First Review for Scapemaker!

Here is the first review for Scapemaker:

Link to Review: http://one-chapter-ahead.blogspot.ca/

Review:

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Steve Cypert
Format: eBook (series)
Pages: 589 (according to the ereader used)
Rating: 7.5

Summary (via Smashwords): Scapemaker follows Matthew Namely, who is propelled into a whole new world following a few tragic events. After meeting a strange and beautiful girl, he learns the art of dreamscaping. Matthew will come to know of Sandman, who is after a special element called Magineum. Neck deep in skinwalkers, sandsleepers, zombies, night terrors, and more, Matthew must risk his life to save the magineum.

My Thoughts: When I first started this novel I was a little bit worried because the characters seemed off to me. This was partly because of what will from now on be known as writer warm up (the characters spoke funny but don't worry it stops). I was happy to find out that the real reason for this awkwardness was that they were hiding something. The author did an outstanding job of making sure that the reader understood the place the story took place in as well as all the strange...let's call it magic. I loved how original this was. It was different than anything I'd read; however, I felt like it was one of those things that could be real. It made me wonder if it couldn't. Harry Potter did the same thing for me. Why couldn't something like this be true? That thought, though incredible, is also terrifying after seeing the bad that can come from people who only want power.

This story was one of the best I'd read in a long time for explaining characters and their motivations. I'll even overlook the cheese 'I kinda like like you' moment that two of them had. Also, I thought it was great for two of the main characters to bicker. Dae was right though, Matthew was a bit conceded. I'm so glad he got over that in the end.

This novel ends with a lead into the next book in the series though so be prepared to be pulled into it before it starts and left with a lot of questions. I might need to get my hands on the next one to find out how it ends. I want a happy ending, really is it too much to ask?

Final Thoughts: Very few authors could pull off writing a whole new world where almost everything needs to be explained, this one can. This book has everything from ghosts to mermaids (sorta), zombies to love, action, mind reading, flying, and magic. If you like fantasy novels than this would be a good one for you. It has everything and more.

P.S.Nightmares after this book are the worst. I'm not saying it gives you them. It's just that I can't help but wonder if maybe the book is true after all.

Zombie Insurance, Anyone?

Hey, we all know that the end of the world is just around the corner. The Apocalypes is nearing and on the 21st of December, it's time to kiss life as we know it good by. But what about those who actually survive? Who knows? Maybe some dinosaurs would have had a better post apocalyptic life of their own, had they had zombie insurance! Check out http://zombiesurance.com and see if its worth it to you to aquire some zombie insurace or buy some for a friend or loved one or for a good elephant gift.

I got my zombie insurance card. Gert yours before it's too late! :-(

Children's e-book five-star review: BIGGLE and BEE

Biggle and Bee, my 35 page children's e-book got its first review. The review is on Smashwords.com and can be accessed by clicking on the title of the e-book just below. Please enjoy this short but to the point review. The book can be downloaded for free if you use the couplon code: DA94V

Review by Margaret (Literary Chanteuse) - click onto this link to view more review by Margaret.

Biggle and Bee on Nov. 10, 2012

An extremely adventurous story about a groundhog and a gosling that will have you glued to each page. Just when you think the adventure is coming to an end the courageous duo find themselves in yet another dangerous predicament and manage to come through with learning a few lessons along the way. My daughter age 7 who I refer to often as the kinder critic read this story to me and gives it a 5 star rating. A few challenging words for those advanced readers and a little longer than I had originally expected I give it 4 stars. Either way definitely a great story with a good moral lesson.

Check out my new book: "Biggle and Bee"

I wrote Biggle and Bee within the last month and a half, while my new novel was being edited. However, this time I wrote a cute 35 page children's book. I actually had this idea for about 2 years after watching some wildlife show on the Discovery channel or something. It was about how these foxes or coyotes in a certain part of the world search for goose eggs on some prairie where these geese nest. The fox/coyote has several cashes in the ground where they stash the eggs for safe keeping for the winter. I just thought, what if the fox died or was unable to get back to that egg... what happens to the egg? I also thought, what if a golfer or groundhog or something came across the egg? It was then that the idea for this new story was born. I had a window of an opportunity so I took it and wrote the story. I hope, if you actually have kids or like cute children's stories with moral value, that you enjoy the story. Because... it's from the heart.

Here's what the cover looks like:

Pet Photo Contest 2012 - San Diego

Pet Photo Contest 2012 - San Diego: Pet Photo Contest 2012 - San Diego

My Dog, DUKE, is #119. He's such a little fur ball. Please vote for him. :-)

Final Teaser from "Scapemaker" (No spoilers)

Here is the the final teaser from my soon-to-be released young adult novel. Scapemaker is a work of fantasy where dreamscapers, or people who live second lives inside the dream world, face off against night terrors, or dream world criminals. In the dream world anything is possible for both good and evil. The story takes place at two high schools in California and Utah, where dreamscapers cross over into the dream world to attend Scapemaker, a dream world high school specializing in the training of young dreamscapers. But the dark side of the dream world is controlled by a ravenous sandsleeper, Nox, otherwise known as the Sandman. Nox has been in Sandstorm, a dream world prison for night terrors. But he is after a special element that will give him the strength he needs to break out and take over the minds of the world. Matthew, a new dreamscaper and student at Scapemaker, is forced to protect the valuable element and stop the thwarted plan. With a cliffhanging and twisted ending, Scapemaker will keep you biting your nails clean off.


Teaser from chapter 18:

Using the flashlight application on his cell phone, Matthew shined the light into the dark of the stairwell. Matthew then began his fateful descent.

A few steps into the basement Matthew was ankle deep in mud. The basement was rank with the smell of mildew and urine. With mold covering the walls and an inhumane musky odor, Matthew grew sick to his stomach. Placing the phone in his mouth, he tore the sleeves from his shirt and fashioned a makeshift mask that he wore around his mouth and nose.

Each stride forward seemed an unnecessary task as the ankle-deep mud sucked back with nearly an equal force to the pull of his every step. Bearing through the smell and ill mood, Matthew braved a further look.

Wondering to the far end of the disease-ridden room, Matthew could see that the outer wall had been knocked through and the earth behind it dug out. Where the end of the basement should have been, there was now a tunnel leading to the basement of the next abandoned house. Determined in his cause, Matthew didn’t hesitate to continue on. Making his way through the tunnel he could see that the walls and ceiling were barely held up by rotten timbers and twisted old metal bars; some of which were rusted through with holes almost the width of the bar itself. Several areas of wall had crumbled in, creating needless obstacles of earth and rock. Cans of beer and other trash were carelessly strewn about adding to the challenge.

The eerie sound of dripping water echoed off the walls and grew louder as Matthew neared the opening to the basement next door. A strange scratching amplified gradually behind him as he continued forward. The sound seemed to multiply with his escalating fear. Matthew wanted to run but his anxious curiosity forced a quick glance. Taking a deep breath, he spun around half-expecting to see a figure or face with the glow of his light. However, nothing but empty space and dirt walls filled his view. When the sound persisted, Matthew turned the light to the ground only to discover several large rats rummaging through a moldy nest of rotten old waste. The rats were too involved to care about Matthew’s presence.

When Matthew emerged from the tunnel he could feel a light breeze. The sound of dripping water resonated through the air. The staircase at the other end of the room was glowing with a dull burn from the diffused light shining in through the dirt-stained windows above. The poor lighting in the basement was still too dim to see anything. Matthew turned his cell phone light toward the dark. As he proceeded forward following the movement of breeze across the walls, he was surprised to find two separate tunnels; one in the wall to his right and one in the wall to the left. As he walked by he could see that each tunnel was held up by the same sloppy system of braces as the one he just exited. At the head of each tunnel was a burnt out torch held up at shoulder level by a mess of nails and wire driven into a wooden brace.

Still on edge, Matthew stood silent at the threshold of the tunnel to his right; the origin of the dripping water. The echoing ripple of each drip and drop rhythmically moved across several muddy pools. The light from his cell phone wasn’t bright enough to see too far. Something was there in the darkness watching him. Suddenly his cell phone died and everything grew even darker. The sound of the dripping water was constant as Matthew just stood there silently, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Slowly, the glow coming off the stairs created vague silhouettes and shadows. Soon Matthew was able to discern the outline of a torch, though he needed a flame.

"If there's a torch there has to be something to light it with," thought Matthew as he got down on his hands and knees to better see the ground.

Coming across a small coffee cup, he found a cheap two dollar lighter inside and was able to light the torch.

A few yards in to the tunnel, Matthew began to feel claustrophobic. The further he ventured the more difficult it was for his lungs to process the flow of oxygen. Feeling more and more uncomfortable with his choice to enter this tunnel Matthew backed away. He didn’t feel this particular tunnel was the route that would lead him to Hunter and his precious stone. Besides, this route was too eerie and Matthew didn’t want this to be the correct route. He quickly turned around and proceeded to the other tunnel.

With the torch now at full glow, Matthew noticed a dozen shovels scattered about the entrance to the second tunnel. When Matthew approached the entrance, he was again wary. Broken pipe, torn wiring and other such material hung loosely from the ceiling. Half way down the tunnel Matthew came across a patch of mud created by a fractured water pipe along the upper wall. The dirt had been trudged through so many times that a small bog had been created. Matthew waded through the muddy mess sinking to mid-calf at the lowest point. He felt something under his foot and stepped away. It was then that he noticed what appeared to be a man’s muddy face protruding through the surface of the mire. Suddenly, a pair eyes popped open. Matthew instinctively tried to jump away. But due to the overwhelming suction on his feet, he fell onto his back.

The man cried out as though in excruciating pain reaching out toward Matthew. “Help me! Make it Stop! Please, make it stop!” While he continued to plead, the man slowly rose to his knees allowing the thickest portions of mud slip off his body leaving mostly stain. A suit and tie began to show from behind the thinning mud. “Make it stop!” he begged. "Make it stop!"

Where are you from?

I have been watching the page views on my blog increase. It's exciting to see people from all over the world viewing my blog. What I would like to know is exactly where you are from. No, not an address, but the city you live in. describe it for me. I am originally from Los Angeles, CA. The city I am from is actually called Pico Rivera - a suburb of Los Angeles. Pico Rivera borders the city of Whittier. Whittier is where President Nixon is from. Richard Nixon went to Whittier High School, my high school rival. I went to El Rancho High School, home of the Don's (a horrible mascot. It was so horrible, we didn't even have a mascot to portray it). I actually modled a high school after El Rancho in my soon to be released book, Scapemaker. The school in the book is called "Privera High" (Named for Pico Rivera, where El Rancho is located). I graduated from high school at age 17 - a VERY long time ago (I started Kindergarden at age 4). Pico Rivera is somewhere between Hunington Beach and Pasadena, CA.

Tell me about you and where you live!

Fan Page on Facebook

Here is a link to my little fan page. I would love more fans. Thank you to those who have come back to my blog. Soon there will be more to read and talk about. I can't wait to release Scapemaker for review. If you'd like a free ereader digital copy of the book please feel free to comment here or on my fan page. Thank you!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Author-Steve-V-Cypert-fan-page/123114354437493

New Official Cover for Scapemaker is completed!

This is the final image for the cover of my new novel "Scapemaker", which is slated for release in late July or Early August. Click on the following link to read more about Scapemaker:

http://thefictioneer.blogspot.com/2012_04_01_archive.html

Sneak Peak: Unfinished Cover of Scapemaker

If you have read what this book is about, you may not know what the image represents. This is the image of a female skinwalker.

Scapemaker: teaser from Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The following is one of two teasers no released on this blog and on goodreads. However, the book is still being edited. This teaser has not yet been edited. Please note any mistakes will be taken care of and enjoy the teaser. Ay comments are truly welcomed. Thank you!

Elijah turned the knob on the dreamgate and opened the door, allowing a light mist to enter the room. “Are you ready?”

Matthew took a deep breath, excited to tackle this new and adventurous challenge. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Elijah was the first to step through. The mist persisted beyond the door, becoming thicker and darker until Matthew could hardly see passed the frame. Stanasia went next, followed closely by Stanford and Stanly. Their eager screams and laughter resonated through the entry way as they disappeared within the obscure mist.

Skye and Alex stood at the entrance waiting to escort Matthew through. However, Matthew wished to go through on his own.

“Your escorts are there for a reason,” explained Mr. Xoner. “Must you do everything on your own? As I have stated before – you must be capable of taking direction without question.”

“But it’s just a door,” contended Matthew. “What kind of direction do I need?”

“That is a dreamgate; much different than an ordinary door. You’ll find that the simplest of tasks are often the most difficult without the proper direction. Do you still prefer to walk through on your own?”

Chuckling incredulously, Matthew insisted, “Come on. It’s just a door.”

Skye looked to Mr. Xoner for his approval. With a disappointed nod he agreed, allowing Alex and her to walk on through. Matthew was now left to act on his own. Placing one foot out the door Matthew leaned slowly forward. He couldn’t see his own foot through the thickness of the mist.

“Why is it so foggy?” asked Matthew as he stepped forward through the door expecting to place his foot onto the floor of the next room.

“That isn’t fog, my dear boy.”

“What is this?”

Everything slowed significantly as Matthew realized there was no floor and began to fall past the point of no return. Mr. Xoner replied, “Those are very high clouds.”

Now worried, Matthew pivoted around and reached for the door frame. “What do you mean by very high?” But it was too late. The dreamgate was too far for him to reach as he fell backward through the door.

As Matthew fell he could hear Mr. Xoner’s voice echoing, “Welcome to Scapemaker! It would have been nice to instruct the son of Nicholas Namely - had he lived.”

As the seconds passed, the clouds began to thin. Matthew was able to distinguish a jagged rock face almost at his nose. The treacherous face seemed to be rising in contrast to his descent. Matthew was falling head first. But since he was falling in slow motion, he could not discern the speed at which he was falling or the force of the impact to come.

Matthew could hear faint voices in the closing distance below, the words of which did not register. “No! Matthew! Look out!” And then the unimaginable happened.

Scapemaker: teaser pages in chapter 16 (no spoilers)

As soon as Daedree felt ready she lied down on the couch and put her mind to meditation, breathing slow and calm. Her connection to Hunter was immediate. Before too long she found him sitting alone in a dark and filthy room. She quickly hid behind a beat up old couch. Mentally, Hunter was in a very dark place. Daedree peeked over the couch to spy out details that might help locate him.

Hunter was sitting in an old wooden chair rocking back and forth. He was playing with a handful of sand letting it fall from the palm of his hand. Only it swirled back up to his other hand before it could touch the floor. It would have seemed normal to Daedree as a scaper, but what she was witnessing was not a dream. She was reading into his thoughts so everything around him was happening in the real world.

 She then noticed a grimy window that was too difficult to see through. She hoped to be able to make her way to the window as Hunter sat quietly in the dark, wallowing in his own disgust. However, the feelings that swelled within Daedree’s mind were too overwhelming to encourage action on her part. Escaping the dark scene, Daedree came-too in the triplet’s dorm room. She opened her eyes and took in a breath of relief, afraid to go on.

“It felt so empty and alone,” she said. “I don’t know if I can go back.” Holding an emotional tear, she took a drink of water. She then continued, “There’s not one good thought in that place. There’s nothing but waste and want; I can feel his selfish cravings and an abyss of secrets I hope to never know.”

“Maybe you already saw what you needed to see,” stated Matthew. “Do you remember seeing anything that might point out hunter’s location?”

“The floor and furniture were both caked with mud. There was a busted window but I couldn’t see any details from where I was hiding. I’m sorry. I don’t know if I can finish this.”

“You already found him,” encouraged Alex. “You’re so close. All you need to do is find something you can use to lead the agents to him and then we can go back to our normal lives.”

“I’ll be right here; I’m not going to leave you,” reassured Matthew. Embarrassed to have so intimately voiced his words of comfort, he quickly restated, “I mean we; we’ll be right here, I promise. Just talk us through what you see and if anything goes wrong we’ll be right here to wake you up.”

Daedree closed her eyes and was instantly in Hunter’s despicable presence. It was difficult for Daedree to escape the dark feelings creeping into her mind. The smell was horrific. Hunter was still rocking on the same chair. Luckily his mind was too caught up in the strange sand flowing in and out of his fingers to notice that she was there.

Speaking softly in mind, Daedree related everything that she saw to her friends as they sat intently listening in the triplet’s dorm room. “There’s no gas or electricity. I can tell that it’s really cold by Hunter’s breath.”

Still afraid, Daedree crept toward the east wall only yards away. She made her way beyond the tattered couch and across the rotting floor. A creek in the floorboards caused her to cringe and gasp. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The rate of Daedree’s beating heart surged as she glanced back to find Hunter in the same indolent position as before, giving her a little relief. She continued on until she reached the busted window.

“All the other windows are boarded up,” she continued. “I think the house is abandoned. It’s really claustrophobic in here. I can’t think straight.”

Matthew took hold of Daedree’s hand and spoke a few comforting words which seemed to pacify her. Peering out the hole in the dirt-stained window, Daedree described what she could see outside the house.

“It’s kind of dim so I can’t see everything. There’s a chain-linked fence and a beat up old street sign on the corner but I can’t read it. There’s an old toilet in the middle of the yard; it looks like a planter. Gross. Who does that?”

“What else can you see?” asked Alex.

“I can see a warehouse about a block away.” Suddenly something didn’t feel quite right. She paused for a moment, afraid to speak.

When Daedree turned from the window she was surprised to see Hunter standing directly behind her. However, he was unable to see her transparent image in the shadows beneath the windowsill so long as she sat still. Daedree’s heart sank. But she was too scared to think clearly enough to wake up.

“I can feel you in my head,” stated Hunter. “I know you’re here; I can smell your fear.” He sniffed the air with decadent gratification. “You’ve made a bad mistake,” he whispered amid a hollow laugh.

“I want to be done now?” questioned Daedree desperately through her mind. “Can I please be done? I can’t do this anymore.”

Hunter began to squat down following the scent at his grubby feet. Sniffing closer and closer to Daedree like a wolf to its prey, he could see the outline of her flickering image beginning to take shape. Daedree started to breathe much heavier.

“Help me!” she shouted as she now looked Hunter eye to eye. He simply smiled with ravenous delight and reached out toward her neck.

SCAPEMAKER: a new young adult supernatural fantasy

Scapemaker is a 110,000-word young adult fantasy novel and the first in a series of four.  This work of fiction contains well-defined characters with which its readers will truly relate and come to love. 

 As with the Fablehaven series by Author Brandon Mull and the Leven Thumps series by Author Obert Skye, Scapemaker fashions an adventurous blend of reality and supernatural fantasy into one roller-coaster of a ride.

 Matthew is the son of Mr. Nicholas Namely, a local high school teacher.  But unbeknownst to Matthew, his father is a Dreamscaper, whose classroom is connected to many other classrooms across the nation through impossible means.  Once in class, Mr. Namely’s students fall asleep and soon thereafter enter the halls of Scapemaker, a dream world high school for young adult Dreamscapers.

 When a couple of close-to-the-heart tragedies occur, Matthew is compelled to investigate the unbelievable mysteries surrounding them.  Matthew and his mother, Mae, are soon coerced into moving 750 miles from the home they love. While attending his new school, Matthew meets Amber, a beautiful enigmatic girl. He will also grow closer to Daedree, an annoying girl from his former school. However, strong emotions in the dream world are extremely dangerous and therefore forbidden.  Matthew is soon led to Mr. Xoner's classroom, where he must learn the art and history of Dreamscaping, which has apparently been in the Namely bloodline for thousands of years. Matthew will also learn of his own important roll yet to be played out.

 Filled with secrecy, mystery and a forbidden tangle of young love, this new life will lead Matthew to unbelievable characters with the most extraordinary abilities he could never have imagined.  

 Matthew will also come to know of Nox Celare, otherwise known as The Sandman, who is after a special element called Magineum; an element Nox will terrorize and kill for. Neck deep in night terrors (dream world criminals), skinwalkers, zombies, sandsleepers, soul feeders, spirits, and much more, Matthew must also learn to deal with his own real-world problems where he soon realizes he is in way over his head.  Matthew must not only solve the tragic events that led to his newly discovered life, but he will also have to protect the Magineum with his life and find a way to be with the girl of his dreams.

With the help of a close nit group of friends, both dreamscaper and non-dreamscaper alike, Matthew will find out what it means to develop true courage, unconditional love and faith in good. But can he triumph over evil? Or will he be drawn in by the temptation of power gained through the very evil he aspires to defeat.

Scapemaker will keep you grounded in the real world while at the same time making the fantastical world around it that much more possible and enduring. This tale of young adult supernatural fantasy will keep you guessing and wanting more.

 Scapemaker is currently being edited and will soon be for sale online at all major e-book retailers and in paperback on Amazon.com and Lulu.com. The date of initial release for review is projected to be sometime within the first or second week of June 2012. For advanced notice on its release please email Steve Cypert at thefictioneer@gmail.com or as a comment to this blog page. Please watch for and feel free to comment on several teaser pages that will be shared on www.thefictioneer.blogspot.com. Also feel free to share any of this information at any time. Thank you!!

Duke: Crazy Devil Dog

Check out Duke!

Looks kind of like a muppet. A killer muppet. Click onto the "Duke" link just above to see what he really looks like. The app on my phone I used to create this photo is called "symmetry mirror" on android.

Ramblings & Not So Deep Thoughts: Illusion

Ramblings & Not So Deep Thoughts: Illusion: If he were there maybe he would see. If he existed maybe he could help me. I have spoken to him but he's not really there. I have plea...