The Story Behind The Ifs

Ugh! I’m behind on my posts this week because I had to take my computer into the shop to get fixed. It’s been trying to update since last August without success. After trying to fix it myself and not having any luck, I sent it to a professional. Apparently, they’ve been struggling too. Hopefully the issue gets resolved soon.

In the meantime, I thought I would share with you the story behind The Ifs, my middle grade fantasy novel. Currently, there are three in the series (The Ifs, The Ifs Return, and Undead Ifs), and the first book will soon be available as an audiobook. 

I started writing this series about 6 years ago. I wanted my boys to have a story they could call their own where they got to be the heroes. I knew they were going to be middle grade books, and I wanted them to be filled with action and adventure, along with a little danger.

At the time, my boys were much younger than their counterparts in the book, and I had a lot of fun imagining how they would behave when they were finally that age. I guessed some of their traits correctly, but I was off the mark on others. But it’s not a big deal. These are fiction stories, so I used my imagination.

I think the best part about writing these stories was how the boys reacted when I read them to them. I think they were able to imagine exactly what was happening and put themselves in the characters’ shoes. There was a relationship there that they might not feel with other stories—which totally makes sense if the story is about them!

My oldest enjoys these stories so much he shared them with his classmates. He asked one night if he could take The Ifs to school, and I told him sure. The next day, he told me that the kids had the choice of three books for the teacher to read out loud, and they picked The Ifs.

At parent-teacher conferences, the teacher told me that my oldest would often interject side notes into the story—behind the scenes stuff—while she read. She said he really enjoyed having insider knowledge, and it kept the other students interested.

It makes me swell with pride to know that my boys are proud of these books. I put a lot of work and love into them, and I’m glad they enjoy reading them and having others read them. That’s the true goal of an author: to impact the reader.

New Book Release: Undead Ifs

Undead Ifs is now available on Kindle. It is the third book in The Ifs series, and it is a special request from my boys.

Book 3 in The Ifs series

Landon and Broden have been successful in defeating Gage twice. With him safely trapped in the hourglass and locked away, they can go on with their lives without a care in the world.

And the first thing they are going to do is enjoy a banquet with Slade and his Ifs where the brothers are the guests of honor. Now that the If village and the brothers are safe, a whole day full of food, fun, friends, and flying on hawks is just what they need to move on from the battles.

The boys discover more than good times hanging out with the Ifs, however. It doesn’t take long for them to realize that something sinister is buried just beneath the surface of celebration and fun. Something is in the trees, hiding in the shadows, something that may or may not be undead.

Could Gage be behind whatever evil lurks in the woods? Or is this a new danger? Join Landon and Broden in their new adventure to discover what wicked thing threatens their world.
My boys are 11 and 9, and they are huge zombie fans, but most zombie movies are still too scary for them to watch. They wanted something with the undead that wouldn’t keep them up for weeks and made them the heroes, so I wrote this story for them.

In celebration, the first two ebooks in the series—The Ifs and The Ifs Return—are free through Sunday. Now is the time to catch up on the series and get ready for a whole new adventure!

I’m also looking for reviewers, so if anyone is interested, drop me a line!

The Ifs and The Ifs Return

Several years ago, I decided to write some stories with my boys as the main characters. I knew they were going to be middle grade books, and I wanted them to be filled with action and adventure, along with a little danger. At the time, my boys were much younger than their counterparts in the book, and I had a lot of fun imagining how they would behave when they were finally that age.

The characters in the book and my boys share some similarities, but these are also a fiction stories, so I used my imagination. Still, they enjoy these stories and can’t wait for me to write the third book, which is next on my project list, and there will be zombies.

But I digress.

I found a publisher for The Ifs and The Ifs Return, and they were awesome. They asked me to create a different pen name to keep my middle grade books and all my other books separate, so I did. I even published some picture books under my new children’s pen name.

While the publisher was fantastic, the books didn’t do very well. When the publisher offered to give me my rights back, after a lot of deliberation and soul searching, I took them. I figured I would try releasing the books under Pembroke to see how they do.

As many of you know, with the amount of books that are put out on a daily basis, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. And maintaining multiple pen names is incredibly hard. I’ll admit it: I did a terrible job. However, I’m trying to remedy that now. I’m going to see if combining my efforts will allow the books to be a bit more successful.

So, without further ado, I give you The Ifs and The Ifs Return, republished under Pembroke Sinclair!

Book 1 in The Ifs series

Landon and Broden are brothers, and some days they DO NOT get along. They spend most of their days fighting, arguing, and plotting ways to get revenge on each other.

Then, strange things start happening… Noises in their room that are not from the cat. Homework that is mysteriously finished. A broken shoelace that repairs all by itself. Clothes that are put in the hamper on their own.

The brothers want to share their weird experiences, but they don’t know if they can trust each other. But when they find out who’s behind all the strange things around the house, they are called to battle with the most unusual creatures and wildest of beasts.

When the battle turns more dangerous than they imagined, Landon and Broden must face their fears, put their grudges aside, and learn how to work together.

Book 2 in The Ifs series

“Gage escaped.”

These are the worst words Broden could hear from his big brother Landon—just one day after they battled alongside Slade’s Ifs and his army of forest beasts. And Landon has more news…

“Gage has magic.”

As the boys are drawn into another adventure with the Ifs, they find out just how powerful—and dangerous—Gage’s magic can be.

Making Progress

For the past week, I have been making progress on both my house and getting my middle grade books ready for self-publishing. It’s been a long, exhausting road (for both), but the end is in sight.

Next week is the big move, so things are going to get crazy for a little bit. I’m hoping to have The Ifs and The Ifs Return available before then, but we’ll have to play it by ear. Until I get my feet back on the ground, I won’t have a lot of time for writing.

But have no fear! I will get back into writing as soon as I can. Until then, don’t forget to take part in the giveaways for your chance to win some books. You can find them on the right side panel.

Happy Release Day!

It's here!  It's finally here!  The Ifs Return is now available for your reading pleasure!

“Gage escaped.”

These are the worst words Broden could hear from his big brother Landon—just one day after they battled alongside Slade’s Ifs and his army of forest beasts.

Sure, the brothers had learned to work together to fight and capture the evil If Gage. But, now, Slade has informed them that Gage has escaped!
Fear and distrust have entered the boys’ world. Why should they help Slade if he can’t keep control of his prisoners? Will they be able to fight against a familiar foe? Plus, Landon has more news…

“Gage has magic.”

What kind of magic? Will he use it against them? As the boys are drawn into yet more adventure with the Ifs, they find out just how powerful, and dangerous, Gage’s magic can be.

You can find it on Amazon.  

To celebrate, I will be doing giveaways.  Find me on Facebook and play along.  It's going to be a rip-snorting good time!

This book is the second in the series, the first book, The Ifs, can be found here.

“Mom, Landon’s throwing food!” 

“No, I’m not!” 

Landon and Broden are brothers. And some days they DO NOT get along very well. They spend most of their days fighting, arguing and plotting ways to get revenge on each other. Then, strange things start happening… Noises in their room that are not the cat. Homework is mysteriously finished. A broken shoelace repairs all by itself. Clothes are put in the hamper on their own. 

The brothers want to share their weird experiences, but they don’t know if they can trust each other. But when they find out who’s behind all the strange things around the house, they are called to battle. Battle? Whoa! Right there in the forest by their house! A battle with the most unusual creatures and wildest of beasts. 

And when the battle turns more dangerous than they imagined, Landon and Broden must face their fears, put their grudges aside and learn how to work together.

This Week is Going to Kick A$$ and Take Names

Last week had its ups and downs—and they were pretty extreme. I had a brand new kind of panic attack, which was definitely a down. I hadn’t had one of those in a while, but the stress and worry of the last few weeks just hit me.  It sucked, but I survived.

As bad as the downs were, the ups were just as fantastic. First and foremost on the list was picking up Floki. He’s such a sweet, fluffy baby, and I’m so happy to have a Corgi in the house again. I have pictures and talk about him a little more in depth here.

It’s exhausting since he’s still a baby and needs to get up in the middle of the night and gets into everything, but time will fly and soon he’ll grow out of that. But before that happens, we’ll have another little sweetie in the house and things will be even crazier!

Say hello to Siggy.

My family also came to town this weekend, so I spent time with them. We had a lot of fun. 

I got to see my friend do a reading at the library (hi, Tamara!), which was awesome.  I’ve read all of her books, and they are fantastic.  I recommend checking them out.

This week is going to be awesome, I can feel it. The Ifs Return is scheduled for release on Wednesday, and I should be getting edits back for Good Intentions, bringing it one step closer to publication.

And those are just the things I know of. I’m sure other things will crop up along the way, and I can’t wait! I hope the rest of you are also gearing up for an amazing week.

A Good Week

This week was a good week.  Nothing overly exciting happened, and I was incredibly busy with freelance edits and editing The Ifs Return for the publisher, but it went by fast.

I crossed a bunch of agents off my list this week.  Their window of response had closed.  It was bittersweet as that meant several less agents were interested in my work, but it gets me one step closer to knowing where the book will be published.  That doesn't make me sad.  At least it has a home.  And I'm already brainstorming a whole bunch of promotional ideas that should be really fun.  Of course, I'd do those no matter who put the book out.

I still have one agent interested--I think.  He hasn't given me a concrete rejection, and when I email him updates (which happens incredibly rarely), he says "Thanks for the update."  On one hand, it's a great response because I assume that means I'm still being considered, but on the other, it's irritating because I want a concrete answer either way.  Sigh.  I guess I just relish in the moment that he hasn't rejected me outright.

Speaking of the nonfiction zombie book, I got it back from the editor and sent it off to the people I interviewed for their approval/input.  I gave them until the end of the month to get it back to me, so I'm sooooo close to being done done.  It feels so freaking good!

As I mentioned up top, I'm also working on edits for The Ifs Return.  I just need to finish those up and send them back to the publisher.  I will get that done today.  I feel bad because I've had it for two weeks now, but I wasn't kidding when I said I've been busy.

My goal this coming week is to work on Dealing with Devils (the sequel to The Appeal of Evil).  I'm close on that one.  Maybe five chapters left before my first draft is finished.  To me, that's the hard part.  I like editing and rewriting--that means I actually have something down on paper!

I feel like this month is flying by super fast.  I feel like I haven't accomplished everything I want to accomplish, but I've done a LOT!  All I can do is keep plugging along, and that's what I plan to do.

Happy Saturday!