Grayson Bell's Blog, page 7

Interview by All Author

Recently All Author interviewed me about my writing and novels. Check it out!

Grayson’s hometown is Chicago. He writes something every week, whether it’s adding to a novel he is working on, writing a blog post, or contributing an article to an online news site. Grayson cooks several times each week, and he enjoys the creative process of handcrafting a good meal. When he sits down to start a new novel, he remains focused and tries to write at least 2,000 words each day until it’s complete....

Pre-Order Mark My Soul

My new novel, Mark My Soul, is now available for pre-order on Amazon for only US$0.99!

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Scott was born in a world where everyone bears a soulmark on their left hand. However, he was never interested in finding his soulmate. As is expected in his society, he attends soulmate parties, but only to hook up with pretty, young women for brief flings. One night Scott finally encounters his soulmate. When he takes one look at Ross, he flees in a panic.

Ross is ready to settle down, and begins freq...

I’m a Terrible Blogger

I’ll admit, I’m terrible at blogging these days. However, I feel like I have a some good excuses for not posting anything for nearly five months. This post is my way to apologize for the long delay and also give an update on what’s been happening in my life as explanation.

Firstly, I’ve been working hard on my next novel, Mark My Soul. It’s now complete and I will be making an official announcement within the next couple of days. I had hoped to publish it back in March or April, but life had...

Twitter Tips and Tricks for Writers

I know that different people excel with different social media platforms. However, if you’re a writer and have wanted to take advantage of Twitter for marketing your work, I thought I would share some of my personal tricks on how I continue to increase my following and engagement on the platform.

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Engagement

The key to Twitter success is in engagement. If you want others to follow and interact with you on Twitter, you need to go out there and interact with them, especially when you’re new and...

Sneak Peek

I have been diligently editing my next novel, Mark My Soul and I wanted to give my readers a sneak peek at the initial concept sketch for the cover art, as well as an excerpt from the novel. This excerpt may change as I continue to make edits, but it should give you a taste of what’s to come. Enjoy!

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Ross’ hand cradled the back of Scott’s head as he closed the distance between them, capturing Scott’s mouth. Ross’ rough stubble contrasted with the soft plush of his lips and the warm slide o...

Reflecting on 2018

This past year has been an interesting one. I set out in January to write and published my first novel. I achieved that goal this past September when I published Coffee-to-Go on Amazon. It may not be the next “Great American Novel,” but I am very proud of the story I wrote. I am also excited by the fact I managed to complete the first draft of my next novel, Mark my Soul.

I knew going in that my first novel was unlikely to be a best seller, but the fact I’ve sold over 100 copies in the span o...

Self-Publishing: What I’ve Learned

I self-published my first novel, Coffee-to-Go, a month ago and I thought I’d share some of my experiences with the process of self-publishing, what I felt worked well, and what I could do better next time around.

My Pre-Publish Process

Obviously, before I could publish, I had to have a completed and well-edited manuscript. Other things I knew I had to consider and complete on my own were: building my author platform, designing a cover, completing a copyright page, writing my bio, blurb, and a...

Tips for a Successful NaNoWriMo

You’ve signed up for NaNoWriMo. You have your plot outlined and your character and worldbuilding planned. You feel completely ready and prepared for NaNoWriMo and are raring to complete the first rough draft of your novel. Many people who participate in NaNoWriMo think they are prepared, yet many never complete it. In fact, only an average of 15.6% of NaNoWriMo participants from 2006-2015 ever completed the challenge and surpassed 50,000 words written for the month.

Understandably, life can o...

How I Got into Writing

Near the end of 2014, I downloaded a free copy of a video game called Dragon Age: Origins. It was part of a promotional giveaway by Electronic Arts in order to promote the newest installment of the Dragon Age series that was launching during the holidays that year.

Needless to say, I became hooked. The rich character-driven story-lines and the myriad of player options drew me in. Yet, despite the various choices, and their subsequent consequences, in the game, I yearned for more. So, I began...

Planning My Next Novel

Now that Coffee-to-Go is published, my thoughts turn to my next project. I already have a premise for my next novel, which will be very different in tone and theme from Coffee-to-Go.

The working title for my next novel is currently Soul Surprise. The story will be based in a world where everyone is born with a soulmark on the back of their left hand. One other person is born with the same, matching mark. If the two meet and touch, usually through an embrace, a profound bond is formed between...