FEATURED FAN ART

This month I'm featuring the dynamic duo: Lily L. and Kristina M. They finished reading RIDERS OF THE REALM on the exact same day and each drew some dramatic fan art, featured above! Lily and Kristina met through the Guardian Herd fandom and have become best friends. They've already written a book together! You'll notice Kristina in the shoutouts, she turned 18 in April.

Happy Birthday!

WHAT'S ON MY DESK?

This Month's Project: I'm reviewing copyedits for RIDERS OF THE REALM #2 "Through the Untamed Sky". Copyediting is the next step after line editing. Now that my editor and I are happy with the plot and we've worked out any major issues, the book shifts over to a highly specialized team of copyeditors. They correct the grammar and study the book for inconsistencies. They confirm all that is referenced from previous books and keep track of the timeline and the characters. This is a micro-edit with all the focus resting on the small, itty-bitty details that get missed during the macro-edit. It's also my final chance to make revisions and tweak sentences before the ARC's are printed for reviewers. There is another phase coming up before the book is finished. More to come!

SHOUT OUTS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY & CONGRATULATIONS to the following colts and fillies!

Taylah wishes her sister Bianca G. a Happy upcoming Birthday on May 26th!

Happy Birthday from Lily. L. to Kristina M. Kristina turned 18 on April 27th!

Isabella L. is getting a new pony named Blue Bell. Congratulations!

Diana wishes her daughter Olivia W. a Happy Birthday! Olivia turned 13 on April 20th!

Emily R. says Happy Birthday to Dawnfeather on the Message Board. She turned 11 on April 6th!

Emily F. wishes her dad a Happy Birthday. He turned 42 on May 8th

Sophie congratulates her parents on their Wedding Anniversary, April 21st

Paisley wishes her horse Rocky a happy 6 year Meet-A-Versary!

Elizabeth B. wishes Ally and Caleb a Happy Marriage!

Happy Birthday to Riverstar on the Message Board who had a birthday on April 21st

And a big hello to Anna and Audrey--thank you for reading my books!

If you'd like a shout out, please press the button below. I'll say hello, wish you a happy birthday, or congratulate you in my monthly video and newsletter--just let me know what's going on!

TRIVIA!

This bears repeating: There is super secret information about Bumblewind that came out in RIDERS OF THE REALM. This information is not written in the advance reader copy (ARC), only in the final version that released May 1st. If you pre-ordered, don't worry--you will receive the final version with all the info included! If you win an ARC, you won't know the secret so be sure to read the final version! Ask your local library to order it if for you can't afford it!

JEN'S WRITING TIPS

(photo by Nick Alvarez)

How to Read Your Story with Fresh Eyes

Writers are often blind to the faults in their manuscripts, especially right after we've written them. Here are five ways to see your story with fresh eyes:

1. Put it away for a few weeks before reading it again
2. Read it out loud
3. Read it in a new font
4. Print it
5. Ask someone to read it to you or have your computer read it

To have your pet featured, email a photo and write a few sentences about what makes him/her special! (The actual month your pet appears will depend on how many readers respond)

Email your pet's pic to jennifer@theguardianherd(dot)com

Video: Huge ARC Giveaway!