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Thursday, September 19, 2013
Today, I'm thrilled to host fellow Astraea Press Author, Wendy Knight. Her latest YA novel, Feudlings in Flames is out.
Blurb:
Blurb:
Ari and Shane thought they’d beaten Fate and ended the
three-hundred year war plaguing their people. They thought love had won. But
they were so, so wrong.
Instead of graduating high school like the normals, they’re
in a battle to save Charity – Shane’s . To do that, they’re
forced to accept help from a boy they aren’t even sure they can trust. He’s
powerful and knows spells even Ari’s never heard of, but he’s also secretive
and has a past he’s determined to keep hidden . Add to that the fact that he
has his sights set on Ari, and Shane would rather do without his help.
Fate still waits for the death of one by the hand of the
other
Excerpt:
"No no, Hunter, it
curves this way." Ari stood back, watching with a frown, and then jumped
back in. "Imagine in your mind what you want the spell to do. Tie your
emotions to your spells."
Shane watched her guide Hunter and tried again on his own.
"Close, Shane, but like this," Ari reached out, holding his hand as
she led him through the motion. He felt the flames racing through his blood
react to her touch and sparks flew from his fingers, igniting the spell. It
hung, burning, in the air, a bright blue curlicue thing.
"Perfect,"
she whispered, still holding on to his hand.
"Maybe,
but does it work?" Tristan's voice was flat and uninterested, but Shane
could hear the animosity running under the words.
"We don't have any targets set out. He can't test it."
Ari shook her head, and still holding Shane's hand, made a quick swiping motion
through the spell, dissipating it. "Try
again." She let go of his hand and stepped back, watching expectantly.
Shane tried, once, twice, and three times. He couldn't get it
quite right, but neither could Hunter, which made him feel better, and Tristan
wasn't even trying.
"It's okay if you can't do it, Shane. There are a lot
of other powerful spells she uses that will be much easier for you to
master," Will said.
Ari vehemently shook her head. "No. He can do it. Just
give him a minute!"
Shane kept his
attention focused on the spell in front of him, but he couldn't stop his grin.
Ari believed in him.
He burned the spell into the air again, trying to replicate
the one Ari had drawn, but it fizzled into a mass of smoke. The spell had to
ignite to actually do anything. He groaned in frustration, tipping his head
sideways to look at Ari. "What am I doing wrong?"
She bit her lip, studying him for several seconds.
"When you did it the first time, what were you thinking?"
Shane paused, dropping his hand that was still poised in the
air. "Umm… I was thinking we were gonna die and I had seen you throw that
spell so I knew it was possible. It just happened."
Author Bio
Wendy Knight was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful
family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time
driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five,
terror when faced with a live phone call, etcetera, etcetera). She also enjoys
chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading,
and hiking. Camping is also big: her family is slowly working toward a goal of
seeing all the National Parks in the U.S.
You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby,
wearing ridiculously high heels for whatever the occasion may be. And if
everything works out just right, she will also be writing.
Links:
Twitter: @wjk8099
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorWendyKnight
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7009940.Wendy_Knight
Buy Links:
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Cover Reveal Wednesday - Wendy Knight's "Feudlings in Sight"
Astraea Press is celebrating their first cover reveal; Wendy Knight's Fate on Fire novella, Feudlings in Sight! Available Thursday on Astraea Press, Amazon, and all other major ebook retailers!
Blurb:
Boys of war suck at romance.
Charity Delyle has lived in the shadow of her Prodigy cousin and his powerful Guard since the day she was born. And she doesn’t mind—really. Except that being in Hunter’s shadow means that he can’t see her. And she’d like that to change.
Hunter has one purpose in life: Protect the Prodigy, or die trying. That means a social life, school, and even Charity come last until the war is over. For the most part, he’s okay with that—he can lose everything if he has to…except his seer.
Starting at a new school should be much safer than living in a war-ravaged Carules headquarters. But this new school is different than the others. Friendships are forged and destinies are questioned, and Hunter’s decision could cost them all everything they’ve been hoping for.
Excerpt:
“Okay, do you want to practice the ones we learned last week or just start new ones?” She had carefully color-coded the spell book with sticky tabs — spells they had mastered, spells they had practiced, spells that would come in handy one day — she was very organized. And if the Council ever found out she put sticky tabs in a book that was over three hundred years old, they would kill her completely dead.
“Learn as much as you can, Shane. Gonna be hard to find a place to practice in the mountains of Utah, surrounded by Normals.” Hunter idly traced spells in the air, letting them fizzle and die without igniting them.
“Well, alright.” Charity flipped to the red section — spells that would come in handy one day. She started at the top. “This one is called an Al-able.” The odd word rolled awkwardly off her tongue. “It’s like… it looks like it’s sort of a flat triangle of flames.”
Hunter and Shane both walked over, studying the spell in the book before tracing it slowly into the air. The spell wouldn’t actually ignite until they lit it with the flames roiling through their blood, but they both wanted to make sure they could do it correctly so as not to explode them all to pieces or something.
“No, no, Hunter. Less harsh lines. Softer.” Charity glanced down at the page and then up at Hunter’s disaster of an attempt. Sighing she laid the book on the metal next to her and pushed herself to her feet. She took Hunter’s hand, trying hard to ignore the way her own blood seemed to explode into flames. There’s no magic there, she told herself harshly. “Like this.” She led his hand through the spell until the air smoked and the image burned in front of them. She looked up, got caught in his gold eyes. He watched her, an unreadable look on his face.
It made her heart stutter in her chest.
Before he could say anything she dropped his hand. “Now try it on your own. I can’t do everything for you, you know.” Charity grinned playfully, dodging out of the way as he tried to push her over. She rescued the book from the twisted metal and perched, watching them expectantly. “Go. Do something.”
Shane rolled his eyes. “Give the girl a book and she’s suddenly the boss.” He moved away several feet so he wouldn’t accidentally ignite her. He’d done it before, and Charity didn’t relish the idea of it happening again.
BIO: Wendy Knight was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five, terror when faced with a live phone call, etcetera, etcetera). She also enjoys chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading, and hiking. Camping is also big: her family is slowly working toward a goal of seeing all the National Parks in the U.S.
You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby, wearing ridiculously high heels for whatever the occasion may be. And if everything works out just right, she will also be writing.
Twitter: @wjk8099
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorWendyKnight
Blog: www.writethroughthenoise.blogspot.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7009940.Wendy_Knight
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Blurb:
Boys of war suck at romance.
Charity Delyle has lived in the shadow of her Prodigy cousin and his powerful Guard since the day she was born. And she doesn’t mind—really. Except that being in Hunter’s shadow means that he can’t see her. And she’d like that to change.
Hunter has one purpose in life: Protect the Prodigy, or die trying. That means a social life, school, and even Charity come last until the war is over. For the most part, he’s okay with that—he can lose everything if he has to…except his seer.
Starting at a new school should be much safer than living in a war-ravaged Carules headquarters. But this new school is different than the others. Friendships are forged and destinies are questioned, and Hunter’s decision could cost them all everything they’ve been hoping for.
Excerpt:
“Okay, do you want to practice the ones we learned last week or just start new ones?” She had carefully color-coded the spell book with sticky tabs — spells they had mastered, spells they had practiced, spells that would come in handy one day — she was very organized. And if the Council ever found out she put sticky tabs in a book that was over three hundred years old, they would kill her completely dead.
“Learn as much as you can, Shane. Gonna be hard to find a place to practice in the mountains of Utah, surrounded by Normals.” Hunter idly traced spells in the air, letting them fizzle and die without igniting them.
“Well, alright.” Charity flipped to the red section — spells that would come in handy one day. She started at the top. “This one is called an Al-able.” The odd word rolled awkwardly off her tongue. “It’s like… it looks like it’s sort of a flat triangle of flames.”
Hunter and Shane both walked over, studying the spell in the book before tracing it slowly into the air. The spell wouldn’t actually ignite until they lit it with the flames roiling through their blood, but they both wanted to make sure they could do it correctly so as not to explode them all to pieces or something.
“No, no, Hunter. Less harsh lines. Softer.” Charity glanced down at the page and then up at Hunter’s disaster of an attempt. Sighing she laid the book on the metal next to her and pushed herself to her feet. She took Hunter’s hand, trying hard to ignore the way her own blood seemed to explode into flames. There’s no magic there, she told herself harshly. “Like this.” She led his hand through the spell until the air smoked and the image burned in front of them. She looked up, got caught in his gold eyes. He watched her, an unreadable look on his face.
It made her heart stutter in her chest.
Before he could say anything she dropped his hand. “Now try it on your own. I can’t do everything for you, you know.” Charity grinned playfully, dodging out of the way as he tried to push her over. She rescued the book from the twisted metal and perched, watching them expectantly. “Go. Do something.”
Shane rolled his eyes. “Give the girl a book and she’s suddenly the boss.” He moved away several feet so he wouldn’t accidentally ignite her. He’d done it before, and Charity didn’t relish the idea of it happening again.
BIO: Wendy Knight was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five, terror when faced with a live phone call, etcetera, etcetera). She also enjoys chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading, and hiking. Camping is also big: her family is slowly working toward a goal of seeing all the National Parks in the U.S.
You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby, wearing ridiculously high heels for whatever the occasion may be. And if everything works out just right, she will also be writing.
Twitter: @wjk8099
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorWendyKnight
Blog: www.writethroughthenoise.blogspot.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7009940.Wendy_Knight
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday, July 8, 2013
What To Expect When You’re Expecting Your First Book – Branding Pt. 1 – The Tagline
Continuing with my new series on what happens after the contract is signed.
Once you sell, it’s important to start figuring out “who” you are as a writer and what public face you want to put on your books. Actually, you don’t have to wait until you’ve sold to start building your brand. If you’re active on social media like Facebook and Twitter (or any of the seemingly hundreds of social media channels out there) you should be thinking about what message you want to say. When you’re posting – even if you’re not posting about writing – you need to consider what it says about you and your books. If you write dark paranormal…what should that sound like in your posts? If you write frothy romantic comedy, that should be reflected in the words and tone you use.
Whether you’re on the path to your first book…or your 25th book…you still need to know “who” you are. You need to know what your brand is and you need to “sell” that brand everywhere. On your website, blog, facebook, twitter, pinterest, Instagram, etc.
Since I come from an advertising background, I actually know something about branding. I’ve thought about what my brand will be for years. Once I sold I really tried to crystalize what I wanted my public face to be and what that would look and sound like.
Kristin Wallace Author – The Brand
So…big question. Who is Kristin Wallace as a writer? I write inspirational romance and general market women’s fiction (with strong romantic elements). No matter which genre I write I must have humor. Sarcasm, snark, comedy of errors. There is always drama and angst and conflict, too, but I can’t do a whole book of complete sadness and gnashing of teeth. As an 80’s Valley Girl might say… “Gag me!” I have to include some romance. I will also always include a faith element. For my women’s fiction, the “inspirational” subplot is much softer and subtle…but the spiritual message of love, forgiveness and healing are still present.
The Tagline
One of the first things I recommend is coming up with a tagline for yourself as an author. A tagline is a few words or sentence that encapsulates an entire campaign. You probably know some of the famous ones…“Have It Your Way,” Diamonds Are Forever”, “Good to the last drop”, “Got Milk”. Those lines say what a brand stands for and every time you see or hear them, you feel something about that brand. An author’s tagline needs to do the same thing. Coming up with a tagline usually involves sitting down either at the computer or with a notepad and sort of free writing as many phrases or words as you can. There’s probably been a time where you’ve tried sitting down and writing whatever flows from your imagination, without stopping to censor yourself or fix misspellings or whatnot. Try the same thing with your taglines. Just write any idea down. Even if you know it’s bad (and there will be bad ones) or not the right phrase, don’t worry about it. Just get it on the screen or paper. If there’s a certain word/phrase that you really like, try as many variations using that word/phrase as you can. When you hit the right one you’ll know.
After writing and dismissing many, many lines I stumbled upon my tagline.
“Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”
I tried a bunch of variations of this line, using different words. Why did I choose this one? First, I like the message it portrays. Those words are what my books are about. They have romance, lots of laughs and a spiritual element that isn’t too heavy-handed. I also like the sheer poetry, the way the words flow. The three “L”s.
Finding Your Message
Finding your tagline will really crystallize everything you want your brand to be. It will also help you develop messaging for your online presence. I’ve been blogging for a few years, but I always had trouble coming up with topics to write about. I’m not an expert in anything so I didn’t feel like I could write about gardening or knitting or cooking, etc. No husband or kids, so I can’t write about that. I don’t want to fall into a trap of only writing about…well…writing. Besides, others do a much better job of writing about craft. But once I had my tagline the problem of what to write and post about became easier. Why? My topics are spelled out in those three words. I can write about “love”. Could be romantic love, could be parent/child love, could be the love between a pet or even other animals. Stories I read, experiences I have. I could also write about funny things, “laughter”. How many posts do you see everyday with funny stories or photos? How many of those hilarious ecards? How many funny YouTube videos? Lastly, I can write about “faith”. My faith or perhaps the faith demonstrated by someone else. I can write about how my faith is reflected in my writing, too.
Now I’ll give you a lesson. Come up with a tagline for yourself as an author. Even if you have one already, go ahead and try. Let me know when you find “the one”.
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