Cold Sky, Warm Stars

*Dusts off this little corner of the web*

In case anyone still bothers to follow this poor little blog that tends to get outdone by Seasons of Humility, I just wanted to let you know that things are coming together for How a Star Falls, my upcoming NA contemporary romance novella! Here are a couple of quote cards that I've shared on Twitter and Pinterest (created via PicMonkey), in case you want a little teaser or care to spread the word. :) Hopefully there will be more good news to come for this project as I keep on moving forward!

P.S. I'm kind of, sort of in love with Derrick (the hero). He and Brielle are stinkin' cute, in my slightly biased opinion. ;)

1 Postponed Project + 1 New Project = Less Stress

In some ways I'm very excited to write this post, because of the relief it brings. But there's also an element of guilt, because I owe you all an apology. Let's just start there...

You know that book I've been promoting as a "Summer 2014" release? The one that I revealed the cover for months ago, mentioned in blog posts and newsletters, and created buttons for? Well, I don't think it's actually going to end up being a summer release...

I'm sure a lot of you saw this coming. I've been extending my time table farther and farther, hoping I could keep my goal. I even started thinking that "summer" counted up until the official end of the season (September 22nd). While that may be true, that was hardly what many of you were initially expecting, and not what I had been sharing previously on social media. *sigh*

So what does this really mean?  

I'm postponing the publication of Morning Glory. Please note that I haven't entirely given up on it. I mean, we're talking about Myghal's story! And look at that cover - I have to write the book just so I can claim that gorgeous piece of art designed by Lena Goldfinch. ;)

I've been talking about this story for a long time now, so you might be curious as to why on earth I don't have the book ready yet. Here are my reasons/excuses:

• Life has been...well, life. I can and will use the excuse of my recent move, which involved moving out on my own for the first time (excluding college, since I lived on campus), starting a new full-time job (also a first!), and all the ins and outs that go along with that. The truth is, though, that I could and should have had the book done even before the move. Yes, there were freelance projects, my 6-week stint at the grocery store, family drama, etc. - so I'm not going to say it would have been easy. But I probably could have done it. Probably. 

• I haven't put as much effort as I should into the research. I've done some research, but I sometimes get bogged down by all the little things I ought to check to make sure the story is historically plausible. It's all interesting stuff, for sure, but with the range of settings and the direction I went with some characters, I've been overwhelmed. Not that I necessarily have to look up a ton of information, especially when I'm just trying to get the first draft down on paper. Still, I've been worried that I'm being a little too free with my imagination and a little too unconcerned with whether or not I'm even remotely close to accurately representing certain things, especially toward the middle of the story... 

• I think I've made a pantser error. "Pantser" is a term applied to those of us who generally write "by the seat of our pants." It's all well and good (and kind of fun!), but there are times when you sometimes miss key story elements because you're not deliberately thinking through all the aspects of the story beforehand. I realized this when I glanced through the post shared on Seekerville last night: "Troubleshooting Tips for Problem Plots." It hit me that I've been writing Morning Glory almost entirely as a "reaction" - I can't really identify my characters' clear, pressing goals. It's more like I'm throwing issue after issue at them and then forcing them to react. No wonder I feel adrift in the middle of the plot here... I have nothing really pushing my characters or the plot forward beyond a vague idea of where I want the story to end. The bottom line: I love these characters. I love certain plot elements. But I think I would need to go back to the drawing board in order to fix the overarching plot. This would/will probably take a good deal of time, especially since I haven't even finished a full draft yet... 

• My attention and passion have been consumed by a new project. Yes, I've been distracted by a shiny idea that's been in my peripheral vision since last fall. I've known that because of where I am in life, I'd want to work on it sooner rather than later. Ideas have been slowly trickling into my mind during the last couple of months, and with the upcoming cover reveal (this Saturday, August 9th, hosted at Seasons of Humility!) - which forced me to finally come up with a back-cover blurb - I've been completely swept away by the concept. The freedom of writing a contemporary has wooed me over to the "dark side," at least for now. ;)

To all of you who have been waiting for Morning Glory's release, please forgive me for not following through on my initial publication date goal. I'm very sorry to keep you waiting and to have gotten any hopes up by circulating the buttons with my target publication month/season. :( Like I said, I do have high hopes of publishing this at some point in the future, but I'm not ready to commit to a new target date just yet. "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies," as the saying goes. (Although it's a little late for that first time around. *sigh again*) I'm not sure how big the changes to my current plot will be, but I hope to still introduce you to most/all of these new characters someday, Lord willing and passion returning...

In the meantime, I do hope you'll consider genre-jumping with me and checking out the project I *hope* to publish next, How a Star Falls (a fanciful new-adult contemporary romance novella). I've added it to Goodreads (sans cover and blurb until this weekend), so you can add it to your shelves. And do be sure to check out the cover reveal on Saturday, because Lena's cover designs never disappoint (and there's going to be a $10 Amazon.com gift card giveaway!).

Thank you all for reading and for your understanding!

A Winner and a Loser (Or an Honest Look at My Writing Progress)

Let's start with the happy news! I owed you all a post sometime last week announcing the "Name a Character" contest winner... I do apologize for the delay. Life has a silly way of distracting people - well, not to mention the books. ;)

Anyway, I entered the names into the List Randomizer on Random.org, and the winner is Carissa! She chose this name:

Rose

Lovely, is it not? And it will continue the flower theme in some small part, even in this non-flowery story. (Nice choice, Carissa!) Since I haven't given my full attention to How a Star Falls yet (but I'm really wanting to!), I haven't decided how I shall incorporate the name...but it will find its way into the book somehow. :)

Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback on the new Seasons of a Story Publishing site and submitted character names! It's quite a fun list to draw from, so perhaps I might be asking to use some more of those names at some point.

And now for Morning Glory...

I've got to be honest: I'm not as far as I hoped to be by this point. I think part of me is distracted by all these other story possibilities - their shiny, shimmery splendidness I keep glimpsing out of the corner of my eye. I really can't wait to give more attention to each of these story seeds that keep promising me they'll bloom into beautiful things.

Another part of me is distracted by my new job and schedule. I'm certainly not complaining, though! One, this night owl is now learning how to actually get up at a decent hour in the morning. ;) Two, this is really my dream job, and I couldn't be happier with my position and the place I'm working.

Plus, if I'm honest, I probably could have been writing more the last week or two...but when I get home from work, a lot of times I just want to read! It's not my fault that these books are so darn engaging, is it? And then there's dinner and dishes and other "housekeeping" things, you know!

I guess I just feel sort of stuck. My passion for the story feels like an ember instead of a flame, and I wonder if I just need to push through it or if I need to accept it for now. But then I think of the commitment I made to all of you about publishing it this summer, and I don't feel right just giving up quite yet. My sweet friend and cover designer gave me some great brainstorming ideas, and I think the one thing I really need to do is just give myself time to sit down and think. Maybe do the research I keep putting off. Let myself get absorbed into the heart of the story again. I really do love these characters. I mean, how can I not love Myghal, really?? LOL. And each of the three sisters has a piece of my heart. In fact, one of them has asserted herself, not content to just be pushed to the side...

Anyway, I just wanted to be up-front with you, my dear friends and readers. Also, I would sure appreciate any prayers that the Lord's will be done with this and any story I write!

Tell me: What do you do to re-ignite your passion for a story when you're stuck in the middle of it? What is it about Morning Glory that you're looking forward to...or are you more excited about my upcoming experiments with new genres? ;)

Check Out My Publisher Site - Enter to Name a Character!

It's finally here! My "publisher" has its own site now, to make navigating my books and author info that much easier. :)

You can check out the story behind the site at Seasons of Humility today. But since this is my author blog, I thought I'd do something special here to celebrate the occasion...

Hop on over to take a look at the Seasons of a Story Publishing site, then hop on back and share your thoughts. What do you like best about the design? Do you think it fits well with my author brand (my "theme," if you will)? Do you like the idea of joining a street team? Planning on participating in the cover reveal?

Leave a comment here on this post regarding your thoughts on the new site, and you'll be entered for a chance to pick one of my character's names for How a Star Falls (one of my upcoming projects)! There's no guarantee as to which character it will be (hero, heroine, secondary character, family member, pet, etc.) - this story is still in the brainstorming stage. :) But I'll plan on using the name somehow, LOL.

Some semi-fine print: This "giveaway" is open internationally. A winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org and will most likely be announced here sometime next week. By leaving a comment, you're giving me permission to use the name of your choice for one of my characters (of my choosing).

Please do share in your comment the name (male or female) you'd like me to use if you win! We can also chat about naming characters, and what makes for a great character name. :)

Confession Time: Writing Projects

Hello, hello! This poor neglected blog... Seasons of Humility has been getting all the attention lately with book reviews and the super-fun Five Glass Slippers blog tour. :) But here I am again (finally), with a writing update.

Morning Glory

As you might have noticed by either my tweets or the WIP button in the sidebar, I've been making some progress on Morning Glory. But I've lost a bit of momentum... I think part of it is the fact that I'm moving next week. There are lots of details to take care of, people to see and things to do, and plenty to occupy the thoughts and emotions. Another part, though, is that I've reached Part II, and I'm at a transition for the book. I have vague ideas of where I want to take things, but I'm just not sure how I feel about them or how exactly I want to execute the plot. That's certainly fun in one sense (see Robin Lee Hatcher's post on Seekerville today), but I'm also not sure how to inject life back into the story.

That could also be due to other stories begging for my attention...

Arose

Maybe it's the inspiration of the Five Glass Slippers blog tour, maybe it's the creativity of books like Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge, and maybe it's just my emotions right now, but I have an idea for the Five Enchanted Roses creative writing contest that recently captured my imagination! And I'm pretty sure I want to give myself permission to work on this for the next few days or so... ;)

I don't want to ignore my target release time frame for Morning Glory, but I think there's something to be said for giving some time to the idea that has ignited my interest and sparked my enthusiasm, so that I don't lose the passion. Plus, maybe taking a break to try to a different writing style will help me come back to Morning Glory with new ideas and perspective.

So, the current plan is to work on this story for a while. (Pinterest board: Arose) But of course, the main plan is to get through the moving process smoothly, so that I'm ready to start my new job!

???

There's one more story (affectionately referred to as my Secret Future Writing Project on Pinterest) that's been on my mind lately. I already have a cover for it (thanks to the awesome Lena Goldfinch!), and I'm eager to get started! I think this will be a great project to work on in this new season of my life. It's in a different genre, one that will allow me to explore my experiences and interests in a more direct way. I thought I could focus on it when I send Morning Glory to my editor, so I'll have something to work on while I wait. :) We'll see!

Seasons of a Story Publishing

This blog was started with the intent of updating readers on news about "The Heart's Spring" series, as well as offering behind-the-scenes information on the writing process and fun facts about the characters/settings/etc. But I've been working on a site for my "publisher," and I wanted to connect this blog with it - so that site would be more static, where all my bookish info would be in one place, and then this blog would be updated with newsy things. If that's the case, though, I guess I'll have to broaden this blog to encompass all my releases. Perhaps "The Heart's Spring" will still work, as I think that title would fit all my stories (they flow from my heart's "spring," and they come about in the "spring"/blooming season of my heart). So I guess I just wanted to give you all the heads-up about that, so you know that some changes are in the works!

And there you go...a convoluted glimpse into my author mind right now. I hope you aren't too scarred by the experience. ;)

Before This Brief Season Ends...

Today is the last day to get Bellflower + Fairy Slippers (2 short stories in 1 ebook) FREE for Kindle! Even if you've read Bellflower already, this is currently the only way to get Fairy Slippers. (You can skip to Fairy Slippers via the Table of Contents, if you'd like!) So I hope you'll take a chance, download the ebook, and enjoy a not-quite-hour's worth of Beauty & the Beast and Cinderella in the West, as well as an added peek into some secondary characters' romances. :) And if you'd like to spread the word about the freebie, I'd be most grateful!

"The Heart's Spring" Short Stories - FREE for Kindle today (June 10th)!

New Paperbacks, New Twitter Account, & the New-sletter!

So...it's about time I share a new post on here, isn't it? I apologize that I've been absent lately! I guess Seasons of Humility has been getting all the attention. ;)

However, if you're subscribed to my newsletter, you should have received the "Spring Edition" in your inbox yesterday! And now that the newsletter has been sent into the world, I guess it's time I share some updates:

Paperbacks

Now, not much has changed within Forget Me Not and Bleeding Heart (just an addition of discussion questions and series info in the latter), but the covers of these two books have been updated! Just a few tweaks to show that they're part of a series - plus they're now going to be available with matte (soft) covers instead of glossy. :) If you already own the paperbacks, there's no need to get the updated ones unless you really, really like soft covers and want to see the series numbers on the spines, LOL. But if you've been waiting to pick up paperback copies, now is as good a time as any!

Here are the purchase links:

Forget Me Not

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | CreateSpace

Bleeding Heart

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | CreateSpace

Please note that I've approved the new versions and they should be available in their updated forms. But to be on the safe side...it wouldn't hurt to give 'em another few days just to make sure that the changes have been processed. And to be extra sure you get the matte versions, I'd suggest ordering directly from CreateSpace or Amazon. (OK, I'll confess that I get more royalties if you order from CreateSpace...but that's neither here nor there, right?? Right.) I think CreateSpace and Amazon (they're both connected) should be quicker with accepting the changes and are less likely to have a back stock of the glossy version. Please don't hate me if I'm mistaken, though! The glossy versions are still pretty. ;)

Twitter

What's this about a new Twitter account? Well, with the success of fictional-character accounts like Dr. Neil MacNeill's, and with the thought of a) giving a face to one of my own characters and b) getting my creative juices flowing, I decided to create an account for Myghal!

If you're a) #TeamMyghal and/or b) eager for Morning Glory, I hope you'll consider following my Cornish character. I'm excited to see how he does in such a foreign world. ;)

Follow @Myghal_Tamblyn

Newsletter

If you weren't previously signed up for my newsletter, you can still check out the Spring 2014 Edition HERE! Even though I've divulged some of the info included in there, you can still find an unedited teaser from Morning Glory, news about a special Kindle freebie promotion, and an interview with one of my editing & publicity clients, Jaye L. Knight. In other words... I hope you'll check it out and not miss out on the fun!

And here's the button I included in the newsletter, in case you want to grab it and share it! You can link it back to this blog or the Morning Glory blog. Thanks!

I guess that's enough "new" for now! Hopefully it won't be another month before I post again. ;)