Giving Credit Where Credit is due…the amazing Artists of the Induction Video

I would be remiss today if I didn’t give credit where credit was due in terms of the musical background for the Induction book trailer. http://vimeo.com/29735787

The first song, No One But You is an original composition, written, performed, and produced by the one and only Kate Covington. I discovered Kate quite by accident while cruising youtube for some angelic sounding music for a very important scene in Induction when I came across her group Stella Voci performing Canon D. It’s truly amazing really, this group of ladies are from all over the world and have never been all together in the same room, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, they were able to meet, record their own parts and create this beautiful piece of music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl-fXIgiITQ

Later, upon looking further into the group I discovered Kate Covington (http://www.youtube.com/user/katethegreat19) and her wonderful music and videos. No One But You inspired a lot of the more quiet, romantic scenes in the book. I was so ecstatic when I she responded providing permission for us to use both songs if I wished in the video. If you’re looking for a beautiful, melodic singing voice with beautiful videos to go along with them, then please go see her youtube channel and give her a little encouragement!

I discovered Kevin MacLeod last December right after the release of Convergence (book 1 of the series). He creates the most amazing instrumentals that he gives away royalty free on his website http://www.incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/faq.html. All he asks in return is proper credit and a small donation if you are willing and/or able. His work is amazing and he captures a full range of emotions through his various instrumental pieces. If you’re looking to do some work needing background music, you would do well to check him out!

I also have to mention my talented cousin, Sharon Messmore, who is currently studying Graphic Arts at a great nearby University. Not only did she construct this wonderful video, but she got it to me two days after I sent her the music, photographs, and general outline. I think she did an amazing job and I’m so proud of her and the final product. Thanks again Sharon!

In the meantime, both Convergence and Induction are available in both paperback and ebook formats. Hope you get a chance to check them out soon! http://www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/publishinghouse/authors/detail/11

Picture Credits:
MOUNTAIN CABIN by PAVLENIC http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-mountain-cabin-image17118781
SUNSET WARRIORS by Amaviael http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-sunset-warriors-image46261
COUPLE WALKING ON ICE AT SUNSET by Mikkihei http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-couple-walking-on-ice-at-sunset-image13655473
WINTER WONDERLAND LOVE by Jannelle http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-winter-wonderland-love-image14377971
SUNSET KISS by Wulfespirit http://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-image-sunset-kiss-image1351026
Induction Cover formatted by Jenn McGuire

Induction Release and Trailer!

It's been a crazy month for me.  Words cannot describe the fundamental turn my life has taken and it has pulled me away from so many things I wanted to do, one of which was update my blog.  With Inductions release TOMORROW (Thursday Sept 19th) I thought this was the perfect time to touch base.  Fun things are happening now with some more great stuff coming up in the month of October to keep your eyes open for as well as a signing at Alpha Park Public Library in Bartonville, Illinois on October 29th from 10am to noon!

For now I have the great honor of sharing with you a great little Induction book trailer my cousin Sharon made!  It does have a little bit of a spoiler for Convergence if you haven't finished it yet, but will still give you a taste for what is to come in this book.

Induction from Sharon Messmore on Vimeo.

Look for updates to come regarding future signings and events, as well as what I hope will continue to be next year's release of the final book of the Children of Creation Series, Maelstrom!

Win an Advanced DIGITAL copy of Induction, book 2 of the Children of Creation Series!

ENTER HERE to win and Advance Read Copy (ARC) of Induction,

book 2 of the Children of Creation Series!

   Induction, book 2 of the Children of Creation series, comes out on September 29^th, but this is your chance to get an exclusive ARC two weeks before it goes on sale!  It’s easy!  All you need to do is comment below with your name and email.  Post on Facebook or Twitter with a mention using the guidelines below and you’ll get your name put in the lottery a second time.  At the end of the contest, I will enter a list of all of the names (twice for those who shared on Twitter and Facebook) into random.org’s list randomizer.  The person whose name lands first on the list will receive a digital (pdf) copy of Induction TWO WEEKS before it’s available to the rest of the world!  Haven’t read Convergence, book 1 of the series, yet?  NO Problem!  Get caught up before the sequel!  It’s available for easy download right now $7.99 at http://www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/publishinghouse/books/detail/8  

Contest Ends Thursday, September 15^th at 12pm U.S. Central Time.  Winner will be announced later that day.

On Twitter follow @JD_Watts then Post: I want to win an ARC of INDUCTION from @JD_Watts

On Facebook, “like” my page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jd-Watts/156525821053380?ref=ts&sk=wall  Then Post:   I want to win an ARC of INDUCTION from @J.d. Watts

Good Luck Everyone!

(P.S. if you're uneasy about putting your email address in the comment, you can comment and then email the address to me personally along with your name and other information jdwattstwcsp@gmail.com)

Summertime Book Tours

This week my life is completely different than it was last week.  It’s amazing how school free summers are often far busier than the school year, and I’m only beginning to get a taste of this as my eldest is the only one in school right now.  Summer for us this year is filled with swimming lessons, summer reading programs at the library, family obligations and community activities, and while when I was young summer seemed like a vacation, now it feels quite the opposite.  Last month, I managed to finish the first draft of Induction, the second book of the Children of Creation Series, and will begin editing later this month.

       It’s amazing for me to look back over the past year and see how much things have changed.  This time last year, I was getting the first few chapter of Convergence ready for entry into the TWCS Original Fiction contest.  The contest ended in September.  I found out shortly afterward that Convergence had won the Young Adult category and within a couple of months I had completed it, gone through the editing process, and was being published.  My journey, which had begun in June, ended with a copy of Convergence in my hand six months later.  The sense of accomplishment was astounding and I feel so blessed for it all knowing how long it can take to be published in the traditional publishing world. 

     At my second signing, a local author whose son went to school with my husband stopped by to pick up a copy and talk.  She was very excited as she was just getting ready to have a work she had been holding on to for over twenty years come out.  I was honored to hold a copy of her book in my hands just this last week.  It was a wonderful story that I enjoyed very much and felt quite humbled by how great it was.  I felt even more humbled by the blessing that working with The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House has been for me, giving me a chance to make my dreams a reality without waiting half of my life to see it come to fruition. 

    Since Convergence was released, I’ve fumbled my way through the lands of promotion, which is certainly not my strongpoint.  Despite my own struggles, I have been so happy with the feedback I have received from this first story in a series of three, which has been living in my head for well over a year now.  I sincerely hope that the second book in the series lives up to the expectations of my readers, which will then set us all up for the maelstrom that will take place in the final book of the series.  When it is all said and done, I will have put poor Dani through the wringer and back again, but I hope that anyone who reads her tale enjoys the journey.  I hope to see you all soon.  I know I will be doing a signing of Convergence at the Vespasian Warner Public Library in Clinton, IL from 2-4pm on August 6th with a few other Convergence signings still in the work, and I will be back out to promote Induction beginning in early September.  

Podcast Inteview

I had the great opportunity to slide up to my computer and have a great interview via Skype with the ladies from the Mystical Lit Lounge last Wednesday.  We had a really great time talking about Convergence and how I got involved in writing.  I was sweating bullets leading up to it and dealing with the technical difficulties, but thankfully we solved the issues and got a chance to hop right in.  It was a blast!  Go check it out!!!

http://mysticallitlounge.com/2011/04/mll-extra-podcast-%E2%80%93-interview-with-j-d-watts/

In other news between being busy with RL, my interview mid-week last week, and my fun little weekend of fighting off a bug which right now is manifesting itself as a fever of 102, I haven't made any progress on Induction this week :(  I'm not freaking out though.  I still have several weeks before deadline, so I'm taking a deep breath, chugging a gallon of Chicken Noodle Soup, and hoping that I'll be wrapping it up very soon.  I'm so close I can taste it, now I just need for life to take a chill pill so I can get it all down.  Considering I have a birthday party to plan for my Kindergartener later this month, I'm guessing that time will be hard to find, but I'll make it :)  Thanks for taking time to read up on happenings here and I hope you take some time to checkout the interview!!!

J.D.

You might notice...

You might notice that occasionally a new song gets added to the writing playlist attached to this blog...any song added to this list is either something that I found that inspired me and/or may have had a cameo or vague allusion in Induction...so keep your eyes peeled.  I just finished writing a long awaited scene for Induction which led to some new additions.

We are also going to be having a contest soon with the publishing house to win an ebook copy of Convergence, so keep your eyes peeled for news.

Career Day at Illini Bluffs

I've been invited to visit Illini Bluffs Middle School in Glasford, IL Friday, May 13th to take part in their Career Day. The eighth grade English classes expressed an interest in having a writer at the event, and a friend of a friend suggested me. I've been working on making up a little brochure to hand out to the kids with tips on writing and a few website resources they can utilize to get more information and support.  I'm really excited to go and work with kids again.  It's been mentioned a few places online, but I actually trained to be an elementary school teacher, but timing and lack of jobs resulted in me not getting a full time classroom so I worked as a sub, and then when my son came along I opted to stay home with him.  I'm looking forward to getting back into a school in an educator role again, instead of the Mom role I've had of late.  This is an event solely for the middle school children in the district, but I still wanted to share as I'm looking forward to it.