Empress Kel-My Guild Wars Bio

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

In honor of my new character in Guild Wars 2 I decided to post my bio for my main character on Guild Wars 1.

Name: Unknown
Alias:Empress Kel
Age: Unknown
Birthplace: Wizard's Folly


Empress was born in Wizard's Folly. Her parents were gypsies that entertained at Foible's Fair. Outcasts of Ascalon for offenses of their ancestors, they strove to simulate the powers of those surrounding them with smoke and mirrors but lacked the true power of their fellow man. They struggled to find their place in the world with the burden and weight of condemnation, for they believed the gods had condemned them and left them powerless.

Empress lived this life of shame and condemnation along with her parents and siblings. She was a strikingly odd child who often did not fit in even with her family. Due to a rare genetic anomaly she felt she was cursed with pale skin, purple eyes and hair. Try as she might, life was just not easy for Empress and she never felt like she truly fit in. However, things changed for Empress upon the discovery of her powers. Her parents made arrangements for her to be trained by an elite elementalist and gave their life savings to buy her the appropriate attire and equipment. Some of which included a rare Destroyer Staff of fortitude which they lovingly bestowed upon their daughter. They also immediately thanked the gods for their daughter's new found power, for to them this was their salvation, their redemption.

Before the time came for Empress to move to the temple for instruction the charr invaded. Racing home on that fateful day she grabbed her staff and, muttering prayers under her breath, she called for fire from the heavens. Boulders and meteors crashed to the earth. A frightened and panicked little girl with no knowledge or control over her powers watched as fire and brimstone rained on her loved ones. One by one her family fell and then she too was injured, nearly unto death.

When she awoke she was a prisoner, taken along with Gwen by the Charr. Why she was taken and not killed became apparent very quickly. A charr maiden had won the heart of her beloved charr warrior. She longed for a cub but many years had passed and this aging charress had not been able to produce a child for her beloved. She was sad and lonely. Her beloved laid eyes on Empress, an unusual example of her species and took pity, taking her home as a gift for his beloved charr wife. Someone she could nurse and take care of and perhaps have a sense of purpose. If nothing else this child could be a helper for her, a slave if you will. The charress nursed Empress back to health and a loving parental relationship blossomed between the two. Empress had been so mortally wounded that very little memories of her real family remained. Only the guilt of watching them burn by her own hands. The beloved and his wife loved Empress and quickly the charr village was calling for this unheard of relationship to be put to a stop. When the beloved and his wife refused to surrender their adopted daughter they were murdered.

Fear and hatred swelled in Empress' heart. For the second time in her life she was alone and her family taken from her. Having fully harnessed the power of the elements, she killed many charr before escaping into the wilderness.

At that point in her life she met the love of her life. The man that would become her husband and along with him she joined up with a motley crowd known as the Ecliptic Phoenix. It was at this time in her life that she was also bestowed the name Empress. With no recollection of her real name her loving husband affectionately began to call her Empress for her fiery temper and ability to take command of almost any situation.

Restlessly working for her redemption and relief from the guilt and pain that clouded her, life led Empress through the lands of Tyria and Cantha, fighting the Mursaat and the forces of Shiro. However pain and guilt still plagued her life and she began to question the gods. As her struggle with faith and her belief in the gods continued, her guild and those around her begin to push her away and eventually Phoenix disbanded.

After much turmoil, Empress realized that there is one true God and the fellowship with a new guild with like minded individuals signify the change in Empress' heart. She continued to grow in her new faith and forging new friendships within the Signet of the Lion.

She and her husband were sent on a mission to Kamadan where they eventually settled and adopted an orphaned set of twins named Shayera and Akira. Both of whom are accomplished rangers and carrying on in the footsteps of their mother and father.

Currently Empress is working deep undercover out of the Eye of the North and has changed her appearance as to not stick out in a crowd. Her life continues...an open journal still waiting to be written.

Enter to Win a Kindle Fire and RSVP for Leslie Gould’s Facebook Party {11/20}!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

A retelling of the Taming of the Shrew! Leslie Gould is celebrating the release of Courting Cate with a fun Kindle Fire Giveaway and a Facebook Author Chat Party (11/20)!








One lucky winner will receive:


  • A Kindle Fire
  • Courting Cate by Leslie Gould
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 19th. Winner will be announced at the "Courting Cate" Author Chat Facebook Party on 11/20. Connect with Leslie, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at an Amish trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group)!



So grab your copy of Courting Cate and join Leslie on the evening of the November 20th for a chance to connect with Leslie and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 20th!

Review: Prayers of a Stranger: A Christmas Story

Monday, November 5, 2012

Prayers of a Stranger: A Christmas Story
Prayers of a Stranger: A Christmas Story by Davis Bunn

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Prayers of a Stranger: A Christmas Story is the first book I've read by Davis Bunn and I really wish I could say that I enjoyed it but I am afraid I will not read anything else from this author. I know that I am not the best writer in the world so maybe I shouldn’t have a gripe when it comes to grammar or sentence structure—but this author is a serious abuser of conjunctions. One sentence alone held as many as five and I would nearly groan every single time I saw the word “and” used. Also, the dialogue between the characters was flat and unappealing with odd descriptive phrases like, “He had the slender build of a violinist.” This is a news flash to me. My daughters have played violin for years and I have never realized that a violinist has a build that a person would use as a comparison.

Another complaint that I had was all of the medical jargon between the main character, Amanda and a doctor. I thought too much time was spent on a medical condition and though that information may have been accurate, I questioned the validity of it due to the fact that several times through the story doctors and mothers suggested an ice bath to bring down a fever, describing a high fever as 101-102F. Anyone with children would know that ice baths are not suggested to bring down a fever of 101-102 and that shivering can increase the core temperature. Further, the nurse went on to suggest using an aspirin for future treatment. The U.S. Surgeon General, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and WHO recommend that aspirin not be given to children under 19 years of age as it can cause Reye's Syndrome. I do not presume to be a doctor and maybe aspirin is the correct treatment in a two year old with the condition this child had but such medical intricacies should be left to a medical professional as someone may get the idea that they need to pack their toddler in ice for a low-grade fever.

About the Story:
Amanda Vance is a nurse specializing in crisis-care in the pediatric/obstetrics ward of the hospital. That is—until she lost her baby. Her husband is struggling to cope with their loss as well as run a company that is struggling in today’s economy.

When their neighbor gives Amanda the chance to travel with her to Israel, her husband encourages her to go. To seek peace and healing in the land of our Lord’s birth. There, Amanda meets an older lady that cares for children out of her home and Amanda’s medical knowledge leads to healing for a young child—and herself.

Other Complaints:
I really wish I could have expanded my review about the story. I feel it is short and doesn’t tell much but honestly there isn’t much to tell. The author rambles through the dialogue and uses very odd descriptions like this one “He could smell the vague odor of the long flight in her hair. He tasted the dryness of her lips” I literally sat there thinking “GROSS!” when I read that. She stank and had dry lips—not a very appealing description. Okay, maybe I already touched on the weird descriptions but I am still scratching my head over this and felt the need to reiterate how truly bizarre they were.

The characters also met random people that they struck up conversations with without so much as an explanation of who they were. One such character met Amanda on a train—a total stranger that went on to accompany her to another person’s home and then to the hospital—demanding medical care for a child she had never previously met. Why? I mean…come on, never in real life would a total stranger take it upon themselves to accompany someone to the hospital and demand proper care.

I dislike giving negative reviews but there was nothing about this story that was remotely appealing and the odd descriptions were more than I could stomach. I will not be reading anything more by this author and I would have to say that this particular book earns the title of being the worst book that I have read this year. I honestly had trouble even giving it a 1-star rating as I felt it didn’t deserve that much. Complete waste of my time and such a disappointment.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255


***Update***
I looked up information on the medical condition outlined in this book and wanted to share what I found.

Direct Book Quote: "Aspirin is usually better for the patient than paracetamol."

Information I found via http://g6pddeficiency.org states the following:

G6PD Deficiency Drugs to Avoid and Other Contraindicated Substances

NSAIDS (Asprin, Ibuprophen)
Tylenol
Quinolones
Drugs metabolized through the liver or known to cause blood or liver related problems or hemolysis
Sulfa drugs
Petrochemically derived substances (This is a long list and gets longer every year. Many artificial foods, dyes and vitamins are included in this list.)
Mothballs and anything containing naphthalene.
Artificial Food Coloring (Methylene and Toluidine blue)


View all my reviews