Category Archives: Realm

The Best of Realm Central 2023

December 29, 2023 By in Realm Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Well, Realmers, here we are at the end of 2023! I don’t know about you, but it’s been an exciting year, and I’m thankful for the many blessings Adonai has bestowed upon me and my family. Since I’ll be keeping Shabbat and celebrating New Year’s with family, I thought today would be a good day to reminisce the past year.

My debut novel Realm launched in April. After all the writing, editing, beta reading, editing, more beta reading, professional editing, choosing a launch date, ordering and sending invitations, planning the party, and then going forward with the book launch party, all I can say is THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for making my dream of publication come true. I couldn’t have done it without all the love and support I received along the way.

One of the neatest experiences I had with promoting Realm was the creation of an unboxing video, book trailer, and scene re-creation with Heath and Michelle Smith. Be sure to check out the videos on YouTube at HL Gibson.

In May, I held a successful book signing at Thirty-two 8 Inspired & Co. where I made a new friend in baker and chocolatier, Michelle Kostich of Shell’s Confections. What a privilege and pleasure it has been to support each other in our chosen professions, but our friendship really is the icing on the cake, cupcakes, and cookies.

Another amazing book signing took place at Therapy Ice Cream & Coffee Bar in June, and several more people became Realmers that day. Many wonderful beta reading and editing sessions took place at Therapy. Lots of ice cream and coffee were consumed at Therapy. And it is with a heavy yet grateful heart that we bid a fond farewell to Therapy and wish the owners a happy retirement. You will be missed.

I kept writing during this time, but it was mostly blog posts regarding what I mentioned above. One of the best things to occur was the large amounts of positive feedback I received about Realm. I produced a decent amount of monthly marketing by creating my own ads for social media, which were well-received. Then there was a bit of a break for the summer, and I worked a bit on writing toward my current WIP.

My next event was my first multi-author book signing at Kern’s Home & Garden & Christian Bookstore. I coordinated with nursery owner, Heidi Flack, and the authors who participated, to create some lovely advertising for the Fall Open House. The weather was perfect on both days of the event, and the customers enjoyed having us there.

So, we did it again in December for the Winter Wonderland Open House! This time, in addition to lovely headshots, the advertising included a short bio about each author. Again, the day was perfect, and customers picked up some great reading material for themselves and as gifts.

Since I found my groove with creating my own ads, I finished my year with social media advertising because I wanted to focus on my family during the holidays. I also threw myself into working steadily on my current WIP, and while I’m cautiously optimistic, I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel for this one.

The big challenge regarding my current WIP in the coming year will be to stay focused and on track with concluding the novel. “What’s vying for your attention?” you ask. Well, it’s faithful fans and followers who keep asking when the next book in the world of Realm is due to be published. I must admit that I honestly did not expect that to occur quite so soon, and I’m going to have to look at my schedule to decide the logistics of publishing the next book. It’s all rather exciting and scary.

Stay tuned as I manage things here at Realm Central. If you haven’t already become a Realmer, be sure to pick up your copy of Realm today. You’re going to require the info in Realm as a foundation for the next book.

As always, I make the plans, commit them to Adonai, and He gives the go-ahead or adjusts the details as needed before I move forward. This is my secret to success, and it’s worked every time.

Wishing you and yours a Blessed New Year in 2024!

Lights in the Realm

December 7, 2023 By in Realm Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Hello, Realmers! What a busy time it’s been here at Realm Central. Starting with Thanksgiving, my time has been concentrated toward planning, a post-celebratory pause to catch my breath, and then diving right into the next event. Still, I need to catch up with all my faithful followers.

In case you missed it, I had the pleasure of attending a book signing at Kern’s Home & Garden & Christian Book Store during their Winter Wonderland Open House on December 2, 2023. What a wonderful time and a great turnout we had. Five local authors, in addition to myself, were present to share their book(s) and sign purchased copies. If supporting small and/or local business and indie authors is your bag, then I highly recommend seeking out any one of us for a great book to give and stopping at Kern’s for all your holiday needs.

  • Dianna Caraballo
  • Deborah Edmisten
  • Michael G. Parker
  • Anne Blackburne
  • HL Gibson
  • Janine Rosche

Prepping for Hanukkah came swiftly on the heels of Thanksgiving and the book signing. Mom and I hashed out a menu, gifts were acquired, and I didn’t decorate one single bit. Now before you think I’m a Grinch, allow me to explain in two words: five . . . cats. That’s right! It’s a little-known fact that the second miracle of Hanukkah at the Gibson household is the survival of any tissue paper in the gifts bags beyond the moment they are set out. It’s in Adonai’s hands now.

Here’s the appropriate blessing for the first night of Hanukkah:

Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.

I hope you’ll be encouraged to participate because at the heart of the celebration, it’s about Adonai’s light, truth, and miracles. Who wouldn’t want to celebrate that?

Speaking of which, my darling husband was so inspired by the words of our congregational leader, Timothy Pell, spoken this past Shabbat. Tim taught about Hanukkah, and all week Will couldn’t stop talking about his desire to shine the lights of Hanukkah more brightly than ever.

It’s no secret to anyone that Israel is in the fight of her life right now or that the Gibson household stands with Israel forever! Will wanted to decorate our trees with blue and white lights, but his work schedule and the weather were against us. I could tell how much it meant to my husband, so I proposed tealights that we could burn in addition to our hanukkiah. Yes, it would be indoors, but with a large quantity, we could make our little home glow with the light of Hanukkah.

So, two hundred tealights later (that’s twenty-five a night if you’re wondering), Will is locked and loaded to shine the light into the darkness.

In closing, dear friends, another reason why I haven’t posted recently is because of you! Or rather for you. Confused? It’s easy, really. I’m writing again, and as always, it’s for you and with you in mind.

Realm has been so well received ever since I launched my debut novel this past April. The reviews are spectacular, and the requests for a sequel nonstop. I plan on waiting until the first of the year to decide for sure, but serious thought about publishing the next book in the Realm-verse has been placed at the forefront of my mind. I honestly didn’t think it would happen so soon or be so desired. What a blessing! But when you have the best followers and fans, it’s to be expected.

Thank you, Realmers! Stay tuned, we’ll see you at sundown, and have a Happy Hanukkah.

~The Gibsons

Judging Covers

September 20, 2023 By in Realm Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

One of my favorite memories during the publishing process for Realm was when BookBaby nailed my cover on the first try. I could not have been more surprised and prouder of how they correctly interpreted my combination hand-drawn/Word printed picture diagrammed like a science project complete with descriptions as I envisioned them.

Armed with such perfect cover art, naturally I wanted to share it on social media via a cover reveal. And because I was a new author experiencing the world of publishing for the first time, I asked BookBaby if I had permission to do so. My Publishing Specialist was so patient with me as she explained that I owned this cover and was free to do with it as I pleased.

All that to say, my cover reveal was incredibly well received. One of my favorite comments came from a fellow writer who said, “That will sell, my friend! Congratulations!”

I launched Realm in April, and it was probably because my launch party was so positively charged with energy and activity, and I was fast and furiously signing books, that I did not have the opportunity to assess people’s reactions to my fabulous cover.

But I have since.

Realm is tricky to place in a genre. Fiction, Speculative, Futuristic, Fantasy, Sci-fi, and Christian have all been used to describe Realm depending on where you shop for it. Ideally, these genres/subgenres appear in some sort of descending order to assist a potential reader with zeroing in on the exact book he or she wants to read. That is, the purpose of the labeling is to eliminate all risk.

Life without risks? What a horrible way to live.

I guess what really surprises me, and I’ll do my best to not get on my soapbox here, is that people who spend upwards of seven dollars on a cup of coffee without blinking an eye cannot purchase a book unless they are one hundred percent assured that they will absolutely love it. Seriously? Again, who lives like that?

Well, you might be surprised. Or maybe not if you’re an artist.

I don’t have an exact tally, but I know that I have not loved every book I’ve ever read. It would be easier to list the ones that I adored and could read repeatedly and gush about for hours. The others I enjoyed to varying degrees. But one thing I can honestly say about every book I’ve ever finished reading. I was not afraid to take a chance on the story; each one was worth the risk.

So, back to the cover of Realm. What I so dearly loved has given many people pause because it simply did not look like what they were expecting even when paired with one of the genres listed above. In short, people weren’t willing to take a chance on Realm. They deemed it too risky.

They missed out on an incredible story because they were afraid to invest not just their money or time but themselves.

Every book I have ever read is a part of me. They have influenced me positively and negatively, teaching me what to do or not do, inspiring or cautioning me. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

The sadder fact is that beyond failing to treat themselves to an amazing journey through the Realm, such people use the same method of categorizing and assessing other people. And thus, they miss out on what could have been a wonderful journey through friendship.

Avoiding someone simply because they don’t measure up in appearance to your expectations is the narrowest way to live. Seemingly innocent comments such as “She doesn’t look like a Christian” or “He doesn’t look like a believer” can quickly deteriorate into “There goes ole so-and-so up to the altar to be prayed for again.” And this is said without anyone taking the time to find out what ‘ole so-and-so’ is going through because everyone was too afraid to get past the cover.

Do you understand?

The cover of Realm will never fail to please me, but more than the artwork on the front of my novel, what’s inside still thrills and inspires me—and I’m the author! That’s because I took risks that thrust me into the world of publishing. I placed the entire Realm project into the hands of Adonai. I conquered my fears and handed my manuscript over to beta readers, my editor, my publisher, and finally to you, dear reader.

Realm is your story. It was written for and about you. It is every person’s journey to themselves and back. It’s a risk that you’ll never be sorry for taking and a challenge to which you can return again and again.

But you’ll never know if you can’t make it past the cover.

Reaching New Heights in the Realm

September 11, 2023 By in Realm Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

Hello, Realmers! I have such exciting news to share with you. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a book signing with three local authors. It was my first experience at a multi-author event, and I’m so glad I participated.

A big thank you shout out to Kern’s Home & Garden and Christian Book Store for hosting the event. Owner Heidi Flack and her crew went out of their way to make us feel so welcome by setting up individual tables decorated in fall colors complete with little baskets of candy for customers.

Another huge thank you to Shell’s Confections for making the most delicious mint chocolate covered Oreos to represent the triple jade moons in the Realm. Owner Michelle Kostich took the time to put the title of my novel, Realm, on each cookie creation! All the new Realmers were quite pleased with the unexpected, tasty favor upon purchase of Realm.

Both days of the event were gorgeous, and we had a good turnout of customers. I learned some new approaches that I’ll be implementing at my next book signing, and hopefully I was helpful to those involved. The best part of the event for me was the lovely discussions and conversations I had with those who came out to support me and Realm. Every moment was truly a Divine appointment ~ Baruch HaShem!

Couldn’t make the event? No worries! Realm is always available at BookBaby. You can also find my novel at Barnes & Noble, BAM, and other online retailers.

Softcover
Hardback

The Reviews for Realm Are In

August 23, 2023 By in Realm Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

 

Heather is, first of all, a woman who loves Adonai and her family with all of her heart. She has a deep love for Israel and her congregation. Her book, Realm, will bless you, captivate you, and draw you close to Adonai.

~Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, President of Israel Today Ministries

 

Realm is the perfect blend of imagination, intelligence, and wisdom—a rare trifecta in modern literature.

~L. Grant Luton, Founder of Torah Today Ministries & Author of In His Own Words

 

This unpredictable adventure not only tells a stunning story but prompts deep thought about the important issues of life. It is a unique and wonderful book.

~Robin R. Luton, Author of Valor

 

Realm is truly a work of literary art. Via Gibson’s impeccable prose, the reader is drawn into the mysterious and dangerous world of Earth in the year 3039 and the Realm, which exists beyond ordinary human sight. Expertly woven into the storyline are lessons about honor, trust, character, love, loyalty, and redemption. In a world that tends toward individualistic self-absorption, Realm beckons us to enter another place—a place where such character traits are not just important, they are life itself. This is Gibson’s debut novel, and what a glorious debut it is. Bravo, HL Gibson.

~Deborah Edmisten, Winner of the Royal Dragonfly & Purple Dragonfly Awards & Author of the children’s book, A Nose Apart

Fall Open House & Book Signing

August 16, 2023 By in Realm Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I am excited to announce a Fall Open House & Book Signing. Join us Friday & Saturday, September 8 & 9, 2023, from 10 AM until 4 PM at Kern’s Home & Garden & Christian Bookstore, located at 2438 Canton Road, Akron, Ohio. There will be food trucks, a great selection of fall plants, and a wide array of books for sale by some of your favorite local authors.

I’ll be presenting coupons for Kern’s Home & Garden & Christian Bookstore with the purchase of Realm.

 

Beyond the Realm

July 17, 2023 By in Lightning Juice, Realm Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

As I mentioned in my post, Of Bread & Study, my journey toward rejuvenating my creative forces began with stepping away from the unproductivity in my life and seeking other resources of creativity until such a time as the writing muse returned. I will admit that I still have a bit of trepidation about this decision because so much writing advice has little to no room for slowing down or—clutch the pearls—stopping altogether. It’s all: write and produce word count or die!

But I did step away from my current WIP, and the release I experienced has been amazing. I decided to bake bread as a non-writing hobby, and I started with good ole Irish soda bread. This is a favorite at the Gibson Household, and the recipe can be accessed by clicking this link: Irish Soda Bread with Caraway Seeds

I also embarked on a course of study with my friend and mentor, Dr. Sharon Stern. Sharon recently retired, and unbeknownst to her, the minute she announced her retirement, I decided to vie for a small amount of her time so I could pick her brain. Monday, we spent four hours reading and discussing Rabbi Dr. Itzhak Shapira’s book, The Rivka Remnant. Mind . . . blown . . .

I’m also crafting teatails because it’s summer and nothing tastes quite as refreshing as iced tea with the ability to take the edge off. I have two in the works, so stayed tuned.

My last newfound interest this summer has been farmers markets. I have developed a passion for shopping locally. The benefit of not allowing one’s purchasing options to be funneled to one location, as well as putting money back into one’s own community, are huge. Then there is the good work of undoing all the harm done by the plandemic. People are coming out, building community, talking, touching, smiling, and living life to the fullest. I want to be part of that.

Just so you don’t worry, I am writing, which is obvious based on the fact that you’re reading this post. Funny thing is, when I stopped forcing myself to work on my current WIP, the blog post ideas started showing up. I’m curious myself to see how many of them I act upon.

As always, Realm is available at BookBaby, my publisher, as well as other online retailers. Once you’ve journeyed through the Realm and fallen in love with the characters and story, please leave a review wherever you purchased my novel, on social media, or even my blog. Thank you, Realmers!

Summer Vacation at Realm Central

June 21, 2023 By in Realm Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Summer has just begun, and here at Realm Central we’re already feeling the urge to go outside to walk, garden, and eat ice cream at every opportunity. And speaking of ice cream, a hearty “Thank You!” goes out to Therapy Ice Cream & Coffee Bar in Akron, Ohio for hosting a Realm book signing last Wednesday. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

So, as our minds and hearts wander outside, and our bodies closely follow, the writing diminishes in quantity ever so slightly. I used to fear the lull in my writing like the plague, and in doing so, I’d force myself to sit for long hours in front of a laptop while I stared longingly out my back sliding door, dreaming of basking in the sunlight instead of the glow from my computer. Needless to say, and yet I’m going to say it, the scant writing produced during just such a session was garbage. I mention this to remind myself to never return to that dark place.

What I’ve learned to do instead is extend myself some grace and find another way to be productive while simultaneously enjoying the summer. This has been achieved by crafting teatails. What is a teatail? I’m so glad you asked.

I have built upon my passion for tea by experimenting with brewing times, chilling the teas, and blending them with complimentary spirits. I’m sure I’m not the first person to think of adding alcohol to iced tea, but my goal is to not make a teatail so top-heavy in booze that the tea is reduced to a mere color in the drink. Search “teatails” to find what we’ve created so far. If you want to read everything I’ve posted about tea, search “Tuesday Tea.”

Another reason the writing (novel and blog posts) will probably slow down this summer is that I’m in the research phase for a portion of my current WIP. I need some info on sailing, and while I’ve made a contact through a writing friend, the new contact is out of town, so writing is on hold at the moment. Bring me another teatail!

But I’m no fool, and in making the best use of this time, I’m staying in touch with writing by reading. Rabbi Sacks’s Covenant and Conversations, specifically his essays on the book of Bamidbar (Numbers) at this juncture, has gloriously dominated my reading. As I mentioned in a recent blog post (Say My Name, Say My Name), R. Sacks’s essays are so full of life that I simply cannot believe this man has passed on.

I’m also revisiting C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, and I’m halfway through The Silver Chair. I find Lewis’s work to be timeless and influential, and whether reading his fiction or nonfiction, I’m taken back to the foundation of my own writing. Sidebar: Narnia reminds me of another favorite book from my childhood, South Star by Betsy Gould Hearne, which also heavily influenced my writing. I didn’t realize how much until I reread it last year. Perhaps a blog post on this would be a good idea.

Anyhow, Realm Central is always open and at least one staff member will be present to answer your questions and reply to your comments. If you need a great summer read that’s great all year long, and one to which you’ll return again and again, we highly recommend Realm. We’ve made it easily accessible to you with the handy links below.

Realm – Hardcover
Realm – Softcover

Stay tuned for updates and remember to have a great summer!

Book Signing – Thirty-two 8 Inspired

May 22, 2023 By in Realm Tags: , , , , , , , 4 Comments

CLEAR YOUR CALENDER, REALMERS

I am excited to announce the first book signing since my book launch celebration for Realm. Join us this Friday, May 26, 2023, from 11 A until 2 PM at Thirty-two Eight Inspired & Co., located at 328 South Prospect Avenue, Hartville, Ohio for a fun-filled day of book signing and local shopping.

I’ll be presenting coupons for Thirty-two 8 Inspired & Co. with the purchase of Realm in softcover and gifts with the purchase of Realm in hardcover.

Mix Tape from the Realm

May 15, 2023 By in Realm Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I must preface this post with the statement that none of the artists, their music, or any of their affiliates are in any way connected with the Realm project for the purpose of promotion or endorsement thereof. ~HL Gibson

What inspires you to write? For me, it’s overwhelmingly music. I can create and relive entire scenes while listening to music. What I’m listening to is often reflected in the mood of a particular scenario or traits of a character. While I’m writing, the music must be without words, but when driving or working around my home, lyrics play into my visions which are then translated onto the page.

For the reason stated at the beginning of this post, I’m unable to share links directly to the music that most profoundly influenced Realm. I’m hoping you’ll do yourself the favor of taking a few moments to seek the music so you can retrace the steps of my journey as I wrote Realm.

I must admit, this post is a written version of a mix tape, and while we all know mix tapes are cringey, we all secretly enjoy them because of the memories attached to the songs.

Almost eight years ago, I wrote a blog post about E.S. Posthumus called Sound Travels for Your Mind. I was surprised to realize that’s how long my novel had been in the various stages of production, and I know this because the album, Cartographer, supplied the background music for my writing.

There was a point, however, during the lengthy process of editing my manuscript, having it beta read, being further edited by me, and then handing it off for professional editing that I allowed myself to slip away from the music that inspired the story and characters. I didn’t notice at first, but a few days prior to my book launch, I sensed something was missing. I always turn to music to soothe whatever bothers me, but I couldn’t decide what genre of music would do the trick. That’s when Cartographer came to mind.

It had been so long since I listened to the album, but with the first notes of “Nolitus” I was suddenly transported back to the Realm. For me, the songs provided scene description and character sketches. Specifically, “Isunova,” a beautiful, haunting melody that builds in intensity and perfectly depicts Bialig’s internal and external struggles.

Then there was “Selisona,” which I played during any scene wherein the Realmers journeyed with Rogue; “Marunae,” a song that captures Nish’s elegance, beauty, and strength, and which I came to think of as her theme song; “Ashielf Pi,” the opening credits of Realm on the big screen; and “Nasivern,” which I imagined playing during the end credits of Realm, the movie. (Yes, I admit I imagined Realm as a movie many times.)

Then I replayed a song by Adrian Von Ziegler, a Swiss composer from Zürich, who was recommended to me by a friend. For Realm, the piece called “Between Worlds” became my theme for Misko, a troubled young man whose divided heart, mind, and loyalties were a detriment to himself and everyone around him.

“Between Worlds” is incredibly beautiful, but it also sounds cold and lonely, mysterious with a layer of uncertainty, and heavy with the air of expectation. It ends the same way it began, as if one is holding his or her breath in cautious anticipation.

The last song I’d like to mention is Lauren Daigle’s “Rescue.” My husband, William, arriving home in the early hours of the morning, couldn’t wait to have me listen to the song he knew captured the battle both Rogue and Raine were fighting, believing they could save each other and never imagining that their rescue would come from a source greater than them both.

We stood in the darkened kitchen, hovering over Will’s cell with one earbud apiece, eyes locked in agreement that Ms. Daigle’s lyrics were essentially the theme of the relationship between Rogue, Raine, and their Rescuer.

I’ll never tire of listening to the music that helped shape Realm. Even as I build playlists for my other WIPs, the songs I enjoyed while writing Realm, my first published novel, will always be special.

Let me know in the comments how music plays into your chosen art form, even if it’s music!