Jason Zandri's Blog: The GUNDERSTONE GOODREADS Review, page 28
April 15, 2015
Guest Post: RRBC “Spotlight Author” ELIZABETH N. LOVE talks about Book Reviews
Originally posted on Cassidy Salem Reads & Writes:
Today I am honored to have Elizabeth N. Love, author of Call of the Goddess, as a guest on my blog. An avid reader and frequent reviewer of other authors’ books, Elizabeth shares her thoughts about writing book reviews.
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Reviews are an important part of being a writer. We want to hear feedback a) so we can feel good about our accomplishments, b) so we can share the good news with others, and c) we want to know how to be better at what we do.
I started a review blog last year in order to help Indie Authors get more feedback on their work. It’s an important service that so many are looking for in the writing world. Of course, now I have enough books to last me a year.
After I post my own review, I take a quick look at other reviews for the same…
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April 10, 2015
THE BLOG TOUR – starring “SPOTLIGHT” Author, Elizabeth N. Love
I just want to say a quick thanks for having me along! It’s been a great week!
Everyone has a different method they use to get their writing job done. We all know that getting started is tricky, the writing is easy, but getting the project completed to our utmost satisfaction is the true trial. In order to get the most out of the job we do, we settle into our individual writing processes – and hope for the best when it’s all over.
My Writing Process
I have always found that the best way to write a rough draft with the greatest efficiency is to use the old-fashioned pen and paper. Writing on paper opens up my ability to ignore spelling mistakes, ignore grammar mistakes, and keep my goal focused on getting the idea down, whether it is a good one or a bad one. I try to write a little something every day, if time allows. My brain doesn’t stop working and fodder for stories comes from every direction.
For me, paper has the advantage of being light-weight, easily transportable, and doesn’t require batteries or a power cord to work. It won’t break if one of the kids drops it. I don’t have to turn it off on the airplane during takeoff or landing. However, there are the occasions when my pen disappears. I try to keep an entire pack on hand.
Ideas aren’t always going to be magnificent or awe inspiring – not the first time around. Sometimes, ideas are just clutter. Writing on paper allows me to de-clutter and defragment my brain’s file space. If it’s a terrible idea, I don’t want to expend the energy and time fussing with the details. I just want the idea gone so I don’t have it rattling around in my gray matter for another twenty-four hours. My writing and editing time is limited, and I want to use that time effectively. But even bad ideas are saved in the paper archives. They might seem better in the future.
I’ve tried to write my rough drafts directly on the screen. Unfortunately, I’m easily distracted by the little red and green squiggles popping up as I type. The perfectionist in me wants to fix it immediately. I backspace too much and re-read the previous paragraphs when I should be pushing forward. While I can type at a rate of over 80 words per minute, this rate doesn’t do me any good if I’m bogged down by my own neuroses.
Interestingly enough, writing by hand is 10x slower than typing your thoughts, and typing is 10x slower than thinking your thoughts, making writing those thoughts by hand 100x slower than thinking them. Oddly enough, I seem to overcome this paradox while writing stories. We won’t be discussing my legibility at this juncture.
Good ideas get typed into the word processor, thus beginning the refinement and revision process. I must first organize the bits and pieces, written in several blank books or on scraps of paper and not always in chronological order. I number the pages and mark them with sticky tabs.
As I speedily read back what I’ve written, I begin to focus on the various literary tools that add character to my writing style. I seek out moments where alliteration can be used to enhance the meaning of the passage, working out consonance and assonance to showcase my skills. I consult reference books and sites to add details. I begin to rearrange conversations to bring out the most relevant dialogue. I use my own face to act out the emotions and delve into describing the actions and reactions of the characters so that they become real. But even the second time around, I don’t spend too much time fussing over the final product. The second stage is getting the words down digitally and on a back-up for safe keeping.
After letting the story stew for a couple of weeks without so much as a peek (during these two weeks, I’m busy spilling out more ideas for other stories), I print a hard copy and begin at the beginning. I read with fresh eyes. Now I can begin to scratch out irrelevant paragraphs and scribble in better descriptive words. I can see what makes sense and rewrite troubling sentences. I weed out glaring typos. Taking this back to the screen, I enter the corrections, smoothing out the overall work. I get to sit back and think to myself, “This is going to be awesome.”
After a couple of rounds of printing, scribbling and rewriting, changing font and size to keep the reading fresh, I’m ready for the final edits. This time I start from the end. Writers all have a tendency to tweak the beginning of the book over and over again. We’re tired by the time we reach the end, missing obvious mistakes. To combat this, I take each paragraph on its own, reading carefully twice to catch remaining errors and move backward through the story. Of course, I know the story by heart. I know where it’s heading. Reading it backwards provides clarity that everything at the end comes from something at the beginning.
This process may seem slow to some and outdated to others, but it’s what works for me; and I know exactly the reasons why. I’ve tried various options, but this is where my comfort lies. I don’t have a specific spot where I do my writing. I enjoy the freedom of taking my writing with me anywhere I go.
Thanks for reading! See you again soon!
~Elizabeth N. Love
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Call of the Goddess by Elizabeth N. Love
Amazon Link: http://goo.gl/8pPUmR
About the Book:
On the faraway planet of Bona Dea, in a society forged by ancient settlers, trouble is brewing. Young psychic Axandra, never comfortable with her gift, is being forced to use it for the benefit of her people as ruling matriarch of the entire world and host to a powerful entity known only as the Goddess. Struggling with her fate, used as a pawn between warring factions, life for Axandra is almost too much to bear. Even the ministrations of her beloved companion, Quinn, may not prove powerful enough to overcome the stress threatening to destroy Axandra’s fragile soul.
About the Author:
Elizabeth N. Love is a native Kansas who grew up on the prairie in rural small towns. From a very young age she enjoyed creating stories and poems and practices daily in the art of wordsmithing. She also enjoys other forms of art, such as drawing and making music. She is currently finishing Book Two in this series, as well as working on a paranormal romance, a non-fiction narrative, and a new sci-fi novel based on an alternate past. She lives near Kansas City with her family.
Connect with Elizabeth!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabeth-N-Love-Author/586497788065264
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bee_writerbee
Amazon Author: www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-N.-Love/e/B00JRM567O
Blog: http://writerbeeblog.wordpress.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/beelove
SUPERPOWER: ELECTROMAGNETIC MANIPULATION
I think this companion post from Grady P. Brown goes along nicely with my story (work in progress) “I, Hero – The Beginning”
Originally posted on Grady P Brown - Author:
For the main character of my latest short story, I have decided that his power set as a neohuman will revolve around electromagnetism, which is the ability to control both electricity and magnetic fields. If I did not choose fire manipulation to be Patrick Donovan’s power set, I would have gone with this instead. I find this power interesting because electricity is our most common source of power and our cities are overflowing with metals that are magnetic. With that in mind, I thought it would be intriguing to see a character who could exploit both of those facts while battling evil. I can already think of many ways this power set can be applied and I intend to incorporate them into the main character of my latest short story. I am already excited to portray this power set in future writing.
Blog Tour: PROGENY OF A KILLER
Originally posted on Archer's Aim:
Today, I’m happy to host Jean Shorney and her newly released book Progeny of a Killer. Take it away, Jean!
Overloading Plots and Tangents
Without the steadying influence of my proofreader, I can become a wayward writer. That is I tend to write everything that pops into my head. I go off on tangents. For example Progeny Of A Killer began life as two stories (and two different genres). Basically the book was intended to be a terrorism thriller, which is what it became. Thoroughly focussed on that one theme, but there was so much other stuff going on in Aidan McRaney’s life. His problems with his young bride. Her insecurities that all the women he had previously dated were tall, sexy redheads or sophisticated blondes. Whereas Caitlan was short, with mousy dark hair, and barely twenty when he fell in love with her. Her hang-ups lead her, beneath the…
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April 8, 2015
About 24 hours remain in the Goodreads Book Giveaway for TEN SIGNED COPIES of “Another Sunset”
At midnight PDT on April 9, 2015 this current Goodreads Book Giveaway for TEN SIGNED COPIES of “Another Sunset” will end.
Take some time to look at the reviews for it here on Goodreads as well as over on Amazon and Barnes And Noble; you’ll see this is a great book – one “not to miss.”
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Another Sunset
by Jason Zandri
Giveaway ends April 09, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
“I, Hero – The Beginning” – Excerpt IV
Nathan slowly opened his eyes and stared at his own living room ceiling in his small one bedroom flat. As he collected his bearings a bit he realized that he was on his couch. He slowly sat up and pushed the blanket off him and looked out the window near his small dinner table. It was now dark outside.
He looked over at Lisa who was coming out of the kitchen. His thoughts were a scrambled mess between the events of the day and the medication from the IVs.
“Did you go to work?” Nathan asked as he dropped his feet to the floor but maintained in a sitting position.
“I took a personal day. I told them what happened and they were good with it being last minute and all,” Lisa responded with a soft smile. She set a cup of hot chocolate down on the coffee table and took a hairband off her wrist. She pulled back her medium length hair and tied it into a pony tail.
“You didn’t need to do that. I would have been fine. Thank you,” Nathan replied as he sank backwards into the couch cushions. He tugged a little at the copper bracelet on his right wrist.
““Need to” is a relative term. The hospital wanted you checked in on for the next day or so. Beyond that, I wanted to,” she said as she smiled softly and sat in the adjacent easy chair. “Besides, I can’t go off disobeying an officer of the law.”
Nathan looked up genuinely puzzled.
“Officer O’Malley said” she replied with a quickly deepening tone, “Take care of him Miss Cooper, he’s all yours now.” She smirked a little and then returned to her own voice. “There only so many laws I am willing to bend or otherwise break. When it comes to you I figured that was a good one to obey.”
Nathan smiled warmly at the words “take care of”. It had been a while since anyone had done that for him. He took care of his father while he was sick along with tending to his own needs. And then there was the slight act of kindness that he would do daily for Cici. That effort was now no longer needed. The thought of that sadden him some as he played more with the bracelet.
Lisa sat quietly after her playful but leading comments. It was times like this she resented saying them. She was always reaching and extending, trying to see if he had any interest beyond “just friends” but he was always indifferent and non-committal. It would bother her sometimes more than others. Like on the evenings when they would spend time on the couch watching a movie and he’d nod off. She would move sometimes to get more comfortable or reach for a remote to turn the TV off and that would wake him up. She would tell him to just stay on the couch and she would try to sit there with him and hold him slightly and playfully but he would invariably leave politely. There were many nights where she would get up near the point when he would first start nodding off to get a bathroom visit out of the way so as to not have to hold it all night because she wanted him to stay. She was reaching the point where the one way effort wasn’t enough anymore. She hated feeling that way. She wanted more.
“That bracelet won’t come off, you know?” Lisa said, pulling herself out of her thoughts. Nathan looked up as Lisa continued. “The nurse couldn’t get it off your wrist. It wouldn’t even turn. I tried myself while you were sleeping.”
Nathan tugged at it lightly and it slipped right off into his left hand effortlessly. He examined it with both hands and then extended it towards Lisa. She reached out to take it but before she could fully grasp it she shouted in pain and released it.
“OW! It’s red hot,” she exclaimed, putting her fingertips into her mouth and then blowing on them, dropping the bracelet to the floor.
Nathan jerked in a reflex action and picked it up immediately and Lisa stood up and walked into the kitchen to turn on the cold water tap. He put it back on his right wrist and got up. “Are you OK?” he asked as his head was a little fuzzy.
“I’m fine,” Lisa responded running her fingers under the cold water.
“I don’t understand that reaction. Are you sure it was heat and not something in the metal that your skin responded to?”
Lisa pulled her fingers out from under the tap water and held them up. The heat blisters were clearly visible. Nathan looked at his own wrist which was otherwise unaffected.
“I’m sorry,” he replied as he made his way over to the kitchen moving his hand from table to chair as he moved, steadying himself as he walked along.
“It’s okay, it’s not like you knew it would burn me. Still, why isn’t it burning you?” Lisa asked looking down on it with her greenish blue eyes.
“I don’t know,” Nathan said as he touched it with his left hand. “This is going to sound crazy but sometimes it feels cool to the touch on my wrist but warm to the touch with my left hand.”
Inquisitively, Lisa slowly reached over with her other hand while her other one remained under the tap. Nathan pulled his arm away in almost a protective move but it was more to keep Lisa from getting burned again than to keep from being touched.
“It’s okay,” she replied gesturing forward. “I’ll go lightly with a slight touch.”
Nathan extended his arm and she slowly moved to touch it with the lightest contact she could manage. This time the metal only felt warm so she laid her fingertips with more pressure.
“It’s only warm,” she responded. “The nurse and I were not burned before when touching it.”
“But you were just before, once I basically broke contact with it.”
Lisa nodded her head.
Both of them looked at one another puzzled.
Nathan took the bracelet off and set it on the counter while Lisa dried off her hands. He reached down with just his pointer finger extended and touched it. It was cool to the touch. Lisa wrapped the wet paper towel around her fingers and touched it and immediately jerked her hand back.
“Are you OK?” Nathan asked.
“I’m fine. The wet paper towel and the light touch kept me safe but it was clearly hot.”
Nathan scooped up the bracelet and looked at the counter. No sign of heat wear on the surface of the counter top.
He walked over to the area near the stove in the kitchen and set the bracelet down and started to head over to the freezer when Lisa called out. “Nathan, stop!” she responded excitedly while pointing to the bracelet.
Nathan stopped in his tracks and turned.
“It moved slightly,” Lisa said in an astonished tone. “I swear. Step away slowly but face it so you can see.”
Nathan took two small steps backwards and away from the bracelet and it did move forward slightly.
The story continues…
April 6, 2015
Another Sunset – Amazon Best Seller Rankings – other all time highs fall
A little earlier this evening (well, I guess yesterday now that it’s after midnight) I posted “Another Sunset – Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,907 Paid in Kindle Store – That’s an all-time high” and since then I’ve had records fall in other categories.
Clearly I’ve had a good sales day and as I commented in that other post “I know a lot of people will say “don’t pay too much to the ranking” but to be honest it’s about all I have other than sales and I have no idea how I should gauge sales.”
Having said that, when I can look at my position versus all the other books on Amazon I can justify feeling pretty good about my ranking.
Another Sunset – Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,907 Paid in Kindle Store – That’s an all time high
Since the print release of Another Sunset in November of 2014 and the Kindle version in December I’ve been all over the place in the elusive Amazon rank.
I know a lot of people will say “don’t pay too much to the ranking” but to be honest it’s about all I have other than sales and I have no idea how I should gauge sales.
I’ve sold 191 books since November 24th when the print books released; that was 133 days ago.
Is 191 books sold (actual cash received for them) a lot for 133 days in release or not for a first time work of fiction?
I have no idea. But I CAN get an idea that I am #26,907 Paid in Kindle Store (at least for today) versus about a million other books.
So in general, I am excited and I wanted to share. I celebrate many peer victories like this; I expect they will join me as I do my happy dance today.
The Tainted Dress by @jmshorney #RRBC #bookboost #booktours
Originally posted on Tea Talks: Home of Helen Treharne, Writer and Reviewer:
I am delighted to be joined today by Jean Shorney. I’m so glad to be part of her book tour to promote her third Aidan McRaney book, Progeny of a Killer. Jean has written a short story especially for us. I’m sure we all want to know if she is actually the female of the piece . Mmmmmmm….
TRUE STORY
The Tainted Dress
I was seventeen when I first met George Kravitz. Of Hungarian descent, there was something of the gypsy about George. Maybe it was reflected in his irresistible brown eyes, long black curls and brooding features. I happened to be with my mother at our initial encounter. He was idling around with some friends. In the presence of my mother, the most George and I exchanged were surreptitious glances. I discovered from a friend, Angela, whom he used to date that he lived with…
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April 5, 2015
March recap on my “I, Hero – The Beginning” progress
So the month of March brought about a new project that I was planning to do at some point in 2015 – “I, Hero”.
I had only made tentative plans for it per my prior blog post but despite that, the story seemed to take on a life of its own and just want “out” so I didn’t resist it. March came and went and I am half done with it. It would now appear that I will likely have it with the editor in the beginning of May and possibly have it Kindle ready for June.
I also have three excerpts available (below) and I will try to get up to three more available really soon.
“I, Hero – The Beginning” – Excerpt I http://bit.ly/1MKrwsF
“I, Hero – The Beginning” – Excerpt II http://bit.ly/1CCp4Sl
“I, Hero – The Beginning” – Excerpt III http://bit.ly/1HlZEYo
Additionally – I have two concept covers up; the second one has the “lead” on “LIKES” but I am going to give it a couple more weeks before I make a decision:
The SECOND COVER PREVIEW for “I, Hero – The Beginning” has the lead
https://gunderstone.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/the-second-cover-preview-for-i-hero-the-beginning-has-the-lead/
I’m always looking for your thoughts and feedback so feel free to drop me a note.
