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Tag Archives: Realm
January at Realm Central
The bleak days of January are upon us, and even though it looks as if I’ve abandoned my loyal followers, nothing could be farther from the truth. I will admit that this month has been a little off, but I finally managed to find my groove.
I completed the holidays basking in the glow of fond memories as well as the welcome relief that arrives once they’re over. That’s not to say that we didn’t have a wonderful time celebrating with friends and family, but let’s not pretend the holidays aren’t a lot of work.
I slipped into January and the new year on quite a high, and I assumed I’d channel that into my writing. In all honesty, I absolutely have no idea what knocked me off course to the point that just this past week, I sat myself down and commenced working.
But January has been full of good things, so don’t think I haven’t been productive.
First, my primary beta reader and good friend, Doug Nelson, is very close to completing his first novel. I’m so excited to be beta reading for him because I absolutely love the concept of his story. I don’t want to give it away, but permit me to say that it’s a labor born of love for his children, who are now adults, and the novel has its origins rooted deeply in a tradition he started with them when they were just pups!
Second, I’ve acquired a little writing mentee, AKA protégé or mentoree. She’s adorable, vivacious, and brilliant. The connection came somewhat out of the blue, but when offered the prospect of working with this wonderful young lady, I welcomed the opportunity. Now, I look forward to our bi-weekly meetings where we brainstorm, write, and edit, and I have the blessed occasion of giving back and paying it forward all at once. Baruch HaShem for young writers coming up through the ranks!
Third, I’ve been asked to work with the sweetest little fella to prepare him for kindergarten. I’d forgotten how fun teaching ABCs and writing can be as my own precious son is a young adult. The best part is the relationship I can see budding between me and the preschooler. And I’d be fibbing if I said I wasn’t developing a deep affection for the little guy.
Lastly, I’ve received several requests for the next installment of Realm. Perhaps I’m naïve, and please don’t interpret this as false humility, but I was rather shocked and not a little pleased to hear such comments. Truth be told, the next book has been written for well over a year. Here’s the thing: I don’t do anything fast, and I can’t be pressured into making a move until I sense the time is right, which, admittedly, is a small part of me getting my act together but also a large part of seeking HaShem’s guidance.
All of 2023 was devoted to Realm. I also have a goal of finishing the third installment of the series before moving toward publication of the second book. Then there is my involvement with my friend’s novel and whether or not he’ll publish this year, and if so, when. It’s important that he receives the attention and support I was blessed to enjoy during the publication of my first novel, Realm.
In closing, you can see that while the writing has been slow in coming, and is more like editing at this point, I have been productive during January. Keep in mind that the writing life isn’t something that produces measurable results for everyone to see, which is why there have been three Quotation Stations in a row and nothing in the way of a new post until this one coming to you at an odd hour on a Thursday.
Still, I’m excited to see what Adonai brings into my life this year, overall and in writing. As always, my novel is available at BookBaby in hardback and softcover. If you haven’t journeyed through the Realm, you’ll need to do so before the second book arrives.
Until then, stay tuned, Realmers!
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The Best of Realm Central 2023
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!
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Lights in the Realm
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.
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
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With Much Thankfulness
As we use these final moments preparing for celebration, the Gibson Household would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for this year in the way of family and friends. Please know how greatly we treasure you.
Thank you to everyone who made the launch of my novel, Realm, a smashing success. I hope your journey through the Realm was even better than you anticipated.
Our goodwill wishes are in no way diminished toward those we don’t know personally. Thank you, faithful followers of my blog, for your presence here. It’s because of you, too, that I write at the higher standard I do.
May Adonai bless each of you and may all your creative dreams find fulfillment.
~The Gibsons
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Local Author Book Signing
I’m so excited to be part of this upcoming event!
Come out and meet FIVE local authors, enjoy cookies & hot chocolate, enter the door prize drawings, shop for fresh greenery, wreaths, Christmas-themed plants, and as always, the most beautiful poinsettias you’ll ever see!
All this at Kern’s Home and Garden, 2438 Canton Rd., Akron, OH.
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Judging Covers
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.
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Reaching New Heights in the Realm
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.
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Not the Bread of Idleness
Summer is drawing to a close, but my desire to learn more about bread baking has not abated in the least. I continued to delve into challah specifically and met up with my friend, Paula Stevenhagen, who I have dubbed The Challah Queen. Our friend, Sherry Goodrich, also joined us, and we had the best day.
Sleepy-eyed Bread Bakers
Paula recently became interested in grinding organic grains, and she experimented with different flours either alone or in combination. Our home fellowship reaped the benefits of her labors and loved eating the challah she made every Shabbat. In no time at all, Paula had her recipe(s) perfected and produced challah that was substantial without being too heavy, flavorful, and delicious. Her challah is so satisfying that I could eat it as a meal.
In addition to her WonderMill grain grinder, Paula treated herself to another cool kitchen toy—The Ankarsrum, known as Sweden’s Iconic Kitchen Mixer. You must check this thing out online to appreciate it.
Paula does have a recipe, but I must tell you that she’s one of those bakers who just knows by sight and touch when to tweak her bread dough. In short, her recipe is not for the novice or anyone who hasn’t worked with freshly milled flour. In fact, while she was away for the past two weeks, I asked her for the recipe (I’d forgotten to get it the day we baked), and she texted three different recipes with inclusions and exclusions, and in the end, I told her we’d talk when she returned to which she texted back Amen.
Giving myself the summer off from writing while exploring other creative outlets recharged my muse, and as I sensed the approach of fall (I can feel and smell autumn in the air!) story ideas have started to surface in my mind.
I suspect I put up a writing roadblock for myself under the pretense of needing to research a particular issue. I wanted to portray sailing as accurately as possible in one portion of my current WIP, but as new ideas came to mind, I found a way around this detail and came to realize that it wasn’t truly about sailing. At least not as specifically as I had originally thought.
For now, I can let the sailing go and jump back into writing. No doubt, I’ll need to re-establish some writing goals and structures for myself and set some writing boundaries where others are concerned. It’s a balancing game, but it’s a challenge I’m up to with Adonai’s help.
But it is definitely time to start writing because the characters in my current WIP are starting to talk to each other again, which means I must get them out of my head and onto the page!
In closing, come join me and my fellow authors at Kern’s Home & Garden & Christian Bookstore at 2438 Canton Road, Akron, Ohio for a book signing! There will be food trucks for the Fall Open House and gorgeous mums as far as the eye can see as well as lovely autumn décor. See you soon!
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The Reviews for Realm Are In
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
hl gibson, author 