It's Official! Asphodel Returns!

I've been toying with this decision for a while. 

When my partners and I founded Musa, my writing took a back seat. Hard to be a full time writer and a full time editor at the same time. But now that I'm done with the editorial side of the desk, writing is once again my full time gig. So even as I write my new novel, in the back of my mind the thought of Asphodel kept slapping me. 

After all, the series did quite well considering that it was released only as an ebook by a small publisher better known for erotica and romance. So why not give it another shot? 

And, of course, there were the OTHER books I'd written in the Asphodel world because the story just would NOT SHUT UP. In fact, I had a whole new series written after the original four books. Same characters, different story. So while I was debating the fate of Asphodel, that other bit of information was jabbing me in the skull. Repeatedly. So I had to factor that in as well. 

Did I want to go through all the effort of getting those additional books, at present unedited, ready for publication at a standard that I, personally, would require? 

Hell, yes I did. 

So, get ready! Asphodel returns with the re-issue of the four original titles in The Asphodel Cycle: The Reckoning of Asphodel, The Gift of Redemption, The Temptation of Asphodel, and The Apostle of Asphodel over the course of this summer, 2015. In the fall of 2015, the first book of the new series, The Asphodel Saga: Servant of Dis will be published. 

And that's all she wrote. 

For now.

Melding New Ideas and a New Review

First, the good news.

The Asphodel Cycle 2: The Gift of Redemption has just been reviewed by ChrisChat Reviews. The book was given a four out of four rating! Here's part of what the reviewer had to say:

"...There have been times I have felt cheated when reading a fantasy quest…Ms. Summers never cheats. Each of her books is packed with intensity and gentleness. Still she leaves you craving more.While reading "Gift of Redemption" I felt there was an underlying meaning to Tamsen's journey. There is more to her adventure and battle, she is learning her own truth, her strength of being. How does a writer capture this? This is the craft of writing, which Ms. Summers dominates..."

Zoinks! My day is full of sunshine today! You can read the rest of the review at ChrisChat Reviews.

Now for the rest of the story.

Every once in a while, someone will say something that strikes a chord with me. My husband is particularly good at this. I've been futzing around with some different story ideas for a few weeks. I'm still working on the horror stories, but an urban fantasy concept has been nagging me, a couple of Greek myths, a little bit of traditional high fantasy--and I couldn't settle on one particular idea.

Naturally, this really kind of pissed me off. So I was moping last night, (waiting for Ghost Hunters' season premiere to start) and my husband started to tell me about a dream he'd had that was bothering him. I was pretty much just pretending to listen--you wives out there know what I'm talking about--when all of a sudden something he said struck that idea bell that tolls so infrequently in my overworked head. Before I knew what was happening, we were brainstorming a story plot.

And after he went to bed, it took off. It took off the same way that Deception did; that Darkshifters and Asphodel and Terella did. I'm not going to say much about it, other than this:
Plato, in his Socratic dialogue to Timaeus, spoke of a demiurge which is an ultimate creation myth deity. In some ways, Plato's demiurge was the first benevolent god--once who wanted a world that was completely good but was hampered by the matter of Chaos that he had to work with when he formed the world. Look it up; check it out--then you might have an idea of where I'm going.

Or starting.

Whichever works.

I've never been one for dystopian novels, but this one just might come close. Oh NO! Am I turning into an intellectual in my dotage? God forbid! I've always been perfectly happy being a genre hack writer in the past...maybe I'm evolving.

Maybe it's time I did.

New Review for The Gift of Redemption!

Sorry I've been away for a while. I've been very busy with my family and adjusting to the whole grandmother thing. I think I'm finally caught up enough to get back into my normal routine of writing, editing, blogging and so forth and it just so happens that today I have something fabulous to talk about.

Wennonah Lyon, one of the outstanding reviewers at Novelspot, has reviewed The Asphodel Cycle 2: The Gift of Redemption. You may remember that she also reviewed The Reckoning of Asphodel; you can find a blurb and the link in the sidebar to your right.

At any rate, she gave Redemption an 8 out of 10 rating and some really kind words. For example:

The Asphodel Cycle should appeal to fans of Tolkien: high fantasy, noble characters, a world-changing quest. Like Tepper and Lackey, Ms. Summers presents a strong, likable and imperfect heroine with a good cast of supporting characters. If you like High Fantasy combined with romance, you should enjoy the series. I strongly recommend it, and am looking forward to the concluding volumes.

Once again, I am flabbergasted by the names she compares me to. In her review of Reckoning, she compared my work to Hope Mirrlees'. Now Mercedes Lackey? I may faint.

What's really fantastic about this review is that she displays a real understanding of what it is I'm trying to acheive in The Asphodel Cycle and my writing in general. That instinctive sort of insight is really gratifying for an author when it happens. A really good example of what I'm talking about is this:

How can a people atone for an act against the Gods? A capricious, unruly set of Gods; pleasing one results in offending another. In the second book in The Asphodel Cycle, redemption seems less a gift than something to be earned. The earning itself, given the nature of the Gods concerned, is an impossibility.

It's the sort of thing that makes a writer feel wonderful. It lets me know that in some aspect at least, I was successful at imparting the overall theme of the work in such a way that it impacted a reader. Novelspot has such an outstanding reputation for review work too--enough of one that it's very humbling to receive a good review from their well-read staff.

You can find the rest of the review at http://novelspot.net/node/2951.

Have a great day! I'll try to come up with something pithy and amusing to post about tomorrow.

Oooh...shiny!

Look at what I've got! Two brand new shinies to share with you.

First:

The Asphodel Cycle 3:Temptation of Asphodel Top Ten Finalist for Best Novel of 2008 in the Preditors and Editors Annual Readers' Poll.

The Asphodel Cycle 2: The Gift of Redemption--Top Ten Finalist for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel of 2008 from the Preditors and Editors Annual Readers' Poll:

Can I just say...wow?!?!?!?!

Thank you to everyone who voted for my work and your continued support of my writing career and fragile ego. All three of the Asphodel novels have received a prestigious P&E award which, at least for a moment, makes me think I'm doing something right.

Which sets me up for this little tidbit. The Asphodel Cycle 4:Apostle of Asphodel will be released in May of 2009. It's the final installment in the Asphodel series, so if you haven't read the first three award winning novels now's the time to pick them up! That way you'll be ready for the final chapters in the story of Tamsen and Brial.

Once again, thanks for your votes and your love of my work.

Things To Think About When Naming a Book

You know, every once in a while, I out-stupid myself. Stick around for this story: you'll love it.

As you all know, the title of the second book in The Asphodel Cycle is The Gift of Redemption. Naturally, I have "The Gift of Redemption" on my Google alerts because I like to know when my books pop up on the web. (For all of you aspiring writers out there, ALWAYS set up a Google alert for your stories--that way you can find out if someone is selling it illegally. This is especially important for e-pubbed stories.)

At any rate, the title stems from the theme of the book--the gift of redemption occurs when the Virgin Huntress accepts the only sacrifice that can redeem the race of Elves. It was a natural title for the book; that's what the book was about.

What I didn't think about was what else would pop up on Google alerts with the phrase "the gift of redemption."

Do you know how many church blogs I find out about every day talking about the gift of redemption? How many priest's personal blogs, how many printed sermons, how many religious sites use that phrase every single day? Whenever I get a Google Alert for The Gift of Redemption, I usually discover that *this is all made up* Father Stanley Bingo of St. Jehosephat Parish in Kansas City has delivered an entire sermon about the gift of redemption and, just in case you missed it on Sunday, printed it in its entirety on the parish blog on Monday.

This is particularly bad around Easter and Christmas, as I discovered much to my chagrin this past year.

Every Monday, my Google alert for "The Gift of Redemption" is usually fifteen to twenty posts long. Hidden amidst all the church blogs are a couple of ebook sales distributors and maybe a review or a post from this blog. So let's get something straight here:

The Gift of Redemption by Celina Summers is about Elves, a fictional race of beings that are an archetype of the fantasy genre.

When you're naming your stories, future and present writers, take a moment to think of what you're getting into in the wonderful world of Google. The final installment of the Asphodel series was originally going to be called simply "The Apostle."

Ummm...we're not going that route. Hopefully, The Apostle of Asphodel will protect me from the influx of church blogs that I'm quite certain will be just as relieved not to have "Elf Killing and Other Hobbies" showing up on their Google Alerts in the future.

See? I'm doing it all for religion. That's okay though; the Pope can thank me later.

Just Some News...And Some Begging...

So Temptation of Asphodel finally made it to Fictionwise. Now that it's for sale not only on the AMP website but the big two e-book distributors, I feel a little bit better. It's been in the queue to be released on Fictionwise since it was published--I'm not sure why it took so long for them to get it up on their site. I'm going to assume that the holidays had something to do with it.

My short story anthology Metamorphosis has been contracted by Aspen Mountain Press and will be released sometime this spring. So finally, all of you have proof that I can write something under 100k words. Hah! I win!

Now it's time for my annual shameless begging for votes.

The Gift of Redemption--Nominated for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel of 2008 by Preditors and Editors. Go vote here. The Gift of Redemption--nominated for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel of 2008 by Love Romance & More Cafe. Go vote here.(you will have to join the Yahoo group and then go to the Polls section of the board)Tempation of Asphodel--Nominated for Best Novel of 2008 in the Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll! Go cast your vote here.Temptation of Asphodel--Nominated for Best Book Cover of 2008 by Love Romances and More Cafe! Go cast your vote here. Celina Summers--Nominated for Best Author Published in 2008 by Preditors and Editors. Go cast your vote here.

The Preditors and Editors' poll ends on January 14th. The LRC poll ends on the 15th. If you've read the Asphodel novels and love them, go vote now!

[/end shameless plugging]

Football, Vampires, Polls and Me

So, the NCAA BCS champions are that team whose name I never mention unless absolutely necessary. I suppose, all things considering, that it is a good thing for the SEC--winning the BCS three years in a row is a feat no conference has accomplished since the Big Ten did it in the forties but still...

I couldn't root for either team in conscience, so I rooted for turnovers. The turnovers won. Now if we're lucky the quarterback-who-shall-not-be-named will declare for the NFL draft tomorrow and I won't have to hear his name on Saturday afternoons any more.

In other news, we completed the second draft of Covenants today and somehow managed to add words to it. I'm still scratching my head over that one; we were cutting stuff, I swear! Of course, we did insinuate a whole new subplot, but it was important I tell you! Important! Suffice it to say that Breaking the Covenants is comparable in length to an Asphodel novel. Love vampire stories and hate novellas? Have we got the product for you!

Both The Gift of Redemption and Temptation of Asphodel are holding steady in the top ten of their respective categories in the Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll. I'm pretty excited by that. It makes me feel good to know that there are enough people that appreciate the Asphodel novels to actually go through all the trouble to go vote for my books. *If you haven't voted yet, GO VOTE NOW*

Sorry--you know to expect the shameless plug in every blog post until voting ends. Think of it as an itch that you'll have to scratch until January 15th and casting a vote for one of my books is like the calamine lotion you need to soothe that itch.

I'm so wrong. But, you knew that didn't you?

So, in the morning, I'll get to start work on a brand new project! More importantly, at the moment I have no clue what that will be. I'll get to wake up, eat breakfast, look at whatever frozen precipitation is yelling for my snowblower to attack and then open a new document. I'll set my format for it, think for a minute and then type the first sentence.

And all of a sudden, I will find myself in a brand new world. I can't wait.

The Sounds of Snow at Night and the Thoughts They Bring

It feels really strange.

Everything is very quiet outside, which is where I am blogging at the moment because for some reason I felt the need to have a cigarette at four in the morning. There's an ice storm on the way--the radar tells me so--and I can definitely smell it on the wind. That crisp, clean smell is unmistakable in these hills during the winter. I'm awake and even the darn cats are asleep. It's just strange.

I've been doing a lot of rewriting today on Breaking the Covenants, my co-writing project with Rob Graham. We made a lot of changes to the beginning of the story and I've been fine-combing the rest of the manuscript for continuity issues. So at the moment, I'm in a meticulous mood and an icy pre-dawn in the hills of Ohio is just about perfect for that.

Besides, blogging may help to clear my mind. I have a lot of work to get done today. I want to get Covenants done if at all possible and then get back to work on Deception. We'll see how long I can stay productive. Of course, I'd be a hell of a lot more productive if I'd stop clicking on the Preditor and Editors poll results page to see how I'm doing. If, for example, you wanted to go vote for my books it might help ease my mind.

You knew the shameless plug was coming. Don't act so surprised.

Interestingly enough, our ice storm is apparently starting as snow. I love the sound of snow falling. It's the ultimate silence at night; it's like the flakes filter out all the other nocturnal noise so that all you hear is just a miniscule brushing through the air. I imagine that I can hear it; I'm not sure if I really can, especially at a time like now when it's just beginning and everything is quiet anyway. I like to think that I can. It's a comforting, lovely sound.

Wish someone could bottle that. They came up with Febreeze--why not this? I'd buy it.

Yes, it feels very strange out tonight. But now that I have flakes of snow hitting my LCD screen and my rear is freezing in this swing, I think I'll head back in, make some coffee and get back to work. It's been a pleasure talking to you, as always.

Now go vote for my books.

*grin*

TWO shameless plugs in one post. Just wait until the voting period is nearing its end.

Asphodelian Award Nominations

Well, it's nomination season and the gods have been good to me again--so good that I'm still reeling.

You remember last year when The Reckoning of Asphodel was a Top Ten finalist in the Preditors and Editors Annual Readers' Poll as Best Sci Fi/Fantasy Novel of 2007? Sit back and get ready to be shocked.

The Asphodel Cycle 2: The Gift of Redemption has been nominated by P&E for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Novel of 2008.

The Asphodel Cycle 3:The Temptation of Asphodel has been nominated by P&E for Best Novel of 2008.

I have also been nominated in the Author's Pages category!

If you wanted to vote (and of course you do, why wouldn't you?) go to http://www.critters.org/predpoll/. You can find The Gift of Redemption under Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels and Temptation of Asphodel under All Other Novels.

Then...hold on...it gets better. I have something to show you--twice:

The Gift of Redemption was nominated by Love Romances and More Cafe as Best Sci Fi/Fantasy novel of 2008 AND Temptation of Asphodel was nominated for Best Cover Art of 2008--that wonderful bit of work done by Renee' George! Voting opens at LRM on January 5th, and I'll post more about that later.

I'm a little excited right now and off to post this all over the web. You guys hold down the fort while I'm gone. Gee...I'm totally gobsmacked.

Another Book Release Friday

I've never had a book release on a holiday weekend before. I find it kind of interesting that the darkest book I've written to date is being released on Black Friday. All kinds of implications there...

So, tomorrow I'm hanging out on my Facebook page all day for my book release, as well as a few of the readers' loops I frequent on Yahoo and, of course, Absolute Write which is the best writing forum on the web. If you're trying to track me down, Facebook is the best place--especially as I'll be giving away copies of my books all day long.

For those of you who are AWers, I'm doing my darnedest to declare tomorrow a moratorium for myself in the politics forum.

You're welcome.

You know, the first time I had a novel published, I wondered if it would become blase' by the time I hit this point in my career. I finally have the answer: no. No, it doesn't feel normal, it doesn't become familiar, and it doesn't get old. Every new release comes with a new set of questions.

Will they notice what changed?

Do they see where I'm taking them?

Is the story getting more involved, more interesting or just bad?

Yeah, those fears never quite go away. Every time I having a book coming out, I break off half my nails making sure they are edited correctly and then chew off the others in the first week after it's released. So, once again, I find myself on the night before a little nervous, more than a little apprehensive and very, very excited.

But sleepy. Yeah, I'm sleepy this time. Darn turkey.

A Post of SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEs in Threes!

Okay--I get to have a brag post!

The first reviews of The Gift of Redemption are coming in. The first came from Coffee Time Romance, which sort of surprised me because they hadn't reviewed any of my work--including The Reckoning of Asphodel. Anyhoo, Regina has this to say about Redemption:

This has to be the best fantasy romance I have ever read. I could not put this book down until I had read the final page. While it is clearly the second book in a series, the author does such a good job of weaving background information into the storyline that the reader never feels cheated. Ms. Summers skillfully draws her readers into the book. The characters are so realistic that they appear to step from the pages. A devilishly wonderful book that I highly recommend to one and all!

You can read the entire review here.

I was really pleased with Regina's take on the book--she really seemed to get where the characters and the story were coming from and she'd never read the first book. So I had a little SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE! moment and went back to moving.

Which I hate.

Then this morning, I found a review in my inbox from Brianna at Bitten by Books:

I’m giving The Gift of Redemption 4 ½ tombstones. I loved revisiting the characters,and watching them grow – especially Tamsen – was a delight. Celina Summers really packs in the drama and love that was so evident in her first novel into this action-packed delight. There is a scene at the end that left me in tears. I would read the first book in the series, The Reckoning of Asphodel, before I picked this one up. The Reckoning of Asphodel is integral to understanding the beautiful world Summers has created.

How can you argue with a reviewer that admits my story made her cry???

Exactly. You can't.

So, I went outside and had a celebratory Coke and cigarette. While I was sitting on the deck, Emily the hummingbird buzzed by my head. She does this now whenever my husband Shannon or I are outside, buzzing our heads to let us know she's there and then looking at us for a few minutes like she's thankful--very cute. She hovered for a minute, her dark eyes glittering and contented again, and then went back to the feeder. I think she's coming along better now that her eggs have hatched. She's filling out a bit and starting to store it up for the impending trip to warmer climes. I suspect that it won't be long before she brings her babies by to inspect the deck, the flowers, the silly old Lab asleep in the sun, and teaches them how to drink from the feeder. I really hope that when this occurs, I'll be sitting out there also with my laptop handy.

If it does, then I'll tell you all about it.

Thanks for sharing my SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEs in threes. Emily says hi!

Redemption Doing Well...Or Is It?

Occasionally I find myself, much like Piers Anthony, living in conjunction with my book subjects. The Gift of Redemption is about one individual giving up everything in order to redeem a society. In my world, it's about one individual giving up a lot so that others can have what they crave.

For example...

Lately, my husband and I have been feeling a financial crunch--much like the rest of you. Ours is due to a combination of things--my back, my daughter, OPEC--just to name a few.

My back has now (again) made it impossible for me to work in the 'real world.' So, I've increased my work in writing and editing and have become a stay-at-home writer. So, my husband has to take up the slack. He's working more hours, losing the time to do the things he loves, and has nothing left over for what he wants to do. In other words, his gift to the family is to redeem me for my lack of steady financial input.

It's hard to watch. It's harder to agree to, knowing that I haven't 'hit it big' yet and that all of the responsibility lies upon him. I can do my part (like submitting short stories and hoping for the best) but in the long run, unless I get an agent and my book goes to auction, this burden will be on him for a long time.

And I'm not even thinking about the back surgery that's looming in the near future either.

Sacrifices. Everything these days seems to be about sacrifices, just like in Redemption. That worries me.

Book 3 is called Temptation of Asphodel.

Oh dear.

News and More News

Yeah, yeah yeah I know. I'll TRY to do better. I just thought I'd let you all know that The Gift of Redemption is at # 39 on the Fictionwise Fantasy Bestseller list!

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Yep. Just a little excited. It may be my imagination, and I'll check here in a bit, but it seems to be moving up the list quicker than Asphodel did. Two weeks from release at Fictionwise to #39 sounds FINE to me, though. I'd be dancing but...and here's the more news...I'm couch-bound until the middle of July.

*sigh*

More writing time though. And that's a good thing.

I find that I'm enjoying my writing time more and more. Although I still faithfully tackle my world-building and editing/rewriting chores every day, those hours when I concentrate on continuing a story have been just rolling along. Remind me soon to update my projects list--there's a hell of a lot going on that I haven't shared with you guys yet. There are a couple of new stories ongoing that I think you might be interested in.

I also submitted a few short stories this week, and have sent other numerous review requests to new venues so we'll see what happens.

Overall, a happy day. :)

OK, So I don't update my blog enough...

...or so I'm told. Apparently, BUSY does not count. hmmph. So, I'll just update you guys for a bit.

The Gift of Redemption is now available on Fictionwise and Mobipocket. It seems to be doing well on Fictionwise, where it's been available for a few days now. It just came out today on Mobipocket.

I'm particularly interested in how it does on Fictionwise, since The Reckoning of Asphodel hit number one on its Fantasy Bestseller list and the top ten on the overall Bestseller list. It would be nice if Redemption could follow in Asphodel's footsteps.

A little birdie told me that Reckoning's first review from a major review site will be out within the month. This is sort of scary for me. I'm still obsessed over some horrifying questions: What if it isn't as good as Asphodel? What if people hate it? What if a few directions that the storyline takes really turns my readers off? Will I live? Could I survive that?

I guess I'll know pretty soon. *shudders* Hope my blood pressure survives it.

Right now I'm doing some beta reading for some friends and surveying the wreck of my study with satisfaction. As you probably remember, when I'm plotting a new world and the story that goes in it, I literally paper my study with worldbuilding charts and plot continuity lines with long rolls of butcher paper. And there it will hang, a daily prod to hurry up and finish what I'm working on so that I can get to the project that is stewing deliciously along my walls. This project has migrated onto the ceiling; when I look to the heavens for divine inspiration, I'll find a chart labelled *Events that need to happen before Armageddon.* This makes me write faster.

It's like a hambone in front of a hungry pit bull.

I reckon I have a few more days' work to put in on the current project (final draft of Terella, then off she goes into query land) and then I can sink my teeth into the juicy world that swims along the edges of my vision in this room.

*Events that need to happen before Armageddon*---Big red letters, long long list. Looks like at least a trilogy from where I'm sitting. Just as an FYI, 'armageddon' is just my brainstorming catchphrase for how the plot culminates--it has nothing to do with angels or Satan or the end of the world or anything like that. I call all the ends of my storylines 'armageddon' just so I know that it's the absolute end of this plot.

*grin*

So don't get too excited.

Wow. Look at that countdown clock run. When I started this blog post, it was 4 hours and 47 minutes until The Gift of Redemption is released.

Wow. Just wow.

I'm excited. I'm getting things ready for my release party tomorrow and sending out a slew of press releases and all that what not. My local paper interviewed me this week, so THAT was fun. I made it onto Raine Delight's author spotlight--check it out here!

That was also fun.

My very good friend who is also a writer, Sierra Dafoe, is coming to visit this weekend, so THAT'S good.

I'm having a very good day. Of course, my eyes are burning and crossed after working through the nights the past three days, but I feel good about the work I've done. In celebration, I'm taking a weekend off from the writing desk just so I can revel in the the fact that another book is hitting the market in the morning.

I might also pray a little that it's as well-received as The Reckoning of Asphodel was. Here's hoping.

You guys enjoy!
TR

Getting close...

What a week!

Getting ready for Redemption's release has worn me out completely. I've been putting the finishing touches on a book trailer, showing up at chats, sending out press releases, stomping ye olde forums with blurbs--and trying come up with everything I can for a viral publicity campaign.

Having a promotion budget of *zilch* sucks. Getting the youngest into nursing school is the financial priority in our house at the moment.

At any rate, besides that I've really gotten going on Terella hardcore this week. The story has taken over, again, and since I'm rewriting the monster from scratch I was a little surprised that it's rampaging across my desk like a rabid wildebeast. I'm trying to keep up with it but *whine* it's too fast for me! I still have the gut feeling that this may be my opus magnum to date. It's definitely taken on a literary voice that my previous fantasy works haven't had.

And Aleira is such a cool character. It's hard to make her into what I intend for her to be, but she seems to have a few ideas of her own at this point. Once I have this rewritten, a couple of hard line edits and it should be ready to query.

My goal is for October.

Which, will be just in time to do line edits on Asphodel 3 and get ready for its release--hopefully by Christmas.

We can hope.

You guys have a great weekend--I'm sure that you'll be hearing lots from me over the next couple of weeks so be prepared for the Gift of Redemption blog blitz!

Chatting today and a blog contest!

Hear ye! Hear ye!

I am pleased to announce my super duper special blog contest for the release of The Gift of Redemption!

Are you ready for this? You can win--

1-downloads of both The Reckoning of Asphodel and The Gift of Redemption!
2-a $25 gift card from Best Buy--which I recommend you use to buy the DVD of Neil Gaiman's Stardust. *grin* Only because Asphodel knocked it out of #1 at Fictionwise last summer...
3-an antique book--great classic piece of literature from my personal collection. I'll give you choices, and you pick the book!

and FINALLY

4-you can be the only person in the world to get the complete Asphodel historical backstory file--which is almost a book in itself!

Rules:

1. I am so stealing this one from Nathan Bransford: You may only enter once; Once you may enter. No multiple entries please.

2. Email me at kaantira@hotmail.com . In the subject line, write ASPHODEL BLOG CONTEST. Leave me your name and email addy. IF YOU DON'T LEAVE YOUR ADDY I CANNOT CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN. *just thought I'd let you know that*

3. Be present at my release party on June 6, 2008 where I will announce the winner with all sorts of hoopla and fanfare! I'll be hosting my release party at Love Romances & More Cafe -- which coincidentally is also where I'm chatting today.

Sound like fun? I sure hope so! Be sure you stop by the Cafe' and say hi!

Sixteen Days and My First Series Reader Completes All 4 Books

Zoinks. Sixteen days until Redemption. I'm getting a little verklempt now!

I'm even more verklempt because someone, finally, has read the entire Asphodel series. A friend of mine, Lisa, loved the first book a lot. I thought it was cute--she started doing the "I'm your number one fan!" bit which, considering Misery, could be creepy but from her was just endearing.

Then she got sick with the flu, so I sent her a copy of Redemption. She loved it too--I think a little more than Asphodel--and immediately started pestering me for Book 3--Temptation. I hemmed and hawed for a while, mostly because I'm in the middle of my final rewrite on it, but eventually I gave in because she's just so adorable. Then, last week, she went on vacation and hinted strongly that she'd really like to finish up the series.

By that point, I was immune to the extraneous dialogue tags and adverbs, so I sent Apostolate on to her. I also wanted to make certain that the series finished up with the *pow* it was designed to. Only the first two books had been betaed in my crit group, and Lisa is a smart girl with a good eye. I figured that if there was a flaw in the story resolution, she'd let me know.

She did. Apparently the *pow* works as well as I hoped it would. I took quite a few risks when resolving the overall plot conflict of the series, and the fact that she zeroed in on it AND loved it has given me a great deal of confidence. I feel MUCH better now.

You can find out more about Lisa at her website. I think you'll love her artwork--I know I do. And, if you want to read the opening prologue for Redemption, it is up and live on my website. AND, don't forget that you can chat with me ALL DAY at Love Romances & More Cafe on Friday, May 23rd.

All my plugs done? Hooray! Sixteen days left to go! Lisa Dovichi rocks! Go read my prologue! Chat with me on Friday! Anything else?

No?

Talk to you later.

The Countdown Is UP!!!

Wow, it's starting to feel official. The countdown for the release of The Gift of Redemption is up! Only 26 days to go until Book Two of The Asphodel Cycle.

Book releases are nerve-shattering, finger-gnawing ordeals. Every time you cut one of your babies loose on the world, you sit back and wonder: Is it all right? Will people like it? Hell, will people buy it? What if it's released and it sits there like a clod of dirt, moldering away in the darkest recesses of cyberspace and no one cares?

*shiver*

Of course, my biggest worry is that the people who read Asphodel and loved it won't feel quite the same way about Redemption. I've had a few people who have already read it and they seemed to like it. Hopefully, that trend will continue. I think that Tamsen grows up quite a bit in this book; she spends a lot of time dealing with politics and war and love and hate and gods and mortals. She's not always right and she learns a lot. I want my characters to always learn in my stories--that makes them real and helps them grow.

Of course, Brial learns a lot too--mostly about his wife.

Poor Brial! For some reason, I always end up on Tamsen's side. Sometimes when I write contentious scenes between them, I feel like there's a disapproving Elf standing behind right behind me muttering, "You just had to do that, didn't you Celina?"

Why yes, Brial; as a matter of fact, I did.

He worries too much. He needs to lighten up a bit. Unfortunately for him, Redemption is as much about Brial's growth of character as it is Tamsen's--and in some ways, his path is harder. Naturally, that's all I'm going to tell you about that. You'll have to read the book when it's released.

In twenty six days.

Good Lord.

Blogging From The Bar

Nothing quite as much fun as a Sunday afternoon at the bar.

It gives me time to blog. It's a lovely day; I have all the windows open to let the spring in, which in a place that's smelled of beer and whiskey for 80 years is a good thing. I had my Sunday morning regulars here, as always, bitching about their double bogeys and the price of eggs. I had my pre-Poker-run bikers in here, informing me, as always, about how cold 60 degrees really is at 55 mph.

Life at the Fairview goes on.

A gentleman came in yesterday afternoon with his wife. After seating himself at the bar, he said, "I haven't been home in eight years; I've been living in Cincinnati. We're on our way home after our son's graduation from Pitt, and I had to stop in Lancaster and show my new wife my old stomping grounds."

He then proceeded to tell me, as everyone else does when they come back to town, that "I had my first beer in the Fairview when I was sixteen."

(the ages range from fifteen to eighteen in other homecoming tales)

Life at the Fairview, evidently, is just the same as it ever was--except for the sixteen year old drinking beer thing. I card. I promise.

Darkshifters is about to head out for its first retrial in the world of agent-seeking. I had my tarot cards read the other day and evidently this is the propititious time. *grin* Always good to know that the cards are in your favor. Without all the mysticism, however, I have to say that this last version of Darkshifters is worlds better than the poor mutilated draft I sent out previously. I scrapped every single word and rewrote the darn thing from my old plot outline. (well, not exactly--I still have that version saved to the hard drive of the desktop) It's amazing to look back and see exactly how many changes you've made in your writing style over the last few months--or, as in this case, years.

So here I sit, surrounded by beer I can't drink, liquor bottles that I can't serve from (legally on Sundays), blogging for all that I'm worth while the sun pours its strengthening joy into the spring air. Life, for all its turmoil, is still good.

One month left until Asphodel 2 is released--get ready for The Gift of Redemption! You can find out anything you want to know about The Asphodel Cycle at my website Shoot The Muse! or at my publisher Aspen Mountain Press.

Oh, and I'll be doing the Absolute Write May blogchain! Follow it to find other great writers at all stages of their careers and find out how we all think. You'll love it, I promise you!