Dark Child COVENS RISING is well and truly on the way!

Just a super-quick post to share the title of the forthcoming sequel to Dark Child. Yep, Covens Rising is well and truly in the works and it feels so much more real now it has a proper title!

The release is scheduled for around the middle of this year, and I'll share the cover and all that fun stuff as the release date approaches.

And in case you're already wondering, I have NOT started book 3 in the Dark Child series yet...but I will soon. I promise. I have some great scenes in mind that are begging to be written.

I've posted an excerpt from Covens Rising on my Facebook page here for those who'd like a sneak peek at what's coming.

Enjoy!

Dark Child sequel done. Phew! And next on my list...

 Hello all!

I'm not completely sure who finds their way to these posts these days, but I know that somebody does, according to the little Google widget that measures page views. If you're an old (and much appreciated) friend from my early blogging days, I'm very sorry for neglecting you. It's because I've been writing, writing, writing, and that only seems to happen when I'm not actively blogging. If you're a Dark Child reader, thank you for visiting my little corner of the web! You've come to my original blog where I shared my ups and downs on the road to publication. You're welcome to have a look around - but don't forget to also visit my website (which also has a blog) or my Facebook author page.

Anyway, welcome, whoever you are. I know I owe you an update. I'm more than overdue. The good news is I've finished my draft of the Dark Child sequel and handed it in to my publisher...and it'll be out later this year. As soon as I have an official release date I'll share it. Aaargh! I really hate waiting. I want to share it with you NOW! This next story is full of...let's just say I'll be amazed if you've predicted half of what's coming your way. I even surprised myself with the direction things took as I was writing it. More Kat, more romance, more of everything!

You may not know that Dark Child Episodes 1-5 were originally written as one complete novel. The decision to serialise came later, after discussions with my publisher, for a variety of reasons. So...even though the Dark Child sequel is also a full-length novel, it's almost certainly going to be released in Episodes again.

With Dark Child in the world, a rant about obsessive checking of rankings and call for reviewers - yes that means YOU!

 Hello. My name is Adina. It's been almost three months since my last drink blog post.

Wow, this cover actually matches the background colour on my blog. Pure coincidence.

It's finally happened. I've crossed over to the other side. The 'published' side. I'm starting to think of it as the Dark side. Because the last few months have been mad. Manic. And also, inevitably, filled with huge amounts of frivolous time wasting and not much actual writing. And it kind of goes without saying seeing as this is my first post since early February that I haven't been blogging either. Or visiting any of you. :-( Most of this I blame on the sustained state of heightened nerves arising from the fact that I've had four books released in four months, with another two releases still to go next month. They're all actually the same book: Dark Child. But as it's been released as a digital serial, one new episode has come out each month, each attended by a flurry of tweets on Twitter, and updates on Facebook, and hours and hours (oh, let's be honest, days and DAYS) wasted obsessively checking sales ranks and figures on Amazon and the iBookstore. Why did nobody tell me it'd be like this? Actually, they probably did, but back then I wasn't listening. I just wanted to be published!

Some free reads for you to celebrate Dark Child release day

image by Evgeni Dinev, freedigitalphotos.net

Most people know that book names are often changed by publishers, for whatever reason. My debut novel is being released today under the name Dark Child, which I love, as originally that was the name I'd given the planned series - though the first book had a different title.

My working title for the first book was Birthed by Moonlight, and not only did that name get cut but so did the original prologue that told the story of my main character's extraordinary birth. Seeing as today is a birth of another kind, the birth of Episode One of my first novel into the world, it seems appropriate to share Kat's 'birth' story with you. I've posted it in the 'Extras' section on my website.

You can also read a free sample from the beginning of Dark Child at my publisher's website if you go here. This is a longer sample than the one up at Amazon!

Enjoy. :-)

So, do you prefer to try before you buy? Are you a free sample reader?

The Next Big Thing

Well, I've been tagged by the lovely and talented Wai Chim (from my writers' group), author of Chook Chook: Mei's Secret Pets, a children's book released 2012 through University of Queensland Press. And of course I'm running late with my post which was supposed to be exactly a week after hers. Thank goodness Blogger lets you backdate posts. No one will ever know, right? ;-)

The Next Big Thing is an authorly chain-post of sorts; where we each share a little about a current work in progress, and then pass the baton on to other writers to do the same a week later. I have several projects at various stages of completion, so for this I'm going to pick one of them at random to talk about. It might be some time before I actually finish it though!

Covers for Dark Child

This day has arrived more quickly than I expected it would...but it's just as exciting as I thought it would be to finally share with you my beautiful covers for Dark Child, Episodes One and Two. There will be five episodes in all, releasing between February and June 2013. Each cover image shows the main character, Kat, sleeping against a stormy, rune-filled backdrop, and reveals a little of the dominant setting for that episode. So episode one features a forest path, episode two features Manhattan, and so on.

Here's my first cover!

Cover for Dark Child Episode One

adinawest.com goes live...and a Dark Child editing update

I love my new website. I wanted it to be a little bit baroque and hint at late nights and guttering candles...and I think the designer has captured that beautifully with the hand drawn aesthetic.

Readers of this blog aren't really the target audience for my author website, as it's targeted at future readers, while many (most?) of you are writers yourselves. But you're very welcome to pop on over and have a look if (like me) you're endlessly curious about how other writers present themselves. It's an odd sort of transition, too, from writing blog posts for a 'journey to publication' blog like this, to writing blog posts for my author website. I really have no idea at this stage what any future readers of my book will be interested in knowing about me, so I think it might be a while before my blog posts over there become as personal as the ones here. If they ever do!

Changing the way we read - serialisation of e-books

Original caption on SMH article was "Serial thriller ... Adina West's new novel will be serialised. Photo: Wolter Peeters"

Well, that was another nice little hiatus from the blog, though of course I haven't been on holidays. Nothing nice like that! Just snowed under with lots and lots of things to do, because my structural editing report for Dark Child arrived not too long ago and it was pages and pages long. Lots of hugely useful constructive comments, but it has necessitated lots of rewriting too! Working with an editor has been gruelling but also very rewarding.

Anyway, besides that, in the interests of briefly getting you up to date with where I'm at, I have a tentative release timetable for my novel Dark Child. I may have mentioned it before, but in case I didn't, it's to be released as a serialised novel, meaning in instalments. The first will be released in February 2013, so not long to go now! The serialisation is a great experiment in reader engagement in so many ways, and it got me in the news yesterday, in this Sydney Morning Herald article. I think I may even have scored a mention in the same paragraph as Charles Dickens.

Writer's Repast: Blueberry Streusel Cake (call it Crumble Cake, if you prefer)

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Heaven knows I'm no photographer. That's one of the main reasons I'll never start a food blog. That and the fact that I'm far too lazy and undisciplined.

But I do like to bake.

Blade Runner meets Perdido Street Station? Can do, says debut author Nina D'Aleo.

Nina D'Aleo's been a great confidante in recent months. Her first book, The Last City, has just been released by our mutual publisher, Momentum, and as she's already been through the process I'm shortly to embark on, she's been a wonderful sounding board. That might also have something to do with the fact that in addition to her degree in creative writing, she's a qualified psychologist!

She's agreed to be interviewed by me to tell us a bit about her book, which has been billed as an intoxicating blend of noir crime, science fiction and fantasy. Sounds awesome, right?

Forget perfection. Just write!

I've had a longish break from writing, and it's taken me quite a while to get back into it. Weeks of frittering and time wasting and occasional opening of my document to fiddle with the scene summaries I've jotted down, but not actually do anything else.

I think this was partly because I'm at the beginning of a new book, and the task ahead seems so daunting.

Source

The ultimate hot chocolate

It's been cold 'round our way. Cold and wet. Leaden skies. Damp grass which never quite seems to dry out. Typical winter weather, really.

When staring at a computer screen waiting for inspiration, what's a girl to do but drink hot chocolate?

I did have a particular inspiration for my hot-chocolate-making extravaganza. This cup.

IT man came back from a trip to the shops with it, two weeks after Mother's Day, looking a bit sheepish, and claiming that it was chosen by our daughter. Not him. Oooooh no! He just paid for it. :-)

Anyway. I'm all for a simple recipe, and this one only has two ingredients; chocolate (I used milk chocolate) and milk. I used Lindt couverture for reasons which will shortly become apparent. But any good quality chocolate would yield a nice cup.

Now if you take a look at this picture, you may at first glance think that my hand is really small. Or that the bag of chocolate is REALLY big.

Unfortunately, it's the latter. I'll just zoom in on the label for you:

Yeah, I'm well aware that no sensible person buys chocolate in bags that big, not least of all because it takes up more than its fair share of space in the pantry. Unfortunately our local wholesale bakery sells these bags at such a reasonable price that they're impossible to pass up. I made about a kilo of gourmet rocky road with it at Christmas time, but I still have lots left - and it ain't getting any younger.

Anyway - back to the hot chocolate. For my taste - sweet and rich, but not overpowering - eight little hexagons is about right for an average sized mug. I know, a whole 2.5kg bag of little chocolate hexagons. Too cute.

Heat your milk until just short of boiling, then pour it into your mug. Or if you're lazy like me, microwave it in the mug.

And if you want to be all fancy and gourmet about it, when you pour the chocolate pieces into the cup, stir until melted with a cinnamon stick like this:

'Cos we all keep cinnamon sticks handy for such occasions, right?

There's always a bit of semi-melted chocolate stuck to the bottom of the mug when you're finished. Scraping with a spoon is permitted (and in my book, obligatory).

Right, so now I only have 800 grams of chocolate left. Ideas, anyone?

And do you have a favourite time-wasting drink or snack to fuel you through your writing benders?

Why the digital publishing model is GREAT for debut authors!

Hi all,

I'm guest posting here at Rach Writes on why the digital publishing model is good for debut authors and, ultimately, for readers too.

Come and visit!

(Source)

Publishing deal!

Image by http://www.scenicreflections.com

I didn't expect to be writing a post like this so soon. If you'd asked me at the beginning of the year whether I saw a publishing deal in my near future, I'd have said "No way!" Then my agent sent my manuscript to new digital publisher Momentum, a division of Pan Macmillan Australia - and they liked it. And they offered me a deal for international digital publication. And I accepted.

I'm back!

It's time to get out the metaphorical broom and whisk away the cobwebs on the windows and cornices; don gloves and pull up the weeds which have grown in the corners of the landing and twined their way up the banisters of my stairway...

Okay, enough with the unnecessary imagery. I'm back! And very glad to join you again. What have I been up to? All sorts of very worthwhile enterprises, some of them actually outdoors, which is always nice for a writer.

In November, I enjoyed my roses in full bloom. Can't resist sharing a picture.

Going blog-quiet...for a while

I've been putting this off. Hoping I could do it all. Burning the candle at both ends and then some.

Unfortunately, my writing's been suffering. Writing? What writing? And this has become the online journal of an unproductive procrastinator, which is not what I want to be.

On following the writer's dream, with a hop, skip, jump...

Image by Etsy/RochePapierCiseaux

Who started your writing dream? Was it a book you read, a particular author, or an influential person in your life?

My MG/YA group of Campaigners are holding a blog hop for the next week on this very topic, with some fabulous prizes on offer (as befits such a fabulous group of bloggers). You have one week to comment, and every comment you make increases your chance to win a prize. The prize pool includes query critiques, manuscript critiques and several free books...

Campaign #3 - My commitment to you, fellow Campaigners

 Have I bitten off more than I can chew?

This is my third time as a participant in the Platform-Building Campaign. I've been there since the beginning. I think the essence of the idea is great, and through my past participation I've met some wonderful bloggers and have felt really touched by the posts some of those people have written, and the personal way they've responded to comments and posts.

Writing is a very lonely undertaking, and anything we can do to foster a sense of community is valuable. The way the Campaign is now organised into sub-groups with similar writing interests or geographic locations is also great. I see this as an invaluable networking opportunity, and I love meeting new like-minded types and talking writing.

Writer's Repast: Rhubarb 'n Lemon Cake + Campaign News

image from etsy/SweetiePaint

I can't stick to a recipe. I've tried. It's not just because when the urge to bake overcomes me I may find the pantry short of essentials like eggs, sugar or milk...though that's sometimes the reason! But I think I am, at heart, a tweaker.

This is a recipe for the cake I made when my mother brought me rhubarb from her garden last week. We enjoyed slices of it warmed, with whipped cream.

Haven't blogged for a month. Just joined Twitter. Am I mad???

So, I have a new baby and a groaning to-do list. I'm already strapped for time to get done the things that need doing on a daily basis. Good time to sign up to Twitter, right?

Image by Michal Marcol

Crazy or not, I've done it, and you'll see a new little follow button on my sidebar. Anyone who is really good with Twitter, feel free to head over and show me the ropes, 'cos it's a whole new medium for me. And if you're not so good with Twitter, come and say hi and commiserate.

Yeah okay, the basics aren't too hard. Type stuff and press the 'Tweet' button. But I don't get this hashtag thing. Are we meant to use existing ones (apart from those currently 'trending' is there a list somewhere??) or do we just make them up? And is making up funny hashtags to end your tweet with considered a joke in itself? A satirical take on the art of indexing?

I'm sure it will all make more sense in a week or two, but at the moment I'm #lostinthewoods, #confused, and feeling like a #luddite. Sigh.