Gwen Gardner's Blog, page 21
July 15, 2013
Sci Fi at it's Best! Taking Time and Other Science Fixtion Stories
I'm thrilled to help Ellie Garratt welcome her book, Taking Time and Other Science Fiction Stories, into the world! But first, have you seen this awesome cover? I'd pick it up for the cover alone. And when I read the blurb, I shivered and wanted more.
Book Blurb
Science fiction stories of time and space...
The future of humanity must be decided in Next Phase. Winning the Planetary Lottery is not as lucky as it first seems in Schrodinger's Gamble. An apocalypse and its aftermath threaten to tear one couple apart in Daiker's Children. In Life As I Know It a reclusive man finds both his heart and home invaded during an alien harvest. In Taking Timea demon seeking shelter on a distant planet finds himself facing a very different kind of demon, after answering a frontier settlement's plea for help.
Stories range from flash fiction to novelette in length. Now check out this short excerpt from Taking Time:
A tall, lithe woman of a similar age to Ing approached me. Her short-cropped hair was the colour of darkness, and there was a confidence to the way she swaggered up to me. She was the person in charge.She stopped only a couple of inches from my face, almost breathing down my throat. I prayed she didn’t notice my lack of breath–the undead had no need for air in their lungs.“You don’t look well, bounty hunter,” she said.As I stood taller, so that my already imposing six-foot frame loomed over the human female, I knew I’d have to talk her around. “I’ve not been on solid land for a few months. I’ve been running down illegal passage ships and cargo. Illegal cargo.”Her eyes flashed bright with something. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but the word illegal had excited her.She held out a hand for me to shake. “The name’s McCaffrey. Formerly of any planet left to colonise.”I took her hand and shook it, then re-introduced myself. “Victory Dead. Formerly of Earth.”McCaffrey dismissed everyone but the scare-faced Ing, and they took me into a bar like all the others I’d passed through since travelling the frontier–a cheap and fast assembly metal-frame construction. It contained only the most basic furnishings. There were more patrons than I could count, and they went silent when we entered.When I reached the bar, a stone-faced human male behind the counter slid a bottle towards me. I wasn’t sure what it contained but accepted it anyway–to refuse would have been rude and invited trouble. “Compliments of Daring,” he said as I placed my supplies on the floor beside me.“Thanks,” I replied before pretending to sniff the contents of the bottle. As a vampire, I could only smell blood.The bartender turned his attention to McCaffrey and scar-face. “Evening, Captain. Thought I told you to keep Ing away.”Ing scowled and stepped forward, his hands balled into fists. McCaffrey placed an arm across his chest.“You know it’s not Captain anymore. I haven’t been a captain since I crash-landed here three years ago. And Ing won’t be causing you any trouble while I’m here. You have my word.”The owner grunted something and then moved off to serve another customer.I wasn’t sure how long a Revelation year lasted, so when McCaffrey spoke of crash-landing three years ago she could have been talking any number of Earth years or months.“Well it’s about time,” said a voice behind me, interrupting my thoughts.*** It sort of reminds me of Firefly, and who can resist that?! So, here are the links, Feel free to share!
Book Links
Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Goodreads / Facebook
Competition Win one of two $25.00 (£15) Amazon gift cards and a character named after you in an upcoming novella.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
or
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MDgxZDQ3ZjIyNWMzMDliNzY1ZDkxMTU1YWNhOTlmOjE=/
About The Author
A life-long addiction to reading science fiction and horror meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and online. Passing Time: Nine Short Tales of the Strange and Macabre was published in March 2013 and contains nine previously published stories. Taking Time and Other Science Fiction Stories is her second short story collection. Author Links
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Book BlurbScience fiction stories of time and space...
The future of humanity must be decided in Next Phase. Winning the Planetary Lottery is not as lucky as it first seems in Schrodinger's Gamble. An apocalypse and its aftermath threaten to tear one couple apart in Daiker's Children. In Life As I Know It a reclusive man finds both his heart and home invaded during an alien harvest. In Taking Timea demon seeking shelter on a distant planet finds himself facing a very different kind of demon, after answering a frontier settlement's plea for help.
Stories range from flash fiction to novelette in length. Now check out this short excerpt from Taking Time:
A tall, lithe woman of a similar age to Ing approached me. Her short-cropped hair was the colour of darkness, and there was a confidence to the way she swaggered up to me. She was the person in charge.She stopped only a couple of inches from my face, almost breathing down my throat. I prayed she didn’t notice my lack of breath–the undead had no need for air in their lungs.“You don’t look well, bounty hunter,” she said.As I stood taller, so that my already imposing six-foot frame loomed over the human female, I knew I’d have to talk her around. “I’ve not been on solid land for a few months. I’ve been running down illegal passage ships and cargo. Illegal cargo.”Her eyes flashed bright with something. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but the word illegal had excited her.She held out a hand for me to shake. “The name’s McCaffrey. Formerly of any planet left to colonise.”I took her hand and shook it, then re-introduced myself. “Victory Dead. Formerly of Earth.”McCaffrey dismissed everyone but the scare-faced Ing, and they took me into a bar like all the others I’d passed through since travelling the frontier–a cheap and fast assembly metal-frame construction. It contained only the most basic furnishings. There were more patrons than I could count, and they went silent when we entered.When I reached the bar, a stone-faced human male behind the counter slid a bottle towards me. I wasn’t sure what it contained but accepted it anyway–to refuse would have been rude and invited trouble. “Compliments of Daring,” he said as I placed my supplies on the floor beside me.“Thanks,” I replied before pretending to sniff the contents of the bottle. As a vampire, I could only smell blood.The bartender turned his attention to McCaffrey and scar-face. “Evening, Captain. Thought I told you to keep Ing away.”Ing scowled and stepped forward, his hands balled into fists. McCaffrey placed an arm across his chest.“You know it’s not Captain anymore. I haven’t been a captain since I crash-landed here three years ago. And Ing won’t be causing you any trouble while I’m here. You have my word.”The owner grunted something and then moved off to serve another customer.I wasn’t sure how long a Revelation year lasted, so when McCaffrey spoke of crash-landing three years ago she could have been talking any number of Earth years or months.“Well it’s about time,” said a voice behind me, interrupting my thoughts.*** It sort of reminds me of Firefly, and who can resist that?! So, here are the links, Feel free to share!
Book Links
Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Goodreads / Facebook
Competition Win one of two $25.00 (£15) Amazon gift cards and a character named after you in an upcoming novella.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
or
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MDgxZDQ3ZjIyNWMzMDliNzY1ZDkxMTU1YWNhOTlmOjE=/
About The Author
A life-long addiction to reading science fiction and horror meant writing was the logical outlet for Ellie Garratt’s passions. She is a reader, writer, blogger, Trekkie, and would happily die to be an extra in The Walking Dead. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and online. Passing Time: Nine Short Tales of the Strange and Macabre was published in March 2013 and contains nine previously published stories. Taking Time and Other Science Fiction Stories is her second short story collection. Author Links
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
July 8, 2013
Creating Atmosphere
As I prepared to edit novel #2 yesterday, I asked myself how to get back into the mood and atmosphere of the series I'm writing. It takes place in the six-hundred-year-old modern day medieval village of Sabrina Shores. Sabrina Shores is modeled after the real life medieval village of Shrewsbury, England.
I absolutely love Shrewsbury, having been there somewhere around 1990 on my first trip to Europe. When I sat down to write my first novel, Shrewsbury came back to me. The old pubs, the half-timbered buildings, the narrow ginnels and cobblestoned streets; all fit the atmosphere I was looking for when my sixteen-year-old American protagonist found herself orphaned with the sudden necessity for an English uncle willing to take her in. And what better place than a modern day medieval village teeming with ghosts to "show off" her special abilities?
And so I look at photographs of Shrewsbury to bring it all back and to inspire atmosphere as I write, and to disappear into the world I create...
Grope Lane, Shrewsbury. (Aptly named way back in the day because groping was so prevalent). This is the ginnel that Indigo was chased down by the dark shadow, right before she barreled into Badger.
The Blind Badger in the market square, next to market hall. Picture a pub sign hanging out front.
The Market Hall in the Market Square (Shrewsbury/Sabrina Shores).This is where Indigo met Cappy at a market stall.
This is where Indigo and Simon discovered they were being followed. We walked along the damp, cobblestoned road, taking cover from the weather by sticking as close to the buildings as possible. The jettied half-timber beams leaned in to cast ancient shadows over us. Muted light shone from closed curtains, silhouettes passed back and forth behind them like shadow puppets. We didn’t have anything like this in the States. There was even a castle. The ancient architecture was a marvel, the same buildings standing upright in the same spot for hundreds of years. Nearly upright, anyway, because many leaned. I guessed that the sameness, or lack of change, must have been what kept so much of the spirit world tied there.
Shrewsbury Castle (aka Sabrina Castle).
The train station.
The park.
What do you use to inspire your writing?
Is your setting based on a real location or made up?
I absolutely love Shrewsbury, having been there somewhere around 1990 on my first trip to Europe. When I sat down to write my first novel, Shrewsbury came back to me. The old pubs, the half-timbered buildings, the narrow ginnels and cobblestoned streets; all fit the atmosphere I was looking for when my sixteen-year-old American protagonist found herself orphaned with the sudden necessity for an English uncle willing to take her in. And what better place than a modern day medieval village teeming with ghosts to "show off" her special abilities?
And so I look at photographs of Shrewsbury to bring it all back and to inspire atmosphere as I write, and to disappear into the world I create...
Grope Lane, Shrewsbury. (Aptly named way back in the day because groping was so prevalent). This is the ginnel that Indigo was chased down by the dark shadow, right before she barreled into Badger. 
The Blind Badger in the market square, next to market hall. Picture a pub sign hanging out front. 
The Market Hall in the Market Square (Shrewsbury/Sabrina Shores).This is where Indigo met Cappy at a market stall.
This is where Indigo and Simon discovered they were being followed. We walked along the damp, cobblestoned road, taking cover from the weather by sticking as close to the buildings as possible. The jettied half-timber beams leaned in to cast ancient shadows over us. Muted light shone from closed curtains, silhouettes passed back and forth behind them like shadow puppets. We didn’t have anything like this in the States. There was even a castle. The ancient architecture was a marvel, the same buildings standing upright in the same spot for hundreds of years. Nearly upright, anyway, because many leaned. I guessed that the sameness, or lack of change, must have been what kept so much of the spirit world tied there.
Shrewsbury Castle (aka Sabrina Castle). 
The train station.
The park.
What do you use to inspire your writing?
Is your setting based on a real location or made up?
July 5, 2013
Forged By Legacy: A Cover Reveal
I'm so happy to help Angela Orlowski-Peart reveal the cover of her new book, Forged by Legacy: Beginnings!
Here's the scoop:
The third book in the Forged series, Forged by Legacy: Beginnings is coming out on July 10, 2013. Look for it on Amazon first, since their publishing machine works the fastest. Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Sony will follow soon too.
[image error]
cover design: Jeannie Ruesch[/caption]
Genre: Young Adult paranormal.Synopsis:Forged by Legacy: Beginnings is the second of two prequels to the Forged series. It is a collection of five short stories, each told from a different character's point-of-view.
These stories explain some of the behind-the-scenes facts from the Forged series. Do you want to know how the protagonists, Jatred and Jasmira fell in love? And what really happened during the deadly plane crash? How about the reason behind Savannah and Logan's breakup? Or how do the teens shape shift for the first time?Forged by Legacy: Beginnings answers all these questions - and more.
About the Author:
Angela Orlowski-Peart was born and raised in Poland. She describes herself as European born, American by choice. She was just seven-years-old when she decided to learn English and translate her favorite Polish fairytales.Angela is the author of the Young Adult and New Adult fiction novels, including YA paranormal/urban fantasy series, The Forged. First book in series, Forged by Greed, was published on September 20, 2012. There are two anthologies of short stories, serving as the prequels to the series. First of them, Forged by Magic: Origins was published on May 31st, 2013. The second anthology, Forged by Legacy: Beginnings, will be out on July 10, 2013. Next three full size novels, including Forged by Coalescence, will be released in 2013 and 2014.
Angela is passionate about watercolor painting, fashion—especially stilettos, rock climbing, environment, and organic food and gardening. She lives in the Seattle area with her family and a chronically curious cat.Angela can be found on her website, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.
Stay in touch by signing for Angela’s newsletter HERE.
Here's the scoop:
The third book in the Forged series, Forged by Legacy: Beginnings is coming out on July 10, 2013. Look for it on Amazon first, since their publishing machine works the fastest. Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Sony will follow soon too.
[image error]
cover design: Jeannie Ruesch[/caption]
Genre: Young Adult paranormal.Synopsis:Forged by Legacy: Beginnings is the second of two prequels to the Forged series. It is a collection of five short stories, each told from a different character's point-of-view.
These stories explain some of the behind-the-scenes facts from the Forged series. Do you want to know how the protagonists, Jatred and Jasmira fell in love? And what really happened during the deadly plane crash? How about the reason behind Savannah and Logan's breakup? Or how do the teens shape shift for the first time?Forged by Legacy: Beginnings answers all these questions - and more.
About the Author:
Angela Orlowski-Peart was born and raised in Poland. She describes herself as European born, American by choice. She was just seven-years-old when she decided to learn English and translate her favorite Polish fairytales.Angela is the author of the Young Adult and New Adult fiction novels, including YA paranormal/urban fantasy series, The Forged. First book in series, Forged by Greed, was published on September 20, 2012. There are two anthologies of short stories, serving as the prequels to the series. First of them, Forged by Magic: Origins was published on May 31st, 2013. The second anthology, Forged by Legacy: Beginnings, will be out on July 10, 2013. Next three full size novels, including Forged by Coalescence, will be released in 2013 and 2014.
Angela is passionate about watercolor painting, fashion—especially stilettos, rock climbing, environment, and organic food and gardening. She lives in the Seattle area with her family and a chronically curious cat.Angela can be found on her website, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.
Stay in touch by signing for Angela’s newsletter HERE.
July 3, 2013
IWSG: BuNo and NaNo Mistakes
Happy Almost-Independence Day, everyone! I hope you have a fun but safe weekend planned.It's Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. The first Wednesday of every month we post about our writer's trials and tribulations - and successes, too! Want to join? Go over to the host blog, Alex J. Cavanaugh's, HERE.
Have you ever screwed up a WiP so badly that you just wanted to scrap it and start over? That's where I'm at with A Guilty Ghost Surprised.
Here's where it all went wrong...
I did BuNoWriMo (same as NaNo, only in June) last year. I used an outline (I always need an outline - I'm not the least bit pantser oriented). But apparently, the outline wasn't detailed enough, because I finished the manuscript / items on the outline before I reached 50,000 words (it was more like 40K). So I did the only logical thing I could think of at the time - started writing extra scenes to make word count. Then I did what I thought was the next logical thing - I entered those scenes (5, 6, 7, 8?) into the manuscript where I thought they should go.
No problem, right?
Wrong!
Because now I have wacky things, like:
1) Indigo explaining a cut on her face before she got the cut.
2) The name of the ghost dog is used liberally before the name is even revealed.
3) The mystery is solved in the middle of the book, while the investigation continues afterwards.
And trust me, it's some crappy-ass writing!!! A lot of telling when I should have been showing. I'm feeling like a total amateur, LOL! It's completely my fault, of course. I wasn't thinking about how out of order it could get or how much rewriting would be involved. Little did I know that rush of satisfaction at the completion of BuNoWriMo was about to bite me in the butt and take a out a big chunk!
So now, I'm going through and writing a synopsis of each chapter (yeah, chapter numbers are not right, either) so I know where things are at and where they should be, and where transitions are needed and where I need to move the investigating chapters forward and the resolution chapters back.
*sigh*
So yeah, I've written and published a book. But I still have a lot to learn. And I will definitely chalk this one up to inexperience and a lesson learned.
Has this ever happened to you? How did you fix it?
July 1, 2013
Fun Monday: Dorothy vs Alice
Today is Lazy Fun Monday! This comic with Dorothy and Alice commiserating about their lives not only gave me a good laugh, but it got me to thinking. The authors really put their characters through the ringer! When making comparisons between the two, I noticed sort of a formulaic similarity.
They're both being chased by a wicked persona. They both meet strange, but interesting characters. Both meet talking animals and go on an adventure. Bizarre things happen to them. You're never really certain if they're dreaming or if these things are really happening. They both escape and finally get to go home. Check it out... Dorothy: Wicked Witch after herMunchkinsTalking LionTalking Tin ManTalking ScarecrowFlying MonkeysHorse of a different colorHad apples thrown at her by a treeOz the Great scared the crap out of herShe killed 2 witches Alice: Wicked Queen of Hearts after herSmoking, Singing Caterpillar (a,e,i,o,uuuu!)Cheshire CatTweedle Dee and Tweedle DumCard SoldiersTalking RabbitMad HatterShrunk, then grew out of proportionFell down a rabbit holeAlmost drowned in her own tears I was just thinking that maybe the stuff I think up isn't so off-the-wall after all.
What do you think?
W
ho saw the weirdest shtuff, Dorothy or Alice?
Do you use formulas in your writing?
They're both being chased by a wicked persona. They both meet strange, but interesting characters. Both meet talking animals and go on an adventure. Bizarre things happen to them. You're never really certain if they're dreaming or if these things are really happening. They both escape and finally get to go home. Check it out... Dorothy: Wicked Witch after herMunchkinsTalking LionTalking Tin ManTalking ScarecrowFlying MonkeysHorse of a different colorHad apples thrown at her by a treeOz the Great scared the crap out of herShe killed 2 witches Alice: Wicked Queen of Hearts after herSmoking, Singing Caterpillar (a,e,i,o,uuuu!)Cheshire CatTweedle Dee and Tweedle DumCard SoldiersTalking RabbitMad HatterShrunk, then grew out of proportionFell down a rabbit holeAlmost drowned in her own tears I was just thinking that maybe the stuff I think up isn't so off-the-wall after all.
What do you think?
W
ho saw the weirdest shtuff, Dorothy or Alice?
Do you use formulas in your writing?
June 26, 2013
Summer Book Crushes - Who's Yours?
Let's talk about book crushes. Who hasn't had a crush on a character? I'll admit that I used to read a lot of romance back in the day. I always fell just a little bit in love with the hunky male protagonist. I did love me some happily-ever-after. *sigh* I still do.
And now that I'm older - well, I still get little crushes. My current read is the Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices series). If you're reading the series, you know that Tessa is torn between Jem and Will. They're both good guys, but Will is a bit of a bad boy - and yeah, he's my book crush. I adore black hair and blue eyes, and by his description, I think he'd take my breath away - never mind that I could be his mother older sister. Anyway, he could be my book boyfriend, right?
So for a bit of fun summer reading activity, I've gotten together with some other authors to offer our books for .99 cents - and they all have elements of romance. You could find your own book boyfriend for only .99 cents!
Here's the scoop:
Hot sun, hot sand, cool drinks, dark tans. Ahhhh. But your summer won’t be complete until you land a new BOOK BOYFRIEND,right? Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered!
SUMMER BOOK CRUSH offers 50+ titles in many genres. This means 50+ chances to (fictitiously) fall in love. And the best part? Each of these gems is only 99¢, but for a limited time only. The SUMMER BOOK CRUSH event starts on June 26th and ends (yes, even the best things in life end at some point) on June 28th. So don't wait up! Mingle with our BOOK BOYFRIENDS and invite all your friends to participate too. There are plenty of BOOK BOYS to share!
Find your summer’s fling between the pages of a book. And don't stop on one - after all we have many BOOK BOYFRIENDS for you to mingle with. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THE LOVE!
***
Of course I have to talk a bit about Givin' Up The Ghost. We all know that Indigo has a huuuge crush on Badger. But, well, they both come with some serious baggage. Here's what Badger had to say about Indigo:
My name’s Badger. I’m just your average eighteen year old guy. At least, until last summer when my dad disappeared. I had to take up the slack and help out running the family pub, the Blind Badger.
But then things got really strange. This girl came around and started saying my dad was dead and that she had spoken to his ghost. I took some convincing, I can tell you. He had been murdered, in fact, and we ended up doing our own investigation.
I care for this girl, but with ghosts popping in and out all the time causing chaos, I’m pretty sure I need a break. I was knocked to the ground, thrown up on and nearly killed. What’s a guy supposed to do?
Givin' Up The Ghost now only .99 cents
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
So who is your current book crush?
And now that I'm older - well, I still get little crushes. My current read is the Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices series). If you're reading the series, you know that Tessa is torn between Jem and Will. They're both good guys, but Will is a bit of a bad boy - and yeah, he's my book crush. I adore black hair and blue eyes, and by his description, I think he'd take my breath away - never mind that I could be his mother older sister. Anyway, he could be my book boyfriend, right?
So for a bit of fun summer reading activity, I've gotten together with some other authors to offer our books for .99 cents - and they all have elements of romance. You could find your own book boyfriend for only .99 cents!
Here's the scoop:
Hot sun, hot sand, cool drinks, dark tans. Ahhhh. But your summer won’t be complete until you land a new BOOK BOYFRIEND,right? Lucky for you, we’ve got you covered!
SUMMER BOOK CRUSH offers 50+ titles in many genres. This means 50+ chances to (fictitiously) fall in love. And the best part? Each of these gems is only 99¢, but for a limited time only. The SUMMER BOOK CRUSH event starts on June 26th and ends (yes, even the best things in life end at some point) on June 28th. So don't wait up! Mingle with our BOOK BOYFRIENDS and invite all your friends to participate too. There are plenty of BOOK BOYS to share!
Find your summer’s fling between the pages of a book. And don't stop on one - after all we have many BOOK BOYFRIENDS for you to mingle with. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THE LOVE!
***
Of course I have to talk a bit about Givin' Up The Ghost. We all know that Indigo has a huuuge crush on Badger. But, well, they both come with some serious baggage. Here's what Badger had to say about Indigo: My name’s Badger. I’m just your average eighteen year old guy. At least, until last summer when my dad disappeared. I had to take up the slack and help out running the family pub, the Blind Badger.
But then things got really strange. This girl came around and started saying my dad was dead and that she had spoken to his ghost. I took some convincing, I can tell you. He had been murdered, in fact, and we ended up doing our own investigation.
I care for this girl, but with ghosts popping in and out all the time causing chaos, I’m pretty sure I need a break. I was knocked to the ground, thrown up on and nearly killed. What’s a guy supposed to do?
Givin' Up The Ghost now only .99 cents
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
So who is your current book crush?
June 24, 2013
Fun (aka Lazy) Monday
Today is Fun Monday!(otherwise known as Lazy Monday)
Credit goes to... So I'm sharing something "Fun" instead of deep or informative. Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you have a blessed week!
Credit goes to... So I'm sharing something "Fun" instead of deep or informative. Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you have a blessed week! June 19, 2013
Twitter Strategy and The Good, The Bad, and The Quirky
I have a lot of questions about the land of Twitterdom.
But first, what is it? According to Twitter, it's "An information network. Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about what you find interesting. Simply find the accounts you find most compelling and follow the conversations."
I've been on Twitter for about a year, but I'm still confused. I use it to tweet a bit about my book and other author's books. I retweet a lot. Sometimes I tweet a positive saying or recommend someone's blog post. But really, that's about it. I definitely don't bombard my followers with tweets to buy my book.
But I notice some people will say right up front that if you're not following to get to know them, that they will unfollow you. What's up with that? Can you know someone in short bursts of 140 characters or less?
And that brings me to another question: Is there a strategy for who to follow or not? I mean, do I follow someone because they have a lot of followers and their reach is further if they happen to retweet something of mine? Or do I not follow them because they have too many followers to pay any attention to anything I might put out there and their stuff just clogs my feed?
I also notice that some of my new followers might have 80,000 followers and only follow 10K? Do they follow and then unfollow for some reason?
I follow mostly authors, but also a few others like Maya Angelou and Tiny Buddha who always have something positive to say. Should I be following everyone I can in order to increase my following? Should I always return a follow?
Maybe I'm being naïve, but I really don't understand if I should have some kind a strategy...
Do you have a Twitter strategy? Should I?
***
P.S. Angela Brown's having a Q & A session over on Facebook on Saturday, called The Good, the Bad and the Quirky. I know from experience how fun and clever and witty she is, so I can't wait to check it out.
Hope you can stop by, too!
But first, what is it? According to Twitter, it's "An information network. Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about what you find interesting. Simply find the accounts you find most compelling and follow the conversations."
I've been on Twitter for about a year, but I'm still confused. I use it to tweet a bit about my book and other author's books. I retweet a lot. Sometimes I tweet a positive saying or recommend someone's blog post. But really, that's about it. I definitely don't bombard my followers with tweets to buy my book.
But I notice some people will say right up front that if you're not following to get to know them, that they will unfollow you. What's up with that? Can you know someone in short bursts of 140 characters or less?
And that brings me to another question: Is there a strategy for who to follow or not? I mean, do I follow someone because they have a lot of followers and their reach is further if they happen to retweet something of mine? Or do I not follow them because they have too many followers to pay any attention to anything I might put out there and their stuff just clogs my feed?
I also notice that some of my new followers might have 80,000 followers and only follow 10K? Do they follow and then unfollow for some reason?
I follow mostly authors, but also a few others like Maya Angelou and Tiny Buddha who always have something positive to say. Should I be following everyone I can in order to increase my following? Should I always return a follow?
Maybe I'm being naïve, but I really don't understand if I should have some kind a strategy...
Do you have a Twitter strategy? Should I?
***
P.S. Angela Brown's having a Q & A session over on Facebook on Saturday, called The Good, the Bad and the Quirky. I know from experience how fun and clever and witty she is, so I can't wait to check it out.
Hope you can stop by, too!
June 17, 2013
Worlds and Wings and SpecFic Things
Just a short post today to give you a heads up on a couple of happenings going on in the blogoverse today.
Untethered Realms has a new blog. What or who is Untethered Realms, you ask? It's a group of speculative fiction writers who have banded together to support and share their knowledge and experience with each other and the writing community. I'm sure you know most of us, so please stop by and check out our awesome new blog and give us a follow.
It's the third Monday of the month, so it's time for Writers 4 Writers, hosted by Stephen Tremp , Christine Rains , C. M. Brown , and M.Pax . This month we're helping Marta Szemik join the bestsellers list. Stop by her blog and pick up some pre-made tweets and Facebook posts and help out a fellow writer. Want to be featured on Writers 4 Writers? Go HERE to sign up. Also find them on Facebook HERE.
What do you have planned for this lovely Monday?
Untethered Realms has a new blog. What or who is Untethered Realms, you ask? It's a group of speculative fiction writers who have banded together to support and share their knowledge and experience with each other and the writing community. I'm sure you know most of us, so please stop by and check out our awesome new blog and give us a follow.
It's the third Monday of the month, so it's time for Writers 4 Writers, hosted by Stephen Tremp , Christine Rains , C. M. Brown , and M.Pax . This month we're helping Marta Szemik join the bestsellers list. Stop by her blog and pick up some pre-made tweets and Facebook posts and help out a fellow writer. Want to be featured on Writers 4 Writers? Go HERE to sign up. Also find them on Facebook HERE.
What do you have planned for this lovely Monday?
June 12, 2013
Assassins and Poison and Kisses
It's time for another Angela Brown cover reveal and book release! My Partner in ParanormYA not only can crank them out, but they're really good, to boot! She's such an inspiration. When I grow up *ahem* I want to be just like her. Make way for the second novella in the NEO Chronicles series, *drum roll*
ATONE!
What harm can come from a kiss?
Caine Fordham knows the danger all too well.
As the Kill Circuit’s top lady-killer, business is good. Yet Caine knows the life of an assassin isn’t meant to last forever, just as love is impossible for him. Who could love a man with poison lacing his veins and a kiss that kills?
When Caine decides to take one last job, deal out one last kiss, he discovers there’s more to life than death, and more to love than pain.
This is the second installment in the NEO Chronicles: Characters Revealed series. Available now at Amazon US and other online outlets by Friday, it will make a nice slice of reading for a lunch break or for a quick read during the train/trolley/car pool work commute (ummm...if you're driving, No Reading While Driving lol!!)
Here's a little excerpt. You'll see there's a bit of a difference in the description of the character and the model for the cover, but the cover - as a whole - embodies the dark mystery that is Caine Fordham.
Caine stood up slowly, smirking to conceal how much her questions bothered him. Living a hundred years as a walking wasteland didn’t leave him many career options.
With a long, lean body, a sun-kissed tan (genetics, not from being outdoors) and square jawline, his targets often mistook him for a male model. “The brooding type,” is what he’d heard many times. If his chest, stomach and back didn’t resemble black lace from the poisons that called his body home, male model could work. He wore his black silky mane cut short at the nape. Longer curls in the front veiled his eyes, making him even more mysterious, or so women told him. A definite plus when luring his prey.
Bearing the kiss of death didn’t fit any job descriptions…with one exception.
Assassin.
And he had a spotless record with the Kill Circuit.
Add it to GoodReads! Buy Atone on Amazon
What harm can come from a kiss?
Caine Fordham knows the danger all too well.
As the Kill Circuit’s top lady-killer, business is good. Yet Caine knows the life of an assassin isn’t meant to last forever, just as love is impossible for him. Who could love a man with poison lacing his veins and a kiss that kills?
When Caine decides to take one last job, deal out one last kiss, he discovers there’s more to life than death, and more to love than pain.
This is the second installment in the NEO Chronicles: Characters Revealed series. Available now at Amazon US and other online outlets by Friday, it will make a nice slice of reading for a lunch break or for a quick read during the train/trolley/car pool work commute (ummm...if you're driving, No Reading While Driving lol!!)
Here's a little excerpt. You'll see there's a bit of a difference in the description of the character and the model for the cover, but the cover - as a whole - embodies the dark mystery that is Caine Fordham.
Caine stood up slowly, smirking to conceal how much her questions bothered him. Living a hundred years as a walking wasteland didn’t leave him many career options.
With a long, lean body, a sun-kissed tan (genetics, not from being outdoors) and square jawline, his targets often mistook him for a male model. “The brooding type,” is what he’d heard many times. If his chest, stomach and back didn’t resemble black lace from the poisons that called his body home, male model could work. He wore his black silky mane cut short at the nape. Longer curls in the front veiled his eyes, making him even more mysterious, or so women told him. A definite plus when luring his prey.
Bearing the kiss of death didn’t fit any job descriptions…with one exception.
Assassin.
And he had a spotless record with the Kill Circuit.
Add it to GoodReads! Buy Atone on Amazon
