Book Previews
Written by Karlissa J
Did you know I posted previews of my first four books to my blog? It was a long time ago, so I thought I’d repost the links here!
Click on each of the books to read the first few pages!
Books on Bats
Written by Karlissa J
If you’re interested in learning more about the stars of my first book, Kingdom of Bats, here are a few books I’ve found to be worthwhile reads!
“The Secret Lives of Bats” by Merlin Tuttle (2015)
This biography/bat-book was written by Merlin Tuttle, a leader in bat photography (including for the National Geographic) and conservation. Inside are stories of charming bats – friendly and intelligent – for the animal lover. For those who like a little thrill, there are retellings of potentially dangerous and deadly troubles the author has found (or often enough, put) himself in, which vary between quite humorous and sobering. And there is lots about the people – from researchers to hunters, bat haters to bat fans, smugglers to monks – whom Tuttle has encountered in his life’s work.
“Bats of the World” by Gary L. Graham, Ph. D. (2002)
This fun little guide goes through some basics about bats , before diving into species accounts covering all 20 families of bats: everything from little brown bats (and Myotis in general) to smoky bats. It is nicely pocket-sized, so can be read on the go!
“Stokes Beginner’s Guide to Bats” by Kim Williams, Rob Mies, and Donald and Lillian Stokes (2002)
This field guide features all 45 species of Canadian and American bats. What I like most is that for each species there is a description for identifying them in flight – handy, since most people see bats flying far more often than roosting, and it can be hard to know what you’re looking at when it’s in motion.
“Bats” by Phil Richardson (2011)
I personally think this book is a must-have for those wanting to go deeper into the world of bats, as it goes more in-depth into bat biology than the other books I’ve mentioned, in addition to covering much of the world’s diversity of bats. My highlights include a visual listing of the 20 families, a map showing how many species live in different countries around the world, and the myriad of quality photos.
“Bats: An Illustrated Guide to All Species” by Marianne Taylor and (editor) Merlin Tuttle - published in 2019
Following a thorough introduction section - outlining bat biology and ecology - comes an extensive collection of species profiles. Not every bat species receives a profile - there are well over 1,000 species - but every species (as recognized at the time of this book) that doesn’t get a profile is still covered in a text section about genera of bats. A book for the devoted bat fan!
Why we should celebrate and share things we like
Written by Jason K
This is not an opinion that I held less than a year ago. I’m more of a private person and normally hesitant to share my opinions on media. But then something happened that changed my perspective.
I do enjoy movies, shows, and books. But I don’t watch or read just anything. I typically need some reason to put in the time or money. And it occurred to me that years ago my wife and I watched movies in the local cinema relatively often, but we haven’t recently. Part of that was due to COVID restriction, but it could be mostly attributed to a lack of movies that grabbed my (or Karlissa’s) interest.
Then… Puss in Boots: The Last Wish came out. While it should be noted that I’m decidedly not a fan of the first Puss in Boots movie nor the Shrek franchise in general, there was something about the trailer that grabbed my attention. I managed to convince Karlissa to come with me to watch it in theatres (not an easy feat, as she was less-enamoured).
By the end of the movie, I was pumped! It had been a long time since I came across anything new that could get me so excited.
Afterwards, I immediately started making plans to take my brothers and my parents to see it too. All told, I saw it three times in cinemas. But it didn’t stop there, as this marked the first movie I actively encouraged my co-workers at my day job to see. I was both sharing the movie and celebrating the movie.
Now why do I think that we should both celebrate and share things we like? Because of the internet!
No, seriously. The internet has made it so that we all have access to so much. I would hazard to guess that for most of us, unless it’s advertised to us, most things just pass us by without even registering on our radar.
Long story short, if you come across a book that you really like, odds are that most of the people you know don’t even know it exists. It can be truly invigorating to be able to share experiences, and books are that. But you probably won’t be able to do so unless you’ve made others aware that it exists.
Welcome to Book-Bat
Hi everyone: this is Karlissa J!
We’ve been hard at work rebranding the website from Karlissa J to Book-Bat. The goal is to add more opportunities for creative exploration and co-creation.
As part of this process, I’ll be going through all my past blog posts (over 130 of them!), reposting, editing, or deleting them as needed. Future blog posts will focus around book reviews, fantasy musings, my authoring and librarian updates, and the like - though I do have some design ideas that may pop up every now and then!
We also have an all-new podcast in the works! We sent out a sample podcast episode to a few testers for feedback, and appreciated their insight and excitement. The Book-Bat podcast should be up and running soon!
Bible Quotes Comic Designs
Post by Karlissa J
The latest Bible quote designs I’ve done are based around the desire to encompass more than just one verse. So, I made a few comics/storyboards.
One of my favourite design series I’ve created has been the set on the book of Joel; so the first comic design I made - using some of the same images - was for Joel 1-2.
My other favourite design series has been my take on Lamentations, so I took scattered passages from the book and created this.
Finally, here’s my design around the Lord’s Prayer!
Five Fall Updates 2022
I have five projects in the works… and here’s what they are!
After completing the rough draft of Davy Jones’ Aquarium, I set to work on early reviewing and editing - and discovered there’s a lot more I could have done to explore the world, and better ways of approaching certain storytelling aspects. This editing and rewriting will take at least a few months, but I’m enjoying the opportunity to re-explore this tale!
I’m planning on ‘rebranding’ to BookBat. This will allow me better marketing for joint ventures with other creatives (like my husband!) and make advertising smoother if I decide to write under more than one author name. As part of this rebranding, I aim to move my website to www.bookbat.com. Be on the lookout for news of when the changeover will occur so you won’t miss what’s in store!
I am in the process of researching for a nonfiction book, Christian Fantasy 101. This will be a guide to fantasy books written by and (largely) for Christians, exploring the authors, books, worlds, and concepts that have impacted and continue to impact the genre! You can keep up with my research quest on GoodReads by following Karlissa J, or see my occasional updates on FaceBook!
My husband and I have been plotting a podcast! In some respects, it will be an expansion of my Christian Fantasy 101 journey, where we discuss the fantasy genre, how to find good books, and how to make sense of the Christian fantasy scene! More updates on that to come!
Though my focus is currently Davy Jones’ Aquarium and Christian Fantasy 101, October seems the appropriate time of year to put out a reminder that I am also working on a revised and expanded version of Kingdom of Bats! I plan to make it into a trilogy this time; and as I’ve grown as a writer, I hope to see this story grow in strength and charm!
Merman Update and Tease
I’ve finally completed the rough draft of my next fantasy book: Davy Jones’ Aquarium! To honour the occasion, here’s a tease of what’s inside this tale!
Next up for this project: my husband and I will be re-reading the story, noting anything that obviously needs reworking, and thinking about ways to improve it. Only after that’s complete will we start looking for a professional editor.
Unexpectedly, I’ve been inspired to begin work on my first ever non-fiction book: which (I think appropriately) is about fiction! Christian Fantasy 101 will be a “brief, approachable” tour of Christian Fantasy both modern and classic, and even a bit about the history of the fantasy genre and Christian ‘fantastical’ literature… at least, that’s the goal right now!
I’ve begun to gather a variety of research material for the book: biographies, histories, podcasts - and of course, the fantasy books themselves!
So: two new books to get excited about! Both likely coming out sometime in 2023 (if all goes well)!