Gregory G. Allen's Blog, page 43

Live Theater is Magic!

As a stage director, I have tried many different approaches to directing. Sometimes treating the work like a movie with a musical underscoring to scenes to evoke a certain response from an audience. I have now seen a work that displays such mastery at doing this, I was completely blown away. Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris have co-directed  War Horse  on Broadway and what an amazing evening it is. 


Sometimes words simply cannot describe what live theater can accomplish. But this one is the most 'cinematographic' experience I've ever witnessed on stage. The use of music, projections, moving stages - all adds to the wonder of this production. 


What Julie Taymor has given us with puppets in the 90s has been extended far beyond anything I thought I could see with the people behind the Handspring Puppet Company and Toby Sedgwick's direction of the horses. There is such life and breath in the horses that you stop watching the puppeteers and I found myself looking deep into Joey's (the horse) eyes. The sounds of the hoofs on the stage as well as sounds of the horses themselves: all amazing. (And puppetry plays out in other ways in this stage play that I won't even share here; but just know the stage pictures are stunning!) 


Based on a novel by Michael Morpurgo - the story has all that is right with those stories that tug at the heart strings. Like Fern and Wilbur, Sounder and his owner, or even the Free Willy series: the story of this boy and the love of his horse is a moving one that truly got to me. I did not notice that I had sat there for over 2 and a half hours. You are pulled into this story and the artistry of the stagecraft so much - you forget all time. I cannot recommend this enough if you are visiting New York. Theater should be about magic: and this Tony Award winning play delivers it in more ways than I can state in this blog.     

Foster Care Gave Us a Gift

Anderson's new daytime talk show is filled with many different topics from stories/interviews of stars to everyday people. I had the pleasure of being in the audience for one of those when a family came on and shared their wonderful story of how they opened up their home to many children when they became a foster family. And in some cases, even adopted some of the kids as well. They have become an inspiration to their neighborhood with many families opening their doors to children as well. 


According to childwelfare.gov, as of two years ago, there were half a million children in the foster care system in the U.S. - all waiting for placement in a loving home. Those numbers break my heart as those kids are caught in an environment (due to their parents) that they must be pulled out of and put somewhere else. 


Back in the 80s, my parents decided to become a foster family and spoke to my sister and I about it. We took in three different boys and at first...I'll admit it was hard on me as I had always been the baby of the family. But I quickly grew to enjoying having younger boys around to play with. We got one when he was not quite two years old. He couldn't speak well (because we quickly learned he couldn't hear and needed tubes in his ears) and the little guy had a temper that was actually pretty darn cute. Something unusual happened in that situation - as people were told back then that most foster children end back up with their parents (the other two had). But this little boy entered the adoption system and the case worker told my parents it was happening. He had lived with us for over a year and my parents came to my sister and I about us adopting. At that point, he was my little brother and there was no other answer: he was our family and we had to adopt. And we did. 


[image error] Donovan visiting school in Texas.Though ten years separate us and I moved away when he was only 8 years old, I could not be more proud of him if he were my flesh and blood. He grew up to be an incredible man who is now serving his country on a 2nd tour of duty overseas and was recently promoted to a Sergeant in the army. Foster care and adoption seemed to do 'right' by him. I only hope there are many more children just like him that get that chance to go on in life to show how productive they can be. Thank you to the loving family that Anderson Cooper introduced us to and thank you to my little brother for making me a proud big brother. 


Now I just can't wait for him to return from Afghanistan. 

Author Spotlight: Lia Fairchild

Lia Fairchild is a nativeCalifornian who loves reading, writing, movies, and anything else related tothe arts. She holds a B.A. degree in Journalism and a Multiple Subject TeachingCredential. She says her most enjoyable moments are spent with her family,traveling, spending time outdoors, or simply laughing and being together.
Lia,thanks for joining my blog today. Can you tell us about your history inwriting?Creativity has always beena part of my life. Growing up I loved to read, write, draw, paint, and justcome up with different ideas for whatever I was doing. But, I always followedthe traditional path when it came to jobs. Then, I turned forty and realizedthat I needed to do something that was just for me before I looked back on mylife and regretted not doing it. So, I set out to write my first novel, In Search of Lucy. It was one of thosesituations you hear where an author says the story just came to them. I alwayshad ideas for books and movies swirling around in my head. But when this onecame along, I knew I had to write it. I call it a romantic drama.
Whatwas your path to publication?Everything happened so fastthat I didn't have time to seek out traditional options. When my book firstappeared on Amazon, B&N, etc., I quickly learned I had some seriouscatching up to do. I knew nothing about the business of marketing and sellingbooks and it hit me hard that my book was just sitting there waiting.
It'shard when we realize the books aren't going to sell themselves. What books doyou have out there now? In Search of Lucy was made available in February of 2011.Then, I immediately started work on a second novel. One of the first things youlearn is to keep writing. But, while writing that second novel, an idea came tome that I just couldn't ignore. I decided I wanted to do something a bit morefun and mysterious. I always loved old fashioned mysteries and wanted to createsomething like an Alfred Hitchcock miniseries. The result was a series of shortstories called A Hint of Murder .  There are two so far that can be read asstand alones but feature reoccurring characters. (I'm actually running a promoright now for a free download of that story…see my blog for details!) All of myworks are available as ebooks on various sites, but In Search of Lucy is available in paperback as well.
Whathas your experience been like on the publishing side of things?Most platforms are veryeasy to use once you get the basic idea. Amazon is especially easy to navigateand the representatives are quick to respond. Things at Barnes and Noble seemto run a bit slower and issues take a while to get addressed. Smashwords hasbeen great for discounts, freebies and review copies, but tough to reach theaverage reader.
You'veobviously caught up on the business side now. How do you handle marketing?The first thing I did when"Lucy" came out was start joining Facebook groups and create a Twitter account.I learned quickly that forming relationships online was the key to getting yourbook noticed. I started doing interviews, seeking reviews, participating indiscussions and building an online presence. The more places you are, the morepeople you meet, the more you can make your work visible. Currently Icontribute to three blogs (2 are mine), have three fanpages, a main website, atwitter account, and participate in at least one dozen Facebook groups forreaders and writers. In addition I'm a Goodreads member along with a few other membersites I'm just getting started on. As you can see, I have a little troublesaying "no."
Whatkind of advice can you give for someone starting down the indie path?Two pieces of advice.First, start your marketing and online presence while you are writing. Thejourney should be a marathon, not a race. But, once your book is out there youwill feel the pressure fast and try to catch up with the masses. If you get a headstart now, then announcing your book will be more fun than stressful. You'llalready have an audience to share with. Second, I learned the hard way to letthings go. There are some bitter people out there that don't mind lashing outat Indie Authors. Let them fall by the wayside and move on to better things.
Thanks so much for the information today! Any otherpearls of wisdom before you go?
Be very careful aboutchoosing your price. It was tough for me because I felt so strongly that myfull-length novel deserved a higher price. You pour your heart and soul intosomething and you want proper compensation. But authors are very tempted tolower and even go to 99 cents just to get noticed. I'm not saying any certainprice is better. Just make sure you do some research and maybe test it outbefore you pick a price and then stick with it for a while.
Lia can be reached at her website, blog, twitter, or facebook.  

It's the Day of the Show, Ya'll!

Official release day. (Official Press Release)


It's as if I expect everyone to view the day through the same eyes I'm seeing it through (yet I live in reality and I know that is completely nuts). But still...do trumpets blare? Are there skywriters up above telling everyone the day has arrived? Or does the day start as it has every year since 1988 when National Coming Out Day was founded? (Ironically, I came out in the summer of '88 to my family as well.) Does it start with me calling one of my dearest friends who celebrates her birthday and each year we tease her that her birthday is on NCOD?  
I feel as if I've waited for this day to arrive...well...for the past five years when I first started writing this book as a play. It's been out (un-officially) a few weeks and while I've received feedback - it still feels like an opening night of a show I'm directing. That's how I compare it because of my years in theater. Opening that velvet rope to let people into the studio, (to use a reference from my book) but no one gets left out here: all are welcome in! Only this show goes on all day...and then the next and next. This show will continue as people get the book, tell others about it and hopefully start conversations about the issues that are raised in the book.
Thank you to those that use today to buy the book! Thank you to those that have been so supportive of me for so long (and all those new supporters too)! Thank you to those that will spread the word and help me make this book (and this day) a memorable one for years to come.
And to Donna: Happy birthday! Tell your friends (gay and straight) to come out of the closet and purchase WELL WITH MY SOUL.  :-)    

Author Spotlight: Michael R. Hicks

One day before I officially join the authors I've been highlighting this month as a published author and I wanted to continue talking to those that have walked the walk for a while now. I started following Michael on twitter about five months ago (when I first went on twitter) and I saw a passion and drive in him that I was instantly drawn to. After talking with him, I now see why that passion is there.


Michael, I'm so glad you could join me the week of my book launch to share your story. Can you start with telling us about the genre you write in?With the IN HER NAME series, myoriginal books, the genre was science fiction, albeit with a very heavy dose offantasy thrown in. SEASON OF THE HARVEST was a thriller with a sci-fi twist,and I've got book projects lined up that hit both of those genres, and others(such as young adult), as well. I'm not trying to consciously diversify, butthose are the directions the story ideas are taking me, and I don't see theneed to pigeon-hole myself.
When did you seriously know writing was what you wanted to do?I originally wrote IN HERNAME back in the early 1990s but, not surprisingly, it didn't get picked up byany publishers. To be honest, I didn't pound the pavement too hard, becausewriting the book was something that had been great fun and also a bit oftherapy for when I was having a few rough times in life. Even when I self-published thebook in 2008, I didn't expect to make a living from it. I sold three copies thefirst month and was ecstatic! But it was only this year, when SEASON OF THEHARVEST took off in February, that I really started thinking of writing as acareer. And in August I left my day job to write full-time.
Wow! That is great to see someone with the passionto leave the day job. So you did try the traditional route first?I shopped the manuscript for INHER NAME around, but didn't have any takers. And back then, you really only hadtwo options to get published: get picked up by a "real" publisher, orpay a vanity press to print your books and sell them on your own, which Iwasn't about to do. So the book sat under my deskfor 14 years in a box that I used as a footrest until I learned about Kindlepublishing in 2007. I then published it on other ebook platforms as theyemerged, and printed the books through CreateSpace andLightning Source. Looking back, I'm glad thingsturned out the way they did, because I'm probably making a much better livingas a self-published author than I would having gone the legacy route.
How many do you have out there? Are your books inprint, eBook or both?I've currently got eight books(including a self-publishing guide) published. All of my fiction books are orwill be available in print, and I'm just about to publish the ninth book, whichis the sixth of the IN HER NAME series.
Can you talk to about the business side of publishing?Like anything else - it hasits ups and downs, its joys and frustrations. I guess the one thing thatprobably gets many self-published authors is that when you go this route,you're first and foremost a business person. You have to learn about marketing,money management from a business perspective, tax issues (businesses have a LOTof tax advantages), and so on - and you have to do it all yourself or bewilling and able to pay other folks to do it for you. And then there are the thingsspecific to publishing that you have to handle: finding good people to edityour work (note: a book that's only been edited by the author hasn't beenedited at all), doing the cover art, formatting the book for both ebook -multiple formats - and print, and understanding the various back-end interfacesfor the different publishing platforms.
How important is social media to you?For me, social media has beenEVERYTHING. Twitter, in particular, has been my gold mine. Without Twitter, andwithout learning the things I did before I published SEASON OF THE HARVEST, wewouldn't be having this interview. Facebook has certainly helped, but the bulkof my fan base has been built on Twitter. Yes, I've tried other things,from local book signings to paid ads, but by and large those have been a wasteof time and money for me, and I've had a couple of other businesses in the pastand had similar results. Social media has the advantageof reach and leverage, as well as the ability to search for folks who haveinterests that might match up well with your books. I can potentially reachmillions of people through social media. You just couldn't do that beforeunless you were backed by a publisher willing to fork out huge amounts of cashfor a massive advertising campaign (which isn't going to happen for most newauthors). With social media, the trick islearning how to do it effectively, and then putting the necessary time into it.And that, the time investment, is where most folks fall down, especially withTwitter. You've got to be on there every day, intermittently throughout theday, and you have to really interact with people and not just spam them or itwon't work for you.
You share some really great tips there on socialmedia. Any other advice you would give?Well, if I could give advice tomyself back when I started, here are the things I'd say: If you enjoy writing, writeevery chance you get and don't stop. Start a program ofself-improvement. Read books on business, writing, changing your mindset. I always recommend folks start with The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson, andJoe Konrath's book, a Newbie's Guide to Publishing. Learn to leave your ego at thedoor. Find someone who can really tear your writing apart and expose its flaws.Learn to love the red ink, because that's what will make you a better writer. (Someone telling you how good you are does nothing to improve your craft.) A lot of folks aspire to get to where I'm at (writing full-time) just like Joe Konrath and some other authors were my inspiration. But it's not easy: for me, it means long hours, working seven days a week, and a considerable amount of stress over the market. I combat that stress by writing more, because an author's real safety net is the number of titles he or she has out on the virtual (or real) bookshelves. Understand that success isn't going to comeovernight. It's like saving money in a bank. You put away as much as you canand let the interest compound over time. Today it's only a few bucks. In time,it will become a fortune. The first month IN HER NAME waspublished, I maybe made $9 or so. In July, the best month so far this year,that one book (the omnibus version) brought in over $12,000. But it took meseven years to get there. Last but not least, don't giveup. Things aren't always going to go as well as you'd like. Keep writing, keeppromoting. If my family and I have to eat peanut butter for a while, then so beit, because I know we'll make out okay in the long run.
I've had the opportunity to meeta lot of interesting folks and have been having a great time. It's not easy, but when you're doing something you love,"work" is no longer a four-letter word!
I really appreciate you joining us and sharingjust how hard it can be for a self-published author. 
Michael R. Hicks. Author,RVer, and wearer of FiveFinger shoes.
Web: AuthorMichaelHicks.com Email: Contact Page Twitter: KreelanWarrior

How to React as Day Approaches

Well Read Books Hawthorne, NJI am just a few days out from my official book launch and I am a mix of emotions. Each new milestone that occurs puts a huge smile on my face. From the moment the writing part was done to when the design took off - it has been a whirlwind. I recall holding the book for the first time in my hands (which now seems so long ago) to getting in those first reviews. Hearing back from bookstores and other places that wanted to host a book signing event made me giddy with glee that people were interested in my story. And last night, seeing a photo online of one of those stores and the display they had of my books somehow made it all feel real. This week will be the big attempt to get people to switch from asking about the book to purchasing the book and then celebrating the entire process on Thursday night at The Stonewall Inn in NYC. I feel blessed to have so much support by so many people. I feel a sense of "I did it!" - whatever 'it' may be. And I feel nervous as the baby makes its way into the world.

I've been doing several interviews lately and really thinking about what I'm drawn towards in reading and writing. It truly goes back to even my days of directing and producing. I like to give the unexpected and not the tried and true. A protagonist must do X....a story must always finish with Y. 
I can't write that way. 
Nor have I ever directed or produced that way for the stage. I directed the French-themed musical La Cage Aux Folles  and set it in The French Quarters of New Orleans, I Do! I Do! covers 50 years of marriage and I moved it to start in the 40s instead of the late 1800s and my vision of directing Kiss of the Spider Woman was more of a prison like guantanamo bay. 
I suppose my vision of religion and sexuality will really show themselves in Well With My Soul . Some will be angry. Some will be moved. Some will toss the book aside. But that's what art is all about. Making people think.
I hope you enjoy the journey as you read my book.
I wanted to end this blog with a few links to some of those interviews I've been doing. So people can get inside of my head just a little more as those asking the questions were so skillful at doing.
Sole Focus
The Art & Craft of Writing Creatively
Next Magazine
Morgen Bailey's Writing Blog
Back of the Book Reviews
Great Minds Think Aloud

Author Spotlight: Belo Cipriani

I met Belo around the time I was getting onto twitter early this past summer. And I was so glad I did after reading his inspiring memoir. Belo Cipriani is aLambda Fellow, Literary Death Match Champion, and the author of Blind: A Memoir. His writing hasappeared in INSIDEPRIDE, The Bohemian, Wiredlatinos.com, Sopalatina.com,Lighthouse Monthly and quarterly. Belo has been featured in the SF Chronicle,SF Examiner, San Jose Mercury News, Univision, Compete Magazine andwas the keynote speaker for the A.D.A celebration 2011 in San Francisco,Belo continues to speak in diversity and inclusion panels for nationalorganizations.
Belo, so glad you could join us heretoday. Tell us when you started writing. As a teen, I kept a journaland dabbed into short fiction. However, once I began to explorewriting careers, I was quickly discouraged by teachers and lack ofpublished gay authors in the 90's. I put writing onice and focused on my corporate career until I becameblind. When I lost my sight, I sought empathy and understandingin literature and was disappointed by the scarce andinaccurate representations of the blind. There were only a hand fullof memoirs about adults losing vision and in fiction, the blind weredualistically de-eroticized and romanticized; annoyed, I decided towrite a book that gave a more contemporary glimpse into blindness. 

You have such a unique story to share;did you try different routes to get the book published? I landed my first agent while still in my graduatewriting program, but that fell apart after a few months. I tried thetraditional publishing route first and landed an agent three weeks after myfirst mailing of query letters. The strong response I received fromagents gave me the confidence I needed to later pursue Indie options. Mydecision was solely based on the fact that I would not have an audio bookunless I became a bestseller. I could not stomach having a book about blindnessand not have it in an accessible format.
When did your book come out and howcan people find it? Blind: A Memoirwas published May 2011 by Wheatmark and is available in paperback, eBook, MP3download, flash drive, audio disc, DAIS (digital access information system),and Braille. It can be purchased through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell's, Audible,iTunes, Sony, and local Indy bookstores. It is distributed through Ingramin the USA and Bertram in the UK.

What has your experience been likeon the publishing side of things? I have had a few wins and losses; I faced challengesin finding a website design firm and even had a guy take money for work henever completed. Many long hours of online research lead to find the peoplewho brought my book to fruition. Author Marketing Experts handles all ofmy PR efforts; Monkey C Media handles website, business cards, bookmarksand designed my cover. Wheatmark, My publisher, even altered their publishingprocess so that my technology worked and I wouldn't be left out of theprocess.

I love that Wheatmark found ways towork with you on the process. Anything else you would like us to know?  I didface some challenges, but it was through those challenges that I learned tonavigate the Indy experience. I would advise anyone to ask for references fromanyone they initiate business with and spend time calling those references. 

Thank you so much for joining us,Belo! Learn more at his website or follow him on twitter.

Is it Ready Yet?

Today I was thinking about 'when is art complete?' As a musical theater writer, I would work and rework scenes/songs/etc with my partner all the time. Broadway has proved this time and again with re-working shows while in previews. And I'm not only talking about the most infamous rewrite of Spider-man, I mean numerous shows rework scenes to get it right. The musical The Scarlet Pimpernel actually closed and re-opened with a changed book/score and now The Addams Family will be closing on Broadway after December, but the National Tour is getting a huge rewrite. 

Novelist don't have it as 'easy' to retool their work. They get that moment before a reader (audience for a show) ever gets a glimpse of the pages to fix anything they feel is wrong. They work with an editor who sends them back to their computer to make changes. But once it goes to print and the baby is out there for others to see, the fate is sealed and there is no going back. Even though you may return to it months later and say to yourself "I wish I would have clarified x" - it's too late.
Such a different medium from stage; yet I love writing for both. Theater is a living breathing creative process that can evolve and change continuously. Being an author of novels, I must be content with that fact that the story is told and read and hopefully touches a reader with the concrete words on the page. No second chances to tweak anything in the story.
Unless you sell the film rights...then perhaps you get a chance to revisit those characters once again. 


Reminds me of a poem I wrote a few years ago:

COMPLETION
You spend agonizinghours preparing.
The relentless research accomplished.
The creative process causing
Sleepless nights.
Thoughts flow through
Your mind until they
Collide into a gem.
The execution,
Fine tuned to your idea of perfection.
The culmination of everything,
Forming just the right mood,
Setting, and story.
You see the finish line
In the distance,
Progressing towards you
Like a momentous avalanche you can't keep at bay.
Then all at once
You are there.
Standing back to look,
Pride fills you like a
Warm cup of your favorite beverage.
The onlookers arrive,
Witnessing what you have achieved.
Then…
You notice one more thing
You wished you would have done.
One more tweak.
One more.

Author Spotlight: David K. Hulegaard

Today's author is David K.Hulegaard: an author and student of film and music. With an establishedprofessional background in the real world of category management, consultationand marketing, he felt unable to quench the thirst for creativity he'd beenharboring for years. David currently lives in the postcard-perfect PacificNorthwest with his fiancé, where there is never a shortage of inspiration.Citing a variety of influences, he loves to dabble within many different genresand settings to tell a story. 
Oneof the reasons I love twitter is getting to meet new people like you, David. Thanksfor joining us today. Tell us when you knew you wanted to write.As far back as I canremember into my childhood, I've always written in some capacity. Of course,that was back in the '80s, so most of my ideas were unabashed rip-offs of ALF.:) I continued to write as I got older, including a two-year stint as areviewer for a video game magazine, but it wasn't until the last couple ofyears that I started to get serious about exploring my ideas as actual books.My stories can be hard to classify, but if I had to pick a genre, I'd say I'mcloser to science-fiction than anything else. I also have ideas for futurestories that couldn't be any further from Sci-Fi. My brain is driving this car;I just go where it takes me.
Howdid you go about getting published?I knew when I started thatgoing the traditional route was probably never going to happen for me. Even ifit did, it could still take years to get a manuscript published. I'd sayit's a good route to go if your dream includes becoming famous, but if youjust love to write and don't need all the bells and whistles, theself-publishing route is very rewarding. I looked into print-on-demandcompanies before I started and found them to offer exactly what I waslooking for. They have all the business experience and I have the content. Ifocus on writing the books, and then they publish as needed. It's all really nofuss, no muss. That's not to say that it doesn't have its pitfalls as well.
Whatbooks do you have out? I published my first book, Noble, on October 16th, 2010. Mysecond book, The Jumper, wasjust published on August 9th, 2011. I am happy to say that they are bothavailable in print and eBook!
Canyou share a little on your experience with print-on-demand?Print-on-demand is a veryhelpful service for indie authors. All I do is write and they take care of thepublishing and distribution. It's very flexible too. I set the prices,take home a generous portion of the split, and I can even use my own coverartist and editor. Also, through the POD's network of partners, theeBook versions of my books wind up in dozens of locations across the net, so myexposure is pretty good. That said, there is a downside. They arecompletely hands-off once the book is published. It's entirely up to me tomarket my books and work to take advantage of all that exposure. That'sthe biggest drawback to self-publishing versus going thetraditional route. The marketing support of a big company would be an immensehelp, but I'm not losing any sleep over it.
Sinceyou mention marketing, can you tell us some about how you market your books?I think just about anyindie author would tell you that social media is the lifeblood of marketing andpromotion. Specifically, Twitter. Finding an audience on Twitter is a necessityin today's book market. It's not easy by any stretch, but think about it likethis: You find one person who likes your book. They share their thoughts withhundreds of followers. Some of them then check out your book and the cyclestarts over, each time giving you more impressions than the time before. Ifsocial media has taught us anything, it's that people love to share theiropinions about things. It's a double-edged sword, however. If people love yourbook, their review gets broadcast to hundreds of potential readers.Unfortunately, the same is true if they hate your book. Make sure you've got agood product before you invest in your career. It only takes one bad outing forword of mouth to squash your dreams before you've even had a chance to get themoff the ground.
Youon at your year anniversary this month with publication of your first book: isthere advice you have for those starting now? Yes. First of all,self-publishing a book is expensive and many different types of businesses aregoing to be gunning for your hard earned money. BE SELECTIVE. Don't give yourmoney to PR companies that promise to bring you hundreds of book bloggers andexposure. It's not happening. There are two things you MUST have tosuccessfully launch a book: 1. A professional editor. Yes, they are expensive, butan absolute necessity. Nothing will kill your book faster than typos andgrammatical errors. You'll never see all the errors in your book. Theywill. If you find an editor that can bring you to tears with their harshreality, then you've found yourself a good one. 2. A professional cover. Evenif you have some PhotoShop skills, don't try to get by with an inferior lookingcover. Remember, your cover is the first impression you get with a potentialreader. People may say "don't judge a book by its cover," but that'snot the reality we live in. Make sure you've got something intriguing; somethingthat will pop even amongst the thousands upon thousands of other self-publishedbooks each month.
I'mreally getting a great cross-section of authors in this series and I thank youfor sharing your own story. Anything else you would like to share?Just remember that thisisn't easy. If it was, everyone would be millionaires. Don't rush to publishyour book. It's exciting and it can be hard to be patient, but you have to lookbefore you leap. I have made plenty of mistakes since I started, but I havebeen very fortunate to be taken under the wing of experienced authors that tryto help me. It's not competitive. We're all united under a common goal and wewill get further by helping each other out. The things I have learned in justunder a year have allowed me to look back on my first book and realize that Icould've done better. So, I'm putting my money where my mouth is. I hired aprofessional editor to clean up my first book and I am happy to report that arevised and expanded second edition will be out just in time for the holidays. 
Learn more about David at his website.

Author Spotlight: Allie Burke

I met Allie first on facebook and watched how well she markets herself so I knew I had to speak to her. And here she is!
I'm Allie Burke, author of The Enchanters Series, a fairy tale lovestory ish paranormal romance trilogy. The series consists of Violet Midnight, Emerald Destiny, and AmberPassion. My site, Sleepless Dreams, is where I like to publish my rants,and you can find me there.

Thanks for having me over!

Glad to have you here, Allie! So tell us when you started writing.
For me, writing just sort of happened. It was somewhere around two to threeyears ago. I was sitting on my couch reading and, looking up from my booksuddenly, I said to myself, "I want to write". I'd always made upstories in my head, lived in these fantasy worlds created by my ownimagination. It was always very vivid. I guess it took me a while to realizethat writing was what I was supposed to do. These days, living without writingseems like an impossibility.

Whatare your feelings on genres?
I don't like genres.Never have. Don't think I ever will. I actually wrote an entire guest post andhave written a post on my blog about how much I dislike them. Yes, my series isclassified in the genre of paranormal romance, and no, I don't consider myselfa paranormal romance author. I'm currently writing a novel that I considercontemporary fiction and I hope to write a mystery once my series concludes. Iwrote a horror short story once. I'm a writer, and I don't discriminate. Soanswering the question of, which genre do I write in, is not really possiblefor me. I just, write.

I'm right there with you on genres as I don't like to be pegged in one wayeither. What different routes did you try as far as publishing? None, really. The truth isthat I never planned to publish my stories. I wrote a book that I genuinelywanted to read. I remember lying back on that same couch, reading my own bookfrom a stack of paper, smiling to myself. I cried a few times too. Notnecessarily because my book was overly sad, it was more like this emotionalfeeling. I'd written something. A novel. I'd made a new world, and living init, even today, months and months after publishing, is the most awesomefeeling.

Eventually I shared it with a friend. My best friend. And then her mom. Andthen my mother-in-law. They all liked it. At the time, I was totally cluelessabout publishing, indie or otherwise. So I did some research, and found thatindie was right for me. To date, I've never written a query letter or done anyof that associated with traditional publishing. I found what was right for thiswriter, and I ran with it.

Tell us about your book collection.
I released my debut, Violet Midnight,this last February. Because I had it written prior to publishing Violet Midnight, Emerald Destiny was released in May. To date I have two books outthere, and they are both available in print and multiple e-book formats.

What has your experience been like on the publishing side of things?
It's been fun, to say the least. I think the biggest challenge for me was thecovers for my books, which I designed myself. I'm very particular when it comesto things like book covers (which I have a secret obsession about), so gettingit just right was important to me. But then I think about editing and how much funthat was too. Writing a novel and publishing a novel is definitely not thesame thing. I think of myself as the ultimate self-publisher, have written,designed, edited, and formatted my own book. So yeah, fun is definitely how Iwould classify it. It's been a blast.


Tell us a little about your marketing/promotion process?
I've got one word for you. Twitter. That was my marketing/promotionprocess. That, is, my marketing/promotion process. Twitter changed my life. Iknow those words are thrown around so freely these days, and it all sounds sovery corny, but it is so true. My journey started with Twitter. It was there Imet other writers who turned into friends. Book reviewers. Readers in general.From Twitter spanned my Facebook fan page, my Goodreads connections andultimately, book sales. If you're not on Twitter, you should be. The reach isunbelievable.

Looking back, is there something you would have done different? Somethingyou would warn someone starting out now to stay clear of?
I mentioned editing earlier. VioletMidnight, my debut, I edited upwards of twenty times. Ultimately, it goteasier with Emerald Destiny, but Imaintain the premise that editing must be done, and it must be done well. Ifyou don't feel like you can do it, hire someone, because it is so important.Some people won't read a poorly edited book. Some won't give it the time ofday. If there was anything I could do different, I probably would have editedmore. Not to say that my book is poorly edited, because I don't think it is,but it can always get better. I think if self-publishers keep that in mind, itwill make for an all around better novel.

Anything else you would like to share?
Have fun? I did. I think it's important, and I think sometimes it can get lostin the translation of things. If you've decided to self-publish, you're writingbecause it's what you want to do. It may be your lifeline as well-you may bewriting for a living-but in essence it is what you want to do. Writing is fun,and I think writers can have fun with the publishing process as well.Editing-also known as making your book better, designing your own coveretc.-you don't get to do these things in the traditional publishing world. Makeit your own. After all, it is.

Here is a link to an excerpt of my upcoming novel Existence.