Su Williams's Blog, page 8

NYT Best Selling Author: MARISSA MEYER

WHO'S THAT, YOU SAY?
OK, if you haven't heard of Marissa Meyer, let me fill you in. Marissa is a fellow-Washingtonian, who lives in Tacoma with her husband and two cats. She's a fan of most things geeky (Sailor Moon, Firefly, color coordinating her bookshelf...) And has been in love with fairy tales since she was a kid...which wasn't that long ago...which she doesn't intend to ever grow out of. Her first book, Cinder, is a retelling of the story of Cinderella as a cyborg. Her second novel in the Lunar Chronicles Series is called Scarlet, which continues the story of Cinder, as well as Marissa's version of Little Red Riding Hood. BTW...Scarlet debuted #4 on the NYT Best-Sellers YA List when it was released in February.

I was fortunate enough to meet Marissa at last summer's PNWA conference in Seattle. And went totally fangirl. But, hey. She remembered me. Marissa has been kind enough to answer a few questions and I'm excited to share her, her books and her answers with you.

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I GIVE YOU...MARISSA MEYER
You've done many interviews. What were 2-3 of your favorite questions you were asked? And the answers.

Marissa: Oh gosh, they all start to blur together after awhile! But I enjoy the fun, random questions. Someone once asked what the characters' karaoke songs would be - I believe I said David Bowie's "Fashion" for Iko and "Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto" by the Styx for Cinder... IF you could convince her to get on stage at all, which is unlikely! I've also been asked what reality TV shows the characters would excel at, and I suggested "Dancing with the Stars" for Kai (rawr) and "Survivor" for Wolf.

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting their writing journey?

Marissa: Embrace the journey! We get into writing because it's something we love to do, something we're passionate about. It can be difficult to stay focused on that and not get caught up in the need to be published. And yes, being published is a great goal to strive for, but first and foremost writers should make sure they're telling the stories they love and enjoying every moment of it. Don't get too impatient to move ahead to the next step of your career.

What were your favorite books/authors as a child?

Marissa: I loved The Little House on the Prairie Books and Anne of Green Gables, and when I was a little older, The Hobbit and The Giver, both of which changed the way I viewed books in general, and how they could alter the way we perceive the world and storytelling.

Who are your top 5 favorite 'best-selling' authors, now?

Marissa: So hard to choose!! I suppose: Leigh Bardugo (SHADOW AND BONE), Kristin Cashore (GRACELING), Veronica Roth (DIVERGENT), Kendare Blake (ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD), and C.J. Redwine (DEFIANCE). I don't know if those last two are technically best sellers, but they should be!

Are there any indie authors/books that you would suggest?
 Marissa: Honestly, I don't pay attention to who publishes the books that I read, so I'm not sure which ones qualify as indie! There are two fairy tale based novels that came out last year though that I THINK qualify as indie, and while I haven't read either yet, I'm super excited about them both: FIRST FROST by Liz DeJesus and BONDED by Michelle Davidson Argyle.

 So there you have. The one. The only. The incomparable...Marissa Meyer. Thank you Marissa for taking time for this interview from what, I am sure, is a crazy busy book tour.

OFFICIAL COVER REVEAL OF DREAM WEAVER

 Artist Shawn Foote has an amazing imagination. Using mixed media; acrylic, pen, pencil and even a little glitter, he created two original pieces of art. One is the snowy forest that makes up the back-most image of the cover. The second is the image of Emari embroiled in nightmares.
 This is the full layout of the cover...with one minor exception; the blurb on the back was changed at the last minute.

Thank you to Shawn, Jared and everyone who helped decide on this cover. I am more pleased than words can express!

Artist Shawn Foote has an amazing imagination. Usin...

 Artist Shawn Foote has an amazing imagination. Using mixed media, acrylic, pen, pencil and even a little glitter, he created two original piece of art. One is the snowy forest that makes up the back-most image of the cover. The second is the image of Emari embroiled in nightmares.
 This is the full layout of the cover...with one minor exception; the blurb on the back was changed at the last minute.

Thank you to Shawn, Jared and everyone who helped decide on this cover. I am more pleased than words can express!

An Interview With Author Angela Scott

AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR, ANGELA SCOTT
Author of Dessert Rice Series and Zombie West Series
I hear voices. Tiny fictional people sit on my shoulders and whisper their stories in my ear. Instead of medicating myself, I decided to pick up a pen, write down everything those voices tell me, and turn it into a book. I’m not crazy. I’m an author. For the most part, I write contemporary Young Adult novels. However, through a writing exercise that spiraled out of control, I found myself writing about zombies terrorizing the Wild Wild West—and loving it. My zombies don’t sparkle, and they definitely don’t cuddle. At least, I wouldn’t suggest it.
 
What advice would you give to indie authors getting ready to publish? 
The biggest advice I can give is to make sure the product you plan to publish is as perfect as you can get it. Nothing is ever perfect-perfect, but try and get as close to it as you can. Hire a professional editor. That is HUGE. Pay for a good looking cover design. These things are so important and readers are picky and they will ding you in reviews for those kind of things. Don't skimp on those two things. I can't stress that enough.
 
What were your favorite books/authors as a child? 
I loved Beverly Cleary! I also read all the books in The Box Car Children set. Well, as many of those books as I could get my hands on. On my 8th birthday I received the box set of all the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on The Prairie books, read those, and I still have them to this day. Now to convince my daughter to read them. I've held onto them for 32 years.



Who are your top 5 favorite 'best-selling authors, now? 
Jodi Picoult has always been one of my favorites to read. I can read anything of hers and be happy. I also enjoyed Suzanne Collins and the Hunger Games. Most everything else I read, lately, have been by other indies who wouldn't be considered best sellers, but who's books I've enjoyed and wanted to support. I read a lot of indie lately. 
 
Are there any indie authors/books that you would suggest? 
I'm going to give a shout out to some of my dear friends, who's books are amazing but very few people know about. The first is Robb Grindstaff, author of Hannah's Voice. I loved this book and it is written extremely well. One of my all time favorites. My next shout out goes to Stevie Mikayne, author of Jellicle Girl. This too is an amazing book and the characters are fantastic. I would also suggest trying John Abramowitz and Shannon Mayer for some wonderful zombie tales :)  

THE BRUTAL TRUTH 
What is one piece of advice you would give to new and aspiring writers?  
 I know this question is redundant, but I really liked Angela's response to another interviewer. You're always going to suck as a writer. Frank and downright mean, right? But it's true. And once you believe you don't suck anymore, then you need to step away from writing and no longer do it. Because no matter how much you learn, how much you grow, how great you might think your writing is, there is always, always, room to improve. Keep learning, keep writing, keep creating, but never ever think you're done learning. Be humble and continue to improve and improve and improve… 

Just for a little fun, Angela played; This or That? #1 - iPd or Mp3? iPD
#2 – Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
#3 – Mashed Potatoes or French Fries? Mashed potatoes with fries on top.
#4 – Comedy or Drama? Comedy
#5 – Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks? Danielle Steel
#6 – Fantasy or Reality? Reality
#7 – Call or Text? Call
#8 – Public School or Home School? Public School
#9 – Coffee or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate
#10 – eBook or Paperback? eBook 

Where can readers find you?
Oh, I love to be stalked. I can be found at these various places:
Twitter: @whimsywriting
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaScottWriter
Blog: http://angelascottauthor.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Angela-Scott/e/B007N3J0L2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/angela-scott
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Killin' walkers and havin' a smoke. Male bonding in a zombie apocalypse.
Many thanks to Angela Scott for taking the time to do this interview with me and sharing previous interview answers. Check out her blog for lots of great info!
I have one final question for Angela and you! If you could be any character in any story, who would you be? 

Just a Short Post

Is that possible for a writer? A short post?
Well, I am going to be as brief as possible. I've been spending a lot of time learning about how Indie Authors promote their books. I've come across several great sites, and will post links here to get to them soon, I just had to give a shout out to one site in particular. 

Florence Osmund
Her first book, "The Coach House," was released in April 2012.  Its sequel, "Daughters," was released in February 2013.  A third novel, "Mystic Coins," is currently in the works.

As well, Ms. Osmund has a comprehensive website with a plethora of information for the indie author. The site is well-built and professional.
 
If you have questions about the indie journey, chances are she's covered it here.

Stay Tuned
Coming very soon: an interview with Cally Jackson on her novel, The Big Smoke; and check out Ms. Angela Scott, who also has some great encouragement to offer the struggling author. 

Short and Sweet
See? I did it.

And now the big question!
What are you doing, as an indie author to promote your work? Please feel free to leave your answers and comments. I look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for checking in!
Dare to Dream!
Su      

Here's My Hand...How Can I Help?

MANY THANKS
See more on Pinterest

As seen in my previous post, I highlighted 8 other indie authors. In the process, I have found a couple of new friends and artists that I'm willing to lend my support to. I don't claim to be an expert at anything literary...though I've discovered I do pretty good at reviewing manuscripts. Honestly, I'm just learning the ropes like everybody else; reaching out in whatever direction to learn how SEO works and how to link to web addresses and how to write a decent query letter. But part of my desire when I started this blog was to reach out to others who might need a leg up. And if I can keep another writer from spending four years to get to the point of feeling like they can publish their work and be accepted by readers, I will have truly accomplished that goal.

THAT SAID
I've chosen two new authors, who have become friends, and two already self-published authors. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to review two manuscripts in the last few months. The first, Angela Scott (who I keep trying to call Anne Rice), who has written a few books. The one I got to review is entitled 'Desert Rice'. A compelling and suspenseful read. Her other works include her 'Zombie West Series' (yes, it's zombies in the old west!), and another called 'Desert Flower.'


The second is a writer from 'Down Under', Cally Jackson, The Big Smoke. Despite having just debuted her own book AND giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, Cally has been kind enough to stay in touch with me and share her journey and sales info with me. (Read an interview with Cally at a later date.)

NEWBIES
Two of the new authors I've befriended are Kandy Kay Scaramuzzo (Pie: An Old Brown Horse) and Kimberly Brockman (Raven, though I understand the title may change.) Check out these indie authors and look for more here in the future.

SHARE YOUR IDEAS
I receive emails from various blogs and websites that post articles with tons of helpful info on navigating this road that many of us have chosen to take. I highlighted some of them above under the 'Many Thanks' headline. Another site that sends me great info is Book Baby. And here's a great article that gives indies 20 places to promote their work.

If you have any website suggestions for book promo, please leave that info here and I'll make a link to it. If you own a site that promotes indie authors, also please leave your contact info so I can share it with readers.

AGAIN AND AGAIN, MY THANKS!
Can't say thank you enough to all the beta readers, and other writers who have thrown their hat in the ring and shown their support.

The Power of Sevens

Tag! You're it!
I've recently created my 'Author's Page' on GoodReads, and joined a group, 'Self-Publish and Indie-Authors, Promote Yourself Here!'  One of the Authors shared a great way to get the word out about your book and your blog. I tag this Author in my blog and ask 7 others to join the fun.(I found 3 new Authors to follow!) Then I post seven lines, starting at the seventh line on the seventh or 77 page of my book. And list links to the original Author and the 7 new Authors to their blogs. Sound a little confusing? I was confused. But that's not hard to do sometimes. It's not as complicated as it sounds...the tagging thing, not the confusing me thing. So here goes my attempt to follow directions.

The Author who posted this challenge was Dawn Husted. She's working on a post-apocalyptic/sci-fi story called 'diVINE Order'. Check out her 7 lines, as well as other works she has on her blog.

So Here Goes! Seven Lines from Dream Weaver!
                 “I see you,” the voice purred gruffly. I envisioned a lion crouched in tall grass. Rigid, poised for attack. His words were soft and succinct, as though masking something from me, but the smooth lacquered surface didn’t camouflage the menace that roiled underneath--like the delicate crust of cooled lava veiling the molten lake beneath.                 Blake’s eyes locked on my face as he lurched away from a rack of boy’s jeans. They followed the silent nod of my head. 

 Check back to check out the following Authors! (If you're interested, leave me a comment and I'll hook you up to the challenge!)

 

What do you do when you're going the wrong direction?

THIS WEEK'S TYRO MOMENT
Hang in there, baby!So what do you do when you realize you're going the wrong direction? Mapquest? Tom Tom? If only life gave us the option of a satellite directory. But the answer isn't that complicated. You just stop. And turn. Maybe not all the way around, or you end up where you started. Though maybe some of us need to just go back to the beginning and start over. Most of us, just a few degree's turn will suffice.

I started this blog as a blog about writing, but I've discovered only a billion or so other people have writing blogs and a lot of them are very good. I follow a few. I recently learned quite a few things from a HUGE blogger named Derek Halpern of Social Triggers. He challenged readers of his blog to pick some other blogs they'd like to try to connect with and to know the reason WHY. I realized that it really isn't other writers that I want to connect with (though the connections can and are mutually beneficial.) Truly, the people I want to reach are READERS. As a writer, I am an avid reader, so it stands to reason that many of the readers I want to reach are going to be writers as well.

Rasta beagle gets an epiphany!THE NEW DIRECTION
I puzzled and fretted over what direction to take Tyro Writer and was struck by an EPIPHANY. (That's the word of the week, by the way.) Well, maybe it wasn't quite an epiphany, just a really interesting idea.

I've learned at workshops at writer's conferences that backstory drags the story down. So you have to be careful how much you use and where you use it. With that said, I've decided to tell the backstory of my characters. ARCs of Dream Weaver are slowly trickling out into the hands of readers and thus far the reviews are highly encouraging. And they're not from my mom and my sister. Beta readers are already wanting more about Emari, Nick, Sabre, Eddyson and Ivy. So this is the place to find it.

AN ODD BEGINNING
I know it seems an odd place to begin the introduction of a novel to an audience, by introducing a character that is secondary, even if only by a smidge. But I love Sabre James. The research to develop him has taken me places I would never have dreamed of going and forced me *grimace* to study history *violent shudder*. Besides, Sabre is a very misunderstood man…

Because birth records in the 1700’s were a thing of the rich and royalty, Sabre’s birth date is not precise. He was approximately six years old, using innate intelligence and wits to survive, when ruffians from a labor ship bound for America rousted him from his hovel and slung him onboard.

The Account of My Life by Sabre James
    I don’t remember much of my childhood in the streets of London. It was so long ago. I remember the fog, damp and dirty, wending its way through my soul. I scoured London’s port near Gravesend, begging coppers and stivers, even a crust of bread to dull the gnarling inside my stomach. Arriving passengers on the coaches from London often had a spare coin or two, unless the greedy driver cleaned them out first, then rewarded me with a blow from his whip.
    My memories are absent of family, no loving embraces or firm pats on the back. Only slobbering kisses from foul drunken whores and a boot in the seat from slavering watermen. Only filth and hunger and cold and desperation to survive, something more of instinct rather than desire.
    Rough hands jerked me from my hovel one night and dragged me away, took me to a ship where I stumbled, weak and feeble, up the gangway. I was cast down before the captain of the vessel. “There’s a good lad,” he spoke kindly to me though I’d no idea why he’d be kind to the likes of me. I was scrubbed in a vat of frigid soapy water, held under by a crewman till my lungs nearly burst, and emerged into a cacophony of raucous laughter.
    The sea roiled and bubbled beneath me as the ship set sail at dawn. My vomit stained the decks more oft than not for the first two weeks onboard. I had a go of flinging myself overboard, if only to cease my suffering but the barnacled hands of my master stayed me, and his crew hung me by my ankle over the bow until I blacked out.
    The Capt. was good to me, kept me on a cot in his own cabin, tried to coerce me to converse with him, tho I had little use for conversation. I remembered not even my own name, (the watermen and whores called me ‘gutter rat'). So my master took to calling me Sabre, like the sword he kept on his bedstead. He found my eyes gazing mystified at the weapon and the touch of a smile upon my lips. He raised the blade and placed it lovingly in my hands. “Sabre,” he said in soft growling purr. From that moment, when he bellowed the word, I scurried to his side for his command. Tho leathered and grizzly, his heart found a soft place for me, perhaps in ode to the son he lost. Often he saved me from the torments of his men, and refused to hire me out like all the other men, women and children on the ship who labored for his profit.
    Despite his kindness, after many years, I knew there was more to the world than the sea, ports of call and indentured servants. I yearned for the land and excitement. At 19 I took leave of my master and lord, put off in a port in the colonies. I soon enlisted in the Maryland Militia under General Smallwood. During my enlistment, his Pennsylvania division was set to harass the British army but the Brits got wind of us and routed us in the dark of night. Having removed their flints from their muskets, they attacked only with bayonets. It was a bloody barbaric assault and our company was fallen upon by Red Coats. I was wounded in what history dubbed as Paoli’s Massacre. Bleeding profusely from chest, leg and facial wounds, I was left for dead.
    I lay in a clump of bushes, bleeding from my wounds, unbeknownst to my fellows, as the Brits wielded chaos and routed the lot. Dawn broke and wisps of steam rose from the bodies of the dead and dieing. Loyalist Tories picked off the vanquishing in the name of the king and were chivied by local farmers. The patriot farmers dug a common trench on a hillside above the battlefield in which to lay the deceased.
    I shivered as shock chilled me from within and rain drenched me from without. Death’s ice cold hand clutched my own, his frost blue lips summoned me...

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT
There is still so much to know about Sabre's 250 some-odd years, so check back often to read more of his tale.

One lone, brave bloomQUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Once in a lifetime, you get to do something bigger and braver than you think you can." *author unknown. From a Hallmark movie commercial   
   

Did You Ever Read A Newsletter You Just HAD To Share?

I know I just posted early, early this morning...but I received my weekly Newsletter from Jeff Goins, one of the blogs I follow and I had to share it with everyone. Such a great nugget. Enjoy!
Jeff Goins at goinswriter.com. Here's the NEWSLETTER!

ADVENTURES INTO THE LITERARY WORLD

LEARNING FROM SCRATCH
I have spent the last four years learning as much as I can about writing and the literary world. I've attended three PNWA conferences where I've made fabulous connections with amazing people who love to write as much as I do. And with those connections I've created a network of people to link with, to support and get support. I literally knew NOTHING about the literary world; nothing about pitching to an agent, what an agent was for, how to write a synopsis or query letter. See? I told you I was clueless. I thought about calling my blog something like 'Virgin Writer' but my husband said I might attract some...interesting (in a bad way) people.

CONNECT WITH OTHER WRITERS
In my adventures into the literary world, I have been fortunate to meet some great people...if only online. I got to review books for Jason Black (Pebblehoof) who is also a great book doctor, if anyone needs one; and Angela Scott (Desert Rice). And I discovered, I'm not too shabby at editing other people's content. My most recent review was for Cally Jackson (The Big Smoke). Despite being mondo pregnant and ready to pop at any time, Cally has been sweet enough to answer all of my questions on self-publishing and cover design on CreateSpace.

THE OTHER GUY'S BLOG
There are thousands of writing, writers, and literature sites out there in cyberspace to connect to, and so much information we can glean from each one. My newest favorite is Arthur Crandon's blog, Writing Matters. I like his humor. This week I've spent a lot of time on the Book Baby blog learning more about SEO Search Engine Optimization, and that writer's should spend 70% of their writing time actually writing and 30% on promotion.

THANKS
 Many thanks to all of you who visit. Please feel free to subscribe and get my posts via email, or leave a comment. As we all connect together we can support one another in getting our work into the hands of the people who want it...readers. Check back here often to see the updates on Dream Weaver Novels. Tentatively planning a mid-March cover reveal of the official cover and a mid-April release of the book in soft cover and ebook format. Check on GoodReads soon for a book giveaway. I'll let you know here when I get that under way.