Guest Post for Foresaken (Ancients of Light) by Heather Fleener

Welcome to my stop on the Forsaken Book Tour hosted by Literary Quill Promotions.

Forsaken (Ancients of Light) by Heather  Fleener

Published: Feburary 14, 2013 Smashwords

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Goodreads Summary
The Prophecy Will Be Fulfilled...
Ancients were created in the beginning of the age of man. The Vampire were birthed by the underworld after mankind’s fall from grace to destroy what remained of God’s people. This threat to Creation was countered with divinely-breathed immortals. The Witch were most effective against the nefarious agenda pursued by the evil ones. An arcane Prophecy proclaims that the divine purpose of the Ancients of Light will be fulfilled, beginning with the rise of the Chosen. Now the Queens will join her…

Fire is her Destiny...
Ella long ago determined she would not live a life where magic defined her. Feeling no kinship with her Caste, she walked away from the Realm and its conflicts. She found acceptance and fulfillment in her life amongst the mortals and is on the brink of achieving her dreams.

Darkness is His Curse...
Nicholas is the most revered warrior in the Darks’ army. His personal animosity towards the Light drives his existence and draws him to the one Witch he is set on controlling. Nicholas knows the reasons that Ella never found acceptance within the Fire Caste of Witch and he will use that knowledge to pursue his Dark agenda.

When Light and Dark Collide...
Despite her origins, Nicholas discovers more in Ella than just a powerful Fire Witch, leading him beyond the Dark evil that has plagued him for eight centuries. Ella disregards the inherent calling of her breed for the only true belonging she has ever experienced, the love she finds with her Dark Vampire. The beginning of the very Prophecy that will save the Light tears the pair apart and the fallout threatens their existence. When two of the most powerful immortals on opposite sides of Realm collide in divinely-inspired fate, neither will escape unscathed. Only when the Forsaken finds grace will Ella and Nicholas be able to fulfill the destiny that has always been meant for them. Goodreads / Amazon / B&N

Guest Post:

    I am not really a writer…but I play one on the Internet.

I stumbled into writing – as in downsized, unemployed. It was not a career plan. 

I am a runner and when I run, I live in a fantasy world.  My brain takes me on fantastic daytrips to avoid the reality of my body shrieking… “You are really doing this to me…again?!?!?!!!!!”  It has been like this since I began running at the age of eight. Back then I immersed myself in the world of super heroes, today it is witches and vamps.  As a result of the cessation of my paycheck, I had ample time to put the stories in my head down on paper (I was blessed to find another job @ 6 months later, but I LOVE the writing so much more). 

I published my first book eight months ago and am currently working on my third. I have years of professional growth ahead of me if I am to continue churning out books; however, as a newbie, here are five personal realizations that I can share about my own adventure:

1. Write what you love, forget about sales.  If you cater to readers solely to sell books, you have already made it into a job.  Where is the fun in that?  If you are blessed enough to spend time every day doing something you are passionate about…Hello Awesomeness!!!  
2. There are some really mean people out there.  The Internet has given everyone so much anonymity that the filter between brain and mouth (or pecking fingers) has dissipated. Seriously. Be prepared – you are probably going to get hurt and maybe even cry. Behind the veil of the Internet, it has become acceptable to attack you personally in addition to your work. It isn’t right, but it is probably going to happen.  Learn the difference between an opinion that matters and one that you can wave away into the recesses of nonexistence.
3. The follow-up to that is this – A bad review isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  I have had some bad reviews (and even some harsh, ugly reviews) where, after I process my anger or my hurt, I can actually see the point.  If there is something in that review that I can use to make my writing better – I am going to do that.  So I read, I process, I reflect – I learn what I can and move on.  You’ll also quickly realize the difference between thoughtful critiques (yes, the bad ones) and the snark that you can give the single-fingered salute to – Don’t internalize those, don’t even waste your time giving them a second read.  
4. Use your Mulligans.  With eBooks and self-publishing, we have the luxury of revision. Don’t think you need to fix everything that is critiqued in your manuscript.  You cannot please everyone. Wait, read, process, reflect and then wait a bit longer.  Collect lots of feedback, let it settle in, and then wait some more. Don’t necessarily cater to the masses, but consider if there is room for improvement.  If there is something in your work that can be improved, DO IT!!!  As Indies, we have that power.  Now, if you release your 180th edition in 5 months, you might be overanalyzing things just a bit, but seriously, don’t be afraid to fix and edit and tweak when YOU decide that it is the right move for your work.  
5. Finally, don’t fret over #2, because there are some really awesome people out there…really (I am a particular fondness for Cedar Rapids, IA).  You are going to love them, and some will even make you cry. I have cried more over good reviews than I have bad ones – and THAT makes it worth it. I adore the people that reach out to me because my books have touched them.  I write for those people because those people are not fans, they are friends. I welcome them with hugs into my world.   

This is not intended to instruct you on the best way to handle your life as an author. These are things I have realized in my own writing career the past 8 months. Give me another year at this and I may come back with a different perspective. I am learning as I go, and I recognize I am going to not get everything right the first time, or even the second time, and sometimes not the third.  I am having great fun though, and in the end, life is too short to live any other way.  

Thanks to my awesome host for letting me hijack some blog space today and thank you for giving me a bit of your time to ramble on and on.
~Heather

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Author Heather Fleener

Heather Fleener lives in Indiana with her husband, D.A. and their twins, Thomas and Alexandra. Professionally she has spent her career working in the area of Intellectual Property law.

Reading has been a passion of hers since she was young and she has been a closet-romance junkie her entire life. The romantic styles of Judith McNaught and Julie Garwood are her inspiration, though she has read and loved the stories of countless other authors. Her fascination with the paranormal began to form at the young age of six, watching late-night ghost and vampire movies with her Grandpa. Unfortunately, as a result, she also remains afraid of the dark to this day.

 Combining her love of epic romances and the supernatural was a natural progression for her overactive imagination. When the idea for the Ancients of Light series began, it was an abstract story line rambling around in her head to help kill a few miles on the treadmill. As the stories and plotlines continued to grow, it finally became necessary to put the words to paper and build the characters that had been living in the Realm and having conversations in her head for months.


Ancients of Light is a series of thirteen novels - a testament to many miles on the treadmill and lots of characters that insist on having their stories told.

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