Poll Results

Here they are!

Do you think King Adrik is a good father?
4% Yes, he's responsible and reliable and good to his children
70% He's not perfect, but he does his best within their society's expectations
25% No, he's selfish and manipulative, and horribly unfair to his daughters

Thanks to everyone who voted! (And it'll be interesting to see how opinions change after Allegiance....) New poll is up!

There's really nothing new to report in terms of what's going on with the books, but I can assure you that things are happening, and I'll let you know what they are as soon as I'm able. Thanks so much for stopping by,

Cayla

Reader Views Awards

Hi everybody!

Some quick exciting news: Legacy won first place in the Reader Views Literary Awards for young adult fiction! Click here to check out Reader Views' website.

Another bit of EXCEEDINGLY exciting news, which has already been announced on my official website, is that I have signed with a literary agent, Kevan Lyon. I've been working with her for a couple of weeks now, and couldn't be happier -- people always talk about having a "super agent", and now I finally know what they mean!

That's all for now, so thanks for dropping in,

Cayla

Back Again

Hi all!

It's been a while since my last update, mostly since not much has been going on. I've been doing a few more school visits, with some more still coming up -- it's been a load of fun so far! The biggest news remains the launching of my Official Website, which you're welcome -- encouraged! -- to visit. There you can find the easiest ways to contact me with questions, comments, or to arrange signings and visits, as well as some frequently asked questions and the like. Please feel free to drop by!

I've got poll results for you as well, for: Are London and Cannan secretly good friends?

19% Yeah, all that bickering is just for show
11% No way! The Palace is definitely too small for the both of them
69% They're not good friends, but there is a mutual respect between them

I'd probably have to side with the 69 percent myself -- thanks to everyone who voted! The next poll (Do you think King Adrik is a good father?) is up!

Thanks so much for dropping in,

Cayla

Oh! One more announcement: it's my older sister's birthday today! Happy Birthday, Cara!!!!

Cayla Kluver Official

Hi all! Some mildly exciting news -- I've set up a temporary homepage for myself separate from this blog (I say temporary because I plan to get a professional site designed at some point). It's got my bio, some FAQs, information on Legacy and Allegiance and other projects in the works, and a page for writing tips, among other stuff. Check it out: Cayla Kluver Official.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cayla

Appearances

Quick reminder: I've started an author Facebook page; feel free to friend me. See the post before this one for more details.

Anyway... hello everyone! I just got done with a very exciting and new experience -- I spent this past Thursday and Friday at Fall Creek Middle School here in Wisconsin, talking to seventh and eighth grade English classes about writing and publishing (with an emphasis on revisions -- for teachers who might like me to come speak to their students, I'll include in a little greater detail the things I covered at the end of this post). I had so much fun, the groups were great, and they asked some excellent questions. So I just want to give a shout-out to them, and their teachers, who made me feel so welcome and made this an experience I definitely want to repeat. Thanks a bunch, you guys!

Some more news: Legacy was reviewed by Bobbi Carducci, the director of the Young Voices Foundation, for About Families. Please check out both of the links! Here's the review:

"Legacy is the story of conflict surrounding the life and destiny of seventeen year old Princess Alera of Hytanica. Alera is a young woman of independent nature, struggling to live in a world where women exist to serve men. As princess, it is her duty to marry the young man her father has chosen for her; a man who suits the King but not his accomplished daughter.

"Just as Alera is about to give in to her father, she meets Narian, a teenage Cokyrian boy, who tells her of a land where women are respected leaders who choose their own mates. Alera wants to know more about this new way of thinking and about the boy who challenges her to think for herself. Unfortunately an alliance between them could spell doom for Alera and all of Hytanica.

"Ultimately, Alera must decide where her true destiny lies.

" 'At some point, the choice you will face is whether to carry out your duties or live your life.' "

"Legacy is the first novel written by a talented young writer I believe will have a long writing career. At the age of fifteen, Cayla Kluver has created a fantasy adventure story that will appeal to readers of all ages. I recommend that you Buy the Book!"

I was really heartened by this review, and so thankful toward Ms. Carducci once again.

Now for teachers: basically what I do at these kinds of workshops is read an excerpt from the book (Legacy), hand out a packet with some supplementary materials for what I plan to cover, then go through a timeline of the writing and publishing process, including a bunch of physical examples such as industry standard rejection letters from literary agents, uncorrected proof/galley copies of the book (bound manuscripts for review services), book covers before they're bound, and an amusing example of what can go wrong in the printing process. Once I've completed the timeline, I go back and elaborate on the importance of editing and revising, including major changes that were made between the first and final drafts of Legacy, and some general tips that apply to any form of writing. Then I take questions with however much time remains. If this is something you would be interested in for your own students, please send an email to editor[at]forsoothpublishing.com to make arrangements.

Thank you so much for visiting!

Cayla