No matter how many books I write, there's one step in the process that always makes them feel more real than any other... getting to see the book cover. It's always such a thrill!
And the cover for WARRIOR REBORN [due for release November 26, 2013] is no exception. Here, let me share it with you ~
Not bad, right??
It captures the so much of what's going in this story, I couldn't help but be pleased with it. I hope you guys like it as much as I do!
Stay tuned... I'll be sharing more information soon about both this series and what I have coming in the near future!
I wanted to take a few minutes to update you on the progress over at my website.
As some of you know, my wonderful WebDiva left the business a few months back and, me being me, I dragged my feet and procrastinated like crazy in doing anything about the situation. As a result, my website is woefully out of date.
And now, again, me being me, I'm in a typical time-crunch to get the darn thing updated! [I'm beginning to suspect I only accomplish something when I'm under a time-crunch, but let's keep that little tidbit just between us...].
I'm self-teaching Dreamweaver - ACK!!! - and working through tutorials on the software. By the end of next week, you should see my [rudimentary] results. I'm stumbling through the first page first, adding the new book cover for Warrior Reborn. [I haven't seen a cover for Warrior's Last Gift yet].
So... many thanks for your patience.
And a reminder...
If you haven't already, SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER now!!! As soon as the website is tweaked, I'll be switching over to "There's a New Book Coming Soon" mode.
What does that have to do with my newsletter? Simple. By mid-August [just in time for my birthday!] I'll be hosting a series of contests. One for August, one for September and one for October. [Warrior's Last Gift - e-book only - releases Oct. 2 and Warrior Reborn releases Oct. 30]. And the ONLY place you can find and enter those contests will be from the newsletters I send out.
What are the prizes, you ask? [Okay, you probably didn't ask, but I'm telling you anyway]. For August and September, I'll be giving away books and swag that I picked up at the conferences I went to this summer. I find it almost impossible to walk away from a free book, but my shelves are brimming over and I love to share!
For October, just in time for the two new releases, the prizes will include a necklace and earring set I've designed [translation: I had a picture in my mind] and that's being actually produced by my talented daughter in law, Megan, from Trinkets N Tidbits. [Translation: Megan tries to read my mind, poor girl]. I'm sure October's contest will include an autographed copy of Warrior Reborn, too.
Okay. That's it from me for now. I'm back to the salt mines [which, in this case, is simply this same keyboard, just with the internet turned off].
Those of you who visit my website regularly or follow me on Facebook likely already know what a geek I am when it comes to research. I ♥ it so much that sometimes I think research might be my favorite part of writing! ☺
Well, what's true in my writing life is also true in my real life. About 15 years ago, I got totally hooked on hunting my genealogy. The more I found, the more I wanted to know. The discovery that some of my lines led back to Scotland was what enticed me to go there. And visiting there on vacation, sitting in the real-life Fairy Glen, is what encouraged me to write that first book in the Daughters of the Glen series - Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband.
Now I've found an even deeper connection between the genealogy research and the writing research...
After eight books in the Daughters of the Glen series, we decided to begin a Spinoff series - The Warriors. Characters from one move freely into the other as they all inhabit the same world of Medieval Highlanders. The biggest difference? The new "core" family is descended from Vikings who settled in Scotland. [They're also descended from Norse gods. And Faeries. But that shouldn't be a surprise if you've read any of my books. ☺]. See the possibilities for hours upon hours consumed by my beloved research? Yeah. I was in heaven with the changes. Still am. Currently working on a character descended from the Picts. Know how little information there is on the Pictish culture???? But I digress. As usual. ☺
So... where does the 'art' of my writing get mixed up with the 'life' part?
A few months ago I signed up for a DNA test through Ancestry.com. It was the kind that traces where your people originate from, giving you a sense of where in the world your ancestors lived. I fully expected to see the highest percentage [51%] of my ancestors having come from the British Isles -- my research points to Scotland, Ireland and England on BOTH sides of my family. I had long teased my sons that they actually ARE the Highlanders I write about, so this finding made perfect sense to me.
What I DIDN'T expect was the location of the second highest percentage [32%]. Scandinavian!! Sweden, Denmark and Norway, to be precise. I'd found NOTHING to support that finding... or had I???
The research I'd done for The Warriors series had already shown me how Vikings [from Norway and Denmark] had traveled all over the world, but, specifically, many of them settled on the Northwest coast of Scotland -- in the Highlands, as well as other parts of Scotland, England and Ireland.
Now I get to tease my sons that not only are they the Highlanders I write about... they're also the Viking descendants I write about!
Life and art -- all mixed up!
What about you? Are you an avid genealogy researcher? Struggling to learn more about your ancestors? Or are you simply an admirer of medieval Highlanders and Vikings [and...um... who isn't???] ☺
By the way... if you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, this would be a good time to do it. In the next month or so I'll be starting a contest to give away books and swag I've picked up at some of the conferences I've attended this summer. My newsletter is the only place you'll find information on the contests. You can go HERE to sign up now.
That's the new cover for my upcoming release, WARRIOR REBORN. He'll be in stores on October 30, 2012, but he's already available for pre-order online.
This is Chase Noble's book. That's right... the missing brother of Destiny and Leah from the Daughter's of the Glen series. Chase isn't missing anymore. At least he doesn't start out missing at the beginning of the book...
Here's the back cover copy:
Former special ops agent CHASE NOBLE has been searching his whole life for the place where he belongs. As a descendant of Fae, he senses fate has more in store for him. And he will not rest until he discovers what his true purpose is. When he travels back in time to medieval Scotland, he discovers his mission is to save a beautiful woman -- the same woman he is destined to be with.
CHRISTIANA MACDOWYLT possesses the gift of foresight. Prisoner of her evil half brother, Christiana has visions that show her that only one warrior can rescue her -- a man she is mysteriously drawn to. The only problem is, he's in the future. Now she must rely on the magic of a Faerie to transport him to the past. And when Christiana finally meets Chase, the sparks between them set off a smoldering desire. But will the magic that brought them together also tear them apart?
For my last several books, I have dithered over whether or not to use a book video to promote the book's release. Could a video actually convey the feel of the book or would it give readers a false sense of what the book was about? Would it help readers visualize the characters to see faces associated with them or would it be off-putting? Would it strike a chord or fall flat?
Yep, DITHERED... that is such a perfect word for me. :-) Back and forth, first one decision and then the opposite, never actually making any decision at all.
Then I met a fellow author who actually produces her own book trailers. She also does them for other authors. I thought her work was lovely. And it didn't hurt that I like her as a person, too! Grounded in that trust, I finally decided to take the Video Plunge!!
Lex Valentine, the creative force behind Winterheart Design, produced this trailer for me. I love what she did and how she captured the feel of the story through the colors she used, the photos she chose and, most of all, the music she added. I hope you'll love it, too. [And if you're an author looking for your own trailer or a book cover -- which she also does a lovely job of creating -- I hope you'll stop by her site and check out her work]. My thanks to Lex!
The video "lives" on YouTube. When you click on the video below, you'll receive a notice to that effect. Click again on the WATCH ON YOUTUBE message and you will be taken to it's home on YouTube [music licenses and all that technical stuff require this]. You will probably have to click in the middle of the black screen once you get there before you'll hear the wind blowing...
So, here we go. Drum roll please...
In advance of the December 27, 2011 release of WARRIOR'S REDEMPTION, I give you my very first ever book trailer:
No.... I still don't have a jpg of the cover to share with you. *sigh* I'm so sorry. The preliminary picture I saw of it is wonderful. And, as I promised before, the minute I have the finished product in my hot little hands, I'll post it.
For now though, I thought I'd go ahead and post the back cover copy... just to give you a taste of what's to come...
HEALING THE HIGHLANDER Release date: February 22, 2011
Andrew MacAlister longs for a cure to free him from the excruciating pain caused by an old wound, but when he rescues a drowning woman, he has no idea how much his life is about to change. All Drew knows is that this mysterious woman is hiding secrets—and that he’s never felt such a consuming desire before. Yet he cannot deny her request for help, even if it means bringing the detested English army to his Highland clan’s home.
Leah Noble McQuarrie still harbors a deep hatred of the Fae who tortured her eleven years ago, forcing her to escape back in time to the thirteenth century. A descendant of the Fae, Leah denies her heritage and her magical healing abilities. But the English army is holding her beloved adoptive grandfather captive, so Leah must seek help from the Fae—and the captivating man whose touch she craves.
Then Drew discovers Leah’s secrets, and he’s torn between old loyalties and trusting a woman who has the power to give him the future he’s sought—but could destroy his clan forever. . . .
What do you think?????
Tomorrow I'll post the back cover copy for HIGHLANDER'S CURSE.
And the cover for WARRIOR REBORN [due for release November 26, 2013] is no exception. Here, let me share it with you ~
