THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: The Vikings Are Coming!

Donna L

viking

 

Everyone comes from somewhere. My ancestors on my father’s side came from Cajun stock. My mother’s ancestors hailed from Scots-Irish and Cherokee blood. All my life I was made well aware of where I came from. The only problem…I spent many years not quite knowing where I was going…

I kinda like the history of the Vikings. Yeah, there is that whole bloody pillage thing, but when you get to know them a little bit better you find they were a vibrant people with a strong definition of both where they came from and even better, where they were going. And where they were going was into the great unknown where they had the chance to change the course of history.

Kinda sounds like the life and times of writers, doesn’t it? I mean, if we truly want to call ourselves writers, we must be willing to step out into the unknown. To step foot on that ship bound for publication and eagerly travel uncharted waters in search of a way to leave our mark on the world.

The Vikings encountered adversity and so will we. It just comes in a different form. Writer’s block, insecurity, rejection letters, deadlines, self-publishing…the list can be endless and yet, so can our faith in ourselves. Faith in our ability to charm the world with our words. Faith there is indeed someone out there who believes in us as well. Faith that one day we might do as the Vikings did when they conquered new lands and step into our own new worlds as published authors.

Let’s just not get too carried away…

 

vikings2.jpg

 

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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 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!***

 

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 or print edition through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million and other online retailers.

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: A Better Definition

Donna L

writer.jpg(Writer…someone who writes a particular text)

 

There are many definitions of the word writer in the world. Webster’s dictionary says a writer is “someone who writes”. Oh, how bland a description for exactly who and what a writer actually is. From a person who has been writing since she was knee-high to a grasshopper, I decided to make up my own definition:

 

W…wordy. We live by the word, live FOR the word and try our best to arrange those words in such a captivating way they are not forgotten.
R…reader. Those pesky words tempt us at every turn. We know what it is like to gather words around us, to drown in them until we are taken to another place and time. We as writers cherish the spoken word and try our best to share that love with others.
I…inspired. The lives of others captivate our interest. The world around us fascinate and challenge us to present it’s stories so others feel inspired as well.
T…talented. There is an inherited gift every writer has. The gift to string words together to tell a story. Some come by this talent naturally and others through hard work but all have it.
E…entertainer. We live to entertain with our words. Some stories are infused with humor while others may bear our pain, but all show a part of our innermost spirit to the world.
R…ready. No matter the obstacles, no matter the challenges, a true writer is always ready to test themselves. To reach for that spark of creativity within, to draw words close to them and mold them into something no one else could create.
What type of writer are you? The Webster kind or something more?

 

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audio book.jpg

 

***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.

 

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.

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Helping Hands

Donna L

 

 

helping hands.jpg

 

 

Relaxing this past weekend gave me a lot of time to think. To hang out with nature. And to remember. I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and realized I had dreamed about hands last night.

 

baby.jpg

 

Helping hands…you know…the kind that always seems to be around when you need them. Loving hands that welcome us into this world and teach us our first steps. Hands to hold and cradle and rock us to sleep. Hands to watch in wonder as we become a mirror image of those hands.

 

school hands.jpg

 

Helping hands to comfort and soothe our worries away on our first day of kindergarten. Hands to help guide us on the right path to adulthood. And when we make mistakes, those hands are there to lift us up…to help dust us off…and to push us to keep moving forward until we’ve reached our goals. Strong hands to mold and measure all those moments which make up a childhood.

 

wedding.jpg

 

Then one day those hands wipe away the tears as they lovingly push us out of the nest and into a nest of our own. Helping hands to give us away to the ones who have come to love us. Hands who eagerly await the chance to reach out to our own next little hands and help welcome them into the world.

 

old hands.jpg

 

And somewhere along the way, the tides turn and the hands change hands. Now our hands are the ones reaching out to help. Our hands extend support and comfort as we try to repay all those years of memories of those loving hands. Hands that show the wrinkles of time have touched them but they still have the power to lift us up and guide us when we falter.

 

pray

 

And when the time comes…when those hands lay in eternal rest…our hands will wipe away the tears as we close our hands to pray. Prayers to bless those hands that lived and laughed and loved through the ages. And when all the tears are wiped away, we will take the hands of those we welcomed into the world and tell them of the day we met our own helping hands…

 

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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.

 

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS: Boy Scouts Aren’t The Only Ones Prepared…

Donna L

BOYSCOUTS.jpg

 

I know just enough about the Boy Scouts of America to be dangerous. I was the Cub Scout Master for one of the oldest packs in the area when my son was growing up and took the journey with him all the way to Eagle Scout. The foundation of the BSA is to always be prepared.

Funny, but that’s the same foundation I have found in my martial arts. When I began my martial arts journey eighteen years ago, I soon realized there were many similarities between the two. The lessons I learned in my training carried over into other areas and I soon found those skills perfected on the mats could be applied in all aspects of my life.

One day, I came the closest I’ve ever been in the past eighteen years in having to potentially use my training to defend myself. And it was the most scared I’ve been in a long time. But I learned many things about myself that day…

1. Being scared doesn’t mean I stop thinking. The instant I felt threatened, I was thinking about how to put distance between myself and my opponent as well as making sure I didn’t keep my back turned to him. If I was going to be called upon to defend myself, I wanted to be fully prepared.

2. Being in control of oneself sometimes can control the situation itself. Once I realized this other person was losing control of their emotions and was quickly escalating to cursing me, I remained silent and presented a non-threatening demeanor. Not only did it give the other person a moment to collect themselves, it gave me a chance to think of some options should things turn ugly.

3. Being the last one standing may sometimes be the ultimate goal. Fortunately, back then I was not called upon to put my training into practice. But I do know I had come to the quick conclusion should this other person put their hands on me in any threatening manner, I was going to react quickly and try to “persuade” him to leave me alone. It’s the choices we make in the heat of the moment which defines our core character. I can only hope that I will always make decisions I will never come to regret.

And you know the funny thing? I have found that writing carries with it the same foundation I discovered while working with the Boy Scouts of America and which I have found with my martial arts. It’s all about learning the skills to carry yourself to the next level with pride. To make the right choices which lead to no regrets and most always leads to life’s most successful accomplishments. And what can be sweeter than that?

 

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lunadar

 

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: My Little Corner of The World

Donna L

bayou.jpg

 

In case you didn’t know, I’m a Cajun. Born and bred in the swamps of Louisiana; home to great food, a unique flair for homegrown music, and a land of mystery as well as history. My ancestors were persecuted for their beliefs, driven from their homes and forced to seek refuge in a sort of no man’s land where only the foolish would try to make a life. And yet they stayed…lived, loved, and died among the alligators and swamp creatures of deep southern Louisiana.

There was a time when I couldn’t wait to leave that place…to strike out on my own and make something of myself. But the older I got and the further from the swamp I roamed, I came to realize that you can take the gal out of the swamp, but you can’t take the swamp out of the gal. There is a strength to the Cajuns which can’t be denied. How a race of people could build a life out of nothing but mud and cypress trees and backwater bayous crisscrossing the landscape is beyond me. But build it they did and when they were finished there was cause for celebration. A time for giving thanks they no longer had to run. Thanks for the chance to raise their families worship their  God. and strive for a better life in their little corner of the world.

 

mtns.jpg

 

Now I live among the hills of eastern Tennessee and cherish the life I have created here. But it hasn’t been easy. While the trials and tribulations of a life well lived has left scars on my body, my mind soars with all the possibilities a new day can bring. I gather around me people whose spirits lift mine own up. I hold close to me great works of beauty to feed my soul and wish for the day when I might do something which touches the spirits of others in some small way through my publishing company, Story Catcher Publishing (www.storycatcherpublishing.com). Until then, I write my stories from my little corner of the world and give thanks for my roots which began by the bayous in the land of the Cajuns…

 

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lunadar

 

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: Anyone Know How To Dog Paddle?

Donna L

 

baby.jpg

 

All my life I’ve wanted to learn how to swim. I’m drawn to the ocean…to the call of the seagulls and the song of the whales. When I retire I want to move to the coast of Maine and spend my golden years living like Angela Lansbury in Murder She Wrote…without the murders, of course!

You would think someone who is so mesmerized by the water would know how to swim in it. Unfortunately no, although it isn’t for my not wishing otherwise. When I was seventeen, I visited my Naval officer brother who thought it would be amusing to take me out to the Pacific Ocean at Coronado Beach and dump me in the water That would have been okay if I knew how to swim, but I didn’t and I came close to drowning before he and his navy buddies dragged me back to shore.

Needless to say, I now have an irrational fear of the water which wars with my fascination and deep love of anything nautical. But since returning to my writing, I have begun to wonder if maybe I should try to learn how to swim? I mean there is always that saying about waiting for one’s ship to come in, but if I want to have tons of stories published, maybe I need do like this guy and to learn how to swim out to it!

 

polar bear.jpg

 

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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: I Want To Join The Circus!

Donna L

circus.jpg

 

I think my writing career has given me the perfect opportunity to cross train for another career I’ve always wanted to try my hand at.

I wanna join the circus!

 

elephant.png

 

I can sit as patiently as any elephant…believe me I know because I sit a lot. Waiting for an idea to come. Wondering if today is the day my muse will create a masterpiece. Watching the mailbox and hoping today there will be an acceptance letter in the mail for me.

 

balancing.jpg

 

Maybe they would have a place for me as a balancing act? I’m pretty good at juggling a full time job, home life, a writing career, starting a publishing company, and maybe a little ME time, so I’m sure I could do the job!

 

hoops.jpg

 

And if it’s jumping through hoops they need me to do…I’m there! I’m already jumping through them as I make sure everything is perfect for the debut novel being released from Story Catcher Publishing in October.

The circus can be an exciting career choice.

So can writing.

I figure it’s all what you put into it. I just don’t want to end up like him…

 

clown.jpg

 

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lunadar

 

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: Dreaming About A Dream Job

Donna L

dream job

 

There were many things I wanted to be growing up. A writer. A veterinarian. A horse breeder. Always a writer above everything else. The urge to tell stories would spill over into childhood play time. I would place my stuffed animals in a circle as I read them stories and created some tales of my own. The ebb and flow of characters danced in my head to a song only they could sing.

And I waited.

Waited to grow up…waited for one day to be that elusive thing called an “author”. In my child’s mind an author could create magical worlds with a wave of their hand, drawing their readers in with a more powerful potion filled with words than any magician could create.

And I waited.

Waited and wrote and wondered if my writing would ever be good enough. Afraid to tell anyone of my secret desire to write children’s stories. Nervous to show my writing to the world because my fragile writer’s ego might not be able to survive being told my writing wasn’t good enough…that I wasn’t good enough.

And I waited.

Until one day I had two notebooks full of poems, essays…bits and pieces of me just waiting to go out into the world. Along came a vanity press agent telling me I was worthy. That I was a writer and they would publish my poetry. For a price. And I thought that was all there was to writing and it was a price I didn’t want to pay so I lay my pen down for more than twenty years. Tried to quiet the voices inside my head and went on to create a life built around other passions.

And I waited.

I waited until the voices could wait no more and I returned to my writing. Older, hopefully wiser, I took my time…learned new skills…made new friends…and started giving back to a writing community who always believed in me.

I’ve been lucky. I’ve grown and blossomed as a writer and it looks like I’m about to step beyond even my wildest childhood dream. My new publishing company Story Catcher Publishing (www.storycatcherpublsihing.com) will be releasing it’s first book, LUNADAR: Homeward Bound, on October 15, 2018.  Hopefully this will be the first in a long line of writerly releases to carry me into the next phase of my writing career.

I have discovered it’s never too late to have a dream…to follow your first love…but sometimes those dreams take you to a place you never imagined before…

 

dream.jpg

 

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

 

lunadar

(Ebook available on Amazon)

 

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: I’m A Loser, Are You?

Donna L

loser.jpg

 

When I was growing up, I stayed on the outside edges of society. I was labeled a LOSER and it was a name I bore all through my school years. Kind of a harsh road to travel and at times, I wondered what it would be like not to be considered a cast off?

But, as I grew older, I began to wonder if those things which made me unique…which set me apart of those around me…were actually gifts to set me on a path few were willing to travel? What if all the dreams and visions swirling in my head, just begging to come out, weren’t the bits of magic I might share with others?

And when I returned to my writer roots in 2011, I began to see the label LOSER in a whole new way. I discovered a caring community of fellow writers, editors, agents, and publishers waiting to welcome me. They travel this path to publication with me and lift me up when I feel weak. But just as importantly, I found a world of readers waiting for the stories I was eager to share with them. They let me know when I have done something right, and they also let me know when I need to start over.

Now, being a LOSER stands for something more to me…

 

Lucky
One
Surrounded
Every day
      by
Readers

 

And THAT is good enough for me. How about you?

 

lunadar

(Buy at Amazon)

 

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.