Dorlana Vann

When One Door Closes…

Dorlana Vann ♦ June 21, 2012 ♦ 3 Comments

My recent situation has my thinking in sayings like: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” and “Never say Never.”

You see, I’ve been working on a novel (a supernatural mystery) and was just about ready to write the rough draft – when I was stopped in my tracks by a pinched nerve in my neck (which practically stopped me from doing almost everything for a month). I’m slowly getting the use of my right arm and hand back but just typing this post is still difficult. Typing an entire novel, at this point, would be impossible. I sort of use the NaNoWRiMo method – I write the entire draft/outline in a month, so that means a lot of typing every day.

I really miss writing – and I thought, “Hey, I can still edit on paper!” So a few days ago I pulled out a rough draft that I had shelved over 2 years ago (I actually have 3 of these.) and printed it out. The name of the almost-novel is Potion. It’s a young adult supernatural fairy tale inspired by “Hansel and Gretal” and my short story, “Blueberry Eyes.” Note: “Blueberry Eyes” is one of the short stories in my collection, Supernatural Fairy Tales.

Potion is a big mess. I have a lot to do. Especially trying to figure out Past-Dorlana’s notes and reorganizing. But I think the story has a lot of potential.

So why didn’t I finish it 2 years ago? At the time I was working on the rough draft was around the time I was still working on the finishing touches of my other two YA supernatural fairy tales, and I guess I just needed a break. I’m not sure when I would have returned to the genre, if ever, if this situation had not happened. So? Blessing in disguise? That remains to be seen…

Love and Laughter,

Dorlana 🙂

Jaclyn’s Ghost on Nook

Dorlana Vann ♦ June 20, 2012 ♦ 2 Comments

Hi Friends,

Just wanted to let you know that JACLYN’S GHOST ebook is now available at BarnesandNoble.com for $2.99.

Ghosts, Mystery, and Fashion.

Can this diva solve her own murder,

or will she be stuck in limbo forever?

Jaclyn’s Ghost by Dorlana Vann

Last Chance to Get Silverweed for FREE

Dorlana Vann ♦ May 25, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

Silverweed: a supernatural fairy tale by Dorlana Vann

Werewolf, Young Adult, Dark Fantasy inspired by

Little Red Riding Hood

This week’s FREE Kindle E-book is Silverweed: a Supernatural Fairy Tale.

It will actually be free for two days, Saturday May 26, 2012 and Sunday May 27, 2012. It will still remain free for Amazon Prime Members to borrow until July 2012. And soon after that date, it will be available to purchase for Nook at www.BarnesandNoble.com. But this will be the last free Kindle giveaway for Silverweed. This is also the last weekend for the Spring Free Kindle Ebooks

Amazon US

Amazon.de

Amazon.co.uk

Passage to Queen Mesentia kindle eBook is Free Friday

Dorlana Vann ♦ May 17, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

Passage to Queen Mesentia by Dorlana Vann

Travel back to ancient Egypt through the eyes of the tormented immortal, Ben, and then on a treasure hunt to modern-day (2005) Egypt with a “princess” and a “cowboy.”

Supernatural Egyptian Mystery: Passage to Queen Mesentia by Dorlana Vann

Go download your free Kindle copy Friday May 18,2012 or Saturday May 19, 2012

Amazon U.S

Ninja vs Pirates is now available :)

Dorlana Vann ♦ May 14, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

Hi Friends,

My new children’s book, Ninja vs Pirates is now available in paperback for $5.99 at Amazon.com

Are you Team Ninja or Team Pirate?

Ninja vs Pirates

Step into the hilarious imagination of Riley and Richard as they use clowns, ghosts, poop, and jokes to argue who are the better warriors—ninja or pirates? Riley dramatically acts out his tale about how the ninja tricked the brainless pirates. And Richard draws pictures to get his point across: pirates were smart and inventive; the ninja were the real clowns! Will the boys ever agree? Or will it always be ninja vs. pirates? For all ages (especially 8-year-old boys)

Dorlana’s 8-year-old son, Dean, wanted his mom to write a book for him that had pirates, ninja, and jokes. Soon, the project became a partnership. Dean is the illustrator of PART II, model, and advisor on all things little boy.

For more information about the book visit About Ninja vs. Pirates page.

Last Chance to get Jaclyn’s Ghost eBook for Free

Dorlana Vann ♦ May 3, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

This week’s Free Kindle eBook is Jaclyn’s Ghost

Jaclyn’s Ghost by Dorlana Vann

It will actually be free for two days, Friday May 4, 2012 and Saturday May 5, 2012. It will still remain free for Amazon Prime Members to borrow until June 19, 2012. And soon after that date, it will be available to purchase for Nook at www.BarnesandNoble.com. But this will be the last free Kindle giveaway for Jaclyn’s Ghost.

This will also be the last month of my Spring Free eBook Fridays. I hope you have been able to pick up a couple of my ebooks for free (and if not, there are still three more Fridays and four more books!) and most of all, I hope you have enjoyed them.

Jaclyn’s Ghost by Dorlana Vann

Amazon (Kindle)

Amazon.co.uk (Kindle)

Amazon.de (Kindle)

Ghosts, Mystery, and Fashion. Can this diva solve her own murder, or will she be stuck in limbo forever?

After recovering from the shock of seeing her own dead body, (still dressed to kill from last night’s party) fashion model, Jaclyn Jade, discovers she’s a ghost with a choice. She can either immediately go back to Hell, do nothing and stay in limbo, or find the reason she fell short of grace and advance to Heaven. Because she was murdered, Jaclyn hopes that finding her killer will unravel this mystery. With the help of a timid closet-psychic who can speak to the dead, and a handsome, yet arrogant, ghost of a man from the roaring 20s, her search for answers initiates a quirky journey of self-discovery. Personalities, eras, and worlds collide as this mismatched trio race against time to solve the mystery of Jaclyn’s Ghost.

For more information go to Jaclyn’s Ghost Page

This week’s Friday Freebie: Passage to Queen Mesentia

Dorlana Vann ♦ April 26, 2012 ♦ Leave a comment

Passage to Queen Mesentia by Dorlana Vann

I’m thrilled to be giving away my supernatural mystery, Passage to Queen Mesentia. It’s actually my favorite out of all my stories. It was the first book where I used my state of Texas as the setting and was able to embrace Texas slang in the dialogue instead of having to watch out for it. 🙂 I’m a huge ancient Egypt fan, so it was a lot fun to travel back to that era through the eyes of the tormented immortal character, Ben, and then on a treasure hunt to modern day (2005) Egypt with a “princess” and a “cowboy.”

Since writing the rough draft in 2006, this novella has gone through a lot of changes. When Jaclyn’s Ghost was accepted by Tease Publisher LLC (2008) for their Dark Tarot series they ended up accepting Passage to Queen Mesentia (then titled Passage to Mesentia – and before that, Isabella’s Dark Knight) to include in my now out-of-print novel, Death. (Tarot meaning: Transformation, Passage, Change) To me, it was just kind of the flip side of a record. (Showing my age here). It was missing something for it to be a stand-alone story.

So when I received my rights back (2010) I decided to give it a major rewrite – I even ended up changing the main character’s name from Isabella/Bella which had been popularized by this other novel. (Bet you can guess which one.) I started researching and writing and ended up with another 5,000 words or so. I also took another look at the main characters’ motivations and goals. This is also the second cover –third if you count Death. I’m proud of how this story has developed, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

You can check out Passage to Queen Mesentia Page for synopsis and chapter 1.

If you get a chance, go grab your free Kindle copy, Friday April 27, 2012. And I would love to hear what you think.

Amazon U.S

Love and Laughter,

Dorlana 🙂