This sign welcomed people to my talk on Self-Publishing and a book signing for both books in the Chalice Rose Series: The Sword Argente and The Crown of the Crescent Moon.

It is my passion to help others do what I have done–to get their books published. I have been discouraged many times in my life, particularly in my writing. It has taken me most of my life to decide to do it anyway–convinced that my writing must be terrible–because I didn’t want to regret not doing it as I lay on my deathbed.

Imagine my surprise when people LIKED my books, lauded me for getting them done, and were eager for more. So now I am fiercely passionate about helping others do the same so that they don’t feel that crushing sense of inadequacy about the thing they want to do most in the world.

I think my motto may be “Don’t wind up like Zelda Fitzgerald!”
I was always a little perplexed by Zelda Fitzgerals’s obsession with ballet. Didn’t she know she wasn’t that good? Now I know better. Now I can read between the lines. Here’s an excerpt from Wikipedia (bolding is mine):

She rekindled her studies too late in life to become a truly exceptional dancer, but she insisted on grueling daily practice (up to eight hours a day^[60]) that contributed to her subsequent physical and mental exhaustion.^[61] In September 1929, she was invited to join the ballet school of the San Carlo Opera Ballet Company in Naples, but, as close as this was to the success she desired, she declined the invitation.^[62] While the public still believed the Fitzgeralds to live a life of glamor, friends noted that the couple’s partying had somewhere gone from fashionable to self-destructive—both had become unpleasant company.^[63]

In April 1930, Zelda was admitted to a sanatorium in France where, after months of observation and treatment and a consultation with one of Europe’s leading psychiatrists, Doctor Eugen Bleuler,^[64] she was diagnosed as a schizophrenic.^[65] Initially admitted to a hospital outside Paris, she was later moved to a clinic in Montreux, Switzerland. The clinic primarily treated gastrointestinal ailments, and because of her profound psychological problems she was moved to a psychiatric facility in Prangins on the shores of Lake Geneva. “

Wikipedia

I know now how easily a woman could be committed to a sanatorium years ago for sins such as reading too many books. Did you know that she wrote a book, and Scott was furious because she used things that he wanted to use in HIS book, and made her take them out?

To me it is obvious now that Zelda was crushed by the men around her. Nothing she wanted to do was preceived as having any value. They drove her mad, and then committed her.

So what if she wanted to dance? It made her soul sing! I don’t care what it is that awakens your passion, just follow it, follow your bliss as Joseph Campbell would say.
And finally, in the words of Natasha Bedingfield from her song Unwritten:

I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand
Ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Here is her latest entry, post-Brexit:
https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/33819966/posts/2519047466

Thank you to those who attended the first book signing for Book II The Crown of the Crescent Moon. I will keep you posted on when there will be a signing on the western side of RI. The weather is not cooperating! I would feel terrible if anyone dented their car of even worse, got hurt, so it may be short notice when I am sure we are hitting some good weather.

Once again, I urge you to leave a rating and review. It’s crucial to launch!

Enjoy the magic!

Amazon publishing is a wonderful thing. It is also the most confusing, inflexible, and unforgiving system ever invented. See that worried look on Greylin’s face above? That’s perfect. That’s just where I’m at right now with Kindle Direct Publishing. I think you will be able to order this… now! The paperback seems to be ready to go EVEN THOUGH I wanted to hold off until December 1 in order to be sure that I would have enough on hand for a launch party. So I set the date for December 1st when I uploaded the E-Book. And then I uploaded the paperback and it went LIVE immediately. So I have tried to make the E-book available in the next 3 days but, of course, does it change? No.

Book I, now called The Sword Argente adamantly refuses to be linked to the paperback and vice versa. I keep trying to link them but to no avail. My publishing dilemmas aside, you can order whenever you want and enjoy the story regardless of my difficulties. So please do so!

Enjoy the magic!

I am very pleased with the look of the cover for Book II. I couldn’t be happier. The cover is done, and the typesetting is nearly done for the paperback and ebook. It won’t be long before I can set a release date and begin taking pre-orders!

In the meantime, I’m waiting for Amazon to realize that The Sword Argente is the same book for ebook and paperback. They are listed separately, and it can take a week or so to meld together and display as one book in two formats. I’m hoping that “wedding” will take place this weekend.

And when I’m not typesetting, I’m working on Book III which is shaping up. It needs a few more thousand words, and I need to listen to it in Adobe Acrobat to catch things that do not sound right. I hope that some day all three will be available as an audio book. I’ll have to do a not more promoting before I get to that point.

Thanks for being on this journey with me! I appreciate all the sharing many of you have done to spread the word.

~C.K.

It has taken a lot more work than I anticipated, but I think the ball is finally rolling again. The book is now in review on Amazon–the ebook only so far–and it may be available within 72 hours.

As you can see, I have changed the title. There are a few minor changes as well, very minor, but I wanted to make a clean break with the previous publisher and publish it myself under the Warbler Press logo. The Sword Argente was the original title which I thought too obscure but now I am happy to go back to it. My readers haven’t had problems adjusting to new words and the word “argente” is just another word for silver.

It is a steep learning curve, and the Kindle application wasn’t very forgiving and flexible. I hope to improve as time goes on. I submitted it and POOF it was gone and I couldn’t get it back to make any changes. I don’t know where it went–other than off to be reviewed. I am hoping they don’t give me a hard time thinking that I am ripping off the previous version. It took two weeks to convince that cover artist that I wasn’t doing just that.

Here’s to a new start. Thank you for your patience!!

There was a reason I sought out a publisher. Because this is so hard!

Nevertheless, I am picking myself up, dusting myself off, and starting again. If I didn’t have Sjogren’s Syndrome (dry eyes) I would probably have a good cry and scream a little. I am working today on reissuing “The Eversilver Sword” under a new title: “The Sword Argente” (which is the original title and one I once thought too obscure). It will now have the Warbler Press icon on it, too. I suppose the minute I thought of Warbler Press it became real and was determined to exist. 

Following shortly after that will be “The Crown of the Crescent Moon’ and–I hope–rapidly after that “The Chalice Rose” which will be the end of the trilogy. I would like them all out before Christmas but at the rate I am struggling with Kindle Direct and Create Space, it may be close.

The good news is that I am working with the same cover artist so there will be consistency with fonts, etc. I have made corrections to Book I to discard any references to the planet Naropa of Fantasy World and their other countries. Greylin and friends are now firmly placed on Kepler 186f and I will have a whole planet of my own to work with. It is a big planet; Allanda is only a part of it.

If I can master the mechanics of the publishing part, I will be free to actually write again!

My publisher dropped me.

I feel like a ran full speed into a brick wall. He didn’t have enough time or money for his own books and his partner left him high and dry, so he cut me loose. I am suddenly on my own and haven’t been able to recover from the shock or pick myself up yet. I was working hard on getting the book out there, joining author groups, and pushing for exposure. All that energy went the way of that window in the photo.

I do have another publisher interested. One way or another, Book Two will be published. I will either have to do it myself, or go with the new publisher if he offers a good deal. I don’t know which route is the best. I don’t have time to submit to a big traditional publisher, that could be a six-month wait with no guarantees. Most people have told me to go it alone. Make Warbler Press a reality. I don’t feel one bit ready for that but that may be what happens. I will certainly let you know and keep you posted.

Thank you, all of you, who have been so supportive. You keep me going.

Click the link and then scroll down but don’t click on the photo of the book cover or it will take you to Amazon. https://myglobalbooks.com/2019/09/03/the-eversilver-sword-c-k-sholly/

While we wait for Book II The Crown of the Crescent Moon to make it’s appearance I can at least give you a sneak peek of what the cover art work will look like:

What do you think?

I have to say, this combination has a lot going for it. This past Thursday, August 29, 2019, which happens to be my late father’s birthday, I had a book signing at Concetta’s Chocolate Shop (https://www.concettascandies.com/ ). I connected with some old friends I hadn’t seen in a while and met some new friends. I had a great time. Topping it all off was some very good chocolate to go with it. I sold out of books so I am ordering more and will have some for those who are waiting in a couple weeks.

One thing I may not have mentioned is that we were supporting three charities. She was focusing on the Rotary Club, and I have two very near and dear to my heart. One is the Dare to Dream Ranch which treats veterans with PTSD (https://www.daretodreamranch.org/ ) run by Karen Dalton and the other a local wildlife rehabilitation place ( https://www.sweetbinks.org/ ) run by Pamela Hood. What I love about these two places of healing is that these women do this on their own. That doesn’t mean they don’t get help, but it does mean that they have to find the money to keep going. I am more than happy to contribute a percentage of everything I make on my writing to these two warrior women. Their strength and dedication inspire me. I haven’t made much for them yet but I will do what I can.

Corrections in progress!
I asked, you responded. My dear readers have found 3 mistakes that will be corrected in the next batch of printed books. They are minor, 2 typos (missing an ‘s’ at the end of two words) and one paragraph that managed to get itself justified instead of flush left. Naughty paragraph! So I thank you very much. From here on in I hope the book is perfection in all ways.

I also want to give a shout out to my “international” readers. I have some fans in Australia, Wales, and Finland. It’s nice to hear from so far away that there’s enough universality in The Eversilver Sword to captivate people from different continents!

For those of you who have already started–or finished–Book I, you know that Greylin’s appearance changes every time an obscuration spell is put on or taken off. What does she really look like without any spells?

I started searching for just the right photo. The painting on the cover of The Eversilver Sword is close, but it’s still not completely free of changes to her appearance. The painting below nailed it. That’s who she is!

After a while, I will post a version of Grae, but I’m not giving any spoilers away so soon.

Today, this day, is extraordinary.

Today is the 5th birthday of my beautiful granddaughter.

Today is the official release of my book The Eversilver Sword.

I’m not very good with dates. I once forgot my first husband’s birthday. Entirely. (Which probably went a long way toward precipitating the divorce.) So until today, I didn’t realize that both of these events were happening on the SAME day. I think it is auspicious. Even in spite of the fact that we went right into a Mercury Retrograde just before the book’s debut. I don’t put too much stock into such things, but I can’t help being a little glad that advance sales of the book started long before that pesky little planet decided to start backing up.

I have already sold a few books. This astonishes me. I have spent many years deep into the world of Allanda. The characters are as known to me as thoroughly, or perhaps more so, than my own friends and family. Suddenly other people know about them. It is as though I have been invisible these many years and suddenly someone can see me. Such an odd feeling. Then to have someone respond with “I love the book. Can’t wait for Book II. Greylin inspires me” is so rewarding, so validating, that I am eternally grateful. I want everyone to love the characters as much as I do.

Next week I will do my first “book talk and signing”. That will be new. I am glad I am having new experiences. It keeps me from settling so deep into myself that I forget to come up for air. If you’re not doing anything next Saturday, in July, with ocean and lake shores beckoning, then the flyer below will tell you where I’ll be!

There’s not much more thrilling than when you hold your first printed-up book in your hand, unless it’s the day someone hands you the baby you just birthed. (Having experienced both I can say I have lived well.)

Following this most recent high, I can say the next experience–having someone open the book you excitedly put in their hands and who then immediately spots a typo–is a bit crushing. One has to accept that with a lot of humor. Self-deprecating humor. My face–it’s falling into–a grimace. Is that a twitch under my eye? Why aren’t I laughing this off?

Truth is, I went through the editing process SO many times. I’ve had it edited by editor friends, had others’ input. I listened to it twice with the monotone drone of the computer voice. I thought I had caught every possible mistake but–typos happen. I can groan about it, but better to accept it, try to move forward, and correct it whenever possible.

So I am making a list. For those who now have the book–it is shipping early, hurrah!–please let me know if you find any mistakees. They can be corrected in later printings. Thank you!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton