Thursday 28 August 2014

End of Summer Musings

Once again, I am venturing out on a limb to provide a glimpse into my daily life. Time never seems to be on my side, but I manage to steal a few minutes here and there to write, revise, read, journal, and map out my books. The summer has been full of adventures. At the moment, I am hastily working to finish my second work of fiction -- a prequel novella to my debut novel Turnstiles http://www.amazon.com/Turnstiles-Andrea-McKenzie-Raine-ebook/dp/B00HFIXUES/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1409257129, which is titled A Crowded Heart -- as well as marketing my novel (to the point of ad nauseum, but such is the hopeful road to success for an indie author), trying to keep my head above water at my day job (okay, come on winning lottery ticket or best-selling novel... whichever comes first!), raising my two little monkeys, and making sure our house doesn't fall apart. This fall, I am priviledged to have a poem published in a Newborn Anthology published by Leaf Press -- very exciting! I am also waiting to hear back from a publisher about whether or not my second book of poems will be accepted for publication. So, there is a lot happening for me, and I am chipping away at new writing projects and looking forward to the unfolding dream of this author life. Thank you all for following my blog, and I do hope you continue to visit this page, spread the word, and check out my books. Wishing you a glorious Labour Day long weekend --- let's all soak up the sun's warmth before the first leaf hits the ground. We will be leaving civilization for a few days! Cheers, Andrea McKenzie Raine xo

Sunday 10 August 2014

After 8 months of my debut novel Turnstiles roaming around in the book world, I have experienced an invaluable journey of ups and 'not quite ups', and relished every second. My self-appointed book tour (with the help of the marketing director at Inkwater Press) has come to an end for this year, and it has been a wild ride. I showcased Turnstiles at a reading in Burnaby, BC at La Fontana Café in February, was a guest author at a book signing event in Parksville, BC at The Mulberry Bush bookstore in March, flew to Calgary, Alberta for an overnight stay in April to be the featured author at a book reading at Shelf Life Books (The Single Onion Reading series) -- where I found out upon arrival that I was competing with the Calgary Spoken Word Festival (thank you to those who attended my reading!), had a successful local reading with two other authors at the Planet Earth Poetry reading series at Hillside Coffee & Tea in May, and then flew to Kelowna, BC for a book signing event at Mosaic Books in July. I have to say, with two small boys at home, I am patting myself on the back for venturing so far with my novel, and the results have been humbling. I have met many receptive readers, and I am concentrating on marketing my book and building these relationships. Thank you to all of you who have taken a chance on a new author -- I am thrilled to see my book grow its little wings and fly into the hands of strangers who have also been kind enough to share their reviews of Turnstiles on Amazon, Goodreads, and just by leaving comments on my Facebook author fan page at https://www.facebook.com/ARainewriter. My novel is still available in local (Victoria, BC) bookstores at Munro's, Bolen Books, Tanner's Books, and Ivy's bookshop -- as well as at Shelf Life Books in Calgary, Alberta and Mosaic Books in Kelowna, BC. Please also check out my online book links through my author website at http://andreamckenzieraine.com/turnstiles/. I hope my book continues to sell and that readers will help spread the word. I look forward to future book journeys, and also want to emphasize that I am working on a prequel novella to Turnstiles titled A Crowded Heart, which I anticipate will be ready for publication by the end of this year. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my book journey, and I look forward to meeting with many more writers and readers. I am thrilled that my first novel is seeing the light of day, and hope it continues to soar around the world! Cheers and take care, Andrea McKenzie Raine xo