Lorna J. Carleton's Blog, page 2

Scarfing Up a Creative Opportunity

Hi All,
When I posted my last blog post, I was about to head out the door to try my luck at silk scarf making — my first experience with this craft. I had an absolute blast, and recommend it to anyone who is looking to expand their creativity.

The workshop was held at a fabulous winery in Kelowna, BC: Sperling Vineyards. Krista from colourdropdesign was the instructor, and she was awesome. She made the experience fun and memorable.
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Of course, I realize most of you reading this probably don’t live close enough to Kelowna to be able to visit Sperling Vineyards any time soon, but with a bit of hunting I would bet you could find similar classes and activities in your own areas.  I was the first of our afternoon workshop to take the plunge, and after watching everyone else brave the paints, I learnt enough to know that I would make a really nice scarf on my next attempt.
I’ve already worn the scarf I made a couple of times, and am so proud to tell people I made it.

I hope you all had a great Father’s Day, and wish all dads out there a belated Happy Father’s Day — and best wishes for the year ahead.
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Best,
Lorna

Book Four: Landing at Last!

​Hi All!
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I am so and happy and excited to announce that book four in The Dragon of Nibiru series, Dragons of the Past, is at the printer! It will be available for purchase starting next week! Woot! I hope you all enjoy the next installment in the adventures of Celine and her friends. I had a blast writing it. Book-Signings Are Back, and Workshops Too
Some more exciting news: Now that covid restrictions have lifted enough to permit book-signings to resume at some stores, on July 2 I will be doing my first signing since March 15, 2020. The event will take place at Bookingham Palace, in Salmon Arm, BC. I’m so looking forward to seeing Peter and the rest of the store’s staff. They are awesome, and so supportive of me and my writing and signings. There will be refreshments available, so come on down to say hello and have some coffee and treats with me.
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My first official tour starts July 23, in Penticton. It will wrap up on August 13 in Prince George. I’ll also be doing signings in Vancouver, Coquitlam, West Vancouver, Chilliwack, Burnaby, Langley, Surrey and Quesnel.

My second tour starts on September 1 in Calgary, Alberta, and ends September 11 in Nelson, BC. Signings will take place at several locations in Calgary, as well as Red Deer, Alberta.

Some other good news: now that covid restrictions have lifted enough to permit book-signings to resume at some stores, on July 2 I will be doing my first signing since March 15, 2020. The event will take place at Bookingham Palace, in Salmon Arm, BC. I’m so looking forward to seeing Peter and the rest of the store’s staff. They are awesome, and so supportive of me and my writing and signings. There will be refreshments available, so come on down to say hello and have some coffee and treats with me.

​To my delight, I’ve also started holding writing workshops, so stay tuned for my updated schedules for those. So far, they are scheduled for West Kelowna, Quesnel, and Prince George. I’m so looking forward to seeing some of you at one of these events!

Oh, Yes. And Gift Boxes! And before I sign off, I should mention that my dragon-themed gift boxes are still available. I had so much fun putting them together and have received great feedback on them. Buyers say they love the fact that each box assists several local artisans to make their creations known. When you see me, ask me about the boxes!
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I’m off to do my first attempt at making/painting a silk scarf, so bye for now. I plan on using colors of some of the dragons in book four, including Alika, the little gold dragon on the cover. I’ll post the finished product here on the blog for you. I’m hoping it will be presentable!

I look forward to seeing you at one of my signings or workshops. Email me anytime if you have questions about my books or your own writing: lorna@lornajcarleton.com.

We’ll talk soon. Ideally, in person!
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Lorna

New News, New Books and Exciting New Offerings

​Hi Everyone,
 
It has been some time since my last post, so here’s a quick update.
 
Dragons of the Past, Book Four in the Dragons of Nibiru series, will be at the typesetter later this month and is targeted for release in April. I had a blast writing this latest in the series, and I hope you have as much fun reading it!

Dragon-Themed Gift Boxes
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Lately, in addition to writing Book Five, Dragons of the Future, I’ve been busy expanding out the Dragons of Nibiru franchise with the release of the first of my dragon-themed gift boxes.
 
Here you can see the contents of a few that are already on store shelves! (Photos of the actual boxes coming shortly...) ​At this writing there are six boxes available:
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          * Dragons and Crystals                        
          * Bath Time with a Dragon                                                          
          * Date Night with a Dragon                                                          
          * Dragons and More Dragons
          * Snack Time with a Dragon
          * Dragon Treasures

Each box includes a signed copy of Book One in the series, The Dragons of Nibiru, or any other book in the series—your choice! Each also contains a delightful assortment of interesting, tasty, useful or just plain magical items from artisans and small business owners, all related to the theme of the box.
 
Again, these boxes are available now. Just write me using the form on the “Contact” page, or email me direct: lorna@lornajcarleton.com. I’ll send you a list of the contents of the box or boxes you’re interested in. Once you’ve made your choice, we’ll make quick and easy arrangements for payment and shipping—and your box will be on its way! 
 
Soon this will all be even easier: Every box will be shown and described on a special page on this website, and you’ll be able to order directly from the site.

And by the way, I'm working on setting up super-fast shipping via DragonFlight Express, so no one will be kept waiting for their boxes to arrive.
 
One reason I started this box project was due to the impact covid has had on artisans and small businesses. I reached out to local craftspeople for the first of the boxes, but now I'm expanding my reach in creating future ones, all to assist others in making their creations and products known, and getting them into people's hands.
 
A few of the future boxes being considered include:
 
          * Dragons and Puppy Lovers
          * Dragons and Kitten Lovers
          * Every Senior Deserves a Dragon
          * Every Kid Deserves a Dragon
 
If you have an idea for a box theme, send it my way!
 
And if there’s an item you’d like to see in one of my boxes, please write and tell me about it.
 
Auctions and Prizes and Baskets, Oh My!
 
Over the past few months, I have donated books to several silent auctions and door prize baskets.  Below you can see an image from the grand opening of the Localeh Artisan Market​ in nearby Kelowna, where my books and boxes are now available.

Call for Artwork!

On a separate and important note, there’s still time to submit a drawing or painting for Dragons of the Past, before it goes to print. So please send your good work to lorna@lornajcarleton.com. Team Nibiru will announce the chosen artists and their artwork here on my blog, shortly before Dragons of the Past is released. Each winner will receive three signed copies of Dragons of the Past, along with $50 as purchase payment for their drawing or painting. Good luck!

That's all for now, but check back here now and then, because there's more exciting news coming soon...

Lorna 

Contributing Artists!

​Hi All,
In my last blog post, I briefly mentioned the young artists whose drawings were chosen to appear in the new book, Dragons of Remini. They were kind enough to send me photos of themselves, and here they are!
Jordyn Polowaniuk Brianne Robins Katrin Hierl-Steinbauer Thanks again to all three of you. Your contributions add so much to the book—it’s wonderful! I really hope you’ll send new entries, too, when we call for readers’ artwork to be featured in book four of the series (Dragons of the Past) later this year.

Happy reading, everyone—and enjoy the artwork, too! And, if you can, I hope you’ll help me out by taking a few moments to send your thoughts on Dragons of Remini. And the earlier books too, if you haven’t already. I couldn’t begin to tell you how valuable your input is. Priceless!

Stay safe—but don’t forget to have some adventures, too. Especially the creative kind.
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Lorna

Book Three Has Arrived!

​Hi All,

It’s a new year and a new beginning!

Dragons of Remini—Book Three in The Dragon of Nibiru series—will be available in your local store and on Amazon in a few weeks. I received a few preliminary copies, which I signed and distributed to some eager fans. You should have heard the responses—quite a lot of “Yippee!” and “It’s about time!” I agree completely. 😊  I hope they enjoy Celine and Fianna’s newest adventures, and hope you all will too. And soon!
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Here’s the front cover, created by Danielle Hebert: I think that’s stunning, and the readers who’ve seen it have said so too. What do you think?

In preparing Dragons of Remini, I wrote a blog post here to invite readers to submit artwork for inclusion in the published book. Team Nibiru thanks all of you who took the time and care to create and submit your wonderful drawings and paintings. It was a tough job to decide which ones to include, but we managed to narrow it down to three young artists’ awesome creations. Katrin Hierl-Steinbauer, Jordyn Polowaniuk and Brianne Robins were the artists we picked, and we hope you’ll enjoy their work as much as we do. You’ll hear and see more about them in an upcoming blog post.
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Later in the year we will be doing this again—this time for the fourth book in the series, Dragons of the Past. So stay tuned, watch the blog here for the call for submissions, and if you feel inspired to get a head start, go right ahead! (In truth, we’d be happy to see your creative works any time. Don’t hesitate to send them!)
Here’s a photo of the first load of fresh, new copies, packaged up and ready for the trip home from the printer. Some of what you see here is actually new copies of The Dragons of Nibiru and Dragons of Earth; both are still in demand, which is very gratifying to your faithful author! 
​And here's your author with the trusty Dragonmobile, loaded and ready to roll! (Haven't quite worked up to flying yet, but stay tuned. I just have to find the right spell...
​The first copies of Dragons of Remini were hand delivered to Maggy Davidson, owner of Spirit Quest Books in nearby Salmon Arm, British Columbia. Maggy has been very supportive of me and my books since I first met her in 2017. I’ve done a few signings at her store and look forward to doing more once the covid restrictions ease. Bookingham Palace bookstore, also in Salmon Arm, has also been wonderfully supportive. They were the next to receive a batch of the new book. Readers have been calling Bookingham to ask if my next book was available yet, so I’m very glad to be able to deliver.

Some of my co-workers at the utility company have encouraged me in my writing career. I have used some of their names for characters and places in my stories (good characters and places!) to show my appreciation for their support.
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Below you can see Princess, who is stoked that her human, Kate, finally has the next book in the series. Princess loves to cuddle up to Kate at reading time, so the new adventure is making them both happy.
​Here is a shot of Kate showing the book to Otter, who lives with one of her friends. Otter checked it out carefully and advised his human to get a copy, too. 
​And here’s the lovely Amanda showing off her new copy. 
Thanks to each and every one of you for your support in this adventure. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about Dragons of Remini. Your feedback is more important than you might realize.

Happy reading!
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Lorna

Nibiru Bits-O'-News

Hi All,

It’s been a while since I last put up a post; I hope all is well with each of you!

Sadly, due to ongoing events across the planet, my planned tours and book-signings remain cancelled. Bookstores just aren’t holding such events at this time, and so far, there’s been no news as to when I might be able to start back up. I miss being out there seeing you, and hope to resume in the near future.

On a positive note, an interesting and fun new project grew out of the current situation: I put together a brief video that will be part of a “virtual trade show”! The show was originally meant to take place in Denver, but that didn't work out, so they decided to hold it all online. It will be held June 26 through 28.

Now, normally such shows are only for people in a particular industry, but not open to the general public. However, through the magic of the internet, you can follow this link to come visit my "virtual booth"—whenever you like, and from wherever you happen to be.

I’m hoping to take part in one or two more such events over the next few months, too. Check back here on the blog (or on the Dragons of Nibiru Facebook page) for details, as they become available. These events are nowhere near as exciting as meeting my readers and soon-to-be readers in person, but they’re far, far better than no contact at all!

Making my trade-show "virtual booth" marks the first time I’ve created a video. The learning curve was quite steep, since I only had one day to complete the project, start to finish. Whew! Talk about short notice! I learnt a lot from my mistakes, though, and it actually was good fun overall.

As you may have heard, Book III of the Dragons of Nibiru series, entitled Dragons of Remini, will be heading to print soon. The artwork has not been finalized though, so there’s still time to submit drawings for possible inclusion in the book—as described in an earlier blog post. You can email them directly: lorna@lornajcarleton.com. Or, if you have a dragon friend, fly them to my home and hand them over in person! Your dragon will know the way.

One more bit of good news before I go: both The Dragons of Nibiru and Dragons of Earth are becoming available in more and more bookstores across the U.S.! Soon to be joined by Dragons of Remini—and the rest of the series, too. That’s right, my U.S. friends—Celine and Fianna are coming to your town.

Take care and stay safe,
Lorna

A Bit of Sad News—And a Special Preview!

Hi All,

I hope you're keeping safe and healthy during these difficult times. To ensure that Team Nibiru is doing our part to help stop the spread of COVID-19, all book-signings have been cancelled until further notice. I am sorry to have to cancel, but we all need to do our part to stop the contagion. I promise to keep you briefed as things develop, with posts here and on the Dragons of Nibiru Facebook page, and a new book-signing calendar when new dates are set.

You’ll be relieved to know that Dragons have been found to be immune to all forms of the virus—as have natives of Mu, like Celine. And Jager is currently off-planet, so no worries there. Whew!

Now, on a cheerier note, I'm glad to say the third book in the series, Dragons of Remini, is moving closer and closer to release. There's no definite date as yet, but I’ll surely keep you posted.

Meanwhile, I have something special to share with you: a preview of the new book's cover!

Once again, Danielle Hebert of Team Nibiru has captured the essence of one of our dear Nibiru friends. My books would not be what they are without her enchanting contributions.

And now, here it is:
That's still in rough form, but it shows the concept. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

Stay safe and healthy. And maybe use this time to get in a lot of good reading; Dragon tales and otherwise!

Lorna