Category: The Canticle Kingdom

First Lap Down!

January 31st, 2012

My first month of marathon writing is over, and I’ve set a good pace. I exceeded 50,000 words to come out a little ahead. The only think is that there are eleven months to go. I feel good about things and about how things are turning out. I should have many completed projects by the end of the year!

Still one more day to enter the Young Adult Blog hop to win a copy of “The Canticle Kingdom”. My publisher let me know that they are working on getting it out in eBook form, and I’m very excited for that.

Stats:

My word count for the week: 13828

Running Total: 55834

Monthly Percentage: 111.7%

Yearly Percentage: 9.3%

Writing Tip of the Week:

Look out for your own pet phrases. It may be hard to spot them by yourself, so you may need to enlist the help of a friend. You may have a favorite cliché, or even a brilliant original phrase that you just use too much. Maybe all of your characters say the same phrase when they’re surprised.

Search and destroy. Or at least, mix them up a bit.

Writing Update:

I’m hard at work revising “Prometheus Returns” and hoping to get that out soon. I’m also working on a musical project called “Quest”, which is a parody of typical fantasy stories. I hope someday to some of my works on stage.

I’m also hard at work on “Wandaful” and am well into the middle of it. I find that the initial idea of the magic system based on color and time is evolving quite nicely and I’m loving playing the quirky characters off of each other.

“Canticle of Night” has reached over the halfway point and has been really fun. Please take a moment to support it by clicking the ‘like’ button on the page.

If you want to listen to or read “Canticle of Night”, please visit my page at http://www.bigworldnetwork.com/CanticleofNight.html

I’d love to know what you think about it!

Related link:
OnlineEducation.org is a great resource with information on writing courses.
Young Adult Blog Hop

January 26th, 2012

Welcome to another great giveaway! Just full out the form below between the 27th and 31st for a chance to win a free signed copy of “The Canticle Kingdom”. As one of the options for this contest, I have included checking out the web serial that is a prelude to “The Canticle Kingdom” called “Canticle of Night”. So, if you’d like to see (or even hear) a sample of my writing, please go visit the link provided and check it out. (Don’t forget to “like” it). In other news, I hope to get the sequel out this year, entitled “The Frozen Globe”. I already have a cover for it, and it looks awesome. If I can get over 150 entries in this giveaway, I will reveal the cover when I announce the winner.

Don’t forget to visit all the other great blogs participating in the hop using the list below the entry form.

http://www.bigworldnetwork.com/CanticleofNight.html

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Second Verse, Same as the First

January 16th, 2012

Week Two went about as well as week one, even though we were in the middle of moving from our apartment into a beautiful brand new condo. We’re all settled in and loving it. Don’t write off writing just because you are busy!

Stats:
My word count for the week: 14079
Running Total: 31645
Monthly Percentage: 63.3%
Yearly Percentage: 5.3%

Writing Tip of the Week:
Take rejections in stride. I had a very disappointing rejection this week, and stuff like that just hits you where it hurts…metaphorically of course. I think it’s okay to be sad for a little bit, to mourn that lost opportunity, but then you have turn around and start making your next moves. If you are not careful, you might be tempted to let that project languish on the farther back of burners so that nothing happens.

Most of time, it is not that your project was bad, just that it didn’t fit what the publisher wants right now. Send it off again as soon as possible. I’m already preparing to send it to two more publishers myself.

Writing Update:
I’m continuing to map out another web serial, and working on recording the audio version of “Canticle of Night”. Did you know it is available for free on iTunes? Good stuff.

I have been working hard this week on a non-fiction project for once that is a guide for LDS Ward Choir directors, but also can be helpful for any church choir directors. It is a topic about which I know quite a bit, having done it several times.

I’m also working hard on the third and final installments of “The Canticle Kingdom” and “The Last Archangel” series. Just getting these off the ground. In addition, I am preparing a novel called “Countdown” to enter in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award. Last year, my novel “Starspire” (as yet unpublished) was a quarter-finalist. I’d love to get at least to the semi-finals this year!

If you want to listen to or read “Canticle of Night”, please visit my page at http://www.bigworldnetwork.com/CanticleofNight.html

I’d love to know what you think about it!
Announcing: Canticle of Night

December 20th, 2011

When many people read “The Canticle Kingdom” they told me that they wanted more backstory. Wait no longer! In conjunction with BigWorldNetwork, I am producing a 12 part serial story that details some of the backstory of Jorgen and Karsten Muller, the brothers who created the music box that would become The Canticle Kingdom. You can read and listen for free here: (I did my own narration as well)

http://www.bigworldnetwork.com/CanticleofNight.html

Please spread the word! I’m excited to see how this new format will be. A new episode comes out on Mondays, and I promise to keep it exciting and interesting. Please let me know what you think.
December Blog Hop

December 2nd, 2011

‘Tis the Season, and many of us are celebrating by giving away things that readers love, including books. Use the entry form below to enter my giveaway for a signed copy of “The Canticle Kingdom” and use the list to link to other blogs.

Please also consider submitting to the Christmas anthology I’m putting together. All you have to do is submit a family friendly story in any genre that is based on a Christmas song. Please send all entried to thecanticlekingdom@gmail.com. All proceeds will be donated to the National Down Syndrome Society.

Have a wonderful and blessed holiday season.

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September Blog Hop Winners

September 26th, 2011

Giveaway Winners: Congratulations to Leigh Ann Gregorie and Mary Reiss! They have won signed copies of “The Canticle Kingdom”. (Yes, I decided to choose two winners due to the number of entries.

Also congratulations to Debbie Davis who has won a three-chapter manuscript critique. I’m excited to see her work. If you did not win this time around, don’t worry. I’ll do another blog hope near the end of October with more chances to win. Thank you to you all for entering and I hope that you will continue to visit my blog. I’ll try to make it as interesting as possible!

Writing Update: I’ve been doing a crazy project that fell in my lap this week. A local law firm has tasked me with translating about 40 pages of German legal documents into English. If you’ve ever studied legal documents, you know how complex they can be. German legal documents take this even a step further. They love huge compound words that translate to five or six words when translated. Working on this has taken up most of my usual writing time this week, so sadly, I did not make much progress on anything.

The commission for this work, however, will be a large help to my family. I’ll just commit to work twice as hard this week in order to make progress on my works in progress. In the coming weeks, I’m going to introduce you all to the works I’m going to be submitting soon so you can get a better idea of what I’m working on.

Looking for Bookclubs: I’m looking for book clubs who are interesting in reading one or both of my books in their book club. If you live around Salt Lake City, I’d love to come visit in person, but if you live anywhere else, I’d love to participate through Skype. Leave me a comment if you are interested, or send me an email at thecanticlekingdom@gmail.com

September Blog Hop

September 22nd, 2011

Welcome to the September Blog Hop! Celebrate the beginning of fall with me and my blogger friends by hopping around, visiting our sites, and entering our contests! There are no limits – you can enter the contest on every blog. With over 40 blogs participating, that’s over 40 prizes you could win. Just click on the links below to move on to the next blog. On my blog, you can win one of two prizes. I’m giving away one for readers and one for authors. Readers can win a signed copy of “The Canticle Kingdom”Writers can win a free first three chapter’s critique from me. Would you like to win this prize? Enter on the widget below. In your comment, please let me know which of the prizes you are interested in. (Book, critique or both)

RafflecopterSettings = { raffleID: ‘ZGM1OTRjYmFhNjUwNGM1OWE3ZTQxMmE4NzQ5MTc3OjM=’};You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway.That’s it! You are now entered. The contest ends on Saturday night, September 24th, at midnight MST, and the winner will be contacted shortly thereafter. Please either leave your e-mail address in the comment trail or make sure it’s visible through your profile so I can contact you to tell you that you’re the lucky winner. Now go visit my other friends …

September Blog Hop Participants

1. Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author2. Joyce DiPastena3. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer4. Mandi Slack5. Michael D. Young6. Six Mixed Reviews7. Pam Williams8. Laurie Lewis9. Kristy Tate10. Marilyn Yarbrough11. Stacy Coles12. Kristie Ballard13. Lynn Parsons14. Pushing Past the Pounds15. Sheila Staley16. cindy Hogan

17. Jamie Thompson18. Jaclyn Weist19. Cathy Witbeck20. Secret Sisters Mysteries21. Tamera Westhoff22. Tina Scott23. Lynnea Mortensen24. Danyelle Ferguson aka Queen of the Clan25. Jeanette A. Fratto26. Bonnie Harris27. Melissa Lemon28. Mary Ann Dennis29. Stephanie Black30. Jane Still31. Janice 32. Laura Bastian

33. Tamara Bordon34. Betsy Love35. Maria Hoagland36. Amber Robertson37. Debbie Davis38. 39. Christy Monson40. Carolyn Frank41. Rebecca Birkin42. Melissa Cunningham43. Emily L. Moir44. Ronda Hinrichsen45. Lisa Asanuma46. Joan Sowards47. Jordan McCollum48. Diane Stringam Tolley

Learn more about September Blog Hop here.Get The Code

Winners All Around

September 1st, 2011

First thing’s first: a big thank you to all those who participated in the Awesome August Blog Hop. There were many entries, but the lucky winner is: Donna Smith! She will receive a signed copy of “The Canticle Kingdom”.

I’d also like to announce the winner of the Angel Trivia Contest. Congratulations to Alyssa Ranee Clark! She will get to help me name a character in the second installment of “The Last Archangel”, which I am currently writing.

I’ve got other great links to share. The first is an interview on B.K. Bostick’s blog. Go read it here: http://bkbostick.blogspot.com/2011/09/interview-with-author-michael-young.html

The second is a feature on Lorhainne Eckhart’s blog where I talk about archangels. You can go read it here: http://lorhainneeckhart.blogspot.com/ (The blog says that it might have adult content when you click on it. I can’t speak for the rest of the blog, but my post is squeaky clean.)
Third Platform Campaigners Crusade

August 30th, 2011

I had this marketing/networking activity recommended to me recently. There’s still one day to sign up. Find more about it and sign up at the following link:
http://rachaelharrie.blogspot.com/2011/08/and-so-campaign-begins-plus-campaigner.html

Also don’t forget, there’s still time to enter the Awesome August Blog Hop on the post below to win a copy of “The Canticle Kingdom”.

Awesome August Blog Hop

August 29th, 2011

Welcome to the Awesome August Blog Hop, where bloggers from all over the Internet have come together to throw a summertime party!

Every blog on this hop is offering a fun prize, and entering is quick and easy. Simply follow the instructions on each blog, leave a comment, and bop right along to the next blog. You can win multiple times, so be sure to check out all the participating blogs!

On my blog, you can win a signed copy of THE CANTICLE KINGDOM. Also tune in on Thursday when I announce the winner of the Angel Trivia Contest.

To enter:

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You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway.
This blog hop runs through Wednesday night at midnight, so be sure to enter before then! The winner will be notified by e-mail.

Now that you’ve entered my contest, come meet all my other blog friends and see what fun things they are offering!

Awesome August Blog Hop Participants

1. Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author
2. Karen Hoover
3. Michael Young
4. Kristy Tate
5. cindy Hogan
6. Julie Bellon
7. Margot Hovley
8. Laurie Lewis
9. Mandi Slack
10. Melanie Jacobson
11. Joyce DiPastena
12. Renae Mackley

13. Debbi Weitzell
14. Donna Hatch
15. Carolyn Frank
16. Marsha Ward
17. Stacy Coles
18. Bonnie Harris
19. Danyelle Ferguson aka Queen of the Clan
20. Diony George
21. Lisa Asanuma
22. Susan Dayley
23. Christine Bryant @ Day Dreamer
24. Stephanie Humphreys

25. Ranee` Clark
26. Tamera Westhoff
27. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
28. Heather Justesen
29. Rebecca Talley
30. Jennifer Hurst
31. Aimee Brown
32. Cheryl Christensen
33. Rachelle Christensen
34. Imaginary Reads
35. Andrea Pearson

Learn more about Awesome August Blog Hop here.
View More Awesome August Blog Hop Participants
Get The Code

Writing Update for this Week:
I’m getting my latest work “The Lost Barge” ready to go out the door and getting in some time on both a new project and the sequel to THE LAST ARCHANGEL.