D.J. Edmiston's Blog

This week starts a free Kindle giveaway for "The Stone of Mordim," Book 2 of the Fantasticademy Series! 2/22/2021 to 2/25/2021. Easy gift for kids and grandkids, age 9-12 or anyone who's awesome. Check it out! Also, reviews are appreciated more than you know. :)

Have a fun week and stay safe!
The Stone of Mordim

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Stone-Mordim-F...

Congratulations to the winners of the giveaway for "Beyond the Shadow Wall"! I am excited to share this story and truly hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it. For those who didn't win a free copy, please consider purchasing or borrowing it on Amazon. It is a fun read, with fantastical adventures for ages 9-12 and moments of poignancy for adults who are young at heart. (And of course, feedback through online reviews is always appreciated.) Thanks so much!

Hi everyone,

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas in this most unusual year! Today begins a giveaway for signed copies of "Beyond the Shadow Wall," Book 1 of the Fantasticademy series. This fun-tastico second edition includes chapter illustrations, a world map, and appendix of characters, places, and magical objects. For grades 6-9 (or readers middle-grade at heart), the series contains fun yet suspenseful fantasy, with a dash of poignancy. Good luck, and I hope you enjoy the book!

So today is the official launch day of my first kids' book, Fantasticademy. I am excited to share it with the world, but somewhat nervous, given that this is my first attempt in the kids' fantasy genre. I am eager to hear what readers think who do not know me personally (e.g. those who call me "Dad" or expect me to take out the garbage). My hope was to have written a funny, exciting fantasy-adventure with moments of genuine emotional depth, so time will tell if it was successful. If you've read it, your review on Amazon, Goodreads, or any other site would be exceedingly appreciated, not only to tell me what you thought of it, but other readers as well. Thanks in advance!

A wonderful plot twist during this time was that I was able to achieve my most important goal in this process: to have the book accepted into my daughters' elementary school library before the eldest graduated into middle school. The official pub date was two weeks after the graduation, but by donating one of my author copies, I succeeded by ONE DAY. No matter what happens in the future, I already count the book a success.

Thanks to all who supported me during the long road to publication. I hope you have as much fun reading the story as I had writing it. On to Book Two!

Being my first time releasing a book that wasn't self-published, the experience seems more nerve-wracking. More real, somehow. I don't know why. but it does. The last two weeks began with the inclusion on my website, djedmiston.com, of the Fun-tastico Fan Club, an area where readers can get maps and background information on the books. This was followed by the release of the book cover from the publisher, which I adore. The design team at Black Rose Writing did a fabulous job, not only welcoming my input but making the presentation better than I imagined.

Also this week, the book became available for pre-order from the publisher (15% discount with promo code PREORDER2019). My responsibilities now include both writing a book AND selling it. Also strange. (The timing of my prior, self-published book coincided with a return to college and a new career, which sadly resulted in a minimal amount of marketing experience. Hopefully, this will change.) I still feel that the best marketing a writer can do is to write his or her next book, so I'll be returning to Book 2 soon. And maybe then, my grammar software will stop pestering me with reminders of my word-goal failures.

​See you on the marketing trail!

Well, life threw a curve ball since the release of Edentown in the form of wanting to switch day jobs, so I've gone back to school to pursue a degree in medical imaging. This should wrap up in June of 2016. Writing-wise, this translates to a dramatic loss of time and a delay in published novels. In the meantime, though, I've been contacted by a unique and fairly strange writer who wants me (through edmistories) to publish his middle-grade kids' book that he claims will save the universe. I'll release more details as the plan comes along. It's different than any project I've been involved with, but I have to admit, it's a great book for kids (and grown-ups too). And the more I think about it, it might in fact save the universe. On the personal side, it also makes me feel like I'm still involved in writing despite being covered up with homework. Everybody wins! More details soon. Cheers.

Thanks to everyone who entered the Edentown book giveaway. This was my first one, and the response was terrific. Congratulations to the winners. Your copies will be in the mail shortly! Hope you all had a great Christmas.

Just joined Goodreads a month ago and it's now my favorite site. Thanks to everyone who's signing up for the Edentown giveaway and to those who added it to their "to-read" shelves. I can't wait to explore the community further, but so far I'm a kid in a candy store (forgive the cliche). Have a great Christmas!