Reece Evhans's Blog, page 3

2014 YA/NA Blogfest Giveaway!!!

I have the privilege of taking part in this great event. I am excited to take over the blog on Oct. 21 when  I will be posting the latest information on The Seeker Series, including a COVER AND TITLE REVEAL for Book 3!! October 15 will be a fun HOTTEST GUY CONTEST, and I need your help to make sure either Jack or Rémy gets plenty of votes. In the meantime, hop on over to the blog site: http://mycrazzycorner.blogspot.com/p/blogfest-giveaway-us.html and enter to win a $10 amazon giftcard and a copy of either THE STERN AND WILD ONES or THE CHARGE OF A STAR. There are tons of other great giveaways, too. October will be a great month for checking out YA and NA authors. You might just find a new fav!!!!

Is your manuscript in its eighth trimester? It may be time to induce

revhans:

Great post…and funny! Kind of a Just Do It encouragement. Highly recommended.

Originally posted on Ned's Blog:

Though I’m still working on the eBook version of my Nickel’s Worth on Writing, that doesn’t mean I’ll be using it as an excuse to stop posting my weekly NWOW. No way! I’ll use a fictitious illness for that. Speaking of fictitious, this weekly feature was recently recognized by Publisher’s Weekly as offering “A level of writing insightfulness rarely seen outside of mental [writing] institutions…”

But enough accolades!

Let’s face it, editing the second draft of your story or manuscript is like a visit to the proctologist: You want it to go quickly; you want to avoid too much grimacing; and you know before you get start there’s going to be too much crammed in. Yet statistics show that early detection of grammatical “polyps” is the most effective way to prevent the spread of bad writing.

But apparently not horrible analogies like this one.

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What is the purpose of YA fiction? What should and shouldn’t it do – and how? by Alexia Casale

revhans:

A good post that discusses a difficult topic. As a YA author whose books have been called “a bit dark”, I appreciate this author’s treatment of the subject.

Originally posted on Luna’s Little Library:

A British-American citizen of Italian heritage, Alexia is an editor, teacher and writing consultant. After studying psychology then educational technology at Cambridge, she moved to New York to work on a Tony-award-winning Broadway show before completing a PhD and teaching qualification. In between, she worked as a West End script-critic, box-office manager for a music festival and executive editor of a human rights journal. Alexia has always wanted a Dragon; luckily, she has her very own rib in a pot…

Her debut novel, The Bone Dragon, was published in 2013.

What is the purpose of YA fiction? What should and shouldn’t it do – and how?

These are surprisingly divisive questions, but there are two main categories of opinion that I’m interested in. Both see YA fiction (and literature in general) as an important part of learning about the world and growing up: a way to vicariously live other lives…

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Book Review: The Stern and Wild Ones

I got a great review for my debut novel from BookViral! Click on the link and check out their website.

“Quickly entangling readers in a web of mystery and intrigue, The Stern And Wild Ones is the debut YA Fantasy novel from author Reece Evhans and Book I in The Seeker series. A relatively short read, Evhans isn’t an author to wallow in superfluous detail as she quickly gets to the crux of her tale. She knows her audience and wants her readers to readily relate to Ally as she emotionally and physically comes to terms with her gift. A little dark at times, revelations and action come thick and fast as the plot gathers momentum, with loyalties and friendships put to the test. With particularly well nuanced dialogue, Evhans ensures the voices of her protagonists are markedly different, which allows her to keep momentum in the foreground whilst allowing her characters to mature. It’s a balancing act between a developing romance and the clear and present danger that prevails and Evhans manages it with genuine flair as she lays the groundwork for future releases in the series.

 

Certain to find favour with fans of YA Fantasy fiction, The Stern And Wild Ones proves a highly entertaining debut. Setting the bar high for future releases in The Seeker series, it receives a strong BookViral recommendation.

5 Things You Should Never Say to an Indie Author

revhans:

I love this post! Thanks, Sarabeth!

Originally posted on Sarahbeth Caplin | Author & Christian Feminist Thinker:

The next installment of the Indie Author Life series:

This post can apply to a variety of people, not just authors. Some of it also applies to traditionally-published authors. Bottom line: ignorance of the publishing industry is a daily reality that drives us crazy at best, and makes us wonder why we bother writing at worst.

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The Seeker Series Book 2: The Charge of a Star

NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM

The much-anticipated sequel to The Stern and Wild Ones.

 

Meet Ally, a 17 year-old who also happens to be psychic. Oh, and she’s getting more psychic with every passing day, so much so that she’s been sent to Ireland to check in with the Seer Council to see what’s up with her freaky new powers.

Jack is her 19 year-old boyfriend, a former trouble-maker who is back on track and trying desperately to graduate. His plans did not include falling in love with psychic trouble-magnet.

Just last month they worked together to save a friend in deep trouble and ended up exposing a steroid ring at their school. This month there’s a new guy at school who seems just a little bit too interested in Ally for Jack’s liking. And why does Ally keep dreaming about a kidnapping? Last month seems like a cake-walk as Jack has his work cut out for him to just keep Ally alive.

Writing Tips by J.K. Rowling

revhans:

This is a great post. Thanks, Nicholas!

Originally posted on Nicholas C. Rossis:

Image credit: Daniel Ogren on flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/27077452@N04/4513125422). Reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0

I think that most writers admire J.K. Rowling.  We’ve heard how she spent hours writing her books in an Edinburgh café (I vote for Nicholson’s, but Edinburgh café owners seem entangled in a heated debate regarding which one she actually preferred, and I have heard a number of possible options, never quite sure as to which one is the true one. Could it be she frequented more than one??). We know how her manuscripts were declined by an astounding number of publishers (something that most writers experience), how she was broke but still wrote and how eventually she managed to turn things around for herself.  The rest is history, and I guess that most authors, whether self-published or trad-pub, pray night and day that they will have her good fortune (I know I do).

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that anything…

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Indie Author: A Steep Learning Curve

So to celebrate my 1 month publication anniversary, I thought I would write a post about the lessons I’m learning in the exciting world of indie publishing. Part of my reason for creating this blog was to chronicle my journey as an author in the hopes that it would help and inspire other would-be or new indie authors.

It’s kind of funny that as I sat down to write, I noticed that I had a question posted from a reader on GoodReads about what advice I would give new authors trying to get their foot in the door. If I actually had a foot in any kind of door, I would feel much better about answering that question. 

So, 1 month and 2 days ago I made the decision to publish my debut YA novel on Kindle (it’s blasted all over the margins of this blog–feel free to buy it). I had spent a few months querying agents and no one seemed interested, so I figured I would just get it out there for people to read and see what the general public thought of my writing. I also went through the process of creating the paperback version (kind of a pain in the ass, but holding my shiny new paperback=love). I’m glad I made the decision to indie publish, because it seemed to improve my mood/outlook on writing in general. Maybe it’s just the fact that it’s out there, in the hands of readers vs. daily watching my inbox  for yet another rejection letter.

My sales numbers during 5 day free promotion (so no sales, just free downloads) were pretty good: near 650. The actual sales since have been fairly dismal. Well, I can’t blame anyone since I like a free-read as well as the next guy.

I’ve been actively promoting myself on twitter, even paying for a couple days of tweet-your-books promos, which got me a lot of new followers, but, sadly, few sales. The main thing I’m trying to do on twitter is build relationships with other authors and readers by retweeting them and posting good articles and blogs about writing. I’ve also listed a giveaway on GoodReads (3 signed paperback copies) that seems to be getting a good response.

Reviews are an area I’m still learning about. I have 4 really great reviews on amazon and a 5  star rating on GoodReads, so at least a few people like what I write. I haven’t had any bad reviews yet and will probably cry/get drunk/jump off a cliff when that happens. I do realize that not everyone will love what I write, but I’m not ready for the reality of that quite yet. I’ve just been accepted by two bloggers to review my book, so I hope to have some more reviews soon. 

The main thing I’m working on is getting the second book in the series published soon, hopefully in a few weeks. I’m polishing it right now and getting some help with the book cover. I can’t yet afford to actually pay anyone for this, so it’s slow going. I have some lovely, loyal beta readers that I rely on for content suggestions. I’m thinking of making the first book in the series permanently free when the second book comes out, in the hope that people will get hooked. I would love to know your thoughts/experience with this.

Anyhoo, this is my publishing journey so far. I’d love to hear about yours. I hope this encourages and inspires someone. Best of luck to you.

If I Were a Newly Self-Published Author, What Steps Would I Take To Succeed?

revhans:

This is a really great post. I hope it inspires you as much as it did me. I recommend you follow Bob’s blog. It looks like he’s got some great stuff for fellow indie authors.

Originally posted on Write on the River:

Recently, on an online course at Write It Forward on marketing, I was asked point blank by a self-published author in essence:

How does a newly self-published author succeed in this new landscape of self-publishing?

I’ve thought long and hard about this and give my answer based on 20 years of traditional publishing and two years of indie publishing experience.

Understand that there is no secret handshake.  No miracle answer that will break you out next week.  If there were, everyone would be doing it.  The key is to what everyone isn’t going to do.  Which is stick around for the long haul.

The steps:

Write really good books.   This seems so apparent most people don’t understand why I mention it.  The reason is, your first book probably isn’t going to be that good.  Most likely not your second.  Your third might start hitting it, if you are…

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GoodReads Giveaway!!!!

Enter to win a paperback copy of The Stern and Wild Ones

To celebrate the release of the print edition, I’m giving away 3 signed copies of my YA debut novel, The Stern and Wild Ones, on GoodReads.

Enter Here