Kaboom!

And lookie here - The Ankulen's new edition is out. I decided to go with just a reupload for this one, as it was merely a stiff edit, and there weren't any major changes. Well, I renamed a dragon near the end from Seawing to Seafoam, but that was it for changes.

The other reason that I chose to reupload was that I liked where the book was in its KDP enrollment - aka, reuploading meant that I could make it free now and still be able to run a Kindle Countdown come the Black Friday Sale.

Because did I mention that The Ankulen is currently free? Well, it is, and, again, this is mostly for the benefit of those who already own the book.

Quick bit of instructions for how to download the new edition.

1. Go Amazon.com

2. Find the tab that says "Hello, Your Name, Accounts & Lists." Hover your mouse over it.

3. From the menu that drops down, select "Manage Your Content and Devices"

4. Search for The Ankulen in your books.

5. Delete it from your library.

6. Repurchase the book. Because it's free.

And, as a friendly reminder, Sew, It's a Quest is still free. Becuase, you know, it's permafree.

And, as another friendly reminder, reviewing my books, and emailing me links to those reviews, counts towards points for the big giveaway...

I Tell You A Story Instead

So I was going through my notebooks and found this poem that I wrote ... I'm going to say seven or eight years ago, because there's a line that indicates that it was when my dad was unemployed. I don't think I finished it ... because there's a started verse on the next page ... but I think where it ends is fine enough.

And there was a specific person that I had in mind that I was talking to when I wrote this poem, one of my sister's friends.

You hurt me the last time I told you,

The last time my true thoughts I said.

And you wonder that I never share now,

That I tell you a story instead.

You don't know the sorrow that builds up,

The tears that are so far unshed.

I don't want to tell you about it,

So I tell you a story instead.

You point out my flaws with a vengeance, 

But your critique sinks my effort like lead.

Yet, to your own flaws you never will listen,

So I tell you a story instead.

I don't tell you about all my worries

About how next month we'll be fed.

Instead, I tell you of nice things.

Yes, I tell you a story instead.

I'm told to not be a gossip,

For that is how rumors are spread.

I won't tell you the tales of another

I'll tell you my stories instead.

You say that I live in a dreamworld,

That near to the clouds is my head,

But I can't tell you what truly bugs me,

And I tell you a story instead.

Hullo

Hey there. Just thought that I'd pop in with the news that Do You Take This Quest? now has its lovely new edition for sale on kindle - and that it's currently FREE!!!

Also, I have finally jumped through all of the hoops necessary to make Sew, It's a Quest permafree on Amazon! Yay!

And, then to conclude the Bookania excitement, I have a preorder set up for Kingdom's new edition.

If you'll click through, you'll see that the date is October 31st - the last day of the Bookshelf Overhaul. I know, I was going to make it the next one in the lineup ... but then I remembered - it has the biggest changes in the line up. AKA, getting a part two. So I decided that it was the bang that I wanted to end on. 

Oh, and for the record, while the other books are getting free spins, due to having significant added content, Kingdom will not. Just a fyi.

Also, a bit on The Ankulen - due to the disappointment with its cover, Alea and I have made some slight modifications. This is what it looks like now:

Look at 'em! Just look at 'em!

I am INCREDIBLY excited about this cover reveal. Not just one new cover, but a new cover for each of my six novels. Three of which - aka the Bookanias - I designed, the other three I must credit to Alea Harper, who is an awesome designer who's going to go far. She also advised me in the design of my three and gave me the watercolor overlay that I used on them.

She's awesome.

So, without further ado. The covers:
(Look at me not playing hard to get...)

This isn't quite the direction I had intended to take this cover, but then I found the background sunset, and it just screamed a horse, and it came together so brilliantly. For those of you who don't remember, Sew's original colors were pink and black, and so this cover really feels like it's going back to its roots, but this time with a horse and a lot more whimsy.

Oi, but this cover was a bear and a HALF to get just right, but I like how it ultimately came together. Yep, I was sneaky and worked in the old cover art - which was one of the biggest struggles. The other struggle was making sure that Madeleine didn't look like she'd been beaten.

Confession here - I never liked the sword that my cousin used for the cover of Kingdom. So, now that I had the power to do the cover myself ... I made sure that I had the right sword. Emerald in the pommel. Not a weird lion-looking thing.

Now we're to the Ankulen's new cover, first of the ones that Alea did. I was going to do this one, but she messaged me saying she had a concept ... and I offered to send her some pictures of the bracelet that I made for the original cover ... and of my legs. I had to shave my legs first. Anywho. I love the fact that the opening of the book is on the cover, and that there's a pen in the title. It's awesome. Alea is awesome.

You might recognize these cover - they're some of the fancovers that Alea did for Water Princess, Fire Prince. See, I mentioned to Alea that I kiiiiinda wished that they were the real covers, and she said she could make it happen. So, yes. Ain't they gorgeous?

I love all of these covers so terribly stinkin' much.

And check out all the blogs that are taking part in the reveal today. Comments left on any of the reveal posts count towards the giveaway.

Elvish Pens, Fantastical Writings

Morgan Elizabeth Huneke

The Flowering Vales

Reality Reflected

The Page Dreamer

Dreams and Dragons

Resting Life

Jenelle Schmidt

Regarding Reading and Writing

Hazel West's Character Purgatory

Red Rover, Red Rover

First off, I intend to send out the new covers to the revealers tonight or tomorrow. So, yeah, look forward to that. If there's anyone who signs up after I send out the information, I'll make a second send out on August 30th.

Now to this week's game - Red Rover.
I walked to my aunt's house after work the other day - she lives just down the street from the McDonald's where I work, and luckily, the road between is a non-busy backroad - and arrived just in time to find my cousins playing Red Rover. They managed to hurt themselves within very short order, but it reminded me of a game I did in my Five and Three blog party ... three years ago, a game which no one actually played.

So I'm going to issue it again, since our timeframe is looser.

Red Rover, red rover, let Clara come over...

Basically, the jist of this game is that I'd like you guys to write a short cross-over fanfic.

You can:
Write a scene where my characters go to the realm of another author's fiction.
Write a scene where another authors characters go to my worlds.
Write a scene where my characters meet characters from someone else's book.
Write a scene from my book with characters from another author.
Write a scene from another author's book with my characters.
Come up with something else. The point is that you bring an element of my fiction to another author's fiction, or vice versa.

And, yes, if you're an author yourself, you're free to make the "other author" be yourself, even if the fiction you're merging with mine isn't published yet.

Fun? Fun!

You're free to post it in the comments below or in a post on your own blog, then post a link to said post in the comments. You're allowed to write as many scenes as you'd like.

Four points if it's posted in the comments. Five for each individual post you do on your own blog. If you put multiple scenes in one post, the first is worth five, and each subsequent is worth four.

An extra point to any scene that makes me laugh. Extra two points if I fall out of my chair laughing.

Go forth and write.