I’m having a Goodreads Giveaway for a signed paperback of my book, Abysmal Canyon. It ends June 20th. For more information, please see the link below. Thanks!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Abysmal Canyon
Free Ebook Promotion!
Amazon link to my book ~ http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B014DNR4Q2
I am offering the ebook version of my sci-fi fantasy novel, Abysmal Canyon, for FREE starting this Friday, May 27 through May 31! I have signed up on many websites for this promo, so we’ll see how it goes! I am also planning to giveaway several copies of the print version through the Goodreads Giveaway program soon after the free ebook promo is over. I will post here when I set the dates for the print book giveaway. Cheers!
Here is a summary of Abysmal Canyon ~
Fast-paced, action-packed new adult and college tale with crystals, divination, ancient lore, new worlds, supernatural humanoids, intrigue, romance and a plot that will keep you guessing!
When Ysolde Hartmaan starts to head off to her new life at college, tragedy strikes. She is suddenly plunged into a dark world full of mystery and terror where her unreliable divination skills will mean the difference between life and death. Ysolde learns she is the heir to an ancient legacy – a legacy which could be the deciding factor in a centuries old war between two races of energy entities, the Lumen and the Vapors. Teamed with a handsome Lumen as her guardian, Ysolde’s attraction to him grows strong, but romance must wait. Her duty to banish the Vapors and prevent a mass extraterrestrial invasion is pitted against her love and loyalty to her family as she learns to accept the threats and obligations of her new title- Domina Lumen.
New Book Cover for Abysmal Canyon
Well, after MANY different designs and gathering opinions, I have finally created the cover I think works best for my book. Thank you to those who gave opinions about the other designs I had up on this blog for a while. The new cover is now on the book on Amazon and hopefully, it will be more attractive to my target audience (18-24 year olds).
Introducing “Von” from my novel, Abysmal Canyon.
Von is a Lumen, which is a positive energy entity. He can take on a human form, which you see here. He is the guardian for the Domina Lumen (Lady of the Lumen or Light), who happens to be Ysolde. There is a definite attraction that grows between the two. I am fairly happy with this depiction of him. His eyes are a very light, silver blue. His hair is long and white. He wears it either pulled back or loose as above (my preference). He has a bit of the High Elf look with the long white hair and he is tall, strong and proud. But he’s not as refined in dress, nor does he have the High Elf eyes or ears. And no, he’s not related to Fabio. haha
Introducing “Ysolde” from my novel, Abysmal Canyon
I’ve been working on a sketch of “Ysolde,” the 18-year-old protagonist from my novel. I think I have her face pretty much how I envisioned it. I’m going to try to do sketches of some of the main characters and post them here as well as some scenes from the book. Also started doing serious plotting for book 2 in the series, which will be a fantasy medieval setting. Lots of fun! 🙂
Ysolde Nightingale Hartmaan is a dowser who becomes the Domina Lumen (Lady of the Lumen or Light). She has long dark blonde hair and a fair complexion. She’s a little shorter than average height and slender in build. She dowses either with the crystal pendant she wears or body dowses. She’s kind of a solitary, free spirit until she becomes burdened with her new title.
*I updated the drawing just a tad and added my name and date, which I’d forgotten to do before.
First Print Proof Reviewed, Now Waiting for Second Proof
My first proof of my book, Abysmal Canyon, arrived last week. I cannot tell you what a mind-blowing feeling it was to hold it in my hands. The end result of three years of work. And while I know I am new to writing novels and have a long way to go, the feeling of accomplishment was overwhelming. The down side was that it had a few errors. I reviewed the text along with another reader and we found a margin that was off and a few typos that had slipped past multiple reads and edits. The cover needed work, as well. It came out way darker than the image I sent in. You could not tell there was a canyon image on the front at all. So, I researched the best way to lighten the cover and did that (at least it looks lighter…we’ll see how it prints), then fixed the text errors and re-uploaded the book this past Friday. Now CreateSpace is reviewing it again for formatting, which it should pass, then they will send me a link to the book online which I will review. THEN, if all goes well, I will order another proof. The proofs are not very expensive, but the process is time consuming. My new goal date for the printed book to be up and for sale on Amazon will be no later than mid-November. And at that time, I will update the Kindle version so they both match. I’ll keep you posted!
Black Canyon of the Gunnison – The inspiration for my book, Abysmal Canyon
This is the canyon that inspired my book, Abysmal Canyon. I took these photos while hiking there. The canyon is a national park near Gunnison, CO. It is one of the steepest canyons in North America. When you stand on one of the overlooks (if you dare!), your stomach goes to your throat as you look straight down at the sheer canyon walls to the Gunnison River below. Strong wind drafts from below could pull you into the abyss if you leave the protection of the railing. Black gypsum and tall, jagged rock formations like sharp fangs rise up from the bottom and give the canyon a sinister feel. Peregrine falcons swoop through the canyon leaving their trailing screeches echoing in the wind. It is a magical, mysterious place with a strong negative energy vibe. I highly recommend it if you are ever in that area.
Book is Almost Ready for Printing
I am almost finished formatting and designing my book, Abysmal Canyon, for print. I thought formatting it for the Kindle version was hard – Ha!! The print version is completely different as far as font, spacing, margins, pagination, size of the book, book cover design, etc. I’m using CreateSpace, a print-on-demand company owned by Amazon. They have templates, tutorials, forums and there are lots of videos on the internet to help, but it is still crazy stressful trying to do it all yourself and hope by the grace of the universe that it looks halfway professional. I believe I have it all in place now. I used books of the same genre as guides. I’ll be putting my interior files and book cover both in the required PDF form today, which is a little unnerving because I’m hoping that doesn’t just throw everything out of whack. It’s not supposed to IF done properly… *sigh… Then, if all goes well and it still looks good, I will upload the PDF files to CreateSpace and wait for their approval. When that comes – and I don’t know how long that takes assuming they give me the green light – I will order a proof copy of the book to see it in my own hands, read it and make sure it looks good -THEN if that is a go, I’ll put it up on Amazon with my Kindle version. If not, I’ll make the changes and re-upload it. I’m thinking the book will be a little easier to market when I have actual copies to show, although marketing for me will never be “easy.” So – Whew!! Cross your fingers, toes, arms and legs that it all goes well. I’ll keep you posted.
Thank you, Len!
Len Leatherwood, a dear friend of mine and amazingly insightful blogger, editor, writer and writing coach, to name just a few of the feathers in her cap, featured my book, Abysmal Canyon, on her blog yesterday with a list of interview questions and answers. This is my first blog interview and I am so extremely appreciative of her support. Thank you, Len!
To see my interview PLUS read Len’s wonderful daily comments about life, her writings and find out more about her editorial and writing coach services, check out her blog, Twenty Minutes a Day: A Step Towards a Balanced Life https://lenleatherwood.wordpress.com/
Abysmal Canyon, Book 1 of the Domina Lumen series is on Amazon now!
My first novel, which was conceived over 3 years ago, has finally been born! Abysmal Canyon – Book 1 of the Domina Lumen series. It’s a young adult/new adult sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal story. The Kindle ebook was published in August, 2015 and now the print book is available, as of Dec. 5, 2015. Both are for sale on Amazon.
Note –*** This cover is an updated version of the old one. I published this new cover on 4/15/16 on Amazon.
Here is a link to my Amazon author page for the book –
http://amazon.com/author/meneidhardt
If you read my book (thank you!) and you like it, please consider leaving a little feedback on Amazon and/or Goodreads. I would greatly appreciate the support! Thanks!
Spirit of Place 
