Promising New Year

Hiya everyone,

First and foremost, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Indeed, 2011 is coming to an end, and as we all sit back and reflect on past events, I urge everyone to remember that though our past doesn't determine our future, it(past) helps in moulding our future. Cry, Laugh, Merry, Pray, Love. Because coming tomorrow morning, 2011 will be a thing of the PAST. 

Get now for Free

So now, what does Kelvin O'Ralph have in stall for the coming year. Honestly, my major goal is to attend the London Book Fair on the 16-18 of April 2012. Also, I plan on giving more exposure to my paranormal series. Kicking off with today, the first book in the 'LS' series is now FREE for the next FIVE days. Grab your copy by clicking on the caption below the cover art of 'LS: The Beginning'. 

Also, I'll be going a blog tour for the aforesaid book. The tour begins on the 2nd of January 2012, hosted by Bewitching Book Tours. Please refer to the Blog Tour Page to get the list of the stops and links to visit. 

Please, if you get a free copy of LS: The Beginning, share the word with your friends online and offline. 

Once again, have a joyous New Year. Wishing you the best as you crossover :)

A post on Christmas

As the title says, this post is on 'Christmas'. Why do people celebrate Christmas? What's so special about Christmas, and what's the main theme of Christmas? This post will answer all three questions.

Why do people celebrate Christmas? Christians celebrate Christmas as the birth of their savior, Jesus Christ. However, it has become more of a general tradition/festive period, even for other religions. They believe it's a season to be with one's family. That said, I agree with everyone who celebrates Christmas as the coming of Jesus Christ, and the reunion of loved ones.

What's so special about Christmas? In my own words, I believe Christmas is the most festive season of all. Why? One: it falls on the last few days of the year, which makes it unique and special. Loved ones can come together after a long year to share goals, accomplishments and setbacks. Two: It has a significant figure, which everyone loves - Santa Claus. Unlike Halloween (Pumpkin head/witches), this figure doesn't really have much of a contradicting nature. Parents of most religion, culture and ethnicity don't mind their kids sitting on Santa's lap. It's a classic tradition.

What's the main theme of Christmas? Other than coming together with loved ones to merry and celebrate, Christmas is also about 'Sacrifice'. The year has ended, what will you do to make everyone around you happy? For Christians, Jesus Christ sacrificed so much for his children. For others, Santa Claus sacrificed so much to make all the kids happy. He doesn't stay at home with his family, unlike everyone. He moves around giving out gifts and placing smiles on everyone's face. Oh, I loved this season; I feel it's a mixture of 'Valentine's day' and Halloween, considering the 'LOVE' and the use of 'COSTUMES'.

In all, this season should be a time to stay with loved ones and reflect on everything you've done, celebrate and share the love. Merry Christmas to all

Sloutenville, the main location of 'LS: The Beginning'

 

My paranormal romance series 'LS' is mainly set in a fictional city called 'Sloutenville', pronounced - slow-ten-ville'. This fictional city is located in northern USA, close to cities like Minneapolis, Wisconsin etc. In this post, I'll give a bit detail on Sloutenville as a contemporary city, and explain why I chose to use a fictional city.

Sloutenville

Abbreviation: SV

Capital: Genezel
Population: 301, 427 people
Timezone: CST (UTC-6)
Average temperature: 30.6 F
Language: English - 99.1 %
                   Spanish - 0.9%
Tourist Attraction: Atlantic Towers
Government - Mayor: Francis Lekinston
.

So why did I choose a fictional city?
As most of you know, I don't live in the states, yet. I reside in England, UK. Therefore, it seemed a bit hard setting the location of the book in a known US city. Most people would notice the difference in dialogue etc, and I wanted to avoid this, thus creating my own fictional city, Sloutenville. This was because, if a reader complains about a certain dialogue i.e 'People in New York don't talk like this.', I would bring to his/her attention that Sloutenville isn't a real city. Therefore, the way the characters talk might be slightly different to other states.

Where did you get such idea from?
Frankly, I got the idea of creating my own fictional city in a real country from watching 'Smallville' and 'One Tree Hill', two of my favorite TV series.

Are there going to be more fictional cities?
Yes, certainly. Read the book(s) to find out more :)

That's it for today. My question to everyone: do you like the idea of fictional cities? If yes, what's the name of your best fictional city?




Credit: Image: posterize / FreeDigitalPhotos.net