Jennifer Allis Provost's Blog, page 23
September 1, 2011
Pi-Con Recap, And A Giveaway, And... Robin McKinley!
First and foremost, I tweeted Robin McKinley and she replied!!!! Anyone who knows me knows that I worship the very ground she hurtles upon. Which she does, with hellhounds. I may print out the tweet and frame it, then hang it right next to the autograph from Wendy Pini.
Fangirl blubbering aside, on to other matters....
In a word, Pi-Con was awesome.
In more words, it was tons of geeky fun. Attendance was lower than anticipated, what with Hurricane Irene bearing down upon us, but we didn't let an impending natural disaster get in the way of our fun. There were many, many parties, which resulted in there being more cupcakes than humans. Well, that's never a problem.
Also, I got to hang out with Dr. Pamela Gay, the science Guest of Honor. She's an astronomer for NASA, and thouroughly awesome. Between her and Guest of Awesome Trisha Wooldridge, I think my own coolness factor eked up a notch or two.
One of those aforementioned parties was the Broad Universe hullabaloo, which also served as the
Heir to the Sun launch party. It was also a direct contributor to the plethora of baked goods – check out the picture at the bottom of this post. (Update - it won't load. When I figure out why, I'll add it.)
If you couldn't make Pi-Con, and therefore be a part of the Heir to the Sun launch, don't fret. Trek on over to Goodreads and sign up for the giveaway. It's running September 1 through October 15, and I'll even sign the winner's books. Good luck!
August 23, 2011
Things to do before Pi-Con
I will be participating in the Broad Universe reading Saturday at 3pm, and co-hosting a Broad Universe/Heir to the Sun release party Saturday along with this year's Guest of Awesome, Trisha Wooldridge. (Yeah, that's right. I name-dropped.)
Anyway, this means there's lots to do, lots to assemble, lots to arrange. As always, I've made LISTS in a (rather futile) attempt to save my sanity.
Things to do:
1. Determine time to pick up goodies for release party. (In this case, a tower of cupcakes decorated like suns)
2. Consider beverages. Coffee? Most likely.
3. Office supply run. (Those who know me well know that I like office supplies almost as much as I like lists) Needed: Pens, Command adhesive, printer paper, drawing paper, and one of those cool mechanical drawing pencils. Okay, that last item isn't needed, but I really want one.
4. Pack truck with books, posters, flers, bookmarks, jewelry.
5. JEWELRY! Need to price jewelry!
Yes, I make jewelry in addition to writing about faeries, orcs and elves. Zombies, too. I'm going to be selling some this weekend right near the book table.
Okay, so I need to price the jewelry....make a shopping list...hit up Staples...decide which passage from Heir to the Sun I'll read...
Oy.
So, while you make your lists for Pi-Con (You're coming, right? Did I mention the cupcakes?) I'll be packing, unpacking, and repacking. In the meantime, go here for an excerpt from my latest release, Heir to the Sun.
August 16, 2011
Heir to the Sun is now available!
Heir to the Sun takes place one thousand years before the events of Rise of the Deva'shi, and tells the story of Asherah and Caol'nir. Those familiar with Rise of the Deva'shi will recall Asherah as Queen of Parthalan, and sharp-eyed readers will recognize Caol'nir's name. Within these pages we learn how Asherah journeyed from slave to queen, and observe the extraordinary measures taken by Caol'nir to safeguard the woman he loves.
Check it out on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heir-Sun-Jennifer-Allis-Provost/dp/1617204129/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313464521&sr=1-1
Below is the prologue, which deals with two faerie gods, Olluhm and Cydia, the sun and the moon.
From the beginning, there was the sky god, Olluhm, who ruled the land during the daylight hours and Cydia, goddess of the moon, who held sway over the night. Olluhm heard many tales of Cydia's beauty, and while he desired to look upon her, they were forever separate, for the sun may never share the sky with the moon.
Once, during the moon's dark time, Cydia grew bored in her celestial palace and desired to walk upon the land. She took the form of a doe and frolicked across the rolling hills and meadows of what would someday be Parthalan. Toward the end of the night she became weary and curled up in the soft grass to rest; the goddess slept overmuch and did not return to her home before sunrise. As the sun rose, Olluhm beheld Cydia for the first time, and as she was bathed in his golden light she reverted to her true form. Her beauty overcame Olluhm, so much so that he left his journey across the sky incomplete as he took the form of a stag and sought to know her.
Cydia did return to her dance in the sky, and all the land watched her swell with Olluhm's child. During the next dark time, she birthed a son they called Solon, who grew to follow his father's fiery path from dawn to dusk. The birth of their son did not slake the lovers' thirst for one another. Such was their passion that each joining resulted in a child, each with the long limbed, ethereal beauty of the parents and the pointed ears and large eyes of a deer. In time, there were enough of the gods' children to form a separate people. Olluhm named them the fair folk for their beauty, and in time, they were called the fae. Cydia gifted her children with the land where she and Olluhm had roamed as doe and stag and called it Parthalan. Olluhm crafted the fae's first home, Teg'urnan, as a replica of Cydia's home in the sky. The sun god placed it upon the verdant meadow where he first lay with Cydia as a symbol of their eternal love.
August 8, 2011
Weekend wrap up, Rowayton edition. Oh, and cover art.
I had quite the adventure Saturday, what with traveling all the way to Rowayton for a friend's shower. I only got the teensiest bit lost, not lost lost just a bit off course. I also drove over the Yankee Doodle bridge, hands-down winner of the coveted Cutest Bridge Name award. The trophy is shaped like macaroni.
The shower was lovely, being that it featured great food, copious amounts of mimosas, and an excellent guest list. I gifted the bride a bag of nonsense, and (luckily) she got all the jokes. Whew!
Being on the Conneticut shoreline also rekindled my desire to live near water. I know, not wise what with floods and tsunamis and the pending armageddon. But really, life near the beach just seems so...nice. Relaxing. At least, in my fantasy that's how it is.
In bookish news, edits have been completed and returned to the publisher for Heir to the Sun. What's that, you'd like a look at the cover art? Ask and you shall receive.
July 20, 2011
Review of Tracking Shadows by Regan Black
Tracking Shadows starts off like a smack in the face - a woman's gone splat on the sidewalk, a personal attack against a big time Chicago gangster. Add in a deadly assassin who creates illusions at will, and a setting in futuristic Chicago that's reminiscent of Prohibition, and the words fly off the page.
Interestingly, the contraband the smuggler, Slick Micky, deals with are the common vices we take for granted: sugar, caffeine, cigarettes. He runs them through a stable of girls (his mules), but he's not the cold-hearted gangster one would expect. He takes good care of his girls; well, until one gets pushed out of a window.
Trina is the deadly assassin, hell-bent on catching Micky for reasons of her own: he killed her childhood sweetheart. Trina manages to track one of Micy's mules and gets an invite back to their lair, and that's when things really get interesting.
Tracking Shadows is a great read. The action zips by at an incredibly fast pace, and the characters have believable reactions. I have to admit I was a bit lost in the first chapter, but I blame that on my not having read any of the author's other works set in the same world. Bottom line: 2096 Chicago is no place I want to be, but Tracking Shadows is an helluva ride.
Regan Black writes action packed paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels so readers can savor a fantastic escape from the daily grind. Experience a Regan Black adventure at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords.
Contact Points
Website: ReganBlack.com,
twitter @ReganBlack and
Facebook.
July 18, 2011
What a weekend...
It all started Friday when we discovered that our not-very-old washing machine has shuffled off this mortal coil. This is so very, very inconvenient, mainly because I have two small children (the oft-mentioned Wonder Twins) who don't really understand the concept of cleanliness. I was going to schlep to the laundromat, but I didn't have any quarters (I know, change machines abound in urban places) and the dryer is fully functional so I thought:
Let's wash laundry by hand!
Yeah. Lessons learned:
1. Wet clothes are heave.
2. Wet towels, heavier.
3. Dishpan hands ain't got nothin' on laundry hands.
4. For all the griping, the hand washed items came out beautifully clean. And well they should, for all the effort I put into it.
We're buying a washer ASAP.
Saturday was spent at Readercon, which was awesome in so many ways. I hung out with my peeps at the Broad Universe table, sold some copies of Rise of the Deva'shi, and attended insightful and thought-provoking panels. Can't wait for next year!
Today (Sunday) my husband and I embarked on the Quest for the Cover. "Oh sure," I said to my publisher. "I can definitely do a cover for Heir to the Sun. It'll be awesome!"
Um.
Yes, I am the artist responsible for the cover of Rise of the Deva'shi. Yes, I can be creative. Yes, i know exactly how I want the cover to look. Pressure?
Nah. I thrive on it!
July 10, 2011
New Story On The Horizon!
This anthology deals with what really goes on at all those boring business conventions. Is the cruise industry a front for mermaid gangsters? Do vampiers lurk about Red Cross fetes? We may finally learn the truth of the matter. Check out UnCONventional here:
http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/UnCONventional.html
My story's called "All In", and takes place at the most mind-numbing of all events: an underwriting conference. Yes, I've been to these and yes, the booze is usually free. It's the only way to garner adequate attendance. Then we get a peek behind the curtain (literally, in this case), and find something akin to The Great and Terrible Oz. Except, scalier. And without eyes.
Oh, you'll just have to read it.
Here's the awesome cover art:
July 3, 2011
Forays Into Salsa Land - Or, Cilantro Looks a Lot Like Parsley
Yeah. So I was supposed to purchase a bunch of fresh parsley, and grabbed cilantro instead. My Pasta Genovese turned out just fine with the dried stuff, but now I had a clump of rotting vegetation in my fridge.
What to do, what to do? I couldn't just throw it away (my Polish grandmother would rise from the grave and smack me if I wasted food) and my parrot looked at me like I was cracked when I offered it to her. So, what does one do with cilantro.
Of course. Salsa!
I took a quick inventory of what other ingredients were scattered about the pantry. The ingredients, woefully, are as follows:
1 can diced tomatoes
3 green onions
1 teaspoon pre-minced garlic
1/4 jar capers
1/2 jar roasted red peppers
1 handful fresh cilantro
salt
pepper
The results were... interesting. In restospect, one probably does not need salt and capers, although I did enjoy the tang. The fresh cilantro really made it delicious, and overshadowed the pre-minced, jarred garlic. I know, I know, but I tend to lose the bulbs in the depths of the cupboard. My green onions were organic, which totally makes up for it.
Incidentally, I have a friend who insists that green onions and chives are one in the same. And you thought the capers were weird.
In the end, I used my cilantro, had a healthy, cheap snack that used up a bunch of leftovers, and I can add salsa chef to my resume.
Maybe I'll stick with writing.
June 29, 2011
Dollars and Sense - The Guidebook to Publishing, Social Media, and Everything
Well, not everything; I mean, you won't be able to repair a car or build a tower. But anything to do with publishing, from writing to formatting to OMG what do I do now that it's OUT THERE, is covered.
My overriding thought while reading this is: Where was this book when I self-published two years ago?
Oh, right. It didn't exist.
As a result of its non-existence, I was left to wander the vast publishing landscape on my own, making countless blunders along the way. That won't happen again, not thanks to this handy guidebook.
You see, not only do they tell you the obvious (but often overlooked) facts of publishing, such as the need for a beta reader and eye catching cover art, not to mention editing, but they tell you what to do after you publish your work. You know, after—that nebulous time when your work goes live and you're discovered by the masses and get to roll around in your money like the creepy producer in Boogie Nights.
The book is divided into three parts: Producing a Professional Product, Creating a Social Media Platform, and Selling Books.
The first section details the different kinds of editing, what they are and why you need both copy and content editing. What's frequently stressed is that self-publishers are judged more harshly than traditionally published authors, so we have to be as good or better. Also, the reader is frequently encouraged to strive for a product that is comparable to a mid-list or (gasp) bestselling author.
The following section discusses the various intricacies of social media; Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads and the like. Retweets are demystified, as are Facebook fan pages. Not only are we provided with explanations about how social media platforms work, we're given a strategy that will increase anyone's online presence.
The third section explains how to get sales. Instead of the authors in the days of yore, you are empowered to create your own sales and marketing plan. Did your plan not work? Change it, it's okay. This book will help you test out anything from your cover to your brand, all the while helping you tweak it to perfection.
After reading Dollars and Sense, I feel like I'm not a lone self-published author. I feel like these girls have my back, they're my peeps, and (to paraphrase the book) they're my tribe.
Some people do get stumbled upon and become best sellers. I've no idea who, but it must have happened at least once. Luckily, the rest of us have Dollars and Sense.
Amber Scott bio:
In between naptimes and dishes, Amber Scott escapes into her characters' addictive lives. She often burns dinner, is a sucker for chocolate and still believes in happily ever after. She makes her home in hot Arizona with her two children, husband, and one day, two cats.
Contact info:
amberscottbooks@gmail.com (for readers)
amberromances@yahoo.com (for main contact)
Twitter: @amberscottbooks
Weblog: http://amberscottbooks.com
Facebook: http:// HYPERLINK "http://www.facebook.com/AmberScottBooks" facebook.com/AmberScottBooks
Bio for Carolyn McCray
Carolyn is the Founder of the Indie Book Collective, a group dedicated to helping authors use social media to its fullest potential to sell their books.
The #IBC exploded within 4 months to have over 5,000 members and its work has already been covered in major, national publications.
She has been described as an eBook marketing guru (others' words not hers), a volcano of Amazon.com eBook knowledge (again, not her words), and the Borg Queen (ok, maybe she coined that one herself).
Each one of her novels have reached bestselling status on Amazon.com and her super controversial thriller, "30 Pieces of Silver" topped (as in #1) the Men's Adventure category, #3 in the War sub-genre, and #183 overall (out of about1 million books) in the Kindle Top Bestsellers.
Carolyn also has contributed to Digital Book World.com and has been covered by the Huffington Post (Books). Carolyn appeared on a panel with Jane Freidman at SXSW regarding the future of digital publishing and will appear on several panels at the NY Indie Book Event (7/2011).
RACHEL THOMPSON BIO
Rachel Thompson (aka RachelintheOC) is the author of the consistently 5/5 star reviewed humorous and at times, poignant, collection of essays, A Walk In The Snark (released 1/2011), which recently hit #3 on the Amazon Humor/Parenting & Families Kindle list (beating out the likes of Jenny McCarthy!), after just a few months of release and has consistently stayed on the Amazon Top Humor Lists.
In May, 2011 A Walk In The Snark hit #1 on Smashwords Entertainment Bestseller list also.
Rachel is also one of the cofounders of the Indie Book Collective, an organization with over 6,000 members which is dedicated to helping authors utilize social media to the fullest to sell their books. The Collective offers free workshops, a live advice radio show, innovative programs such as Blog Tour de Force & Bestseller for a Day, and so much more to its members.
You can find Rachel most days on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, giving daily tips on the IndieBookIBC Twitter stream, contributing posts to the IBC blog or her own popular blog, giving free social media workshops for writers, promoting her current book or working on her next book, The Mancode: A Survivor's Tale. She lives in the OC aka Orange County, CA (home of Disneyland). Somewhere in there this redhead in a sea of blondes fits in being a full-time wife and mom to her two young children and just one husband. She loves coffee, dirty martinis, and sleep.
Rachel and the IBC were recently profiled (April 13, 2011) in the Huffington Post Books section regarding social media and ePublishing.
Blurb for Dollars & Sense
"Dollars & Sense: The Definitive Guide to Self-publishing Success" is a step-by-step actionable road map to increasing royalties for beginners and seasoned professionals alike. Divided into three sections; Producing a Sales-Friendly, Professional eBook, Establishing & Leveraging Your Social Media Platform, and Selling Smarter, Not Harder, "Dollars & Sense" walks authors through the process of creating then actually selling their eBook.
About Bestseller For a Day:
"Making authors dreams come true one promotion at a time.
Each month, for one day, readers, friends, family and peers rally together to drive an ebook up the Amazon Kindle rankings with a goal to pierce the top 100. The aim of the program is to help indie authors get a foothold in the traditionally published dominated market. Authors coordinate with book review sponsors to show readers that the 99 cent promotional price is worth every penny.
As thanks, each author creates give aways for participants and drives traffic to participating review sites. Additionally, readers are offered Bonus Buy reads discounted to 99 cents for the event with that price offered to be rebated back by the participating authors when readers fill out the relevant form."
June 1, 2011
Blog Tour Wrap Up, Zombies, And a New Chronicle of Parthalan!
You know that zombie anthology I keep plugging? It's now out in paperback as well as ebook. My story is lucky # 13, Zomble Love Song. Pick it up, let me know what you think.
Last (but not least) I sold the third Chronicle of Parthalan, the Virgin Queen. It takes place after Heir to the Sun, and continues Asherah's story. It's also the introduction of Aeolmar, my favorite character. Teg'urnan is attacked by the mordeths Esguth and Mersgoth; Aeolmar kills Esguth, but Mersgoth escapes. Asherah and Aeolmar track him across Parthalan from the Eastern Border to the High Desert... And if you've read Rise of the Deva'shi, you have an idea how it turns out.
Soon, I hope I'll have some cover art to share. Until then, if you got some copuon codes from Blog Tour de Troops, drop us a line and let us know what you thought of the whole shebang. After all, it's all about you, the reader.
