Candid Moments

Reviewers are an unpredictable lot. One need only pick a book on the website of their favorite retailer to read evaluations that run from high praise ("A beautifully written page-turner [...] cannot recommend this book too highly") to outright condemnation ("full of cliches and unclear language [...] desperately needs a real editor.") It only goes to prove the old saying, "You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time." I haven't yet heard from someone who detests As the Crow Flies, but I hold my breath every time I see a new review go up. My head swells over comments about the witty dialogue, the fast-pace, the mastering of voice. The book has been compared to the works of Ursula LeGuin, Joe Abercrombie, David Eddings—and now Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.

Say whaaaat...?

I had to laugh. While *I* wouldn't have picked that last analogy, I can't complain about the company. I'll be the first to tell you that As the Crow Flies is more of a light read than the trending "dark and gritty fantasy," and I love hearing that the book made people laugh. Still, while it has its comedic moments, I wouldn't go so far as to call it "slapstick." I might be a little disgruntled over that description, but hey—the book still earned three out of the reviewer's four stars, for which I am humbly grateful, and it still came "absolutely" recommended. Can't get much better than that.

And so, with the song "We're off on the road to <pick your favorite>", I present to you the results of the professional photo shoot for As the Crow Flies. Oo, la la...

(Photos courtesy of Boyd Lythgoe)

Now I have to go find one of those movies to watch... Oish.

Reviewers are an unpredictable lot. One need only pick a book on the website of their favorite retailer to read evaluations that run from high praise ("A beautifully written page-turner [...] cannot recommend this book too highly") to outright condemnation ("full of cliches and unclear language [...] desperately needs a real editor.") It only goes to prove the old saying, "You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time." I haven't yet heard from someone who detests As the Crow Flies, but I hold my breath every time I see a new review go up. My head swells over comments about the witty dialogue, the fast-pace, the mastering of voice. The book has been compared to the works of Ursula LeGuin, Joe Abercrombie, David Eddings—and now Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.

Say whaaaat...?

I had to laugh. While *I* wouldn't have picked that last analogy, I can't complain about the company. I'll be the first to tell you that As the Crow Flies is more of a light read than the trending "dark and gritty fantasy," and I love hearing that the book made people laugh. Still, while it has its comedic moments, I wouldn't go so far as to call it "slapstick." I might be a little disgruntled over that description, but hey—the book still earned three out of the reviewer's four stars, for which I am humbly grateful, and it still came "absolutely" recommended. Can't get much better than that.

And so, with the song "We're off on the road to <pick your favorite>", I present to you the results of the professional photo shoot for As the Crow Flies. Oo, la la...

(Photos courtesy of Boyd Lythgoe)

Now I have to go find one of those movies to watch... Oish.

Blog Tour

Waldo is back! For those of you who missed the exciting story, we rescued a baby robin. He got tagged with the name "Waldo" when we took him outside, and then couldn't ever see where he was. "Where's Waldo?" The neat thing, though, was that he would chirp at us, then hop/flap out of hiding to come visit. A couple days after letting him go, he disappeared. "Typical teenager," we complained. "Leaves home and doesn't even call!" Now that he's back, he's a little wary of us. He lets us get close (but no touching!) and he let my husband feed him a worm (from a polite distance). But that's all right. It's just good to know he's doing well. :)

All right, enough with as the robin flies, and onto As the Crow Flies! We're entering the final stretch of the book tour! I hope you've signed up for the giveaway and made sure to comment on a couple of the posts where they're being hosted by my oh-so-generous bloggers—those comments may land you a free e-book, and it's a great way to show your appreciation.

So, what are we doing today? I'm glad you asked! Over on Mathew Reuther's blog I talk about The Attraction of Voice and why it's important in the books we read—and write!

"It grabs your reader’s attention and makes a connection with them. It’s memorable. The authors you read repeatedly have seduced you with their voice." 

Unless you're looking for it, "voice" is one of those qualities that is easy to miss—and it should be! Drop on over and pay us a visit!

And then skip over to RK Grow's blog, where she's got a couple of excerpts from the book for you to enjoy: As The Crow Flies by Robin Lythgoe.

Here are the links to previous posts so you can catch up:

Kristie Kiessling, Directions for the Journey — Interview, Excerpt, Giveaway

AE Marling, The Importance of the Impossible — Interview

Zinc Universe — Interview and Excerpts

Three Blank Pages —Review and Giveaway

Marsha A. Moore — Guest Post

Patricia Reding — Interview

And last, but not least, the entry form for the giveaway. Can't forget that!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waldo is back! For those of you who missed the exciting story, we rescued a baby robin. He got tagged with the name "Waldo" when we took him outside, and then couldn't ever see where he was. "Where's Waldo?" The neat thing, though, was that he would chirp at us, then hop/flap out of hiding to come visit. A couple days after letting him go, he disappeared. "Typical teenager," we complained. "Leaves home and doesn't even call!" Now that he's back, he's a little wary of us. He lets us get close (but no touching!) and he let my husband feed him a worm (from a polite distance). But that's all right. It's just good to know he's doing well. :)

All right, enough with as the robin flies, and onto As the Crow Flies! We're entering the final stretch of the book tour! I hope you've signed up for the giveaway and made sure to comment on a couple of the posts where they're being hosted by my oh-so-generous bloggers—those comments may land you a free e-book, and it's a great way to show your appreciation.

So, what are we doing today? I'm glad you asked! Over on Mathew Reuther's blog I talk about The Attraction of Voice and why it's important in the books we read—and write!

"It grabs your reader’s attention and makes a connection with them. It’s memorable. The authors you read repeatedly have seduced you with their voice." 

Unless you're looking for it, "voice" is one of those qualities that is easy to miss—and it should be! Drop on over and pay us a visit!

And then skip over to RK Grow's blog, where she's got a couple of excerpts from the book for you to enjoy: As The Crow Flies by Robin Lythgoe.

Here are the links to previous posts so you can catch up:

Kristie Kiessling, Directions for the Journey — Interview, Excerpt, Giveaway

AE Marling, The Importance of the Impossible — Interview

Zinc Universe — Interview and Excerpts

Three Blank Pages —Review and Giveaway

Marsha A. Moore — Guest Post

Patricia Reding — Interview

And last, but not least, the entry form for the giveaway. Can't forget that!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Day 5

Are you enjoying this ride as much as I am? I hope so! Today I have three goodies to share with you—and there's still the giveaway, too. Make sure you sign up for that, and don't forget that digital versions of As the Crow Flies are being awarded to random commenters on the blogs of my wonderful tour hosts.

On her blog, Disciples of the Fount, Louise Blankenship interviews Tarsha, the love of Crow's life. Allow me to give you a peek:

So, Tarsha, how did you and Crow meet?  

I am, as I’m sure you’ve heard, a professional dancer. Crow came to all of my shows and it wasn’t hard to tell he was completely smitten. Of course a lot of men are smitten and it is something I’ve become used to. He wanted to see me—off the stage, you know—but I turned him down.

Decide for yourself if it's true love or something else entirely when you read the rest of the story!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brandon Wright of Indie Author Book Reviews did—Wait for it!—a book review, and gave me a thrilling 9.0/10.0 (stars? points? french fries?).

 "This book came with me everywhere I went and while I had a spare minute, I was reading this book."

If you want to read the rest of his review (and I think you do!), you can zip over to his site here: As the Crow Flies.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brandon Ellis (Don't get confused by two Brandons!) of The PureLights let me take up space over on his blog talking about Mining Ideas.

The subject of where writers get their ideas seems to be a hot one recently—in my circles, anyway. Frankly, the notion of a writer being without ideas boggles me. We live in an idea-rich age, with a plethora of books, movies, news, music, graphics, events, museums, online interaction, and opportunity for personal experiences. It’s a gold mine! The truth is that the writer with the empty poetic pan simply refuses to do the work involved in turning information into useable concepts, starting with constantly searching for useful tidbits. Like most talents, this one takes practice, but it can be fun!

Click here to read the rest of the article.

And be sure to catch up on the rest of the tour here:

Kristie Kiessling, Directions for the Journey — Interview, Excerpt, Giveaway

AE Marling, The Importance of the Impossible — Interview

Zinc Universe — Interview and Excerpts

Three Blank Pages —Review and Giveaway

Marsha A. Moore — Guest Post

Patricia Reding — Interview

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Are you enjoying this ride as much as I am? I hope so! Today I have three goodies to share with you—and there's still the giveaway, too. Make sure you sign up for that, and don't forget that digital versions of As the Crow Flies are being awarded to random commenters on the blogs of my wonderful tour hosts.

On her blog, Disciples of the Fount, Louise Blankenship interviews Tarsha, the love of Crow's life. Allow me to give you a peek:

So, Tarsha, how did you and Crow meet?  

I am, as I’m sure you’ve heard, a professional dancer. Crow came to all of my shows and it wasn’t hard to tell he was completely smitten. Of course a lot of men are smitten and it is something I’ve become used to. He wanted to see me—off the stage, you know—but I turned him down.

Decide for yourself if it's true love or something else entirely when you read the rest of the story!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brandon Wright of Indie Author Book Reviews did—Wait for it!—a book review, and gave me a thrilling 9.0/10.0 (stars? points? french fries?).

 "This book came with me everywhere I went and while I had a spare minute, I was reading this book."

If you want to read the rest of his review (and I think you do!), you can zip over to his site here: As the Crow Flies.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brandon Ellis (Don't get confused by two Brandons!) of The PureLights let me take up space over on his blog talking about Mining Ideas.

The subject of where writers get their ideas seems to be a hot one recently—in my circles, anyway. Frankly, the notion of a writer being without ideas boggles me. We live in an idea-rich age, with a plethora of books, movies, news, music, graphics, events, museums, online interaction, and opportunity for personal experiences. It’s a gold mine! The truth is that the writer with the empty poetic pan simply refuses to do the work involved in turning information into useable concepts, starting with constantly searching for useful tidbits. Like most talents, this one takes practice, but it can be fun!

Click here to read the rest of the article.

And be sure to catch up on the rest of the tour here:

Kristie Kiessling, Directions for the Journey — Interview, Excerpt, Giveaway

AE Marling, The Importance of the Impossible — Interview

Zinc Universe — Interview and Excerpts

Three Blank Pages —Review and Giveaway

Marsha A. Moore — Guest Post

Patricia Reding — Interview

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: Day 4

Day 4! Can you believe it? We're right in the middle of the tour, and I have two guest spots. One of the unexpected benefits of this shindig has been all the thinking it's forced me to do; I don't often think about why I do what I do beyond the fact that I really enjoy it. Lately I've been digging into the juicy meat of things. On Marsha A. Moore's blog, Illusions of Intimacy, we talk about what inspires me to write fantasy and how the components of the genre affect the characters.

Today I will happily read almost any fiction, but as I started reaping the library stacks on my own, it was to fantasy I was most drawn. Oh, the magic! Not just the spells and talismans and wizards and elves, which I adore, but the intricate worlds, the strange creatures, the very construction of those amazing foreign settings! 

You can read the rest here: Why I Write Fantasy—and toss your two cents into the bucket. Why do you write—or read—fantasy? What influenced your choice?

My other engagement (doesn't that sound flamboyant?) has a bit of a story behind it. I recently met a kindred spirit over on GoodReads. Patricia Reding and I hit it off right away, delighted to learn that we both speak sarcasm fluently. I wanted to do an interview with her on my blog (you can meet here here: Guest Interview), and she wanted to feature me on hers. Cool, right?

As the Crow Flies possessed that rare and unusual thing—that thing that made me want more. Robin, through her ready wit, had managed to create a unique story line and fully formed and relatable characters. Moreover, it was clear that Robin had a clear understanding of--that indeed she fluently spoke—my second language--sarcasm. Best of all, Robin displays a fun and unique voice that made me know I would want—no, that I would need—to read more from this gifted writer. 

Is that an awesome introduction or what?? Amazingly, there's an "and" what. Read on. You'll see.

In her interview, Trish posed some questions that twisted my brain. I had to walk away and think about a few of them. And she uses em-dashes as prolifically as I do. Clearly, we're on the same wave length. Please check out our chat here: Robin Lythgoe  and feel free to comment or ask questions. We'd love the visit!

So not only did this lovely woman give me her time and space on her blog, but we've had a running chat going ever since that first email about the interviews. We talked about the birds and the bees—er, her children's graduations (and you do remember the bird, I hope?), the humor of typos, the overwhelming joy of having the flu (not!), and stayed away from my jealousy that she was going to BookExpo America. She read As the Crow Flies (You guessed that already, didn't you?). And then she knocked my socks right off with her review. If you see them anywhere, please send them back to me. In the meantime, please read what she had to say:

As the Crow Flies  tells the tale of Crow, a witty, sarcastic thief who steals your heart from the earliest pages. Truly, there are so many things to love about As the Crow Flies, that it is hard to know where to begin. 

The author’s characters are neatly drawn and are given quirks and manners of speech that are unique and consistent. The reader will never forget that Crow is a thief, for if not his first, then his last thought in nearly every situation in which he finds himself, will be Crow’s consideration of what he can do to “re-arrange” the goods of others.

Read the rest here—then get up and do a Snoopy dance with me. This is a fantastic review, not just because it's glowing, but because Trish actually says what's good and why, rather than giving another recap of the blurb or falling into the generic review pattern. Please let her know what an amazing job she did. Maybe we can convince her to write an article about how to review books...

Catch up on the Blog Tour Fun:

Kristie Kiessling, Directions for the Journey — Interview, Excerpt, Giveaway

AE Marling, The Importance of the Impossible — Interview

Zinc Universe — Interview and Excerpts

Three Blank Pages —Review and Giveaway

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Day 4! Can you believe it? We're right in the middle of the tour, and I have two guest spots. One of the unexpected benefits of this shindig has been all the thinking it's forced me to do; I don't often think about why I do what I do beyond the fact that I really enjoy it. Lately I've been digging into the juicy meat of things. On Marsha A. Moore's blog, Illusions of Intimacy, we talk about what inspires me to write fantasy and how the components of the genre affect the characters.

Today I will happily read almost any fiction, but as I started reaping the library stacks on my own, it was to fantasy I was most drawn. Oh, the magic! Not just the spells and talismans and wizards and elves, which I adore, but the intricate worlds, the strange creatures, the very construction of those amazing foreign settings! 

You can read the rest here: Why I Write Fantasy—and toss your two cents into the bucket. Why do you write—or read—fantasy? What influenced your choice?

My other engagement (doesn't that sound flamboyant?) has a bit of a story behind it. I recently met a kindred spirit over on GoodReads. Patricia Reding and I hit it off right away, delighted to learn that we both speak sarcasm fluently. I wanted to do an interview with her on my blog (you can meet here here: Guest Interview), and she wanted to feature me on hers. Cool, right?

As the Crow Flies possessed that rare and unusual thing—that thing that made me want more. Robin, through her ready wit, had managed to create a unique story line and fully formed and relatable characters. Moreover, it was clear that Robin had a clear understanding of--that indeed she fluently spoke—my second language--sarcasm. Best of all, Robin displays a fun and unique voice that made me know I would want—no, that I would need—to read more from this gifted writer. 

Is that an awesome introduction or what?? Amazingly, there's an "and" what. Read on. You'll see.

In her interview, Trish posed some questions that twisted my brain. I had to walk away and think about a few of them. And she uses em-dashes as prolifically as I do. Clearly, we're on the same wave length. Please check out our chat here: Robin Lythgoe  and feel free to comment or ask questions. We'd love the visit!

So not only did this lovely woman give me her time and space on her blog, but we've had a running chat going ever since that first email about the interviews. We talked about the birds and the bees—er, her children's graduations (and you do remember the bird, I hope?), the humor of typos, the overwhelming joy of having the flu (not!), and stayed away from my jealousy that she was going to BookExpo America. She read As the Crow Flies (You guessed that already, didn't you?). And then she knocked my socks right off with her review. If you see them anywhere, please send them back to me. In the meantime, please read what she had to say:

As the Crow Flies  tells the tale of Crow, a witty, sarcastic thief who steals your heart from the earliest pages. Truly, there are so many things to love about As the Crow Flies, that it is hard to know where to begin. 

The author’s characters are neatly drawn and are given quirks and manners of speech that are unique and consistent. The reader will never forget that Crow is a thief, for if not his first, then his last thought in nearly every situation in which he finds himself, will be Crow’s consideration of what he can do to “re-arrange” the goods of others.

Read the rest here—then get up and do a Snoopy dance with me. This is a fantastic review, not just because it's glowing, but because Trish actually says what's good and why, rather than giving another recap of the blurb or falling into the generic review pattern. Please let her know what an amazing job she did. Maybe we can convince her to write an article about how to review books...

Catch up on the Blog Tour Fun:

Kristie Kiessling, Directions for the Journey — Interview, Excerpt, Giveaway

AE Marling, The Importance of the Impossible — Interview

Zinc Universe — Interview and Excerpts

Three Blank Pages —Review and Giveaway

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Day 3

Day three of the blog tour brings a fine tangle of miscommunication (which is why I'm so late posting this!), but Crow shall prevail! He is, after all, beloved of the gods, right?

So, what happened? I thought I sent information to someone, then I couldn't find any trace of said email, so I sent it again, but I never heard back... Unfortunately, these things happen, even on the best of days. And unfortunately, I don't have "Easy" or "Do-over" buttons! I hope we'll be able to reschedule. In the meantime, I have an excerpt for you and, in case you missed any of the tour goodness we've featured so far, here's the lineup:

Kristie Kiessling, Directions for the Journey — Interview, Excerpt, Giveaway
AE Marling, The Importance of the Impossible — Interview
Zinc Universe — Interview and Excerpts
Three Blank Pages —Review and Giveaway

And don't forget to enter the giveaway, which is listed below as well as in the places aforementioned. I want to point out that a few random commenters will receive a digital copy of As the Crow Flies, too. So, speak up! Observe! Reflect! Opine!

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

The two men came into the cage and hauled me unceremoniously to my feet. My knees buckled. They caught me before I fell and dragged my arms up across their broad shoulders. They were so tall that my toes barely scraped the ground as they carted me off down a dim corridor. My head swam with pain and my vision blurred. What felt like eternity could have been no more than minutes, and then they deposited my carcass on the floor. While I blinked stupidly up at Tanris, one of them held me down with a foot on my chest while the other removed my boots and my belt.

“Slop bucket in the corner,” he said, pointing. “Meal in the morning. I wouldn’t waste it, as it will be the only one you get for the day. If you get chilly, there’s a blanket at the foot of the bed.” He grinned and bowed extravagantly. “Enjoy your stay.”

The door thudded closed behind him, immediately immersing me in darkness so black that not even my excellent eyesight could penetrate it. Panic grabbed me by the gut and yanked me into motion. “Tanris!” I yelled, scrambling for the door. The thud of a bolt sliding into place answered me. “Tanris! Don’t do this!” Another bolt slammed. I pounded the thick wood with my fist. “Tanris!” The third bolt gave a scream of delight as it locked. Muted laughter came from the corridor, then nothing.

I banged on the door with both fists, then put my sore hands to better use searching for a handle. Again, nothing. The walls and ceiling closed in on me, and I sank to the floor, pressing my back against the door. My breath was loud and harsh in my ears. In and out, in and out. Like a bellows. Stars danced in front of my eyes, and my lips and fingers tingled strangely. Had Tanris poisoned me?

Reason battled with Panic, slowly gaining a small advantage. Tanris had already got what he wanted. Me. In a cell. He had no need of poison. His pleasure depended on putting me in a cage forever, not by killing me quickly. I concentrated on breathing slowly and carefully. I had to think.

How had I fallen into his hands?

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

a Rafflecopter giveaway

("Easy" button courtesy of devzign at DeviantArt)

Day three of the blog tour brings a fine tangle of miscommunication (which is why I'm so late posting this!), but Crow shall prevail! He is, after all, beloved of the gods, right?

So, what happened? I thought I sent information to someone, then I couldn't find any trace of said email, so I sent it again, but I never heard back... Unfortunately, these things happen, even on the best of days. And unfortunately, I don't have "Easy" or "Do-over" buttons! I hope we'll be able to reschedule. In the meantime, I have an excerpt for you and, in case you missed any of the tour goodness we've featured so far, here's the lineup:

Kristie Kiessling, Directions for the Journey — Interview, Excerpt, Giveaway
AE Marling, The Importance of the Impossible — Interview
Zinc Universe — Interview and Excerpts
Three Blank Pages —Review and Giveaway

And don't forget to enter the giveaway, which is listed below as well as in the places aforementioned. I want to point out that a few random commenters will receive a digital copy of As the Crow Flies, too. So, speak up! Observe! Reflect! Opine!

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

The two men came into the cage and hauled me unceremoniously to my feet. My knees buckled. They caught me before I fell and dragged my arms up across their broad shoulders. They were so tall that my toes barely scraped the ground as they carted me off down a dim corridor. My head swam with pain and my vision blurred. What felt like eternity could have been no more than minutes, and then they deposited my carcass on the floor. While I blinked stupidly up at Tanris, one of them held me down with a foot on my chest while the other removed my boots and my belt.

“Slop bucket in the corner,” he said, pointing. “Meal in the morning. I wouldn’t waste it, as it will be the only one you get for the day. If you get chilly, there’s a blanket at the foot of the bed.” He grinned and bowed extravagantly. “Enjoy your stay.”

The door thudded closed behind him, immediately immersing me in darkness so black that not even my excellent eyesight could penetrate it. Panic grabbed me by the gut and yanked me into motion. “Tanris!” I yelled, scrambling for the door. The thud of a bolt sliding into place answered me. “Tanris! Don’t do this!” Another bolt slammed. I pounded the thick wood with my fist. “Tanris!” The third bolt gave a scream of delight as it locked. Muted laughter came from the corridor, then nothing.

I banged on the door with both fists, then put my sore hands to better use searching for a handle. Again, nothing. The walls and ceiling closed in on me, and I sank to the floor, pressing my back against the door. My breath was loud and harsh in my ears. In and out, in and out. Like a bellows. Stars danced in front of my eyes, and my lips and fingers tingled strangely. Had Tanris poisoned me?

Reason battled with Panic, slowly gaining a small advantage. Tanris had already got what he wanted. Me. In a cell. He had no need of poison. His pleasure depended on putting me in a cage forever, not by killing me quickly. I concentrated on breathing slowly and carefully. I had to think.

How had I fallen into his hands?

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

a Rafflecopter giveaway

("Easy" button courtesy of devzign at DeviantArt)

Blog Tour: Day 2

It's the second day of my tour, and things are hoppin'! It's such fun chatting with folks who take the time to comment, and I'm not sure there's anything that can make an author's day like hearing that her book is "very well written and engaging." I'm still smiling!

Two more fantastic bloggers are featuring me and Crow today. 

Nastasia and Amber over at ZincUniverse are so warm and funny! And I'll have to say that they were just as creative with their interviews as Kristie Kiessling and AE Marling were yesterday. I've so enjoyed the offbeat questions, like these two:

• Is there a character in your book that you would really like to slap? Or give a good talking to?
• Which character do you feel most protective of?

Do you want to know how I answered? Please go check out the interview here: Author Feature with Robin Lythgoe—and we'd love to hear your thoughts or questions!

BJ Almeda from Three Blank Pages gave As the Crow Flies a positively charming review that only made my smile grow bigger. 4.5/5 stars! Woot! He's been wonderful to work with, too, and I'm not even counting (much) the way he made my head swell. It was hard to pick a favorite line from what he had to say, but how about this one?

"Crow, the main character, is so lovable and he was a thief, mind you."

I hope you'll go read the rest of his review here: As the Crow Flies by Robin Lythgoe BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY. You'll smile, too!

Have you entered the giveaway yet?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's the second day of my tour, and things are hoppin'! It's such fun chatting with folks who take the time to comment, and I'm not sure there's anything that can make an author's day like hearing that her book is "very well written and engaging." I'm still smiling!

Two more fantastic bloggers are featuring me and Crow today. 

Nastasia and Amber over at ZincUniverse are so warm and funny! And I'll have to say that they were just as creative with their interviews as Kristie Kiessling and AE Marling were yesterday. I've so enjoyed the offbeat questions, like these two:

• Is there a character in your book that you would really like to slap? Or give a good talking to?
• Which character do you feel most protective of?

Do you want to know how I answered? Please go check out the interview here: Author Feature with Robin Lythgoe—and we'd love to hear your thoughts or questions!

BJ Almeda from Three Blank Pages gave As the Crow Flies a positively charming review that only made my smile grow bigger. 4.5/5 stars! Woot! He's been wonderful to work with, too, and I'm not even counting (much) the way he made my head swell. It was hard to pick a favorite line from what he had to say, but how about this one?

"Crow, the main character, is so lovable and he was a thief, mind you."

I hope you'll go read the rest of his review here: As the Crow Flies by Robin Lythgoe BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY. You'll smile, too!

Have you entered the giveaway yet?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour Kick-off!

It's the beginning of a new week—a new month!—and I am so excited to be kicking off the official Blog Tour for As the Crow Flies! I want to thank everyone that is participating this tour, helping me celebrate the release of the paperback edition of the book. It means so much to me that you would give your time and space on your blogs to share my book.

I'll be posting links each day for the participating blogs so be sure to check them out. AND... There's a giveaway during the tour. Don't miss out! (check below)

Getting this show started is my wonderful friend and writing partner, Kristie Kiessling:

I often blog about my friend Robin Lythgoe. I do that because I believe in her talent and I want to spread the word about her stories. Her latest adventure is a Blog Tour. June 3-9, Robin will be virtually visiting some blogs around the web to promote her book, "As the Crow Flies." It is my privilege to have tour to begin here and my honor to have Robin as my guest at Directions for the Journey. 

I had such fun with our interview! You can read it here: Guest Interview: Robin Lythgoe, author of "As the Crow Flies", and be sure to show her some blog-lovin' with your comments!

And if one interview was fun, two is twice as nice! I first met author AE Marling when he commented on a review I posted for his book, Brood of Bones. We hit it off right away, and I soon became a proud member of his Reading Vanguard—and I was pleased as punch to add him to mine. Here's how he starts things off:

I wanted to learn about the person who had written such epic thievery. Me being me, I of course asked her first what she loves best about the fantasy genre. Her answer? 

Creativity. 

Now explain why you chose that word.

Hop on over to his blog to discover the answer to that and other burning questions: Author Interview: Robin Lythgoe. Let us know what you think! We want to hear from you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's the beginning of a new week—a new month!—and I am so excited to be kicking off the official Blog Tour for As the Crow Flies! I want to thank everyone that is participating this tour, helping me celebrate the release of the paperback edition of the book. It means so much to me that you would give your time and space on your blogs to share my book.

I'll be posting links each day for the participating blogs so be sure to check them out. AND... There's a giveaway during the tour. Don't miss out! (check below)

Getting this show started is my wonderful friend and writing partner, Kristie Kiessling:

I often blog about my friend Robin Lythgoe. I do that because I believe in her talent and I want to spread the word about her stories. Her latest adventure is a Blog Tour. June 3-9, Robin will be virtually visiting some blogs around the web to promote her book, "As the Crow Flies." It is my privilege to have tour to begin here and my honor to have Robin as my guest at Directions for the Journey. 

I had such fun with our interview! You can read it here: Guest Interview: Robin Lythgoe, author of "As the Crow Flies", and be sure to show her some blog-lovin' with your comments!

And if one interview was fun, two is twice as nice! I first met author AE Marling when he commented on a review I posted for his book, Brood of Bones. We hit it off right away, and I soon became a proud member of his Reading Vanguard—and I was pleased as punch to add him to mine. Here's how he starts things off:

I wanted to learn about the person who had written such epic thievery. Me being me, I of course asked her first what she loves best about the fantasy genre. Her answer? 

Creativity. 

Now explain why you chose that word.

Hop on over to his blog to discover the answer to that and other burning questions: Author Interview: Robin Lythgoe. Let us know what you think! We want to hear from you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway