C.N. Faust's Blog, page 17

Cover Art Junkie

Hello my darlings,

I have come to terms with this fact: I am a cover art junkie.

I have come to terms with something else: I really think The Age of Waking Death series needs some proper covers.

Conclusion: I think I will have to invest in an artist.

Speculation – what does it say about me that I can’t seem to settle on a look? I am convinced that cover art sells and I don’t think I have hit the sweet spot, or maybe I don’t have the right “look” to get people interested. Whatever the case, I am definitely going to have to invest in a proper artist. Someone I like, someone who is talented. Someone I can afford. And so the search begins.

Orcs and Aliens Cover is IN!

Hello my darlings,

The final cover for Orcs and Aliens Issue #1 is in!!! Here it is, with and without the title. Many thanks to the talented Roy Cokenour for doing such a phenomenal job! Prints of the original will be available soon.

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Your most adored,

C.N.F.

Amazon vs. Everyone Else

Hello my darlings,

 

 

 VS.  

 

I know, I know.

Well, I’ve just been doing some thinking, lately. And now that I have some reviews under my belt and some promotions have been done, I’m thinking that once the KDP select term ends for each of my books, I am going to end the enrollment and try (once more) to get my books listed elsewhere.

Now, mind you, I’m not going to go crazy with it on the first go-around. I’m only going to be on Amazon, B&N, Lulu, and my own personal website for the first few weeks. And here is why…

Free promotions are nice, and definitely a great boost for reviews / readers, but their glimmer dies off quickly when the sales ‘bump’ that follows is minimal at best, and then you can only link your readers to Amazon for months.
KDP completely excludes any potential readers who use Nook and Sony readers. I didn’t know there were so many of those until I started KDP select.
Sure, that 70% profit is tempting. But selling them on several websites for the normal price ($2.99) instead of on just one is so much more beneficial all around.
I want to feel like I have complete control over the distribution and selling of my books. Considering I am molding a publishing house, I believe this is best.

So come September, ALL of my currently released books will be available through the above venues. That’s not counting print distribution, which will also be increasing steadily.

As far as the eBook schedule, you can look forward to …

The Dragon’s Disciples – July 31st.

Baron of Blood – August 19th.

The Heretic Priest – September 12th.

Meanwhile, all 3 are STILL listed on Amazon for .99 cents each for the month of July. I’m trying really hard to save up for those limited edition hardcovers for a giveaway. What’s going to make them limited edition? Well … that’s another post entirely ….

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

YAY Goals

Hello my darlings!

Huzzah for Fridays, and all that. Tomorrow is our yard sale where we will be trying to sell a few things in order to clear up space before we move and have a little extra money to put towards the wedding / general living. We’re not expecting a ton (I’m not delusional in all aspects of my life), but if nothing else we will have a lot less clutter!

And I’m all for less clutter.

What else is on the agenda for today?

Going to clock in 20,000 more words for “The Hollow Living” by Monday (that is the goal, anyway). I have to set absurd goals for myself or I will not get anything done.
Going to start creating a mock-up for the very first issue of Orcs and Aliens (it’s getting closer!)
Continue working on the “Dragolothian Compendium” and possibly draft a release date. I’m thinking it won’t go out until after The Hollow Living is released (way too many spoilers).

Throw in random, mundane tasks such as ‘go to the grocery store’ and ‘price things for yard sale’ and that is pretty much the summary of my day.

The GOOD news is that while my ebook sales have been doing so-so this month, my print sales seem to be picking up. I’m excited and I’m thanking the gods and I’m hoping that they all look shiny and beautiful when their readers open them up for the first time. This makes me absurdly optimistic for the prospect of selling them in-stores. Baby steps, and all that.

That is my goal for the end of the summer. To walk into a store and see The Dragon’s Disciples on a shelf somewhere. Preferably right across from a magazine rack containing Orcs and Aliens. :p

Who all is pumped for the release of The Hollow Living?!

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

The Dragolothian Compendium: Cover Reveal

Hello my darlings,

Could it be? Could it really, really be?

Yes, I fear so. The promised cover reveal.

Mind you, I still don’t have a date set for the release. But things have been progressing so well with the content and I am ever so optimistic about it that I wanted to go ahead and share my joy.

So without further ado…

Well, what do you think? I am hungry for feedback!

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

Review: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower by Charles Yallowitz

  Rating: 5 Stars

Once again, I am impressed with Charles Yallowitz’s storytelling as well as his ability to bring something new   to the table with each turn of the page. Prodigy of a Rainbow tower surpasses its predecessor, Beginning of a Hero, and lures the reader into a lush world of adventure and magic.

I am not often a fan of sequels (in a series, I usually jump favorites from book 1 to 3) but Prodigy is an exception. Aside from characters and plot, I just love seeing the writing style develop. Rather than lose his voice halfway through, as tends to happen with some authors, Yallowitz remains strong until the end. Prodigy is definitely not an “in between” booklet. It is definitely a must-read.

This series is very enticing to the active reader who is seeking to get lost in a story. I find myself even enjoying Luke Callindor’s character a bit more (don’t get your ego puffed up too much, Luke) as he continues to grow and is fleshed out.

I am very eager to see where this series is headed. Charles Yallowitz has my full attention and a place on my shelves.

Stonewall Book Award… I want ….

Hello my darlings,

The Stonewall Book Award is something I want more than anything! Well, almost anything. If I had the choice between this and a weekend with Pharun in the mountains … you get where I’m going with this. It is an award that is geared towards LGBT books. Which, as most of you know, is right up my alley.

It might seem a silly thing to wish for, seeing as how my genre is fantasy. Still, do you think my work is eligible? You can always drop in a nomination. :p

I promise I will come back with a more in-depth post. Just had to drop by with this thought! Maybe I should get some work done…

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

Orcs and Aliens Logo Release! Also, why is Cy awake at 4am?

Hello my darlings,

Why is Cy awake at 4 in the morning? Well, I could very well turn that question around and ask you what you are doing up at four in the morning … but I will not.

If you really wish to know, I have been working since about 10:00 on the demo website for Orcs and Aliens. I only took about an hour break to finish watching The Hobbit with my sister (and it was so epic, of course it was). It was only when I pulled up this tab to check my blog that I quit working on the website since. My brain hurts, my eyes hurt, I am not so sure I have my sanity left about me, but the bulk of it is finished and that is the main thing! Now to just kick my lazy staff into gear (I kid, I kid).

Naturally, a lot has changed since my last post. Let me begin by making the final reveal of the Orcs and Aliens logo.

It’s pretty sweet, isn’t it? Just wait until you see the website it accompanies! I have this feeling that our first issue is going to be a really great one, and it’s only going to get better from there. (We are STILL accepting submissions, by the by! And we are still selling advertisements).

In other news, WE HAVE THE PERFECT VENUE FOR OUR WEDDING! It is a lovely little spot. Check them out here: http://stonefieldcellars.com/ .

I’m so thrilled with the choice, you have no idea. It is pretty much exactly what I pictured for my wedding. Small, serene, and relaxed. Now if I can just get … everything else in order. But that is my biggest stressor out of the way! So thank you everyone who helped spread the word and sent all of your good wishes our way!

On a lower note, my great grandmother is going to the nursing home (“rehabilitation center”) tomorrow morning. She will be there for at least 20 days, possibly more, depending on how and if she improves. At least she is beginning to get better. We can tell because she is getting grumpier.

…I will be honest with you. This past week has been one adventure after another in the hospital. Among other things, she has…

Told my mamaw that the nurses entered her room in the middle of the night and left through a secret door in her bathroom. They proceeded to grill lasagna in the backyard of the hospital. (??)
Said that some men had entered her room that same night and attempted to kidnap her. (????)
Mentioned that a nurse had come into the room (again that same night) and drawn blood from her stomach. (!?!?!?)
Been on a salt binge, and will not eat (repeat: will NOT eat) anything that is not coated in salt. This includes but is not limited to: her salad, her oatmeal, and possibly her morning coffee.

Something you must understand. This entire situation is exhausting, mentally and physically, and it is taking its toll on the entire family. The hilarity of the above bullet points arises because she does not have dementia or any other serious disease. She doesn’t need drugs or dementia to say things like this or act this way. It is just the way she has always been. Seriously … ask anyone. Our way of dealing with it is being able to smile at our own situation.

Back to a high note, and some good news. I sold my first print books this week (a total of four, which made me spin on my heels). My eBook sales have been doing all right (what more can I expect? It’s summer) but these are the first print books I have EVER sold, and I wasn’t expecting that I would ever sell any online. So, happy happy happy Cy for the next few days. Every time I log onto Createspace and I see that number under my “sold” section I grin like an idiot maiden with her first lover.

I haven’t done much writing this week, but I’m hoping after my birthday on Monday I can afford to get a new computer, which will naturally lead me to do more writing.

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

What has Cy done today?

Hello my darlings,

So, what has been going on with me today? I could tell you, but you probably wouldn’t believe me.

This tale begins with a sleepless night. I was awake for most of last night and when I finally did get some sleep, I slept very lightly and fitfully. I was incredibly cold (it’s the middle of summer and I was wrapped up in a hoodie, a sweater, and a blanket) and in the process of flushing out a common yet mean infection with lots of cranberry juice and water, respectively. I think I finally defeated it in its tracks, but that is beside the point.

This morning, I awoke to my mother on the phone with my mamaw. I knew things were not quite right so I got up out of bed and went to check.

My great grandmother fell. Twice – just this morning. She hit her head the first time, and my papaw went to pick her up. She fell a second time and tore up both her elbows and there was blood everywhere in the kitchen. My mamaw and my sister had to go pick her up. She didn’t recognize my sister and kept referring to her as “that girl”. When my mamaw asked about the blood on the walls, my great-grandmother replied “I don’t know how that got there. The kids must have put it there.”

“The kids” she keeps referring to are the hallucinated entities of my mother, aunt, and uncle when they were all young. I am convinced her apartment is at this point, haunted, because first they were locking her out of her house and hiding under her bed and now they are smearing her blood on the walls. Again, this is beside the point.

The EMT’s (is that correct?) come to take her to the emergency. My poor mamaw, who has not slept a wink all night herself due to my great grandmother calling her at two in the morning, has to clean up all the blood and then go back to her house to shower, drop off my brother with my step-dad, and then head over to the emergency room where my mother, my fiance, and I have already gathered.

Side note: when I woke up this morning and asked my mother is she needed me to accompany her to the hospital, she said if I could hurry up and shower. So I showered in five minutes, using only conditioner because we were out of shampoo. I barely had time to put my hair up, and I did my makeup in the car with only five items and two brushes. To best swallow this tidbit of knowledge you must know that I take an hour, sometimes and hour and a half every day to get ready. 30 minutes of that routine is devoted to my makeup. Which I did today, in under 5. 

The visit was long. They ran tests, checked her medication, asked her questions. She hesitated on what year it was. She didn’t know the day (she is convinced that it is Saturday) and the only reason I think she recalled the name of the current president is because she really, really does not like him. But then, she is 86.

We were at the hospital from 10:45 to roughly 3:00. When we got home, everyone collapsed until we somehow mustered the strength get dinner. I don’t know how I am still awake, quite frankly.

Since then I have been working double-time to make certain that Orcs and Aliens receives a proper launch. The website is going to be up within the week (I am going to make this happen). And by then, the logo should be finalized, and business cards should be ready to print and hand out and we need to sell, sell, sell that adspace. So on another side note, if you know anyone who has anything at all to advertise then please let them know about us. I give you full permission to print off our example advertisement sheets to hand out to them. If you need copies to print and can’t find them here, shoot me an email.

I am also trying to get married in October. This, too, is becoming increasingly difficult. My biggest problem is becoming venue, venue, venue. No one wants to let me have an outdoor wedding. It is going to be a 1 1/2 – 2 hour event of nothing but cake and champagne and no one wants to let it happen. I refuse to become discouraged, however, because I am the most stubborn person I know. I’m going to be married and I’m going to post the pictures here to prove it.

So, to wrap up, everything is still up in the air. Grandma will probably have to be in the hospital for three days, and after that it will be time to move her into an assisted living facility at least until she recovers. Right now she is incapable of living on her own and needs full time care.  I am trying to move my partner and myself forward with our publishing endeavors. And my wedding plans are not working out.

Does that cover it? I think so.

In other news, The Hollow Living is come around splendidly.

Your most adored,

C.N.F.

1,000 eBooks – Don’t Forget!

Hello my darlings!

Don’t forget! July is all three of my books up on Amazon for $.99 cents! At the stroke of midnight on July 31st they go back to being $2.99, so don’t miss out! Also, spread the word – because if I can sell 1,000 ebooks this month, I am going to be able to fund a big giveaway of limited edition SIGNED hardcover copies! Now isn’t that tempting?

Your most adored,

C.N.F.