Shannon Messenger: Writing Advice Guest Blog + Contest

Today, we’re pleased to be hosting a stop on the official blog tour for Let the Wind Rise by Shannon Messenger. We’ve got an exclusive guest post from Shannon, PLUS your chance to win a copy of the book & a pretty sweet prize pack. So be sure to keep reading for all the details!

Writing Advice I’d Give My Beginner Writing Self

Being a published author is a big dream. In fact, I feel like that needs all caps. It’s a BIG DREAM. And it takes a lot of hard work and time and patience and energy and perseverance and—I could keep going, but I think you get the point.

It’s massive. And awesome. And so worth the effort. But a lot of times we forget that being an author and being a writer are two very different things.

Writers write. It’s that simple. Authors take that to another level. They take their writing and they publish it—either by themselves, or through a traditional means. And with all that “publishing” stuff comes a huge mess of COMPLICATED.

And in the beginning especially, it’s super easy to get so focused on all of the “author” stuff, because that’s the BIG DREAM. But when you do that, it can be easy to lose sight of how amazing it is to be a “writer.”

That’s the advice I wish I’d had. Enjoy writing without thinking about getting an agent and selling a book—or researching indie publishing (and don’t even get me started on all the things you worry about when the book is out there in the wild). Give yourself some time to play with stories and words and ideas, without all of that added pressure.

That pressure will always be out there waiting for you when you reach the BIG DREAM. Enjoy the journey getting there.

Vane Weston is ready for battle. Against Raiden’s army. Against the slowly corrupting Gale Force. Even against his own peaceful nature as a Westerly. He’ll do whatever it takes, including storming Raiden’s icy fortress with the three people he trusts the least. Anything to bring Audra home safely.

But Audra won’t wait for someone to rescue her. She has Gus—the guardian she was captured with. And she has a strange “guide” left behind by the one prisoner who managed to escape Raiden. The wind is also rising to her side, rallying against their common enemy. When the forces align, Audra makes her play—but Raiden is ready.

Freedom has never held such an impossible price, and both groups know the sacrifices will be great. But Vane and Audra started this fight together. They’ll end it the same way.

Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | The Book Depository |Goodreads

Praise for LET THE WIND RISE:

“The conclusion to this very original fantasy trilogy is stronger than the first two installments, with nonstop action and believable teenage sarcasm, which takes the edge off the brutal reality of Audra and Vane’s highly emotional romance and quest. A good match for fans of Claudia Gray’s Firebird series.”
~ RT Book Reviews

Find out more about THE SKY FALL series, Let The Sky Fall (book #1) and Let The Storm Break (book #2), here.

Shannon Messenger graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts where she learned–among other things–that she liked watching movies much better than making them. She’s studied art, screenwriting, and film production, but realized her real passion was writing stories for children. She’s the bestselling author of the middle grade series, KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES, and the SKY FALL series for young adults. Her books have been featured on multiple state reading lists, published in numerous countries, and translated into many different languages. She lives in Southern California with her husband and an embarrassing number of cats. Find her online at shannonmessenger.com.

Find Shannon: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr

Shannon’s Going On Tour!

Catch Shannon on the road! Find out what cities she’s coming to for her LET THE WIND RISE book tour, here.

Thank you to Simon Pulse, we have 3 sets of THE SKY FALL series to giveaway! To enter, please fill out the form below. This is open to residents of the US only.