First, thank you for a huge response to my Christmas giveaway drawing for a free copy of My Memories Suite scrapbooking software and an autographed copy of DawnSinger, book one of my Tales of Faeraven epic fantasy series.
The winner of my Christmas giveaway drawing is Deb Haggerty. Congratulations!
For those who didn’t win, if you email me at janalynvoigt (at) gmail (dot) com before December 31st, I will provide a password to a reader-appreciation page with the lowest price I’ll offer for an autographed copy of DawnSinger.
Also if you are interested in purchasing the My Memories Suite software, you may do so at a discount using my affiliate sharing code. Use STMMMS54994 for a $10 discount on My Memories Suite.
From the cover: Shae, heroine of DawnSinger (Tales of Faeraven 1)
To benefit the readers of this blog, Shae of Whellein, the main character from DawnSinger, first novel in my epic fantasy trilogy, Tales of Faeraven, granted a rare interview to me, her author.
Janalyn: Tell me Shae, why you always seem to be at the center of trouble. Shae: I often wonder that too. Problems just seem to follow me around. Maybe I’m too much like my brother, Daeven. He didn’t want to settle down to the responsibilities of a first-born son, so he ran away to sail the seas. They say wreckers lured his ship to its doom on the Coast of Bones. I don’t want to end up like Daeven. If only I could be more like my twin sister, Katera. She seems made for a simple life. It doesn’t help that sometimes visions warn me of lurking evil, or that souls touch mine in the night.
Janalyn: Visions of evil? Souls touching in the night? That sounds serious. Shae:Things have gotten intense ever since Kai rode into the garden at Whellein Hold on the back of a wingabeast, a kind of winged horse ridden only by Guardians of Rivenn. Kai brought a summons that changed my life forever. But he was followed.
Janalyn: Followed? Why? Shae:Ask Kai. He won’t tell me his secrets, no matter how irritated I become.
Janalyn: For those who haven’t met him, who is Kai? Shae:I’m not certain I really know. He’s always been there, in the background of my life. But things have changed, and I’m not sure where I fit in his life any more.
Janalyn: Won’t he tell you that either? Shae: He says he loves me, despite everything. I’m grateful for that anyway, especially after what happened that night with Freaer.
Janalyn: Care to elaborate? Let’s start with introducing Freaer. Shae: Beyond the fact that he’s a musician, I don’t exactly know who Freaer is either. He fascinates me, and whenever he’s near I don’t feel quite – safe.
Janalyn: But something happened with this Freaer you don’t know? Shae:Don’t look so smug when you say that! I’d answer your question but Kai told me not to tell.
Janalyn: *Sigh.* I begin to understand why trouble follows you around. So, is there anyone else we should know about? Shae: Well, there’s also Elcon, heir to the throne of Faeraven. I’m drawn to him, and he seems kind. He’s sad right now because his mother is dying, and I think he’s a little scared. He’s young to become a High King, especially with trouble brewing in Elderland.
Janalyn: Do you think the evil you mentioned earlier lies behind the trouble in Elderland? Shae: I don’t doubt it. There’s an answer somewhere in all the riddles that surround me. I know it. I only hope I can find it in time, and that I’ll have the courage to face the trials that come, no matter what they cost me. Maybe then I can redeem myself a little.
Janalyn: Thanks for being so candid, Shae. I appreciate this chance to get to know you better. Shae:Thanks for thinking of me. I guess we’ll both find out what happens as you continue writing. What are the names of your novels again?
Janalyn: I’m glad you asked. The three books in the Tales of Faeraven trilogy are DawnSinger, Wayfarer and DawnKing.
*Janalyn Voigt is an Amazon Associate and benefits when products are purchased at Amazon.com through links she posts.
My speaking engagements next year in part call upon me to teach others better time management skills, so it seems fair that I master it in my own life. Since taking on the role of writer, then contracted author, and now published novelist, my life has gotten more and more complicated. I’ve started taking irons out of the fire. Like any good cowgirl, I can only brand so many cattle at once.
Sometimes you have to let go of something that’s good to make way for the new. This week I resigned from a group blog to which I contributed to make way for a new direction. Being involved in the blog wasn’t negative, but I need to focus differently. Life is nothing if it’s not about focus. Writing books, building this website, travel blogging, and taking beautiful photographs are all part of my defining direction. I find myself centering here with you and will continue to do so.
On the Domestic Side
Streamlining my life is not limited to the area of writing. I’ve begun bulk cooking sessions on the weekends I’m home to cover weekday meals. I’m pleased with the results. Not only have I saved money by having meals in the freezer when I’m tempted to eat out, but the time and money savings have been amazing. This works because I’m able to reuse knives and bowls, sometimes with just a rinse. For example, last weekend I made wheat rolls and Irish soda bread in the same bowl. If I had made them on different occasions, I’d have had to wash the mixing bowl twice. Bulk cooking also helps us eat better. When I’ve already rinsed and drained lettuce leaves, chopped onions, and made salad dressing, it’s not that hard to throw together a salad for lunch.
We’re in the process of adding in bulk shopping to the mix. In October we purchased a side of beef for our freezer, and in November it will be a side of pork plus an extra turkey to freeze for another month. In December we’ll purchase wheat, sugar, citrus fruit, cranberries, pomegranates, figs, and dates. We allot one half of our grocery money to bulk purchases. We don’t know for certain yet, but shopping in this way should lower our grocery bills. Let me know if you’re interested in having the bulk shopping list by month that I’ve put together and I’ll post it in my next journal entry.
Another area that I’ve started speed-dialing is home duties. I’ve taken to heart the professional cleaners’ method of doing all of one thing at a time throughout the house. I try to spend no more than an hour a day, although sometimes it still gets away from me. I’m also considering going to a checklist rather than to a daily rotation. So far my revamped cleaning schedule looks like this:
Monday: Decluttering Project
Tuesday: Sweep, Mop, Vacuum, Shampoo an Area or Room.
Wednesday: Scrub Sinks, Bathtubs, Showers, Counters, Toilets, and Kitchen Appliances.
Thursday: Remove Cobwebs and Polish Furniture.
Friday: Clean Glass, Change Lightbulbs, and Take an All-Purpose Cleaner to Walls, Switch Plates, and Doorknobs
Saturday (when home and willing): Clean the Deck, Garage, Outbuildings, and Yard
If you decide to try any of my systems, shoot me an email or comment and let me know how they work for you.
Future Travels
Least you think I’ve abandoned travel adventures for domesticity, never fear. Plans are in the works for next year’s week-long Live Write Breathe retreat, which I organize for and with a group of other writers. We’ve batted around locations and have settled on one of two: a private mansion that has been offered to us if the dates work out or one of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington state.
There’s also an upcoming family retreat, usually to somewhere along the coast of Oregon or Washington, so we can watch storms and challenge ourselves to endure an often-freezing walk along the beach. It’s a strange tradition but uniquely ours. A research trip to a ghost town I’m writing about in Hills of Nevermore, my historical romance work-in-progress is in the offing for next year, and we’ll also visit Yellowstone and a-yet-to-be disclosed location with my extended family.
Writing News
Historical Fiction: I received requests to read more of a manuscript my agent proposed to several editors at the conference I attended, so I worked hard and edited what I had written of that manuscript. That story is part of a series set in Montana’s gold rush that I’m developing.
Fantasy: Before going on my Grand Canyon road trip I completed my publisher’s requested edits for WayFarer, book two of my Tales of Faeraven epic fantasy series. I have yet to hear if there will be a second round of edits and I don’t have a release date yet. I’ll let you know when I know. Meanwhile, I’m gearing up to write DawnKing, book three of the series, in the beginning of next year.
I’ll close this open letter with wishes for a safe and happy holiday season for you, dear reader.
Horses and flying both fascinate me. Small wonder, then, that wild winged horses known as wingabeasts feature in Tales of Faeraven. In DawnSinger, book one of my epic fantasy trilogy, the hero and heroine undertake a perilous journey on the back of wingabeasts. I want to give the reader a chance to fly.
The wingabeasts of Faeraven are based on Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. While Pegasus is large and white, as befitting the carrier of thunder on Mount Olympus, wingabeasts come in a variety of colors: silver, gray, black, and gold among them. They also vary in size from delicate to brawny. The smaller wingabeasts have more agility.
Pegasus is said to be the son of Poseidon and Gorgona Medusa and sprang, according to differing accounts, from drops of blood or blood mixed with dirt or blood and sea foam after his mother was decapitated by Perseus. Pegasus struck the ground with his hoof to create the stream Hippocrene in the Helicon Mountains, a place poets drink the water to spark their creativity.
The wingabeasts of Faeraven ran wild in the Maegrad Paesad (Impassible Mountains) until Talan, one of the High King’s of Faeraven, captured one in a memorable ride forever immortalized in the history of his people. After that more wingabeasts were captured, but an untamed remnant retreated beyond reach. The Guardians of Rivenn received the privilege of riding the captured wingabeasts. The creatures’ respond both to touch and sound commands, and will hold still when instructed, even when predators are near. When danger threatens and their riders are not present, as a safety measure, wingabeasts will launch into flight, but later return.
In the Middle Ages, the time period the world of Elderland within Tales of Faeraven is based upon, the winged horse symbolized virtue and wisdom. In DawnSinger, the wingabeasts certainly help those who ride them to that end.
A crosswind caught Kai’s wingabeast as lightning flared too near. Shrilling, the winged horse tilted in flight, and Kai’s stomach lurched. A gust snatched the hood from his head and roared in his ears. He blinked to clear the stinging rain that drove into his eyes. Thunder boomed like a timpani, shaking the air. Flecht shuddered beneath him, and Kai placed a calming hand on his wingabeast’s straining neck. He did not like this long flight through the wild night any better than did Flecht.
An image rose, unbidden—Lof Raelein Maeven, Faeraven’s High Queen, upon her deathbed, her sea-green eyes surging with life. As a guardian of Faeraven and as a friend, he would die to appease the hope that had flared in those eyes.
Wind howled and lightning flashed close enough to blind. Kai wondered if his own death neared. He would not—could not—halt his journey, although it took him into the teeth of danger. Necessity drove him as he pushed onward, past endurance. If he survived the storm, he would deliver Maeven’s last summons.
Leeds Castle, Kent, Englad Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Leeds_Castle,_Kent,_England_2_-_May_09.jpg
While writing DawnSinger, book one of my epic fantasy trilogy, Tales of Faeraven, I dreamed up a castle that would be Torindan, high hold of Faeraven, and then came upon pictures of Leeds Castle that resembled the stronghold of my imaginings. Shae, the heroine of DawnSinger, enters a confusing world when she journeys to Torindan, where all is not as it seems. Not dissimilarly, Leeds Castle, as home to queens and kings of England for nearly three centuries, garnered its share of romantic and political intrigue.
The castle was first built in stone after the Norman Conquest in 1119. It transferred to the British Crown in 1278. In 1552 a succession of wealthy families took ownership of the castle until it was donated in 1974 to the Leeds Castle Foundation, a charitable trust set up to maintain it as a “living castle.” Leeds Castle and its idyllic 500-acre setting are now open to the public. The nearly-1,000-year-old building is a treasure trove of antiques and a place redolent of history.
Leeds was described by noted historian, Lord Conway, as the loveliest castle in the world. It is located in the heart of the Kent countryside in a picturesque valley of the River Len. Visitors enjoy a variety of activities, from falconry to hot air balloon rides.
In addition to the castle itself, visitors to Leeds can also explore:
The Maze: The visitor who persists to the center of this maze, built with 2,400 yew trees about twenty-four years ago, is rewarded with a panoramic view. Staff members positioned above the maze help guide the lost.
The Aviary: Over 100 species of rare and beautiful birds inhabit the outdoor aviary.
The Dog Collar Museum & Gift Shop: Those who enjoy historical trivia will find the Dog Collar Museum, with its large collection from five centuries of pooches, fascinating.
Culpeper Garden: Box hedges bordering lovely, scented flower beds in a gorgeous English garden that offers opportunities for holding hands with your sweetheart.
Restaurant & Shops: The castle vineyard More than 8,000 bottles of wine are produced each year from the castle vineyard. Award-winning Leeds Castle wines are sold exclusively in the castle restaurant and shops.
Many weddings are held at Leeds Castle. It’s also the perfect spot for a romantic vacation.
When I say I’m a Pelican, people look at me a little strangely (imagine that!). I’m published by a small imprint of a larger publisher, Pelican Book Group. Other imprints by my publisher include White Rose (for romances) and the new Watershed (for young adult novels). I recommend Pelican books for wholesomeness and quality. Anyway, Pelican Book Group authors just naturally label themselves “Pelicans.” We have an email group to help us keep in touch, and someone started this blog-tagging madness. That’s where, when you’re tagged on another author’s blog, you answer a series of questions about yourself. The other Pelican who tagged me is romantic suspense author, Lynn C Willis. Once you’re done admiring her website design, you can read the post where she tagged me on her Lynn C Willis—Fiction Writer blog. You can read more about Lynn’s writing there, plus follow links to learn about more authors. It’s kind of fun for everyone and helps get the word out about our books.
Okay, so now it’s my turn to answer questions.
Author Janalyn Voigt
What is the working title of your book?
Next up to bat for me is WayFarer. That’s not just the working title, but the one my publisher intends to publish book two of my Tales of Faeravenepic fantasy trilogy under.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
My little girl was bored on a car trip, so I made up a story to amuse her. That story stayed with me for years, even after I quit writing in discouragement. It wouldn’t let me go. DawnSinger, book one of this story, published in June. Soon I will write DawnKing, the third novel in the fantasy trilogy.
What genre does your book fall under?
My Tales of Faeraven series is medieval epic fantasy in the genre J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis helped establish.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
This is where I reveal that I don’t watch television or movies much. I need to remedy that, at least where movies are concerned. But, since I’m a fantasy author, I’m going to pretend that fictional characters, with which I’m more familiar, can become actors in a movie about my book. In that case, Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Bronte would play Elcon, High King of Faeraven (and my anti-hero). Aewen, the Elder princess who falls in love with Elcon while engaged to another, would be played by Snow White. And Lady Guinevere of Arthurian fame would play Arillilia, the Kindren princess betrothed to Elcon. Those who love Shae, the heroine of DawnSinger, will be glad to learn that she plays a part in WayFarer, too. It’s hard to peg Shae, but perhaps a saucier version of Disney’s Princess Aurora would work. And then for Kai, beloved hero of DawnSinger, who also accompanies Elcon through the pages of WayFarer, I’d cast none other than Wilfred of Ivanhoe.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Since this is my blog, I’m going to bend the rules and post a synopsis for both DawnSinger and WayFarer.
DawnSinger: A headstrong young princess and the guardian sworn to protect her fly on winged horses to the Gate of Life above the Well of Light in a desperate bid to release the DawnKing, and the salvation he offers, into a divided land. Will they each learn in time that sometimes victory comes only through surrender?
WayFarer: When an untried youth ascends to the high throne of Faeraven, his mistakes tear kingdoms apart and allow just one chance at redemption. He must humble himself before the man he banished.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Wordserve Literary, the agency that represents me as an author, negotiated my contract with Harbourlight and appears in the flyleaf of my books.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
WayFarertook about two months to write in first draft, but as I’ve mentioned it’s inception took much longer—many years in fact.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
That’s a hard one because I keep hearing that DawnSingeris so unique, however I often hear that my writing reminds readers of Anne McCaffrey’s. My stories are very different from Anne’s, though. Another Anne—Anne Elisabeth Stengl—writes with a similar style, but I believe her audience is mainly young adults whereas mine is adults first, and then young adults.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I’m sure my own struggle to deal with early success in my writing career and my subsequent disillusionment when my dreams seemed to crumble helped inform the theme of this book. I’ve learned to cast my crowns and bow my head before the Almighty, and to accept His grace.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Those who would love to ride on a winged horse will enjoy Tales of Faeraven since winged horses feature prominently. Readers have told me in Amazon reviews that while reading DawnSinger they felt like they could fly. I love that.
A crosswind caught Kai’s wingabeast as lightning flared too near. Shrilling, the winged horse tilted in flight, and Kai’s stomach lurched. A gust snatched the hood from his head and roared in his ears. He blinked to clear the stinging rain that drove into his eyes. Thunder boomed like a timpani, shaking the air. Flecht shuddered beneath him, and Kai placed a calming hand on his wingabeast’s straining neck. He did not like this long flight through the wild night any better than did Flecht.
An image rose, unbidden—Lof Raelein Maeven, Faeraven’s High Queen, upon her deathbed, her sea-green eyes surging with life. As a guardian of Faeraven and as a friend, he would die to appease the hope that had flared in those eyes.
Wind howled and lightning flashed close enough to blind. Kai wondered if his own death neared. He would not—could not—halt his journey, although it took him into the teeth of danger. Necessity drove him as he pushed onward, past endurance. If he survived the storm, he would deliver Maeven’s last summons.
I don’t know what I was thinking. After a three-week road trip to California, the Grand Canyon, the Great Salt Lake, and Astoria, I had barely enough time to unpack, scrape out the house, and give my email inbox a lick and promise before packing for a new road trip. I set course with another writer for Dallas, Texas, from Ontario, Oregon, to attend a writing conference.
This trip had a different timbre than the Grand Canyon road adventure because it was not so much about the journey but about reaching our destination as quickly as possible. We were able to make it to Dallas in two-and-a-half days while maintaining a modest speed because my friend had a GPS. That it was possible to avoid large cities completely on such a trip amazed me since the highways inevitably angle their direction, but the GPS routed us around every one. The journey back took the same amount of time. Except for our arrival to and departure from Salt Lake City (and one interlude as we bypassed Salt Lake City) traffic was never overbearing. Since returning from this trip, I’ve resolved to dig out my own GPS and put it to use.
With my writing career heating up, I’ve purchased a small planner to keep me from committing myself amiss. I haven’t yet put it to use, though, which is why not long after returning from Dallas, I left on a weekend writing retreat. It was a great time away and I was able to wrestle my email dragon to the ground and outline several writing conference workshops with my speaking partner, so my having to leave again so soon was at least rewarded.
I’d barely settled back in at home when my seven-year wedding anniversary required two days away from my desk. John and I visited Port Townsend, a town redolent with history. We enjoy just driving around and looking at the buildings, but walking down Water Street is interesting and fun. We found a great new tea shop called Pippas. If you’re ever in the area, I hope you get the chance to stop in.
Despite all of these admittedly pleasant distractions, I’ve been somehow keeping up with house, garden, and my career, but at this point I’m gritting my teeth with the determination to settle back into a steady routine.
Routine is how I accomplish so much. I have established morning and afternoon routines. A typical day for me has the same general shape but varies in its details, if that makes sense. I intend to add in exercise at the beginning of the day, but currently I start with breakfast and scheduling. As I sip my coffee or tea, I make a quick outline of the day’s events. I don’t assign times to tasks but create a prioritized to-do list into which I insert my routines at logical intervals. I then read part of a self-help book and a passage from the Bible before spending a little time in prayer. After this, I dispatch the mundane tasks we all face: dressing, making the bed, starting a load of laundry, reading personal mail and/or making phone calls. Then it’s time to write. When I get hungry I either take a break or stop for lunch, depending upon the time. After lunch I shift the laundry and tackle more complex household projects like shampooing a carpet. I also do a Christmas-related task, weed a garden bed, and fold the laundry. Then it’s back to my desk for an afternoon writing session.
That sounds simplistic, but my schedule can get complicated, especially when interrupted. Although the world of publishing moves at a dinosaur’s pace, writers are always hustling to meet some sort of deadline or catch an opportunity. There’s also blogging, office chores, promotions, website design and maintenance, social networking, correspondence, emails, and research to do. I designate one day per week for blogging and another for non-writing chores, but that only leaves three days per week for writing. Since attending the conference, where I received several opportunities, I’m downsizing in order to find four days. It’s not easy. If I let them, non-writing tasks would expand to fill the whole week. It takes true grit to remain focused.
I’ve brought you current and will write my author journal in the same mode as my travel journal. For now, though, I thought you might like a simple glimpse into what my life is like when I’m not traveling.
The High Queen is dying… At the royal summons, Shae mounts a wingabeast and soars through the air to the high hold of Faeraven, where all is not as it seems. Visions warn her of danger, and a dark soul touches hers in the night. When she encounters an attractive but disturbing musician, her wayward heart awakens. But then there is Kai, a guardian of Faeraven and of Shae. Secrets bind him to her, and her safety lies at the center of every decision he makes. On a desperate journey fraught with peril and the unknown, they battle warlike garns, waevens, ferocious raptors, and the wraiths of their own regrets. Yet, they must endure the campaign long enough to release the DawnKing—and the salvation he offers—into a divided land. To prevail, each must learn that sometimes victory comes only through surrender.
First, thank you for a huge response to my Christmas giveaway drawing for a free copy of My Memories Suite scrapbooking software and an autographed copy of DawnSinger, book one of my Tales of Faeraven epic fantasy series.
