Adri Sinclair's Blog, page 5

Adri’s Desk: I am too lazy to be a ‘professional’ Author – by Adri Sinclair the Unedited Romance Author.

Call it what you like, I call it good old fashioned laziness; and right now, I’m okay with it. See, I watch other Indie Authors Read More

#2 SoulStorm Poetry: Melancholy – by Adri Sinclair, the Unedited Romance Author

Melancholy  Copyright © 2016 Adri Sinclair Dear Reader, My name is Melancholy. I write this today, to let you know what goes on in my Read More

WIP #3: Starklings by Adri Sinclair – the Unedited Romance Author

Starklings  Copyright © 2015,2016 Adri Sinclair Chapter 1 Starkling’s Rescue “My name is Annabelle,” she wipes the tears from her eyes quickly and swallows. His Read More

#1 Adri in Afrikaans: ‘n Storie vir Daleentjie – by Adri Sinclair

‘n Storie vir Daleentjie Copyright © 2000 Adri Sinclair Hier is ek nou, terug op die plaas. My hart is aan vlarde en die aarde Read More

#1 SoulStorm Poetry: A Stranger in Hurt – by Adri Sinclair, the Unedited Romance Author

A stranger in hurt, A poem inspired by Amanda Palmer‘s blogpost: {Read post here} You do not know me, but I know you hurt. You say Read More

So this is happening, for real.

World Core Series © Adri Sinclair

Week 2 – Book 2:

Storytelling is a tricky thing. That is what my father always said. There are three sides to every story. Three components plaited together to create it:


Perception – to create a pillow upon which to rest a head full of dreams.


Interpretation – to create a blanket of goals and aspiration.


Facts – to harness the actions and reactions of reality and secure absolute knowledge.


 


Should one of the elements be missing, he explained, the story will unravel and you will be cold without the blanket, restless without the pillows and indecisive without the facts.


 


An unraveled story, is worthless because it does not contain history in myth, it only contains emptiness that swallows you whole and forces you not to exist. It does not give hope, or lessons, or warnings … It only gives darkness a voice to remind you, you are not yourself.


 


My father said that whenever I find myself in such a dark place, the light would only come when I get the story right.


When I weave the parts of it together that belongs to it.


When I stitch it back up to become, essentially, the truth of me.


 


While I am adrift in this dark place, I find it appropriate to recall this lesson and with it, question my story.


 


What is it that the Overseers wish to destroy? The Guardians wish to ignore? The prince of Maìro wishes to own?


Maìro.


If I continue on the path I started:


I destroy Maìro – the Overseers are happy because they do not have to answer anyone about their little scheme of forced colonization.


Maìro’s energy depletes – the Guardians are happy because that means no more killing off worlds to cover up genocide.


That leaves me with Prince Eillo Gharm, the Source of Maìro – Without the restriction of a world, he would have full access to me and the resources of Cor-Si.


 


The problem is, my story is unraveling because I learned that Maìro’s history is stored with Overseer’s knowledge. The Guardians appointed Maìro to find and protect their hearts and Prince Eillo Gharm loves his world enough to die for it.


 


The one thing all of them have in common is me.


A female, born with skills in line with Maìro’s Prince – I can astral travel.


A female, born with skills in line Cor-Si’s Overseers – I can call on my subconscious mind to become conscious all the while protecting myself with energy.


A female, born with skills in line with the Guardians – I can track spaceships with the naked eye and generate otherworld core energy.


 


They all seem to know something about me that I do not. They all seem to want something from me that I cannot identify. They all seem to tell me half-truths and whole lies to keep me in the dark.


 


Father was right; storytelling is a tricky thing. He never told me about collaboration of stories. How the story, history, myth and legends of another author’s life, can distract, influence and derail my own.


 


Perception to create a pillow to rest a head full of dreams. My head was so full of legends and myths that I could not perceive the dream of who I am because I was too busy living someone else’s story.


Interpretation to create a blanket of goals and aspiration. My goals and aspiration was to protect my family when it should have been self-preservation. I clung to the explanations handed to me by history so hard, my fingers tore the blanket before I even knew I had one.


Facts to harness the actions and reactions of reality and secure absolute knowledge. The facts presented itself at the very moment I found myself paralyzed by ignorance of my reality.


Only now, while my mind is quiet and I single out my own story, can I start weaving and stitching my way into a future, without re-telling or re-living the past.


 


The question I need to find the answer for is not who I am. I know who I am. The truth of me is a cookie-cut pattern of repeated expectations.


 


The question I need to find the answer for, is what am I?


 


I know I am not the Overseer of Cor-Si.


I know I am not Source of Maìro.


I know I am not a instrument of Guardians.


 


But what am I?


 


Eillo may be right.


 


I am a stubborn little creature, and I do not play by the rules.
World Core Series © Adri Sinclair

World Core Series © Adri Sinclair

Pay what you can: My new outlook on writing.

In just a few days, the two books published with Booktrope will be removed from Amazon. It is a bittersweet moment. Sweet because the drama and stress surrounding those books reached a critical point and I am glad it is over – bitter because they are being removed and I am not sure I have it in me to re-do the entire lot for a third time.  I am not there, and I am not ready to deal with that. From this point onwards, I do owe a debt to the formatter/editor/proofreader from BT. This was her livelyhood too. The books will go up on Lulu.com – but I take the lead from her. When she’s ready, I’ll figure it out. Untill then … who knows?

So here is what is happening inbetween:

I have published (on Amazon) three titles: Turn to Ash, Touch & Destroy, Food for Thought. These three titles are currently published under the Barefoot Romance, UK banner. Do I care for the sales? Yes, it would be handy. Am I going to push for the sales? Absolutely not.

Instead, I have set up a donation tipjar on the Barefoot Romance, UK website. There, you can read just about all my writing as I slowly but surely start to transfer it all. It is a lot of work, people do not realise what goes into producing a eBook. But … My dream has always been, and still is, to share my writing. To provide a little escapism here and there; even if it is just for long enough to make up your mind that you hate it. Or love it. Or are indifferent.

The pay what you want allows you not to feel guilty about reading. If you don’t want to, or can’t pay – NO PROBLEM. There are so many ways to help authors, and money is not my goal here. So by all means, stop in at my library, nab yourself one of my books, or all of them, and consider the following:

You can help by leaving a comment.


You can help by telling your friends.


You can help by doing a review, or joining discussions on the

fanpage.

You can help by sharing the links.


You can help by giving feedback.


You can help by offering proofreads.


You can help by offering Beta reading.


You can help by encouraging the Author to write more! 

Those are not things that cost you anything – well, maybe a bit of time and we know time IS money … but kindness goes a long way.

Many authors are lost since Booktrope announced their closure. Others are even more driven while others like me? We reinvent ourselves and take stock of what is important.

Yes, there is a MASSIVE vulnerability in doing things this way. My books may be stolen, my stories may end up on pirate sites (though to be fair, I don’t have issues with that!). But the more of you who read it, the more security I will gain too. The more people are aware of ME writing those stories, the easier it will be to pick up on the plagiarists out there. The more you support me, the more you know my style and my words and my characters … The less chance there is of being hard done for.

I do not ask, and I will not beg – so I leave you with a thought: Authors are struggling. Amazon and other platforms are chewing us up and spitting us out as if we are nobody and nothing. Our readers are genuinely coerced to stay with them because ‘Brand Names!’ are still important. To gain the traffic and the leads Amazon has, we have to stop writing and promote full time. It is a catch 22. But here is what I’d like you to do – best part is, it is free – YES EVEN GUILT FREE!

Help the authors out there, by helping yourself to the offers they present with an open mind.

That is all.

Adri.

Afrikaans: Vervolgverhaal – ‘n Storie vir Daleentjie.

Groot Marico Dam

Hier is ek nou, terug op die plaas. My hart is aan vlarde en die aarde weier om my in te sluk. Seker ook maar goed so, want ek is bitter tot in my siel.

My naam is Daleen Nuwenhage. Ek is tans 25 jaar oud en ‘n oujongnooi. Nee wag, dis die verkeerde woord, ek is ‘n weduwee. Ja dis reg. Ek het hom in my gedagtes sommer twee keer vermoor. Werf-hond!

My mense noem my Daleentjie, maar my Ouma het ‘n spesiale naam vir my gehad toe sy nog gelewe het. Maar nie op Sondae nie, op Sondae was ek net Daleentjie. Ander dae het Ouma my hele, volle naam gebruik: “Daleentjie, Jirre Weet, wat doen jy nou?”  of “My kind, Jirre Weet, jy maak my mal.” Ek is seker as Ouma hier was vandag, het sy hom sommer vir ‘n derde keer gemoor ook. – sug –

Ek is lief vir die plaas. Groot Marico se wêreld is nie sommer vir elke bog-kind nie. Maar dis ‘n mooi wêreld en dis myne. Hier kan ek “Onthou jy nog” speel, lag en meer lag. Tussen die droogtes en die maroela bome, die bobbejane en die tierleeutjies in die sand, vind ek my beste drome. Maar die glans op die dam is verleë en vra vir reën, net soos my hart op die drumpel van ‘n woestyn trippel.

Gelukkig is hier ‘n baie unieke kans om nuwe hoop te vind. Alleen. Sonder die skynheilige sement oerwoud wat beloftes maak met groot pryse. Sonder die leeglê plan van sielsiekke mense wat net vat en vat. Sonder my hart. Sonder my Oumense. Sonder my familie. Hier is my eerste liefde die aarde waarop ek kaalvoet huppel en die son wat geen inhibisies het nie.

Dis tyd.

My naam is Daleen Nuwenhage. ‘n Naam wat erg ontsmaaklik in my krop steek. En die, is my storie.

Daleentjie se Storie © Adri Sinclair

 

 

News: Adri Sinclair, moving forward.

The past year has not been easy and yet, there were so many highlights. Now with chapters closing, it is time for new chapters to open. So here we are. First of all, this page is my vanity Author page. What does that mean? It means that news and updates will happen from this page.  I am not a blogger. I struggle with the daily routine and no matter how hard I try, I always end up choosing to write a new story over writing a blog. I will, however, have a monthly update of where we are at. With #Booktrope closing down, there’s a lot happening behind the scenes. My focus however, is not in looking back, but looking forward.

So what can you expect?New covers to be designed for the existing books. While those books will not be published on the official platforms, after a few more adjustments and added scenes, they will be made available, free to read, on the Barefoot Romance Publishing,UK website with the option to pay what you think it is worth. I am sad to lose the cover we have for Carmina and I know it was a great hit with you all. I will not, however, apologise for my decision but hopefully, you will enjoy what I conjure up eventually. Why do this Adri?

Because it has never been about money for me, and while giving away the books always leaves me vulnerable to the vultures and the predators out there, I maintain my vision of having my work read. 

New website updates. As I am under legal obligation to change logos etc due to copyright exclusivity held by Wicked Book covers & Lori Follette, I have to go through my websites meticulously and remove all branding and recognisable work done by Lori. I would STILL highly recommend her services to anyone searching for unique, 3D designed covers. this being said, .mobi – .epub – .pdf files of my work will be available directly from the Barefoot Romance Publishing,UK website ASAP.

New Social Media platforms. This was just quicker and easier to do, and while I am sad to loose all the hard work everyone [including myself] has done to build those platforms, I am not confident that I won’t miss anything on the legal resolution. For now, my two platforms of choice is FaceBook-Author Page & Twitter. To be added will be G+. However, this will be a professional set-up. Don’t expect me to cater to every whim and detail all the time. The idea behind social media author platforms is to provide an experience to readers who are genuinely interested in my writing. It is NOT a sales platform. You will be made aware from time to time of sales, or freebies or new work available but ultimately, I am sticking to the “My Page, My Rules” principles.

Hash Tags: #MyRomanceMyRules  #MyVampiresMyRules #MyPNrMyRules #MyPageMyRules are all registered hashtags. Use it, don’t use it. I am waiting on a registration of one more #BarefootTribal

Editing/Proofing of Books. By no fault of anyone’s, it was reported that there are a few mistakes in both the #Booktrope published editions. Not to worry, I’ve already fixed those – but you will also find in the new editions, there will be several scenes added. My current vision is to have all three the books presented as ONE title, and as complete as possible. The Second Breath Series will continue but hopefully, it will be more than just the ‘Carmina’ books. Ash & Agri’s story is being re-written [yet again] as we speak, and it too will contain a lot of new information. As I do not have the wonderful service of Tabatha Rhodes available to me, don’t expect miracles. I am not certain at this point if she will be taking on new work – but if you are ever in need of someone to do a great job – this lady should be your first stop.

Series Breakdown. The Second Breath Chronicles will be broken down from now on, into several categories which will make it easier to identify a trilogy/omnibus.

Example:

Second Breath Chronicles: Casters;

Second Breath Chronicles: Vampires

and so forth.

As you can see, this is but a start. There are formatting that needs to happen, re-writes, designs, and much more – what happens behind the scenes is often not taken into consideration when readers look at a book. I am OKAY with that. I am NOT OKAY with complaints because I don’t do things as fast as others do. While my love for writing will always burn bright, my health and family will always take priority.

Authors enjoy getting feedback, input and making a personal connection – but I myself am not in the habit of making friends with all the readers personally. It is not because I don’t want to, it is because I do not have the capacity to nurture each connection into a full blown friendship AND maintain it. Inevitably someone will feel put out because I will drop the ball.

I do have a team of helpers, and I am very appreciative of them. There WILL be times when I just don’t want to post to Social Media or websites or blogs – there WILL be times when I just cannot be bothered to promote – those are the times I rely heavily on the helpers. Look out for more details on how to join this crew and have a lot of fun!

That is my mind-dump for today. I am sure I’m forgetting a ton of stuff, but honestly? I am excited to get back to the real writing…

 

When my Publisher closed their doors, I wished them well.

Romance Author Adri Sinclair, is going back to school…

For months, I’ve been battling demons on a whole different level – in fact, for just on a year. When my books were accepted by Booktrope for publishing, it was a major highlight and a brand lease on the ‘behind the scenes’ health issues. I met amazing people, and some of the relationships I thought would blossom, didn’t. Others I thought would die, didn’t. It was certainly a huge learning curve but it gave me something to focus on. It forced me to reach deep and do more than just wait for the inevitable ‘final blow’.  It gave me a reason to fight hard, play hard, cry hard, live hard – and now, peace out hard.

Things weren’t good under the hood of the Booktrope vehicle. That much I realised early on. I refuse to bad-mouth, throw tantrums or play the blame-game. It would not do me or anyone any good. I had my misgivings and tried twice to leave the environment; only to find there’s still fight left in me, and maybe, just maybe, I can do better. Well… that certainly was the case for me; but obviously not for Booktrope.

So, I wish them well – All of them. It is never easy to make a decision like this – it is also not easy to hear news like this. But in the end, the most important thing is not ‘Who is to blame’ but ‘What am I going to do about it?’.

Me? Nothing. My books won’t be republished and when my daughter is of legal age to enter into a contract, she can decide what she wants to do with them. I am writing a new series though, and by way of teaching Kitter the ropes of Indie publishing, I will publish those … eventually.

But to those Authors, Editors, Book Managers, Creative Designers, Proofreaders and Formatters in the same raft trying to figure out what’s next, I have some thoughts and ideas. And I will only make this one post about it.

Put on your big-person attitudes and stop the fighting and start adulting. Stop the arguing. Stop the finger pointing and the blame-games. It contributes nothing but more anxiety and more panic, more anger and more fear.
Take your time and grief for your loss. There are five stages of grief, and we can get through it pretty quickly when we allow ourselves the time to do so. What are you grieving for? Well… whatever it is that you think you’ve lost. Security, money, friendships, trust, loyalty … it is all relevant and valid. Like with anything, it is the end of a life-episode, and while it pales by comparison to some things going on with us, we simply have to go through it. There are no ways around it, over it, under it.
Now that you’ve had your personal moment, consider the options. There are many and none of them are terrible. Focus on what you need to do for you. Not what you think you’re owed or who did what [or is doing what.] We are creative people, we have creative minds. Apply those.

I know, I know, easier said that done right? But it is easier when you focus on what needs doing right now, and prepare for what you want to achieve. Nobody wanted this. Nobody actively seeks to fail at anything. Some of us can step away with guilt, bruised egos and perhaps even a few smudges on our vanity selfies. But when it is all said and done  – and it will all be said and done – you are left with YOU to make the move that sees you come out on top.

Don’t give in to the very thing that destroyed something beautiful – as I believe that the Booktrope dream was/is a worthy one and perhaps it will be revived and rebirthed like a phoenix from its ashes. Until then… use those ashes to reinvent yourself, and rise above the ashes, rise above the pettiness and remember who you are as a person – and if you are just innately an asshole … I for one already have an asshole, so … you know … I’m not buying what you’re selling.

Ultimately, I state again:

I wish you all well. I wish for you the success you envision 100 times over. I wish for your happiness and peace to return. And if I meet my maker before you do – I will sure try to put in a good word.

Thank you:

Daler Reierson; Lori Follette; Tabatha Rhodes; Majanka Verstraete;

Cynthia Dawn Tayler; Jessica Deirfield;

Danielle Melekian & Ashley Byland.

Thank you Booktrope.