Giving Away the Girls!

 

Both Elsie and Annie are are going to be given away to two lucky winners! Click the link here to go to my blog where you can make a comment and then check back on Wednesday to see if you've won!!  

 

 

Out Now--"Dark Hour"!

I am pleased to announce that Dark Hour, the third and final installment in The Coming Evil Trilogy, is now available! This series has been a labor of love of mine for nearly fifteen years. Seeing it published in its entirety is a dream come true. I am so thankful for the fine folks at Realms for taking a chance on the first two books and helping me build an audience. They set the standard for amazing covers and pristine formatting and have shepherded me through the process of honing my craft. This final book is published by Splashdown Darkwater and we have worked hard to follow through with the example that Realms set before us.

Our own Bruce Hennigan had this very nice thing to say about Dark Hour: "More demonic monsters, a looming apocalypse, bloody spiritual warfare, and a painful reunion -- Greg Mitchell has delivered a tour de force in the final volume of The Coming Evil Trilogy. It is impossible to put down this taut, supernatural thriller until the last, gut-wrenching page!"

Now, you can order all three books in the Trilogy in either print or digital formats. As always, stay tuned to my author blog where, in the coming weeks, I'll be posting my commentary for the book to provide additional insight into the creative process behind this epic Christian Horror series! Thank you to everyone who has been following this series so far. I hope you'll join the fun for one final roller-coaster thrill ride.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The End is Here

Greensboro has fallen.

Swayed by the demonic Strange Man, the townspeople have sacrificed their freedom for prosperity. Monsters lurk in every shadow and the few who oppose the new regime have been chased out of town, forced to wage their war in hiding. For ex-reverend Jeff Weldon and those under his care, it is a losing battle, but the tale begins to turn with the return of his brother Dras.

Dras arrives at his hometown to find it has descended into darkness - but the worst is yet to come. The Strange Man's final plan is falling into place and the Dark Hour is close at hand. Dras, Jeff, and the last of Greensboro's protectors work frantically to unlock the Strange Man's secrets and uncover the key to stopping the Dark Hour before all is lost. But when Dras discovers the fate of his best friend, Rosalyn Myers, he will realize that he has more to lose in this battle than he ever imagined.

Dark Hour is the explosive final act in The Coming Evil Trilogy. All bets are off as the remnant of light clash with the armies of darkness. The final fates of Jeff, Isabella, Dras, and Rosalyn, along with all of Greensboro, will be decided in a desperate last stand. 

Order all three volumes of The Coming Evil Trilogy!
The Strange Man
Enemies of the Cross
Dark Hour

Also available--Lengthening Shadows, an exclusive e-novella set before the dramatic events in Dark Hour.

Building a PLATFORM

Over 150 people were crowded into the small room with round tables and black chairs back to back. I was one of the “chosen” and I had a seat at the “masters” level table directly in front of the podium. We were huddled in the Sound Kitchen, a famous recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee for the first ever PLATFORM conference under the direction of Michael Hyatt. Over the years, I have learned to allow God to direct me to the place where my “divine appointment” awaited. I chose a seat at random at the masters’ table, sat down, and waited. A young man sat beside me and introduced himself. He asked me why I was at the PLATFORM conference. I told him I was a published author and my newest publisher, B&H Publishing had offered me a contract to update my “Conquering Depression” book. I was here to learn how to build a platform to promote myself as a public speaker and a published author. The man looked at me strangely, pulled out his smartphone and informed me he was in charge of social media for LifeWay, the parent company over B&H Publishing. We ended up having a twenty minute conversation on promoting the book and he introduced me to the man who would be building the smartphone apps for the book. A divine appointment!

I cannot emphasize enough how life changing this conference was for me. I had already attended another conference put on by this group of people. The SCORRE Conference, once known as Dynamic Communication Workshop, changed my life and taught me more about communicating with clarity than 25 years of public speaking. It, too, was a life changing experience. I cannot convey all that learned at the PLATFORM conference but I highly recommend it to any author who wants to build a platform for their work and gather a “tribe” to follow their books.

I can give our readers of this blog a brief overview of what I learned. Just follow this link to my website for my post on the PLATFORM conference.

http://brucehennigan.com/2013/02/15/platform-shoes/

Making Decisions

Sometimes I get stuck. I'm a thinker and frequently over think, over analyze, etc. I call this getting in my own way. It's also an aspect of the twin demons I've talked about in the past here can bring the best of intentions to an abrupt halt. I found a way out of that mess this week in several places. The first one was actually a sermon titled, Direction Without Doubt by Dr. Charles Stanley and you can listen to it here if interested. The second one was here at The Creative Penn where Joanna Penn is talking about, How To Write More And Create A Daily Writing Habit. 

What I loved and gave me great encouragement was thinking about how much work I wanted to complete this year before I watched that big ball in New York city bring in 2014. Time goes so fast and I don't want to waste it. I decided to shoot for 100,00 words. That's an 80,000 word novel and either two short stories or possibly a novella. When I divided 100,000 words by the number of days left in the year, 318, I got 314.4 words a day that I had to write. That's only a bit more than one page. ONE PAGE! Well I know I can do better without overwhelming myself. So I doubled it. That's 628.9 words a day and that equals (drum roll) 200,000 WORDS!

I work full time and have multiple family responsibilities and still I know I can do this if I don't procrastinate. That means not worrying about being perfect, no one is so why try. But do the best I can do and even if I only end up with 150,000 words that's amazing. 

So don't count yourself out in making some awesome word counts this year. You know some days are better than others and even with a crisis or two we should be able to write a book a year. And once that habit is formed there is no holding you back.  

And speaking of habits. You can use a calendar to track your progress or you can use whatever encourages you. I like Habit Forge. Maybe you will too. If you think this post was helpful please tweet it or Facebook it and spread the word.

All comments are welcomed and encouraged. 

 Have an awesome week. 

Jillian

This Would Make a Great Book...But You Have to Write it First

   Since becoming a published author, I’ve noticed an interesting trend when I talk to people. They have stories to tell too! They relate a personal or family anecdote and then say, “This would make a great book.”

The problem I usually find with their “great book” is that they haven’t gotten around to writing it down. Several have hinted that perhaps I might write the story for them and then happily send it to my publisher so they—the individual relating the story—can become a published author also.

     If it were that easy!

I’ve talked to a lot of people about the process of writing and getting books published. In most cases, I’ve found that they have an idea or two bouncing around, or they have actually written down a few details, but they have not completed the project.

And I think I know why so many “great books” are unfinished.

Writing is plain, hard work. The process of writing, rewriting, revising, and tweaking requires patience and a word I like to use: stick-to-it-iveness. I tell people: “Get the story written down and then congratulate yourself for accomplishing what 80% of people who begin writing a book never do: completing it.”

I remember the sense of pride I felt when I finished my first contracted book and sent it to my editor. She looked it over and to my surprise said, “Great job . . . so far. Now, let’s take it apart, rewrite it, and improve it here, here, and here.” And a lot more here’s!

As a beginning writer, I had the illusion that what I wrote was sacred and didn’t need to be edited. It appeared in perfect form as polished prose. (Insert laughter here.) Rewriting my first book took six months! And then I still wasn’t done! There were two more rounds of editing and rewriting, although each one became shorter and less painful.  

So I totally understand why many people chose not to pursue the matter.

Still the fact remains. Your personal or family anecdote may indeed make a great book, but you have to write it first.

McKenna's Daughters Books on Amazon Top 100 Lists

Last night as I did a run through my Facebook feed on my profile there, I noticed a post that my friend Sharlene MacLaren had shared from someone else. It had this link for the Top 100 Christian Historical Fiction list for paid books on Kindle. Charisma had  Maggie's Journey free from February 5th through 12th to celebrate the release of Catherine's Pursuit. Here is the link.

Top 100 Books in Kindle Paid Books for Historical Christian Fiction

I went through the list and found Mary's Blessing at #13 and Catherine's Pursuit at #16. I didn't even think to look for Maggie's Journey. I was thrilled. Of course, these lists change daily.

This morning, I clicked on the link again. Mary's Blessing is #14, Catherine's Pursuit is #16, and I found Maggie's Journey at #36. All three books are on the list. I was even more thrilled. There are a lot of really good Christian historical fiction books out there.

When I went to the list today, I noticed another list in the left sidebar. Top 100 Hot New Releases. And right there at #2 was Catherine's Pursuit.

What I want to know is, do you as a reader ever look at those lists?

And do they affect your buying decisions? 

I really want to know. This will help me as I continue to write books and promote them. Please Leave a comment letting me know.

And if you are in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area, you're invited to my Book Launch for Catherine's Pursuit on Saturday.

THE ULTIMATE LITERARY CHALLENGE WHERE AUTHORS BATTLE AND READERS JUDGE

Beginning February 13th, Mystery of the Heart, will be in the Clash of the Titles battle. This is great fun and provides exposure for newly released novels. I'm grateful for the opportunity and consider it a great way to celebrate romantic fiction during Valentines Day week.

Voting will remain open for one week. So here's your opportunity to vote if you deem Mystery of the Heart worthy.  

Editorial Reviews

Review

 “A riveting tale of intrigue, courage, romance, and faith. I was hooked from the first page.” —Serena B. Miller, author of The Measure of Katie Calloway, 2012 RITA award for best inspirational romance

“A deliciously credible and moving account of a nineteenth-century woman pursuing her dream to become a doctor. I couldn’t put this one down!” —Sue Harrison, author of international best seller Mother Earth Father Sky

“Jillian Kent writes a sweeping romantic intrigue, brilliant with well-drawn characters and meticulous research of Regency England.” —Linda Windsor, author of The Brides of Alba historical series: Healer, Thief, and Rebel

Customer Reviews

 "That being said, I recommend that your read the first two books, they are equally as good, but this can be read alone." Maureen  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement

 "The pages are filled with mystery, adventure, intrigue and excitement. " lighthouse88  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement

 "Very hard book to put down, I found that I wanted to know what happened next and kept reading. " D. Duncan  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement

This and That

Hard to believe another year is upon us and a month of it already gone. The older I get, the faster the days and weeks fly by. Last month I wrote about setting goals. Where are you with the goals you set?

One of my goals is to do more research and come up with more story ideas for both contemporary and historical novels. Research is fun and leads me into areas where I’ve never been before. I wrote about that in my last post and the interesting things I discovered along the way.

Another goal is to manage my writing time better along with my other duties and responsibilities. As a SOTP writer, very little planning goes into the story at the beginning. So, sometimes my writing time isn't as productive as it could be. Looks that will be a goal to work on all year. One manuscript did get finished and sent in on time, but the writing is always down to the wire.

It's such a pleasure to be on this blog with some great writers. Maybe all your genres don't appeal to me, but your blogs do reveal something about you and your writing. We are different with various backgrounds and experiences, but we all write for the same purpose. We see things from many points of view and express our differences in the way we write and the subjects of our writing. We are on the same journey even though our expectations of that journey may not be the same.

I don't know about you, but I'm having fun on my journey, and I pray you are as well.

 

 

 

Book Signing for Grace Given

What a great book signing thanks to all of the wonderful friends and readers who stopped by! And the staff at Barnes & Noble were so helpful:) 

 

My friend was thrilled when she realized this book was dedicated to her!

My husband helped out but as you can see he was holding the wrong book!

Until next time!