E.S. Moore's Blog, page 4

Social Media for the Introvert

Okay, wow. It has been a really long time since I've posted a blog here. Not only that, but I've pretty much vanished from Twitter and Facebook for all but a few quick appearances.

I didn't mean to. Really! But if that's true, then where the heck was I?

It's just who I am.

I never actually quit going to Twitter or Facebook, or even stopped visiting the site. I lurked, I read, and I kept my mouth shut. It's how I've always been. I never get involved in things if I don't have to. I never speak up unless someone makes me, and even then, I say as little as possible, as fast as possible. I don't like talking about myself or what I'm doing, even if it is something I really care about, to anyone that I don't know really well. I always feel embarrassed and worried that I'm being self-centered or something.

But I can't help it. I try hard to get involved, to put myself out there so people know who in the heck I am. I don't want to be that anonymous guy who writes those books over there. I'd much rather get to know readers, other authors, editors, bloggers, and anyone else involved in publishing. I don't want to go it alone.

Yet every time I try, I end up pulling back into myself. I'm not afraid people will laugh at me or mock me. People will and really, I don't care. I can't please everyone, and that's fine. I try not to offend people on purpose and if someone were to come here and bad mouth me or anyone else in a cruel manner, I'd simply block them without retaliation. I won't stand for that kind of stuff, but I'm not going to stoop to that level either.

So, what can I do?

For starters, I'm going to try harder to actually post something here every other week or so. Maybe I'll magically start writing something once a week, maybe even twice, but more than that is unlikely. It's going to be hard enough to find something to say twice a month, let alone once a day. Hopefully I'll get through this without my head exploding.

And what else? Well, I'm going to try to update Twitter and Facebook more regularly. I'll stop worrying whether or not I'm annoying everyone by making a post or butting into a public conversation. I mean, that's what this stuff is for, right?!

Now, if I start slacking off and go a few days without posting somewhere, speak up! Prod me, email me, @ reply me on Twitter, anything to get me going again. I hate being a slacker in anything, but sometimes I need a big old push off the cliff. Don't worry, I tend to land on my feet…or at least bounce a few times, rather than splattering on the rocks.

Oh, and don't know where to find me on Facebook or Twitter? Well, you can follow the handy dandy links on the website, or just go look here and here. I'll be waiting!

Thank You

It has been a month since the release of To Walk the Night and I wanted to take a moment to thank all the reviewers, bloggers, and readers who have read and enjoyed the book.  I really do appreciate all your kind words and thoughts.  And if you didn't like the book?  Well, I hope to do better by you the next time around!  No hard feelings!

Anyway, I'm hoping to have a few things up and running that I can share with everyone soon.  Nothing big as of yet, but I'm hopeful it will be useful for some people.

Thanks again everyone.  Feel free to email me or find me online!

Why MIA?

Due to family health emergencies (yes, plural) I've been missing for the last couple of weeks.  I'm not going to go into details, which won't surprise those that know me.

Anyway, while I might not jump right back to blogging/tweeting/posting, I should be around a lot more.  Here soon, I hope to have a giveaway for To Walk the Night. I wanted to do this closer to release, but instead, we'll just make it a sort of 1 month anniversary giveaway instead (I hope!)

Thanks to everyone who has supported me.  Hope to get back into the swing of things soon!

Release Day!

We're finally here!  To Walk the Night has been unleashed upon the world!

I'm thankful I've been given a chance to share my writing with others.  There was a time when I thought it would never happen.  Becoming an author was something I've always wanted, but never thought I was "good enough." Those two words are pure evil.  They've stopped so many people from reaching their dreams, all because of self-doubt or lack of support.

Good thing I'm stubborn.

Now, while I would love for everyone to jump up and rush to the nearest bookstore or computer to buy/order the book, I know it isn't going to happen.  I'm not going to bribe or beg.  I'm just going to say "thank you" to anyone who will or has bought the book.

Thank you.

I could ramble on all day about the release, but then I'd just bore everyone.  I had planned on making a post last week, giving a quick rundown of some of the latest news/items, but ended up getting sick right after Christmas.  I didn't get much of anything done and logging on to try to make a blog post when I could hardly think straight didn't seem like a good idea.  Hopefully I'll get everything…

I did an interview over at Fang-tastic Books.  Head on over and check it out!

There will be a few more interviews coming very soon over the next few days, so watch Twitter and Facebook for links!

And look!  Over the holidays, I received the cover flat for Kat Redding book 2, Tainted Night, Tainted Blood. I was thrilled to see all the red, since it is pretty much my favorite color.

I'm sure I've missed a few things and hopefully I'll catch them all in my next update.  I'm going to do my best to make a blog post once a week, though it is more likely to be every week and a half instead.  Thanks again to anyone who picks up the book.  I'd love to hear what you think!

Oh, and be sure to check the site in the next couple of days.  I'll be running a giveaway for the release of the book!

Nearer and Nearer

We're almost there.  In less than a month To Walk the Night will be released.

Holy crap!

I've alternated from feeling completely numb about it to being so worried, I feel physically ill.  I think everyone expects me to be excited, but so far, that hasn't happened.  I figure once we get down to a week or so, then things will change, but right now, I'm more worried about getting things done before the big day.

So what have I been doing?

Well, obviously I've been writing.  Kat Redding 2, Tainted Night, Tainted Blood, copy-edits are done.  I'm still waiting on the cover and will post it here as soon as I see it.  I also have book 3 ready to send to my editor and have plotted out book 4 in a "here's hoping" sort of way.

I've also been working on guest posts and interviews.  They'll be showing up in the coming weeks and I'll gather as many as I can and link them.  Since my last post, two have been uploaded.

I did an interview at the Manga Maniac Cafe here!  Check it out!  Spread the word.

I also recently did a character Dear Santa letter with a book giveaway  at Rabid Reads here.  The giveaway is open internationally, so anyone can sign up for it!

There will be more coming soon and honestly, they all make me nervous.  I'm still having a hard time putting myself out there.  I've always been a private person so seeing my words and my name out there is absolutely terrifying.  I'll get over it eventually, but YIKES!

As we get nearer to To Walk the Night's release, I'll hopefully make more and more posts and become that much more visible online.  Once I get over the panic, I'll be thrilled to connect with everyone!  Come find me on Facebook and Twitter to remind me to come out of my shell every now and again.

But for now, I'll go back to chewing my fingernails off!

Brief Update

I thought it was time to give a brief update since I've been awfully quiet lately.  Me and blogging don't go well together just yet, but I'm sure eventually I'll get this thing down!  As things pick up over the coming weeks and months, I'll be making posts more regularly and hopefully I'll have a good place to keep discussions going, whether it is here or on the Facebook fan page.  Either way, I should be available a lot more!

And now, on to the update~

I did a guest blog at the Qwillery about judging books by their covers.  Head on over and check it out here!
I created a Google + page, though I haven't used it too much.  I'd like to start getting involved with it a bit more, just like my Facebook page.  If you have one, head on over and add me to your circle!  I'd love to get to know more people.
Self promo time!  Did you know To Walk the Night is available for pre-order?  You can get it for your Nook or Kindle, as well as paperback copies at most online stores.
Book 2 in the Kat Redding series, Tainted Night, Tainted Blood, is now available for pre-order as well at Amazon!  Is strange to see TWO books available now.  I still haven't gotten over the fact that there is even ONE!  There's no cover for the second book just yet, but I'm sure I'll be seeing it soon enough.

And really, that about covers it for this quick update.  I've been working hard on other books, including finishing up book 3.  I will be sending it off to my editor at Kensington in a month or so.  After that, I'll be freaking out over the release of To Walk the Night and hopefully have information on signings and other appearances.  Nothing has been set just yet, but I'll post here as soon as I know something!

Until then, check out the links and let me know what you think!  I'll be waiting~

ARC’s Arrived Today!

Look at what came today:

ARC's Arrived Today!

Look at what came today:

Read for Relief

Starting Monday, September 12, the Read for Relief online auction will begin.  Several agents, editors, and authors (including an ARC of To Walk the Night ) have donated items for the auction.  Click on the icon below to find out more about this wonderful fundraising event.

Gen Con 2011

Gen Con Indy 2011 has come and gone.  I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy it since I had no idea what to expect.  I knew there would be games, but would I care?  I was going to listen to authors talk and hopefully snatch a few autographs in the process.  But would it be worth the money in the end?

Why yes, it was!

The wife, Christine Johnson, me, and Saundra Mitchell

The wife and I started our trip out by heading to Indy a day early to have dinner with Saundra Mitchell and Christine Johnson.  The food was good…until I tried the cole slaw.  It was so bitter, I could hardly choke down a bite.  No one at the table could eat it!

But it was fun nonetheless.  I got to hang out with a couple of authors, chat a little…or since it was me, listen while they talked!  I did manage to be a little more vocal than usual, but that isn't saying much.

The view from the more expensive hotel room

The hotel that night wasn't bad as long as I could ignore the water spots on the ceiling and the stapled on wallpaper.  The pillows were about as fluffy as a piece of paper and well, the view wasn't much to look at.  But it served.  It had a small fridge and a decent amount of channels.  This would surprisingly be much better than the hotel that was nearly three times the cost that we stayed at for the duration of the con!

Gen Con itself was like I expected.  Lots of people roaming around, careless as to who they plowed over.  Being short tends to have its disadvantages in places like these.  Everyone seems to be bigger than you and they never care if they plow right over you as long as they get to where they are going.  The exhibit hall was the worst.  Why people would flood the place at a run when the doors opened was beyond me.  The stuff wasn't going to go anywhere!

The crowd, which nearly doubled in size after taking this, waiting for the exhibit hall to open

Thankfully, I didn't spend too much time trying to make my way through the masses.  I ended up tucked in the two corner rooms upstairs where they hid away the author events.  Between panels, I could look down upon the insanity below.  It was hotter up there than other parts of the convention center, but at least it was a little quieter.

The panels themselves were interesting.  I was just happy to be there so I could learn how the things were run.  Being in the audience was awkward at times because I felt out of place.  I did learn a little from the panelists themselves.  I might have learned more if I didn't spend so much time on the internet, looking things up.  So while some of it rehashed things I already knew, I did get something out of them and I'm glad I went.

Other than the panels, I did little else, which wasn't as good.  I went to only one late night event, a sort of zombie casino where I quickly ran out of "zombies" to play with and ended up watching the rest of the time.  I hit up the author's alley, which felt cramped and almost like Gen Con really didn't want them there. Still, I got a book signed by Anton Strout and two more by R.A. Salvatore, so I wouldn't call it a total waste.

The wife, me, and Anton Strout

The wife and me with R.A. Salvatore

All in all, I did enjoy the con, though I wish I would have gotten more involved.  Watching the people who dressed up was fun.  The broken shower in my expensive hotel room was not.  I learned a few things, mostly how to act when I'm actually on a panel, and I do plan on getting more involved in actual events the next time I go to a con, whether it is one for gaming or one that is entirely for writing.