Deek's Rhewminations: November 2013

I love getting lost in a story. I can happily let hours slip by as I experience the lives of new friends and foes in exotic, unfamiliar worlds. I journey with them, experiencing their struggles and their triumphs, as they progress on epic adventures. A great storyteller will seize and hold my attention, make me happy or sad, excited or angry, all with the press of a key on their laptop.

Erin Albert wields such super powers. From the first word in the first chapter, her book captured my attention. Her debut novel, The Prophecy, enveloped me in a new and unique universe created by a very powerful imagination. Through its pages I lived and experienced the adventures of Layla, Samson, Grant, Nash, Wil, and a host of other relatable, complex characters. Chapter by chapter time sailed by and I found myself excited for my favorites’ victories and angry at their treatment in the hands of their enemies.

The only problem? The book ends in a cliffhanger and I, along with the rest of the world, am frustratingly forced to wait until the next segment, The Outlanders, is released to know what happens. Sigh.

That, my friends, is fantastic storytelling.

The tale starts up with 17 year old Layla Givens on her way to her town’s annual celebration. Her people observe The Day of Dawning, a festive holiday that honors the First Ones--the founders of their religion. The city of Medlin is brightly decorated and a myriad of fun activities are in progress when the religious sect, the Ecclesiastics, arrive. Every year they perform the religious part of the ceremony, only this time things are different.

The leader of the group, Elder Werrick, orders all the town decorations removed and the activities canceled, claiming these things are not a “proper honoring” of the First Ones. As the town decor is disassembled he meets Layla. Almost instantly he declares her the Fulfillment, the young woman foretold in their sacred scripts that would bring about peace between the different kingdoms.

Layla is a Vanguard, a kingdom of fierce warriors that possess supernatural physical strength, and betrothed to Samson, another Vanguard. She is told by Werrick she will marry the Prince of the Ethereals, a kingdom of people that have the power to alter minds: the ability to both project images and remove memories. These two countries are sworn enemies of one another and have been warring for centuries. She tries to fight this declaration and her capture. Only the Ecclesiastics have imprisoned Samson and other members of her family and are threatening them to ensure her cooperation. Thus setting the scene that creates unlikely allies, hidden dangers, romance, anguish, and many epic battles.

The tale is told in a strong, formal voice, like nothing I’ve ever read before, and have come to think of as the Erin Albert Style. Filled with noble princes and princesses; deep and complex characters; manipulative, merciless antagonists; and plot twist after plot twist, The Prophecy will keep you guessing.

Then of course there is the cliffhanger ending. But I digress.

Come on book two!!!

About Erin

Erin Albert is an author and fitness trainer. Since she picked up Morris the Moose Goes to School at age four, she has been infatuated with the written word. She went on to work as a grammar and writing tutor in college and is still teased by her family and friends for being a member of the "Grammar Police." In her free time, Erin enjoys acting, running, kickboxing, and, of course, reading and writing.

The Prophecy Synopsis

Growing up on a small farm in the kingdom of Vanguard, seventeen-year-old Layla Givens lives a deceptively tranquil existence. But her carefully constructed life quickly falls apart when she’s abducted by a religious zealot who proclaims her The Fulfillment of an ancient peace prophecy and whisks her away to marry her greatest enemy.

Wilhelm, Prince of the Ethereals, is reluctant to meet his new bride. He's grown up believing Vanguards are evil, an enemy to fight and fear...not love. Can he set aside his prejudices and work alongside Layla to bring lasting peace after centuries of war? Nash, a loner who has never fit in, carries a huge secret, one big enough to destroy both kingdoms. When he accidently meets Layla, he’s no longer content to live in the shadows,
but he must resist his growing attraction—for her safety and for the longevity of the two kingdoms.

When Nash's secret is revealed, a firestorm sweeps through both realms, with Layla at the center. Now she must choose between duty and desire while the fate of two nations hangs in the balance.

Buy The Prophecy!

The Prophecy

From Muse It Up Publishing

Learn more about Erin and her upcoming YA fantasy novel, The Prophecy:

Like her on

(Erin Albert Books)

Follow her on

(@ErinAlbertBooks)

Mark her book “to read” on

and visit her website www.erinalbertbooks.com.

This week I have the pleasure of spotlighting author, Erin Albert. Her debut novel, The Prophecy, out November 15, 2013. She hosted me on her own blog in July and I had the esteemed pleasure becoming one of her Critique Partners. This is the third time I've had the honor of having Erin grace the pages of my blog. First an interview, Getting To Know Author Erin Albert, and again Erin Albert Reveals Her (Book) Cover.

If my blog is any indication of her hard work and dedication, it is quite apparent she is SUPER busy. See the bottom of this post for a list of some of her interviews and guest posts.

I wanted to do something a little different than a standard interview and since she has such a plethora of just fantastic material--and I am too lazy to come up with unique and interesting questions--I have decided to run a special post: Erin's Albert Top Internet Moments. Some of the facts come from her 25, Random Facts, a lot come from her interviews, bits and pieces from her blog, and some from my own manuscript which she is helping to edit.

Without further udo, here they are in no particular order...

Erin Albert's Top 10 Internet Moments

#1 - Agnes

Erin as Agnes Finkenhoffer

For four years, I played a recurring character named Agnes Finkenhoffer. She was the BIGGEST nerd ever. I secretly enjoyed letting my inner nerd out so often and in such a public way.

25 Random Facts, Team Prophecy

#2 - Grammar Ninja

Erin is a certified member of the Grammar Police and a Grammar Ninja. In addition to getting her book published, she has recently been made Senior Editor for BookFish Books.

Erin as the Grammar Ninja

I have been crazy lucky that she has been helping me with my own manuscript, cleaning up grammar and other problems. She has taught me so much more beyond what I could ever hope to return to her as a critique partner.

So while there may not be a web page per se on her inner word nerd, there are a few Erinisms I can share from my own manuscript. Anyone who is fortunate enough to have her read over his material will both recognize and be able to sympathize with my plight. :-)

* This what? - Usually she is pointing out a sentence that has "this" in it without a subject

* Passive - Ugh! I see this all the time, where she is pointing out the dreaded passive voice

* Adverb - Most adverbs must be vanquished. Occasionally she'll "let" me keep one!

* POV Slip - Nope, not an omnipotent writer. Gotta stay in the right character's head

* Third introductory statement in a row - Eep! This happens all the time in my ms

* Fragment - Usually no subject

* Three sentences here - Usually she is pointing out that I have a sentence that is about as long as War and Peace

#3 - Lessons on Grammar
A lot of people have learned from her lessons on grammar. I have included a two of her grammar lessons as posted on Lorrie's Flowers and Thors blog:

1) Passive voice
The use of active voice improves writing and flow. Try to avoid passive verbs like: was, were, had been, is, has been, had been, will be.
A passive example: “I was editing my friend’s work.”
An active example: “I edited my friend’s work.”

2) Ending in a prepositionTry not to end sentences with prepositions.
Example of preposition: “She didn’t know where he came from.”
Correction: “She didn’t know from where he came.”**

**This correction sounds slightly pompous and awkward, so the writer would benefit from reworking the whole sentence.

Reworking option (there are many other ways to change it): “He appeared by her side without warning.”

Common prepositions: of, in, to, for, with, on, at, from, by, about, into, as, after, over, against, before

#4 - Is From the South
Erin is from the south. Specifically she says on the topic: I am a Southerner, born and bred in Dixie--a hush puppy addicted, pig pickin' eating, homemade biscuit making Southerner.

Here is how to speak southern from her blog:
*Fixin' to: about to do something. Example-- "I'm fixin' to go get my hair done."

*Caddywhompus: askew, crooked Example-- "That picture is cattywompus. Could you straighten it?"

*Directly: in a bit Example-- "I'll be back directly."

*Coke: all forms of soft drink, no matter the type or flavor

*Fetchin': attractive Example-- "She is mighty fetchin' in that dress tonight."

*Hush your mouth: a round about way of saying thank you. Example-- Man, "You look mighty fetchin' tonight, my dear." Woman (blushing),"Why, hush your mouth."

*Sass: bad attitude, back talk Example-- "Don't you sass me, missy!" I <may> have heard this phrase a <few> times in my life...

*Spell: period of time. Example-- "I'll just sit here on the porch for a spell."

#5 - Is She-Ra Princess of Power
Is there one thing you do that makes you say, “damn, I’m good!”?

I am the best at wrangling every single grocery bag from the car to the house in one trip. I HATE making two trips, so I will literally load bags from my shoulder to my wrist on both arms and stagger into the house that way. Every time I do it (after I drop the bags, of course…if my arms still work), I raise my arms in the air and shout, “I am She-Ra, Princess of Power.”
Jay Scott blog - Getting To Know Erin Albert

#6 - In Love With Percy Jackson
You are such a shipper. I’ve learned this chatting with you on Twitter. If you could ship yourself with any book boyfriend, who would be your top three picks? Name the book, author, character, and what makes you fangirl them so hard. (Anyone who hasn’t read these before may want to know all the deets to run out and find these after reading your answers. ;-) Rawr.)
Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan created this magnificent character and wrote about him in two different series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (5 books) and Heroes of Olympus (currently 4 books). I love Percy because he’s completely and totally hysterical. I so adore a funny guy. While I appreciate good looks—and believe me, I appreciate good looks—the true way to my heart is laughter. A man with wit is worth his weight in gold to me, and Percy delivers in spades. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard after reading these two series. When he comes of age and crawls out of the pages of the book, I intend to marry him immediately. Perin (or Ercy) 5eva!

From Melissa Petreshock's, Ramblings from the mind of the Dragon writer

Jay's Note: I picked this one because I too am a fan of Percy Jackson. And while I don't have the romantic interest in his character, I LOVE the writing and his adventures. Thus, including the first of the three answers she gave on Melissa's site.

#7 - Little Ms. Social

Erin Albert, Most Social Author

She is a Twitter fiend and amazingly has a personal relationship with just about everyone who follows her. So much so she won the Bloggy Awards Most Social Author 2013.

#8 - Talks About Her All Time Favorite Author: Shakespeare (even though technically he's a playwright)
For her blog post on Bibliotheca 8 on Bookish Owl, Erin discussed Shakespeare and some of her favorite quotes. Here is one:
"All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts…” - Jacques, As You Like It
As an actress, I am particularly drawn to the imagery here. But moreover, I appreciate Shakespeare’s depth. My college professor once said Shakespeare must have been an astute people-watcher to have such a clear grasp on human nature. If you study his works, particularly the tragedies, you will see this truth. I would have loved to spend a day watching people with Shakespeare.

#9 - Loves Alcide

If you follow Erin on Twitter you will see her affection for Val and Thor and Alcide (his character name on True Blood). In the blog My Nook, Books & More, Erin lists her dream cast for the movie rendition of her book.

They are as follows:

King Jesper: Scruffy John Corbett
Prince Wilhelm: A young Charlie Hunnam
Princess Vespa: AnnaSophia Robb
Queen Montessa: Jennifer Connelly
Prince Vance: Max Schneirder
Layla Givens: Danielle Campbell
Samson Mantar: Darren Criss
Grant Mantar: Adam Gregory
Lia Mantar: Melina Govich
Nash: Young Jensen Ackles
Volton Mars: Ewan McGregor
Elder Werrick: James Gandolfini (RIP)

This leaves two major characters unaccounted for. In the list she has the following entries:

Queen Sansolena: Me (and I’m not even kidding)

King Rex: Joe Manganiello

#10 - Has the Most Dedicated Fans

This is Erin's debut novel, but she is so popular she has already amassed a cult-like following. Her fans create banners, graphics, and even conduct raffles to give away two copies of her book. One very enthusiastic and energetic group put together and maintain a web site for her. Wut? Who does that? Erin's fans, that's who!

Check out the Team Prophecy web site!

Thanks for joining and be sure to check out Erin's book, The Prophecy!

Also, enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card!!

About Erin