Auryn Hadley's Blog, page 16

Believe in your own work

All too often, I see amazing indie authors floundering in the sea of kindle books. They have something worth reading, but no one knows about it for one simple reason – the author hasn’t pushed.

Then, I turn around and see countless pieces of crap, books I can’t make it halfway through before wishing I could throw them against the wall (but don’t want to ruin my tablet to get that gratification). WHY? Why do people pay for such crap and convince the authors to pump out more? Normally, sex. Oft...

Sexism in Literature

Recently, literature has gone crazy with feminism discussions. Big women can be pretty too. Women shouldn’t be treated as objects. Women deserve…

You all know what I’m talking about. Now, when was the last time you heard a rant about fridging some guy? Why not? Why is it “acceptable” to knock off some male character to inspire vengeance or purpose in his female (or male) family/lover/friend? Why does no one complain when all the “hot” guys are also rich, built, or otherwise unrealistic? Why i...

Head Shots

No, I don’t mean the kind you get in first person shooters, I mean pictures. This is the image I decided to use when starting to publish. I don’t typically spend a lot of time getting my picture taken. It’s over-rated and shows off my wrinkles.

You see, I’m a blue haired lady who hates getting dressed up. I have a job where I can go to work in yoga pants and a tee. Mascara? Bah, who needs it!

But I’m still too vain to plaster pictures of my slovenly self around like that. I want to have a lit...

Addicted to Publishing

There’s a thrill – and a terror – to releasing your first book. Watching the sales climb, seeing the reviews come in, and knowing that SOMEONE ELSE is reading your book? That’s a feeling I can’t describe. It’s exhilarating. It’s horrifying. It’s mesmerizing.

It’s also a whole lot of work.

From deciding where to advertise, learning the industry, and working day and night to keep up with new ways to make sure people can find your book, it’s like a real job. This is the life of an independent au...

Love Online

We all play video games, or so it seems. From Facebook to our phones, there’s a simple app to make it easy to lose a few minutes between whatever we’re waiting for. Computers, consoles, and mobile devices, they all have a selection, and we love them.

We also find love on them. So many of these games are cooperative. After a few weeks, we make friends. A couple months later, and it’s become a habit to flirt with that one guy/girl who makes us laugh. Not long after that, an online pal turns int...

The Professional Hermit

I always wanted to grow up and be a hermit. Being a writer is a little like that, I believe.

For days on end, I seclude myself in isolation, tapping a staccato rhythm on my keyboard. My foot taps as if keeping time, even though it’s mostly a nervous twitch. And the only person to appreciate the foolishness of all this is my dear, sweet, youtube watching husband.

You see, this is our “deal”. I write as much as I want. He plays video games, watches horrible movies, or gets lost in youtube docum...

The danger of reading my own books

I’ve been going through One More Day, looking for quotes to make teasers. Advertising tools, basically. This is the life of an Indie Author. We don’t have a publishing machine to do it for us, so you’d better learn a little photoshop, 3D modeling, marketing, layout design, and so much more.

But that’s not the rant I want to have today! No… Today I want to talk about what happens when I read a novel I wrote. I want to write the next one! I always think about what happens next, about where the...

I am an Author

My first book released on September 1, 2015. That means I’ve been an author for about three and a half months. I’ve been a writer for a whole lot longer!

Now, I’m not one of those people who can say I was “born” to write, or anything like that. I never really thought of things like that, but I always enjoyed the arts. Ever since I was a child, I liked painting and drawing. Considering my mother is an amazing painter, this makes sense. In junior high, I took to music. Through my life, I’ve le...

A little about Norihame

In When We Were Kings, the tiny country of Norihame is an anomaly. For generations, their over zealous neighbors, the Rhians, have conquered lands to expand their empire, just like the Romans of eons past.

Norihame, however, was based upon a small, Romanian-like country who refused to give in. Due to a few geographical defenses, a strong and willing military, but some genius in their ruling family, they maintain their autonomy. Unfortunately, their proximity to the diverse culture of Rhia me...

What’s in the works

I have a secret. It’s a series, nearly completed, that’s stuck somewhere between fantasy and science fiction. Based on a planet colonized LONG ago, where Earth has become a memory so distant it’s not thought of, metals are nearly impossible to fine in pure form, and humans aren’t the only sentient species.

For thousands of years, humans have domesticated the iliri. They are slaves, cheap labor, and all around second class people. They’re also pissed.

Imagine a world where electricity is impo...