HAVE YOU HERD? June 2017 Edition (Giveaway Video at the End) |
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FEATURED FAN ART! This is a scene from LANDFALL by reader, Katie H. At the end of Chapter 23, Morningleaf says "Not again" and then faints. She wakes in Chapter 24 and discovers Brackentail resting beside her, sheltering her from the rain with his wing. It's an awkward moment for Morningleaf! The Fan Art of the Month is chosen at random. To be considered, email your art to jennifer@theguardianherd(dot)com Please write "Fan Art" or "Giveaway Entry" in the subject line. Both will be considered for the Fan Art Feature, but only emails marked "Giveaway Entry" will also be entered in the monthly drawings. |
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WHAT'S ON MY DESK When I'm not riding my horse, I'm writing! This Month's Project: On June 12th, I turned in Book Two of the new trilogy. It's been done for some time, but since I made changes to Book One last month, I needed to tweak a few things in Book Two, for consistency's sake. You might wonder what "turning in Book Two" actually looks like. It means I emailed the Word file of the manuscript to my editor in New York (HarperCollins). My editor is Karen Chaplin, by the way! She's very nice and she's worked with me on all four Guardian Herd books and we're working together on the new trilogy. I included a short note to Karen describing what happens in Book Two. I kept the details to a minimum (no one likes spoilers, not even editors, IMO), but not all authors work like I do. I prefer to write alone, without input from anyone, so I can figure out what the book wants to say. Then I send the manuscript to Karen for feedback. Also, I like for her to read it like you guys do, with nothing to go on but an enticing blurb. Karen reads the manuscript and points out what's not working, what's confusing, the hiccups in pacing, etc. Each book I write is unique and seems to come with a new set of problems! |
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SHOUT OUT! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Emily F. who is turning 12 on June 24th! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Averie from Twitter who had a birthday on June 11th. If you'd like a shout out, please press the button below. I'll say hello, wish you a happy birthday, or congratulate you--just let me know what's going on! |
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GUARDIAN HERD TRIVIA! Each pegasus territory in Anok is based off a place I've lived or visited. Sun Herd: the Pacific Northwest, where I live now. It's never too hot, never too cold. Mountain Herd: Lake Tahoe, where my family likes to vacation. Beautiful mountains and alpine lakes. Snow Herd: Alaska, where I lived for 7th, 8th, and half of 9th grade. Gorgeous and wild and unforgiving. Desert Herd: Albuquerque, where I lived when I was two. Hot, hot, hot. Jungle Herd: Costa Rica, where my family and I vacationed in 2006. Fantastic and dangerous and wet. Lake Herd: Minnesota, where I lived for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. Flat and cold and abundantly green. |
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BOOK NEWS I decided to repeat this news once more, since I'm getting a lot of questions! There are big changes happening with PROMISE KEEPER. They are good!! However, the publishing date has been extended. All I can say right now is Summer of 2018. Why? This trilogy is being re-packaged by my publisher into a BRAND NEW SERIES! There will be new titles and new covers. The plot and characters will remain the same. As you can imagine, this was a big decision for my publisher. There was nothing at all wrong with the orginal title or cover (in fact, the cover was awesome!). But Harper did not want to miss the chance to introduce this world that we all love to new readers. And the trilogy is the perfect opportunity to do this because Echofrost and her friends travel to a new continent where they encounter Landwalkers and other strange creatures. The entire pegasus universe is expanding! So a new cover reveal, publishing date, and book teasers will be coming soon! |
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WINGBEATS Book Club THE PRINCESS AND THE FOAL by Stacy Gregg Since kids are still scrambling to finish this book, it will be our pick for July as well. I will host two discussions of this novel, and I've decided that we can do it on the new Fan Herd Message Board (Guardian Herd website). Why? I considered holding discussions on Facebook and Instagram, but many kids aren't allowed to use these apps, and I don't want readers to feel they need to create an account. So we'll try the Message Board and see how that goes! Discussion on June 16, 2017 (tomorrow!) and July 16, 2017 Book suggestions have been pouring in. Please feel free to suggest a book for the club. Let's stick with children's fiction and non-fiction. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRINCESS AND THE FOAL: "A novel of heart and courage inspired by the incredible story of a real-life princess and the foal she loves." Set against the exotic backdrop of Arabia, we will learn about Princess Haya who went on to ride in the Olympics. If you cannot afford the book--please look for it at your local library. If they don't have it, ask them to order it! I'm so excited to DISCUSS this with you! | | |
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PRE-ORDER GIVEAWAY-ENDS 08/01/2017 If you're planning on purchasing the paperback of WINDBORN, you might as well enter to win some GH swag! Email a scan or picture of your receipt and I'll enter you for a chance to win. EMAIL jennifer@theguardianherd(dot)com PRIZES *A WINDBORN book bag *The latest set of character trading cards *A book mark *And an autographed paperback of STARFIRE The bonus story in WINDBORN introduces the ancient Lake Herd pegasi. Find out what happened to them after they all mysteriously vanished! Readers will also meet the legendary stallion Spiderwing! PRE-ORDER WINDBORN HERE Amazon Barnes & Noble Books a Million Find in Bookstore |
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HERD NERD PETS Meet Buddy! Makana B. got this dog from her local shelter in December of 2015. Buddy enjoys herding chickens and jumping agility poles. He also likes to sing along with the piano, pick avacados, and attack shadows under the trampoline. He's self-conscious about his "buttlefluff" (his fluffy tail.) Buddy was born on August 24th and he's originally from Arizona. Doesn't he sound fun? And look how cute he is! 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 |
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JEN'S WRITING TIPS Try punching up your writing with specific verbs. What do I mean by this? Well, rather than have your characters walk, run, or smile, try finding a verb that works a bit harder. Is the character really just running, or is he sprinting? Sprinting is more precise and easier to visualize. Or perhaps the character is jogging? In each sentence he's running, but sprinting indicates great haste and jogging indicates the opposite. The same is true for walking. Walking is a verb that disappears on the page. "She walked to the cabin." Mixing up the verb can change the feel of the sentence. She hiked to the cabin. She limped to the cabin. She marched to the cabin. She trudged to the cabin. As a reader, I can now visualize the character as she moves. In some of the sentences, I can even sense her mood. She trudged to the cabin--that doesn't sound like a happy character. Same goes for facial expressions. A smirk or a grin is more specific than a smile. A scowl or a grimace is more intense than a frown. Specific verbs work great for action scenes. My favorite verb to work with is "hit". Hit is boring! "She hit him." Waah! So what? How about... She struck him. She clubbed him. She slapped him. She whacked him. She spanked him. She punched him. She swatted him. See how much clearer that is? Now I know exactly what she's doing to this poor guy. I can almost hear it! Notice how the sounds of the verbs (when read aloud) closely match the noises they make against flesh? So sift through your most recent manuscript or story and notice your verbs. Where can you exchange a lackluster description for one that shines! Keep in mind that there is a time and a place for these flashy verbs. If you don't want the reader to focus on your character's motions, then you can back off and use verbs that blend. But when you're writing action or you want your reader to "see" your character better--get specific! |
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A DAY IN THE LIFE I am thrilled to be a full-time author. I don't have a typical workday day, but I do have an ideal workday day! Here it is: Wake at 7am, feed the animals, drink coffee, and work on new material. Break at 11am to answer email, fan mail, plan author events, and/or create school, library, and conference presentations. Break at 12:30pm for lunch. 1pm, trail ride my horse or jog two miles with my dog. Then work on editing current material. 4pm, read a book for an hour or so. 5:00 or 6:00 pm until bedtime=dinner and family time! I have three teenagers at home and only one has a license, so my day is often broken up by chauffeur duties. I also take breaks to meet friends for lunch. Loming editing deadlines can turn all of the above to mush. I basically edit from 7am to 6pm, forget to eat, and beg others to drive my kids. But no matter how my day goes, I'm grateful to be a full-time author! |
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