New Website and fun quotes about "The Hidden Sun"

I'm pleased to announce the launch of my updated webpage and blog. I think they look pretty darn spiffy if I do say so myself. I'm really jazzed about the website as it moves away from being a "book" site to more of an "author" site.

In addition to the updated internet sites, I've also started getting requests to be a visiting author at local schools. I've put together a presentation using a powerpoint (I had to have my daughters show me how to use the program) and I think it will be a lot of fun.

If you are in the North Carolina area and would like me to visit your class, either school or church (think here Young Men and / or Young Women activity), shoot me an email via my "contact" link on the webpage.  (It's free!)

Lastly, I'm about to embark on another blog tour; this one for the second edition of The Hidden Sun.

I did a blog tour for the first edition, which was worth its weight in gold. I got some amazing feedback. One thing was very clear: there were too many technical errors (spelling, grammar, point of view shifts) in the first edition. That was the major reason for getting a professional editor to clean it up. I've very pleased with the end result.

This blog tour will mainly be reviews. For fun, I thought I'd grab some quotes from previous reviews to show that you simply can't please everyone. These are all direct quotes. I've broken them down into different categories.

**On the unique names I used in The Hidden Sun:

"[One] thing that I found distracting was the use of strange names. Although very creative and sometimes beautiful, I found that trying to pronounce most of them drew me out of the story and was, at times, frustrating."

"Some of the names took some getting used to. I worked at different pronunciations until I felt comfortable with them."

"Though there are many uncommon names, a few which are hard to pronounce, I was able to stay on task with the storyline without missing a beat."

"I am a big fan of unique names, so seeing so many of them in this book excited me."

**On how long it took people to "get into" the book.

"It took getting through about the first 50 pages for me to be interested, a bit slow of an opening for my tastes."

"I have to admit, I was really worried while reading the first 100 pages of the book."

The very first thing I noticed while reading The Hidden Sun was that J. Lloyd Morgan knows how to draw in his readers. It didn't take long for me to become emotionally attached to the characters."

"I fell in love with Eliana and Rinan right away."

**On people's emotional responses to what happened in the book:

"I was angry at the author."

"I kept saying, 'No, how can he (The author) let this happen?'"

"I groaned, angry with the author regarding the huge tangled mess he weaves in the tale, because I am so in love with his characters."

"I enjoyed some of the characters so much that I got mad at what the author did to them."

"It created a great emotional response, which is what every author wants to do."

**On what people thought about the characters:

"I found myself frustrated with Governor Abrecan to the point of wanting to strangle him myself."

"I can honestly say that I grew to hate Governor Abrecan so much that I wanted bad things to happen to him. He was the perfect evil villain, the kind you love to hate."

"Not only were the names unique, however, but the characters themselves all had unique and well defined personalities."

"The characters were all really well done. I liked them and had an interest in what happened to them."

**On how people defined the book:

"The Hidden Sun is a delicately crafted fairy tale that both adults and young adults will find charming and intriguing."

"This novel's mix of fantasy and romance drew me in and kept me."

"It sounded kind of like a fantasy since it was set in a medieval-style kingdom, but when the book arrived in the mail I found out it wasn't. Even worse, as I started to read it, it began to look like a romance. Ugh."

"This might seem like a fantasy but it isn't, there isn't any magic nor even any fantastical creatures. It might seem like a romance, but it isn't that either, it really isn't too lovey-dovey despite relationships, marriage and family being the prime arena of conflict."

"This was a political intrigue book with interesting and enjoyable characters."

**On thoughts of my storytelling skills:

"It isn't one of those stories where you say, 'I knew how it was going to turn out from the beginning.'"

"I was impressed with the twists and turns in this book that could have been just another princess story."

"Overall, this book has action, romance, colorful characters and well written villains. The ending of the story was very fulfilling."

"The twists and turns woven within the story kept me wanting more, especially toward the end when I could NOT put the book down."

"J. Lloyd Morgan is a vivid storyteller who weaves unexpected surprises along the way."

"J. Lloyd Morgan is a remarkable storyteller."

**On people's final thoughts of the book:

"I can’t decide whether I liked the characters or the plot of The Hidden Sun the best."

"This is one adventure that is well worth the ride."

"I can't wait for the next book to come out."

"It’s a great read… and I am eagerly awaiting the sequel!"