Back to School with The Dawnflier of @KimHeadlee (Fall 2019)

I don't know about you, but my summer flew by for several reasons, book-related and otherwise. The wolf spider that gave my husband medical issues for weeks didn't help things any!

Snow in July by Kim Iverson Headlee.
Audiobook performed by Mark Delgado.

In book news, the audiobook edition of Snow in July went live in (what else?) July. It is available on Audible, iTunes, Google Play, Nook Audio, Kobo Audio, and various cloud subscription services.

The votes are in, and work has begun on my next full-length fiction project, King Arthur's Sister, the Once and Future Queen (sequel to King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court). To complete the trilogy, I have published a Pendragon Cove Press companion print edition of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
Upcoming:

• 31 Aug–2 Sep: Maryland Renaissance Festival, "Meet Author Kim Iverson Headlee" special book signing, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day of Labor Day Weekend, 1821 Crownsville Rd, Annapolis, MD. Come celebrate my return as an author-guest of the Page After Page Bookstore of Crownsville, MD after an absence of nigh on two decades. Huzzah!
• 12 September: 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. Business of Writing presentation and book signing, Galax-Carroll Regional Library, 610 West Stuart Drive, Galax, VA.
• 14 September: Olde Salem Days, Main Street, Salem, VA. My booth—one among 500 vendors—will be located at 121 West Main Street, toward the center of the event.
• 21 September: BW Country Store "Meet the Author" book signing, noon – 4 p.m., Big Walker Lookout, Wytheville, VA.
• 6 October: Connecticut Renaissance Faire, "Meet Author Kim Headlee" book signing and sale, 1 – 3 p.m., 122 Mack Rd, Lebanon, CT. Come celebrate Time Travelers Weekend with me; huzzah!
• 19 October: Dragon Festival, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Virginia Museum of Natural History, 21 Starling Avenue, Martinsville, VA: vendor table.
• 26 October: NRCC Comic-Con, New River Community College, Edwards Hall, 5251 State Rd 373, Dublin, VA: vendor table.

Autumnal blessings to you!

***

Amazon giveaways, most recent-ending first:

• Dawnflight ends 8/27/2019
• The Challenge ends 8/28/2019
• King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court ends 8/29/2019
• Morning's Journey ends 8/29/2019
• Raging Sea, part 2: Enemies and Allies ends 8/31/2019
• Twins ends 9/1/2019
• Raging Sea (unabridged) ends 9/2/2019
• Kings ends 9/3/2019      

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!

Happy Holidays from The Dawnflier of author @KimHeadlee! #MFRWOrg #ASMSG

Christmas (c)2010 by Subbotina, Depositphotos ID 10605705.

I hope this holiday season continues to fill you with joy, wonder, and blessings today and throughout the coming year.

If you like thrilling, poignant, well-written fiction, I know you'll love these titles:

• Snow in July ~ a medieval paranormal romance novel about a distressed damsel who wields a fierce fireplace poker and the smoking hot knight she must rescue from himself.
  ~ Kindle ~ Nook ~ Kobo ~ iBooks ~ Google Play ~
  
• The Color of Vengeance ~ a historical fiction short story about a man who loses everyone he loves and must reconcile the demands of his head with those of his heart.
  ~ Kindle ~ Nook ~ Kobo ~ iBooks ~ Google Play ~
• Raging Sea: Reckonings ~ part one of my full-length novel featuring the coming-of-age and identity reclamation journey of Angusel, the Lancelot character in my Dragon's Dove Chronicles series.
  ~ Kindle ~ Nook ~ Kobo ~ iBooks ~ Google Play ~
• Twins ~ a doom of Camelot story as you have never seen it before (Kindle only ~ free worldwide 12/27/-12/28/2017 and free with your Kindle Select or Amazon Prime membership until 01/13/2018, when I plan to make it available on other retail platforms).

These great books are discounted or free today as my gift to you. Enjoy!

***

Feeling lucky?
Enter today for a chance to win an e-copy of
King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court!
Click this link to enter:
https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/2fe429e4a81c29ba

***
Kim Iverson Headlee
Sgeulachd ni sinn na’s mò.
Stories make us greater.

November noodling from The Dawnflier of @KimHeadlee #MFRWOrg #ASMSG

Although I have some exciting book news to report, I'm saddened today by the loss of my stepmother, who was instrumental in helping my dad heal from my mom's passing fifteen years ago. Phyllis was a wonderful woman, and I'm grateful for the impact she had on my dad's life.

On the left is a vintage photo of my late Uncle Fred that I'm running today in honor of Veterans Day. After an extremely full and fulfilling life, he passed away in September 2015.

Book news:

• The Business of Writing: Practical Insights for Independent, Hybrid, and Traditionally Published Authors is available for preorder on Kindle, Kobo, the iBooks Store, 24 Symbols, and Smashwords. Other formats are in the process of being published, and I will announce those links after they go live. The book is scheduled for release on November 14.
• King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court: Its blog tour is scheduled to begin on November 14. It has received another award, but I'm sworn to secrecy until December. Meantime, mark your calendars to enjoy the one-day 99-cent sale in honor of Mark Twain's birthday on November 30.
• Next on my docket: tackling the edits and e-book formatting for Raging Sea: Enemies and Allies. Meantime, download your copy of Raging Sea: Reckonings, which is permafree for Kindle, Nook, iTunes, and Kobo customers!

My next personal appearance is as an author-guest at Chessiecon in Baltimore the weekend after Thanksgiving. I will presenting part one of my Business of Writing workshop on Black Friday (3:00), and part two is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. on Small Business Saturday. I will be involved in other panels and the group autograph session too. Please cross your fingers that I will have the print edition of The Business of Writing available by then!

I am thankful for your interest in and support of my work.

*** I need your help! ***

Twitter has unjustly blacklisted this blog as a "spam or malicious" website. As you can see by its content, it is neither spam nor malicious. If you enjoy this site, please consider performing the following steps:

1. Visit the Twitter website reporting page (https://support.twitter.com/forms/spam).
2. Select the button that reads "I can't tweet a link because Twitter thinks it's spam."
3. Specify https://kimiversonheadlee.blogspot.com/ as the "Problematic link."
4. Fill out the rest of the pertinent details and click "Submit."
5. (Optional but greatly appreciated) Tweet this blog post but in the link replace ".com" with ".ca", ".co.uk",".ie", or any other Blogspot mirror site so that Twitter won't block your tweet from being posted.

Thank you so very much and have a blessed day.

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

October rambling from The Dawnflier of @KimHeadlee (Oct. 2016)

Garden City Beach, SC looking north, 9/28/2016 18:33 ET.
Photo (c)2016 by Kim Headlee.

Is it October already? Wow, where has this year gone? Oh I know: lots of stuff going on!

And, yes, I know: join the club. We have flip-flops. :D

In addition to the latest family doings, such as my youngest nephew getting married last weekend and my daughter moving into her own apartment off campus earlier in September, I've been up to my eyeballs in writing projects and personal appearances.

Speaking of personal appearances, I extend a special welcome to the dozens of you I met at my most recent personal appearances, including BW Country Store and Olde Salem Day! That last one was a scorcher, wasn’t it? But I had so much fun chatting with everyone—not to mention the record sales day in spite of the heat—that I’m all set to do it again next year, heat or no heat. I am also pleased to express heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in my recent online Rafflecopter and Amazon giveaways.


Book news:

• King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court enjoyed several days at the number 1 spot on category best-seller lists at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo, and is still in the top 20 there at the time of this writing. Oh, and the categories? Mainly “time travel romance” and “science fiction/fantasy time travel,” though I’m still trying to figure out why Amazon put it into the “science fiction space marines” and “science fiction alien invasion” categories too. The mind does boggle. Thank you, everyone who helped to propel it to all those heights!
• What’s my next BookBub deal going to be? Either Dawnflight or Liberty, depending on which book they select for promotion next. Follow me on BookBub so you don’t miss out!
• After two weeks wrestling with subtitles, which is unusual for me, I have finally settled on The Business of Writing: Practical Insights for Independent, Hybrid, and Traditionally Published Authors. I am working on the final edits and hope to get it into retail channels later this month.
• Next up to bat will be completing the editing of Raging Sea: Enemies and Allies (The Dragon's Dove Chronicles book 3, part 2). I had hoped to have it available sooner, but… well, life. I’m pedaling as fast as I can, I assure you!
• Raging Sea: Reckonings is now permafree for Kindle, Nook, iTunes, and Kobo customers! What are you waiting for?

Upcoming appearances are legion this month:

• Sunday, October 9, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Big Walker Lookout & Country Store, US Route 52 at the summit of Big Walker Mountain, Wytheville, VA.
• October 9 – 16 (online), Virtual FantasyCon 2016. Events conducted throughout the week on Facebook for various subgenres of Fantasy fiction.
• Sunday, October 16, 1 – 3 p.m., special “Meet the Author” book signing at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire, 300 Washington Ave., Hartford, CT.
• October 21 – 22, Rising Star 25, Bluefield College, Bluefield, WV. I'm presenting my Business of Writing Workshop, parts 1 & 2 as well as selling and signing my books.
• Saturday, October 29, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Edwards Hall Room 117, NRCC Comic-Con 2016, New River Community College, Dublin, VA. I will have a vendor table and will be presenting The Business of Writing workshop part 1.

Chunk a pumpkin for me! Or not. :D

Thank you so much for your interest in and support of my work.

Kim Headlee
Sgeulachd ni sinn na’s mò. ~ Stories make us greater.

*** Special announcement: I need your help! ***

Twitter has unjustly blacklisted this blog as a "spam or malicious" website. As you can see by its content, it is neither spam nor malicious. If you enjoy this site, please consider performing the following steps:

1. Visit the Twitter website reporting page (https://support.twitter.com/forms/spam).
2. Select the button that reads "I can't tweet a link because Twitter thinks it's spam."
3. Specify https://kimiversonheadlee.blogspot.com/ as the "Problematic link."
4. Fill out the rest of the pertinent details and click "Submit."
5. (Optional but greatly appreciated) Tweet this blog post but in the link replace ".com" with ".ca", ".co.uk",".ie", or any other Blogspot mirror site so that Twitter won't block your tweet from being posted.

Thank you so very much and have a blessed day.

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

#VirtualFantasyCon2016 guest post: Family Paranormal Experiences by @KimHeadlee

This year I'm trying something different: I'm a participating author in Virtual FantasyCon 2016! If memory serves, I have signed up for the following fantasy subgenres:

• October 9: Epic (Dawnflight, Morning's Journey, Raging Sea: Reckonings) and Sword & Sorcery (Kings) Fantasy
• October 10: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Time Travel (King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court)
• October 12: Paranormal/Urban (Snow in July) Fantasy
• October 16: YA  (Snow in July and King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court) Fantasy

What is Virtual FantasyCon2016?

Virtual FantasyCon is a fun and interesting online event happening in October, and best of all it’s free. The location is your computer; Facebook, specifically. You can drop by any day during the event and check out the booths for that day. There will be authors, bloggers, editors, artists, and publishers to list just a few. There will be a Cosplay booth, Blog Hop Hunt booth, panel discussions, and a new booth this year, the Author Cache Sale booth.

The Author Cache Sale booth is only for the participating authors on the day of each event. Books on sale for $1.99 or 0.99 will be listed in the comment section for guests to find and buy. It is put together by lovely people like Carol March, Raven Williams, Denise Garrou, and others who have worked behind the scenes to make this event happen.

It’s a place to catch up on your favorite author and discover new authors. There is epic fantasy, urban fantasy, dark fantasy, children’s fantasy, and YA fantasy to name just a few of the different types of authors that will have a booth during the event.

To find out more about Virtual FantasyCon 2016, check out the following social media links:

Reader’s Corner Facebook event | Virtual FantasyCon website | Blog Hop Hunt website
List of blog tour participants courtesy of Diane Riggins

I hope to connect with you there!

Family and personal paranormal experiences

My mother was psychic, I am psychic, and my daughter is psychic, so my personal paranormal experiences are legion and far too complex to describe here. Corner me at a con some evening, buy me a drink (anything with Peach Schnapps will do, thanks!), and I'll make it worth your while, I promise. :)

From my dad's side, however, comes an honest-to-God ghost story involving one of my great-grandmothers, a lady in the court of Tsar Nicholas II. She died about a week before the start of the October Revolution of 1917, and at dinner a few evenings later—before all hell broke loose and the family lost everything to the godless Bolsheviks—her ghost was seen standing next to her husband my great-grandfather, elegantly attired and with her hand resting upon his shoulder. It took him a few moments to understand why his daughters (my grandmother and her younger sister) and the family servants were gaping, speechless. Finally he turned in his chair and saw her too.

I have to imagine that the memory of that experience, as weird and frightening and confusing as it must have felt at the time, helped the grieving family through all of the bloody horrors of the years to come.

***

I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of Kings!
To enter, click HERE.

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

September to Remember from The Dawnflier (Sept 2016)

Although August is over for another 11 months, it seems from where I stand in the mountains of southwest Virginia that there are plenty of dog days left before autumn falls upon us!

Kim Headlee at her booth at the first annual Art at the Crossroads street fair,
Wytheville, VA, 8/27/2016. Photo c2016 by Jen Otey.

Thank you to everyone who bought copies of my books or just stopped to chat at my booth the other day! This event proved to be a valuable dress rehearsal for my participation in Olde Salem Days on September 10, and I'm grateful to everyone who helped make the inaugural Art at the Crossroads day a memorable one.

I also extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who visited me at the Wythe County Public Library and BW Country Store earlier in August, as well as to all my new followers and newsletter subscribers who participated in my recent Rafflecopter and Amazon giveaways.

Before I describe more of this month's upcoming personal appearances, I have some exciting book news to report:

• King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court has won its second award, the Summer 2016 Pinnacle Best Fantasy Book. Earlier in August, it was graced with a "solidly entertaining" nod from that monarch of all review sources, Publishers Weekly.
• Special announcement for BookBub subscribers in the Fantasy genre: King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court will be on sale for $0.99 (and equivalent amounts in the UK, Canada, Australia, and India) and featured by BookBub on Sunday, September 18!
• Kings, my sword-and-sorcery novella cowritten with Patricia Duffy Novak, is now available in paperback. I'll be using it at my personal appearances as a reward for signing up for my newsletter, The Dawnflier.
• The Business of Writing nonfiction book and Raging Sea: Enemies and Allies (The Dragon's Dove Chronicles book 3, part 2) are in the hands of my primary editors and should be available for purchase by the end of the month.
• Raging Sea: Reckonings is now permafree for Kindle, Nook, iTunes, and Kobo customers! What are you waiting for? :D

Upcoming appearances:

• Sunday, September 4: BW Country Store, Big Walker Lookout, Wytheville, VA, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• Saturday, September 10: Olde Salem Days, "Virginia's Foremost Arts & Crafts Festival," 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. My booth will be located at 208 West Main Street, Salem, VA.
• Saturday, October 8: Indie Author Day at the Wythe County Public Library. Times and participation details TBA.

Stay cool and hydrated!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

The Business of Writing: Creating and using QR codes for your book #ASMSG #MFRWOrg

QR code for Amazon product page
of Audiobook edition of
King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court
by Mark Twain as channeled by
Kim Iverson Headlee.

The best marketing content offers potential customers a way to buy the product straight off the advertisement, and the Quick Response (QR) code is a great way to capture those impulse buys.

What is a QR code?
A QR code (sample pictured, left) is a specialized bar code readable by smart phones. The bar code can contain text, URLs, email addresses, telephone numbers, or any other alphanumeric data.

The smart phone must have a QR reader app installed, and there are several good, free apps available for iPhones, Android devices, and other types of smart phones. My reader of choice is the "QR Droid" app.

A QR code will never expire as long as the associated link remains active.

How do I create a QR code?
Even more plentiful are the web sites that pop up when you perform an Internet search on "free QR code generator". My favorite free QR code generator site is QR Stuff. Here you can enter any URL—for example, your book's worldwide Amazon link created via Booklinker.net or other such service, or the Audible link to its audiobook edition—and the site will display the bar code for you to download and use.

There are some book-specific QR code generator sites, such as Relinks.me, but they are limited to products in the Amazon retail catalog, and they will append their Amazon affiliate ID to your book's URL. If you don't have an Amazon affiliate ID, then using Relinks.me will save you the step of creating a worldwide link prior to requesting its QR code, but you won't be able to set up QR codes for your book's Nook and other e-tailer product pages.

The QR Stuff site offers a subscription service if you want specialty items such as scalable graphics, or if you believe your dynamic (i.e., link-shortened) QR codes will receive more than 1,000 user scans per month. If all you're doing is setting up a static link to, say, your book's Kindle product page, then no limits apply to either the creation or use (scanning) of the free QR codes.

If you want to get fancy, you can embed your own branding graphic, but if you don't want your customers to be subjected to the company's ads, the ad-free version (via visuallead.com) costs a minimum of $6.25/month. I thought I might try embedding my imprint graphic for Pendragon Cove Press but decided that the cool factor wasn't worth the monthly subscription cost, and I had no intention of submitting anyone to the extra advertising.

How do I use a QR code?
The output of sites such as QR Stuff and Relinks.me is either a JPG or PNG file that may be embedded in any other image, email, web site, or publication. I have placed QR codes on promotional postcards and inside teaser booklets, in the backmatter of my free print editions of The Challenge and The Color of Vengeance, and even on designs uploaded to DiscountMugs.com for screening onto tote bags.

In every case, the key is to make sure there is a high contrast between the QR code graphic and its surrounding background; otherwise, the scan will need to be done in the brightest possible lighting conditions or else it might not work.

If you can design it, you can QR code it!

***

I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of Raging Sea: Reckonings!
To enter, click HERE.

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

Yankee Doodling with The Dawnflier (July 2016) #MFRWOrg #ASMSG #IARTG

Statue of Liberty silhouette and fireworks c2016 by razihusin.
Licensed via Depositphotos, ID 3703282.

First order of business: Congratulations to the baseball team of my daughter's college, Coastal Carolina University, for winning the College World Series 6/30/2016 in a fantastic game! <3

Second order of business: Heartfelt thanks to all my fans, new and old, who helped make Chautauqua Festival 2016 of Wytheville, Virginia my best sales event ever! I love you guys!!

Third: A great new book trailer is now available on YouTube for King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court. Check it out via this link! Furthermore, its audiobook edition is on sale at iTunes, as well as Audible and Amazon.

Fourth: The Challenge graphic novel episode 1 is on sale via paperback as well as Kindle. And I'm expanding digital distribution of the novella itself; it's now available for preorder via iTunes, Kobo, and Smashwords. On or about July 7th, it will be on sale for Nook too.

Fifth: Kings has been published to Nook, iTunes, Kobo, and Smashwords. Get your copy today!

Upcoming Appearance: 2016 Patchwork Quilters Jamboree, Friday July 22 and Saturday July 23, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Graham Middle School, Bluefield, VA.

Final order of business: MailChimp subscribers to my newsletter The Dawnflier get first crack at my monthly Amazon giveaway. Don't miss out; subscribe now!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

#KASIWC by Mark Twain and @KimHeadlee great new book trailer! #MFRWOrg #IARTG

King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court
by Mark Twain as channeled by Kim Iverson Headlee.
Check out its great new YouTube book trailer!

If a picture is worth a thousand words,
then a video is worth a million. :D

See for yourself:

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

See award-winning #KASIWC by @KimHeadlee at #ALAac2016 booth 1434! #MFRWOrg #ASMSG

King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court
by Mark Twain as channeled by Kim Iverson Headlee
on display in booth 1434 at  2016 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition.

View my award-winning science fiction/fantasy time travel sequel to Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court in Orlando, FL June 23-28!

Can't make it to the American Library Association's annual conference this year?

No worries; check out this great book trailer! :)

***

Enter this great giveaway for print and e-books!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***

I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of The Challenge!
To enter, click HERE.

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

Meet @KimHeadlee at Wolf Creek Indian Village! #MFRWOrg #ASMSG

Kim Headlee's booth at
Wolf Creek Indian Village, 6/6/2015.

Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum is located in mountainous and scenic Bastian, VA. It is a "pole for pole and feature for feature" reconstruction of a Native American community dating to the 15th century that was found nearby while transportation workers were building Interstate 77 through that section of Appalachia. The original inhabitants' tribal affiliation is unknown, but local reenactors and living-history interpreters give public demonstrations throughout the year.

Each year, Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum sponsors Family Day for the celebration of Native American culture. This year's Family Day is set for Saturday, June 4th, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Come join me and other craftsfolk, singers, dancers, and storytellers in this unique, entertaining, and informative venue!

In addition to the books shown in the photo, this year my display rack will be stuffed full of the latest editions of award-winning King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court (hardcover as well as paperback), Faith, Family, Film by Fred Eichelman, free copies of The Challenge and The Color of Vengeance… and I might even have wolf-themed note cards to share. :)

***

I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of The Challenge!
To enter, click HERE.

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.
Please enter often, and good luck!

Howling under a June moon with The Dawnflier (June 2016) #MFRWOrg #ASMSG

Visit with author Kim Headlee at Wolf Creek Indian Village & Museum 6/4/16.

The Business of Writing takes a week off in deference to The Dawnflier, and there's a lot to howl about this month!

BREAKING NEWS (and a request for crossed fingers :) — King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court, which in April won the 2016 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal for Science Fiction & Fantasy, has cleared two hurdles toward getting a Publishers Weekly review! For those who don't know, Publishers Weekly is THE trade magazine of the publication industry, and they review just a fraction of every book they receive, especially in regard to independently published titles. Even though KASIWC is now in the hands of their review staff, there's still a chance it won't get reviewed; hence the request for crossed fingers, thanks!

MORE BREAKING NEWS and finger-crossing requests — On the heels of KASIWC's stellar showing in the Benjamin Franklin awards, I have submitted the book to several more contests, including the contest for independently published books sponsored by Writers Digest. Those finalists won't be announced till October, so if you need to use your fingers for something else until then, I totally understand. :D

EVEN MORE BREAKING NEWS — No worries; your fingers are safe for this one. I am pleased to announce the release of Episode 1 (Dilemmas & Deliberation) of my graphic novel edition of The Challenge. Get your Kindle copy today!

Subscribers to the MailChimp edition of The Dawnflier have received first crack at my latest Amazon giveaway. I run one every month, so please SIGN UP today (and claim your subscriber gift!) if you don't want to miss out; thanks!

Upcoming appearances:

• Saturday, June 4, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Family Day at Wolf Creek Indian Village, Bastian, VA.
• Wednesday, June 22, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Artist in Residence at Chautauqua Festival, Community Center grounds, Wytheville, VA.
• Thursday, June 23, 10 a.m. – noon. Featured Member at Black Horse Artisan Guild, 115 East Main St, Wytheville, VA.
• Friday, June 24, noon – 8:00 p.m. Chautauqua Bazaar, inside the Community Center, Wytheville, VA.
• Saturday, June 25, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Chautauqua Bazaar, inside the Community Center, Wytheville, VA.

Have a safe and pleasant transition from spring to summer!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.

Please enter often, and good luck!

Meet @KimHeadlee at Black Horse Artisan Guild, Wytheville VA! #ASMSG #MFRWOrg

King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court
by Mark Twain as channeled by Kim Iverson Headlee
hardcover on display at the Black Horse Artisan Guild.

Today on The Maze I'm pleased to introduce you to a new artists' collective in my hometown, Black Horse Artisan Guild of Wytheville, Virginia! 

Nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge, at the confluence of interstates 81 and 77, 18th-century Wytheville is the birthplace of First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson. Black Horse Artisan Guild is located steps away from the museum that was established in the house in which she was born and across Main Street from the newly renovated Bolling Wilson Hotel.

A sampling of handcrafted items available for
purchase at the Black Horse Artisan Guild.

The guild showcases the work of several talented artists residing in the lower Shenandoah Valley, from Bristol (TN/VA) to Roanoke. That work includes pottery, jewelry, paintings, baskets, herbal products, textiles, and sculptures in wood, hammered metal, and wrought iron.

And, of course, books.

The photo on the left shows a sample of what you may find in this treasure trove—except for the pair of ceramic cups in the top picture's foreground. I bought those as a housewarming gift for my daughter a few days after the guild's grand opening. :)

In addition to displaying these beautiful handcrafted wares for purchase, Black Horse Artisan Guild frequently runs special events, everything from workshops in painting and other crafts to glass blowing demonstrations.

Also on display during May are the entries submitted for Art Wythe In, a contest for original youth crafts (i.e., not made from kits) in the mediums of wood, clay, fiber, glass, and 2D (painting/drawing). The top three winners will be announced June 18th.

On Tuesday May 24, 6–8 p.m., owners Jennifer & Randy Pugh will be hosting a Meet the Author party in honor of my latest novel King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court having won the 2016 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal in Fantasy & Science Fiction. More information may be found on the Facebook event page.

All print editions of my books will be available for viewing and purchase during the party, and I plan to give a dramatic reading from KASIWC. I hope to see y'all there!

***

I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of Dawnflight!
To enter, click HERE.

Last month's copies of Kings got snapped up fast, so don't delay; enter today!

MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
Subscribe today so you don't miss out!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.

Please enter often, and good luck!

The Business of Writing: May the 4th be with your publishing endeavors! #StarWars

Photo © Rodeyhamzah | Dreamstime.com Star Wars-R2D2 Photo

The Business of Writing is taking a week off for some much needed 
G & R (Geeking and Relaxation :).

Meantime, please feel free to enjoy this cultural "holiday" by popping over to Cheryl Carpinello's blog for a peek at the new e-book cover for my science fiction / fantasy crossover novel King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court. It's a continuation of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, starring Queen Morgan le Fay (oops, Her Majesty just =hates= it when I let slip the "le Fay" bit), and written as if by Mark Twain.

KASIWC features time travel, political shenanigans, a spot of romance, and a lot of baseball, all wrapped up in humor that runs the gamut from slapstick to subtle, biting wit. If I do say so myself. :D

Have a great week with your writing and publishing, and

May the Fourth be with You!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books. 

Please enter often, and good luck!

#Giveaway and more MAYhem from The Dawnflier (May 2016) by @KimHeadlee!

The Turkish Stars: Turkish Air Force national aerobatics team,
c2015 by radoslaw_maciejewski Depositphotos ID 103611144.
Photo for editorial use only.

Mayhem is indeed the operative word for my life these past few weeks, to whit:

• The hardcover edition of my Twain sequel, King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court, won a major national award, the IBPA Benjamin Franklin gold medal  for Science Fiction & Fantasy. This will score the book featured placement at BookExpo America in Chicago and a public booksigning and party, both scheduled for later this month.
• In spite of computer issues, the audiobook edition of King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court is now on sale via Audible and Amazon, with its iTunes listing in the pipeline. The e-book edition is sporting a new cover that matches the audiobook's cover.
• My narrator's computer issues rubbed off on me apparently, and my laptop decided to give up the electronic ghost last week. Switching over to the new laptop hasn't been as smooth as I'd hoped, but I am now up and running on Windows 10 and getting accustomed to working in LibreOffice, Microsoft's free competitor.
• I put the finishing touches on the paperback edition of Faith, Family, Film: A Teacher's Trek by longtime friend and fan of my work Fred Eichelman. Its Kindle edition is on sale now.

Present mayhem:

• I'm running a giveaway for an e-copy of Dawnflight! To enter, click HERE. Last month's copies of Kings got snapped up fast, so don't delay; enter today!
• MailChimp subscribers to The Dawnflier receive exclusive giveaway opportunities.
  Subscribe today so you don't miss out!

Upcoming mayhem:

• The Challenge graphic novel, episode 1 (Dilemmas and Deliberation) will be available on Kindle soon.
•  Public book signing and celebration party for King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court and all my books on Tuesday, May 24, 6-8 p.m. at the Black Horse Artisan Guild, Wytheville, VA.
• All-day signing and selling my books on Family Day, Saturday, June 4 at Wolf Creek Indian Village, 6394 North Scenic Highway Bastian, VA.

Public Service Announcement

Don't let my computer woes rub off on you. Back up your data now!

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow<

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.

Please enter often, and good luck!

Queen Morgan of #KASIWC by @KimHeadlee visits #RLFBlog! #MFRWOrg #ASMSG

BREAKING NEWS!

NOW ON AUDIBLE: The Audiobook edition of
King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court,
performed by Danielle Cohen.

Get your copy today!

King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court
by Mark Twain as channeled by
Kim Iverson Headlee

To learn more about the formidable Morgan the Wise,
sister of King Arthur and
Queen of Gore,
I invite you to visit this post on Romance Lives Forever.

One thing that post does not cover, however, is her favorite saying:

"The past is past. 

The game goes on."

This is the wisdom she imparts to her London Knights baseball players whenever their spirits need lifting.

Wait. What? Baseball?? In a book about Morgan le Fay and King Arthur???

Yes, and it wouldn't be the first time.

Baseball was just beginning to come into its own as the American "national pastime" in 1879, the year Mark Twain began writing A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and the year he chose for his Yankee's departure to travel back in time. The National League had formed just three years earlier, in response to blossoming interest in the sport across the nation.

It was only proper that Twain have his Connecticut Yankee introduce baseball to the sixth century and King Arthur's court.

And it was more than proper for me to take Twain's idea and turn it on its collective ear, allowing Queen Morgan not only to helm a world-champion baseball team, but to foretell other improvements in the game of the late 21st century.

These improvements include form-hugging uniforms ("immensely popular, especially within the female age 18–80 demographic"), and the creation of the European League and the Asian League to complement the existing National and American leagues—along with an entirely new playoff "Banner" tier—so that the game truly represents its growing worldwide popularity.

Just how involved does Queen Morgan get with her London Knights?

Ah, fair reader, that is for you to discover for yourself! :D

***

Enter this great Rafflecopter giveaway
for a signed copy of KASIWC and more!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***

All this month, you are invited to…

— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow

… and each action this month is good for one chance to win a copy of any of Kim's e-books.

Please enter often, and good luck!

#KASIWC by @KimHeadlee takes its new e-cover on tour! #MFRWOrg