Debra L. Martin's Blog, page 300

Interview with best-selling author, SANDRA EDWARDS

Can you give us a brief
overview of your latest book?

My
latest book is actually a trilogy of short contemporary romances titled West
Coast Girlz. The three individual stories are: California Girl, Glamour Girl,
and Party Girl. They’re tales of three friends living large in L.A.




Did you try the traditional
route to publishing, i.e. querying agents/publishers?

Yes.
Both. I was told to write something more “inside the box” because no one would
be interested in my stories. (As an aside note, to date, I’ve sold over 100,000
books.)




How are your story ideas
born?

Different
places, really. Sometimes I’ll hear a song. Sometimes it’s a news report or a
documentary. All leave me with lingering “what if” questions.




Do you belong to a critique
group? Have they helped improve your writing? Yes, I do. And yes, they have. They’re a small group
of trusted writers and they catch the redundancies and inconsistencies amid my
typos.




What’s your favorite part
of the writing process?

I
really enjoy the earliest part of the creation process. This is when the
characters reveal their stories to me. If I become completely
caught up in it, then I know I might be on to something.




What factors influenced
your decision to self-publish to Amazon?

Having
had bad experiences with a couple of small presses and e-publishers,
self-publishing on Kindle became an attractive alternative a couple of years
ago after reading about Karen McQuestion’s success.




What is your writing
process?

I
like to do all my “homework” before I sit down to write. I prefer to know the
basics of the story before I jump in and start writing. I also like to do most
of my editing as I go along, but I’m open to and often do find myself going
back and making revisions when I get a great idea midway through the
story. 




How long did it take to
write your latest release?

It
took about three months to write the trilogy, which is about 23,000 words.




Do you have a favorite line
or scene from your latest release?

I
do love the opening of California Girl:

The
chatter of raindrops coaxed Veronica Stanford awake. Soft, luxurious, indulgent
bedding pleased her naked body and compelled her to keep sleeping.




Naked!
What the—?




Did you hire an editor to
review your manuscript before publishing?

Yes.
I wouldn’t release a book without it.




What have you learned
during your self-publishing journey?

I’ve
learned that this is a wonderful time to be an author.




Besides Amazon, are there
any other sites where your books are for sale? Yes. Barnes & Noble,
Kobo, Smashwords and iTunes.




What kinds of marketing
[twitter, facebook, blog, forums] are you involved with for promoting your
book(s)?

I’m
on Facebook and twitter (although I rarely tweet). I have ads at various
romance review sites and I try to get my name on as many blogs as I can.




Do you find it difficult to
juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next
book?

Yes.
The time I spend setting up and handling promotion demands a great deal of my
time—roughly three to four hours a day—time I’d prefer to be writing.




What advice would you give
a new author just entering into the self-publishing arena?

Follow
your dreams!






What’s next for you?

I’m
currently working on The Marriage Caper,
a follow-up to The Marriage Bargain,
featuring Andre and Tasha. 



























    
    

Review: SHAMAN FRIEND ENEMY by M. Terry Green

5 of 5 stars


This is the second book in the Techno Shaman series and it doesn't disappoint. Olivia (Livvy) Lawson is now the most famous shaman in Los Angeles--she's the lightening shaman. Along with a fellow shaman and friend, Min, and her dwarf intercessor, SK, many are clamoring for her services--to heal their fractured souls, to cast out evil ancestor spirits or to save them from themselves. The paparazzi follow her wherever she goes, but Livvy finds it hard to enjoy her new found success. She is harboring a terrible secret that she dares tell no one and it is leading her into dangerous territory within the spirit world. There are some things that are just forbidden even to the lightening shaman. As if that isn't enough, Livvy is faced with a deadly enemy intent on destroying her. Can the she prevail over this new threat? What will happen to Livvy if she stays on this dangerous path in the spirit world to do what is forbidden to do? And what of those she loves--will she risk everything and lose everyone dear to her?



Ms. Green does an expert job of pulling the reader in with non-stop action starting with the first chapter. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters in the story, but most especially, SK. His role has been expanded in this book and his interactions with Livvy will keep you glued to the story. Rounding out the story are Min, Mamacita, and of course, Livvy's newest enemy, Dominque. There are also more characters from the first book making appearances. Through all of the ups and downs that are thrown Livvy's way, she remains true to beliefs--she only wants to help others and nothing will stop her.



Though it is not necessary to read book 1 before picking up this one, I would highly recommend you start with "Shaman, Healer, Heretic" to enjoy the full flavor of the wonderful and engaging spirit world that Ms. Green has created. Recommended.

Regular vs. Irregular Verbs by Grammar Girl

Today, we’ll talk about irregular verbs. Why do we say we saw a
movie instead of we seed a movie, and did you know that the past tense
of the verb “help” used to be “holp” instead of “helped”?


Regular Verbs Versus Irregular Verbs

Most of the time you add -ed to a verb to put it in the past tense;
“slurp” becomes “slurped,” “scarf” becomes “scarfed,” and “offend”
becomes “offended,” for example. When you make a verb past tense back
tacking on an -ed, you’re dealing with a regular verb. It’s the regular
way we make things past tense.

English also has verbs that don’t follow this pattern: verbs such as
“am,” which becomes “was”; “tell,” which becomes “told”; and “sing,”
which becomes “sang.” These are called irregular verbs because they
don’t follow the regular pattern.

 

Think of irregular verbs as relics from Old English.

People who grew up speaking English just know the irregular verbs,
but children and people who are learning  English as adults struggle
with them. As toddlers are learning the language they often say things
such as “He breaked my doll,” instead of “He broke my doll,” and “Daddy
goed to the store,” instead of “Daddy went to the store,” and adults who
are learning English are faced with memorizing a long list of irregular
verbs.

The Root: Old English Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs are relics from the past. Believe it or not, the
rules for conjugation (a fancy word for “working the verb”) were even
more complicated Old English. Our regular verbs are called “weak verbs”
in Old English, but Old English also had at least seven different kinds
of strong verbs. Many of our irregular verbs are holdovers from those
seven types of strong verbs (1), which is why you can’t see any one
pattern when you look at a list of irregular verbs. There are actually
multiple sparsely represented patterns. For example, “teach” and “catch”
become “taught” and caught,” “choose” and “freeze” become “chose” and
“froze,” and some verbs don’t change at all: “Hit”* and “quit” stay
“hit” and “quit” in the past tense (2).

 

The Role of Foreigners Learning English Irregular Verbs

Over time, English became simpler and many verbs were regularized.
Languages become simpler when a lot of foreigners learn the language as
adults, especially when they’re just learning by listening to everyday
interactions and don’t have formal books and classes (3) as would have
been the case between Old English and Modern English.

And researchers noticed something really interesting about which
verbs stayed irregular and which verbs changed to become regular: the
more often a word is used, the more likely it is to stay irregular. In
fact, every one of the 10 most common English verbs is irregular:

“I am” --> “I was”

“I have” --> “I had”

“Do you?” --> “Did you?”

These are all easy words: single syllable words from Anglo-Saxon
origins (4). Besides “be,” “have,” and “do,” they are “go,” “say,”
“can,” “will,” “see,” “take,” and “get.”

Irregular Verb Evolution

Researchers at Harvard found a strong correlation between how often a
verb is used and whether it regularized (1, 5). They think these 10
common verbs held on to their irregular form so firmly precisely because
they’re so common. They actually compared the process to biological
evolution, in which changes--mutations--in the most important genes are
the least likely to propagate.

Think about how often you hear the verbs “am” and “have” in everyday
conversation. “I have to go now. I am hungry, and I have a headache.”
If you’re learning English just by listening, these are going to be the
easiest verbs to learn properly because you hear them over and over
again.

But if you were someone learning English in the Middle Ages dealing
with words you don’t hear very often--”to chide,” for example--you may
not be able to remember that the past tense is “chode,” and instead
you’d just default to the regular rule and say “chided” on the rare
occasions when you need the word; or you wouldn’t have learned the verb
and wouldn’t know to correct your children when they defaulted to the
regular form. Once enough children grew up thinking “chided” was the
normal form of the verb, “chode” was doomed.

Strange Exceptions

Finally, there’s a nuance and a couple of exceptions to this
verb-evolution process that are worth talking about just because they’re
so strange and interesting.

“Burned” Versus “Burnt”

First, verbs don’t always evolve at the same rate in different countries. As far as I can tell, nobody knows why, but British English speakers have held on to irregular verbs more than American English speakers, which is why they say “dreamt,” “burnt,” and “learnt” in Britain, and we say “dreamed,” “burned,” and “learned” in America.

“Sneaked” and “Snuck”

Second, there are a few rare verbs that were regular but have taken
on an irregular past tense. It’s like evolution going in reverse.
“Sneaked” is the regular past tense form of the verb “to sneak,” but
sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, “snuck” started sneaking into English (6).

“Lighted” and “Lit”

Sometime after 1800, people began to prefer the irregular verb “lit”
to the regular past tense “lighted” (7). “Lit and “lighted” both
currently exist as fully acceptable past-tense forms of “to light.”
“Snuck” is still considered slightly less than acceptable, but according
to the Harvard researchers, 1% of the English-speaking population
switches from “sneaked” to “snuck” every year, with the shift being most
powerful in America.

Summary

The bottom line is that you either know the irregular verbs because
you absorbed them by growing up in an English-speaking country or you
have to memorize them, which is a pain. But if you have to memorize
them, I hope you at least find it more interesting now that you know
you’re digging into the relics of English, and that one reason these
irregular verbs still exist is that English learners in the past could
remember them.

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/irregular-verbs.aspx 

Mignon Fogarty is Grammar Girl and the author of the new book, Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students , available online, in bookstores, and this fall, through Scholastic book fairs.




References

1. Lieberman, E. et al. “Quantifying the Evolutionary Dynamics of Language,” Nature, vol. 449, no. 7163, p. 713-716, October 11, 2007.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2460562/ (accessed September 13, 2011).

2. “English Irregular Verbs,” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_irregular_verbs (accessed September 13, 2011).

3. McWhorter, J. Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue , Gotham Books, 2008.

4. Stephen Pinker “The Irregular Verbs,” http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/articles/media/2000_03_landfall.html (accessed September 13, 2011).

5. Michel, Jean-Baptiste et al. “Quantitative Analysis of Culture Using Millions of Digitized Books,” Science, vol. 331, p. 176-182, January 13, 2011. http://mfi.uchicago.edu/publications/papers/Science_Culturomics.pdf (accessed September 13, 2011).

6. Gellene, D.  “How English adds the '-ed'” Los Angeles Times,  October 11, 2007. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/oct/11/science/sci-verbs11 (accessed September 13, 2011).

7. Yong, E. “The Culture Genome: Google Books Reveals Traces of Fame, Censorship, and Changing Languages,” Discover Magazine. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/12/16/the-cultural-genome-google-books-reveals-traces-of-fame-censorship-and-changing-languages/ (accessed September 13, 2011).

New Release: E-Book Formatting for Novelists by K.C. May

You’ve written a novel. Congratulations! Now you want to sell it as
an e-book online at Amazon, Kobo or Barnes & Noble. You have
three choices:




Upload a .doc or .rtf file and hope for the best.
Hire someone to format it for you.
Learn to format it yourself.

This guide is intended to help you do it yourself. I use Microsoft
Windows exclusively. If you use a Mac, this guide may or may not
help you.



This book assumes you have a comfortable, working knowledge of
Windows, that you know how to download and install software, create
text files and perform operations like copy/paste, search/replace
and so forth.



BN buy link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/e-book-formatting-for-novelists-kc-may/1112331858



Amazon buy icon:






FROM THE AUTHOR, K.C. MAY:



When I first started self-publishing my fiction, I had no idea how to
format the interior so that it looked professional. I relied on the
conversion tools offered by Amazon and BN to take my Word file and
transform it into an ebook. Although they did an adequate job, I didn't
want adequate. I wanted readers to see that I care about the
presentation of the story, not just the story itself.



I
downloaded a few ebook formatting programs and started playing around
with them, getting a feel for how the quality of the document I fed it
affected the quality of the output. Once I realized that I could control
the formatting better if I used HTML, it was just a matter of figuring
out the details and fine-tuning my process. I read every tip and trick I
could find on the web about ebook formatting, took notes, and started
keeping track of what I did so I wouldn't have to relearn for my next
book.



When I checked Amazon for books on e-book formatting, I
found a few but none that offered a step-by-step process. People need
details: what do I look for? What do I change? How do I know what it'll
look like when I'm done? Since I'm a technical writer by day, I figured
this was something I could offer -- a user's guide for ebook formatting
my way.



My way's not the only way by any means. In fact, I'll bet
that some of the professionals who do ebook formatting turn out an
ebook interior that's as clean and attractive as my books are -- or
better! I'm a cheapskate by nature and rebel against paying someone else
to do something I can do myself (except, of course, for yard work and
house cleaning), and there are lots of people out there who agree.



Sure,
some things take talent as well as skill, like cover art and writing
novels. Ebook formatting isn't one of them It's just a matter of
learning and following a process. If you're comfortable with your
computer, you can format your own ebooks and be proud of the end
product.



K.C. May

science fiction & fantasy author

www.kcmay.com

https://www.facebook.com/KCMayBooks

Group Tour Book Giveaway + $100 Amazon Gift Card

Here's another fabulous book giveaway from Promotional Book Tours. Be sure to enter the rafflecopter contest at the end of the post.




 Welcome to Promotional Book Tours Group Tour taking place August 3 - 24. We have teamed up with 9 Amazing Authors and several awesome bloggers to bring you a $100 Amazon Giftcard!







 

Brought to you by these 9 books!

Don’t miss out on these great reads even if you don’t have a kindle yet. You can download the kindle app for you phone, desktop, or ipad HERE. All of these books are less than a Starbucks Coffee!

 

Incredible Dreams

Incredible Dreams is the story of a modern-day ghost whisperer who travels through time to save thelife of a WWII fighter pilot, and ends up jeopardizing her own existence.
Izzy Miller prefers to call herself a spiritual therapist because she thinks it makes her sound more professional than plain old ghost-whisperer. She expects her latest project to be quick and easy because exorcising military personnel is pretty routine.

But there's nothing easy or routine about Captain Jack Baker—he's a rather forgetful spirit and somewhat mischievous. And even though he's intrigued by the US Government's latest attempt to remove him from the only place he can ever remember being... he has no intentions of going anywhere.

Plans to exorcise Jack are quickly sidelined when Izzy discovers a portal into the past inside her dreams and sets out to change his fate. Trouble is...when she gets back there, she can't remember anything but her name. She still sees ghosts, but is far less accepting of her gift. And, to make matters worse, a demonic force pretending to be the forgetful heroine's sister has her own plans—to steal Izzy's soul Purchase Here

 



50 Parent Commandments: "The Essential Guide to Hiring a Good Nanny"
50 Parent Commandments is a must have book by childcare expert, Tosi Ufodike. Parents all over the world struggle with how to hire and retain good nannies to look after their children. In this book she offers simple, yet effective advice on Hiring a Good Nanny.

This book answers many questions: Should you offer your nanny a bonus? What should you do if the nanny is a flirt? Should you allow the nanny to spank your child? How much should you pay a nanny? Nanny Cams?should you have one? Tosi Ufodike relied on numerous parent and nanny interviews to write this book.

50 Parent Commandments is the only book that gives parent tested advice that is not based on theory but practical experience. With humor, insight, and proven experience, Tosi Ufodike breaks down the daunting task of hiring a good nanny. Purchase HERE






Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction
When Tess Tremaine starts a new life in the colorful town of Goose Pimple Junction, she thinks she's moved to a quiet little burg.

Curiosity leads her to look into a seventy-five-year-old murder, and suddenly she's learning the foreign language of southern speak, resisting her attraction to local celebrity Jackson Wright, and dealing with more mayhem than she can handle.

 

 

Purchase Here

 






Bitten Shame
Jill Prescott returned from self-imposed seclusion to help save her best friend Devan’s life. Throwing herself into Devan’s problems and bringing an evil organization to its knees might just be the distraction she needs to keep living without the only man she’s ever loved. Her life changed forever when she was hired to spend a week with Doc Massey.

On the day she became a vampire her youthful innocence ended, but Doc’s love rescued her from being consumed by the darkness. The shadow of that former life continues to loom over her, keeping her from realizing her own self-worth. Running from her past only brings her closer to a destiny that is inextricably connected to what she is trying to escape…

Every gift has both a reward and a price, because All of it fits…

Purchase HERE

 

 



As Above~ So Below: A Channeled, Assisted, Unfolding Story
A thought-provoking, journey of fantasy, through the experiences of a new writer that has moved back to the mountains of Upstate New York with his wife. He encounters a spirit who has passed over, and together, they touch upon many issues and beliefs of society and the concerns thereof; those that weigh so heavily upon their minds.

Often controversial, at times extremely passionate, and usually very captivating, this work exudes food for thought that "Magickally" keys forth a possible spirtual awakening for those yearning to grow and learn. The opinions and beliefs presented within, may or may not be similar to those of the reader~ however it will provoke the reader to think about what is said.

The author believes this to be a "channeled" work, as much that is wriiten, he believes to have received form the "powers that be." Purchase HERE






Restless
When she agrees to allow Ms. Lacusta to help develop her powers, Tasmyn has no idea how deep and dark the journey will become. Trapped between fascination and fear, she moves farther away from friends and family, even her boyfriend Michael.

Leading a double life forces Tas into decisions that will threaten her sanity and her future… and the very lives of those she loves.

Purchase HERE

 



 



The Unsacred Gift
When Sissy was six, she had her first vision of her sister’s (Misty) disappearance. Her mother (Tina) said she had a bad dream, but not long after that Misty vanished before Sissy’s eyes. No one believed her, so Sissy pretend to act like everyone else, like Misty never disappeared and never existed. For the past fifteen years Misty’s disappearance has haunted Sissy’s dreams. She could hear the ear piercing screams at night of her sister begging for help. Sissy tries to help her, but never succeeds.

Sicily “Sissy” Monroe attends the University of Washington and is in her senior year majoring in Psychology. She has all the makings of a perfect young lady, ageless skin, flawless long black hair, full kissable lips and eyes that are shaped like almonds. She is almost where she wants to be in life. But laying deep in the pupil of her eye’s hold something that she cannot get rid of, which interferes with her plans.

Purchase HERE

 




Night Game
The exclusive King's Club resort casino is a glittering playground for gamblers with everything to gain and the hunting ground for a killer with nothing to lose. Until casino owner Jay King hires P.I. Kasey Atwood. Kasey's attraction to King is immediate.

As their love affair heats up, she becomes a pawn in a dangerously seductive game of passion and revenge

Purchase HERE





Phantom
The “Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting. She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their calling card.

Rebecca lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who is more than realistic in the role of the tortured artist.

Almost immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true phantom style. Read more and purchase HERE























 

These fine authors are bringing you this Book Tour Event via Promotional Book Tours.This contest is open Internationally! Please fill out the form below to enter.

  





Affiliate links present. Promotional Book Tours is responsible for the prize. Open Internationally 18+







a Rafflecopter giveaway

New #Paranormal Release: BRIDE OF FAE by LK Rigel

For those of you who have been waiting for the next book in the TETHERS series by LK Rigel, the wait is over. BRIDE OF FAE is now available to delight fans! The reviews are pouring in and LK Rigel has written another best-selling book. If you haven't read Book 1 in the series, GIVE ME, the buy icon is listed below. If you enjoyed the TV show, ONCE UPON A TIME, you'll love this series!




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Book blurb:

A love more powerful than magic or time.



Beverly Bratton has a safe, mundane life. No drama. No magic. Since her parents died, she's cared for her little sister Marion and worked at the Tragic Fall Inn. When a fairy's charm sends Beverly a hundred years into the past-and into the path of a banished fairy prince-nothing will ever be mundane or safe again.



The regent of the Dumnos fae is turning the court from light to dark, and there's nothing the rightful king, Prince Dandelion, can do about it. The mystical coronation cup which he needs to become king has fallen into human hands. When he meets a human woman with access to the cup, everything changes. Beverly is fascinating as well as useful-but of course Dandelion doesn't love her.



Love for a fairy is rare. Love with a human, impossible. But when Beverly and Dandelion are thrown together in a battle against both wyrd and fae, they learn that in Dumnos the impossible happens every day.



Reviews:

5 stars: What a delight! L.K. Rigel continues to stretch her fairy wings in Bride of Fae. One of her many strengths is world-building, and she puts that skill into excellent play here. The result is a charming and lovely tale. - USA Today bestselling author Theresa Weir (Anne Fraiser)



Author bio:

L. K. Rigel lives in California with her television-watching cat, Coleridge. (His favorite show is Castle, but he is enthralled by Game of Thrones.) Rigel wrote songs for the 90's band The Elements, scored the independent science fantasy karate movie Lucid Dreams, and was a reporter for the Sacramento Rock 'N Roll News. Her work has appeared in Literary Mama and Tattoo Highway.



Rigel writes the postapocapunk "Apocalypto" series where human reproduction is threatened and fertile women rent their wombs to the highest bidding kings.



Her short story "Slurp" about an author with muse problems is included in DEADLY TREATS, Anne Frasier's Halloween anthology published by Nodin Press.



Amazon buy icon links:

Interview with John J. Marnien, Jr.

Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book?

My most recent book is 2012 THE END OF TIME. I have long
been interested in the soothsayers and prognosticators throughout history
and into the modern era.  Considering the number of dire predictions
concerning December 21st, 2012, I determined to present a different twist on
the situation. While it is essentially a work of Science Fiction, I was not
  interested in "joining the crowd", but rather desired to
present a quality work that would be of continuing interest beyond that date.
While the story revolves on the end of the year 2012, the plot relates how
people of varied backgrounds and experience deal with a potential
catastrophe. The tale shows how persons in diverse locations throughout
the country are contending with occurrences that they are trying to understand.
In particular, it demonstrates how a religious cult can use people's fears
to their own financial gain. The resolution presents a different view and
explanation of the approaching disaster.




Did you try the traditional route to publishing, i.e.
querying agents/publishers?

This novel, 2012 THE END OF TIME is the fifth book that I
have completed. In each instance I did submit queries to various
agents/publishers. In fact, I have been rejected by many of the most noted
agents in the business. I have acquired a particularly good collection of
rejection forms and e-mails. My primary purpose in being an author is to write.
Therefore, eventually I would have my book published through an "indie"
and get on to working on my next volume.




Do you belong to a critique group? Have they helped
improve your writing?

The most difficult and exacting critique group that I
participated in was  during college. Each individual taking the creative
writing courses had to place their work in the library for review and
critique by fellow students and interested professors. A number of the
students were obviously better inclined towards being rather negative critics.
However, those that were serious about developing good style and form
offered significant suggestions and observations.




What factors influenced your decision to self-publish
to Amazon?

I researched a number of companies through the internet and
secured some books that did comparisons and recommendations. Eventually, I was
left with a list of five independent publishers that were highly
respected.  I was well satisfied with the costs and the way that my
initial work was handled by the company that I had chosen. While I did review
the other companies subsequently, in every instance, I went with my
initial decision. I also appreciated being able to use my own artwork in
designing the covers of my  books. In A SECRET   PASSAGE and in 2012
THE END OF TIME I was also able to utilize lyrics from my own musical compositions
and include the sheet  music within the text. 




Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript
before publishing?

I did not hire an editor prior to publishing. I do value an
editor's place within the process, however, cost is prohibitive. Also, my
spouse and I both have strong backgrounds in English from high school and
college, and I was well taught by the simple reading of many authors
including the "Classics".   Each book is edited by
both of us. It will then be set aside for a while and eventually be edited
again. The process continues until we feel that the book is ready for
publication.




What have you learned during your self-publishing
journey? 

I have learned that for many in the industry publishing is
simply a job like any other. You can pursue all of the traditional
avenues. You can concern   yourself with writing queries and planning
marketing strategies. However, if your goal is to write and you want to see
your book finally available to others, self-publishing can be the best
solution. Also, if you want to reach the most readers, consider having
your book presented as an eBook as well as a standard volume.  




Besides Amazon, are there any other sites where your
books are for sale?

Of course, my books are for sale on my publisher's site.
They are also available from Barnes and Noble and many book sources
worldwide.

In addition to the United States, they are currently being advertised
for sale in Canada, Italy, Ireland, England, India, Norway and
Australia.




What kinds of marketing [twitter, facebook, blog,
forums] are you involved with for promoting your book(s)?

At the moment the only site I am using is marnien.com.
However, I intend to soon be involved in facebook and twitter and
eventually a blog. I also intend to investigate some opportunities that
Amazon is making available to authors.




Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between
marketing your current book and writing your next book?

Marketing has proven to be a necessary evil. I have attended
book signings, distributed calendars carrying pictures of my book covers,
handed      out other advertising material,
established an internet site - basically all of  the usual
approaches.  Everything does impose on the amount of time that I have
for writing.  




What advice would you give a new author just entering
into the self-publishing arena?

Keep your dream alive! Right now, the book that you are
working on may be the one that goes over in a big way. However, be realistic.
Completing the next great American Novel is not why you are writing. You should
be doing your craft because you love to do it. Keep writing and telling your
stories. Remember too, more important than anything that you write, enjoy your
family and friends and life itself.




What’s next for you? 

I have recently completed the sequel to ANY TIME NOW. My new
book is AKA SAUCY JACK which is a Science Fiction/Humorous work about the
Jack the Ripper investigation.  Also under edit is an allegorical
fantasy, BRAMBLE OF MOON VALLEY.



Both books should be available by the end of 2012.

Writing with a Co-Author: Leave Your Ego at the Door

I thought about what to
write about and finally decided that I was in a unique position to talk about a
specific topic that most authors probably will not experience--that is, writing
with a co-author. I originally wrote this piece was my friend, John Marco, but thought I'd republish it here as well. If this helps any aspiring authors who'd like to collaborate, then I'll be happy. Hopefully, this will save you from making some of the mistakes that we made starting out together.






I started writing with my
co-author, David W Small, in 2006. I was lucky to have such an awesome
co-author, but I’m a bit biased. You see, David is my brother and he has
traveled around the world while in the Marine Corps. With his military
background, I could be sure that any fight/battle scenes in our books would be
spot on.




Growing up we both enjoyed
the same types of books—science fiction and fantasy—and even into adulthood, we
would pass books back and forth on a regular basis.  One day I was on the phone with Dave while he browsed the
latest books in SFF and he was complaining that every book available was
basically the same. I said, “we could write our own book,” and our collaboration
was born.




Now saying you’re going to
write a book and actually writing one is at opposite ends of the spectrum. As
any author will tell you, they’re heard that exact same statement from lots of
people, but actually following through on it and putting words to paper takes a
tremendous amount of time, energy and self-determination.






Our first book was Quest for Nobility, a fantasy based on
the distant planet Otharia. Our main characters were royal twins (brother and
sister). Surprising, right? Anyway, it made perfect sense for us. We’ve had a
loving relationship all our lives and it wasn’t hard to write these characters
and how they would react to the conflicts we would throw at them. We had a
general outline of the book and initially assigned each other a chapter to
write. Now that sounds reasonable, however, it turned out to be a disaster.




We turned out to be pretty
similar in our writing styles which meant that we included pretty much all the
same information in both chapters. Out came the delete button and thousands of
words went into the trash bin. So then we figured that we would write one
chapter at a time before we sent it to the other one for edits. That way we
both knew what was already in the chapter and could move forward with the next
chapter without repeating the same information. Still, it wasn’t all smooth
sailing especially when something was added that we both didn’t agree on. Our
mutual test was “if you can’t justify why something is included, then out it
goes.” Yes, you definitely need to leave your ego at the door and keep the big
picture in mind. You want to write the best book you can and sometimes that
means things got left on the cutting room floor.




So that should have worked,
right? Wrong! Do you know what happens when two people are writing a story
without a specific outline? It’s not pretty and ¾ into the book, we thought of
a fantastic tangent that we had to include in the book. That meant we needed to
go back to the beginning chapters again and rework them so that our new tangent
made sense. When we finally finished the book, we felt like we’d run a
marathon, but we weren’t done yet. After letting it set for a few weeks, it was
back for another round of edits. It’s amazing how much you see that needs to be
changed if you step away for a bit. 
All in all, our first book was probably edited from cover to cover at
least 6 or 7 times before it went to our editor for the final edit. That’s a
lot of editing, but the book is now something we both are proud to put our
names on. This was also the book that nearly landed us an agent in 2008, but in
the end, it didn’t work out. The one positive thing we came away with though is
that we didn’t suck at writing! We could write an exciting action-packed
adventure and that was a huge boost for us.




Because of our experience in
writing Quest, we knew that we needed
more than a 10,000 foot outline. In the second book in the Otharia series, The Crystal Façade, the writing went
much more smoothly. We were getting into our groove and we had a much more
extensive outline to work from. That’s not to say that we don’t think of “cool”
things to add in along the way, we absolutely do, but at least now when we add
in an unexpected twist or another tangent we don’t have to backtrack to the
beginning and fix the plot. Even though we both know what the outline says, it’s
still exciting to see how it actually turns out especially when we both add in
little tidbits as surprises for the other.






Our newest release, Assassin’s Curse, the first book in a
new series, “The Witch Stone Prophecy,” was an absolute blast to write and
we have definitely gained our rhythm writing together. We are currently working
on the next book in that series and will then tackle the final volume in the
Otharia series.




Dave and I love writing
together. It is a fantastic creative outlet for us, but it may not be for
everyone. If you plan to write with a co-author, make sure you have compatible
writing styles. When Dave and I look back at our books, we can’t remember who
wrote what and that’s a very good thing!

Review: DEATH NOTICE by Alicia Dean

5 of 5 stars


 "Death Notice" was referred to me by a friend and I'm so glad she did. The author has done a superb job in creating suspense and mystery in this story. Monroe Donovan is an obit writer - pretty boring most of the time, but she plods along longing to get back to the crime desk. She's been patiently waiting for the crime writer job for 2 years and her promotion is complicated by the fact that her ex-boyfriend is also her boss, Adam. Anyone who has been in this position knows how these things go - not only does Monroe not get the promotion, but Adam reprimands her for letting an obit go to print with the date of death 2 days in the future.



Monroe is clearly upset about Adam's betrayal, that is, until Detective Lane Brody comes to the paper to interview Monroe about the obit. Seems the obit wasn't wrong after all--the victim was found murdered on the date listed. Sparks are clearly flying between Monroe and Lane, but there's another problem. Lane is married, but it's complicated. When a second obit shows up with the wrong date, Detective Lane realizes that he has a serial killer case on his hands.



Ms. Dean does a great job of letting the reader inside both Monroe's and Lane's head and what they're feeling for each other. They're scenes together sizzle. I could feel their forbidden passion for one another--the writing is that good. The mystery of who the serial killer will definitely surprise you. The clues are there, but Ms. Dean is very clever with them. Fans of mystery and suspense will thoroughly enjoy this book. Highly Recommended.

New Release: ANGEL'S BREATH by Valmore Daniels

Book blurb:







My name is Richard Riley. All I ever wanted was to lead a normal life.




When I was younger, I made some bad choices that
ended with me in prison. I served my time, and I am trying to put my
life back together.




But someone has framed me
for a crime I didn't commit. Now they want me dead, and they're willing
to kill my friends and family to get to me.




Even as I try to save the people I love, a dark and ancient power grows inside me. I can feel its anger rising.




If it gets away from me, it will rip everything in my life apart.





Buy links:





Amazon US - see Icon book links below

B&N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angels-breath-valmore-daniels/1112136515?ean=2940014942416&itm=1&usri=valmore+daniels

Kobo - http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Angels-Breath-The-Second-Book/book-vrrSaC_tiUumX2rJLVdXlg/page1.html?s=s9vt0d9uo0ioYuKifb7yVQ&r=4

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/205945