Jane-Holly Meissner liked an update for Sorcery for Beginners

Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,

We are soooo close to having printed galleys for SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS! We’ll have some images to show you soon, but for now I’ll just say that our layout designer Kevin and illustrator Juliane are champions. We have been through many rounds of notes and tweaks, but it’s safe to say the finished layout will look like no novel you’ve ever seen.

In the meantime, I have a favor to ask. Goodreads has a list up of the most anticipated middle grade novels of 2017. It would be HUGE for us if we could get on this list. As it currently stands, it would only take 22 votes to get us into the TOP TEN! 

You’ve already done so much, but if you could go here and vote for SORCERY FOR BEGINNERS, it would really boost the book’s visibility:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/74235.Middle_Grade_Novels_of_2017

While you’re there, you could also vote for another book I worked on -- SKAVENGER’S HUNT by Mike Rich (screenwriter of Cars 3, Finding Forrester, and many more). I edited Mike’s book and it’s a fun adventure featuring historical characters like Mark Twain and Gustave Eiffel. 

Thanks again, and we’ll have more updates coming soon!

mh
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    Jane-Holly Meissner followed Mike Rich
    Mike Rich
    Screenwriter of Cars 3, Secretariat, The Nativity Story, Radio, The Rookie, and Finding Forrester. O...
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    Jane-Holly Meissner followed The Silent Hedges
    The Silent Hedges
    The Silent Hedges
    Two teenage girls are caught in a supernatural battle for the heart and soul of England.
    Jane-Holly Meissner liked an update for Curio Citizen

    Hello all!

     I have an exciting announcement to make--a brand new book trailer is up on Inkshares! Click here to view it now!

    Curio Citizen is in 4th place! This is great news, but 5th place isn’t far behind, and 3rd and 2nd are gaining pre-orders fast! Please keep asking your friends, family, and any other fans of sci-fi you may know to pre-order their copy of Curio Citizen. We are so close to getting in the top 3, and once we get there, we have to keep getting more pre-orders to stay there for the next two weeks! 

    Here’s today’s fresh look into the world of Curio Citizen:



    Family Structures--Houses:


    Every person on Paz belongs to a familial "house". Every person within a house wears a unique pin as an emblem for their house. In addition to a pin, each individual family unit wears the same color clothing to unite them further. 

    But instead of creating rivalry, the house social structure is a way of encouraging and maintaining peace throughout the globe. They connect not only immediate relations, but also distant relatives with shared ancestral beginnings. Why should you care about someone in a far away city and their problems? Because they are a part of your house! 


                "I stood, getting the distinct impression Marea did not want me dirtying her furniture.

                Inquieto hurried over to my side. ’Mother,’ he said stiffly. ’May I introduce you to Carmen?’
       
                Marea’s eyes scavenged my appearance, and they finally landed on the small jewel upon my breast.
      
                ’Inquieto,’ she said in a polite tone that was iced around the edges, ’why is it wearing our pin?’
      
                I drew a breath.
      
               ’She lives in my household, Mother,’ Inquieto answered steadily. His words were careful and precise, as if he had practiced  ahead of time for this conversation.
     
               ’So, get her a tag,’ Marea uttered coolly in breathy elegance."


    ,
     

    Orphans exist on Paz as they do everywhere else. The Paz government provides the Salvan House for these special cases. 



                "’What did Oyente mean when he suggested I be placed in the Paz House?’ I asked.
     
                Inquieto sighed. ’The Paz House, Salvan, is that of the government. It is rare an individual does not have a house of their own, but Salvan provides a place for such instances, most often due to orphans who were lost and could never be reunited with their parents. Salvan offers all the services a house would normally provide. Medical decisions when an individual is too ill or injured to make them alone, representation in court if needed, that sort of thing.’

                ’Oh,’ I said. I frowned. ’Inquieto...that does make sense. Why would you put me in your house? Clearly, your family doesn’t like it.

                ’Carmen,’ Inquieto said. ’You were taken from your family. I know I may not be much...and I know today was not a good impression of my family, but...you need a family. You deserve a family.’"


    ,

     As perfect as Paz strives to be, there is still an undercurrent of resentment among some of the Salvans.

                 "...I stopped in front of this paz woman, dressed in robes as gray as her skin so she resembled a pale ghost. She wore no pin. Her eyes glared at mine on my chest. I wanted to say something, though I didn’t know what, but Inquieto placed his hand on my hair and nudged me away.
            
                 ’Come on, Carmen,’ he said, nodding politely to the woman as we left, and I noticed that her bitter enmity was aimed at Inquieto just as much as it was at me." 


     ,

    I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into paz life. Please pre-order a copy of Curio Citizen to dive deeper into this universe. I can’t wait to share this world with you! 

    --Katherine
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      Jane-Holly Meissner liked the forum thread, Book trailer recommendations?
      I’ve just had a go at making a teaser trailer for 1000 Faces, using WeVideo:

      https://youtu.be/LAojE4dtBfs

      It was surprisingly easy!
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        Jane-Holly Meissner liked an update for Under The Rug

        Great News! Under The Rug is in first place in the "Spring 2017 Launch Pad Manuscript Competition on Inkshares". We’re now at 191 Readers and 240 pre-sales.

        This is the second competition with The Launch Pad, the first of which ran last fall, with exclusive partners Ridley Scott of Scott-Free Productions and Brooklyn Weaver of Energy Entertainment. Eight books were green-lit for publication, along with TV and film that followed.

        I am in first place because of YOU. Thank you all so much. Let us not relent, for there is still much work to be done in order to maintain that #1 position. 

        I humbly ask that you please get one friend to pre-order a book today...if you haven’t already. Once again, I’m grateful for your support.

        Thanks for reading!

        Todd Wonkka


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          Jane-Holly Meissner liked Metal Heart

          An agent at the SCBWI Oregon Storytime conference reviewed the first ten pages of "Metal Heart." She asked me to make revisions, and submit more pages along with a formal query letter.

          I was not expecting this - after the previous conference, I’d set my expectations pretty low and was prepared for just feedback.

          From my understanding - the wheels of the publishing industry can move slowly... so it might be awhile before I hear anything further.

          Pretty exciting though! Thanks again everyone who has supported the book and encouraged me to keep at it. You know you’re getting in the acknowledgements for sure.

          I’ll update the first two chapters when the revisions are complete. You can download the whole book here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/689845 

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            Jane-Holly Meissner liked an update for Crow’s Gambit

            Congratulations! Crow’s Gambit is holding at 2nd place in the Nerdist contest and I couldn’t do it without your support. But…there are several good authors coming up strong behind us. Please don’t stop spreading the word! 

            I just sent out an excerpt from Chapter 9. It introduces a new character, Susan. There is also an introduction to the Crow Research division known as the Crow Works (modeled after the Lockheed Skunk Works and the Boeing Phantom Works). 

            At this time I’m also redesignating the support levels with some new rewards.

            • Crow Research Investor ($10) – Supporter will receive a copy of the Crow Research Prospectus. 
            • Crow Research Employee ($20) – Supporter will receive a copy of the Crow Research Employee Manual and the Prospectus.
            • Crow Works Access ($60) – Supporter will receive the Employee Manual, Prospectus, and an identification badge allowing access to the Crow Works.    

            The end is near but I need all of your help getting us there in one piece. More to come… 

            PT 

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              Jane-Holly Meissner liked Leaf Falling
              Leaf Falling
              Hemmed in by hard choices, tasked with an impossible purpose, Leaf--child of shadow and whisper, walker on the borders--must tread a path through peril and subjugation if she is to find freedom. But what will she become if she succeeds?
              Jane-Holly Meissner liked Specimen X
              Specimen X
              Specimen X
              As Earth descends into chaos, an alien abductee tries to warn humanity of the reckoning to come.
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