Alexa Whitewolf's Blog, page 6

A little rant on technology….

I don’t mean to offend anyone but…

Ok, so technology is all nice and swell. It helps me format and edit my books in record time, do research, etc.

But at what point is too much?

Example 1: The other day, I was driving down the highway, minding my own business, when a car cut in front of me – incredibly close, might I say. The driver, a young-ish looking millennial, had her iPhone/smartphone on the wheel, and swerved into my lane to avoid the highway exit she was heading towards.

Example 2: The last couple of times I’ve been into a restaurant – or even to watch a movie! – people have their noses so deeply buried in their little gadgets, they don’t even pay attention to their partners/friends/family.

What is the point, I ask you, to go out to presumably enjoy time with loved ones, when all you’re going to do is have your nose buried in a piece of technology?

I’m sure you guys have your own experiences with it (do feel free to post below). It’s worrisome to think our kids will be growing up in a world where having an iPhone/iPad at age 3 is expected and frowned upon if you don’t have one.

I learned about internet and got my first computer when I was 11, living at the time in Romania. My parents had never felt the need to introduce it earlier, and even so, I was only allowed for limited amounts of time. I used it for research, and the occasional game of Solitaire, then got off.

Like most teenagers/young adults, I had a phase where I had my phone glued to me – but never when with friends or family, unless it was an emergency. That phase soon ended when I broke five iPhones in the span of as many years, and had to pay for them. Nothing cures you from tech addiction as much as a bill! I’ve now downgraded to a cheap, but usable, Samsung flip phone, that does the job of calling and texting, for the time being.

Eventually, I will get another iPhone, only because with all the marketing us self-published authors do, it’s a lot easier to access everything on one device, and not drag a laptop around – as I am currently doing.

However, I can’t help but be incredibly annoyed when I notice abuse of technology – in my own circles too. Let’s not even bring up the stories of parents being so stuck to their phones they forget their kids. Or people being so addicted to Pokemon Go, they run into police cruisers, off cliffs, into train paths… etc.

What is the world coming to? Is anyone else thinking we’re headed towards an age of artificial intelligence and virtual realities?

 

Marketing tryouts

One of the first things I realized as I thought about marketing my book was that I need reviews. There is no point in me spending money on Goodreads or Facebook ads if they would bring people to my book, only to have them not buy it because there are no reviews.

In my quest to get reviews, I joined Goodreads, created an author account, and signed up for groups. So far, I’m waiting on roughly five reviews – and nervous as hell! Who wouldn’t be, right?

Anyways, once I get to about 10 reviews, I’m planning to start a Goodreads & Facebook ads campaign. I’ll start off with a low budget, and see how it goes before I invest more. I’m planning to then try out ENT promos, and perhaps Readersintheknow.

One thing I’ve decided is, I will start off each promo, try it for a two weeks, then move on to the next one. This is on order to track which ones work and which don’t, that way I can repeat the more successful ones.

Aside from this, I’ve created social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, About.me, WordPress, etc. And as I previously mentioned, I ordered some bookmarks to hand out.

My next to do item is to contact my local library, see if they’re interested in purchasing my book, that would give it some cover in my local community. The one thing I have not yet done is a press release. Has anyone? (add your comments below if you have).

This is, of course, just the beginning. I found two of Smashwords’ books very interesting to this effect, as they cover marketing ideas for self-publishing: Smashwords Book Marketing Guide and  The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success. These tips are not just if you have your book on Smashwords, they apply no matter where you’re selling it. They are free to download, and they cover loads of information I never would have thought of otherwise.

As well, one thing I plan to take advantage of in the future is the Smashwords Affiliate Program. Basically, readers can register a free Smashwords account, and they get a small commission off every book they help me sell. I find it’s a great idea, with a good incentive (who doesn’t like money for spreading word of a book?) and similar to a referral program I’m working on.

I shall keep posting on what works and doesn’t work, as I try each of the options above. Stay tuned! And feel free to contact me or comment below with any questions/suggestions.

Heritage – Dracula’s Castle: the conclusion

When I last left you, it was stranded in Dracula’s castle – nighttime.

‘No hotel around, no internet, no mechanic. Only the large, looming shadow of the castle – and the shadow edging at the corner of your eyes….”

So let us continue:

You drag your feet as your parents, embarrassed, walk back into the castle. The receptionist smiles warmly – a little too fake for your taste – and she assures them that she can get a mechanic to come up from the village nearby by the morning. But you’d have to spend the night at the castle.

Your eyes wide as saucers, you tug on your mom’s hand to send a message. With a roll of the eyes, she pats your head gently, and assures you all will be well.

The shadows at the corners say another story.

You follow the receptionist down the old walls, hearing an echo of things past. You remember legends of Vlad Tepes, the real Dracula that inhabited the walls, and the trembling starts anew.

The receptionist brings you to a room. Large, oak doors open, to let you enter an old-fashioned chamber. Antique furniture decorates it – a large canopy bed, with two small nightstands; a rug the color of a bloody sun, dark hardwood floors underneath; a small closet, dressing with mirror and a stool; a smaller couch by the large windows overlooking the grounds.

The book draws your attention. On the left nightstand by the bed, it attracts your eye, and you freeze: it’s a Holy Bible.

The receptionist walks out, leaving you and your parents in the room. The smell is there again: musty, closed off. Your father opens the window – you have a mind to tell him not to, but your body, already overtired from the day’s events and emotions, pulls you to sleep. You join your mom on the large bed, while your father takes the couch.

As your eyes close, giving in, you see a shadow out of the corner of your eye and, you think, hear a whisper.

The hours go by, as you slumber away. Tick tock sounds the clock in the hallway. A noise wakes you up. You jump up in bed, gasping. Your parents are fast asleep, and the room is eerily quiet. You try to shake your mom awake, but she won’t budge – the steady breathing reassures you she is fine.

You slowly get out of bed, stepping around the rug, feet bare on the hardwood floor. You check on your father, and his soft snoring indicates he’s asleep, as well. No waking either of them up. Odd. They normally don’t take this long when you try at home.

Slightly sleepy, and curious despite your fear, you walk over to the door, and pull it open. A waft of air enters from the hall, and again, the musty smell. You walk out, leaving the door open behind you. There is only soft candlelight in the halls, decorated by artwork of a past long ago. Your feet take you in the direction to the right, where a large window overlooks the grounds, like the one in your room.

As you step closer, you notice the window is open. You glance out, at the quiet forest, the high moon, no clouds. A shiver runs down your spine, a foreboding sense you are in a place you shouldn’t be.

You glance behind, thinking you saw a shadow.

“Mom?” you whisper, voice a high pitch in your fear.

No response.

Then you gasp and whirl at another sound: a flutter of wings.

Right there, a few feet away, perched on the window sill of the bedroom window, is a bat, dark as night, staring back at you. You gasp at the intelligence shining through, and the shiver is punctuated by a tremor. You step back, and the bat flies closer, now perching on the window sill in front of you.

It tilts the tiny head, as though inspecting you. You stare back – frightened, yet curious, a child’s innocence – not realizing the danger.

Then, as though it had seen enough, the bat flies off in a flutter of wings. You step back to the window to look out, but cannot see it anymore. However, in the left periphery of the grounds, you see a shadow skulking off – it’s too large to be a bat, looking more like a human.

You realize your child’s eyes have seen something an adult would never comprehend – let alone believe. With a dejected sigh, you walk back into the room, and crawl in bed with your mom. As she hugs you closer, you look up to see if she’s awake – and notice the two puncture marks on her neck.

In the morning, you blink at the sun’s rays, and your father going about the room, tidying everything up. You’re about to open your mouth and disclose the entire night’s adventure… When you look at your mom, still sleeping, and notice there’s no marks on her neck.

The entire experience dissolves as a dream – but was it really one?

***

So there you have it, folks: the conclusion. Now, about whether this is real of fiction… I’ll tell, it’s a mix of both. I did visit the castle, and I did have some… experiences, let’s put it that way. It’s something I’ll never forget, a part of my childhood I carry with me. And that’s probably why the news of the sale hit me so hard.

Nowadays, the world is all about making money and turning a profit. Chances are, some rich person will buy the castle, and either turn it into a hotel, or “renovate” it and do… who knows what. Anything that will attract tourists and bring in cash.

I wish the castle could remain what it is: a heritage site, full of history, ghosts and untold stories. There for the new generation to explore, and connect with their roots.

 

Put your money where it counts

Now that I’ve covered some formatting issues and whatnot, let’s talk about something closer to home: paying for your self-published book.

I’ve only just started on this, and I think it’s fair to say each book will have things that work and don’t work for it. One of the issues I struggled with was, where do I put my money? It’s already hard enough being a writer, without dumping thousands of hard-earned money into promotion schemes that promise to make you the next bestseller – and there are loads of those online!

I’m a firm believer in making your money count. So I looked at my book, and I thought: what makes ME buy a book? And the two answers that came are: cover and blurb. With this not so surprising discovery, I endeavored to make mine count. I paid for a cover rather than create my own generic one. Rocking Book Covers, owned by Adrijus Guscia, created the Avalon Dreams cover for me and I could not have been happier.

I originally started my search for covers through my BFF, Google. After a few days of running into cover creator websites, I fell upon The Book Cover Designer. They host a bunch of premade covers, and you can purchase them directly from the artist. The covers only get sold once, and there are tons to choose from. I found the one for Avalon Dreams through the website, as well as a few others that sort of caught my eye. You have an option to send a message to the artist if you have questions, and I did. I received responses in less than 48hrs, and was pretty amazed.

In the end, I couldn’t get the cover for Avalon Dreams out of my mind, so I went ahead and purchased that one. I was delivered to me in less than 24hrs. Upon further thinking, I asked Adrijus if he does wraparound covers (that cover the front and back) and he said he could design one for me. We agreed on a price, and when I was ready, he delivered the new result. We added the book blurb, etc., and he offered some very helpful suggestions, that in the end made the full result that much more awesome.

With ebooks, you don’t need the full wraparound cover, but I used the one he designed for me in my Createspace account. I’ve ordered a few copies of my book from them to see how they look physically, and I am amazed!

All that to say, don’t hold back on spending money on a cover. It’s probably the most important thing you’ll spend money on at the beginning. You don’t have to choose a super-expensive, $1000 one. But start off with something that looks professional and eye catching.

As for the blurb, well, that has been done and redone about 15 times to date. For me, it’s what usually clinches the deal when I buy a book. The cover attracts my eye, but it’s the blurb that seals it.

That being said, one of the most effective ways for me to decide which to use was creating 3-4 different blurbs, and passing them to friends and family that read this genre, and see which one they like. You could also post them on Facebook (or any social media) and have your followers vote on it. It’s a great way to get them engaged and wanting more

Heritage: Dracula’s Castle

It was bound to happen. I couldn’t just let it go and not add at least one post of the world-famous Dracula’s Castle – which is presently for sale in Transylvania (insert angry face here).

I’m of the opinion heritage sites should never be sold, let alone auctioned, like normal pieces of land, but ehhh, what do I know? The Romanian government was offered it for $85 million and they declined.

So, you’ll wonder, why am I posting about this? Because Draculs’s castle, or Castelul Bran as we call it back home, is more than just a picture. I want to make you see it through my eyes, as of when I went and visited it when I was 7 years old.

Picture this: you’re on a roadtrip with your parents, driving throughout the country. Mom and Dad insist you have to see this wonderful castle, so they drive up the long, winded pathway. Sidenote: roads in Romania are bumpy and small!

Anyway so you’re driving up. And the kid you looks out the window of the car, at the fast moving trees, and sees a large shadow looming. It’s close to twilight, there’s no way the castle is still open for tourists – you know that, deep down. But still you’re driving, and the shadows looms closer, and closer, and closer… Until you pull into the “driveway”.

Eyes wide open, legs trembling, you exit the car. Grasping your mom’s hand tightly, you semi-reluctantly follow as the adults enter. The smell hits you first: musty, unaired, but strangely not repugnant. Then you notice the dim lights.

“Bună!” says the receptionist. “Bună” in Romanian is a casual way of saying hello.

The adults engage in conversation, and your curious eyes wander around. You take in the walls, the candlelight – and then out of the corner of your eyes, a shadow! You gasp, whirling around, to see nothing. Your mom tugs on your hand, telling you to behave. You bite your lip, trying to decide if it was a hallucination, or a real thing you’d seen – you decide on the former, too afraid to admit anything else.

The adults finish their conversation, your parents grab some pamphlets and a bat magnet, and then you’re ready to exit. Nearly jumping for joy, you run out of the castle, and into the car. Except, when your dad tries to turn it on, only a sputtering noise and a tired gasp answer.

Yep, you’re stranded, now in Dracula’s castle. And it’s nighttime. No hotel around, no internet, no mechanic. Only the large, looming shadow of the castle – and the shadows edging at the corner of your eyes…

A part 2 shall be posted soon. Can’t have all the story in one post, eh?

So what do you think? Is my story real or fiction? Has anyone ever been to Dracula’s castle?

What drives us to write? Join in!

Since publishing my book, I’ve gotten this question a few times. And there’s no easy, straight-forward answer, we all have different views on it. We could be writing for fame and glory, for money, for release, etc. I usually give a short answer for the sake of not boring people, but the truth is, it’s much more complicated than a simple “because I like it and it’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

In my case, writing started off as a release. You know those tumultuous teenage years every one of goes through? Some people lash out, others decide on careers, others experiment? Me, I wrote.

I was faced with difficult situations, and writing was my way of escaping it. The worlds I created -or expanded on – were a lot more fun to live in than my own reality at times. In a way, I guess it was almost therapeutic. Looking back on it, it definitely feels that way.

Even now, looking back at stories I wrote back then, I can feel the emotions coursing through the writing, in the way the characters express themselves, or react to life situations. I’ve put a lot of me, in my own characters, over the years, almost subconsciously.

Now that my life is more stable, I write to share. When a character or story pops up in my head, there is no way I can say no :)  So I write them out, write their story, and at one point or another, it takes a life of its own and turns into a much longer project than I expected. But that’s the fun of it!

Writing may have started as an escape for me, but it has become what I want to do with my life. A way for me to share my vision of the world; it’s my way of giving back to the universe for having given me a way out through the darkness.

What drives you to write? Share and comment below[image error]

Formatting Woes

For all of you out there that went through similar experiences[image error]

First things first: I have a Mac. And I love love LOVE my Mac. But as of last week, I was ready to throw it out the window. Why, you may ask, would I get rid of a perfectly functioning $1000+ computer?

One word: formatting.

My manuscript, when I submitted it, did not convert properly to epub or mobi. Thus, I decided to take it upon myself to convert it. So I tried the usual online converters (Convertio was, by far, the quickest and simplest to use!).

And that was all fine and dandy, except when I got my new epub and went to open with the e-book reader Stanza, none of my italics/centered stayed. And let me put this out here: I have a 400+ Word pages manuscript for Avalon Dreams.

So, I went back to researching. A lot of places said to use the “nuclear” method. As I understand (and can explain it in my limited tech jargon) it’s when you copy/paste your entire novel into a notepad/text edit (if you have mac, which I do) to strip it from any styles/formatting. And then copy/paste back into word and start from scratch. And by start from scratch, I mean you add all your spaces, paragraphs, indents, fonts, etc.

On a 400+ manuscript? 8hrs of work. Easy, right? Nope.

Nonetheless, I did it. In fact, I did it 5 times. That’s how many times I tried to re-format the whole thing. And still with no luck – stanza would not display the italics or anything else. Neither did any other e-book reader.

I tried InDesign. That’s another one that came up in my readings. I gave up after 2hrs of jumping through hoops of trying to install it. My Mac uses operating software 10.6.8 and InDesign no longer works on that.

For those of you that InDesign install works for, you can read here about how to make sure italics show in your epub. It’s a fairly simple check.

Finally, finally, finally I found Calibre. Downloaded for free. It’s both an e-book reader and formatter. You can use it to edit your manuscript, also to convert files. This article explains more about Calibre’s tools and options.

For myself, I only used the converting option. So I added my manuscript in docx format, converted to epub, and then voila! And then came the nail-biting test… I used my 3 e-book readers on my Mac to open the epub, to verify if the italics showed… And… THEY DID!!

Yes, at that point, I did a happy dance and enjoyed some wine last night after this very long ordeal[image error] And the Mac was saved – no window throwing necessary.

Comments? Suggestions? Has anyone else had this issue?

Ok, so a bit more about me

I’ve been told this is a story that needs to be shared, so, here goes! *takes a deep breath*

I was born in 1992 in a little town called Turda, in Romania. For those of you who don’t know, that falls within the Transylvania “province” so to speak of my country – which, everyone knows is where Dracula lived

Getting started

 

So it’s Tuesday… I couldn’t post Monday. I can never do anything Mondays… It’s a fact, anyone who knows me, knows it!

I spent the weekend, for the first time since working on Avalon Dreams, chilling. I read 4 romance novels, walked the pups, worked out, and did some wedding related stuff. Not bad all in all, eh?

I should probably introduce you to a bit more about me.. But that’ll come in a later post[image error]

For now, what I have to share is this: editing is HARD. I know it’s a given, but come on… I spent 4 months editing AD and now my epub format won’t recognize one of THE most important fonts in my book: italics!

So yes, I’m off to the formatting day again, in between doing some actual work… Luckily I got my loyal Starbucks woo hoo!

I’m hoping to have something more positive to post later today, such as… having finished the edit for good.

Meanwhile, has anyone had any issues with formatting? Share below in the comments!