Tomorrow is a New Day

Or, rather, today is a new day.

Yesterday was kind of a bummer on the writing front. I got cut from the contest at the pitch stage... which means I got cut based on a 300-word synopsis that was supposed to explain what my book is about and make people want to read more. I had gotten a lot of feedback on my pitch, and was told by a few people I don't even know that if my pitch didn't make it, they didn't know what would. Which made me feel a little more on the confident side than I was last year. So getting cut was a little rough.

However, I am an eternal optimist, and staying blue just isn't in my nature. (the fact that I sold a copy of each of my books last night/this morning doesn't hurt, either). I didn't let the day close before I had submitted a query to an agent. I also have found at least a dozen or so other agents that I plan to query in the next few days/weeks.

I do have to get a synopsis written. I had one, but then I re-wrote my entire novel... the synopsis is still mostly accurate, but I should probably write a new/current one.

So for now, it's onward and upward!

On Growing Up as a Writer - accepting rejection

This one is harder. Criticism at least means you got some feedback.

The lists of the round 1 winners just came out, and my name isn't on them. I'm ok. I'm actually a little relieved, because it means I don't have to worry about the next key date.

Doesn't mean I don't want to cry... just a little... though.

What Readers Are Saying

Sometimes it's nice to get reviews from people who have read your book. Just thought I'd share what readers are saying about "The Dragon's Eye."

And a big THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to either review my book at Amazon or left me feedback over on my createspace preview!

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A good story has an interesting plot.  A Great Story has people that we want to root for.  Every Great Story and Every Great Movie has characters that we LOVE.  "The Dragon's Eye" is that kind of story.

A Heroic, Romantic, Dangerous, Clever, Unique, and Wholesome Adventure satisfying the  audience that desperately yearns for ALL OF THE ABOVE.   

Wholesome does not mean Boring.  In this case it means Fantastic, with Heroes that inspire and  Enemies who are Capable while both are Dangerous.   

The Romance is Sweet and Desireable, and remains that way.  The Scene where Brant "gently grabs Dylanna's wrist" is as powerful a love scene as any that Hollywood could create, only Hollywood has forgotten that art.

"The Dragon's Eye" opens the readers mind and heart to the Quadrilogy of Tellurae Aquaous, but more importantly it introduces us to some of our Favorite Literary Heroes in Brant, Kiernan, Kamarie, Oraeyn, Dylanna, and a host of others that we get to know in the course of these adventures.

If that qualifies as WHOLESOME, then "sign me up".

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This book is captivating and addictive. The writing is smooth and easy to follow, the characters become friends, and your really want to discover what they will do in particular situations. I would highly recommend this to anybody who enjoys a good fantasy read, and its completely appropriate for different age groups. The books is not perfect, however the influences are from the classics in the genre that made me love this type of book, and this has plenty of the plot meanderings that make it a great book. I highly recommend it.

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I read this book in 5 days. I could not set it down. The characters come to life on every page, and I wish there was more!
For those of us who love fantasty, anything to do with dragons, middle age lifestyle, swords, heroism, all that good stuff... This book is outstanding.
I cannot wait to read more from this author, her characters are quite compelling. 

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I didn't read the entire excerpt(I have a very short attention span), but I was struck by your use of language. You've got an excellent feel for it, and you write in a pleasing and lyrical tone.
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Freebie Friday

My favorite section of "The Dragon's Eye"

*~*~*~*~*~*
     “And who are you?” the funny looking man asked. “Perhaps I could write a song about it: the young boy who wandered alone the open roads of the southern realm. Ah! But that would make a magnificent tale!”
     As he spoke, his hands moved quickly, bringing out four brightly colored round objects. Throwing them up in the air, he tossed them back and forth in intricate patterns that took Yole’s breath away. Yole laughed delightedly and clapped his hands.
     The young man smiled and stood up to take a bow, “You like my juggling?”
     Yole nodded enthusiastically, “Yes, I do!”
     The strange man smiled again at the delight of his young audience, but then his shoulders drooped and his smile faltered, “It is truly a pity that no one else seems to,” he sighed dramatically.
    Yole looked at him quizzically, “What do you mean?”
    “I am completely unappreciated by many of my audiences,” the man sighed again and put a hand to his forehead, his voice was plaintive but uncomplaining. “I tried to get an audience at the castle, but they have too many minstrels already, or so they told me. Then I tried to juggle and sing for the rich merchants, but they are all more interested in the newer stories and the fancier tricks, bah! Fancier tricks! Why, when I juggle I make their heads spin, but that’s the way of the rich, they’re alright until you want to be paid, then they get stingy on you and hem and haw about how little talent you really have. Hah! They wouldn’t know talent if it reached out and pinched their noses, now there would be a sight! Ha ha!” The man’s voice changed with each turn of his story, as if he were weaving the words into an intricate pattern on some unseen loom.
    Yole laughed at the antics of the minstrel. The minstrel did not notice, but continued talking, almost as though to himself.
    “No siree, there is no greater talent beneath the Dragon’s Eye than that of the Great Kiernan Kane! No, the Magnificent… oh, hello there,” the Great Kiernan Kane abruptly halted his flow of words as he suddenly seemed to remember that he had an audience, small though it was. “What is your name? I completely forgot to ask you.”
    Yole suppressed a smile, “My name is Y…Ian.” He said, catching himself just an instant before he slipped and gave away his real name.
    “Yian! Marvelous!” The minstrel said, “And my name is Kiernan Kane. Kiernan Kane the Magnificent Minstrel they call me in the large cities, (they also throw rotten fruits and vegetables at me, just goes to show how unappreciated I am) but you can call me Kiernan.”

Shameless Self Promotion

Sorry, no cutesy-alliteration title today....

I have a request for anyone who can spare a few minutes. I have posted an excerpt of my book over at CreateSpace, and I was wondering if anyone would be willing to take a few minutes, read the excerpt and then give me some feedback.

If you have the ability to download PDFs you can click on this link

Or, if you don't, you can go here instead

OR... if you are one who has actually READ the entire book... might you be willing to leave a review at Amazon (that link will take you to The Dragon's Eye product page)?

Thanks in advance!

Dragons

I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but I need to explain this in its entirety - which means that it’s gonna be a long one (or several posts, whichever works better).

• Ok. First of all... a few basics:
  
  

  • If you believe Genesis 1:1 - 2:2 to be a literal creation by God (whether or not you believe in literal days or “ages”) then you have to acknowledge that dinosaurs were created on the same day/age as humans: Day 6. (some may have been created on the 5th day, if they flew or swam). Thus, you have to acknowledge that dinosaurs and humans walked the earth at the Same Time. (this is very important)

  • Even if you believe in the “age” theory, you still have to acknowledge that dinosaurs and man walked the earth at the same time because you have to acknowledge that sin and death did not enter the world or the Garden until After Day 7. If nothing died before day 7, then you have to acknowledge that every creature God created on Days 5-6 existed together at least for days 5-7.

  • Alright... moving right along. If you concede that dinosaurs and man existed at the same time, then you start to realize that the world’s propaganda about “cave-men,” “neanderthals,” “cromagnon men,” etc, is all a lie. There never were any cave men. (This is not to say that nobody has ever lived in a cave, that happens all the time... but the people in history/present day who lived in caves were/are simply humans, just like you and me, not the grunting, violent, sub-intellectuals that are portrayed in movies/TV shows, etc.
    
  • It’s not a huge stretch, then, once you’ve discovered that humans and dinosaurs lived on the same planet at the same time... to realize that there must have been SOME dinosaurs on Noah’s ark. (Not full grown ones, that would be silly). But God told Noah, “You are to bring inot the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal, and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.” (Gen. 6:19-20) - He didn’t exclude fierce animals. We accept that he had elephants and rhinoceroses and alligators and giraffes on the ark, animals that, when full grown, aren’t exactly small. This ark... to give you some perspective... was HUGE. (about the size of the Titanic - but with less “stuff” inside, so it could hold more). Here is a good link with a picture: http://www.biblestudy.org/biblepic/how-big-was-the-ark-of-noah-scale-model.html
    
  • Ok... so if we believe that dinosaurs lasted at least a little bit beyond the flood... then we get to Job. Most Bible scholars believe Job is the Oldest book of the Bible, predating Moses. Many Bible scholars believe that Job was a contemporary of Abraham, only about 400 years after the flood... in that time, it is possible that the dinosaurs (even the big ones) were still around. Maybe not many, at this point... but if you allow for them to be around, and well-known enough to be recognizable, then it is not hard to believe that the behemoth of Job 40:15-24 is, indeed, a dinosaur. Imagery such as: “tail swings like a cedar,” “his bones are tubes of bronze,” “his limbs are rods of iron.” “He ranks first among the works of God,” “he is secure, though the Jordan should surge against his mouth.” “Can anyone caputre him by the eyes, or trap him and pierce his nose?” Bring to mind images of something FAR larger and more impressive than an elephant or a hippopotomous (both of which have been trapped, elephants are commonly used for riding, and neither of which have very impressive tails)
    

  But then, read on into Job 41... this is where it gets interesting. For here, God describes a creature called a “leviathan.” (Remember, this is the Lord speaking... and He doesn’t exaggerate)
  
  41:7: can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
  41:8: if you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
  41:9: Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering.
  41:10: No one is fierce enough to rouse him.
  41:15: His back has rows of shields tightly sealed together
  41:18: His snorting throws out flashes of light; his eyes are like the rays of the dawn.
  41:19: Firebrands stream from his mouth; sparks of fire shoot out.
  41:20: Smoke pours from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over a fire of reeds.
  41:21: His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from his mouth.
  41:24: His chest is hard as rock.
  41:26: The swords that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
  41:27: Iron he treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood.
  41:33-34: Nothing on earth is his equal - a creature without fear. He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud.
  
  Does this sound like a crocodile to you? The Lord spends Four Whole Verses talking about the fact that this creature breathes fire! The rest of the chapter makes it clear that this is not an animal you can capture, tame, or subdue. “When he rises up, the mighty are terrifed.” (41:25) This is not a creature that Crocodile Dundee would Dare wrestle with. I would encourage you to take a moment to read through the whole chapter of Job 41, it’s a fun read... and it pretty much talks about a dragon.
  
  Besides all this, the word “dragon” actually appears in Scripture 19 times in 18 different verses, and the Leviathan himself shows up in 3 other passages of Scripture besides Job 41. In the NIV they have translated the words: tannah - dragon, and tanniyn - dragon, serpent, sea monster, whale - to read as “serpent” in most cases, and “sea monster” or “monster” in the rest and “desert jackals” in one. In the KJV (which, I know has some issues) they translated both of these words as “dragon” 18 times out of the 28 that it is used.
  
  In the new Testament, we find the Greek word “drakon” 13 times in Revelation - translated as “dragon” every time.
  
  So there you have it... my reasoning behind the belief that dragons existed, and that we get a lot of the imagery surrounding them from the Bible itself, including their size, ferocity, the fact that they breathed fire, and even that their chests were pretty stinkin’ invulnerable.