Join Me for a Mass Fan Reading of Forbidden Sea

This is an open call for any and all fans of Forbidden Sea who would like to participate in a mass reading of the book. Starting now you have one week to get a hold of a copy of Forbidden Sea and read the prologue and first chapter. We will be reading one chapter each week, thereafter. Next Monday I will post my thoughts and all of you can chime in and share your feelings. This should be a lot of fun! If you are having trouble finding a copy, know that you can always go to your local library and request that they buy one. Most libraries will at least try to do so. An inter-library loan is always a possibility as well. Know also that you are welcome to join in the discussion at any time. If it takes a little longer to get a copy, just catch up and start in on the discussion when you are ready. The discussion will be taking place on my Facebook Forbidden Sea fan page rather than here on my blog. I'm including a link so make sure to bookmark it so you don't miss out.This fan page is where I will eventually announce the release date for the sequel so make sure you visit there soon.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Forbidden-Sea/300689349440

Hope to hear from you all real soon!

How Would You Like to go Back and Visit the Magical Mermaids of Forbidden Sea?

 

The final edits on the sequel to Forbidden Sea are nearly done! I can not tell you how excited I am to begin the final preparations for publication. Hopefully, I will soon have a release date for you all. In the mean time, I want to throw an idea out there to all of you fans. What do you guys think about my sponsoring a mass rereading of the original book, Forbidden Sea, in order to celebrate that we are now heading down the final stretch for the sequel's release? We could read a chapter together every week and then discuss our thoughts on my Forbidden Sea Facebook page. Imagine talking to fans from all around the world and finding out how they felt the very first time they read the book? As we do this, I will write about how I created each chapter as a writer--and even reveal a few secrets about Forbidden Sea that didn't make it into the final book. I might even sponsor a few giveaways as we go. But first, I need to find out how many people would be interested in joining in the fun. If this sounds like something you would be interested in participating in, cast your vote by leaving a comment below. I only want to do this if there are enough people who are truly interested. I'll wait a week to see how many votes I get. If there aren't enough people interested to get this going--then I will have to think of something else to celebrate and get you all excited. So pass the word and tell all your friends to vote as well. The more the merrier. This is your chance to be heard. Here is the address to my Facebook fan page where the discussion would take place. Check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Forbidden-Sea/300689349440?ref=hl

This is it!

I took a writing vacation this week and now find myself in the throws of final edits for the Forbidden Sea sequel. It's a big job and will take some time--but it is exciting to get to that final stretch. It has been so much fun to revisit the magical world of Windwaithe Island once again and find out what has happened to all the character since I last visited there. It has especially been fun to finally get to know the younger Sea Prince better. He is, of course, one of the stars of the sequel. I wanted so bad to do more with him in Forbidden Sea, but there was just too much to get it all into one story. The sequel is the Sea Prince's place to shine. I can hardly wait for you to all finally meet him. Talk about swoon-worthy! You're going to just ADORE him.

 Trust me.

And then there is his mother--the Sea Queen.  If you thought Jendayi was scary--think again. The Sea Queen is a merwoman you do not want to mess with.

Well, time to get back to writing. Wish me luck.

Forbidden Sea Sequel?

My most recent manuscript is DONE! Completed. It has been sent off to my agent. Now the waiting game begins. I hate that part of being an author. Waiting and waiting to hear back from publishers--sometimes for years. *big sigh*

While I wait, I've begun work on two new projects. One is a new book, an alternate universe fantasy that I've started writing. The other is a project that I've been secretly working on for quite some time.

What is this secret project, you ask? Only the SEQUEL to Forbidden Sea. Yes, you read that right. The sequel has been written (as in, all done and completed)--and is now going through the extensive editing process that always comes before a book can be published. I've been dying to let you all know about this project  as I worked on it, but knew I needed to wait until it was far enough along in the process to announce it. The best part about the sequel is that you get to finally meet the Sea Prince himself! Trust me, you are all going to swoon.

The sequel is not being published by Scholastic (the publishing house that did Forbidden Sea), so this is all new territory for me. I'm hoping the sequel will be published sometime early next year--but an official release date is still up in the air at this point. So keep checking back on this page to get more information as it becomes available!

Everyone *squee* with me in delight and share your excitement and love in comments below.

Fictional Retribution

It's a good thing that fictional characters don't know anything about the authors that create them. Jayne,  the main character in my current book, seems so real to me that there are times I feel a little guilty putting her through all the horrible stuff in my manuscript. Jayne is a big, tough chic that I would NOT want to mess with in real life. If she knew I was the one responsible for all her troubles--she'd come after me, big time.

I think Adrianne, my main character from Forbidden Sea, would be willing to forgive me in time for all I did to her--but Jayne would just beat the crud out of me first and ask questions later. But that's what makes her such a fun character to write.

The Life and Times of a Writer

I just wrote on my official author blog a post updating all that has been going on in my writing for the past year.  Ever wonder what an author has to go through to get published? This is your chance to get an inside look. Click the link below to read the full post.

http://sheilanielson.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-it-all-works.html

How Would you Like a Career as a Real Life Mermaid?

Here is a story about a woman who loved mermaids so much that she gave up her day job in order to start a career as a full time mermaid. I kid you not. There is also a video interview with a woman  who shares her experience while trying out one of these mermaid tails in the pool. Check it all out at the link below!

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/linden-wolbert-on-what-it-s-like-to-be-a-real-life-mermaid-183853163.html

I bought a golden mermaid tail that you can actually swim in while making the trailer for Forbidden Sea. Do you think I should use it to quit my day job? : )