A Writing Journey

First off, sign-up for the blog tour is officially closed. I'll be putting up the schedule later today. The survey on the last post will be open until tomorrow afternoon, and I'll announce the winning NaNo book on Monday. So go vote.

Also, I received an email from CreateSpace today saying that, thanks to Hurricane Matthew, my proof may be delayed. So the print edition of Lady Dragon, Tela Du might also be delayed. We'll see.

I've been writing for most of my life, and I've been a published author for over five years now. I'm in the process of publishing my eighth book. It's been a journey. And I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on those stepping stones that are my former books.

Sew, It's a Quest
I can't read more than a few paragraphs without wincing. I never thought that I'd join the ranks of authors who can't read their published books but ... this book makes me consider applying to the club. Still, this story is dear to my heart, even despite the rushed scenes, awkward lines, and typos. I wrote this book at the height of the "everything is crazy" period of my life, at a point when I, quite frankly, was drifting away from God. It wasn't that I was running ... I just ... didn't feel adequate and was tired of fighting. I published it the following summer after my dad had a heart attack and I felt that I needed to contribute financially.

Saffron's Big Plan and Other Stories
After publishing Sew, I had great plans of publishing multiple books a year - and then I hit writer's block on multiple of my stories, particularly on Sew's sequel. My Papa was getting remarried that next summer, and I wanted to give them a nice present, and my thoughts immediately turned to book. In the spring before Sew's publication, I had run some story games on Facebook, and two of the stories we had actually finished. Mimi - what we call our new grandmother - had helped us with one of the short stories, so I thought it'd be fitting if I gave them a printed copy. Only, it was a very short story, and wasn't really worth printing. So I added he other finished short story. And then I dug through my old documents and found a story that I'd written for a contest. The document was still pretty skinny. So I wrote Push's backstory ... which ended up taking a bit longer than I expected and I missed the opportunity to give it to them as a wedding present. So I published it instead. I really don't have that much else to say about it. There were a lot of non-writing things going on in my life at this point that demanded priority. Like the friends that were staying with us for a short visit while they moved their house ... and it ended up being over six months.

Do You Take This Quest?
I tried so hard to have Take out the year after Sew, but Take just wouldn't behave. Maybe if it had a more cohesive storyline ... but, ah, well. My computer also died right before I was going to release it, so that threw a wrench in the works, especially after I had made a valiant attempt to edit AND write at the same time. I also decided that the prose was too wincey and downloaded the whole thing to my computer and retyped it up. Most notably, I took out a bit where Madeleine was sneezing at stuff. Ah, good times.

The Ankulen
I wrote The Ankulen around the same time as Take, but while Take was pulling teeth, The Ankulen was a breeze to write. It hadn't even been the book I meant to write next. I started a document for it one day and it just poured out. But this was the story that I needed, because it helped me define the sort of writer I meant to be. Sure, I love cutesy and fun, and I don't think I could write an entirely serious book to save my life ... but writing The Ankulen reminded me that I wanted to write stories that pointed to God, not just entertained. And it also taught me that I really am a multi-draft writer and that I shouldn't even consider publishing a first draft (Sew's problem).

Woodcutter Quince and Other Stories
Following The Ankulen's publication, I decided to get a job. (Or, rather, my sister got a job, I got jealous of the fact that she had spending money, so went and followed her. Then she quit and I paid her to do my chores. Ah, fun.) Said job sapped a lot of my creativity, and I didn't have any finished drafts apart from two messes that both needed serious rewrites. However, one day, I just sat down and started writing a bit of backstory for The Ankulen and randomly published it once I'd run it through edits. Then I took a bit of flashfiction I'd written for a contest and expanded it into CinderEddy and published it later that summer. And then I wrote Doranna and Casperl's backstory and published it shortly after I quit my job. I also meant to get a Saffron story in there, but the story is sitting in my docs only half-finished. I'll get around to it someday. I can't wait for you guys to meet Kacy and Kelp.

My Kingdom For a Quest
I attempted to write this for NaNo as I simultaneously edited Take. It did not go well, and I quit at 17,000 words.Then I rewrote the story in a notebook and discovered that Kingdom didn't really have that much more story left in it, though I did nearly double the word count. However, while I'd written the 17,000 words in a matter of a few weeks, the notebook version took forever. Still, Robin was such fun to write and when I actually was writing, it was a breeze. It just ... was really hard for me to get into the writing zone. I published it with my first blog tour. It was a smashing success. Kinda. But not as much as the book I released later that year.

Water Princess, Fire Prince.
I didn't expect to publish this last year. I thought that I still had a few more years of drafting to go before I'd be ready. But then I decided to do it for NaNo while I wasn't working ... and it just spun out. I had such fun with this story, and I've been both humbled and elated by the small fandom that has formed around it. I've received fan art. And fanfiction.

Lady Dragon, Tela Du
And as I'm on the verge of publishing LDTD, I feel as though I've come full circle. LDTD was the book that taught me how to write - indeed, I had just finished its fifth draft when I began working on Sew. I'm frankly amazed at how the story has come together, because let me tell you, it has not been easy these last few months. But I finished my final round of edits yesterday, and I just want to say - I can't wait for you guys to read it. Perhaps it's cliche to say this, but this is the story of my heart. Almost all of my betas agree that it's my best book yet.

And one drew me fanart!

And other made me mock covers.

The Other Books

Rizkaland may be the main series, but it's by no means the full story, today I'd like to talk about the (mostly) non-Rizkan stories that will tie in, and possibly fill in a few gaps in the main series.

First of all, I'd like to note that I have four timelines that I use when ordering these books, as well as the Rizkaland Legends themselves.

1. Rizkaland Timeline, which is the order of things by Rizkan time.
2. Earth Timeline, which is the order of things by Earthen time.
3. Amber's Timeline, which is mostly used when exploring her backstory.
4. Laura's Timeline, which is a convoluted, tangled ball that I usually leave alone, but it's occasionally useful.

Good? Good.

Now to the other books that I have planned that you won't want to miss if you're a loyal Rizkan fan.

1. Worth of a King. This is my cowrite with Jack Lewis Baillot, and pre-fall Amber and Granite play a role in it. I can't say yet what sort of role, but I will say that it is one of the stories that Amber has tucked into her library, and a reference or two to the story may be making a cameo at some point in book 2.

2. Dragon Song. This story is, in part, a companion to Worth - how, I can't say - and it was, at one point, going to be book 3 of the main series. Main characters from book 2 will be making large appearances, but I can't say who, just yet, or how.

3. Adventures of Princess Saffron. I need to finish writing this trilogy. I'm about half-way through the second story ... anyways, Saffron makes an apparance in Dragon Song. 

4. The Eternal Queen. This is another Amber backstory - except this time it reaches even further back and features Queen Amorite, Amber's ancestress, whose meddling trapped the royal line in their immortaity.

5. The New Division. This book begins during the Great Depression in the very orphanage where Andrew's dad later grew up, which becomes the house where Petra and her siblings grew up. It also features some POV from Petra's great-grandmother, Amanda Arden, and then at the end, an a breif cameo of some main characters from the series.

6. The Trilogy of Secrets. Two of the main characters from this series, Collie and Susan, live near Petra and Reuben's houses, and their electricty problem is talked about occassionally in LDTD.

7. Infiltration. Have I talked about my elvings, half elf, half something else, before? If I have, have I told you that the elf that they're descended from Rizkan elves? They are! Also, traces of Rizkan abound throughought their culture - indeed, the name of the world is the Rowa - Rizkan for rainbow.

8. The rest of the Mikida Chronicles. Infiltration is technically part of my sister's scifi series, and although it has the strongest connection, tie-ins abound throughout the whole series. Indeed, the main characters of the Eagle's Logs half of the series are two elvings, and two half-human twins who are descended from characters from the Rizkaland legends. (I don't remember, off the top of my head who the ancestors are, however.)

9. An untitled story about Laura set post-Rizkaland. I can't say much about this story, but it takes place several years after book 7 in the earth timeline, and takes place in the same world as Dragon Song. Also, Lucy is in it.

10. Stolen Ideas. This is the book that I recycled Sandra Elizabeth Nedor into. It's interesting, and I hope to share it someday.

And that doesn't even include the "lesser" legends that didn't make it into the main seven of the series. At the moment, I only know of three for certain, but I wouldn't put it past it for more books to appear.

1. Alphego's Hill - The Story of the Eight and the Ten.
2. Through the Mountain - The story of Amber's attack on Klarand 500 years prior to WPFP.
3. Ear of the People - this is a story set about eight years after WPFP, and is about Jasmine and Karlos.

So there's lots of story to look forward! to!

A Quiz!!!

Anyone want to Beta read the first three chapters (and the lengthy introduction) of Just Another Si-Fi Novel? Well then, today is your lucky day!

I'm looking for one, or possibly two people to read over said introduction and first three chapters, tell me what you think of them, and answer a few simple questions.

Of course, I don't want just anybody to be reading this book, it IS top secret after all. So I've set up a test, a quiz if you like, to weed out those who are not worthy. Answer the questions in the comments, and I will decide who gets it based on your answers. All answers can be found in my published books. And this INCLUDES the short stories.

"Saffron's Big Plan," by the way, is free this week! (That is, until Friday night) You don't have to have a kindle to read it, just an Amazon account. Amazon has these handy little kindle apps that you can download, or if you don't want to do any downloading, you can read it in your browser.


1. How do you chop cube roots?
2. What is the name of Mynna's mother?
3. How do you use Thyme?
4. Who are the best planners in the world?
5. What did Greenie the Lizard grow up to be?
6. What happens when you get the punchline?
7. What is the curse of beautiful daughters of kings?
8. Where do they get the saying "Love is Blind"?
9. What does the Rainbow do in Jen's imagination?
10. What does Saffron ride?

A reason to be Thankful

((Note: Amazon may not have changed the prices yet. If you pull up the link and the prices are still 3.99 and 2.99, come back later. They should all be changed by tomorrow, unless you live outside of the US.)

This is the time of year that everyone has large notebooks out and are frantically scribbling down every reason they're thankful.

(Or is that just me? Oh, nevermind.)

Anyways, I'm going to give ya'll yet another thing to add to your lists.

 99 cents.

You read that right - the Kindle version of Sew, It's a Quest is available for only 99 cents. For how long? I haven't decided yet. Probably until Christmas.

But ... I think I'll make ya'll even more thankful!

 99 cents.

Yup, I've got the short story collection for only 99 cents too. How long? See Sew. 

Hummm..... oh, I know of one more thing I can do!

  FREE!!!

Yes, actually I'd been planning this for some time now, unlike the others which were impromptu.

So, what are ya'll waiting for ... oohhhhhhh!!!!

I just thought of something else!

I've decided to drop the prices of the paperbacks, as well!!

  $4.50 

You can get the Short Story Collection for less than five dollars! 

 

 $5.99

And Sew is only a dollar and a half more!

(BTW, if you get a paperback, I do ask that you buy it through Createspace. My royalty there is about a dollar more than from Amazon, and I'd be getting next to nothing from Amazon thanks to the reduced prices.)

Update For Saffron's Big Plan and Other Stories

The Kindle Version of Saffron's Big Plan and Other Stories is now $2.99.


However, you can now buy the four stories individually for 99 cents each.

 Saffron's Big Plan (The Adventures of Princess Saffron)
 Tears, Frogs, and Laughter.
 The Derao
 The Prior Quest (A Bookania Short Story)


Also, today only, Tears, Frogs and Laughter, and The Derao are free!

Saffron's Big Plan is OUT

Saffron's Big Plan and Other Stories - Kindle.

                           Saffron's Big Plan and Other Stories - Paperback

You read that right! Saffron's Big Plan is finally out!

It is, as I've said before, a collection of four short stories, the first two being co-writes with my mother, whose pen name is Rachel Lamb. Paperback is $6.99 plus shipping and handling. It's 80 pages long. 

The Kindle version is currently $.99 until July 7th, when the price will go up to $2.99, so get it while it's cheep!

Also, for the next four days, Sew, It's a Quest will be free. This will be the last time I offer this for free for some time, so get it while you can!
Sew, It's a Quest (The Bookania Quests)


Oh, and a big thank-you to my Cousin Tenya, who designed my new cover.

Unofficial NaBloPoMo - Sometimes, Life Happens.

Today was the day Saffron's Big Plan was supposed to be out. Unfortunately, however, I was not able to get it finished. There are several scenes that still need serious editing. I really did think that I could get it all done by today, however, life happened.

I will spare you all the details, but suffice to know that we had friends in the house from December to May while they moved their mobile home and had electrical and red clay issues. We've been under a lot of stress, especially my mom, and so mom and I have not had much time to sit down and edit.

We will try to get it edited and published by June 28th or July 7th, but I will still make no promises. My sister went to war with a vine last Thursday, and while she won the war, she sustained serious injury in the form of a pulled muscle in her stomach. So, for the next month or so, she's on restricted movement, and the rest of us will have to take care of her chores for her.

Now, while I haven't been working on Saffron's Big Plan, I haven't been idle. I've been working on school and some other stories, such as Do You Take This Quest, Water Princess, Fire Prince, a story that I've been working on since I was thirteen, and The Ankulen, a story that I got the idea for about the same time I got the idea for Sew, It's a Quest.

Speaking of Sew, It's a Quest, It's free today until midnight!

Sew, Enjoy!

Incidentally, I wrote Sew, It's a Quest with NaNoWriMo.


For more NaBloPoMo

http://www.blogher.com/nablopomo-soup-add-your-june-posts?wrap=blogher-topics/blogging-social-media/nablopomo&crumb=113590

Saffron's Big Plan - Sneak Peeks!

Heads up, guys, I just completed the rough draft of my next book, Saffron's Big Plan and Other Stories. It is a collection of four short stories I have co-written with my mom. One of the stories tells the story of one of the minor characters of Sew, It's a Quest. I plan to publish it on June 12, so, watch out! Since it is a collection of short stories, I cannot post the first chapter. However, here is the introduction for each.

Saffron's Big Plan

 Once upon a time there was a princess named Magnolia who was the youngest of 7 sisters. She lived in a land of enchantment that could only be reached by flying there on Eagle's Wings.

 Meanwhile, in another enchanted land, not far from Magnolia's, there lived another princess, also the youngest of seven sisters, named Dandylion. She lived in a land filled with horses.

  However, there was yet another princess, Princess Saffron. Saffron had no sisters, and, as far as anyone knew, no parents, either. Not many people knew that she existed. She lived in a land that was between the horse-lovers and the eagle-lovers, in the Wild Lands.

Tears, Laughter, and Frogs

 Once upon a time, and a very good time it was, though it wasn't in my time or your time, or anyone else's time, there lived a princess who cried all day – but laughed all night! Some said she was enchanted, and while this was probably the case, no one knew for sure.

The Derao

 Lukas stood on the on the rocky Cliff of Steep. The Lake of Deep glistened beautifully in the Valley of Low beneath him. He wished he could still live down there, but he was charged with a serious offense.

The Prior Quest

 Once upon a time, in a land called Bookania, there was a soldier, who was, by trade, a miller. He fought for the Halbrets against the people called the Chin.

 Now, he had been fighting for over ten years, and left behind a wife with a young child of five. He missed them always, and longed for the day that the war would be over and he could return home.

 One night the man was on guard duty when he caught one of the Chins sneaking into the camp.

And, don't forget, if you want a chance for a free print copy of this book, I have a contest! 

Oh, and a hearty thank-you to the 126 people who downloaded Sew, It's a Quest yesterday. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and please remember to leave a review.