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Do we have other ecofiction authors in this group?
Hi Maia,I am an eco fiction author. My first novel, I CALL MYSELF EARTH GIRL was released in 2013. It is here on Goodreads, but I have more reviews on Amazon. When I wrote it, my working theory was that I had to create a compelling plot that would grab people in before I went into an environmental message. It is a rather unusual book and has been categorized broadly as science fiction and paranormal(both of which I think do not fit it very well), visionary fiction or mystical fiction (closer!) and time travel (well, sort of). I did not think about fitting into a specific genre when I was writing it and this was a mistake in terms of marketing.
I am working on the sequel now, and although it is only 4 years later, I think there is much more interest in ecofiction.
I would be interested in keeping up a conversation with you.
Jan
Wow, can't wait to check it out. Where are you based? I am in the US in New Jersey (and work in New York). My work is also visionary/metaphysical and I *did* dive right into the enviro-stuff. :-)
Just followed your author page and see you are just outside Boston. I was married there.
Hi,I was just thinking...maybe we could meet half way between Boston and NY or NJ sometime, and talk writing!
Sounds good to me! I'm in Weston once a year or so.
Just bought your book! Got the Kindle edition. Looks like paperback out of stock?
Weston would be great, if you have time when you are there.Thanks for buying my book. Much appreciated.
I need to talk to my publisher - Amazon keeps running out and I am not selling that many books, so I think the publisher must not be sending an adequate supply. Of course, ebooks save trees, right?!?
I write eco poetry which lies in the twilight zone between fact and fiction.
Good to hear Robert - do you have a page up?
I just use the goodsreads page for the first book. It has a link to my goodreads blog but traffic to that shrunk considerably when goodreads redid the home page layout.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Hi, I am trying to write ecofiction but have gotten a little bogged down with my novel. Honestly the election kind of derailed me and made me afraid for the future. The novel I am working on had the US split into regions ("federalized") and refugees moving north. While on one hand it is quite timely, on the other hand I started feeling scared and kind of paralyzed. I've still been blogging. I read and reviewed Jan's book on my blog last year: https://klallendoerfer.wordpress.com/...I'm excited to hear you are at work on a sequel, Jan!
And it is nice to meet you too, Maia and Robert! The writers' group that I am in here in CA is broader themed and not particularly focused on ecofiction, so I would love to have more interaction with other writers on that theme!
Nice to meet you! I had a similar experience writing The Erenwine Agenda - Hurricane Sandy (and a less contested federal election) happened mid-writing. The events threw me off until I saw the opportunity in them, to roll it all into the book and make a richer story. Took a while. And now the book is coming out! This spring. Actually just had my Goodreads author page approved a couple of hours ago so am doing a happy dance. Let's definitely stay in touch.
Robert, I just looked at the Goodreads page and I have added your book of eco poetry to my list. Sounds like it will give a lot to think about!
Karen wrote: "Hi, I am trying to write ecofiction but have gotten a little bogged down with my novel. Honestly the election kind of derailed me and made me afraid for the future. The novel I am working on had th..."Karen, the election had the same affect on me, especially the confirmation of Pruitt. I need to regroup and get back to work on the sequel. I didn't even realize you had written a review. I need to check it out. The book is kind of weird in many ways, so I am always interested in hearing what readers (especially other writers) think.
Karen, don't give up on writing your book - the more relevant the better. We need to keep our voices strong.
Maia wrote: "Nice to meet you! I had a similar experience writing The Erenwine Agenda - Hurricane Sandy (and a less contested federal election) happened mid-writing. The events threw me off until I saw the oppo..."Maia, congratulations...so glad your book will be coming out soon!
Jan,Thanks for adding the book to your list
I have been writing my four volume Eco-Fiction series, Infinite Games, for a long time. I self-published the first three with iUniverse and Kindle and the last volume will be out with a traditional publisher next summer. Whew! Check them out at my website, www.annispratt.com
Are you all aware of the websites Ecology in Literature and the Arts and also Eco-Fiction? Google them - great sources for interviews and sources of Eco-Fiction and Environmental writing and thinking.
The google+ stuff is nice but seems to work best as a place to randomly wander around in to see what you don't know.
Thank you Annis! Will check out your page.
Annis wrote: "Are you all aware of the websites Ecology in Literature and the Arts and also Eco-Fiction? Google them - great sources for interviews and sources of Eco-Fiction and Environmental writing and thinking."Thanks, Annis
Very excited to share that my Goodreads author page is up! https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... Working on a trailer now too. Will share when it is ready. What is everyone else working on today?
Maia, You have an impressive and interesting "resume." Best of luck with the trailer. I did one for my first (and only, so far) novel. I had someone do it for me. If I had it to do over again, I would have eliminated certain parts of it. At any rate, I don't think it attracted readers and probably did not really represent the book accurately. I would have been better off spending the money on a promoter. BUT, this is not to discourage you....just to share my experience. Keep in mind that I was brand new at all of this and didn't really know what I was doing! Jan
That is good to know! I am in the experimental phase with this and have a videographer creating it for me. Let's see what comes. :-)
You guys might like this! I put it together for architecture students but it will apply to ecofiction writing as well. LMK your thoughts. I feel like this little groups is my "glue" right now in getting ready to release the book and I appreciate your input!!! https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Hello,I have written THE FORESTER, which in my mind I consider to be EcoFiction. It is on Goodreads & Amazon as a paper book & a Kindle book.
I am presently working on my 2nd Novel or I should say Novella. It is called, "ECO - GUARDIAN Of NATURE - Can A Woman With Special Powers Save Earth From Global Warming?" I hope to release it this spring or in early summer.
I first came across the term "EcoThriller" in Writer's Digest Magazine a long time ago, but I like EcoFiction much better because it is more open & covers more types of stories & novels.
When I think about EcoFiction I always think about the movie, "Dances With Wolves" a story that changed "SocialJustice" & in my mind destroyed the famous "Cowboy/Indian Movie," which I was raised on. While "Dances With Wolves" changed "SocialJustice" it is my hope that EcoFiction will change "EcoJustice." After "Dances With Wolves" Keven Costner produced an 8 hour documental movie, much of it with his own money, a film called, "500 Nations" which you can watch on YouTube. It is a classic & I hope every person in the country will watch this film.
James Kraus
Hello again James! I've never seen 500 Nations, will look for it.
500 Nations is still there on YouTube. I just watch Kevin Costner give the Introduction in Part One. You have a Long session ahead of you, if you are planning to watch all of it? I have seen all of it twice. In the mid 1980s
It was on CBS for 2 hours per week for 4 weeks.
If you read The Forester you will find a very important Native American Sub-Plot on Cahokia, a Native American city
which was a major Native American city for almost 5 centuries, & which is now a state park a few miles east of St. Louis.
Cahokia is also in 500 Nations. If you type in Cahokia on Google you will get to the site & be sure & watch the video.
There is a whole sequence In The Forester about Cahokia because I love the role it played in our history. Almost
20,000 people lived there at one time & most of our history books fail to mention it. Perhaps another great American mystery as to
who are the important folks & who are not. An interesting perspective as we struggle with our present day politics? Oops I said a bad
word, politics, so I better end my comment.
JK
Mod
Long session ahead of you, if you are planning to watch all of it? I have seen all o..."
I'd like to see politics become a good word where we use it to create laws and regulations to build a better country and planet.
I wish we had more statesmen & less politicians. I think Jimmy is saying the same thing.Most people seem to want to shy away from discussing politics & religion, but however, values that shape most human behavior comes from the values that are formed from politics & religion, & one more influence, education. Education also has to include science. Maybe education is a better place to begin?
Hi, I'm Sandy. I joined this group a while ago but it has grown since the last time I checked in. I haven't been very active here in a while. I write a middle grade/YA series called Seed Savers. It takes place in the not-so-distant future where large corporations and government have merged and taken over the food supply (and media). I wrote the first book in 2010 and published in 2012. Trying to finish up the series now with book 5. I'll try to get back here soon and spend more time checking out all of your books and pages!! My website is http://authorssmith.com
Mod
Food security and energy security are inextricably linked, as we are currently 'eating oil' and 'eating freshwater' which may not be available in the future. The EU has again largely voted to forbid GMO growing this week. Plenty of food for thought for younger readers.
Hi all - sorry have been remiss in keeping up with the conversation here - getting ready for prerelease day for my novel next week! I have a new cover and have been fiddling with it on Goodreads to merge with the old cover. Here it is. I'm excited! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
The design is interesting. Is there a reason why you only used blue, instead of a collection of collars for the flare design.
Mod
Looks very interesting.
I have a comment on the blurb. This is presented as nine lines long and it is only two sentences. Cramming that much content into two readable sentences is commendable, but it can be a little harder to follow than if broken up into four or more sentences.
I'm not suggesting you dumb the content down, or you'll lose the readers you really want. But simplifying the presentation of the blurb looks more business-like as well as being easier on the eye. Imagine putting it into a PowerPoint presentation. Most potential customers decide in a few seconds if they want to buy a book.
The cover is attractive, but a little stark.
Thank you - very interesting - I will play with punctuation and pauses! As for the image - just feels right and at different scales of viewing.
Thanks and feel free to send me or post your own cover images here too! Great to share ideas and support. We are stronger together. And it's fun to interact when it is often so solitary in this process.
:-)
Mod
Mod
Dining Out with the Gas Giants
I'm looking at the future of the world as seen by a journalist in an alternative future London. I managed to work quite a few environmental themes into this third book, which also visits South America.
This is a summer book which is why I have colour themes of orange and red. I take the photos myself and my husband makes the covers. With an image from NASA as well. NASA is a great source and it's free.
Mod
Murder At Wicklow Mensa
Adventures of an Irish tree surgeon. Light crime with an environmental edge.
S. wrote: "Hi, I'm Sandy. I joined this group a while ago but it has grown since the last time I checked in. I haven't been very active here in a while. I write a middle grade/YA series called Seed Savers. It..."Hi Sandy,
I am working on the sequel to my first novel, I CALL MYSELF EARTH GIRL. I see a somewhat similar view of the future as you present it in your books. In my sequel, water has been completely privatized and that (combined with the effects of climate change) have caused a breakdown in society.
Jan
Maia wrote: "Hi all - sorry have been remiss in keeping up with the conversation here - getting ready for prerelease day for my novel next week! I have a new cover and have been fiddling with it on Goodreads to..."Hi Maia,
I've been fairly remiss myself. My mom died recently and I have sort of lost my "mojo." Anyway, I looked at both versions of the book cover and blurb. The blurb with the cover that looks likes stones and seashells is not as easy to read as the blurb with the cover with the blue flare. I actually like both covers, but I think the blurb with the blue cover is more likely to attract readers.
Jan
Maia wrote: "Thank you - very interesting - I will play with punctuation and pauses! As for the image - just feels right and at different scales of viewing.
Thanks and feel free to send me or post your own ..."
Hi Maia,
I've been somewhat remiss too. My mom died recently and I sort of lost my "mojo." But, I'm getting back to business now. Here is the cover of my novel published in 2013. I am working on the sequel now. The original book has an environmental message, but it is wrapped up in a story that would not be considered primarily environmental. I wrote it this way because I thought I would have more luck getting people to care about the environmental part if I first got them to be very curious about the plot and to feel concern about the characters. Successful? Well, I've only sold about 1000 in 3 years....so, I guess not very successful. But the people who read it and wrote reviews (around 50 on Amazon) seem to like it and some say it really made them think....so I consider that a plus! Anywhere here is the cover.
Jan wrote: "Maia wrote: "Thank you - very interesting - I will play with punctuation and pauses! As for the image - just feels right and at different scales of viewing.
Thanks and feel free to send me or p..."
Jan wrote: "Maia wrote: "Thank you - very interesting - I will play with punctuation and pauses!
As for the image - just feels right and at different scales of viewing.
Thanks and feel free to send me or p..."
Trying again to post cover. Just linking to Goodreads page now since I couldn't figure out how to get the cover on here. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Mod
As to the writing, the more books you have on the shelf, the more you sell. We are all hoping to get the message out, one reader at a time.
Clare wrote: "Dining Out with the Gas Giants
I'm looking at the future of the world as seen by a journalist in an alternative future London. ..."
Clare,
This series has such an intriguing premise. I've added it to My Read list. Good cover, but not sure by what you mean about a summer book and the colors.
Jan
Green Group
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I'm interested in connecting with others who are writing and currently (or will soon be) publishing ecofiction - please either write here to let me know or feel free to send me a private message, or email me at mkg@maiakumarigilman.com. Would love to learn more about your experience and to support one another in our efforts.
Thanks and have an inspired day. -Maia
p.s. If someone else has already begun a thread along these lines that I have missed, or if there is an additional group for this topic, please do let me know.
p.p.s. I am starting a new publishing company for inspiring environmental fiction and if you are interested in that, please also reach out.