Lynn Donovan's Blog, page 5

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Welcome Jennette Mbewe and Secrets Kept

Today I would like to welcome an author I enjoy reading and knowing, Jennette Mbewe. She is here today as a guest post to promote her book Secrets Kept.

Be sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom. Jennette Mbewe and I are two of three authors of The Clockwork Dragon and we are giving a paperback with all three authors' signature, or you could win an e-copy of Jennette's short story, Desert Rose.
****With a curse, she will build an army. With the dagger, she will undo the last sacrifice. But first the sorceress must find the secret keeper.

Torn from her homeland and thrust into a betrothal against her wishes, Ayianna learns her family has a deadly secret that now has her on the run. She joins forces with Kael, an embittered half-elf, and Saeed, an elderly High Guardian, to seek answers to her father's death, the destruction of Dagmar, and the plains people's bizarre behavior.
Ayianna discovers there is more at stake here than just her mother's disappearance and her familial duty to her betrothed. The sorceress has cursed the plains people, and it is a race against time to release them before the sorceress resurrects an ancient evil.

****I have asked Jennette to share with us how God has been a part of this journey in publishing Secrets Kept.

Welcome Jennette.

First I want to thank Lynn Donovan for participating in the cover reveal yesterday and for allowing me to share with you all my journey today. J

About ten years ago, I was reading through the parable of the talents. The one with the master, the three servants and a bag of talents. Leaving on a trip, the master entrusted his servants with the talents, and upon his return asked: What did you do with what I gave you?
I felt that God was asking me the same. What are you doing with what I gave you? And I was like…um…what did you give me? What talent, gift, skill have you given me? I think I had been so busy looking at everyone else and their talents that I overlooked what God had given me. Writing. It wasn’t like I heard an audible voice or saw a burning bush, the word “writing” just popped into my head. So I sat down to write a book. I had no clue where to start. I knew I wanted to write an allegory. A kind of Pilgrim's Progress meets Lord of the Rings. Yeah. That idea kind of disintegrated, but we won't go there. Ha!
So, I had point A, point G and point Z of my story, but had no clue about the rest, but my husband told me to just sit down and write. And write I did. The basic story in its most roughest of forms poured from my mind and my fingers flew across the keyboard to keep up. Sometimes I'm thankful I was so naïve and hadn't had to deal with the inner editor yet.
In the next couple of years I rewrote and edited that book hundreds of times. Every time I got close to thinking I was done, I learned something new about writing fiction and had to rewrite it all over again. I researched the internet, read books on writing and tried to apply what I had learned. Each time there was always something new. I felt like I was plowing dirt with my head and not getting very far, very fast. But slowly, it started coming together, taking shape. Life was breathed into the characters, and the World of Nälu was becoming more real.

"If you don't find a career using this talent, it would be a sin!"

The journey had its ups and downs, and during the dark moments, I would find something that kept confirming what I was doing. Small things like coming across a box of childhood things, memories I had completely forgotten about. The little construction paper books I wrote and illustrated as an eight year old, sure I'd be an author one day. A short story that won first place in middle school, and a high school English paper the teacher wrote on, "If you don't find a career using this talent, it would be a sin!"

All of it, I had forgotten about, and now here I am, in the middle of living my dream. My first novel will be released this fall, and let me tell you, once the ball starts rolling, it ROLLS! Yikes! But it's all good. I can't wait to share with you all The World of Nälu, and all the adventures to be had there. **** Thank you Jennette. This is an awesome story. I think you have been a good and faithful servant with the talents God has given you. I love the note from your teacher. Thank God for people like this whom I believe He intentionally puts in our path for such a time as this!!  :) I pray God's continued favor upon your publication. It's worth repeating: I love this story and I know other's will too.   Soon, I'll post my review of Secrets Kept. In the mean time, but sure to put it on your TBR list.
Stalker info for Jennette:
Facebook
Pinterest
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Her Blog Living Life Balanced Between Reality and Dreams

  Jennette's Bio:Writing as J. L. Mbewe, Jennette is an author, artist, mother, wife, but not always in that order. Born and raised in Minnesota, she now braves the heat of Texas, but pines for the Northern Lights and the lakes of home every autumn. She loves trying to capture the abstract and make it concrete.
She is currently living her second childhood with a wonderful husband and two precious children who don't seem to mind her eclectic collections of rocks, shells, and books, among other things.
While living life balanced between reality and dreams, she is creating worlds inhabited by all sorts of fantasy creatures and characters, all questing about and discovering true love amid lots of peril.
Her debut novel is coming this fall, and in the meantime be on the look out this summer for short stories set in the World of Nälu.




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Cover Reveal - Secrets Kept, by Jennette Mbewe

With a curse, she will build an army. With the dagger, she will undo the last sacrifice. But first the sorceress must find the secret keeper.





Ayianna discovers there is more at stake here than just her mother's disappearance and her familial duty to her betrothed. The sorceress has cursed the plains people, and it is a race against time to release them before the sorceress resurrects an ancient evil.
Torn from her homeland and thrust into a betrothal against her wishes, Ayianna learns her family has a deadly secret that now has her on the run. She joins forces with Kael, an embittered half-elf, and Saeed, an elderly High Guardian, to seek answers to her father's death, the destruction of Dagmar, and the plains people's bizarre behavior.







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Check out AltWitPress.com for more publications by JL Mbewe and other Christian authors

Juniper Grove Book Solutions Blog Tour

Join me May 27th through June 7th for gift giveaways, interviews, spotlights, reviews, bucket lists,  and more.

Showers of Books Giveaway Hop

Showers of Books Giveaway HopApril 24th to 30th Co-hosted by Books à la Mode
Here on this leg of the hop,you could win:A $5 Amazon Gift Card&An eBook copy of The Wishing Well Curse
Enter Here:
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...But God, a story from my heart

I was invited to the pulpit this morning to tell my church about the book I wrote, The Wishing Well Curse.  I had told the Pastors it was available on Amazon.com as of yesterday and rather than tell the congregation, he asked me to come up and share. An amazing and exciting announcement, for sure. But when I got the microphone in my hand and started speaking, I realized this was an opportunity to give Testimony to the amazing things God has done in my life to put me where I am today, with a published book.

I am still in awe of the service and the presence that was in our church today. So I feel lead to share my Testimony with you, my Blog friends.

The Wishing Well Curse started out being called A Ghost from a Wishing Well. Because over twenty years ago, the idea come to me to write a story and the plot was inspired by the song, If You Could Read My Mind Love, by Gordon Lightfoot. The idea rolled around in my mind but I never sat down to write. But, then again, I was raising babies, having babies and dealing with a broken life.

A year and a half ago, God orchestrated my life in such a way that I had a lot of time on my hands. The desire woke up to write, and of course, this story ignited once more. So I sat down and wrote it all the way to the end. It was amateurish and really terrible, and I knew it. So I started searching for information. I contacted a writer acquaintance whom I had met through a Tear Drop Trailers Forum. She directed me to ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) from there I found resources to teach me to write. I downloaded Jeff Gerke's Plot Vs Character book. Read it through and was inspired all over again. I googled Jeff Gerke and found a discussion forum he had started, Where The Map Ends, or Anomaly. From that forum, I was invited to join an online critique group, The Sandbox. I submitted my story to the critique group and started critiquing their work as well. (By the way, you learn a lot about writing by critiquing other people's writing and by having your own work critiqued.)

They gently but firmly tore my story apart and helped me write it so that it was better and better. While I was playing in the Sandbox (that's what we call our time together) I met Pauline Creeden who had started a small publishing company. I think she had been building her company for the past three years. (But that's her testimony) She wanted to publish a collection of short stories about a clockwork dragon. She submitted her own short story to demonstrate what she had in mind for the stories and offered to the critique group an opportunity to write anything, set in any time period, fantasy or contemporary, literally: whatever, as long as it was about the clockwork dragon and the idea that it was home to legion, the many demons from Mark 5:9 and somebody encountering them.

I was inspired. Ideas came to me and I asked her if this idea and that idea was what she was interested in. She told me to write it up and submit it. She'd let me know if it worked for her. Well, my mind went wild. I thought of four stories, then five... On day, my son said, "Mom, stop writing Clockwork Dragon stories." We laughed about that. So I submitted the four stories and talked to another writer who submitted a mermaid version of the story. We decided to write one story together about Fairies at a slumber party.

The Clockwork Dragon was published October 2012. WOW! Then I went back to The Wishing Well Curse and, again, read through it and worked on making it better. I figured well, that was cool.  Now to really published a book. I searched Christian publishers and perused their submission requirements. I worked on putting together a Sale Sheet and synopsis, etc. all the things needed to submit a manuscript to an editor.

Then in December, I received a message from Pauline explaining to me her goals for her publishing company and she asked me if I had any finished manuscripts I'd be willing to submit to her.

WHAT?

I couldn't believe it! Publishers DO NOT come to writers and ask for their manuscripts. It just doesn't happen.

...BUT GOD! 

I gulped and told her about The Wishing Well Curse.  She read it and a few weeks later she contacted me to suggest some major changes in the story line and told me if I was willing to work with her, make these changes, she'd be interested in publishing this story.

After I picked myself up off the floor. Cried for several hours and called all my children!!! Well you know what I'm saying. I said yes, and here we are today. The Wishing Well Curse is available at Amazon.com for e-readers and will be available May 1 in paperback.

Now, please don't shake your head and say, "Well! Some people have all the luck!"

I have had my valley of the shadow of death!  It wasn't an easy road to get here. But when I was so broken, I had no where else to turn, I turned to God. I'm reminded of 2 Chronicles 20:3-22. Jehoshaphat feared the armies approaching to destroy Judah and Jerusalem so he cried out to the Lord and the Lord set ambushes against the men...and they were defeated.

I turned to God and turned to God and turned to God. I have counseled with my pastors, prayed, been prayed over, prayed for others, and I have grown in the Lord. I have followed His lead, which was the unction to write and wrote from my heart that He ignited with a story. And He made a way. He connected me with Pauline and I am assuming (but that's her testimony) that He lead her to ask me the questions, "Do you have a finished manuscript you'd be willing to submit."

The Wishing Well Curse Book Cover Revealed

Here it is!  The book cover.  I'm so honored and excited to share it with you all.  The book will be released May 1 on Amazon.com and the Paperback will be a few weeks after that.

Zeke Clay is down on his luck. He’s lost everything—an apartment, an education, a girlfriend, his job…

When a mysterious letter comes from a law firm in Colorado, he decides things just might be looking up. Now he stands to inherit a fortune, but it comes with a price. He must break a family curse and restore true love. What does he know about breaking a curse? And who is this Multi-Great Uncle Luther Clayton, who claims Zeke is the one? Can he piece together the clues left by his dearly departed?
Who can he trust? The Apache Indian attorney? Her great nephew? The leather-clad, Harley riding Pastor? Least of all, himself?
What about the Ghosts?
…And why does his three-year-old tattoo bleed every time he gets near the wishing well?

Thank you AltWitPress for believing in me and making this dream come true. Thank you God for allowing this to be a season in my life.

The Difference Between Night and Day Review Blog Hop

The Difference Between Night and Day, by Melissa Turner Lee...
~ A Christian Paranormal Romance ~
Nathaniel Taylor was a Christian who thought believers were exempted from "dark times." That was until he entered his own long time in the dark. When he meets Lilly, a young woman in danger, it sends him on a journey to discover the difference between night and day and that during dark times, the Light is hidden, not gone.



Melissa Lee has done it again. This story is entertaining and feeds your Christian soul. It's a feel good story, like hearing a heart-warming testimony in church. Nathaniel, a Christian Vampire who thinks he has been, like Job, cursed and forgotten by God. He meet’s a young lady who can smell a person’s soul. Those who know God, smell clean and sweet. Those without, smell rotten. She keeps telling Nathaniel that he smells sweet and clean. He can’t understand how a monster such as he could smell anything but rotten. When another of his kind shows up in town, Nathaniel becomes her protector. Can he resist the love he feels for Lilly or will her inner light draw him out of the darkness? Her insight amazes him. But how can a rage-filled monster, like himself, be in love with this innocent believer? Is their love doomed like he is, to the dark, or can their love be the answer to stepping back into the light for Nathaniel? In the end, Who is saving whom?This story made me sigh with content. I enjoyed taking the journey with Nathaniel and Lilly. I think you will too. It's a must for your TBR (to be read) list. And it's only 99 cents on Amazon.com now.
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The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Welcome to the NEXT BIG THING Blog Hop.

What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover authors new to them. I hope you'll find new-to-you authors whose works you enjoy. On this stop on the blog hop, you'll find a bit of information on me and one of my books and links to five other authors you can explore!

My Next Big Thing is:
      The Wishing Well Curse.   
    Zeke Clay has lost everything: his apartment, his education, his girlfriend, and his job. When a mysterious letter comes from a law firm in Colorado, things just might be looking up...but the fortune he stands to inherit comes with a price. He must break a family curse and restore true love. To do that, Zeke must piece together clues left by his dearly departed, and determine if there's anyone he can truly trust—including himself.






  This Gothic Paranormal, Mystery/Romance is scheduled for release in May 2013.

My gratitude to fellow author, J. L. Mbewe, for inviting me to participate in this event. You can click the following links to learn more about Jennette and her books.

http://jlmbewe.com/




In this blog hop, my fellow authors and I, in our respective blogs, have answered ten questions about our current book or work-in-progress (giving you a sneak peek). We've also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why we write what we write--the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices we make. I hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!

1: What is the working title of your book? The Wishing Well Curse

2: Where did the idea come from for the book?
 Twenty years ago, I was listening the "If You Could Read My Mind" by Gordon Lightfoot.  
The lyric that says,     "Just like an old time movie,    about a ghost from a wishing well,    in a castle dark or a fortress strong,    with chains upon my feet..." sparked an idea, about a guy who inherits a mansion, with ghosts, and problems to resolve. The idea sat dormant in my brain until last year when I started sketching it out.  3: What genre does your book come under?
 Christian Fiction, first. Gothic Paranormal, Mystery/Romance.  That's a mouth full, it's an in depth story and really needs all those descriptors.  *smile*
4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
 Wow. That's a good question.  
A younger Jason Stathom as Zeke Clay


Michelle Trachtenberg as one of
the ghosts, Rosa Lehman








 Zac Efron as Clifford Valdez














5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
 Zeke Clay could inherited a fortune, if he can break a family curse, but what about the two ghosts.  6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?
AltWitPress is publishing this book.

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

 2 months.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Honestly, it reminds me of "Bag of Bones" by Steven King. I've been told it reminded another beta reader of "The Ghost Whisperer."

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I have a dear friend, Georgia Bond, whom I've known for 30 years. She is a voracious reader, and inspired me to write. It took me all this time to get into a season of my life where I could. I thank God for that.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

1. My oldest son, Trent, was my muse for the main character. He has shaved his head since he was about 20 years old (hiding bald spots, I think) and got the crown-of-thorns tattoo when he was 18 (Surprise mom!). He currently lives in the Austin, TX area. Where Zeke's story begins. All these attributes, inspired the character Zeke Clay.

2. Personal destiny is difficult to accept and even more difficult to achieve, when we try to go it alone. This is an adventure of one man's journey to discover who he is and how everything in life works together to prepare us for destiny and lead us to the place where we are supposed to be. No matter how difficult it is to get there.




Happy Writing and Reading!

Since so many authors I know have already participated, I have posted links below to their posts for you to check out. You might find a new favorite. And if you happen to have a favorite “The Next Big Thing”, please feel free to share a link in the comment section. Thanks!

Morgan Busse
Anne Elisabeth Stengl
R. J. Larson
Jill Williamson
Pauline Creeden
C. L. Dyck
Kat Heckenbach
Kessie Carroll
Aaron DeMott
Laura Ritchie

Blog Hop

Welcome to my Blog. I hope you enjoy your time here and on your Blog hopping Tour.  I write because I enjoy telling a good story. I hope you will read my stories and enjoy the time we will have spent together.
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April 2013 and beyond!