Phoebe Hinkle's Blog: Chronicler's Corner, page 6

Character Introductions: The Crafty Rascal

I don't know about you, but for me often what makes or breaks a book is the characters. And as an author, the more invested I am in the charries, the more likely it is to be a good story. So to get y'all more excited for To Stand's release (because I hope you're at least a little excited already!) I've decided to do a fun thing. Every other day leading up to the release (the 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th) I'm going to be posting a brief character sketch (spoiler-free!) with a faceclaim to pique your interest. So, shall we get started?

SMOKE

"Sorry, but it's fun." The man's teeth shone in the dim light of a nearby window as he grinned. "I like making you mad."



As his name implies, Smoke is a slippery one. Stealthy and cunning, he steals in and out of the shadows with ease. He may be watching you without you ever knowing he's there.

But he's a good one to have on your side. He can get you places you can't go on your own, and he's only too ready to help a friend in need. Just be prepared for lots of teasing, impish grins, and trips to the kitchen - because he loves his food. Also a word of warning: don't play cards with him.

What do you think of Smoke? What role is he going to play in the story? Feel free to leave comments, or ask Smoke a question - he loves the attention!

It's Official!

My friends, the date is settled. To Stand is releasing on Saturday, April 20th - that's just fifteen days away!

To celebrate, I'm holding a release party on the 20th, from 2-4, at Bonsai Books here in Cheyenne. If you're able to make it, I'd love to see you there!

And if not, you'll have another chance the next week, on Saturday the 27th. I'll be selling books at the homeschool spring craft fair, at Calvary Chapel (9209 Ridge Rd) from 10-1.

Which event, if either, are you most interested in?

Tentative Release Date and COVER REVEAL

Hello friends!!
I've got exciting news . . . though you may have already seen it by now, since I'm a wee bit behind. 😆 Yes, I'm talking about my latest title, To Stand .
I know, I've been talking about it for a while now, and keeping it *sort of* under wraps. But the time has come (finally!) where I can reveal it to the world.
Potential release date (subject to change by a week) is Saturday, April 20th. The Kindle version is available for preorder now!
And about that cover reveal . . .
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ARE
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YOU
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READY????!!!
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TA-DA!!!!!



Book 1, Phoebs?
Oh yeah. This is a series, folks! Lord willing, Book 2 will be coming out this year . . . or maybe in '25. You never know what my life is gonna bring. 😉

That's all for now! Y'all excited? Stay tuned for more news, and if you've got friends who might like it, spread the word!

Ebook now available!

Well, I finally did it. After multiple people asking me "do you have this in Kindle?" I at last decided to dig in and turn Thunder of Time into an ebook.

Now, I prefer physical books to digital ones. But I understand why people like ebooks: they're cheaper, don't take up physical space (that's a consideration, heh heh 😅), and they're easy to take anywhere.

So you can now bring Troy and friends with you on your plane flight or wherever . . . but not IRL, sadly. TSA wouldn't be too keen on having a big tough gladiator going through security. Lol.

King of Hearts and The Treasure Beyond will be coming soon, Lord willing.

Book Signing

Good morning, everybody! (If it's morning where you are . . .)

I'm happy to announce that I've scheduled a book signing on February 10th from 1-2 at Bonsai Books here in Cheyenne. Please stop by! The store has a coffee bar (yay!!!) and it's just fun to look around. I'll be only too happy to talk about bookish things with anybody, or scribble on stuff.

Drop in and say hi if you're in town!

“I love book signings: kids waiting in line for you to scribble on their new books, haha!”
- Brian Jacques

Writing Update

Hello, peeps!
(Yeah, I'm weird. Y'all should expect that of me by now.)

Anywho, I've got some good news! Earlier this week I finished my second round of major edits on To Stand (read: rewriting whole chapters, changing plot sequence, adding a new character, changing character motivations, etc.) I handed it off to my editor (dad), so I'll wait to hear his feedback before I move forward with polishing up punctuation and all that jazz. But things are progressing, so yay!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to my reader family! I'm very blessed by y'all.

TRIVIA: What did Bonnie give her aunt for Christmas in The Treasure Beyond? Post your answer in the comments below!

Five Years of Writing and GIVEAWAY WINNERS!!

Five years ago on this day, I hit "Publish" to send my first book out into the world. And it's sure been a wild, crazy ride!

I was 15 then.
I am 20 now.
I have learned a lot since then.

I learned writing techniques that I never knew before.
I learned that characters can become like family to you - and that they can surprise you in ways you never saw coming.
I learned that you can't ignore your real family for the sake of your charrie family.
I learned that writing can be the best way to express your pain and work through what you're feeling.
I learned that you can't write in your own strength.

There are so many people I could thank. My family - my friends - my proofing team - my readers - and above all, my God.
You are the reason I am here today.
You are the reason I keep going.
I couldn't have done this without you.

Okay Phoebs, that's all very nice, but can we get on to the giveaway winners please? I want to find out if I got lucky!
*Ahem* yes, sorry.
*drum roll please*
And the lucky winners are . . .

King of Hearts: Liesl K.
The Treasure Beyond: Jared M.
Thunder of Time + wooden Roman dagger: Gemma S.

Congratulations, y'all! 🥳
I'll be emailing the winners today to notify them. If everything goes well, they can expect their books to be in the mail within the week.

And that's all the excitement for this post. Thanks for putting up with me!

Last Day to Enter!

Last day to enter the 5-year anniversary giveaway, y'all! I'll be picking winners tomorrow.

Go to my website for more information on the prizes and how to enter.

ONE WEEK LEFT!

Time's running out, y'all . . .
Remember, I'm picking giveaway winners on the 13th. Make sure you get your entries in by midnight December 12th! And if your friends haven't entered yet, make sure you pester them until they do. *wink wink* 😜

To enter:
Email me through my website with "Giveaway" in the subject line, and your name and email address in the body. You'll be notified by email on the 13th if you've won. (All your information will be kept strictly private.)

The prizes:
One copy of King of Hearts
One copy of The Treasure Beyond
Grand prize:
One copy of Thunder of Time plus a handmade wooden Roman-style dagger
*All books are physical copies and will be autographed.*

Have you entered yet? Lord Whiskerton is watching you . . .