News from Frances Ellen, author of the Asters Series, June 2024

Published: Wed, 06/19/24

Updated: Wed, 06/19/24

Hi and welcome to my June newsletter.

It's been a wet and windy month so far, so I've been in rain gear more often than shorts! Hopefully by the time my holiday comes around later this month the weather will have decided whether to make it a good summer (sunny and not too hot, please!) or a bad one (more rain and wind). I've a couple of outdoor concerts on my holiday activity list, so dry, at least, would be nice 🙃

Thank you for being part of my publishing life ❤️

With best wishes

Frances

My writing life

Aaaargh, just one more chapter to go.... the (first) finishing post is agonisingly close.
As well as getting the first 30 chapters back from my editor, one of my beta readers has been given a sneak peak - unlike my editor she's a true fantasy fiend and I had a couple of non-editing questions for her. She sends her comments to me by WhatsApp audio and I love actually hearing her thoughts; it's as if she's in the room with me (she lives in Spain now and I don't get to see her very often).
The title is fixed and the cover already designed, so soon my attention will shift to the dreaded blurb. Somehow I've got to distil down 50+ chapters of all-out action, intrigue and heartbreak into three short paragraphs, that really make you want to pick up this 3rd book in the series.

If you'd like to see some early drafts of the blurb and provide me with your feedback, I'd love to hear from you.

The day job, for now....?

If you've come across my Author Bio you will know that I train guide dogs for the blind. This month is a first for me—for my new job as an instructor, not just trainer. For this month is my very first school instruction. This means that I am coaching two clients with two of my dogs at the same time, at the location of my organisation! You've met them before....(and as they are still sponsored I again can't name them 😞
There are two types of instructions: school and home. Back in the day, school instructions were the only ones done. With a home instruction, I work with a client and their new dog for a whole week in their home environment. A client who is getting their very first dog gets two weeks, because they have a lot more to learn in terms of how to work with and care for a guide dog. In their home environment, we practise the routes they will be using with their guide dog. That would be routes to the shops, work or school, doctors, friends, anything. Also routes to an off leash area, because, yes, we expect our clients to walk our dogs off leash, too. They need their free time, too.

With a school instruction, we first spend a week on the grounds of my organisation. Four clients sleep in our hotel-like rooms, and they spend a whole week working with their new guide dog from there. I will be working with two clients, and a colleague of mine with the other two. The week after, we will also work in their home environment.

What is so nice about a school instruction, is that a client can focus solely on their new dog. They can spend all their energy on getting to know their dog, and learning how to work well together as a team. They get taken care of and cooked for; they don’t need to worry about anything else going on in their lives.

Up until now I’ve only ever done home instructions, and this school instruction still has to start, so I don’t have many extra insights to share just yet. All I do know is that my two dogs are more than ready, and their clients are tremendously excited. And I can’t wait to get started!

Discover new fantasy reads

To find new readers for my books I work with fellow authors to widen our readership by promoting our books to each other's email list. We offer an e-copy of a book, novella or custom short story for free on sign-up to our newsletter, to help the reader decide if they want to keep following us.
Interested? Just click on the images or links below.

The Skull Collector is a short story set in a Pacific Islander village with ancient rituals and haunting secrets, from the author of the Shadow Barrier trilogy -

"Very well-written, fast-paced & fun"

Get your free book here.

Ornithican Hero is a prequel short story to the sci-fi fantasy novel Kalani: Shadows of Destiny, book 1 in the Fostering Worlds series.
"A faith-themed book with intense scifi and fantasy elements....and intense and descriptive world building".

Get your free book here.

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