Thursday 21 November 2013

Review and Guest Post: Eternal Blades by V.S. Nelson



Eternal Blades
Sekhmet’s Guardian’s Book Three
By: V.S. Nelson

Blurb
Tshering Snow never meant to fall hopelessly in love with her savior, the Ancient, known as Lance, but she did. He seems to care deeply for her, spending every available hour with her, but will he be able to give up his past and settle down with one woman? After all, he has the reputation of a playboy.

Lance hates the personification he has created around himself. Afraid the others might not understand why; he has held back the truth from Gabriel and the other Guardians, he has waited for the right woman, the one Sekhmet prophesized so long ago. And now he has found her. When he is accused of fathering a child by both Gabriel and Tshering, how can he make them believe the child is not his, even if the boy is a spitting imagine of him?

After the women are attacked by Set’s Legions while relaxing on Jennifer’s new yacht, they come to the unanimous decision; they will train and join the Guardian forces. But that’s not as easy as it was meant to be. Old fashioned and hard headed, Gabriel is determined he will not having women fighting in their war.

When Tshering, Jennifer and Jessica are taken hostage by Set’s Legions all hell breaks loose on the Guardian’s compound. Lost without their mates, brother fights brother while they try save their women and put an end to the Legion’s terror. Will Sekhmet, the goddess they serve, step in and reveal the truth or will she leave them to find their own solutions to a never ending war as she has in the past?

Review 
I haven't had a chance to read the first two books in this series, so there were some "what's going on moments" for me, but they didn't take much away from the book. I recommend reading the first two before this one, but I can still say it was a well-written, exciting read. I loved the multiple plotlines and variety of characters (sort of reminiscent of Game of Thrones). I can't wait to read the first two then continue the series when book four comes out! I give Eternal Blades four cupcakes out of five. 



Naming Characters

By V.S. Nelson


I’m often asked where I got my character’s names for my novels/series. Picking names for characters can be as easy as drawing a name out of a hat or it may require some long detailed research or it may come to an author as she or he is writing out the story.

Names for heroes and heroines also go through trends. After the Twilight Saga was released, one saw an amazing increase (or use) of heroines named Bella. I’m given a lot of books to read and review and I must admit I got to the point that if the heroine was named Bella, I wanted to immediately put the book down.
Sadly, once a hero or heroine’s name has become as well known as a character like Bella from Twilight, a reader will begin to identify with the original and not the character the author is portraying in their new work, no matter how hard the author depicts the new character with the same name.

One can also see an abundance of Edward’s, Ian’s, and Wrath’s (in its many forms) in paranormal romances. Just like mother’s naming babies, authors tend to name their characters by what is popular. Names for children that were popular 50 or 100 years ago are no longer used. Edith, Elsie, Bert, Howard have been replaced by Ashley, Shawn, Kristy, and Ian.

It’s not uncommon for an author to change the character’s name after the project is finished for one reason or another. Sometimes this is brought about by an agent or publisher who just doesn’t like the name, or the author discovers a name he or she merely likes better. Unlike several of my author friends, my character’s names have never changed, with the exception of one secondary character who a beta-reader suggested I chance since the description of the character was too close to someone in real life she knew. The primary reason I didn’t change my main character’s names is because, they (my characters) introduced themselves to me in a dream and although my seven heroes can at times sound like a bunch of Ninja turtles, their names have and will remain the same. There is also a little back story which tells how they got their modern names within the series which ties into some well known historical facts, which does give there presence and their names some credibility.
Their original Egyptian names can get confusing for the reader since they are often long and a couple of them are very similar in text and sound, so I have tried to refrain from using them, except when it is necessary to the story. I am currently working on two of the hist oricals for the series which take place in ancient times. My ancient Egyptian dictionary’s along with an abundance reference books sit on the floor beside me to help me when I use unusual names, places, etc.

Coming up with unusual names can be fun and rewarding. The heroine from, Eternal Blades, the third book in my series name is Tshering Snow. Tshering is an usual name and one that took many research hours on my part. Since she comes from a small country in the Himalayas’ I wanted her name to mean something special, sound original and still have the readers be able to relate to her. Even her last name, Snow, is an original Bhutanese surname.

When one is writing historicals, the author needs to first research the various time frames he or she is writing in. As we have already discovered, common names for various parts of the world have changed over time. That also includes the spelling variations for simple names such as Sue depending on time and location. Susan, Suzanne, Susannah, Suzan, Susie, Suzie, Suzy, and Sousan are all variations of the name Sue.

Coming up with a set of unusual, never before used names, can be very rewarding to the author and leave a great impact on the author’s readers. One such series stays foremost on my mind, J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. Her hero’s names share their flaws and strengths and are named accordingly; Wraith, Tohrment, Vishous, Rhage, and Vishous are just some of the names she uses in her series. Even her spelling variations are to be complemented on.  
Follow the Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/09/now-booking-tasty-virtual-book-tour-for_6.html



Author Info
With a love for history, Native American author V.S. Nelson, instructed elementary, high school and college in the U.S. and abroad before launching her second writing career.
V has been a story-teller all her life, always creating stories about people discovering the courage to make a difference. This drove her into writing her paranormal series centering on strong relationships and led her to coin the term: Ancient Legends, New Worlds.
She is well known for her “time management and sprint style writing,” producing well over five thousand words daily - consecutively.
V is available for speaking engagements, appearances and is more than willing to share her methodology with others in a variety of workshops.
A member of three RWA chapters she sits on several committees and judges writing contests across the states.
In Jan, 2013, Eternal Lovers, the first book in her eleven book paranormal series, Sekhmet’s Guardians launched with a fury. Being a series reader herself, she has held true to her promise by releasing no less than two books in the series per year in addition to her other work.

Author Links
                   (series) https://www.facebook.com/SekhmetsGuardians


Giveaway: Embroidered Book Bag with Swag
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6 comments:

  1. Thank you for hosting me today. I hope you will enjoy books one and two. Always, V

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  2. I love series. I am looking forward to start reading!

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  3. Thank you for hosting today and VS was kind enough to share the first two books with me for this tour, if you are interested in reading Natalie!!

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  4. Sorry to say that I don't have a favorite Guardian - I'm just now learning about this book - but hey - that's the great thing about tours... you reach a lot of new readers :) !!

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  5. I love characters with names I can't forget. It just feels right when you find the right name. I envied authors who could came up with unique names until my heroines Liberty, Godiva, Bliss, and Atlandia named themselves.

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  6. No, i dont have a favorite. These books are pretty new to me. Definitely gonna have to grab them and catch up! Thank you for sharing! Have a great time on your tour!

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