Barbara G. Tarn's Blog, page 147
August 25, 2013
Surprise Sunday
and no, it’s not writers on writing or words of wisdom or any other improvised post. If I stick to the calendar of this reality, I turn 48 today. Since I’m preparing a list of 50 things for my half-century, I thought I’d give a preview of 5, just to celebrate my own wisdom. Hey, it’s my blog and my birthday, so I post what I want! 
Here’s Barb’s wisdom for your soul/heart/mind! 
5 things I know at this point in my life (that I didn’t know before)
You don’t have to give in to peers pressure. Seriously. Nobody should force you to get married, get pregnant, have sex, do things that you don’t feel like doing but you think you must do because everybody else says so. What if everybody else jumps off the cliff? Will you follow? That’s what I thought! Don’t be a lemming!
Be yourself. And remember – you’re great!
If you don’t love yourself, nobody else will. Be your own fan. Don’t forget to tell yourself how great you are. If you don’t, nobody else will.
Don’t try to fit in at all costs – who is trying to fit in with you? Nobody? Exactly. It’s okay to be different.
Happiness is… little things, really. Get rid of that envy, fear and hatred – it can only hinder you.
Click to view slideshow.
August 23, 2013
Random Friday
So, I’ve finished the Tales from the Time Loop – I must say his views have evolved since 2002, when I first “discovered” David Icke, it’s now much more than a “conspiracy theory” – and I suggest reading this book to everyone. Here’s to a world without borders and filled with love.By Facebook serendipity I even found this picture!
And just for you, here are a few gems for David Icke’s book – again, recommended reading for everyone. And it’s not fiction.
We are what we think we are and we can do what we believe we can do.
We are not our bodies. We are not our brains. We are not our minds. We are not even our thoughts. We are the silence, the stillness between them.
Our limitations are only our sense of limitation. Free the mind of fear, doubt and the sense of limitation.
Live, love, laugh and be happy.
Don’t worry, be happy. It’s okay to be different. Let go of your beliefs and prejudices, be open minded, and everything will be all right! Stop spreading hatred and fear. Stop thinking you need violence to have something. Stop living in fear of people who are “different” – or stop coming to this blog, okay? 
And then, if you’re a man, and a father, and you have a son, see if you can tell this to your boy when the time comes. And if you’re a woman, and a mother, don’t tell your son whose hormones are going crazy that “girls are all sluts” – they’re not. See if you can find a way to phrase the father’s speech from your female POV. Boys will be boys, but sometimes it’s also their mother who gives the wrong message – and then that’s why we might still need feminism. And sometimes women are their own worst enemy.
To a lighter reading subject, if you’re open minded like suggested above, you might enjoy this love story with a touch of sex. I’m not doing a real review, but since I liked it, I thought I’d spread the word. Open your heart and your mind and enjoy the ride! And if you prefer fairy tales revisited with humor, you might want to try “Grønthildå and the Bream Stock“. It’s short and funny!
Now, I don’t know what so special about 1337, but apparently WordPress decided to give me a trophy for that number of “likes”. As if “likes” sold books. They don’t. By the way, did you see the subliminal messages in the previous post? Not very subtle, I know. I had considered writing it in white, but then not even the subconscious would have picked it, LOL! Did it work? Nah. It was just for fun.
I’m done with Caran d’Ache drawings for this year, so I’m starting on S.K.Y.B.A.N.D. #13 – well, I’m doing the last covers first, and then I will start the new chapter. If you’d like to see what I’ve done in the pencils department, go to the DeviantART gallery. For a graphic novel preview, you’ll have to check back in a while – hopefully by September I’ll at least upload all the covers, even if I have still 3 chapters to draw!
Also, I’ve decided to use Cristina’s artworks for the Amazon compendiums, so I did a couple of new covers myself – and you won’t see hers until next year. I still have a few stories to write, and then I can put them into 4 volumes with Cristina’s covers. Since she’s behind with her work, I don’t think she will mind! And I’ve already used one image from the Getty Museum link as reference, you can see the “flat” version on DA – more on that when I actually publish the book (which will be in September, so not a really long wait)!
Now back to work… Next week is off DayJob, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet. Maybe just improvising! Have a great weekend!
August 21, 2013
Writer Wednesday
Okay, first the writerly news! Mind Control, the first two snippets, is out. Read about Ker-ris’s wedding and subsequent mind control by his beloved wife. Might entice you to buy Technological Angel, if you haven’t already! buy the book, now!
Star Minds Snippets – Mind Control out now on Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, Barnes&Noble and Apple US - buy the book, now!
Technological Angel out now on Smashwords, Kindle, B&N, Kobo, DriveThruFiction and XinXii. buy the book, now!
Star Minds omnibus – all three books in a single edition on DriveThruFiction, Smashwords, (all e-book formats) Barnes&Noble, Kobo (e-pub) Kindle (mobi) and POD (printed book) at Createspace. buy the book, now!
For your covers, more free art: Getty Museum’s Open Content project. I’ve been checking images for my historical novel (not that I’m any close to publishing it, but I stumbled on “costumes” on DeviantART and they made me think about it), and maybe a 12th century manuscript image on the cover will be the best solution – if I find one I like, that is. Or I can check Art Nouveau and early 20th century photos for inspiration. Or… well, you get the point. More at the bottom of the useful links for writers page.
Mighty Jo has gathered a number of title generators for your stories – just in case you really can’t come up with something. Like she said, it might just help finding the right title even if you don’t use what’s generated there. I might try to play with that sometime – since I’m not happy with the next Amazon story title, I’ve played with a couple of those. And yes, I’ve found new titles, albeit not for current stories, LOL!
Finally someone who says tell, don’t show! So, go ahead and tell your story, like I’ve been doing for 30+ years! Since the link in the newsletter doesn’t work, please check Writing World‘s latest – Victoria Grossak’s article on “Tell, Don’t Show”. It’s not on the website yet, it’s issue 13:16 of August 15. Dunno why it’s not “live” yet… maybe it will be, by the time this goes live! Worthy is also Moira Allen’s article on Lists…
Advice from the dear departed: Elmore Leonard – I probably already posted this years ago, but worth repeating. Personally, I follow only #9 and 10 and totally ignore the rest… Again, this is only if you need rules!
Kris Rusch gives us the biggest news of the summer. Yup, the Big 6 are going the way of the dodo. Writer, start rethinking your strategy! You don’t need anyone’s validation – except your readers’. And they will find you, if you keep writing and publishing. If you keep everything in a drawer, hoping to find validation somewhere else, well, that’s where your writing is going to stay for the rest of its lifetime!
And if you need help in taking criticism, again David Farland’s wisdom might do for you. Follow your heart and don’t take anything personally. If someone didn’t like your story, one’s not your reader and you’re better off without that one. Don’t wonder if you should write for the market (publishers) or for yourself. Write what you believe in, and then put it out there – your readers will find you.
I write because I like to imagine and make up stuff. Thank God I grew up before the internet, before writing schools and all that stuff. I never felt the need for rules – I didn’t even know there were some for creative writing! In David Icke’s words
Only you know if it feels right to you or not, you don’t need some guy with a fancy title and letters after his name to tell you what to think. What does your heart say? That’s all that matters.
Don’t let anyone tell you how and what to write. You know what to write and how. Don’t let anyone do the thinking for you – own your brain, if you still think you have one! Have a great week!
August 18, 2013
August 16, 2013
Random Friday
Veeery random. First, I’m falling behind with Choices because I’m getting lost in “research” – nothing new for me, but I’ve found a free PDF that expounds on theories I’m already familiar with. Unfortunately it looks like a scanned version of a printed book, and the software often doesn’t understand what is written, so some passages are unreadable. Add to this the calibre conversion (I’m reading on my Kindle) that flipped and turned upside down all the images, further mixing the content… maybe one day I’ll pay to read the actual books! But at this time… I don’t have time, so I’ll get what I can from this.
I have my own (fake) conspiracy theory (I write FICTION and wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m trying to tell the truth or reveal secret truths) at the base of Star Minds, but it’s a mix of David Icke, Jeff Rense and Corrado Malanga (link in Italian) plus other things I’ve found on the internet through Chrystalinks or other google searches. It all started in 2002 with the first 3, but I guess now I’ve made up my own “reality” – throwing in some Nikola Tesla while I was at it. Conspiracy theories, alien abductions and domsday prophecies/apocalypse always made me curious.
But I still write FICTION (did I mention I write fiction?), so I like to make up stuff, mixing various theories and trying to supply the science that totally lacks from my fantasy! I rarely write stuff happening on Earth these days for that reason – I don’t understand this planet, and I’m not looking for the truth behind it, I only want to create my own worlds. I enjoy being a creative goddess! Yeah, sometimes my ego is as big as that. Then I get a reality check with my lack of sales and wonder if I should stop writing.
Don’t worry, I won’t. Even if I never find my readers, I’ll keep writing and publishing (new story out, but I’ll announce it next Wednesday, when it’s live everywhere) and making up stuff. But since I’m still in this dimension (3rd dimension or five-senses reality, whatever you want to call it), sometimes I might write a story about my views of reality, people and… choices. And I find inspiration also in the sometimes appalling comments of people who think The Onion is a real newspaper (like #8…) or The Onion articles themselves… I should watch that newspaper more closely, LOL!
Last weekend I did another drawing – and it’s a composite. Here you can see the two separate sheets, and on DeviantART the final drawing. I have 2 more Keanu drawings to do and then this year I’ll have done 12 and 12, so I can do the calendars with brand new drawings instead of recycling like I did last year for Keanu’s calendar!
So whenever I’m done I’ll head back to Lulu for another couple of calendars. In the meantime let’s hope the heat goes down a little, or I won’t be able to produce much! Yesterday was national holiday in Italy, and I didn’t do much – mostly lay on my bed, thinking stories I’ll never write or reading the aforementioned book or other research articles. Today I hope to finish Choices so during the weekend I can give it a final pass and send it to the editor.
Tonight I might also drag my ass to the Isola Tiberina – if I’m not too tired or hot – not really for the movies shown (I don’t care watching Django Unchained dubbed on an open air screen) but because there’s some Bollywood dancing going on – apparently to celebrate India independence (how sweet, Ambili! ). But again, not sure I’ll be able to drag my ass there. If I do, I’ll let you know!
Since it’s random Friday and yesterday I was in total procrastination mode, I even made a new wallpaper for Laptop (the “old” one has passed from on PC to the other since 2001, when I “doubled” the pic). So if you’d like to identify everybody… no, you don’t win anything, sorry! Just have fun!
Now, I can’t even find tags for this post, since I don’t want to drive people here for the wrong reasons… Maybe I should have taken a blog hiatus this summer… sigh! Have a great weekend!
August 14, 2013
Writer Wednesday
So, another week is gone! Chori chori, chupke chupke the long hot summer should get cooler soon (wishful thinking!)…
Regular visitors are down, but spammers don’t go on vacation, obviously! Get a life, guys!
5 hours later there were 14 more. Now, probably there’s no real human being behind those, but still… creepy nanobots, stay away from my blog!
I sure hope it gets cooler when I have my week off (last of August), so I can move around Italy a little, LOL! If it’s still this hot I’m not going anywhere, though. I might work on more POD books for a September release… or order new covers for an October release…
I’ve done a couple of covers myself, so hopefully soon you’ll get to see those masterpieces. This month I hope to publish the two promised Star Minds Snippets and Choices. In September, I will publish Amazon Sisters and a short story by B.G. Hope (that’s the cover I did on Sunday). So 3 covers by me and one by Cristina Fabris.
This must have been the week of animated blog posts. Here’s one for writers… and one for people like me, a.k.a. introverts!
A few more writerly links for you… The latest version of Killing the Top Ten Sacred Cows of Publishing by Dean Wesley Smith! Myth #1 – there’s only one right way to do anything in publishing (hint: not!). Myth #2 – writing fast is bad. Now, I’ve slowed down a little, but this doesn’t mean I’m taking years to write new stories. Yes, I’ve learned to brainstorm with myself more, but I’m still much of an improviser. And no, I don’t suffer of writer’s block. But you might still want to follow David Farland’s advice on that. I’ll stick to writing fast and furious and have fun and be happy with it!
Then you have to figure out what your markers are. I have never thought about mine – except writing and publishing whatever comes to mind and finding my readers – but I’ve added “selling your first short story to a traditional market” – although more than a mark, it’s an experiment. I have 3 months to carry it out, 2 places where I want to submit, and if they reject me, I’ll indie publish it anyway. I’m not wasting another hour trying to format my short stories to standard manuscript format – with rules dating from the time of typewriters, when younger editors these days have never seen one! Traditional publishing is really a dinosaur! 
Now I better go back to writing – and formatting the next title… stay tuned! Have a great week!
August 11, 2013
Sunday Surprise
Since this week we had a Thursday post, I thought I’d skip Friday and do an extra Sunday, to space out posts… and it’s Bollysunday! Or better – DugguSunday!
Starting with Krrish3 trailer
English subtitles would have been appreciated… anyhow, I’ll hopefully be in London for Diwali, so I might be able to catch this on the big screen! BTW, will anyone kill off Rohit, since that fake aging is awful? I mean, Guddu, really, we know your son is awesome, no need to double-bill him like that! Play the father, like you did at the beginning of Koy Mil Gaya, wear a wig if it makes you feel better, but forget the make-up artist and fake aging – waste of time and money!
I don’t mind when Wonderboy Krishna is out doing his superman thing, I mean, I wouldn’t mind if Krishna was cloned – just get rid of Rohit! If you want Duggu to play two parts, split Krishna into the Good and the Bad, you know? Like in that Matrix Reloaded (fantasy) script where there were two “Neo” (look for Gregory’s description) and not hundreds of Agent Smith (who wants copies of Hugo Weaving anyway? LOL!)! You won’t need to hire somebody else to do the baddie… And I won’t sue you if you use this idea in Krrish 4, promise (although if you give me a shot at writing the screenplay, I’ll be grateful)!
Okay, enough drooling. I also ordered Guzaarish on Amazon, and finally managed to watch it. Euthanasia is also forbidden in Italy, since we’re a catholic country, so it was interesting to see India’s version. Ungroomed Hrithik was great and in spite of the wheelchair, he manages to dance in dream sequences and flashbacks, so I’m happy! Ash is Ash is Ash, so I won’t comment on that (not interested in women anyway, LOL!). It’s not among my favorites, but it’s not among the unbelievable-plot ones either! As an onscreen couple, I still think Dhoom2 is king, followed by Jodhaa Akbar, but that’s just me!
I might end this with a slightly different topic – not! Aryan Khan has grown up since K3G… let’s hope his dad steps back soon like Rakesh did (but I very much doubt it, LOL! SRK had an arrested development, he still behaves like 20 years ago – with a grownup son by his side!)! Looking good, Aryan!
Dear Karan Johan, can we have a sequel with the same cast? Ten years later… I’m sure you can come up with something, Karan, come on!
That’s all for now – have a great Sunday and let’s hope this heat goes away ASAP! *sweating Barb*
August 8, 2013
Guest post
“ Let a real life dominant tell you an electrifying story of dominance & submission.”
Thank you for having me as your guest, Barb. I’m really excited to be here today to share In Blue Poppy Fields Parts 1&2 with you and your readers. But first a little bit of housekeeping: everything in this blog post is intended for adult readers only. If anybody younger than eighteen stumbled upon the article by chance – please don’t read further.
For the rest of us, let’s go ahead.
In Blue Poppy Fields: This irresistible gay erotic paranormal fantasy belongs to Guardian Demon Series that will hold you prisoner to unforgettable stories of life, love and lust set amid a fascinating fantasy world. That’s what you can read in the books’ description. But… where will I really take you?
Taste it:
The dance was both heaven and hell. Promising pleasure and denying the immediate satiation of lust. Giving a little that was never enough. Again and again they stamped, again and again they swirled around, again and again their palms and orbs met in need, again and again their fingers avid for pleasure groped and stroked firm flesh. Until he almost couldn’t bear the fever of this night longer.
And then, just in his mind, he heard a husky and rich, though slightly breathless: “Choose two of them.” Hunt and Trickery and Blood. Now. Craving pulsed in his every nerve when his eyes roved over the circle. A young red-haired stud with bare chest caught his attention. And then a youth with long golden locks. Their color in the light of fires was like molten gold, and his slender body promised cat-like litheness.
Dancing closer to the one whose mane was on fire like the sky at sunset, he saw in the corner of his eye Belial approaching the other one. Their hands reached out almost at the same moment and dragged the prey onto the dance floor. And the crowd roared its throat hoarse in shrieks and whoops. The nobility chose their mates for tonight. In the night of Bain all were equal. And all was possible under the sky where the full moon was making love to midnight clouds veiling it in tender embraces.
The two young ones Adhemar had chosen were enraptured, enamored, aroused, and excited. Life radiated from them in strong, desirous waves. They were breathing, dancing, and longing. And their very desire was bringing them closer and closer to their deaths. They knew nothing of their fate. With young passion, they wanted to give themselves to the bewitching strangers. For tonight. He read it in their minds. In those impetuous heads that wouldn’t throb with hangover tomorrow.
Tomorrow their lifeless eyes would stare into the morning light. But they didn’t know and kept dancing closer and closer to their demise. Several times the four of them changed their partners in the dance of death. Reapers and harvests. Palms and eyes and short breath. Heads spinning and chests heaving with need. Loins heavy with want. Legs quivering with effort. Midnight shadows and fire reflections all around. Violins, bagpipes, and flutes raging in a wild crescendo.
***
As you sit there reading this, I know that you’re craving to embark on a journey to a marvelous place where you can let your soul soar and experience life, love and lust in their naked, raw form.Well, you can put that desire to sleep for now… but wouldn’t you really rather take my hand and make a leap into a story that will overwhelm all your senses?
I must warn you though, our world is not for the fainthearted. First fear grabs you in its ironclad fist. You can barely breathe. It hurts as you pull your inhales in and push your exhales out. Your wide-open eyes smart, you writhe in physical agony as you feel every sensation together with my men. You’re dying to avoid the pain… but you’re not a coward. Your pride kicks in and helps you through the bleakest hours, through the moments when all hope seems to be lost. Then relief floods you as you narrowly escape death. Exhilaration fills your every nerve as tremors of adrenaline rush rake your body from head to toes. In this very second you love life more than anything. You clutch it, you cling to it, so that nobody can pry it away from you. You want to live… and you feel it in your guts, in your chest, in your throat. You smell it in the autumn mist, you taste it in deep and hungry kisses, you hear it in your own heartbeat, you see it in the desire-filled eyes of your companion. You feel it under your fingertips as you touch his body. And you shudder with the need as you realize what his look demands. No, you are no longer reading the tale, you are living it. Passionately.
Would you like it?
Have you answered my question?
I truly hope you have. But if you’re scared by dominance & submission, stop reading here. These books aren’t for you. Otherwise – let me take you on a mesmerizing ride you will never forget:
A victim to another man’s cruelty, talented and beautiful theater actor Adhemar Lebeau learned not to trust and not to love anybody but himself. Falsely accused of his master’s murder, he has to accept assistance of mysterious Count Sanyi Arany to later discover his savior is a vampire. Forced both by a fatal illness and aftershocks of torture experienced during his unjust imprisonment, Adhemar agrees to the only possible cure. Rebirth.Healed in body but not in mind, he guards his independence, free will and heart. He is not able to give love, only the fulfillment of lust. Yet, satiation of sensuous longing is not enough for his Sire and he knows it. When an eerie malady strikes and seems to deplete Sanyi’s life energy for unknown reasons, Adhemar understands his fears and agrees to keep a street boy, Reyach, as a pet for both of them in hope it will soothe the unspoken worries.
Out of necessity he finds himself in the role of the only hunter in their company, and out of attachment he accepts the responsibility readily. Indulgence in blood and carnal pleasures fill his nights and vampiric powers give him the feeling of safety. Until the evening when he carelessly falls prey to High Demon Belial’s plays that quickly turn into more than either of them has bargained for.
In spite of a hard start, Adhemar feels burning urge deep in his heart and no matter how much he denies it, the cause of the strange sensation is a budding seed of affection brought to life by the insufferable demon. But letting Adhemar learn to love somebody other than him is not what seemingly innocent Reyach plans.
Own both books now. For less than the price of a movie ticket you will gain hours of excitement and reading pleasure. And the more you’ll read, the more you’ll crave. Do you need a proof?
From editorial reviews: “Another really imaginative and brilliantly written book. …I can’t wait to read more and see where Ciaran takes us next. Really looking forward to the next one.” Booksessed Bec, #39 top reviewer on Goodreads
Earlier on I asked you the question: “Wouldn’t you really rather take my hand and make a leap into a story that will overwhelm all your senses?” Since you’re still here with me, reading this, I’m going to assume you answered: “Yes.” Well, now that I’ve shown you what a ride packed with emotions I’ll treat you to – it’s time for you to act on this. See you soon – In Blue Poppy Fields.
Buy links:
Part 1 on Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/Poppy-Fields-Guardian-Demon-ebook/dp/B00BX0PTPM/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1
Part 2 on Amazon USA: http://www.amazon.com/Poppy-Fields-Guardian-Demon-ebook/dp/B00DINDE9U/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1
Part 1 on Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poppy-Fields-Guardian-Demon-ebook/dp/B00BX0PTPM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1374253237&sr=8-4&keywords=ciaran+dwynvil
Part 2 on Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poppy-Fields-Guardian-Demon-ebook/dp/B00DINDE9U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1374253237&sr=8-3&keywords=ciaran+dwynvil
Still lingering here? Not completely sure if the Guardian Demon series is the right companion for your reading pleasure? Well, you can dip a toe in our world for free. In the prequel to Guardian Demon books: Throne for the Idol, which has earned Compulsion Reads coveted endorsement.“The Compulsion Reads endorsement is all about discovering and highlighting the best indie books on the market and the talented authors behind them,” says Leslie Ramey, co-owner of Compulsion Reads. “When a reader sees the CR seal on a book’s cover, they know that they’re in for a good read. Throne for the Idol meets this standard, and Ciaran Dwynvil is definitely an author to keep an eye on.”
This tale will carry you to the monastery in Lindisfarena to witness dark, forbidden love between Brother Rikard and High Demon Semiazas, the First of the Fallen.
How can you lay your hands on this book? Sign up to my newsletter here: http://wordpress.us6.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=9dabb45c4503d00d58299e0f5&id=25f613cd4a
And I will send you a coupon for a free download.
It isn’t all: if you sign-up now, you’ll be entered in a draw in the current giveaway I’m having for my newsletter subscribers. And because most of them have all the Guardian Demon books that have been published so far, this time I’m giving away three of my personal favorite gay fiction books:
Liquid Glass by Zathyn Priest: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/170524
Blake Takes Some Heat by Thianna D: http://www.amazon.com/Blake-Takes-Dusty-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0088GT98C/ref=sr_1_11?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1374254775&sr=1-11&keywords=thianna+d
Afflicted by Brandon Shire: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/223266
I’ll do the draw for this giveaway on the 10th of August and everybody who’s on my e-mail list on that day will have a chance to get one of these books, so hurry up and subscribe now not to miss it. I’ll contact the winners privately by e-mail and will share their first names in the next issue of the newsletter too, so please make sure you enter your valid e-mail address and your first name in the sign-up form.
Thanks for staying here with me until now. I must have really grabbed your attention. *grins* If you’d like to keep in touch, the best way really is through the newsletter subscription. Just imagine that tomorrow there are no social platforms. How can you still get news from me? Well, provided that at least e-mails work, you have your answer – through the newsletter. And you can always reach me on ciarandwynvil@yahoo.com
I also talk about my writing, Guardian Demon Series world, D/s & S/M on my blog: http://ciarandwynvil.wordpress.com/ I would love it if you dropped by to say hello. True, I’m a dom. But quite a friendly one. I won’t bite you unless you absolutely want me to… aaand we better stop here before I get too carried away. *smirks* Thanks again for having me over today.
August 7, 2013
Writer Wednesday
I’ve been thinking, since I’m rambling so much about my writing this summer, that one of the questions I still get a lot from both writers and non-writers is “Where do you get your ideas from?”. Since I write mostly fantasy, it’s obvious I can’t really write what I know, and besides, I love making up stuff – always did.
Mostly I use “What if” on anything I hear/see/read. In fact soon I’ll publish a short story prompted by Stephen King’s “What if” (it’s in his On Writing book – more on this when the time comes). It will be a B.G.Hope short story, since it’s supposedly set in the real world, with some horror undertone (or it wouldn’t be a Stephen King prompt, right?). Then there’s the occasional light bulb, that either sparks a new story or adds something to a pre-existent tale.
Example: I was discussing the next commission with great Chinese artist Phoenixlu, and her suggestion sparkled my imagination. My first reaction was “no, no, this won’t work, since it happens later,” but then… “What if… it’s foreshadowing of what will happen?” – and off I went to add a scene in the related Snippet. Which also added to “The Rogue Years” which is supposed to happen during Technological Angel and it will lead to the same ending, but through other characters’ points of view.
Now, for the writing updates! I’m almost done with the Snippets. Took me longer than expected, but I decided to add a couple of things and then I had to change the other snippets accordingly. And the story of Mya’s years in the Galaxy Police keeps getting longer – I like team stories and it’s showing her progress through the Galaxy Police, from assault team member to team leader and eventually the commander who will meet our heroes. The snippets all together are going to be an episodic novel, companion to the series! Next week I’m sending off a couple to Mighty Editor Katy for an August publication, and the rest is for October. Just stay tuned!
Next I will go through Choices and edit it, so it will be ready for Mighty Editor Tricia and an upcoming publication, hopefully in a couple of weeks. I’ve also worked on a couple of older B.G. Hope’s titles, hiring an artist to redo a couple of covers. Please admire Awesome Shafali‘s work on my characters – hopefully the new covers will boost the sales!
It took me some time to update all the sites, and again I had the DRM problem on Kobo. I want all my books to be DRM-free, but on KWL if you upload a new doc or a new cover, it loses the metadata somehow and puts back on the DRM – that’s why I’ve been wary of updating files on Kobo. It didn’t do it on Ciaran&Harith, but it did on Johnny&Marian – which already had the problem. Last November they told me it was a bug they’d fix, but they obviously didn’t, so I had to contact KWL support again. I mean, on newer titles there’s no bug and they update, but the old ones that were stuck with DRM are still stuck. Still haven’t heard from them about the issue yet.
As for Kindle, at first it republished it with the old cover. Since I’d forgotten to update the interior with “cover art by…”, I resubmitted to KDP with new cover new interior. Then, since the old one kept popping up, I went to the KDP Community and found an answer to my question before I hit the KDP Help button:
If you go to ‘look inside’ as soon as you get the Amazon email about successful publishing, you will see that your new cover is there already.
It’s the thumbnail image that doesn’t update immediately, mine took about 3 days to replace the old one with the new one.
Aah. If only I had known sooner. Anyway, now all the new covers should be on. The only ones that went smoothly (except for me forgetting to update the actual ebook) were Smashwords and D2D (Apple and B&N). Nobody said being indy is easy, right?
Speaking of covers, a couple of links – Cliched Book Covers and Horrible Book Covers. Take your pick, LOL! If you have time to waste, you can check this readers survey – although it seems readers are only Kindle users from this. They’re not – and in fact a lot of people boycot Amazons, so… take with a grain of salt!
David Farland’s Light up the night and Kris Rusch’s Dreams and Bestsellers. Never wanted to be on any bestseller list, but I can understand how dreams are crushed by this brand new world of publishing. I sure hope all my writer friends wake up soon to the new reality and start producing and publishing their own works!
With all this writing and editing and whatnot, I didn’t have time to check more blogs or other links – only those I either saw on Facebook or on mailing lists or newsletters, so for more… next week. This should be an non-standard week of posting, so… just wait and see! Have a great week!
