Mimi Barbour's Blog: Believe!, page 52

Write the Darn Book! - Part #8

Part #8 Find a formatter to set your book up properly so that your work looks professional. Again, shop around.
 
I know I've been full of stories about my own experiences with Indie publishing, and, here I go again. I did find a woman to format my first self-published work, My Cheeky Angel. She was lovely and so very helpful. Unfortunately, she only formatted the book in order for me to be able to get a paperback edition on Create Space. She sent me the ahh!!! stuff… and I was supposed to actually set it up on the Create Space site. Uh huh! I had absolutely no idea what she did or what I was supposed to do to follow up.
Needless to say, when months later, I finally got through the obstacle course and hit the right button so that Create Space sent me the first draft, I hated it. The color of the pages, the way my name was situated, everything. But… since I had gone through this whole procedure for one person only – so my mother could have an actual book to hold… sigh!!! Yeah – I know… I decided not to get my panties in a knot. (btw -  I finally managed talk her into using a Kindle and nipped that problem then and there – no more paperbacks J)
So now, all I had to worry about was formatting each book to publish on Amazon… We won't even get into Smashwords. Talk about a nightmare!!!
I had help from local authors; bless them all, and a lot of advice from girls on the Indie loops. (Got through the mess still married and with most of my hair, kicked the drinking problem in no timeJ) But, I did tend to overlook places where things weren't exactly perfect. I mean after all, a lot of those first self-published books were no different than mine. Therefore I didn't let it bother me.
If some of the indents were messed, or I didn't have a Table of Contents—so what?? As long as a person could make out the words, I let it go. DUHH!! Can't believe now how naïve I was acting.
Then I began to work with a promoter and she quickly changed my mind about what mattered and what didn't. It was unacceptable to put out work that was substandard…period! She gave us the name of a wonderful professional who has slowly worked through most of my books to clean them up and soon he will have done them all. He sent me different formats such as a word doc, mobi for Amazon and an epub.
Part of his task was to set up proper front matter, with pictures of covers, etc. And the back matter put in such a way for the reader to be able to move around the book more easily. Also with links to find my other books and to contact me on Facebook, Twitter and even follow my blog. It's wonderful. Now when I download one of my newer books on my Kindle, I feel pride in the work.
Hiring a professional formatter can be costly, I know. But for me, it's been worth every penny. Again, like so many other expenses that you'll run up against as a self-published author, you need to get the best bang for your buck. Make sure you know exactly what that person will do for the money you're paying. Check out other e-books and see what's been done, and if you're lucky and smart enough that you can do it all yourself... great!  
 
 
 
 ******************
 
 
 

Write the Darn Book! - Part #7

 
  5. Find a good cover artist - again someone who's recommended. And get rid of the picture you have in your head about the exact way you want the cover. Most times it’s impossible to do, and if they try, which most artists will try, it’s not going to help sell your book. The best idea is to see what others in your genre have chosen for their cover, authors who are selling really well. Then show those to your cover artist and let him/her come up with ideas. Chances are they have a better vision than you do of what’s popular.
 
This is a really important step. Think about it! The very first time anyone finds your book it is the cover they see. That cover can make or break your sales. If you think I’m exaggerating, you can find many authors who either made their own covers to save money or found someone else really cheap. And then wondered why their sales were dismal. Do your homework and scroll through Amazon pages and see the books with plain, mediocre covers and what ranking they sit at.

Don’t think the readers can’t tell. They can!! Very seldom do you see a best-selling book with an unprofessional looking cover. They’re there, that’s true, but somehow those authors have managed to promote the book past the cover mattering. And unless you have such a huge following waiting to pounce on your masterpiece the minute it’s published, I wouldn’t take the chance. Not only must the cover be brilliant in the large size, it must show well in the thumbnail size that Amazon uses to put in its queues. Now the queues I’m talking about are where Amazon has a line of other book covers on your book page and it says “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought...” You want everyone to be able to see your cover as clearly as possible here so it will intrigue them enough for them to click on it.
 This will bring you sales, and that’s what it’s all about…right!!
 Again, my suggestion for you as a newbie that if you're looking for a good cover artist, ask on the Indie loops. Many will refer you to their sons, daughters, friends, etc. and if they're talented—great! But whomever they do refer, it's up to you to check them out. References are fine, but you need to do your homework. Ask to see the covers they've produced. Decide if they work in your genre and represent the type of work that pleases you. Don't waste their time or yours.
 There's so many to choose from that it is rather difficult. I've had that experience. But a cover is the first thing about your precious baby that the rest of us will see. It's very important that it makes an impression. It needs to grab attention, please the eye, and captivate a reader's interest.
 What's even more important—don't let your cover tell a lie. If your book has a light sprinkling of horror, don't try and sabotage the reader with a kick-ass cover that promises page after page of tingles. You won't like the reviews and the reader will most likely drop you. On my romantic suspense book "Roll the Dice", the first cover my guy came up with was cool!! Dark night and a dangerously sexy, meaning-looking chick holding a smoking gun, leaning against a wall and staring towards a police car in the background. Ohhhhh-kay! Sent it to my promoter and she asked me one question. Have you written this book in your regular humorous voice?
 Got it! She knew that cover was a lie. When I sent her note to Steven Novak, the genius who does the covers for my series, he picked up on her message straight away. Next cover he sent is the one on the left. You see—the truth is—I had given him the information for the cover that I saw in my own head. And he'd delivered. I had made the mistake, not him. I had thought a romantic suspense cover should be dark and dangerous. Except for one thing, I'd forgotten that I don't write dark.   Have you ever bought a book because the cover promised you a type of story you thought you’d enjoy? To make matters worse, the back blurb added to the deceit. Then you began reading… What a let-down. If you want to keep your fans, maybe it’s not such a good idea to mess with them!!?
 So my advice is to look at other books in the genre you write. If your voice is light and humorous, don't try and hide that fact…celebrate it. Many readers like lighter romances.
 Search the Amazon Best-sellers and find whatever you like. Then put them on one page and hunt for what it is on those particular covers that drew you…maybe a color scheme, or the way the page is set-up. If you're writing a series, try and find one kind of image that you might like to put on all the books to brand them. Maybe with just a small change for each one like the overall color or one type of font that can be used so reader will recognize the cover as being one of yours. Could be a sentence you've chosen. On my Angels with Attitudes series, each book has the line Angels Love Romance written in gray on the covers.
 As I mentioned above, choose the type of cover that not only tells the reader about what the story is about, but also, the style of writing he/she might find between the pages. And if you can’t think of something appropriate, hell – you can always fall back on a symbol. Like maybe a rose! 
  Once again I'm involved in the Yuletide

FREE PARTAY!!! His Devious Angel is Freefor Dec 12 & 13th     

Write the Darn Book! - Part #6

***********  4. Make sure you have at least one, preferably two, good editors – a line editor and a content and copy editor. You need to search for these people. Do not just accept that if you pay top dollar, you'll get a great edit because there's no guarantee you'll even get your money's worth. Searching out recommendations is the best way to do this (which is why you need to be affiliated with other Indie authors).
 
I learned this lesson the difficult way. On my first Indie book, not having a huge budget, I decided that I could edit the work myself, have a few friends read it over (other authors) and this would suffice. Needless to say, the reviews proved me wrong.
 
I also noticed when I read other Indie author's work, editing was a huge problem. Wanting to give them a review and be honest proved difficult. I had to write about the positive parts of the stories and ignore what I knew to be a considerable problem. Thankfully, a lot of those authors have come to the same conclusion as myself. In order to get good reviews, the work needs to be clean.
 
Also, since I had been used to working with an editor when published with Wild Rose Press, I knew how much stronger the story became after a professional viewed it and did their magic.
 
So I found a name of an editor on Google and contacted the person. After reading pages of recommendations she sent me (not from anyone I knew), I decided her price was fair and I'd send her my new masterpiece. It was my first full-length for the new romantic suspense series called "Roll the Dice". I had set up a lot of promotional advertising about the book's release for Sept 15th. Keeping that in mind, I organized everything to the extent that I had scheduled the editor for mid-August, thinking if the she took a few weeks, I'd have at the minimum a week to do the revisions.
 
To my utter consternation, I received the edits three days before the release date, and needless to say, a huge amount of revisions were demanded. To add to my horror, I found I most of it useless. An editor should not rewrite a book. They are to read your words and make suggestions to strengthen the sentences, correct bad grammar, and see that the work flows in the best possible way. They should never rewrite sentence after sentence, changing the meaning and adding in even more phrases. If they feel there's a weak area, they point it out and let the author choose her own words to make those corrections.
 
With so little time and determined to follow her changes, (after all we're told the editor is the professional who knows best) I found that she had taken license with my voice and had ruined the work. Instead of me taking advantage of her edits, I found myself editing her suggestions, which took me twice as long, and my time was quickly running out. I had no choice but to ignore her work and do my best so I could meet my obligations and publish the work. It was a horrible time, stressful and very traumatic. I swore to never let that happen again.
 
Needless to say, I contacted some of my Indie friends, told them my plight and got the names of some wonderful editors who would never treat my work so unprofessionally.
 
After releasing the mangled copy on time for the big day, I worked with two other editors who helped me repair the damage and then some time after, I republished the clean manuscript. I wrote to Amazon, explained the circumstances about the book not being properly edited and asked if they could send out fresh copies to the people who had received the book so far. They were wonderful and replaced Roll the Dice for everyone who wanted a fresh copy. I so appreciated this…but. You sensed the but, didn't you? I wished they would have used the wording I'd suggested – that the book was being replaced by a newly edited version.
Unfortunately, what they did say was due to the many spelling mistakes, incorrect punctuation, etc, etc. they were willing to send anyone sho wanted an updated copy. Sooooo embarrassing!!! I walked around with a heavy heart for weeks and swore… never again!
 
***Disclaimer***I have no doubt that there are still some older published books of mine with occasional spelling errors, punctuation mistakes and other problems. I do intend to fix them as soon as I find the time. But, my goal from now on is that any book I release will be as clean as possible.    
***Taking licence to brag!*** Angel Lovable Christmas is still riding the traction with Amazon and last I looked was in the  #800 level in ranking – #11 Contemporary and #14 in Fantasy. I’ve kept the price at the low 99cents in order to let as many readers have an enjoyable holiday book for themselves and to give as gifts also. If the 43 reviews (mostly 5 and 4 stars) are to be believed, this is the story you’ll want to read this season!
 
  
 
 
 

The world of The Divinities

 
 
One of the most asked questions I get is how I came up with the Divinities. I’m never sure how to answer the question, because The Divinities just evolved from a bunch of research and unfinished stories. I did a lot of research of mythologies, and I read a lot of other paranormal romances. I even got hook on a couple of urban fantasies that sparked a couple of ideas for when I’m ready to write UF. LOL.
 
When I first sat down to write a series, I wanted to write a vampire series. Why? Because that was what I was reading and loved. I still love a great vamp story. However, I couldn’t develop a solid mythology of my own. There are so many out there and I want mine to be different, something fresh. But, I’m close. I think I may have it. I’ll have to wait though before starting it.
 
Then I turned to reaching Greek Mythology, where I discovered Hecate. I was drawn to her for some reason and did more research into witches. Then the idea of four sisters, demi-goddess, are sent by Hecate to earthside to hide a power source from the evil draken that escape Tartarus. There were a number of other creatures like vamps and some I made up.  Like my vampires the storyline had holes I didn’t know how to fix. I just could figure out what was missing or wrong. So I trashed it (actually shelved it for the possibility that I could use some of it later) and started over. Trust me it was a mess. LOL.
 
So going with Hecate, the Goddess of Witchcraft, I created my witches--a spiritual and peaceful group of people that doesn’t have supernatural powers, unless they were born with the Divine gene. The gene the Divinities carry in their bloodline give them god-like powers, but not all witches born to these special bloodlines are Divinities. Only those who bare the Divine Rose birth mark possess a special gift and the ability to use magic at will, without a spell.
 
Now there is a new uprise in the demonic population, and the Divinities must protect the Sinew and stop Khan from merging the three worlds together.
 
 
Forgotten Visions is the first book in the series and can be found at Soul Mate Publishing | Amazon| Barnes & Noble | ARe
 
 
Title: Death’s Storm, The Divinities, book 2
Author:Lia Davis
Blurb:
 
Technical genius and demi-goddess--aka Divinity--Khloe Bradenton relies on no one for help, and she definitely doesn’t need comfort from anyone other than her twin. After her parents died by the demons’ hands over two years ago, she has graciously stepped up to her place in the war between demons and witches. When a creature far more dangerous than the ones responsible for killing her parents claims he is her guardian, she is torn between her desires for the dark predator and the painful loss she has endured at the hands of her enemies.
 
One of the last death demons still in existence, Jagger has pledged his life to the Goddess Hecate. Charged with the guardianship over the Divinities, he is never to approach them, but to aid them from a distance. When the firestorm, Khloe, sacrifices herself to save her twin and best friend and becomes the prey, he has no choice but to reveal himself to her. He is taken by surprise when the need to claim her as his own emerges. A desire he has never felt before could be more dangerous than the demons out to destroy them.    
 
Find it at Amazon | B&N | ARe | Kobo.
  

Excerpt:
Stepping off the curb to head to the car, Khloe stilled and let the warm air caress her skin. An electrical charge that only the select few magickin—like her and the other Divinities—could detect was palpable in the humid summer air.
Her spine tingled as the supernatural energy drifted on the wind, putting her on full alert. Reaching out with her senses, she relaxed. A little. The energy was familiar in an odd kind of way. Her admirer was nearby.
More like a stalker, really, without the creepy love letters and phone calls.
For the last month, someone had watched her and followed her every move. When the entity was near, a warm shiver rolled over her skin like a caress. The energy didn’t come from a human. Demon? Maybe. But, the power was too intense to be any demonic creature she’d come in contact with. She considered one of the gods, but that didn’t make sense either. The gods wouldn’t stalk her. They would send a messenger or deliver their message in person. She and the others had also thought it could be a guardian.
Whatever the entity was, it annoyed the hell out of her to be followed around and spied upon.
She scanned to mall parking lot and the sidewalk that lead to the various shops. Nothing remotely threatening came into view or reached out to her supernatural senses. Then again, she never saw anything when she sensed the presence. It had shown up last month, right after she and Kalissa had been thrust into an ancient war between witches and demons.
That was when she and Kalissa found a note from their mother telling them about the Sinew—a crystal sphere that held the magic of the worlds—and sent Kalissa on a mission to retrieve it. As Divinities, it was their duty to protect magickin from Khan, the new Bastard Lord of the Underworld.
 
 
Author Bio:
 
Lia Davis is a mother to two young adults and two very special kitties, a wife to her soul mate, a paranormal romance author, graphic designer, and co-owner to Fated Desires Publishing, LLC. She and her family live in Northeast Florida battling hurricanes and very humid summers. But it’s her home and she loves it!
 
An accounting major, Lia has always been a dreamer with a very activity imagination. The wheels in her head never stop. She ventured into the world of writing and publishing in 2008 and loves it more than she imagined. Writing and designing are stress relievers that allow her to go off in her corner of the house and enter into another world that she created, leaving real life where it belongs.
 
Her favorite things are spending time with family, traveling, reading, writing, chocolate, coffee, nature and hanging out with her kitties.
 
Author website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | G+


 

~~ GIVEAWAY ~~
 
Lia is giving away a swag pack to two commenters. Please leave your email address in your comment to qualify.
~***~

Write the Darn Book! Part #5

 
******************  I'm back to writing the next steps for the blog  Write the Darn Book! If you haven't followed from the beginning, you will see the first 4 parts on the left hand panel in the blog archives in November.
 



3. Get your social media working - twitter, facebook and goodreads at least. Of course, I’m taking it for granted you already have a website and/or blog.
 
First I want to reiterate that you need a website or at least a blog, preferably both. You need a site where you have control and not like what happened to me when I first started out. Frightened of having to take on more than I could comfortably chew (so to speak) I found myself a webmistress who would not only design the site for me, but would also make all the changes to the site as necessary. Well in 2007, I had no idea what a website entailed, how much effort went into it and just the word scared the ever-loving poop right outta me. So I took the easy way out. And for the first couple of years when I was so busy writing for my publisher, it worked fine.
 
But when the time went by with no reimbursements, very few royalty checks, I knew I needed to start promoting the books myself. When I went to my webmistress to ask if she could attach a blog page to my website, one that I could be in control of, she reminded me of our original contract. No blog! If I knew then what I know now—no way would I have taken that route. Instead I would have invested in starting my own website with a blog attached and paid a designer to set me up with a stunning template (such as mine on Believe! J) I would have forced myself to learn how those sites worked because in the future, I needed to learn it all anyway. And truth to tell, it wasn't near as hard as I had envisioned…especially blogger. With so many how-to videos on utube, even a technically challenged dummy (like me) managed.
 
But having said that, my website is another place on the web that highlights my work and can be easily found on Google by those who want to search for me.  It has a contact address, all my books are listed with buy buttons and is quite a pretty page. Certainly reflects the first series of books I wrote (Vicarage Bench Series). Too bad it's not pertinent to the two new series' I've written since because I can’t change it…I have no control!! So the moral of the story is – keep control in your hands.
 
Twitter is one of my favorite sites to play on and can be very helpful *once*  you have enough followers. Do not wait to build this list until after your book has been released. Don’t procrastinate. It takes time to gain followers, and the more you have, the better chance this social media tool will work for you. If you’re asking me how to get people to link with you here, my best advice is link first with them. It’s a two-way street. I always follow back (unless there’s bare breasts or worse showing in the image or bad language involved.) And I've found it works like the proverbial snowball. Once you have some followers, you get more and more …
 
Facebook for me is too much of a time suck. I can spend hours reading all the trivial tidbits put out by my friends, and I just don’t have that leisure. Too much to do and always under pressure. Also, just when I get comfortable on facebook, they make another change….sigh!! So I admit to being a bit of a spammer there and tend to use it only for promotional reasons.
 
Goodreads is a site I wish I had more energy to deal with. It took me some months to pick up how it all works (I’m still in the dark over some of their finer points). I took a workshop at the RWA National Convention in Anaheim in July with Patrick Brown and he did solve some of the mysteries. Their pending changes promise to make Goodreads even better for authors. For me, it’s a good place to promote my own work and a site where I can add any reviews I’ve written for others.  I have a lot of friends there, but alas, no time to communicate to any extreme.  But I have made contacts on this site that have grown into lasting friendships and so I’m cognizant of the importance to be visible there.
 
Again, let me nag. Do not wait until you have a book ready to publish to get active in any of these places. Do it now!!! 
 

Christmas stories should be warm and fuzzy - right?

Christmas stories should be warm and fuzzy – right? At least I think so cause I’m a big fan of the season…

 
For me, it’s all about families. I’m a sucker for romance, and old folks and an even bigger sucker for kids. When you join those features into one story and add in a heroine you can’t help but love, then the book is my idea of perfect entertainment.

 
Some of my friends tell me I’m a softie and tend to write naive tales about people who just aren’t that way anymore… kind and thoughtful, loving and giving. I beg to differ!! There is a world full of ‘nice’ people out there. Folks who live every day being helpful to others and generous with their families.

 

There’s one story in particular I’d like to share. My mother-in-law, a tiny, cranky, eighty-eight-year-old woman who has insisted on staying in her little house because she ….well she can. And the reason this is possible is because of her neighbour. A young man, maybe in his forties, has taken her under his wing (no pun intended) and goes there every day, looks after all her yard work, takes her grocery shopping and even to church. When she forces money on him, he’s terribly uncomfortable and has tried to tell her he doesn’t expect payment. See what I mean by angels in our midst???
 My angel in this Christmas story is an old man called Pi. I created him as close to a real person as possible because I truly believe that we are surrounded by angels in our everyday lives. Ordinary people who behave in extraordinary and loving ways. In many cases, both men and women who come to ones aid without needing to be asked. I have friends like that and I’m sure most of you do also. In fact, you’ve probably acted like that yourself at one time or another. We all have stories to tell of the time that we…!   So this Christmas tale is my present to those of you who are suckers for romance and prickly little boys and loveable seniors. For your holiday pleasure, I’ve wrapped up all these elements up in an entertaining parcel called “Lovable Christmas Angel”.    Amazon

  Hint: This would make a perfect gift for someone special on your list who you know is sweet on those special uplifting stories that make the season just that little bit brighter.

 
 
Loveable is part of a FREE PARTAY promotion today and is
FREEon
Amazon

All I Want For Christmas!

Welcome to the 
All I Want for Christmas Giveaway
hosted by Mom Loves 2 Read.
*and cohosted by:  The Dragyn 's Lair , Chillingly Chea p , icefairy's Treasure Chest
& Mom of One and Having Fun *


This giveaway will start on November 24th at 12:01 am (EST) 
and ends on December 11th at 12:01 am (EST).  
Enter using the rafflecopter form provided.  
The more entries you complete the better your chance of winning 
one of these great prize packages!

****

I love Christmas and am very happy to be a part of this blog hop.
I've made sure that there are a few Christmas stories in my collection to please those readers who like an uplifting Christmas tale. Just released - Loveable Christmas Angel - is the perfect blend of humor, romance and magic.
Special Amazon Sale Price - 99cents Hugs Mimi  




  Grand Prize Package #1 (value over $500) 
$100 Fandango GC
$100 Lori the Author Swag Bag
Christmas Jewelry Candle (value $40 - $7500)
$50 MilitaryApparelCompany.com GC
The Juppy (color of choice)
Real Kids Shades (color/style of choice)
Funbites (1 of each)
Knot Genie (camo)
Caliope Board Game
Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble - signed print
Noah Zarc: Cateclysm - signed print
Claus by Tony Bertauski - ebook

Grand Prize Package #2

(approx value $300)
$100 box of books for the family
Soylicious Country Kitchen Candles (2 of choice)
The Juppy (color of choice)
ediapercakes.com $40 GC
Knot Genie (silver)
Kair Bath Visor (color of choice)
Real Kids Shades (1 girl, 1 boy ages 7-12)
Slice Safety Cutter
Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble - signed print
Claus by Tony Bertauski - ebook
Grand Prize Package #3

(approx value $170)
$50 box of books for the family
The Juppy (blue)
Knot Genie (purple)
Melissa & Doug Stamp set
Kair Bath Visor (color of choice)
Real Kids Shades (boy age 7-12)
Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble - signed print
Claus by Tony Bertauski - ebook


Grand Prize Package #4
(value over $60) 

$20 PAYPAL
Spontaneous Board Game
Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble - signed print
Claus by Tony Bertauski - ebook

Grand Prize Package #5
(value over $25) 
$10 PAYPAL
Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble - signed print
Claus by Tony Bertauski - ebook


~~~**~~~**~~~**~~~
Visit Mom Loves 2 Read for reviews and sponsor posts

Easy to Enter - Just complete the tasks on the Rafflecopter form - make sure to complete each of them before clicking Enter - do as many as you like - the more entries you do the greater your chance of winning

a Rafflecopter giveaway



A Special Thank You to all the sponsors of this giveaway event:  
Fandango!  Lori the Author!  MilitaryApparelcompany.com!  Knot Genie! Slice! Kair!   Caliope Games! ediapercakes.com!  The Juppy!  Melissa & Doug! Chillingly Cheap!   Author Tony Bertauski !  Author J.S. Wilsoncroft !  Author D. Robert Pease!

DISCLAIMER:
 Giveaway is open in the continental United States.  Please read the Terms & Conditions at the bottom of the form for full contest info.  **put your blog name here** is not responsible for Grand Prize event or sponsored prize fulfillment. For any questions or concerns please see the contact info on Mom Loves 2 Read.

What do you like to read in a Christmas story?

*****

Back to Write the Darn Book in a couple of days with Part #5.
 ************ I know what I like to read.
  It’s all about families. I’m a sucker for romance, and old folks and an even bigger sucker for kids. When you join those features into one story and add in a heroine you can’t help but love, then the book is my idea of perfect entertainment.
 
Some of my friends tell me I’m a softie and tend to write naive tales about people who just aren’t that way anymore… kind and thoughtful, loving and giving. I beg to differ!! There is a world full of ‘nice’ people out there. Folks who live every day being helpful to others and generous with their families.
 
There’s one story in particular I’d like to share. My mother-in-law, a tiny, cranky, eighty-eight-year-old woman who has insisted on staying in her little house because she ….well she can. And the reason this is possible is because of her neighbour. A young man, maybe in his forties, has taken her under his wing (no pun intended) and goes there every day, looks after all her yard work, takes her grocery shopping and even to church. When she forces money on him, he’s terribly uncomfortable and has tried to tell her he doesn’t expect payment. See what I mean by angels in our midst???
 
My angel in this Christmas story is an old man called Pi. I created him as close to a real person as possible because I truly believe that we are surrounded by angels in our everyday lives. Ordinary people who behave in extraordinary and loving ways. In many cases, both men and women who come to ones aid without needing to be asked. I have friends like that and I’m sure most of you do also. In fact, you’ve probably acted like that yourself at one time or another. We all have stories to tell of the time that we…!

 
 So this Christmas tale is my present to those of you who are suckers for romance and prickly little boys and loveable seniors. For your holiday pleasure, I’ve wrapped up all these elements up in an entertaining parcel called “Lovable Christmas Angel”.
 
Hint : This would make a perfect gift for someone special on your list who you know is sweet on those special uplifting stories that make the season just that little bit brighter.

   ***********

Write the Darn Book! – Part #4

 
********* 
2. Join some Indie groups so you’re in contact with those who know what to do and will help with advice. The Indie Romance Ink and the Author's Network on yahoo are two good examples. (Go to Yahoo on Google and at the bottom where the lists are located click on Groups.)
 
I’ve listed the two loops above because those are the one’s I’m on and they have helped me tremendously. I have no doubt there are many more out there that will work for you in the same way.
There is a certain language you will run into as you become more involved with the Indie world, and I remember being as green as a mushed avocado and had no idea what many of the terms meant—especially those phrases pertaining to publishing, contracts and promoting. One I remember that got to me was Create space!?? If you take it at its traditional meaning it didn’t make sense where they referred to it. L Oh yeah and Hootsuite?????? Whaaa!!!
Thankfully on these loops, I never felt too shy to ask what I needed to know. And… I always received at least one answer and many times a bunch. Most of the others on the loop are happy to reply and support you both in the good times and when things are going rough.
Not only are your questions answered here but there are friendships to be made and contacts to generate. There are also those, who like yourself, need something in return. For example – they have allotted certain days where they hold “Likes & Tags” swaps for not only the Indie books, but those traditionally published and even for your facebook pages.
There are files on the Database attached to the loop where there is a list of everyone’s twitter handles and facebook pages so you can widen your social media web.
Also, you can find bloggers who will gladly guest you if you have a new release that needs some love and of course vice-versa. Sometimes you’ll be so busy that you can’t even think of writing blogs for your site and so you can depend on the some of the others on the loop to step in and fill your page.
At one time, there were groups being formed to set up one blog among a bunch of writers in the same genre. Cutting down on the amount of work and having a longer reach worked well for many and enabled them to find more followers. See one such group blog I’m on called 99cent Ebooks. If this isn’t happening while you’re on the loop, open the discussion yourself. There’s always many like you who want to be involved.
Some of the best advice I ever received was when I needed recommendations for a good editor or cover artist. Happy authors are always glad to refer the names of their own people, knowing that they need work also. And as you’ll find out in Part #5 this information can be invaluable.

Most of all, this is where you can form lasting friendships with others like yourself who are starting out. Many of the writers I met on this loop are now my beta readers and will gladly review my work when I need those blurbs desperately for a certain promotion—as I happily do for them.
It’s those friendships that will open many doors for you in the future and they’re your cornerstone to building a reader base that takes years. But with a strong, foundation you’ll be on firm ground.   ********

FAMOUS FEUDS

***
Today one of my favorite authors is here to visit us on Believe! She writes medieval romances that are so rich with detail on the era that I feel as if I can close my eyes and visualize what exists in her imagination. Her incredibly well-rounded characters come alive in each conflict, and in every romance, which is why I’ve read every book she’s written. Please welcome Anna Markland.
 *** 
 
Without conflict there can never be change.
 
Change very often brings about its own conflict.
 
Throughout history these truths have manifested themselves and have brought about some notorious conflicts that have resulted in ongoing feuds.
 
Let’s examine some of the more famous ones.
 
Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots were rivals, at least in Elizabeth’s mind. After imprisoning her cousin Mary for almost two decades, Elizabeth condemned her to death when evidence of an assassination plot was uncovered. Mary was beheaded in February 1587.
 
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Tensions simmered for years between the bitter political and personal rivals, culminating in a duel on the morning of July 11, 1804. Hamilton, the former Secretary of the Treasury, is shot and fatally wounded by Burr, who is, incredibly, the vice president of the United States at the time.
 
The Hatfields and McCoys. The supposed theft of a pig starts the bloody feud that rages for more than a decade between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of Kentucky. The families, who intermarried in happier times, will jointly lose more than 10 members before the fighting ends, in 1891.
 



 
Al Capone and Bugs Moran. Members of Capone’s gang cap off a Chicago turf war by machine-gunning six members of Moran’s crew (plus a seventh victim, who was not a crew member) on Valentine’s Day 1929. Capone, conveniently on vacation in Florida, is never charged.
 
Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine The sisters’ lifelong strained relationship reaches a breaking point in 1941, when both are nominated for the Oscar for best actress. Fontaine’s win sparks an all-out feud that the sisters, now both in their 90s, continue to this day.
 
You might think that sports rivalries are often taken a little too far, but modern soccer hooligans and hockey goons pale in comparison to the fans of Byzantine-era chariot racing, who caused so much carnage that they were nearly able to overthrow the Emperor Justinian. At the time, chariot racing was the most popular form of entertainment in Constantinople, and supporters of the two most popular teams—known as the “Greens” and the “Blues” because of the color of their uniforms—resembled gangs more than they did sports fans. Chariot racing was so popular that the rival groups even managed to affect politics, and they were often known to shout out demands to the Emperor after a big win. When they weren’t functioning as de facto political parties, members of the Blues and the Greens engaged in a long-running feud that frequently resulted in fighting and even murders.
 
 How Did It End?The feud between the Blues and the Greens reached a fever pitch in 532 AD, when the infamous Nika Riots broke out after the government attempted to punish members of the groups for a series of killings perpetrated after an important chariot race. In a bizarre twist, the two groups briefly put aside their differences and turned on the Emperor, burning down much of the city and nearly taking over the rest. But after they were paid off by Justinian—a longtime supporter of their cause—the Blues turned on the Greens and left them to be slaughtered. In the ensuing bloodshed, thousands of Greens were killed by the imperial army.
 
One of the most notorious feuds in Canada’s history concerns the “Black” Donnellys, an Irish immigrant family that drew the ire of an entire town. The family arrived in Biddulph Township, Ontario in the mid-1840s. At the time, tensions between different factions of Irish immigrants in the area—among them the “Whiteboys” and the “Orangemen”—had escalated into an all-out feud, and it wasn’t long before the Black Donnellys, as they came to be known, had entered the fray. The Donnellys were already known as a rough-and-tumble lot, but after showing up in Biddulph their criminal records grew considerably. Members of the family were arrested for everything from arson and theft to verbal assault, and it seems that the Donnelly’s bad reputation made them a prime target for the local law enforcement. Soon, they were regarded as the town menace, and reports describe a series of beatings, altercations, and livestock murders that occurred between the Donnellys and various townspeople. The feud was taken to a new level in 1857, when the family patriarch James Donnelly killed a local man with a crow bar during a drunken brawl. This set the stage for a bloody showdown.
  
How Did It End? The Donnelly’s feud with Biddulph Township ended under mysterious and violent circumstances on February 4, 1880. In the early morning hours an angry mob made up of the Donnelly’s enemies from in and around Biddulph formed outside their house. The crowd entered the house and attacked the Donnellys with sticks, shovels, and other blunt objects. They killed five members of the family, including James and his wife Johannah, before burning the house to the ground. No one was ever officially charged for the murders, and to this day the massacre of the Black Donnelly’s remains one of the most infamous crimes in Canadian history.

   
 






 Probably the most famous family feud in literature is the one between the Montagues and Capulets that results in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.


  




 
The plot of my medieval romance Passion in the Blood revolves around a similar family feud. There is one woman that Robert, Count of Montbryce, is forbidden to love. Her family will stop at nothing to avenge past wrongs.
 
How does it end? Most feuds result inevitably in someone’s death. Suffice it to say my book is a romance, so...



   
 
Passion in the Blood is FREE November 20 & 21st from Amazon and  Amazon UK .

 
***
 

She's Me is FREE also November 20th and 21st from Amazon and Amazon UK


***