Leal and his "famous" vests

Quote directly from Thicker Than Blood

Leal's already shared his story in Shadows and Embers, but today I want to talk about what he loves the most: his vests. From the beginning you might have noticed Leal loves his vests and doesn't like them being damaged. He even has a variety of different colored vests.
But what's so important about a vest anyways?
Throughout the books each main (Dark magician) character has a certain item associated with them. This wasn't something I purposely planned at the beginning, but once I jumped deeper into the characters and their lives I realized these were the things that made them unique. Leal has his vests, Alaire has Vinur and the cross necklace, and the necklace is passed onto Celestria (to be her item). It wasn't planned, but here they are with their own items attached to them.
As we've learned in the books (and don't worry, no spoilers) Leal comes from a wealthy family. He's used to looking good and playing the role of a wealthy man's son. These vests are a part of his heritage and also remind us now and again of Leal's life in Neutadt. He might be a magician, but his feelings for his vests haven't changed. At times his reactions to the condition of his clothes has been comical (at least for me), but in all honesty I love the fact Leal cares about this seemingly simple item of clothing. It helped me add onto his character and look deeper into him, and now when I write about him I always imagine him with a vest. (And you know how handsome he can look in those vests....)
Probably my favorite vest out of Leal's closet is the light blue one that is often mentioned as his favorite in the books. I imagine the vest matching perfectly with his eye color, which is a beautiful light blue color to begin with.
Now I can already tell you right now the quote included at the top of this post is directly from Thicker Than Blood. I am very excited for Leal's return in the third book and for readers to learn more about the role he will play. If you've read the previous books I'll leave you to imagine. He certainly has grown on me.
What do you think of Leal's vests? Is it one of his features you love or find intriguing? What other characters and items might you want to hear about next? Be sure to leave a comment below and share.

Progress Update
Before I go I wanted to share an update about where I am in terms of preparing book #3 for publication. I tend to post a lot of pictures on my Instagram with updates, but I like including them now and again on here as well.
I am reading through the "mock" proof, correcting mistakes and answering any hanging questions. Once I start reading it's easy to actually stay focused on the task at hand, but I will admit there's still a lot of work ahead of me. I expect to finish in time as according to my outlined plans. Ideally I would love to release the book in early August, and if I finish anything before then I will not hesitate to release the book earlier than planned.
There was a minor issue in regards to the book cover for TTB which was recently fixed, so I can rest at ease. (Don't worry cover reveal participants, you will be receiving the update later this week.) The cover reveal is only 4 days away, and I can't believe we're finally almost there. Thank you to everyone for their patience and also help in making this event possible and enjoyable.
Lindsey R. Sablowski

The wait is almost over -only 4 more days! Thicker Than Blood’s official cover is being revealed July 5th -an all day event. Don’t forget to sign up.

Excited for the release of Thicker Than Blood this August? Add the book to your “want to read” list on Goodreads today.

Countdown: 8 days until Cover Reveal

June is nearly at end, and I cannot believe in only 8 days we'll be revealing the cover to Thicker Than Blood. While I might not be posting a countdown post everyday on the blog, I did want to today so I can catch you up on what I'm doing in the meantime. 

The cover reveal is in 8 days. In the meantime I've been formatting the book for paperback and decided to wait on ebook formatting. I don't want to format for the ebook until I have everything finalize. (Going through two different copies of the book for last edits would be a pain.) However, my proof copy should arrive today. I've been tracking it and it's out for delivery, and now all I need to do is wait. While I hate doing anything major to the book in term of edits without the hard copy by my side, I did add a new scene to the book. I also added an additional quote I found interesting and relevant to the beginning (before the prologue). Once I have the proof copy I read through that and follow along on my computer to fix problems as I come across them. It's makes it a lot easier for me, especially considering how I decided to edit my first time around. I'll talk more about the specifics on how I chose to edit for this book in a later post for anyone who's interested.

Returning to the topic of cover reveals, I decided to look back at my previous cover reveals. On August 31, 2012 I revealed the cover for Cursed With Power. That was my first cover reveal, and as you can probably tell I didn't know what to include. Looking back on it, I am disappointed with myself for not including the summary to let people know what it's about. Instead I talked about favorite character, most difficult character, favorite chapter and quote. Interesting topics, but fortunately I learned and improved. On July 16, 2013 (10 days before release day) I revealed the cover for Shadows and Embers. Here I can see how I improved; I included the summary, release date, and even did a side by side comparison to the CWP cover.

This time around I feel prouder of the cover reveal I have planned. Nearly every person who signed up to participate asked for a teaser. I am thrilled with how eager everyone is to find out more about the book. We have a lot to share with you come July 5th, and I can promise you this cover reveal will beat my previous ones.

If anything I love that over the years I've grown as a writer and have learned from my mistakes. Sure, I could go back and edits my posts to be more informational. I could fix up past cover reveals however I want, but I like looking back at the originals. I like seeing where I came from and where I am today. Also, I think it helps my readers and viewers see my growth. None of us are perfect, and it's okay to make mistakes you learn from. I've learned a lot about cover reveals, and what I aimed for this time is information and excitement. If you want me to go into more details about what I've learned and include advice, let me know. I would love to share.

Before I go, one last reminder that there's plenty of time to sign up for the cover reveal. The advantage you gain is being able to see the cover before the public. So far everyone's reactions have been positive and enthusiastic. And don't forget if you're eager for the reveal I set up a countdown on the right side of the blog for you to keep track of the time remaining. Only 8 days to go and counting!

In the meantime, tell me what have you learned about cover reveals? Do you enjoy hosting them on your blog and noticed people's reactions?

Lindsey R. Sablowski

The wait is almost over! Thicker Than Blood’s official cover is being revealed July 5th -an all day event. Don’t forget to sign up.

Excited for the release of Thicker Than Blood this August? Add the book to your “want to read” list on Goodreads today.

Immortality

First off, I should mention that Rostland's immortality is no secret. (And there will be no spoilers ahead for that matter.) While we don't actually meet him until Shadows and Embers we learn very quickly about his secret. When I first started the series I had no idea I would ever create an immortal being. At one point there were faeries involved in the story, but I decided against them because it seemed unrealistic (even for a fantasy realm). I wanted people to be able to relate to the story and to Celestria's adventure.
However, in Rostland's case he was special. I actually wanted to take on the challenge of creating an immortal character because it offered hope and new conflict. Over the years I'm read briefly about immortal beings, but when creating Rostland I made certain I did not do a lot of research. I wanted to come up with my own terms and conditions for the immortal beings in my series. After all, this is what can make them more memorable. I remember reading an author's post once about how she wrote her books about angels, and she mentioned avoiding all books and lore about angels. It seems odd you would want to ignore that kind of thing, but when it comes to creativity I think it truly does help a lot. You are able to work with more ideas and be more open to other possibilities. Knowing only basics about immortality helped me shaped Rostland and the remainder of the immortals.
Now you would think with his existence a lot of problems would be solved quickly -especially battles. However, Rostland has his strengths and weaknesses. He's also lived for centuries and wants to make the wise choice. He can't be throwing himself at an enemy if it puts others in harm. More importantly, I also decided on the one way in which he can die. If you want to know the exact details, I encourage you to read the books.
All in all, I'm very pleased I took on the challenge and decided to allow this into the book. I know it is a supernatural type of person to have in the series. After all, who can relate to a man who has lived for centuries? The important thing to remember is Rostland's immortality does not take away from his humanity. He has morals and feelings like anyone else, and I too have learned more about him as I work more on the series.
If anyone I hope this will open readers minds up to more possibilities for the series. There have been magical creatures, weaponry and more, and who knows what else awaits?
What are your thoughts on immortality? Share in the comments below, and if you already read the books share your thoughts about Rostland. What role do you think he will serve in the upcoming book?
Lindsey R. Sablowski

The wait is almost over! Thicker Than Blood’s official cover is being revealed July 5th -an all day event. Don’t forget to sign up.

Excited for the release of Thicker Than Blood this August? Add the book to your “want to read” list on Goodreads today.

First Proof Copy Ordered

All the edits were posted onto my computer copy of Thicker Than Blood on Wednesday night, and yesterday I was finally able to order the first proof copy of the book. Proof copies are one of the wonderful benefits of self publishing. For Shadows and Embers I ordered two separate proofs: one when the book was in the works and titled “Punished With Destiny” and the other before publishing it live on Createspace. I love seeing what my book will physically look like before releasing it to the public.

The proof I ordered will be the one I can read through for my last rounds of edits and also 

to see the formatting. I have some work to do in regards to formatting, but I wanted a hard copy of the book so it’s easier to flip through and see what needs fixing. A lot of new material was added to the book, including a new scene and chapter including narration from the 4th Dark magician’s POV. If you’re wondering who the fourth Dark magician is, I encourage you to read Shadows and Embers. So far in the series this character has not had any narration scenes until now, and I’m excited to see how readers react. 

With the new material added in, the total numbers of chapters went from 28 to 30. Due to everything not being finalized, I cannot say the accurate total page numbers. 

original proof of SandE

Fortunately, I will be sharing pictures of the proof copies on July 5th during the cover reveal. 

This is a very exciting time, and I’m eager to show you the cover and also a preview of the paperback copy. All in due time, my friends; the wait is almost over.

original proof of CWP

I collected together pictures of my previous proof copies. Fortunately I even have the first proof copy of CWP, which I was thrilled about when I first received it years ago. Since then every time I order a proof I’ve been just as excited, if not more. 

Now that I’m reaching the final stages of preparations for publication I hope to share more. I’ll be 

posting up a countdown for the cover reveal, and once I know the release date for TTB I will post that on here as well.

Before I go I do want to remind you to sign up for the cover reveal. There is still plenty of time to 

sign up if you’re interested. I've already sent out emails tonight, so if you did sign up be sure to check your email for the materials. If you sign up next week or a couple days before July 5th, don’t worry. I’ll see you signed up and send you over the necessary material. I am grateful to everyone who has signed up already; the responses have been outstanding. This cover reveal might include the most amount of participants we’ve ever had. I truthfully could not do this without your support; thank you!

Lindsey R. Sablowski

Thicker Than Blood’s official cover is being revealed July 5th -an all day event. Don’t forget to sign up.

Excited for the release of Thicker Than Blood this August? Add the book to your “want to read” list on Goodreads today.

Alaire Sencler and his story

Every story is worth telling about a person, whether they are fictional or not. Alaire's story on becoming a character and developing through the series is one my favorite. I think during this time while we're awaiting the release of Thicker Than Blood it's important to take a closer look at our main character. This time around the story will be told from Alaire's point of view.

Way back in 2010 Alaire was nothing more than a name in my journal, waiting for an assigned role in Cursed With Power. There were many other contenders, and unfortunately the first time around he did not have any role in the book. When I finished the first original version of CWP and started rewriting the book Alaire was extremely important to the story. It came down to choosing whether Leal or Alaire would save Celestria during her first encounter with Aldemund. As you might have guessed, I chose Alaire. At the time I didn't know anything about him. I hadn't decided who he would become in the series and his full potential. All the same, he was important to me and became important to Celestria. From the moment I placed him in the story his potential grew and strengthened to the point where he became a main character. This was his "birth."

Because he saved her...

Now we know him to be a member of Destin, someone Esmour favored, and Leal's best friend. We've seen him grow and develop throughout the series. In CWP we were introduced to him from Celestria's point of view. She, like us, had only just met him and Shadows and Embers, we were able to see Alaire from Leal's perspective. All the while Alaire's past, present, and future developed.
was curious about who this Dark magician might be. Then in the sequel,
One of the greatest parts about being an author is seeing how readers react to your characters. Alaire and Celestria are often times loved characters from the stories, and they've taken me on quite the journey. I love the positive feedback I receive about these characters, and I'm hoping Alaire's story will especially mean a lot to readers who adored him.

I hope you enjoyed reading a little more into Alaire and his development as a character. I have a long list of posts to keep us busy while waiting for the release of TTB. If you have any requests you want to send in or questions, contact me and I'll include them on the blog. I'm about to be ordering the first proof copy of Thicker Than Blood, which I'm really excited about. Fortunately I'll be able to share the pictures on or after July 5th (cover reveal day!).
Lindsey R. Sablowski

Thicker Than Blood’s official cover is being revealed July 5th -an all day event. Don’t forget to sign up.

Excited for the release of Thicker Than Blood this August? Add the book to your “want to read” list on Goodreads today.

The Magicians series: Progression through the years

When I talk to people about the Magicians series the first book I always mention is Cursed With Power. CWP holds a special place in my heart, especially since it was my first published book. Even so, from the very beginning of Celestria’s story I knew there was more than one story to be told. There were other Dark magicians I was curious about and had ideas for, and slowly their lives have come to life in their own books. I love being able to dedicate each book to a different magician. For me personally it helps me walk in their shoes, and for the readers my goal is to help them understand each story is worth telling. Celestria reunited Leal and Alaire, Leal gave us crucial insight into Destin, and Alaire led us into the world of foreseers (quite literally actually).

Since 2010 when CWP was idea forming in my head to presently this series has been development. Each year it has grown with me, and I have become fond of the characters and the story. It’s great to see different people at different points in the story; some having just started Celestria’s story and others asking me where Alaire’s story is. Who knew five Dark magicians had this much to tell to keep the series going? I certainly think I underestimated the power of their stories. I love reading series, and writing them has always been a passion of mine as well. I’m glad my first couple of years as an author has been spent writing this series. It’s also bizarre to think by approximately 2015 the series will most likely be at the end.

Dialog between Alaire and Leal in Shadows and Embers

In the first book Celestria and Leal are seventeen, and at the time I had written the book I really connected with them. I understood their teenage mindset, and now as the series has progressed they’ve started growing on me. In Shadows and Embers Leal mentions feeling too “old” for a mission, and Alaire reminds him he’s only a teenager. The younger characters of the series are maturing, but I love the feeling that I have grown along with them.

To this day Celestria’s story remains important to me. It was the story that took me out of childish-like books and into the YA genre. She helped me find a story with writing that I have continually supported and dedicated my time to. Overall, I’ll be sad to see the series end. I know the ending is much closer than I realize, and each time I write these kind of posts I wonder how time has caught up to me. Regardless, there is definitely more to come before the end of the series. We have yet to find out what happens to the protagonists. I would say this is my midway reflection, and I will do another reflection when I reach the last book of the series.

I hope you have enjoyed the series as much as I have. We don’t have to say goodbye yet, but in about two years we’re going to be introduced to a new book. I don’t know what it will be about yet, and that’s the fun of it all: the suspense and mystery. For now, let’s see how this series come to a conclusion.

Lindsey R. Sablowski

Thicker Than Blood’s official cover is being revealed July 5th -an all day event. Don’t forget to sign up.

Excited for the release of Thicker Than Blood this August? Add the book to your “want to read” list on Goodreads today.

Editing round 1 complete

Chapter 4 being added to Google Docs

Yesterday I finished editing through the hard copy of Thicker Than Blood. That's definitely a relief, since I spent at least half an hour or more on each individual chapter. A lot of revisions were made and new material was added, but thankfully that part is over. I still have chapters I typing up with the edits, but all I need to do is type them up. I'm planning once every chapter is on my computer with the new edits I'll order my first proof copy of the book.

A proof copy of the book already? Well yes because I realized it will be easier to read through the entire book if I'm literally holding it in my hands. (That's how I edited both of my previous books.) More importantly it's a great feeling the first time you see your book in print (even as a proof copy), and this will help me see how formatting is looking for paperback. Since I already have the 6x9 template I don't see any potential problems with formatting, and the proof copy will serve as proof. Unfortunately I won't be able to post any pictures of the first proof copy until the cover reveal. Only one more month of waiting, I promise!
Now you know where I am on my role in this journey, and once again I'm excited about these upcoming months. I've been talking about a lot of exciting and interesting posts coming up and etc.
A huge thank you to everyone who has signed up for the cover reveal for Thicker Than Blood. Your support means the world, and I am eager to see more responses as the month progresses.

Overall I know this post has been short. Keep in mind it's late at night, and I don't want to expand too much further without ruining a post for another day. Check back in for more, and I'll try to post again before the end of this week. Until then, enjoy this lovely start to summer.
Lindsey R. Sablowski

Sign up for the cover reveal of Thicker Than Blood.
Excited about TTB's release this August? Add it to your Goodreads list today and share with your friends.

Thicker Than Blood Cover Reveal sign up

Finally one of the most exciting parts before releasing the book: the cover reveal. The official cover reveal for Thicker Than Blood will be hosted on July 5th. On that day both the official cover and the book jacket will be revealed. I will be hosting the main event on all of my social media websites, but I need your help. This event would not be nearly as exciting as it is without your participation.

Now the form is up on Google Docs for you to fill out. I tried to keep it simple and explain as much as I could. If you are on several social media sites daily I encourage you to post it on as many as possible. The more we promote the cover the more notoriety the book can receive from the audience. I know a lot of people who have participated in past cover reveals, and I would love to have your support once again.

If you choose to be a part of the reveal, I’ll be contacting you and everyone else with the exact details. I will explain several here for you to see how this event will turn out. On July 5th the cover reveal will be begin in the AM hours. I plan on writing up my post several days early and choosing a time in the morning for it to be posted. July 5th is a Saturday, so if you feel like you’ll sleep in or be busy I encourage you to plan ahead so it’s still posted on reveal day. Participants revealing the blog cannot post the cover before July 5th. I’ve had this cover since October 2013, and we want it to be a surprise. Please don’t ruin the surprise for everyone else. I’ve never had this problem before, but I am mentioning it to ensure we don’t run into it.

I will be encouraging people I know to sign up, even if they’re only going to post it on Facebook or Twitter. Any participation helps, and those of you who helped me out in the past have been a great support. If you know someone who would like to participate in this event, please send them the form and encourage them to contact me.

I am very excited the cover reveal is only a month away. Be sure to fill out the form, and I’ll be contacting those who are interested before July 5th. Thank you for all of your ongoing support.
Lindsey R. Sablowski

Reflection: May's Editing Progress

Happy first day of June! I feel as though time has flown by in regards to spring, but here we are in a new month. Today I realized in two months my third book, Thicker Than Blood, will be releasing. While I am as excited as my readers, it also reminds me of all the work ahead of me. So let's see what's left to be finished...

In May I almost reached my goal. I made it to 70% through round 1 edits. While ideally I would have liked to complete it entirely, I only have 11 more chapters to edit through before I'm finished. Very doable. About thirteen or more need to be typed up with the new edits onto my computer, but after that I can focus on June's objective: round 2 edits. My plan at the moment is once everything is typed up and ready I will order my first proof copy of the book. This way it's easier for me to read through the entire book again and make note of anything major that needs to be added in, deleted, or explained. Fortunately I have more than enough time to complete this, so I don't feel like I'm rushing to reach the end goal.

The exciting part about you for you guys will be signing up for the cover reveal and hearing more about the book. I'll be posting the sign up sheet for the cover reveal in the next couple of days, and the reveal will take place in early July. The sign up sheet will have the date on it. Looking back at my previous books, Cursed With Power had its cover reveal on August 31, 2012 (then releasing September 7th) and Shadows and Embers had its cover reveal on July 16, 2013 (then releasing July 26th). I feel comfortable releasing the cover for my third book a month before its publication to give readers something to look forward to before actually being able to purchase the book.

So while I know it sounds like I'll be focusing on editing for all of June (which I will), I promise to post interesting posts for this month while I'm at it. In the meantime keep an eye out for the cover reveal sign up sheet. Definitely expect it in the next couple of days.

Lindsey R. Sablowski