Robin Burks's Blog, page 14

Website Design and E-Book Covers

I’ve had a lot of people ask me about both my website design and my e-book covers. If you’d like to know who does my design work, I can answer that easily – me!

In my previous life – before I discovered writing, I was a web designer and developer. And now, I’ve decided to help out all of my fellow authors by offering my services.

If you are interested, please head on over to Bad Karma Studios and check it out.

The Curse of Hekate Cover Reveal

Check out the cover for The Curse of Hekate and let me know what you think in the comments.

Excellent Review for Zeus, Inc. on Gabbing About Books

Another blog review of Zeus, Inc. is up! I always get so excited to read the reviews and love it when someone really enjoys the book and Alex, as a character (I’m quite fond of her myself).

Read the full review over at Gabbing About Books here. Thanks, Heather!

Please Review Zeus, Inc.

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who downloading Zeus, Inc. during the Read an Ebook Promotion at Smashwords. I was very pleased with the response and am so happy that so many of you took time to grab the book.

Secondly, I would like to ask that if you did download the book and are currently reading it (or have already read it), to please take time to leave a review at any or all of the following places:

Smashwords | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | GoodReads

I cannot stress how important reviews are for self-published authors.

I am currently working on the sequel to Zeus, Inc., which will be titled The Curse of Hekate. Right now, I’m working on what I hope will be the final re-write, so expect that later this year.

Zeus, Inc. is Free for “Read an Ebook” Week

Yes, you read that headline right. To honor Smashwords “Read an Ebook” week, Zeus, Inc. will be 100% free for you to download and enjoy.

So how can you score your free copy of Zeus, Inc.? Visit the Zeus, Inc. page on Smashwords and use coupon code RW100 when checking out. And then download the book in whatever format you prefer. This offer is only valid March 3 – 9, so be sure to get your copy now!

I hope you enjoy the book and please leave a review once you’re done! Your reviews not only help me with my writing, but also help me get the word out about my work!

Recovering from Gallifrey One

If you’ve followed me over at FanGirlConfessions.com, you’ll know I spent last weekend having the most amazing time in Los Angeles at Gallifrey One. I’m a major Whovian, so I got to basically spend some time with “my people.” I love the convention so much because it is one of the few places in the whole world where I truly feel like I’m home. Unfortunately, this means I’m usually crying as I leave the hotel because I have to say good-bye to all the wonderful folks I only get to see once a year.

And yes, this year, I cried. After all the hugs are given and the plane takes off, it’s hard not to – especially since I’m not sure I’ll be returning for a few years. I plan on going back to London next year and as international travel is not getting any cheaper, I’ll need to squeeze all of my pennies. Of course, I’m already thinking that I’ll somehow figure out how to make both happen. I’ve done it before. I miss everyone so very very much.

Fortunately, there is social media, though. I would be nuts without it. And I can always look through the photos and reminisce:

With that being said, Gallifrey One 2013 was the best yet (I say that every year, though). I actually did a bit of work this time around, handing out coupon codes and ribbons that promoted my sites. I also covered a NASA panel about extrasolar planets for DVICE and am going to be writing up two other panels from the convention: an interview with Farscape‘s Ben Browder (swoon) and (Not) Inspector Spacetime. I have to admit work never felt like so much fun.

Now that I’m home, though, I have turned my attention towards The Curse of Hekate. I re-wrote a scene yesterday and decided I still wasn’t happy with it. Why? I realized that I should have trusted my initial instincts and kept it as is. But before I re-wrote what I had already re-written, I ended up adding an additional scene that I had been toying with. So sue me! But I think it’s quite cool and takes place at Pere LaChaise Cemetery in Paris.

Meanwhile, I’ve reached out to a few publishers (mostly small) about getting Zeus, Inc. out to a wider audience. I will admit that I am torn on giving my work up to a publisher, but at the same time, I think a small publisher would still be on the same page as me, but still provide some valuable services that I need and free me up to have more time to write (because some times, it’s difficult to find that, as well as time to promote my work).

However, I will always write, now that I’ve discovered how much I enjoy it and that there are people out there who seem to enjoy it as well. I can’t tell you how excited I got when I was at the con and someone came up to me to tell me how much they loved Zeus, Inc. and couldn’t wait for the sequel. You are part of why I do what I do. The other part is that I can’t NOT do it.

So with that being said, I’m going to go do a bit more work on The Curse of Hekate outline. I’m finally getting it to make coherent sense without sacrificing the things that people loved about the first book (I hope).

In the meantime, here’s a photo of the TARDIS:

Where in the heck is Horn Lake, Mississippi?

Well, I know the answer to that question now. It’s apparently just outside Memphis. When I went to book a hotel the night before my flight in the area nearest the airport, this is what Hotwire gave me. It’s close to the airport, though. I can tell as I have seen planes flying overhead. Fortunately, there’s no noise at the Best Western Plus where I’m staying at.

Now I know what some of you are thinking because you know I don’t like staying at establishments that have less than four stars. Also, the last time I stayed at a Best Western, there were springs in the mattress that poked me as I slept throughout the night. But again – I let Hotwire pick the hotel because the price is right. This is the Best Western PLUS, which is apparently a little more upscale version of their usual motels. The rooms are mini-suites and actually very nice. There’s also very little street/city noise, which is also a huge deal for me. I have to sleep with 100% quiet, save for the sound of a fan running (I just left the fan on the AC/Heating unit on for tonight). So all in all, this joint ain’t too shabby.

I also discovered a nearby bakery called the Brown Baguette. I had a cupcake that puts GiGi’s to shame and a strawberry tart that reminded me of Angelina’s in Paris. I love it when I discover those little hidden gems! I have Yelp to thank for that. I also found a Thai restaurant, which was good (but not great). I would have preferred my dishes to have less sweet and more spice, but it was still pretty darn good (and inexpensive) food.

So now I’m preparing for my flights tomorrow. I have two connections (this is what happens when you cash in your airline miles for travel), so I’m a little nervous that something will go wrong at one and I’ll end up with delays again this year. But I’m trying to be optimistic. And hoping my luggage arrives safely with me in L.A. tomorrow.

As previously mentioned, I’m looking forward to Gallifrey One. I cannot wait to see everyone again, to make new friends, to promote my book and my writing and to cosplay. Work isn’t so bad when it’s mixed with play, is it?

I am now off to go watch the final two episodes of House of Cards on Netflix (free wifi is nice) and then attempt an early night as I have to get up at 4 a.m.

I’ll see some of you tomorrow in L.A.

Gearing up for Gallifrey One

It’s that time of the year again. The time when I try to pack all of my cosplay items into a single suitcase and make my yearly trek to the Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles. For those of you unfamiliar with Gally (as we so lovingly call it), it’s basically a no-holds barred free-for-all Doctor Who celebration with 3,000 of my closest friends. It is the most fun one can have without owning their own TARDIS.

This year, the convention will be more of a work mixed with play affair. Although I did a few panels last year, this year, I’ll be promoting Zeus, Inc., and myself as a writer. To start with, I’ll be handing out coupon codes to purchase Zeus, Inc. for just $0.99 at Smashwords.com. If you happen to be going to the convention, come find me. My current cosplay schedule is as follows: Dr. Grace Holloway (from the Doctor Who movie) on Friday, Rose Tyler (10th Doctor companion extraordinaire) on Saturday and Femme 9th Doctor on Sunday.

I’ll also be tweeting during the event as much as I can, although, the convention space sucks when it comes to cell phone service. And it doesn’t have wifi, which I find appalling. I mean what sort of convention hotel doesn’t offer wifi in its convention space? It’s 2013, people, get with it!!! There is free wifi in the lobby, however, which I think is one of the reasons Lobbycon (as we’ve come to know it) is so popular. I’ll be blogging about con events over at FanGirlConfessions.com. I’m also covering a few NASA panels for DVICE.com. And I even have new business cards to hand out:

Spiffy no? A huge thanks to Moo for getting those to me so quickly.

Finally, as con tradition dictates, I’ll be handing out ribbons. And bonus points to those who get the reference:

I hope to see some of you there! As this might be my last Gallifrey One convention for several years (I’m saving up to go back to London next year), I plan on having as much fun as humanly possible. There will probably also be karaoke. You have been warned.

A Busy Week Awaits Me

I have been plodding away at The Curse of Hekate as I can, but I have been absolutely crazy busy so I’m squeezing in an hour here and hour there as I can. I’m three chapters in and I’m quite happy with the direction the novel is taking in the re-writes. Two of those three chapters are brand new and were both something I felt the beginning of the story needed. I hope to get some more writing time in today.

I’ve also done a slew of interviews (or it feels like a slew). On Friday, I had a chance to talk to Sam Witwer and Anna Fricke from Syfy’s Being Human for FanGirlConfessions.com. Syfy has been really great in reaching out to me as a blogger and inviting me to all of these cool Q&A conference calls and I enjoy them immensely. I’ve been a huge fan of Sam’s since Battlestar Galactica, so it was amazing to speak to him in person. He’s very personable and probably one of the easiest actors I’ve ever spoken to.

Tomorrow, I continue the Being Human theme. I have a Q&A with Sam Huntington and Kristen Hager, the two actors who play werewolves on the show.  On Wednesday, I have a call with some of the cast from Continuum, which my Canadian friends have told me is awesome. And on Thursday, I’m talking to Anna Silk and Ksenia Solo from Lost Girl.

I’ve also been getting in touch with a lot of awesome indie game developers and will be doing interviews about some of their upcoming projects. They all have people on their team that I’ve been in awe with for some time, so I’m really excited about that, too.

For me, writing is more than just the novel, but balancing the novel out with the other sites I write for. But the fact that I can make a living at doing something I love still surprises me, at times. And I think that maybe other authors, seeking to make a living as writers, should consider other opportunities to write. Every little article keeps you writing and keeps you in practice so that you  never have the chance to get rusty.

Finally, the Gallifrey One con is coming up in a little over a month. I look forward to it every year and this year is no exception. I’m also a cosplayer (although I’m still a noob) and put together my first femme Doctor costume this year. I went with 9 as I felt I could do him justice and had a test run of the costume yesterday. What I really love about femme Doctor cosplay is that you can take the basic idea of the character and then use your own personal creativity to re-draw him as a she. It also gives you a lot of flexiblity as a cosplayer as you can very often find the pieces you need for your costume in your own closet.

So without further ado, I give you test Femme 9:

Femme 9 Cosplay

Autobiography of a Writer

Last night, I was looking for some old poetry that I wrote when I was in college (a long, long time ago) to use in the new novel that I’m working on: The Curse of Hekate. One of my characters is a rock star and needed some appropriately good lyrics that I could use as his words. But before I found the poetry, I stumbled upon some things I wrote in a creative writing class.

The title of the piece was “Autobiography of a Writer.” I found that odd because it never even occurred to me that I could be a writer until just last year! But at some point in college, apparently, I must have entertained the notion. I only took one writing class, however, as I had a parent who insisted that I have a career in something that was much more “reasonable” (my Mom’s words, not mine). So I never pursued it.

But in reading this piece that I wrote, I could not help see similarities in myself then and myself now. One of the things that surprised me in re-reading this piece was that I was extremely honest and put myself out there. I wrote about my father’s death – something which still affects me to this day. I’m surprised I was so open as I didn’t think I had even been capable of that in my 20′s. But there it is, on paper. The instructor wrote: “I appreciate the honesty of this paper. I hope this course will provide you with further opportunities to express yourself in writing and the chance to develop your ability so that it will serve you – and others – better.”

Interestingly enough, I’ve now always wanted to write, but maybe I just didn’t think it was “reasonable” myself, or perhaps the idea of doing it professionally never came to me. I fell into it by accident, by starting my blog at FanGirlConfessions.com. That’s where I realized how much I loved to write. I then started freelancing for DVICE.com and a friend of mine (Nutty from Nutty Bites) told me about NaNoWriMo. I had already been toying around with an idea for a novel and had written bits of it down, but that little nudge, along with one tweet from James Moran (“If you write, you’re a writer”) gave me the impetus to write Zeus, Inc. during the 2011 NaNoWriMo.

And once I’d read Zeus, Inc., I felt it was good enough to publish. So I revised and edited and revised and edited some more and put it out there. And now people are actually reading it, enjoying it and for some reason, that blows my mind. But it keeps me writing and working on the next book and the next series I’d like to continue to work on. After I’d wrote Zeus, Inc., I also landed a writing gig at RantGaming.com.

So this year, in 2013, I challenge you to do something you’ve always loved but never got around to doing. Be creative. Make something. Create something. Challenge yourself and just do it. You never know what might happen.

I write. I’m a writer.