Not Write Now (Heather)

Howdy from Texas to all of my new Lands Uncharted friends! I’m so happy to be a part of this diverse and talented group. Thanks for letting me share a bit of my “writer’s life” with you today.

As I work on this post, I’m tempted to retitle the heading as “Non-Writer’s Life” because I’m literally typing this from my mother’s hospital room. She’s had a lot of health challenges lately, one of which was the need for a hip replacement this past week. Unfortunately, she suffered a small stroke the night after surgery, making recovery even more difficult. We are praying and looking towards rehab to get her moving. 

My mum and I at the Realm Maker Awards in St. Louis.
My third book, The Genesis Tree, was a finalist!

Soooo, as you might guess, I’m not doing much in the writing realm lately (we’ve been dealing with problems since October, so this isn’t a recent phenomenon). But! I just signed a contract for two additional books to add to my current YA fantasy trilogy, The Tethered World Chronicles. Plus, my second and third books, from said trilogy, are being made into audiobooks (to go along with the first one) as I write this! 

These things are writing wins and I’m so grateful for them—and grateful for my wonderful publisher, Mountain Brook Fire, and their willingness to work with me through this new set of challenges. Speaking of MBF, did you see the writing contest they’re hosting? I mentioned it in an earlier post but thought I’d bring it up in case you missed it! If you’re a writer, you need to check it out.

Though my current writing groove is in the two-steps-forward-one-step-back rhythm, it’s not always been this unpredictable. Though I am a definite pantser—writing by the seat of my pants—I somehow managed to write my first novel, The Tethered World, while homeschooling four kiddos. 

When my oldest graduated high school, and my youngest was headed to sixth grade, I decided to begin my writing career in earnest. Wasn’t my graduate also in the sixth grade, like two years earlier? Felt that way! I knew the next six years would fly by. And I didn’t want to wait until then to figure out what to do with myself—although I did have a job teaching ballet, which I kept even after my youngest graduated. 

One of my classes performing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
That's Tumnus and multiple "Lucys" :)

I had TONS of fun playing the White Witch for another Narnia number!

In my heart, I was a storyteller. Whether with dance or words, that was what I loved to do.

God brought along a wonderful mentor in children’s author Susan K. Marlow who helped me learn a lot of the writing ropes. She encouraged me to send her whatever I was working on and offered oodles of helpful feedback. She even used an actual red pen to bleed all over my rough draft, which I had printed out on actual paper. Susan also introduced me to my publisher, Miralee Ferrell, a successful author-turned-publisher. 

That early, providential relationship has taught me the value of making connections in the writing world. Thank the Lord for the internet! It holds so many opportunities, especially for us introverts. Though I’ve finally met both Susan and Miralee in person, those meetings happened after my first book was published.

This past July I reached the half century mark! I now have two delightful granddaughters and my husband and I are official empty-nesters. You may be in a season of diapers and homework and dirty dishes, but, trust me, one day you will have time to pursue those quiet passions, lurking inside your heart. Someone once said that, “the days are long but the years are short” and truer words haven’t been spoken in regards to parenting. Be patient with your self and with life. You can depend on seasons to change.

My granddaughters, W and K. They bring such joy!
It's heartwarming to think that one day they will read my books.

Though I may not be swimming through diapers and dishes myself, these past few months have brought similar time-challenges with my mom’s health crisis. Writing today’s post has been a good reminder from my younger self. Wow! I actually managed to write a novel in the midst of a full house—a little here, a little there—and I will, with God’s grace, manage it again. And, like those valuable, early internet relationships, I now have a new relationship here, with all of you Lands Uncharted peeps! I am truly blessed.

Do you have a mentor, a writer’s group, or someone encouraging you in whatever you love to do? How did you meet them? Are there dear friends in your life, thanks to the internet, that you’ve yet to meet in person? If time constraints weren’t a thing, what would your dream job be? 

I'd love to hear what's going on with you!

Top 3 New Years Resolutions (Julie)

It's hard to believe that 2019 is almost done and then a new decade is upon us. This has been a year of much change-leaving my home of five years to move to a new place and then getting married a few weeks ago. With all this, another change is coming. I believe my time on Lands Uncharted has come to an end for now.  It has been an exciting adventure, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my years as a blogger here and being a part of this wonderful community.

Now as I look to a new year of change, I know there are 3 things (at least) that I will commit to doing in 2020. And I hope you will also commit to as well (because they are pretty awesome):

1) Read. Read. Read. Get the picture? You're reading this post because you love to read (I'm assuming anyway). No matter how busy life gets and how many changes happen, continuing to read is essential for one's well-being! I wasn't able to read nearly as much this year as normal, but I treasured every chance I got to read a new fantasy book. I look forward to having the chance to read more this coming year!

2) Keep writing (or start!) I realize not everyone who reads LU writes, though I hope so! If you don't, might I recommend giving it a try in 2020? It's so much like reading but you make the story, and the characters, and the adventures, and the villain. There are endless possibilities to unleash your imagination onto paper, or a document.

3) Keep reading Lands Uncharted! There is so much humor, interesting book reviews, and useful information, that it should be a goal to continue to check out all the excellent posts, especially the news ones! I won't be on LU as a blogger next year, but I definitely will keep up with it and appreciate all the creative posts. It's gonna be good!


I hope you will join me on these ventures and experience the laughter, creativeness, and adventures of lands uncharted! Happy New Year and may it be blessed with tons of stories to read and write!!

Top Three Summer Reads (So Far) (Lauricia)

Ah, summer! Most notably recognized for vacations, summer is a time when school is out of session and a vast number of people experience long spans of down-time (at least in America). Since I am a teacher as well as an author, I have a few months to spend schedule-free, which means more opportunities to write and read.

Which is exactly what I’ve been doing. From fiction to non-fiction (because I am still working a bit), from traditionally published to indie, from classic to new, I’ve been a book-devouring monster since Memorial Day, which is my first official day off. So far, the top three novels that stick out are:

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Maya is the favored daughter of Raja Ramchandra of Bharta, but she is cursed with a horoscope predicting a marriage wedded to death and destruction. This makes her a target of malice and suspicion within her harem family and marks her as undesirable for a prospective bride. Maya has no desire to be a harem wife, however, and looks forward to a future as an unmarried scholar. The last thing she ever anticipated was being commanded by her father to marry and sacrifice her ideal future in order to save the kingdom of Bharata and everything she loves.

I love, Love, LOVE this story. Rich in Indian mythology and folklore, The Star-Touched Queen transported me to a fascinating world of mystery and magic, love and betrayal, danger and sacrifice. Superbly written, the artistry of the author allowed me to slip fully into the story and gave me no desire to ever leave until long after I read the last words. Fair warning: Don’t start this story until you have time to finish it because you won’t be able to put it down.

Raven Thrall by J. Elizabeth Vincent

Mariah is Ceo San, touched by the gods and gifted with the ability to shape-shift into a hawk. It’s supposed to be a blessing, but for Mariah, it feels more like a curse. Stuck somewhere between Human and animal form, Mariah must hide the wings that betray her identity or else she will be conscripted into the king’s army, enslaved to live as nothing more than a weapon.

Betrayed by someone she thought she could trust, Mariah is forced to flee her home. She manages to create a life of safety, even if it does mean being alone, until she meets Xae, a raven shifter whose family has been captured. Mariah is forced to choose between her life of relative safety or helping Xae rescue his family. In the process she learns more about herself than she ever thought possible and receives a calling on her life that could change the fate of the Ceo San forever.

Raven Thrall is an epic fantasy novel that examines the impact one person can make. Mariah’s conflicts do not influence her world on a grand scale, but they represent the common battles each of us face on a regular basis. Mariah’s growth throughout the story is organic and realistic and speaks to the way each person’s life can make a difference. This book will be especially appealing to readers who like strong female characters with strengths that lie outside the realm of mastery in weapons.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Okay, bear with me. Dune is not a fantasy novel. It is a science-fiction classic that I have been wanting to read for AGES, but it is foundational to the speculative fiction canon, which is why I’m including it here.

Set on the desert planet of Arakis, Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides, the son of a scapegoated Duke exiled to a hostile planet. Instead of dying like he’s supposed to, Paul adapts to the rough demands of the desert and its people, even becoming a messiah of sorts to the planet’s native race.

This is an intriguing story. It would be easy to read it and think of it as cliché, but remember that it was written forty years ago. Although it is often criticized as a book filled with genre stereotypes, this is actually the work those stereotypes were born from. If you are a fan of speculative fiction, Dune is a must-read. 

As I said in my last post, I hope you are enjoying a summer filled with rest, recuperation, and good books. I’m always looking for good books, so I’d love to know your top three reads so far. Please list them in the comments below.