Liz DeJesus's Blog, page 5

Morgan

My latest book has finally been released...or at least re-released since I got the rights back a while ago. The wonderful staff at Indie Gypsy quickly accepted it and gave it a stunning cover.

And the book isn't officially released until the 21st but they decided to release it a little earlier than expected and look at the surprise that I got today. Morgan debuted at #9 in the Gay & Lesbian Horror Novels Category on Amazon Kindle!!! :D And right now it's sitting pretty at #5. I'm like :O...is this really happening to me? LOL Talk about hit the ground running huh? :D :D *happy dance*




In an instant, Detective Morgan Carbone's life changes from day to night. Sociopath, serial killer and charmer, David McAllister won't reveal where the bodies of several young women are located but Morgan is determined to get answers. She gets more than she bargained for when during an interrogation he attacks her by sinking his teeth into her hand. Though the wound heals quickly and perfectly, it leaves her with an insatiable bloodlust as she has now turned into a werewolf like her serial killer nemesis. With her world no longer as she knew it, she is propelled into a dramatic, action-packed journey that includes being forced to leave the country to kill an ancient vampiress. However, when Morgan sees her intended target, she finds that not only does the woman remind her of her one true love whom she lost years before, but she is falling for her as hard as she did with her former lover. Now Morgan must decided whether to complete her mission or risk her own life by giving in to her heart's desire.

Pick up your copy today!

Publicity, marketing and other whatnots...

Over the past few days I've been reading some forums online. Mostly writers complaining that they feel that their publisher isn't doing anything to help push their books forward. They feel like the publisher should handle ALL of the marketing, publicity and promotion and that the author should just sit and write.

When I read this I laughed...



It's just funny that some authors expect so much out of a small indie publisher. Let's break it down a bit just for the basics. Here are some of the things that the publisher is taking care of.

1. Acquisitions. Meaning? That someone is sitting in front of a computer reading through the hundreds (possibly thousands) of submissions they get on a regular basis.
2. Web design. You want your website to look good right? That means hiring someone to put a website together.
3. Editing. A publisher needs editors. The last thing you need is to have your book with a bunch of typos.
4. Cover art. A publisher needs to hire a good cover designer. Something eye-catching that gives a potential reader pause, and think...'Hey. That looks like an interesting book I wonder what it's about.' This is another thing a publisher is doing for you and saving you money in the process. Do you know how much it costs to hire a cover designer? Neither do I, and I'd like to keep it that way.
5. Marketing. Yes, a publisher should have some kind of marketing plan but they need to be able to promote ALL of the authors in their roster. Not just a single author.
6. Formatting. Someone needs to format the books to go with different e-retailers. One size does NOT fit all. You have to format your books to look good on a Kindle, and the same goes for Nook, iTunes, Smashwords, etc.
7. 1 on 1 help. This is why I LOVE indie publishers. It's like a family. Sometimes I'll send an email and hear back from the staff ASAP. Whether it's a simple question or I need help designing a flyer or a banner.

And yes, I know that there are some publishers that don't do half of what's on this list. But the publishers I'm with DO. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes just to make a company thrive. And before you make the argument about what traditional publishers do and whatnot, the BIG FIVE have the budget to do all those kinds of things. And I've been published with a small traditional publisher and have received an advance for my work and they were wonderful too. I had an editor, cover art to choose from, and they added me to their calendar of events and did some initial promo for the book, but the rest fell upon my shoulders. I had to schedule book signings, send it out to reviewers and everything else. It was all on me.

Besides, what's wrong with a little PR of your own? I like doing my own marketing, publicity and promotions. It helps me stay in touch with my fans and give it a personal touch. It's not always easy, I'm not gonna lie, but I like knowing what does and doesn't work in terms of publicity and marketing. I like learning what's on trend, and what other savvy authors and entrepreneurs are doing. Because while it's great to be creative, it's called the Publishing Industry for a reason. Creativity and business go hand in hand.

Here's a list of some of the things I do on a regular basis to promote my books.

1. Schedule book signings and other events (I do this myself because I know where people go to buy books).
2. Email reviewers and bloggers. Yes, I do this myself because it helps spread the news about my book through word of mouth (which is how books like 50 Shades of Grey and authors like Amanda Hocking became household names). They didn't become a success overnight. It took many, many years for them to blow up the way they did.
3. Go to conventions and book festivals.
4. Handout bookmarks and business cards. If there's a bulletin board nearby, trust me, my business cards are on there.
5. Write more books.
6. Active on social media, facebook, twitter, tumblr, google+, Instagram, etc.


And for all the naysayers that think that ebooks aren't going to lead to anything. Here's a list of all the amazing things that have happened to me since First Frost was released as an ebook 2 years ago.

1. Marissa Meyer (NYT Best selling author of Cinder) read and recommended my book as an INDIE BOOK TO READ.
2. Maria V. Snyder (another NYT best selling author) purchased my book at an event at the Kent County Library.
3. Was invited to be a vendor at the Baltimore Comic Con.
4. Started my own comic book series (Zombie Ever After via Emerald Star Comics).
5. That lead to another job offer with a different comic book company and got paid on spec. (more details later).
6. Started my own series of workshops and have been making a steady living as an author by presenting my workshops at different libraries, conventions, festivals and bookstores.
7. Interviewed in local newspapers, and magazines.
8. With a fantastic group of like-minded friends, I helped launch a new book and art festival that helps celebrate local authors and artists.
9. Sold thousands of copies of my ebook First Frost and gaining recognition for my work as an author.


So yeah, thanks to a little ebook all of this has happened. And I can't wait to see what the future brings. There's nothing wrong with getting your hands dirty and doing some of the work on your own. You know your book better than anyone. You know exactly who your reader is. You know who your fans are. You know where the local events are happening. You, the author, know exactly how to sell your book. I'm proud to be an indie author. I'm proud to have the knowledge and know-how to sell my books well.

If you have any questions about writing, publicity, marketing or promotions feel free to leave a comment here on my blog.

Tools of the trade...

So I bought myself an iPad mini. I found a next-to-new one at 2nd and Charles (my new favorite store). So I've been tinkering with it (having way too much fun) and I'm looking for apps, specifically writing apps. I just wanna see if I can find something that will boost creativity, productivity or something that will ADD a little extra something to my writing.

So here is a list of some fun apps I found on the app store. :)

A Novel Idea (haven't tinkered with this one much so I have no clue what it does. A few friends suggested it and I downloaded)

Writer Lists

WorkLog LT (This one has a timer to show you how long you've worked on a specific project).

Coffitivity (this one was fun! It plays the sound of a coffee shop so you can be home writing and still feel as if you were out in a coffee shop. I dunno, I thought it was cute)

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Dictionary (this one gives you a word of the day)


What are some of your favorite apps for android or iPad?

Update

Okay. Time to give you guys an update on everything that's been going on behind the scenes over the past few months.

1.Still struggling with Shattered Frost, but the good news is that I've been writing something every day. Finally reached 43k words and I'm hoping that I'll be finished with the novel by the end of the year.
2. Working on a short story titled The True Bride for an anthology titled Twice Upon a Time.
3. Might end up writing a children's book that takes place at Woodside Farm Creamery (local farm and awesome ice cream shop here in Delaware).
4. Working on a super secret comic book with my BFF Elizabeth Kolodziej.
5. Officially finished with issue #1 of Zombie Ever After and will have more info on that soon!
6. Just found out that Elizabeth and I are going to OTAKON!!! She's doing a panel/workshop and after months of waiting...waiting...and waiting we finally got a table against seriously incredible odds. Thank God, because only a miracle can explain how it all happened. LOL
7. I was on the local newspaper!! Click here & here
8. Ooooooooh and Elizabeth and I are putting together our very own collection of short stories titled Mugshots. They're inspired by these pictures by artist Marilen Adrover.





https://www.facebook.com/adroverart

I totally got dibs on Snow White and Alice. :D So excited about this project. :)

9. Also some other exciting things are going on but it might fall through the cracks because it's one of those things that might or might not happen so I'm not gonna make any big announcements until I'm absolutely, 100% sure it's going to happen. :)

That's all for the moment. :) What's going on with you guys? Feel free to share!

Hockessin Art & Book Fair

It took a year of planning and preparation. So many caring and thoughtful people helped make this event a success.A collaboration between the Hockessin Community Recreation Center, Art Studio, Hockessin Library, Hockessin Book Shelf, Bear Library and the Written Remains Writers Guild.

It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. Everywhere I looked there were authors and artists (some I was familiar with and some that I had never met before) that had set up their tables and selling books! We had up to 500 people that showed up to see the amazing talent we had in the building for the day. We even had people waiting at the door to get inside!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was able to take only a few pictures but my father (God bless him) was able to take several pictures with his cellphone so here are a few snapshots of the day.




This picture was taken by KR Raye



Me and my husband Kurt.




Hanging out with my BFF/partner in crime Elizabeth Kolodziej. :D





The guest of honor, Cindy Callaghan reading to the crowd from her latest release Lost in London. :D

Tips for Hockessin Art & Book Fair Participants

Hi everyone!



As you all know the day for the Hockessin Art and Book Fair is quickly approaching and the day of the event will be here before you know it. Joanne Reinbold, Justynn Tyme and I thought that it would be a good idea to put together a little blog post to give you a few ideas as to how to prepare for the day and how to get your table set up nicely.

1. You will be responsible for handling your own sales so bring a cash box. Preferably one that has a lock and key, I bought a nice one at Staples so definitely check out the ones they have there.

2. If you have a PayPal account and a smartphone you can download a FREE app called PayPal Here. And they will send you a FREE credit card reader. Another great app is Square and they will also send you a FREE credit card reader for your smartphone. Personally I have both apps on my cellphone just in case because you just never know.

3. Handouts. Meaning? Bookmarks, business cards, stickers, postcards, etc. Anything that you can handout that has the cover of your book, your name, email and website. These have worked so well for me in the past so definitely invest in getting some good handouts. Check out vistaprint.com they have amazing designs, it's fast and affordable.

4. Make sure you prop up your books. You can get nice, plastic holders at Staples. If you prop up your book people will be able to see the cover from a distance and that might be incentive enough for them to approach your table and talk to you about possibly purchasing a copy of your book.

5. Decorations. Keep it simple. Bring a nice table cloth, a few decorations in the theme of your books, or some conversation starters (for example, I have a small replica of Cinderella's glass slipper and it's a fun tie-in to my books and a conversation starter).

6. Smile. You want to come across as a friendly, approachable person.

7. Practice your pitch. Meaning? If someone asks you what your book is about, you should know the answer in a heartbeat.

8. Remember to have fun. Chat with the people sitting next to you. Let your personality shine. If people see you having a great time, they will gravitate toward you and will want to talk to you.

We're all looking forward to this amazing event. I still can't believe it's all really happening.

Fairy Tale Friday ~ Little Red Riding Hood

Originally posted by liz_dejesus at Fairy Tale FridayI think everyone loves the story of Little Red Riding Hood...or at least holds some fascination for the little girl that strayed from the path and faced the Big Bad Wolf all by herself. He reappears in a lot of other fairy tales, The Three Little Pigs, Peter and the Wolf, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and a few others that I can't remember right now. I think the Wolf is supposed to represent temptation, darkness and greed. And in my opinion I think Red Riding Hood liked that about the Wolf. Why else would she have strayed from the path? I think everyone goes through that phase in life as one point or another. Wanting to see what's going on off the trusty path. What's lurking in the darkness? But that's just my humble opinion, that's what I get out of the story. Again...maybe that's why people are so fascinated by the fairy tale.

There are several versions of this story, personally I prefer the Brothers Grimm version. :)

Here's what I got from wikipedia:

[image error] Little Red Riding Hood, illustrated in a 1927 story anthology

The story revolves around a girl called Little Red Riding Hood, after the red hooded cape/cloak (in Perrault's fairytale) or simple cap (in the Grimms'version called Little Red-Cap) she wears. The girl walks through the woods to deliver food to her sickly grandmother (grape juice and banana bread, or wine and cake depending on the translation). In the Grimms' version at least, she had the order from her mother to stay strictly on the path.

A mean wolf wants to eat the girl, and the food in the basket. He secretly stalks her behind trees and bushes and shrubs and patches of little grass and patches of tall grass. He approaches Little Red Riding Hood and she naïvely tells him where she is going. He suggests the girl pick some flowers, which she does. In the meantime, he goes to the grandmother's house and gains entry by pretending to be the girl. He swallows the grandmother whole, (in some stories, he locks her in the closet), and waits for the girl, disguised as the grandma.

When the girl arrives, she notices that her grandmother looks very strange. Little Red then says, "What a deep voice you have," ("The better to greet you with"), "Goodness, what big eyes you have," ("The better to see you with") "And what big hands you have!" ("The better to hug/grab you with"), and lastly, "What a big mouth you have," ("The better to eat you with!") at which point the wolf jumps out of bed, and swallows her up too. Then he falls fast asleep.

A lumberjack (with the Brothers Grimm, and always in German tradition, a hunter), however, comes to the rescue and with his axe cuts open the wolf, who had fallen asleep. Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother emerge unharmed. They fill the wolf's body with heavy stones. The wolf awakens and tries to flee, but the stones cause him to collapse and die. (Sanitized versions of the story have the grandmother shut in the closet instead of eaten, and some have Little Red Riding Hood saved by the lumberjack as the wolf advances on her, rather than after she is eaten).[4]

The tale makes the clearest contrast between the safe world of the village and the dangers of the forest, conventional antitheses that are essentially medieval, though no written versions are as old as that. Specifically, the tale parallels how an innocent victim can be taken in and controlled by a criminal mentality, therefore, facilitating further subjection of a crime or harm against a vulnerable victim through mischievous criminal intent by removing the victim from a familiar or "safe" public location - facilitating the crime in an effort to isolate the victim by drawing her to another location "away from the public eye" where the criminal entity has complete control over the victim.

It also warns about the dangers of not obeying the mother (at least in the Grimms' version).

Brothers Grimm [image error] Wilhelm (left) and Jacob Grimm (right) from an 1855 painting by Elisabeth Jerichau-Baumann.

In the 19th century two separate German versions were retold to Jacob Grimm and his younger brother Wilhelm Grimm, known as the Brothers Grimm, the first by Jeanette Hassenpflug (1791–1860) and the second by Marie Hassenpflug (1788–1856). The brothers turned the first version to the main body of the story and the second into a sequel of it. The story as Rotkäppchen was included in the first edition of their collection Kinder- und Hausmärchen(Children's and Household Tales (1812)).[14]

The earlier parts of the tale agree so closely with Perrault's variant that it is almost certainly the source of the tale.[15] However, they modified the ending; this version had the little girl and her grandmother saved by a huntsman who was after the wolf's skin; this ending is identical to that in the taleThe Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, which appears to be the source.[16]

The second part featured the girl and her grandmother trapping and killing another wolf, this time anticipating his moves based on their experience with the previous one. The girl did not leave the path when the wolf spoke to her, her grandmother locked the door to keep it out, and when the wolf lurked, the grandmother had Little Red Riding Hood put a trough under the chimney and fill it with water that sausages had been cooked in; the smell lured the wolf down, and it drowned.[17]

The Brothers further revised the story in later editions and it reached the above mentioned final and better known version in the 1857 edition of their work.[18] It is notably tamer than the older stories which contained darker themes.

Little Red Riding Hood by *wicked-fairytale on deviantART



Red Riding Hood by *mikemaihack on deviantART

Teaser Tuesday ~ Shattered Frost

Originally posted by liz_dejesus at Teaser TuesdayIt's been a while since I've shared some teasers and samples of my stories. Anyway this is a snippet of Shattered Frost, this takes place during the Winter Ball in Everafter after Terrance and Bianca finish their dance. Enjoy!

Note: This is all unedited. I apologize for any errors you may find.

Terrance takes Bianca hand and gracefully guides her onto the dance floor. Her heart is ready to burst out of her chest from excitement. Five months had gone in preparation for this moment. She memorized her steps, there was no way this could go wrong. Terrance placed his warm hands on her body, one around her waist and the other on her right hand. She took a deep breath and waited for the music to begin. Terrance took the first step and the rest was for lack of a better word…magical. She started to giggle. She couldn’t help it. This was all too much. Her heart swelled with love for him. She had never felt that way about anyone. The music rose and fell all around them. Their bodies moving in time with the song. The weight of his hand on her waist. Perfect.

Before she knew it….it all came to an end. Terrance beamed at her with pride and love when the song was finished. Based on the look on his face she knew she had done well.

“Where did you learn to dance like that?” he asked.

“I’ve been dancing my whole life. I started with ballet, then moved on to ballroom dancing. That didn’t last very long and then I moved onto Irish Step Dance. That was a lot more fun. Bunch of crazy Irish people stomping their feet with bagpipes. But Ming and I have been practicing for months in order to dance tonight. You look surprised,” Bianca replied.

“I am. I half expected you to stomp on my feet.”

“And you would’ve put up with that?”

“I would’ve enjoyed every blister.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Bianca said between giggles.

Terrance grinned.

“You really are just saying that aren’t you?”

“I have no idea what the correct answer is at this point.”


© Liz DeJesus 2014

Curious? Click here to find out more about Bianca Frost and the magical world of Everafter.

Book Reviews

Originally posted by liz_dejesus at Book ReviewsI recently had an author ask me about book reviews. My book First Frost came out in June 2012 and so far according to Goodreads.com:

1,546 people have added it to their to-read list.
302 ratings
115 reviews

So...how do I do it?

Reviewers and bloggers. That's how. They are the bread and butter of indie authors. I'm going to talk a little bit about what I do and hopefully this will help you get some more reviewers reading your book.

1. Research. I start by looking at books that are similar to mine and I look at the reviews it has on goodreads. Some of those reviewers have links to their websites and blogsites on their page. Then I click on the link and check out their blog. I look at the types of books and what genres they like to read.

2. Policy. Almost every blogger has a review policy. Read it thoroughly. You don't want to give anyone a reason to delete your email without a second thought. And also, if they're not into a specific genre and you know your book is in the genre that he/she isn't interested in reading, do yourself a favor and don't submit your book. Nothing is going to change their mind. It's like sending a nonfiction book to a reviewer that reads paranormal books. Stick to the policy.

3. Followers. I also look for how many followers this blogger has. Most of the time I'll submit to a blogger/reviewer if he/she has 100 followers or more. Why? You want someone who has people constantly checking in on their site. You'll have a higher chance of getting someone to purchase your book.

4. Be polite and professional. A lot of the reviewers I submit to are interested in Young Adult books and some of them are older (21-30 years old) and some of them might be younger (13-17 years old) and the younger group might even have their parents monitoring their email (which I agree with 100%) so you want to come across as a professional. Here's a sample email that I'll send to bloggers that don't have a specific guideline in their review policy.

Dear Insert Bloggers Name Here(Another tip: Always find out what the bloggers name is, it lets them know that you actually did read their blog and that you are genuinely interested in them reading your book. Try to be personable, you know what I mean?)

My name is Liz DeJesus, I have a young adult fantasy novel that has been released through Musa Publishing titled First Frost. I was wondering if it was something that you would be interested in reading and reviewing.Here's a quick blurb:
For generations, the Frost family has run the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts, handing down guardianship from mother to daughter, always keeping their secrets to “family only.”Gathered within museum’s walls is a collection dedicated to the Grimm fairy tales and to the rare items the family has acquired: Cinderella’s glass slipper, Snow White’s poisoned apple, the evil queen’s magic mirror, Sleeping Beauty’s enchanted spinning wheel…Seventeen-year-old Bianca Frost wants none of it, dreaming instead of a career in art or photography or…well, anything except working in the family’s museum. She knows the items in the glass display cases are fakes because, of course, magic doesn’t really exist.She’s about to find out how wrong she is.I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,Liz DeJesusAuthor of First Frost, The Jackets, and Nina
http://lizdejesus.com/
See? Simple. Direct.Polite. To the point.

5. Rank. On Goodreads, you'll sometimes notice a little rank of sorts. Some of the reviewers on there are ranked by top users, best reviewers, librarians, readers, and more. Some of these are listed by country. I've found amazing reviewers that are from the US, UK, Netherlands, Canada and India.


6. Bloggers follow other bloggers. Sometimes instead of writing (it does happen) I'll focus two or three hours just clicking on links on other bloggers site. I found about 30 links on one bloggers site last week. I found a WHOLE bunch of reviewers that were willing to read and review my book.


7. Always be nice. I cannot stress this enough. ALWAYS. BE. NICE. Just last week I submitted a book to a reviewer and I got a two star rating. It happens. I mean, don't get me wrong, it SUCKED. But I'm not the type of person that will go around arguing with other people on the internet. But the reviewer remembered that I was nice (she even wrote it on her review, so for all I know I got an extra star just because of it). Anyway that's the risk you take when you submit your book to be reviewed. Even when you follow the guidelines, and all the rules put into place that's the risk. All you can do is hope that you get more good/positive reviews than negative ones.


8. Stay in touch. If you're in this for the long haul (not just writing one book and then vanish in a puff of smoke) you'll want to remember all the reviewers (if not all then at least most of them) that way you can submit your other books to them. Especially if you're like me and you're writing a series. It helps that you already know some reviewers that have read and enjoyed your past work. Even if it's on twitter or facebook pop in and say 'Hi' every once in a while. Try to be sincere (people can smell a fake a mile away).


9.Thank you. When the reviewer has posted the review of your book (whether it's positive or negative) stop by and leave a comment on their blog thanking them for taking the time to read and review your book. What they do takes up a lot of time and effort, they do it for free and for the love of books. It's nice to know that they're appreciated.


Anyway it would be great if I had another tip so it would make an even ten but this is all I have for now. I'll also include a few links to some review sites to get you started. They've read and reviewed my book (so you know they have excellent taste in books). Good luck and may you receive many five star reviews!





 


















http://bookwormrflects8.blogspot.com/





http://bound2astound.blogspot.com/

Faerie Magazine Ad

Every once in a while I'll save my pretty pennies and invest in a well placed ad. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The point is that sometimes you just have to be willing to take a chance. You know what I mean? That having been said...I bought an ad at the Faerie Magazine website! And it looks so pretty! I love it. :)

Here's a screenshot of it. :D



It's going to be there for three months and there's a chance that they'll even post an excerpt of Glass Frost on their blog. Keeping my fingers crossed. :D

Anyway please check it out! :D http://www.faeriemag.com/