First off, I am pleased to announce the giveaway winner! Thanks to everyone who entered. Rest assured, even if y’all didn’t win this time, there will be more giveaways coming up in the future. And the winner is: Jaime Heller! Congratulations, Jaime! Thank you for following my blog and facebook page. Please email me in the next 48 hours at thesongkeeper@gmail.com with your mailing address to claim your prize! Be sure to let me know which of the books you would like to receive! * * * * Every so often, in the middle of juggling writing projects, I am struck with an attack of the artist’s bug. It causes the sort of itch that won’t let me rest until I pull out a pad and pencil and start sketching. As I shared in a previous post a few months ago titled “I am an artist,” I used to have secret aspirations of being able to dash out gorgeous works that rivaled those of Alan Lee. And still, if there was one practical talent I could magically gain (other than superhero abilities, of course), I would hope it was the ability to create truly beautiful artwork. Unfortunately, my fairy godmother hasn’t shown up yet to gift me with the ability to artfully dash paint on the canvas while twirling and singing with forest animals. Disappointing, right? But I do enjoy pretending that I am an artist every now and then. Especially with characters from fantasy novels—including my own. Some of y’all may have already seen this on my facebook page, but if not, please meet the main characters from Orphan’s Song. Do you ever get struck with an artwork itch? Ever sketch your own characters or a favorite character from a novel? If so and you’ve posted it online, comment with the link—I’d love to see!
Orphan’s Song Cover Highlight
I’ve been looking forward to sharing this with y’all all summer … and then wound up trapped in the hospital when the cover was officially released during Enclave’s Kickstarter Campaign. Still, for those of you who haven’t spotted it yet, I am beyond excited to finally be able to show you the cover for Orphan’s Song, my fantasy novel releasing from Enclave Publishing this Fall! Orphan’s Song is the story of a world woven through melody and shattered by discord, where a girl discovers that her Song contains far greater power than she ever could have imagined. A power that a ruthless soldier and his evil master seek to possess. A power that her guardian wants silenced. Read the full blurb on the Songkeeper Chronicles page. So, what do you think of the cover? Gorgeous, isn’t it? The artist responsible for this beautiful cover is one Benjamin Lucas Powell. Personally, I think he did a splendid job. From an author’s point of view, the book cover designing stage of the process can be a tad frightening. To be honest, once I received the first email broaching the dreaded (yet exciting?) topic, I was terrified! What if I didn’t like it? What if it didn’t turn out as I imagined? What if it was one of those covers you see on Amazon every day, the ones that make you wince and grimace and wonder what in the world the designer was thinking? I shouldn’t have worried so much. As soon as we started talking design, Steve Laube at Enclave Publishing sent me a form to fill out listing elements I liked/disliked/absolutely loathed in book covers. He graciously kept me updated and informed throughout the entire process, and I was able to give feedback at all stages. Until finally, we wound up with a gorgeous cover that I can’t wait to see in published form. In my humble opinion, this cover captures the overall feel of the novel with just the right touches of the whimsical, hints of the danger, and glimpses of the magical that fill the world of Leira. Not to mention a girl who looks exactly as I imagined my main character Birdie, orphaned drudge of the Sylvan Swan. You can practically see the sorrow and desperate longing and indomitable hope in her eyes! What do you think? Would you pick this book off the shelf? Share your thoughts in the comments! Interested in staying updated on the release news for Orphan’s Song? “Like” my facebook page for updates, fantasy “fandoming,” sneak peaks and more!
Rallying the Clans—Operation Orphan’s Song
Most of y’all know that for me to say this summer has been crazy would be putting it mildly. Between my awesome but hectic job and exciting but looming writing deadlines, there was no time for planning anything by the way of cover reveals or news drops or future blog tours for Orphan’s Song which is going to be releasing this fall. I was trying not to stress about it, and then everything came to a screeching halt a week and a half ago, when I got into a car accident, wound up in the hospital for a week, had two surgeries, and am now recovering … with a little bit of time to kill before I’ll be well enough to head back to working my day job. (You can read the full thrilling tale here!) Cue planning. This my friends, is where y’all come in. I am faced with a difficult mission, a task I can by no means accomplish on my own, so I have come to ask you to take a stand by my side. I am in need of a few good men and women, warriors of the pen, readers of fantasy, and bloggers of renown. You see, some authors build tribes. Other establish street teams or set up undercover operatives. I on the other hand am establishing a clan. The word clan carries with it a strong sense of family and community (not to mention incredible brogues and kilts). Clans are united in purpose and mind, with all the members pulling together for the same goal through thick and thin. My goal is to gather together a clan of readers who get excited about the same sort of fantasy novels that I do and would be willing to stand by my side and help spread the news about Orphan’s Song and the future books in the series. The requirements? Clan members must have either a blog, twitter account, facebook page, or other online form of social media where they would be willing to post links, important announcements, and blog tour information. Brogues are encouraged. Kilts are not required. Remember, word of mouth is one of the best ways to spread the news about a novel! In return, clan members can expect sneak peaks at future books, backstage character access, discounts, freebies, giveaways, and more! Interested in joining the clan? You can either leave a comment with your name and email address, and I’ll add you to the list, or if you would prefer, you can send me an email at thesongkeeper(at)gmail(dot)com with your contact information. Once you join the clan, you can expect to receive an email from me in the next few days with your first mission! I appreciate your help as I try to prep Orphan’s Song for release this fall!