Countdown to Long Night Moon!

As you may recall, I was holding a giveaway for the one-of-a-kind annotated proofs of Six Moon Summer and All Hallows' Moon. With the help of Random.org and a very long spreadsheet, I have picked the two winners:

tishajean @ xxx.xxx

and

Angeline Kace

(seriously, I laughed when I saw which number came up)

I'll be contacting the first winner by email to let her select which book she wants, then sending the second one along to my good friend and fellow writer Angeline Kace.

Thanks to all my readers, new and less-new! If you're disappointed that you didn't get one of the books, don't despair: I'm currently working on the annotated proof for Long Night Moon, so I'll be giving that one away next. Hang tight!

Speaking of Long Night Moon, you know what's happening in a week?

MY NEW BOOK IS COMING OUT!

Is it time for a dance party? I think so.

(and a bonus dancing gif for people who love Stewart and Colbert, linked because it's too sexy for mortal eyeballs)

I'm so excited and scared about this. You would think I would be used to this by now, since this will be my fourth full-length novel on top of a couple novellas, but it doesn't get any easier! That "publish" button is veeeery intimidating.

But who cares! It's Friday!

What are your weekend plans?

Chasing the dream

Writing has always been my dream. I've never wanted to be anything but a full-time writer (well, aside from the time I wanted to be a velociraptor in third grade, but let's not go there).

But dreams don't put food on the table, so I've had a government job for almost six years. It's stable, has benefits, and also happens to be completely soul-sucking. The work is tedious, repetitive, and unchallenging. There's no opportunity for advancement. I love all my coworkers and am deeply appreciative to have any job in this economy, but who wants to live life like that?

Now, I've been doing better at writing these days. For the last three months, I've made enough money to pay the mortgage (and then some). I'm not Amanda Hocking, John Locke, or any of the other roaring indie successes, but I'm paying the bills. And while three months isn't enough to say, "Yes! This is it! I've finally made it!" I feel like I could publish more projects and help that income grow if I had more time.

This has recently become a viable option, since The Hubs has a full-time job now, and makes enough to pay the bills. We've been on one income since 2009, but we always said that once he had a job I would quit and go to college. Since then, we've bought a house and a baby, and we've grown very used to this stability, so it's scary and uncertain now.

But if I don't quit, my husband doing all this work means he won't be able to watch the Helpful Baby nearly as much, so I won't be able to write/publish as much either. :(

So here are the options:

Keep my Real Job
- Have stability
- Keep employer-paid health insurance
- LOTS OF MONEY
- Write less :(
- Only see my husband on weekends :(

Quit my Real Job
- No stability
- Continue to be semi-poor (what else is new?)
- Write more! :D
- Go to college! :D
- Spend more time with my family!
- Partially rely on unstable writing income (eek)

I know what I want to do. I'm ready to shed the office job, finish college, live the dream of full-time writerhood, and spend more time snuggling this cute little face:

Of course, with that comes the UNHOLY TERROR of potentially losing all sources of income (husband's restaurant fails! everyone stops buying my books! house goes into foreclosure! zombie apocalypse!).

And yet...

My dream is right there. Full-time writing. Within my grasp.

It's terrifying and exhilarating and I don't know what to do.

What would you do? Keep the stable job and get pushed further from the dream? Or plunge into it head first?

Long Night Moon review copies, and a poll for my next book!

My book is coming out in 1.5 weeks.

Woo. I need to breathe into a paper bag. Does anyone have a paper bag?

The book is with my final proofreader. It's 90% formatted. I've sent out a few review copies of Long Night Moon, and I have a giveaway going for the first two proofs, and now I'm wondering if I should do some more promotion or something before it drops. I love writing and publishing, but I've never been too good at that promo stuff. I'm just not a salesperson.

Anyhoo, if you would like an ebook copy of Long Night Moon in exchange for an honest review, please email me before March 2nd. I'm smreine at gmail dot com (or you can use my contact form). You don't have to be a book blogger or anything; I appreciate all reviews. :) Let me know what format you prefer.

So now that I'm just about done with LNM, it brings me to my next order of business...

More books! :D

The Darkest Gate is taking a lot longer than I expected. I really wanted to get it out in March, but I've ended up having to do more redrafting, so that's not looking possible now. I'm thinking late April, early May. (This is actually a good thing. The book is turning out SOOOOO awesome and I am DYING to share it--it'll just be a little bit longer.)

Buuuuut...

There is only ONE MORE BOOK left in Rylie's saga. This will bring everything Rylie, Seth, and friends have gone through to a seriously epic conclusion. Since these are rather short books, it wouldn't take too long to prep it, especially since this one's all outlined. I could probably put The Darkest Gate off until summer and have Gray Moon Rising available at the end of spring.

I can't make up my mind, so I'll let you guys pick! This is a democracy, right? ;) Vote on the poll up there and/or drop a note in the comments.

What book do you want next: Gray Moon Rising or The Darkest Gate?


(Psst-- don't forget, I have a giveaway going on through Friday!)

Six Moon Summer and All Hallows' Moon proof giveaway!

Six Moon Summer and All Hallows' Moon are now available in paperback on Amazon! They're just $5.95 apiece, which is a whole 33% cheaper than the old paperbacks (which cost $9) and 100% prettier. This picture is kinda crummy, but I assure you they are stunning in person. (I'll try to get them distributed to other booksellers soon.)

I've got the two proofs I originally ordered, as well as two final copies, and that's two copies too many! I have limited shelf space in my house and about a billion copies of the books I've written. Something has to go!

That means I am giving away the proofs I covered in sticky notes. That's right. These are one-of-a-kind, totally-wrecked-by-sticky-notes collector's items. Or they would be if you're the type of person who collects proofs. (Is that a thing?) That means there are minor differences in the covers and some errors within the text, which might be kinda fun to find in a scavenger hunt way. I'll also vandalize them with my signature, since I hear some people really like it when authors do that.

These books are very special and unique, so I would like to give them to one of my lovely loyal followers. You who have stuck with me through melodrama and procrastination, through thick and thin, through coffee-flavored yogurt and too-many-Jelly-Belly hangovers. You know who you are.

So Here's How to Enter:
1. Follow my blog on GFC (check the right sidebar) and/or sign up for my newsletter. You don't have to do both, but you'll have more entries if you do.
2. That's it! If you're already following me, you've already entered. :)

I'll pick two winners on February 24th. The first person whose name I draw gets to pick if they want Six Moon Summer or All Hallows' Moon. The second person gets whichever one the first person didn't want.

By the way, did I mention that I FINALLY finished editing Long Night Moon? It's with my final proofreader (!!!) and it's going to be available for Kindle on Friday, March 3rd. After all the time and heartache I put in to this book, I am SO ready to share it with the world. I think it turned out amazing, but I'll have to let you guys decide if it's better than All Hallows' Moon. :)

Excited yet?


(Addendum: You can leave a comment with your info to make it easier for me to notify you if you win, but it's not necessary. All you have to do to enter is sign up/follow!)

Long Night Moon cover reveal! (And a bonus blurb!)

 
Something is killing innocent people around Rylie Gresham's town. The police think it's a wild animal, but she has other suspicions. There are new kids at school, and they have a lot in common with her: gold eyes, super strength, and a habit of turning furry. It seems Rylie's not the only werewolf around anymore.
  
It's up to Rylie and her werewolf-hunting boyfriend, Seth, to stop the killings. But saving lives doesn't come naturally to a monster, and territory battles could risk the life of her sickly aunt--not to mention her own. Rylie has no choice but to stand her ground, protect her home, and stop the murderers before anyone else gets hurt.
  
ARGH I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK.
 
I've finally gotten over the hump I've mentioned in the last couple posts, and now it's full steam ahead. My editor and I are slaving away on getting this ready for prime time!
 
I'm shooting to get this book out at the beginning of March (!!!) which is coming up zippy quick, meaning that I'm seriously up to my ears in Rylie and Seth. It's simultaneously amazing and exhausting. Phew! What a ride!
 
As usual, you can add the book on Goodreads here!

Guest post: Festival of Wolves and Forests by Katie M John

St. Valentine’s day is an emotive day, for all kind of reasons. For some it is a day on which they pledge their love for their beloved, showering them with romantic verse, red roses and romantic dinners. For others, it is a gross act of commercialism invented by marketing companies to extract your hard earned cash – “Valentine’s day was invented for suckers!” they shout.

In our house we are terribly old fashioned and romantic about the whole thing. We make little apology for this – we were after all High School sweethearts and are now enjoying our seventeenth year together expecting our second child. We are lucky and blessed and don’t take it for granted; although we tell each other every day we love one another (as we do for all our family) Valentine’s day provides a day in the year when we can ritualistically demonstrate our love. 

Katie M John, author of the
Amazon UK bestselling series
The Knight Trilogy

I’m a “sucker” for tradition and ritual and I’m fascinated by how such cultural traditions are established and especially one such as Valentine’s day which has stood the test of time for thousands of years. (Yes, cynics – it wasn’t invented in the 1980’s by an American card house!)

Valentine’s day is linked to the Martyred Saint Valentinous; a man who, despite incredible risk to himself, continued to secretly marry Christian couples under the reign of the Lord of Anti-Love, Emperor Claudius. Believing married men to make useless soldiers he decreed that all men should remain single.  It didn’t end well for poor old Valentinous, he was beaten and stoned, and when his body refused to give in to death, he was finally beheaded.

Valentious, St Valentine, as we have grown to know him, had his own feast day decreed by the Catholic Church on February 14th; the day of his death. It was a modest Saint Day until in the 1700’s, the church fed up with people clinging to the old Pagan ways and festivals, saw the opportunity to mask the Festival of Lupercalia by turning St Valentine’s day into a much jollier affair.

Lupercalia was an ancient festival celebrated from 13th to 15th of February and like many spring rites was concerned with the celebration of purity and fertility. Lupercalia translates as The Festival of The Wolf – a highly energetic and physical festival which was first celebrated in the rural areas of Greece and an equivalent festival in Italy. It was linked to the celebration of Pan, the God of the Forests and it was thought that various rites would lead to ensured fertility of the village women.   

You can imagine why this overtly sexualised festival which celebrated the fertility of beasts and man did not sit easy with Catholic tastes and why they felt the need to ‘Romanticise’ the whole thing. The romanticisation of St. Valentine’s day was helped along by the Renaissance Love poets who adopted the Catholic St as The Patron Saint of Lovers and to Geoffrey Chaucer who linked St. Valentine’s day as the day when the spring birds chose their mates.

By the 1700’s hearts, roses and sweet treats had replaced the wild fertility rituals and goat and wolf skins of the Lupercalia Festival. The first Valentine’s cards were created and the exchange of gifts established.

Sara and I understand the romance of the wolves and forests. The deeply rich association with nature and love, the sensuality of the landscape and of the beasts within it; that’s why we choose to write our dark romances set within these ancient tropes. There is of course sill space for cards, chocolates and roses, but maybe this year add a walk through the twilight forest to your romantic agenda – and unleash the wolves within ;-)

Well said, Katie! Although my wolves are be slightly more likely to eat people than romance them, of course. Haha! ;)


You can find Katie on Twitter as @KnightTrilogy and grab The Forest of Adventures on Amazon!

Long Book Moon progress report

I am hereby renaming Long Night Moon to "The Book That Just Won't Flipping End, Seriously, You Have No Idea, This is Getting on My Nerves." We'll call it TBTJWFESYHNITGMN for short. Rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?

Mockup of a potential cover for this compelling concept.
Picture (c) Nat Geo. Please don't sue me, I'm just being silly.

Editing takes a long darn time -- often as much as writing the first draft of the book. Because professional editors with lots of experience and college are very expensive (totally worth it, but expensive), I do a lot of hard work on my own before passing it off to others.

My process is kinda like this:

1. Write the book. (This is the easy part.)
2. Make big changes, like adding, deleting, and rearranging scenes.
3. Print and edit the book on paper with a red pen.
4. Retype the entire thing from scratch, with revisions.
5. Read it out loud to catch lingering bumpy places.
6. Realize there are still jillions of typos. HULK SMASH.
7. Rinse and repeat until published.

If I didn't have to do this, I could probably get six books out a year. (Seriously.) So as much as I like editing, the very first thing I do when I get rich is hiring a developmental editor to do everything that happens after I type THE END for me so I can live in a constant state of rough draft bliss.

But while my husband and I aren't as poor as we used to be, I'm still not rich. I must do all the substantive edits myself. That means months of seeing the same stupid manuscript every single day, and after awhile, it feels like that episode of Star Trek where Riker relives a catastrophe over and over and over again.

The secret is in the pips.
Aaaaand I just realized I'm a huge nerd.

I think my problem is that I have high expectations for Long Night Moon. I've been excited about writing the book for over a year -- ever since I wrote Six Moon Summer, actually -- and this was going to be the book that made the whole series count.

Once I got into the nitty gritty of it, though, I started facing self-doubt. Is it powerful enough? Is it too dark? Why am I doing all these horrible things to these lovely characters?

I spent so much time questioning myself that the book dragged out. This would have been done faster if I had more confidence. But honestly, after I finished it, I seriously considered not publishing Long Night Moon at all. All Hallows' Moon ended on such an optimistic note that I hate to bring everything crashing down on the characters again. It's kind of like the Empire Strikes Back of the whole thing.

A Star Trek and a Star Wars reference in the same post?
My nerdliness knows no bounds.

But the book is written. My long road with this thing is almost complete. I have committed unspeakable acts upon poor Rylie, Seth, and friends, and what's done is done. I can only trust that my intentions come out clearly, the plot has the impact I hoped for, and that the readers will be patient for the upswing in mood in book four (which won't have Ewoks, by the by).

All it needs now is a couple small additions, a thorough massaging from my beta readers and proofreaders and editor friends, and it will be ready for the public. Not that I'm worried or anything.

Eep. No pressure.