Blog Posts

Six Sentence Sunday

8/19/2012

Okay, here's my second contribution to Six Sentence Sunday. This is an excerpt from my post-apocalyptic paranormal, Wormwood.

Stay focused and get the hell out of here, I told myself firmly as I felt my knees weaken at the sight. I reached blindly for the solidity of the rock beside me, numbly gazing at the cooling lava, blackening over the torn, exposed earth. Fallen, broken, matchstick trees lay scattered and jumbled for as far as the eye could see, far outnumbering the forlorn trees that were left standing here and there—like a few remaining soldiers wading through fields of the dead. Lakes, whose locations I knew intimately, were simply gone, in some cases replaced by new protuberances of exposed rock. There were some new lakes—large, silty and debris-laden—that occupied areas which were never before under water. And surrounding everything was the eerie stillness, like I was the last living thing around for miles…

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Support people living with Fibromyalgia and win an ebook

8/13/2012

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Don't Diagnose Me, "a Site dedicated to those who suffer from invisible conditions such as Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia and Hypothyroidism," is giving away free e-copies of my book, Wormwood. Head on over, show your support for those suffering from invisible conditions, and maybe even win an ebook in the process. If you know anyone that suffers from an invisible condition, please invite them to check out the site and maybe even join the Facebook group. This is a great place to trade advice and support each other. If you don't mind doing so, it would be so appreciated if you shared this message. These conditions are invisible, so chances are high that you know someone who suffers from at least one of these ailments, and you don't even know it. Please show them your support.

Here are the links:
Don't Diagnose Me (website link to contest. Please visit and comment)
Don't Diagnose Me Facebook Group (great place to go for support - whether you need support or have some to give).
Thanks, everyone!

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Six Sentence Sunday

8/12/2012

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I just found out about a cool little thing called "Six Sentence Sunday" where authors share six sentences from one of their books. Here's my contribution for the week, from my book, Wormwood.

Tiamat relaxed and closed his eyes again, as though his body wasn’t quite ready to keep them open. “Kali, as I told you when we last saw each other, I do not doubt your abilities,” he said, his voice soft. “Am I bleeding much?” he asked after a pause, opening his eyes a crack.

“From what I can see, you’re only bleeding from this cut on your head here,” I said as I thoughtlessly reached toward him.

In a flash, he was up on his knees and right arm, scrabbling backward in an attempt to get away from me. But the instant he put weight on his left arm, he roared and fell over in agony.

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Wormwood Giveaway!

7/21/2012

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Want a free copy of Wormwood? Enter for a chance to win and check out an incredible blog while you’re at it. Laura Thomas, of FUOnlyKnew Book Reviews, maintains a heavily followed, professional quality blog. On top of that, she's a genuinely friendly, classy gal. Definitely worth a follow.
Have a look and enter to WIN! Just click here.
Good luck, everyone!

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Review: A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin

6/25/2012

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I read A Dance with Dragons, and it was painful. Once again, I wonder why I continue to read A Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin. It could be that I’m a glutton for punishment. After all, this isn’t the first time I’ve threatened to stop reading his books. Or it could be that although his books undoubtedly frustrate me, there’s no denying that his stories continue to draw me in. That’s why, despite my anger, and despite a number of serious flaws in the series over all, I keep on reading. It’s also why I’ve never rated his books below 3 stars.

There are a number of reasons for this. But before I get into them, I feel I have to deal with my anger first. This bit is tough to do without spoiling anything, but I believe that anyone that’s read the first four books will likely be able to guess what Mr. Martin could have done to make his readers so upset. Again. Yes, folks, there’s another big upset in A Dance with Dragons, right near the end. I can’t tell you what it is, but I am still fuming over it. I feel like I did when I read about ‘The Red Wedding’: betrayed. Unfortunately, that just doesn’t work for me.

Now on to other things about A Dance with Dragons. The rich world Mr. Martin has created is also his curse. There are so many characters and so many plots, following them all turns his books from stories into never ending soap operas. On one hand, this intricacy is what makes his world so rich and fascinating. Yet on the other, Mr. Martin is forced to jump from one plot to another, spreading them so thin that a reader is forced to wait through multiple chapters (and sometimes more than one book) to continue on with some of these characters. That alone is frustrating. It also changes the book from a story into something else. A main plot is completely absent from each book in the series. There is no climax, and there isn’t even a semblance of a conclusion. Hence the soap opera comparison. It just goes and on and on and on.

Still, what makes it bad also makes it good. The incredible depth within his world and the unbelievably realistic characters that people it have completely sucked me in. I want to keep reading to see what happens with them. I want to stick with them so that I can ‘be there’ when they finally prevail. That is, if Mr. Martin lets them prevail. It’s why I read his books the way one views a train wreck: with hope and dread at the same time. However in the case with A Dance with Dragons, I almost wish I didn’t look.

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Authors and Readers: Try Out Digital Autographs!

6/12/2012

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Technology is amazing, isn’t it?
Just when you thought e-books and e-readers were cool, out comes a service that allows authors to sign your digital device. Yes, e-autographs are now possible! The service I’ll be raving about here is called Kindlegraph, but don’t be fooled—you don’t need a Kindle at all to use it. You don’t even need to own an e-reader. Read on...

It’s incredibly easy to request, send or receive a digital autograph, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t try it out. All you will need is:

1)     Some way to get online (android phone, computer, iPad, etc.)
2)     An email account or a Kindle
3)     A Twitter account

You might have noticed that I didn’t mention needing an e-reader... that's because it isn’t necessary! You don’t even need to have an electronic copy of the book. You can have a digital autograph sent directly to your email, which is perfect for those that only have a print copy of the book, but would love the author’s autograph.

Links to access your personalized Kindlegraph will be sent to you, and the email will include two different formats: a PDF version (viewable in applications like iBooks or on PC, Mac, etc.) and an AZW version (viewable in all Kindle apps on iPad, iPhone, your Kindle or your PC.) How perfect is that?

Here’s how you do it:
·        Authors and readers alike can go to http://www.kindlegraph.com/ and then sign in with Twitter.
·        Readers, simply search for a book or author. Then click the button beneath the image to request your Kindlegraph.
·        Authors, search for your own book and click the button to add it (that’s it!)

Readers:
A box will then pop up asking for information from you (they need to know where to send your digital autograph). Unless you want the autograph sent directly to you Kindle*, ignore all the steps and simply enter your regular email address into the text box at the bottom.

* If you do want the digital autograph to be sent to your Kindle, there is a chance Amazon will charge you a small delivery fee. You can bypass this by having the e-autograph sent to your regular email account. Then transfer the file to your Kindle (or other e-reader) manually. This is a good route if you simply must have the autograph stored on your Kindle (or other e-reader), but would rather not have to pay Amazon for it.

· Your Kindlegraph request will then be sent to the author (you’ll have the option of including a short message as well)
· The author is then able to write a personalized message to you, which will appear under an image of the book. He or she will then sign it digitally, using either their mouse, iPad screen, or they will type it in a script font.

If you would like to try it out, I enthusiastically volunteer to be your guinea pig. Please feel free to send me a Kindlegraph request, and I promise to reply with a digital autograph that’s curt, heartfelt, snarky or dirty... I just can’t promise which it’ll be. Depends on my mood at the time, you know? Here’s the link to request a Kindlegraph for my book, Wormwood: http://www.kindlegraph.com/authors/dhnevins

For more info on Kindlegraphs, here’s their Frequently Asked Questions page: http://www.kindlegraph.com/books/new

Another service to check out is Autography (http://www.autography.com/). It's also fabulous, though it takes a little more time to set up. If you ask me, it's certainly worth checking out! Each service has different authors in their rosters, so why not hop between the two of them?

Thanks to changing technology, personalized autographs from our favourite authors are now accessible to everyone. So why not you? Try it out, and enjoy!

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Until Jan 12, Download Wormwood for Free

12/29/2011

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It's that time again. As 2011 draws to a close, I find that I'm examining my goals for 2012. What do I want for this coming year? I thought about it for quite some time. What I realized was this: if it came down to WORMWOOD either a) making money, or b) getting read by people, I would choose option "b" every time.

So to celebrate the coming New Year, what would be more appropriate than to offer WORMWOOD to anyone that wants it? From now (Dec 29) until January 12, 2012, WORMWOOD can be downloaded for free from Smashwords. Anyone is most welcome to use the code, share it, forget it, whatever. I'm just thankful to have people read my book!

Code: DF77W
Smashwords link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/91587

It isn't a requirement, of course, but if you find WORMWOOD to be worthy, a recommendation to a friend or a review of the book (either on Goodreads, Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your blog) would really mean the world to me. If you don’t, then that’s fine too. I’m honestly just happy to have people reading it!

Have a very safe and happy New Year, everyone!

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Wormwood has been released!

9/27/2011

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I know, you've been dying to read a story about a tormented angel who destroys the world, right? Well, if that piques your interest, then I have great news for you:

The post-apocalyptic thriller, WORMWOOD, has been released!

Personally, I've been waiting for this moment for years, so I'm a little excited. So, you know, bear with me while I pretend that everyone is excited along with me. It's a fragile bubble of reality that I live in.

"Seriously glued to my computer till the last word! Was blown away by how intelligent and beautifully descriptive your writing is." - Anthony Concannon, Dreaming in Waves

About the book:
For those of you that don't know, Wormwood is a post-apocalyptic thriller that actually begins just a few moments before the apocalypse. It has angels (well, half angels to be exact), that are known as the Nephilim, and they are hell bent on destruction and death.

But while most of these creatures are determined to send all humans to their final resting place, one, Tiamat, is tormented by the tasks he is called upon to carry out. When he rescues a woman named Kali, both their lives change forever. Tough and resourceful, Kali must struggle to find a way to survive in the Earth’s vast, devastated landscape, while outsmarting the half-angels driven to destroy her. Forced to trust Tiamat, the one being who could prove to be her greatest enemy, she walks a thin line between life and death.

" Wow. I actually thought I was out of breath."  - R.W. Goodship, author of The Camera Guy

Prepare yourself for plenty of twists and cliff hangers, and for those that love it enough to do so, it's written to provide multiple 'ah-ah!' moments during a second reading.

"...this is post-apocalyptic fiction at its finest..."   - Steven Montano, author of Blood Skies

If Wormwood sounds like your kind of book, you can always check out the sample chapters before you decide to buy. I have the first 5 chapters posted on this site (click on the tab for Chapter 1, at the top of this page, to download the PDF). Alternately, you can also download sample chapters from Smashwords.

For purchase information and prices, please click a link below:
Amazon.com (paperback only): Click here
CreateSpace (Ships internationally; paperback only): Click here
Smashwords (all ebook versions: Kindle, Kobo, ibooks, Sony readers, etc.): Click here

"...not since I picked up The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, have I been so enraptured by what I was reading! Ms. Nevins writing is sheer genius, well thought out, extremely well written, and polished to perfection. Wormwood is a book I want on my shelf, in my collection, to be able to pick up and return to on a whim..!" - Christine M. Butler, author of Birthrights

"This is the most intense read ever! It's a must." - Orca Flights

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A Flurry of Interviews, Coming Your Way!

9/23/2011

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This is a very exciting time for me... so much so that I sometimes feel like I'm going to be sick. Really. My nerves are going wild here. In two and a half days, my book WORMWOOD will finally be released for all to see. And now, to make things even more exciting, I've jumped into a big interview tour. Now this is really cool. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be swapping interviews with a whole pile of incredibly talented authors.

And why am I doing this, you ask? Well, you'll all get the opportunity to hear a lot more about me (not sure if this is a good thing...), the story behind Wormwood and my upcoming projects. At the same time, it's a great way to get the scoop about a number of fabulous new books and authors. The genres of these authors include post-apocalyptic, paranormal, YA, dark urban science fiction and speculative fiction.

Here are some links to the sites where I'm the one being interviewed:
September 20, 2011   Heather Cashman, author of Perception (active)
September 23, 2011   Craig Hallam, author of Not Before Bed - and other stories (active)
September 29, 2011   Carlyle Labuschagne, author of The Broken series
September 28, 2011 C.B. Logan, author of The Awakening
October 3, 2011         Steven Montano, author of Blood Skies
October 5, 2011         Mike Berry, author of Xenoform
October 6, 2011        The Four Horsemen and their book, MYRRH

On those same dates, I'll also be hosting the above authors right here on this site. So far, I have interviewed the very creative Heather Cashman and the wonderfully talented Craig Hallam. You can view their interviews through the task bar at the top (click on "MORE") or simply click on the links below:
D.H. Nevins interviews Heather Cashman, author of Perception
D.H. Nevins interviews Craig Hallam, author of Not Before Bed - and other stories

I sincerely hope everyone enjoys this interview tour. It promises to be quite the experience (and one that I'm dreading and loving at the same time)!

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The #100 Blogfest has Arrived!

8/18/2011

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I'm thrilled to be a part of the #100blogfest!

Martin King, author of Jack Hunter - Secret of the King, had a cool idea. For the month of August, authors from around the world are participating in his #100blogfest (which you can follow on Twitter). The idea is simple: Martin will visit the sites of 100 authors to post 100 different blogs, all in 31 days! No kidding! Join hordes of international readers and authors on this fun blog hop.

All of the 100 posts are based on childhood memories. Martin King has been very busy writing these many blog posts, but quite a few authors volunteered to help lighten Martin's load by writing a post of their own childhood memory. Lucky you (or perhaps not...), I will be one such author.

The childhood memory I chose to share?

The Dreaded Bowl Cut

Ah, the bowl cut. For any of you that don't know, a bowl cut was a style of hair cut in the 1970's. The idea was this: mothers would first take a bowl, turn it upside-down and fit it onto their child's head. Then they would cut off any and all hair they could see sticking out beyond the rim of the bowl. And that was it. Lift off the bowl and behold: the most horrendous haircut imaginable had been obtained in record time.

Yes, I was a recipient of the dreaded bowl cut.

When I was in first grade, my mother, with her eye on efficiency, economy and--she believed--fashion, called me into the kitchen. In my youth and innocence, I trotted to her side immediately. Ah, I was so naïve. When her dirty deed was done, I skipped to the bathroom to have a look at my newly trimmed locks. I was crackling with excitement.

The image that gaped back at me, however, was nothing like what I had expected. I resembled--and not in a good way--a runt member of the Brady Bunch. My eyes, beneath a bulbously round bob of hair, filled with tears. My mother, I figured, had tricked me, and I vowed never to speak to her again.

Of course, the vow of silence didn't last too long. Once dinner rolled around and I accidently asked her to pass the mashed potatoes, I realized the gig was up. Grudgingly, I resumed speaking to her once more. It reminds me a little of the time when I was about the same age; I was again furious with her (almost certainly over nothing), and I ran away. I packed my bag and headed out into the world. The only catch was that I was never allowed to stray too far from home, so I simply walked round and round the block, unable to go any further. Then when dinner time rolled around, I hopped inside at the promise of good food; another mission forgotten. But I digress...

"Don't worry," my mother assured me when she saw my distress over the new haircut. "The other kids will love it. It's fine." But was it, Mother? Was it fine? I would sometimes imagine that my mother used me for conducting sick little sociological experiments. It seemed the only feasible explanation.

At recess the next day, I was approached by two boys. They were both a few grades older than me, and even though they were icky, dirty boys, they were both pretty cute. Maybe my mom was right, I thought, my heart racing. Maybe this really is a fine haircut. I had lost my shiny, long hair for a shorter, more masculine bob--but she did say the cut framed my face nicely.

"Hey Kid," the taller one said. "We were just wondering. Are you a boy or a girl?"

I was mortified. I couldn't help the tears that flowed.

As I turned to flee, I could hear the second boy speak behind me. "Uh-huh," he drawled, noting my reaction. "That's definitely a girl."

These blogs are all about fun and sharing. Thank you for reading a '#100blogfest' blog. Please follow this link to find the next blog in the series: http://martinkingauthor.com/blog/7094550076

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