Ilyon Chronicles Audiobooks

Have you ever wanted Ilyon Chronicles to be made into audiobooks? I know many people have asked me if I ever well make that happen. Maybe you are one of them. If so, good news! I've begun the process to have them professionally produced with a narrator I really like that I've had bookmarked on my computer FOREVER.

To make this happen, I can either do a royalty split with him where I don't have to pay him to record the book and we spilt royalties as the audiobooks sell. However, that is risky for him as a narrator after all the work he will put into the project. I would love to pay him outright for that work. Of course, being the typical starving artist/writer that I am, that doesn't exactly fit into my budget.

That is why I am coming to you! If you are interested in helping me make this happen, I've set up an Indiegogo campaign to collect funding for the production of Resistance's audiobook. This is the first time I've ever tried crowdfunding (ahhhh!), but if I get enough funding, I'll be able to cover the production cost of Resistance and get my narrator the payment he deserves for his work. Check out the campaign here or by clicking the image below. I'm not just asking for your money. Each backer gets some special perks as well! :D And even if you can't help financially, you CAN help by sharing! Visit the campaign page where you'll find a bunch of share links.

Ilyon & Acktar Blog Tour Wrap Up

Did everyone enjoy the tour? Tricia and I sure did! Now I wish we had books releasing together all the time! Just . . . not around the holidays again. I think both Tricia and I just want to crawl into bed for a solid month of doing nothing. Right, Tricia? Anyway, if you missed any part of the tour, you can find the links below. My favorite part was the character chats! While it was a lot of work, it was amazingly fun seeing how my characters and Tricia’s interacted with each other. I’m still laughing over Kaden and Martyn’s interaction at the end of the final chat yesterday. And I think Kaden, Talas, and Brandi are Ilyon and Acktar’s new three musketeers. Can you imagine the misadventures they would have if left alone together for an extended period of time?

Let me just say, if you have not read Tricia’s books yet, DO IT. *whistles innocently as she drags readers to Amazon and pushes them toward the Buy Now button* Basically, Tricia’s books give me a taste of my own medicine. They’re exciting, heart-wrenching, and just plain awesome. And there’s Leith. If you love Jace, you’ll love Leith. So go do it. You know you want to. *smiles angelically*

Character Chats

• Chat #1
• Chat #2
• Chat #3
• Chat #4

Reviews

• Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors
• Jessica Looks Again
• The Music of a Story
• Chosen by the Potter
• Thriving Hope
• The Writer’s Song
• Perfectly Quirky In Every Way
• A Great God and Good Cocoa (Bitter Winter & Lacy)
• A Great God and Good Cocoa (Decree)
• Morgan Huneke
• Backing Books
• Honey Rock Hills
• TJ’s Musing
• Resting Life (Bitter Winter)
• Resting Life (Lacy)
• Resting Life (Decree)
• G. Willoughby
• Sarah Plain & Average
• The Artful Author
• Meagan Davenport
• Brie Donning
• Kaylee’s Kind of Writes
• Smyling Girl
• Faith Blum
• Allison Grace Writes
• Hannah Gaudette

Author Interviews

• Jessica Looks Again
• Perfectly Quirky In Every Way
• Brie Donning
• Saver of Memories
• The Ink Lizard
• Dreams and Dragons
• Allison Grace Writes
• H. Elrich

Book Spotlights

• Time of the Immortals
• The Book Sprite
• Between the Pages of This Bookish Life
• Ruffles and Grace

The end is coming…

As is my usual tradition at the end of my blog tours, today I am officially announcing the title of the final book of Ilyon Chronicles! Can you believe there is only one left?!

For three years, the Resistance has suffered under oppression, first from Emperor Daican, and then from his daughter. Now it is time to fight back.

As you can tell, red is the theme of this book. What do you hope will happen in Daican’s Heir? What are you most excited for? I don’t have a release date for the book since I’m still writing it (you can see my progress meter in my sidebar), but I did set up my Pinterest board for it with some teaser images. ;)

Something new…

So, two years ago, I did something completely unexpected. I participated in NaNoWriMo for the very first time writing a contemporary romance novel, which is titled No Chance Meeting. Yeah, I always said I couldn’t write contemporary romance to save my life, but what do you know? It actually happened. And it actually went very well. So well that it spawned a series. Ahhh! I first posted about No Chance Meeting when I was writing it. With the book, I won my very first NaNoWriMo and went on to finish the story fairly quickly afterward.

Of course, once it was finished, I started thinking about publication. NCM is quite a departure from my usual genre, so I decided I am going to publish it under a slightly different pen name. A lot of you probably know this already from Facebook updates, but for those who don’t, said pen name is Jaye Elliot.

I’m hoping to publish No Chance Meeting sometime this spring. So today, I am officially launching my new website AND revealing the cover for NCM! Tada!

NCM is the first in what I plan to be a three book series, No Chance Romance. Though they are connected, each one has different protagonists and can be read as standalones. Each of my female protagonists has a different creative professional—an artist, a musician, and a writer (yay!)—while each of the male protagonists is former military. I’m super excited about it and can’t wait to share. Below you can find all the links to my new website and social media accounts if you would like to follow this new writing adventure of mine.

So, what do you think of this interesting new direction? Don’t panic! I won’t quit writing Spec Fic any time soon! No worries there. I have a a huge secret Pinterest board of nearly a dozen ideas for future adventure stories that I’m sure will only grow with time.

Website

Facebook

Goodreads

Pinterest

A Realm Makers Interview and New Pen Name

If you follow me on social media, you know I was at Realm Makers this past week. It was not only my first RM, but my first writer’s conference! Let me tell you, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. I had the best time and got to meet so many of my online friends. Every single one of them was amazing. I can hardly wait for next year.

While at Realm Makers, I had the pleasure of taking part in a flash interview. It was a ton of fun, though I completely messed up my age. LOL That’s what you get from a sleep deprived introvert writer’s brain that late at night. I’m only human after all. ;)

During the interview, I made the spontaneous announcement that I am going to be using a different pen name to publish my contemporary romance novels. Oh yeah, there’s another spontaneous announcement for you. The contemporary novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo 2016 has turned into a trilogy! Ah! So the new pen name is Jaye Elliot. It’s very similar to Jaye L. Knight but will differentiate between my two very different writing genres. :)

Even though it’s a trilogy, each book can be read as a standalone. While the first book is finished and I hope to publish sooner rather than later, I won’t start working on the next two until I’m finished writing the last book of Ilyon Chronicles.

Since my new name is out there, I wanted to share the Facebook page for it. A shiny new website will come along eventually, but with FB you can keep up with any updates as I post them. Also, you can watch the RM interview below and all laugh with me at my math mistake. If only I were still 20 and not turning 30 in September.

Double 4th of July Ilyon Chronicles Cover Reveal

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday. It always has been. It’s fully summer and warm (usually) and I love it. I’m a total summer/warm weather girl. I NEED summer. So yes, this is definitely my favorite holiday.

What does that have to do with Ilyon? Absolutely nothing. Lol! But I thought, why not celebrate with a cover reveal? I wasn’t going to reveal the cover for Bitter Winter until I had a set release date, but then I changed my mind. It seemed like a fun thing to do on my favorite holiday. Not only that, but I’m revealing the cover for Bitter Winter’s companion novella, Lacy! I also happened to realize while making the graphics that the colors match the holiday perfectly—blue and red! Crazy coincidence.

Writing and Publishing Updates (i.e. Oh, the torture!)

This update has been a long time coming. (Wow, that sounds ominous. But don't freak, I'm not quitting writing or anything.) It's really just an update. You see, I've been getting an increasing number of messages lately asking about the status of Bitter Winter and how writing is going. In one word, it's basically . . . not. Yeah, this whole last year has been awful for writing and editing. Just terrible. Basically, torture. Yeah.

You see, when I moved out on my own, I suddenly had all of the pressures of adulthood dropped on me. Groceries, bills, insurance, vehicle issues. Everything. And then lots of family stuff. Nothing really bad or anything. Just life. You know, that thing that likes to take all of your best-laid plans and, with a puff of smoke, turn them into ashes? Yeah, life. I feel like mine has been a chaotic, disorganized mess that I haven't been able to completely sort out yet even though I've been on my own for a whole year. I'm hoping 2018 will be where I finally hit my stride. *feels LIFE lurking over my shoulder ready to strike*

I suppose I'm being somewhat dramatic, but that's how 2017 felt. I did almost no writing besides finishing up the surprise NaNoWriMo contemporary romance that leaped into my life late 2016. The fact that I've hardly written in a year is absolute torture itself. Writers can't not be writing. It leads to feelings of hopelessness and self-loathing. I'm not even kidding. This gif is basically what it has felt like to try to write for the past year.

Editing has been no better. I'm still working on the first chapter of Bitter Winter.

The. First. Chapter.

Ugh. More torture. More self-loathing. Here is actual footage of me trying to edit.

​​

Again, I'm being dramatic, but it's actually the truth. And I constantly beat myself up over it. With every month that passes, I feel the pressure of needing to get the next book out. And, of course, that just makes it all that much worse. I don't do well under pressure. Is it any wonder I've had a horrible case of writer's block?

​​

So, that's all the bad news. Here's the good news. I started writing today. Some of it was easy, some of it was hard. I've implemented a plan that I hope will help me stay on track and finish writing book six of Ilyon Chronicles this spring. That has been the biggest thing weighing on me. I need to get that book done.

As for Bitter Winter, I also did some editing today. I think once I get going on it, it will become easier. I have no idea when it will be published, but unless something catastrophic comes up, I will publish it this year. To answer the question I keep getting: Sorry, I don't have an actual publishing date yet. It's way too soon for that. But I will announce it the moment I know. :)

In the mean time, prayers are very much appreciated. Adulthood is hard. (Can I get an 'amen'?) Writing it not nearly as easy as it was when I would sit in my bedroom for hours on end at my parents' house and not have all the adult responsibilities I do now. It was more fun then, sadly. But, regardless of how long it may take, I'm going to keep on pushing forward. I will get these last two Ilyon books done. And I can't tell you how much all of your loyal support means to me, especially when the going gets tough. Thanks for sticking it out with me!

P.S. I nabbed the gifs from this awesome blog post that perfectly sums up being a writer. (Disclaimer: I have no idea who this author is, what she writes, or what else is on her blog/website. It just came up when I was searching through gifs.)

Exiles Weekend Blitz–Conclusion

I wanted to take time to give a huge thanks to everyone who participated in my weekend release blitz! I’m always amazed by how many of you sign up to help me spread the word. And everyone who commented during the blitz! You’re all awesome! ;) Here’s a recap of the tour as well as a surprise or two for you at the end. :D Also, there is still time to enter the giveaway! It runs for another couple of days yet!

Reviews

“And the plot twist in this book…wow! Few other authors I know of could pull off the twist Jaye does in this book, and especially couldn’t do it and heighten the tension for the rest of the series.” – Tricia at Tricia Mingerink

“I love all the characters!! We have, like, six+ narrators throughout the whole book …. and yet, it isn’t overwhelming AT ALL, which I love!” – Alyssa at WritingAnyone

“Exiles sucks the reader in, savoring every word and plot twist, until the very end.” – Meagan at Meagan Davenport

“It was so wonderful, though, to return to the characters that we love so much! And even characters I’ve known for books now, have become even more loved.” – Sara at R535 Blog

“Other books might get lost in my work schedule, buried under tasks I need to do for church, or lay temporarily forgotten while I visit friends … but not when that book contains characters as beloved and missed of Kyrin, Jace, and the others.” – Leah at Leah’s Bookshelf

“I have to tell you all right here and now, this book is very awesome. Very very very awesome.” – Shay at The Elven Padawan

“Yeah, I really liked this book, it was pretty exciting. Jaye did a good job. The setting was super cool too.” – Sam at Books and Arrows

“This book is very un-put down-able.  The moment I saw that I received an ARC from Jaye, I started reading. I finished the book late that night.” – Jess at The Artful Author

“I recommend this novel for a calm day. Have a cup of tea and a few cookies, nestle yourself in the corner of your couch with a blanket, and listen to the rain pattering against your windowpane. And read this book.” – Athelas at Red Lettering

“Readers will be squealing in surprise, horror, and delight at some of the plot twists in this one!” – Gabriellyn at PageTurners

“Trying...to...not...gush... But honestly! This might be favorite book from the series so far! I mean each book just gets better and better and this one really had me by the heart!” -  Ants and Epic at Sutori no Hana

“Exiles is, simply put, a great book. I use “great” for lack of a better word (though “amazing”, “stunning”, and “nothing short of perfect” would all work too).” – Kiara at Bookends

“The book is magic. Pure, entrancing magic that will grip your spiritual, mental, and physical being with its tasteful characters, engrossing plot, and enraging twists.” – Jazzy at Thriving Hope (if you like reviews with lots of awesome gifs, read this one. xD )

“As a general summary, I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Exiles" and highly recommend it.” – Kenzi at Honey Rock Hills

“I'm usually a skeptic of long series because a person can only come up with so many ideas right? But not in this case. Somehow, Jaye made an edge-of-your-seat thriller with plenty of romance and enough adventure to keep me up until midnight, while still building the tension for the books to come!” - E.J W at One Word At A Time

“Usually, one would expect a new sequel to be lesser than the first or second (or third!), but that is not the case with this!  In my humble opinion, Exiles was awesome! if not better than the first three.” – Sarah at Sarah, Plain & Average

“While Exiles may be my least favorite of the series so far, it was, of course, good, and some long awaited and unexpected things happened!” – Natasha at A Camera and a Dreamer

“All the turmoil in the characters, the uncertainty, and getting out of their comfort zones. It was all so deep and true to real life.” – Faith at Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections

“Exiles offers the same depth of character, adventurous plot, breathtaking descriptions, and spiritual parallels as the rest of the series.” – Erika at Resting Life

“Oh. My. Goodness. This book is wonderful. Reading it was rather like going on Expedition Everest at the Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Such an emotional roller-coaster.” – Addyson at The Music of a Story

“You’ll need a seatbelt, believe me. It was nonstop action from there on out! So many unexpecteds. So many surprises. So many shocks. Oh my heart.” – Ivy Rose at Lakeside Publications

“I have been a huge fan of the Ilyon Chronicles since they first released, and not a single book in the series has ever failed to disappoint me. They just seem to keep getting better.” – C.M. Williams at Ember's Reviews

“The action was fantastic, with a twist at the end that.... just blew me away. After that, I think it might be an understatement to say that I am extremely excited for the next novel in the series.” – Rebekah at Backing Books

And don’t forgot to stop by my friend Morgan’s blog for her review tomorrow!

Author Interviews

• The World of the Writer
• Meagan Davenport
• Liv K. Fisher
• Books and Arrows
• The Artful Author
• PageTurners
• Sutori no Hana
• One Word At A Time
• Marrok Macintyre
• Sarah, Plain & Average
• Sarah Allerding
• Dreams and Dragons
• The Ink Lizard

Character Interviews

• Sam Interview
• Kaden Interview
• Michael Interview
• Trask Interview
• Jace Interview
• Meredith Interview
• Jace Interview
• Kaden Interview

Excerpts

• Literary Cafe
• A Day In The Life
• Liv K. Fisher
• The Elven Padawan
• Thriving Hope
• Rachel Rossano's Words
• Tell Tale Book Reviews
• The Overactive Imagination
• Writings, Ramblings, and Reflections
• Dreams and Dragons
• Lianne Taimenlore

Spotlights

• A Pinch of Faith
• She Hearts Fiction
• Today, by Bryn
• Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens

Other Posts

• Special Post
• Daican Character Spotlight

Onward in the series!

As I like to do at the end of these blog tours, I’m officially announcing the title of the next book in the series!

When a catastrophic event leaves the Landale camps reeling and stricken by a deadly illness, Jace must face the dangers of Valcré and an impossible choice to gain the cure.

Bitter Winter is not quite as . . . epic in in scope as the first four books. It’s a more personal story. As you can probably tell by the logline, it’s a very Jace-centric book. (And has some pretty devastating things happen.) It’s the shortest book of the series. But, to make up for that, the book will also include a bonus novella. :D It’s a little story I never saw coming, but two people in Bitter Winter were making eyes at each other and demanded to have a story of their own. :P So, basically, when Bitter Winter releases, you’ll actually be getting two stories. How cool is that? I’m really looking forward to sharing it. While I don’t have a release date yet, you can see a little sneak peek of inspiration on my new Pinterest board. :)

Surprise #2!

Look what I’ve been working on in secret! :D It’s a short story of when Jace found Tyra. It’s going to be free to anyone who signs up for my emailing list. So, if you’re already signed up, you’ll get it automatically. If not, well, you can always sign up here. ;) I’ll also have a little paperback version for sale for those who have to have it on your shelf with the others. I’m hoping to have it ready to send out in the next couple of weeks or so (if life cooperates). :) Keep an eye on your inboxes.

A year ago, Jace was a slave. A gladiator.

Now he has found a home with the only three people who have ever treated him with kindness.

After his first visit to town goes just as disastrously as expected, he seeks solace in the woods, where he discovers a wounded wolf pup. The merciful thing would be to put her out of her misery. However, his desire to help her is stronger. Could he possibly save her in her condition? Would Elôm even care to help if Jace were to ask Him?

Exiles Weekend Release Blitz Signup!

I’m doing something a little bit different for the release of Exiles. Instead of doing a week long blog tour, I’m condensing it down to a three day weekend blitz. :) It’s basically the same, just in a shorter time period. For any bloggers who wish to participate, there are options for simple book spotlights, reviews, author interviews, and I will also be doing character interviews. (There are a limited number of slots for these, so if you want to interview one of my characters, make sure to sign up for it quickly!)
Also check out what fun items the blitz giveaway will contain at the end of the post!

A Friday Post

Such an original post title, right? :P Anyway, I just had a couple things to share. First of all, Samara’s Peril is one of five finalists for the Realm Maker’s Alliance Award!!

I was so excited/shocked/stunned to see it! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who voted for it. Obviously, I wouldn’t even be in the running without you. I’m equally excited for the other finalists who are all friends/acquaintances. I have to say, I’m particularly happy for Tricia Mingerink. You know how I adore her books. Defy deserves this. ;) The final round of voting will begin on May 10th. Make sure to visit the Alliance Award page then and cast your votes for your favorites.

Item number 2 of this post: I gave my website a major overhall. As if I needed more work. But I like website work, so it was something fun to do. I added a fun FAQs section, plus shared my favorite books. So you can check it out here.

Item number 3: It’s May. I don’t know if anyone remembered, but May is usually when I have my annual fan art contest. It didn’t even cross my mind until like the last two days of April. I could have set it up real quick, but I decided to move it ahead one month to June. That way, the school year will be over and it might give everyone a little extra time to participate. Agree? So I will officially be taking submissions to the contest on June 1st. I’ll post more details closer to that date. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t start working on things now. ;)

And lastly, item number 4: Charlemagne is my forty-two times great-grandfather. :D I just had to throw that in there. My family and I have a lot of fun doing genealogy on Ancestry.com, and a couple of days ago I was tracing one of my mom’s lines back as far as I could and next thing I know I found a connection to Charlemagne and was able to trace the entire line. For a history buff like me, it was one of the coolest things ever. Everyone wants to find out they’re descended from royalty, right? ;)

Lost At Sea Scavenger Hunt Stop # 2

Welcome to the Lost At Sea Scavenger Hunt where we are helping the Kinsman people find a new home. If you’ve just found us, be sure to start the adventure at Stop #1, which is Jill Williamson’s blog.

Collect all the clue words in order so you can enter to win the Kindle. If you want to enter to win the second Kindle, you’ll have to take a quiz at the end, so take your time and read each post carefully. The main prizes in the hunt are open to international entries. Individual author contests, however, might have different rules, so please read the parameters on each site. You have until Sunday night, February 19, at midnight, Pacific time to finish.

If you need help, or get lost along the way, click here for assistance.



The Seffynaw docked at the first sight of land, and my characters found their way to Stop #2, which is Ilyon from Jaye L. Knight’s Ilyon Chronicles. Jaye L. Knight is an award-winning author, homeschool graduate, and shameless tea addict with a passion for Christian fantasy. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God’s love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Learn more about her books at www.jayelknight.com. 
 

Here’s a closer look at Resistance, book one in the Ilyon Chronicles.

Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he's ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he's tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.

Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair lives every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.

Following the emperor's declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance.

Wilek and Trevn like the look of Ilyon. It is forested and sits on a cliff, which is reminiscent of our old home. They decide to take a closer look.

Inspiration for Ilyon

Inspiration for the world of Ilyon has come from a variety of places I’ve only ever dreamed of visiting. You see, I live in a very flat, rather boring part of Wisconsin. And while there are lots of lakes and pretty hills nearby, Wisconsin is farm country. We don’t have mountains, Sequoia trees, or cool things like that. So when I write fantasy, it’s a chance to “explore” more interesting areas.
One of the first things that inspired the world of Ilyon was Ancient Rome. Even though Ilyon Chronicles leans more heavily toward being medieval fantasy, I took a lot from my love of Roman history. You can see that in some of the architecture, the society, and of course the gladiator arenas that inhabit Ilyon’s main country of Arcacia.

But Arcacia isn’t all cities. There are lots of forested areas. These are my favorite. I have a thing for English forests and those amazing English trees you see gracing the screen in British TV shows like Downton Abbey. They are incredible, and I am a girl who loves trees and forests. That’s why so much of the book takes place within the forest. I’m also a huge fan of Robin Hood, and took a lot of inspiration from that story.

The one place I can point to for inspiration that I have actually visited is the Dells of the Eau Claire. This is a state park close to where I live and one of my favorite places to visit. It’s one of the really cool places in the area and has been a source of inspiration in my writing for a long time. It has gorgeous rock formations and amazing walking trails that transport me right into the heart of my stories. When I’m there, I can easily imagine places one might set up a hidden camp if we were living in a world like Ilyon.
 

 


You can order Resistance on Amazon!

CLUE! Write down this clue: northern
The next stop on our map is Stop #3, Seultrie, on Ronie Kendig’s blog.

Before you move on, I am giving away a bronze sword bookmark to three lucky winners. To enter, use the form below. Winners will be selected Tuesday, February 21st. Thanks for visiting my blog. Enjoy the rest of the scavenger hunt!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  Dells photo by pixn8tr [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

I Must Be Crazy (or How I Decided to Do NaNoWriMo)

That’s right, I’m doing NaNoWriMo this year! It’s my first time ever. I’ve done Camp NaNo for a couple of years, but never this. Whenever I would think of NaNoWriMo, I would always think “There is no way I’m subjecting myself to that. It doesn’t even sound fun.” 50K words is a lot. I love being able to choose your word count for Camp NaNo. It’s flexible. It’s not super daunting. It’s fun. So yeah, two weeks ago, NaNo wasn’t even on my radar. I was planning to get ready for the holidays and work hard on editing Exiles during the cozy indoor fall weather. Oh, silly me. In true author fashion, my plans all jumped out the window laughing hysterically at me. In their place arrived this new story idea, all shiny and exciting and demanding my attention. And not just a story idea, but one way on the opposite end of my comfort zone. You see, this story idea is contemporary romance. Now, the romance part is nothing new for me, obviously. I’m a hopeless romantic, after all. But the contemporary part?!

Uh-huh, yeah, contemporary. So I’m like, okay, cool, I’ll just write down these ideas in my future stories notebook so I don’t forget anything. Again, silly me. There go my plans laughing at me once more. Because guess what? There’s this thing called NaNoWriMo, and it would be SO PERFECT to write this story during it! I was a goner by this point. Resistance was futile. I gave in and somehow, despite all the extra life craziness happening this month, I actually committed to writing a whole novel in November. I’m insane! But then, for a writer, insanity can be the absolute best thing. If I manage to do this (is that laughter I hear?), then I’ll have a whole story that didn’t even exist a couple of weeks ago in only a month. Sounds good to me. It’s not like it’s going to significantly delay anything with Ilyon Chronicles, and maybe the change will help with that too.

So basically, all that semi-insane rambling was to introduce my NaNo project (i.e. my current “precious”). And I even have a temporary cover! It’s blue, people! BLUE. And below that, my brief synopsis!

Alexis “Alex” Jennings has had it with life. After losing her brother in Iraq, everything has collapsed around her. She can’t seem to keep a steady job and is failing to make it in her career as an artist—a career her parents never really understood or supported. Once she had faith to believe that all things would work together for good, but that faith died with her brother. Now she just wants the pain to end.

Riley Conrad served four military tours overseas until three bullets sent him home. After a year and a half of physical therapy, all he wants is to live a normal, simple life, and perhaps even open the coffee shop he has always dreamed about. However, the weight of failing his parents’ expectations doesn’t make it easy, and working as a bartender isn’t getting him anywhere fast.

Could a “chance” meeting between Alex and Riley set them both on the path God always intended?

So there you have it. I've set up a Pinterest board for it that you can check out here if you want to get a feel for the story. As a first time NaNoWriMo-er, I’m pretty excited. It’s going to be a completely new experience on so many levels. So here’s to hoping the excitement carries me through the next 30 days, and good luck to all my fellow adventurers! Oh, and feel free to buddy me if you feel so inclined! ;)

Marrok MacIntyre Blog Launch Q&A

Today I’m bringing you a Q&A with fellow homeschooler and writer, Marrok MacIntyre, who is launching a brand new blog!

What made you want to start a blog?

I wanted my future readers to get to know a little bit about me and thought a blog was the best way to go about it.

Why did you start to read comics?

Well comics helped me learn to read. Books didn’t really interest me at the time but comics did so I became a better reader by reading comics about my favorite superheroes.

So you’re an artist, what made you want to pick up the pencil?

Honestly I don’t remember why I started drawing, first it was just something to pass the time, I think. But then I grew to really enjoy it. And to this day I still enjoy drawing all kinds of different things. From superheroes to dragon riders. From orcs to animals. Here I’ll show you some Dragons I draw from Donita K. Paul’s The DragonKeeper Chronicles.

What is your favorite genre to write in?

Well I really enjoy writing fantasy and whatever genera you call superhero.

Do you have a favorite Superhero?

Ohhhh that’s a heard one. I can’t say I have a favorite superhero. But I have more of a top 10 for both Marvel and Dc Comics.

Marrok is also having a special giveaway to celebrate, so make sure you check out his new blog!

What do you want to see in an author newsletter?

Some of you may have noticed that I’ve completely neglected my emailing list for a long time now. Adult life has kind of hit me out of nowhere and left me scrambling to keep up with everything. As I attempt to better organize, one of the things I’m trying to get going is a bi-monthly newsletter. That has led me to ask, what do readers want from an author newsletter? I’ve done a little research and have a few ideas, but since you all are the ones who will be reading it, I wanted to ask you. I’ve created the little survey below. In the first box you can give suggestions of what you would love to see in my newsletter. Below that, you can pick the ideas that are most interesting to you. I plan to have the first of my new newsletters out next month, so your help and suggestions are greatly appreciated! And if you haven't signed up for my emailing list, but would like to, you can do so here. :)

A New Month and a Couple of Updates

It’s June already? Where did May go?!! Oh, that’s right. It was full of book release craziness, trying to catch up on things that were neglected in preparation for Samara’s release, and actively avoiding catching the stomach virus making its way through my family. Such fun. :P I did manage to squeeze in some sewing as well. I’ll have to share some photos of my new historical outfits when I’ve finished. I’m going for a completely new look than I’ve been doing for the past several years of reenacting.

Since it’s June 1st, I wanted to share a couple of updates.

1. There are 2 weeks left to enter the 2016 Ilyon Chronicles fan art contest! Three winners will recieve an Amazon gift card. If you’re thinking about entering, don’t let time get away from you (as it has a habit of doing)!
2. A couple of months ago, I decided to test the waters and expand distribution of my ebooks to ebook retailers other than Amazon. Turns out not to be the best business decision for me. While I would still love to have wider distribution, I have chosen to go back to selling Kindle books exclusively on Amazon. This means that they are now back on Kindle Unlimited! So if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, you can read all the current Ilyon Chronicles books for free!
3. I’m on Tumblr! I was always on the fence about Tumblr. I already have a blog (obviously) and I don’t need yet another social media site to maintain. However, since Tumblr is like the home of fandoms, I’m giving it a go. Because I love fandoms and fangirling. Everyone needs a place for that, right? So my Tumblr will be a combination of writing/book stuff and my favorite fandomness.
4. Now that Samara’s Peril is out, what’s next? Good question. Of course, I am going to start seriously editing Exiles. And no, I don’t have a timeline for its release yet. Whenever I make tentative guesses, I always get myself in trouble because I never seem to finish when I intend to. :P On the actual writing front, I have about a half a chapter left to finish in the Ilyon bonus “short” story I’ve been working on. After that, it’s on to writing book six! Yay!

Updates, Awards, and a Release Date

I feel like life has been crazy for the last half a year. I’ve probably used the word “crazy” in my last several blog posts and emails. However, finally, I feel like that craziness might be calming down some now, at least for a few weeks. One of the biggest things to thank is that I FINALLY finished editing Samara’s Peril!! *happy dance* I sent it off to my beta readers on Saturday. One of them already finished it. :) Now we’re laughing over how both of us (she’s an author too) always torture our main characters. Or maybe we shouldn’t be laughing… *shrugs*

Anyway, now that SP is out of my hands, I have a whole glorious month where I don’t have to think about it. I REALLY need that break. Now I can actually do some writing. I’m working on a short story that takes place after book five of Ilyon Chronicles. One of my characters went and fell in love without my permission. Now I have to tell their story. So book six is temporarily on hold while I get this story finished. I love it though. The couple is absolutely adorable. ^_^

Oh yeah, I mentioned a release date in the post title. Now that SP is well on it’s way to publication, I can finally set a release date! I have decided that Samara’s Peril will be officially published on May 13th!


It’s a Friday instead of a Tuesday this time. I figured all you awesome readers would appreciate having the weekend to read it. ;) It’s a bit later than I was hoping to publish it, but that’s how life goes. I probably could have published it in April, but I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to get things all perfectly set up. April will be slightly busy anyway. My cousin, who’s like the sister I never had, is getting married!! So I’ll be away for a couple of days for that. :)

And now for the awards part. I’m a bit behind in sharing this news (you know, all that craziness), but Resistance has won the Illumination Awards Enduring Light gold medal for Christian Ficiton! I still squeal with excitement when I think about it. Especially since it’s the Christian Fiction category, not just fantasy. Also, fellow author Nadine Brandes won the gold in YA fiction! Yay for Christian fantasy doing so well!!

And this is even older, though I just found out recently, but The King’s Scrolls won best book in the 2015 Blogger Book Awards hosted by Allison at The Art of Storytelling. I am so honored! *gives a big virtual hug to everyone who nominated TKS*

So there’s all the latest in my author life! I’m also working on a little project that I’m hoping to share sometime later this week, so stay tuned. I just have to iron out the last few wrinkles and get it spiffed up and ready to go. ;)

A Special Sneak Peek

I hope everyone is having a great start to their new year! As I mentioned in my last post, the holidays were crazy for me, but life is settling down again, which means I've been able to re-devote my time to editing. Initially, I had hoped to have Samara's Peril about ready to publish by now, but it just kept getting pushed back. Now I'm tentatively looking at an April/May release. Maybe even March if things go swimmingly (which is unlikely, but one can hope :). Everyone has been so patient and supportive, so I wanted to offer a special sneak peek at the first chapter of the book! It more or less sets the theme for the entire book. Just click on the link below to read it! (And keep in mind that it will still got through all my beta readers and proofreader before the final version.)

Link!

Black Friday Craziness

I don’t know how many of you braved the Black Friday craziness. I did. Yep, I dragged myself out of bed, stumbled through getting dressed, and braved the cold. And. It. Was. Cold. *shivers* By the time I actually got inside the first store, I didn’t care about any of the sales anymore. I just wanted to get warm! Well, I did end up getting everything I wanted, so it wasn’t for nothing. But I’m cozied up at home now, wearing the new Minion pajama pants I just bought. And I’m thinking more and more about how I like shopping online instead. So, if you’re like me, here are the Black Friday sales I have to offer you! I had them all in my email I sent out on Wednesday, but not all of you are on my emailing list and I didn’t want you to miss out!

All the Ilyon Kindle books are on sale! Just hop on over to Amazon to get your copies, or gift them to someone! There’s also a sale on nearly all of my previously published books (as Molly Evangeline). You can find them on Amazon too.

But Kindle books aren’t the only book sales for you! You can get all of my paperbacks at around 20% off, plus get book sets at a discount. And they all include free shipping! Just check out Indie Christian Books. You can order the Resistance audiobook CD there as well. And there are many other awesome books by indie Christian authors on sale too!

And don’t forget Etsy! From now through Monday you can get 20% off all jewelry and accessories! Just use the promo code HOLIDAY20 at checkout.

Thanks for your support!

Books I’m Thankful For and Black Friday Book Sale!

Like most other bookworms, great books make their way onto my "things I'm thankful for" list every year. It's hard to choose favorites, especially since I didn’t get a chance to read nearly as many as I would have liked, but here are five books I read in 2015 and am thankful for.

1. The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson: I had heard of Brandon Sanderson, but didn’t know anything about his books. I probably never would have read them if I had not seen some of my online friends gushing over them. It’s hard to find good fantasy, and this book, along with book 2, quickly became on of my all time favorites. I am thankful to have a fantasy series that is not only fascinating, but quite clean as far as secular fiction goes. 
2. Exiles, by R.J. Larson: I was so excited to start R.J. Larson’s new series, and it did not disappoint. One of the things I love most about her books is how well she writes God’s relationship with His people. Her books are not only entertaining, but also very spiritually uplifting. 
3. Dare, by Tricia Mingerink (which is part of the Black Friday sale!!): You never know what it’s going to be like reading an indie book. Will it be good? Will it be bad? And if you happen to know the author, what in the world do you tell them if you don’t like it?! I had some of these anxieties when I first sat down to read Dare. Oh what a pleasant surprise. The book was fantastic, and I completely fell in love with it. Book 2 is just as good. I love how real Tricia’s characters and their struggles are.
4. Siren’s Fury, by Mary Weber: This is a rather dark series, but it’s definitely one that gets you thinking. I very much appreciated the powerful conclusion the main character reached concerning the power of love.
5. A Worthy Pursuit, by Karen Witemeyer: Karen Witemeyer is my favorite historical author. I’m always giddy with excitement whenever she has a new book coming out. I’m thankful to have such wonderful stories to look forward to from her.

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to another great year of reading! Speaking of more reading, here's one more thing to be grateful for. Books on sale! In honor of Thanksgiving and Black Friday, a group of independent Christian authors banded together to offer over seventy discounted books on Nov 27-30. There's literally something for everyone.

Every single book listed on Indie Christian Books is on sale in one or more ways. Find discounted paperbacks, dozens of books offered with free shipping, $0.99 ebooks, package deals and more. Even if you have a budget of $0, new reading material awaits you.

Don't know what to pick? The fearless Indie Christian Books team created a quiz that will generate a book list perfect for you! Check it out!



What awesome reads of 2015 are you grateful for? What books are you looking forward to reading in 2016?

A note on the Ebooks Only page. All books are listed as "Sold Out." This only refers to paperback copies of these titles. Please click onto the product pages to find descriptions and links to discounted or free ebooks.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Leah E. Good for her work organizing this sale, Gloria Repp for completing the time consuming job of uploading book info to the sale website, and Hannah Mills for her fantastic design work on the website graphics. Hannah can be contacted at hmills(at)omorecollege(dot)edu for more information about her design services.

An Update and a New Award!

Hey everyone! Long time, no . . . uh, post. Yeah, my life is a chaotic mix of racing to edit Samara’s Peril, keeping up with Etsy orders, and preparing for holiday sales. I seriously feel like I’m never going to catch up. Why can’t days be 48 hours instead of 24? I definitely need a few more hours to get to everything that’s pressing on me every day. Such is the life of a self-employed entrepreneur, I suppose. Despite all the chaos, I am incredibly grateful for how God has been providing and giving me success I never imagined having, in both my writing and my Etsy business. I might feel like I’m drowning in deadlines and pressing business stuff, but it’s better than wondering how you will afford even simple necessities.

Now, for the award bit. I’m a little late in sharing this news, but a couple of weeks ago, I got the news that Resistance has been honored with a B.R.A.G. Medallion!

I’m so excited about how Resistance is doing. I was really quite nervous when I first published it, sending my baby out into the big, scary world. But my fears weren’t necessary, thanks to God working in the story and the wonderful readers who have become so dear to me over the last year and a half. You all are the best! :)

A Special Thank You

Can you believe May is just about over? I knew it would go fast with everything I had planned, but I can’t believe we’ve reached the end already. This means, sadly, that the Resistance Anniversary Celebration is just about over. This will be one of my last posts for it. I wasn’t sure what to write about today. Originally I was going to find some fun Ilyon Chronicles facts to share on the Ilyon blog like I usually do on Wednesdays, but I decided on something else. I decided to say thank you.

Being an author is a tough job. I was 14 or 15 when I first decided I wanted to be one. I knew nothing about it or what it would entail, I just knew I wanted to be like Tolkien. The thing about dreams is, when they first come to you, they seem so possible yet so unobtainable at the same time. I dreamed about what it would be like to have people read my stories, what it would be like to sign books (yes, I did practice my signature, though it ended up not meaning anything since I ended up using a pen name). Silly little daydreams you want to come true but never really believe will come true.

Well, it did come true a few years later. I was eighteen when published my first book, The Pirate Daughter’s Promise. I still had no idea what I was doing, but you have to start somewhere, right? I published several more books following that. But you know what? The dream wasn’t everything I thought it would be. Sure, it was fun and exciting. I was actually an author! But it was really discouraging too. That’s kind of what happens when you first start something and don’t know what you’re doing. You feel like you’re getting nowhere. I had high times and low times. One of those low times was around the time I started Ilyon Chronicles. I knew there was something different about it, but I had no idea the extent of what God was going to do with it. After almost eight years of being an author, I finally feel as though I’m getting somewhere. I finally feel like I have even a small grasp on what I am doing. Have the discouraging times disappeared? No, this job is still very hard, but the blessings that come through it outweigh the hard parts.

This is where my thank you comes in. I owe my ultimate thanks to my Savior who redeemed me and gave me a gift I love and can use to serve Him. I thank my mom who taught me and passed on her love for writing. I wouldn’t have made it far without her. And I thank you, all of my readers, because, without you, I wouldn’t be where I am. The enthusiasm I’ve gotten for Ilyon Chronicles is exactly what I dreamed about in my teens, but never imagined actually happening. Your notes of encouragement, the discussions over at Goodreads that make me laugh, the way you love my characters—it means SO much to me. I’ve received so many messages thanking me for writing my books, but I have to say thank YOU. You’re the ones helping to fulfill my dreams. You’re the ones showing me that all things are possible with God—that a highly introverted, imperfect, small town girl can actually touch the lives of people she has never met. So thank you for being part of this adventure with me. I look forward to journeying on with all of you!

P.S. Check out Katie’s awesome “How I Discovered Ilyon” post today! These are the sort of things that make me love being an author. :)

Also, there are only a couple of days to enter the anniversary giveaway! (US entries only please.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Awards for Indie Fiction

Here is a post I’ve been promising over at Goodreads for a couple of weeks now. About the time I published Resistance, I started scouring the internet to find book award contests that accepted indies. Easier said than done, that’s for sure. I spent hours compiling a list of contests to check out. To help out my fellow indie authors, here is that list. I’ve only entered two so far (Readers’ Favorite and the LYRA Award), so I can’t vouch for most of them, but I do want to check out others once I decide which ones fit in my budget and would be the most beneficial.

• Readers’ Favorite
• LYRA Award
• EPIC eBook Competition
• The Kindle Book Review’s Awards
• Illumination Book Awards (Christian Fiction)
• Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards
• Independent Publisher Book Awards
• IndieReader Discovery Awards
• Indie Excellence Awards
• Indie Book Awards
• Global eBook Awards
• IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards
• eLit Awards
• Best Indie Book Award
• International Book Awards
• New York Book Festival
• San Francisco Book Festival