Two Indie Authors - Ali Cross and Tracy Banghart

Over here in the studio, I can often be found reading.  Books are like music.  There are indies and there are The Big Names.  Stephen King is with a big publishing house, while my friends Ali Cross and Tracy E. Banghart are indie or self-published. 

Today marks the day of their official release of their new books.  Shattered Veil by Tracy E. Banghart and Blood Crown by Ali Cross.  There's a little facebook party going on for them at the moment, so drop on by and check them out.

What people have to say about Blood Crown:

“I’ve always loved Ali Cross’s lyrical writing, but now she’s taken a story to the stars and written a sci fi romance that is both intimate and epic. The question of man and machine and how the two will co-exist is one that I see sprouting many flavors of story in the years to come – Blood Crown is an intriguing addition to those imagined futures!” ~ Susan Kaye Quinn (Mindjack Trilogy, The Debt Collector)

In this science fiction romance, androids have claimed power over what remains of the human race. They rule without remorse. They are the Mind and humans exist only to serve them.

But it wasn't always so.

Before the android uprising, select droids, called Servants, were pivotal in engineering a new human race with nanotechnology enhanced DNA. The Blood Crown theorem was to be humanity's crowning glory and the key to their survival in deep space.

But Serantha, Daughter of the West, was the last female to receive Gifts from her Servant and when the Mind mutinied, she was hidden away, and presumed dead.

Without Serantha there is no hope of the Blood Crown being realized so Nicolai, Son of the East, abandons his crown to join the rebel forces. He might not provide the future for his people he had once dreamed of, but he will not go down without a fight.

When Nicolai discovers Sera among a small compliment of kitchen staff, everything changes--but Sera's Gifts were never completed and she is ill-equipped to face a legion of androids determined to wipe her, and every other human, out of existence.

Their only hope is the Blood Crown--but even if Serantha and Nicolai can realize their potential it may be too late to save mankind.

What people are saying about Shattered Veil: 

"Vaguely reminiscent of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games (2008) and Lois Lowry's The Giver (1993), this tale quickly takes off in its own imaginative direction...Part mystery, part romance, part sci-fi, Banghart's fast-paced exploration of loyalty, identity and commitment is entertaining and intriguing." ~ Kirkus Reviews

"Shattered Veil is a heart-crushing, edge-of-your-seat, wild ride of love and war. A must read for fans of science fiction, romance, or just plain good books." ~ Jennifer Walkup, author of Second Verse

 

"When everything that defines you is stripped away, who do you become?

For Aris, a talented wingjet pilot, war means sacrificing everything: her home, her name, her face—and the one promise she swore she’d never break.

In the small village of Lux, everyone flies wingjets, but nobody flies them like Aris Haan. When she’s not dancing through the skies, she’s spending every minute with Calix, whom she’s loved since childhood. They plan to Promise, but instead he is sent to defend their dominion against a bloody invasion. Determined not to lose him, Aris follows, joining an underground network of women inside the male-only military. Using secret technology that allows her to pass as a man, she becomes “Aristos”, a Flyer in a search-and-rescue unit.

As Aris grows stronger on the battlefield and more comfortable in her guise as Aristos, her personal mission becomes less and less clear. When she and her enigmatic commander, Major Vidar, uncover an astonishing conspiracy that could destroy everything, she must make a choice that will determine not only the fate of her heart, but the future of her dominion."

Check them out, give them some love.  :)

How Bananas Can Help You Overcome Criticism

I hate bananas.  Their texture feels like the meaty guts of a waterlogged snail.  Their shape is phallic and has been teased throughout Bloodhound Gang music videos, banned by Islamic Priests for tempting women, and-oh yeah, Millie.  Anytime I try to spell the damn word I end up singing Gwen Stephani.

Bananas are selfish.  They overpower EVERYTHING.  Banana bread, banana custard, banana pudding, all you can taste is bananas.  Peel one and smell it for miles.  I even used to pull out the Banana flavored runts and give them to my sister.

The other day, I went to an esteemed restaurant and was checking out the dessert menu.  Chocolate lava cake, New York Cheesecake, skillet cookies?!  Oh, and gourmet banana boats.   Does it look delicious to you?  Bleh, I’ll pass.

At the same time, the chef got organic ingredients, and spent a year developing and perfecting his dessert.  The guy went to college and graduated with a degree in bananas.  Or, erm, pastries.  For all I know he could have sent virgins to the islands to harvest bananas, dip the fruit  the fountain of youth, then asked free-ranged dragons to grill the dessert themselves.  I would have still turned my head and picked the skillet cookies thankyouverymuch.

I don’t like bananas, no matter how many virgins pick them.

Pretend for a second that you’re in a band.  You’ve spent a year developing a two hour set of original music.  Okay, throw in a Clapton cover for the fans.  It’s taken you a decade to get this good at your instrument.  Over the years you’ve collectively spent a few thousand dollars on your gear and you sound pretty good.  You’ve got a pretty nice show together.

You lug all your heavy gear to the venue to play a show.  The show is over and you’re milling about the floor chatting with fans.  Everyone says you’re great, they had a good time, they want to know your youtube, can they jam with you next weekend- it's awesome they loved you.

Then there’s always that one guy who gives you a jerkoff backhanded comment that sounds something like this:

“You guys were pretty good, but you’d be AWESOME if you got a male singer.”

Cue Lindy’s kneejerk reaction:

What’s that supposed to mean?  Do you know how much time our singer has invested in this band?  She writes all our lyrics, dude.  Go dissect those and tell me we’ll get a better lyricist.  She’s gets private vocal lessons with Aphrodite every Tuesday, man.  What gives you the right to tell me to
replace my singer?  You know how much work that would actually take?!  I’d rather write a textbook on the history of bananas, jerkoff.

Wait, bananas.

This is probably how the chef felt when I rejected his free-ranged virgin handpicked bananas.  It’s easy to get defensive when uninvited criticism sneaks up on you.  Criticism is a tough thing to handle
especially when you’re unprepared to hear it.

The thing to remember about unwanted criticism is this: everyone is entitled to their opinion.  Is there a time and a place to speak those opinions?  Yes.  Do most people have the social graces to keep
that etiquette under control?  No.  Why not?  It’s actually because (wait for it…) they’re excited.  The person who said they want our band to replace our lead singer was excited and enjoyed the show.  In his mind, he’s helping us excel.  In the throes of passion and an adrenalin packed concert he felt the need to invest his opinion.  He thought he was helping.

Constructive criticism is a good thing.  It means people are interested enough and engaged enough to help you succeed.  If they thought your band sucked and there was no room for improvement they’d have walked out.  When people take the time to give feedback it’s because they want to share their thoughts and feelings with you.  It’s because you actually made an impression on them.  It’s because they want to be part of what you’re offering.

Are most of their suggestions good ones?  Well, it depends who it’s coming from.  A non-musician?  A fellow drummer?  Paris Hilton?  You don’t have to take every piece of advice that gets shoved down your throat. 

So, how does this all fit into bananas?

Teehee, no pun INTENDED. (blahahaha yes it was)

There are a lot of lessons to learn from unwanted criticism.  (Criticism that you asked for is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORY that we won’t cover today.)  It humbles you, always, and that is a very important thing in the music industry. 

The basic lesson I keep learning over and over again is that each music listener has their own pallet.  I don’t like bananas- prepare them however you want, I’ll turn my head away every time. Some people feel the same way about country music.  Or songs with guitar solos.  Or instrumental music.  Some listeners don’t have a pallet that fits your music.  They don’t like heavy guitar tones so they gravitate towards Taylor Swift.  They don’t understand guitar leads, so they’d rather listen to synth driven music.  The don’t like soul singers so they stay away from Adele and Amy Winehouse.  

 It’s okay, I don’t like bananas.

Not everyone is going to like your music- your singer- your guitarist- your lyrics, and that’s okay.  You don’t have to please all these people, even if they give you feedback. 

You just do you and those who feel you will come on board.  The ones who don’t will order a chocolate lava cake instead of a banana boat.

My good buddy Lincoln gave some awesome advice back in the day:

"You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time."

You can’t please all the people all the time, so next time someone gives you advice you don’t like or didn’t ask for just take a breather.  You’ll continue to go on your path and do what you do best. 

I don’t like bananas, you guys. It’s no fault of yours, I just don’t.

Stay inspired fellow musicians.

Keep rocking.  

-Lindy Day

PS - if you like looking at pictures of mouth watering desserts, check out our pinterest board. :)  Alas, you won't find banana desserts, but you'll find lots of other delicious treats. 

Native American Flute Music One Tribe

Hey guys, I know this blog is for Ailura Fate, but did you know Kevin and Lindy have another project called Whispering Light?  It's an instrumental project that features Native American Flute and guitars.  We are very excited to announce our new album for 2014 called One Tribe.

The cover artwork is by our very own Lindy Day.

 

Check us out on YouTube

   

Latest One Tribe Reviews

Amazon MP3: "Indian flutes with modern instruments - very well mixed combo. Original and innovative. I'm a Robert Mirabal fan so this was up my alley. REALLY like it".

iTunes: "All I can say is wow. Heard them in Seattle - awesome fusion of organic Native American flute and guitar leads over modern music. Very unique, original, with good writing".

"Hard to pin a genre - a sound all their own and they do it well. Mature compositions and above average musicianship. If you like world music with a little rock and smooth jazz/electronica thrown in you'll like this".

Loved the songs, some of them carried my soul away. Love the blendof instruments - amazing this is done by just two people. Highly recommend it".

GooglePlay: "Outstanding :D spiritual, colorful,engaging. first song "spirits dance" grabbed my attention for the rest of the cd, broad blend of instruments and styles (new age, electronica, rock) focused around guitars and american indian flutes. I favor instrumental music - a good cd to play in the background all day. recommend it for folks who like instrumentals. kinda reminds me of r. carlos nakai if he played with weather report. some of it a little rock for my tastes but still give it 5 stars for skill".

Be A Part of Our Success!

If you have enjoyed Whispering Light's music over the years, please take a quick moment and post a nice review at any of the following digital retailers:

• iTunes
• Amazon
• GooglePlay

Next month watch for how you can vote for us at ArtistSignal, help us win kickstart funding, and earn for yourself downloads, albums, and band merchandise from thousands of bands absolutely FREE!

Where has the time gone?!

Goodness!  The last time I updated was October?!  I don't even have an excuse.

Well, Kevin's been in the hospital, and now he's out of the hospital but he's still healing.  He's got a large wound on the side of his head by his temple.  I'd show you a picture, but the first time I saw it I nearly fainted.  Really.  The nurses has to rush me out of the room and feed me cranberry juice.  Yum yum.

We have been so.  Incredibly.  Busy.  BUT while this means we've had little time to do mundane things (like update blogs) it does mean we've been putting things in place behind the scenes like- oh you know- a team of professional videographers.  12 new songs.  One new trailer hitch (we now carry our gear in style).  And a brand new set of demos.  We've got a lot on our plate.  Our very next goal is to give you guys more youtube stuff.  We're into videos right now and our next project is to concentrate on getting live footage. 

I will update this blog more.  In the mean time, everyone hang in there.  Winter is almost over (lol no it's not.)

Till next time,
Lindy D.