Real Fantasy VI

One more piece of artwork for 2009. Thank you Jen for letting me use your photo to design. I really have a tough time with smiling people, but think the result is fitting. I lost complete track of how many graphics were used on this photo. At one point I needed to back up and take some off. I want to thank all of the lovely ladies who sent art for me to design with. All of the art pieces on my blog were done simply for the joy of designing with no boundaries. Wishing everyone a fantastic New Year in 2010.

IMM: In My Mailbox 12/30/09

Blood Drive by Jeanne C. Stein

IMM: 1/02/10: Queene of the Light by Jennifer Armintrout

IMM: 1/04/10: Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson

IMM: 1/07/10: Born of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

IMM: 1/08/10: If He's Sinful by Hannah Howell

Real Fantasy V

It is my pleasure to share with you the artwork I created of the lovely Tigris Eden. This photograph was incredibly fun to work with. I tried to capture her charm and energy. I love the warm tones and rich coloring. I hope you enjoy this exotic beauty!

Concept Book Cover

Once again I need to thank JoJo  from JoJo's Book Corner for letting me design with her beautiful photography. The thought behind this was to create an urban fantasy book cover. JoJo being the heroine, naturally. I could not decide between the red design and the lighter one. Though I am leaning toward the lighter one. Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed.

Holiday Memories

The Christmas tree shines with a thousand white bulbs. Children’s laughter twinkles and whispers of anticipation fill the air. The room is awash in the glow from the reflections of newly fallen snow. Flakes fall from the endless white sky, brushing the windows with feather light kisses. There is peace and calm. A feeling of rightness and contentment. Presents are shuffled as the family gathers their gifts. The rustling of paper can be heard. The inhale of breathe as treasures and surprises are revealed. Flashes of pictures and a rush for hugs. The wonderment of the moment is reflected in their faces. The tinsel glitters from the play of the cat’s soft paw. Wrappings are gathered and boxes are stacked. Little arms are filled and overflowing with stuffed toys to cuddle in the coming nights. There is a charge of energy and excitement as new games are explored. The delight of discoveries to be made. Slowly each person wanders away from the gathering. Warmed within from love shared. The Christmas tree in alone, but still shines with a thousand white bulbs.

We wish you a wonderful holiday with love from our family to yours. May your days be filled with joy and peace. Cherish your family and friends. Have a fantastic new year!

J.R. Ward & The Black Dagger Brotherhood

I bought, own and have read all of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books by J.R. Ward with the exception of the latest book Lover Mine. This is not so much a review of the books as my opinions on the main characters in the stories.

The books in the series and main characters are as follows:
1. Dark Lover (2005) - Wrath & Beth
2. Lover Eternal (2006) - Rhage & Mary
3. Lover Awakened (2006) - Zsadist & Bella
4. Lover Revealed (2007) - Butch & Marissa
5. Lover Unbound (2007) - Vishous & Jane
6. Lover Enshrined (2008) - Phury & Cormia
7. Lover Avenged (2009) - Rehvenge & Elhena
8. Lover Mine (2010) - John Matthew & Xhex

The first three books in the series are my favorites by far. They are driven and passionate. The characters are engrossing and have intriguing backgrounds. From the first chapter of Dark Lover, I was engaged and committed to the series. J.R. writes incredibly complex tales and weaves the lives of her characters together beautifully. You feel the main characters love, pain and hopelessness as if it were yours. Their world is described with remarkable detail and rich environments. The dialogue of the characters is fantastic. They are witty, intelligent and believable. I love the urban slang and language used by the characters. The characters all have weaknesses and strengths which makes them very realistic and approachable. J.R. Ward does an excellent job of mixing the darkness of despair with hope and light.

In the fourth book, I started loosing track of the story and characters. The complexity is still there, perhaps even more so, but Butch being a human character instead of vampire was disappointing for me. This is not the first time I have seen authors take a what I would consider to be a minor character and dedicate a story to them. Though I still enjoyed the book enough to keep reading the series, it was not as enjoyable as it's predecessors. That being said, the dialogue and character interplay between Butch and Vishous in this book is awesome.

Book 5, Lover Unbound, was also disappointing. Perhaps more so than Lover Revealed. Without revealing too mush, I did not like the outcome of the love between Vishous & Jane. It felt empty and like they were both cheated. There are definitely heart wrenching moments in this book, but I did not enjoy the story line of the main characters.

Lover Enshrined definitively has heroic moments and very complex character scenes, but the book felt a bit more science fiction based to me as far as the love story was concerned. Much of the environment and scenery is harder to grasp. At many times I wanted to jump in the book and yell at the characters to get it together. The most enjoyable part of this book was learning about and watching the growth of the new Brotherhood recruits including John Matthew.

I just finished reading Lover Avenged and had a really hard time getting into the book. It took a painfully long time to read. It reads almost like review of the series instead of being about the two main characters. There is actually very little interplay between Rehvenge & Elhena which was very disappointing. I did appreciate the review of characters, as it had been sometime since I read the previous books, but feel as though I was cheated out of a love story. The books is very suspenseful and filled with characters, but lacks the same passion and action as the previous books. I ended the book with a feeling of defeat instead of triumph.

I do look forward to reading the next novel with John Matthew and Xhex. More so because of Xhex's character than John's. I also want to see what happens with the rest of the Brotherhood and the Lessers. I realize that I did not comment on the major conflict in the books or the war going on. This is because what I recall most is the main characters and their stories. The conflict in the books is amazing and should not be overlooked. The villains are betrayed as purely evil and engrossing at the same time. Some parts of this series can be truly horrifying.

I would definitely recommended J.R Ward and she remains on fo my favorite authors. Though I may not have enjoyed some of the books as much as others, all are good reads and well written.

Artwork Process

From start photography to finishing! Some steps have been combined.

Photoshop Artwork V

I am very excited about this image. My daughter helped me get started, and then when to play. Humph! Anyways, I enjoyed finishing the flower lady. Hope you enjoy it as well. Happy Holidays!

Reflections

Perhaps it is this time of year. The time of year you reflect on your past, your life and your existence. For me this year I have started to ask myself, "Is this all there is?" Don't get me wrong I am eternally grateful for my husband and my children. I love them with all of my heart and soul. However, the days have started to blur together and many of the connections that I once cherished in my life are gone. I feel as though I am grasping at threads and trying to retain relationships that have long since dissipated. Essentially, setting my self up for heart-ache and disappointment. Yet, there are those who say, "Life if what you make it." and "Go after what you want." There must be a median point. A point at which a person knows that no matter how fast they fun, the thing they are trying to catch will always be a bit faster.

My rock bottom moment was when I moved back to the city I lived in briefly as a child. My father still lives there. I convinced myself that I was moving back for all the right reasons. In truth, I know that I just wanted to be closer to my father. He drifted further away as me and my sibling as we grew. He remarried and is content with his new family. I felt that if I just got physically closer, he would be there. We lived minutes away from each other. He never saw our home in the year we lived there.

Sadly, as it often is, reality was not kind. In reality, me and my husband brought our children to a family fair and saw my father. He was there with his new family. We were all on the pony ride. We excahnged pleasantries and he walked away to help his wife's gradchildren around the ring. My babies were on ponies too. He never looked thier way. The scene haunts me now. The image of my father smiling and laughing with someone elses grandchildren. The ponies going in a circle, the bright colors, families laughing... the hopelessness of it all.

The things I want in life are simple. To dance at my daughters wedding, to watch my son fulfill his dreams. To grow old with my husband in realistic comfort and peace. I also want some good friends, friends who are like the family I will never have. Love thicker than blood, true soul mates...

How do you "make" those kinds of relationships happen? How can you "go after" a fantasy?

Happy Holiday Wishes

Real Fantasy IV

Thank you JoJo (JoJo's Book Corner) for letting me indulge in my creativity with another one of your beautiful images. I have enjoyed getting lost in designing and allowing my imagination to run wild. This image is a compilation of about 10 stock photograph images blended with JoJo's photograph as well as various digital effects.

Who is Intense Whisper

Such a mysterious name... Who could this person be? While for starters I am really not all that interesting, though I wish I was. The heroines in the books I love are so passionate and filled with life. They are intense, beautiful, strong and secure. While at least some are secure. You know, now that I think about it, many are not all that comfortable with their life's or surroundings. But I digress... How am I like these women; I can certainly be intense and I can be painfully honest. I am also very protective of what is mine, very "mommy bearish". The words best describe Intense Whisper would be: jaded, sarcastic, reclusive, honest, funny (I try), loyal, stubborn, independent, helpful, and passionate.

I am in my early thirties and live in the upper midwest USA. I have been married for 13 years. I have two children. One boy and one girl, born just one year apart. Both are in elementary school. I am the owner of a home design business and also take care of my children when they are not in school. Daycare did not work so well because of the "mommy bearish" personality flaw.

I graduated college for electronic publishing. I worked for many years in the photofinishing industry as a designer, retoucher and graphic artist until we decided to start our own business. I am an avid reader of paranormal and historical romance. I also read urban fantasy. Before I discovered these genres, I was a reader of science fiction and fantasy. I can also be found gaming, watching movies and playing online. I do not like flying, cooking, sewing, soap operas, talk shows, desperate housewives, sauerkraut, black licorice or lace. Kind-of funny how the list of dislikes is so much longer...

As many of my followers are also readers I will share my favorite books/authors: Outlander Series, Twilight Series, Karen Marie Moning, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lynsay Sands, J.R. Ward and MaryJanice Davidson. I also love reading new authors and have about 400 books on my to be read list, most of which are authors I have yet to read.

That about sums up my existence. A day in my life usually goes; wake, work, eat, sleep and repeat! To be honest I should also add twitter in there too. I hope that the visitors and followers of my blog enjoyed this little peek into my life. Thank you for reading my bio and please feel free to let me know a bit about yourself as well. ~ Robin

Real Fantasy III

This design brought me to a wooded wonderland where fairies and pixies abound. If you sit very quietly you may catch a glimpse of one peeking through the ferns. Thank you Heather from Book Obsessed for letting me design with your lovely photograph.

Real Fantasy II

Here is my design for Larissa from Larissa's Life. It was very hard for me to work with such a sunny, happy expression. I kept wanting to add flames and dragons! My goal was to capture her beauty and light. Thank you Larissa for letting me work with your image and share the results.

Making Real Fantasy

I was humbled when a fellow blogger and twitter friend asked my to play with some images for her. Below are the finished photos I designed for JoJo from JoJo's Book Corner. She has been gracious enough to let me share them on my blog. Thank you JoJo for giving me a reason to play and remember why I love designing.

If any of my blog/twitter followers are interested in also having a photo done, please feel free to send me an email. Please make sure you send a medium to high resolution photo. Should be about 1 MB when in JPG format. If you are not sure what size you have just send it and I will let you know if I need a larger file.

IMM: In My Mailbox 12/14/09

Firestorm by Rachel Caine

Immortal Warrior by Lisa Hendrix

IMM: 12/15/09

Midnight Cafe by Laurell Hamilton

IMM: 12/16/09

Even Vampire Get the Blues by Katie MacAlister

Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole

IMM: 12/17/09

Undead and Unpopular by MaryJanice Davidson

IMM: 12/18/09
Because Your Vampire Said So by Michelle Bardsley

IMM: 12/21/09
Fish Out of Water by MaryJanice Davidson

Photoshop Artwork IV

My daughter wanted to design another picture together today. She asked with big, shiny blue eyes. Who could say no? She choose the photos and art, while I put it all together. She also choose what effects she wanted applied. This is her "crazy" fantasy land. Enjoy!

Photoshop Artwork III

This is how I envisioned the image my daughter had me design. I was going for troubled ice princess. A bit more grunge and desperation.

Photoshop Artwork II

Ok, this one is not all me, actually it is very little me. My daughter choose the stock images for this collage and dictated where she wanted things. I knew when she was done because she started asking, "You mean we're not done yet?" as I add filters and effects. She is very excited to show her classmates and our family over the holidays.

A note on a personal preference: The flowers in the corner put the image over the top for me, but who can say "no" to a bouncing child on their lap. Not to mention the excited shrill of, "Add more sparkles mommy, and more sparkles over there too."

I wish that as women we saw the world through the same innocent eyes as young girls.

Photoshop Artwork

Inspired by novel heroines thought of and those yet undiscovered. Created using stock photography in Photoshop.

IMM: In My Mailbox 12/07/09

A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole
Stray by Rachel Vincent
The Royal Treatment by MaryJanie Davidon
Thin Air by Rachel Caine

IMM: 12/08/09
Don't talk back to your vampire by Michele Bardsley

IMM: 12/09/09
Sex, Lies, and Vampires by Katie MacAlister

Favortie Scenes

OK, I have had my favorite book moments in my head for some time and want to get them down no matter how messy. I apologize in advance for not having exact pages, chapters, book titles... you get the picture.

• Outlander Series (Diana Gabaldon) moment when Jamie and Claire discuss shaved legs etc.
  
• Scene in Highland Bride (Hannah Howell) when Gillyanne discourages her three suitors and their armies from her door.
• First couple chapters of Undead and Unwed (MaryJanice Davidson)!

I will post more as I can think of them!

Post Notes

All of my posts previously published and future posts are my own thoughts and works. They are not entries from books or authors unless explicitly noted. They are also very raw and probably not that well written, grammatically or otherwise. These are just blurts from my head posted in my spare time. I love reading and studied writing when I was younger. My blog is just an outlet for my over-active imagination!

Thank you for visiting and please feel free to comment or add your thoughts!

Vamp

I woke up this morning to a very new world. I abruptly woke to find a strange man in my room. Normally, this would be cause for alarm. But I had a sense of inevitability. The same feeling you get immediately after you start to fall down the steps and know it is going to suck. So I did what any brave twenty century woman would do and closed my eyes as hard and wished him gone. Then I peaked through one slightly lifted lid and sighed. He was still there, staring at the opposite wall with vacant eyes.

Well, there was no point in avoiding what was to come, so I attempted my usual clumsy morning dismount and ended up against my bookcase several feet from my bed. Shit, it is possible to "fall" 5 feet from bed and why is my newest romance novel on my shelf upside down. As I stood there briefly contemplating my ever growing book collection, I heard a whoosh. He left. From my window, which is three stories up!? Listening intently, I tiptoe to the fluttering curtains and pear down. There is only darkness (no body and no blood). I was certain I had lost my mind.

As I shook my head and stumbled away from my window, I glanced at the wall which had so mesmerized my hallucination and saw my bureau. The antique set I received from my late grandmother, cracked from the top of the mirror to the bottom of the dresser. My clothes seeping from the broken mess. A gasp escapes as my legs crumble beneath me and memories from the previous evening flood my head. The last thing I remember after seeing my dresser was a heart-wrenching scream... my own.

Prophecy

The mist swirls around her thighs. Softly caressing her as it encompasses her body. She lets out a sigh of contentment. Completely at peace, the warmth surrounds her like the sun in the summer. Her fingers tingle and twitch. She reaches to her side and feels her sword hilt. It seems to vibrate in response to her light touch. The mist is so thick, she cannot see. Her senses flare and she hears him.

The silent tread of his boots. He hesitates and she bides her time. He will keep coming. It is his nature. Another step. The fog which surrounds her flickers and stills. He is there, just to her right. She wraps her fingers around her weapon and slowly starts pulling the saber from its sheath. With a panthers explosive grace she spins. Releasing her power as her sword and arm arc as one. The mist clears around the blade as it shimmers through the air. He is not there. She halts her pivot as his hand gently brushes the back of her neck. Her power vibrates through her, making her tremble. Adrenaline heightening her awareness. She turns slowly, clutching her sword to her side.

The prophecy has come to pass...

Sharing Laughter

Here is the scene: I am innocently walking around in my sexy jeans and my dear husband walks up and pulls the back of my pants out a tiny bit and peeks inside. Now the first thought I have is, “What the hell just happened”. Then it dawns on me that he just did a panties check!

The smart ass (pun intended) that I am, I say, “No, I did not make a poopie.”. To clarify, we have two young kids. Anyhow, he laughs and walks away. He walks away because I am wearing my comfy white Fruit of the mmmmmm’s. He would not have been so quick to leave if I was wearing the ass sacrificers. You know the kind; the little ones that cost a fortune per thread and saw your butt in two when you walk.

Now why can’t a nice pair of cotton undies be just as enticing? The gift beneath is the same! It’s like wrapping a present with just a bow and no paper! Ohhh… I just visualized that. Perhaps he has something there! I guess it depends on the prize beneath. Perhaps his disgruntled snort was a compliment?! After all, a really good gift in just ribbons would be awesome, but a crappy [insert giggle here] one in a bow would be insulting. Of course a fully wrapped crap gift sucks too.

Anyways, I digress… Where was I? Oh yes, so he makes a very unattractive piggy sound and walks off. I am left standing there grinning about my quick blurt about poop! I then proceed to hitch my sexy jeans back up and saunter off.

The moral of this little story…  Appreciate all the gifts in your life, whether big or small. Even if they are presented to you in ugly (but comfortable) wrappings!

Heroine

She stands on a precipice, her bronze hair billows in the wind. Her eyes are empty. She sees the world with a sharpened clarity. Enhanced by the moisture in her eyes. A single tear rolls down he check. She glances to the ground as it splashes silently at her feet. She knows she is alone and that she must face all that is to come without aid. She can hear the leaves rustle in the surrounding oaks. She feels the ones who stalk the night. She brushes a strand of hair from her lashes and absently strokes her cheek. Intricate swirls shimmer on her face as she unconsciously traces the arched pattern around her jaw to her brow.