Tracy Skylar Johnson's Blog, page 2
November 24, 2013
Laptops for Writers
Technological woes are the stuff of Greek Tragedy at the best of times, but for writers – those about to publish the first in a series while at the same time, furiously scribbling away at the second – losing connectivity is like losing a leg (I didn’t write losing an MS, not wanting to tempt the fates).
I had one of my most serious heart failure moments this morning when I plugged the USB stick I use as constant exterior storage into the port on the 17″ HP Pavilion laptop, the tiny red LED blinked once and died. The Word directory told me the port was not found. Cue serious Yogi breathing. In a real state of panic, I plugged the stick into the new Chromebook – the one I purchased when the HP decided it no longer cared to connect to the WWW. Why? Even the two compu boffins in the house can’t figure it out – seriously ,this laptop suffers from full moon madness on a daily basis.
I bought the chromebook as typing extensive mail on an Iphone is detrimental to sanity and viewing a website on that screen is just daft – Note to businesses: MOBILE! At first the Chromebook seems cool – until you try working with it as an author. I never realized how much uploading and downloading a person needs to do in order to send interior MS files and covers to formatters, designers, editors and the publisher. Running a blog and website – plug-ins, widgets – up and down loading which the Chromebook flatly refuses.
Plug in the USB but there’s nowhere to open the file. No Scrivener – it needs to be downloaded. Google wants me to run everything in its Cloud but it’s about as accessible as flying to Venus. Finally, I copied the document and pasted it into a Google Doc. Sure I can work on it (if I ever get to grips with this skewed keyboard and the depressed keys) but I can’t save it externally. I am to trust that Google will nurture my 75,000 word baby.
What now? It won’t do – I need ANOTHER machine to operate my home office. But which one. Looking around it seems the Macbook and ThinkPad are the main contenders, both rocketing in at over $1000. Are there no laptops suitable for authors that don’t bust the budget?
The post Laptops for Writers appeared first on Tracy Johnson.
Paris really is romantic
Meanwhile, the second part of "The Narcissism Novels" - working title "Delusion" or "Gothic Tango", I cant decide - is in it's denouement stage. Always the tricky moment as you try to wrap all the themes with a pretty but not sticky bow. It's been a huge pleasure, one I hadn't anticipated, that the setting is a luxe hotel in Paris - I may have fallen into the romance genre here but maybe Isobel deserves it after her many trials with narcissists.
Funny thing is, I created the perfect man in Gabriel and I feel way too happy with him. After the writing session is over (generally about 5-6 hours in length) I notice a mini elation, followed by a bit of a let down when I realize the character is exactly that and does not really exist.
The same exhilaration comes through as I write the setting, the clothes, the infinity bathtub looking out on the illuminated Eiffel Tower. It's a direct opposite to the psychological effort it took to write the first two books in The Narcissism Novels series.
October 28, 2013
Free Ebook
Did the offer of a free ebook in the title of this post grab your attention? It’s a genuine gift, no strings, no drawing from a hat or any waiting involved – the only hitch is you have to love sci-fi fantasy.
“How far would you go to save your wife and child? To Another World?”
This is the enticing tagline of “The Winds of Heaven and Earth” which has all the elements of a thriller, when Jordan’s pregnant wife goes missing and suspicion ultimately falls on him. From there we plunge into a world of mystery and magic that takes you along at full blast and leaves you wanting more. Fortunately “The Winds of Heaven and Earth” is the first in a trilogy so the adventure will continue.
I am gifting TEN copies of my friend Stephen M Holak’s epic tale because I believe in authors helping authors. “The Winds of Heaven” is a book that readers will be pleased to discover. If you would like to receive a copy sent direct to your Kindle, let me know in the comments or via mail through the box in the sidebar.
The post Free Ebook appeared first on Tracy Johnson.
October 21, 2013
Book Cover
Illusion is Coming!!
It’s hard not to get really excited as you see your book gather it’s momentum for that final push into birth. The book cover is much more interesting than editing and fiddling with formatting which I could frankly live without – Playing with fonts and photos and color is much more fun.
I wrote a long post this morning about how writer’s block is like dieting and unhappiness – it doesn’t really exist. This was my motivating word count to get me moving on a resistant morning when I wasn’t sure where Isobel was headed in chapter thirteen. Turns out she’s heading towards a major unraveling, so that could be why I was resisting getting the laptop fired up.
So blog post, word count target and the rest of the day spent on keywords and blurbs, until California got on board and Karri sent me these updated choices for the cover.
I know from newspaper editing on North West Nomad News that once you see the mock-up, it’s easier to figure out what’s working and what was just a dumb idea. I can see that there’s too much text on the back cover and that the hard spine is not a good idea as CreateSpace just aren’t that exact in their printing.
In working the precis on the back text, I came up with the tagline. Now to figure out the color scheme. White, Orange or pink? Which works?
There will be giveaways and offers on launch date week so please sign up to the newsletter if you’d like to be informed of all the juicy bits – I only mail with something to say, not every other day!!
<!DOCTYPE html>
if(fg.children('.datefield').length == 1){
// Do not select 1st input so date picker will work.
} else {
fg.find('input, select').slice(0,1).focus();
}
fg.not('.focused-field').addClass('focused-field').children('.field-help').slideDown('fast');
$('.focused-field').not(fg).removeClass('focused-field').children('.field-help').slideUp('fast');
}
event.stopPropagation();
});
// Allow select inputs to be width:auto up to 500px (because max-width doesn't work in IE7)
$("select").each(function(){
$(this).css("width", "auto");
if($(this).width() > 500){
$(this).css("width", "500px");
}
});
} catch(e){ console.log(e); }
});
' msg '
');
}
},
empty: function(element) {
if ( $('#MERGE0_mailcheck').length > 0 ){
$('#MERGE0_mailcheck').remove();
}
return;
}
});
});
} catch(e){ console.log(e); }
});
body{
font:14px/20px 'Helvetica', Arial, sans-serif;
margin:0;
padding:75px 0 0 0;
text-align:center;
}
p{
padding:0 0 10px 0;
}
textarea{
font:12px/18px 'Helvetica', Arial, sans-serif;
}
h2{
font-size:22px;
line-height:28px;
margin:0 0 10px 0;
}
h3{
margin:0 0 5px 0;
padding:0;
}
.headerBar{
background:none;
padding:0;
border:none;
}
.wrapper{
width:600px;
margin:0 auto 10px auto;
text-align:left;
}
.container{
position:relative;
border-width:0 !important;
border-color:transparent !important;
margin:0;
text-align:left;
-moz-box-shadow:2px 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
-webkit-box-shadow:2px 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
box-shadow:2px 2px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
}
.tpl-image-content{
padding-left:20px;
}
fieldset{
padding:10px;
background-color:#ddd;
border:1px solid #ccc;
}
label{
float:none;
clear:both;
display:block;
width:auto;
margin-top:8px;
text-align:left;
font-weight:bold;
position:relative;
font-size:16px;
line-height:110%;
}
.field-group{
float:none;
margin:3px 0 15px 0;
padding:5px;
border-style:solid;
background:-moz-linear-gradient(top, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), rgba(255, 255, 255, .25));
background-image:-webkit-gradient(linear,left top,left bottom,color-stop(0, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)),color-stop(1, rgba(255, 255, 255, .25)));
filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr='#00ffffff', endColorstr='#3fffffff');
-ms-filter:"progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr='#00ffffff', endColorstr='#3fffffff')";
background-color:#f2e3f3;
border-width:4px;
}
.field-group input{
display:block;
margin:0;
padding:5px;
border:0;
background:none;
width:98%;
}
.radiogroup input,.phonearea input,.addressfield input,.datefield input,.groups input{
width:auto;
}
.radio-group input,.checkbox-group input{
width:auto;
display:inline-block;
margin-right:5px;
}
.field-group label{
clear:none;
}
.field-group textarea{
background:none;
border:none;
width:525px;
height:150px;
margin:0;
overflow:auto;
}
.field-help{
display:none;
font-weight:normal;
position:static;
float:none;
clear:both;
margin:5px -5px -5px -5px;
width:auto;
padding:8px 10px;
line-height:16px;
font-size:12px;
-moz-border-radius:0;
border-radius:0;
-webkit-border-radius:0;
}
.field-help .help{
min-height:16px;
text-decoration:none;
}
.field-group .feedback br{
display:none;
}
.field-group .feedback div{
margin:0 !important;
padding:0 !important;
}
.addressfield .subfield{
clear:left;
}
.indicates-required{
text-align:right;
}
.indicates-required span{
font-size:150%;
font-weight:bold;
}
label .asterisk{
position:absolute;
top:36px;
right:10px;
font-size:30px;
}
.error,.errorText{
margin:5px 0 0 0;
padding:5px 10px;
}
.formstatus{
margin-bottom:10px;
}
.alert{
background:#e4f3d4;
border:2px solid #5ca000;
font-size:14px;
color:#5ca000;
margin:10px 0;
padding:10px;
}
.alert a{
color:#5ca000;
text-decoration:underline;
}
.datefield,.phonefield-us{
padding:5px;
}
.datefield input,.phonefield-us input{
display:inline;
width:60px;
margin:0 2px;
letter-spacing:1px;
text-align:center;
padding:5px 0 2px 0;
}
.datefield .small-meta{
font-size:11px;
}
.phonefield-us .phonearea input,.phonefield-us .phonedetail1 input{
width:40px;
}
.datefield .monthfield input,.datefield .dayfield input{
width:30px;
}
.datefield label,.phonefield-us label{
display:none;
}
ul.interestgroup_field{
display:block;
padding:5px;
margin:0;
}
ul.interestgroup_field li,.interestgroup_row{
display:block;
margin:0;
padding:0;
list-style:none;
}
ul.interestgroup_field input{
display:inline !important;
width:auto !important;
}
ul.interestgroup_field label,div.interestgroup_field label{
display:table;
padding:0 0 0 3px;
font-weight:normal;
}
select{
width:300px;
margin:5px;
}
ul.unsub-options{
display:block;
}
ul.unsub-options li{
display:block;
padding-bottom:5px;
}
ul.unsub-options li label{
display:inline;
padding-left:5px;
}
ul.unsub-options li textarea{
display:block;
padding:5px;
background:#fff;
border:1px solid #ccc;
margin:5px 0;
width:350px;
height:100px;
}
.addressfield span{
display:block;
height:34px;
}
.addressfield input{
float:right;
width:56%;
margin:0 9% 0 0;
padding:8px 0 2px 0;
}
.addressfield label{
float:left;
font-weight:normal;
text-align:right;
width:33%;
}
.addressfield .countryfield{
display:block;
height:45px;
position:relative;
}
.addressfield .countryfield select{
margin:0;
position:absolute;
top:10px;
left:35%;
}
.captcha{
float:left;
width:340px;
height:170px;
}
#archive-list{
display:block;
margin:15px 0;
padding:0;
border-top:1px solid #eee;
}
#archive-list li{
display:block;
list-style:none;
margin:0;
padding:6px 10px;
border-bottom:1px solid #eee;
}
.button,.button-small{
display:inline-block;
font-family:'Helvetica', Arial, sans-serif;
width:auto;
white-space:nowrap;
height:32px;
margin:5px 5px 0 0;
padding:0 22px;
text-decoration:none;
text-align:center;
font-weight:bold;
font-style:normal;
font-size:15px;
line-height:32px;
cursor:pointer;
border:0;
-moz-border-radius:4px;
border-radius:4px;
-webkit-border-radius:4px;
vertical-align:top;
}
.button-small{
float:none;
display:inline-block;
height:auto;
line-height:18px !important;
padding:2px 15px !important;
font-size:11px !important;
}
.button span{
display:inline;
font-family:'Helvetica', Arial, sans-serif;
text-decoration:none;
font-weight:bold;
font-style:normal;
font-size:15px;
line-height:32px;
cursor:pointer;
border:none;
}
.rounded6{
-moz-border-radius:6px;
border-radius:6px;
-webkit-border-radius:6px;
}
.poweredWrapper{
padding:20px 0;
width:560px;
margin:0 auto;
}
.poweredBy{
display:block;
text-align:right;
}
span.or{
display:inline-block;
height:32px;
line-height:32px;
padding:0 5px;
margin:5px 5px 0 0;
}
.clear{
clear:both;
}
.tpl-image-content{
padding-left:0px;
}
.profile-list{
display:block;
margin:15px 20px;
padding:0;
list-style:none;
border-top:1px solid #eee;
}
.profile-list li{
display:block;
margin:0;
padding:5px 0;
border-bottom:1px solid #eee;
}
body{
-webkit-text-size-adjust:none;
}
input{
-webkit-appearance:none;
}
input[type=checkbox]{
-webkit-appearance:checkbox;
}
input[type=radio]{
-webkit-appearance:radio;
}
body,#bodyTable{
background-color:#ffffff;
}
h1{
font-size:18px;
margin-bottom:12px;
padding:0;
margin-top:0;
}
#templateContainer{
background-color:#e461d9;
}
#templateBody{
background-color:#e9b9df;
}
.bodyContent{
line-height:150%;
font-family:Georgia;
font-size:18px;
color:#333333;
padding:10px;
}
a:link,a:active,a:visited,a{
color:#86438f;
}
.button:link,.button:active,.button:visited,.button,.button span,.button-small:link,.button-small:active,.button-small:visited,.button-small{
background-color:#7b3881;
color:#ffffff;
}
.button:hover,.button-small:hover{
background-color:#705c74;
color:#f0b1ee;
}
label{
line-height:110%;
font-family:Helvetica;
font-size:16px;
color:#333333;
}
.field-group{
background-color:#f2e3f3;
border-width:4px;
border-color:#d0d0d0;
}
.datefield input,.phonefield-us input,.addressfield input{
border-bottom-width:1px;
border-bottom-style:solid;
border-color:#999999;
}
.field-group input,.field-group textarea{
font-family:Helvetica;
font-size:16px;
color:#333333;
}
.asterisk{
color:#8b248b;
}
.field-help{
background-color:#dcdcdc;
color:#000;
}
.error,.errorText{
font-size:12px;
color:#6b0505;
background-color:#f4bfbf;
}
html[dir=rtl] .wrapper,html[dir=rtl] .container,html[dir=rtl] label{
text-align:right !important;
}
html[dir=rtl] ul.interestgroup_field label{
padding:0;
}
html[dir=rtl] ul.interestgroup_field input{
margin-left:5px;
}
html[dir=rtl] label .asterisk{
right:auto;
left:10px;
}
@media (max-width: 601px){
body{
width:100%;
-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;
padding:10px 0 0 0 !important;
min-width:300px !important;
}
} @media (max-width: 601px){
textarea,select,ul.unsub-options li textarea{
width:80% !important;
}
} @media (max-width: 601px){
h1 img{
max-width:100%;
height:auto !important;
}
} @media (max-width: 601px){
.wrapper,.poweredWrapper{
width:auto !important;
max-width:600px !important;
padding:0 10px;
}
} @media (max-width: 601px){
.addressfield .countryfield select{
max-width:50% !important;
}
} @media (max-width: 601px){
#templateContainer,#templateBody,#templateContainer table{
width:100% !important;
-moz-box-sizing:border-box;
-webkit-box-sizing:border-box;
box-sizing:border-box;
}
}
New Releases, Offers & Giveaways
Share your contact info to hear about these and other offers – from me and no other and only on special occasions.
* indicates required
Email Address *
First Name
Last Name
The post Book Cover appeared first on Tracy Johnson.
October 19, 2013
Editing and Proofing the Novel
This is kind of the crazy part of being an author publisher – wearing many hats through the work day is stimulating and exhausting – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I am at the final leg, the home strait now, doing the fun part of book covers and book formatting, after struggling through the editing phase. All the while, also writing part two of Isobel and Dylan’s psychological tale of horror.
Finding a good editor is tough! There are plenty out there who, having realized there’s good money to be made in the new publishing paradigm, have hung out a shingle in the form of a blogsite. I went through many of these sites and eliminated those that had typos in their own web copy – one even spelt a menu item incorrectly! – and those who offered a ‘before and after’ example edit that showed no improvement on the original. After emailing a few, many were booked up months ahead (probably the good ones).
I had to go through a double trial and error with two different women, before finding the wonderful guy who completed the task in record time.
The first copy-editor sent me an invoice for a deposit without offering a sample edit. This should have been my first indication to run screaming the opposite direction, but I was getting desperate (Note to self : haven’t you learned yet that this is the point where fatal errors are made?) This woman was not only condescending in her notes on the first three chapters I’d sent, she thought it her task to rewrite my novel to her preference. I sent a polite mail. I received a response that did not address my concerns, itemized my personal faults and also threw devaluing blame in my face “We know you don’t like to be edited” – How did “we know” this and why was I paying hundreds of bucks for editing if I didn’t want it?
Narcissist alert.
I sent a polite mail back. As ever, not accepting my gut feeling that this person was not right, that somehow it must be me who was in error. She invoked some instance when she’d posted a rewrite of the blurb for “Magic” on her Facebook wall and some flying monkey said she liked it. She also demanded another payment.
Funny how the Universe continues to send reminders of the people we should not be maintaining in our lives. I cut my losses and made sure to request a sample from the next editor. The World Web is a marvel but some people make use of it in order to reduce their workload to a fraction while pretending to be a professional. When she finally sent me a mail, asking if I had sent the entire Doc as it seemed to cut off mid-scene, I hit the road again. And found the brilliant Martin.
A super job of copy-editing, a lesson that it’s okay to move away from people until you find the right match, and on to the next stage – formatting both print and E-book and getting the cover finished. Here I experienced another little blip – questioning whether I should split the 86k words of the novel into two parts of 43k for the start of a five-part serial. Although this is being heavily touted as the road to success by every author treading the boards, I decided against, feeling that a reader wants to be engrossed in a story, not left hanging. In many genres, the short series may work well, but not in contemporary fiction.
Did I make the right decision? Meanwhile, a sample of the cover image came in.
The post Editing and Proofing the Novel appeared first on Tracy Johnson.
