New Services Offered

Today I’m pleased to announce that I am now offering critique and commission services. I spent years as a creative writing student critiquing and editing my peers’ work, and I loved every moment of it. There is something so fulfilling about helping someone else further their story and fall even more deeply in love with their world and their characters, and this is exactly what I want to do for you.

As of this time I am offering outline critiques and first chapter critiques. I am a plotter, as many of you know, and writing a complete outline is the first step of the writing process for me. It builds the foundation my story is going to stand on, and without it I would be lost. I believe a strong outline is the key to a strong story, and I’d love to assist you in crafting the in-depth outline that will help you reach ‘The End’ of your novel. Similarly, the first chapter is just as important due to the way it introduces your writing style and story world to the reader. You want your first few chapters to be as strong as possible in order to keep your reader reading, and I’d like to help you craft a first chapter that is going to keep your reader coming back for more.

In addition to critiquing services, I am also offering character art commissions. I’ve been a digital artist for almost ten years and love the creative freedom that digital design allows me. Creating art for my characters and my worlds allows me to bring them to life in a way that words on a page just can’t. I would love to work with you to create artwork for your characters, worlds, or novel. Examples of my artwork can be found under the ‘Services’ tab above.

I have a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. I’ve spent years in critique groups helping other writers improve their work, and I would love to do the same for you. Please keep in mind that I am not a line editor or copy editor - I will point out consistent spelling or grammatical errors if I see them, but I am more interested in working with your theme, characters, plot, etc. in order to inspire you and help you write the best book you can. If you are interested, please click the ‘Services’ tab above to get started.

Happy writing!

Natalia

Camp NaNoWriMo Calendar

Hello everyone! I can't believe Camp starts tomorrow. How did March fly by so fast?! Can't say I'm quite prepared. (I'm going to spend a good deal of time buffing up my outline today.)

I mentioned hosting Word Sprints on my Twitter, and have since created a calendar that lists all the days I'll be hosting Word Sprints. I'll also be hosting other events, and I hope you take part! For example, you could take part in Character Art day and tweet me the artwork you created for your characters.

If you want to take part in all the fun, just download the calendar here. And make sure you're following me on Twitter, @NataliaALeigh.

Good luck everyone!

Natalia

Free Novel Outline!

Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful NaNoWriMo (if you participated) and are enjoying your holiday season. I've been working away on my new novel, and after NaNo I took my work from Microsoft Word and have transferred it over into Scrivener. Scrivener is a software created by Literature and Latte, and it works wonders for someone who, like me, loves to be extremely organized and methodical about their writing process. In the video below I give you a walkthrough and demonstration of how I use Scrivener to stay organized.

If you'd like to snag a copy of my Example Outline, you've come to the right place! Just click here and download your free copy of my novel outline. If you use it, please let me know how it works for you!

Happy writing!

Way of Spears will soon be for sale in select Colorado bookstores

Since I started writing, and long before I even finished my first novel, I dreamt of walking into a bookstore and seeing my book on a shelf. And now, after writing a handful of books and publishing two, I’m about to see that dream come true! I’m currently in contact with three local bookstores, and am about to deliver a supply of books to two of those bookstores. One local store wants five of my books to start off, and the other wants ten. Each store offers my book different perks; one store will shelve my book in its appropriate genre section and face it out, while the other will feature my book for two weeks on the main display as well as advertising in the local paper and on their website.

 

At this point I’m stuck playing the waiting game. I’ve ordered a supply of books, but have to sit around now and wait for them to arrive. I’ll keep you updated on the progress, and plan to provide other self-published authors with a ‘How-To’ after I’ve gone through the process.

 

If you haven’t read Way of Spears yet, you can buy it for Kindle for only $0.99! Click here to purchase!

Way of Spears Q&A

What is your new book about?
Way of Spears is a novel about discovering yourself. The main character, Rima, has grown up in the shadow of her mother’s success, and she dreams for nothing more than to fill her mother’s space in the spotlight. But when she goes on a dangerous journey to serve the Lord of her realm, she starts to discover who she really is and what is at her core.


What or who inspired it?
This novel was originally inspired by a dream. I saw a small band of people clawing their way to a windy mountain peak, and once there the leader lifted a gun and shot it into the sky. (There are no guns in my novel; there are bows and arrows.)


One of the settings was inspired by my trip to Havasu Falls in Arizona. I climbed down the face of a rocky waterfall, and the characters have to do this at one point as well.


What was the biggest challenge, writing it?
I took a few chapters to a workshop at my university, and it didn’t go as well as I’d hoped. My peers liked it, but my professor ripped it apart. I took a hiatus from the novel for a few months after that, and finally got the strength to stand back up and start working on it again.


What do you want to achieve with this book?
I want to see the sales of Way of Spears double the sales I made for High Born. I also want this to be the book that I push hard for, and learn a lot from along the way.


What do you hope for your book?
I hope people read it all the way through to the end. And more than anything, I hope they fall in love with my characters. That would be a glorious feeling for me.


Do you have a favorite character or one you really enjoyed writing?
Absolutely. Kuuna Mato is my favorite character to write.


What do you see as the major themes in your book?
Adventure. Self-Discovery.


Did the title come instantly, or did you labor over it?
It was pretty easy for me. I read a blog post about deciding on a title, and it came to me right away.

To whom have you dedicated the book and why?
The book is dedicated to Havasu Falls. I plotted the book while lying in a hammock beside a river there.


Who do you think will enjoy your book?
Audience is extremely important, and knowing my audience is imperative for me to sell the book. People that enjoy YA or New Adult novels with fantasy aspects will enjoy this.

Way of Spears is for sale now!

August is here, and with it, the release of my new novel, Way of Spears!

I have been so excited about this novel for so long, and now it is finally here! Way of Spears only took me eight months from first word to final copy, which is extremely fast for me. The action and the characters came together so well, and I knew it would be a novel that I’d be proud to share with the world.

The paperback is approximately 400 pages and would make a beautiful addition to your shelf. For those of you that would prefer a digital edition, Way of Spears is also for sale through Kindle.

Below you will find a free sample of the novel, as well as links to purchase either the paperback or Kindle edition. I am so excited to share this with you, and hope you love the story and the characters as much as I do.

Free Sample!
After clicking the link, click 'Slow Download' and enter the security code. Afterward, click 'Slow Download' again, and then enjoy your PDF sample of Way of Spears!

Buy it here!

Less than two months until Way of Spears comes out!

Wow, I cannot believe it is already the second week of June. While I was counting down my final weeks of university it felt like June would never get here. And now look – it’s almost halfway gone.

So, where am I in the process of publishing Way of Spears?

 

I’m happy to say that I received my proof copy - which is BEAUTIFUL and I can’t wait to show you the real thing – and have already read through it and made my second round of revision notes. On top of my own notes, I also have two awesome beta readers that are working with me chapter by chapter to make this book the best it can be. I would like to have this second round of revisions done by the end of June, but it is hard to say how long it will take each beta reader to get back to me. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we make good time.

Since I’m back in editing mode, I’ve kind of taken a step away from the marketing mode I was in before. But come July, I’m going to start advertising my little heart out. I’ll also be holding some giveaways in which you could win a free signed copy of my book, so keep an eye out here on my blog or on Tumblr/YouTube. I’ll make sure to post the giveaway on all my social media platforms.  

At this point I am still on track and am looking forward to sharing Way of Spears with you on August 1, 2016!