R.S. McCoy's Blog

A Celebration of Life

This week, my husband's sweet grandma Dorothy is turning 100! I don't know about you guys, but that's a little mind-blowing. In my family, the oldest person died at 97, and that was when I was a kid. My grandfather is pushing 95, but I've never personally known anyone who lived to be 100. That's amazing!So we headed to PA to celebrate with the whole family! It was a really fun event complete with a one-man band (her favorite)!But now that I'm home, it's time to crack down on the last few weeks of summer. So much to do! With just two and a half weeks before teachers report to school, I have my work cut out for me. In August, I'll be working on:1. Getting all my books into paperback - Once upon a time, all my books were published in paperback with Createspace. But then CSP went the way of the dinosaurs and we authors were forced to reupload all files directly into Amazon. It's a lot of work, particularly if you have a dozen novels that need updated backmatter and some fancification (yes, I made that up lol). 2. Setting up ads - This is one area where I feel like I've really failed as an author. Marketing is my struggle (it feels like waving a banner on the corner and begging for money) but I know I can do anything I set my mind to! So I'm focusing on creating higher quality graphics and implementing more effective ads on Amazon, Facebook and BookBub. Right now, I'm in the trial phase. I want to find out which types of graphics work and which audiences are most responsive. It's a ton of work, but hopefully putting in the hours now will pay off throughout the school year when my time is less available. What do you think?3. Querying agents - In the past, I've been pretty tight-lipped about my querying process. Part of that is because I hate to announce my progress and then have to face the utter humiliation of announcing my failure. But the other part is that I'm a bit superstitious about it. Like if I talk about it enough, I'll jinx it into oblivion. So this here is me being really brave!Last week, I sent the first queries to agents for Of Majick and Memories. Here's where my progress stands so far:Agents queried: 4Rejections: 0Partial Requests: 1Full Requests: 0Offers of Rep: 0It's not much to go on, but this gives me a lot of hope! I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed and hoping for the best. This week, I'll select another four agents to query. After that, I'll take a break and evaluate. Is my query less effective than I intended? Is my synopsis off? Are my first pages failing to hook? So many factors to consider! 4. Publishing Guarding Reese - My lovely little M/M angel novella goes live on August 15th! So that means creating Amazon and Goodreads pages, sending out ARCs, setting up release week promos and all the good stuff. It's exciting!5. Commissioning Cover Art and a new Logo - I'm suppperrrr pumped about this one! I currently have open commissions for a new cover for Blossom and the Beast, as well as a new author logo. With the upcoming Baltimore Book Festival, I'm getting all my ducks in a row. That means getting all my paperbacks ordered, stocking up on signage and paper products, and mentally wrapping my mind around a THREE DAY show! Eek!It'll be a busy few weeks but I'm hoping that stacking the deck will help me have a more productive year this year! What do you think? Is there something I'm missing?Let me know!

An Interesting Observation about My Books

It's no secret that I took some time off this year, but in coming back, I've made a few alarming discoveries. While during my full-time authoring years, I wrote and published ten books. They span many genres (from epic fantasy to paranormal romance to hard science fiction) and a variety of lengths (from under 275 pages for Schism to more than 450 for The Lethal Agent). But they all had one thing in common: I didn't spend any time or money on marketing them this year. Well, with one exception. Blossom and the Beast was featured on BookBub in Australia, UK, India, and Canada back in February. Otherwise, nothing. So in 2019, my books have really had to stand on their own, with nothing but the merits of their blurb, reviews, and cover design to win over prospective readers. None of my books sold particularly well, but I saw a steady stream of books selling each week. A few dozen a month. But Blossom and the Beast represented only 8% of sales. Blossom and the Beast is my largest money maker due to page reads, but it sells far less than Spirits or Schism. In fact, the whole Alder Tales series of four books sold less ebook copies than Spirits or Schism individually. That begs the natural question: what gives?Blossom and the Beast is the most heavily marketed book in my catalog (and the only book marketed in 2019). It's the first book in my longest series, my most commercial series, and my most reviewed series. The reviews are high (averaging 4.3 out of 5 stars) and I sell more copies of this series than any other at author events. By all accounts, Blossom and the Beast should be outperforming the rest of my catalog, but it's not. So again, what gives?I took a hard look at Blossom and the Beast, looking at other books in the same genre, and came up with one simple observation: the cover is very different from other books in the same genre. For example, here's Blossom's cover:Does it immediately register as fairytale or fantasy romance? Does it have a shifter vibe? Does it meet the standard of other books in the same genre? To me, the answers are all 'no'. Which is a bummer! That means finding a cover artist, shelling out for the new covers, and relaunching the series after rebranding. On the other hand, if the series needs a new set of covers, I'll gladly fork over the cash to see it happen. Because I believe in these books and Blossom's story and the world these characters live in. So, I'm asking you, beloved readers. Would you like to see a different style of cover on these books? Something with a fiery red-head in a fancy Terra gown on the front? Something with pretty filegrees and details? Something that brings out the Beauty and the Beast story? Leave your thoughts and comments below! And if you have any suggestions or comparison covers, please leave them here as well!

Getting Back in the Saddle (Again?)

Today I'm working on my latest project, finishing up what will hopefully be the last round of edits, and working on the query letter I'll be sending out to agents. It's exciting! But it didn't happen by magic (unfortunately). Several big changes took place to get to this point:1. I gave up social mediaIn January, Guarding Reese was released as part of the Wings of the Wicked box set. As required of participants, I stayed glued to my computer/phone in every spare minute, making graphics and posting, posting, posting in hopes of getting on the USA Today Bestseller list. And we DID IT! That was such a cool day! But after so many months of living that social media life, I needed a break. I knew it would damage my sales, my relationships with bloggers, and every aspect of my self-publishing life, but I had to do it for me, y'all. I just couldn't devote my energy to Facebook or Twitter or even this blog. 2. I took a long look at the stories I write Last year, I came to the heart-wrenching realization that no agent was going to pick up my fantasy romance project House of Birds and Beasts. I was so excited about sending out partials and fulls, getting those requests from agents, and even reading their feedback. But at the end of the day, it was a pass from all of them. So I took a step back and I let myself look at my work from a different angle. And they were right. It had some major flaws, and unfortunately, they were beyond me to fix them. 3. I made a fresh startRather than put my baby into the woodchipper and hope something better came out, I started over. I used the feedback from agents and outlined a new story. It had the same characters (though some changes in their backgrounds), the same majick system, and the same conflict. But I started in a different place, I introduced the characters and conflict in a different way, and I didn't tip-toe around the major themes of the story. It took a TON of work, but I created something new out of the ashes of a story I love, and somehow, I love the new one even more.4. I kept making fresh startsIn my self-publishing life, I am a USA Today Bestselling Author with thousands of amazing readers (who I so, so, sooooo appreciate!). But I didn't want to rest on my laurels. I didn't want readers who knew me to tell me what I wanted to hear simply because they are amazing people. So I created new accounts on critique sites and let my work speak for itself. I asked for super honest feedback, and boy did I get it! And while some truths are harder to swallow than others, I know my story is better because of it. 5. I dove back inI'm doing it! Right now! After a six-month hiatus from all things self-publishing, I'm dipping my toes back in the water. I'm a little broken and bruised, but I'm here. It feels a bit like starting over, and in many ways I guess it is. But my stories deserve an author that will help them find their place in the world and in the hearts of my amazing readers, so I'm doing my best to rise to the challenge. So expect to see more of me out and about on the interwebs!What's coming next:I'm hoping to put the final touches on Of Majick and Memories in the next few weeks (days?) and have it ready for beta reading. It's been scoured over by some amazingly talented and supportive authors and will hopefully appeal to my amazing readers. Interested in beta reading? Send me an email (or PM or DM or whatevs)! I'm looking for super honest, super critical feedback. A thank you:As a small and not remotely equivalent token of my appreciation for all my wonderful readers, I'm posting the first page of Of Majick and Memories for your perusal. Hopefully it was worth the wait! With her crooked hand resting in her lap and the inhuman screams swirling overhead, Raelin shoveled down her watery gruel as fast as she could manage. Her hazel eyes tracked the fat overseer as he moved through the torchlit keep, slaves chained to each wall and pillar. Like every morning, he unlocked the slaves one by one and handed them over to his slave tenders to be yanked toward the market streets above. There was the sickly man with only three hairs, the listless woman, then the man who never stopped crying. The overseer ignored their moans of complaint, oblivious to their uneaten gruel now staining the sand of their underground keep.Raelin had no intention of starting the day on an empty stomach—not that this miserable soup really counted as food. Still, she downed it in great gulps like a whale in a swarm. Her mouth was still working down the last few bites when the overseer reached her. He wrapped a grubby hand around her too-thin arm, all but launching her toward the only exit. She managed to snap, “Get off me!”The overseer spun, beady eyes narrow even as his mouth fell open in disbelief. No slave would dare…She saw his hand fly back, knew that look, that arch all too well, but when she drew back, she ran into a stone wall of a man. Raelin fought off a smile as a strong hand caught the overseer’s strike mid-air. “I got this one, boss,” he said, his voice calm.Unable to retreat, Raelin squared her shoulders and stood tall.“Get her to her post,” the overseer growled, shuffling off to the next slave still hunched over his bowl.“I don’t need you to interfere,” she told the slave tender behind her. “If I remember correctly, I’ve told you that before. Every time I’m here, in fact.”“And if I remember correctly,” Inigo said, mimicking her tone, “I’ve told you not to mess with him. He’s not one to deal with your shit.”Raelin turned and painted on a girlish smile. “Not like you?”Inigo rolled his eyes and unlocked her manacles. “No, not like me. Ready to go?”

Guarding Reese is Live Today!

Only a few times a year do authors get to experience the rush of release day. Months of work and frustration and exhaustion all give rise to this one amazing day where dreams come true. And today is no exception. Guarding Reese is my first M/M romance (at least, for the main characters), the first of my stories to take place in my home town of Austin, TX, my first story being released as a boxset, and the first time my name could be on the USA Today Bestsellers list. I'm so supremely lucky to have an amazing family that supports my every crazy whim, like reading dozens of books a year or working full time as a teacher in a rough neighborhood or writing gay angel romance in my non-existent free time. I'm beyond lucky to have so many amazing readers who support me at every turn. I could not be more happy with my journey and how it has led me to this point. I sincerely love every one of you!

Review: Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

DO NOT *I repeat* DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS SERIES. SPOILERS ABOUND!...........SERIOUSLY! DON'T DO IT! SPOILERS!...........Okay, if you made it this far, you've at least started the Throne of Glass series and are ideally well into it. Because who could start it and not keep going? I'll admit that Throne of Glass wasn't my favorite read of the year, but I absolutely swoon over ACOTAR, so SJM stayed on my radar. I tend to look at her voluminous books and sigh and think, 'Damn I'll never have time to read all that.' And then in a stroke of optimism, I start. And then I'm hooked. This time, I read The Assassin's Blade to get refreshed with the series. It had been almost a year since reading Queen of Shadows, and the series is SO complex, I definitely needed to get back on board. And DAMN did I love Empire of Storms. Like, LOVED IT. All my favorite characters are back and the action is better than ever. There's also a ton of romance which is always appreciated. The writing is some of the best, the characters are dynamic and interesting, the settings are imaginative and the conflicts are heart-wrenching. I can't even with the end of this book! Sobbing over Aelin. Ugggghs! I need the next one NOW!Please excuse me while I continue to cry...

Some Big Changes in the Pipe!

The last few months have been fraught with major life changes, so keep reading to find out how they will affect what books you'll see in the future!1. We bought a house!In June, the hubs and I closed on a cute little property in the suburbs of Baltimore. We loved owning our own home in Texas and just loathed living in military housing in New Jersey. So this was a big step for us! Our new house is just lovely. I couldn't be happier about having our own space on a quiet little street in a town that has restaurants and shopping and is only 20 minutes from Inner Harbor and my favorite aquarium ever. Unfortunately, to get a house that met our needs (rooms for the kids, yard for the dogs, etc), we had to go to the very top of our budget. Which brings us to #2:2. I got a job!Writing is my passion but it doesn't necessarily agree with the bank account. Some months are great and others are depressing, but the mortgage has to get paid! So I got a full-time job to fill in the gaps. This year, I'll be teaching science at a local middle school. I'm excited to get back into the classroom and get my science on!But I also understand that means:3. Less time for writing :(Clearly a new town and a new house and a new job are going to take their toll on my writing routine. I won't have six to eight hours a day to update my website, post on social media, judge SPFBO, beta read budding authors, format ebooks, and of course, writing. I won't be able to publish 3-5 books a year. I'll be lucky to finish one...So going forward:4. I'm making some tough choices.Writing has to be the priority. I'm currently reading books and articles and doing everything I can to create a routine and maximize productivity in my now-limited writing time. I'll still be aiming for a minimum of 10,000 words each week. That means writing on my lunch break, writing in the afternoons, writing in the evenings, writing on the weekends. Basically, all the writing!That does mean some other things are going to have to go to the side. I won't be promoting my books through discount promotions as often. I won't be accepting beta reading gigs. And I won't be accepting new clients for formatting. I'll update my website (and this blog) only with big important announcements. Same for my newsletter. 5. The books are most importantLet's be real, you aren't here because you love my blog or my newsletter or my fancy website. You're here for the books. And that's the one thing that's not going to change. Here's what you can expect from me:Guarding Reese - This forbidden angel romance (M/M) is the story of an angel who falls for the man he watches over. It's about 80% complete (and hopefully finished in the next two weeks) and will be released in January as part of the Wings of the Wicked boxset. I'm really excited for this one!The Lightning Luminary - Yes, this is already a book in my catalog. But in Spring 2019, it'll be re-released as part of the Strange Magic box set of urban paranormal romance novels. The Sea Shade - Since the release of TLL in August 2016, it's been awaiting it's Part Two. And it's coming! You'll finally have the conclusion to Mason and Talia's Greek mythology-inspired romance!House of Birds and Beasts - This one is my big question mark. I love this book, but Raelin's story has received a wide variety of feedback. So I could publish it as is. Or I could make some big changes and publish it anew. Time will tell!Other projects in the works:-Possibly a sister series to The Alder Tales? Still hmmmming about this one!-A journal-format book chronicling the many failed attempts to woo a high school sweetheart (awww)-A novella trilogy expanding the world of Guarding Reese (but with demons!)I will do my best to keep you posted and keep producing the stories (the real reason we're all here, right?). Stay tuned!

Review: Orbiter 9 (Movie)

For those that don't know, I'm a military wife. That means I spend 3-5 nights a week sans husband. Most nights I choose to read (duh!), but every now and then I get in a movie mood. I typically browse Netflix and end up watching something random. In recent months, I've developed a fondness for movies with the Netflix logo on them. Movies like The Discovery, Spectral, ARQ, and What Happened to Monday? are all really enjoyable movies that I would never have watched without perusing the depths of Netflix's sci-fi and fantasy flicks. (That's not to say they don't have issues, because they each do, but on the whole I was glad to have watched them.)Last week, on a typically husband-less night, I went in search of something good--bonus points if he'd hate it!--and found Orbiter 9. I didn't recognize any of the main actors, but the premise sounded decent and I'm a sucker for a space romance. I was in! (Sapodilla.com)PremiseOrbiter 9 promised to follow Helena, the lone passenger of an interstellar colonization ship in need of repair. An engineer arrives to save the day, but he's the first person she's ever met (literally!). Cue awkward interactions. While I liked the general idea of the movie, I initially thought it really similar to Passengers. (And to be fair, I thought Passengers was okay. I liked the moral issues presented, but on the whole it was slow and pretty predictable.) Man and woman alone on a space ship who fall in love? I've seen this movie before...Anyhoo, I persisted!LanguageLo and behold, Orbiter 9 is actually a Spanish film! Who knew? Not this lady! It was directed by Hatem Khraiche and released in Spain in 2017 as Orbita 9. But growing up in Austin and frequenting the Austin Film Festival, I'm no stranger to a subtitle. I actually really enjoyed having to put down my phone and pay attention!(Blu-ray.com) CharactersCan I just say how refreshing it is to watch a movie with not a *single* actor I recognize? I get tired of seeing Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks in every movie. Let's mix it up!First up is Clara Lago as Helena. She's drop-dead gorgeous but has a really fresh look which I appreciated. She's alone on a ship with none but her mechanical nav program Rebecca as her companionship. Rebecca tends to be bossy (Time to get up, Helena!) more than friendly, but still, beggars can't be choosers, right? (Twitter.com)Helena as a character is lovely. She's obviously strong enough to endure the mental rigor of a lifetime of loneliness, has the self-control to eat the predetermined amount of 'food', and pushes herself to maintain her physical strength through rigorous exercise. But she's also really relatable. I couldn't help but feel for her when she meets another person for the first time and tries not to freak out. Next up is the engineer Alex played by Alex Gonzalez. He, too, is drop-dead gorgeous, as anticipated. He also apparently played Riptide in X-Men: First Class, but if you'd said you'd pay me a million dollars to figure that out without Google, you'd still have a million dollars... (Mubi.com)Alex starts off as the typical hot-and-silent type. He resists getting to know Helena--probably smart, he's soon leaving and never coming back--but who can really resist her sweet shyness?PlotAs previously mentioned, the movie has a Passengers feel. Helena is alone and the hottest guy in the universe shows up on her ship, and we all know where this is going...I watched the first twenty or so minutes with moderate interest. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Basic space tech. Basic hot people. Basic inevitable hooking up. But whoa! Not quite. My interest piqued as Helena climbed atop a sleeping Alex and gives him the 'I'm alone forever' speech. It was fun to watch him struggle and I enjoyed seeing Helena be brave for that moment. (If that was me, I don't know that I'd have the guts to do it!)Cue skipping into the sunset... er, galaxy? No!Not two minutes after the very predictable beginning portion of the movie was over, I watched Alex put on his space suit and LEAVE. Like, what? He's...supposed to stay and argue and decide a life with Helena in space is better than life on any other ship in space! All too soon, Orbiter 9 took the Passengers mold and shattered it! But I won't tell you how. Spoilers are mean. RomanceI'm including a segment here about the relationship itself. One of my big 'ughs' about space romances like Passengers, Interstellar, and even Wall-E: the characters have a lack of other viable options. Like two people who landed on the same deserted island, they don't really have any other choice. And that's lame. Orbiter 9 broke away from this trend by really exploring both Helena and Alex independently, letting them slowly simmer into a normal relationship, and only then putting the pressure on them to fight or give the other up. By the time they were fighting for it, I believed it. And that's wayyy better than the deserted island. Science Fiction ElementsObviously, there's a space ship. And that's cool. This one has the Rebecca unit to make things interesting, but a lot of space movies have a talking ship of some kind, so not all that unique. Elements I liked were the colonization program and how it was organized (and the conflict it created), some interesting door access methods, and the medical tech. Elements I disliked included a wolf (that's all I'm going to say). ConclusionWhile Orbiter 9 is by no means a perfect film, it was still a pleasant surprise. In a genre dominated by big names and big budgets like The Martian, Interstellar, The Last Jedi, and Annihilation, I'm sure Orbiter 9 will quickly fall into oblivion. But while it lived in the basement at Netflix, I enjoyed a different take on space romance.

An Introductory Guide to Reading Fantasy

This month's contribution to Fantasy Faction gives new fantasy readers a place to start. What's that? *Everyone* reads fantasy! Of course they do! But just in case there are readers who haven't taken the plunge into the best of genres, I've mapped out a book in each subgenre to get started! Art by Charlie BowaterEach selection is an easy-to-read, easy-to-get-into, and easy-to-love book. Many of them are YA, many have show or movie adaptations, many have die-hard fandoms. I chose authors with wide catalogs so that readers who loved one book would likely find other books by the same author they also loved. My article is published here at FF: http://fantasy-faction.com/2018/an-introductory-guide-to-reading-fantasyWhat books would you recommend? Leave a comment! And if you have any suggestions for subgenres not included (such as steampunk, cyberpunk, fantasy horror, etc) please leave them in the comments!

Turning a BIG Page!

Tomorrow, we're buying a house. Yes, A HOUSE! I am so freaking excited I can hardly type this. Two years ago, we sold our beloved house in Texas. It was a good move for us, the market was great, it set us up for the two years since. But I miss my house! I miss having A house!Sure, we live in a little townhouse in government housing, but it's not the same. I want a space that is mine, a paint color that is mine, a garden that is mine. I want to be able to leave my kid's pool in the yard without getting blasted on Facebook for it. I want a HOME!And boy is this one a beauty. It's located in a little town south of Baltimore just a few minutes from my husband's new job. It's almost 1,000 sqft larger than our current townhouse, and comes with a massive yard for our dogs. The previous owners completely remodeled it and in closing, we agreed they would cover the cost of a new roof. I mean, seriously. It's the perfect house for us! PS. I'll post a pic tomorrow!

An Upcoming Opportunity: I Need Your Help! Ahhh!

I have some exciting news! This spring, I was accepted to participate in an upcoming box set with 21 amazing authors! Here's the info:-'Angels and Demons' theme-YA/NA/Adult Paranormal Romance-Stories 30-60k words-Release Day scheduled for January 2019-Marketed at a low price (only $.99)!Okay, I can do that. I signed up for the boxset thinking I was gonna slam dunk this thing hard! And then I learned just how out of my depth I really am.This isn't a box set of just 22 random authors. These guys are big hitters. I'm talking USAT and NYT bestsellers, award-winners, cult favorites. They're sporting newsletters lists with 40 or 50 THOUSAND members. (In comparison, my newsletter list is under 2k...)I mean, these are some of the biggest authors in the genre. And somehow, I've snuck into their fortress and now I have to pretend to be in the cool kids club! Help!Throughout the many months until the box set goes live, authors will be given assignments to help make a big splash on the release day. This is where I could really use you! Please, please, please help me look cool in front of the cool kids! Last week, our assignment was to host an Amazon Giveaway and see who could get the most entries. And guess who won? NOT ME! Hahahaha like I had a chance! This week, we've been asked to create a Google Form to collect contact info for readers who would like to pre-order the box set on Nook and iBooks (because these numbers make a big dent in the release day numbers). If you're a B&N or Apple reader, could you do a girl a solid and sign up? I need you on this one!Click here to get notified on the Pre-Order Launch Day!Not a B&N or Apple reader? Here are some other ways you can help:1. Beta read! I could really use a large group of early readers to give it a go and let me know their thoughts. I'll just die if every book in this box set is amazing and mine is the turd ruining the punch!2. Recommend my books to your friends. I have the best, best, best readers! But I don't have very many of them, and the numbers are unfortunately what counts here. If your friends like my stories, they can sign up for my newsletter, then I don't look like quite such a loser to all the cool kids! 3. Keep an eye out for the next 'assignment'. I'll definitely need all the help I can get in this process. I'm so excited to learn more about how the big authors operate! And now, at last, do you want to know what my story is about? Rather than write a story focusing on both angels and demons, I decided to focus on angels. They are a paranormal element currently missing in my catalog, and I'm always out to try new things and get my hands dirty. It's a clean(ish) M/M romance about a guardian angel who falls for the man he watches over. Here's my first stab at the blurb:Not everyone is special enough to earn a guardian angel. Only the special few, the fated ones, those destined for greatness—they are the wards of a celestial being solely focused on their well-being and prosperity. Reese Townsend is one of those special people.All his life, Reese has been guarded by the angel Cassius. But unlike most angels, Cassius isn’t very good at protecting or watching or even keeping out of sight. As a child, he frequently forgot to hide his presence from Reese, and as boys, the two became close friends. When Cassius’s failure to protect Reese resulted in a major injury, the two were separated indefinitely.Now, Cassius is given a second chance to get it right. Nine years have passed since he’s seen Reese, and if he doesn’t fuck it up, he’ll get to watch over him for every day of his life. But Cassius has never been very good at keeping his distance and old habits die hard.And just because it's fun, I'm including my inspiration pics. For every book, I identify a basic physical description. Once I can visualize my characters in my head, they become real solid people. Here are the pics I used for Cass and Reese (because, hello, who doesn't like these?!)What do you think? Worthy to be in this amazing box set? Let me know what you think!