Tag: amazon
As many know, The Nhakira Trilogy was launched in 2012 with the release of Book 1.
However, things were placed on unfortunate pause, when shortly after, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. Everything in my world came to a very abrupt stand still, as I chose to stand by my mom in her battle to overcome what awaited…
BUT, all of that is now in the past! My very strong and courageous mom beat the “C”, and we’re all regaining our lives full speed ahead! And that goes for Nhakira too đ
The Nhakira Trilogy will see a re-release in 2016, starting with a newly polished box set containing the all three books! Oh, and new covers have been designed of course. Much more stylish and befitting to our rebelious acid-tongued heroine.
I will have the trilogy available in print on CreateSpace shortly too, and truly look forward to reignite this adventure with all her readers who have been patiently waiting! Much love to you all.
Keep checking in for release dates everyone!
xxx Jen
Ok, so a few people have been asking me âwho is Nhakira?â And, âwhere does her name come from?â
Letâs start in the birthing canal of a character⌠Sorry, that was a vivid metaphor⌠but fitting. As writer, I believe in writing with honesty. I want to create characters that say something I believe in â or stand against. I deliver a message, opinion or question inside my characters, and wrap it all up inside a cloak of fantasy, overdose of imagination, and trickery of magicâŚ
So letâs strip away all the newness of my fantasy world, all the magic and spells, crystal staffs and evil bad guysâŚ
Nhakira can be you. She is anyone who is âstuckâ in life and want change. She is everyone who wants to âbreak outâ and be who they really are. She hides what she feels, underneath. She is the person fighting for liberty and equality. Sheâs the girl experiencing âfirst loveâ. She is the leader of a group that has to ensure success, and every person who has to face lifeâs challenges. She is the ambitious guy in a new job that has to outsmart others who have been in the game much longer. She is every person who has been discriminated against. She is the one that rises up against all odds to fight back.
Her universe is filled with magic, adventure, dark sorcery, rising of the dead, amazing creatures, demons, prophecies, secrets and enchanted kingdoms. But, her world is also a metaphor for our world. Everything in Nhakiraâs story is a symbol that can be related right back to your world. Yes, as reader I want you to escape into her world and get away from your reality. Though, remember, her challenges are much more similar to your real challenges than you might think⌠But she overcomes them all through friendship, courage, love â and loads upon loads of ass-kicking!
âBut sheâs a slave, and Iâm not a slave,â youâll say. In some form or another, weâre all slaves to something, are we not? Some are slaves to their husbands and children. Quite a few are slaves to love â or the seeking of it. Many are slaves to work. Iâm a slave to my passion and determination to write. Too many are slaves to materialism and money. And a precious few are slaves to bringing âgoodâ into this world⌠Weâre all slaves to something. Itâs both a negative and positive term, relative to application and interpretation.
Where does her name come from? Well⌠She gave it to me. Or rather, that subconscious corner of my brain that created her, made her whisper her name to me one night⌠Why exactly âNhakiraâ⌠Not even I know. All I know for sure â is that Nhakira came with a unique message for everyone. Every reader will find a message, answer or inspiration theyâre looking for in Nhakiraâs story. Whether itâs just the seeking of fantasy, magic and fun â youâll find it! If you want a darker side of fantasy, oh yes, my characters Mathus and Rothgylde will give you plenty of evil and even torture⌠Or, if you wish to find a few life lessons to ignite your thoughts, you will most definitely receive it through Nhakira, or Sal the Dreamcharmer â and especially through Lady Lalaigne, the ruler of a hidden kingdomâŚ
Who did I write Nhakira for? Easy⌠I wrote her for YOU. The person reading my words, right here, right now⌠Nhakira has magic inside her, as do all of us, and she will remind you to rekindle your magic â and create a little for others around you too.
Enjoy her, and her journey. But I must apologize for Nhakiraâs behavior through most of the trilogy in advance⌠She is sarcastic, complex, misunderstood, irrational and very stubborn! She has to be, because how else will we learn? đ
Now, go experience her for yourself.
Much magic to you all!
Jeanine
Nhakira on Goodreads.com http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16003185-nhakira
US Kindle for Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/NHAKIRA-Book-Chosen-TRILOGY-ebook/dp/B0091JGKFA
UK Kindle for Amzon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/NHAKIRA-Book-Chosen-TRILOGY-ebook/dp/B0091JGKFA
I thought I’d share a few pages to allow readers the opportunity to “peek inside” more than what’s viewable on Amazon đ I want to share Nhakira with the world, and one way of doing so is to allow readers to ‘meet’ her!
Below I’m giving you an exclusive excerpt from Chapter 29. Enjoy!
—
Something awful was coming into the room along with the evening breeze.
   âNo⌠Please no.â Nhakira could only whisper.
   Fear had taken her voice.
Although she couldnât see anything except for a disturbance in the air, she recognized the evil and predatory presence.
The demons were there, directly in front of her. One by one their bodies took shape and it was the most terrifying countenance sheâd ever witnessed. If she was ever to see deathâs face, this was it. The four Seeker Demons didnât materialize instantly.
Their bodies sculpted themselves with their intricately shaped skeletons materializing first. Long tails swayed threateningly as the elongated spine and smaller bones twitched and clicked into place.
The whole scene resembled a macabre marionette show. The rest of their frightening bodies took shape; first the veins, arteries and organs slithered over bone. Muscle materialized, swiftly covering their legs all the way up to their heads.
Reptilian skin completed the horrifying pack of Seeker Demons, flexing claws and hissing out deathly breaths. They were huge and towered above Nhakira. Their high-pitched sound was earsplitting loud and made her cringe.
Complete silence fell over the barn.
The Seeker Demons stood perfectly still and poised in predatory positions. One of the Seekers bent forward and opened its snake-like jaw right in front of Nhakiraâs face. A long, smooth and shiny black tongue flickered out. It licked her face probingly around her brow, cheek and neck. Nhakira gagged and bit back a scream of revulsion. She could smell decay and death on its foul breath.
The first demonâs head snapped back. It opened its jaw further with a vicious hiss and Nhakira could see at least four rows of razor sharp teeth receding into its throat. It was going to attack. The demon hissed again and Nhakira watched as its jaw opened further. Pungent saliva dripped on her face in thick blobs, and its tongue flicked excitedly when its head dove down straight at her.
The last thing Nhakira saw before closing her eyes was the Seekerâs open mouth right in front of her face with the horrible smell of death engulfing her.
But before the Seeker Demon could bite into Nhakiraâs face, a blinding blue bolt struck the demon and drove it through the wall next to her. The other Seeker Demons turned around to see where the attack had come from. Nhakira also peered between their long legs.
A black silhouette stood in the hole through which the Seeker Demons had entered. He was aiming a glowing staff from the shoulder, ready for another blast.
The remaining three Seekers hissed and growled, tongues flicking anxiously. They broke up and started approaching the Dreamcharmer from the front and sides. Jaws opened and horrible snarls escaped the demonic beasts.
Nhakira got up from where sheâd been cowering. She couldnât let the Dreamcharmer get hurt, or worse, die because of her. She had to do something to help him, even if it meant poking one of the bastards with the Srekaw Guard staff.
As if reading her mind, one of the Seeker Demons turned back and growled fiercely. When it lunged for her, another bolt hit the Seeker, blasting it through the same wall as the previous demon. The other two attackers hesitated. They were shaking their heads, communicating. Nhakira could âhearâ their sounds again and she sensed they were discussing the best plan of attack, unsure of the Dreamcharmerâs power.
One of them insisted that they attack simultaneously, but the other disagreed saying they should attack from opposite sides as not to give their intended prey a chance to escape. One thing was clear; they intended to butcher both her and the Dreamcharmer.
Nhakira listened to them. Panic and fear mixed to become a disturbing turmoil in her stomach. She had to do something right now, even if it meant sacrificing her life in order to save the Dreamcharmer. He was special, a magical creature who obviously harbored a good, pure heart.
At least her soul would leave this world knowing sheâd saved another being. Her stubbornness had brought the Dreamcharmer here to this death trap.
At that exact moment, something shifted inside her. A sensation of power surged through her entire body in a warm sizzling rush. It flowed into every limb and filled her with a force so strong that she felt lightheaded.
Yes, my girl is making her very first INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC APPEARANCE on the excellent Kindle promo site, http://www.thekindlebookreview.net/
And here’s her very own New Release page: http://www.thekindlebookreview.net/2012/09/06/hot-new-release-nhakira-book-one-chosen-by-jeanine-henning/
Am I excited? YES! Because Nhakira’s just too awesome to stay just inside my head alone! Besides, she has way too much personality and attitude. It has to be shared with swaggers and YA Fantasy readers of the world!
Go have a look at her page on the site! Nhakira would expect nothing less đ
Dear Jenâs Personal Blog,
I have a confession to make… Today I coveted mine neighbourâs w-
WAIT! Wrong blog!
OKAY, moving swiftly along. For todayâs âthemeâ, Iâve decided to âdiscussâ a specific debilitating disease thatâs been crossing my path of observation lately. The disease is called: AWLB which stands for â artists and writers with limiting beliefs. âThatâs not a disease! Thatâs just a chick trying to be âcreativeâ and funny, and itâs so, like, FAIL!â you say… I say, it IS a disease because too many talented people suffer from it. And theyâre passing it around like itâs a Sunday family fudge cake, of which everyone at the table want seconds and thirds, whilst sharing the same spoon with the sickest member licking the icing off with lip-smacking glee… Guess how I feel about this disease…
Recently I met the most amazing people, many of whom are artists, designers, illustrators and the like. Theyâre all different, unique, gifted with a touch of the obligatory âweirdnessâ that we creative types are labelled with. Hey, historically, the most gifted creators were all slightly touched by the mad finger that swirls the martini… See what I mean? That whole sentence was odd. Not that Iâm saying Iâm that gifted or even like one of the greats, but, just in case I do go down in history as one of the greats right next to Picasso or Dali or da Vinci â it would be nice to be known for that odd sentence âthe mad finger that swirls the martiniâ…. no wait no maybe not so much… Anyway â letâs get back to the talented people who believe they suck. Thatâs right â they BELIEVE they suck at their talents. This might be you, reading this, right now.
You PILE the pressure on yourself, tear up your sketches, probably chew it and spit it out because ink tastes funny no matter how hard the self-destructing anger is ravaging your veins. Writers delete whole pages if not whole manuscripts in a fit of tormented self-loathing and whacking of keyboards. Cue the days and nights of; âwhy am I even trying? Iâll never get this right. My style is crap. My sketches are poo. Iâll never make money from this. Iâm just not that talented. Check out that guyâs art â Iâll never draw like that! Check this womanâs book, I canât write like that…â
STOP with the limiting torment people! You are gifted with a powerful LANGUAGE of the mind and the most prolific artist and writer you will ever meet: your unconscious mind. You have NO IDEA what you can do once you choose to stop attacking yourself now, and listen to words I am structuring and see what I say… You think that you are consciously drawing that character or writing that action scene. No. Youâre not. All of that is coming from your unconscious mind. Did you know that your unconscious mind is in control of more than 95% of YOU. That includes your mind and body. You donât think so do you? Well, while reading here, do you consciously remind your lungs to breathe in, and out, in, and out? No. Thatâs your unconscious mind doing that. Or, while youâre reading here, are you telling your bladder to not (literally) release? No. Unconscious mind again. Your unconscious mind takes in everything around you. Most of the information it captures â youâre not even aware of consciously â but it goes right into your unconscious mind where itâs sorted into all its necessary folders for later recall or use. Your essence, experiences, feelings and memories â all there. You consciously forget about these files â but the unconscious mind can retrieve what it needs in an instant.
The unconscious mind does not speak. It communicates in symbols. Pictures. Metaphors. You, as artist and writer, hold the key to literally be the âchannelâ in art and writing for your unconscious mind to deliver treasures of thoughts, creations, interpretations, visualizations, patterns, puzzles, premises, stories, wisdom, worlds, new realities, new universes –Â an infinite horizons of creation…
So when you tell yourself âIâm uselessâ, you are placing a massive wall between you, and your unconscious mind. You are closing the tap to a flood of amazing creation. Why would you do that? It seems almost… limiting, does it not? Why would you limit yourself? You do know why though, that answer will pop into your head right now, âwhy do you limit yourself?â Delete the negative reason to why you limit yourself, now, and override it with a positive goal.
And whatâs the rush?! SO many artists have absolutely no patience with their creations… Those characters youâre writing and drawing are YOU! Did you know that? Theyâre little parts of you. Yes, even that disgusting monster skinning a rabbit in the nude â thatâs you. The rabbit too. That came from you, didnât it? You made that. Do you like it when people are impatient with you? No, who would? (unless you have a bizarre impatience fetish…but then youâd be part of a different âdemographicâ of personality, and good luck with that). Yet, youâre impatient with those little parts of you that youâre creating… So should the question be âwhy am I impatient with myself?â Answer that… Hear if itâs really even such a valid reason, then override with a positive goal.
Choose to re-connect to your unconscious mind. Allow it to take control of your hand and draw what it wishes. Let your fingers on the keyboard be the carriers of the images and metaphors your unconscious wants to deliver. Become CONGRUENT with yourself, your talent, your unconscious mind. Draw what you feel! Visualize on paper and onscreen what is inside you (just donât be literal people, no one needs to see whatâs literally âinside youâ okay?).
When you draw without pretence, and write in your true voice â youâll feel FREE. Youâll ENJOY what youâre creating. Youâll become addicted to the process again. And thatâs the key to a successful artist and writer: the PROCESS. Not just the end result. Because the end result is dependent on the PROCESS â which all starts with you, tapping into your unconscious. Speaking in the language of symbols, and writing the pictures of thoughts…
…K, enough from me now…
Go think and prosper!
@JenVinci
NHAKIRA “Chosen” NOW Available on Amazon Kindle:
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/NHAKIRA-Book-Chosen-TRILOGY-ebook/dp/B0091JGKFA
US: http://www.amazon.com/NHAKIRA-Book-Chosen-TRILOGY-ebook/dp/B0091JGKFA
Yes it sounds a bit âoddâ. But, as grass is to sheep, and cow is to milk, and as such lead to cappuccinos for human consumption â allowing the mounting of my tome was THE most important thing I could have done for my character and book this year! I.e. I got an editor. And for this I can holler a resounding âyeehah!â
And after this experience, I will climb towers and bellow it out to all indie writers: get Red Lanced! (OK, Red Lance is the editorâs red pen, and tome is âbookâ, just FYI.)
Self published authors. There are many of us. I think the last number I read was over 700 000 in the US alone. That is a large number, and it grows daily.
Self-publishing to Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks etc. is becoming big business for many writers who know how to write a good book, then sell it. Yes, I said âbusinessâ. As you enter the world of self-publishing â you are âpublishing yourselfâ, so you are a publisher. And publishers are businesses that require planning, marketing, structure, and a team to make it work.
For Nhakira and her trilogy, I am lucky enough to be an experienced illustrator and book cover designer. I was giddy with excitement to do my own cover for a character I love. I compiled the whole book and formatted it. And yes, I did my own editing, probably close to 7 times â with rewrites! I felt pretty confident that my manuscript was âcleanâ and polished. And I was all ready to publish Nhakira and have her fly into the world with her sarcasm, quest and powers.
But lady serendipity had her own ideas, and through various twists and turns of fate, I met Meg de Jong, and her sidekick – the Red Lance! Sheâs an experienced and connected editor with editorial experience in Canada, UK and South Africa. I inquired whether sheâll be my editor, she accepted â and she proceeded to mount my tome. [Insert the nervous face I had while she lanced my precious book! O.O ]
The book that I thought was so polished? Well, it was, the story and Nhakira was praised and congratulated as magical, but it was also wide open for improvement on technicalities. She guided me in the âfine tuningâ of grammar rules and character tips. She also taught me âlittleâ tricks that make a MASSIVE difference. Meg is now again fine combing the book, after all these important tweaks, to be sure the book is a clean sure-fire hit! And, I learnt a LOT in this process.
You know what? Nhakira will be able to tell her story just so much better now. She will be even more inspirational and entertaining, including all the other characters and fantasy scenes. My grammar is clean. The spelling checked. Writer tools have been utilized. And as author, I now have 10 times more confidence in my work that shall soon join all the other amazing stories on Amazon!
If youâre a writer, or if youâre thinking of writing a book: get an editor. Especially if you are about to compete with 700 000+ indie writers. And particularly if people are going to pay money to read your book!
The more the polish, the better the sell. Or rather, thatâs how I see it. And Nhakiraâs properly refined now, as well as my confidence to send her your way soon! đ Thanks Meg!
Much warm greetings to you all!
JH
Connect with me on Twitter! @JenVinci and Meg! @Enigmeg
NHAKIRA “Chosen” NOW Available on Amazon Kindle:
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/NHAKIRA-Book-Chosen-TRILOGY-ebook/dp/B0091JGKFA
US: http://www.amazon.com/NHAKIRA-Book-Chosen-TRILOGY-ebook/dp/B0091JGKFA
Why do I say that?
Until very recently, when any writer self-published, it was looked upon as âvanity publishingâ or the burning label of ânot good enoughâ was firmly smacked onto the writerâs book with a resounding echo of FAIL. Bookstores would pull up their noses as if the self-published book was made out of bison mucus.
The stink and stigma of self-publishing has been as suffocating to writers as a gag thatâs been forced into your mouth.
But that gag is coming out.
Thanks to Kindle, Nook, Kobo etc. Yeah sure I am not going to laud them in this blog. I AM however going to say that e-book distributors are paving the way for amazing talents to finally be read. YOU as indie publisher/writer, or even if youâre a reader and supporter of independent writers and publishers â youâre awesome and part of something huge.
Because with every e-book you download, or every self-published book you buy â you are placing a brick in a whole new playing field. And this is a very fair playing field where the game is becoming expediently equal, and in some cases, even tipping in our favor.
The publishing industry is the only industry where âdoing it yourselfâ has been stigmatized. Did you know that? In ANY other industry, when you start up your own business â youâre an entrepreneur. A âleaderâ even! But in publishing when you self publish â which is basically like opening your own business â you are stigmatized as âvainâ or âdesperateâ⌠How does that even work? It doesnât. That false label is quickly fading.
No, we indies canât compete in bookstores. Not yet. BUT, we CAN compete â and even WIN â online. That is where weâre kicking butt. Yeah sure Iâm yet to release Nhakiraâs first book. And yes, Iâm going to have either lovers or haters of my character and how I write. But I know I stand a very good chance to at least sell online with the intent of selling damn well â I may even be able to go book-to-book with a few published ânamesâ out there.
So you as a writer, running your career and books like your own business, guess what, youâre an entrepreneur. Youâre breaking through a massive wall of âstigmaâ. And you â the reader and supporter â wield the hammer with which we writers are doing it!
THANK YOU to every reader who chooses to download, support or promote independent writers and publishers! You ROCK!!!
Much love â
JH
Nhakira “Chosen” NOW Available on Amazon Kindle:
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/NHAKIRA-Book-Chosen-TRILOGY-ebook/dp/B0091JGKFA
US: http://www.amazon.com/NHAKIRA-Book-Chosen-TRILOGY-ebook/dp/B0091JGKFA
I want to make an official mention: Blogging is work! Sheesh!
I’m working with my editor to finalize the summaries for Nhakira’s 3 books, so in the meantime I’m building this blog to be in time for the official launch of NHAKIRA “Chosen” (August 2012, Amazon Kindle)
Dude… I totally get how blogging can be a full time job! MUCH respect to you bloggers out there! Giving you guys the ‘bro fist’… But have no idea what to give you girls? ‘the knowing pout’? Or… ‘high heel click’? Or…ideas please?
OK, this is me for now…I have summaries to write! đ
Over and out!
Jen Henning
@JenVinci on Twitter
jeaninehenning.wordpress.com 