It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks with the launch of BEYOND THE ASHES, Book 2 in the Golden Gate Chronicles. So far it’s been well received and blog reviews are popping up all over the internet. I’m so grateful to all the diligent blog reviewers who’ve taken the time to read the book and share their opinions with their readers and friends. Many of these reviews are also posted to places like Amazon, Goodreads.com, Barnes & Noble, and Christianbook.com. If you’ve had the opportunity to read any of my books, I hope you’ll stop by some of these sites and share your thoughts. Book buyers take reviews very seriously. Thank you!
On the writing front, I’ve had both good news and bad news over the past few weeks. Which would you rather hear first?
Maybe we should start with the bad and work our way back up. Make sure to read all the way to the end, because I’m wrapping up with a special 5-book giveaway.
The bad news…
On Wednesday I received the sad news that my publisher, Abingdon Press, has made the choice to close their fiction line. This is disappointing on many levels. Abingdon has been a stellar publisher and I adored working with them, particularly my editor Ramona Richards, and the marketing manager, Cat Hoort. Fiction is a tough business to break into for a new writer and they were willing to take a gamble on me. I will always be grateful to them for giving me a good start in this business!
Okay, now to the good news…
Even though Abingdon is no longer acquiring fiction, they’ve committed to publishing and marketing all the books they currently have contracted. That means the Golden Gate Chronicles will continue! Book 3, Through the Shadows, is scheduled to release in May of 2016. I can’t wait for you to read this grace-filled story. In a desperate attempt to hide her own sins, Elizabeth King throws herself into a life of service in Chinatown’s dark alleys. Will attorney Charles McKinley be able to show her that not everything in San Francisco is as dark as it seems?
And more good news…
I just returned from a busy trip to San Francisco–the setting for Golden Gate Chronicles! I joined the Abingdon staff at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference, singing 200 copies of Beyond the Ashes for librarians around the country. That means the book may soon be showing up in a library near you! If it doesn’t–please, request it. Libraries appreciate having purchasing suggestions because it gives them some idea of what their patrons wish to read.
While I was in the city, I was able to visit many of the locations I’ve written about in the series. Here are a few of the highlights. Do you recognize any of these places from my books?
And one last bit of GOOD NEWS!
I’ve joined together with Abingdon and Litfuse Publicity to give away five copies of Beyond the Ashes to lucky readers! I hope you’ll enter. I can’t wait to see who wins! Click on the graphic below to get to the entry form.
I can’t wait to see what God has in store next. More good news? More bad news? A mixture of both? As Gerald and Ruby learned in Beyond the Ashes, “God doesn’t always choose the easy road for us. But He always the BEST path.” Amen?
Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
Thanks, Donna! It’s going to be tough to wait until May for me, too. 🙂