BALANCE OF LOVE Re-Release Day! (guest post by Patricia Josephine Lynne)

Patricia Josephine/Lynne is back, baby!

After a hiatus last year, friend of the blog Patrica Josephine Lynne is back, and she's re-launching all of her books! This week, Book Two in the Influenced series, Balance of Love, will once again be available for purchase. I read this one awhile ago and it was a great read. Like all of Patricia's books, I highly recommend it. 

Without further ado...

BALANCE OF LOVE

Their voices guide us.
Or deceive us.
But is there more to Light and Dark?

Influencers are the voices that whisper in our ears. Tiny Angels and Devils sitting on our shoulders and guiding our choices. They are sworn to thwart the other. At any cost.

But is it worth it?

Landon fully believes in his duty as a Dark Influencer. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to win the mortal’s soul—even seducing the beautiful Light Influencer, Antonia. Yet, he struggles to secure the mortal’s soul. As his feelings grow for her, Landon’s resolve begins to shake.

Is there more to influencing than blind obedience? It’s not Antonia or Landon who will pay the price for their mistakes.

Balance of Love is available pretty much wherever books are sold, but you can also use these handy shortcut links below:

AMAZON: https://amzn.to/3HHxv6h

BOOKS-2-READ: https://books2read.com/u/bxrvvq

And don't forget the other books in the Influenced series! Influence of Love is available now, and Revelation of Love is coming next month. Don't miss it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A paranormal and fantasy junkee, Patricia J.L. loves to craft young adult and new adult stories about vampires, mermaids, angels, demons, zombies, and other mythical monsters. Aliens might even appear in her stories. No matter what fantasy creature you crave. Patricia J.L. has a story for every imagination!

You can find her young adult novels under Patricia Lynne and her adult novels under Patricia Josephine.

LINKS:

twistingmyths.blogspot.com/

twitter.com/twistingmyths

facebook.com/groups/twistingmyths

twistingmyths.substack.com

My Miniature Painting Journey (Part 1: The Beginning)

 I've been spending a lot of time painting miniatures and models lately (more than I've spent writing, honestly), so I thought I would share some of my passion here. I would probably be better off doing this on Instagram or Reddit or something, but I've got a platform here, so I might as well use it!

I got a 3D printer for Christmas, so there are A LOT of models to paint. And this just shows the finished or nearly finished ones. I have several dozen more waiting in the wings.

Below are some of the very first minis I painted, about 20 years ago. I had no idea what I was doing - I didn't have the proper paints, I didn't prime them first, I used crappy brushes. I bought them cheap at a comic and gaming store in Toronto (the store that was actually the inspiration for The Spider's Parlour in Hell Comes to Hogtown), and they're all metal - unlike today's minis which are usually plastic or resin. The little goblin I believe is actually made of lead.

Though I enjoyed painting them at the time, I got busy with other things (not to mention frustrated because I didn't know what I was doing), so I didn't do much painting for many years. Flash forward to this past fall (October 2022), when I picked up a paintbrush again on a lark. I don't even remember what spurred the idea, I just decided one day that I wanted to give it a try again.

I started with some old Star Wars minis, which I bought the same time as the fantasy models above but were even older (they were originally sold in the 80s and I'm pretty sure they're all lead). I repainted them, using some of the knowledge I gained from the YouTube and other sites on the Internet. They still aren't great, but they're miles ahead of the originals.

I actually primed them this time, but I was still using cheap, lumpy, dollar-store craft paint, which is very hard to work with on stuff this small.

From there, I bought some new, plastic minis, and discovered that these models have progressively gotten larger. The old Star Wars minis above were true 28mm scale, meaning they're barely an inch tall. Nowadays the standard seems to be edging toward 32mm. The new Star Wars Legion Stormtroopers I bought were closer to 40mm (like 1-3/4 inches), which made them easier to paint but also made them look like giants compared to my old models.

They're a slight improvement from my previous models, but still not anything to write home about. Painting solid white is hard, especially since I still didn't mix or thin my paints properly.

Plus, I was really sick at the time so my hands were not exactly steady. The Stormtrooper on the right was painted while I had COVID, the one on the left was after I got better. There is a noticeable difference in quality.

So have I gotten any better in the ensuing months? We shall see! You'll have to wait with baited breath until my next update. 

(Spoiler: Marginally. I've improved marginally.)

Hugs & Kisses,

-CDGK

Happy Groundhog Day (#IWSG February 2023)

I completely missed the January IWSG. I would love to say it was because I was so busy writing, but that would be a bold-face lie. 

I have been creative, not just in putting words to paper. I think back in November I mentioned I had started painting miniatures again? Well, I got a 3D-Printer for Christmas, so now I've been doing A LOT of painting...

Some people look at these tiny little things and think that painting them must be stressful, but I find it incredibly relaxing. I can paint for hours and the time just floats by. Sometimes (often) it gets finicky and difficult, but I fix it, redo it, try it again, or sometimes just move on. I've learned a lot in the last several months, and I like to think I've improved already.

I've always liked making things, especially small things (I was a Lego nerd as a kid), and I love games and art. I've found a way to bring them all together, which is pretty fulfilling.

That said, I do have a half-finished draft of Gale Harbour 3 staring me in the face, not to mention several other projects I'm either planning or actively working on. I'll get to them eventually, probably when the printer gets boring, or the fumes from it get so bad my wife makes me throw it out.

FEBRUARY QUESTION

If you are an Indie author, do you make your own covers or purchase them? If you publish trad, how much input do you have about what goes on your cover?

I have gone back and forth between making my own covers and having someone make them. The cover for Ten Thousand Days was commissioned, as were the current covers for the Gale Harbour books. Hell Comes to Hogtown was a combination, as I commissioned the text for the title, a friend of mine took the photo, and I put it together. 

I am always stuck in a situation where I know what I want but don't quite have the skills to make it happen, nor do I ever have the money to pay someone to make it. The covers I have paid for were all pretty cheap (hello, Fiverr!), so they're usually fine but never exactly what I wanted, either.

What about you? Is anyone ever really happy with their cover?

(I know they are, just let me pretend they don't so I don't feel so bad)

Have a great month!

Hugs & Kisses,

-CDGK

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Writers post their thoughts on their blogs, talking about their doubts and the fears they have conquered. It's a chance for writers to commiserate and offer a word of encouragement to each other. Check out the group at http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/.