Give Away Complete! Hip-Hip-Hurray!

 Good Evening... Ladies and Gentleman!

(Mostly ladies, I guess, judging by the comments. ;-) )

 We have now completed our Month of March Give Away!
 Thanks for all who entered, and thanks for all the questions! I had such a fun time answering them... I love talking book-talk!

  Because of all the sweet things you said, and how you all hoped you'd win... we wanted that too!

   Sooo... we've decided to do that!

 You Are ALL Winners!

{Thunderous Applause!}

 Starting tomorrow, the e-book of Jeweler's Apprentice will be a FREE download on Amazon, to each and every one of you who entered; and for anyone else who'd like it! This is for you, all you lovely people who have brightened and encouraged my beginning attempts on the blog-sphere.
 Thanks so much for your comments and kind words and encouragements... words really can't capture how much that's meant to me. (Wordsmith or no, sometimes they still fail me! ;-) )

 This extended Give Away Finale will run till April 3rd.. hopefully ensuring that each and every one of you loverly peoples can get it downloaded within that time!
   (I know some of you dears run a little late. ;-) So this one's for you! Be sure to get it before midnight on the 3rd! {That's PST, for reference.}  Now I feel like Cinderella's fairy godmother... )

 And I loved getting all those questions from you all... I liked it so much I rather think I ran away with the lengthy answers!
 But, I'll give them each a more prominent place in the spotlight, (because they're so cute they deserve it) by showcasing them in upcoming posts.
 And please, if you have any other thoughts... just shoot them at me! I love hearing from you, and I really love the way you get me to thinking on things from a different angle. It's terrific!

New Blog Give Away!

  Oh, I'm sooo excited! We had such a great, terrific, stupendous time with our previous give-aways that we're doing it again!

  And this time, there will be an undisclosed, (hopefully large!) number of give-away copies in play!

 Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you heard that right! So the more who play, the more we'll give away! (Pass the word to friends or acquaintances... or total strangers that like to read! ) We're planning on a four week run... so that even our procrastinator friends can make it! (We hope!)

 Here's the low down:

 For 1 entry:  Leave a comment On This Post containing your contact info & a Question for the Author;
  then...
 Follow this blog;
 Follow @EKaiserWrites on Twitter;
 Tweet about the give-away;
 mention it on FB;
 Like my author page on FB, E Kaiser writes;
  Friend E. Kaiser on Goodreads!

   (and if you already do these, just say so!)

 Add up your entries and put them into a comment here, on This Post! (One comment, or multiple ones, it all counts! )  Just let me know what you've done, and spread the word about this give away!

 Then, we'll all meet back here on March 31st for the big finale!

 See you soon!
 Elizabeth

Pipes or Cistern? That is the question.

 I was recently asked,  "Are you going through one of those "I want to write and can't" phases?"

 My answer was: No, I guess I'm not in that phase... (though I do have, and thoroughly dislike, that phase!) I'm in a "I don't want to write!" and thankfully, I don't have to! So that is making me immensely grateful!
 (I just finished up a very intense 2-3 months of writing, re-writing, etc. and being very stressed, and tired: and now I am sick, (with a head cold, which I'm reaching the end of!) Sooo... I have given myself a break.)
   Which feels Superb! I can sit down and watch a movie with the family in the evenings instead of squirreling myself away dueling with an LCD screen.
 I was attacked last night by a scene for one of my "dust covered shelf" books, so I whipped right over and typed up the approx. 500 words before I went to bed. So I am very much still open to attacks. I like attacks. As a matter of fact, I use them as a gauge to tell when my creativity has recovered from its sad state of exhaustion. When I'm being frequently attacked, then I know that I can "squeeze" my creative muscle; sit down and force my fingers to type, type, type, and the result will still be quite good.
 If my creative muscle is over-taxed, and takes to it's bed... then, if I try that trick, all it will throw out is junk. I mean real junk, un-salvageable junk.
 I hate writing junk.
 And I don't seem to be one of those writers that writing junk helps them write good stuff. As if just keeping the mud and slush pumping through the pipes helps real water pour out eventually. It doesn't work that way for me. I do half envy those writers... the act of creation must be so much more predictable.

  I'm more like a cistern; once you use the water up, you'd best wait for more to come in again.
   And it will!

 How about you? Which method do you espouse? ;-)

 Have a great day!
 Elizabeth

I'm being interviewed!

I'm very flattered to be interviewed by Sarah Holman at Homeschool Authors blog!
   Check it out here!
  There's also a giveaway in conjunction with the interview, so stop on by and leave a comment for a chance to win!
 The give away ends soon... so don't miss out! Hurry over and get your entries in!
 See you there!
 Elizabeth

Reproduction Done Breath-Takingly Right: Linen Tudor Gown

I just love it when people get creative and make neat things. There's something completely inspiring about it; makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.
Who doesn't love a marvelously executed reproduction gown? Nobody that I know.
 So here is a truly beautifully made piece, taking on what I consider one of the most challenging fashion eras, the Elizabethan.

 Linen Tudor Gown

 This lady is really top notch. I only wish I could find more examples of her work. Unfortunately, this was all I've found... but really, it's enough to impress!

 Seen any other truly great reproductions?

The Way We Wish It Was.

  I think that fantasy is, at heart, "history that we wished would have happened". We wish there really had been a time when unicorns frolicked in green pastures, and we sure as certain wish we were in it!
 As a writer of fantasy, I have a corresponding love of history. Not the sort of history about battles; (who, where and when,) but the feel of ages past. Including the tiny, day-to-day details and household objects. {I once found a picture of a drop spindle unearthed at a Scandinavian archeological dig, and was happy for days.}

I just love that sort of stuff.

 And of course, what they wore. Those are really breath taking.
Yes, I'm talking ancient, but also even just a few centuries old.  I think one of the main draws to this genre is our insatiable longing for 'the way it was', and even better "the way it might have been".
Even if it wasn't really that great in centuries past, we love the smell of those pages. Like all nostalgia, we embellish on the truth, and the further back it goes the better it looks in the eyes of the present.
 It's not a modern wonder; when the printing press started up and the Brothers Grimm collected up German fairy stories, what time frame were they set in? A century or so previous.
 And I'd be willing to say that's why most fantasy is set the in 'medieval days'; the press started a burst of creativity, and most 'fairy-tales' were set in the previous century or two, to make them more interesting. This set a precedent that continues today.
 (Yes, it's a theory. But a sound one, I say. ;-) )

 So that's why I love researching ancient ways and means and including them in my plot-lines. It's fascinating, just whole great barrels of fun, personally. But I also hope that other people will enjoy reading these little tidbits of information as much as I do putting them in.
And maybe they'll research it, too. And then maybe they'll go out and make a modern reproduction.
  ...and send me a picture.
 That would be totally amazing!

Winners Take Note!

Hello everybody!
And welcome to the real, wide world, after the wonderful time we all had at the Announcement Party.
(Thank-you so much for all coming, it wouldn't have been the same without you!)

 We are seriously going to have to do that again sometime.

 But not too-oo, too soon, because there's still A Lot of confetti we have to sweep up. Oh, and those streamers? They clog up a vacuum like you wouldn't believe.

 Anyway! As a postscript to our very fun evening, I am needing to ask that the winners contact me with the email addresses that they want their copies of Jeweler's Apprentice sent to.

 So, Janessa and Michelle: I need the addresses to send those to. You can leave them in the comment box, with (at)'s and (com)'s if you prefer, or drop them off at my facebook page, or Tweet them to me... I'm open! Just get them headed my way, and if you would like, I can certainly delete them from the net after I've collected and used them for addressing your prize packages.
 Thanks so much for getting right back to me!

 And here's hoping everybody is having a great day!
 (We are. It's sunny, sunny, sunny outside!)

And the Winner Is...!

 Today is the 16th, so that means that today's the day that we all get to find out who are the lucky winners of the Jeweler's Apprentice Novel Give Away!

 Drum roll please...

 Wait!
First we have an announcement.

 Due to all the loverly people who took the time to stop by and enter, (sometimes mutlitple-ly!) we have a grand total of 32 entries!
    *Whoops of joy can be heard off stage.*
 Thanks so much for helping make our first give-away here a great success!
Applause all around for everyone who entered!
         
*Thunderous Applause.*

 And, because we topped the thirtieth entry mark, we now have Two Winners!   *More Applause.*

 And now... we get to see who those Two Winners are!            *More Applause.*

 Drum roll, please.... 

  *Hushed tones...* Due the random nature of our Random Number Generator, we will now plug in the entire thirty-two entries and see which is chosen by the RNG.
  By the way, we are using the "True Random Number Generator", if anybody cares about that detail.

 And.. the number is... 31!
 
   And number 31 is...
                                         ...Miss Michelle O.!

  See, sometimes it pays to be almost late!  ;-)

We give Miss Michelle a great big hand,
                                                                      *Thunderous Applause!*
...and thank her very much for participating in our very first book Give Away!


*Confetti falls out of the air onto everything; and a band starts playing.*

*Miss Michelle  bows to the crowd, smiling and waving.*  *More Applause.*

 Thank- you for being with us, Miss Michelle! And enjoy the story!

    *She blows a kiss to everybody and exits stage right.*
            *The confetti clears out of the air and the band stops.*

And now... for our Second Winner!

 Drum roll... please....

Wait!
     We have an explanation.

*Hushed tones.* Due to the multiple nature of our entries, all entries entered by our First Winner will now be removed from the computing entries. Since Miss Michelle only had One Entry... it will be removed, and our final number of entries in this give away is....
                                              ...31! 

Drum roll, please.

And the chosen number is....
                                                ... number 18!


        And number Eighteen is....
                                                         ... Miss Janessa P.!


       And here's a great big hand for Miss Janessa!
                                                     *More Thunderous Applause.*
  ...and thanks so much for being a part of all the fun here at E. Kaiser Writes-A-Blog for our very first book Give Away!

 *Confetti falls out of nowhere and the band starts up again.*                   *Everyone applauds.*

Wait!

 *The band stops.*

 Miss Janessa P., unfortunately enough, left us no way to contact her.
                                                                                                             *The crowd gasps in sorrow.*
          But! Since she subscribed to this blog, she will be getting this post... and so will be able to contact us immediately with the information we need to send her very own copy of Jeweler's Apprentice winging its way over the interwebs!

 (However; if Miss Janessa P. doesn't get back with us by the 20th, we'll assume that the subscribing didn't work out, and re-award the Second Prize to another entry. Thanks so much for understanding!)

  And, since we can't contact her, she isn't able to Be Here, (like our previous winner.) We are all sad, because we love to get people up on this stage... but we understand.
     (Need not be present to win.)                   *(But must be able to be contacted! Of necessity!)*

                Thank-you everybody for joining us tonight!

 *The band jumps into full swing and the streamers are thrown from the upper balconies.*

   Let's give another big hand to everyone who entered this very fun event, and here's a bucketful of best wishes for the year ahead of each and every one of you!

 *A Truly Thunderous Applause rises above the band tune.*

 And let's all head over to the back for a heaping plate of good food, and something cooling to drink.
Double Ice in mine please, and let's make it a milkshake. (Wait! Is that a soft serve ice cream? ...Well...  ...That's good too!)

And as the party gets started here on the web, we leave this stage with a few words.
  Be happy, healthy and wise; Drive safely; and Be sure to come back!

 Good night to all!


                                                                       *Fade to black.*

                                                                              *Black.*

Contest Ends on the 15th!

Okay! 2012 is with us, and we're ready to roar through this upcoming year!
   Here's hoping you'll always take the time for the important things, and sneak a little fun-time in between!
  I've been busy working on getting things lined up for this last lap of winter; before we burst into spring. Can anybody say "Time flies"? Ack! I'm not ready for summer yet, but I already feel it's heat breathing down my neck. Somebody tell my it's only my mind playing tricks on me. Please! Quick!

 In other news, my book Give Away is still running! Your chance to win a completely free copy of the young adult fantasy, fairytale style, novel Jeweler's Apprentice. It's in e-book, and you can have it sitting on your computer in minutes.
(No E-reader? No problem! There are free apps for that!)

  This has been a lot of fun! Already we have 20 entries; and if we reach 30, I'll put 2 books out to give away!

 So come on in and enter, people! ;-) Talk your reader friends into dropping by and adding to the tally!
 
 They've got a whole week left to do it in... But hurry! 'Cause they'll forget if they wait too long!
(I've done that myself lots of times, so I know exactly how that goes!)

Remember: They can enter multiple times, just...
Leave a comment saying you'd like entered;
 Subscribe to this blog; (Don't be scared; I won't drown you in junk!)
'Like' my author page on Facebook, E Kaiser writes;
mention the release of Jeweler's Apprentice on your FB page;
Tweet about it; (please use #Jeweler'sApprentice hashtag.)
or follow @EKaiserWrites on Twitter;
for a chance each to win a Free copy!

Be sure you do leave a comment on this post, or the post below, alerting us to the number of entries you have, and also which ways you've entered.
A comment per entry makes it easy for us to count, but if you mention them all in one, it's okay, too.

 And, the Last Day of the contest will be Sunday, Jan. 15th. After that we'll do the Random Number Generator thing, and announce the winner!

  I'm getting so excited!

 Cheers all around!
 Elizabeth Kaiser

It's up! It's LIVE...

The new E-book version of my YA fantasy novel, Jeweler's Apprentice, is now available on Amazon! It's for sale at $4.99, and you can easily see the map and read the first two chapters with 'look inside the book'.
 Check it out!
 Spread the word!
 I'll also be running a give-away for the next month:
so leave a comment here;
Subscribe to this blog; (Don't be scared; I won't fill your in-box with junk!)
'Like' my author page on Facebook, E Kaiser writes;
mention the release of Jeweler's Apprentice on your FB page;
Tweet about it;
or follow @EKaiserWrites on Twitter;
for a chance each to win a Free copy!
(I'll use a random number generator, so the more options you choose to employ, the greater your chances of being randomly selected!)
Leave a seperate comment here for each or any action you take, and you're automatically entered! If we get a lot of entries, we may give away two copies, so don't be shy.
 Check back in the third week of Jan. for the winner announcement.

 The more the merrier, so let your friends know! Who couldn't use a free book?
 (Don't have an e-reader? No Problem! There are free apps for that! ;-) Enter anyway!)

 Help me get the word out about this series! (Next books will be forthcoming.)
 Thanks so much, and Lord bless!
 Elizabeth

Cover Art!

Well, yesterday we finalized the cover art for Jeweler's Apprentice, and now I get to share it with the world!
 So, here it is.

 What do you think?

Oh, Smaug!

I just noticed that Anne Elizabeth Stengl over at Tales of Goldstone Wood posted a profile on Smaug. (She's working through literary dragons, one each Tuesday.)

 Rather coincidentally, I thought, since I'd just been talking about the Hobbit.

 I think Smaug was probably the first dragon I became acquianted with. He certainly has been the standard by which all wyrms are measured in my book.

Isn't he the Best?