Tick Tock

I have one week left to get Awen Rising ready and into the hands of reviewers. Will I get it done in time?

That IS the plan. But, I'm doing one last read-through. Tightening up prose. Shortening paragraphs. Cutting redundant words.

via GIPHY

Yes. I thought all this was already finished. Turns out, a writer's work is NEVER done. But after this pass, it'll have to be good enough.

And Sunday is my birthday. Guess where I'll likely be?

Yep. You guessed it. Right here with Awen Rising. I might have to break down and have some chocolate cake, though.

via GIPHY

I did knock off early to see the new Men in Black today. Or should I say the Men and Women in Black. Chris Hemsworth is his usual hunky, dorky self. Turns out, Tessa Thompson plays the smart one of the two. Emma Thompson as O is fabu-loso. And the myriad supporting characters, enjoyable.

OH. And Liam Neeson...well, go see it.

Awen Rising will be in the hands of reviewers in another week. And available to everyone in 35ish days. Wow. The thought both frightens and excites me. Send good thoughts and prayers. I can sure use 'em.

Too-da-loo!

~ That Rebel, Olivia J. Herrell, writing as  O.J. Barré

To stay abreast of O.J.'s latest, subscribe to Muse & News, a monthly (or so) "news"letter.

O.J. Barré is the author of the upcoming Awen series, a druid science fantasy set in 2042. Steeped in current, ancient, and future history twists, Book One, Awen Rising (set in Atlanta, Georgia) is scheduled to debut August 1, 2019, in both ebook and paperback format. Book Two, Awen Storm, is slated for 2020. Book Three, Awen Tide, arrives in 2021. And should there be a Book Four, expect to see it in 2022 or later, as Awen Unleashed.

Muse & News

It's interesting how overwhelm presents itself. Sometimes it's with an anxiety attack. Do you know how that feels? That, "oh no the walls are closing in and something bad is gonna happen if I don't get out of here right now" feeling?

I get it in some Walmarts. The heebie jeebies jump on me and I have no choice but to hightail it outta there. I'm happy to say that hasn't happened in a long time, though I did have a moment recently. I was able to suck it up, get my couple of things and skedaddle.

Sometimes, overwhelm takes other forms. There's the, "oh there is so much to do that I will never get it all done so no way am I even gonna try *stomps feet and wails*, "LETS WATCH A MOVIE!" kind of overwhelm.

Yeah, that kind. You're familiar, yes?

This kind of overwhelm reared its ugly head earlier today. I did manage to soldier on and am proud to say that one more biggie (um, they're all biggies at this point) is done.

I now have a newsletter provider. I won't go into my research forays, but today I found Tiny Letter. It was totally serendipitous. I'm not even sure where I saw the name. On Twitter? Or someone's website? An article? I've been all over the net, so who knows.

But it's easy. Free. Simple. Reputable. And I'm sold.

The problem now is maybe not so simple. It's time to find people who want to hear what I have to say. Hmm, wait. There are people. You. YOU come here. To my blog. So why not read my newsletter?

Especially if it means getting a shot at winning contests. For giftcards. Signed copies of Awen Rising. Things like that. Right?

https://tinyletter.com/ojbarreauthor

What do you think? Would you be interested in receiving a short, breezy "news"letter from me now and again? Not often. Probably monthly. At the most. But very soon I'll be doing some contests and giveaways. And subscribers will be getting first shot.

As for my old friend, Overwhelm. I could continue the list, because there are beaucoup ways overwhelm manifests. But I'm thankful it took a break this afternoon and let me get these publishing-related things completed. And one more biggie checked off a very long list.

For those who like the thought of getting Muse & News (and winning free stuff), I have added a subscriber button to the top right banner of this site. You can enter your email address there, or click here to be added to my subscriber list.

Thanks so much!

~ That Rebel, Olivia J. Herrell, writing as  O.J. Barré

To stay abreast of O.J.'s latest, subscribe to Muse & News, a monthly (or so) "news"letter.

O.J. Barré is the author of the upcoming Awen series, a druid science fantasy set in 2042. Steeped in current, ancient, and future history twists, Book One, Awen Rising (set in Atlanta, Georgia) is scheduled to debut August 1, 2019, in both ebook and paperback format. Book Two, Awen Storm, is slated for 2020. Book Three, Awen Tide, arrives in 2021. And should there be a Book Four, expect to see it in 2022 or later, as Awen Unleashed.

Cover Reveal - Awen Rising

Are you ready to see Awen Rising's cover? Here it is! The big cover reveal!

Don't ya love it?

ME TOO!!

In the background is the skyline of Atlanta, Georgia, where most of the book takes place. In the foreground is the main character, Emily Hester, and her two sidekicks, Cu the Irish Wolfhound, and Hope the Scottish Wildcat.

I'd like to thank my design artist, Lauren Willmore, for taking my cover idea, creating this beautiful artwork, and making it shine. Without Lauren, my cover would've ended up looking like an afterthought. Or like an amateur's design. And who wants to buy a book with a cover like that?

Not I.

Besides providing a professional finished cover, Lauren was (and is) a delight to work with, providing several revisions, along with expert advice and feedback. Lauren is a prolific reader and author herself, so her suggestions are relevant and timely. I've asked her to design the covers for the other books in the trilogy/series and look forward to working with her again in the future.

And by the way, we're pushing the release date back to August 1st, though the "soft" release will still happen on July 2nd. ARC's (Advanced Reader's Copies) will be distributed to bloggers, reviewers, publications, and interviewers at that time.

For those who don't know, ARC's are meant to be read and reviewed by the reader, usually on their own platform (pub, blog, website, etc), and/or on Amazon upon the debut date, August 1st.

If you are a blogger, reviewer, interviewer, or publication, and are interested in receiving an ARC of Awen Rising to review, please comment below or email me at ojbarreauthor@gmail.com.

Also, if you know OF any blogger, reviewer, interviewer, or publication that might consider reviewing Awen Rising, please forward them a link to this post and let me know so that I can contact them, as well.

THANK YOU to each and every one of you. We made it to the cover reveal and it won't be much longer before Awen Rising debuts.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN.

What do you think about Awen Rising's cover? 

~ That Rebel, Olivia J. Herrell, writing as  O.J. Barré

To stay abreast of O.J.'s latest, subscribe to Muse & News, a monthly (or so) "news"letter.

O.J. Barré is the author of the upcoming Awen series, a druid science fantasy set in 2042. Steeped in current, ancient, and future history twists, Book One, Awen Rising (set in Atlanta, Georgia) is scheduled to debut August 1, 2019, in both ebook and paperback format. Book Two, Awen Storm, is slated for 2020. Book Three, Awen Tide, arrives in 2021. And should there be a Book Four, expect to see it in 2022 or later, as Awen Unleashed.

Knowing Ain't Always Doing

Never go to bed angry is a maxim that could relate to many things, including writing articles for public consumption. Yet, here I am, frustrated after running into one roadblock after another today. If you follow my blog, you know I have a remedy for this kind of thing. But this Southern Belle's gotta tell you all, knowing ain't always doing.

Lake Lowell, Idaho, East Boat Ramp

Especially when one's in the thick of things.

Today I was hip-deep in prepping the first few pages of Awen Storm to include as a teaser at the end of Awen Rising. Slap me in the face when I got it all shiny and singing a sweet song, then googled how to format the teaser.

Now I could have figured it out myself. But for every other step of the formatting process, there is a blow-by-blow out there from someone, or many knowledgeable someones. For this, there was nada.

What I found instead were articles by other authors. More than one made a very strong argument for why I shouldn't include a teaser. The numerous comments echoed the sentiment.

Whaaat?

There went my morning.

So I moved on to my next task. Building an author website. After a couple more fruitless hours, I capitulated and decided to keep my brand to my blog. Screw the formal author website. Y'all can find me here. At least for now.

There went my afternoon.

Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge, Idaho

Around quarter till five I closed the open tabs, slapped my laptop (Red) shut, threw on clothes (yes, I work in pj's), ran out of the house, drove to Lake Lowell, got out of the car, and let the elements wash over me.

Soon, the sun, and the wind, and the great bowl of blue sky dotted with fluffy cumulus clouds, and my bare feet on the hot asphalt, combined to tease a smile from me. Then a grin.

But, after a precious day wasted, a budding fever blister smack-dab in the middle of my upper lip, and a growing rash under one armpit, this author is down.

Down, but not out. I'm too stubborn to be out.

No, rebels. I shall rise from these doldrums and forge ahead. Tomorrow. This book shall not publish itself.

~ That Rebel, Olivia J. Herrell, writing as  O.J. Barré

O.J. Barré is the author of the upcoming Awen series, a druid science fantasy set in 2042. Steeped in current, ancient, and future history twists, Book One, Awen Rising (set in Atlanta, Georgia) is scheduled to debut August 1, 2019, in both ebook and paperback format. Book Two, Awen Storm, is slated for 2020. Book Three, Awen Tide, arrives in 2021. And should there be a Book Four, expect to see it in 2022 or later, as Awen Unleashed.

Finalizing the Back Cover Blurb

Now that we're nearing Awen Rising's release date, I'm scrambling to tie up all the loose ends. One is the back cover blurb. I have combined the last couple into this ONE. What do you think?

In 2042CE, Earth is besieged by storms and geologic events. The fight for the planet is about to begin. Only Emily, the druid heiress, is missing.

In her Venice Beach hideout, everything is going wrong for Emily. She’s lost her fiancé, her nerve, and her job as disaster specialist. Now she’s stalked by an omnisexual shaman sorceress. She needs a new identity and somewhere to run.

When a registered letter arrives from Atlanta, Georgia, dreams of an ancient past begin. Emily is the druid priestess Awen and must save the planet—by snatching a young William the Conqueror from death.

Could this druid identity be the answer to Emily’s current plight? Or will Awen’s destiny spell Emily's demise?

It's still not perfect. It may never be. But I like this one. Will it make it to the back cover?

We shall see.

But what do YOU think?

~ That Rebel, Olivia J. Herrell, writing as  O.J. Barré

O.J. Barré is the author of the upcoming Awen series, a druid science fantasy set in 2042. Steeped in current, ancient, and future history twists, Book One, Awen Rising (set in Atlanta, Georgia) is scheduled to debut August 1, 2019, in both ebook and paperback format. Book Two, Awen Storm, is slated for 2020. Book Three, Awen Tide, arrives in 2021. And should there be a Book Four, expect to see it in 2022 or later, as Awen Unleashed.

30 Days & Counting - Sneak Cover Preview

I have excellent news! Awen Rising's new release date is July 2nd. Assuming, that is, I can get everything done between now and then.

With only thirty days left before Awen Rising's debut, there is much to be done. One is our COVER REVEAL. The full reveal will happen later this week, but for now take a gander at this Sneak Preview.

That's all folks. Let me know what you think. And don't forget to check back later in the week for the full cover reveal!

~ That Rebel, Olivia J. Herrell, writing as  O.J. Barré

O.J. Barré is the author of the upcoming Awen series, a druid science fantasy set in 2042. Steeped in current, ancient, and future history twists, Book One, Awen Rising (set in Atlanta, Georgia) is scheduled to debut August 1, 2019, in both ebook and paperback format. Book Two, Awen Storm, is slated for 2020. Book Three, Awen Tide, arrives in 2021. And should there be a Book Four, expect to see it in 2022 or later, as Awen Unleashed.