It’s hard for me to believe that September 30 will mark the
six-month anniversary of the publication of Dragon’s Truth! The weeks
have flown by and I have truly enjoyed sharing Rhyan Kember’s story and connecting
with readers at libraries, bookstores, and festivals, and I’m looking forward
to upcoming school events and classroom visits.
To celebrate this six-month milestone, I’ll be running another #followblitz promotion throughout the month of September. New blog followers on leannepankuch.com, and new followers on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook will receive TWO entries to win an autographed copy of Dragon’s Truth and a map of Rhyan’s world. Already following me in all of these places?—You’ll receive one entry.
Check out the right-hand column on this page for easy blog sign-up and links to my social media accounts.
Thanks to everyone who has supported me on this fantastic journey!
Leanne at the Kids Read Book Festival in Poughkeepsie, NY
It’s a little over a month since Dragon’s Truth released. I want to sincerely thank my family, my friends, my readers, and my publisher for helping to successfully launch my first book into the world.
The initial two weeks were an absolute whirlwind–I spent a ridiculous amount of time on social media promoting the book, updating information, and responding to congratulations (rough, right?). We celebrated the launch on March 30 (my birthday!) in a couple of local venues, traveled to Los Angeles, and returned to the Hudson Valley just in time for the first ever Poughkeepsie Library District’s Kids Read Book Festival where I presented on the use of maps in the fantasy writing process, met dozens of dragon lovers, and gratefully sent signed copies of Dragon’s Truth home with readers.
As each subsequent week began, I thought the activity would become more manageable–but it really didn’t. And, as excited and grateful as I am to be fulfilling my dream of being a published author, I continue to hate to be away from writing. Storytelling is in my DNA. I have to create…
To survive, you must tell stories. – Umberto Eco, The Island of the Day Before
So, I need to do a better job of balancing my time between the business of being a published author and my need to live out my vocation as a writer (you have to actually write to be a writer…!) I’m devoting the next few weeks to getting myself back on track. Send mojo and perseverance my way, if you can. #amwriting
End Note: I’ve got two great local Dragon’s Truth events coming up! Check out my Events page for all the details. I’m also scheduling events for the 2019-2020 school year, so please reach out through the Contact Leanne tab if you are interested in scheduling an event for your group or class.
No, this isn’t a promo for the much-anticipated premiere of the final season of Game of Thrones. Although–like many of you–I am counting down the days until April 14!
In only 17 days, my debut young adult fantasy novel, Dragon’s Truth, will enter the real world and Rhyan Kember’s story will finally be available to readers all over the planet. Adventure, love, friendship, dragons, magic–I’m so excited to share!
Thanks to all of you who have pre-ordered Dragon’s Truth. The value of pre-orders and their effect on a book’s success in today’s industry can’t be overstated. Publishers and booksellers make future decisions about a book based on pre-orders and pre-publication interest.They spend more money promoting books that launch with solid pre-sales. Better pre-order numbers can mean expanded access and distribution–the difference between success and obscurity.
Like all authors, I am very appreciative of pre-orders. So, I’m inviting anyone who orders (or has already ordered) Dragon’s Truth before the official launch date of March 30, 2019, to share a picture of their favorite dragon or dragon book on social media with the hashtag #dragonstruth and be entered to win a map of Rhyan’s world. Entries will be accepted through midnight on March 29.
Haven’t yet ordered? Love to read stories with dragons and adventure and want to be one of the first to enter Rhyan’s world? Here’s the info:
As those close to me know. I am a collector of tales. Not just physical books—although I do have an ever-growing personal library—but the stories themselves. As a child I was a voracious devourer of text. I read constantly! Forbidden to bring books to the table during meals, I sneakily read cereal boxes and mayonnaise jars. On too-cold or rainy Saturdays, I’d curl up in a quiet place with the dictionary, the Lives of the Saints, Funk and Wagnalls encyclopedia, Bulfinch’s Mythology, or a torn old volume titled A Fairy Book, illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
One of the first stories I remember re-reading was the fairy tale of Frost in The Fairy Book. Rackham’s art was frightening and beautiful—and so was the story! Sure, Marfa, the good daughter, is sent home with furs and riches, but the other sisters are left to cruelly perish in the snow after being rude to Father Frost. I shivered, but I loved the juxtaposition of darkness and light. This was the beginning of my realization that, for a story to be truly great, it can’t be all rainbows and butterflies, but must also be shadows and monsters.
I’ve struggled to capture this idea in every piece of my own writing—the constant dance between darkness and light. And I’ll keep struggling, because that is where the truth lies in story.
My fascination with the Frost tale has continued. My original copy of The Fairy Book was lost in a house fire when I was a teenager, but I found an old copy at a yard sale a few years ago. And I’ve collected other versions—including the “original” published by Alexander Afanasyev, the Russian counterpart of the Brothers Grimm—I’ve also acquired illustrations, and even a 1964 Russian movie, Morozko, based on the story. Most recently, I finished reading The Winter Witch, the final installment of the amazing Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy. I highly recommend the series and am avoiding spoilers for those who’ve added it to their reading list—suffice it to say that Frost—Morozko—is a key player in the tale.
What is your favorite fairy tale? Did it make your heart pound? Give you nightmares? Make you laugh? Make you dream of adventure? Inspire you to write your own?
