Character Spotlight - Faulks

     While Faulks is a minor character in The Lady of Steinbrekka, he becomes a key player in the second and third books of the series, Heart of Kylassame and Soul of Asimina.

     A wild hawk with russet colored wings and a larger than average size, Faulks was given to Rowan by Queen Sula in honor of Rowan’s 5th birthday. Though he left for unknown reasons after the death of Queen Sula, he returned to Rowan when the man was old enough to venture from the castle walls.

     The character of Faulks was inspired by the many hawk sightings I had while writing The Lady of Steinbrekka, and then when I began Heart of Kylassame. I have always been fascinated with the beautiful predatory birds, but rarely was able to view them in my daily travels. When I began writing The Lady of Steinbrekka, I began to see at least two hawks per day on my daily commute to work.

     This became significant to me when I found out that I had become pregnant. Every day I would see more and more hawks, almost as if they were watching over me. Once I gave birth, the numbers dwindled down, but I still occasionally see one sitting on a power-line, watching over me as I make the commute home.

Questions at the signing

For anyone looking to do an author signing, my biggest suggestion is to prepare for questions and have them already thought out. Here are some from my event last Saturday at the Cascades Library in Sterling. (answers have been slightly expanded and I have removed some nervous "ums")

The most asked  - "What is your book about?"
The Lady of Steinbrekka is about a young woman who suddenly finds herself in a different realm that is filled with mysterious strangers who all have dark secrets. While there, she must find the strength to challenge the status quo and fight to change her destiny in order to survive.

"When did you become a writer?"
I began writing at an early age. My first book was typed out in 5th grade and was about a magical garden, so, you could say, fantasy was always my genre. As a teen, I wrote in order to express myself and it became a form of therapy for me. I began seriously writing with the main goal to publish in 2011.

"Why do you write fantasy?"
Fantasy books are my way to express every day problems in a different setting. It is easier to take something that is a common problem and put it into a fantastical world and not have it directly affect the reader, or cause them pain. I think it is also a way for readers to connect with characters that are so different from "normal" when they have the same daily issues.I also just really enjoy making up different worlds and being able to suspend disbelief within a person's mind.

"What is the hardest part about writing?"
Editing. It is so hard to go through the story and not get wrapped up in the plot, which you have to do in order to make the grammatical edits. I'm also just really bad at grammar, so there is that component too. Luckily, I have an awesome editor who will find anything I miss.

"Why do you self-publish? Is it because you kept getting rejection letters?"
I've actually never submitted any of my writings for publication before. I self-publish because it allows me to have control over the finished product. While I do have editors and readers who suggest changes, the ultimate decision is mine. I also have control over the cover as well, which is a big deal to me. I like that, with self-publishing, the book is all mine, for better or worse.

"What is your suggestion to a wanna-be writer?"
Keep doing it, no matter what. I stopped writing for almost a decade because people told me that it was stupid, a waste of time, fantasy would get me nowhere, etc. If you enjoy writing, then do it."

"What is your best suggestion for how to pick a book to write?"
My favorite writer's quote is "Write the book you want to read" and that's what I take to heart. A lot of time characters will pop into my head, or scenarios, or just general emotions that, I feel, need to be expressed a shared. Don't force it, just let it happen naturally.

Cascade's Signing

What an incredible day! I woke up bright and early and was relieved to start my day by leaving the husband and the kiddo happily asleep in the bed. A quiet and calm morning is always a nice way to start the day. My parents came to pick me up, as their Acura gives substantially more storage space for the stuff I needed to bring to the signing. I naively thought I was only going to need to bring a tote bag and my box of books, but...well...a picture says a thousand words.

The end result ended up being 

 - In leather bag on left : Ipad + charger, 2 different fabrics for the table cloth (because I am indecisive and couldn't decide until I saw the table itself), book display stand, rack card display, business card display, several sharpies and pens. 

- In middle bag with the circles : bookmarks, rack cards, more pens, small notebook, business cards, candy, basket for candy, book stand, sign with Heart of Kylassame's blurb and release date, Square card reader, scratch paper, water bottle, iced coffee (for me), wallet, cell phone.

- In box : books

It was just...awesome. I didn't have a panic attack which really surprised me, and I felt confident the entire time. There was an incredible array of authors there, although I was fairly alone in the fantasy fiction genre, at least during the morning session. There were also quite a lot of self-published authors there, which really surprised me.

I do have to admit, my dad now has free reign to say "I told you so" regarding Lady of Steinbrekka's cover. I have been wanting to change the cover since it is rather generic, and he told me not to even think about it. All I heard all day were variations of the statement that amounted to, "your cover is gorgeous" "what a beautiful cover", etc. Fine, the cover stays :)

Here is my set-up :) I was pretty happy with it, especially for my first event where I really didn't know what to expect or what would be provided. I went with a white, sparkly table cloth, then fanned out my bookmarks, set up two books, had my bookmarks and rack cards, and then a bowl of candy. My blurb for Heart of Kylassame was just beside the candy.

For future events, I plan on making a big poster-board sized sign that has "Author Signing Today" as well as reviews from my books. I'm also going to make a few card-stock copies of the titles with an "Available for Nook" or "Available for Kindle" so that readers know that there are e-book versions available. 

I also could not have been happier with Cascades Library, who was hosting the event. They went above and beyond to give us a wonderful time. There was a really considerate green room set up with water, coffee and snacks, and then they provided a really thoughtful lunch spread. They also had many volunteers who would watch our tables if we needed a restroom break, lunch break, or went into the other room to do a reading. I am already looking forward to signing up for the event next year.

Ageless Sea SupaParty

          Today marks the first month that Ageless Sea has been out and I am excited about it. I am so excited that I want to give you an ereader with the cover of Ageless Sea on it, AND I will even sign it! It is just a small token of my appreciation. BUT I have even better news, I will let the winner pick if they would like a Kindle (to use with Amazon) OR a Nook Touch (to use with Barnes & Noble)!!! That's right, should you win, YOU get to pick!

             Now, on to the good stuff! How can it get any better than winning an ereader? Well, getting a look at the book that started this awesome giveaway of course! First, let's set the mood...           I think this song fits so well for the whole book. If you have read it - do you hear it? I can hear Brady singing  it to Karis lol. I listened to this song while writing Ageless Sea and it is on my playlist over on Spotify, should you want to listen to the whole "soundtrack" I used. Can you pick out any songs for certain scenes???            While writing Ageless Sea I didn't sleep much, my keyboard became my pillow. From beginning to end, my characters kept me on my toes. They changed into amazing people that I am happy to share with you. Ageless Sea started off with a dream I had in the middle of the night. I remember rolling over and grabbing my phone to take notes because it was perfect and since then I haven't been able to get Karis or Brady too far out of my mind.             One thing I didn't realize until I started writing, was that Brady was funny. I laughed out loud many times while writing and my family would look at me with that 'she's losing it' look and move on. Here is a part of one of the first scenes where he shows his humorous side:

“What is that?”

Karis looked up from the fire with a scowl. “Dinner. What did you think it was?”

“Oh no, I’m not eating that, that thing.” Brady pointed at the sea urchin she held in her hands.

She let her shoulders droop. “We don’t eat the whole thing, just this part.” She dangled a small portion of it with her fingers.

“Oh hell no!” He held his hands up. “I won’t eat Rocky Mountain Oysters, what makes you think I’d eat them off a sea creature.” He placed a hand over his mouth. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

She laughed. It never crossed her mind that eating that part of the urchin would be distasteful to him. She’d eaten them for so long it was like second nature.

Karis shrugged. “We could go fishing if you prefer?”

“Yes, I prefer.” He glanced at the urchin one more time and cringed. “Can you please just toss it out or something? I can’t believe you eat those.”

Karis rolled her eyes at him. “For such a strong guy, you’re sure weak.” She picked up the basket of urchins and laid them aside.  “So are you fishing or am I?”

He grabbed the fishing basket and started down the trail. “I think I can figure it out.”

I love to write fantasy, so it was fun to create the world's inside this book. Romance with fantasy, that is my favorite, so that is what I did. I can't tell you how much you all mean to me. I love that you enjoy my stories as much as I do and how excited you get with your favorite characters... or sometimes even the messages about how you lost sleep because you couldn't put the my book down, makes me happy. I love hearing from all of you and can't thank you enough. I really hope you love Karis and Brady and their journey as much as I do! 

M.R. Polish Don't Forget to join us Tomorrow May 2nd for the LIVE Blog Talk Radio Show!! You can call in and talk to us and listen in on the fun. The Winner of the Giveaway will also be announced!!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/supagurl/2013/05/02/ageless-sea-by-mr-polish-par-tay

Call in to chat with us 

(718) 664-9345

SUPA GIVEAWAY a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kindle: Ageless Sea for Kindle

Nook: Ageless Sea for Nook

Paperback: Ageless Sea Paperback on Amazon 

Also, if you would like a signed paperback, you may email me at m.r.polish.author@gmail.com and I would love to do that for you as well. It is 15.00 and that covers S&H.

Stalkers find me here:

Facebook: M.R. Polish

Twitter: @_MRPolish_

www.mrpolishauthor.com

Super secret that is going to be awesome

I am holding a secret and practically bursting at the seams over it!

I was given the awesome honor of reading M.R. Polish's newest creation, Ageless Sea, before publication and let me tell you, it is amazing.

And I'm not just saying that because I'm saying it, I'm saying it because it's true. I am very picky with my fantasy and quickly get turned off my plot lines or characters that have been done before. Ageless Sea is a true original, with complex characters and a breath-takingly new plotline. It is the kind of book that you are going to want to read over and over again so you can catch all of the little nuances.

Besides, you are going to want this cover on your bookshelf/Nookshelf/Kindle shelf. How gorgeous is this?

If you haven't guessed yet, the secret has to do with Ageless Sea. The surprise will be revealed May 1st (hmm which is also my wedding anniversary, good timing Ms. Polish ;)  ) so make sure to check back then!

Ageless Sea can be purchased through Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com and the author does have an  authorgraph available.

For more information on Ageless Sea, see M.R. Polish's blog, http://www.mrpolishauthor.com/

Book signing plan

My book signing is 8 1/2 days away and I'm collecting as much information as I can so that I can get through it, no, ENJOY it.

My surface emotion on the book signing is elation, joy, and I may have jumped up and down (literally) when I got the confirmation email. But then it kicked in...book signing...interacting with people...the unknown...eep!

I get very anxious in these kinds of situations. So anxious that I often just avoid them completely. Whether it is something big and life-changing like an interview for a coveted job, or I just dropped my car off at a new mechanic for an oil change, I panic. I didn't even realize that the phrase "panic attack" was actually what I was feeling, is felt by other people, and there are things I can do to fix/help it.

Of course, going to the doctor also makes me anxious, so I haven't done that and now it's too late for the signing, so here is my game-plan for how to thoroughly enjoy my author signing!

1) Ample time to get the jitters out. - My current plan is to get there 1 hour before my scheduled time so that I have plenty of time to prepare my table, walk around the building, and get all of the jitters/anxiety out before people start coming in.

2) Having some friendly faces - Just like the advice to have a friend in the audience when performing, I have a few friends who are going to stop by to say hi during this. It will help ground me and remind me that I am very social once I stop being shy.

3) Practice questions in my head - While I don't know what questions people will ask, I can make a list of one's I can anticipate and have answers. That way I won't feel quite so "deer caught in the headlights"

Things I am going to include on my table are : My rack cards (with my picture, my bio, then book info about The Lady of Steinbrekka), my bookmarks (which are awesome, thanks to the wonderful design of Elizabeth Sharp over at Sharp Images), my business cards (from VistaPrint), and a bowl of candy.

(Oh, a tip to those who may be reading this prior to doing their own signing. Ask if it's okay to bring in candy, and make sure it is individually wrapped. I asked the event coordinator if candy was okay and she said she was extremely grateful that I asked about bringing food into a library instead of just assuming it would be fine.)

Do you have any tips? What would you like to see at an author signing?

Reading club!

In more good news, I just received word that The Lady of Steinbrekka is going to be the featured book for the LCPS-FHS Fiction Reading Club for the month of May! The Fiction Club is a group of teachers who meet weekly to read, discuss, and socialize.

The Lady of Steinbrekka is also one of the featured books for the 2014-2015 Battle of the Books! This is a reading competition held by the high schools in Loudoun County, VA. Students on the teams are responsible for reading, learning, and retaining the information from 10 different books in a variety of genres. I have had the privilege of working in one of the Battles in the past and, let me tell you, the facts these kids remember are pretty amazing. I am thrilled and really proud of The Lady of Steinbrekka being selected for this competition, especially because the panel who selects the books are made up of Reading Specialists and Librarians from the school system!

I was even able to give them a bit of information about self-publishing. The Lady of Steinbrekka was originally slated for the 2013-2014 school year (next year), however none of the people who do the book ordering had ever ordered from a self-published author before. They moved The Lady of Steinbrekka to the next year under the assumption that they would have to order the books from me, and I would then have to print them (through Kinkos, Staples, etc) and then deliver them to the schools.

They were pretty blown away when they realized that a self-published author doesn't have to print their own materials, and that they could simply order the books through Amazon or CreateSpace without any issues. Once we get into next year, I am going to write the event organizers and see if they would be interested in me presenting about self-publication and how it is a viable option for writers in this day and age.