Blood Bound: Death's Betrayal

In a week or so I will begin the editing process on book one of the Blood Bound series, The Keeper of the Crystor, and am looking forward to seeing the finished product. I have learned so much about the craft of writing while creating this story and breathing life into the characters. It's hard to believe it started as a silly dream I had about a trip to the mountains with a friend of mine. I began writing it in April of 2007 just for fun. I wanted to see how it would sound as a story. The first three or so chapters are the dream.Who knew it would actually be written, published and in the hands of hopefully thousands of loving fans?

Yesterday I started writing the second book in the Blood Bound series, Death's Betrayal. After taking a much needed break from the fantasy genre, I'm back to loving my story. I didn't realize how much I missed it. I'm only about half way through the first chapter and have so many new ideas of where to take it. There will be more magic and a lot more danger because the setting has changed. Instead of being in Kira's world (our world) they are in Xantara, where Octavion, Lydia and even Kira's magical gifts and powers are strengthened. I can't wait see Kira grow into a warrior and kick some Darkord butt.

So stay tuned for more about Death's Betrayal and look for The Keeper of the Crystor in bookstores all over the country starting May 12th, 2010. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Look Before You Leap

I heard a story on the radio this morning about a deer that jumped the fence at a zoo. It's activity was caught on cameras as it landed . . . right in the lion's den. Needless to say, the deer was injured so badly it had to be put down.

It got me to thinking about the choices we make in life and how sometimes, even though we think there may be something wonderful on the other side of the fence, the reality isn't always pleasant. I've made a lot of choices in my life that I'm not proud of, but I always seem to work things out and come up still breathing. I guess I've been lucky.

Sometimes we go into a situation only thinking about that one little thing that's held up in front of our eyes that looks so great you've just got to have it, like that used car that is a great deal, or the painter that will paint the entire house for half what the other guys will. You pay the money, drive it off the lot or agree to a color, thinking everything will work out just how you want it to.

I have a friend who paid a lot of money to go to a writer's workshop that lasted a week. The author sponsoring it made all kinds of promises about teaching them the craft, only to disappoint her. She anticipated spending several hours a day having information presented to her, but was given an average of only two. She was then told to go back to her room and given an assignment which she spend all afternoon and evening working on. The next day the author in charge, said he didn't want to see them, it was practice. She felt cheated of the opportunity to glean from this persons experience and knowledge and most certainly robbed of the money she invested in what she thought was going to be the experience of a lifetime. She didn't even know if she'd done the assignment right or if she'd failed miserably.

I've made some choices lately that leave me thinking I should have been a little smarter and done my homework. But now there's little that can be done. Even though I know the road ahead could be a little rocky, I have to believe that it will all work out and those things I've lost in the process will make way for better things that will bring me joy. I guess the best thing to do is try to have a positive attitude, pray for strength and guidance and push through it.

In the meantime, I will take the car to the mechanic before buying it and get references on the painter, along with a million other things I should be doing.

"As Long As You're Dreaming . . ."

While you're dreaming of getting published and holding that beautiful book with your name printed on the front cover, think about what all that means. I think some people believe all they have to do is write the book and then sit behind a table once in a while and sign a few autographs. They couldn't be more wrong.

As the release date for my book, The Keeper of the Crystor, gets closer, I've been giving a lot of thought to the marketing plan and what kind of image I want to portray to my readers. After attending a book launch party hosted by my publisher this weekend, I realize that there is a lot to selling a book. Not only do you have to be available for those book signings, but you also need to be willing to speak in public, make presentations to schools or universities (depending on your genre) and even teach your craft at writer's conferences.

There's also a lot of traveling involved. Unless you have someone who can afford to fly along with you, this could be a very lonely job. You think sitting behind a computer all day is lonely, try three weeks going from one city to another, living in dumpy hotel rooms and flying with a plane full of strangers. Sounding more glamorous by the moment, isn't it.

My point is this--plan for it. While you're waiting to hear back from that agent or editor, think things through. What will my platform be? Can I really get up in front of people and sell myself and my book? Is there someone who can tag along to make the trip easier and more exciting? What can I do now to make my book sell better? Set up a blog or website? Facebook or Twitter? How can I sell my book before it is even accepted for publication?

Thinking these things through and getting started now will put you ahead of the game. When that agent comes to you and asks, what do you have to offer, you'll be ready. When you give that pitch at the next writer's conference and the editor pops up with a wild question about marketing, you'll stand out in the crowd as being prepared and confident.

So, tell me. What will you do? Do you have a unique twist to your marketing plan? Is there something about you that is different enough to stand out in the crowd? And last but not least, what will you tell people about yourself?

The Party Is Over, But The Memories Live On

My husband, Ed, and I had a wonderful time at Mark Shurtleff's Book Launch party hosted by Valor Publishing Group. It was held at Barne's and Nobles in the Gateway Mall in Salt Lake City. What a wonderful event this was. I was so busy enjoying the music and readings and all the people that I neglected to take pictures of everyone. I did happen to snap a few, so thought I would share. If anyone took more and wants to share, I'd really appreciate. You all have my permission to copy these and use them wherever. Enjoy.

Mark Shurtleff reading the first chapter of his book,
"Am I Not a Man, The Dred Scott Story"
Brought tears and chills to the entire room.

Me, Ali Cross, Kimbery Job & Daron Fraley

Shanna Blythe, Me, Elizabeth Mueller, Kimberly Job & Karen Hoover


After the party, a few of us went next door to the Tai restaurant. Oh, man was the food good . . . oh yeah, and the company was pretty awesome too.

Ali & David Cross & My hubby, Ed

L. T. Elliot, Shanna Blythe & Elizabeth Mueller

Stacy Gooch Anderson & Karen Hoover


And then, as if we didn't get enough of each other Tuesday night, we had to have lunch at Ali's house the next day. Tons of fun and girl chatter.
My poor hubby sat in on the whole thing and I must say he did pretty well. Thanks for being such a great supporter and loving my friends, sweetie. Love you!

L. T. Elliot, Ali Cross, Me, Karen Hoover & Elizabeth Mueller
We were so sad that Shanna Blythe and Shari Bird were not able to join us. Maybe next time.

Nichole Giles and Me
(Added this photo late, thanks Nichole for sharing)

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo - The name alone makes me want to run from the house screaming, "I can do it!" For those who have no idea what this unusual combination of letters means, it stands for, National Novel Writing Month. It is a challenge for all writers to write at least 50,000 words of a novel within the 30 days of November. If you don't write on Sunday, this comes out to approximately 2500 words a day. Breaking it down a little further, at 250 words a page, that's 10 pages, double spaced a day.

Are you up for the challenge? Can you do it? Why not give it shot?

I've decided, along with many of my writing buddies, to accept this challenge and work on my romance novel, Forever In My Heart. Come join us by signing up at the website listed above. Make sure you look me up and list me on your buddy list, then let me know so I can add you to mine. That way we can cheer each other on. My user name is "CKBryant". Hope to see you there.

By the way, Happy Halloween!

Admitting Our Fears

Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder, often precipitated by the fear of having a panic attack in a setting from which there is no easy means of escape. As a result, sufferers of agoraphobia avoid public and/or unfamiliar places, especially large, open, spaces such as shopping malls or airports where there are few 'places to hide'. In severe cases, the sufferer may become confined to his or her home, experiencing difficulty traveling from this "safe place."

I have Agoraphobia. Fortunately, my case is not severe enough to keep me from going out in public, but the thought of crowds and unfamiliar surroundings can be debilitating. I've been known to stay in the confines of my home for days without even venturing to the yard or deck for a breath of fresh air. Even the thought of a quick trip to the grocery store can take days of convincing. I won't go until I have a list of things we absolutely cannot live without and even then as a last resort. Instead, I'll make excuses and hope my husband sees the need of an item and decide to stop on the way home, just so I can avoid the dreaded deed. When I do have to go, I'll wait until he can go with me--my human security blanket.

Last week, I drove all the way to the other side of town to go to Walmart. It's a new store and I'd only been inside once, so was a bit anxious. I just needed a few grocery items and thought I'd check out the plus size blouses. A quick trip, I told myself. I drove around the parking lot for fifteen minutes trying to talk myself into going inside, but ultimately drove away without even putting the car in park. I was ashamed and even a bit overcome with my fear of an unfamiliar place filled with people I didn't know.

It's hard to imagine me working in our restaurant or behind a table at a craft show, isn't it. It's even harder to imagine the fact that I used to be the President of a support group for parents whose children have disabilities or that I currently serve on the Board of Directors for a state organization for people with disabilities. How is it possible that one day I can't even open the front door or fathom the thought of someone coming to see me, breaking that invisible thread that separates me from the world, and the next I'm standing in front of a room full of people giving a presentation? I wish I knew.

Now, after months of sitting at home writing, having very little contact with the real world because I no longer work at the restaurant or belong to the support group, I find myself struggling with the fact that I'm going to have to put myself out in the public eye to promote my book. How did I not know this was a HUGE part of being an author. Just getting my butt down to LDStorymakers Writer's Conference is a big deal, with weeks of convincing and psychological prep work. Now we're talking about national tours, media spots and public presentations. Holy Cow!!!

So, the first step is today--admitting I have a problem. Next, forcing myself outside my comfort zone and making choices that get me out of the house and into the public eye. Baby steps, I keep telling myself, baby steps. Next week I will venture back to Utah and take my first step after having been signed with Valor Publishing. I'll attend Mark Shurtleff's book launch party in Salt Lake City. *gulp* So if you see me there, come up and say hello and ignore the shaking knees and pale skin. I CAN DO THIS!

Killing Off Your Characters

I've recently been working on a romance novel I started years ago. The characters have been calling out to me to give them a voice and get their story down on paper (or computer screen). I've had all the research done and the outline finished for quite a while, so know exactly how it ends. I was told that in order for a book to fit into the romance genre, it has to end happily with boy getting girl. In the beginning, that is exactly how my book ended, but recently I've been hearing this voice in my head that's urging me to kill off one of the main characters. YIKES!! Now what? Here's the set up:

Jake has been searching for Annie for over 16 years after she disappeared one night with no word. He's spent every dime of his country music career on PIs and still come up empty. As a favor to his agent, he agrees to judge a talent contest in Ketchum, Idaho, hoping to get some time off from the band and long hours of touring. The last participant in the contest is a 15 year old red head girl that sings a song that is familiar to him. He and Annie wrote it together when they were in high school. He tracks the girl down after the contest, finding Annie.

The book continues with him wanting answers and her not willing to give them until he finds out the real reason she left. (not giving this away) The orginal storyline has them getting married and sealed in the temple along with the girl (Sage) being sealed to them. But now I'm thinking Annie may die, leaving Jake to take care of Sage. There's a lot within the story that would make this new storyline make sense and as we know, real life doesn't always end happily ever after, but would this make my readers mad?

I remember watching the movie, "City of Angels" with Meg Ryan and Nicholas Cage. I was so upset at the end when Meg's character died. But thinking back, it sure was a powerful ending and brought a lot of emotions up, including me crying my eyes out.

So, what do you think? What genre would this alternate ending fit into and how do you think it would be received by my readers? Would you kill off your main character? Have you? And, if I go with the first ending, what would make it more powerful?

And The Winner Is...

The winner of the haircut challenge below was number one. Thanks for all the comments. I also got subtle highlights as suggested. HOWEVER....I'm not that happy with the cut. It's much shorter than I asked for and because my hair is so thick, it looks like a helmet. The good news is I can probably flip it up like picture 3 if I want to. I'm also thinking I just spent over a year growing my hair out so that the stylist could cut it EXACTLY the same way it was cut in the picture to the left. Am I insane??? Someone please slap me.

Sorry the pictures are a little blurry. Hard to take them of myself and I'm not the most photogenic person...LOL