Indie Christian Book Sale

I have the opportunity this year of participating in a group sale with many of my Indie author friends. There are clean books of almost every variety for you to choose from, all discounted. There may even be some free ebooks. So, without any fuss, here are the details!!

It’s that time of year. The time for buying presents, making wish lists, and planning New Year’s Resolutions. 

If any of those activities involve books for you, Indie Christian Books has a perfect event for you.

From Nov 24th through Nov 30th, a huge selection of independently published Christian books are on sale. You can find discounted paperbacks, dozens of books offered with free shipping, $0.99 ebooks, package deals and more. Even if your budget is depleted from Christmas shopping, we have some freebies for you! Need even more of a reason to support indie authors and fill your shelf with good stories? When you purchase a paperback book through indiechristianbooks.com you’ll be eligible to enter an exclusive giveaway including free books and an Amazon gift card!

You can meet our authors by visiting the Author Database on the website. Want to get to know the authors better AND have the chance to win some fun prizes? We’d love to have you join our week long Facebook party which will feature 39 authors over 7 days.

What awesome reads of 2016 are you grateful for? What books are you looking forward to reading in 2017?

A note on the Ebooks Only page. Many of the books are listed as "Sold Out." This is because we aren’t selling those directly through our site. Please click onto the product pages to find descriptions and links to discounted or free ebooks.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Leah E. Good and Kendra E. Ardnek for their work organizing this sale, and Hannah Mills for her fantastic design work on the website graphics. Hannah can be contacted at hmills@omorecollege.edu for more information about her design services.

A Thankful Year

It's that time of year. The leaves have changed, shedding their bright greens for the crisp colors of autumn. The pumpkin and apple-spice scented candles come out. The turkey is thawing. The jello salads are setting, the pies are in the oven, and most importantly everyone is talking about the things they are thankful for this year.

Over the next couple of days I will be blogging a lot about one of the things I am thankful for: Writing. It's a hobby and a passion to me...and also an opportunity to bring in a little bit of money to help support my family. I'm participating in a sale with a large number of other Christian authors and will be sharing all about that as the week progresses, as well as inviting some special guests to visit my blog and talk with us.

But today I want to talk about the other things that I am thankful for.

First, I am thankful for my family. My husband is so patient with me and is always there when I need him...he's even there when I don't think I need him reminding me that I really do. He works so hard to provide for us and loves me in spite of my moods and inadequacies. I am also thankful my little girl. She is a bright ray of sunshine, always reminding me to laugh. Her little face is a constant reminder of God's love for me. I am also thankful that she reminds me of God's grace. When she was born almost a year ago, we had a difficult time of it. She didn't want to come out and greet the world and rather got herself stuck when Mommy said it was time for her to come out. When my surgery was finally over and I got to hold her and look at her little face, I knew that I had been blessed, because there are so many people who have not been able to hold their little ones, whether because they went to be with Jesus so early, or because God has not chosen to send their little one into their lives yet. Evy is a constant reminder that God is good, and that I should be thankful for sleepless nights and teething and tantrums...because there are others who do anything to experience those things.

I'm also thankful for my church. In this day and age, it can be difficult to find a church that you feel comfortable attending: there are so many different types of churches with different beliefs and music standards. Finding the right one can seem impossible at times. But more importantly, it can be hard to find a body of people who love you and who you love in return. It's the nature of our busy world to rush about and not take the time to sit still and get to know people. I am so thankful to have found a church family that challenges me to draw closer to God and holds my hands as I struggle to make that journey.

Thirdly, I am thankful for the unexpected tragedies in my life. I know, a weird one, right? But it's true. Those who know me personally know that my family suffered a very traumatic event this year when my brother and wife had a terrible accident at work. They spent almost two months in the hospital and have been living with my parents since July try to recover not only physically but also emotionally. This has been a trial of my own faith, having to go to the hospital and see them lying there unable to move, in unbelievable pain. To watch them come home and continue to struggle as the fear, anxiety and depression takes its turn with them, trying to keep them from recovering. The reason I am thankful? Because it reminded me to pray. It reminded me to think of others rather than myself and to be grateful that God has blessed me with health when He has asked others to suffer pain. I know I am stronger because of this accident and pray that one day, when my family has climbed out of the valley and back into the sun, that they will be stronger as well.

This brings me to my final point today, that I am thankful for God's faithfulness in difficult times. When things are going well and everything is perfect, we often forget how much we need the Lord, how vital of a role He plays in orchestrating the moments of our days. Facing the darkness of our valleys gives us a greater appreciation for the sunshine on the other side.

What are you thankful for this year? I hope that God has blessed and challenged each of you as He has blessed and challenged me. I would love to hear your stories.

Blessings to you all and Happy Thanksgiving! 

Five Poisoned Apples

Very excited to share this post. Many of you remember that I had the honor of participating in the Beauty and the Beast writing contest from Rooglewood Press a couple of years ago. Five Enchanted Roses was such a joy to be a part of. I mean, wow, what an incredible experience to work with a professional editing team and seeing MY STORY in print! This year, Rooglewood Press will be holding their last fairy tale contest. (SOB) And this one is...SNOW WHITE! Yes, I know. A wonderful choice, isn't it? So if any of my writerly friends have a hankering to submit a story to a fairy tale contest, this is the year to do it! I can't recommend it enough! If any one has any questions or would like any advice about submitting a story to this year's contest...let me know! I will be happy to share any tidbits I can from my own personal experience. Happy writing everyone!

THE FINAL FAIRY TALE CONTEST

Rooglewood Press invites you to join the adventure of the Five Poisoned Apples creative writing contest! 

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

Updates and Whatnot

I know I have been absent for a while. It has been a busy year on my end. I took a vacation from blogging and most things writerly to fully enjoy the arrival of my daughter, Evelyn Jo-Marie. Evy keeps me on my toes and has been a joy to get to know. I have always been attracted to strong female characters like Eowyn (probably because I am not one myself) and my husband and I used to joke about Evy becoming our little warrior princess. However, besides her absolute love for all things dog and fur, my husbands thinks she more resembles the Princess and the Pea than a shield maiden of Rohan. ;)

I haven't been totally absent from the writing community. I am still plugging away at After, my prequel to Wither: Five Enchanted Roses. So for those of you who have been waiting oh so patiently, wait just a bit longer. It needs to go through one more round of proofreading before I can set a release date. Hopefully by Christmas, which I know sounds a long way off but I would rather publish something worth publishing than rush into it.

I am also working on a secret project with a very dear friend and fellow writer, Tammy Lash, author of the historical inspirational novel White Wolf and the Ash Princess and Julie Tsylicky, also a friend and AMAZING artist. We will be announcing our joint effort in only a few short weeks so keep your eyes peeled. I think you will all be thrilled with what we are cooking up. 

I am also going to have my very first booth at a fantasy faire this coming weekend. My husband and I will be selling my book When Ravens Fall and a bunch of crochet projects I have been busily working away on. Lots of Star Wars hats, and dragon and unicorn toys, some bracelets and headbands and what-nots. Hoping it will be a success because now that I am a stay at home mom, I need to find some way to fund my writing hobby. Being an Indie Author isn't cheap, that's for sure. :)

So I apologize for being absent for SO very long, but I hope some of my upcoming projects will make up for it in some small way. 

Spring Into Fantasy

We're at it again!

This time 28 great Fantasy Authors have banded together to bring you an awesome prize.

What prize?

Maybe I should've said PRIZES!

That's right, the winner of this giveaway gets a $50 Amazon.com certificate AND an ebook bundle of 28 wonderful flinch free fantasy novels.

Why flinch free? We're all members of the Clean Indie Reads Site which means while not all our books are for children, you won't find anything more graphic than a low PG-13 rating. So if you're a parent with active teen readers or just enjoy your fiction without a lot of graphic violence, sex, or language, this is a great giveaway for you to enter.

Also, did I mention these books are fantasy?

That's right! Magical worlds, mythical creatures, and marvelous adventures, at your fingertips.

You can enter by following the link below.

Enter the Giveaway

When Ravens Fall Release Date

Yes, I finally have a Release Date. I will be celebrating the release of my first self-published book on...(Drumroll please)...

February 1st! 

The print edition will be ready at this time, with the Ebook version coming shortly after.

And may I just brag for a moment about how beautiful the print version of the story turned out. The picture does not do the cover justice. Don Semora went above and beyond when he designed this cover for me. I am so excited to share it with everyone.

As I have mentioned before, I will be donating all of my royalty sales from this little book from the first few weeks to a couple of special charities: I've already committed $150 to Purple Stride to help bring research and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer and anything above and beyond that will be going to Relay for Life. How long I keep this Event open will depend on YOU. :) If you think you may like to read this story at some point, please purchase your copy sooner rather than later so that the proceeds may go to the Charity Event. I wish to thank everyone in advance who will be helping me donate to cancer research in memory of my Aunt Jojo, who is now in Heaven, finally free from her suffering.

I would like to spread the news about my new release and the Charity Event, and I am looking for a few hospitable bloggers who might like to invite me over to your blogs to Guest Post the week of the Release, February 1-February 5. If anyone is interested, please shoot me an email at dragonwriter84@gmail.com.

For all of my local friends, if you would like an autographed copy of the book, get in touch with me (either by email, facebook or phone) and I will get an autographed copy to you for $10. This will save you the cost of the shipping and actually allow me to donate more to the charity than if you purchase the book through Amazon. I will be covering the cost and shipping of these special copies myself. This will be a first come, first serve basis since I will only have so many of these special autographed copies to sell. Sadly, this offer is ONLY for my local friends and family in the Marshall/Homer/Coldwater area.

Over the next couple of days I will be making a few different announcements related to the Release Date, informing you about a few events and giveaways, etc. Below is a picture of the Grand Giveaway Package: An autographed copy of the story, along with a beautiful journal, a Celtic Lilla Rose hair accessory (that was as close as I could get to a Norse hair clip), a punky dragon figurine and a few little When Ravens Fall inspired sundries just for kicks and giggles. I will be letting you know how you may enter the Giveaway in just a day or two.

I look forward to sharing this story with you!

Guest Post - Jenelle Schmidt

Today I am delighted to invite Jenelle Schmidt on over to my blog to tell us about the release of her latest book, Yorien's Hand. Jenelle is a fellow blogger and Five Enchanted Roses author. She grew up in the northern-Midwest. She now resides with her husband and their three adorable children in the wilds of Wisconsin. Jenelle fell in love with reading at a young age during family story-times when her father would read out loud to her and her siblings each night before bed. Her imagination was captured by authors such as Madeleine L’Engle, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Lloyd Alexander. It wasn’t long before she began making up her own stories and sharing them with her family. To this day she enjoys creating exciting adventure tales filled with poignant themes and compelling characters in the fantasy and sci-fi genres.

Yorien’s Hand blurb:

The years of Oraeyn’s short rule have been peaceful, but now ominous nightmares plague his sleep and cling to him during his waking hours. When two of his most trusted advisors disappear without a trace and not even the power of dragons can locate them, the fell promise of the king’s nightmares becomes reality.

From the furthest reaches of the world, an ancient enemy stirs. Stretching beyond his crumbling prison walls, this foe seeks to bring life to the darkest of shadows. His army marches towards Aom-igh with deadly intent, threatening all Oraeyn holds dear.

Aided by dragons, and with the warrior Brant and Princess Kamarie at his side, Oraeyn must journey into the wilds of a forgotten realm. Trusting in the wisdom and skill of the enigmatic minstrel, Kiernan Kane, the companions race against time in search of Yorien’s Hand, a relic that may hold the power to save them all.

Buy Yorien's Hand here.

Now let's hear from Jenelle herself!

When Characters Surprise their Authors

When Savannah graciously offered to host me for a guest post, she sent me a list of ideas on what I might talk about. Suggestions or advice for fellow Indie authors, favorite things about writing, things like that. Then I saw that she said, “Or tell us a bit about your favorite character from Yorien’s Hand, maybe?” And that got me thinking.

I’m not going to tell you about my favorite character from Yorien’s Hand, partially because I’m not entirely certain which character that would be. I love them all so dearly: Brant with his brooding mysteriousness and dark past and painful memories but courageous, heroic heart, Kiernan Kane with his whimsy and flair for the dramatic and his tendency to drive Brant mad, Oraeyn and his earnesty and courage and kindness, Kamarie and her adventurous spirit and fire that is tempered by a staunch loyalty to her friends, Yole and his surprising origins and innocence and sweetness.... I love them all so very much, and if you’ve read the first two books, you are already familiar with those characters anyway and will be happy to hear that they are the main characters of Yoriens’ Hand.

But the character I want to introduce you to today is the one who surprised me the most in this story. In the rough drafts of the story, she barely had two lines, and possessed very little personality. She was basically there to fill space and to solve a transportation problem.

However, as I began to edit the story, this character came to life in a way I did not expect at all. Let me introduce you.

Her name is Rhimmell, and she is a dragon.

She’s not a main character, she never did really emerge as more than a secondary character, but her personality was so much fun to write. She is very blunt and abrupt, saying the things that need to be said, even if it means implying that the person she is speaking to or reprimanding is an idiot. As such, Rhimmell can come across as a little sharp-tongued. She has little use for people who ignore what she believes to be the obvious, and gets exasperated easily. She has a lot of pride in who she is and her race of dragons, and there are few beings on Tellurae Aquaous that she esteems above her own race. But she really does care about others, and is not above sacrificing her pride for the good of her friends or a higher cause.

One of the first times that we meet Rhimmell is also one of my very favorite moments in the book, and so I thought I would share it with you.


Yorien’s Hand Excerpt
Chapter 11


Thorayenak and Rhimmell nodded respectfully to Brant and Oraeyn, and then both dragons bowed low before Kiernan Kane. Startled, Oraeyn shared a confused glance with Kamarie. She shrugged, but looked intrigued.

“Minstrel,” Thorayenak’s voice was low, “it is my honor.”

Kiernan’s lips were quirked upwards. “As it is my own.”

Rhimmell also inclined her head.

Oraeyn felt concerned. “We appreciate your offer, but are you both certain you are willing to endure this hazardous journey? We can go by ship if need be.”

Rhimmell gave him a scathing look. “Do not be ridiculous,” she snapped. “Young Yole was right to ask for our help, despite the indignity. Do not tarnish his request with inane suggestions. The Minstrel,” there was reverence in her tone as she indicated Kiernan, “warns of an enemy that threatens all you know, and you would refuse a generosity that may be the difference between victory or defeat?”

Oraeyn stared. He was used to speaking with various dragons, but the ones he had interacted with all maintained a dignified regality, as well as a mien of esteem towards him and the position he held as king of Aom-igh. Rhimmell’s sharp tone and sharper words took him aback.

"Forgive me,” he stammered. “I did not mean offense.”

"Then do not offend. Accept what has been offered with grace,” Rhimmell replied. “Minstrel,” there was that strange tone of admiration again, “if it please thee, I will carry thee on this quest.”

Kiernan simpered vapidly. “Of course, of course, my good scaly one.”

Oraeyn almost expected that to be the end of Kiernan Kane, but to his everlasting surprise, Rhimmell merely chuckled and lowered herself to allow the minstrel to clamber up her foreleg and settle into the spot between her shoulder blades.

“Is this all of us?” Thorayenak’s deep voice questioned.

Brant, unruffled by the presence of the dragons, but rather disconcerted by their obvious deference to Kiernan, simply nodded. “It is.”

~~~

And that's all for today! You will have to purchase a copy of Yorien's Hand to find out more. In the spirit of her book release, Jenelle is also hosting an amazing Giveaway so you will want to keep an eye on her blog for more details. This is one of the items she will be giving away. Isn't it beautiful?