New Year's Resolution and New Art Shop

I normally don't do New Year's resolutions, but I decided that I'd make one exception for this upcoming year. I've been trying to blog more than one post a month, but I get too busy and forget to update. Not good.

So, my resolution is to blog once a week. We'll see how it goes!

Updates before the year is out: Almost finished with the final edit of my novel, then it's off to more agents. I'm hoping to have most of the letters out by January. The fun part (oh joy) is compiling the list of agents. Since this new novel is a completely different novel from any I've written in genre, I have to find a whole new list of agents to write to. I do like that most of them take email now, but you have to do your research. It's a lot of time and effort. But hey, if you're doing what you love... :)

Next update! If you didn't notice the new banner right under my Deviantart tab, it's my Society6 shop -- a shop for art prints, iPhone cases and skins, and laptop cases and skins. I have several of my artworks available in various forms -- all of them in fine prints, and some in iPhone case/skin format, and some in laptop skin. I'll be adding more as time goes on. Check it out! :)

Prayers are appreciated! I'm applying to transfer to a different college for the fall of 2012, and as of yet, I have no idea where I'm going. We'll see how things go, but right now, that and finishing up the novel are my main priorities. :)

Take care! I'll try to add another post before the year is over.

New Mermaid Novel

Hey, everyone!

Hope you're all doing well. It's been a rough past couple weeks, but I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, probably my favorite holiday. I love making pumpkin and maple pecan pie... One time I made a chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Good times.

Now, onto novel news. To the left is a cover I've created for my newest novel UNDER, a young adult dark mermaid novel. It's filled with action, suspense, and of course, romance. I've sent out only a couple query letters so far, and one agent did ask for the whole manuscript after reading the partial. In the end, she did reject it, but her letter was extremely encouraging. I'll be sending out more letters soon after some further editing (fun fun).

I'm very excited about this novel. Although it's an extremely difficult process, I can't imagine doing anything else. I've often wondered what I'd do if I weren't writing. But every time I think about it, I really can't imagine not writing. As soon as I finish one, I feel incomplete - plot bunnies are constantly attacking - and I have to start another.

I've also had a lot of people ask me about self-publishing, since my other novel OCEAN OF EMPTINESS is self-published, as well as a short story. Self-publishing, while I think it's the wave of the future, is a very good option. But I've also had a lot of people want the book in print, but it's very expensive if you're self-publishing. If you want to reach a wider audience at this point at least, I still think traditional publish is the way to go. But I think eventually digital printing will overwrite the traditional, which is sad, because I still love hard copies.

So, I've gone through the initial stages of the writing and querying process for UNDER, so now it's a little more editing, then off to other agents! I might re-query the agent who requested the full manuscript as well. She was absolutely wonderful and responded quickly and very nicely.

If anyone has any questions or would like to comment, feel free! :)

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

- Serena

Where is Mr. Darcy??

Hey, everyone!!

It's been a while since I updated this blog... sadly...

But as I've been writing a new novel and watching some of the regency classics - ie Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Jane Eyre, etc., I was reading some of the comments, and it got me thinking. The comments were usually the same:

Where are the Mr. Darcys of today? The Mr. Rochesters? The Colonel Brandons? How come we don't have iconic Bryonic heroes today? Where have they gone?

So, pertaining to these questions, I wanted to ask all of you out there a question:

What do you look for in a hero? What are his characteristics? What characteristics would he have to have in order to be a Mr. Darcy? Give me some examples.

Just curious...


- Serena

Alex Reads Twilight and Life after Potter

So, whilst finishing up summer classes and juggling commissions and writing a new novel (Yes, it's ANOTHER mermaid novel, but completely different from OCEAN OF EMPTINESS), I've been rewatching Alex Reads Twilight on #TheYouTubes. I'm still trying to figure out why people keep using #beforeveryword, but it's starting to get on my nerves. Maybe it's because of Twitter (which I still can't get, since that's what FB statuses are for), or maybe it's another new internet craze.

Either way, maybe I'll start using it just for the heck of it... and #seewhathappens.

Moving swiftly onward.

If you haven't seen Alex Reads Twilight, WATCH IT. It's hilarious.

And, bigger news... TheKayNewsNetwork reports that life as we know it will end after #Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 2 comes out in theaters. Actually, scratch that - life as we know it will end after it comes out on DVD/BluRay.

I for one am dreading the moment. For realz. Seriously, they made all seven/eight movies. It's Harry Potter!!!! LIKE #THEMOSTFAMOUSBOOKSERIESOFALLTIME. I just hope they get the Snape scenes right... That's probably the scene I've been looking forward to ALL YEAR. They didn't include the part where Lily dissed Snape in the OOTP, so they'd better include that in here... but I doubt it. They'll go for the action and forget all the parts of HP that made it so good. Ah, well.

I'm still going to see it. :)

NEWS ALERT: Look for my new novel coming out this early fall/late summer hopefully.

Cheers! :)

- Serena

New Ebook Platforms! And Art

No, I am not putting my ebook on literal platforms. I'm a horrible carpenter.

My YA novel OCEAN OF EMPTINESS, thanks to the lovely Smashwords.com, is now available on the Apple iBookstore and Barnes & Noble. Still priced at $0.99! I'm super excited that the book is becoming more widespread, and I hope that people will enjoy it on their Nooks and iPads/iPhones/iTouches/iEverything else. :)

Buy OCEAN OF EMPTINESS on:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Apple
Smashwords

Short Summary of OCEAN:
 What do you get when you cross a runaway rich kid, a space mermaid, and a stuck-up teen commander with a bunch of pirates in space? ABSOLUTE CHAOS. Throw in a little hint of romance, a few starship battles, and a lot of yelling, and you've got yourself an intergalactic tale. Think Star Wars meets Little Mermaid.

Also, I'm in the middle of working on two new OCEAN OF EMPTINESS (OOE) illustrations that will be published very soon on Deviantart. Eventually, there will be several illustrations in OCEAN, all of which will also be available on Deviantart.

That's all for now! My next post will be about the OCEAN characters and my short sci-fi story SHIFT. :) Leave a comment, ask a question - whatever you'd like!

- Serena

New Novel Price (and other things)

Hey, everyone!

Hope you all are doing well. I, unfortunately, have been battling a sudden sickness since the day before yesterday - it's just the sore throat that's really bugging me. However, the downtime has given me more time to write, which has been great. I've finally been able to break my nasty writer's block that's been weighing me down for the past few months. And, I have to say, I'm SUPER (hint hint) excited about this new novel.

I'll give you a teaser by saying it's an edgy YA thriller (with some romance, of course).

However, as for my already written novel OCEAN OF EMPTINESS on Amazon, I'd like to announce that OCEAN is now only $0.99. One, because I know the economy is tough, and I'd like to make my book as affordable as possible for everyone.

Also, if you've read my book, I'd love to have your input. Send me a note, or write me a comment! I'm all ears.

Also, I'd like to say that I'm taking commissions - both digital and traditional - and my prices are listed on my DeviantArt account. However, I am now requesting the money paid in full, up front.

Any questions, comments, heads of lettuce to throw... feel free! :)

- Serena

Blond Moment

Although I'm not technically a blond anymore, I still have my blond moments from time to time. The other day, I went outside to ride my bike... and voila, it was gone. Of course, I freaked out for the rest of the day, certain it was gone forever, and I would have to spend a lot of money (or visit Craigslist) to get a new one.

However, yesterday, I was walking home and glanced across the street... and there it was. I honestly don't remember leaving it in that spot, but as it was locked the way I locked it, I must have. But I'm apparently having memory loss... and a blond moment.

Also, I'm very disappointed with Barnes and Noble's Pubit! My novel has been processing for almost a month now, and their customer service is extremely lacking. Amazon is amazing.

Art classes are killing me this semester... I'm considering switching up some things for my majors. We'll see what happens.

Also - I'm so excited for the movies coming out this year and next. My list for this year:
Jane Eyre
Thor
Captain America
X-Men: First Class

Next year:
The Dark Knight Rises
Star Trek sequel
The Avengers

Yes, this post has been a bit random, but I feel like a stream of thought is needed sometimes. Thoughts? Comments? Feel free to do so. :)

Also, if you'd like to read the first chapter of OCEAN OF EMPTINESS, please click the link to the top left.

- Serena

Hello World!

Hello, there!

After some consideration, I've finally decided to make this my homepage for the time being. I like the format out of the majority of websites I've seen, and although it is a blog format, I actually prefer that.

First, let me tell you a bit about myself and what this site is all about. I'm a novelist and artist (as well as college student), and I've just published my first book Ocean of Emptiness on Amazon. Currently it is only in eBook format for a number of devices, which I will list below, but I may also make a paperback edition. I am also in the process of publishing it on Barnes and Noble's Pubit, but honestly, their system is lacking, and their customer service even more so. I'll keep you updated on the progress.

I started writing when I was around twelve, and I went to writing stories online under the name "Serena Kenobi." A few years later, I also started publishing my art online under the same name. I've been writing online for years now, while at the same time working on several  novels. Although "Ocean" is the first book I've published, I'm currently working on another YA novel as well. I'm also a commissioned artist and am currently taking commissions. If interested, please see my Deviantart site.

List of Devices for the Amazon eBook:
Kindle
With free Kindle App:
Mac
PC
iPhone
iPad
Android
Blackberry