Back In The Game

I’m not sure what happened. I was blogging on a regular basis, picking up steam and then BAM!

Actually, I’m fully aware of what happened: LIFE!

All good stuff mind you, but I overextended myself and blogging got pushed to the back burner. Now that I’ve mastered life and all that’s being thrown my way, I thought I’d get something posted.

By the way,  if you’re interested in how you can MASTER LIFE and smack those hard balls out of the park, send me $50 and I’ll mail you my book (soon to be written…no, not really) that gives YOU the keys to unlocking your full potential and live life….(insert bombastic, redundant sales BS)

Back to reality. Below is the free post from Chapter 2 of Tears of Min Brock.

“Guess I showed them who is the boss,” Galadin said, his eyes twinkling with confidence. Elabea, however, wondered if her parchment was what had protected them. Almost like an invisible shield.

Galadin, like his father, was barrel chested and made strenuous tasks like chopping wood look leisurely. His eyes he got from his mother and shone like black pearls when hunting. However, when he became angry, they became more like thunderclouds, even sinister.

Yet, despite his strong physique and towering size, within him was a weakness. Mithe was correct: His father was going mad. Galadin had been successful in concealing this shame from everyone in the village. All, that is, except one.

She was glad Min Brock had forged them together, even if they were outcasts in their own village. They were identical in age, and even in their younger summers, sensed they were different from the other children. Neighbor’s foreign looks made them feel on edge. Huddled friends chilling whispers made them become even more isolated.

So they formed a secret pact, an unspoken allegiance, in order to weather the storm. At the heart of their friendship was a deep understanding that no one else in Hetherlinn could offer, not even their parents. Galadin understood why she needed to escape to the meadow and climb the oak, despite the Oracles, and he listened to her stories, even when they were wilder than anything he had ever hunted.

Likewise, Elabea comprehended why he fled cottage seven and explored the woods, and why she was the one he shared his hunting tales with. Simply put, they knew what it felt like to live in homes full of shame and more importantly, had learned how to survive despite it.

Nearing cottage number seven, Elabea asked,   “Did you see or hear anything odd last night?”

“No, just my father snoring. Why?”

“Well, last night, I saw an amazing creature.” Elabea became increasingly excited as she explained. “Only it wasn’t an animal.” Her speech became faster. “It, I mean he, looked more like a man—only not like us—so I gave him a name…the Moon King, and—”

“Slow down! What are you talking about?”

“Late last night,” she said, focusing on a slower delivery, “I saw a mysterious rider on a flying horse; they both glowed like the moon. I wish you could have seen them! I’m positive the Moon King is the one responsible for shooting the invitations into our doors.”

Galadin tried not to snicker, but this was not the first time he had heard one of her amazing stories. All were fashioned into fantastic proportions.

“Look,” he said, “I’ve hunted through every thicket and meadow the Oracles will allow. Let me assure you that there is no one like the Moon King. The only odd thing I’ve witnessed is a bald hermit. I’ve only gotten a glimpse of him, and I’ve nicknamed him the Wizard of the Wood. But trust me, he’s anything but mystical. Gone are the days of strange beings, magical creatures and mighty warriors.”

Flustered, Elabea snapped, “I know what I saw!”

Book, Book, Book!

Why haven’t I posted in awhile? Read this press release to find out why I’ve been so busy.

Stay tuned for more, and yeah, I’m excited!

Tears of Min Brock Slated for September Release!

Fantasy novelist J.E. Lowder has signed with WordCrafts Press for the release of his four-volume, epic fantasy series, The War of Whispers. The first installment, Tears of Min Brock is set to release mid-September, 2012.

Dark and brooding, Tears of Min Brock follows a young girl of 14 summers, named Elabea, who hears a whisper calling her to the shining land of Claire; a kingdom that was supposedly destroyed in the devastating Dark War. Outcast from her family and village, and guarded by her childhood companion Galadin, Elabea sets out on an epic quest to become one of the most powerful beings in the world – a storyteller.

Tears of Min Brock ends on a cliffhanger, but fans won’t have too long to wait. The second volume of The War of Whispers is set for release on November 1, 2012.

Although Tears of Min Brock is Lowder’s debut novel, he is no stranger to the creative arts. A professional musician by trade, Lowder has played bass for some of the biggest names in the music industry, including country superstar Shania Twain. He credits his time as a musician with giving him the inspiration and stamina to embark on a career as a novelist.

“Both music and creative writing are crafts that take time to hone, and if you’re truly dedicated, you realize there’s always something new to learn,” Lowder says. “They both require hard work, lonely hours, little or no pay, and virtually no recognition. If you choose to persevere through such difficulty, family and friends will look at you like you’re insane (which maybe you are!) but because being an artist is in your DNA, you persevere, concluding they’re the crazy ones.”

“Perhaps the biggest thing I’ve learned from both music and writing is that just because you’re successful, financially or commercially speaking, doesn’t mean you’re good. And just because you’re good doesn’t mean you’ll be financially successful. Insightful? Perhaps, but being able to apply that on a daily basis is another thing.”

For more information on J.E. Lowder or WordCrafts Press, visit WordCrafts.net.
To schedule an interview with J.E.Lowder, or for review copies of Tears of Min Brock, contact:
C.E. Edwards
Publicist, WordCrafts Press
pr@wordcrafts.net
©2012 WordCrafts | 912 E. Lincoln St. Tullahoma, TN 37388

I’m Getting a New Look!

A friend recently asked me, “So how do you re-release your book?”

It was a great question, so I thought I’d take time this morning to explain.

First, per my new publisher’s recommendation, I re-visited Tears of Min Brock.  I edited it to make it read and flow faster, sprinkled in some description, and added a bit more expressiveness with the characters.  I finished this portion last week and now the publisher and editor are going through it.  Once done, they’ll pass it back for me to tweak.  I love the fact that I get the opportunity to make my writing (and storytelling) even better.

Next, we’ll meet to discuss the cover.  Now to be honest, I like what I currently have, so it’s difficult for me to “see” anything else.  But I’m going to the meeting with an open mind and hoping to catch the vision.  After all, this is to discuss the plan for all four books, all of which are written (but unedited.)

After that, it’s in the hands of the publisher and I do the most difficult of tasks.

I wait.

I’m hoping we’ll have this turned around by end of summer, maybe sooner.  But I know how life can bog down the most prudent of plans.

So there you go!

I’m excited to get a new look and hope you will be too!

 

Starting Over Again…

I thought this sunset photo from our recent family vacation is fitting for today’s post.

You see, I’m changing publishers, so it’s the end of one day with the anticipation to the start of a new one.

So if you’re a fan or even curious what this means, here’s a quick overview of what’s in store.

Editing.  My new publisher “encouraged” me to go through Tears of Min Brock and do some re-writing.  At first, I was a bit put off by this, not because I think it’s perfect, but because, well, it’s already out in the market.  So while on vacation, I took some time to look inside.  I now see this as an exciting opportunity (that many authors don’t get!) to make the book shine even more.

Now if you’re already a fan, you may be freaking out, thinking: “You’re changing the story?!?!”

Well, no, the story & characters will stay as is, but my writing style will not.  I’m making the book flow & read much easier while at the same time maintaining the epic details I need to convey.  I’m keeping key quotes and phrases, but tweaking dialogue and adding emotional depth.  In fact, I’m finding that the bulk of what I’m revising is in about the first 80 pages, which makes sense because there’s so much backstory I’m trying to interject (i.e., the Dark War, the Oracles, the Only, the whispers, relationships, oppressed society, etc.)

Yes, it’s a lot of work, but I’m very energized by this.  Very energized!

Once I’m done, I’ll send this to the publisher and they’ll rake through it until we’re convinced we have it where we like it.  The goal is to have this published ASAP while at the same time, getting Book II ready to be released (hopefully!) 3 months later.

And since I have the other books done, this delay actually puts the series back on track, so to speak, in allowing me to connect with readers while building momentum.

So there’s the scoop.  Feel free to comment or email me with any questions/suggestions you may have, and I hope you’re as excited as I am!

 

Why Giving Away Thousands Of Free Books Is A Good Thing

I’ve been researching, debating, pondering, considering the whole “FREE BOOK!” phenom as a marketing tool.  I haven’t taken the plunge yet, but this blog is one of the better examples I’ve read supporting the notion.

What do you thing?

Why Giving Away Thousands Of Free Books Is A Good Thing.