M L Sawyer

I started my first serious novel at 14, though at the time I didn't know it. It took me another 14 years to get it published and now the book launch is in March 2011.

I was born in Bendigo, Australia and I've always enjoyed writing though I actually work in the real estate industry.

I currently play basketball (just for fun), I'm 'retired' from taekwondo where I spent a good 6 out of my 10 years instructing in the art / sport and I also participate in traditional archery tournaments (though they're never serious).

Website: http://www.mlsawyer.com.au
Twitter: @michellelsawyer
Blog: http://www.sffworld.com/forums/blog.php?u=19768

http://www.equilibriumbooks.com/quest.htm

adventure    demon    dragon    dragons    elfling    elonan    fantasy    hero    heroin    heroine    knight    quest    quest of the demon    reveng    tallen    wizards   

• Inhuman Salvation on Jan. 29, 2011
  
  I was pleasantly surprised with this novel. I'm more of a fantasy buff than a sci fi fan but this book held my attention so much that it was devoured in 3 days. The characters come across as genuine with real motives that one could imagine and the story itself bought up some moral concerns that actually give the reader pause to think - what would you / humanity really do? Highly recommended.
  
• The Kinshield Legacy on March 06, 2011
  
  I really like this story and would love to read more about Gavin and the challenges that lie ahead. K C May weaves a wonderful tail with complex characters that drew me into the story, not being able to put it down until I got to the end. Will definatly be looking for more from this writer. One for the watch lists!
  
• The Dragon Who Didn't Fly on April 15, 2011
  
  This novel is not primarily about Dragons and the main narrative is actually through the eyes of the cats. Tara, is the chosen one, a small kitten born in ‘the green’ a fabled place that city cats dream about and is part of their prophesized destiny. Along with Tara you have Phileas the water dragon alone in the swamp that he must protect and Serazina, the human girl who is afraid of her emotional and mental gift being discovered in a society that prizes only ‘the mind’. Throughout the three main tales, C. M Barrett portrays a definite sense of humans destroying the earth and how the animals are trying to bring back the balance. Should the humans fail, in the end of the quest, they will be destroyed. I get the sense that she has spent a lot of time around cats as she is able to clearly capture their idiosyncrasies with well written description and interaction. Where I felt this story fell a little short was in approximately the third quarter of the novel where the main moral of the story (I presume save the planet) continued perhaps a little too much. Despite that, the story was well written and I found no editing issues. It is a recommended read for people who have nothing against cats and even then it’s okay (I’m a dog person). A few parts of the story line came out of the left field but as a reader, that’s not a bad thing as it is very difficult to be unique.
  
• Love Immortal on April 18, 2011
  
  A young man is bought into hospital after a serious accident. He dies, causing one of the new nurses an unexplainable sadness. 10 minutes after he is pronounced dead, the heart monitor beeps and Colin comes back to life. The majority of this story is a love tale between the nurse Jewel and the young crash victim Colin who does not know that he is immortal. Drama ensues. Throw in an uncle who does not want to let Colin know about his unique heritage, a twilight like love tale, the Templar Knights and their mortal enemy the Obsidian Knights who will wipe out the ‘infidels’ at any cost… and you have yourself an interesting story. Though well written, this novel for me was a little too much romance, not enough fantasy. This type of impossible love has been done before and though enjoyable, I found that it dwelled a little too much upon the ‘will we make it or is our love fated to end in tragedy.’ The end might surprise, but then again, there aren’t too many outcomes available once you get into the tale. Recommended for romantics, but not so much for the fantasy lover.
  
• Apocrypha Sequence: Inferno on May 03, 2011
  
  “Australia has been invaded by legendary monstrosities! With the Kraken's rise off the shores of Western Australia, an age of monsters is ushered in. When wits and heroics fail, a secret cabal of guardians will take drastic, devastating measures to protect everything they know and love. In the aftermath, when everything has turned to ash, hope will find a way.” The Apocrypha Sequence is a series of dark fantasy collections with interwoven themes and interconnected stories from Shane Jiraiya Cummings. I saw this on smashwords and thought I’d give it a go due to the Australian theme even though it’s not my usual type of read. Jiraiya (which means Young Thunder according to his authors bio), writes some interesting and unique stories here. So if you’re looking for something short, interesting and different with a post-apocalyptic theme; this is recommended for you. Of the short stories that were part of this amalgamation, I liked those relating to the phoenix the most. With this part of the compellation, you are initially confronted with a determined character chasing the phoenix across the charred ruins of Western Australia and from there, Jiraiya cleverly concocts an intriguing story that returns to the past to slowly enlighten the reader about the murder and magic filled passed before concluding the story in an unexpected way. Dark fantasy specialist. Recommended Australian short story read. Also reviewed on http://mlsawyer.weebly.com/blog.html
  
• Time Watchers: The Greatest of These on May 15, 2011
  
  Time Watchers: The Greatest Of These by Julie Reilly is an eye-opening, no holds bared story that goes back to 7000bc. Robert, an anthropologist time traveller, spends six weeks with a small community. His initial contact is one of shock and violence before he takes the time to become accepted by those of the cave community – at least, by most of them. As if the dramas of day to day survival is not enough, Robert soon finds himself falling for Yana, a sixteen year old cave woman. Everything Robert has learnt tells him that this is wrong and cannot be allowed as Robert must return to his own time, for surly such love could have untold ramifications to the time line… I really enjoyed the first part of this novel. Julie takes you back to the Stone Age where the reader quickly becomes involved in the harsh reality that is survival. The characters are believable; lovable and hateable at times. You really root for them, you want them to succeed but as a reader, you are constantly surprised by what happens. This reads like a fantasy novel with a slight time travel sci-fi. Very enjoyable.