Realm Lovejoy's Blog, page 30
January 13, 2014
News Week - 01/13/14
This week starts off with new reviews and a big sale!
Reviews:
--Check out Paula's It's a Book Thing! I was very excited when I saw this review and am so honored that CLAN is now one of Paula's favorite books.
--Breezy Reads reviews CLAN!
--I'm a Voracious Reader also reviews CLAN!
Interview:
--Book blogger Candace interviews me on her blog about indie publishing! I hope you guys will check it out if you're curious about my experience with it thus far.
Sale:
--CLAN New Year Sale has begun!! CLAN ebook is discounted to 99 cents and the paperback under $8.50 until next Monday! Please enjoy the discount while it's on. I am doing a sale kick-off giveaway tomorrow.
Blog:
--Hope you guys got to check out part one of CLAN Book Release Party pics last week! My awesome coworker Derrick also gave me permission to post his photos, which I've added.
--Thursday I am posting CLAN accessories!
To everyone who's been taking the time to review CLAN...Thank you so much! It's truly the most helpful thing you can do for an author and it's highly appreciated. Getting feedback is always good and I still get wibbly happy feelings when a reader gets CLAN and it's honestly been the most rewarding part of publishing CLAN.
Happy Sales Week!
--Realm
Reviews:
--Check out Paula's It's a Book Thing! I was very excited when I saw this review and am so honored that CLAN is now one of Paula's favorite books.
--Breezy Reads reviews CLAN!
--I'm a Voracious Reader also reviews CLAN!
Interview:
--Book blogger Candace interviews me on her blog about indie publishing! I hope you guys will check it out if you're curious about my experience with it thus far.
Sale:
--CLAN New Year Sale has begun!! CLAN ebook is discounted to 99 cents and the paperback under $8.50 until next Monday! Please enjoy the discount while it's on. I am doing a sale kick-off giveaway tomorrow.
Blog:
--Hope you guys got to check out part one of CLAN Book Release Party pics last week! My awesome coworker Derrick also gave me permission to post his photos, which I've added.
--Thursday I am posting CLAN accessories!
To everyone who's been taking the time to review CLAN...Thank you so much! It's truly the most helpful thing you can do for an author and it's highly appreciated. Getting feedback is always good and I still get wibbly happy feelings when a reader gets CLAN and it's honestly been the most rewarding part of publishing CLAN.
Happy Sales Week!
--Realm
January 9, 2014
CLAN - Book Release Party Pt.1
Here are the pics from the CLAN Book Release Party in Seattle. This is part one because my best friend Morgan--a photographer--is still working on her batch of photos. You'll have to put up with my pixelated photos for now. :)
Edit: My awesome coworker Derrick (a talented photographer) gave me permission to post his photos from the party--so now there's more!:
Below are my (pixelated) photos--The table full of free goods:
Closeup...see the Clan buttons and the postcards of the Five Values:
Projector image--we had the trailer streaming on silent:
Snacks:
Me and my best friend:
One of the drinks at the party that I created...called the Y-Chromosome. I'll post the party drinks later:
Clones cookies and hexagon crackers:
It was very nice to have my friends and family at the party! It was so fun that it was all a fast-motion blur. I got an amazing amount of support setting everything up--thank you everyone! It's a night I will always remember.
--Realm
Edit: My awesome coworker Derrick (a talented photographer) gave me permission to post his photos from the party--so now there's more!:
Below are my (pixelated) photos--The table full of free goods:
Closeup...see the Clan buttons and the postcards of the Five Values:
Projector image--we had the trailer streaming on silent:
Snacks:
Me and my best friend:
One of the drinks at the party that I created...called the Y-Chromosome. I'll post the party drinks later:
Clones cookies and hexagon crackers:
It was very nice to have my friends and family at the party! It was so fun that it was all a fast-motion blur. I got an amazing amount of support setting everything up--thank you everyone! It's a night I will always remember.
--Realm
January 6, 2014
News Week - 01/06/14
I hope you're having a good start to 2014! Here are a few updates for the new year:
--One day left to enter CLAN's Blog Tour Giveaway! Don't miss your chance to win copies of the book. You can see past tour links here.
--CLAN art gallery has been updated with illustrations from the paperback. (One which you can win in the giveaway!) Hopefully, I'll have prints up for sale soon. Gotta favorite illustration from the book? Let me know!
--If you haven't checked out the reviews yet, you can take a look on Amazon and Goodreads.
Next up, I'm posting pics from the CLAN party on Thursday!
Cheers,
--Realm
--One day left to enter CLAN's Blog Tour Giveaway! Don't miss your chance to win copies of the book. You can see past tour links here.
--CLAN art gallery has been updated with illustrations from the paperback. (One which you can win in the giveaway!) Hopefully, I'll have prints up for sale soon. Gotta favorite illustration from the book? Let me know!
--If you haven't checked out the reviews yet, you can take a look on Amazon and Goodreads.
Next up, I'm posting pics from the CLAN party on Thursday!
Cheers,
--Realm
January 1, 2014
Happy 2014!
Happy New Year! I am excited to begin a new year--a year that I hope will be full of creativity, appreciation, and dazzle.
One of my goals is to release my second novel for 2014!
For NYE, Joey and I went to the Midnight Masquerade. A lot of dancing was had.
Me:
Joey:
DJ:
Year of the Horse:
I'm looking forward to sharing more stories and art with you!
--Realm
One of my goals is to release my second novel for 2014!
For NYE, Joey and I went to the Midnight Masquerade. A lot of dancing was had.
Me:
Joey:
DJ:
Year of the Horse:
I'm looking forward to sharing more stories and art with you!
--Realm
December 31, 2013
Year in Review: 2013
Good-bye 2013! It's been a roller coaster year. This year I spent a lot of time setting down the stepping stones for myself.
This year I:
--Career: Changed jobs. I left Valve after 8 years and worked on about five games. Highlights: making Portal and Portal 2.
--Joy: My boyfriend proposed to me in the Cascades!
--Travel: I went to England to research, driving 1000 miles.
--Tragedy: Two weeks before my novel release, tragedy struck my family. Someone very close to me nearly died. The person is recovered now and it's reminder to me to always be thankful.
--Debut: I spent most of the debut month in the hospital due to the tragedy. Despite the challenge, I released CLAN--a healthy debut with a nice review from Kirkus, over 1000 copies sold, and making it on Amazon's best seller list for Young Adult Sci-Fi eBooks. Nearly all of the royalties were given to charity this year. Thank you, everyone--your support meant the world to me.
To close the year, today I have sent off CLAN's December royalties to the Cancer Research Institute.
CLAN is no longer my book, but yours. Dear readers, if you've read the book and enjoyed it, please do consider taking the time to review it and to share it with your friends.
Whether you've followed me for my video games, art, or my novel, I hope you'll stay tuned for more of my creations. There is more to come and I'm excited to have begun this journey.
Yours,
--Realm
This year I:
--Career: Changed jobs. I left Valve after 8 years and worked on about five games. Highlights: making Portal and Portal 2.
--Joy: My boyfriend proposed to me in the Cascades!
--Travel: I went to England to research, driving 1000 miles.
--Tragedy: Two weeks before my novel release, tragedy struck my family. Someone very close to me nearly died. The person is recovered now and it's reminder to me to always be thankful.
--Debut: I spent most of the debut month in the hospital due to the tragedy. Despite the challenge, I released CLAN--a healthy debut with a nice review from Kirkus, over 1000 copies sold, and making it on Amazon's best seller list for Young Adult Sci-Fi eBooks. Nearly all of the royalties were given to charity this year. Thank you, everyone--your support meant the world to me.
To close the year, today I have sent off CLAN's December royalties to the Cancer Research Institute.
CLAN is no longer my book, but yours. Dear readers, if you've read the book and enjoyed it, please do consider taking the time to review it and to share it with your friends.
Whether you've followed me for my video games, art, or my novel, I hope you'll stay tuned for more of my creations. There is more to come and I'm excited to have begun this journey.
Yours,
--Realm
2013
Good-bye 2013! It's been a roller coaster year. This year I spent a lot of time setting down the stepping stones for myself.
This year I:
--Career: Changed jobs. I left Valve after 8 years and worked on about five games. Highlights: making Portal and Portal 2.
--Joy: My boyfriend proposed to me in the Cascades!
--Travel: I went to England to research, driving 1000 miles.
--Tragedy: Two weeks before my novel release, tragedy struck my family. Someone very close to me nearly died. The person is recovered now and it's reminder to me to always be thankful.
--Debut: I spent most of the debut month in the hospital due to the tragedy. Despite the challenge, I released CLAN--a healthy debut with a nice review from Kirkus, over 1000 copies sold, and making it on Amazon's best seller list for Young Adult Sci-Fi eBooks. Nearly all of the royalties were given to charity this year. Thank you, everyone--your support meant the world to me.
To close the year, today I have sent off CLAN's December royalties to the Cancer Research Institute.
CLAN is no longer my book, but yours. Dear readers, if you've read the book and enjoyed it, please do consider taking the time to review it and to share it with your friends.
Whether you've followed me for my video games, art, or my novel, I hope you'll stay tuned for more of my creations. There is more to come and I'm excited to have begun this journey.
Yours,
--Realm
This year I:
--Career: Changed jobs. I left Valve after 8 years and worked on about five games. Highlights: making Portal and Portal 2.
--Joy: My boyfriend proposed to me in the Cascades!
--Travel: I went to England to research, driving 1000 miles.
--Tragedy: Two weeks before my novel release, tragedy struck my family. Someone very close to me nearly died. The person is recovered now and it's reminder to me to always be thankful.
--Debut: I spent most of the debut month in the hospital due to the tragedy. Despite the challenge, I released CLAN--a healthy debut with a nice review from Kirkus, over 1000 copies sold, and making it on Amazon's best seller list for Young Adult Sci-Fi eBooks. Nearly all of the royalties were given to charity this year. Thank you, everyone--your support meant the world to me.
To close the year, today I have sent off CLAN's December royalties to the Cancer Research Institute.
CLAN is no longer my book, but yours. Dear readers, if you've read the book and enjoyed it, please do consider taking the time to review it and to share it with your friends.
Whether you've followed me for my video games, art, or my novel, I hope you'll stay tuned for more of my creations. There is more to come and I'm excited to have begun this journey.
Yours,
--Realm
December 22, 2013
CLAN - Happy Holidays!
Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the blog tour that ran this month and thank you for making CLAN rise to second place in Amazon's Young Adult Science Fiction best seller list for eBooks!
If you missed it, there's still a chance to enter the giveaway for a signed paperback and illustration.
Today Book Marks the Spot reviews CLAN! A quote from the review: "The other clones reaction to Twain's differences really made me think of some other prejudices that have come to pass in our world due to differences in appearance or culture." (read the rest here.)
I offered CLAN for free for two days last week and I have some more gifts for you!
Firstly, I am offering another donation. All royalties earned thus far in December plus this week until the 28th midnight will be donated to the Cancer Research Institute--which is a nonprofit organization.
In CLAN, genes are a huge theme and how each of us are born with certain genes we cannot control. We can hope that advancement in science and technology and medicine can help cure the consequences of genetic mutations. I am also making the donation in memory of my Grandmother, who I lost in 2009 to cancer. If you buy a copy of CLAN this week, please know your money is going toward the research for a cure.
Secondly, here is a CLAN snowflake that's actually in the book. Save it, print it, and use it as a stencil--BUT only try if you're super skilled with scissors or a blade. The small negative spaces are really tricky:
Excerpt from CLAN with this snowflake in it:
Buster reached for a book and began flipping through it with a curious expression. His elbow bumped some kind of ornament. It fell with a clunk. He picked it up. It was a glass orb with a miniature tree inside and white, small dots flying around in the water.Buster shook it, causing the white things to swirl. “What’s this?”“Hmm…” Twain narrowed his eyes as he searched his memory. “Oh, my sponsor told me once that on Earth, it snows. It’s like rain, only frozen.”“No way.”“Yeah. That must be a representation of ‘snow.’”Buster inspected a white paper cutout that was next to the orb. “This?”“That’s snow, too. It’s the ice crystal. My sponsor was fascinated with the idea that no two crystals were the same.” The paper’s shape looked like humans all around a globe, holding hands. Twain suspected that his sponsor had made it. In some ways he missed the little odd things his sponsor had done. It had always made him curious about a world that was bigger than theirs.Wonder took over Buster’s face. “You think I can keep it?”“Why not?” Twain shrugged.Buster put the paper in his pocket.“Why do you want to keep that crap?” Chad grumbled.
If you're up to making some sugar cookies from CLAN, try making 'em man-shaped:
I made these for my CLAN book release party!
Excerpt with the CLAN cookies:
Twain took his plate of three homemade cookies in the shape of stick figures. Each cookie had its own face. He still couldn’t believe that his sponsor had tampered with the food, concocting baked goods that were against the law. Twain didn’t understand why his sponsor defied the norm—his action was not a good example. Twain left the room, wanting to be anywhere but with his sponsor at that moment.Once in his room Twain leaned against the closed door. On his plate the cookie men smiled at him with their carved mouths. Twain had never seen his sponsor or any other Clan smile. He spiked the plate onto the ground. Taking in a shaky breath, he bit his lower lip, trying to compose himself, but this only re-opened the cut there. He tasted blood.The cookies cracked under his heels… duplicate cutout men, broken into a million pieces.
You can also make a garland of paper men from the book to decorate for the holidays:
Excerpt with paper men:
Twigg pointed at the Y-shape on his shirt: the Clan symbol. “I was named after this symbol. It doesn’t just represent the Y-chromosome—it’s a broken twig. You see, when cloning was first introduced on Earth, a man held up a twig and broke a piece of it off to show what cloning meant.” Twigg motioned to the tree sculpture behind him. “Even though the branch was segmented, it still belonged to the same source and was still the same wood it came from. Knowing this, I think that no matter what, we will always be Unified, even in difference.”Twain’s eyes landed on the metal tree. He noticed something wrapped around it—it had been decorated with cutout paper men, holding hands.
Happy Holidays everyone!!!!
--Realm
If you missed it, there's still a chance to enter the giveaway for a signed paperback and illustration.
Today Book Marks the Spot reviews CLAN! A quote from the review: "The other clones reaction to Twain's differences really made me think of some other prejudices that have come to pass in our world due to differences in appearance or culture." (read the rest here.)
I offered CLAN for free for two days last week and I have some more gifts for you!
Firstly, I am offering another donation. All royalties earned thus far in December plus this week until the 28th midnight will be donated to the Cancer Research Institute--which is a nonprofit organization.
In CLAN, genes are a huge theme and how each of us are born with certain genes we cannot control. We can hope that advancement in science and technology and medicine can help cure the consequences of genetic mutations. I am also making the donation in memory of my Grandmother, who I lost in 2009 to cancer. If you buy a copy of CLAN this week, please know your money is going toward the research for a cure.
Secondly, here is a CLAN snowflake that's actually in the book. Save it, print it, and use it as a stencil--BUT only try if you're super skilled with scissors or a blade. The small negative spaces are really tricky:
Excerpt from CLAN with this snowflake in it:
Buster reached for a book and began flipping through it with a curious expression. His elbow bumped some kind of ornament. It fell with a clunk. He picked it up. It was a glass orb with a miniature tree inside and white, small dots flying around in the water.Buster shook it, causing the white things to swirl. “What’s this?”“Hmm…” Twain narrowed his eyes as he searched his memory. “Oh, my sponsor told me once that on Earth, it snows. It’s like rain, only frozen.”“No way.”“Yeah. That must be a representation of ‘snow.’”Buster inspected a white paper cutout that was next to the orb. “This?”“That’s snow, too. It’s the ice crystal. My sponsor was fascinated with the idea that no two crystals were the same.” The paper’s shape looked like humans all around a globe, holding hands. Twain suspected that his sponsor had made it. In some ways he missed the little odd things his sponsor had done. It had always made him curious about a world that was bigger than theirs.Wonder took over Buster’s face. “You think I can keep it?”“Why not?” Twain shrugged.Buster put the paper in his pocket.“Why do you want to keep that crap?” Chad grumbled.
If you're up to making some sugar cookies from CLAN, try making 'em man-shaped:
I made these for my CLAN book release party!
Excerpt with the CLAN cookies:
Twain took his plate of three homemade cookies in the shape of stick figures. Each cookie had its own face. He still couldn’t believe that his sponsor had tampered with the food, concocting baked goods that were against the law. Twain didn’t understand why his sponsor defied the norm—his action was not a good example. Twain left the room, wanting to be anywhere but with his sponsor at that moment.Once in his room Twain leaned against the closed door. On his plate the cookie men smiled at him with their carved mouths. Twain had never seen his sponsor or any other Clan smile. He spiked the plate onto the ground. Taking in a shaky breath, he bit his lower lip, trying to compose himself, but this only re-opened the cut there. He tasted blood.The cookies cracked under his heels… duplicate cutout men, broken into a million pieces.
You can also make a garland of paper men from the book to decorate for the holidays:
Excerpt with paper men:
Twigg pointed at the Y-shape on his shirt: the Clan symbol. “I was named after this symbol. It doesn’t just represent the Y-chromosome—it’s a broken twig. You see, when cloning was first introduced on Earth, a man held up a twig and broke a piece of it off to show what cloning meant.” Twigg motioned to the tree sculpture behind him. “Even though the branch was segmented, it still belonged to the same source and was still the same wood it came from. Knowing this, I think that no matter what, we will always be Unified, even in difference.”Twain’s eyes landed on the metal tree. He noticed something wrapped around it—it had been decorated with cutout paper men, holding hands.
Happy Holidays everyone!!!!
--Realm
December 20, 2013
CLAN - On Amazon: #2 Best Seller in Young Adult Science eBooks!
What a surprise! For the current moment, CLAN is #2. Thank you so much, everyone! I hope you'll all enjoy reading CLAN and if you haven't grabbed a free ebook yet, now's your chance!
--Realm
--Realm
December 18, 2013
CLAN - eBook is Free for Two Days!
Hello, everyone! As an early holiday gift, I am giving the CLAN eBook away for free on 12/19 Thursday and 12/20 Saturday!
There are multiple advantages to downloading a free book: you could read it on the plane ride to your holiday destination, read it over winter break, or pass the eBook around to your friends and family. I hope you guys enjoy CLAN!
You can download CLAN here and read the reviews. Today, The Nerdherd Reads posted an informative review that you can check out here. (Plus it comes with an animated gif!)
Also, don't forget the other blog posts going on today and tomorrow! Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed paperback, illustration, and other prizes.
I'm starting my winter vacation and am excited to read in front of the fire and revise my second book. I hope you're all having a nice start to the holidays!
Cheers,
--Realm
There are multiple advantages to downloading a free book: you could read it on the plane ride to your holiday destination, read it over winter break, or pass the eBook around to your friends and family. I hope you guys enjoy CLAN!
You can download CLAN here and read the reviews. Today, The Nerdherd Reads posted an informative review that you can check out here. (Plus it comes with an animated gif!)
Also, don't forget the other blog posts going on today and tomorrow! Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed paperback, illustration, and other prizes.
I'm starting my winter vacation and am excited to read in front of the fire and revise my second book. I hope you're all having a nice start to the holidays!
Cheers,
--Realm
December 16, 2013
CLAN - Blog Tour Week 2!
Hello, everyone! This is the last week for the blog tour! I hope you'll check out each post and participate in the giveaway. Today CLAN was reviewed by three bloggers.
Today, Monday:
-Writer Person reviews CLAN!
-All Things in the Cloud Sweet reviews CLAN!
-Alessandra reviews CLAN!
-3 Partners in Shopping spotlights CLAN.
-Mom With A Kindle spotlights CLAN.
December 17Book Chick - http://bookchick2013.blogspot.ca/ - ReviewV's Reads - http://vsreads.com - ReviewMythical Books - http://mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/ - Promo PostJustified Lunacy - www.justifiedlunacy.blogspot.com – ReviewBookish Randomness - http://www.bookishrandomness.blogspot.com - Promo Post
December 18:Total Book Geek - http://totalbookgeek.blogspot.be/ - Promo PostI Heart YA Books - http://iheartyabooks.blogspot.com/ - Promo PostKalin Elizabeth - Http://www.kalinelizabeth.blogspot.com - Review
December 19:Lost in Ever After - http://lostineverafter.blogspot.ca - Promo PostTressa's Wishful Endings - http://tressaswishfulendings.blogspot.com/ - ReviewBritney Gulbrandsen - http://www.britneygulbrandsen.com - Promo Post
The NerdHerd Reads – www.thenerdherdreads.blogspot.com - Review
December 20:Mother/Gamer/Writer - Http://empyreanedge.com - Promo PostBibliophilia, Please - http://www.bibliophiliaplease.com/ - Promo PostPixie Dust Book Reviews - http://pixiedustreviews.blogspot.com - ReviewFangirls of Fiction - http://fangirlsoffiction.blogspot.com/ - Review
Cheers,
--Realm
Today, Monday:
-Writer Person reviews CLAN!
-All Things in the Cloud Sweet reviews CLAN!
-Alessandra reviews CLAN!
-3 Partners in Shopping spotlights CLAN.
-Mom With A Kindle spotlights CLAN.
December 17Book Chick - http://bookchick2013.blogspot.ca/ - ReviewV's Reads - http://vsreads.com - ReviewMythical Books - http://mythicalbooks.blogspot.ro/ - Promo PostJustified Lunacy - www.justifiedlunacy.blogspot.com – ReviewBookish Randomness - http://www.bookishrandomness.blogspot.com - Promo Post
December 18:Total Book Geek - http://totalbookgeek.blogspot.be/ - Promo PostI Heart YA Books - http://iheartyabooks.blogspot.com/ - Promo PostKalin Elizabeth - Http://www.kalinelizabeth.blogspot.com - Review
December 19:Lost in Ever After - http://lostineverafter.blogspot.ca - Promo PostTressa's Wishful Endings - http://tressaswishfulendings.blogspot.com/ - ReviewBritney Gulbrandsen - http://www.britneygulbrandsen.com - Promo Post
The NerdHerd Reads – www.thenerdherdreads.blogspot.com - Review
December 20:Mother/Gamer/Writer - Http://empyreanedge.com - Promo PostBibliophilia, Please - http://www.bibliophiliaplease.com/ - Promo PostPixie Dust Book Reviews - http://pixiedustreviews.blogspot.com - ReviewFangirls of Fiction - http://fangirlsoffiction.blogspot.com/ - Review
Cheers,
--Realm
