I hate talking about money. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I firmly believe that if you see value in something (like stories), you should support them.

There are many ways to do this. One cheap and easy way is to talk about a writer’s work. If you like it tell people. Encourage them to sample that writer’s wares.

Another is to use the donate button whenever available and throw a buck or two in the pot. I have a couple stories out there right now that depend on this model. One is GalaxyBillies (found on podiobooks.com) and the other is Stolen Immortality found at Sorcerous Signals (http://www.sorceroussignals.com/StolenImmortality.html).

Yet another great way is to buy the author’s work. In the case of my short stories Apprentice and Brains are for More than Eating, they are available at the respective ePublisher sites.

So what is my point?

Well, I suppose if I have a point it is, please support what I and many writers like me do (if you like our work, that is). I received my first royalty from podiobooks.com earlier this week and it felt great. It meant that someone enjoyed my story enough to put value on it. That alone was worth more than the amount.

I’ve got a couple books coming out in the next few months. I would love it if you spread the word. I would love it just as much if you purchased a copy (or five). Should you be interested in a signed copy, let me know in advance and I will ensure I have enough copies to fit the demand.

Don’t worry, I will be posting more information about the books as I get closer to the release dates.

In the meantime, have a look at what I already have available. GalaxyBillies is in desperate need of iTune and Podiobook reviews. If you are unable to do any more than provide that, you will have done me a great favor.

As you should know by now, asking for support isn’t something I (or many other writers) normally do. Still, I want you to know that your support (both financial and promotional) is very important to me. Please take a few moments and decide if my work is something you want to help out. If you do, thank you. If not, I can appreciate that too.

Thank you for listening.

Tags: buy, donate, flying island press, irreverent muse, Michell Plested, podiobooks.com, promote, pure obsessions, review, sorcerous signals, support

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A Warrior’s Tale tells the story of Nayla Treeborn, a half-elf, half-human warrior and her struggles to live in a world that is intolerant of a half-breed.

The novel, while the third in the series, is actually a prequel to the first book. It starts and ends at essentially the same point with the meat of the novel consisting of one long flashback. It sounds odd, but it works after the first jolt into the past. The author avoids the bouncing back and forth by writing one continuous flashback at the very start of the story when the protagonist begins to relive the past. Everything else flows back to that very moment of introspection.

This story is unique in a number of ways. While it is a fantasy novel complete with elves, wizards and dragons, it isn’t your parent’s fantasy story. It feels more like a cross between a fantasy novel and a ninja adventure. The novel is chock full of battles and combat and Ms. Suzuki brings her own martial arts training and knowledge to the page with great effect.

There is a caste of warriors who spend their entire lives training called the Kagai warriors who are masters of war. In fact, they are the dominant warriors in this realm, not the elves as is typical in many stories.

The heroine, Nayla is not the big, brash, busty warrior Amazon in a chain mail bikini. She is a diminutive woman bearing the emotional and physical scars of her father’s abuse. As a half-elf, she is shunned by elf and human alike and ultimately, she is forced to flee her father to survive. She is left in the protection of the Kagai warriors where she finds a home and trains to become one of them.

This is an aspect of the hero that I particularly enjoyed. She is not perfect. In fact, she is badly flawed and prone to over-reacting. Too often the hero is some one-dimensional cutout that is too good to be true. Nayla feels much more real.

The characterization is deep throughout and there were many moments when I found myself shaking my head at a character’s actions simply because they are written as real people with all the faults and shortcomings we all have.

I have one minor complaint with the story and that is the language. It is extremely precise, almost stilted. I suspect this is to give the world a more formal flavor, but it did make for a more challenging read. Still, the story was very enjoyable.

Imago Book 3 – A Warrior’s Tale is a Fantasy Novel written by L.T. Suzuki. It was published October 2003 and is available in Softcover, deluxe PDF and a wide variety of eBook formats. Print books can be purchased thru Trafford Publications, PDF’s from the author’s website and ebooks are sold thru smashwords, iTunes, iBookstore, mobipocket and kobo.

You can learn more at the author’s website: http://web.me.com/imagobooks/IMAGO_FANTASY_REALM/Welcome.html

Tags: a warrior's tale, book, dragon, elf, fantasy, imago, imago book 3, kagai, lorna suzuki, Michell Plested, nayla treeborn, review, warrior