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Monday, September 29, 2014

End-of-September Update

First, I forgot how awesome this song is:



Second, I've finished Charms of the Soothsayer* and sent it to alpha readers. I have a LOT of revisions planned for it--more revisions than I've ever done for any book, in fact. I suppose it's a good piece of humble pie for me. Yes, I'm finally published, but that doesn't mean I have any idea what I'm doing. XD This biggest change will be my complete reordering of the structure of the novel. (It's so flashback-heavy I think my readers are getting migraines.)

Third, I'll hopefully have a publication date for the third book in The Paper Magician series and a foreign translation announcement soon. :)

Fourth, MY HUSBAND GOT A JOB. Wooo! As you may (or may not) know, we spent the last two years at the University of Idaho while he got a master's degree in experimental psychology (sounds cooler than it is, it's really more like engineering psychology/usability testing). We then moved to Rexburg, Idaho (That place is very lacking in its sidewalks and shopping outlets) while he did an internship at Idaho National Laboratories, which was extended remotely after we came back to Utah. But he just accepted an offer for a real job as a business analyst. :D We are so happy and so so blessed. Two of my brothers-in-law who also desperately needed new jobs also got them in the last few weeks. Blessings all around!

That, and New Job also gives us a free Costco card FOR NO SANE REASON AT ALL. Cheap Instant Breakfast**, here I come!

Fifth, I'm making headway on my next book (number thirteen, holy pie). And I believe it's starting to become epic (genre). Oh dear....

Sixth, my baby is 7 months old and super cute. :D





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*This is the book's third or fourth title....
**I have an inability to call this "Breakfast Essentials." Just like I still call Dollar Tree "All a Dollar."

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

The Blog Tour Continues!

Hey guys! I've been dancing all over the interwebs this month talking about The Paper Magician (Which just passed 1,000 reviews on Amazon. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who's shared their thoughts!).

Here are links to the most recent posts!





I'll also be doing a giveaway with Lauren Spieller and Caitlyn McFarland in the next week, so check them out if you want a free book!

Friday, September 5, 2014

Cover Reveal for THE GLASS MAGICIAN

Happy news! I have the official cover for The Glass Magician, which is releasing from 47North November 4th. (It's available to pre-order here.)

I'm really happy with how it turned out! It matches the art for The Paper Magician, but still has its own distinct flavor. The 47North team was also very accommodating in weighing my suggestions for the picture.

So, without further ado, here's the cover!


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What do you think?

Giveaway Winners and Guest Post

Hey guys!

Today I'm over at Neve Maslakovic's blog talking about the process of getting the bookmarks for The Paper Magician put together--bookmarks that I'll be including in the books I'm giving away.

Yep, books. I decided to give away two!

Drumroll!

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The winners of the paperback copies of The Paper Magician are Liesel and Kathleen!

I'll be contacting you for your mailing addresses. Thanks for playing, everyone!

Monday, September 1, 2014

Release Day for THE PAPER MAGICIAN! (And I'm giving away a copy!)

I'm so ecstatic, guys! Today is the release day for my debut novel, The Paper Magician, which is available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook! You can even read sample pages for the story on its Amazon page.


Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever.

Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.


An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.

This really is a dream come true for me. After so many years of writing and querying and being rejected, a book I wrote is finally published. It's a solid thing I can hold in my hands and feel and smell. (You guys all know new-book smell, right?)

I really want to thank everyone who supported me in getting this book out there--I've detailed my alpha/beta readers and others in the acknowledgement page of the book. But to everyone else--blog followers, Twitter friends, the writing and reading community as a whole--thank you. Really. Thank you.

In a pathetic show of my gratitude, I want to give away a paperback copy of The Paper Magician, which I will of course sign and stick a bookmark in. (HOLY CRAP I sign books now. YOU GUYS.) Just leave a comment so I know you're interested (or tweet me @CNHolmberg or something if Blogger is mean to you). I'll randomly select a name on Thursday and announce the winner Friday.

And what would a big announcement post be without an awkward ukulele song? :D