Karin Rita Gastreich & 'Sword of Shadows' @EolynChronicles @GoddessFish #DarkFantasy

Today we have author Karin Rita Gastreich visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Karin Rita Gastreich writes stories of ordinary women and the extraordinary paths they choose. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she is part of the biology faculty at Avila University. An ecologist by vocation, Karin has wandered forests and wildlands for over twenty years. Her past times include camping, hiking, music, and flamenco dance. In addition to THE SILVER WEB trilogy, Karin has published short stories in World Jumping, Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, and 69 Flavors of Paranoia. She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.

Today Karin Rita Gastreich will be talking about the best and worst pieces of writing advice she's ever received.
* Early in my journey as a writer, when I was just beginning to think about the possibility of publishing, I spoke with another author who said something that resonates with me to this day: Trust in the fate of your novel. * These words come back to me whenever I start to get anxious about waning sales, multiple rejections, negative reviews, or any of a number of challenges faced by published authors. I take a deep breath and remind myself it’s not all up to me.
* There’s a lot we can do to perfect our work, expand our readership, and achieve a modest level of economic success as authors. But the fact of the matter is, not every novel is meant to be published. Among those published, not every novel is meant to be noticed, much less a best seller. In fact, the vast majority of published novels will never sell more than a few hundred books, if that.
* Granted, a novel cannot go viral unless you put a lot of hard work into promoting it; but at the same time, whether a novel draws a large readership depends on many things beyond the author’s control. Keeping this in mind forces me to remember the many other worthy reasons why I write.
* True, I would love for everyone to read The Silver Web trilogy. But I also have faith these books will find the readers who need them most; readers who will enjoy Eolyn’s adventures and find meaning in her journey. Whether that’s five people or five million doesn’t really matter in the long run, because I, too, have enjoyed Eolyn’s adventures and found meaning in her journey. And this, at the end of the day, is the primary reason why I wrote her story.
* Which brings me to the worst advice I have received, and I’ve heard it from many self-published writers: To be successful in this business, you have to put out at least four books a year.
* Okay. Maybe this is true, but the statement presupposes a certain definition of success that, in my mind, prioritizes the business of writing over the art and joy of writing.
* I’m not criticizing authors who prioritize their business, but I have to be true to myself. Churning out four books a year is not my idea of a good time. My creativity follows its own clock and whether I like it or not, I cannot be rushed when striving for a quality product. That’s not to say I don’t set and meet my own deadlines, but four novels a year? That’s just not going to happen.
* Each of us must respect our own pace in these and other aspects of the writer’s journey. Some writers have a muse that runs on overdrive; mine prefers to pause and smell the roses. Some writers have many hours available to polish up that shitty first draft; I have a full-time job that leaves me, at most, two hours of writing time in a typical week.
* We cannot measure our success by the rod stick of others. So when I receive advice that simply doesn’t work for me, I remind myself that this is my journey, not theirs. I must set my own standards of quality, enjoyment, and pacing, and hold myself to those. If the economic side falls into place with these other pieces, so be it. If not, at least I’ll be able to look back and say I had an amazing and worthwhile journey.
* How about you? What’s the best and the worst advice you’ve received as a writer? A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * Sisters in magic, Eolyn and Adiana seek to revive a millennial tradition once forbidden to women. When war strikes, their fledgling community of magas is destroyed; its members killed, captured or scattered.
* Determined to defend her people, Eolyn seeks to escape the occupied province and deliver to King Akmael a weapon that might secure their victory. Trapped by the invading army, Adiana is taken prisoner and placed at the mercy of the ruthless Prince Mechnes.
* Even as their world is torn asunder, Eolyn and Adiana cling to a common dream. Courage and perseverance guide them toward a future where the Daughters of Aithne will flourish in a world set free from the violence of men.
* "War propels the story forward, and the characters are at their best when circumstances are at their worst." -Publishers Weekly
* This is the second book in THE SILVER WEB trilogy. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, or as the sequel to the first book, EOLYN. ~ Excerpt ~ * Mechnes strode to the table where a soldier had left Renate’s head. He took his time unwrapping the bundle, exposing Renate’s matted tresses, the ragged edge of severed flesh, the face—oh, Renate’s face! Stiff, gray, and lifeless. Never again would she laugh, drink wine, cast a spell, or heal a friend.
* Adiana’s stomach clenched, and she fought the surge of bile in her throat.
* Calm, she told herself. I must remain calm.
* Just as Renate had, just like Eolyn would, without as much as a change in the rhythm of her breath.
* “Who is this woman?” Mechnes’s voice hit Adiana like a spear.
* “It is…” Adiana’s throat tightened. “Was Maga Eolyn.”
* Mechnes grunted as he studied the gruesome package. “And who are you?”
* “My name is Adiana.”
* “You are this woman’s scullery maid?”
* Adiana swallowed. She had learned how to lie during her youth in Selkynsen, after her parents were killed and she fled to the piers. Lies must be presented on a bed of truth, or they lose their seductive power. “No, I am not a servant. I am a musician from Selkynsen. Maga Eolyn brought me to Moehn to teach music to her students.”
* “Music?” Amusement broke on Mechnes’s face. He seemed genuinely surprised. “What use do magas have for music?”
* “Music is also magic, according to the traditions of Moisehén. Eolyn says…used to say that it’s a form of Primitive Magic, the oldest and most sacred of all.”
* “So you are a maga?”
* “No.” The thought came, terrible and unbidden, that now she would never be. “I only play music.”
* “Then Maga Eolyn was trying to protect you by saying you were a scullery maid? How curious.” Mechnes draped one end of the bloodied cloth over Renate’s disfigured face. “I can assure you a musician will find a much better place among the Syrnte than a scullery maid.”
* “I don’t intend to find a place among the Syrnte.” Adiana’s breath stalled under the look he gave her. “What I mean is, my home is here, in Moisehén, not with the Syrnte.”
* “It’s all one kingdom now. Or perhaps better stated, will be soon.” Buy Sword of Shadows here... Amazon Find Karin Rita Gastreich here... Facebook | Twitter | Website Thank you for joining us here today, Karin Rita Gastreich! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Karin Rita Gastreich will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

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