Update for May

Well, April has come and gone and I’ve broken my resolution to write a monthly update on my website. Where does the time go?

On the up side, though, my lack of presence on the internet does indeed indicate that I’ve been busy writing. Legend of the Mist is going beautifully, and I find I’ve made new friends out of a number of characters that I had no idea would exist when I set out to write the story. Their appearances here and there, though surprising to me, just seemed to fit, and now I cannot imagine the story without them. Characters like Cinead, Siri, Cook ... well, you’ll meet them all in time.

I was nervous at first about writing Legend of the Mist, as it would be my first full length novel. I had no doubt that I could do it, but I did wonder whether it would be harder to meet the word count. Above all I did not want to create a story that rambled on and on, and that contained obvious fillers for the sake of quantity. I’m happy to say my fears are proving to be unfounded. I am already 13,000 words into a book that I’ve committed will be at least 75,000, and I have not even thought once about word count.

To that end, I’ve uploaded more of the book to my Goodreads page. It’s part of Chapter 1, and is the part that immediately follows the previously posted Prologue. It gives a better idea of where the story is going, and introduces the reader to some of the integral characters of the story, including the heroine, Norah. A word of caution, though, to all who read it, this is not your typical Viking romance, and Einarr, the Viking leader, is not the hero of the story ... but you’ll have to wait to find out who is : ) As I’m writing it, I’m also discovering that this is not a story with an easily definable ‘bad guy.’ There is no true villain among the characters, and each one will develop into a likeable character in his or her own way. It makes for interesting writing, I’ll admit that.

For the Prologue and Chapter 1 together, click here.

I hope to have Legend of the Mist out by the end of summer or early fall. That’s the plan, at least. For now I return to the grind stone ... which is not really a grind stone because I’m having a great time living in Viking-era Orkney at the moment. As always, I invite you all to connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads, and for those of you who have read the Highland Loyalties trilogy on Amazon, I would love to read your customer reviews for Bride of Dunloch, Uniting the Clans and The Laird Returns.

Take care for now,
Veronica Bale

My Latest Author Interview

A very happy spring greeting to all ... although here in Canada we're still waiting for signs of a season change as we don our thermals day after day.

Today I'm pleased to share my most recent author interview which fellow Sea Anan Saga author Jessica Kong was kind enough to conduct and post on her website. My author interview can be found by clicking on the following link.

In the interview, I offer a bit of insight into my writing process, and also into the way in which Robbie and Jane's world came into being. It was fun to write, and I hope you all enjoy it.

Well, that's it for now, cheers to all!

V.

March at a Glance

A big sigh for me because I have released the final volume of the Highland Loyalties trilogy. It is available on Amazon for anyone who wants to know how Robbie and Jane’s story finishes off (working on uploading it to Kobo, too). But even though I am relieved to have completed it, the end is bitter sweet. I have lived with the characters of Dunloch for so long now—contemplating their thoughts, shaping their dialogue, determining their destinies—that it feels like I’m saying goodbye to some really good friends. It’s the way I feel every time I finish reading a book, I guess. Anyone else feel like that or is it just me?

But, now that I’ve finished that major project, I’m sitting here flexing my fingers wondering what else I can do. I thought I was going to take a break for a month or so (I have a beautiful ball of yarn and a great knitting pattern that’s been begging me for attention), but I have to be honest, now that I’ve got no book on the go, I’m getting anxious to get stuck into the next one. And yes, I already know what it is! I’ll fill everyone in on the details once I get underway ...

In the interim, I’ll be working on promoting all three volumes of the Highland Loyalties trilogy. Anyone who’s ventured into the writing world knows that self-promoting is an exhausting business. We indie authors are fighting each other for elbow room in an already saturated market. As much as we appreciate and want to support each other, we are each other’s competition for attention. And then, of course, we’re also up against the powerhouse names, those well known and well loved authors that have realized the dream which we writers are all trying to achieve. So getting ourselves noticed takes up a good deal of our time.

To that end, I have no idea when I’m going to be able to put out my next novel, but I can promise that it will be my first stand-alone. And like Highland Loyalties, it will be a love story which focuses on the love first and foremost. I can promise that it’s a story idea about which I’m excited, and which develops more and more each day in my head. I can’t wait to put it on paper and see how it turns out.

I’ll be updating my website with occasional posts from time to time, and I am also going to at least try and commit to posting a newsletter-style update like this one each month, so check back and see what I’m up to. And I am always on Facebook and Twitter, so check in and ‘like’ me or follow me at @VeronicaBale1. I do read and appreciate all your comments, and always look forward to hearing from you.

Well, until next time ... cheers and happy reading, as always.

Veronica.

Welcome to My Page

Hello readers, and welcome to my very own author page. Currently my page is under construction, so please bear with me while I am learning all the ins and outs of setting up a website.

Once my site is up and running (in any functional capacity, that is) I will be posting updates here as well as on my Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter pages. In the meantime, don't forget to visit me at these existing sites for everything that I've got on the go, or just to say 'hi!'

Cheers, and happy reading,
Veronica.