Milestones and Moments

Earlier this month marked my one year anniversary into the world of indie publishing. In a couple of weeks, I'll have a guest post over at Lisa Yarde's The Brooklyn Scribbler, detailing the journey of my first year.

Meanwhile, I've finally cleared my schedule and am deep in wrapping up the first draft of the third book in The Bruce Trilogy - The Honor Due a King. After that there are still edits, proofing and cover to do (I sometimes forget how long that stage can take), but once I have a projected publication date I'll announce it here. I almost think I've been dragging my feet on this because I don't want to leave Robert, James and Edward behind. Authors really do get attached to their characters. After all, they usually lead much more interesting lives than we do.

The highlights of my first year:

1) Getting my first fan mail. Believe it or not, it came from a reader in Scotland. (Whenever I lose touch with my motivation, I glance at the letters taped to the wall behind my desk. Endless thanks to those who have bought the books, recommended them to others or left reviews and written to me. I urge all readers to spread the word about books that you enjoy. Word of mouth really is the best way for good books to find an audience.)

2) Being awarded the IPPY Silver Medal for Historical Fiction for Isabeau. (So, so wish I could've gone to the ceremony in NYC to meet other writers and publishers, but sometimes family takes precedence over business.)

3) Surpassing 10,000 sales in e-books. (That absolutely blows my mind, especially considering that in my first month of July 2010 I only sold 21 Kindle books.)

I'll have more to blog about when I emerge from my imaginary world. Until then . . .

Happy reading,
Gemi

IPPY Award for Isabeau and a Giveaway for The Crown in the Heather

I'm excited to announce that Isabeau, A Novel of Queen Isabella and Sir Roger Mortimer, won the IPPY Silver Medal for Historical Fiction! There were over 4,000 total entries for this year's IPPYs (Independent Publisher Book Awards). Medals were given out on May 23rd in New York City. Unfortunately I couldn't be there, but I'm looking forward to receiving my 'bling' in the mail soon. This is a great honor, as it's the only contest that Isabeau has been entered in and there was a lot of competition, so it's had me floating on a cloud for weeks now. For anyone who's wondering - yes, there is a sequel to Isabeau in the works and, um, yeah, it just might answer some unresolved issues about the whole Isabella/Roger/Edward thing. *grin*

If you haven't yet snagged a copy of The Crown in the Heather, here's you chance to win one over at Historical Fiction Obsession. Just click here, follow her blog or tweet the link and leave a comment.

I first found out about Kimberly's review of The Crown in the Heather via Google Alerts (technology is a wonderful, wonderful thing). She also did a review for Isabeau. To say that I'm thrilled to have such an enthusiastic advocate for my work in a prolific book blogger like Kimberly is a GINORMOUS understatement.

If you've already read and enjoyed CITH, share the link or tell your friends. Meanwhile, I'm going into my writing cave because there are people waiting on me. Oh, the pressure!

Happy reading,
Gemi

The winner is . . .

The winner of Shayne Parkinson's Promises to Keep series is . . . Chris from NJ!

Thanks once again to Lisa J. Yarde (Sultana), Sarah Woodbury (Daughter of Time, Cold My Heart), Anna Elliott (Georgiana Darcy's Diary) and Shayne Parkinson (Sentence of Marriage) for everything.

Happy reading,
Gemi

E-book Giveaway: Featured Author Shayne Parkinson

This week's featured historical e-author is Shayne Parkinson. Shayne was born in New Zealand, and apart from two years in England she has lived there all her life. At university, she majored in English Literature. She is married to her childhood sweetheart, who grew up in the farming valley that's the inspiration for the imaginary one where her books are set. They have a few acres in the countryside, where they have an orchard and a large vegetable garden, and a small flock of sheep to keep the grass down.

Shayne's book Sentence of Marriage is currently free on Smashwords and Amazon, but she has also offered to provide Smashwords coupons for the three remaining e-books in the series to one lucky winner! If you'd like to be entered to win, just leave a comment. Entries close at midnight Eastern time on Thursday, April 26th.

"The story was captivating, the characters real, the dialogue crisp. I admit to having cried and laughed and even having wanted to murder a character and beat another one within an inch of his life — which is simply a testament to how well written these books are." - AmericanEditor.

I asked Shayne to share with us why she writes and what inspired her to write about New Zealand.

*****

"I'm fascinated by social history, particularly that of my own country. The late Victorian era saw significant social change in New Zealand, particularly for women. The Married Women’s Property Act of 1884 allowed married women to own property in their own right. Changes to divorce law meant that women could file for divorce on the same grounds as men. In 1893 New Zealand women gained the vote, the first in the world to do so. The attitude where a woman was seen as the property of first her father, later her husband, with only the most minimal of rights to her own person, was being undermined.



I’d never intended to write a sequel, let alone a series, but when I finished the three books that make up "Promises to Keep" I found that I missed the characters too much to leave them behind! That meant following them further into the early 20th century. So I wrote a sequel, and am still writing about these people. My current work-in-progress covers the years of the Great War. Finding out what it might have been like for those left at home during the war to try and cope when sons, husbands and brothers were taken from them is proving just as fascinating to me as the earlier periods were.



More background to the books' setting may be found on my website: http://sites.google.com/site/shayneparkinson/ "

*****

About Sentence of Marriage:

In 19th Century New Zealand, there are few choices for a farm girl like Amy. Her life seems mapped out for her by the time she is twelve. Amy dreams of an exciting life in the world beyond her narrow boundaries. But it is the two people who come to the farm from outside the valley who change her life forever, and Amy learns the high cost of making the wrong choice. Book 1 of "Promises to Keep".

*****

To find out more about Shayne Parkinson and her books, visit the following pages:

Shayne Parkinson's website
Shayne Parkinson's Blog - Notes from New Zealand
Her Amazon author page
Her Barnes and Noble page
Her Smashwords page
The book trailer for Sentence of Marriage on YouTube

(BTW, Shayne's books have been downloaded from Smashwords an amazing 30,000 times!)

*****

My thanks to Shayne Parkinson for sharing - and to past interviewees Lisa J. Yarde (Sultana), Sarah Woodbury (Cold My Heart) and Anna Elliott (Georgiana Darcy's Diary). I hope to host more emerging and established e-authors in the future, so readers out there can find new voices and stories to immerse themselves in.

Happy reading,
Gemi

The winners of Georgiana Darcy's Diary are...

Chris and Susan!

The winners have been contacted and will receive a Kindle copy of Anna Elliott's newest book, Georgiana Darcy's Diary. Thanks to all those who stopped by.

Next week please visit and learn more about Shayne Parkinson's books. And yes, there will be another giveaway.

Happy reading,
Gemi

Friday Funnies - Do cats like baths?

The answer to the question: Do cats liked to be bathed?

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!
Gemi

Featured Author: Anna Elliott

This week's featured historical fiction e-author on MDAMM is Anna Elliott. The author of Georgiana Darcy's Diary, as well as the Twilight of Avalon trilogy, published by Simon & Schuster (Touchstone), she lives in the Washington DC Metro area with her husband and two daughters.

Anna has generously offered to giveaway 2 free Kindle copies of her newest novel, Georgiana Darcy's Diary! To enter to win, simply leave a comment below. Entries close at midnight, U.S. Eastern time, on Thursday, May 19th. The winners will be announced Friday.

"Fans of Jane Austen will relish this captivating story. I loved the echoes of Austen's wit, the well-crafted drawing-room intrigues, and the engaging romance. Elliott's heroine is unique and believable, but totally true to Austen's original character. A delightful read!" -- Jules Watson, Author of The Raven Queen


I asked Anna to tell us more about why she writes and what inspired her to continue the story that Jane Austen began.

*****

"I've read Pride and Prejudice many, many times, and seen the various movie adaptations more times than I can even begin to count. (Colin Firth is my favorite Mr. Darcy!). I love Elizabeth and Darcy's love story, of course--it's a testament to Jane Austen's genius that it truly stands the test of time. Watching Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love, seeing the two of them overcome their initial first impressions of one another is as compelling now as it did 200 years ago. Maybe because that kind of love story truly is timeless. Isn't that the eternal magic of romance, that we're able to discover new facets of those we love--and that love has the power to transform us and our lives.

I could read Pride and Prejudice again and again, and be caught up in Elizabeth and Darcy's story every time. And yet, strangely, it's always been Georgiana Darcy, Mr. Darcy's younger sister's character, that stays with me the longest, each time I read the book or watch one of the films.

Georgiana's character is almost a plot device in the book--proof of Wickham's villainy, since he tried to seduce her when she was only fifteen. She's described as 'exceedingly shy' and we never actually hear her speak a single line; any dialogue she has is summarized by the narrator. And yet I've always wanted to know more about her--how did she really feel about George Wickham? What was it like growing up as Mr. Darcy's younger sister? And most important of all, I couldn't stop myself from imagining what might have happened to her after the close of Pride and Prejudice. Did she ever find her own happily-ever-after?

Georgiana Darcy's Diary was born out of all my wondering. I chose a diary format to tell Georgiana's story, first because I'd never written a diary form novel before, and wanted to challenge myself to master the form. But mostly that was just how I heard Georgiana's voice in my head: a shy girl, pouring herself onto the pages of the private journal that---at the beginning of the story, at least-- serves as her only real confidant.

I absolutely loved writing Georgiana Darcy's Diary, and I hope fellow Jane Austen lovers will enjoy spending a little more time in the Pride and Prejudice world."

*****

About Georgiana Darcy's Diary:

Mr. Darcy's younger sister searches for her own happily-ever-after...

The year is 1814, and it's springtime at Pemberley. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have married. But now a new romance is in the air, along with high fashion, elegant manners, scandal, deception, and the wonderful hope of a true and lasting love.

Shy Georgiana Darcy has been content to remain unmarried, living with her brother and his new bride. But Elizabeth and Darcy's fairy-tale love reminds Georgiana daily that she has found no true love of her own. And perhaps never will, for she is convinced the one man she secretly cares for will never love her in return. Georgiana's domineering aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, has determined that Georgiana shall marry, and has a list of eligible bachelors in mind. But which of the suitors are sincere, and which are merely interested in Georgiana's fortune? Georgiana must learn to trust her heart--and rely on her courage, for she also faces the return of the man who could ruin her reputation and spoil a happy ending, just when it finally lies within her grasp.

*****

In addition to Georgiana Darcy's Diary, Anna Elliott is the author of a trilogy of Trystan and Isolde, published by Touchstone: Twilight of Avalon, Dark Moon of Avalon and Sunrise of Avalon (coming in 2011), as well as two shorts stories available as e-books: Dawn of Avalon (currently FREE) and The Witch Queen's Secret (only 99 cents).

For more information on where to find Anna's books, check her website, her Amazon.com author page or her Smashwords author page.

Many, many thanks to Anna Elliott! Next week I'll feature Shayne Parkinson, author of historical sagas set in 19th century New Zealand.

Happy reading,
Gemi