Post: WHIE Recap, Descendant Reveal, From The Ashes Release, Awesome Covers, and Zombiefy Me!

What a weekend!

And I'm lucky to be alive ... but we'll get to that later!

Write Here In Ephraim 3 was awesome - sure, it snowed on us in the morning, but that's what you would expect from a place called Snow College. I actually lived there for three years - and met my wife there, so I didn't just go to teach a class. How can I pass up an excuse to visit the old stomp'n grounds? Overall, we had a most excellent time!

Darren Hansen, "Captain" Shirley Bahlmann, and ... some guy.

During the day-long writing conference, we met old friends, made new ones, and bought WAY too many books. We also had a good turnout for our first venture at teaching a class. Now that I've done it, I can see myself doing it again, no sweat ... with a few adjustments for improvement, certainly. We even had the rare privilege to dine with the top heads of Jolly Fish Press (forgot to pull out the camera, I was so star-struck!). And, with much thanks, we came back in one piece.

What in the world is Darren holding? The under-cover-thingy for the engine of my car! That's what happens when you enter a parking lot with a bad dip too fast - ripped it right off, exposing the belt to who knows what! It made for a tense drive home, but we made it back, so no worries. As you're reading this, I'm sitting in the repair shop, tinkering away at edits ... needed to get an oil change anyway.

In short, a successful conference with an awesome story to tell. I look forward to next year (and I'll take the parking lot slow next time).

Thank you for your tips in the last IWSG post. Your advice and encouragement helped me be a better presenter. I own you one!

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Nichole Giles, one of my favorite people in the blogosphere (and locally) has released her cover reveal for her debut, Descendant!

 

Available in May, 2013

Seventeen-year-old Abigail Johnson is Gifted.

 Blessed—or cursed—with Sight and Healing, Abby lives an unsettled life, moving from place to place and staying one step ahead of the darkness that hunts her. When she arrives in Jackson, Wyoming, she is desperate to maintain the illusion of normalcy, but she is plagued with visions of past lives mixed with frightening glimpses of her future. Then she meets Kye, a mysterious boy who seems so achingly familiar that Abby is drawn to him like he’s a missing piece of her own soul. 

Before Abby can discover the reason for her feelings toward Kye, the darkness catches up to her and she is forced to flee again. But this time she’s not just running. She is fighting back with Kye at her side, and it’s not just Abby’s life at stake.

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I'm pleased to announce the release of Jessica McKendry's debut novel, From The Ashes, also available on Kindle. Congrats, Jessica!

 

Available Now!

Jaina Indera has been preparing her entire life for the chance to prove herself a superior and loyal citizen of the Imperial Alliance. In order to do so, she believes she must win the galaxy-wide competition known as the Trials. With training at her Gifted School progressing swiftly, everything looks like it is on pace for her to achieve her dream…until a boy named Dragon enrolls in her class.

Suddenly doubting herself and everything she’s been taught to believe, Jaina and Dragon are teamed with six of their classmates for the chance to compete and achieve their dream: winning the Trials. Consisting of four different tests, the Trials are about to challenge these eight young adults to the limits of their abilities. But learning to work as a team is more difficult than they ever imagined and dark secrets from Dragon’s past emerge that put them in mortal danger. Now Jaina must discover what she’s really fighting for if she and her team have any hope of finishing the Trials…alive.

Exploring the nature of self-reliance and self-confidence, McKendry delivers a perceptive, nuanced portrait of the importance of teamwork and the strain it puts on individual desires and motivations. Playing with the concepts of dark and light, her novel is a complex coming of age story that encapsulates the complicated hero’s journey from student to leader. A dark tale of love and revenge, From the Ashes is a powerful reminder to think for yourself instead of blindly following what you’ve been taught to believe.

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I nearly missed these stunning new covers and releases. Have a look. The Chemistry of Fate will be available soon! Congrats, everyone!

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We have a few new members joining our star ship, so please make some noise (and some room) for the latest in our crew!

Rena 

Amber Sylvia Worsley

and

Aurora Smith!

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Apparently, I completely spaced it. My Blogoversary was a couple weeks ago, my fourth year of spreading and sharing on this corner of the Internet, and I did absolutely nothing to celebrate it. Does that mean I've been really busy lately? Maybe, but better late than never, right? And so, I am going to do something a little unexpected ...

WHO WANTS TO BE A ZOMBIE?

I've halfway into my first Undead novel, but I am in need of a brief character. If you are interested in becoming this character, then say Zombify Me! in the comments. I will select a random winner, who will then become a character in this harrowing tale of survival. The only downside is that your character will become a zombie, and I won't tell you how that's going to happen. Teehee.

And I will also give away these three most-zombiellent books, to whoever's lucky enough to NOT get picked as Zombie-Of-Honor!

Winners will be announced next week on March 18th. Thank you ahead of time for celebrating this 4th blogoversary with me!

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Update: You guys are still excited about Woven coming out this Fall, right? Well, I have some good news. The release has been bumped to October - that's right! Woven is coming out a month sooner than originally planned. This is all kinds of exciting! This also means I need to hurry and get Undead done so I can get going with Woven 2 (not the actual title). Wish me luck as I plow through the pages!

That's all I think I'm allowed to post for today. Get ready for another explosive week of tropes, reviews, and other surprises!

How did your weekend go? Read any good books lately? If you really had to turn into a zombie, how would you like to go out?

I'm David, and Ephraim's not the same without those turkeys ...