Realms Faire_Cody Still: Into Oblivion_FINAL CHAPTER

November 14, 2014 / WriterlySam / 1 Comment

Banner design by Koke Núñez Gómez

Into Oblivion

Our Realms Faire journey ‘Into Oblivion’ ends today with Chapter 5. Join us for a serial adventure inspired by the music of composer, Cody Still. Listen to the featured album selections and choose the correct track that sparked each chapter and you’re entered to WIN 2 digital albums by Sub Pub Music!

▶ BONUS challenge: Which classic fairy tale inspired ‘Into Oblivion’? Enter for the chance to WIN signed album art!

▶ Submit your track selection for each chapter in the comments section below! 5 chances to enter. One entry per person/per chapter. Open internationally.

▶ The commenting window for all chapters will remain open until Monday, Nov. 17th, midnight EST!

▶ Winners will be announced on November 18th. Three winners will be randomly selected to receive digital albums, Ununpentium and Involution.

Chapter 5
Inspired by ♫
by Samantha Redstreake Geary

The suspended image sunk back into the recesses of Cody’s contraption, snapping Leonardo from his stargazing daze. “I wish to make my mark on the stars…having been in their midst, for but a moment, has shown me it is possible.”

“With knowledge, everything is possible,” Cody offered.

“We must bring this…this marvel of science before the Duke at once,” Leonardo commanded. Snatching the open notebook from his desk, Leonardo tossed it to Cody and urged him through the door.

▶ Read the rest of the FINAL CHAPTER, listen to the music, and wager a guess, HERE!

Welcome to Realms Faire, an annual event hosted by Dimensions in Fiction author, M. Pax. The virtual festival kicks off November 10th, featuring several themed events where fans can play to win some amazing prizes, including books, albums, giftcards, and more! Visit the links below and help spread the word! #grogz

VelociRaffle ~ Joust ~ Drench-a-Wench/Soak-a-Bloke ~ Stockade Brigade ~ Dueling Bards ~ Phasers ~ Wisdom of the Creative Realms ~ Dragon Hunt ~ Riddle Me This

Realms Faire_Cody Still: Into Oblivion_CHAPTER 4

November 13, 2014 / WriterlySam / Leave a comment

Banner design by Koke Núñez Gómez

Into Oblivion

Our Realms Faire journey ‘Into Oblivion’ continues with Chapter 4. Join us for a serial adventure inspired by the music of composer, Cody Still. Listen to the featured album selections and choose the correct track that sparked each chapter and you’re entered to WIN 2 digital albums by Sub Pub Music!

▶ Submit your track selection for each chapter in the comments section below! 5 chances to enter. One entry per person/per day. Open internationally.

▶ A bonus challenge will be unveiled November 14th, where you’ll have the chance to WIN signed album art!

▶ The commenting window for all chapters will remain open until Monday, Nov. 17th, midnight EST!

▶ Winners will be announced on November 18th. Three winners will be randomly selected to receive digital albums, Ununpentium and Involution.

Chapter 4
Inspired by ♫
by Samantha Redstreake Geary

Several days passed in a blur of smoke and mirrors, as Cody witnessed the innovative passion Leonardo demonstrated while pulled under the magnetic patronage of the Duke of Milan. Leonardo’s newly-appointed residence was a storm of sketches and scribbled revelations, barely penned to paper before new ideas took flight.

Leonardo burned countless candles bent over Cody’s arm, his curiosity an insatiable moth drawn to the blue-licked flames that pulsed between the gleaming metal bones of the New World invention.

▶ Read the rest of CHAPTER 4, listen to the music, and wager a guess, HERE!

VelociRaffle ~ Joust ~ Drench-a-Wench/Soak-a-Bloke ~ Stockade Brigade ~ Dueling Bards ~ Phasers ~ Wisdom of the Creative Realms ~ Dragon Hunt ~ Riddle Me This

Realms Faire_Cody Still: Into Oblivion CHAPTER 3

November 12, 2014 / WriterlySam / 1 Comment

Banner design by Koke Núñez Gómez

Into Oblivion

Our Realms Faire journey ‘Into Oblivion’ continues with the release of CHAPTER 3, another clever installment by author Amy Willoughby-Burle! Join us for a serial adventure inspired by the music of composer, Cody Still. Listen to the featured album selections and choose the correct track that sparked each chapter and you’re entered to WIN 2 digital albums by Sub Pub Music!

▶ Submit your track selection for each chapter in the comments section below! 5 chances to enter. One entry per person/per day. Open internationally.

▶ A bonus challenge will be unveiled November 14th, where you’ll have the chance to WIN signed album art!

▶ The commenting window for all chapters will remain open until Monday, Nov. 17th, midnight EST!

▶ Winners will be announced on November 18th. Three winners will be randomly selected to receive digital albums, Ununpentium and Involution.

Chapter 3
Inspired by ♫
by Amy Willoughby-Burle

“CHEERS!” Came the rousing cry as they entered Leonardo’s house.

It sounded as if the party had long been in session. Sitting around a small table beside a warm fire were two men who appeared in high spirits.

“Ah, at it already, my comrades,” Leonardo said and turned to Cody to make introductions. “My friends this is Cody, a wayward stranger I have picked up along the way. Ever my habit, it seems. Cody, these are my housemates Mr. March and Mr. Topo. Friends, artists, and bad influences the both of them.”

▶ Read the rest of CHAPTER 3, listen to the music, and wager a guess, HERE!

Welcome to Realms Faire, an annual event hosted by Dimensions in Fiction author, M. Pax. The virtual festival kicks off November 10th, featuring several themed events where fans can play to win some amazing prizes, including books, albums, giftcards, and more! Visit the links below and help spread the word! #grogz

VelociRaffle ~ Joust ~ Drench-a-Wench/Soak-a-Bloke ~ Stockade Brigade ~ Dueling Bards ~ Phasers ~ Wisdom of the Creative Realms ~ Dragon Hunt ~ Riddle Me This

Realms Faire_Cody Still: Into Oblivion CHAPTER 2

November 11, 2014 / WriterlySam / 2 Comments

Banner design by Koke Núñez Gómez

Into Oblivion

Our Realms Faire journey ‘Into Oblivion’ continues with the release of CHAPTER 2, by my brilliant writing buddy, Amy Willoughby-Burle!. Join us for a serial adventure inspired by the music of composer, Cody Still. Listen to the featured album selections and choose the correct track that sparked each chapter and you’re entered to WIN 2 digital albums by Sub Pub Music!

▶ Submit your track selection for each chapter in the comments section below! 5 chances to enter. One entry per person/per day. Open internationally.

▶ A bonus challenge will be unveiled November 14th, where you’ll have the chance to WIN signed album art!

▶ The commenting window for all chapters will remain open until Monday, Nov. 17th, midnight EST!

▶ Winners will be announced on November 18th. Three winners will be randomly selected to receive digital albums, Ununpentium and Involution.

Chapter 2
Inspired by ♫
by Amy Willoughby-Burle

CODY looked at the flask and lamented not being a drinker. He had watched the parents of his charge enjoy a drink from time to time and the effect seemed pleasing. His charge, he remembered with sudden alarm. He couldn’t let himself get too distracted. She would need to be located. Perhaps this man had seen her.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Cody said, customarily extending his hand to the long haired, strangely dressed gentleman. “My name is Cody.”

The man smiled and took a swig from the flask.

“It is a blessing indeed to have never met a stranger,” he said. “I admire your informality, Cody. Call me Leonardo then. I think you and I are to get on just fine.”

As the fire spit and crackled against the dampness of the cave, Leonardo pocketed the flask and rubbed his hands over the heat. Cody did the same, watching the way the man moved and listening to him mutter to himself and chuckle at unheard humor.

“Now my friend,” Leonardo said to Cody, when the conversation lulled. “I know your name, but not from where you hail.”

“I’m from a new world, far away from this one,” Cody said.

▶ Read the rest of CHAPTER 2, listen to the music, and wager a guess, HERE!

Welcome to Realms Faire, an annual event hosted by Dimensions in Fiction author, M. Pax. The virtual festival kicks off November 10th, featuring several themed events where fans can play to win some amazing prizes, including books, albums, giftcards, and more! Visit the links below and help spread the word! #grogz

VelociRaffle ~ Joust ~ Drench-a-Wench/Soak-a-Bloke ~ Stockade Brigade ~ Dueling Bards ~ Phasers ~ Wisdom of the Creative Realms ~ Dragon Hunt ~ Riddle Me This

Realms Faire_Cody Still: Into Oblivion

November 10, 2014 / WriterlySam / 1 Comment

Banner design by Koke Núñez Gómez

Into Oblivion

Our Realms Faire journey ‘Into Oblivion’ begins November 10th. Join us for a serial adventure inspired by the music of composer, Cody Still. Listen to the featured album selections and choose the correct track that sparked each chapter and you’re entered to WIN 2 digital albums by Sub Pub Music!

▶ Submit your track selection for each chapter in the comments section below! 5 chances to enter. One entry per person/per day. Open internationally.

▶ A bonus challenge will be unveiled November 14th, where you’ll have the chance to WIN signed album art!

▶ The commenting window for all chapters will remain open until Monday, Nov. 17th, midnight EST!

▶ Winners will be announced on November 18th. Three winners will be randomly selected to receive digital albums, Ununpentium and Involution.

Chapter 1
Inspired by ♫
by Samantha Redstreake Geary

CODY had no recollection of the ship’s landing. Images of a wormhole flashed before his eyes, like a scene from a transport window, its edges blurred with the brush of speed. He attempted to access his memories manually, but the implant merely flickered and stilled.

Cody scanned the vast, verdant landscape for signs of the Gryphon and its passengers. The absence of his charge was of particular concern, as they had never been separated. Wherever he looked, Cody found only soaring mountains that slipped into valleys, impossibly flushed with the radiance of a remembered sun. Such landscapes had only existed within the pixels of projections, pieced together from the fading remnants of history. But this, Cody sensed, was no replication…

▶ Read the rest of CHAPTER 1, listen to the music, and wager a guess, HERE!

Welcome to Realms Faire, an annual event hosted by Dimensions in Fiction author, M. Pax. The virtual festival kicks off November 10th, featuring several themed events where fans can play to win some amazing prizes, including books, albums, giftcards, and more! Visit the links below and help spread the word! #grogz

VelociRaffle ~ Joust ~ Drench-a-Wench/Soak-a-Bloke ~ Stockade Brigade ~ Dueling Bards ~ Phasers ~ Wisdom of the Creative Realms ~ Dragon Hunt ~ Riddle Me This

The Dharian Affairs by Susan Kaye Quinn

September 5, 2014February 23, 2015 / WriterlySam / 1 Comment

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The Third Daughter of the Queen wants her birthday to arrive so she’ll be free to marry for love, but rumors of a new flying weapon may force her to accept a barbarian prince’s proposal for a peace-brokering marriage. Desperate to marry the charming courtesan she loves, Aniri agrees to the prince’s proposal as a subterfuge in order to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.

“You will say yes, won’t you? When I ask?”

He gently pulled her face up to look at him. “When you are free to marry for love, Third Daughter of the Queen, you had better not ask anyone other than me. I’ll have to hang myself from the nearest tree or else die of a broken heart.”

Her shyness was banished in a stroke. “Aren’t courtesans supposed to be the ones breaking hearts?”

“Truly,” he said with mock despair. “There’s nothing more sad than a broken-hearted courtesan. I would have to commit suicide just out of professional courtesy.”

The Future of Storytelling

“The poetry of human experience lies at the heart of every great story.” – Immersive Entertainment

Imagine stepping into the world of your favorite novels, experiencing the story through the eyes of the narrator while being surrounded by a rich landscape painted with words and music! Stay tuned for the next stage in literary evolution with author Susan Kaye Quinn‘s Debt Collector series and The Dharian Affairs trilogy, as Immersive Entertainment brings them to life in Virtual Reality.

“We create next-generation Virtual Reality Experiences that represent a new form of entertainment. It bridges the gap between video games and movies, providing a level of immersion, emotional engagement and realism never before seen.”

– Immersive Entertainment

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Barnes and Noble

iTunes

Kobo

Goodreads

With plans for a second skyship exposed, Third Daughter Aniri fears her sister, Seledri, will be caught in a war between the three Queendoms. Seledri is the Second Daughter of Dharia, which means she had no choice in her arranged marriage to the First Son of Samir–a country with whom they may soon be at war. As Aniri fights to free her sister from a husband and a country she does not love, she questions her own rushed betrothal to Prince Malik, the noble barbarian who controls the skyship–and whether a love pledged in the heat of adventure can survive the looming threat of war.

Aniri turned to Ash, a thousand questions on her lips, but he met her by sliding his arms around her waist, then devouring her with a kiss.

She was shocked… then consumed. He spun her around and pressed her to the door, crushing his body against hers as if he couldn’t get enough contact between them. Her corset was an effective barrier, and his glittering black formal wear was similarly constraining, but that didn’t stop his hands from roaming or his kiss from deepening. Aniri’s fingers wound into his hair, then clutched at his shoulders, taking the stolen moment for all it was worth. Ash slid his kisses to her jawline and edged toward her neck. The room turned as hot as if the fire had spilled from its place and ignited the walls around them. Aniri gently pushed him away, urging him to stop and sucking in air she had neglected to breathe. His heated breath puffed against her skin as he slowly trailed his lips in a line across her cheek.

“A week feels an impossibly long time to wait to make you my wife.” His voice was deep with the passion of their kiss.

Tina Guo has developed an international multi-faceted performance and recording career as a classical cellist and heavy metal electric cellist, erhuist, and composer known for her distinctive sound and improvisatory style in major motion picture, television, and game scores.

R. Armando Morabito, is an Electronic / World Music Producer, Songwriter and Director. In 2013 after moving to Los Angeles, CA he co-founded MG Music Int’l with his wife, cellist and composer Tina Guo. The production company specializes in epic cinematic music in all genres for TV, Film, Video Games, and Trailers.

Architects of Illusion (Echoes of Olympus, #1): Zenith

April 30, 2014July 18, 2014 / WriterlySam / 9 Comments

Castle in the Mountains by Gray Artus

Welcome to Olympus, where the Muses of Greek Mythology are charged with the responsibility of discovering, inspiring, and guiding the young incarnations of legends past until they once again take the form of greatness.

Embark on an enchanting journey through Architects of Illusion (Echoes of Olympus, #1), a YA fantasy novel series inspired by my backyard neighbors, Biltmore Estate, in honor of George Vanderbilt‘s extraordinary legacy.

Join me, and a cast of brilliant film composers, as we awaken your imagination to the magic of the mountains during this year’s international A to Z Challenge (representing #TeamDamyanti).

▶ For a detailed PHOTO TOUR of Biltmore Estate, including the lovely Belgian draft horses, Chester & Bert, click HERE! Want to read more? Visit my A to Z “Sneak Peeks” page!

Zenith

A FLASH of white swooped in beside me, where I lay battered and bleeding on the frozen trail between death and dying.

The slip of snow ruffled its downy coat, its sapphire gaze studying me.

“If you’ve come to save me….you’re late,” I wheezed, my lungs collapsing against the lack of wind.

The owl blurred into slippery smoke that stretched above me, its edges sharpening into the shape of a silver-haired girl with ivory skin and striking cerulean eyes.

“Are you…an angel?” I asked, certain I was on the wrong side of a pulse.

The girl scowled. “An angel wouldn’t have saved your life.”

“I’m feeling very unsaved at the moment,” I spat, my mouth burning with liquid iron. “Couldn’t you have showed up before I was mauled by that…that…whatever that thing was.”

“That thing was only a test.”

“I’m not a good test-taker,” I groaned, gingerly exploring the angry gash that grinned near my temple.

“That’s painfully obvious,” she sighed, shaking her head. “You’ll need to work on that before the Zenith.”

“That sounds…unpleasant.” I wasn’t up for any more tussles with irate Gods and their supernatural pets.

“My father isn’t known for his pleasantries,” she scoffed.

“And you are?” I asked, prying myself from the crimson stained sheet of ice stuck to my skin.

She offered her hand. “Athena.”

I pulled my palm from her grasp. “You’re defying Zeus to help me? Why?”

Athena pierced me with a knowing gaze. “I owe you a debt–one that’s taken millennia to repay.”

Athena wrapped her steel hands around my wrists, wrenching me to my unsteady feet. The world surged and spun, stabbing at my skull. “How…how do you know me?”

“I was there the day you first drew breath, Anise,” Athena braced my swaying sides with a firm grip, forcing me to face her. “You’re born of power, and more than capable of being you’re own hero.”

PHENOMENA’s EPIC HEROES CONTEST

Calling all WRITERS & ARTISTS

Create an original superhero for a chance to be PUBLISHED in an audiomachine ebook!

Open APRIL 15th through MAY 15th.

Architects of Illusion (Echoes of Olympus, #1): Youth of Legends Lost

April 29, 2014July 18, 2014 / WriterlySam / 6 Comments

Castle in the Mountains by Gray Artus

Join me, and a cast of brilliant film composers, as we awaken your imagination to the magic of the mountains during this year’s international A to Z Challenge (representing #TeamDamyanti).

▶ For a detailed PHOTO TOUR of Biltmore Estate, including the stone cherubs, click HERE! Want to read more? Visit my A to Z “Sneak Peeks” page!

Youth of Legends Lost

A MARBLE cherub flitted into the room, his ashen features carved with fear.

“What happened?” Tari demanded.

“This is your spy?” Seok snickered, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “You can’t trust these imps.”

Tari glared at Seok, hissing between her teeth. “Funny, I was thinking the same about you.”

The winged boy buzzed between them.”The cup-bearer,” he whispered urgently, stone lips trembling. “She brings a warning.”

Tari’s sea-glass eyes widened with dread.

“Cup-bearer?” I asked, inwardly cursing my abysmal mythology learning curve for the hundredth time.

“Hebe, the Goddess of Youth. She’s privy to all the council’s schemes,” Tari replied, narrowing her eyes at the skittish toddler. “Putto, who did Hebe meet with?”

“Couldn’t see who,” Putto replied, shaking his head. “Only hear.”

“What did she say?” Tari urged, her patience wearing thinner than the scrap of cloth draped over the cherub’s chubby cheeks.

“A plot to end all plots,” Putto’s plump fingers worried the dust from his ivory curls. “A clever weapon. Forged by the blacksmith God.” he added, milky eyes darting nervously between us.

“Hephaestus,” Seok seethed, anger tightening his jaw.

Conrí threw his hands up. “Well, that’s just grrrreat! Already outmatched and the battle’s not even begun.”

“The battle began long before you were born,” chided a voice shrouded in shadows, “and waged long after the youth of legends were lost.”

PHENOMENA’s EPIC HEROES CONTEST

Calling all WRITERS & ARTISTS

Create an original superhero for a chance to be PUBLISHED in an audiomachine ebook!

Open APRIL 15th through MAY 15th.

Architects of Illusion (Echoes of Olympus, #1): Xanthe

April 28, 2014July 18, 2014 / WriterlySam / 8 Comments

Castle in the Mountains by Gray Artus

Join me, and a cast of brilliant film composers, as we awaken your imagination to the magic of the mountains during this year’s international A to Z Challenge (representing #TeamDamyanti).

▶ For a detailed PHOTO TOUR of Biltmore Estate, including the Italian Garden and its many sculptures, click HERE! Want to read more? Visit my A to Z “Sneak Peeks” page!

Xanthe

WHO IS she?” I asked Tari, gazing up at the ivory form of a woman wrapped in nothing but the clinging embrace of a lion’s skin, her hand clasped gently around that of a small bleached boy, whose steps she lovingly guided to a tune only they could hear. At any moment, they could dance off the edge of their pedestal, their celebration spilling onto the garden’s soil.

“Xanthe,” Tari replied, her tone strapped with sadness. “She’s an Oceanid who was turned to stone during the ancient wars. Her son ran to warn her…both were caught in the Gorgon’s path.”

Tari turned away and headed into the Italian garden. “Now, she presides over the pools of memory,” Tari gestured towards the three sparkling ponds dappled with delicate lily pads and streaked with the golden scales of fish. “The Muses dedicated the garden to their mother, Mnemosyne, Goddess of Memory.” Tari wound through the garden, her hand brushing against the many cherubs that flanked the low stone lagoons. “The pools are fiercely guarded. Only a few know the offerings they require.”

I didn’t consider “cherubs” terribly fierce, but who was I to judge. “Offerings for what?” I peered into the shallow depths of the center circle. “The goldfish? Are they really that picky?”

Tari sighed, her sea-glass eyes rolling back into her head. “Not the fish. The dreaming spirits of the pools. Each spirit can answer one question about the past,” Tari pointed to the first pool, “the present,” she waved her hand over the center pool, “and the future,” Tari stretched her hand towards the final pool.

“Who knows the offerings?” I asked, studying the ponds with a wary eye.

“Xanthe’s little boy,” Tari glanced over at the statues.

The stone boy in question was no longer by his mother’s side. A child’s laughter trickled like bells through the air.

Tari grinned, “He’s faster than he looks.”

PHENOMENA’s EPIC HEROES CONTEST

Calling all WRITERS & ARTISTS

Create an original superhero for a chance to be PUBLISHED in an audiomachine ebook!

Open APRIL 15th through MAY 15th.

Architects of Illusion (Echoes of Olympus, #1): Wishteria

April 27, 2014July 18, 2014 / WriterlySam / 14 Comments

Castle in the Mountains by Gray Artus

Join me, and a cast of brilliant film composers, as we awaken your imagination to the magic of the mountains during this year’s international A to Z Challenge (representing #TeamDamyanti).

▶ For a detailed PHOTO TOUR of Biltmore Estate, including the wisteria covered arbors, click HERE! Want to read more? Visit my A to Z “Sneak Peeks” page!

Wishteria

TWILIGHT PEEKED through the woody vines that dipped and climbed the terrace arbor, caressing clusters of violet blooms that dripped honey into the humid air.

I closed my eyes and filled my lungs with the sweet scents of spring. A brazen breeze snatched at my wild copper curls, entangling them amongst the sticky fingers trailing from the trellis.

“Need some help with that?” a familiar voice chuckled behind me.

Apparently I did. The curious creepers continued to wind through my hair, making their way around my shoulders to wrap around my arms. “What are they…doing?” I giggled, slapping at a tendril that tickled my ear.

“Trying to steal you away,” Seok whispered, his fingers grazing the tender flesh of my neck as he worked to free me. Every brush of his hand sent my heart spiraling. “They must like you, Anise. I’ve never seen them quite so…animated.”

The wile wisteria snaked away from Seok’s reach, ensnaring me tighter in an effort to pull me from his grip.

“Whoa!” I screeched, as the vines swiftly swung me off the ground. The lavender ceiling parted seconds before the powerful plant lifted me through the top of the arbor.

“Hold on!” I heard Seok shout moments before his footsteps pounded away.

The sneaky thief loosened its hold, gently dropping me on top of the trellis. My frustration was swallowed by the stunning view. The fading light was brushed with radiant red and glistening gold that slipped silently into the horizon.

A panting Seok leaned over the South Terrace wall above me. “Are you hurt?” he asked in alarm, his chiseled features blurring into the shadows.

“No. I’m…fine,” I stood, gingerly, testing my weight on the planks.

“Reach for my hand. I’ll pull you up,” Seok urged.

I couldn’t see a foot in front of me, much less find his hand. “It’s too dark,” I sighed, stumbling over a gap in the latticework. “I wish I could see where I’m going, before I break my neck,” I muttered under my breath.

The blanket of blossoms surrounding me began to glow. A wave of violet light washed across the entire arbor like a thousand fireflies. I picked my way through the pulsing plants, marveling at their luminous beauty.

I looked up to find Seok grinning. “That’s why they call it Wishteria,” he reasoned, basking in this newfound knowledge. “Now would be a good time to wish yourself down.”