HAVE YOU HERD?

March 15, 2018

(Giveaway Video at the End)

Written by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

Here is a partial view of chapter heading art that appears in RIDERS OF THE REALM. It's one of my favortie pieces. Tune in next month to see the entire image!

Pre-Order an Autographed and Personalized Copy

RIDERS OF THE REALM #1 "Across the Dark Water"

Copperfield's Books

Santa Rosa, CA

U.S.A.

707-578-8938

(store will ship for small fee)

FEATURED FAN ART

 

Natalie L. from Tennessee drew Stormtail! He is an Ice Warrior who first appears in The Guardian Herd #4: WINDBORN. He's Petalcloud's personal guard and is now the guardian of her filly, Riversun. Stormtail is a gigantic pegasus!

 

For a little fun, find out which herd is yours on the Guardian Herd website!

WHICH HERD IS YOURS?
See More FanArt on Instagram

WHAT'S ON MY DESK?

This Month's Project: I dropped everything this week to work on line edits for ROTR #2. My editor in New York uses "Track Changes" in Word to write notes in my manuscripts. Using her comments to guide me, I'm fixing inconsistencies, awkward phrasing, confusing text, and smoothing out transitions. I love working on line edits because my editor's comments provide such clear feedback. Check out today's Writing Tips below for more about this.

 

A good editor always improves a writer's work!

SHOUT OUTS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY & CONGRATULATIONS to the following colts and fillies!

 

Congratulations and Happy Birthday to Hannah R. who turned 12 on February 24th and celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on March 1st.

Happy Birthday to Clara's horse Roscoe who is turning 8 on April 3rd

Addison turned 12 on March 3rd, Happy Birthday

David A. wishes his soon to be sister-in-law Heidi a Happy Birthday, February 22nd

Emily's best forever friend Morgan turned 12 on Februrary 28th, Happy Birthday

Hello to Tristan in South Africa and happy upcoming birthday, April 14th

Happy Birthday to Cassie B. who turned 14 on March 12th

Willow B. says Happy Birthday to her friend Tyler D., who is turning 13 tomorrow, March 16th

Happy Birthday to Shonagh who is turning 12 on March 31st

And congratulations to Anna R. who had a birthday on February 28th

!!!

 

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!

REQUEST SHOUT OUT

YOU'RE INVITED!

 

Please join me at Copperfield's Books on May 1, 2018 to celebrate the release of this new trilogy, RIDERS OF THE REALM! Call ahead to reserve your copy (last time I sold out in ten minutes!)

707-578-8938

Feel free to bring your Guardian Herd books--I'll be happy to sign them for you.

 

Prizes:

Plush Pegasus Toy

Mancala Game

Book Posters

Stickers!

TRIVIA!

There is super secret information about Bumblewind coming out in RIDERS OF THE REALM. This information is not written in the advance copy (ARC), only in the final version that comes out May 1st. If you pre-ordered, don't worry--you will receive the final version with all the info included! Readers on the Message Board are trying to guess what it is--but there are only a few people on Earth who know the secret: myself, my team at HarperCollins, and my daughter!

WINGBEATS BOOK CLUB

 

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

by Dusti Bowling

Suggested by: Flamefrost on the MB

 

This is our book for February and March.

 

Discussion on The Message Board

beginning February 15, 2018

 
WINGBEATS BOOK CLUB

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.

JEN'S WRITING TIPS

(photo by Nick Alvarez)

How to Seek Helpful Feedback on Your Story

 

Unless you write a perfect first draft, you'll need to revise your work. This goes beyond correcting grammar and punctuation. You'll want to look at the big picture: plot, pacing, setting, character likability, and clarity. It can be helpful to ask an objective person to read your work and give you feedback. Here is a Top Ten list of questions to ask them about your work!

 

1. Clarity: What, if anything, is confusing about the story?

 

2. Pacing: Does the story move to slowly or too quickly? Show me where the flow feels off.

 

3. Description: Can you visualize the scene? Am I using too much detail or not enough?

 

4. Characters: Are the characters distinct from one another? Are they too perfect? Are they likeable?

 

5. Setting: Do you feel grounded in where and when the story takes place? Do you understand how the world inside the story operates (rules of magic, government, customs etc)?

 

6. Plot: Is the story continually moving forward? Is the tension increasing? Is it logical?

 

7. Dialogue: Does it ring true? Is there too much or too little? Does the dialogue move the story forward or reveal something about the characters?

 

8. Praise: Where does the story shine? What do I do well?

 

9. Repetition: What phrases, words, or descriptions repeat too often?

 

10. Who to ask: Seek readers who enjoy the genre you're writing. Someone who doesn't appreciate sci-fi or animal books or mysteries probably doesn't read them. They may not be the best judge of your work unless they are truly able to set their reading preferences aside.

HERD NERD PETS

 

Annie Annie is a 2 1/2 year old German Shepard and her person is Meggen L.

 

Annie loves obedience and agility training. She can make anything into an obstacle course. Annie can jump a 5 1/2 foot wall (wow!) and runs as fast as a bullet. She also loves to play fetch. What an athletic girl!

 
VIEW FAN PET PAGE

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

A DAY IN THE LIFE

I enjoyed a rare break in my writing schedule last week, and felt the urge to create! I spent the time redesigning my author website. I invite you to take a look!

VISIT

Video: Jen's Editing Tips & Kitten News!

WATCH ON YOUTUBE
HAVE YOU HERD? Subscribe now!
Subscribe

Share on social

Share on FacebookShare on X (Twitter)Share on Pinterest

This email was created with Wix.‌ Discover More