The Ethereal Crest

This week, I'm turning my blog over to my friend and Dream Team member Danielle Craver, and she's explaining all the research she did to create the crests on my book covers. Today, she's talking about the Ethereal crest, which is featured on the cover of The Fulfillment!

Ethereal Crest

Hello again! I am happy to bring you the next edition of crest mania! (Yes, I am sure I am the only one calling it that!) We will focus our attention on our favorite Prince's crest- the Ethereals!

Being at war with the Vanguards for centuries, you may ask “who could possibly battle the Vanguards and stand any sort of chance?” The Ethereals, that's who. They possess the ability to alter minds, project images, and remove memories of their foes. Which power do you think would reign on the battlefield, supernatural strength and endurance or the ability to project horrifying images into your enemies minds? This is why that battle has lasted for centuries.

We have met some wonderful and terrifying Ethereals in The Prophecy. Who is your favorite? Is it the charming Prince Wilhelm, the strong Queen Sansolena, the unbelievably kind and sweet Princess Vespa, or the cunning King Jesper?

This crest actually has 4 main parts which are the elemental symbol for air, a mascle, a lightning bolt, and an image of a black sun with radiating circles.  (The black sun with radiating circles made the cover of The Fulfillment.) The elemental symbol given to the Ethereals is the air symbol, which may be a bit difficult to see as it is within the mascle. Air was chosen because... to be revealed in a future blog. I know, not fair! I am actually curious to see if anyone discovers the reason on their own. The reason for the lightning bolt will be revealed then as well. Read on, the rest is fully explained- promise!

The mascle has the form of a voided lozenge in the shape of a diamond, which integrates the air symbol on its top half. This shape was chosen because in heraldry it stands for virtue, prudence and persuasion. I don't know about you but I feel the Ethereal royal family possesses all of these traits in abundance. On the battlefield, we have been told that no one is stronger at the Ethereal “art of persuasion” than the brother-sister team of Wil and Vespa. They are a force to be reckoned with despite their sweet nature.

The black sun was something of a surprise to me when I was researching. I was looking into things related to the characteristics of the Ethereals when I came across this- the Black Sun refers to the eclipse of consciousness in the alchemy of time. It is the instant when light and dark reverse - all fades to black. I immediately thought this was perfect for this special group because who else could actually make light and dark reverse in your mind but the Ethereals. The addition of the concentric circles gave it a more hypnotic feel which adds to the Ethereal persona. I continued researching the black sun and saw a lot of occult items around it, that meaning is not part of my art, just the mythology.

The color blue is appropriate for the Ethereals as it has effects on the mind and the body, just as they do. Blue can invoke rest and can cause the body to produce chemicals that are calming and exude feelings of tranquility. Something you may want your mortal enemy to feel while in battle! Blue represents the sky and expansiveness, wisdom and loyalty, and stability and confidence. No wonder the Ethereals were the prophesied group to accept the outsider in for peace. Blue is also the color of Wil's amazing brilliant and bright blue eyes!

That sums up the Ethereal crest. I would love to hear if you spotted these parts before in the crest or if you see something else within them. Maybe take a guess at why the air symbol and lightning bolt were used? Don't forget, The Fulfillment will be released on October 15^th. (You can preorder it on Amazon right now!)

The Vanguard Crest

Hello everyone!! For this next week, I'm turning the blog over to my friend and Dream Team member Danielle Craver. She's the brains behind all the crests you've seen for the Vanguard, Ethereals, Outlanders, Ecclesiastics, and Voltons. Her designs ends up gracing the covers of all three novels, and she's here to share with you the secret meanings behind each one!

Today, she's revealing all the research that went into the Vanguard crest, which graces the cover of The Prophecy!

Crest Blog #1

Hi Everyone! My name is Danielle, and Erin has asked me to write a few blogs to give you the background on the crests featured in the world of The Prophecy. Some of you may have looked at the crests and thought about the crest designs, symbols, colors, AND.....why did you even decide to make the crests? Well, I am here to answer all your questions (well most of them...there still may be a few surprises left open). Some you may have figured out while others may surprise you and I may just reveal a surprise or two. Now that I have your attention, we will start with how the idea of crests even came about.  

Crest Background

You may wonder how the crests really came into being. Erin and I were on a run. I have to laugh at that because it seems that much of Erin's ideas and discoveries were either over queso or on a run. We were talking about The Prophecy well before publication time, discussing the male characters in the book. We found that Wil and Nash were such great, but uniquely different characters that we felt the readers may have split loyalties. Deciding that the whole “Team Guy 1” and “Team Guy 2” was so overdone, we wanted to come up with a way for the readers to show their loyalty and back their guy. The idea of crests was born. At first I think we were joking about it, but I went home and started researching (have I mentioned that I LOVE researching?) and images started to come to life. I thought that we would need crests for each kingdom and faction so I started sketching. One night, Erin and I (and a few other friends) met for frozen yogurt, and I showed her a few of my sketch ideas. The Ecclesiastic one was a home run right from the start, and hence, it became the first crest she released.

If you wanted to know more about the Ecclesiastic crest, well you will just have to wait! First up is Layla's home kingdom- Vanguard!

Vanguard Crest

Just as The Prophecy opens in Vanguard, we too will begin with Layla's own crest- the Vanguards! For centuries they have been at war with their sworn enemies, the Ethereals. Who doesn't love the Vanguards? What is not to love- the Vanguards are endowed with supernatural strength and a cunningness making them almost unstoppable on the battlefield. They are typically very loyal, passionate to their cause, protective, and pretty stubborn. More Vanguard traits include a certain amount of swagger, a bit of sarcasm, dark hair, dreamy eyes... (yes Samson, I am referring to you <3 ) But I digress... Vanguards possess so many qualities we love in our heroes and heroines.

The main parts of the Vanguard crest are the elemental symbol for water, a celtic symbol for strength and a labrys. All five of the crests are based on the elemental symbols for earth, air, fire, water and spirit (shown below). As all things are born of these symbols, I saw it fitting to begin each crest with one. The Vanguards have been given the water symbol which... will be revealed in one of my later blogs. Sorry, you will just have to wait!

  

The celtic symbol for strength was used for obvious reasons. I felt we needed to go back and find some symbols that fit the feel of the time and place of The Prophecy so I researched ancient celtic 

symbols and found one that I love.

A labrys is a double-sided axe and shows up frequently in symbolic history. This type of weapon itself can look rather menacing, especially when Nash picks up a fallen Vanguard's battle axe and deftly wields it along with his own sword! Symbolically however, the labrys is often associated with female divinities. As our heroine is possibly a mythical being herself, it fits. The symbolism is not left just in the past; today the axe is a symbol of women's strength and self-sufficiency.

The color red is completely fitting for the Vanguards as they are a passionate bunch. Red is also associated with energy, war, danger, power, and is overall a very emotional color.

That about covers the Vanguard crest. I would love to hear if you spotted these parts before in the crest or if you see something else within them. Maybe take a guess at why the water symbol was used?

Next up will be the Vanguard's sworn enemies.....The Ethereals! (Part of which happens to be featured on the cover of The Fulfillment- available on October15th).

Common Writing Mistakes

I don't often write about writing, but I thought I'd make an exception today. Since I am both a writer and an employee at a publishing company, I decided to share some of the Top 10 most common writing mistakes we see with submissions.

1) Passive voice. This particular problem is one of the most common we see, and it can take two different forms. 

First off, the words "was," "were," "am," and "is" are almost always passive verbs, but the changes are usually simple. Take "I was walking" and make it "I walked." Other times, getting rid of that pesky "was" takes a lot more brain power and can prove most frustrating. 

The second form of passive voice is very aptly explained in this article by Grammar Girl on Quick and Dirty Tips (I love her by the way. Definitely check out her blog!).

There are very few instances in a novel where words like "was" and "were" have a place and serve a purpose. Use them sparingly. Doing so will make your words and world come to life, and it will push you to be a better, stronger writer. We call it "activating your verbs."

2) Telling instead of showing. I'll admit, I struggle with this one myself when the telling is subtle. However, often times, the submissions we get have blatant telling with words like "felt," "seemed," "heard," "saw," "appeared." Remove all instances of these words in your novel. Don't tell your reader how the character felt, show them by the character's actions, reactions, and speech.

For example: "Sam felt mad." tells us he's mad but does not immerse us in the story nor in Sam's anger. If you wrote: "Sam flung his Biology book across the room and growled like the Hulk after a bee sting," the reader would have a MUCH better idea of the level of Sam's anger. We'd also get a glimpse into his personality and his character. 

3) Backstory/Info Dumps. We see A LOT of this situation in the submissions we receive. When saying backstory/info dump, I'm referring to information provided solely for the reader's benefit which does not match the character's normal though patterns. No one walks along thinking, "My mother, Donna Reed, used to ride elephants in the circus but is now content to be a stay-at-home mom." No one walks around their town and thinks, "In the war of 2033, Kernsville became ground zero for a Blitzkreig style attack, which left the town decimated for a decade." 

We don't need a history lesson on your character or your world. We need to be immersed in your world and walk alongside your characters. The reader can get to know both through skillfully introduced information--character actions, situations in the world, dialogue, etc.--but it must be consistent with a normal person's thought and speech patterns. 

4) Repetition. If an idea has been shared with the reader, it doesn't need to be repeated (unless you introduced the idea a long time ago in the story). Give your readers the benefit of the doubt. They're smart. You've introduced them to your world and your characters, but they don't need to be beaten over the head with the same idea. It slows down the pace of the story and gets annoying. State something that's important and move on.  

5) Grammar and spelling errors. Before you submit your work to an agent or publisher, it must be polished. I recommend going through it twice yourself and then sending it off to beta readers and critique partners. Once they've had a look, go through it again yourself at least two more times. If you're not strong in grammar or spelling, make sure to find someone who is and have him/her take a look for you. Nothing turns off a publisher or agent quite as much as an unprepared manuscript. 

6) 2nd person. Just don't use it. Unless it's a sh-tick you're trying to do where you talk to the reader (a sh-tick that almost never works, by the way) or unless the story is some sort of interview, avoid 2nd person. Don't talk to the reader because it breaks the plane. Stick to 1st and 3rd person.

7) Leading the reader with questions. We see this problem a lot with submissions too. The character will think a series of questions out loud to lead the story--and the reader--down a certain path. It's not necessary, and it's distracting. The reader doesn't want to be told what to think. Let us ask our own questions. If your character poses a question to him/herself, make sure it's necessary. Make sure you can't convey this information in a more creative and impactful way. 

8) Pacing. This one is always tricky, but you should be aware of the pacing for your genre. For example, young adult and middle grade novels need to grab the attention of the reader right away while adult novels can spend a little more time in development. Remember to keep a consistent pace too. Move the story along. Don't spend precious word count on unnecessary things (backstory, info dumps, repetition) that stilts the flow of the story. Action moments should be tense, short, and exciting. Dragging them out bleeds the tension away. One of the best ways to understand pacing is to read books from your genre. Note the amount of time spent on certain things and how quickly or slowly the majority of books in that genre introduce information. 

9) World building. If you're introducing any world that's not this world, it will require some suave writing to help the reader understand it. You can't resort to backstory, so you have to use the character's experiences and situations (without resorting to unnatural character thought patterns) to show it to the reader. It's a tall order, I know, but such a necessary balance to achieve. Readers can't be reading along thinking they're in this world and then have a demon pop out to eat someone. It's jarring and unexpected because they didn't even know it was a paranormal world. At the same time, you can't spend pages on a history lesson or explaining all the rules of the world either. It's a very delicate balance. 

10) Dialogue tags. There is a debate on this one, whether you should use dialogue tags or character action to indicate the speaker, but I think the consensus, regardless of your stance, is that writers should not overuse dialogue tags. There must be action sprinkled in to give the reader a sense of the characters and their reactions to what's being said. We don't talk in a vacuum. We react to what people say, and we're animated when we speak. I definitely recommend using The Emotion Thesaurus to help show character speech and feelings through action rather than dialogue tags. 

There is a big difference in these two conversations:

Convo 1: 

"I really hate when she does that," Jill said, emphatically. (using adverbs here to explain the speech--also bad, bad, bad)

"I know," Martha said. "She's so mean."

Convo 2:

Jill slammed her hand down on the table. "I really hate when she does that."

"I know." Martha touched the base of her throat as she gulped. "She's so mean. 

I hope you find these tips helpful! By no means do I know everything there is to know about writing, no one does. But I've been so fortunate to have wonderful editors and critique partners guide me along the path, and I wanted to share what I've learned with you! Happy writing! 

The Saga of Snicked

Soooooo...today, I'm going to tell you about the great saga of "snicked."

As you may remember, long before Deek and I became an item, I was his critique partner, and later I became the first editor for his novel, 122 Rules. The moment I laid eyes on his manuscript, we started a "debate" about the word "snicked." He used it several times in the book, and I insisted it wasn't actually a word. Thus began the "snicked" saga...

This friendly debate has raged for years now. Years. So, we decided to post on our social media sites and ask people if they knew this word. We wagered that if it was a word, I'd put it in one of my novels (cringe), and if it wasn't a word, he'd remove it from his.

Most people said they'd never heard of it. One person said it might be some skunk-like creature in some remote part of the world. After months of open discussion, Ellie aka: Kat Hawthrone stepped in (she's supposed to be my friend and co-worker, but she turned against me!). At BookFish, she's our line editor and wicked smart with words. So, she found in some ancient text that "snick" is a real, albeit archaic, word.

Note the word archaic under the definition...

I must inform you that in Deek's novel, it's still not used to match its ancient definition (no, I'm not bitter). The word "snick" means to "to cut through" or "to perform a cutting action." Deek uses it to mean the sound of a door clicking shut.

But since I lost fair and square, I agreed to put the word "snicked," used to mean "sound of a door closing," in my upcoming book The Fulfillment. And YOU will get to reap the benefit! When The Fulfillment comes out, Deek and I will run a Rafflecopter giveaway (starting on Oct. 15 and ending on our 1 year wedding anniversary, Nov. 7). You can enter to win signed copies of The Prophecy, The Outlanders, and The Fulfillment as well as a signed copy of Deek's book, 122 Rules, when it releases early next year from Pandamoon Publishing. If you've already purchased the books, they'd make great (FREE) Christmas presents for that reader in your life!

All you have to do to win is enter the page number on which you find the dastardly word "snicked" in The Fulfillment.

You can win signed copies of all THREE books!

And a signed copy of 122 Rules when it releases in early 2016!

Here is the Rafflecopter link (don't worry, Deek and I will post it again). It will activate on October 15!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In other random news, I will be dying my hair purple again for the release. Instead of weaving the blonde in as I did last time, I'm going to leave it dark. Here's what it's likely to look like. 

Good luck in the giveaway! My loss is your gain!

The Infected (a PODS novel) by Michelle Pickett

The Infected (PODs #2)

by Michelle K. Pickett

Release Date: October 12th 2015

Summary from Goodreads:

From the author of the award winning Unspeakable, and the best selling PODs, comes the highly anticipated sequel to PODs. A world where death stalks the unsuspecting, and this time even the PODs might not save them. 

A virus nearly wiped out humankind...

Months have passed since a human infection has been reported. Survivors of the deadly pandemic have finally started to build a life in a world left devastated by plague. 

Ironically, for nineteen-year-old Eva, life made more sense when she battled the deadly Infected than it does in the serenity of her new home in Rosewood. Separated from fiancé and former POD-mate, David, after an impossible ultimatum, Eva finds her life a little lonely and a lot confusing. 

But as troubled as Eva’s life is, it's about to take a turn for the worse as untold dangers watch and wait for the right moment to attack…

The virus refuses to die quietly.

Book One

(click on image for link)

About the Author

I can’t write without a hoodie. Yeah, I live it Texas. We all have our quirks.

I majored in accounting in college. I was required to declare a major, but I had no clue what I wanted to do, so I picked accounting because it was the first thing listed in the booklet the counselor gave me. Surprisingly, I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Go figure.

Forget coffee. Hand over the Red Bull or Monster Khaos and no one gets hurt. Seriously, just set it down and step away. I will turn into a normal human after I guzzle my can of caffeine.

I hate to cook, but love to watch cooking shows on television.

I paint my nails weird colors just to see my husband roll his eyes and make my 9 year-old twin girls giggle. Oh, and mortify my 13 year-old son.

I’m a hopeful romantic and love swoon-worthy endings that keep the butterflies going for days, but I don’t believe a HEA always ends with the boy getting the girl. Sometimes a HEA is an ending we don’t see coming, but is still best for the characters.

I write across genres in the young adult and new adult age groups while eating way too many peanut butter M&Ms (but we’ll keep that second part just between us).

I was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, but now live in a suburb of Houston, TX with my very supportive family, a 125lb rescue “puppy” and a 12lb attack cat, also a rescue animal.

And last, (but certainly not least), I love my family with everything in me. Everything I am, is theirs. There are no words in any language known to man to describe my love for them. They are my center.

I’d love to hear from you. So drop me an email! Let’s chat. You tell me what you like in books, what you’d like to see happen in the writing community, what type of books you like to see more of…less of—I want to hear it all! So tell me, please. Because the one thing I wish I could put on my list, but I still haven’t figured out how to do, is mind-reading. But don’t tell my kids. I still have them fooled. :) 

Author Links:

   

Updates, News, and Randomness

Hello, friends. In case you're wondering where I've been, I'm frantically getting ready for the release of The Fulfillment on October 15. I'm writing guest blog posts, Top 10 lists, and character blogs. AND I'm still trying to meet my self-imposed (with the help of Deek) writing deadlines for my latest historical fiction novel Restore to Me.

I have an amazing treat coming for you October 9-15. My friend and Dream Team member Danielle has written up a blog post explaining the meanings behind all the crests! WUT? Yes, people, the mystery will finally be reveal. Danielle is incredibly brilliant and a stellar researcher, so you're in for a total treat!!

The stunning Danielle

Now, on to some thrilling news on the Deek front. He finished his FINAL round of edits with his editors at Pandamoon Publishing! That means 122 Rules is one major step closer to being in your hands! YAY! I can't wait for you to read my husband's brilliance! He has a captivating set of a characters in a story told with both literary and commercial elements with a BIG dose of humor. I am so proud of this man!!

Deek submitting his final edits to his editor! 

Our celebratory meal! 

Even with our regular day jobs AND all these writing deadlines, we've still managed to go out and have a little fun! 

Here's a trip down  memory lane. We moved into our Victorian a year ago. Sadly, the owners decided to move back into it about 6 months later, but we loved our time there. 

Deek and I went to the circus!! Neither of us had been since childhood, and we had a total blast! I'm still wowed by the tricks those people could do!

I found my Halloween costume! Since Deek's book involves FBI agents, Witness Protection participants, and mobsters, we decided to be mobsters!! 

Deek and I attended to local Oktoberfest with his childhood friends. He's known one of the people since the 2nd grade. How amazing is that? Hooray for lifelong friendships!

My publisher sent me the print proof for The Fulfillment! My precious...

The Smithsonian offers museum day where you can gain admission to local museums for FREE! Deek and I elected to go to the Evergreen Air and Space Museum. It houses the Spruce Goose, and that may just be the biggest plane I've ever seen!

They *may* have had tanks there that you could play on...

We finally found Trinity a Halloween costume. She's always giving us the disapproving Eeyore look, so we got her an Eeyore costume. Isn't she completely adorable??

So, be sure to tune in next week to get all your crest questions answer by the lovely Danielle! If you're interested in preordering The Fulfillment, the ebook is available for preorder now (the print book will be available 10/15). Also, you can add it to your TBR list on Goodreads!

The Fulfillment Cover

Folks, it's with a mixture of elation and sadness that I present The Fulfillment cover today. I'm elated because Anita created another outstanding cover, but I'm sad because I'm saying goodbye to Wil, Layla, and Nash. They've been constantly in my life for the past several years, so it's a bittersweet goodbye for me.

Oh, and for those who guessed Anita would use the Ethereal crest on the last book, you're right!! ;)

 Book 1-- The Prophecy

Book 2--The Outlanders

One month from today, their story will be available to all of you, and my time in their world will officially end. I've already gotten requests for a prequel or sequel, but I'm currently working on another, totally different project.

I am so blessed to have amazing friends and bloggers who are helping reveal the cover today. You can click on any of these links and feast your eyes upon Anita's brilliance once more.

My hubby: Deek's Rhewminations

Reads All The Books

Strands of Thought

Unorthodox Mama (this sweet lady read the entire ARC in one sitting last night!)

Leandra Wallace

Wendi Nunnery (BookFish people, represent!)

Kevin A Springer (More BFB representing)

Trisha Leaver

You can also add The Fulfillment to your TBR list on Goodreads and preorder the ebook (the print version will be available on 10/15/15) on Amazon!

Thank you for taking this ride with me, Deek, Layla, Wil, and Nash! Hugs all around!