Gillian Bronte Adams's Blog, page 8

Christmas Confessions … and a Giveaway!

Well friends, I have a confession to make …

*whispering* I started listening to Christmas music back in October …

*dodges rotten fruit*

Terrible, I know, but honestly, one month is not enough time to enjoy all the Christmas music that’s out there! Still, now that it is officially December, I can come out of hiding and blare my Christmas music for all to hear.

I don’t know about you, but the Christmas season is my favorite time of year. For many reasons. It’s a time to remember the coming of the Messiah. It’s a time to dwell on the beauty of the message delivered to the shepherds on the hilltop above Bethlehem, that God was offering a way of peace to all mankind. And that offer of peace still stands, not only through the “tranquility” of the nativity scene (that will soon grace so many houses), but through the shed blood and gaping wounds of the God-man on the cross at Easter.

Christmas is a time to remember, and it’s a time to love and to give and to celebrate with family and friends.

Time for another confession. I really do enjoy gift giving. It’s not so much about finding the “perfect” gift as it is about spending the time thinking about my family and friends and trying to find something that will show them that I know and care about them.

So … I would like to give a gift to you guys, and there’s no better gift than the gift of books, so we’re having a book giveaway!

“Books make great gifts because they have whole worlds inside of them. And it’s much cheaper to buy somebody a book than it is to buy them the whole world!”

– Neil Gaiman

 

Now because Christmas is a time to focus on giving to others, for this giveaway, you get to nominate a friend to be entered in the giveaway alongside you! There are no strings attached. You don’t have to share or follow or like anything. (Although, the more people who share the giveaway, the more people we’ll reach. And if we reach more and more people, the number of gifts might increase.)

At the end of the week, I will draw three pairs of winners, and give both the winner and their nominated friend a copy of Orphan’s Song or Songkeeper. Winner’s choice. And guess what guys … I’ll be giving away Orphan’s Song copies with the new cover!!!

How do you enter? It’s simple! Visit my Facebook page and leave a comment on the pinned giveaway post with your friend’s name. The winners will be selected and announced after December 12th. What have you got to lose?

And just for funness sake (I firmly believe that funness should be considered a word, if it isn’t already), what book are you most hoping to find under the tree this Christmas! Share in the comments!

Year of a Thousand Words: Undaunted

I always thought myself brave. As a child, I grew up on stories of heroes and heroines, shepherd boys and giants, hobbits and shieldmaidens, rangers and assistant pig keepers. They were the stories that shaped me, molded my character, taught me to be brave.

It wasn’t that I was never afraid. Oh, I feared all right. I feared large crowds, strangers, speaking in groups, and goblins invading my room at night. In fact, I slept with a little sword made of aluminum foil by my bed. My dad made it for me, handcrafted my very own Sting, and in the making he taught me a great lesson. Even though I was afraid, I could be brave.

He taught me that I couldn’t let fear control me. I couldn’t run from it. I couldn’t hide beneath the covers until morning drove it away.

I had to stand my ground.

And face it.

And in facing it undaunted, I could be brave.

It was a good lesson then, and it is a good lesson now. It is one that I, as a writer, have to learn over and over again. Each time I set my fingers to the keys, each time I open a Word document and stare at the blinking cursor on the blank page, each time I read the words I have written and wonder if they mean anything to anyone at all.

Maybe that’s why fear crops up from time to time in my novels. They are fantasy tales, so my heroes and heroines battle impossible circumstances, overwhelming odds, and the occasional monster. Plenty to fear, right? A different sort of fear than the sort we might face. But while we may not battle monsters of flesh and bone, we face battles aplenty of our own.

Recently, I stumbled across this paragraph while reading through the manuscript for book three of the Songkeeper Chronicles. It’s still in the draft phase, so this may not even make it all the way through the publishing process, but the words pierced me right to the marrow. I had reached a stagnant phase where I was writing purely to get words on the page, struggling to carry the story along, and feeling like every ounce of creativity had withered within me.

Then I read these words.

The griffin on the other hand, was very much alive. She could feel his gaze like a knife slicing beneath her skin. For a breath, he halted beside her, touching his wing to the top of her head. A benediction, it seemed. Or a comfort. But there was nothing comforting about the words he whispered in her ear. “Tell me, little one, when did you allow fear to become your master?”

Then he was gone.

And the cold of the night settled around her.

– Book Three, Songkeeper Chronicles

When did I allow fear to become my master? When did I forget to be brave?

Fear of failure can be a huge stumbling block for a lot of writers, I believe. (Though it doesn’t apply to writers alone.) Fear is a cage, whereas creativity is wild, fierce, and free. They cannot coexist peacefully. Fear stifles creativity, chokes it into nothingness.

So once again, I had to remind myself to stand firm. To face the fear.

And in facing it undaunted, to be brave.

I almost ran with the word fearless for this post, because we would all like to be fearless, wouldn’t we? Can’t you picture it? Standing atop a mountain peak with the wind billowing the hair back from your face while you scream your fearlessness to the skies.

But true fearlessness is rarely possible. Being undaunted is. When you stare in the face of the fears that assail you and choose to go on despite of them, to keep on standing in spite of them, to press forward through them, that is more than being brave.

It is being undaunted.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to let fear be my master. I don’t want it to slither in and gather me in its coils like a constrictor, until it squeezes every ounce of creativity and life from within me. I want to live undaunted. To approach each day, not with the expectation of being fearless, but of being ready for fear to come and of standing firm despite it. Looking it in the eyes. And remaining undaunted.

How about you?

Year of a Thousand Words: Live

Once again, things have grown eerily quiet on this blog. So much so, that I have to admit I’ll honestly be a bit surprised if any of you will even see this post. There’s a part of me that wants to apologize for the silence and promise to do better in the future, but I can’t quite bring myself to do it.

You see, I have been living this summer.

Now I can already see you all scratching your heads and smiling (oh so patiently) in my direction. “Well, of course you have been living, Gillian. We only like to watch shows about the walking dead. We don’t actually believe in them. Now run along like a good little author and keep the blog posts coming …”

Here’s the thing.

So much of our lives as writers are spent in our own heads. We walk around in a bit of a cloud—a story cloud, if you will. Our minds are wrapped up in characters who don’t truly exist, running lines of dialogue and conversations that will never happen. We traverse paths and wander lands that have never before been seen. We dream up life and death, hope and despair, challenge and adventure, victory and defeat.

It is little wonder that writers are notorious for absent-mindedly gazing off into nothingness, because that “nothingness” is filled with a world of adventures that no one else can see. Imagination is a beautiful thing.

But this summer, my friends, I lived.

For three months, I spent hours in the saddle working with an awesome wrangling team to teach kids about God and horses. I talked and laughed with kids and was reminded of just how precious they are in His sight. I watched students learning to live their faith day in and day out. I mourned loss and rejoiced in the community of a family that goes beyond simple blood-ties. And in the dark of the night, I bared my soul to the Maker beneath a crown of distant stars.

Each moment was a blessing, and each day was a gift.

In January, I wrote a post about how I couldn’t settle for just one word for this year but wanted to choose a thousand words instead. At the time, I had every intention of exploring that concept and writing posts about new, exciting words for the year as they came to me. Well, here we are, three quarters of the way through, and I am finally writing a post about a word. Have you guessed it yet?

Live.

Oh my friends, I want to live this year.

I mean truly live.

Live fully. Deeply. In the moment. Not just for the moment, because when all is said and done, that’s such a shallow way of living, and I wish to dive deep. To be wholly present in every moment of the day. To take it all in, breathe in slowly, and bask in the gift.

The world we live in is broken and hurting and twisted, and so often that’s all we can see. But it’s also incredibly beautiful. A breathtaking creation. Sometimes, I have to force myself to stop and look around. Not just to rush on in the hectic pace of the day to day, hurrying to get the next thing done and taking the wonders around me for granted.

If you ask me, we spend far too much time looking forward to the next moment of excitement, rather than being truly grateful for, or truly experiencing, the moment that we’re in.

I don’t want to do that anymore. For me, living in the moment might mean setting aside my phone and disconnecting from the online vortex that’s always trying to pull me in, so I can better connect with those around me. It might mean setting aside a good book (gasp!) so I can catch up with a friend and invest in their life. It might mean missing a blog post … or two … or several months’ worth … so I can engage more in the day to day, maybe have a chance to reach out to someone who is hurting.

And maybe even admitting this makes me a terrible author, but it might mean unplugging the writer side of my brain every now and then and emerging from the storyworld to live fully in my world for a time.

Time, my friends, is a valuable currency. There is no guarantee how much we have left. But rather than being frightened by that knowledge, I hope to use it to inspire me to live fully for Christ and invest in the things that will last, on the moments that impact my soul and the souls around me. I mean to spend my time well.

To live.

Will you join me in truly living this fall? Let’s be grateful for each day we have been given. Let’s enjoy each moment with all of the challenges, ugliness, grace, messiness, hope, sorrow and joy that come with it. Let’s live and live well.

Do you have any ideas for ways that you can live more fully invested this fall? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

You’re Invited to … a Facebook Launch Party for Songkeeper!

Songkeeper has been released into the wild, and I don’t know about you, but I think book releases call for celebration. And what better way to celebrate than with a Facebook party, complete with prizes, giveaways, behind-the-scenes chats, and plenty of splendid company. Including you, right?

*grins*

I sure hope so.

We’ll be holding the party on Tuesday, May 3rd at 7 PM Central Time. You can visit the event page here to find out more information or join the party. And to show you just how much I’m hoping you can be there, I created a special video invite, just for you. Enjoy. :)

Sound like fun? Don’t forget to invite your friends. With Facebook parties, the more the merrier!

Have you already ordered Songkeeper? Don’t forget to send me a copy of your receipt to be entered to win one of these awesome prizes. :)

 

Songkeeper is here!

It’s release day! Like a shot from a cannon, or an arrow from a bowstring, or a horse from the chute – or whatever wild and exciting simile you want to use – Songkeeper has been sent out into the world. This is my third book release, and it’s still no less thrilling or terrifying than the first.

Thrilling because I love you dear readers and can’t wait for you to lose yourselves in Birdie, Ky, and Amos’s world again … and terrifying because I have a good bit of my heart wrapped up in this book, and it’s so hard to let go.

But ready or not, the book is come … which means it’s time to celebrate!

(I did promise prizes, didn’t I?)

For all you lovely people out there who are ahead of the game and pre-ordered Songkeeper, you can send me a copy of your receipt to be entered for a chance to win a mug with a map of Leira on it. Cool, huh?

For all you lovely people out there who can’t wait to go order Songkeeper right now, if you place your order before NEXT FRIDAY, April 22nd, and send me a copy of your receipt, you will be entered for a chance to win a $15.00 Amazon gift card.

(Why the one week deadline? Well you see, Amazon has this unimaginably complex magical algorithm that determines sales ranking, and the number of sales that Songkeeper quickly racks up helps the book to rise in the rankings … which means that it will be more likely to be seen by prospective readers. Cool, huh? And you could be a part of making that happen!)

 

What if you pre-ordered AND you decide to order another copy today? You, my friend, will be entered in both giveaways for a chance to win both awesome prizes. :)

Expect more exciting news over the next few weeks as the celebration continues. Happy reading!

One Day More – Songkeeper is coming …

This is it.

The breath before waking. The stillness before the thunder breaks. The sense of peace before the plunge.

Songkeeper comes out tomorrow.

I can’t help but grin at the thought of it. In only a few short hours, Songkeeper, the reservoir of a year of night dreaming, heart aching, white-knuckled typing, and boggswoggling hard work, will be turned loose into the world.

It’s always a terrifying moment.

And a glorious one.

But what to say about this book?

Where to begin? (A writer at a loss for words? Horrors!)

This book was incredibly hard to write. The story it tells is that of the characters—of Birdie, Ky, Amos, and Gundhrold—and not my own, of course, and yet it springs from the many of the struggles and fears and hopes that have wrestled their way through my mind over the past year.

Compared to Orphan’s Song, Songkeeper may seem somewhat more intense. I think it remains true to the overall feel of the first story, but times are hard, war has broken out, and things get ugly … and rightfully so. War is not a beautiful thing. It is a somewhat weighty book, but there are still plenty of lighthearted moments thrown in, and the brokenness is balanced by glimpses of beauty and hope.

Not long after writing Songkeeper, I wrote these words for the “why I do what I do” section of my website:

“In my novels, you can expect battle and bloodshed, but bravery and beauty as well. Heartache and hope. Sorrow and sacrifice, but also courage and peace.

I write about broken characters muddling their way down broken roads. Though my heroes and heroines may not be clad in shining armor, they are willing to stand to the fight even when their armor is battered and torn and simply standing requires what strength they have left.

They are the forgotten, the wounded, the outcasts. They are us. And so often, I have found, it is the thorn-riddled paths that yield the greatest beauty in the end.”

These words I think accurately describe Songkeeper. As Samwise Gamgee (dear Sam!) says in the Two Towers movie, “In the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines, it’ll shine out the clearer.”

Songkeeper may seem intense at times, perhaps even painful to read, but my favorite scene in the entire book—actually, I think my favorite scene that I have ever written—is the final scene. Read on to that scene.

I hope you’ll see why.

War ravages Leira and the Song has fallen silent

Freed from the hold of a slave ship, Birdie, the young Songkeeper, and Ky, a street-wise thief, emerge to a world at war. Hordes of dark soldiers march across Leira, shadowed by whispers of plague and massacres, prompting Ky to return to his besieged home city in hopes of leading his fellow runners to safety.

Desperate to end the fighting, Birdie embarks on a dangerous mission into the heart of the Takhran’s fortress. Legend speaks of a mythical spring buried within and the Songkeeper who will one day unleash it to achieve victory. Everyone believes Birdie is the one, but the elusive nature of the Song and rumors of other gifted individuals lead her to doubt her role. Unleashing the spring could defeat the Takhran once and for all, but can she truly be the Songkeeper when the Song no longer answers her call?

Pre-order Songkeeper on Amazon

Be sure to check back on the blog tomorrow as the book release celebrations begin!

Songkeeper has been with advance readers for several weeks now, and the reviews are starting to come in!

Check out what readers are saying about Songkeeper on Goodreads.

YA Scavenger Hunt Spring 2016

Welcome, one and all, to the Spring 2016 YA Scavenger Hunt!

I am thrilled to be participating this go around and so glad you stopped by. Is this your first time hunting? No worries. This is a bi-annual event dreamed up by author Colleen Houck to help connect brilliant readers like you with awesome YA books. Not only do you get to view exclusive bonus content from some of your favorite authors, you get to discover new authors to fill those empty spaces on your bookshelves, and you also have the chance to win several mind-blowingly awesome prizes. Like books! And more books!

Click here to see a list of all the prizes.

For those of you who are eagerly awaiting the upcoming release of my book Songkeeper, I’ve put together some exclusive content including a sneak peek at the opening scene and hidden it somewhere on one of the other PINK TEAM sites. Can’t tell you where, of course, because this is a Scavenger Hunt, and you have to find it!

Want to find out more?

Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page. There are NINE teams and contests running simultaneously, and you can enter one … or if you’re feeling especially crazy and ambitious, you can enter them all. I am on the PINK TEAM, so if you follow the hunt from my site, just remember you’re collecting clues to win the PINK TEAM prize. But you are also welcome to check out all the other teams for a chance to win several different sets of books.

How does it work?

Right now, you are hunting on the PINK TEAM. At the end of this post, I’ll include a link to the next stop in the hunt. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to follow the hunt from site to site over the next few days, collect all the clues for the PINK TEAM and add the numbers up to enter for a chance to win one book from each author on my team! On each site, you will find a secret number. Add up all of the numbers for the PINK TEAM and enter them into the rafflecopter here to enter the giveaway.

But because I really like you guys, I’m also doing a bonus giveaway on my site, so make sure you read on to the end to find out how to enter.

When does it begin?

The clock, my friends, is already ticking and will continue through noon Pacific Time on April 3rd.

Rules

Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by April 3rd, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Today, I’m thrilled to be hosting Jessica L. Brooks as a special guest on the blog! Read on to see some exclusive content about her YA novel, If I Speak True.

Dahlia Kennedy’s sixteenth birthday marks a decade of mysterious dahlias arriving and strange, lonely dreams of being in a forest. The only difference this birthday, however, is that for the first time, someone is there with her. And he’s practically from a whole other era.

The more often Dahlia visits Rowan in his land of Ambrosia, the stronger their connection grows. But… is Ambrosia real? Is he real? What is going on between the two of them, exactly, and why does he insist that she keep it to herself?

As secrets usually go, however, it’s only a matter of time before everything comes out. And when Dahlia finds out the truth of who Rowan is, who she is, and how he really feels — it’s beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Find If I Speak True online

Exclusive Scene with Characters from If I Speak True

David: Welcome to the second installment of Cooking with Ds. If you’d like to check out our first installment you can—what? Oh. Thank you, internet person. Apparently that was bonus content and is no longer available. Sorry.

Also, sorry, but if you were hoping maybe “D” stands for doughnuts, it actually stands for us: David and Dahlia. Cooking with David and Dahlia! *rubs hands together* Aren’t you excited?

Dahlia: I’m sure they are. Very. Today, at Cooking with Ds, we have a great guest with us. My best fr—

David: Our…

Dahlia: Our best friend, Eva Heaton.

Eva: *waves while David applauds* Hola everybody!

David: So, since Dahlia isn’t the best with cooking utensils and Eva’s mom is like, THE chef of the year, we thought we’d have Eva share one of her favorite dishes.

Eva: Except David didn’t like that one, and wanted to share one of his favorites instead, because that’s how he rolls.

David: Ah ha ha, good one, Eva! Rolls? Sweet bread? *whispers to Dahlia* You know, because they’re kind of the same?

Dahlia: Um, but they’re not.

David: It’s okay. I was still funny.

Dahlia: Eva’s mom used to make these for us a lot when we were younger, especially in the spring. We’d hop on our bikes, head over to the Heaton’s, grab a concha, and ride for hours ‘round the neighborhood. It’s a great childhood memory.

Eva: *whispers* Except for the part where David’s dad followed us everywhere in his truck…

Dahlia: You know that wasn’t my fault. My mom’s a worry wart.

David: My dad loves your mom’s conchas!

Eva: Please. I bet you made him hold onto them until you got home so you could have them all to yourself.

David: *laughs* How’d you know?

Eva: Because it’s food. That’s how. Anyway. For a classic concha, you need flour, yeast, butter, sugar… *looks around* Where’s all the ingredients?

Dahlia: *turns to David* Please tell me you brought the brown paper bag by the pacing lane.

David: Me?

Dahlia: *throws hands in the air* I literally said, “Hey, can you grab that paper bag?” as we were walking out the front door!

David: Oh. Well. *shoves hands in pockets* Whoops.

Eva: I knew I should have picked you up in Bertie. Well it looks like we’re just going to have to share the recipe, then. Do you have that, at least?

Dahlia: Yes. For great-tasting, authentic conchas, go HERE.

Eva: Bye, everybody!

Thanks, Jessica, for sharing that with us … and that recipe sounds great. :)

To enter the grand prize giveaway, you’ll need to know that my favorite number is 17. Add up the favorite numbers of all the authors on the PINK TEAM to find the secret code to enter for the grand prize here.

In the meantime, I’m also hosting a bonus giveaway here that you won’t want to miss! One lucky winner will win their choice of one of my novels, Orphan’s Song or Out of Darkness Rising, or the soon to be released Songkeeper! Enter through the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But don’t stop here! The hunt’s afoot. Visit author PHILLIP W. SIMPSON to find your next clue! Thanks for stopping by!

Join the Songkeeper Launch Team Today!

Well folks, it’s time …

I am searching for a few brave warriors for a dangerous mission from which all (or at least most) should return alive. Warning: there may be monsters ahead. Don’t want to miss out on the fun? Apply to join the Underground and be a part of the launch team for Songkeeper, book two in the Songkeeper Chronicles.

Epic adventures (and perils) await …

Oh … you want more information?

Okay.

Why the Underground?

To be honest, I like the sound of it, and given the importance of the Underground to Ky and the rest of the crew, well, I thought it only fitting for it to serve as the structure for our competitive launch team. That’s right. It is a competition, albeit a friendly one. So while it’s not quite like facing Cade in the Ring, you can earn points to win super cool prizes for helping spread the word about Songkeeper.

Still game?

What is a launch team?

A launch team is a group of amazingly brave individuals who band together (like Robin Hood’s Merry Men … or the Fellowship of the Ring) to accomplish a great mission (being “burdened with glorious purpose” and all that jazz). In this case, that mission is spreading the news about Songkeeper.

You see, books are a bit like diamonds in the rough. They tend to stay in the rough so long as no one knows that they’re there. You guys are here to help get Songkeeper out of the rough and into the hands of readers everywhere.

Or you know how objects at rest tend to stay at rest? Well, Songkeeper is currently at rest, like a ship waiting to take sail, and your job is to sprinkle the magic fairy dust (by spreading the news) to allow the ship to launch and fly.

Enough bad analogies? (In my defense, I have been reading Brandon Sanderson’s The Reckoners series and bad similes and metaphors abound!)

Anyway, you guys get the picture, right? Moving on.

Are there any requirements?

There are always requirements.

But we’ll keep them fairly simple. Answer yes to the following questions, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a member of the Underground. In addition to the requirements, there’s also scads of optional tasks that you can complete to earn points to win some of those super cool prizes I mentioned. But more about those later.

Are you willing to read Songkeeper before April 15th and post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and at least one other site? If you have a blog, that one other site could be your blog. If not, it could be Barnes and Nobles, CBD, etc.


If you have a blog, are you willing to participate in the blog tour?


Are you willing to talk about Songkeeper on social media, whether through Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc? I’ll provide team members with some sample tweets and statuses, but if you can add your own flavor so that it actually sounds more like you and less like me, that usually turns out better.

After that, the options are limitless … and so are the number of points you can earn!

Perks and Rewards

Yes, there are both perks and rewards in this game, brave warriors. You will not venture into battle for naught. Like Bilbo, you shall receive your fourteenth share of the treasure … except not a fourteenth share and not treasure …

Every member of the launch team will receive a digital copy (PDF) of Songkeeper  that they agree to read and review before April 15th. So yes, you get to read it before the rest of the world … and you get to read it for free.Wait … was that the magic word I heard?Music to my ears …


You will have access to a top secret Underground Launch Team Facebook Group. While Facebook is not a requirement to be a member of the launch team, a lot of the behind-the-scenes discussions will take place there, so you will miss out on those if you don’t have an account. Did I say “Behind-the-scenes discussion?” Oh yeah. Including “How It Could Have Ended” chats, definitions and backstory on Amos’s insults, and backstage information on your favorite characters. Not to mention a fun place to hang out with incredibly awesome people.


And don’t forget the super cool prizes! Which will be both super and cool, and which I am terribly excited about revealing to you … Just not yet. *grins*

Sound like fun?

Fill out the application to join the Launch Team. Spaces are limited, so don’t delay! The application will close out one week from today, unless the spots fill before then, after which the chosen will receive the launch team guidelines an invitation to join the Top Secret Facebook group.

Adventure, my friends, awaits!

Songkeeper is coming …

Things have been a bit quiet on the blog front lately. Apologies, my friends. I swear, this generally only happens when things have been anything but quiet on the western front that we call life. But I am back … and I have exciting news.

Songkeeper is coming.

Houston, we have a release date. So it’s time to mark your calendars and stash your pocket change in a safe place for launch day on April 15th. That’s right. Only two months from today!

Yep, that’s a photo of me positively thrilled to find the final galley for Songkeeper in my inbox yesterday morning. One final read-through to catch and destroy those last persistent typos and then its off to press. Meanwhile, I’m also conquering my way through book three and brainstorming a whole slew of ideas for Songkeeper‘s launch.

On that note, keep your eyes peeled for another post in the next few weeks, because I am going to be seeking out an army of brave souls to strap on their battle armor, throw in their lot as members of the Launch Team,  and help get Songkeeper off the ground. More details will be coming soon, but for now, I have a question for you!

Three questions rather.

Would you be interested in participating in a Launch Team and helping spread the word about the book in exchange for some fabulous perks, including a chance to read Songkeeper early?
 Would you be more interested in a competitive Launch Team – where you strive to earn points and prizes through your participation – or would you prefer a Launch Team where everyone happily does their part? (I lean toward the competitive side myself …)
Are you still confused about what a Launch Team is?

If you answered yes to the third question, never fear, all your questions will be answered in the next post.

For now, you can once more enjoy the cover and find out a little bit more about the book! Warning: If you have not yet read Orphan’s Song, there are spoilers ahead.

War ravages Leira and the Song has fallen silent.

Freed from the hold of a slave ship, Birdie, the young Songkeeper, and Ky, a street-wise thief, emerge to a world at war. Hordes of dark soldiers march across Leira, shadowed by whispers of plague and massacres, prompting Ky to return to his besieged home city in hopes of leading his fellow runners to safety.

Desperate to end the fighting, Birdie embarks on a dangerous mission into the heart of the Takhran’s fortress. Legend speaks of a mythical spring buried within and the Songkeeper who will one day unleash it to achieve victory. Everyone believes Birdie is the one, but the elusive nature of the Song and rumors of other gifted individuals lead her to doubt her role. Unleashing the spring could defeat the Takhran once and for all, but can she truly be the Songkeeper when the Song no longer answers her call?

COMING APRIL 15, 2016

 

 

A Thousand Words

I have always envied those brilliant blogging friends of mine who select a “Word of the Year.” Time and again, as I find myself scrolling through their beautifully written posts—most now several weeks old (apparently, not only am I incapable of matching the trend, I am also woefully late in seeking it)—I cannot help but feel oddly jealous.

They always choose such beautiful words.

Words like Fearless. Brave. Freedom. Breathe. Release.

There is so much encapsulated in each and every one. I would love to be able to point to one word and shout, “Here, at last, I have found it!” I would love to be able to look at the year unfolding before me and say with certainty that my word for this year is Hope or Courage or Peace.

To be able to do so would be at once exhilarating … and limiting.

I say this not to diminish in any way those who have found a word for 2016. I have simply come to realize that it is not for me. As much as I love the concept, I cannot bring myself to settle on just one. In the words of Brandon Sanderson, that master of taleweavers, “I’m a fantasy author. We have trouble with the concept of brevity.”

Why settle on one word, when you can have a thousand?

(And here my editor heaves a sigh …)

I have just come back from a short trip to Haiti and am struggling somewhat to reorient myself in normal life. The pressures of work, responsibilities, and commitments clamor about me, and yet a portion of my heart is firmly planted in that little island across the ocean. What words shall I use to describe my time there? I encountered so many things. Beauty. Sorrow. Brokenness. Joy. Life anew.

All good words. All true.

But if I were to give one word and one word alone to that trip, it would be Communion. For it was in the mountains of Haiti with the sun rising over the sprawling countryside before me, and the sounds of a waking village behind—goats bleating, roosters crowing, motorcycles sputtering, and pots clanging—that I experienced some of my closest times with God.

They call it a mountaintop experience for a reason, and coming down from the mountain is always a challenge. True to form as a fantasy author, I cannot help but picture that scene from the Silver Chair where Aslan has just been teaching Jill the four signs. They are in the mountains of his country. Before bidding her farewell, he warns her that remembering is easy on the mountain where the air is clear, but down in the valley, the air grows thicker, and remembering will become much harder.

Already I can tell that the air in my valley is thick with distractions. So much busyness, so much rushing around, so much to strive after. Perhaps Remember would be a good word for this year.

Or perhaps simply Trust or Follow.

Or Wait or Rise.

I am beginning to like the idea of a thousand words instead of one.

The year sprawls before me, like a wild and uncharted sea. I cannot speak to what lies ahead, nor would I wish to. But I can speak to what lies behind and the ways that the Lord has strengthened and upheld me in the past, guided my steps, and showered me with blessings.

Who knows what words I will have collected by the year’s end?

So whatever may lie ahead, may I say as David said, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14)