REVIEW: Shadow on the Wall by Pavarti K. Tyler

RATING: ★★★★
Coming May 1, 2012! 

REVIEW: 
Recai Osman is a handsome and wealthy businessman in the city of Elih, Turkey, living every man's dream. But his life turns into a hellish nightmare the day Recai opens his eyes to find himself buried in sand, beaten and hanging on to the last string of his life. Someone has left Recai to be swallowed whole by the desert and never to be heard of again.


Recai is saved by Hasad, who hides the stranger in his home, though fearing that the monopolized community police, known as the RTK, is linked to the man. After a brutal attack to Hasad's daughter, Rebekah, Recai swears upon her memory to seek vengeance on the RTK and their leader.


After three years of wandering through the desert in search of answers, Recai returns to the city of Elih, where he was thought dead.  When Recai attempts to reincorporate himself into society, he finds himself defending a victim from the sickening attack by an RTK soldier. It is then that Recai becomes known as "The Sandstorm". 


Author Pavarti K. Tyler has risen a "Muslim Superhero" from the sands of the desert. Tyler touches controversial topics which only a woman would dare to brave. The author's style of writing holds a poetic flare in her sentences, which add to the appeal of the story. 


Do be wary readers, as this book is not for the faint at heart and includes scenes of cruel violence against women. For those bold readers, you might want to fasten your reading glasses because you're in a for a thrilling ride. 




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Pavarti K. Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number-cruncher who has been committed to causing trouble since her first moment on this Earth. Her eclectic career has flirted with Broadway, Teaching, Law Firms and the IRS. Author of many short stories, Pavarti spans genres from Horror and Erotica all the way to Fantasy. Currently Pavarti is hard at work establishing her Indie Publishing Company Fighting Monkey Press.


Follow Author Pavarti K. Tyler on Twitter:
@PavartiKTyler
Connect with Author Pavarti K. Tyler on her website:
www.fightingmonkeypress

Pre-order Shadow on the Wall on Amazon!

David's Mail Call Poetry

A few days ago, a fan expressed her "love" of  Creatura on my Facebook page. I decided to give her a little gift from my book's hero, David Chios. Quickly it was that the responses to his humble offering grew, and before I knew it, "David" was serenading fan girls with verse. 

"Carly Anne's Chablis" 

Written for Carly Anne Wallace 

Weaved of fine silks and fine wine 

                                                 The Gods adorned Carly Anne so divine

 And I a poor beggar on mine raw knee 

Pleading, suffering, eager to be free 

But what dost freedom imply to a beggar?

Leaving mine Carly Anne to be? 

Never shalst I wander free of mine decree 

And I do attest, dear Carly Anne, this sacrifice to thee 

May mine blood become dry like the Gods' wine of Chablis 

Should ever you never come to be privately for me

 ~ David Chios 

Thank you for reading, and I invite you to get to know David Chios and the rest of the personalities in the first  book of the Creatura Series. 

Please Visit Me At: www.nelycab.com & www.facebook.com/AuthorNelyCab

I'm also on Goodreads: Nely Cab 

Ever wonder how a story is developed in a writer's mind?

Do you ever wonder how a character or story is developed in the mind of a writer? Everyone has a different story. Mine is, without a doubt, different. Tina from the Not Me Did It... Blog asked me to be a guest on her blog, requesting specifically that story. You can read it here:

Not me did it...: Guest Post: Nely Cab; Author for "Creatura": Hello, to Tina and to you, the readers that have taken time to stop by. Today, Tina has asked me to tell you about how I came up with th...

BAD HAIR DAY GIVEAWAY!

So, I was sitting here drinking coffee thinking of ways to rile up the fans. Then, I look in the mirror, and as I catch the first glimpse of myself (mostly in disgust), I discover I'm having a bad hair day.  The lights in my brain flickered on, and suddenly, over the hymns I usually hear when I have a good idea, I say to myself, "A GIVEAWAY for my NEW Author Page on Facebook!" 

Click HERE to visit me on Facebook and to enter the contest. 

Creatura Book Trailer

This is a new book trailer for "Creatura" that I created with the help of Patrick Salinas, Krystle Mendiola (featured in the video) and Juan M. Mendiola, Jr. Don't forget to comment and rate.

 Thanks for watching! 

Creatura Basket of Goodies hosted by Paranormal Book Club

This Creatura Basket of goodies giveaway is being hosted by Paranormal Book Club on Facebook. Like their page and enter the contest at this link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paranormal-Book-Club/109922569062884?sk=app_208195102528120&app_data=dlt

Good Luck! 

Recent Review

Hello, beautiful creatures! I've been absent from your lives for quite sometime writing and creating a world for Isis and David for my upcoming novel "Vivus," the second in the "Creatura" Series. My apologies and sincere gratitude to those of you that are reading this right now. 


Today, I want to share a review that lifts my spirits and pushes me to continue to write. When I read it I was delirious, to say the least. And since it seems like such a drag to have to go find the reviews for a book on another website,  I decided to post it here. I'll continue to post a few reviews - only once in a while - for you to read.  This review is one of many of my favorites:


*Find this review on Goodreads


Fathima Amiruddin's review 

Read from November 18 to 20, 2011

"I was contemplating whether this story deserved a 4 star or a five star .. But man oh man , once i was done reading it i knew it deserved nothing less than a 5 star !!! So many questions , so many thrilling moments , this story definitely took me by surprise !! 

Cover-speak : Awwwwwwesome cover !! At first i was like , ' How is the name " Creatura " connected to what's being shown on the cover of the book . I was completely clueless . But once i was through the story , i think i have sort of realised the meaning behind this cover ! Ofcourse i cant give it away now because i think its highly connected to the story and giving it away would just ruin it for everyone plannin on reading it ;) 

Creatura basically tells the story of 17 yr old Isis Martin , who has turned into an insomniac due to her recurring nightmares . Every night Isis dreams of the same Poppy field and the same 'beast' who waits for her in that poppy field . Every night Isis wakes up from her nightmares scared and petrified to fall asleep again . Who is this creature ? What does he want ? Why is a part of Isis's dreams ? Is he an enemy or a friend ? Answer to those questions and many more is what awaits readers in this mythological extravaganza !!

Things i loved about this book : 

1) Fresh and exciting : Okay i'm gonna be honest here , i have not read anything like what is mentioned in this story before ! To explain it in better terms , i can say that the 'paranormal' Or the 'supernatural' element of this story is 'out worldly;' . I loved every aspect of it . Every angle , every twist just added to the prevailing tension . 
Honestly , there was a time when i was beginning to lose interest in the story and felt that it had become too slow and drag-ish . But a new twist added in by the author at the right time and right place zapped me back in place and i was devouring the pages like my life hung on it ! Definitely new definitely exciting !! The mythological connection of the story was also very new and something unheard of . I would so wanna meet some of the characters mentioned in this book for real !

2) Relationship matter's : Another lovely aspect of this book was the various characters and the relationship they shared with each other . One of my favourite was the relationship shared between Isis and her mother Claire . Never ever have i read a book that emphazised so much on a mother - daughter relationship . They were like two best friends because they were everything to each other . I laughed at their goofiness and had tears in my eyes when things got intense . Brownie pionts to the author for such an amazing display of affection between the two . 
And another favourite relationship being Isis and David's . Oh boy talk about crazy and sweet at the same time . I couldnt help but wear a grin on my face all the time reading the various interactions between them . Isis the stubborn kind , who would never let David know her real feelings for him and David , the uberly greek god-like handsome but possessive guy who would do anything to make sure he wins Isis's heart !!! Loved them ;) . Ofcourse the book has many other interesting characters as well . 

3) Twists, turns and the end !!!! : If i'm giving 5 on 5 to the story , then i'm giving 10 on 10 to the author , her imagination and her creativity ! I mean come on she clearly deserves it for a story like this especially the end ! It was sooooo unexpected and unthought of . For a split second i was like ' wait , what did just happen !! ' .. I sooo cannot wait to read what happens next in this series . The end just made way for an exciting beginning . Totally recommended for readers looking for a story of a different kind . Its a must check out from me !"

THE HOUSE ON ELDA DRIVE

How about a personal scary story about me, just in time for Halloween? Check out Books with BITE's blog! Read my story, 

and then ENTER to WIN one of two copies of Creatura!

CLICK HERE:

http://www.bookswithbite.net/2011/10/hallowen-booktacular-with-author-nely.html

Read an interview conducted on me by the founder of  Great Minds Think Alike Reading Community, Kitty Bullard.

CLICK HERE TO BE REDIRECTED: 

http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=interviews&thread=739#ixzz1bSP17jIo

***********************************************************

Teens Talk About "Creatura"

Thank you to Gabriel Moreno (Director/ Producer/ Editor), as well as to Alejandra Gonzalez, Ernesto Martinez, Melissa Guerra and Jerry Silguero who participated in the making of the video. 

"Creatura" goes to High School

Bookplates! 

A few weeks ago I was completely taken by surprise when I was asked by www.readforyourfuture.org to donate a couple of copies of "Creatura" to the Middletown High School library in Middletown, Ohio. That brought me such enthusiasm that I think I practically jumped. The thought of how many students will get to read the novel puts a smile on my face every time.

*GO MIDDIES!*

Then something equally as exciting happened:

I was contacted by an English teacher at Lopez High School in Brownsville, Texas, to be a guest in her five English classes. Immediately and without hesitation, I agreed. I was so excited to receive the invitation and flattered that a high school teacher would even consider "Creatura" in the classroom.

I offered the first chapter of the novel to the teacher by email and posted it on my website for easier accessibility to the students ... and to the rest of the world, of course. Some of them have already purchased the book through Amazon.com (it's also available through other online retailers)

     *If you're a goodreads member you'll find Chapter 1 under the "read excerpt" tab of the novel. 

A fair amount of students from Lopez High School have befriended me on Facebook, and after chatting with them, I've found they are just as excited as I am to be able to meet in person. It seems the first chapter has had a good reception by the majority. Let's see how the rest of the book is liked. I supposed I'll find out next week when they've had a chance to read further. Until then, I'll be looking forward to August 31st with eager and excited anticipation. I can already hear that Lobo Pride!

*SEE YOU SOON, LOBOS!*

Oh, by the way, the sandpaper I mentioned in the prior post was to sand down my "golden boy" before we applied the gold makeup. He was a real trooper! Thanks, Tristan!

A few pics from the Book Launch

Eternal Dreams

**Per special request, here is another short story.

Eternal Dreams

by Nely Cab

He came to me in a dream. He wasn't a handsome fellow, but there was something about his personality that drew me to him. Surely, I must be crazy to have fallen in love with this, a figment of my imagination. I was obsessed -- fixated on the idea of him. His name was Daniel.

"But he's only a dream, Claudia," I told myself, trying to reason.

I had dreamt of this boy, now a man, for the major part of my thirty years of life. I never knew another male in the way I knew him. He was my life and my everything. I rejected every suitor that ever showed the least bit of interest in me, but things would be changing and soon.

I was, against my will, betrothed to a gentleman of the age of fourty some odd years, previously widowed. His name was Pascual Leumas. He owned a debauchery store in the upper west side of Manhattan. He was a man of good wit, pleasant, and handsome. Pascual had but one child, already a young woman; I would become her mother.

But what was I to do with the man in my dreams? I was in love with him. I had the hope that one day Daniel would come into my life, that we would marry, and have a family -- be a normal couple.

Tonight, as I dressed for a chaperoned dinner with Father and my new fiancée, I could think of nothing more, but how heart broken Daniel would feel if he knew I was to be wed in three day's time.

As I viewed myself in the full-length mirror, I could swear that I saw Daniel standing behind me, observing me as I pinned up my hair. I instinctively drew my neck back to view him, but there was no one there. Oh, how I wished that he would come for me at haste before the wedding.

In the dinning room, my father was present with Pascual and his daughter, Sophia, awaiting me to begin the dinner. I was nervous and slightly shook as Pascual kissed my hand. Sophia's smile was wide with enthusiasm.

This was the first time I had met Sofia. She was blonde and had brown eyes, like myself. There would be no misinterpretation that I was not her mother. That set my nerves at ease, somewhat.

Through the dining room window, I saw a tall figure standing, looking in at me. I gasped in surprised fright and held my hands to my mouth. My father asked what had taken my breath. I told him it was nothing, but indeed it was something.

Daniel was standing there in a suit with a wool coat on his arm. He pointed to the front door. I quickly excused myself and scurried to foyer. He gave two knocks to the door before I could reach it. I ran across the anteroom and swung the door open. Finally he was here! My love had arrived!

"Daniel," I said to him. "How I've longed for you! Take me from here. Let us be as we are in my dreams."

"Yes, my dear, Claudia," he replied, taking me by the waist and laying his cold lips on mine. "Let us go, now."

As I looked back to close the door behind me, I saw my lifeless body on the ground. My father, Pascual and one of the servants huddled over it.

"What has happened?" I asked Daniel.

"We are eternal lovers, now, my Claudia. Nothing shall keep us apart -- not even death."

We walked hand in hand, into the night and into that eternity of love.

www.nelycab.com

"It was not for Hunger of Worship or Conceit..."

It's only been three days since "Creatura" was officially released for sale, and I'm ready to have an anxiety attack awaiting the first review from non-bias readers (no offense friends and family).

The people I know have begun to purchase the novel on Amazon from the very day it became available on the website. The sales rating at which it has fluctuated has surprised me.

• A big "THANK YOU" goes out to all of you for promoting the book on your Facebook walls and through word of mouth. I appreciate your support more than you realize. 

It's very scary to put one's own writing out there for people to judge. I knew I was going to have to brave the world when I decided to publish, but I didn't know it would be my own written words that would mock and intimidate me, making me doubt myself. 

Being only human, I have come to realize that it's okay to fear. What isn't okay is to fear not. It's when we don't fear that we walk overly confident and ignorant of the hidden crevices and cliffs on the roads we, ourselves, pave. That's when we tend to fall the hardest. I can only hope that I haven't walked blindly.

Today, I started tiding up my dining room table which is where I can write without being distracted. I had unconsciously created a fort around my laptop surrounding it with boxes, floral wire-cutters, copies of manuscripts, make-up -- you name it, it was there. As I picked up the final copy of the manuscript, I decided to glance at the first chapter, and that's when the nerves began to stir.

I decided I didn't like Chapter One, so I went on to Chapter Two. Chapters Two through Seven were okay. Chapter Eight made me wonder why I didn't write more in Chapters Two through Six. I skipped back to Chapter One and hated it. I jumped to Chapter Nine and fell in love with it again. I skipped to Chapter Eleven, where I found some very enticing details, but  I worried it wouldn't fit in with Chapter Seventeen, which then prompted me to look over Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen, which gave the story some flare. Finally, I read the last chapter of the novel, closed it, and set it aside. 

For seven hours, I criticized my writing. I was on the verge of tears by that point because I just didn't know what to think of it anymore. What if my audience found it ridiculous and boring? What if it was terrible?

Usually, I'm very proud to create something, and I'm a positive person as far as the reaction I expect from others. Today, however, I wasn't that person. 

I sent my sister a text telling her the book sucked, and that I was ready to confess my sins and die. She said, "It's done, and you did it all by yourself. You should be proud." That didn't help this time. 

I stared at the book cover wondering what had made me think I could write and publish a novel. I pulled the binder that contained the manuscript toward me and opened it to a random page to continue my silent self-pity rant. Upset at myself, I glanced at the page I had opened it to, and I found something to which I didn't pay attention while I was obsessing:

“It was not for hunger of worship or conceit from which he placed this..."

I'm hand painting these butterflies for the book launch

After reading those words, I remembered this:

I didn't write my book for vanity. I wrote it to entertain two people -- my sister and me. I didn't even want to put my picture on the back cover, now that I think about it. 

I admit that having it sell and go up in the sales rating list does feel good, but it doesn't mean anyone will be impressed once they're done reading. That's okay though, because you know what?  Both of the people it was meant for do like it, and that's worth the two years it took to write. 

So, if you read it, and like it,  I'm happy; and, if you read it, and don't like it, I'm happy too. 

From now it's nothing but happy thoughts of colorful rainbows and glittery unicorns. And, in the famous words of Forest Gump: "That's all I have to say about that," because, "my momma thinks I'm special," and that's good enough for me.

 I thank you, I thank you, and I thank you for visiting and reading my blog.

 Ciao, bellas creaturas!

It's Alive! Now What?

This little guy knows fashion!

On Friday, June 17, 2011, at exactly 6:43 PM, "Creatura"was born into the world of literature. 

My "baby" is alive and kicking at the publisher's website and will soon be released into the online bookstore retail and ebook markets.  


I'm both thrilled and terrified of the thought of having my book criticized by people I don't know. Thrilled, because constructive criticism is how I learn best; Terrified, because of the negative criticism  that comes with self-publishing. Nevertheless, it's still a dream come true.


So, are you wondering if I've sold thousands of copies upon release? The answer is, "Heck No!" 


The publishing process was a tedious one, but trying to get someone to actually purchase one book takes a lot of hard work, time and effort. Through research, I found that even when a novel is traditionally published, the author has to have a marketing strategy in place. Agents do a lot of the promotional essentials for about the first six months of a book's life. Then, the author is on her own. Many signed and self-published authors hire publicists to do their campaigning. That's a luxury this starving artist can't afford.


I started off by announcing the availability of the novel through my social media networks as soon as I knew I was publishing my novel. After many congratulatory comments, I had to settle down and put my writing skills to work. 

My brother's Creatura t-shirt design

I got help from a friend in submitting press releases in order to gain some publicity through the Internet, even before I knew the book's release date. Thank goodness for sites that provide free press release distribution -  I'd be penniless, otherwise. I'm in the process of putting together an online contest - or contests - for free signed hardcover copies of the book, along with "Creatura" marketing products (ex: totes, shirts, pens, notebooks). Local book signings are a must, but, unfortunately, there are very few bookstores in the area where I live. But these are only baby steps in the promotional aspect. Free publicity is the Cat's Meow, but it won't get the job done.


I need to draw people to my website in order to endorse the product. This is where that rectangular piece of plastic in my pocket comes into play.


Online advertising is a crucial element in directing traffic to the product, but can get expensive at "pay per click" rates. I started campaigning through Google and Facebook and did get results; however, I'm pretty sure that out of the 550 people that have visited the site, only a handful actually took the time to navigate through it. Those people are probably the ones (practically, all from Facebook) that left the nice comments on the guestbook page. I love those guys!

• Thanks to you too, if you visited, or are planning to visit my website. 

So, what are the probabilities that they'll return? Pretty low, unless they see the product and/or link popping up continuously and everywhere. There's no question that we are byproducts of marketing. 


What I have to do now is gain exposure with my target audiences. Somehow, I have to cross into the world of teenagers and adult (YA fantasy romance) readers via their optical fibers, without taking up a second mortgage on my house or going streaking across the country. 

I know I might not be the next J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer (snaps and kudos to them), but I have confidence that readers will enjoy the story. And, as scared as I may be of the harsh words I may, or may not receive, I want to sell my book, because bad reviews are better than no reviews. 


On a final note, my coccyx is killing me from having been glued to my laptop for the past month and a half trying to make the world aware of the existence of "Creatura". I better cut the rambling, peel my butt off this chair, and start planning the launch party.  Toodles!

Item Number Two

I was about 10 years old when I told my mother I wanted to write. She persuaded me to write a story she often told me and to illustrate it as well. I set my No. 2 pencil to paper, took out my crayons and got to work.


My mother's story was quite unorthodox and had a tragic ending, but it managed to keep me away from the stove:

www.nelycab.com

 The main characters were a female ant and a male mouse who were married and lived in the hollow base of a tree. The ant went to the market one day and left her husband, the mouse,  to watch over their dinner -- baked beans. The grey mouse, craving a taste of the beans in the pot, lifted the lid, fell in and died. Yes, I am sad to say that cute little rodent was boiled to death.


When I was done writing my childhood "magnum opus", or so I thought,  I acquired the address to a well-known children's publisher from the interior of one of their storybooks. Neither I nor my mother knew that it was a must to be represented by an agent for an acclaimed publishing company to consider your work. I mailed it.


Several weeks later, my manuscript appeared in our mailbox along with a letter stating that the publisher would not consider un-agented manuscripts. I was thoroughly disappointed, to say the least.

That day, as I re-read the publisher's letter,  I made a mental note: Write and publish a story before I die. That was item number two on my bucket list. Item number one was scratched off my list later that summer when I visited Disneyland for the very first time.



I don't remember being an avid reader as a child. I would fall asleep with opened books, somewhere between pages five and ten. At my elementary school, we were bribed with free pizza certificates for entering book reading challenges. I chose the 20 page easy readers which took me about a week to read through. I must say, I got a lot of sleep during elementary and free pizza every six weeks.


When I was a teenager I was reminded about writing again. My eighth grade English teacher assigned the class a descriptive paragraph due midway through class. We were to read it aloud to everyone and search for reactions.


My paragraph depicted my feet as they walked through fresh, grey, humid mud. I described how the smooth, dense substance seeped up between my toes and over the top of my feet. I received an "Ewww" from my classmates and an "A" from the teacher. I got an "A" in the class for the six week grading period in which we touched on imagery. I never again wrote.


In high school, I wasn't much of a writer, but I joined the Business Professionals of America and competed only once in proofreading and editing and word processing competitions. I won in proofreading and editing and was state alternate for word processing. Back then, I knew how to punctuate correctly and how to skip class without being caught.


After high school, I studied computer accounting. I worked at a bank for several years until I married and moved to Mexico. There, I took up culinary and art classes. After five years of residing in Monterrey, we moved back to the U.S., and I went back to work.


Two and a half years later, I resigned from my job, and I became a housewife again. It was great for the first three months, until I ran out of rooms to redecorate and crafts to create.

FACEBOOK PAGE

During the morning, I would sit and drink my coffee for about two hours trying to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my day. I couldn't think of anywhere to go or anything do by myself in the small city in which I live that didn't involve eating. This is when I began to read and actually liked it. I was 34. Shame on me.

One day, my sister -- a conceited seventeen year-old high school senior, at the time -- pressured me into buying a movie and reading the book. She noted that the book was far better than the movie. Aren't they always?


I read the four-book series in a week. I don't remember feeding my husband or my son in the process, but somehow they survived. I was so consumed in the easy read, that I shut down the world around me for seven days. Then, it dawned on me; if this author could write so simply and still hold the readers' attention, who was to say I couldn't do the same?

I sat in front of my computer for the next two days and wrote about ten pages, before I handed it to my sister to read. When she was done, she turned, looked at me and asked, "And then what happened?" That was a good question. I didn't know. I said, "Nothing. I just wanted to see what you thought of it." She said, "It's good. Finish it. I wanna know what happens next." Her words ignited a spark.


Everyday, for months, my sister pestered me about giving her new pages to read. I sat in front of my computer for a year, working on the story for her. Every other day, I would give her more material to read and criticize. When I was finished writing, the short story I had meant to write, had turned into a novel. Being the bossy little punk she is, my sister started to pressure me to find a way to publish the book.

• I should note that I thank my sister for being so pushy and demanding. Had it not been for her enthusiasm, I would have never had the inspiration to continue writing. In her, I found my prime moral support and the best muse the literary gods could have sent me.  

I decided to query agents, but gave up after an eight month period and twenty-three rejections. I actually did expect the rejections. My query letter was pathetic. I hope my life never depends on writing one.


I had heard from a couple of friends about how they had each decided to self-publish. I thought about it long and hard for about five months. All I really wanted was to hold a book in my hand that named me as the author.


The price for self-publishing is not cheap. I came across companies that charged thousands of dollars, and that caused a state of dejection in me.


While reviewing my email one day, I read an advertisement for a publishing company that knocked almost half the price off of their publishing packages and offered distribution to chain bookstores and the massive ebook market. Wide-eyed, I bought the package.

www.nelycab.com

Currently, I am in the final stages of working with the publishing company, before the book goes to print.  I spent sleepless nights and nineteen-hour days re-editing and polishing the manuscript after the first submission to the publisher.


Item number two has proven to be one of the most challenging and time consuming life goals of which a ten year-old could have thought. Nonetheless, I'm happy to be entering into this new venture.


As for the rest of my to do list, I'm going to empty that bucket if it takes the rest of my life.