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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.

Description:

A new and exciting fantasy novel—the first in a trilogy—from the imagination of The Guardian Herd series author Jennifer Lynn Alvarez. Perfect for fans of Lisa McMann’s Going Wild, Brandon Mull’s Wild Born, or Erin Hunter’s Warriors series.

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Deep in the jungles of the Realm, the Sandwen clan live amongst deadly spit dragons and hordes of warring giants. But with their winged battle horses, they manage to keep their people safe. Twelve-year-old Rahkki is a stable groom for the Riders in the Sandwen army, taking care of his brother’s winged stallion. The Sandwens believe they have tamed all the wild pegasi in their land, and turned them into flying warhorses. But when a herd of wild steeds flies over their village, Rahkki and his clanmates are stunned.

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Meanwhile, a small herd of pegasi have journeyed across a treacherous ocean to settle in a new, and free, land. Led by Echofrost and Hazelwind, the Storm Herd steeds are unaware of the Sandwen people. But when the unthinkable happens, Echofrost and the rest of Storm Herd will have to come to trust the Sandwens, or both may not survive.

WHAT'S ON MY DESK?

This Month's Project: I am STILL editing book three in the RIDERS OF THE REALM trilogy. It was a blast to write, but it's been a beast to edit. 

SHOUT OUTS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY and CONGRATULATIONS to the following colts and fillies!

Sidney M's dog, Rosie, turns 4 in September, yay Rosie!

Aurora got a horse named Taffy-congratulations!

Erica G. made the competive team at her dance studio-hard work pays off!

Dragon turned 14 on August 22nd--Happy Birthday, here's to many more!

Annalise S. turned 11 on September 9th-eleven is heaven!

Jonathan E. learned to canter on horseback without holding the saddle--yee haw!

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!

In order to publish a novel these days, one needs a literary agent. Very few publishers will read an unagented manuscript anymore. So after I wrote STARFIRE, I penned what is called a "Query Letter" to send to agents. My first choice was an agent who had previously rejected me. Why--because she had sent a personal note along with her rejection, and I clung to that teeny tiny connection we had made. She said that the YA novel I'd sent her "lacked tension". So after writing STARFIRE, which was then called THE WINGED HERDS OF ANOK, I queried her. This is the letter I sent:

Dear Jacqueline Flynn,

I queried you with a YA project several months ago, and I appreciated your personal feedback on the manuscript. Today I’m querying you with something completely different. It’s an upper middle grade fantasy of 58,000 words titled The Winged Herds of Anok.

This novel does not lack the tension that was missing in my YA manuscript! Readers who enjoy books like the Warriors series might enjoy this novel.

The book in a sentence: “The Winged Herds of Anok introduces readers to a new and often hostile world where thousands of war-torn pegasi rule the skies and the hope of peace rests in the helpless wings of a special black foal.”

The book in a brief synopsis: “For the winged herds of Anok war, kidnappings, and executions are as commonplace as sunsets. Every hundred years the balance of power is threatened when a black foal is born who is prophesied to either unite or conquer the five herds, and no pegasus—not even the foal—knows which he has come to accomplish.

This century’s black colt, Star, is born malformed and unable to fly. That he will one day become the most powerful pegasus in Anok is laughable, but it is also probable. To be safe, the over-stallions of the five herds plan to execute him on his first birthday. Star must rely on a wingful of supporters to survive.

In the meantime his over-sized wings drag on the ground, he suffers a constant ache between his shoulder blades, and he must travel by hoof like a common horse. Star feels cursed not blessed. His greatest wish is to be a regular flying foal like his friends, but death and destruction seem to follow his every step.

With the future of the herds in the balance, and more importantly the lives of his best friends, the black foal rockets toward his inescapable destiny. Amidst the clash of war, the agony of treason, the ferocity of nature, and the inestimable power of hope—three devoted pegasi make the ultimate sacrifice to save Star and see the prophecy fulfilled—for better or for worse.”

I received my degree in English Literature from U.C. Berkeley in 1993. I write a blog dedicated to book marketing and author interviews, and I speak regularly at schools about creative writing. I have been featured in print at Marin Magazine, The North Bay Bohemian, and The Windsor Times.

I’ve pasted the first chapter (approx. ten pages) below followed by a detailed chapter-by-chapter synopsis. The complete manuscript is available should you decide to request it. You may contact me by phone at XXXXX, or by email at XXXXX. I appreciate your time and consideration!

Sincerely, Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

Jacquie called me before she even finished reading the novel, and the rest is history!

Lesson: Agents reject manuscripts, not people. They want to say yes. And when you face rejection, don't quit! Keep trying, learning, growing, and producing new works.

"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit." Richard Bach

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.

I'm so excited to DISCUSS this with you!

JEN'S WRITING TIPS

(photo by Nick Alvarez)

Today I'm going to give you a writing prompt for a short story!

1. Choose a character: boy, girl, animal, or creature
2. Choose a setting: mountains, desert, city, made-up world
3. Choose a time period: present, past, future
4. Choose from one of the following problems:

• Your character loses something very important (to them or to someone else)
• Your character wakes up in a strange place and doesn't remember how they got there
• Your character discovers they have a super power

Now write a short story about what happens next! Remember to show your characters, setting, and action using sensory details, precise adjectives, and active verbs. Use obstacles, conflicts, and shortcomings to make it difficult for your character to solve their problem. End the story soon after your character resolves the conflict.

Next: let your story rest for a week or two, edit it for mistakes and clarity, and then share your work with your friends and/or family members. Learning to tell stories via the written word takes practice and helpful feedback. Good luck!

• The Design team plans cover concepts and hires an illustrator
• The Author and Editor begin revising and polishing the book (several months for this, depending)
• The book goes to Copyediting for a grammar check and to ensure consistency of details (another month or so)
• Marketing and Publicity plan how to present the book to the public: perhaps place ads, plan author tours, create promotions etc.
• The Sales team reads the book and begins to chat about it with bookstores and other book buyers
• Library Outreach presents the book to librarians at meetings and conferences
• An official title is decided upon
• A book jacket is designed
• Blurbs from other authors are sought
• Galleys are printed. These are sent to reviewers, book bloggers, and are given away at events/conferences
• The finished cover is revealed
• Book birthday events are planned
• Then the book is released in stores, and everyone hopes that readers enjoy it!

Because of this, by the time you read one of my books, I'm already on to the next one.