Thursday, November 21, 2013

The Journey - A New Adventure






What's on my mind these days?












  • We're building a new house and closing in on a move in date of mid-January.

  • We just discovered we have a new grandchild on the way.

  • My new book, The Journey of Eleven Moons just released


And . . . well there's lots more happening. The holidays are galloping toward us. My son and his wife are coming to visit this weekend, along with baby Cy. I've got book-signings and celebrations fast approaching.

Life is full of goodness. But, since the house isn't completed yet and the baby won't be here until June and my heart and mind is full of my new book I've just got to talk about The Journey of Eleven Moons. I hope you're not bored of listening. This book journey has been very different from those in the past.

This time around, the book is one I'm familiar with. It feels like an old friend, only it's new. And the characters have become like family. I'm desperate to share the story and characters with you. I hate to use the word desperate. It's so often misunderstood. But I use the word in the best way possible. I feel an urgency to introduce readers to the amazing and touching story of Anna, Iya and Erik.

Here's what it says on the back cover.

A successful walrus hunt means Anna and her beloved Kinauquak will soon be joined in marriage. But before they can seal their promise to one another, a tsunami wipes their tribe from the rugged shore - everyone except Anna and her little sister, Iya, who are left alone to face the Alaskan wilderness.

A stranger, a Civil War veteran with golden hair and blue eyes, wanders the untamed Aleutian Islands. He offers help, but can Anna trust him or his God? 
And if she doesn't, 
how will she and Iya survive?

The Journey of Eleven Moons is one of my favorite stories. I wrote the book as a newbie writer when I still had a lot to learn about the craft of writing. When I reread the book a couple of years ago, I felt compelled to revise and update the story - to make it better. This year turned out to be the perfect time to do that and what a journey it has been.

I discovered that revising a book is more difficult than creating one. At least it was for me. I also discovered that I still had a lot to learn as a writer. That's something I love actually. Writers never stop learning, story telling continues to be an adventure. With the help of Christina Tarabochia and the Lord we whipped The Journey of Eleven Moons into shape. It's still not perfect, but who wants perfection anyway?   :-)

Working with a small press has been fabulous - so much more hands on. I feel a part of the complete process. And working with Christina Tarabochia and Sherrie Ashcraft of Ashberry Lane Publishing has been a dream. I know they love and care about the story and its characters. And it's been absolutely grand to watch the Lord step in and work alongside us all. He's been present throughout every step.

There are some challenges to working with a small press. The biggest is getting the word out about a new book. It isn't in all the bookstores and there's not a large budget for marketing. That means we have to roll up our sleeves and work harder to introduce a book to readers. And the readers can help too. Word of mouth is a big deal, even in this techno world we live in. If you haven't read the book, but it sounds like one you'd like, give it a try. And if you like it tell others. 

I want to hear from you. What did you think of the book and have you had any fun experiences sharing the story with someone else? For instance, a couple of days ago I had the sweetest experience with  my grandson, Ezra. He loves books. He asked me if he could take one of my books to school and explained that his friends didn't believe I was a "real live" author, which is better than a "real dead" author. So, he took a book and some book marks to school the following day. When he came home he glad to tell me that his friends believed that I was a "real live" author and that he needed more book marks. Evidently, his school mates were properly impressed and wanted to read my books. Super! 

I love my grandchildren. They are so much fun and make life extra special.


I have booksignings coming up so check out my events page at http://bonnieleon.com/html/speakingandevents.html. I also have a contest running, The Journey of Eleven Moons Giveaway, for nine more days. There are some fabulous gifts. You can find out more about it by dropping in at my website at http://bonnieleon.com/ and clicking on the contest image at the top of the page. And of course you can ask your local bookstore to order the book or they are available on line. 

I hope you'll drop in at some of the online interviews I've had and leave a comment. 

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

6 comments:

  1. No comments- now that just cannot be.
    I love my grandkids too. Love your grandson taking your book to school.
    God Bless and anoint you and use you.

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  2. New house soon,new grandchild on the way. Sounds wonderful.

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  3. Squire - Thank you for the blessing. It means a lot.

    And grandchildren - what a gift they are.

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  4. Bonnie, they are wonderful. So excited to get moved into our new home - only a couple of months now. But a long wait for our grandchild, though we've been through this before and know the time will go fast. I can barely believe I have a grandson in high school this year - those years went by way too fast.

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  5. Anonymous10:55 PM

    I'm so thankful you're real alive and not real dead! hahahaha!

    ReplyDelete

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