The Illuminator’s Gift

Revving My Engine

~ Alina ~ 2 Comments

January 3rd, 2014. The year’s first blog post. (Check out the sidebar for posts from the blog tour I did last month.)

And now I have no idea how to write for my own author website, after the regular ol’ blog I kept for the past 2 1/2 years. I’m still figuring out where all the buttons are here, let alone how to write!

Well, here goes. Please bear with me as I figure out my voice like a 14-year-old boy.

In 2013, I set these goals:

1. Grow closer to God

Status: yes. By the bumpy, circuitous road by which one always approaches the Most High. Including some harrowing rappelling and scraped knees. Including some good books, like C.S. Lewis’s The Problem of Pain and A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God. Including astonishment at the imagination, grace, and wisdom of a Love greater than myself.

2. See my novel accepted for publication or self-published

Status: Why, done, as a matter of fact 🙂 The labor and thrill of the year was seeing The Illuminator’s Gift published on December 2nd, 2013!  (Permanent links to its Amazon home are on the “Books” page.) After five years of writing and months of research into publishing options, I finally decided to self-publish…then did it in seven weeks, thanks to the grace, energy, and forbearance of everyone I know. I was also extremely honored to host my first book signing last month, supported by so many loving family members and friends.

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Photo credit: Jim Hillmann

3. Work up to a monthly income I can live on

Status: This one’s a bit more vague than I realized. Rather than achieving the American Dream, I’ve come to peace with holding my hands open to God’s plan. For someone who likes to plan, that’s a teeth-grinding journey of trust. But I’m learning. And with His imagination, it’s a wild ride.

4. Learn the craft of bookbinding

Status: Not done yet. But it’s still a goal 🙂

And now, for some new goals in 2014. My practical, small-picture goals are too numerous to list, but here are a few big-picture habits I’d like to develop:

1. Pursue God first and wholeheartedly. (That goes for writing as well as everything else.)

2. Get up earlier….

3. …in order to write at least 5 times a week. 

4. Blog weekly. You all might have to help me with this one. Clamor at me if I lag! If I do, it’s probably because I’m working on the sequel to The Illuminator’s Gift.

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Photo credit: Jim Hillmann

 

I’m revving my engine for a busy, exciting year full of completely unpredictable adventures. What are your goals for the new year? 

 

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Book Launch Day!!!

~ Alina ~ 2 Comments

THE BOOK IS OUT!!!

The Illuminator’s Gift, a fantasy novel for ages 9-14 (and the young at heart) is now available in print here

and for Kindle here!

Book Cover
The amazing cover art by Amalia Hillmann

Writing and publishing this book has been such a process of learning, prayer, late nights, cough drops, tears, technical difficulties, love, and community. I’m so thrilled to be able to show it to you at long last. 

To celebrate the book launch, I’m doing a blog tour this week (check out the box in the right sidebar). I hope you’ll stop by to visit all these amazing bloggers’ sites. Here’s the schedule:

Dec. 2 (today): Guest post on Adrienne Pollock’s blog

Dec. 4: Cover special on Angela Wallace’s blog

Dec. 6: Audio interview on Caleb Fong’s blog

Here’s the synopsis of The Illuminator’s Gift, a fantasy novel for readers ages 9-14 (and the young at heart): 
Ellie is a twelve-year-old orphan who desperately wants a family. She just doesn’t expect to find one in the crew of the Legend, a flying ship in a secret rescue fleet. On board, she meets a boy with a pet tarantula, a bully with eyes like mirrors, and a librarian who can read eighteen languages. Unexpectedly, Ellie also discovers a powerful gift that only she can wield. But when the Legend is called to a dangerous rescue mission, Ellie risks losing everyone she loves. Will her mysterious gift be enough to save her and her friends from a deadly enemy bent on destroying their world?

Five Reasons I Love Self-Publishing

~ Alina ~ 2 Comments

With my book, The Illuminator’s Gift, releasing on Amazon in just 9 days, I’m almost done with this whirlwind publishing process. Not much time to sit back and relax yet, but it does give me pause to ask myself: is the self-publishing journey worth it?

Cover preview 1
A sneak peek at the book cover! Credit: Amalia Hillmann

Though the process isn’t yet finished, I’d say quite confidently, yes. Here are five reasons I’m happy (so far) with the decision to self-publish:

1. I like a job where I get to wear a lot of hats. As you may know, when I was in kindergarten, I wanted to grow up to be EVERYTHING. Little did I know that I’d get my wish. Since jumping into self-publishing, I’ve gotten to dabble in tax and copyright law and dabble in typography, write contracts and write PR materials, learn the difference between a domain name and a web host and learn the difference between watercolor and acrylic paint. I’ve found myself good at some of these things and bad at others, but it’s all an adventure.

2. It’s been a real blessing and privilege to work with friends instead of New York businesspeople (nothing against them). And this is not only because it’s nice to have a say in the final look and feel of my book. It’s also nice to take breaks from spacing ellipses and evaluating thumbnails to chat about church, relationships, travels. To compare coffee flavors and car gas mileage. To make excited noises about the beauty we’re co-creating. To work alongside other young creatives looking for a place to penetrate the forest canopy.

Cover preview 2
Credit: Amalia Hillmann

3. Going to “the publishing house” in my pajamas is a pretty cushy perk! Especially when I contract a very obnoxious illness just weeks before the release date.

4. I’m watching myself develop new traits, from learning the art of the diplomatic e-mail, to accurately budgeting time and money, to negotiating mutually beneficial agreements, to multitasking effectively, to making important decisions without dwelling or worrying. Some of these new skills go against my natural grain. But self-publishing a book that’s very close to my heart has given me the necessary push to face some fears and grow up a little more.

5. On December 2nd, I plan to be viewing my published book on Amazon.com. With a traditional publisher, my five-years-in-the-making manuscript could have waited an additional year or more to see the light of day. Publishing a book in seven weeks is definitely not something I recommend trying at home or plan on repeating, but with self-publishing, it can be done. All the concentrated labor and anguish will be over very soon, and it will be worth it to hold that sweet, 6×9 rectangle of paper and fresh ink in my hands. 

Cover preview 3
Credit: Amalia Hillmann

The Illuminator’s Gift will be available on Amazon.com December 2nd! In the meanwhile, I’d be delighted to have you sign up for my e-mail newsletter, like my Facebook page, or follow on Twitter using the buttons in the right sidebar 🙂