Kate Avery Ellison's Blog, page 19

Grand Opening: Sketcher Girl Studios!!!

GRAND OPENING!!!!Today is the day that Sketcher Girl Studios, LLC officially opens for business!
In celebration of this momentous event, Vic Caswell (owner/operator) is hosting a give-a-way.
Using the "Contact Us" form on the site, send her the secret word from the end of this post and you'll be entered to win.

Sketcher Girl Studios is a freelance illustration company with a focus on book cover design. Vic Caswell has produced the covers of Emily White's debut novel ELEMENTAL, as well as it's sequel FAE (release date not announced yet), and Kimberly Ann Miller's debut novel TRIANGLES (releasing June 2013).

SGStudios is passionate about books and getting them out there and into the hands of the readers who will love them.  Vic will read your book.  She will work with you to ensure that the design you end up with is something you love.  She doesn't use stock photography, so you are guaranteed an image that is original and she offers full legal usage of her cover images.  So, if you want to print it on swag, and sell that, the money goes straight to you.

Her prices are competitive- affordable for small press publishers as well as self-publishers.

She also provides other services- such as: tattoo design, logo design, header design, artistic prints, children's book illustration, and pretty much anything illustration that you can think up.

Stop by and drop the secret word: Mischief, for your chance to win one of these nifty prizes...

such as:   postcard sized prints of  her work titled PERCHED CREATURE, one of two copies of ELEMENTAL by Emily White, a ten dollar Amazon gift card, an original painting, and  free labor on a book cover (costs may be incurred for props/ models/ wardrobe) and more!

Links:
Sketcher Girl Studios
SGS on Facebook

Testimonials:
Vic Caswell is brilliant! Not only is she super easy to work with, but the things she comes up with are so amazing. She was able to take the half-coherent ideas I was kind of able to articulate and come up with exactly what I was thinking of. I loved working with her on both my books' covers and I can't wait to work with her again!- Emily White (author of ELEMENTAL from Spencer Hill Press)
"I'm loving my new logo!!! Victoria Caswell did a MARVELOUS job and was such a joy to work with. She made the process effortless and I swear she could read my mind. So, if you need some work done, please send it her way! You won't be sorry!" ♥ Nancy  Fennell (owner of Scents of Adventure)

Author Spotlight and Book Tour: Misty Gatlin

Today at the blog I'm interviewing Misty Gatlin, author of A Princess Broken, as part of her book tour!

1.  Welcome, Misty! Can you tell us a little about A Princess Broken? What’s it about? What kind of readers will enjoy it?

Sarah defines herself as many things: broken, damaged, addicted, and hopeless.  Hurt at an early age by someone dear to her, she retaliates by living a life filled with destruction.  Her past has finally caught up with her, and she's ready to call it quits.  Her story unfolds when she meets a compassionate stranger who helps her realize past decisions don’t define who she is, and what she thought was the end of her story is only the beginning.  A life-changing decision is placed in front of her, and she's forced to face it head on.  What will she choose, and where will that path lead her?

Although there is definitely a Christian undertone in this book, it’s not what one would consider “Christian Fiction.”  I wrote this book in such a way that the reader, whether he or she believes in God or not, doesn’t feel uncomfortable when such topics are brought out.  This book was written with everyone in mind, and it doesn’t push any specific belief on the reader.

2. Is this your first book? How long did it take you to write it?


This is my first fiction book and my first published book.  It’s funny how this book came to be.   I had never written fiction, but I had this idea stirring inside of me to write a fiction series on my blog, and A Princess Broken was it.

I believe I began writing in October and finished in early January.  Of course, I had to spend several more weeks writing after I received the first round of comments from my editor.  I think I ended up writing another 100 pages or so after that first round.  I think that’s when Sarah and Kate really developed into real, relatable, and memorable people.

3. It often takes me half the first draft to flesh out my characters, too. Sometimes you have to write it to find it! 

What do you think is the hardest part of writing? The easiest?

Let me start with the easiest thing about writing.  The easiest thing, for me, is just the fact that I absolutely love writing.  I love testing the boundaries on my writing.  My non-fiction writing is almost totally faith based, but it’s never pushy, and it’s truly different than most typical faith-based writing.  I talk about topics most people are afraid to talk about, and I did that very thing in this book.  Let’s face it, life is not all rainbows and butterflies, and I feel like that’s what most Christian writing tries to show.  So many movies and books depict Christians and Christian living as perfect or like it’s easier to overcome everyday obstacles when that’s just not reality.

Today, our teenagers and young adults are faced with drugs, sex, alcohol, death, abandonment, a need for relationships, and the list can go on.  It doesn’t matter what they believe, they are faced with difficult issues.  Some choose to go down a path that leads them to a place that isn’t pretty.  Too often, they feel like there’s no turning back, so they have no hope in getting out of a life they hate.

The easiest part of writing is knowing that I touch on topics others tiptoe around, and I use my writing to provide hope to those readers who may feel hopeless.  In this book, Sarah is at a point in her life where she doesn’t think it can get any better.  She can’t forgive herself for some of the things she’s done and doesn’t believe anyone could ever forgive or love her if they knew.   I hope this book speaks to someone who feels similar to what she does and realizes there’s more to life, and it’s never too late to turn around.

The most difficult thing about writing is making sure I keep it interesting for my readers.  I write what’s interesting to me, so I don’t know if others will find it as interesting as I do, and I try to keep that in mind.  When I write, I take myself to the place of the character so I can feel and see everything she feels and sees.  Then I write what it is I’m experiencing.  This book was difficult because of the intensity in some of the scenes.  I felt like I was experiencing them, and sometimes it took me a few days to recuperate before I could continue writing.

I’m currently writing A Warrior Wounded, which has a male as the main character.  My current readers are mostly female, and I want to broaden my audience with this book.  It’s much easier to get inside the head of a female because I know how they react for the most part in certain situations.  I’m nervous about being able to portray a male realistically.  That’s definitely difficult for me.

4. I recently read an article that said something along the lines of "Art has to show the shadows and the light, or it doesn't give a real picture of life." Sounds like you're committed to that idea, too. 

Now, Misty, tell me a little about yourself... What’s one fun or interesting fact about you that most people don’t know?  

Oh my!  I don’t know that there’s much fun or interesting about me.  I’m married to my high school sweetheart, and we’re probably two of the most boring people you could meet.  We’re both from a teeny little town that’s so small it doesn’t even have a known population (maybe 100 or so?)  Everyone knows everyone, and the whole town is like a close-knit family.  Somehow, though, my husband and I were dating for a while before I realized he lived less than a mile from me

5. That sounds so fun, though! I live in a big, impersonal city and sometimes I wish I lived in a small town where everybody knew everybody.

Do you have any other projects or books you’re working on right now?

I’m currently working on A Warrior Wounded, which follows Michael Johnson through his junior year of high school and on into college.  Like A Princess Broken, this book will have a few surprises that I believe will keep the reader turning the pages.

I’m always adding posts to my blog as well.  Many of my ideas come from things I’ve written in my blog or things I’ve experienced or witnessed in life.  I have several book ideas floating around, so I believe I’ll have many more projects to come.

6. Where can readers connect with you to learn more about A Princess Broken and your other projects?

I can be found on:
Twitter:  @mistygatlin
Facebook:  Misty Gatlin (Author)
Website:  MistyGatlin.com
Email: mistygatlin@ymail.com

A Princess Broken can be purchased on my website or through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  It is also available as an eBook for most eReaders.

Thanks so much for stopping by, Misty!


Below, you can view the book trailer:

Building Worlds Out of Nothing

I read these picture books as a little kid called Harold and the Purple Crayon. They told the story of a boy named Harold who drew worlds with his crayon--and they became true! He could draw things and then interact with them. I was always so captivated by the wonder and whimsy of that idea...

...And I realized one day that it's true for authors, too.
 

We build things out of nothing. We create whole worlds from thin air, from a whiff of a dream or a handful of memories or a single shimmering idea that won't let us go. And we can go anywhere with those ideas. When I'm writing a story, I can take those characters to China or the moon or a country in a cupboard. I can build any sized set piece I want or need for this story I'm telling. There are no limits except the ones in my own imagination.

Sometimes I forget how AWESOME that is, how open-ended and full of promise storytelling can be. As an author, I'm not limited by budget or actor schedules or locations. It's magical. It's amazing. I feel like Harold with his purple crayon and a blank canvas.

And readers build worlds in thin air, too. When you read a story, you take the script on the page and bring it to life in your mind. The characters, the setting...it can all be as grand as you can imagine.

Books are magic, and those who read and write them are wizards.

Wizard on, friends.

How Do You Define "Favorite?"

Here's a question I get asked all the time online (okay, mostly Goodreads). But still!

"What's your favorite book?"

Guys. This question is practically IMPOSSIBLE for me to answer. Distilling all the thousands of books I've read over the years into one or two favorites? How in the world do I choose? How do I decide what's my favorite?

Okay, I am a little indecisive. But it's not even about that. It's about the way I categorize books.


"Favorite" is a tough categorization. Basically, if I LOVE LOVE LOVE a book, then it falls into one of three categories in my head, which handily come down to ABC.

This first category encompasses many books that I'd label as favorites...

3. Cake Books

Cake is delicious and I love to eat it. In fact, when I get cake, I usually gobble it up right away. I stuff my face. I practically INHALE it. Cake books are the same. I probably stayed up late into the night reading each one. I probably giggled, gasped, or squealed at least once while reading them, and I've probably spent some time daydreaming about them since. There's no "literary requirement" here--a cake book can be serious or fun, deep and literary or light and fluffy. But either way, I was glued to the page, starving for more, unable to stop reading. And the experience of reading was delicious.

Examples of Cake Books:

The Hunger Games, Cross My Heart, Scarlett Fever, Legend, Divergent, etc.

2. Breathtaking Books

Breathtaking Books are the kind of books that opened up my mind, challenged me, or, well...took my breath away. Breathtaking Books are often classics, or Pulitzer Prize-winners, or literary tomes filled with poetic prose. I don't ever forget Breathtaking Books...in fact, I may find myself changed by them, remembering them often, or taking bits of them into my soul or my own writing.

Are these my favorite books?

I don't know. In a way, yes, as I adored them. But I don't always want to re-read a Breathtaking Book, even if I loved it, and sometimes I don't even recommend them to other people. There's something personal about them, something raw and honest and sometimes frightening. A lot of books in the Breathtaking Book category were hard to read, too...maybe they scared me, or challenged me, or exhausted me. They are experiences I'm glad I had, but I'm not sure if I want to relive them. They definitely spring to mind when people ask for favorites, but at the same time a part of me wonders if I'm being HONEST when I call them favorites. But they certainly deserve a mention all the same. I more than liked them, and I even more than loved them. I was touched by them, changed by them, challenged by them.

The Life of Pi was a Breathtaking Book for me. So were The Poisonwood Bible, The Blind Assassin, The Lovely Bones, Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, and The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

Of course, some books are both Breathtaking and Cake:


Teach Me, Delirium, and Pandemonium, for example. I read them furiously but also felt humbled and moved by the prose and the stories themselves in a way that will stick with me for a long time. The Fault in Our Stars was maybe a cake book, but it's hard for a book about cancer to be a cake book. But still.

But then there's a third category...

1. Amnesia Books

I call these books Amnesia Books because I love them so much and I found the experience of reading them for the first time so enjoyable that I wish I could take a pill that would give me selective amnesia so I could read them all over again and enjoy them "fresh," not knowing what will happen.

For example, anything by Megan Whalen Turner is definitely an Amnesia Book. A lot of beloved books of mine by Maria V Snyder, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, and Robin McKinley are as well.

I can't decide if Harry Potter is an Amnesia Book or not. MAYBE. Truthfully, there's so many books in the series, and the latter ones are so long and chock-full of stuff, that I easily forget half of what has happened in between readings and so I don't really need an amnesia pill. But you get the idea. :)

Of course, Cake Books are often Amnesia Books, although I've found that Breathtaking Books usually aren't. I'm usually glad I had the experience of reading a Breathtaking Book, but it's often a taxing one that I don't necessarily want to repeat. Sometimes, though... Every favorite book is different.

I am most likely to cite an Amnesia Book when someone asks for my favorite. But that isn't the whole story, because all these categories encompass my favorites, just in different ways.


Readers--do you have a particular way of categorizing your favorites, or do you simply have one category--favorites?

~Some ebook news~ THE CURSE GIRLTHE CURSE GIRL is current...

~Some ebook news~
THE CURSE GIRL
THE CURSE GIRL is currently on sale for just $0.99 at Amazon, and probably only will be that price for another few days. Get it while it's cheap!!! It's also being featured today on Kindle Books for a Buck, check it out!!
FROST
FROST is also being featured as indie pick of the week at The Cheap Reader.

I'm also in the middle of the first draft of THORNS. Hopefully I've have more news on that in a few weeks, maybe a cover to reveal...? :)

Shut Up and Read has just posted an interview with me, ch...

Shut Up and Read has just posted an interview with me, check it out! SU&R has been so sweet to me on Goodreads, inviting me to join their group and then hosting my book in their review program. It's been a joy to collaborate with them, and I enjoyed doing this interview. :-)

In other news...sorry for the radio silence lately, ya'll. I was on a bit of an emotional walkabout last week, plus I've been chipping away at the first draft of Thorns (and also working on the cover design, which is coming together NICELY). I've also been dealing with a muscle injury for the last few months, and April was kind of a "I'm in pain so I don't want to do anything, let alone write" kind of month. But thankfully physical therapy has been working and I seem to be getting better, finally.

Back to the grindstone it is. :-)

Hope everyone has having a good start to their month.

ELEMENTAL Release Day + Interview With Emily White!!

Emily WhiteHi guys! Today I am featuring my friend Emily White!! She's here to talk a bit about her brand-new release, ELEMENTAL, available today for purchase!!

I first met Emily here on Blogger, and her cheerfulness and friendly spirit immediately made me feel at ease. She reviewed my first book, The Curse Girl, and she hosted me on her blog for an interview. Later, we both became members of the same critique group. And now her debut novel is here!!!

So I asked her some questions about Elemental...

*clears throat, acts professional*

[image error] Here is the "scrawled" version of Emily.1.    Welcome, Emily! Tell us a little bit about Elemental. I’ve read the teaser description, but can you summarize the story in a few of your own words? What kind of readers will like this book?

Elemental is sci-fi (specifically, space opera) with big explosions, danger at every turn, war, a little bit of kissing, bad choices, and fairies. That's right. Fairies.

I think people who love sci-fi, or anyone who's looking for something a little different from most YA books coming out these days, will like Elemental.

2.    Sounds really unique! I love the idea of mixing fantasy and sci fi. In fact, I've been working on a "science fantasy" story myself, so this is really cool. And I love the title of the book, too! It’s very simple and yet very evocative and distinct. What was part of your thought process when choosing it?

Most of my thinking gets done in the shower (and during those times, that's when I usually put body wash in my hair instead of shampoo, but I digress! :P). This was no exception (to both points). I'd been struggling with renaming my book AND the MC. Both were just too complicated and not very memorable. Suddenly, I thought to myself, "Hey! What if everyone in the MC's family line has a name that starts with "El." (I'd already had at least one character from her family that had this). And that's when I came up with Ella. Well, it took only moments for me to then think, "Ella...is crazy...Ella mental. Elemental!!" It also worked perfectly because Ella is (obviously, since she can control an element) an elemental. So yay! There's the story, and you got to see a little deeper into my mind. It's a very scary place. ;)

3.    Tell me a little about the journey you had when writing Elemental—how long did it take you to write it? Did any of your original plans or ideas for the book drastically change in the course of drafting and revising the story?

It took about 2 years to have it all completed. It went through some MAJOR changes during those 2 years, though. I started off trying to write Adult Sci-fi in the Omniscient POV. It was going okay, but it was never more than "eh." Unfortunately, at the time I had no idea I was naturally suited to writing YA. I just didn't understand why I couldn't get the story to work.  Then I read my first YA and everything changed. I completely rewrote the story into first person and let Ella's voice really shine through.

[image error] 4.    I love that. The YA style really works for me, too, so I totally understand. Now, who is your favorite character in Elemental (excluding the main character)?

That is such a tough choice! It's either Meir or Cailen. Meir is so wonderful and selfless. He makes the ultimate father figure. But Cailen IS gorgeous (hehehehe!). Actually, there's a lot more to Cailen than that. He THINKS he's being helpful and selfless, so I sympathize with him. Also, he's gorgeous. :P

5.    Your good friend Vic (and my friend, too!) designed the beautiful cover. Can you tell us a little more about that?

Oh but of course! :) Back when I was going to self-publish this baby (before SHP approached me with an offer), I realized I knew three absolutely wonderful people who could help me with the cover! The first was Kelly of Glimpses of You Photography, the second was a family member who I knew would work perfectly as Ella, and the third was Miss Victoria (my brilliant artist friend)!  Kelly very graciously offered to do the photos of my family member  and once I had a few poses I liked, I sent the pictures over to Vic to come up with my beautiful cover!

 It was a pretty long process because I change my mind a LOT. But Vic was patient and eventually I said, "Hey! What about a nebula in the background??" Well, it may sound easy after that, but it's not! This very talented Miss Victoria took my abstract thinking and put all the lovely pieces together to make a perfectly seamless cover. And, AND! She created that beautiful font. She really is a genius.

6.    What a great story. It makes the cover that much more special when it's designed by a friend! I understand you’ve been working on the sequel, Fae. How is that coming along? Is this going to be a series or trilogy?

This will be a trilogy. Yay! Right now I'm working on revisions of Fae for my editor. They are going very well, but they are taking a LOT of time to do. I'm one of those annoying authors who writes very light for the first and second draft. So right now, I'm working on filling in the details, strengthening motivations and characterization, and basically getting this baby up to standard YA novel size.

7.    What is your favorite piece of writing advice?

Kill your darlings. I always think of that Seinfeld episode when the gang goes to their friends' house to see the baby. Well, the baby ain't so pretty and Kramer does his standard falling against the wall or onto the floor when he sees the ugly little thing. But the parents just couldn't see the hideousness these four friends very obviously detected.

I think that's very often true of writers. We get attached to our WIPs and actually see them as our babies. When a group of beta readers (or an editor) says, "Eek! Hideous! I don't like this one part at all. It doesn't flow with the rest of your story," we tend to get defensive and tell ourselves they're all wrong. Well, the thing is, they're probably right. We just can't see it because we're looking at our WIPs with rose colored glasses, marveling at the simple (or way too complex) beauty of our babies.

8.    Very true. What is your least-favorite part of writing a book?

Writing the first chapter. Out of everything, I feel like this is the part that should start out perfect. It's the foundation for the whole book! But boy does it change. A lot. And that frustrates me more than anything.

9.    Yeah...first chapters are tough. There's a lot of pressure in those initial pages! 

Tell me a bit about yourself...what is one interesting fact about you that most people wouldn’t know?

Hmmm...interesting...I am an AMAZING cook. 'tis true. I don't normally toot my own horn, but I do have to say, I know how to make delicious food. And I love cooking from scratch. I've even been known to make my own butter. :)

10.    Okay, now I'm hungry! :D

Can you tell us where we can find out more about you, and where we can go to order our copies of Elemental!

You can visit me at my blog, facebook,
fanpage, goodreads, twitter, and pinterest!

AND!

You can order Elemental at Amazon and B&N.

11.    Awesome! One final question. Do you have any other books in the works besides Elemental and its sequels?

I'm always working on other things. In fact, if anyone wants to see my other projects, they should check out my pinterest account. I have a several boards dedicated to the crazy ideas brewing in my mind. :)

Thanks, Katie!!!

Writing Is Hard

It's funny to me how I sometimes flat-out forget things sometimes.

Like the fact that writing is HARD.

I am currently working on what will be my fourth published book, and there's this part of me that thinks, subconsciously perhaps, that by now I should have it all together. By now I should be able to sit down, stick my fingers on the keyboard, and produce something perfect the first time I try.

Ha!

Such a thing is never gonna happen.

But still, when it inevitably doesn't, I end up getting discouraged.

So I read two posts recently that slapped me upside the head (in a good way). I think everybody, writers or not, should read them:

Embrace That You Are Doing Something Hard (Natalie Whipple)

My Lack of Pixie Dust (Amanda Hocking)


WRITING IS HARD.

Don't get me wrong--there are high points where the words flow like music and the glowing reviews pour in and I'm busy in that way that makes me feel energetic instead of tired. And then there are times when every sentence is lifeless and the characters just glare at me, tapping their feet and waiting for better dialogue, and I want to tear my hair out and the clock on the wall ticks too loud and there's so much blank SPACE...on the page and in my head.

At times this journey is thankless, exhausting, and emotionally draining. I often wonder if I'm nuts for pursuing this dream, especially given the fact that I have a mental disorder that makes the whole independent author thing feel completely impossible sometimes. But I keep doing it, feeling like a failure the whole while because "success" is about as easy as swimming through wet cement.

HELLO. Writing is hard. Finishing a novel, even a crappy one, is an accomplishment. Heck, writing a decent essay or short story is an accomplishment.

I think I need to give myself more freedom to struggle...and more freedom to not feel bad or lesser or incompetent because I'm struggling.

And this could be applied to any area of life, not just writing. If you are struggling, remember that life is hard. Good things worth doing rarely come easily. Difficulty doesn't make you a failure. If anything, you're proving that you have the strength and bravery to keep going in the face of struggle. And that's really awesome.

...or the zombicorns will eat you. Just kidding. Kind of.Don't give up!!

Writing Sequels: Guest Post and Giveaway with GP Ching!

Hi, everybody!

Today we welcome GP Ching, author of The Soulkeepers Series, as part of her blog tour for her newest release Return to Eden! Since Return to Eden is the third book in a series, and we talk about writing on this blog sometimes, I asked her about to chat a little about writing sequels.

Hi, Genevieve!

Thanks for hosting me today on The Southern Scrawl for today's Return to Eden blog tour stop and, Kate, for your question about writing sequels. I think many authors struggle with sequels. It sounds like a great idea. You build a world in book one and then the rest is downhill, right? Wrong! Writing book two and beyond is in many ways more difficult than book one

There are three areas I think authors struggle with the most:

1. How much backstory to include
2. Maintaining consistency
3. Where to break the story arc


Backstory

If you are an indie author and writing your series close together (publishing a new book ever 2-4 month for example) it's less important to include all of the backstory because your readers likely will remember the first books. However, even then, you will want to review plot strings or important character details that are important to the current work. Those publishing 6-12 months after the last release will want to pay particular attention to bringing the reader along who may have forgotten important information from book one.

Including a glossary at the front of the book that defines key words is a great way to start, as is working information into scenes and dialogue where characters reflect on what happened in the past as it relates to what is happening now. What writer's will want to avoid is pages and pages of flashbacks, blocks of prose, or telling that pulls the reader out of the narrative. Critique partners who have read the previous books will be valuable tools in finding the right balance.

Maintaining Consistency

Take notes and write a synopsis even if you hate them. I keep a notebook with details on character eye and hair color, traits, history, family, etc. My only caveat is that characters can and do change. In The Soulkeepers series, Malini changes significantly in book 2. I had to make sure that change followed her into book 3 and became even more pronounced because of her increased experience level.

As far as plot goes, it truly does help to sketch out the series before you start book one. However, even Rowling had some plot holes and inconsistencies sneak through into the HP books, so don't be too hard on yourself if you have to bend the rules of your world. Again, critique partners are invaluable for spotting inconsistencies that matter.

Where to break the story arc

You have it all in your head. Seven books, 60,000 words each. You know how the story goes. You know your characters. But you find yourself 80,000 words into book three. Are really writing part of book four?

Each book in your series must have a beginning, middle, and end. i.e. its own story arc. It is okay to have a cliffhanger but something about that man hanging off of that cliff must provide a satisfying ending for your readers.

A very high-level story arc of Weaving Destiny would look like this (beginning-middle-end):
Malini questions who she is and if her relationship with Jacob is fated. Malini finds her power and breaks up with Jacob when he kisses another girl because she takes it as a sign that they are not destined to be together. Malini and Jacob get back together not because of fate but because of choice.

However, Weaving Destiny has a cliffhanger. Dane is taken by Lucifer. Mara is taken by Death. While questions are left unanswered, those questions are not part of the primary story arc of Weaving Destiny. I think where authors alienate their readers is by ending a story in the middle of a primary story arc.

I hope this helps all of you contemplating your first series. Thank you for having me today and don't forget to enter to win this week!





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Guest posts and reviews

Hi guys!

Today I have a guest post up on Tiger Holland's blog, All-Consuming Media. You can check it out here!

Frost also has a new review over on Doodle's Book Blog.

Hope you're having a great Monday. The weather is absolute perfection here in Georgia today.


~Katie~