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)
Writing
New Review Policies on Amazon
When you're a debut indie author like myself, you celebrate the little, mini victories, like getting that 9th review on Amazon (See down yonder at the bottom of this post), but recently there has been a lot bruhaha in the indie world revolving around Amazon's.new hard line policies with regard to reviews provided in exchange … Continue reading New Review Policies on Amazon
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
Why you should be on Goodreads (if you aren’t already)
Are you a Goodreads user? If you aren't, and you read, you should be. Because then you can get free books. Just like the two lucky winners of my most recent Goodreads giveaway. They received signed copies and a personal letter from protagonist John Grissom. Truth be told, I am a horrible Goodreads user. But … Continue reading Why you should be on Goodreads (if you aren’t already)
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
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
Five stars out of the gate
Woot!Woot! I received my first review on Order of the Blood! And yes, it was five stars. The reviewer's first remark to me, in a personal message, included, 'Please tell me there is a sequel.' Could there be sweeter words to a writer's ear, er, sight? Granted, maybe she's just a really nice person, but I'm thinking, … Continue reading Five stars out of the gate
What now?
That's the question every self-published author asks themselves once they've published.... and no one knows they've published beyond their minuscule circle of friends. Or relatively few people know about it anyway. This is exactly why people attach themselves to publishing houses and break out in hives trying to find an agent, why those of a … Continue reading What now?
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