Tonya Thomas's Blog, page 3

The First Draft is FINISHED!

I've felt guilty for listing that I write fantasy here and on every other web site where my work is represented. I do write it.  I just haven't had any published yet.  But I did finish the first novel in my planned trilogy.  Or at least I finished the first draft.  I even started on the second book, but know I shouldn't continue with that until I go back and do a rewrite on the first book.

The problem?  I still haven't quite figured out how to explain how some things happen on my world.  Where do they get their power from?  They're a rather backward society in some respects, but they also have (stolen) technology.  I don't think I've adequately addressed that problem.

I'm really excited about this story, and have been planning my cover (which is going to be complicated and I can't do it myself and I don't think my current cover designer is up to the task, either).

Now ... all I need is the time and a couple of fresh ideas.  Anybody got any to spare?[image error]

Picture perfect? Maybe not.

Do you know how hard it is to find stock photos of hoarders? That was my dilemma when I put together the cover for my latest story, The Hoarder's Daughter.  Oh sure, Google is full of them, as you can see here, but you can't just grab a photo from that site and use it.  Nope, for commercial use, you need to buy a stock photo.

I'm not sure the photo I ended up using will be a "forever" cover.  I needed something fast, this fit the bill and there you are.

I think the first time I saw the home of a hoarder was on the British show How Clean Is Your House.  At that time, I really knew nothing about hoarding.  I just thought the people showcased were just messy people, but I was wrong.  Since then, I've watched the TV show Hoarders, read about it on the Internet, and decided to write a story about it, as it really does fascinate me.

The saddest thing about hoarding is the reaction of the hoarder when a family members tries to intervene, and how that trash has become such important treasure to the hoarder, that they value it above the relationships they have. It's a sickness, not just a messy person.

I hope you'll give my story a try.  (Click here for purchasing info.)[image error]

Building an Audience

When I think of an audience, I think of an auditorium filled with people.  Um ... that's not how it works when you're trying to build an audience of readers.  Often, you have to find them one at a time.  That's not easy to do, especially in these days of being an Indie Author, where you have no powerhouse of a publisher behind you. (Although I know plenty of authors who will say their NY publishers did zippity-do-dah to get word of their books out there.)

The best way to find readers has always been through word of mouth.  But how does one do that?

Well, you have to find people who are willing to talk about the books and stories they read.

Are you a word-of-mouther?[image error]

Welcome to my Website!

Did you notice this went from a blog to a website?  Well, it did.  And all through the magic of getting a domain name.  Here we are at TonyaThomas.net!

Why did I choose a dot net instead of dot come?  Because at the time, someone else owned the dot com.  It's since come up for sale.  They want to auction it off at a starting price of over $400.

Dot net all the way, baby!  I paid for 10 years of dot net for less than $150.

Does it bother you when someone has a different ending to their website or is it all the same to you?[image error]

I'm back -- with new stories

I'll bet you didn't even notice I was away.  Well, I was -- I took a long, and leisurely vacation and on it I wrote my heart out--for nearly three weeks. I wrote two short stories, and I'm working on my long-delayed fantasy saga. It's too soon to talk about that, but not about the shorts:

All her life, Carrie Burton longed for the house of her dreams. When her new real estate agent assures her that the dream is a real possibility, Carrie and her family are ecstatic to move into what seems to them like a palatial mansion. But money is tight, and all their resources go to keeping up with the Joneses…and soon Carrie's life is one of constant conflict as her child runs wild and her marriage falls apart. There can only be one outcome.

You can find links on where to purchase it at my Backlist eBooks page.




After the death of her father, Dana Morrison noticed that her mother's house was becoming cluttered. First she saved grocery bags, then newspapers, and empty boxes. In no time flat, her house was filled with junk, junk, and more junk! Dana made the mistake of cleaning house, but that just made matters worse when her mother decided that her trash was more valuable to her than her daughter.

You can find information on where to purchase it at my Backlist eBooks page.


I hope you'll give my latest stories a try.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Have A Happy New Year!

Do you have any new year's resolutions?  I'm going to continue to watch what I eat.  This year I've lost a grand total of 22 pounds.  My goal is NOT to gain it back!  And I'm going to try to blog more often.

Have A Happy New Year!

Do you have any new year's resolutions?  I'm going to continue to watch what I eat.  This year I've lost a grand total of 22 pounds.  My goal is NOT to gain it back!  And I'm going to try to blog more often.

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas

It's ready and waiting for you!

Hey, today is Black Friday.  The perfect day to stay away from the all the chaos at the stores.  And what would make a great present for that lovely lady (or Mom or Aunt or Sister) in your life?  The print edition of THE EDGE AND I, which is now available!  You can buy it from:

Tonya's E Store

Amazon

Or order it from any bookstore (chain or independent).

I'm hoping that now that the book is in print that I'll finally get some reviews. (Hint, hint.)

If you have an e reader and would like a free copy to review, email me and I'll send you a coupon code for a free download from Smashwords.  Write me at tonyathomasauthor @ gmail.com  (don't forget to close up the spaces in that email address).