I’m am so excited to be a part of the blog tour for Silent Orchids, and I am going to work my review in somewhere!  Today, Morgan Wylie has brought us a fun glimpse of her writing community…

Hello and thank you for having me here today to talk about the importance of community in writing.

I wouldn’t be where I am without community. Writing is a very introverted process and can get lonely especially if there aren’t people around you that understand the journey you are on. Let’s face it, not everyone will understand when you talk about your muses, or the characters chattering on in your head and when they won’t leave you alone. There is another name for that…if you know what I mean 😉

I started creating community several years ago online. We became friends. There was support. But I also think it’s important to have people that you can get together with. So I’d like to introduce you to part of my community. I asked them to help me out and share what community means to them too!  Here’s a short example (and I mean SHORT, it was 16 pages lol):

Me: So imagine (or don’t imagine and pour yourself something) we are all together just sitting down at the table with our coffee and computers…


 (insert personal chatting and catching up on where we are in our WIP’s -works in progress- and “animal style fries” from In-N-Out)

 Me: T what have you been working on? I got some work on book 2 in, but not as much as I had hoped.

 T: Haha . . . I’m multi-tasking. I’m ALWAYS multi-tasking when I’m at home. :} 
I’m trying to do some plot/storyline points for the rest of TRC series, and proofing the formatting for *title of book*.











 Me: T you little multi-tasker you!

 So for this post, will you answer this question?

 How is community, especially a writing community, important to you?











 G: Since I didn’t go to school for writing, what I have learned from you girls & UtopYA has been my schooling. To be honest, if I hadn’t met Morgan & T and been so encouraged by them, I may never have tried to do it. I have also fallen in love with writers & book lovers. I have never been able to have a conversation with people who are as excited as me about books, story telling and characters. That is why I want to try to move into working with writers and social media. So I can constantly be conversing about books! I think sharing my story and being able to talk to someone who is excited about it will be the ABSOLUTE best thing about finishing *title of work in progress*!











 Me: Hey will you guys tell me what you think of this… I need a short description for smashwords… does this work? (Insert a description of my book)

 Me: Thanks T! I like that, I’ll see if it fits limit. (there were a few attempts we all commented on)

Me: Good stuff G!

 T: You want me to work with it some more? I will right now. I like this kind of challenge. :}











 K: Oh man, I go to email someone and miss all the mushy stuff!











 Me: that’s why you should NEVER leave!!

 G: Haha! I am only crying a little.









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 K: It’s always nice to have objective eyes on your stuff! How about you take on my synopsis next, T! LOL! It is booger!











 (now, when we are actually at coffee there would be interjections such as: “Ooo, do you see that guy over there? He’d make a perfect Finn!” Or showing pics from Pinterest that we found to look like our characters)

 K: Community is great for support, if you’re surrounded by the right people! I like support for the encouragement, but I also love the support for objective opinions from fellow writers and friends! Sometimes those opinions are not always positive, and that’s okay!
The excuse to get coffee out with the girls is also very appealing!











 Me: Thanks K, oh and yes coffee with the girls is always appealing!!











 G: Or coffee with breakfast and LUNCH! Haha

 Me: Absolutely! T what about you?

 T: Peeps who “get” me, who I can be me and use my imagination with and laugh and share fears and triumphs. Having an awesomesauce group of friends who support me and cheer me on and I can talk books with. Did I mention having people to talk books with?



















(More personal chatting, debates about Disneyland versus Disney World, HP World, baseball, more about writing and books, caravans to conferences, debates of YA vs NA, and more about books)

I am very blessed to be surrounded by fabulous people, not only as writers, but also as friends. Community is a MUST!!

Now, on to the review… Silent Orchids, by Morgan Wylie, is a wonderful look into a new faerie world called Alandria.  The story starts out bouncing back and forth from Daegan (who is in Alandria) to Kaeleigh (who live as a normal teen in our world).  I quickly became engrossed in Kaeleigh’s relationships with her two best friends Chel and Finn.  Their quirky banter and self-discovery had me wanting more.

Back to Daegan, the elusive warrior faerie… He has to be my favorite character in the novel!  The mystery he brings is complimented by the obvious nature of his best friend Hal. It’s the unknown that propelled me through the first novel, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment of this series.

I’m giving Silent Orchids 4 books on the bookshelf, but it’s only do I have the room to give the next novel in the series 5 books!  If you love The Iron Fey Series, Lord of the Rings, or a mixture of the two, you will love Silent Orchids!

SILENT ORCHIDS Synopsis:

A dying realm.

The ancient evil of the Droch-Shúil has been unleashed.

The Orchids have been silenced… but for how long?

Daegan, elite of the Ferrishyn warrior tribe of Faeries, is charged with a mission to find the Sol-lumieth, a mysterious new power that could change the fate of all in the realm of Alandria. But he is conflicted by his purpose, and he cannot trust the motives of those he serves. He has too many questions and they must be answered.

Kaeleigh, a girl abandoned as a small child just outside Missoula, Montana, is now 18. She is trying to discover who she is and where she belongs. In her heart, she feels she has family out there… somewhere. Desperate to unravel the mysteries of her past, she embarks on a journey that will forever change her along with her two best friends, Finn and Chel—who have secrets of their own.

ABOUT MORGAN WYLIE:

Morgan Wylie has been writing on and off throughout her growing up years, but started seriously working on her first novel in the Spring of 2009. 7 months pregnant with her first child, she didn’t start off with a lot of focused writing time. But Morgan had an epiphany, if you will, and the story flashed before her so she began to write. And she’s still writing. Her debut Young Adult fantasy, SILENT ORCHIDS, will be out this summer.

LINKS:

Twitter: MWylieBooks

Blog:www.morganwylie.blogpost.com

Web: morganwylie.net

Friend Morgan on Facebook or Goodreads

SILENT ORCHIDS Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17340090-silent-orchids?ac=1
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