LONDON IN THE DARK by Victoria Lynn // Anniversary Tour, Interivew, & Giveaway

HELLO, MY LOVELIES. Today, I'm thrilled to be taking part in Victoria Lynn's one-year anniversary tour for her debut novel, London in the Dark! We've got spotlights, an interview, and an exclusive giveaway (plus another giveaway, too!). IT'S ALL VERY EXCITING 😍😍😍 Without further ado, here's London in the Dark...

ABOUT THE BOOK

BOOK ONE OF THE LIGHT OF LONDON SERIES

London, 1910

Budding Private Detective Cyril Arlington Hartwell has a conundrum. London is being ravaged by the largest run of thefts in recent history. His hunch that it is all tied together may put him and those he loves in more danger than he could have reckoned.

Olivia Larken Hartwell is just home from boarding school for the summer anticipating time with her adoring parents. She misses her absent brother, Cyril, hoping for the day he will finally come home. But tragedy strikes, causing upheaval for all concerned and changes her life in a way she never could have imagined.

Olivia, Cyril, and their friends must bring the hidden to light, seek to execute justice, and dispel the darkness that hovers over London… and their hearts.

INTERVIEW

Welcome, Victoria! I'm delighted to have you here! First off, would you mind introducing yourself and your novel?

Hi Liv! Thank you so much for having me! I am a writer with a passion for encouraging others. I love to blog at Ruffles & Grace and I love sharing about my life, tutorials, faith, fashion, etc.

How did the idea for London in the Dark first come about?

The first idea that prompted the story was what it would be like if someone like Sherlock Holmes had a sister. That was the main thing that got me thinking.

Did you have a favorite moment during London in the Dark's writing process?

Hmmm... good question... Probably the main climax scene was my favorite. The chapter called "Hostage." You'll have to read the book to find out what I am talking about. 😁

Without any / too many spoilers, how will the stakes be raised in Shadows in London?

Ooh... Very good question. *rubs hands together* There will definitely be a lot more action and let's just say that some people who are near and dear to each other will find themselves in dire straights. Add a confusing romance to the mix and things will be getting a bit crazy. 😉

What's your advice for Christian authors pursuing indie-publishing?

The biggest thing I can say is to make sure you do it right. Hire people in areas you don't find yourself comfortable with. The best thing I did was hire a professional editor for my books. Don't be afraid to take your time and do it right. The best thing you can do for your book is give it the most professional look and feel that you can. A cover speaks for the book as does the quality it is written and presented. Take your time and do the best you can.

Thank you so much for your time, Victoria! *hugs* And congratulations on London in the Dark's one-year anniversary! 💖

Thank you so much for having me Liv! It has been a pleasure. And thank you! I am so excited!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Victoria Lynn is in her twenties and if she's not writing, she is probably sewing, singing, playing the piano, washing dishes, creating something with her hands, or learning something new. She has a passion for serving her Creator, encouraging others and being creative. She blogs at rufflesandgrace.com about writing, fashion, modesty, her walk with God, and life. She lives in Michigan with her parents and eight siblings.

Blog // Amazon // Facebook // Instagram // Pinterest

GIVEAWAY

I'm thrilled to introduce one of not one, not two, but six giveaways (I'll tell ya 'bout the other ones later 😉)! You can enter to win a paperback copy of London in the Dark! This giveaway begins today, and ends next Saturday (April 7th), first thing in the morning! Lord willing, I'll announce the winner later in the day, and Victoria will contact them shortly. You can enter in the widget below! (US only.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THE CELEBRATION CONTINUES!

Join Victoria on Facebook this afternoon, from 1:00 - 3:00 PM (Pacific time), for games, Q&A, prizes, and special guest appearances!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Not only that, but Victoria is hosting her own giveaway, as well!

First-place winner (US only):

• London in the Dark signed paperback
• T-shirt from Victoria's Zazzle shop
• Mug from Victoria's Zazzle shop

Second-place winners (international + two winners):

• London in the Dark ebook

  Enter the giveaway here, here, or through the widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR SCHEDULE

• Friday March 30th
• Sarah - Spotlight/Review (personal giveaway)
• Victoria Goodbrand - Interview (personal giveaway)
• Medomfo - Interview
• Sarah Addison-Fox - Interview
• Hosanna - Interview
• Saturday March 31st
• Grace - Interview
• Liv K. Fisher - Interview (personal giveaway)
• Grace Buckner - Review (personal giveaway)
• Sunny - Review
• Abigail H. - Review
• Josie - Review (personal giveaway)
• Faith - Interview
• Kaylee - Spotlight
• Gray - Review
• Leona - Spotlight
• Jes Drew - Review

Eeep! Happy book-birthday, Victoria! 💕

Dragons, have you entered the giveaways yet? For giveaway points: if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and what would you bring?

❤,

The MYTHICAL DOORWAYS Anthology // Blog Tour, Party, & Giveaway + Interview with Author J.M. Hackman

HELLO, MY MAGICAL MUFFINS OF DARKNESS SWEET DRAGONS! Today, I'm here with another blog tour (AND INTERVIEW 😍) -- this time to share the enchantment of the Mythical Doorways anthology... and I have special guest J.M. Hackman (author of The Firebrand Chronicles + co-author of Realmscapes and Mythical Doorways) here to celebrate! But first, the anthology...

ABOUT THE BOOK

Eleven Tales of Magical, Mysterious, Mythical Doorways!

Step through portals and into adventure as the authors of the Fellowship of Fantasy take you on another journey into fantastic worlds. Travel through time, space, and realities to encounter monsters, mechanical foxes, and the Fates themselves. You'll fly with dragons, save implausible beasts, and perhaps find your true home. Choose your path wisely, for dangers lurk in the lands beyond.

In the third anthology from the Fellowship of Fantasy, eleven authors promise you journeys into fairy lands hidden within the modern world, futuristic universities, and lands of ancient myth. So what are you waiting for? Cross through our Doorways for the adventure of a lifetime!

⮙⮙ Free! ⮙⮙

INTERVIEW: J.M. HACKMAN

Welcome, J.M.! I'm so delighted to have you here! First off, would you mind introducing yourself and your story?

Thanks so much for having me, Liv! My name is Jill, but I write under the name J.M. Hackman. I'm always looking for otherworldly portals in the central Pennsylvania mountains, where I live with my husband and two girls. My story Everwild is about a teen boy named Flint who ages out of the foster system with very few resources.

If you could choose one message for your readers to gain from this story, what would it be?

My tagline is "true north fiction." Everwild definitely falls into this category. Flint finds his True North by listening to his heart.

If you were to stumble upon a mythical doorway that transported you to any place you wished -- real or fictional -- where would it lead?

Narnia, the Shire, Hogwarts, even some of the beautiful places on Earth -- it's hard to choose just one. Ooh, I'd love to visit Heaven! Or Italy. They're almost the same, right? 😉

If you could travel through a portal to spend a day with any author, no matter their time period, who would you most hope them to be?

I'd love to sit, drink tea, and talk with Madeline L'Engle. Not only did she write The Time Quintet (which is fabulous), her poetry is awesome, too.

Thank you so much for your time, J.M.! Last question, before you go: what's your advice on writing short stories?

I find short stories harder to write, because I want to share All. The. Things. 😄 But I can't do that with a short story -- it ends up being too long. So I condense my time frame (the events of Everwild occur in a 24-hour period) to keep my story short.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

J.M. Hackman (author of Everwild) loves bookstores and libraries. She spent her childhood visiting these magical places. After a hiatus at Penn State for a degree, she began writing books and never stopped. Her stories are filled with fantastic beasts, feisty characters, and unusual settings all tied together with romance. She spends her days writing, consuming massive quantities of chocolate and Coke Zero, and looking for portals to other worlds.

Savannah Jezowski (author of Well of Fate) lives in a drafty farmhouse in Amish country with her Knight in Shining Armor, a wee warrior princess, and two English Springer Spaniels. She is the author of When Ravens Fall and The Neverway Chronicles. Her work has been published in Ray Gun Revival, Mindflights, and the student publication of Fountains at Pensacola Christian College. She is also a featured author in Five Enchanted Roses from Rooglewood Press, and will be featured in Mythical Doorways, a Fellowship of Fantasy anthology, coming March 2018. She likes books, faeries, writing-hats, and having tea with her imaginary friends.

H.L. Burke (author of Jericho & the Magician's Daughter) was born in a small town in north-central Oregon, where she spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals, and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia to keep her company, she also became an incurable romantic. Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life, but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.

Katy Huth Jones (author of Dragon's Oath) grew up in a family where creative juices overflowed and made puddles to splash in. In addition to writing fantasy and historical fiction, Katy loves to make music and take photos of birds and other interesting creatures. She lives with her husband Keith in the great state of Texas. Their two sons, whom she homeschooled, have flown from the nest and live creative lives of their own. Best of all, she is a two-time cancer survivor.


D.G. Driver (author of The Hallway of Three Doors) is an optimist at heart, and that's why she likes to write about young people making an impact on the world. She is a multi-award-winning author of books for teens and tweens, but you'll find some romance and horror stories in the anthologies, too. When Driver isn't writing, she's a teacher at an inclusive child development program in Nashville, TN. She might also take a break from writing once in a while to strut the stage in a local theatre production. You're guaranteed to find her belting out Broadway show tunes any time she's driving.

Bokerah Brumley (author of Door Number Four) is a speculative fiction writer making stuff up on a trampoline in West Texas. When she's not playing with the quirky characters in her head, she's addicted to Twitter pitch events, writing contests, and social media in general. She lives on ten permaculture acres with five home-educated children and one husband. In her spare time, she also serves as the blue-haired president of the Cisco Writers Club.

Laurie Lucking (author of Threshold) has always loved diving into imaginary worlds through books, but didn't start writing her own stories until she left her career as an attorney to become a stay-at-home mom. After growing up in Wisconsin, she hopped the border into Minnesota to attend St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota Law School, and she continues to make Minnesota her home with her husband and two young sons. When she gets a break from playing super heroes and driving wind-up cars, Laurie enjoys reading, singing, connecting with other moms, and writing YA fantasy, always with a central love story to satisfy her inner romantic.

Arthur Daigle (author of Idiot's Graveyard) was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. He received a degree in biology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which sounded like a good idea at the time. This led to work as a zoo intern at Brookfield Zoo, an assistant fisheries biologist at the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, and a research assistant at Morton Arboretum. Most recently he's been employed grading high school essay tests and garden associate (yeah, the job market is that bad). In addition to writing, Arthur is an avid gardener and amateur artist.

A.J. Bakke's (author of Cosmic Cravings) favorite things to do are horseback riding and writing books. She writes almost every morning with a big cup of coffee nearby and one or more cats piled on her. Cats are attracted to magical people, after all.


Jenelle Leanne Schmidt (author of Dragon Ward) grew up the oldest of four children. Every night before bedtime, her father read to her and her siblings, and it was during these times that her love for adventure and fantasy were forged. While she adored the stories of the Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Prydain, The Wheel of Time, and The Chronicles of Narnia, it wasn't long before her imagination led her to the creation of a world and story all her own.


Lauren Lynch (author of What Lies Ahead) has lived in nine of the United States, but currently calls a log cabin in North Carolina home, along with her husband, teenage son, two dogs, a cat, two goats, and even the occasional bat.

GIVEAWAY

The Fellowship of Fantasy and Deep Magic e-zine have joined together to offer you an awesome paperback giveaway! Dive into eleven new worlds by entering to win a paperback of Mythical Doorways! (US only.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Deep Magic: The name "Deep Magic" pays homage to C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. Deep Magic is a quarterly e-zine dedicated to creating a safe place for minds to wander in the worlds and universe of SFF. We want all who visit to feel welcome and confident that they will encounter professionally written fiction of the highest quality, that is safe for all to read.

JOIN THE FUN!

Grab your favorite drink and snack on March 29th at 8PM EST (7PM CST / 5PM PST) and be prepared for a fun time of author chats, games, and giveaways!

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

TOUR SCHEDULE

• Tuesday, March 27th
• Author Spotlight: A. J. Bakke – Kandi J Wyatt—Where Fantasy and Reality Meet
• Interview: Katy Huth Jones – Dragonpen Press
• Interview: Laurie Lucking – Fearless Words in Fantasy Worlds
• Book Spotlight – Antrim Cycle
• Author Spotlight: Bokerah Brumley – Life is a Four-Letter Word: Encouragement for the Journey
• Book Spotlight – Deeply Shallow
• Book Review – Blooming with Books
• Review & Interview: Lauren Lynch -- Fairies, Fantasy, and Faith
• Wednesday, March 28th
• Book Spotlight – Dolphin18cb
• Interview: Arthur Daigle – Heather Hadyen – Author of Science Fiction and Fantasy
• Review & Author Spotlight: H.L. Burke – Reality Reflected
• Interview: D.G. Driver – So Few Books
• Interview: H.L. Burke – Keturah's Korner
• Interview: Bokerah Bromley – Supervise SF
• Thursday, March 29th 
• Book Review – Lands Uncharted
• Interview: J.M. Hackman – Liv K. Fisher
• Interview: Jenelle Schmidt – Lu's Reviews Take Two
• Interview: Savannah Jezowski – Unicorn Quester
• MYTHICAL DOORWAYS FACEBOOK PARTY

Aaah! So much excitement! 😻

Thank you again for your time, J.M.! And special thanks to Laura A. Grace @ Unicorn Quester for organizing this tour, and Fellowship of Fantasy for piecing together this anthology! 💙

Dragons, have you ordered Mythical Doorways, yet? (It is free, ya know! 😉) How do you write short stories?

❤,

SENTINEL by Jamie Foley // Book Review + SAGE Blog Tour & Giveaway

HELLO, MY DRAGONS! Today, I'm here with y'all to share about the third and final installment in an epic new series! (And guess what: I'll be sharing my review of the first book, too! Spoiler-free. 😉) First...

ABOUT THE BOOK

Ancient elementals awaken, fracturing a dying world to its core.

Teravyn Aetherswift returns to the land of the living, but everything seems unfamiliar... including her little brother. Zekk offers help, but can an alluring Lynx be trusted?

Sorvashti finally has everything she ever wanted, so the last thing she wants to do is run after traitors. But she won't leave Jet's side -- unless the horrifying truth about his mother tears them apart.

Darien is sick of being used and lied to. But if he stands up for what's right, he'll pay the price with his life... or the lives of those he loves.

SIGNED PAPERBACK

Book I: Sentinel: Amazon // Goodreads

Book II: Arbiter: Amazon // Goodreads

Prequel novella: Viper: Amazon // Goodreads

Prequel novella: Vanguard: Amazon // Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamie Foley loves strategy games, home-grown berries, and Texas winters. She's terrified of plot holes and red wasps.

Her husband is her manly cowboy astronaut muse. They live between Austin, Texas, and their family cattle ranch, where their hyperactive spawnling and wolfpack can run free.

Website // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Goodreads

BOOK REVIEW: SENTINEL

★★★★☆

The adventure begins...

I'm not one for thrillers or anything labeled "supernatural" -- it's just not my thing. But Jamie Foley's Sentinel -- the first in a striking new trilogy -- is an exception.

Darien Aetherswift's life isn't perfect. And neither is his sister Tera's. Their life is modest, cramped into a tiny apartment and repair shop filled with frequent calls to their insane mother, haunted by the memory of their father's death.

And then the meteor storm comes.

Suddenly, Darien and Tera's barely-manageable life spirals out of control, and, little do they know, they're being hunted.

THIS. BOOK. Y'ALL. Just... i cant words.

First off, CAN WE TALK ABOUT JET? bc Jet had to be my favorite part of this book.

An ex-sniper, Jet cares about two people, and two people only. The first is his sister, Aleah. The second... well, you'll see. 😉

But Jet is seriously A WHOLE BUNCH OF MUSCLES AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF AWESOME. He mentors Darien throughout the novel (and hates his guts... Jet and Darien should be every bromance's goal 😜), is desperately fond of people (but still a military man at heart), and is basically every character's Prince-Charming-to-the-rescue. (Seriously, he's amazing. Reason #10898945 you should read this novel.)

Secondly, the plot + the writing. Think a lighter, Christian version of Rick Riordan... but with angels' besties and element-wielding teens instead of Greek mythology and demigods. Got a clear picture? Yeah, IT'S EPIC. 😻

Just... go read this book, guys! You won't regret it. 💜

You may want to know: There is a fair bit of violence, along with some supernatural (but allegorical) elements.

Click here to read my Goodreads review.

NOTE: I received a free ebook copy of Sentinel from the author, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

GIVEAWAY

Want to dive into a new world? In need of a good book? Enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card by signing up for Jamie's newsletter at the link below.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

TOUR SCHEDULE

• Saturday, March 10th
• Blog Tour Kickoff – Unicorn Quester
• Monday, March 12th 
• Interview – Siren & Solider Book Reviews
• Tuesday, March 13th 
• Book Review – The Left-Handed Typist
• Wednesday, March 14th 
• Book Spotlight – Backing Books
• Thursday, March 15th 
• Interview & Review – Lu's Reviews
• Friday, March 16th 
• Book Spotlight – Laura VanArendonk Baugh
• Saturday, March 17th 
• Book Review – Lands Uncharted
• Monday, March 19th 
• Interview – Musings of an Elf
• Tuesday, March 20th 
• Book Review – The Page Dreamer
• Book Spotlight – Gillian Bronte Adams
• Wednesday, March 21st 
• Book Spotlight – A Little Southern Grace
• Thursday, March 22nd 
• Interview – Unicorn Quester
• Friday, March 23rd 
• Book Spotlight/Book Review – Liv K. Fisher
• Saturday, March 24th 
• Blog Tour Wrap-Up – Unicorn Quester

Eeep! I'm so excited for Jamie's new release, and I can't wait to dive into Arbiter!

Dragons, have you read any books in the The Sentinel Trilogy? Which one is your favorite?

❤,

ALL THAT WE SEE OR SEEM by Kristina Mahr // Cover Reveal

HELLO, MY LOVELY DRAGONSES! Today, I'm here to reveal the cover for Kristina Mahr's debut novel, All that We See or Seem. And guys... *sighs happily*

Just scroll down. You'll SEE (haha, see what I did there? 😉) what I mean. 😍















🎝 Just keep scrolling, just keep scrolling... 🎝















Almost--















--there!















YOU'VE MADE IT!!!! ⮛⮛⮛

ABOUT THE BOOK

Every night, seventeen-year-old Reeve Lennox finds herself under a noose.

By day she is a lady of Acarsaid's royal house, daydreaming of adventure and love. But every night in sleep she wanders through a nightmarish city, an invisible witness to the screeches of monsters and the screams of their victims. Her only consolation is Bran, a battle-torn young man with a selfless heart and eyes that reflect the stars.

Yet while Reeve falls deeper into her dreams, in truth she is engaged to Arden, a mercurial nobleman who has long been cured of his belief in love and breathes fire and flattery like other people breathe air.

Torn between two lives, Reeve struggles to remember what's real. Until night and day collide, with a revelation that threatens all of Acarsaid.

SIGNED PAPERBACK

RELEASING MAY 15TH, 2018

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristina Mahr devotes her days to numbers and her nights to words. She works full-time as an accountant in the suburbs of Chicago, where she lives with her two dogs and two cats, but her true passion is writing. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and waking up at the crack of dawn every weekend to watch the Premier League.

Website // Twitter // Instagram

May fifteenth? I CAN'T WAIT. 😍😍😍

In case you want to share your own graphics on social media, Uncommon Universes Press has provided this cute little guy for your convenience ⮚⮚⮚
Isn't he adorable?!

But seriously. That cover. And that story! *flails* I'M SO EXCITED

What about you, sweet Dragons? Are you excited for All That We See or Seem? Have you read any books from Uncommon Universes Press, before?

❤,

DAGGER'S SLEEP by Tricia Mingerink // Cover Reveal

HELLO, MY DRAGONS! Today, I'm delighted to be with you all to reveal the cover (and celebrate the upcoming release!) of Tricia Mingerink's (author of The Blades of Acktar) newest novel, Dagger's Sleep. Without further ado...










Psssh! Of course you need to scroll down! You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you? 😜










I mean, it's Tricia Mingerink! So I might make you scroll for a really long time...











...but not super long, 'cause I know that WE'RE ALL FLAILING TOGETHER BECAUSE WE'RE SO EXCITED 😍😍😍











So, here-- we-- ARE!

THE GORGEOUS COVER + ABOUT THE BOOK

BOOK ONE OF BEYOND THE TALES

A prince cursed to sleep.

A princess destined to wake him.

A kingdom determined to stop them.

High Prince Alexander has been cursed to a sleep like unto death, a curse that will end the line of the high kings and send the Seven Kingdoms of Tallahatchia into chaos. With his manservant to carry his luggage and his own superior intelligence to aid him, Alex sets off to find one of the Fae and end his curse one way or another.

A hundred years later, Princess Rosanna learns she is the princess destined by the Highest King to wake the legendary sleeping prince. With the help of the mysterious Daemyn Rand, can she find the courage to finish the quest as Tallahatchia wavers on the edge of war?

One curse connects them. A hundred years separate them. From the rushing rivers of Tallahatchia's mountains to the hall of the Highest king himself, their quests will demand greater sacrifice than either of them could imagine.

RELEASING MAY 28TH, 2018

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tricia Mingerink is a twenty-something, book-loving, horse-riding country girl. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she isn't writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the country. You can connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog.

JOIN THE CELEBRATION!

To make things even more exciting, Tricia will be co-hosting a blog tour with Sarah Addison-Fox (author of the Allegiance series) in honor of Dagger's Sleep and Sarah's upcoming release, Dissociate (which releases May 22nd) -- and YOU can join the fun! Keep an eye out for sign-ups this April; the tour will last from May 22nd to May 28th.

*flails for all eternity* Eeeep! ISN'T IT GORGEOUS? And you. GUYS. A Sleeping Beauty retelling?!?! ALL THE YES. 😍😍😍 *flails some more*

What do you think of Dagger's Sleep's cover? Have you read any of Tricia's books, before?

❤,

Jenelle Leanne Schmidt on Writing // Guest Post + MINSTREL'S CALL Blog Tour & Giveaway

Hello, my Dragons! Today, I'm delighted to share my sweet blogger friend, Jenelle's, latest release -- Minstrel's Call -- with y'all! 💙

ABOUT THE BOOK

BOOK IV OF THE MINSTREL'S SONG SERIES

War threatens. The game board is set. But the Minstrel is missing...

Advancing his growing power, the Dread Prince breaks free of his prison and brings a faction of dragons under his control, stirring unrest and hatred in the newly united kingdoms of Tellurae Aquaous.

When the dragon wards of Kallayohm are targeted in a ruthless attack, the High King travels there to administer justice. But the trial results in a crippling blow that leaves him reeling.

On the heels of defeat, an unexpected message from the erstwhile Minstrel arrives, pleading with his friends for rescue. Together, the High King and his companions must follow the fragile trail, braving peril and darkness that will test the measure of them all...

Book I: King's Warrior: Amazon // Goodreads

Book II: Second Son: Amazon // Goodreads

Book III: Yorien's Hand: Amazon // Goodreads

GUEST POST: JENELLE'S WRITING PROCESS

It begins with an idea. This idea can come from anywhere, something I see, a line or phrase that pops into my head, a sudden "what if?" that I find compelling. King's Warrior began with the image of the sun rising over the pond across the street on one of those mornings where the weather has changed suddenly, causing steam to hover over the water. It made me think of a dragon emerging from his cave, and I had this sudden thought that such an image would make a great myth for a fantasy world in which the sun was called "the Dragon's Eye" in reference to an early belief that a great dragon soared across the sky each day and kept watch over the inhabitants of the world.

For me, it is often that the world comes first -- before characters, before plot, just this glimmering of a different realm in which a story could be told.

After the initial idea, I spend hours... and hours and hours... discussing this idea with my husband. He is my sounding board, my inspiration, my technical guru, the one who helps me tackle the nitty-gritty details of world building and plot strategizing, and in many instances, the one responsible for helping me break through any writer’s block I may be experiencing. Whenever I have a moment of, "Hmmm, that's a problem, how should I solve it?" I talk it through with Derek and we bounce ideas back and forth. Sometimes I will ask a friend or other family member for ideas, as well, if I feel like I'm stuck and not getting anywhere, or if I need a different perspective. One thing I've learned over the years is that the more perspectives and angles I can get on a story, the better it turns out.

Usually, the characters begin to emerge as I work through the idea, so I will generally take a little time to jot down notes about them: what they look like, who their families are (if they have family), their general personality... things like that. I always meet more characters once the writing starts, so I don’t try too hard to figure out every character that will be in the story... the ones that step in unannounced are generally the most fun, anway!

OUTLINES!

All through school, I was the kid who wrote the paper first (usually weeks early) so that I could hand in that dratted outline. I could never figure out how I was supposed to know what I was going to write, or in what order I was going to write it, before I had actually written the paper. I got a lot of As in English...

However, strategies that work well for one-to-ten page papers, are not always the best for 140,000-word novels, and I discovered after writing my first novel that neglecting an outline at the beginning meant a lot of work on the editing and rewriting side of things. So, now I generally have at least a loose outline of events that I want to see happen throughout the story. It remains "more of a guideline, than actual rules," but it is a helpful tool as I draft.

I do a lot of different things when I write. I don't usually draft to music, unless I'm struggling, and then I'll usually turn on some instrumental Christmas music, which has almost always proven to be an effective way of surmounting the dreaded writer's block.

Once that first draft is done, I tend to let it sit for a while while I work on other things. I find that coming back to a project with "fresh" eyes and brainpower is best, otherwise I get a little burned out on the story. Then I transition into editing mode! I have absolutely fantastic editors, and each one of them helps me hone my rough drafts into something presentable.

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my writing process. Writing a book is not something I can do within a vacuum. For me, it really does take a village.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jenelle Schmidt grew up in the northern-Midwest. She now resides with her husband and their four adorable children in the wilds of Wisconsin. Jenelle fell in love with reading at a young age, during family story-times when her father would read out loud to her and her siblings each night before bed. Her imagination was captured by authors such as Madeleine L'Engle, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Lloyd Alexander. It wasn't long before she began making up her own stories and sharing them with her family. To this day she enjoys creating exciting adventure tales filled with poignant themes and compelling characters in the fantasy and sci-fi genres.

Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Amazon // Goodreads

GIVEAWAY

Jenelle has kindly offered to give away a dragon sword, a 252-piece Minstrel's Call cover art puzzle, and a signed Minstrel's Call paperback! This giveaway is open both internationally and to US residents. Should an international winner be selected, he/she will receive a $35 Amazon gift card in place of the sword.

Entrants may enter here, or through the widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR SCHEDULE

MONDAY, February 26 = Welcome post from Jenelle + interview with Kyle Shultz + guest post for E.E Rawls

TUESDAY, February 27 = guest post for DJ Edwardson + book spot from Catherine Chant

WEDNESDAY, February 28 = book spot from CL Wells

THURSDAY, March 1 = book spot from Annie Douglas Lima + character interview with Kendra E. Ardnek

FRIDAY, March 2 = book spot from Bryn Shutt + newsletter release with Sarah Ashwood

MONDAY, March 5 = book spot from Dawn Roberto + guest post from Liv. K Fisher

TUESDAY, March 6 = ARC Review from Deborah O’Carroll

WEDNESDAY, March 7 = book spot from Nancy Moors + character interview with Kandi J Wyatt

THURSDAY, March 8 = author interview with Kendra E. Ardnek

FRIDAY, March 9 = book spot with Laurie Lucking + Tour End/giveaway winner post with Jenelle

Many thanks to Jenelle on sharing her writing process with us, and congratulations on her latest release! Dragons, don't forget to enter her giveaway and add Minstrel's Call to Goodreads!

Have you read any of Jenelle's books, before? What were some of your favorite childhood reads?

❤,