Guest Blog with Mysti Parker + Giveaway

Labor of Love: The Birth of a Series

By: Mysti Parker

Little did I know back in 2009 when I submitted a novelette based in a fantasy world called Tallenmere, that a whole series would spawn from it. I was simply thrilled to get a story published and hadn’t thought much beyond the initial jubilation.

Then the publisher asked about my future submission plans.

Gulp. What? You want me to write more stories? As in, I can do this on a regular basis?

Luckily, I did have a little novella-sized story called “A Ranger’s Tale” sitting on my hard drive. But, it was hardly polished to a shine. I needed help, STAT!

I went looking for critique groups online and stumbled onto a promising-looking one: Critique Circle. Seemed simple enough. It works on a credit system. You earn credits for critiquing others’ work, and you use those credits to submit your own.

It took several months to find some compatible critique partners—ones that didn’t tear my heart out OR sugarcoat everything I wrote. They quickly let me know my strengths and especially my weaknesses. One very valued writer made me realize I was trying to cram a novel-sized story into a novella. 

Over the course of a year, I expanded the story, submitted two drafts, gained insight from both critiquing and getting critiques, rewrote, edited, and eventually had a story worth calling my first novel. Therefore, A Ranger’s Tale was born in January, 2011.

But before I even finished it, I knew one of the main characters, Jayden Ravenwing, HAD to have his own story. It wouldn’t be right to leave him like I did. So, he got a starring role in my next book, Serenya’s Song, born in April 2012.

And wouldn’t you know it? One of the paladins from THAT book, Sir Robert, started telling me HIS story in my head and how he desperately missed Loralee, his long-lost love, so I wrote Hearts in Exile to give him a voice. That book is hatching (along with a baby dragon) this June. 

Of course, one of the characters from that book will star in Book Four…I think you see where this is going. But, I’m happy with the pattern that’s evolved and the beauty of the series is this: each one of these novels serves as its own stand-alone story. Yet, they’re all connected in a wide-reaching plotline, each with a main character who moves on to star in the next book, with a few cameo appearances from earlier main characters to make things more fun. 

As time goes on, I love hearing how the different stories impact readers in different ways. They’re like my kids—I’m proud of them and their individuality. I’ve spent a good year and burned lots of midnight oil on each book. Yes, writing this series (though much less painful than childbirth), has truly been a labor of love!

Thank you Mysti for stopping by the blog! I had the opportunity to read A RANGER'S TALE, book 1 in the Tallenmere series, and it was a enjoyable fantasy-romance. Scroll down to check out my 4-stars review!

GIVEAWAY

Mysti has generously offered a copy of A RANGER'S TALE to one lucky reader! To enter please fill out the Rafflecopter below! 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mysti Parker (pseudonym) is a full time wife, mother of three, and a writer. Her first novel, A Ranger's Tale was published in January, 2011 by Melange Books, and the second in the fantasy romance series, Serenya's Song, was published in April 2012. The highly anticipated third book, Hearts in Exile, has already received some great reviews. The Tallenmere series has been likened to Terry Goodkind's 'Sword of Truth' series, but is probably closer to a spicy cross between Tolkien and Mercedes Lackey.
 

Mysti's other writings have appeared in the anthologies Hearts of Tomorrow, Christmas Lites, and Christmas Lites II. Her flash fiction has appeared on the online magazine EveryDayFiction. She has also served as a class mentor in Writers Village University's six week free course, F2K. 

Mysti reviews books for SQ Magazine, an online specfic publication, and is the proud owner of Unwritten, a blog voted #3 for eCollegeFinder's Top Writing Blogs award. She resides in Buckner, KY with her husband and three children.

Mysti can be found at the following places:

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Other books by Mysti