Blog Archives
Join the Smashwords 2024 Holiday Ebook Sale Extravaganza!
Welcome to the annual Smashwords end of year ebook sale! From December 12th 2024 through January 1st 2025– Join thousands of readers – find great book titles from your favorite authors and discover new authors in your preferred genres.
Books are discounted from 25% – 50% – 75% – and even FREE! You can locate the Dragomeir Series (adventures with dragons), Vengeance of the Wolf (a horror/thriller), Tinker Smith and the Conspiracy of Oz (genetically altered children in a world of espionage and the wizard of Oz), Between Two Worlds (a rip in the fabric of time and space, and The Atrium (a psychological adventure in science fiction) at Smashwords.
Check out my website for other books – The Larger World Series in including a new release, The Forces of the Universe, and The Triple Threat (how to write a novel and stay sane in the process), plus digital artwork and many more extras.
I hope you’ll visit Smashwords 2024 end of year sale. Enjoy the holidays – MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone!
Solitaire
The Enchanting World of Dragomeir
Prophecy has foretold of a female child who will liberate the citizens of the Provinces. Katherine, is born to the ruthless Dark Lord and with her dragon, Exxa, she is determined to find her place in a dark and evil world, and fulfill her destiny. In order to do this she travels through time to discover her past and future, where she meets Tanis, an ancient warrior.
Tanis is called by Demios, the first emerald dragon to be born in a thousand years and becomes a dragon rider. He lives at Mt. Drago, where he meets unusual and evil creatures from other worlds.
Led by the Dragon Queen, the Ariella, he and the other riders must retrieve a crystal key that was taken by the Dark Lord of the Provinces in order to protect the dragons and Mt. Drago.
The adventure continues with other dragons, the Aguivas and the Amphiteres on fantastic new worlds and faraway mountain homes.
Who guides them, and will they survive and be able to remedy the anomalies of their travel through time? Follow this exciting fantasy adventure as they battle to fulfill their destinies and save the worlds they love.
At the website you’ll find Extras about each world, including characters and maps.
Explore the books at www.solitaireparke.com
Happy reading, dragon lovers!
Solitaire
Help – How Do I Write a Novel?
Writing your first novel can make you craaaazy!!! Do you have a process , or should you even have one? Maybe you’ve taken a class on writing but are still unclear where to begin. If this is where you’re coming from, then hang onto your hats because I’d like to share something with you.
I’ve been there! You are not alone, so don’t worry. This writing process is the reason for my next book –
THE TRIPLE THREAT
(How to write a novel and stay sane in the process)
Hi, I’m Solitaire Parke and I write science fiction, urban fantasy, horror/thriller, larger world and poetry books. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, and I’ve made my fair share of mistakes along the way. Hopefully, I can help you avoid some of those same mistakes and your novel can become a reality instead of just a dream.
I believe everyone has at least one good book within them, probably more. But if you don’t know where to start, that’s a problem. So, I’m attempting to share some of the knowledge I’ve gained along my writing journey in the hope that your dream can come to fruition.
The Triple Threat will cover
Where to start
Outlines
Research
Plots and Subplots
Characterization
Dialogue
Showing not Telling
Conflict
Timelines
Helpful Templates
Editing
Cover Art
Publishing
and much more within each chapter – including examples.
Understanding what you’re writing and finding the answers to all your questions will shape what and how your novel is written and ultimately make your readers (hopefully, a lot of them) happy, and anxious to get your next book when it’s published. Not to mention, the satisfaction you receive from being able to put your thoughts down in a paperback (e-book or audiobook) is well worth all the time and effort, and something you can be proud of for the rest of your life.
The TripleThreat is in its final editing stage and will be out very soon. So, stay tuned for further updates. Happy reading to everyone – and hopefully you’ll be writing your own novel in the near future! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me.
Solitaire
Available Now – “Between Two Worlds”
Society is collapsing before his eyes.
Sixteen-year-old Cross Mundos is trying to survive in a world of nuclear disaster and environmental decay. His parents have disappeared, leaving him with an eccentric uncle, a war zone, and a landscape where death and extinction seem to be the inevitable outcome. But Cross has an intellect far beyond most in his age category, and despite the challenges he faces, is determined to find a way to endure and even thrive.
To his surprise, his Uncle Ferrum reveals an instrument called a torch, enabling him to rip a hole into the fabric of time and space. This changes everything as he can transport to an identical world, with one catch – it is many decades into the past!
To survive in this new world, he must keep his previous life a secret and yet somehow blend in with the current populace. His ultimate goal is to discover what went wrong in his world and somehow change the course of events to stop the future of this new planet from complete destruction.
Will history repeat itself, or will Cross be the one person who can alter its outcome?
My latest science fiction book – BETWEEN TWO WORLDS – is now available for purchase below –
LULU BOOKS (Paperback and Ebook)
Check out solitaireparke.com for further information and books. Happy Reading!
Solitaire
Come visit the Tucson Festival of Books!
Saturday and Sunday, March 9 & 10, 2024 I will be at the Tucson Festival of Books.
I would love to meet you, tell you about my books, and sign a copy for you.
Many organizations and authors will be represented, as well as presenters and food and beverage trucks for your convenience.
A complete list of exhibitors can be found here.
For more information and extras, please check out my website –
I hope to see you there!
Solitaire
How Hobbies Can Improve Your Writing
What is a hobby? As defined by the dictionary, it is an interest or activity to which a person devotes time for pleasure. Things or activities that a person does for relaxation or enjoyment.
Hobbies help to invoke passion in your life which in turn helps revitalize your writing, often by pushing your boundaries. When you give your characters interests or hobbies it fleshes out their personalities and helps the reader to be more invested and care about them. If they care about your characters, they’ll be more likely to enjoy the story and be able to make a connection. You as a writer need that passion as well. Without that enthusiasm there is little motivation to get up in the morning, head to your computer keyboard or pick up your pen and write.
Quite a few fiction writers paint. Painting helps you to look at things, create things, and show things. Anything that helps you to see is advantageous to your writing in creating characters, storytelling, locations, etc. for your books.
Giving quality time to activities you enjoy helps your performance in creative problem-solving which affects your brain’s abilities and supports your performance in life in general, as well as writing. Hobbies tend to build confidence and self-esteem. They are excellent for your mental health, they increase productivity, and can spark new ideas. When we get excited about something, it activates the reward system in the brain and motivates us to stick with it.
If you’ve ever had writer’s block, you know that sometimes you need that motivation to continue to the next chapter of your book or article. A hobby forces your mind to focus which is the enemy of writer’s block and a friend to the writer. Recharging your mind with something new or different can make all the difference in your outlook and productivity.
Hobbies give us a kind of resilience and keep us engaged so that we can write that next great novel that might be an inspiration for someone else who needs it. If you haven’t found what helps inspire you to greatness, do some exploration. There are countless ways to spark your mind!
Solitaire
Five Equally Valuable and Enlightening Sites for the Week
May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
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Since 1949, the month of May has been designated throughout the nation as mental health month. Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. During May, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health) joins the national movement to raise awareness. Their site provides support for those who deal with this everyday, along with their families.
I found a blog on LULU Books called Mental Health for Writers that applies not only to writers like myself, but has some great links for mental health in general.
After the last two years of pandemic living, many people are realizing that stress, isolation, job loss, and uncertainty have taken a toll on their well-being. To help slow the spread of coronavirus, many schools and childcare centers across the U.S. closed and transitioned to virtual instruction for at least some time. With these closures, children and their parents were experiencing ongoing disruption and changes to their daily routines. Throughout the pandemic, anxiety, depression, sleep disruptions, and thoughts of suicide have increased for many young adults. It has hit just about everyone in some form or fashion.
Personality may also influence how we manage in difficult times. How we endure uncertainty and our ability to tolerate distress are related behaviors that appear to make a difference. Some people are less comfortable with struggle or the unknown than others. Feeling afraid, depressed, or anxiety ridden has seemed to hit an all time high in our world right now.
We can’t always self-improve our way out of pain and difficulty. Facing it is the only answer, and there are ways that we can get help and help ourselves. This is one of those times when life really is harder by a little bit or a lot, depending on your situation. We need to work to feel better, stay connected, and help others however we can.
Solitaire
Have You Watched These 10 Movies About Time Travel?
Image by Solitaire on Emporeum
Time travel is described as the concept in which people are able to move backwards into the past or forwards into the future. This subject is one of my favorites, and I have written a few science fiction/fantasy books which focus on time travel in my Dragomeir Series. You can check them out at my website – www.solitaireparke.com
What is it about time travel that keeps us coming back for more? First of all, is it even possible? Yes, and you’re doing it right now – moving forward into the future at the rate of one second per second. But this isn’t the kind of time travel that has made science fiction writers so prolific, or movie makers so fascinated that Wikipedia lists over 400 titles in the category “Movies about Time Travel.” Traveling by way of a time machine or by using some other means into the past or future is what is really intriguing. If you are one of the many who find time travel to be incredible, you might want to check out the following ten movies.
- The Adam Project – “After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed teams up with his 12-year-old self for a mission to save the future.
- The Tomorrow War – A family man is drafted to fight in a future war where the fate of humanity relies on his ability to confront the past.
- Tenet – Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
- Palm Springs – Stuck in a time loop, two wedding guests develop a budding romance while living the same day over and over again.
- Boss Level – Trapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder, a former special forces agent must unlock the mystery behind his untimely demise.
- 12 Monkeys – In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.
- Looper – In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits – someone like Joe – who one day learns the mob wants to ‘close the loop’ by sending back Joe’s future self for assassination.
- Avengers: Endgame – After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to reverse Thanos’ actions and restore balance to the universe.
- Time Machine – Hoping to alter the events of the past, a 19th century inventor instead travels 800,000 years into the future, where he finds humankind divided into two warring races.
- Donnie Darko – After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
To all the Travelers out there – Be Safe!
Solitaire
Annual Smashwords Read an Ebook Week Sale!
March 6 – March 12, 2022
Hello Readers! This is the 13th annual Smashwords read an Ebook week sale and you are invited to check it out on the Smashwords Ebook site at this location –
Thousands of Smashwords authors and publishers will offer readers exclusive discounts on their ebooks. It’s a great opportunity to fill your cart with the books from favorite authors and future favorites. Ebooks will be offered at 25% off, 50% off, 75% off, or for FREE.
If you love stories about dragons, otherworldly creatures, lots of adventure, and other sci-fi/fantasy topics then check out my site at Smashwords here –
You can also learn more about me and my books at my website –
If you love to read, here is your chance to stock up for the Spring and Summer with ebooks of every genre. You won’t want to miss it!
Solitaire
Solitaire Parke - Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books 