FREE Kindle eBooks!

Today and tomorrow (Sept 13 & 14, 2017), Amazon is offering Books 1, 2, and 3 of the Aerenden series for FREE. Be sure to swing by and grab a copy! The 4th book is only $2.99, and the 5th and final book in the series is due in the spring. Don't miss out! Get your free kindle copies by following this link http://amzn.to/2h27bGD

Congrats to the Winners!

My first official blog tour is officially over!

Thanks to everyone who followed along! I had fun and now it's time to give away the prizes: a $25 Amazon Gift Card (Grand Prize) and 10 copies of The Gildonae Alliance in Audible format.

All 11 winners are listed below. I've already reached out to everyone, but if for some reason you didn't get my email, please let me know at kristen@kristentaber.com.

For those of you who didn't win, there'll be more chances in the near future! Stay tuned :).

All the best,

Kristen

Ærenden Series Inaugural Book Tour

Starting today and going through August 4, all 3 books in the Ærenden series will be part of my first ever Book Blog Tour (hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions).

Feel free to grab and share the banner!

The tour has two legs: Daily stops (Leg 1: April 14-May 2) followed by Weekly stops (Leg 2: May 5-Aug 4). New and exciting interviews, reviews, promos, and PRIZES will be shared on each leg, so be sure to check back regularly for a link to recent stops (they'll be added to the schedule below).

For each leg, I'll also be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and 10 copies of The Gildonae Alliance Audio book through Audible.com (retail value $17.95). With a total of 22 prizes, your odds of winning are high, so definitely participate :). Karen Savage, my voice actor for the series, is brilliant. You won't want to miss your chance of listening to her for free!

Book Tour Schedule
(subject to change)

Leg One

April 14: Kit 'N Kabookle - http://bit.ly/1jnJq3w
April 14: SECOND STOP: Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews - http://bit.ly/1qwLYlI
April 15: Room With Books - http://bit.ly/1t4e0XS

April 16: Our Wolves Den - http://bit.ly/1nusFaR

April 17: Lessons from My Reading - http://bit.ly/1nuqjsK

April 18: Hope. Dreams. Life... Love - http://bit.ly/1gGG4YX
April 18: SECOND STOP: Literary Lunes Magazine - http://bit.ly/RwjTPA
April 21: Dana's YA Bookpile - http://bit.ly/1ju40kb

April 22: Margay Leah Justice - http://bit.ly/1f0q60r

April 23: Welcome to My World of Dreams - http://bit.ly/1foLaZx
April 24: Books and Other Spells - http://bit.ly/1l6j8Hw

April 28: Pressed Leaf Publishing - http://bit.ly/1j5IBzW

April 28: SECOND STOP: Straight from the Library - http://bit.ly/1flh4vm

April 29: Multi-Verses of Liza O - http://bit.ly/1hOsS3M

April 30: Books in the Hall - http://bit.ly/1fsiHrd

May 1: Long and Short Reviews - http://bit.ly/1iGGga9

May 2: Deal Sharing Aunt - http://bit.ly/1ml2Qh7

Leg Two

May 5: Booker Like a Hooker - http://bit.ly/1nY8dCe

May 12: Christine Young author - http://bit.ly/1jiSBSq

May 19: Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock - http://bit.ly/TlrIIW

May 26: Sexy Adventures Passionate Tales - http://bit.ly/RrLm43

June 2: Long and Short Reviews - http://bit.ly/1kB17BD

June 9: The Write to Read - http://bit.ly/1ifKBCA

June 16: Writers and Authors - http://bit.ly/1lKLO9F

June 23: The Book Cookies - http://bit.ly/1j78pZW
July 7: Book Bunny's Reviews -  http://bit.ly/1pUoJFO
July 14: Goddess Fish Party Pavilion - http://bit.ly/1mObPW1

July 21: MAD Hoydenish - http://bit.ly/1p7hE17

July 28: It's Raining Books - http://bit.ly/1nA34Qm

August 4: Deal Sharing Aunt - http://bit.ly/1or9Ac7

Can't wait to see you all at my stops along the way! 

Contest Reminders

There are still a few outstanding contests where you can WIN fabulous prizes.

Click on the headers below for more information on each giveaway, including links to enter.

Goodreads Giveaway

Autographed Copies of 

The Child Returns (1 available)

The Gildonae Alliance (1 available)

The Zeiihbu Master (1 available)

ENDS TOMORROW! May 22, 2014

"Indie"pendence Day Giveaway

Autographed Copy of The Child Returns (1 available)

eBook Copy of The Child Returns (5 available)

Additional Prizes from 20 Other Independent Authors

Ends July 3, 2014

Book/Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card (1 available)

Audible Copy of The Gildonae Alliance (10 available)

Ends August 4, 2014

More contests and promos will be coming soon, so be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and my blog for additional details as I have them.

Goodreads Giveaway!

Between now and May 22, 2014, I'm hosting not 1... not 2... but 3 GIVEAWAYS on Goodreads!

You could win an AUTOGRAPHED paperback of The Child Returns (Ærenden #1), The Gildonae Alliance (Ærenden #2) or The Zeiihbu Master (Ærenden #3) just by entering the free drawings on Goodreads. It's one drawing per book, and you do need an account, but that's all. Just follow the links below for each book and scroll part-way down the page or use the widgets at the bottom of this website.

The Child Returns: http://bit.ly/StbzAP

The Gildonae Alliance: http://bit.ly/RhisnI

The Zeiihbu Master: http://bit.ly/Rlfq1q

Already read the books or don't want autographed copies? Stop by anyway! They make great gifts, and I'd love it if you rated the books while you're there :).

Sorry, but the contest is open to US residents only!

Blog Tour Winners!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who followed along with the first leg of my blog tour. I'm so excited to announce that the following people have won the drawing:

$25 Amazon Gift Card

CJ S.

Audible Copy of The Gildonae Alliance (Ærenden #2)

BN100

Kimberly M.

Becki

Stefano S.

Elise-Maria B.

Mary P.

Amy

Shelley S.

Pernille M.

Virginia H.

Winners, you should already have an email from me with information on how to collect your prizes.

For those who did not win, check your email boxes anyway; I've extended a special offer as a thank you for joining me on this adventure. 

Hope to see you all on the second leg of my tour, where 11 more prizes will be up for grabs.

Last Day to Enter!

You could win this Audible Copy!

Today is the last day to enter the drawing for leg #1 of the blog tour.

Prizes up for grabs

A $25 Amazon Gift Card

An Audible copy of The Gildonae Alliance (Ærenden #2; 10 available)

All of the stops are listed in this handy post, so cruise on over and get clicking!

And remember, if you don't win this time, Leg #2 of the tour starts 
Monday, May 5, 2014!

Pronunciation Guide

The following pronunciation guide applies to all books in the Ærenden series. It's in alphabetical order, with the exception of Ærenden, since that's my top request. I'll be sure to update it as each book is released.

Note: Since I'm not a linguist, the guide is more of a "sounds like" than a proper key. If anyone is an expert at these things and wants to create a proper key, let me know :).  

If I've missed something you want to see on the list, email me or comment and I'll add it.

Ærenden = Air-uhn-den
Adara = Uh-dare-uh
Adelina = Ad-uh-leen-uh
Akaya = Ah-kay-ah
Alcent = Awl-cent
Aldin = Al-din
Allestone = Al-stone
Anissa = Ah-niss-ah
Aristos = Air-ih-stahs
Artair = Arr-tare
Asif = Ay-siff
Astasia = Ahs-tay-shia
Beolagh = Bee-oh-lah
Cadell = Kay-del
Caide = Cayd
Caldon = Kal-duhn
Cashia = Cash-eh-ah
Cissiline = Sis-uhl-een
Edáire = Ed-air
Élana = Ay-lahn-ah
Ellida = Ell-ee-duh
Emalía = Ay-mall-ee-uh

Eudor = You-door

Faillen = Fal-uhn
Faughn = Fawn
Finnil = Fin-l
Garon = Gair-uhn
Iria = Eer-ee-uh
Iza = Eye-zah
Jicab = Ji-kuhb
Kadel = Ka-dell
Laegoli = Lah-ay-go-lee
Maiyahla = Mahy-ah-luh
Malaki = Mael-uh-kye
Mardróch = Mahr-drohk

Mauraetus = Moor-ah-ay-tus

Mycale = My-kal

Neiszhe = Nee-shuh

Nickaulai = Nik-oh-lie
Oceiania = Osh-ee-an-ee-ah

Origio = Oh-ridge-ee-oh

Paecis = Pah-ay-seez
Sabian = Say-bee-ehn
Stilgan = Still-gan
Talea = Tal-ee-uh
Túrú = Too-roo
Zeiihbu = Zay-boo
Zellíd = Zell-eed
Zeyed = Zay-ed

Ancient Æren Words
Although the ancient Æren words have no known pronunciation for the modern people of Ærenden, I'm providing the closest approximation of all ancient Æren words mentioned in the books for your reading enjoyment. 

Cáen`i = Kay-ah-nu-eye (a small breath, kind of like a pause, goes between the n and i, which is what's denoted by the mark)

Y~nçy~ndí = In-Sind-ee (the character y~ is actually a letter in the Æren alphabet; no pause is needed here)

Illú’my~nní = Ill-loo-min-knee  

last updated 15 March 2020

The Unreliable Witness

At the UCF Book Festival last weekend, another author and I started discussing Point of View (POV) for writing. I prefer third person POV, while she prefers first. She said her narrator is an unreliable witness, so first person creates more drama. I couldn't agree more. It's a tremendous tool and true to human nature. After all, how many of us are reliable witnesses? Our perspectives are tainted by our experiences, so no two views will be the same. A rich person, for instance, will think of a thousand dollars as inexpensive, while I cringe when I have to spend one hundred. To me, the other person's view is unreliable. But who's to say mine isn't to him or her? We all tell our stories as if they're the whole truth, but they're really just partial lies to someone else.

"Things aren't what they seem."

Vivian's words echo in my mind as I walk with my daughter today. Abby has long since fallen asleep in her stroller, but I'm not alone. Not really. Meaghan's been walking beside me for several minutes, though she still hasn't spoken.

"It has to happen," she finally says to me and I do my best to ignore her. We've been having this argument for weeks and I'm tired of it. "It's why I came to you."

This time she has my full attention, though I try not to speak too loudly. I'm pretty sure no one else can see her. "To me? What do you mean?"

"It's why I'm telling you my story, why I've pushed you to share it. It matters here, too."

Here?

"Earth?" I ask.

She nods and turns her copper eyes into the sun. "Sometimes people do the wrong things for the right reasons."

Now I'm completely confused.

"I'm not done here," she continues. "You'll see soon enough, and I'll tell you the whole story in time. It matters on both sides of the portal."

"Why?"

She smiles instead of responding, though the corners of her mouth look stiff, maybe even cold.

"Meg--"

"It has to happen," she repeats, then I'm alone with my sleeping child once more.

I hate when that happens. It's not the first time and I know it won't be the last. Ærenden has been a twenty-year roller coaster ride for me. Ultimately, I'm in control of the story, of where it goes and how it ends. I know this, but sometimes I wonder...

Who's the true unreliable witness here?

Meaghan?

Or me?

Updates! (& Pictures)

It's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post and I wanted to give you an update on what's been happening. As I'm sure many of you are aware, The Zeiihbu Master launched on March 25th and made it to #2 on one of Amazon's Hot New Releases charts (thank you to everyone who spread the word about the series).

UCF Book Festival main floor

The UCF Book Festival on April 5th was amazing. I loved talking books with fellow authors and readers and the Fantasy Frenzy Panel with Will Wight and JA Souders had a huge turnout. Every seat was taken and the standing areas were nearly full, despite the fact we shared the Keynote Speaker's time slot. I really appreciate everyone who came to hear us talk. We had a great time and people tell me it was one of the most enjoyable panels at the Festival (yay!).

My first book signing :)

After the panel, I had the chance to meet some of my fans and sign books. For those who were able to stop by and say "hi", thank you. I had a line the entire time and the Bookstore sold out of my third book!

My editor and I, being goofy as usual

Since my only complaint had to do with missing my chance to meet Mike Farrell from M.A.S.H. and get his autograph (sadly, my own fault since I completely forgot), I'd say the festival was a fabulous success. HUGE appreciation to Edward Booker from the Orange County Library System for his expert (and excellent) panel moderation, as well as the University of Central Florida, Barnes & Noble and the sponsors and volunteers for organizing the amazing event.

I'd love to do another event like this soon, so if you know of any, let me know :).

On a side note: I was so busy, I failed to get pictures! The last two are courtesy of my editor, Jessica Lux. If you have any you don't mind sharing with me, please send them my way at Kristen@kristentaber.com or upload them to Facebook and tag my author page. Thanks!

UP NEXT....

• Virtual Book Tour/Blog Tour April 15-August 4, 2014 
• Working on the Audio book version of The Zeiihbu Master

More details coming soon, and yes, somewhere in there I'll be starting Book 4. Stay tuned!

Blog Tour!

Announcing the first ever Ærenden Series Blog Tour! 

April 14, 2014 to May 2, 2014

Details and blog stops to follow! Be sure to check back often :).

In Case You Wondered: How to Play Palidane

Palidane, the card game that Cal, Neiszhe, Nick and Meaghan play while they hunker down inside the cabin in The Gildonae Alliance, only exists in the kingdom of Ærenden. If you've looked for it online, you've probably already discovered that fact. I intend to write out the rules someday so everyone can play (and finish designing the deck of cards), but that side project has been waylaid by writing The Zeiihbu Master. Hopefully I'll be able to front burner the project this summer, but in the meantime, I want to share a deleted scene from Chapter 28 of TGA below, which details the basics of the game. I cut it to speed up the pace of the book, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the game anyway. Have fun! And please let me know if you decide to try it at home.

As always, forgive the rough draft :).

Kristen

*****************************

Neiszhe began dealing the cards again. Ten to each person, Meaghan remembered. Though she still had not figured out all of the rules for the game, the basics were easy enough to grasp. The deck of cards they played with consisted of two sets each of four suits – black cats, blue dogs, red rabbits, and gold birds. Each suit had thirteen consecutive numbers. She needed to collect two pairs, and a run of five cards in the same suit. She could lay them down as she collected them, but then other people could play their cards on hers. It seemed a good strategy to hold the cards in her hand as long as she could.

Over the course of the game, she also had to ensure she traded cards with every player once. She had to request a specific card by name, and then trade it for one of hers. If she saw them pick up the card from the discard pile, she could guarantee she requested the right card, but if she did not and requested a card they did not have, she had to collect five cards from the draw deck as penalty. Those cards could only be used once the person to her left started laying down cards. The first player to get rid of all of their cards won.

It seemed confusing at first, but Nick assured her it would become clearer with practice, and that eventually she would know enough to win games. She wondered if she would ever get the chance. Nick was not joking when he said that Cal won every hand. She found his luck to be frustrating, and began to wonder if people hid cards up their sleeves on this planet as they did on Earth.

Picking up her cards, she sorted them. They looked promising. She already had one pair of sevens and three cards, although not consecutive, that came from the same bird suit. If she drew well, she could connect them in a reasonable amount of time. The other cards seemed useless, so she moved them to the front of her hand.

Nick drew from the deck first and discarded. Cal did the same. When it was her turn, she picked up a card from the deck. It matched the thirteen she held, so she moved the set to the back of her hand and discarded an eight. Neiszhe picked it up, discarding a bird suit card Meaghan needed. After Nick took it and then discarded a two, ending his turn, she made her first request.

“The bird eleven, please,” she said, holding out her hand. He sighed and gave it up, accepting a two in turn. He scowled when he saw it, and then muttered something under his breath about getting even. She laughed, noting that Cal picked up the two Nick had discarded.

The game moved more quickly after that. Cards were picked up and discarded, grumblings and complaints were joined with laughter. Cal took the two from Nick that Meaghan had handed to him. Meaghan stole a bird nine from Neiszhe, and then she felt her heart jump on her next turn when Nick discarded the last bird card she needed to complete her run. She picked it up, but she could not lay her cards down yet. If she did, she would go out, and she still needed to request a card from Cal.

Her heart raced with excitement, but soon plummeted when Cal raised his hand and extended it toward her. “I’ll take that,” he told her. She cursed and handed it over, taking a useless card from him in turn. He promptly laid down his two sets and run of five, then applied his last card to the run Nick had laid down two turns before, during the same round that Cal had requested a card from Neiszhe that found its way to the discard pile shortly after. The move had puzzled Meaghan, but now that she had been defeated because she failed to meet the required trade rule in time, she understood. Cal did not need to cheat at this game. He was just as good at strategy as his brother, and Meaghan had never been able to beat James at chess either.