A Writer's Week #143: Hammering Out an Identity

 Hi all. Things are progressing as I work to get my new novella, Fire & Ice ready for publication early next year. Artist Emily Hurst Pritchett has just sent me rough sketches of the cover, the map of Dragon Home, and some choices for the chapter header. They all look really great, and I'm excited to see how the final versions turn out.

Once the book comes out, it will mark the second work I've published that is not really a part of the Deliverers Series. As I slowly move away from Eric, Stig, Kate, and Hallo. I'm trying to find my identity as an author as well. While I am still writing middle grade fiction, I can't use the Deliverers as an all-encompassing marketing blanket.

The question for me was, how to market my writing? At first, I thought it might be using White Owl Manuscripts as the flagship. I use the name as my Defacto publisher. But I decided that I needed to put my name out there more. I'd always used The Deliverers or White Owl whenever talking about my books. Those just did not seem to be satisfactory options, particularly now that I am writing other things, with maybe some even more different topics yet to come. I finally decided that I should start putting my name out there more. With that in mind, I turned to AI for an author logo. At first, I thought I'd do that just to get some ideas. However, Microsoft's Co-Pilot actually came up with something that was pretty good. Here it is:

So, for now, at least, I'll be using it to "brand" myself and my writing. Marketing my name rather than the series or my faux publishing arm will enable me to branch out for future projects. After all, I still have the beginnings of my teen fantasy, Quirk, and I keep kicking around an idea for a middle grade historical novel in revolutionary Connecticut (along the lines of My Brother Sam is Dead), in addition to a few more novellas chronicling Dragon Island Legends in the planning stages.

It still seems surreal to me that I will soon release my sixth book, and that I have ideas for four to five more. I am truly blessed to have been able to write and release what I have so far. I am beyond thankful for all of you who have been following me and reading what i put out. It inspires me to keep going. I want to give you all stories that you will enjoy.

Thank you, and I'll keep you posted as things develop.

Peace.

Character Interviews: The Gatekeeper

 I had the pleasure of interviewing the Gatekeeper just before the release of The Deliverers Book 3, The Golden Dragon of Ang. It really was a most enlightening experience, and I hope you will agree.

Greg:  Thanks for taking some time to sit and chat with us.

Gatekeeper:  Well, thank you my boy, it's wonderful to be here, but I really can't sit long–too much to do.

Greg:  Yep, I get that. First off, we'd really love a little bit of information about the third book in the Deliverers Series. I’ve only had bits and pieces of information about the Assignment, and it sounds pretty mysterious. Can you clear things up a little bit, give us the inside scoop?

Gatekeeper:  Hmmm, it is all rather mysterious, I have to admit. You see, this whole situation hit me out of the blue.

Greg:  Out of the blue? I can't buy that, you always know what's going on. But I think we're getting a little bit ahead of ourselves. What is going on?

Gatekeeper:  It's a little complicated. I explained the little I knew at the time to Eric before the Assignment began. I told him about the nature of the sparkling mist and that he should be on the lookout for it.
Greg:  Yes, so I gathered, but what I want to know is, what's it all about?

Gatekeeper:  To be honest, I'm really not sure. Something bad is happening that could affect the entire universe. Someone or something is using the sparkling mist to disrupt things on other worlds.

Greg:  What do you mean by disrupt?

Gatekeeper:  Undermine the stability of worlds. If one world goes, it could set forces in motion that will topple every other world like dominos. I haven't shared this fear with anyone yet, so please keep it under your hat. This is quite a serious problem.

Greg:  So how are you going to tackle it?

Gatekeeper:  The Deliverers are one of the teams I'm using to combat the situation. In the short time they've been together, they've had quite a bit of success. They each bring their individual talents to the team and they all work very well together. I'm glad I decided to team them up.

Greg:  I have to say it was an excellent choice. What does the future hold for them?

GateKeeper:  Well, I really don't know, but it appears things are coming to a head. If they are able to contain the situation in the Dragon Islands, then perhaps we can begin to attack the root of the problem if we can just pin it down.   

 

Greg:  I hope that you all meet with success. After all, if the universe is in trouble it's bad news for us as well.

Gatekeeper:  Well now, I suppose you're right. Ah well, don't worry. I'm sure Eric and the others will win out in the end. All they'll need is courage, perseverance, teamwork and a bit of luck. Now, I really must dash, there is so much that has to be done. It was really great talking with you. We really must do this again soon.

Greg:  That would be great. Good luck with everything!

Character Interview: Kate Endria

Today, we interview the feisty Kate Endria. She is the daughter of the Lord Mayor of Calendria, and an important part of the Deliverers team.

Let’s see what she had to say about her experience in the first book.

 

Greg: Welcome to the Deliverers Publishing Headquarters, Kate. Thanks for stopping by.

Kate:  You’re very welcome. This is so exciting! I never thought I’d get to visit this place. Stig told me all about it, but I would never have believed how extravagant your headquarters was if I hadn’t seen it for myself.

Greg: Well, I don’t think it’s as impressive as you’re making it out to be. But anyway, what was your family life like growing up?

Kate:  Some might say that I still have some growing up to do, especially the members of our Council. I remember some happy times when I was younger. Of course, Sharky and the pirates were always around. If they weren’t terrorizing Calendria on Tariff Day, there was always the thought that Sharky was watching.

I remember times with Papa and Mother—before she died. We were happy, going to the Green for picnics, pot luck suppers at the meeting house. But then Mother got sick, and things weren’t so good. I was seven when she passed.

 But Papa has always been wonderful, and he does his best to make up for my not having a mother. And of course Gretchen, our maid, has always been a dear, and Madame Bottleneck, too. I’ve been blessed to live in a village where everyone cares about one another, and I’m proud of Papa, who’s the Lord Mayor.

 Greg: Tell us a little bit about Calendria and its history.

Kate:  Well, Calendria has a long and rich history. It was established over 300 years ago by my ancestor, Calvin Endria. Cal Endria had been Sharky’s first mate, but he and about 40 others in Sharky’s band decided it was time to settle down and retire. So, Cal went to the captain and stated his intentions, expecting that Shaky would either laugh in his face or run him through.

I think that he was pretty surprised when Sharky didn’t do either. Instead, he agreed to let Cal and his mates retire, provided that they paid a tariff of half of everything the settlement produced twice a year for a hundred years.

So that’s how Calendria started. Calvin Endria was the first Lord Mayor, and the village was named in his honor. The position of Lord Mayor has been handed down to the eldest son in the Endria family for generation after generation.

 Greg: You were the one who discovered the Deliverers. How did you come to be searching for them?

Kate:  Well, in Calendria there’s this legend called the Deliverers about a hero and a talking eagle that appear to defeat Sharky and his pirate band. My mother was a big believer in the legend, and she passed that belief on to me.

I took it as my duty as daughter of the Lord Mayor to search for the Deliverers whenever I had some spare time. So, one day, I came across Eric and Stig. As soon as Stig started talking, I knew that I had found the Deliverers.

Greg: What do you like to do in your spare time?

Kate:  You mean besides searching for the Deliverers? Well, I try to help Papa with anything he needs. I’m also studying. I hope one day to succeed my papa as the first Lady Mayor. That keeps me pretty busy.

Greg: So, what do you think of Eric? There are rumors floating around that the two of you might be getting close…

Kate:  Eric and I are good friends. I’m eternally grateful for what he and Stig did for Calendria. As for anything else, I think he and I are too young to be concerned with that at this point. There’s too much we’re still working through personally. Of course, I look forward to working with him, Stig and Hallo on future Assignments if the Gatekeeper needs us.

Greg: I guess that kind of answers my last question. Would you like to take part in future Assignments?

Kate:  Oh, yes. I’m hoping to. I mean, it’s important work, helping others. It’s also dangerous work, but no one in my family has ever backed down from a challenge. I always want to make Papa, and Mother, proud.

Greg:  I think they are very proud of you, Kate. Thank you again for taking a few minutes to sit and chat with us.

Kate:  Any time. It was really a lot of fun. Is this a new map?

Greg: Yes, we’ve adjusted it since Stig visited. You should be able to find your way out of here now.

 Kate:  Why, how sweet. Thank you so much.

A Writer's Week #139: Writing & Selling

 Hi everyone. Spring is here and the weather is starting to warm up (just a bit). Just like some animals, I am emerging from what seems like a long period of hibernation. By that I mean I have a string of book and craft shows coming up over the next few weeks, which means I'll have a chance to talk to people about my books, which is something I really enjoy.

That doesn't mean I've spent the winter snoozing away. I attended a couple of shows, and I've been working on one of my works in progress, Tales of the Dragon Islands. I'm currently at 6,700 words and have begun adding details to the plot. I think it's really shaping up nicely, but there's still a long way to go. As I may have mentioned before, it takes place 3,000 or so years before Eric and the rest of the Deliverers visit the Dragon Islands in book 3, The Golden Dragon of Ang.

I have also hired Silver Dagger Book Tours to set up a monthlong blog tour. Maia has been really great. It is currently running from March 21 to April 21. There are descriptions and excerpts from each book in the Deliverers Series. I contribute seven guest blog posts in the form of character interviews with Eric, Hallo, Kate, Stig, Sharky, the Gatekeeper, and Cy & Chunk. There are also two giveaways--one to win a $20 Amazon gift card and another to win a signed copy of Sharky and the Jewel. Check out the initial stop at Silver Dagger here. It contains links to all the stops on the tour. Follow along and comment on the posts and enter the giveaways!

As for personal appearances, I've got three lined up over the next three Saturdays:

               

Saturday, April 12, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Book & Art Fair @ The Red Barn in Durham, 352 Main Street, Durham, CT 06422

I hope to see some of you at one or more. Can't make it? Don't worry, I have a few dates scheduled for May as well. See you soon.

Peace