Dear unknown reader, On occasion, Ms. Zaplendam will allow me to use her equipment to address all of you. With such a vast forum before, I can barely contain my machiavellian glee at the prospect of all these pliant minds available for my cunning manipulations. (Hear my maniacal laugh?) I jest, of course. If … Continue reading Dear —, It’s me, a vampire.
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How not to query (for new writers)
Are you aware of my journey to hybrid-dom? No? Well, let me tell you, it involves being both an indie published author, with all of the crazy DIY stuff that involves and it also means I'm aiming to get traditionally published by a publishing house. Most publishing houses don't accept unsolicited manuscripts though (for those … Continue reading How not to query (for new writers)
New Cover Reveal and Kindle Free Period
So in all the craziness (and oh yeah, it's crazy) of preparing for my new cover reveal, kindle free period, and subsequent bookblast, I completely forgot to post about it on my site! (John Grissom is shaking his head at me.) I decided to do a new cover for the sake of readability. It turned … Continue reading New Cover Reveal and Kindle Free Period
How To: Create a Free Book Trailer
Once upon a time, a twitter user (twitterer? twit? tweeter? Obviously I am not twitter conversant) lamented about not having the means to be able to create a book trailer. Here's my response: as long as you have access to a movie making program (like Windows movie maker which came standard with my Windows 8.1 … Continue reading How To: Create a Free Book Trailer
Goodreads for the win!
I had the pleasure of receiving a glowing review from a winner of the Goodreads giveaway I did not so long ago. Thank you, Goodreads. Once again, you've proven yourself an underutilized and underappreciated tool for authors. I stand corrected. It's doesn't get any better for an author than to know that some person, entirely unknown … Continue reading Goodreads for the win!
Van Helsing reimagined
I was trying to think how to describe my Van Helsing Sr. character (the grandfather of the original Van Helsing from Bram Stoker's Dracula). He's a Prussian ex-patriate who has left the fatherland due to Napoleon taking over Europe. He was originally employed by the Prussian government to hunt vampires and investigate paranormal activity, but … Continue reading Van Helsing reimagined
How do you name your character?
A character by any other name would... not be the same character, right? Naming our characters is an important aspect. Once we assign a name and start thinking of the character as that name, changing it involves also risking character traits. Is an Amanda the same as a Rachel? (Listen closely to every Amanda and … Continue reading How do you name your character?
The Problem with Vampires
I should preface this by saying that it's my problem with vampires. The vampire narrative is well-known to most of Western society. An evil vampire, born of (narrative of choice), goes around killing or turning other men into vampires. These other vampires must kill other people in order to survive themselves. They burn in the … Continue reading The Problem with Vampires
If you're in the Tampa bay area, you can come chat me up at The Coffee Barn and Bakery in Brooksville on Hwy 41. I'll be there to do an author reading/book signing on January 15th at 7pm. We're having a free softcover giveaway so if you don't have a physical copy, stop on by!
Small (BIG) Victories
Being an author is hard work, especially if you are self-published and a busy mom to boot. Not that I am complaining. But when it pays off and I start to see tangible rewards for all my work, when small victories start to happen (like ratings on Goodreads and making my first non-gas-money royalties) it is so encouraging. … Continue reading Small (BIG) Victories
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