Weight, Playlist, and Release

It's been a while since any updates. I thought I'd start off this post with something that's been on my heart.

People are hearing (and seeing) things everywhere about weight/health. The weight of women, and men, and where it should be, etc. In fact, I probably shouldn't even combine the two issues, weight and health, since the second part doesn't seem to be the main focus anyways.

I'm sure everyone has read a lot concerning these issues. I'd just like to share a couple verses, and pictures, to offer a different perspective than what you might be used to.

"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."" -1 Samuel 16:7

This is a verse pertaining to God's choice for King. (it ended up being David, the boy who fought Goliath, though this was before that. I guess God was good at seeing into the heart in that case!) Point: outward appearance... not so important. Not even for a King. If it's not important to God for the king who is LEADING His people, then who does need it.

On the other hand, we all long to be beautiful. Men also long to have a heroic appearance. God isn't against that! Consider these words by Jesus:

"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -Matthew 6:28-34

This paints a better picture, doesn't it? It is not that we shouldn't long to be attractive. God Himself is gloriously beautiful, and we are made in His image. There is an entire book in the Bible, Song of Solomon, devoted to beauty, love, and desirability--even down to exact descriptions of the human form. 
But God longs that we seek His righteousness (aka: Jesus) then He'll take care of making us beautiful. He did that at the start, didn't He! He made us after all. 

Lastly I would like to show a few pictures of the ideals of beauty that have been set in the past (perhaps when people were less self-controlling, and more humble in the sight of greater powers*).

 Note: these images are pulled from the wikipedia page on Ancient Greek Sculptures, to give a fair and varied selection. 

 Please click on the last image for a larger size. It is especially pointed since these women are the "muses" of the culture. Believed to be daughters of Zeus and inspiration for all the arts, they would also be considered highly desirable. Perhaps you've heard of Nymphs? That is their other name. 

Now, I am not saying that people long ago had it any more right than we do now. And I'm certainly not saying that gods exist! I'm trying to point out that humans are wavering, and as strong the push is for you to look a certain way now, let's just rest and be ourselves, and chase God's righteousness instead. In this way, we can be sure that God will make us as lovely as He makes the flowers; as glorious as He is Himself. 

We all come in different shapes and sizes. For anyone who has read my books, you'll know about Ellia, Adelle, and Evelyn. They are all beautiful and seen that way by their respective loves, but they are certainly not the same size, height, or shape. I have noted in my book, that Evelyn is softer, shorter, and "not able to be held up by vines for climbing". :) Cyric's pretty good at picking Ellia up (er... because he's like a lieutenant wearing metal armor all day...) but she's no light-weight! She is tall, and strong enough to fight with two swords. Luffie, her hyppo-sized chimera couldn't carry two of her, so that should be a clue. Adelle's, never really even spoken of (aka, doesn't matter, Dmitri thinks she's pretty cause he loves her).

For anyone who is wondering about the nature of these sculptures, take a look at some of the dudes. It's clear we're in the "idealistic" realm. 

 I hope this has been uplifting. I really don't think that weight is something we should concern ourselves with (in fact, I know it isn't, since Jesus said it). But there is a lot of stuff out there saying: you're bad if you're fat. I'm saying: they don't even know what fat is. God made us; seek Him and let Him make you perfect. 


There is a beauty in a woman, the devil envies
A smile to her lips, he can't divine
A sway within her walk, he can't distract from 
a softness to her touch, he can't prescribe

Of all things made, girl is the loveliest to stare at 
As God made mountains, oceans, he has pieced her fair as well 
So walk knowing your body is of God's perfection
Revealed for man to see their want for Christ


Second Topic!

Or maybe, I will start with the third... just to be difficult. :P

The release of Fallen Warrior is SET. It will come out July 4th. As many of you know, it has been finished for a while. I am actually recording it for AUDIO BOOK just now, that is how I am editing through it for a final. I'm hoping this will help me spot all the tiniest of spelling errors, and I have also heard it helps with phrasing. Either way, the written form of FALLEN WARRIOR will definitely be out the 4th. And with it at least a sampling of the audio, until we figure out how to sell it. I hope that everyone is excited about this. Fallen Warrior is my favorite book that I have written, and that is not easy for me to say. It is MASSIVE. 250,000 words. Think Harry Potter seven, lol.

Now lastly. 

Here is the promised playlist. Did I already post this here? I am not sure, but please listen to prepare for the July 4th release. It will help you to guess what will happen! 

FALLEN WARRIOR PLAYLIST

 That's all for now. Everyone have a God-blessed week/month/year. Jesus is coming soon!!!

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*This is not to say that greek gods exist; and certainly not to say that God isn't the One and Only True God. It's just the point of logic, that in the past, societies were based more on higher governing powers, outside of their control. 

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Fallen Warrior

So I thought I'd announce to everyone that I'm beginning edits of Fallen Warrior. FALLEN WARRIOR is the third and last book in the FALLEN trilogy.
Compared to Ember and Obsidian, the Fallen Trilogy hasn't had as much attention, but I hope that with the third book coming out, people will really give it a chance. To encourage that, here's some artwork that has inspired the books. Be prepared for pictures galore.

*Click one of the pictures, if you want to see them all big. 

 This is similar to how I imagine Uldin Keep.

This is part of the metal-works processing that Akadia does. You could think of this as Akadian-red, when I'm always describing the soldier's or city colors.

 I found this after I wrote in Tosch. The black one REALLY looks like him! For those of you that have read the first two books, you'll know Tosch. But he plays an even bigger role in the third book!

This is not really how I imagine chimera for my book to look (not at all, hehe) but I still like the picture. Evil chimera, ftw!

This is Luffie nearly exactly. So lovely.

 Tosch again.

 And again.

 Well, I wonder who this is.

 And perhaps you don't know who this is going to be...

 This is an actually photo from the Island of Yanartas in Turkey. It has FIRE inside of it, just like in the book.

 Lapis Lazuli, the stone Cyric sees in book two.

White Tigers! Byakoans! Haven't met them yet...

 Inspiring a place called Genbu. Won't go there until book three...

 This is a secret. :)

Uldin Keep again.


This is literally nearly every picture that inspired the books. Much of the artwork is from deviantart. Just message me if you would like the name of the artists. The four silver medallions are an important element to the Fallen books that I might write about in a future. But I don't want to give too much away, until everyone's read the third book!

Hope you like the pictures. We'll be announcing the release date soon! Get reading the first two.
And p.s. here's Cyric and Ellia:

They are the two blondes. I assume you can deduce sex... :)

Have a blessed week!

My Little Obsidian

So lately, my niece is very fond of My Little Pony. Anyone else a fan? I guess adults are called bronies or something. I don't understand why. But the release of Obsidian since February has been a Great Success! We have sold over 1,ooo copies already. Ember is selling over 2,000 each month. I am so happy and grateful for the all the feedback! I wish I could ask everyone personally who their favorite character is. That is my favorite question to ask.
I wish I could post each review, and thank every person that has commented, because I am so grateful to them. (even the bad ones!)
But that would fill this blog post very long, and everyone can go to amazon and goodreads to read those.
I thought, to celebrate Obsidian's success, in honor of my niece, I will show you all my sister's (aka, my agent, website runner, and editor specialist) my sister's self-made EMBER Series My Little Ponies.

So without further ado...

My little Obsidian:



You can probably guess, this is Evelyn. Isn't she pretty? I love the forest in the back. I want to live there.



Dum-dum-da-dah! Ikovos! He is so cute as a pony. Don't worry if you think he looks too clean-cut. All he needs to do is shake off those glasses and get his hair a little wet and he'll be a model of pearl and silver excitement!

 Now comes the funny part...

This is Jaden.

And this is what Jaden THINKS he looks like... 

Yup, that's our Jaden. I think particularly with all the success of Obsidian, all your wonderful feedback and support, he is feeling especially awesome. I'd say he considers Ember's success 90% percent the cause of his great hair, but that's for another story... 

I'll try to write a new post soon about what's coming in the future. Of course the Fallen Trilogy has the last to come out. And it is all finished! And it is amazing, if I do say so myself. The characters really pulled through in the last book. I love them. Fallen Warrior will be out soon I hope. 

As for those of you wondering about the THIRD TO THE EMBER SERIES, I have to tell you honestly that I haven't penned a single word. But I do know the story! It's going to be great (and a LOT happier than Obsidian, for those of you that have read it). It'll be full of magic, and light. It is tentatively called, "Dust" and likely that is what I'll refer to it as in future posts. 

I hope you all are having a good new year. Grace to you in 2013. You will be in my prayers. And I'd be remiss not to say that I hope you all think of Jesus this year, if you haven't before, and find a church to visit and celebrate His love for you. There isn't anything good that comes to you that isn't from Him. If you love stories, especially love stories, as I do, then I hope you will always remember that they are telling the secret of His love for you. Jaden, Evelyn, and Ikovos, all learned love from the one who loves us the most. So praise Him this Easter, because He is alive, and He loves you. 

Thank you everyone again. Happy Easter!

Love Sworn is here! *UPDATE*

*UPDATE*

Love Sworn Reviews!

Hey, I just wanted to show everyone some of the reviews we've gotten on Love Sworn. We've sold 50+ copies in the first month! Two of these reviews are from amazon. One is from my website. If you like what you hear, please read the book!

Review #1:
5.0 out of 5 stars "Best book in years" August 23, 2012
By Avid Reader
(Amazon Verified Purchase) I have to admit I am a sucker for a beauty and the beast story any day of the week. But this one really out shines any of the others I have read. I LOVE the charaters. They are so real I was constantly waiting to see what was going to come out of their mouths next. It was tightly written, which is a rare thing these days. And I loved that the author stuck to the story structure of the well know story but at the same time made it her own. She knows her stuff!I laughed the through the whole book, but found it touching too. I would recomend this as a delicious read for all ages.

Review #2:
5.0 out of 5 stars "Best Epilogue Ever" September 14, 2012
By Scott R.
(Amazon Verified Purchase) Disclaimer: This review is very similar to another one I just wrote because, hey, it's Beauty and the Beast. We know how it starts, we know how it ends. It's the getting there that's the fun part.

So, in my search for new werewolf novels (my favorite genre) to read, I discovered that Beauty and the Beast came up with werewolves in it.

Well, this is a fun book. A riveting book. The characters, including and especially the supporting cast, were amazing. Tight plot, great dialogue. I will admit I really hated Dmitri at the beginning, but I guess you're supposed to. And I even got to experience the story without that awful "Be My Guest" song in my head.

And like I said, it has the best epilogue ever.

Review #3:
Love sworn is just another of an exceptional book written by Tess Williams! I have been following her since Ember and i get so excited every time i see that a new book is coming out! I cant wait for this december for Obsidian!!! Thank you Tess Williams and keep up the great work!

 

(now continue reading below to find out where to get the book)

 

*UPDATE END*

 

Alright. So Love Sworn is OUT as of today, August 23rd, 2012.

Synopsis: An enchanted castle, a self-absorbed rich boy, a painful curse, and the quiet heart of a beautiful girl... Can a monster fall in love? Love Sworn is a modern day retelling of the classic story, Beauty and the Beast, with a werewolf twist.

How's that sound? I'm going to keep these post short and sweet, so you can get on to reading Love Sworn.

If you want a E-BOOK of Love Sworn visit smashwords, barnes & noble, or amazon. The price is $.99

If you want a PAPERBACK version of Love Sworn, please visit lulu. The price is $13.99.

FYI: If you don't have a Nook or Kindle, etc., you can go to smashwords and download the book (for $.99) in many types of files, so don't think you need an e-reader. You can also download a Nook or Kindle program for your computer, for free, from Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

RECAP:

-Love Sworn e-book: $.99
-Love Sworn paperback: $13.99
-As long as you have access to a computer, you can read Love Sworn on Smashwords, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

Positive Report: Love Sworn already sold 2 copies yesterday (before it was even "officially" out). Awesome, right?

Look at that face? That's Max.  He wants you to start reading about him. So go, go read the book. Then let me know what you think. Here on blogger, or in an e-mail. Oh, and don't forget to check out the new Love Sworn page, on my website.

Bye Bye.

Fallen Kingdom is HERE!

Da-da-da-dah! (hoping that reads like a resounding chime of success) Fallen Kingdom is official available to buy. Check out the links in the panel of my website to get your copy. It's available on smashwords, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon for 99 cents. If you read it, please review, or let me know what you thought in an e-mail. You can find the address on the "contact" page of my website.

If you're into book playlists, here are most of the theme songs for Fallen Kingdom.

Hopefully I'll do a post in the future explaining which songs are whose and what they mean, etc. Please note that there are sadly two major theme songs missing from this playlist. They are:



and



Unfortunately, they don't have these two available on playlist.com, but I'm attempting to learn how to put songs up there, so it's likely that they soon will. :) If you happen to know how to do it, please let me know in a comment or something.

Lastly, a lot readers seem to want a better picture of what the chimera from the Fallen Trilogy look like. I thought I'd put up a few of the pics I used as inspiration to give you an idea.

First there's this peice by *sandara on deviantart. This is definately the closest to how I picture the chimera, especially Luffie (Ellia's chimera).

All of the chimera, even the boy ones, have heads that resemble a female lion's. Luffie specifically has flecks of turquoise in her hair and turquoise eyes--just the same as this one! The differences would be in torso, since the chimera of the Fallen Trilogy have "feathered wings like those of an eagle, and serpent tails like those of a dragon."


These next two aren't technically very acurate to the Fallen Trilogy chimera, but there are some similarites, particularly in the coloring of the three-headed chimera as well as it's tail. And then in the wing-to-body ratio of the second one.

This second drawing is done by njoo on deviantart by the way. It's titled, Dark and Day: Chimera.

So, that's about all for now. Please enjoy Fallen Kingdom and thank you for stopping by!