Pamela Q. Fernandes's Blog, page 37
December 11, 2016
The Christian Circle Podcast - Episode 2
In this Episode, I talk to Ronita Fernandes, a musician, singer and worship leader, whose been active in the ministry for over a decade.
She shares what it's like to pray, discern and live a calling to the music and worship leading ministry, with practical advice about fellowship and introspection.
Source:PixabayHere are the questions Ronita answers:How did you start singing for the Lord, when was the first time you realized you were meant to be part of a worship team?Is it absolutely necessary to be a wonderful singer? Can you train an average voice to be fantastic?How much of worship musician's role is service? What about prayer? Does it play a role?How does one start if they feel strongly that they want to sing or make it their ministry?How do you prevent it from "getting to your head?"Is there any lesson that you've learnt from your own experience that you want to share?
Ronita Fernandes is part of the choir and music ministry at Sacred Heart Parish, London. Charismatic prayer meetings at the parish are at 7:30 every alternate Tuesdays and will resume in January after the Christmas break.
We're also organizing a giveaway, a Christian CD. Tweet me your name and email address and the winner of a raffle draw will win a CD shipped straight to their address.
God Bless You!
December 7, 2016
GIFTMAS 2016 -Fruitcake and Christmas Wishes by Eileen Bell
Today I'm honored to welcome an award winning author as part of our 2016 Giftmas Blog Tour. Eileen Bell writes reality with a twist. Her fabulous book "Seeing the Light" won BPAA award for Best Speculative Fiction Book of the Year in 2014. The second book in her 'Marie Jenner' mystery series, "Drowning in Amber", was nominated for an Aurora Award for best novel in 2015. I wasn't joking when I said award winning. :)
In support of our efforts to spread Christmas cheer for the Edmonton Food Bank, Eileen has offered us a brief glimpse into her family's Christmas kitchen. She's also shared her "Fruitcake" recipe. If you make this recipe today, it will be ready to serve, right in time for Christmas. Let me know how it turns out.
Here's Eileen's story:
Full disclosure: I am a notorious cook book thief. Somehow I ended up with my daughter’s Christmas cookie book, my grandmother’s recipe binder, and my mother’s well used and well loved cook book. Don’t know how it happened, but it did!
In my mom’s cook book is a recipe just called “Fruitcake.” The page is covered in drips and drops and batter splats. Ingredients are crossed out and others added, in my mom’s handwriting. A well used page, if there ever was one. And one of my favourite pages in the whole book. Here’s why.
Every year, a few weeks before Christmas, my mother would gather all us kids into the kitchen and haul out the cook book. “It’s time to make the cakes,” she’d announce. “Let’s get to it.”
I want you to think about this for just a second. She had five kids. Five.
She’d organize us around the big kitchen table (a necessity in a farm kitchen) and set us to work, mixing and pouring and dropping and singing and yelling. (And occasionally, hitting. Hey, it happens.) Sometimes she could convince us to sing Christmas carols, but often we’d sing the “Bungalow” song, over and over and over again. Delightful.
Through all that, somehow, she’d manage to get the ingredients into the big pot (the one she normally used for canning. That thing was huge!) and mixed. And then the magic would begin.
We all took a turn stirring the fruitcake batter. And as we stirred, we’d make a Christmas wish. God, I loved that moment. I was sure that this particular wish would work. Really work. Not like the wish as I blew out the candles on my birthday cake. (Though I did it, faithfully, right up to the day Mom didn’t make a cake for me anymore.)
Sometime my wish was just for me, but sometimes it wasn’t. Sometimes, my wish was for everyone else. This, I believe, is where I learned that doing for others (even if it was just a wish) was, in some ways, better than doing for myself.
So here it is. The fruitcake recipe, in all its glory! (And you can add as many wishes as you want.)
1/4 pound candied lemon peel1/4 pound candied orange peel1/4 pound citron1 1/2 pounds mixed candied fruit1/2 pound white raisins6 tablespoons pineapple juice1 cup toasted filberts1/2 cup blanched almonds split lengthwise2/3 cups pecans2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour1 cup butter1/2 cup sugar1/2 cup honey. (This is crossed out, and “molasses” added. You decide.)5 eggs1 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon allspice1 teaspoon clovesCandied cherries (garnish)Blanched almonds (garnish)
Cut the lemon peel, orange peel, citron and candied fruit into small pieces and combine with the raisins. Let stand overnight in pineapple juice. Mix the filberts (skins rub off easily after toasting), almonds and pecans. Dredge the nuts with 2 tablespoons flour. Mix with fruit. Cram the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the honey gradually. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Cream well. Sift together 2 cups flour, salt, baking powder, allspice and cloves. Add to the batter and beat until smooth. If using a mixer, remove beater and add fruits and nuts by hand. Mix thoroughly. Line two 9x5x2 3/4 inch pans with two thicknesses of buttered brown paper. Pour the batter into pans. Decorate with candied cherries and blanched almonds. Bake in a very slow oven, 275 degrees, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Keep a pan of hot water on bottom of the over while baking to keep cake from drying out. Bake at least 3 weeks in advance. Keep wrapped in cheesecloth dampened with sherry or brandy, if you like. Wrap in aluminum foil.
Yield: 2 cakes, and amazing Christmas memories.(I added that last bit, but it’s the truth!)
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and that all your wishes come true.
E.C. (Eileen) Bell writes the Marie Jenner Mystery Series, and seriously loves Christmas! She can be found at www.eileenbell.com , on Facebook @ecbellmystery, and on Twitter @apocalypsewoman.
For our other story by Kara Reynolds, do hop over to Rhonda Parrish's website. If you've already donated to the Edmonton Food Bank, no matter how little, then you deserve a bear hug and a giant THANK YOU!
In support of our efforts to spread Christmas cheer for the Edmonton Food Bank, Eileen has offered us a brief glimpse into her family's Christmas kitchen. She's also shared her "Fruitcake" recipe. If you make this recipe today, it will be ready to serve, right in time for Christmas. Let me know how it turns out.
Here's Eileen's story:
Full disclosure: I am a notorious cook book thief. Somehow I ended up with my daughter’s Christmas cookie book, my grandmother’s recipe binder, and my mother’s well used and well loved cook book. Don’t know how it happened, but it did!
In my mom’s cook book is a recipe just called “Fruitcake.” The page is covered in drips and drops and batter splats. Ingredients are crossed out and others added, in my mom’s handwriting. A well used page, if there ever was one. And one of my favourite pages in the whole book. Here’s why.
Every year, a few weeks before Christmas, my mother would gather all us kids into the kitchen and haul out the cook book. “It’s time to make the cakes,” she’d announce. “Let’s get to it.”
I want you to think about this for just a second. She had five kids. Five.
She’d organize us around the big kitchen table (a necessity in a farm kitchen) and set us to work, mixing and pouring and dropping and singing and yelling. (And occasionally, hitting. Hey, it happens.) Sometimes she could convince us to sing Christmas carols, but often we’d sing the “Bungalow” song, over and over and over again. Delightful.
Through all that, somehow, she’d manage to get the ingredients into the big pot (the one she normally used for canning. That thing was huge!) and mixed. And then the magic would begin.
We all took a turn stirring the fruitcake batter. And as we stirred, we’d make a Christmas wish. God, I loved that moment. I was sure that this particular wish would work. Really work. Not like the wish as I blew out the candles on my birthday cake. (Though I did it, faithfully, right up to the day Mom didn’t make a cake for me anymore.)
Sometime my wish was just for me, but sometimes it wasn’t. Sometimes, my wish was for everyone else. This, I believe, is where I learned that doing for others (even if it was just a wish) was, in some ways, better than doing for myself.
So here it is. The fruitcake recipe, in all its glory! (And you can add as many wishes as you want.)
1/4 pound candied lemon peel1/4 pound candied orange peel1/4 pound citron1 1/2 pounds mixed candied fruit1/2 pound white raisins6 tablespoons pineapple juice1 cup toasted filberts1/2 cup blanched almonds split lengthwise2/3 cups pecans2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour1 cup butter1/2 cup sugar1/2 cup honey. (This is crossed out, and “molasses” added. You decide.)5 eggs1 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon allspice1 teaspoon clovesCandied cherries (garnish)Blanched almonds (garnish)
Cut the lemon peel, orange peel, citron and candied fruit into small pieces and combine with the raisins. Let stand overnight in pineapple juice. Mix the filberts (skins rub off easily after toasting), almonds and pecans. Dredge the nuts with 2 tablespoons flour. Mix with fruit. Cram the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the honey gradually. Then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Cream well. Sift together 2 cups flour, salt, baking powder, allspice and cloves. Add to the batter and beat until smooth. If using a mixer, remove beater and add fruits and nuts by hand. Mix thoroughly. Line two 9x5x2 3/4 inch pans with two thicknesses of buttered brown paper. Pour the batter into pans. Decorate with candied cherries and blanched almonds. Bake in a very slow oven, 275 degrees, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Keep a pan of hot water on bottom of the over while baking to keep cake from drying out. Bake at least 3 weeks in advance. Keep wrapped in cheesecloth dampened with sherry or brandy, if you like. Wrap in aluminum foil.
Yield: 2 cakes, and amazing Christmas memories.(I added that last bit, but it’s the truth!)
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and that all your wishes come true.
E.C. (Eileen) Bell writes the Marie Jenner Mystery Series, and seriously loves Christmas! She can be found at www.eileenbell.com , on Facebook @ecbellmystery, and on Twitter @apocalypsewoman.
For our other story by Kara Reynolds, do hop over to Rhonda Parrish's website. If you've already donated to the Edmonton Food Bank, no matter how little, then you deserve a bear hug and a giant THANK YOU!
Giftmas 2016
So we've raised 70$ out of 500$. The Indie author community is truly generous so a big THANK YOU!
In case you want to donate to Edmonton Food bank, you have another 5 days.
Today two new stories get unveiled on Diamante Lavendar and Beth Cato's website.
Diamante Lavendar is a paranormal author of Breaking the Silence and The Secrets of Yashire.
Beth Cato is the the author of the Clockwork Dagger series. She writes steampunk fantasy and her books belong to Harper Voyage Impulse.
I'm also going to share my Christmas Brownies recipe. I usually don't frost them, they taste fantastic without it just cover the top with nuts, in this case almonds. I also use a silicon mold, it just comes out so much cleaner and the base never burns. You can cut down the sugar and cocoa too. It still turns out. Oh and one more tip, don't beat or whisk your mixture, you don't need to incorporate air.
So here's the recipe. The Ingredients are simple:
Here are the instructions.
This is how they turn out.
In case you want to donate to Edmonton Food bank, you have another 5 days.
Today two new stories get unveiled on Diamante Lavendar and Beth Cato's website.
Diamante Lavendar is a paranormal author of Breaking the Silence and The Secrets of Yashire.
Beth Cato is the the author of the Clockwork Dagger series. She writes steampunk fantasy and her books belong to Harper Voyage Impulse.
I'm also going to share my Christmas Brownies recipe. I usually don't frost them, they taste fantastic without it just cover the top with nuts, in this case almonds. I also use a silicon mold, it just comes out so much cleaner and the base never burns. You can cut down the sugar and cocoa too. It still turns out. Oh and one more tip, don't beat or whisk your mixture, you don't need to incorporate air.
So here's the recipe. The Ingredients are simple:
Here are the instructions.
This is how they turn out.
December 6, 2016
Giftmas 2016 @yegfoodbank
Today, two stories are out in support of the Edmonton Foodbank. We are raising 500$ for this cause and hope to spread the Christmas cheer through stories, recipes and our own Christmas traditions.
Each of us participants are giving you a slice of our Christmas life.
Whether it's Butter Tarts by Rhonda Parrish or Cake Batter Fudge by Beth Cato, all these wonderful people want to draw your attention to food and the Edmonton Food Bank.
The first two stories today, (one being mine) are being featured @ Tiffany Michelle Brown's website
and on Barbara's Facebook Page.
My story Christmas Lunch will be on Barbara's.
You can also participate in our Raffle for a crocheted throw by entering here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Each of us participants are giving you a slice of our Christmas life.
Whether it's Butter Tarts by Rhonda Parrish or Cake Batter Fudge by Beth Cato, all these wonderful people want to draw your attention to food and the Edmonton Food Bank.
The first two stories today, (one being mine) are being featured @ Tiffany Michelle Brown's website
and on Barbara's Facebook Page.
My story Christmas Lunch will be on Barbara's.
You can also participate in our Raffle for a crocheted throw by entering here.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
December 5, 2016
Giftmas tour 2016
So today is the kick-off for our Giftmas tour. In case you missed it, we're doing a blog tour to raise 500$ for the Edmonton food bank.
So why the Edmonton Food bank. Edmonton is the town, that most people fled from the Canadian wildfires, this year and they're struggling with the dislocation. And since two of my stories this year were accepted by Canadian publications, I'm quite impressed with them. (I know, silly me.)
You can donate a tiny bit or as much, a little will go a long way. If you use Paypal to donate then they will add 1% to your donation, ain't that sweet?
If you can't donate, that's fine too, just spread the cheer and let everyone know. A tweet or Facebook share can help the message travel far.
Here's the Blog tour list.
Also the famous editor, Rhonda Parrish is hosting a giveaway.
If you haven't read some of her work then check out her anthology, "Sirens."
The winner will get a cozy crocheted throw in whatever colour(s) they choose. She will ship it anywhere in the world, and though the odds favour those people who donate to the fundraiser (even $1!), you can also earn entries by tweeting about the giveaway or just by showing up because everyone gets one free entry. Yay!
To Participate in the throw raffle, you can go here.
Do check in with me tomorrow as my story goes out on another site and I will share my no fuss Christmas brownies recipe.
Thank you for your help!
So why the Edmonton Food bank. Edmonton is the town, that most people fled from the Canadian wildfires, this year and they're struggling with the dislocation. And since two of my stories this year were accepted by Canadian publications, I'm quite impressed with them. (I know, silly me.)
You can donate a tiny bit or as much, a little will go a long way. If you use Paypal to donate then they will add 1% to your donation, ain't that sweet?
If you can't donate, that's fine too, just spread the cheer and let everyone know. A tweet or Facebook share can help the message travel far.
Here's the Blog tour list.
Also the famous editor, Rhonda Parrish is hosting a giveaway.
If you haven't read some of her work then check out her anthology, "Sirens."
The winner will get a cozy crocheted throw in whatever colour(s) they choose. She will ship it anywhere in the world, and though the odds favour those people who donate to the fundraiser (even $1!), you can also earn entries by tweeting about the giveaway or just by showing up because everyone gets one free entry. Yay!
To Participate in the throw raffle, you can go here.
Do check in with me tomorrow as my story goes out on another site and I will share my no fuss Christmas brownies recipe.
Thank you for your help!
December 3, 2016
The Christian Circle Podcast Episode 1
This is the first podcast. Yay!
So this is an introduction. Here are the show notes for the first episode.
In this episode you'll hear:
Why I started a podcast? -To encourage joyous happy ChristiansWho I'm going to invite? My friends, all Christians who've had their fair share of strugglesHow often are episodes going to be produced? Twice a monthWhat you can get? -We hope to egg you on, encourage and motivate you on this difficult journey of life.Giveaways and gifts Contact - via Twitter @PamelaQFerns
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Subscribe for new Episodes
So this is an introduction. Here are the show notes for the first episode.
In this episode you'll hear:
Why I started a podcast? -To encourage joyous happy ChristiansWho I'm going to invite? My friends, all Christians who've had their fair share of strugglesHow often are episodes going to be produced? Twice a monthWhat you can get? -We hope to egg you on, encourage and motivate you on this difficult journey of life.Giveaways and gifts Contact - via Twitter @PamelaQFerns
#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:100%;} /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */
Subscribe for new Episodes
December 2, 2016
Giftmas tour 2016
I have to confess I haven't done blog tours before. So when I sent in my submission to Rhonda Parrish for one of her anthologies. By the way, her anthology on crows is absolutely fab. Check it out here.
There on her page, she had a signup for a blog tour. It seemed simple enough and it had a fantastic cause. The Edmonton Food Bank.
Part of the blog tour's goal is to raise 500$ for the Food Bank.
That doesn't seem like a lot, given some will spend that amount on shopping and gifts. But if you've ever had a brush with poverty, you know that it's the absolute broken spirit that is on the receiving end of the Food Bank and therefore I urge you to make this part of your Christmas Tithe or Christmas giveaway. You can be someone's secret Santa.
The Blog Tour has 9 participants including me. Yay!
Here are the participating websites:
Stephanie: http://www.stephaniecainonline.com
Tiffany: http://tiffanymichellebrown.wordpress.com
Kara at Operation Awesome: http://operationawesome6.blogspot.com
Diamante: http://www.diamantelavendar.com
Jennifer: http://jencrowwrites.blogspot.com
Beth: http://www.bethcato.com
Eileen: http://www.eileenbell.com/
Pamela: http://pcatherine30.blogspot.in/
Barbara: https://www.facebook.com/barbara.tomporowski
Rhonda: http://www.rhondaparrish.com
Here is the tour schedule:
Each day I will link up and highlight the posts that these authors will host. Feel free to promote them on your own social media. You're free to use the pictures in these posts for your own social media. Remember, we have a small goal of 500$.
What will happen on this tour?
We will share stories, recipes and plenty of good cheer while we're at it. It'll be fun, I promise. There's another surprise, come back tomorrow and I'll share it with you. (Wink wink)
Happy Advent everyone.
There on her page, she had a signup for a blog tour. It seemed simple enough and it had a fantastic cause. The Edmonton Food Bank.
Part of the blog tour's goal is to raise 500$ for the Food Bank.
That doesn't seem like a lot, given some will spend that amount on shopping and gifts. But if you've ever had a brush with poverty, you know that it's the absolute broken spirit that is on the receiving end of the Food Bank and therefore I urge you to make this part of your Christmas Tithe or Christmas giveaway. You can be someone's secret Santa.
The Blog Tour has 9 participants including me. Yay!
Here are the participating websites:
Stephanie: http://www.stephaniecainonline.com
Tiffany: http://tiffanymichellebrown.wordpress.com
Kara at Operation Awesome: http://operationawesome6.blogspot.com
Diamante: http://www.diamantelavendar.com
Jennifer: http://jencrowwrites.blogspot.com
Beth: http://www.bethcato.com
Eileen: http://www.eileenbell.com/
Pamela: http://pcatherine30.blogspot.in/
Barbara: https://www.facebook.com/barbara.tomporowski
Rhonda: http://www.rhondaparrish.com
Here is the tour schedule:
Each day I will link up and highlight the posts that these authors will host. Feel free to promote them on your own social media. You're free to use the pictures in these posts for your own social media. Remember, we have a small goal of 500$.
What will happen on this tour?
We will share stories, recipes and plenty of good cheer while we're at it. It'll be fun, I promise. There's another surprise, come back tomorrow and I'll share it with you. (Wink wink)
Happy Advent everyone.
November 15, 2016
How to create a Book Trailer?
I wasn't convinced about book trailers in the beginning. I thought it would be expensive. But in an effort to increase the visibility of my books, I thought about video. There are millions of people on YouTube and if you've got something different, it can be helpful to bring in more readers. This is especially important for indie authors. It's surprisingly easy.
I created these ads for two of my books. More are on the way for the others. It took me four hours to create a single book trailer. If you're familiar with the software it probably wouldn't take you as long.
Seoul-Mates Book Trailer by pamela-fernandes
So what are the steps?
1. Research:
Before you can create your own book trailer, it's important to watch other book trailers of your genre. For me I saw romantic suspense book trailers and some Christian non fiction. Both of them were worlds apart. Watch at least ten other trailers to see styles, patterns, variations in what you can do. In romantic suspense, I saw some had scenes recorded and others were with pictures. The music was edgy and the pictures or scenes were dark, misty and had tons of effects. Decide what you want and choose a template.
2. Software
After you've seen other trailers and roughly figured out what you want to do, you must get the right software to create it. I've used free software given I'm an indie author myself.
First, you will need a background score that will have to be edited or mixed to your liking. So Audacity which is free is one of the best tools out there for this.
In order to create your trailer, you need Windows Movie Maker. There are plenty of options out there, but this is free and very easy to use, not to mention, very good stuff.
3. Storyboard
The next step is to create a storyboard. You have to create a story board as to how you want your trailer to look. Book trailers are roughly 1:45 mins long. Longer ones tend to be boring, as far as I saw. For the trailer to whet appetites, be enticing and engaging, it needs to be punchy and quick.
For both my trailers, I just took out the chapter headings from my book and then created the storyboard based on that.
4. Music
The background score sets the tone. If you can afford to, go ahead and buy a tune or score. Since this is an Indie author talking, I decided I was going to look for free stuff. There are many sites that provide music, vocals, beats and free loops. I went to looperman and searched for loops based on the mood and feel of the book. I didn't want vocals, loop and beats were fine. Once I selected the loop, I used audacity to create a long track 1:45 mins long.
Here's a tutorial I used on how to do that?
5. Pictures
Now I used pictures, because there was no way, I was going to assemble a cast and make them act out scenes and stuff. If you have access or know a drama club or drama students maybe you could record them and shoot a video, but I knew I was going the picture route so just went looking for pictures. Like the music, you want to search for pictures where the creative common license allows you to use it for your own work without legal issues. I used Pixabay. Based on the storyboard I created, I collected twenty one pictures for Seoul-mates and about ten for TRFTCU. Don't forget pictures of your own book.Images with a resolution of 1920x1440 are best.
6. Video
Open your Windows movie maker, import all the pictures into the program. Arrange the pictures in order, add music. Make it fit to your track. Then arrange transitions. Here's a video that helped me do this.
7. Narration
Now you could also add narration as I did for my Christian non fiction. I don't know about others, but it helps to create a script, practice and record. I did 4 takes using the Windows movie maker, my best was my second narration. Everything after that was just worse. If you want to know how to add narration, then check this video.
7. Conversion
Review the video with fresh eyes a day later. I stress on this, because after you do all this work, you will need a break, you're going to be very tired, and errors aplenty will escape your tired eyes. After reviewing THE NEXT DAY, save it as an mp4. YouTube and Dailyvid do not accept raw files. So save it as a high definition video.
8. Upload
Upload your video to video sharing sites. You have to join them, but I'm assuming you already are a member. Embed them wherever possible. Send it to your publisher and readers. Tada! Book trailer done.
It's an absolute blast. For me it was super fun. For Seoul-Mates, offering a view of Korean life and showing that through pictures to my readers was fantastic. So many people can visualize this book and get a feel for it through the music.Though I do have a dedicated Pinterest page for it.
As far as Ten Reminders went, I loved adding my voice to the book, so that people know how genuine I am. They can feel a connect with me on the subject.
So what's stopping you from making a book trailer. Trust me, it's absolute fun!
I created these ads for two of my books. More are on the way for the others. It took me four hours to create a single book trailer. If you're familiar with the software it probably wouldn't take you as long.
Seoul-Mates Book Trailer by pamela-fernandes
So what are the steps?
1. Research:
Before you can create your own book trailer, it's important to watch other book trailers of your genre. For me I saw romantic suspense book trailers and some Christian non fiction. Both of them were worlds apart. Watch at least ten other trailers to see styles, patterns, variations in what you can do. In romantic suspense, I saw some had scenes recorded and others were with pictures. The music was edgy and the pictures or scenes were dark, misty and had tons of effects. Decide what you want and choose a template.
2. Software
After you've seen other trailers and roughly figured out what you want to do, you must get the right software to create it. I've used free software given I'm an indie author myself.
First, you will need a background score that will have to be edited or mixed to your liking. So Audacity which is free is one of the best tools out there for this.
In order to create your trailer, you need Windows Movie Maker. There are plenty of options out there, but this is free and very easy to use, not to mention, very good stuff.
3. Storyboard
The next step is to create a storyboard. You have to create a story board as to how you want your trailer to look. Book trailers are roughly 1:45 mins long. Longer ones tend to be boring, as far as I saw. For the trailer to whet appetites, be enticing and engaging, it needs to be punchy and quick.
For both my trailers, I just took out the chapter headings from my book and then created the storyboard based on that.
4. Music
The background score sets the tone. If you can afford to, go ahead and buy a tune or score. Since this is an Indie author talking, I decided I was going to look for free stuff. There are many sites that provide music, vocals, beats and free loops. I went to looperman and searched for loops based on the mood and feel of the book. I didn't want vocals, loop and beats were fine. Once I selected the loop, I used audacity to create a long track 1:45 mins long.
Here's a tutorial I used on how to do that?
5. Pictures
Now I used pictures, because there was no way, I was going to assemble a cast and make them act out scenes and stuff. If you have access or know a drama club or drama students maybe you could record them and shoot a video, but I knew I was going the picture route so just went looking for pictures. Like the music, you want to search for pictures where the creative common license allows you to use it for your own work without legal issues. I used Pixabay. Based on the storyboard I created, I collected twenty one pictures for Seoul-mates and about ten for TRFTCU. Don't forget pictures of your own book.Images with a resolution of 1920x1440 are best.
6. Video
Open your Windows movie maker, import all the pictures into the program. Arrange the pictures in order, add music. Make it fit to your track. Then arrange transitions. Here's a video that helped me do this.
7. Narration
Now you could also add narration as I did for my Christian non fiction. I don't know about others, but it helps to create a script, practice and record. I did 4 takes using the Windows movie maker, my best was my second narration. Everything after that was just worse. If you want to know how to add narration, then check this video.
7. Conversion
Review the video with fresh eyes a day later. I stress on this, because after you do all this work, you will need a break, you're going to be very tired, and errors aplenty will escape your tired eyes. After reviewing THE NEXT DAY, save it as an mp4. YouTube and Dailyvid do not accept raw files. So save it as a high definition video.
8. Upload
Upload your video to video sharing sites. You have to join them, but I'm assuming you already are a member. Embed them wherever possible. Send it to your publisher and readers. Tada! Book trailer done.
It's an absolute blast. For me it was super fun. For Seoul-Mates, offering a view of Korean life and showing that through pictures to my readers was fantastic. So many people can visualize this book and get a feel for it through the music.Though I do have a dedicated Pinterest page for it.
As far as Ten Reminders went, I loved adding my voice to the book, so that people know how genuine I am. They can feel a connect with me on the subject.
So what's stopping you from making a book trailer. Trust me, it's absolute fun!
November 9, 2016
The Christian Circle Podcast
Coming Soon! Watch out for this space.
November 7, 2016
FREE Editing Software For Writers
As a writer, your most valuable advice comes through edits. Edits from friends, crit partners, editors, agents and even your mother. But sometimes don't you wish, you caught that silly errant comma, the extra preposition, those redundant words yourself?
That's where the editing software comes in. Like every other software out there, even editing with or without the software is work. While for some this may seem like a blessing, many others wouldn't bother with another step in their writing process. For me, ever since I've discovered it, I've loved using it, despite the fact that it takes considerable time to use, especially if you're crunching deadlines.
I've used each of these and I'll show why I like them. First of all they're all free, since they're in beta modes and or extensively used. The pictures are the same paragraph edited by the three different software programs and you can see the difference.
1. Grammarly
This is an extremely clean looking app.
See what I mean. It's very neat and all your errors show up on the right side of the document which you can accept or ignore. It's got basic issues and advanced issues identified at the bottom of the page. The advanced issues are only revealed to paid subscribers. Overall I like it, because its simple to use. It can be downloaded as an app for your PC or MS Office.
2. Editminion
This is a bit complicated with all the colors. It tells you how many adverbs, homonyms etc I used by coloring up the paragraph. It's not helpful to me, because I have to read, then go back to my document and edit the colored words, if I choose to. I don't see much punctuation edited here and that's one of my primary requirements in editing software.
3. Slickwrite
I do like Slickwrite. I used it in place of Ginger, except that there's too much correction on the page. You can see all the green, red and blue. It also looks at phrases in detail as you can tell by the red lines. But it can be overwhelming. So I'm not too sure about using it for my manuscript although I do use it for shorts. If you like this style of editing then you can go ahead. It also has structure and other features which you can use if you pay for it.
4. GingerI've downloaded Ginger's app, because it's free (at least partly) and its corrections can be accepted within the document. After the trial, they give you a weekly word limit that's free. This allows you to edit the manuscript with broad issues. It's not perfect. You have to do a line edit yourself, but punctuation gets checked well. All the other programs have a fixed word limit. Only x number of words on a page, but I haven't had that problem with Ginger.
All these programs assist you. They don't replace your editor. In the end, your editor has to be a human being who gets your story. It does help make a cleaner manuscript though. Before you pay for any program, I suggest you download the free version and see which one suits your needs. I also have to add that there are many other expensive software options out there, but for indie writers, self published people who are trying to save every penny, these seem like money savers.
That's where the editing software comes in. Like every other software out there, even editing with or without the software is work. While for some this may seem like a blessing, many others wouldn't bother with another step in their writing process. For me, ever since I've discovered it, I've loved using it, despite the fact that it takes considerable time to use, especially if you're crunching deadlines.
I've used each of these and I'll show why I like them. First of all they're all free, since they're in beta modes and or extensively used. The pictures are the same paragraph edited by the three different software programs and you can see the difference.
1. Grammarly
This is an extremely clean looking app.
See what I mean. It's very neat and all your errors show up on the right side of the document which you can accept or ignore. It's got basic issues and advanced issues identified at the bottom of the page. The advanced issues are only revealed to paid subscribers. Overall I like it, because its simple to use. It can be downloaded as an app for your PC or MS Office.
2. Editminion
This is a bit complicated with all the colors. It tells you how many adverbs, homonyms etc I used by coloring up the paragraph. It's not helpful to me, because I have to read, then go back to my document and edit the colored words, if I choose to. I don't see much punctuation edited here and that's one of my primary requirements in editing software.
3. Slickwrite
I do like Slickwrite. I used it in place of Ginger, except that there's too much correction on the page. You can see all the green, red and blue. It also looks at phrases in detail as you can tell by the red lines. But it can be overwhelming. So I'm not too sure about using it for my manuscript although I do use it for shorts. If you like this style of editing then you can go ahead. It also has structure and other features which you can use if you pay for it.
4. GingerI've downloaded Ginger's app, because it's free (at least partly) and its corrections can be accepted within the document. After the trial, they give you a weekly word limit that's free. This allows you to edit the manuscript with broad issues. It's not perfect. You have to do a line edit yourself, but punctuation gets checked well. All the other programs have a fixed word limit. Only x number of words on a page, but I haven't had that problem with Ginger.
All these programs assist you. They don't replace your editor. In the end, your editor has to be a human being who gets your story. It does help make a cleaner manuscript though. Before you pay for any program, I suggest you download the free version and see which one suits your needs. I also have to add that there are many other expensive software options out there, but for indie writers, self published people who are trying to save every penny, these seem like money savers.
