I know a lot of you have been visiting the Fan Forum (http://faerieroom.proboards.com) that was set up and is being run by Arya (http://seaofpages.blogspot.com). Well, Arya has been beavering away quietly in the background for quite a while to set up a brand new Fan Club site. She showed it to me a couple of days ago and it looks great - I’m sure you’ll want to visit. You can find it at http://mysticrealms.co.nr. Arya says she hasn’t quite got it looking the way she wants it to look when it’s completely finished, but it is up and running. She plans on doing more work on it over the summer to give it a more “Faerie” look.
An exiting part of this new site will be that you will be able to post your own fan-fiction on it, as well as fan-art and even fan-videos, if that’s what you’re into. I’ll be posting some of my own artwork on there soon - including my sketches of what Tania’s sisters look like. Arya says there will be competitions and prizes (signed books etc) and, of course, plenty of opportunity for you people to post comments and suggestions and ideas.
I hope you’ll take the time to visit the new site and reward Arya for all the hard work she’s put in.
Meanwhile, other stuff is going on as well. I have just read through the “copyedit” version of The Charmed Return - Faerie Path 6. As most of you know by now, the “copyedit” stage of the book is where all the spelling is checked and the punctuation and grammar are tidied up, so that the book is ready to go to print. One of the things that has to happen at this stage is for my spelling to be changed so it works in America. For instance, in the UK we spell color “colour” and we spell gray “grey” - and we call sidewalks “pavements” - oh, and a whole lot of other little things that need to be changed for the American market. Well, that’s pretty much all done now and in a few days the copyedit manuscript will go back to the Publishers so they can prepare it for printing.
A lot of you have been asking when The Charmed Return is due to be published. Right now, I don’t have a firm date - but I’m guessing that it will be in the stores in January 2011. I know that’s a long way off, but the Publishers think one Faerie Path book a year is enough - although from what I have heard, plenty of you disagree!
I also have the first draft of Warrior Princess Book Four back from the UK editors. They really like it, apparently, which is great. Here’s a censored extract from the mail I got from them:
We are completely blown away by your draft of Warrior Princess 4. What a
harrowing, breathtaking ride: Oh! Ironfist trying to ******! And Iwan and Branwen *****! And the big *****! And ********’s death! And the final battle! And just everything! We’re really thrilled at how strong this is.
In a few weeks I will have the time to start looking at their comments and suggestions and get to work altering the things that I think need altering, before we send it off to the Publishers in New York.
That’s just about it for now - don’t forget to take a look at the Fan Club site!
THANK YOU SO MUCH, ARYA!!! I’m sorry, but I haven’t been able to join the other fan site. I’m in eighth grade, preparing for my exams next week and graduation, and besides that I nearly always have something going on. But still, this summer I will hopefully have some time. Again, THANK YOU!!!
I can’t WAIT for the Charmed Return and The Emerald Flame to come out!
THANK YOU ARYA!!!!!
celine- i know what you mean! we are taking the exams already! im in seventh grade so we dont take the history and science section until were in the eighth grade.
THANK YOU ARYA
i love how you blanked out all of the stuff that is now going to kill us with anticipation…..
AFJ. I do that, don’t I? But I have been punished for it - this morning at 6.30, Siouxsie decided to clamber about on the bed to try and get me up so I could give her breakfast - and she was climbing on my head and she scratched my cheek so it bled. Now I look like I’ve been in a bar fight or something. I’m going to tell people that an editor wanted me to change something I didn’t want to change - so we had a fight and I won!
allan-dont you cut the cat’s nails? my cat cut my hand and it bled=(
Oh my gosh! I’m so excited for The Charmed Return!!! I definitely disagree, there should be at least two Faerie Path books a year. Awwww cats are so funny!
Daniela- Definitely!! I didn’t have exams in seventh grade, though. All my homework this week is studying (I’m off tomorrow; my exams are on Wednesday/Thursday) and I need to make time for it and make up a small schedule. Good luck!
Mr. Jones, that’s really funny about Siouxsie! I saw a couple of pictures of her (at least, I think it was her) on I believe the Harper Teen website analyzing your work, and I was cracking up!
haha! mabey you will even get some publicity for that!
AFJ. We do cut Siouxsie’s nails now and then - but obviously not quite often enough - although from the way she reacts to it, you’d think it was way too often. Anyway - she’s curled up quietly on “her” chair now. Oh, did I tell you - I’ve bought myself a new office chair - so no more battles over who gets the chair. I get my own and Siouxsie can now sleep on “hers” all day if she likes.
how do you pronounce sioxsie like si-ow-sie? hey did sioxsie always win the battle over who gets the chair and who gets the floor? ROFL =D
well thats a good thing. my cats are so spoiled if they are asleep any where i cant toch them! they look so peacfull and sweet that i cant bare to move them!
AFJ. The name is pronounced Soo-zee - it’s just the spelling that’s weird. Between Claudia and the cat, the cat always wins the chair - but sometimes in the morning when I need to work, I tempt Siouxsie away off the chair with some butter or other treats then claim the chair before she gets back. Of course, if she’s really determined, she’ll clamber up onto the desk and trample on the keyboard till I relent - but not usually.
I just found your website and I’d like to thank you for being so frank with your readers. I don’t usually browse websites of authors, so I don’t know how common this is, but it means a lot to readers to hear from the people who inspire them, so I know that your dedication to answer blog comments means a lot to them.
I have always loved to write, but have found that my ideas often end up in…nothing. I have interesting plot ideas, but never know how to end the idea.
One question I have for you, though, is how to find a good editor. I have written a couple of children’s books, but then I don’t know where to send them. (I’m in the USA).
PS. About the publishers thinking US people won’t know about “pavements” or other UK talk, that’s a load of bunk. There are many US readers (especially, those who love reading material such as yours, JK Rowling, and others) who enjoy UK talk/material very much and would like reading more of it. It definitely would add to the mysteriousness of the Faerie Path series on our end.
Thank you again for your kind words, helpful hints, and wonderful stories. I’d also like to share really fast that my oldest daughter (age 10) disliked reading for a very long time and only started enjoying it when she started reading books written by British authors. I don’t know if it’s the magical parts of the books she reads, or if she just finds them enchanting. Either way, thank you for your work. She LOVED your series and scored a perfect score on her AR quizzes for all three of the first Faerie Path books. [Because children like her are reading it, I also want to thank you for taking the editor's suggestion to remove mention of alcohol from the books. In my opinion, children are only children for a short time and there's no point in making them grow up too fast. Also, thank you for your clean language. It's refreshing to read from modern authors who don't have a potty mouth. :)]
So, sorry this comment is so long, but I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am for your work.
allan- oh how cute =D cats like butter? what kind of computer do authors use????
AFJ. Hello there Hillary - thanks so much for getting in touch, and for letting me know that The Faerie Path series is popular in your household - that’s always great to know.
As regards your question concerning editors - you really have four main ways to go with this. If you think your work is of a reasonably high standard, you could try contacting a publisher or Literary Agent. Virtually all publishers have websites now, and contact details - and you would probably be able to get a good idea of what Agents are out there by an online search - but find one whom you know works in the same genre as your writing. A third option is to look for a freelance editor - probably a good idea if you’re not sure about how great your writing is - you should again be able to find such people on the net - but they will charge a fee for looking at your work, so bear that in mind. Your fourth option would be to make contact with a writers’ group - again, online or locally, if you can find one - you will then be able to post your work (or read it out loud!) and you will get direct criticism from other writers and would-be writers. One thing I’d strongly recommend you avoid, is any company that says they will publish your work if you pay them. Publishers are supposed to pay writers for their work - not the other way around! They will very likely not edit your work properly, and as you’re handing over cash - they’ll be happy to publish whatever they are sent. This doesn’t help you to become a better writer - it’s just a quick way of emptying your wallet.
AFJ. Daniela - well, our cat certainly does like butter - as much of it as she is allowed! She’ll follow me into the kitchen and eat a bit of her own food, then kind of hang around looking hopeful till I put a little smear of butter on my hand. Then she licks it off and goes back for a second helping of cat food. This has become quite the ruitaul recently.
As for computers - that’s an interesting question. At the moment I have an ordinary Microsoft PC - but I’ve been told that it might be a great idea to change over to an Applemax - so I’m planning on taking a trip up town this week to see what the difference is and whether I can download all my PC stuff onto a MAX. Should be interesting!
allan- so pretty much authors’ can use any copmuter they want to use????’
coumputers are always so counfuzing in my mind
AFJ. Yes, Daniela, pretty much…the only problem being when the publishers buy something brand new and state of the art, and a writer’s old computer can’t keep up - which is a problem I’m having right now…but…this morning I plan on going up town and getting myself kitted out with an iMAX - everyone is telling my they are fantastic. And yes, Liz - I find computers absolutely baffling - but I have a secret weapon to help me when things get sticky and I don’t know what’s going on with my computer. I stand up and say the magic words “Hey, Claudia! Help!” And in no time everything gets sorted out. Everyone should have one of those!
haha yeah my mom is a wiz at coumputers if only she could folow me to school… oh and mr.jones i wanted to ask you does england have a national bread? at my cultural fair (i had england) an adult asked me that and i didnt think there was one but i wasnt sure…
AFJ. Liz - I’ve never heard of a “national” bread - one of the most famous brands is Hovis, if that counts.
allan- when can we meet you??? I WANNA MEET YOU!!!!!!! =D
AFJ. I’m afraid you’re going to have to be patient for a while longer - I don’t have any plans for travelling to America this year. I guess we could always set up a competition with a signed book as a prize: describe your perfect meeting with AFJ - where, when, how and doing what. (”Drinking tea whilst rollerblading down Mount Kilimanjaro” - for instance.)???
allan- ohhhhhh i have the awsomest idea =D sounds cool =D’
that would be a really cool compitetion!!! haha
BIG NEWS!!!
AIMEE (me) WON 1st PLACE IN A WRITING CONTEST!!!!!! (cool right? but im not done…) I GOT TO GO TO A PHOTO SHOOT AT THE LIBRARY. I HAD TO TAKE MY FAVE BOOK. I TOOK THE LOST QUEEN (i was gunna take the Faerie Path but i hav it in paper back and…) . THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE GIANT POSTERS OF ME HOLDIN THE BOOK. THOSE POSTERS WILL GO IN EVERY LIBRARY IN DENTON. I GET MY STORY PUBLISHED. AND ,Allan, U GET MORE PUBLICITY!
isnt that great?
so awesome…
AFJ. Aimee - awesome and amazing! Well done - and thanks so much for posing for the photo with The Lost Queen! PLus you get your story published. The most thrilling thing for any published writer is when a fan goes on to get their own work published. Then, in a few years time, they have fans - and some of them might go on to get work published - and so on - and that’s how it should be. Again - very well done, Aimee!
Thank You!!!!!!!!
aimee- CONGRATS AIMEE!!! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!! =D YAY AIMEE!!!! AIMEE AIMEE AIMEE AIMEE AIMEE!!!!!!!!!!!! =D what writting contest did u enter?
AIMEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT IS SO AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IM THRILLED FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! you need to post your story
Hey! Sorry I haven’t posted a comment in a while… I have been REALLY busy. And guess what?? I started a blog! Except, its like a story. And Aimee that’s AWESOME!
mr.allan have you ever read the book star girl?
AFJ. Amy - I like the sound of the story blog. Careful not to blog all your best ideas - once they’re out on the internet, anyone can steal them, and one day you might want to turn your ideas into a book. Love the owl, by the way!
Daniela - no, I haven’t read star girl. Is it good? What’s it about? I always like it when readers recommend stuff to me. That’s the way I learned about a really good book called Ophelia. Well worth reading in my opinion. It’s by Lisa Klein.
Haha, I have no idea how that owl worked… and my top favorite books are: The faerie Path, Maximum Ride, The Hunger Games, and The Lightning Thief. If you haven’t read some of them, you should. Something I have been really interested in lately, is Greek Mythology. We have been learning it at school too. OH speaking of the owl, I read these books called “Gaurdians Of Gahoole” A while back, and now their making a movie out of it! I never finished the series tho, because their was like 30 books, and I don’t have the patience to read that many. The most I like in a series, is nine. Otherwise its too much.
this is what is says on the back ’stargirl. shes as magical as the night sky. as strange as her pet rat. and she captures leo borlock’s heart with just one smile. but when the students of mica high turn on stargirl for everything that makes her different, leo urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her:normal.’ she’s been homeschooled most of her life and shes well different from all the other high school kids. but mica high is one of those schools where people like to ‘fit it’ so when they see star girl the students are like ‘what the? stargirl is magical shes so different. so yup =)
Daniela, they are planning on filming a movie. Stargirl is supposed to show this December in theaters.
addie- ya i heard that too. but then again they said it was comming out in 2009 august. hmmm. when will the faerie path movie come out??? =D mr. allan u should be in the movie XD.
i very much disliked stargirl. but thats just my opinoin. and mr.jones, are you one of those people who will read any book no matter what the age was intended? im like that and a lot of people at my school tease me because i LOVE the Warrior cat siries by Erin Hunter and its for younger kids than my reading levale but i dont really care its a good series so i read them.
AFJ. Hey, people - this is my first comment on my new iMac computer! It’s still kind of strange to me and I hardly know any of how to use it yet (Claudia has set a few things up for me) but hopefully it will be great - and the internet is certainly really quick. Anyway, liz, I pretty much don’t care about the age group books are aimed at so long as they are a good read - plenty of adults read The Faerie Path series, and that’s “supposed” to be for teenagers (young adults). I still enjoy the Narnia books - and I’m ancient, aren’t I?
allan- your not ancient allan. i have a toshiba laptop =) the internet is really fast =D its really useful for school.
liz- how come you dont like stargirl? i wore costumes outside of halloween before. ima even wear a poineer dress on the first day of school =D. oh i read whatever age group books. dont worry about what other people think. just be comfortable with yourself.
sry its been a while….
Daniela-i entered the Denton Writes 2010 contest. This lady that works at the library put it together by herself. it was fun.
Liz-my sis loves Warriors
Im a PC! Sony rocks!
june first =D what better way to start off the month than to post a comment. the school year is almost up! but ill miss history the most.oh and also english. did you like summer break when u were a kid allan?
AFJ. Daniela - I loved any break from school - but summer break was the best because it was the longest. I was never very keen on school - I could never quite get the way it worked into my head properly. Like, I’d think - its double Geography now - but I don’t feel like learning about geography right now, I’d rather do art and do geography some other time - but that was never an option. I couldn’t deal with the way the day was divided up. Like, you might be doing something really interesting in History, but the bell goes and you have to go do math or something else - I always thought that was weird. Now I’m grown up, I can learn stuff when I want to - if I feel like reading a history book or watching a history show on TV (which I will record) - I’m the one who decides when I do it and how long I do it for. Sorry - does this make sense? I’m just not great with rules imposed on me from outside - especially rules I think are kind of dumb. I guess that’s why I ended up self-employed as a writer rather than working in an office. At least I decide when and how much I write. Okay, rant over.
Mr. Jones, what was your favorite subject, and if it’s not any core subjects, what was your favorite core subject (ex:Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Trigonometry, Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, English, American Studies, History, Foreign Language, etc.) I know that it was most likely English, but…
My Favorite Subject is HISTORY! American Studies 2 Honors Next Year!
AFJ. Addie - I was never any good at the science subjects, or any sports. In fact, I was the only boy in my school thrown out of Math for being so useless - in one exam I got 2% - for spelling my name correctly on the exam paper. I did enjoy English and Art best, I guess. I love history now, but I hated it at school because it was all about learning the dates of when battles happened and when laws were enacted and tedious stuff like that. I quite liked learning German, but not French so much - which is curious as I’m now married to a German woman! But somehow the school I went to made ALL SUBJECTS really boring - I’ve only really gotten interested in learning stuff since I left school. Oh, and I had a meeting with a careers guidance counsellor who told me I would be a good shop assistant or park keeper. My English teacher also objected to the books I liked to read, and stopped me from reading them at school - I have now bought all those same books and have them on my shelves! That’s a kind of revenge. Actually - and I am TOTALLY NOT RECOMMENDING THIS - but I quit going to lessons for the final six months and spent most of my time reading Lord of the Rings over and over again in a school basement. I guess I just didn’t go to a very good school, is what happened. I wish I had! I feel very envious of people who had really great teachers who made a real difference to them.
allan- yes makes sense. when we are finally getting to the good part of class RING there goes the bell. we hear about twelve bells a day! (due to the six graders.) i love history =D.
allan- you get graded on your name? O.O thats so cool =D but allan you turned out to be a great author. your the inspiration. =)
AFJ. Well, I don’t know about “great” - but, yes, I ended up as a writer - but that was because I really worked at it very hard in all my spare time - while other people were off out enjoying themselves, I was up alone in my bedroom for hour after hour, day after day, week after week, writing and writing and writing. There’s no short cut to attaining your dream - you have to work hard. I may have goofed off somewhat in school, but I made up for it in “homework”. I think that’s the thing I’d like people to take away from anything I tell them - attaining any ambition is very very hard work, and there really are no short cuts.
allan- how did you get inspired to write the faerie path series? what was the main thing that inspired you? and yes you are great =) oh btw your right there is no shortcuts following your dream you just gotta keep working hard until you reach it. it’s like climbing up a mountain. some may go back, and some will keep going.
AFJ. What was the main inspiration? I guess I’d have to say it was the fact that I have spent a huge amount of my life reading fantasy books, and I really wanted to write one of my own - my ultimate ambition as a writer being the idea that one day I might get to write a fantasy trilogy! (You have no idea what a big fantasy that was of mine!!!) The next thing was a visit to Hampton Court Palace - which was built in Tudor Times (Henry VIII) - and which gave the idea of the Faerie Court being in Tudor Times. Then a contemporary setting was required, so readers could have a hero to root for - which is how Tania came to be living in London (which is where I live). The rest is kind of a blend of various myths and legends and “Faerie” Stories - the 7th daughter being really powerful - the idea of Faerie folk being allergic to metal - the sidestep between worlds. A romantic element was added with Evan/Edric - a villain (you gotta have a villain) in Drake, and a whole big bunch of magic. And then, as things started to develop, I came up with (I hope) some new ideas of my own. Of course, when I started, I didn’t realise I would finish up with 6 books - TWO fantasy trilogies back-to-back.
The idea of climbing the mountain is good - but the “problem” is that the mountain doesn’t have a peak - you have to keep on climbing forever - which means you really have to love mountain climbing! It’s kind of ZEN, in a way - the journey (the climbing) is the important thing - yes, you need to have a goal, but you realise at some point that you will never reach that goal, because the goals keep changing and growing - now my new goal is to write ANOTHER fantasy trilogy. It never ends. And that’s pretty wonderful, too.
excuse me daniela! Im a 6th grader! SCHOOL IS OVER! I am going 2 miss my orchetra and world history teachers the most…
Books would be sooooooo boring if u didnt have a villan.