Guest Blog with Krystal Mclaughlin & Giveaway

I am really excited to be guest blogging for you all today.  Not only will it give me an opportunity to introduce you to the characters of my Enchanted Island Series, I am also going to share with you the adventure of self publishing, something that with the success of Amanda Hocking, has sort of been big entertainment news lately.  For any of you aspiring authors out there, or for any of you who just like to hear an interesting story, read on and I hope that you enjoy!

The Story:

I came up with the idea for The Witches Lottery before deciding it would become a series.  It has changed many times to become what it ultimately is today.  I don't want to give away too much, but I liked the idea of a world like ours, where you don't really know what your talents are going to be.  Unlike the real world, though, each witch must awaken to the talents inside of them.  In The Witches Lottery, you follow Sophia into a world of magic, deception, and power.  Along with her brother Drew, she is taken on a journey that will bring them heartache, strength, and ultimately a new family of interesting characters.  In A Dragon Forsaken, you are taken through an adventure with danger, surprises, and a whole lot of heat, while you see everything through Daphne's eyes.  Even in their world, Daphne is unique and essentially one of a kind, and although she has a tough exterior, she longs for a life where she can be normal.

The Series:

The Enchanted Island Series is ultimately going to be four books long.  Each one from a different characters perspective.  The next book, The Goblin's Daughter, will be seen from Gianna's eyes, while the fourth, The Warlock's Intuition, will close out the series through Drew.  Each character is different, with a variety of powers and emotions.  Each one deals with thier situations in a different way, giving the series a different feel than others like it.  The Goblin's Daughter should be out in the Fall of 2011, with The Warlock's Intuition out sometime early 2012.

My Self Publishing Experiences:

I finished work on The Witches Lottery in the summer of 2010.  I immediately sent out a few queries, and ultimately got a few rejections.  Deciding that maybe it was the paranoraml element that was out (because I read that in an agents blog) I began work on two very different books, both of them without the paranormal element that I love.  The first one, Personal Battles, is a book about young love centered around the harsh realities of military life.  The second, The Beat of a Heart, is an adult work of women's fiction that loosly followed my own experiences in life.  Although both were exciting with well thought out plots and emotionally driven characters, I couldn't get Daphne's story out of my mind long enough to complete them (although I do plan on finishing them one day!).  In December, I read an article about PubIt from Barnes and Noble.  Deciding that self publishing would give me what I have ultimately wanted, I took a deep breath, called my best friend Amber and asked her to create some cover art for me, and then put it up for sale.  For those of you who are curious about my 'ultimate goal', I'll share a secret with you...  It wasn't to make a ton of money.  It wasn't even to find a traditional publisher, although that would be amazing.  My 'ultimate goal' has always and will always be making people fall in the love with the characters and stories and I write.  I have a friend who reads my work chapter by chapter as I finish it.  Hearing her reaction to things is how I decide if I like a certain part of my story and if it is working.  I won't even tell her any of my plot because I want her to be just as surprised as any of you who have picked up my books.  After putting The Witches Lottery up for sale, I immediately began work on A Dragon Forsaken.  Each month since then has been full of interesting experiences, exciting reviews, and meeting amazing reviewers.  I have now not only found a way to get my books out there where people can find them, I have made a lot of wonderful friends along the way.

Upcoming Events:

For any news on upcoming events and release dates, please visit my website at: http://krystalmclaughlin.blogspot.com You can also visit me on Facebook and Twitter via my site.  Both of my books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords with the print copies coming soon to Amazon.  The next work to be released is the first in my Atlantean War Series entitled The Relic which should be out early summer.

The Giveaway (International) April 1 - 5:

To win you must be a follower of Do Not Disturb My Books 

To enter simply post a comment with your email address, your follower name and whether you consider yourself a reader, writer or both. 


+1 for following Krystal's blog @ http://krystalmclaughlin.blogspot.com

Using random.org I will pick 3 lucky winners to receive a copy of Krystal's new book: A Dragon Forsaken and the first book in the series: The Witches Lottery!

Happy reading!