Daydreaming and New Ideas

There's a character that has taken up residence in my mind as I've began writing my next book. Her name is Celeste and she is definitely interesting to me. I had planned on someone else being the main character, but her personality is not going to stand for that, she is demanding to take up a bit of the story line and it seems like the story she has to share is going to be an interesting one. Can't wait to see more of the secrets that she has to share!

Child of Galina in Paperback

I've finally finished proofing and fixing the formatting issues with the paperback version of Child of Galina. It is now available on Amazon.com and on Barnes & Noble's website. If you want to buy it at your local bookstore ask them and see if they are willing to order it in for you!

I'm really excited about this next step in my novel and I've got to get started on figuring out the marketing aspect of everything. Any tips? Please share them with me!

Prefer to get Child of Galina on the Kindle? Go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C90G8DM

More than Fear - A Collection of Poems

I've been writing poetry since I was old enough to hold a crayon. Roses are Red, Violets are Blue. You know the sort of thing children like to write. I became obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven at a very young age, and while I may aspire to his greatness, I'm not sure there are many who ever will.

I came across a notebook filled with poems from over the past 15 years of my life. I chose the ones that I felt were the best and compiled a small poetry collection called More than Fear.

If you like poetry, I encourage you to check this book out. It is an outpouring of my soul into the written word, during times that I could not express myself verbally. I hope if you read these poems that you will enjoy them. 

Child of Galina Book Proof

Received the proof for the paperback version of Child of Galina today. If I am absent it is because I'm busy using all my spare time to review it so that it can be approved and ready for purchase.

I'm super excited about this next step in publishing Child of Galina. Wish me luck in my endeavors!

Thinking of Boston

Words are hard to come by after the events that happened today.

It would be easy to see this event and the other things that have been happening lately and give up on humanity. But look a little closer and you will see the amazing people who come together to help one another. People who don't worry about their own wellbeing in order to help someone else.

So for another day, my faith in humanity is restored. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this horrific event, I cannot begin to imagine what you have been through.

Crystal Raen's Summer Reading List for 2013

I'm hoping for this summer to be a bit slower than last summer so that I can fit in some reading. The books I'm wanting to tackle this summer are:

Android Karenina by Bill Winters - Picked this book up a couple years ago and still haven't gotten around to reading it. I really enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies so I'm hoping that this one will be equally enjoyable.

The Story of My Life by Helen Keller - Once I found out there was a book out that was written by Helen Keller about her life it went on my must read list immediately. I find the story of her to be so completely inspirational.

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman - It's Neil Gaiman, everything he's ever written is on my to read list.

The Inhuman Condition by Clive Barker - Like Neil Gaiman, anything Clive has ever written is on my to read list.

Soulless by Gail Carriger - The cover is honestly what originally grabbed my attention on this one. But it sounds like a good story.

So what's on your reading list for the summer? I'm hoping that some of you will add my new fantasy story Child of Galina.

Love and Let Love

"We must promote love, teach love, and even endure love as no love is ever easy, but any love is worth the fight to have it." -Head Celebrant Vega, Child of Galina

Above is one of my favorite lines from Child of Galina, that line definitely reflects how I feel about life. I have been very blessed with love, but in the past it was hard and life wasn't always smooth. No one's life ever is, but now I'm just grateful that I've found the person that I can share my life with. I hope that everyone does. In the meantime, show love and compassion to your fellow man. Imagine how much more beautiful the world would be if everyone did.

Child of Galina and the Missing Image

Published Child of Galina on the Kindle last night. Everything looked good in the preview, but after viewing it on the Kindle it appears that the image at the end of chapter one is missing. I will be working on fixing this glitch, but in the meantime for those of you who are looking for the image I will share it here:

I am amazed that the journey of writing this story is finally at an end, but the true journey is just beginning. I cannot wait to see where the journey ends up going and a second book is starting to form in the edges of my mind.

To buy my new fantasy novel go to: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C90G8DM/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

***Update: The symbol image was not able to be uploaded, the description that I wrote into the book to replace it is: the symbol was a circle with three tails inside of a blazing sun.

Editing a Novel

I've finally finished editing my novel, Child of Galina. This book has been in the works since 2005. It has traveled with me from Woodlawn, VA to Loris, SC and back to Virginia. It has changed, morphed, had better versions of it created and then lost, forcing me to go back to the original draft and start again. Now I'm in the final steps of learning how to convert it to a kindle file and sell it on Amazon. The journey of writing this book has been a long one, but a rewarding one.

Having taken such a long break from the novel when I went back over it, it was amazing to me how much of my life was reflected back at me in those pages, scenes written based on what I had been experiencing in my own life at that time. It truly makes me appreciate novels as an extension of the author's life. I don't think that any writer can completely take themselves out of their writing, especially in fiction. The story has to come from somewhere. Even in a fantasy that story comes from the heart and mind of the writer.

I cannot wait until the novel is up and available for people to buy and read on Amazon. I will let you know as soon as it is for sale!