Charlie Bray's Blog, page 2
May 23, 2014
AFFORDABLE PROOFREADING – ONLY £4 PER THOUSAND WORDS
A PROFESSIONAL PROOFREADING SERVICE AT MATES’ RATES
Call it summer madness if you like, but as a service to our Indietribe members, we are currently offering a full proof-reading service to authors for a nominal £4 per thousand words (approx $6.74 US)
For this, we will ensure that your manuscript is free of any spelling mistakes, punctuation slips, grammatical errors, or typos. You will then be able to publish your book with confidence.
As an example, a 50,000 word manuscript would cost only £200 (approx $337 US), a 70,000 word manuscript only £280 (approx $472 US), and a 100,000 word manuscript only £400 (approx $674 US)
Style guides are used, and the necessary distinction between UK English and American English is applied.
We study every line of your text twice, correcting errors as we go along. Our tracked changes will enable you to accept or discard our suggestions, so that you remain entirely in control.
This offer is around half of the normal fee you would expect to pay for this service.
If you are not yet ready to submit your manuscript, yet do not want to miss this tremendous offer, don’t worry you can reserve the proofreading at this special price for a date in the future. You simply need to pay a £50 non-refundable deposit and we will pencil in a date for you in the future.
We are expecting to be over-subscibed for this service at this fee, so make sure you grab the opportunity by booking it or reserving it now!
Simply complete and submit the form below if you would like to go ahead:
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May 12, 2014
Welcome to the INDIETRIBE PUBLISHING SERVICE
Welcome to the INDIETRIBE PUBLISHING SERVICE
About to complete the first draft of your novel?
Need help proofreading, publishing and marketing it?
INDIETRIBE WILL DO IT ALL FOR YOU FOR A ONE-OFF, EXTREMELY COMPETITIVE FEE
We will proofread your manuscript, publish it as a kindle eBook, and then market it to ensure that it sells.
THE INDIETRIBE PUBLISHING SERVICE
So, what will the package do for you?
PROOFREAD YOUR MANUSCRIPT
We will ensure that your manuscript is free of any spelling mistakes, punctuation slips, grammatical errors, or typos. We will then be able to publish your book with confidence.
Style guides are used, and the necessary distinction between UK English and American English is applied.
We study every line of your text twice, correcting errors as we go along. Our tracked changes will enable you to accept or discard our suggestions, so that you remain entirely in control.
You then send us the amended final draft, together with a jpg image of your front cover.
UPLOAD IT TO AMAZON KINDLE TO PUBLISH AN EBOOK
We will format, prepare and upload your book to Amazon Kindle, creating a professional digital file of your book.
Then, here’s where the proper work starts. The work that will get your book up Amazon’s sales rankings.
We know how to ensure your book sells well on Kindle and does not sit forever in the shadows of Amazon. We know how to get your book ranked high on Amazon’s search engines by applying the right keywords and phrases, creating an eye-catching killer description which uses Amazon’s secret HTML code, and putting your book in front of the exact target audience that you need to attract. We also know how to organise your book so that you take full advantage of Amazon’s ‘look inside’ feature.
Most self-publishing authors miss out on this process, which is the difference between success or failure in a very competitive market.
MARKET THE PUBLISHED EBOOK
We will review and feature your published book comprehensively on Indietribe.
We will conduct a full interview with you on Indietribe.
We will guest one of your blogs on Indietribe, where you can plug your new book unashamedly.
And how much does all this cost?
For all this we will charge a straightforward, one-off fee, based on the word count of your novel.
Up to 50,000 words £350 ($587 U.S.)
Up to 70,000 words £500 ($838 U.S.)
Up to 90,000 words £650 ($1090 U.S.)
Up to 120,000 words £850 ($1425 U.S.)
If you would like to arm yourself with all the advantages that the INDIETRIBE PUBLISHING SERVICE offers now, or in the future, please click here now and Charlie Bray will get right back to you
May 11, 2014
FANTASTIC SPECIAL OFFER THIS MONTH
Do you have more than one book?
If so, Indietribe’s Summer Special is for you!
PROMOTE ONE BOOK IN OUR POPULAR MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT, AND WE’LL
INCLUDE YOUR OTHER BOOKS FREE
Our Monthly Spotlight is visited daily by thousands of readers, writers and publishers.
CHECK OUT THE CURRENT SPOTLIGHT HERE
It’s a brilliant place to showcase your book, but until now, there has been a separate fee for each book.
NOT ANY MORE!
If you enrol during May, you can list each of your books for the price of one.
The fee will be the same for all your books as it would be for just one!
Enrol ALL YOUR BOOKS in 3 Monthly Spotlights …£15 ($25 US)
Enrol ALL YOUR BOOKS in 6 Monthly Spotlights …£25 ($42 US)
Enrol ALL YOUR BOOKS in 12 Monthly Spotlights…£45 ($75 US)
If you would like to get every one of your books in lights, click here now
May 6, 2014
The Trouble With Aristocracy
A privileged life where peasants doff their caps, waiters serve you meals and maids make up your magnificent four-poster bed. Oh and you get to live in a humble pad about the size of the Dorchester hotel. In fairness, some of them allocated a few square yards of land for peasants’ hovels within their thousands of acres of countryside.It is the fascination with this concept that spawned blockbuster TV series such as Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs.
What makes the subject even more intriguing is the fact that these noble families are struggling to adapt to the modern era and this in itself provides the world at large with an immense source of fun
It is this undoubted entertainment value and the potential humour involved in this struggle that made up my mind to base a novel on it. I have always loved reading humorous books, so why not write one. Why not create a farce from a fictitious, clueless family of aristocrats who watch their castle disintegrate around their ears and do not have the wherewithal or nous to do much about it. So Open House at Cove Castle was born.
As a starting point I unearthed a piece of text about Burghley House, which typifies the rocky road that most of our magnificent stately homes encounter. Sincere apologies for not crediting the piece, but I have absolutely no clue as to its source. It does, however, highlight when and how our aristocracy began to experience problems.
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF BURGLEIGH
He was born on a chill April morning in 1880. His mother, diminutive in the massive four-poster bed, was exhausted by her long labor. After he had nursed and been cleaned, his father, the Duke of Wiltshire, took him out of the bedchamber and held him aloft for the servants in the hall below to see. They smiled and clapped, welcoming the eighth Lord Burleigh, healthy and robust, into his privileged world.
The family home, Burleigh Hall, was a famous landmark, a massive, 18th century porticoed stone edifice topped with statues. It was surrounded by landscaped gardens and served as the seat for twenty thousand acres of rich farmland, all owned by the Duke. The vast estate included villages of houses, shops and pubs and small farms with cottages and barns.
Lord Burleigh wanted for nothing. From the moment of birth, servants saw to his every need: nursemaids to rock him and read to him when he was small, a gardener to lead him around the grounds on a pony, and a gentleman’s gentleman to put out his dinner attire and attend him when he was a young man.
His father the Duke was a hereditary member of the House of Lords, as Lord Burleigh himself would be one day, and was often in London attending Parliament. The family had an elegant town home there. His mother, the Duchess, gentle and kind, directed the household activities of the servants from the drawing room with her books or needlework close at hand. From her Lord Burleigh learned the advantages of an even temper and steady habits. His father was less even-tempered, and one of his most vivid early memories was of the Duke raging through the house damning Prime Minister Gladstone to hell. “He’s done us in!” the Duke had roared. “Given the vote to every dreary shopkeeper and tradesman! No good will come of this!”
Lord Burleigh’s education was the best–public school at Eton, then Oxford, where he excelled at history. After graduation, he returned to Burleigh Hall to prove himself a worthy heir to the Duke. Then came the government’s efforts at land reform and its determination to raise taxes. Lord Burleigh winced at the vicious attacks on his class by Lloyd George and others, who accused them of being useless wastrels. His father had his first stroke that year, after months of fighting the reforms.
The Great War gave Lord Burleigh hope that he and his fellow aristocrats could at last forcefully prove their mettle and value to the realm. He raised a company of working-class men from the estate, and crossed the channel with them as their captain. “I can’t wait to see the show,” he wrote to his mother from France, “I’ll give them what for.” But “the show” proved more terrible than he or anyone else could have imagined. Virtually all the boys he had known at Eton and Oxford were killed or wounded during the first two years of fighting.
By the summer of 1916, he had no more illusions: He was there because he was there. He knew it was no longer a question of if he would be killed, but rather when. In the nightmarish world of the trenches he became closer to his men. Whatever their social backgrounds, he respected them as soldiers, shared their hardships and grieved over their deaths. And then came the fateful day of the big push. When the signal to attack came, he clambered out of the trench and led his men forward. They were met by a sheet of flame.
He awoke in hospital days later, unable to remember anything other than the noise and the unbearable pain. The nurses explained that he had taken shrapnel in his leg, and that his unit was decimated. Within a matter of weeks he was walking with a cane, but for him the war was over. He was shipped home, physically and mentally scarred. The sight of Burleigh Hall was a balm to his soul, however, and he gloried in the smell of the gardens and the cool feel of the marble halls. His parents had worried desperately over his fate, and were visibly aged and worn.
The Duke died two years later, and Lord Burleigh came into his inheritance. At night he would pore over the records and bills, wondering how he was going to hold it all together. Rents were down, taxes were up and competition abroad had significantly depressed agricultural prices. Awful as it was to admit, there was nothing to do but sell off enough of the estate to financially square matters. Though Lord Burleigh was now a hereditary peer, he rarely attended Parliament (after all, it was the blundering politicians who had foolishly sent him and his fellows into the trenches). And so, painful as it was to do so, he sold the London residence to a war orphan society. He also sold off over 5,000 acres of Burleigh Manor itself to several different parties. Land was no longer the key to power; it was, instead, a distinct liability.
The postwar social scene was a dismal run of parties attended by obnoxious, socially obscure young people and vulgar businessmen chomping expensive cigars. Lord Burleigh attended several out of a sense of obligation, but then became disgusted and determined to spend some time abroad. After his mother died, he closed Burleigh Hall and paid an elderly caretaker to keep watch over things.
At age 52, he married a much younger American woman. They had two sons and for a time Burleigh Hall seemed alive again as the delighted giggles of children once more echoed through its rooms. But the house was more than the family needed or could keep up, and in 1938 they demolished the wings. Then came the Second World War, and though the family was safe from the bombing raids that devastated the cities, their lives were disrupted as the British army commandeered the house and grounds for a training base.
After World War II, Lord Burleigh was forced to sell off most of his remaining acreage. The older he got the more his war wounds pained him, and his children thought him sad. He died in 1955 after a stroke. His widow struggled to keep the house up, but servants were impossible to get and she despaired. Home from Oxford, her eldest son suggested she open the house for tours, charging the public to wander through Burleigh Hall’s magnificent spaces. Being an American, she was nothing if not practical, and thought it an inspired idea. In 1957 Burleigh Hall opened to the public and people streamed through by the thousands, gawking at its treasures. Lady Burleigh would stand on the staircase as they came in, smiling and nodding. Occasionally, a guest would stray outside and marvel at the green fields and hedgerows stretching towards the horizon, and wonder what it was like to live in such an extraordinary place.
A great piece of text that identifies the reasons that such wonderful country seats fall.
If the wars don’t get you, plummeting rent, escalating taxes, falling agricultural prices, a crumbling building and shortage of staff will.
Many others families have survived in a similar fashion. Ironically Highclere Castle in Hampshire has survived by allowing ITV to film Downton Abbey there, effectively saving a stately home by allowing it to be used as a prop for a blockbuster about a stately home. Nice one!
But not every family of aristocrats had the foresight to take action. They have clung on and on hoping for the best.
A recent television series, The Guest Wing, highlighted several such families. One of them owned Chillingham Castle in Northumberland. Sir Humphry, a charming but steely septuagenarian, was keeping the 13th-century castle ticking over by hosting 1,500 paying overnight guests a year. “If you love this place, we love you,” he explained. “If you don’t, bugger off
In my mind I allowed Chillingham Castle to morph into my fictitious Cove Castle. It is widely regarded as one of the most haunted places in the country with hundreds of paranormal events being recorded.
And so ghosts in my story were born. Three distinct tribes of them. All up to no good, all playing an integral part in the plot. And just for good measure I’ve added hippy activists, explosions, drugs, smuggling, major art forgeries and assassination attempts. All designed to help and hamper Cove Castle’s attempts to survive in the 21st century.
Open House at Cove Castle is available for less than a dollar and less than a pound from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk
May 1, 2014
MAY Spotlight: A great selection of Indie books in one place
Welcome to the MAY issue of our Monthly Spotlight
To browse or buy a book, click on its front cover to view it on Amazon.com or its title to view it on Amazon.co.uk.
If your book is not yet booked in for the JUNE SPOTLIGHT, book it in now
SO HERE WE GO WITH THIS MONTH’S SPOTLIGHT:
CHILDREN’S FICTION
The Adventures of Ruby and Roberto Raindrop by Valerie Spaliviero
‘A story on the movement of water, in its many forms, coming in contact with everything on this beautiful planet’
CLASSIC CHINESE
The Battle of Chibi by Hock G Tjoa
‘The might Han dynasty is collapsing under its own weight; some one is ready to establish a new dynasty, but should it be him?’
COMING OF AGE
Lancelot Bottemley The Reluctant Knight by Terrence J Goodchild
‘A young man’s journey, from womb to college and all things in between’
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Beyond Malice by Rebecca Forster
‘Amanda Cross and her Nora Royce are separated by age and success until a murder charge forces them closer than sisters should be’
Keeping Counsel by Rebecca Forster
‘New Mexico attorney Tara Linley takes on a new client only to find he is dangerously unstable and growing more psychotic by the day’
Before Her Eyes by Rebecca Forster
‘In the high mountains of oregon Sheriff Dove Connelly’s world is rocked when a local grocer is executed and he must find not only the killers and a woman running for her life’
The Mentor by Rebecca Forster
‘Novice federal prosecutor, Lauren Kingsley, is tapped to prosecute a militia bombing only to uncover conspiracy, corruption, and secrets leading right up to the U.S. Supreme Court’
Edward, Con Extraordinaire by Inge H Borg
’Handsome Brit drives Jaguar, lives well on charm and lies’
Cry Before Supper by Julia Rose Grey
‘This story will envelop you with its rapture, its uncertainty, its secrets, and escort you through its darkness’
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
A New Life by Beate Boeker
‘How often have you wondered if A New Life wouldn’t be fun?’
Mischief in Italy by Beate Boeker
‘A father-son conversation leads to a hilarious newspaper ad’
Storming Times by Beate Boeker
‘Just one man can save Joanne from the blizzard – but he doesn’t want to’
Rent a Thief by Beate Boeker
‘Can you fall in love with a thief?’
Wings to Fly by Beate Boeker
‘Cathy tries to land the job of her life, but an accident changes everything’
Take My Place by Beate Boeker
‘A single mother sets up her own company and tries not to fall in love’
A Little Bit of Passion by Beate Boeker
‘How much independence do you have to give up when falling in love?’
CRIME
Jess by Terrence J Goodchild
‘When a young girl’s dog, is shot by her father it returns as a beast to protect her’
Flight from Coalville by Terrence J Goodchild
‘When the father is beating the mother again, the eldest son kills him, and the family have to flee the town’
DYSTOPIAN
After the Cataclysm by Inge H Borg
‘A supervolcano, a ghost ship, and a ton of ancient Egyptian gold’
GENERAL FICTION
Chasing Heart by Mark Lingane
‘An absolute page-turner that hooks you in from the beginning. Once you pick it up, you will not put it down’
Desert Heart by Mark Lingane
‘Heat. Politics. Romance. Sand. War. Bad Coffee. It can only mean one thing. Ellen Martin is off to the Middle East.’
HISTORICAL FICTION
A Different Light - The Vietnam War from a Woman’s Point of View by Jennifer Thomas
It’s a First Person Novel taken from the pages of the author’s daily diary kept during her year’s tour of duty in DaNang, So Vietnam from October 1967 to October 1968
KHAMSIN, The Devil Wind of the Nile by Inge H Borg
‘Ancient Egyptian Dynasty beset by violent storms from within and without’
L’Immortalite: Madame Lalaurie and the Voodoo Queen by T.R. Heinan
‘NOLA’s most haunting legend comes to life’
HUMOUR
Calico Jack in Your Garden by Karl Wiggins
‘Anyone who is a bit saucy, very fond of boobies and doesn’t mind peeing slightly when they laugh too hard, this is the book for you!’
Shit My History Teacher DID NOT Tell Me by Karl Wiggins
‘I’ve chosen to look at past events from the birth of the planet to the birth of Christ. That’s enough for one book, isn’t it?’
The Joker by Terrence J Goodchild
‘A motor mechanic dreams of becoming a stand up comedian are brought to life when a ghost appears to help him’
The Trouble With Celebrity by Charlie Bray
‘Did you know Charlie Bray had ‘arrested’ one of the Beatles, lost Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, got drunk with Keith Moon and pulled a gun on a Great Train Robber? His new book is out now and tells all!’
The Village Idiots Ebay Club by Charlie Bray
‘Quirky people buy quirky things – and Ebay is full of quirky things. DANGER ALERT! What if they can’t stop bidding? What if their lives become quirkier and quirkier as a result? TIME TO JOIN THE EBAY CLUB!’
The Village Idiots Cruise Club by Charlie Bray
‘Laugh out loud at the hilarious fun that can be had on a Mediterranean cruise, Life on the ocean waves ain’t what it used to be’
Open House by Charlie Bray
‘Aristocrats, Ghosts and Squatters Share a Castle’
LEGAL MYSTERY
Murder by Impulse by D R Meredith
‘A Lincoln Continental driven by Amy Steele, wife of millionaire rancher, James Steele, rams a tanker full’ of gasoline
LITERARY FICTION
The Coach House by Florence Osmund
‘Just when she thought her most life-changing event was behind her, Marie Marchetti discovers the identity of her real father’
Daughters by Florence Osmund
‘Join Marie Marchetti on her journey through life as she discovers how disparate lives can converge and interact in profound and surprising ways’
Red Clover by Florence Osmund
‘The son of affluent parents determines his own meaning of success after learning shocking family secrets that cause him to rethink who he is and where heʼs going’
The Mourning After by Edward Fahey
‘In a world where death is but another beginning, you must trust in what you cannot believe. For those who wonder what lies beyond. For those who love; and hope’
MIDDLE GRADE FICTION
Seafoam Wavefollower and the Mysterious Ghost by Doc Briley
‘SEAFOAM is an exciting, fast-paced adventure filled with thrills, chills, mysticism and friendship’
MYSTERY
Delayed Death – Temptation in Florence 1 by Beate Boeker
‘Would you hide your dead grandfather to save your cousin’s wedding?’
Charmer’s Death – Temptation in Florence 2 by Beate Boeker
‘When Carlina’s best customer seduces her cousin & is then found strangled, things get rocky’
Banker’s Death – Temptation in Florence 3 by Beate Boeker
‘A half-dressed dead man in Carlina’s apartment spells trouble’
The Ingenious Judge Dee, a Play by Hock G Tjoa
‘A double homicide, an unreported death and the poisoning of a bride on her wedding day.–what is an honest magistrate to do?’
The Bridge of Sorrel by Terrence J Goodchild
‘A village lost in time is found when a man carrying a young child is picked up on a lonely road’
Dam Head Farm by Terrence J Goodchild
‘A gangster buys the farm and starts to produce drugs with violent reproductions’
Dam Head Farm – The Return by Terrence J Goodchild
‘The farm is once again purchased this time a different set of rules applies’
Jacob Foley by Terrence J Goodchild
‘Two brothers put in an orphanage and many secrets are revealed’
After (Inspector West) by Peter Mulraney
‘Inspector West investigates the unexpected death of Joise Ford, while her husband faces the secrets her death uncovers’
Dear Crossing by Marjorie Swift Doering
‘A grisly murder leads Ray Schiller on a case with a rising body count and the potential to derail his personal and professional life’
Shadow Tag by Marjorie Swift Doering
‘Detective Ray Schiller is out to finish what he started, unless it finishes him first’
NON-FICTION
PASHA, From Animal Shelter to a Sheltered Life by Ing H Borg
Shelter volunteer’s kitten rescues, scooping trials and dog-walking tribulations
On Your Mark: From First Word to First Draft in Six Weeks by Cathy Fyock and Kevin Williamson
‘If writing a book is on your bucket list, then you must read Fyock’s and Williamson’s book–On Your Mark: From First Word to First Draft in Six Weeks–about how to get it done!’
Flowers and Stone by Jan Sikes
‘A wild Texas outlaw musician, a naive young girl, and Texas honky-tonks in 1970 lay the groundwork for this true story of passion and peril’
POETRY / SHORT STORIES
Moments of the Heart, a book of poetry and short prose by Ing H Borg
’Poetry and heartfelt prose for quiet moments’
PSYCHOLOGICAL FICTION
Shadow Sanctuary by Inge H Borg
’Woman seeks sanctuary in woodsy cabin. Will she find it among the shadows?’
ROMANCE
Time Passing by Terrence J Goodchild
‘The Connor family trying to live during world war two, with no luxuries and a lot of secrets’
The Whispering Wind by Lexa Dudley
‘This is a romantic and beautiful love story that will strike a cord deep in ones heart’
Forewarning by Kate Wyland
‘When criminals looking for her patient invade the serenity of her world, she must use her skills to save all three of their lives’
Wyoming Escape by Kate Wyland
‘One dead body is frightening enough, but a second one, plus a dirty cop,
sends chef Mikela Richards fleeing for her life’
SCI-FI
Dignity by Eva Caye
‘A Royal lady scientist is rare enough, but will Lady Felicia give up her career for love?’
Majesty by Eva Caye
‘How to support your magnificent Empress: set her imagination free, distract her political enemies, and kill the traitors!’
I Love Lucid by Mark Lingane
‘A story for the dubstep generation. Part one of a five part story told in weekly instalments.’
THRILLER
SIROCCO, Storm Over Land and Sea by Inge H Borg
‘Ancient Egyptian gold, kidnapping and murder: like Indiana Jones meeting Dead Calm’
White Jade by Alex Lukeman
WHITE JADE spins a web of deceit and murder across the globe, against the backdrop of a deadly international power game.
The Chinese Spymaster by Hock Tjoa
‘The Chinese intelligence agency discover six arms dealers trying to sell the Pashtuns a nuclear device’
Haunted by Maria Savva
‘Nigel Price has MURDER on his mind’
Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster
‘Sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton is charged as an adult for murder but it is attorney Josie Bates who may not survive the system’
Silent Witness by Rebecca Forster
‘Josie Bate’s lover is charged with the murder of his stepson, a son Josie Bates never knew he had’
Privileged Witness by Rebecca Forster
‘The past comes back to haunt Josie Bates when a prominent politician says his wife committed suicide but the law says it was murder’
Expert Witness by Rebecca Forster
‘When Josie Bates disappears, her ex-cop lover finds that more than one person would be happy if she never came back’
Eye Witness by Rebecca Forster
‘Josie Bates faces the challenge of her career when a foreign, ancient code of justice clashes with modern law
Forgotten Witness by Rebecca Forster
‘The government’s reach isn’t just long, it’s personal sending Josie Bates from the cold of Washington D.C. to the heat of Hawaii in search of truth’
TRUE CRIME
Grit, the Banter and Brutality of the Late Night Cab Driver by Karl Wiggins
‘It is populated by oddballs, weirdoes, comedians, eccentrics, head cases, prima donnas and hard cases. And they’re just the drivers’
URBAN
Immortal L.A. by Eric Czuleger
‘The San Andreas Fault is the gateway to hell. The Hollywood Hills are mass graves of angels. Welcome to Immortal L.A. You’re going to love it here’
WOMEN’S FICTION
After All Is Said and Done by Belinda G Buchanan
‘What would you do if you found out the son you loved wasn’t yours?’
Seasons of Darkness by Belinda G Buchanan
‘A lonely young man tries to cope with his mother’s suicide as he struggles to live among the shattered remains of a family that was never functional to begin with’
WRITING
Words Are Our Sorcery by Karl Wiggins
‘When it’s easy to believe that someone else is dreaming you? Well that’s Trance Poetry’
I hope you enjoyed our May Spotlight and that you are tempted to part with a few of your pennies to enjoy the delights of some remarkable indie books.
Indie Authors – The Authors A to Z guide is regularly visited by readers, publishers and fellow writers.
Make sure you’re in it:
http://www.theindietribe.com/category/join-authors-a-to-z/
Have you downloaded Charlie Bray’s Plotting Blueprint yet?
Download it now from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
April 30, 2014
A PLOTTING BLUEPRINT for you
CHECK OUT CHARLIE BRAY’S NEW BOOK – OUT TODAY! COSTS LESS THAN A CUP OF COFFEE
DESIGNED TO HELP NEW AUTHORS AND TO IMPART FRESH PLOTTING IDEAS TO ESTABLISHED AUTHORS
What is so different about this book?
A PLOTTING BLUEPRINT – 10 Steps to a Perfect Plot is a How To book with a difference
It is born from the blood, sweat and tears shed by Charlie Bray whilst preparing to write his first successful novel
Charlie Bray’s book, ‘Open House: Aristocrats, Squatters and Ghosts Share a Castle’ is a success and he would like to share with you the ten steps he took to create the working plot that led to this successful novel
As you know, Charlie Bray is a passionate supporter of self-publishing and founded this website, www.theindietribe.com to support and promote independent authors worldwide
Follow his system and start writing successful novels
STEP 1 Choose the right genre for you
In this step he shows you how he chose a genre of novel that was right for him and how he established who his target audience was. He shows you how he found out which of his competitors’ books were successful, and why readers were buying them. He also shows you how to find those readers.
If you follow this step carefully, you can attract the very readers that are making your competitors successful, and establish a strong readership within your chosen genre.
STEP 2 Think of an idea and test it
Charlie shows you how to imagine an idea for a story, and then work out whether it is strong enough to carry you through the complete length of a novel.
STEP 3 Populate your plot
How many characters do you need and what should you expect from them?
Charlie shows you how to successfully populate your plot
STEP 4 Fit your idea into the components of a novel
With a potential story line and the requisite characters firmly ensconced within the author’s head, it is then necessary for these to sit comfortably within the parameters acknowledged as the conventional parts of a novel. Charlie shows you how he did it and how you can do it to ensure that your book succeeds
STEP 5 Choose your plot type and style
There are several acknowledged types of plot that are followed by most authors. Charlie will show you the one that’s right for you.
STEP 6 Shape your plot
Charlie helps you fashion your plot into an effective beginning, middle and end
STEP 7 Plot accessories
Just as you can add accessories to your attire, your car or your house, there are recognized plot accessories as well. These will dramatically enhance your plot and Charlie shows you which accessories he applied to his book’s story line
STEP 8 Deconstructing other novels
Learn how to deconstruct your competitors’ novels and find out what made them best sellers. Then follow the same path
STEP 9 Compiling your road map
By now you’ll be at the stage where we’re ready to lay the foundations of a map for your story, in the form of a synopsis. This is a detailed route planner that will help you get from the beginning to the end of your story with no plot holes, no lack of continuity and no loose ends. It will be a priceless resource for you
STEP 10 Start to write your book
You’re now in a position to start writing in earnest. Everything is planned, your route map is in front of you. You can now write your book chronologically, scene by scene, chapter by chapter.
Follow these tried and tested steps
Make sure your novel stands the best possible chance of breaking into the best seller lists
Charlie Bray will help you every inch of the way by showing you step by step exactly what he did
A PLOTTING BLUEPRINT IS AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON.COM or AMAZON.CO.UK FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF A COFFEE
April 28, 2014
Vote For Christoph Fischer. He could win an Award
Fellow Indietribe member, Christoph Fischer’s fabulous book, The Luck of the Weissensteiners, has been shortlisted for an award.
Please consider voting for it by clicking on the link below.
April 25, 2014
Author Interview: Philip Dodd
Welcome to our series of Author Interviews, where Charlie Bray chats to a variety of Indie writers about their lives and their books.
If you would like to be interviewed, have your book reviewed, and post a guest blog, sign up now to INDIETRIBE GOLD
Today I am delighted to interview Philip Dodd, author of Angel War, a novel encompassing his vision of war in heaven.
Hi Philip, tell us a little about yourself.
I am sixty two, live in Liverpool, England, have a degree in English literature from Newcastle University, and I have been writing songs, stories and poems since I was twelve. Apart from literature, I like some pop and folk music, art, football, and when I can, walking in the mountains.
How many books have you published so far?
Angel War is my only published book. It was published as a paperback in April, 2013 and as an E-book in March, 2014 by Fast Print Publishing.
How long have you been writing?
When I was twelve, in 1964, I wrote my first song. Since then, I have never stopped writing songs, poems and stories.
Tell us a bit about your novel.
In Angel War I give my own version of the war in heaven, mentioned in The Bible, and its aftermath. It is essentially the biography of Azel, the Prince of the White Castle of the Angels of Light, the one who starts the war in heaven and who later becomes known on Earth as Lucifer, the Devil, Satan. From his Citadel throne, in his exile from the angel lands, from the time of the garden of Eden unto the twentieth century, it is revealed how he used Earth as his battlefield in his war against the Father.
What inspired you to write it?
When I was a fifteen year old schoolboy, in 1967, I first read Chapter Six of the Book of Revelation, which speaks of the war in heaven, fought between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels. The idea of there being a war in heaven astounded me. So the seed of my story was planted in my brain. When I was thirty four, in 1986, I began to write what became Angel War, and I did not complete the final version of it until September, 2012, when I was sixty, so it took me twenty six years to write my book.
Did you plan out your book or did it find its own direction?
During the twenty six years it took to write, my story truly did take on a life of its own, its course directed more by the characters I had created than by me, which I found to be a sometimes puzzling, but always an amazing and intriguing experience.
What is the main message of your book?
The main theme of my book is an old one, that of the war between good and evil. If my book has a message it is that, despite it all, the darkness and deeds of evil will pass, and good will have the victory. I would also like the reader of my story to consider that, as Melchior says in a chapter called Star of the New Dawn, “we are more than we think we are, part of something greater than we think it is.”
What are your creative influences? Were there any specific ones that inspired your book?
Angel War was inspired by the King James Version of the Holy Bible, which has had a greater influence on English literature, since it was first published than some might think. Apart from being influenced by my favourite novelists and poets, I have been influenced by such things as a painting I saw in my local art gallery, which inspired me to write the chapter called The Tempter in my book.
What do you enjoy most and least about writing?
I enjoy writing most when I feel in an inspired state and I find myself scribbling my ideas down in my notebook as quickly as I can, so that none of what I originally thought is forgotten. What I like least about writing is having to discard entire chapters in order to make the final draft of a story as compact and as short as possible.
Any advice for aspiring authors?
Be patient. When you finish your story, remember it is only your first draft, a base to build on. Work on it until you know you have completed your final draft, the one that is good enough for others to read. Do not read narrowly. You may have your favourite kind of book and list of favourite authors, but remember there are worlds elsewhere in other kinds of books. Learn from the masters. Classic novels have lasted for a reason, mainly because they are good stories, well told.
Do you have any future projects in the works?
In 2015, I plan to publish my lighthearted, bird brain science fiction story for older children and adults, called Klubbe the Turkle and the Golden Star Coracle. One day, I hope to publish a collection of my poems.
Many thanks for sparing us time today, Philip, and I wish you every success with your writing.
ANGEL WAR
Angel War is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk
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April 24, 2014
News Flash: Member’s Book Reaches NUMBER ONE!
Here is some great news! My book (The Visionary Mayan Queen: Yohl Ik’nal of Palenque) reached Amazon Kindle Free Books #1 Best-Seller yesterday both in Historical Fiction and HF Romance-Ancient Worlds. It was #9 in Top 100 Kindle Free Books yesterday, and by this morning had attained #6 rank in Top 100 Books.
Thanks so much for your web promotion program, it has really helped attain this success.
Yours, Leonide
Leonide’s book is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk
April 18, 2014
Author Interview: Maria Chiara Marsciani
Welcome to our series of Author Interviews, where Charlie Bray chats to a variety of Indie writers about their lives and their books.
If you would like to be interviewed, have your book reviewed, and post a guest blog, sign up now to INDIETRIBE GOLD
Today I am delighted to interview Maria Chiara Marsciani, author of Urbino Unexpectedly, a story of love and self discovery
Hi Maria, tell us about yourself
I was born in Rimini, Italy, a mid size town on the Adriatic Sea. Since I was a child I had the desire to travel around the world and get to know different cultures so, when the opportunity came, I happily followed my husband to the US where we still live. I was trained as a clinical psychologist at the University “La Sapienza” in Rome, but after dedicating myself on raising my daughter, I now decided to devote myself to my first passion: writing. I love gardening, cooking and spending time with my family and our many pets.
What inspired “Urbino, Unexpectedly”?
Urbino, Unexpectedly is a story about the difficulty of growing up, about the famous line from A to B that often is not straight as we think it should be, and the story of Clara was definitely inspired by my own struggles with life and my own difficulties to find out who I am. Today I read a quote that said something like this: stop trying to find out who you are and start inventing yourself. Maybe that’s true and, with every book I write and with every word I put on paper, the more I feel I do it.
Why the choice to publish it in English even if your primary language is Italian?
Believe me, it was a surprise also for me, but the book came to me in English. I think it was because, after more than twenty years in the states I now feel and express better my emotions in this language that I not only find fascinating, but that I keep discovering more and more every day.
What would you say was the main message of your book?
The message I want to send with “Urbino, Unexpectedly “is that in order to fully appreciate life we have to take risks, to be willing to make mistakes and to accept to disappoint our loved ones. Personal growth and knowledge are based on attempts and failures. I have to admit that, now that the book is not only ‘mine’, but it belongs to the people who read it, it is amazing to witness how each reader is taken or focuses on a particular aspect of the story. For someone it can be the descriptions of the settings or the characters’ personality, for others can be Clara’s struggle or the passionate love story with Leo.
What advice would you give other authors?
My advice is this one: after taking into consideration market’s trends and data, after diligently listening to the many suggestions and advices I’m sure people have ready for you, politely forget about it and do as you feel and wish.
Tell us about any future projects
I’m finishing a new novel and I’m very excited. It is about the difficulty to communicate in a love relationship. A happy couple moves from San Francisco to Washington DC following the husband’s dream job, but each one of them lives this experience in a different way and, even if they love each other very much, they stop communicating. Also, a neighbor’s sudden death upsets the balance of the whole neighborhood and brings to the surface many secrets. I’m having a lot of fun writing it and it’s been a totally different experience compared to Urbino, Unexpectedly.
Do you plan out the book fully before you start?
I usually start writing knowing either the beginning or the end of my story while everything else is not really planned out and I follow the characters as they develop. I also fight with them sometimes because they take different directions from what I had in mind.
What do you enjoy most and least about writing?
What I love the most is the writing process. I love sitting down isolating myself from the outside world and start writing. What I enjoy the least are the technical aspects like the editing, the formatting and the layout.
URBINO UNEXPECTEDLY
Urbino Unexpectedly is available from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
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