My Interview with The Scroll

I was recently interviewed by the BYU-I school newspaper called "The Scroll." It was a neat experience for me, and I was so happy to get the word out there about my book. My hope is that my fellow students see how possible writing and publishing is, and perhaps even that they read my book and enjoy it! The article can be found here:

http://www.byuicomm.net/student-publishes-book/

And Here It Is!

Lunula is now available in paperback format!

http://www.amazon.com/Lunula-Alyssa-Auch/dp/1623750326/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1349828323&sr=8-1

Paperback Release

Hello readers!

I'm excited to announce that the paperback version of Lunula should be available by November 20th! You have no idea how much I have been looking forward to physically holding a copy of my book in my hands. I don't know about you, but there's something extra special about real pages!

I also thought I'd add a little factoid about the book. Today's tidbit is about the word "lunula". First of all, I've had a couple of readers ask me how this is pronounced. It is said like this: "lune-you-luh". You can listen to the pronunciation here:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/lunula

Now, I know on that dictionary site it says a lunula is that half moon shape on your fingernail, and that is right. However, that's not where I got the word! In ancient Rome, young girls wore a necklace called a lunula until the eve of their marriage. It was then taken away as a symbol of becoming a woman. To be fair, I did find it on a Wikipedia article, so I'm not 100% positive on the authenticity of this tradition, but it did give me a great idea of what to name the magical amulet in my book. Here is the article I found:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulla_%28amulet%29

And now you know!

Free Lunula Copies

Starting tomorrow, October 16th, Lunula will be available for FREE until October 20th! So if you haven't gotten your copy yet, now would be the time!

As an author who loves to learn and grow, I would love feedback either on Amazon or other websites like Goodreads.com. You can also leave comments here or shoot me an email if you have any comments. I'm always willing to hear opinions either way.

Happy reading!

Lunula is Available!

Lunula is now available for Kindle download. Visit the link here to get your copy!

http://www.amazon.com/Lunula-ebook/dp/B009NINDRC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349739365&sr=8-1&keywords=Lunula

Cover coming soon!

I just got a look at the cover. I think you will all love it! I was impressed by the artwork, personally. I will put it up as soon as I get the okay that all the tweaks are done! I should be sometime this week.

7 days and counting!!

An Excerpt From Lunula

12 days and counting until the release of Lunula! In honor of that, I am adding a small excerpt from the book to pique your interest. Enjoy!

My body bolted upright the moment I heard him wake. The soft squeak of his cot signaled that I was no longer safe in a vulnerable sleeping position, and although my desire to continue sleeping was nearly stronger, I forced myself to be alert, and stood up. His elbows rested on his knees, and he rubbed his face, groaning as he moved his hands to ruffle his hair. When he looked over at me his forearms rested on his thighs, and he blinked in sleepy surprise. “My Fates, you’re still standing there.” His voice sounded husky with sleep.

       I didn’t trust my own, not having had water in several hours. When I didn’t say anything, he sighed and stood. “My lady, that ring allows you several hundred paces of freedom, and I cannot have you here while I prepare for the day. The stream is straight to the east on the other side of the camp and I have no doubt that several of the men will be more than eager to help you with…whatever it is you need. I will come find you.” The last sentence didn’t sound as much like a threat as it did a promise.

       As if I wanted him to come find me. I started forward, intending to march from the tent with dignity, but my ankles nearly gave out and sent me on my face. I caught myself on the edge of the table and the captain rushed forward to help me stand. “That tree was tall,” he remarked, taking hold of my forearms.

       I pulled my arms from his grasp and glared up at his dark brown eyes, less intimidating in the glow of the sun. “Release me.”

       The corner of his mouth twitched up. “Make me.”

       Outraged, I stormed past him, limping slightly on my right ankle. I was going to go as far from this camp as I could before the ring choked me to death. I might even let it, at that. Outside it appeared that most of the men were already awake, even though the sun had just barely risen. I shivered in the chill, not realizing how warm the enclosure had been before. Frost crunched under my shoes, and I tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as I made my way around the tents. In one area of the camp I saw crudely-shaped human figures made of wooden beams mounted for training, and each was confronted by a burly man, attacking the dummy with all the intensity of a real battle. There were very few who sat eating breakfast, for most of the men were working, chopping wood, carrying supplies, training, and even washing clothing in large wooden tubs. I didn’t see any women in the camp, but that didn’t surprise me.

       When I reached the other side, not stopped by any of the men, I marched straight through the gap in the tents and went directly east as the captain had instructed. I felt like I had swallowed handfuls of dirt all night, so dry was my mouth and throat. As I made my way through the forest, I encountered the boy whom the captain had sent to retrieve the search party. His hair dripped with water and his clothing stuck to him like he had just taken a bath without bothering to dry off. He stopped when he saw me. “My lady, is there something I can assist you with?”

       I wanted to scowl at him, but he was so endearing. It might have been because he was the only gangly male in the camp, and possibly the youngest as well. I stopped and shook my head. “No, I thank you. I am just looking for a drink.”

       “Oh, don’t drink that water. We have a well, my lady. If you follow me I can show you.” He ran his hand through his dark brown hair, showering the air with droplets of water.

       A well? Just how long had this Dristolian army been here? “Thank you,” I conceded. When he led me through the forest and, thank the Fates, not through the camp, I felt brave enough to ask, “Are you from Dristol?”

       He walked beside me, and I saw his eyes flit to me and then straight ahead in nervousness. “Uhm…well Fates, if you’re our prisoner you aren’t going to tell anyone, are you? Yes, we’re Dristolians.”

       I didn’t like the idea of never leaving this camp. Once they found that box and knew I would return to Queen Alexandria eventually, they would never let me go. Whatever it was they were doing here, it wasn’t with the queen’s blessing. “You will lose, you know,” I said.

       The boy shrugged, smiling. “Maybe.”

       Clearly there was something more happening here, but I knew no one would tell me outright what it was.

       “My name is Gavin.” The boy, a full head taller than me, gave me a warm smile.

       “Wynn,” I smiled back tentatively. I wrestled with the idea of spelling him, but if it was too obvious, the warlock captain would know who I was. “And I am not a spy,” I clarified.

       He considered me for a few moments as we walked. “Maybe,” he said again. After a moment he seemed to almost blurt out, “But you don’t look like one.”

       I gave him a smile. “That would be the point, though, wouldn’t it?”

       “You aren’t helping yourself.” He grinned.

       “I don’t know that it matters at this point.”

       “Maybe,” he said once more.

Release Date

It's official! The release date for Lunula has been set. My very first novel will be available through Amazon for Kindle readers on October 8th, 2012. We don't have a cover just yet, but I anticipate that will be coming very soon. For now, all I can do is bounce in my seat with quiet enthusiasm while I wait for October 8th, and look forward to the official release of my book!

For those of you without Kindles, I can assure you that Lunula will be made more widely available in time. For now, and for the first release, my publisher, Malachite Quills Publishing, has signed a temporary agreement with Amazon in order to hopefully boost the sales.

In the meantime (because I know all of you are dying to read this awesome book, Kindle or not), Amazon has a way for you to download Kindle apps and even a way to read the book on your computer called Kindle Cloud. If you have a smartphone or iPad, you can download the Kindle feature that way, too. Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=dig_arl_box?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

So mark it on your calendars, folks! I'll be sure to give plenty of reminders as the day approaches, too. I'm obnoxious that way.

About the Author

Alyssa Auch was born and raised in Pennsylvania with loving parents and three hilarious younger siblings. Her imagination was sparked by the lush, green forests and bright colors of her home that often spoke of other worlds only found in the magic of writing. She brought that inspiration into the fantasy novels she so loves to create.

Currently, Alyssa is a senior at Brigham Young University-Idaho studying Marriage and Family Relations with a minor in English. She is married to her High School sweetheart, and they have two beautiful children who keep them both very occupied. Although her novels are often written in the late hours of the night and during cherished naptime blocks, she devotes a very special part of herself to the power of words and love of storytelling.