Hi all,
Well, I went to the doctor for my yearly girly exam, not expecting very much because I've done them faithfully like a good girl, but it turns out I received some disturbing news... the doctor felt a lump in one of my breasts. So now on top of everything else I have going on in my life (raising teenagers on my own, working a fulltime job, promoting the 3 books I have published in my series and trying to start the 4th), I now have to make some room on my ever-shrinking plate for this and everything it entails...
The first thing I thought of is my kids and that I don't want them to have to finish growing up without a mother (they're 18 1/2, almost 17 and 14 1/2), especially since they've been with me almost their entire lives (their father is in the Navy and was never really around much because of his job, and now that we're divorced, it's much less).
I know the discovery of a lump doesn't mean that I have breast cancer, but of course when you find out something like this, the first thing most people do is think the worst, and I'm no exception. When the news really sank in, my thoughts began to spin wildly and probably irrationally.. I'm afraid of what this whole thing might mean, and that i might have to leave my kids before I'm ready (but then again, are we ever ready?). I've only been writing for a few years, and I love knowing that children are really enjoying my series and are waiting anxiously for the next book to come out. I have dreams that I want to live still, but I'm afraid that now they will just slip away...
I want to take my kids on a trip to Hawaii (which probably won't be until they're adults, but that's ok because they'll remember it better).. to show them where they were born, and the island (Oahu) that we lived on for 10 years before we moved to Connecticut...
I've never been on a cruise, and desperately want to go on that cruise to Alaska I've been talking about going on to see the beautiful scenery and finally get up close and almost personal with grizzly bears (my favorite animal)...
And I want to finish my series, to finish what I've started, and if this goes as well as I'm thinking it will, I have more books that I want to write! I want more than anything to continue making a difference in kid's lives...
And I'm terrified of not knowing what to expect and what this could mean ...
First I have to go get a mammogram and an ultrasound, which will tell us if there needs to be surgery and other steps to the process that I don't even want to think about yet ... but for now my mind and my heart are overwhelmed with it all...
I don't have breast cancer in my family and I DO NOT want to be the one to start the trend ...
An important thing I learned today is this... All it takes is a simple second of your life to help you to realize how truly mortal you are...
Enjoy every day, don't take anything for granted, and make sure you tell those special people in your lives how very much you love and cherish them EVERY day!
I'll update you as I find out more information about where this fork in my path of life is taking me...
Scared but willing to fight hugs, MJ
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Traditional vs. Self-Publishing Thoughts
I'm a member of a yahoo Fantasy Writing Group, and below is one of the responses by one of the group members, Christopher Rivan. He was responding to another post during a discussion of traditional publishing vs self-publishing. You might want to grab a cup of coffee before you sit down to read this... although it's a little long, it's very enlightening and well worth the read! Enjoy!
A publisher is going to accept and print what he thinks he can get someone to buy. You're right about that. What you're missing is what it MEANS.
We've all read, or even written, the dystopian drama about the future society where only the "right" sort of news makes it to press. Basically, that's precisely what publishers today do. If your book doesn't fit into some narrow little mold they think they know about the consumer, then they kick it back to you.
We're all getting the pablum writing that the big publishing houses think we want to read. I'll bet Baen rejected ten books TODAY that would make it on your "read until it falls apart" list. You will NEVER see them. I find that a lot more saddening than personally getting a rejection letter, because I really don't CARE if someone likes or hates my writing. (You pump out 75,000 words a month and you soon stop getting overly attached to your stuff.)
I point out JK Rowling's "paltry" nine rejection letters because I think we can agree that Harry Potter was the most groundbreaking and effective piece of fantasy fiction published in the last decade. Certainly it was a commercial success; Rowling is the first billionaire in HISTORY made purely through book sales.
Yet some dumb-ass editors thought THEY knew better than anyone else. Some utter buffoons sat there on their high horses and rejected her. A few of them even took the time to write scathing letters of rejection to her. I hope they get a paper cut in a really unfortunate location every day for the rest of their damn careers for that. You lose credibility when you complain about not having the time to read all the manuscripts you're sent every day, but then you take an hour and a half to write a letter whose only purpose is to make someone feel bad.
I think you missed my point about Dan Brown and Kevin Anderson. My point was simply this: it irks me to be told by someone that I don't pay the proper attention to details in my query letter, when the same industry allows such colossal blundering from their "established" writers simply because they are established. Writing a bad book is one thing, screwing up major details and releasing press notices that are complete fabrications is something else, something the publishing industry as a whole refuses to accept responsibility for.
They make YOU, the person that spent most of your life working on this piece, jump through hoops, beg, plead, and cry, and when they finally deign to accept your work they pay you PENNIES on the dollar. Why? Two reasons:
1) The publishing industry is NOTORIOUS for being inefficient. Books are destroyed at EVERY bookseller in the THOUSANDS every week. Talk to the employees at the local Barnes and Noble sometimes. At least one day per week they destroy books. What's worse is that on the next shipment there will be another case of the same damn titles!
The publishing industry has massive overhead in storage and copyediting. These things cost money, and like any industry, the publisher passes the costs in two directions: to the reader and two the writer. (When paperbacks were first printed, by the way, they had an estimated lifetime of twenty-three years. Now, with all our advanced technology, new glues, and fibers, that lifetime has been cut to FIVE years. Think about WHY the publisher might want to sell you a book that falls apart in months. Hardcover books published in 1650 are still in libraries, yet my frickin' copy of Terry Pratchett's "The Wintersmith" is already showing cracks in the binding and I got it for CHRISTMAS.)
and 2) It's always been done that way. Some shmucks are so happy to see their name in print that they'll tolerate being paid like they work at McDonalds. I'm not terribly mercenary, BUT, if I write it, then I need to get paid for it. No editor will EVER spend more time working on my writing than I have.
The problems with self-publishing are NOT in the costs; you'll easily make more money per book through a vanity publisher than through the most generous traditional house. The problems lie in DISTRIBUTION and MARKETING. Because you're self-publishing, YOU have to get on the phone and talk to the agents at the commercial buying houses and booksellers. YOU have to talk people into SELLING your book.
Do the math, if you spend six months collecting rejection slips, you still haven't gotten paid-- and no one has read your book. If you self-published and spent the same six months marketing your fiction and just TWO booksellers picked it up, you're going to get a check. Probably not a very large one, but at least you're making SOMETHING besides heartbreak.
Now, I'll freely admit that most of my experience and opinion comes from non-fiction. I had a publisher seek me out for my NF. I was considering a vanity publisher at the time, and had the contract in front of me when I opened the email from the "traditional" publisher.
Let's see. THEY were going to take copyright and distribution rights away from me. They were going to pay me a whopping 7% (NF is about twice what Fiction royalties are.) per book, and they were going to lock me into a contract so even if I hated their guts, the rest of the four-book series had to be published through them until 2012. The book would be released in 18 months at an estimated 1% buyback (meaning I'd lose 1% of my royalties to buybacks.) THEY were going to assume all editing-by-proxy- - meaning that once I sent the book in, any changes they made were up to them, and I had no rights or legal say in the matter. (See Piers Anthony and "But What of Earth?" for an example of editor-by-proxy gone completely berserk.)
Vanity publisher: I paid them $550 for the initial printing of a 420 page book. POD, so no buybacks and no warehousing. The book was released eight weeks after I sent it in.
I market my book myself. I don't even BOTHER talking to booksellers or I could probably triple my royalties, but I don't need to. I sell primarily through my website, which links to the publisher's ordering form. In the first quarter I made $1700 profit after repaying myself the initial $550 outlay. I also make 50% on books sold through them, and 10% on books sold through other retailers. I also retain all copyrights and publication rights. I can call my publisher right now and tell them I've found a better deal somewhere else. That's MY book, and I get to decide what happens with it and where it goes.
If you're willing to do the legwork yourself then self-publishing is the way to go. If you're not, or you can't get your head round the idea, then go the traditional route. There's no shame in it, in fact there's a lot of pride, but you WILL be part of a process that flatly doesn't give a rat's ass about you or your work. There isn't a single person in a major publishing house that would piss on your manuscript if it were on fire. There are thousands piled up at the door. Yours is just one more, and frankly, if they can get out of reading it somehow, then they certainly will.
Brace yourself, I'm going to get political here. Traditional publishing reminds me of the media. A lot of people sit there in front of the boob tube and believe what the idjits on CNN tell them. They ignore spins and specific verbiage designed to get them to think a certain way (Ever wonder why our president is RARELY called anything but "Bush" while Hillary Clinton is ALWAYS referred to by title and her husband is ALWAYS called "Former President?" Why are the terrorists and murderers in Iraq placing IEDs in schoolyards called "insurgents? " Why is it that the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement to the press in 2002 demanding that major media outlets stop linking the words "Muslim" "Islamic" and "Terrorism" together in articles and stories?)
However, if you're willing to do the work yourself, to seek out first or even second source materials, you're connected right now to the largest repository of knowledge and information in mankind's HISTORY. In three minutes I can tell you whether the main headline on Yahoo! news is accurate or inaccurate, just by running some basic search routines and cross checking my sources.
Most people don't do it. They don't take the time to be informed. I don't care whether you're left or right as long as you make the choice for YOURSELF. Most people don't bother, and the media makes it for them.
Which brings me back to the publishing houses. Once you're in, its easy. After you finally scale the wall, the publisher does EVERYTHING for you: marketing, scheduling, printing, release, distribution, promotion, intermedia discussion, etc. You just sit there and collect your (paltry) checks.
You have to do all the work up front. Write the novel, proof the novel, and then submit, submit, submit. It may take years of heartbreak and rejection, but eventually you might break through to the promised land.
How about doing that work over a sustained period of time instead of up front? Put the same amount of effort into promoting a book you self-published that you would put into trying to get some jackass from Laser Media to read it. Work as hard at marketing your writing to the booksellers as you were willing to work to market it to an agent.
I'll bet you make more in the long run.
Christopher Rivan
Here are my thoughts on this:
I agree with Chris that something definitely needs to happen to get traditional publishers to understand that self-publishing is the wave of the future and it't NOT going to go away. I'm in the middle of getting my 3rd book published (it will be live in April) and I've had MANY doubts about my choice to self-publish... but the more I learn about the freedom I have by doing it myself and knowing that the decisions are MINE to make (and not someone else's to make for me), I'm finally happy that I decided to go with self-publishing. It all comes down to you have to believe in yourself, and don't be afraid of criticism because every time you hear something critical about your writing, it's an opportunity to grow.
Happy reading, writing, and self-publishing!
MJ
www.mjallaire.com
A publisher is going to accept and print what he thinks he can get someone to buy. You're right about that. What you're missing is what it MEANS.
We've all read, or even written, the dystopian drama about the future society where only the "right" sort of news makes it to press. Basically, that's precisely what publishers today do. If your book doesn't fit into some narrow little mold they think they know about the consumer, then they kick it back to you.
We're all getting the pablum writing that the big publishing houses think we want to read. I'll bet Baen rejected ten books TODAY that would make it on your "read until it falls apart" list. You will NEVER see them. I find that a lot more saddening than personally getting a rejection letter, because I really don't CARE if someone likes or hates my writing. (You pump out 75,000 words a month and you soon stop getting overly attached to your stuff.)
I point out JK Rowling's "paltry" nine rejection letters because I think we can agree that Harry Potter was the most groundbreaking and effective piece of fantasy fiction published in the last decade. Certainly it was a commercial success; Rowling is the first billionaire in HISTORY made purely through book sales.
Yet some dumb-ass editors thought THEY knew better than anyone else. Some utter buffoons sat there on their high horses and rejected her. A few of them even took the time to write scathing letters of rejection to her. I hope they get a paper cut in a really unfortunate location every day for the rest of their damn careers for that. You lose credibility when you complain about not having the time to read all the manuscripts you're sent every day, but then you take an hour and a half to write a letter whose only purpose is to make someone feel bad.
I think you missed my point about Dan Brown and Kevin Anderson. My point was simply this: it irks me to be told by someone that I don't pay the proper attention to details in my query letter, when the same industry allows such colossal blundering from their "established" writers simply because they are established. Writing a bad book is one thing, screwing up major details and releasing press notices that are complete fabrications is something else, something the publishing industry as a whole refuses to accept responsibility for.
They make YOU, the person that spent most of your life working on this piece, jump through hoops, beg, plead, and cry, and when they finally deign to accept your work they pay you PENNIES on the dollar. Why? Two reasons:
1) The publishing industry is NOTORIOUS for being inefficient. Books are destroyed at EVERY bookseller in the THOUSANDS every week. Talk to the employees at the local Barnes and Noble sometimes. At least one day per week they destroy books. What's worse is that on the next shipment there will be another case of the same damn titles!
The publishing industry has massive overhead in storage and copyediting. These things cost money, and like any industry, the publisher passes the costs in two directions: to the reader and two the writer. (When paperbacks were first printed, by the way, they had an estimated lifetime of twenty-three years. Now, with all our advanced technology, new glues, and fibers, that lifetime has been cut to FIVE years. Think about WHY the publisher might want to sell you a book that falls apart in months. Hardcover books published in 1650 are still in libraries, yet my frickin' copy of Terry Pratchett's "The Wintersmith" is already showing cracks in the binding and I got it for CHRISTMAS.)
and 2) It's always been done that way. Some shmucks are so happy to see their name in print that they'll tolerate being paid like they work at McDonalds. I'm not terribly mercenary, BUT, if I write it, then I need to get paid for it. No editor will EVER spend more time working on my writing than I have.
The problems with self-publishing are NOT in the costs; you'll easily make more money per book through a vanity publisher than through the most generous traditional house. The problems lie in DISTRIBUTION and MARKETING. Because you're self-publishing, YOU have to get on the phone and talk to the agents at the commercial buying houses and booksellers. YOU have to talk people into SELLING your book.
Do the math, if you spend six months collecting rejection slips, you still haven't gotten paid-- and no one has read your book. If you self-published and spent the same six months marketing your fiction and just TWO booksellers picked it up, you're going to get a check. Probably not a very large one, but at least you're making SOMETHING besides heartbreak.
Now, I'll freely admit that most of my experience and opinion comes from non-fiction. I had a publisher seek me out for my NF. I was considering a vanity publisher at the time, and had the contract in front of me when I opened the email from the "traditional" publisher.
Let's see. THEY were going to take copyright and distribution rights away from me. They were going to pay me a whopping 7% (NF is about twice what Fiction royalties are.) per book, and they were going to lock me into a contract so even if I hated their guts, the rest of the four-book series had to be published through them until 2012. The book would be released in 18 months at an estimated 1% buyback (meaning I'd lose 1% of my royalties to buybacks.) THEY were going to assume all editing-by-proxy- - meaning that once I sent the book in, any changes they made were up to them, and I had no rights or legal say in the matter. (See Piers Anthony and "But What of Earth?" for an example of editor-by-proxy gone completely berserk.)
Vanity publisher: I paid them $550 for the initial printing of a 420 page book. POD, so no buybacks and no warehousing. The book was released eight weeks after I sent it in.
I market my book myself. I don't even BOTHER talking to booksellers or I could probably triple my royalties, but I don't need to. I sell primarily through my website, which links to the publisher's ordering form. In the first quarter I made $1700 profit after repaying myself the initial $550 outlay. I also make 50% on books sold through them, and 10% on books sold through other retailers. I also retain all copyrights and publication rights. I can call my publisher right now and tell them I've found a better deal somewhere else. That's MY book, and I get to decide what happens with it and where it goes.
If you're willing to do the legwork yourself then self-publishing is the way to go. If you're not, or you can't get your head round the idea, then go the traditional route. There's no shame in it, in fact there's a lot of pride, but you WILL be part of a process that flatly doesn't give a rat's ass about you or your work. There isn't a single person in a major publishing house that would piss on your manuscript if it were on fire. There are thousands piled up at the door. Yours is just one more, and frankly, if they can get out of reading it somehow, then they certainly will.
Brace yourself, I'm going to get political here. Traditional publishing reminds me of the media. A lot of people sit there in front of the boob tube and believe what the idjits on CNN tell them. They ignore spins and specific verbiage designed to get them to think a certain way (Ever wonder why our president is RARELY called anything but "Bush" while Hillary Clinton is ALWAYS referred to by title and her husband is ALWAYS called "Former President?" Why are the terrorists and murderers in Iraq placing IEDs in schoolyards called "insurgents? " Why is it that the Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement to the press in 2002 demanding that major media outlets stop linking the words "Muslim" "Islamic" and "Terrorism" together in articles and stories?)
However, if you're willing to do the work yourself, to seek out first or even second source materials, you're connected right now to the largest repository of knowledge and information in mankind's HISTORY. In three minutes I can tell you whether the main headline on Yahoo! news is accurate or inaccurate, just by running some basic search routines and cross checking my sources.
Most people don't do it. They don't take the time to be informed. I don't care whether you're left or right as long as you make the choice for YOURSELF. Most people don't bother, and the media makes it for them.
Which brings me back to the publishing houses. Once you're in, its easy. After you finally scale the wall, the publisher does EVERYTHING for you: marketing, scheduling, printing, release, distribution, promotion, intermedia discussion, etc. You just sit there and collect your (paltry) checks.
You have to do all the work up front. Write the novel, proof the novel, and then submit, submit, submit. It may take years of heartbreak and rejection, but eventually you might break through to the promised land.
How about doing that work over a sustained period of time instead of up front? Put the same amount of effort into promoting a book you self-published that you would put into trying to get some jackass from Laser Media to read it. Work as hard at marketing your writing to the booksellers as you were willing to work to market it to an agent.
I'll bet you make more in the long run.
Christopher Rivan
Here are my thoughts on this:
I agree with Chris that something definitely needs to happen to get traditional publishers to understand that self-publishing is the wave of the future and it't NOT going to go away. I'm in the middle of getting my 3rd book published (it will be live in April) and I've had MANY doubts about my choice to self-publish... but the more I learn about the freedom I have by doing it myself and knowing that the decisions are MINE to make (and not someone else's to make for me), I'm finally happy that I decided to go with self-publishing. It all comes down to you have to believe in yourself, and don't be afraid of criticism because every time you hear something critical about your writing, it's an opportunity to grow.
Happy reading, writing, and self-publishing!
MJ
www.mjallaire.com
Saturday, January 26, 2008
News! News! News!
Well, I can FINALLY say I've done it .. as of January 21st, book 3 in my Denicalis Dragon Chronicles Series, "Dragon's Tear", is D-O-N-E!!! I'm EXTREMELY happy with the way the book turned out, and am anxious to start on book 4, "Dragon's Breath", but I'm gonna give myself a few weeks to work on painting (Ok Ok and I also need a mental chill pill to recover from the hustle-bustle of the holidays!!) I've been itching to paint a few pictures and figure I'd better do it now before I get started on the next book and then don't have time to paint .. or draw, for that matter.
So, here's the scoop. The book has been submitted to the publisher. The next step is for them to call me (in 1-2 weeks) and set up a design meeting. Once we set up the meeting (which will be from 2-4 weeks from THAT point), then I wait for that date to talk to them about what I want for the cover and galley. Once they play with what they think are my ideas and I approve them, the book should be live within a few weeks. I'm figuring by mid-April at the latest. Maybe earlier, but I don't want to jinx it, so shhhhhhhhh ... you didn't hear me say that!
Keep watching for updates on the progress (go to www.mjallaire.com or www.myspace.com/mjallaire). If things go well, book 4 will be available around Thanksgiving this year!
Until the next update, happy reading! And for those of us in New England, STAY WARM!
Hugs, MJ
So, here's the scoop. The book has been submitted to the publisher. The next step is for them to call me (in 1-2 weeks) and set up a design meeting. Once we set up the meeting (which will be from 2-4 weeks from THAT point), then I wait for that date to talk to them about what I want for the cover and galley. Once they play with what they think are my ideas and I approve them, the book should be live within a few weeks. I'm figuring by mid-April at the latest. Maybe earlier, but I don't want to jinx it, so shhhhhhhhh ... you didn't hear me say that!
Keep watching for updates on the progress (go to www.mjallaire.com or www.myspace.com/mjallaire). If things go well, book 4 will be available around Thanksgiving this year!
Until the next update, happy reading! And for those of us in New England, STAY WARM!
Hugs, MJ
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Happy New Year!! Ready to Read??
Well, I've got good news! I've finally finished with the first draft of Dragon’s Tear and now am in the process of reading through it a final time in an attempt to make it error free!!! I'm hoping to submit it to my publisher this coming Monday. Hopefully, things will move smoothly with the production process and it will be live by the end of March!
I love how Dragon’s Tear has turned out … I definitely think my writing is improving the further I get into the series!
This book is set up a lot like book two, The Prisoner, where there are chapters within sections. I’m planning on starting book four soon, probably by the end of January, in hopes of having it out for Thanksgiving this year!
The series is heating up as the children move farther east… will they succeed in finding the final amulet? They’ve found two but there’s still one missing. And if they find it, will they return it to the dragons? Before they get to that point, however, they must first face one of the two evils that lurk in the world of Euqinom!
On that note, enjoy your week and make sure you take the time to tell those close to you how much you love them… and of course, read read read!!
Happy reading and Happy New Year!
MJ
I love how Dragon’s Tear has turned out … I definitely think my writing is improving the further I get into the series!
This book is set up a lot like book two, The Prisoner, where there are chapters within sections. I’m planning on starting book four soon, probably by the end of January, in hopes of having it out for Thanksgiving this year!
The series is heating up as the children move farther east… will they succeed in finding the final amulet? They’ve found two but there’s still one missing. And if they find it, will they return it to the dragons? Before they get to that point, however, they must first face one of the two evils that lurk in the world of Euqinom!
On that note, enjoy your week and make sure you take the time to tell those close to you how much you love them… and of course, read read read!!
Happy reading and Happy New Year!
MJ
Another Happy Reader's Thoughts...
I received this from a reader named George, who lives in Meriden CT and found my books after an article was published in The Record Journal over the summer (2007)...
Hi,
I have completed book one and am starting book two, The Prisoner. I am quite interested in the release date of book 3. When I finish each book I send it to a granddaughter in California.
Very entertaining and fun to read. Well done. I actually felt myself straining when the girls lost the ring and was quite relieved when they recovered it. I am definitely "in the story."
I hope your success with this series is beyond your dreams.
Sincerely,
George B [Meriden, CT]
(I emailed George back and let him know that book 3 in the Denicalis Dragon Chronicles series ("Dragon's Tear")is expected to be released in the Spring (March/April) of 2008. Updates on this will be posted here and on my personal website, www.mjallaire.com!)
Thank you, George, for your input on the series! I appreciate any and all feedback that I get, whether it's good or bad.
Keep on reading, because reading IS the doorway to the future!!
Regards, MJ
Hi,
I have completed book one and am starting book two, The Prisoner. I am quite interested in the release date of book 3. When I finish each book I send it to a granddaughter in California.
Very entertaining and fun to read. Well done. I actually felt myself straining when the girls lost the ring and was quite relieved when they recovered it. I am definitely "in the story."
I hope your success with this series is beyond your dreams.
Sincerely,
George B [Meriden, CT]
(I emailed George back and let him know that book 3 in the Denicalis Dragon Chronicles series ("Dragon's Tear")is expected to be released in the Spring (March/April) of 2008. Updates on this will be posted here and on my personal website, www.mjallaire.com!)
Thank you, George, for your input on the series! I appreciate any and all feedback that I get, whether it's good or bad.
Keep on reading, because reading IS the doorway to the future!!
Regards, MJ
Comments from a Happy Young Reader!
I have this posted on my website ..
My name is Natalie B. and I am 10 years old. A week or two ago my neighbor Don L. told me that his friend published 2 books. He also said that I might like them. He had bought the first one already and let me borrow it. I loved it. Soon I got my own copies of both the books. I just finished The Prisoner this morning. (By the way I loved what you wrote at the beginning of the books!) Is Little Draco the dragon that Zacharus talked about in his story? Is the human prisoner Tonia, Micah, and Nicho's Dad? What about the beargon that "destroyed" Uncava? Is Muscala going to hurt the children?!?! I just hope that a few more of the questions are answered. I can't wait for the next book!
My response to Natalie:
Natalie, you are one of the reasons why I love writing .. I love making a difference to young people, especially in today's tough and fast paced world...
I'll get Book 3 in the Denicalis Dragon Chronicle series out there as soon as I can, but until then, make sure you keep on reading!!!
MJ
My name is Natalie B. and I am 10 years old. A week or two ago my neighbor Don L. told me that his friend published 2 books. He also said that I might like them. He had bought the first one already and let me borrow it. I loved it. Soon I got my own copies of both the books. I just finished The Prisoner this morning. (By the way I loved what you wrote at the beginning of the books!) Is Little Draco the dragon that Zacharus talked about in his story? Is the human prisoner Tonia, Micah, and Nicho's Dad? What about the beargon that "destroyed" Uncava? Is Muscala going to hurt the children?!?! I just hope that a few more of the questions are answered. I can't wait for the next book!
My response to Natalie:
Natalie, you are one of the reasons why I love writing .. I love making a difference to young people, especially in today's tough and fast paced world...
I'll get Book 3 in the Denicalis Dragon Chronicle series out there as soon as I can, but until then, make sure you keep on reading!!!
MJ
Greetings!!
Greetings, fellow readers, writers and fans of literature! My name is MJ Allaire and I am a young adult fantasy author. I currently live in Southeastern Connecticut with two of my three children (my oldest son, Nick, has recently left the nest!), Mic & Toni. For the record, we also have 2 cats (Ragu and Fluffy [who we lovingly refer to as "the fluffinator" because she's just a sweet, rolly polly Maine Coon Cat]) and one dog (Rascal, but you don't want to know what we lovingly refer to him as, besides "Knucklehead"!)
I've lived in Connecticut now for 10+ years and love it! I'm originally from West Palm Beach, Florida and joined the Navy in 1985. I was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where I met and married a submariner. We ended up staying on the island of Oahu for 10 1/2 years before we finally got stationed in Washington, DC for 5 months, then we transferred to Groton, CT. I'm now happily divorced and trying to raise my children as best as I can, striving to provide them with a safe environment and the important tools they will need when they (finally) fly from the nest.
I've always loved books and reading but never really considered myself a writer. I grew up reading Nancy Drew, Stephen King, and one little book called "Frosty - A Racoon to Remember", which was my absolute favorite as a young girl.
I decided to write my first book, "Dragon's Blood: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book One" for my oldest son, Nick. I'll admit that when I first began writing, I had absolutely NO idea what I was getting myself into, but as I look back now, I can see that I've come a long way and learned a heck of alot! Being a writer is definitely a challenge, and there have been many, many days that I considered quitting, but I've never really considered myself a quitter. I also firmly believe in raising my children by example and I'm bound and determined to keep plugging away, no matter how discouraging it may seem!
I wrote and published "Dragon's Blood" and its sequel, "The Prisoner" in 10 months (each), but I've found that between raising three teenagers, marketing two books via book signings or appearances, playing volleyball when I can, working a full-time job (graveshift, no less, for almost a year, but thankfully I've been on days and back with the living for the past four months) and trying my best to maintain some form of sanity in our household, I don't have much time (or energy) to write. I've just finished working on Book 3 in the series, which is titled "Dragon's Tear: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book Three", and I'm expecting it to be live and available around the end of March, early April 2008!
If you want to find out more about me or my books, please visit my website at www.mjallaire.com or my MySpace site at www.myspace.com/mjallaire. If you're a middle school teacher or someone who knows of a group of young adults who might enjoy having me come talk to them in New England, please contact me! I have found it's very fulfilling to talk to young adults and watch their faces light up as they tell me about the books they've wanted to write, are trying to write, or have read! Reading is so very important to everyone, but especially to our future generations.
Happy New Year to all, and read, read, READ!!!
Regards, MJ Allaire
www.mjallaire.com
mjallaire@sbcglobal.net
I've lived in Connecticut now for 10+ years and love it! I'm originally from West Palm Beach, Florida and joined the Navy in 1985. I was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where I met and married a submariner. We ended up staying on the island of Oahu for 10 1/2 years before we finally got stationed in Washington, DC for 5 months, then we transferred to Groton, CT. I'm now happily divorced and trying to raise my children as best as I can, striving to provide them with a safe environment and the important tools they will need when they (finally) fly from the nest.
I've always loved books and reading but never really considered myself a writer. I grew up reading Nancy Drew, Stephen King, and one little book called "Frosty - A Racoon to Remember", which was my absolute favorite as a young girl.
I decided to write my first book, "Dragon's Blood: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book One" for my oldest son, Nick. I'll admit that when I first began writing, I had absolutely NO idea what I was getting myself into, but as I look back now, I can see that I've come a long way and learned a heck of alot! Being a writer is definitely a challenge, and there have been many, many days that I considered quitting, but I've never really considered myself a quitter. I also firmly believe in raising my children by example and I'm bound and determined to keep plugging away, no matter how discouraging it may seem!
I wrote and published "Dragon's Blood" and its sequel, "The Prisoner" in 10 months (each), but I've found that between raising three teenagers, marketing two books via book signings or appearances, playing volleyball when I can, working a full-time job (graveshift, no less, for almost a year, but thankfully I've been on days and back with the living for the past four months) and trying my best to maintain some form of sanity in our household, I don't have much time (or energy) to write. I've just finished working on Book 3 in the series, which is titled "Dragon's Tear: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book Three", and I'm expecting it to be live and available around the end of March, early April 2008!
If you want to find out more about me or my books, please visit my website at www.mjallaire.com or my MySpace site at www.myspace.com/mjallaire. If you're a middle school teacher or someone who knows of a group of young adults who might enjoy having me come talk to them in New England, please contact me! I have found it's very fulfilling to talk to young adults and watch their faces light up as they tell me about the books they've wanted to write, are trying to write, or have read! Reading is so very important to everyone, but especially to our future generations.
Happy New Year to all, and read, read, READ!!!
Regards, MJ Allaire
www.mjallaire.com
mjallaire@sbcglobal.net
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