My First Published Novel
It's finally here!
I have a confession.
I've been so quiet this year on social media, and that's been partly (mostly) on purpose. Partly it's been because of the sheer exhaustion of this year and all the things we've had going on, but also because I've been hard at work on several projects. Instead of dividing my limited time on blogging
I started this year working hard on Broken Time (for more info, see my works-in-progress using the sidebar menu), then got rather distracted with my fairy tale series (again, see my works-in-progress for info), revising book 1: Fog & Mist, adding a great deal to book 2: Fire & Frost, and then beginning book 3: Fable & Fae.
Then, for the past month or so, I've been stuck on that book, and so I've changed gears to finally do something I told myself I would do this year: publish a full-length novel.
And that novel happens to be my contemporary women's fiction novel, Spurn the Moon.
Click on the image to visit Amazon and check out my newest book.
I've had limited information on Spurn the Moon up on my blog for ages, and just over a year ago, I sent it out to be professionally edited, a process that took much longer than anticipated. However, I received it back earlier this year and kinda sat around with it, doing nothing. To be honest, I was a little scared. (Still am.)
Why?
In the words of other authors:
“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.”
“I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.”
Essentially, sharing a book you wrote with the world feels like exposing yourself. There’s so much in a book that reveals thoughts that could—or could not be—your own personal thoughts that there is the constant fear of being judged. What if someone I know reads it and wonders how I can write about something if a) I don’t have experience about or b) it's "dark” and features morally suspect characters, or c) who knows what they'll ask because the story has them so utterly confused?
It’s always a bit frightening to see how something you’ve spent so much time on will be received. If I were the kind of person to remember my dreams, I’d probably be having nightmares about book releases. But as it is, I’m learning to be okay with letting go of a story at the right time and realizing it wont ever please everyone or even interest everyone. Even the best books have haters (just proving that writing is subjective).
“I don’t care if a reader hates one of my stories, just as long as he finishes the book.”
Regardless of my insecurities, I'm excited to finally let Spurn the Moon and all the characters within out into the world for good. It's time, and I could even bear to reread the manuscript without too many winces or the desire to make too many changes. And that's a good thing!
What's especially exciting for me this time around is that it'll be available on all the major ebook suppliers: Amazon, B&N (Nook), iBooks, and Kobo. It's also in paperback, which is so cool. It's available for preorder now, and if you're interested in a review copy, send me a message and I'll see about hooking you up!
In the meantime, I'm off to work on other projects, because I can't bear the wait!
~Kelsie
P.S. I don't have links for Nook yet, as they book isn't available there until the day of release. But you can always head over to any of the main websites and search "Kelsie Engen" or "Spurn the Moon" and see if it's available yet!
Attending Oxford University for medical school is Adrienne Talbot's lifelong dream--and it's finally coming true. She's been accepted, and she's on the flight to London when a concussion changes everything.
Now, instead of traveling England before school begins, she must call upon her estranged, A-list actress mother for help.
An unenthusiastic greeting leads to an extended stay when Adrienne meets her mother's new fiancé and is dragged into a world of glitz and paparazzi--by a scandal that centers around her. This scandal could not only destroy any chance of reconciliation with her mother, but ruin Adrienne's close relationships with her sisters and father back home.
Desperate to find answers, Adrienne sets out upon a journey into her mother's past and begins to uncover the lies she once thought were truths.
