Hullo, all my wonderful and faithful followers!
I have been debating for some time now but have decided this shall be my last post at The Golden Healer. All new posts, pictures, book updates, and so on will take place on my new official blog, http://christineschulze.com
Please feel free to hop over and start following me there! I have a lot coming up in regards to new books, interviews, and events, and I want all of you to still be a part of that!
Thanks so much for your faithfulness, and I hope to see you on the new blog!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Sneak Peek Into First Children's Book!
Hiya! So, here is a sneak peek into my first illustrated children’s book, “The Adventures of William the Brownie.”
Admittedly, posting these is bittersweet for me; I’d originally intended to work on the project with a friend. But, as my naive self has since learned, sometimes life unfortunately changes our plans.
Thankfully, I’ve made a new friend willing to tackle the project. He’s the same wonderful Philip who will also be creating my manga version of Bloodmaiden, once we’re ready for all that.
But for now, some character designs from The Adventures of William the Brownie, scheduled for release this summer!!
Oh, and feel free to “Like” Philip here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kishiro-kun/143421189193217?fref=ts
Admittedly, posting these is bittersweet for me; I’d originally intended to work on the project with a friend. But, as my naive self has since learned, sometimes life unfortunately changes our plans.
Thankfully, I’ve made a new friend willing to tackle the project. He’s the same wonderful Philip who will also be creating my manga version of Bloodmaiden, once we’re ready for all that.
But for now, some character designs from The Adventures of William the Brownie, scheduled for release this summer!!
Oh, and feel free to “Like” Philip here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kishiro-kun/143421189193217?fref=ts
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| The guardian fairy of children, Cardea |
 |
| Left to right: Brendan, Shymaya, and Mason; Brendan just cracks me up every time I see him! |
 |
| The star of the show!! |
Monday, February 24, 2014
Enter to win "Bloodmaiden (Second Edition)"!
To enter to win a copy of Bloodmaiden (I'm giving away three), just head to: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/83037-bloodmaiden
Thanks, and best to all who enter!
~ Christine
Thursday, July 5, 2012
"Silent Hero" Re-vamped
Dear Readers of Silent
Hero, Both New and Old,
As some of you know, I am in the process of re-vamping many
of my self-published works. Most of these are those which were not on the
market long, which I published hastily in my impatient youth, and which I now
wish to see perfected before being re-released into the world. Thankfully,
having been on the market a short time, hardly any copies were sold, which
leaves me a broad audience hungry for fantasy and adventure upon their
re-release. Currently, I’m working with the brilliant Kira Lerner to restore
two of my series, The Gailean Quartet
and The Legends of Surprisers; the
goal is to complete both by the end of 2013.
That brings me to Silent
Hero, my first and only fanfic, inspired by Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda game series. Even though it is merely a fanfic, I
did want to do another read-through and address any issues I came across. And
did I find some! Readers had spoken of minor plot holes; I am ashamed to have
found several of these myself, from things like our heroes finding the Zora’s
sapphire twice, to a couple of other
moments which make one just stop and scratch their heads. Thus, I’ve read
through, fixing these issues. While I am sorry to have found such problems, I
am also glad too; it means I am learning much as an author and can begin to see
and fix such problems for myself.
I’ve also sought to tighten up the writing a tad; I’ve been
learning that, while one of my strengths is being a very visual writer, I can
also tend to be too “flowery” with my language, I vice I’m working to improve
upon and which I hope reflects in this newly edited version of Silent Hero.
Silent Hero is
still a fan-based work; therefore, I see no need to pay to work with a
professional editor like I’m currently doing with many of my original works.
However, after reading through, there were certainly some small errors and plot
holes which needed addressing, as well as some things which could use better
explanations. Our heroes end up collecting Shards, Songs, and Stones, which
makes things sort of convoluted. And while I wasn’t prepared for a complete
overhaul, this again being a fan-based work, I at least wanted to explain what
was going on better, such as what exactly our heroes were looking for and why,
and how these things would help them.
Is the plot still convoluted? Honestly, from all I’ve
learned from my editors thus far, I can say, “Yes!” And, was this an original
work and not a fan-based one, I would seek to correct it. As it is, I’ve kept
in all the hodge-podge stuff from several Zelda games, although, as said above,
I’ve worked to make it make more sense.
Again, though I recognize the book as still being
convoluted, my recognizing this is a good
thing. It means I’m learning; I’m
working on a book with my editor right now which, before her input, had a very
confusing mythos with far too many rules. Now, the mythos is simpler, but
better for it. As I said, Silent Hero
is a fanfic, so I’ll let what is be, especially as many of the readers who
enjoyed the book liked seeing all the different elements of the different games
that I included. However, were this an original work set in an original world
of mine, I would definitely improve upon the that aspect of the book.
I apologize to the thousands of fans who have already
downloaded the book, both those of you who have enjoyed and those who haven’t.
To those who enjoyed, you deserve something even better! To those of you who didn’t, I can’t guarantee you’ll like
the book now, especially if you don’t like Midna and the bits of romance added
in. Many of the changes I made were necessary, but small, and the overall story
is still the same. However, like it or not, at least I’ve addressed some of the
issues.
So, on then with the adventure, and enjoy reading! Oh, and
enjoy the new cover too; I’ve learned a lot about cover art the past year or so
as well and quite enjoyed the subtle but very impactful changes to Silent Hero’s cover.
Thanks again to all of my readers, fellow Zelda-fans
included!
God bless, happy reading, and may you all be inspired!
~ Christine E. Schulze
I've released this album in the past; however, this version is updated with brand new art and contains a different line-up of songs, including a few new ones. Listeners may notice it is also missing quite a few of the older tracks; these will be included in my second album, "The Gailean Quartet," which is scheduled for CD release by the end of this year, along with the re-release of "The Prism of Ashlei" and "The Pool of Lorelei," the first two books in my YA fantasy series full of magic, mystery, misadventure, and music, "The Gailean Quaret."
Please feel free to check out the album, listen to bits of the songs, purchase a CD or download MP3s of your favorite songs at these locations:
Rmusic
http://www.rmusic.com/unsigned/stregoni_symphony.html
Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Stregoni-Symphony-Inspired-Written-Christine/dp/B008GW41OK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1341531042&sr=8-3&keywords=stregoni+symphony
Thanks again for listening and reading! God bless, and may you be inspired!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Monday, May 21, 2012
New Zazzle Stuff!
Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be creating some new posters, tee-shirts, and what-have-you in honor of my recent and up-and-coming publications, including The Hero Chronicles and The Gailean Quartet. Feel free to check out what I have so far on Zazzle, and keep a look-out as I add new products!
Schulze's Zazzle:
http://www.zazzle.com/the_pirates_of_meleeon-228206387132886987
Schulze's Zazzle:
http://www.zazzle.com/the_pirates_of_meleeon-228206387132886987
Monday, April 16, 2012
"Hero Chronicles" Goes Middle Grade
Sometimes it's hard to choose the correct age group for a book.
I recently re-released my series, The Hero Chronicles, as YA fantasy. However, I had been debating whether it might be better to label it "middle grade," and the consensus from reviewers has made me finally make that switch.
Getting poor reviews always sucks; however, it's often a means for an author to grow as well. I recently sent out a number of e-copies to Goodreads reviewers. Some loved the series. Others really didn't like the first book; most of these liked the rest of the series well enough, but a few didn't.
I've come to the conclusion that the reason some of my readers really didn't like the books was because they were expecting one thing and received another. From their reviews and talking to them, I've decided to call the series "middle grade" instead, to better target the correct readers.
I read an article that talks about the differences between YA and middle grade:
write4kids.com/feature6.html
The article did help greatly. It was still a hard call for me, as an author, but thankfully, that's where readers come in handy. The books' quirky humor, deep focus on friendship and inner growth, its more light-hearted dating relationships, short page lengths, fast pace, and their sometimes fairy-tale feel just make them a better fit for middle grade, despite the outside trials the characters have to deal with, the fact they are in their early teens instead of being tweens or younger, and the fact that themes like death are touched upon.
So, there you have it. Sometimes, the cookie just doesn't seem to crumble in the author's favor. I had honestly never had such a negative response from that number of reviewers; however, I've chosen to embrace it as a learning experience, and hopefully I've left my readers left confused.
If you're like me and you still can enjoy the world of fairy-tales, magic, middle grade humor in all its weirdness, coupled with an intriguing story and characters you're not soon to forget, The Hero Chronicles may be for you. Otherwise, feel free to checkout some of my true YA works such as Bloodmaiden. One of my reviewers, Lacey Lane, wasn't so keen on The Hero Chronicles but loved Bloodmaiden enough to give it five stars. Kudos to her for sticking out reading all those books.
As it is with many things, so it is with readers. The trick is attracting the right readers to the right book. To each his own.
I recently re-released my series, The Hero Chronicles, as YA fantasy. However, I had been debating whether it might be better to label it "middle grade," and the consensus from reviewers has made me finally make that switch.
Getting poor reviews always sucks; however, it's often a means for an author to grow as well. I recently sent out a number of e-copies to Goodreads reviewers. Some loved the series. Others really didn't like the first book; most of these liked the rest of the series well enough, but a few didn't.
I've come to the conclusion that the reason some of my readers really didn't like the books was because they were expecting one thing and received another. From their reviews and talking to them, I've decided to call the series "middle grade" instead, to better target the correct readers.
I read an article that talks about the differences between YA and middle grade:
write4kids.com/feature6.html
The article did help greatly. It was still a hard call for me, as an author, but thankfully, that's where readers come in handy. The books' quirky humor, deep focus on friendship and inner growth, its more light-hearted dating relationships, short page lengths, fast pace, and their sometimes fairy-tale feel just make them a better fit for middle grade, despite the outside trials the characters have to deal with, the fact they are in their early teens instead of being tweens or younger, and the fact that themes like death are touched upon.
So, there you have it. Sometimes, the cookie just doesn't seem to crumble in the author's favor. I had honestly never had such a negative response from that number of reviewers; however, I've chosen to embrace it as a learning experience, and hopefully I've left my readers left confused.
If you're like me and you still can enjoy the world of fairy-tales, magic, middle grade humor in all its weirdness, coupled with an intriguing story and characters you're not soon to forget, The Hero Chronicles may be for you. Otherwise, feel free to checkout some of my true YA works such as Bloodmaiden. One of my reviewers, Lacey Lane, wasn't so keen on The Hero Chronicles but loved Bloodmaiden enough to give it five stars. Kudos to her for sticking out reading all those books.
As it is with many things, so it is with readers. The trick is attracting the right readers to the right book. To each his own.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
"Lily in the Snow" Receives a 5-Star Rating and Review from Reader's Favorite
This is my third 5-star review with Reader's Favorite, the first being for my YA novel "Bloodmaiden," the second being for my YA manuscript "The Last Star." Woo-hoo! Feel free to read the review in full at this link:
http://readersfavorite.com/review/5476
Saturday, October 1, 2011
The Last Star Receives 5-Star Review from Readers Favorite!
As some of you know, one of my next big steps--as soon as I am ready for it--will be seeking out an agent for my MG short novel, The Last Star. I decided to cross my fingers and send it off to Readers Favorite for a review. After all, the reviewers there liked Bloodmaiden well enough to give it five stars.
Lo and behold, another five-star review has just returned to me!
Here is what this reviewer has to say about my MG fantasy manuscript, The Last Star:
-------------------
The Last Star
Rating: 5.0 stars
Reviewed by Lynn F. for Readers Favorite
The Last Star by Christine E. Schulze is a fantasy short story geared towards teenagers and young adults. When the Shadows thought they had destroyed all the stars and plunged the world into darkness, they discovered one dimly lit star, a star better known as a backward star located in the NovaLight. Now the Shadows had magnificent powers, but they are a sorry lot, dark with no light shining through them at all. Sending forth an army of their own, they are out to get the last star and stuff her out. Escaping the NovaLight, Olette, the golden fox, heads to anyplace where she can escape the Shadows. Landing, she meets up with twin sisters, Celesse and Lianna, and four of their friends. Between these six and Olette, they come up with a plan to destroy the Shadows. With the six bringing forth their Stars, and Olette as the Blue star, they set out to destroy the Shadows the only way they know how by producing the brightest light possible.
This was quite an interesting fantasy that brings the reader to one conclusion: it’s a story of good versus evil. It reminded me a lot of the Star War series where Luke's father turns to the dark side as Darth Vadar. Here we find Ayanna’s father, a once powerful star, turned to the dark side and become a Shadow. Reading this book from a Christian’s point of view, what came to my mind is that we all fight a battle between good and evil. If we let the evil, the darkness, distinguish our light, then we are without any power; we are no better than the Shadows. Dark hearts are cold because they are devoid of good things like love and peace, like light has. The book is cleanly written, and I found it to have a very great moral to the story. As with Ayanna’s father, a truly repentant heart can have its light shine brightly again.
-------------------
Well, there's one small credit to look great when I'm sending out to agents! Thanks so much, Readers favorite, for a beautiful review!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Lo and behold, another five-star review has just returned to me!
Here is what this reviewer has to say about my MG fantasy manuscript, The Last Star:
-------------------
The Last Star
Rating: 5.0 stars
Reviewed by Lynn F. for Readers Favorite
The Last Star by Christine E. Schulze is a fantasy short story geared towards teenagers and young adults. When the Shadows thought they had destroyed all the stars and plunged the world into darkness, they discovered one dimly lit star, a star better known as a backward star located in the NovaLight. Now the Shadows had magnificent powers, but they are a sorry lot, dark with no light shining through them at all. Sending forth an army of their own, they are out to get the last star and stuff her out. Escaping the NovaLight, Olette, the golden fox, heads to anyplace where she can escape the Shadows. Landing, she meets up with twin sisters, Celesse and Lianna, and four of their friends. Between these six and Olette, they come up with a plan to destroy the Shadows. With the six bringing forth their Stars, and Olette as the Blue star, they set out to destroy the Shadows the only way they know how by producing the brightest light possible.
This was quite an interesting fantasy that brings the reader to one conclusion: it’s a story of good versus evil. It reminded me a lot of the Star War series where Luke's father turns to the dark side as Darth Vadar. Here we find Ayanna’s father, a once powerful star, turned to the dark side and become a Shadow. Reading this book from a Christian’s point of view, what came to my mind is that we all fight a battle between good and evil. If we let the evil, the darkness, distinguish our light, then we are without any power; we are no better than the Shadows. Dark hearts are cold because they are devoid of good things like love and peace, like light has. The book is cleanly written, and I found it to have a very great moral to the story. As with Ayanna’s father, a truly repentant heart can have its light shine brightly again.
-------------------
Well, there's one small credit to look great when I'm sending out to agents! Thanks so much, Readers favorite, for a beautiful review!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Bloodmaiden Wins Honorable Mention in the 2011 Readers Favorite Awards
I am pleased to announce the awesome news that Bloodmaiden placed in the 2011 Readers Favorite Contest! It was a Finalist in two categories. In the end of things, it ended up being a Finalist for Christian Fantasy and won an Honorable Mention for Children-Pre-teen. It also received a five-star review from Readers Favorite.
Thanks for everyone's support, God bless, and happy reading to all!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
The Chronicles of the Mira: Ebook Give-away!
And, of course, I am hosting a give-away. The print isn't out yet, so this will be for the ebook version. Three winners will receive an ecopy of the anthology!
To enter, simply:
1. Comment here! Tell me which you like best: fairies or elves. You can talk about your favorite type, a kind you made up, whatever!
2. Be sure to leave your email address! If you win, I want you to get your ebook.
* The contest will go on until the end of September.
And let the entering commence!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Golden Healer, Dark Enchantress: Enter to Win!
In honor of the very first blog tour for Golden Healer, Dark Enchantress, and its companion, Tears of a Vampire Prince, I am hosting a give away here on my own blog, as usual. Three winners will receive a paperback copy of both books.
All you need do this time to enter is:
1. Tell me what your favorite vampire or type of vampire is.
2. Leave your email address so I can send word to the winners.
And let the blogging and posting and winning begin!
~ Christine E. Schulze
All you need do this time to enter is:
1. Tell me what your favorite vampire or type of vampire is.
2. Leave your email address so I can send word to the winners.
And let the blogging and posting and winning begin!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Gailean Quartet Blog Tour Schedule
I just wanted to update everyone and let them know that the schedule for The Gailean Quartet tour is now officially set. Starting on June 27, you can check out the layout here:
Teen Book Scene Tour
Also, for those who wish to enter the giveaway accompanying the blog tour, you can start leaving your comments here:
Thanks, enjoy, and again, God bless and best to all who enter!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Teen Book Scene Tour
Also, for those who wish to enter the giveaway accompanying the blog tour, you can start leaving your comments here:
Thanks, enjoy, and again, God bless and best to all who enter!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
New Blog for Writers-Exchange Authors
Hello, fellow readers and writers. I wanted to announce that Writers-Exchange has opened up a new blog for their authors, like myself. If you'd like to check out my writings about The Stregoni Sequence and other WEE-exclusive books, or check out other WEE authors, be sure to visit here:
http://www.writers-exchange.com/blog/archives/50
Thanks so much for the support, God bless, and happy reading to all!
~ Christine E. Schulze
http://www.writers-exchange.com/blog/archives/50
Thanks so much for the support, God bless, and happy reading to all!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Monday, May 23, 2011
Enter to win: BLOODMAIDEN, the end of the Bookish Snob Promotions Tour
Hello, and thank you to all who have joined the exciting blog tour for my YA Christian fantasy, Bloodmaiden, as well as to those just joining in!
I would especially like to thank Bels at Bookish Snob Promotions for setting up this brilliant tour, as well as all bloggers who allowed me to participate on their site. It was a fun and rewarding experience, and I look forward to future tours.
Now, for the final contest! I would like to offer three copies of Bloodmaiden for giveaway. The three winners will also see their names in an upcoming book of mine; they will be notified of the book's completion and will receive a free copy of the ebook and/or print book.
In order to enter the contest, all you have to do is comment below, telling me the following:
1. Your email address
2. Your favorite fantasy creature or race--who knows, if you win, you might see this creature or actually be one when I create your character.
3. Tell me the name you would like your character to have. It can be your real name or one you just really like.
* The contest will last from May 23rd through May 31st.
And that's it!
Thanks so much to everyone who participates; please comment below to enter!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The Gailean Quartet: First Official Blog Tour!
I am proud to say that I have secured my first blog tour for my magical, musical, young adult Christian fantasy series, The Gailean Quartet. Teen Book Scene is being awesome enough to run a three-week tour from me. The dates are June 27 – July 16, and you can follow along on their website once it gets started.
I'm writing this post though because, once the tour is over, I will be giving away a copy of the entire four-book collection in paperback copies. The winner will also be placed in one of my next books. If you would like to enter to win, this is the post to comment on!
ENTER TO WIN THE GAILEAN QUARTET BELOW!
Here's all you have to do to enter:Comment on this post; if you win, I will place you in a book, so tell me what your favorite fantasy creature is (fairy, elf, vampire, nymph, etc.) and why. Who knows; you might meet or even be such a creature in my book!
*In the post, be sure to include your email address so I can contact you!
Let the blog tour begin, and best to all who enter!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Vote for Golden Healer, Dark Enchantress
My ebook, Golden Healer, Dark Enchantress, has been nominated at Romance Reviews for best Fantasy Romance of 2010! Please stop by at the following link to vote for my book:
http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=230
Winners receive a free promotional package for their book!
Thanks and God bless to all contestants!
~ Christine E. Schulze
http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=230
Winners receive a free promotional package for their book!
Thanks and God bless to all contestants!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
YAB Authors ForEVER
Hi, YA authors and readers! I've just created a blog where YA authors can promote their work through interviews, guest posts, character interviews, give aways, etc.
If you're an author in need of some promotion (who isn't, eh?) or just a nosy reader, please stop by:
http://www.yabauthorsforever.blogspot.com/
God bless, happy reading and writing, and may you be inspired!
~ Christine E. Schulze
If you're an author in need of some promotion (who isn't, eh?) or just a nosy reader, please stop by:
http://www.yabauthorsforever.blogspot.com/
God bless, happy reading and writing, and may you be inspired!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Broken and Black Lace: the makings of
In order to complete the work begun with Bloodmaiden: a fantasy anthology, I've decided to create a trilogy of anthologies. The others will be called Broken and Black Lace. Filled with fantasy--some dark, some light--suspense, romance, horror, and adventure, these last two collections will be published with Rebecca J. Vickery, the publisher who published the Bloodmaiden anthology with her Victory Tales Press.
Here you'll find a collection of pictures, including coverart for the books, followed by my recent photo shoot to create the cover of Black Lace, the latest and last to be written into the three-book collection.
In some of the photos, you will notice artwork depicting ravens. Though I did not use any of the artwork depicted in the photos for my cover, I would still like to give credit to the inspiration of the artists, Karen Bondarchuk, Josh Rowan and Teresa Wang, and their collection entitled Evermore. Special thanks to Southwestern Illinois College's Schmidt Art Center for allowing us to shoot photos, especially around that darling little piano. Also, thanks to SWIC's theatre...even though they didn't know we were in there, filming away. ^_^
Thanks also to the lovely, red-headed Kayla, whom I like to call my "posing director and consultant"; my curly-headed sweetheart and photographer, Jonathan; and the most wonderfully cynical Phil, who seems to be in denial in his photo about his involvement with anything (perhaps because his sole purpose was to distract me and make me laugh while being photographed).
All that said, do enjoy the photos, and look for the books' release, hopefully in the next several months or so!
~ Christine E. Schulze
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Silent Hero: a second go
Well, I re-read Silent Hero, and while I did find it to be not quite as awful as some made it out to be, it did need a read-through. As before, I didn't do as thorough a read-through as I would have for my original works, noting every comma, syllable, and vowel; however, I did need to make changes of things that didn't make sense. For example, the scene where Link and Midna meet Nayru and Midna mentions meeting Farore and Din earlier...yeah, only, that never happened...
Sigh. Just goes to show that if you're a serious author in other aspects, you can't just throw a fanfic out there like the rest of the world. Well, it at least makes sense now, even if people don't like it.
Re-reading was good for me too because it helped me figure out that there was more romance in it than I thought. While not a romance book, it does contain a romance story of sorts between Link and Midna. Probably another reason some readers were turned off; though, as ever with fan fiction, people will get very defensive, and what one loves, another will hate. Still, folks, it's just a story.
Well, there you have it. I am either brave or stupid, as only time will tell. For now, I bid readers enjoy "Silent Hero" as they may, and especially my other works as well.
Sigh. Just goes to show that if you're a serious author in other aspects, you can't just throw a fanfic out there like the rest of the world. Well, it at least makes sense now, even if people don't like it.
Re-reading was good for me too because it helped me figure out that there was more romance in it than I thought. While not a romance book, it does contain a romance story of sorts between Link and Midna. Probably another reason some readers were turned off; though, as ever with fan fiction, people will get very defensive, and what one loves, another will hate. Still, folks, it's just a story.
Well, there you have it. I am either brave or stupid, as only time will tell. For now, I bid readers enjoy "Silent Hero" as they may, and especially my other works as well.
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