Su Williams's Blog, page 6

COMING UP...AND UP AND COMING!

COMING SOON...Greetings, all. I just wanted to share with you some of the things I've got coming along soon. First, I anxiously await interview answers from Mr. Arthur Crandon of Hong Kong. Arthur has written a novel entitled Deadly Election and I took the opportunity to pick his brain a bit. As soon as I have his answers to my questions, I will be posting it for you here.
Second, I had the privilege of meeting Mr. William Kenower at this summer's PNWA conference last month. He did a seminar on Marketing & Promotion for indie authors. His class was one of those that keeps you thinking and a bit entertained as well. I got to speak with him after the session, and he was kind enough to consent to an interview. So, I plan to feature him in an upcoming post.
THIRD...& A FIRSTI recently joined a group on Goodreads for indie authors. I introduced myself and left it at that. The next morning, I had an email in my inbox from an author named Jennifer Loveless. She introduced herself and told me about her children's books that have received 5 star reviews from Reader's Favorite, and requested an interview. Absolutely! So I am very excited to introduce Jennifer, my first ever children's author interview, some time in the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye out for 'Holly Horse and the Great Quest'!
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
Dyson says, 'Vote today!'The cover for Dream Weaver is still doing great on the AuthorsdB.com cover contest...hovers in the top 8. So please please please keep passing the word and vote. Shawn Foote, the artist, truly deserves the props for his amazing artwork.
VOTE FOR DREAM WEAVER ON AUTHORSdB!
Also, Dream Weaver was place on a few lists on Listopia on Goodreads. Again, I would muchly appreciate any support you can give by taking a few quick minutes to vote. Currently, Dream Weaver is #1 on Great Paranormal Indie Books Everyone Should Know About. I am pleasantly surprised. Below are the links to various Listopia lists that Dream Weaver is on. Every vote counts and each is a stepping stone to getting the book in front of people.
I realize there are quite a few lists, so choose the ones you prefer. Great Paranormal Indie Books Everyone Should Know About YA Books About Depression, Self-harm & Suicide (Dream Weaver is tied for 20th)Books With Darker Themes (Dream Weaver is 9th)YA INDIE (tied for 14th)Young Adult Indie Authors (tied for 9th)Indie Young Adult - March 2013 New Releases (tied for 19th)New Indie Books (tied for 11th)Am I Blue? YA & Adult Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Covers (in 26th up against some big books!)First in a Series 2013 (not sure where it's at; up against 551 other books!)Best 'Eye' on the Cover (192 out of 481)
Thank you all so much! On this learning journey, I've discovered that writing a book is a lot like raising a child...it takes a village. It will take little things like your vote to boost Dream Weaver through the crowd of indie books out there! I am convinced this is not a one author job.
And as always!
Dare to Dream!Su  PS...My daughter is an anime fan and we recently attend a con here in Spokane, KuroNekoCon! Sarah was Princess Luna from My Little Pony, and we got a pic with her favorite Dr. from Dr. Who.
But alas, the weekend playing royalty wore her out. We had a great time, though!

Oh Hey! And a special shout out to the folks from Romania, Latvia and Sweden who come to visit! Thanks, guys!
 

HAPPY SUMMER DAY!!!

Tough little tree! Perseverance!LOVIN' SUMMER I love the sun, little darlin'. I love the sun, dootn doo doo. Aw yes, I must be waxing nostalgic. Damn, I hope I'm not dating myself. Oh, well. I've got so much to share with everyone but I don't want to overwhelm you. So I'll have to rein myself in a bit. I hope everyone is enjoying the posts with great reader/writer sites, as well as the author interviews. I went to the PNWA conference last month and met some more great writers to introduce to you. But...not...just...yet...
FEATURED WEBSITESThis week's post is about featuring great websites for aspiring authors and voracious readers. I've featured so many already but there is still a never-ending plethora of places for public perusal. So, let's get to it...
Awesomegang.com is 'where great readers meet great writers.' Authors can submit their books for free, and the Awesomegang staff typically gets the info into their newsletter within a couple of days. They were so fast, something I am not used to, that I missed the edition my book was listed in, and I had to ask for a link to the newsletter. (Dream Weaver on Awesomegang) Awesomegang is also connected to BookGoodies.com. Both are great venues to get your story out before the public. And they have lists of all the genres, so readers can find new authors to stalk.Awesomegang Facebook Page; AwesomeGang Google+ page; @ourawesomegang 
Another great reader/writer site is The Masquerade Crew. This month is Mystery Month on the Crew. So, if that's your thing, check 'em out. They do promotions, reviews, giveaways and features. And they conduct some fun contests too!If you'd like to connect with The Masquerade Crew:On Blogspot; Twitter - @MasqCrew; Facebook
TWO GOOD TO KNOW There are two kinda-big sites that everyone should or has gone to. One is Reader's Favorite, book reviews and award contests. They sponsor book contests and give free reviews. Granted, the wait time can be a long one because their process is meant to mirror the actual book-buying experience. But they offer a range of services from free to a reasonable fee. And they don't just review for us indie types. They've worked with greats like James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks and David Baldacci. So getting the Reader's Favorite seal of approval is a big deal! Become a Tweep at @ReadersFavorite
The other site is AskDavid.com Now getting listed on this site can take a bit of time unless you're willing to pay a little bit ($15). I just double checked and they are closed to 'free' submissions for a while because they are so overwhelmed by requests. It's another great site to get the word out or find a great book. They even offer promo packages! David's Twitter handle is @free_book_promo and he has 18,300 followers. Now that's exposure! 
TA DAH!Well, there you have it! All of this week's phenomenal sites for writers and readers. Check them out and let me know what you think!
MARISSA MEYERBy now, regulars know I am a true fan of Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles), not just as a writer but as a person. I try to keep tabs on what she's doing without being too stalker-ish. Recently, I was sent a link to a post on her blog via Goodreads. In the post, she outlines her editing technique. I was amazed at how complex it was. And I wanted to share it with all of you. So, if you're a writer-ly type in need of some ideas, CHECK THIS OUT! And she has a cool site, too.
STILL LOOKING FOR VOTES!Thank you to all of you who have voted in the AuthorsdB.com Book Cover Contest. Please, please, please spread the word to your friends. Word of mouth is the best advertisement! If each person who has jumped on the Dream Weaver train just tells 5 friends, not just about the contest, but the book as well, and so on, the reach can be astronomical. I'd appreciate all the help I can get! So here's the link to the cover contest:Dream Weaver cover
And please don't forget to pass on the buy links to people you know who might like Dream Weaver. As always...Dare to Dream!Su

BEADY EYES, DON'T LOOK AT ME!

ANOTHER LITTLE STORY?
Okay, so maybe I'm feeling a bit melancholy, or a little nostalgic. But I had to get this one other anecdote out of my system. I swear, I'll post something a little more helpful soon. In the meantime, I hope my little story amuses you.


Beady Eyes Don’t Look at Me(Ode to a Spider)Grey folds of cloud tumbled across the sky. The obscured summer sun rendered the water from the sky and it kissed her golden, freckled face. She trailed small fingers over the pickets in the fence, humming a song from Sunday school. She could make up songs too, in the way that children do. Silly songs about dancing and toys and flowers and farting. She breathed in the heavy air and sighed it back out, as fingers journeyed tumultuous over the fence boards. Her piercing blue eyes caught sight of the blob before her hand struck a chord on the silken threads. A shiver quivered up her little spine, despite the humid heat of the day. But she wasn’t yet of the age to completely recoil in fear, and those keen little eyes followed the movements of the prickly legs as they spun and wove the strands of a web.

Closer, she crept, but not too close. Spiders bite, you know. The bulbous butt waggled as spinnerets withdrew the fine thread, and spiny legs wove the gossamer in place. Such a miracle, this. A gleaming palace for an eight-legged friend (though not the huggable kind of friend). She was too young to know that the spider’s fortress was also a snare. Her innocence only allowed her to see the beauty of the thing; her curiosity fueled by fascination. 
A warm breeze brushed a tendril of hair across her neck, and she shivered again and brushed away the phantom crawl of eight legs. And then, many beady eyes gazed back up into hers and snared a giggle from deep in her belly. Words bubbled in her mind and a tune tumbled in her heart; and the two collide in her mouth and she sang; Girls & the creepy things they love!
                Beady eyes                Don’t look at me                You’re too fat                 And ugly
But ‘ugly’ had three parts, as children’s words often do, and sounded more like ‘ug-a-ly’. She giggled at her cleverness and sang the song, again and again, to her captive audience.  And when her voice grew tired and the novelty wore away, she continued her journey around the grassy back yard and grazed her fingers across the white pickets and hummed her new song—an ode to a spider. 
CONFESSION Okay, I confess, just looking at that spider gives me the heeby-jeebies! I want to crawl up in my bed and get my feet off the floor before some creepy crawly thing comes scuttling across my foot or up my leg.  
Did you know that you are ALWAYS within six feet of a spider?  ***eeeek***
Have you got any great childhood stories to tell? Leave us one in the comments.
Thanks, again, for letting me share. I hope it amused you a bit. As always...Dare to Dream!Su

SUNSHINE & DAISIES

SOMETHIN' A LITTLE DIFFERENT Every once in a while, I get the urge to post something a little more artistic than author interviews and websites. So, while I was at a writer's conference this weekend, the idea for a short story?...novella?...whatever it turns out to be, came tumbling into my head. So, I'd like to share my latest creation with you...Then we'll get back to the interviews and websites.   Sunshine and Daisies
Summers were hotter, and longer, back when her feet were smaller. Back when shoes weren’t required, and her daddy sent her to the corner gas station with dollar and an empty gas can, and she returned with gas and change. Those little feet were calloused against the gravel and sand, but she ran on tiptoes across the street on the crosswalk lines, and scaled from parking line to car shadow to keep from scorching her feet as she traversed the tar expanse of the parking lot. Sometimes, Mom gave her four bits (what kids today would call fifty cents), and she, with her sister, would pad the two blocks on gritty sidewalks and try their acrobatic skills on the high curbs. Two little towheaded girls, obviously related, looked nearly like twins. The sun browned their skin and the asphalt scorched their feet; and the sweat that dewed their bodies only worsened when they got to the station because back then, they didn’t air condition such places. The pop machine in the corner hummed an enticing song, and their mouths watered in anticipation of the sweet bite of orange soda as it burned down their throats. The bottles rattled and clanked as the icy glass bottle left the machine and another rolled into its place. It made their eyes water, that soda bite, but it was a welcomed pain. They stood in the sauna and shared God’s nectar because they didn’t want to pay the five cent deposit to take the bottle off the premises. Once summer’s heat was quenched, they raced on blackened feet home—to Mom and Dad, and safety and love. And all that blackness and dirt ringed the tub that night before bed. Her soft pink toes slid beneath a light blanket, and Mom tucked her in, brushed still-damp hair from her eyes and kissed her dewy forehead.  Murmured prayers of God’s greatness and for His safety bid her into sleep. Sleep where dreams were about sunshine and daisies, hot feet and cold pop, and skinned knees and singing songs to a spider.    AND FOR MY NEXT NUMBER... Check back for 'Beady Eyes, Don't Look at Me' (An Ode to a Garden Spider), coming soon to this blog.
Thanks everyone for checking in!And as always...Dare to DreamSu

INTERVIEW WITH MEGAN S. JOHNSTON, AUTHOR OF TRANSITION: A CHIMERA HUNTERS NOVEL

Megan, welcome to Dream Weaver Novels on Blogspot. We look forward to learning more about you and your novel Transition. 
Thank you Su for having me, it’s a great pleasure to be here on your Dream Weaver Blog todayABOUT MEGAN First, tell us a little about yourself and your book. 

Well, I’ll make it short, because there is a lot to tell.  I am a wife and mother of three daughters and one son, and a grandmother of seven wonderful kids. I spend a lot of time with my family and see some of my children and grandchildren on a daily bases. We have a family owned and operated business, and my daughter run’s the daily operation of the office and brings her 2 ½ year old daughter every day. From my husband to my son, to brothers, son-in-laws and daughters, we all work together as a family. We are a busy family to say the least. Then there is my writing, this is done in my spare time and every day. Whether it’s writing or marketing, it is an everyday process.

It took me 2 ½ years to write and publish my first novel Transition, the first book in The Chimera Hunters Series. It is a young adult, paranormal romance. I have loved every moment and am blessed with a wonderful family that let’s my creativity run amuck.
DREAMIN' THE DREAM If your book was made into a movie or TV series, what actors would make up your dream cast? 

This is a little harder, because all the Chimera men are over 6’ tall. But here is my pick based on how I see them:
Develon =   Victor Webster   
Gavin     =   Joe Manganiello  6’5 Leandro =   Jason Momoa 6’4  (looks great with long hair) Jen  =   Jessica Alba Stephen  =  Chris Hemsworth 6’4  MEGAN'S SUGGESTIONS What websites or resources have you found most helpful on your literary journey? 

Whenever I need information, I turn to my trusted Google pages; it is my top go to site. Another one you can go to for daily writing tips is: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/7-great-websites-for-writers/
TIPS 4 YOU 
Any advice you’d give to aspiring writers? 

This is my top advice, write… write… write… even if it’s a grocery list. This is a must do every day. And remember, never… ever… give up.
MEGAN'S FAVES 
Who are 3 of your favorite traditionally published authors? And tell us about their books. 

Oh goodness, I have so many. But these are some of my top fave’s: 
Twilight Saga – by Stephenie Meyer (I have been likened to her many times)Gena Showalter  (Love every one of her novels) ANDVampire Academy by Richelle Mead. All my daughters and myself read her Vampire Academy Novels. Loved them all! ME TOO! & A MOVIE TO BOOT I'm  so glad you mentioned Richelle Mead! I absolutely love her Vampire Academy books. I recently tried to re-read them, but the emotion was still too raw, even after over a year, that I couldn't read them. She signed a copy for me at last year's PNWA Conference and wrote back to me when I emailed her. She's very sweet. AND the books are at this very moment being made into a movie. (Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters) They're shooting over in England...even though the Academy is in Montana.SHOUT OUT LOUD Any self-pubbed authors you’d like to give a shout out? There are many self-published authors whose novels are great!  Here are some of my recent favorites: Shattered Souls (Souls #1) by Mary Lindsey http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9366996-shattered-souls 

Ixeos (Ixeos Trilogy #1)by Jennings Wright 
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17315864-ixeos 

Returning Pride (The Pride Series) by Jill Sanders 
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18002288-returning-pride 

And of course:
Dream Weaver (Dream Weaver, #1) by Su Williams 
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17205213-dream-weaver

CONNECT WITH MEGAN
Megan's Website - http://MeganSJohnston.comMegan's Twitter username -twitter.com/megansjohnston1 
Megan on FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/MeganSJohnston?fref=ts
And you'll find Megan's buy links to her book under the INDIE AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT tab at the top of the page.THANKS! Megan, thank you so much for spending a little time with us. It's always fun to get to know authors a little better. 
Well, thank you, Su for having me here today, it was my pleasure.   

Do you have a favorite book you'd love to see made into a TV series or movie? Let us know about it in the comments section. 
Thank you everyone for visiting.
And as always...Dare to Dream!Su 

PICS OF THE WEEKFor my friend Kandy Kay who likes puffy clouds
Playing with the panorama tool on my camera

Original shot for new banner

More GREAT Author Sites!

Word Fun with Wordle                                       I discovered this fun site called Wordle that creates word clouds from your words. They're fun to put in your blog or on your website. Wordle was created by Jonathan Feinberg and you MUST have Java to make it work. Not sure if I'm doing something wrong, but my only complaint is that you can't make them bigger or they get blurry; and you can't make them small or you can't read the words. Guess I'll have to play with it bit.

  Check out AuthorsDen 
At AuthorsDen you can Join free. It's a site for authors and readers, to post, review, message, interact, track, share and more.
All you have to do is Create Your Den! Discover and track authors, post comments, interact, read, save favorites and enjoy! AuthorsDen helps get books noticed by posting your book cover image where it can be seen better.You can Post Your Titles with your bio, books, articles, stories, poems, blogs and more. Authors can find new readers and readers can discover their new favorite author. Just one more place to get your book in front of the eyes of the public.
Get hooked up on Book Daily
Book Daily is a great site that emails book samples to book lovers from various genres daily. They have daily features, Emerging Authors and Author resources. They offer a Book Shelf for readers to place the books they're interested in. As well, they post 'buy links' to your book(s) so readers don't have to search. Every day Book Daily sends out emails to subscribers that suggest books in the genres people have chosen.   If you would like to be featured in The Indie Spotlight, then they want you! Just fill out their questionnaire, email it back, and they'll post it, promote it, and hopefully get you a little more exposure to the growing audience hungry for fresh, new content. This blog will be syndicated all over the Internet, and distributed through Amazon Kindle. Their goal is to make The Indie Spotlight the number one source for discovering the best and brightest in Indie Publishing. And by the way, if you don’t happen to be an Indie Author, but want to support the cause by submitting here, you’re welcome too!

Indie House Books - A Place for Readers & Writers to Call Home! Indie House Books, the home of Indie book lovers. They post the latest titles, community news, events and Indie resources. They feature a free Newsletter, a list of Free Books, and 100's of Books under $3.99. They provide free and low cost promo. I really like the layout and graphics on this site; it looks so professional and uncluttered.

So there you have it! Just a few more sites for both authors and readers to check out. Thanks for stopping by. And if you have a site suggestion, please leave it in the comments below.
I hope you all have a wonderful, daring week!
And as always...
Dare to Dream!
Su 

PS...Here's my favorite shots of the week!
It was such a beautiful sunset! There's my girl!
Cool hole in the clouds! 

AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR DAWN HUSTED

Introducing Indie Author Dawn Husted (AKA D.L. Husted)


[image error] What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say? My most recent book currently at the editors – SAFE, release date: August 2013
I love science fiction and finally wrote a novel set in a post-apocalyptic time period. It has vaccines, guns, bombs, young love, and genetics. Need I say more?
Tell us a little about yourself and your writing. I’ve been writing since 2008 and published a few stories here and there. All the while working on my language as a writer, discovering my own technique while still fitting within the perimeters of what’s accepted by readers. I love the impact I can have upon a reader with the words I use. The substitutions I make or how I can direct the speed of an action scene by the placing of punctuation.
My writing always has a hidden message, but more so, I want to tell my character’s stories within their worlds.  I desire for my books to seem as real as possible, believable.
Can you share a little of your current work with us? My current novel is, “SAFE.”  It centers around an eighteen year old, Penny, who’s grown up on an island after the world has ended. On this island, most of the people live in a place called the Colony. All of the residents live permanently with a genetically enhanced state; an outcome to a vaccination their great-grandparents received upon settling the land. Her world is normal, she’s smart, not physically strong, and works as a lab assistant. One day, Penny and her boyfriend are forced to run, evading capture, ultimately trying to survive.
Any websites you've found to be particularly helpful to indie authors? Goodreads is a great place for independent authors, and if you’re a writer I’m sure you’ve heard of it. There are a bunch of sites that will list your book for free, and others charge a small fee. Some of these sites are: Free Booksy, Pixel of Ink, Bargain Ebook Hunter, Orangeberry Book Tours, and BookLOADS FUN. What book is on your nightstand right now? HAHA. On my physical nightstand is the book, “Hunger Games.” I love re-reading books that I’ve enjoyed, they help inspire me and get me in the mood to write. 
On my eNightstand (my phone), I’m reading, “Live and Let Live” by Carla Sherman (indie author). It’s the first book I’ve read by her, and so far I really like it. Recently, I was at the gym and had to stop reading  because that book is a tear jerker! Afterwards I’m reading, “In Fraction” by Annie Oldham (indie author) and, “Hidden” by Shalini Boland (indie author), and then I’ll be reading, “World War Z.” I can’t wait for this one!
Name your favorite traditionally published authors (award-winning/best-selling)  Oh Lord, to be honest, I never enjoyed reading when I was younger. I was just too wrapped up in a fast-paced life. Now that I’m older I like….Patrick Ness (awesome scifi writer), Stephanie Meyer (of course), Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling, Nicholas Sparks, Oscar Scott Card (his how-to-write books). Honestly, I read more indie books than I do traditionally published ones.
It's a dark and stormy night...you're alone in the house...there's a knock at the door...you open it, look out, and proceed to scream like a little girl. What's on the doorstep?Simple! A lizard. The knock was fictitious. Those grimy things scare the crap out of me. I know they can’t hurt me, but they are so fast, and their beety little legs creep me out! (MS word is informing me that ‘beety’ is not a word and that I use the word ‘creep’ in the wrong tense. Who cares computer?!)
If your book was made into a TV series or Movie, what actors would you like to see playing your characters? Feel free to add pics.SAFE: They are a tad older than my characters, but Penny, James and Finnick remind me of these three individuals. Rachel Weisz as Penny Evans Colin Farrell as James Garak Josh Lucas as Finnick  












Where can your readers stalk you?  My website: http://dawnhusted.weebly.com My blog: http://dawnhusted.weebly.com/blog.htmlMy facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DawnHustedMy Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6434441.Dawn_HustedTwitter: https://twitter.com/thedawnhustedAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=D.L.%20Husted&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerankOther: I run a site where I list book reviews, interviews and book: http://bookloads.weebly.com
Dawn, thank you for visiting and sharing your book and other great info to readers.
If you have a favorite site to share with us, please leave a comment below. I love to share info other authors and readers.   I hope you all have a wonderful week! And as always... Dare to Dream!


 

MORE ON AUTHORSdB

  I mentioned the author's website, AuthorsdB, in my last post. Since I signed up with them, I've seen 4x more visits to all of my author sites. I also entered their cover art contest, and I'd appreciate it so much if you could take a moment or two to go on the site and vote for the Dream Weaver cover by artist Shawn Foote. So far, the cover is in the top 6 images!VOTE FOR DREAM WEAVER COVER ART!(and please leave a comment so I know how you found me!)


THE LOW DOWN The 'Official' Authors Database  Get Listed! As of June 14, 2013 we have over 2480 Registered Members & Growing DailyList yourself as an Author 100% FREEList your business that offers quality services to Authors 100% FREE
Enjoy the exposure from our FREE comprehensive Promotional Programs for AUTHORS today!NOT SURE IT COULD BE ANY EASIER At AUTHORSdB, it is easy to sign up and get started right away. All you need to do is:
1. Create an account using your facebook, google or windows live account or signup with your personal email.
2. Log in and add your bio, photos and book images
3. Add all your social media contact information
4. Add your 'Buy Here' links to Amazon, B&N, etc
5. Share Share Share "It's like an IMDB for authors ... within a day of listing myself, I received a Google alert that they listed me from this website. That was fast, thanks! " Judith Price
THE SERVICES    AuthorsdB provides incredible services for the authors in their listing. Check it out! All Editing Services Developmental Editing Manuscript Evaluation & Critique Polish Editing Book Formatting Marketing & Promotions Book Cover Design  As well AuthorsdB has a list of 47 literary agents and publishers that writers can access. So Why Use AuthorsdB? You've heard why I love this site, but let's hear it in their own words...Here at AUTHORSdB we've formed the only database of authors, including social media, book listings and much more, for today's mine-field of thousands of aspiring and established writers.  We are a dedicated website that helps authors for free.  Why free? We have a few Angels who simply want to see authors flourish.  Readers no longer have to Google from several different websites to find out more about a particular author – it’s all here.Awards Awards are a great attention-getter for would-be readers, agents and publishers. AuthordB has several to make your book stand out.TOP100 AUTHORSdB.  The more views you receive on your author page, the more you climb to the TOP100 list*.  Announced every Friday. @[author name] AUTHORSdB TOP100 & is currently #1 Pls RT [link back to author details]AUTHOR OF THE WEEK.  Each week authors who are in the TOP 50 will be put into randompicker.com and a draw will be awarded for a free banner weekly.VIP BLOGGER We appreciate when author's share the word about AUTHORSdB on their blogs.  We offer a VIP Blogger Award for bloggers who blog about AUTHORSdB of a free banner drawn weekly for members with listings on AUTHORSdB.com.  If your blog is not drawn, you are entered into the following week's draw.  Valid as long as your blog post about AUTHORSdB is live.  This helps increase your Google page rank. Announced every Friday.FEATURED AUTHORS are random authors selected via our database and shown in the Featured Authors section giving every author equal promotional benefits. AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT each week the database will spotlight an author randomly bringing attention to the author.  No qualifications other than they must be listed on AUTHORSdB We Are Tweeting Fools - We tweet about anything related to our members.  Whether you are #1 in Amazon, trending in social media or launching a new book.  We tweet and retweet your news.  Let us know what's happening!

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GET ON BOARD AND GET READ!

I hope you all found this information helpful. I know I love AuthordB.
Have a great week, everyone!
And as always,
Dare to Dream!
Su
 

SHARING NEW LINKS

SLACKIN' OR ...?OK, so maybe I'm slacking a little bit, but I also started a new job at The Home Depot working at the service desk. Geez there's a lot to learn. I also have relatives in town from Mississippi that I haven't seen in years, so I'm making as much time for them as I can. And, I've been checking out some new sites to help in promotion of Dream Weaver and I wanted to share them here.

SO HERE GOESFirst, I got 'followed' on Twitter by a site called Book Tweeting Services. They offer affordable global Twitter promotion for authors. As well, they have a list of dozens of book reviewers who will review your book for free. Yes! FREE! There are reviewers for almost every genre you can imagine.

Then, I was 'followed' by Indie_Kindle a part of World Lit Cafe. They have a great program you can get involved with that 'tweets' your book for you. It's simple and easy (redundant?) and you get a notice from Twitter that you were mentioned, so you can 're-tweet' to your hearts content. They have services for authors, readers, bloggers and reviewers. Check 'em out!

I also discovered something that most of you probably know about, but hey, it's new to me and I love it. You know when you follow people on Twitter and they never follow back. Well JustUnfollow will find those people from your Twitter list who have no manners and help you delete them. There is a free service, or you can upgrade. You can also copy someone else's followers list.

FINALLY, AUTHORSdBEver heard of IMdB? It's a site that has everything you want to know about every movie or actor you could want. Well, this is AuthorsdB. A data base of authors; published and self-published. You can list all of your author info and book info on this site. I also entered the cover of Dream Weaver into a cover art contest. So far, it is in the top 12 out of 65...so I would GREATLY appreciate it if you would go to this link HERE and rate the cover, then please, please spread the word. (Under 'Image Rating' click the green arrow and click how many stars you would give it.) Be sure to click the Facebook 'Like' button too. They have a lot of other services available to authors.

HERE'S THEIR TWITTER HANDLES
@TweetYourBooks 
@justunfollow
@IndieKindle
@AUTHORSdB

I hope you are all having a great week; that all of you readers are reading; and you writer's are writing. Always remember, you're an artist. Don't be a reporter, paint a picture with your words.
And as always,
Dare to Dream!
Su

MEET PHILIP NEWEY

SOME OF MY BEST MATES ARE AUSSIE
So, has anyone noticed a pattern here? I'm not sure why, but a lot of the writers I've connected with have been from Australia. Hmmm. I wonder what that means. I haven't purposefully gone out to find authors from Down Under. I just connect with people that appeal to me, and funnily enough a fair few are from that part of the world. 
MEET PHILIP NEWEYI didn't want to ask Philip the same questions everyone asks. He is not only a self-published author but offers his services for editing manuscripts at an incredibly low rate. So I wanted him to speak on both subjects. So, here goes...What do you want readers to know about you as author? And as an editor?It took a long time before I could finally call myself an author. I have been writing off and on since my early teens. At that stage there was a great deal of poetry full of existential teenage angst. Over the years I started many novels, often with a fantasy/sci fi theme. I read all the classic sci fi and fantasy books and wanted to emulate them. But I was never able to finish writing any of the books I started. There were also a few abortive attempts at non-speculative fiction, usually with a semi-autobiographical flavour. It was not until the beginning of 2012, when I was a young lad of 54, that I finally finished my first entire novel. A second followed quickly, and then a third. The first two are now self-published, but I am holding back the third until I have finished the fourth. What happened? It suddenly felt as though I had lived enough life to be able finally to say something worthwhile. All of the stories and ideas began to mature and coalesce. Et viola. The idea for the editing business arose from the writing. I began to read some of the other self-published books out there – you may have noticed there are one or two these days. One thing that became apparent was that many of them required some serious editing and proofreading. At the same time, as a penniless writer myself, I knew how unaffordable professional manuscript assessment and editing services could be. I could not afford them myself. I decided to offer a much less expensive option and tap into a potentially large market. In addition to my fiction writing I have completed two doctoral theses (one in theology and one in biology) and published several scientific papers. These required very high standards of writing. As a post-graduate student (the second time around) I was employed to be a student advisor, helping other students to put the right words on the paper in the right order. I knew even then that I had a very good eye for detail, and would spot errors that everyone else had overlooked. Although I have no professional training as an editor I feel that my experience as a writer and a teacher, as well as my broad life experience, equip me very well for this line of work.What is the biggest mistake you see authors make when you’re reviewing a manuscript?
Well, there are many common mistakes that authors make, at various stages of the process. I know, because I frequently make them myself! There are issues of structure, style, and the nitty gritty of grammar and spelling. It is difficult to single out one mistake as the biggest. At the grammatical level, people often have difficulty knowing how to correctly punctuate direct speech within a sentence; they also very frequently link sentences together with only a comma (the notorious comma splice). At the stylistic level, writers often use too many words to say something. They might say, for instance, ‘Fred stood up and decided to walk over to the door’, when all they really need to say is, ‘Fred stood and walked to the door’. On the other hand, people tend to write as journalists, rather than as creative writers. By that I mean they describe events as a reporter might – just the facts – instead of using more imaginative language. ‘Fred stood and walked to the door’ is a very factual description, and is OK sometimes. But it might be good to employ more colourful language from time to time. For example: ‘Fred rose in response to the summons from the door.’ It depends on the context, but language can be used to evoke feelings and create images, rather than just to describe events. I wouldn’t suggest that every line has to be a work of poetry; that becomes annoying and pretentious. But there needs to be variety, and there needs to be balance.What services do you provide and what makes you qualified as an editor? I provide a range of services from manuscript assessment (which some would call structural editing), to copy editing to proof reading. Manuscript assessment is concerned with the broader questions, such as the structure of the manuscript, the development of plot and character, and the general writing style. Copy editing concerns the nuts and bolts of sentence and paragraph structure. It is not only about grammar and spelling (although it can include that) but also about good sentence structure, removing unnecessary repetition and ensuring plot/character/timeline consistency. Proofreading is about correcting those grammatical and spelling errors that have inevitably been missed previously, or have occurred since rewriting. Although I believe that my academic and writing experience well qualifies me for these tasks, I would add to that my broad life experience and extensive general knowledge. Editing is about more than correcting grammar. I was reading a self-published book the other day which was set in Australia during the 1930s (note the absence of an apostrophe here! Another common error) and one of the characters bought something for so many dollars. Until 1966 the currency in Australia was pounds, shillings and pence. Having a broad general knowledge, knowing how and when to check factual information – this is just as important as understanding the ins and outs of writing and grammar. I always like to know what people are reading. So what’s on your nightstand right this minute?These days my Kindle is on the nightstand. I usually have a couple of books on the go at one time, with many more on the waiting list. At present I am reading Bliss by Peter Carey and a book by a self-published author, which I plan to review. I am also in the middle of reading the complete works of Virginia Woolf – I am in between her books at the moment. The next book on my list is the final volume of the Wheel of Time fantasy series.Name 3-4 of your favorite, best-selling authors, their books, and why you like them.This is a tough one. Most of my favourite authors are not necessarily best sellers. At a pinch I would say that my all time favourite authors are: D. H. Lawrence, Patrick White, Chaim Potok and Alice Walker. My favourite Lawrence novel is probably Sons and Lovers; my favourite White novel is Riders in the Chariot; my favourite Potok novel is The Book of Lights; and my favourite Walker novel is The Temple of My Familiar. There are many, many other authors that I also love. I like novels with some depth and substance. On the other hand, I still love reading fantasy and sci fi – if it is a fantasy or sci fi novel that also has some depth and substance, all the better! I’m always searching for new indies to love. Do you know of any self-pub/indie authors that you would recommend? (And what’s the difference between self-pub and indie?)There is this great up and coming YA writer called Su Williams you should check out (wink). I like what Colleen Sayre is writing. I particularly liked her recent novel, A Solitary Life. I recently gave my first ever five star review to TheDark Man’s Son by Meg Whitlock. The difference between indie and self-published authors is not one I have really considered much before. There seems to be some suggestion that a self-published author basically does it all his or herself, while an indie author employs professional services for cover design, editing, ebook conversion, marketing and so on. There is clearly a whole spectrum in between. Indie authors often (it seems) also publish their own work via a company that they set up for the purpose. There are many of those notorious grey shades evident here.What’s the most important thing you’ve learned on your writing journey so far?Probably THE most important thing I have learned is that I can produce a finished product. I always believed I could write well. What I couldn’t do was put it all together into a completed work. Now I know I can. This is 80% of the battle for me. I am still learning many things about the writing process, both from my own writing and from reading the work of others.What website(s) have you found most helpful for both your writing and editing activities?I tend to bounce around the internet from site to site looking for information. There is no website that I can point to as one I go back to again and again. I use the social media extensively, but I am yet to determine how useful or helpful that is. Among my other activities I write a blog, and I have found that Reddit has been helpful in getting some individual blogs to really take off. Not all of the blogs to which I have posted links have taken off; but the only blogs that have really taken off have had links posted there. This seems to be a useful way for my writing and my business to gain exposure.Anything else we haven’t covered that you’d like people to know. I love chocolate, so if anyone wants to buy me a birthday present… (My birthday is June 21, btw.)
Sorry Philip, postage is mondo-huge to Australia, but I got you some really yummy pictures of chocolate to cue your salivary glands. Please be careful. I don't want you to chip a tooth trying to get at these sumptuous e-chocolates!


If you'd like to get to know Philip more, or learn more about his books or editing services, his links are below:

All-read-E Business Page Philip Newey’s Writer’s Page Philip’s Blog Personal Facebook Page Business Facebook Page Facebook Page for one of my novels: Maybe They'll Remember MeTwitter (as All-read-E) Linked-In Amazon Author Page Pinterest Page
Philip, thank you so much for visiting today. I truly hope some of my readers will make use of the services you provide. It's been a pleasure getting to know you a little better and wish you the best in all you do.
Who's your favorite indie author? Post their link in comments so we can all learn to love their work!
As always,Dare to Dream!Su