Shanlynn Walker's Blog, page 3
January 7, 2016
Available for Pre-order
Finally! Into the Myste is now available for pre-order (Kindle Edition only) and will be downloaded automatically to your preferred device on January 29th! To order, simply click the image of the book located at the top left of this page and it will take you to the ordering page. I cannot thank all of you enough for your kind words and support during this process. The response I received from the first book was great, and I really hope you enjoy the second just as much. For the winners of
January 6, 2016
Yaser and Yasmeen
Recently I was asked to read and review a very unusual book called Yaser and Yasmeen. I will be the first to admit it is not a book I would have picked up to read myself, but variety is the spice of life, they say, and this is certainly a spice I hadn't tried before. This book is written completely in poetry. Disclaimer here: I normally don't like poetry. In fact, other than some Edgar Allen Poe, I'd say I really just don't like it. But, this book is not written in a heavy lyrical style
December 31, 2015
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! It's now the new year where everything seems fresh and promising once again. I decided I wouldn't do any sort of resolution this year, mainly because I try to work on myself a little throughout the year instead of just at the beginning. I feel I have a better chance of succeeding that way. Into the Myste is coming along well. It should be available for pre-order soon, within the next week I think. I've redone my website, so if you haven't visited it
December 20, 2015
Upcoming New Release - Into the Myste
It has been a long journey to finally get here, but we are almost to the finish line. I have completed the second book, and it is now out with beta readers to be tweaked and refined. Speaking of beta readers, they are unsung heroes for authors, and some are authors themselves. I'd like to give a special thanks to the ones helping me with my book now.
First is Emily, I won't say her last name because I don't know that she would want me to. She has wonderful editing skills, is very thorough and detail oriented, and she has already helped me improve my book so much with her feedback. A great woman, Emily works a full time job and probably puts in over 10 hours a day, and still finds time to help me out. She's the best.
I'd also like to thank Robert Grey and Ana Elise Meyer. Both are authors and both have been very helpful with my endeavor. Ana Elise Meyer has a blog where she reviews books, and she also has a series she has written, the second of which is due out soon. Robert Grey also has a book out called The Boy Genius Detective Agency. If you have children who love to read adventure/futuristic/detective books, they should give this one a try. It's action packed right from the beginning. Robert is exceptionally helpful, a wealth of information, and very thorough, I'm looking forward to his critique of my second book.
Finally, I'd also like to thank my mother, Jeanie, for all the editing work she has done for me, making sure I didn't use the same words over and over, and helping me structure my sentences better. You did an amazing job of pointing out where I was being repetitive or unclear, and for that, you're awesome.
I'm sure some of you are wondering about the length of the second book. My biggest complaint to date has been how short the first story is, and hey, it's a good problem to have. When your biggest problem is people want more, you don't really have a problem. But, I can't say for sure since there will be some re-writing once the beta readers are finished, it looks like this book finished with a little over 40k words, as opposed to about 25k with the first. So, yes, it's definitely longer. And it was a blast to write. Now I just have to get the story straight in my head for the third book, but I'm taking just a little time to enjoy this accomplishment first.
I've never done this before, but I would also like to give a special thanks to my fans, one in particular. I don't have many, really, but the ones I do have are awesome. Especially, I'd like to thank Starr (I'm only giving her first name here, but she should know who she is), who always seems to follow my blog posts. She reviewed my first book, and I'm hopeful she will also review my second. Just about anywhere I post my book, I see her support soon after, always talking about how much she loves the story. I hope you love the second as well. I can tell you as an indie author, it's hard to get people to take an interest in your books, and sometimes that is really disheartening. I love to go back and read your kind words, and each time I see you like one of my posts, I'm reminded that, although I don't have a huge following, my hard work is bringing joy to some, and really, that's the important thing. Thank you for your continuing support, and I will be sure to send you your signed copy of my book as soon as it's ready.
Happy holidays!
First is Emily, I won't say her last name because I don't know that she would want me to. She has wonderful editing skills, is very thorough and detail oriented, and she has already helped me improve my book so much with her feedback. A great woman, Emily works a full time job and probably puts in over 10 hours a day, and still finds time to help me out. She's the best.
I'd also like to thank Robert Grey and Ana Elise Meyer. Both are authors and both have been very helpful with my endeavor. Ana Elise Meyer has a blog where she reviews books, and she also has a series she has written, the second of which is due out soon. Robert Grey also has a book out called The Boy Genius Detective Agency. If you have children who love to read adventure/futuristic/detective books, they should give this one a try. It's action packed right from the beginning. Robert is exceptionally helpful, a wealth of information, and very thorough, I'm looking forward to his critique of my second book.
Finally, I'd also like to thank my mother, Jeanie, for all the editing work she has done for me, making sure I didn't use the same words over and over, and helping me structure my sentences better. You did an amazing job of pointing out where I was being repetitive or unclear, and for that, you're awesome.
I'm sure some of you are wondering about the length of the second book. My biggest complaint to date has been how short the first story is, and hey, it's a good problem to have. When your biggest problem is people want more, you don't really have a problem. But, I can't say for sure since there will be some re-writing once the beta readers are finished, it looks like this book finished with a little over 40k words, as opposed to about 25k with the first. So, yes, it's definitely longer. And it was a blast to write. Now I just have to get the story straight in my head for the third book, but I'm taking just a little time to enjoy this accomplishment first.
I've never done this before, but I would also like to give a special thanks to my fans, one in particular. I don't have many, really, but the ones I do have are awesome. Especially, I'd like to thank Starr (I'm only giving her first name here, but she should know who she is), who always seems to follow my blog posts. She reviewed my first book, and I'm hopeful she will also review my second. Just about anywhere I post my book, I see her support soon after, always talking about how much she loves the story. I hope you love the second as well. I can tell you as an indie author, it's hard to get people to take an interest in your books, and sometimes that is really disheartening. I love to go back and read your kind words, and each time I see you like one of my posts, I'm reminded that, although I don't have a huge following, my hard work is bringing joy to some, and really, that's the important thing. Thank you for your continuing support, and I will be sure to send you your signed copy of my book as soon as it's ready.
Happy holidays!
December 19, 2015
Upcoming New Release - Into the Myste
It has been a long journey to finally get here, but we are almost to the finish line. I have completed the second book, and it is now out with beta readers to be tweaked and refined. Speaking of beta readers, they are unsung heroesfor authors, and some are authors themselves. I'd like to give a special thanks to the ones helping me with my book now. First is Emily, I won't say her last name because I don't know that she would want me to. She has wonderful editing skills, is very
December 11, 2015
Read The Spectra UNEARTHED, by Christie Powell
This book was mostly flawless in terms of writing. Good grammar, correct punctuation, etc. I compliment the writer for this. All too often I have been given books to review that are very difficult to get through due to run-on sentences, overuse of certain words or descriptions, and just bad structure in general. That is definitely not the case here, the writing was crisp and clean and made the story flow well. I really liked the idea behind this book. Kingdoms of supernatural entities most
December 7, 2015
First Readers
Hello fellow readers.
It's hard to believe the holidays are almost upon us. If you are like me, you are already thinking of what you are going to be getting people for Christmas, how much turkey you need to cook for Thanksgiving, and, if you are more organized than me (which most probably are) then you may already have it all finished. My husband is always the easiest to buy for, I think he starts his Christmas list on Dec. 26th to make sure he doesn't miss anything he may want for the next year.
Anyway, this post isn't really about the holidays, although I'm ready for the family time, it's actually an update on the second book. I'm up through Chapter 9 now, and it's coming along decently well. This time around, I would like to plan a release date on Amazon Kindle, and I'd like to send out the pdf or .mobi (kindle) version to some people who would like to have a first chance at reading it and will leave me an honest review. This in no way affects the people who I have promised a first, signed copy of the book, I will still be doing that. And those people can also participate in this if they are so inclined. I'm hoping by the actual release date, I can have at least 20 reviews on it already, hopefully good reviews, but if it is not up to par, that's good to know too.
I don't really know how many chapters will be in this book, the story seems to take on a life of its own, but I know it's close to being finished. Probably three to five more chapters. So, if you are interested in receiving a free copy for an honest review, let me know. Email me at shanlynnwalker@gmail.com or fill out the contact form on my website. Or contact me via Facebook and we will work it out through there.
Thanks for all of your support, and for reading my book and, if you are reading this, my blog. Happy early holidays!
It's hard to believe the holidays are almost upon us. If you are like me, you are already thinking of what you are going to be getting people for Christmas, how much turkey you need to cook for Thanksgiving, and, if you are more organized than me (which most probably are) then you may already have it all finished. My husband is always the easiest to buy for, I think he starts his Christmas list on Dec. 26th to make sure he doesn't miss anything he may want for the next year.
Anyway, this post isn't really about the holidays, although I'm ready for the family time, it's actually an update on the second book. I'm up through Chapter 9 now, and it's coming along decently well. This time around, I would like to plan a release date on Amazon Kindle, and I'd like to send out the pdf or .mobi (kindle) version to some people who would like to have a first chance at reading it and will leave me an honest review. This in no way affects the people who I have promised a first, signed copy of the book, I will still be doing that. And those people can also participate in this if they are so inclined. I'm hoping by the actual release date, I can have at least 20 reviews on it already, hopefully good reviews, but if it is not up to par, that's good to know too.
I don't really know how many chapters will be in this book, the story seems to take on a life of its own, but I know it's close to being finished. Probably three to five more chapters. So, if you are interested in receiving a free copy for an honest review, let me know. Email me at shanlynnwalker@gmail.com or fill out the contact form on my website. Or contact me via Facebook and we will work it out through there.
Thanks for all of your support, and for reading my book and, if you are reading this, my blog. Happy early holidays!
Tentative Release Date for Book Two of the Dragons of Daegonlot series
I've been saying for a time now that I would probably be releasing the second book around the end of the year. Pretty vague, right? For me as well, it's hard to commit to a date when you aren't sure how much time you will have to devote to something (I do have a full time job for those of you who don't know). But, now that I'm nearing the last few chapters, I am fairly sure I will have the book released by January 29th. I know, I know, this isn't the end of the year, but it is at least the very beginning of the next, so maybe it will help make 2016 a good year. What better way to bring in a new year than by reading my story? Ha!
I've gotten some decent feedback from beta readers, so I'm also working on fixing anything they have found wrong or lackluster in the book, but that is moving along at a good pace. I plan on having the final draft finished by the end of December, then I am going to be sending the story out to select people to review. I'm hoping by launch I will have enough reviews to garner a decent amount of interest in the story so I can reach a wider audience.
I do apologize for the lack of posts recently to my blog, but I have been hard at work on the second book so it has not been for naught. I hope you are all having a great holiday season, and will join me in 2016 in finding out what happens next for Dax and Drakthira.
Thanks for reading!
I've gotten some decent feedback from beta readers, so I'm also working on fixing anything they have found wrong or lackluster in the book, but that is moving along at a good pace. I plan on having the final draft finished by the end of December, then I am going to be sending the story out to select people to review. I'm hoping by launch I will have enough reviews to garner a decent amount of interest in the story so I can reach a wider audience.
I do apologize for the lack of posts recently to my blog, but I have been hard at work on the second book so it has not been for naught. I hope you are all having a great holiday season, and will join me in 2016 in finding out what happens next for Dax and Drakthira.
Thanks for reading!
December 5, 2015
Tentative Release Date
I've been saying for a time now that I would probably be releasing the second book around the end of the year. Pretty vague, right? For me as well, it's hard to commit to a date when you aren't sure how much time you will have to devote to something (I do have a full time job for those of you who don't know). But, now that I'm nearing the last few chapters, I am fairly sure I will have the book released by January 29th. I know, I know, this isn't the end of the year, but it is at least the
November 21, 2015
First Readers
Hello fellow readers. It's hard to believe the holidays are almost upon us. If you are like me, you are already thinking of what you are going to be getting people for Christmas, how much turkey you need to cook for Thanksgiving, and, if you are more organized than me (which most probably are) then you may already have it all finished. My husband is always the easiest to buy for, I think he starts his Christmas list on Dec. 26th to make sure he doesn't miss anything he may want for the next
