Gillian Bronte Adams

Join the Songkeeper Launch Team Today!

February 24, 2016 by Gillian Bronte Adams 21 Comments

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 15^th 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 15^th. 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 …

February 15, 2016 by Gillian Bronte Adams 21 Comments

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

January 21, 2016 by Gillian Bronte Adams 5 Comments

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)

Give the Gift of Books this Christmas … and My Christmas Gift to You!

December 14, 2015 by Gillian Bronte Adams 3 Comments

For me, Christmas and books go hand in hand. Every year when I was growing up, my parents would ask me what I wanted. And every year, I asked for books. And more books. I recall one or two old snapshots in the photo album where I’m sitting behind a stack of books that’s nearly as tall as I am.

Books are one of those rare gifts that keeps on giving. They’re not something that you use once and forget about. Every time you pick up a book and re-read it, it’s like visiting an old friend. And Christmas and gifts books also carry the added draw of nostalgia and special memories.

I am a notorious book-gifter. There was one Christmas a few years back when I realized only after my family had started unwrapping their presents that I had given every single one of them a book of some sort. (Since then, I’ve tried to broaden my horizons a wee bit. There’s nothing so dull as predictability after all.) But honestly, it does make sense. Gifts are meant to come from the heart, and when you love books enough to hunt down just the right sort of book for each person, it’s that much more special.

And when you guys decide to give your friends one of my books, well, that just makes me all sorts of ridiculously happy and honored and humbled too. So, I decided that I wanted to give you a gift as well.

My Gift to You

The one thing that people ask me about the most is a map of Leira. I’ve had a sketch drawn up for several years now, and it’s been through almost as many revisions as the books themselves. But I decided that it was time for me to grit my teeth, dive into the work, and turn my sketch into something worth sharing …

That’s right, Houston we have a map.

So between now and the end of the year, if you purchase a copy of Orphan’s Song or Out of Darkness Rising to give as a gift, I will mail you your very own copy of this luverly beauty below (granted, this is just a sneak peek) printed on gorgeous natural paper and a MP3 song of your choice!

Because music and the Songkeeper Chronicles and Christmas go hand in hand.

How do you claim your gift?

It’s easy. Simply send me an email at thesongkeeper@gmail.com with a copy of your receipt and your mailing address, and I will ship it off to you.

But there’s more. Not only will you get a copy of the map and a brand new song to grace your ipod, your name will also be entered into a drawing for one of the first digital ARC copies of Songkeeper, book two. *grins* High stakes, my friends. High stakes.

Now on to my real Christmas gift …

If you haven’t yet joined my newsletter, now is the time to do so, because on Christmas Eve, all of my newsletter subscribers will receive a bright, new, shiny email in their inbox delivering a sneak peek at the first chapter of Songkeeper!

That’s right, my dears, you could be one of the first readers of chapter one.

If you haven’t read Orphan’s Song yet, I should probably warn you that there will be some simply lovely spoilers in chapter one of Songkeeper. So to save yourself from the peril of discovering something simply dreadful, read Orphan’s Song first and then sign up for my newsletter before Christmas Eve in order to read chapter one of book two.

Now that I have (hopefully) whetted your appetite for Christmas Eve, I’m curious, what is the best bookish Christmas gift you have ever received?

Cover Reveal for Songkeeper

December 3, 2015 by Gillian Bronte Adams 21 Comments

Things have been quiet around here lately … which generally only happens when things are anything but quiet on the homefront. I promise, I do try not to go dark unless I absolutely must, which is usually caused by exciting things like impossible book deadlines, dreaded pirate attacks, undercover editing missions, and cover designs.

This time, it was the latter two.

Edits.

And cover designs.

So I am thrilled to finally be able to show you the long-awaited cover for SONGKEEPER, book two in the Songkeeper Chronicles. More information – like the delicious back cover blurb and launch team sign-ups – will be coming soon, so don’t go far!

In the meantime, feast your eyes on this!

What do you think? Drool worthy? Thrilling? Get-me-that-book-immediately-so-I-can-devour-it? Whatever it is, I’d love to hear your impression in the comments.

SONGKEEPER is COMING SPRING 2016.

Don’t want to miss out? Be sure to sign up for my newsletter to find out when the pre-orders are available … and to get occasional behind-the-scenes goodies … and first looks inside new books.

When Your Tookish Side Awakes

September 28, 2015 by Gillian Bronte Adams 12 Comments

As they sang, the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, a fierce and jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves. Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.

The Hobbit, J.R.R Tolkien

Something about the arrival of fall weather—that crisp taste to the air, that rush of cool wind when I open the door, and the crunch of leaves beneath my feet—never fails to awaken my longing for adventure. I wish to take to the hills with nothing more than the pack on my back and a stout walking stick in my hand. To explore. To live. And to dream of great things beneath the stars.

He [Frodo] found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams.

The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R Tolkien

The fall awakens my Tookish side.

And like Bilbo, and Frodo after him, I am suddenly ready to forsake the comfort of my home and seek adventure on the wide Road. The dangerous, glorious, enthralling expanse of the wide road. With the arrival of fall, I am ready to be swept off my feet, drawn into the wild, and left to wander.

Wanderlust, I think it is called.

He [Bilbo] used often to say that there was only one Road; that it was like a great river: its springs were at every doorstep, and every path was its tributary. “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,” he used to say. “You step into the Road, and if you won’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.

The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R Tolkien

The world we live in is such a busy one. We are constantly on the move. Constantly driven to keep up, to press ahead, to accomplish more. And when we are not working, there is the siren call of entertainment to lure us to our couches.

I am meant to be doing. Inaction does not sit well with my soul. But I think there is also a need for a time of rest. For peace and quiet. For stillness and calm. And there is a time when doing can just as well be served by hiking as crossing the next item off the to-do list.

Fall is coming.

Even now I feel that itch of restlessness stirring inside me as the leaves begin to change and fall to carpet the forest floor. And if I should suddenly disappear for a period of time, doubtless it is because the Road has lured me into its grasp and I do not know where I shall surface …

“Ye ready, lass?” Amos hefted the larger of the two packs and slung it over one shoulder. He took a deep breath, puffing out his chest. “We’ve supplies aplenty, the wind at our backs, an’ the open road before our feet. What more could a man wish for?”

Orphan’s Song, Gillian Bronte Adams

Does the fall awaken your Tookish side? If you could go wandering, where would your feet take you? To the mountains? The forest? The wide open spaces? The shores of the sea?