This is the result of consulting with some artists.  Yes, I did the entire thing on my own. I think this one is getting very close to being a usable cover! But that is just my opinion… what do YOU think? Please let me know in the comments. You may compare it to the previous two blog posts if you wish.

Thanks for taking the time to look.  Let me know what you think!

There were two great reviews of The Thorn posted on blogs today. I would like to share them.

One came from a twitter friend @duane_scott. He is a co-founder of “The Authentic Blogger”, a popular group of bloggers on Facebook. If you have a blog you would like to share with the group, they are open to new members. Contact either Duane or Dawn if you are interested.

I have been greatly impressed with Duane ever since I started reading his blog sometime last year. He is truly authentic, his blog full of introspection and uplifting thoughts, inspiring readers to develop a relationship with God. I highly recommend you follow his very well written blog. You can read his review of The Thorn here.

The other review came from fellow Valor Publishing author Andrea Pearson, author of the soon to be released YA Fantasy book, The Key of Kilenya. She is a hoot to talk to on twitter, so you might want to check out her profile and follow her: @andreapearson2. You can read her review of The Thorn, here. If you would like to know a little bit more about Andrea, I recently did an interview with her.

Have a great weekend!

Today I am interviewing a fellow author who is about to have her first novel released with Valor Publishing Group. The Key of Kilenya, by Andrea Pearson will soon be available in a store near you. The official launch date is July 6th, 2010. From the back cover of the book:

When two vicious wolves chase fourteen-year-old Jacob Clark through a gateway from our world into another, he has no idea they have been sent by the Lorkon—evil, immortal beings who know he has powers they desire to control.

The inhabitants of the new world beg for Jacob’s help in recovering a magical key that was stolen by the Lorkon and is somehow linked to him. If he helps them, he will be in great danger. But if he chooses not to help them, our entire world will be in peril. The Lorkon will stop at nothing to unleash the power of the key—and Jacob’s special abilities.

Fantasy and YA Fantasy are my two favorite genres, and I look forward to getting my hands on a copy. Andrea and I are trading interviews today. Here is my conversation with Andrea:

1. Tell us a little bit about your writing schedule. What works for you? What doesn’t?

I’m very lucky right now to have extra time. Lots of it. (And yet I still haven’t been able to get through a complete “to do” list in one day. There are just too many things to get done!) I’ve found I’m most productive if I write in the morning, and BEFORE opening up any internet browsers. I have to put my phone away, avoid people, sometimes lock myself in the office so as to not be bothered. I make sure I have sugarless gum and a bottle of water nearby, then I sit in my chair and write. If, after a couple of hours, I don’t complete my word-count goal, I take a break—usually go for a bike ride, chat with my family, go outside, watch an episode of House, or play the piano. Then I get back to writing. Timing myself helps—putting an hour on the clock and not letting myself get up to do anything until the hour is over.

What doesn’t work? Forcing myself to write—usually if I don’t want to, there’s a reason. Figuring out what it is can be a challenge sometimes, but not impossible.

2. Are you a writer who has to have music playing to write, or has to have quiet?

I definitely need music! But it has to be music I’m familiar with so as to prevent distractions. I keep my soundtracks, or classical music, playing on random. Sometimes soft music like Josh Groban, Enya, David Arkenstone, or Vienna Teng helps.

3. Who are your favorite authors? (besides me of course) What genres do you read the most?

My favorite authors besides you? Ha ha. After I got over my Nancy Drew kick, I went straight to Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, and John Grisham. They say teenagers read books geared to adults, and adults read YA literature, and I’m an example of that, even now, since I always head to the YA section first. I don’t necessarily have any favorite authors, merely books I like. The Host (Stephenie Meyer), Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan), Fablehaven (Brandon Mull), Anthem (Ayn Rand), Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), Harry Potter (Herman Melville. Ha ha, kidding. Just checkin’ to see if anyone’s paying attention. ), and Elantris (Brandon Sanderson) are some of my favorites.

The genre I read most often? I’m not sure there is one. I like anything that is intense and “on the edge of your seat” etc., best, but I enjoy anything clean and well written.

4. What is your favorite Linux distro? Please tell us all why doing the following command is dangerous: rm -rf /

I LOVE the version of Linux I’m using now: Linux Mint. It has all the power, reliability, and security of Linux, but in an easy-to-use format. I’d recommend it to anyone—my mom even uses it.

And the only thing I’m going to say about rm -rf / is that if it ever happened to MY computer, I’d cry. Seriously. My dad once told me you can’t break Linux. Several years ago, trusting this theory, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to practice a few “kill” commands (innocent person that I was). Needless to say, I almost deleted my menu (akin to “start” on Windows). I about died from panic when I realized what I’d nearly done. Thank goodness it wouldn’t have been permanent. I confronted my dad about his “unbreakable” theory, and he said, “I was referring to people who don’t know anything about computers. They wouldn’t be able to damage Linux. That doesn’t apply to you.” It was his fault for teaching me the “kill” commands.

5. You play an instrument, do you not? And you teach? Tell us about it.

I started out on the cello, then switched to the viola. I also play the piano, organ, and guitar. I teach orchestra (violin, viola, cello, and bass) to 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, and absolutely LOVE my job. I’ve got the world’s cutest, brightest, and most talented students.

6. I personally think that your talents in computers, music, writing, etc. are all very connected. Would you say that you are definitely more creative than analytical, or more balanced between the two?

I used to be VERY analytical. The math part of music fascinates me, and I’m always listening to a song, figuring out what time it’s in, and whether the musicians follow it or not. PDQ Bach is my favorite composer. (aka Peter Schickele.) In writing: I’m very exact about using grammar (as far as I understand it) correctly, even in text messages, and I’m attracted to professional, clean-cut writing. I tend to be OCD (ask my editor about my weirdness when it comes to numbers ), and anything logical likes me. On the other hand, music and writing really pull the creative side out of me, and I’ve come to rely on that a lot. I’m also an artist, and find satisfaction in that too. So, I’m much more balanced now.

7. Writing can be cathartic. It makes crazy people more sane. But it can take sane people and make them crazy. Why are you doing this again?

Oh, goodness, I don’t know! Sometimes I’m more crazy than sane, and sometimes, when I feel like I’ve got my sanity back, I can’t help but wonder what I was thinking when I decided to be a writer. Seriously, all though it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done (continues to be), it’s also one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.

8. Any advice for writers wanting to be a published author?

A poem comes to mind. I have no idea who wrote it, but my mom made us memorize it when we were kids:

Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you.
Beginners are many, enders are few.
Honor, power, place, and praise
Come in time to the one who stays.

Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you;
Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too;
For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile
Will come life’s victories, after awhile.

That’s my advice. EVERYONE wants to be a published author. Everyone writes—you’ll quickly find this out. But most of them give up—if not now, later. I’m almost positive that a person who is dedicated enough to their writing will eventually get published. They will push themselves to learn and master the art, to understand why people give harsh critiques, to listen to those suggestions and keep or disregard them. They’ll figure out what people are reading, and will write masterpiece after masterpiece until someone finds them and pushes them into the public’s eye. If YOU are going to be that person, you can’t give up.

Thanks for interviewing me! If anyone would like to get a hold of me, here’s my info:

blog: http://andreapearsonbooks.blogspot.com

website: http://andreapearsonbooks.com

twitter: @andreapearson2

I want to thank Andrea for being a good sport and providing some entertainment here on my blog today. I also had fun answering some questions for her, over on her blog

If you would like to pre-order The Key of Kilenya at a discount, you can do so here:

http://www.valorpublishinggroup.com/Books/key-of-kilenya.php

photo courtesy of Ragesoss, Wikimedia Commons

Writers want to have their works read. Maybe want is not a strong enough word: Need to have? Must have?

If your story is a lamp . . .

You, as a writer, want to have the lamp used and enjoyed, do you not? A lamp certainly doesn’t do much good unless it is plugged in and switched on. As a writer, you need an outlet. A place to plug in.

There are several types of outlets available to you as a writer–traditional publishing, self publishing, pod-casting, e-book publishing, or even sharing it on your website or blog. There are probably more. But as I see it, at least one thing common with all of these methods is that you, the writer, generally have to wire up the outlet. That’s right . . . you get to play electrician.

In traditional publishing you may be provided with a nice showroom and a table for your lamp, and perhaps some assistance to get foot traffic in the room to see the lamp you have created. But getting that electrical outlet ready to go so the lamp can be turned on is largely up to the author. I admit that I don’t have personal experience with self publishing, e-book publishing, etc., but I have learned a lot about those methods during my quest to succeed with traditional publishing. That knowledge brings me to this conclusion: The journey to becoming published is similar, no matter what publishing method is actually used. You still need to know how to make that manuscript the best it can be. You need to know about marketing. About websites, and promotions, and signings, and distribution and much more. At the very least you need to know what your options are so you can decide where to build your outlet and plug that lamp in!

How do you do it? More specifically, how did I do it? What kinds of things provide the electricity to make a writer’s lamp shine?

Here is a list of publishing and writing resources which either helped me to get started, or help me now to keep the lights on. I list them in no particular order. They have all been helpful and are worthy of mention.

1. LDS Publisher, Danyelle Ferguson, Precision Editing Group
One of the first publishing related blogs I discovered was LDS Publisher. An excellent resource for authors, agents, and publishers, I think it was the first blog where I asked a question. If I remember correctly, I asked where I could go to find a reputable freelance editor to help me with my manuscript. That led me to Danyelle Ferguson. The editing job that she did on my first draft is a big part of the reason I eventually found a publisher to accept my work. Another great group of editors: Precision Editing Group. Although I have not used their services, I know of writers who have, and they come highly recommended. And the cool thing about them: They’re all published authors!

2. Query Tracker and Elana Johnson
I must say that this site is one of the most helpful sites on the internet for a writer. Most of the big publishing houses don’t accept works for consideration unless it comes through an agent. Agent? Where do you get an agent? Query Tracker is a fantastic resource for doing just that: finding an agent who will love your work and then help you to get a publishing contract. I personally don’t have an agent because I went direct with a new publisher, but if the time ever comes that I do need to find an agent, this is the site where I will do it. Don’t forget to follow the official Query Tracker Blog. Good stuff every week. You’ll not regret it. One of my favorite contributors there at Query Tracker is Elana Johnson. Follow Elana at her personal blog. She’s a riot. She needs more stalkers.

3. Chip MacGregor
Chip is a very well known agent in the industry. Whether you write Christian Fiction/Non-Fiction or not, his website is a wealth of information. His blog (which is updated almost daily), is one of the best insights I have found into what the publishing industry is all about. I highly recommend that you read what he’s got to say. He also seems to be a really nice guy. He has even commented here on my blog because I asked him a question. Cool, huh?

4. Nathan Bransford
Nathan is a legend. I think he has more twitter followers than any other agent in the industry, and possibly the most blog followers too. If you want to know what it takes to be a published author, he should be at the top of your list of resources. He has both a website and a blog. You can find him on twitter here: http://twitter.com/nathanbransford.

5. Jordan McCollum
Jordan is an extremely talented marketing guru (blogs over at Marketing Pilgrim), and an award winning writer. What impresses me the most about the content on her personal website/blog are the writer education series that she does. If you want some serious nuts-and-bolts writing help to make your story shine, follow her blog. Be prepared to read her blog posts SLOWLY. She packs a lot of information into those posts!

6. Tristi Pinkston
Besides being a prolific blogger (I have no idea how many blogs she participates in, there are so many), she is a published author, a writers conference organizer, and an inspiration to many of the authors I personally know. She is also the Senior Editor at Valor Publishing Group. That makes her my editor. And I think she is awesome. She has great writing tips each Tuesday at the Day to Day with Valor Publishing site, which I would highly recommend. If you are interested in finding out more about Tristi, you can follow her personal blog.

7. Writing Excuses
The folks over at Writing Excuses are cool people. Brandon Sanderson. Dan Wells. Howard Tayler. Stacy Whitman. Eric James Stone. Authors, editors, cartoonists. Podcasts for writers. Not only are they extremely entertaining, but if you dig a bit deeper into their website, you will find some serious treasures. Go check it out!

There are a lot more places that help me plug into the publishing industry. But, I think seven is a good number. Let’s end there. I may add to this later.

For those of you who use Twitter, I have several compiled “lists” which may be of help to you. You don’t even have to follow me (@DaronFraley) to be able to follow the lists. I have publishing industry related lists for Literary-Agents, Publishers, Authors, Book-Reviewers, Editors, Indie-Bookstores, Publicity-and-Marketing, and more.

Let me know what you think! What are the sites and who are the people who help you plug in? Please share links to them in the comments.

Just a quick note to let you all know I was interviewed by Krista Lynne Jensen, and the interview is on her blog today.

http://kristalynnejensen.blogspot.com/2010/03/thursday-authorial-daron-fraley.html

Go and check it out if you have a moment. And then follow Krista’s blog. If you are a writer, you will love her weekly “Tuesday Edit Crunch” posts. Enjoy!

Today is the day on which I go from being a writer to being a published author. This has been a wonderful journey so far. I have met so many authors, publishers, and editors…people who I would have normally been afraid to meet in person. And it has been a blast.

If you come to the book launch party today (Barnes & Noble at The Gateway, SLC, UT, 6:00 – 8:30 pm), please don’t be afraid to come meet me. I don’t bite. I will have chocolate…

I plan to post pictures of the book launch over the next couple of days so those who can’t make it can still see what all the fuss was about.

For those of you who dream of being a published author: DON’T GIVE UP. Keep writing. Share your writing. Submit your writing to publishers and/or agents. If you don’t succeed the first time, or even the fiftieth, keep trying. It is worth it!

I was recently asked in an interview what my favorite part of being a writer is. At first, I said it was the creative process. But then I had to admit it was something else. I write because I want my readers feel the things I feel when I write. This life is tough. Life is filled with times of loneliness, set-backs, grief, and despair. But that is not all! There are times when a person feels ALIVE. Times when we are touched by a piece of exquisite music, or thrilled by a stunning vista, or strengthened by the calm declaration of love.

I write because I want to give readers a sense of the wonder and awe which I feel in knowing that there is good in the world. Evil will not stand. Evil may have its day of perceived glory, but it will not last.

Good will WIN. People need to know that. They need hope.

That is why I write.

So, if you are having a bad day, or just need to escape from the dreary world, even if for a moment, read a good book. There are plenty out there. And if you are curious to see what I write about, I have samples of my writing linked at the very top of the blog under “READ”. Go read my short stories. I promise you they will help you to have hope!

I am excited!

And you should be too, because I will have my wife in attendance at the conference. And I only won a single seat. Therefore . . . I have chosen to give my coveted winnings to a reader of my blog.

Here are the details of the contest prize:

http://ldstorymakerauthors.blogspot.com/2010/02/show-your-love-for-storymakers-contest.html

So…  what will you bid? Friend suggestions on facebook? A slew of tweets on twitter? Buying copies of my book for friends? Blogging about my awesomeness? Coming to my book launch party in two weeks and bringing 10 members of your reading club?

One of my twitter friends ( @DragonWrangler ) suggested a Lamborghini and a dragon. She didn’t specify the color or breed of the dragon, so that is still under review. Not acceptable if it would eat me.

Let’s get creative here! My book release is just two weeks away. Perhaps you can do something to help me spread the word. That would be worthy of a seat, don’t you think? And don’t forget, I have a mail list here on my website. In the right sidebar. You could somehow use that to your advantage, I am sure.

Let the bidding begin!

(Note: In order to win, you actually need to be attending the Storymaker conference. Details here:  http://www.ldstorymakers.com/conference_2010.php )

I look forward to your imaginative offers. *GRIN*

Of course, if you decide to do something like facebook friends, I will need to see the results first… otherwise, you are all talk.  The winner will be chosen by merit and selected with random.org if I like more than one idea. I will make my decision on March 17th, the day after my book launch.

Writing. Editing. Website maintaining. Blogging. Networking. Preparing. Stressing. Worrying.

I have been so busy for the past few months in preparation for my book release that I have nearly forgotten why I feel compelled to write. As I was doing some site maintenance this evening, I came across a recent comment from one of my blog followers. I hope she doesn’t mind me bringing attention to her comment, but Krista said: “Angel’s Song gave me chills”. That statement really grabbed me.

I had just recently finished editing that story with my editor at Valor, Tristi Pinkston, and so the mechanics of it were still in my mind. Why did the story affect Krista that way? I wondered.

So I went to my website page to were it is, and I read it. This time for enjoyment. Funny thing–it gave me chills too. Why? Because it is an extension of my own testimony or witness of Christ. The feelings which I felt and wanted to convey when I wrote the story, flooded back to me.

I know that Christ lives! There is no doubt in my mind that He, under His Father’s direction, created this Earth and the universe in which we find ourselves. He is my King. He is my Savior. As a hen which gathers and protects her chicks under her wings, He loves me, and He loves you.

For all of the self-important biblical “scholars” out there, those few who deny His divinity, who claim that the Bible is merely a historical document full of fable telling of men who are long since dead, and also for all the others who deny the very existence of God because they have forgotten what it feels like to hear His voice in their hearts . . . I say to you: You are wrong. Christ lives. He paid the debt of the Fall, and performed an eternal, infinite, Atonement. He took up His body, now glorified and perfected beyond all description, never to lay it down again.

If you no longer feel His comforting presence in your lives, it is not because God is dead. It is because YOU left HIM. But His arms are stretched out still, and He calls to you to come back into His fold.

Is there any wonder why children easily believe? Coming from the presence of God into this life, they are not yet too far removed from that prior existence to forget. It is the youth and the adults of the world who crush that innate belief. Through sin and disobedience and denial, they smother the very lights of heaven which had previously touched their souls.

I believe in Christ. I trust Him. He always keeps His promises. As the God of the Old Testament, even the Great Jehovah, Christ has always cared for Israel, His children. He has said that His children, those who He calls the children of Israel, are those who are willing to covenant with Him. His children are those who believe and keep His commandments. It really is that simple. Have you forgotten what His influence feels like? Then test Him. Believe. Follow. Try to keep His commandments. Then you will once again feel His influence in your life.

This is why I write what I do. It is because I believe.

I know who my readership and audience will be. My books . . . my stories . . . are written from my heart. They are a written witness to what I believe in my heart, even down to the depths of my soul. I hope that they will touch the hearts of many, especially the youth of this world, who are desperate for clean, uplifting stories which can help them to know who they are, why they are here, and where they are going.

This is why I write.

Thanks be to the Lord for His grace and His love for me, and for the talents He has blessed me with. May I always be worthy of His help in this fantastic journey.

I wasn’t sure what to call this post. Part of me finds it easy to justify my complete lack of attention to my blog. Another part of me insists that I shouldn’t let the other part of me which likes to come up with lame excuses get away with it. I am going to let the lamer win. At least for a moment.

My reasons:

1. The Holidays: I really enjoyed spending time with family through the Christmas season. We played games a lot, and ate way too much food. On New Year’s Eve, my son, son-in-law, and myself stayed up playing Settlers of Catan (with most of the expansion packs) until 5am. I regretted that later, but it was fun while I was awake.

2. A new addition: For the last 4 weeks I have been called Grandpa. My little granddaughter has been over almost every single day. I forgot what babies are like. They smell so good. They are fun to cuddle at nap time. One Sunday afternoon I fell asleep in the recliner with her resting in the crook of my arm. Slept for an hour. She never budged. Of course, my arm fell asleep, but it was worth it. Now that I think about it, this shouldn’t actually be a lame excuse. In fact, I am quite pleased with this one.

3. Twitter: I think social networking has become my bane. I am fascinated by it and repelled by it at the same time. Conflicting viewpoints abound. Some say an author should have twitter so fans can “connect”. Some say it is a waste of time. I am not yet sure. But my twitter activity certainly has outweighed my blogging.

4. Plotting: I did plot out the major arcs and characters for both book 2 and 3 in my series “The Chronicles of Gan”. I am very excited about what I came up with. But I am also quite worried about it too. I wonder if I can pull it off again. The first book was SO MUCH WORK. Yikes.

5. Preparing for signings: I have a ton of things going on right now in preparation for my book release. I have a training seminar I am going to on Friday and Saturday. I have been trying to figure out what I am going to do with my website. I have been wondering what to do about business cards and book marks and such. I have been trying to figure out if I can pull off a tour to promote my book since the publisher wants me to go for a longer time period than what I have vacation for… so unless I have a bunch of donations come in to cover the time-off-without-pay, I am not sure I can do the entire thing.

6. LDStorymakers Conference: I have been working with some friends who will be presenting with me at a “Website Design” class at the conference. We have a lot of work ahead of us. And we are not anywhere near ready.

7. Reading: I have been reading books in the late evening. Some books for enjoyment, other books because I promised the authors a review. And there are more to come. I have at least 3 more reviews I will be doing by March. A year ago if you would have told be I would be doing blurbs and reviews for books, I would have thought you were looney. Well, even today, I may still think you are looney, but that is beside the point.

8. Galleys: I did actually complete this one, but since it took a fair amount of my time, I am listing it. I need to take credit for getting at least one of these things completed!

9. The day job: This one pays the bills. Can’t get rid of this one yet. Somebody help me to sell 300,000 copies, and we’ll talk about this one again.

10. Google Reader: I think I have signed up to follow too many blogs. And that keeps me from maintaining my own. Or so goes the excuse.

11. FEAR:  I am nervous about what I have gotten myself into. I hear folks who are full-time authors talk about how hard it is to balance everything and get done what they need to get done in time for deadlines, etc. And I have a day job… AM I NUTS? What is wrong with me? I can’t believe that I am doing this, actually. I need to sleep. I need to work. I need to read. I need to write. I need to play games with my family. Gotta figure this one out or my family will disown me.

OK, so I admit that some of my problem… most of my problem… all of my problem… is that I have not yet figured out how to manage my time effectively. I wish I knew what the most important things were to be successful, then I could do those, and nothing else. Whew. This is going to be a very, very busy 6 months. I hope I make it through without going bonkers.

And for those of you who know James Dashner, don’t get on my case for not being able to count to ten. He does top-ten lists all the time, and can’t count either… and he used to be an ACCOUNTANT.  :P