Nenia Campbell's Blog, page 32
August 24, 2014
Authortastic Survey
Years writing: About 20. Actually publishing my stuff where people could read it? 10.
Least favorite character?: All of the characters in Tantalized. I wrote that book when I was very depressed. Rereading it brings back terrible memories.
Male or female characters?: Either!
Oldest character written?: Minerva Tyler, in Crowned by Fire, is about 90. She's such a bitch. Hahahahaha.
Longest you've written a character?: I'm not sure what this means? In terms of height, probably Adrian Callaghan, who's about 6'7". He could give the giants in a J.R. Ward novel a run for their money. >:D
Newest character?: Mika Ruiz, Carmen Vega, Joseph Mason, and Gaspard Lechance from my WIP, She Is My Song.
Which character of yours would be most likely to...
Jump off a bridge?: Catherine Pierce.
Get drunk and pass out?: Michael Boutilier.
Kill somebody in a very unorthodox way?: Gavin Mecozzi (or Adrian Callaghan)
Be far too hyper for their own good?: Kelly Hauser
Get lost and refuse to ask for directions?: Michael Boutilier
Get lung cancer?: Alexander Delacroix
Star in a horror movie?: Any of my characters could pull that off quite nicely...
Star in a video game?: Volera Magray
Make the world a better place?: Catherine Pierce
Have a torrid gay love affair?: Evelyn Fontaine *cough*
Relate each word to a book of yours:
Love - Locked and Loaded
Hate - Terrorscape
Money - Cloak and Dagger
Seduction - Bound to Attract
Lies - Tantalized
Tragedy - EVERYTHING I'VE EVER WRITTEN
Manipulation - EVERYTHING I'VE EVER WRITTEN
Violence - EVERYTHING I'VE EVER--Ok, I think you get it...
Politics - Cloak and Dagger
Fire - Black Beast
Ice - Horrorscape
Would you ever...
Write a prostitute?: Yes.
Write a musician?: Yes.
Write a pilot?: No. (I don't know shit about planes.)
Write a homosexual?: Yes.
Write a pedophile?: Yes.
Write a politician?: Yes.
Create a character for the sole purpose of smut?: Um...YES? >:D
Write a character who commits incest?: Already done that, have the t-shirt.
Got any more for me? I'm all ears. ;)
Least favorite character?: All of the characters in Tantalized. I wrote that book when I was very depressed. Rereading it brings back terrible memories.
Male or female characters?: Either!
Oldest character written?: Minerva Tyler, in Crowned by Fire, is about 90. She's such a bitch. Hahahahaha.
Longest you've written a character?: I'm not sure what this means? In terms of height, probably Adrian Callaghan, who's about 6'7". He could give the giants in a J.R. Ward novel a run for their money. >:D
Newest character?: Mika Ruiz, Carmen Vega, Joseph Mason, and Gaspard Lechance from my WIP, She Is My Song.
Which character of yours would be most likely to...
Jump off a bridge?: Catherine Pierce.
Get drunk and pass out?: Michael Boutilier.
Kill somebody in a very unorthodox way?: Gavin Mecozzi (or Adrian Callaghan)
Be far too hyper for their own good?: Kelly Hauser
Get lost and refuse to ask for directions?: Michael Boutilier
Get lung cancer?: Alexander Delacroix
Star in a horror movie?: Any of my characters could pull that off quite nicely...
Star in a video game?: Volera Magray
Make the world a better place?: Catherine Pierce
Have a torrid gay love affair?: Evelyn Fontaine *cough*
Relate each word to a book of yours:
Love - Locked and Loaded
Hate - Terrorscape
Money - Cloak and Dagger
Seduction - Bound to Attract
Lies - Tantalized
Tragedy - EVERYTHING I'VE EVER WRITTEN
Manipulation - EVERYTHING I'VE EVER WRITTEN
Violence - EVERYTHING I'VE EVER--Ok, I think you get it...
Politics - Cloak and Dagger
Fire - Black Beast
Ice - Horrorscape
Would you ever...
Write a prostitute?: Yes.
Write a musician?: Yes.
Write a pilot?: No. (I don't know shit about planes.)
Write a homosexual?: Yes.
Write a pedophile?: Yes.
Write a politician?: Yes.
Create a character for the sole purpose of smut?: Um...YES? >:D
Write a character who commits incest?: Already done that, have the t-shirt.
Got any more for me? I'm all ears. ;)
August 22, 2014
Crowned by Fire Teaser!
I wrote 15,000 words today! Most of that was editing what I'd already sent off to my beta (Wart), but a lot of it was new material.
Anyway! Here is a teaser. No killing the author, now! *runs and hides just in case*
---
She was standing in a ring of flames as the ground around her crumbled away into unseen water. She could hear the splashes the chunks of granite made, loud, like a tidal roar. Or maybe that was the screaming she heard. Hundreds of voices, perhaps thousands, shrilling their collective agony as the city was razed around them.
Dead, barren, swathed in darkness. Only the glow of the fires provided any light. And then, even that was extinguished as a heavy rain began to fall.
Someone was holding on to her as the ground split away. Tightly, as though afraid to let go. Or just afraid. She could hear another chorus now, just below the screams. A high, keening that reminded her of recordings of whales she'd once heard.
But no whale on earth had ever managed to sound so sinister, so inherently evil.
No, the sound frightened her, and sent all the animals inside her, predator and prey alike, clamoring for safety. Because whatever creature it was that was making those sounds, it was insanely powerful, and it was hungry, and it was hunting—hunting her.
Thunder filled her ears, and she thought it was the storm rolling in until she felt the tremor beneath her feet, the splitting crack, and then the ground was yanked out from beneath her feet, and she and her unseen companion were falling into a black abyss.
Splash.
The water ripped her protector away. He—it was a he, now, she realized—cried out only once before the water silenced him. She dove, as graceful as a dolphin in the black water, searching desperately, blindly, beneath the surface.
Where had he gone? It had been seconds—ten at most. There was no way he could have sunk so far, so fast. But he had vanished without a trace, leaving her alone.
Not quite alone.
(If one fails, then so shall all—
Bring death to those of Evenfall.)
She heard a laugh. There, in the darkness, someone was declaiming.
A wave crashed over her head, plunging her beneath the violent waves. It was dark, so dark she couldn't see her nose in front of her face, and cold. So, so cold. All the heat was leaving her body, and she could no longer fully breathe. She thought she might be dying.
“Beast of shadows, touched with sight.” It was the voice from before, louder now, and all the more menacing because of it. “Come to me.”
The water wrapped around her limbs. It was a water spell, she realized, similar to the one the witch had used on her what seemed like a century ago. She jerked violently, and sucked in a frightened breath as something brushed against her throat, halfway between a caress and a threat. “No,” she said weakly, shivering. “No.”
“Blood will flow like wine.”
She thought it could not possibly get any darker than this.
She was wrong.
“The Shadow Thane will lord over all.”
The last thing she saw was the sky.
“And the world shall be slave to his dragons.”
There were no stars.
Fleeting pain, a quiet snap. Her throat had been pierced, her spine broken. And as her eyes began to fill with the milky glaze of death, the darkness began to flake and crumble, swallowed up by a golden light as the heavens crashed to earth.
And then, she saw nothing more.
Anyway! Here is a teaser. No killing the author, now! *runs and hides just in case*
---
She was standing in a ring of flames as the ground around her crumbled away into unseen water. She could hear the splashes the chunks of granite made, loud, like a tidal roar. Or maybe that was the screaming she heard. Hundreds of voices, perhaps thousands, shrilling their collective agony as the city was razed around them.
Dead, barren, swathed in darkness. Only the glow of the fires provided any light. And then, even that was extinguished as a heavy rain began to fall.
Someone was holding on to her as the ground split away. Tightly, as though afraid to let go. Or just afraid. She could hear another chorus now, just below the screams. A high, keening that reminded her of recordings of whales she'd once heard.
But no whale on earth had ever managed to sound so sinister, so inherently evil.
No, the sound frightened her, and sent all the animals inside her, predator and prey alike, clamoring for safety. Because whatever creature it was that was making those sounds, it was insanely powerful, and it was hungry, and it was hunting—hunting her.
Thunder filled her ears, and she thought it was the storm rolling in until she felt the tremor beneath her feet, the splitting crack, and then the ground was yanked out from beneath her feet, and she and her unseen companion were falling into a black abyss.
Splash.
The water ripped her protector away. He—it was a he, now, she realized—cried out only once before the water silenced him. She dove, as graceful as a dolphin in the black water, searching desperately, blindly, beneath the surface.
Where had he gone? It had been seconds—ten at most. There was no way he could have sunk so far, so fast. But he had vanished without a trace, leaving her alone.
Not quite alone.
(If one fails, then so shall all—
Bring death to those of Evenfall.)
She heard a laugh. There, in the darkness, someone was declaiming.
A wave crashed over her head, plunging her beneath the violent waves. It was dark, so dark she couldn't see her nose in front of her face, and cold. So, so cold. All the heat was leaving her body, and she could no longer fully breathe. She thought she might be dying.
“Beast of shadows, touched with sight.” It was the voice from before, louder now, and all the more menacing because of it. “Come to me.”
The water wrapped around her limbs. It was a water spell, she realized, similar to the one the witch had used on her what seemed like a century ago. She jerked violently, and sucked in a frightened breath as something brushed against her throat, halfway between a caress and a threat. “No,” she said weakly, shivering. “No.”
“Blood will flow like wine.”
She thought it could not possibly get any darker than this.
She was wrong.
“The Shadow Thane will lord over all.”
The last thing she saw was the sky.
“And the world shall be slave to his dragons.”
There were no stars.
Fleeting pain, a quiet snap. Her throat had been pierced, her spine broken. And as her eyes began to fill with the milky glaze of death, the darkness began to flake and crumble, swallowed up by a golden light as the heavens crashed to earth.
And then, she saw nothing more.
August 21, 2014
My Facebook Page Just Got Its 500th Like!!!
That's so AWESOME!!! :D :D
And I only made it a few months ago, too!
1,000 here I come!
Want to be an aficionenia?
Like me here: https://www.facebook.com/aficionenias
And I only made it a few months ago, too!
1,000 here I come!
Want to be an aficionenia?
Like me here: https://www.facebook.com/aficionenias
Black Beast Book Trailer!
So I was on my author face book page, answering questions and dealing with admin stuff, when I take a look at my recent comments...
AND WHAT DO I SEE BUT A BOOK TRAILER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yMvW...
Obviously, I was pee-your-pants excited because this is my first book trailer ever, and someone MADE IT FOR ME, and oh my God, I'm going to cry now because it's SO BEAUTIFUL.
*flails all the way to Denmark*
WATCH THE VIDEO!
And thanks, Oliver!
AND WHAT DO I SEE BUT A BOOK TRAILER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yMvW...
Obviously, I was pee-your-pants excited because this is my first book trailer ever, and someone MADE IT FOR ME, and oh my God, I'm going to cry now because it's SO BEAUTIFUL.
*flails all the way to Denmark*
WATCH THE VIDEO!
And thanks, Oliver!
August 20, 2014
Oh Hai Der!
I've been seeing my books appearing in my newsfeed all day, either because people are reviewing them, reading them, or marking them as to-be-read.
I just want to say thank you. Indies--especially indies without street teams--are pretty much entirely dependent on word of mouth.
So even if you just tell one person to read my book, that automatically makes you a rockstar in my book.
Obligatory kitty picture:
I just want to say thank you. Indies--especially indies without street teams--are pretty much entirely dependent on word of mouth.
So even if you just tell one person to read my book, that automatically makes you a rockstar in my book.
Obligatory kitty picture:
August 19, 2014
Locked and Loaded Broke 300 Ratings!!
Book #3 in my Cloak and Dagger series broke 300 ratings today!
Thank you so much for reading my books!
I really appreciate it. ♥
Thank you so much for reading my books!
I really appreciate it. ♥
Character Interview with Sweet Books: Catherine Pierce
I did a character interview with the awesome bloggers at Sweet Books! Catherine Pierce (from my Shadow Thane series) answers questions for your viewing pleasure. :)
Check it out here: http://sweetsbooks.com/1/post/2014/08...
If you would like to read more about Catherine, you can get the books at Smashwords ([1], [2]) and Amazon ([1], [2])
As always, I thank you for your support of me as an author. Opportunities like these really help me out. It's not easy being indie! ;)
♥
August 15, 2014
Questions I Am Supposed to Answer
Ronyell nominated my reviewing blog for a Liebster.
I don't do Liebster nominations so I thought I would post the answers to the questions that she asked here. :)
1. What book would you like to see as a movie or TV series?
Pretty much anything by Vivian Vande Velde--especially Heir Apparent and Companions of the Night.
2. What author would you like to meet in person?
Leah Raeder or Sam Mariano or Heather Crews.
3. What was the scariest book you had ever read?
This one.
People say it's a romance but I'm 99.9% sure that they're wrong; it's really about a serial killer.
4. Do you enjoy taking pictures of your bookshelf?
I don't own a bookshelf. I have a room with books thrown all over everything.
5. What do you like to eat or drink whenever you are reading?
I can't really eat or drink while reading. I get too distracted.
6. Do you read manga or comic books?
Sure.
7. What is your biggest pet peeve about books?
The fact that they sometimes come with authors who can't get a clue.
8. Do you usually prefer the book that a movie is based on or do you prefer the movie based on a book more?
I think movies based on books are usually on par with blasphemy.
9. How would you convince people to read more books?
Unfortunately, telling them that it's being made into a movie usually does the trick.
10. Who is your favorite author?
Try these.
11. Do you have a page on your blog that lists all the blogs you follow?
Nope. I'm lazy. Also, I'm not entirely sure how blogger works. Part of me thinks that there's a self-destruction button hidden in there somewhere and if I click it, I'll end up destroying the internet. So there you go.
I don't do Liebster nominations so I thought I would post the answers to the questions that she asked here. :)
1. What book would you like to see as a movie or TV series?
Pretty much anything by Vivian Vande Velde--especially Heir Apparent and Companions of the Night.
2. What author would you like to meet in person?
Leah Raeder or Sam Mariano or Heather Crews.
3. What was the scariest book you had ever read?
This one.
People say it's a romance but I'm 99.9% sure that they're wrong; it's really about a serial killer.
4. Do you enjoy taking pictures of your bookshelf?
I don't own a bookshelf. I have a room with books thrown all over everything.
5. What do you like to eat or drink whenever you are reading?
I can't really eat or drink while reading. I get too distracted.
6. Do you read manga or comic books?
Sure.
7. What is your biggest pet peeve about books?
The fact that they sometimes come with authors who can't get a clue.
8. Do you usually prefer the book that a movie is based on or do you prefer the movie based on a book more?
I think movies based on books are usually on par with blasphemy.
9. How would you convince people to read more books?
Unfortunately, telling them that it's being made into a movie usually does the trick.
10. Who is your favorite author?
Try these.
11. Do you have a page on your blog that lists all the blogs you follow?
Nope. I'm lazy. Also, I'm not entirely sure how blogger works. Part of me thinks that there's a self-destruction button hidden in there somewhere and if I click it, I'll end up destroying the internet. So there you go.
Bound to Accept Unbanned...NOW PUBLISHED ON AMAZON!!!!!
You can now get BOUND TO ACCEPT on Amazon! (At least, for now.)
I made some changes and they allowed the book to be published!!!! :')
You can get it here: http://www.amazon.com/Bound-Accept-Ne...
Thank you so much to everyone who helped me, gave me advice, and supported me!
Oh my gosh, I am so happy!!!!!
I made some changes and they allowed the book to be published!!!! :')
You can get it here: http://www.amazon.com/Bound-Accept-Ne...
Thank you so much to everyone who helped me, gave me advice, and supported me!
Oh my gosh, I am so happy!!!!!
August 14, 2014
Follow-Up Email from Amazon Regarding My Book's Ban
So almost ten hours after sending the email to Amazon, I FINALLY heard back from them.
Hello,
We’re contacting you regarding the following book(s) that you submitted for sale in our Kindle Store:
Bound to Accept by Campbell, Nenia (AUTHOR)
During our review process, we found that your book’s content is in violation of our content guidelines. As a result, we will not be offering this book for sale. If additional submissions are identified with similar content that violates our guidelines, your account may be terminated or you may lose access to optional KDP services.
Our content guidelines are published on the Kindle Direct Publishing website. To learn more, please see: https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishin...
---
Just for the record, this is the list of Content Guidelines:
Content Guidelines
Your books and other content (such as book titles, cover art and product descriptions) must adhere to these content guidelines. We reserve the right to make judgments about whether content is appropriate and to choose not to offer it. We may also terminate your participation in the KDP program if you don't adhere to these content guidelines.
Pornography
We don't accept pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts.
Offensive Content
What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect.
Illegal and Infringing Content
We take violations of laws and proprietary rights very seriously. It is your responsibility to ensure that your content doesn't violate laws or copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights. Just because content is freely available does not mean you are free to copy and sell it.
Public Domain and Other Non-Exclusive Content
Some types of content, such as public domain content, may be free to use by anyone, or may be licensed for use by more than one party. We will not accept content that is freely available on the web unless you are the copyright owner of that content. For example, if you received your book content from a source that allows you and others to re-distribute it, and the content is freely available on the web, we will not accept it for sale on the Kindle store. We do accept public domain content, however we may choose to not sell a public domain book if its content is undifferentiated or barely differentiated from one or more other books.
Poor Customer Experience
We don't accept books that provide a poor customer experience. Examples include poorly formatted books and books with misleading titles, cover art or product descriptions. We reserve the right to determine whether content provides a poor customer experience.
---
Great. So not only was my book preemptively banned, potentially costing me hundreds of dollars in lost profits, they are now threatening to terminate my account if I don't adhere to these incredibly vague guidelines.
Dammit. I'm crying again. This is just too frustrating. :'(
Hello,
We’re contacting you regarding the following book(s) that you submitted for sale in our Kindle Store:
Bound to Accept by Campbell, Nenia (AUTHOR)
During our review process, we found that your book’s content is in violation of our content guidelines. As a result, we will not be offering this book for sale. If additional submissions are identified with similar content that violates our guidelines, your account may be terminated or you may lose access to optional KDP services.
Our content guidelines are published on the Kindle Direct Publishing website. To learn more, please see: https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishin...
---
Just for the record, this is the list of Content Guidelines:
Content Guidelines
Your books and other content (such as book titles, cover art and product descriptions) must adhere to these content guidelines. We reserve the right to make judgments about whether content is appropriate and to choose not to offer it. We may also terminate your participation in the KDP program if you don't adhere to these content guidelines.
Pornography
We don't accept pornography or offensive depictions of graphic sexual acts.
Offensive Content
What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect.
Illegal and Infringing Content
We take violations of laws and proprietary rights very seriously. It is your responsibility to ensure that your content doesn't violate laws or copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights. Just because content is freely available does not mean you are free to copy and sell it.
Public Domain and Other Non-Exclusive Content
Some types of content, such as public domain content, may be free to use by anyone, or may be licensed for use by more than one party. We will not accept content that is freely available on the web unless you are the copyright owner of that content. For example, if you received your book content from a source that allows you and others to re-distribute it, and the content is freely available on the web, we will not accept it for sale on the Kindle store. We do accept public domain content, however we may choose to not sell a public domain book if its content is undifferentiated or barely differentiated from one or more other books.
Poor Customer Experience
We don't accept books that provide a poor customer experience. Examples include poorly formatted books and books with misleading titles, cover art or product descriptions. We reserve the right to determine whether content provides a poor customer experience.
---
Great. So not only was my book preemptively banned, potentially costing me hundreds of dollars in lost profits, they are now threatening to terminate my account if I don't adhere to these incredibly vague guidelines.
Dammit. I'm crying again. This is just too frustrating. :'(
