Books by Michael D. Young

Kicking Off Angel Thursdays

January 5th, 2012

Hello everyone!

I’m off to a great start on my marathon writing year. I’d like to introduce a feature I’ll be doing on Thursdays, in which I highlight posts about “The Last Archangel”. I just finished writing the sequel and hope to get that out in the world soon one way or the other once I’m done with revisions. The number of followers has grown significantly since the initial blog tour and so I’m going to highlight things from the tour and some never-before-seen content as well.

Today, I’m just going to do an intro post with a little about my book. The publisher recently slashed the ebook price for all their ebooks in half and so it can now be yours for only $3.99. (was $9.99)

The story revolves around Xandir, who is a an angel who fell near the beginning to this world and as a punishment has been forced to work as a destroying angel throughout history. The story chronicles his quest in our time to either find redemption–a quest which determines whether he helps destroy the world or save it. You can read a great review of it here in the Deseret News:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705395271/Review:-/’The-Last-ArchAngel/’-full-of-warring-angels-and-demons.html

You can purchase the Kindle version here: http://amzn.com/B0051PKCZC

Next week, I will highlight a character interview with Xandir, so you can get to know him better. Hope the beginning of your New Year is going great!
Happy New Year! Time to Get to Work

January 2nd, 2012

Happy 2012!

It’s the starting line for a long contest, which I have set for myself and I’m off to a good start. I’d like to explain a little more what I am doing. I intend to write 600,000 words this year, shooting for 50,000 each month. Unlike NaNoWriMo, I am going to count anything I want to publish, be it fiction, non-fiction, novels and short stories. I will not count any other writing I do such as emails, writing for work, or any other incidental writing.

I will update the word counter every Monday and give a little status update. I don’t want to flood the blog with only this, but it will be a major part of what will be going on this year. I hope to accomplish this not only for the boost in my own writing, but to show other writers that they can make and achieve big goals. Please help by sending your encouragement and posting about your own writing goals. I believe you only get high results when you set high expectations for yourself.

The first day of the year saw a great writing day, with about 3,900 words down already. Only about 596,000 to go! I know that this will be more a marathon than a sprint, and I think that the slow and steady commitment to every day writing is what will win this race.

I have decided that I’m going to take pledges for this project and that all the proceeds with go to MDA, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, in honor of a good friend who suffers from this disease. You can click on the link to make a monthly pledge for as little or as much as you want.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvGbWtxyNIU1dDZLM2Z1S2E1TUNsUW1VaWtab3A3aVE

On another note, I wanted to list some of the things I’m looking forward to in 2012.

-The first “Hobbit” movie. I’m a true fan.
-The Olympics in London.
-The Presidential election. I’m hoping for some change.
-My 10 year high school reunion (Yep, I graduated in 2002)
-Watching the world not end in December and then laughing at all the doomsayers.

What are you looking forward to? What are your goals for the new year?
My Writing Plan: 2012

December 23rd, 2011

Can you believe 2012 is already upon us? It seems insane. Soundslike a real Jetsons year, like we should have flying cars and the like. TheMayans say the world is going to end about this time next year. I don’t know ifthat is true, but if it is, I’m resolved to making this last year count.

This is officially my final post for 2011. It has been agreat year that has seen the release of a new novel, a new inspirationalpamphlet, a new serial story, and the writing of many new manuscripts. For myblog, it went from having about 50 followers to over 320. Thanks to everyone who joined up!

For your very last chance of the year to win “The Last Archangel”,follow the link to the giveaway below.

http://www.pawingthroughbooks.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-extravaganza_3056.html

Also, here is a great interview on Sylvia Ramsey’s website, in which I talk a lot more about “The Last Archangel”.

http://wwwthouhtfulreflections.blogspot.com/2011/12/young-adult-urban-fantasy-author.html

Inconjunction with the end of the year, I’ve come up with some goals for 2012. I’mshooting for the stars. If you want your own template, please email me at thecanticlekingdom@gmail.com to requestone. Here they are:

Goal: Write 50,000 words/month for every month in 2012 for a total of 600,000 words.

Novels:

To Write:

10

To Revise:

5

To Submit:

5

Goal to Sell:

3 books

ShortStories:

To Write:

10

To Revise:

10

To Submit:

15

Goal to Sell:

5

NonFiction Works:

To Write:

1

To Revise:

2

To Submit:

2

Goal to Sell:

1

Conferencesto Attend:

LDStorymakers

ConDuit

Teen Writer’s Conference

UVU Book Academy
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.
Raising the Stakes on NaNoWriMo

December 13th, 2011

I always look forward to November each year for more reasonsthan Thanksgiving. Though I am a sucker for turkey and stuffing, I also lovewatching my word counts skyrocket as I take part in National Novel WritingMonth. (NaNoWriMo for short) For theuninitiated, during NaNoWriMo, writers seek to write 50,000 words in 30 days,which is the length of a short novel.

I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo for three years, and I’veimproved every year. My first year, I barely squeaked by on the 30^th,the next year I hit the goal on the 25^th, and this year I took ahuge leap forward in finishing on the 17^th.

This got me to thinking—why couldn’t every month be likeNaNoWriMo? If I can do in November, what makes it impossible in January orJuly? The answer for me is: nothing. I just try harder in November to work hardand minimize distractions because I have a firm target.

With that in mind, I want to set a very high goal this year:I literally want to make every month like NaNoWriMo. I think I’ll call itNational Novel Writing Year (or NaNoWriYe) for short. I want to write 50,000per month for every month in 2012 for a grand total of 600,000 words.

To put that in perspective that’s about two installments ofRobert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” series. It is much more than I have ever written, butI think that I can do it. I am serious in my commitment to writing, and I thinkthis will be a formative year in my career.

I’m sure that many full-time authors can easily pull of thisfeat. However, I’m working a full-timejob, have a wife and two kids, and a very busy schedule with the MormonTabernacle Choir. I hope that in doingthis, I can inspire others who have busy lives to see that they can still fitwriting into their schedules.

I have also decided that I want to take it a step further.Many runners run to raise money for charity. I thought I would go ahead andwrite for charity instead. To help out, you can pledge an amount, howeversmall, for every month’s worth of words I write (every 50,000 words). Thatmeans, if you pledge $1, and I reach my goal, you would donate $12 to charity. In this case, I have selected the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) in honor of a good friend who suffers from this disease.

To pledge an amount, fill out the form below. All you needis a full name and email address. I willthen send you an invoice through PayPal at the end of the challenge for theproper amount. I will be taking charity suggestions from my readers to figureout where the money should go. I won’tkeep a dime.

Anyone else up to the challenge? I’m excited and already alittle tired just thinking about it. Luckily, I have several full noveloutlines ready to hash out, and I’ll be giving constant updates here on my blogthroughout the year.

In this season of giving, I encourage you all to think ofways to spread the abundance we all have been given. Have a happy and blessed Holiday Season.
Christmas Presents

December 8th, 2011

Many great presents came early this year for me. But first, I would look to announce one of my own:

Congratulations to Janelle, who is the winner of this month’s Blog Hop. She is the winner of a signed copy of “The Canticle Kingdom”.Thanks for entering!

Now here are some writing presents I got this year.

1. A great review in the major Salt Lake City newspaper The Deseret News for “The Last Archangel”. You can read the entire review here: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705395271/Review:-/’The-Last-ArchAngel/’-full-of-warring-angels-and-demons.html

2. I’ve had a great response about my Christmas anthology. I’ve decided that I’ll take more than 12 stories, as I would like to include any that I feel are high enough quality. I’m still looking for a cover artist to donate his or her services, and for others who have a story to tell. When submitting, please think of copyright guidelines if the song you want is not in the public domain.

3. I’m featured today with a short story on a blog that is based on my actual experiences two Christmas Eves ago. Please pop over there an enjoy: http://www.ingasilbergbooks.com/2011/12/write-holiday-short-story-flight-before.html?showComment=1323385646103#c4503781382542754926.

4. My serial series called “Canticle of Night” has been picked up by Big World Network and will be appearing a serial story on the internet in both digital and audio form starting soon. It is a prequel story for “The Canticle Kingdom” and gives background on the brothers who created the music box in the first place.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you all have a blessed and safe holiday season.
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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National Novel Revision Month

December 1st, 2011

Congratulations to all those who completed National Novel Writing Month! I finished early this year and that felt pretty good. I’m now on to what I call “National Novel Revision Month”, in which I sand down the rough edges of my hastily-constructed novel. I’m sure many of you are doing the same. I’ve decided to call this sequel to the Last Archangel, “The Last Kingdom”, which has to do with the prophecy in Daniel 2 of the Old Testament. Go read it for a clue as to what I mean: http://lds.org/scriptures/ot/dan/2?lang=eng

As such, I want to announce the winners of my NaNoWriMo contest. Alas, no one who entered the contest beat me to the punch of winning NaNoWriMo, but I did select three lucky winners to receive first chapter evaluations of their NaNoWriMo manuscripts. They are:

Heather Justesen
Diana Ault
Megan Conway

Thanks for entering! I think I’ll make that an annual event, so start gearing up for next year.

Next of all, I’m very excited about how many people are preparing stories for my Christmas Carol anthology. I would still love to see more entries. If you are considering writing one, please let me know so that I can make sure we all write on different songs. I have included a list of those songs already taken in my “Current Projects” page above.

All proceeds of this project will go to the National Down Syndrome Society, which is a great cause, so I hope you’ll help me spread the word! If there is anyone who would like to volunteer their services in helping design a cover, edit/typeset, or anything else, please shoot me an email at thecanticlekingdom@gmail.com.

Finally, look for a new blog hop starting tomorrow, and to all of you, I wish a blessed and peaceful holiday season.
Support Four Debut Authors and Snag $125!

November 28th, 2011

I’m hosting a contest with four debut authors today to help them get a leg up. Enjoy!

Four books

Two Days

Great Prizes

With thiscontest, there is something for everyone and it’s SO simple to be in on the winning!

OnNovember 28 and/or 29, purchase 1 or all 4 of the debut author’s books listedhere. Then forward proof of purchase (the receipt Amazon sends you will do justfine) to : motionsrider@yahoo.ca and getup to 4 entries into a draw for a$100 Amazon gift card!

It’s thateasy, no reviews, no hoops to jump through. Just a great .99 book or two. Orthree or four. AND, if the person who wins the $100 Amazon Gift Card haspurchased all 4 books, an additional$25 Amazon Gift Card will be awarded to the winner!

On top ofthat, 2 random commenter’s pickedfrom 2 of our participating blogs will receive $5 gift Amazon gift cards . So, be sure to leave a commentand let us know what you think of the promo, the books, or the authors.

Winnerswill be chosen randomly, one entry per person, per book.

Allwinners will be announced on December 7^th on Wringing Out Words (http://shannonmayer.blogspot.com)

“Between” by Cyndi Tefft

It just figures thatthe love of Lindsey Water’s life isn’t alive at all, but the grim reaper,complete with a dimpled smile, and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has allbut given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entrythrough the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven’s siren song, Lindseymust learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Between-ebook/dp/B004XZUMBA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322190792&sr=1-1

“Until Dawn: Last Light” byJennifer Simas

When darkness falls, whose side will you be on?

For the past six years, Zoë has been anything but “normal.” Struggling toaccept her immortality and thrown into a war that’s been waging in the shadowsfor over a thousand years, Zoë must now become who she was meant to be, joiningthe other Chosen to save what’s left of humanity. When the endless night fallsover the Earth, will she be able to save the one man who reminds her of what itis to be human, or will it be too late?

Until Dawn: Last Light is a story of death and despair, love and longing, hopeand hopelessness, and the ability to survive and keep going even when it seemsimpossible – when you want nothing more than to give up.

Link- http://www.amazon.com/Until-Dawn-Last-Light-ebook/dp/B005QUIXJY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322190717&sr=1-1

“TheKayson Cycle” by Jonathan D. Allen

A stranger enters a dying town and makes a desperate plea…

The Kayson Cycle introduces the Kayson Brothers, a pair of faith healers whoonce wowed crowds in a traveling show but went their separate ways after anight in which a healing took a dark turn. Jeffrey Kayson disappeared into thewilderness and William Kayson, wracked by guilt, moved to the failing miningtown of Calico Hills to build a nice, quiet life – one that has lasted for overten years.

His quiet, predictable life crumbles when a mysterious stranger walks into histavern bearing a proposal to find his long-lost brother and do the one thingthat William has sworn to never do again – have his brother heal a woman.William soon learns that he can’t escape his family – or his destiny.

Includes an exclusive sample chapter of The Corridors of the Dead. Please notethat this is a Kindle Single, and around 6,000 words in length.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Kayson-Cycle-ebook/dp/B0061FDUA0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1322190892&sr=1-1

“Sundered” by Shannon Mayer

A miracle drug, Nevermore, spreads like wildfire throughout theworld allowing people to eat what they want, and still lose weight. It iseverything the human population has ever dreamed of and Mara is no different.Only a simple twist of fate stops her from taking Nevermore.

As the weeks roll by, it becomes apparent that Nevermore is not the miracle itclaimed. A true to life nightmare, the drug steals the very essence that makesup humanity and unleashes a new and deadly species on the world that is bent onfilling its belly. Locked down within their small farm home, Mara and herhusband Sebastian struggle against increasingly bad odds, fighting offmarauders and monsters alike.

But Sebastian carries a dark secret, one that more than threatens to tear themapart, it threatens to destroy them both and the love they have for each other.

Now Mara must make the ultimate choice. Will she live for love, or will shelive to survive?

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Sundered-Nevermore-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B005KOIVH0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315021535&sr=8-3
Gratitude in Abundance

November 24th, 2011

On this Thanksgiving Day, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for all the wonderful blessings I enjoy. I’m grateful to live in a free land where I can pursue my dream of being an author. I’m grateful for my great family, especially my wife and two wonderful kids.

I’m grateful for my opportunity to share my musical talents in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and other venues. I’m grateful for those who have helped and inspired my writing and others who have encouraged me along the way.

Basically, I’m just happy to be alive and to be me. What sort of things are you feeling grateful for today?

As we enter the Christmas season, I hope to keep the focus on gratitude and giving, rather than focusing on what I may be receiving.

I’d like to announce my very first writing contest. I’d like to put together a Christmas anthology to be self published, and donate all of the proceeds to the National Down Syndrome Society. I selected this charity because my second son has Down’s Syndrome, and I believe in supporting this wonderful society that helps these wonderful people. Here he is:

Here are the details:

Concept: 12 short stories, each one based on a Christmas song. Thesong would also be the title. NOTE: I will only include one story based on eachsong. The best way I see around this is to email me and let me know what songyou will like and I will post the taken songs on my website.

Length: 1000 – 10,000 words

Content: No profanity, graphic violence, or eroticsituations. Should be ‘family friendly’.

Deadline: March 31^st, 2012

To be published: December 2012

Send submissions to thecanticlekingdom@gmail.com. Please include your full name, phone number, emailaddress and website (if applicable). Files should be written in 12 point font, doublespaced, with pages numbered and a running headed with the author’s name andtitle across the top.

By submitting your work, you grant me one-time publishingrights if selected. The anthology willonly go through if there are a sufficient number of entries received. Eachentry receive feedback from me, and some may be accepted pendingrevisions. Those selected will benotified no later than June 1^st, 2012. Conditions subject to change.

All the proceeds will be donated to the National DownSyndrome Society.