The Adelfian Prophecies Series, now on Facebook!

Guess what, everybody? My epic fantasy series, The Adelfian Prophecies, now has its own Facebook page, where you can not only keep up to date on all the latest happenin's as I continue writing the series, but also take part in discussions about the series, ask questions about already-released or upcoming books, share favorite scenes or characters, talk about what the stories mean to you...and well, maybe even get a sneak peek or two.
I'd love for you to join me, so visit facebook.com/TheAdelfianProphecies, like the page, and let the journey begin!

Sneak Peek of The Second Prophecy!

As promised last week, here comes a special preview of the sequel to The Song of the Wren-Falcon!

Tentative Title: A Traitor’s Prayer

Possible Alternative Title: The Flight of the Moth

Characters: Many of the characters you know from The Song of the Wren-Falcon, but with a few new faces thrown into the mix—and, well, some old faces making re-appearances in such unexpected ways that they might as well be brand-new characters!

Conflict: Since the end of The Song of the Wren-Falcon, Adelfia has enjoyed six years of peace. Sorek and Orienne are busy with their growing family, as are Cyrus and Viette, and Ryker and Ashnin. Sorek’s biggest problems are trying to keep neighboring countries happy about trade rates, and trying to figure out where his four-year-old learned the word “disembowel”…until a message from Moritar gives him reason to fear that the peace they have been enjoying may not last much longer.

A mysterious dark power has taken hold in Moritar’s capital city. King Saras is dead, murdered by sorcery. And although the ominous turn of events points at Shekiah Hyn, the only known sorcerer remaining in Moritar, she has disappeared and not even Adelfia’s deepest spies can locate her.

Sorek fears that the peace is ending, and that things are about to take a turn for the worse. What he doesn’t know is that the Second Prophecy is about to fulfill itself in ways more wildly incredible than anything he could ever have imagined.

Old fears are about to raise their heads again. Old wounds are about to be reopened. Dark pasts will be revealed. Friendships will be strained to the breaking point. Love will bloom in impossible places. The darkness will deepen, and the cost of defeating it will climb.

What I’m Excited About: In this book I not only get to continue the personal stories of the central characters from Book 1 (characters like Sorek, Orienne, and Allegar), but I also get to dive much deeper into some of the secondary characters who didn’t really have that much time in the spotlight in the first book (characters like Gabriel, Albrius, and Shekiah). I’m so excited about this! It was hard for me to leave these characters largely unexplored and undeveloped in Song of the Wren-Falcon, but the wait is definitely proving worth it! (Now you all can get to know them as well as I do!)

I’m excited about the message of this story—in many ways a re-hash or continuation of the message of Book 1, but woven through enough plot twists and surprises to make it fresh and new.

I’m excited to introduce a couple of new characters as well…but their identities are still classified and you’ll just have to wait and read the book. :P

And of course, because I am a hopeless romantic, I can’t help being super excited about the two love stories that will play out over the course of Book 2. I won’t say much—this isn’t a spoiler post, after all—but I will say that one of the love stories will be both hilarious and heart-wrenching, and the other one will be deeply moving and absolutely gorgeous. And heart wrenching. (Sorry, that’s just the way it turned out. Don’t worry, my publisher and I are currently discussing the logistics of inserting small packets of tissues in the back of every hard copy of the book. [Some restrictions apply; not available with digital versions of the book.])

But what I’d really like to know is: What are you looking forward to in Book 2? What are you hoping to see? Share your thoughts! Who knows? If I like your ideas, you might just end up influencing the story. So don’t be shy!

Coming Soon: My New Release!

That's right! Since the release of my novel last November, I've been hearing from lots of you who read my book and wanted more. (Thanks, by the way! There's no better way to make an author's day!)
The sequel to The Song of the Wren-Falcon is still in the works...but it is in the works, never fear! So to tide you all over until it gets here, I'm releasing a mini-book collection of some of my short works.

A very few of you may remember my poem, A Knight on the Old North Shore, from several years ago. For those of you who don't remember, it was the first work I ever published, back in 2009. The interesting thing is that today, among those who know it, it is still by far my most popular and loved work.
So it seemed appropriate to make it the title work of this collection. It will appear alongside three other works, two short stories and another poem.
The official release date isn't set yet, but it will be soon, and of course I'll let you all know. This will only be available as an e-book, since it's so short (printing wouldn't really be cost effective for anyone involved), but it will be available in multiple formats, so no matter what e-reader you use, you'll be able to get it.
Stay tuned--I'll keep you updated on its release!

Join the Discussion!

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!

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

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.

Book Review: Giants in the Land

Author: Clark Rich Burbidge
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy/Allegory
Publisher: WinePress Publishing
Pages: 125

Although I had no idea what to expect from this book when it arrived in the mail, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed. The premise of the story and the plot itself were both good, but the way in which they were executed was less than satisfactory. A huge percentage of the book was taken up with description and explanation, and many times while reading it I found myself thinking "Just get to the point already!".
There was plenty of action in the story - dangerous quests, encounters with with vicious wolves, multiple near-drownings, scaling mountains, and of course encounters with giants - but somehow it failed to capture my interest and arouse any excitement. Each plot point was delivered more like a straightforward statement of fact rather than a dramatic, in-the-moment experience.
There were also a few instances where the author gave details that I happen to know are not accurate. For instance, he mentions that the fireplace in the main character's house is made of 'river stones'. But if there is one thing anybody who's used to building fires knows, it's that you never ever build a fireplace or fire pit or fire ring out of river stones, unless you want to risk blowing yourself to pieces. Most readers probably wouldn't know that, but I can't help finding it annoying when a book contains inaccurate details like that.
I know the book is intended for younger readers, but I feel safe saying that that isn't the reason I found it bland. Some of my favorite books of all time are juvenile fiction, and I've read plenty of books in the genre that have kept me riveted to my seat. This just wasn't one of those books.
I was also a little unsure about the overall message of the story: namely, the importance of learning not to depend too much on others for help and confidence, and of not becoming cowed or bitter when the giants in our lives are taken away (giants in this case being a good thing). The importance of unlocking your own potential and growing to 'become something more' was heavily emphasized. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with utilizing your full potential, but I felt like this story almost turned it more towards self-reliance and didn't emphasize growth in Christ explicitly enough.
Overall, I felt like this book could have been trimmed into a more concise short story, or expanded into a novel, which would have made it possible to deliver the same message naturally, without having to explain and describe so much. Instead, it just fell somewhere in the awkward middle.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for my review.

Color Wars

(Son of the Shield Status Report)

I am what is considered a self-motivated person. For some reason, a lot of people take that term to mean that I never struggle with a lack of motivation, it's just always there automatically. While that would be immensely handy, unfortunately it doesn't work that way. Being self-motivated means just that: I can motivate myself, and it's usually more effective than motivation from an outside source. But it doesn't happen automatically. It still takes effort on my part - sometimes a lot of effort.
I'm also a very visually-oriented person, and I've found that being able to view my own progress is essential to keeping myself motivated. When I was still in school, I kept progress charts and crossed off each block of work I had completed. Being able to see and track my progress that way made a huge difference in my motivation level.
This past week as I was working on Son of the Shield, I found myself wishing for some way to do that same thing. Since I'm editing and rewriting, tracking word count is impossible. Since I'm not going through the book in order, tracking page numbers won't work. Since half the chapter breaks haven't been placed yet, checking off a chapter at a time can't be done.
So, I've finally settled on a game of color wars to keep me cracking (and to keep myself from going over the same favorite section again and again trying to make it 'just a little better'). Once a section is completed, it gets put into blue font. The sections still needing work are in black. And, I'm happy to say, Team Blue seems to be in the lead! It's difficult to be certain because the sections are very mixed up and it's hard to tell percentage proportions without wasting ridiculous amounts of time. But, if progress continues well, it should be very easy to tell very soon. So stay tuned for the next update on the progress of the great Son of the Shield Color War!

Where do you get your motivation? Do you find it easy to stay motivated, or is it a struggle?

Son of the Shield Status Report

Only seventeen days left to go on the deadline, friends. I'm nervous about it getting so close, but I'm also getting pretty excited. I'm starting to see all the little pieces of the story that have been disjointed or in a mess until now come together and start to look presentable, and after so long trying to organize this monstrous mess that is a happy sight, I can assure you.
I feel like I've been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster the last few days, though, since I'm moving so fast through the manuscript. One minute I'm in the midst of a furious battle, then an angry tirade (the character's, not mine) then a one-on-one swordfight, then a capture, a chase, an escape (insert Peter Falk's voice saying 'revenge, giants, monsters, true love, miracles...') etc.
My characters and I are all going to be utterly exhausted by the time June 16th gets here. But that's okay, because starting June 17th, we're all taking a vacation. I'm going to sit in a lawn chair under the maple tree and start on the stack of new books that have been piling up waiting to be read, and my characters will all be free to relax and do whatever it is they do when we're not together trying to organize the three-ring circus called Son of the Shield.
But until then it's back to work. Daylight's burning.

Observations from the Whiteboard

Last summer I installed a small whiteboard on the wall of my bedroom/office, and it's proven invaluable for making story outlines, jotting down ideas, and making notes I know I'll only need for a while. At the moment, it's covered from top to bottom with notes on Son of the Shield. That should come as a surprise to no one, but this morning as I was dashing around trying to get ready for a trip to the used bookstore (Reason #1 I will never be a millionaire), I suddenly looked up at the whiteboard and noticed a recurring theme among my hastily scribbled melee of notes and ideas.

A few examples:

"...This will add a lot of depth and intrigue..."

"... you need to increase the intensity and emotion in this section..."

"... the readers need to feel the devastation..."

"... Make this part a chapter ending to make your readers freak out..."

Hmm. Well, if one were to draw a conclusion from my notes-to-self alone, I suppose it would be reasonable to assume I'm writing this novel just for the sake of torturing readers and dragging them to the brink of some kind of emotional breakdown. Let me make it clear right now that that is NOT my intent. If it were, I could accomplish it with much less trouble by simply dressing you all in wool socks and sweaters and throwing you into a pit filled with crushed-up Styrofoam peanuts... while playing Skillet CDs in chipmunk... and reading Amish romance aloud... and I'm sure you're beginning to get the picture.  ; )  Truly, I'm not doing all this just to torture you guys. I'm just trying to tell a good story.
That being said...

Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Son of the Shield - Status Report

Wednesday I spent an approximate total of six hours editing/rewriting sword fight and ambush scenes. During those six hours I had the Minas Tirith theme from the LOTR soundtrack on repeat (Click Here to listen) since it makes such great ambush music, but I'm pretty sure it's permanently engraved on my brain now. I've even dreamed it the last few nights.
Son of the Shield has some awesome revamped ambushes in it, though! (If I may say so without sounding boastful ; )
Special thanks go to my brother James, too, for all his help and insight on how the mind of a man works. I'm sure by now he's very tired of me saying "Okay, James, so if you were in this situation and so-and-so did such-and-such..." but he's been very patient and helpful, so hopefully my male readers of the future won't be disgusted with me. : )
The project as a whole is moving along well, and I'm very hopeful about making my deadline. 
A fellow Christian writer, Brian McBride, also gave me a great idea with some graphics he did for his own WIP (you can check them out Here, at his blog) and I'm starting to think about doing something kind of similar.
First things first, though - and finishing Son of the Shield is definitely first!

I'm not dead!

My apologies for the recent absence of posts. It's been a while since I've had access to the internet. So, here's a brief update of what's going on in my life:
Turkey season. So far my dad and sister have each bagged a turkey. It was my sister's first time hunting with us, and she did a great job! Our refrigerator is already nicely crowded with fresh meat, and I'm looking forward to my hunt coming up tomorrow morning (though not looking forward so much to getting up at 4:30 AM).
Homeschooling Convention. Most of this past week has been totally wrapped around getting ready for and working at the local homeschooling convention. It went pretty well, I think, and I was able to attend several really good seminars - I even got to meet Dr. Jason Lisle in person! (For those of you who don't know, Dr. Lisle is an astrophysicist who was with Answers in Genesis for several years and is now with the Institute for Creation Research, and I've been reading his work for years.)

I was also able to meet and talk to a fellow Christian writer who has just published his first novel, which I'll be reviewing over at The Flying Librarian's Hideout in a few days, so be sure to keep an eye out for Night of the Cossack.
More along the fantasy line of things, this weekend I became acquainted with a very cool business called SturdiGuns, owned and operated by a Christian, home schooling family. I liked what I saw so much that I even brought home a piece of their merchandise:

SturdiGuns creates realistic wooden silhouettes of various types of weapons. Most of their products are guns, but they offer a few different styles of swords and battle axes as well - all at amazingly low prices! Click Here to check out their website and see for yourself. Be keeping an eye out here, too, for the sword I bought to make another appearance. I have some very cool ideas in store for it... which brings me to next order of business in this update:
Son of the Shield. We're getting close, my friends! There are still a few little gaps that need to be filled in, some scenes that need to be streamlined, and one plot point that needs to be fleshed out a little more, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's getting closer. Finally! I'm very excited to be almost finished with the final draft so I can move on to the next step in my writing journey, which hopefully will include publishing and starting work on the sequel. Yes, there is a sequel to Son of the Shield, and I'm started to get very excited about the prospect of starting work on it. But in the meantime, I have some cool plans and ideas coming up for getting the word out about SOTS and ensuring that it receives a warm welcome into the literary world when (Lord willing) it arrives.
So, in closing, thanks for reading this update and, as always, be sure to stick around for whatever adventure is next!

The Joy of Writing God's Story

Those of you who know me personally will probably agree with me when I confess that I take myself way too seriously. It hurts to admit it, but it's a fact.
Another flaw I struggle with is getting way too focused on and wound up about minute details. Kind of like tunnel vision. Sometimes this can be a good thing, true. But when a situation calls for a look at the bigger picture, it can be a problem.

No, this isn't 'The Confessions of Mary', it's just a bit of intro into the thoughts I've been mulling over for the last day or two.
As I'm sure you can imagine, my tendency to take myself too seriously often attaches itself to my over-active attention to detail, and the results on my writing can be... oh, how shall I say it?... frustrating.
It's really nothing that extraordinary for me to find myself agonizing over the same section of a WIP for hours - occasionally days - because of some minor detail that really doesn't matter to the story, but that my sense of self-importance won't let slide.
Recent case in point: Should I, or should I not, give names to the different sectors of the capital city in Son of the Shield?
No, this decision will have no effect whatsoever on story or characters, it's just a detail that I had considered putting in to help flesh out my fantasy world. But I worried and stressed about it until it finally dawned on me: it doesn't matter! It has no effect whatsoever on the story, so why am I wasting valuable writing time stressing over it?
Naturally, my detail-obsessed, self-important side was quick to chime in. Isn't depth of detail important to creating a vivid, life-like fantasy world? After all, look at the kind of detail J.R.R. Tolkien built into Middle Earth - and The Lord of the Rings has been a best-seller for how long, now?
It was quite a heated little internal battle, let me tell you, but I eventually found the bottom line. It's this:
I am not J.R.R. Tolkien. I have not been tasked with building the next Middle Earth or writing the next international, multi-generational best seller.
I'm Mary Pursselley, and God has given me my own unique story to tell. My job is to do the very best I can in telling it... not to equal or even rival anyone else.
Somehow I don't really think God is all that interested in whether the sectors of the capital city have their own names. I get more of the impression that He just wants me to tell a great story about His grace and sovereignty.

So, I'm working on easing up a bit with the obsessive attention to detail and the exaggerated sense of my own importance. Sure, detail is important in building a fantasy world, and as a writer and a Christian I'm committed to always doing my best 'heartily, as unto the Lord'. But for now I'm putting away the microscope and working on just telling God's story, not building the next great fantasy world.
Interestingly enough, I'm having a lot more fun.