Eve Devon's Blog, page 12
June 16, 2013
Sunday Snippet
I love coming across online posted snippets and excerpts from books - a few moments of escape from what you were doing and a quick way to dive in and see if you want more. And in any book shop, at any given time, you can always see people turning to a random page in a book and having a quick read.
So by way of saying a huge THANK YOU to everyone who followed and participated in the blog tour celebrating the release of THE WAITING GAME I thought I'd post a snippet. By the way, the winner of the giveaway competition for the hand-crafted notebook and giftcard will be announced very soon. Sunday Snippet
There was a grim twist to his mouth when he said, "All you need to know - all you need to believe - is that I'm going to do everything and anything to make sure Spinks doesn't get to you again. Do you understand?"
The conviction is his tone frightened her. Made it all seem so real. Too real. The ragged edge of panic descended again. She looked around the room, her vision swimming. This was supposed to be her safe haven. Her sanctuary.
As if he understood, Cam offered quietly, "When we leave, it'll be easier if you don't look back. I appreciate this is hard, but it's only a matter of time before Spinks works out a way of getting here. It's important to know when to stay, when to run, and when to hide. Right now, you hide. At least until I can verify his intentions. You ready?"
"Yes."
At the door, his hand shot out to stop her. "It's the dark blue rental parked on the corner. I don't have a driver. It's not like being on tour. It's going to be like the day you and I went to the beach on our own. Remember the drill?"
Dragging in a breath, she nodded.
This was it, then.
Life interrupted.
Again.
She couldn't look at him. She was too afraid that if she caught his expression, she wouldn't see him remembering that day at the beach when he'd relaxed his bodyguard attitude and kissed her, hot and deep and full of want. Afraid that instead of that warm memory, she'd see him remembering how he'd found her on day six of her disappearance.
In a damp, derelict boarding house.
Tied to a steel gurney. Eve
So by way of saying a huge THANK YOU to everyone who followed and participated in the blog tour celebrating the release of THE WAITING GAME I thought I'd post a snippet. By the way, the winner of the giveaway competition for the hand-crafted notebook and giftcard will be announced very soon. Sunday Snippet
There was a grim twist to his mouth when he said, "All you need to know - all you need to believe - is that I'm going to do everything and anything to make sure Spinks doesn't get to you again. Do you understand?"The conviction is his tone frightened her. Made it all seem so real. Too real. The ragged edge of panic descended again. She looked around the room, her vision swimming. This was supposed to be her safe haven. Her sanctuary.
As if he understood, Cam offered quietly, "When we leave, it'll be easier if you don't look back. I appreciate this is hard, but it's only a matter of time before Spinks works out a way of getting here. It's important to know when to stay, when to run, and when to hide. Right now, you hide. At least until I can verify his intentions. You ready?"
"Yes."
At the door, his hand shot out to stop her. "It's the dark blue rental parked on the corner. I don't have a driver. It's not like being on tour. It's going to be like the day you and I went to the beach on our own. Remember the drill?"
Dragging in a breath, she nodded.
This was it, then.
Life interrupted.
Again.
She couldn't look at him. She was too afraid that if she caught his expression, she wouldn't see him remembering that day at the beach when he'd relaxed his bodyguard attitude and kissed her, hot and deep and full of want. Afraid that instead of that warm memory, she'd see him remembering how he'd found her on day six of her disappearance.
In a damp, derelict boarding house.
Tied to a steel gurney. Eve
June 2, 2013
Muse Fuel Likes the Pretty
So my debut book launched 27th May. I know. Totes excite! Can't believe I haven't been taking every opportunity to tell people, oh, wait...
As part of my blog tour I wanted to give away a little something I had made as part of the prize at the end. Something that's personal to me and to the book.
In The Waiting Game, my heroine Brooke has a leather journal that she's been given to encourage her to return to her passion - writing music. She has some demons to face before she can write music again, but the notebook goes with her everywhere, nonetheless.
In the lead up to launching The Waiting Game I suddenly knew I wanted to make a leather notebook. But when your skillset is more internediate than artisan I knew I needed help.
Introducing my Jedi Craft Master Rachel! When Rachel and I aren't discussing the incredibly intelligent and thought-provoking BAFTA winning British TV show, Made In Chelsea ;-) we are usually discussing all things craft.
A quick convo with her later and she was showing me one she had made earlier (!) and was happy to pass on her skills and help.
Check out what she taught me to do:
Made with my own fair hands - and a lot of help from my Jedi Craft Master Rachel.
And one lucky person will get to own this and an Amazon giftcard if they enter the giveaway on my blog tour.
Click on the blog tour to find out where I'll be over the next two weeks and enter the giveaway. Eve p.s. Rachel and I are totally available for Made in Chelsea appearances - you know - if anyone from the production team happens to be reading!
As part of my blog tour I wanted to give away a little something I had made as part of the prize at the end. Something that's personal to me and to the book.
In The Waiting Game, my heroine Brooke has a leather journal that she's been given to encourage her to return to her passion - writing music. She has some demons to face before she can write music again, but the notebook goes with her everywhere, nonetheless.
In the lead up to launching The Waiting Game I suddenly knew I wanted to make a leather notebook. But when your skillset is more internediate than artisan I knew I needed help.
Introducing my Jedi Craft Master Rachel! When Rachel and I aren't discussing the incredibly intelligent and thought-provoking BAFTA winning British TV show, Made In Chelsea ;-) we are usually discussing all things craft.A quick convo with her later and she was showing me one she had made earlier (!) and was happy to pass on her skills and help.
Check out what she taught me to do:
Made with my own fair hands - and a lot of help from my Jedi Craft Master Rachel.And one lucky person will get to own this and an Amazon giftcard if they enter the giveaway on my blog tour.
Click on the blog tour to find out where I'll be over the next two weeks and enter the giveaway. Eve p.s. Rachel and I are totally available for Made in Chelsea appearances - you know - if anyone from the production team happens to be reading!
May 29, 2013
Woohoo - Blog Tour!
My Blog Tour has officially arrived - so excited! Follow the tour to find out what others are saying about the book and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a gift card worth $20 or £20 (depending on where the winner lives), along with a beautiful leather notebook - made with my own fair hands!Click on the Blog Tour Banner and look for the rafflecopter to enter the giveaway or enter the giveaway at one of the tour stops.
As part of the blog tour I wanted to give away something I had made as part of the prize at the end - something that was personal to me and the book.
In The Waiting Game, my heroine Brooke Bennet has a leather journal that she's been given to encourage her to return to her passion - writing music. She has some demons to face before she can write music again, but the notebook goes with her everywhere, nonetheless. Her leather journal was my inspiration for making the leather notebook.
Pop back in a couple of days to find out how I made it. Tour Schedule
5/28 - Zili in the Sky
5/31 - Literary, etc
6/3 - Book Moms Reviews
6/3 - Romance Addict Book Blog
6/4 - BookWormInBarrie
6/5 - Read-Love-Blog
6/5 - Reading on the Rocks
6/6 - Stuck in YA Books
6/7 - Book-A-Holic Anon
6/7 - That Girl Reads
6/10 - Froggarita's Bookcase
6/11 - Kindle and Me
6/12 - My Reading Room
6/12 - Ex Libris
6/13 - Book Lovers Inc
6/14 - Sizzling Hot Books Eve
May 9, 2013
Cover Reveal...
So incredibly excited to report that I have my release date, my cover reveal and my book blurb to share with you all!
The Waiting Game comes out 27th May 2013 and is available for pre-order RIGHT NOW!
And now, without further ado...the big reveal!
What do you all think? Dangerously thrilling enough for you?
And now for the brilliant book blurb:
Five years ago a madman stalked her. Kidnapped her. Tattooed her.
When security expert Cameron Dexter - the man Brooke Bennet once loved - appears unexpectedly at her door with terrifying news, the former musician discovers she can no longer hide from her past. After five years, her vicious kidnapper is out of prison and on the hunt - for Brooke.
Now he's returned to complete his art.
Cam failed to protect Brooke once before. Now he'd rather die than let her be captured. With her life at stake, Cam vows to keep her hidden and safe. Brooke, however, is done with running. Unlike Cam, she wants to stand and fight. Emotions both old and new roil between them, but addressing their heated past must wait. Together they set a trap in London to catch a killer. But they soon discover that the enemy wears many faces...
And waiting is no longer an option.
Check out my Books page to see where it's
available.
Squee!!!!!!!! Roll on the 27th May 2013!!!!!!! Eve
The Waiting Game comes out 27th May 2013 and is available for pre-order RIGHT NOW!
And now, without further ado...the big reveal!
What do you all think? Dangerously thrilling enough for you? And now for the brilliant book blurb:
Five years ago a madman stalked her. Kidnapped her. Tattooed her.
When security expert Cameron Dexter - the man Brooke Bennet once loved - appears unexpectedly at her door with terrifying news, the former musician discovers she can no longer hide from her past. After five years, her vicious kidnapper is out of prison and on the hunt - for Brooke.
Now he's returned to complete his art.
Cam failed to protect Brooke once before. Now he'd rather die than let her be captured. With her life at stake, Cam vows to keep her hidden and safe. Brooke, however, is done with running. Unlike Cam, she wants to stand and fight. Emotions both old and new roil between them, but addressing their heated past must wait. Together they set a trap in London to catch a killer. But they soon discover that the enemy wears many faces...
And waiting is no longer an option.
Check out my Books page to see where it's
available.
Squee!!!!!!!! Roll on the 27th May 2013!!!!!!! Eve
April 28, 2013
When the Writing Stopped...
So today happens to be the 4th anniversary of my brain surgery for Chiari Malformation, or, as I like to call it, my 'surgaversary'! It's a funny time of year for me. From a couple of weeks before, to the day after the surgaversary, I notice I become quiet and introspective. I find it really hard to concentrate and I get incredibly anxious for absolutely no reason.
I think it's just my brain remembering all the angst I went through. Feelings that I'm sure everybody facing serious surgery goes through. The brain is a muscle so maybe it's muscle memory in extreme.
I never imaginged the way I felt leading up to the neurosurgery would imprint on me to the extent that it has--that I would feel those emotions, albeit it to a lesser degree, in subsequent years. Why is it the before and not the five months I spent recovering afterwards that I remember so acutely? I'd much rather relive the sense of accomplishment from being able to complete the simplest of everyday tasks like brushing my hair or making a cup of tea again.
But as with any anniversary, the mere remembering of it, can act like a catalyst for taking stock. For comparing life before to life after.
For me, one of the greatest changes is that I can write again. Not just that I remembered how to create stories, but that the urge, the passion--the need to write came back.
After my diagnosis I had to give up my business (it didn't seem fair to ask people to sign a contract for bespoke wedding stationery if I was going to potentially lose my sight)! That was hard, but I could be terribly practical about it.
What was harder was that the writing stopped.
Writing had always been what I did to make sense of the world. It was my panacea. It was my passion. It was what I did to keep me being me.
For it all to stop was the hardest blow. I felt it more keenly than being unwell. I felt like the one tool I could use to help myself cope, that I had always used in the past, had been taken away from me.
Because I wanted to be able to cope well with the diagnosis I pressured myself to keep writing. But the more I pressured myself to overcome the writer's block, the worse it got. To the point where my creative energy was nonexistent and all the work I had put into achieving my dream of being published felt like it had all been for nothing. I wanted the respite and escape that writing could provide and I knew that some people could and did write through difficult circumstances. I hated that I couldn't.
What I didn't realise at the time, was that all the hard work writing toward publication, had given me serious skills. Predominantly: Resilience. As I gained perspective, I came to accept that even if I could never write again, Life was for living. There were all these things I hadn't even gotten around to trying. I had to believe that after I finished grieving over the loss of writing, I would find something else just as fulfilling.
But to give myself a shot at having a better quality of life I had to face my demons and have surgery. I had to do what one of my heroines would do. I had to take a giant leap of faith off a cliff-top in the hope that someone would catch me. In the event, a whole host of people caught me, ranging from neurosurgeons and specialist nurses, to my wonderful husband, family and friends.
Five weeks after surgery I asked my husband for my laptop. I wanted to write! I fell asleep halfway through a paragraph and when I woke up and read through what I'd written it was complete gibberish (possibly the meds I was on played a part!) But the following day I tried again. More importantly, I wanted to try again. I didn't have time to pressure myself by jumping ahead, the break I got from the pain because I was concentrating, flexing my writing muscle, was enough.
Within weeks I was opening the book I had been working on when the writing stopped. I had a folder of deleted scenes from aborted attempts to keep writing and on the manuscript itself I had literally stepped away halfway through a sentence. I deleted the deleted scenes folder and picked up from the sentence I had left unfinished.
For a while every time I got scared the writing would stop again, that my imagination would falter and not restart, I had to remind myself this wasn't about any end goal--this was purely about rediscovering something joyful. Gradually I started to trust being able to write again.
I'm not going to tell you it was all plain sailing! There have been times over this past few years, where the rejections have piled up, where the writing has been tough again. But something is different. I'm different. Now I trust that the writing will never leave me permanently and I make sure to respect the gift it is.
And now--well, in a few weeks time...the book that I started writing again after surgery is going to be published!
How awesome is that!
And how lucky am I! Eve
I think it's just my brain remembering all the angst I went through. Feelings that I'm sure everybody facing serious surgery goes through. The brain is a muscle so maybe it's muscle memory in extreme.
I never imaginged the way I felt leading up to the neurosurgery would imprint on me to the extent that it has--that I would feel those emotions, albeit it to a lesser degree, in subsequent years. Why is it the before and not the five months I spent recovering afterwards that I remember so acutely? I'd much rather relive the sense of accomplishment from being able to complete the simplest of everyday tasks like brushing my hair or making a cup of tea again.
But as with any anniversary, the mere remembering of it, can act like a catalyst for taking stock. For comparing life before to life after.
For me, one of the greatest changes is that I can write again. Not just that I remembered how to create stories, but that the urge, the passion--the need to write came back.
After my diagnosis I had to give up my business (it didn't seem fair to ask people to sign a contract for bespoke wedding stationery if I was going to potentially lose my sight)! That was hard, but I could be terribly practical about it.
What was harder was that the writing stopped.
Writing had always been what I did to make sense of the world. It was my panacea. It was my passion. It was what I did to keep me being me.
For it all to stop was the hardest blow. I felt it more keenly than being unwell. I felt like the one tool I could use to help myself cope, that I had always used in the past, had been taken away from me.
Because I wanted to be able to cope well with the diagnosis I pressured myself to keep writing. But the more I pressured myself to overcome the writer's block, the worse it got. To the point where my creative energy was nonexistent and all the work I had put into achieving my dream of being published felt like it had all been for nothing. I wanted the respite and escape that writing could provide and I knew that some people could and did write through difficult circumstances. I hated that I couldn't.
What I didn't realise at the time, was that all the hard work writing toward publication, had given me serious skills. Predominantly: Resilience. As I gained perspective, I came to accept that even if I could never write again, Life was for living. There were all these things I hadn't even gotten around to trying. I had to believe that after I finished grieving over the loss of writing, I would find something else just as fulfilling.
But to give myself a shot at having a better quality of life I had to face my demons and have surgery. I had to do what one of my heroines would do. I had to take a giant leap of faith off a cliff-top in the hope that someone would catch me. In the event, a whole host of people caught me, ranging from neurosurgeons and specialist nurses, to my wonderful husband, family and friends.
Five weeks after surgery I asked my husband for my laptop. I wanted to write! I fell asleep halfway through a paragraph and when I woke up and read through what I'd written it was complete gibberish (possibly the meds I was on played a part!) But the following day I tried again. More importantly, I wanted to try again. I didn't have time to pressure myself by jumping ahead, the break I got from the pain because I was concentrating, flexing my writing muscle, was enough.
Within weeks I was opening the book I had been working on when the writing stopped. I had a folder of deleted scenes from aborted attempts to keep writing and on the manuscript itself I had literally stepped away halfway through a sentence. I deleted the deleted scenes folder and picked up from the sentence I had left unfinished.
For a while every time I got scared the writing would stop again, that my imagination would falter and not restart, I had to remind myself this wasn't about any end goal--this was purely about rediscovering something joyful. Gradually I started to trust being able to write again.
I'm not going to tell you it was all plain sailing! There have been times over this past few years, where the rejections have piled up, where the writing has been tough again. But something is different. I'm different. Now I trust that the writing will never leave me permanently and I make sure to respect the gift it is.
And now--well, in a few weeks time...the book that I started writing again after surgery is going to be published!
How awesome is that!
And how lucky am I! Eve
April 9, 2013
Sunshine on a Rainy Day
So I've been given this fab award:
The Sunshine Award is given to bloggers who "positively and creatively inspire others in the Blogosphere". Now how lovely is that?
Here are the Sunshine Award rules:
1) Thank the person who presented you with the award and link them in your blog post.
2) Do the Q and A that comes with the award (see below).
3) Present the award to 10-12 other bloggers and link them to your blog.
So without further ado...
1)Thank you to the fantabulous and amazing Tracey Rogers and Incy Black
2) Q and A:
Favourite Colour: Colour is very important to me. My mum (who painted with oils) taught me the primary colours and used to let me mix colours on her palette. I thought it was magic that you could mix two or more colours together to get a new one. But favourite - I have to say I'm partial to GREY (any shade of). I know. Weird. Technically, it's not even a colour but I find it very soothing and it reminds me the world isn't made up of black and white! When pressed - I have to say my favourite colour is...ORANGE. It's just so damn happy! (the former goth in me is hanging her head in shame).
Favourite Animal: Dog. Beagle to be precise. One day, when the planets align, I will have a beagle dog and it shall be called Dempsey!
Favourite Number: Eleven. I like the symmetry and I even like the way the letters look when you write the word. Best is when it's 11:11am - OMG that's weird, right? I also have to give a special shout-out to 63!
Favourite Non-Alcoholic Drink: Old Fashioned Lemonade for when I'm feeling fun and flirty. Tea for almost every other mood and because, you know, the whole panacea thing.
Facebook or Twitter: Twitter
My Passion: I really want to say Argentine Tango - but for all I know it could be totes boring and the easiest thing in the world to master. Pretty sure it's the opposite and that one day I'll get to try it and it will really develop into a passion because when I see it performed it's just so deliciously yummy! I digress. I guess my real passion is creating stories. Being able to invent three-dimensional characters, put them in testing situations and figure out what makes them tick. It's the most fun ever and aside from the structure and grammar it requires you to question the world around you, be interested in people and make sense of things so you can write realistically. Plus it totally legitimises people-watching. Okay, better stop before I sound creepy.
Getting or receiving presents: Giving presents. Having said that I do have a birthday coming up and am not in any way suggesting no one has to bother getting me a present!
Favourite Pattern: Um - I like fractals and snowflakes. Anything that's sort of uniformly non-uniform! Hate patterns that can only be made sense of one way up, there has to be some sort of randomness element.
Favourite Day of the Week: Sunday - but it has to be a lazy Sunday
Favourite Flower: I really love poppies because they're a wild flower and their petals are tissue thin and they come in bright orange or scarlets or wonderful vintage smoky tones of pinks or purples.
3) And now I get to nominate:
Jackie Ashenden
Jane Beckenham
Maisey Yates
Virginia Kelly
Kathryn Barrett
Liz Fielding
Nicole Helm
Ros Clarke
Sarah Ballance
Nicola Marsh
Tracey Livesay
Eve
The Sunshine Award is given to bloggers who "positively and creatively inspire others in the Blogosphere". Now how lovely is that?Here are the Sunshine Award rules:
1) Thank the person who presented you with the award and link them in your blog post.
2) Do the Q and A that comes with the award (see below).
3) Present the award to 10-12 other bloggers and link them to your blog.
So without further ado...
1)Thank you to the fantabulous and amazing Tracey Rogers and Incy Black
2) Q and A:
Favourite Colour: Colour is very important to me. My mum (who painted with oils) taught me the primary colours and used to let me mix colours on her palette. I thought it was magic that you could mix two or more colours together to get a new one. But favourite - I have to say I'm partial to GREY (any shade of). I know. Weird. Technically, it's not even a colour but I find it very soothing and it reminds me the world isn't made up of black and white! When pressed - I have to say my favourite colour is...ORANGE. It's just so damn happy! (the former goth in me is hanging her head in shame).
Favourite Animal: Dog. Beagle to be precise. One day, when the planets align, I will have a beagle dog and it shall be called Dempsey!
Favourite Number: Eleven. I like the symmetry and I even like the way the letters look when you write the word. Best is when it's 11:11am - OMG that's weird, right? I also have to give a special shout-out to 63!
Favourite Non-Alcoholic Drink: Old Fashioned Lemonade for when I'm feeling fun and flirty. Tea for almost every other mood and because, you know, the whole panacea thing.
Facebook or Twitter: Twitter
My Passion: I really want to say Argentine Tango - but for all I know it could be totes boring and the easiest thing in the world to master. Pretty sure it's the opposite and that one day I'll get to try it and it will really develop into a passion because when I see it performed it's just so deliciously yummy! I digress. I guess my real passion is creating stories. Being able to invent three-dimensional characters, put them in testing situations and figure out what makes them tick. It's the most fun ever and aside from the structure and grammar it requires you to question the world around you, be interested in people and make sense of things so you can write realistically. Plus it totally legitimises people-watching. Okay, better stop before I sound creepy.
Getting or receiving presents: Giving presents. Having said that I do have a birthday coming up and am not in any way suggesting no one has to bother getting me a present!
Favourite Pattern: Um - I like fractals and snowflakes. Anything that's sort of uniformly non-uniform! Hate patterns that can only be made sense of one way up, there has to be some sort of randomness element.
Favourite Day of the Week: Sunday - but it has to be a lazy Sunday
Favourite Flower: I really love poppies because they're a wild flower and their petals are tissue thin and they come in bright orange or scarlets or wonderful vintage smoky tones of pinks or purples.
3) And now I get to nominate:
Jackie Ashenden
Jane Beckenham
Maisey Yates
Virginia Kelly
Kathryn Barrett
Liz Fielding
Nicole Helm
Ros Clarke
Sarah Ballance
Nicola Marsh
Tracey Livesay
Eve
March 29, 2013
Muse Fuel Does Branding!
Firstly, if you celebrate Easter - Happy Easter, everyone!
So every now and then I do a Muse Fuel post--these are things I do to keep Muse, and by association, me(!) happy.
As an author, sooner or later, you run into the concept of branding. Having a website and participating on different social networking platforms you start to realise that the more cohesive your voice and "look" is, the easier it will be for readers to find you, recognise you and remember you.
When I was putting the website together, Muse and I were in our element looking at colours, font styles and photos that could provide background for both romantic suspense and contemporary romance books (I didn't want pink, yellow was too sunshiny, green too nature-y, monochrome too business-y etc., etc.). Wait, what do you mean people don't take it to that extreme?!? Um...okay--in that case here's a simple post about a bag I made, which by coincidence, happens to use my own branding and can be used to deliver my swag to writer conventions--or, you know, advertise the "writer me", wherever I go!
If you feel like doing the same you will need:
A Linen Bag
Image Transfer Paste, or Iron-on Image Transfer Paper
Some scraps of material
Coordinating Buttons
Fabric Glue
Cotton/Embroidery Thread (optional) Instructions:
1) Iron the bag to get all the creases out.
2) Choose a copyright-free image. I used a photograph I created for my website. WARNING: transferring the image you've chosen onto your bag reverses the image so if you have text or an arrow you want pointing in a particular direction, you will need to REVERSE your image before you print it out or photocopy it. Using a photocopy ensures even colour distribution. If you want a more distressed look use Image Transfer paste with an inkjet printout. This way the ink is loaded straight onto the paper and when you remove the transfer the colours will bleed out more. 
3) I used some Image Transfer paste that I had for transferring image onto fabric and printed my image from an inkjet printer to achieve a distressed look. Cut the image out and follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully to transfer your image to the exact place you want it to appear on the bag. 
4) Next measure the height of your bag and make a template of your web address using WordArt or by writing the text free-form.
5) Cut the letters out and tack them to your chosen material. I used denim and leather to match the colours in my image. Cut the fabric letters out.
6) Insert a protective layer into your bag. I used cardboard. Place the letters on your bag in your chosen postion. I used a tape measure to get straight lines and even spacing.
7) Using fabric glue carefully fix your letters to the bag, making sure you leave a gap between the end of your name and "com". Glue over the edges of the letters to prevent the material fraying. You can also stitch around each letter using cordinating cotton or embroidery thread for a different look.
8) When the letters are dry choose a button to represent the "dot" in your web address.
9) You can either use coordinating thread to sew the buttons on or you can glue them on.
And voila: My Eve Devon.com bag!
What do you think? I'd love to hear about some of the publicity craft projects you've done. Feel free to leave me a comment about them.
Eve
p.s. Look out for another Muse Fuel post coming soon in which I reveal the SUPER SECRET craft I've been learning for my Book Launch!
So every now and then I do a Muse Fuel post--these are things I do to keep Muse, and by association, me(!) happy.
As an author, sooner or later, you run into the concept of branding. Having a website and participating on different social networking platforms you start to realise that the more cohesive your voice and "look" is, the easier it will be for readers to find you, recognise you and remember you.
When I was putting the website together, Muse and I were in our element looking at colours, font styles and photos that could provide background for both romantic suspense and contemporary romance books (I didn't want pink, yellow was too sunshiny, green too nature-y, monochrome too business-y etc., etc.). Wait, what do you mean people don't take it to that extreme?!? Um...okay--in that case here's a simple post about a bag I made, which by coincidence, happens to use my own branding and can be used to deliver my swag to writer conventions--or, you know, advertise the "writer me", wherever I go!
If you feel like doing the same you will need:
A Linen BagImage Transfer Paste, or Iron-on Image Transfer Paper
Some scraps of material
Coordinating Buttons
Fabric Glue
Cotton/Embroidery Thread (optional) Instructions:
1) Iron the bag to get all the creases out.
2) Choose a copyright-free image. I used a photograph I created for my website. WARNING: transferring the image you've chosen onto your bag reverses the image so if you have text or an arrow you want pointing in a particular direction, you will need to REVERSE your image before you print it out or photocopy it. Using a photocopy ensures even colour distribution. If you want a more distressed look use Image Transfer paste with an inkjet printout. This way the ink is loaded straight onto the paper and when you remove the transfer the colours will bleed out more. 3) I used some Image Transfer paste that I had for transferring image onto fabric and printed my image from an inkjet printer to achieve a distressed look. Cut the image out and follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully to transfer your image to the exact place you want it to appear on the bag. 4) Next measure the height of your bag and make a template of your web address using WordArt or by writing the text free-form.5) Cut the letters out and tack them to your chosen material. I used denim and leather to match the colours in my image. Cut the fabric letters out.
6) Insert a protective layer into your bag. I used cardboard. Place the letters on your bag in your chosen postion. I used a tape measure to get straight lines and even spacing.
7) Using fabric glue carefully fix your letters to the bag, making sure you leave a gap between the end of your name and "com". Glue over the edges of the letters to prevent the material fraying. You can also stitch around each letter using cordinating cotton or embroidery thread for a different look.8) When the letters are dry choose a button to represent the "dot" in your web address.
9) You can either use coordinating thread to sew the buttons on or you can glue them on.
And voila: My Eve Devon.com bag!
What do you think? I'd love to hear about some of the publicity craft projects you've done. Feel free to leave me a comment about them.Eve
p.s. Look out for another Muse Fuel post coming soon in which I reveal the SUPER SECRET craft I've been learning for my Book Launch!
March 18, 2013
First Ever Review!
I'm absolutely over the moon to get this 4 STAR review from RT Book Reviews for my May release: The Waiting Game. 
For my first ever review, I couldn't be happier. I don't mind telling you I'd been having nightmares where I was the first person ever to receive no stars, and worse, in those nightmares, I was also...naked! *shudders*
It's all starting to feel incredibly real now and it's fair to say that the closer I get to "release day", the further I find I've strayed from my comfort zone.
That's okay though--me and the deep-breathing thing have become firm friends over the last few years! And I think I've mentioned a time or two on this blog, that this journey is all about being separated from your comfort zone and learning not to shy away from things, so as not to limit yourself or your writing.
But I'm also learning that this journey has to be about celebrating the good things as well. Wow! I can't believe I actually came right out and said it.
As authors, most of us have had to learn patience, perseverence, self-belief, how to deal with rejection and how to keep perspective! The further along this adventure - the more we learn it's not only about the writing. Although, my little tip: remembering to make it mostly about the writing, does help you deal with all the other things ;-)
So...small celebration has taken place and now it's back to the writing! Eve
For my first ever review, I couldn't be happier. I don't mind telling you I'd been having nightmares where I was the first person ever to receive no stars, and worse, in those nightmares, I was also...naked! *shudders*It's all starting to feel incredibly real now and it's fair to say that the closer I get to "release day", the further I find I've strayed from my comfort zone.
That's okay though--me and the deep-breathing thing have become firm friends over the last few years! And I think I've mentioned a time or two on this blog, that this journey is all about being separated from your comfort zone and learning not to shy away from things, so as not to limit yourself or your writing.
But I'm also learning that this journey has to be about celebrating the good things as well. Wow! I can't believe I actually came right out and said it.
As authors, most of us have had to learn patience, perseverence, self-belief, how to deal with rejection and how to keep perspective! The further along this adventure - the more we learn it's not only about the writing. Although, my little tip: remembering to make it mostly about the writing, does help you deal with all the other things ;-)
So...small celebration has taken place and now it's back to the writing! Eve
March 3, 2013
When List-Making Goes Bad...
Do you find walking around a supermarket without a shopping list shudder-inducing?
Or starting the week without a To Do list incomprehensible?
What about having a list of goals for the year? Don't you find that practical and on the cute side of target-driven?
Have you reached that "if it's not on the list, it doesn't exist" stage of life?
In this, my list confessional, ironically written in the form of a list, I try to discover if my once agile and awesomely organised mind hasn't become a little too enslaved by the list-making.
What would happen if I challenged myself to go a week without writing a list? Would I forget something so eye-wateringly important, karma would be belly-laughing at the payback possibilities? Would I get to the end of the week and see my self-esteem lying pathetically on the floor, starved of any sense of achievement? Or, would the amount of time freed up by the not making of the lists, mean I had to actually tackle the very stuff I avoided by spending time writing them on a list?
*clears throat* I haven't exactly carried out the challenge. What? I'm not stupid. A whole week without writing one single list? Baby steps, people.
Before listing the lists I write each week I offer you three types of list-makers: The Procrastinator, The Doer and The Stationery Addict.
As a writer I am all three of these. Sometimes at the same time!
I'm trying to remember when the penchant for list-making started. I definitely remember knowing that writing a revision plan, with a list of topics I needed to revise (and the order in which I needed to revise them) was going to be way more fun than the actual act of revising for exams. Early evidence of list-maker procrastinator?
Then there was the first time I had too many deadlines coming up at work. Being able to rely on my To Do list took the pressure off. Methodically achieving the list became my doer's redemption.
Lastly, yes, I am that person who buys novelty stationery. Little odd-shaped notebooks I fill with checklists, top-ten lists, wish lists/bucket lists, Christmas lists. To Be Read lists. Books I've Read lists.
As a writer I'm part plotter part pantser. I work out plot--albeit loosely to leave room for my characters to surprise me along the way. But this does mean I write lists of character traits and on a plotting board I put lists of scenes and lists of plot turns. So in any given week I write lists of the above and:
1) A To Do List. This list contains items that if I don't do, someone wil a) shout at me, b) nag at me, or c) look at me like I'm TSTL. I also list things so mundane I've practically already done them. (Sometimes I have. Not gonna lie--the act of crossing things off the list is strangely satisfying). Also on the list are things I would like to get done. And will get done. When I get sucked into that magical vortex where time doubles.
2) The food shopping list. Time is precious and if I return home missing half the stuff I need, I'm going to a) use unladylike profanities (sometimes fun) and b) have to go out again (not fun).
3) At the end of my writing day I write a list of where I want to take the scene the following day.
Hey. This isn't too bad. To think I was worried about a measly three lists a week. Nothing to see here folks.
Except...
Where does it all end? What if I were to start a List of Lists? Uh-huh. Start writing one of those puppies and no doubt I'm straying into "When List-Making Goes Bad" land.
That smacks of list-making in control of you, not you in control of list-making.
And what if I were to take any one of those lists and start subdividing, alpha-sorting and colour-coordinating???
Wait. That's what you do with charts, right? Phew. Charts are totally different. Charts = Spreadsheets. A spreadsheet isn't a list. Not really. I mean, sure people use them as lists, but technically...
*heads off to turn "Things I need to do pre book launch" list into a spreadsheet* Eve
Or starting the week without a To Do list incomprehensible?
What about having a list of goals for the year? Don't you find that practical and on the cute side of target-driven?
Have you reached that "if it's not on the list, it doesn't exist" stage of life?
In this, my list confessional, ironically written in the form of a list, I try to discover if my once agile and awesomely organised mind hasn't become a little too enslaved by the list-making.
What would happen if I challenged myself to go a week without writing a list? Would I forget something so eye-wateringly important, karma would be belly-laughing at the payback possibilities? Would I get to the end of the week and see my self-esteem lying pathetically on the floor, starved of any sense of achievement? Or, would the amount of time freed up by the not making of the lists, mean I had to actually tackle the very stuff I avoided by spending time writing them on a list?
*clears throat* I haven't exactly carried out the challenge. What? I'm not stupid. A whole week without writing one single list? Baby steps, people.
Before listing the lists I write each week I offer you three types of list-makers: The Procrastinator, The Doer and The Stationery Addict.
As a writer I am all three of these. Sometimes at the same time!
I'm trying to remember when the penchant for list-making started. I definitely remember knowing that writing a revision plan, with a list of topics I needed to revise (and the order in which I needed to revise them) was going to be way more fun than the actual act of revising for exams. Early evidence of list-maker procrastinator?
Then there was the first time I had too many deadlines coming up at work. Being able to rely on my To Do list took the pressure off. Methodically achieving the list became my doer's redemption.
Lastly, yes, I am that person who buys novelty stationery. Little odd-shaped notebooks I fill with checklists, top-ten lists, wish lists/bucket lists, Christmas lists. To Be Read lists. Books I've Read lists.
As a writer I'm part plotter part pantser. I work out plot--albeit loosely to leave room for my characters to surprise me along the way. But this does mean I write lists of character traits and on a plotting board I put lists of scenes and lists of plot turns. So in any given week I write lists of the above and:
1) A To Do List. This list contains items that if I don't do, someone wil a) shout at me, b) nag at me, or c) look at me like I'm TSTL. I also list things so mundane I've practically already done them. (Sometimes I have. Not gonna lie--the act of crossing things off the list is strangely satisfying). Also on the list are things I would like to get done. And will get done. When I get sucked into that magical vortex where time doubles.
2) The food shopping list. Time is precious and if I return home missing half the stuff I need, I'm going to a) use unladylike profanities (sometimes fun) and b) have to go out again (not fun).
3) At the end of my writing day I write a list of where I want to take the scene the following day.
Hey. This isn't too bad. To think I was worried about a measly three lists a week. Nothing to see here folks.
Except...
Where does it all end? What if I were to start a List of Lists? Uh-huh. Start writing one of those puppies and no doubt I'm straying into "When List-Making Goes Bad" land.
That smacks of list-making in control of you, not you in control of list-making.
And what if I were to take any one of those lists and start subdividing, alpha-sorting and colour-coordinating???
Wait. That's what you do with charts, right? Phew. Charts are totally different. Charts = Spreadsheets. A spreadsheet isn't a list. Not really. I mean, sure people use them as lists, but technically...
*heads off to turn "Things I need to do pre book launch" list into a spreadsheet* Eve
February 17, 2013
The Joy of...Reading
Okay. Confession: I'm reading this book at the moment...and...I'm not completely loving it. I don't hate it--it's not a "throw the book at the wall" or "well, that's X hours I'm never going to get back" scenario. But I'm not carving minutes out of a full day to keep reading. I'm not filtering out the world to stay in the one the author created. I'm just not invested. Know what I mean?
Here's the thing, though: Now that I know how much effort goes into writing a book, I feel like I ought to give an author a second, third and fourth chance. Read all the way through to the end and take what I can from the experience.
Too accomodating? Possibly. It certainly got me thinking about more positive reading experiences, which was so much fun, that, well, here are some of them, (if you're familiar with my Muse Fuel page you'll know I love writing "favourite lists"):
Reading Joy... Sitting at the kitchen table aged three, reading out loud to my mum, while she did the washing up. Not wanting to surrender my new Enid Blyton books long enough for the sales assistant to process them. Being allowed to read anything at the dinner table! My first Judy Blume. Getting to grips with Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, Orwell and Huxley. Lying in the tall grass on a summer day reading Agatha Christie. Sitting in a rickety old armchair with my first Violet Winspear romance. Hardy Boys books under the bleachers at school. Collecting Nancy Drew mysteries in hardback. Deciding one math textbook equaled getting to read three Sweet Valley High books. Giggling with my best friend over the names of heroes and heroines in 70's and 80's romances. Skipping piano lesson to finish the latest Ann Rule. Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, in a caravan, on a stormy grey day. Vowing to stop reading Stephen King books late at night while on my own. Continuing to read Stephen King books late at night while on my own! Snatches of the latest Harry Potter in between meetings at work. A pub in Bath, a crackling fire and a dog-eared copy of Our Mutual Friend. Bridget Jones being responsible for making me laugh out loud...on public transport! The year I made my entire Christmas present list Nora Roberts titles. Holiday suitcases containing more books than clothes. Buying an eReader and having more suitcase space for clothes! Filching a Lee Child book off hubby and one chapter in, knowing I had to read them all. Reading the weekend newspapers over brunch.
It's all about: the joy, the thrill, the escape. The knowledge gained. The more questions asked. The pounding of your heart, the turning of the page. Time passing unnoticed. The speed-reading as you devour. The slowing down when you don't want to reach the end. The worlds you get to visit. The sigh when dialogue speaks straight to your heart. Lyrical prose. Words blurring on the page just before tears fall. And the feeling when a writer says the thing you've always secretly believed, but thought no one else did!
Then there's the one exquisite and unchanging truth: There will always be a TBR pile!
So what are some of your favourite reading memories? Eve
Here's the thing, though: Now that I know how much effort goes into writing a book, I feel like I ought to give an author a second, third and fourth chance. Read all the way through to the end and take what I can from the experience.
Too accomodating? Possibly. It certainly got me thinking about more positive reading experiences, which was so much fun, that, well, here are some of them, (if you're familiar with my Muse Fuel page you'll know I love writing "favourite lists"):
Reading Joy... Sitting at the kitchen table aged three, reading out loud to my mum, while she did the washing up. Not wanting to surrender my new Enid Blyton books long enough for the sales assistant to process them. Being allowed to read anything at the dinner table! My first Judy Blume. Getting to grips with Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens, Orwell and Huxley. Lying in the tall grass on a summer day reading Agatha Christie. Sitting in a rickety old armchair with my first Violet Winspear romance. Hardy Boys books under the bleachers at school. Collecting Nancy Drew mysteries in hardback. Deciding one math textbook equaled getting to read three Sweet Valley High books. Giggling with my best friend over the names of heroes and heroines in 70's and 80's romances. Skipping piano lesson to finish the latest Ann Rule. Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone, in a caravan, on a stormy grey day. Vowing to stop reading Stephen King books late at night while on my own. Continuing to read Stephen King books late at night while on my own! Snatches of the latest Harry Potter in between meetings at work. A pub in Bath, a crackling fire and a dog-eared copy of Our Mutual Friend. Bridget Jones being responsible for making me laugh out loud...on public transport! The year I made my entire Christmas present list Nora Roberts titles. Holiday suitcases containing more books than clothes. Buying an eReader and having more suitcase space for clothes! Filching a Lee Child book off hubby and one chapter in, knowing I had to read them all. Reading the weekend newspapers over brunch.
It's all about: the joy, the thrill, the escape. The knowledge gained. The more questions asked. The pounding of your heart, the turning of the page. Time passing unnoticed. The speed-reading as you devour. The slowing down when you don't want to reach the end. The worlds you get to visit. The sigh when dialogue speaks straight to your heart. Lyrical prose. Words blurring on the page just before tears fall. And the feeling when a writer says the thing you've always secretly believed, but thought no one else did!
Then there's the one exquisite and unchanging truth: There will always be a TBR pile!
So what are some of your favourite reading memories? Eve
