Megg Jensen's Blog, page 18

Anathema eBooks - Available for Purchase!!!!

Hey everyone, my Kindle & Nook editions of Anathema are up & running. What's even crazier is that I've had sales in the last couple days without even announcing them! CRAZY!!!!

Once the paperback edition is ready to roll, I'm going to start my big, awesome, epic contest!!!! I want to make sure everyone gets a chance to enter, even those who still want a paperback.

If you're interested you can pick up copies of my ebook for $2.99 at:


Amazon/Kindle
B&N/Nook
Amazon/UK

Thanks & happy reading!!!!

Anathema Sample: Chapter One

***
            Walking through the servant's hallways, roughly chiseled parallel to the grand halls to keep us separate from those who ruled us, I ran my fingers along the cool, damp stone walls. I wondered what it was like outside today. I'd heard it was beautiful. Sunny skies with puffy clouds. Not that I would get to see. I could count on one hand the number of times I'd been allowed outside this year.            My master, Kandek, only allowed me glimpses of the outside world in his presence. No open windows, no glances between the curtains, nothing. It was forbidden and anyone who saw me try was ordered to turn me in to him or face punishment with me if caught. To avoid getting anyone else in trouble, I had learned to ignore windows. I couldn't bear for anyone else to get in trouble for my mistakes.Most of my days were spent in the dark back room of the kitchen. I washed and dried dishes, put them away and repeated that for every meal. Not exciting, but better than cleaning out urine pots.            It wasn't my place to ask why the outside world was forbidden to me, but the other slaves had their theory. Due to Kandek's interest in having private meetings with me in his chambers, everyone thought he wanted to make me his concubine after I came of age. After today.Yet he always seemed interested in what I had to say and I'd never noticed anything inappropriate about his behavior.While it was strange he would request an audience with me and not any other slaves, I couldn't believe he had bad intentions. Behind closed doors he was kind, almost friendly to me. Although I had witnessed his cruelty, I couldn't believe he would ever treat me that way.No matter how much I protested their beliefs, the other slaves still treated me like an outsider. Only Ivy had gone out of her way to befriend me and over the years, she had defended me many times.             "Morning, Luci," I said as I walked into the kitchen. The heat of the room overwhelmed me as the breakfast bread baked in the ovens. The smell of rising yeast never failed to make my stomach growl.             "Finally." Luci said, wiping her flour-covered hands on her gray dress. "I've been waiting for you. I was about to send someone to fetch you. You spent too much time chatting with Ella this morning. You two need to move faster in the morning."            "Sorry." I balled my hands up into my dress, feeling the token lying within the secret pocket. "Since Ivy left so early this morning, I had a little extra work to do."            Luci rolled her eyes and grunted. "Ivy has never been anything but nice to you and here you are blaming her for making you late. You're so ungrateful. Now get out so I can open the windows."            "Yes, ma'am." I took one quick glance at the heavily curtained windows. Not only did they provide light for Luci and her staff on sunny days, but they also gave the heat from the ovens a place to escape. And they couldn't be opened until I had taken my place in the back room.            Holding back a sigh, I shuffled into the dark dish chamber. The walls were filled with shelves and with dishes of every kind waiting to be filled with every kind of delicacy from roasted pheasant to exotic fruits from the Southern Kingdoms beyond the mountains. There were small bowls for finger cleaning between courses. Soup bowls, salad plates, and mixing utensils. Hand-painted plates saved for visits from dignitaries ranked higher than Kandek and the chipped ceramic plates we slaves used for everyday meals. I was amazed how many dishes one man and his household could use in one day.            As I pulled dishes off the shelf for today's breakfast and placed them on the cart, I let my mind wander away from Ivy and to my other troubles.I wanted to forget today was my fifteenth birthday. I wanted to lose myself worrying about Ivy, but no matter how hard I tried to keep my mind off of it, I couldn't forget that today I faced my greatest fear.Handmaids sewed dresses of the finest silk with gold thread and embellished with pearls. Every man's finest garb would be aired out for the occasion. Food from all over the island arrived daily to be added to the feast. The oranges from the south shined like gold. My mouth watered just looking at them. I could smell the cakes, already in the oven for today's celebration.            Unfortunately none of it would pass my lips. I wouldn't wear a beautiful dress either. Those were only for noblemen and their wives who would be here to watch me receive a permanent gift from my master, the brand of a fox on the back of my head, forever marking me as his property.Every morning we slaves shaved our heads as a sign of our restricted status. Only free people were allowed to grow their hair. Long ago, there was the theory that if a slave ever escaped and hid long enough to grow an adequate amount of hair, she could join society as a free person. To avoid losing their slaves forever among the masses, masters branded the slaves they intended to keep on their fifteenth birthday.Ivy received hers last month and we had gripped hands until the moment the guards came to take her away to her party. Forced to stay behind because the great room had many windows, I called out to Ivy as the guards grabbed her elbows and led her away."Be strong Ivy, but don't be ashamed to cry." I cupped my hands around my mouth, yelling to Ivy as the guards dragged her out of the room."I'll never give him or any of his stupid guests the satisfaction!" Ivy shook her arms free from the guards. Shoulders thrown back, arms straight, and fists at her side, Ivy marched out ahead of them.I imagined the scene taking place and the murmurs of the lords and ladies as they would watch Ivy get strapped into the chair. Forced to bend at the waist with her arms still tied behind her back, Ivy's face would rest in a hole on the table. One guard would hold her head down as the other would sear the brand into the back of her head. It was always the same story, but only from those who were brave enough to tell the tale.Kandek did allow each slave one person to wait for them after the branding. Ivy naturally chose me, so I waited alone in our sleeping chambers for her return. Not long after taking Ivy away, the guards returned with her propped up on their arms.Her head hung down; the branded fox red and swollen on the back of her head. In the background I had heard the raucous laughter of the partygoers. My stomach flipped as I realized this would be me in a short time. I had never seen the immediate after-effects of branding before and I would never forget.Throwing her into my waiting arms, the guards left as quickly as they had come."Are you okay?" I whispered into her ear. Her head lay on my shoulder, my arms around her back."When it's your birthday I promise to hold your hand until the moment they force me away from you." Ivy held her head up to gaze into my eyes. A lone tear escape from a blue eye. After that, she didn't speak to me, or anyone else, for three days.I helped Ivy hobble to our bunk. Once she settled into bed with a medicinal poultice made for her by the herbalist, my duties as her aide were over and I was forced back to work. The day's party would dirty many more dishes than normal and I was needed in the kitchen. But that night we held hands as we fell asleep.As I pulled the last of the dishes off the shelf, tears fell as it hit me how alone I was.I wondered what anathema meant as I slipped the coin out of my pocket. I flipped it over and looked at the baby again. Its head turned and looked straight at me. But it didn't wink. Oh no, this time it smacked its hand to its mouth and blew me a kiss.

BIG HUGE EPIC CONTEST...

...coming soon...

When Dreams Change

I'm a traditional girl in many ways. For years I dreamed of walking into a bookstore or a library and seeing a hardcover with my name on the front. As someone who loved to write since early childhood, I believed that to be the pinnacle of success for a writer. My name - in print - for all to see.

I'm 35 now and the world has changed. I don't browse library shelves; I load up their website, place a hold on a book that they may or may not carry (because they'll just borrow it from another library for me), and get an email telling me it's in. Then I pop into the library for five minutes, at the most, to pick up the book I put on hold. I don't spend time combing through the shelves. Why? There's simply too much to browse through. Fiction is shelved alphabetically, not by genre. I wish fiction was more like the Dewey Decimal System, where all nonfiction is shelved by topic.

I get my book recommendations from friends and family, colleagues and blogs, or by basic word-of-mouth. It's rare for me to be left wondering what to read next because I maintain a list a mile long. I will never, ever run out of books to read - which is a wonderful thing.

But as the "great" rejections from agents piled up, I began to get a little sad. What was I doing, spending two years writing when I was never going to make it? They kept telling me my writing was great, but that the market was too narrow for my work. Narrow? How can a world as wide-open as books ever be too narrow?

The more I thought it about it, the more I realized I simply want people to read my books. I don't have to be on a shelf in a bookstore for that to happen anymore. I don't have to be a New York Times bestseller. What I want is to put a smile on someone's face or make a heart pound just little faster.

I've been published regularly for years as a under my secret journalist identity. I've seen my name in print more often than I can count. You know what? It gets old. It does and I'm sorry if that upsets anyone, but the thrill of seeing my name in a magazine wore off within a year or so. If my biggest goal in traditional publication was to see my name on a hardcover book, I bet eventually that thrill would wear off too.

It's not about seeing my name in print anymore - it's all about sharing the stories I have. My goal is to entertain you, not to feed my own ego.

Peace,
Megg

Acknowledgments

I've written the book, done my final edits and I'm awaiting feedback from my beta readers. Anathema is getting so very close to publication and I can't wait to announce a date!

In the meantime I still have a billion things to do. One of the final pieces I've been most excited to write are the acknowledgments. A book doesn't happen on its own, and if it does, then, um, perhaps you ought to let a couple people read it before you put it out there.

I began writing Anathema in January of 2009. It's been touched by many, many different people and I want to thank every one of them. It's a good thing I started a list of who helped when I began writing the novel. Yes, I am a creative person, but I'm also very organized.

Writing can be a very solitary profession, but if you reach out and connect with other writers you'll find not only your writing enriched, but also your life. There's nothing like having colleagues to whine to when the writing's tough. No one understands your literary ups and downs more than people who are riding the roller coaster with you.

So, no matter where you are in your writing process, keep track of those who've helped you along the way. I've made some amazing friendships and strengthened others through my writing. That, in itself, is a fantastic award.

Peace,

Megg

Release Date Pending....

Everyone keeps asking me when my book will be out ... and I wish I had an answer. Soon is about the best I can do.

Since I'm new to the whole epub thing, I don't have a good gauge for how long everything will take. I'm currently in the midst of revisions and I hope to have those done within the next two weeks. Then there's formatting and other things that need to be done before I can release the book.

Some of you are really excited to read it - which makes me really excited too!!!! And maybe a little scared....

I'm going to keep you updated on everything I'm doing. But, for now, I'm mired in revisions.

Thanks for hanging out with me for a few minutes!

Megg

Anathema: Book Trailer & Contest Winner!

Today I'm one step closer to releasing my book! My book trailer is done and uploaded to You Tube. I also have a new name for my main character: Reychel. There were so many great suggestions and I thank each of you for participating!!! The winner is under 18, so I'm sending her the book and keeping her name under wraps. :-)

Here's my book trailer!!!!!

Last Chance to Enter the Contest!

I just wanted to remind everyone that today is the last day to enter my contest. My main character desperately needs a new name and I want you guys to help me out.

Follow this link to the original post for all of the information on how to enter.

I'm going to announce the winner and the name on Monday. But it's not going to be just a normal blog post. Nope, it's also going to be the reveal of my book trailer!!!

Cover Reveal!!!!!

Here's my cover. Isn't it amazing?!?!?!

And remember, if you want to name the girl in the picture, my main character, go to this post for details on how to enter & win!!!!

Contest! Prizes! Sparkly Things!

Okay, maybe there won't be any sparkly things...unless you win and you want your prize wrapped in confetti.

When I wrote Anathema I named my main character Mina. Why? I knew someone with the name and I thought it was gorgeous and unusual. When I read Dracula this summer for the first time, I found out why Mina was such an usual name....who wants to be named after Mina Harker?!

Now that Anathema will see the light of day, I want my main character to have a new name. But I have no idea what to name her. (My husband probably doesn't believe this considering the extensive list of names I had for our daughter.)

This is where I need YOUR help. Name my main character for me! I'll thank you in my book and you'll win a signed hardcover copy of Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. It can't get more awesome than that.

Here's some info about Soon-To-Be-Renamed-Main-Character:

- teenage girl
- dark hair
-amber eyes
- shy
-doesn't always believe in herself
- she's been a slave her whole life

This is a fantasy story, so anything goes. It can be a real name or a made-up name. First name only.

All you have to do for each name suggestion/entry is either blog about this contest, FB it or tweet it - with a link to this post. Just one shout-out for each entry. (This means you need to help me spread the word by linking to the contest somewhere. I'd love to see lots of name suggestions!) If I don't know you, please leave contact information or send me an email using the link to the right. You aren't required to follow me on Blogger, FB or Twitter, but it's always appreciated. If the same name is submitted twice, I will go with the person who suggested it first. The same name spelled differently is counted as a different entry. I also have the right not to choose a name if I don't see one I like.

I'm going to run this contest until January 13th and I'll announce the winner on January 17th.

Good luck and thanks for participating!!!!