• Skip to main content

Danika Dinsmore

Storyteller

  • Writings
    • White Forest Series
      • Brigitta of the White Forest (Book 1)
      • The Ruins of Noe (Book 2)
      • Ondelle of Grioth (Book 3)
      • Narine of Noe (Book 4)
      • Voyage from Foraglenn (Book 5)
      • Song from Afar (Book 6)
      • Omnibus Edition Vol. 1
      • Omnibus Edition Vol. 2
    • Poetry
      • 3:15
      • Her Red Book
      • Everyday Angels and Other Near-death Experiences
      • Between Sleeps
    • Other Words
      • Online Appearances
      • Reckoning Press
  • About
    • Bio
    • Interviews and Press
  • Events
    • The Storyteller’s Smithy
  • Resources

Ondelle of Grioth

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

May 14, 2014 by Danika 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

Filed Under: Archived Blog, Brigitta of the White Forest, giveaways, Ondelle of Grioth, Ruins of Noe, writing life Tagged With: Children's Book Week, Children's Literature, giveaways, speculative fiction

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

May 8, 2014 by Danika 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Archived Blog, Brigitta of the White Forest, contests, Ondelle of Grioth, Ruins of Noe Tagged With: blog hop, Brigitta of the White Forest, Children's Book Week, Children's Literature, faerie tales from the white forest, ondelle of grioth, ruins of noe

LAUNCH PARTY! Come on in!

April 15, 2014 by Danika 44 Comments

Labor-Day-

Thanks for stopping by. There’s so much I want to share, I don’t even know where to start! So, before we get to the food and entertainment and party games, how about I start with what we’re celebrating?

Ondelle-official-softcover-webFirst off, we are celebrating the official launch of Ondelle of Grioth, the third book in my Faerie Tales from the White Forest series, which Cassandra Rose Clarke called “A charming, magical journey.” (check out her books if you haven’t already, because she is all kinds of fun.)

You may buy copies HERE (or order through your Local Indie Bookstore)

Second, the launch of this site. I’m still getting used to the new digs, working out kinks, etc, but it’s growing on me. And I like that it’s uniquely mine. Many thanks to Kelsye Nelson for branding me (ouch!).

Next, I’d like to thank the TEAM behind the book, for without them there would be a lot less awesome in the world. (a few of them have even added to the giveaway pile today).

Big, Mushy Thanks to:

TodTod McCoy
(editor and publisher) – Oh, look, he’s already got a drink.

Shannon Page
(copy editor – and obviously Super Hero)

Avatar 200px

Chris Fink-Jensen (cover typography)

Photo on 2-12-2014 at 10.08 PM #2

Julie Fain (cover art)

JulieFain


Alison Woodward (maps and inner graphics)

Alison

 

 

 

 


GIVEAWAYS – w00t! w00t!

Okay, I know this is why you’re REALLY here. And we have some super giveaways for you, including:

$25 Amazon Gift Certificate
A copy of Now Write! Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
A copy of Witches, Stitches, and Bitches (donated by Shannon)

A copy of Telling Tales (donated by Tod)

In order to win, I’m not going to tell you to like me on Facebook or follow me Twitter (or even this blog) to score points. Of course, if you want to do those things, I’m happy and grateful. I really and truly am. Feel free to follow me anywhere (well, um, almost anywhere).

Instead, here’s how you can earn points. For each one of these you get your name in a draw:

  • 1 entry for simply attending and commenting
  • 1 entry for each form of social media (twitter, Facebook, google + etc) you use to invite others to the party. (just tell me in the comment section that you did so, I believe you)
  • 1 entry for posting a recipe (or link to one) you can make in 15 minutes or less (food or beverage as long as it’s YUMMY – and calories be damned)
  • 1 entry for adding to the ambiance with a song or a joke (PG-13 please)
  • 2 entries for playing the party game below

(giveaway goes until 5 pm TOMORROW, April 16
for those who like to be fashionably late or are finishing their taxes)

AND, if you’re interested in winning a signed print copy of Ondelle of Grioth, you have until Friday, April 18 over at 4 AM Writer. (and follow her blog because Kate is lovely)

PARTY GAME!

I created a little party game just for the fun of it, and when it’s all put together, it forms a bit of a poem (it IS National Poetry Month after all).

Tell us these four things and feel free to be creative):

Your Element
Your Super Power
Your Magical Name/Title
The last line you wrote
(if you are a writer, if not a writer, the last line you read)

HERE’s MINE:

Seawater
finds lost things
Tree Whisperer
I didn’t know which scared me more:
that I’d wake up the next day and she’d still be there,
or that I’d wake up and she’d be gone. 

And now it’s time to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!

FIVE MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
(works just fine with gluten free flour and less sugar)

FIVE MINUTE ICE CREAM
(can add yoghurt, too, and skip sugar)

And Shannon sent us a drink:

Kir Royale
2TBS creme de cassis
1 glass champagne or prosecco
pour cassis into glass of champagne.
Enjoy!

FaerieDance

Filed Under: Archived Blog, Book Launch, Ondelle of Grioth, party

Weekly Writing Workout: Three Ring Circus Part Two – NEED

February 3, 2014 by openchannel 2 Comments

Quick post today because I have a FULL week ahead. As a matter of fact… I have a full few months ahead of me as I make my way toward the launch of BOOK THREE of my Faerie Tales from the White Forest series on April 15. Can I get a squee?

And from today until April 3, you can enter to win your very own print copy. CLICK the IMAGE below for the GoodReads Book Three Givaway Page:

Ondelle-ARC-cover-web

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  * *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Last week I talked about the three ring circus that is my head and gave a character exercise around WANT. Want is pretty easy to figure out because it’s the exterior goal. He wants the girl (or boy), she wants the grail (or tiara), the Detective wants to solve the murder, the Clown wants to perform for Cirque du Soleil.

Want marks the plot of the story, the trajectory the protag (or other character) takes to get this thing. But NEED marks the inner journey. It’s what the protagonist has to realize or face in order to become a better person, to become the person he or she is meant to be. And generally, we want our protags to emerge as better people (or faeries or dragons or giants)

In the movie Gattaca, a character driven near-future sic fi with Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, Hawke’s character  is a “genetically inferior man” who assumes the identity of a superior one (Jude Law) in order to pursue his childhood dream of going into space. That’s what he wants… but what he really NEEDS, what has been eating at him his entire life, is to confront his older brother and prove to himself that he is not inferior. It’s a great story about perseverance, about not letting other people’s views of who you are get in your way.

And as an audience, I don’t think we’d be completely satisfied without that moment. It’s a fist pump “yeah!” moment.

YOUR WORKOUT

1) SET YOUR TIMER for 7-10 minutes.

Start with the line: The inner block my character has, that is getting in his way of being all he can be, is …

Write without stopping, crossing out, rereading, or editing.

2) SET YOUR TIMER for 10-12 minutes.

Start with the line: If he confronted/faced/addressed this block then…

3) SET YOUR TIMER for 12-15 minutes.

There should be a moment where what your character wants is in conflict with what he needs. Perhaps addressing this need will get him into trouble. In Gattaca it’s when the MC challenges his brother to a swim in the ocean. He could die, they could both die, but he’s going to friggin’ prove himself.

Start with the line:  The moment when my character reaches a threshold, on the other side of which his better self lies, happens when…

Write without stopping, crossing out, rereading, or editing.

And have a great week!

*     *     *

If you are a blogger who would like to post your own weekly workout exercise with me every Monday, please write to info (at) danikadinsmore.com

 

Filed Under: Archived Blog, Book Launch, Ondelle of Grioth, weekly workout, writing exercises Tagged With: Brigitta of the White Forest, faerie tales from the white forest, juvenile fiction, middle grade fantasy, ondelle of grioth

  • Archived Blog
  • Contact
  • Credits
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© Copyright 2026 Danika Dinsmore • Developed with ♥ by Ming Liu

Manage Cookie Consent
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, check out their Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
  • Manage options
  • Manage services
  • Manage {vendor_count} vendors
  • Read more about these purposes
View preferences
  • {title}
  • {title}
  • {title}