Check out a new review up at "Fiction Addict!"

I've met a new friend on Facebook... Kaci Hill. She was nice enough to contact me via Donita K. Paul and a few other friends we share in common. Kaci finished reading both of my books over the Christmas Holiday and has put up both reviews at www.fictionaddict.com. Specifically, "Ryann Watters and the King's Sword" here: http://fictionaddict.com/2009/12/28/ryann-waters-and-the-kings-sword-by-eric-reinhold/ and "Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith" here: http://fictionaddict.com/2009/12/29/ryann-watters-and-the-shield-of-faith-by-eric-reinhold/


I was pleased to find out that besides editing and writing reviews, Kaci has co-authored books with author sensation Ted Dekker! I've pictured the two she worked with him on and hope there are more in the future... be sure to check them out. If you've never read Ted, I would suggest starting with



"Blink" and "Three," which can be read independently. If you like those, then you may want to move into the initial Trilogy of "Black," "Red," and "White." I say initial, because Ted then launches into many books which all tie back into these 3. The two that Kaci co-authored with him are part of a sub-series call "The Lost Books." You understand what "the books" are in the trilogy.



If you don't already follow Kaci, you can look her up on Facebook. Things are going well with the series and I have some exciting news to share after New Years, in regards to the movie script and an opportunity with CostCo... so stay tuned.

Blessings to all as we enter 2010!
Eric

The Mega Pre-Christmas Sale is Underway!

I know this is crazy, but yes! You can get both book 1 and 2 for the low, low price of $20. Consider it my contribution to a tough economy. Unlike Amazon.com that charges $26.13 for both books, at http://www.ryannwatters.com/ you get both of them personally signed by me and two commemorative bookmarkers as well!

THE SUPPLY IS LIMITED!!!

Between now and Christmas, the goal is to sell out of the first run of books so we can go for the second printing. Take a few minutes to think of the following before you order:

1. What parents do you know that would like a safe, engaging story for their kids to read?

2. What kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, cousins, do you know that would enjoy both books for Christams?

3. Does your school library or church have copies? What better donation to impact a lot of kids in a positive way.

4. How about donating a set to your local public library?

5. What about using them as a give-a-way for a prize in your youth group or children's Sunday School, homeschool group, or Awana store?

Please forward the sale to as many people as you can on your e-mail list, Facebook, post on blogs, or your website!

Thanks so much for your support and be blessed!

Eric

Massive "Curse of the Spider King" Contest!

Author friends of mine, Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper, have a great contest going on to promote their new book, Curse of the Spider King. Follow this link and check it out!

http://enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com/2009/09/biggest-contest-in-history-of-men-and.html

As you may recall (or not if you are new to my blog), I went on the Fantasy Fiction Tour this time last year with 7 amazing authors: Wayne, Chris, Donita K. Paul, Jonathan Rogers, L.B. Graham, Sharon Hinck, and Bryan Davis. The tour took us from Vancouver, BC down through Seattle, WA, Portland, OR and the Coast of California to our final destination - San Diego. The Miller Brothers joined us for the Northwest portion of the trip and it was an amazing 9 days of 3-a-day visits to schools, churches, and bookstores. If you haven't seen the videos, check out my archives from Oct. and Nov. 2008 or find them posted on Youtube under "the Motiv8 Fantasy Fiction Tour 2008.

I'm excited for Wayne and Christopher and their co-authored series. I recall them working furiously on their lap tops as we bounced down the highway in the 15 passenger van, periodically yelling out, "does anyone have a good synonym for ________?" These guys are crazy fun... so I'm sure it will be reflected in their joint effort! Get in on the contest and be a part of promoting Curse of the Spider King to all your friends!

If you want to see there zany side right now... check out the video below.

Eric

The Books Are In!

YEAH!!!

It's now official... I have received my pre-order shipment of book 2, "Ryann Watters and the Shield of Faith." It's exciting to be able to have my own extensive supply of books so that I can easily take them to book signings and also provide a service to readers through direct sales. My website (or of course in person) is the only way to get a signed book...

PLUS, I had a printing company put print awesome, full-color, glossy bookmarkers that combine the front and back covers of the book. Those come free with an order off my website http://www.ryannwatters.com/.

I was concerned on the day of delivery as Central Florida was experiencing a downpour of rain. Fortunately the driver was late and the rain stopped by delivery time. My wife, Kim, and two of my kids came by to help move the boxes of books into storage.

In the same vein of the chip company that says "we'll make more," I'm hoping to get the word out about Ryann Watters so that I can say, "we'll print more!" Thanks for taking an interest and please pass the word about The Annals of Aeliana via e-mail, Facebook, book reviews on-line (Amazon, Borders, Christianbooks.com, etc.). I appreciate it!

Be blessed,

Eric

From now until shortly before Christmas, the authors involved in the Fantasy Fiction Tour '08 will be collaborating on a joint blog tour. We'll be focusing each Monday - or thereabouts - on a different author each week. Our hope is to encourage readers who have experienced one or two of us and our work, to get a better idea of other Christian writers that they might be interested in.

JONATHAN ROGERS

Q. Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head. (be as specific as possible).
A. Shortly after I quit my cubicle job, I wrote the first chapter of The Bark of the Bog Owl and showed it to agent John Eames, who was a friend of a friend. I told John, “My wife is pregnant with our fifth child. I’m in no position to do art for art’s sake. Does this look like the sort of thing you could sell?” John said he thought he could sell it if I could write a whole book that lived up to the promise of that chapter.

I think that meeting was late May 2002. I wrote The Bark of the Bog Owl throughout the rest of 2002… I finished it between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Starting in January of 2003, John Eames pitched it to about a dozen publishers as the first book of a trilogy. A couple of publishers made offers in the spring, and we settled on Broadman and Holman.

What made me go with Broadman and Holman was the fact that Gary Terashita, the acquisitions editor, asked if I’d be willing to beef up the story—make it longer, and make it appeal to a little bit older target group. Ever since I started writing the book, I was afraid I’d end up with a publisher who would ask me to dumb it down.

Not all publishers show young readers the respect they deserve. To my mind, I was writing serious books, and I didn’t want them to go out into the world wearing footie pajamas. In retrospect, I don’t think that was as big a danger as I had supposed, but Gary’s challenge was very energizing—and it resulted in a much better series.

Q. Do you still experience self-doubts regarding your work?

A. I don’t often doubt whether what I’ve written is good enough. I usually succeed in writing the sort of thing I like to read; and since that’s the best way I know of judging whether a piece of writing is “good enough,” I rarely experience doubts at that level. What I do doubt—every day—is whether or not I’m faithfully pursuing my calling. What is an appropriate use of my talents? Should I spend next three hours writing the prose I can write, or should I devote that time to self-promotion? I can rationalize either choice. If I apply my talents toward writing bank brochures (something I frequently do), does that count as pursuing my calling? After all, feeding those babies is part of my calling too. I’ve got a couple of novels I want to write—I would even say I feel called to write them—but I don’t have any reason to believe they would help me provide for my family. What constitutes faithfulness in that situation? And what does a string of rejections mean? Is it a fiery trial for the purpose of hardening my resolve, or is it a signal that it’s time to go back to the cubicle?

Q. What’s the best advice you’ve heard on writing/publication?

A. I don’t know if this is the best advice I’ve ever heard, but at least it’s something your readers may not have heard before: if you want some serious training as a writer, get a job writing advertising copy. I know it sounds pedestrian. But every day you’re forced to try out several different voices, speak to several different audiences about several different subjects, some of which are so dull you can’t imagine saying anything interesting. But you need to get paid, so—lo and behold—you find you’re able to come up with something after all. And deadlines…sometimes you have 2 or 3 in a single day. Obviously, being a copywriter isn’t going to teach you everything you need to know about writing. But I’ve learned things about my own capabilities that I could have never learned from a writing class or seminar. Yoking my creative tendencies to the matter-of-fact, professional approach required of a copywriter has done me a world of good. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block. Lawyers don’t get lawyer’s block. They get up in the morning and do their jobs. Are you a writer? Then get up in the morning and write.

Q. What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?

A. I once had a well-meaning person from a marketing department advise me to turn the character Dobro Turtlebane into a girl. Your readers who are familiar with the Wilderking books will know how funny that is. For your readers who don’t know the Wilderking books, Dobro is a smelly, rude, belligerent swamp-dweller. The Bark of the Bog Owl had no girl characters, and my friend from marketing knew that girls read a lot more than boys…and girls understandably like girl characters. I ignored the advice, of course. To base any narrative decision on marketing concerns would have utterly contradicted the earthy, swampy ethos of the Wilderking books.

Q. Who is your favorite character from all of your books so far, and why?

A. That’s an easy one: the main character in the Wilderking books is a boy named Aidan, but my favorite is a wild swamp boy named Dobro Turtlebane. When he’s on the scene, something wild and funny is going to happen. His behavior seems erratic—courting danger, fighting with people he actually likes, etc.—but if you can accept a few basic premises about his unusual worldview, his behavior is actually quite logical. Dobro is a great example of what I was saying in an earlier question about character driving plot. He’s a game-changer, for sure.

Q. There is the ongoing debate in Christian fiction on the overtness of the gospel in novels. You’ve used allegory and hints, but no outright salvation plan on the back page. What are you hoping to accomplish through your stories?

A. A lot of times when people use the phrase “the gospel” they’re talking about evangelism. Of course that’s an extremely important part of the gospel, but it’s not the whole gospel. Once you’re converted, you’ve still got the rest of your life stretching out before you. And the fact of God’s grace in your life ought to impact every decision you make. It ought to shape every interaction. It ought to define your attitude toward work and family and community. That’s the gospel too. It’s true that there are no conversions in the Wilderking (actually, there’s an implied conversion in Book 3)—but I hope the gospel is pretty overt.

Fantasy Fiction Tour 2008 - Video Recap

You don't want to miss these great videos. Each day, Christopher and Jenni Hopper, captured the essence of the day through video of each of our events, meals, the van ride and more. If you ever wanted to see what it's like to travel with authors who write for kids then you'll enjoy these! (Hint: the authors act the age of those they write for). Eric

The tour kicks off at an amazing event in Abbotsford, BC.



The authors storm Seattle, WA signing books, swinging swords, and even causing a car accident!



Interview with NBC KSEE 24 in Fresno, CA



The authors start off with a rainy, impromptu gathering under a gazebo in Portland and finish with a bang at Medford's mall. A huge crowd gathered for the signing put on by Evangel Family Bookstore and were treated to, among other things, a reading by Jonathan Rogers and a humorous dual between Christopher Hopper & Wayne Thomas Batson.

(The fun and funky Portuguese/Brazilian music is in honor of Nathan Reimer).



MOTIV8 Fantasy Fiction Tour: Day 3 - Sacramento, CA

MOTIV8 Fantasy Fiction Tour: Day Three finds the authors crossing over into California and the question is: "Is California ready?" Stops include Trinity Christian School and Barnes & Noble in Sacramento.



Day Four is too jam-packed for just one Video Journal, starting off with a bang at NBC, two charity events, and finishes at a Berean Bookstore.



Day Four, part two, focuses on a special charity event done in partnership with Character 4 Kids and READ Fresno.



_____________________

MOTIV8 Fantasy Fiction Tour: Day 4.3 - Fresno, CA

SPECIAL : Meet The Authors - Day Four ends at the Berean Bookstore in Fresno where the authors take a few moments for a run-down on each of their books.



Reedley, CA
MOTIV8 Fantasy Fiction Tour: Day Five is all about Reedley, CA! From Hotel Burgess to G Street, the authors are kept on their toes and given a special dinner that will make you drool...


MOTIV8 Fantasy Fiction Tour: Day 6 - LA, CA

Day Six starts off at 4:00am! St. Genevieve's welcomes the authors on one of the favorite stops of the tour, then on to Bethany Christian and a final bookstore appearance in Van Nuys.



Los Angeles, CA
MOTIV8 Fantasy Fiction Tour: Day Seven keeps our authors in LA for a second day, making two appearances at Christian schools and then a grand reception at Calvary Chapel Refuge in Huntington Beach.


MOTIV8 Fantasy Fiction Tour: Day 8 - San Diego, CA

Day Eight is the big send off! The authors make their final stop in southern California and then head home. Thanks to all those who made this tour a marvelous and memorable success.

Tour Day 9 - San Diego

Today we closed the tour with a trip from L.A. to San Diego. The Barnes and Noble in San Diego was great... they had our books in the window and a huge section of the store, right up front, set up for us to do our book signing. Our favorite reader, Wayne Thomas Batson, did a reading from the Door Within, we had the internet streaming live, and we had a nice group of current readers and new readers show up for us to sign books and talk.

I am including photos of several new readers. If you haven't watched the book trailer video above, then take a few minutes to do so and pass it along to your friends. It's a great way to give them a summary of the book. Also, if you didn't get your copy of the Book 2 - bookmarker, then send me your mailing address and I'll mail one out to you! Right now we are promoting a free book marker for sending the link to this blog to 10 of your friends.

To the left we have a big group of new readers, including one of my new fans... Noah!

He's the one to the far left. I let him know that one of my favorite characters in the book is named after him.

After our two hours at Barnes & Noble, it was sad to think that the tour had come to a close. In some ways it passed by very quickly and in others it seemed like such a long time.

We built lifelong friendships with people we hadn't even met before this passed week. Our hope is that the Christian Fantasy genre will continue to build through efforts like these and that both Christian and non-Christian stores will carry our work to impact generations.

As we pack our bags to head back home to New York, Florida, Minnesota, Tennessee, Missiouri, Maryland and Colorado - we will have fond memories of this tour, our time together, and meeting new friends in every town we visited. We have discussed so many potential ideas for the future and it would be premature for me to mention them here, but suffice it to say... they are very exciting and as soon as we finalize them, you will be the first to know! Eric Reinhold

Tour Day 8 - More SoCal

Friday morning, we arrived at Village Christian School, in Sun Valley and had two big sessions with the students. Hundreds of students packed in on the bleachers on either side and in front from the Middle School and then we followed it up with a larger presentation to the High School. One of the memorable events was the entire High School student body jumping in their seats as Wayne boomed Lord Fallon's voice during his reading.

We followed up the presentations with a visit to classrooms. Wayne, Jonathan Rogers and I visited a Fifth Grade Spanish class and the teacher, was as they say in SoCal, "Totally Awesome!" The kids were very attentive and interested in our discussion of Christian Fantasy Fiction... what a joy!

Five of the eight of us outside the gym in the courtyard area of the school getting ready to sign books. From left to right: Donita K. Paul, Eric Reinhold, Wayne Thomas Batson, Jonathan Rogers, L.B. Graham.

The Barnes and Noble of Burbank was the best! We were running out of time for the signing and they had us sign all of the books they had for us (tons!) and are having them available for kids in the school as well as other store promotions through Christmas!

We were under a time crunch to race across town to another school, West Covina Christian School, and arrived just in time! At this school we spoke to the upper elementary kids and I did one of my presentations and also participated in the sword play! Here are a few of the kids from that signing!

We then had some time to travel to our evening event at Calvary Chapel Church in Huntington Beach. This was one of the highlights of the trip as we had 2 hours to spend in more of a church service approach with a large adult audience and kids. Chistopher Hopper and his wife opened with praise songs, Sharon Hinck talked about the hero in us and I followed with a talk on "God's Timing" and my experience with starting to write, my open-heart surgery and God bringing about a publisher through that 7-year ordeal. L.B. Graham spoke and provided a transition into Christian Fantasy Fiction and was followed by Wayne providing a dramatic reading. Bryan Davis gave one of the most passionate talks I have heard, bring many to tears as he talked about changed lives through our writing. We finished with Q & A and went out for a time of book signing and discussion with the congregation. Below left is a picture of Bryan Davis signing books with his daughter Amanda who travelled with us and was a great help along the way.

To the right are two girls who are new readers of the "Ryann Watters" series.