Monday, October 29, 2018

Starlight, the Poem


Starlight
by Alana Lee

Glitter when the sun turns in, 
legions arrayed in white,
One star's worth is doubted
as though her part were slight.

A glint of dust perceived as weak
compared to sun and moon
Is no less a masterpiece
of heaven's silver hewn.

Brilliance oft goes unnoticed
when all around is bright;
But a beacon still casts a glow
that contributes to the light.

Though in the morn invisible,
a star's brightness never dims;
The glory of her beauty
is ever kindled from within.

Hidden when a new day dawns,
and never blotted out,
A star is prettiest when she shines
against the critic's doubt.

And only when the day is past
and clad in midnight gown,
Can her inner strength be seen;
all see she wears a crown.


(Obviously this poem is copyright protected and cannot be reproduced without my express permission.)

Friday, October 26, 2018

Starlight Legend - Available on Amazon

If you want to read Starlight Legend, here are some ways you will be able to read it:

  1. Kindle (Amazon) $.99 Debut SALE
  2. Paperback (Amazon) $10.99
  3. iBooks  (coming soon)
  4. Request that your local library purchase it (print and/or kindle), and then ask them to notify you when the title arrives and is available for checkout.
Starlight Legend is matchbook enabled, meaning if you purchase the paperback version, you get the kindle download for free. You can read the first four chapters for free on the kindle version, so you can try before you buy. I try to keep my prices fairly low so that more people can afford to read it.

After the debut sale, the regular price of the Kindle and iBooks formats will be $2.99.

I hope you enjoy the book.

Alana


Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Welcome, Readers

Thank you for visiting the Starlight Legend blog.


What is the book about?

The short version: Three realms, two betrayals, and one dying star weave a tale of never-been-kissed Elliana who risks her heart and loses big, but discovers a fantastical realm which charges her with saving a dying star--or risk never experiencing love.

The longer version:

High school senior Elliana lives life so safely that she feels like she’s missing out, so she takes a risk of the heart. When that creates more problems than she had to begin with, she swears off love completely—which totally backfires. Through an ironic twist, she meets a new love interest and then discovers the Seeking Realm where she is confronted with the impossible task of saving a dying star that has everything to do with the survival of love itself. When things go from bad to worse, she learns she has a very real enemy who will stop at nothing to ensure she fails. The onslaught of trouble tempts Elliana to admit defeat, until she learns a secret that demands she finish the job. The only problem is that she must take more risks—and risks really haven’t worked out well for her yet.

Starlight Legend is a clean YA Romantic Fantasy and has a fairytale-legend feel to it, and if we're being completely honest, even contains a tidbit of Sci-Fi as well since it talks about stars and the galaxy and other realms.


I plan on doing a Q&A with the Author soon. Please leave your questions in the comments below.

Want to read Starlight Legend in your book club? Click here for Book Club Questions.

Click here to find out how where to buy it.

Book Club Questions

  1. How quickly did you engage with the book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to get into it?
  2. Which character did you feel the most empathy towards?
  3. What major emotional response did the story evoke in you? When?
  4. What question do you think the author was trying to find an answer to?
  5. Why do you think Marlee behaved the way she did?
  6. Did you like the characters and, if not, was that important?
  7. Were there any characters you loved to hate?
  8. Who were you gunning for and why?
  9. Why did the characters do what they did? Were their actions justified?
  10. Did they remind you of people you know?
  11. Did the main characters change by the end of the book? If so, how?
  12. Marlee said, “You worry too much—you need to learn how to live a little, at least walk to the edge where the view is better.” Do you agree with her?
  13. Is living life safely healthy or unhealthy?
  14. Is being a risk-taker healthy or unhealthy?
  15. What main themes does the novel explore?
  16. Did the author use symbols to reinforce the main ideas?
  17. In this book, Elliana looks into the history of her adoption. How does adoption affect those involved?
  18. What did you think the central conflict was?
  19. What ironies did you discover in the novel?
  20. Which were your favorite scenes or chapters?
  21. Did you enjoy the Seeking Realm aspect of the writing?
  22. What questions would you ask Rose?
  23. Consider Marlee's and Granger's behavior. If someone is suffering, does that justify their bad behavior?
  24. What do you think about Elliana dating two guys at the same time with their consent (and not kissing either)?
  25. Elliana saved her first kiss for someone special. How many people do you think regret their first kiss?
  26. How do people become duplicitous (like Granger and Marlee)?
  27. Did the bonus chapter change anything for you?
  28. In Chapter 1, Elliana complains that people think she's weak because she's nice. Is being nice a sign of weakness?
  29. Elliana believed that rising up seemed to make one a target. Is there any truth to that? 
  30. Elliana feels driven to find out who her parents are. How important is it to know one’s parents and have a relationship with them?
  31. How do you think the use of third-person viewpoint affected the story? How would it have been different if told in first-person only?
  32. Why might the author have chosen to tell the story the way he or she did—and what difference did it make in the way you read or understand it?
  33. Did any passages strike you as insightful or profound? Perhaps a bit of funny or poignant dialogue that encapsulates a character?
  34. What did the title come to mean to you by the end of the novel?
  35. Were you satisfied with the book’s ending? What do you think the future holds for Elliana and Cai?
  36. Did the novel leave any questions open-ended that you would have liked to have known the answer to?
  37. Had you read reviews before reading the book? If so, did you agree with the reviewers or not?
  38. If you had to halve the size of your book collection, would this book stay or go?
  39. If you could ask the author one question, what would it be?
  40. If there were a Book 2, who or what should be the focus?