LUNADAR: HOMEWARD BOUND

AN INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY: Let’s Talk Turkey…

Donna L

turkey

 

All my friends in Canada celebrated their Thanksgiving last month. But if you live in the United States, there’s pretty much only one event celebrated in the month of November and that’s Thanksgiving. For the patriots among us, there is always Veteran’s Day, but some may think what is more patriotic than honoring the bird Benjamin Franklin thought should be our national symbol?

I plan on honoring old Tom Turkey above by inviting one of his cousins to grace my table…and I don’t mean I’m saving a seat for him…;)

No, I plan on roasting that fabulous fowl until he is a golden brown and smelling of all those fall holidays spent crowded around my childhood dinner table, passing the potatoes and gravy…and hoping I found the turkey tail before my daddy did. I’m from Cajun country and we didn’t believe in throwing out what others might turn their noses up at. Poor people need to eat like everyone else and in our humble home, EVERY part of that bird was eaten except for the gobble!

This month will be a busy one for me. I juggle three careers at the same time and most days I feel like I’m a circus performer. My martial arts school is in the middle of our holiday sale while winding down to the last belt testing of the year and a much needed vacation for me. Come on December 22nd!

I’m also participating in NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) where I am challenged to write the first draft of a 50,000 word novel within 30 days. I’m sorry to report I’ve only written about 5,000 words so far which puts me way behind where I should be. This weekend I’m hoping to hopefully double that number, thanks to chapter plotting I did prior to the start of this challenge. Cross your fingers and wish me luck as I try to tie up all the loose ends of Ariana, Kaspar, and Candra’s adventures in  book three, LUNADAR: Candra’s Revenge!

While dealing with the school and the next book in my LUNADAR trilogy, I also can’t forget my publishing company, STORY CATCHER PUBLISHING. I’ve done a few book signings, running the TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR freebies giveaway, and put the ebook copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound on sale for $1.99 through most online retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Nook, etc. I’m also working on the book covers of both Candra’s Revenge, and my new historical fiction chapter book series. I plan to start looking for illustrators to work on these projects with me after the holidays, so if you know of any good illustrators out there, send them my way!

My life always seems to be full and my plate gets heavy some days, but I am excited about this indie journey I have created for myself and wouldn’t have things any other way.

And I don’t need one of these to make my own wishes come true…

 

 

wishbone

 

 

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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***
***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

 

I’m happy to announce the winner of week seven of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! Abbie Lu has won the ocean inspired jewelry kit. Thanks for following my blog! Congratulations! Look for my email on how to get your prize…

 

 

Week Eight

 

***DON’T FORGET! It’s week eight of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to accessorize you car with a Yankee Candle fragrance locket shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post!

 

***Also, the ebook version of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound is on sale through the holidays! You can grab your copy for only $1.99 through Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Nook, Books A Million or dozens of other online retailers!

 

LUNADAR cover jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

AN INDIE’S AUTHOR’S JOURNEY: Juggling Time

Donna L

time

 

I’m delving into the world of indie publishing. Some authors go the quicker route and use a source like Kindle Direct to immediately get their books out there.

There’s nothing wrong going that route but I’ve decided to take a different path.

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Some writers think that once their book is published, the publishing journey is over. They sit back on their laurels and wait for royalties to roll in. 

I’m not that type of author. 

As a hybrid author, I have the opportunity to see possible royalties from any book published through a traditional publisher. But, as an indie author and actual owner of my own publishing house, I will only see money from my books based on my own efforts to market them. This also includes building a “brand” based on both an expanded collection of published works, and an ever-widening network of people who support my goals as much as I support theirs.

Last month I participated in INKTOBER, a drawing challenge where I sketched 30 drawings in 30 days based on the word prompt of the day. It was the second year I had participated and helped introduce more people to what I was all about. I started an Instagram account and now have another 226 followers added to my fan base.

This month I am participating in NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) where I have begun what will become book three in my LUNADAR trilogy. I’m juggling working full time during the day while trying to complete writing a 50,000-word novel at night.

Add to that, my lining up book signings, hosting giveaways, researching book contests and effective inexpensive book marketing…all the while preparing to also finalize book one in my historical fiction chapter book series so I can potentially roll THAT series out by next summer through my company, Story Catcher Publishing.

I’m also getting ready to promote my next traditionally published book, MY JOURNEY MY JOURNAL coming out later this month, all the while continuing to provide my followers with five blog posts every week for at least the next year.

And so the juggling of precious time continues.

How do YOU handle all your daily commitments and obligations filling YOUR plate? Share your tips in the comments below. You never know when you just might help a poor gal out!

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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***
***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

 

I’m happy to announce the winner of week six of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! Amy Spisak has won the Kingdom’s Dawn audiobook. Thanks for signing up for my newsletter! Congratulations! Look for my email on how to get your prize…
I’m also happy to announce the latest winner of my LUNADAR Pay It Forward giveaway for educators and librarians who chose to read my novel and provide an honest review on Amazon. The wonderful Lisa Plemons, a librarian at Carpenters Middle School in Maryville Tn, has won an autographed copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound for her library inventory. I will be sending out her prize package soon…

 

Week Seven
***DON’T FORGET! It’s week seven of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win this ocean themed jewelry set shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post!

LUNADAR cover jpg
Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna
International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

 

 

 

 

AN INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY: Author Visits

Donna L

Story Catcher Book Signing.jpg

 

I’m delving into the world of indie publishing. Some authors go the quicker route and use a source like Kindle Direct to immediately get their books out there.

There’s nothing wrong going that route but I’ve decided to take a different path.

 

***********************

 

It’s been a while since I’ve made my round of book signings. I had a book released last year which actually became an international bestseller. That same publishing company, Expert Insights Publishing, will be releasing another book next month and I’ve contributed again. But now, with LUNADAR released last week and MY JOURNEY, MY JOURNAL releasing next month, I’m really going to have my hands full trying to promote TWO BOOKS at once…lol.

In my mind, book promotions are done for two main reasons:

 

BOOK SALES

 

 

Yes, it’s great to have that tangible book in your hand with your name embossed on the front, but any author will tell you it would be nice if that book sold a bunch of copies and made them tons of money as well. But those sales won’t ever happen without the other reason book signings are done.

 

NAME PROMOTION

 

 

The more people who know who you are, the greater the chances they will become an avid reader of your work. In my case, I have a two-fold issue. First, I have to promote myself as Donna L Martin…author of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound and next month author of MY JOURNEY, MY JOURNAL. Secondly, I have to promote myself as editor and publisher of STORY CATCHER PUBLISHING.  Multiple hats call for multiple strategies to promote oneself.

Here are some of the promo items I’m bringing with me as I make my rounds in promoting all the different hats I wear:

 

Lunadar and Chicken Soup books.jpg

 

Plenty of current and prior books. I have to establish myself as a well-seasoned author with more than just one title to my name so new potential readers will realize I’m not just a one-hit wonder.

 

SCP business cards.jpg

 

Business cards to promote my publishing company. I have big dreams for the direction of my new company and the networking I do now will help me in the future.

 

Lunadar map.jpg

 

Book promo items like bookmarks, postcards, and a framed copy of my LUNADAR map. I have two upcoming book signings…one on October 26th at the Book Market in Sevierville, Tn and then on October 30th at McKay’s Bookstore in Knoxville, Tn. I’m dressing up in a costume based on a character from LUNADAR, and have pencils and other swag items to tie into my book.

I’ve also spent a total of $50 this past week on three book promotions vias email, Facebook, and Twitter that put my book in front of more than 600,000 young adult readers. I think that a great use of my marketing budget, don’t you?

Let the marketing fun begin!

 

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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

 

I’m happy to announce the winner of week four of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! Another mystery follower who didn’t leave their name, ([email protected]) has won the $20 Wendy’s gift card. Thanks for following this blog! Congratulations! Look for my email on how to get your prize…

 
Week Five

 

***DON’T FORGET! It’s week five of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win a beautiful moon and stars necklace shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post, so enter the FREE giveaway and check next Monday to see if you’ve won!

***ALSO…it’s not too late to tell all your educator or school librarian friends about their chance to pick up a FREE copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound during my LUNADAR Pay It Forward FREE giveaway! I’m giving away THOUSANDS of ebook copies between now and Friday, November 2nd, in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. All they have to do is send me a Facebook message or email with their valid email address and I will send them their FREE copy, along with a copy of the LUNADAR map I sketched. Hurry and share the good news about this FREE ebook giveaway before time runs out!***

 

LUNADAR cover jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: Pick Up On Aisle One

Donna L

produce.jpg

 
Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending,

But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. This week’s story tumbles through the produce aisle…

 

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Hallie tossed her purse into the shopping cart and quickly pushed it toward the produce aisle. It had been a long day, full of irritations stacking one on top of another until she felt like screaming. Five o’clock finally arrived and all Hallie wanted to do was grab a salad before heading home. Barely paying attention as she tossed things into her cart, Hallie rounded the corner and felt a jolt that literally threw her to the floor.

Rubbing her sore backside, Hallie thought it safe to try and stand when a callused hand reached down to help her to her feet. Startled, she looked up into worried blue eyes. Robin egg blue that sent shivers down her spine. She remembered those eyes. They belonged to a set of memories she’d rather not think about these days.

“Hey, are you okay? I didn’t see you.”

Hallie opened her mouth, then tightly pressed her lips together as she jerked her arm from that callused hand.

“I don’t need your help!”

Those blue eyes looked startled as recognition dawned on him and the hand quickly pulled back as if touching fire.

“Hallie? What are you doing back here?”

Slowly getting to her feet, Hallie took a moment to straighten her clothes as she avoided looking into those blue eyes she knew so well. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts. A moment to remind herself to breathe and not let those blue eyes mesmerize her again.

“My aunt died and left me her place.” Oh, why did she let that slip out?

“Aunt Sally is gone? I hadn’t heard. When did it happen?”

Hallie closed her eyes for a moment. Tears wouldn’t help her now. The cold metal bar under her fingertips felt a bit like her heart as she pushed the cart away from the produce aisle. She just wanted to go home and forget those blue eyes. But before she could stop herself, she said the one thing she knew would hurt him.

“She died not too long after you left me standing at the altar.”

***Okay, it’s your turn! What happens next? Does Hallie leave Aisle One all by herself? Or do those blue eyes go after her? Leave a comment below.***

 

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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

 

audio book

 

I’m happy to announce the winner of week three of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! “Mr. Art’ (he didn’t leave his name on his entry form)  has won an audiobook for following this blog! Congratulations! Look for my email on how to get your prize…

 

 

Week Four

 

***DON’T FORGET! It’s week four of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win a $20 Wendys food gift card shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post, so enter the FREE giveaway and check next Monday to see if you’ve won!

 

***ALSO…it’s not too late to tell all your educator or school librarian friends about their chance to pick up a FREE copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound during my LUNADAR Pay It Forward FREE giveaway! I’m giving away THOUSANDS of ebook copies between now and Friday, November 2nd, in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. All they have to do is send me a Facebook message or email with their valid email address and I will send them their FREE copy, along with a copy of the LUNADAR map I sketched. Hurry and share the good news about this FREE ebook giveaway before time runs out!***

 

LUNADAR cover jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), is now available in ebook and print form from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers.

 

AN INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY: Happy Book Birthday!

Donna L

 

[wpvideo Zvs6WtXV]

 

I’m delving into the world of indie publishing. Some authors go the quicker route and use a source like Kindle Direct to immediately get their books out there.

There’s nothing wrong going that route but I’ve decided to take a different path.

 

*******************

I’m flying higher than a kite because today is my big day…

 

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO

LUNADAR: HOMEWARD BOUND!

 

It’s been a long three years, with the past nine months being truly a labor of love. I’ve spent every spare moment poring over author/publisher decisions covering areas including revisions, beta readers, more revisions, editing, and you guessed it…more revisions! I worked with my artist from my book cover concept to the final product. There is even a map of LUNADAR I sketched and put the original in a frame to take with me on book signings. I envisioned the details of my book trailer and found a company to produce it. I worked on all the legal stuff to set up Story Catcher Publishing, including setting up my accounting system, bank accounts, tax ID, business name, etc. Then I went to work on promotional items like postcards, banners, sell sheets, and I’m finalizing my media kit. I’ve labored over marketing…sending out flyers, letters, postcards…gave away free copies of the ebook, set up an educator’s Pay It Foward program, created the TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR freebies giveaway, and awarded prizes for members of my LUNADAR STREET TEAM who left an honest book review of LUNADAR on Amazon. I’ve lined up book parties and book signings, with many more to come. I’ve even gone so far as to create props to include on classroom visits. I’ve covered all my bases and then began a countdown to when my “baby” would become a reality.

Now that LUNADAR is finally here, it’s time to give YOU, my lovely followers, some book “birthday” presents to help celebrate this grand occasion…

 

audio book

 

PRESENT NUMBER ONE:

 

The winner from week three of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR forgot to leave their name with their entry form, so I will simply call them Mr. ART (from part of their email address). Congratulations and look for an email from me real soon on how to receive your prize!

 

LUNADAR cover jpg

 

PRESENT NUMBER TWO

 

Just in time for the paperback release, my ebook edition is on sale through mid-November for only $1.99.

Here’s the Amazon link…http://www.amazon.com/LUNADAR-Homeward-Bound-Donna-Martin-ebook/dp/B07FM1PDRC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539531623&sr=8-1&keywords=lunadar

That’s more than 60% off the regular price! And what a great Christmas present LUNADAR would make for those fantasy loving Kindle readers…;)

 

Week Four

 

PRESENT NUMBER THREE

 

With cooler weather heading our way, what better way to treat yourself after a long day of working on your “to do” list than by stopping by your local fast food place and letting someone else cook dinner for you? Week three prize of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR is a $20 gift card to Wendys. It’s as simple as clicking on the pile of presents to the right of this blog post and entering for a chance to win! The winner of week three will be announced next Monday and all entries of each week will also go into the Grand Prize Drawing for a chance to win 12 copies of different fantasy novels, including an autographed copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound from yours truly!

There will be more exciting announcements and even more giveaways as we head into the holidays, so be sure and check back often! Now to take a moment and catch my breath before I start work on the final book in this trilogy…LUNADAR: Candra’s Revenge!

 

 

birthday

 

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LUNADAR cover jpg

 

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), ebook and print edition is now on sale at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and other online retailers around the world.

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: The Crystal Ball

Donna L

crystal ball

 

Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending,

But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. This week’s story honors the gypsy culture and the magic to be found there…

 

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A nervous giggle escaped Mattie’s lips as she glanced around the tent once more. Her friends came with her to the gypsy camp outside of town, Had even dared her to seek her future with the fortune teller. Now that she was actually standing in front of the old woman dressed in rich colors and sparkling jewels, Mattie was beginning to think it a bit foolish to have agreed to her friends’ dare.

“Sit down.”

The voice was surprisingly strong, even though it was a mere whisper hanging in the air around them. Mattie sat on a low stool in front of a velvet-covered table. A single crystal ball balanced on a small pedestal in the middle of it. She could have sworn something flickered in its middle, but before Mattie could peer closer the old gypsy covered it with blue-veined hands and began to chant in a low singsong voice. Mattie gazed at the woman, mesmerized as a small band of smoke began to swirl inside the ball, twirling faster and growing larger until it completely filled the ball. The fortune teller’s eyes seem to bore into Mattie’s as that shivery voice filled the tent once more.

“Why are you here?”

Another nervous giggle escaped as Mattie attempted to make a joke of her reasons for entering the tent in the first place.

“Uh, my friends dared me to come in here. I thought it would be funny to see my future.”

The old gypsy stared into the smoke for a long moment before gazing back at the girl sitting opposite the now glowing orb.

“Ahhh, but don’t you want to know about the treasure first?”

***Okay, it’s your turn! What happens next? Is the old gypsy woman for real? What is the treasure she is talking about? And what does she really see in Mattie’s future? Put your creative cap on and add a sentence or add a paragraph in the comments below!***

 

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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***

I’m happy to announce the winner of week two of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! Sherry Hudson has won the fairie house for following this blog! Congratulations Sharon! She should be receiving her fairie house soon…

 

Week Three
***DON’T FORGET! It’s week three of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win the audiobook DARK CURSE by Christine Feehan shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post, so enter the FREE giveaway and check next Monday to see if you’ve won!***

***ALSO…it’s not too late to tell all your educator or school librarian friends about their chance to pick up a FREE copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound during my LUNADAR Pay It Forward FREE giveaway! I’m giving away THOUSANDS of ebook copies between now and Friday, November 2nd, in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. All they have to do is send me a Facebook message or email with their valid email address and I will send them their FREE copy, along with a copy of the LUNADAR map I sketched. Hurry and share the good news about this FREE ebook giveaway before time runs out!***

***AND…it’s countdown time to the release of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound on 10/15/18! You can now pre-order your print copy through Amazon and other online retailers, so get your copy today!***

 

LUNADAR cover jpg

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of LUNADAR. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of LUNADAR at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), ebook edition, is now available from Amazon, with the print edition coming October 15, 2018.

AN INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY: 25 Free Or Low-Cost Book Promo Sites

Donna L

promo.jpg

 

I’m delving into the world of indie publishing. Some authors go the quicker route and use a source like CreateSpace or Kindle Direct to immediately get their books out there.

There’s nothing wrong going that route, but I’ve decided to take a different path.

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I am giddy beyond belief! Only seven more days until LUNADAR: Homeward Bound becomes a reality! I have worked on this novel since October 2015. That’s three long years of pouring heart and soul into the world of LUNADAR.

As every author knows, promoting a book is sometimes harder than the publishing of it. It’s like throwing spaghetti against a wall and waiting to see what sticks. Some authors have almost unlimited financial resources to try various things and then wait to see which marketing trick does the job.

This poor gal has extremely limited funds, so I have to be very diligent in my research and select marketing options within my budget as well as ones I determine might help me the most in spreading the word about my latest book. 

As a member of SCBWI, I am participating in their BookStop promotion running October 23rd through December 7th. For $25 they will help promote my book to THOUSANDS of potential readers. Here is the link to my promo page anyone can access starting on the 23rd…http://www.scbwi.org/scbwibookstop-display/?id=541915

I’m also going to look into more promoting on the low-cost sites listed below. Some are FREE, some cost $10, some $25, but all will promote my book to literally HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of potential readers. I think an investment of about $100 or less will be worth it for that kind of exposure, don’t you think?

 

25 Free Or Low-Cost Book Promo Sites

 

http://www.bargainbooksy.com
http://www.ebookshabit.com
http://blog.booksontheknob.org/
http://www.bookloversheaven.com
http://www.choosybookworm.com/
http://theereadercafe.com
http://www.ereaderperks.com
http://www.justkindlebooks.com
http://www.peoplereads.com
http://readcheaply.com/
http://readingdeals.com
http://bookgoodies.com/
http://www.thefussylibrarian.com/
http://www.ebooksoda.com/
http://www.ebookbargainsuk.com/
http://ereadernewstoday.com/
http://kindlebookpromos.luckycinda.com
http://www.facebook.com/ebookpromos
http://ebookstage.com
http://bookclubreading.com/
http://efictionfinds.com
http://everywriterresource.com
http://ereaderutopia.com
http://www.instafreebie.com/
http://www.readfree.ly.com

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***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!***
I’m happy to announce the winner of week two of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR free giveaway! Sherry Hudson has won the fairie house for following this blog! Congratulations Sharon! She should be receiving her fairie house soon…

 

***DON’T FORGET! It’s week three of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win the audiobook DARK CURSE by Christine Feehan shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post, so enter the FREE giveaway and check next Monday to see if you’ve won!***

 
***ALSO…it’s not too late to tell all your educator or school librarian friends about their chance to pick up a FREE copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound during my LUNADAR Pay It Forward FREE giveaway! I’m giving away THOUSANDS of ebook copies between now and Friday, November 2nd, in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. All they have to do is send me a Facebook message or email with their valid email address and I will send them their FREE copy, along with a copy of the Lunadar map I sketched. Hurry and share the good news about this FREE ebook giveaway before time runs out!***

 

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LUNADAR cover jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of Lunadar. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of Lunadar at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), ebook edition, is now available from Amazon, with the print edition coming October 15, 2018

 

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: The Sting Of Rejection

Donna L

reject.jpg

 

When I began to get serious back in January of 2011 about my dream of one day being a published author, I jumped right in and tried my hand at writing a picture book. It was a cute story about this little dog who thought he could be a hero despite his size. I spent a fair amount of time and effort on that manuscript and polished it as much as an ignorant newbie writer could. That was mistake number one. I did not invest the time to learn the basics of HOW to write a good picture book story.

Mistake number two came when I started showing my virgin writing effort to friends and family. My “critique group”, as much as I valued their opinion, was not professionally qualified to review my story and tell me how to strengthen it.

Mistake number three came along when I decided in April of 2011 to submit that great manuscript of mine to the first publisher I came across. There was no detailed research behind my decision. I don’t even remember why I chose Clarion Books as my first “victim”, but I’m happy to report the editor I sent my little dog story to saved me from myself and rejected the notion that I was ready for publication.

Looking back at it now with a mindset born of investing some time and effort to actually study the finer points of writing, I can see I’m going to like this rejection party I was invited to attend. I think some writers see those rejection letters as the final nails in the coffin carrying their writing career to nowhere. I see it as a lesson to learn from or reject depending on how it truly relates to my work. And it seems I’m in good company.

I came across an entire group of well-known authors who, in their earlier writing careers, also suffered from receiving the negative nod on stories the world would never have had a chance to see if these authors had given up on their dreams of being published. How many do you recognize?

1. Louisa May Alcott was told to stick to her teaching as she would never succeed as a writer. She ignored that advice and went on to publish Little Women.

2. Shel Silverstein received a rejection letter stating his story would never sell because “it fell between the interests of children and adults”. He never gave up and went on to publish The Giving Tree (one of my favorite children’s books of all time).

3. I’m sure William Golding was surprised to read in one of the 21 rejection letters he received about Lord Of The Flies that his story was “an absurd and uninteresting fantasy which is rubbish and dull”.

4. Even Theodor Geisel, better known to children around the world as Dr. Seuss, must have dealt with moments of doubt when he opened one of his 27 rejection letters for And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street and read “this is too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant it’s selling”.

This rejection party is starting to get crowded with all these beloved authors stopping by to wave their rejection letters in the air. A piece of paper didn’t stop them from believing in themselves and their dreams. Need more proof that rejection letters don’t necessarily determine your worth as a writer? Check out how many rejection letters these authors received before their stories became best sellers…

1. The Tale Of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter…6 times.
2. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone by J K Rowling…12 times.
3. Watership Down by Richard Adams…13 times.
4. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach…18 times.
5. Dune by Frank Herbert…20 times.
6. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks…24 times.
7. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger…25 times.
8. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle…26 times.
9. A Time To Kill by John Grisham…rejected by 12 publishers and 15 agents.
10. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell…38 times.
11. The Help by Kathryn Stockett…60 times.
12. The Amber Room by Steve Berry…85 times.
13. Chicken Soup For The Soul by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen…140 times. (And if they had given up I wouldn’t have my own story published in the Angels Among Us edition that came out January 2013!)

And my personal favorite…

Jack London, the author of such classics as Call Of The Wild and White Fang, received nearly SIX HUNDRED rejection letters over the course of his writing career!

So you see? It’s not so much the actual rejection letter, but what you do with the information found inside. Will it inspire you to polish some more or step away from your dream? Does it challenge you to become a better writer or do you give up? Will you take it at face value and see how it applies to the body of work you envision creating or do you allow it to be the standard by which you judge your own writing ability?

I say we should celebrate the rejection letters for what they are…someone’s opinion of the particular story we are submitting…and be thankful we are in such good company. Now let’s get this party started…

 

fairy house
***DON’T FORGET! It’s week two of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win the cool fairie house shown above! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post, so enter the FREE giveaway and check next Monday to see if you’ve won!***

***ALSO…it’s not too late to tell all your educator or school librarian friends about their chance to pick up a FREE copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound during my LUNADAR Pay It Forward FREE giveaway! I’m giving away THOUSANDS of ebook copies between now and Friday, November 2nd, in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. All they have to do is send me a Facebook message or email with their valid email address and I will send them their FREE copy, along with a copy of the Lunadar map I sketched. Hurry and share the good news about this FREE ebook giveaway before time runs out!***

***AND…it’s countdown time to the release of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound on 10/15/18! You can now pre-order your print copy through Amazon and other online retailers, so get your copy today!***

LUNADAR cover jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of Lunadar. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of Lunadar at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), ebook edition, is now available from Amazon, with the print edition coming October 15, 2018.

AN INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY: Book Marketing, Phase Two

Donna L

book marketing.jpg

 

I’m delving into the world of indie publishing. Some authors go the quicker route and use a source like CreateSpace or Kindle Direct to immediately get their books out there.
There’s nothing wrong going that route, but I’ve decided to take a different path.

**************

 

I’ve had a number of accomplishments this past week. Here are a few:

  1. I reached the magical double-digit book reviews on Amazon for LUNADAR: Homeward Bound. This allows me to work on rolling out Phase Two of my book marketing. Many of the low-cost book promotion sites I plan on using require at least ten Amazon reviews before participation is allowed.
  2. My ebook can now be found all over the web in places like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million and Google books, but also on Itsi.com (an educational store), Book Shout, Booktopia, Goodreads, Basic Books, TygPress, and dozens of international online retailers. It’s kind of amusing to see LUNADAR: Homeward Bound listed in so many other languages.
  3. With the official print release set for October 15th, my book is available for pre-order right now through most online retailers. 
  4. My LUNADAR Pay It Forward FREE Giveaway for educators and librarians is in full swing with a number of schools around the country already participating, with a chance of their schools winning one of five autographed copies of my book as well as maybe one of my FREE school visits! To learn more, click on the link.
  5. It’s week two of my TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR. Last week’s winner of a set of cool bookmarks is Ariel (aka author R M Archer). She will be receiving her prize sometime next week. This week’s FREEBIE giveaway is a faerie house. To enter the TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway, just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post.
  6. I have a few author events in the works such as a costume themed book signing at the Book Market in Sevierville, Tn on Saturday, October 27th from 11-4 pm; McKay’s Bookstore on Tuesday, October 30th from 9-11:30; and I’m finalizing a possible book signing at Barnes & Noble in December by partnering with one of my local elementary schools. 

 

Next week I will share my list of 25 free or low-cost book promotion and marketing sites any poor gal should use when trying to get the word out about her latest book…

LUNADAR cover jpg

 

Ruler by day, a reluctant pirate by night, 18-year-old Princess Ariana fights for her subjects in the waterfall city of Lunadar. In a kingdom surrounded by fairies and mermaids, and ravaged by deadly Drundles, only a chosen few are trusted to guard her daughter, Candra, as the secret heir to the throne.

But it only takes one ill-fated meeting for Ariana to suddenly be plunged into an escalating web of secrets found in her father’s journal, a deadly kidnapping, and an ever-weakening resolve to turn her back on the call of the merman’s song.

With Ariana’s world falling apart and the future of Lunadar at stake, how will she bring her father’s murderer to justice and fulfill a deathbed promise to protect Lunadar’s legacy?

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), ebook edition, is now available from Amazon, with the print edition coming October 15, 2018.

 

FLASH FICTION TUESDAY: The Royal Treatment

Donna L

 

throne.jpg

 

Now on Tuesdays…at least for the foreseeable future…welcome to Flash Fiction Tuesday. In case you don’t know what flash fiction is, it is an extremely short story (sometimes created in 100 words or less) with a beginning, middle, and an ending.

But in my case, I write flash fiction with an open ending. I allow my readers to draw their own conclusion as to what happens. This week’s story came to me two years before the idea of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound was even born, but now as I reread it, I can see a bit of Ariana in today’s main character…

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The morning sun slides in through the stained glass window, prisms of color shattering the musty quiet of the throne room. Gilded cloth surrounds the regal chair standing all by itself in the middle of the large room. In mere hours the destiny of a nation will be changed forever, but for now, it is as if the room holds its breath and waits for what is to come.

In the kitchens servants bustle around as they prepare dishes to be served in the Great Hall later that evening as the week’s celebrations begin. The woodsy aroma of roasted boar mingles with the more delicate smell of vegetables, soups, and sweetbreads. Extra tables and chairs are brought in to handle the visiting nobles. Everywhere the sounds of chatter can be heard as excitement rises over the upcoming coronation.

However, down the hall in the royal chambers, there is almost a tomb-like atmosphere as maids and ladies-in-waiting silently help the young girl to dress. She feels suffocated as layer upon layer is added to her royal gown. No one knows of her deepest fears. How she wants to run from this burden about to be placed upon her young shoulders. To stay hidden amongst the moors, never to return to the castle. How betrayed she felt when her father died in battle and left her to this fate.

Somewhere deep in the towers, the loud gonging of bells can be heard announcing it is time. Will she be able to do this? Can she make the sacrifice asked of her for her people and a kingdom ravaged by war? Taking a breath, she squares her shoulders and slowly makes her way towards the doors leading to her future…

***What happens next? Will a nation be saved by one young girl? Share your comments and endings to this story below!***

 

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Week One

 

***DON’T FORGET! It’s week one of THE TWELVE WEEKS OF LUNADAR giveaway and this week you get a chance to win the set of cool bookmarks shown below! Just click on the pile of presents to the right of this post and choose how you would like to enter the FREE giveaway. Winners will be announced every Monday, starting next week, in my INDIE AUTHOR’S JOURNEY post, so check it out and see if you’ve won!***

***ALSO…it’s not too late to tell all your educator or school librarian friends about their chance to pick up a FREE copy of LUNADAR: Homeward Bound during my LUNADAR Pay It Forward FREE giveaway! I’m giving away THOUSANDS of ebook copies between now and Friday, November 2nd, in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. All they have to do is send me a Facebook message or email with their valid email address and I will send them their FREE copy, along with a copy of the Lunadar map I sketched. Hurry and share the good news about this FREE ebook giveaway before time runs out!***

 

donna

 

International best selling, award-winning author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a ‘ninja’ writer of children’s picture books, chapter books, young adult novels and inspirational essays by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books, and the host of WRITERLY WISDOM, a resource series for writers. Donna is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and Children’s Book Insider. She is a lover of dark chocolate, going to the beach and adding to her growing book collection. Donna’s latest book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound (a YA fantasy), ebook edition, is now available from Amazon, with the print edition coming October 15, 2018.