The Storm's Whisper Cover Reveal

 

The path to peace is never easy.

As the first Caller in living memory, Eva struggles to find her footing as the bridge between her chosen people and the mythological race known as the Kyren.

When unexpected arrivals threaten to test the newly formed alliance, Eva and her protector, Caden, fight to hold together the fast-fraying bonds before peace unravels and war once again returns. Should she fail, bloodshed the likes the Broken Lands haven’t seen since the cataclysm will stain the ground red.

The mysterious abilities that lie at the heart of Eva’s power will be her salvation or lead to her becoming an evil far worse than anything seen before. Will this land fall or be reborn into a new age?

I hope everyone will enjoy Eva's new adventures. 

Because I know it will be asked, I will say the preorder has not been set yet. There are still a few moving parts that need to be finalized before I announce the date. This means the book will likely come out in the second week of January.

Post Book Blahs

Eva 2 went out to beta readers on Saturday. If you volunteered, check your email and spam folders because it may be there. A beta reader in the past didn't discover they'd been chosen until two days before it was due because of the book going to the spam folder.

I should have announced that on Saturday but my brain died. My husband said I looked like a zombie trying to clean on Sunday. One who kept losing motivation and getting distracted.

Today, I've been taking care of little admin tasks that have fallen to the wayside over the past few months. Things like figuring out what system I want to use to backup and save files. It was a big enough issue that I had a nightmare Friday night about the cats knocking a glass of water into the computer and killing it the day before I was totally done. Months of work down the drain. 

The crazy thing is we do have a backup. It runs at the same time everyday but I've tried to find documents in that thing and it isn't easy--which means I don't trust it. Also a lot can happen in 24 hours. Just ask my husband about the time I accidentally deleted a chapter and almost had a panic attack before we found it again.

Dropbox was what I was using before I blew past my limit and everything stopped syncing. Instead of switching to the paying model, my husband convinced me to give Google Drive a try. We'll see how that goes.

Most of this morning was spent with him trying to figure out then teach me how to use it. Evidently, what I was saying I wanted wasn't actually what I wanted. The time passed with him asking me why I was getting so mad and me moaning I just want to hit the save button and it be saved in two places. Which I guess meant I wanted the files mirrored vs backed up. 

It was all very technical and I wasn't understanding the differences in methods beyond one was way more complicated than the other. I can't do complicated. I will forget. At some point I will leave out a step and then have multiple files of the same name in different places and then be unable to tell which is the most up to date with all the typos corrected. 

 

We did get it sorted and I think it will work the way I need it to work, but we'll see. 

Now, I'm off to the rest of my tasks -- answering fan emails, reaching out to a cover designer, maybe writing the synopsis I don't want to write. Oh, and finishing the rest of the website I started way back in March. 

Ding Dong the Book is Done

 The book is done. This draft anyway. It ended up taking a week (really a month) longer than I expected and about fifteen thousand words more than I predicted but it tells a full story now.  At 134749 words, it's only likely to grow once beta readers and the editor get ahold of it.

Beta readers tend to ask me to add a lot more words when it comes to this series as opposed to other series. For instance, I ended up adding about 10,000 words if not more to The Wind's Call. If that were to happen, this would end up being in the top three longest books I've written. I think Pathfinder's Way and Wayfarer's Keep would beat this book but not by much.

As an indie writer, I have the flexibility to write books as long as I want. That is a good thing because I can't write a short book to save my life. What many don't understand is that even as an indie writer I still have limitations I have to take into account.

A big part of that is cost. Simply put, a super long book is more costly to produce all around. From editing--my editor charges by the word so a book that is 15,000-20,000 more words is going to cost a couple hundred dollars more to edit. That doesn't even factor in the time. It takes longer for beta readers, editors, and me to read through the book to catch all those little errors which can extend publishing time by quite a bit.

To be honest, neither of those things bother me much. I'd much prefer to tell a full and complete story with all the little details I find fascinating than try to squeeze it all into a shorter length. The biggest issue with a long book--in my mind at least--lies in the print production. The print version is going to be much more costly for the reader. You are the ones who will be paying the higher price if you decide on a print version.  In my opinion, my print books are a little higher in cost to begin so every time a book runs significantly over I feel a little worried.

All this to say, the book is written. It is coming. I plan to go through it one more time before releasing it to beta readers and sending on to the editors. A big part of that read through is figuring out the names for all of the characters--I maybe didn't take the time to do that on the last round..... 

Snippet

 As I work toward the ending that refuses to end, here is a small snippet for your Sunday.

Alright, alright, that’s enough. We are on an important mission. We don’t have time to satisfy your curiosity, Sebastian said.

The kyren youths wheeled and followed, undeterred. 

The gray’s snort sounded in Eva’s mind. You’ve gotten so self important since joining the warriors, Sebby.

Sebby?

Don’t call me that, Sebastian warned. Eva, forget you heard that.

Eva’s lips curled. “Sure thing, Sebby.”

Website Down

Edit: Website is back up. Thanks for those who let me know it was down :-)

The website is currently down. I'm working to get it back up. People can still access the blog but any links via the blog that were hosted on the site will not work. 

Sorry for the inconvenience. Hope to get it up soon.

Favorite excerpt and snippet

Slowly working through the current book and ran across a scene by a pair of my favorite characters that made me smile.

Roscoe and Ghost are a pair who came out of nowhere in one of the Shea's books and have just refused to go away. Their ridiculousness is something I look forward to.

Snippet

“Shall we make a bet?” Ghost asked in a cheerful tone. “How many bites does it take to bring down a Lion?”

Roscoe and Ghost ambled closer. There were playful smiles on their faces as they watched xxxx with an avarice that said they’d found a toy they looked forward to breaking.

Eva could almost feel sorry for the man. Maybe if he hadn't been so rude and objectionable she would have. 

“Why bet when we already know the outcome?” Roscoe asked.

“Ah, but we don’t know how many bones Sebastian will break in the process.” 

Roscoe pretended to think it over. “Alright, I bet two ribs and at least one broken limb.”

Xxx’s expression got even more freaked out. “Alright! I get it. I was wrong. Are you done?”

Ghost gave Roscoe a quizzical look. “I don’t know, Roscoe. Are we done?”

“Naw. We’re having too much fun.” Roscoe propped a foot on a small bit of debris and leaned his elbow on his knee. “Besides, the kyren’s caller is sure to appreciate our defense, don’t you think?”

Ghost had a thoughtful look on his face. “I see your point. I’ve been waiting to ride a kyren again. Think this means she’ll put in a good word for us?”

Friday Treat

 Happy Friday, everyone. A few people have been asking for snippets or alternate POVS and since this is a holiday weekend for my section of the world, what better time to share. 

Unfortunately, Eva 2's draft is in a state of flux so instead of the first chapter I'd originally planned, I'm sharing a scene that is in my cut pile at the moment. If I remember right, I replaced this with an alternate version, but now reading this again, I'm wondering if there is a place for it after all. :-p The joys of being a writer.

Cut Scene -- At least for now...

A low pitched drone surrounded Eva. 

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” a young girl said as Eva wavered at the edge of the mist wall.

There was a call coming from inside it. One that reverberated in her head, making her forget who she was.

A girl stood beside her, her face arranged in a serious frown as she looked out at the mist.

Her appearance was far younger than her voice would suggest. That of a girl around seven or eight.  She looked older than the first time Eva met her, but children that age always seemed to grow as fast as weeds. 

If you blinked, you’d miss it. 

“Mist in front of the mist. How appropriate.”

“Yes, I sometimes wonder whether my parents had some inkling of my future and whose daughter I’d end up being.” 

Eva couldn’t help but agree. There was a certain poetry about a pathfinder who had a talent for navigating the mysterious and sometimes deadly mist, ending up adopting a girl with the  same name. 

It almost enough to make one believe in fate.

“Why are you here?” Eva asked, leaving the questions of Mist's name behind.

This wasn’t the first time Mist had wandered into one of Eva’s dreams. 

A myien like Eva, Mist had the ability to travel in other people’s dreams. It allowed her to communicate over great distances. Eva suspected there were other purposes around her ability but had been careful not to ask.

Some secrets weren't meant to be shared.

One thing was clear, the Mist in her dreams was far different than the one in real life. Here, she was wise beyond her years. With a knowledge that eclipsed Eva's. She understood things. Saw things in a way most wouldn't understand.  

It made Mist mysterious. Something Eva was content to ignore since it didn’t seem like Mist meant her any harm. The opposite in fact.

“Things are changing,” Mist said. 

“Is that why you’re here?” 

Mist didn’t answer, staring into the haze as if she could see into the other side. 

Eva knelt at her side, reaching out and taking her hand. “Mist?”

Mist finally looked at Eva. Emotion moved behind her eyes. 

She was scared, Eva realized. Fear in every line of her face.

“War has come.”

Eva drew back slightly.

“He has made his move. You must top him.”

“Mist, who is he. What does that mean?” Eva asked as dread stole through her.

“The caller will either unite us or watch us fall. She will be our salvation or our doom. Trust wisely, Speaker. Not all who call you have your best interests at hand.” Mist’s expression was distant, her eyes unseeing.

Eva shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

Mist suddenly focused on her, the full weight of her gaze bearing down on Eva. “You don’t have time to be lost. We need you.”