Reminder to click on “Steps In Between” at the top to find all my Sunday posts.
Book Awards:
Seam Keeper earned a Moonbeam Books First Place Gold Award in YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi, November 2021!
Seam Keepers earned a NEST (National Excellence in Story Telling) Third Place Award in Paranormal, July 2022!
Summer 2021 Update: A few Seam Keepers book links:
My YA Fantasy is available at all major retailers. If you enjoy the story, please consider a review. They help out authors more than you know. Thanks in advance and happy reading! CHEERS!
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seam-keepers-celaine-charles/1139174491?ean=9781509235445
https://www.target.com/p/seam-keepers-by-celaine-charles-paperback/-/A-83142285#lnk=sametab
https://www.bookbub.com/books/seam-keepers-by-celaine-charles
April 25, 2021 Update: BOOK LAUNCH PARTY COMING 5-12-21
Come one and all! Join me on Facebook for a virtual launch party for Seam Keepers! This has been a long and winding writing journey, and I couldn’t have done it with all of you, readers, writers, poets, authors, friends, and family alike! It takes a village! This exciting event is happening on May 12, 2021 (4:00-7:00 PM PDT). I will have sneak-peek readings (without spoilers), give-aways, and time for Q & A! It’s going to be FUN, so come, come, come! 🙂
April 9, 2021 Update:
Seam Keepers is releasing on May 12, 2021! I could not be happier! Pre-sales are available now on Amazon, Nook, and iBooks! Only e-books for now, and printed books will become available in a couple weeks.
January 3, 2021 Update:
My Seam Keeper manuscript is now at the Galley editing phase. This stage in the process is exciting, as the pages are formatted like a book now. We can still work on changes and edits when necessary, but they are getting fewer with each pass through. I am also hoping to see the cover sometime later this month or next (praying it represents the story well). There’s a lot of trust and faith at this stage in the process. But, hopefully I will love it, and even more, I hope my readers will.
September 20, 2020 Update:
I am in the thick of phase two edits with my editor, Eilidh MacKenzie, from The Wild Rose Press. What an experience this has been. Surely, once I am out from under this work, I will have many blog posts to share lessons learned. But so far, what an inspiring process. I am learning valuable writing tips and am appreciative of the long process to publish on a whole new level. More to come…
May 28, 2020 Update: SEAM KEEPERS IS BEING PUBLISHED!
I am happy to announce I will be working with editor, Eilidh MacKensie and The Wild Rose Press! Seam Keepers, my sweet YA fantasy, will be out some time next year. Once I have exact dates, I will release them to you. For now, I begin my next journey with a new level of editing, publishing, marketing, and the like. I know this journey will be as bumpy and dusty as the one before, but isn’t that what adventures are all about? I am here to learn and grow in my craft! Thanks again to God above and to all of you reminding me to pick myself up all those times I fell down. Perseverance…you win!
May 22, 2020 Update:
The call came! I am being offered a book contract for Seam Keepers! I am taking some time to go over the contract and collect myself – but YES! I am elated and grateful! I keep thinking of the time spent on this journey and the support I’ve been gifted from my family and friends. Thank you to everyone, and thank you to God – yes, you can believe I prayed over this endeavor! Readers, I can’t wait to take this book through the final steps of edits and revisions, and within a year or so, place a copy into your hands. Your support is (and has always been) appreciated. I hope through my blog I am re-gifting you back some of that love. As I always say, it’s important to lift each other up! THANK YOU!
May 12, 2020 Update:
I have received some amazing news about my manuscript, Seam Keepers. After accepting an offer to revise and resubmit in November 2019, I have been offered the next step in the publishing process. Once my book is approved by a senior editor, if she finds Seam Keepers market ready, then I will be offered a contract to publish.
Emotions are running thick right now. Of course, I want to publish my story. I’ve been working on it for the last six years. But, it is also important to me that it’s of excellent quality. I am taking each step in this process with the intention of learning. Hopefully, whatever the outcome, I will grow as a writer.
As always, prayers and well wishes are always appreciated. Thank you!
November 17th Update, 2019:
Okay! Here’s what’s happening with my manuscript. I decided to first query the interested editors and agents I’d pitched at the PNWA conference in September. I figured I would see how that goes before sending more queries out to agents on QueryTracker. I can only handle so many rejections at once. And the more I learn about this process, the more I know the rejections will follow. It’s not only about the story or the writing, but more a marketing issue. Can your story be sold in a saturated market. So, of course, I’m working on my craft and original story idea in hopes Seam Keepers will be marketable. I STILL DON’T KNOW. But, I continue to work on it…
I did receive interest back from a Publishing House, and a request for my full manuscript. I learned who they were at the conference and fell in love with the idea of working with them. Weeks later, after receiving the nicest rejection letter I’ve ever read, I decided to work through some of their suggestions. I was complemented on several facets of my story, and my writing (which I feel I need to include for my own self-esteem – rejections suck)! However, the best gift of all was their invitation to resubmit my manuscript if I can strengthen my character’s arc. So, you can guess, that is what I’m attempting to do. I don’t know if I can fix things to their approval, and I may just end up with two rejection letters from one publishing house, but at least I will know I tried. My plan B is to then hit QueryTracker.
Thanks for your support and prayers and well wishes! I wasn’t sure I was going to share this in a post, but if this blog is about my writing journey, then this is part of the process.
August 10th Update, 2019:
Writing a query and synopsis is still kicking my %#$$! I feel like my story is far too complicated to explain (which means I’m not there yet). So, working on that. And in my writing class, we are working on taglines, log lines, and pitches. This is definitely not the funnest part of writing. Of course, I suppose this is a good problem to have, if I must have one. I appreciate positive energy and prayers, I’m going to need them.
June 21st Update, 2019:
My editor returned my manuscript with lots of minor fixes, but overall GREAT NEWS! She loved the story, which was my biggest worry. Now I am onto shining it up even more before the fall writing conference in Seattle (PNWA). My goal is to have it ready to query by then. After that… I wait. I try not to freak out if it’s not accepted right away. I will find my tribe! Thanks for your prayers supporters, but maybe keep praying. 🙂
June 1st Update, 2019:
I finally finished my rewrite and revisions, and edits after that. Seam Keepers is ready for my editor. It’s a little past my deadline (by a month), but the important thing; it’s done. Well, until my editor overhauls it with fixes. But, that’s okay. I’m further along in my journey, and that feels good. Accepting prayers and good wishes at this time. Thank you supporters!
An April 2019 Update on my Seam Keepers Rewrite:
I am nearly done with my rewrite, whew! And what’s kicking me into gear to complete this love of labor? I found an editor! She is going to help me map out these final (but lengthy) steps in finishing my book. I will share more about her services after we start work, officially the end of April/start of May. I am more than excited… words cannot describe. Now, I’m off to get to it (praying all this work will pay off and the story reads as it does in my mind. I know that’s the defining moment). Thanks for all your support!
A September 2018 Update on my Seam Keepers Rewrite:
My rewrite is rolling. For some reason it took all summer to get motivated, but now in September, I’ve been busy writing and revising in every spare pocket of time. I have moved the timing of the story a few weeks further ahead. This way my characters have already graduated high school. I hated thinking they might end up as drop-outs. I’m a teacher in my other life. I couldn’t have that. I’ve also been working more on my two main character’s arcs, developing them more richly. Or trying to, anyway. The pacing has intensified, as I’m writing in limited third person POV. Every place my characters felt themselves doing something – they experience the action first-hand now. Passive voice and telling are scary things that seep in when I’m not hyper-vigilant in my focus.
Writing a full novel is an enormous job, and I often want to quit. But this story has grown plump and it’s waiting for rebirth. I’m not in control anymore. Ashton and Mason are fighting for more than just the Dream Realm. They want to see the light of reality. They want to come alive in the reader’s mind. And I’m the only person that can make that happen. So, I will persevere…
Summer 2018:
My manuscript is undergoing a massive “Rewrite” – because I can’t help myself! I have even changed the beginning quite dramatically. But, things didn’t feel quite right, and I am learning as I go. For more specific updates, check out my Writing Projects page.
Thank you for your patience and support. Please do check out my Colors Series on Channillo.com: https://channillo.com/series/colors/. This will encourage me as I work to complete Seam Keepers. And thank you to my sweet supporters and followers already. You make my day, every day!
A Poem for Ashton and Mason:
It is Time
Love spreads comfortable wings
around knowing hearts,
perhaps unknowing,
only wanting
in desperation.
Secrets reveal wishes
upon stars— lost, on course,
meandering aimlessly
until time decides
it is time.
A friend reading one of my many Seam Keeper drafts. Thank you to all my beta readers.
Steps In Between 