Ephie Risho's Blog, page 2

A Torrential Storm

Sometime before it grew dark, an enormous wind pounded into our valley, sending our pets scampering under tables and the kids wide-eyed at the windows. We live in the Rocky Mountains, so we don’t get big tornadoes or hurricanes, but this was about as big as it gets. Next thing I knew, Joshua was yelling, “Dad! The trampoline!” and he donned shoes and ran outside. 

A quick glimpse showed the issue. The basketball hoop pole was completely bent, in danger of snapping at any minute. Wearing only flip flops and a light sweater, I dashed outside to help. Ten minutes later, after fingers were nearly freezing, we’d detached the pole, only to hear Joshua shouting, “The fence!” a moment later.

The aged wooden fence was the next to go. I dashed to the garage for a screw gun to try to reinforce it, but in the end, after seeing multiple screws go flying off into the unknown, I just propped it up, hoping it wouldn’t blow into the neighbor’s house. Thankfully, it didn’t, just into their bushes. And I didn’t think they’d mind all that much since they lost a tree, and some random canoe appeared in their yard (“Is this your canoe?” they asked the next day. “Nope.”). It was the least of their worries.

But the hardest thing that night wasn’t thawing fingers but getting the kids to sleep. Well after bedtime, I read two chapters of the latest fantasy novel, but it put me to sleep more than them! They were just too wired up, nervous, and afraid of what might happen, and it made for a rough morning the next day.

In the middle of it all, I had a moment of reflection about a chapter in book 3, where the adventurers encounter an enormous storm, much bigger than the one we were going through. It struck me immediately how easy it is to write about such things, and even things like dragons and battles, but reality is always much more felt. 

When we’re writing, my goal is always to make each chapter engaging, maybe not as much as the real world can, but as much as possible. And I’m excited about where we’re at—the third draft is complete and sent to the editor, and our early readers are already brimming with praise for the improvements from the first draft. But after that storm, I’m now wondering how to make it even more so.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his trilogy in the midst of WWII, and it influenced his writing profoundly, culminating with mighty battles between the forces of good and evil. I’ve thought about that a lot—how our life experiences shape us. Today’s storms and wars have shaped these books in our desire to see heroes tackle challenges for the greater good—no matter how large the adventure. 

Now that it’s spring, we’re gearing up for the next round of selling books at the Montana MADE fair, and excited to publish book 3, Secret of the Kraken, by June. Not as exciting an adventure as battling dragons or pushy storms, but honestly, it’s plenty enough for me!

Dining with a Satyr Chef

As Celia and I sat at the booth of the Montana MADE fair, selling books 1 and 2 from The Elementalists to hundreds of strangers, we had a moment of quiet where she put her forehead on her hands and said, “I’m too tired!” 

It was true. Every single time we told yet another interested visitor about our series, our inspiration, and our back story, it wore us down. By 2pm her thirteen-year-old stamina was starting to fail, and it showed with a lack of energy speaking to people. 

“Want a mocha?” I asked. 

“I suppose.” 

Celia doesn’t drink coffee. So, when I brought back the steaming hot drink and she took her first sip, her eyes lit up. 

“Do you like it?”

She grinned. “I’ll drink it.” 

The next person who came by she was so excited she talked faster than an auctioneer, and was standing and pointing out the fun aspects of the sea serpent from the illustration in book 2 hanging from the wall of our ten foot booth. Suddenly, sales picked up, and in the in-between times, she wanted to work on book 3.

“Let’s go over the satyr scene again,” she said.

The satyr in question is a top chef. One of the best. And one way or another, he makes his way into the lives of the elementalists, to bring many delicious scenes to the story, including one where they’re trying to keep a low profile but he can’t help himself but go to the back of the inn and take over the kitchen to improve the lackluster stew. 

Book 3, Secret of the Kraken, definitely has a lot more humor in it than the first two. It was Celia’s idea. As she’s grown older, the books are maturing with her—to my great delight, and also to our first proof readers, who say it’s the best one yet. 

Our goal was to have the first draft complete before 2022. And—through sheer determination—we finished it at 10pm on December 31st! We’re now working on the third draft, with great feedback from our amazing editor Ann. And our illustrator Olena has completed over a dozen of the inside drawings.

Did she try to capture the great satyr chef in an illustration? Yes, we definitely wanted to do it. But in the end, our imaginations went far beyond what we could capture, so we opted for another fun scene instead. 

At one point, Olena replied to me, “Are you sure you want yet another illustration with dragons in it? That will be three.”

To which I replied, “Well, there are a lot more dragons in this book than ever before!” 

So, yes, friends, the next book in the series is shaping up and we are aiming for a June release date. We’d do a month sooner but we have to work within the schedule of our busy cover artist Stephan. As Celia insists, “It has to be him! He’s amazing and all the covers have to match.”

And so it shall be.

Book launch and beyond

After a day of sweeping, mowing, moving outdoor furniture, and preparing for any weather (it is Montana after all), we felt ready for the launch party. Michelle spent the entire day cooking up a feast, while the kids and I focused on the outdoor scene. A few blisters later, the back patio of our house felt magical.

Dozens of people trickled in. Some were afraid the thunderstorms on the other side of the valley would hit us, but we were blessed with perfect weather, besides a little sprinkling that came and went. The newspaper reporter couldn’t make it, but the owner of the local bookstore did, and asked for another box. “We sold out of copies of book 1!” she told us.

During our speeches, we asked if anyone had started reading Crodor the Ancient yet, and two boys raised their hands. Both said they’d finished it in two days, and that they liked it even more than book 1!

We also heard from another friend via email: “I got the book one day, and read it the next! It was so good, thank you!!!”

It gives us so much pleasure to know how well received the books are. Between the book launch party and a subsequent event, we’ve sold out of nearly every copy we’d ordered. What amazing support! One friend said they have a connection in the TV industry and will pass the two books along. We can only hope that one day these books will be read far and wide. And you supporters helped us get there. 

We still need online reviews, so for those of you who are able to read it right away, please consider doing that for us. It makes a world of difference. They say the magic number is 15 reviews on Amazon, for some reason. After that, the book holds credibility to someone who sees it for the first time.

If anyone who ordered a copy through Kickstarter still hasn’t received theirs, please let me know and we’ll look into it. Last year we did have some issues with the mail service.

Now that book 2 is finally launched, Celia and I have been working on book 3 again. It has a different flavor than the first two books, and we think it has the potential to be our best book yet! It’s called Secret of the Kraken, because there’s an important mystery to solve. Stay tuned!

And embrace the adventure!

Ephie & Celia at the book launch of Crodor the Ancient, June 2021Protecting the books from rainBook launch table setup

It gets easier

Last year, by the time we finally shipped book 1 we’d gone from noobies to veterans. Now we know you can ship a book in the US for under $5, but crossing the border puts it over $20. And don’t go into the post office on Mondays or Fridays. Always carry a copy of the book with you, because when you’ve got boxes full of them people are going to ask. And make sure to say a blessing on every book you sign, that the readers would be inspired, because that’s the most important part!

For book 2, the biggest hiccup was at the post office. We went in on a Saturday morning, the slowest day of the week. But even on a slow day, showing up with a hundred packages is going to gum things up. This time, it wasn’t just the lines of people behind us, but the sticker machine printing the labels starting jamming.

I apologized more than once, but she kept smiling (behind her mask) and said it wasn’t my fault – it gums up when it does a lot at once, she said. It was a chance to tell a few jokes, talk to other patrons wondering what we were up to, and have some father-daughter bonding time. And by that I mean, “Celia, did you skip breakfast? You’re acting tired.” “Dad, you’re always micro-managing me!” “Sorry. But is it just me or are you feeling cranky?” I glance at the woman next to me and she smiles and nods in support.

We persisted! And the books are en route. Many of you in Montana might have already received your copy. The rest of you will see them soon.

If, for any reason, we made a mistake or your book doesn’t show up, please let me know. The paperback is on Amazon, and the other versions are coming soon. Digital copies will be sent out this week (I ran into a font glitch that I just figured out last night).

Thanks again for supporting us! This book has come to life because of the support and encouragement of our readers. And now . . . we can start writing book 3 again!

-Ephie

Ephie & Celia signing book 2, Crodor the AncientCelia bringing book 2 into the post officeEphie and Celia in the post office with book 2Celia mailing out book 2, Crodor the Ancient

A dragon showed up on our doorstep

Actually, boxes of them.

The hardcover books are here! Celia and I are so excited to share these books with the world, and each of you first! 

The paperbacks will arrive later this week. 

Yet again this has been an incredible journey, and we thank you all for joining us on it. 

Keep exploring.

Ephie & Celia Risho

Ephie & Celia holding copies of Crodor the Ancient

The Joys of Late-Night Editing

Thank you all for supporting our efforts for book 2! 

The Kickstarter was successful, and now the hard work of finishing up the book begins.

I was up late last night going through Celia’s scrawled notes in the margins of the proof copy, making final changes to the manuscript. I’d bring the book over to her and say, “I can’t read this. What does this say?” 

“More emotion, Dad. She’s not a robot!” 

LOL. 

After final minor edits and layout fixes, we’ll be ready to print! Our goal is to have the book sent to the printer within two weeks, which will get a paperback copy into your hands by mid- to late-April, hardcover soon after. 

We appreciate you journeying with us. So many late nights working on this story, and it’s finally coming to life! 

Ephie & Celia

The post The Joys of Late-Night Editing appeared first on The Elementalists.

The Joys of Late-Night Editing

Thank you all for supporting our efforts for book 2! 

The Kickstarter was successful, and now the hard work of finishing up the book begins.

I was up late last night going through Celia’s scrawled notes in the margins of the proof copy, making final changes to the manuscript. I’d bring the book over to her and say, “I can’t read this. What does this say?” 

“More emotion, Dad. She’s not a robot!” 

LOL. 

After final minor edits and layout fixes, we’ll be ready to print! Our goal is to have the book sent to the printer within two weeks, which will get a paperback copy into your hands by mid- to late-April, hardcover soon after. 

We appreciate you journeying with us. So many late nights working on this story, and it’s finally coming to life! 

Ephie & Celia

Last edits underway!

A couple of days ago Celia did a little jig and yelled out, “Dad, I’m done!”

I dashed up the stairs where she proudly held a marked-up copy of our second novel. Every chapter had comments, words crossed out, or doodles, especially on top of the inside illustrations.  “Let me see.” I flipped through the pages and laughed at the spiky hairdo she added to the phoenix, as well as speech bubbles on people nearby: “Aaaaaah!”

Some of the comments were helpful: “Needs more emotion.” Others I completely didn’t understand. “What’s this one?” I asked.

“Oh, Dad. Baltor is a stupid name for a dragon. We need to rename it.”

“Huh. I liked it.” I laughed and flipped more pages.

We’ll be wrapping up the project soon! Which brings me to why I’m writing. We need more support! Please share this Kickstarter with anyone you think might be interested. At the end of the day, it’s the community that reads the book that makes it come to life. So, thank you! We couldn’t do it without you.

Celia with the proof of book 2, Crodor the Ancient

The post Last edits underway! appeared first on The Elementalists.

Bozeman father-daughter writing duo prepare to launch their second fantasy novel

There’s an article about us in the Bozeman Chronicle today.

The post Bozeman father-daughter writing duo prepare to launch their second fantasy novel appeared first on The Elementalists.

Book 2 Kickstarter Has Begun!

Celia and I have launched the crowdfunding page for Crodor the Ancient. That means the books will be delivered by late-March or early-April. Hang onto your hats! We’re almost there.

The post Book 2 Kickstarter Has Begun! appeared first on The Elementalists.