It’s that time again! Time to plot out the next novel in the series. Yes, I have an idea of how the story will go, and I have many scenes already in my head. However, the details are not finalized, and until I can visualize many of the scenes, I won’t fully dive into the writing.

That’s where nature comes in. I often get asked if the outdoors inspires my writing, as it plays an important role in the alternate reality I’ve created. My answer to that question is a definite yes. I love the outdoors and do most of my writing from spring through fall while sitting on one of my porches. (The winter months are not fun for me, as I hibernate indoors. It’s also the editing season. I hate cold weather and love southern humidity.)

Last month my family took our first backpacking vacation during my children’s spring break. We took a ferry to Cumberland Island, Georgia. We then hiked nine miles (was supposed to be seven but got a bit lost) and set up our tent. The following day we hiked to the beach and then had to do more hiking to gather water. We woke up early the next morning and hiked seven miles back to the ferry, and that was the end of our adventure.

During those long walks on the beautiful island and while living a primitive lifestyle away from people, I did a lot of thinking about Alissia’s story. The fourth book starts off with her backpacking through a dark forest, so I paid close attention to my surroundings while walking along the trails on the island. I took in the dry weather, the sounds of small scurrying animals, and the tropical foliage.

The same goes for the backpacking trip I took last weekend with my husband and a group of other hikers. While hiking near the waterfalls, I paid close attention to the purple flowers that had fallen along the trail, the small copperhead snake hidden in a rocky crevice, the beautiful white flowers in the trees, the wet, slippery stones that I almost fell on, and the mist coming from the falls, dampening their surroundings. I especially paid attention to the water holes at the bottom of the falls, as I have plans for using those details to create the setting in my current book. 

While hiking to our campsite on the first day with the family, my youngest children did some complaining (quite a bit, actually). However, when I asked them to help me design the creatures I’ll soon be writing about, my thirteen-year-old daughter surprised me by taking an interest. (The other two did not. There were a few eye rolls and comments about having an author for a mom. Apparently, our family conversations are not considered normal.)

It was fun to see my daughter create their size and special powers, along with many other details. I’ll be using many of her ideas and admit that I’ll be building off of her design for these creatures, and I’m very proud of her.

That same daughter created the video I’ve uploaded to Youtube, and I hope you’ll watch it. She did it all by herself. (Honestly, I have no idea how to use the iPhone app she used to create it. This was ALL her doing.)

Over the next month I’ll be savoring the outdoors. I plan to paddle board, hike, ride my mountain bike, and read/work poolside. It’s during this time of the year that Alissia’s story is truly perfected. I may look like I’m not working while doing these activities, but my mind is plotting away, getting the details just right.

Notice my two daughters reading while hiking on our first day? Obviously, the children of an author 🙂

Although the fourth book in the Alissia Roswell Series is still in the writing phase, I would like to expand my list of beta readers. As a beta reader, you’ll need an eReader of some sort, and I would email you the final version of the book before its release. Your job would be to let me know if you notice any mistakes not caught in the editing stage and then to give an honest book review on Goodreads and Amazon. You will receive the book free and weeks in advance of the actual release.

If this is something you’re interested in doing, be sure to sign up for my newsletter. Once I’m in the editing stage, I’ll send out a notice and will start accepting submissions. There is a limit to the amount of betas I need, and I will add that those most active in book reviews (active on Goodreads and Amazon) will mostly be considered.

Ready for Unexpected Peril? 🙂

With the coming release of Unexpected Peril, I’ve decided to put Unexpected Metamorphosis on Kindle Select. That means the eBook version will no longer be free or available for sale anywhere other than Amazon. For now, the other books in the Alissia Roswell Series will continue to be available at all major online bookstores, and nothing will change for them.

Unexpected Metamorphosis is my debut novel, and since its release and with the writing of more books, I can see a great improvement in my writing style and technique. With that in mind, I’ve decided to go through it again and make some minor changes. Nothing will change as far as the story itself. I just want to go back and make it stronger–end each chapter more intensely, get rid of a little repetition, and drop some of the he/she saids.

Although it’s receiving great reviews, my perfectionist personality wants to clean it up more before I start promoting it aggressively. I want it to be the best it can be, and I want it to be as strong as my other work.

These changes won’t happen for another month or two, but I wanted to let you know what I’ll be working on before I dive back into writing. As for the release of Unexpected Peril, everything is on schedule for the Kindle release on May 26. The paperback version is also progressing along. Everything has been formatted, and I’ve gotten more beta readers going through it to make sure the files are clean and checking for any mistakes missed in the intense editing phase. It will soon be here, and I can’t wait to share it with you. It’s a bit different than the first two, and I’m eager to hear what you think of it.

Congratulations, Annie Douglass Lima, on your latest release!

Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire’s most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie’s escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?

What is the Collar for, and What is a Cavvarach?

The story is set in a world very much like our own, with just a few major differences. One is that slavery is legal there. Slaves must wear metal collars that lock around their neck, making their enslaved status obvious to everyone. Any slave attempting to escape faces the dilemma of how and where to illegally get their collar removed (a crime punishable by enslavement for the remover).

Another difference is the popularity of a martial art called cavvara shil. It is fought with a cavvarach (rhymes with “have a rack”), an unsharpened weapon similar to a sword but with a steel hook protruding from partway down its top edge. Competitors can strike at each other with their feet as well as with the blades. You win in one of two ways: disarming your opponent (hooking or knocking their cavvarach out of their hands) or pinning their shoulders to the mat for five seconds.

Want to Find out a Little More? Read the first two chapters on Amazon.

Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published ten books (one YA action and adventure novel, four fantasies, a puppet script, and four anthologies of her students’ poetry). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.

Connect with the Author Online:

Email: AnnieDouglassLima@gmail.com

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Best Friends…Forever? (Landry’s True Colors Series) by Krysten Lindsay Hager

I have always loved reading books that use humor and have realistic (and relatable) characters. I decided to write the book I wanted to read when I was reading YA and I’m overjoyed it’s now a series where people can follow along on Landry’s journey through dealing with friendships, the ups and downs of school, crushes, relationships, and insecurities. Sure, going back to that time in my own life was a little crazy, but lucky for me there weren’t camera phones to capture me dancing in the school talent show…while wearing jean shorts. If you’re not cringing yet, let’s just say I also had a moment of “genius” where I thought my super dark brown hair would look amazing with “Sun-In” highlights that actually turned my hair a lovely shade of copper. Sigh.

The Landry’s True Colors Series is a clean reads young adult series about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, modeling, crushes, values, and self-image. Best Friends…Forever? was ranked at #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases in Teen & Young Adult Values & Virtues Fiction and #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases in Children’s Books on Values. True Colors is an international bestselling book.

Landry Albright hopes the new year will start off in an amazing way—instead she has to deal with more frenemy issues, boy drama, and having most of her best friends make the cheerleading squad without her. Suddenly, it seems like all anyone can talk about is starting high school next year—something she finds terrifying.

Landry gets her first boyfriend (her crush, Vladi), but then gets dumped just as things come to a head with her friends. She feels lost and left out, but finds good advice about dealing with frenemies from what she considers an unlikely source. Landry faces having to speak up for what’s right, tell the truth (even when it hurts), and how to get past the fear of failure as she gets another shot at competing in the American Ingénue modeling competition. Will she get a second chance with her friends, fame, and Vladi?

Excerpt:

“Landry, it’s gotta be so awkward for you to be going to Vladi’s school next year,” Tori said. “I mean, what if you run into him during the tour?”

“It’s a huge place,ʺ Ashanti said. “People break up all the time. It’s not a big deal.ʺ

Tori raised her eyebrows as if to say, “Yeah, right,” and went back to her sandwich. Meanwhile my delicious homemade soup was no longer sitting well. It never occurred to me Vladi might be around during the first pre‑freshman tour. I would be mortified if I ran into him and he was with a girl. Or worse yet, running into him, and he was with Yasmin. Plus, I hadn’t told my mom about the breakup, so if she saw him, she’d probably go over to talk to him. I could already imagine it: “Landry, Vladi’s here! Hon? Why are you hiding behind the garbage can? Your boyfriend, Vladi, is here. Come say, ‘hello.’ Stop trying to run away. Why is everyone laughing and pointing at you and calling you a ‘loser dumpee?’ What does that mean?”

Well, maybe the world would end and I wouldn’t have to deal with high school or Vladi and my mother running into each other.

****

Sadly, the world did not end, and on Thursday, we all had to go to the high school for a freshman information night from 6 to 9 p.m.

Check out the Book Trailer

 Krysten Lindsay Hager is a book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and writes middle grade, YA, humor essays, and adult fiction. She is originally from Michigan and has lived in Portugal, South Dakota, and currently resides in Southern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her favorite shows. She received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan-Flint.

What people are saying about True Colors (Landry’s True Colors Series Book One):

From Teenage Book Recommendations in the UK: “This is a fantastically relatable and real book which I feel captures all of the insecurities and troubles which haunt the modern teenage girl. It is about a young model who has to go through tough times when she is torn between a life as a model and managing her friendships. You learn which friends she can most trust and which will create the drama typical of teenage life. Follow the life of Landry and try to see if you can find out which are her true friends before their true colours are revealed. This book is all about relationships, hopes and truth. I loved this book!”

From Books & Authors Spot: “This book is such an inspiration for those who just care about their looks and are tensed about them. This thing is looks aren’t everything. This book is related to every teen’s problem. Hager has written a very inspiring novel.”

Buy Links:

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It’s finally here! Well, what do you think? A little creepy? Pretty? It still matches Unexpected Metamorphosis and Unexpected Entrapment, although this one takes on a different tone and setting than the first two. Notice the bog in the eye?

I won’t be posting the first two chapters this time, because the second chapter ends on a major cliffhanger. However, I may post a few teasers leading up to the release, which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26. Here’s the back cover synopsis:

Savage beasts kidnap Alissia Roswell as she is traveling to meet a separate group of Lamians than the ones that saved her life and physically changed her in the process—gifting her with many special abilities. Just when she was beginning to get accustomed to the bond she and Luke Harrison share, she awakes alone and trapped deep within an eerie bog to find she can no longer feel his presence or reach out to him with her mind.

Unexpected Peril, the third book in the Alissia Roswell Series, will take you to magical lands filled with strange and mysterious creatures. Will Alissia have a chance to adapt to her new life in this alternate reality, or will everything and everyone she has come to love be destroyed by an intense hatred for humanity?

Stay tuned for more details, and as a reminder, if you haven’t already left an honest review of the first two books in the series, please consider doing so. It doesn’t have to be long–only a few words will do, and it really does help. It’s really easy to do with Amazon.

Oh, and you can get a glimpse of some of the scenes in Unexpected Peril by checking out the book’s Pinterest board.