Launch Party Co-Hosts Introduced!

If you missed the announcement for The Shadow Guard's Release and Launch Party, you can find it here.

Release day for the much-anticipated final book in the Aerenden series is TOMORROW, March 27, but this day isn't all about me, or Nick, Caide, and Meaghan. It's about having a good time with fellow readers, enjoying each other's company, and making new friends.

Some of the new friends I'd like to introduce you to are fellow authors. Each one will be co-hosting the party for an hour, introducing you to their writing, and giving away (yet even more) prizes. Be sure to check them out at the times below. All times are Eastern.

3:00 PM - Alexandra Penn

A fellow DC-Author, now transplanted to Iowa, Alexandra Penn writes fantasies that are influenced by her childhood adventures in the Smithsonian museums. Her current sci-fi/fantasy, about a 14-year-old who chooses to enroll in a Lunar University exchange program despite the risks, can be found as a serial on Patreon, in print on Barnes & Noble's website, and through her own website. Alex also serves as Director at The Writers' Rooms (www.thewritersrooms.org), an organization that aims to foster community-based knowledge and support for writers by creating virtual rooms related to their genres for congretation.

You can learn more about her at www.alexandrapenn.com.


4:00 PM - Michael Koogler

Michael Koogler, a prolific author with 7 novels (plus 1 coming soon) and 2 anthologies available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, lives in Iowa with his wife and children. His highly regarded novels dip into science-fiction and cyber thrillers, as well as epic fantasy and apocalyptic adult genres.

You can find full descriptions and links for his books at https://www.michaelkoogler.net/books.


5:00 PM - Jenny Burke

Jenny Burke has earned numerous accolades and awards for her Dragon Dreamer Series, which she writes under the name J S Burke. These Amazon 5-star average YA sci-fi/fantasy adventures feature dragons and an undersea world, and they are rated for ages 9 and up. She also hand draws and publishes mandala coloring books and educational activity books for children, and she is a marine biologist in her spare time (as if she weren't impressive enough).

Read more about Jenny at http://www.jennysburke.com/.

8:00 PM - Erin Casey

Erin Casey, a Communications and Student Relationships Manager at Iowa Writers' House (http://www.iowawritershouse.org) and a Director at The Writers' Room, creates urban fantasies and literary lessons on Patreon. Her current urban fantasy novella is called The Purple Door District and follows the lives, dangers, and adventures of werewolves, fae, vampires, witches, and other supernatural creatures with new characters popping up in each monthly installment.

Check her out on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/erincasey and at https://www.wattpad.com/user/erincasey09.



Find them all at the Launch Party tomorrow on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/events/1451839758257912/

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! 

Inspiration and Dreams

I've had a lot of fantastic questions in the comments section of my blog tour this month. If you want to read them, please be sure to check out the links for my stops. If you have questions of your own, definitely post them, as well. 

One question really stood out for me, though I hadn't thought too hard about it before. The answer stumped me, at first, and also made me realize how much of my writing is dependent upon my subconscious. Using my dreams to feed my novels is so second nature that I've always taken it for granted, and sometimes forget where my ideas originate. The question came from poster Elise-Maria B.:

"I find it fascinating that you’re able to remember your dreams well enough to put them to paper. What’s the craziest thing you ever dreamt and then used in a book?"

I did post my response on the blog, but for some reason it's still not showing up for anyone but me (gotta love the interwebs!), so here's the answer.... 

The truly crazy things I don’t tend to use (believe me, I've had some strange dreams!), but Cal’s introduction in The Child Returns was a dream and has to be the strangest thing I’ve used to date. He’s what’s known as a Guide in the kingdom of Aerenden. His power allows him to manipulate the elements and at times, he uses rhyme to focus that power.

I have unusual relationship with my characters sometimes. I’ve tried controlling them, but the stories never work out when I do that. And in some cases, new characters simply pop into my head and won’t leave me alone until I write about them. Cal was one of those characters. He first appeared to me as a bodiless voice in a dream, singing the same song he broadcast to Meaghan on the wind. Since I had no idea who he was or his significance, I disregarded the dream. It refused to let me go. For a solid week, I dreamed his silly song until I used it. Of course, he turned out to be a major character, but it took a huge leap of faith to allow that dream into my books. Glad I did!

Thanks for the question and the important reminder, Elise-Maria!

And now I'm curious: Does anyone else ever have great ideas in a dream? If so, what are they?

The God's Honest Truth: A Grandfather's Tale

Recently, someone commented on one of my blog tour stops and asked me to share a few of my grandfather's stories. For those who may not know, my grandfather is one of the major reasons I write. He's a brilliant storyteller, someone who commands attention when he speaks--not because he's loud or overly imposing, but because he's gifted. But transferring his stories to print is a tricky endeavor. Much of his storytelling magic comes from his delivery. His dialect and accent are distinctly Maine. The tell-tale mid-sentence pauses and punctuated exhaled breaths, the accented vowels and dropped "R"s all mask his delivery as unassuming, until he gets to the punchline. To be honest, sometimes I can't tell which stories are real and which ones are made up, but that's part of his storytelling charm. As his last words fall, you don't care if it's real or not. You're in it with him, and that's all that matters.

My grandfather; my hero

He called me tonight, after I sent my mom an email requesting his permission to use some of his stories on my blog.

"Hello, kid," he greets me, as he usually does. "How's my favorite granddaughter?"

"When did I move up the ranks?" I ask.

He laughs. All five of us get that greeting, I think, unless he really feels like teasing us. Then we're last.

But he gets to his point quickly, also as he usually does.

"Well, I can't think of any stories right now, but you can use 'em. Can you not use the names?"

"I can change them."

"Good, good. Well, see, there's one. Did I ever tell you about..."

(They always start like this)

"...one of our ancestors? Tommy Collin was his name. He came across from Ireland direct. His family wanted him to marry an Irish girl, so they sent back to the old country for one. She came, a lovely girl, and they got married. One day soon after, he took her into town."

He pauses, then says. "Well, this is a true story, you know. He goes into town with her on the trolley, then returns home. Only he forgot he was married and left her right there in town."

"Wait, he left her behind?"

"Ayuh, without any money. She eventually got home, but until the day of her death, she never forgave him. She walked ten feet behind him for the rest of their lives. She refused to walk beside him. You'd think since he forgot her, that wouldn't be the smart thing, but that's what she did. She could always see him that way, you see. And that's the God's honest truth."

Somehow, I believe it is.  

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!

Off to the Race: My Year of Bravery

I can fit in this one, Mommy

Three suitcases stare at me from the living room floor. My flight takes off in a few hours, bound for Orlando and a half-marathon race that already has my stomach pitching from fear and uncertainty. My daughter crawls among them, oblivious to their symbolism.

I'm off to accomplish something I've never done before.

And I'm scared witless. Seriously, if I didn't have so much money invested into plane tickets, nonrefundable hotel fees, and race entrance costs, I'd probably cancel the trip right now.

I hate stepping out of my comfort zone. Hate it. I like the familiar, the steady rhythm of a schedule, the predictability of knowing what will happen and when. And that's why I'm going. It's time I learned to be brave.

bravery - noun - the quality that allows someone to do things that are dangerous or frightening : the quality or state of being brave 

You'll notice there isn't a picture of me next to Merriam-Webster's definition. Though some people would consider me brave--in part because of a few years of truly bad luck I've had to weather--I'm a long way off from being close. I went Indie not because I'm brave, but because I didn't want to deal with the repeated rejection of agents. I haven't spent much time on marketing my books because I'm not good at it. It's unfamiliar, so I've avoided it under the guise of being too busy (I am crazy-busy, mind you, but there's always time when something matters). And I've never run a half-marathon before because...well, because I didn't know if I could.

I'm about to find out.

Just as I'm about to find out how brave I can be. 2014 is my year. I'm tired of turning into a wallflower to avoid the anxiety of meeting new people. I'm tired of bypassing my dreams and goals because the tasks associated with them aren't comfortable. And I'm tired of wondering. Wondering what I could be if I were brave.

So here goes. I'm scared, but I will move forward.

I will market. I've lined up several Read to Reviews for The Child Returns and hired a company to help me do blog tours: one tour for three weeks and one for twelve, in conjunction with The Zeiihbu Master's release. And I've agreed to talk to a room full of strangers at the UCF Book Festival. Yikes!

I will race. I've signed up not only for the Disney Princess half-marathon this weekend, but another half in the fall, as well as a handful of 5K and 10K races and a 10 miler in April. I'm collecting medals to hang above my desk, to remind me how brave I can be.

I will not give up. Not when a marketing technique doesn't work, or when a review comes in bad. Not when I injure myself or struggle through a long run. And particularly, not when I feel like a coward. Because bravery isn't about the end result, but the act of trying, of fighting through my fears. 

And because 2014 is my year. No matter what comes of this adventure, my bags are packed and I'm ready to race.

One Sentence Challenge: Water

It's Monday! You know what that means...

ONE SENTENCE CHALLENGE time!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by last week. The winning sentence for the challenge word Tornado was submitted by Megan Robinson:

Debris is flying in the sky: shingles, doors, even a car or two, twisting and whirling violently, until it suddenly subsides and all is silent.

Well done, Megan! You've won a Limited Edition, signed and hand-numbered red-ink Ærenden bookmark. These can only be won and you'll soon have the first one!

Readers, think you can do better at crafting a story in a single sentence? Have at it. You could also win an LE bookmark.

This week's challenge word is WATER.

I look forward to reading your submissions :).

In Case You Wondered: The Ice Queen

I spend about 50% of my days living in a fantasy world, although I don't necessarily mean Ærenden. When I'm in the middle of writing a book, characters visit me---they sit shotgun in the car, they run alongside me on the treadmill, they prattle on while I'm sweeping the floor. But they don't hang around to fracture my already fragile sanity. They disrupt my life to tell me their stories in the hope I'll deem them worthy enough to include in a book.

Sometimes those characters become an integral part of my writing, like Cal. Others fade from memory as soon as they're done talking. And a third set falls in between. I want to include them, but for one reason or another, they wind up edited from print. One such character is the Ice Queen. She haunted me enough that I wrote a brief description of her, just to get her out of my head. 

Ice shapes her fingernails. Snowflakes form her lashes. And though her cheeks hint of frozen blood beneath frost-white skin, her eyes glimmer the truth of her life. They brighten with the glow of a thousand night stars while she crooks her finger, beckoning winter to become slave to her magic.

The initial outline of The Zeiihbu Master included her, instead of Anissa (the character depicted on my cover), but when it came time to write the scene, it morphed into something entirely different and Anissa sidled in from the corners of my mind. She's a sneaky one, a woman I would not want to try outmaneuvering.

So the Ice Queen lost, but she still visits sometimes. Maybe she'll appear in one of the last two books. Or maybe she'll have a short story of her own, like the original Spellmaster will soon. Who knows, but I do know she won't go away until her story is told. I think it'll be an interesting one. Don't you?

(p.s. this is one of those moments when I wish I could draw; I have such a clear image of her in my mind, but my stick figures just aren't doing her justice! If anyone can draw, feel free to give her a face :)) 

One Sentence Challenge: A Tornado

Starting this week, I'll be offering a one sentence challenge to anyone who wants to try their hand at telling a story in as little space as possible. I'll provide the topic; you comment with your sentence. It's as simple as that. For now, there are no prizes and no winners, though I will highlight the three sentences I like best at the end of the week (and link to those people's websites, if they're provided). Now that I have the LE bookmarks, there actually will be ONE winner every week who will receive a red-ink bookmark. :)

Don't consider yourself a writer? Don't worry. It's just for fun. So have at it. 

This Week's Topic: A tornado.

Example (just a throw-together; I'm sure you can do better!): Nature stirs the air with a negligent finger, pulling water from the sky, dirt from the earth, and releasing both within the wrath of her violent howl.