Dive in Review: Realm of the Gods

27 Feb 2024 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Dive In Review Tags: , , ,

I know it’s been a bit since my last post. I have been reading lots of books but I can’t tell you about them yet. The problem with beta reading is that the book isn’t published yet. But never fear. I’m sure they will all release in the same week leaving me to scramble to create a bunch of blog posts that I promised to write.

Until that maddening day arrives here’s one book I can tell you about.I releases today and it was a ton of fun to read.

In a realm where dreams and reality intertwine, the final battle brews.

The gods of Order have vanished. Despite priests like Dantess and Myra struggling to maintain peace, the Harbingers of Chaos fan the flames of rebellion, bringing the world to the brink of war.

Galen, drawn into the heart of the Dreaming—an ethereal realm where past, present, and future collide—confronts not only his nemesis, the cunning Carnaubas, but a horrifying truth: the exiled gods of Order still hunger for dominion.

Luckily, Galen is not alone. Eve, a young girl gifted with the uncanny ability to see the threads the connect everything, joins him on a desperate quest to find the elusive god of Chaos, their only hope for preventing Order’s return.

The Realm of Gods is more than just a story; it’s a descent into the battle between Order and Chaos, a testament to the enduring power of human connection, and a battle cry for rebellion against tyranny.

Dive-in Review

Realm of the Gods is the thrilling conclusion to Glen Dahlgren’s fantasy series, The Chronicles of Chaos.

I really mean it when I say: start on either the prequel novel The Game of War, or book one The Child of Chaos.

I was hooked after reading the prequel novel The Game of War. And each subsequent installment only served to enthrall me further into Dahlgren’s immersive world building.

The Realm of the Gods was no exception. This novel was an emotional rollercoaster of tension and suspense. Characters I have come to love all had satisfying, if not all happy, ends.

It was amazing the way all the different plot threads wove together and helped create this beautiful love letter to creativity and chaos.

Nothing more can be said without spoilers.

*Thank you to author Glen Dahlgren for providing me with an early review copy. This above review is my own honest opinion.*

Ready to join the heroes you love on their final, climatic dance between despair and hope, the last leg in an extraordinary journey that you’ll never forget?

Buy it now! Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/48B6L1s

Not caught up yet? Find the whole series on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3SS6mlx

Do you prefer paper to digital? Why not support the author directly by buying directly from him and get your book signed too! https://mysteriummerchandise.bigcartel.com/

About the author
Glen Dahlgren is the award-winning author of the acclaimed book series, the Chronicles of Chaos, dubbed “what fantasy fiction should be” by New York Times bestselling author and fantasy legend Piers Anthony.

Books in this now complete series won multiple Readers’ Favorite Gold Medals, American Fiction Awards, Independent Author Network Book of the Year awards, and the Dante Rossetti Award.

Glen has also written, designed, directed, and produced critically-acclaimed, narrative-driven computer games for the last three decades. What’s more, he had the honor of creating original fantasy and science-fiction storylines that took established, world-class literary properties into interactive experiences. He collaborated with celebrated authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (The Death Gate Cycle), Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time – now a TV series from Amazon), Frederik Pohl (Heechee saga), Terry Brooks (Shannara), and Piers Anthony (Xanth) to bring their creations to the small screens. In addition, he crafted licensor-approved fiction for the Star Trek franchise as well as Stan Sakai’s epic graphic novel series, Usagi Yojimbo.

Find out more at: https://glendahlgren.home.blog/

Monthly Musings Anthology

17 Jan 2024 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Cover Reveal Tags: , , , , , ,

So last year I participated in the Story of the Month Club. I wrote three stories each one themed around a different month of the year. If you missed them in 2023 those stories are now compiled into an anthology along with the other stories written last year.

About:
This book is a compilation of 12 short stories–one for each month of the year. The four authors, C. O. Bonham, Meagan Myhren-Bennett, Ichabod Ebenezer and Michelle Francik each wrote three short stories. The only rule was that the story had to have something to do with the month it was written four.
The result is an eclectic mix of genres, story-telling styles and themes.
C. O. Bonham wrote the stories for January, Corvid Poe and the Poet’s Pen, April, Stained Glass Fantasy, and November, Cupcakes on the Brain.
Meagan Myhren-Bennett wrote the stories for February, True Love’s Wish, September, Hobbit Day in Hobbiton, and December, The Decorator.
Ichabod Ebenezer wrote the stories for March, Nox and Equinox, June, The Third Age, and October, The Founder’s Tree.
And Michelle Francik wrote the stories for May, For the Love of Maybelle, July, When Freedom Rings, and August, Augi and the Dog Days of Summer.

Monthly Musing amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3S6oGaf

In case you were wondering the Story of the Month club is continuing for 2024. However, I will not be writing for it. It is still worth a read though. This year authors Michelle Francik and Meagan Myhren-Bennett are taking turns writing one twelve chapter story from alternating POVs.

The first chapter is avilable now at: https://mfranciktheauthor.com/story-of-the-month-club-2024/

New chapters will be loaded on the fifteenth of every month.

The Winter Queen’s Tale: Dive in Review.

06 Dec 2023 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Dive In Review Tags: , , ,

Today I’m bringing you epic winter goodness for your reading pleasure. This book released recently, and you can buy it. But I guess first I need to tell you why you should buy it.

The tales warn of faeries lurking beyond the iron-bound trees, eager to snatch wayward children. Yet at the onset of every winter Neve and Vale cross the iron’s protection and dance to the snow bees’ song.

The year Neve comes of age a faery lord joins the dance. He tempts Neve into accepting a dangerous magic and then steals Vale away.

Alone in the Ice Palace, Vale will need all of his wits to survive. Faeries whisper behind every door, and elves watch from the shadows. The Snow Queen’s court plays for blood.

To rescue her brother Neve journeys north. Ice answers her call, but with a terrible price. It will take more than dreams for Neve to master the magic. If she fails, both she and Vale will fall prey to winter’s fury.

My Review:

The Winter Queen’s Tale by Naomi P. Cohen is not just a retelling of the classic, The Snow Queen, it adds to the story in a way that also acts as a kind of sequel.

In this novel the story of Gerda and Kai is woven with that of Neve and Vale, siblings who are chosen by the snow bees to become Fae and replace the Snow Queen from Andersen’s version. Just as Gerda is making her way to the snow palace to save Kai, Neve must make her way there in order to reunite with her brother and claim her throne.

I really enjoyed this sorta-retelling. It added a lot to the story and filled in some of Andersen’s confusing ending. (like why in the original the snow queen doesn’t seem to be around to put up a fight when Gerda arrives.)

The characters of Neve and Vale are dynamic and fun to read, and I was glad to read in the afterward that the author is working on another story about them.

I received an early review copy from the author. My opinion are my own and are honestly expressed.

Amazon Affiliate link: https://amzn.to/46EWikI

Black Friday and a Dive in Review: A Spoonful Of Malaysian Magic

24 Nov 2023 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Dive In Review, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

Hi before I can share a review for an amazing Anthology I have to let you know about an amazing black Friday sale. There are over three hundred ebooks listed that are all 99 cents or free. You can find my novel, Runaway Lyrics under fantasy for 99 cents. https://sale.perrykirkpatrick.com/listing-category/fantasy/

A Spoonful of Malaysian Magic: An Anthology

A burong descends from Tansang Kenyalang in the midst of a dire catastrophe. A shapeshifter frees Kedah from the dreaded Raja Bersiong only to uncover a darker secret. A woman learns to channel her family’s food magic. A young huntress of supernatural creatures charts her own path of love. 

This anthology of short stories offers fresh takes on Malaysian folklore and fairy tales, adds enchantment to the ordinary, and bursts with new, wonderful flavours. Stir a little spoonful of magic into your tea, whether you’re from these shores or from far away.

Stories by:

Collin Yeoh · Hamizah Adzmi · Ilnaz A. Faizal · Ismim Putera · Joni Chng · Joshua Lim · Julia Alba · Rowan C · Sharmilla Ganesan · Stuart Danker · Syazwani Jefferdin · Zufar Zeid

Anna Tan writes fantasy stories and fairy tales, and helps people publish books at Teaspoon Publishing. She also wrangles writers and deadlines for the Malaysian Writers Society (MYWriters) and Penang Art District.

Anna has an MA in Creative Writing: The Novel under a Chevening scholarship and is the current President of MYWriters. She can be found tweeting as @natzers and forgetting to update annatsp.com.

https://facebook.com/annatansp | https://twitter.com/natzers | https://instagram.com/annatsp

My Dive in Review:

One of my favorite things about Fantasy as a genre is jumping right into a new world without having to have any previous knowledge about it.

So when I saw that this was an anthology written by Malaysian authors I figured it would be fine since it’s fantasy.

I was right. Each story does a great job of painting a picture of its own unique world, as all good stories should. But every once in a while I couldn’t help but wonder if there was some subtext I was missing. Would I somehow get more out of this anthology if I was Malaysian?

I think the answer to that question is no. Even the few times I took to google to translate a phrase, or research a folktale, I never really learned more than I picked up from the context in the story. Another round of applause for these writers.

A Spoonful of Malaysian Magic is a wonderful dive into a culture that western audiences may be unfamiliar with but feels familiar because of its close proximity to both China and India. For that reason, my favorite story was one that showed modern day Malaysia rather than a more ancient setting. The Dalhia of Hutan Kilat, is a modern day urban fantasy story of a monster hunter who learns to love the magical creatures she is charged to destroy. It was sweet, and I enjoyed googling the creature names to learn more about them.

Whatever your tastes this anthology has something for everyone and definitively proves that fantasy is universal.

I received an Advanced reader copy of this book and the above review is my true and honest opinion.

Add the book to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/168405034-a-spoonful-of-malaysian-magic

Amazon* buy link: https://amzn.to/3STQgtf

Universal buy link to other retailers: https://books2read.com/malaysianmagic

Teaspoon Publishing store: https://teaspoonpublishing.com.my/shop/malaysianmagic 

If you liked what you read about Malaysian fantasy Anna Tan has her entire Malaysian fantasy trilogy in the black Friday sale for 99 cents each. That’s her entire series for less than $3. Go check it out. https://sale.perrykirkpatrick.com/

Story of the month club: November.

15 Nov 2023 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Behind the keyboard, Uncategorized Tags: , ,

Photo by Huu1ef3nh u0110u1ea1t on Pexels.com

This past year I took part in The Story of the Month club by Michelle Francik. I had sun trying to come up with stories that fit each of my assigned months, but I was very lax in promoting it to all of you. Anyway, here I am to say that my last story is up on the website and you can read it for free.

“Cupcakes on the Brain” is a story about writing, grieving, and being thankful for the weirdest things—things like diabetes. Why did I write this? Here’s my author’s note to learn more.

THE STORY BEHINED THE STORY

Photo by Valeria Boltneva on Pexels.com

Cupcakes on the Brain might seem like a weird story for November, so it might help to know that November is Diabetes Awareness Month. 

I, like Hannah, am a type 2 diabetic, which means we developed the condition later in life. I manage it with regular medication and a healthy diet. A diet without cupcakes in it. 

November is also National Novel Writing Month. Aka: NaNoWriMo or NaNo for short. NaNo is when crazy writers everywhere attempt the immense task of writing a 50k word novel in only one month. These insane few often form support groups to help encourage one another in their ridiculous attempt at productivity during the busiest season of the year. 

Two other popular holidays influenced this story. All Saints’ Day on November 1st is when the Christian Church honors and remembers all those who have died. Much like Hannah seeks to remember her father through her writing. 

And of course Thanksgiving. When Americans set aside time for overeating, overspending and for being thankful for friends, family and things like mind-altering cupcakes. 

A special thank you to the IronSharpeners writing group for helping to make my writing stronger than it would be on its own.

https://mfranciktheauthor.com/2023-story-of-the-month-club-november/

You can also go back and read the other ten stories out, so far, for free. My previous contributions are in January and in April.

Click the banners at the bottom to read each story on the website or click on any story to get access to the dropbox folder where you can download the PDFs for all the stories to read at you convenience.

https://mfranciktheauthor.com/story-of-the-month-club/

Invitation and a Dive-in Review: To Form a Passage

02 Nov 2023 1 Comment

by C.O. Bonham in Dive In Review Tags: , , , ,

Today I have double up post because everything always happens at once around here. First I’m going to tell you about a new book that just released today, then at the end of the post I’ll have an invite to a live author event that takes place tomorrow night. It will be a lot of fun and I hope you can make it.

To Form A Passage

Arts of Substance – Novel 1

by Sharon Rose

Quakes isolate Devron’s underground homeland, threatening starvation. He holds the only solution—and it’s terrifying.

Devron sees a vision for the perfect design—to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. Elegant and powerful, but why would he create anything so dangerous? The Formers’ Guild will never allow it.

While he saw creative beauty, others had visions of horrific collapse. Are they warnings of disaster? Some gather their families and flee the caverns, but most shrug off the ominous signs. After all, the formers are staying. Their power to alter solid rock by command alone has kept the underground cities safe for generations. No quake can bring the cavern ceilings down.

Until it does. Countless lives are lost, and the surviving cities are cut off from the rest of their kingdom. As fear tightens its grip, looming starvation spawns one problem after another. Never again will they trust the formers they once relied on. Devron least of all.

Yet Devron knows the only solution to their survival. And even he thinks it is terrifying.

To Form a Passage is a stand-alone fantasy novel in the ARTS OF SUBSTANCE trilogy. Each novel explores one of the world’s three substance gifts: forming, wind weaving, and streaming. With every ability comes risk. These gifts are neither easy nor safe. Who has the courage and wit to use their gift well? And at what cost?

To Form a Passage will be available from Amazon and Kindle Unlimited on November 2, 2023. The paperback version will be available on November 22, and can also be ordered from bookstores and libraries.

To Form a Passage – ebook

Amazon.com*

Other Amazon markets

*This website uses affiliate links through the Amazon Associates program. Every time you buy a book using one of these links the blogger gets pennies from Amazon at no cost to you. Those pennies will add up into nickels and eventually dimes.

My Review

To Form a Passage by Sharon Rose is the first book in a new series that features a type of elemental gifting similar to the abilities seen in the popular The Last Airbender anime.

Like Rose’s previous works, this story also deals with conflict resolution, problem solving and doing what is morally right.

What it lacks in epic fight scenes it makes up for with realistic characters and emotionally charged conflict. Every time I screamed at the page for someone to do something about the injustice, someone did — in a way I did not expect.

What I liked most about this story was that the hero wasn’t some teenager with no life experience. Deveron is a Skilled former, an artisan who can manipulate solid rock at will, he is also middle-aged. As I get older, I find myself seeking out books about people my age. They are in short supply. So it was

*I was lucky enough to be given an early review copy of this book and the opinions expressed above are my own and are left willingly*

Author bio:

I started writing when I was seven years old. Okay, My Life as a Flying Squirrel may have had a couple spelling errors, but my classmates loved it.

Plenty of life has happened since that first story, and I’ve come to realize the things that fascinate me. People. Communication. Culture. Personality. Viewpoints. Beliefs. Anything that makes each of us beautifully unique. Small wonder that my art spills out in story form.

It was only a matter of time before I just had to share my stories. I publish fantasy and science fiction because they allow vast spaces to explore. My stories weave cultures and characters, who are more than they seem to be, into adventures with mystery, romance, and hope.

When I’m not writing or reading, I may be traveling, enjoying gardens, or searching for unique coffee shops with my husband. We live in Minnesota, USA, famed for its mosquitoes—uh, I mean 10,000 lakes and vibrant seasons.

Your Invite to Airships Vs. Dragons

Tomorrow I am participating in a special event that you are not going to want to miss. It’s an all authors Superfight event. where steampunk and Fantasy Authors team up and fight each other in a game of Superfight.

Do you enjoy witty banter and fantastical battles?
Do you have friends who enjoy the same?
Then why don’t you all gather around the Airships vs. Dragons book festival live stream. You’ll meet some amazing fantasy and steampunk authors while they verbally duel author vs. author Superfight style to celebrate the launch of Demolishing the Stronghold book 6 of the Towers of Light series.
ENTER TO WIN PRIZES BY VOTING. Prizes include $20.00 Amazon gift cards and an event special Superfight superchest!

Team Airship

Morgan L. Busse
L. A. Thornhill
C. O. Bonham

Team Dragon

Wayne Thomas Batson
Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
Kandi J Wyatt

Your Hosts

JJ Johnson
Allen Brokken


Join live for a chance to vote for who won each match and be entered to win the “Deluxe Superfight Superchest” with Airships vs. Dragons commemorative coin and event cards signed by the authors. The winner will be chosen at the end of the watch party. You’ll also be entered in the second chance drawing available to those who watch the video for 48 hours after the event.
This event is sponsored by Demolishing the Stronghold, book 6 of the Towers of Light series.

Learn more and vote for the superfight winners at: https://www.towersoflight.net/avd

Link to the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/3761536997408929

Star-Fae Re-release and New Covers Revealed

28 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Cover Reveal Tags: , , , ,

Some of you may not know that one of my favorite publishers ,Uncommon Universe Press, closed their doors this past summer. It left a lot of books out of print and Sarah Delena White’s Star-Fae series was one such casualty. But she bringing her Star-Fae books back with all new covers. Since this is a recover I’m going to show the old cover first and then the new one after the description.

Halayda:

A mortal alchemist. A faerie king. A bond that transcends death.

Betrayed by a trusted mentor, Sylvie Imanthiya hides on the fringes of society, caring for half-fae orphans and selling her alchemical creations on the black market. She lives for the one night each season when she can see her dearest friend—a man whose destiny is far above hers.

King Taylan Ashkalabek knows better than to give his heart to a mortal. Even their friendship is a risk; love is an impossible dream. Then a brutal alchemical attack poisons his realm, unearthing a dark power within him—and leaving Sylvie with the ancient mark of Faerie’s savior.

Manifesting unpredictable abilities and aided by allies with their own secrets, Sylvie and Taylan journey into the wilds of Faerie to heal the damage and confront Casimir, an invincible star-fae determined to rewrite destiny itself. But only their enemy knows Sylvie’s true capabilities—and Taylan’s weaknesses—and how to use them in his vicious schemes.

Her fate is life. His fate is death. With Faerie in the balance, Sylvie and Taylan must stand together before reality as they know it is destroyed.

Rothana:

A new queen falls. A death lord rises. An ancient foe looms in the shadows.

Sylvie Imanthiya is desperate to lead Faerie well and deepen the bond with her husband, former king Taylan Ashkalabek. But all hope of that vanishes when the winter solstice ceremony ends in disaster, stranding her and Taylan in the Deathrealm, and stripping the kingdom from her.

With Faerie in chaos, Zad and Diza are separated once again: Zad to reconcile with an old mentor and stabilize the kingdom, and Diza to confront the nefarious Casimir in the mortal realm. But Casimir claims that a greater evil seeks to destroy both realms, an evil that Diza’s unique power can hold at bay—if she could only remember how.

In the Deathrealm, Taylan is succumbing to the lure of specters from his past, and pushing away Sylvie’s love. Overwhelmed by decay and darkness, Sylvie must summon unexpected magic from the soul of Kyure to fight for her convictions and her husband’s heart.

Shadows divide them. Their friends are in peril. If Sylvie fails, her marriage and her world will fall.

You can get both ebooks for ninety-nine cents each until Sept 30th

You can purchase both the Stae-Fae books on Amazon* here: https://amzn.to/48tm8KD

Wide distribution link: Halayda – https://books2read.com/u/3RY78v

Wide Distribution Link: Rothana – https://books2read.com/u/bzBkdD

*This website uses affiliate links through the Amazon Associates program. Every time you buy a book using one of these links the blogger gets pennies from Amazon at no cost to you.

Sarah Delena White writes eclectic speculative fiction that reworks mythology with a fine balance of poetry and snark. She’s an experienced world traveler who loves to weave world folklore and ancient concepts into vibrant, original story worlds. When she’s not writing, she can be found exploring enchanted forests and seeking to create the perfect latte. She can be bribed with dark chocolate.

Social media links:

Instagram: @sarah.delena.white (https://www.instagram.com/sarah.delena.white/)

Twitter: @SarahDelWhite (https://twitter.com/sarahdelwhite)

Facebook: @SarahDelenaWhite (https://www.facebook.com/SarahDelenaWhite/)

Pinterest: @SarahDelenaWhite (https://www.pinterest.com/SarahDelenaWhite)

Website: www.sarahdelenawhite.com

Silmaril Awards 2023: Most Nefarious Villian WINNER

19 Sep 2023 9 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Uncategorized Tags: ,

I am so sorry, I’ve really slacked off, and this is my first time hosting too. But I see no reason to change. The Fantasy Times has already covered the ceremony, which happened early this morning, so I’m just going to steal their article and post it here. I’ll do better next year I promise. If I get invited back that is.

Award Presenter Confusion Leads to Strange Flirtation

I arrive at the Villain Awards ceremony and take my seat in the press box. I am surprised at how civilized the crowd is. Though I guess I shouldn’t be, as villains seem to have the most impeccable manners.

Gentle murmurs of conversation hush as a woman clothed all in white steps onto the stage with a red envelope in her hands. “Our Dark Lord appears to be a no show. But the awards must go on. As the first ever to be awarded this prestigious award, it is my honor to present this years Silmaril for Most Nefarious Villain.”

The crowd gasps at the White Witch’s announcement. Then a man strides on stage. He has long hair of purest silver and a tunic fit for a king. He addresses Jadis, “Who is it that has not shown up?”

“Lord Sauron, naturally. He always hosts this award, but he’s skipped out this year. No giant fiery eye anywhere to be seen.”

The man shifts and the crowd can see that he is carrying a Silmaril case. “Is this fiery eye the only form he can take?”

Jadis steps back. “No, of course not, but I don’t see any spiky suits of armour walking around either. What’s it to you anyway, Son of Adam?”

The newcomer pulls back his hair revealing his pointed Elven ears. “I am no Son of Adam. I have been awake since before the breaking of the first silence. And truly I tell you that Sauron can take another form, one that is pleasing to both men and elves. A form that would deceive even the likes of you Jadis.”

The White Witch leans in closer to the stranger. “Who are you?”

The shining Elf turns to face the audience. “I go by many names. Some of you know me as Mairon, The Second age knew me as Annatar. But you,” he turns back to face Jadis, “my dear White Witch, you can call me Sauron.”

Jadis leans in closer, “It really is you! I did’t know you could look so hot.” She stroked his shoulder, “You know we could be a real power couple if we teamed up. Have I ever mentioned that my origin story involves magic rings?”

The Dark Lord pulls her closer. “Indeed, with the ring to the wood between the worlds I could rule all universes.”

“Yes, the Dark Lord and the White Queen.”

He reaches out as if to caress her face but strikes her instead. “Fool, there is only one to rule them all. How dare you consider yourself my equal. You couldn’t even put down that bothersome lion.”

Jadis’s already pale face loses all color save for the red welt growing on her left cheek. She drops the red envelope as she flees the stage.

Sauron bends over and picks up the envelope. “Now that I have reclaimed my rightful place as awards presenter Let’s find out who the winner is.”

Lord Sauron makes a show of placing the Silmaril case on the podium and dramatically opens the red envelope. “With forty out of one hundred and fifty-four, the Most Nefarious Villian is a man after my own villainous soul. No sad back story, no righteous justification. Just pure evil. Your 2023 Most Nefarious Villain is Prince Humperdink from the novel The Princess Bride.”

The crowd erupts into boos and cheers, as the villains in attendance express their admiration for and their jealousy of the evil Prince Humperdink. Prince Humperdink is exuberant as her runs up on stage. He graces Sauron with a bow as the Dark Lord places the Silmaril around his neck.

Humperdink straightens and holds the shining jewel in his hand. “Thank you to everyone who voted for me. At the start of my story I was just a vain, spoiled Prince who wanted to punish Guilder for their princess’s baldness. But over the course of my arc I learned how to commit truly heinous acts. And the best part is that, unlike most of you out there,” Humperdink swept a hand before him indicating the audience, “I lived to plot revenge.”

Humperdink took a breath like he was about to start a longer speech but Sauron cut him off. “And that is all we have time for this year. Congratulations Humperdink, and to those that didn’t win. Better luck next year.”

Awards Schedule by Ceremony.

Monday, September 18: Most Magnificent Dragon – Jenelle Leanna Schmidt
Tuesday, Septemeber 19: Most Nefarious Villain – C.O. Bonham (You are here)
Wednesday, September 20: Most Devoted Couple – Book Shire
Thursday, September 21: Most Wayward Soul – E. E. Rawls
Friday, September 22: Most Silver Tongue – The Grim Writer
Saturday, September 21: Most Epic Heroine – Catherine Hawthorn
Monday, September 25: Most Majestic Ruler – DJ Edwardson
Tuesday, September 26: Most Faithful Friend – JL Mbewe
Wednesday, September 27: Most Mischievous Imp – Bard on pilgrimage
Thursday, September 28: Most Epic Hero – Imperial Scribis
Friday, September 29: Wisest Counselor – Light and Shadows

I hope everyone enjoyed this year’s awards and to those who really think I was being lazy I want you to know—the reporter was me.

A quick shout out to fellow awards host Sarah Pennington. Her newest book, Song of the Selkies, releases today! Go check out her blog for all the good book links and info about the book. https://tpssarahlightshadows.wordpress.com/

Silmaril Awards 2023 Villain Finalists and voting link.

11 Sep 2023 3 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Uncategorized Tags: , ,

Welcome back to the Nefarious Villain award. There were so many nominations and seconds that it took me almost two hours to read and tally them all. And to those of you who got sent to spam, I deeply apologize but worry not—your vote was counted. But it’s still busy and I may be hiding from Captain Hook so here’s another article I swiped from The Fantasy Times. I mean I they interviewed me for the article anyway the least they can do is let me share it.

Will Hook Make Waves Over Awards Snub?

Watching the contestants vie for the coveted Silmaril is always a fun aspect of awards season, but no award provides quite the level of entertainment as does the Villain award. Watching the worst of the worst get simultaneously offended at being nominated, and outraged at not winning is a highlight for many.

As a Journalist I hunted down the award coordinator and got the inside scoop on the counting process.

“Every blogger has their own process for keeping track of the votes. As a first time awards host it was interesting, Getting advice from veterans and also improvising my method. One Vetren award host shared a spread sheet that helped immensely. I have it set up so that I get an email every time someone comments on my blog. I waited until nominations closed and then went through my email deleting emails as I counted Nominations and seconds. That method combined with the spread sheet kept everything pretty organized for me. Then all I had to do was count the seconds to see who had the most. The top five characters to be ‘seconded’ the most times were the finalists.”

As I was taking my notes it occurred to me that there might be a flaw with this system. “What if there are Characters with the same number of nominations?”

“Well, it really only matters if the tie is between fifth and sixth place since only five characters can advance.”

I look at the blogger pointedly. “And was there a tie between fifth and sixth place?” I asked her.

She adverted her gaze and looked down at her watch. “It was a very close race and so many villains got nominated. So yes there were a bunch that got the same number of seconds. But it didn’t matter until it came to fifth place, so I used my one reader vote as a tiebreaker. I had to pick one or the other and I will not tell you who it was between because these are—well, their the bad guys and I don’t need one mad at me.”

She was looking really nefarious at this point and so I let the matter drop and we moved on to revealing the finalists for Most Nefarious Villain. They are:

Capricorn from Inkheart
Prince Humperdink from The Princess Bride
Lord Sero from the City Between series by W.R. Gingell*
Gnag the Nameless from Wingfeather Saga
Bonifer Squoon also from Wingfeather Saga

If you aren’t sure who any of these people are then click their names to be taken to related fan wikis.

*The City Between series has no fan wiki. (This is a grevious oversight and someone should correct it.) So here’s a run down on Lord Sero provided by the one of the other awards hosts:
Lord Sero may cause flowers and plants to grow wherever he steps, but that’s no cause to underestimate him — and misjudging his character could be the last mistake you ever make. He’s the epitome of a powerful noble fae — which is to say that he’s proud, ambitious, manipulative, and continually in the middle of at least one scheme to increase his own personal power and influence. And, like many fae, he’s not particular about who else he happens to hurt in order to achieve that goal — especially if they happen to be those whom he considers “lesser beings” (which is to say, not fae). He manages to have a finger in every pie, whether it’s the Fae Enforcers or the sinister Upper Management, in addition to the numerous other Behindkind under his direct command. His most notable recent scheme is his continual efforts to push his son into the Kingship of Behind so he can be the power behind the throne, and he’ll use any means he has to — whether magical interference, manipulating his son’s friends and companions, or plain old murder — to accomplish his ends.

As long time award followers will know, the nomination process is always open and can easily be double checked by any decently motivated individual so I assure you that this reporter has done her due diligence and confirmed the results. In doing so, I discovered that the tie for fifth place with ten “seconds” each was between Captain Hook of Neverland and Lord Sero from the City Between.

When I contacted the blogger again for comment, this all she would tell me: “Look anyone can see that Lord Sero is the greater Villain. I mean, Hook is just a Grumpy old man who’s being tormented by the universe’s brattiest child.”

When I reached out to Hook to see how he would react his only reply was. “Finally! Someone understands!”

https://www.silmarilawards.com/vote

When you click on the voting link above you will be taken to a form to vote for the finalists in EVERY award. So if you want to read up on the other finalists before you vote then click on the blog links below.

Awards Schedule by Ceremony.

Monday, September 18: Most Magnificent Dragon – Jenelle Leanna Schmidt
Tuesday, Septemeber 19: Most Nefarious Villain – C.O. Bonham (You are here)
Wednesday, September 20: Most Devoted Couple – Book Shire
Thursday, September 21: Most Wayward Soul – E. E. Rawls
Friday, September 22: Most Silver Tongue – The Grim Writer
Saturday, September 21: Most Epic Heroine – Catherine Hawthorn
Monday, September 25: Most Majestic Ruler – DJ Edwardson
Tuesday, September 26: Most Faithful Friend – JL Mbewe
Wednesday, September 27: Most Mischievous Imp – Bard on pilgrimage
Thursday, September 28: Most Epic Hero – Imperial Scribis
Friday, September 29: Wisest Counselor – Light and Shadows

2023 Silmaril Award Nominations [CLOSED]: Most Nefarious Villain.

04 Sep 2023 69 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Uncategorized Tags: ,

After years of blogging I am finally a host for the premier award for fantasy characters.

The Silmaril Awards. This year there are eleven categories including one new one called Most Wayward Soul.

I am hosting the nominations and award for The Most Nefarious Villain.

I really wish I could share more. There is so much happening with the awards this year. But it’s labor day and I’m out of town for the weekend so I found this newspaper article to share with you instead. It’s from some obscure news site called: The Fantasy Times.

Shocking awards upset!

It’s that time of year again folks! The tickets are printed, the jewels are shined and the only thing left to decide is who is worthy!

That’s right it’s awards season here in the realms of fantasy, and society is abuzz with the latest news to come out of The City of Kings. Aragorn the King of Gondor has made a stunning announcement, all Narnia Characters are to be awarded honorary Silmarils.

This was announced at a ceremony where King Aragorn awarded a chest of Silmarils to the four high kings and queens of Narnia and bid them to distribute them to their citizens. (I pause to remind the reader that a lot of Narnians already hold Silmarils, so we can assume this won’t be a hard task.) Then when the Pevensies tried to bow to him Aragorn stopped them and said, “My friends you bow to no one.”

That’s the story folks, after years of the Narnians dominating the awards, it’s finally time for other members of Fantasy to get a chance at the most coveted award in all the realms.

Who will be victorious this year?

Your vote will decide!

What are the Silmaril Awards?

The Silmaril Awards are all about celebrating fantasy fiction. But whereas most awards go to authors or books, these awards go to the characters themselves!

Started in 2016, these awards are a four week online celebration of all that’s best in fantasy literature. There are several awards in various categories given every year.

The characters who receive them have to be from books in the fantasy genre.

Characters cannot receive the same award more than once. These are lifetime awards.

Past Nefarious Villain winners include:

Tolkien and now Narnian characters are not eligible to be nominated. Instead, they’ll be the ones presenting the awards. 

Nominations are submitted in the comments of each of the host blogs.

Anyone can submit a nomination and you can second (and third and fourth, etc.) any number of nominations besides your own.

After the nomination period (lasting one week), the five characters receiving the most nominations will make it onto the ballot and you’ll have one week to vote. After the votes are tallied, the winners will be announced, one per day, over the final two weeks of the awards.

The dates for this year’s awards are:

Nominations week — Sept 4-8

Voting week — Sept 11-15

Awards ceremonies — Sept 18-29

Quick Reminders:

  • No Tolkien or Narnia Characters
  • Book characters only (Movies don’t count unless the book came first.)
  • Only fantasy characters are allows (No sci-fi, adventure, mystery ect…)
  • Leave your nomination as a comment State the character’s name and what book they’re from.
  • Second other’s nominations by replying “I second” to their comment.
  • These are lifetime awards please check the pst winners above before nominating.

So, Who do you think the most Nefarious Villain is?

Nominate them now!

Nominate more at the blogs below:

Most Magnificent Dragon – Jenelle Leanna Schmidt
Most Nefarious Villain – C.O. Bonham (You are here)
Most Devoted Couple – Book Shire
Most Wayward Soul – E. E. Rawls
Most Silver Tongue – The Grim Writer
Most Epic Heroine – Catherine Hawthorn
Most Majestic Ruler – DJ Edwardson
Most Faithful Friend – J L Mbewe
Most Mischievous Imp – Bard on Pilgrimage
Most Epic Hero – Imperial Scribis
Wisest Counselor – Light and Shadows

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