Category Archives: Social Networks

Posts about links and the status of Lita on other social networking sites.

2015 BookViral Book Award Recognizes Forever Boy

Lita is delighted to tell Gentle Reader about more goings on concerning Forever Boy.

Forever Boy — BookViral 2015 Award Shortlisted Author

BookViral has recognized Lita Burke’s Forever Boy as a 2015 BookViral Book Award Shortlisted Author.

BookViral is an online book review and promotions service that has united large groups of authors, book clubs, small publishers and individual readers located throughout the United Kingdom, the USA, and other countries around the globe. BookViral works with traditionally published and indie authors. Their mission is to discover new and talented authors, and give their work attention and awareness.

BookViral is rapidly becoming the preferred review and book promotion site for authors and readers around the world. In any given month, their Social Media presence reaches in excess of 1 million potential readers.

Forever Boy by Lita Burke

Forever Boy is the first story in Lita Burke’s Clockpunk Wizard series. These tales tell the life of Kadmeion, a young wizard recently graduated from the university. Kadmeion flies his airship between islands that float far above the sea in a plate-shaped ocean world. Sixteenth-century clockworks technology reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci, coupled with traditional fantasy creatures, surround this magically talented young wizard.

In Forever Boy, a dog flees his cruel master, befriends a wizard, and discovers his shapeshifting magic. Find out more at the back cover blurb, or hop aboard the wizard’s airship and read Chapter 1 for free. Discover where to find your copy of the award-winning Forever Boy at the book page.

Fantasy at the Flicker Show

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Step out with Lita. Let us go to the cinema, and meet some fantasy friends.

Authors’ Cave presents its magical side in the March 2015 Fantasy eZine.

For these stories, leave the mundane behind. Meet the heroes and villains of ancient lands, hobnob with fellow wizards, and walk the deep forests with dryads.

Does Gentle Reader want to fly with dragons? Lita suggest you put on your flying gear, check twice to be sure you’ve buckled the saddle to your fire lizard’s back, and hop on. Then read the enchantments from: March McCarron, Terry Maggert, C. B. Pratt, Lita Burke, Scott Collins, Charles Carfagno Jr., Mary Fonvielle, Maria Greene, and Colin Rutherford.

So turn down the lights, and turn up the flicker show. Enchantment is waiting for you.

Disregard That Bump in the Night

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Lita takes Gentle Reader on a visit to fantasy’s scary cousins: Paranormal, Horror, Suspense, and Thriller.

Authors’ Cave presents its scary side in the March 2015 Horror/Paranormal/Mystery eZine.

For these stories, it is always ten past midnight on Halloween. Meet disturbing children, live next door to that nice neighbor that somehow makes you feel uneasy, and dress up for a party where everyone wears black.

So Gentle Reader does not frighten easily? Lita suggests you turn on all the lights, and lock the door anyway. Then read these tingling stories from: Demelza Carlton, Jackie Mae, Graham ‘Grolly’ Bright, Jada Ryker, Kim Murphy, Laura DeBruce, Joe DeRouen, and Joss Landry.

These stories are best read when darkness rules outside. Disregard that bump in the night. Snuggle deeper under the covers, and immerse yourself in these lovely chills.

Interview: Authors’ Cave Showcase for Lita Burke

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Lita sat down with the folks at Authors’ Cave and ‘fessed up about the characters at her writing desk.

Lita Set Everything Straight and Explained Clockpunk

Interviews are such fun, and Lita just never knows what will come out of her mouth. This time, the interview was in one of the lovely grotto rooms over at Authors’ Cave.

“What is Clockpunk?” they asked. “Is that…like Steampunk?” Or is it all just Lita’s mad fancy? So Lita set everything straight and explained which part is her very own made-up hokum.

Nosy is good when it comes to interviews, so here are the juicy details about the menu. While answering the Authors’ Cave questions, Lita ate dainty finger sandwiches topped with cucumber slivers, and sipped citrus-fragrant Earl Grey tea.

Lita finished with dark chocolate candies so delicious, that talking was quite impossible while the confectionary melted on her tongue like an essence kiss from an oh-so-handsome Enchanter.

Ask a Dragonette Which Hand is Better, the Left or the Right?

Lita explained to Authors’ Cave which hand she liked better, the left or right, and somehow made sense of it all when talking about dragonettes in Tredan’s Bane.

Then it was back to the Clockpunk Wizard world, and a serious discussion about why the inside of a boggart box is so interesting.

Virtual tea time became spooky when the matter of the murderous masked ghosts came up. Lita first used a napkin to dab chocolate off her lips, and then explained the ghost thing in her next Enchanters of Sye story, Ghost Orchid.

Lita is afraid she made a mess of things here describing what really happened during the interview. Perhaps Gentle Reader should follow the white rabbit and hop on over to Authors’ Cave–their version of the chat is not so discombobulated.

Some of the Authors’ Cave grotto rooms:

Interview: Close Your Eyes for a Fantasy Surprise

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The folks over at Blog Catalog recently sat down with Lita and chatted about all sorts of things in Lita’s fantasy worlds. It was time to talk a bit about the magic behind the curtain. Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

Find Fantasy Elsewheres Down the Rabbit Hole

Blog Catalog: “Lita’s Worlds” … places like elsewheres. This is major fantasy speak. Please describe where elsewheres are located. I’m assuming there is more than one.

Lita: Ooh, I love visiting fantasy elsewheres. Let me name a few: Hogwarts, Oz, Middle Earth, Narnia, and down the rabbit hole. Where are they located? Just follow the second star on the left, and straight on ‘til morning. Or you can just pick up a fantasy book and find one inside.

Blog Catalog: If you could turn into one of your characters, which one would you become?

Lita: I’m rather fond of…

Fly in an Airship Above a Mermaid-Filled Sea

Which character did Lita choose?

Did she wish to become an Enchanter and bewitch all who dare take a sip of magical essence?

Or does she fancy being a demon-calling sorceress who flies an airship above a mermaid-filled sea? Lita’s answer might give you a smile.

And so the interview went on. Lita divulged all sorts of mad and fancy things about where her ideas come from. Stop by Blog Catalog’s interview at Close Your Eyes for a Fantasy Surprise, and learn more about how Lita creates her fantasy worlds.

Authors’ Cave Grand Launch Blog Train

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Authors’ Cave Blog Train

Welcome aboard Lita Burke’s train car for the Authors’ Cave Blog Train.

Lita cordially invites Gentle Reader to the Grand Launch Festival Day for Authors’ Cave on Facebook or Google+ this Tuesday, July 22, 2014, 8-11am EDT. Join the fun with these events: book trailer contest, scavenger hunts, giveaways, Google+ social hangouts, and the kickoff for the 1st Annual Authors’ Cave Book Awards with lovely prizes like $500 cash, a Kindle Fire or Nook, and free promotion of the winner’s book for a year at Authors’ Cave.

Lita Must Rattle on About Herself

Back to the blog train social niceties. Authors’ Cave asked Lita to introduce herself. For those who are visiting Lita’s blog for the first time, here is a short introduction to your blog train hostess:

A wizard seeks a magical thingummy to free his kidnapped familiar.

Lita Burke writes fantasy and Clockpunk stories. Lita fancies herself living in a castle in the misty northern realms, where she is a humble scribe for the ramblings of wizards and enchanters. Her blog is a journal detailing those magicians’ fantasy worlds.

Look to the sidebars for the elevator pitches for two of Lita’s stories in the Clockpunk Wizard series.

Here are three words to describe Lita’s stories: immersive, magic-filled, and creative.

A wizard faces a peril-filled journey to Sir Death’s castle to win a powerful spell book for a love-starved dragon.

Lita’s work in progress is the next tale in the Clockpunk Wizard world. In Glitter Ponies, Lady Luck’s daughter helps a wizard discover the cause of a mysterious unicorn illness.

Lita’s favorite thing about Authors’ Cave (called Book Review Depot, or “BRD” on Facebook) is the opportunity to read terrific books by indie authors and have Lita’s books read in return. BRD started a year ago as an organized read and review group, and has evolved into an indie author community providing writing resources and general support.

Take a peek out of the train window and see Lita Burke’s Premium Member page on Authors’ Cave.

Let Lita Make Introductions

Enough about Lita. Here are three Authors’ Cave bloggers that Gentle Reader might enjoy meeting. Stay on the blog train and follow these authors next. See how they responded to the same blog train questions.

Answer to the Grand Launch Festival Day Scavenger Hunt Question #3: Train

Book Trailer Contest: Old Bony Blue Eyes

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Don’t Lose Your Head! Pull Up a Comfy Chair and Take a Look at the Old Bony Blue Eyes Book Trailer

Oh, to snag those delicious bragging rights. Come see the show, then pick your favorite.

The book trailer for Old Bony Blue Eyes is in this month’s contest at Indies Unlimited. Don’t delay, vote for your choice today.

Here is your chance to see Wizard Kadmeion, his half-elf assistant Sir Bright, and the wizard’s familiar, Furgo. Join Kadmeion on his journey to Sir Death’s castle. You might spot a mermaid or a hydra along the way. His visit with the lovely Lady Luck is there, along with the bickering couple, Lord and Madam War. Also catch a glimpse of Death’s most curious of blue-eyed magicians, Wizard Mephistopheles.

The Old Bony Blue Eyes e-book is available now for download and immediate gratification from Amazon US, Amazon UK, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble.

See more images of Old Bony Blue Eyes on Pinterest. There is also some fuss over Old Bony at Goodreads and Facebook. And, of course, here is the book trailer contest at Indies Unlimited with Old Bony Blue Eyes.

Ephraim’s Curious Device featured at Indies Unlimited

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Curious Devices from the Clockpunk Wizard World

Here are a few Curious Devices (people too) from the Clockpunk Wizard world

Lita is pleased to tell Gentle Reader that the Indies Unlimited (IU) blog has a featured post about the Clockpunk Wizard world in Ephraim’s Curious Device. Please take a minute to stop by, look around, and if in the mood, leave some comments.

IU is a site for independent authors, publishers, reviewers and readers who embrace the sweeping changes to book publishing caused by online technology. IU calls it the “Indie Author Movement.”

Treasures await the visitor at IU. For posts that are sometimes snarky but always informative, check out the IU home page. Be sure to visit their featured author online book store here. For all who are low on schwag, visit their IU Gear store and load up. If Gentle Reader wants to get social, check them out on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest.

Which genres lurk about at IU? Their site covers Adventure, Romance, Mystery, Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy (Lita’s favorite), and Biography titles. You’re sure to find a story to please, and meet friendly indie writer acquaintances, at IU.

Writer Tips for Tweeps: Check Out #LitaLikes

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If the tiny twitter writer tips were magical lights, they would look like this.

Tiny twitter writer tips surround Lita like magical lights

For all the Gentle Readers who are on Twitter, Lita Burke has started a hash tag with indie writer wisdom just for you. But do read on, even if you’re not on Twitter–I’m talking about writing tips today.

About #LitaLikes

Here in December, Lita started a series of every-other-day tweets using the hash tag #LitaLikes. These are “tiny twitter tweets” (assonance rhyme intended–apologies–couldn’t help it today) with Lita’s quick tips, advice, and peccadilloes about writing.

Lita will post these hard-learned nuggets of wisdom until I have disclosed all, or an angry mob of orcs chases me away from the computer. The advice bits will be tips about editing your own fiction, the mechanics of eBook formatting, and Lita’s preferences about fantasy worlds and their story-people.

If Gentle Reader likes these, but you aren’t on Twitter, see the most recent #LitaLikes in the Twitter feed on the homepage sidebar of this blog. If you are on Twitter, here is Lita’s Twitter Page. Feel free to Follow. If you aren’t on Twitter, and want to catch of Lita’s tweets from the source, here is the Twitter Home and instructions on how to become a Tweep–won’t cost you a cent to join. Gentle Reader can also catch my Twitter feed on Lita’s Facebook Page.

Take a Look at #LitaLikes

Lita Likes~~to print out final manuscript and give it a read to catch errors #litalikes #RT
— Lita Burke (@LitaBurkeWriter) December 7, 2012

Lita Likes~~to use one adjective at a time, not a bunch #litalikes #RT
— Lita Burke (@LitaBurkeWriter) December 5, 2012

Lita Likes~~to have Word read my stories aloud for editing #litalikes #RT
— Lita Burke (@LitaBurkeWriter) December 3, 2012

Lita Likes~~to sketch my fantasy maps with pencil and paper~old fashioned! #litalikes #RT
— Lita Burke (@LitaBurkeWriter) December 1, 2012

I suggest all writers print out their stories and read them off of paper for self-editing. Looking at your words on a different medium gives your eyes a fresh perspective.

How I go on about too many adjectives and adverbs spoiling a perfectly good story. Catch Lita’s rants about these fiction no-nos in earlier posts for Killing Me Softly with Adverbs, and That’s No Moon. It’s Excessive Adjectives.

As writers self-proofing our fiction, our eyes skip over typos and grammar flubs because somehow we just don’t see them. Word can speak the text out loud. Lita catches her literary badness using this technique. It is now my last self-editing step before beta readers.

I’ve gushed over my love of fantasy maps before in 6 Critical Elements for Fantasy World Building.

Remember, Lita posts to Twitter several times a day. Be sure to follow the latest about Lita’s fantasy worlds, get the scoop on the latest status for Lita’s stories, and keep the angry orcs away from my door.