Defenders of the Covenant Cover!

Defenders of the Covenant just went to press! Here's the cover:

I love it! See the Avenging Angel on the front? Oh my goodness. This is the fulfillment of a long-time dream. Thank you Walnut Springs, Suzette Saxton, and everyone else who has helped me along this journey! I am speechless with gratitude.

(Check out the party! It's still going on.)

Give Thanks

More blessings!

Thanksgiving time is upon us again. I have so much to be grateful for in every aspect of life, but this blog focuses on writing. Let me share some of my writing blessings with you.


A huge blessing this year was having Walnut Springs Press accept Defenders of the Covenant for publication. A lifelong dream come true! I can't wait to hold the book in my hands soon, and to share it with all of you.

I got to present at LTUE at BYU and at CONduit in Salt Lake this year. Both a huge thrill for me. I got to sit on panels with David Farland and other illustrious authors I've looked up to for a long time. I had a blast doing it too! And the best part is, I'll get to do it again next year.

This year, I wrote a novella, "Refuge," a short story, "Spirits Bright" (a Christmas story), and 240+ pages of a novel, "Shattered Skies." That's great output for me. I did lots of revising and critiquing too. That's the best writing blessing of all--the actual creation!

And then there is YOU. This writing community is such a blessing to me. You helped me celebrate my joys and drown my sorrows. You encouraged me in my goals and kept me going when I wanted to quit. Thank you!

What writing-related blessings are you thankful for this year?

P.S. I'm traveling for the holiday, so I won't be blogging again until next week. I hope you all have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving (those celebrating it, anyway).

The Hidden Sun--A Review

A faraway kingdom

A beautiful princess

A courageous hero

A ruthless villain

An impossible choice

The Hidden Sun by J. Lloyd Morgan, 2nd edition is a fun medieval adventure, with plenty of intrigue, action, secrets, heroes and romance. This is actually my second time to read and review this book. I reviewed the first edition a little over a year ago. You can read that here. Since then, The Hidden Sun was picked up by my publisher, Walnut Springs, and issued in a shiny new edition, newly edited, with a new cover.

So, what do I think of the second edition? Same great story, wonderful new package! In my first review, my main complaint was a large number of typos that I found distracted me from the story. That issue has been resolved, and without those distractions, I found the story even more fun to read this time around.

I love the way Morgan uses symbolism in the book. His characters are well-developed and easy to love and root for. I found I really cared about what happened to them and to their beloved kingdom of Bariwon. But the story itself is not the only thing to love about this book. I had fun noticing (on my second time through), Morgan's skillful naming of characters and places. Can you guess the secret of Bariwon and it's seven districts (Erd, Grenoa, Lewyol, Regne, Lebu, Donigi, and Teviol)? Not to mention such events as the Mortentaun and Shoginoc.

The Hidden Sun is full of surprises. It's also a good, clean read with no objectionable content. Just the sort of thing I'm looking for!

Check out J. Lloyd Morgan's website for more about the book and purchasing information. I always like to give books for Christmas, and this one would make a great gift.

*Please note: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher to review.

I Did It!

Almost two years ago, I set a Big Goal for myself. If you don't remember, it was this:

Within two years (by Nov. 2011), I will have a novel published or at least have a contract. Also, I will be presenting at a local writing conference.

Well, check this out.

 

Yep. That's me signing my book contract with Walnut Springs! And guess what? My sci-fi adventure novel, tentatively titled Defenders of the Covenant, will be out by November!

So, with my presenting at LTUE and CONduit, that big goal?

ACCOMPLISHED!

*throws confetti*

See? Dreams really do come true. And if I can do it, you can do it too!

(P.S. Come and check out my Author Page on Facebook! I'll have a new website coming soon too, so watch for that. And thank you, thank you, thank you for all your awesome support. I couldn't have done this without you.)

We Interupt This Adventure...

For an Out of This World announcement!

But first some housekeeping issues: Due to Blogger's blackout, if you commented on Nisa's post yesterday, those comments are gone. =( Please go over there and comment again!

Okay...now for the announcement:

My science fiction adventure novel, tentatively titled Defenders of the Covenant will be published by Walnut Springs Press later this year!

You may now resume adventuring... Our next stop will be Todd Hunter's blog. Watch for the post tomorrow!