot guys and family series… Check out what she has to say then Read on for more information about this blog tour and all its great prizes!

One of my favorite quotes of all time is by Eleanor Roosevelt: "A woman is like a tea bag. You don't know how strong she is until you put her in hot water."

This quote perfectly describes the heroines in my new connected family series:  The Callaways. I love to write about ordinary women who get caught up in extraordinary adventures. My heroines don't always know what they're made of until they're tested.

While we sometimes associate strong female characters with over-the-top roles like vampire slayer or some other kick-ass profession, I believe most women, even the quiet ones, have a superhuman core of strength that enables them to change the world they live in and also to change the men who love them. In my books, the heroine's strength is enhanced, not only by a new and powerful romantic relationship but also her personal journey to find herself.

In the first book in the Callaway series, ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS, the heroine, Sara, has grown up in a troubled family and is estranged from her father. She grew up next door to the chaotic, fun-loving Callaway family and often envied the relationships she saw on the other side of the fence. She also had a huge crush on the second oldest male in the family, Aiden Callaway.

While Sara was a studious, serious girl in high school, Aiden was the charming rebel. As teenagers they were not ready for each other, but now they meet again as adults and both are facing pivotal moments in their lives.

Aiden is recovering from an injury he acquired as a smokejumper and grieving for the loss of his best friend, who died during their last jump together. Sara has come home to repair the relationship with her father, only to discover that there are family secrets that will change everything she thought she knew about her past and her parents.

Sara has to find the strength within herself to risk her heart on a man who could quite possibly break it, to face a terrible lie and to find a way to forgive her father. Aiden also has to find a way to deal with the secret that took his friend's life. Together these two characters find strength within themselves and also draw strength from each other, which is, really, what love is all about.

As a reader, I love books that have layers:  romance, mystery, adventure and surprises. As a writer, I strive to bring those same elements to all of my stories. My heroines have to be as strong as the heroes. And I always hope that they inspire my readers in some way, too.

I grew up reading books about strong female characters, and I know those reading experiences helped shaped some of my own attitudes about the kind of woman I wanted to be.

Who are some of your favorite female characters? And what do you love most about them? 

About the Callaway Blog Tour & All Its Great Prizes!

This is the week you finally meet the Callaways! Not only are they all over the web as part of their extraordinary blog tour, but they are also out and about in your neighborhood. That's right; we're celebrating the print launch with Ingram by throwing a party all over the world! Make sure to follow this tour closely for your chance to win gift cards, swag, autographed books, and other incredible prizes.

All the info you need to join the fun and enter to win amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment—easy to enter; easy to win!

To Win the Prizes:

1. Purchase any of the Callaway novels by Barbara Freethy (optional)
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest on Novel Publicity (go here)
3. Visit today’s featured social media event (that's where the HUGE prizes are)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About The Callaways 

The Callaways were born to serve and protect! In Barbara’s new connected family series, each of the eight siblings in this blended Irish-American family find love, mystery and adventure, often where they least expect it! Each book stands alone, but for the full enjoyment of the series, you might want to start at the beginning with On A Night Like This!

Get the eBooks via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, or Kobo.

About the Author

Barbara Freethy has been making up stories most of her life. Growing up in a neighborhood with only boys and a big brother who was usually trying to ditch her, she spent a lot of time reading. When she wasn’t reading, she was imagining her own books. After college and several years in the P.R. field, she decided to try her hand at a novel. Now Barbara is a #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author loved by readers all over the world. Her novels range from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and women's fiction.

Learn more on her website, Facebook page, or in her Street Team.

AtoZChallenge2015 - J is for Jareth, Jasmine

Hello and welcome to day 10 of the AtoZChallenge 2015.

Jareth

Now I know Jareth is not technically a god or a demon, but he is the Goblin King and he definitely has godlike powers.

Jareth is from the Jim Henson film Labyrinth and it is still very close to my heart. He is played by David Bowie at his most gorgeous :). I remember when the film first came out in 1986, it was so amazing with all the animatronics. It probably looks dated to modern eyes with all the CGI we have now, but it's a wonderful film.

Now Jareth takes children and turns them in to goblins, but he only takes those he is asked to take. Sarah, a young girl who is fed up of her new baby brother, Toby, has been reading about the Goblin King and asks the goblins to come and take him away, not realising they will actually do it.

Jareth then spends the film using his ability to be anyway and see anything in his crystal balls to stop Sarah from crossing the Labyrinth and reaching the castle beyond the goblin city to find Toby. Of course Sarah manages to capture the hearts of several in the Labyrinth, who help her and, as it turns out she captured Jareth's as well.

Jareth: "I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave."

Jareth can also fly, transforming into a barn owl to move silently through the sky and bend time, as he proves to Sarah to make the point that life is not fair.

Sources: Wikipedia | My Blu-ray copy of the movie

Jasmine

Jasmine is the big bad from the fourth season of Angel, Joss Whedon's TV show. She is a goddess, also know as The Blessed Devourer and The Beastmaster, and for much of the season was played by Charisma Carpenter since she was possessing Cordeila Chase.

However, when she gained her own body she was played by the brilliant Gina Torres as seen to the left.

Jasmine wanted to bring about peace on earth. Sounds like a fantastic goal, except she had a rather unfortunate idea of how to bring it about. In her utopia all humans are virtually mindless slaves subject to her will. She also has the small issue of needing to feed on humanity to maintain her form.

She has good motives, but terrible execution and only her true name can defeat her.

Sources: Buffy and Angel Wiki | Wikipedia

Were you around when Labyrinth first came out? What did you think of it? Are you a Buffy and Angel fan?

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My Other Blogs in the AtoZ: Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

---

Click here to see all other participants in the AtoZChallenge.

---

I publish my books through my own company, Wittegen Press, which I run with my sister Sophie Duncan. For information about our books, sign up for The Wittegen Press Newsletter:

We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.

We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.

Assassin's Blood
Natasha Duncan-Drake

Curse of a Banshee
Sophie Duncan

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name

Last Name