I know that at least most of you who have ordered a paperback copy of Song of the Wren-Falcon won't have your books yet, but I also know that some of you have already purchased the e-book version and started reading. (Give yourselves a hug for me.)
If that's the case, of course post your review on Amazon as soon as possible. Nothing helps a book get off to a good start like getting some good reviews right off the bat.
But once that's done, you can also pop in at Shelfari.com and join in a discussion about the book! General impressions are welcome, of course, but I'd love to get some deeper conversations going as well. How did the book make you feel? What did the story make you think about? Do you have a favorite or least favorite character? Who, and why? What are you hoping to see in the sequel? (You know, the kind of conversation you and a friend might have talking about books over a cup of hot chocolate.)
I'm excited to hear your thoughts. Chime in and let's get talking!
November 28, 2014
November 26, 2014
The Song of the Wren-Falcon Now Available on Kindle!
Well, it's Day 3 of The Song of the Wren-Falcon's existence as a published book, and it's a special day because it's now available as an e-book as well as in print!
I know some of you awesome people out there have already ordered your own print copies, and may I just say - you rock. But for those of you who prefer the e-book format (or who just can't wait for the print copy to arrive in the mail), the e-book is here!
Click Here to download the Kindle format.
Click Here for other e-book formats.
And of course, no matter what format you read The Song of the Wren-Falcon in, don't forget to write a review and post it on Amazon, GoodReads, and blogs. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think! :D
I know some of you awesome people out there have already ordered your own print copies, and may I just say - you rock. But for those of you who prefer the e-book format (or who just can't wait for the print copy to arrive in the mail), the e-book is here!
Click Here to download the Kindle format.
Click Here for other e-book formats.
And of course, no matter what format you read The Song of the Wren-Falcon in, don't forget to write a review and post it on Amazon, GoodReads, and blogs. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think! :D
November 24, 2014
It's Here!
That's right, everybody. After seven-and-a-half years, eight drafts, countless revisions, and a title change, my first novel is now published and available.
Don't take this as bragging on my part (I didn't design the cover, after all) but...isn't it gorgeous? And really, I don't just mean the cover art. I mean the whole thing--the fact that it's finally--finally!--after all these years, 100% complete and out there on the market for real.
I've had the goal of becoming a published novelist since I was fourteen years old. Twelve years of struggling and striving. One hour ago, my book went live and that goal was achieved. Just like that I passed an incredible milestone and entered a whole new chapter of this wildly amazing adventure that God has dragged me along on.
And He's the reason for it all. Without Him, I never would have been able to see this novel through to the end. He is the One who gave me the endurance I needed, the One who held me up when I wanted to fall, the One who saw fit to plant a tiny little seed of an idea in my imagination, when He could so easily have chosen someone else, and so patiently helped me nurture and raise it into the amazing story it is today. I can say that without bragging too, because in a lot of ways I don't feel like I wrote this story at all. It was all God, and I was just the pen He chose to use.
I'm not a perfect pen; I know that I've made mistakes along the way, and that the book isn't perfect in all the ways it could be; but I can still say with absolute confidence that this is God's story. I have witnessed the transformation He has performed, from "tiny story seed", through "Mary's rather shallow interpretation thereof", to the story it is today. I know what God has used this story to teach me about Himself, and that is what gives me the assurance that He can use it to bless the lives of others as well, whether that blessing comes in the form of challenging someone to think about honor and loyalty and forgiveness in new and deeper ways, giving someone a new perspective of God's sovereignty, or simply letting someone enjoy an adventure.
I'm a writer; it's my job to tell a great story that readers will love. My livelihood depends on people buying and enjoying my book, so naturally I have to encourage you to hop on over and order your copy of Song of the Wren-Falcon. I want you to read it, love it, post reviews, put it in your local library, keep it on your bookshelf, share it, and recommend it. I want to hear your feedback and learn what you thought of it. I want you to be blessed by it.
But more importantly, I would love for each and every one of you to join me in thanking and praising God. Thank Him for allowing me to write this story. Thank Him for helping me see it through. Praise Him for the awesome aspects of His character that shine through this story. Thank Him for letting me achieve the dream He gave me twelve years ago.
Meanwhile, I'll be thanking Him for those same things, and also for all of you who have been so encouraging and inspiring to me. I'll be thanking Him for the wonderful adventure that my writing journey has been so far, and looking forward to following Him through this brand-new chapter that He opened up in my life when one little book popped up and went live online.
I know I've said it before--it seems like I've been saying it a lot lately--but God is good, my friends. That's just all there is to it.
Don't take this as bragging on my part (I didn't design the cover, after all) but...isn't it gorgeous? And really, I don't just mean the cover art. I mean the whole thing--the fact that it's finally--finally!--after all these years, 100% complete and out there on the market for real.
I've had the goal of becoming a published novelist since I was fourteen years old. Twelve years of struggling and striving. One hour ago, my book went live and that goal was achieved. Just like that I passed an incredible milestone and entered a whole new chapter of this wildly amazing adventure that God has dragged me along on.
And He's the reason for it all. Without Him, I never would have been able to see this novel through to the end. He is the One who gave me the endurance I needed, the One who held me up when I wanted to fall, the One who saw fit to plant a tiny little seed of an idea in my imagination, when He could so easily have chosen someone else, and so patiently helped me nurture and raise it into the amazing story it is today. I can say that without bragging too, because in a lot of ways I don't feel like I wrote this story at all. It was all God, and I was just the pen He chose to use.
I'm not a perfect pen; I know that I've made mistakes along the way, and that the book isn't perfect in all the ways it could be; but I can still say with absolute confidence that this is God's story. I have witnessed the transformation He has performed, from "tiny story seed", through "Mary's rather shallow interpretation thereof", to the story it is today. I know what God has used this story to teach me about Himself, and that is what gives me the assurance that He can use it to bless the lives of others as well, whether that blessing comes in the form of challenging someone to think about honor and loyalty and forgiveness in new and deeper ways, giving someone a new perspective of God's sovereignty, or simply letting someone enjoy an adventure.
I'm a writer; it's my job to tell a great story that readers will love. My livelihood depends on people buying and enjoying my book, so naturally I have to encourage you to hop on over and order your copy of Song of the Wren-Falcon. I want you to read it, love it, post reviews, put it in your local library, keep it on your bookshelf, share it, and recommend it. I want to hear your feedback and learn what you thought of it. I want you to be blessed by it.
But more importantly, I would love for each and every one of you to join me in thanking and praising God. Thank Him for allowing me to write this story. Thank Him for helping me see it through. Praise Him for the awesome aspects of His character that shine through this story. Thank Him for letting me achieve the dream He gave me twelve years ago.
Meanwhile, I'll be thanking Him for those same things, and also for all of you who have been so encouraging and inspiring to me. I'll be thanking Him for the wonderful adventure that my writing journey has been so far, and looking forward to following Him through this brand-new chapter that He opened up in my life when one little book popped up and went live online.
I know I've said it before--it seems like I've been saying it a lot lately--but God is good, my friends. That's just all there is to it.
November 21, 2014
It's Coming...
If you read my last post, you'll remember me talking about how God apparently likes changing all my plans of what I think I'm going to do. And then I said "I plan on doing NaNoWriMo this year". Should've seen that one coming, I guess. More than two-thirds of the way through the month, I've got a grand total of about 3,000 words written. Yeah, NaNo has been thrown out the window. For future reference, in case you were wondering: Don't attempt NaNoWriMo in the month your first novel is scheduled to release.
But that does bring me to a piece of big news: My novel is about to be released! "About to be," as in two days from now!
Well...that's the plan, anyway. And by now I think we should all be catching on to what happens to plans. But if all goes well, Song of the Wren-Falcon should be available for sale either Sunday or Monday, the 23rd or 24th!
Don't worry, I'll let you all know the minute it's live and available. You'll be able to find it here at the Lair, at Splashdown's website, or on Amazon. (And by the way, if you haven't checked out my Amazon Author page, Click Here.)
Since several of you have emailed or otherwise contacted me to ask how I've been doing through all of this, I suppose now is as good a time as any to share an update.
The simple answer is: AWESOME!!!
The more complex answer is: Exhausted, stressed out, panicking, giddy, distracted, sleep-deprived...and loving it.
I know, I know, that doesn't make any sense. But it's the truth. My publisher Grace and I are cramming to get five million last-minute things done for the book and I'm busy arranging book signings and interviews, on top of the normal work that Grace and I both still have to do. It's crazy and overwhelming, but I'm truly enjoying it. This is brand-new territory for me, after all. You only publish your first novel once, you know? And in my humble (though, I will admit, slightly biased) opinion, I don't think I could dream up or ask for anything to make the situation better. Sure, it's stressful. Sure, I don't remember the last time I got eight hours of sleep all together. Sure, I'm still miffed at my mother and best friend for forcing me to read an excerpt of my book aloud at the launch party on the 30th.
But if I'm honest...how many people get an opportunity like this in their lifetimes? What did I ever do to deserve any of this? The answer is "not many" and "nothing".
Everything that's happening right now is a blessing and a gift, completely undeserved, and I don't want to miss or take for granted one tiny bit of it.
The fact is, God is good. Understatement? Yes. There is no word that could even come close to capturing the immense goodness of our King. But at the same time, no. "God is good" is not an understatement. Reality is just that profoundly simple.
So on that note, I'm off to get back into my reality--because we're not out of the woods yet, and a lot still has to happen before the 23rd. Stick around!
But that does bring me to a piece of big news: My novel is about to be released! "About to be," as in two days from now!
Well...that's the plan, anyway. And by now I think we should all be catching on to what happens to plans. But if all goes well, Song of the Wren-Falcon should be available for sale either Sunday or Monday, the 23rd or 24th!
Don't worry, I'll let you all know the minute it's live and available. You'll be able to find it here at the Lair, at Splashdown's website, or on Amazon. (And by the way, if you haven't checked out my Amazon Author page, Click Here.)
Since several of you have emailed or otherwise contacted me to ask how I've been doing through all of this, I suppose now is as good a time as any to share an update.
The simple answer is: AWESOME!!!
The more complex answer is: Exhausted, stressed out, panicking, giddy, distracted, sleep-deprived...and loving it.
I know, I know, that doesn't make any sense. But it's the truth. My publisher Grace and I are cramming to get five million last-minute things done for the book and I'm busy arranging book signings and interviews, on top of the normal work that Grace and I both still have to do. It's crazy and overwhelming, but I'm truly enjoying it. This is brand-new territory for me, after all. You only publish your first novel once, you know? And in my humble (though, I will admit, slightly biased) opinion, I don't think I could dream up or ask for anything to make the situation better. Sure, it's stressful. Sure, I don't remember the last time I got eight hours of sleep all together. Sure, I'm still miffed at my mother and best friend for forcing me to read an excerpt of my book aloud at the launch party on the 30th.
But if I'm honest...how many people get an opportunity like this in their lifetimes? What did I ever do to deserve any of this? The answer is "not many" and "nothing".
Everything that's happening right now is a blessing and a gift, completely undeserved, and I don't want to miss or take for granted one tiny bit of it.
The fact is, God is good. Understatement? Yes. There is no word that could even come close to capturing the immense goodness of our King. But at the same time, no. "God is good" is not an understatement. Reality is just that profoundly simple.
So on that note, I'm off to get back into my reality--because we're not out of the woods yet, and a lot still has to happen before the 23rd. Stick around!
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