Akingston's Weblog

Book trailer has officially been released!

akingston — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:35:46 +0000

The day has finally arrived—my book trailer is finished and ready to be viewed! I have posted it on my website at www.chrysalispress.com in the Media Room under “Book Trailer.” It is also posted on Reader Views Kids website at http://readerviewskids.com/reviews_previews.html.

I will also post it on youtube.com (you will have to search for it under “Laura and the Leprechauns”) and on my myspace page which is myspace.com/ambertkingston. The part I played in its creative process was lots of fun but it was so difficult to wait for the more difficult and exciting parts like animation and sound to be completed. Now I see that my patience paid off. I am very happy with it and I hope that you will be too. Happy viewing!

Sincerely,

Amber

Treasurehunt for Books!

akingston — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:34:08 +0000

I’ve just discovered the neatest idea in a website, so I just had to share my findings with you. The website is called www.bookcrossing.com and it’s all about sharing books on a worldwide scale in the form of a treasure hunt! Maybe its concept is what had me hooked from the beginning—appealing to the little kid in me who used to send messages wrapped in taped-up envelopes and wrapped in plastic sandwich bags to be released into the ocean in hope that one day someone would find my message. Never happened—that I’m aware of . Anyway, Bookcrossing works much in the same way but on a far more successful scale. People around the world register their books, release them into “the wild,” and wait for them to be “caught” and read (and registered online) by someone new. They, in turn, will make a journal entry about where the book was found, and then release the book into “the wild” once again after they’ve finished reading it. Books have made incredible journeys throughout the world through this program and it’s just getting started. So far I have registered 8 copies of Laura and the Leprechauns to be released—and hopefully each will be “caught” by an interested reader. It will be exciting to check back periodically and see where my books have ended up. If you have any books that you think you’d like to share with others on a global-scale book hunt, just take a moment to register at www.bookcrossing.com. It’s totally free, and completely safe. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to travel the world right now, maybe your favorite book does! In any case, it’s one way to bring about a little excitement and happiness into someone else’s life and a wonderful opportunity to share. So as I eagerly await my book release kit—a totally voluntary purchase I made to support a fun cause I believe in—go check and see if there are any books running free around your neighborhood. And within a few weeks—I’ll let you know—be sure to check back to find the clues to where I released my 8 copies of Laura and the Leprechauns. Who knows—maybe you’ll be the person to catch one! I hope you’ll check it out!

Happy hunting!

Amber

www.chrysalispress.com

Happy Valentine’s Day!

akingston — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:27:15 +0000

Happy Valentines Day, Everyone!

I hope you are celebrating today with some wonderful fun, sweets, and hugs from friends! This Valentines Day I received a surprise of my own. The Reading Tub decided to post my interview and biography early, in time for St. Patrick’s Day! I couldn’t be happier. If you would like to check it out, it is now posted on their website at http://www.thereadingtub.com/displayAuthor.asp?id=49. That takes you directly to the Bio page. From there you can scroll down and click the link to the interview, or to go directly to the interview, just click, http://www.thereadingtub.com/displayInterview.asp?id=49. I will also be posting the interview on my website inside my new Media Room. If you haven’t been there recently, be sure to check it out! The Media Room offers an updated Bio and some new questions for those in the media. Right now I’m hard at work conceptualizing my new book trailer. It’s coming along really well—and I have no prior experience in movie making! But I will need to have a company help me with the music and special effects . . . but I’m so excited! It’ll be great to see the final product. Well, that’s all that comes to mind for now. I hope everyone has a special Valentines Day, and I’ll be in touch soon!

XOXOXO,

Amber

NAWW Member of the Week: Amber T. Kingston

akingston — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:25:19 +0000

Q: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?A: I knew I wanted to be a writer in elementary school after completing a fourth and fifth grade project to write, illustrate, and bind your own book. I would go home and create books in my free time. I thought it was the best thing I’d ever been taught. I continued to write on and off in my teens–poetry, mostly–but became more serious about writing prose when I reached my late 20’s.Q: How and when did you make this dream a reality?A: I had been working on a young adult novel for 5 years, and had completed it at whopping 1100 pages. After working with an editor on it, I realized I needed to get some distance from it; and I put it on the shelf, for now. I needed a fresh project. I decided I wanted something that was new, uncomplicated and fun. After visiting with my little cousin, Laura for weeks, I knew I had found the character for the children’s book I wanted to write. It took about 4-5 months to complete Laura and the Leprechauns–the majority of the time being spent on illustrations. So, I’d have to say that the year of 2007 was when everything really came together for me as a writer as far as making my dream a reality.
Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far in your writing career?A: Hire an editor! I can’t stress this enough. An editor will improve what you thought was perfect. They are the extra set of eyes necessary to really make your writing shine and can catch errors you swore didn’t exist.Q: What are you working on right now?A: I am currently working on my next book in the Laura series. After this one, I have one more in mind. Right now I am developing and writing the story. Next, I will be traveling to Bavaria to see Laura in the springtime, and I plan to take plenty of pictures of her to use as reference material this time! It is a challenge to draw effectively when your muse lives oversees and isn’t readily available to pose for illustrations.Q: Name some authors or books that have influenced your writing life in a positive way.A: I’ve always been a fan of Lewis Carroll; Alice in Wonderland is a favorite childhood story of mine. I also grew up reading the Serendipity books, by Stephen Cosgrove, which I really enjoyed. There was always a moral to his stories and the illustrations kept me captivated. I kept a copy of his, Little Mouse on the Prairie, next to me for inspiration the entire time I worked on Laura and the Leprechauns.Q: What have you recently read or what are you reading right now that you would consider an outstanding work?A: To be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve had time to pick up a book for my own enjoyment, simply because I’m in the midst of working on my next project. But the last few books I read that I thought were truly exceptional were Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex, and Ian McEwan’s Attonement. Both books remained on my mind for a long time afterward.Q: What excites or ignites your soul?A: Seeing a look of wonderment or awe in a child’s face is a source of true inspiration for me. There’s nothing as gratifying as seeing a child’s happiness and excitement over new, simple experiences things we often take for granted.Amber T. Kingston is the owner of Chrysalis Press, a publishing company dedicated to producing imaginative literature for children, teens, and young adults. Amber is also an author and illustrator, and has combined her talents for Chrysalis Press’s latest release, Laura and the Leprechauns. Creative Writing and the arts have been long-time passions for Amber ever since early childhood. Amber loves spending time with family and friends, and can usually be found writing, drawing, reading, painting, or spending time with children. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, the National Association of Women Writers, the Independent Book Publishers Association, the Small Publishers Association Network, the Small Publishers and Writers Network, and the Screen Actors Guild. She also enjoys volunteering at the Orange County Food Bank, an organization that provides meals for the homeless, the elderly, and those in need. Chrysalis Press is based in Newport Beach, California. You can visit Amber on the web at www.ChrysalisPress.com, or email her directly at amber@ChrysalisPress.com.

A Great New Year!

akingston — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:58:49 +0000

Happy 2008! I hope everyone had a safe and joyous New Year! I am really excited for everything I have planned during the upcoming year. For starters, I’m continuing to improve upon and add different features to my website. I just recently discovered a site called cafepress.com which allows you to design all sorts of personalized things from T-shirts, to tote bags! I thought this was really neat since I like to design and create, and so I decided to open up my own Laura and the Leprechauns gift shop so you can browse my latest creations at your leisure. I will be updating designs and merchandise offered periodically, so if there is something specific you are looking for—a favorite character or slogan, or illustration from the book—please don’t hesitate to let me know. I would be happy to add it to future designs. Right now I think you’ll find that there is quite a wide variety of things to choose from. You can locate the gift shop directly at: http://www.cafepress.com/chrysalispressor access it through www.chrysalispress.com. Just select the “Gift Shop” button at the bottom of the page and it will redirect you to the store. I hope you will enjoy all the shop has to offer. As always I look forward to hearing your feedback and opinions, so feel free to drop me a line at amber@chrysalispress.com. I’ll be in touch soon! Sincerely,

Amber

A great site for children’s books!

akingston — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:46:02 +0000

Season’s Greetings, everyone! For anyone out there looking for top notch children’s books rated by parents and volunteers, there is a site you should definitely visit. I just recently discovered it; it’s called The Reading Tub and can be found at: www.thereadingtub.com. They are a charitable organization that promotes literacy for children and reviews children’s books for all ages. They also feature author interviews and in-depth reviews of books so readers can make informed decisions about the books they’re considering. I am happy to say that in the spring of 2008 I will be a featured author on their site for Laura and the Leprechauns. I am very excited as this will be one of my very first interviews. I’ll be sure to tell you more as the date approaches. But in the meantime, I hope you will visit their site to see all they have to offer. I hope everyone is staying warm and cozy in this winter weather. Until next time . . .

Sincerely,

Amber

www.chrysalispress.com

They’re Here!!!

akingston — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:57:45 +0000

They finally arrived! That’s right—my book Laura and the Leprechauns is officially available. It was a pretty incredible feeling to see thousands of copies being unloaded off a huge freighter truck—I had no idea what to expect! So now the time to fulfill all of my advance orders begins, as well as notifying the bookstores that it’s finally available. I am so relieved that they arrived here safely and without problems. It’s funny—when I was writing and illustrating the book, my chief conern was getting it completed. I worked on it day and night with very little rest for about 4 months straight. But now that it is available to the public, I cant help but wonder about all the children who may read it. Will they like the story, will they like the illustrations and photographs, will they enjoy the journey as much as I did while creating it? I truly hope so. Laura and the Leprechauns was such a learning experience for me. I know that it will make creating Laura’s future adventure’s easier because I’ll know what to expect work-wise somewhat. But it doesn’t take the challenge out of the creation process. I guess that’s what I love most about writing and illustrating—I will always strive to do my best to create something for a child to enjoy. I am very much looking forward to creating future stories. And if anyone out there happens to have suggestions or ideas about where they might like to see Laura go next, I always welcome your ideas. Just drop me a line on the “contact” section of my website or email me at info@chrysalispress.com. Thank you to everyone who has taken an interest in my work. May you have a happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers!

Amber

Promotional Efforts

akingston — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 05:11:37 +0000

I am happy to say that my flyers finally arrived for my promotional mailing yesterday. They came out better than I hoped—very cute! But then I also had an amazing designer, Jill Ronsley, create them. Now I have 10,000 flyers sitting in boxes in my living room which I need to ship out ASAP. I’ll post a picture of the flyer on my flickr page: (http://www.flickr.com/photos/14451336@N05/?saved=1) so you can see it. They will be going to librarians across the country. I’ve never tried a promotional library mailing before so we’ll see how successful it is. Wish me luck!

Amber

http://chrysalispress.com

An Average Day

akingston — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:45:02 +0000

Well, today I sent off the very last of my Advance Review Copies to those interested in reviewing my book. I wish I had printed more but so far the responses have been positive so I suppose it is okay that I only printed the amount that I did. The actual book should be here in a month’s time anyway, so that is good news. J I just recently submitted my files to Amazon’s Search Inside, so depending on how long it takes them to process the book, you should be able to see more than the cover soon! I also submitted my book to Barnes and Nobel for inclusion on their website, but it sounds like there is a significant wait period before they accept or decline your book. So now it’s just a matter of waiting. In the mean time—between schoolwork—I am working on ideas for my second book in the “Laura” series. I am really excited because I will get to go and visit her in Bavaria in the springtime. I will need to take plenty of reference photos of her because she is growing so quickly! I’d like the two other books I have planned to take place when she’s still a child. There are so many things to think about—but that’s what makes it fun and challenging. Well, that’s all for now. I will let you know of any upcoming news!

Amber

http://www.chrysalispress.com

Full of Surprises!

akingston — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 06:33:19 +0000

This is just a mini update. I simply had to say: I love my web designer . . . I really, really do! She’s fantastic and full of surprises! She already has the new updates posted on my site! I figured I’d see them in a weeks time, but I came home from school to a pleasant surprise. You can now check out the “Fun Stuff” section of my site for activities and things to keep you, or your little ones, busy. Also the “About the Author “ section has been updated, and now includes a section that shares my inspiration for writing Laura and the Leprechauns. I hope you enjoy the changes. Also, the reviews I’ve received so far have been posted as well. You can access them from the homepage of my site. I hope you’ll drop by to visit, and feel free to leave any comments, feedback, or suggestions you may have on my “Contact” page. I’d really love to hear from you! Now, I’m off to bed for the night. Guten nacht. Take care and I’ll be in touch soon!

Amber

http://www.chrysalispress.com