Danika Dinsmore

Author / Educator / Activist

Brigitta of the White Forest

Omnibus Release Week! Drawings and Freebies!

by 14 Comments

This week marked the release of the print version of the Faerie Tales from the White Forest Omnibus. (*See how you can get a free ebook version of Book One at the bottom of the post)

The ebook version of the Omnibus contains all the same goodies as the print version, but for those of you who have a romantic relationship with print books, the print version really is beautiful. And thick! It’s a book AND a doorstop. And possibly a weapon.

 

Final Cover Omnibus

 

In honour of the launch, I am giving away a $25 Amazon gift card through midnight 9/25.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you win, there is no obligation to buy the book. (Really!) If you would like to purchase a copy outright, however, you can order one from any bookstore or locate on Amazon:

OMNIBUS EBOOK ($7.99) OMNIBUS PRINT BOOK ($24.95)

You can also take your chances and win a copy of the Omnibus. The publisher is giving away two copies through a GoodReads giveaway, which runs until the end of October.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Faerie Tales from the White Forest Omnibus by Danika Dinsmore

Faerie Tales from the White Forest Omnibus

by Danika Dinsmore

Giveaway ends October 31, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

 

*Not sure you want to invest in the entire series? Interested in reviewing Book One (Brigitta of the White Forest)? Contact me HERE and I will send you a copy. I have epub, mobi, and pdf versions.

 

If you’ve already read any of the books in the White Forest series, reviews are always appreciated. Reviews are one of the best gifts you can give a writer. We depend upon them to spread the word. 🙂

 

Plain_tree_image

 

Children’s Book Week Ides of May Extravaganza Continues (With Giveaways and Launches!)

by Leave a Comment

 

children's book week

In celebration of Children’s Book Week I have a lot going on, including new editions of the first two books in my middle grade fantasy series (Faerie Tales from the White Forest) with sparkly new covers.

FIRST I’m participating in a substantial giveaway for the Children’s Book Week Giveaway Hop, joining over 100 participating bloggers giving away books and gift certificates and other goodies. So, if you have kids, you might want to check that out. Here are the LINKS of all the participants.

CBW Kid Lit Giveaway Hop 2014 - Banner - FINAL-1

For the CBW Hop I’m giving away a full print set of the first three books in my White Forest series, a copy of Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, AND a copy of FutureDaze: an anthology of YA science fiction. CLICK HERE to find out how to enter.

SECOND Hydra House is publishing NEW EDITIONS of the first two books in the White Forest series with NEW COVERS! Thanks to Christian Fink-Jensen, and his mad typography skillz, the books have a bright and poppy new look to them.

new covers for website

Starting TODAY (Wednesday, May 14) and running through Friday, May 16 ]my White Forest Book One ebook (Brigitta of the White Forest) is FREE on Amazon to celebrate the new cover. Also the publisher has reduced the price of the ebook for Book Two (The Ruins of Noe) to $2.99 for the remainder of May. Yay new covers.

And finally… on MONDAY, May 19, Hydra House is launching an ebook “collection” of the first three books for $7.99, which is pretty much a deal. I don’t have a link for that yet, but it should appear on THIS PAGE.

Happy Children’s Book Week!

Plain_tree_image

Children’s Book Week: Ides of May White Forest Extravaganza

by 4 Comments

Next week, Children’s Book Week, is going to be a pretty exciting all around in White Forest land.

First, I’ve joined a BLOG HOP, which I don’t often do. But it’s a Blog Hop Giveaway during Children’s Book Week, so how could I turn that down?

CBW-Kid-Lit-Giveaway-Hop-2014-Banner-FINAL-1024x296

Never Blog Hopped before? Basically, you go to a list of blog links from authors, book bloggers, and others who are GIVING PRIZES AWAY all at the same time (who doesn’t like prizes?). And you hop from one to the next adding your name to the drawings. If you like children’s lit, what have you got to lose?

The hop runs from Monday, May 12 through Sunday, May 19, so you’ve got plenty of time to get around to all the blogs. And you’ll need it, because as of this morning, there are 93 blogs participating! That’s 93 chances to win.

 

new covers for website

 

ALSO NEXT WEEK:

Hydra House is RELAUNCHING the first two books in the White Forest series with NEW COVERS! Thanks to Christian Fink-Jensen, and his mad typography skillz, the books have a bright and poppy new look to them.

In celebration of this relaunching, the ebook version of Book One, Brigitta of the White Forest, will be FREE on Amazon from May 14-16 next week. So, if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, now’s your chance.

ALSO, the ebook of Book Two, The Ruins of Noe, will only cost $2.99 from May 14 – 31. (then it goes back up to $4.99, which is still a pretty good deal).

IN ADDITION (Wait, you say, there’s more??), on MONDAY, MAY 19, the publisher will release an ebook COLLECTION of all THREE books for $7.99. So, even if you miss the free Book One window, you can get an excellent deal for all three books at once.

It’s all part of the (cue booming / echoing voice)…

CHILDREN’S BOOK WEEK:
IDES OF MAY WHITE FOREST EXTRAVAGANZAAAAAAA

 

Plain_tree_image

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Ruins of Noe Promo Video

by 6 Comments

As much as I love our Book One trailer, there was no way we could pull off another live book trailer. Just didn’t have the time or resources and if you’ve read the second book, the world is SO different it would have been quite the SFX challenge.

So, my filmmaker friend Mauri came up with a different idea, which is what you see below. Not quite as exciting as a live action version, but it does the trick. 🙂

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUlvIUMWDXA]

New Brigitta Book Trailer has Launched!

by 4 Comments

The Accidental Novelist (who won’t be able to call herself that much longer) presents the new book trailer for Brigitta of the White Forest (from our production company BYOA Entertainment)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyx3c84tvAE&w=640&h=390]

Cast and Crew:

Brigitta – Haley Hunt
Himalette – Shaleigh Lachance
Hrathgar Evil – Yvette Dudley-Neuman

Music by Land Of Deborah

Producers: Danika Dinsmore and Mauri Bernstein
Author/Director: Danika Dinsmore
Cinematographer: Phillip Schalast
Editor/Puppeteer: Mauri Bernstein
Sound: Kevin Barron
Sprite and Eyeball Puppets: Keith Randall
Hrathgar Hair/Make-up: Susan Manning
Briggy/Himmy Hair/Make-up: Leah Wilburn
Props: Jo Shotbolt
Faerie Wings: Charlene Rowley

For information on the book: thewhiteforest.com

For information on the publisher: entheospress.com

Booktrailers Are Us!

by Leave a Comment

When I first decided to create a live action book trailer for my accidental novel Brigitta of the White Forest, it was at a time when book trailers were still pretty basic. Most were made by “panning” over still shots and overlaying words on the stills or inserting them as separate title cards. There are websites you can use to put these together with stock images and stock music.

I just did a quick search and found these:

SQUIDOO’s BOOK TRAILER TIPS and TOOLS

How to Create Your Own Book Trailer for Free

Because I come from a film background and love to direct, when I think of “trailers” I think in movie trailers. I knew right away that if I were going to do a book trailer it would be live action or not at all.

Since the inception of the idea, I have found more and more publishing companies coming out with book trailers with much higher production value. The bar has definitely been raised.

This one cracked me up:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jZVE5uF24Q]

This is by far one of the most interesting book trailers I’ve seen:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_jyXJTlrH0]

For those self-published or small press published authors, it might seem like you can’t compete with the flashy new trailers larger publishing companies are putting out. But really, you can give something higher production value with little extra cost. Having little money is not a barrier, it simply means it’s time to get creative!

Here’s a very simple book trailer that I think still packs a punch:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIjyJ_tqedc]

And this very intriguing video that chronicles the making of the cover for the steampunk novel Blameless isn’t really that complicated at all. It’s basically time-lapsed stills of photoshop pages and some haunting music:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoDCiTsS7dU]

We just wrapped production on our trailer and will reveal it as soon as it’s ready.

In the meantime, if you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a teaser we threw together before my tour:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=est8Ufv1Mks&w=640&h=390]

I’m Baaaaaaaack! Highlights from Book Tour

by 4 Comments

Wow, it’s been over a month since I’ve blogged! I shall do the blogger walk of shame (it’s a kind of meandering skulk)…

My intention was to “live blog” my book tour as it went along. Guess what? I discovered that I suck at live-blogging. Plus, who knew that a book tour could be so crazy-hectic? (Okay, the last week of the tour wasn’t crazy or hectic, but that California sunshine was awfully distracting)

For those of you not following along on Brigitta’s FaceBook page (because really, what else do you have to do?), I’ve included a few highlights below.

I participated in 26 events over the course of 27 days. The book tour was really about the release of the accidental novel (Brigitta of the White Forest) but I included a few poetry gigs along the way. Couldn’t help myself. Poetry, she just keeps sneaking back into my life.

On my tour I visited seven elementary schools (putting on 5 assemblies, 2 workshops, and 2 classroom visits). My first assembly was at Pierpont Elementary in Ventura, CA.

Pierpont Thunderbugs

Here I am getting the kids all amped up doing a Thunderbug Symphony. (thunderbugs are large bright flying bugs with drum-beat producing bums. no wonder kids love ’em)


I love teaching my Imaginary Worlds workshops, which are all about how to create imaginary worlds from scratch as a jumping off point for endless story telling. I teach them to both adults and children

Here I am at San Rafael Elementary school in Pasadena working with a select group of inspired students.

Alyson Beecher, the principal, took the photos and blogged about the workshop.

Another wonderful workshop (for adults and kids) was the Faerie Felting workshop that I co-facilitated with Borbala Arvai – a brilliant felting artist. (see her BoriDolls site).  I read from Brigitta and introduced the class to the different kinds of elemental faeries and then Borbala wove (er, felted) her magic and taught us all how to make our own felted faeries. Ta Da! My very first felted faerie. Thanks, Borbala!

It’s difficult to say which was my favourite event, they were all so unique. But I have to say that poet, Art Predator, and wine-blogger Gwendolyn Alley and I had a great time creating a workshop that started out on the beach and ended with wine-tasting activities at the gorgeous Old Creek Ranch Winery. What’s not to like!

Danika, Joan, and Beverly (the chicken) write poetry at the Channel Islands Visitor Center (photo by Gwendoly Alley)

It was also Take Your Chicken to Work Week, so we complied by bringing one along wherever we went.

There were so many other fabulous stops on the tour I can’t possibly include them all.

There were book store readings, workshops at the Ojai Word Fest, the book fair at OWF, book launch parties, a poetry slam (I took 2nd place – Gwendolyn Alley came in 1st), and numerous visits with family and friends. I even snuck in a trip to Disneyland.

Kids (and adults hiding behind them!) colour in Destiny Markings on their faerie wings at Time Tested Books in Sacramento

Thank you to everyone who loaned me a couch or bed to surf on or bought me a fish taco or margarita!

Yay Book Tour! Yay Book Trailer!

by 2 Comments

I am loopy from lack of sleep. Giddy for the excitement. And nervous about doing 26 events in 28 days!!! Yup.

I have been working on this book tour for 6 months and recently it’s been pretty much a full time job. I knew it was going to be a lot of work, but it was honestly harder than I ever thought it would be. The novel may have been accidental, but this side of it has been serious planning all the way.

I kick off my Imaginary Worlds Tour this Monday with a reading and book signing at University Books in Seattle, WA.

The tour marks the launch of my “mainstream” edition of Brigitta of the White Forest (en theos prerss)

For more Imaginary Worlds events, visit my Brigitta of the White Forest events page on facebook.

I will also do my best to blog about the experience along the way.

We’ve been working on a live-action book trailer and put together a teaser with some of the initial footage:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=est8Ufv1Mks&w=500&h=390]

Blog Tours, Book Tours: The Accidental Novelist on the road…

by 2 Comments

Today I kick off my Imaginary Worlds Book Tour with a virtual stop at Just Deb, where you will find an interview AND a book giveaway for the First Fan Edition (which we are almost out of and you can only order from the publisher). The “mainstream” edition is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and may be ordered from any bookstore in North America.

Deb Marshall is an assistant manager of a small town library, storyteller and writer. She also runs their library’s Backroom Kids Book Club. She is a grand supporter of Canadian literature and is running an Oh (MG/YA) Canada! Reading Challenge. Readers are challenged to devour one Canadian author’s childrens’ book per month for the year.

You can find her list of suggested reading HERE.

I don’t have dates for my other virtual book tour stops. I’ll just have to announce them when they appear. But the physical (!) book tour starts next week and public events are listed on Brigitta’s FACEBOOK page.

10 Hours to Raise $670 for our LIVE ACTION Book Trailer

by Leave a Comment

I have been negligent here as I gear up for my book tour, which starts in 10 days and includes 25 separate events. I’ve been a marketing machine (and my creative side has been sorely neglected).

In the middle of all of this, we’ve (me and a team of talented film people) been working on creating a LIVE ACTION book trailer for Brigitta.

We’ve got 11 HOURS left to raise $670 on Indie Gogo! Not sure if we’re going to make it (especially since a few people were having trouble getting their donations to work on the site), but we’re going to try, even if it’s $10 at a time!

We’ve cast our two faeries, Prop Guru made a fabulous stone sprite, and we shot Hrathgar Evil over the weekend

Yvette gets her Hrathgar on!

(more photos on the UPDATE section on the campaign page).

We’re cutting a “teaser” now and shooting the rest of the trailer in April (due to my long book tour in between), but we have to raise the money now to get the rest of the props built. Everyone is donating their time and talent – the funds go towards prop building, make-up, equipment rentals (monitor, sound, etc), and food for happy crew members.

Every bit helps and if you’re not in a position to donate, your happy good vibes juju and cheering help too! We like that.

https://www.indiegogo.com/project/widget/17162?a=14363