Stephanie Rose's Blog: Skys Dreamcorner

Rezension
Star Wars - Das Erbe der Jedi-Ritter
Bände: 19 (abgeschlossen)
Alles in allem musste ich bei dieser Reihe sehr an die Kreuzzüge des Mittelalters denken. Kurzum, es geht um einen Religionskrieg.
Im Mittelpunkt stehen diesmal neben "den üblichen Verdächtigen" auch die Solo-Kinder.
Die Reihe ist sehr unterhaltsam, wenn auch düster und traurig (nein, ich will nicht spoilern 

My review of the book "The night of Elisa": Isis Sousa put a lot of heart in her work and since she's also an artist she did the cover work and illustrations of the book herself.The development of the characters is great, they feel real and it's easy to understand why they do what they do. The story itself is dark and twisted.
Though Gothic novels aren't really my thing, I enjoyed reading it. Isis's writing style is fresh and interesting, she knows how to keep the reader interested and how to create an arc of suspence.
I can recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a unique story that is dark and complex.

Isis is a really nice person! We have been friends for ages now and I am really glad to know her! Isis is an amazing person and really talented.We also have worked on several projects together, for example the "Art Collab" project ^_^
The book can be bought on Amazon.Here's the link to "The night of Elisa".The book is available as eBook, paperback and hardcover! And you know what's best? The book is illustrated! Support Isis and buy her book!
Visit Isis Sousa's Blog and check out her website ^_~

And now, enjoy the interview ^_^
What's your name? Do you write under your real name or do you use a pen name?Hi Stephanie, first of all, thanks for the amazing opportunity with this interview!My name is indeed Isis Sousa. I prefer to use my real name, because I haven’t yet discovered what is the meaning with a Pen Name, though many writers use it.
Where do you live? How old are you? Tell us a little bit about yourself.I live in a tiny rural valley in Mid-Norway with my best-half, but I am from Brazil. I am 30, but I never want to age! I live out of doing illustrations and designs and love Heavy Metal, Arts and History in general.
You are an artist as well, tell us about it. What are you specialties?On digital painting, I am specialized in cover art, more specifically characters. On graphic design I do a lot of layout, such as book cover layout and CD artworks.
Do you design your own covers?Yes - and I love that! This way I can give the readers exactly what I imagine for the story/book content. It is so much fun!
How did you come to be a writer? Was it always your dream to publish a novel?I never dreamed of writing any books, while I have always dreamed about being an artist. I became writer by accident, when a day I decided to make a write down one of my stories. As illustrator, you get to imagine a lot of things. So, then … Why not write a story of my own? I find writing extremely difficult, and only do it because – painting a thousand images to make a story takes a lot of time hehe! :D
You are a Selfpublishing author - what made you choose this path?Freedom! I can write at my own pace, publish when I am ready, and overall, publish my books the way I like them to be :)
Is “The night of Elisa” your first novel? What inspired you to write it?Yes, it is my first! It was firstly inspired by a dream ... literally! Then by my passion for classic Gothic stories, such as Dracula and Frankenstein. The rest is imagination :)
Tell us about the story, what is it about? What genre is it?I will try not to spoil it … The Night of Elisa is an illustrated story about a girl, Elisa, who gets trapped between two worlds. She falls in love with a dark man from one of these worlds ...
Do you have plans for other novels yet or is there another one soon to be published? If so, tell us a little about it.At the moment I am concluding the final part of 'As Cold As Thorns', a Gothic Novel. This second part is titled 'As Black As Ice' and hope to publish it until Summer 2019. I do have ideas for other stories, which I hope to have and resources to publish by the coming years.

Since early childhood I've been in love with Star Trek and I was really looking forward to the new Star Trek movies as well as the series Discovery when they were announced. 
Thinking back, I just have realized it's already been 25 years since I first watched Star Trek TOS - and fell in love with it. My sister and I always watched it in secret on early Sunday mornings while our parents where still asleep

Aller guten Dinge sind drei
oder
es ist nicht alles Gold was glänzt
Das Leben mit dem Lipödem - ein Erfahrungsbericht - Teil II
Nach vielen Recherchen bin ich letztlich auf die LipoClinic in Mülheim/Ruhr aufmerksam geworden. Ich habe viel dazu recherchiert und mich letztlich dazu entschlossen, dort ein Beratungsgespräch zu vereinbaren. Die Internetpräsenz und die vielen positiven Stimmen (z.B. Blogeinträge mit Erfahrungsberichten), haben mich letztlich überzeugt.Bevor man dort überhaupt einen Termin für ein Beratungsgespräch vereinbaren kann, muss man mindestens 6-8 Wochen diese grausame Flachstrick(-Strumpfhose in meinem Fall) tragen, weil die offenbar ein Grund für die guten Ergebnisse der Klinik sind. Also habe ich mich brav Tag ein Tag aus in dieses Ding gezwängt, mir die Finger wund gescheuert beim Anziehen und still vor mich hin gelitten.Es ist schlichtweg eine Lüge, wenn man behauptet, diese Dinger wären angenehm zu tragen und würden keine Druckstellen verursachen. Ich hatte jeden Abend wunde Stellen in den Kniekehlen!Treppensteigen oder Autofahren waren absolut unangenehm. Eigentlich eignet sich das Ding nur zum Stehen, da kann man einigermaßen mit leben, alles andere ist eine echte Zumutung - und wie viele Leute haben einen Job, der einzig und allein im Stehen verrichtet wird? Ja, genau, so viele sind das gar nicht

Aller guten Dinge sind drei
oder
es ist nicht alles Gold was glänzt
Das Leben mit dem Lipödem - ein Erfahrungsbericht - Teil I
Nachdem ich mein halbes Leben mit dieser Krankheit gelebt habe und bis vor wenigen Jahren noch nicht einmal wusste, was es eigentlich ist, an dem ich leide, kann ich nun endlich damit abschließen und darüber berichten.
Aber fangen wir mal am Anfang an:Seit meiner Jugend hatte ich diese unförmige Körperform. Meine Beine, insbesondere die Oberschenkel, wurden plötzlich unglaublich dick, während mein Körperstamm wirklich schlank geblieben war (wenn ich so drüber nachdenke, hatte ich bis auf die Beine wirklich eine super Figur …). Damals habe ich mir noch keine großen Gedanken darum gemacht. Ich dachte, so bin ich eben, dass die Schmerzen, die ich dort immer hatte, mit dieser Krankheit zusammenhängen, erfuhr ich erst ein halbes Leben später.Im Laufe der nächsten Jahre wurden die Beine - und letztlich auch die Arme - immer dicker. Ich nahm an diesen Stellen unglaublich zu, immer schubweise 5-6kg in wenigen Wochen, dann war wieder Ruhe für einige Zeit. So habe ich in 5 Jahren 25kg zugenommen. Sport half nicht, Diät half nicht. Ich war am verzweifeln und hasste mich für mein Aussehen.Manchmal war es so schlimm, dass ich mich nicht mehr auf die Straße getraut habe, weil ich mich den Blicken der Leute nicht aussetzen wollte. Irgendwann entwickelt man eben massive Komplexe und hat das Gefühl, dass alle Blicke erstmal auf diese unförmige Körperform gehen … Nach und nach war es dann aber auch so, dass ich keine Hosen mehr tragen konnte. Die Oberschenkel waren so dick geworden, dass Hosen, die da drübergepasst haben, obenrum viel zu weit waren. Und ich meine wirklich viel zu weit (man hätte fast doppelt reingepasst). Man fühlte sich elend und irgendwann kommen einem Gedanken, ob man so überhaupt weiterleben möchte ...
Ende 2013 entwickelte ich dann eine chronische Nesselsucht. Es fing an den Armen an und breitete sich immer weiter aus.Mir schwollen die Augen zu und letztlich war es so schlimm, dass mir sogar die Atemwege regelmäßig zuschwollen (und das ist wirklich nicht schön). Normale Antihistaminika halfen nicht und meine damalige Hautärztin konnte oder wollte mir auch nicht weiterhelfen. Ich war echt verzweifelt. Immer dieses Jucken, immer Kratzen und immer die Angst davor, dass wieder die Atemwege zuschwellen ... Ich reagierte auf fast alle Lebensmittel, manchmal reichte sogar eine einfache Berührung schon aus, um einen Schub auszulösen. Sogar auf Ibuprofen hin entwickelte ich böse Schübe, die mir buchstäblich den Atem raubten. Früher hatte ich nie Probleme damit gehabt ...Später schaffte ich es dann zu einem anderen Hautarzt, der mir endlich ein Antihistaminikum verordnete, das mir in Kombination mit hochdosiertem Cortison half, die Symptome in den Griff zu bekommen.So überlebte ich dann die nächsten Jahre. Hochdosiertes Cortison zusammen mit hoch dosiertem Antihistaminikum täglich. Eine Antwort, woher es kam, fand man aber nie ...
Im selben Jahr machte mich meine Schwester dann darauf aufmerksam, dass meine Probleme mit den dicken Beinen und den vielen blauen Flecken möglicherweise von einem Lipödem herrühren. Offenbar hatte sie kurz zuvor einen entsprechenden Bericht im TV gesehen und musste dabei an mich denken. Ich hatte noch nie davon gehört, begann aber meine eigene Recherche. Was ich dann herausfand, passte perfekt zu meinem Zustand. Also sprach ich mit meiner Ärztin darüber. Sie stimmte zu, empfahl mir dann aber - wie es leider so viele Ärzte tun, die es als stinknormale Adipositas betrachten - weniger zu essen und mehr Sport zu treiben; ich würde einfach zu viel essen und sei selbst dran schuld.Ich war am Boden zerstört über diese Aussage, aß ich doch so schon sehr wenig und an manchen Tagen auch gar nichts.
Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, wie das bei dem ein oder anderen eine Essstörung hervorrufen kann ... auch ich stand kurz davor.
Über die Zeit hinweg fing ich mich dann wieder und begann mich erneut mit dem Thema zu befassen, weil ich so einfach nicht mehr weitermachen wollte.Zu Spitzenzeiten brachte ich dann fast 78kg auf die Waage. Da war bei mir der Ofen aus. Ich wollte so nicht mehr weiterleben und begann ernsthaft mit dem Gedanken zu spielen, meinem Leben ein Ende zu bereiten, wenn sich nicht bald eine Lösung auftat. Ich schämte mich immer mehr für meinen Körper.Zusammen mit meinem Mann suchten wir dann eine Lösung für dieses Problem.Da wir beide es zu diesem Zeitpunkt nicht besser wussten und die Informationen im Internet zu dieser Zeit noch sehr spärlich waren, was das Lipödem und dessen Behandlung angeht (die Werbepolitik bei Ärzten war damals auch noch sehr prekär und ein großes Problem), wandte ich mich in meiner Verzweiflung (wie ich heute weiß wie so viele andere Betroffene auch) an einen Schönheitschirurgen. Heute kann ich dazu sagen: Das war ganz klar die falsche Wahl. Eine Liposuktion bei Lipödem ist viel radikaler und gewiss keine Schönheitschirurgie, die sich nur oberflächlich mit dem Fett auseinandersetzt!Er sicherte mir zu, mein Problem zu beseitigen und ich war guter Dinge, endlich wieder ein normales Leben führen zu können. Ich freute mich auf die OP.Es kostete uns ein Vermögen und wie sich später herausstellte hatte auch er keine Ahnung von der korrekten Behandlung eines Lipödems. So blieb es dann bei einer partiellen Liposuktion, die hauptsächlich die Oberschenkelrückseite betraf.Ich verlor zwar deutlich an Umfang an den Oberschenkeln und sogar meine Nesselsucht verschwand kurz darauf, aber die Probleme, die ein Lipödem mit sich bringt (Schmerzen, Gelenkprobleme, blaue Flecken, usw.), verschwanden dadurch nicht. Es war ja nur ein Teil behandelt worden.
Heute glaube ich, dass ich vielleicht nicht mehr hier wäre, wäre ich diesen Schritt damals nicht gegangen - und das nicht nur auf meinen damaligen Todeswunsch bezogen. Die Nesselsucht hätte mich irgendwann umgebracht.Da sie kurz nach dieser OP verschwand, als die Schwellungen langsam nachließen, bin ich mir heute ziemlich sicher, dass sie aufgrund des Lipödems entstanden war. Ein Hilferuf meines Körpers, der sich langsam aufgrund der zunehmenden Stauung immer weiter vergiftete, weil nichts mehr abfließen konnte.Seither hatte ich keinen einzigen "Nessel-Schub" mehr!
Übrigens ist bis heute nichts davon nachgewachsen, was damals behandelt wurde.

Das war nun der Anfang zu diesem Thema meinerseits, das so viele Frauen betrifft und ich kann nur sagen: Gebt nicht auf! Recherchiert gut und entscheidet dann, welchen Weg ihr gehen wollt! Ist es das wert? Ja, es lohnt sich definitiv zu kämpfen! Die Gesellschaft wird immer mehr für dieses Thema sensibilisiert und das muss so weitergehen. Wir sind nicht einfach nur fett, wir essen nicht einfach nur zu viel und sind faul: Es ist eine Krankheit - deren Ursache man aber immer noch nicht herausgefunden hat. Dass eine hormonelle Komponente vorhanden ist, ist mittlerweile klar, aber das ist noch nicht alles. Definitiv.Ist es auch genetisch bedingt? Spielt eine autoimmune Komponente eine Rolle? Auffällig ist jedenfalls, dass viele Betroffene auch eine (oder mehrere) Autoimmunerkrankung(en) aufweisen, z.B. eine Hashimoto-Thyreoiditis oder einen Morbus Crohn.Ich hoffe inständig, dass die Forschung sich noch intensiver mit diesem Thema befassen wird, um eine Antwort zu finden.
Ich werde jetzt immer mal wieder einen weiteren Part dazu posten, meine Geschichte geht noch weiter

Hey there everyone!First of all: Yes, I am still alive

(English blog post with an explanation why I suddenly vanished will follow in a few days)~°O°~
Hallo zusammen!Gleichmal vorweg: Jaaaaaa, ich lebe noch

My review of the book "Knight's Judgement", volume I of "The Knight Series":
Cover of "The Knight Series"
volume I: Knight's judgement'Knight's Judgement' is a really interesting story and the first volume of "The Knight series" about the Bounty Hunter Rebecca Knight. She is a strong female lead.
The story is filled with a lot of suspense, a dense atmosphere and crime. As the story continues, you get to know more about Rebecca, you learn her past and how she became what she is now. To tell the truth, her past is kinda saddening, she lost both her parents and her childhood was ... sad (in lack of a better word).
Most of the series takes place in San Fransisco, California.
Since I am no native speaker, I can't tell you much about how good or bad Darren's writing style and grammar is, all I can say is, that this story takes you in, is easy to read and to understand, also for non-natives.
So if you are interested in detective and crime stories, this series is perfect for you!

I give 4 out of 5 stars. This is a great story!
(this review was also posted on Amazon.com and GoodReads)


I also had a nice talk with Darren Deegan, author of "The Knight Series". He is a really nice and kind guy! 
The series can be bought on Amazon.
Here's the link to Volume I - Knight's Judgement and the link to Volume II - Knight's Salvation
Both are available as eBook and paperback! Support Darren and buy this great crime series!

Visit Darren Deegan on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and check out his website ^_~


And now, enjoy the interview ^_^ Darren Deegan, author of "The Knight Series"

What's your name? Do you write under your real name or do you use a pen name?Darren Deegan. I write under my real name as I haven't felt the need yet to use a pseudonym.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How old are you? Where do you live?I've just turned thirty and already feel older and far wiser! I was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. I've lived in other places over the years, but Dublin is where I belong and I can't imagine living anywhere else for any considerable amount of time. I'd love to say I have very exciting interests such as knife throwing, fire juggling or deep sea diving, but sadly my interests are far more normal than that. Reading, writing, or enjoying fine Irish Whiskey in good company brings me great pleasure.
How did you come to be a writer? Was it always your dream?I've wanted to be a writer for a long time, but couldn't even begin to tell you the moment I said "I'm going to be a writer!" There was a point last year though, when I decided it was time to begin this journey. I quit my day job and decided I needed to put the hours in and make a career out of writing. So far so good, and hopefully I’ll be able to continue this dream for a long time to come.
When did you start writing?I was quite young when I started writing creatively, maybe eight years old. My grandfather was a writer. I'd spend every Sunday at my grandparent's house, and over the years my grandfather started to involve me in his writing. He would sit in his favourite chair, take out a notepad and being writing opinion pieces on whatever topics had interested him that week. Out of love or a need to silence me while he wrote, he would give me an old notepad that had a few pages left in it and tell me to write.
You are a Selfpublishing author - what made you choose this path?I had done a lot of research over the year leading up to me finishing my first novel. Trade publishing was all I knew about for a long time and I thought that that was the way to go, but then I discovered the world of indie authors and how self-publishing had evolved in recent years. Having control over my work, how and when it was published, and the freedom to write whatever I wanted, was what excited me about being an indie author. It's hard work, long hours and will take awhile to establish myself, but I'm loving every minute of it.
What is your favorite quote?“We Irish prefer embroideries to plain cloth. To us Irish, memory is a canvas--stretched, primed, and ready for painting on. We love the "story" part of the word "history," and we love it trimmed out with color and drama, ribbons and bows. Listen to our tunes, observe a Celtic scroll: we always decorate our essence.” - Frank Delaney
Who and what is inspiring to you? I try to draw inspiration from different parts of my life. Friends, family, past experiences, they all come into play when I’m writing. When I’m feeling uninspired; I like to read great books or watch movies, as I always feel inspired by their stories. Authors such as Dan Brown, Michael Connelly or Trudy Canavan are wonderful storytellers and always help bring out my creativity. I’m also considering hiring a full time muse, as I hear they’re great. Applications welcome. ;)
What inspired you to write your novel series "The Knight Series"? I woke one day about 5am from having a very vivid dream about this bounty hunter chasing down criminals. I lay there for a moment and thought about it. It didn’t take long for me to realize it would make a great story, so I quickly jumped out of bed, went to my desk and wrote what became the first chapter.
Tell us about the story, what is this series about? What genre is it?The series follows Rebecca Knight, a bounty hunter based in California, and most of the series takes place in San Francisco. The first installment of the series is called “Knight’s Judgment” and opens with Rebecca being wounded, while in pursuit of a target. The opening scene shows the reader just how strong and determined Rebecca can be and gives them a taste of her skill in her chosen profession. As the story progresses over the series, we get to see a lot more about Rebecca’s past, her violent childhood and time as a Marine which haunts her to this day.
Tell us about the main character of "Knight's Judgment", the Bounty Hunter Rebecca Knight.Rebecca is a strong, powerful and determined person. She takes great pride in her work and will stop at nothing to complete her assignments. She lost both of her parents as a child and was raised by her grandfather; whose parenting skills left a lot to be desired. Between the “tough-love” attitude of her grandfather and the ruthless people of her neighborhood, she quickly learned the world was out to get her and that she would need to become something else to survive it.Her emotional scars have left her personal life in disrepair, and any friendships she still maintains are strained at best. Although she has had many relationships with women over the course of her life, she has yet to make any of them last for a significant amount of time, and so finds solace in the simple things in life, like riding her motorcycle or enjoying some Irish whiskey.
How many volumes do you plan to write for this series?I have no number in mind just yet, however I have written three books at the moment, with two of them currently published. Look for the third book in a few months.
Is this your first novel? Knight’s Judgment is the first novel I published, but not the first I’ve written. I have another series that I’ve yet to publish, the first serious novel I wrote is part of that series which I will hopefully begin releasing closer to the end of the year.
Do you have plans for other novels yet? If so, tell us a little about it.As above, I do have another crime series for publishing later in the year. That series is set in 1940’s New York and is more of a traditional crime noir story. I’m also working on a fantasy Serial that I hope to begin publishing in June.

Darren, thank you very much for your time and the insights!
We wish you all the best for the future!

Okay, I have been asked this a few times now, even though there are lots of information about that on the internet, as well as HOW-TOs.I hate to write synopses. It is my least favorite thing to write when I am done with a novel. I always get the feeling it makes my story less interesting for the one who has to read it and decide if it is worth publishing, because there is so much that falls by the wayside.Enough nagging XD'''Oh, and yes, surely you have read that a synopsis normally is written before you write the novel, but in my case this doesn't work (I change a lot while I write a story so I decided to always write it in the end when I am done).
This is how I write a synopsis:

Working title (working title, because the title might change)GenreTarget audienceLength (word count)Quote (one sentence that sticks out and speaks for the idea of the story) <-- difficult one, and not really necessaryShort summary (describe the story in a few sentences, similar to a blurb on the back cover)Content (this will be a summary of the whole story, it should be around one Word page, but not more than two! You need to write down the central theme, the most important stuff and no side story information) <-- this is why it sucks!Biography of the characters (main characters and a few minor characters - describe their appearance, race, special abilities if they have any, age if known, characteristics, who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist, short summary of their relevance to the story)Background information (if there is any, for example a special belief, why is something the way it is in your story, a relevant myth the story is build on)Motivation (why did you write that story?)
I hope that helps ^_^If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me.

The time has finally come to tell you about this: The tears of the unicorns is now published in English! The first volume (of three) so far.It is available as eBook for Kindle (FREE for Kindle Unlimited!) and trade paperback.
And before you ask: The English version is self-published, yes. Why, you ask? Well, I will not say much, only this: This time I can be my own master, do my own layout, my own cover. This way there is no one to interfere in what I believe is right >_<I know, there are a few downsides to self-publishing, but the same counts for working with a publisher, so nothing to lose here XD
About the book:When I first held the paperback in my hands I was like "wow, it is so thin! Why is it so thin?"210 pages is not that short (about 50k words) I believe and I checked with other, mostly older books I own. All of them are way thicker, even though their page count is not that much more.Than I remembered something I read quite some time ago.Publishers often use thicker paper for their books to make them look like "more". The quality of that paper is also different, because the paper of self-published books often is copy paper, which is not bad! On the contrary, it is high-grade paper and technically better than that of a "normal" publisher's book. But who cares anyways XD'''
I published the paperback with CreateSpace (an Amazon company). It is quite easy to use and I really enjoyed using the Interior Reviewer, which is something I have not seen on other self-publisher sites. You upload your file and order a proof, and only when that proof reaches you, you see what it looks like.The Interior Reviewer shows you your book file as a book, that is really cool and gives you a feeling of how it will look in the end. I find that much better, because you do not have to wait for the proof to arrive to see what your text will look like in the book.

Here´s a screenshot of the Interior Reviewer. It looks nice, does it not? X3
It is perfect to see if your text looks good as a book.



This does not mean you should not order a proof before publishing it! Always do so! There are many things that could go wrong if you do not, so spare yourself the embarrassment >__<

I also tried Lulu (tried that one first), but I was not satisfied so I tried another self-publisher before I decide which one I am going to use.
There are a few things why I went with CreateSpace.
One is, of course, is because of their Interior Reviewer. It allowed me to change some stuff because I realised it does not look good in the book (but it did in my file). Another point is, that the CreateSpace team checks your uploaded files before you can order a proof and tell you if there is something wrong. What I also liked are the different cover versions, you can choose between glossy and matte.

I chose matte, because it looks much better in my opinion!
Here's the printed book, front and back. I looks nice, doesn't it? ^_^