Mysteries of a Writer's Mind: Welcome M. Pax!

I'm so stoked to have M. Pax here today talking about what inspired her Rifters series. I'm always fascinated by how authors get their ideas. Check this out...

Mysteries of Oregon

Oregon is filled with mysterious landscapes. They make me wonder and spark my imagination.

What if the whole universe was on this tree?

 

What if a different world existed beyond the mist?

 

What if this mushroom grew teeth and sucked the life force out of my toes?

 

 

If the bubbles are breath, what lives under the lake?

 

Watch this video

 

What if the lava were alive?

 

 

That last question inspired a swarm of beasts in my imagination ten years ago. They made their way into The Initiate, Rifters Book 2 as the starring monster.

As fantastic as my stories can get, they’re based on real things and places around me. Oregon never fails to disappoint me. To me, it’s the most awesome place in the galaxy.

 

The Initate is now out! It picks up exactly where The Rifters left off. More monsters. More time travelers. More steampunk. More adventure.

 

A junction erupts between the worlds in Settler, Oregon, a rift from which horrors attack our world. The Rifters defend us.

To trust unquestioningly is the first lesson Daelin Long must learn as the newest Initiate of the Rifters.

Her first day is a disaster. She stands on a deserted street in a town smaller than a city district, courting killer rocks from another world with her ancestor from the Revolutionary War. Normal no longer exists.

While she struggles, Earl Blacke grapples with atoning for his past ill deeds, running far and fast from Settler, Oregon. The Shaman of the Desert promises him redemption, and an old mine puts the possibility of a gold strike in his grasp. His luck has changed for the better, but he can’t have both.

Available from: Amazon / iTunes / B&N / Googleplay / Smashwords / Other

 

What Inspires You?

 

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M. Pax is author of the space adventure series The Backworlds, the urban fantasy series The Rifters, plus other novels and short stories. Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckons  to her, and she blames Oregon, a source of endless inspiration. She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers as a star guide, has a cat with a crush on Mr. Spock, and is slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. Learn more at mpaxauthor.com.

 

A Rare Journalistic Find In Settler, Oregon

There's nothing like a road trip through small town Oregon in the summertime. And Settler was just the place to scrounge through a trunk in an antique shop full of all kinds of cool stuff. Guess what I found?! A leather-bound journal from the 19th century. I had to laugh at its contents, but it was good fun. Because it was full of craziness. But check it out. Here's an excerpt from a journal by someone named Cordelia Swit:

I'd been riding the stagecoach from Bend, Oregon, on my way to visit my cousin, Patrick Swit, in Settler. I saw the Gold and Swit Peaks in the distance and the Cascades beyond, and knew we were getting close. Mid May, it rained for most of the five hours we'd been on the rutted muddy trail.

 

I stared out at the high desert scrub, my head aching horribly from the constant bouncing and jostling. The danged Whip seemed to make no attempt at avoiding the potholes. You can bet I'd be making a complaint to the Stageline. I'd barely had time at the swing-station to relieve myself and grab a Johnny Cake from the station keeper.

 

While waiting for my cake to be wrapped, I peeked through the wall slats at the coachmen. They were definitely up to something. A battered trunk went in the boot and a strange looking box stowed under the Whip's seat. New men with shotguns positioned themselves atop the coach. Even more strange, they wore glowing green aviator goggles around their necks and tin foil hats. Then when being handed back into the coach, a young scoundrel opened my reticule and tucked something inside. Didn't he know that pickpockets took things, not gave them, for heaven's sake?

 

Once our journey recommenced, I opened my reticule and pulled out my 'gift.' A wad of paper contained something wrapped inside. I peeled the paper back to reveal a green crystal rock and leather-bound journal. My name, Cordelia Swit, was etched into the cover in fluorescent green. Strange, because I didn't keep a journal.

 

I must admit, the rock was breathtaking. I smoothed the paper it was wrapped in, a waybill I had seen inside but paid no mind to. I laughed when I read it. Dinosaurs and other such creatures on the loose. I ask you, who believed in that kind of ridiculous malarkey? Balderdash! And the journal was fast stuck together and wouldn't open. Curiouser and curiouser.

 

In all the dictionaries, I wasn't prepared for what came next. Creatures erupted from the wayside, in all the colors of the rainbow. Purple, red, and blue. Some with yellow eyes, others with pink. The hangers-on up topside began to shoot. The Whip sped up, cracking his reins for the horses to go faster. We raced through the turnpike and took the corner too fast. Next thing I knew, we rolled, over and over. When I came to, dust clouds still enshrouded the coach, and I lay on what was the ceiling. Creatures leaned in to search the interior. I was the only passenger to occupy the coach, yet they didn't seem to see me. I lay still, hardly daring to breathe, until they left.

 

I sat up gingerly, surprised to find I had no limbs or body. The shock sent me scrambling through the door and falling out onto the ground. The green rock once grasped in my palm fell onto the dirt. And then my limbs were back. I retrieved the rock and my body was gone once again. A magic rock of some sort that allowed me to disappear like a ghost. Did the young lad earlier know that I would need this?

The creatures were gone. The Whip and the riders once topside lie in death heaps. Well, I'd not scoff at the lad's gifts again. I retrieved my reticule, leather-bound journal and ghost rock and made my way toward the town. I stayed for the rest of my days. Became the town librarian. And joined The Rifters.

And look at this! I'm pretty sure this is the remains of the wagon that Cordelia left behind that day.

Photo by M. Pax

 

 

And then we saw something that made me think that maybe, just maybe... there was some truth to Cordelia's crazy journal story...

 

Sculpture & photo by Kirk Chapman

Sculpture & photo by Kirk Chapman



(NOTE: This post is in participation of M. Pax's release of The Rifters and the fictional town Settler where it takes place. The Rifters is available for free. The second book in the series, The Initiate, will be available October 20, 2014. It’s up for preorder for a special price at iTunes, Amazon, and Nook. Check HERE for links. Giveaways and events are ongoing through October 31, 2014. Check HERE for details.)

The Gold Rush trickles to a fool’s quest and a string of stagecoach heists. In 1888, Earl Blacke decides to make a new start and become a better man. He escapes into the mountains, heading north. In the wilds of Oregon, a rift inside an ancient volcano opens and sends him into the future, into the present day. It also shaves forty years off his age, forty years to live over again and atone for what he’s done.

Starting over is hard to do. In current day New York, Daelin Long’s dream job at a publishing house goes the way of the dinosaurs her sister chases. With no money and nowhere else to go, Daelin accepts the librarian position in her sister’s dinky town in the middle of Oregon. Nestled inside ancient volcanic peaks, the town of Settler holds onto many secrets. Residents roam the streets with weirdly fashioned devices, and odd lights pulse in the night skies. People whisper of a phantom outlaw and start dying, murdered and missing their heads. On top of it all, Daelin’s sister is missing, and Daelin doesn’t know who to trust.

Earl knows more than he’s saying. He shares a notorious history with the phantom, one he’ll see remains buried. Keeping Daelin’s sister’s secrets is his only chance at redemption, and the only way to keep this world safe.

(This post is in participation of M. Pax's release of The Rifters and the fictional town Settler where it takes place. The Rifters is available for free. The second book in the series, The Initiate, will be available October 20, 2014. It’s up for preorder for a special price at iTunes, Amazon, and Nook. Check HERE for links. Giveaways and events are ongoing through October 31, 2014. Check HERE for details.)

Links: Amazon / AmazonUK / Nook / Smashwords /Google Play / iTunes / Other Outlets

M. Pax is author of the space adventure series The Backworlds, plus other novels and short stories. Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckons  to her, and she blames Oregon, a source of endless inspiration. She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers as a star guide, has a cat with a crush on Mr. Spock, and is slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. Learn more at mpaxauthor.com.

An Excerpt from The Rifters:

Earl’s vigil ended. His girl came home. It had to be her. He stood, ready to run down into the clearing and embrace her, but the angle of the head gave him pause. Silhouetted by the blue energy, the arrival had a long beak. Yes, a beak. Definitely not Charming.

“No.” Earl slumped to the ground and scrambled behind a boulder. Once concealed from the visitor below, he raised his binoculars.

The figure came into focus illuminated by the moon and the rift. It wore a mask with goggles over its beak. Green mist poured out of it in a breathing rhythm, and it had the tail of an eel. The thing stood like a human with two arms and two legs in the usual places. It set down a gyroscope, a metal orb of rings, some full rings, some partial, before the gateway. The gyroscope spun, siphoning energy from the pillars, energy reaching for a crystal in its center. It spun faster, faster, faster until the crystal began to glow. A disturbing shade of green.

The beaked thing from the rift shrieked, which came out as a bubbly burp, an odd sound to go with an odd sight. It kept burping, stopping periodically to sniff at the wind. It continued with its strange behavior until the moon started to set, which deepened the shadows of night, stretching them to distorted patches.

Ghost Head Hunter of The Rifters

I'm so happy to have M. Pax as my guest today. Mary has two new books coming from a new series, but today she's talking about The Rifters - and ghosties! And you know how I love my ghosties! SQUEEEE! *clamps hand over mouth* Oops, sorry. That just slipped out. But you're going to love this.

And hereeeeee's Mary!

George “Haw Shot” Hawley

Strange creatures, the stranger the better, fascinate me. I loved Relic for that reason and I loved the interesting creatures Cheri Reich dreamed up for Reborn. Beasts can make a world come alive for me, i.e., Dragon Riders of Pern.

Gwen writes about great ghosts with pasts getting them stuck in the present... well, in haunting the present.

George “Haw Shot” Hawley is a ghost with a twist. I based him slightly on fact and slightly on fiction. One of the main characters in The Rifters was a real outlaw. So I did a lot of research and ran across this guy: C.B. Hawley (18??-1882) - An outlaw, Hawley confessed to stage robbery in 1882 near Globe, Arizona and was lynched. Index of American Outlaws

Hanging was a common sentence in the old days, whether by proper sentence or mob. It also wasn’t uncommon for the head to come off during hanging. “Black Jack” Tom Ketchum was the last man to hang in America in 1901, because hangings often went wrong. Tom ended up in three pieces. more info

Sounds like a reason to be a ghost with a thirst for vengeance to me. The C in CB stood for Charles. I already had a Charles old west outlaw, so I renamed him George and moved him to Nevada.

George uses my other outlaw to murder townspeople and steal their heads. The heads give him more powers, because he’s not a normal ghost. He’s possessed by another creature from the rift using him for its nefarious purposes.

 

 

Rifters blurb:

The Gold Rush trickles to a fool’s quest and a string of stagecoach heists. In 1888, Earl Blacke decides to make a new start and become a better man. He escapes into the mountains, heading north. In the wilds of Oregon, a rift inside an ancient volcano opens and sends him into the future, into the present day. It also shaves forty years off his age, forty years to live over again and atone for what he’s done.

Starting over is hard to do. In current day New York, Daelin Long’s dream job at a publishing house goes the way of the dinosaurs her sister chases. With no money and nowhere else to go, Daelin accepts the librarian position in her sister’s dinky town in the middle of Oregon. Nestled inside ancient volcanic peaks, the town of Settler holds onto many secrets. Residents roam the streets with weirdly fashioned devices, and odd lights pulse in the night skies. People whisper of a phantom outlaw and start dying, murdered and missing their heads. On top of it all, Daelin’s sister is missing, and Daelin doesn’t know who to trust.

Earl knows more than he’s saying. He shares a notorious history with the phantom, one he’ll see remains buried. Keeping Daelin’s sister’s secrets is his only chance at redemption, and the only way to keep this world safe.

 

Try Rifters for free!

Download from: Amazon / AmazonUK / B&N / Smashwords /Googleplay / iTunes / Other

 

Take advantage of the preorder special on book 2, The Initiate. Only 99 cents via preorder from Amazon, iTunes, B&N, and Googleplay. Preorder

 

 

 

 

Author Bio:

 

Fantasy, science fiction, and the weird beckons to her, and she blames Oregon, a source of endless inspiration. She docents at Pine Mountain Observatory in the summers, and one of her cats has a crush on Mr. Spock. You can find out more by visiting her website: mpaxauthor.com

 

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Beyond the Edge

Today, I'm swapping blogs with my Untethered Realms buddy, M. Pax, the author of the poplar Backworlds series. Mary will be talking about Science Fiction and Fantasy, and I'll be talking a little bit about Cozy Paranormal Mysteries over at the Wistful Nebula. So, take it away, Mary!

 

Fantasy and Science Fiction Aren’t So Different

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction and Fantasy have more in common than not. In fantasy, powers are usually assigned to the magical, the mystical, the paranormal, or supernatural. In science fiction, extraordinary powers usually stem from technology and science.

Both create new worlds for the reader to explore, and many stories use a combination. One that readily comes to mind is Star Wars. There’s a lot of tech, but the force is magical and mystical.

World building is what I love, and since I was a young child I wanted to join Neil Armstrong on the Moon. I can’t afford a spaceship, but I get to explore other worlds in my books. I get to create them and populate them.

The fun part of both genres is that the writer and reader can leave this world or stay on this planet and experience a different reality. We get to explore and discover, which are elements I treasure in a story. My favorite stories emphasize my love of discovery.

However it’s sliced, fantasy and science fiction seek what it means to be human and the what if. What if vampires existed? What if I could go to magic school? What if I could travel beyond the solar system? What if I could merge with a sand worm?

 

Beyond the Edge

Some truths are better left unfound.

For two years Craze’s dear friend, Lepsi, has been missing. The murmurings of a haunted spaceship might be a message and may mean his old pal isn’t dead. The possibility spurs Craze and Captain Talos to travel to uncharted worlds, searching. Out there, in an unfamiliar region of the galaxy beyond the Backworlds, they stumble upon a terrible truth.

Meanwhile, Rainly remains on Pardeep Station as acting planetlord, dealing with the discovery of her lover’s dark and brutal past. Alone and questioning her judgment, her introspection unlocks more than heartache. Latent protocols in her cybernetics activate, forcing her to face a sinister secret of her own.

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe. This is the fourth book in the science fiction series, The Backworlds. A space opera adventure.

Amazon / AmazonUK / Nook / Smashwords / Kobo / Other Outlets

 

M. Pax-- Inspiring the words she writes, she spends her summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in stunning Central Oregon where she lives with the Husband Unit and two demanding cats. She writes science fiction and fantasy mostly. You can find out more by visiting her at:

 Website / FB / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest / Wattpad

 

 

 

 

What makes you love this genre of fiction?

 

Realms Faire Extravaganza!

We had so much fun last year at M. Pax's Joust, that we're doing it again this year. Only bigger and better! I'll be hosting the Stockade Brigade - I already have my "prisoners" and will announce them soon. They are sooooo going to need your help. Because the Sheriff of Realm (that'd be me) is collecting heads!

 

And now, prithee, checketh this out:

2013 Realms Faire & Joust

November 11-15th

Facebook

Twitter Hashtag - #grogz

2013 Events and Hosts

 

Jousting Tournament

           

M. Pax

           

Jousting Tournament SignUp

Knights Wanted! Can anyone beat the 2012 champion, Ghost Knight? Angela Brown turned out to be a formidable opponent.

This year, the joust is all about YOU, the knights.

Each knight will be featured during the joust, the tournament held to help promote your book or site. Plus, you'll be publicized in the sidebar on my site until the 2014 champion is declared.

Prizes will be awarded to each day's commenters as well as to the winning knight at the end of the joust. Points are scored by commenters using particular words assigned to the knight. Such as, Zounds! Ghost Knight! Lance that lout! The winning words are zounds, Ghost Knight, and lance. That'd be 3 points for Ghost Knight.

Knights can provide either a story about their feats or an excerpt from any of their books. Stories/excerpts are limited to 200 words or less. However the tournament goes, you can't lose. I'll be posting everyday the week of November 11th, cheering on knights and promoting their wares.

Knights can also provide prizes.

The Joust is limited to 10 participants. Only 3 slots remaining!

Sign up!

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Masquerade Parade

           

Angela Brown

           

Attend the Ball

Attend the ball! You'll have a ball! Writers disguise themselves and submit a 200 word snippet of the party providing clues/hints as to their identity. Spotlights an author's writing to help promote them and their wares.

Prizes provided to commenters and the best snippet, decided on by a panel of judges.

The Masquerade is limited to 10-15 costumed authors.

Sign up!

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The Artist's Way

           

Misha Gericke

           

Writers Wanted

           

Artists Wanted

Featured authors will provide an excerpt from either published or unpublished work. The artist will create a masterpiece based on the excerpt. Prizes will be awarded.

Author Sign Up! * Artist Sign Up!

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Collective Stage Performance

           

Samantha Geary

           

Writers

A collaborative "Canterbury Tales" story-telling contest by a group of writing "pilgrims" on a journey where each writer assumes a character and gives their pov. The prize for this contest will most likely be free music in lieu of a free meal. Each writer will post their part of the tale on their site *their moment on stage*

Interested writers can contact Sam.

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Dragon Hunt

           

River Fairchild

Hunt for the hidden dragons. Those who find the most will get a chance to win an Amazon GC by drawing.

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The Stockade Brigade

           

Gwen Gardner

Selected authors will be put in the stockades and brought on trial for book witchery. Witnesses will score points by testifying for or against the author's crimes. Points will be score for using secret words. An ebook will be given away every day to the witness who scores the most points. A bigger prize will be awarded at the end of the week. Warrants for their arrests have already been issued. The Sheriff of Realmsdom will catch up with them all soon.

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Castle Jumble

           

Laura Eno

Laura will post a word (like Bartizan) on her blog and the first person to give her the correct definition in the comments is the winner. They will need to Google the word most likely. More than one word a day can be posted. A person can only win once a day though.

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Drench-a-Wench / Soak-a-Bloke

           

Christine Rains

Blogs will be selected by committee to be bombarded by comments. A person will be nominated each day. People will go to that person's blog and soak them with blog love. One commenter a day will randomly be selected to win a prize. For the commenters that participate in all five days of the event, their names will be entered into a draw for a grand prize.

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Phasers

           

Untethered Realms

Untethered Realms will post a word each day, such as 'Phaser'. The first commenter would then provide a word they think of associated with 'phaser', such as 'stun'. The next commenter would then provide a word they associate with 'stun', such as 'shock'. The next would provide a word associated with 'shock', such as 'electric'. And so on. The last comment of the day will receive a prize.

 

wp-image-6782" alt="feather" src="http://mpaxauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/feather.gif" width="486" height="41" />

 

Sponsor Any Event

Sponsors will provide prizes. They'll be promoted on their own page on mpaxauthor.com and on the Untethered Realms website. In an Amazon widget, their books will be shown, their name and web address will be promoted. This page will also appear as a thank you on mpaxauthor.com and other sites before and after the Realms Faire.

Want to host an event? Contact mpaxauthor at gmail dot com to be put on the planning committee for 2014.

Be a Sponsor

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The New Frontier

Yay! Mary Pax is here today with a guest post. You may not believe this, but I just started getting into science fiction. In particular, I found a Firefly marathon the other day and totally got hooked. So it's pretty cool that Mary's Backworlds series was inspired by Firefly. Okay, I'll stop babbling now.

Here's Mary!

********************************

The New Frontier

Maybe because I grew up in the space age – astronauts, Tang, Lost in Space, and Star Trek – I held a lifelong fascination with space and what’s out there. What is out there?

I spend my summers at an observatory showing off the sky through telescopes and hanging out with aerospace engineers, physicists, and scientists, and I have no real idea. I know it’s fantastic and wonderful, though.

I think what most of my favorite science fiction shows and books have in common is a combination of living primitively and the ability to travel in space. That juxtaposition fascinates me. I love exploring alien worlds and seeing what might be possible.

I’d say Firefly had the biggest influence when I created the Backworlds. I missed it so much [and still do] that I felt the need to recreate some of the elements. I loved the grit of it. I loved the imperfect characters who teetered on being redeemable. The combo of the wild west with exploration is one the original Star Trek also had. So I figured I couldn’t go wrong using those elements in my universe.

In my view of humanity’s future, we must leave Earth and colonize other planets to survive. Instead of terraforming planets, I genetically manipulated humans to be able to survive on imperfect worlds.

Does it make them less human? Humans made for Earth-like planets [The Foreworlds] think so. The Backworlders do not. And if they can survive in more environments than we can, then I believe they’re more fit to be our future and carve out the new frontier.

~~~

You can try the first in the series, The Backworlds, for free. It’s available for all ereaders. LINKS. It’s also available in paperback for not free from Amazon.

Boomtown Craze is the latest release and the 3rd book in the series.

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe.

To secure his future, Craze must propel his world into a more prosperous era. Only days away from the grand opening of his new and improved tavern, he is confronted by a loony Backworlder intent on mucking up his plans. Gaunt and trembling, she claims her spaceship is possessed. She also has a connection to the underworld that shakes loose the dark past of one of Craze’s closest friends. It all threatens to end Craze’s prosperity before it begins.

Meanwhile off world, Captain Talos works desperately to outwit the mercenary Jixes and lure them away from his and Craze’s budding prospects. The mind-control weapon Talos uses against them is wearing thin, and his next move may be his last.

Will Craze and Talos’s efforts bring about a grand new age of boom or damn them to forever struggle in the dust?

Available in ebook at:

AmazonUS / AmazonUK / B&N / Smashwords

MPAX

M. Pax is a Browncoat and SG fan, she’s also slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. In the summers she docents as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory where the other astronomers now believe she has the most extensive collection of moon photos in existence. No fear, there will be more next summer. She lives in stunning Central Oregon with the Husband Unit and two lovely, spoiled cats.
Website / Blog ~ Twitter ~ FB ~ Goodreads

You can also find M. Pax on LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and Wattpad

Boomtown Craze or Bust!

Another of my Untethered Realms buds is having a new book release! Check out M. Pax's new cover! Now this is something to tweet about!

***

A Grand New Age of Boom or Dust?


Boomtown Craze, Book 3 in the Backworlds series is here!

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe.

To secure his future, Craze must propel his world into a more prosperous era. Only days away from the grand opening of his new and improved tavern, he is confronted by a loony Backworlder intent on mucking up his plans. Gaunt and trembling, she claims her spaceship is possessed. She also has a connection to the underworld that shakes loose the dark past of one of Craze’s closest friends. It all threatens to end Craze’s prosperity before it begins.

Meanwhile off world, Captain Talos works desperately to outwit the mercenary Jixes and lure them away from his and Craze’s budding prospects. The mind-control weapon Talos uses against them is wearing thin, and his next move may be his last.

Will Craze and Talos’s efforts bring about a grand new age of boom or damn them to forever struggle in the dust?

***

Available in ebook at:

AmazonUS / AmazonUK / B&N / Smashwords

Other Outlets can be found at http://mpaxauthor.com

It will also be available in paperback from Amazon shortly.

***

About the Author:

M. Pax is a Browncoat and SG fan, she’s also slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. In the summers she docents as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory where the other astronomers now believe she has the most extensive collection of moon photos in existence. No fear, there will be more next summer. She lives in stunning Central Oregon with the Husband Unit and two lovely, spoiled cats.

Connect with MPax:

Website / Blog ~ Twitter ~ FB ~ Goodreads

You can also find M. Pax on LinkedIN, Pinterest, YouTube, and Wattpad

***

From March 4 to March 22, folks can enter to win the following:

• 1 set of signed Backworlds paperbacks, including The Backworlds, Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge, and Boomtown Craze. Will only ship to US residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• One of five free ebooks. All countries eligible. Enter the rafflecopter for a chance.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tweets

(just copy and paste)

 

The new frontier #scifi Boom or dust? Boomtown Craze - Book 3 in the Bacworlds series #kindle #nook all ereaders http://mpaxauthor.com/boomtown-craze-launch-party/

Miss Firefly? #scifi Try the Backworlds. Boomtown Craze - Book 3 - Book 1 is #FREE #kindle #nook all ereaders http://mpaxauthor.com/boomtown-craze-launch-party/

Facebook Sharing

(just copy and paste)

Miss Firefly? Try the Backworlds. Book 1 is FREE for all ereaders. Life on the galactic frontier. Will it be boom or dust? Boomtown Craze, Book 3, is now out. WIN books. Paperbacks and ebooks up for giveaway http://mpaxauthor.com/boomtown-craze-launch-party/



Giveaways and Hobbit Blogfest!

Before we go on to the Hobbitfest, I wanted to point out some awesome giveaways I'm involved in:

FREE BOOKs HERE

and

FREE Books HERE

and

FREE BOOKs AND GAMES HERE Friday 9:00 - 12:00

and

MY FREE BOOK HERE Friday and Saturday

You can't go wrong with FREE, right?

PLEASE SHARE!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

AND NOW....

******************************************************

Thanks so much for hosting Tyrean and M. Pax!

This is a great blogfest, especially since The Hobbit is coming to theaters today! All you have to do is answer the questions below. Of course, this is easier if you've read (or reread) the book recently, which I have. For more information, go HERE.

What is your favorite hobbit characteristic/or the one that you think closely resembles you . . .?

Bilbo Baggins. He is such a homebody and yet he wants adventure. I'm always up for an adventure, but then I'm always ready for the comfort of home, my chair, my fireplace and maybe a little hot toddy and some cake. Plus, I'd give away the jewels, too. I just want everyone to get along - and you can't take it with you, as you'll see below from one of my favorite parts of the book.
If you could choose between a scrumptious second breakfast and a perilous unexpected journey – which would you prefer?

Can't I have both? No? Okay then, it will have to be a perilous journey. I can barely eat my first breakfast, let alone a second. Wait - how perilous is the journey? But no, never mind. Stormy Knight can face anything, even Smaug. Especially if Ghost Knight is there, because she can do so much more than Precious with that whole disappearing thing she does.

Have you ever left behind something on a journey (expected or unexpected) and wished you could have it over and over again? (a pocket handkerchief?)

I can't say that I have. I always travel light, and really all I need is a couple of outfits, comfortable shoes ---but wait! I would never ever ever go anywhere without a few books - 5 or 6 - or my Kindle.

What is your Favorite part or quote from the book that you hope will be in the movie?

This is hard because there are so many great parts.

The movie should have the touching scene between Thorin and Bilbo, when Thorin is dying and forgiving Bilbo:

"Farewell, good thief," he said. "I go now to the halls of waiting to sit beside my fathers, until the world is renewed. Since I leave now all gold and silver, and go where it is of little worth, I wish to part in friendship from you, and I would take back my words and deeds at the Gate."

Bilbo knelt on one knee filled with sorrow. "Farewell, King under the Mountain!" he said. "This is a bitter adventure, if it must end so; and not a mountain of gold can amend it. Yet I am glad that I have shared in your perils - that has been more than any Baggins deserves."

"No!" said Thorin. "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!!

~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

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