Upcoming Release: Leal's coming back!

 
Six months.  Six very long months of hard work, sweat, blood, and tears.  (Okay... maybe minus the blood unless we include characters who died.)  Six months, and at last I can say that the book is complete!  I'm several days late on announcing this exciting news, but now that I finally have the time to sit down and put some time into this post I want to share and catch you up.
Punished With Destiny, sequel to Cursed With Power, is complete at approximately 90,000 words.  (That's 10k more than CWP!)  On Thursday (the 28th) we didn't have power for a few hours, so instead of my usual morning routine which consists of watching Bones before starting the day I literally sat down and typed on my computer until at last I reached the end.  When I did this I still had about three or four chapters left, but I suppose the focus and determine really helped me reach the finish line.
I have to admit it feels really good to be done writing the book.  CWP only took a few months to actually finish writing, but this second book took so much more time.  I think a lot of that was because this is a direct sequel, and I was trying my hardest not to make the same mistakes all over again.  More importantly, I didn't want to let the fans down.  Now mind you "the end" doesn't mean everything's set and written in stone, but I have a few more knots to tie before this book is sent off to my publisher.  At this point I'm working so that it will release in May.

Looking back, it's crazy to think that only six months ago Cursed With Power was released out into the huge publishing world.  Though I started this sequel directly after the release of CWP, I'll admit I was a bit hesitant and scared to leave behind Celestria and have to start all over with a new character.  Regardless of what happens to the main characters, I've made it so that each book tells a different and unique story into the life of a Dark magician.  Now that I have completed the book I'm glad the narration changed and I accepted the challenge because so much has changed since CWP, and I hope the positive shines brightly in this upcoming book.

What's coming next for Leal and you?!

That's right ladies, Leal will be coming to you very soon.  As I said everything is still in motion for a spring release.  We're going to have a fabulous giveaway and so much more coming up; I'm still in the process of gathering everything together.   The cover reveal, teasers, excerpts, and more are on there way... And I know that there's still a bit more waiting ahead, but we've made it past the most difficult part now and from here it's all a matter of bringing everything together.

Hopefully if time (and life) permits I'll be able to post again on Tuesday, or if not at least sometime during this week.  Life has been a bit hectic, seeing as I've started my new job as publicist with Entranced Publishing while still managing my other job and school...and this book... and the other book.. Well, you get the point.  Keep checking in for more exciting details!
Oh, and if you want to talk about the upcoming sequel, remember to use "#LealReturns2013" on Twitter!  I'll be promoting that hashtag more when we have a release date set.

#LealReturns2013

Lindsey R. Sablowski

Reaching the end, welcoming a new beginning

Credit to female model, credit to male "warrior" model, credit to male "shirtless" model

Writing the sequel to Cursed With Power has been anything but easy.  Even so, I awake every morning with the same mindset that once it's finished and done we'll have another edition to the series.  I'm still very nervous about the release of Punished With Destiny, especially since that means I'll have to start making decisions about the third book.  On the other hand, though, there is a lot to forward to in the sequel that I can't wait for you to have your hands on.  Today we're going to glimpse into what the second books holds... without revealing any spoilers of course.

For one, we have a new cast to welcome.  The first part of the book focuses on Leal's experience in Esmour's organization, Destin.  We finally come face to face with Esmour, but I'll leave it to you to decide whether you're on his side or not.  New faces also means new stories, different histories, and dangerous secrets... But don't worry, we're not about to say farewell to everyone from Cursed With Power.  Some of your favorite (and least favorite) characters will be returning in a new light.

I'll admit Leal and I have had our differences throughout the process of telling this story, but now that I'm literally nine chapters away from the end I'm grateful for the struggles we faced.  Leal's telling a much different story than Celestria's simply because it's his, and there's a lot we have to learn from him.  Nonetheless, the magic is returning.

Secondly, the release could be happening as soon as next month (April) or two months from now (May).  There will be a giveaway, a countdown, a blog tour, and numerous other ways for you to be involved in the release of the book.  If I can have your support we'll make it much bigger than the release of CWP because after all every new story is a new beginning.

A lot of people have been asking me what I'll be writing once the Magicians series is over, and to be honest at this point I can't put an exact dot on where I want to go next.  Right now I have five Dark magicians running around in my head, begging to have their story told, and it can be quite overwhelming.  Presently I want to see where the series has to take us, and once we reach the end then we'll see what is next on the journey.  For now enjoy the ride!

   

I realize it's been six months since Cursed With Power released back in September of 2012. (The end of March is right around the corner, so in my head it already feels like seven months.)  This has been such an amazing six months -half a year marker!- and even though there are still obstacles I have to get through I wouldn't give this up for anything in the world.  For those of you who have already finished the book and been waiting these last couple of months for the sequel, I cannot thank you enough for your patience.  I'll admit I have not followed my original schedule exactly as planned, but I promise any delay in the release of the upcoming sequel is only because I want this to be at its best for all of you!   

Presently I'm at 78k in the sequel; CWP was sent in with 74k, so I have no idea what the total word count will be for this until I'm actually finished.  So speaking of... I should probably get back to work.  Who knows, the next time I post I'll be announcing the completion of book two.

The magic returns this spring...

Lindsey R. Sablowski

"I'm sick of playing nice" returning spring 2013

Credit to photographer. Model: Ian Somerhalder

Whew we're already half way through March, and you know what that means... The release of Punished With Destiny is within our grasp.  If you've been wondering why there was a lack in my posting it is because this month (and perhaps the next couple to follow) and very demanding of attention toward the book.  Though I am slightly behind my schedule, I've been focusing as much time as I can spare to catch up once again.  I can assure you that I'll definitely be done writing the book before the end of the month, and then we have the lovely editing process to look forward to.
The end of this book, being only ten chapters away for me, is a crazy thought.  I started rewriting the rough draft back in September shortly after Cursed With Power, since there were only five chapters at most that had been written previous to my publishing contract.  There were some days I regret not spending more dedicated to this book, but now that I'm nearly the end it's a good feeling.  Feelings of relief, excitement, and even some... anxiety.  I am both eager and nervous to hear feedback from readers, and to be honest this book hasn't been read over by anyone thus far except for me.  (Not even my boyfriend, though I've given him the chance.)  Regardless, I hope Leal's story can intrigue readers who have not yet read the first book in the series, and for return fans, I hope it's everything they've been waiting for and more.
I wish we could have a countdown starting, but I wouldn't feel comfortable with starting one until I get the "okay" from my publisher.
There isn't much more I can share in this post, seeing as by the looks of it this month will primarily be focusing on finishing the book and moving onto edits.  All the same, I wanted to take the time to catch you up with the process and progress that's been made.  I have a lot of hopes for Leal's story, and I'm hoping you'll hear out his story.  Everything isn't finished yet, and we're far from reaching the end (of the series), but keep your fingers crossed everything works out.
Think you're ready for it?
Lindsey R. Sablowski

"Mock" book proof is here!

 
Yesterday the "mock" book proof of Punished With Destiny showed up at my house.  While this isn't anything official, I will admit it was nice to have that moment of excitement again to be holding a hard copy of the book in my hands. (It'll be even more exciting when it's official and releasing!)  For now, though, the copy is waiting on my desk for Friday -the day of the road trip.  It only contains the first 25 chapters of the book, but I've already sneaked a few glances and mentally noted edits that I need to write in.  Let's hope I remember to bring along a red pen with me.
Looking back on Cursed With Power, there were so many mistakes I made and learned from.  A majority of my desk and the half top of my closet is filled with binders containing different versions of CWP.  I'm hoping that this time around I can use what I learned to my advantage, and hopefully the editing process will move along more smoothly.  Regardless on Friday alone I believe I'll have approximately 16 hours in total to edit as much of the book as physically possible, and oddly enough I am rising to the challenge.  The sooner the editing gets done, the quicker I can apply the revisions and have our book on its way to releasing.
And in case you haven't heard, I have determined the exact date I should be finished writing the book.
 
So long as I complete a chapter each day I should be finished of the book by March 11th.  Unfortunately (for me at least) that's less than two weeks away, so the mental countdown has begun and eventually at some point I imagine my hand will hurt.  Most of these chapters I've been writing down on paper first before converting them over onto a Word document.  I find that keeps the writer's block away, and paper isn't as intimidating as a blank Word document can be.  And thanks to my boyfriend, I also have my KindleFire, which I can read the book on just as if it were an e-book.
There's a lot of work to be done and not nearly enough time, but for now I wanted to catch everyone up with where I am currently.  If I don't post again until later this weekend it's because I'll be caught up with editing and just having a good time out and about.  Don't worry, though, the giveaway will be coming soon!
And in the meantime I can leave you with another promo I made this morning (at 1am):

Lindsey R. Sablowski

The story Celestria was told; the truth Leal knows.

First let me clarify that the cover you see is not the official cover.  Next Friday I'm taking a road trip down to New York, and since I won't be driving I decided the best way to keep myself occupied (and quiet) is to bring along my book to edit.  Printing out approximately 187 pages didn't seem like the most efficient (and sane) way to go about this, so I'll have a hard copy of the book in my hands for the trip.

Do you think you're ready for Leal's story?

I don't know about you, but the wait has been killing me.  I am just as anxious to release the book as you are to read it.  The good news is that regardless of how soon the book releases this spring I will host another giveaway, which will include some Cursed With Power prizes and hopefully ARCs for the sequel.  I'm planning this all out in the back of my head, but we'll have to wait until March or April to see what exactly happens.

If nothing else, though, I hope the most exciting part about PWD is that the story is told from Leal's perspective.  Leal has an entirely different perspective on the magical world than Celestria did, and when the third book comes along our third magician will also have a different view.  I like changing up the narrators, and though it does require more work, I think in the end it makes it fresh and exciting for everyone.

Now about that giveaway....

Ever since my first giveaway in the fall of 2012 (shortly after CWP released) I've been paying close attention to other authors and what wonderful prizes they give away to participants.  Now again I realize that there is still a lot of decisions to be made before I can finalize anything, but... Spring is a very special time for the Magicians series, and the release of the sequel is something I need your help to spread around.  If you participate in the giveaway I promise you won't regret it!  This time I'll work my best to make sure there are more prizes and opportunities for participants to win.

Though I have several ideas floating around in my head, if you'd like to make a suggestion you're more than welcome to.

That's all for now, since I have writing to get back to before I'm headed off to work.  Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, and remember to check back in for more exciting news.

Lindsey R. Sablowski

Behind the character: Alaire Sencler

The last Behind the Character post I wrote was about Esmour, which surprisingly received a lot of views.  I told you I'd have something special to share again, and I decided it was time to talk about the man we know and love.  Perhaps he needs no introduction, but he certainly deserves to have his story told.  I realize I've talked about Alaire several -perhaps more than several?- times in the past, but I'm going to focus on some aspects I haven't mentioned before.

Alaire is the man who has lived for many years without a family.  He lost the people most important to him, and we can see in Cursed With Power how this has changed him over the years.  Despite that, Alaire is the hero of the story in more ways than might be noticeable on paper.

You've most likely heard me tell the story of how Alaire "saved" Cursed With Power.  In the book Celestria views him as her "guardian angel," but for many reasons he was also a guardian angel to me during the time I was writing the book.  Again, I'm not going to focus on this too much, but I will stress again that Alaire was not originally in the book during the first draft.  Thankfully he became a main character before publication, and for that I am very pleased.

Perhaps one of my favorites scenes to write that included him was about the burning church.  If you haven't read the book I won't ruin anything for you, but the prologue is the first time readers are introduced to Alaire.  Him and Celestria are trapped in a burning church together, and as they're making their way out he shouts, "Go ahead, I'm right behind you."  The prologue was written and rewritten more times than I can count or remember for that matter, but as it is today is something I think that fully illustrates Celestria and Alaire's relationship.  That single line alone where he is reassuring Celestria that he'll be right behind her is exactly the way I've always envisioned him to be.  And wasn't he always right behind her in some way or another?

Recently with the upcoming sequel I've been working with a lot of new characters and trying to get a feel for Leal.  I'd have to say out of all of the Dark magicians I've dealt with so far, Alaire is the one who openly talks about not only the darkness in his magic but also the darkness he feels has consumed him in the past.

For obvious reasons I can't reveal what is to become of Alaire, but rest assured that I have a long history of notes on the Sencler family and history and no matter what there is much more to be told.  However, I can say that Alaire is present in the first part of the book since it takes place a year before the men meet Celestria.  We'll finally be able to see what work Alaire did for Esmour and also the kind of man he was before he met Celestria.  (He mentions several times that before he met her he was a different kind of person, and he wasn't exactly proud of his past.)

 

The sequel is almost finished and spring is right around the corner.  What do you think: Will you still love Alaire once you know his story?

Lindsey R. Sablowski

Looking back from where we started

It's brought a smile to my face to see that people have viewed the teaser I posted on Valentine's day.  For those of you who read it, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you haven't yet it's still fresh on the blog waiting for you.  Now let's get down to business...

This post I have been excited about and also a bit embarrassed about because... Well, you're about to see.  I love looking back at memories, and I think pictures more than anything really hold stories of their on.  This morning I'm sharing the very first covers that inspired the Magicians stories.  While I am willingly sharing these photos, I want you to keep in mind that this is not exactly "artwork" I'm proud of.  Two years ago on a site named "Polyvore" -basically you can design ideal clothes set ups or edit photos and turn them into art, etc.- I came across a picture that instantly caught my attention.

This woman, as you may notice, has red hair just as Celestria does in the story.  It was this image that actually inspired her physical traits.  I loved how her dark red hair looked against her pale skin, and it also made her stand out -even with the black cloak on.  I thought about how stunning of a magician she would be to run into; her hair like fire, her skin like snow, her magic like nothing anyone had seen before.  All of this imagery and these thoughts raced through my head the first time I saw this image, and it was at that very moment that I knew it was a story that had to be told.

Yes, this is where it starts to be embarrassing....  With some editing and adding in the text I created a book cover that at the time I was actually rather proud of.  (Now I look at it and think "Who ever liked this?!") Regardless, I owe a lot to this first cover.  Unlike the books to follow, Cursed With Power never changed its title throughout the two year period before publication.  

Ah the cover for the second book... Originally -as you might remember if you've been following the blog for a while- the sequel was titled New Life.  The reason I chose that title back before I even knew the specifics was because I knew I wanted to tell the story of a man who gave his whole life to magic and had a chance to change his own destiny.  Presently the book is titled Punished With Destiny, which is a title that I believe is permanent, and truthfully I like this title much better.  Leal does indeed tell the story of how he has lived his entire life with magic, but he also has an opportunity to make a change.  Would you do it if you could?  Or what if it was written in your destiny that you could never leave it behind?

I suppose the plus to this cover is that the focus is on the man's blue eyes, which as we all know is a physical trait of Leal's.  

The third cover I don't have a lot to say about.  The image of a girl looking out into the moon is nice, but like all of these it's nothing great.  Obviously with all of the recent changes the title to this book has also changed since it was first created.  Presently the working title is Betrayed With Magic, and I'm not ready to say if that will stay or go.

The fourth cover is once again not at its finest.  For some reason at the time when I created it I thought it'd be a great idea to add sparkles for a "magical" effect, but if anything now I think it's obvious that the sparkles do not belong.  The title to this book will be changed, but I don't have anything official yet.

The fifth book has had more changes in title than I can count.  The latest one was Alaria, but I do believe that will change and as of now I have no idea what it will become.  The staircase is meaningless; it was simply something I found intriguing at the time, and now I look back and wonder what on Earth it was meant to represent.  

It's 2am, so I'm heading off to bed to catch a few hours of sleep.  The main purpose of this post was to share the pictures and look back at where the series began.  Despite the terrible  artwork, I am so glad that it all started there and that we're reaching new heights each day.  I promise to have something interesting coming up later this week... just have to decide on what.  Happy Monday! :)

Lindsey R. Sablowski

Happy Valentine's Day -here's the teaser!

Photographer: Teresa Baliño

Credit to model

Valentine's Day Teaser! 

Falling in love... They say falling in love can tear a person down to flesh and bone.  I never imagined being that woman who fell so easily for one man, but I could not have been more wrong.  From the first day I met him I could feel the connection.  My body would tense up when he drew close to me, and my heart felt like it could pound straight out of my chest.  However, he never took advantage of how quickly I'd agree to stand by his side or join along for a mission.  Even if I had wanted him to notice his expectations were set much higher; his eyes wondered among other women, and I was nothing more but another in the crowd.  We were like fish in an ocean; millions to choose from, but only one could truly win his heart.

"I could never fall in love with your devilish smile," I would tell him, but alas he was too busy and too content to notice that I had indeed done the act I swore I never word.  I fell in love with him, and it actually hurt my heart.  It ached every day to watch him walk away never knowing what was in my heart, watching him amused by other women without ever knowing the words I had to say.  Secretly, though, I was always planning the perfect moment to say those three precious words.  My mother had taught me to never speak them unless I meant it with my full heart, but I was more certain than ever that the feelings I had for him were true.

***

It is completely dark in the room, and the only comfort I hold onto is knowing that Leal is present in the room.  His breaths were heavy and quick, but oddly enough I find it comforting.  It is the first time we are entirely alone, the first time I have him to myself and yet the timing is all wrong.  If nothing else he will be furious with what I have done, and I know that my crime has indented its mark forever in our relationship.  Even in the darkness, though, I continue to think about the connection we share.  I hold onto every moment that we have shared, and a part of me remains hopeful that we can make it out of this un-scarred.

"Can you feel anything? he asks, though his voice sounds muffled.

The air has become stale, and I choke on what little oxygen we have and mutter, "Emptiness."

It is not the answer he is expecting nor one he will know how to reply to.  I imagine he is feeling a different kind of emptiness toward me, and it is only a matter of time before he expresses his emotions.  After all of the time we have spent together I feel like I know him better than anyone else in my life.  He is the dearest person to me, but this time I risk losing him all because of a decision I made.

"Did someone force you?" he begins to shout, and he hits me with questions I had not even considered myself.  There is rage in his voice like he's ready to explode, and I fear that the remaining magic in the house is starting to affect him.  No matter how I try to calm him nothing seems to work, but then silence falls again and I try something different.  I say something I have never told him before, and I am shocked to hear them escape from the safety of my lips.

"I love you," I say.  A wave of relief rushes over me, and those three words make the darkness seem much less threatening.  Nothing can harm us now, and even though he is silent I begin to convince myself that we are only bruised from all of this and will be able to walk away together.

After choking he speaks up at last and replies, "Are you okay?  I thought I was dying and didn't hear what you were saying."

The world comes crashing down on me.  My mother's warnings from when I was a young girl ring in my mind; her voice echoes through my head, taunting me that she had been right.  I remain where I am curled up, and I feel naked and fully exposed.  The darkness is surreal; it surrounds me even more now, and I cannot bear another minute of this torture.  All I want is to escape, but I know that this is the price I must pay.  Who could have blamed Leal?  Any other man would have acted the same way.  Regardless of my feelings, the cold truth was spread out throughout the entire life.  I had betrayed Leal in a way no magician should to their partner.

***

Hope everyone is having a lovely holiday!  This teaser is based off of events from Punished With Destiny, but I purposely left the narrator a secret.  Looks like you'll have to wait for the release of the book to find out who it is.  Obviously it's not Leal, but I thought a change in narration would be a fun challenge, and though the dialog is directly from the book, I did enjoy writing from someone else's point of view.  

And as promised, before I go I'll leave you with a picture of Alaire.  I think there has been a picture before where I edited it to have flames in the background, and the main reason I like this is because it's very symbolic of the first introduction we have to Alaire in Cursed With Power -the burning church scene.  (I do not own the photo, so credit is given to its proper owner).

    

As for me, I celebrated Valentine's earlier tonight.  I hope everyone has a special someone they're spending the holiday with!  Lots of love!

Lindsey R. Sablowski