Dragon Rider’s Gift will be visiting hosts from Enchanted Book Tours. I’m looking forward to the stops and wanted to share the banner created. So cool to have a dragon in the background!
First several stops include:
May 11th: Review on http://suttonfox.blogspot.com
May 13th: Book Excerpt on http://megantalksbooks.blogspot.com
May 15th: Guest Post on http://csdorsey.blogspot.com
May 17th: Review on http://embraceabook.blogspot.com
I’m surprised and thrilled to have Betrayal’s Shadow nominated by The Romance Reviews for Best New Book of 2011 in Romance. Voting ends tomorrow, but please visit and vote for your favorites!
http://www.theromancereviews.com/bookvote.php
The blog tour of Return of the Legacy Blog with Goddess Fish Promotions finished last Friday and I have the winners. First, I want to thank Goddess Fish for a wonderful tour. The process was smooth and efficient, and I enjoyed interacting with so many people at the different sites.
Second, I want to thank all of my blog hosts. Every single one was generous in offering me time and access to their readers and followers.
Last and not least, thank you to all the commenters and readers who followed and interacted on the tour. You guys were great!
Okay, so the winners selected via Random.org for the following gifts:
A $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour as well as to the host with the most comments (excluding the author’s and the host’s). Additionally, two randomly drawn winners of the Dragon Rider’s Gift eBook (A Portal Tale), due for release May 1, 2012.
The gift card for the blog host with the most commenters: Vidya at Books are Magic!
The commenter gift card winner: MomJane!
The two winners for free ebook copies of Dragon Rider’s Gift: Na and Yadira
I’ll be contacting the winners this week.
Announcing, Return of the Legacy: The Portals of Destiny Book 1, is starting a blog tour today with Goddess Fish Productions.
All the sites are listed here Return of the Legacy Virtual Book Tour. .
March 5: Reading Romances
March 6: The Reader’s Roundtable
March 7: Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews
March 8: Always a Booklover
March 9: All the Days of
March 12: Novel Reflections
March 13: Books Are Magic
March 14: Reader Girls
March 15: LASR Guest Blog
March 16: Immortality and Beyond
March 19: Romance That’s “Out Of This World”
March 20: Kacey’s Kreations
March 21: It’s Raining Books
March 22: MK McClintock Blog
March 23: As The Pages Turn
This tour runs March 5th through March 23rd.
So come and join the fun!
IWSG Blog Hop
First, thank you for the people who have stopped by today for the ISWG. I’m a little late in post, but I appreciate that you made it this far in Alex’s list.
Which brings me to the main reason I’m a little off on today’s to do list.
MAPS – How have considered including maps in your stories? I debated this with my first fantasy novel which was released last year by Black Opal Books. The story was a romantic fantasy with alternate worlds and some fair amount of the standard high fantasy movement hither and yon. I actually had a map constructed for the story, see teeny-weeny lame attempt done years ago when I was creating this series.
Brennagmore in Tir Thar
And no, this wasn’t what was going into the book. But I needed the map to make certain that some of the passages held the correct details and directions. The map is also for the 5th and last book in the series.
However, I just finished a story that is a spinoff of this series, set in the dimension of Tir Thar with the dragon riders of Fyrhall. With the battle scenes and the list of allies and enemies, the idea of adding a map is back.
I think I will work one this time. Black, white, gray.
Anyone else done this?
Okay, I’m a little late on the welcome to the new year thing. But since I do my review of year and goal setting in December, I was already moving on by January 3rd. All my focus is on moving forward and the four books I have plan to finish and deliver this year.
The holdup?
Don’t laugh. It’s about names. Names for titles and names for characters. I spend a good bit of time trying to pick names and titles that fit the story. I also spend time trying to make certain I’m not using a title or series name that is currently in play by some other author. Sometimes all the effort doesn’t stop duplicates from happening. That’s life. However, I can still make sure that my own titles don’t conflict with each other. And since one of the first things I do after I beginning to write a story is get the cover art process going, settling on a title needs to happen very soon in the timeline. It’s the pedestal that supports the story—in my world: have title, have character names, have cover equals one-third of the way to the finish line.
This explains the several hours I diligently worked on a spreadsheet to map out my five series with respect to the titles for the books plotted/anticipated. For me, this involves a lot of researching, thesaurus use, foreign language searches—yes, the character names tend to fall out of this process as well.
If it sounds like wasting time, its not. A good title, great cover art, and unique character names keeps me invested in my story. So where does this leave me? With the two covers above and prepared for three more for this year.
The Guardians of Eden Book 3 already had a title and a cover. Destiny’s Mark is scheduled for summer 2012 release with Tsu and his challenges moving the Guardians forward in their story. A spinoff of my Portal’s of Destiny series, Dragon Rider’s Gift, had its title and cover done in December and is targeted for May 2012 release. I hadn’t planned to write outside of the Portals of Destiny series books, but the dragon riders from Return of the Legacy, and their story just gripped my attention and wouldn’t let go. So they get their novella morphed into a short novel.
Then what are you wasting time on more titles. Hee, hee, hee. The Guardians of Eden Book 4 now has its title, which I’ll reveal with its new cover soon. I write non-romance under another pseudonym, and those titles are now set so I can send my request to my cover artist. Those stories are targeted to release in the second half of 2012. I’ll share as they get closer to time.
I’m moving forward and so far so good. Here’s hoping everyone has a productive 2012!
The Women’s Literary Cafe is show hosting indie ebooks with great bargains. Check it out until December 31st at http://womensliterarycafe.com/
IWSG Blog Hop
Writing is a persistence event, a long distance sport. But it’s easy to get sidetracked from new writing by the details of tasks after other books are released. This month, for me, is about getting my WIP to the end goal of clean copy to go to my editor. And while I have a fair process of BIC (butt in chair), it gets derailed some days, okay some weeks, by the huge list of other things that require my attention.
That is why I found the approach by Diana Pharaoh Francis on Abandoning Standards particularly helpful. It’s not what you think and I’m not going to steal her thunder, so go read the post (it’s short as well). However, her point is related to keeping your eye on that long distance goal and focusing now on what gets you there most efficiently.
Since I have a deadline at the end of this month, and the holidays are going to add their bit of enjoyable mayhem to my schedule I’m going to adopt her process. Let me know if you employ her same tactics and how it works for you
ROW80
Now, ROW80 update. I’ve missed the last several weeks of posting so here’s my recap (ahem, adjustment)
ORIGINAL GOAL: Finish Destiny’s Mark
REVISED GOAL: Put this on hold to finish Dragon Rider for an editor in January. Do have Destiny outlined and 15,000 words written.
ORIGINAL GOAL: Finish 36,000 word novella, Dragon Rider’s Gift during NaNo
REVISED GOAL: Completed 54,000 words during Nano – so good / Dragon Rider has turned into a small novel (roughly 65,-70,000 words) instead of a novella. It’s taking longer but need the draft done in the next two weeks. A challenge with holiday requirements starting, but perhaps doable
ORIGINAL GOAL: Finish edits on Destiny’s Mark
REVISED GOAL: Finish edits on Dragon Rider by 1/9 to send to my editor
NEW GOAL: Format & prep Guardian book 1 for paperback release in January (60% done – the attention to detail in paper book public is huge)
NEW GOAL: Format & prep other novel under pseudonym for paperback release in December. Requires new covers, so work with cover designer (80% done)
NEW GOAL: Interact with several promotions running in December (50% ready)
ORIGINAL GOAL: I want to finish three of the books in TBR pile
REVISED GOAL: Read and write reviews for the books I found to be 4 and 5 star. On general principle, I only do reviews/ratings for books I enjoy. It has to do with sharing good things in the universe and all that, but it’s been my philosophy for a long time.
FINISHED READING:
Harry Connolly’s – Circle of enemies (dark urban fantasy – I loved the whole series)
Patrick Rothfuss’s – The Name of the Wind (fantasy – loved this, had to read it in bits like a bedtime story)
Michelle Sagara – Cast in Ruins (fantasy – have loved her whole Chronicles of Elantra series!)
Kelly Gay – The Better Part of Darkness (urban fantasy, 1st in the series – enjoyed this)
Jill James – Divorced, Interrupted (romance – an unexpected take and very nicely done)
AM READING:
Joseph Delaney – The Last Apprentice (YA fantasy, 1st in the series)
Peter V. Brett – The Warded Man (fantasy)
Michael J. Sullivan – Theft of Swords (fantasy )
Steven Novak – Forts (YA fantasy)
Christmas is finally in the air.It went unnoticed in my house for the first two days of December. But on December 3rd the boy scouts delivered the wreath for our front door. With the fresh tang of pine, in rushed a feeling of excitement and anticipation. I can’t describe the tangle of emotions more clearly, though as I sat tying on the red bow with green floral wire, I gave into memories of tree trimming, cookie baking, and unpacking window candles and decorations for the house.
It might as well be termed Zen, because there’s a current to the holiday season. Its electricity has little to do with presents or religion, and everything to do with a time to delight in excess, joy, and goodwill for family, friends, and total strangers.
And beyond all the activity is ritual. Each year another memory added to bolster the feeling of excitement.
For my family, it’s a time of changing rituals. When my son was younger, he would select the tree with my husband. It was something they did together, a male bonding. They’d bring it home and pretend to help me trim the tree while we discussed the history of special ornaments. With him grown and working a fair distance away, we’ll select the tree and trim without him.
It sounds sad and isn’t meant to be, he’ll be home for the holidays. We’ll share the season and memories, but change requires our rituals change too. Someday he’ll bring his own family and add their special traditions. Yet for now, we’re on the edge of change, a time to watch, listen, and remember so this holiday can be shared someday.
This is a gift, one I wish for each of you this season. Watch, listen, remember…and share.
Happy Holidays.
A check-in for ROW mid-week (11/9). Since last Wednesday, have added 11,972 words to NaNo WIP: Dragon Rider. Not blogging much this week, trying to finish. Was expecting this story to clock in around 45,000 words, but given it is roughly 13 chapters and I’m on finishing the draft of chapter 5 … well I’m guessing 50-55,000. All good. Just need to finish it while it’s still fresh in the brain. Best of luck to everyone on their week. Hope NaNo is proving fruitful!
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