OWS CyCon Fantasy Blog Hop: Guest Post--What Makes An Author's World Unique?

About The OWSCyCon Fantasy Blog Tour

As part of the OWS CyCon 2019, we asked our fantasy authors to write about what makes their world, or the world of another author unique. Each of them has come up with very different answers which reflect their writing processes, their research methods, and their views on world building.

We hope you find these insights interesting, and that they maybe give you some new things to think about when you pick up a new book, or even start writing your own.

After reading this interview, be sure to check out the responses from our other fantastic writers: https://owscycon.ourwriteside.com/fantasy-events-at-cycon/fantasy-blog-tour-what-makes-an-authors-world-unique/

What Makes Your/Another Author’s World Unique?

By Caleb Smith

I’d like to start off by saying that I can be pretty hard on myself at times, just as many other authors are about their work(s). There are times when I write a chapter and I am thrilled with the outcome. There are also those occurrences when everything I tap into the screen stinks like a pile of heaping [crap], in my opinion of course. I can almost smell it wafting through the blue light. 

As a new author in the realm of fantasy, I don’t honestly know how unique my world truly is. I guess this is a question geared towards the reader, sorry, I am brutally honest. All I know is what I have experienced in the 40 years that I have taken breath in this life. How truly real is anything other than what is experienced? Instead of stroking my ego and talking about how cool, unique and different I think my author's world is, I feel it would be more authentic to explain to you what my goal for the reader is.

The formula is pretty simple. Most every fictional author does it. I take what I know through experience and research and paint a mythical tale around those facts. I know my story is different than any others because I am different. I wrote it from within the individual depths of my essential makeup. I choose fantasy because what I know is fantastically related.

There is a world, a different realm of greater dimensional space right in front of us that we can’t see with physical ordinary eyes. It’s right there for the taking, I promise it’s there, would you like to see it? 

In order to see it you must leave the mundane behind. The job, the car, house, apartment, kids, spouse, pets everything that you have ever partnered with or accumulated in this life and leave it all behind. This world is meant for you to find on your own will. 

Only you can conjure the power to see and be a part of this world, no one else can do it for you. There is a thin path that leads to this world and only the very few, strong, ready and willing, can walk it. This is a place that knows no time, pain, weight, vice or opinion. It is perfection that delivers the keys to supernatural supremacy. All the things you once deemed impossible are suddenly possible. 

There are no longer miracles because once you are in, you become the miracle. With great wisdom comes greater responsibility. In this world you will see everything in its true natural form. You will see past the physical world and into ethereal essence. In this realm the cosmic laws of the world are granted to you, and you my friend become a true super-being. Only now will it be up to you to protect and serve humanity from the fallen hoards that aim to infect and destroy it. The choice is yours. Longevity awaits you.

About Caleb Smith

Caleb Smith is a debut author from Bangor, Maine. He loves to read, write, research and explore the unknown. Caleb is currently writing a Paranormal Fantasy series titled - Longevity. When Caleb is away from his work you can find him at the local golf course, on a hiking trail, or on the water exploring nature. Caleb also loves family time, art, poetry, history, film and science. -Live Your Legend-

Meet Caleb Online

OWSCyCon2019 Author Booth: https://owscycon.ourwriteside.com/forums/topic/caleb-smith-author-booth-3/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calebsmithauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CalebSm13590886

Author Blog: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18453977.Caleb_Smith

Learn More About the OWS CyCon 2019 Event

CyCon is the biggest online book event of the year, bringing together authors and readers from all over the world for an entire weekend of book-related fun. Between the organizers, and 230+ writers, you’ll be able to view live (and recorded discussions), listen to samples of their stories, vote in the various genre tournaments, browse the author booths, and discover some amazing books and writers.

We hope you enjoy this event as much as we enjoy bringing it to you. For more information, and links to all of the activities, visit us at: https://owscycon.ourwriteside.com/about-ows-cycon/

You never know, you may just find your next best read!

OWS CyCon 2019 World-Building Showcase: Sci-Fi Author Alison Lyke and The World of "Forever People"!

Welcome to another fantastic stop in our World-building Showcase blog hop! On this stop, we’re highlighting a story where the world changes or ends as we know it, but you can find a full list of authors and topics on the OWS Cycon website. Let’s dive in!

Welcome, Alison Lyke!

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, what is Forever People about?

Welcome to Zeta City, where the whole world goes to die. Here, the Node System uploads the minds of the dying so they can spend eternity in a digital Promised Land. But, this cyber heaven is causing hell on earth for the living because the System forces them to earn Points to buy data in the afterlife.

Camille is a salty mercenary out to hoard as many Points as possible by exploiting the dying with illegal technology. She's on the hunt for Toy, a rebel leader who uploaded lethal technology to her own brain in an attempt to wipe out everyone’s Node Points.

Camille goes to increasingly dangerous lengths in pursuit of Toy. She soon finds that the Node is full of warm reunions with loved ones and otherworldly creations. It’s also full of lies.

What are the main differences between the “regular world” and the world on the other side of your barrier?

The regular world is pretty similar to ours, with the exception that people who die in “netted” areas are uploaded into a computer-generated afterlife. The world on the other side is the “Node,” a digital heaven where anything is possible as long as you earned enough “Node Points” while alive.

How is travel through your portal/rift/gateway possible? Is it easy to reverse?

The only obvious way into the Node is death in a netted city. There might be other, little known and illegitimate ways in, but there’s a heavy price to pay for those who would trespass into the afterlife.

Does language play any role in your world? Does everyone speak the same language, or is there variety? Did you invent any new slang or terminology during your world-building process?

My idea is that progress ground to a halt after the Node was invented, so there is very little new technology and almost all slang revolves around the Node system.

I wanted to create a world with very little government interference, so all of the government-funded services are now private. The various police forces, for example, are named after whatever group owns them.

What kinds of climates do your characters experience? Do they see a lot of change or is it always the same? Has your world always had this kind of climate, or has it changed over time?

The primary location in Forever People is Zeta City, which based off of New Orleans. I thought it would be a fitting place for the original death city. The climate is pretty much the same, but hotter. Other, nicer cities have climate control.

Is there any kind of faith system in your world? Did you draw inspiration from any real cultures, living or dead?

Almost everyone has swapped religious faith for faith in the Node System. The only people who still follow a religion are the few who live outside of nets and those rich enough to have hobbies outside of striving for Node Points.

What do people in your invented world do for fun? Are there sports, games, music, or other activities they do in their free time?


Holograms are the main form of entertainment and news. Most places have a blank wall, and an empty area set aside for holoprojections. A few folks have portable holograms they wear on their wrists or arms.

Your Process

When you build a world, what is your process like? Do you do a lot of research upfront, wing it completely, or something in between?

I find some idea I like and just jump. For Forever People, I read about an emerging technology to help Alzheimer’s patients. Scientists are trying to develop a technology where people’s memories are stored digitally, so I took that idea and thought about where that technology could go and what a world with the possibility of digital minds might look like.

How central is the setting of your story to the story itself? Is it more of an interesting backdrop, or is it integral to the events of the story?

The world and how people are desperate to change it is an essential part of Forever People. The setting is vital in science fiction, but, to me, not as important as the character. Of course, I want a cool world with exciting features, but I want real people moving through it.

When helping the reader get to know the world you built, what techniques do you use? Do you tend to be upfront about things, or keep the reader in the dark and feed them only bits at a time?


I try to let the reader know enough so that the world makes sense, but I don’t want to ruin any surprises or give so much information that it’s overwhelming. I want as much of it to be as organic as possible. I want the reader to learn about my world like they would a foreign country they were visiting for the first time.
How much of a role does realism and hard scientific fact play in your world-building? Do you strive for 100% accuracy, or do you leave room for the fantastical and unexplainable in your world?

I like my worlds surreal, so while I use science as a jumping off point and I like things to be believable, I have no problem with things getting fantastic.

How do you keep all of the details of your world and characters straight? Do you have a system for deciding on different factors and keeping it all organized, or does it live more in your head?

Most of it lives in my head, and it’s crowded in here. I do keep notes on my world and my characters, but they are rarely more than a page or two long.

Did you experience any difficulties while building your world? Any facts that refused to cooperate or inconsistencies you needed to address while editing?

I kept mixing up the names of the Nets, which were all named after Greek letters. The netted cities are all based on real locations in the United States, but the nets are so important that the places took on the names of the nets. So, I had to remember, for example, which city Gamma was initially, which characters came from there, and the ways that the city had evolved since the introduction of the Node System.

Where can people find you on the web?

My website is here: https://www.alisonlyke.com

You can find my OWS CyCon Booth here: https://owscycon.ourwriteside.com/forums/topic/alison-lyke-author-booth/

I’m also on

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlisonLyke

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alisonlykewriting

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44011734-forever-people

Thank you to all of the organizers at OWS CyCon and a huge thanks to my awesome blog host!

For more stops on our World-building Showcase, visit the tour page on the OWS CyCon website. You can also find more great Sci-Fi authors and books on our main Sci Fi event page.

OWS CyCon 2019 Blog Hop: My Top 5 Reading Recommendations!

Welcome to the 2019 CyberCon, hosted by Our Write Side! You can find my booth >HERE< in the Fantasy category... stop by and leave a comment if you like what you see! I'll also be taking over an hour on Facebook, in the Fantasy and Sci-Fi Reader's Lounge on Saturday, May 18th--hope to see you there, at least!

Now, on to business!

I love reading. If I could make a career out of it, I totally would! In the almost-seven years since starting this blog, I've read more and more books that I've fallen head-over-heels in love with--much more than five, I can tell you that much! Ergo, I've narrowed down the list to a countdown of my favorite series (of four or more books), trilogies, anthologies, and authors that I can definitely recommend all the time--you'll really want to check them out!

5 Binge-Worthy Series

I am notoriously slow at reading a series... Mostly because there are so many good books out there, I tell myself that spacing out books in a series and reading other books between will be more delightful and make the series last longer... but honestly, when you go to read these series--you're going to want to get the whole thing and binge them all at once!

First up is my all-around favorite, The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer: it consists of Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter, and a follow-up book of tie-in short stories called Stars Above. (There's also a novella she released while we were all waiting for Winter called "Fairest" but I wasn't as impressed with that one...) It may look like a cheesy teen novel series that is ALL ABOUT THE ROMANTIC TENSION and "looking cool" and any actual plot plays second-fiddle to a game of "Will They/Won't They"... but it's not! I would say that this series is hands-down the BEST collection of fairy tale adaptations, "disguised" to read like genuinely fantastic cyberpunk novels!

The next series I'd recommend also came as a surprise: The LorienLegacies, by "Pittacus Lore." Obviously, that's a pen name; it's actually the name of a character within the series--and the thing about this series is that I kept picking up each successive book (the series is about seven novels long.... and they've started a second series and they're already three books in... but I haven't read that one yet) wondering when it was going to fall all to pieces--and it NEVER DID. The characters were fantastic, the peril kept me flipping pages with bated breath--and yet they never seemed to "recycle" the challenges, the way one might expect with a series that carried for so long! So many cliffhangers! You'll definitely binge this one!

The other three series that came to mind immediately happen to be indie-published--but for sure as good as any other series out there! The first (and longest) is The Chronicles of Lorrek by Kelly Blanchard--I'm just barely starting Book 5 right now, and she's gearing up to release book 7 already! The series is a blend of magic and tech--true "fantasypunk" at it's finest! The characters, the intrigue, the fascinating realms--you'll want to read all of them! You can find reviews of the first four books, and the collection of tie-in short stories here on my blog: Someday I'll Be Redeemed, I Still Have A Soul, I'm Still Alive, Do You Trust Me? and The Truth Behind.

Also coming to mind is The PSS Chronicles by Ripley Patton: Ghost Hand, Ghost Hold, Ghost Heart, and Ghost Hope. I happened to meet her through another author, and she was local at the time (she has since moved), and getting my hands on this series just about blew me away! I loved every moment of it, from the whole original concept of the premise, to the delightful characters I grew to care about over the course of the series--it's a bit of sci-fi, a bit "superhero" as this group of people end up with this superhuman condition and they're being hunted for it by a notoriously resilient villain (the worst kind!) and this is definitely a series you shouldn't miss!

Last but definitely not least, the series to binge this summer would have to be The Grave Reports by R. R. Virdi! A superb series if you enjoy paranormal stuff like ghosts, vampires, Fae, goblins, and whatnot--I have definitely enjoyed all these characters, it's just the perfect entertaining level of snark, the female characters aren't just eye candy when it counts--it's a lively romp, not for the faint of heart, but definitely you'll want to binge the series once you start! I've reviewed all the books in the series so far on my blog: Grave Beginnings, Grave Measures, and Grave Dealings. Can't wait for more!

4 Tantalizing Trilogies

Next up, trilogies! I've encountered several wonderful, can't-miss trilogies that you definitely need in your life!

First of all... Do you like superheroes? Do you want another take besides the typical "comic book" tropes? Brandon Sanderson's Reckoner novels (Steelheart, Firefight, and Calamity) are glorious and wonderful and quaint all at once! David is a young man who witnessed a superpowered "hero" murder his father, so he plots revenge: he begins researching all the "Epics" (as they are called) and learning their weaknesses and limitations, in search of revenge. He meets a shadowy group intent on taking down the power-hungry Epics, and they embark on a mission of legendary proportions.

Next up, an indie trilogy: The Volumes of the Vemreaux by Mary E.Twomey (The Way, The Truth, and The Lie). Holy CROW, that series completely tumbled my emotions! The premise is shocking and wonderfully unique: kind of alt-history, it assumes that Ponce de Leon did discover the Fountain of Youth--but it only "worked" for those of a certain blood type, sustaining their youthful appearances, and giving them other physical advantages. Note: I noticed the other day that it is now billed as a "vampire" series... but I never got the "vampire" vibe at all, and I don't even think that "vampire" is even mentioned at all in the series... it's just pure, emotional roller-coaster ride all the way through!

The other two trilogies I chose, I have read 2 out of the 3 books--but I am 100% confident that Book 3 in both trilogies is going to be just as amazing as the ones I've read!

The first is an indie series, the Firebird Fairytale Trilogy by Amy Kuivalainen. It pulls from Finnish and East European mythology--so Baba Yaga, werewolves, witches, phoenix, and vampires, to name a few--and the characters are fantastic and the imagery is so vivid, I love it! I've read Cry of the Firebird and Ashes of theFirebird--and I'm totally excited for Rise of The Firebird! I want to know what's in store for these characters that I've gotten to know and enjoy so much!

The final one I'll mention comes from a mainstream British author that I've read just about all of his books (except the most recent one) and I own another one of his trilogies, I enjoyed it so much. 
The trilogy I'm mentioning for this list, though, is called The Book of the Ancestor Trilogy by Mark Lawrence. It's fantastic and wonderful, following a young girl as she joins an order of assassin nuns--it's grimdark fantasy, so there's plenty of violence, some language... but the author's style is irresistible and if you love sweeping, epic fantasy with tinges of sci-fi woven skillfully into the details, then you'll definitely want to look this one up at your earliest convenience!

3 Astonishing Authors

Next up for our "Reading Recommendations" countdown--some authors you simply MUST discover, if you haven't already!

The first is actually a group of authors who produce a slew of amazing anthologies--some names are pretty consistent with each one, forming kind of a "core group" but every time there are some new names whose submissions end up being my absolute favorite selections... But that would be The Writerpunk Press Group. The theme is "all kinds of -punk genres" and the skill level is beyond legendary. They started with adapting Shakespeare plays in various ways: Othello as the leader of a biker gang, Macbeth as the owner of a nanotech company, "The Tempest" reimagined with Tesla-era machines... Absolutely glorious! From there they moved on to other classics, such as Edgar Allen Poe, Classic Literature (Mark Twain, Jane Austen, even Beowulf!) and Classic Horror. Everything they do is GOLDEN and if you love steampunk, clockpunk, cyberpunk, or any kind of punk at all--do not hesitate to follow the hyperlink!

The second is still in the realm of steampunk--a relatively new-to-me author, but one who has yet to disappoint: Patricia Loofbourrow. I am really enjoying her neo-Victorian series, The Red DogConspiracy. First of all, the world-building is stellar: the city is called Bridges and everything is a card-game reference! From the fact that the four Mafia-style "ruling families" are the Clubbs, the Harts, the Diamonds, and the Spadros family, to the titles of the books themselves: The Alcatraz Coup, Jacq of Spades, Queen of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs, King of Hearts, and so on! Not only that, but she is planning on having 13 books in this series--and I am here for them all! Her characters are wonderful, the emotion and the pace will absolutely carry you away--once you start, you will not be able to stop!

And finally--I can most definitely recommend anything by Cornelia Funke. If I see her name on the spine, I don't even hesitate anymore. Her take on fantasy is wonderful and I love the different twists she puts on things, from the Inkheart Trilogy and the magic she brings out in storytelling, to Dragon Rider, told for the most part from the perspective of the Dragon, actually! Even her YA series, Mirrorworld, takes on the darker, more mature side of fantasy with spellbinding grace. Definitely, definitely start reading Cornelia Funke if you haven't!

2 Practically Perfect Paranormal Publications

I admit, I know it's cheesy, but I couldn't really resist the urge to alliterate! I know I've made a few paranormal series recommendations already--but there's more!

First, you absolutely HAVE to hear about J. E. Mueller, the author of the incredible Shaudrey Universe series. It's a bit of a strange name, I know--but the storytelling is solid, and I really love the story she's built. It centers on Key--a girl cursed from birth because of a deal her father made with a demon before she was even born... and now that demon is set on collecting her soul as payment after her father dies. Key is intent on breaking the curse before that can happen--but what chance does a mere mortal have?

Book 3 is on its way, and I have the first 2 already, even though I've only read the first one, Fire's Song. I love her style, her character choices, the quippy dialogue that clips along and creates a distinct voice for each character... She's got other books out, more like fairy tale twists, and I absolutely want them too!

The second is another one that I've only read the first two books, Angel in Training, and Angel Eclipsed, (in the middle of the third, Angel Tormented, as we speak!) but I love it so much that I wanted to include it on this big list of recommendations! A demon curse is one thing--but how about an atheist becoming a guardian angel? Such is the case for the LouisiAngel series by C. L. Coffey. Angelina gets murdered in an alleyway one fateful night, and just before death, she is solicited by an archangel and offered a "job" as a guardian angel to a trainee detective--and in the process, the girl who never really paid much attention to anything spiritual finds herself thrust into a war between Heaven and Hell, and both sides seem to have pretty compelling reasons to fight! How can she keep things from falling apart while preserving the life of her charge and not exposing the convent of angels right there in New Orleans? The angels are great--there's Cupid (also called Kurt), archangel Michael, the cherubim (more like goth teens that are the "staff" of the convent than the chubby dolls we usually think of), and a whole host of unique figures, both the heroes and the villains. It's a ripping adventure and if you're looking for a unique paranormal "Heaven Vs. Hell" kind of series with just a touch of romance (not the sort that's plastered all over every other page) added to a very well-paced thrill ride--you'll want to get a piece of this action, for sure!

1 Drop-Dead DELECTABLE Duology

And now, we come to the last couple of books I will mention for this posts: the duology Storybound and Story's End by Marissa Burt. I discovered them quite by accident, browsing the library shelves in the children's section for another author--and when I read the blurb on the back cover, I just had to find out what this book was! Just listen:

"In the land of Story, children go to school to learn to be characters: a perfect Hero, a trusty Sidekick, even the most dastardly Villain. They take classes on Outdoor Experiential Questing and Backstory, while adults search for full-time character work in stories written just for them.

"In our world, twelve-year-old Una Fairchild has always felt invisible. But all that changes when she stumbles upon a mysterious book buried deep in the basement of her school library, opens the cover, and suddenly finds herself transported to the magical land of Story.

"But Story is not a perfect fairy tale. Una’s new friend Peter warns her about the grave danger she could face if anyone discovers her true identity. The devious Tale Keeper watches her every move. And there are whispers of a deadly secret that seems to revolve around Una herself...."

I just... I'm... YEAH. A bibliophile's dream, am I right? So I picked it up, read it, and immediately needed the second book right away--who knew two short books would be so immensely satisfying? By now, I've gone and bought my own personal copies, so now I own it and I can go back and read it and relive the whole astonishing adventure over and over again--all that to say, everybody should know that these books exist, and definitely if you love fantasy, books, and bookish fantasies--this adventure is a dream come true!

So there you have it... A whole COUNTDOWN of reading recommendations to keep you entertained for many years to come! I could recommend so many more... If you're interested to see what I would recommend for a particular genre, or maybe there's a book that you really loved that you want to know more like them--just comment and ask me! I'm always down to recommend books that I love! And I read so much--chances are I'll have just the one for you!

Enjoy the rest of what the CyCon has to offer!

Introducing: THE OWS CYCON 2019!

Friends and followers, I'm so excited to share with you an opportunity coming right here to The Upstream Writer!

A few years ago, an author I followed invited me to participate in something called a "Virtual Convention." In a sense, it was kind of like a small convention, and everybody was organized by genre, and everybody had their own event page or their own post in the big event, or even their own segment in a Facebook Group to share about their works and attract readers from other authors' networks. I participated in my first "Virtual Con" before Princess of Undersea was released, but I still had plenty of fun. Actually having published works to talk about just made everything more fun in the ensuing years!

After last year, though, the group who organized and hosted the "Virtual Fantasy Con" announced that they wouldn't be doing it anymore. I wondered if that was going to be the end of virtual cons for me.

Then I joined the Our Write Side group. Originally it was because they had opened up for submissions into an anthology of Cinderella-themed fairy tale twists (which was the reason I started writing "The Dragon's Mark") but when my story ended up double the word count and way past the deadline, I decided to forgo the anthology, but stay connected to the group. It was innovative, exciting, and I figured it was worth keeping an eye out for any future opportunities for anthologies or something.

Then OWS announced that they were going to do a Cyber Con of their own--and I eagerly leaped on board. I signed up under all the genres I had published stories for, and sat back to watch what was going to happen next. Since OWS had its own website outside of Facebook, I knew it was going to look a little different--I wondered how different.

The answer came very shortly thereafter: it was going to be very different.

First of all, the Con is organized so that our "booths" are not on Facebook at all, but on the forums for the official OWS site. Click >HERE< to go straight to my booth, under the Fantasy genre!

Second, I ended up in THREE different CyCon-specific groups, because I had registered for Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Urban Fantasy. THEN.... Each of those groups had a blog hop they were doing, so when I signed up for those, I ended up in FOUR blog hops, with each organizer requesting that the posts be published before the weekend of the Con.

Folks, the Con is next weekend.

SOO!! Here's how it's going to work! I'll have a new blog hop post every day this next week, and you'll get an opportunity to head over to the OWS forum for fun and excitement (so you might want to go back to my >Author Booth< and bookmark it!), OR if you want to stick around Facebook, the link to the official event is >HERE< and also there will be some CyCon activity going on in the >Fantasy and Sci-Fi Reader's Lounge< for the whole weekend, too!

That being said, here's a schedule about what blog posts you can expect next week! I'll also be coming back to this post to share links to the different blogs where my own posts end up! Stay tuned!

Monday: Hit List--My Top 5 Reading Recommendations!

Tuesday: World-Building Showcase Part 1--Science Fiction Goes Punk! (Guest Post) (My Post is HERE)

Wednesday: OWS CyCon Fantasy Blog Hop! (Guest Post) (My Post is HERE)

Thursday: World-Building Showcase Part 2--Unbound To Earth! (Guest Post) (My Post is HERE) 

Friday: OWS CyCon Urban Fantasy Blog Hop--"Fantasy Integration In Society: Magic and 'The Real World' in Fiction" 

Saturday: Fantasy and Sci-Fi Reader's Lounge Takeover Hour!

Am I a glutton for punishment for taking on so many things? More than likely.

Am I going to shy away from this opportunity to plug the things I love and interact with more readers while spreading the word about things I've written? Not even a little bit.

Wish me luck! And most of all, I hope to see you there! As always...

Catch You Further Upstream!

Reader's Review: "Frost Bitten" by C. A. King

Synopsis from Amazon:

Willow and her friends are back and find themselves under the scrutiny of the magical inhabitants of the main world. Everyone seems to be against them including the directors, the mayor and Keith Quidnunk, the intern journalist for 'The Empowered' newspaper, whom no one has ever seen. At the same time Lance has asked for Willow's help, but if she does it will mean having to survive King Cornelius' wrath.
Join Willow and her friends to find out what wonders await them as they explore frozen lands. Can they save Santa and Christmas from destruction? Can they avoid being sanctioned by the magical community?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My Review: 

The Portal Prophecies continue to surprise me! Going in, reading the first book, I assumed I was in for just a simple little adventure with wild and colorful, eclectic scenarios that would happen quickly and twisted creatively but predictably. I wasn’t totally sold on any of the characters, and I let my first impression color what I thought the rest of the series would look like.

Then I read A Halloween's Curse, and I learned that I had presumed wrong in the best way possible! The first book might have been a little rough around the edges as it was setting the various stages—but now those stages are set and the shows are happening!

The events and resolution of A Halloween’s Curse means that the refugees from Willow’s world are being regulated and monitored by the authorities, distrusted for their abilities, and also having those who know about those abilities demanding that they use them for the purposes of the authorities’ benefit.

Meanwhile, there are missing guardians to find, artifacts to protect, and the royal family is really wanting to get rid of Willow... Her only hope is that Prince Lance can keep his family off her scent.

This book is deceptively thin—and there is a lot that happens in such a short time that I had a hard time putting this down! There’s death magic, frost monsters, charismatic influence, an alternate origin story for Santa Claus... and SOO much more! I really enjoyed the different scenarios--the level of peril is just enough to let each character shine, and there is definitely something brewing in the background that isn't too obvious, while the obvious brewing conflict is remaining suitably just below the surface. Every adventure reveals just a tiny bit more of everyone, giving a new strength along with a new set of challenges to overcome. Dynamics are changing all over the place, but can Willow and her friends remain strong through it all?

I would give FROST BITTEN a solid *****5 STAR***** rating. For what it is, a delightful, eclectic adventure full of unexpected twists and unique characters, it hits all the high notes and keeps a reader firmly in its thrall. If you haven’t read The Portal Prophecies yet... What are you waiting for? Pick up your copy of the first book, A KEEPER'S DESTINY, and get ready for nonstop excitement!

Further Reading: (Paranormal/Portals/Adventures/Young Heroes)

The Portal Prophecies--C. A. King
     -A Keeper's Destiny 
     -A Halloween's Curse

The Fair Folk Chronicles--Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins
        -Foul is Fair 
        -Street Fair 
        -A Fair Fight 
        -All's Fair 

Spirit Knights--Lee French
       -Girls Can't Be Knights 
       -Backyard Dragons 

Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
     -Escape From Neverland 
     -Dance Into The Wyrd

The P.A.W.S. Saga--Debbie Manber Kupfer
       -P.A.W.S. 

The Cadeau Series--Connie Olvera
       -Who Can You Trust?

The Shaudrey Universe Series--J. E. Mueller
       -Fire's Song 

-A Spell in the Country--Morgan Smith

-The Seventh Crow--Sherry D. Ramsey

The PSS Chronicles--Ripley Patton
       -Ghost Hand 
       -Ghost Hold 
       -Ghost Heart 
       -Ghost Hope