The Magic of the Carousel

The carousel horses in my trilogy, The Flying Ponies, are all based off real-life carousel horses. They are either aboard machines still in operation or in museums, where people can admire them. Some of them are on the carousel at the Grand Rapids Public Museum; their literary equivalents debut in Tilt, book two of the trilogy.

Two of my fans (and nieces) visited the museum with their family earlier this month and took a spin on the 1928 Spillman carousel. They also took selfies with a couple of the horses; Contessa is a palomino mare and Oriflamme is a palomino armored horse (the names belong to their counterparts in my books). I was given permission to share the pictures.

I love the beauty and majesty of antique carousels, and I love the fact that these two girls were able to ride this one and enjoy it. Carousels have charm and a certain grace, and if you are able to stand quietly next to their painted ponies, you might just hear them whispering.

Magic might not exist in a literal sense, but it can be found in life. One only has to believe and be willing to seek it out in the ordinary.

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Write Your Story

I did an author meet and greet yesterday at Gales IGA in Hart, and I had a ball! I sold some books, but what was more fun was just talking about Lift with the people who came. They were genuinely interested in learning about the process and the inspiration, and I thoroughly enjoy talking about it.

It’s been said that if you can’t find the kind of book you want to read, then you need to write it yourself. There’s a danger in doing that, of course – what if no one else likes your story? Well, to be honest, should a writer care about that? Yes, at least a little. Most working writers hope to make some money, though most of us know we will never make enough to quit our day/night jobs. That’s a reality that needs to be faced.

It doesn’t mean, however, that you shouldn’t write that story that you want to read. Somewhere out there are other people who need your story, too. They might not even realize it until they see it sitting on a local book store’s shelf or on Amazon. Not every person will click with your story, and that’s okay. How many books have you read that didn’t do it for you? That’s no reason to hold back.

I love my story. I love my characters. I can’t wait to share book two of The Flying Ponies trilogy with all of you. It’s a story I would’ve loved to read, but no one had written it, so God gave it to me to write. For better or worse, the Flying Ponies are mine now.

What story do you want to read that hasn’t been written yet? Perhaps it hasn’t been written because it’s waiting for you to do it.

Have a blessed Memorial Day, everyone. Remember our fallen soldiers and what they did to protect the freedom we as Americans enjoy.

(I found this quote on Pinterest.)

FANS!!!

It’s true – Lift has fans! I am so excited! I had the opportunity to talk to a reader last week at the library who asked about book two and told me how much she loved Lift. And this past Saturday I received my first piece of fan art from another reader who loves my story. I am so geeked!

As a writer, I knew Lift would not be for everyone. There are millions of readers in not only our nation but the world, and no one book could make each of them happy. Still, to interact with readers who connected with the story and enjoyed it has been such a wonderful part of being an author.

I am halfway through Tilt, book two in The Flying Ponies trilogy, and I expect to publish it around April of 2019. This second book will answer questions left over from Lift and introduce more of the 32 Flying Ponies of the carousel. I am looking forward to sharing this second book with the fans!

Isn’t this fan art cool?! I’m so glad readers are enjoying the story – I’m enjoying the experience of being an author!

Support Your Locals!

I have been frequenting Gales IGA grocery store from the time I was little. Whichever one of us girls went grocery shopping with Mom there got a snack and a pop for the ride home. It’s a friendly place, and easy to find what you need.

Gales has been getting a make over recently, and it looks amazing! Their new cafe spot with comfy chairs, couches and tables is a terrific place to sit and relax for a bit. Another new feature is that they carry home decorations and items made by local people. One of those local items is a new book entitled Lift!

I was super excited to be asked if they could carry my first novel. Of course I said yes! How awesome to have something of mine displayed and for sale in a store that I admire and love?

This writing adventure, which started back in high school, is leading to some marvelous things. I now have Lift available at the Book Nook & Java Shop in Montague, and Gales IGA in Hart. It’s so nifty.

Oh, and I got to meet a fan today at the library where I work. So cool. So blessed. I love this writing life!

Here’s a picture of Lift on display at Gales. Have a wonderful evening!

PS! I’m going to be at Gales on Saturday, May 26th, from 4-5 pm, speaking about writing and signing copies of Lift!

Lift Book Trailer!

Brought to you from Laura A. Grace from Unicorn Quester, who graciously made this for me while also reviewing Lift and interviewing me.

Enjoy!!

Daybreaker Hits Home!

Daybreaker is the final book in the Undertow series. The author, K. R. Conway, is also my publisher. We met on Goodreads, after I fangirled over Undertow, the first book in the series. Daybreaker releases tomorrow!

This is the press release for Daybreaker and the Undertow series:

Daybreaker, the final book in K.R. Conway’s Urban Fantasy series known as Undertow, is finally out! If you have yet to read about Eila Walker (you know, the hilarious teen girl who inherits a house with a murderous past along with a snarky crew of supernatural rejects and a killer boy who’s determined to keep her alive), have no fear: the link to the first book is here: https://books2read.com/u/m2okW7

The link to all Conway’s books are here: https://www.amazon.com/K.R.-Conway/e/B00FUZUXRU/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1520549081&sr=8-1

BIO:

K.R. Conway is a sarcastic bugger who likes to torment Cape Cod’s summertime tourists, taunting them about sneaky sharks and traffic-free backroads. She’s been a professional journalist since 1999 when several newspaper editors lost their minds and hired her as a feature writer. She is best known, however, for her Urban Fantasy series, Undertow, which reads like a mash-up of Jaws and The Goonies.

Awards, nominations, and features include Barnes and Noble’s Seven Terrifying Summer Reads for Teens (2015), Teen Ink Magazine’s Best Picks, Girl’s Life Magazine Cool Winter Reads, newspapers, magazines, and radio. Nominations include Indie Recon Live (Best New YA, Best Opening Line, Best Book Boyfriend), YALSA, Cybil, Goodreads, IRDA, and others.

The series has spawned fan fiction, fan art, jewelry, clothing, and even tattoos. Conway, who is a member of SCBWI, teaches fiction craft at writer conferences, high schools, and libraries. She lives on Cape Cod with her equally weird family and a strange assortment of critters. When not writing, Conway drives a forty-foot Loser Cruiser that smells like forgotten Pony sneakers from the 80s.
LINKS:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k_r_conway/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKRConway/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharkProse
Website: https://capecodscribe.com

I Love Star Wars

I suppose this is the time to confess that I am a Star Wars fangirl. I love all of it: the movies (okay, some more than others, obviously), the books, the comics, the TOYS. Oh man, the toys! In the picture below you see one of my all-time favorite machines: the glorious AT-AT Imperial Walker. This particular one, named Frostbite, is from the LEGO Mini Line (isn’t he cute??). I also own a full-size Walker named Avalanche, and a plush one named Snowball (the AT-ATs in The Empire Strikes Back were part of General Maximilian Veers’s Blizzard Force). 

So yeah. I’m a bit of a fan of George Lucas and his amazing sci-fi/fantasy space opera. My hubby and I have a big Millennium Falcon hanging on our office wall above my desk. Star Wars Funko Pops intermingle with Star Wars action figures. Slave One sits proudly on one of our shelves in the office. My favorite character, you ask? That old chip-off-the-Jango, Boba Fett, ever since his appearance in The Empire Strikes Back. 

Being a fangirl gives me the right to not like everything. I don’t like The Phantom Menace. I’m not a big fan of Rogue One. But Star Wars is such an epic, sweeping story that even given those parts of it I don’t much like, it still topples every other fandom for me. I’m also a Browncoat, Whovian, superhero fan, and proud of it. But ask me for my favorite, the one fandom I couldn’t live without, and Star Wars would win every single time. 

I’m excited for The Last Jedi. I expect good things. We are seeing it Sunday afternoon, so I’ve had to tell others not to give spoilers away. I want to see Rey decide to experiment with the Dark side of the Force. I want to see more of Kylo Ren’s personal conflictions. But most of all?

I want to see those behemoth AT-M6s pounding across the battleground. Why? I am an Empire girl, and my dream job in the Star Wars universe would be an AT-AT driver.

Have a great and blessed weekend, and as always,  MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!