Harper Kingsley blog

January 13, 2014 0 comments

Cover Reveal: Jagged Blade, by Harper Kingsley

Here’s the cover for Shorts and Squares: Jagged Blade.

I really like it ^_^

Here’s an excerpt from “Bird of Paradise,” one of the stories in Shorts and Squares: Jagged Blade.

Candles flickered while incense burned. Paradise kept her bandaged face turned to the wall no matter who came to visit. She felt like a hideous monster as the bruises healed back into flawless flesh, yet her marred face was destined to remain a gruesome sight with the thick gash slashed out of her cheek.

The trainees brought her trays of food that she largely ignored. She picked at the tastes she enjoyed while feeling incapable of gathering the energy to even bother with the less tasty foods. She was tired of ashes in her mouth.

Paradise hugged her legs against her chest and closed her eyes. She would give herself a couple of days in which to feel worthless, then she would pick herself back up again and get back to the living of her life. No longer an Elite Courtesan, but still a member of the Pleasure Guild. The Matron would find her a position, or if she chose to retire there would always be her monthly stipend.

Once again she cursed Lord Gentle Valor and his mad desire to see her bleed. If she concentrated, she thought she could still hear the sound of his mad laughter as he’d carved up her flesh. She’d screamed so loudly she’d damaged her throat, but at least the guards had rushed in to save her life.

Her career was destroyed, but she would live. She would let that be enough.

I will not be defeated by such a mindless beast, she vowed. She was stronger than anything he had done to her.

January 2, 2014 0 comments

Thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes

Aphrodite Thank you to everyone that has sent me a birthday message today.

Unfortunately, Facebook has locked me out of my account and is saying my computer is not my computer, which is why I can’t thank anyone on my timeline 🙁 So, thanks to Xakara, Imari Jade, Melanie Tushmore, Fernanda Parente, AJ Llewellyn, Cuqui Luna, Patrick Wendling-Markwell, Blaine D. Arden, and any other well-wishers on this, the day I was born so many (many) years ago. You all are fabulous ^_^

Hopefully the Internet situation will sort itself out here. Everyone in the neighborhood is having Internet trouble, so it’s not just us. At least it means the phone company will be out and about, working around the clock to get things working again.

Other things of note:
– I’m excited about the new movies coming out on Netflix this month. Namely, Kick-Ass 2, which I’ve been waiting for.

– I’ve got a good start going on All That Remains, the third book in “Heroes & Villains.” It’s set four years after Allies & Enemies. I can’t really say a whole lot at this point without spoiling A&E some, but the outline is pretty bad ass.

In case you didn’t know, “Heroes & Villains” follows a three-act structure. Heroes & Villains is Act One, introducing the characters and the setting. Allies & Enemies is Act Two, showing the confrontation and setting up the climax. And All That Remains is Act Three, the resolution to everything brought up in the first two acts.

Each novel can standalone, but together they make one story — the chronicles of the supervillain Darkstar.

– Paradigm Shift is starting to look beautiful (:P) and will be coming out on time (February 2014). Park is even more bad ass than I thought he was going to be. Plus there’s all that stuff with Zero I’ve been splicing in here and there, little tasties that make a lot of sense if you read the upcoming Shorts and Squares: Jagged Blade (January 2014).

December 26, 2013 2 comments

Mistletoe Hop Winners

I’ve picked my winners and you’ll be the first ones to get Shorts and Squares: Jagged Blade.

Winners list:

Katherine S
Regina M
KT A
Karen O-G
Holly L
Booklady
Catherine L
Shelly H

You’ve all been great. Expect to receive a Smashwords coupon when Jagged Blade goes live.

Have another taste:
EXCERPT –

He could still remember being that nervous kid sweating at his first audition. His hands had been slippery against the hard plastic chair and he’d known he was going to be a dripping mess by the time he was called in. Except Simon had come and sat down beside him and given that trademark smile that had already brought America to its knees.

Colby had been shocked that Simon Peters would even speak to him, much less give him helpful advice. Yet every time they’d run into each other after that, Simon would always greet him by name and pass along recommended parts. It was because of Simon that Colby had gotten his career off the ground before his grandmother’s deadline was up.

Without Simon’s help, Colby would be running the family store. He owed the guy all that he had.

December 23, 2013 0 comments

Harvey Wasserman talks about the dangers of Fukushima Unit 4

This is one of those things that news networks aren’t talking about when they really should be. A blurb scrolling past the bottom of the screen doesn’t mean a whole lot.

I don’t know if this will really affect the tuna we eat — as bananas have been known to contain more radiation — but I honestly feel concerned. Irradiated water is washing up on the west coast of the United States. People in Japan are swimming in the water. Plant and animal life may be affected.

This is not the kind of problem that should be handled by a for-profit company that has already held back and lied to the public about how things are going. This is something that should be handled by people with know-how and concern for the public health. There should at the very least be some kind of over watch on the situation that has thus far not been provided.

Do we really want a situation like they had in The Host?

Harvey Wasserman:

The World Community Must Take Charge at Fukushima

At Fukushima Unit 4, the impending removal of hugely radioactive spent fuel rods from a pool 100 feet in the air presents unparalleled scientific and engineering challenges. With the potential for 15,000 times more fallout than was released at Hiroshima, we ask the world community, through the United Nations, to take control of this uniquely perilous task.

They need 125,000 signatures. Go check it out.

The danger of huge radiation releases from Fukushima 4 has taken on a new dimension; the world community must step in!