The Z-Axis

The Resurrector

By: Amira K. July 8, 2013

Well, well. I haven’t seen a first-draft short story this good in a long time. For a vision of rhythm and voice, a Chuck Palahniuck-style brutality mingled with the Southern religion and grit of the Poisonwood Bible, read this.

Book Review: “The Rising Wind” By Ken Floro III

By: Amira K. July 5, 2013July 10, 2013

Musingsaction, adventure, book review, fantasy, fiction, history, Roman Empire, The Rising Wind4 Comments

Over the past few months, I’ve become more and more confident when it comes to indie books. I’ve found some really stellar authors, people who clearly deserve success and ought to be respected for their writing. People who have obviously invested time and energy into their creations and have brought worlds compellingly to life. I’ve…

10 Things I Learned While Backpacking In The Smokies

By: Amira K. July 2, 2013July 2, 2013

Photography, TravelBackpacking, black and white, iPhone, photography, Smoky Mountains, travel1 Comment

These past few days my internet-savvy friends may have noticed that I disappeared from the world for a while. My sister and I went up into the clouds, into the haze of the beautiful Smoky Mountains, to hike in the backcountry for four days. Here are ten things I learned while backpacking: 10) Water fresh…

Five Ways To Stay Sane As A Writer – Guest Post By Jamie Krakover

By: Amira K. June 25, 2013

Musingsfiction, laughter, literature, sanity, voices in your head, writers, writing1 Comment

Let’s face it, writers are a crazy bunch. We listen to the voices in our heads, research crazy things on Google (waves to the CIA), and would rather spend hours with people who don’t really exist in places that only come from our deepest imaginations. But when the rest of the world sometimes looks at…

A Word On Words – Guest Post By Ken Floro, III

By: Amira K. June 19, 2013

Musingsauthors, books, guest post, language, literature, reading, vocabulary, words, writers, writingLeave a Comment

Writers collect vocabulary words like tourists collect souvenirs, and believe it or not, words can serve the same purpose. I still remember the first time I encountered evocative words like ‘senescence’, ‘hoary’, and ‘sanguine’. Somehow they struck a chord in me, and I immediately knew I wanted to add them to my collection. When I…

Book Review: “Our Held Animal Breath” by Kathryn Kirkpatrick

By: Amira K. June 17, 2013June 17, 2013

Book ReviewKathryn Kirkpatrick, literature, nature, Our Held Animal Breath, poems, Poetry, poets, words, writing6 Comments

I have a deep and abiding respect for poets. Poetry, I think, is among the hardest of art forms to do well; it requires a painter’s skill with imagery and visualization, a musician’s sense of rhythm and beat, a writer’s craft with words and metaphors, and a philosopher’s or a monk’s contemplative view of the…

Why I Decided To Self-Publish (And The Doctor Who Giveaway Winner!)

By: Amira K. June 13, 2013June 13, 2013

MusingsAgents, fiction, giveaway, literature, publishing, reading, writing5 Comments

The winner of the 50th Anniversary Doctor Who book THE SILENT STARS GO BY by Dan Abnett will be announced at the end of this post! But first, I’m going to talk about self-publishing and why my co-authors and I decided to go that route with our first book, THE SOWING. Y’all may have noticed…

Five Ways To Get Me To Not Read Your Book

By: Amira K. June 11, 2013June 11, 2013

Musingsbooks, fiction, literature, marketing, reading, reviewing, writing11 Comments

Here are five ways to easily convince me that I should not read your book: 1. Tweet or update your Facebook status about it all the time. You bombarding me with messages about it (that all say the same thing) is not going to convince me that your book is good, or that you are a credible author, or…

GIVEAWAY and Book Review: “The Silent Stars Go By” by Dan Abnett

By: Amira K. June 10, 2013July 10, 2013

Book Reviewadventure, BBC Books, Dan Abnett, doctor who, mystery, sci-fi, science fiction, The Silent Stars Go By, thriller25 Comments

Okay, first let me say that whoever wins my giveaway contest on this one will be one lucky reader. Don’t forget to comment at the end! Dan Abnett’s THE SILENT STARS GO BY is an awesome book in just about every regard – I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to read and review…

Book Review: “Beltamar’s War (Malmaxa)” by C.G. Ayling

By: Amira K. June 7, 2013July 10, 2013

Book ReviewBeltamar's War, book review, books, C G Ayling, fantasy, fiction, literature, reading, writing4 Comments

I was really thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review BELTAMAR’S WAR by C. G. Ayling, a writer who I met and communicated with on Twitter and with whose writing I was impressed. I’m always a little nervous when I agree to read and review self-published books – I’ve read a fair few…