James Alexander's Blog, page 3

Wine and Writing

I’m in the process of making wine and it occurred to me, wine and writing have much in common! I’m not referring to drinking wine while writing – though that works well sometimes too. What I am referring to is the wine making process. Here’s why:

1)    Ingredients

Like all the ingredients that go into wine making, so do many pieces go into building a story. We all start with an idea, then another idea, then as the story is thought out, many ideas – all going into one masterpiece.

2)    Mix it all together

For wine, yeast is added. For writing, throw in some catalyst ideas to make things interesting. Mix it all up….juggle the ideas around….start writing!

3)    Take a reading

A tool is used for wine – a hydrometer. It measures sugar content to track how sugar is being converted to alcohol. What tools do we use as writers? There are many out there. Read what has been written and think about where the story is going. I like to write all my ideas and let the story guide me. Other writers may use outlines. This step is to evaluate the next steps in the story.

4)    Let it sit

The 1st draft of the story is complete. The wine is fermenting nicely – now time needs to take over to do the job.

5)    Racking

After a period of time, it’s time to rack the fermenting wine to another vessel. This removes the wine from the sediment of dropped yeast. A story needs to be revisited after it’s been setting for a month or so. New ideas will appear, errors will stand out. The story may seem like junk at this point. The wine doesn’t taste good either! Time to edit/revise!

Repeat….

Repeat…..

Repeat….

With each stage, the wine gets clearer, brighter, and smoother…as does the story.

6)    Aging

After numerous rackings, the wine is clear and smells great! A story has been honed and errors have been corrected. Now it’s time to reach out to agents or get ready to self-publish. This takes time. The longer wine sits in bulk, the better it gets. Did the story land a publisher or ready to self-publish? Time for step 7! If not, what’s wrong with waiting a little longer to make things even better?

7)    Bottling

This is the last step to the process in wine making. The wine is ready for bottling and is siphoned to smaller bottles. Labels are glued to the bottle and the wine is ready for drinking (or bottle aging). The story is with an agent or has been self-published. Now everyone can enjoy what has been created! (or hate it – we all have different tastes).

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The Choice update

In December, 2015, I entered my story, The Choice, into the YA! 2015 Contest. As I have mentioned in prior posts, I am working hard to land an agent for my novel and the contest was one I found through Authors.ME, a platform for submitting work to agents and publishers.

Yesterday, 1/16, I was informed that The Choice is moving to the final round. My novel is one of eighteen that will be judged for the final judging on February 1st.

This is welcome news after many edits of my story and countless e-mails sent out to agents. Wish me luck in the final round!

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“The Choice” – I made a decision!

After much thought, I’ve decided not to publish “The Choice” on Amazon and work to publish my story traditionally. I am going to try to find an agent to represent my work.

Why am I doing this?

Deep down, I have a desire to publish traditionally. It would be amazing to have my story on the bookshelves of brick and mortar stores. While Amazon has been a great way for me to get my stories into reader’s hands, it’s not the same as a traditional publisher.

I have learned how to write a story, suffering through MANY edits on my own, manage obtaining cover art, format my book to work for Amazon and Smashwords, and plan a release strategy. All of this information is not lost and will help me as I work to be a stronger writer.

While self-publishing is certainly rewarding, the key issue I see in the process is that unless an author is willing and able to hire professionals (cover artists, book formatting, editors, marketers), the amount of work it takes to make a self-published novel reach many with the chance of being paid, is slim. Sure, an author can hold a free drive and give away thousands of copies of their work for free, the chances of doing the same, but paid, for many Amazon authors is small. My story, “Conduit: The Beginning” was downloaded 10,000+ on a free drive I had. It was gratifying knowing that so many people downloaded my story, but I would have loved if I got a buck for each download. Greedy? Maybe – but hey, I put a ton of work into it.

My major flaw in self-publishing has been the inability to hire a professional editor. The cost of an editor on a novel of 65,000 words would run roughly $1,200+. Add in a professional cover, $200. Throw in book formatting, $200. Don’t forget another $400 or so for marketing. So, on the low side, the cost of self-publishing falls around $2,000. Now, I didn’t hire for formatting, and I did a lot of marketing myself. I admit, I didn’t have enough for a professional editor – unless you’re an established author, who does? Again, $2,000 to self-publish – why is this a factor? Because this is what publishing traditionally will do for an author. Unless an author is willing to shell out AT LEAST that amount of money on a book for self-publishing, he or she will not have as good a product as a traditionally published book.

Am I never going to self-publish again? No, I will. Self-publishing has it’s advantages – the biggest being: complete freedom. I will go about self-publishing a story differently though. I will make sure I have the capital for professional editing (yes, I admit, it has to be done), cover design, and marketing. I’ve pat myself on the back for starting with no understanding of the self-publishing business to learning each step of the process. It’s unrealistic for me to take on all aspects of the industry, all while raising two kids, and holding a full-time job. Publishers have teams dedicated to every piece of the puzzle.

So, onward for me and into the slushpile. My story rocks though.

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I have entered my story, “The Choice” to the Kindle Scout...

I have entered my story, “The Choice” to the Kindle Scout program.  With enough nominations, Amazon will publish my book.

An excerpt of around 5,000 words is available for review. With your help, “The Choice” could be up for publication in a month!

Please nominate me (You get the book free if I win!) using this link: The Choice

Thank You!

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Cover Art for “The Choice”

While deep in the dark depths of editing, the cover art for “The Choice” is complete. I’m happy with the results and this adds more fuel to finalize my latest round of edits.

 

For those not familiar with my latest work in process, the cover shows the theme well. Jared, a young man, is faced with a choice that will split his world. In one world, he must battle free of a coma and in the other, he’s a vicious gangster.  Jared discovers that his evil twin switches places with him and he must stop him from hurting those he loves.

I’d love to get some feedback on the artwork!

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Why Taylor Swift Should just Shush!

I recently read an article about Taylor Swift fighting back against Apple by refusing to offer her music for free.  The article is here for folks that may like to read it:

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/taylor-swift-convinced-apple-change-mind-artist-pay/story?id=31938812

As an indie author, I understand the frustration at offering work for free.  While I’d much rather distribute my work for profit from the beginning of a book release, it is near impossible for an indie author to compete with mainstream writers.

Amazon and Apple have changed the landscape for authors and artists by allowing them to distribute their works on their platforms, thereby providing potential customers who want to read or listen to new voices visibility to the independent artists and authors.

I have released two books now, Conduit: The Beginning and Beautiful People.  I have held many free drives for my ebooks and have been happy with the results.  I’ve managed to distribute my work to thousands of people I never dreamed I could have reached without the help of free promotions.  I have seen sales as a result of free promotions.

Taylor Swift is a very successful singer.  She is lucky to have reached the heights she has realized.  She is also a great example of corporate greed.  Her platform is based on traditional means – just like so many of the mainstream writers.  Her crying at giving away some of her music for free, is not something I applaud her for.

While so many people line up behind her – defending her with the false idea that she is protecting artist’s rights – I’m concerned she is fighting to take away the ability for new authors and artists to build a fan base by holding free promotions.  Taylor Swift’s drive is protect her profits, nothing more.  Taylor Swift is concerned about Taylor Swift, not a new artist or author.

While Apple and Amazon provide a method for indie authors and artists to distribute their works for free, Taylor Swift attacking the companies for shortchanging the artist is built on a false base.  It is the consumer that drives Apple and Amazon to push for free distribution of work.  The consumer downloads the product, therefore, it’s the consumer that is hurting Taylor Swift.  Attacking the consumer is not beneficial to her though.

Get off your tall horse Ms. Swift.

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“The Choice” update

I know, I’ve been neglecting my blog for some time now.  I have been very busy on “The Choice” for quite some time now.  I’ve gone through countless edits and revisions.  I’m happy to say, that I’m very close to finalizing the story.  I wrapped up much of the formatting of the ebook for the Kindle and have uploaded a version to my own Kindle for a review.

I am very excited about this story.  It is a fast moving book and is full of twists and turns.

This is what I’ve completed to date:

First Draft – DONE
First Edit – DONE
Second Edit – DONE
Third Edit – DONE
Identify artist for cover art – DONE
Format ebook for Kindle – DONE

This is what is left:

Finalize artwork with cover artist
Formulate final release plan

As you can see, I’m almost there!

Thank you to all who have been waiting patiently for my next work.  It has been a long haul for me.  My wife and I have welcomed another beautiful baby girl into our lives this past year.  I’ve been working many hours in my day job.  Long story short, little time is left in the day for much else. Yup, I’m whining and I’ll stop.

In the near future, I’ll be posting the cover art.

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The Choice: Chapter 1

Here is a draft of chapter 1 of my next novel, “The Choice”.  I’d love to hear what everyone thinks:

1

The Choice

 

The group of men circled Jared.  His heart raced.  They all carried guns and were bigger than him. Each had already aced their initiations by murdering at least one person.  The gang watched him, each anxious to see what he’d do to the old man kneeling on the ground in front of him, pleading for his life.  A gang member close to him – he had not yet learned everyone’s name – smiled and spat on the ground, nodding to Jared to do what needed to happen.

Thoughts of his past life ran through his mind.  Why did I end up in this mess?  I should be at home – not here. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.  He took a deep breath and glanced around at the tall building, spiraling into the night’s sky.  Thinking about the horrible day when his father shared the news of losing his job – all on Jared’s 15th birthday.  It felt like so much time had gone by, yet it was only a few month’s ago.

His parents shared everything with him.  They didn’t believe in surprises so they told him both good and bad news.  His dad and mom sat down with him at the kitchen table in the home, a Colonial in a quaint neighborhood, that Jared had lived since birth.

”Jared, your mom and I have some important news,” said his dad.

“Sure, Dad.  You finally landed the promotion you wanted and have a huge birthday bash planned for me!” he replied smiling.  He wasn’t expecting the bombshell that was to follow.

It was then that he had gotten the full run-down and his happy mood erased in a matter of moments.

His father’s lips tightened, “Your mom and I lost our jobs.  The bank isn’t doing well and we were part of the first cuts.”

Jared glanced to his mother who sat next his father, nodding slowly, her eyebrows creased.  He could glimpse wetness in her eyes.  She looked tired.  It was the first time he had noticed that.  He had been so caught up in his own life, he never noticed how warn out she had become.

Jared shook his head and smiled, “You and mom will find something else soon.”

“I’m not so sure.  Times are hard. We’re going to have to move.” His dad said.

“Move?” Jared’s eyes widened.  “We can’t move. Why?”

Jared’s mom reached over the table to take his hand, “We can’t afford the house anymore.” A tear dripped down her cheak.  “We have to move until we can get back on our feet.”

“Well where then?” Jared freed his hand from his mom’s hold.

Jared’s father sighed, “The city. We have a small apartment in the city.”

That was when Jared stormed out of the room. He soon learned he had to take it all in stride, there was nothing anyone could do. He discovered the apartment was in a section of the city where gangs ruled the streets. If you were a young white man in a predominantly black area and not in a gang, you didn’t stand much chance of survival.

“In debt with no escape…” That’s what his dad had said.  Those words echoed in his mind.  Being a good scholar, Jared knew what that meant – especially in a world where the financial markets had become such a mess.  He knew it would be some time before he could ever have the life he’d once had.  Everything would change.  He’d lose friends he knew all his life.  He’d have to start over from scratch, but he knew his parents would suffer more so he tried his best.  His grades slipped because he was afraid to attend class at his new school – surrounded by thugs.

“Hey, it’s your time.  Show us you a man!” a voice echoed through the alley and he snapped back to the situation at hand as he felt someone placed cold metal in his hands.

He looked down to see that it was a .38 caliber.  He could feel his knees weaken.  I can’t kill him!  God, what do I do? he thought.  The old man cowered in front of him.  He appeared homeless, pulled out of his makeshift hovel.  But if I don’t, I’m dead instead of him.  Glancing up, his eyes darted around the circle of young men standing and waiting for him to pull the trigger.  Images of him blowing the poor man’s brains out made him queasy.  The alley was empty, save for the gang and the scared old vagrant. Wind whipped through the street and he felt the collar of his windbreaker snap against his neck.  He shivered from the breeze rushing through his clothes.  The cool night air seemed to become dense and heavy with the violence about to ensue.  He wondered if it was the grim reaper riding in to snatch its next victim.  Either way, it was bound to take a soul that night, his or the old man’s.

The old man balanced on his knees, raising his hands up to Jared, pleading for him not to proceed with the task given to him.  His face was full of whiskers and he reeked of booze.

A dark spot grew in front of his pants.  “Pleash, I dun nothin’,” he cried out.  “I, I have a boy, ‘bout yur age.”  Tears streamed down his face.

“Just pop’ him!” a large boy in the gang yelled.

Lightning struck in the distance and the sky filled with light. Well, isn’t that fitting?  Nothing like making the situation more intense, he thought and looked down at the gun resting in his hands.  Light reflected off the black barrel as another bolt of lightning graced the sky.

“Do it!  Now!” another voice called out.  He could almost feel the impatience in the man’s loud voice.

The old man, though smelly and drunk, reminded him of his grandfather.  He had spent countless summers with him and loved him dearly.  It was last summer that he died of a heart attack.  God, I can’t do this, he thought.  I have to, or I am done. He gritted his teeth with determination and slowly raised the gun to point it at the old man’s head.  Just pull the trigger and be done with it, he told himself. A siren in the near distance blared.  Wind was whipping, throwing trash around in the air.

“God Damnit!  Kill him now!” the leader of the gang shouted.

The gun shook as he held it – the barrel pointed at the old man.  Pull it you fool! A blinding flash of light hit a trash can, not far up the alley and he could see his reflection in the glass from a nearby window.  There he stood, a medium built young man about to make a decision that would shape his future.  Rain dripped off his blond hair to his shoulders as if the sky was crying for him.  Either decision would not have a good ending.  The light faded and another bolt of lightning streaked the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. I’d never be able to live with myself.  Knowing what was to follow, he dropped the gun.  He breathed a sigh of relief.  It was the right thing to do.  Another bolt of lightning followed.  It felt as though he was in the middle of a battle in the sky.

“No.  I won’t kill him.” He focused on the ring leader, the largest of the crew closing in on him, cracking his knuckles, grinning.  This was not going to be good.  The old man looked up to him, his eyes narrowed and he gave an understanding nod, as if apologizing for the situation he was in. He crawled backwards and through an open hole in the group of boys moving in to punish Jared.

The gangleader stepped forward, “I offer you protection, and you do this?  You refuse me, you refuse us.  Over a drunk?” he motioned to the old man cowering in the shadows. “You’re dead.”

Pain spread through his back.  He wondered if he heard the padded “thunk” sound first or felt the pain first.  Jared fell to his knees and saw what appeared to be a bat in one of the thug’s hands.  He tried to block another attack aimed at his face with a nightstick.  It hit his forearm and he felt it pop as the nightstick hit bone followed by a crunch as it broke through his cheekbone.  Red filled his vision and his face felt wet.  He wished it were just the rain, but knew differently.  Falling face first into the tar, he curled into a fetal position.  Pain spread over his body as he took countless hits from many attackers.   All for a homeless drunk, he thought.  Pain stabbed him from everywhere on his body.

Another flash brightened the sky as he stared up past the faces grinning at the hurt they were causing.  A bright bolt darted past clouds, branching out in several directions.  His vision began to fade and his eyes stung from blood dripping down his forehead.  A familiar noise rang in his ears and he tried to focus on it.  Police! Hope sprang into his thoughts and he could hear the gang members talking among themselves.

“Time to go!  We can finish this later.” the leader yelled.

“Man, look at him!  The punk’s bleedin’ out!” another voice shouted, followed by laughter and then the sound of footsteps running away.

A moment passed and more footsteps approached.

“Son, hang in there.  I need an ambulanc-“ the voice cut out and blackness closed around him.

Thunder boomed above, and to Jared’s surprise, he stood looking down at the .38.  Instead of dropping the gun, he brought it up to aim at the man’s head and pulled the trigger.  He wanted to stop himself, but couldn’t.  Something else or some force had the control.  The emotions frightened him.  It wasn’t remorse or shock, but exhilaration.  He had the power over this person.  He chose whether he lived or died.  Of course, the right thing to do was to kill him.  That’s what a real man would do.  The strong live, the weak die – easy as that.  He felt himself smiling at the thought.  Blood spattered the tar and the man’s body fell backwards into a lifeless heap.  The body twitched and red covered the ground.  Red contrasting with the blackness of the night was quite beautiful. The gang came forward and patted him on the back for a job well done.  The respect felt good. A blinding flash stung his eyes.

“Clear!”

Flash! Darkness.

“Clear!”

Flash!  Beep, Beep, Beep.

“I don’t believe it.  We’ve got a pulse.” A voice echoed through a fog.

Pain followed, but was soon vanquished by a needle in his veins.  Deep sleep followed.

 

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Why My Blog Stinks

I have been reading on all the things a blog should be and there are countless websites and blogs out there explaining what to blog about and what not to blog about.  So far, I’ve identified at least 7 things I’m evidently doing wrong:

1)      I’m not focused on one and only one item.  In other words, I have not targeted a key topic and only written about that key topic.

2)      I write about anything and everything on my blog.

3)      I write about writing – there’s lots of that evidently.

4)      I don’t write on my blog often enough.

5)      I have too long of a website address – eh, good luck finding a short one these days!

6)      I don’t spend enough time advertising my blog on other blogs.

7)      I’m sure there’s more – at this point I realize my blog stinks.

#7 is where most people would give up.  Not me though, I’m too stubborn for my own good.

That’s OK though.  I have fun with my blog/website and I like the idea of saying I have a blog.

One way I like to look at is:  lots of famous authors don’t have any website or blog.  I do it all myself in addition to a full time job and supporting a family.  Not too shabby!  Good work, me! (patting myself on the back)  Plus, it gives me a great outlet to share my rants. 

What got me going on this?  I had come across a post explaining how authors should give up blogging because, most of the time, their blogs are not targeted on their “niche”. After reading that post and mulling it over for a total of five seconds, I decided this advice really does not apply to me because my blog/website “niche” is all about James Alexander (me).  Now, I happen to write books, make wine, and I also have a family and a job.  Naturally, that means my website should be all over the map – which it is – in order to satisfy my “niche”.  I love the skill I have where I can take my mistakes and turn them into “non-mistakes”.

Long story short, I’ll let others keep blogging about why other people’s blogs stink and keep writing what I want to write without selling my soul in order to please someone else.  At least I have fun writing what I want.

Rant done for the night.  Thanks for listening.  Anyone out there think my blog stinks?  Remember, I only will keep the positive comments – one of the perks of maintaining my own site.

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