From a
blog post written in 2010:
On Friday,
I decided that I hated my book. Totally unrealistic and pointless. Who time
travels? No one. I don’t personally know anyone who’s ever time traveled even a
few minutes, let alone 400 years.
So, in an effort to make valuable use of my time, I decided to sew
pillows. (My mother, a gifted seamstress would have been so proud.) I went to
the fabric store, found fabric, cut fabric, paid for fabric, came home and put
fabric on my daughter Natalie’s bed, pleased with how it coordinated with the
walls, bedspread and lampshades.
Natalie came home from school and discovered the pillows in embryo.
“What’s this?”
Me. “Isn’t it darling? I’m making pillows for your bed.”
Natalie. “No thank you.”
“What?”
“I don’t want fancy pillows on my bed.”
A pointless argument ensued and ended with, “I’ll just put them on
your bed after you leave for school.”
Followed by, “I’ll just take them off and hide them.”
All this finding, cutting, paying and arguing was not a valuable
use of my time. My mother would not be proud. I decided I should stick with
characters of my own imagination who would welcome fancy pillows with tears of
gratitude. (Anyone want some fabric?)
Three and half years later.
It’s interesting that soon after this, I put Beyond the
Fortuneteller’s Tent away and didn’t look at it, or think about it for at least
two years. It was Natalie, (fancy-pillowless Natalie) who came across the
manuscript, read it, loved it, and begged me to write the sequel.
I published Beyond the Fortune Teller’s Tent in December of 2013. A
lot has happened since then. I walked away from a life-long dream. As Borders
and other large book stores closed around me, I decided to self-publish my
books. You can read about that decision here. http://bit.ly/1qhG1YK
As time passes, I've become more and more grateful for the path
that led me away from traditional publishing and helps me live a life I love,
filled with an enormous amount of people that I love, and a creative pursuit
that keeps me entertained almost every day.
Do I sometimes get blocked? Sure. But it’s okay. Indie publishing
is great that way. When one story gets sticky and unbearable, I can put it down
and start another one. I started Beyond in 2010 and published it in 2013.
During those three years, I published 7 other novels. And my book patiently
waited for me. The characters didn’t die or go away. When I was ready to return
to my half-finished story, I read it and fell in love with it all over again.
And if you’re stuck, you can put down your story, too. I hope that
when you decide to pick it up a week, or a month, or even a few years later,
that you will fall in love all over again, too.
Title:
Beyond the Fortuneteller’s Tent
Publisher:
Amazon
Date
Published: December, 2012
Genre:
YA, teen time travel romance
Word
Count:71,000
When
Petra Baron goes into the fortuneteller’s tent at a Renaissance fair, she
expects to leave with a date to prom. Instead, she walks out into Elizabethan
England, where she meets gypsies, a demon dog and a kindred spirit in Emory
Ravenswood. As Petra slowly falls for Emory, she wonders if he really is who he
seems, or if he is just as lost as she is. How can they have a future while
trapped in the past? Or is anything possible Beyond the Fortuneteller’s Tent?
Excerpt:
“Harbingers of ill will do not always
mean you harm.” Fester laid his fingers on Petra’s arm and sent a jolt of
electricity that lifted her off her feet.
Petra watched the crystal ball sail
through the air and the strings of hanging beads swayed, sounding like a rush
of wind chimes. Potion jars spun in the air, tarot cards floated around her
like large, one-dimensional snowflakes. The ball connected with a flying jar
and shattered into thousands of pieces, crystal and potion glinting midair as
the poles supporting the draped damask groaned and teetered.
Earthquake, the rational part of
Petra’s mind told her, but Petra was listening to another voice, one that said,
run. Amidst the fluttering curtains Petra flew, whirling her arms and feet, a
mid-air mime pantomiming running.
When the earth settled, Petra found
herself buried beneath a pile of fabric and pillows. She sat up, dazed. Other
than the drapes of cloth and the swaying crystal beads, the tent looked about
the same, give or take the tarot cards scattered about. She pushed them away so
she wouldn’t step on them.
Looking around, she didn’t see the
fortuneteller. She wondered where he was and if he was hurt. Dazed, she tried
looking for him, but the incense stung the back of her throat and filled her
head. Needing air, she pushed through the curtains, brushed off her dress and
straightened her tiara. Taking a few faltering steps, she stopped
Author
Bio:
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Kristy
Tate writes Women's and Young Adult Fiction with a dash romance, mystery and
humor. Her debut novel, Stealing Mercy, was on Amazon's Top 100 Historical
Romance list for more than 15 weeks and spent 2 weeks as number 1. Her novel,
The Rhyme's Library, was a 2013 Kindle Review semi-finalist.
Kristy
studied English literature at Brigham Young University and at BYU's
International Center in London. Although a long time resident of Orange County,
California, where she lives with her family, Kristy's heart belongs in her
hometown of Arlington, Washington, aka Rose Arbor, the fictional setting of her
popular Rose Arbor Series.
Author
Links: (Website, Blog, Email, Amazon Author Page, Twitter Facebook, Goodreads,
Pinterest, etc.)
Blog:
http://kristystories.blogspot.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KristyTateNovelist?ref=hl
Twitter:
@kristyswords
http://www.pinterest.com/kristinetate/
What a nice story. Wonderful that your daughter loves your writing even if she hates your pillows. LOL Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post! I like her style. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your dreamy cover!
ReplyDeleteKristy, welcome to the Snarkology. Thank you so much for participating in BLOCKED! I'm glad you didn't give up writing to make pillows. :-)
Loved your story and your attitude! And aren't teenage girls so challenging!
ReplyDelete