Serenity Valle's Blog, page 8
June 20, 2013
Big Author Giveaway going on 20 June- 4 July!
Big Author Giveaway going on 20 June- 4 July!
Come check out the giveaway! Click the post title to get there! There are a lot of authors giving away really awesome things! Multiple chances to win!
June 19, 2013
COVER REVEAL!
Here’s the cover of my upcoming book (expected release date 2 July) The Fantastical Life of Serenity: a collection of short stories about what could be…but not quite is.
So excited!
Check out more about the book on Goodreads! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17854609-the-fantastical-life-of-serenity
Love & Books,
~Serenity
June 18, 2013
Cover Art!
Alizon and I (Alizon of C & D Editing https://www.facebook.com/CdEditing?fref=ts) got together yesterday to work on the cover art. We both had the same idea at the beginning (talk about being on the same wavelength? Me and Alizon are!) and through brainstorming-well, not actual (guided) brainstorming, more like thinking out loud turning into more ideas-we settled on an idea we both LOVE! I am SO lucky that my editor lives within walking distance!
The cover won’t be all wispy and sparkly like many of the current covers (I do like those kind, they just don’t fit with this book), it is real and IMO will make the reader feel-just from looking at the cover-that he or she *knows* this girl. I couldn’t be happier with what we’ve come up with so far! She’ll be here again today for more work on it and I am literally hurriedly scheduling the rest of my day to be done by the time she gets here!
More on this soon, as well as other announcements about the book in general!
In other news, Arleigh Westunlied, http://serenityvalleauthor.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/interview-with-author-arleigh-westunlied/ , author of the upcoming book Point of the Rear Guard is having a Cover Art Contest! Go here: https://www.facebook.com/Author.ArleighBison and like his page, then look at the photo album called “Point of the Rear Guard Covers”, decide which is your favourite and go vote on the question poll which is pinned to the top of his page. All those who vote will be entered to win a signed first print copy of the book when it comes out! Winner will be drawn by raffle.
June 17, 2013
Crisis Averted!
Luckily, the cover art photoshoot went on, just with a different photographer this time. Today I am meeting with my editor (of C & D Editing https://www.facebook.com/CdEditing?fref=ts) to work on the book cover! My preferred release date is coming up fast and we are cranking (lots of coffee!) to get everything done! Watch here for more updates, coming soon!
Love & Books,
~Serenity
June 14, 2013
Surprise! :(
Surprise! I got a note today from my photographer…his in-laws (surprise!) are visiting this weekend so he can not do my cover art photo shoot. I wanted to release my book on my birthday (July 2) but now I don’t know if I will be able to. Good surprises are good, bad surprises not so much. 
Love & Books,
Serenity
June 11, 2013
Interview with author Arleigh Westunlied!
Q: So, tell the readers a bit about you.
A: I am 34, married and have two wonderful sons. I’m very fortunate to have travelled a bit, and considerable influence of my writing comes from those experiences. I’m a fan of Gwangju FC, the Kolkata Knight Riders, the All Blacks, Manchester and the Czech national hockey team. I love Bollywood and every so often will spend entire weeks burning through movies of that genre. I live in the States, in Virginia Beach, although Windsor is a faraway home.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for your book, Point of the Rear Guard? How did you come up with the name of it?
A: My first book, “Point of the Rear Guard” is a biography, describing real people in a tumultuous and difficult period of history, which like so much of American lore was based in a war. The story is largely apolitical, which I found interesting as many such stories end up being used for describing one philosophy preferential to others. The subject of the book was a great admirer of Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” and I’m very happy that my book has been compared favourably to his. I had the fortune to know the person described in it personally, and his desire that it be presented to the public at some time to describe a chapter of history in which the participants themselves felt largely ignored by the world already in real time. I was happy to change that. “Point of the Rear Guard” was the title chosen by the subject, Mr. Robert Bayless of West Virginia. You’ll understand why when you read it.
Q: What is your favourite colour? (This must be read in a British accent ala Monty Python)
A: “Blue, no Green. AAAAHHHH!!!” Seriously though, my very most favourite colour is vermilion, derived from cinnabar.
Q: Do you have any special rituals or quirks when writing? Special foods or drinks? Etc.
A: I smoke, like Québécoise in church. I’m perfectly familiar with it being a deleterious habit, but it seemed to work for Hemingway and Hunter Thompson, and I’m not going to argue with men like either of them.
Q: What was the easiest part about writing Point of the Rear Guard?
A: Certainly the easiest part is envisioning the myriad of wonderful ideas. Much like Beckett claimed, I also can see almost the entire story in my mind all at once, and I experience the multitude of emotions from the various characters as it happens in my brain. For this I’m very thankful, as I believe it makes for very realistic stories.
Q: What was the hardest part?
A: Actually writing! Time management is a horrible reality, and those persons most adept for creativity, quite stereotypically are not skilful at it. I am no exception that I can see. Many times I simply cannot type quickly enough to portray the fantastical scenes that I picture in my mind’s eye perfectly; nor to convey emotions or conversation properly because there is such a backlog of information in my imagination that I want to lay onto paper.
Q: Do you like bacon?
A: Bacon is one of those food items which is wonderful and tasty in any reasonable incarnation, but which is overused by zealots like commas, interjections, and repetitive phrases. Still, I go with tasty.
Q: How long have you been writing, or wanting to write and when did you actually write your first story?
A: I first knew of the stories which would later become my upcoming series, “Tomorrow, After the End of Time” late one night while in my last few weeks in the Navy. Sometime later, I watched “Waiting for Godot” alone and in a very difficult emotional state, and found incredible inspiration and desire to write from that epiphany. In secondary school, one of my favourite courses was in creative writing, and I found that at a particularly young age I simply did not have sufficient experiences from which to draw believable, convincing stories. I went through my life doing a number of other things, until after returning from South Korea in 2009 I decided, having offered the framework of my novels to friends and coworkers for opinions, that I had finally matured sufficient to write fiction that people could relate to, and fall in love with.
Q: Do you have a favourite character from your book? If so, who and why?
A: In “Point”, I think anyone would find strong attachment to the main character, Robert. In one of my initial statements about the book, I commented that he would be correctly lauded in the musical piece, “Fanfare for the Common Man”. It is always the simple folk, the people forced into situations created by the myopia of others, who should have the admiration of the world. Without honest people, motivated by what is good in life and altruism, the barbaric qualities of the human condition would invariably take hold of the planet and keep humanity in bondage. With the thought that, “All which is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing,” the world should be grateful to those who, even occasionally, say, “No more”.
Q: Are you working on anything else right now? If so, can you tell us anything about it?
A: I mentioned a series of novels I hope to be presenting in the near future, which truthfully were the first I ever conceived. Stay tuned for updates in that direction! As to their content, I suppose the best way to describe them would be a magical world in which magic itself was not a “deus ex machina” to fix the world’s problems. I will post more about that when I am closer to completing the first of the series.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to tell the readers of this interview? (This is a great place to put your links!)
A: My author page on facebook is https://www.facebook.com/Author.ArleighBison and I would appreciate any traffic to it. I have twitter at @AuthorArleigh and I’m always happy for fan mail. I have all kinds of advice, but I will paraphrase to say that no life is long enough to justify doing something for work that does not satisfy the soul. With your assistance in the world out there, I may soon be able to tend to writing wonderful books myself, like I want to do! Cheers.
***********************
Thank you Arleigh for the interview! I don’t normally read non-fiction such as Point of the Rear Guard, I’m not a fan of war books or war movies, however, I had the pleasure of reading this book and I can honestly say that I loved it! I would read it more than once, and have! To read about the life of a common man from Appalachia, about his youth, his wartime, his love, his losses (rather than reading a story from the perspective of some important official type person) really was heartwarming. I even cried at some points! There were some absolutely hilarious stories and this book takes the reader there, to WV, to Korea where one can SEE the battles, the camaraderie, the struggles and I think a lot of people could relate to this book, even if they’ve never been to war.
Point of the Rear Guard should be out just in time for Independence Day, July 4! Watch here, facebook and twitter for more updates!
Love & Books,
~Serenity
June 10, 2013
Win a Character Contest!
I’ve been itching to do a contest! So here’s one for you! WIN a character in my current WIP! It is a paranormal romance/mystery and I’m about 1/10th of the way into it. This is how it will work.
1) Like my author page: http://www.facebook.com/author.serenityvalle
2) Share the contest post (public) on facebook
3) Comment on the facebook post that you have done 1 & 2.
Random winner will be chosen and announced on this page on 06/14/2013.
Love & Books,
~Serenity
June 6, 2013
Book 3 already?!
So remember how I said I might be done with my second book by my birthday in July? Yeah…I’m done! This book is about to go into first edit (I always do a first edit before anyone else ever sees it). I can’t tell you anything about it yet, except that it is a novella. More information will be released at a later time, so watch here for that.
I’ve been working on my third book (again), the first in a series of paranormal novels, since yesterday and am close to being about 1/10th done. This one is going to take a little longer, but then, it is twice as long as both of my first two. I’m really excited about this new project! Mystery, intrigue, a little romance maybe?
In other news, photoshoot for cover art is scheduled for Saturday June 15, I can’t wait for it to be done and official cover art to be ready! Apparently, if time allows, yours truly will be doing some shots for the photogs portfolio as well! 
Swag. Who doesn’t love some swag? I’ve got ideas for some and am working on them.
Editing. I’m currently editing two books, one is a manga written by a wonderful young man who is about to finish his sophomore year of high school, the other is a story by a NY Times bestselling author. This girl is busy!
…and all this while chasing my 19 month old, keeping up the house while hubby (also an author) is at his day job, making dinner and everything else that goes along with being a stay at home mum. Whew! If my life were ever calm, I don’t know what I’d do…probably go nuts!
Love & Books,
~Serenity
June 2, 2013
Serenity Valle- FB Author Page
Serenity Valle- FB Author Page
Hello readers! In the spirit of networking and staying in contact at more than one point, here is the link to my Author page on facebook. Just click the “Serenity Valle- FB Author Page” subject title and “like” my page please! There is a teaser posted exclusively for FB fans and soon I will be doing a giveaway or two! Come connect with me! I also have twitter! @SerenityValle and just started some Pinterest boards.
Love & Books,
~Serenity
May 29, 2013
Exclusive Teaser for Facebook Fans!
Head on over to my facebook page and “like” it for a teaser (posting later tonight!) exclusively for FB fans! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Serenity-Valle-Author/140645702787298
