Journey from Aspiring Writer to Published Author...Thanks, Sarah!

You know, the one thing constant about life, is that it changes. Sometimes that change is a gradual thing, only seen in retrospect. Other times it's swift in coming, and without forewarning of any kind. One such change happened very recently. I met that event with a mixture of sadness, trepidation and cautious anticipation.

What changed? Well, my dear, sweet editor, who took me from aspiring writer to published author, and who worked tirelessly with me on three of my books, retired from her position at The Wild Rose Press. The personal email she sent me announcing this event caused a great deal of reflection on my part.

Would it surprise you to learn that even though I published Spirit of the Rebellion first, I did not write it first? As far as my published books go, I wrote Spirit of the Revolution about six months earlier. However, I didn't write that book first, either...

Updates for "Spirit of the Knight"!

I signed the contract with The Wild Rose Press in August of 2013. My wonderful editor, Sarah Hansen and I worked on the edits as well as the galley through January of 2014. During the interim, the very talented Debbie Taylor created the beautiful cover, while the Blurb committee fine-tuned the blurb. We approved the final galley February 3, 2014. At that point, the manuscript went into its production phase and we had naught left to do but anxiously await the release dates.

Now, for all those who waited with me, via email, facebook, blog or twitter, that announcement has finally arrived! I am very pleased to tell you that The Wild Rose Press has released "Spirit of the Knight," exclusively to Kindle Select, with an expected world-wide release date of July 9, 2014, in all ebook formats as well as print.

Author Marlene Bateman Talks "A Death In The Family!"

Best-Selling Author, Marlene Bateman is with us today to answer a few questions and discuss her latest novel, "A Death in the Family!"

So tell us, Marlene, what’s your secret to making the character’s in your books come to life?

I write down everything I possibly can about each character and keep it in a file so I REALLY know the character.  I don’t use most of the information in the book, but it helps me create a real character—lets me get into his or her ‘skin’ and know their past, present and their hopes and dreams for the future.  As I write, I try to imagine myself as that character and imagine how he or she would respond to each situation they faced.

How do you come up with characters names and place names in your books?

I get my names from two sources. First, I can look online. I found a great website that lists names according to year. This way, if I have an older character, I can type in their birth year and have a long list of names from that era to pick from.  Second, I save names from the sports pages of my local newspaper when they list all-star football and basketball teams.  I clip out the entire page and file it away for when I need some current popular names. Each page has dozens of cool names.

Interview with Fay Klinger, Author of I Am Strong, I Am Smart...

The very accomplished author Fay Klinger, is treating us to an interview on today's stop of her Book Tour!  So, let's get right to it, shall we?

Tell me, Fay, or what are you grateful?

I am immensely grateful for my husband, who encourages me in building and sharing my talents and skills. Without him I could not have accomplished much in writing. My children are wonderful. By sharing with me their wealth of knowledge and skill, I have grown and felt supported in my endeavors.

At what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy?

I was the happiest in my youth and teen years. My father built a cabin in the mountains for our family. We lived there almost all summers and many weekends throughout the year. There I was free. Free to explore. Free to just be myself. Free to enjoy my childhood.

We didn’t have many modern conveniences in the mountains. Life was very simple and calm. The happy memories are endless—catching frogs at the pond, climbing mountains, riding horses (with or without a saddle), attending western “stomp” dances, many hours of playing Double Solitaire with my mother and siblings . . .

What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?

Two in particular. One was Richard Bach, the author of Jonathan

Livingston Seagull. He had a gift of telling a story that gave readers purpose in their own lives, a drive to do better.

The "Van Locken's Witch" Blurb Blitz Tour Winner of our gorgeous necklace is...

First, I'd like to thank everyone who participated in the Van Locken's Witch, Blurb Blitz Tour. I found every single comment made, such a pleasure to read. You all warmed my heart far more than you might guess (and I'm going to pretend that gorgeous necklace had nothing to do with coercing all of your lovely comments... ;)). 

I would also like to thank all of my hosts, who so willingly found room for me on their blogs. I especially would like to acknowledge those who followed all, or nearly all, of the stops and made their sweet comments at each and every one of them. You all know who you are and truly, I wish I had a necklace for each of you. But alas, I don't have Lissa's unique talents, though at times, I wished I did.

Now, having said all that, I know you are all anxiously awaiting the name of the winner of our prize, so I won't torture you any longer!

This little Enchantress did the honors of selecting the winner. I couldn't have asked for a better or more capable helper! (I know, isn't she just the cutest thing?)

Van Locken's Witch Character Interview...Part Two!

Last week I had such so much fun asking the characters of "Van Locken's Witch" questions posed by my beta readers, we thought we'd do it again this week! This time we'll pull questions from both my blog-readers as well as finish up the questions from my beta readers that we didn't get around to answering on my last post.

The 'Mauritius' and other East Indiamen between 1590 and 1640

Blog reader Nicole had some great questions for the crew of the Rood Draeck. Are you listening boys? Good. Then, here we go.

1. First of all, Nicole wants to know if any of you hesitated in following Wolf as your new kapitein when Rand stepped down...

2. What were your feelings on these new circumstances...

3. Did any of you feel Rand made a mistake in his quest to help Lissa...

4. And finally, did a time ever exist when you disliked Lissa or feared her abilities?

(Joris waves a hand.) I"ll answer that first question. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that not a single crewman aboard the Draeck had any reservations whatsoever in accepting Wolf as our kapitein when that moment finally arrived. Rand taught him well, and the many instances wherein Rand left him in charge of the ship, Wolf proved more than capable of the task and many times over.

(Each crewmen nods as Laurens clears his throat.) "Boarding the Witte Wieven with Wolf at the helm  seemed a natural step for all of us to take. In all reality, the only thing missing on the Witte Wieven was Rand himself, Antonis, and Hendrick. However, we drew comfort in knowing that we left our good kapitein in very good hands...very good hands.

(The crew laughs as Johannes steps forward.) "Indeed we did. Now, for question three, no one ever thought assisting Lissa in the rescue of her sister was a mistake. We were all for it and so cast our vote when Rand made the proposal. Though you couldn't possibly know it, we've taken on a number of quests that had nothing to do with capturing Spanish ships. Each of those quests presented a unique set of challenges, and in turn, gave us the laudable reputation for which we were known far and wide."

"That, they did," Pieter agreed. "As for the next question, although we didn't fear Lissa in the true sense of the word, that doesn't mean we didn't carry a healthy respect for her and the particular set of skills she possessed. And dislike? Not possible. We all loved her in our own way."

"As long as it's in a sisterly way, I don't have a problem with that," Rand interrupted. much to the delight and laughter of his men.