E. Rachael Hardcastle's Blog, page 30

Freebie Goes Live

For the first time since its release, Aeon Infinitum: Run For Your Life is FREE on Amazon Kindle between 26/08/2016 and 28/08/2016. Don't miss out. Grab yours now.FREEBIE UKFREEBIE US

Grab Your Freebie

I am so excited to share my latest release,Aeon Infinitum: Run For Your Lifewith my readers absolutely free for three days (26/08/2016-28/08/2016).There is now a countdown on my home page under 'Aeon Infinitum'. Don't miss out on your Kindle freebie this weekend!I hope you enjoy the book and any reviews you would like to leave will be greatly appreciated.E. Rachael Hardcastle

Ask An Author #3: Let's Get Real

Due to how busy my schedule is this week,my video blogwill be postponed, but please do check out those currently up and subscribe for more in the future! If you do you'll notice that 'Ask An Author #3' is missing. That's because I'll cover the topic to fill that gap here.I'm often asked'E, why do you write?'1. I have a talent and I feel I should use it2. It's something I enjoy and feel passionate about3. I have something to tell the world/ a message4. I write to entertain people5. I write to become known and popular6. Personal therapy7. To satisfy the control freak in me8. Money9. Personal development10. Connecting with others and meeting new peopleOf courseI will go into more detail! Are you kidding?1. I have a talent - I believe that we all have a talent. For some this is baking or painting. For me, it's writing and telling stories. I'm not a religious person but a part of me hopes we all have our talents for a reason. By this, I mean that I'd like my stories to reach someone who needs them, and my words help them in some way. So far I write fantasy and post-apocalyptic fiction, but I do this for a reason. Please check out my mission statement on the 'Author' segment of my home page.2. I enjoy it - Writing is how I relax and entertain myself when I'm not reading. I find it calming, but I also love to see how others have mastered their writing talent. It's a passion of mine, like some collect stamps or play a sport. It's not just my hobby but a future aspiration, which makes it one of the most important things in my life.3. I'm sharing a message - If you did read my mission statement you'll know I believe in making the world a better place and not through the usual expected means of fixing our planet's problems. All my books so far have followed a theme that there is nothing wrong with our planet, only with us. I want others to hear about the consequences of our actions through my stories, however bold and unusual they turn out. In Finding Pandora, human curiosity and greed kills Earth. Religion and community saves us (The Recruit, an alliance of all religions and spiritual people in the world who beg God for a second chance. He gives us Haeylo, a new planet, until Earth has healed). In Aeon Infinitum, an alien race deem us untrustworthy and arrive to help the planet recover from the human race. War and playing God kills Earth. Survivors, having learned their lessons and the truth, put it together again.4. To entertain - who doesn't love a good story? As kids I think that books stay with you and imprint. We remember certain characters or stories because we relate to them and they teach us something. I want to be the teacher now that I have been blessed with the knowledge. I feel it's my turn to provide for others like my favourite authors provided for me.5. Popularity - This can be a difficult subject for some people. For me, not so much, probably because I have never been 'popular', so I have no fear of losing it. Most of the time my head was in a book or in my study and it paid off, putting me in the position I'm in now. Lucky and happy. Still, as an author I can't lie. To say I don't want people to know my name would be a big one, so I'll be honest and admit I'd love to hear from my readers - love my book, my protagonist, my story, my world? Good. I want to know! Who wouldn't?6. Therapy - I'm not crazy although my friends might disagree and laugh. By therapy, I mean I write to empty my head and get all my ideas and thoughts down. I can share my emotions and my stresses through the stories I tell and resolve them externally. I'm an anxious person (as you will know if you have read either of my guest posts on the Anxious Bookaholic blog). I like to keep as calm and organised as I can to reduce my anxiety and writing, be it a list, a poem, a story or a journal entry, helps.7. I'm a control freak - This is true. I like to be in control of my life and now that I'm a writer I can be in control of an entire world. I can ensure all my characters have a purpose, a goal, resolve their problems, deal with relationships, deal with enemies etc. Being an indie/ self-published author I also control what happens after I write the book, which is a bonus.8. Money- Writing a book is not going to make me millions (unless I'm very lucky and I up my game. Still, if you want to buy my book, the royalties will buy me a Starbucks which I can use to fuel further books, so it's all good!). However, it's nice to see a little money coming in for my efforts- this makes us feel validated as authors, like any self-employed person or small business. Every little helps and Rome wasn't built in a day.9. Personal development - I write in my journal every day to see what progress I have made toward becoming a successful author. Each day I note down what I have done to better my career or my work and I reflect on that with a friend who decides if it's enough. If on days when I feel low and less motivated I turn to some of those pages, the progress proves it's worth the stress and hard work. I note my positive feedback, nice reviews and increase in followers so I can watch myself grow on the page.10. Connecting - Joining Facebook and Goodreads groups and communicating with others as an author is beneficial for me and for them. We can exchange tips, technique, review one another's work (honestly!) and gain some interest and sales, maybe. We can up our following and keep in touch with our new favourite authors and what they are writing next. It's a great way to get the work out and receive recommendations.So that's it everyone, a real, honest answer to an awful question. Why do you write?E. Rachael HardcastleCheck out my new book here! - Also available in US and other territories.

Kindle Edition Covers Go Live!

Introducing the brand new Kindle book covers for my Finding Pandora books and Aeon Infinitum: Run For Your Life. With the exception of book one of the Pandora series, the paperback covers will remain the same for all. Something a bit more fun and creative for my readers to enjoy. Please let me know what you think.

Kindle Edition Covers Go Live!

Introducing the brand new Kindle book covers for my Finding Pandora books and Aeon Infinitum: Run For Your Life. With the exception of book one of the Pandora series, the paperback covers will remain the same for all. Something a bit more fun and creative for my readers to enjoy.Please let me know what you think.

Writing Soundtracks

Here are just a pinch of my favourite writing songs. Enjoy!Pleaseto download my playlist.E. Rachael Hardcastle

Character Reference List

If you're just starting out as a writer, it can often be difficult to put a thorough bio together for your protagonist.As the author you should know them as you know yourself (in my opinion) and so to help you with the basics, I've listed all the details* I consider when writing those first important pages of any outline or plan.*Note, I have missed crime off the list. This is optional anyway depending on genre and relevance.I hope you find this useful. Thanks for stopping by and happy writing.E. Rachael Hardcastle

Finding Pandora Insider's Info #4: Mousique

When we first meet Arriette Monroe, she's home alone in her comfortable cottage in the village of Mousique where the harvest is due. She lives next door to a friend and is well within her comfort zone.Mousique needed to be Arriette's initial place of safety. It's the very start of her hero's journey and she must leave this sanctuary in search of her future (and Pandora's Box) for the story to take off which happens almost immediately, so we don't see much of Mousique.Arriette sees the village as a bright, joyful place where the sound of work, children's laughter and the heat of a summer sun is enough to keep her company. Though plagued by bad memories and an unfortunate incident, Arriette seems pleased with her life here.Others see the village in a different light. They see it is surrounded by a dark forest, where evil lurks and crime is high. Mousique is 90% human, so they live a basic, calm and quiet life in the village. But just beyond those trees lies an adventure Arriette won't be able to return from, so I wanted Mousique to be a great loss for Arriette at the start of the book even though it's still technically her home throughout the first four books in the series.This is how I imagine Arriette sees Mousique at the beginning of the book, and interestingly it is named as such because of the harvest songs the locals sing as they work the fields, making the village musical and pleasent. The word Mousique means 'music' in Haeyloian.If you'd like to visit Mousique for yourself please dive into the novel for just 99p/c today on your Amazon Kindle. You can click here for a link.E. Rachael Hardcastle

Finding Pandora Insider's Info #3: Haeylo City

Haeylo City was a complicated place to write, even though there's little of the city described in book one. In my imagination the city was very structured and split into several sectors. At the centre of these sectors would be the Everlast's specified office area where they live and work, a lot like the rich separated from the poor.From the book:'The city was a foul-smelling, run-down place this close to the gate. Surrounding them were piles of horse manure and Baby A had to hold her breath. As they moved further into the city through the residential areas, Casper noticed the changes in status. From thatched cottages and shacks to stone builds with little gardens. All entwined on dust tracks until they reached the Everlast sector; the place that made the money instead of spending it on taxes.'I wanted the city to be a place where most Supes and humans aspire to one day end up living, but once they arrive there it's actually filled with crime, danger and politics. It's an expensive place to buy a home with high taxes and is dirty and over-populated. Unless you're in power (an Everlast or a Supe working for one) then you'd be poor here.The above image was the closest I could find to replicate the 'posh' parts of the city, where life is comfortable and clean. I imagined the rest to be small thatched homes cramped together with no sewage facilities or flowing water, all joined together by dirt roads where police patrol too often and money is sparse.Minus the baloon and the low moon in this image, this is also similar to how I imagined the city with close buildings all alike, intermingled with trees and lit by candlelight. This would represent the poorer parts of the city with the infirmary looming higher than the other buildings in the background (where most of the city's chapters take place).Charles Melovich and his daughter Rihaana are good examples of city Supes who are too used to living lavish lifestyles where people work for and around them, not above them. I wanted the city to represent both what is right and wrong with this world. On the plus side, there is a sense of government and leadership here and there is work in the city, though it may not pay well. However, it's the centre of chaos and the target of evil's torture later in the series because it's so crammed with influential people. It's a hub for underground crime, plague and disease, slavery and more of the area is derelict.The city is definitely a place on Haeylo I'd want to avoid, but unfortunately for Arriette it seems her involvement with their politics is only just beginning.Keep checking back for more Insider's Info and if you'd like to visit Haeylo City yourself, get lost in the book for less than £1/$1 today on Amazon Kindle.Please click here to choose your country and find your link.E. Rachael Hardcastle

Finding Pandora - Insider's Info #2: Manaia Forest's Waterfall

Finding Pandora Book One's second location of interest is the waterfall in Manaia Forest, where Arriette Monroe gives in to the Recruit for the first time. These chapters are significant, because they show us how peaceful Haeylo can be and should be, away from the politics and the 'evil' that plagues the human race.This is the first occasion in which Arriette allows herself to be cared for by the Recruit and the first time she lets go enough to trust them. Here she realises her love for Tobias. She makes friends. She hears some harsh news.Being surrounded by the beautiful turquoise water, the gentle gushing of the falls and the natural, rocky surrounds somehow settles her nerves and clears her thoughts. She begins to think logically, taking the mindset of a leader and listening to the hardships of others rather than explaining her own troubles.As the writer, if I'd have had these scenes take place elsewhere, the impact and effect would be much different.Arriette is, though it pains me to say, very selfish at first. She believes the world is out to get her, that bad luck surrounds her day and night and that she is better off alone. She finds it difficult to trust and love. Here at the waterfall she learns how to avoid judging people from their labels and appearances before she gets chance to know them. In my mind, this is when Arriette abandons her past and decides she wants a future filled with magic, mystery and mayhem.When we first see Arriette at the falls she is in pain, self-conscious and anxious to get home. The setting convinces Arriette to take a plunge and have some fun. She is lured by the sound of laughter and the smiling faces of her soon-to-be friends.I think if I could live anywhere on Haeylo, I'd be building myself a cabin by these falls.I hope you enjoyed this second piece of insider's info from my new mini-series.If you would like to see this place for yourself and be a part of Arriette's world, please purchase a Kindle copy of Finding Pandora Book One by clicking this link.E. Rachael Hardcastle