WIPpet Wednesday: "All About Zeal"

Happy Wednesday! Slave Again has gone through its round of beta reads (thanks, Kate Sparkes, et al). It's even gone through a lovely and helpful gamma read via the beautiful Reig McClain of Arvid
and Oya fame. (What's a gamma read? It's what comes after a beta read, obviously.)

So now, the choices are ... hit publish, or not. And, believe it or not, I've decided to shelve it. Just for a few more months. Not because I don't like it, but because it needs more work that I just can't see right now. And June's coming up, and I just may decided to jump into JuNoWriMo if my wrists hold up for it. Because, you know, my follow-up novel will need a follow-up of its own one day, right?

So here's what we've got from Slave Again. It might be the last snippet you'll see for quite a while. I've included five sentences since it's the fifth month. Helpful context here: Mee-Kyong is a North Korean refugee who escaped a prison camp with her boyfriend, Pang.

***

Mee-Kyong shut off her mind, nodding every once in a while as Mrs. Stern continued to prattle and extol the Western Savior she and her husband followed so zealously. Mee-Kyong knew all about zeal. Pang had been a disciple of the Party at one point, back when he worked in the same factory where Mee-Kyong’s unit slaved. She knew what it was to follow someone with a fervor that blinded you to reason and sense, what it was to submit so fiercely, so foolishly to someone. Mrs. Stern droned on about passion and commitment, and all Mee-Kyong could think about was the crunching sound the cartilage made the first time Pang broke her nose.

***

That's all, folks! Happy WIPpetting to you all!

Blog Love: Huge thanks to K L Schwengel for hosting the WIPpet Wednesday blog hop, where authors post snippets from the current Works In Progress.

Random Fact: My oldest son knew the Greek alphabet long before his ABCs. That's what happens to pastor kids, I suppose.

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Author Interview and Giveaway: Annie Douglass Lima

A few weeks ago, my friend Annie Douglass Lima needed some help confirming her ebook's formatting on the iPad. I happily agreed to download her book and check it out, and in the meantime, I got a new book to read! My boys and I are currently devouring Prince of Alasia, and it's been a lot of fun. I compare it to a fun Narnia-esque adventure perfect for young readers. (Annie herself is a teacher and definitely has a storytelling knack!)

Today, I'm happy to congratulate Annie on the release of book three in her series! Check it out, and be sure to enter the giveaway for an amazon gift card below!

 

Prince of Malorn, the third book in the Annals of Alasia trilogy, is now available!

About the Book:

One major obstacle stands between seventeen-year-old Prince Korram and the throne that is his birthright: Regent Rampus.  Temporary ruler of Malorn, Rampus has no intention of giving up his position when the crown prince comes of age – or of allowing the prince to live long enough to reach that age. 

                              

Desperate to build an army of his own to stand against the regent, Korram treks into the Impassable Mountains to try to recruit the one segment of Malornian society not under Rampus’s control.  But can he lead a band of untrained hunters and gatherers to victory against the full might of the Malornian military?  Or will they all be crushed by the grasping hand of the regent before the prince can claim his rightful throne?

Q: What makes this trilogy unique?

A: The books don't take place one after the other; instead, their time frames overlap.  They each describe the same major political event: the invasion of the kingdom of Alasia by the neighboring kingdom of Malorn. Prince of Alasia begins on the night of the Invasion and describes what happens to twelve-year-old Prince Jaymin after he is forced to flee for his life.  In the Enemy’s Service tells the story of those who were not able to escape from the Alasian palace when the enemy invaded.  Prince of Malorn begins several months earlier and focuses on the Malornian perspective of the events leading up to the Invasion.  In each of the books, main characters from the others make brief appearances and interact with each other at the point where the time frames and settings overlap.

Q: Do you recommend that readers start with your first two books before reading Prince of Malorn?
A: Not necessarily.  The books can be read in any order, and each one can stand on its own.  But each of the three fills in gaps in the others' stories, and their different perspectives on the same events and characters will make for a richer reading experience overall.

Q: Will there be more books in the Annals of Alasia?
A: Definitely! I’m nearly done with the fourth book, tentatively titled King of Malorn. It takes place five years later and brings together the main characters from all three books in the original trilogy. There may eventually be other books in the series too; I have lots of ideas!

Click here to download the Kindle version of Prince of Malorn from Amazon.
Click here to download the Nook version (or other formats) from Smashwords.

About the Author

Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published six books (three YA action adventure/fantasy and three anthologies of her students’ poetry). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.  Click here to view her other books on Amazon.

Connect with Annie Douglass Lima:

blog

Facebook

Twitter

Click here to see a map of Alasia and Malorn and read "interviews" with some of the characters in Prince of Malorn!

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WIPpet Wednesday: "She's Gone"

Yeah, I remembered! In all honesty, my only excuse for not WIPpeting, like, ever has been sheer and simple forgetfulness! Quick update: Slave Again is now with betas (and is apparently giving Kate Sparkes weird dreams). I'm not ready to publish a launch date yet, but I am starting to get a tad bit excited.

Today's section is about Jae, the older brother of the young girl who ended up ... well, let's just say we'd all hope that if we have daughters, they'd never have to even imagine going through what Jae's sister has. WIPpet math is as follows: 14 sentences from page 57, in honor of 5/7/14.

***


Jae touched his mother’s leathery cheek. “Mother.”

From his seat at the table, Father grunted but didn’t look up. “Your mother is resting.”

Jae ignored him. Mother opened her eyes and studied her son. Her expression changed in an instant. “She’s gone.” It wasn’t a question.

Jae lowered his voice. “I know.” He stroked Mother’s greying hair. “But  I met a man at the park who knows where she might be.” Mother made a move to sit up in bed, but Jae pressed gently down on her bony shoulders. “I’m going out to find her, Mother. It might take me a few days."

***

Will Jae find his lost sister? Will Mother recover from her shock and dismay? Why is grunting the only thing Father can do? ... Find out the answer to these questions (and more) when you read Slave Again. (this paragraph is to be read in the deep-bass voice of a professional movie-trailer announcer)

By the way, if you're up for some reading this week, I've asked all betas to have feedback for me by May 12. If you're interested in a 70k speed read and think you can meet the deadline, just leave me a comment. (Be sure to leave your email too if you think I might not have it yet.)

Public Service Announcement: Please remember to keep the kidnapped girls from Nigeria in your thoughts and prayers. May they come home safe and unharmed.

Blog Love: Huge thanks to K L Schwengel for hosting the WIPpet Wednesday blog hop, where authors post snippets from the current Works In Progress.

Random Fact: My husband and I went to see the musical Memphis over the weekend. Anyone else seen it? HOCKADOO!