Lionsong's Den Newsletter October 2009

Hi everyone,

Well this is a little different... it's going to take some getting used to, but it will certainly make it easier for me to write my newsletters, and it will certainly make it easier for you to view them. I know I'm getting tired of having my email full of all kinds of crap... so now you have the option of just viewing the newsletter online. If you want to know when the next newsletter is up, you can either sign up for my rss feeds on my HubPages profile or you can sign up for a free HubPages account and opt in for the email announcements.

Things have been a bit hectic around here lately. Unfortunately, not a lot of writing has been getting done (writer's block big time), but at least I've been getting some other work done that I need to do in order to promote the book. I'll give you more updates on that in the announcement section.

Enjoy the newsletter, and don't forget to check out the Book of the Month, especially if you love Halloween as much as I do!

Happy reading!

Naya

The Search for an Agent

I'm still doing research for finding an agent. In fact, that's what I've been spending most of the last couple of months doing. I've been learning as much as I can about the publishing process, writing query letters, and how to approach agents and publishers. It's actually a bit more complicated and intimidating than I imagined, but oddly I feel a lot more confident about the process too. Knowledge is power!

I've started following some agents blogs to learn more, so I've set up a blogroll up at Lionsong's Den specifically for these blogs. If you're a writer and you want to publish, you might want to have a look.

Self-Editing

I've decided to give self-editing a try (when I realized that paying for an editor would cost me over $1000... yikes), so I bought a book from Amazon.com called Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. I just got it in the mail a couple of days ago and I've been reading through it. I can see now why it can take several months to a year to edit a book. It's great, though... so detailed and it really walks you step by step through the process.

Novel? What Novel?

I know it seems to be taking forever, especially when I thought I'd be well and truly done writing Shadow Stalker by now, but it is getting there. I've got about five or six chapters left to write. Once I finally find my writing muse again, I'll probably have it done within a few days. Following a huge stint of writer's block like this is always an enormous writing spree. My last writing spree saw me through about 14 chapters, so this should be good... just cross your fingers it happens in the next week or so. In the meantime I'm attempting to write at least a paragraph a day to keep things moving along.

Questions & Answers

I've added a new Questions & Answers section to my blog. If you have a question you'd like me to answer about my work or writing in general, contact me and you may have your question and my answer featured on my blog.

BOOKS & Other Literary Works The CRITICS Got WRONG!!!

In a tale as old as time, here is a short list of classic books and other literary works that were originally attacked by critics and subsequently given bad reviews.

* A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakeaspeare - performed in London in 1662.
"The most stupid ridiculous play that I ever saw in my life."
- Samuel Pepys, Diary.

This is an excerpt, click here for full article...

What Power Would You Want?

Many of us dream about having some kind of super power. Maybe you want to help people... Maybe you want to change the world.

My novel, that I'm currently working on, delves into having certain abilities or gifts and the responsibilities and consequences that come with them. So I decided to put together this contest to see what your thoughts are about having powers.

It's simple... in 50 words or less describe the type of super power you would like to have and why you'd want to have it. What would you do with it?

The top 5 answers (which will of course be picked by me) will win an autographed copy of Shadow Stalker when it is released.

***The contest deadline is being extended***

Click here for more information and to enter!

The Force Within

Have you ever dreamed about what you would be when you grew up? Was that dream so powerful that it felt as though it was already true? When Naya was a young girl she had a dream that went beyond desire. It had entrenched itself within her being and as she grew into adulthood it manifested itself into reality. It did not happen easily, though. This dream was born from a desire to understand the universe we live in and her path in life.

You Don't Have to Take It! A Kid's Guide to Understanding & Preventing Child Abuse

This book will change the life of every child who reads it. It's is an empowering tool, which will help kids to understand that they do have the ability to put an end to their abuse or prevent it from happening in the first place! Reading this book will help kids gain a better understanding about child abuse. It defines child abuse and explains the different types of child abuse. It offers quizzes to help kids determine whether or not they may be experiencing child abuse. It also explains who they should talk to if they or a friend is being abused, and what may happen when abuse is reported.