Wendi L. Wilson's Blog, page 9

The 7/7/7 Challenge

I was tagged by my friend and fellow author Sam Britt to perform the 7/7/7 challenge. What is the 7/7/7 challenge, you ask? Yeah, so I did I. So I took to the all-knowing Google and discovered that this is a challenge among writers.

Basically, you go to the 7th page of your work-in-progress and, starting with the 7th line, share the following 7 lines (or sentences). Sounds like fun, right? So here goes:

This is from Shadowed Instincts, the sequel to Shadowed Strength:

“It kind of feels like ants crawling under your skin, itchy and stinging.” She shuddered and he squeezed her tightly. “It’s not that bad, honestly. You’ll get used to it. After the itching starts, you’ll feel pulling in your muscles, almost like a Charlie horse, but without the pain. That’s when you need to make sure you’re alone. It happens fast.”

“But how do I make myself change back?”

“At first, you won’t be able to. You’ll be a dog until you wear yourself out and sleep. When you wake up, you’ll be human again, so be careful where you lay down to rest.”

So, there you have it. Who’s next? I want to see yours!

Author Samantha Britt

For my first author interview, I decided that I had to send a request to Samantha Britt, author of Will of Fate: Dual Court Kiss I. I’m always a little leery of what I am going to get when I pick up a book written by a new indie author, but Will of Fate was a very, very pleasant surprise. It is well written, well developed, well edited, and overall very entertaining and intriguing.

It’s the story of Gwen who, growing up in the human world with her “foster brother” Ian, has no idea that not only is she Fae royalty, but also that her mixed-blood heritage should have had her put to death as an infant. Enter Kalan, prince of the winter court with a prophecy he must fulfill, and you have all the workings of a great fantasy romance: forbidden desires, secrets, intrigue and ultimately, true love.

So, I sat down and asked a few questions of the newest addition to my “favorite authors” list:

1. When did you decide that you wanted to become an author? Was there an “a-ha” moment?

I guess I would say when I actually clicked the “Publish” button on AmazonKDP. I’ve been writing in my spare time since I was 14. (The urge to do so would come and go throughout my high school and college years). It wasn’t until post-college, working my day job, when I wondered if I could actually produce a piece of work others would read and enjoy. After editing Will of Fate for a couple weeks, I finally took the plunge and self-published. It’s been a whirlwind of marketing/promoting/networking ever since!

2. What genre(s) do you tend to write?

Young Adult/New Adult Fantasy Romance and Paranormal Romance.

3. What kind of books do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? 

Young Adult Paranormal books are definitely a favorite. As I’ve gotten older, New Adult is growing on me more and more. Fantasy and Historical fiction are up there as well.

I suppose a few of my favorite authors would be Tamara Pierce, Cassandra Clare, Lurlene McDaniel, Melissa Mar, Meg Cabot, and J.K. Rowling (of course).

4. Tell us about 2 of your favorite characters- 1 your created and 1 from another author. 

Oh gosh, there are so many! I think I’m going to stick with one of the more recent characters I’ve read, and that would be Ismae in Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers.

She is a young woman who has experienced her fair share of hardship in life, but is “saved” when she discovers she is the daughter of Mortain, the god of death. She becomes an assassin to serve his will, executing those he deems need to enter his realm. She’s tough, brave, and loyal. I couldn’t get enough of her story, and loved the romance she finds herself (unexpectedly) entering!

From Will of Fate, my favorite character is Eilian. For Gwen, he is the ideal “big brother” figure. For Wendy, he is the perfect friend turned potential love. He is genuine, selfless, and ultimately loves his friends with his entire soul. Despite all Fate throws his way, destroying his initial hopes for happiness, he does not give up and proves to be unbelievably strong. I want nothing more than for him to find his happy ending, although he might argue being in Gwen’s life is his happy ending. He’s just great.

5. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received about your writing? 

Any time someone tells me they enjoyed the story. There is nothing more rewarding for me than to have someone say they can’t wait for the continuation because they liked Will of Fate so much!

6. To what famous books would you compare your own? 

This is a tough one. Due to the fact that Will of Fate is about fae, I’m inclined to go with the Wicked Lovely series. Though, the plots in the two are pretty different. Gah! I don’t know. That’s all I’ve got lol.

7. How do you handle writer’s block?

I typically force myself to stop for a bit when I am struggling with writer’s block, usually about a day. I’ll do something else: watch a movie, go to dinner with friends, read, something to distract myself from the fact that I’m stuck. Later that night I will lay in bed and just let myself daydream. I’ll try to center my thoughts around the characters/plot I’m stuck on, but sometimes other things just take over. Regardless, I try to allow my creativity to flow as I unwind from the day and fall asleep. It never fails that I am refreshed the following day, and find I am better able to conquer writer’s block. The key (for me) is to not let it frustrate me where I end up having more than a day or two of not writing. I do my best to relax and not let it snowball out of control.

8. What subject/setting would you like to tackle in a future book? 

New York City is a setting I cannot wait to use in a future project. I recently vacationed there and could not stop daydreaming of different scenes and characters filling the city’s streets.

9. What is next for you? 

More writing, of course! :) The second book in the Dual Court Kiss series is currently in the works. I have also outlined a young adult paranormal book focusing on a recent high school graduate encountering a strange group of people while on vacation in NYC. (Don’t want to reveal to much as the plot is still very much open.)

10. End with your favorite quote from your book. 

I’m choosing one that helps show how great Eilian is:

“While Eilian desperately wanted to find the culprit and bring justice to Wendy, he knew he could not. Eilian would not be able to protect little Gwen while striving to uncover the murderer of his best friend, his love.

Eilian had to make a choice.

In an effort to honor his lost love, he chose her daughter.

He chose Gwenevere.”

Social Media Links:

https://www.goodreads.com/SamanthaBritt

https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaBrittAuthorPage https://twitter.com/AuthorSamBritt

Link to Will of Fate: http://www.amazon.com/Will-Fate-Dual-Court-Kiss-ebook/dp/B012LOXFHM/

Thank you so much for the interview, Samantha! I encourage my fellow fantasy/paranormal romance lovers to read Will of Fate!

A Few Thoughts on Piracy

Every few days, I click over to the good old trusty Google and search my book title. Everyone does that, right? I’m sure you all do, even if you won’t admit it. I mean, come on. I want to know if anyone has mentioned it in a blog, on a review site or hell, even a comment on a public page. I want to know if word is getting out about my pride and joy.

Well, the word is getting out alright. I have found no less than fifteen sites offering a “free” pdf download of my title. What, now?!?

“Who are these people and how can I hunt them down?” was my first train of thought. I’m new to all this and though I’ve heard of music piracy and bootleg movies, it never really occurred to me that there would be people stealing books. I mean, come on, isn’t that right up there with burning them, or something?

I have read community discussions about this trend and have come to realize two things:

Many, if not all, of these sites are phishing scams. If people try to download my book for free, they may be getting a whole lot more than they bargained for.
Despite being immoral, and possibly illegal, my book is listed on at least fifteen more sites than it would have been otherwise. Should someone actually get a free copy, that’s one more person added to my audience. Maybe they’ll tell a friend. Maybe that friend will actually buy the book legitimately.

Having my book stolen really sucks, but that means someone wanted to read it, right? For now, as a struggling, self published author, that’s what I’ll keep telling myself.

Phobias and fears

I am scared of clown dolls. Not people dressed as clowns at birthday parties. Not pictures of clowns hanging on walls or scary demon-possessed clowns in movies. Clown dolls. They freak me out and I will, quite literally, run away if presented with one. I watched the movie “Poltergeist” at a young age and it messed me up. I’ve not been able to stomach being around a clown doll since. On a side note, also cannot sleep with any appendage hanging off the side of the bed, also compliments of “Poltergeist.” I’m 39 now.

I’m scared of falling. Not heights. Not roller coasters or airplanes. If I’m strapped in so that I can’t fall, I’m all good. On the few occasions in my adult life when I’ve gotten careless enough to actually let myself fall down, I almost had a panic attack every time. My heart stops beating and my life flashes before my eyes in the split second it takes me to hit the ground. I watch my kids tackle each other, or dive for a catch in baseball and it makes me grind my teeth and hold my breath. How can they fall on purpose? Brave souls.

I am scared of tight places. I can’t stand to have anything covering my mouth and nose. No covers over the head in bed. I get claustrophobic in small spaces and once had a panic attack in an elevator that got stuck with 15 people inside. I can feel the oxygen thinning out and my breathing becomes labored. Hyperventilation is imminent.

My dear husband says I should face my fears. Therefore, it is his opinion that I should go skydiving with a pillowcase over my head and a clown doll strapped to my chest. Yeah. No thanks.

What kind of fears and phobias do you have?

The Power of Book Reviews

I released my first book, Shadowed Strength: Shadowed Series Book 1, on June 24th. Since then, I have garnered seventeen reviews on Amazon and another handful on Goodreads. Most of the reviews are favorable, with the exception of one horrible 1-star review on Amazon.uk, and have really spurred me on to write the 2nd book in the series.

I started writing, sure of where I wanted the sequel to go, then I got stuck. I knew where I wanted it to lead, just not how to get there. I’ve put off writing, making excuses to myself to justify my lack of enthusiasm: “Oh, the kids are home for summer,” or “Oh, I just have too much to do today.”

I went back and reread some of my reviews and I had a bit of an epiphany. There is a character in the first book that doesn’t really have a story. He is more of a filler, a possible suspect for the mystery- a red herring, if you will. I had no plans for him to be more than a passing scene in book 2.

But my readers beg to differ. They are convinced that he has a secret, and they can’t wait to find out what it is. So I began thinking- can I let them down? What if he did have a secret? What if…. Oh my God! I have it! Block destroyed, enthusiasm returned.

So thank you, readers. Thank you for taking time to give your opinions. I never knew the power of a book review until I wrote a book. And it is a powerful, powerful thing.

My One-Click Addiction and book recommendations

Hi. My name is Wendi, and I’m a bookaholic. I know this about myself. I accept it. I have no desire to change. There’s nothing like getting lost in a fantasy world, whether it be a hot and steamy big city romance or the budding of first love in a land of faeries and trolls.

I published my first novel six weeks ago, and that opened a whole new can of worms for me. In broadening my social media reach, connecting with authors and readers, I have taken one-click problem to the next level. I can’t help myself. Through Twitter and Goodreads, my eyes have been widened to a vast and unending stream of new book territory, particularly of the indie-author kind. I keep telling myself to stop, that I have too many books on my Kindle carousel as it is, but I come across a new book and my index finger starts to twitch uncontrollably. It has a mind of it’s own.

Here are a few gems I’ve found recently. If you use your one-click button wisely, you’ll add these to your tbr.

“Will Of Fate” by Samantha Britt. Just one-click it. Seriously. If you like the world of the Fae, get it. Now. You can get it on Amazon here.
 “Vulnerable” by April Wilson. This one is of the hot and steamy variety with an alpha male protector and some suspense thrown in for good measure. You can get this one here.
“Soulmate” by Kellie McAllen. This is a unique fantasy about two souls sharing one body. This is a good one for those who love YA and teen angst stories, as well as paranormal. Here is the link for this one.
“Connected” by Kat Stiles. Teens with supernatural powers. Enough said. Get it  here.

I hope you’ll try these out and love them as much as I do!! Let me know what you think!

I don’t need no stinking outlines…Ha!

Some writers plan. They research, they plot, they outline. Everything has an order and a place in the story before the first sentence is written.  The result is a well fleshed out story that needs to be trimmed back and have all the unnecessary bits removed.

I remember preparing and writing English and Literature papers in high school. We had to turn in notes cards, an outline, a rough draft, etc.  My prep work was always horrible. My note cards were very few in number, my outline was made up the morning it was due.

My rough draft for what was supposed to be a ten page paper was four pages long. I didn’t know how to flesh out a piece with descriptiveness and extra details. Short, sweet, and two the point was my writing style.

Now that I can write what I want, when I want, I’ve managed to fall somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. I still don’t plan. When I start a book, I have a vague notion of where I want it to go but no idea how on earth it’s going to get there.

When I was finishing Shadowed Strength, I got stuck. My heroine Melanie had a plan. She told the hero Jeremy what the plan was, off-scene. But nobody told me. It took me several days of writing for the plan to fall together for me as the story moved on. I really didn’t have all the details until they unfolded.

So I guess my writing style is more fly by the seat of my pants, rather than purposeful and planned. As I write, I see the scenes in my head like a movie. Then I think “Oh! This should happen next!” or “Wait! I want this situation to end like this. Now how do I get there?”

Luckily, I can keep everything straight enough in my head that the scenes flow well and don’t end up a  jumbled mess. Who needs outlines? Ha!

How do you write?

10 Things I’ve learned since self publishing

I self published my first novel on Amazon just under three weeks ago. It has been a crazy whirlwind of excitement, stress and disappointment, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. So, here they are: ten things I’ve learned since pulling the trigger and putting my work out there.

1. It’s not going to be an overnight, cinderella-story, blockbuster success. It takes times to build up a following of readers, especially if you don’t have one already established before you publish. I’ve had ups and downs, and though I’ve had at least one sale almost every day, it’s nothing to write home about.

2. No matter what your friends tell you, not everyone is going to love it. Just accept that fact and move on.

3. Some people may actually hate it. That, or they are evil internet trolls who get their kicks off obliterating people on the internet.

4. Twitter is confusing. So is tumblr.

5. Marketing is like walking a tightrope. You need to get the word out, but stop just short of outright spamming your friends and followers.

6. Checking your sales reports 37 times a day is not good for your mental well being.

7. Patience is a virtue. One I don’t possess.

8. Googling your name or the name of your book only adds more stress when you see piracy websites offering your book for free. To click, or not to click? It could be real, in which case they are violating copyright laws, or it could be a fake phishing scam. I refuse to click, so I’ll never know.

9. Reviews are hard to get, even from friends and family. People just don’t like to take the time to do it. Cherish the ones you get, good, bad, or mediocre.

10. There is nothing in this world quite like receiving a call, a message, or a text from someone raving about how much they like your work. It’s euphoric, really. With so much uncertainty in this field, such a wide array of opinions and tastes, it really is amazing to hear people actually say the words “It’s really good.”

Social Media and Me

Social Media and Me.

Social Media and Me

I’ve been on Facebook for 5 years. I was late to the game, but picked it up fairly quickly and after 5 years, I feel pretty confident in my knowledge of its ins and outs.

This week, with the release of my first self-published novel, I decided to expand my reach in an effort to market my book and get the word out. I joined Twitter, tumblr, and as you can see here, WordPress. This is, in fact, my first blog.

A few things I can tell you about my experiences this week:

1. Twitter is hard. I don’t care how many articles you read about its ease of use and far reach, it ain’t easy. I’ve tweeted, I’ve followed, I’ve retweeted. I get lost in the never ending sea of tweets, my own disappearing beneath a quick succession of others. Nobody retweets me. I’ll give it time, but I’m feeling pretty helpless here.

2. tumblr is hard. I haven’t spent as much time on this one, but it was recommended to me by a reviewer as a good place to connect with readers of my genre. I don’t get it. I followed some blogs, but I don’t know how to get them to follow me, or who will even see anything I post.

3. Blogging is hard. As I type this, I have no idea who, beyond maybe my Facebook friends will actually read it. I feel nervous and twitchy, just thinking about posting this. What if no one reads it? What if someone does, like those horrible internet trolls who say horrible things for their own entertainment?

No matter how hard it all, I will not give up! I will persevere! And I’m pretty sure I can do it without my brain exploding.