Author Archives

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Finished Not Perfect

This was posted on my daughter’s cosplay site. I needed to see this, especially this weekend. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of a project. It’s hard to let the world see it when all you can see are the flaws that still remain. It’s important to remember that the average Joe doesn’t see the flaws, they only see the beauty in the work. But they can’t see the work unless you finish it.  And always remember, nothing is ever truly perfect.

So, finish it and let your baby, whether ugly or pristine, bask in the sunshine of the people around you.

 

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A Writing Do Over

Helloooooo Wolff pack!!
Coming at you from Allentown, PA where I am having my own little writer’s retreat.
For those who are anxiously awaiting book two, I apologize. It has been way to long between books. My only excuse is issues medically that have impacted my ability focus and keep up with daily life. With some medicine adjustments and starting an exercise regimen, I am feeling better.
However, during the last couple of years, I have not remained idle. I have had my ups and downs physically. During my up times, I have written. I have a number of scenes just waiting to be organized and lined up within the confines of the story.
That, is in part what this weekend is about. It is the start of my writing life do over.
Today alone I have organized and put together the first 28 pages of writing. By the end of this weekend, who knows where I’ll be in the story. I anticipate also putting new words down, as I connect scenes already written and continue the story line further and further.
I appreciate your patience and understanding. I will conquer this book if it kills me.
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Cover Reveal – Silver Shackles 

 

Silver Shackles

Revelations Trilogy: Book Two

by Fiona Skye

silver shackles cover

Cover image by Rachel Bostwick

Available on Amazon and in print June 15, 2015!

When you steal from faerie queens, the consequences are painful and sometimes deadly.

Were-jaguar and TV personality, Riley O’Rourke, has been looking over her shoulder ever since she stole from the Dark Queen of the Unseelie faeries. When Riley is contacted by an informant with knowledge that can blow the lid off the story of the year, she can’t pass up the opportunity to investigate. What she finds instead is something that puts her at the mercy of the Dark Queen, a creature not known for her compassion.

When Riley’s boyfriend, David, realizes she’s missing, he’ll do whatever it takes to get her back, including starting a war with the Unseelie. The balance of power among the Fae courts is shifting, and if David makes one wrong move, Riley could end up crushed in the struggle. But after being the subject of the Queens’s legendary cruelty, will there even be anything left of Riley to save?

Get Taming Shadows, Revelations Trilogy: Book One on Amazon now!

fiona skye - author photoFiona Skye is a fantasy and historical romance author, currently living in the deserts of Southern Arizona. She shares a home with her husband, two kids, three cats, and a Border Collie.

Fiona’s passion for story telling began early in life. She loved playing make-believe and inventing elaborate fantasy worlds for her friends and her to play in. At age twelve, she wrote her first short story, based on a song by a 1980s hair band. After giving it to her English teacher for editing and rewrites, she learned to love the entire writing process, and has dedicated her life since then to writing, only to be occasionally distracted by her insatiable love of yarn and crochet, and the dogged pursuit of the perfect plate of cheese enchiladas.

She counts Diana Gabaldon and Jim Butcher as her favorite authors and biggest influences. Joining these two on the list of people she would wait in queue for a week to have a coffee with are Neil Peart, Kevin Hearne, and Brandon Sanderson.

Find her at the following links:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fionaskyewriter Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fionaskyewriter Website: http://fiona-skye.com/

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9 Ways to Make Your Self-Published Book Look More Professional

Very good information for those going the self-publishing route.

Michelle Proulx - Author

In my continuing attempts to promote and improve the self-publishing scene, today I present a handful of helpful tips you can use to make your self-published print book look more professional. These tips have been compiled via examining multiple traditionally published books and comparing them to the collection of self-published books I’ve acquired over the years. Read and enjoy!

Note: I’ve used my own book for all the examples below, as copyright law is confusing and I don’t want anyone to sue me.

#1: Formatting your page numbers

Step 1: Page numbers should begin on the first page of your story. This means Chapter 1. If you have a prologue, use Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, etc.). Do not start page numbers on the very first page of the book (i.e. the title page).

page number 1Step 2: Page numbers should end once the story is over. You…

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Cover Reveal – Taming Shadows

A year ago, author Fiona Skye released her novel Faerie Tales. Although she was proud of her accomplishment and completely satisfied with the tale she’d told, the title and cover art left something wanting. Not one to rest on her laurels, she took up the challenge to relaunch her novel under a new name and with brand spanking new cover art. She racked her brain for just the right title. Once she’d found it, she engaged the talented Rachel Bostwick to give her novel the cover it deserved.

Today, I have the privileged of sharing with you both the new title and the incredible cover art created for Fiona’s novel. And here it is:

 

Taming Shadows

Book One in the Revelations Trilogy

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Fiona Skye

 

Four years ago, she changed the world.

To be fair, it wasn’t entirely her fault.

cover-web

On sale now in print and ebook!

See the book trailer:

(This book was previously published under the title Faerie Tales.)

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Happy Thanksgiving!!

It is hard to believe that once again the holidays have begun. It is with the truest sincerity that I wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes and gravy. Have fun with family and friends. And always, always remember to be thankful for all the blessing the year has brought.

From my home to yours, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Snoopy-Thanksgiving

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Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

 

 

I made this yesterday and it turned out really well.

Chocolate Chunk Banana

Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

  •  2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ½ light brown sugar (packed)
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks or chips

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  2. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan, preferably glass.
  3. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Blend well.
  4. Mash bananas until there are no lumps. Beat butter and sugar in separate bowl until light and fluffy. Add milk, cinnamon, vanilla and eggs one at a time while mixing.
  5. Stir in dry mixture until blended. Fold in chocolate chunks or chips until combined.
  6. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
  7. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Depending on your oven this can take an hour to an hour and a half. If the top starts browning but the inside is still not done, loosely cover with tinfoil and complete cooking process.
  8. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Enjoy!

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Silencing Your Inner Critic

This is a blog post I wrote for The Dragon’s Rocketship, a Sci-Fi/Fantasy group for authors, artists, readers, and all around fans located here:

On the web –  http://thedragonsrocketship.com

and

On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1420653414841740/

 

Silencing Your Inner Critic
By S.J. Wolff

How many times have you looked at your work, rolled your eyes, sighed heavily and thought, “Oh boy, I suck at this”?

Too many. Right?

Don’t worry. You are not alone. We all have that little niggling, good-for-nothing voice pushing us down. No matter how skilled you are as an artist, a writer or overall creative soul this voice exists.

Why? We are not born into this world not believing in ourselves or our talents. We are not brought into this world with an awareness that we can fail. If we feared failure, would we stand up for the first time? Take those first hesitant steps forward learning to walk? No, we wouldn’t. We learn to walk because we have no one telling us that it is dangerous and we shouldn’t bother. We aren’t afraid. We know nothing of failure. This fear didn’t come from within. So, just where did this self-denigrating voice come from? It came from without. Someone somewhere in our life implanted this wicked little naysayer into our psyche where it then took root and has grown in the shadows ever since. While we’re looking over what we’ve created self-doubt opens the door for this shadow from our past to slink through. And boy does it wreak havoc when it does. It plays with our minds and tricks us into believing things that are not true. The longer we go with this voice calling to us from the darkness, the more we question our ability to create something of worth.

So, step one in conquering and dispelling the voice in the shadows is to shed some light on it.

We must identify the Voice so we can understand why it holds sway over us and take away its power.
The people around us, our relatives, friends, teachers all form our opinions of self-worth. They give us context for where we belong and what is valuable within us. Often times, without realizing it, they also give us baggage.

Some examples from my own life:

“You’re a slow learner.” (Teacher)

“You can’t accomplish without someone else’s help.” (Teacher)

“You talk just to hear yourself talk.” (Mother)

And perhaps the most damaging for my creative psyche, “Why do you waste so much time doodling with writing when you could be doing something more important? It’s a wonderful hobby but what are you going to do for real?” (Mother)

Now, I know you’ve all probably heard some semblance of that last one. Someone who told you that writing or your art is a great little hobby but not something that is “real”. But, all of these type of negative comments feed our wicked, false, and tricksy internal opportunist who is always looking for an opening to knock us down to size.

Think back. Who in your life could have triggered this voice in you? There may be one person or a few. It might have been while you were a child or while you were an adult. The only constant is that this voice is the voice of someone whose opinion mattered to you in some way.

Write down who they are and what they said to you. Stare at the words on the paper and understand, these are the words you have been wielding against yourself all the years forward from that moment in time when they were uttered by another person. These ARE NOT your words. Disown them. Disassociate with them. Separate them from who you are.

Now on to step two – Replace These Negative Words with New Positive Ones, either by you or by those who have encouraged you.

Where I had a teacher who said negative things that stuck with me, I remembered a teacher who was dearer to me than the first. At the time, her words were ignored in favor of the negative ones. I can’t tell you why. Perhaps it was because at home I was hearing the same negative type comments so this teachers comments rang “true” to me. Now, as an adult I realize there was only one person who’d tried to make a difference in my writing life. The others are the voices that have held me back from where I needed to be.

So, hers is the voice I replaced the others with.

Make a list of positive things people around you have said to you or about you. Replace the negatives with their voices.

Every time your internal critic tricks you into uttering, “I suck at this. Why do I even try,” stop it cold and replace it with, “A writer writes. It is who I am and who I’m meant to be. I learn from my mistakes and get better every day.”

Don’t fear your inner critic. Learn to control it. Self-doubt is natural. Critiquing one’s own work is necessary because without it we do not improve. But, there is a difference between critiquing your work and allowing it to move into self-flagellation. When the thoughts whispering through your mind are no longer constructive, when they tread on your talent with steel spiked boots leaving impressions that will only grow deeper, then it is time for the cycle to come to an end.

Butterflies and Books

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
~ Maya Angelou ~

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A blurb to remember

After much hemming and hawwing, I finally came to terms with the fact that my blurb just wasn’t good enough. So, instead of having another go at it and forcing the issue I let my main character take a whack at it. This is what came of it:

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~The Dagger of Aita: Retribution~

Throughout history we have been here. Born of the union between the Watchers and the Daughters of Men, our human hearts pump the blood of Angels through our veins. Yet, we are neither human nor Angel. We are the Alimentatori, descendants of the divine, and this is just the beginning…

In my two-hundred and sixty three years I have witnessed much, yet nothing could have prepared me for the devastating murder of my brother, Julian. While he lies in stasis awaiting The Release, his killer roams the Lazio region of Italy free to seek other victims. But, all is not right behind the veil of this ancient landscape. Its beauty hides a world of ancient secrets, hidden agendas and political intrigues. In order to extract my vengeance, I must first play a dangerous game according to another’s rules. Unfortunately for them, playing by the rules has never been my forte. Toppling a game-board or two would suit me just fine. Regardless of the dangers that lie ahead, Retribution will be mine. My name is Jacen Trudeau of the House of Samsaveel and I’m about to open Pandora’s Box.