Writer's Conference in New Jersey! Yay!

Heading out tomorrow to the Liberty State Fiction Writers Create Something Magical Conference in Woodbridge, NJ.
I'm excited!
I belonged to Liberty State Fiction Writers a few years ago but I made a decision that I was not ready to share with my fellow writers. Writers that had been traditionally published. Not because I was afraid of their feelings on the subject (back them going Indie wasn't as accepted as it is today) but because I just didn't want to hear it. I made a decision. End of story. (or just the beginning of it?)
Either way, I drifted away from this awesome group of writers. Got a few books up on Amazon and went on with life.
Then I saw it...a traditionally published writer whom I respected put a book on facebook. When I clicked the link and saw the publisher....Amazon. This multi published author was putting her back list up on Amazon. Independent of the big five.
Was this a turning point? Did I see something on the horizon regarding Indies?
So I signed up to go to the conference and I can't wait to go to the seminars and rub elbows with people I respect in the industry. This time I'm not going hoping to meet an agent or publisher. I'm happy with my choice and want to keep on my Indie path. The Create Something Magical Conference has a "How to" seminar on self publishing. (hate that name! Is there anything wrong with calling it Independent Publishing?) A sign of the times? We'll see. I'll let you know how it goes.
Write on, my friends!

Happy Endings, Closure, & Cliff Hangers...

I like happy endings in a book. I want the hero to come out on top and the bad guy to find justice. (or Karma...that's sometimes as good as justice) I also want closure in a book. Tie up the loose ends and finish all parts of the story. I try to do this in my stories and I hope my readers think so.

I also like to leave them looking for the next book. Just a little whisper in the last page that lets them know part of the story lives on. Not in the way a serial would do it, but more like one or two of the characters coming together to form the a totally separate story.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm torturing the reader by doing this, but maybe its just the writer wondering...what if?

In Betrayed by an Angel, one of the angels is reminded by the higher ups that his work isn't quite finished and the last page is that scene. The the book ends. I've started that next story but haven't finished it. Will my readers get mad if I'm slow to the gate with that next book? I'm not sure. I haven't really given enough information to explain the next book, but just a little tease.

Do you make sure all story lines within your story are closed? Do you always have a happy ending? Or do you end with a teaser?

Stop Me From Ranting

I was planning a blog on commas...vexation of my mind....but all this Amazon / Indy hate has sidetracked me. I was just over at Konrath's Blog and felt the need to speak out against the authors who are giving the negative to Indies and Amazon. all I can think of is....who cares?
If you want to go Indy...have at it. Indy lets you say what you want to say without censure. Be yourself, post your book...but beware. . .

Indies aren't resting on their laurels...or books...they work hard at marketing. I should know, I suck at marketing. I start, stop, start, stop...never knowing where to invest my marketing dollars.
Indies are in editing hell from day one, yet they push on for the love of the story.
Indies have to deflect that question; Have I read anything you wrote? (Okay, I always answer this with a wide-eyed stare, "You can read???")
Indies have questions, problems,life and everything else that the legacy authors have,but they have built their empires alone. There are lots of Indies who made it big, who had stories to tell that people loved.

So what's with Patterson and the rest of the (almost always an older and popular) authors who give a f**K about how others are publishing? Why should they care? My life, my book, none of their business.

In my book, Betrayed by an Angel, a publisher once told me it couldn't be accepted because the hero doesn't enter the picture until the second chapter. Like there's a rule that the heroine and hero have to meet in the first five-ten pages. My main man is a runaway angel and the set up is when the heroine discovers she was supposed to die, but her guardian saved her and was banished to earth. Now she has to hunt him down. Could I have changed it and had him appear on page five? Probably. But I liked my book as it was written. It flowed and made sense. So I put it up on Amazon. Go read it and tell me what you think? (Insert shameless plug here.)

My book, my decisions. Why is this a problem to other authors? Please! Someone explain it to me!

The Indies are out there and they're ready to give you a wonderful read. Go find them and when you do, leave a review to make them smile and keep them writing.

Harmland Dark Tales - A Review

I picked up this book a while ago, but just got around to reading it. My only question is: Why did I wait so long? Harmland is definitely a 5 STAR read!

Harmland by Charles Allen Gramlich is a great collection of short and creepy tales that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Each story brings out both psychological and supernatural elements that will keep you guessing till the end.

If you've ever watched the Twilight Zone or enjoyed an Alfred Hitchcock movie then Harmland is definitely your kind of book. Hitchcock stories had you guessing till the end and would then slap you with a major twist, Gramlich hits you just as hard. His use of language and description had me jealous of his ability to paint vivid pictures with his words.

The parrot still haunts me.....go read Harmland and you'll be haunted, too.

Inkbok Launches!

I came across Inkbok a few months ago and thought it was an interesting concept. Writers put their books and short stories up, Inkbok charges for the read (check out their very reasonable fees here) and writers make money. I know there must be other places like this, but one of the things that drew me in was that a percentage goes to charity. I like the thought that here at Inkbok, it's not all about the money. Something good is here, too.

(Inkbok, if you happen to read this...I volunteer for a non-profit animal rescue...they would love to be on your charity list; Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue)

Today Inkbok goes live! So if you're looking for a good read with a very wide range of genres and subjects in both fiction and non-fiction check out Inkbok!

While you're there you can read my short stories; No Redemption and Escaping Pigwell. Warning! They're darker than my usual writing, but I'm glad they found a home on Inkbok.

Writing, Word Count, and Series Writing

I usually never give a negative review. If I don't like a book, I simply move on. (this came from my mother who always said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.") However, the book I've got on my ipod is a bit of a crazy maker.

It's Evanovich's latest Stephanie Plum novel, Takedown Twenty. For those not familiar its about a woman bounty hunter who is in a love triangle between a cop and another bounty hunter. That's the short version. But that "Twenty" in the title stands for the 20th book in the series. Whew! That's not only a lot of books but a lot of work to make each one different and unique. In the beginning these books were very entertaining, funny, and fast paced. Everything I like in a good book. I love the page-turner, keep-me-up-all-night book. This book ain't it. :(

I think one of the main problems in the 20 books is that somewhere along the line the main character, Stephanie Plum, stops growing. She's stuck in this emotional vacuum of tracking bad guys, falling down stairs, getting food/trash thrown at her and bouncing between the two boyfriends. This happens over and over and over in all twenty books. Nothing new, everything predictable. Sadly I can't even bring myself to pay for these books and usually just download them from the library. In the beginning I used to run right out and buy two hardcovers as soon as they came out. One for me and one for my mother in law.

Now I'm in book 20 and really have to wonder if the writer was just trying to make a word count. A few chapters in, the main character stops at a store and then the writer lists about 20 items that she bought including napkins, vegetables, two magazines, blah, blah, blah... As a writer, all I'm thinking is; was she trying to make a word count???  Why does the shopping list need to be in the story? Since it's written in the first person it makes me think of that annoying person you meet who dumps every tiny detail of her life into every conversation.  I want to scream; is there a point to all this blather?

Back to the main plot. Is this twenty something woman ever going to grow up? Change? Don't we all change and grow? Doesn't she want to get better at her job or improve her life in any way? She's an inept bounty hunter, which lends to the comedy aspect, but if she never improves or learns the skills of her job then how is this book any different than the 19 before it? She strings two guys along and they follow like puppies...for 20 books?

I think in every book we look for what happens next. Like in the Hero's Journey we need challenges met and the return of the golden chalice. Without that, what's the point? In Takedown Twenty I felt like I'd already read it. Nineteen times.
Too bad. Evanovich is an awesome writer but somewhere along the line...we lost the fact that its a journey, not a scene.

Check out pre://do.o.mai.n for a great new read!

Need a good read?

Check out Christopher's Godsoe's new book:

pre://do.o.mai.n

Twenty-two year old Miles Torvalds doesn't need to cure cancer to save his mother's life, he just needs to find a way to steal one and a half million dollars to pay for it.

In 2037, cancer isn't an automatic death sentence if you can come up with the cash, but what is certain is that Miles will spend the rest of his life in prison if he's caught.

A chance encounter with an old flame introduces him to an enigmatic man named Atlas, and he just may be the answer to Miles' prayers. Out of options, Miles accepts his offer of assistance, and Atlas promptly delivers a powerful tool-DJINN, an artificial intelligence crafted by the hacker collective Anonymous before the turn of the millennium.

To a sexually frustrated loner like Miles, the fact that they designed her as a flirtatious twenty-something only complicates matters. Together they will weave their way through the augmented reality darknet while eluding Tobin Maldovan, a former Black Ops operative and the FBI's newest agent in the war on cyber crime, to save his mother.

Miles will learn that in a future where appearances are often misleading, trusting yourself is the only hope you have.

Happy reading!

Book Review; Key Death by Jude Hardin

Just finished reading Key Death by Jude Hardin. I love detective/crime type books and usually I can figure it all out before the end, but Jude stumped me with this one. I had no idea what was going to happen next and this definitely kept me turning pages.

Nicholas Colt is the kind of smart, witty character you just gotta love. He doesn't always make the wisest decisions but the drive and determination of this disenfranchised private detective has you rooting for him right from the start.

Called into service by a woman desperate for answers from her past, Nicholas Colt goes the extra mile to get the answers and in the process unearths a serial killer's secrets. We read enough graphic details to send chills down our spine as the author moves us through the story at a fast pace.

I liked Key Death so much I'm giving it *****5 STARS*****
and I already bought Jude's Hardin's first book in this series; COLT

Fonts! Spacing! So many details in an ebook

On Kindle my book, Soul Mates, was an easy read. Now attempting to send it to Create Space for a paperback copy.

I have a ...what do they call it? Sample copy? Anyway I hate the font! Its very light and that alone makes it hard to read. So I know I have to change this. Do I make it Arial rounded? Times New Roman? Courier? Do I bold it?

What about spacing? I think it might be better double spaced or am I only thinking that because of the font issue?

Decisions, decisions....

A friend spotted an error in the ebook, so I'm reading it backwards (brain-drain!) to try and catch the typo. I wish she had noted the page number, but she said "next time" so that will help for the next book. I do see I sometimes miss little words like "an" or "the" when I'm editing my own work. I think my brain knows it so it tells me it sees things that aren't there. Weird.   Do they teach copywriter classes?

Still watching Zimmerman trial....It's addictive!

Favorite fonts? Do you bold?

The devil is truly in the details...

Book Finished....

Since losing my job last December, I've decided to take on the writing full time. I get up at 6 a.m. and I'm dressed and at my desk at 9 a.m. ready to write. Its a job, I go there everyday. Except for two or three days after I finish a book. 

Yesterday I finished No Apologies so today I'm off. Weirdly, on my off day(s) I tend to wander and get nothing done. I almost feel lost. It's like that world I lived in for months has evaporated. 

I don't want to jump to another world just yet, I think I have to clear my head first. 

I work on book covers. 

Think up new names for the book. (No Apologies gets a few hits on Amazon with other books by the same name so I probably need to change it)

Wander aimlessly around the house.

Thursday afternoon I start back to work. I can't wait. 

Writing is Easy

I'm beginning to think writing is the easiest part, because doing a book cover is frying my brain. I'm fairly artistic but really more of a painter than graphic computer artist. I have all the tools; Photoshop, Publisher, Microsoft Picture editor and stuff like that. I'm not great at making them work but I can usually get these programs to do what I want.

Now I'm considering paying for a book cover because I'm really not happy with what I got now. However my first book has made peanuts, mostly I think because I've ignored the little dear, but I'd kind of like to get to the place where my earnings could pay for things like book covers.

And how important is the cover when we're looking at Amazon on the computer? I mean the covers are like an inch big. Of course book blasts do give the cover more exposure but still...how good is good enough?
I think I've been a writer for so long, I've forgotten how to be an average reader. I mean, title and back blurb are what I look for. Am I seeing the cover and just not registering it?

Each day I change my mind. I make covers, remake covers, scrap covers and the frustration grows.
One of my pet-peeves is when a book cover does not match the story. Like there's a dark haired guy on the cover and the main character has blond hair. It messes with the image in my head and I want to scream at the publisher. Am I going to be the customer from hell if I try to buy a cover?

Do you buy covers? From where? Were you happy with your cover? Do you make your own?

Amazon Ranking for Writers

I'm not understanding Amazon's ranking system. I check my rank (probably too much) but it fluctuates constantly. What's up with that?

Its never great..ever. But I watch it anyway. You know, average day...check Amazon rank, think about blogs, page views, check Amazon rank, check for new reviews, maybe open latest WIP, check Amazon rank before starting. Coffee break, check rank again.

The rank is constantly going up and down by thousands. What does this mean? Does it rise and fall by page views? It certainly can't be for sales. At least not with this book so far.

Can we improve it? Am I doing something to wreck it that I don't know about?

Okay, now someone tell me how to stop watching it. Its almost as addictive as facebook.

Writing 556 Pages

Writing sometimes comes easy. I have one story I wrote a few years ago that's 556 pages. I don't know why this story went on for so long, I guess it just had a lot to say.

After I send No Apologies out the door, Threshold of Midnight is up next. This 556 page moose does need some reworking but the story line is pretty solid. But who the heck will commit to read 556 pages? I think the size of this book might be a turn off so I'm thinking of breaking it in half and do a "Book One" and "Book Two" thing with it.

Which brings a whole lot of other issues in because I believe both books should be stand alone. I wouldn't want someone grabbing book two and spending 225 pages lost in space.

This is going to require some thinking. I have to let it settle in my brain a bit before I get started. But I still have to finish No Apologies and I have about 50 pages to go in the final draft. In this book I changed the story line about half way though so I had to rewrite it all the way through. I almost didn't. I just wanted to put No Apologies on the shelf and move on. The only thing that stopped me was that I liked my main character and wanted to breathe life into her. And I liked her quirky little dog.

Have you ever had a manuscript so long that you feared its marketability? What did you do?

Writing Business Trials

Writing is the easy part. Editing not so hard. Then comes putting it out there. Setting your baby free into the world. That's hard at first but then it gets easier. The first one flies, the next, soon you're flinging your written works of art out there without a care. You know you did your best and you let it sail.

Now comes the hard part. The business end of writing. Marketing....eeeek! Does anyone really like this aspect of book sales?

I remember when Konrath got his first contract for a 3 book deal. He went crazy with marketing. I think the work he did then, still follows him today. People he met along the journey, people who respected the work he did to get his book into as many hands as possible. I know I watched his journey, paid attention to his techniques and ideas. Could I do the same? I'm not sure. Should we all do the same? Maybe.

My daughter who has some freelance and marketing experience is helping me with marketing. She's got great ideas and the energy to make it happen. And she's a bit of a slave driver (which I need!). When I'm monkeying around with book cover art she tells me to stop playing and get back to writing.

Once Betrayed is up and running I'm thinking of paying for a book blast. I have Soul Mates registered for a kboards email and post ($15 fee) for May 24th. I'm thinking of Orangeberry but not sure if it's too soon.

Any other ideas? Okay, back to writing.....

Writing the Book Back Blurb

Writing that little catch that lets people know what your book is about? Either on the back of the book or Amazon. Writing the blurb to lure people into buying your book takes real talent. It's one of the hardest things to do. Take the story you've spend months, hours, weeks, years working on, a story with many bends, twists and turns, and shove it into a few lines. Lines that have to be good enough to make the reader want to see more. Are you exciting enough? Daring enough? Do you need to tug heart strings? Use keywords so they can find you in that big old web?

I rewrite my blurbs over and over. I put the book, Soul Mates up on Amazon and sold a few, nothing amazing. So now my next book, Betrayed by an Angel will be going up soon and I started rethinking my other blurb. So I changed it from;

After dying on mean city streets a woman goes to heaven and begs God to reincarnate to bring the message of unconditional love back to earth. Follow the adventure when a deal with God goes terribly wrong she's tossed back to earth as one of the smallest dogs on the planet.

to;

     She was dying. Her life draining away on a hot city sidewalk and she gave it up willingly. Life had been hard and she was ready. With a jolt and a prayer she awakens in Heaven.

     Through her flows all the joy and wonder of existence and she comes face to face with God. Overwhelmed, she begs to reincarnate to share this wonderful message of God’s unconditional love with those on earth. Will God give her this chance?

     One thing before she goes, “Please,” she begs. “I want to be blond and petite and find my soul mate in this new life.”

     Poof! She wakes up on earth as one of the smallest dogs on the planet!

                                                  Does God have a sense of humor or what?

Is it any better? Some of my sources says it still needs work. I just don't know what. 

Now I'm writing the blurb to book 2 and still struggling. Like that 2 minute agent elevator pitch, that little eye catching book blurb mystifies me. I think its a special talent to think in words so brief. My mind tends to ramble. 

So? How's your blurb talent? 

Writers & Book Covers & Choices

I've gotten some feedback on my choice of book cover so I'm trying to redo it. I have a few people helping and I'm very grateful for their ideas. It gives me so much more to think about now. I'm still not sure which way to go. On one I liked the wings better than the wings I  made.

This book is a romance involving angels. There was a great angel picture on the net that would be perfect but it would cost at least $120. That's without checking licensing. Some pictures I found, after checking the fee for book cover usage, were outrageously priced.  Most romance covers have hot guys or girls on the cover but actually, I don't want to pay that much money at this point. My first book isn't making that  much money so I'm on more of a shoestring budget right now.  I think I can generate an adequate cover on my own. (okay, make that HOPE I can generate an adequate cover)

What do we need when looking at a cover? Bold title? Eye catching background? What's your way of designing a cover? What's the first step?

I look at the cover designer that Konrath uses. He does great work and is reasonably priced. Maybe someday when any of these books generate some money I'll invest in his covers.

So I come here for a vote. Pick your favorite? Or tell me I'm totally off base here and none will help sell the book. It's okay, I need advice!

Writers Designing Book Covers

Since I'm an unemployed writer and not seeing any great sales (yet), I'm doing my own book covers. I do them in photoshop and publisher, change to a pdf and done!

Eventually I'll hire a book cover designer and maybe my covers will get awesome but for now I make due with what I can do.

In searching photo sites i found a great picture for the cover of my next book, Betrayed by an Angel. The book is about a guardian angel who refuses to help a woman cross over when she dies. Instead he saves her life. Because he didn't follow the rules he's banished to earth as human. There's more to this book but when i found a pic of a man with angel wings, head bent down, looking sad I thought it would be a perfect for the cover. I went to purchase it and if i wanted it for a book cover it would have cost $1000.

Really? Holy crap! My first car didn't cost that much. (okay it was a crappy little Maverick-but I loved it)

So I winged it and made a different kind of cover. It's kinda close to the cover for my first book which I don't think is too good an idea but until I come up with a better concept, it is what it is.     First book: Soul Mates
Second book: Betrayed by an Angel      

Book Review: Moon Dance by J.R. Rain

I just finished Moon Dance by J.R.Rain and I'm gonna give it 5 stars. This book kept me engaged and cheering for our main character, Samantha Moon, who is a mom, private investigator and a vampire. The story follows her investigation of an attempted murder while trying to balance everyday mom things. Clues are artfully dropped along the way as to how she became a vampire and what she's done to blend in with her old life. A skin disease explains why she avoids sunlight and her husband helped manage the blood issue. The story takes us through her struggles to earn a living, trying to save her marriage and manage her vampire cravings. Best of all -- I never guessed who did it. Clues were dropped, Samantha moved smoothly though the investigation and kept me guessing all the way.

From a writing stand point I'd say this is very well crafted and executed story. Characters are well fleshed out and believable, scenes are vivid and the story flows so well you forget reality and get sucked right into the world of Samantha Moon.

I don't seek out vampire stories and I'm not sure how this ended up on my Kindle. I am a bit of an impulse buyer so I often find surprises in my menu. However this was an excellent story. I loved the writing and I loved Samantha Moon. I would often find myself rooting for her and then feeling her pain as she realizes the life she once loved can never be hers again.

If you're looking for a good read check out Moon Dance. For more great reads by J.R. Rain click on his name to find his author's page on Amazon. I'm going back for the next book in this series!

Writing Essays, Stories and More

Essay writing is a skill that can be honed like every other writing muscle. Whether you need an essay for school, a writing group or to use as a speech to honor someone. Essays written from the heart can inspire and move to action. They are found in magazines, newspapers and all over the Internet. Now that I'm taking classes in Journalism and Creative Writing I find myself writing lots of essays. Not my favorite but not something i struggle with at all. I think I've been writing essays all my life without knowing it. Here's what I learned along the way...


Is there a magic formula on how to write an essay? Yes and no. (Don't you love those kind of answers?)

Well, the answer depends for whom you're writing. College essays will be held to a higher level than an essay written for a newspaper. (I've heard newspapers are written on a 6th grade level. Is that true?) Essays to submit for publications in women's magazines will need to be directed at things held important by it's readership. Read and reread the magazine you're targeting so you get the rhythm of the writing.  Can't find the right venue for your essay, you might want to self publish a collection of essays on Amazon.

Segments of an Essay would include introduction, main point of the subject, and conclusion. 

Remember your audience. Are you writing a something for kids or will only adults be reading it? Are you targeting  certain age group? Does your audience have a work or hobby relationship that you're including in the article? I mention this because its easy to lose sight of your target audience and wander off your intended path. Including a personal story can help reach your audience as long as it doesn't distract from you main point.

One thing you must remember when writing your essay is to relax. Let the essay flow with a natural pace and write it all the way through. Once done go back and edit, edit, edit. Same as writing a book, short story or letter to mom, don't stress over the first draft. You'll have a chance to read through and correct later. Get all your information down on paper (or on the computer screen--save your work!) and then start rearranging your ideas. Editing can come later and will often make or break your essay.

And have fun! Essays are a creative way to express your views on subjects and you never know when you'll need a clip!
:)~
Do you know of any other venues for publishing essays? Do you write them on a regular basis? Advice?

Block or Choice?

As I sit here on unemployment I have time to write. Scads of time. So much time that Jano (January's version of Nano run buy a group out of PA) should be a piece of cake. Yet I flounder.
I have all the laundry done and search the house for more. Should I take down the curtains? Wash the dog beds again? Maybe. Or not.
Why aren't I writing?

Perhaps if I leap, truly take the plunge and say I'm a 9 to 5 writer it will become my reality and then what do I do?

I'd have to produce published pieces, right? I'd have to be accepted into a world I've been half-heartedly banging my head against for years.

Success? Would that be an invasion of my privacy? Do I fear that? Having to go out into the world and smooosh with people? Frankly, I'm not much of a smooosher. I'd rather do the fly on the wall bit and watch people.

Or do I fear letting people down. Mostly myself. Admitting to the world and my own soul that writing really is just a hobby that will go nowhere. How sad is that?

I think I'll go lock myself in my home office now and just open my story (aptly named "No Apologies") and see what's there.

So fellow writers....do you fear the leap? Or just jump in?

PS: That's my foster dog Leena. She's up for adoption in New Jersey through Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue