The Excitement Continues...

A few weeks ago, my publisher got a note from a reader. He wanted more background in the world and a map. The publisher talked it over with me, and we decided to press pause on the sequel and crank out a prequel. It turned out the reader is a mutual Facebook friend, so we roped him into helping! I sketched the map, and he made it pretty. We compiled a pronunciation guide, too, and we are releasing a second edition of Dawn Before The Dark.

The prequel, Fire And Water, will be out (hopefully) this week. Full disclosure, we are pricing it for .99 cents, which is as low as we can go, while we work on making it permafree. If you are willing and able, it would be super helpful if people would buy the short story and review it when it comes out. The more downloads we have, the higher the ranking will be, and hopefully it will help sales of Dawn Before The Dark and future stories. If you want to read the first scene, you can sign up for my newsletter here.

Happy New Year!

Y’all, I don’t even know where to start. That’s been my life the last couple of months! I’m writing this in my new office (which used to be a nursery, which seems fitting). We are moved into our new home. It’s within 45 minutes of our kids and several friends. There isn’t a single room that is unpacked yet. There are boxes everywhere, random piles of clothes we used as packing material, and we know where approximately 5% of our stuff is.

I’m deeply, deeply happy.

I’m taking some time away from unpacking this morning to look ahead. It is New Year’s Eve, after all, and the last day of the old decade. In addition to settling into this new normal, I have to write 2 books in 2020. We have a wedding this spring. Even though my calendar is fairly clear today, I know it will fill up fast.

I hope you have some time today to reflect and plan. I wish you peace and happiness in the coming year. Thank you for the minutes you spend reading my words.

Plot twist

We’ve had an interesting couple of months. Long story short, my husband was laid off in early October. After a few weeks of job hunting, he was offered a job in St. Louis, which is where our kids lived. They needed to verify his security clearance (he’s retired USAF and this is a government job). We dropped everything and went down to look for a place to live, made an offer on a house, and rushed back to start packing. However, the verification process has not been without challenges and we’re currently in a mostly-packed house in a holding pattern. While we’re used to this after 21 years in the military, it hasn’t been easy. Oh, and did I mention we had company for two weeks? It was mostly planned in advance for Thanksgiving, and no one minded the chaos of boxes in the dining room and Thanksgiving dinner picnic style. Yes, we did put them all the work, and they were a big help.

That’s why there’s been radio silence here for a while. We were frantically prepping for a move that was supposed to happen this week, and I had to get my day job squared away. We still haven’t found someone to step fully into my role, but we do have someone who can do that parts I can’t do remotely, so I’m staying on for a while until they do.

You might think I’d be freaking out at this point. I’m not. While I don’t know what will happen or when, I do know I have a little room to breathe. Even a day or two will be a welcome chance to decompress after the non-stop activity recently. I might even get some writing in. Or a nap. A nice, long nap.

New release!

YULE TIDINGS ON SALE NOW!

OKLAHOMA—Yule Tidings, the latest anthology from the writing group Prosateurs, is on sale now. The holiday-themed anthology celebrates Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s with works of fiction and nonfiction.

“Besides making the perfect Christmas gift, Yule Tidings is great for planning your parties and get-togethers, too,” said Kathy Akins, Prosateurs vice president. “We have articles on easy party preparations and, of course, delicious recipes. And the stories, memoirs, essays, and poems will get you into the holiday spirit. It’s the perfect book to curl up with.”

Yule Tidings features works from these authors:

Kathy Akins has won several awards with her poetry, devotionals, and short fiction. Her short stories and poetry have been published in Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Blackbirds Third Flight, Creations 2015, and Creations 2014. She is a member of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc., Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and American Christian Fiction Writers. Visit her website at kathyakins.blogspot.com.

Debbie Anderson wrote the suspense novel Friend or Foe in 2018. Its sequel, Predators Among Us, will be published in early 2020. She writes short stories, memoirs, novels, children’s stories, and how-to books. She has been published in Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Creations 2018, and Creations 2017.

Stephen B. Bagley's latest book is Floozy Comes Back, a collection of humorous essays. He co-wrote Undying, a book of dark poetry. His other books include: Murder by Dewey Decimal, Murder by the Acre, Tales from Bethlehem, Floozy and Other Stories, and Endless. His plays include: Murder at the Witch’s Cottage, Two Writers in the Hands of an Angry God, There’s a Body in the Closet, and Hogwild. His poetry, articles, short stories, and essays have appeared in Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Writer’s Digest, Blackbirds First Flight, Blackbirds Second Flight, Blackbirds Third Flight, ByLine Magazine, Nautilus Magazine, Pontotoc County Chronicles, Tulsa World’s OKMagazine, Free Star, Dark Prairies & Deep Rivers, the Creations anthologies 2012-2015, and other publications. He is a member of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. Visit his website at StephenBBagley.blogspot.com.

Wendy Blanton wrote Dawn Before the Dark, the first book in a fantasy trilogy, which was published by the Christian fantasy publisher Bear Publications in the fall of 2019. She also co-wrote three fantasy novels, The Dragon’s Lady, Rogue Pawn, and Sword and Scabbard, under the name Elizabeth Joy. Her short stories, articles, and recipes have appeared in Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Blackbirds First Flight, Blackbirds Second Flight, and Blackbirds Third Flight. She is a member of Realm Makers and Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. Visit her website at wendyblanton.com.

Debra E. Chandler’s debut novel, Bone Sliver, was published in 2015, and the sequel, Nova Wave, in 2018. Weathered, a collection of her short works and poems, was also released in 2018. Her short stories, poems, photographs, and articles were also published in Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Blackbirds Third Flight, The Green Country Guardian, The Sapulpa Herald, and Sapulpa News and Views. She is a member of Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. and Oklahoma Bloggers and Influencers. Visit her website at dechandlerwrites.com.

Barbara Shepherd is the 2019 Voice of the Fair Poet, the Poetry Society of Oklahoma’s 2019 Poet Laureate, and recipient of more than 350 writing awards in local, regional, national, and international contests. Her books include: The Potbelly Pig Promise, River Bend, Vittles and Vignettes, and Patchwork Skin. Her writing has also appeared in: State Cops Cooking in the Heartland - More Than We Can Say Grace Over, Candle Flames: PSO’s 70th Anniversary Anthology, Oklahoma Centennial Heritage Collection, Harp Strings, A Centennial Celebration of Oklahoma Stories, travelin’ Music, Elegant Rage, Poetry Is For Everyone, Imagination Turned Loose, Beads On a String–Peace, Joy, and Love, From the Heart of Galaxy, Ain't Gonna Be Treated This Way, and other publications. Visit her website at barbarashepherd.com.

Joanne Verbridge was born in Oakland, California, spending her early life experiences in Northern California. Family brought her to Oklahoma where she enjoys writing memoirs and crafting. She works to inspire her young nieces to take an interest in storytelling and writing. Her memoirs, short stories, and articles have been published in newspapers and Prosateurs: Tales & Truth, Creations 2015, Creations 2014, Creations 2013, and Creations 2012.

Yule Tidings is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BooksAMillion, Lulu, and other online retailers, and from the Prosateurs members while supplies last. For more information, including book signing dates and locations, visit the group’s website at Prosateurs.blogspot.com.

Attachments area

Win a $25 Amazon Card!

In case you've missed it on social media, I'm doing a drawing on Halloween for an Amazon card. To qualify, leave a review of Dawn Before The Dark on Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Kobo/etc and send me the link. Each review gets you a chance to win, even if you copy and paste the same one all over the place.

Awakening in the Dark (aka Book 2) is proceeding. Sort of. We've had drama here, and it's seriously affected my anxiety, which makes it harder to function in general. I'm back in therapy and working through it, and it's better now than it was a couple weeks ago. At the moment, we are living in limbo. We may be moving, or we may not be, but the book still needs to be done, so I'm doing my best. It’s been a real experience, though, to have to push through and get stuff done when I want to hide in my blanket fort with a book and a bowl of ice cream. I’m choosing my battles, so to speak, pushing through on what’s important and cutting myself slack with what isn’t. Having kitties to pet helps a lot. They’re less helpful at 6 a.m. when they’re all starving, but it is what it is.

The Three Rs

Writing is a paradox. A lot of it is solitary, which is how most writers I know like it. We can hide away with our characters and weave stories about them, minimizing contact with actual humans. The problem comes when we publish our books and we have to interact with others to get the word out. That’s why writers need a group. When I was younger, we called them fans. The younger generation calls it a tribe.

Whatever it’s called, we need people besides our moms and spouses to help us. Selling and promoting is hard for a lot of us, and we need all the help we can get. Here’s how you can support your favorite authors.

Read their books. I don’t know about you, but I go on ebook benders, and that dramatically increases my To Be Read pile. If you don’t read the book, you can’t help the author.

Review their books. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t love the book. It doesn’t matter what site you use. Honest reviews help the book find their audience, and a bigger audience increases the chances that you’ll get to read more stories from your favorite authors.

Recommend their books. Tell your friends. Tell your book club. Tell your library and book stores and the guy in the check out line. The more people who know about the book, the more potential help the author will have when the next book comes out.

The bottom line is publication and promotion take time. Even if an author is traditionally published, the author still has a role beyond writing an amazing story. The more time we spend promoting a book, the less time we have to write another one. So helping the author sell more books is a gift. Authors love that gift.

When a writer goes on vacation

We went camping last week. The timing wasn’t amazing, coming right on the heels of the book release, but it was nice to get away and partially off the grid. I got to see family, which is always a plus, and it was quiet and dark at night. We had air conditioning, a kitchen, and a bed. It was the best of both worlds.

We are back now, and I’m working on getting everything sorted out, put away. Book two is underway, slowly. My process is messy and convoluted, but time is on my side for now.

If you’re in the Chicago area and would like to come to the Dawn Before The Dawn Official Release Party, leave me a comment and I’ll get you the details, or you can find it on the Coffee With Dragons Facebook page.

Clear directions

Honoree Corder has written over 50 books, and her sales are in the hundreds of thousands. I haven’t read her work, but I did hear a quote from her recently that in order to sell books, the author needs to get over themselves and tell readers what they need. It seems a bit direct for my midwestern soul, but I figure she must know what she’s talking about, so here goes:

1. Please buy my book. You can order it from the links below. Or, if you have a favorite local book store, ask them to order it for you. Then they’ll know it exists.

2. Please read my book.

3. If you love the book, or me, or both, leave reviews. Amazon and Barnes and Noble are good, but also at Goodreads and anywhere else you can think of.

4. If you mention my book on social media, tag me so I can respond if there are questions or comments. I’m on Facebook and Twitter.

5. If you love my book and know others who would also love it, tell them about it.

6. Remember, Christmas is coming, and books make great gifts!

7. If you haven’t already, subscribe to my newsletter. I’ll be sending out snippets and probably, and some point, some back story for the current book.

Here are the links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Books-A-Million

BookShout

It's alive!

And I don't quite know what to do with myself!

All the links are live. You’re free to order with breathless abandon and start reading today! In theory, you could go to your favorite brick and mortar book seller and ask them to order it for you. I haven’t tried that yet.

In an effort to be helpful, I was going to post the Amazon and Barnes and Noble links, but then I thought, “I wonder where else it is?” So I googled it. It’s on Goodreads, Bookshout, in the Apple App Store, and a few other places I’ve never heard of that don’t have English on their websites except for my book description.

If you read it, please leave reviews everywhere you can.

Also, I have a small piece of housekeeping. My intrepid webmistress figured out how to set up a way for you to get my blog updates in your email. That’s different from the newsletter, where you’ll get updates and insider info. We could perhaps have linked them but decided it was better to allow you to decide how much information you want.

Now I’m going to make a cup of tea, head to the garret to write, and thank my lucky stars that I have a publisher who can track sales so I don’t have to! That takes a lot of pressure off!

3 more days!