Since I'll be busy both New Year's eve and New Year's day, I decided to make a post early reflecting on this year and what's to come in 2013. Without further ado...




Since I'll be busy both New Year's eve and New Year's day, I decided to make a post early reflecting on this year and what's to come in 2013. Without further ado...
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Let's start with the upcoming sequel...
Generally when readers finish the first book in a series the question they're left wondering is, "when can I read the next book?" So I thought it was time I talked about the release date for the upcoming sequel, Punished With Destiny. We don't have anything official, but I'm hoping that during winter break I can sit down and finish the book -or at least come close to finishing. (Mind you, this would require for Microsoft Word to be up and running -and as of presently, I'm having some issues with it.) Either way, here's my unofficial release date for you: spring of 2013. I know it's very general, but I'm making it my goal to have everything finished before the spring, so Old Line can do what they do best and make everything finalized. Why the spring, you ask? Well it'll be six months from when CWP released, so just around the time readers will be finishing the first book they'll have the second one to look forward to. Feel free to pass on the news :) (just remember nothing's official yet!)
Now what's this about a third book?!
For those of you who don't know, Cursed With Power is the first book of five in the Magicians series. Oddly enough that was something I decided right away before I even began writing CWP. Anyways, I already have a working title for the third book.
*drum roll*
Banished With Magic will be the third book in the Magicians series. While this title may change when I actually start writing the book, I think it might stay permanently. Now as for the last two books, the titles are not going to be revealed as of right now. All the same, I'm looking forward to the adventure and hope you are too.
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This time of the year holds a very special place in my heart, and not simply because I enjoy the holidays -which I do. Seven years ago I began the journey into the writing world. It all started with the cover you're looking at right now. I sat down and started writing what would become my first novel, The Magic of Light.
For those of you who haven't heard the story, The Magic of Light followed the lives of Trisha and Keith. They were "good" magicians, living in a world overrun and terrorized by Dark magicians. Magicians have always seemed to fascinate me, and I feel like for a long time they've been haunting my mind, waiting for me to tell their stories. Anyways, back to the story... This book was definitely not ready for publication in any way, but my inner writer was determined to have her voice be heard. And so fate had it that many -more than I can count-publishers would hear my voice. The problem of course was that this book was not publishing material. Sure there was promise perhaps, but it wasn't perfect and certainly wasn't ready.
I cannot begin to tell you how many rejection letters I received during the four years I worked so hard to have that book published. I was determined, and when people criticized the book and told me I needed to do something else it only made me want it more. Once you step your feet in the water you can't jump out, and for me that's exactly what the publishing industry was. Now that I had a feel of it, I didn't want to run away just because it was scary. (And oh was it scary!)
But then how is it that after four years I gave up on Trisha and Keith, and ended up writing a story about a totally different world with Celestria and Alaire? What happened during those fours years that changed? Well, for one, I changed a lot and matured during those years. Even now I'm still maturing and growing into a stronger writer, and if there's anything I learned during the time I spent on The Magic of Light it's that you don't give up on something you love. You perfect it, make it better, give it your full heart....and then try again.
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I honestly had no idea that I would finish NaNoWriMo this year, but somehow I did. I finished literally a few minutes before I had to leave for work, and let me tell you that once I finished I swore I could never write again. Naturally I did the only logical thing... and started writing the first thing when I woke up this morning.
And now look, it's already December and I haven't changed my calendar! If anything, NaNo has just proven to me that time flies. Finals are coming up this month, so today might be my one free day to write before I have to study like crazy.
As most of you know, I intend on having Punished With Destiny released in the spring of 2013, so the fact that I've finished more than half of the book will hopefully help me reach that deadline. Leal has been a pain at times, but I'm starting to grow fond of the characters. The first part of the book focuses on Leal's life before he met Celestria, being as he was a part of Destin. All of the characters in this first part are mainly new to me with the exclusions of Leal, Alaire, and Aldemund. I suppose that's the most exciting and challenging part of this book so far: having a whole new cast of characters to work with. At times it can be frustrating, but now that I've become more accustomed to them I can't wait for when I'm in the editing process to add more to them. (Haha imagine that, someone looking forward to editing.)
CWP news
The support for Cursed With Power has been amazing, and let me just say for the record (and the millionth time) that I love each and every one of you who have shown your support. I certainly hope that the book can be a success because there's so much more to come in the next four books of the series.
Now that it's December, we have another book signing on the way! On December 8th, I'll be at North Carroll Library to chat with fans, sign copies of the book, and also sell copies for those who haven't made a purchase yet. Remember a book can be a wonderful gift for someone who loves to read :) I realize a lot of you who follow this blog don't live in or near Maryland, but I'll ask someone to take pictures and post them here after the event.
Happy December!
Lindsey R. Sablowski
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Saturday was one of the best days of my life, and my first book signing was a huge reason behind that. I woke up at 8am, got dressed, fancied myself up, and waited till around twelve in the afternoon for my boyfriend to arrive to drive me. The book signing was in Hunt Valley at Greetings and Readings. I arrived at 1pm exactly, and sat at a table with a fellow local author. There were seven authors in total all from Old Line Publishing.
Everyone -authors and attendees-were friendly and delightful to be around. The support was unbelievable, and let me tell you after spending six years trying to publish a book it was the most surreal moment of my life. All of the rejections, the rough nights, the struggles.... these are the moments where you see that it really is worth it.
While unfortunately a lot of my writing friends live out of state (and nowhere near Maryland), I am so thankful to those who did attend. My family, friends, and boyfriend stayed and supported me all the while. It was a great experience for both me and the book, and I am so thrilled for the upcoming events that are already lined up.
Plus Michael J. Sullivan (fantasy author of Theft of Swords) and his wife showed up for the signing, which I cannot thank them for enough! They stayed nearly the entire two hours, talking with my parents and the president of my company. There aren't enough words to express how grateful I am that Mr. Sullivan showed up to the event.
Anyways, I just wanted to share the events with those of you who weren't able to attend. There's much more on the way, but for now I have other tasks at hand. Enjoy your nights!
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The upcoming sequel to Cursed With Power has been in progress ever since the publication of CWP in September. When I talk about the "birth" of it, I'd like to think of this first draft as just that. There are bound to be much editing left and new additions and etc. left desired, but this is the beginning of something new and exciting. Those of you who have finished the book have remarked about your interest in reading the next book, and I assure you I am just as eager as you to take the journey. With NaNoWriMo currently going on, it's a bit of a hectic time now, but I wanted to take this time tonight to talk more about what's to come.
It all starts with Cursed With Power. Honestly I wouldn't even be writing this upcoming sequel if it wasn't for everyone's support with the first book in the Magicians series. If you don't know already, it's a five book series, and we're expecting to make it through all five books. *fingers crossed* All of the support -small and large-has meant everything to this book, the series, and I myself as the author. I seriously cannot thank you guys enough!
This new book I've been working on also feels like a new chapter of my life. With college and working and all the new changes, I also like that this book can reflect those changes. Obviously Punished With Destiny (book #2) is nothing like our lives, but I like that it's new, and I'm hoping that readers will enjoy the new aspects it brings forth from where Celestria's book ended. My main job now is to write... solely write, and that's the best part about writing. There's nothing more enjoyable than being able to sit down and write something new. While it's true I've entered this book into NaNoWriMo, that doesn't necessarily mean I'm in a rush to make sure I finish this by the end of November. No matter what happens this month, I am happy to be continuing forward with the book nonetheless.
And speaking of new chapters, it's good to be smiling with all of the new changes in my life. So here's to new beginnings because they really do make all of the difference!
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That's right, it's no secret that National Novel Writing Month started today and will be carrying on until November 30th. I'll be entering this year for my fourth year in running, and let me just say... I am attempting to mentally prepare myself for the exhausting nights. I've even got my writing face ready...
Just kidding, of course!
But NaNoWriMo isn't the only thing happening this month. November is actually a very exciting month because there's a lot going on. Besides Thanksgiving and NaNo, here's some other things happening you might not know about:
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I live in Maryland, so unfortunately we are expected to see Hurricane Sandy. Hopefully we won't lose power, but if we do I have all my writing materials to keep me busy and occupied.
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Believe it or not, four years ago I joined NaNoWriMo and entered into a whole new world of madness I never knew excited. And let me just say for the record that four years ago I was scared. Literally. 50k in 30 days? Madness, complete madness!
However, after that first year Nano actually became a real challenge for me. Sadly I've never made it to the 50k because the novels I chose to write were ones I fell out of touch with. This year I can guarantee you that won't happen. It's kind of hard to give up on a novel your publisher is expecting you to write...
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"The thing that sets 'Cursed with Power' apart is the realism," says Donaho, who describes her role in this case as proofreading and tweaking. "[The book] has some religious aspects, some romance, and her readers can relate to the universal themes of friendship, love, trust and the death of someone close.
"At her age this is a tremendous accomplishment. ["Cursed with Power"] is the first book in a series, and she makes you want to read the next one."
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We're starting the day off saying "AWWW" to this adorable kitty. But where was I?
Did you hear contest? That's right! I will be hosting a Cursed With Power FALL GIVEAWAY contest this month! Anyone and everyone is welcome to enter, and believe me you won't want to miss out on this. We're not only celebrating that fall is in the air, but this is also a celebration that CWP has been officially published for a month now (I'm a few days late on noticing). Everyone has been so supportive... It's time you gain something back from it!
Now I won't reveal what the prizes are just yet, but I should have everything ready by tonight so I can post up the contest before the end of the week. The contest will be held on Rafflecopter -not that you care; I can just post it into my blog or paste the link-so the more you participate, the more you can win!
This is the first official contest we're having. If it goes over really well, I promise there will be more for the next contest. Even so, don't leave disappointed because I'm sure there's a prize in there for everybody that could be of interest.
So what do you say.... Are you ready for this?
Lindsey R. Sablowski
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For some like J.K. Rowling, October will take her -and perhaps keep her-on the top ten bestselling books. For others like me and you, eh... we envy what she can accomplish with another book.
But it's October at last! The last few weeks of September were a bit crazy, and I apologize in advance for the madness. However, the beginning of a new month is always promising, and while I can't actually think of all that much that's happening this month, there are several on my calendar.
Howard County Times newspaper will be publishing their article on Cursed With Power this Thursday! I'll have copies for any of you who are interested; if you live outside of Maryland, perhaps I could mail you one if you're dying to have it.
We think we'll go to Boston! Well not physically, but I will be doing a Skype chat with students at Emerson college about being managing the lifestyle of a college student and author.
November is coming closer with each passing day, meaning that before any of us realize it it'll be November 17th -Hunt Valley signing! (These events are also posted on my author website.)
But more importantly, we have a cover reveal today! I've been talking about the upcoming sequel, but in case you didn't notice, there isn't a cover for it. Unfortunately I've had New Life still floating around. So all the credit goes to Kristia Seabolt for the amazing design of this cover! It's only a place holder for now, but... well you're not listening now, so I'll just let you look at it:
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Hi everyone today we have Christina Leigh Pritchard, author of the C I N series, with us talking about the meanest character she's ever written. Please give her a warm welcome, and now I'll let her take it away:
First off, hello everyone and thank you, Lindsey, for having me on your blog today! I also want to give a
special shout out to L.M. Preston, author of The Pact: Retribution (available September 28th!) for putting
this mini blog tour together. It’s been wonderful learning about new books and authors!
“Who is the meanest character you’ve ever written?”
I want to say that Frank is the meanest character I’ve ever written (from the C I N Series) but I’m going
to have to go with Officer Lindsey instead. She’s a tyrannical leader in a futuristic novel (The War in the
Wall) I wrote back in the 1990’s (unreleased—but think of the Hunger Games x20!)
Officer Lindsey is fat and bitter. She’s complex but means well in her twisted way—lining up the parents
of her kidnapped children—and forcing them to watch as their parents are executed. This, of course, is
only the beginning. Officer Lindsey is so cruel, sometimes, while writing her scenes, I couldn’t stomach
what was being typed. I cried a lot and took lots of walks on the beach to clear my head!
(Now you see why I have never released this one! It’s the most violent and graphic book I’ve ever
written—and it was during my young teen years. Hormones? LOL!)
To learn more about the C I N Series and future books visit the blog dedicated to the series or check out
the debut novel C I N on Amazon.
Thanks for stopping by, Christina! How interesting that her meanest character was named "Officer Lindsey;" can't say the two of us are alike haha. Be sure to check out her book!
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Hey everyone! Today we have YA Paranormal author, Bryna Butler, as a guest on the blog. Please give a warm welcome and be sure to check out her books like Of Sun & Moon.
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