It's been one year!

Fifty-two weeks ago at this time, I was nervously answering questions from my future readers during a release day event for Dragon's Destiny. It's hard to believe how time flies.

And yet, despite having a year's experience under my belt, I'm still new to self-publishing. Just today, I discovered a clever marketing scheme that might help me with my next book if I decide to self-publish again. In the world of authors, I'm very much still considered an amateur. Everyone's got to start somewhere.

Tonight I'd like to reflect on the origins of Dragon's Destiny. The idea for the story originally came to me in high school, and somehow I knew even then that it would be my first book. It had potential, but it wasn't ready yet. The story was originally set in modern times on Earth, where Amadeus was able to pass off his birthmark as a tattoo. However, I knew later that this time period and setting didn't quite fit with my plot.

It took me several years to start writing down my idea, when the Inklings Theme House at Whitworth University inspired me to tackle National Novel Writing Month. I wrote about half of the book, and quit there. Fortunately for my readers, that wasn't the end. I'd begun and never completed several novels before, but Dragon's Destiny was different. It was the Elko County Writers, over a year later, who inspired me to finish this time around.

Interestingly enough, "the dragon" -- the unnamed entity mentioned throughout the book -- was never a part of my original story. To this day, it's hard to explain where he came from. The character of "the dragon" was developed from my beliefs and faith in God, and everything fell into place from there. I remember writing the dream scenes and secretly hoping I, too, would be granted a vision from the dragon. Alas, I was not so fortunate. Instead, I found the dragon in my book granted me many insights about life and faith that I'd never had before.

While Dragon's Destiny definitely has themes of faith and fate, I believe it has something for everyone regardless of their personal beliefs. If you are a Christian, however, I would encourage you to look a little deeper into the messages behind Dragon's Destiny -- maybe you'll reach the same conclusions I did.

Finally, if you haven't read my book yet, now is a great time. Dragon's Destiny is available on Kindle for free now through Friday. Get it here:
http://smarturl.it/DragonsDestiny

As always, thanks for reading.


Until next time,
Heather Kennison, Author

Baby steps

It's been a while since I've updated you on my progress, so I'll let you know how things are moving along.

I hit another wall in my writing. This was caused by a combination of doubts, chronic headaches and back pain, more doubts, excuses, and feelings of being overwhelmed. In short, I tried to bite off more than I could chew and life made me slam on the brakes.

So, moving forward. I am working week-by-week to make sure I accomplish something in "Shifter." Rewriting is taking a lot longer than I anticipated or even remembered, but I am getting there. I have a plan, I just need a deadline. Will get back to you on that later.

In the meantime, I thought I would write to let you know that I do not market myself as a "children's author." Many will find that my first book, "Dragon's Destiny," is appropriate and enjoyed by children as young as 7 or 9 years old. However, because some of the themes explored are large in nature, my recommended reading level is around 12 and older.

On that note, "Shifter" is not intended for children or young adults under the age of 16 or 17. There are no "explicit" scenes in it, but there are certain themes and actions by the main character that are not appropriate for young people. I will do my best to make this obvious when the book comes out, but in the meantime, if you know any kids who enjoyed my first book then please tell them to skip "Shifter." My following book, "Royal Blood," will be more appropriate and enjoyable for them.

My next plan of action is to continue tackling "Shifter" -- as well as a short Western-themed story -- in small pieces. Baby steps, as they say. It's all gonna be worth it in the end.

Until next time,
Heather Kennison -- Author

Shifting gears

I've got good news and bad news. Let's start with the good news first.

Having reached a stumbling block in my rewrite of "Shifter," a friend of mine offered to read it and give me some advice. I am very thankful she did, and I know it's going to be a better story in the end. I'm actually excited to be making some of the changes and adding some new scenes.

Here's the bad news: Rewriting and editing are hard. And it's even harder to motivate myself to start doing them again, as anxious as I am to see the end product. Whenever I try, I find myself groaning to do something else.

My temporary solution is to step back from it -- a bit. In the meantime, I have been working on a short story and making minor changes to "Royal Blood" in hopes to finish it. Once I get excited about writing again, I think it'll be easier to deal with my problem child ("Shifter"). And I promise, I won't take too long!

Until next time,
Heather Kennison, Author

Soundtrack for 'Shifter'

Sorry, blog readers. I've been avoiding you.

You see, I've never really been all that good at blog posts. After a while, it begins to feel kind of like a second job, and I weary of it. So I try avoiding it at all costs, but that only makes it worse. It keeps nagging at me until I do something, and when I finally do post something, I feel so accomplished that I reward myself with laziness. I think I will refer you to Hyperbole and A Half's "This is why I'll never be an adult" for a better, accurate description of how this works in people like me.

Moving on. I've decided to have a little more fun with this post, and then maybe it will lead to more consistent updates in the future. I'm currently rewriting the last 44 (and counting) pages of Shifter. Every now and then, I hear a song on the radio that reminds me of my main character. So I decided to do a little "soundtrack" of music that fits in with my book. In return, I'm hoping it'll give me the power to plow ahead through the end.

Each of these songs touches upon some character or struggle in my book. Without further ado, and in no particular order, here it is:

1. Hazard to Myself -- Pink
2. One of These Days -- Tim McGraw
3. Bitch -- Meredith Brooks
4. Apres Moi -- Regina Spektor
5. Some Enchanted Evening -- from South Pacific
6. Hello, Dolly! -- from the musical
7. Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend -- Marilyn Monroe
8. Roar -- Katy Perry
9. Break Your Heart -- Taio Cruz
10. Rhythm of Love -- Plain White T's
11. Beautiful Monster -- Ne-Yo
12. Heartless -- Kanye West
13. Just Give Me A Reason -- Pink
14. Coin-Operated Boy -- The Dresden Dolls
15. Complicated -- Avril Lavigne
16. I'm With You -- Avril Lavigne
17. Breathe -- Anna Nalick
18. Unwritten -- Natasha Bedingfield
19. Beautiful Disaster -- Jon McLaughlin

That's all for now, though I'm sure I'll be updating this later as things come up. In the meantime, feel free to enjoy the soundtrack in ancipation of the book!

Heather Kennison,
Author

Resolutions

I came across my New Year's Resolutions for 2014 the other day, and was pleased at what I had completed. True, there were some pretty important ones that I botched, but all in all I thought I did pretty well. Here's what I accomplished:

1. Edit and publish Dragon's Destiny. Been there, done that, felt awesome and then depressed and then awesome again. :)
2. Visit my best friend I did that in April, and it was a blast.
3. Read five books of the Bible. OK, I didn't achieve this, but I did put in a solid effort by reading the first 100 Psalms or so, plus another of the shorter books. I also did a devotional for a couple of weeks. I think I'll have a better plan for next year...
4. Edit and submit Shifter. Partly done, I got to Chapter Six in edits. But really, I think I needed another six months...
5. Complete one item off my bucket list.  Completed several, actually, including building a bear at the Build-A-Bear Workshop. Secretly, the real reason I enjoy writing children's books is I'm kind of a child at heart.
6. Work out more at the gym or at home. No, this did not happen. I may have done it three times...
7. Write a new novel. That's what National Novel Writing Month is for. This year's project was called Royal Blood.
8. Hike the real Ruby Dome. Done. Note: I hiked the wrong peak last year due to poor navigation. Peak of failure, I know.
9. Eat more fruits and veggies. I'm not sure if it was as much as I'd have liked, but I put in a real effort to add carrots to my lunch or eat a little salad, so I'm saying it counts. I would say I ate more than last year.
10. Drink more water. I'm still working on this, but I put in some effort.

So, six out of ten have been a success, which I think statistically is probably pretty solid. For next year, I thought I would expand on my resolutions and separate my writing resolutions from my personal ones. Here's what you can expect from me in 2015:

1. Edit and submit Shifter. The plan is to edit it in time for a contest by the end of February. This will require a lot of dedication on my part, but I'm confident I can swing it. Either way, if I fail in the contest, I am planning of seeking out a smaller publisher to pitch my book to.
2. Finish Royal Blood and begin editing. While I may have reached my 50K, I sort of left it hanging. There's much to be done with the plot here as well.
3. Write more. I don't care if it's a novel in November or some poetry, I've got to keep up the pace.
4.  Attend writer's group. Having suffered from a sort of post-NaNo exhaustion, I have failed my fellow writers for the past several weeks. Here's to a new start and new friends.

OK, readers. It's up to you to keep me accountable. I will keep you updated on my progress throughout the year, but can promise you no more than what I have in this list. As much as I would love to write novels for a living, I am required to have a real job while I try and get by. Thanks for the love.

Heather Kennison,
Author

I did it!

With National Novel Writing Month over, I finally have some time to start writing in my blog again.

First, to update you on my status. I did finish the 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo in my third novel, "Royal Blood." I'm super excited about it and perhaps will post an excerpt here soon.

Second, I did not finish edits to "Shifter," but I am undeterred. I will get to them eventually, and I've had some time to work over some big plot changes in my mind. The book is going to be a lot better once those are made.

Finally, I would like to thank all the local businesses and nonprofits who have helped me sell my books, but more importantly, have helped spread the word. The Bookstore in Elko, owned by Tammi Santistevan, has graciously allowed me two book signings this year. The Elko County Library kindly hosted another book signing and put "Dragon's Destiny" on its shelves for anyone to read -- for free. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Elko welcomed me out for a presentation to the kids, and I met my youngest fan. The Elko County School District has a couple of books in its libraries so children can check them out. Thank you!

That's all for now, folks, but I will try harder from now on to keep you updated.

Heather Kennison,
Author

A good kind of crazy

There's something about being an author that makes novel-writing kind of addicting. I've started plenty of books before (see previous posts on my personal history). It was only when I finished my first one that I realized I could do it again.

National Novel Writing Month is almost upon us. Last year, I wrote and completed my second novel, "Shifter," which entered the editing process around August this year after I had finished and released "Dragon's Destiny." I had hopes to complete first edits and rewrite of "Shifter" before November struck, but unforeseen events, depression and inconsistent motivation have made that goal more difficult than I realized. Still, until the October calendar page is flipped, I must plow on in my efforts to complete edits by January. I will probably be taking an editing break during NaNoWriMo.

So here I am again, planning my next novel -- or trying to. I don't know whether I will finish it in a month like I did "Shifter," but I will definitely try. I'm probably crazy, but a good kind of crazy. I mean, 1,667 words a day for a month is a lot more attainable than a lot of goals, though I may lose some sleep doing it.

My third novel, by popular demand, will be a continuation from a short story I wrote over the summer. God willing, I will figure out the rest of my plot before NaNoWriMo begins. If not, I guess I'll just have to start and see what happens. There's nothing like a solid deadline (and a little competition) to get you motivated.

Until next time,
Heather Kennison,
Author