Julia Hughes's Blog, page 21
October 9, 2012
"The Next Big Thing" - I've been tagged by Jess Sturman-Coombs to answer "She Writes" questions!
Cover design: Laura Wright LaRoche of llpix.com What is the working title of your book?Griffin Calling. Until the work is finished, titles are only vague ideas. As you can see from the book cover, a "Reader Contest" is planned to decide on the final title. I'm sitting on my hands here, desperate not to reveal my own personal favourite, and can't wait to discover if others agree with me.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
A fascination as to what might be lurking in the twilight mists, and a very real dread of calling out anyone's name within earshot of a graveyard.
What genre does your book fall under?
Fantasy, young adult - or rather, young at heart adult.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Definitely Karen Gillan who plays Amy Pond in Dr Who. In my view, she'd be perfect for the lead role of Francesca Shaunessy. The griffin might be a little difficult to cast …
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A young girl accidentally summons a griffin from another dimension.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self published. I much prefer the freedom of being "indie". I do believe in the importance of a good editor; and I'm extremely lucky to have two brilliant beta readers.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I wasn't really keeping count, but looking back, the first draft took the best part of a year.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
This is a difficult question to answer. I very much admire the fantasy "A Wrinkle in Time," and you can appreciate that I'm hesitant to compare my work in progress with the great Madeleine L'Engle. But at the heart of my story, is the message that love is all powerful, and no-one, no matter how damaged is beyond redemption.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
A friend rolled his car, and has been in another world for the past two years. He is slowly coming back to us, but for the first eight months he was comatose, and completely unresponsive. The faith and hope demonstrated by his family and those who love him are inspirational.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I've enjoyed the "Dragonriders of Perth" series as much as any other reader, but wanted to move away from complete fantasy. The main character is an ordinary teenager, with a difficult family background. At one point she does give up, but friends encourage her to at least try to get into college, in order to achieve her dreams. The griffin rider acts as a catalyst, and ultimately a conduit to helping Frankie communicate with her brother, who is also lost in another world.
Thank you, to Jess Sturman-Coombs (@JessSturman) who nominated me for She Writes "Next Big Thing" and I'm passing the baton onto:
L K Jay: (@fenlandgirll)
Monica La Porta (@Momilp)
Jan Romes (@JanRomes)
and Louise Sorensen (@Louise3anne)
So please make a note in your diaries to drop by and discover "The Next Big Thing" these very talented authoresses are working on!
October 6, 2012
After the Bridle Path's Promo ....
The Bridle Path's free promotion is now over, I've said this before a few times, but I'm very humbled and grateful to everyone who spared some of their valuable time to help spread the word; thank you my friends.
Grateful thanks also to everyone who downloaded this little romance; it's brilliant to see so many positive tweets from those who've already finished Matilda's story. If you're one of the many who enjoyed the read, and you find yourself with a few seconds to spare, I would be so grateful if you would be kind enough to post a review on The Bridle Path's Amazon Customer's Review Page. Amazon have some high tech wizardly at work, and your feedback will help other readers discover good books to download.
Sebby and Winny will return for their own adventure in a special Christmas Short Story to be featured on this site, and hopefully also available to download free from Smashwords, and I'd love your company again for another canter along the Bridle Path.
Grateful thanks also to everyone who downloaded this little romance; it's brilliant to see so many positive tweets from those who've already finished Matilda's story. If you're one of the many who enjoyed the read, and you find yourself with a few seconds to spare, I would be so grateful if you would be kind enough to post a review on The Bridle Path's Amazon Customer's Review Page. Amazon have some high tech wizardly at work, and your feedback will help other readers discover good books to download.
Sebby and Winny will return for their own adventure in a special Christmas Short Story to be featured on this site, and hopefully also available to download free from Smashwords, and I'd love your company again for another canter along the Bridle Path.
October 2, 2012
Free Romance & Share Yours to WIN!
Free promo for The Bridle Path – update AND how you can win a free
Day two of a five day freebie promotion, and already "The Bridle Path" has broken its own record for downloads.*
A massive thank-you to everyone who has snapped up this offer, and thank you too for all the facebook mentions, tweets and messages of support. As a way of saying "Thank-you" a £10 (approx $16) gift card from Amazon is up for grabs. All you have to do is enter your name and email in the box below, and then in the "Comments" tell all about the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to you.
Couldn't be simpler and the winner will be picked at random and announced here, on facebook and twitter. So come on and share the love, and spill the beans!
PS: If you haven't grabbed your copy yet, click on Amazon.com or for UK readers: Amazon.co.uk. If any of your reading buddies enjoy a romantic story, please let them know "The Bridle Path" is up for grabs!
*This is mainly thanks to the promotional advice generously shared by Sean and Dan Campbell on their blog: 90daysnovel
Day two of a five day freebie promotion, and already "The Bridle Path" has broken its own record for downloads.*
A massive thank-you to everyone who has snapped up this offer, and thank you too for all the facebook mentions, tweets and messages of support. As a way of saying "Thank-you" a £10 (approx $16) gift card from Amazon is up for grabs. All you have to do is enter your name and email in the box below, and then in the "Comments" tell all about the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to you.
Couldn't be simpler and the winner will be picked at random and announced here, on facebook and twitter. So come on and share the love, and spill the beans!
PS: If you haven't grabbed your copy yet, click on Amazon.com or for UK readers: Amazon.co.uk. If any of your reading buddies enjoy a romantic story, please let them know "The Bridle Path" is up for grabs!
*This is mainly thanks to the promotional advice generously shared by Sean and Dan Campbell on their blog: 90daysnovel
September 10, 2012
And the winner is!
Congratulations to Terry L, down in God's own country, he wins a signed paperback copy of "Dead on Demand" the chart busting thriller from Sean & Dan Campbell. You dropped by in your thousands to read more about why Dan wanted to pen a bestseller before he was old enough to hold a driving licence - and both brothers explained how they managed to co-author a page turning thriller, without committing murder themselves! You can read my interview with Sean & Dan here. Dead on Demand's amazing success continues, just nudging into the top 200 on Amazon's UK paid for charts. In my view, it's a great read at a great value for money price of only £2.99 - but as Sean says, don't take anyone's word for it - try a sample free!
September 7, 2012
Glad to be wrong!
A week ago, Sean and Dan Campbell laid out their blue print for a successful promotion. True to form, they set a goal and announced their aim: 10,000 downloads for Dead on Demand during their free run from 4th to 8th September. I'm really happy to say they got it wrong! Even happier that I bet Sean a whole five pounds that download figures for Dead on Demand would far exceed my previous giveaways. One wager the marketing maestro won't mind losing!
The Campbell brothers' debut thriller is about to enjoy its third day sitting right on the number one spot in Amazon's free download charts UK, and is in the top twenty US free bestseller's charts.
I'll leave it to Sean and Dan to reveal the final figures, but by anyone's standards, their promotion has been an outstanding success. And it couldn't happen to nicer guys. I'm particularly thrilled for Dan, who turns seventeen on Saturday – what a wonderful birthday present – to be possibly the youngest author to top Amazon's bestseller chart in the United Kingdom.
Happy Birthday to you Dan!
Read Sean and Dan's interview right here on this site – click on comments and just say 'Hi' or 'Happy Birthday' to win a signed paperback copy of Dead on Demand – and if you want to know how Sean and Dan masterminded this amazing feat, visit their blog where they reveal everything!
September 2, 2012
Dead on Demand - Free Download + win a free signed paperback copy!
"Dead on Demand" will be free to download! From 4th - 8th September.With seventeen customers reviews, averaging 4.7 stars, you know it has to be a great read! Even more exciting, Sean and Dan Campbell have agreed to drop by later and answer a few questions I've been itching to ask this talented duo! So another date for your diary, to brighten your Monday morning - an unmissable interview with the brothers who collaborated to write the novel everybody's talking about!
As though that wasn't enough, Sean and Dan will be giving away a signed paperback copy of Dead on Demand - as always entry is free and easy. Simply leave a comment here, or add your comments after enjoying what's certain to be a fascinating interview - I've so many questions I want to ask these two - not least how to write a bestseller. So don't forget, drop by tomorrow - it's going to be a blast!
If you can't wait till Monday, catch the brothers now over at Cinta's site, or find them blogging at 90 Days Novel.
August 27, 2012
India joins the ebook revolution:
As from this week, Amazon's India Kindle store is open for business. This means that folk living in India no longer need an international bank account or credit card for on-line purchases, and really opens up the brave new world of kindle and ebooks to this immense country.
If you're an indie author and uncertain what this means for you, those very helpful and very knowledgeable Campbell brothers have updated "Can't Sell, Won't Sell" their guide to marketing for authors and publishers. Serendipitously, "Can't Sell; Won't Sell" is FREE on August 29th. A new chapter on free promotional giveaways is also included. If you've already downloaded a copy of this indispensable little manual, it's very easy to update your copy via Amazon. Amazon - go to 'manage my kindle' then find "Can't Sell, Won't Sell" and click update on the drop down menu. Alternatively, give Sean or Dan a shout via their blog and I'm sure they'll be more than happy to let you have the updated version, because that's the way they roll.
Free to download on 29th August - Can't Sell, Won't Sell
from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
If you're an indie author and uncertain what this means for you, those very helpful and very knowledgeable Campbell brothers have updated "Can't Sell, Won't Sell" their guide to marketing for authors and publishers. Serendipitously, "Can't Sell; Won't Sell" is FREE on August 29th. A new chapter on free promotional giveaways is also included. If you've already downloaded a copy of this indispensable little manual, it's very easy to update your copy via Amazon. Amazon - go to 'manage my kindle' then find "Can't Sell, Won't Sell" and click update on the drop down menu. Alternatively, give Sean or Dan a shout via their blog and I'm sure they'll be more than happy to let you have the updated version, because that's the way they roll.
Free to download on 29th August - Can't Sell, Won't Sell from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
August 10, 2012
Over 10,000 free downloads in three days for An Explosive Time!
Even sweeter, a very welcome tenth 5* review has appeared, thank you D. If you missed out this time, there are still another two free days before An Explosive Time is withdrawn from Amazon's KDP select programme. So note for your diaries ladies and gentlemen - An Explosive Time goes free again for the last time in the foreseeable future on the 19th August until midnight 20th August. If you were one of the thousands who grabbed a free copy - thank you for helping propel this little action story into the top spot for action and adventure in Amazon's free charts, and maybe if you have a chance tell your friends - thank you all over a thousand times. But the party doesn't end there. There are still five free review copies of A Raucous Time up for grabs, so if you're in the mood for A Raucous Time (described by one reviewer as "Story telling at its best") please click here to contact me, and I'll get straight back to you!
August 3, 2012
Challenge 777
7 from 7 of A Raucous Time: ‘Bollocks! Big hairy bollocks!’ The curse from the kitchen area belonged to someone happier captaining the Metropolitan Police hockey team than rooting through this shambles of a life.
‘Big hairy bollocks belong in a field, attached to a bull WPC Hewes,’ Crombie admonished, despite a waft of gratefulness that he could retreat back to the station now. ‘Show a little more respect for the dead,’ he added, noting Hewes’s face turning pink. Either she was trying to breathe shallow, or more likely biting her tongue against a sharp retort. Crombie couldn’t care less, although usually he curbed his irrational dislike of the young policewoman.
‘Finish up here, speak to the neighbours and make sure your report’s on my desk by lunch time.’ He’d digest her reports in the sanctuary of ‘The Eagle’; a pint of John Smith’s and a pie always helped the thinking process.
(seven sentences from page seven of A Raucous Time)
That's my entry into the 777 challenge - Thank you Jess Sturman of Poker Face fame for the nomination:
I'd like to pass the baton on to ....
Randall Peterson (There's magic in Everything) @itsonlymeandyou
Sean & Dan Campbell (90 days novel) @90daysnovel
Doreen Cox (Treasured Encounters) @mothersitting
Terry Lander (Lyvit Publishing) @Lyvit
Christina Carson (Christina Carson, Author) @carsoncanada
Charlie Plunkett (Charlie Plunkett official website) @charlieplunkett
Jenny Worstall (Jenny's site) @JennyWorstall
Over to you guys and girls.
‘Big hairy bollocks belong in a field, attached to a bull WPC Hewes,’ Crombie admonished, despite a waft of gratefulness that he could retreat back to the station now. ‘Show a little more respect for the dead,’ he added, noting Hewes’s face turning pink. Either she was trying to breathe shallow, or more likely biting her tongue against a sharp retort. Crombie couldn’t care less, although usually he curbed his irrational dislike of the young policewoman.
‘Finish up here, speak to the neighbours and make sure your report’s on my desk by lunch time.’ He’d digest her reports in the sanctuary of ‘The Eagle’; a pint of John Smith’s and a pie always helped the thinking process.
(seven sentences from page seven of A Raucous Time)
That's my entry into the 777 challenge - Thank you Jess Sturman of Poker Face fame for the nomination:
I'd like to pass the baton on to ....
Randall Peterson (There's magic in Everything) @itsonlymeandyou
Sean & Dan Campbell (90 days novel) @90daysnovel
Doreen Cox (Treasured Encounters) @mothersitting
Terry Lander (Lyvit Publishing) @Lyvit
Christina Carson (Christina Carson, Author) @carsoncanada
Charlie Plunkett (Charlie Plunkett official website) @charlieplunkett
Jenny Worstall (Jenny's site) @JennyWorstall
Over to you guys and girls.
July 30, 2012
Improbable truth? Elementary dear Holmes.
An Explosive Time is offered as a free kindle download, meaning it's Crombie's chance to compete with the greatest detective in literature: Sherlock Holmes.
Possessing a razor sharp mind, capable of dissecting souls from observation of outward appearances, Holmes is at the finishing tape while we're still tying our laces. His powers of deduction seem uncannily supernatural, until he explains all to his constant companion, with a murmured 'Elementary, dear Watson, Elementary.'
Since his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet, (1886, Beeton's Christmas Annual) Holmes has captured the imagination of readers worldwide, and when all seemed lost, his admirers went into mourning – literally – black armbands were worn. The first of the so called 'arm-chair' detectives, had obtained legendary status. Then as now, to many people Sherlock Holmes lives and breathes and walks the streets of London in his deerstalker hat. However, taking a closer look at author Conan-Doyle, it becomes apparent the great detective's eccentricities pale beside those of his creator.
Arthur Conan-Doyle appears pleasantly bemused at first on receiving requests and letters addressed to the inhabitant of 221b Baker Street. Eventually though, fearing Sherlock overshadowed his other literary outpourings, Sir Arthur decided to kill Holmes. Only the greatest criminal mind of all time could defeat the greatest detective, and so Morriarity was born.
Conan-Doyle was eventually persuaded to resurrect Holmes, which he did, purely to fund and promote the growing spiritualist movement sweeping the globe in the aftermath of the Great War. So fervent in his belief that the spirit continues to exist after flesh has failed, Conan-Doyle actually became an embarrassment to the spiritualist movement, and his widow remained convinced until her dying day that her dear husband had appeared in spirit form. Others remain bewildered, unable to reconcile the fact that Holmes's alto ego believed in ghosts and fairires. For many, Holmes's creator was a victim of his advancing years.
But the signs that this scion from a family of devout Catholics believed in the spiritual world were there all along.
Especially in The Mystery of Cloomber. This short novel features three monks who despite being dead take revenge on an English officer for an old crime. According to Daniel Stashower's outstanding biography "Teller of Tales" this almost forgotten story was published c.1887 and each chapter introduces some new paranormal idea. As Mr Stashower observes, "(It) clearly illustrates that the young novelist had already begun to question the received wisdom of science."
But there's another clue, often uttered by Sherlock himself: 'When you take away the impossible, what's left, no matter however improbable must be the truth.'
Having applied the genius behind the world's most successful detective to the great unanswered question, Conan-Doyle arrived at the only logical answer, and declared himself satisfied that other dimensions do exist.
Elementary.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes are available free to download from Amazon.
An Explosive Time will be free to download from August 5th until August 7th. UK kindle owners click here - American Kindle owners click here. 6
Daniel Stashower's outstanding biography "Teller of Tales" must be the definitive work on Arthur Conan Doyle, a genius who straddled both Victorian and Edwardian life.
Free signed paperback copy!
To be entered in this free draw, simply leave a comment.
Winner will be drawn at random and announced via twitter and this website. Entries close August 10.
Special thanks to our resident alligator advisor, Dody.
Possessing a razor sharp mind, capable of dissecting souls from observation of outward appearances, Holmes is at the finishing tape while we're still tying our laces. His powers of deduction seem uncannily supernatural, until he explains all to his constant companion, with a murmured 'Elementary, dear Watson, Elementary.'
Since his first appearance in A Study in Scarlet, (1886, Beeton's Christmas Annual) Holmes has captured the imagination of readers worldwide, and when all seemed lost, his admirers went into mourning – literally – black armbands were worn. The first of the so called 'arm-chair' detectives, had obtained legendary status. Then as now, to many people Sherlock Holmes lives and breathes and walks the streets of London in his deerstalker hat. However, taking a closer look at author Conan-Doyle, it becomes apparent the great detective's eccentricities pale beside those of his creator.
Arthur Conan-Doyle appears pleasantly bemused at first on receiving requests and letters addressed to the inhabitant of 221b Baker Street. Eventually though, fearing Sherlock overshadowed his other literary outpourings, Sir Arthur decided to kill Holmes. Only the greatest criminal mind of all time could defeat the greatest detective, and so Morriarity was born.
Conan-Doyle was eventually persuaded to resurrect Holmes, which he did, purely to fund and promote the growing spiritualist movement sweeping the globe in the aftermath of the Great War. So fervent in his belief that the spirit continues to exist after flesh has failed, Conan-Doyle actually became an embarrassment to the spiritualist movement, and his widow remained convinced until her dying day that her dear husband had appeared in spirit form. Others remain bewildered, unable to reconcile the fact that Holmes's alto ego believed in ghosts and fairires. For many, Holmes's creator was a victim of his advancing years.
But the signs that this scion from a family of devout Catholics believed in the spiritual world were there all along.
Especially in The Mystery of Cloomber. This short novel features three monks who despite being dead take revenge on an English officer for an old crime. According to Daniel Stashower's outstanding biography "Teller of Tales" this almost forgotten story was published c.1887 and each chapter introduces some new paranormal idea. As Mr Stashower observes, "(It) clearly illustrates that the young novelist had already begun to question the received wisdom of science."
But there's another clue, often uttered by Sherlock himself: 'When you take away the impossible, what's left, no matter however improbable must be the truth.'
Having applied the genius behind the world's most successful detective to the great unanswered question, Conan-Doyle arrived at the only logical answer, and declared himself satisfied that other dimensions do exist.
Elementary.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes are available free to download from Amazon.
An Explosive Time will be free to download from August 5th until August 7th. UK kindle owners click here - American Kindle owners click here. 6
Daniel Stashower's outstanding biography "Teller of Tales" must be the definitive work on Arthur Conan Doyle, a genius who straddled both Victorian and Edwardian life.
Free signed paperback copy!
To be entered in this free draw, simply leave a comment.
Winner will be drawn at random and announced via twitter and this website. Entries close August 10.
Special thanks to our resident alligator advisor, Dody.
