Doings at Drakenheath--abreviated edition!

Dear Imps, there are so many THINGS happening and/or coming up this month, I feel I must give you at least a quick Doings post just so you don't miss out on any of them!

First of all . . . acclaimed fantasy novelist Rachel Starr Thomson is hosting a HUGE giveaway this month, featuring the Tales of Goldstone Wood. She is generously offering three different enormous prizes, including a Grand Prize win that includes a Kindle Fire 7” Tablet with Wi-fi and 16 GB, plus the complete Seventh World Trilogy and the entire Tales of Goldstone Wood collection . . . in paperback!

So hurry on over HERE to get your name entered in this amazing giveaway. This is epic adventure to last you the rest of the year, people!

In other news . . . 

Have you been waiting for the 2016 Goldstone Wood Fan Fiction Contest? Because the time has come, dear Imps!

You have until August 28 to create your own Goldstone Wood story and/or poem. All of the contest details may be found HERE, but I'll let you in now on the exciting prize being offered. Are you ready for it?

The winner of this year's contest will receive a collection of eight, beautiful, Goldstone Wood pens!

These are some nice pens too, let me tell you (I own a few of this brand). Perfect to inspire all of that writerly creativity. 2nd and 3rd prizes are being offered as well, and the winners will be chosen (as per tradition) via fan voting.

The Fan Fiction Contest is probably my favorite event of the year (though the Fan Art is right up there . . . apples and oranges, people). I hope you are as excited as I am to dive into the creativity these talented writers dream up for this year!

More news . . . 

A young man named Matt Young has composed a complete and original soundtrack inspired by my first novel, Heartless. How amazing is that?

He is offering this soundtrack for sale in an effort to raise money for an upcoming missions trip, so I thought I would share about this opportunity with all of you. His music is whimsical and pretty (with some great intense moments for to go with those more intense scenes!), conjuring up lots of great Goldstone Wood imagery in my imagination. So if you'd like to support this talented composer's venture, go ahead and download a few or all of his songs HERE. You can enjoy listening to all of the samples as well, which offer a taste of his creativity.


Okay, here's some news that I think all of you will be pretty excited about . . . 

You know how you've been asking me for YEARS now for a Goldstone Wood Map?

Well, at long last, I have (partially) succumbed to the fan pressure! And as of June 17, Rooglewood Press will be revealing the first ever Goldstone Wood Map in our upcoming issue of the Rooglewood Quarterly!

Now be forewarned . . . this is NOT a map of the entire Goldstone Wood world. That would be impossible, considering how enormous the world is and how much things change over the course of centuries. But it is a stunning rendition of a significant PART of the Goldstone Wood world.

Funny story: I hired this amazing German artist based on his incredible proposal for the project and what I saw of his portfolio. Turns out, after he got the contract, he went home and told his wife--only to discover that she is a fan of the Goldstone Wood series! Small world, right? So he's reading the series now in preparation for future maps (because I doubt very much we'll stop at just one now that we're started!).

So if you haven't signed up for our exciting mini-magazine, go do so now. Aside from the gorgeous new map, this upcoming issue includes lots of great articles, including a special feature by Stephanie Ricker (one of our Five Glass Slippers authors), an article on historical research by award-winning novelist Jill Stengl, and an official introduction of Rooglewood Press's newest author, Camryn Lockhart.

Oh, and speaking of cool Rooglewood-related doings . . . .

Five Magic Spindles is now officially available for pre-order (on Kindle)!

Print pre-orders should be available soon as well. The book itself is scheduled for launch on July 22 . . . and let me tell you, I could NOT be more excited to see this collection hit the shelves. I have absolutely loved all of our collections thus far, but I truly think this one is the best yet. These five writers have produced incredible work, each story vastly different from all the others, and all beautifully written. This is definitely a do-not-miss release this summer!

And as if that wasn't exciting enough . . . we have ANOTHER fantastic release launching this summer as well. The Spinner and the Slipper, by Camryn Lockhart, is ALSO available for Kindle pre-order and will be in print by June 27. Because it's just so pretty, I'm going to share its wrap-around print cover . . .

We haven't made as much of a to-do about this upcoming release since it isn't part of our internationally popular fairy tale contests . . . but don't take that to mean that we aren't completely thrilled to be sharing it with everyone! This story is utterly darling, creative, and romantic--a perfect curl-up-with-a-cup-of-tea-for-the-afternoon sort of book. Plus it's so pretty, both in the packaging and the writing style . . . I just love it! And I rather think you will love it too.

And don't forget . . . 

For those of you who have read (or are reading) my latest release, A Branch of Silver, a Branch of Gold, I am offering a fun giveaway/raffle opportunity!

All of the details may be found HERE, but basically, it involves YOU getting choose the main character of a NEW Goldstone Wood story. So don't miss out! We've had some pretty awesome submissions sent in already, and I have a variety of cool ideas percolating. I know it's going to be a fun story, one I am looking forward to writing.

Wow. That's a lot of doings.

And I'm sorry I don't have time to share any other fun things with you. I might try to write a PROPER Doings at Drakenheath post in July, once things have settled down a little bit. And I do still want to share about my epic adventure with Rohan in India and Sri Lanka last winter! It's getting to be a while ago now, but we had such a fantastic time and took so many pictures that I want to share . . . but I get the feeling it will be a rather HUGE post, so I keep putting it off in the face of all the other more pressing doings happening right now.

We've also added yet another rescue pet to our menagerie. I'll tell you all about him in the next Doings post as well. (We now have six cats and two dogs . . . I know, I have a problem. But I just can't say no to a kitty or puppy in need! And we love all eight of them dearly.)

In the meanwhile, please know that I am working away a novel, related to The Ridiculously Huge Project mentioned in posts from last year. Sadly, The Ridiculously Huge Project itself got a bit side-tracked due to overseas adventuring and contest crazies . . . but I've not given up on the stories themselves, and I hope to have something pretty fantastic to share with you next spring/summer. More news on that later as well.

So tell me, which of these Doings are YOU most excited about? Did you enter your name in Rachel Starr Thomson's amazing giveaway? Are you listening even now to a lovely Heartless soundtrack? Are you gearing up to write the next great Goldstone Wood fanfic? Do tell!