Weekend breaks are refreshing!

I am so excited to have my wonderful Dad in town this weekend.  We have had a great time and have some more fun planned so I am just stopping in real quick to lay down some lines and get some writing in since I have otherwise taken a break from all of my projects since Friday night.  It feels strange to not be doing much by way of writing but I feel refreshed.  Yesterday we went to see the Lorax (my daughter ADORED it and I have to say it was really good) and had a fabulous dinner at The Rock (pizza with spinach, sauteed garlic cloves, bleu cheese, and sauteed mushrooms with a fabulous chocolate porter beer!) and then relaxed at home for the rest of the evening.  It was delightful and what my "cold" needed apparently.  I am still feeling under the weather (yes, for those of you counting it has been six weeks but my doc apparently believes I am med-seeking - don't get me started - or full of it) but a little better.  Right now my daughter is sitting next to me playing Angry Birds on my Dad's iPad and Dad is getting ready for a foray into Fremont for the Sunday market.  I am rather excited for this and perhaps a side trip to the Fremont Troll.  It should be a fun outing as the sun is making its way out and the temp is rising (to a "balmy" 52 degrees).  Well, I am off again.  Back to work on Estelan tonight!

PS Dad has a rental car and it is a CHARGER.....sweet ride!

Estelan set for final edits

I am so excited to put Estelan through the final read through over the next week or so.  I am shooting for a mid-March release.  I have had some awesome beta readers and count myself VERY lucky - you  know who you are and I appreciate your input more than words can say.  Additionally, two wonderful friends collaborated on a cover for Estelan that is quite amazing :)  However, that said, I am waiting on the big reveal until closer to the release date in case anymore changes are made before then. 

I know my posts have been short and inconsistent but I am still fighting this cold and have been VERY busy with life and multiple projects.  Apologies to those following.

Estelan to be released

I have decided to release Estelan as a YA epic fantasy through Amazon soon enough.  The cover is still being put together and I want to do one more read through but I believe it is ready to go.  I intend to release the ebook and paperback at the same time so look for ESTELAN by Trace Broyles this Spring!

Estelan waiting.....

Estelan is on hold for a while.  As mentioned before I entered it into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel 2012 competition.  On February 23rd they will announce the 1000 entries that made it out of the first round.  If Estelan is selected the series will be placed on hold a little longer.  If it is not, I will be pushing forward with the self-pub of the series via Amazon.  I intend to keep everyone posted but this blog will be more silent as I push forward with the Emerald Seer Series (http://emeraldseer.blogspot.com) while waiting to hear the fate of Estelan in ABN.  My fingers are crossed as I entered it in the YA fiction category. 

Echo Rising and some decisions regarding Estelan.

After much deliberation, I have decided to name keep Echo Rising as the sequel to Estelan.  I considered going another direction and bumping Echo Rising to the third book in the series but I am finding myself in such a groove it would be a shame to disrupt it. 

Of course, I realize that only a few people have actually read Estelan (my beta readers) and that they will liekly be disappointed at my decision to make the series a YA fantasy series.  Hopefully others will be pleased with the decision. 

It feels difficult lately to post much on here about Creating Estelan since Estelan is pretty much on hold for the Amazon Breakthrough Contest and talking about Echo Rising could be pointless given that it is a sequel to a book few have read thus far.  At the same time, I do not want to give up on this blog because the process has been a huge help to me as a writer.  Hm.  Decisions, Decisions.  I must ponder such thoughts!

Estelan Update

I took a big leap.  Well, for me anyway.  I completed the edits for a 4th draft of Estelan (formerly known as Fall of Ia) and entered into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel competition.  I have opted to put Estelan out as a YA Fantasy because I think a good portion of the characters lend themselves to the YA genre moreso than the adult fantasy fiction.  It will still round out into an epic fantasy series of 4-5 books.  I am truly pleased with the outcome of Estelan and am hopeful it will be well received.  Unfortunately, the first round is judged on a 300 word or less pitch and that tends to be my downfall.  It is the main reason I opted to self publish my first two books (of the Emerald Seer Series - http://emeraldseer.blogspot.com).  I fail to see how a 300 word or less pitch can encapsulate the depth of an 80,000+ word novel told from multiple points of view.  The feedback I continue to receive is "focus on one character that links them all."  Easier said than done.  Some of the characters never meet each other (i.e. die before interacting with more than sub-characters).  In then end, I opted to go with something more general that I believe conveys the main plotline without giving away any of the plot twists.  I will know if I make the cut on February 24th, if I do not then I will be releasing Estelan as a self-pubbed work.  Until then, I will continue working on Echo Rising (sequel to Estelan) and End of the Night (third in the Emerald Seer Series).

Fingers crossed - Check
Writing cap on - Check
Hopefull - Check

Light My Fire - Emerald Seer II is a free ebook this weekend

Hey all!  In honor of the FABULOUS HOUSTON TEXANS making their first playoff appearance, I am offering Light My Fire (Emerald Seer II) as a freebie ebook on Amazon this weekend (SUNDAY and MONDAY - January 8th and 9th).  Enjoy!

GO TEXANS!