Janalyn Voigt's Blog, page 26
December 14, 2012
Wordserve Literary Christmas Blog Parade
[image error]The Wordserve Water Cooler blog parade that I announced in my post, One Author’s Christmas Wish (which represents my contribution to the blog parade), officially launched today! Here’s the lead-in and link:
As our treat to our wonderful WaterCooler Readers, we thought we’d do another blog parade. Each of our authors below is blogging about their Writer’s Wish List. Hmm . . . I know I’m intrigued to see what’s on these lists. Funny? Quirky? Serious?
I don’t know . . . you’ll have to click on the links to find out! Read more at Wordserve Water Cooler.
December 13, 2012
One Author’s Christmas Wish
When my agency, Wordserve Literary, organized a Christmas blog tour for its authors, we were instructed to write about our Christmas wishes as writers but cautioned not to make our posts self-serving and promotional. A tall order, that. Fortunately, I do have a passionate desire that has nothing to do with anyone liking me on name-your-social-media-site or even buying my books. Hard to believe since right now I’m focused on promoting DawnSinger and preparing for WayFarer’s upcoming release. Hard to believe but very true.
What do I want as much as I want to sell my books? To see more people reading books by many authors written in all times and genres. I can’t imagine a happier world than that inhabited by readers. Forgive me for being something of a literary snob, but reading broadens the horizons in a way that other forms of entertainment can’t touch. Nonfiction can open gateways of learning about the world in which we live, and well-written novels speak to the heart as they tantalize the imagination. Classic novels have a lot to offer still. There are reasons that they’ve hung around so long. Modern authors can be every bit as good, especially those who write from the heart.
Good books take us away from our own existence and place us in someone else’s skin. They afford us the opportunity to examine the world through different eyes. Insights drawn while reading may challenge our own perceptions and subtly shape our thinking. This means books can both endanger and liberate us, if we let them. It’s important to make intelligent choices when selecting reading material.
Finding such books presents something of a challenge, but today there’s more information (and more books) available to potential readers than ever before.Take a little time to read reviews and find book lists online. Browse and join reading groups in genres of interest to you at virtual book sharing sites like http://goodreads.com, http://shelfari.com and http://www.librarything.com. Such sites offer book clubs and reading groups. You’ll find reading lists and discussion forums at both http://amazon.com and http://barnesandnoble.com. Ask brick-and-mortar bookshop employees for advice. Librarians often maintain reading lists for their patrons, both in print and online. I also recommend books from the perspective of a reviewer and literary judge at http://novelbooks.org. To meet some interesting authors and learn about their lives and books, watch for tomorrow’s post where I’ll share the Wordserve Water Cooler blog parade link.
The nice thing about books is that they are so affordable. If you share my zeal for reading, consider giving books as Christmas gifts.
Christmas Giveaway: Enter to win a free copy of My Memories Scrapbooking software and an autographed copy of DawnSinger. Giveaway closes Saturday, December 22nd, 2012 at midnight, Pacific time.
Upon request, I will provide the winner a printable certificate for the software and novel for gift giving purposes. Or keep the software to help you more easily save those Christmas memories. That way, you’ll have more time to curl up and read!
Click this Link to Enter!
December 5, 2012
Enter Janalyn’s Christmas Giveaway Drawing: Free Scrapbook Software & Signed Copy of DawnSinger
Enter to win a free copy of My Memories Scrapbooking software and an autographed copy of DawnSinger. Giveaway closes Saturday, December 22nd, 2012 at midnight, Pacific time. I will provide the winner a printable certificate for the software download and novel gift giving purposes upon request. Or keep the software yourself to help you more easily save those Christmas memories so you have more time to curl up and read DawnSinger!
Click this Link to Enter!
November 25, 2012
Character Interview with Shae, Heroine of DawnSinger
From the cover: Shae, heroine of DawnSinger (Tales of Faeraven 1)
To benefit the readers of this blog, Shae of Whellein, the main character from DawnSinger, first novel in my epic fantasy trilogy, Tales of Faeraven, granted a rare interview to me, her author.
Janalyn: Tell me Shae, why you always seem to be at the center of trouble.
Shae: I often wonder that too. Problems just seem to follow me around. Maybe I’m too much like my brother, Daeven. He didn’t want to settle down to the responsibilities of a first-born son, so he ran away to sail the seas. They say wreckers lured his ship to its doom on the Coast of Bones. I don’t want to end up like Daeven. If only I could be more like my twin sister, Katera. She seems made for a simple life. It doesn’t help that sometimes visions warn me of lurking evil, or that souls touch mine in the night.
Janalyn: Visions of evil? Souls touching in the night? That sounds serious.
Shae: Things have gotten intense ever since Kai rode into the garden at Whellein Hold on the back of a wingabeast, a kind of winged horse ridden only by Guardians of Rivenn. Kai brought a summons that changed my life forever. But he was followed.
Janalyn: Followed? Why?
Shae: Ask Kai. He won’t tell me his secrets, no matter how irritated I become.
Janalyn: For those who haven’t met him, who is Kai?
Shae: I’m not certain I really know. He’s always been there, in the background of my life. But things have changed, and I’m not sure where I fit in his life any more.
Janalyn: Won’t he tell you that either?
Shae: He says he loves me, despite everything. I’m grateful for that anyway, especially after what happened that night with Freaer.
Janalyn: Care to elaborate? Let’s start with introducing Freaer.
Shae: Beyond the fact that he’s a musician, I don’t exactly know who Freaer is either. He fascinates me, and whenever he’s near I don’t feel quite – safe.
Janalyn: But something happened with this Freaer you don’t know?
Shae: Don’t look so smug when you say that! I’d answer your question but Kai told me not to tell.
Janalyn: *Sigh.* I begin to understand why trouble follows you around. So, is there anyone else we should know about?
Shae: Well, there’s also Elcon, heir to the throne of Faeraven. I’m drawn to him, and he seems kind. He’s sad right now because his mother is dying, and I think he’s a little scared. He’s young to become a High King, especially with trouble brewing in Elderland.
Janalyn: Do you think the evil you mentioned earlier lies behind the trouble in Elderland?
Shae: I don’t doubt it. There’s an answer somewhere in all the riddles that surround me. I know it. I only hope I can find it in time, and that I’ll have the courage to face the trials that come, no matter what they cost me. Maybe then I can redeem myself a little.
Janalyn: Thanks for being so candid, Shae. I appreciate this chance to get to know you better.
Shae: Thanks for thinking of me. I guess we’ll both find out what happens as you continue writing. What are the names of your novels again?
Janalyn: I’m glad you asked. The three books in the Tales of Faeraven trilogy are DawnSinger, Wayfarer and DawnKing.
Please let your fantasy-loving friends know!
Purchase DawnSinger (Tales of Faeraven 1) for just $13.99*, $3.00 off the $16.99 cover price and receive an autographed copy.*Sale price does not including tax and shipping. Offer expires December 31, 2012. Order by December 1st for early mailing.
Enter Your Email Address
DawnSinger (Tales of Faeraven #1)
The High Queen is dying… At the royal summons, Shae mounts a wingabeast and soars through the air to the high hold of Faeraven, where all is not as it seems. Visions warn her of danger, and a dark soul touches hers in the night. When she encounters an attractive but disturbing musician, her wayward heart awakens.
But then there is Kai, a guardian of Faeraven and of Shae. Secrets bind him to her, and her safety lies at the center of every decision he makes. On a desperate journey fraught with peril and the unknown, they battle warlike garns, waevens, ferocious raptors, and the wraiths of their own regrets. Yet, they must endure the campaign long enough to release the DawnKing—and the salvation he offers—into a divided land. To prevail, each must learn that sometimes victory comes only through surrender.
November 18, 2012
Author Journal: Time Management, Upcoming Travels, and News
The Clock is Ticking
My speaking engagements next year in part call upon me to teach others better time management skills, so it seems fair that I master it in my own life. Since taking on the role of writer, then contracted author, and now published novelist, my life has gotten more and more complicated. I’ve started taking irons out of the fire. Like any good cowgirl, I can only brand so many cattle at once.
Sometimes you have to let go of something that’s good to make way for the new. This week I resigned from a group blog to which I contributed to make way for a new direction. Being involved in the blog wasn’t negative, but I need to focus differently. Life is nothing if it’s not about focus. Writing books, building this website, travel blogging, and taking beautiful photographs are all part of my defining direction. I find myself centering here with you and will continue to do so.
On the Domestic Side
Streamlining my life is not limited to the area of writing. I’ve begun bulk cooking sessions on the weekends I’m home to cover weekday meals. I’m pleased with the results. Not only have I saved money by having meals in the freezer when I’m tempted to eat out, but the time and money savings have been amazing. This works because I’m able to reuse knives and bowls, sometimes with just a rinse. For example, last weekend I made wheat rolls and Irish soda bread in the same bowl. If I had made them on different occasions, I’d have had to wash the mixing bowl twice. Bulk cooking also helps us eat better. When I’ve already rinsed and drained lettuce leaves, chopped onions, and made salad dressing, it’s not that hard to throw together a salad for lunch.
We’re in the process of adding in bulk shopping to the mix. In October we purchased a side of beef for our freezer, and in November it will be a side of pork plus an extra turkey to freeze for another month. In December we’ll purchase wheat, sugar, citrus fruit, cranberries, pomegranates, figs, and dates. We allot one half of our grocery money to bulk purchases. We don’t know for certain yet, but shopping in this way should lower our grocery bills. Let me know if you’re interested in having the bulk shopping list by month that I’ve put together and I’ll post it in my next journal entry.
Another area that I’ve started speed-dialing is home duties. I’ve taken to heart the professional cleaners’ method of doing all of one thing at a time throughout the house. I try to spend no more than an hour a day, although sometimes it still gets away from me. I’m also considering going to a checklist rather than to a daily rotation. So far my revamped cleaning schedule looks like this:
Monday: Decluttering Project
Tuesday: Sweep, Mop, Vacuum, Shampoo an Area or Room.
Wednesday: Scrub Sinks, Bathtubs, Showers, Counters, Toilets, and Kitchen Appliances.
Thursday: Remove Cobwebs and Polish Furniture.
Friday: Clean Glass, Change Lightbulbs, and Take an All-Purpose Cleaner to Walls, Switch Plates, and Doorknobs
Saturday (when home and willing): Clean the Deck, Garage, Outbuildings, and Yard
If you decide to try any of my systems, shoot me an email or comment and let me know how they work for you.
Future Travels
Least you think I’ve abandoned travel adventures for domesticity, never fear. Plans are in the works for next year’s week-long Live Write Breathe retreat, which I organize for and with a group of other writers. We’ve batted around locations and have settled on one of two: a private mansion that has been offered to us if the dates work out or one of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington state.
There’s also an upcoming family retreat, usually to somewhere along the coast of Oregon or Washington, so we can watch storms and challenge ourselves to endure an often-freezing walk along the beach. It’s a strange tradition but uniquely ours. A research trip to a ghost town I’m writing about in Hills of Nevermore, my historical romance work-in-progress is in the offing for next year, and we’ll also visit Yellowstone and a-yet-to-be disclosed location with my extended family.
Writing News
Historical Fiction: I received requests to read more of a manuscript my agent proposed to several editors at the conference I attended, so I worked hard and edited what I had written of that manuscript. That story is part of a series set in Montana’s gold rush that I’m developing.
Fantasy: Before going on my Grand Canyon road trip I completed my publisher’s requested edits for WayFarer, book two of my Tales of Faeraven epic fantasy series. I have yet to hear if there will be a second round of edits and I don’t have a release date yet. I’ll let you know when I know. Meanwhile, I’m gearing up to write DawnKing, book three of the series, in the beginning of next year.
I’ll close this open letter with wishes for a safe and happy holiday season for you, dear reader.
Janalyn
Please let your fantasy-loving friends know about this Christmas Special!
Purchase DawnSinger (Tales of Faeraven 1) for just $13.99*, $3.00 off the $16.99 cover price and receive an autographed copy.*Sale price does not including tax and shipping. Offer expires December 31, 2012. Order by December 1st for early mailing.
Enter Your Email Address
DawnSinger (Tales of Faeraven #1)
The High Queen is dying… At the royal summons, Shae mounts a wingabeast and soars through the air to the high hold of Faeraven, where all is not as it seems. Visions warn her of danger, and a dark soul touches hers in the night. When she encounters an attractive but disturbing musician, her wayward heart awakens.
But then there is Kai, a guardian of Faeraven and of Shae. Secrets bind him to her, and her safety lies at the center of every decision he makes. On a desperate journey fraught with peril and the unknown, they battle warlike garns, waevens, ferocious raptors, and the wraiths of their own regrets. Yet, they must endure the campaign long enough to release the DawnKing—and the salvation he offers—into a divided land. To prevail, each must learn that sometimes victory comes only through surrender.
November 10, 2012
Janalyn’s Guest Posts: Winged Horses and Wingabeasts
Horses and flying both fascinate me. Small wonder, then, that wild winged horses known as wingabeasts feature in Tales of Faeraven. In DawnSinger, book one of my epic fantasy trilogy, the hero and heroine undertake a perilous journey on the back of wingabeasts. I want to give the reader a chance to fly.
The wingabeasts of Faeraven are based on Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. While Pegasus is large and white, as befitting the carrier of thunder on Mount Olympus, wingabeasts come in a variety of colors: silver, gray, black, and gold among them. They also vary in size from delicate to brawny. The smaller wingabeasts have more agility.
Pegasus is said to be the son of Poseidon and Gorgona Medusa and sprang, according to differing accounts, from drops of blood or blood mixed with dirt or blood and sea foam after his mother was decapitated by Perseus. Pegasus struck the ground with his hoof to create the stream Hippocrene in the Helicon Mountains, a place poets drink the water to spark their creativity.
The wingabeasts of Faeraven ran wild in the Maegrad Paesad (Impassible Mountains) until…Read More at Sarah Sawyer’s Website.
©2012 Janalyn Voigt
November 3, 2012
Travel Destination and Tales of Faeraven Research Location: Leeds Castle
October 27, 2012
All About WayFarer (Tales of Faeraven 2) — But What Do Pelicans Have to Do With It?
October 24, 2012
Author Journal: Gritting My Teeth and Other Pastimes
October 16, 2012
Travel Journal: Shipwrecked
Serene Beauty at Fort Stevens State Park
Why grocery shopping for our family’s camping reunion after driving across the state of Oregon had seemed like a good idea I couldn’t recall. Supper waited if we could but reach our family’s camp sites in Fort Stevens State park. Forcing my mind from my growling stomach, I added trail mix, bread, and eggs to my cart, and then hunted down bottled water. At last the items on my list were either in my possession or skipped as impossible to find in the strange store. I piled bags of groceries into my already-laden car, then buckled my seat belt with a determined click. Dark wasn’t far away.
Our small family caravan had difficulty finding the park, and then the sites where our relatives waited to greet us. When I could at last shut off the engine, I sighed with relief. The last several days of our trip had been an endurance test. I was tired but all the chores of setting up camp needed to be done. My husband would join me tonight, but after the camp was asleep. My exhaustion and the need to hurry before full dark clouded my judgment, and I bent to pick up a bag without bending my knees. I say this to my shame since I spent five years of my life as a mail carrier and certainly knew better. The bag wasn’t heavy, but pain shot through the small of my back all the same. Dropping the bag, I called for help. Under normal circumstances my back might have handled the slight strain. Switching between the brake and clutch during that hour’s-long traffic jam in Salt Lake City had taken its toll.
John arrived to find me in my sleeping bag, moaning in agony each time I shifted.
The next morning our entire family group visited Fort Clatsop, but I spent the rest of the day flat on my back in our tent. It’s just as well I’m a writer and reader because I kept myself entertained for hours with a notepad, pen, and book. Sleep finally overtook me, and I slept until my family’s return. Pretending I felt better, when members of our family group went to a lake I tagged along. I wound up sitting on a bench while they played. As moss-draped trees swayed in the breeze, the contrast of light and darkness fascinated me, and I took pictures until my battery ran out.
By now it was apparent that my back would not heal immediately, but the next day I went to the beach anyway. I wanted to see the wreck of the Peter Iredale, a British sailing ship that ran aground on a sandbar in 1906. She was sold for scrap. Only the bow, several ribs, and part of a few masts remained. The rudder now sits in the parking lot of Astoria’s Columbia River Maritime Museum. Over time the wreck has embedded itself in the sand. The Peter Iredale is one of many shipwrecks along the famed “graveyard of the Pacific.”
I made my slow, painstaking way down a sand bank with my husband’s support. The wreck doesn’t look like much at first, but when you reach and stand inside what would have been the hull you begin to understand its enormity.
Here I am at the wreck of the Peter Iredale. I tried, but that smile on my face looks more like a grimace of pain.
I missed seeing the barracks at Fort Stevens completely. Besides the Peter Iredale, my photo session at the lake, and the faces of my family around the table at meals were all the attractions I saw. I had to swap my husband for our car with an automatic transmission and use cruise control to spare my back in order to drive home. the rest that gave me actually helped me to recover. Within a few days of my return home, I was walking normally again.
I hope you’ve enjoyed coming along on my vacation. Watch for more travel journals, notes from my research, and my author news in upcoming entries. I don’t post on a set schedule, just when I have something to share. I’ll leave you until next time with this peaceful video of Fort Stevens State Park. Enjoy!
The High Queen is dying… At the royal summons, Shae mounts a wingabeast and soars through the air to the high hold of Faeraven, where all is not as it seems. Visions warn her of danger, and a dark soul touches hers in the night. When she encounters an attractive but disturbing musician, her wayward heart awakens. But then there is Kai, a guardian of Faeraven and of Shae. Secrets bind him to her, and her safety lies at the center of every decision he makes. On a desperate journey fraught with peril and the unknown, they battle warlike garns, waevens, ferocious raptors, and the wraiths of their own regrets. Yet, they must endure the campaign long enough to release the DawnKing—and the salvation he offers—into a divided land. To prevail, each must learn that sometimes victory comes only through surrender.
Purchase DawnSinger
Paperback: DawnSinger (Tales of Faeraven)
Kindle: DawnSinger (Tales of Faeraven)
DawnSinger Giveaway DrawingThere is currently a giveaway drawing for DawnSinger at Goodreads.
©2012 Janalyn Voigt
![[image error]](http://janalynvoigt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/file00042071229.jpg){kind=link}