Devorah Fox's Blog, page 35

The one question

Susan Helene Gottfried has an interesting approach to the author interview. It’s her famous “One Question” interview and that question is “What song makes you think of your book?”
[image error] It was easy answering this question because while writing The King’s Redress my playlist was basically one song.

Can’t guess what that was? Check out Susan’s blog to find out the name of the tune. You may want to give it a listen while you’re reading.

All Authors Blog Blitz

I’m delighted to host this guest post from writer Jennifer Priester.
Jennifer and I are participating in the All Authors Blog Blitz.

Jennifer answers a question that I’ve been asked many times: What Makes Being an Author Worth It?

Jennifer says:

Before becoming a published author, I thought what made being one worth it would be getting to do something I love for a living.  However as much as I love to write, I didn’t expect any of it to be as hard as what I have experienced.  My books are still very unknown, and finding readers is a struggle.  I hardly make any money off my books, especially since I didn’t give my book much of a markup as I wanted it to be affordable for the kids who might buy it.  I am currently marketing my book mostly through local events, and, at most of them I usually sell anywhere from 0-7 books.  I have been at a lot more slow events than busy ones though I often sell better at the slow ones. Even once I sell books and people return saying how much they like them, I rarely get reviews online, and though I have sold many print copies in the last couple years, I have very few print book sales online and haven’t sold more than five eBooks.  And I haven’t had any luck with any online advertising or even recent giveaways.  I had one giveaway where no one entered and a Goodreads giveaway of ten books resulted in zero reviews.  I also did a Kindle countdown deal with no success.  When you consider these factors it almost seems as if being an author isn’t worth it, but then again these are only the negative points.

There are also some positives, such as after reading my books most kids, and even many adults (parents, teachers and librarians) tell me that they really like them.  They even got approved by some special needs teachers and librarians who believed they were perfect for their students.  The first two books in my Series are made up of six short interconnecting stories, so while a fuller story is being told, each can also be read as a standalone story if desired and can even be read out of order.  Many of the students were also highly interested in animals and magic which are the main subjects in my Mortal Realm Witch Series.  But does just knowing people are enjoying my books make being an author worth it to me?  I wasn’t sure until this happened…

One day I received a message from a parent who won my first book at one of the events I attended.  She said her son really loved it and wanted the second.  I was used to hearing this but what I didn’t expect to hear was that her son had been a reluctant reader.  Now I ask you guys, if turning a nonreader into a reader doesn’t make being an author worth it, what does?  As a former nonreader myself, I can tell you that I know that just one book can change everything and making a difference, no matter how small, is definitely what makes being an author worth it to me.

Like Jennifer, I’ve had the thrilling experience of learning that I had turned nonreaders into readers. Find the story about Jennifer’s transition from nonreader to author here: http://animalsandmagic.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/from-nonreader-to-author-or-what-gets-people-interested-in-books/.  To learn more about Jennifer, her published books and what she is currently working on, check out the following links:

Blog: http://animalsandmagic.wordpress.com
Author Website: http://www.jenniferpriester.com
Mortal Realm Witch Series Website: http://www.mortalrealmwitch.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jennifer-Priester/347205725374070
Twitter: https://twitter.com/animalsandmagic
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AMMoonlight/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jenniferpriester

Jennifer also has a Goodreads group called Character Chat: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/113088-character-chat

Character Chat ‘s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/funwithcharacters

And  she’s also a publisher so her company, A & M  Moonlight Creations has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AMMoonlightCreations

The A & M Moonlight Creations website: http://www.ammoonlightcreations.com (coming soon)

She’s also on Google +.  Jennifer says, “If you choose to follow me here make sure you are following the right page as I had to create a second one after forgetting both parts of my login information.  I have been planning on shutting the first account down as soon as I can. The page you want to follow shows a profile pic with just myself in it. The one with myself and the horse is my OLD account.”

Stars in my eyes, again

The ink is barely dry on The King’s Redress and already it’s getting great reviews

Meet the Author

I’m delighted to be a stop on author David Litwack’s blog tour for his novel, Along the Watchtower.
Today, David is stopping by to tell us  The Greatest Thing I Learned in School

In the seventh grade, I began a six year college preparatory school, the elite school in the city and accessible only via an entrance exam. Ninety-nine percent of its graduates went on to college, many to Ivy League schools. But only one in three graduated.

I felt pretty confident. I had a good education to date and all the skills to succeed. But I had never read for pleasure.

The kids in this school were very competitive—what we used to call “grade grubbers”—even at such a young age. On the first day of English class, our teacher,Dr. McNamara, hit us with a stern warning. We were all failing and would get an ‘F.’ No studying would help, no exam would change it. There was only one way we could improve our grade.

Dr. McNamara was a bear of a man, with a big round face, jowls and the almost expected wire-rimmed bifocals. He glared at us through them and drew us all to the edge of our seat.

“For each book you read,” he said, “I will raise you one grade. If you read five books in the term, you will get an ‘A.’”

Our marking term was one month long. I suspect none of us read that much in six months. But then, like a magic salve to the wound, he handed out “the list.” The list consisted of about three hundred wonderful books, and not the stodgy classics, all of them books to delight the young.

That year I read the complete works of Sherlock Holmes and wanted to be a detective. I read The Saga of Andy Burnett and dreamed of running off to become a mountain man. I read The Lord of the Rings and pictured myself as the ranger, Strider, and someday, if I was worthy, king of the men of Numenor.

I was twelve years old.

Of course I never become any of these, but I’d been given the lifelong gift of reading and have never stopped.

The most important thing I learned? Through books, I could experience other worlds, be in the minds of other people. And though fiction may never translate directly to reality, I learned something even more important—the power of possibility.

Thanks, David. I couldn’t agree more.

You can find David’s book in print and ebook formats at:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository  |  iBooks  |  Kobo

There is a giveaway for this tour. Enter to win a $100 Amazon/B&N Giftcard or a Book Depository shopping spree of the same value, plus two print copies of Along the Watchtower will be given away. The giveaway is open internationally and ends 7/7. To enter the giveaway just follow the link.

Find out more about David Litwack, author of There Comes a Prophet, Along the Watchtower, and The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky, at www.davidlitwack.com, and follow the rest of the tour.

The King’s Redress

Drum roll please … Faithful Dee-Scoveries readers and fans of King Bewilliam, the print edition of “The King’s Redress,” Book 3 in “The Bewildering Adventures of King Bewilliam,” is now available.
I will have copies on hand for all the launch activities but if you can’t wait or can’t make any of the events, it’s available in the createspace eStore and on amazon.com. Coming soon:

Amazon Europe: 3-5 Business Days
Expanded Distribution channels: 6-8 Weeks
Kindle edition
Espresso Book Machine.

Along the Watchtower

I’m delighted to be a stop on author David Litwack’s blog tour for his novel, Along the Watchtower.
I was prepared to like this book when I first spotted the Bob Dylan lyric on the flyleaf. I’ve always found the images in Dylan’s “Along the Watchtower” to be evocative and was curious to see where David Litwack took that inspiration.

I was captivated, and not just because “Along the Watchtower” deals with themes similar to the ones King Bewilliam struggles with in the high fantasy series that I’ve been writing. Litwack’s Lieutenant Freddie Williams made a believable hero, pitiable but not pitiful. I rooted for him as he battled his demons. He made real the horrors of war as well as the ones faced by the ones who survive it.

The lieutenant’s daily challenges to recover from his wounds interwoven with the fantasy world of his dreams and the video games he enjoys kept the story moving. I found it quite un-put-downable. The writing was economical and effective. The settings, both of Lt. William’s “real” world and those of his fantasies, were vividly described; his emotional, mental and physical struggles were engaging and moving.

I thought this to be an entertaining and enjoyable read that was also touching, even politicizing, leaving me to wonder why we keep sending people off to war. Maybe this vivid and heartfelt story will serve as the last reminder we’ll ever need of war’s terrible cost.

You can find David’s book in print and ebook formats at:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository  |  iBooks  |  Kobo

There is a giveaway for this tour. Enter to win a $100 Amazon/B&N Giftcard or a Book Depository shopping spree of the same value, plus two print copies of Along the Watchtower will be given away. The giveaway is open internationally and ends 7/7. To enter the giveaway just follow the link.

And come back tomorrow to meet the author himself. Then follow the rest of the tour for more interviews, reviews and guest posts.

Eat Texas

OK, you couldn’t actually eat Texas. It’s a very big state. Maybe if you took a nibble here, a nibble there, you could sample all the unique flavors that the Lone State state has to offer.
You can do that at Nibblers, Helen Short’s new store in the Shops at Port A. Nibblers just opened on May 31, 2014 offering snacks, jams, jellies, pickles, nuts, rubs and sauces made in Texas. Ninety percent of what you’ll find at Nibblers is made in Texas and as much of it is grown or prepared close to home. Some items such as the pickles are made locally especially for Nibblers.

And yes, sampling is permitted, even encouraged. Helen will always have samples out for you to taste, especially on weekends.

Need truly special treats for a party or dinner guests, or maybe something to take fishing or to beach, but you’re not sure what? Maybe you’ve got company and they’re looking for unique souvenirs of their visit to South Texas. Just come on in, browse, have a nibble. Helen’s goal is to have unique items for sale. She deliberately doesn’t want to compete with anything else available in Port Aransas.

Helen is new to Port Aransas, having moved from Branch, Texas just a couple of years ago. Her husband, David, transferred here for work. Helen and the family followed. Helen worked for a while at American Bank but from where she stood, she could see the growth that was coming to the city and wanted to be part of it. Although she had never run a store like Nibblers before, she saw a need that she could meet and decided that now was the time to make her move. Her plan was to be up and running and in full swing by summer.

She and her family love their new home. “The school is awesome,” she says. In addition to her husband’s job change, the Port Aransas schools were a big reason that the family decided to relocate. “I have been so accepted by the community,” she adds. “It couldn’t have been a more perfect move.”

Helen works closely with her vendors and they’re kicking around the idea of having Nibblers host events like cooking demonstrations in the future.

For more information contact Helen at 361-749-2236. Send an email to nibblersllc@outlook.com or just stop by Suite H at 1023 State Highway 361 in Port Aransas from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Mondays. I’ll see you there.–http://devorahfox.com

Tag, I’m it

I’ve been tagged by Rita Carla Francesca Monticelli.
Rita answered four interview questions and challenged me to answer them next, so here goes:

What am I working on?

I’m ramping up for the release of The King’s Redress. It’s Book Three in the high fantasy series, The Bewildering Adventures of King Bewilliam. The official launch date is July 4, 2014. I’ll be signing books hot off the press at the Port Aransas Art Center during the First Friday reception. That will also be Independence Day and I’ll be pretending that all those fireworks are celebrating my newest book. Then it’s back to work on Dead Line, a contemporary thriller slated for a Winter 2014 release.

How does my work differ from others in my genre?

The King Bewilliam series takes place in an imaginary time and place, has some mythical creatures and suggestions of magic, but it’s not a typical fantasy. There’s dragon-slaying and sword-swinging, but my readers tell me that the characters could be from the modern world. I confess, I planned it that way. The books in The Bewildering Adventures of King Bewilliam series have a once-upon-a-time quality but they address contemporary issues like post-traumatic stress disorder, divorce, career displacement, parent/child relationships, and the conflict between duty and personal ambition.

Why do I write what I do?

I like reading about “ordinary” people who meet extraordinary challenges and rise to the occasion. In the process, they learn something about life, about themselves, and the experience is empowering. That’s also what I like to write. True, Robin, the hero of the King Bewilliam series, isn’t ordinary, he’s a monarch. However, he’s no superhero, he doesn’t have magical or supernatural abilities. He’s a mere mortal who has only his personal talents and intellect on which to rely. For much of the series Robin doesn’t even command royal powers or wealth and even when he finally does, they are of no help in solving the problems that he faces.

Similarly, in Naked Came the Sharks, the contemporary thriller that I co-authored with Jed Donellie, the heroine Holly Berry has no superpowers, wealth, or influence. She’s an “ordinary” young woman trying to advance her career. What she does have is a strong sense of what’s right, she’s tenacious about uncovering the truth, and that proves to be her strength.

How does my writing process work?

It starts with “what if …?” I’ll see a TV commercial, hear a news story, witness an interaction in the supermarket, and I find myself thinking, “what if what happens next is something like this …?” Before I know it, I’ve got an idea for a novel. So many stories, so little time.

The King Bewilliam series was inspired by the very real dilemma of a friend whose personal and professional life completely cratered. I wanted to see if I could take the same situation and make it end happily-ever-after. This is proving to be harder than I imagined it would be, thus there are now three books in the series and I’m not sure that there won’t be more. The king’s life is indeed a bewildering adventure; he thinks he knows where he’s going, that he’s prepared for the opposition he’s likely to meet, but then he has to confront something totally out of the blue and he has to dig deep inside himself to persevere. It’s an experience many of us share which is why the stories resonate with a broad range of readers. They empathize with Robin’s struggles and are encouraged by his victories.

Im general, I usually start a project with a dilemma and an idea of the character who’s presented with it. Most of my novels have been written in marathon mode. I participate in National Novel Writing Month and am challenged to write 50,000 words in 30 days. While I do some planning and outlining, once the marathon starts I’m writing as much as I can, as fast as I can. By the end of the marathon, I have what I like to think of as a robust outline. I spend the next couple of months fleshing it out, then tightening and polishing.

So, these are my answers. Now it’s time to tag the other authors who will continue this blog hop on their blogs. Here they are.

Michael Stephen Daigle

A writer for most of his life, Mike was a print journalist for many years, starting at weekly newspapers in Massachusetts and Maine, and then dailies, in Maine and New Jersey. He’s now an online journalist and an active freelance writer, handling assignments for news organizations and business groups. He also published The Resurrection of Leo, a collection of short stories, and just completed a novel, The Swamps of Jersey, which has been accepted for publication by Imzadi Publishing LLC. Find his blog at  http://www.michaelstephendaigle.com/or contact him at michaelstephendaigle@hotmail.com.

Jerry Dugan

It took bullets whizzing by Jerry Dugan during Operation Iraqi Freedom to realize that life is too short for us to saunter through without a purpose. Through his blog, The Real Jerry Dugan, he writes about his experiences to live an intentional life as a husband and father while separating genuine manhood from the social caricature of manhood. Jerry Dugan was a 2013 TEDxCorpusChristi speaker on the topic of “Redefining Strength in Manhood”. His first eBook, Use Your Smartphone to Lose Weight, is more about helping readers discover their “Why?” in life and planning out what one wants to accomplish into a workable action plan.  You can connect with Jerry on his blog at  http://TheRealJerryDugan.com, or find him on Twitter, Facebook, and Amazon.com.

More on THE END…

Recently I was invited to guest post on Cinta Garcia de la Rosa’s blog. Apparently my musings about how hard it is for writers to END a story were considered worthy enough to appear also on the WRITER.ly Web site.

Oddly enough, though, with The King’s Redress (coming Summer 2014) I started with the ending and then had to figure out how I got there.

The betas have spoken

The betas have spoken and it’s all systems go for The King’s Redress, Book Three of the literary fantasy series, The Bewildering Adventures of King Bewilliam.
Thanks to my beta readers for taking the time to look at the manuscript. You’ve given me the confidence to forge ahead.

I was worried about this one. As was the case with The Lost King and The King’s Ransom, this book didn’t turn out to be the book that I set out to write. At a certain point, though, the characters and story take on a life of their own. My job as a writer is to go where that leads.

Now it’s on to layout and formatting, getting the book ready to be published in print and in various e-book formats like Kindle and Nook—each has different requirements—as well as promotion and publicity materials.

I’m targeting a Summer 2014. Meanwhile, here’s a sneak peek at the cover.