Hi everyone. This morning I discovered my publisher has placed one of my books for FREE. Protector is book one in my YA/NA fantasy romance series where across worlds, soul-bound mates battle against both love and land. There’s a prince, a princess, and swords. If you’d like to grab your Free copy, please do. I’d love it if you also shared the news. Available at all e-retailers.
PROTECTOR ~ Magio-Earth Series Book One ~ New Adult, Fantasy, Romance
To love and protect…across worlds.
Eighteen-year-old Faith Stryker is prepared to leap out into the unknown world beyond her home shores of New Zealand to experience life. Only she never expected to encounter Magio, a planet with two warring countries, where its people reach adulthood at eighteen by coming into their strength and prophetic abilities. Only after Faith discovers she’s a halfling–thanks to her warrior father she’s never met–does her own skill of forethought develop.
Peacio’s Prince Davio Loveria is sent to the young Faith Stryker by his grandfather, but not all goes as planned. Davio discovers Faith isn’t just a halfling, she’s also his soul-bound mate–an intense relationship he cannot, nor will not, give up.
With two wars now waging…one of land and the other of the heart…can the young lovers find their place in the world?
When I first began the submission process on my first novel, I read over and over from agents and publishers on their websites that they wanted to see submissions reflecting a unique writer’s voice. I had no idea what that was at the time, but still thought, hey, that’s me. What’s not unique about my voice? I’m a Kiwi from Down Under. My voice is my own, and I have an extremely unique take on the world being that I’m always standing upside-down and the other-way-around. 🙂
Yeah, that’s not writer’s voice, but it wasn’t long before I truly understood what it was. I also came to realize it’s the most elusive aspect of writing, that it’s a challenge to truly grasp, yet also a challenge I could completely take on.
So, what is writer’s voice?
Writer’s voice is that wonderful combination of blending your own unique writing style with a deep understanding of your characters, along with knowing how their story best needs to be told. A writer’s voice is the most moving part of the story, and it’s sometimes referred to as the heartbeat of the main character. In other words, a writer’s voice is the magic that makes the story soar.
A strong writer’s voice brings the POV character to life, captivates the reader and has them hanging onto every word, every description, action, emotion and reaction.
A writer’s voice should be completely authentic, and most certainly not a copy of your favorite author.
A writer’s voice should also allow the reader to bond emotionally with the main character, to forge a connection that can’t be broken. This is why it’s so important for a writer to know their characters inside and out.
I’ve spoken before about understanding your characters in this way, and well before you get to the end of your first draft, otherwise there can be a ton of rewriting simply because you’ve come late to the party. A writer needs to know the heart of their main character, their essence, what makes them tick, what their strengths and ultimate fears are. You need to be intimately familiar with their entire thought process. Nothing is off-limits. And therein the magic begins.
Magic = Knowing your characters.
Magic = Constantly growing our writing skills and abilities.
Magic = Understanding, and writing your POV correctly.
That’s right, don’t forget to nail your POV within your writer’s voice. Knowing which POV would be the best in telling your story is incredibly important. 1st Person, 3rd Person, DEEP POV? Omni? The wrong POV can do your story a disservice, so study, study, study. And read widely in the genres of your stories.
I hope this post was helpful. Have you discovered and mastered your writer’s voice? Perhaps you’re still on the road to getting there. It definitely takes time and perseverance. In truth, I’m still traveling along that road. With each story I write, my writer’s voice strengthens and becomes more distinct. It’s all about the magic.
Today is also my official release date for WARRIOR. Yay! Any if you want to read a thrilling new Young Adult Fantasy series filled with intrigue at every corner, then by all means, check out the book links below to pick up your copy of PROTECTOR or WARRIOR.
Each book in my Magio-Earth series features a different hero and heroine, but the characters from the books all intertwine and you get to catch up with them all along the way. As such the books can be read independently of each other, but of course as with most series, they’re more fun when read in order. Here are those links:
I’m here to celebrate this day with you even though I’m a Kiwi from New Zealand. I checked out exactly what Independence Day means to Americans and discovered the 4th of July 1776, was the day history was made as the United States declared its independence from Great Britain. I love that you celebrate this day with parades, shows, games, sports, bonfires, bells and all sorts of other whistles. And the 4th of July is right in the middle of your summer months. Wow. The perfect time to do so.
Although, with it being the middle of winter Down Under, I’m trying to ignore the rain, sleet and snow, and visualize a summer’s day so I can really get into that festive mood.
Hmm, I’ve almost got it.
Nope.
Let me just crank up the heater a little bit more.
No, still not working.
I’ll just shut the curtains so I can’t see the frost covering the ground.
Yep, done. 🙂 I’m there.
Happy 4th of July everyone! Have loads of fun. And to continue the celebrations, if you leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS you can go into the draw for a chance to win an ebook copy of PROTECTOR. Simply let me know what you’re doing this 4th of July since I’ve never celebrated one before. 🙂 Also, the winner will be chosen on July 9th 2013, and I’ll contact you via email to organise your prize.
PROTECTOR
To love and protect…across worlds.
Eighteen-year-old Faith Stryker is prepared to leap out into the unknown world beyond her home shores of New Zealand to experience life. Only she never expected to encounter Magio, a planet with two warring countries, where its people reach adulthood at eighteen by coming into their strength and prophetic abilities. Only after Faith discovers she’s a Halfling–thanks to her warrior father she’s never met–does her own skill of forethought develop.
Peacio’s Prince Davio Loveria is sent to the young Faith Stryker by his grandfather, but not all goes as planned. Davio discovers Faith isn’t just a Halfling, she’s also his soul-bound mate–an intense relationship he cannot, nor will not, give up.
With two wars now waging…one of land and the other of the heart…can the young lovers find their place in the world?
Keep hopping–You can find the complete list of participating authors right HERE.
Also, and only if you wish to, please consider “liking” my Facebook author page. For your convenience the link is just over on the right-hand sidebar. 🙂
If you’d like to add Protectorto your TBR list, here’s the link for Goodreads. Or it’s on the sidebar as well.
And for those keen on checking out Protector’s trailer on YouTube,it’s just below–>
Book Trailer:
Thank you so much for dropping by, and I wish you and yours a wonderful day.
Are you LUCKY IN LOVE? We romance writers love to bring our characters into a new world of love and romance. There’s nothing quite like having our heroine meet her hero in a chance encounter, then tossing in all sorts of issues to see if she’ll turn the moment into something more.
I’d love to hear if you’re lucky in love? Did you meet your hero by chance? Or are you still looking out for that one moment when he’ll arrive? Perhaps you’re a romance writer and you dream of turning your heroine’s lucky moment into the best one ever? Hey, and maybe you’re even one of those heroes who grabbed that chance and ran with it? because guys, I haven’t forgotten about you.
Flex those muscles, and if you leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS you can go into the draw for a chance to win an ebook copy of PROTECTOR. The winner will be drawn using Random.org on 19th March 2013, and I’ll contact you by email to organise your prize.
But that’s notall… Your comment also drops you into the grand prize draw of the hop (prizes are featured below–and they are amazzzing), so make sure you don’t miss out. It just takes one comment on this post WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS to get you into BOTH DRAWS. 🙂
PROTECTOR
To love and protect…across worlds.
Eighteen-year-old Faith Stryker is prepared to leap out into the unknown world beyond her home shores of New Zealand to experience life. Only she never expected to encounter Magio, a planet with two warring countries, where its people reach adulthood at eighteen by coming into their strength and prophetic abilities. Only after Faith discovers she’s a Halfling–thanks to her warrior father she’s never met–does her own skill of forethought develop.
Peacio’s Prince Davio Loveria is sent to the young Faith Stryker by his grandfather, but not all goes as planned. Davio discovers Faith isn’t just a Halfling, she’s also his soul-bound mate–an intense relationship he cannot, nor will not, give up.
With two wars now waging…one of land and the other of the heart…can the young lovers find their place in the world?
And for those keen on checking out Protector’s trailer, here it is.
Book Trailer:
NOW WHAT ARE THOSE PRIZES?
We have TWO grand prizes. Almost 300 authors are sharing Lucky In Love themed blogs, and you as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter almost 300 times!
1st Grand Prize: A $100 Amazon or B&N Gift Card (International)
and 2nd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more! (US Only)
Keep hopping–You can find the complete list of participating authors right HERE.
Also, and only if you wish to, please consider “liking” my Facebook author page. For your convenience the link is just over on the right-hand sidebar. 🙂
If you’d like to add Protectorto your TBR list, here’s the link for Goodreads. Or it’s on the sidebar as well.
Thank you so much for dropping by, and I wish you and yours a wonderful week.
For that romantic heart of yours, I’m bringing you a special excerpt from my new release PROTECTOR, and one I’ve never brought out before.
It’s all about the first kiss. These are a tender and exciting moment in a romance novel, whether they range from sweet to off-the-charts hot. Two weeks ago the Young Adult Bookworm Blogger reviewed Protector and gave the first kiss between my young heroine and hero a “Swoon Award.” In light of that honor, how could I not share this young couple’s very first delicious kiss with you on this most special of days.
Here it is…
“So, now what do we do?” I snuggled, discovering my need of him intensifying just as his obviously was. I watched the play of sunlight dancing through the window, crossing his face and highlighting his strong jaw and his mouth.
“Someone harmed you. Zac, Viv and Belle are just three members of the team I keep quite close to me. No one else will ever get through all of us to you again. But there will be rules. To ensure your safety I want you to–”
“Hold on.” I cut off his words by pressing a finger to his lips. Ooo, so soft. And what was with my fascination with his mouth?
His brows drew down, his forehead furrowing deeply. “Are you still not feeling well?”
“Oh, I’m more than well.” Then I slowly grinned and leaned in. “It seems I want more than your protection. I want you to kiss me.” That was the complete and honest truth.
That comment stopped him dead cold.
Then he inhaled, slowly, the sound so sweet as his breath stuttered a little. “Kiss you?” he murmured, his eyes now turning a melting hue of delicious brown.
“If you want?” I somehow managed to shrug my shoulders like it didn’t matter.
“I want to.” Then he closed that last little gap and there was nothing but his warm lips against mine. Every sound around me vanished as my world centered and became only him.
He had come to me at the first sign I was in trouble–no man had done that in my life.
My soul lifted and my heart soared.
Desire flared, and he pushed me against the soft comforter. He surrounded me, my mind captivated as we shared breath and a moment like no other.
My first kiss.
* * * *
I hope you enjoyed, and if you want to pick up your copy of Protector for a special read, or to give as a gift, the links are just below. 🙂
