Laura Gilfillan's Blog - Posts Tagged "ya-fantasy"

Magic Thieves, Second Edition is almost ready to be released. I have ordered the proof, and once I get it, I'll be able to look it over and fix any last minute issues. Hopefully there won't be any major flaws and it can finally be released. Maybe by next month. Hopefully. Notice that there's a lot of hope involved? I'm also hoping you will all enjoy the story. That would make all the work more than worthwhile.

In this rewrite of the original Magic Thieves I have taken the opportunity to apply my improved writing skills to focus the storyline and refine the character development. Magic Thieves is the story of Rita, who has a nice, normal life and lives in a nice, normal neighborhood. All of that changes when a boy who lives just down the street disappears mysteriously. Rita chances on the only clue of what might have happened to him when she finds his pendant caught on a bush. A pendant, made of a raccoon fang, that he never went without. All of her preconceptions about normalcy are shattered once she discovers that the pendant is actually magical. This isn't something she can report to the authorities. And it convinces her that Ricky must be in a lot of trouble. That leaves it up to her to find him, and do what she can to sort things out. The problem is, things are even more complicated than she could possibly anticipate. Because there's also an angry wizard involved, and nothing in her nice life has prepared her for how to cope with that.

Once Magic Thieves is released, it will be available for sale at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo, so you can buy it at the store of your choice. And if you like it, I would be grateful if you would take the time to leave a review.


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Magic Thieves, Second Edition has finally been released! It is available for sale at Amazon, B&N, and Kobo. In both ebook and paperback formats.

Magic Thieves is the story of Rita, who has a nice, normal life and lives in a nice, normal neighborhood. All of that changes when a boy who lives just down the street disappears mysteriously. Rita chances on the only clue of what might have happened to him when she finds his pendant caught on a bush. A pendant, made of a raccoon fang, that he never went without. All of her preconceptions about normalcy are shattered once she discovers that the pendant is actually magical. This isn't something she can report to the authorities. And it convinces her that Ricky must be in a lot of trouble. That leaves it up to her to find him, and do what she can to sort things out. The problem is, things are even more complicated than she could possibly anticipate. Because there's also an angry wizard involved, and nothing in her nice life has prepared her for how to cope with that.

Buy Magic Thieves at Amazon, B&N, or Kobo, and if you like it, please leave a review.


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So sorry it's been so long since I last posted, but I've lately had one of those life disruptions that made it hard to carry on with things in a normal way. I will now try to renew my efforts to post here in case said efforts might actually be of any interest to anyone who happens to see my posts.



So, at this time I would like to announce an upcoming book giveaway. My recently released YA novel, Magic Thieves, will soon be available for a giveaway through Goodreads. Once the giveaway is set up and ready to roll, I will let everyone know. Be sure to head on over and enter for your chance to win a free copy of Magic Thieves.


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All set and ready to go! The giveaway for Magic Thieves will start April 15 and run for a month until May 13. One entrant will be chosen to receive a free copy of Magic Thieves, my most recently released YA fantasy novel. The giveaway is hosted by Goodreads and costs nothing to enter.

Want to know what Magic Thieves is about? Well, Rita has a nice, normal life and lives in a nice, normal neighborhood. All of that changes when a boy who lives just down the street disappears mysteriously. Rita chances on the only clue of what might have happened to him when she finds his pendant caught on a bush. A pendant, made of a raccoon fang, that he never went without. All her preconceptions about normalcy are shattered once she discovers that the pendant is actually magical. This isn't something she can report to the authorities. And it convinces her that Ricky must be in a lot of trouble. That leaves it up to her to find him, and do what she can to sort things out. The problem is, things are even more complicated than she could possibly anticipate. Because there's also an angry wizard involved, and nothing in her nice life has prepared her for how to cope with that.

Sound interesting? Then head on over to Goodreads Giveaways and see if you’ll be the lucky winner. And, as always, if you like the book, please leave a review!




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My giveaway for Magic Thieves is currently under way.

Want to know what Magic Thieves is about? Well, Rita has a nice, normal life and lives in a nice, normal neighborhood. All of that changes when a boy who lives just down the street disappears mysteriously. Rita chances on the only clue of what might have happened to him when she finds his pendant caught on a bush. A pendant, made of a raccoon fang, that he never went without. All her preconceptions about normalcy are shattered once she discovers that the pendant is actually magical. This isn't something she can report to the authorities. And it convinces her that Ricky must be in a lot of trouble. That leaves it up to her to find him, and do what she can to sort things out. The problem is, things are even more complicated than she could possibly anticipate. Because there's also an angry wizard involved, and nothing in her nice life has prepared her for how to cope with that.

Sound interesting? Click on the link below and see if you’ll be the lucky winner. And, as always, if you like the book, please leave a review!




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My giveaway for Magic Thieves is finished. Congratulations to the winner! Didn’t win but would still like to read it? Magic Thieves is sold at Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble.com. It is available as a paperback or an ebook, whichever is your preference.

What’s Magic Thieves about? Rita has a nice, normal life and lives in a nice, normal neighborhood. All of that changes when a boy who lives just down the street disappears mysteriously. Rita chances on the only clue of what might have happened to him when she finds his pendant caught on a bush. A pendant, made of a raccoon fang, that he never went without. All her preconceptions about normalcy are shattered once she discovers that the pendant is actually magical. This isn't something she can report to the authorities. And it convinces her that Ricky must be in a lot of trouble. That leaves it up to her to find him, and do what she can to sort things out. The problem is, things are even more complicated than she could possibly anticipate. Because there's also an angry wizard involved, and nothing in her nice life has prepared her for how to cope with that.

If you enjoy Magic Thieves, please let others know and leave a review. Thank you and happy reading!





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Get out the champagne! (Or well, maybe the root beer, since I don’t actually drink champagne. But you know what I mean—something bubbly!) I have finished yet another draft of Magic Guardians! Best of all, I’m thinking this draft is finally nearly there. I’ll let it rest, then give it another read through, but I’m thinking all I’ll have left to do is check it for grammar and wording, and all those endless little typos. Then I still have to get it into book form before I can finally publish it. There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s worth celebrating. I’m one step closer!

So what is Magic Guardians you might ask. What is Laura babbling on about now? Well, Magic Guardians is my YA fantasy sequel to Magic Thieves. (If you haven’t read Magic Thieves yet, go ahead and get with it, so you’ll be ready for Magic Guardians!) In Magic Guardians Rita goes back to the land of magic that she has discovered to help fix the magic which has become blighted. Or to try to fix it anyway. After all, how much can one human girl do?

Here’s to the hope that I will have Magic Guardians released soon. Just as a reminder, all of my books are available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and Kobo, in both paperback and ebook formats. Happy reading!

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Time for another giveaway!

I will hold a giveaway for Magic Thieves from October 14 to November 20. One entrant will be chosen to receive a free copy of Magic Thieves, my most recently released YA fantasy novel. The giveaway is hosted by Goodreads and costs nothing to enter.

Want to know what Magic Thieves is about? Well, Rita has a nice, normal life and lives in a nice, normal neighborhood. All of that changes when a boy who lives just down the street disappears mysteriously. Rita chances on the only clue of what might have happened to him when she finds his pendant caught on a bush. A pendant, made of a raccoon fang, that he never went without. All her preconceptions about normalcy are shattered once she discovers that the pendant is actually magical. This isn't something she can report to the authorities. And it convinces her that Ricky must be in a lot of trouble. That leaves it up to her to find him, and do what she can to sort things out. The problem is, things are even more complicated than she could possibly anticipate. Because there's also an angry wizard involved, and nothing in her nice life has prepared her for how to cope with that.

Sound interesting? Then head on over to Goodreads and see if you’ll be the lucky winner. And, as always, if you like the book, please leave a review!

Goodreads giveaway for Magic Thieves



Just a few days left to enter the Goodreads giveaway for Magic Thieves. The winner will be chosen on November 20, so if you’re interested, click the link above and head on over to Goodreads to enter the giveaway for Magic Thieves.

Want to know what Magic Thieves is about? Well, Rita has a nice, normal life and lives in a nice, normal neighborhood. All of that changes when a boy who lives just down the street disappears mysteriously. Rita chances on the only clue of what might have happened to him when she finds his pendant caught on a bush. A pendant, made of a raccoon fang, that he never went without. All her preconceptions about normalcy are shattered once she discovers that the pendant is actually magical. This isn't something she can report to the authorities. And it convinces her that Ricky must be in a lot of trouble. That leaves it up to her to find him, and do what she can to sort things out. The problem is, things are even more complicated than she could possibly anticipate. Because there's also an angry wizard involved, and nothing in her nice life has prepared her for how to cope with that.

Sound interesting? Then click here and see if you’ll be the lucky winner. And, as always, if you like the book, please leave a review!

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I got sad news in an email from Goodreads yesterday that said that they will start charging a fee to authors for having a giveaway. Not just a paltry fee either, but a hefty $119 per giveaway. Or a shocking $599 to get a premium placement on their giveaway section. The news left me reeling. They aren’t actually offering any new services either, although they claim this change offers “even more powerful book marketing benefits that authors have been asking for.” It all looks the same to me, except now they accept Kindle books as well.

With this fee, little indie writers like me will be left in the dust, but I wonder if even the big boys will have any interest in it. It’s not like I ever profited from a giveaway: there were no increased sales from having one, nor did I net many reviews. (Reviews help sales, by the way, so if there are any avid fans out there that haven’t written a review yet for one of my books, it would really be appreciated if you would.) I did get exposure from running the giveaways, but mostly they were just fun to do. It was a way for me to get a book into the hands of a reader who was interested.

I’m sad I’ll no longer have this opportunity, since a giveaway is not worth the fee Goodreads will be charging. But I will be looking for other opportunities, and I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted on whatever I manage to figure out.

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