WWIV Book 1

FOUR WWIV Books are now available on Amazon.
Click here for more information.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

WWIV Book One (In The Beginning) Giveaway



Goodreads Book Giveaway


WWIV by E.A. Lake

WWIV

by E.A. Lake


Giveaway ends September 12, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.


Enter Giveaway

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Signed Paperback Giveaway (FREE)

I am taking a break this weeks from my planned Game of Thrones theme to make an announcement.

Beginning late tomorrow night (August 28th) there is a giveaway for my first novel: WWIV - In The Beginning. The giveaway runs through midnight on September 12th.



The event is being hosted on Goodreads. I can only assume that most of you are avid readers, and as such you are members of this site. If not, please consider signing up for this great reading platform. It's free to join and you will have access to all kinds of information on books of all genres. As an added bonus, there's a lot (I mean a whole bunch) of giveaways for free paperbacks for you to enter.

Remember: It's Free to Enter.


Sign up today; do not delay.

Each copy will be signed by the author (me). And all residents of the US, Canada, The United Kingdoms, and Australia are eligible to enter.

Here's a brief summary of the book:


Experts say the average "non-prepped" citizen will survive 10 days in the post-apocalyptical world. For Bill Carlson, the clock has begun. 
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I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. 
-Albert Einstein 
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We know our world, our land and our oceans, will survive an apocalyptic event… 
We can only hope the same can be said for our humanity. 

Following an EOTWAWKI event, Bill Carlson's immediate thoughts are with his family...some 300 miles away. Can they survival the post-apocalyptic world without him? 

Taking to the road, he discovers many more prepared people; actual preppers. He also discovers they sludge of humanity, out for vengeance. This is something he did not expect to find in his new world. And he sorely unprepared himself. 

Can a man, with no prepper or survivalist experience, actually survive in this dystopian landscape? Bill must - at least that's what he believes.



The giveaway runs for two weeks, starting late Friday (8/28/15) night. I wish all of you the best of luck in winning a free, signed copy.

Until we meet again (and further discuss #GoT) have a great week.



e a lake




                       

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Game of Thrones: Who Is Your Favorite

Okay, let me start off by saying some of you won't like some of my choices. My youngest son and I argue about this all the time. The last two in particular.

"Games of Thrones" is a huge hit for HBO. And why not. It has a little bit of everything for everyone. As long as you like medieval times, lots of blood, a certain amount of foul language, and action that never seems to end (and did I mention blood?).

George R. R. Martin created a masterpiece - or should I say a large volume of masterpieces - a number of years back. The first book was published in 1996. That's some 15 years before the first episode was viewed by millions. There are five books (thus far) is this series:

  1. A Game of Thrones
  2. A Clash of Kings
  3. A Storm of Swords
  4. A Feast for Crows
  5. A Dance with Dragons
And each book pretty is much laid out in the first five seasons of the TV series. Okay, stop it all you purists. Book five and season five have some differences. We will talk about those another day. Still, in these five books/seasons I have come to love three certain characters. So without further verbiage, here they are:

#1 - Tyrion Lannister


Yes, Tyrion Lannister is a dwarf - The Imp is his implied name on the show. The youngest of three children he is loved by his older brother and despised by his older sister (although most of us despise Cersei in return).

What I love about Tyrion is his compassion, his humanity. He is the one character who always seems to have the best interests of everyone at heart. And yet, he is often times hated for these traits.

Peter Dinklage has done a great job in the role of The Imp. Most of the time I believe him to be the best actor, and thus the star, in the series.

#2 - Petyr Baelish


This guy is a stud. I mean an all out certified stud. No one loves him and everyone should fear him - always! He wields so much power from behind the scenes that it makes my head spin at times.

From the time he was a boy he was in love with Catelyn Stark. Yet, he betrays her husband at a critical moment in season one, which makes me wonder about the man. Did he feel that Ned's death would finally bring him what he has always desired?

Littlefinger, his nickname, knows how the Game of Thrones is played. And he shows his moves in the most subtle ways throughout the five seasons. Aidan Gillen brings the character to life of the small screen in an admirable way. The only criticism I have is in the casting. The books make him out to be short and older. Though I believe he is an excellent choice to bring Petyr Baelish to life.

#3 - Ser Jorah Mormont



Ah the sellsword, Jorah Mormont. The disgraced, Jorah Mormont. The protector (and betrayer) of Daenerys Stormborn Targaryen - Ser Jorah Mormont. (That's Ser Jorah on the right above, next to Daenerys).

Holy crap do I ever love this character. Iain Glen truly brings the fallen heir of Bear Island to life in the series. His father, Lord Jeor Mormont, is the Lord Commander of the Night's watch, way up at Castle Black - you know, on The Wall. Thus, he had big shoes to fill. But a series of unfortunate incidents finds Ser Jorah is Essos, far away from him home, selling his sword to the highest bidder. Ain't that just the way life goes sometimes?

Jorah is a nasty swordsman. I mean really nasty...and good. When we finally see his prowess in season five, I know my jaw dropped. He's also a dang good friend to Daenerys. Though he was originally sent by Lord Varys to spy on the thirteen-year-old child. Hey, none of us are perfect.

My youngest child spits when I mention how much I admire Ser Jorah. "He's just a dirty, rotten sellsword. He's only near Daenerys because he was bought by the Small Council back in King's Landing. A traitor, I tell you. That's all he is."

Well, we can argue about that next week when he and his brother give you their top three characters. Until then I'm sticking with The Imp, Littlefinger, and Ser Jorah.

Do you have a favorite from the show? Do you disagree with any of mine? Please comment below. I'd love to hear from everyone on this subject.


Until next week, consider picking up A Game of Thrones for your next read. It's only 830-some pages; how long can that take to read? (Hint - it goes fast, real fast).


e a lake




                       

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

The Walking Game of Dead Thrones

Similarities are a plenty with "The Walking Dead" and "Games of Thrones"!


If you're fan of either show (and I know you are) you know how many similarities there are between the shows. You watch "Walking Dead" and all your "Game of Thrones" pals tell you all about Tyrion or Jon Snow. Or it's vice versa and people whisper in your ear all about Michonne and Carl. Or perhaps the graphic below says it all:



The cold hard fact is this: the shows have many similarities. Let's explore three today.

1. Kill Your Babies

Whether it the "Walking Dead" (WD hereafter) or the "Game of Thrones' (GoT) plenty of people have died in five seasons. And not just ancillary characters; we're talking big time players in both camps.


Now, be aware, there are others. And BIG others. Not minor roles. But every one of the above names played a major role in their respective shows. And the creators found it fit to kill them off. And many died ugly painful deaths. 

Think of poor Lori Grimes giving birth to Judith, and then being put down by Carl - her own young son - because she dies afterwards, and would eventually turn (to a zombie, of course). Or Joffrey, the king. His death came by poisoning; a woman's method according to many. And we got to watch him choke and spit and drool for two, three, maybe four minutes.

The shows' creators prove (almost weekly) that no one role will carry the series. No, it's a team effort.


2. Keep the Audience Wondering

Okay, let's be honest. One show has zombies and the other dragons. Wondering is mostly what we do while watching these two. But, the authors of the graphic novels (WD) and the massive book series (GoT) love to keep their audiences on their literal toes.

If you hadn't read the books, who actually foresaw Lord Eddard Stark's head being lopped off in the middle of season one (GoT)? Come on, I thought he was the star of the series. His image is on the DVD cover for that season. Who in the right mind kills of the star of the show? Ahhhh, G.R.R. Martin himself did it in the book (A Game of Thrones); thus, not a long stretch by the shows producers.




And how about the final scene at the end of season one in GoT? Daenarys Stormborn Targaryen steps into Drogo's funeral pyre (along with her three dragon eggs). I don't blame her, she doesn't want to live without Drogo, her "sun and stars" - I wish my wife would call me that. On top of that, her baby was born a mess (no, I'm not going into it right now) and Ser Jorah Mormont had to put him out of his misery. So Dani steps into the fire. And what happens?


She emerges covered in soot, but otherwise fine. AND she has three new babies with her. Baby Dragons; from what were believed to be petrified eggs...hundreds of years old.

Because I hadn't read the book, I didn't see it coming. But when she, and Drogon, and Viserion, and Rhaegal, rose alive, I almost dropped to my knees along with Ser Jorah. It was a great ending to a great season. She has Dragons, I say - DRAGONS!


3. Cliffhangers Abound (and darn good ones)

Let's take a peak at this in pictures first:


On the left we have Rick Grimes about to dispense his ordered justice on a resident (and a overall bad egg) of Alexandria. Right after Rick fires his shot, our eyes go up and we see Morgan (an old friend from season one) standing there - almost passing judgement on Rick (and the general environment). Where is the show headed in season six? Will the residents finally get along? Will Rick be banished, even though he was ordered to kill the jerk? Or is Morgan about to find out what happens to people that second-guess Rick Grimes? Stay tuned for season six.

And on the right, we have poor Jon Snow. The misunderstood bastard of Winterfell, and current Lord Commander of the Nights Watch. What you don't see is the pool of crimson blood collecting beneath his body on the otherwise pristine white snow. He's just been stabbed, a number of times, by his fellow brothers. What a bunch of traitors I say. They would argue that Snow is the traitor, and their vengeance is just. Hard to say, but there's a large question at the end of season five.

Is Jon Snow really dead? Really? Or is Melisandre going to bring him back to life? Or maybe his direwolf will cleanse his wounds and Snow can recover. All I know is that I don't think we've seen the last of Old Jonny Boy!

Both shows episodes, as well as each season, end with great cliffhangers. Real, decent cliffhangers; the ones that make you want to watch the next episode...NOW!


I know these are two completely different shows. One is set in modern times, the other thousands of years back. One is truly post-apocalyptic, while the other is pure dystopian. One has zombies that need avoiding and exterminating, the other focuses mostly on the bad people surrounding the good of the cast (or the bad people making up the cast). But in the end, if you watch them both, you can't help but see the many similarities.

Humanity people; both shows portray what happens to humanity in dark times. And it's not all good, is it? No, we didn't think so.


Until next time, have a safe and adventurous summer weekend (for all of you here in North America - where it's summer at least).

e a lake