Now in paperback!!

You can now get the following books in paperback at CreateSpace and Amazon (which is totally awesome because it usually takes a week or two)!  And of course as always they are available in ebook at Barnes&Nobles, Apple, Smashwords (in most formats), Kobo, Diesel, and Sony.

What people are saying about Not Human:

"I will start by saying, this is not my usual type of book. I'm not much for action or science fiction. But there were good relationships that developed, and especially the middle part of the book was very good. The action scenes were pretty intense too, it's just not the kind of thing I get into. If you like a story with heart AND action, give it a try."

"Great book and story! Read all of this up and coming authors books, and she never lets me down! Very creative story. Sci-fi at its best! Real page turner, I highly recommend."

"This book may not be for everybody, but it's great entertainment for the price. The author does a great job of "painting" the picture in your mind, you can't help but root for Rose and Zatak - be ready for twists and turns, the ending will surprise you!"

"I enjoyed the book as a whole, the writer adds plenty of energy. The beginning of the book was so filled with excitement. The middle dragged a bit for me and then the ending came back with a punch. As with all the books from this writer I was not disappointed."

What people are saying about The Shadow Dragon: Orbs of Fire:

"I couldn't put it down. Loaded with adventure, the character's so unique a story so worth reading. I look forward to the next book, which I watch for.The writer has a wonderful imagination."

 What people are saying about The Shadow Dragon: Aleksertac:

"I READ BOTH BOOKS AND LOVED THEM. I WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE..Great story this has been my favourite from this writer so far. I have read all her books and enjoyed them all."

"This book kept me wanting for more. I could not put it down. This author really has a talent for capturing the readers attention and taking them on a mind gripping ride of suspense, danger, fantasy, and love. I highly recommend."

Story 13 update

Just a quick note:

Yeah!!  Finished my revisions on Story 13!!  It is just over 85,000 words.  Now I have to print it and get it to my "editors"!  Another new story almost ready for copyright.  Next year should be a good year for me as far as publishing goes.  I already have three in the waiting "to get through the Editors" stage, and tomorrow - hopefully - I'm going to start on The Shadow Dragon series, and I still have several stories to finish up and the ideas for othe books are brewing again too.  Plus I have The Shadow Dragon (books one and two) and Not Human almost ready to be in Paperback.  

Still working

Sorry it's been so long since I've written a blog.  This time of year always seems crazy.  The emotions, the chaos, the things that inevitably won't go right.   Despite all of that, I have been devoting as much of my spare time as I can to getting to the library so I can work on my books.  I have about ten more pages to revise on Story 13 and I'll be handing that off.   I'm also working hard to keep my goal of getting The Shadow Dragon (books one and two) and Not Human in paperback by the New Year.  I am really looking forward to working on The Shadow Dragon book 3 (and hopefully four). 

I know, not a lot to report on.  It seems life sometimes slips the rug out from underneath me and I have to work hard to get back up.  One of my favorite lines is from Batman Begins: "Do you know why we fall?  So we can learn to get back up."  My daughter asked me this morning about life (in general).  Is life great or does it suck.  I smiled to myself and replied, life is as great as you want it to be.  It all comes down to how you're going to perceive it.  Your attitude will decide if life sucks or if life is great.   She replies (with her big toothless smile and her sparkling eyes), "Well I want life to be great."   While I was out for a hike today my mind reflected on that conversation.  I have to agree with her, I want life to be great.  I'm not where I would like to be (physically, emotionally, financially, nor locationally) and lately there seems to be a lot that wants to pull me down.  I've always seen my daughter as my wake up call in my life and once again she has caused me to re-evaluate.  Not my goals and dreams, quite the contrary.  What is it about aging that causes us to lose our optimistic perspective?  Sure we're more aware of the bad in the world, but why do we, ourselves, falter?  I, obviously, don't have the answer.  However, I am going to hold onto my dreams and strive to continue to be a positive influence for all those around me, especially my children.  

Things have a funny way of working out.  :)

Uhg.

Ugh.  It's official my computer is done with me.  I can no longer access anything.  I am having a rough end of the year.  I'm not going to complain to you though - don't worry.  I just thought I'd let you know what I am up to despite the setbacks.  I have changed the cover for "Not Human" at least for the paperback.  Apparently there was too much green in the photo and I couldn't get rid of it without making her sunburned.  (I am only an amateur in computer graphics.) So I was playing with exposure and came up with this:

I'm a big fan of black and whites, and to me this is beautiful.  So as far as my paperbacks go, I will hopefully have Not Human and The Shadow Dragon books 1 and 2 out in paperback in the new year.  Shortly I'm going to order the proofs of all three, make sure that I love them and then they'll be selling in paperback at amazon and createspace, which means I will have them on my book shelf!  (Yeah!)  Everything else is very slow going, since I am using the computer at the library it limits the time I have.  It would be great if I only had to write my books but such is not life, and of course the library isn't a 24hour facility.  I have picked up Story 3 again.  I think I'm going to cut it into a few smaller books.  With the learning and growing I've done as an author I think I can get this adventure off the ground.   I haven't actually looked at this story in over a year, but it's been whispering to me so I know I had better take a look.  Now that I have time in the evening with no computer I can read the printed manuscript.   I am still working on Story 13 and it is still growing.  The Shadow Dragon books have been simmering in my mind so as soon as I finish story 13, I will be working on that.  Unless of course I get Story 11 back from my busy friend - that will take precedence over everything. 

I am doing the best I can with what I have, and hopefully the books will keep coming so that no matter what I can put another story out there for you to enjoy! 

Book 11 update...errr...babbling

I started working on the cover for book 11!  I was pretty excited because I already knew what I wanted to do.  Unfortunately, it did not turn out the way I had pictured in my head.  In fact it looked horrible.   However, I came up with a few other ideas and after a couple of hours I created something that I liked.  It's simple, yet eye catching.  Now all I need is a Title!  Yep, darn thing.  I'm learning to laugh when I get to this point.  I can write full length novels, design my own covers (granted this isn't easy for me either, but I tend to enjoy the process), but coming up with a title is such an ordeal. 

My least favorite parts of writing a book are the title and the description.  These two things should be easy after all the work I put into the rest of it, but they're not.  I know I've complained about this in other blogs, so I'll keep it to a minimal.  I sure hope one day I laugh real hard about this.  I do laugh now, but not as heartily as I should (it's more of a "this is just ridiculous" laugh followed by "Grrr...").  I still have a little while because I'm still waiting for the third edited copy, but I seriously have no idea what to name it.  And yes, I'm stuck on the description too.
  
Me brainstorming the description:
"What's the book about?"  Sadly the first thing that comes to mind is: it's about a girl.  Ha ha, right?  A little humor: It's like in the first Spiderman movie when he says "every good story is about a girl."  Anyways, Story 11 is an adventure in space, obviously in the future, and nowhere near Earth.  The main character's name is Commander Emma Matix.   She takes on a mission, as a favor, to transport a deadly Kamtra prisoner.  She is led to believe that she is there for diplomacy, only to find that she's supposed to be a translator, but as things go awry, she's not sure that is the truth either.

See.  Ugh.  Lots of work still needed.  Well you've read my other descriptions, and they're not bad.  Granted I've had to change a couple of them because they were...not so good, and I'm certain that they're still not great.  Except maybe Taken's description since it is still my most downloaded book by a long shot.  The sales for that book have stayed consistent, and when I did the promo, it did over 3 times better in two weeks than it had done in a month a year ago May. 

Enough with the babbling.  At least now you know I have a cover and you know a little bit about the story.  It won't take me long to finish the writing process once I can sit down with my three edited copies.  It will take at least three months after that though due to the Copyright process, but at least when I finish the edits I will get to change my countdown clock!  Yeah!! 

Happy Halloween!

I hope you all get to enjoy being a kid and dressing up today (I'm dressing up like a biker chick - the rated G version), and maybe eat more candy than you should (I know I will be)!  

Scary things of the day.  1) Today is the last day to send me an email and get a free book!  Follow this link for more info.  2) I can't paint my daughter face or make it pink because of silly school rules.  (There was a lengthy list of no-no, and they only get to wear their costumes for a couple of hours.  Which I realized was very funny, because Kindergartners, middle schoolers, and high schoolers get to wear them all day.   3)  My oldest wasn't interested in dressing up.  Wake up call, again that he's getting older.  4) My computer will not allow me to work on my books so I only get another hour before I have to go and do other things to prepare for the rest of Halloween.  5) It's raining.  It's actually a beautiful rain that's wonderful for a lot of things (including hiking, running, soccer, dancing...) except for Halloween costumes.   I didn't say my list was a list of horrific things just scary... to me. 

Story updates: 
                    Story 13: started  reading it again last night. 
                   The Shadow Dragon:  Fixing the stupid errors in Aleksertac so I can put it and Orbs of Fire in paperback.  When I finish that, I will fix the revisions in the next book/s and then continue writing on that.  The thoughts are brewing and I am looking forward to having time to work on it!
                   Story 11 still waiting on my busy friend.  Hopefully though that will be ready for Copyright very soon.  Well once I get a title for it, of course.  Titles...Grr...
                  Story 9 has the same issue.   Which I guess is good, since I only have so much time at the library.  Ugh.
                 That's all I'm working on right now.  Story 10 and 12 are simmering in the back of my mind.  Story 4 frustrates me every time I try to sit with it.  Story 7 hasn't even interested me since I became sidetrack with with Story 8 (Not Human)  I also just realized that i have a book started that actually has a title and not a number it should have been 12, but umm...oops.   

I guess that's all for now.  I do want to work a little bit more on Aleksertac before I leave and take a walk in the beuatiful, warm rain.

Update on Story 13/ "The Shadow Dragon" series/reminder

I finished my first revision on Story 13!  I am going to do another read through because I added another 20,000 words to the story.  After I'm done, I am confident that after this next read through - and I fix those revisions - it will be ready for my "editors".  

I am also just over halfway through the next  The Shadow Dragon book.  It's better than I had thought it was and I'm very certain that it is going to be two books.  There is a lot of room for me to grow my newest character while still building the story's main characters.  I have to admit though, the pressure of not letting readers down sits a little heavier with each sequel.  I've read plenty of series books where I was disappointed with each book that was released.  I am trying to keep the adventure up, throwing in what I hope you won't see coming, while in other places letting you be happy that you knew what was coming.  This book/s is going to take a little longer to get out since I am not the fastest reader out there.  However reading a physical copy helps me step away from the fact that I wrote it.  This allows me to ask more questions about what is going on, notice discrepancies in the storyline, and see the overall ability of the action/adventure to keep me interested.

Just a reminder.  October 31st is the last day to take me up on my offer to buy you one of my books.  Want to know which books and how to get one follow this link!

One week left for a free book

One week left to get a free book!   You can choose from Taken:Marks of the Satrii, The Shadow Dragon: Orbs of Fire, or Not Human.  October 31st is the last day to take me up on this offer!   All you have to do is send an email to me (aschmidtbooks@gmail.com) with which title you'd like and which format you need or e-reader you have.  Really, it's that easy!   Below are the Titles and a description, above is the first chapter.

Taken:Marks of the Satrii:   Ava's day started out just like every other. She had no idea that when her best friend, Ashley, told her they were going out for a "girl's night" that her very normal life was about to take a turn that she never saw coming. She runs to the woods to escape the reality that she doesn't want to face, only to be hunted by shadows that shouldn't be there.

The Shadow Dragon: Orbs of Fire: When I was a child Alex took me to a Tournament, and ever since then I have been driven to become the greatest swordsman in all of Lord Vertas’ land. Alex taught me that to be a noteworthy swordsman I would have to train every day and endure the adversity of the world around me. However when orbs of fire make their presence known to me, my eyes are opened to a world that I didn’t know existed. A world where there are more than just mortals attempting to influence my future. Now, I must discover what is really important…if it’s not too late.  

Not Human:  In my fight for survival, my attempt to fit in, my desire to not become a horrific person I discovered that there are truths to my past that had been hidden from me, secrets that I was never supposed to learn. They thought they could manipulate me by preying upon my human weaknesses - my compassion, my need to belong, my desire to be loved. They expected the betrayal to cause me to kill for them.

My name is Rose Tronst and as my father once stated: A rose is delicate and beautiful, but when not handled with care will make you bleed.

Solace:Uncharted Territory:  (This book is a FREE book)   When Karissa is sent to Earth, she finds a creature named Jack. She is confident he will be the key to her freedom. In her hasty attempt to bring him before Omatha, she winds up in a tailspin of cataclysmic events that hurls her into uncharted territory. Could it be true that what she believes to be evil will be the one thing that saves her?
I hope those of you who have recieved a free book are enjoying the adventure!!

Just a reminder

Tomorrow I am putting "Taken:Marks of the Satrii" back to $2.99.  If you want to pick it up for FREE then you should go to Barnes&Nobles, Apple, Smashwords, Kobo, Diesel, or Sony and download a copy today (links are to the right).  

Unless of course, you want to shoot me an email (aschmidtbooks@gmail.com).  Then you have until the end of October to get it for FREE!  You've already read Taken, but would like a copy of The Shadow Dragon: Orbs of Fire, Not Human (which is a stand alone book), or Solace: Uncharted Territory (Actually this book is FREE everyday).  All you have to do is send an email to me before November 1st, let me know which title of the above listed, and format (or e-reader, I'll know which format).  I'll send you a copy and you will get to enjoy the next adventure!  Not sure which adventure to start.  A link to Chapter One for each book is above.  I look forward to hearing from you!

I'm about halfway through my revisions on Story 13 and am very happy with myself.  I did start writing a section that I had left blank because I didn't have that piece of the story, but I do now.   Have I mentioned that I love the revision process!   This week has not been the greatest for being able to write, but I am doing the best I can - trying hard to not get frustrated, because we all know how that only makes things worse. 

That's it for now.  Back to working on Story 13! 

More Computer Trouble

Ugh.  My computer is getting worse, making it very difficult to keep up with my goals.  At the moment, I am going to the library every morning after dropping my daughter off.  It sucks since I usually do most of my writing after the kids go to bed or before they wake up.  The day time is busy, especially now that my other job is picking up.  I really enjoy that job, but I love writing.  Why am I telling you all this.  Mostly to apologize for my lack of updates.  I once again, was going to put in a stronger effort to  blog more often.  

Now onto the updates:

I am now fixing my edits/revisions for story 13.  I have to admit I was pretty happy with the story for getting it written in two weeks.    There's quite a bit of red ink, but it's mostly just me adding more to the story.  Which is fun!  Seriously.  I really enjoy this part (wish there were more hours for me to do it, that I could type faster).  Don't get me wrong it would awesome to write the story perfectly, but I do enjoy developing the plots, changing how it is that my characters find out crucial information, creating the love story.  There is something really awesome to watch the story grow and develop with each reading until finally I read through it and go I can't believe I did that!  Then of course I hand it off and anticipate getting the comments back from my editors.  Story 13 is at 61,300 words already and I've only revised 6 chapters.

When I'm not at the Library I've started re-reading The Shadow Dragon book 3.  I think I've already commented on this, but I'm hoping that it will develop into books 3 and 4.  I'm only in the first chapter of this book, but I know my manuscript has so many ideas in it that I have a ton of expanding to do, which is why I think it will become two books - but we shall see.  

I've also read my adult book again., and decided to let my other friend read it for a second opinion, knowing that there are a few things I have already changed due to the feedback of another friend.  I told her to be mean, give me honest feedback, and any ideas or wording that would be better.  It's a really good story and if it fails again, I might just try to clean the story up and stick with that.  My friend whom I'm waiting on has a pretty busy life so this book is still kind of on the back burner.

Story 11 is still waiting on one last editor to get it back to me.  However, it looks like it will be complete after I fix the errors and address the opinions that they have on the story! 

All in all, I'm still making progress...just slower.  I am blessed that the library isn't too far away and that I have the time to get here (even if it is only for a few hours).  I am blessed that my friends and family are still supporting my dream, that my readers are still enjoying my books and passing the word along.  I am blessed that the stories and ideas continue to flow. 

Two year anniversary = Free book!

I was checking out my dashboard on Smashwords, and I realized that I published my first book 2 years ago today!  Wow!  In 2 years I've published 7 books!  I can't explain to you how excited that makes me!  Four-ish years ago I sat in front of a computer writing a book, which was supposed to be only for me - just to see if I could do it.  However my oldest son planted the bug of what if you published it (he actually said, "you're going to be famous", but my confidence didn't allow me to grasp that).  Of course not thinking that was even a possibility, the story that I worked on while my kids were sleeping grew into what is now Taken - books one and two.  As some of you might have already read, it wasn't an easy job for a couple of my friends to push me into e-publishing.  Shortly afterwards I realized: I am my own worst enemy.  (Because my books are selling)  In those two years before I published I was also working on a second book, which is still in manuscript form (because I just haven't had the time to really give it the love it needs - this is the book that will only be out in paperback when it's done.).  I remember thinking when these two books are done what will happen next.  However, since I've published I haven't been able to stop writing and I really don't want to!  I've written 12 stories - not including their sequels.  All thanks to those who believed in me more than I did!  I really am thankful to each and everyone of them!  When I wrote Taken, Ava's character empowered me and allowed me step out of what I had become.  But it is with the support of my family and friends that I have continued to tap into the strength and confidents that I found while writing my first book.  I have taken that energy and focused it into something that I think most people will enjoy! 


So, in honor of this awesome occasion I am going to do to two things:

First: I have made Taken: Marks of the Satrii FREE.  You'll be able to pick it up at any of the links to the right.  (I did this today so you may have to keep checking back at your particular store, but it should show up in the next couple of days if it hasn't already!)  This is a limited time offer.  Two weeks after it is FREE at Barnes&Nobles and Apple, I will put the price back up to $2.99

Second:  For the month of October, if you would like to read the first book in any series that I've written let me know and I will send you the ebook for the e-reader of your choice!  Just email me your email address, which book you'd like (my email is aschmidtbooks@gmail.com), and I will send it to you within a couple of days!  Yep, that easy!  The titles are:

    Taken Marks of the Satrii
    Solace: Uncharted Territory
    The Shadow Dragon: Orbs of Fire
    Not Human

Happy reading!

A little different

I changed things around a little. 

Now at the top you can read a chapter to my books. 

To the left is still the cover art, below that are different ways you can follow this blog: email, RSS feed, and/or signing up with Google to follow this blog. 

On the right is where you can find my links to my Ebooks, my paperbacks, information about if (your curious or want to shoot me a message you can also find my email address), my books at Smashwords (because they deserve a special place on my blog since they gave me the opportunity and help I needed to share my stories with you), a link to my facebook page, twitter, blog archive, a way to share my post with others, and books I've read. 

I hope you enjoy the brighter look.  If you have any ideas - things you'd like to see on my blog - let me know I'm always open to opinions! 

Story 13 maunscript

Printed my first manuscript for Story 13.  I'm going to put it a side for a couple of days, let it linger in my thoughts before I read it.  No, it's not done, but it is close.  I mean it is done in the context that it has a beginning, middle, and end.   However there is still more to the story that needs to be added and I have to move some things around.  (I keep telling my boys they need to invent the Ironman computer - Jarvis - so I can look at multiple pages in front of me and shift things around or edit them out with my fingers.  They smile and I know they're wondering just what it would take to make that computer real.) For now though I just print it.  It's easier for me to look at it in hardcopy.  I can circle things and write down where I want to move it and easily flip back and forth between where I have one thing at and where I think I want it.  Plus my brain sees it in a different light and I will expand on what I've already written.  Right now it is 58,600 words.  It only needs 1,400 more words and it will "officially" become a novel.  I am not the least bit worried about it not being long enough.  Because I already know that there is a lot of things I want to add to it.  In fact, I had to cut myself off today because as I continued to write I realized that I was starting a second book for this book.  So I'm curious to see how all of this goes!    Now, I realize I've just made more work for myself.  I was thinking that I was only writing my ideas down, but now it's a book.  I still want to get my Dragon book(s) finished, clean up the adult book, work on my not ebook book, put some time into a couple of other books that keep poking out in my mind, and - luckily- story 11 is still in the hands of my editors.  Oh well, one day I might just catch up to all the stories I am working on, but somehow I think that is a long shot.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.  I love writing, dreaming, and getting lost in each world and character that I create.  I would be really sad if I had nothing to work on.  Now, with that being said, back to work! 

More on story 13!

I started story 13 just 11 days ago.  And although it isn't finished, it is at 50,000 words.  What has me even more proud of myself is that I haven't printed off a manuscript to proof and expand on the story yet!  Of course I plan on doing that soon, but still I'm pretty impressed with what I have accomplished!  Thank you "StrangledHold" by Ted Nugent!!   Here's the song if you are unfamiliar:

 

 

It's not the words of the song, it's the music.  I love that I can see a particular scene every time I hear this song!  It never ceases to amaze me how music can bring ideas to life.    Enjoy the music!

Story 13?!

I knew I wanted to start another book, because I had several ideas.  However, I wasn't trying to put anything together because I want to get the dragon books done.  Be that as it may be, things never go as I plan.   I was in my car last week and the Ted Nugent song "StrangleHold" starts playing.  I love the guitar rifts in that song!  I'd be okay if there wasn't any singing in it at all!  It's pretty awesome.  Anyways, the next thing I know a scene for my next book (Story 13) flows through my mind.  I fought off writing it, trying to focus on the dragon book, but this story continued to unfurl.  (And I heard the song on the radio two more times, each time the scene played out with a little more detail.)  What do I mean by unfurl?  I mean in less than 24 hours I had written 16,000 words (approx. 30 pages, 12pt, new times roman, single spaced), and I haven't even got to the scene that I cannot wait to write.  It probably will take a bit longer to finish the story though, because when I get enough of it out of my mind, I'll be going back to The Shadow Dragon series.  Sometimes I wish I typed faster, or there were more hours in the day that I could write. 

My inspiration for Not Human

I had woken up one morning with the beginning of Not Human in my head.  But it was while I was practicing Tai Chi later that the book really came to life for me. 

While I was on vacation, I practiced on the shore of Lake Huron.  This particular morning, I was up before the sun.  I do this sequence of movements 3 to 4 times in a row usually in the morning and always after a good workout.  This video consists of 42 movements at sunrise.  Although, I'm not prefect in this video, it was too amazing not to share.  I wish my camera could have picked up the red hue of the sun that morning because then you'd see the true color of Zatak's eyes (or at least how I see them).  Tai Chi is a huge influence in my life and my writing.  It is the balance in my hectic, sprinter-mentality life, and has helped me through some of the most stressful moments of recent events in my life.  I hope you enjoy this.

Update on "The Shadow Dragon" book 3

Finished the manuscript for The Shadow Dragon: book 3 (49,000 words) before I left for a week long camping trip!  Read through the entire book and I suspect that the book is going to grow a lot more.  (the voice in my head said this will be books 3 and 4, but I'm not going to think that way...yet)  This story has so much room to grow and there is so much that goes on that there is a lot of things missing, which of course I don't mind because this means I have a lot more writing to do.  Still waiting to get Story 11 back from one more editor, and I still want to revisit my adult book.  With all that being said I've really been wanting to work on books 3 and 4, and another story idea has been sneaking around in my thoughts.  I love going camping with my kids.  We have so much fun, and it is so relaxing.  This year, my younger son (who is 12) and I did a 22-mile hike (one way in one day on the NCT: aka the North Country Trail) with my cousin through the spectacular forests of Michigan.  Talk about amazing and inspiring!  We also hung out on the sandy beach of Lake Huron, enjoyed campfires, ate lots of Smores, laughed, and we were sad when it was time to go home.  It was cool to be working on The Shadow Dragon, since it was two years ago when I awoke in my tent with the first book in my head. 

Hope you are enjoying your summer too!

"Not Human" and other updates

Not Human is now selling at Apple, Barnes&Nobles, Kobo, Sony, Diesel, and of course Smashwords!!  (There are links to the right that will take you to each page) I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do!

Also, I am 42,000 words into The Shadow Dragon(book 3).  I am very excited about this since I have not written the end nor have I revised it.  I hope to have the guts written by the end of next week.  I am going camping soon and am looking forward to taking the manuscript, sitting back, and making this story even better!

Story 11 is still with my editors, but I've been told that it too is a good story!  Which of course makes me smile.  I'm always worried that they'll tell me that it needs work (and they're not talking about my grammer) or that they were disappointed. 

Once I have these two books done or they come to a lull, I am anticipating working on my adult book(Story 10), story 9, and story 12 .  

Sorry that this post is short.   I've been super busy, but I wanted to let you know that I am still working hard to get more books out. 

"Not Human" at Smashwords

Woo Hoo!!  Not Human is now selling at Smashwords.com.  Within the next two weeks it should be everywhere.  The seventh book I've published.  I can't believe that just a few years ago I couldn't even image being able to write a book, let alone publish one!  Taken was published in October of 2011 and now in July of 2013 I have published my 7th book!!   I just cannot contain the excitement for this book!   I really hope you enjoy this story!  I still cannot read it and not get sucked in!  

Happy 4th of July and other ramblings! :)

1)    Happy 4th of July!  A day to remember our history, those that have fought for our freedoms, the heroes that loved someone enough to decide that they would protect them with their life if necessary, this country was built on dreams and new ideas.  It is a day of fun and celebration too.  For me this day also means a game of fun baseball (no strikes, stealing bases...literally, getting in the way of the runner, and the game ending in a tie and lots of laughs.  These rules were put in place long before I was born), too much crap food (I made three different snack foods that are stock full of sugar and will be out all day to snag as we run around like crazy people), hot dogs cooked over a bonfire, smores, fireworks, family, and friends. 

2)    Ha ha!  I left the post title blank and a warning came up to tell me it is required and must not be left blank.  Ugh!  I shouldn't be required to title my posts, it seems silly.  It's supposed to be my blog, and it just so happens that titles are a stress factor for me...although perhaps having to title my blogs will help me with my books...not likely, but possibly.  Okay I should be sleeping right now but I have so much I wanted to share with you that I decided to blog instead (so bear with me).

3)    Not Human is all set.  Just waiting on the Copyright office to close that file.  The paperback is going to have to wait though because I'm having issues with the color.  I sure wish I had the time to learn more about computer graphics along with the money to buy an awesome program.  Anyways, I have the book all formatted for Smashwords.com, the cover ready, and well I am super excited about this book.  I know I'm excited about every book I publish, but you can't blame me for that.  I picked up Taken earlier today, just for fun, and I honestly cannot believe that I wrote it.  Not Human is my favorite book so far, and you all know how much I like all my books.  I can't quite put my finger on why that is.  I just know that every time I read it, I think man I wish there was another book to this story, but I really don't think there will be.  (I know, I wrote it.)  Right now, to me, it is complete.  But I did not put "The End" on it because honestly I never know what will happen.   One thing is for sure, Not Human will be released in less than 2 weeks!  And you will get to follow Rose on an adventure that is unlike all my other stories. 

4)     I have finally finished my newest book (Story 11).  No, no title yet.  Hopefully it will come to me after my editors read through it.  I do however have the cover mostly figured out.  This story was an interesting write.  There is going to be a flower on the cover.  Why a flower?  Well, it was what inspired the story.  My daughter had to have this sparking pink flower and as she held it in her hands, I smiled.  I couldn't stop thinking how it would make an awesome cover.  Of course I needed a story for it first.  And that was how Story 11 was started.  (I keep telling you inspiration is everywhere.)  But that wasn't the most fun part for me.  I was talking with a friend awhile back, telling them how excited I was to finish it because I wanted to know who the bad guy was, it could have been anyone but my mind had not shown me who at the time.  And honestly I had to write the ending twice because when I re-read the book, it wasn't right.  With a slight tweak, I was happy with the outcome.  Now I have to wait to see what my editors think... summer is a little slower for getting my books edited.  Which is fine, because if I've learned one thing, it is things never go as planned - for example  I had hoped to have two more books out before Christmas (this one and my adult book which has been placed on the back burner due to my friend pointing out a problem that I hadn't noticed when I wrote it).  Now it doesn't look like I will accomplish that. 

5)    On the up and up side, now that this Story 11 is done, I can focus on The Shadow Dragon book 3!  The images and ideas (which includes the subtitle "Eternal" - maybe) for this book  made it very difficult to finish my revisions on Story 11.  So as you can imagine I am very excited to get started, but I wanted to update you on what I've been doing.

6)    One last thing,  Smashwords.com is having their annual Summer/Winter sale (because it's summer here and winter on the other side of the planet).  I have made The Shadow Dragon:Orbs of Fire free for this sale.  (Click here to get to the page)  There is a coupon code which on the page, and it is only free at Smashwords.com.  I'm not sure if I'll keep it free all month so you should check it out (along with books from other IndieAuthors)!! 

Read Chapter one

Less than six weeks to go until the release of NOT HUMAN!  To the left, under Read a Chapter, I have added the Prologue and Chapter 1 for you to read!  I hope you enjoy it!  I am currently giving it one final read through and then I'll be formatting it for Smashwords so that when I get the copyright ok, I can publish it with Smashwords and then they'll send it out to Barnes&Nobles, Apple, Kobo, Diesel, and Sony.   Once I have all that completed I will work on formatting it for paper back.  

I am still working on getting Story 9 finished (which as much as I want to say it's done it's not). I read it for revisions and then ended up reading it as I fixed the revisions on my computer ,and well....I've add more details.  Not just a couple of details, more like the story went from 60,000 words to 87,000 words.  So now I am going to read it again.   Story 11 which is my attempt at an adult book is still in the hands of my friends.  So neither of those stories are going to be done as soon as I had hoped, but I'd much rather put out a good story than a partly good story. 

For those of you still waiting on the third Dragon book I am still working on that.   Not as much as I want to, but I don't want to just throw it together to get it out.  Thank you for your patience on that one.   The Paperback for the first two Shadow Dragon books is in the works.  I'm having trouble with the orbs of fire on the cover (it should have been so easy.  It's the simplest cover I've ever done, and yet it is giving me all kinds of issues - with pixels.   Grrr...)

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the first chapter to NOT HUMAN! 

Blurb for NOT HUMAN

In my fight for survival, my attempt to fit in, my desire to not become a horrific person, I discovered that there are truths to my past that had been hidden from me, secrets that I was never supposed to learn.  They thought they could manipulate me by preying upon my human weaknesses - my compassion, my need to belong, my desire to be loved.  They expected the betrayal to cause me to kill for them.

My name is Rose Tronst and as my father once stated:  A rose is delicate and beautiful, but when not handled with care will make you bleed. 

Inspiration for the Tamisa in "Solace: Lost"

I was asked where does inspiration come from?  My answer: Everywhere.  Sometimes it's as I walk through the woods, or a small event that I witness and I think what if, or while I practice Tai Chi  - the moments after, or while I'm exercising, and sometimes it comes from a song I hear.   Music is a huge inspiration for me just as much as being outside away from the business of life.

Today I decided to share how the Tamisa was created that is in the 2nd book of Solace.  I was driving to Stoney, listening to a CD I had copied from my playlist when this song played through.  I could feel everything.  The air around Karissa, the energy that moved tried to envelop her, Karissa's curiosity that she didn't want to listen to, her untrusting nature.   However as the rhythms began to play she allowed the music to move through her.  I could visualize the way the universe would thrust her away from those that would never give her the answer she sought.  (Of course I replayed this song over and over getting a little more of the scene that I was about to write) Visualizing the others around her, the way they disappeared, the way they fade but didn't disappear as they avoided the shadows around them.  I could sense Karissa's fears, and beliefs, how they all faded from her as his hand slid onto her side.  Her tears as she refused to believe what she knew deep inside her to be true.  As the music continued to play through I saw Astaza move herself closer to him and how he looked away from Karissa.  Then as I allowed my CD to play into the next song the scene continued as Karissa ran from him, from what she wouldn't allow to happen.  Tears that ran down her face.  How she couldn't understand how the universe did not see that he would die if he continued to stay with her.  How could the universe want him dead?  He was all that was good, the opposite of her.  The music brought his gentle touch,  her refusal to let him be close to her, the fight that she began against him.  She needed him to live.   His arms embraced her and he explained how he felt, forcing her with gentle words, to see the truth.

Here are the two songs that inspired the Tamisa scene in Solace: Lost. (Click on the titles if you want to hear the music.)  The first song is Santa Maria by the Gotan Project.  The second song is Secrets by OneRepublic. 

Not Human Cover

Okay here's the cover for Not Human:

 

 

 

Prologue

 

After the Syntai arrived, everything changed on Earth - for the better it seemed.  The Syntai people had integrated into our society perfectly, and the planet as a whole became as peaceful as the Syntai seemed.  I personally hadn’t ever interacted with them, but they appeared to be like everyone else on this world.  They had families, their children went to school, the adults went to work, and for the most part they were upstanding citizens.  My father had said that the Syntai were an extremely intelligent race.  He had told me how they took high ranking positions in the military, the medical field, and some were even working with the government leaders.  Like us humans, some were amazingly gifted, while the others just lived a life that simply made them happy.  

    It was after my sixteenth birthday when history began repeating itself.   Through the history of human life every so many years there would be a war waged against a certain type of people, claiming that they were dangerous and cruel.  This time, however, the general public was not as quick to jump on board.  We were not going to go up against a race just because they were different.  The media eagerly led us to believe that the Syntai were attacking our cities, but stories slowly began to leak out about government paranoids capturing the Syntai and killing them long before the first attack.  

    The Global Government dished out propaganda, and the media all too willingly fed it to us, lacing it with as much fear as they could.  They began blaming the Syntai for the sudden changes in the atmosphere, the weather, the growing deserts, the disappearance of people, and even the destruction of whole cities.  They argued that the Syntai had strategically placed themselves within our society to destroy the human race.  Not all of us bought into it, especially since we had another feed of information, which took the government several years to find its source and shut it down. 

    This illegal feed of information was known as The Underground.  It had been around for years, but had fallen silent shortly after the awareness of Syntai integration was peaceful among the nay-sayers.  It wasn’t until the government had begun weaving its web of lies did the Underground reconnect with the world.  According to the Underground, it was the Global Government behind what had happened, that the cities that were destroyed - killing practically everyone who lived there - were actually war zones between the government and the Syntai.  The problem was that it was not clear who struck first.

   After The Underground was silenced, the government began to openly strike down the Syntai and anyone who tried to help, causing the human race to divide.  Soon everything was in chaos.  No one knew who to trust.  It wasn’t long before people began trying to take matters into their own hands, and the hope for a peaceful resolution quickly disappeared. 

   The Global Government had lost control and raised its ugly head.  It created fortresses known as Facilities - very few people who were forced to enter ever came back out.  The Global Government tightened its hold on civilization by sanctioning guidelines that you were to follow if you wanted to live.  These rules drew a very thin line which stated that if you did not meet their criteria then you were against them, if you challenged any of their rulings then you were against them, if you did anything that you were told not to do then you were against them.   Many died in the uprising that followed. 

   There are now three sides you can pick from.  First, is the Iron Fist, formally known as the Global Government.  The second is the Syntai, which humans didn’t join because the Syntai had become impossible to find.  There were rumors that they hadn’t left the planet, but sightings were far and few between.  The third is the Family, a group of individuals that have bonded together out of necessity.  This is the group that humans who have any individuality and spirit left have accepted to be a part of - because the Iron Fist would destroy you for those two flaws. 

 

Working hard to get my books done.  After trouble with my printer, I was able to get it up and running again (took me a couple of days to decide that best plan of action was to remove it and re-install it - I had to remember where I put the disc).  I have printed off my adult book  to send to a couple of people to see if it's been worth my time.  I've also finished story 11 - yea, they both are in need of titles.  I think I'm going to do one more read through on Story 11.  I changed the ending because as I was fixing my revision on my computer I realized it was not a good ending and there were a lot of unanswered questions, leaving me a little frustrated.  Luckily I woke the other morning with a better ending.  Yeah!!   I've also started a new story.  Right now it's more just a lot of ideas... a little different process than usual, so I'm curious to see how it works out. 

As of right now I've published stories: 1, 5, 6, 8 is at copyright, 9 is going to a couple of people, and 11 is almost ready for my editors.    So what about all the missing stories.  Okay well 2 is actually book 3 of Taken.  I've only written about 10,000 words for that one.  Story 3 is my longest written story and isn't finished (because I will not be able to Ebook it since I haven't found a way to work with a third font style that doesn't leave the reader confused.  I had put it on the back burner since at the time I hadn't decided to publish paperback) but I am very excited to get back to this story, Story 4 was almost done when my computer decided to erase most of it, I about cried.  I was able to scavenge a chunk of it, so I've been working on it a little bit here and there until I get frustrated with what had happened, Story 7 is only about 10,000 words and hasn't taken on a life of it's own yet.  Story 9 I really like, but just haven't had the time to keep working on it.  Story 12 is also waiting for my time, and Story 13 is my latest endeavor, lots of idea but not much of a story...yet!    I am also working on The Shadow Dragon (book 3). 

So what do I do with my spare time, or not so spare time, I write.  I write because I love it, because I know that people love to read a good story.  I write because I want my children to never forget how important it is to see outside the box, to believe that anything is possible.  I write because one day I woke up and realized that I had lost my dream, and now I get to share with people everywhere, people who yearn for adventure, who want to get lost in someone else's world for a little bit.    In just over 2 months Not Human will be released.   I will have published 4 stories (7 books) since October of 2011.  I have already done more than I thought possible, and I am truly blessed to be able to continue!

Next Book

The release countdown for Not Human has officially begun!  I just love that feeling of looking at my Copyright account and seeing another title listed!!   What a sense of accomplishment, disbelief, and excitement it leaves me with!    Now the 90 days, as those of you who've been following me from the beginning know, is an approximation.  It mostly has to do with how long the copyright process takes to be completed.  However 90 days seems to be perfect by the time it gets distributed to Barnes&Nobles, Apple, Kobo, Diesel, and Sony.  Smashwords usually has it up a week or so earlier, and they should have that privilege since they helped make my dream a reality!

Now about the story, I've already given you a little piece but here it is again:

Not Human is still fantasy/adventure mixed with love story.  It is set here on Earth, but not as we know it.  After things go very wrong, the inhabitants of the planet belong to one of three groups: the Iron Fist, the Syntai , or the Family.

Now who are these groups.  Here's a taste of who they are:

• The Iron Fist is a group of people that use to comprise the Global Government, along with those that have accepted to live by their rules.

 

• The Syntai are a group of people that were not born here on Earth, but had contributed to society in a positive manner - very similarly to most humans.

 

• The Family is the people who do not fit into the two groups already listed.  They are trying to survive, fighting for the world that once was worth living in.

 

Wow, I had no idea that it has been almost a month since I last wrote anything here.  On the upside I have been writing and revising and editing, a lot.  I have three books with the guts done.  I will hopefully be sending Not Human to copyright within the next two weeks.  I am also almost ready to hand over another book to my editors - just a few more details to add.  This last time I read through it I hardly made any changes.  And my attempt at an adult romance book is going to go to a friend very soon too (to make sure that I'm not biased that its a good story and that those scenes read in a good way). 

So hopefully in the next six months I will publish three more books!  This means that I will have 6 stories, of the 12  that I have started, published - which (with the sequels) will make 9 published books all together!!  It's crazy because I've had a couple of other story ideas too, but until those ideas become overwhelming they will simmer in the back of my mind. 

I do apologize for the lack of updates lately, but life sometimes overloads my time, plus as I mentioned earlier, I have been really focused on these three books, plus I'm getting The Shadow Dragon ready for print.  That ended up being a bigger project than expected, not so much the formatting, but getting the cover to look good.  It's because I went into it thinking "this will be so easy."  You think I'd learn by now.   And to top it off my computer has been having issues - I was ready to start going to the library everyday.  You know what though I didn't give up getting what I wanted to get done (and three books are almost completed), soccer season has begun, and the weather can only get better (although that might not be a good thing for me to stay seated to write.)  The third dragon book is my next focus as soon as I get these three books off to their next destinations. 

Title of next book

Now that Solace: Lost is out for your enjoyment, I can tell you about the next book. 

This is a whole other story, which means it doesn't belong to any of the three other titles.   This book (Story 8) is still fantasy/adventure mixed with love story.  It is set here on Earth, but not as we know it.  After things go very wrong, the inhabitants of the planet belong to one of three groups: the Iron Fist, the Family, or the Syntai.     I already have the cover done (well mostly, it needs a few touch ups).  The story is complete (115,675 words  - it will probably be a little longer when I finish my final revisions).    And amazingly enough I did not struggle with a title for this book! 

The title of this book is :

Not Human

Solace: Lost

 

Lost is something Karissa has never been…until she met Jack. He awakened a truth that Omatha had never allowed, causing Karissa to enter into uncharted territory. Even with all her experience she is left struggling to find her way. She cannot fathom the events that have occurred. Events that have left her struggling with an inflicted weakness, battling those who want to collect the bounty on her life, fighting against a new evil, and through it all trying to figure out how she can keep Jack safe. Will Karissa be able to protect Jack from the evils that are hunting her without destroying him herself?

 

 





Solace(Book 2): Lost is officially released!  You can find the ebook on all the sights to the right, except Sony (as of today they have not shelved it).   I was even able to get this book formatted in paperback.  So you can buy a hard copy at Createspace.com now as well (it should be at Amazon by the end of the week)!     

Read an Ebook Week!

From now until March 9th a lot of Smashwords authors are discounting their books anywhere from 25% off to 100% off (yes, that means FREE!).  So if you're looking for something new to read you should really check this out!  I have three books discounted at 100% off - the first book of each title!  Also, if you know of any other avid readers, this is a great opppurtunity for you to pass on the wonderful creativity of independent authors!!  Just click here for a look into Read an Ebook Week!  (These discounts are only at Smashwords.com) Or here for my books - there's a coupon code RW100 on the book page of Taken: Marks of the Satrii and The Shadow Dragon: Orbs of Fire to use when you download the books.  Solace: Uncharted Territory is already FREE so you can just download it.  Have fun shopping for new books! 

FREE!

 I am so excited about being able to share Solace: Lost with you that I decided to make Solace:Uncharted Territory a FREE ebook!   This way that you can get it and read it before the second book is offically out!  So take me up on this and download a FREE copy (there are links to the right that will take you to my books)!  As of this post it is marked FREE at Smashwords, Barnes&Nobles, Apple, and Kobo.  And Solace: Lost is only at Smashwords (it has been distrubuted to all the other stores, but usually takes a couple of weeks for it to get on the ebookshelves.)   I hope you enjoy Karissa and Jack's adventure!!

Lots going on!

Woo Hoo!  Solace:Lost is now for sale at Smashwords.com!  It will start showing up at Apple, Barnes&Nobles, Sony, Diesel, and Kobo in the in the next few weeks!!  So all the stores should have my book in their estores in the next 21 days. (Right on time - and maybe a little earlier!!)

Also I've been revising and reformating both Taken books and Solace: Lost for paperback.  Taken: Marks of the Satrii should be selling shortly at CreateSpace and Amazon (paperback only).   Taken: Blades of the Ytinu Srebas and Solace: Lost should be selling in paperback within the next month!! 

I'm holding off on the Shadow Dragon series because I'm writing a third book  (I have the first half of the third book done), and I want to be able to focus on just that story when I start refomating it for paperback.  And right now I'm too busy with my "Adult" book, Story XII, and I'll be picking up Story VIII from my "editors" this week - which I am most excited about.  Story IV has been asking to be worked on (I wake up thinking about it, and when I'm out hiking it drifts through my mind), and I really really want to work on Story III (this will only be available in paperback - for now), but alas, it has to wait until I have more time.

So very excited about how soon the release for Solace: Lost will be available!   This book took more hours to write than Uncharted Territories, but I think it's just as good if not better.  I really enjoyed writing this adventure.  It hit a total of 109,568 words.  I considered cutting the book into two books, especially when I had the ending written before the book was finished.  This is very rare.  I usually don't know the ending until I get there...unless the ending was what inspired the book, but I still don't write it until I get there.  Anyways, I couldn't bring myself to do cut the book up.  This adventure is weaves in and out of the new and old.  It builds on a few things that I touch on in the first book, with some new antagonists, new worlds, and of course the the underlying theme of how Karissa is going to deal with Jack.  With that being said two books would have ruined the story, and as a reader I would not have appreciated the mess that would have been the middle book.  Obviously I'm not against being left hanging, but something needs to be resolved.  When nothing is resolved and I'm just left with a lot of information I get irritated with the book, so as an author I try not to do that.

Someone asked if I liked Solace more than Taken.  At first I wanted to say yes, but that wouldn't be accurate.  Then when I tried to analyze why (something I've found myself doing a lot in the last few years) I realized that they are different enough from each other that I don't compare them.   I mean they are both an adventure/love story with a touch of sci-fi (there's no getting around that), but the other qualities are different in each story.   As it should be.  I really enjoy writing adventure/love stories (and I haven't been inspired to write anything else), but I definitely do not want them to be the same story with a different background.  Life is full of variety and it makes things interesting and exciting, and that is what I try to keep alive in my writing.

One last thing before I get back to working on my books.  Now that I have Solace:Uncharted Territory out in paperback.  I have begun reformatting Taken: Marks of the Satrii to become a paperback as well.  Hopefully, with already having done one book, this process will move along quicker.  Plus, it helps that Tammy did the cover for me because she had everything that was needed: the idea, good graphic programs, and not too mention she is amazing.  I am truly grateful, because I was able to use the time to work on other things: such as getting Solace into paperback, reformatting Solace: Lost for paperback (still in the works), writing on a story(that I now almost have the guts done), tweaking a few other stories.   I will keep you up to date as my books slowly enter the paperback world. 

Solace: Uncharted Territory

 

When I found Jack I knew that my life would change.

  I just didn’t expect that his desire for my death

would send me on a path to accept what

 I had believed was evil.

Woo Hoo!!  Solace: Uncharted Territory is now for sale as a paperback!  The cost is $9.99, which is more than I wanted to sell it for, but the costs of making a book played big into the price.  So much so that the idea had to simmer in my head for a long time.  I don't get to keep much of that price, but what I do keep is the same as I do for the ebook (that logic worked for me).  That, plus I've had a lot of requests for my books to be in hardcopy form.    The ebook still sells for $2.99 - that won't change.   To purchase the paperback click here.

On a personal note, this is super exciting!  I can now put my book on my "favorite books" book shelf!  All the hard work, effort, and time can be placed where I can see it everyday, reminding me that it was all worth it, that the rewards are great, that I have achieved something that others never thought I would.  Most importantly, I believe in my dream and it keeps becoming reality.   Now, back to writing! 

Less than 6 weeks!!

Less than six weeks left until the release of "Solace(book 2): Lost"!!   I just wanted to share the description for the story:

Lost is something Karissa has never been…until she met Jack.  He awakened a truth that Omatha had never allowed, causing Karissa to enter into uncharted territory. Even with all her experience she is left struggling to find her way.  She cannot fathom the events that have occurred.  Events that have left her struggling with an inflicted weakness, battling those who want to collect the bounty on her life, fighting against a new evil, and through it all trying to figure out how she can keep Jack safe.  Will Karissa be able to protect Jack from the evils that are hunting her without destroying him herself?

Just ordered what I hope is the last proof for my first story to be published as an actual book: Solace: Uncharted Territory!  I am pleased with the cover, but I decided to read it again and found some errors that I couldn't ignore.  So I fixed them and I'm going to re-read it one more time just to appease my worrying self, and then it should be set to go.  I am also going to upload the revisions to the ebook as well.  I'm sorry that I did not see them when I originally published the story. 

Solace: Lost is still on target for the March ebook release.  I will eventually put this story into book form as well.  I hope by the end of the year to have all my books in book form, mostly because I want to put them on my shelf reserved for books I love to read.  I still fall in love with the characters when I read my own books just like the other books that are among my favorites.  Perhaps that's because I can't believe that the story was written by me.  You would think that with the amount of time I've put into reading and re-reading to get the story the way I want it that I wouldn't want to look at it ever again.  But it's just not the case, I love these stories.  I love the adventure, and the relationship that grows between the characters. 

My editors still have the next book that I will have a release countdown for.  I am really excited about this book.  I don't know what to tell you about it...  other than it took a life of its own after an idea I had while I was practicing Tai Chi.  It wasn't really a story idea, but here I am with a book that as of right now is 115,575words (again research says a novel is about 60,000words).   So, we'll see what happens after my editors get a look at it.

I have also finished the guts to an adult story, which means my kids will have to wait until they're 18.  If I decide to even publish it.  I have a friend who is going to take a look at it for me and make sure it isn't as bad as I'm afraid it is.  Not that I don't like it - the story is great, but maybe I shouldn't try to go into the adult playground - it is still in it's roughest form, none the less I've never written a bedroom scene.  Whatever possessed me to try, I have no idea.  So we will have to wait and see what happens with that. 

I guess that's covers my author news.  Life is a whirlwind right now and I'm just trying to keep up, keep smiling, and keep loving each and every blessing in my life. 

Cover for Solace(book 2): Lost

 

Less than two months to go!  Here's the cover for book 2 entitled Lost. 

 

I am so excited that this book will be out there for you to read in less than two months!!  This book took longer than usual - longer than I wanted - for me to put together, but I am not disappointed.  This adventure turned out better than I expected.  I cannot wait for its release!!

 

 



A New Year

Last year I epublished four books.  A feat that I am quite proud of.  So what's in store for this year?   This year I already have one book with a release date, one with my editors, three that I'm preparing for soft cover, and six other stories in the works.  Will all six of those stories make it out this year?  I have no idea, but it would be cool if they did.  One of the stories is the third book to The Shadow Dragon series.  Another will not become an ebook because of the way I wrote it (fonts are limited in the ebook world) so to avoid confusion I'm going to keep it the way I wrote it and use the Print On Demand service. I have four all knew adventures that I am enjoying writing and are nearing completion.  According to my computer I have eleven stories in all and that does not include sequels.  Unfortunately my days lack enough time to write as much as I would like, so I do what I can  in my spare time and try to stay focused on writing adventures that people will enjoy reading as much as I do writing it. 

As of recently I've been recieving emails from people telling me how much they have enjoyed one of my books.  I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate those emails.  Writing in itself fulfills so much in my life, but to know that my stories are keeping people entertained is far beyond what I could have expected.  For those of you who have been reading my blogs or know me, you know that taking the step to put my first book out there was a giant step for me, and I really didn't expect much (but I did hoped that others would read it).  Starting my first book was just going to be journaling a dream I had, but then it took a life of its own and I ended up with two books (Taken).  Once I started book two, I began another story that I worked on at the same time (this is the book that will go straight to soft cover), and from there I haven't been able to stop writing.  I am always in awe that I have been able to put together these stories.  When I read them, I honestly cannot believe that I wrote them and I thank the Lord for blessing me with the courage to try and the talent to continue. 

So for the new year, I hope that this blessing of writing continues to flow.  I hope that I will compete the stories I've started and begin new stories for all to enjoy.  I hope that my children will continue to be proud of what I have accomplished, and learn to never give up on their dreams.