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Hey, Time-Strapped Author! Wanna write great fiction? BUT writing is hard because you… - Have NO TIME because you work a full-time job or go to school full-time - Doubt your writing ability - Are unsure how to write the kind of captivating stories you love to read. Then welcome to The Adventurous Author, the podcast for underdog authors on a mission to achieve legendary feats in the publishing world but have to overcome impossible obstacles, limited time, and paralyzing inner skepticism along the way. Through these episodes, you will… - Gain confidence in your author identity. - Master the process and structure needed to write captivating stories EVEN WITH limited writing time. - Learn to use AI effectively and ethically to constantly improve your writing skills and story quality. I’m your host Bonnie Jean Schaefer. Under my pen name of fantasy author D.K. Drake, I write action-packed, wholesome adventures without the snooze-worthy fluff. But as your personal writing coach, I’m here to unlock YOUR narrative prowess, guide you in crafting spellbinding tales, and navigate the wild world of writing with AI. Adventure awaits, so ignite your imagination, latch on to that dragon swooping overhead, and let the storytelling quest begin. It’s time to play in our own fabulous fantasy worlds.
Episodes
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
Engage with an Expert Thursday was so fun with Kara Walker last week that I split it up the interview into two shows and couldn’t wait until Thursday to share part II with you. So here we are on the Tuesday before Christmas with another dose of Kara Walker, host of the Money and Mental Peace podcast. Today she shares her story about how she graduated from college debt free with $10k in the bank…and how you can do the same.
I find this topic of debt-free college intriguing, especially since I went to a private college utilizing student loans. That was the only way I knew how to go to the college I wanted to go to, and I didn’t even realize there was a way to NOT use student loans in order to get a good college education. Had I known then what Kara teaches now, I sure would have saved myself a lot of financial headaches. I thus hope you’ll tune in and listen to Kara’s fascinating story so you can graduate college debt-free and have money in the bank.
Debt-free college starts with learning about managing money effectively, so if you want to learn the basics of budgeting while still in high school, check out episode 33.
Want more tips on debt-free college and guidance on finding God's direction for college? Listen to Kara's Podcast.
MONEY AND MENTAL PEACE
Connect with Kara at www.MoneyandMentalPeace.com
Listen to Episode 33:
How Budgeting in High School Leads to Financial Freedom with Kara Walker
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ
Friday Dec 16, 2022
Friday Dec 16, 2022
It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday!
In today’s chapter of The Dragon Collector, Javan officially starts training to collect dragons.
At the outset of the chapter, Javan’s grandfather Ravier is Javan’s sole mentor. And Ravier plans on being the only one to train Javan.
But unbeknownst to both Ravier and Javan, Ravier’s wife and Javan’s grandmother Hannah has been on a mentor recruiting mission. She’s talked her father Hamilton into joining the fun and hunted down Astor, the oldest and wisest person in Zandador to help as well.
Tune in to find out what happens when Javan and Ravier are unexpectedly joined by Hamilton and Astor.
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ
Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/authordkdrakeinsiders
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
Thursday Dec 15, 2022
It’s Engage with an Expert Thursday!
This the part of the show where I will bring on a guest expert to discuss a topic that is directly or indirectly related to your success as an author.
Today we will be kicking off this fun new aspect of the show with Kara Walker, host of the Money and Mental Peace podcast. She is here today to talk about the importance of budgeting your money and how to get started with budgeting even if you’re still in high school. She’ll be with us again next week to share her story about how she graduated from college debt free with $10k in the bank…and how you can do the same.
Debt-free college starts with learning about managing money effectively, so let’s dive in to the all important topic of budgeting with Kara Walker.
Want more tips on budgeting and guidance on finding God's direction for college? Listen to Kara's Podcast.
MONEY AND MENTAL PEACE
Connect with Kara at www.MoneyandMentalPeace.com
Listen to Episode 35:
Graduate College Debt-Free AND Have Money in the Bank with Kara Walker
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Happy Friday, fantasy fiction fan!
Today I’ll be sharing chapter 21 of The Dragon Collector with you. Now most of this chapter was not included in the original version of the book. But after listening to feedback from my readers, I learned they were confused about who was who in Javan’s family.
I have to admit it does get a bit confusing since the people in Zandador have such long lifespans and many of his great grandparents are still alive. I thus added Javan’s Family Tree as a chapter to detail out his relatives going back seven generations.
If you want to see the family tree for yourself, you can snag the ebook over on Amazon or get your own autographed paperback version of the book directly from me. Actually, you can get all three paperback books autographed and shipped to you in time for Christmas if you purchase them through my Dream Doers Publishing link. Check out the links below.
Right now, let’s get to the story. We pick up with Ravier still sharing the history of the kings and queens of Zandador. Enjoy!
Purchase The Dragon Collector on Amazon
Purchase an autographed copy of the The Dragon Collector
Purchase autographed copies of the entire Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga at a discounted rate.
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
So you want to write a book. But you’re young. Maybe you haven’t graduated high school yet. Or middle school.
Your heart tells you to go for it, but your mind has some doubts.
Am I good enough to be an author?
Is my idea good enough to write about?
Am I capable of writing a good enough story?
Will my story ever be good enough to let anyone read?
How will I know if my novel is good enough to publish?
Those are just some doubts I’ve struggled with throughout my author journey, and I bet that every writer everywhere has dealt with some version of at least one of these doubts. Tune in to today’s episode to hear one trick I use to defeat those “not good enough” doubts.
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ
Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/authordkdrakeinsiders
Friday Nov 25, 2022
Friday Nov 25, 2022
In today’s Fantasy Fiction Friday episode, I’m coming at you with chapter 20 of The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga.
Before I wrote this chapter, I created a historical timeline of all the kings of Zandador. The timeline has their names, what bloodline they are from, and how long they reigned as king. You can check it out on the blog here if you want to see it for yourself.
Another thing I had to know before writing this chapter was the history behind the bloodlines themselves. How did the factions develop? What is the underlying mission of each faction? The questions Javan asks in this chapter are questions I asked myself while building my world.
Once again, I apologize for the lack of action. As I was reading back through this, I chastised myself for the way I wrote this story. I’m telling myself to get to the action already. But this was my first fantasy novel, and I got better about showing rather than telling as this story moves along and in the two books that follow.
Speaking of those two books—The Dragon Hunter and The Dragon Protector—they are going on Cyber Monday sale starting tomorrow, November 26 through next Friday, December 2. The sale is a kindle countdown deal on Amazon, so that means you’ll be able to get the best price for the first few days, and then the price increases by a buck every few days until the sale ends on Dec 2.
The Dragon Collector isn’t on sale, but since the starting price is already at .99, I didn’t reduce that price. Now with this Cyber Monday sale, you can get all three ebooks for less than three bucks, and that deal will last through the end of the day on Monday. Then the price increases for books one and two on Tuesday.
Enough chit chat. Let’s get to chapter 20!
The Cyber Monday sale for THE DRAON STALKER BLOODLINES SAGA starts on November 26 and goes through December 2.
Take advantage of the Cyber Monday sale and snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here.
Tuesday Nov 22, 2022
Tuesday Nov 22, 2022
When I decided to be an author in 1999, I thought people who self-published did so because they were B-level authors who couldn’t get a contract with a “real” publisher. To me, it seemed like cheating your way into publication.
I also thought that getting a book deal from an established or traditional publisher was a privilege meant for an elite few who wrote well enough to be recognized by “them,” the powerful publishers in New York. I wanted to be one of those elite few. I wanted to top the New York Times bestseller list, see my books turned in to movies and earn fame and fortune from my stories.
Then God did some work in my heart, mind and soul. And when I finally got the attention of an agent, I couldn’t in good conscience proceed with the traditional publication route. Tune in to find out the three reasons I ditched the traditional route and chose to self-publish instead.
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here: https://authordkdrake.com/insiders
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FK5V1HJ
Join the Help! My Kid Wants to Write a Book Community here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/authordkdrakeinsiders
Friday Nov 18, 2022
Friday Nov 18, 2022
Ready for a fun Fantasy Fiction Friday episode? Moving forward on Fridays, I’ll be reading you snippets of The Dragon Collector, book one of the Dragon Stalker Bloodlines Saga, and sharing behind the scenes insider secrets along the way.
In The Dragon Collector, fifteen-year-old Javan believes he is simply an ordinary orphan abandoned by his mother at birth--until he is whisked away to another dimension and his destiny as the chosen one from the Collector Bloodline is revealed.
Armed only with an ancient weapon, a trio of old advisors, and his determination to win, Javan is soon caught up in a dangerous Battle for the Throne.
Now his choices could save--or destroy--the people and dragons of Zandador, including the mother he just met.
Today we’re picking up in chapter 19 where we left off after the 21 days of storytelling episode blitz. Remember that Javan is learning the history of Zandador from his grandfather cause this dragon dimension thing is new to him considering the fact he grew up on earth.
When I wrote this chapter years ago, I broke the classic rule of “show, don’t tell.” I thus do a lot of telling in this chapter, and it’s not very adventurous. I find it interesting, though, and it lays the foundation for the Origin Trilogy I have planned once the Saga is complete.
Hopefully you find the world of Dragon Stalkers interesting as well. Let’s get to it!
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here.