On to 2011

Another writing year gone by. 2010 was probably my best year so far. I finished publishing Pirates & Faith, had wonderful feedback, and learned a lot. I feel my writing greatly improved over the last half a year thanks to some of the resources I found, particularly K.M. Weiland's blog. For a while I felt kind of discouraged and lost as to which direction I should take with my writing, but I believe I have figured it out. We shall see in the next few months.

 

As for my projects for 2011, I am still working on Courage, book 2 of my fantasy trilogy, Makilien. It stands right now at 41 chapters, the most I've ever written, with only a couple more to go. It has continued to be a tough book to write, but I know in the end I will be pleased. I adore so many of the characters and love where some of their stories have so unexpectedly gone. I look forward to continuing their journeys in book three. I hope to be into that book within the next month or two. I also intend to begin the publishing process for Truth within the year. I just finished a very in depth round of editing on it so it's one more step closer to publication.

 

Besides Makilien I have begun work on a new book that I'd describe as historical fantasy. It takes place sometime around 1200 A.D., but I have created my own country and culture to work with. I am not going to give away too much info just yet, but it is a story of redemption and God's total forgiveness of even the worst sins. The idea came to me the night of Thanksgiving and within three days, I was already writing the first chapter. I've never felt so compelled to write a story as I am this one. I am completely in love with the characters and their journeys. This will be the first book of a two book series. Both books are extensively planned and I've started chapter five in the first one.

 

And, within the last week, I had another bit of inspiration that led to a new story idea. This one is actually contemporary and may turn into a novella instead of a full length book. I've been considering doing that with several of my story ideas since I have so many I want so badly to write.

 

So we will see what my writing future holds in 2011.

 

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For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.' - Jeremiah 29:11 NASB

Lower Prices for Pirates & Faith

For the new year I've lowered the prices of Every Tear, A Captain's Heart, and Finding Faith by $2.00. Now you can get my Pirates & Faith series for the following prices:

 

The Pirate Daughter's Promise - $9.99

Every Tear - $14.99 $12.99

A Captain's Heart - $14.99 $12.99

Finding Faith - $13.99 $11.99

Book Review - Sword in the Stars

Book Description:

Haunted by memories of a violent past, Alastair Coldhollow wagers his life on the hope that a sword will appear in the stars and the foretold Halfainin, the Pathwalker, would come. Meanwhile, tensions simmer between Anglinore and the murderous Gorrack Nation, threatening war on a cataclysmic scale. The fate of all could rest on an abandoned child and the decisions of those who desperately seek to identify him. Sword in the Stars is the first release in The Dark Sea Annals series.

 

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Ever since reading The Door Within Trilogy, the first books I'd ever read by Wayne Thomas Batson, I am a fan for life. Through those books, Mr. Batson became my favorite author right up there with J.R.R. Tolkien. So when I first started hearing about Sword in the Stars, I was incredibly excited and anxious to read it. Now that I have, I can say it did not disappoint. Five stars, most definitely. The world he created was very interesting with all the different races and I loved the characters, especially Alastair. I am such a fan of characters who struggle with a dark past. I very much enjoyed the plot twists and turns. Many times I'd gasp or exclaim, "Oh, this is not good." Usually, if I'm that verbal while reading a book, it has me highly interested. :) And there were also several scenes that made me laugh. I love the allegorical plot and thought it very well done. I can hardly imagine what all will happen in the next books and waiting will be torture. Sword in the Stars will definitely be on my shelf of favorite books as I'm sure the rest of The Dark Sea Annals will be as well. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good fantasy read.

 

You can visit Mr. Batson's blog here: http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/

Lower Prices on Kindle Books

The prices are lowered on Every Tear, A Captain's Heart, and Finding Faith Kindle books. Now you can get each of the books for my Pirates & Faith series for $4.99.

 

Pirates & Faith Kindle Books

Pirates & Faith Kindle Book UK

Every Tear and A Captain's Heart Review

A wonderful review of Every Tear and A Captain's Heart. Thank you, Angie!

 

http://www.myfourmonkeys.com/2010/12/great-reads-young-adult-books-from.html

Helpful Links for Writing a Query Letter

From the time I first considered publishing my writing, I hated the thought of trying to write a query letter. When I came to the point recently where that was what I needed to do, I procrastinated it for days. It turned out not to be quite as horrible as I thought. What I found was things always seem worse until you actually start them. Once I started my query letter, the first draft really came together pretty quickly. But before I started, I spent days on my laptop researching how to write a query letter. There are endless sites with tips and examples. These three sites are the ones I found most helpful in my attempt to write a good query.

 

http://noveljourney.blogspot.com/2010/05/guest-blogger-camy-tang-on-query.html

http://suzanne-hartmann.blogspot.com/2008/03/query-letters.html

http://www.fictionwriters.com/tips-query-letters.html

Website Makeover

Yesterday, I finally gave my website a makeover. Instead of the boring blue layout I had, I've changed it over to much more interesting layout that fits me and my writing perfectly.

 

Visit