Jill Williamson’s Blog
It’s Release Day for King’s War and Warrior’s of the Veil–plus a BIG sale!
Today is the day! *dances* After four years of hard work, the final installments of the Kinsman Chronicles, King’s War and Warriors of the Veil, have released into the wild.
King’s War is my 20th book. It feels surreal to hold this one and to look at the stack of author copies and remember what it took to finish.
The Kinsman Chronicles were by far the most challenging books I’ve ever written. At the time, it seemed like a good idea to try my hand at epic fantasy, the way general market authors do, with multiple points of views and storylines that weave into one grand epic. “It seemed like a good idea at the time” is a mantra I have parroted more than a few times in my life. Funny how one can get an idea 
💡in a breath that takes four years to complete. 
😉
I have a new respect for authors like J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks, and Ken Follett. And I can sympathize with George R. R. Martin, who has yet to finish his epic series. I get it, George. There’s a lot to tie up. A lot.
Thankfully, my epic was only a trilogy, so I managed the feat in four years and now get to move on to a new idea. Such is the life of a novelist. I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to write this series and for all it taught me. I’m also thankful to my publisher for investing in it and all my explorers who took the plunge and read all three. 
❤
And if you haven’t read these books yet, I’m having a sale. So this is a good time to grab them, if they’re been on your list. You can get all three autographed paperbacks for $30 through June 30, 2018, while supplies last. Click here to visit my bookstore.
This week I celebrate a major feat. 
📚 I will post pictures, have parties, and crow just a little. I’m the best kind of proud of my book babies, going out into the world to make their way. To remind a broken world that there is reason to hope. To shine light in the darkness. 
✨
Happy reading, Explorers. Don’t get lost in there. 😉
King’s War Book Release Party and RSVP
I’m having my first ever in-person book release party to celebrate both the release of King’s War, the final book in the Kinsman Chronicles, and my 20th published book! (I can’t believe I wrote 20 books. 😯 )
This is a different party from the online Facebook Launch Party I’m doing with Gillian Bronte Adams (click here for details on that one).
If you live in the Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Washington area, please try to come. We’re going to have a lot of fun and prizes and cake.
Here are the details:
Saturday, June 23, 2-4 PM
Three Creeks Library
800 NE Tenney Rd
Vancouver, WA 98685
I will have a limited amount of swag packs to give away at this event. If you would like one, you must RSVP at this link: https://goo.gl/forms/hV7Hl65UFyCjOY5L2
Also, I will only have the three Kinsman Chronicles books for sale at the event.
Hope to see you all there!
King’s Folly Fan Art
You guys, I received this gorgeous King’s Folly fan art from Rebeka Borshevsky. Is she talented, or what? I love, love, love the hairstyles.
How accurate do these appear to the characters you pictured in your heads as you read the book?
My weekend as a PAC-MAN Ghost
A few weekends back, I went to my son’s FIRST Robotics competition, at which I volunteered for field reset. The job isn’t difficult, but two days on my feet for 8-10 hours each day wore me out. And I must have caught something new, because today I am sick again. Boo.
If you’re curious what goes on at a FIRST Robotics competition, below is a link to one of our semi-final matches. Our team (2811) was the second seed captain, which is a pretty good place to be. We earned second place in the tournament. If you look carefully, you can see me, sitting on a chair in the lower right-hand corner of the video. I’m wearing an orange PAC-MAN ghost smock. At the end of the match, I get up and open the lower right-side gate, then come onto the field to help clean up. Also, my son was working the camera a few steps away from me. He’ was wearing a navy blue jacket.
We were at this competition all day on Friday and Saturday. And on Saturday, we even helped tear down the field. Me and another mom folded ALL those blue curtains you see hanging in the back.
That was a lot of curtains.
Have you ever been to a FIRST Robotics competition?
Our robot, Zeus
My son, Luke, the camera man.
My view of the field.
The field from the stands.
A Deliverer Comes — Release Day!
I am very happy to announce that Part 8 of the Kinsman Chronicles is now available for your reading pleasure!
Hooray! *dances and throws confetti*
A Deliverer Comes is all of Act 2 of book three, King’s War, so if you’ve been reading the ebook parts, A Deliverer Comes will bring you almost to the end of the story. We are so close to finding out whether or not the remnant of the Five Realms will find a permanent home in Er’Rets.
(Those of you who’ve read the Blood of Kings trilogy are probably pretty certain that at least some of them will . . .)
You can learn more about A Deliverer Comes in the blurb below or by visiting this link, which has links to all the places the ebook is available.
For those of you reading the ebook parts, I hope you enjoy this next installment.
Grayson has become the king’s spy, traveling the new land to determine the strengths and weaknesses of Armania’s enemies. On one such mission, he uncovers a seedbed of destruction that is responsible for the infighting between the giant tribes and the oppression of the Puru people. He does what he can to help, but his actions are considered an act of war.
Meanwhile, Chieftess Charlon has found a way to make magic in this new land, and as evenroot sources diminish, Barthel Rogedoth and Empress Jazlyn will do anything to learn her secret.
In her captivity, Onika the prophetess stumbles onto a new ability of the voicing magic. She returns to Armanguard to train warriors to enter the Veil and fight an unseen evil that has been subjugating the souls of humanity for generations.
A Deliverer Comes is collected together with parts 7 and 9 in King’s War.
Blood of Kings Book Sale and Mini Book Giveaway
I am having a book sale! 😆
The Blood of Kings paperback books are still having trouble being available at online stores like Barnes and Noble and Book Depository, much to my dismay. BUT they are available at Amazon.com and through my author store. *Does cartwheels* (I’ll post links below.)
This sale is on the Blood of Kings trilogy in paperback. You can get all three updated Enclave books for $42 from my author store, which is a bit cheaper than the retail price Amazon is charging. Any who order the trilogy between today and next Monday night (Feb 5th), will also be entered to receive one of three Blood of Kings mini book sets. I put on my crafty hat and made these myself. They have real covers, front and back. The insides are plain white paper, but I will autograph each book in the same way I autograph each real book.
Aren’t they cute?
Sadly, the paperback books are STILL not showing up at the Book Depository. Nor are they available at Barnesandnoble.com. And only book one is available at Christianbook.com. So we will make due! The books exist again. There are books to be had. And that is what matters and makes me dance for joy. *dances*
You can find the paperback trilogy in the following places:
My author store:
Click here to visit my online store.
Amazon.com:
While some of the books on Amazon might say “Temporarily out of stock,” I have been assured that you can place an order and that will trigger the massive machine that is Amazon.com to process your order and get the books shipped. Here are the links to each book:
How to enter the giveaway:
If you order the Blood of Kings trilogy from my author store between now until next Monday night (Feb 5, 2018), you will be automatically entered. If you buy your trilogy from Amazon.com, you must forward me your email receipt that is dated between now and next Monday night (Feb 5, 2018). Then I will enter you in the giveaway. Winners will be contacted by me. Mini books will be shipped separately from your book order, and they will come a week or two later, since I will need to make them! I will also announce the winners in my February author email newsletter. If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up here and get a free short story.
That’s all for now! Time for me to get crafting.
A Reader’s map of Achan’s and Averella’s journeys through Er’Rets
I am tickled when I receive artwork inspired by my books. It’s so touching. Well, I’ve decided to start sharing them with you all more often. I figure, why should I get to be the only one to see it?
Here is a map of Er’Rets drawn by Noah for his 8th grade English assignment. I love the arrows and paths he added as to Achan’s and Vrell’s journey throughout the stories, and I especially like how he took the time to burn the edges of the map to make it look more authentic. Nice job, Noah. I give you an A+!
What do you think, readers? Have you ever made a map for a school assignment? Just for fun? Share in the comments.
Trevn’s Map of Er’Rets
It has come to my attention that I never posted Trevn’s map of Er’Rets on my website for all to see. It was part of The Reluctant King ebook, so I must have been thinking of that ebook when I thought I’d already shared it with the world.
So, without further excuses, here is THE MAP from King’s War, book three in the Kinsman Chronicles. What do you think?
Click on the image to see a larger version.
My 2017 Christy Awards and Art of Writing Conference Report
When I heard that King’s Folly had finaled for this year’s Christy Awards, I was tickled pink.
But I was totally not going Nashville.
Gut-honest confession time: I really don’t like award ceremonies. Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t about whether or not I’ll win. It is a huge honor to be nominated, but as a total introvert, sitting through a banquet, not knowing whether or not I might have to go on that stage and speak to everyone makes me nuts. Anxiety takes over my body. I might look like I’m holding it all together, but inside, it’s not pretty.
The only reason I was tempted to go the Nashville had nothing to do with the awards banquet and everything to do with what might be my only chance to ever meet co-finalist Beth Moore, whom I absolutely adore. ❤
But I wasn’t going to go. No way.
Until my friend Mindy of the Quirky Faith blog said she’d come with me.
This changed everything. If I had a friend with me–someone to keep me sane–I felt like I could handle it. So I changed my mind.
And I’m so glad I did. 😊
Day One
We arrived in Nashville, rented a car, and found our hotel. Then we went to downtown Nashville and walked around. We ate dinner at a place called Rippy’s. It was so good! There was a band playing in the restaurant, too. After dinner we walked around and shopped for cowboy boots, belts, and candy. Because . . . candy.
Day Two
We got up early and drove to Brentwood, TN and the offices of Dave Ramsey. Mindy had an appointment to meet a man there whose small group donates to the Rwanda clinic that our church started. We parked the car and went inside. The first thing I noticed was that most all the cars in the parking lot had my last name on them! Turns out Dave Ramsey’s offices are in Williamson County, Tennessee. Then next thing we noticed was that people were milling all around the parking lot. It was strange. I felt like I’d walked into a Sims game. Inside, we ran into an old friend of Mindy’s sister, who now works for Dave Ramsey, so he gave us a tour. Turns out Wednesday is company devotional day. The guest speaker had cancelled, so they had done a prayer walk instead, which explains the Sims people. What a neat place to work! Sadly, Dave was in Arizona, so we didn’t get to meet him. But we got to see his studio and his office. He has a round table in his office with a crest on it.
I need a round table with a crest on it.
I probably need an office first to put it in. Oh well. I’ll add that to the dream list. 😉
While we waited for Mindy’s meeting, we were served free coffee from the coffee shop in the lobby and took pictures.
Then we stopped at a Barnes and Noble to buy books that we hoped we’d later get autographed, then headed into the city to eat lunch at Biscuit Love. We were way too slow, however, looking at the scenery and mansions as we drove. We had to get over to the Art of Writing conference by 12:30, so we only had time to get some bonuts to go (donuts made from biscuit dough. Let me just say: yummy.)
We caught the shuttle to Lipscomb University, eating our bonuts on the way. We met Theon Hill on the shuttle and learned he was one of the conference speakers. The conference was fun. There were four sessions. I’ll talk about the things I learned at the conference over on the Go Teen Writers blog tomorrow. I had fun introducing Mindy to many of my writer friends, some of whom I hadn’t seen in years! Somehow I forgot to get a picture with my friend Melanie Dickerson, though I did make her sign a book plate for The Silent Songbird, to put in my daughter’s book. Isn’t she funny? LOL
After the conference, we changed into our dresses for the Christy Awards, but first we got to attend a VIP Reception. I’d never been invited to a VIP Reception before, so that was quite fun. It was also our first Beth Moore sighting, though we didn’t get to talk to her there. We did get the sad news that Charles Martin had cancelled. He is one of Mindy’s favorite authors, so that was a disappointment.
We arrived at the banquet room and went straight to Beth Moore. She signed our books and took a picture with us. She calls her novel her “Big Girl,” which was sweet, and totally understandable. I feel like all of my novels are my children. 🙂
Beth’s cute boots!
Now that we had succeeded in our mission, we were able to enjoy ourselves. We took lots more pictures. We sat at a Bethany House table with David Long, Amy Green, and several other Bethany House authors. Dinner was delicious, and there was cheesecake for dessert. Chris Fabry MC’d the event (and won two Christy Awards!), Karen Kingsbury keynoted, and Andrew Peterson entertained us with some amazing music. I did not win a Christy Award that night, which was totally fine with me. I read both Jolina’s book and Jim Rubart’s. They were both wonderful, and Jim’s very much deserved the honor. There were free books on all the tables, so I collected a pretty impressive pile of books to take home. Even more so that I managed to fit all these into my carry on luggage! We went back to the hotel that night and packed, then collapsed. It had been a long, but very fun day.
Day Three
We only had the morning before our plan left, so we started out at the Grand Ole Opry, then went back to Biscuit Love for lunch. There was a line this day, and we waited for nearly an hour! The Country Music Awards had gone on the night before and almost everyone we net had a story to tell about seeing Garth Brooks! After lunch, we posed with some angel graffiti art and took pictures of the skyline. It was a wonderful adventure, and I’m so glad I decided to go.
Have you ever said “No” to something you really wanted to do because you were afraid? Next time see if you can be brave and say “Yes” instead. If you’re on the fence, it might help to take a friend. 🙂
P.S. Sauon’s Tower
I saw this building over and over. I realize it has an AT&T logo on it, but it sure did look like Sauron’s tower from the Lord of the Rings. Thankfully, there was no sign of the eye . . .
What Are Storyworld Shorts?
I started a new website.
You might have seen my countdown to October 4, 2017. Well, this is what I’ve been working so hard on. I created a writing website primarily to host my YouTube videos and podcast versions of those videos to make it easier for listeners to find them.
What are Storyworld Shorts?
They are short writing videos or podcasts in which I teach lessons on the craft of writing. I will post one new video and podcast a week. Over the years I have posted sporadic YouTube writing videos, and I loved it. I always wanted to do so more regularly, so this is something I’ve been wanting to do for a loonnnggg time!
Storyworld Shorts are by nature short. Over time, the episodes will build upon one another and eventually give you a thorough understanding of how to write a novel. Some of the topics/series I will discuss in weeks to come are:
-How to come up with a great idea
-Creating compelling characters
-Different types of plots
-How to outline and plan your novel
-How to add themes to your story
-Tackling a major rewrite
-How to edit your book
I’ll also be doing a monthly Q&A Live video, in which I’ll answer listener questions.
To learn more and to watch the first video, visit StoryworldShorts.com.
Book Progress
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About Me
My name is Jill. I’m a daydreaming, chocolate loving, creator of kingdoms. I write weird books for teens. Fantasy is my fave. I'm a Whovian, a Photoshop addict, and a recovering fashion design assistant, who was raised in Alaska. I love to teach writing.
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