Michelle Proulx's Blog, page 12
December 5, 2014
Chasing Nonconformity Cover Reveal!
At long last, I’m psyched to reveal the cover for what will be the second book in the Imminent Danger series — Chasing Nonconformity! The cover design was done by the talented Ravven (same as the Imminent Danger cover). And thus, without further ado …
Wow! Not gonna lie, guys, Book #2 gets a bit intense. In fact, here’s a summary for you of the plot:
Still reeling from accidentally marrying an exiled alien prince named Varrin, and from almost getting her head blown off by a six-armed lizard man with anger management issues, seventeen-year-old Eris Miller is ready for a vacation. But Varrin is desperate to rescue his beloved spaceship, the Nonconformity, from the clutches of the galactic government, so her vacation will just have to wait.
While Eris and Varrin chase after the stolen ship, they’re unaware that trouble is brewing on the other side of the galaxy. The villainous Emperor of Rakor has assembled a task force, led by the commander of the deadly Skin Slicers, to hunt Varrin down. With enemies closing in and the Nonconformity slipping further and further from their grasp, Eris must ask herself: how much is she willing to sacrifice to ensure her happily ever after?
Chasing Nonconformity will be published in Spring 2015, and if you’re interested in getting a signed copy, I’ll be running another crowdfund campaign around that time in which you can grab a copy or three. Until then, if you’d like the matching set, stop by my current IndieGoGo campaign for Imminent Danger and grab the first book in the series!
Also, big thanks to all the wonderful bloggers who helped me out with the cover reveal:
Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous weekend!
December 3, 2014
Blog Hop for Danielle E. Shipley’s New Novella — The Sun’s Rival!
Today I’m happy to be a part of Danielle E. Shipley’s blog hop to promote her new novella, The Sun’s Rival. This is Book Five of the Wilderhark Tales — and having read several others in the series, I can tell you they’re a quick, fun, romantic read. So check it out!
Spot Danielle E. Shipley in the wild: Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads
Danielle’s running a Rafflecopter giveaway — click the image below to access it!
December 2, 2014
I Hit My Fundraising Goal!!!
That’s right — as of Sunday evening, I’ve officially hit my IndieGoGo fundraising goal! Huzzah! Big thanks to everyone who’s participated in the campaign so far, and big thanks to anyone who hasn’t yet but intends to contribute before the campaign ends on Dec 9. Remember, if you want to get your hands on a signed copy of Imminent Danger, this is the best way to do it!
This also means y’all get to see the cover for the sequel, Chasing Nonconformity, because a promise is a promise, and I promised I’d share the cover if we hit the goal. Which we did! Yay! The big reveal happens this Friday, so keep your eyes peeled and your excitement at a survivable level.
It also means we’re now into stretch goal territory. So here’s the first stretch goal! If we can hit $600, I’ll add in an art card of the swanky new Chasing Nonconformity cover to the perks of everyone who contributes to the campaign (note: not including the $3 perk, because that’s just digital and therefore doesn’t involve physical mail). You know you want one!
In related news, my mother is coming to visit me next week, which means we’re going to get a ton of editing done on Chasing Nonconformity while she’s here. I doubt we’ll get the whole way through, but that’s what Christmas is for!
Unrelated media of the day:
Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/wWrpU4X
November 30, 2014
Last Day of NaNo Update
As predicted, I have once again failed to complete NaNoWriMo. My grand word count as of now is 38,079. That’s pretty darn good in my opinion, although not quite enough to hit the 50k end goal. Le sigh.
A brief rundown of my NaNo experience this month:
Started into a re-write of a fantasy novel I wrote a few years ago
Got 15k words into fantasy re-write, realized I was writing the proverbial Star Wars Episode I of my series when I should be writing Episode IV
Abandoned fantasy re-write and started into Cerulean Bound (Imminent Danger #3)
Got horribly distracted by planning out my new fantasy novel
Wrote some more Cerulean Bound (spurred on by this song)
Got a random idea for a story about blademasters and time loops — wrote a 2k outline for this
Back to Cerulean Bound!
By the end of it, I managed to get up to chapter 6 of Cerulean Bound, so that’s something! The intro’s all wrapped up and our intrepid space adventurers are off on their next quest. I can’t say much about the purpose of their quest, or their end destination, except that the clue is in the title. I will happily entertain wild speculations in the comments section.
In related news, the baseboard heater just decided to turn on again, so I’m getting all toasty warm. It’s a very fickle contraption, and likes to torment me by turning on at random intervals.
To conclude, NaNo was a complete failure by me, although I did get some great ideas down, and will have some solid material to work with during the holidays.
I also just placed a massive order on Vistaprint (who are currently having a Black Friday sale), and I picked up some really awesome Imminent Danger swag, so if you want any of it, make sure to check out my IndieGoGo campaign!
Unrelated media of the day:
Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/VFMwzQZ
November 29, 2014
Perk Spotlight — Imminent Danger Bumper Sticker!
In today’s perk spotlight for my IndieGoGo campaign, we have a bumper sticker! This baby will go out to people who acquire the Swag Bag perk ($25) and up. Haven’t you always wanted to loudly and proudly proclaim your love of all things Varrin on the back of your car? I know I have! Check it out:
And just to remind you, if I can raise a measly $15 more, I’ll reveal the cover art for the upcoming sequel, Chasing Nonconformity. So please share the campaign and let’s hit that goal! Woo!
Unrelated media of the day:
Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/af5Wa
It’s a breakout!
New book out by a fellow self-pubbed author — and it’s free to download on Smashwords with the coupon code!
Originally posted on Allie Potts Writes:
I am about to suffer monstrous indigestion, and no, it won’t be caused by excessive food or drink…Okay so maybe some of it will, but the majority of my discomfort will be caused by nervous butterflies resulting the re-release of my book An Uncertain Faith. The e-book version will be going live on Friday, November 28th on Amazon and Smashwords (pre-order is available), with the print edition making its way onto the shelves shortly afterwards.
As way of saying thank you for your support over this last year, from now until December 24th, you can download a free copy at Smashwords using the coupon code PK82H.
Several of my business books talk about the importance of identifying the one thing that you want to be great at and then design your business practices and product offers around that niche. My dentist office has not read any of these books.
The practice…
View original 494 more words
November 28, 2014
Star Wars Trailer is Here!!!
The first teaser trailer for the new Star Wars movie is here! And yes, I’m aware this has nothing to do with writing, but I’m just so excited that I need to share it right now. And actually, it is technically writing-related, as someone had to script the teaser trailer. Woo! Connection!
Without further ado …
PS: My IndieGoGo campaign is still running — snatch up a copy of Imminent Danger And How to Fly Straight into It today! Or just bask in the awesome that is the Star Wars teaser trailer. Either one is good with me!
November 27, 2014
Imminent Danger 8-Bit Coaster!
As you know, I’m running an IndieGoGo campaign to support the re-publication of my book. In an attempt to drum up more interest in the campaign, I’ve decided to start sharing some of the awesome perks you can get via this awesome campaign.
Today I present to you an 8-bit Imminent Danger coaster, created by the lovely and talented Denise Gow-Morse.
The character featured on the coaster is of course Eris Miller, feisty protagonist of Imminent Danger And How to Fly Straight into It, presented in her signature purple camo pants and shiny silver top.
Want your own Imminent Danger 8-bit coaster? Pop over to the campaign and acquire one of the following perks:
Swag Bag ($25)
Ultimate Fan Pack ($50)
How Are You Even This Awesome? ($100)
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? ($200)
This Is Getting Ridiculous ($500)
That’s all for today! As always, please please please share this campaign with your assorted social circles and I will be eternally and forever in your debt (whichever is longer).
Note: If anyone’s in the market for a custom 8-bit creation of their own, Denise will make them for $5-$15 + shipping (contact her at gow_denise@hotmail.com).
Unrelated media of the day:
Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/gwDkDAY
November 24, 2014
Burning Bridges as an Author
As I’ve slowly ventured into the world of self-publishing over the last year or two, one thing in particular has struck me: the importance of having a good reputation. It’s not just about presenting yourself well so that readers want to buy your books — it’s also about presenting yourself well so you don’t make enemies.
I’ve heard of several self-published authors who have been the victim of smear campaigns. As in, someone dislikes the author personally, and dedicates themselves to ruining the author’s career. We’re talking getting friends and family to write terrible reviews for the author’s book that drag the book’s rating into the mud.
This is a terrifying thought, especially since Amazon is so notoriously lax about their reviews. There are so many reviews on Amazon that are complete nonsense — I’ve shared a couple of them on this blog, including one where the reviewer straight out admitted in her review that she’d never read the book. I hate the idea that my book could one day get a surge of bad reviews just because someone decides they don’t like me and wants to hit me where it hurts.
Now, I’m not too worried about this, since I’m a pretty nice person (humble, too!), and I don’t make a habit of going around irritating people. But every once in a while a distant acquaintance will do something really awful, and of course my immediate reaction is to call them out on it. Preferably using a lot of dramatic words and run-on sentences. But then I have to stop and ask myself: is it worth it to burn this bridge? Is this going to come back a few years down the road and haunt me?
I ran into this problem today. Not to get into too many details, but basically one of the people who took over running my writers society after I moved cities has been treating a friend of mine really terribly — we’re talking blatant hostility, rudeness, and threats of legal intervention. And the subject this person’s all worked up over is really stupid, making the whole situation even more irritating. I’ve been trying to figure out how to deal with this person for a while now, and after the latest round of stupidity I discovered from her in my inbox today, I got fed up. I informed this person via email to stop contacting me, and explained why as politely and succinctly as I could without resorting to cheap threats or insults. Then I blocked her email address so I don’t have to deal with her inevitable raging, incoherent response.
Did I do the right thing? Probably not. But I didn’t say anything that could get me in trouble (I hope), and I’m really getting tired of all the unnecessary drama, and she really needed a good talking to. Sometimes you just have to put your foot down, and damn the consequences.
Rant over. Return to your previously scheduled activities. Or, share your own stories of dealing with infuriating people!
Unrelated media of the day:
Note: contains curse words. Ahhhh!
Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/AVEnd7Y
November 23, 2014
Just Broke 30k Words in NaNoWriMo!
There’s not much to this post, other than to brag that I totally broke 30k words in NaNoWriMo, which I’m deliriously excited about since I barely made it past 15k words the last few times I’ve attempted NaNo.
Of course, according to the NaNo website, I’m supposed to be at something like 37k words right now, so I’m still ridiculously behind on where I should be with my word count. On the other hand, Cerulean Bound is progressing nicely — all my characters are behaving, the plot is moving along at a good clip, and I’m about to get to the really juicy part of the first act, so I’m pretty excited.
The only thing annoying me at the moment is the fact that all my chapters seem to be around 3,000 words long. I usually try to aim for around 2,000 words, as this is YA fiction and you don’t want your chapters to drag on too long. That being said, this is only the first draft (and first drafts are always awful), so I’ll have plenty of time to tidy things up in future drafts.
Happy writing, everyone!
PS: My IndieGoGo campaign is still going on. If you want a signed copy of Imminent Danger, this is the place to get it! Come on, team, only $50 until we hit the first stage goal! We can do it!
Unrelated media of the day:
I’m not entirely sure why, but when I play this song on endless repeat, my fingers can’t seem to type fast enough. The original song is by The Offspring — this is the sped-up “Nightcore” version, featuring video clips from My Little Pony. It’s odd. But hey, if it works, why not, right?
