Happy New Year to one and all!

Here's to hopes of a better year, good fortune to my family and friends, and more time together!

Excited!

The Emerald Seer Series is in full swing!  Ryder on the Storm and Light My Fire are both available on Amazon as ebooks and I am working diligently on bringing them both to paperback.  Even better, the third book in the series has a title - End of the Night - and will run parallel stories.  Damarra and Roane's history will be revealed as the Goddess searches for her lover with the aid of some familiar faces.  Storm will continue to struggle with her powers, her pregnancy, and a host of new enemies. 

I will post some snippets and teasers shortly!  Happy reading!

The end of the freebie days (aka the upside of KDP select)

I admit, I was absolutely, positively, undeniably anti-KDP select as an author.  The idea of alienating so many avenues for my ebook sales seemed crazy.  I did it though.  I pulled my book from all sites except for Amazon and proceeded to do a three day freebie promo to lead into the release of my second book.  The results have been great, I have gotten a lot more exposure and solid feedback so far. 

If you haven't yet, take a chance and check out my Emerald Seer Series!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0063Y6ZWO

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Fire-Emerald-Seer-ebook/dp/B006OBAO8M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1324530095&sr=1-1

Light My Fire/Emerald Seer 2 now available!

Hi all! The anticipated sequel to Ryder on the Storm/Emerald Seer 1 is now available on amazon.com! It is priced at 99 cents but available for free borrowing if you are an amazon prime member. I encourage you to check it out, feedback I have gotten so far us that it is better than the first!

Day 1 KDP Select

I am really pleased with the results of my first day in KDP Select.  I opted to run three promo days to launch the release of my sequel and so far I have had more than 400 downloads of Ryder on the Storm/Emerald Seer I, mostly from the US store but more than 60 from the UK store!  For that reason I have decided to enroll Light My Fire/Emerald Seer II in the KDP Select program as well and will likely run it free for the first few days. 

I want to give a huge shout out to my inner support circle with this venture - you know who you are - THANK YOU!!!

Taking the plunge - KDP Select

I am going to admit that I have been on the fence about enrolling in KDP Select.  It sounds great, really it does, but is it one of those things that sounds too good to be true?  After deliberating for quite some time, I have decided to take the plung.  I am pulling Ryder on the Storm - Emerald Seer 1 from barnes&noble.com and enrolling it in KDP Select.  It will be on the KDP free promo starting tomorrow and running free through Tuesday!

Light My Fire is still set to be released on Tuesday (December 20th) and for now will initially be available on Amazon.   Cross your fingers for me!!

Release Date - Light My Fire/Emerald Seer 2

Hi all!  Light My Fire/Emerald Seer #2 will be released on Tuesday December 20th on Barnes and Noble and Amazon as an ebook.  This is just a short entry night to share the release date because I have some last minute touches that should take me through the weekend - not to mention, cookies to bake, gifts to wrap, gifts to finish, and only a hundred or so other things to do over the course of the next week and a half!

Happy Holidays and thanks for the support!!
 

Holiday Blog Hop Winners!

I have decided to gift ebook copies of Ryder on the Storm/Emerald to all who commented on my blog this weekend for the blog hop.  I will email each of you to see what format you prefer and Julie I need your email in order to contact you! 

Thanks to all who participated!

HOLIDAY BLOG HOP!!

Make sure you check out the Holiday Blog Hop and find yourself some new, amazing, authors to read!!  Click the "Holiday Blog Hop" logo on the side of my blog to check out my fabulous co-authors! I am giving away TWO ebook copies of Ryder on the Storm/Emerald Seer #1 - your choice between kindle and nook-friendly versions!

Editing = not fun

I hate editing and I so wish I could afford an editor to just handle it for me.  Ugh.  It is tedious and time consuming and I have the utmost respect for anybody who edits for a living!  Thankfully, I have two excellent readers who focus on content but pick up on a lot of my typos because of who they are!  You know who you are and I appreciate you and the time you take to read my first and second and even third drafts!! 

Ryder on the Storm's cover is closer to being complete and so far I am pretty darn pleased with how it looks.  I have ideas submitted for Light My Fire's cover and I believe my illustrator is more excited for that one - I am just hoping he is not too frustrated with Ryder on the Storm's cover to do the sequel's cover!

Here's to edits!!

Christmas is my favorite time of year!

I love the smells and the lights, giving presents and baking cookies, horse drawn carriages and jingle bells. My favorite songs are Silver Bells and Holly Jolly Christmas, followed very closely by The Christmas Song and Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.... yet there are so many more great songs that warm my heart this time of year. It irks me that people somehow become increasingly rude at this time of year even when faced with a smile or a kind word. Whatever your personal beliefs or practices, isn't there something magical in the air throughout December? I think so, I have seen it in varying quantities as long as I can remember. Please take a moment this time of year to perform one random act of kindness, it is worth it, worth the way you will feel and how you will make the other person feel. Tell you recipient to pay it forward too, let's wipe out the bah humbugs with a blast of good cheer.

I am still looking for reviews from my amazon customers! You know who you are and I appreciate it!! Thank you all for the support, I have decided to keep Ryder on the Storm listed at 99 cents throughout the month of December in the spirit of the holidays.

Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate

Amazon URL for Violet Patterson

In the ever-growing world of marketing an indy-published ebook, I have joined Amazon's Author Central and have my own URL - https://www.amazon.com/author/violetpatterson.   Stop by and check out it - while you are on Amazon, pick up a copy of Ryder on the Storm/Emerald Seer #1 and get it read before the sequel's release in a few weeks!

Also, those of you who have purchased through Amazon, please take a few moments to review it!  Thanks for all of your support!

Finished NaNoWriMo

I love to write, really I do, and I seriously feel better when I am writing regularly but this was an intense experience and coupled with working full time, managing a household, and my number one job of being a Mom, it was a lot.  I am hopeful for the day where I can devote more time to writing and less time to a full time job that frankly drives me mad more often than not.  That will only come with more writing and more success.  I am so thankful that my family, especially my amazing kiddos, are so understanding and supportive.  Anybody in the world can tell me they are proud of me for something but when one or both of my kiddos says they are proud of me, well, it means so much more.  I know my five year old does not really understand it all, he just knows Mommy is writing a book.  My six year old is amazed because she is "writing books" in school and sees how much work goes into a few sentences on a few pages.  There is no feeling in the world like being a hero to a child, especially your own and I know it will not always be this way but you better believe I am going to enjoy it while I can. 

Anyway, in the end, I finished with 50,253 words in 26 days (I started late a little late but made up for it!).  Light My Fire/Emerald Seer #2 is currently being edited and should be ready for release in a few weeks.  I am pretty pleased with it and I hope you all will be as well!

Almost to goal!

Sooooo very close. Tapped out tonight at exactly 44,300 words. I have not kept up on my blog or been able to read as much as I normally do but I am currently reading a fabulous novel called "The Light Within Me" by Carly Fall (also the organizer for the upcoming Holiday Blog Hop). I will be back on top of things as soon as I finish this novel for NaNo. I will be taking a few days off writing (thought I will be editing) and give my brain a break with a great read!

If you haven't checked it out yet, I am running a promo on Ryder on the Storm - only 99 cents at B&N and Amazon for a limited time!

So close to completing NaNoWriMo novel!!

35,029 words down.  I can't vouch for how much editing it will need when I am done but so far I am very pleased with it.  I have had some feedback from one of my test readers (who is also starting the editing process) and Alpha (so my code names are not as creative) is quite pleased with it as well.  I have had a few rough patches where a) the words just wouldn't come or b) I couldn't decide which direction to take the story.  Alpha asked if I know how it ends - of course I do - but there are half a dozen subplots that can veer off in alternate directions and occasionally it is difficult for me to decide which fits best with the characters/story/main plot line.  This is part of why I love writing though, my imagination knows no bounds! 

On a side note - I hope everybody is ready for the Holiday Blog Hop!  It's going to be FUN!!!

Holiday blog hop!

Hi everyone - quick update on NaNoWriMo - I am going to breach 30,000 words tonight (YAY!).  I had a few rough patches but it is rolling now and I have this weekend and a long holiday weekend to get it done!

Also, and the big news!  I am participating in a Holiday Blog Hop - fellow authors please join in and fellow readers you might find some new, glorious books for your collections.  I will have a banner up and running as soon as I figure out how to add it but I will be giving away two free copies of Ryder on the Storm/Emerald Seer #1 to two lucky winners!!  More details to follow after Turkey Day!

Apologies for the short blurbs and pseudo-MIA status, but I have been writing - A LOT. 

Half way through with Light My Fire/Emerald Seer #2

YAY!  I am so excited that I made it half way!  Less than 25,000 words to go to complete NaNoWriMo!  Light My Fire might end up a little longer but it is rolling along well and I hope you will all be excited with the outcome.  I have to say that this has been a great experience so far and I would strongly encourage anybody with the writing bug to try it! 

As of today, I have signed on to participate in a Holiday Blog Hop in December which means I will be putting up a few free copies of Ryder on the Storm/Emerald Seer #1.  Look for more details soon!

Finally, I have to give a huge shout out and thanks to my friends and family who have supported me, bought my book, and gave me some good feedback on it!

Temp book cover

My fabulous cover artist is still working on the real cover but I have seen some roughs and I believe it will be absolutely amazing.  In the meantime, I went whipped up a slightly more professional looking temp cover, you can check it out on FB, at B&N.com, or at Amazon.com, or below.

Update on NaNoWriMo - going well, almost halfway to goal and I should hit that tonight!  I have one of my proof-readers/reviewers going to work on the first 20,000 words this week so that I can get moving on a finalized copy.  Goal for release is the week before Christmas. 

Making Progress and a little teaser

Since deciding to write Light My Fire/Emerald Seer #2 for NaNoWriMo I have really been working away and find myself VERY excited for this book.  This is a strange thing for me because I usually dislike sequels, not sure why, but I do.  Not the case with my own series.  Maybe it is a subconscious thing where I am working that much harder to make the second better since it is my personal pet peeve?  Regardless, I am very excited for this book to round out though I am tapping out tonight to get some sleep.  I am just shy of the word goal for this point in the month and I will catch up this weekend for sure!

Teasers:  new character for Light My Fire/Emerald Seer #2 include Sophie Bedeaux with her tragic tale, Angeline's character will be rounded out more, Damarra returns to shed her not always helpful points of view, and Lucian's story will be a scorcher (okay, it is late, I am tired, that was not my best).

COVER ART!!

Check out the amazing sketch my friend Dave Holtz has done of Storm Sullivan.  I send him hugs across the miles for caputring my heroine so well (even though he is not yet satisfied with it).  This is an entirely different type of teaser - just a glimpse of what his cover promises!!

NANOWRIMO

HEY ALL!  Light My Fire could be out sooner than Christmas as I have decided to entered the National Novel Writing Month movement.  I have 7100 words but I am just getting ready to sit down tonight.  I think it is a wonderful idea and the motivation should help me get this together sooner which is what I need! 

Thanks to all who have purchased my eBooks from B&N and Amazon.  I would appreciate reviews - as honest as possible!!  I am hoping to have a cover up for Ryder on the Storm by the end of the week or so, I will of course post it on here! 

Anyway, this is short, apologies, but I need to get writing!!!

Teaser from "Light My Fire"

1503 – Lucian

The witch lied.  Damn her.  Lucian vowed to pay her back tenfold if it was the last thing he ever did.  Six months and the fire still burned through every inch of his being.  The spirit remained angry and thrashed against him with enough force to make him wretch up whatever food he managed to choke down.  Ryder noticed his weight loss.  Worry creased his friend’s brow more often than not these days, and it certainly wasn’t about the new recruits.  The Scots, Kell and Pollux always eyed Lucian warily but they had taken to Ryder.  Still, Ryder watched him closely.  Whenever Ryder broached the subject or attempted to touch his mind, Lucian shut down, glared, and stormed off.  

He remained resolved to tame the beast but it made him irritable.  Lucian felt anger writhing inside him, fury and fire he’d dubbed it.  He refused to use its real name, Phoenix, as punishment.  The more Lucian reasoned with it, the angrier it grew and the more it burned so he’d taken to other methods.  Strongest of the Immortals he had taken on the Phoenix and the witch promised it would submit to Lucian in two days to remain little more than a flicker for all of time.   He should have known better.  They all should have. 

Emerald Seer #1 now available for Kindle and Nook

Hellllo all!  Ryder on the Storm is now available for Kindle (amazon.com) and Nook (barnes&noble.com).  Please check it out, follow the blog and I will keep updates going on how Ryder is doing as well as how the sequel is coming along. 

Emerald Seer/Ryder on the Storm may be familiar from the Creating Estelan blog, but since Storm and her gang seem to be taking on a life of their own, it became necessary to split the series into separate blogs - so, here you have it.  Enjoy!