Kate Avery Ellison's Blog, page 16

Cover Reveal for WEAVERS (Frost #3)

Ladies and Gentlemen... some more news regarding the next book in The Frost Chronicles!



We have a COVER REVEAL for my next book!

Weavers, the third book the The Frost Chronicles series, releases in just a few weeks. I'm super excited about it, and I hope you guys are, too.

So without further ado, here is the cover!

* drumroll *




I really liked the way this one turned out, and I'm rather proud of it. Like all my covers, I designed it myself, which is my favorite part of the entire independent author process.

And here's the book summary again...

Every day, life in the Frost grows increasingly perilous for its inhabitants. The Farther occupation continues, and food is becoming scarce. And Lia Weaver’s family is facing increasing perils, too—Jonn pushes his health to the brink as he works to uncover the secrets of Echlos, and Ivy risks everything to get food for the family. And for the second time, the Weaver family is harboring a fugitive, but this Lia doesn’t trust her.

Lia has personally braved many struggles—a Farther occupation, family secrets, a heart torn between two men, and Watcher attacks—as she struggles to keep her family safe. But now she will face her greatest challenge and uncover the Frost’s deepest secrets she completes her most dangerous mission yet for the Thorns.


It's pretty short, because I don't want to give ANYTHING away. Lots of really awesome stuff happens in this one, folks. :) :) I'm so excited for you guys to read it!

New Year's Goals and Resolutions

Hi everyone,

Do you make goals or resolutions for the new year?

I looooooove goals. For me, there's something about writing down the things that motivates me to accomplish them Also, I'm a list-maker. I make lists about what I need to do for the day and the week, and they help me stay focused. And every year, I make a big long list of new year's goals.

About half of my new year's goals are personal and half are professional. I seal them up in an envelope and put the envelope in a box. Then at the end of the year, my husband and I pull out the list and go over it to see what I accomplished. I actually get really excited about seeing the list...it's kind of like a very mild version of Christmas for me, because I love being able to check things off the list.

This year, I have several "reading related" goals in addition to many goals regarding books I want to finish writing and publish. Last year I read 5 books on the writing craft, and I want to do that again this year. I never want to stop striving to be a better writer, and reading books on craft is one way to improve my skills.

Another one of my goals is to read 12 nonfiction books. I'm already halfway through the first one for the year, a book called Learned Optimism. So far I'm really enjoying it, even though it's not the kind of thing I'd pick up on my own (a friend recommended it). I have a few other "self help" style books lined up to read after I'm done with this one, and after that I'm going to scour the bestseller lists for whatever looks interesting.

I'm more of a fiction girl myself, but nonfiction is really enriching and I'm always glad when I read it. Last year I read (and loved) Half the Sky, so if anyone has a similar goal of reading more nonfiction, I recommend that one first.

Do you guys ever make any goals or resolutions about reading (or writing)? Does making goals help you the way it helps me?

Weavers Summary and Spoilers!

Hi everybody,

Well, it's allllllmost that time. Weavers, book #3 in The Frost Chronicles, releases in several weeks! I don't have an exact date yet, but when I do, I'll let you all know. In the coming days and weeks up until that time, I'm going to be releasing some fun teasers and spoilers to get you guys excited about the book.



Today, we have a SUMMARY.

Every day, life in the Frost grows increasingly perilous for its inhabitants. The Farther occupation continues, and food is becoming scarce. And Lia Weaver’s family is facing increasing perils, too—Jonn pushes his health to the brink as he works to uncover the secrets of Echlos, and Ivy risks everything to get food for the family. And for the second time, the Weaver family is harboring a fugitive, but this Lia doesn’t trust her.

Lia has personally braved many struggles—a Farther occupation, family secrets, a heart torn between two men, and Watcher attacks—as she struggles to keep her family safe. But now she will face her greatest challenge and uncover the Frost’s deepest secrets she completes her most dangerous mission yet for the Thorns. 

It is very short and very vague because I don't want to give anything away!!! But let me say this--lots of really awesome stuff happens in this one, folks. A couple of big questions get answered. You'll find out more about:

-the Weaver family (what other secrets does Lia's family have in their past?)
-the Watchers (where did they come from, anyway?)
-the snow blossoms (why do they bloom in the snow? Why do they turn the Watchers away?)
-much more!

So stay tuned for more goodies in the coming weeks...a cover reveal, excerpts from the book, and more.

And if you haven't yet, be sure to sign up for the new releases newsletter so you won't miss the release of Weavers!

PS ~ Also, check out this nice review of Thorns.

Finally, some NEWS about Frost #3

Hey everybody!



Guess what? I've been hard at work in my writer's cave for months now, and I am so happy to announce that Frost #3, WEAVERS, goes to my editor for final line edits tomorrow.

YAY!!

* tosses confetti, eats ice cream cake, picks bits of confetti out of ice cream *

Seriously, though. I am soooooooooo glad to be (mostly) done with it and I'm so excited for all of you to get to read it. This week I'll reveal the cover and synopsis and maybe release a few short teases leading up to the release itself. The book will be available in stores sometime in mid to late January. I'm not sure on the exact date right now, so if you want to be sure to grab a copy the day it's available, sign up for my new releases newsletter here.

Happy New Year!

Good News and a Nice Review for Thorns

Hi everyone,

Good news! I've finished the rough draft for book #3 of The Frost Chronicles series, which is tentatively titled WEAVERS. I'm now in the process of revising. If everything goes according to the plan, Weavers will be released in mid-late January of 2013!!!

In other news, I really liked this review for Thorns and thought I'd share it.

:)

THORNS in Paperback!!

Hi everyone!

Again, sorry for the long absences lately. I have been very distracted over the last few weeks with several personal matters. Good things, mostly, just LIFE things, and life things can be time-consuming and stressful, you know? I'm thankful that I have the flexibility to deal with what comes my way these days, especially when it's in crazy waves like the last few weeks. But all sorts of fun things have happened too--I became an aunt for the first time last week, yay! My little niece is beautiful.

Fortunately, my family hasn't been in any way affected by Sandy, but to all those whose lives have been touched by the disaster, you have my thoughts and prayers!

I've taken a very brief hiatus from writing the third book in the Frost Chronicles series to deal with all those life things I talked about, but good news! I am back at the grindstone today, and my goal is to be finished with the rough draft by the end of this week. Eek! It's a lot to accomplish, but I think I ca do it.

It is still my goal to have a winter release for the third book, either the end of December (unlikely, but possible) or sometime in Jan/Feb of 2013 (much more likely).

In other news, THORNS IS NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK! Yay! So if you don't read ebooks, you can now snag a dead-tree copy for yourself.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful November so far!

Thoughts on Writing A Series

Hey everybody,



First, I'm sorry for the long blogging absence. At first I was just exhausted from the Thorns launch (which went fantastically well, guys, and it's selling really really well). Then I went to the beach on a week-long family vacation with my in-law, during which I did little except eat, read, and sleep all day.

Then, a few days after we returned from the beach, my husband had ACL replacement surgery using a donor ACL (hardcore!) and we've just been dealing with that since his recovery time was about a month of crutches and leg-straightening machines, not to mention the weeks of physical therapy he still has ahead of him.

Annnnnd....this past weekend I've been sick...I actually had to go to the ER because I got too dehydrated. But I'm feeling much better now, and I've been working VERY HARD yesterday and today on the first draft of the manuscript I'm still calling FROST 3, as it doesn't have a title yet.


I've been thinking a bit lately about how I feel about writing a series, since I'm smack dab in the middle of book 3 of The Frost Chronicles. Normally I've always preferred to dream up ideas for stand-alone books. I haven't been a huge series advocate because it requires a (very intimidating to plan) overarching plot or goal, plus all the self-contained plots and goals of each book, and honestly in the past the thought has always been a frightening prospect to me. But...surprisingly, I really like it. I like being able to return to the same world and play with the same characters. I like seeing them grow and learn and stretch into new places and directions. It's very rewarding. I think planning really pays off in this instance, because I've had some things in mind all along and I've been able to let them happen gradually over the course of several books.

So, it's a happy discovery. And when The Frost Chronicles is finished (some of you have been emailing me to ask how many books there'll be--I honestly can't say for sure, but right now I'm anticipating 5), I'll be sad to see it go.

I've got some other books up my sleeve, of course, ones I've been working on here and there. Most of them are NOT series, however. But we'll see...now that I like it so much, I might not be able to resist.

So...what do you guys prefer to read (or write)? Standalone novels, trilogies, or long series?

All Digital THORNS versions available!

Hey guys!

Good news. All digital version of THORNS are now available! So if you read on a Nook or if you prefer to buy your ebooks from Smashwords, you can now snag a copy of the Frost sequel.

Here are the all links again:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

 And again, if you are a book blogger who reviewed FROST for me, and you're interested in reviewing the sequel as well, shoot me an email at kellisonwrites(at)gmail(dot)com.

Also, Thorns has two covers! I decided to make an alternate, simpler cover just for kicks. (Lots of books get multiple covers with various edition and such.) So this is the Smashwords edition cover, which is a bit simpler and more streamlined:


Frost now has a new cover on Smashwords too, so be sure to head over and check it out.

THORNS is available in the Amazon store!

Hi everybody!

Thorns is now available for sale in the Amazon store!

* tosses confetti *

(Go here to buy Thorns on Amazon)

I'll be sure to post more links when it's available in all the other usual places. Also, there will be a print version, but it won't be available for another few weeks, I think. I'll let you know when that's available, too.

YAY!

When Is THORNS Coming Out??!?

Hi dear friends and readers!

Lately, I've had a number of you ask me when Thorns: The Frost Chronicles #2 will be available. And I'm so pleased and honored by your interest and enthusiasm in this series, so thank you for that! And never fear, Thorns is coming out soon. And lots of interesting stuff has been happening to Lia Weaver lately. :)

I was shooting for today as a release date, but it had to be pushed back a little bit. So I think it's going to be another week before Thorns is available for purchase at all the usual places--Amazon, B & N, Smashwords, etc. But don't worry, I will let you know and give you links as soon as you can buy it! The ebook will be available right away, and it might be a few weeks before the paperback is in stock, but I'll let you know all that information as well when the time comes.

So check back here on the blog or sign up for the New Releases Newsletter (there's a tab for that at the top of the blog now) if you don't want to miss the release!

Have a great weekend!

PS ~ Bloggers, if you reviewed Frost for me and you're interested in reviewing Thorns as well, shoot me an email at kellisonwrite(at)gmail(dot)com.