Sunday, July 31, 2016

This is Nicolas and Nicoline.

Oh, well, that's a fantastic title. 

Can you think of anything better?

*huffs*

I'll take that as a no. 

So, are you going to introduce us?

I just did. In the title. 

*glares*

You know you're doing an awful lot of nonverbal communication here, sis. *clears throat* Hello, all random people. I am Prince Nicolas of Rohesia, and the vision sitting next to me is my twelve-year-old twin sister, Nicoline.

I'm not a vision!

True, but you are a grump. Ouch! Don't hit.

I only hit if you deserve it. And you completely deserved that one.

Well, anyway, random people, we just wanted to let you know that we kicked Kiri off the face of the planet.

Um, no, we didn't.

Okay, fine. She left her computer unguarded, and we confiscated it. 

See, we're really trying to do her a favor. She's very busy with a lot of stuff at home right now, and trying to get our story published, and then she's also really distracted with writing on The Dragon Tamer again. 

I don't know why she'd want to write about all of them when we're so much more fun.

Nicolas, shh! That's rude. We wanted to help Kiri out by doing the whole blog tour party book release thing for her, so she didn't have to worry about it. 

That's right, we did. And since we're going to take over the party, it'll be epic! We know everything there is to know about The Rose and the Balloon, plus we have the dirty, inside scoop on Kiri...

But we're not going to release all the dirty information on Kiri. *glares*

Well, maybe not. But our book comes out tomorrow! So, random people, get your wallets and credit cards ready, and be ready to buy it off Amazon! Bye for now!

What are credit cards anyway?

Not really sure, sis. 

Thursday, July 28, 2016

The Proof is In!

And that's one more step closer to publication, folks! 

I'm very excited to report that the proof copy of The Rose and the Balloon arrived today in the mail! 



Only four more days!! 

God bless!

Saturday, July 23, 2016

RatB: The Cover From the Photographer's Perspective


(RatB means The Rose and the Balloon for anyone that's confused.)

Just popping on quickly to share a cool post with you all! Yesterday, I shared my novella's cover, along with my own story about the process of getting it done. Latitude 40 Photography was great in helping me accomplish that, and last night my friend also posted the story from his perspective. 

Would you like to see how the cover came about from the photographer's perspective? Click here to visit the post on his blog! 

Again, the link is HERE

God bless!

Friday, July 22, 2016

The Rose and the Balloon Cover Reveal

The countdown is on and we are so close to the release of The Rose and the Balloon! 9 days! I still can't believe that I'm that close to having my first work in print.

Am I excited? Yes.

Am I nervous? Yes.

Is everything in me going everywhere all at the same time? Oh, yeah. 

And... in preparation of that great event in NINE DAYS' TIME, I have the great privilege of sharing with you the anticipated cover. 

But before I do that, let me tell you a little bit of how this little bit of graphic awesomeness came about. 


~*~

Once upon a time, there lived a young girl who desperately wanted to become an author. That girl was me, but I prefer to talk about this in third person. 

Anyway, this girl wrote a Beauty and the Beast story, and was hoping to get it published very soon. On August 1st of 2016, to be exact. But she had no cover to put on the book. She could format all the content, battle CreateSpace, struggle through all the tiny little details, but she couldn't do anything drawing/graphics/artsy to save her life.

So, she set out an SOS (or an SMB -- "save my book") to a good friend of hers. Now, this friend was very clever with things like cameras and films and graphics and images. If anyone could help her with this impossible cover problem, HE could. After all, he was Latitude 40 Photography. 

Now this friend got right down to work when he got the SMB. He braved the dangers of the wilds, blew up bridges, fought off alligators, and crawled through the depths of Tartarus itself (maybe -- I'm actually a little fuzzy on these details, but it all sounds nice) to get the perfect picture. 

But was the Latitude 40 man done there? Of course not. There was still much to do.

He edited the photo and sent it to the girl. She was so delighted with it, but she still wasn't sure what to do with it. She was so worried that she would mess it up and make it look like some cheap, self-published cover art. So, again, Latitude 40 jumped to the rescue. He did more editing, searched for all the perfect fonts, and sent back an absolute perfection of a photo for the book's cover.

And then she realized she'd sent him the wrong text for the cover. She was so upset with herself. 

But he fixed it. And then it was even more amazing than ever.

The End

~*~ 

So, that's more or less how it went. Maybe less than more, but anywhoz. It was my fault that the cover reveal was delayed like it was, but now we're all back on schedule. I am thoroughly indebted to Latitude 40 Photography (which you can "like" via this link to Facebook) and all the other friends who were so good to help me out with this. 

And, without further adieu... 



In a kingdom where fauna and flora are held in higher esteem than breakfast, Dmitri is a prince who yearns for change and plans it in a single daring act that will alter his life forever. However, when his demented mother accidentally causes the destruction of a prized garden of roses, Dmitri is horrified when she proposes his hand in marriage to make up for it. Not only will a wife hamper his glorious plans, he doesn't even want one. 

Janelle has spent her whole life on her father's rose farm, tending the roses and staying simple. But she really yearns for something greater than the flower beds. But now there's a wrench thrown in the works – the crazy Queen Maeva wants her to marry the prince, and all for ruining her father's beloved roses.

This is Beauty and the Beast with a twist like you've never seen it before.

~*~

The Rose and the Balloon will be available on Amazon August 1st! Be sure to add it to your bookshelf on Goodreads or, if you feel so inclined, check out the Pinterest board!

God bless! 
Kirsten Fichter is a twenty-something Christian writer who is trying to find the balance between being one of six kids, a church pianist, a college student, a movie buff, a disaster in the kitchen, and a writing INFP. If you know what the secret is to balancing all of that, she’d be grateful to hear from you. Otherwise, don’t contact her unless you want to send her homemade gingerbread. Or a new piano book. Or an autographed Charles Dickens novel. In the meantime, she’ll be somewhere under a maple tree – trying very hard to finish the seventeen and half other stories she unwisely started all at once.  

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Cover Reveal Date!

I was hoping to set the cover reveal for The Rose and the Balloon for today, but unfortunately, that wasn't possible. A few unforeseeable setbacks - including my getting sick - kinda bumped us off schedule. 

The official cover reveal will be on Friday, July 22nd. And I am super excited to share the cover with you all! My design guy did a fantastic job, and I couldn't be more pleased! 

I'll be sending out the information to those who are participating in the cover reveal soon, so if there's anyone else who'd like to hop in on the fun, shoot me an email at liannetaimenlore(at)gmail(dot). Or just share whatever you please when I post on Friday.


11 days until the release! 

God bless!

Friday, July 15, 2016

Just a Quick Post...

I still am looking for a few more reviewers for my story, The Rose and the Balloon. If you're interested in helping me out with that, please shoot me an email at liannetaimenlore(at)gmail(dot)com. 

Also, I am planning on releasing the cover soon. I've been in contact with a really good photographer friend of mine, and we're working on something that I'm pretty excited about. Always a pleasure to be able to promote the work of a friend while publishing your own. My tentative date for the cover release is July 20th, and if you'd like to participate in that, either shoot me an email or fill out the Google form here

Still room for interviews, too! Don't forget to sign up on the Google form here as well. Deadline is July 20th

16 days until the release! Yes, the countdown has officially begun. 

God bless!

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Beautiful People: Janelle

I just realized that I'm planning the publication of a book I've not talked about on my blog.

HORRORS!

Well, I'm not exactly sure how I did that, but we're gonna fix it. In the weeks/days leading up to the release of The Rose and the Balloon, I'm going to tell you more about the story. 

First, this is Janelle. (picture left) She's our main character, the Beauty heroine, and only daughter to Lord Roux. She lives in Rohesia, a kingdom that has the particular (and, in Janelle's opinion, distressing) habit of holding roses and flora shows in the highest opinion.

And this is a Beautiful People post, courtesy of Sky and Cait. (picture right)

To make things more interesting, I've invited Janelle to answer the questions for herself. Mostly because it makes for great answers, and also since she threatened to put Nicolas after me if I didn't. 

So, ladies and gents... here's Janelle Roux. 


~*~

1. Do they want to get married and/or have children? Why or why not? 

First off, I would like to take the small opportunity to say hello to all of Kiri's followers and also to state that I did not threaten her with Nicolas. The prince's younger son threatened her by himself because Kiri hasn't written his story yet. Not that Nicolas's threats are anything to worry about, but you can never tell with twelve-year-old boys. Especially royal ones.

Do I want to get married and have children? I suppose so... one day, if the Lord wills it. But getting married is not exactly on my to-do list right now. At the moment, I would rather have "Stop getting random proposals" on my to-do list. 

2. What is their weapon of choice? (It doesn’t necessarily have to be a physical weapon.) 

My mouth. Everyone says I have a quick wit and a knack for sarcasm. I have no need of other weapons to defend myself.

3. What's the nicest thing they've done for someone else, and why did they do it? 

Hmm... I would have to say probably caring for my father's roses every day. I really don't like them, especially the thorns, but I don't understand how people care so much for those flowers. I do love my father, though, so I continue to tend his roses.

Well, at least, I did tend his roses...

4. Have they ever been physically violent with someone, and what instigated it?

In my youth, I enjoyed practical pranks, but I have never injured someone. 

5. Are they a rule-follower or a rebel?

My father would say that I do follow rules regularly, but I am most stubborn. Prince Dmitri would definitely call me a rebel... although no one truly cares for his opinion. 

6. Are they organized or messy?

Organized. 

7. What makes them feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?

I love when someone takes the time to talk to me, but I will admit it has been quite a while since someone actually did that. My father does from time to time, but he has been greatly distracted of late with the flora show. 

8. What do they eat for breakfast? 

Probably the same that most Rohesians eat for breakfast. I enjoy sausages and scrambled eggs, but I do not enjoy rose petals in my tea. 

9. Have they ever lost someone close to them? What happened?

My mother died when I was young. Father doesn't speak of her often, so I don't know that much about her. 

10. What’s their treat of choice? (Or, if not food, how else do they reward themselves?)

Not many people know it, but I love a good cup of hot chocolate. Not overly sweet, but thick and rich. Or... if chocolate is not to be had, books are the next best reward. 

And that is the last question, so I will hand the reins back to Kiri and bid you all adieu. It is very nice of her to finally introduce our story on her blog. 

God bless!

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

The Rose and the Balloon... Coming Soon!

Hello, all! 

I am very excited to announce the upcoming publication of my very first novel, The Rose and the Balloon. And I'm certain you're all wondering about all of the details surrounding that, so that's what this post is for. 

The planned release date is August 1st. 

I realize that's soon... and it will be so crazy for me, but I think I'm ready for it. There is still a lot left for me to do in order to get this book out on time, so please be praying for me in this endeavor. I am super excited, but feeling also greatly overwhelmed right now.


Not my pictures (credit: Pinterest), but I thought I'd give you a small sample of what the story looked like. 

Where can you help out? I'm glad you asked. You can help me out in three different ways:

FIRST: Interview
I am looking to do a tour of the blogs August 1st-5th following the release. I will be unable to write a number of guest posts since I am on a time crunch, but I welcome any and all interviews. If you would like to host me for an interview on your blog, please fill out the Google Form below. Please fill out the form before July 20th as I will be finalizing the tour at that time and cannot add more people to it. 

SECOND: Cover Reveal
The cover for The Rose and the Balloon is not quite yet complete, but I hope to have that finalized within the fortnight. And I will let you all know soon when that reveal will be happening. So... I am also looking for bloggers willing to participate in that. If interested, please fill out the Google Form below. Again, the deadline for that is July 20th.




THIRD: Book Review
You know what else promotes books? Reviews, of course. I will be sending out six (6) PDF copies of The Rose and the Balloon to six (6) reviewers to be posted within the month of the book's release date. Please note: I am only sending out six copies, and this is a first come first serve basis. The first six reviewers to email me at liannetaimenlore(at)gmail(dot)com will receive a PDF copy of the book to review on their blog. More reviews than that I highly encourage, and ask that you purchase your own copy to review at your own leisure. 

Again... I will not be able to add people to the blog tour after July 20th, so please make certain you've filled out the information before then. 

Thank you all! In the meantime, head on over to Goodreads and add The Rose and the Balloon to your to-read shelf!

God bless!

Friday, July 1, 2016

GUESS WHAT??

I'm finally getting around to doing something I should have done months ago. 

I'M GOING TO BE PUBLISHED!

And before you start the confetti cannons, I am going to just say it: No, I am very sorry, but it's not Secret of the Hazel Tree. Not just yet. I am making progress and moving closer to publication with that one, but there's still too much to do to hope for that publication this summer.

However, I am very excited to announce the upcoming publication of my Beauty and the Beast short story. 

Promotional/working cover -- not final cover.

The Rose and the Balloon

Further details will be coming soon, so be on the lookout!

God bless!