Hannah L. Clark's Blog, page 4

Book Review: Missing Lily by Annette K. Larsen

Missing Lily by Annette K. Larsen takes place in the same realm as Larsen's first, and might I add delectable novel, Just Ella. In fact, Lylin/Lily--the main character--is Ella's little sister.  But Missing Lily is not Just Ella.  They are quite different stories.                            Here is the premise:
“You don’t know who I am,” I whispered. He didn’t move—either away from me, or closer—and after an interminable moment, I stepped back and hurried out of the house.

He didn’t follow me as I fled into the night.

Lylin is not used to being alone—much less alone, hurt, and lost. So when she is separated from her guard and forced to abandon her horse, she counts herself lucky to stumble upon a manor house. Still frightened by those who chased her into the night, she keeps her identity a secret, calling herself Lily as she accepts the help of kind servants and the compassion of Lord Fallon. When they fall into an easy friendship, she wonders if her secrecy was too hasty. However, as she gets to know the manor and its residents, Lylin discovers that she’s not the only one hiding secrets, and it may be a very good thing that her host doesn’t know her true identity as a member of the royal family."
One thing I really love about Annette K. Larsen is the fact that she doesn't let her characters take the easy road.  She tells "fairytale-ish" stories, but the conflicts in them are real life, with real life emotions and consequences.  That is an admirable and difficult thing to do as a writer.  Because of this, I think Larsen's stories resonate much deeper emotionally. 
That being said, this book is hard for me to review fairly, because I loved Annette K. Larsen's first book Just Ella so SO much, and while I really liked Missing Lily, it wasn't quite the same experience for me. 
However, I don't think it's fair to compare the two.  Like I said at the beginning of this review, they are just two decidedly different books.  Missing Lily was much more tragic, and I think I liked it little less than Just Ella, because I'm a "happily ever after" kind of girl.  But the story couldn't have ended any differently and still rang true.
What I did love, is that Larsen was true to her unique, lovely tone.  The writing was good and clean. Her story grabbed hold of me from the very beginning, and I finished it quickly.  There is a sweet and triumphant love story with all kinds of angst.
Another thing I really appreciated about Lylin and Rhys' story is how Larsen did a great job portraying the very real anger and turmoil that comes from tragedy and betrayal.  It was hard to read about the characters going through some of the things they went through, but like I said above, Larsen doesn't shy away from writing about realistic consequences, and my hat goes off to her.
Over all, I really enjoyed this book. 4 out of 5 stars. Larsen is one of my absolute favorite authors in this genre. 

Mrs. Brinkman's 6th Grade Class

Today was a day I've been looking forward to since last summer.  Mrs. Brinkman is a 6th grade teacher from my home county, and she decided to have her students read Cobbogoth (the self-published version) for their class read this school year.  She then asked me if I'd like to come down when they finished.  Of course I said absolutely--this is one of the best parts of being an author, and I'd never spoken to an entire class that had all read the book before.

Well, it ended up being worth every minute of it.  The kids were fantastic, and super excited about the book and my visit.  They even made me a sign!


Here are a few pics of the visit:


I promise, I wasn't as boring as the boy in the red shirt looks.  He actually asked the most questions.  ;-)

I even got to let them try some of the Lyf and Roogle from our launch party.  They loved it! Some of them even asked or the recipe. Here we are with our books!  There are some future authors and movie makers in this group.  I'm very excited to see what the future holds for them.

To say thank you, the kids made and gave me one of the best gifts an author can get.  They each wrote a book review of what they thought of the book.  And then, they drew a picture of their favorite scene from Cobbogoth.


It was clear the kids put a lot of time and thought into their reviews and drawings.  And it was more fun than I can express to see their depictions of scenes that have only lived in my mind until now.

Here are some of my favorites!

The Blood Sum was a popular theme among the drawings.  I loved how this one incorporated the Cobbogothian art on the walls and floor. I can honestly say I have never received that many stars in a review for my book! The Dogril scene right before Norah meets up with Lylend was also a popular theme among the drawings.  I loved how this one depicted the trees on fire.

Apparently Cobbogoth made enough of an impression for this reviewer to recommend it to "random people on the street." LOVE!!!

I thought this was an awesome depiction of "The Man in the Glass" chapter where Cifer reads Norah's mind.  The artist even put the wings over the doorway.
But, alas, not everyone liked the book--love kids honesty--but this reviewer was politely displeased and instead took the blame on himself for his boredom.  :-) 
I thought this drawing was fantastic!  I was told by Mrs. Brinkman, that the student who drew this did this free hand, using Bekah's drawing from the book only as a reference for his Dogril.  Very impressive.

I also loved, loved, LOVED this depiction of Lylend's rodaor.  That's one of my favorite parts of the book, so it was very fun to see this and several other drawings of how the kids perceived my description of the rodaor.
Finally, I had a very cool surprise when I got to Mrs. Brinkman's class this morning.  She'd invited my own 4th grade teacher to come and participate in my visit with the class.  This was a super special for me, because this woman is the reason my dyslexia never got in the way of my dream to become an author.  She was the only elementary teacher I can remember who encouraged my story writing, in spite of my terrible handwriting, excessively bad spelling, and difficulty reading.  She was always encouraging me, and consequently has always held a very special place in my heart.  

My 4th grade teacher Mrs. Waddingham, Mrs. Brinkman, and Me after the visit.
A huge thank you to Mrs. Brinkman and her incredible students!  I had such an amazing time visiting with you about the book, and I loved your drawings and reviews so much, I am using them to decorate my office.




They make me want to write more than I've wanted to write in a long time.  They will help motivate me until I finish book 2!

Thank you for such a fun visit!

The Launch Party!

The launch party was a success!!!  We had a great time and everything came together so beautifully.  There were many incredible people who pitched in to make this such an amazing day!

There were beautiful decorations.
Books sold.
Delicious food to eat catered by the extremely talented Eve Petersen.

Much needed hang-time with the fab and talented illustrator Bekah Shakespear!

Visits and book signing with some of Cobbogoth's earliest fans . . .

And then there was the cake.  Unfortunately, there was so much other way more delicious food there, that the cake got completely forgotten about in the fridge, but it looks lovely, right? ;-)
Here is me and my sisters celebrating afterwards for the success of a GREAT party!
Hugs all around!
There were a lot of people who came together to pull this event off, but I particularly couldn't have done it without these two ladies.  This is me, Eve (sister and food genius), and Bekah (sis, bff, and the genius behind Uncovering Cobbooth's beautiful book illustrations, posters, bookmarks, etc.) So blessed to have these two lovelies in my life.
Most especially, I absolutely couldn't have done any of this without this handsome fellow with me every step of the way.  He has been my greatest fan, my steadiest support, my kindest friend and most loyal, honest,  patient, and fair critic.  I love you with all of my heart, Mikey-ma-main-man! 
It was a fantastic night, and so good to see so many of Cobbogoth's earliest fans turn up!  This has been such a fantastic journey, and it certainly couldn't/wouldn't have happened without those of you who have read and loved, and then helped spread the word about Uncovering Cobbogoth. 
Thank you all so much!  

Launch Party Day, Ebook Release, and Other Cool News!

Hello Retro-Readers!

It feels like I haven't called you that in a long time, but I thought I'd try it out again.  Turns out I still like it.  :-)

So first off, it's Launch Party Day! Woo-Hoo!!!!  My sister, the illustrator, just flew in from Texas for the big shindig, and we're totally stoked! (WARNING: There will be a plethora of exclamation points used in this post. The writer in me tried to limit them, but the party animal wasn't having it.)



Everything you need to know about the party is on this lovely poster my sis made up just for the occasion.  If you're in the Provo, UT area, we'd love to have you stop by!  
Secondly, the ebook version of Uncovering Cobbogoth was released yesterday!  Yay!  If you're an electronic bookie like me, you'll want to check it out.  You can do that by clicking the image of the book up and to your left.
Finally, Uncovering Cobbogoth is already making its way up the top 100s charts on Amazon!  As of right now, we're ranked #60 on the "Top 100 Myths and Legends Kindle Books for Sale" list!  This is super exciting, so thanks to all you snazzy ebookies out there making this happen.  We're in full on party mode around here already, and this just gives us one more thing to celebrate!
Hope you'll come party with us in person, but if you can't, party on in spirit, my friends. Party on in spirit.  :-)  Oh, and wish me luck.  I'm doing my very first public reading at this shebang, and I'll be honest, I'm a wee bit nervous.  ;-)
Cheers!   

Uncovering Cobbogoth Release Day and a Huge Heartfelt Thank You!!!

Dear Family, Friends, and Cobbogoth Fans:
 

You are the best!

Deseret News Reviews "Uncovering Cobbogoth"

So we got reviewed by Deseret News this past weekend!  I cut and pasted the entire review below, but if you're like me and want to read the original, here's the link for that: 
Book review: 'Uncovering Cobbogoth' has magic, myths and danger By Sharon Haddock, For the Deseret NewsPublished: Saturday, May 10 2014 3:45 p.m. MDT
"Uncovering Cobbogoth" is an Icelandic tale that will appeal to many Harry Potter series fans in that it has magic, demons, secrets and surprises that involve a crystal city built beneath a volcano.

After Norah Lukens' Uncle Jack is murdered, she is asked to translate some of his archaeology research to look for clues. And many of them lead to a "mythical" crystal city called Cobbogoth.

There are unexplained events and awakenings where Norah doesn't know where she's been or what's happened. She does know she is gifted and her parents died when she was a baby, which is a familiar story line.

Along with some similarities to the series about a boy wizard, it also feels a little like entering the books about vampires and boyfriends.

She has a boyfriend who inexplicably disappears and withdraws from her (for her own good) one moment while he's kind and loving the next.

There are "hoption holes" that act like portals and magic stones that vibrate, heal, regenerate bone and change a person's soul. Evil beings can take over human bodies and shapeshifters known as dogrils are to be feared.

Underpinning the story is an ancient story translated from Old Norse writings that talks about a prophetess known as Totherma who appears in dreams to guide Norah's way from time to time. The story also includes twins Phitessnie and Cifer and is akin to the story of Cain and Abel in the Bible.
Magic symbols are part of this and are somewhat intriguing. Nobody is quite what he or she appears to be.

Danger is everywhere but so are characters, like Lylend, who appear to know what's going on and why Norah needs to flee after her Uncle Jack is murdered.

Norah is befriended, then betrayed, lost in a whirlpool, then saved, jailed, then transported to safety.

The story is rich and it moves along at a good pace — and requires that the reader pays strict attention.

The language is clean and the romantic elements don't go beyond kissing, but there's quite a bit of peril, pain and scariness.

For those who've missed the Harry Potter world, here's a pretty good alternative."

Thanks for helping us spread the word, Deseret News!

Uncovering Cobbogoth's Official Blog Tour

  Hello All, 

The month of May has come at last.  How in the world did it get here so fast?!!  So I have a bunch of exciting news.  First off, today is the first day of Uncovering Cobbogoth's blog tour.  See the dates and links below to check out the blogger's posts, reviews, etc.  

I'm so grateful for all of the bloggers who are not only participating in our tour, but who have been helping to spread the word through the Book Blitz we had the beginning of this month, and the Trailer Reveal we had just a couple weeks ago.  There has been an incredible response on GoodReads as well. I am so pumped to get Uncovering Cobbogoth out there in the open.  My characters need to meet you all! ;-) 

On May 16th, we will be having Uncovering Cobbogoth's Launch Party.  I am pretty pumped about that.  After all the work that's gone into this book, it deserves a party.  I hope any of you who are in the Utah Valley area will stop by and see us that night.  Stay tuned for details to come, or just check out this link here. 

Finally, I just wanted to give you all a little sneak peek of what showed up at my house the other day:


Yep, these beauties!  I can't say how proud I am of this book.  I loved the self-published version of Cobbogoth a lot, but Uncovering Cobbogoth is the story I always meant to tell.  

I'm so pumped for the 13th so you can finally read it!!!!

 


Uncovering Cobbogoth Blog Tour ScheduleWeek OneMay 1 – Kathryn Cooper WritesMay 2 – Deal Sharing AuntMay 3 – Cherry MischievousWeek TwoMay 4 -May 5 – Lauren Skidmore • Part of that WorldMay 6 – Mel’s ShelvesMay 7- Spines & CoversMay 8- Ms. Nose in a Book • Buried Under BooksMay 9 – Geo LibrarianMay 10 – A Backwards StoryWeek ThreeMay 11 – Every Free Chance Book ReviewsMay 12 – The Borrowed BookMay 13 – J.R.’s Book ReviewsMay 14 -May 15 – Tressa’s Wishful EndingsMay 16 – ReadalotMay 17 – Lakeisha the Book NerdWeek FourMay 18 – Blooming With BooksMay 19 – FictionzealMay 20 – Cubicle Blindness • The Bookie MonsterMay 21 -May 22 – The Book LandersMay 23 – Larkin’s Book Bloggers • Stitch-Read-CookMay 24 – Daybreak in AutumnWeek FiveMay 25 – TMBA Corbett WritesMay 26 – Lindzee ArmstrongMay 27 – Haunted Orchid • Curse of the BibliophileMay 28 – Insane About BooksMay 29 -May 30 – A to Z BooksMay 31 -

"Uncovering Cobbogoth" Official Trailer Reveal

Alright everyone, today is a pretty big day.  I am very excited to announce the grand reveal of the official Uncovering Cobbogoth book trailer! 

My husband and I have been hard at work on this trailer for weeks now, and are so excited to share it with you!

So, without further ado . . . here it is!



 I hope you enjoy the trailer!

Writing Gem #14: Self-Publishing Tips

If you've been following me for a while, you know that I self-published Cobbogoth before it was picked up by Cedar Fort.  With them, I spent six months heavily revising it and now it's being re-released as Uncovering Cobbogoth. 

I haven't really talked a lot about my self-publishing journey on here, because I guess I never really thought anyone would be interested. That's when I remembered how I started learning about self-publishing, and it was by reading books and blogs written by people who'd done it and in someway experienced a measure of success.

In the hopes that someone researching this route of starting their writing career will benefit, I've decided to share now. 

First of all, I never sold thousands of books as an indie author, but I still consider my self-publishing adventure a great success!  Why? Because it helped me catch the attention of my current publisher.  If you've been submitting to agents and publishing houses for longer than you care to admit, you know that that is a very valid form of success. 

So, what are the other perks from going Indie?  Authors do it for all kinds of reasons. Here are three pretty good ones:

1) You get to have complete control over the entire process and how the final product turns out.

2) You have the potential to make A LOT more money through higher royalty percentages if you're successful at it.

3) If you're having a hard time getting past the publishing "gate keepers" going indie could be your ticket to snagging yourself a professional publisher.

Like anything, there are negatives to self-publishing, too. Here are three I found:

1) You have to do EVERYTHING yourself.

2) You don't have the weight of a professional publisher to lend as much credibility to your book where accessing readers is concerned.

3) It is A LOT of work and, depending on how you decide to do it, can be fairly pricey up front.  

Here's a little bit of what I learned from my own experience. 


As with all of my Gems, I don't claim to be an all-knowing expert, I'm just sharing what I've learned throughout my journey, because, as I said above, I'm all about making yours a little easier. :-)

So, I hope this is helpful to those of you trying to make a decision about how to get your writing career started.  If you have any questions, feel free to post them in a comment.  I'd love to answer the ones I can.  ;-)

Good luck in whatever you decide, and thanks for stopping by!

"Sunbolt" by Intisar Khanani

So I told you all that I went out and bought Intisar Khanani's second book right after finishing Thorn.  Well, I read it over Spring Break, and it was totally worth it!  Seriously, you guys, I LOVED the main character Hitomi in Sunbolt more than I've loved an MC in a long time.  She was super scrappy, vulnerable, clever, big-hearted, and streetwise while maintaining an endearing innocence at the same time.

Before I get carried away, here's the synopsis:

 The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.

When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi’s, and much worse fates than execution. When Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life.

So, Khanani's world building and magic systems are some of the most intriguing I've had the pleasure of coming across.  She has such a unique perspective as a storyteller, and her writing . . . it is just . . . solid.  Really, and, the voice of her protagonist is so likable and logical.  The things Hitomi does just make sense for her character.  I know that sounds weird, but one of the biggest things that bother me about books is when the characters aren't true to who they are.  

Now, just a head's up, Sunbolt is the first book in a series and more the length of a novella.  I didn't realize that, so when it ended much sooner than I expected, I was like What!? NO!!!! This wasn't because the story wasn't satisfying in the length that it was, but because it was so compelling. I loved the Ghost, the Shadow League, Val, and Kenta.  The first half of the book had a very The Scarlet Pimpernel meets Arabian Nights feel to it.  And I loved the way Khanani took common myth and made it her own to fit surprisingly well in her world.

Another amazing thing Intisar Khanani has going for her--and this was the same with Thorn--is that from the very first page, she's able to take hold of me, and her story doesn't let me go until it's over. I had a little exchange with her over twitter after reading Thorn, and apparently she's rewritten her beginning chapters more times than most authors.  Well, it's working out for her, because once that first chapter grabs me and even when I'm not reading, I'm still thinking about her story. As a writer, I've been trying to pinpoint what she's doing right to make that happen, but I'm thinking its a combination of a lot of really great things.  

Anyway, this book is going on my Great Reads list, so you should definitely check it out.  I can't wait until book 2 in the Sunbolt Chronicles comes out later this year!