Old Bat's Belfry

Disclaimer

2024-07-23T08:23:00.000-04:00

So I decided to release my blogs back into the wild. Not sure why really. Getting nostalgic in my old age I guess. Honestly I am surprised that they didn't crash and burn. But apparently they still work. Wow! That being said, not everything is going to work. Back in the day, I coded alot of this myself. This means that the html is a hot mess. The sidebar style is dated and no longer used. And, I taught myself just enough code to make things work but not enough to make the code pretty, lol! The main reason why I quit was the code changed and I didn't want to try to learn a new coding language. Worse than that, I know links are broken or go to places that no longer exist. Books are no longer in print. Info is outdated. But some of it, if the books are still available, still has value simply as a review. Other than that, don't expect much. Although, if you are like me, the reviews of books that are no longer in print are a walk down memory lane. Especially as parts of my memory begin to fail. So enjoy if you can and please ignore the mess. I never was a good housekeeper 🤣

A Head Full of Ghosts: A Novel by Paul Tremblay

2015-06-29T16:00:00.000-04:00

Part psychological thriller, part thriller and part horror, this book will grab you like the proverbial monster under the bed. Warning… before reading this book, buy a nightlight -- or twelve. You'll need them.

Blurb might contain spoilers, toggle to view. ( Toggle may not function in email and some feed readers.)

Book Source: Publisher

Horror Book Review by Mulluane

At 14 years old, Marjorie has begun exhibiting all of the classic signs of schizophrenia. But is she mentally ill or demon possessed?

The Basics

Worldbuilding: Set in suburban New England, this tale focuses on a nuclear family in crisis. Beset by unemployment, medical bills and the very real possibility of losing everything, this is a family pushed to the very edge.

But that was before one member of this beleaguered group falls off of the looming cliff and straight into darkness. But, will she be this family’s salvation or their doom?

The answer may surprise you.

Pace: One word describes the pace of this thriller. Intense. Dredged up from the memory of an eight year old child, every observation, every recounting, is fraught with the possibility of error. Questions are asked and answered, then those answers are thrown out the nearest window and replaced by new questions.

Characters:

Marjorie, the oldest daughter and the subject of this book.
John Barrett, the father in this little drama.
Sarah Barrett, mom to this dysfunctional group.
Merry, now 23 is Marjorie's younger sister.
Father Wanderly, catholic priest.
Karen Brissette, blogger and TV critic.

There are a plethora of secondary players, each with their own roles to play and each contributing to the mayhem in one way or another.

My Synopsis

The Story: This tale is related by Merry, the youngest child of a family involved in a modern day reality TV show. Now an adult, we listen along as Merry gives a world class writer a first hand account of the horrific events of her childhood.

At the heart of her story is her father, a truly conflicted individual. When modern medicine fails to help his daughter he turns to religion for answers. Convinced that his daughter is possessed, he agrees to let the church perform an exorcism, on live TV.

Meanwhile, Karen Brissette, blogger and TV critic, is doing a blog review of the reality show and her insights are inciteful, sometimes humorous and almost always cynical. Sprinkled throughout the book her “review” often brings clarity when the storyline gets murky. It was nicely done.

My Opinions

Thoughts: This is very much a plot driven story. The characters, while varied and occasionally sympathetic, are secondary to the questions raised and answers sought. Deep issues will be explored and long held secrets will be revealed. And the line between sanity and insanity will morph and blur.

Ever heard the expression “put through the wringer”? Trust me, by the time you finish this book you will feel just like a worn out mop. The sudden need to sleep with your lights on won't help either.

Conclusion

Summary: Despite the fact that this genre is outside of my comfort zone, I loved this book! With my chaotic schedule (and the resulting fatigue) my reading time has been chopped into little bitty pieces. But that was until I picked up this book and devoured it… in one night.

Yes it was that good.

And best of all? You will not see the final twist coming. Oh you think you will. You'll be sure you finally have it all figured out. But you won’t. Not by a long shot...

Ratings, Reviews, Similar Reads, Buy Books, Affiliate Links

Author: Paul Tremblay
Cover Art: Amanda Kain
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Content: Suspense, Drama
ISBN 10: 0062363239
ASIN: B00MTSKHKO
Publisher: William Morrow (June 2, 2015) HarperCollins
Print Length: 309 pages
Kindle: A Head Full of Ghosts: A Novel
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Just For Fun: Interactive List of Dragon Books
What Should I Read Next?

Already read the book? Please share your own opinion in the comments below!

Horror Review of A Head Full of Ghosts: A Novel by Paul Tremblay
Reviewed by Mulluane on June 29 2015
Rating: 4 of 5

Waterborn by Greg Keyes | Epic Fantasy Review | Chosen of the Changeling, Book 1

2015-04-28T16:00:00.000-04:00

A Princess wishes for a hero and a God hears her plea. The son of a cattle chieftain starts off on a quest to kill the God who is tormenting his true love. And nothing goes exactly how either of them planned.

Blurb might contain spoilers, toggle to view. ( Toggle may not function in email and some feed readers.)

Book Source: Open Road Media. Ebook release April 28, 2015

Epic Fantasy eBook Review by Mulluane

This is primarily a character-driven coming-of-age story. Both of the main characters have some growing up to do and through trial, travail and error, grow they will. The core theme is pretty straight forward. The story asks a simple question. "Can you control your destiny or will it control you?"

The answers however, are far from simple.

The Basics

Worldbuilding: This world is beautifully diverse. Sprawling highlands, dense forests, sandy deserts, rolling plains, lush waterways and big cities. And each has its own inhabitants whom are just as diverse as their surroundings.

The inhabitants include Giants, Clans, Human Beings, Alwat (primitive and reclusive forest dwellers), Mang (nomadic horse people), Waterborn (Ruling class in the city of Nhol who carry the blood of the River God.) Oh and this world is slam full of ghosts and monsters. Especially the Palace in Nhol.

Magic: The magic is all God based and there is a god for every tree, bush and stone. There is the River also known as the Changeling, the Forest Lord, The Horse Lord, the Huntress and the Crow God. There are wild gods, insane gods and even a god trapped in a sword. And this is not only a world full of gods, there are shamans, half gods, priests and powerful monsters, some of which channel the powers of their favorite god or goddess.

Characters: There are 2 main characters, each with their own set of companions.

Perkar, is the 15 year old son of cattle chieftain. His main companions are Harka, a god trapped in a sword and Ngangata who is ½ human ½ Alwat. There are a multitude of other characters who will share parts of his journey but those two play the biggest role. By the end of this book, Pekar will be a much changed 17 year old.

Hezhi starts out as a 10 year old Waterborn Princess of Nhol. Her main companions are Ghan, an old, grumpy librarian, Qey, her nurse and Tsem, her half giant, ½ human bodyguard. Unlike Pekar, she is a very sheltered child with few relationships. There is a atleast one ardent suitor but at her age, she has little interest in romance. By the time this book concludes, Hezhi will be 13 and again, far different from the child she was.

My Synopsis

The Story: Princess Hezhi’s side of this tale is slower; mainly because hers is in a static location, ie the Palace. There is mystery, a prevailing sense of impending doom, a few thrills and plenty of chills. She knows that something potentially dangerous is going to happen once she reaches puberty and she is on a quest to discover just what that is.

Perkar’s story however involves alot of travel, adventure, action and a possibly fatal case of puppy love. He too is on a quest. The stream goddess who made him a man is being hurt by a god. A god who Perkar is determined to kill.

Other than the obvious differences of location, there are other differences in their respective journeys. Hezhi's quest is more external. She does have some growing up to do but she doesn't spend as much time inside her own head. Perkar however, is a conflicted young man and he has plenty of angst, self doubt and guilt to work through.

The pace is pretty smooth with alternating POVs interrupted by an occasional interlude by secondary characters. The balance was, in my opinion, flawless but some may feel like it is too slow at times. Personally, I like a bit of a slowdown between action filled segments. They allow me to catch my breath before the next conflict has me glued to the pages!

They also help me control my urges to skip ahead. Something I often find myself doing in books with alternating POVs.

My Opinions

Thoughts: I am grateful to publishers like Open Road Media for making older books available in ebook form. This is allowing me to not only read, but discover books I missed out on when they were initially released. Granted, not all rereleased ebooks are exceptional but this book was a true gem.

It was tropey and yet, it wasn't. Take Tsem for example. Instead of being your typical giant, he is 1/2 human. This gave him a certain amount, at a risk of being redundant, humanity that you don't normally see in the typical club wielding monster.

Another example are the various God and God based religions. I found it fascinating that every single god was real. These were not the same gods but called by different names in different areas. There is literally every type of god imaginable and more than enough to be unique to the places they claim as their own.

Sound confusing? Well it wasn't. Atleast not to me. The cultures themselves are so unique, and the gods fit so seamless into the lore of these cultures, telling them apart was easy. Greg Keyes did what he does best; he created a story that was both strange and familiar, creepy and beautiful plus peopled with characters who are all so very human. What a great debut and precursor to the books to come!

Conclusion: There was a twist near the ending that I should have seen coming, but didn't. (Don't you just hate that!) There were twists I could not have predicted and there was an epic battle. All of the elements of a great epic fantasy were there and I loved every minute of it.

One last note. Don't let the young age of the protagonists fool you. Children they may be but it is obvious that in this world, they are not children for long. There is nothing overly descriptive but atleast one character loses their virginity at a young (by our standards) age. As a result this book will easily appeal to both adults and mature young adults.

Highly recommended for Epic, High Fantasy plus Sword and Sorcery fans!

If you are interested in more Greg Keyes goodness there is a sequel to this book The Blackgod and/or you can read my reviews of Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone or check out a Greg Keyes Quote.

Already read the book? Please share your own opinion!

Epic Fantasy eBook Review of Waterborn by Greg Keyes
Reviewed by Mulluane on April 28 2015
Rating: 4 of 5

The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales | Featured Book

2015-04-08T15:30:00.000-04:00

Violent, dark, and full of action, and upending the relationship between damsels in distress and their dragon-slaying heroes, Schönwerth’s fairy tales as collected in THE TURNIP PRINCESS bring us closer than ever to the unadorned oral tradition in which fairy tales are rooted, revolutionizing our understanding of a hallowed genre.

Information Source: Penguin Classics

ABOUT THE TURNIP PRINCESS:

With THE TURNIP PRINCESS, the holy trinity of fairy tales—the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, and Hans Christian Andersen—becomes a quartet. In the 1850s, Franz Xaver von Schönwerth traversed the forests, lowlands, and mountains of northern Bavaria to record fairy tales, gaining the admiration of even the Brothers Grimm. Most of Schönwerth’s work was lost—until a few years ago, when Erika Eichenseer uncovered thirty boxes of manuscripts in a German municipal archive.

Buy From Amazon

Now, for the first time, Schönwerth’s lost fairy tales are available in English. Violent, dark, and full of action, and upending the relationship between damsels in distress and their dragon-slaying heroes, they bring us closer than ever to the unadorned oral tradition in which fairy tales are rooted, revolutionizing our understanding of a hallowed genre.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

FRANZ XAVER VON SCHÖNWERTH (1810-1886) was born in Amberg, Bavaria. He had a successful career in law and the Bavarian royal court, rising to the post of personal secretary to the Crown Prince Maximilian. In the 1850s he began to explore the culture of the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria, recording his observations and the stories of the people he interviewed. Eventually he devoted himself full-time to his research and, between 1857 and 1859, published From the Upper Palatinate: Customs and Legends, cataloging the customs and folktales of his homeland in unprecedented detail. This work contained only a fraction of his total research, the rest of which was eventually discovered in an archive, forming an important addition to the canon of classic fairy tales.

ABOUT THE EDITORS:

ERIKA EICHENSEER discovered 500 previously unknown fairy tales of Franz Xaver von Schönwerth in the municipal archive of Regensburg, Bavaria, in 2009. In 2010 she published a selection entitled Prinz Rosszwifl [Prince Dung Beetle]. She began her career as a teacher, then worked in the theater for the cultural department of the regional government of East Bavaria. An expert on fairy tales and on puppet theater, she has written numerous books on folk art and customs and has appeared on television, produced radio programs, and performed all over Bavaria as a storyteller. She is co-founder and director of the Schönwerth Society and initiator of the Schönwerth Fairytale Path in Sinzing, near Regensburg, and she wrote the libretto for a musical based on Schönwerth’s “The Flying Chest.” She has been awarded many honors for her services to Bavarian culture.

MARIA TATAR chairs the program in folklore and mythology at Harvard. She is the author of many acclaimed books on folklore and fairytales, as well as the editor and translator of The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen, The Annotated Brothers Grimm, The Classic Fairy Tales: A Norton Critical Edition, and The Grimm Reader. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

ENGELBERT SÜSS is a sculptor, glass-artist, and illustrator who was born in 1949 in eastern Bavaria. He created the bronze statue “King of Dwarfs” for the Schönwerth Fairytale Path in Sinzing, Bavaria.

My Notes:

I read most of these and unfortunately I often finished a story totally confused as to its message. What I didn't know -- until far too late -- is that there is a meticulous analysis of each story in the "Commentary" section found at the back of the book.

There is also a detailed introduction which I'll admit, I didn't read. I scanned it but it reads like a textbook on fairy tales. Interesting but a bit dry.

In my humble opinion, you'll get the most out of this book if you are interested in its history and origins. This is also a book to be relished for both the miracle of its discovery and the subsequent translation.

It is NOT a book of stories you'd read to your kids or for pure entertainment. It is a collection to be studied; comparing each story to its explanation in the Commentary when needed and comparing them to the tales we grew up with. It is definitely a priceless look at the history of fairy tales.

State of the Belfry Address

2015-03-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

You may (or not) have noticed that things have been a bit quiet lately. Well life, as it tends to do, often goes in circles. There are good times, easy times, chaotic times and bad times.

Unfortunately, I'm somewhere between chaotic and bad. Some medical problems have cropped up and are taking most of my time.

So, I am going to change a few things.

Sometimes life spins out of control!

The first thing I'm going to stop doing is including a variety of affiliate links in my reviews. This process alone takes longer than writing the review itself.

Besides, nobody ever uses them to buy anything. I used to be able to count on atleast something around xmas. This year I got nadda.

I'll still do Amazon, and I'm not dropping Adsense. Plus I'm going to leave the various banners in the footer; just in case somebody wants an easy way to access their favorite book retailer.

A bat can always hope!

Next thing I'm going to do is structure my reviews a bit differently. The word vomit method is great but I'm missing too many points of interest, often repeating myself or leaving out important information. I'm hoping that I'll end up with a much better review and with some structure, I'll stop leaving out vital info. And don't worry, I'll reserve a section where I can rave or rant accordingly :>)

The third thing I did was start a new blog. No, I'm not really insane. Sometimes I just need a new project to keep those creative juices flowing and for now, this is it.

So, when you get a chance, visit Witty Wacky and Wise ~ A (Mostly) Speculative Fiction Book and Author Quote Gallery. From now on, all of my quote work is going there. It is pretty cool actually. I'm using Blogger's dynamic views flipcards. Hover over any thumbnail image and it will "flip" showing you the title of the quote. Once I populate it with a ton of quotes, it will look really neat. Well, I think so anyway :>)

Besides, it is time to stop using them for fillers when I just can't find the time to write a review or article.

The long and short of the matter is, I'm streamlining things so that maybe I can go back to cranking out reviews like I used to. By taking out the things I DON'T look forward to doing, and by cutting down the time it takes to create a review, I'll procrastinate less and write more. As tired as I am right now, easier is definitely better!

So anyway, that is what's up. I'll see you all soon!

Laini Taylor | Weekly Quote 37

2015-02-19T00:30:00.002-05:00

“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”

Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone

About: This is a weekly feature here in the old belfry. The quote is credited to Laini Taylor.

The design, along with any flaws, is mine.

If you would like to suggest a quote (I prefer it be from a SFF author) let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. No promises though. If a quote is too big I may not be able to reproduce it in the space available. I do promise to try though!

Usage: Non-Commercial Fair Use is permitted. The following restrictions apply: Please do not remove or mask the watermark url. Do not sell, print or claim this work as your own and when sharing, pinning, reblogging or posting, a direct link to this post is required. Thanks!

Mulluane | Weekly Quote 36

2015-02-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

"Bat-ter Not Forget Your Valentine!"
Old Bats Need Love Too...

Mulluane

About: This is a weekly feature here in the old belfry. The quote is credited to Me! Yep, my wicked sense of humor at work scaring the masses again.

The design too, along with any flaws, is mine.

Slow week for me. Have a family medical thing going on. Should not be serious but it has required preparing for a change in the household routine.

I'll be back up to speed in a week or so.

If you would like to suggest a quote (I prefer it be from a SFF author) let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. No promises though. If a quote is too big I may not be able to reproduce it in the space available. I do promise to try though!

Usage: Non-Commercial Fair Use is permitted. The following restrictions apply: Please do not remove or mask the watermark url. Do not sell, print or claim this work as your own and when sharing, pinning, reblogging or posting, a direct link to this post is required. Thanks!

Book Blogging Tips: Make Sharing Easy | It Is A Visual World! Use Shareable Images

2015-02-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my Book Blogging Tips Series!

Today I want to continue with the basics of having shareable content. Before we get started, if you haven't already, please feel free to read my premise for this series and/or my disclaimers.

Note: all the links in this post are affiliate free. I'm not being paid to promote any product or website. The owners of the sites I link to however, may or may not use affiliate links in their posts.

You may notice that there are alot of links. They all link to articles or tools pertaining to whatever concept I'm discussing at the time. And even better, the tools have free versions! All are well worth a look see.

Finally, while most of the advice offered here is aimed at Blogger / Blogspot users, the core principles apply to everybody!

Done? Good! Lets get started!

The Importance of Shareable Images

One of my favorite ways of sharing content is by using a post image.

Unfortunately, I frequently run across book blogs with images that are either too small or placed in iframes. (ie, Amazon affiliate image links.) If the image is too small or in an iframe I can't pin it, nor can I create a visual share. And some blog posts have no image at all!

Why is this important?

Everything is visual these days. Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Pinterest, Instagram and the list goes on. Even my favorite scheduling tool, Buffer, has added a "share this image" on hover function to its browser extension. With all those beautiful images flooding the internet it breaks my heart to see content I can't share!

So why do people use tiny images or iframes?

Iframes are what Amazon uses for their affiliate links. There is a better way of accomplishing the same thing with much better images and I'll explain how in a moment... or twelve.

Page load speed is the other reason. Large images can really really slow things down. Especially if you don't know how to optimize them -- but here is the thing. The size of the image inside the post isn't always what matters when it comes to sharing. As this Pinterest article states -- about 1/2 way down the page -- it is the size of the original image that counts!

When Using Images to Share Content, Size Matters

Let me show you what I mean. Take a look at this quote. Nora Roberts. Leave it up in a separate tab. You'll need it in a minute.

Inside the post I have it set to extra large so it measures 640 X 512px on the page. Somewhat less than the 750px wide minimum Pinterest suggests.

Now, I'll show you a trick.

Right click on the image and depending on your browser, click on either "view image" [Firefox] or open image in new tab [Chrome]. (I couldn't find a way to do this in IE.) Now hover over the tab from another open window. Don't view the actual image, just mouseover its tab. It will tell you that the same image is 1280 X 1600px! And that is after Blogger scaled it down by 44%.

The size you see in the tab is the one that matters. Your post could have an image measuring 100 x 200 but if the source image is between 250 and 750px wide (or larger) it can be pinned to pinterest with beautiful visual results.

But what about Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google +?

Well, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google plus have their own sizes. There is a trick to creating the perfect image for sharing across those four platforms. That will require a bit of in depth explanation so hold on to your hat! I'll link and explain it all next.

*Tip: if you want to make image/link sharing easy for those of us who use the Buffer extension, the hover button will only appear on images that are atleast 350 X 250 px at the source. Thank you Buffer support team!

More Technical Stuff, One Size Fits All!

I searched and searched for an answer for creating one image that I could share to G+, Facebook and Twitter. Finally I ran across this tutorial: How to Optimize Your Images to Work Across Social Networks. Go read it. He explains it way better than I could. (Note: He doesn't mention Google + but his method works there too!)

Go ahead... Read it... I'll wait...

Done? Brilliant isn't it!

Now me being me, I had to do things a bit differently. Since I use Picmonkey I played around with containing that 560 x 292 base inside a 40px border. I didn't like the idea of guessing the dimensions but I found a simpler way. I put a 40px museum matte frame around the base image, got rid of the black edge and set the color to reflect my blog theme. Then I resized the whole thing back down to 560 X 292 and Boom! An image that shared beautifully across all 3 platforms!

See for yourself:

G+
Facebook
Twitter

Cool huh...

*Tip: Tired of Twitter's 140 character limit when you have so much more you want to say? Create an image like this! Stonehill Downs by Sarah Remy. Image was created using PicMonkey and sized just for twitter at 1024 X 512px. Just make sure you use add photo to attach it when sharing your post link.

Pin that Image!

"Geez Mulluane, there you go with the pinning again. Why are you so obsessed with Pinterest?"

It took awhile to gather speed but now I get around 500 repins every week and some of that stuff is yours! I don't get that kind of juice from G+, Facebook and Twitter combined. And there are 2 other factors you should consider.

People who use pinterest are looking for items to buy, inspire, or create. Unlike other platforms, pinterest users are far more likely to buy the book, enter the giveaway, or check out your blog. Twitter is for social engagement and facebook? You are lucky if anybody even sees your post. I can't speak to G+ because I just gave in and joined it, but so far I'm not impressed.

The other beauty of Pinterest is that its images stay prominent indefinitely. I still get repins of books I pinned over a year ago. On the other platforms, you are lucky if a post lasts an hour, much less a year!

"Sweet! I want that kind of exposure! What should I do?"

First you need the right images in your posts. Then you need to install Pin It buttons on your blog.

Pin it buttons, the official ones from Pinterest, will not work on iframed images/book covers like those people use from amazon. You are much better off using the publisher's image or one from Goodreads and inserting your own link. All you need to do is add your Amazon tag at the end like so:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/ISBN/?tag=your_Associates_ID

Replace ISBN with the actual ISBN number. Either 10 or 13 will work but on ISBN 13 do not include the dash. If you don't know how to make an image clickable just follow the instructions here: Linking a picture in your post to a website.

Personally I'd do this anyway. Amazon is not known for its high quality images.

One last tip. Images do not have to be 750px wide as Pinterest suggests. That is just what they advise you to use for optimal pinning. (However, for Pinterest the taller an image is, the better. Tall images are repinned far more often than short ones. No idea why.) Pinnable images do however need to be atleast 250px wide at the source or the Pin It widget may not "see" the image.

"So Mull, what do you do in your posts to accommodate all those different platforms?"

I use 2 images! One for pinterest (a regular book cover) and one for Facebook, G+, LinkedIn and Twitter. See how I did that here: Daughter of the Empire. And don't forget to use both alt and title tags on your images. I've seen publishers who get this wrong. In Blogger, click on the image. Click on "Properties" and put a descriptive sentence in both fields.

Why?

3 reasons.

Alt tags describe the image for people who use text to voice software.
Search engine bots read this info for clues to your content which affects the search terms that are used to pull up your content in both text and image searches. These days, having your content found in image searches is almost as important as showing up on the first page of search results!
Thirdly, some platforms use that info in the description when the image is shared. Don't leave it to chance, write your own description.

*Tip: If you use the buffer extension, you can use the share image function in Pinterest to share to Twitter! This wasn't possible previously as Pinterest only provides sharing to email and Facebook. Don't forget to expand the pin first!

Sidebar Images

And don't forget those sidebars! I know everything is mobile, mobile and more mobile but some of us still prefer PCs. For us, big beautiful sidebar images grab the eye and scream click me! The longer a visitor stays on your blog, the more likely they are to fall in love with your content. They may even find something that they just have to share!

I recently discovered this cool tutorial for making sidebar widgets that rotate images from whatever posts you link it to. (Blogger only) Not only are the images large and gorgeous, the way they slide in and out catches the eye. The tutorial is here and it can't be simpler! Truly Simple Slideshow Gadget for Blogger | Code It Pretty. And it is even easy to change the links whenever you want.

You can see them in action here: Dragon's, Heroes and Wizards, three of them no less!

*Tip: If you use/modify your own images, (1) either taken with your camera, (2) free domain images you have modified or (3) images you created with an app, always watermark them! Inserting a watermarked url unobtrusively into a modified or original image insures that you'll still get the credit, even if the image is incorrectly linked! But, never!!! claim an image as your own unless it meets one of those three conditions.

Conclusion

One last thing before you run off and start reading all those links. Here are some more links!

Some people, with just cause, are afraid to use images for fear of violating copyrights. Not to scare you, but it can happen.

But not if you do things correctly. There are tons of Free Domain pics out there. Book Covers btw, fall under the heading of Fair Use. As long as the cover is being used to promote or discuss the book, your use is protected.

"So what do I do? I'm not a photographer and I need images!"

Well, it is not as hard as you might think.

You can make your own images in Picmonkey or Canva just like the goofy old bat pic you see before you. (Also see link below)
You can use Google image search's tools to find free images. Just click on Search Tools, click Usage Rights and choose: Labeled for Reuse With Modification. Do NOT use any old photo you find. Make sure you filter your search. And even then check the source.
You can use a free photo stock site like TheStocks. Or a site like Webweavers for cute gifs and clipart or make your own gifs with Lunapic.
Check out this link: 4 Tools to Enhance the Images in Your Content Marketing. It gives you links to the 4 tools I mentioned and tells you why you should use them.

*Tip: Ever wonder where an image came from? Want to make sure you are linking to the original source? Use Google Chrome! Rightclick on any image. Pick "Search Google for this image." Look for a link to the artist. May take a few pages to find them. Don't count on Pinterest links. They are full of unattributed links!

Homework: Try it yourself! Rightclick the image in this post: Robin Hobb Quote. Use the chrome image search. (Don't worry, the search results won't go on for 10 pages.) See for yourself where that image came from!

Still awake? Oh good, you'll be glad to know that's it for now. Actually that may be a bit much! But you can always bookmark and come back to explore all those links later. I'll still be here... plotting my next post.

So what about you? Do you use images in your content? Have you seen a positive result? Ever run across great content you couldn't share? Questions? Suggestions? Did I leave out something important? Let me know in the comments!

Raymond Feist | Weekly Quote 35

2015-02-05T13:30:00.000-05:00

"Love doesn't demand; it accepts."
Mara to Kamilo

Raymond Feist

About: This is a weekly feature here in the old belfry. The quote is credited to Raymond Feist's (according to Goodreads) but it may be Janny Wurts'. Hard to be sure since they co-wrote the book.

The design, along with any flaws, is mine.

You can see my review of the first book in this series, Daughter of the Empire, here:

Daughter of the Empire (Riftwar Cycle: The Empire Trilogy 1) by Raymond E. Feist, Janny Wurts

If you would like to suggest a quote (I prefer it be from a SFF author) let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. No promises though. If a quote is too big I may not be able to reproduce it in the space available. I do promise to try though!

Usage: Non-Commercial Fair Use is permitted. The following restrictions apply: Please do not remove or mask the watermark url. Do not sell, print or claim this work as your own and when sharing, pinning, reblogging or posting, a direct link to this post is required. Thanks!

Nora Roberts | Weekly Quote 34

2015-01-30T22:41:00.000-05:00

“If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it.

If you don't ask, the answer is always no.

If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.”

Nora Roberts

I was down with a stomach virus this week so did not do any posting. Instead, I'll leave you with this timeless quote. Hopefully I'll be back up to speed by Monday!

About: This is a weekly feature here in the old belfry. The quote is Nora Roberts'. The design, along with any flaws, is mine.

If you would like to suggest a quote (I prefer it be from a SFF author) let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. No promises though. If a quote is too big I may not be able to reproduce it in the space available. I do promise to try though!

Usage: Non-Commercial Fair Use is permitted. The following restrictions apply: Please do not remove or mask the watermark url. Do not sell, print or claim this work as your own and when sharing, pinning, reblogging or posting, a direct link to this post is required. Thanks!

Book Blogging Tips: Make Sharing Easy | Allow Subscriptions and Why You Should

2015-01-23T12:30:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my Book Blogging Tips Series!

Today I want to start with the very basics of sharable content. Making it possible for folks to track your posts! Before we get started, if you haven't already, please feel free to read my premise for this series and/or my disclaimers.

Note: all the links in this post are affiliate free and while most of the advice offered here is aimed at Blogger / Blogspot users, the core principles apply to everybody!

Done? Good! Lets get started!

The Importance of Sharing

One of the things that I have learned about building a blog following is the importance of content sharing. Content sharing does two things. It builds relationships and it establishes you as someone with authority; someone who is knowledgeable about the book industry.

While I was researching curating sharable content there was one lesson I took to heart. The 80/20 rule. (See #3) This rule states that you should share 80% other's relevant content and 20% your own.

Sounded good to me, so most nights I comb through my feeds looking for interesting content to share on Pinterest and Twitter. I then schedule 10 tweets on Buffer to go out in non-spammy hourly intervals the next day. Anything for Pinterest I pin to a secret board and manually post those in between my buffered tweets, checking the box to crosspost to twitter.

The results are amazing. If people like what I share they not only reap the benefit of new sources for the things they are interested in; they get curious about the person who found the information for them! I call that a win/win.

How I find content to share

To locate shareable content, I utilize several methods. One is a RSS feed on my Yahoo page. (I have an entire tab devoted to my favorite blogs.) Another is email. A third is Bloglovin. A final source is twitter itself by way of Tweetdeck filtering. Facebook I've given up on but I do check it periodically and Google Plus I'm just now getting around to exploring. (Could use some advice on that one.)

However, much to my surprise, there are some awesome blogs and websites that I'd love to promote, but they don't offer a way for me to subscribe to their posts!

There is no link to their RSS feed. No mention of their twitter account. No option to subscribe by email. No bloglovin button... nothing I can use. Blogger does have a link to atom feeds but not every reader will accept those nor do most people know how to use them.

It makes me sad. All that great content and I have no way to keep track of it. I NEED subscription options!

How I Offer Subscription Options

I use Feedburner for my email subscribers. You do need a google account to use it but it is free. Despite all of the internet buzz to the contrary, I don't believe Feedburner is going anywhere. There are far too many big companies still using it, including major publishers.

As for follow buttons, I personally made my own using Powerpoint and coded them myself. But I'm thinking of remaking them. It's what I do for fun, lol!

Make Your Own Follow Buttons!

If you want to make your own follow buttons there is one site I recommend over all others. Code It Pretty has wonderful tutorials but even better than that, her code is up to date, elegant and it works!

Click on the link and it will take you to her step by step instructions on how to make ombre follow buttons.

And they don't have to be ombre. You can choose any colors you want! Even better, her instructions for the buttons apply to self-hosted Wordpress, Blogger and Typepad Unlimited.

PicMonkey is also a fun (and free) choice. There is a great tutorial on how to use PicMonkey to make themed buttons here: Fabulous Blogging. This is how I'll be making my new set of buttons!

"But Mulluane! I can't code!"

Neither could I at first, but I learned and I'll warn you; it is fun, frustrating, rewarding and addicting! (You've been warned...)

Following any of Code It Pretty's tutorials will teach you alot. Even if you have never coded anything before. She very patiently walks you through every aspect, step by step.

Other Button Methods

Another, easier method is using the individual buttons offered by various platforms. Since they can sometimes be hard to find, I'll link them below. You can get the major ones here:

Pinterest: Follow Buttons
Facebook: Follow Button
Twitter: Follow Button
Feedburner RSS: Blogger Widget List or use "Publicize" in Feedburner (Instructions)
Tumblr: Buttons
Google Plus: Blogger Widget List or Direct (Advanced Options)

Note: I couldn't find any RSS button tutorials I trusted that didn't require either making your own or using Feedburner's. They are likely out there, I just didn't find any.

Feed Readers

If you don't use social media, (and even if you do) you should still provide other ways for followers to easily track your posts. Bloglovin is the feed reader I prefer since it shows your actual blog and not just a text version. Other feed readers strip CSS, and most if not all of your javascript, leaving your blog looking like a mess.

You can add your blog to Bloglovin for free then get a widget to put on your blog.

If Feedly is your thing, (I don't like it myself), you can also get a follow button from them. If you use other feed readers, I'm sure they offer their own buttons. I've only listed the ones I've personally used.

Tip: Subscribe to your own blog in a variety of ways. RSS, feed readers and email. This serves two purposes. First you can see if there are any formatting issues. Email and some feed readers don't "see" your CSS style sheet, strip jquery and javascript plus disallow attributes like "onclick." You may find things misaligned strangely or looking odd. You may even discover that there are elements, like certain divs, that you should wait to add after your blog has been picked up by the readers and email. You'll also know instantly if your blog is hacked. Faster you see it, faster you can get it stopped!

Mobile Friendly Subscribing

Mobile is becoming a huge source of traffic but with mobile there is one huge drawback. No sidebars, so no widgets, so no follow buttons!

If you are like me, and use a separate mobile template, (something I bless blogger for every day,) you need to make sure that you make following and subscribing available on mobile too.

What I have done is make a page containing both my email subscription form and my follow buttons. Since I use my pages as my menu, all of my sharing methods are available on mobile!

I can't speak to other blogging platforms but I'd imagine that as long as your menu works in mobile, creating a follow page or post, then adding that to your menu, should work the same.

Conclusion

I love sharing. Doesn't even matter to me if you return the share, though it would be nice. What matters to me is sharing my love of books with as many people as possible. To do that I need to build relationships, be interesting, establish authority and garner followers.

Making your blog post shareable in as many ways as possible will help me and others share our love of books and our appreciation of your quality content. It really is a gift that keeps on giving...

So what about you? Do you curate and share content? Have you seen a positive result? Ever run across great content you couldn't share? Questions? Suggestions? Let us know in the comments!

Suzanne Collins Song | Weekly Quote 33

2015-01-22T14:30:00.000-05:00

“Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay
And when it's morning again, they'll wash away
Here it's safe, here it's warm
Here the daisies guard you from every harm
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.”
― Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

About: This is a weekly feature here in the old belfry. The quote is Suzanne Collins'. The design, along with any flaws, is mine.

If you would like to suggest a quote (I prefer it be from a SFF author) let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. No promises though. If a quote is too big I may not be able to reproduce it in the space available. I do promise to try though!

Usage: Non-Commercial Fair Use is permitted. The following restrictions apply: Please do not remove or mask the watermark url. Do not sell, print or claim this work as your own and when sharing, pinning, reblogging or posting, a direct link to this post is required. Thanks!

Stonehill Downs by Sarah Remy | Fantasy Book Review

2015-01-19T13:00:00.000-05:00

♥ Mini Review ♥

This is a story of two souls who were tailor made for each other. Though if you were to ask them, they would vehemently disagree. One is Malachi, who is the last known magus. A man who deals with the spirits of the dead. Then there is Avani who is a refugee witch, a loner and who, as it happens, can see both ghosts and visions.

Together they must fight off a great evil. One that threatens their kingdom. But first they must discover its source.

Fantasy Book Review by Mulluane

♦ My Thoughts. Sometimes it is hard to write a review of a good book. One that is not great but one that is not horrible either.

When you loved, or hated, the book you can't wait to pour out your feelings, impressions, accolades or complaints. There is passion involved. That passion gives your words wings.

This is a good book by a talented author. In my opinion, an author worth watching, but it isn't a book that elicited much excitement for me. Instead it was a laid back sort of read. One you might chose if you are not in the mood for a complicated, multilayered Epic Fantasy.

♦ What I Liked. This story tries to be several things and while it is focused on one thing or another, it does them extremely well.

When it is focused on being character driven, the characters come to life. Worldbuilding, for the most part, is the same. When the focus is on the plot, the story is mysterious, chilling, and riveting.

Ghostly companions, witchly familiars, gruesome murders and 2 unlikely detectives must find the source! via @mulluane

♦ What I didn't like. What this story doesn't do is combine all of that wonderful focus into a seamless story. It was alot like trying to take in a panoramic view. You never know where to focus your attention. And the sad thing is, I ended up wishing for more answers than I got.

The characters were great but incomplete. I got a taste of who they were and where they came from but only a taste. Why is Malachi the last of his kind. And how did he end up with his ghostly companion. Why is Avani all alone. She survived the destruction of her homeland at an age that was too young to have completed training in her craft. However, even though there are other survivors of her race, she lives apart. What is her raven and why does it spend so much time watching over everybody but her.

I got a glimpse of their world. Enough of one that I was intrigued but only a glimpse. I wanted to know so much more. What exactly happened to Avani's homeland. How do the local religious beliefs mesh with the practice of necromancy. What are the social, economic, and cultural traditions of this civilization. What is its history. The list goes on.

It is even possible that some of the answers were there but due to the way the focus kept shifting, I lost track. Often concepts -- like religious icons for example -- need to be subtly reinforced from time to time. That way you can stay in the moment without thumbing back through the chapters trying to remember what god was mentioned where or what tenet of faith is being applied currently.

It left me feeling a bit disconnected at times.

♦ Conclusion. In a way, the fact that I wanted so much more from this story is a compliment to the author. She did create characters and a world I was interested in. The ending was every bit as surprising as I had hoped. Once it is all said and done, I look forward to reading more of her stories.

Like I said. This is an author to watch...

Ratings, Reviews, Similar Reads, Buy Books, Affiliate Links

Librarything

Amazon: 4.3/5
(3 customer Reviews)

What Should I Read Next?

Kindle: Stonehill Downs

Audible: No

Buy Book: AbeBooks.com ~ Booksamillion.com

Book Depository

Amazon: US ~ UK ~ Canada

About the Author:

In 1994 Sarah Remy earned a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing from Pomona College in California. Since then she’s been employed as a receptionist at a high-powered brokerage firm, managed a boutique bookstore, read television scripts for a small production company, and, more recently, worked playground duty at the local elementary school.

When she’s not taking the service industry by storm, she’s writing fantasy and science fiction. Sarah likes her fantasy worlds gritty, her characters diverse and fallible, and she doesn’t believe every protagonist deserves a happy ending.

Before joining the Harper Voyager family, she published with EDGE, Reuts, and Madison Place Press.

Sarah lives in Washington State with plenty of animals and people, both. In her limited spare time she rides horses, rehabs her old home, and supervises a chaotic household. She can talk to you endlessly about Sherlock Holmes, World of Warcraft, and backyard chicken husbandry, and she’s been a member of one of Robin Hobb’s longest-running online fan clubs since 2002.

On The Web: Website ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Tumblr

Already read the book? Please share your own opinion in the comments below!

Fantasy Book Review of Stonehill Downs by Sarah Remy
Reviewed by Mulluane on January 19 2015
Rating: 3 of 5

Book Blogging Tips: Make Sharing Easy | Disclaimers

2015-01-16T15:30:00.000-05:00

Back before the first of the year I promised to write a series of posts on how to make your content more shareable.

But before I do that I want to clarify my intentions, terms and conditions. Instead of including these on every post, I'm going to note them all now. That way I can link to this post instead.

The old bat lays out some guidelines for blogging tips posts

My intention is to help my fellow book bloggers make their sites more sharable and in some cases, more SEO friendly. I am not in any way trying to "steal" business from the professionals. If anything I plan to send business their way.

With that in mind, I want to clarify that I do not make any kind of living, much less one in webdesign, SEO or journalism. When possible, I will link to the experts for clarification of my advice.

I apologize in advance for any slight I give because I can not remember or find the bookmark for the exact source of my information.

I AM an expert in researching and testing. Any advice I give will be about changes I have already researched, instituted and tested on my blogs.

These articles will NOT contain any affiliate links. Any website, service or product I link to will be ones I have tested, like and use. Not because they are paying me.

These articles are aimed primarily at Blogger/Blogspot users. I don't use Wordpress. I prefer Blogger because it allows me complete control over my template so I can advance my knowledge of CSS3 and HTML5 at my own pace.

For all of your Wordpress needs I highly suggest Ashley at Noze Graze. She really knows her stuff!

No worries though. There will be something for everybody. Some suggestions will be general and apply to all platforms.

If and when I include any snippets of code, use at your own risk. Sometimes I will change or add to a snippet of code I obtained from somewhere else. I'll always link to the original before I show you my changes.

ALWAYS backup your template before using anyone's code. I can't stress this enough. I use an Awesome Inc. template as my base, though I've modified it well past any resemblance to the original, but all codes do not work on all blogger templates.

As a rule, my widgets, codes, and changes apply only to the PC versions of my blogs. I use a separate template for mobile and let Blogger handle that version of my blogs. A few suggestions may be aimed at being mobile friendly but they won't involve any coding.

Questions are welcome. If you see any element of my blogs that you'd like to use on your own, just ask. If possible I'll include the instructions or source links to the instructions in my next post.

Stay tuned! My first post will be on the importance of having multiple ways to subscribe to your blogs!

JK. Rowling Quote | Weekly Quote 32

2015-01-15T15:20:00.000-05:00

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”

-- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone --

About: This is a weekly feature here in the old belfry. The quote is J.K. Rowling's. The design, along with any flaws, is mine.

If you would like to suggest a quote (I prefer it be from a SFF author) let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. No promises though. If a quote is too big I may not be able to reproduce it in the space available. I do promise to try though!

Usage: Non-Commercial Fair Use is permitted. The following restrictions apply: Please do not remove or mask the watermark url. Do not sell, print or claim this work as your own and when sharing, pinning, reblogging or posting, a direct link to this post is required. Thanks!

Robin Hobb | Weekly Quote 31

2015-01-08T13:00:00.000-05:00

“Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.”

-- Robin Hobb, Fool's Fate --

About: This is a weekly feature here in the old belfry. The quote is Robin Hobb's. The design, along with any flaws, is mine.

Check out my review of Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy. One of my all time favorites!

If you would like to suggest a quote (I prefer it be from a SFF author) let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. No promises though. If a quote is too big I may not be able to reproduce it in the space available. I do promise to try though!

Usage: Non-Commercial Fair Use is permitted. The following restrictions apply: Please do not remove or mask the watermark url. Do not sell, print or claim this work as your own and when sharing, pinning, reblogging or posting, a direct link to this post is required. Thanks!

Gideon by Alex Gordon | Paranormal Horror Review

2015-01-06T19:35:00.000-05:00

Blurb might contain spoilers, toggle to view.
( Toggle may not function in email and some feed readers.)

♥ Mini Review ♥

In the past a mistake was made. An evil was created. An evil that is now stalking Lauren. Secrets, for good or ill, have been kept for generations. Secrets Lauren must now unravel before she too becomes just another victim of an ancient wrong.

Horror Book Review by Mulluane

♦ The Story. Lauren is a smart, sophisticated young lady just trying to make her way in this world. But when her father dies she discovers that along with his estate, he has left her with a lot of unanswered questions. Questions that can only be answered if she goes back to where he was born.

Gideon, Illinois is where the answers lie. The place where it all began. A place with a violent past and an uncertain future.

But there are people who don't want those answers to be discovered, and one evil being that does...

♦ My Thoughts. Once again I have stepped outside of my comfort zone. And I wasn't disappointed.

Gideon is steeped in history. It is a place where few modern amenities function and it is doubtful that its residents would use them if they did. While there are a few conveniences like pickup trucks and snowmobiles, this is an isolated town. A town living in the past. A town I frequently forgot existed in the here and now.

But that is what I want in a book -- escape from the present. Gideon delivered that escape with an relentless barrage of chills and thrills, mystery and mayhem.

♦ What I Liked. I loved the pace of this novel. It was like watching a rose unfold in slow motion. Granted it was a black rose... But the description still applies. Layer upon layer of history, lore, worldbuilding, mystery and intrigue, all immerge at a pace that keeps the book in your hand and the real world at bay.

Secrets cloak the danger. Evil stalks the night. And no one in or from Gideon is safe. via @mulluane

The characters too have layers and those layers also unfold slowly but steadily. Fifty shades of gray takes on a whole new meaning in this story. Everything is gray. The border between right, wrong and indifferent are never clear. The line between life and death is murky. Even the evil entity has understandable motives.

Or does it?

Just when you think you know, another layer is revealed and you question everything all over again. I loved every minute of the experience.

♦ What I didn't like. I'm racking my brain on this one and I'm coming up blank. I can't even come up with anything other people might not like.

I did try.

♦ Conclusion. I don't read a lot of horror and I pretty much never enjoy Urban Fantasy or Paranormal. However, this book was an exception. The story is saturated with history, lore, witchcraft and a town that time forgot. I had no problem with full immersion. Had the story frequently crossed back over to more "modern" environs it would have lost me.

Instead I got lost in it.

Ratings, Reviews, Similar Reads, Buy Books, Affiliate Links

Librarything

Amazon: 4.5/5
( 2 Customer Reviews)

What Should I Read Next?

Kindle: Gideon: A Novel

Audible: Not Yet

Buy Book:
Booksamillion.com
AbeBooks.com
Book Depository

Amazon: US ~ Canada ~ UK

About the Author:

Alex Gordon, the author of the supernatural thriller GIDEON, was born in the Northeast, grew up in the South, and now resides in Illinois. She is currently working on JERICHO, the follow-up to GIDEON, and is having too much fun doing research. When she isn’t working, she enjoys watching sports and old movies, running, and the company of dogs. She dreams of someday adding the Pacific Northwest to the list of regions where she has lived. And maybe the south of France.

She is not the Alex Gordon who has written several books about English footballers. She also has never played for the Kansas City Royals.

Alex Gordon on the Web: Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Tumblr ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram ~ Website

Already read the book? Please share your own opinion!

Horror Book Review of Gideon by Alex Gordon
Reviewed by Mulluane on January 06 2015
Rating: 5 of 5

Professional Versus Amateur Reviewing | Poll

2015-01-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

Back in 2008, when I first started my blogs, one of the first things I did was write a disclaimer. It went something like this:

The opinions here are all mine as are any mistakes. If I am in any way unfair to my readers, or the authors and publishers of the books I review, I'm sure that karma will exact its due. I am not a publisher, editor or literary genius so my reviews will not be expert critiques on plot, theme, voice, syntax, or writing style, they will be from the viewpoint of one reader to another. The reviews I write are not structured in any way, they come from my heart and are based on my gut reactions. And remember that we are all different, what appeals to me -- or doesn't -- may or may not affect you the same way. All I can suggest is read the books and decide for yourself.

The reason why I did this was a combination of lack of self confidence -- I wasn't sure I could do this reviewing thing -- and intimidation from reading reviews that I quite honestly, did not understand.

The book by Blumestien
on DeviantArt

Those technical reviews contain in depth comparisons to other books and authors. They analyze voice, plot, pace, fictionalization, characterization, worldbuilding, themes and style. They use words that I don't know the meanings of but feel like I should.

And their grammar and punctuation is perfect; another thing I know I fail at miserably. It has been a long time since 12th grade English.

But...

They generally have no passion. They do nothing to make me want to read the book. They (the reviewers) would never be caught squealing over a dragon or wanting to comfort a young witch.

That alone makes me hope that I do fulfill a need in the book reader universe.

The Difference...

The best explanation I have found for how I review was stated by Ashley over at Nosegraze. She describes how she reviews as "word vomit."

That is exactly what I do! Pour out feelings, impressions, likes, dislikes, and the occasional squeal. Then I proofread, correct, add and subtract the review into something I hope is coherent.

Sadly, I know the review will still have typos that won't appear until I hit publish, an over abundance of commas and more passive sentences than Carter has pills. (Oops. Showed my age there didn't I...)

Which do you prefer, professional or amateur reviews?
via @mulluane

Inquiring minds want to know...

In the interest of satisfying my curiosity I'd like to know what you think. Do passionate fan reviews hold value or do the more formal, analytical reviews give you more bang for your buck?

Just for fun I'll put up a poll in the sidebar. For those of you who can't see my sidebars (like on mobile) please feel free to leave a comment instead. I look forward to your answers!

Anne Rice | Weekly Quote 30

2015-01-01T13:00:00.000-05:00

“But you love books, then,” Aunt Queen was saying. I had to listen.

“Oh, yes,” Lestat said. “Sometimes they are the only thing that keeps me alive.”

“What a strange thing to say at your age,” she laughed.

“No, but one can feel desperate at any age, don’t you think? The young are eternally desperate,” he said frankly. “And books, they offer one hope — that a whole universe might open up from between the covers, and falling into that new universe, one is saved.”

-- Anne Rice, Blackwood Farm --

About: This is a weekly feature here in the old belfry. The quote is Anne Rice's. The design, along with any flaws, is mine.

You can read my review of Anne Rice's newest Vampire Chronicle here: Prince Lestat

If you would like to suggest a quote (I prefer it be from a SFF author) let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. No promises though. If a quote is too big I may not be able to reproduce it in the space available. I do promise to try though!

Usage: Non-Commercial Fair Use is permitted. The following restrictions apply: Please do not remove or mask the watermark url. Do not sell, print or claim this work as your own and when sharing, pinning, reblogging or posting, a direct link to this post is required. Thanks!

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice | Gothic Horror Book Review | Vampire Chronicles #11

2014-12-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

Sequel To Queen of the Damned

A stunning departure, a surprising and compelling return…From Anne Rice, perennial best seller, single-handed reinventor of the vampire cosmology--a new, exhilarating novel, a deepening of her vampire mythology, and a chillingly hypnotic mystery-thriller.

"What can we do but reach for the embrace that must now contain both heaven and hell: our doom again and again and again…" --from The Vampire Lestat

Rice once again summons up the irresistible spirit-world of the oldest and most powerful forces of the night, invisible beings unleashed on an unsuspecting world able to take blood from humans, in a long-awaited return to the extraordinary world of the Vampire Chronicles and the uniquely seductive Queen of the Damned ("mesmerizing" --San Francisco Chronicle), a long-awaited novel that picks up where The Vampire Lestat ("brilliant…its undead characters are utterly alive" --New York Times) left off more than a quarter of a century ago to create an extraordinary new world of spirits and forces--the characters, legend, and lore of all the Vampire Chronicles.

The novel opens with the vampire world in crisis…vampires have been proliferating out of control; burnings have commenced all over the world, huge massacres similar to those carried out by Akasha in The Queen of the Damned…Old vampires, roused from slumber in the earth are doing the bidding of a Voice commanding that they indiscriminately burn vampire-mavericks in cities from Paris and Mumbai to Hong Kong, Kyoto, and San Francisco.

As the novel moves from present-day New York and the West Coast to ancient Egypt, fourth century Carthage, 14th-century Rome, the Venice of the Renaissance, the worlds and beings of all the Vampire Chronicles-Louis de Pointe du Lac; the eternally young Armand, whose face is that of a Boticelli angel; Mekare and Maharet, Pandora and Flavius; David Talbot, vampire and ultimate fixer from the secret Talamasca; and Marius, the true Child of the Millennia; along with all the other new seductive, supernatural creatures-come together in this large, luxuriant, fiercely ambitious novel to ultimately rise up and seek out who-or what-the Voice is, and to discover the secret of what it desires and why…

And, at the book's center, the seemingly absent, curiously missing hero-wanderer, the dazzling, dangerous rebel-outlaw--the great hope of the Undead, the dazzling Prince Lestat…

*Blurb source* Random House

Blurb might contain spoilers, toggle to view.
( Toggle may not function in email and some feed readers.)

♥ Mini Review ♥

They are all here. All of my beloved vampires. So proud, so elegant, so... conflicted. Anne Rice has ruined me. Because of her I cannot abide mainstream vampires. They don't fit into our world. But these beautiful, graceful and impossibly old creatures do fit. And they fit so well, I often feel them stalking my dreams.

Horror Book Review by Mulluane

♦ The Story. Something is stirring. Something long asleep, but now becoming aware. And whatever it is, it is powerful and it is not happy.

This crisis could not have come at a worse time for the vampires. Lestat, the Brat Prince, is in self imposed seclusion, as are most of the oldest among them. Meanwhile a mysterious Voice is instructing the elders to thin out the overabundance of young vampires, resulting in a worldwide burning spree. And with each burning, the "Voice" grows stronger.

And through it all a single young vampire calls out across the radio waves with a plea. A plea for solidarity. A call for vampires to unite and discover the source of this Voice before it kills them all.

A plea the elders ignore at their peril.

♦ My Thoughts. I rarely read horror. However, Anne Rice is my secret weakness. The exception to the rule. She redesigned the vampire into a being I can by turns love, hate, fear and envy. There is some blood and gore but there is also proud elegance, sophistication, impeccable manners and unswerving devotion. They are mesmerizing and irresistible. To say I am a fan is an understatement.

Even so, I haven't kept up with this series. A lack I intend to remedy. The good news is, having read Queen of the Damned, I had no problem following the storyline in Prince Lestat.

And what a story!

Danger, mystery, thrills and chills! This new threat to the Blood is going to take the strongest and oldest of the vampires by surprise and require they band together. But they will need a charismatic leader and the Brat Prince is nowhere to be found.

I am a little in love with Prince Lestat! via @mulluane

♦ What I Liked. All of it. Everything. The whole package.

The beauty of Prince Lestat is in the lovingly rendered details. We visit with all of our favorites. Observe where and how they are living. We meet new vampires, new ghosts and old vampires who previously were thought to be gone from this world.

And you learn about their history, one of my favorite aspects of the book. What a joy it would be for me to sit at the feet of one of the oldest vampires as they tell stories of their beginnings and beyond. Or even one of the ghosts.

I'd be in heaven.

The Vampire Chronicles are the closest I will ever get to that dream and I am in awe of Anne Rice's storytelling ability. I felt like I was physically present in ancient Egypt, Rome, Venice, to name a few.

Fully immersed is a weak description. Enraptured is better.

Adding to the fascination of all things vampire, there is a sense of urgency. A real fear that the Voice will destroy some of my beloved vampires. I stayed glued to the pages long into the night.

♦ What I Didn't Like. I usually talk here about what I didn't like. Problem is, the only element I can complain about is not enough Lestat. But I could complain about that fact in any Vampire Chronicles book. I never get enough Lestat!

I will note, there are some who dislike the meandering walk through the history of each vampire. I am not one of those people. To me, each segue into a vampire's origin, or present day environment, is a jewel beyond price.

Is it like reading a bunch of short stories?

Yes it is, but I loved each one. The stories fill gaps in my knowledge of vampire lore. New vampires and ghosts are introduced and added to my list of favorite characters. I envy their experiences; their origins, their tragedies and their triumphs. The story is enriched by those bits of history. Or it is for me.

But the title is a bit misleading. Lestat does play a pivotal role and the plot can't be resolved without him, but you won't encounter much of him for two thirds of the book.

♦ Conclusion. If you love Anne Rice's vampires, this book is required reading. One incredibly important question is answered. Gaps in the history and lore of the vampires are filled. There is alot of tragedy and there is alot of love. And there are examples of unquestioning loyalty and devotion. For all of their capacity for cruelty -- and there is plenty of that too -- nobody understands beauty and love quite like these vampires. It is more than enough to make me wish they were real...

Ratings, Reviews, Similar Reads, Buy Books, Affiliate Links

Librarything 3.14 / 5

Amazon: 4.3/5
(720 Customer Reviews)

What Should I Read Next?

Q/A with Anne Rice/Prince Lestat

Kindle: Prince Lestat: The Vampire Chronicles

Goodreads Choice Awards Winner! | Best Horror 2014

Buy From: Book Depository
Books-A-Million ~ AbeBooks.com

Amazon: US ~ Canada ~ UK

Anne Rice Quote

About the Author:
Anne Rice was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She holds a Master of Arts Degree in English and Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. Anne has spent more of her life in California than in New Orleans, but New Orleans is her true home and provides the back drop for many of her famous novels. The French Quarter provided the setting for her first novel, Interview with the Vampire. And her ante-bellum house in the Garden District was the fictional home of her imaginary Mayfair Witches. Source

Anne Rice on the Web:

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ YouTube ~ Webpage

Already read the book? Please share your own opinion!

Gothic Horror Book Review of Prince Lestat by Anne Rice (The Vampire Chronicles #11)
Reviewed by Mulluane on December 29, 2014
Rating: 5 of 5

'Tis The Season To Be Busy!

2014-12-15T21:53:00.000-05:00

Well here we are.

This year is waning and another isn't far.

Life gets crazy as holiday celebrations are planned.

Even my cat tried to lend a hand!

(Well it tried, that is what counts right?)

There is a winter storm forecast, I hope that it snows...

Maybe this year rabbit won't try to take snowman's nose!

Stockings have all been hung with delight...

And Santa is ready for a long christmas night...

Through all of this chaos I'm trying to read...

A task at which I just can't succeed...

So I think that I'll be taking a break...

To see just how many posts I can make...

You'll see 2 reviews before I go on holiday...

But I will be back after New Year's day...

See you all soon!

Clipart/gif source: Webweaver's

Rick Riordan Quote | Weekly Quote 29

2014-12-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

“Jason scratched his head.

"You named him Festus?

You know that in Latin,

‘festus’ means ‘happy’?

You want us to ride off

to save the world on

Happy the Dragon?”

-- Rick Riordan, The Lost Hero --

About: This is a weekly feature here in the old belfry. The quote is Rick Riordan's. The design, along with any flaws, is mine.

I probably should have done something holiday themed but I saw this one, and when I stopped laughing, got to work putting it all together!☺

If you would like to suggest a quote (I prefer it be from a SFF author) let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. No promises though. If a quote is too big I may not be able to reproduce it in the space available. I do promise to try though!

Usage: Non-Commercial Fair Use is permitted. The following restrictions apply: Please do not remove or mask the watermark url. Do not sell, print or claim this work as your own and when sharing, pinning, reblogging or posting, a direct link to this post is appreciated. Thanks!

Elizabeth Kerner | Weekly Quote 28

2014-12-04T12:15:00.000-05:00

“What good I thought I could do,

all alone, against thousands

of years of mistrust and

the power of a Demonlord,

I cannot now imagine:

but such are the dreams of youth,

too gloriously stupid to realise

what cannot be done.

And without those dreams,

how should we ever accomplish

the impossible?”

-- Elizabeth Kerner, Song in the Silence --

About: This is a weekly feature here in the old belfry. The quote is Elizabeth Kerner's. The design, along with any flaws, is mine.

If you would like to suggest a quote (I prefer it be from a SFF author) let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. No promises though. If a quote is too big I may not be able to reproduce it in the space available. I do promise to try though!

My Review of Song in the Silence.

Usage: Non-Commercial Fair Use is permitted. The following restrictions apply: Please do not remove or mask the watermark url. Do not sell, print or claim this work as your own and when sharing, pinning, reblogging or posting, a direct link to this post is appreciated. Thanks!

Book Blogging Tips: Make Sharing Easy | Prequel

2014-12-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

I remember fondly starting my blogs back in 2008. It did not take long before I was a part of a community I never knew existed. A community of book bloggers. Back then it was a small group. Maybe 200 SFF bloggers worldwide. And it was awesome. We were featured in each other's blog rolls. We shared each other's posts. We commented religiously. We even had our own forum. SEO was easy. It depended heavily on backlinks and as a community, we made sure to link to each other frequently.

Unfortunately, in 2009 I lost internet access and could not blog anymore.

Fast forward to 2014. My area finally gets DSL and I quickly started blogging again. And I discovered a vastly different atmosphere.

Seo is now so complicated it has spawned its own community of bloggers just to help us navigate the changes.
The small, select SFF community has now exploded into 1000's, maybe even 10's of 1000's of bloggers. More than I could ever hope to develop a relationship with.
Twitter has exploded as has Goodreads.
Facebook is now worthless unless you can pay and Librarything is almost dead.
On the upside I discovered Tumblr, Pinterest, DeviantArt, Buffer, PicMonkey and Listly to mention a few. Yay! New programs to play with!

So I've spent the last year exploring, testing, reading, researching and redesigning my blogs. My posts as a result have been a bit sparse, my followers a bit slim, but I now feel alot more comfortable with the process.

And you know what I discovered? Sharing is still the key to SEO. Main difference is that it is alot more visual, less likely to be reciprocated and the focus is different. Now the focus is to sell yourself as an expert in your genre. The more quality content you share, the more people will take you seriously and visit your blog!

Personally, I miss the old way so I still tend to share content from the blogs I admire, even if nobody notices. But that brings us to the purpose of this post and the series to follow. There are a plethora of blogs I either can't share or I have to put alot of work into creating a good share from scratch. Here is a quick list of the reasons why:

No image or image is too small or too wide.
No alt text on images
No RSS feed.
No subscribe by email either.
No share buttons.
No tweetable text.
No pinned tweet or Facebook post.
No follow buttons or hard to find.

What I plan is to to do a series of posts which suggest solutions for each of the listed issues plus I have a bunch of tips and tricks on how to make your content stand out in the crowd while increasing your SEO.

Note: I will be focusing on the blogger platform. Some of the things I'll be going over, Wordpress already has plugins for.

Blogger on the other hand has the tools you need in place but you'll have to manually make use of them. Something you are likely already accustomed to doing. And the reason why I love blogger. I want to learn how to make blogger do what I want it to do instead of just installing a plugin.

Please understand that I am not a trained expert. Everything I do is self taught. I have however, done alot of research, experimenting, coding and testing. My solutions may not be perfect, or WC3 compliant, but they work. Plus, I'll be linking back to the real experts whenever possible.

So what do you think? Love the idea? Is there anything you are particularly interested in learning about? Anything I missed? Do you hate it? "Hey Mulluane, I just want you to post more reviews and quotes, I don't care about SEO, sharing and visibility!"

Let me know in the comments. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

It's a Bat! It's a Frog! It's a Bat Frog? | Thursday Trivia

2014-11-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't done one of these posts in awhile but I saw these articles on Nation Geographic and I could not resist sharing. So instead of a quote this week I'm sharing Bat Frogs! Once again Mother Nature has blessed me with a good old-fashioned belly laugh!

First up we have what looks like some sort of demon toad...

The toad and its bat prey in Cerros de Amotape National Park. Photograph courtesy Yufani Olaya and PeruNature.com

Actually, as strange as this might sound, this is a Cane Toad trying to eat a Free-Tailed Bat. The good news is, the toad eventually had to spit it out. Never could figure out how to solve the problem those wings created. The bat actually survived. (Which is good. I'd hate to have to hurt a little frog. Which only weighs 4lbs. Ummm... Lemme rethink that for a minute...)

Next up is an actual Bat Frog! Named "Dendropsophus ozzyi" in honor of Ozzy Osbourne, who supposedly bit off the head of a bat at a Black Sabbath concert in 1981.

Ozzy is likely just beside himself with joy.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PEDRO PELOSO

Told you truth was stranger than fantasy! This little guy makes a high-pitched, batlike call; first frog ever to do so. Well the first one they have discovered. This guy has gone unnoticed in a well explored section of the Amazon and yet was only discovered recently. I'm guessing that pretending to be a bat worked out rather well in his case!

Don't forget to check out the links. I just skimmed the surface. There is more info contained in the original articles.

More celebrity critters: (Discovery News Video)

Personally, I can easily see either one of these critters showing up in a fantasy novel someday. So what about you? Heard or read (or seen) any strange critters lately that you think would fit right into a fantasy world? Inquiring minds want to know!

Old Bat's Belfry

Disclaimer

A Head Full of Ghosts: A Novel by Paul Tremblay

Horror Book Review by Mulluane

Ratings, Reviews, Similar Reads, Buy Books, Affiliate Links

Waterborn by Greg Keyes | Epic Fantasy Review | Chosen of the Changeling, Book 1

Epic Fantasy eBook Review by Mulluane

Ratings, Reviews, Similar Reads, Buy Books, Affiliate Links

The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales | Featured Book

State of the Belfry Address

Laini Taylor | Weekly Quote 37

“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.” Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Mulluane | Weekly Quote 36

"Bat-ter Not Forget Your Valentine!" Old Bats Need Love Too...Mulluane

Book Blogging Tips: Make Sharing Easy | It Is A Visual World! Use Shareable Images

Welcome to my Book Blogging Tips Series!

The Importance of Shareable Images

When Using Images to Share Content, Size Matters

More Technical Stuff, One Size Fits All!

Pin that Image!

Sidebar Images

Conclusion

Raymond Feist | Weekly Quote 35

"Love doesn't demand; it accepts." Mara to KamiloRaymond Feist

Nora Roberts | Weekly Quote 34

“If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.” Nora Roberts

Book Blogging Tips: Make Sharing Easy | Allow Subscriptions and Why You Should

Welcome to my Book Blogging Tips Series!

The Importance of Sharing

How I find content to share

How I Offer Subscription Options

Make Your Own Follow Buttons!

Other Button Methods

Feed Readers

Mobile Friendly Subscribing

Conclusion

Suzanne Collins Song | Weekly Quote 33

Stonehill Downs by Sarah Remy | Fantasy Book Review

Fantasy Book Review by Mulluane

Ratings, Reviews, Similar Reads, Buy Books, Affiliate Links

About the Author:

Book Blogging Tips: Make Sharing Easy | Disclaimers

JK. Rowling Quote | Weekly Quote 32

-- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone --

Robin Hobb | Weekly Quote 31

-- Robin Hobb, Fool's Fate --

Gideon by Alex Gordon | Paranormal Horror Review

Horror Book Review by Mulluane

Professional Versus Amateur Reviewing | Poll

Anne Rice | Weekly Quote 30

-- Anne Rice, Blackwood Farm --

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice | Gothic Horror Book Review | Vampire Chronicles #11

Sequel To Queen of the Damned

Horror Book Review by Mulluane

'Tis The Season To Be Busy!

Rick Riordan Quote | Weekly Quote 29

“Jason scratched his head.

"You named him Festus?

You know that in Latin,

‘festus’ means ‘happy’?

You want us to ride off

to save the world on

Happy the Dragon?”

-- Rick Riordan, The Lost Hero --

Elizabeth Kerner | Weekly Quote 28

“What good I thought I could do,

all alone, against thousands

of years of mistrust and

the power of a Demonlord,

I cannot now imagine:

but such are the dreams of youth,

too gloriously stupid to realise

what cannot be done.

And without those dreams,

how should we ever accomplish

the impossible?”

-- Elizabeth Kerner, Song in the Silence --

Book Blogging Tips: Make Sharing Easy | Prequel

It's a Bat! It's a Frog! It's a Bat Frog? | Thursday Trivia

“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”

Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone

"Bat-ter Not Forget Your Valentine!"
Old Bats Need Love Too...

Mulluane

"Love doesn't demand; it accepts."
Mara to Kamilo

Raymond Feist

“If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it.

If you don't ask, the answer is always no.

If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.”

Nora Roberts