Which Way Should We turn? Ushering in the New Publishing Era…

As many of you may know, I've been pretty big on the thought of traditional publishing. I'm a fan of the Big 6, let me tell you! And in all honesty, it would be a total dream come true if I had one of my books published through them. It would be a dream come true if I had one of my books published traditionally, period… through an indie press or otherwise!

But as many of you also know, the publishing world is shifting… sort of tilting on its side right now. Getting "published" is not nearly as hard as it once was. Now we have e-readers that (to my chagrin) pretty much eliminate the need for paper books. (Not that they eliminate the want for paper… I will always be a paper lover, myself. There's nothing quite like opening a brand new, physical book to the smell of freshly printed ink on white or cream paper. Mm-mmm!)

Not only do we have the e-readers, but with the dawn of digitalized books, the way of the indie publisher has become much more traveled than it ever was before. The Self-Published are not as far down the reading list as they used to be. Once at the bottom of the proverbial publishing shark tank, now there are authors out there making more money, selling more books, churning out even more reading material a year, and gaining more fans much faster than they would have if they had gone a Big 6 rout. There're people like Amanda Hockings and Joe Konrath that pretty much make their living on just writing books. (Isn't that where we all want to be someday?) Then there's John Locke, an originally self-pubbed author who just signed with Simon & Schuster, and managed to do the seemingly impossible as well: hold on to his e-book rights. These people and many others have dipped their toes into the waters of Indie Authorship, and they've succeeded. Not only that but they've kept their rights: that's something that all authors wish for, but few actually see happen.

And then we have people closer to the Christian Publishing World and the genre's included in Christian Speculative fiction (the genres that interest me. ;D) . We have Jeff Gerke, who started his indie company Marcher Lord Press around the years of 2007 and 2008 in order to fill a niche market that he saw needed filling. Now his company is topping the list of indie publishers interested in Christian speculative fiction, and several MLP books have won awards in the Christian industry… we're talking the Christy, here, people: the highest award to be offered in Christian Fiction! Author, Jill Williamson, has already won two Christies for her Blood of Kings trilogy, and I know that several other books have been nominated in the past, as well as books that have been nominated for other awards. (I know there was another author that won a Christy, or who was at least nominated for one... hmmm...)

We also have Scott Appleton, who started his Indie Company, Flaming Pen Press, in order to publish his book, Swords of the Six, which sold over 3,000 copies in one year and went on to be picked up by AMG – one of the leading traditional publishers of Christian speculative fiction. He now has a contract through AMG for all seven books in his sword of the dragon series. FPP also published Kestrel's Midnight Song, the amazingly engaging fantasy written by 19 year old Jacob Parker. Kestrel's Midnight Song went on to receive a Children's Moonbeam Award and (if I remember correctly) also sold over 3,000 copies since its release last September. Now FPP is getting ready to release a new novella titled Out of Darkness Rising, written by the talented Gillian Adams. (And I mean talented here, people… I've read some of her work already. It's truly inspiring.) The novella is set to be released in the summer of 2012, and I know that it will be a success.

Next we have Port Yonder Press, run by Chila Woychik (I hope I spelled her name correctly) which strives to appeal to the artful, the literary, and the speculative. PYP is getting ready to release a new speculative work titled Dawnsinger, written by Janalyn Voigt. I've been looking into this book for a while, people… I'm totally stoked about reading it when it finally comes out! PYP has also released the book Sylvari: an Anthology of Elves in which one of our fellow teen writers, Christian Miles, is published and in which our very own Mirriam Neal has some of her beautiful illustrations displayed.

And of course we can't forget this new movement by Bestselling Christian Fiction authors Christopher Hopper, Wayne Thomas Batson, and the brothers Christopher and Allen Miller. They've decided to start a Writing/Publishing Guild titled Spearhead, in order to provide quality Christian Fiction for readers of all ages. They've given new meaning to the words "Indie Publishing" since they've set out to be independent together, and I just have to wonder where this movement will go? Already they are releasing books through their Guild… (I believe that one such book is titled "Mech-Mice" written by the Miller Brothers, and Wayne Thomas Batson's newest work "Ghost" is (or else soon will be) available through the guild as well, as will Christopher Hopper's latest book in his White Lion Chronicles.)

Then last but not least, we have Andrew Peterson and Rabbit Room Press. Andrew Peterson is an award winning Christian Songwriter who also writes Christian Middle-grade Fantasy. (I'm a fan of both his songs and his books!! :D) In the past, the first two books of his Wingfeather Saga have been released through Waterbrook Multnomah, a division of Random House. But just recently, Mr. Peterson released the third book in his series through his own company, Rabbit Room Press, and let me tell you… it's just as good if not better than the first two books! (Expect reviews of all three of his current books in September for the CSFF Blog Tour.) Just within the last month I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Peterson in person and ask him about his books. I said that I saw he had published The Monster in the Hollows through his own company, and I wondered why. His reaction was similar to Mr. Batson's blog post about the new Spearhead Guild: he'd published his book through his own company because he thought he could get it out to his readers faster and more efficiently than if he had to wait for another publisher to do the work. Besides that, he'd come to know the business and had sort of created his own brand, what with his song albums and his books taking over Christian America. Why not publish the book himself? (disclaimer: Those were not his exact words, but you get the gist. I can't remember exactly what he said, word for word… but I can lay down what I remembered of the conversation in my own words.)

Could it be made any clearer? The world of publishing is shifting severely. In my mind it's pretty well balanced out 50/50 at the moment between Indie Presses and other larger companies, where it used to be about 90/10… or perhaps an even smaller percentage for those who took on publishing by themselves. And everything is quickly tilting towards indie publishing and ebooks. Even for those who are opposed to the change, there's no stopping the advance. It's happening… all around us. Constantly. And now Borders, my favorite bookstore, is going out of business… mostly because of the rising success of e-books and the seemingly decreasing need for traditional bookstores. Amazon is taking over everything.

With all that in mind, I've started seriously rethinking some of my previously unwavering notions about becoming published. I'm still a firm believer in traditional publishing, paper-back books, the Big 6, and physical bookstores. But now I'm starting to see Independent publishing as a possible option as well. I've considered it before, of course (who hasn't?) but the idea is starting to grow on me more and more. I am just not sure anymore whether I want to pursue publication through traditional means (with a possible agent, and queries, and lots of waiting involved, and so on…) or whether I want to step up to the task, be the entrepreneur that I've always known myself to be, and start an Indie Press of my own.

I just don't know anymore. *shakes head* And it's quite conflicting.

However, I have been weighing the options. I've been asking myself the questions that need to be asked when it comes down to new businesses … How would I do it? What would it be called? Could I handle it? Who would be willing to step out with me? What about marketing? That sort of stuff.

My dad had his own business since before he married my mom. Granted, he was an artist, but then again, writing is a form of art too. And he became known throughout the states! (but don't look for him on the internet… he never was very web-savvy; his business took off simply through word-of-mouth and personal advertisement. We had rough times, but so does every other business. *shrug*)

I keep wondering that if my dad could do it and succeed, then why couldn't I? My mom and several other respected people that I know have always told me that they think I should go indie as well. I know I have the spirit for it, and the drive. I know that I'm the type of person who strives for success and perfection… and I never stop striving for it. (yes, I do know that about myself… it's a complicated knowledge, but it's what has kept me in Jr. College for 3 years and will keep me in Jr. College for another 2 before I transfer… Double major here. *points to self* <_< It's that drive that has also kept me rewriting my books until I feel that they are perfect… which also tends to drive me crazy. But in a good way. Lol! :D) I'm the type of person who can look at the impossible, see possibilities, and then I will try to make those possibilities happen.

So why couldn't I start an Indie Company? Why not? I've always known I'm supposed to work in publishing… I just KNOW it. So why not?

I don't know the answer to that question yet, but I've decided that while I'm considering the options I will look at the problem through two different perspectives. I'm still rewriting SOTD, and I will continue to work on my query and cover letter as well, while also considering publishers and agents for both of my current WIPs as I work to stay up-to-date on the publishing news, markets, and venues. But I've also decided to think out a few things, just in case I do choose to go Indie. I thought I would post some of these thoughts here, and see what you, my readers, think of them. Perhaps you can give me your input to consider; advice and thoughts are always welcomed. I'm not saying it wouldn't be hard work… in fact, I quite expect it to be hard work. And should I plan to explore this option, I will definitely work hard at it. (And, hopefully, I won't be alone in my endeavor either… but I'll present those thoughts in a later post.) I'm just saying that I'm considering it.

First of all, if I went Indie I would want to publish other books, not just mine. I have a passion for creative writing, especially speculative fiction, and especially for the Middle-grade and YA. I know that this passion is real because every time I start to talk about it, something jerks around in my heart and I just want to start crying. My Grandma says that a person's true passion and calling will make them cry, so I know that this calling is real; I know that God has called me to write, and I know that no matter what, I will strive to keep writing and keep spreading His messages and my passions for as long as He allows. I want to be an encouragement to other writers and I want to spread my passion through my words (and I'm starting to think that my passion would touch more people and spread much farther and faster if it wasn't simply limited to only my writings and perhaps a traditional publisher… What if I could help other writers and authors who aspire for the same passions that I have? Wouldn't that be great?! *looks around, then clears throat* ahem…). I want to help other people understand the wonders that are waiting within the pages of a good book; I want to help people use their words to explore the wonders of the amazing, magnificent, breathtaking, ultimate possibilities revealed in God… because with Him, ALL things are possible! Not just some things, but ALL things. And I know that I could do just this by starting a company whose mission shares my passion. I've been thinking and praying about it a lot lately, and while nothing is really set in stone or decided yet, it's just starting to feel like this might be the right road after all.

Second of all, I've been thinking about branding and names. A company name must symbolize everything that the company represents. I think I would mostly be looking to publish speculative fiction (as that is my preferred genre), but I would also be open to looking at other forms of literary works such as poetry and creative essays and short stories for anthologies. I myself like to write poetry, creative essays, and short stories, so why would I try to exclude them?

But what sort of name can capture all of the eclectic marvels that make up the essence of Christian Speculative Fiction… while at the same time including opportunities for those poets and literary writers out there who share similar passions?

That's when I started to really think about the word "eclectic". When I think of "eclectic", for some strange reason a picture of a Magpie comes to mind. Those birds seem extremely eclectic to me; much like crows or ravens, they are always looking for shiny objects that they can take to their nests and keep as treasures and they are curious and not afraid of humans. But unlike crows and ravens, they don't have the symbol of evil hanging over their heads. Some people call them thieves, but if you really think about it, they are treasure-hunters. And as an Indie Press, that's what I would want my company to represent… not in the money sense, but in the essence of passion and words. There is a richness to a well told story that just cannot be denied. I would want to find those stories, polish them up, and let them shine. The only difference would be that instead of hiding the shinies away in my nest, I would want to spread them out to as many people as possible. It's only then that this zeal can be truly shared… when people are touched by the hand of God through the passion of a writer. And so, I've decided that if I ever do step up and take the mantle of an Indie Press (or perhaps I should say "when", as I would now claim that the idea is becoming more and more set in my heart), I would call my company "Magpie Publications", or something along those lines. It is the only brand name I've ever considered that actually feels right.

Third of all, I've been thinking about marketing. I know it would be a difficult obstacle, and perhaps the biggest hurdle that my company would face. Especially since I have not yet taken business or marketing in college. However, I also know that the resources are out there for those who have the drive to seek them out and use them, and I am willing to do the research. I know that I have that drive. It's what has kept me going as a young writer, it's what has made me look past the hardships of college and see the reward at the end, it's what will continue to drive me in life until my aspirations are appeased and I have created new goals, and then it will help me reach those new goals and beyond. It might be hard, but I already know that; nothing in life is made easy… nothing. And I don't give up easily; I know I have what it takes, and the doubts I might have whispering to my mind are not big enough to sate my thirst for truth, nor chain my dedication or God-given zeal. With God all things are possible; I just have to keep remembering that. Perhaps the marketing plan that I present in my query for SOTD can be built upon in order to create the perfect marketing plan for an Indie Company. *shrugs* Who knows? But the possibilities are limitless!

So what do you guys think? I know this was a pretty long post… one of the longest I think I've ever written… but if you've gotten this far and have any ideas on the subject, please let me know about them. I am very open to ideas right now. I'm not actually saying that I'm going to undertake this project soon… it may not happen for several years yet, (though I think it will happen eventually…). It's just been on my mind a lot lately and I thought I would share. What are your thoughts on the turn in publishing, or perhaps the changing market? What would you think about a new company such as the one I have envisioned above becoming a reality? What would you do? Feel free to share in the comments. :D

Nichole

Curse of the Spider King -- Review

Ok, I know it's been quite a long time since I last posted a book review, so I figured I'd better get crackin' again. :D


An Overview (in my own words :D):

800 years ago in the land of Allyra, the Spider King first attacked the walls of Berinfell, the capital city of the elves.  In a massive battle between the Spider King's forces of Gwars, Drefids, Whisps, and War Spiders, Berinfell was destroyed, the Seven Elven Lords were killed, and the Elven population dwindled.  The only hope for the elves of Allyra lay in the hands of seven elven children, the sons and daughters of the seven lords and heirs to their parents positions.  But the seven young lords were taken by the enemy into the hold of the Spider King.

However, fearing the three generation long curse that would befall any who tried to kill the elven babes before the age of reckoning, the Spider King's minions sheared off the tips of the babies' ears to round them and carried them through time and space to a place called "earth", there left to die.  However, the babies were found by the human race and adopted into families, never guessing their noble and foreign heritage.

Now, however, the age of reckoning has come, and at the age of 13, the seven lords are coming into Elven powers.  And that's not all... though 800 years have passed in Allyra while only 13 years have passed on earth, the Spider King's forces are once more searching for the seven elven lords in order to finish what they were afraid to do before.  The only hope for the lords and for the elven people is for the 7 middle graders to travel back to Allyra, their rightful birthplace, and be trained there in their powers to take up the thrones of their parents as the Protectors of Berinfell.  It's either that, or risk the lives of the ones they love on earth.



Pros: (caution: there may be spoilers ahead.)
I read this book quite a while ago but I never got around to typing up the review, so before I wrote this post, I decided to flip through the book a bit and try to remember all of the notes I had on it. :D  First and foremost, I really enjoyed the story as a whole.  As an adult/young adult reader, I found the book gripping.  There was a lot of risk involved, a lot of high-fear elements, and quite a few intriguing elvish powers! ;)  All of which are (of course) good elements to look for in a middlegrade/YA fantasy.  As a reader, I felt like the elvish population and the history of the elves was well thought out and fairly consistent.  Also, the 7 main characters were easy to relate with and, much more importantly, they were likable.  In contrast, the villains were (for the most part) dastardly and frightening.  

Especially the Whisps.  *shivers* I mean, I would hate to find out that my parents were killed while the people who looked like my parents are actually evil shape-shifters intent on killing me.  And the war-spiders... *shivers again*  I will never look at a spider the same way again.

Then you have the plot.  The plot, when coupled with good characters, is what really turns a good story into a great one. 

As I already mentioned, I found the characters to be intriguing and likable (for the most part).  They were also equipped with their own sets of strengths and insecurities, making them seem well rounded and more complex that what a person might behold on the outside.  For instance, Kat’s amazing mind reading abilities are coupled with her insecurities about how she looks to other people.  Another example would be Johnny and Autumn; Johnny has the gift of flame-throwing and Autumn can run like the wind – literally – but having been adopted brother and sister on earth made their bond to each other much stronger than it might have been otherwise.  And like all brothers and sisters, they tend to argue and quarrel.  However, they also have a deep connection and protective instinct that sometimes drives them to do crazy things in order to make sure the other one is alright.  The balance between the characters’ strengths and weaknesses make the characters seem believable and helps readers to relate to them.  .

Then you add the plot.  And tell me, which YA fantasy/sci-fi reader WOULDN’T enjoy reading a book about elvish aliens living in today’s modern world?  The drive behind the characters is definitely intense.  The Spider King’s forces have come to earth and they are absolutely intent on killing the seven young lords of Berinfell.  But the Spider King’s minions are not the only ones searching for the lords.  The Elves of Berinfell have also discovered that the seven lords are not dead, and they too have traveled through time and space in order to search for the missing heirs.  However, the Spider King’s forces are much closer to finding the heirs than the elves expected, and they are willing to tear apart the entire earth in order to find the lords and kill them.  The only way to save the elves of Berinfell, the world of Allyra, and the earth rests on the shoulders of 7 thirteen-year-old kids!  And if you are a bit older than thirteen, you can probably look back to the time when you were the same age and recall some pretty stupid decisions that you made.  I know I can.  So, because of the age of the lords and all of the stakes, I found myself constantly wondering if the lords would make the right decisions and how the events would play out from there.  Most assuredly gripping. J

Then, on top of all of these aforementioned pros that the book has in favor for it, the morals about friendship and family are clear, while there are also some subtle references to Ellos (God) and His plan woven throughout the story.

So all in all, the action was good, the flow was good, the characters were likable and well rounded, the villains were nasty, there was good history development and good race development, there was a strong plot, and clear morals. :D

Cons:
Like I mentioned before, there are 7 main characters and the story follows all of them… at the same time.  I personally didn't have that much trouble keeping track of who was who, and who could do what throughout the story.  However, I know that having so many MCs can make it difficult for some people to understand what is going on during the entire book, mainly because they can't keep the characters straight in their heads.  

On that same note we’ll look at the style of the story.  The entire book is written in third person omniscient view which, though it is a valid writing style and often noted in some of the older fantasy stories (such as LOTR and NARNIA), has been greatly discouraged in the modern writing world because of the tendency the style has to “head hop”.  Head hopping happens when a writer writes their story and keeps switching around their POV character.  One moment the reader might be reading the story from one character’s point of view, and the next minute they would be reading it from a completely different character’s point of view.

A good example of head hopping would be this small section, taken from page 54 when Johnny and Autumn take a copy of an elvish book to show their earth mother (at this point in time, they don’t know they are elves yet…):

“It’s not there.”  (Autumn’s) mind was racing, trying in vain to sort it all out.  Johnny, too, was perplexed, thinking as fast as he could.

In that one section, we suddenly slipped from how Autumn was thinking in her own POV, to how Johnny was thinking in his.   Now, not all of the sentences are like this and sometimes the head hopping is not as easy to spot, but it’s still all there.  If you are a writer and know what to look for, you can’t miss it.  And if you are a reader and find yourself wondering how you suddenly went from one character’s thoughts to another’s, head hopping is most likely the culprit.  

I also felt like the names of the lords were pretty generic.  Tommy, Kat, Jimmy, Johny... while these are perfectly good earth names, they just don't stand out from the page.  (Well, maybe Kat stands out a little more than the other three listed...)  We don't learn the lords' Elvish names until later, so throughout most of the first book the Mc’s are referred to by their earth names and I, for one, kept getting Jimmy and Johny mixed up.  Besides that, however, names like "Tommy" and "Jimmy" and "Johny" make me think of Andy Griffith and the town of Mayberry.  Not that that’s a bad thing: far from it!  (I love Andy Griffith! <3)  BUT, you don't hear very many “generic” names like that in the modern world... many parents I know seem almost competitive about whether or not their children's names will stand out from the crowd.  (Just my own little opinion there... ;) )

Also, we don’t learn very much about the Spider King in this book.  We just know that he’s really evil, really twisted, and wants to wipe the elves of Berinfell from existence so that he can take over Allyra.  However, we never actually see the Spider King, we never hear him speak,  and we never get anywhere close to him while reading this story.  We simply watch his minions follow out orders previously given to them while the Spider King himself remains utterly invisible.  While such obscurity has worked for fantasy villains in the past (LOTR, for example, or EREGON), I couldn’t help but feel that if the book is named after the villain, then the book should better inform the reader OF the villain.  And what exactly IS the Curse of the Spider King?  Is it the curse befalling any who kill the children before the age of reckoning, or perhaps it is the children themselves?  We never really find out.  In my opinion, the title of the book should definitely adhere to the main subject of the story, and the reader should be able to recognize the connection (which I wasn’t able to. <_<).

The last thing I noticed were a few typos here and there scattered throughout the book, but honestly the only reason I noted them was because of how I had started to crack down on editing SOTD.  I know that almost every book has at least one or two typos in them, so they weren't really anything to detract from the story.

So, in order to sum that up, there were too many main characters all at once, there was “head hopping” in third person omniscient, there were generic MC names that didn't really "pop" for me, there was an inconsistent title (in my opinion), and there were a couple of typos.


All in all, I did find "Curse of the Spider King" to be an enticing and engaging read.   And, as you can see, the pros far outweigh the cons.  I finished the book and was excited to start the second one, but unfortunately I had to wait for the second book to arrive and then life got in the way, effectively stopping my pleasure reading for several months.  However, I did start reading again after school was over and just finished "Venom and Song" last Saturday evening, so expect a review on that within the next week.   

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars for being an engaging, edge-of-your-seat story with well thought out plots and characters.  Even though, as a writer, I did notice “errors” (so called <_<) in the writing itself, the story was gripping enough to make me turn off my inner editor and just enjoy the read.   Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper are good authors who know their technique and know their target audience.  This book is well worth it. :D

Party In Champaign!

Well, if you're checking this out because you think there's something awesome happening in Champaign IL, you're a little late.  The party was Saturday, but it was indeed awesome!  I was lucky enough to go.

What was it, you ask?  Oh, just the official Tribe Party for Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper's new book "Venom and Song".  I was a little late getting there so I missed a few things: apparently the authors had a medieval duel over which hairstyle best suits a warrior swordsman.  I wish I could have seen it live, but found out later that they streamed it and you can watch the whole hour (that I missed) here.  Thank you Jake for that link! :D

Long and short, the authors are not only great writers, but great people.  Period.  The end.  Both of them mingled with the fans, signed books, talked amiably, took pictures, started and continued personal conversations with people...  It was very refreshing, to be quite truthful.  It reminded me of the parents in our homeschool co-op talking after meet.  Everyone seemed comfortable with everyone else, as if all who were there knew each other previously.  It was a very encouraging atmosphere.

I was like a kid in a candy store!

Yes, I said it.  I was outrageously excited.    And there were a couple of surprise "fans" there as well.  *shifty eyes*  But I'll talk about those in just a few minutes. :D

Picture time!

When I first got there, this is where I found the authors... cracking jokes with the fans and each other.   I still think Mr. Batson looks somewhat like my dad. *lol*  It would be interesting to have a author for a father... of course, it's just as interesting to have an artist for a dad, I can tell you!

Before Saturday, I had a marvelous surprise when Mr. Hopper left a comment on my blog.  Arriving at the Borders in Chamapaign, I got another extra-special surprise when, upon telling Mr. Hopper that I was excited about his comment, he jumped up and hugged me!

Introductions were a bit interesting.  Instead of going up to someone and saying, "Hello, what's you're name?" everyone was walking around saying, "Hi! What's your Username?"  And then.  "Cool!  Now what's your real name?"  *lol*  I'd never introduced myself like that before, although it DID make perfect sense.  I met quite a few people I knew only by their internet profile.  But somehow it never felt awkward at all; in fact, half the time it felt like I'd known that person for at least half of my life.

Actually, I introduced myself to the authors that way as well:

Me: "Hello.  My name is Nichole White, but my Username is Star-Dreamer.  It's nice to finally meet you!" *giddy*

Mr. B: "Oh, yes.  I've seen you around." *smile*

Me:  "Yeah, that was an interesting contest you hosted: that "kill this thread" contest?  It went on forever!  I was the one who kept suggesting you just give in and send everyone a copy of the book."

Mr. B: *laughs* "Oh yeah!  I remember you!" *huge grin*

Then there was a surprise performance by Adele Treskillard's Gaelic band, Wren Song.  If you haven't heard Adele's band before, you should check it out: they have a CD out now, and Adele's voice is very lilting: sounds rather like a flute or a penny whistle, which she plays just as well as she sings.

Adele and I have been conversing over the internet since I discovered her dad's book on Authonomy.com.  Both she and her dad are writers.  When Mr. Treskillard told me about his daughter, and mentioned that I might like her blog or might enjoy checking out her book, I was too curious to refuse.  Call it a weakness, but I LOVE meeting other Christian fantasy writers... and it's a bonus if they like singing and Celtic/Gaelic/Irish music!  So I did check out Adele's blog and we ended up e-mailing each other.  The funniest thing is, I didn't recognize her at first.  She came up to me after singing and asked, "Nichole White?!"  We shook hands, and I was trying to remember where we might have met before.  Then she told me her name.

Me: "Oh my word!  It's you!  It's so nice to finally meet you in person!"

(yeah, talk about a blond moment... and I'm not even blond!)

And after that I felt like I'd known her all my life.  Perhaps that is a bit presumptuous, but in my own defense she does remind me very much of my best friend. We took some pictures together with Mr. Batson and Mr. Hopper.  It was a very thrilling experience... at least for me. :D

 We got one taken together, because I insisted that we do.  Yeah, I'm funny that way.  Look at her: she has such a pretty smile!  And yes, I was wearing a shiny black shirt... and my stupid sweater wouldn't stay where it was supposed to.  *ducks head*

 And then we got one taken with Mr. Batson.  Adele's dad, Robert Treskillard, took the pictures.  She had him take some on her camera as well.

And then this happened.  *lol!*  Mr. Hopper is a riot!  But no one seemed to mind: in fact, most welcomed it.  He's quite the character!










People were taking pictures of just about everything.  And everyone was milling around, asking for Usernames so they could remember who was who.  I was no exception, and it was nice to meet everyone!  Hey Millard, Evergreena, Gold Arrow, Ness, The Golux, Whisper, Silver Angel, and everyone else I didn't mention because I don't have my notebook sitting here with me with the names written in them.  It was so cool to meet you all in person!  We mingled and talked, and talked, and talked some more, and you could have sworn we'd all grown up together or something.  It was totally AWESOME!!!

After a while, Adele took me around to meet even more people.  And that was when I had two more heart-jerking surprises.

Christian Miles was there!  Since I first learned of his blog, Teen Inklings, I've been following it closely.  Christian's blog isn't an ordinary one: it's actually an online magazine for writers... especially young writers.  He's gained quite a following, and no wonder: his advice is inspiring and accurate.  And how does he come by all this good and accurate advice?  Why, by going through the writing/publishing process himself, of course

I felt completely honored.  And, just like Adele and everyone else I had met up to that point, Christian felt like someone I'd known half of my life and had gone to homeschool co-op and church with... even though we'd only just met.  It wasn't to be the last time I felt like that.  Oh no, because after meeting Mr. Miles, Adele introduced me to...

JACOB PARKER!

And that's why I had that quirky smile.  I just couldn't believe it!

Jacob is the author of "Kestrel's Midnight Song", newly released through Flaming Pen Press.  As it so happened, I hadn't bought the book yet, so I was able to purchase my first copy from the author himself, and he signed it for me!

Jacob has a true success story for young authors everywhere to look up to.  He started writing "Kestrel's Midnight Song" at age 15, finished soon after he turned 17, and then sent off to the publisher soon after that.  I'm not 100% sure how old he is now, but surely 18 or 19.  How encouraging is that, right?  And his book is GOOD.  I'm not quite half-way through it, but I really can't put it down.

And yes, he's a fan of Batson and Hopper as well (of course).  That's why he came after all: to get his copies signed.


After I got over my initial shock and my giddy euphoria, the four of us just started talking.  From what I gathered, Jacob and Christain rode in with Adele and her family.  After the signing they were going to go work on... something.  I won't mention what it was here because I'm just not completely sure they want it known yet.  But it sounded awesome and I can't wait to see the finished product.

And we just talked about life in general.  Had all four of us lived closer together, it might have ended up that we all knew each other through Co-op, 4-h, or even church.  Again, I may be just presumptuous here, but I felt completely comfortable around them... after I got over my excitement, of course.  :)

Then, before everyone left, I just had to get a picture of all of them together.  Just couldn't resist!  And they graciously agreed.  I was so happy!  After following them all for so long on the internet, I couldn't believe I was actually meeting them in person.  Perhaps I'm over doing this, but I was just so  extremely happy... my smile must of split my face in two!

Yes, I get like that.  :D

From left to right they are Adele Treskillard, Wayne Thomas Batson (with a signed copy of "Kestrel's Midnight Song" in his right hand), Christian Miles, Jacob Parker, Robert Treskillard, Robert's wife and Adele's mom (I apologize but I just can't seem to recall her name right now: she was an amazingly sweet woman though, who obviously loved the Lord with all of her heart.  She practically beamed!  And she allowed me to take her picture to remember her by, even though she didn't really want to: thank you so much for that!), and on her left stood Christopher Hopper.

We all walked out together, and before we left, we stood and watched the Bopper Wars: basically, fans beating at each other with padded silver stick-swords.  I didn't get a chance to do it myself, but there were quite a few who did.  Gold Arrow seemed to be somewhat of a champion: even the boys had to admit it after awhile!

And I did purchase a copy of "Curse of the Spider King" and "Isle of Fire".  Can't wait to dig into them either!

So all in all, it was probably the most amazing day I've ever had in my entire life, and I can't wait to see everyone again at the next Tribe Party.

Until then, Ahsulinde to all!

Nichole White

More Updates and Random Randomness!!! :D

Ok, so I've received another entry for the "first chapter" contest!  It will be up on the contest page within the next few days.  That makes 3.  That's not very many and the submission deadline is coming up fast, so don't wait any longer.  Send me those chapters before it's too late!

On another note, I have some unfortunate news concerning the third prize, "Watership Down": my younger sister decided it was a coloring book.  I couldn't believe it!  It's one of my favorite stories ever and she decides to use a pen on it!

Fortunately for me I have another, not-drawn in copy.  Unfortunately it's in very bad repair and, though still very readable, it is quite literally falling apart.  I don't want to give away a scribbled up copy of anything as a prize, nor do I want to give away something that's falling apart, so until I can find another copy in decent shape that is not scribbled in, I'm going to have to pull that prize from the contest.  I will say, though, that I'm searching frantically for another copy.  And if another copy can't be found, I will find another interesting book to replace the third prize with... hopefully something everybody thinks is cool and exciting.

So the good news is that, even though I don't exactly have a third prize right now, there WILL BE a third prize... the third place winner may just have to wait a little while for it.  Sorry!

On another note entirely, I have just received some good news!  That good news is that I just found out I won a copy of Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper's new book "Venom and Song".  And to make things even more amazing, the authors will be in Champaign Illinois this Saturday: I live only 1 and 1/2 hours away from Champaign, so I will definitely be there!  *so excited.  does happy dance*

Currently I'm reading through WTB's first pirate adventure book "Isle of Swords".  Let me just say now, I literally cannot put it down.  It's wonderful!  Now I read  "The Door Within" trilogy and found it encouraging... if a little young.  I thought the story lines of those books were good, and the ideas behind the plot, while done many times before, shown in a new light.  However, my own opinion was that the writing in itself needed a little work, and I HATE... absolutely LOATH... thinking that sort of thing about other authors; especially authors who are already published while I only have my rejection letters to keep me company.  (and no, I haven't received an answer yet from the publisher who's looking at my book... I'll be sure to keep you posted, so keep your fingers crossed and pray! :D )

However, "Isle of Swords" is nothing like "The Door Within" trilogy.  It's WAY better!  It's amazing!  The writing's refreshing and its kept me on the edge of my seat with every page.  I just sit for hours (usually hours when I'm supposed to be doing something else... *sheepish grin*) reading it, and I can't stop!  I think about it as I drive to school, and when I do my chores, and (what really gets me in trouble) when I'm supposed to be doing homework.  I HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!  Now, I haven't finished reading it yet, but when I do you can bet I'll have a good review of it to post here.  So keep an eye out for that as well.

Now I'd better get going.  I'm in the Christmas Musical our church is putting on (for some reason we've always done big musical numbers... it's just so much fun!).  Practice starts soon so I have to get.

C y'all around.

With pen in hand,

Nichole