New Release!
I am delighted to introduce my first fantasy role play gamebook, The Chalice of Jupiter!
If you decide to brave this Crimson Cloak Quest you will find yourself in the ancient Roman city of Veradum. Amidst the ruins and dangers that await you, you are seeking the priceless Chalice of Jupiter; but many others have tried to find this precious treasure before you. Indeed, many have died trying. You begin your quest with little to help you, but if you make your choices with care you might be the lucky one. You will face many strong adversaries, determined to end your quest almost before it begins. You need to roll your dice well to ensure you embark on your quest with as much Vigour, Agility and Psi as possible. During your adventure, you will need every bit of all three to achieve your goal, believe me. Will you find the Chalice of Jupiter when so many before you have failed? Indeed, will you even survive? Are you brave enough to embark on this quest? Decide now, because once you begin there will be no turning back …
Crimson Cloak Publishing Author – Denna Holm
1) Do you write books as a career, or are you currently still juggling your author time with a full or part time job?
As a retired horse trainer, I pretty much write full time now. I think I’m one of the lucky ones. I get to spend as much time as I want every day, most of it spent between writing and editing. Then I also read a lot. I think a good writer needs to like to read. I’m always learning, always trying to be better, the same as I was with training horses.
2) Have you always wanted to be an author, or did some time or event in your life set you on the path?
I have always wanted to write, but it didn’t become a real possibility for me until I stopped training horses. At that time, I went back to school to brush up on my writing skills. I also took an over the mail writing course with Stratford Career Institute on creative writing. The first course I took simply taught me how to write a single scene. Learn how to stay focused. When I finished with this I took a course on writing a novel, learning to put these individual scenes together. This actually ended up being my first published novel Soul of a Warrior. My instructor was extremely positive and helpful, though tough, and I’m grateful for all those critiques, painful though they sometimes were.
3) Do you always write in the same genre, or do you sometimes like a change of theme? If you haven’t already, is there another genre you would like to write?
I pretty much stay within paranormal/fantasy and science fiction. I went outside the usual boundaries and created a story using a combination of all three. It isn’t accepted by all readers/writers, but so far I’ve received far more positive feedback than not. It isn’t easy to carve a place for yourself in the writing world and I think it’s important to take chances, use your imagination and create something unique to you.
4) As a writer, what is the best thing that has happened to you, and what is that most exciting thing that could happen to you?
By far the most exciting moment was when my novel first got picked up by a publisher. It felt like all that hard work, all those painful critiques, had finally paid off. Off course, little did I know that this would only be the beginning of lots more hard work. The best thing—was when I received a positive review from Kirkus Reviews, known to be one of the toughest critique sites around. I was sweating a bit waiting for that one to come back.
5) How do you view the promotion, book signings etc. Is it something you enjoy, or do you prefer the writing stage?
I much prefer writing, though I do enjoy talking about writing or the story itself with other people. Promotion is difficult, trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. I’ve spent a lot of money, a lot of time, and I’m still trying to figure it out. I think the most important thing is to never give up.
6) Could you tell us something about your published books, and let us know what they are about and where they are available?
My first novel Soul of a Warrior is a paranormal/science fiction story about a young human woman named Kimi and her two friends. A stranger, Neyvarre, shows up at her place of work claiming to be her mate, but he is from another world. She doesn’t believe him and tries to run. Neyvarre also has lots of enemies, one of which abducts our heroine and her friends. He converts Kimi to vampire and leaves her two friends behind as food during her first bloodlust. He doesn’t want to kill Kimi. He only wants to separate Neyvarre from his mate, make his life miserable, as his life has been made miserable. Of course, Kimi doesn’t understand his motive, which makes it all the more difficult for her to handle. Now her mate must plan a rescue with no idea of which planet Kimi and her friends have been abandoned on. The story follows two paths, Kimi and her friend, and Neyvarre and the people who help with the rescue party. We run into many problems on both sides, lots of excitement and tension. You can find a copy of this novel Amazon:
Click here to go to Amazon
and Smashwords:
Click here to go to Smashwords
My second story is part of a boxed set called Love Potion #9. There are fourteen wonderful paranormal stories with USA TODAY and bestselling authors, some are shorts, some novella, and some full novels. All these are complete stories with a happily ever after ending. No partials that make you have to buy another novel to finish it. My part of this boxed set is called Dark Warrior. The story follows Jada, an avid bow hunter, and Bryce, a tracker for the Laizahlian Council. He works for a Hunter of rogues from another world. This is the same universe we are introduced in with Soul of a Warrior. Jada and her three best friends are out in the wilderness of Oregon during elk season when they run into rogue werewolves. Bryce is able to save her, but none of her friends. Though he didn’t allow her friends to die on purpose, his only real interest is in saving Jada, his life mate. He has his work cut out for him trying to convince Jada to believe what he is saying is true. Then there is the added danger of his partner, a vampire, who doesn’t like the idea of Bryce trying to take a human mate. This great collection can be picked up at Amazon:
Click here to go to Amazon
My next novel, Ghost Warrior, will be due out mid 2017, published by Crimson Cloak Publishing. It will follow two of the minor characters in Soul of a Warrior, Kimi’s best friend Amanda, and Neyvarre’s werewolf partner, Tallyn.
You can find me at: Link to Denna’s website if you have any questions about writing or any of my stories. I also love to talk about horses and dressage if that’s your interest.
Fantastic replies, Denna. I know for a fact you are a great writer, and wish you the best of luck in your career as an author!
Great Book For Halloween!
A perfect read for Halloween, or any other time! Caution: Witch in Progress, children’s humorous fantasy re-released in time for Halloween by Crimson Cloak Publishing.
Check it out here!
Cover Reveal!
The re-release of Zac’s Destiny, coming soon from Crimson Cloak Publishing!
Emily and the Enchanted Wood
There is a new style version of Emily and the Enchanted Wood out on Amazon Worldwide, and it is even cheaper than the original version! It’s a popular children’s fantasy tale. Check it out by following the link here:
Author Interview!
Here’s a great author interview I was offered by ‘Me, My Books and I’ about my latest book!
Crimson Cloak Publishing Author Interview
Can’t get enough of this book?
The Difficulties of Writing for Children
Is it difficult to write for children, you might ask? Surely it must be easier than writing for adults. The books are shorter, the words used are easier to understand, and will children even notice if you make minor errors?
Oh yes, they’ll notice. And so will the publisher you are hoping will publish your book. Writing books for children is just as difficult as writing any book. Maybe the process is even more difficult. Why do I say that? Because children have short attention spans, therefore if you don’t grab their interest early on in the story, and keep it throughout, your book will soon find its way to the ‘boring’ pile.
They Need A Happy Ending
Writing for children should be fun, as should any other writing. If it becomes a chore, then the reading will have the same effect so this is a no win situation. If you are enjoying what you are writing then there is far more chance of keeping your readers interest. You must also love your characters and build them throughout the story, or they too will fall flat.
The role of writing for children can be quite opposite to writing for adults in some aspects. In writing adult books you can give your opinion and try to impart your own points of view on your readers. You can try to get them fired up about the things that matter to you. Young readers are quite different. Your role here is simply to gain and hold their attention from beginning to end by providing enjoyment in the story you are telling. Make them laugh, take them on adventures, give them a challenge. Character association plays a major role in children’s literature, so create good, strong characters that deserve the attention. You want your young readers to experience all their favoured character goes through, the highs, lows, difficulties, and the ultimate triumphs. Your stories must be magical, enthralling, exciting, but never cause any harm or upset to the young reader. In general, they need a happy ending. No matter what happens throughout the book, what trials and tribulations keep your reader wanting to know more, the ending must be a good, happy, gentle one.
Keep It Simple
The main thing to remember in writing for children is to keep it quite simple. If they have to pause to work out what you mean, then the thread will be lost and they will give up. You were a child too once. What did you like to read? What didn’t you enjoy? Why? Use your own experiences to guide you when writing for children. No one can enjoy a good story quite as much as a child, because they don’t just read books, they live them. They don’t just like characters, they become them. If a child wants to be your main character, then you are on a winning streak.
Start With A Short Story
Is all this difficult to achieve? Yes, it is. But if you really want to write for children, you will get there. Create a story that grabs the attention from the first page, flows through the middle with excitement, set-backs, achievements, and then rushes to the final page leaving your young reader almost breathless in their excitement to read more. When you have learned to do all this, your next book will be much easier to write!
Published by Reader’s Gazette, April 2016.
Crimson Cloak Publishing Poster
Here is a new advertising ‘poster’ made for me by Crimson Cloak Publishing!
