This is a late entry for July's FEATURED GROWNUP QUESTION.

Thinking on how I always answer these, I could dwell on some rough spots but instead I'm going for the positive aspect of it all. I will say adversity had a great deal in fueling my desire to be published when I was younger. It allowed me to express my feelings and share what I wrote with many people I met through the small press. I was well enough known back then to even receive a small amount of fan mail which I always took the time to answer. Back then I wrote my feelings out as poems and shorts. I did the same with my third book using the young wizard to once more share my feelings about things and people I had cared deeply for. Unlike the poems my book did not receive much attention and that saddened me because it covered many aspects of my life and obstacles I had overcome. You might say it was adversity that told my story and the story itself had become an obstacle as nobody seemed interested in the telling. And so last tuesday I faced this obstacle, this adversity and decided to do something positive about it. By Friday a Hollywood director phoned me saying he received my book and that he'd talk with me soon about what he thought. So the writing of my tale through my characters not only helped me deal with my past adversities but also led to something positive.

bill

I rarely mention my work but I did contribute some fairly interesting work to a special book to benefit the Children's Wish Foundation. If you are unaware of who they are; CWF tries to grant the last wish of a terminally ill child. My friend Bonnie organized the entire affair but what we did not think of was setting aside any revenue for promotion. We gave 100% of the book's profits[if any] to CWF. What we're asking is to help spread the word about POETIC LICENSE, the book. None of the authors involved were paid to contribute and all of the royalties go to CWF.
here is the link-
http://www.lbfbooks.com/

If you are not interested but could pass on the link; I'd be very grateful. I believe that it is a good cause.
bill

William P. Haynes, The Shaman and the Rose

reviewed by Susie Hawes

The Shaman and the Rose Author: William P. Haynes Publisher: Outskirts Press (December 2007) Paperback: 424 pages ISBN-10: 1432716727 ISBN-13: 978-1432716721

The Shaman and the Rose, by William P. Haynes, is the third story featuring the characters introduced in Mephisto’s Seed. This dark fantasy has elements of heroic adventure, romance, mythology, strong religious overtones, and characters seeking redemption. The passion and danger are real. The author makes his readers feel these emotions.

Tight plotting keeps this crowded story on track, and strong character development keeps the reader glued to the book. The protagonists in this novel are passionate and good-hearted. We care about what happens to these people. The antagonists are thoroughly evil and manipulative. The author’s use of drama and character interactions makes us want them to fail.

Angels and gods rub shoulders with demons and humans, and even the great deceiver, Satan, has his part. As the characters battle vampires and demons they evolve into warriors seeking to protect their world from the evil that encroaches on it.

Satan has been freed from his prison and seeks to initiate Armageddon. A handful of humans work with a god; a fallen angel; a Native American shaman, Orenda; an elfin wizard and a werewolf to put a stop to his plans. Themes of redemption thread throughout the tale; the humans seek a fallen sister while the angel, Semjaza, seeks atonement and redemption. He suffers a crisis of faith and must overcome it to help his comrades.

Elliot, the main antagonist in Mephisto’s Seed, seeks to be united with Sara, his love. He acts with ruthless disregard for the lives of those around him, attacking any he feels will interfere with his goal. Satan wants to capture the magical sword, Rutilus, and use it to destroy the world, and the heroes must stop him.

Part of the action takes place in the contemporary world, and part in mystic realms, and, eventually, in Hell itself. Mr. Haynes has built beautiful landscapes and terrible ones, with bloody seas, a ship of bones,. His worlds are filled with ruby-eyed demons and winged stallions.

Elliott gathers an army of demons, vampires, hellbeasts and dark creatures, seeking to bring about Armageddon, but the shaman stops him with a spell that creates a tornado. As his troops are destroyed, Elliott flees.

I think my favorite part was when one of the characters used a modern, non-magical weapon to take out a dragon.

There are sacrifices, and the hardships and dangers one would expect from a story like this. However, the sacrifices are handled with intelligence, avoiding the trap of becoming cliché. Dialog is sharp, internal logic is consistent, settings and action are colorful an the characters interact well with one another and grow from their experiences.

This is a very well-written book, and one I would recommend. William P Haynes has grown as an author. Be sure to read the first two novels, to get the full story. It’s quite an experience.