B. Jane Lawson's Blog, page 2
May 13, 2012
Over the Cliffs Edge Release Date, $0.99 Mother's Day Copy
Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, foster mothers and sister-mothers out there. Most especially, to my mother, the beautiful queen that she is. One of my special gifts to her is publicly stating that in no way is she the inspiration for Morganna Cork's mom. My mom is too great for words.
In honor of the special day, I've got a few goodies for Cliffside fans. First is a $0.99 coupon on Smashwords for anyone who wants to give the book as a gift or share with a friend.
Promotional price: $0.99
Coupon Code: RB68C
Expires: May 16, 2012
Next, I've got a couple of dates for everyone.
Monday May 21 - character candidates for Callupo Stone will start to be revealed
Tuesday May 29 - character candidates for Morganna Cork will start to be revealed
Week of June 4 - voting will begin to select the #1 candidates for fans on the Cliffside Pinterest Board
And....June 11 - Official Date for Over the Cliff's Edge Release will be revealed!
Thanks and have a happy mother's day!
April 6, 2012
The Abusive Muse Knocked; Demanded I Give you This
The abusive muse barged in and told me I'd made you wait too long for news from the Cliffside. I'm not sure if it will make you feel hungrier or more sated to read it, though.
The way I think nostalgia works is how I think of the 1990s. I used to think that I was living in a time without cultural identity – like the 80s or 70s. Now I'm two decades away and I'm starting to only remember stand out things. Plaid flannels. Winona Ryder. Printed floral dresses with black lace up boots. Alanis Morisette. You get the idea. I think that's how a decade becomes defined, by what we remember of twenty-some odd years later. What evokes an emotional response when we revisit video and film from that time period. In the moment, you're not quite sure what is going to be a defining characteristic.
We can really only assess what's happened with the luxury of time and space. Our brain doesn't immediately process it. I believe that's how grieving goes. Our brain can't mentally afford to process it all at once. So it's going to peel back the pain layer by layer so it doesn't kill you. I suppose that's how I'm going to deal with this death. Possibly for the next twenty years.
- Over the Cliff's Edge.
March 26, 2012
To the Cliffside Pinterest Board
I am extremely excited to unveil the To the Cliffside Pinterest board!!! Check out to see who I envision as the best to play various characters in the To the Cliffside movie! Subscribe to my Pinterest board and tweet me @bjanelawson to get access to post your best thoughts on characters!
I'll be unveiling character ideas all throughout the month of April leading up to Morganna and Callupo - reader submissions will be taken into account!
Happy Pinning
http://pinterest.com/bjanelawson/to-the-cliffside-characters/
March 10, 2012
Updates from the Cliffside Inn
Greetings,
I'm excited to reveal the first redesign of the To the Cliffside book cover. Fashioned to resemble the family journal in the book - I'm delighted to share it with you all! This will be the book cover up for the remainder of the week on eBook sites.
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Also, don't take my words for it, here is what others have to say:
"What really is different with this book, or different then what I normally read???.... I really don't know unless like I said perhaps the author has powers of her own. The character Morganna seemed more real to me then any of the others. Don't ask me how come....." see more on Goodreads
February 22, 2012
What I do when I'm not writing
Check put my guest post on tyngas reviews and enter for a chance to win a free copy of To The Cliffside:
http://www.tyngasreviews.com/2012/02/i-not-writing-with-b-jane-lawson.html
February 11, 2012
Sex Vs. Romance, My Take
Writing a novel is a lot like dating. The BIG question is, when does IT happen? It's the question ever present in a woman's mind when she's on a date or meeting someone for the first time. The first date? The second date? Is the third date rule a legitimate thing?
Writing a romance or paranormal romance novel is a lot like this. If a reader is really going to appreciate the "fireworks" moment you've got to make them want it. If you get to the sex too soon, it's a sex novel and not a romance novel. If you wait too long the reader, much like an erstwhile dater, loses interest....Read more here
I invite you to mosey on over to I'm Loving Books to check out my article on foreplay in paranormal romance and enter for a chance to win one of two ebook copies.
January 26, 2012
Book Cover Design Contest; Money and Infamy as Bounty
Dear Artists,
I'm hosting an open contest for a cover re-design contest for To the Cliffside. I'm looking for the most creative, magickal piece you can create, and that follow the Amazon Kindle Cover Page guidelines. This contest is open to both professional and amateur designers, alike.
I highly suggest you read the book, so I'm offering this Smashwords coupon for the book for $0.99 or you could purchase on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
Here's the coupon information:
Promotional price: $0.99
Coupon Code: ZT57G
Expires: January 31, 2012
Details on the Contest
eligiblity: any humans
deadlines: All entries must be submitted by February 14, 2012
image files: All art and graphic entries should be submitted in the largest, highest quality version possible in jpeg, tif or pdf formats. Scanned prints and photographs should have a resolution of 600 dpi or higher. File size should not exceed 20MB.
submissions should be made to bjanelawson@posterous.com
please include your name and e-mail
Finalists will be posted on bjanelawson.posterous.com for voting beginning February 15, 2012
JUDGING CRITERIA Submissions will be judged on the following criteria:
Artistic merit, creative expression
alignment wiiht the theme of hte novel
author preference
1 winner will be awarded $150.00 for the final cover design (paid via PayPal)
Winners will be posted and compensated by February 22, 2012
Legal Jargon
Each entry must be original in concept, design and execution and not violate any U.S. copyright laws.
USE OF SUBMISSIONS: B. Jane Lawson will not use entries in activities related to promotion of the Morganna Cork series without first contacting the Artist for approval.
Ownership: In submitting an entry to the contest, the artist cede's the rights to the creative property upon receipt of the award payment.
I look forward to viewing all of your wonderful submissions and work!!!
Best,
B. Jane
January 22, 2012
For Writers. And Readers. And Dreamers. And Thinkers.
I published my first indie novel on September 11, 2011. A significant date to the American people, and when I'm asked if that was intentional, I must say no. The reality of indie publishing is that you submit your content and wait for approval from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.
Based on many e-mails and queries I've gotten, I thought I'd share my thoughts with the interwebs regarding this "indie-publishing craze" and my personal experience.
My entire life I've been an achiever - at work and at school - in fact, some might say an over-achiever of zealot-like proportions. But, I've also been a reader, and a dreamer, and a thinker and a writer, in that order. I've been writing novellas in my head for years, letting the plots unfold in my mind as I drive along (my poor driving skills may be attributed to this). Becoming an author seemed as unattainable to me as going to the moon (in fact becoming an astronaut seemed a far more feasible goal, more on that to come).
So I forged along upon the crutches of math and science, areas that I excelled in and had a remarkable proclivity for and to which the path forward seemed abundantly clear. I could become a doctor or a financial trader or an aerospace engineer, make a lot of money, the end. Then in college, I made a startling decision - I changed my major from international economics to history. History! What would one do with a history major you say? Well, I learned a heck of a lot about the world we're in, the political, economic and social changes that occured for us to get here, and I also got to write. A lot. History majors may write as much or more than an English major. To everyone else around me, this appeared to be an epicly absurd move.
The decision to change that major was one of the first of many that led to my eventual authorship. I took a chance, went with my gut and was better for it. Instead of over-developing skills I already had (financial analysis and the like) I expanded my skill set to include big picture thinking, story arcs and qualitative analysis. And at the feet of the accomplished professors of the history department, I honed my writing skills. I figured, if I ended up in financial services, I might just be a leg up since I developed other areas of my repertoire (my prediction held true, I have a wonderful day job that pays the bills where I work with entrepreneurs to help them build businesses).
Deciding to self-publish was another one of those fork in the road decisions. Do I go to New York, seek the big six approval, or do I publish on my own? The stigma of self-publishing still exists. It has to, you see, because it is the bedrock of the idea that before a book is "worthy" an agent and a publisher must deem it as such.
But, I wasn't interested in the fame or the money. I was interested in letting my creative juices flow. The twenty-seven months or so it took me to write the book were some of the most exciting and fulfilling times of my life.
I had a blank computer screen on which I could write anything I wanted. Heady stuff. I purposefully avoided literature regarding the process of writing or what one should write. This was a free pass to do whatever I wanted. Every day of school and work is about fulfilling someone else's mission - this was a chance to do something the way I wanted it done. Writing a book exactly as I wanted it to read and every step of the process was for self-fulfillment. If I only felt like writing a sentence that day, that's what I did. I was euphoric, drunk on power. I was my own boss. I didn't like that scene, so I deleted it, control X and it was gone. Morganna and Callupo began to fill my mind just like regular people do and I became invested in them as characters. If nothing else, I got to know myself better than I had in any of the years preceding.
Not only was I fulfilled by this creative process, I became a better thinker and writer, as well. Following a web of plotlines from start to finish in a novel is a mental exercise in agility. Had I gone with a traditional publisher, I'd have been beholden to their deadlines, their input on the novel and maybe had to sacrifice a little of what I wanted to see in the book. I'm glad that I did not. I had one person who was my editor/sister/idea lady work with me on the book, and I chose her because I respected her judgement and trusted her enough to give me the creative space I needed.
On the day of publishing, I was overwrought with emotions. Will people think this book is terrible? If this is a success or failure the only person this points to is me! I hope someone other than my mother and sisters reads this book!
Now that it's been published and read many times over, it's much easier for me to say that none of that stream of consciousness matters, that if I was the only person who liked the book then that's all that matters. I would be lying if I didn't say it feels terrific that many people have read it and reviewed it on Amazon, Goodreads, and the like, and the response has been overwhelmingly favorable. Had it received a unanimous backlash I'd likely retire.
One question that has perturbed me is, "How much money have you made?" When asked this question, my first thought is, on what planet is it appropriate to ask people about how much money they make? Then, I remember, it's just curioisity about the process. I do this for the love it and if it ever grows to become a full-time gig I'd be ecstatic. That hasn't happened, yet. My sister asked me how I would define a "success" for this book. I said, I'd be content if 100 non-family members read this book. This has happened, so we'll count it a success. For book two, I will likely up the ante.
So I advise, unsolicited to some and solicited to others, that you make a decision about what's best for you. Either way you go, becoming an author of import and fame is very difficult, and it's a business not for the faint of heart. But if it's a creative experience you're wanting to undertake - get started today. One word turns into one sentence which becomes part of a paragraph and then a page - you know the rest.
January 1, 2012
Happy New Year! Free Morganna Cork eBook on Smashwords
Happy New Year to the many people who have read, supported and blogged about To the Cliffside. I'm wishing everyone a wonderful 2012 and look forward to bringing you Over the Cliff's Edge as a follow-up to Morganna's adventures.
The promotional ebook pricing on Amazon is over, but as a new year's gift, I've generated the following coupon code on Smashwords for a free copy:
Book Link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/88272
Coupon Code: TU65E
Expires: January 2, 2012
December 20, 2011
Oh Cal: you love him, you hate him, you want to kiss him, then punch him.; 5 fangs at Paromantasy
"This book in 5 words: Amazing, Unputdownable, A Must-Read!
With such an ambiguous title and cover, I wasn't sure what to expect when I started to read this book. What I found was one of the best books that I have read this year. Suspenseful, action-packed, riddled with mystery and through the roof sexual tension that will have you yelling, "Come on and do it already!"..lol. This recipe leads to a book that you simply cannot put down and characters that will stay with you long after you gobble the book up. I still dream about Callupo aka Cal *sigh*."
This is just snipper from the review at Paromantasy of To the Cliffside which you can read the rest of if you click the link.
Evie did a smash-up job describing the book and I've even got a few new choice words to descrive Callupo! If you're looking to get into a new series - it's just $1.99 on Amazon!
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