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Sunday, October 3, 2010

Guest Blog & Contest with Jess Haines

The H&W Team Talks About Character Alignment


Hello there! Jess Haines here. I’m the author of the urban fantasy novel HUNTED BY THE OTHERS and its sequel, TAKEN BY THE OTHERS (coming January, 2011).

Today the cast of HUNTED BY THE OTHERS are going to talk about character alignment—in other words, whether one is good, evil, or somewhere in between...


__________________


Shiarra: What the hell is character alignment?

Arnold: I can answer that. I think I know more about this than the rest of you guys.

Shiarra: Well, yeah. What is it?

Arnold: Ever play D&D? Or some other roleplaying game?

Sara: Not all of us are as geeky as you, hun.

Shiarra: *shifty eyes*

Arnold: Character alignment is sort of like saying whether you’re likely to be a good or a bad guy. There are different sorts of characterizations for it—like lawful evil or chaotic good. You’re just picking what kind of path your characters might take in the campaign, so your DM—

Chaz: Your what?

Arnold: DM. Dungeon Master.

Chaz: The what?

Sara: That sounds kinda kinky.

Arnold: I can make it kinky.

Royce: I think that’s quite enough of that.

Shiarra: Seconded.

Chaz: What.

Arnold: So the DM needs to know whether your character is acting the way he should. A lawful good character wouldn’t steal candy from a baby. A chaotic evil character wouldn’t save someone’s life unless he intended to use them for something nefarious later on. Get the picture?

Chaz: No.

Arnold: Anyway. Does that explain it for the rest of you?

Chaz: Uh, no.

Shiarra: Yes.

Sara: Sure.

Royce: I don’t like where this conversation is headed.

Arnold: Moving right along.

Chaz: I don’t get it.

Shiarra: I’ll explain it to you later, babe. Okay, Arnold—what classifications are there?

Arnold: You have your base alignment, which is good, evil, or neutral. Then you have a sub-alignment—lawful, neutral or chaotic.

Chaz: Chaotic? I like fighting.

Royce: We know.

Shiarra: Oh! So that means Chaz is chaotic good, right?

Arnold: Right.

Sara: Shia, that would make you and me lawful good.

Arnold: Exactly, you got it.

Shiarra: So what are you?

Arnold: Err…

Chaz: I’m still not sure what you guys mean.

Sara: Actually, I’m more curious about the vampire. Royce, what would you say you are?

Royce: I’d rather not discuss this.

Shiarra: Why not?

Royce: We are talking about D&D. As if my image hasn’t already been sullied enough the last few months.

Arnold: Hey! I will have you know there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a gamer geek!

Sara: We know, sweetie.

Shiarra: *makes gagging noises*

Chaz: I’m not a gamer geek either. Seriously, I don’t get it. Someone explain it to me?

Arnold: Okay. Small words. You. Chaotic good. You do chaotic things like fight when it’s not necessarily the right time to be fighting someone. However, you do it for the right reasons.

Chaz: …oh.

Shiarra: I still want to know about Royce. Let’s guess!

Royce: I’d rather you didn’t.

Shiarra: Tough.

Sara: The more he twitches, the closer we are to guessing it!

Arnold: I’m guessing lawful neutral. He doesn’t usually pick sides, but he sticks to the law from what I’ve seen.

Shiarra: I don’t know. He did use threats to get me sign the contract. That seems pretty evil.

Royce: Could we not discuss this?

Sara: I see a twitch!

Royce: Ms. Halloway, I don’t appreciate your attitude.

Sara: I think we’re close to the mark!

Shiarra: Ohhh, I get it! He’s lawful evil! He’s a blood-sucking fiend who sticks to the letter of the law!

Arnold: Hey, that seems pretty spot-on, actually.

Royce: My. How astute. Why don’t we discuss the mage?

Arnold: I dunno, I think we’re about ready to wrap up here…

Chaz: Wait, no, I think I’ve almost got it! So the vampire is evil because he’s a vampire! …right?

Royce: Yes. That is exactly it. Let us all bow to your expertise.

Shiarra: Hey! That’s not nice.

Arnold: While I do enjoy picking on the jock, I think it’s about time to wrap this up. So remember, kids! Vampires are always evil, blood-sucking fiends.

Royce: Oh, go attack a gazebo.

__________________


Err, right! You can learn more about Shiarra and the rest of her friends in HUNTED BY THE OTHERS

(By the way, for those who don’t get the gazebo reference—or for added laughs—
check this out!

Thanks again for having me and the gang over, Amber!




---------------------

Contest Time

I hope you enjoyed getting to know the H&W team! I really liked Hunted by the Others and can't wait for the next book in the series! Have you had the pleasure of reading Hunted yet? Well here is your chance to get a copy!

Jess is giving away a copy of Hunted by the Others to one lucky Amberkatze's Book Blog reader (Sorry US only).

How To Enter

So I gave up yesterday and ordered myself a Kindle. Do you have one? Or some kind of E-book reader? Let us know what you think of e-books!

No E-book Views = No Entry

Earn more entries for each link you place about this contest on the net. You can post on Facebook, Twitter & MySpace but make sure you add links here for me to confirm your entries! However please do not make individual postings for each entry. Please post all your entries in one post.

Advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog on your site and get an extra entry for this and every other contest!

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You can also earn extra entries by emailing your friends about the contest. Just make sure you send a copy of your email or receipt to me at Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot net.

Make sure you post your links here so I can confirm your entries.

Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com links/Banners below and around the site!

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The contest will stay open until Sunday 10th of October 2010 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.

44 comments:

Katie said...

I'm not a huge fan of e-books, but I am probably going to get an e-reader at the end of the year. I just have too many e-books at this point to not have one.

Thanks!
Katie
bigferret at email dot com

Bethany C. said...

I have the Borders and nook apps on my ipod touch, and have downloaded a few books on each but haven't read them yet. So I can't say for sure until I actually try it, but I prefer to hold books in my hot little hands. At least a book can't run out of battery life and shut off in the middle of you reading it. And what will happen to libraries?

tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/bcardoo79/status/26275266141

b(dot)cardone(at)hotmail

JenM said...

So many people don't have a good opinion of e-readers before they try one, then once they do, they love it or least like it.

I have a Kindle and I adore it. The only problem is the instant gratification of one-click book buying anytime, anywhere. My TBR pile has gotten totally out of control as a result.

By the way, if you don't keep the wireless on all the time, the battery life for the Kindle is about a week or two, so the likelihood of it running out in the middle of a book is pretty slim. It's nothing like a smartphone that has to be charged every day.

wanda f said...

I have a nook and its pretty cool the main reason I got it was so that when I come across a book I want to read and would have to order I can get it and have it right then instead of waiting for it to come in the mail.I prefer holding a real book but I hate waiting to get myhands on a read lol.My husband loves it because Im not packing the shelves as fast with my books lol he likes having the space.I tweeted

http://twitter.com/lilblupixie

wanda
flanagan@mebtel.net

Van Pham said...

I don't have an e-reader, and I will probably won't ever get one. I prefer having a physical book in my hand and usually if there is an author signing in my area i like to get them signed.

Also i think it's kinda odd that an e-book will be almost the same price as a print book or even more, therefore i rather just buy a physical book.

Vickie said...

I have become less resistant to having an e-reader at some time in the future. My sister has two Kindles, one her DH gave her and one her buddy gave her to give to me...this second one is going to come my way at some point so I can try it out. It's an older version and her buddy bought the newest one and gave her the oldest to give to me....and I seem to be burbling...so there you have it.
I have always enjoyed turning pages and holding a book in my hands to read or listen to in the car. I'll get there to e-reader world..

Amber: I look forward to hearing what you think of your Kindle.

debbie said...

I don't have one, and don't really have plans to buy one. Stephen King said,'you can have my gun, but you'll take my book when you pry my cold,dead fingers off the binding'. I agree.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

JoAnna said...

I have the Kindle and Borders app on my iphone but it is just a little too small for my taste. I'm thinking about getting a kindle (Christmas is coming). My husband has been using his Kindle app on the iphone and just complained because he has the next book in the series he's reading in paperback. :)

Tweet:
http://twitter.com/beckerjo/status/26307380047

beckerjo(at)verizon(dot)net

Pamk said...

i love ebooks and I've had an ebookwise for quite a few years. My wish list is a kindle for my next one.
I tweeted https://twitter.com/Pamk258/status/26315687013
scrtsbpal at yahoo dot com

Karen W. said...

I'm old-fashioned and still don't have an e-reader, but I'm finally coming around to see I might be interested in one in the future.

HUNTED BY OTHERS sounds awesome!

karenwitkowski at aol(dot)com

Martha Lawson said...

Well, I'm old school!! I want to hold the book in my hands. Now, that may change when my library gets ereaders and I check them out!!

I follow on gfc

mlawson17 at hotmail dot com

Aik said...

I prefer reading bound books, but I may be getting myself an e-reader in the future.

aikychien at yahoo dot com

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

Not much of an ereader kind of gal. I like a good regular mm paperback. Of course I still buy hb and tp. But I just can't get into the ereaders for some reason. You think I would since I am an avid reader. But I like me my regular traditional books. Plus I like to get those signed too when I am lucky enough to meet one of my authors!

jessbess2505[at]yahoo[dot]com

I have the banner on my blog: http://jessica-agreatread.blogspot.com

Julie S said...

I don't own an e-reader yet (cause they're expensive). I think they're great for travel, but I'm not sure if they can replace the feel of a book.

juliecookies(at)gmail.com

Sharon S. said...

love, love, love my kindle! Great for instant gratification. You finish a book in a series with a cliff hanger? You can get the next one in seconds!!! The only thing I don't like about them is you can't easily go hunting through a book to find passages you want or what not.

vvb32 reads said...

LOL - gazebo! fun interview!

ok, i just got a kindle last month and i LOVE it!
Just the right size and weight for snuggling with in bed.
vvb32 at yahoo.com

E.J. Stevens said...

Fabulous guest post!

I'm not a fan of reading eBooks myself, though as an author I am glad that my books are available in multiple formats. I find that reading eBooks induces vertigo for me and so they are really not an option. I also love the feeling of holding a book and enjoy seeing all of my treasures sitting on my bookshelves.
xx,
E.J.
From the Shadows
e.j.stevens.author[at]gmail[dot]com

Unknown said...

I have a kindle but I still prefer holding a book and reading it. Please enter me in contest. I would love to read your books. Tore923@aol.com

Audra said...

I have a sony ereader I like it but nothing beats a paperback book in your hands. Please enter me into the contest. audie(at)wickerness(dot)com

justpeachy36 said...

I have a Sony which I love dearly. I usually use it mostly for books I have checked out from our library's extensive collection of e-books that can be downloaded online, but in general I really love my e-book reader because it's good for the environment and it's just easy to use.

Please enter me in the giveaway.

justpeachy36@yahoo.com

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Whoops. the first comment didn't post right! ah well, Anyway, E-books are definitely convenient because of the speed that you can get them and the ability to carry a large number with barely any weight, but I love the fact that a paper book can easily be lent to others whether they have compatible programs or not! Please enter me in the contest: poinsetta25@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I like ebooks. I read them on my iPad. But I think they cost too much sometimes it's cheaper to buy a paperback.

lingeorge said...

So far I haven't kicked up the funds for an e-reader. I am of an "older generation" and have read paper books for a long, long time. I would miss the feel of the book in hand, etc. However, I am considering a Nook. Books coming faster and easier, not to mention cheaper. But, what will happen to the independent book seller? I have one I love, and buy the vast majority of my books from. I would so miss browsing the bookshelves looking for that hidden jewel.
troublelore at gmail dot com

Unknown said...

Yikes, late to my own party! Hehe.

Glad you guys enjoyed the guest post!

As for me, I have ereader software on my laptop and phone, but don't have a dedicated ereader.

Best,
-J

clynsg said...

I have a love-hate relationship with the idea of e-books. I don't have a reader myself, although I could really have used one when I was traveling for my job. But since I am retired now, that is not a real issue. I think the main reason that I DON'T care for the idea is that I like having several books going at once, and I don't know how a reader would work for that--can you save your place in multiple books? Also, can't swap them, which is how I get a lot of my books. And finally, I have such a backlog to read now, I certainly don't need to add many more, even if they wouldn't take up much room!

cgclynsg0 at gmail dot com

Kathy said...

I love my e-readers. I have almost stopped buying print books completely. I have both, a Kindle and a Nook. My husband and I both needed one for travel. You cannot beat it for traveling. I took 20 books to Europe on my Nook and read 5 of them there. How many pounds would 20 books have added to my bags? Also, I carry my iTouch in my purse or pocket. I can read e-books on it as well, so anytime I go anywhere, I have multiple books at my fingertips.

KathyB

Victoria said...

I got a Kindle for my birthday and I love it. I still love to hold books but this helps keep my husband from yelling at me for all the books around the house.

whitewolfreads said...

I read a few e-books on my iPod touch but for the most part I prefer paper. It's easier on the eyes and the smell is unmistakable!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmspettoli/status/26512278839

Thanks for the giveaway!

spettolij AT gmail DOT com

heatwave16 said...

I don't currently have an eReader, but I do want to get a Kindle. I love the feel of paper books, but I am honestly running out of room. I think I'll still buy my favorite series in paper, and anything new I check out will be ebooks. I've got the Kindle on my Xmas list. :)

tweeted - http://twitter.com/Heatwave316/status/26514770631

heatwave96(at)hotmail.com

donnas said...

I do not have an ebook reader. And I probably wont for a little while yet, still a bit out of my reach. So I rarely read ebooks. I do see the advantages of an ereader while traveling or reading on the go and waiting. But for use at home I dont know that I can ever make the full switch away from paper books.

blog =- http://donnasbloghome.blogspot.com/2010/10/contest-links-for-105.html

sidebar - http://donnasbloghome.blogspot.com/

tweet - http://twitter.com/#!/DonnaS1/statuses/26519138841

bacchus76 at myself dot com

StyleVamp said...

I don't have an e book reader..I'm just a tab bit more traditional..I like the feeling of having a book in my hand, the way it smells. To me an e book reader just takes all that away..also I do collect books and have a quite few of them autographed with an e-book you can't have an author sign that..

Curling up by the Fire said...

I don't have an e-reader, not because I have any objections to e-books, but I just haven't gotten around to purchasing one (and no one has picked my name to win one in a contest (lol)!) I can see the advantage on a trip. I will probably always prefer books though. It doesn't feel the same getting cozy in front of a fire with an e-reader.

jellybelly82158 said...

My husband bought me an ereader for my birthday in August. It is a Sony 600 Touch Screen. I really like it. I can carry more than one book with me at a time. My husband said I had too many paperback books in the house. I still buy some paper books even with the ereader.

jellybelly82158 at gmail dot com

SiNn said...

honestly I like the whole ebook conviance but i refuse to spend 200 or so bucks on a device that is kind of impersonal least with a paper back u curl up flip pages and well ill never give up print books and the day we depend soley on electronic devices is a say day

im afollower

A'lina said...

I prefer having a book in my hands, but there are some books I'd love to read that are only available as e-books so I would like to get a Kindle someday so I can read them. ;)

Dawn M. said...

I'm jealous. I really want an e-reader but can't afford one yet. In the meantime, I download e-books and just read them on my computer. I still buy paper books but I buy just as many e-books anymore. So I'm all for e-readers. :0)

Thanks!
librarygrinch at gmail dot com

erma said...

I have no e-rwaders.
erma.hurtt@sbcglobal.net

saturdaynightfever said...

I do not have an e-book. I like building a library on shelves.

edgenemmers@gmail.com

Seduced By Books said...

Hi!! I personally (jenn) have Kindle on my Itouch It's obviously smaller, but I love it. I can take it any where, download books, i feel like i read them faster on the kindle, and when i go somewhere on the plane i just have 1 thing, my itouch, it's got my music and my books. and it's not heavy. I have a ton of books. i also have the B&N reader and Borders on there, Kindle was my first and i think my fav, but i do the B&N thing too.

Unknown said...

I don't have a Kindle or an E-book reader but I am thinking about them. It sounds like a great idea. garrettsambo@aol.com

Deborah Wellenstein said...

I have a nook (so does my husband). I like nook because there are tons of free books available, (at least 1 free book every Friday, and loads more available). I like that you can change the font size on nook, and change the font as well. I can also sideload music and pictures.

dvice12 said...

I don't have an e-book reader but I may think about it for the holidays this year to save space and make it easier to read on the go

Unknown said...

I don't have an e-reader. I love the feel of a book in my hand, so I'm not an e-book fan.

bjhopper(at)me(dot)com