Category:

Honoring Women in Fiction and Real Life

3/8/2017

Today I saw a quote from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which still stands as my favorite TV show of all time: "Every girl that could have the power will have the power. Can stand up. Will stand up." For those who have never watched the show, this is from an epic moment in the last episode of the season. To me, it says you don't have the potential to be strong, you are strong.

I've always loved the moment in stories when the woman takes back her power or finally wields what she has had inside of her all along. I'm a Wonder Woman lover, but Helen Keller is my hero, and I miss Maya Angelou's voice. The women who fought for our rights in this very real life story are inspirations. International Women's Day honors those women before us, it honors us, and it brings awareness to the disparities that still exist in equality in our country and around the world.

I've always recognized the day, but this year it means far more to me than it has in the past. If this country's political climate has shown me anything, it's that we are still fighting for our rights. That we need to still fight for our rights and for our voices to be heard. It has shown me that despite my own experiences with inequality in the work place, I have been privileged enough to not fight too hard before. I have been too unaware of the struggles going on every day.

As each day ticks by and another fight arises to maintain our rights or the rights of our fellow human beings, I find myself reminded of Story, Jess, and Kestrel from my book Fractured Dream or Blake and Shelby from the Reaper's Daughter. I write strong female characters because I believe in the inner strength that we possess. Magic is awesome, but they beat all odds not because of their special powers, but because they recognize their inherent power within. Because they persevere against all odds. Because they persist. I think often about all the books I've read where women fight against oppressors, fight to make the world brighter, fight to save the world. I think about Buffy. And I think about all the women fighting for their rights around the world. But instead of magic, they use their intellect. Instead of super strength, they use their voices. Instead of battles, they march.

Today, I am unabashedly proud to be a feminist. I believe in equal rights for women. I believe in equal rights for all human beings. Happy International Women's Day to all the amazingly strong women in real life and to those who have inspired us in fiction. As Laurel Thatcher Ulrich said, "Well behaved women never make history." And as Mother Teresa said: "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." Let's make it ripple.

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Into the Dreaming: From Prophetic Dreams to Bats

11/4/2016

When I was in my first year of college I wrote about dreams for an essay. I had a very good reason why. Months before I'd had a dream that my relatively older (I was 18, him 23), snowboarder boyfriend—#firstlove—had moved to Colorado without any goodbye but a letter. I woke up from that dream, sobbing, to him calling me. Understandably, I told him of the dream, and at the time, he assured me he'd never do such a thing.

Fast forward to a month after my freshman year in college, and there came the day I couldn't get a hold of my boyfriend. No pages (this was almost 20 years ago, so pagers were the norm) were answered. No phone calls returned. A couple of days later with still no word from him I was told by his friend's mother that he'd moved to Colorado. He'd been too chicken to say goodbye. Prophetic much? Now a married woman, I've long made peace with the heartbreak of that time. But the dream still haunts me.

After the essay, my English professor recommended that I read Inner Work by Robert A. Johnson. So I bought it. I did read it, and while I don't remember much of it, I've always been impressed with the idea that dreams are messages we're trying to tell ourselves. Perhaps therein lies why my very first book holds dreams as a main element to the story. It is, after all, called Fractured Dream. And to the main character, dreams are incredibly significant.

In fact, parts of Fractured Dream were inspired by dreams. I think they're important. Just the other day, I dreamt there were bats hanging around my house. Now, according to SleepCulture.com, Bats "are very sensitive to the other members of their group and constantly communicate with them. A dream of a bat suggests issues associated with free will and freedom as well, since bats can fly!" Now I think the dream could have been spawned by my obsession with all things Halloween, but I've also been very affected by the election and political climate, so much that my husband has voiced a number of times that he'll be happy when it's over so I'll stop worrying.

I've struggled with my platform, wondering what I could offer that isn't already covered in full by authors— writing tips, editing tips, getting published tips, nothing if you're big enough and don't have to blog anymore. I think my thing is dreams. I'm going to use this blog as something of a dream diary. So tell me your dreams. I think some of the most kick-ass ideas come from the craziness of our brains in after hours. I I know I've got lots of crazy dream stories to tell.

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My Publishing Life

5/22/2016

It was Friday, pizza and movie night with my husband and son, when I got the instant message from my marketing manager ... Did you see the latest Booktrope announcement? I knew before looking, I'd had a feeling that I hadn't taken seriously. I should have.

When my publisher, Booktrope, announced they were closing late last month I was instantly awash with a mesh of emotions that sent me straight to the wine. Once I was sipping some Apothic, the movie forgotten, by me at least, I waded through the confusion, anger, disbelief, and fear among authors and team members that accompanied the announcement in Booktrope forums and teamrooms, I felt my anxiety rise. Some people showed their best colors, others their worst. I tried to show my most reasonable, supportive, and kind face in the midst of widespread panic.

I'd been wanting to try different avenues of publishing for a while. I've read that some of the most successful authors are those that are diverse among platforms and publishers, which I deemed a good way to go about this crazy publishing business. But I'd also planned on publishing with Booktrope for a long time to come, as long as they'd have me anyway, so I wasn't ready for my books to not be available come May 31. I'm in the middle of writing a sequel after all! Booktrope was my first book home, and ice cream soon followed the wine chased down by intense uncertainty. What would I do next?

I could self publish, which seemed to be the avenue the majority of my fellow authors were planning on taking ... I thought about it, agonized, called my sister to whine. But when it was all said and done, I knew I wasn't ready for that. I wanted the support from a publisher, I always had. First and foremost, I knew I had been given one blessing with the news. After having spent eight years writing Fractured Dream, I could barely wait to set my first book baby free back in 2014. Looking back, I see mistakes I made as a new author, ones I've been wanting to fix. I believe so strongly in this story, I spent years building the world, and with the second one getting closer to being done, I knew I really wanted to re-edit Fractured Dream and make it better. So that is what I'm choosing to do. Unfortunately, Fractured Dream is going to disappear for a while. When I'm ready, I'll be looking for its new home along with the second book in the trilogy, Shattered World. And it will be back, I promise!

As for The Reaper's Daughter, I'm happy to announce as of June 1, fantasy publisher Dragon Moon Press will be my second book baby's new home. I'm excited to join this new publishing family and I have a good feeling about it.

Once I'm done editing Fractured Dream, I'll be back at the bit, finishing up Shattered World and continuing to work on a Sci-Fi YA Romance I'm feeling very passionate about.

For now, both titles are available at discounted prices until May 31! The Reaper's Daughter is currently 99 cents and Fractured Dream is $2.00.

Now that the dust has settled, I'm truly thankful for Booktrope. They made me a published author and realized a dream I've had almost since I could read. I got to work with and meet some amazing people, made friends with kindred souls, became a book editor, and was given the opportunity to be immersed in a community of like-minded individuals, those who love to write, read, and breathe words.

It's life and it goes something like this:

"Look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else.”
― Tom Stoppard

Well said.

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A Fairytale of Sorts

3/2/2016

So I'm bummed that I missed out on the chance to post on National Tell A Fairytale Day last week. I actually didn't know such a day existed, but now that I do you can bet I won't forget it next year. To make up for my lapse, I'm still going to post a fairytale of sorts here. The story is called The Golden Fiddle, and it's a story within a story because it actually comes from my epic fantasy novel, Fractured Dream, but it also stands on its own. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The Golden Fiddle
An excerpt from Fractured Dream (The Dreamer Saga)

The Golden Fiddle Legend has it that a king commissioned its making. He was a good king. But like all kings, he had lovers. When he met his wife and married her, he swore off all other women forever, and this angered one lover particularly—a powerful witch.

In a fit of rage, she put his wife under a sleeping curse. But all curses must have a way to be broken. Knowing how much he and his wife loved music, she made it so that only the purest music played by the purest heart would break the curse. Heartbroken, he sent out word, and soon every musician in the kingdom had gathered to play. But no one could break the curse, no matter how beautifully they played. Only one musician, a fiddler, struck the king as being particularly talented and particularly pure. So it was he that the king chose to go find a perfect fiddle to play.

The young fiddler searched high and low, for he truly wished to save the queen for the king. Being a musician and poet, he appreciated true love and wanted to help in any way he could. But no matter where he searched, no instrument would do. This one was out of tune, that one pure of sound but cracked. They were all imperfect. Merely a boy at the time, he began to despair as a year passed and then another. He was barely a man when he decided if he could not find a perfect instrument, he must make one.

So he went deep into the forest and visited every tree, praying to The Green to show him a tree that would do. Every night at the end of the day, he would sit down and play his own fiddle, a nice enough instrument, but not truly pure. Despite this, he played like an angel, and even if he did not know it at first, he had an audience. When she eventually showed herself to him, he found her more beautiful than anyone he’d ever seen. Her eyes were leaf green, and her hair was a soft, silvery blonde. She fell in love with him, and he lay with her, entranced by her pure, seductive beauty.

He loved her in his own way, but he was bereft at the thought of returning to the king and telling him he had failed, so pure was his heart. And because she loved him and could not stand to see his tears, she gave him a gift. After lying with him one night, she took his hand and led him through the trees, her long hair trailing in the dirt behind her, practically a part of the earth. He followed her, believing he would follow her anywhere, his heart was becoming so full with her. Finally, they came to a tree. Kissing him, she promised him this tree was pure, that it would make the most beautiful music and would surely wake the queen. He asked her how she knew. She merely replied that it was a tree made of magic and love, and surely that was pure.

They slept by the base of the tree that night, and when he awoke she was gone, like she always was. He only ever saw her by night, but he was so trusting, he never asked where she went. That morning he set to chopping the tree down, and as he did so, his heart felt heavy. When the tree was felled, he caressed its bark and indeed felt that it was a magic tree, worthy to make the perfect fiddle. He was the son of a fiddle maker, a great one at that, and so he set to carving the wood into an instrument that would be pure. It was glorious, with a golden sheen that clung to the strings and bark. But he didn’t want to play it until he was in front of the king, and so he waited until nightfall to ask his love to accompany him on his travels. When she didn’t come that night, he worried but thought something may have simply kept her. So he waited another night. By the seventh day, he was sure she hadn’t really loved him, and he headed back to the castle heartbroken. Not even the thought of waking the queen and restoring true love could make him feel better.

When he reached the castle, he quietly found the king had aged during the few years the fiddler had been gone. But the king was overjoyed to see the fiddler, and his entire face lit up when the fiddler told him his story. When the fiddler took the instrument out of his bag, the king delighted at the sight of it, for it was a thing of beauty. With a heavy heart, the fiddler sat down and for the first time touched his bow to the strings, and then he began to play a slow lament to his lost love. At first, the fiddler merely looked sad, but within a few moments tears streamed down his face. Those who were present that day, including the king, thought he wept out of happiness because after a few strokes of the strings, the queen began to stretch and yawn and finally opened her eyes. The kingdom rejoiced, and the king made him the royal fiddler, bestowing upon him the title and gift of his very own perfect fiddle.

No one knew the true reason he wept that day. But while everyone else heard music, he heard his true love singing to him with every note, telling him she loved him and that her gift to him was perfect music. And that’s when he knew she hadn’t been a woman at all, but a tree dryad who had sacrificed her life to him out of the purity of her love, so that he might fulfill his quest. Every time he played the fiddle thereafter, he would weep, for her voice was always singing that he was her truest love.

Years passed, and the fiddler married. There came a time when he put the fiddle away, although he never forgot his love nor the sacrifice she made for him and for the true love of his king and queen. He eventually had a son, and when his son grew up to be pure of heart with the soul of a fiddler, he bestowed upon him the most perfect fiddle that was ever made. By the time he gave it to him, it wasn’t as shiny and lovely as it had once been. It had been worn through time, but when the fiddler’s son played the instrument, it would light up and become the beautiful instrument it had once been, perfecting mistakes so the fiddler always played true.

Over the years the fiddle was lost to the family of the fiddler. Now that her job was complete and her love long dead, the dryad waited for the day to come when a pure hearted fiddler would play her once more and finally set her free.

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The Friendship Fade: Letting the Gold Go

9/20/2015

Since my latest book, The Reaper's Daughter, was released, I've noticed a theme among reviewers who enjoyed it. They seem to like the friendship between the main character, Blake, and her best friend, Shelby. I noticed this in Fractured Dream as well. Many reviewers and readers have commented that they wished they had those amazing friends, or they really just enjoyed the healthy relationships between the characters. It's made me pause at times as somewhat ironically, since I've come to an age in my life when friendships have begun to fade or wear out, while making truly deep connections is harder for some reason.

I first noticed the fading after I gave birth to my son. A couple of friends of mine without children no longer seemed as interested in me as I was in them. I'd become a mom, a worrier, a helicopter buzzing around my baby. Perhaps because my free spirit was now connected to the precious life of my child, my soul's anchor, I was no longer as fun, I worried. As a singleton, I'd been accessible, as a married woman with a child, not as much. I was hurt. So I grieved for the dear friends who suddenly became acquaintances. There were others, of course, those who faded because of time away, years spent missing calls or not having time to make them, on both sides. Carrying on the friendships once had in youth no longer seems possible, and it isn't, because dynamics have changed.

Friendships change and warp, sometimes we lose those we loved, sometimes we're brought together again years later, maybe sometimes never. There's many reasons why, and sometimes I think there's no reason at all except time and growth. And I've come to accept this. I saw a quote on Facebook the other day that was rather poignant: "If you have to force it. Leave it. Relationships. Friendships. Yoga Poses. Perfect Pony Tails. Let That Shit Go." We can't hold onto them all for forever, nor do we always want to, I've learned.

It's the friendships that have braved the test of time, the ones who show up to your book signing on a rainy day with kids in tow, the one you can sit and have as much fun over a cup of coffee with as over a bottle of wine. And I have that. And I'm thankful.

So perhaps those friendships my readers love so much in my books is reminiscent of my youth, I do write YA/NA after all, so my characters are young, but I think it's also a reflection of what I've learned being a good friend truly means in the years since. Mutual respect, love, and laughter, and a willingness and desire to keep room in your heart and life for that person. <3

“Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I'm glad for that.”
― Ally Condie, Matched

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Once upon a time there was a fairytale that needed twisting

5/29/2015

In Fractured Dream and in the rest of the Dreamer Saga, twisted fairytales, legends, and myths are significant characters and an important element that makes up Tressla, the land where Fairytales go once they're created. I'm now offering subscribers the chance to twist a favorite "fairytale"—or legend or myth.

As I work on writing the second book in the Dreamer Saga trilogy, Shattered World, new fairytales are revealed, and I thought some help from the minds of my readers or potential readers would be amazing. So if you're game, head to the Home page and fill out the subscription form. When I send out the newsletter on June 1, you'll be eligible to enter the contest and be privy to all the details.

Happy twisting!

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Rafflecopter Giveaway: Win Signed Paperbacks!

5/6/2015

We're just two days away from the launch of The Reaper's Daughter this Saturday and my marketing manager wants me to dress up as the Grim Reaper and make a video for my book launch party on Facebook. Will I do it? We shall see. But until then, I'm so stoked about my launch I'm giving stuff away. Books, that is. Beautiful, tangible, paperback books. But there's only a couple of days left to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for one signed copy of The Reaper's Daughter or one signed copy of Fractured Dream.

To join said Facebook launch party for lots of other goodies and giveaways from myself and a number of other YA authors, click here: The Reaper's Daughter Facebook Launch Party, Enter Here ... Goes from 2-9 pm this Saturday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Is YA Growing Up?

4/20/2015

When I was in middle school the most risky, scintillating book we read covertly in the hallways and during study halls was Go Ask Alice. This book about a teenage girl who spirals into drug addiction was about much deeper issues, obviously. But I can remember reading alongside my friends passages filled with cursing and sex. It was horrifying and yet at the same time, exciting to read such gritty, dark stuff. A cursory look at Amazon shows me it's still a bestseller. But I wonder if teens have the same reaction me and my peers had back in the day, or do they possibly read it now for it's true content? Because I've noticed a shift in YA that's more mature and sexual in nature.

Back in my day when I was reading the likes of RL Stine, Christopher Pike, Richie Tankersley Cusick, and LJ Smith, the teens in those books stayed pretty clean. There were no sex scenes, nor were they ever really implied. Pike bordered a little bit more on the risky side of sex, but it was still fairly chaste. Flash forward and as a woman in my thirties, I've read a number of YA books that have sex. Take the House of Night series by Kristin and PC Cast, which even goes so far as to portray oral sex in scenes. I recently read the Goddess Test series by Aimee Carter, and while there's no sex scenes, sex is definitely happening and is heavily implied.

When I wrote Fractured Dream, the first in my epic fantasy series, I did not write directly for any age group. My intention was to just write a high fantasy adventure novel, much like the ones I'd read growing up found in the Fantasy/Sci-fi section of the book store. So when I put one sex scene in it, I assumed it would be marketed for more adult audiences even though I'd increasingly been reading YA books with sex in them.

Once it was out in the market, however, Fractured Dream began to get slotted into the YA category by readers and bloggers. And while there have been a couple of readers I've noticed who thought perhaps the sexual content was more adult than it should be in the YA genre, sex seems to be a more accepted element in YA books overall.

And yet, had I been writing with a strictly teen audience in mind, I would have left that scene out, truthfully. Even despite knowing that I read all sorts of graphic sex scenes as a young reader from books outside the YA genre. When I started writing The Reaper's Daughter I always had a YA audience in mind for it and like the books of my day, it's more Christopher Pike-ish in the sex department.

I do think the change going on in YA of today, however, is an attempt to be realistic. Teens do have sex. They deal in all sorts of situations and to portray them all as virgins or never really addressing sex between young characters is not based in reality. This shift in YA makes writing it a bit more exciting, because there can be a more gritty factor, and that's what I like to do best, write fantasy and paranormal around relationships based in a real context.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? IS YA GROWING UP?

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The Prequel to Fractured Dream, The Reaper's Daughter Release Date & Updates...

3/3/2015

It's a sad state that I seem to have become a once-a-month blogger. But I have been busy, I promise, and right now I just wanted to post a few updates. Although I was hoping to release The Reaper's Daughter earlier in 2015, I think the later release date is well-worth it. The official launch for The Reaper's Daughter is May 9. I will most likely be hosting a big giveaway right here on that day. More to come on that soon!

Next, for Fractured Dream readers, I'm currently rolling out the prequel to the saga on Wattpad, called Fairytale Lost. Currently, the update is every Wednesday. I'll also occasionally be updating with new short stories coming form the land of Tressla. Take a look if you're interested: http://www.wattpad.com/106534307-fairytale-lost-chapter-one

Meanwhile, I'm in the midst of working on Shattered World, the second in the Dreamer Saga trilogy. While I'd love to release it later this year, I'm thinking realistically it will probably be early next year again. But I'll update here as I get closer to finishing it.

Finally, we're also looking for advance readers, so if you're interested in getting an ARC of The Reaper's Daughter in exchange for an honest review, please feel free to email me: KMRANDAL@GMAIL.COM.

I'll leave you with a small excerpt from The Reaper's Daughter. Here's one for all you romance lovers:

Rishi rolled the car into a parking spot and put it in park. I was turning to wake Shelby when a warm hand slid down my arm and over my hand tugging on it in a way that insisted I look back at him.

            He was suddenly so close I felt trapped in my seat, his gaze intent, but not on my eyes—on my lips. He smiled slowly, finally raising his eyes to meet mine, a slow, golden burn igniting my blood with heat. “Yes?” I managed to say, arching my brow in that way I’d practiced.

            “Do that thing again,” he said, his voice low and smooth, invading my senses as I never thought a voice could. My heart lurched in a way that hadn’t happened even when we were in a high-speed chase. I swallowed thickly, trying to find my voice around his desire that smelled like musk and car leather.

            “What thing?” I finally managed to murmur, sipping in a deep breath of air as my breathless voice gave away my weakness for him.

            His smile widened, as if he knew he had me, his high cheekbones and loose, shiny black hair lending him a certain primal male beauty that made me retreat until I could feel the door handle pressing into my back. “That thing with your tongue. When you chastised me,” he said, mimicking my tsking of him from only moments earlier. “I found it interesting.”

            I couldn’t help it, my eyes fell to his own lips while I tried to wrangle my cutting wit and Artemis-like spirit. I shook my head, so lightly I was surprised he saw it.

“Let’s go get rooms, we could all use the sleep,” I finally managed to say, nearly choking on the words that sounded liked a sordid invitation. “I mean separate rooms,” I amended, inwardly bringing back the defense he’d torn down, but only by avoiding his gaze.

            He brought me back to him by clasping one hand under my chin and bringing my eyes up to meet his. “First, do that thing,” he insisted, his dark eyes glowing with amusement.

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Fractured Dream is on sale for 99 cents -- limited time only!

11/2/2014

Fractured Dream (The Dreamer Saga) is currently on sale for only 99 cents! But the deal ends on Nov. 5! Here's the synopsis if you're unfamiliar with the title:

Have you ever wondered where fairytales go once they're created?

It's been eight years since Story Sparks last had a dream. Now they're back,
tormenting her as nightmares she can't remember upon waking. The black
waters of Lake Sandeen, where her Uncle Peter disappeared decades
before, may hold the secret to Story's hidden memories, or a truth she'd
rather not know. On a bright summer afternoon, Story and her two best
friends, Elliott and Adam, take a hike to the lake, where they dive into
the cool water and never reemerge. What they find is beyond anything
they've ever imagined could be possible, a world where dangers lurk in
the form of Big Bad Wolves, living Nightmares and meddlesome witches and
gods.

Now Story must remember who she really is and somehow stop
two worlds from ultimate annihilation, all while trying not to be too
distracted by the inexplicable pull she feels toward a certain dark-eyed
traveler who seems to have secrets of his own. The fates of the worlds
are counting on her.

Here's what people have been saying recently:

"She has an incredibly vivid writing style that allows you to 'see' what you are reading. The worlds she paints with her words are very imaginative."

"Oh man, this book was a winner for me. I couldn't put it down in between jobs. I even told some of my patients about it. I don't know why but even from the beginning I was hooked."

"I loved the characters, the world building, and especially the back stories. I was really bummed when it ended and I can't wait for the next one."

Get it on Amazon here.

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Honoring Women in Fiction and Real Life

Into the Dreaming: From Prophetic Dreams to Bats

My Publishing Life

Well said.

A Fairytale of Sorts

The Golden Fiddle
An excerpt from Fractured Dream (The Dreamer Saga)

The Friendship Fade: Letting the Gold Go

Once upon a time there was a fairytale that needed twisting

Rafflecopter Giveaway: Win Signed Paperbacks!

Is YA Growing Up?

The Prequel to Fractured Dream, The Reaper's Daughter Release Date & Updates...

Fractured Dream is on sale for 99 cents -- limited time only!

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Well said.

The Golden FiddleAn excerpt from Fractured Dream (The Dreamer Saga)

Author

Archives

Categories

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The Golden Fiddle
An excerpt from Fractured Dream (The Dreamer Saga)