The Key Inheritance

Earlier this year, I shared the news of the release of Jen McConnel's The Burning of Isobel Key.
Since then, you've likely been wondering what came next for Lou--and what about Brian?
So I am happy to have more good news to share!  The Key Inheritance will be available in January!
Take a peek at the beautiful new cover!

Cover art by Heidi Sutherlin, 2012.

Ten years after the trip to Scotland that changed her life, Lou is back in the misty, magical country.  This time, however, she’s not on vacation: Lou is there to settle some distasteful and depressing family business.  When Brian, her old Highland fling, turns up, Lou is forced to wrestle with a past that she thought was dead and buried.  As tension between the former lovers mounts, something wicked is stirring in Scotland.  Lou must use all her strength to handle the increasingly desperate situation, but will she be strong enough to battle both a vengeful ghost and her heart?

The Key Inheritance is a novella that takes place a decade after the events of The Burning of Isobel Key.  This contemporary story crosses into the supernatural as Lou discovers evidence of a long-dead spirit who refuses to rest in peace.  Lou may have thought that she was finished with the witch Isobel Key, but her inheritance is more than the young woman can handle alone.

Want to read an ARC of The Key Inheritance? Sign up here for your chance to get an advance copy just in time for the holidays.

The Burning of Isobel Key, released by BrightFish Press.

Release date: October 1, 2012

When Lou travels to Scotland, she’s a mess.  She’s twenty-six, unemployed, and unsure of herself.  It doesn’t help that she’s traveling with Tammy, her best friend, who is everything Lou is not.

At first, the trip pushes Lou towards the brink of depression, but then she meets Brian, a handsome local tour guide.  When Brian tells the tourists about the countless witches burned in Scotland, Lou starts to listen.  And when she discovers information about Isobel Key, one of the victims of the seventeenth century, Lou finds renewed purpose.

She sets out to learn the truth of the condemned witch, but she isn’t prepared for the knowledge that waits for her.  Lou must face her demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.

THE BURNING OF ISOBEL KEY, available from Amazon Fall 2012.

Book Extras

Official Book Website | Book Trailer | Reading Guide

Grab Your Copy

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads

Createspace

 

   

I Can See Clearly Now

It is time to accept that the Mid-Life-Conflict is a battle I can't win.

In other news, the resolution and clarity on both my laptop and phone are amazingly clear.  Who knew?

LoryKC: 1 MLC: 5

Just when I think I am through with the ubiquitous Mid-Life Crisis, I find that there is yet another inning to be played.

I thought it was over and I had made it through to the other side.  Then I bought a pair of skinny jeans and a revised GRE prep book.  Clearly, the battle has only just begun.

This afternoon, while wearing my new jeans, I opened the book, found the information needed to take a diagnostic test online and sat down to face Question One.  I was asked to write an essay question and had 29 minutes and 54 seconds to write it.  I read, and then typed over, the instructions on how to save often and how to "delete" (using the command key and "x" if typing on a Mac) and typed my first few words.  I used the delete/backspace key immediately and was kicked back to the login page.  Right.  I took a deep breath and started again.  This time, I saved the directions at the top of my page, planning to delete them when I was done, but leaving them there as a reminder not to hit the delete key the moment I mistyped a word.  A typo followed not three seconds later and my fingers automatically hit the delete key before I knew what had happened...and I was back at the login screen.  This went on numerous times.  (At least, by the third time, I had managed to save what progress I had made, so I was able to "resume" my test rather than starting again.)

Finally, with three minutes to spare, I had a convincing 5-paragraph essay complete with examples and a quote from Harper Lee.  I read it and clicked on the option to "grade my essay."  It asked ME to grade MY essay.  Huh?

I went back and clicked on the little bubble indicating that I had completed my essay.  Then sat there and watched the timer continue to count down.  Oh!  Right!  I needed to click the next button.  Except I was to click "next section" (as it had indicated there was only one essay question in this section).  I did not, of course.  I clicked the "next" button, which took me to a screen which reminded me that there was only one question in this section and then gave me 29 minutes and 54 seconds with which to write my essay--on a completely NEW Question ONE.

I think I will try again tomorrow.  And pray that if and when I do take this test again for realz--it is on a PC.  Because my shiny little laptop?  Oh, she is a pretty computer but she is no PC--and clearly she is not in this fight with me!

Wild

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

I must go camping.  Outdoors.  I don’t want to do it but I suspect, deep down, that I cannot.  I wonder if I should give it a shot.  As I began reading Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild,” I compared her experience level at the beginning of her journey to my own. I thought if she could hike the Pacific Coast Trail from the Mojave Desert to the Bridge of the Gods on the Oregon-Washington border, I could possibly survive a few days out there.  Probably.

The memoir is exquisitely written, covering the author's physical and spiritual journey on the Pacific Coast Trail.  We're about the same age--she is one year older.  Cheryl left her home, her family and her marriage behind in the first week of June, 1995 to head down to Mojave, California and hike back up to the Pacific Northwest.

I was headed there myself that week, albeit in a car.  I did not leave my marriage behind--though just two months earlier I'd vowed to let it leave without me.  By the time June arrived, I'd decided to go with my husband and we each drove a car over 2,500 miles from New Orleans to Tacoma, taking turns chauffeuring the dog.  

In 1995, I remember thinking that I should have already finished a novel--the same thought the author has during her hike.  

I could publish a novel.  I want to do it but I suspect, deep down, that I cannot.  I wonder if I have truly given it a fair shot.   I finished reading “Wild.” I compared Cheryl Strayed's writing style to my own and am both inspired and humbled.  There is still a chance I could make it as a hiker.

Who will be your book this season?

Buying a book is a worthwhile investment.

Buying a book written by a friend of your friend is cool.

Buying a book written by your friend is awesome!

Slowly filling a shelf with books written by people you know (or knew) is priceless!

Burning with excitement!

It's here!  I am so excited for Jen!    I have been lucky enough to see Jen's drafts evolve into this captivating novel and now you can read it, too!  The Burning of Isobel Key is here!

The Burning of Isobel Key

New Adult/Contemporary

When Lou travels to Scotland, she’s a mess.  She’s twenty-six, unemployed, and unsure of herself.  It doesn’t help that she’s traveling with Tammy, her best friend, who is everything Lou is not.

At first, the trip pushes Lou towards the brink of depression, but then she meets Brian, a handsome local tour guide.  When Brian tells the tourists about the countless witches burned in Scotland, Lou starts to listen.  And when she discovers information about Isobel Key, one of the victims of the seventeenth century, Lou finds renewed purpose.

She sets out to learn the truth of the condemned witch, but she isn’t prepared for the knowledge that waits for her.  Lou must face her demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.

THE BURNING OF ISOBEL KEY, available from Barnes & Noble and Amazon Fall 2012.

Paperback: $14.95

E-Book (Kindle or Nook): $2.99

Book Extras

Official Book Website | Book Trailer | Reading Guide

Grab Your Copy

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Goodreads

Barnes & Noble | Createspace 

 

Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”).

She is also an active reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW.

A Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn’t crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time.

Published & Upcoming Works

• The Burning of Isobel Key: Contemporary new adult with a spattering of historical mystery.  Coming October 2012
• Priestess of Moab: Historical fiction.  Coming Spring 2013

Favorite Genres

• YA: anything!
• Historical fiction
• Paranormal

Connect with Jen

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | 

| Goodreads | Amazon Author Page 

This Ole House

I want to tell you a story involving a sunken Civil War ship.  There is another story I'd like to share with you about two sisters--who've never met--which is also set during the Civil War.

Writer's Block is not my problem.  Lack of time is occasionally a problem.  Three kids and a dog have a way of needing something when I could be writing, along with all of the volunteer gigs, meetings and chauffeuring that go along with said family.  Still, those are obstacles that can be overcome.

The real problem with getting those stories to you is The One that is in my way.  I started a story years ago with no clear idea where it would go.  I've picked at it over the years until last year, decided that I would absolutely whittle that sprawling mess into a story.  It has evolved so much over the last year but still needs so much.  I need to set it aside and work on a story I can finish--and maybe even sell.  Right?

I have been comparing my stories to homes.  If you have a finite amount of both time and money, the best bet might be to purchase a new or newer home that is complete and has no obvious issues.  There may be another house that you really love but it is much older.  Parts of that roof need replacing, it might not have air-conditioning--there are likely problems with the foundation itself.  But it has character.  It has history.  It speaks to you.  (Yes, I've done this to my husband every time we have moved.  We always end up with a new(ish) home that won't suck up all of our time and money but it doesn't stop me from pulling him over to a 150-year-old house, "just to look.")

Maybe that is why I can't let this crazy book go, or at least not yet.  It isn't just a little fixer-upper.  It is a messy, crumbling mansion with termites and a leaky roof.  The floors are slanted.  But I can work on it whenever I have the time and don't need to apply for a permit, get paint in my hair or even find goggles and gloves.  When it is all fixed up, there will be more to it: who knows what is hidden in the attic?

Listen up

'Cause we know sometimes words have two meanings.

Sometimes, you need to make sure you are hearing the right words.

After enough of my daughter's music this afternoon, I gratefully flipped back and forth through a few XM channels, confident that I'd find music that my 4-year-old son could sing (repeat) without any concerns.  While I rarely land on the 80's station, not much else was on my standard stations and I thought Bananarama was safe.  I drove home, oblivious to the familiar lyrics while I ran through the rest of my evening schedule in my head.  My son was happy--he liked the song and bopped along.  I thought all was well until he kept singing after I'd turned the car off.  As it turns out, other words rhyme with "Venus."

As I was composing this blog post, my older son came over to tell me about a conversation at school today.  If you read this blog often, you know my kids attend Catholic school and today was a day when Father visited the classroom.  My son wanted to let me know that Father instructed them to avoid "sidekicks" and mediums (as they practice black magic).

Momentary grace

We all have that sense--satisfaction--when we have done a good thing.  I always hope I can accumulate grace--that I might bank points, if you will--to counter all of the missteps that I make.  Most of the time, I just pray that I can break even.

Yesterday morning, I took the dog for a run.  Upon returning, I grabbed her water dish to rinse it out.  As I looked down to turn the faucet on, I saw a wasp clinging to my running shirt.  I screamed (I tend to conform to those girl stereotypes only when it comes to bugs) and shook my shirt to knock him to the ground.  By the time I had my foot poised to squash him however, I realized that he had just been hitching a ride and hadn't taken the opportunity to panic and sting me.  So I backed up, grabbed a cup and scooped him up.  I opened the sliding glass door and shook him out onto the deck where he promptly flew away.

I felt satisfied.  Proud.  Benevolent.  I washed my hands before grabbing the flyswatter to go kill the giant fly that had been pestering my daughter in the basement.  My brain didn't catch up with the irony until after the fly had fallen to the ground.

Last night, I pondered whether one "save" might cancel out the other "thwack" as I fished a fruit fly out of my wine.  At least that guy went numb first.

Connections

I like how simple it can be to connect with someone you have never met.   There are so many ways to find others with similar interests with just a few keystrokes, these days!

But I love it when you meet someone--actually meet them--and hit it off!  It's tougher, it's scary but a small little miracle when it happens.

I write alone and am usually terrified to show my writing to many people.  (After all these years of hearing about it, people will find out my writing is crap.)  So I make myself go to writer's conferences occasionally to "face my fear."

The effort is completely rewarding, even when the fears prove true occasionally--like when your writing is magnified on a wall using an overhead projector and the response is so delayed you can actually hear the crickets chirping outside the large conference center.  It is still a learning experience.  (Even though it may seem like a wise move to revise, chop and completely change your pages at midnight the night before you present them to a large room of people, resist the temptation.)  Others in that room have been in your shoes.  They are in your shoes--their transparency is up next!  Their writing is better but they will come sit with you at lunch, share another story with you during the coffee break and join you for a longer discussion over a glass of wine that night.  By the time you go home, you have a new friend (and their website/email/twitter address, as well)!

Two years ago, I met Jen at the SCWW conference.  We've kept in touch, traded pages and now I am so excited for her as she begins her newest journey!  You can view the cover for her new novel here and pick up the book soon!

I met Barbara last year at SCWW and cheered her on from Indiana as her contribution was published in an anthology!  I am ashamed to admit that I did not purchase the book right away but am thrilled to not only have it now but to have won it!  "Child of My Child" is a touching collection of stories and poems by grandparents and Barbara's piece helped inspire the title!  Please do not delay as I did.  Go out (or go click) and pick up a copy of this lovely book!

Cover reveal: "The Burning of Isobel Key," by Jen McConnel

 How was your summer?   I didn't mean to take such a vacation from blogging but am happy to be back!  The kids are back in school, we are falling into routines and I have time to get back to writing, editing and blogging!  Of course, just when I think we are settled into our schedules, I realize that it is Tuesday.  Tuesdays are always our crazy days but today we added one more activity to the calendar and I became an Aunt again!

The good news keeps coming!  The cover for Jen McConnel's novel, "The Burning of Isobel Key" was released today!  Finish all of your "beach reads" now so you'll be ready to dive into this one!

When Lou travels to Scotland, she’s a mess.  She’s twenty-six, unemployed, and unsure of herself.  It doesn’t help that she’s traveling with Tammy, her best friend, who is everything Lou is not.

At first, the trip pushes Lou towards the brink of depression, but then she meets Brian, a handsome local tour guide.  When Brian tells the tourists about the countless witches burned in Scotland, Lou starts to listen.  And when she discovers information about Isobel Key, one of the victims of the seventeenth century, Lou finds renewed purpose.

She sets out to learn the truth of the condemned witch, but she isn’t prepared for the knowledge that waits for her.  Lou must face her demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.

More about the author:

Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child.  Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia,and The Storyteller (where she won the people’s choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”).

She is also an active reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW.

The Burning of Isobel Key is her first novel.  She also writes YA fantasy.

http://isobelkey.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6451403.Jen_McConnel
@ProDeaWriter
jennifermcconnel.wordpress.com
http://www.facebook.com/jenmcconnelauthor

Her best, yet

It took me far too long to finally read a grown-up kind of pretty.  Do not make the same mistake.  If you have not yet picked up this book, go do it.  Now.
(You can read the rest of this post later.)

I've raved about Joshilyn Jackson's writing before, saying the only thing I liked better than her latest book was her blog.  I like this book better.  (I will still visit her blog on a near-daily basis, mind you, but you must go get this book).

It sucked me away from my kids on our plane ride home last weekend.  It kept me from my own writing this week and I had to finish it last night.  HAD to, you see because 1. I had to know and 2. I promised to spend this time WRITING and I could NOT until I finished this book.

Go get it.  You're welcome.

Run for your life!

I am standing in my kitchen, telling myself it is time to exercise.  It is time for all of us to exercise.  (Not you--everyone in my kitchen.)  I need to go for a run with the dog and the 4-year-old needs to run outside.

We should have gone earlier but my son requested pancakes and I made them.  Far too many of them.  I am hungry and if I do not go run soon, I will eat them.  But instead, I am standing at my computer, reading this true, real, fascinating article.  Before I can finish the article, I see the grin on my 4-year-old's face.  The grin with an index finger in the middle of it.  The grinning child with the finger in his mouth is standing in the kitchen, trying to block my view of the tub of margarine with a 4-year-old-finger-sized canal running through it.

He's sneaky but he's honest.  "I ate butter.  I like to eat butter."

Sigh.  It's time for a run.

You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?

I love American history.  I am intrigued by World history.  I am amused by my personal history.

I was the geek who truly enjoyed learning about our country's history in school.  My kids believe it is dull so I try to explain a different way of looking at history.  For example, I wonder what Paul Revere's horse looked like.  (That one is guaranteed to make my son roll his eyes!)  I remind them that "those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it."  (Have you ever looked at the causes of the Boston Massacre?  My son just studied it and I mentioned that he could find some eerily similar news stories today.)

My daughter is home sick and is worried about missing the review for her Social Studies test.  THIS I can help her with!!  (Unlike her 8th grade math homework last night that kicked my butt!)

World War II and U.S. Civil War stories enthrall me.  (And yet the WIP I can't quit is based at the onset of World War I--which gives me an excuse to learn new, true stories!)

As for "those who do not know their history:" I am old enough to look back now and see the patterns I have followed for the past few decades and recognize my default settings.  ("Finding yourself" isn't so great when you aren't impressed with who you find!)

Musical history!   From classical composers to classic rock--what's not to love?  The History of Jazz and musical history courses were some of my favorites in college.  My first work-study job in college was working for a music professor compiling tapes (yes, cassettes) for her courses and proofreading a book that she had written!  (Excellent early experience for a budding writer but I willingly asked to be assigned to a different job sophmore year--part of that whole personal history pattern where I don't recognize stupid mistakes until much, much later!)

Music is great for time travel.  One song can transport you back to an exact time and place.  You remember where you were, who you were with when that song was playing.   When the trip down memory lane becomes music trivia or "history" however, it is my turn to roll my eyes.  I know exactly where I was and how old I was when I used to listen to "The Joshua Tree" with my friends.  I did NOT need the perky DJ to tell me yesterday that the album is now 25 years old.  Nor did I appreciate it this morning when another DJ announced that "I Melt With You by Modern English is 30 years old this year!"  I much prefer my alternate version of history, in which these songs came out yesterday.

You can't judge a book by its cover...

...but you can get more readers if you pick the right title.

You can certainly increase your blog traffic by picking the right title!  I am very thankful for my few loyal readers but maybe I should include the words "Navy," "Secret" and "Weapon" in all of my titles!
(I am not complaining--I have neglected this blog terribly.  I get page views every day, so I am happy with that, for now, even if they are often in the single digits.  Having said that, I had over 250 a few days ago!  I can't say it was the spectacular writing--there were only two sentences!)

For more fun: I was searching for an image of a book cover to include with this post and found these amazing book sculptures!    

While I am one who hesitates to dog-ear my pages, this artist has certainly brought new life to outdated/older encyclopedias and dictionaries!  Check them out!

The Navy's secret weapon

I know I am not the only one who thinks of Mr. Limpet when there is a story about bomb-detecting dolphins.  Of course the dolphins were well trained!

Ready....set....Write!

For my writerly friends who haven't seen this--check this out!  Writing contest--this weekend only--over at Janet Reid's site!