# The Landers Saga ~ The Witch Awakening, now $0.99 until April 15th



## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Hello!
I recently published _The Witch Awakening_, the first novel in my gothic fantasy series about the House of Landers. Just to give fair warning, I'm a magpie in my writing, picking this shiny thing from that genre and that shiny thing from another genre and weaving them together in an eclectic nest. The plot combines elements of fantasy, paranormal romance, and family saga. My passion for European history, particularly the northern Renaissance, inspired the setting and court politics.

The odor of burning flesh and the screams of those condemned to the flames disturb the dreams of young Safire of Long Marsh. Safire struggles to keep the curse of her psychic abilities secret, lest she be burned at the stake as a witch in her native land Cormalen. Forced to keep her talents hidden instead of learning how to use them, Safire is ill-prepared to face the evil that awaits her. When she meets the rebellious Merius of Landers, a nobleman determined to escape his overbearing father's influence, she finally finds someone who accepts her. But their romance interferes with court plots and family duty and ultimately leads Safire to confront the dark secrets of the House of Landers alone. What she discovers there proves to be a test of her unusual gifts, a test that could free the soul of a haunted man--or end in her death.

Rather than traveling far away on a traditional fantasy quest, Safire must delve within herself and others in order to find the truth that can save those she loves.











Thank you for your interest!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Hi Karen,

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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

I'm so excited! _Rapid River Magazine_, which publishes information about local arts and culture, printed the press release I wrote myself about _The Witch Awakening _ and credited me as a contributing writer. It couldn't be more timely, as I'm doing a local indie author book fair this weekend, and the article mentions that. 

Oh, here's a snippet from the release (I guess I can quote it since I wrote it?)

"What happens when a novice witch confronts the vengeful ghost of her beloved's long-dead mother?

In her recently published gothic fantasy romance _The Witch Awakening_, author Karen Nilsen tells the story of Safire of Long Marsh, a young psychic whose unusual talents are considered witchcraft and punishable by death at the stake in her skewed Renaissance world.

Nilsen is currently revising _Tapestry Lion_ and writing the first draft of _Phoenix Ashes_, the next two novels in the witch series . . . "


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Link to the kindle book on amazon.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

I recently lowered the price of _The Witch Awakening_ to $2.99. If anyone happening to read this bought it at the old price, please let me know via pm if you have concerns. I wasn't intending to lower the price so quickly, but the psychology of pricing your own art appropriately for the market can be the bane of an artist's existence. At least that's what I observed watching my parents price their work when I was growing up. 

Oh, and Scarlet very kindly posted a large image in the above post for the Kindle store page if you want to take a look--thank you Scarlet!


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Cgrotpeter on NightOwlReviews.com gave The Witch Awakening 5 stars and wrote the following:

"Love at first sight, frightening battles, court intrigue and vengeful spirits abound in _The Witch Awakening_ by Karen Nilsen.

This book is a wonderful read. I found it hard to put down as the story of Safire and Merius developed.

Safire is a stubborn, strong willed, youngest daughter of a lower noble house. I have to admit I loved her the moment she graced the page. Her talents, along with her passion and tenacity make her a truly endearing young woman.

Merius is an honorable, if impetuous young man. The only son and heir of a high ranking noble family he has lived his life catering to his father's whim. His poets soul and warriors heart make up an enchanting package . . ."

To read the rest of the review, here's the link http://www.nightowlreviews.com/nightowlromance/reviews/Review.aspx?daoid=6583


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

I won't actually post the review here because it's on Amazon, but if you're interested, Ana Mardoll, a top 500 reviewer and Vine Voice on Amazon gave _The Witch Awakening_ 5 stars and a very well-written review. Her review makes me happy that I went Indie and published _The Witch Awakening _ according to my vision, not someone else's.


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## intinst (Dec 23, 2008)

I downloaded a sample, I'll try it.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Thank you, Intinst.  I hope you enjoy it!


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

KindleObsessed reviewed _The Witch Awakening_ on her blog and touched on several elements (the alternating POVs and how that impacts character development, action scenes, etc) that make the story unique and not quite your regular fantasy/paranormal romance/historical fiction/action/etc novel . . . link below . . .

http://www.kindleobsessed.com/book-rants/you-know-what-they-say-about-red-heads/


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## Karen Fenech (Jul 1, 2010)

Congratulations!

Karen


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## Valmore Daniels (Jul 12, 2010)

Nice review


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Thank you!  Great dragon, Valmore--it reminds me of a Michael Whelan piece--he's one of my favorite cover artists.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

In preparation for releasing the sequel _Tapestry Lion_ this fall, the price for _The Witch Awakening _ is now set at $0.99. Enjoy . . .


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

I've officially heard back from three of the four authors/editors who kindly volunteered to read through _Tapestry Lion_ (the sequel to _The Witch Awakening_) for me and critique it. I'm expecting to have their marked copies and comments back in mid-September, maybe sooner, which puts the release date sometime in mid-October, barring any last minute craziness.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

I got the official "birth certificate" for _The Witch Awakening_ in the mail while I was on vacation. It took six months (exactly how long the US copyright office said it would take), but how cool! Now that it's officially registered, I published on Smashwords, which was easier than I expected. If you want a longer excerpt than what's available on Amazon, check it out on Smashwords--since I'm still an unknown quality, I made as much of the manuscript available for free as possible.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

"The mark of a great fantasy novel is--can it enthrall readers like me who don't like fantasy novels? I'm happy to say I thoroughly enjoyed _The Witch Awakening_. The characters are full-bodied, the dialogue is terse and irreverent, the action is exciting and clever--and the book, all 414 pages of it, never has a boring moment . . ." Cauley Bennett for _Rapid River Arts & Culture Magazine_

Because _Rapid River_ is a print magazine, there's not really a decent link directly to the rest of the review. However, if you go to http://www.rapidrivermagazine.com and look on the home page, they've uploaded PDF files of their recent issues. This particular review is on page 25 of the October issue. Be forewarned--the file size of the PDF is 10.19 MB. My dial-up connection threw a hissy fit when I tried to download an electronic copy yesterday--I finally gave up. Anyway, I'm really excited--I've gotten reviews on online blogs, but this is first review in a print magazine. Anyway, thanks for your interest and enjoy!


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm please to announce that The Witch Awakening is our next KB Book of the Day! This 99-cent book is #42 in Kindle Fantasy > Historical. Check it out!


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Thank you, Harvey! And _The Witch Awakening_ is currently 18 in Kindle Fantasy> Historical, thanks to the readers on this board who decided to purchase it today! I'm pretty excited about that, if you can't already tell from all the exclamation points  I hope y'all enjoy it!


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Tapestry Lion is finally available! I'm using the big book cover option for my link here because the artwork is easier to see:


Also, Amazon hasn't posted the product description I submitted yet, so here goes:

When Queen Jazmene of Sarneth assassinates her brother with the help of her lover Lord Toscar and the witch Undene, she hopes to gain control of her ancestral throne. However, the unexpected birth of an heir thwarts her plans . . . for the moment.

When young witch artist Safire of Landers travels with her husband Merius to Sarneth, she no longer fears being burned at the stake. Unlike her homeland Cormalen, Sarneth allows witches to live and women to be artists. She revels in this newfound freedom, unaware that her ignorance of her own talents could prove fatal to those she loves.

When Queen Jazmene takes an interest in Safire's sketches, it would seem to be an artist's dream come true. After all, who doesn't want a royal patron? But Jazmene is no ordinary patron, and Safire is no ordinary artist. Suddenly entangled in an intrigue of international proportions, Safire and Merius struggle to escape the web of deception before their situation becomes deadly.

Thanks for your interest!


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

For any of you who have purchased either Witch Awakening or Tapestry Lion on your kindle, here's a link to a map of Cormalen, Sarneth, etc, the known world of witches, warlocks, and weirfolk . . .

http://www.karennilsen.com/?page_id=3


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

February has been a busy month for _The Witch Awakening_. First, it was featured on Kindle Nation Daily, which boosted sales -- a lot. It will be advertised on Red Adept's wonderful review blog next week, which I'm excited about. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

_The Witch Awakening_ is now listed in the Indie eBook Hall of Fame . . . here's the link:

http://www.delicious.com/ficbot/HOF-Fantasy

It's the fifth book down on the list. I've actually had it reviewed several other places besides the ones listed, but the moderator of Hall of Fame only lists reviews of ebook copies, not print copies.

Here are links to the actual reviews:

http://www.kindleobsessed.com/book-rants/you-know-what-they-say-about-red-heads/
http://www.nightowlromance.com/nor/Reviews/Cgrotpeter-reviews-The-Witch-Awakening-by-Karen-Nilsen.aspx
http://thepenmuse.blogspot.com/2010/08/review-witch-awakening-by-karen-nilsen.html


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Haven't posted here in ages, but in case anyone who enjoyed the first two books in the Landers Saga is still following these threads, I wanted to announce that Phoenix Ashes (Book 3) is now available:


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

As a Christmas present to myself, I recently wrote a novella about Safire's adolescence entitled Fledgling Witch: A Novella (The Landers Saga). January 5th through 9th, this novella will be free on Amazon. Happy Holidays to all!


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Fledgling Witch: A Novella (The Landers Saga) went free yesterday and so far has stayed ranked at 7th in the historical fantasy ebook category on Amazon. Since I consider seven a lucky number, a fairy tale number for a tale about a young witch, this makes me happy in a peculiar, nerdy sort of way.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

In celebration of completing my taxes, The Witch Awakening (Book One of The Landers Saga) will be $0.99 on Amazon until April 15th.


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