When the last one flies the nest J.
Lilley (YA Author)
This is a bitter sweet time for me. I've
just competed my final read through of he last book in my YA series The Shalean
Moon. It's gone now, out of my hands and I won't see it again until it's all
formatted and ready for everyone else to hopefully buy and enjoy.
It's a weird feeling, this evolution of a
book. It starts as a germ of an idea, nags and digs at my mind until I give it,
open a fresh document and write Chapter One. Them I'm pretty much consumed and
told what to write. So that I guess is the conception. A strange feeling, this
life growing inside you. I know I have to nourish it, nurture t and let it grow
until its finished growing, and ready to be born. That's I see as the point I'm
going to submit it.
Nail biting time. I've decided to let
other people see if they like my baby. No one wants their children to be
disliked. What if it's bad? No good, not liked?
Luckily the first book in this series,
Discovered was liked and a series was requested.
So
now I had to let Discovered be improved. That's a bit like the first day at
nursery. Teach it how to be a better book (and me a better writer) and show us
what language is acceptable and what isn't. That's important in any book, more
so in a YA.
So Rach, the heroine can say "oh
shit," but nothing stronger.
Here's a short excerpt, where we've let
her be herself…
Brios looked sane, like a normal, hot-bod boy
in a boring school uniform. But shoot—his face was solemn and he didn't look as
if he was ready for the funny farm.
She began to fumble with the door handle.
'I'm sane, stop worrying.'
"Hells bells Brios, what the heck is this
all about? How can I hear you when you're not speaking?"
"It's complicated. It's a gift given to
certain people. Who can project and receive thoughts."
Rach thought about that. She figured she'd
just smile and go along with it; just until she was back at school and away
from him. One day she might just listen to her dad!
Then she looked closely at his face and realized
he wasn't joking.
'Believe it Rach.'
Oh great! One more reason not to like it up
here; a mind reading hottie … Ahh!
"So, I can hear you, or whatever you call
it? Can you hear me?' Brios nodded with a smile, and Rach felt her face go red.
"Oh shit."
Brios laughed out loud at that. Rach felt like
hitting him. What if there was something in it? Did that mean she had to
not think anything even slightly dodgy? She waited for some smart-ass comment
to fill her mind, but nothing did.
See what I mean? My baby is
respectable. So the learning continues. She (he it) is improved, until at last,
She (let's call her she) is ready to be let loose on an unsuspecting public.
We've done out best to make her loveable. But who knows if that best is good
enough?
You can only hope.
You'd think as each book is born and improved
it would get easier? Oh no, harder if anything because you expect more from it.
The pace is stepped up a notch or five. And as this is a series each book has
aspects of the others in it. So any one reflects on them all.
So far, four of the six
have been published by Lycaon press. The final two will come out on the first
Friday in October and November respectively. Then that's it. They will all have
flown the nest, all grown up and in to the wide world.
I realized I have no more
of the series to nurture. I gave them all the once over. And I'm happy that
we've done our best. If their standards are not good enough, their behavior
shoddy, it's too late now. Once they are gone, you have to leave them alone to
sink or swim.
Oh I hope they swim.
The six books are:
Discovered — When Rach moved to Scotland
Renounced — For Leira, all she knew
was Shalea. Shalea and Donny. Now she wanted to see life without their
protection, to live without the skills passed down to her. Without her
heritage. However, there were others who wanted her, didn't have goodness
within them, and would stop at nothing to take her; to turn her towards them.
Could she survive and repel their evil without the protection of those who
loved her, or would evil prevail? Only Leira could decide...
Accepted — Andy is Shalean and in
love with a human, but he had no idea how to make such a relationship work. Sam
has no idea that Shalea exists, only that he is fed up waiting for Andy to make
the first move. Overjoyed to find his feelings reciprocated, Sam starts seeing
strange things. Something is afoot, and Andy seems right in the middle of it.
What Sam discovers rocks him to the core. But he is determined to fight for
their chance of happiness. Human he may be, but as long as Andy wants him, they
can face anything...can't they?
United
When Shalea is in trouble can one halfling and
one witch save the day?
When the leaders of The Shalean Sept go
missing, Troy Troy
As they fight to combat the evil, help comes
from an unexpected source.
Aibhlinn has secrets of her
own, secrets that could destroy her. However she is determined to aid her
new-found friends. Will her intervention be a help or a hindrance? Only time
will tell in this fight for life or death.
Threatened
As friends unite and enemies surge, can
Shalea be saved?
Shalea is in danger. The friends need to
unite to face the unknown forces threatening to destroy them all. As old
secrets are unveiled, and new alliances formed, will it be enough to save their
Sept. Or is all going to be lost under the Shalean Moon?
Resolved
When Shaleans fight Shaleans nothing is
simple. However, with the help of true friends can good overcome evil?
So much depends on such a few people,
that nothing is certain, and the identities of some might just result in no
resolution at all.
It's up to Brios and his friends to save their
world, but time is running out.
All are available (or will be) from www.lycaonpress.com
The first three books are in a print book
called Beginnings and available from Lycaon press and Amazon.
The second three will be in print, in one book
called Resolutions, and available later this year.
I can be contacted via www.jlilleyauthor.com
Or you can pop by and say hi on facebook.
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