Fantasy & Science Fiction SUPER SALE!

THIS SALE BEGINS ON FEBRUARY 17, 2016

Hello, reader! This is the teen half of the Fantasy and Science Fiction Super Sale. If you want to check out the adult books, click here.

Disclaimer: I haven't read most of the books on this list. Authors assigned their own movie ratings.

From $7.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Fantasy Nicole has been chosen to lead an anti-magic organization in a revolution which will destroy all Aretes, including herself. But if she doesn't do it, a curse placed long ago will lead to everyone's destruction.	From $3.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG Genre: Fantasy In a land of magic users, one boy is born without magic. In a realm of angry dragons, one dragon befriends a human boy. Together, they follow their hearts in order to save their land.

From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG Genre: YA Fantasy Shanice has never felt like she belongs. Then she learns why—she is the last known princess from another world, their last chance to stop the one who is bent on destroying it.	From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG Genre: Paranormal Romance Christina is a demon, but she doesn't want to be. Only one person stands in the way of her transformation, and he will stop at nothing to keep her the way she is.	From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook Movie Rating: PG Genre: Urban Fantasy Megan's been known for her luck her whole life. But when a leprechaun shows up at her door, Everything changes. Her friends must help her get it back before it ruins her high school career forever.

From $3.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes  Movie Rating: PG Genre: Gothic Paranormal Romance Amelia meant to help a ghost, not unleash a curse. As her classmate's bodies pile up, she must exonerate the boy next door...or end up the next victim.	From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Magical Realism When the royal family is brutally murdered, Princess Kazia is left to rule. But how can she rule when her home has burned to the ground and at any moment the assassin may return?	From $0.99 to FREE Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Movie Rating: R Genre: Paranormal If Lord of the Flies and The Thing had a baby, and then that baby was raised by Evil Dead, it would grow up to be this toe-curling camp scare speckled with black humor and nasty stuff.

From $3.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG Genre: Time Travel Romance Cassie is going to heaven—if she can get amnesty from hell in the next twenty days. Her assignment is to change the eternal destination of a girl in Albuquerque to earn admittance into heaven.	From $3.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Dystopian Arcene, Awoken and trapped in her own body as a perpetual fifteen-year-old, gets a lot more than she bargained for when she finally finds herself behind the walls of the blue castle.	From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Science Fiction When the Hubble Telescope disappears, the FBI calls Jake Corby. Corby has promised his wife to cut down on the hero stuff, but when the ISS is targeted, his promise gets hard to keep.

From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Urban Fantasy What if the greatest weapon in the age-old war between good and evil was inside of you? Crystal Scott must use her newfound gifts against the tide of evil threatening all of them—or die trying.	From $4.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Movie Rating: PG Genre: Fantasy Born a Naga, Kanvar is hunted, hated, and driven into hiding. Soon the dragon sickness will come upon him, and he will die if he cannot find a dragon to bond with.	From $4.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Winner of the state libraries' Soon to be Famous Illinois Author Project! Three unlikely heroes board a doomed bus. Destination: the afterlife. Their mission: to save forever. But first they have to save themselves.

From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Supernatural Suspense St. Margaret's was an almshouse until its previous occupants burned to death years before. When a bag of bones falls on twelve-year old Julia, she gets thrown into the spirit realm with house's past residents.	From $3.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Fantasy Merge with a demon. Fight a traitor trying to destroy both their worlds. And above all don’t kill the people trying to help.	From $3.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Movie Rating: PG Genre: Time Travel When Petra Baron goes into the fortuneteller’s tent at a Renaissance fair, she expects to leave with a date to prom. Instead, she walks out into Elizabethan England.

From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Paranormal When a jagged cut shows up on Kylee's arm, she enlists her neighbor to help her uncover the truth. But Price shows her much more—he shows her what it is to be alive.	From $3.99 to FREE Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Dystopian Get this bestselling dystopian fantasy series from YA author Elana Johnson in one convenient digital boxed set! Includes 3 volumes: Elemental Rush, Elemental Hunger, and Elemental Release.	From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Paranormal Mackenzie Carver accidentally stumbles into a supernatural's plot to frame the school loner for murder, drawing the attention of the plotter and painting a target on her head.

From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Paranormal Can YOU survive the fish-zombie apocalypse? The fate of your friends and family is in your hands, and when the stakes are high, YOU need to decide what you’ll be—a survivor, or fish food.	From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG Genre: Ghosts What would you do if you had a camera that could photograph ghosts? When Jenine discovers an abandoned Polaroid, she realises the dead aren’t as peaceful as she’d imagined...	From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Spooky Fantasy Sam dreams he has a friend, but when he wakes, he always forgets him. One day he does not forget, one day he remembers, and on that day, the boy comes to stay...

From $3.99 to $0.99 Kindle * Nook * Kobo Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Urban Fantasy Kyle, an extraordinary level magic holder, has a problem. It isn't the pretty girl that has taken an interest in him. It's the organization that is trying to kill him. High school is tough.	From $2.99 to FREE Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Science Fiction High school dropout Darius Arthur Heisenberg is recruited to be an agent for the Keepers, whose mission is to maintain and protect the myriad threads of time. What could possibly go wrong?	From $2.99 to FREE Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Movie Rating: PG Genre: Science Fiction Space Opera Bob Astor lands himself in the middle of a desperate crisis that could lead to the destruction of all human life. It's up to Bob to stop the dangerous alien force headed to Earth!

From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG Genre: Dystopian In futuristic America, ratings are everything. When Treena gets the wrong number, she takes a dangerous mission to prove her true worth. But why is someone trying to kill her?	From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Paranormal Romance Aspen—a skydiving, rock-climbing, bear-cuddling, adrenaline junkie, finds herself in real danger when she unwittingly ensnares the heart of Obsidian, the dragon king.	From $3.99 to FREE Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Paranormal Romance The bracelet around my wrist is a permanent reminder of my mission. The silver charm attached to the leather cord is stamped with my birth sign. Mission: Unite with my twin flame soulmate.

From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Fantasy Duty versus love is the one battle warrior Kae does not know how to fight.	From $0.99 to FREE Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes  Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Paranormal Mary has always been different. She'd like to be normal, but being able to hear ghosts means she'll never be like everyone else.	From $0.99 to FREE Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes  Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Coming of Age Fantasy As the second son, Micah Brachon is happy to focus on his inventions and experiments. When one of those experiments is sabotaged, he learns about the deadly faction that seeks to rip apart their government.

From $2.99 to FREE Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes  Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Paranormal Romance When do dreams erupt into reality? After Hannah, vacationing in Arizona, meets handsome Josh from the Navajo reservation, she experiences vivid nightmares about the Navajo nation’s past — a riveting tale blending romance and paranormal mystery.	From $4.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Science Fiction/Super Here Power of a villain, heart of a hero.	From $3.99 to FREE Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Movie Rating: PG Genre: Urban Fantasy Mia Winterborne is destined to be special. Details are sketchy, though, as her dad disappeared with the answers. As her birthday draws near, long-buried lies are exposed, putting her on a path she never expected.

From $0.99 to FREE Kindle Movie Rating: PG Genre: Paranormal Romance On her sixteenth birthday Emily discovers she is a witch and accidentally causes complete mayhem as her first spells don't exactly go to plan. A young adult paranormal romantic comedy.	From $2.99 to FREE Kindle * Nook * Kobo * iTunes Movie Rating: PG Genre: Fantasy When a psychotic werewolf comes to town, Xoe’s life is a disaster waiting to happen. Throw a tall, handsome vampire into the mix, and the question of Xoe’s preternatural heritage, and it’s total chaos.	From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG Genre: Fantasy When nerdy Rich Witz unwittingly becomes a paladin in training, he is thrust into a world where flunking a test can change history, and a mysterious bully is playing for keeps with his life.

From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Tamara thought she was a normal girl in a normal world. Wrong. Her new reality is full of ghosts and demons and she's a member of the Choir Invisible, a demon hunter. Join her.	From $4.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Apocalyptic/Dystopian No one knows why they have to evacuate at first. What they soon find out is it will take a lot of inventiveness with limited resources for the evacuees to survive the Weather Wars.

From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG Genre: Science Fiction If your heart rate goes over 140 beats per minute, you die. In a quest for the truth about the Bug and its origin, Nik and his friends work to keep their heart rates low.	From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG Genre: Science Fiction/Cyberpunk The world is broken. The powerful machines that once ruled over land and sky fought and died, leaving humanity in a primitive age of swords and monsters and only the Etherwalker can save them.	From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy Above ground an epidemic sweeps the planet. In order to survive, most of the population must slave away in the dark, unforgiving caverns of the Yyinum mines. These self-appointed guardians strive for survival on Minea.

From $2.99 to $0.99 Kindle Movie Rating: PG13 Genre: Science Fiction After the world was torn apart by the nightmares of myth and legend, a revenge-filled Caleb and a bewitched Eric find themselves on journeys to hunt down the Dragonlords.

Enjoy the books! And come check out Andrea's giveaway here.

Valentine's GIVEAWAY!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For the LOVE of Books Event hosted by Silverbow Promotions ~ Author Openings still available!

Dear Authors,

Do you have a clean YA Romance? Sign up to participate in this event! It's just $5 to join in on the fun! You'll get to take over the party for 30 minutes, get extra advertising across several Facebook pages and blogs, and learn about other awesome books! Spread the word about your book to your target audience, meet other authors, and have a fun evening filled with books, games, giveaways, and chocolate! 

Sign up HERE --> http://goo.gl/forms/Rht2UkrojS

Love reading YA? A fan of Romance? Looking for something CLEAN? Join Silverbow Promotions and several authors as we introduce just the books you're looking for. Books, Giveaways, and Chocolate!

RSVP to the Event on Facebook HERE --> https://www.facebook.com/events/167219120304528/

Silverbow Promotions Virtual Book Club Announcement!

Welcome to Silverbow Promotions Virtual Book Club! 

The first Tuesday of every month we’re going to highlight one author, one book. All participants will read the featured book during that month. And at the next meeting we’ll discuss what we loved (or maybe didn’t love) about it.

There will be games, giveaways, “get to know you’s” with the authors, teasers for upcoming books, and more!

Can’t afford the book we’re reading that month? No worries! For those who wish to participate but are unable to purchase the books, the authors will be providing e-copies. However, if you are given a free copy, we ask that you please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads.

We also encourage those who are purchasing the books to please leave your review on Amazon and Goodreads as well.

These events are not only to help the authors gain new readers and more reviews, but to help readers find their new favorite books!

Have questions? Comments? Are you an author wishing to participate? Send Silverbow Promotions a message or e-mail.

Tomorrow (February 2nd), we will be discussing 

January's Featured Book: In Her Eyes by Cadence Rae. 

Then we will discuss February's Featured Book & Author:

The Chronicles of Light and Dark by L.L Hunter.

RSVP to the Event ~ Buy the Book 

Star Dust by Ali Winters COVER REVEAL

A case of mistaken identity triggers a reign of terror.

A Star Princess of Soleis, bound by tradition, is forced to fulfill an arrangement made prior to her birth. During the masque for her coronation, Oriana meets a handsome stranger, but soon finds out he is not who she thought.
Prince Lucian, unfamiliar with the treaties of the Universe, must restore the reputation of his world and prove his kingdom is not behind the attacks.
No one knew an innocent mistake could lead to the destruction of the solar system. Worlds are conquered, lives torn apart, and destruction reigns, while Oriana, unknowingly, holds the key to salvation.
Now, a Princess who needs saving must save herself, the man she loves, as well as the rest of the Universe, before it is destroyed beyond repair.

Coming Soon

~ Stalk Ali ~ 

f: www.facebook.com/authoraliwinters

t: @aliwinters_

i: www.instagram.com/authoraliwinters

e: authoraliwinters@yahoo.com

The Reapers Re-Release & Flirting with Death Release by Ali Winters BLOG TOUR!

Author: Ali Winters
Title: The Reapers
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Release date: May 31 2015 (re-release: Nov 02 2015)
Blurb:
The balance of life and death must be kept at all costs.
Having been a reaper as long as she can remember, Nivian knows that what she does is essential in maintaining balance. After being assigned to a rushed mark she finds that there is more to this human than any other she has encountered.
Kain had been living an ordinary life without a second thought until he meets Nivian who turns his world upside down. He is thrust into a world of hunters and reapers. The keepers of life and death have been feuding for centuries over a reason no one can even remember.
With Kain having been marked for reaping, and Nivian being hunted, they forge a friendship and together must find the truth in order to keep balance in check. Wrong choices could destroy everything. As they journey they discover hidden histories, powers, and lies and truths that have been spun since the beginning of time. The consequence of failure, unimaginable.


Excerpt:
Nivian leaped over the edge of the bridge and landed with a soft tap on the surface of the water. She reached down, pulled the soul of the driver up by the collar of his shirt, and stood him up next to her on top of the water. She took the driver’s hand, palm up, in hers and waved her other hand over his. Pinching the air, she pulled and lifted up to expose his life thread. His wide eyes stared unblinking, hypnotized by the glowing string of light. Nivian reached behind her and grabbed the scythe strapped to her back, and swung. With a slow, deliberate movement, Nivian sliced the human’s life thread. The light formed into a ball and hovered between them. She pulled out a small pocket watch and guided the life energy down to the watch. It sunk into it and disappeared. She snapped the watch closed and returned it to her pocket.
“You should know better than to drink and drive. You could’ve seriously hurt someone.”
He gaped at her, his mouth opened and closed like a fish.
“Yes, you really are dead,” she confirmed and gave him an apathetic look as she turned away.
“Are you … the devil?” he managed to sputter.
“No, of course not. I am just the natural order of things,” she said, looking back over her shoulder. “Wait here. Your spirit counselor will be here soon to guide you to your afterlife. I have other jobs tonight.” She spun on her heel and walked away, as she pulled her hood back up over her head and vanished.

Buy links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y7I74SW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00Y7I74SW&linkCode=as2&tag=notho2sma-20&linkId=WBESQGACMWJF46L2
B&N: http://bit.ly/1JcleOL
ITunes: http://apple.co/1TtVip6
Oyster: http://bit.ly/1gvpIsP
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1O3xrcQ
Page Foundry: http://bit.ly/1ITqyuo

Author: Ali Winters
Title: Flirting With Death
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal
Release date: Nov 02 2015Blurb:
Being a reaper has its perks, but also its downsides.

While on an assignment, Evander is caught of guard by an unmarked human. Captivated, he is unable to tear himself away.

This is why reapers don’t associate with mortals.

Piper was ordinary, just a girl looking for love. And all she knows is that her current boyfriend isn’t it. An unfortunate incident and a series of remarkable events turn her world upside down. But what she finds is the last thing she ever expected—She finds herself falling for the least likely candidate.

Excerpt:  
“Stop. He is gone.” Evander said calmly. Why would she waste so much energy on someone who had no chance.
“Don’t tell her to stop,” Tony snapped.
Oh, right. That guy was still here. Where was a spirit counselor when you needed one? And at that moment, she showed up.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t tell me. I’m late, am I right?” She waved a hand in the air dismissively.
“I should have known it would be you, Cassandra. Please take him.”
“Don’t boss me around, you fancy assassin. I know how to do my job.” She bit out, then turned to her assignment. “Come on, life loser, this way.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Tony backed up and stepped on his body, trying to slide back in. Evander’s gaze flicked upward, the difficult ones always tried to return to their bodies.

Buy links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017I5UHFC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B017I5UHFC&linkCode=as2&tag=notho2sma-20&linkId=OAHYL4XDW52BZIOO
B&N: http://bit.ly/1ls8ijf
Oyster: http://bit.ly/1l1dB8W
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1MyrKBB
Page Foundry: http://bit.ly/1Lj7MJd

Event: Jan 9th 6pm-9pm MST.

Facebook party!

Come find out more and enter to win prizes!

About the author: 
Ali grew up in the Pacific North West. She attended Oregon State University for photography. After many adventures, she moved to Colorado, earned a second degree, and met and married her husband.
She currently lives in windy Wyoming with her husband and two dogs. When not writing, Ali is either, photographing, knitting, reading, dancing, or staying inside where it’s warm with a hot cup of coffee. She dreams of traveling the world someday soon.

Author links:

Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Website | Newsletter | Blog

Silverbow Promotions Virtual Book Club

Welcome to Silverbow Promotions Virtual Book Club! 

The first Tuesday of every month we’re going to highlight one author, one book. All participants will read the featured book during that month. And at the next meeting, we’ll discuss what we loved (or maybe didn’t love) about it. 

There will be games, giveaways, “get to know you’s” with the authors, teasers for upcoming books, and more! 

Can’t afford the book we’re reading that month? No worries! For those who wish to participate but are unable to purchase the books, the authors will be providing e-copies. However, if you are given a free copy, we ask that you please leave a review on Amazon and Goodreads.

We also encourage those who are purchasing the books to please leave your review on Amazon and Goodreads as well. 

These events are not only to help the authors gain new readers and more reviews but to help readers find their new favorite books!

Have questions? Comments? Are you an author wishing to participate? Send Silverbow Promotions a message.

January's Featured Book & Author: In Her Eyes by Cadence Rae. RSVP HERE! 

Guest Post by September C. Fakes ~ Writing Humor

Introduction

I've been to a few workshops on writing humor, and I've read about writing humor, but the funny thing is, none of them really taught me how to actually write humor. But yet they all said the same thing: Writing humor is hard, harder than writing seriously, because if you fail at humor, you fail horribly.

I heard it so much, it made me fear failure rather than strive to develop that writing talent. For years I avoided writing humor, period. But the catch to that is that I also often hear how humor is a huge draw for an audience.

I read recently in Showing & Telling by Laurie Alberts that humor is hard to teach and that some writers believe it can't be taught at all. If you know these writers, send them to this post, or send them to this post.

People think writing humor can't be taught because they don't know how to teach it. Some people can write humor, but can't teach it. They don't know how they are funny because it's just intuitive and natural to them. I was at one workshop on humor, and the only "how-to" tip they gave was that humor had to just come up naturally in the story. But professional comedians slave away and work their butts off writing their jokes, and then practicing them. That's not natural. Sure, some comedians do improv (Whose Line is it Anyway? was one of my favorite shows), so they're more natural, but I believe most comedians have to work to be funny.

Look at shows like The Office. Those writers obviously know how to write that kind of humor. And they use some of the same humor techniques over and over--that's not just happening, that's planned out. It's formulaic. Look at the Marvel movies. They have their own style of humor too. I once read an interview with Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, in it he talked about how insanely difficult it is to come up with jokes sometimes.

So yes, writing humor can be hard. But it's not impossible. After all the (non)advice I got on writing humor. (Sure, some of them did mention one or two humor tactics, but not how to do them) I decided to take it into my own hands. So I've studied humor on my own, and I've made my own "How to Write Humor" article that actually tells you (or rather myself) HOW to write humor, by going over 15+ humor methods.

It's way too long for me to include all those methods in this blog post, so today, I'm just sharing two techniques. To see all 15+ methods, you can go here.

Method #1: Overstatements and Exaggerations

An overstatement or exaggeration is playing up something--making something seem bigger than it is.

Humor articles I did read said exaggeration or overstatements are a no-no, and then go on by giving examples like "My room was so messy, it looked like a bomb had gone off." Well, guess what? That's just a bad example. It's cliche. And just. . . blah. (I'll explain why it doesn't work in a second.) The articles are right, don't write that one! But the articles are wrong in saying that there are no good exaggerations. That's not true. There are loads of good exaggerations and overstatements. Most parodies and spoofs are exaggerations.

Here is a spoof trailer for the movie The Number 23. I haven't seen the original movie, but I saw the trailer for it. Watch how this spoof exaggerates that trailer for humor:



If your exaggeration is cliche or generic, it'll fall flat. That's one reason why "My room was so messy, it looked like a bomb had gone off" doesn't work, but the second reason is it's been exaggerated too much. If you exaggerate too much, it'll be ridiculous and sound stupid.

"Wait," some of you might be saying, "but that spoof and so many other stories are hugely exaggerated."

That's because how much you can exaggerate depends directly on what kind of story you are telling. Some stories are like the spoof I shared--their whole purpose is based off the mechanics of exaggeration and overstatement. But most stories aren't like that. At the beginning of your novel, you are setting up reader's expectations about what kind of story this is going to be. If your exaggeration takes you too far out of the realm you've created, it'll fail. You just need to take your exaggeration far enough.

So, if your story is pretty true-to-life and regular, you don't want to compare a character's bedroom to a bomb going off. The voice of your narrator also sets up boundaries for exaggeration. How far you can take overstatements depends on voice.

Read the way J.K. Rowling takes her exaggeration just far enough outside the realm of Harry Potter's world and the realm of her narrator's voice. The set up is that Harry is eating in the Great Hall next to Ron. Lavender arrives, and they start making out. Then Hermione enters (bold mine).

"Hi, Parvati!" said Hermione, ignoring Ron and Lavender completely. "Are you going to Slughorn’s party tonight?" 

"No invite," said Parvati gloomily. "I’d love to go, though, it sounds like it’s going to be really good…. You’re going, aren’t you?" 

"Yes, I’m meeting Cormac at eight, and we’re-" 

There was a noise like a plunger being withdrawn from a blocked sink and Ron surfaced. Hermione acted as though she had not seen or heard anything.
"-we’re going up to the party together."

Comparing two people pulling apart from kissing to a plunger and blocked sink is totally an overstatement, that, coupled with "Ron surfaced," made readers laugh.

Want another example of exaggeration? Here is a (clean) clip from Zoolander.



See how it plays up Ben Stiller's "look" to be outside the realms of reality?

In the Amazing Spider-man when a thief pulls out a knife, Spider-man fall down and says, "You've found my weakness! It's small knives!" and he start's acting like he's terrified. He even asks a hilariously stupid question: "Is that a real knife?" And even funnier is that the thief answers seriously, "Yes, it's a real knife." That's an example of a character using exaggeration. So your characters can exaggerate things for humor too.

So you don't have to blacklist exaggeration.

I also think one reason people have a problem with exaggeration is because it tends to be the go-to humor tactic for beginning writers, who are still learning how to do it and who might not be aware of the other humor tactics available.

Method #2 The Understatement

The technique I see almost always addressed after people put-down the overstatement is the understatement. The articles I read say, "Hey, don't use overstatement. It's bad. Use understatement instead." They refer to understatement with good reason. It can be easy to do and can have a powerful effect.

The understatement is the opposite of overstatement. Instead of playing up a part of your story, you greatly downplay it.

I'll give you an example. In Trigun, the protagonist is an outlaw with a $$60 billion bounty on his head, and he's the best gunman on the planet, partly because, unknown to those around him, he's not human. He has superior skill, aim, speed, and everything to make him basically unbeatable.

Contrary to his outlaw reputation, he loves kids and plays games with them around town, acting like an idiot in the process. In one episode, he enters a quick draw tournament to earn money to help a family in need. The town's kids witness him ace each category. Then we hear this dialogue exchange between two of the kids:

Kid: Woah! Vash is in the tournament!
Kid 2: Now he's cool enough to join our club.

If you're watching the show, you're laughing because "Now he's cool enough to join our club" is a huge understatement, because there is basically no one more skilled--"cooler"--than Vash, so the idea that he wasn't cool enough to qualify for a children's club is hilarious.

Source

This humor tactic works like this: You show your audience something or someone extraordinary, then downplay it. You can downplay through dialogue or just through your narration. You can even downplay through description.

Now, just like the overstatement, this one can go wrong too. I've seen some understatements that just make me want to facepalm because they are so cheesey or unrealistic. In one book I read in elementary school, there was a character who downplayed every near-death situation by saying, "Piece of cake" afterwards, and even back then, I groaned every time, though if I didn't understand why. The worst part, was that "Piece of cake" was the last line of the novel too. (I almost threw up.)

It didn't work partly because it was cliche, so the joke fell flat; the other part was that it was downplayed too much. Just like you can exaggerate things too much outside the realm of your novel, you can downplay too much. It can fail the same way, so pay attention to cliches, your type of story, your narrative voice etc.

Context can help that from happening. In the Trigun example, the kids had no clue that Vash was a super humanoid capable of ruling the world, if he wanted, and they'd never seen him shoot his gun before, so the understatement wasn't stupid coming from them. They meant it genuinely and we understand why.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione break into Gringott's, one of their goblin companions gets killed when a dragon breathes fire all over him. Ron says, "That's unfortunate." And people laughed because it was an understatement.

Let's take a second and compare the two tactics we've covered so far. They usually work best like this:

Overstatement: set up something ordinary --> exaggerate it
Understatement: set up something extraordinary --> downplay it.

To see all of my humor methods and how to write them, go to my master list here.

Sometimes September C. Fawkes scares people with her enthusiasm for writing and reading. People may say she needs to get a social life. It'd be easier if her fictional one wasn't so interesting. September C. Fawkes graduated with an English degree with honors from Dixie State University, where she was the managing editor of The Southern Quill literary journal and had the pleasure of writing her thesis on Harry Potter. Today she works for a New York Times best-selling author, is penning a novel, and sharing writing tips on her blog, which you can find at www.SeptemberCFawkes.com

Heart of Orion by Laura Bastian

Book Title:  Heart of Orion

Genre:  YA Sci-fi

~ About the Book ~

Holly discovers she can teleport anywhere with only a thought. When Jai is injured, she is forced to take him back to Rommader for neither of them will survive the breaking of their soul bond. Upon arrival, they learn Queen Amira has been kidnapped. 

On a ship traveling across the universe, Amira is forced to develop a formula for an amulet with unlimited traveling power--or her captors will murder her husband. Unwilling to let her enemies have that much power, Amira must devise a plan to escape while pretending to cooperate, but in order to do so, she realizes she must make an amulet. 

Can Holly find a way to save her, or will Amira figure out the formula and make it home on her own without being lost in the cold, dark heart of the universe? 

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~ About the Author ~ 

Laura grew up in a small town in central Utah and now lives in another small town in northern Utah. She always loved stargazing and imagining life outside her own little world. Though they grew up only thirty miles apart, she didn't meet her husband until they went to college. A graduate of Utah State University with a degree in Elementary and Special Education, Laura has been using that training as she raises her children and writes make believe worlds. You can usually find her on her laptop either typing away, or on social media interacting with friends.

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Beyond Orion by Laura Bastian

Book Title:  Beyond Orion

Genre:  YA Sci-fi

~  About the Book ~ 

Amira traveled across the universe to avoid an arranged marriage only to find herself forced into another upon her return hours before her father’s death. As his only heir she should have ruled Rommader uncontested but discovers he's signed an unbreakable marriage contract and finds herself a new bride. While she might be forced to work with Marcus, she refuses to be his wife in any way other than name. 

As they deal with assassination attempts, visiting dignitaries from other planets leveraging for political gain, and the discovery of unlimited teleportation, her feelings for her husband soften. Marcus proves himself a competent king and kind man, and her admiration for her husband grows stronger, but she refuses to allow herself to fall in love. 

An unknown foe tries to steal the formula for unlimited travel, giving them the potential power to conquer the universe. Amira and Marcus must work together to stop the thief, but when King Marcus is abducted, Amira may be forced to choose between her husband and her crown. 

Purchase Links:  

~ Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ 

~ About the Author ~ 

Laura grew up in a small town in central Utah and now lives in another small town in northern Utah. She always loved stargazing and imagining life outside her own little world. Though they grew up only thirty miles apart, she didn't meet her husband until they went to college. A graduate of Utah State University with a degree in Elementary and Special Education, Laura has been using that training as she raises her children and writes make believe worlds. You can usually find her on her laptop either typing away, or on social media interacting with friends.

~ Stalk the Author ~ 

~ Amazon page ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ 

Eye on Orion by Laura Bastian

Book Title:Eye on Orion
Genre:  YA Sci-fi

~ About the Book ~ 

Falling in love with your gorgeous new neighbor isn't a bad thing, but when he turns out to be the bodyguard of a princess from a planet nine billion light-years away, life gets complicated. 

Seventeen-year-old stargazer Holly Adams never imagined she’d find herself trying to prevent the overthrow of an alien government. When Jai and his sister Amira move into the house down the street, Holly is immediately drawn to them. Jai acts suspicious of her from the start, making Holly more curious about their oddities. When Holly learns they are from a different planet, she does what she can to help protect Amira from Shander, a man who wants to marry her by force in order to take over the kingdom her father rules. 

Mistaken identity, a botched kidnapping, and a first kiss that bonds Holly and Jai for life are hard enough, but when Shander believes Holly to be the princess, things get even more dangerous. 

Purchase Links:  

~ Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~ 

~ About the Author ~ 

Laura grew up in a small town in central Utah and now lives in another small town in northern Utah. She always loved stargazing and imagining life outside her own little world. Though they grew up only thirty miles apart, she didn't meet her husband until they went to college. A graduate of Utah State University with a degree in Elementary and Special Education, Laura has been using that training as she raises her children and writes make believe worlds. You can usually find her on her laptop either typing away, or on social media interacting with friends.

~ Stalk the Author ~ 

~ Amazon page ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~