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Showing posts from December, 2020

Finding the Positives in a Tough Year

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  Image courtesy of Gerd Altmann at Pixabay.com Can you believe it? The end of 2020 is almost here! What an odd year it has been, too. As we prepare to turn the calendar page to a new year, I hope you will take some time to reflect on the positives of the past year. I know, I know, it's a year where everyone on social media has focused on the negatives. We did have more than our fair share of negatives, but what about the positives? I challenge you to find at least five positives from 2020. 1. My leading positive would be signing with Chris Kennedy and New Mythology Press. Thanks to that experience, I finally realized a lifelong dream of getting THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH published. I can't hate 2020 when something that big happened. And the next two books will be released in early 2021! How cool is that? 2. Closely related to the first one would be that I attended one conference prior to the Covid-19 shutdowns. In early March, Falstaff Publishing ran the SAGA conference as schedu

A Twisted Christmas Story: Cedar Revenge

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This week, I'm sharing a story I wrote about Christmas trees. It's not a cozy, sweet one, though, so you're forewarned (if the title "Cedar Revenge" didn't clue you in). I hope you enjoy it. Afterwards, make sure you check out the rest of my info below about upcoming information and the winners of the Book Launch Prize. On December 18, the first book in my epic fantasy, THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH, launched on Amazon. You can order it here .  Also, I held a Facebook Live on my Facebook Author Page to draw the names of the winners of the Book Launch Prize. Congratulations to DiAnn, Suzie, and John! We're working quickly toward the release of book 2, THE WATCHERS IN EXILE, which is currently slated for a January 25, 2021 release date. If you want to stay up to date on the release of the second and third books, please subscribe to my newsletter. You get a cute giraffe picture just for subscribing. May you have a very Happy Holiday season and stay well and joyful!

Book Release Day!

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Today, you can pick up your copy of THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH!  Check it out here ! I hope you love it. Books 2 and 3 will be out in January and February! Also, you can join me on  Facebook Live tonight , Dec. 18, 2020 at 7 pm EST. I will draw the names of the winners in the Book Launch Prize giveway. Didn't know there was a giveaway?  Subscribe to the Watchers Tribe newsletter , and you won't miss out on upcoming opportunities! And for a little light humor. My shipment of books wasn't supposed to arrive until sometime between Dec. 28 and Jan. 2. It showed up two nights ago! We found them when turning off the Christmas lights on the front porch.  We decided to let our Elf on the Shelf, Dash, share the good news with the kids the next morning. My grandson was really amazed and excited. I wish you could have seen his eyes bug out. According to him, Dash (our elf) is awesome! I'm inclined to agree with him.

THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH Book Release News and Prizes

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  Book Release Week! Woohoo! I can't believe this week is here! This Friday, Dec. 18 , THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH is available for purchase on Amazon as an eBook or paperback. I'm so excited. Make sure you read this entire post, so you don't miss out on any of the events and prize opportunities. This is what author David B Coe says about the book: “A tale of intrigue and romance, set in a unique and skillfully rendered world, THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH will keep readers riveted from first page to last. Highly recommended!” — David B. Coe/D.B. Jackson, author of the Thieftaker Chronicles In case you've missed other posts about THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH, here's the book's description: An elite Watcher trainee, fifteen-year-old Princess Adana had everything going for her. Everything, that is, until her mother, the queen, dies. Too young to be queen herself, her mother’s last royal act is a decree that seals Adana’s fate—she’s to be sent to the neighboring Kingdom of Elwar f

Giraffes Facts Video and Book Release News

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It's the second week of December, so it's time for giraffe facts! Here's a short video (under 4 minutes) sharing 5 facts about the giraffe. Hope you enjoy it and read further to learn about other upcoming goodies related to giraffes and THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH. On to other news, THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH, in e-book and paperback, will be available to purchase on Amazon on December 18! Due to the holiday, you can expect shipping delays, but I hope you'll still consider gifting this book to your favorite giraffe or fantasy lover. Also, on December 18, I will draw the name of the winner of the Book Launch Prize. To enter just  Subscribe to my newsletter by December 17 at 11:59 PM EST. Want extra entries? Encourage your friends to sign up for the newsletter and list you as how they found me. Each time someone lists your name as a referral, I'll add an extra entry for you. I'll do the drawing live on Facebook, time to be announced next week. Want to know more about THE

Keeping Up With Your Characters' Descriptions

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When you read a book, do you ever struggle to keep up with the characters' descriptions? For example, a character with blue eyes suddenly has green or brown eyes? Or their hair color changes or they're shorter than before. Keeping up with how your characters look and behave can be a challenge for a writer in the process of writing a book. It can get really confusing in a series. [ Note: Make sure you read down to the bottom of this email so you don't miss any special announcements! ] This past week, I've been reading through the ARC (advanced reader copy) of book 1, working on edits in book 3, and trying to figure out something that needs to be adjusted in book 2. Confusing? Absolutely. That's why I have a spreadsheet that tracks the physical characteristics, mannerisms, and family connections of my characters. Many writers keep something like this; they call it their book bible. THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH series is epic fantasy. Epic means it's a large scale story,