What is that on my book cover?

I've been really blessed to have great covers for both of my books: Mark of Royalty and The Knight of Redmond. I've had a lot of people ask about them, and compliment me on them. I wish I could take credit for the great artwork, but I really don't have much of a say when it comes to cover design. My publisher takes care of that and they have some great designers.

I was really pleased when I saw the cover for The Knight of Redmond. As a matter of fact, I was surprised that it matched the characters so well--right down to Lily wearing her green cloak. I've also had a lot of people compliment on Wren, the knight on the cover. He is an intriguing character and the cover matches him perfectly. That said, I did receive one question about the cover art depicting Wren which I had to do a little research on before I could answer it. The question was: "What is the metal ring below Wren's face?"

My first thought was that it was a ring attached to Wren's breastplate armor. That idea seemed to be the general opinion of others as well. But we were wrong. The audio version of The Knight of Redmond actually has a broader view where we can get a better look at what that metal thing is.

I know the colors are not the best because this is just a snapshot of my audiobook cover. If you look carefully you'll see that the metal ring is not a part of Wren's armor, but is the pommel of a sword which he is holding. It blends in nicely with the armor behind it, so it's kind of hard to distinguish, but nonetheless--that's what it is.

Another mystery solved.
 

Book Signing Under the Horse Head

Yes, I'm actually having a book signing under the horse head.
Sounds funny, right? I'm sure someone is picturing me sitting next to my horse and signing books.
Now, I love horses, but.....

 unfortunately, I'm not going to be doing any book signings with any equine friends.

However I am having a book signing in my home town of Monticello, Utah--a small picturesque town that sits on the foothills of the Blue Mountain.

And thus...I will be having a book signing under the horse head. Do you see it? There is a horse head on the mountain side.  It's shaped out of trees and depicts the head, neck, two ears, and the blaze down the horse's face which is marked with snow. Yes the trees do grow naturally in that shape and it's always been there. Here's a better look.

It might take a little imagination for some people, but it's always been easy for me to see it, but then I grew up looking at it every day.

The book signing is set up on the 26th of July which is the weekend of Monticello's Pioneer Day celebration so I get to enjoy the whole small-town celebration, and you can't get any better than a small town celebration which comes complete with a parade on main street and booths in the park.

And it is a SMALL town. Population 1,981. Nope that wasn't a typo.
This is main street during rush hour.

Has anyone driven through Monticello lately? It's a gorgeous little mountain retreat. First settled by the pioneers in the late 1800's, the name: Monticello, is in honor of Thomas Jefferson's estate which can be found on the back of most nickles. The town still has several old buildings like the Court House pictured below.

And the old LDS church.

And some old houses. This particular house, built around 1916, is on the street where I grew up. We used to play kick-the-can and hide-n-seek there all the time. It had the best hiding spots in the whole neighborhood, not to mention the best ghost stories.

Lots of old things can be seen around--and yes this tractor actually runs.

And there are some new things. Like The Hideout, an 18 hole golf course, which  has been ranked the No. 2 Golf Course in Utah. And Monticello is also home to the first mini-Temple ever built.

So if you haven't been to Monticello, you should go visit. And if you're there for the Pioneer Day Celebration this month then stop by and see me. I'll be at the San Juan Record (49 South Main) on Friday, July26th from 2:00pm till 4:00pm signing books.

The Publication Process--The Life and Times of THE KNIGHT OF REDMOND

 

One of the misconceptions I often see among readers is the off-the-wall idea about how much time it takes to have a book published. I've talked to multiple people who believe that once a manuscript has been submitted to the publisher it should be hitting shelves in a couple of months. Hmmm . . . that would be nice—like someone sending me Lindt Chocolate Truffles every week nice, but let's face it—it ain't gonna happen (darn). Granted all publishers are different and smaller ones tend to have  shorter process. There are also other factors that determine how long it takes for example: 

·         The publisher may request a rewrite, so it takes longer to get it published.

·         Genre—some genres just sell better and can turn out more books in a shorter amount of time due to demand.

·         Author's contract with the publisher (Some authors are contracted to turn out 2 books every year and the publisher clears a spot for them in their lineup—it’s like a Get Out Of Jail Free card.   

So you see, there are many factors, but still, a few months between submission to publication is definitely not the norm.

To give you an idea of what my publication timeline looks like,

 here is the process THE KNIGHT OF REDMOND went through:

THE KNIGHT OF REDMOND (Originally titled UNBREAKABLE CHAIN) was written in 2010 and was submitted to my publisher the 5th of January in 2011.

It took 10 1/2 months before the publisher accepted it for publication. I admit it took longer than average to be accepted, but during that time 2 evaluators from the publisher read it, and then I was asked to do a rewrite on it. The plot was mainly adventure and the publisher wanted to see more romance. So I turned up the heat between the two main characters. I then resubmitted the new manuscript and it went through the evaluators again, and after their favorable reviews it made it to committee. (This is starting to sound like a bill trying to get through congress.) And finally, on November 18th of 2011 I received an email saying it was accepted. Happy dance.

After that it just waited in line behind all of the other manuscripts that were getting ready for publication. My sister and I took that time to coauthor another book together.

(Waiting, waiting, waiting. . . )

Nearly a year later, in October of 2012, I heard from my editor that we were ready to start doing the first edits on THE KNIGHT OF REDMOND. The editing process took several months and then in April the copy edits were finalized and it was sent off to press. And then TADA! The first week of May, I had the book in hand! Woohooo!

So if you do your math right you'll see that it took a total of 2 years and 4 months from the time I first submitted it to when it was released.

SIDE NOTE: There are some authors with significantly shorter turnaround times. (Pause here while I turn green with envy). 

So in short: Yes, in some cases, it is easier to get a bill passed through congress than it is to publish a book. But it's so worth the wait!

 

Read the first chapters of The Knight of Redmond For Free

 

I've had a lot of people ask me what The Knight of Redmond is about.

 I've already posted the back cover blurb, so in short. . . 

A cursed birthmark. . . 

An assassin trying to kill an entire family. . .

And a choice between decades of tradition and unexpected love.

 If you want more, you can read the first three chapters of The Knight of Redmond here.

Purchase the book on Amazon here.

THE KNIGHT OF REDMOND--Cover Reveal

I'm so excited! 

Here it is--the cover reveal for THE KNIGHT OF REDMOND!

Woohooo!!!!
Isn't it a great cover? I love it! It depicts the two main characters so well--Lily wearing her green cloak that she is never without; and Wren, the Redmond knight (My daughter says he's "hot"), the man with a tormented past yet so strong-willed, idealistic, and awesome with a sword! I'm so excited for when I actually have the book in hand!

From the back cover:

The Knight of Redmond

Lily is desperate to experience the world beyond her small village. A summer trip through the kingdom in the company of her uncle promises just the sort of escape she yearns for until, scarcely a day into their journey, the threat of battle on the road ahead ends her exploration before it’s even begun. But the path home proves more perilous than she could have imagined. After a terrifying encounter with her uncle’s merciless adversary, Lily must flee for her life. Separated from her uncle, she has no choice but to enter enemy territory alone. It appears that adventure is on the horizon after all . . .

Thrust into an unfamiliar world, Lily is forced to align herself with Wren, a young knight from a rival land. With war looming, they must set aside generations of contention to save the ruling family—as well as Lily’s own people—from annihilation. But when a shocking secret is revealed, her allegiance to her clan—and her growing feelings for Wren—are called into question. Now, Lily must make a choice: continue on the conflict-ridden path of her kin, or break down the barriers in her land . . . and her heart.