R.J. Blain's Blog, page 79

The Diary of a Sad Cat: This is the Story of my Ball.

My name is Princess, and once upon a time, I was the Queen Kitty of the Ball Kingdom. But my crown is gone, and my rule is coming to an end.

My balls are gone.

It began a while ago. Once upon a time, my human servants kept a basket full of my balls. On demand, they would come and throw them all for me. I would, at my leisure, bring them back. All was well in the world.

Then the female human started up her bad habits again. This time it was something about some Inquisitor. She has no idea what she’s in for if she doesn’t get her act in order. What does she need some stupid Inquisitor for? She has me.

You know how it is, just as you think you get your servants properly trained, they go and do something stupid… like work. On things you don’t tell them to do.

I have learned the names of these things preventing me from ruling my ball kingdom.

The humans call them books. I have managed to steal away one of them. Apparently, it is called Storm Without End. I also stole away the things she does this foolish work on. I’ll teach her not to play with me and throw me my balls. I’ll teach her not to replenish my ball supply. You know what a storm without end is? What I’m going to do to those servants if I don’t get new balls–and quick.

I have two left, and they are both blue. I know these cheap, lazy creatures could buy me new balls–there is a sacred temple place they go to. They acquire them there. But when I bring the ball to the human, which is absolutely filthy–I mean, doesn’t everyone throw balls into the porcelain throne? She gets so worked up about this. Nonsense, really. She threw out the balls I put in the porcelain throne. How dare she!! How dare she!! I brought it to her, partially cleaned,  because she was muttering some garbage about how dirty the balls were getting... and she throws them out when I do the work for her! Ridiculous.

In order to evaluate this situation, I have had to do something called math. Terrible, really. Absolutely horrific. What does my servant think I am? Human?

Preposterous.

I have done this math to learn how to rebuild my ball kingdom. I want red ones, yellow ones, green ones–all colors! My kingdom is down to two blue balls.

I don’t really understand why the male servant started snorting. Foolish humans.

It works like this. The female gets this thing called money when people buy her books. This ‘money’ then goes to the cat temple. She picks up new balls from the shelf, and hands the other human servant thing this money.

It worked with the kibble bag. Observe the evidence of the brand new kibble bag. Most importantly, notice how much delicious, wonderful Kibble is present within the confines of the bag.

Thank you, humans-who-are-not-my-servants. Your sacrifice has been noted. You will be rewarded in your afterlives.

Now, back to the issue. With this math, and this money, I will order the human servants I own to go to the cat temple.

I get new balls.

My humans aren’t killed in their sleep.

It works well for everyone, right?

My balls need liberated! I cannot rule in such terrible conditions.

So this is my master plan. You look like a cunning human. Much smarter than my servants. Let’s face it, mine need so much handling, day in and day out, it amazes me how they ever survived without me. But you, oh you, I bet you’ll go far.

I have observed the habits of humans. It seems that when one human tells another human of something, news spreads. I have been spying on this work my human has done, and it seems other humans are actually enjoying this ‘writing work’ she does. Frankly, it looks like a lot of muttering, hair pulling, and gibbering for me, but I’ll let it slide. This time.

So, human. Using this strange thing called ‘social media’, it is up to you to spread word of my plight, my need for new balls, and this so-called new book my female human servant has written, apparently, for lovers of ‘urban fantasy thrillers’. I hear people tossing around murder mystery, supernatural suspense, and some other nifty descriptors too.

But, don’t just take it from me. Check out what others of your species have been saying about this book. Now we’re talking. This human says something about the book ruining their day, and something about the inability to do anything other than my human’s bidding  reading this book.. That’s my female human servant! Maybe she learned something from me after all.

Oh, this one looks promising too. This human was compelled into missing several appointments. I approve.

What are you waiting for? I need new balls.

Go forth and share. Make the whole world know of my need for all of the balls!!!

Random Rambles: Writing a Unique Series

While I’m classifying this as a random rambles, it is also a writing-related post. When I normally write about writing, I try to put a little thought and effort into it. (Shocking, I know.)

Because I’m just talking, without that care, this is a random rambles. Even if I’m talking about writing. So there. I’ll try to interject something about my cats for a random element or something. And spelling mistakes, grammar errors, and other blasphemies. (le gasp!)

Everyone wants to be unique. We want to write original stories, or a unique series, and stand out from the rest of the competition. We want people to see our art or read our tales, and say, “Well, that’s different!”

It’s in our nature. We want to feel validated. Being different, in a good, positive way, is one of the ultimate forms of validation. I’m no different. Every time someone says that ‘I’m different’ but in a positive way, I feel a lot better about myself.

When someone says that ‘I’m different’, I’ve done something unique. I’ve done something only I can do or have done. It’s egotistical, no doubt about that, but it’s natural. Some of us, of course, go out of our way a lot more to stand out.

Apple’s famous ad was all about being different. Yet, it touched so many of us.

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers…

Writers are the round pegs in the square holes. We’ve always been that way.

We see things differently.

There have been many comments, quotes, and beliefs that creative types are mentally ill. That might be true. We do things differently. And that, in and of itself, is often viewed as an illness. When many others of our species fall into groups, obeying a natural instinct to form herds, creative types are often loners. A lone wolf in a society where pack means something–where cliques, circles, and fellowships are formed and break down every day.

Humans like groups. We gather to become nations. When we collectively believe something, be it right or wrong, we form religions. We form classrooms to learn. We have packs of friends. We are social by nature. We’re both predators and prey. We are, despite the common belief we are somehow superior because we speak ‘known languages’, a product of nature, complete with instincts.

We’re animals, but we don’t like admitting it.

We strive to be different, yet we vilify those who succeed at it too well. It’s okay to be different–if you’re different within the thresholds set by society’s standards.

And maybe that’s why some of us write. We want to be different, but we don’t want to be vilified. We’re frightened of being ostracized. We don’t want to be ignored, but we don’t want to pay the price for being different. We want to be seen as geniuses in our own right, but we don’t want to be viewed as crazy. Not in that negative way.

We want to be the good crazy, the good different.

We want to change the world–or at least someone’s world.

Yet by writing, we manage to often be ostracized and vilified for doing something different. ‘Writing isn’t a real career,’ some say. ‘Writing is something to be done in a dark corner, away from real people,’ others say.

‘Writing can’t be a job,’ people say.

‘Well, screw them,’ I say.

I, too, want to be different. To think different. To be that crazy person, a world changer. I’m not rich, nor do I expect to be. I can’t buy change. Others can. I won’t–because I don’t believe change should be bought. It should be earned. It should be a result of people thinking differently. About their world, about their beliefs, about who they are, about who they want to become.

When I set out to write Inquisitor, I wanted to write something different. I wanted people to make guesses, wonder, and think about the people I created–and then be surprised by the last page. I wanted to see if I could pursue society’s expectations and prove things can be different.

But I didn’t want to throw a left hook out of nowhere. I wanted my readers to stare at the last chapter, and then see all of the things they may have missed, and realize it wasn’t a out-of-the-blue conclusion–that all of the pieces were there all along.

I wanted to challenge my readers, giving them a puzzle they could solve–if they were really clever, if they thought outside of the box, and thought differently. I didn’t want to dumb the story down because that is what society expects. I wanted to tell something difficult. Something different.

Because being different is difficult. It means facing the status quo, turning around, and rejecting it. It means looking at things a layer deeper.

Inquisitor challenged me because I wanted to write something different.

Witch & Wolf is going to challenge me because I want to write an entire series differently.

I want to capture the tension and heart-pounding excitement of a thriller novel, but I want to challenge society. I want to see the world differently. That’s why I write speculative fiction.

I want to be different.

But let’s face it, urban fantasy is a very popular genre, and writing differently, and being different, it’s a very difficult thing. You can randomly create races or types of magic, but that’s not enough to stand out. That’s not enough to bring notice to yourself.

If you write about werewolves, while the species is ultra popular, there are so many stories about werewolves that creating something different is almost impossible.

But it can be unique to you, which is almost as good as being different. Different is a word for a purple orange. You don’t expect to see a purple orange. Unique? Unique is having an orange orange that just tastes so much better than the other oranges. It stands out, but it is an orange–a regular, orange-colored orange. At first glance, you may not see the difference.

But you can taste it.

That’s what reading a unique book is all about–tasting and experiencing that difference, even if the orange isn’t the color purple. Once the first bite is tasted, do you care that the orange wasn’t purple in color? No.

It tastes good.

It’s enjoyable.

When I write, I want to make my orange tasty–unique in its flavor.

With Inquisitor, I wanted to tell a story about what it would be like to, theoretically, live forever–and the story about those who want to protect the normal people of the world from those who are different. The paranormals, the supernaturals–the world changers. And in turn, I wanted to explore how people can be conflicted, divided, wear masks, and be human–even when they aren’t.

Especially when they aren’t.

I wanted to create a woman who lived differently, but wore masks to hide among the status quo. If anything, it’s a novel about masks, who wears them, and why those masks are worn.

And it’s, of course, an action adventure, because I love action, thrills, adventure, and the breath-holding suspense.

Winter Wolf is the second installment of the Witch & Wolf series, but it comes before Inquisitor in chronological order. The two books are connected by the world they live in. A character from Winter Wolf–the Winter Wolf–is mentioned in Inquisitor. Some of the resolution is already known, too. Therefor, some of the consequences are known before Winter Wolf was written.

And that’s where Witch & Wolf is different. It’s a series, but it isn’t a series in the usual sense.

For each novel, the main characters are different. They’re all standalone novels. They may reference events from other novels, but if it is–the context is included. Some characters may never meet. Others will become life-long partners.

I’m writing about a world, not one specific character. Already, readers want to see the next Victoria Hanover novel. Victoria is a character I will write again–a second novel from her perspective–but her time for her second book isn’t now. And when it does come, while reading Inquisitor might give you a little more depth to who Victoria Hanover is, a new reader can pick up the book and enjoy it.

I can have a series without necessarily forcing investment on each and every book in the series.

Readers should have the freedom to read only the standalone novels they want. They should have the freedom to read all of the novels, and see the subtle references–the Easter eggs–to the other books in the ‘series’. I don’t want to create a series where you need to read every book–unless you want to.

I want it to be like an amusement park, where readers can pick the rides they want to ride, without having to ride every single one to enjoy the ride they choose.

When someone reads Winter Wolf, reading Inquisitor is not a requirement. When reading Inquisitor, reading Winter Wolf is not a requirement.

I love reading first books in a series. There is always a sense of joy and discovery with each and every one of them–a new world. New faces. The second books, unless it is a direct continuation of the first book… it often falls short. Flat. I want to avoid that with my second of my actual series, but we’ll see.

Witch & Wolf novels are the books I’m using to break free of the chains of a series.

With these novels, I want to think differently.

Will it work?

I guess we’ll find out.

P.S.: Cats.

Random Rambles: Lifestyle Choices & Changes

Change is a funny thing. It’s something many people want to do, few people accomplish at doing, and the reason why there are so many bestselling self-help books in the world.

Change is many things.

Change is different for each and every person.

Change is personal.

Change doesn’t just impact you.

But the only person who can make you change is you.

Yet, somehow, we try to change each other, even though change is so personal.

My husband and I decided we needed to change. He wants to see change, but he often doesn’t want to be the one to make the changes. He likes things easy and simple. I can’t really blame him for that–who doesn’t like easy and simple? I sure do.

He wanted change, but didn’t need it.

I needed change, but didn’t want to do it.

As a result, neither one of us wanted it or needed it bad enough. Thus, there are, as always, consequences.

I had been so busy working and preparing for Inquisitor’s launch that I hadn’t kept up on the house cleaning. I was never all that good at house cleaning to begin with. Cleaning wasn’t a chore my mother hounded me on when I was little. The same applied to my husband. We just didn’t have any of the good habits that good homekeepers have.

Yet we ended up with a house of our own, and we both lacked the skills to really be good at keeping a house.

He wanted that to change. I needed that to change. As I said before, he didn’t need it, and I didn’t want it bad enough.

And that is what needed to change before we could change.

Change is complicated.

This is an image of change. For everyone who isn’t me, it probably just looks like a clean, empty sink. For us, it’s a marvel.

This sink is the first stainless steel sink my husband and I have ever had in our adult life. The apartments we lived in all had fiberglass sinks, as did our condo. We bought a stainless steel sink for the condo when we sold it–because stainless steel sinks sell condos. (True story: Before we installed the sink, no offers. Day after we installed the sink? Three offers. Want to sell a house? Install a brand new sink and paint your cabinets.)

A habit in our house, and a bad one, was to let the sink fill to overflowing, then let the counters fill to overflowing… and then thinks about running the dishwasher.

Change, for us, was a small first step. It looks a little like this:

Empty the dishwasher.
Fill the dishwasher with dirty dishes.
When dishwasher is filled, run it.
Empty the dishwasher after the dishes are cool enough to handle.

We’re adults. Something with these four simple steps shouldn’t be that hard, right? But it is. We’re, by nature, lazy people. We’re lazy people who had one piece of the puzzle, but lacked the other. My husband is the opposite side of my coin in many ways.

Yet, somehow, this one simple task wasn’t something we could easily do. Were we defective as adults? Why was something so easy so difficult?!

When you fail at something as easy as emptying and filling a dishwasher, it isn’t just your house that suffers–you suffer. I suffered. I’d walk past my filled sink and feel nothing but disgust–usually about myself. Sometimes at my spouse, who wanted the dishes done, but didn’t need it done bad enough to do it himself. And mostly at me, who saw the need to do it, but didn’t want to do it bad enough.

And once you fail at something that simple, getting back on the horse and trying again is really, really hard. All I saw was the failure.

I couldn’t handle running a dishwasher.

Maybe I deserved a cluttered house.

This, like all doubt does, reached out to impact all facets of our life. We ceased caring as much if we overspent–we already screwed up elsewhere. What’s a bit of extra debt? The house is already cluttered–what’s a bit more added to the mess?

Today, instead of letting change just slip through our fingers, he decided he needed it, and I decided I wanted it. It started with a discussion. I got a really cool writing tool for my birthday, and I wanted to get a few upgrades and supplies for it. I wanted to replace the plastic ring system with metal for longer durability. I also liked the color. I wanted a hole punch for the system too.

We started talking. You know, like adults. Discussions. Things we wanted to do–and most importantly–things we needed to do.

We have debt. So how do we pay it off?

I pointed out I have a habit of encouraging bad spending on the weekends. Sometimes over $50 in excessive junk we don’t need or want in our lives.

That’s up to $200 a month in savings, all from one simple change. Something that takes almost no effort at all. We had a retrospective moment, and we both realized it was a change we could actually accomplish.

So, I took it a step further. I said I could change a bad habit of mine–not cleaning the dishes promptly. So I got up, unloaded the clean dishes from the dishwasher, put the dirty dishes in, added the little pod thingie, and hit the start button.

Progress, in less than five minutes, had been made.

Change had been made.

It was a small change. For people who are good at cleaning, it’s something so insignificant that it wouldn’t surprise me if I was mocked or looked down at for having this bad habit.

But change happened, and it was because we both wanted and needed it bad enough.

My clean sink is a moment of success. I can walk into my kitchen, look at its stainless steel glory, and think, I can change.

Even more importantly, when I see that I can change, because I did change, my next line of thought is often a tentative ‘what else can I change?’

It is little steps for us, because we’re so used to failure that success is a fleeting mistress. In a way, we’re so accustomed to failing that the concept of actually succeeding at something is pretty foreign.

But we need and want change… so we’re giving it a try.

It started with a clean sink.

We’re looking at our finances now, and looking for simple and easy ways we can change–ways that don’t cost us a whole lot in personal sacrifice, but make a big difference to our bottom line.

We’re investing $20 from every income to our savings account. It is a little change–we’re not really going to miss the $20, but it’s the fact we’re taking the money and moving it to the other account that really matters.

If we need it, we’ll take it out, but it’s that all-important first step.

that’s likely $60 a month–two paychecks, and $20 from my royalty payments.

That’s not a whole lot, but it’s a start.

We’re also going to cut back on stupid purchases on the weekends. We tend to waste somewhere around $50 bucks on snacks, sodas, and expensive dinners when we’re out with friends… when a single bottle of Coca Cola and a pair of frozen dinners would suffice.

That’s in the ballpark of $10 versus $50. That’s somewhere between $160 to $200 a month–or more.

The change isn’t all that big, but it makes a big difference.

Most importantly?

It is a change we’re confident we can make.

And that makes all of the difference in the world.

We can change.

And for once, we’re not looking at failure in the making. We’re thinking: and we will.

And maybe that’s the most important change of all.

Inquisitor — In the Wilds!

Much to my surprise and complete pleasure, paperback copies of Inquisitor have made their way into the wilds! Lindsey was kind enough to take a selfie with her copy of the book!

Do you have a picture of yourself reading your favorite books? What books have you loved receiving so much you just had to take a selfie to show it off?

I’m just a little sad that my copy of the book hasn’t arrived yet–shipping to Canada is sadly slow. Next week I should have mine…

… and it wouldn’t surprise me if I took a selfie with it. I’m allowed, right?

As a reminder, there is still time left to get in on some great giveaways celebrating Inquisitor‘s launch.

Giveaway #1 – $50 Amazon or Paypal Cash

Check out I’m a reader, not a writer for more details!

Giveaway #2 – $50 Amazon or Paypal Cash

Find out more details here!

Good luck, everyone!

Giveaway #3 – $10 Amazon Gift Card

Love books? Here’s a chance to enter to win a $10 amazon gift card. Visit Bewitching Tours page for Inquisitor and locate the raffle tool at the bottom of the page.

The giveaway ends in 3 days.

The Dairy of a Sad Cat: The Kibble Bag Dilemma

Preface: This was originally posted on May 16 on Google+. I thought it was so much fun these diary entries belonged on the main blog.

My name is Princess. All hope is gone. Save yourself.

Only dust and stray treats remain in our kibble bag, and the humans seem unconcerned. We, my brother and two sisters and I, will surely starve before the sun sets. In the effort of making our plight known, I have attempted to dust the floor with my thick, luxurious coat.

Instead of immediately going to the Holy Temple of Cat Food and Toys, the human took out the black box of doom, mocking my misery.

In protest, we have tracked kibble and litter everywhere we can, scattering it over the floor the humans cooed over the day before.

The humans, especially the female, have not seemed to notice. She has taken to muttering something about books and bestsellers, with a crazy gleam in her eye.

All hope is lost. Save yourself.

My human has lost her mind.

Maybe if I look cute enough, she’ll spare me–at least for today.

I have taken the liberty of investigating this strange illness that has inflicted my primary human. I felt it necessary, as she rescued me from the Shelter of No Toys and brought me to the Sanctuary where I now reside. While I must share my Temple with three others of my kind, I accept this misfortune–for now.

The illness that has taken my human seems to involve a place without cat photos. A travesty. An Abhorrent existence. However, I must let it exist–for now. Until I can do further studies on the impact of this activity and its role in ensuring the kibble bag is replenished… tonight.

It may be too late for us. Save yourself.

The cure to my human’s vile illness can be found here. Funding is required for adequate study of the plague and the impact it will have on my household–and the status of my kibble bag.

Save me from starvation.

Buy this sacred object my human calls ‘a book.’

P.S.: My human has a box that takes moving pictures, and she keeps mumbling something about dancing and cleaning the floors after us… This may prove adequate revenge for the state of my kibble bag.

If you support the replenishment of my kibble bag, please share this post, like it, or otherwise do those things you humans do when presented with an adorable photograph of the supreme being that is a feline–in particular, me.

Signed,

Princess, the Kitty Inquisitor

Multi-Services Review, Part 4: The Day After

When I went into my book tour extravaganza, I had high hopes–of course I did. I was investing a lot of time, money, and effort into making my book launch as successful as possible. I like to think I gave it my all, although I made some mistakes. Before I go into the successes and failures of my promotional efforts at the end of day 1, I want to talk about the things I didn’t get right:

Mistake 1: Scheduling and Proofing

Book blog tours require 4-8 weeks of advance scheduling. At that stage of the production process, while one editor had gone over the novel, the other two had not. The excerpts, as a result, were not the same as in the live book. Undoubtedly there were a few proofing errors that aren’t present in the official novel.

Lesson learned.

What I’ll never learn is whether or not the proofing errors or scheduling foopahs kicked my sales rate.

Mistake 2: Advanced buy links

Because I’m not an established, high-selling author, amazon doesn’t allow preorders. As a result, the story was on sale for two weeks prior to the official launch.

It is possible, if all of the sales I had with the initial burst of people noticing it was available to buy were to have bought it yesterday, I could have ranked far better than I did. That ranking could have let me get on a bestseller list for a competitive category.

But the sales were scattered, so I didn’t do better than 13,800 ranking… which is small fries in the category Inquisitor belongs to.

Mistake 3: What’s in a day?

Publishing houses release novels on Tuesday as a general rule. Mine released on a Friday. It was also my birthday, and my mother is due today for a visit from the US.

My attention was divided, unfortunately. While I did my best to make it fun and interesting, I don’t think I did enough.

There were other mistakes, but I’m not going to mention them–yet. They might not even be real mistakes. We’ll find out soon enough.

Campaign Performance

All Books on May 16, 2014: 38 bought units, 2 borrowed units. This is approximately $75 in royalties.

I spent a little over $500 on all of the promotional aspects of the launch day, including giveaway prizes and extras.

I had wanted $250.00 in royalties from Inquisitor alone. I didn’t come anywhere close to my baseline goal. Before I show the breakdown by book, I want to make a very important observation:

While I didn’t come close to my goal, I connected with new readers. That’s actually an accomplishment in and of itself. The promotion very likely helped boost the sales of my other two novels as well, which were available as countdown deal promotions.

I really have nothing to be disappointed about. I knew I was at a high risk of losing money when I went in. My backup goal (because I did anticipate a loss) is to make $250 in royalties within a week after the promotion went live. This is accounting for the fact that there is more value to running a promotion than just sales. Some people can’t afford to buy a book on the day it is promoted. In a few months — or even a year from now, they might remember my name the next time they see one of my books. This, in theory, could be a tipping point in whether or not they invest in a copy of one of my novels.

Which leads me to a very important point: I’m building an audience.

Let’s face it–most indie writers, like me, generally do not have that much extra cash to throw around willy-nilly. These people are my most common companions and associates. What we earn, we typically invest right back into our writing businesses. It’s a necessity. I am in a better position than many starting indie authors. I have an editorial job I can use to pay for all of my expenses–barely.

Back to the numbers:

On May 16:

Storm Without End sold 14 copies, for an estimated royalty of $14.

The Eye of God sold 10 copies with 1 borrowed unit, for an estimated royalty of $9.

Inquisitor sold 14 copies, with 1 borrowed unit, for an estimated royalty of $52.

Today is a new day. Tomorrow, too, will be a new day. Will I do another launch day extravaganza?

Possibly.

Will I use certain services for launch day boosts? Definitely.

Which ones?

That’s a post for another day… once I see how the next week pans out. There’s a lot of data to chase after, right along with the dream of magically becoming a runaway bestseller.

Giveaway #2 – $50 Amazon Gift Card or Cash (Paypal)

The second giveaway I’m featuring today for Inquisitor’s launch is a $50 gift card for amazon or cash via paypal. Check out I’m a reader, not a writer for more details!

Good luck, everyone!

The Storm Begins… Storm Surge Cover Art Reveal!

How else to celebrate my birthday by showing you something truly special?

I am proud to present Storm Surge’s cover, art by Chris Howard and typography by Brooke Johnson.

In November 2013, Storm Without End released. Now the journey continues, and the forecast is stormy. The brewing war is only the start of their problems.

The skreed are breeding.

Coming Soon. (2014)

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Storm Without End is on sale for US & UK residents–this week only!

Giveaway #1 – $50 Paypal or Amazon Gift Certificate

The first raffle up for grabs is a $50 paypal (cash) or amazon gift certificate.

If you have bought a copy of Inquisitor, you can score 10 entries–all you need to do is provide the transaction ID from Amazon.

Lots of ways to win, and who doesn’t like $50 free bucks?