Amy Ruttan

I just got another 5 Star review for Love Thy Neighbor from Fallen Angels Review.

You can read it here!

I have the WHOLE DAY TO MYSELF!! WOOT!!

 My mother is taking the kids for the day, I’m about to take them there soon. I have time to write, WOOT! I’m also going to get a couple of errands done without having to drag the kids from store to store.

I’m excited, ecstatic. I love my kids but I have so much to do. LOL!

I finished all the author stuff I had to send to Linden Bay. I had written the blurbs, but I still had to do the synopses and I got so excited about discovering a plot see that could carry through the whole series. Writing out the final three synopses gave me a renewed vigor for writing the series.

I’m very excited about the last book and the ending I have planned.

Anyways, I’m off on my day of FREEDOM!!!

Finished projecto number 1, that is due by the beginning of September. Thank goodness. It’s in the faithful hands of my reader overers, but I’m not out of the cave yet I have to finish project number two.

Also the wonderful Julia is reviewing Love Thy Neighbor for me tomorrow, her Wordless Wednesday features three pictures she thinks represents Love Thy Neighbor. So go check her out, and visit Julia tomorrow for the review. I’ll be stopping by tomorrow to comment as well.

There’s also time for my contest as well, the winner will be picked on August 31 and announced in my September Newsletter, and on September 3rd, I’ll be on Raven Radio. It’s my first radio interview and I’m kind of nervous. LOL.

Yep, still in the writing cave. Both projects are coming along beautifully. I have about 8k to finish one and …. alot on the other.

Still, keeping my nose to the grindstone and what not.

So to keep you thoroughly entertained and riveted *snort* I present the final characters to my last two books in the Enchantress series.

The fourth book, ENCHANTRESS The Slave: UNDER AN ENCHANTER’S SPELL scheduled to be released August 1, 2009.

This is Aislinn’s brother Mathias. He is Sidhe as well, except he does not want to accept it. Fearing persecution and ashamed he cut his ears to resemble everyone elses. If anyone asks about the scars he claims he received them in battle. In book two SORCERESS FROM THE SEA, he starts an epic voyage, looking for fame and fortune along an eastern spice route. The Silk Road.

On his journey he stumbles across a runaway slave. A woman from Cyprus who claims to see the future. A woman fleeing from the life as a mighty moghul’s concubine.

This will be my most daring historical yet. I’m really excited because I have been obsessed with the Spice Route and Ancient Eastern History for as long as I can remember. So I get to play with everything I love in this fourth book.

I was inspired by the idea when I watched a documentary of the Silk Road, especially the part of important archaelogical finds. One of those finds was a mummified Celtic man. PROVING and dating how old the route was and that man came from far and wide in search of the fortunes.

Book Five, the final book, is ENCHANTRESS The Valkyrie: VALKYRIE FROM THE WEST scheduled for release October 1, 2009.

The main character focus this time is a female. Most of the secondary characters I was writing sequels for from Enemy Enchantress (the first book), were male. The final will feature Edwin’s sister Rowena. Recently widowed, far from home, and no child to claim her dead husband’s land. She faces marriage to her dead husband’s brother. An unattractive prospect, as she is fey and she knows her fate, burning on a stake, is what awaits her when he finds out what she is.

A viking raid tests Rowena’s mettle. Galen the Strong (see above), has never seen such a beauty before. He whisks her off to Norway to possess her for all time. He just didn’t know who her father was, Theold the Bloodletter, and now an army from Wessex is coming to take Rowena back.

I’m very excited about this series. Over the moon, but I can’t stand around here all day. If I want to get this series out I got to get to work! LOL!

That’s where I will be, not literally exploring caves, but I’ll be in my writing cave for a while.

Lots of deadlines, and the story is flowing. I’ll keep trying to check in on y’all, but I’ll be quiet as I finish these projects.

 Well, I just found out via MSN that Gwen Stefani, my favorite singer of all time and her husband Gavin Rossdale had their second child. *sigh*

With all the crazy baby names out there, I always thought well Gwen is level headed, she didn’t name her first baby a crazy name, Kingston is regular name. Well, Gwen welcomed her second son to the world, Zuma Neston Rock Rossdale.

Oh well, to each their own. Congrats to Gwen and Gavin.

I anxiously await the No Doubt tour!

My house has been neglected far too long. I would do surface cleaning, but with the EDJ, and trying to get published for the last few years. My house hasn’t had a good clean in a long, long time.

Of course this is just another form of procrastination, but to be honest it has been helping clear my mind. I found with my recent purging and organizing my mind can focus on the task at hand … the words.

The only thing at the moment stopping me from cleaning and writing is Christine d’Abo’s PRIMAL ELEMENTS, which released today from Ellora’s Cave. Click the Primal Elements link above to get your own copy today.

I am very excited to be going out to lunch today with a friend of mine from my EX-EDJ. Excited to get the dirt on the latest gossip and just talk to someone that is not interested in Mickey Mouse and hotdogs. My Dad is coming over to watch the kidlets, they’re excited because Papa will cook them aforementioned hotdogs and they can run amok whilst he dotes on them.

I’m excited that I actually get to dress somewhat nicer and wear …. now wait for it MAKEUP!!

As for the marketing, I’ve been doing some stuff with my new publishers. I am very impressed by the indepth marketing, but it does mean *sigh* writing the dreaded synopsis.

Actually I pull off a fair synopsis, usually about 1 1/2 to 2 pages in length … as long as my commas put in the right place right Bonnie? And I was told do the synopsis first before the novel, it’ll be easier, but when you have 4 to do at once. Ugh.

I’ve gotten three out of the five squirrelled away.

The series will be known as the Enchantress Series, and I am very excited … but there’s a lot of work it’s insane.

ALSO Christine d’Abo’s PRIMAL ELEMENTS comes out tomorrow. I know she has some a fun character sketch at her blog.

I took the rugrats, yard apes, whatever they are, out to the wading pool and park for a picnic today. The wading pool is on the otherside of town, by my mother, so she came along too.

I plunked myself down on the ground on a big blanket and my mother sat in a chair and we watched the nutjobs go NUTS. This was at 10 a.m., since we didn’t want the kids out during the heat of day between 1 and 2 p.m. The place was swarming with rug rats, but the kids were having fun.

They splashed for an hour, then came out and ate like ravenous wolves. Eating copious amounts of baloney, salami, fresh fruit, veggies (well not Boo), drink boxes and chips. I just sat back lest my hands get eaten off … my mother was laughing.

“What?” I ask as I’m trying to keep dripping wading pool water off of the food.

“You were exactly like that. My wish came true.”

I snorted. Why is it that mothers, in the height of a child driving them bonkers, always say “ONE DAY I HOPE YOU HAVE KIDS JUST LIKE YOU!!”

I refused to say this. Until last week, when Boo was whining and driving me crazy and pestering Sumo with all her might. I blurted that oath out.

*sigh*

After the frenzy the kids returned to the wading pool, and my mother just laughed wringing her hands thanking fate in it’s divine wisdom.

What did I get out this sojourn? Well, the kids had fun. My mother got to bask in the glow of grandmotherness which she loves and I got … well I got a sunburn.

Damn the fates. LOL.

I finished my character visualizations. AND I’ve been talking with the gurus at Linden Bay about what the series is to be called. Can’t share it yet, but I am uber excited. Squee!!!

Today I’m sharing the parental characters of EE. Not that my main characters are children, but I do have their parental influences in the book. Somebody had to arrange Edwin and Aislinn’s marriage. LOL!

 This is Lady Gwynedd. Aislinn’s stepmother. Not a nice lady at all.

 Lady Aislinn’s father Lord Crunebell. A big bear of a man. Aislinn’s parents are the Mercian side of the treaty.

 Lady Christa, Lord Edwin’s mother. A nice graceful woman that deals with a scallywag of a lovable husband.

This Edwin’s father Lord Theold, a Viking. He thinks he rules the roost … of course that’s what Christa lets him believe. Edwin’s parents are the Saxon side of the Treaty.

 This is Aislinn’s beloved uncle, Bran. He’s a druid and shares a very similar bond with his beloved niece. He just tries his brother Crunebell’s patience dearly.

Of course we need a couple of Kings that were the cause of the treaty taking place, The Treaty of Wedmore that was signed after Alfred defeated Gunthrum at the Battle of Eddington.

 King Alfred of the Saxons.

 King Gunthrum of the Mercians. A Viking king.

I’ve found the other characters for the books UNDER AN ENCHANTER’S SPELL and VALKYRIE OF THE WEST and I’ll share them with you soon, and as soon as I have a series name I’ll share that too because I am very excited about it.