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