Jennifer M. Zeiger's Blog, page 22

Let Me Introduce You

In general, we used to scoff at friendships made over the internet. How can such friends truly be friends when you couldn’t pick them out of a crowd? Or call them on the phone? Or even text them?

Yet, my sister has a long time friend who she met playing video games. They’ve become such good friends that, when this other woman got married, my sister went to the wedding.

And now with Covid, even those in the same town are often communicated with from a distance. And as a blogger, I’ve come to cherish those friends who I’ve known for years, but never met face-to-face.

One such friend contacted me last week, asking if she could include Quaking Soul in her next newsletter. I’d had it in the back of my mind to ask her for such support, but she beat me to it! And I love that I can support her in return by telling you about her own books.

[image error]Let me introduce you to Naomi Lastrucci.

Like me, Naomi is making her own way in the publishing world. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Master of Science in Ecology but decided a while back to pursue her true passion of writing. She now freelances as a proofreader and editor while also writing her own lovely dragon stories.

I admire her dedication in getting her degrees! And I admire her even more for having the courage to pursue her passions. Since she started pursuing her writing, she’s published two books on Kindle.

[image error]The first is The Silver Queen and Other Dragon Tales: A Collection of Short Dragon Stories. First of all, I love Naomi’s covers. If she ever prints these instead of just doing kindle, I want these covers on my shelf.

As for the first book, it contains three short stories that would be great to sit and read with your kids. Each story offers a different perspective for a young reader.

One story spins things about so that you see the story through the ‘villain’s’ eyes, and the villain’s reasons for fighting aren’t what you’d expect.

Another makes the reader see the pain behind the dragon’s ferocious actions and encourages working through fear instead of letting it control the way we treat others.

And the third story, for which this book is named, paints the pain and doubt we all face when we feel we don’t exactly fit in and then shows that the things that make us different can make us beautiful and unique.

[image error]Naomi’s second book is a continuation of the Silver Queen. It’s titled The Lunar Dragon and Other Dragon Tales: Another Collection of Short Dragon Stories (The Silver Queen Book 2) 

As with most writers, our voice develops the more we write and Naomi’s just keeps getting better.

Again, this book has three short stories—Flight, Deathly Fire, and The Lunar Dragon—my favorite happens to be Flight because Mama in the story is so real. Her fears, pains, and good heart come through and since the story is through her perspective, it makes the dragon’s struggles all the more imminent.

Deathly Fire continues the story of Alexander the boy and Severoth the dragon five years after the happenings in Beastly Pains from The Silver Queen. Sev reminds me of the grouchy old uncle who at heart loves deeply. This story brings into question what it means to be a good friend and to hold to your morals even when the consequences are painful.

The last story, The Lunar Dragon, focuses on the idea that it’s okay to be different. Faye, the main dragon, has a stubborn strength that I admire. Her character is well thought out and leaves the reader rooting for her when life presents her a difficult choice between helping someone and proving herself to her clan.

You can sign up for Naomi’s Newsletter to hear more about her writing journey. She just finished NaNoWriMo (short for National Novel Writing Month), which is a 50,000 word writing goal in the month of November. She’s also working on her next dragon book, The Last Water Dragon.

You can also find Naomi on Instagram and Facebook. I highly encourage you to do so!

Blessings,

Jennifer

 

 

 

Perfect Timing

This post was supposed to be a book trailer.

That’s what my calendar has scheduled and those words have been glaring at me for months, literally. It’s not often that, as an author advertises and talks about her upcoming book, you hear about the stumbles that happen along the way. But I’ve always felt that you all are part of this journey with me and this is as much part of the trail as the rest of the process.

[image error]I have video of my niece dancing in an aspen grove, a voice recording from Nick, who did the fantastic recording for The Adventure, a flute recording from my best friend, and even half a dozen sound clips waiting in a folder for background sounds. All of this was to mimic a key scene in Quaking Soul. My sister has waited patiently for me to give her direction on how to put all the pieces together. (She was the amazing master mind behind The Adventure trailer as well.) But no matter how great each piece is, when put together, they do not make a whole.

The hardest part for me has been accepting that the trailer just isn’t going to work the way I wanted it to. I’ve agonized over getting it right. Getting the vision to come together into reality.

But here’s where it hits me. This post landed on today of all days. Thanksgiving. And I can’t help but look at everything that went into this non-trailer and become distinctly aware of the amazing people who put effort into something simply because it mattered to me.

This year has been anything but expected and it’d be easy to fall into the trap of thinking this year was terrible because it did not play out as I hoped. But there is so much good muddled in the crazy. And I look at Quaking Soul and find it’s a small piece, a glimpse, of the gold made from the fire because it represents all those people who care. Let the ashes float away on the wind because what truly matters, the people, remain.

Thanks for listening to my ramble. You all are part of the gold.

Blessings,

Jennifer

[image error]P.S. Quaking Soul publishes this Monday. Thank you to everyone who has helped make that possible!

The Lily Cafe Interview and Excerpt

Kat at The Lily Cafe is amazing. She shared an interview and excerpt for Quaking Soul today on her blog. Hop on over to her site to check it out!

Novel Excerpt and Author Interview: Quaking Soul by Jennifer M. Zeiger

The Deal (Quaking Soul Excerpt)

[image error]Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Publication Date: November 30, 2020

Lead In: Quaking Soul opens with Na’rina, a dryad or tree nymph, attending a mysterious meeting to find out what or who might be attacking the mythics (dwarves, fauns, dryads, etc.). She’s frightened to find out the wer-im, a species of were-cats who were banished centuries before, called the meeting. Their leader, the Wer-Kadis, insists the wer-im are not behind the attacks. He offers an alliance against whoever is behind everything.

Na’rina resists the alliance until her mother is kidnapped. Now she must make decisions that could affect the entire dryad nation, but without her mother, she has to try and protect her people.

The Deal

Hours later Na’rina was leaning against the oak, listening to the murmur of the forest as it breathed in the night’s breeze, when, without a sound, the Wer-Kadis knelt beside her. Her heart beat double-time against her ribs as she made out the glimmer in his feline eyes. Anger simmered in that look, controlled but communicated through every line of his body. Na’rina shivered and the nearby trees shuddered in sympathy.

“Follow me.” Rolling to his feet, the Kadis ghosted from the clearing.

Na’rina flitted after him, responding to his command. She considered bolting, disappearing into a tree, but before she finished the thought, he appeared at her shoulder, directing her with a nudge here and a touch there, never more than an arm’s reach away.

Their path led to a cliff overlooking the ocean. Na’rina glanced down and noticed the boardwalk they had visited. Now, however, the beach sat empty. The Kadis sank into a crouch and watched the ocean crash onto the rocks. He seemed as distant as the dark roaring ocean, just as powerful, just as fierce. Na’rina hesitated before making herself kneel beside him, frightened anew by just how little she understood him.

“We’ve found him.” His husky words were barely audible over the sound of the water.

“Found who?” Na’rina asked.

The Kadis’ reflective gaze shifted from the waves to her face. Na’rina swayed and then chided herself for still reacting from instinctive fear.

“Silas.”

The former Wer-Kadis? Na’rina swallowed. “Tarn mentioned him.”

His eyes glimmered, thoughtful with dark emotions. He flashed a vicious smile before returning his gaze to the ocean.

“What do you see out there?” He flicked his fingers at the seething expanse. Even with the rolling of the waves the water glittered, reflecting the stars and moon. A few ships floated farther out, but she only knew that because of the faint glow from their lights. A human eye couldn’t pick them out at such distance.

“A few ships and stars.”

The lines on his face tightened and pulled up in what she was coming to think of as his pleased expression.

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He pointed to a cluster of lights straight ahead from where they perched. “Those are three ships: the Observer, the Sansabria, and the Erstwhile. The Observer holds Silas. Our biggest obstacle to freeing him is the locks. Mechanisms much like what you opened today but they scan the whole palm. Breaking them sets off alarms and we’d be lucky to survive the venture, but if we can bypass the doors without triggering the sirens, getting Silas becomes easy as breathing.” The Kadis leaned forward, like he wanted to jump the distance between the cliff and the ships.

This is why he captured me? “You want me to help you rescue Silas—but you’re keeping me from saving my mother?” Na’rina couldn’t keep the incredulity out of her voice.

The wer-im tensed and she went still. She heard a low rumble, but it cut off as he rolled his shoulders. “Silas studied these humans. He knew they were going to attack. If anyone knows where Mona’rina might be held, it’d be Silas. He might know why they’re holding her and how to free her.” That reflective gaze shifted to her. “If he can’t help you, I’ll personally see you back to the Rockies.”

Back to the Rockies. He already knew where her grove was but a chill ran Na’rina’s spine at the reminder.

Think, Na’rina, think. She stilled, examining what she now knew. The Kadis needed her help. How would Mamma use this? Na’rina couldn’t figure why the old Wer-Kadis was so important, but clearly he was. She didn’t think the Kadis would tell her why. No point in asking. How can this help my mother?

Na’rina couldn’t help but remember the men who attacked her and the Kadis. She would encounter more attacks in attempting to rescue Mona’rina, but if she had the wer-im’s aid, she might succeed. Anxiety rolled through her but beneath it came a bright flicker of hope. The Dryad Council will hate this. She shuddered. But my personal cost isn’t important. From the corner of her eye Na’rina caught the Kadis watching her. In the dark, his eyesight was even better than her own and he watched her emotions flitting across her face.

“Not just back to the Rockies,” she finally countered. “If I help you free Silas, you help me free Mona’rina.”

That grin, that pleased, almost proud grin, pulled at his lips, revealing his long teeth. “Deal.”

Na’rina ducked her head, shocked to feel pleasure at his approval.

“Come. You need more practice with the device.”

Na’rina swallowed. I may have just agreed to my destruction. But she had agreed, and now, she had to try…

***

Thanks for stopping by! Quaking Soul is now available for pre-order here on the website and will publish Nov. 30th!

Blessings,

Jennifer

Prey (Quaking Soul Excerpt)

[image error]Genre: YA Urban Fantasy

Publication Date: November 30, 2020

Lead In: Quaking Soul opens with Na’rina, a dryad, attending a mysterious meeting to find out what or who might be attacking the mythics (dwarves, fauns, dryads, etc.). She’s frightened to find out the wer-im, a species of were-cats who were banished centuries before, called the meeting. Their leader, the Wer-Kadis, insists the wer-im are not behind the attacks. He offers an alliance against whoever is behind everything. However, the initial meeting is interrupted and the Wer-Kadis promises the other mythics they will be safe if they attend a second meeting.

Na’rina, Obek the dwarf and his companion, and a mountain nymph or oread are the only ones brave enough to show up for the second meeting, but once again, it is interrupted by the appearance of humans.

Prey

Before he could respond, a branch snapped and they heard footsteps.

“The view’s worth it,” said a young boy’s voice.

The wer-im vanished. Obek pulled on his companion’s sleeve and they rushed from the clearing.

“Hide, Sister,” the oread whispered, sinking into the ground with a low shock to the air.

[image error]Na’rina grabbed the maple behind her but as her zoi aima touched the tree’s, sparks shot into her. She gasped, shocked and frozen in place. What just happened?

“It better be worth it,” wheezed an older voice, close to the clearing.

The Wer-Kadis pulled Na’rina from the tree with a growl. He wrapped his arms around her and jumped. Her stomach flipped. With ease, he swung them up against the trunk before freezing just as three humans entered the clearing below.

Na’rina’s heart, once dislodged from her throat, beat against her ribs in a painful rat-a-tat. She sucked in and held her breath until the beat softened and she could exhale without being heard. The Wer-Kadis still held her tight around her middle as swarms of gray flies swam in her vision.

“Look!” The boy, roughly ten years old, grinned in triumph as he pointed to the valley below.

The two men following him were not excited. One, with thinning white hair, gripped his knees to wheeze, the extra flesh on his face trembling. The other man might be the same age, but it was hard to tell. Wrinkles fanned out from his eyes and mouth but his slicked-back hair, looking almost like a shell, still shone a healthy blond. Both men wore black suits with once-shiny leather shoes. They couldn’t be more out of place than oceanids in the desert.

The Wer-Kadis’ cheek brushed Na’rina’s ear as he leaned forward. His tensed posture spoke volumes. Across the clearing, a blaze of orange, there and gone, flashed amidst the leaves of another maple. Na’rina narrowed her eyes. There. She spotted the wer-im where he perched, tensed in the branches. His eyes flicked from the humans to the Wer-Kadis, taking his cues from his leader.

“Can see the whole section,” the boy declared, puffing out his chest. He held out his hand. The blond man huffed but pulled several bills from his pocket and dropped them into the boy’s waiting hand. The boy stuffed the cash into his pocket, gave a sloppy salute, and bolted back the way they’d come.

The heavy man, still hunched over, wheezed and glared at the boy’s retreating back until he was lost from sight. “Least he didn’t lie.”

The other man shrugged. “We would have known if he did.”

He received a hum in response. Without a glance at the view, the men turned to the maple in which Na’rina and the Wer-Kadis hid. A deep growl vibrated against Na’rina’s back. Still gripping her waist, he leaned over her shoulder, teeth bared, to brace on a branch in preparation to attack.

[image error]Na’rina stared at his teeth. She almost raised a hand to check the spacing between his canines. Wer-im were known for dropping from trees to sever the spines of their prey with one quick bite that slid those teeth between one vertebra and the next. She didn’t have to check to know the spacing was perfect. Cold realization drained the blood from her face. He wasn’t just being cautious. She glanced at the humans, then across the clearing to that waiting spot of orange hair. She’d never killed or been a part of killing another animal. Before she could think twice, Na’rina placed a trembling palm against the Wer-Kadis’ chest and applied pressure. A cold drop of water hit Na’rina’s ear. She jerked and another landed on her nose, then another on her forehead. Raindrops glistened on his black hair as the Wer-Kadis shifted to meet her gaze.

“Gah!” the heavyset man exclaimed below as he wiped water from his balding head. The oak from earlier had not been wrong about the severity of the storm. Both men hunched, flicking their suit jackets up over their heads in a futile effort to protect themselves.

“We can’t pull it in this,” the blond man shouted over the rain. “It’ll damage the core.”

The heavy man grumbled but followed as his companion stomped away.

Only when they were out of sight did the Wer-Kadis move. He came nose to nose with Na’rina. “Never distract me from my prey.” Rain pelted their faces, plastering their hair to the tops of their heads, but Na’rina couldn’t move. This close, she could see the thin green outline of his hazel eyes, and felt a great deal of sympathy for a cornered deer being hunted. Finally, the Wer-Kadis released her from his stare and grip to jump out of the tree. He landed on silent feet where the humans stood moments before.

Na’rina steadied herself against the maple with trembling hands. She hadn’t thought about what might happen if the Wer-Kadis turned on her. I can’t show fear. Too late for that. All of the wer-im could probably smell it wafting from her.

***

Thank you for stopping by!

Blessings,

Jennifer

P.S. Quaking Soul is available for preorder here on the website, and will be published Nov. 30th!

The Finishing Touches

[image error]

As I said in the Cover Reveal for Quaking Soul, I’m blessed to know some very talented artistic people!

And one of the best things about self-publishing happens to be the personal touches you can put into a book. They add a unique feel.

For Quaking Soul, I didn’t want full page images like what’s in The Adventure. It was already a monster to format and edit, and images add their own plethora of issues. But I did want something that added a little flare to the book.

[image error]About the time I was considering what to do for that flare, I was re-reading Brandon Sanderson’s The Rithmatist. (If you haven’t read his work, I highly recommend any of his books!) Anyway, the Rithmatist has small images associated with the chapter heading numbers. I thought, “What a perfect idea!”

Plus, I know a young woman who simply loves to draw and who’s quite good at it. So I approached Esther to see if she’d like to take on the project. She enthusiastically agreed and asked for payment in Milk Duds. Deal.

[image error]Just like with Justin, I ended up asking Esther for more than originally bargained because I ended up reordering my chapters and splitting some of the chapters in two. Thus requiring her to start over on many of the headings, but she took this on with aplomb. The results make me giddy to share! There are a total of 34 Chapters and an Epilogue to look forward to =)

Blessings,

Jennifer

Elevator Pitch? Getting Closer

[image error]It’s the dreaded question. Even if it’s a close family member asking, trying to answer the question brings a sinking feeling to the pit of the stomach, or sweaty palms, or heaven forbid, stuttering.

“What’s your book about?”

“Um…”

How do you take a novel and squish it down into a couple sentences that will tell enough about the story to be comprehensible and engage the person listening? In the industry, it’s referred to as the “Elevator Pitch.”

If you stepped into an elevator with an agent or editor, could you sell your book to them in the brief time between the doors closing and reopening.

To be honest, I still don’t have a pitch I could quickly blurt out for Quaking Soul. Having done book signings with The Adventure, I could probably come up with something on the spot.

“This is a book in which you’re the main character and you can make choices about how the story goes. You can explore caves or fight in tournaments and your decisions lead to one of twenty-six different endings. Check it out.” (Hand them the book and let them explore).

Or

“Do you like to read with your kids?” (And let the conversation follow. Although this may or may not work on an agent since they may not be followed by their little mini-me.)

However, the cover blurb is one step in the right direct to coming up with an elevator pitch. This would not roll off my tongue at a book signing. It’s just too much for that. But on the cover it seems to work out fine.

So, if you were to pick up Quaking Soul in the store and turn to the front flap, this is what you’d find:

[image error]This was it. This was Na’rina’s chance to prove to her mother and the dryad Council she could navigate the mythic and human worlds. With night hanging over the city, all she needs to do is sneak in unseen, attend a mythic meeting, and report back. If only she knew who had called the meeting in the first place.

Na’rina’s a young Drydanda, destined to be Queen of the Dryads, or tree nymphs. Her world—fauns, nymphs, dwarves—hides in plain sight from the more populated human world. As long as they remain myth, they remain safe.

He’s come to warn them but he’s a wer-im, a werecat, who was banished centuries ago with the rest of his species for burning the dryad’s trees. But humans captured his leader and dozens of other mythical creatures as well. If the mythic world is to survive, he must forge alliances.

When Na’rina’s mother goes missing, she finds the violent, banished wer-im her only allies. She soon realizes that everything she’s been taught in preparation for leadership appears to be wrong. Who can Na’rina trust while attempting to keep the dryads alive in her mother’s absence? As she quickly discovers, the fate of the mythical world rests on her decisions.

***

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Jennifer

P.S. Next week I’ll share with you some of the beautiful chapter headings done by Esther Rohman!

Hunting for an Excerpt

[image error]Book formatting is…interesting. Small details can change due to the slightest thing. For instance, the thicker your book, the more gutter margin you need in the middle so that when the book’s bound, readers can still see the text while they’re reading and the book lays open comfortably.

Or, as I’ve mentioned before, if you add or delete pages, your spine width can change.

For Quaking Soul, I dearly wanted a dust jacket. This might be silly of me, but it would make the book just that next step of ‘done right’ for me because all my favorite authors have dust jackets on their hardcovers. That does sound silly. Oh well. There it is.

However, at the start I didn’t think about the fact that you have the front flap for the book blurb…and the back cover for something more. When this did occur to me, I started perusing my shelves to see what other books have done with that open back space.

Some simply left it blank and let the artwork speak for itself.

Some advertised their other books.

Some listed review quotes for the book.

Some put in a teaser excerpt from the book.

This last one fit the best for Quaking Soul. It’s oddly difficult to pick a good short blurb from a 500 page book when your reader doesn’t know much or anything about the story. After some trail and error, and thankfully some feedback from some amazing people, the following excerpt won the spot. Hope you enjoy =)

Quaking Soul Back Cover Excerpt:

“I must go!” Na’rina scrambled to her feet but the Wer-Kadis stalled her with a hand.

“Where?”

“Home. My mother’s dying!” Na’rina ducked under his arm. She made it three steps before he blocked her path. She ducked to the side and he moved to block the cave’s entrance. Desperate, Na’rina darted forward but he locked his arms around her.

“Why?” she sobbed, pummeling his shoulders with her fists.

“I have my reasons,” the Wer-Kadis answered.

Na’rina’s zoi aima, her lifeblood or energy, rippled from her core outward into her palms where she pressed them against the Wer-Kadis’ chest. She shot the zoi aima into him. He flinched but his hold tightened.

Desperate, Na’rina gathered more into her palms. She cringed this time when the lifeblood shot from her hands.

He groaned, but her attack only stiffened his hold. Na’rina whimpered and began gathering a third attack.

About to release it, Na’rina froze when the Wer-Kadis gritted against her ear. “Unless you’re willing to kill me, stop.”

***

As you probably know by now, Quaking Soul will be available November 30, 2020.

Blessings,

Jennifer

Quaking Soul Cover Reveal!

[image error]Although I’m a writer and a lot happens inside my head, I’m also a very visual person. So there’s something special about seeing what’s imagined turned into something I can see and touch. This is especially true for the covers of my books.

Now, I learned a lot from The Adventure cover. Such as the importance of coloring (Note to Self Go Lime Green), pixels per inch requirements for printing (Ups and Downs), and the book title (). But aside from the technical aspects, the hardest part for me is describing to an artist what I see in my head clearly enough for him to create it.

I’m no artist in the visual arts. I have no idea how easy or difficult a requested piece of artwork is to produce. However, I am blessed to know some very talented people.

[image error]If you’re familiar with The Adventure, you’ve seen Justin’s work before. He illustrated The Temple of Night and Wind, the second story in The Adventure, for me three years ago. I love the feel of his art, so when I started thinking about the cover for Quaking Soul, I reached out to Justin to see if he’d be willing to work with me again.

I can’t say how much I appreciate not only his talent, but his work ethic and flexibility. I contacted him well ahead of time after finding out my usual editor wasn’t available and then scrambling to find a new one. I didn’t want to find out the artist wasn’t available as well. He agreed to work with me, and then I told him to wait, for months, before I was actually ready to get the cover started.

Finally, I was at a point where I could provide him with a cover template from the printer. (The spine width will change if the page count changes, so most editing needs to be done before this.) Then I gave him a vague, and I mean vague like heavy fog and forest, description of what I wanted.

Justin allowed me more edits and changes than I deserve, but he took my vague description and turned it into a cover I absolutely love.

[image error]Initial concept sketch
[image error]Adding some color
[image error]Filling it in more
[image error]Full Cover for Dust Jacket

So without further ado, here’s the cover for Quaking Soul!

Blessings,

Jennifer

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Quaking Soul Update #7

The printed hardcover proof of Quaking Soul showed up this week! Let’s just say I acted like a kid in a candy shop and ran to the front stoop when I saw the package.

It turned out amazing! No worries, the cover reveal’s coming soon, but as the picture above shows, there were some copy edits that needed fixing. I couldn’t bring myself to actually write on the book like I did with The Adventure, so those little sticky note arrows became my new best friends.

The updates on the text are finished as of today. I’m waiting for updates from the cover artist for a few minor edits on the cover text and then I’ll submit to IngramSpark, the printer, again.

What that means for Publication Time on Quaking Soul

As the first proof showed, it can take almost a month between print time and shipping to see anything from the printer. So, I pegged publication for November 30th, 2020. That allows for the second proof to show up and allows time to preorder stock for the book.

Now pardon me while I jump up and down with glee over the book again!!!

Blessings,

Jennifer