Penelope Fletcher's Blog, page 9
February 5, 2011
Author Interview with Nicole MacDonald
You guys know me – head always stuck in a story – so my latest resolution to interview fellow Indie Authors shouldn't come as much of a surprise. I stumbled upon a book that really struck a chord with me in the Kindle store. The imagination of the author had me so in awe I drummed up the courage to contact her for my first interview, and imagine my excitement when she said yes! So here's my interview with Nicole MacDonald author of The Arrival.
What was the last thing you found hysterically funny?Despicable Me – the minions and the little girl, Agnes; 'IT'S SO FLUFFY!'
If you had to choose, read or write, which would it be?Probably write. It used to be read but the voices in my head won't shut-up till I'm done *sigh* So my 'to be read' list is taking a lot longer than normal.
Can you reveal a bit about how you write? Is it a non-stop three-week extravaganza down in the basement with microwavable snacks and only the blink of your computer screen to keep you company? Or do you sensibly meet a set word count everyday and take healthy breaks away from the desk?Both those options sound great *grin* and it is a bit of both. I do find it very hard to resist net surfing while I'm typing so most my typing is done on my battered old Toshiba laptop - it has no net access ;p. I often have reruns of Buffy playing in the background as I type. At the moment I'm aiming to get the first draft for Awakening (working title) done by the end of Feb so I'm working on the 'head down' thing.
Would you consider yourself a plot or character driven writer?Both but a strong plot is essential to me. The trilogy has some pretty major twists and turns in it and without a good plot in place I'd screw it up. That said the characters often choose their own ways of getting to those plot points.
The cover is lovely - moody and offbeat. Can you tell us a bit about how you went about designing and creating it?A fellow blogger Keary Taylor (author of the Fallen Angels series) offered to help and we messed around with a few different styles that were great but not quite right. Keary is insanely gifted even though she refers to herself as an amateur. But she created 5-7 concepts in less than a week. I was in complete awe! Then it occurred to me that I should go for what I love - bush or forest. Here in New Zealand we're surrounded by it so it's very important to me. Also the girls arrive in a forest and the first fight scene is in one. So I wanted an 'enchanted forest' look but dark. Then Keary sent through what is now the cover. And I love it!
Can you give us a summary on what The Arrival , book one of the Birthright Trilogy is about?Four friends who become frustrated with the dating scene. They decide on a bit of a whim to cast a spell to find their 'soulmates' and what do you know, it works! Just not in the way they ever envisioned. They wake in a strange forest on a strange world and suddenly have the of fight their lives on their hands. Battling against horrific creatures, discovering gifts they never knew they had and then the appearance of four hunky guys. These girls will never be the same!
So, the story follows four kick ass young women who decide they're done waiting for love to find them and set about seizing it for themselves. How did you come up with the idea?I met my soulmate a month before I turned 19 and it was a bit of a shock. I'd been rather determined to stay single till I was at least 25 and he really threw a spanner into those plans. So one day I thought I'd have fun and re-write the story the way I wanted it. Then my kinda kooky imagination took hold of it and it zoomed off to a place totally unexpected and I ended up with the rough plot of the BirthRight Trilogy.
The romance in the book is relatable and endearing despite the out-of-this-world situations. Did you base any interactions on personal experience?Yes. It is very much based on what it felt like as a determinedly independent young woman meeting her soulmate. The struggle between the two leads is based on what it felt like to me. Not easy, but totally worth it.
Can you give us a feel for the themes we can expect in book two, Awaken?An even more intense ride than The Arrival, actually it makes book one look easy in comparison. Book two is darker and far more 'adult' as the girls begin to realise their lives have been forever altered. More incredible creatures, more action scenes and an even bigger climax that will lead into the last book of the trilogy.
I hear there will be sex in the next book ... how is that coming along? ;)Fine…. *blush* I'm working on it.... It does feel rather weird to write intimate scenes about characters that seem like friends (I SO don't want to know what they're doing behind that door!!) but I'll get over it *grin*.
Thank you for sharing Nicole, loving your style.
The Arrival is out now to download from the Kindle Store (US/UK). You can read my review of the book here at Goodreads. If you want to know more you can contact Nicole via her BirthRight Trilogy website or her blog Damsel in a Dirty Dress (loving that name as much as I am?).
What was the last thing you found hysterically funny?Despicable Me – the minions and the little girl, Agnes; 'IT'S SO FLUFFY!'
If you had to choose, read or write, which would it be?Probably write. It used to be read but the voices in my head won't shut-up till I'm done *sigh* So my 'to be read' list is taking a lot longer than normal.
Can you reveal a bit about how you write? Is it a non-stop three-week extravaganza down in the basement with microwavable snacks and only the blink of your computer screen to keep you company? Or do you sensibly meet a set word count everyday and take healthy breaks away from the desk?Both those options sound great *grin* and it is a bit of both. I do find it very hard to resist net surfing while I'm typing so most my typing is done on my battered old Toshiba laptop - it has no net access ;p. I often have reruns of Buffy playing in the background as I type. At the moment I'm aiming to get the first draft for Awakening (working title) done by the end of Feb so I'm working on the 'head down' thing.
Would you consider yourself a plot or character driven writer?Both but a strong plot is essential to me. The trilogy has some pretty major twists and turns in it and without a good plot in place I'd screw it up. That said the characters often choose their own ways of getting to those plot points.
The cover is lovely - moody and offbeat. Can you tell us a bit about how you went about designing and creating it?A fellow blogger Keary Taylor (author of the Fallen Angels series) offered to help and we messed around with a few different styles that were great but not quite right. Keary is insanely gifted even though she refers to herself as an amateur. But she created 5-7 concepts in less than a week. I was in complete awe! Then it occurred to me that I should go for what I love - bush or forest. Here in New Zealand we're surrounded by it so it's very important to me. Also the girls arrive in a forest and the first fight scene is in one. So I wanted an 'enchanted forest' look but dark. Then Keary sent through what is now the cover. And I love it!Can you give us a summary on what The Arrival , book one of the Birthright Trilogy is about?Four friends who become frustrated with the dating scene. They decide on a bit of a whim to cast a spell to find their 'soulmates' and what do you know, it works! Just not in the way they ever envisioned. They wake in a strange forest on a strange world and suddenly have the of fight their lives on their hands. Battling against horrific creatures, discovering gifts they never knew they had and then the appearance of four hunky guys. These girls will never be the same!
So, the story follows four kick ass young women who decide they're done waiting for love to find them and set about seizing it for themselves. How did you come up with the idea?I met my soulmate a month before I turned 19 and it was a bit of a shock. I'd been rather determined to stay single till I was at least 25 and he really threw a spanner into those plans. So one day I thought I'd have fun and re-write the story the way I wanted it. Then my kinda kooky imagination took hold of it and it zoomed off to a place totally unexpected and I ended up with the rough plot of the BirthRight Trilogy.
The romance in the book is relatable and endearing despite the out-of-this-world situations. Did you base any interactions on personal experience?Yes. It is very much based on what it felt like as a determinedly independent young woman meeting her soulmate. The struggle between the two leads is based on what it felt like to me. Not easy, but totally worth it.
Can you give us a feel for the themes we can expect in book two, Awaken?An even more intense ride than The Arrival, actually it makes book one look easy in comparison. Book two is darker and far more 'adult' as the girls begin to realise their lives have been forever altered. More incredible creatures, more action scenes and an even bigger climax that will lead into the last book of the trilogy.
I hear there will be sex in the next book ... how is that coming along? ;)Fine…. *blush* I'm working on it.... It does feel rather weird to write intimate scenes about characters that seem like friends (I SO don't want to know what they're doing behind that door!!) but I'll get over it *grin*.
Thank you for sharing Nicole, loving your style.
The Arrival is out now to download from the Kindle Store (US/UK). You can read my review of the book here at Goodreads. If you want to know more you can contact Nicole via her BirthRight Trilogy website or her blog Damsel in a Dirty Dress (loving that name as much as I am?).
January 28, 2011
The Beautiful Damned Novella's: Lunar Light
Monsters should not walk the daylight, but cower in the dark....When the full moon haunts the sky, Evangeline prowls the dark as a Wendigo; a fearsome mix of human and beast. The night an injured outcast falls into her claws she must defy her keeper, the laws of nature and her own morality to protect him from the Hunter who wants his head as a trophy. Struggling to reconcile her cannibalistic urges and gentle temperament, Evangeline must move beyond the ancient curse of her ancestors blood, and become legend.
The Beautiful Damned Novella's. Something I'm going to have a helluva lot of fun with. These are supernatural stories that focus on creatures and legends that fascinate me. The protagonists do not resonate (with me) enough to carry into a standalone novel or series (at present), but have enough fire to feature in their own novella. The first is already completed and will help me keep my mind snappy in the run up to the release of A Demon Day.
Lunar Light was so much fun to write. It's my favourite title so far and the cover disturbs me the longer I look at it. The ugliness and brutality of the Wendigo has always called to me. It was a very conscious decision to take my mind to that dark, sensual, animalistic place, but I didn't want to do it with werewolves. Balancing Evangeline's (lead protagonist) gentle temperament and cannibalistic urges within a young women confident in her sexuality yet virginal ... was bloody hard. I tried to be honest about it all and not romanticise sex to the point of delusion nor make it crass. Have I achieved this? I don't know ... feedback will tell.
Wendigo's (in the imaginary land where they exist) are killers; higher up in the food chain and not ashamed of it. They eat people. So how would you (as a person who is quite empathetic and good) come to terms with that? Evangeline is not ashamed of what she is but what she represents. The story will be bold in its violence - the legend of the Wendigo cannot be tamed into something pretty - and the monsters beautifully ugly. The romance is sweet ... in a twisted way.
It's my first stab at Fantasy Romance so it should be interesting to see people's reactions. It was surprisingly difficult to keep the central theme about love rather than get wrapped up in the supernatural lore.
Lunar Light will be released in February and will be a free download to introduce the collection. The novella comes in at just over 30,000 words (approximately 2.5 hours reading time). This is a Dark Fantasy Romance and not suitable for younger readers! The Beautiful Damned Facebook Fan Page is already up and kicking, and I'll update the page on each book in the collections release.
***
Fuck me, I was short of breath and dizzy. Blood rushed in my ears and I had to keep my back flat against the cave wall for support. I stared at her and she smiled faintly, her hand sweeping between her legs for a brief moment.
"You better be worth it," she murmured.
Evangeline, my woodland goddess, walked to the cave ledge, spun into a crouch and slipped those long legs off the edge on one lissome move. "Come. The sun is rising and I want to use the last of the dark to cover our way home." The crown of her head disappeared out of sight.
Still pressed into the wall like I was terrified of falling, I blinked then scrubbed a hand through my hair and barked a short laugh. I needed to pull my shit together if I was going to survive her that was for sure.
Making my way to the edge of the cave I climbed down after her.
January 27, 2011
Film Review: Black Swan
The Gist: Frigid, sexually repressed ballerina with mommy issues experiences a psychotic break and thinks she's becoming a bird.Favorite line: "That was me seducing you. It needs to be the other way around" - Thomas Leroy
Favorite Scene: As she dances the Black Swan her arms sprout feathers and become black wings.
What is there not to say about this film? Natalie Portman is exquisite and Vincent Cassel is bold and flawlessly arrogant as Thomas, the Company Director.
Ballerina Nina wants to be the Principal for her Companies latest production, making her Princess Odette in Swan Lake. To do this she must embody the pure White Swan; in which grace and precise execution of the dance is required (which she has in abundance). But she must also become the dark twin, the Black Swan, and portray a sensual devil-may-care attitude. She's instructed to let the dance consume her, to "lose control" to become perfect. The challenge is something she as a perfectionist cannot handle.
Being a relatively clever girl she manages to snag the part by allowing Thomas to glimpse a little of the darkness in her. But it becomes clear her soft spoken little self may not be able to carry it off. Over a period of time she falls deeper into depression. Everything starts to slip away and to achieve the sensuality and darkness of the Black Swan she literally loses her mind and becomes one. Her skin becomes scaled, her feet webbed, her legs buckle into frankly fucked up positions ... her psyche splinters, and ultimately the walls of her reality shatter. This was shown to marvelous effect by all those huge mirrors and deviant reflections that awed me.
During this chilling spiral into madness she fabricates encounters with Lily (Mila Kunis), a sexy ballerina who is actually trying to be her friend. In comes Nina's lesbian wet dream, which I am sure the guys enjoyed, but it was tasteful enough to give my gag reflex a rest.
The opening sequence gets your heart pumping with all those extreme close ups and shots of Nina dancing the White Swan; captivated in Rothbart's spell. The film has a clean feel to it .. cool and de-saturated colors, which gives the entire thing an austere tone.
Oh, and her mother freaked me out. She was (in my mind) the significant catalyst that induced her daughters breakdown and final show stopping demise.
Go see it. A great film and the running time is not excessive.
Directed by; Darren AronofskyRunnign time: 108 min
January 21, 2011
Indie Author, I am One
How many of you adorable readers (well, my readers are adorable anyway) are aware that when reading eBooks there is a strong chance you'll pick up/buy one from an Independent Author (meaning they don't belong to a Publishing House)?
These Authors have to do the following with no financial or creative support (unless they go and pay the big bucks to freelance professionals for it of course).
The Manuscript (obviously – I roll my eyes at myself)Copy-editing/Proof-readingManuscript FormattingeBook Cover Design/Paperrback & Hardback Book JacketBook Blurb & HookDistributionWebsite Design, Build and ManagementPromotion - arranging blog reviews, press releases, merchandise, etcMarketing - advertisements, free book giveawaysProfile BuildingFan Correspondence & Social Networking
And a multitude of other things that I won't mention since we would be here all day. And they have to deal with pitching their novels against books that are plastered all over the place in big marketing campaigns and get bolstered by reviews from national newspapers or magazines with prime placement on chain bookstore shelves. And they have to be writing their next book. And they have to still be dealing with rejection from agents who still don't want to take a chance on them even when they have a small readership. And they probably all work a stressful 9 to 5's (like me) so that general life can go on and they can fund their writing addiction (trust me, it is an addiction).
That is a lot and 'ands' people!
Being an Indie Author is like working another full time job at times, because you have to be everything to everybody. You have to be a die hard lover of the written word or you won't survive it (yes, I am that dramatic).
My main downfall is promotion. I'm not an in your face personality, and I couldn't sell a box full of real £50 notes for a penny if I tried. But if I did want to heavily market and promote I know there would be major financial and emotional limitations to what I could achieve.
Trying to be traditionally published is like pushing a purple elephant that the Maharaja didn't want through a carnival guarded by an army with riot shields. So you dress your elephant up and you kick it though that door and hope it will knock down all the majestic gray elephants that were considered more beautiful and hope the Maharaja who rejected it will take notice. Of course your purple elephant may get shot by poachers. But there is a chance it will be worshiped by the citizens, and put in a lovely wildlife preserve. Allowing you to be free of the Maharaja.*
What was the point of this blog post? I've forgotten since I'm writing it at stupid o'clock – suffering a bout of insomnia – but interpret it any way that pleases you.
*For those not understanding my symbolic references;
Purple Elephant = Indie NovelGray Elephant = Traditionally Published NovelCarnival = Book MarketMaharaja = Publishing house Poachers = Bad Reviews Army = Literary AgentsRiot Shields = Submission GuidelinesCitizens = ReadersWildlife Preserve = A Praised Novel
January 8, 2011
Hai & Happy New Year
Happy New Year!
How exciting. I've got so much to do this year I'm positively anxious to get going. Before my next blog post which will be looking forward at A Demon Day, I'm going to look back on my progress with my first book since I hit the three month benchmark yesterday.
Book One of the Rae Wilder Novels skipped past 40,000 downloads. That is just ... um ... I am speechless. And I still don't have my iBookstore stats (over 300 ratings with an average of 4 stars), which I'm dying to get my hands on as I think they'll be good. The book is doing good in the Nook store with over 650 ratings giving me a flattering 4 star average, and over 100 written reviews! I've gotten an amazing amount of feedback on my Facebook Fan page and via Twitter, and managed to respond to over a hundred of you that contacted me over the festive season. Thank you all for your kind words and support! Another gem is that I've got over 45,000 reads on WattPad.com, whoop whoop. I'm hoping to do a giveaway at some point in late Jan/early Feb so please watch out for that. I'll also be giving my "fans" an excerpt of A Demon Day (Book Two) with the second books trailer on the site.
The Hardback Edition of the book is now available to buy via Lulu with 40% off – £10.79/$16.30 (List Price is £17.99/$27.18) and it is free to download. If you buy please do leave a review and let me know what you think of the quality, cover design (to the left), interior, etc. I think these things are important to the overall enjoyment of the book. I had a good time with Lulu.com. It was easy and enjoyable. If you're an Indie Author and want to do a hardback I recommend it! The only thing I had trouble with was the file up-loader (kept getting error responses). The Author Spotlight is a great idea too and will be useful when I release other books.
The Paperback Edition is out soon via Amazon.com (final cover to the right). So it will be a couple of weeks yet as I was not happy with quality of the proof interior, I had to go back to the drawing board. It will be priced at £7/$10.99. Amazon have put me through the grinder. Their cover designer is okay, but I made an effort to design my own covers. Needless to say having to abide by trim sizes is bloody annoying. Plus there is a 48 hour approval, so if you get it wrong you have to wait and start again. It adds so much time onto everything. I know it sounds like I'm always hating on Amazon, but all my experiences with them are so negative ... this year will be better *stubborn face*.
There will be a number of chances to get your hands on free copies of the Print Editions and I will post the giveaway schedule soon. I'm still thinking of new promotion ideas, but March will signal the end of my six month focus on TDG. My attention will shift to the promotion of the sequel. Admittedly, I don't do much by way of marketing (the hard sell ... shudder) as I want to focus on the writing itself. Now I've had a chance to see what's out there, and how people respond on different platforms I've worked out a marketing plan that's best for me and my work ... my style. I should get to see it in action for Book Two.
I have three book blog reviews for TDG to point your attention to Book'dOut, Clandestine Sanctuary and The Literary Housewife (my favorite as her review style reminds me of mine). A big thank you to those three for taking the time to read and review.
In closing, I hope everybody is well rested after the break we had and ready for the year ahead. I am. I've got a ton of New Year resolutions I am 33.3 per cent certain I will keep until the end of January ;)
How exciting. I've got so much to do this year I'm positively anxious to get going. Before my next blog post which will be looking forward at A Demon Day, I'm going to look back on my progress with my first book since I hit the three month benchmark yesterday.
Book One of the Rae Wilder Novels skipped past 40,000 downloads. That is just ... um ... I am speechless. And I still don't have my iBookstore stats (over 300 ratings with an average of 4 stars), which I'm dying to get my hands on as I think they'll be good. The book is doing good in the Nook store with over 650 ratings giving me a flattering 4 star average, and over 100 written reviews! I've gotten an amazing amount of feedback on my Facebook Fan page and via Twitter, and managed to respond to over a hundred of you that contacted me over the festive season. Thank you all for your kind words and support! Another gem is that I've got over 45,000 reads on WattPad.com, whoop whoop. I'm hoping to do a giveaway at some point in late Jan/early Feb so please watch out for that. I'll also be giving my "fans" an excerpt of A Demon Day (Book Two) with the second books trailer on the site.
The Hardback Edition of the book is now available to buy via Lulu with 40% off – £10.79/$16.30 (List Price is £17.99/$27.18) and it is free to download. If you buy please do leave a review and let me know what you think of the quality, cover design (to the left), interior, etc. I think these things are important to the overall enjoyment of the book. I had a good time with Lulu.com. It was easy and enjoyable. If you're an Indie Author and want to do a hardback I recommend it! The only thing I had trouble with was the file up-loader (kept getting error responses). The Author Spotlight is a great idea too and will be useful when I release other books.
The Paperback Edition is out soon via Amazon.com (final cover to the right). So it will be a couple of weeks yet as I was not happy with quality of the proof interior, I had to go back to the drawing board. It will be priced at £7/$10.99. Amazon have put me through the grinder. Their cover designer is okay, but I made an effort to design my own covers. Needless to say having to abide by trim sizes is bloody annoying. Plus there is a 48 hour approval, so if you get it wrong you have to wait and start again. It adds so much time onto everything. I know it sounds like I'm always hating on Amazon, but all my experiences with them are so negative ... this year will be better *stubborn face*.There will be a number of chances to get your hands on free copies of the Print Editions and I will post the giveaway schedule soon. I'm still thinking of new promotion ideas, but March will signal the end of my six month focus on TDG. My attention will shift to the promotion of the sequel. Admittedly, I don't do much by way of marketing (the hard sell ... shudder) as I want to focus on the writing itself. Now I've had a chance to see what's out there, and how people respond on different platforms I've worked out a marketing plan that's best for me and my work ... my style. I should get to see it in action for Book Two.
I have three book blog reviews for TDG to point your attention to Book'dOut, Clandestine Sanctuary and The Literary Housewife (my favorite as her review style reminds me of mine). A big thank you to those three for taking the time to read and review.
In closing, I hope everybody is well rested after the break we had and ready for the year ahead. I am. I've got a ton of New Year resolutions I am 33.3 per cent certain I will keep until the end of January ;)
December 18, 2010
Kindle Edition: The Demon Girl
The Revised Digital Edition of The Demon Girl is back in the Kindle Store. The price fluctuates between free and £2.21/$2.99. At the moment it's free, so if you have a Kindle, indulge me ;) I downloaded it to check the formatting and was surprised that this time you can navigate to the "Book Extras" section and view cool information from Shelfari (Kindle for iPhone screenshots to the left). There are a brief bio's on the book characters, a glossary of terms, a super short synopsis, memorable quotes, and an advisory note for parents detailing the levels of violence and sexual references. There's even a series tab, so once the other books are published readers can download in a few clicks. The reviews in the US store never picked up before I removed it, but the UK was better, which surprised me ... overall 90% of my bad reviews come from Amazon. Maybe (fingers crossed) it'll go smoother this time around.
December 16, 2010
Feedbooks Reporting
A bit of fun this afternoon. Here is a snapshot of where The Demon Girl has been downloaded from around the world via Feedbooks.com. The reporting on the site is just wonderful. I get real time stats of where the book has been downloaded and a breakdown of browser client, download quantity per day, what file format is most popular (ePub accounts for 93% when it comes to my book) via an aesthetically pleasing GUI. The site is user friendly, and the range of books is wonderful. 45% of my 10k downloads are from the United States, 11% from the United Kingdom. I work for a technology company and have a decent understanding of the dev work that can go behind such reporting functions (albeit we deal with parameters that are slightly more complex), I am most impressed.
December 13, 2010
December 12, 2010
The Demon Girl on WattPad
It's been just over one month since The Demon Girl was posted on WattPad, and boy oh boy do I have an update to deliver.
The story is now Featured alongside other impressive works, and the response is wonderful. I feel all warm and fuzzy. Ah, I started a thread to see if anybody would be interested in putting forward a few lines of their poetry to introduce my ten chapters, and I've got some really good ones. I've posted them below, so beautiful. I'll be posting links to the poets profiles on my website shortly. I'll definitely be doing the same thing early Spring for the sequel. Anyway, The Demon Girl passed 14,000 reads! I'm thrilled, and pleased to be a part of the community.
I want to give a shout out to @TheShadowThief and @Archleone for wonderful reviews of the Demon Girl and fabulous WIP's. I've enjoyed reading @Archleone's the Knight Casefiles: Revelations , which is told by Christopher, a champion of humanity chosen to wield the power of a powerful sword called Gram. Christopher's witty personality is fun to read, but the various supernatural elements, like a fierce Valkryie warrior for a guardian, keeps things interesting. And @TheShadowThief's The Eternal Winter , a story told from the P.O.V of a wolf, a story that captured my imagination and had me thinking about the story at random times over the last few weeks. Lastly, I want to mention @Warrior_Prophet who's poetry I can't get out of my head, in particular this poem, Pledge of the White Night .
I do try to respond to everyone who fans me, but they get queued with comments on other sites, tweets, emails, facebook and goodreads comments (gasp), but I will respond to answer any questions and say thank you as soon as I can, so bear with me.
*
For the ten chapters of The Demon Girl, ten lines loaned from original poems penned by WattPad members;
"But I will never know you. Or follow you. Or trust you" - You Lie by @fifi1621
"The sadness it engulfs me, the darkness can it tempt me? My heart bleeds black." - Dizzy Darkness by @autumn_duskflame
"A feeling of uncertainty. The endless confusion. An unstoppable, most unhealthy feeling that one should endure." - Love by @cryingfarie
"Hear them all cry! I told you there is a monster inside." - Monster by @light
"They are relentless in virtue, mauling and changing me into, something new, someone new." - Filling In The Holes by @orangeooo
"It hurts as I walk a million miles on broken glass. For you, it feels like I walk on soft grass." - Pieces of Poetry by @uniquenotuseful
"I take up the sword and I take up the lance. And prepare for the mountains that I have to climb." - Love has become my Religion by @Warrior_Prophet
"Starved, bruised, dejected. Nobody loves the broken and dying." - Silent Scream by @razzberrykisses
"And now they're gone, lost ... hidden in forgotten paradises in the corners of your mind." - Decisive Moments by @ioannanestoridi
"The Sun will once again shine bright. Know this, that I have championed for the light!" - Pledge of the White Knight by @Warrior_Prophet
December 10, 2010
A Gargantuan 17,000
Well, at least I think it is. The Demon Girl has had over 17,000 downloads. In two months. I have a yummy number of reads on WattPad as well (11,000, but more on that tomorrow), and the Goodreads reviews are taking off. Gobsmacked. Not back in the Kindle store as yet, which blows, but hopefully it'll be back up by the new year.
Now the important bit, the print and revised digital edition I. Have. Finished. Reading. The. Copy. Edited. MS. And. I. Am. So. Excited. I. Can. Hardly. Breathe. Distribution starts as soon as I nail down a few loose ends. I'll write a note in the book description of the digital edition so people know it's the revised one. I'm hoping that the reviews smacking me upside the head over copy-editing will die off (yeah, die) around … April 2011... once the readers who have the old version finish flogging me. Then those who read the revised edition should have nothing to say but how much they like it. To date no one has said they don't like the story. My face the day someone does ––> o_o
I appreciate the people who contact me via the website to say how much they love the book and inquire after its print edition or sequel. You have no idea how it feels when I read your words. I also grin like a loon when people comment on my Facebook page. I don't know why, I just do. The level of response I'm getting on this blog is amazing too. Overnight I went from rambling into the oblivion that is cyberspace like a nutcase, to people actually reading and commenting.
Now a quick update on the sequel, A Demon Day. My word count hit 35k last night. I swear, I am freaking loving writing this book. I got stuff happening no one is going to see coming. This book is focused on fleshing out the Clerics/Disciples and Temple life. Rae's past is explored, and we get a better understanding of how she's coping with the changes to her life and body. We meet the shifters, and lesser characters like Ana, Conall and Maeve come into their own. The situation between Rae, Breandan and Tomas reaches breaking point. Snap, snap.
So yes, Miss Fletcher is almost manic with delight right now. Not even the occasional bad review can bring me down … much.
Now the important bit, the print and revised digital edition I. Have. Finished. Reading. The. Copy. Edited. MS. And. I. Am. So. Excited. I. Can. Hardly. Breathe. Distribution starts as soon as I nail down a few loose ends. I'll write a note in the book description of the digital edition so people know it's the revised one. I'm hoping that the reviews smacking me upside the head over copy-editing will die off (yeah, die) around … April 2011... once the readers who have the old version finish flogging me. Then those who read the revised edition should have nothing to say but how much they like it. To date no one has said they don't like the story. My face the day someone does ––> o_o
I appreciate the people who contact me via the website to say how much they love the book and inquire after its print edition or sequel. You have no idea how it feels when I read your words. I also grin like a loon when people comment on my Facebook page. I don't know why, I just do. The level of response I'm getting on this blog is amazing too. Overnight I went from rambling into the oblivion that is cyberspace like a nutcase, to people actually reading and commenting.
Now a quick update on the sequel, A Demon Day. My word count hit 35k last night. I swear, I am freaking loving writing this book. I got stuff happening no one is going to see coming. This book is focused on fleshing out the Clerics/Disciples and Temple life. Rae's past is explored, and we get a better understanding of how she's coping with the changes to her life and body. We meet the shifters, and lesser characters like Ana, Conall and Maeve come into their own. The situation between Rae, Breandan and Tomas reaches breaking point. Snap, snap.
So yes, Miss Fletcher is almost manic with delight right now. Not even the occasional bad review can bring me down … much.
