New upcoming book from DragonKey Press: My Friend, Toggle by Allison Platero

 I would like to announce a new book being released by DragonKey Press, My Friend, Toggle by Allison Platero!

 

 

Come with us as we find a friend for toggle the frog. 

Learn about a frog's habitat and eating habits, as well as where you can buy one as a pet.

 

 

Available at:  Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~  

Allison Platero was born in Southern Utah. She has two sons that love to read, which encouraged her to write books for children. Besides reading to her children, Allison loves to craft. Sewing is her favorite of all the crafts, and inspires her creativity. She loves to make stuffed animals for her boys and friends. Resin casting is also a favorite past time, and she loves using color changing pigment in her work. Allison is an avid lover of reading, particularly fantasy and manga.

Mice on Ice cover reveal

 Hey guys, it's finally time to show you the cover of my newest book, Mice on Ice!

Blurb: Jean loves to dance on ice. Her family doesn’t. When a neighboring town hosts a skating competition, Jean wants to prove dancing on ice is just as good as regular dancing.
A book about being true to yourself

 

And here it is!

 

Release date is set for November 1st. Links to where you can buy it will be posted at a later date.

 

 

Time Flies

 Hey, everyone. Happy late Father's Day and whatever other holidays I may have missed! The past few months have been crazy!

First, I am still working on doing line art for Mice on Ice, but am almost finished. Just one more to go, and then it's on to painting, formatting, and printing! I am still aiming for a late fall release, though I haven't ironed out the dates just yet. Definitely will get back to you on that one.

This past month also saw some productivity die as I had all of my wisdom teeth removed and it put me out of commission for a week due to some infection. Not fun. But, despite that, I've tried to keep on track as much as possible.

In the not too distant future, I will start sharing more about other projects I hope to get going on, but please know that Mice on Ice is on schedule!

All that said, I hope your summer is going well and that you get in a lot of reading!

Happy Mother's Day

 As its just about Mothers' Day, or is in some countries, I wanted to wish every mother a good one, no matter what kind of mother you may be.

And, a general update: I have started officially storyboarding my next children's book, Mice on Ice. I'm still aiming for a Fall release, just not sure on an exact date yet. There are a lot of things currently up in the air right now but I will try to let you know when I figure it out.

I also know that I've been really lousy at keeping  you all updated on everything. I apologize for that. There are some things in the works that I hope will make my absence worth it.

Updating before the April Fools Rush

 I thought about waiting until tomorrow to update everyone, but decided I'd best do it today since tomorrow is April 1st. And the info I have to share is no joke.

First off, I will be teaching at the Kanab Writer's Conference this year in November. Look for more information on that as it gets closer. I will be teaching two classes: Map Making for Fantasy Writers, and The Business Side of Self Publishing.

And, in news that makes me jump around with glee and giggle in excitement, my endeavors at screenwriting are paying off.

I don't know if I"ll make it into the next round, the semi-finals, but I figure, out of how knows how many hundreds of scripts, this is something to be celebrated.

In other news: I have rewritten my next children's book and will need to re-storyboard it, so that's still a work in progress. I am also working on two novels, which I have played with off and on for the last few years. 

Also in the works, a new podcast series on writing and creating characters, world building, and related. Not sure when I'll release that just yet, but it's in the planning stages. I am also considering doing an occasional podcast talking about my writing in general, along with whatever pops into my head at the time. I'll let you know if that becomes a thing or not.

And that's pretty much it, but still exciting. What exciting news do you guys have to share? I'd love to know.

Here's the latest update

 Hey everyone!

It's been a bit since I last gave an update so I thought I'd give you one now.

I am working on screenplays at the moment, mainly editing them and submitting them to various writing gigs and contests. I have two of the three for my Tarragon Trilogy in what I hope is their final, speculative form, and am working on the third.

I am also now offering openly offering editing services, from developmental to copy editing. Check out the new page, Editing Services, for more information.

The podcast is still in production as well, though I feel we are winding down on the Marketing aspect and I am more than open to ideas for further episodes on self-publishing. So, if you have one, or would like to ask any questions that I may not have covered yet, feel free to contact me or drop a comment.

And, finally, I am hoping to teach at several writing conferences this year, and have pitched classes for at least three different conferences. I don't know yet if I'll get any of them, but feel free to stay tuned for more info as I hear more.

I hope you are all well, and that your own writing is going well. And if you're just here for the books, I hope you have a good read.

As we approach Christmas....

 Hey everyone!

Again, I know it's been a hot minute since I last wrote anything here, given any kind of update, or anything. It's been.... a rough few months for me and my family.

I did want to let you know that I am still writing. I am still trying to figure out how to draw mice for another children's book I wrote back when I was a teenager. (Thanks to my mom for finding the manuscript before she passed.) I want to do it justice.  I am also still trying to edit my first, technically second, screenplay. Hopefully this one will be the first to actually be produced and put out there in movie format.

It is also the end of another year, or close enough to count. Definitely been a roller coaster of a ride. Had to move. My husband has had to change jobs more times than I care to count. He and I have both started podcasts, mine about writing and publishing, his about current events and Star Wars. But it's awesome how supportive he has been of me, and I try to be supportive of him.

There are still a lot of things up in the air, and  I'm not honestly sure how they'll land. Definitely had my fair share of heartache and not so awesomeness this past year and I'm seriously hoping 2023 treats us all better, a little kinder, a little less harshly.

There are many things in the works that I hope will go into fruition sooner than later. My screenplay being one, another book being another, among the mentioned illustrations of mice. Why am I so bad at drawing mice?! I'm also hoping to present some classes/panels at different writing conferences this year. I know I did last year, one in the digital library and one live, but I'd love to do so much more. Definitely going to be interesting to see how many I will actually get.

I hope to be able to get back into the grocery stores, selling my books in person. I miss doing that. I've published a few books since doing that as well, so hopefully will have something new to offer everyone who may remember me from a few years back.  Lots of plans, hopes, and dreams. Here's hoping they come true.

I hope your dreams and plans and wishes come true too.

And in case I don't write again until next year Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. (And Happy Holidays too!)