My Favorite Authors... Scared? I Am :)

So I haven't blogged in over a month. I know that. I accept that. And I knew I had to change that. I couldn't, however, think of something to say. Then I realized, "Launa, you dunce! Take advantage of the other resources on the internet!"

That being said, Brianne recently sent me the link to this video diary that features some of my favorite authors, namely Holly Black (Tithe, Spiderwick Chronicles) and Scott Westerfield (The Midnighters, The Uglies Trilogy, Peeps, etc.) It proved to me that I'm not an eccentric author. I'm just among good company.

This evoked the exclamation from Brianne "Oh my gosh, Launa, we have to go to a Con!"

Enjoy :)

Mardi Gras 3000

So it seems all I blog about are big changes in my life, and today is no different :)

For over a year now I've been involved in the amazingly brilliant world of Mardi Gras 3000 by EJ Angel (http://www.mardigras3000.com/). Not only is it a completely addictive card game, but it's opening up into an increasingly marvelous literary world (wow, I'm running out of adjectives for "amazing.") Now that the brand has come under new management, the universe has burst forward, pulling me along with it, creating a whole new series of books by yours truly :)

I never thought I'd write anything but Fantasy, and I definitely never thought I'd delve into something more Sci-Fi, but that's the new project that has captured my attention, and it's spawned a whole slew of novels and novellas. I'll keep you all updated on my endevors as time goes by, but my writing is, surprisingly, not the main point of this blog.

My main point has to do with the incredible writing opportunity MG3K (mardi gras 3000) is making available to writers of all ages. I've promised on my website to do anything I can to promote teen writers and writing in general, and this is one of those opportunities I've found. Whether you like writing novels, novellas, short fiction, flavor text, RPGs, ANYTHING there is an opportunity for you.

As Ryan DiMassa (the brand manager for MG3K) wrote:

...now is the time to email any individuals you know personally who are interested in writing for the MG3K universe. This is an open call. Do not wait. There are far more positions available than we have potential writers. Individuals interested in writing MG3K fiction may be involved with: Writing on-spec novels, novellas or flavor text Writing original novels, novellas or flavor text Writing catalog copy for products Writing/creating social networking destinations for MG3K characters Writing/creating copy for the official website Writing in-character blogs Writing derivative fiction such as campaigns for the RPG So forth. It is imperative that we establish the core of writers we now have involved before out-reach begins to recruit new voices. We need to know what niches we must fill and what type of writer to target and draw. Additionally, all of the MG3K characters and terms have now been trademarked and the MG3K universe sourcebook information has been assigned a copyright. To avoid infringement, and keep the world cohesive, projects will need to be quantified.

This is your chance to get in on the ground floor of a project bound to take off. A free sourcebook for the world will be available soon (I'll provide the link when I get it) and you can visit the official MG3K forum at www.mardigras3000.com/phpBB2 to find out more about the universe.

If you're interested, email me at launa@launasorensen.com and I can send you a log of the first MG3K writers meeting. They're held on IMVU, an amazing avatar chat client that MG3K is utilizing for their meetings and for fun. If you're not registered, I recommend you do so even if you're not interested in writing for EJ's world. I'm really active on it myself, and it's a good way to contact me as well.

There's another author meeting at 6PM PST on September 29th. Find out all you can about the MG3K world and show up to learn how to send in proposals.

I really hope some of you can take this opportunity and run with it.

Talk to you soon!

Launa

Catch Up

So... This time I don't have to apologize for not blogging because I didn't have internet for the last few weeks! (Well, that's not really exciting, but the guilt-free conscious sure is nice. :) )

Since my last blog I've been to California (That blog is coming once I have pictures from my aunt. Yes, I'm including pictures.)

I have also been to my first Renaissance Faire. I know what you're thinking, Launa, the fantasy author, has never been to a Faire? Well, I've never had the chance or, I might add, the strong desire. My fears that the faire would be nothing but a gathering place for some of the more zealous (and scary) fantasy fans were only slightly supported. I met some really great people, and it's the only place so far that I've been that I can see a person standing on a galloping horse while his brother flips off his shoulders onto the saddle of the horse galloping behind. It's also the only place where those same brothers can then dress up as knights and put on a professional tournament and joust with their entire family, taunting and winning over the crowd (both in their own country's groups and their brother's) while the jester entertains everyone and the audience cheers on their favorites. (Angus of Scotland! Though I also give props to Devon for being the only girl... and whooping Alissio after his cracks about women staying in the kitchen.)

I also got to have a lot of fun shooting real Hungarian Horsebows (and by the way, I am not an elf... my aim is a bit off, to put it nicely.) It was a marvelous chance to play with some of the weapons and see a lot of the events that might feature in my books, and though none of my characters joust, (yet :) ) it helped to see what would be popular for the time. It also didn't hurt that I got new weapons, jewelry, and hairpins at a haggled-down price.

I recommend a faire to everyone interested in rennaissance or fantasy. Go at least once. If anything, you can get a kick out of watching a two-year-old play Robin Hood or sit on the ground eating Almond sweetmeats and chuckle to yourself at the more... interesting faire-goers. And if you want to go to the Washington renfaire, well, I might just see you there. :)

Requiem For an Angel

I never thought you'd come back into my life like this. Part of me was almost convinced that I'd made you up, that you were a sweet story I'd made myself believe to give myself more meaning, that I'd imagined your bright, shining eyes and dark hair, the way you looked at me like you could see into my very soul. Then my mother mentioned your sister. She works nearby now, I can't believe she's that old. I can't go into the store anymore, it would hurt too much. Your brother is on a mission, did you know? Of course you knew, you know everything now. I'm glad he stayed firm, that he survived the insanity your death caused in your family. He turned out the way you would want him to.

I don't talk about you. People don't even know you existed, and those who do think I've forgotten you. They can't possibly understand. I don't mourn you like I used to. I can move on. But I haven't forgotten. I'll never forget.

I tried to go to your grave the other night. I walked the streets, searching for the cemetary I haven't visited in years. I carried a yellow rose with a deep, crimson red bleeding from the top of the bud to the base. The sign of a friendship turning into something more, cut off before it could bloom. I couldn't find your cemetary. I searched until midnight. Now your rose hangs in my room to dry, a permanent reminder of you, that one day long ago, you drew breath. You looked at me, talked to me, inspired me.

You were real, the most vivid person I've ever known, the one person that stood out from the world, like a light piercing through fog. I miss you. I miss you so desperately sometimes I don't know what I'll do. My heart aches, longs for what could have been, but even now you help me, mending my heart, keeping it together, urging me to move on completely. I can do it because of you.

Thank you, my dear. Thank you for everything you gave me in your short life and all those times you've looked down on me from Heaven, holding my hand in spirit, urging me forward when my courage had run dry. I loved you then and I love you now. Thank you, my friend, my love, my angel. Thank you.

The Blessed Event

You know, it seems that no matter how good my intentions are, this blog gets neglected. *sigh* I think the honest answer is that I rarely have much to say. (Yeah, all you people who know me better stop laughing now.) Today, however, it's different in the biggest way possible, because the point of this blog has finally come to fruition, it's finally begun...


!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!MY BOOKS WERE RELEASED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*clears throat* I mean, yeah, the books were finally released. Alright, I'm not going to hide it, I'm thrilled!! "The King's First Journey" and "The Paladin's Choice" have both been released, I have them on my bookshelf, and I couldn't be happier. It will be hard, I know it, it's already hard just keeping the series afloat (back to that editing post from before, though this time with the third book...) and now I have the added challenge of promotion and keeping that promoting fresh and current. I need fans, I need shelf presence, I need sales, I need reviews, and I need publicity.... but I'm up to it!

Alright, the pep talk is over. :)

But basically, you can get them pretty much anywhere books are sold, though you may have to special order. You see, I love my publisher, I mean I absolutely adore them, but they are an independent press, and a lot of stores need a bit of gentle (or not so gentle) nudging to get them to actually carry the books. Therefore, my fans and future fans, if you want to order my books, I would really appreciate it if you'd order through your local Barnes and Noble or through Amazon.com or really anywhere that will carry my books better if they're requested more. It's all up to you to spread the books where I can't, so I would really appreciate the help!

Thank you, everyone, whose reading this. I really appreciate the support. Thank you for helping me jump-start my dream... now I just have to run with it!

Storyteller

So I've been thinking lately about storytellers. I've always loved hearing stories. It didn't matter who was telling them or how good a person spoke or even what the story was about: I loved to hear about it. I find that through the stories people tell, you can learn a lot about that person. I feel close to people who tell me about their lives, particularly if they're speaking about something they really love. I find myself enthralled with what they're saying, even if I wouldn't be interested in the subject on my own. I find their passion captivating.

Lately, however, I've met a few REAL storytellers. The kind of people that spin their words in such a way that even a simple letter can sound lyrical. I have to admit, that though I love to write and I think my stories are interesting and good reads, I'm insanely jealous of anyone who can speak and hold an audience.

I'm reminded of my trip to London that I took at the beginning of April with my High School choir. One of the things my class did while in London was take the "Jack the Ripper" tour. Now, normally, I wouldn't be incredibly interested in a serial killer. I find the human mind fascinating, however, and the fact that I would get to walk around London at dusk was exciting for me. The moment I met our tourguide, however, this tour became one of my favorite events in Lonon.

I can't remember our guide's name, I don't know if I ever even heard it. He was a bit short, probably in his middle to late thirties, his head shaved. He wore a white shirt and black pants with a long, black leather coat. All in all, he wasn't anything remarkable to look at, just an ordinary guy, but when he spoke, he seemed to transport our entire group back to th slums of London long ago, the mist creeping in from the river, the dark, twisting alleyways perfect for a madman like Jack to stalk his prey. We became hunters of the hunter, tracing the famous serial killer's steps, the city still very much the same as it was so long ago.

Our tourguide was almost inhuman, as if he were some living creature of myth, spinning a tale of terror from long ago. He would always be perched above us. Sitting on the back of a bench, crouching on an old, stone wall surrounding a church, holding on to the wrought iron gate, or, his most intense perch, within the doorway of an old, rundown building in the old streets of London, the alleys at our backs, our guide seeming to come out of the shadows of the doorway like a living gargoyle. He spoke intensely, weaving history and facts into a narrative that sent chills along everyone's spine. My mother, who is very conservative, even became entranced.

By the end of the tour I felt I ha taken a physical, time-traveling journey. This power to speak, to present oneself, to so thoroughly entrench yourself in someone else's mind and imagination: that's what I want to be.

I suppose that was a long story just to get to the end and have no real point. I feel like I do. I don't know how to explain it, but this power of storytelling is so real to me. To take something and not only make it your own, but create it into something new; that's power to me. I want to create. I want to be the person that with a simple sentence can spark a thousand different thoughts in a thousand different people. That's why I love to write, why I live for it. To create, to give life to something that previously didn't exist, that's my reason for living.

Chili and Bananas?

So I was recently told I don't blog enough by my boss. That's right, my fabulous CEO, Jennifer DiMarco, wants me to do a daily blog.... I pretty much told her fat chance. I mean, I love Jenn and Cris and Windstorm and all, but I can't even keep a daily journal, let alone a daily blog. It would be littered with little "Today I woke up... had a yogurt for breakfast. The End." posts. Then of course I though to myself "It's my blog, why can't I write what I want?" followed by "Wow, bananas in chili really is good" (yes, I was eating at the time).

You see, daily author blogs have been linked not only to increased book sales, but fans just seem to like it when an auhor is more personal with them. Of course, I'm already a little more out there than most authors, more outgoing (at least on the internet) than many I've met, but, really, who wouldn't want to read more from me? (I know, I know, you can roll your eyes at me now.)

But that still leaves the daunting task of actually getting my lazy fingers to click away from solitare and actually type out a blog. I mean, I'm pretty lazy sometimes. Not as lazy as my wonderful little sister who asks to be carried into the kitchen so she can make her own food when you tell her to make it herself, but I'm hesitant to do anything that requires even a minimal amount of thought, particularly during the hours outside of school and work. And then, after thinking through all my excuses, the lovely "wow, I'm pathetic" entered my mind, and I refuse to be pathetic. :)

So long story short, I'm going to blog more. Aren't you little readers lucky? :)