Tag: Spell of Summoning

Reading Cafe 4 Star Review of Spell of Summoning

Reading Cafe 4 Star Review of Spell of Summoning

Posted on by Anna Abner

Or, My Second Book Blogger Review

Click here for the original post.

Spell200x300

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Holden Clark walks into Rebecca Powell’s life, a tall, blue-eyed stranger who stirs long forgotten desires. But nothing, including this man, is what it seems. A dark necromancer is targeting Becca for a full-blown demonic possession. She is thrust into a world she never knew existed—a world where dark casters create chaos and necromancers talk to the dead.

Holden has no faith in his power. A necromancer, he communicates with the dead, but he has never embraced his gifts. Now, he has no choice but to stop the dark caster attacking Rebecca, but accepting this mission means he’ll be delving into dangerous magics he’s never used before.

Under the protection of the damaged and mysterious Holden, Rebecca will question everything …

 ********************

Review:  Spell of Summoning is an interesting read of magic and necromancy. While I am a fan of paranormal genres, I have never heard of necromancy. When I first read the mention of it, I had a feeling I was reading out of my comfort zone. Despite that I found myself enjoying the book immensely and intrigued with the whole necromancy stuff. While I am used to reading about spells, spell weaving, shape shifting and magical healing; necromancy entails spell circles, cutting yourself and calling on spirits to help and draw energy from.

Spell of Summoning is about Necromancer, Holden Clark and Real Estate realtor, Rebecca Powell. The gist of the story is Rebecca has a demon trying to take over her and it is slowly but surely wearing down her defenses. The story is a race against time to rid Rebecca of the demon before the people responsible finish the spell. Of course this becomes an adventure but this adventure also helps both Holden and Rebecca face their inner demons and open their eyes to their trues wants in life. I do like how the chemistry between Holden and Rebecca builds slowly and that their lovemaking scene is very explosive. Though there are times I did feel like their chemistry fell a little flat at times.

This book kept me at the edge of my seat, guessing who the culprit who is trying to destroy Rebecca and unleash a scary demon out into the world. I liked how this story was a perfect balance between a plot that drags on and a fast- faced plot. I appreciated this very much. Out of five stars I would rate this a 4 for the reason that the plot, necromancy, and passion were spot on with me but with the background story of both Rebecca and Holden along with the twists and turns of the story; I felt sorry for them more than half the time.

Reviewed By Xtina

 ********************

<3 Anna

Spell Marks & Spell Circles

Spell Marks & Spell Circles

Posted on by Anna Abner

Or, My Interpretation of a Necromancer’s Spell

In the Dark Caster Series, I write about necromancers. In my world, they channel a spirit’s power with a lot of self control and the help of a spell circle. Most of my research came from the book A Dictionary of Symbols by JE Cirlot (1971). Here are a few of my own–very amateurish–drawings of what I imagined in my head while writing Spell of Summoning:

A symbol of power that hangs suspended between heaven and earth.
Bell; a symbol of power that hangs suspended between heaven and earth.
A bridge between worlds and a link between what can be perceived and what is beyond perception.
A bridge between worlds and a link between what can be perceived and what is beyond perception.
The lower part becomes a receptacle open to spiritual forces while the upper part closes over the earth.
Chalice: the lower part becomes a receptacle open to spiritual forces while the upper part closes over the earth.
Libra, a sign of equilibrium between good and evil; justice.
Libra; a sign of equilibrium between good and evil; justice.
The mystic symbol for justice.
Scales; the mystic symbol for justice.
A link between the upper and lower worlds; inversion.
X; a link between the upper and lower worlds; inversion.
A six pointed star is the symbol of the human soul.
A six pointed star is the symbol of the human soul.
Virgo; symbolic of dual--positive and negative--forces.
Virgo; symbolic of dual–positive and negative–forces.
A spell circle with four spell marks at compass pints, plus four others.
A spell circle with four spell marks at compass pints, plus four others.

<3 Anna

 

 

 

 

The Music I Write By

The Music I Write By

Posted on by Anna Abner

Or, A Short Playlist For The Dark Caster Series

 

My all time favorite song “A Drop in the Ocean” by Ron Pope:

“Drunk on You” by Luke Bryan

“Skinny Love” by Bon Iver

A piano cover of “A Thousand Years” (originally by Christina Perri) by Nef Pagtakhan

 

The one song I think encompasses Holden Clark is “The Right Way” by Ron Pope, but I couldn’t share it. If you’ve never heard it, check it out. Every time he sings “I just want to live” it gives me goosebumps.

 

<3 Anna

 

 

Community Bookstop 5 Star Review of Spell of Summoning

Community Bookstop 5 Star Review of Spell of Summoning

Posted on by Anna Abner

 Or, My First Book Blogger Review

Click here for the original post.

 Spell200x300

Title: Spell of Summoning
Author: Anna Abner
Publisher: Mild Red Books
Pages: 275
Format: ebook
Source: Author Request Review

Description:

Holden Clark walks into Rebecca Powell’s life, a tall, blue-eyed stranger who stirs long forgotten desires. But nothing, including this man, is what it seems. A dark necromancer is targeting Becca for a full-blown demonic possession. She is thrust into a world she never knew existed—a world where dark casters create chaos and necromancers talk to the dead.

 

Holden has no faith in his power. A necromancer, he communicates with the dead, but he has never embraced his gifts. Now, he has no choice but to stop the dark caster attacking Rebecca, but accepting this mission means he’ll be delving into dangerous magics he’s never used before.

 

Under the protection of the damaged and mysterious Holden, Rebecca will question everything …

 

My Thoughts:

 

This book starts out dragging you into a world with magic and demons and spells attached to Rebecca Powell and it’s up to Holden to save her.  While Rebecca is very resistant to this idea, all she knows about magic is about how it’s make believe and doesn’t exist when Holden shows up she assumes he’s some crazy stalker but there are things happening to her that she can’t explain or even fathom.

 

I loved this book so much it was a great paranormal adventure with many twists and turns letting you wonder who is putting a spell on Becca.  I also loved the romance and watching Holden connect with Becca and the way he was able to set his Grams free.  Awesome job Ms. Abner did telling this story!

 

<3 Anna

 

Scene Cards

Scene Cards

Posted on by Anna Abner

Or, How to Fine Tune Scenes During the Revision Stage

There are dozens of types of scene cards and twice as many ways to use them to improve your writing, either in pre-writing or in the editing stage. I took ideas from different sources and designed a scene card that suits my style perfectly. If you’re having trouble visualizing how each individual part of your story works together as a whole, try this.

Each scene gets its own card. Each POV (point of view) character gets his or her own color. Blue for my hero and pink for my heroine (to make it simple). Purple or green for my villain or any secondary character with their own POV. Then, because my novel, Spell of Summoning, is a paranormal romance I also wanted to track how often magic was used or how often a character communicated with a spirit. So I taped a yellow card behind any scene that had magic in it.

Now comes the time consuming part of this exercise. Starting from the beginning of your manuscript, read each scene and note the following details:

  • The chapter number / the scene number;
  • The date the scene takes place in the story;
  • The POV character;
  • A quick summarizing title for the scene;
  • The POV character’s goal in the scene;
  • The POV character’s motivation for that goal in this scene;
  • The conflict that keeps the POV character from reaching their scene goal;
  • The main characters’ clothing or hair style in this scene;
  • The setting.

Here is an example from Spell of Summoning:

Scene Card 1 2
This early scene contains an instance of the paranormal so it has a yellow card behind it.

 

I included notes on costume because I never want to forget my hero wore a charcoal gray suit and black tie in the morning and then pulled off a black suit and red tie at the end of the day. Keeping the information on my scene card makes it easier for me to track costumes through multiple scenes in multiple locations.

The GMC (Goal-Motivation-Conflict) on each card is simplified. In my more elaborate pre-writing notes I have written both external and internal GMC for each character in each scene, but the size of the card does not allow me to express all this. Instead, I jot down easy to remember notes that trigger in my head the more complex workings of my characters. However, even having to fill out a simplified GMC chart for each POV character was extremely rewarding.

For example, I got to one scene around the middle of the book that had no conflict at all. I had written a cute little scene where Rebecca is flinging witty dialogue at her receptionist as she marches through her office. When I tried to write her GMC I had quick answers for her goal and her motivation, but I couldn’t think of a single hint of conflict. To give the scene more punch I re-wrote it, took Rebecca’s employee out of the office, and added an awkward phone call, instead. After the re-write, Rebecca doesn’t get what she wants and a new layer is added to her overall arc.

If I hadn’t practiced this scene card exercise I might not have found that scene and I imagine anyone who read the original would have skimmed quickly over it to get to something more exciting.

Finally, because I’m a visual learner, I made space on my bedroom wall and taped each scene card under its chapter heading to see the whole story. Posting the scenes helped me see which characters were getting too much attention and which weren’t getting enough. Plus, I could see how often my villain popped up with his own POV and whether I was using too much or too little magic.

 

IMG_8112

 

This is a note-taking and scene tracking system that worked for me, and I will use it again on the sequel, Spell of Binding. If I was very organized I would be able to write out scene cards before I started writing the manuscript and lay out every scene, every chapter, and every act exactly as it needs to be in the finished novel. But I’m not. Maybe that will be my next writing goal.

 

<3 Anna

My First Press Release! :D

My First Press Release! :D

Posted on by Anna Abner

Or, An Adorable Little Article About My Book

I didn’t think anything would come of sending press releases to my local and hometown newspapers, but I’m thrilled to say my story was reported in the Hesperia Star Newspaper in my hometown of Hesperia, California today.

Link to the online version here.

Here is a scan:

 

Hesperia Star
Spell of Summoning Press Release

 

 

Here is a photo taken by a fan in Hesperia.

 

Hesperia Star Feb 19 2013

 

<3 Anna

The Real Buster(s) From S.O.S.

The Real Buster(s) From S.O.S.

Posted on by Anna Abner

Or, Photos of the Sweetest Labradors in the Whole World

Can you picture Buster in these two beautiful dogs? Change one’s fur to blond and give him a bit of a jumping problem, and it’s Holden’s little buddy in my new release, Spell of Summoning.

 

Buster 4 SOS

 

Buster 1 SOS

 

Below is the view I imagine Rebecca had moments before this scene: (Sorry, Becca!)

          Buster’s ears perked up. Holden dug in his heels, but Buster was eighty-five pounds of overgrown puppy. He launched himself at Rebecca full force as if he had springs for feet. The leash jerked out of Holden’s hand, and before he could stop him, his dog scratched both her knees, untucked her white blouse, and slammed her against her car. 

 Spell of Summoning pg. 2

Buster 2 SOS

 

As a bonus, here is the (fictional) Bull Dog Inn in (the very real) Jacksonville, NC–external staircase and all. This is not Rebecca’s favorite place. 😉

 

bull dog inn SOS

 

What I imagine the Powell House looks like. Just picture a bigger tree in the yard and missing roof tiles.

 

Powell House 3 SOS

 

Holden’s stripped down 1979 Jeep. Can’t you see Buster sitting in the front seat?

 

1979 jeep cj5

<3 Anna

Tuesday Tease #3

Tuesday Tease #3

Posted on by Anna Abner

Or, A Short Excerpt from my Paranormal Romance Spell of Summoning!

April in North Carolina didn’t have the sticky heat that would settle over the state during the summer months, but it was warm. Sweat tickled at the back of Holden Clark’s neck. But not because of the weather. He’d lied to a woman to get her here.

Well, lie was a strong word. He’d rather say he’d persuaded a woman to join him for lunch under false pretenses. Because he wasn’t a liar. In fact, he prided himself on his honesty.

But he couldn’t think of any other way to get Rebecca Powell to meet him here. Telling her the truth over the phone was out of the question.

Buster, Holden’s yellow Labrador, sat up off the asphalt and whined at an approaching, slow-moving vehicle. This must be her.

A silver Lexus pulled over and parked two spots down in the half-empty lot, giving Holden plenty of room to watch Rebecca Powell through her car windows. Grams was right. No doubt about it, the woman was under a summoning spell, and the demon trying desperately to break into their world clung to Ms. Powell’s blonde hair and narrow shoulders like a filthy veil.

“Tell her whatever you have to,” Grams said, rounding the hood of his stripped-down 1979 Jeep. “She doesn’t have much time.”

He leaned against the passenger door, his fingers tightening to the point of pain around Buster’s long, braided leash. The air between him and Rebecca crackled with magical energy. The spell on her was no amateurish accident. It was stronger than anything he’d ever experienced. Fear coiled inside him. He couldn’t help her. No matter what his Grams said.

Spell of Summoning, ms pg 1

<3 Anna

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