News from the Author

My most exciting news is that this week I got to see my book featured in the lovely Baker Publishing Catalog. This is what book store owners will look at when they're deciding whether or not to purchase my book. I loved the way they promoted it. Zoom in and notice the mention of Katniss Everdeen and Tris Prior. I know I would want to stock my shelves with this book!

In other news, I just started a fun new board on Pinterest for Christian Medieval Novels. You might enjoy checking that out for a list of my favorite books in this genre. http://www.pinterest.com/dinasleiman/christian-medieval-novels/ 

The release of Dauntless is still about six months away, but for those of you who like to plan ahead...I thought I'd share the best pre-order deals.

For print, try CBD at only $7.99. Click here.

For ebook, the current winner is amazon also at $7.99. Click here.


Have a great week! And take a moment to share some of your favorite medieval novel in the comments.

The Heroines of Reality TV

Lately I've mentioned both The Quest and The American Ninja Warrior as fun reality shows featuring strong real-life heroines. I remain a staunch Kacy Catanzaro fan despite the fact that her tiny 5' height kept her from being able to reach the wall in the spider jump in the national finals of Ninja Warrior. I say she was gypped, and I hope they will reconsider adjusting the course to give shorter competitors a fair shot in the future.

But in happier news, a feisty young woman did beat out a whole bunch of big strong men to take home the title of "The One True Hero" on The Quest. Tiny Lina Carollo managed to hold her own during the physical challenges on the show, but it was her fighting spirit, intelligence, and attention to detail that won her the opportunity to face and defeat the evil Verlox. The show proved fun, if a little bit cheesy. I'm certainly glad I watched it. Check out Lina in her initial interview, and also sneak a peek at some of the huge guys she beat for the title.

YA Fiction Finds

While working on Dauntless last year, I steeped myself in the world of YA fiction. Although the heroines are much younger than me, much about these books resonates in a universal sort of way. On the secular side, they tend to be clean, action-packed, and not afraid to ask the hard questions about life. On the Christian side, they are actually edgier and more real than many of their adult counterparts. Teens won't tolerate anything fake or cheesy, and since I won't either, YA fiction is a great fit for me.

Here's a quick overview of the books I read during that time to help me understand the YA fiction market. In future posts I will share some of the books I've read more recently.

In the Christian world Melanie Dickerson, Lisa Bergren, and Anne Elisabeth Stengl are some of the big stars. I've been enjoying Melanie's great fairy tale retellings for years, and they certainly helped provide inspiration for my series. I read Lisa Bergren's Glamorous Illusions enjoyed it, but didn't really connect with her River of Time series, although many of my adult friends loved it. As for Anne Elizabeth Stengl, I had a hard time getting into Heartless, but her vivid imagination and beautiful voice kept me reading. And I'm so glad I did. I was completely impressed by the gorgeous allegory in this story.

Perhaps my biggest surprise was to learn that a book I stumbled on last year and looooved, Prophet by R. J. Larsen, is considered YA I gobbled up this book in just a few days and enjoyed every word. I was mesmerized by her strong, courageous, spiritual heroine. I've been looking for an excuse to buy books two and three, and never even realized they were YA until my agent mentioned it to me. These books are called speculative, but I would describe them more as fantasy set in the Biblical era. Whatever they are, they're awesome, and I highly recommend them.

In secular fiction, I found I have a real penchant for YA dystopian fiction. Of course I started with The Hunger Games series. Read them straight through. I could easily do a whole post about how they inspired me to find my inner strength and stand against injustice. I have to admit, though, that I wasn't crazy about the existential ending to the whole series. It was kind of a downer. Although the ending was realistic, I'm sure I wasn't the only one who wanted something more triumphant. And I read Matched, which was pretty interesting as well.

I also gave Twilight a try, something I probably wouldn't have done if it wasn't for research purposes. This book did have a special sort of magic. I couldn't put it down. And yes, it's romantic on an epic scale. While the vampire element seemed completely fantasy-like and didn't bother me, I cannot in good conscience recommend it, especially not for teens. I felt the message of the book was that love conquers all, even if your boyfriend is inherently evil. Therefore, I felt girls could use this as a justification to get involved with destructive individuals like abusers and addicts. In fact, Edward's craving for Bella's blood is flat-out described as an addiction. There's a very real possibility he might kill her. The impression is given that playing with fire is somehow romantic. As a woman who has had a good bit of experience with both the pros and cons of romance, let me offer my opinion, it's not! While I don't think the author had bad intentions, I also do not think she fully thought through her responsibility to her young readers. 

So those were the books that helped me grasp the feel of the YA fiction world. Feel free to share some of your own favorite YA novels.

A Female Ninja Warrior?

So this is a new blog, and I am trying to establish a certain feel that will inspire teen girls and young women. A few posts back I mentioned Kacy Catanzaro, a very exceptional and inspirational young lady who was the first ever female to qualify for American Ninja Warrior. After her, two more women qualified in different cities, but only Kacy made it through the city finals.  She has become a viral sensation, and I'm happy to say, I was on the cutting edge of noticing her. My boys and I have been following the Ninja Warrior shows for years, and it is so exciting to see females finally rising to the occasion. Kacy's success has won her a strong fan base among men and women alike.

While I believe that God created males and females differently to represent varying sides of His image, I also firmly believe that he has called both his sons and his daughters to be strong and courageous. That he has given each young woman unique gifts and callings, and that women should feel as free as men to explore and use those gifts, whether they be in more traditional venues as stay at home mothers, teachers, and nurses, or less traditional ones like engineers, soldiers, or politicians.

Kacy's amazing combination of feminity and strength really captures the spirit of the Valiant Heart Series, and as I mentioned before, she would be a perfect candidate to play my tiny, tough, acrobatic Merry Ellison of the first book, Dauntless. Here is the video of her finals run.

Tonight begins the national finals. I do believe one more woman will be there on a wild card draw, but I think you all know who I will be cheering for. Go Kacy!

Inspiration from "The Quest"

Yes, it's true, television CAN rot your brain. But you know what else is true? Television can supply great inspiration for fiction writers while also letting overworked brains chill and reboot. For this series I've found inspiration from the BBC's Robin Hood and Merlin, and even from the feisty real life heroine of American Ninja Warrior. My latest inspiration comes from yet another reality show, The Quest.

If you've ever heard of LARPING (live action role playing), this is LARPING on steroids. Real life larpers are taken from their everyday lives and drawn into a medieval fantasy world to battle bad guys and monsters alike. Of course my books are historical, not quite fantasy (although there are some legendary and supernatural elements), but this show is a great place to get a feel for medieval settings, dress, and weaponry. The Quest features plenty of real life valiant heart heroines that are tough, brave, and strong. I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment and can't wait to watch more. "Part reality, part fantasy, pure adventure"--check out the trailer video below!

Check Out My Other Books Too

Since it will be a while until Dauntless hits the shelves, you might want to check out some of my other books in the meantime.

As I type this, my contemporary title, Dance from Deep Within, with its multi-cultural/missional theme is on sale for only $.99 for kindle. It's hard for an author to choose a favorite book, kind of like choosing a favorite child, but I do believe this is the most life-changing book I have written. Young adults will enjoy this peek into the college years, while adults will appreciate the themes of inner healing and intimacy with Christ. It looks at new age, Islam, and plain old wounded Christians as the three main characters search together for the truth and for what it means to live from deep within. Click here to order.

If the medieval time setting drew you to my website, you might want to check out my Dance of the Dandelion. This book offers an examination of love and all its many facets. Geared toward adults, some of the themes are more mature than the Valiant Hearts Series. I would recommend this for high school and up. P.S. that gorgeous young lady on the cover is my daughter. Click here to order.

Finally, if you are a classic historical romance fan, you will enjoy my Love in Three-Quarter Time. This book set in 1817 Virginia offers humor, romance, and plenty of drama on a gorgeous plantation. Click here to order. 

A Real Life Valiant Heroine

Look at that determination, that focus, not to mention that perfectly toned physique. I was beyond delighted to catch this adorable female competing in American Ninja Warrior the other week. She is a tiny 100 lb gymnast, and as tough as any guy in the competition. Despite her incredible strength and agility, she was perfectly feminine and just about as pretty as you can get. In fact, look at her picture and then the model on the cover of Dauntless in the post below. I felt like I was watching Merry Ellison face the gauntlet.

Even more exciting was the turn out of her run in American Ninja Warrior. She set a record as the first woman ever to successfully finish the qualifying round. Go Kacy! You've found a fan in me for sure.