The Tucson Festival of Books is just around the corner! I can’t wait and I hope you plan to attend. There will be so many authors and books available!
It’s a well-run festival and I hope you come to the University of Arizona to see what it’s all about!
I’ll be in the children’s section on Saturday morning (until noon) and I hope you come by my booth to see me. I’ve been stocking up on giveaways and will have all my books for sale at special festival prices!
I am asked frequently how I became a writer. I’m asked also how I come up with my story ideas.
My response is: how do you not have stories constantly running through your head?
I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember. A wonderful lady used to tell how I would be going to sleep when we were all camping and they would hear my voice acting out some scene or other. That’s when I was maybe three or four years old.
Everything I see is filed away and it’s fun to take things out and examine them to see if they will fit into my current WIP (work in progress). Sometimes I’ll write a scene and a memory will pop up that I can integrate into the description.
The fun of writing the Guinness the Therapy Dog series is that I have the famous dog right here at my feet. If I want to see how he plays with a ball, I can throw it for him. It’s fun to have my subject ready to watch!
When I write longer chapter books, as opposed to the illustrated easy-to-read books, I need to keep track of characters, settings, and scenes. The ‘Fairies of Carlow’ series v. ‘The Voyage’ or the ‘Guinness the Therapy Dog’ series is a good example.
I keep a journal for each book with sections for characters, settings, chapter summaries, and events. This way I can map out rooms, homes, gardens, etc. to make sure my writing is consistent.
Since I like to write series’, I keep notes on the characters so when I revisit them in another title I can stay consistent with who they are and what they look like.
Consistency is the key when creating a world, which is what each book does.
I don’t have journals for the Guinness the Therapy Dog series since they are shorter and less complex. Also, I have the real thing laying at my feet so I don’t need to go far for inspiration or to see exactly how the white blaze goes from nose to the top of his head.
Let me know your tips and tricks for keeping track of details! Sonja
I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be appearing at the Tucson Festival of Books this year on Saturday, March 14!
I’m so excited to have this opportunity to meet you, dear reader. I’ll be in the children’s section for the first few hours of the festival.
I plan to have copies of my Fairies of Carlow series, including The Gilding, The Outsider, and The Commoner. I’ll also have The Voyage available, with all the pretty pictures.
I’m planning to debut my new series about Guinness the Therapy Dog, including Guinness Becomes a Therapy Dog and Guinness Goes to the Library.
(c) 2019 Search for ‘Sonja Danielson’ to see a complete listing of books available.
(c) 2019
Take a look at all those titles! Every one of them is available exclusively on Amazon.com. You can either use the links in the left-hand column of this web site, or you can search for my name, ‘Sonja Danielson’, to bring up all of my titles that are available.
Each book in the Fairies of Carlow series stands alone with a glimpse at the continuing stories of previous characters. It’s almost like getting an epilogue while being immersed in the story of new characters.
The Voyage is based on actual history and tells the story of one of the notable and founding families of the East Coast of America. The Wing Family traveled around Europe before the matriarch and her sons crossed the Atlantic to settle in Plymouth Colony and eventually Sandwich, Massachusetts.
The Voyage is based on actual events and locations, and the book includes information on locations mentioned in the book and has a timeline of the events. I wanted the political climate of England and Europe easy to understand, which was difficult based on the rule of King Henry VIII, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth I.
The Voyage is easy to read and boasts several full-color illustrations made specifically for the book. The talents of the artist (not me!) show the dress and environment of the story. You have to see them!
It’s different when you write the text for a chapter book that doesn’t include pictures and writing for an illustrated book. The illustrations help the reader visualize what you’re writing about.
I didn’t have to describe the clothing in ‘The Voyage’ because the artist did such a phenomenal job with her research to show the clothing and the colors that were true to the period.
For ‘The Fairies of Carlow’ series, I took literary license to use clothing that was suggested by the Victorian period and was able to modify it as necessary for the stories.
The ‘Guinness the Therapy Dogs’ stories will be modern-day and the dress of the people he interacts with will be easily drawn. I probably won’t mention the clothing unless it directly affects the plot of the book.
And dogs don’t wear pants! Hey, that’s a good idea for a story!
The illustrations in ‘The Voyage’ also show the world occupied by John Wing as he traveled through Europe as a preacher. It helps the reader see where he stood in The Hague, Oxfordshire, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts (for his family).
Take a look at the beautiful illustrations of ‘The Voyage’. The illustrations for the first two books of the ‘Guinness the Therapy Dog’ series are being drawn by the artist right now!
I can’t wait to show you. Keep a lookout for the logo that will appear on the front cover of every ‘Guinness the Therapy Dog’ book. It’s spectacular and I will unveil it here on this website soon!
All three books from The Fairies of Carlow, including The Gilding, The Outsider, and The Commoner, are all available now. The Voyage is newly released! The Guinness the Therapy Dog series is coming soon!
I hope you get the paperbacks or download the ebooks (all available on amazon.com) and enjoy these stories.
Use the links in the left margin to go to the book sites on amazon.com, or search for my name ‘Sonja Danielson’ in the Amazon search bar.
Let me know what you think of these stories. I would love to hear from you! Sonja
Special pricing of the ebook for The Fairies of Carlow: The Outsider begins today! Use the link in the left margin of this web page, or search for my name on Amazon.com to go to the ebook. The special pricing will populate automatically.
Today is the lowest price. It will go up tomorrow and return to full price on November 18, 2019.
I hope you take advantage of this pricing.
The Fairies of Carlow: The Outsider is Book 2 of The Fairies of Carlow series and continues the riveting and heartfelt saga of the fairies that inhabit the Kingdom of Carlow. Princess Morgen (do not use her full name!) is from the neighboring Kingdom of Meath and has been raised on stories of the failings of the Carlowian royal family. She believes the barbarian king rules a hostile land; however, her father has arranged her marriage to the royal prince as protection against the marauding Red Caps. She is horrified by the edict and cannot imagine living her life tied to a heathen such as Prince Stephen. Does she face a cold and forbidding future, or will Prince Stephen defy his reputation and provide Princess Morgen with the love and support she craves?
