Phoebe Hinkle's Blog: Chronicler's Corner - Posts Tagged "to-stand"
Tentative Release Date and COVER REVEAL
Hello friends!!
I've got exciting news . . . though you may have already seen it by now, since I'm a wee bit behind. 😆 Yes, I'm talking about my latest title, To Stand .
I know, I've been talking about it for a while now, and keeping it *sort of* under wraps. But the time has come (finally!) where I can reveal it to the world.
Potential release date (subject to change by a week) is Saturday, April 20th. The Kindle version is available for preorder now!
And about that cover reveal . . .
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ARE
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YOU
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READY????!!!
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TA-DA!!!!!
Book 1, Phoebs?
Oh yeah. This is a series, folks! Lord willing, Book 2 will be coming out this year . . . or maybe in '25. You never know what my life is gonna bring. 😉
That's all for now! Y'all excited? Stay tuned for more news, and if you've got friends who might like it, spread the word!
I've got exciting news . . . though you may have already seen it by now, since I'm a wee bit behind. 😆 Yes, I'm talking about my latest title, To Stand .
I know, I've been talking about it for a while now, and keeping it *sort of* under wraps. But the time has come (finally!) where I can reveal it to the world.
Potential release date (subject to change by a week) is Saturday, April 20th. The Kindle version is available for preorder now!
And about that cover reveal . . .
.
.
.
ARE
.
.
.
YOU
.
.
.
READY????!!!
.
.
.
TA-DA!!!!!
Book 1, Phoebs?
Oh yeah. This is a series, folks! Lord willing, Book 2 will be coming out this year . . . or maybe in '25. You never know what my life is gonna bring. 😉
That's all for now! Y'all excited? Stay tuned for more news, and if you've got friends who might like it, spread the word!
It's Official!
My friends, the date is settled.
To Stand
is releasing on Saturday, April 20th - that's just fifteen days away!To celebrate, I'm holding a release party on the 20th, from 2-4, at Bonsai Books here in Cheyenne. If you're able to make it, I'd love to see you there!
And if not, you'll have another chance the next week, on Saturday the 27th. I'll be selling books at the homeschool spring craft fair, at Calvary Chapel (9209 Ridge Rd) from 10-1.
Which event, if either, are you most interested in?
Character Introductions: The Crafty Rascal
I don't know about you, but for me often what makes or breaks a book is the characters. And as an author, the more invested I am in the charries, the more likely it is to be a good story. So to get y'all more excited for To Stand's release (because I hope you're at least a little excited already!) I've decided to do a fun thing. Every other day leading up to the release (the 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th) I'm going to be posting a brief character sketch (spoiler-free!) with a faceclaim to pique your interest. So, shall we get started?
SMOKE
"Sorry, but it's fun." The man's teeth shone in the dim light of a nearby window as he grinned. "I like making you mad."
As his name implies, Smoke is a slippery one. Stealthy and cunning, he steals in and out of the shadows with ease. He may be watching you without you ever knowing he's there.
But he's a good one to have on your side. He can get you places you can't go on your own, and he's only too ready to help a friend in need. Just be prepared for lots of teasing, impish grins, and trips to the kitchen - because he loves his food. Also a word of warning: don't play cards with him.
What do you think of Smoke? What role is he going to play in the story? Feel free to leave comments, or ask Smoke a question - he loves the attention!
SMOKE
"Sorry, but it's fun." The man's teeth shone in the dim light of a nearby window as he grinned. "I like making you mad."
As his name implies, Smoke is a slippery one. Stealthy and cunning, he steals in and out of the shadows with ease. He may be watching you without you ever knowing he's there.
But he's a good one to have on your side. He can get you places you can't go on your own, and he's only too ready to help a friend in need. Just be prepared for lots of teasing, impish grins, and trips to the kitchen - because he loves his food. Also a word of warning: don't play cards with him.
What do you think of Smoke? What role is he going to play in the story? Feel free to leave comments, or ask Smoke a question - he loves the attention!
Character Introductions: The Back-Alley Fighter
RAVEN
"But I haven't forgotten. He'll regret it someday, I swear he will."
It's hard to gain Raven's trust. Street-wise and a bit cynical, she'd rather be in some dark corner by herself than associating with others. She knows every corner and back alleyway in the city of Valleyfair, and she won't hesitate to defend herself in a knife fight. She speaks her mind openly, except when it comes to personal matters. On that she's silent.
But even a cold, closed heart contains secrets, and hers is no exception . . .
What secrets is Raven hiding? Do you think you could be friends in real life? If you have questions for her, I'll try to make her answer them . . . she won't be happy, but too bad for her. 😜
"But I haven't forgotten. He'll regret it someday, I swear he will."
It's hard to gain Raven's trust. Street-wise and a bit cynical, she'd rather be in some dark corner by herself than associating with others. She knows every corner and back alleyway in the city of Valleyfair, and she won't hesitate to defend herself in a knife fight. She speaks her mind openly, except when it comes to personal matters. On that she's silent.
But even a cold, closed heart contains secrets, and hers is no exception . . .
What secrets is Raven hiding? Do you think you could be friends in real life? If you have questions for her, I'll try to make her answer them . . . she won't be happy, but too bad for her. 😜
Character Introductions: The Snarky Swordsman
KILLIAN
"I'll live . . . until they kill me."
It's hard to be gloomy with Killian around. The red-haired Elven always has a wide grin or a snarky quip ready. Sure, it gets him in trouble sometimes, but what else do you use a ready wit for? Don't let his joking nature fool you, though; he's a loyal friend, and deadly with that long rapier of his.
Do you know anyone like Killian? He'd sure be a fun person to have in your life! If you have anything you want to ask him, he'll probably tease you but answer eventually.
"I'll live . . . until they kill me."
It's hard to be gloomy with Killian around. The red-haired Elven always has a wide grin or a snarky quip ready. Sure, it gets him in trouble sometimes, but what else do you use a ready wit for? Don't let his joking nature fool you, though; he's a loyal friend, and deadly with that long rapier of his.
Do you know anyone like Killian? He'd sure be a fun person to have in your life! If you have anything you want to ask him, he'll probably tease you but answer eventually.
Character Introductions: The Abbey Maid
SHARA
"I'm here to help you and support you however I can. I feel like I belong with you all."
Although Shara has zero experience with being a warrior, she's willing to make sacrifices for those she cares about. A sensitive, loving heart, she tries to show others Emmanuel's love through her actions. Some might think her weak, but she's not; El Shaddai is her strength, and through Him she'll do anything for her friends.
Do you think anything will happen to Shara? And will she be prepared if it does? You can ask her what she thinks; she's a little shy, but she'll answer.
"I'm here to help you and support you however I can. I feel like I belong with you all."
Although Shara has zero experience with being a warrior, she's willing to make sacrifices for those she cares about. A sensitive, loving heart, she tries to show others Emmanuel's love through her actions. Some might think her weak, but she's not; El Shaddai is her strength, and through Him she'll do anything for her friends.
Do you think anything will happen to Shara? And will she be prepared if it does? You can ask her what she thinks; she's a little shy, but she'll answer.
Character Introductions: The Broken Exile
RHYS
"I could not serve a heartless monster like you. I'd sooner die."
Five years ago, Rhys's life was shattered by an unforeseen tragedy. Now, scarred inside and out, he struggles on, doing his best to live normally. Though they don't know his past, his friends are good for him . . . and in turn, he'd give his life to protect them. He may be a tough warrior, but he does care deeply about others.
Fun fact: Rhys was the first character I ever assigned a theme song to! Actually he has four theme songs, lol, but for the purpose of this post I'm just including this one.
Since Rhys is the main character, I spent a lot of time in his head - and yeah, I love him. ^-^ Any questions for my precious cinnamon roll?
"I could not serve a heartless monster like you. I'd sooner die."
Five years ago, Rhys's life was shattered by an unforeseen tragedy. Now, scarred inside and out, he struggles on, doing his best to live normally. Though they don't know his past, his friends are good for him . . . and in turn, he'd give his life to protect them. He may be a tough warrior, but he does care deeply about others.
Fun fact: Rhys was the first character I ever assigned a theme song to! Actually he has four theme songs, lol, but for the purpose of this post I'm just including this one.
Since Rhys is the main character, I spent a lot of time in his head - and yeah, I love him. ^-^ Any questions for my precious cinnamon roll?
To Stand Release Day! 🥳
The day is finally here, y'all! I've been waiting for a long time (at least it feels like it) to share this with you, and now at last To Stand is being released to the world!To Stand . . . the book that almost broke me as an author. And I'm not kidding. So often I felt like giving up, not just on this book, but my writing career in general. It took me over a year of literal sweat and tears (but not literal blood, just literary XD) to finally get this from beginning idea to finished project. Which really isn't a long time, all things considered, but often it felt like a real struggle. But it was SO worth it, because now it's a good story that I really love.
Sometimes people ask me how I got the idea for a book, and I'm not always sure. But in this case, I do know. I was in the shower (the best time for ideas lol) when a few lines of a song popped into my head. I thought "Hey, this is cool, it sounds like it could be part of a story" . . . and the ideas totally mushroomed from there over the weekend. I started writing it shortly thereafter during a trip, and finished the whole thing (my longest book to date) in just over 2 months.
(Fun fact: Those few song lyrics did make it into the book as part of "We Have a God.")
Much thanks to God, my family, proofreaders, and friends for helping me, putting up with me, and encouraging me to the end.
So with that all said, y'all, please enjoy this story . . . my early readers have really liked it so far, and I hope you will too. 🙂 And once you've read it, I actually created a quiz so you can see which of the characters you are!
To Stand Chapter 1 Read-Aloud
Hello friends! I didn't think about this sooner, or I would've posted it earlier . . . Have you ever wondered what To Stand would sound like as an audiobook? (For the record, I LOVE audios!!) While I haven't recorded it (yet), I DID get the chance to read the first chapter aloud during my release day party at Bonsai Books. You can watch the video here (you don't need a Facebook account). The sound quality isn't great in spots, but it's enough that you can still pick the words out. 😊
What do you think? Do you want to see (hear) To Stand as an audiobook?
Tales of Veridon Giveaway
Hey, folks! Last year I held a giveaway to celebrate 5 years of being a published author. This December will be my sixth year, so I'm going to hold another giveaway to celebrate! I'm giving away two prizes this year:
One (1) copy of To Stand and a Balsam & Spice scented wax melt (the official scent of the series)
One (1) copy of End of the Earth and a Kona Coffee scented wax melt
Rules for this year are the same as last: Email me through my website with the word "Giveaway" in the subject line, and put your name and email address in the body of the email. Your information will be kept strictly private, but I will add you to my email update list unless you request otherwise. Deadline to enter is December 12th as I'll be picking winners on the 13th.
And don't forget to share the news with your friends and enemies! 😁
One (1) copy of To Stand and a Balsam & Spice scented wax melt (the official scent of the series)
One (1) copy of End of the Earth and a Kona Coffee scented wax melt
Rules for this year are the same as last: Email me through my website with the word "Giveaway" in the subject line, and put your name and email address in the body of the email. Your information will be kept strictly private, but I will add you to my email update list unless you request otherwise. Deadline to enter is December 12th as I'll be picking winners on the 13th.
And don't forget to share the news with your friends and enemies! 😁
