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

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

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