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Posts Tagged ‘e-publishing’

Frustration

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 20, 2013| 4 Comments »

It’s part of life. It’s certainly part of a writer’s life. Some days, you just wonder why you keep beating your head against the same walls–time after time.

I’m frustrated today and I’m just going to have to work through it. That’s a skill you’ve just got to learn. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t get you down every now and again.

Right now, nothing seems to be working out how I’d planned or hoped. That doesn’t mean that they won’t work out–eventually. One way or another. 

Even my current WIP has decided to grow a will of its own and take off in an unplanned direction. But there’s the bright side in all of this. Because I’ve decided I like the new direction better. It works. Does that mean I’ll have to revise some of the 20,000 words I’ve already written? Sure. But I was going to have to do that anyway. I’ve never yet written anything that was perfect on the first draft. That’s not what first drafts are for.

So, I’ll keep plugging away at the stuff that is working–and at the stuff that’s not working yet.

And, on that note, check out Wattpad for new chapters of FIRE AND EARTH and BLOOD WILL TELL. And, if you like what you read–or even if you don’t–leave a little comment, please. Right now, in all aspects of my writing, I’m hearing mostly crickets, which is just a little discouraging.

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One Step Forward . . .

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , on March 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

You know the rest. I don’t even have to say it, do I?

Well, as for steps forward, the fourth chapter of BLOOD WILL TELL is now up on Wattpad:

BLOOD WILL TELL, Chapter 4

In addition, the first chaptr of FIRE AND EARTH is now up there, too, with this (provisional) cover. (I may tinker with it some more, but you get the general idea.)

Fire And Earth Cover (Provisional)

My next task in figuring out this promotion thing is to gather myself together and explore audio books. For a long time, I was thinking I could do this myself. Well, maybe I can with one or more of the shorter works, but I simply don’t have a trained voice to do a full novel. Know your limitations. So, I need to go over to ACX and see what I can do there to find someone better equipped to do it for me. Now that FIRE AND EARTH is in the mix, maybe I’ll use that one. It only has two POV characters.

Meanwhile, I’m still writing on an (unplanned) project. When I picked this up, it was supposed to be something short that I could work on while choosing my next project. Like so many of my stories, it had a mind of its own. It’s going to be at least a novella–and quite possibly may want to grow up into a novel. The world, I think, is rich enough. I’m just starting a love triangle, which is something a little new for me.

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Read an E-Book

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 3, 2013| 2 Comments »

ebook week

I’m participating in Read an E-Book Week this week over on Smashwords. Two of my e-books are half-price this week:

Blood Will Tell

Blood Will Tell Cover

And “The Music Box”

MusicBoxCoverSmall

Are half-off this week, so go check them out.

Otherwise, things that I’ve learned I need to work on, coming mostly out of IndieReCon, are:

  • SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
  • I’m going to be looking into setting up my own mailing list of people who volunteer to learn about upcoming publications. There are a couple of details I need to take care of before I can proceed with this.
  • Audio books. I need to stop pretending I’m going to be able to record them myself. I don’t have the equipment, time, or a trained voice that will stand up to the strain. I might still manage one of the short stories. Otherwise, I need to start exploring some of the other options available.
  • I’m also going to explore serializing over on Wattpad to introduce more readers to my writing. What I still have to decide here is whether to start with BLOOD IS THICKER or go back and start with BLOOD WILL TELL. (BLOOD IS THICKER is the sequel to BLOOD WILL TELL.)

So, look forward to more posts as I explore these areas.

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This Week is for Learning

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 20, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I’ll be over at IndieReCon most of today, trying to learn about this marketing thing that I still haven’t figured out. Pop on over. It’s free.

Meanwhile, I’m working on my query pitch over at the workshop preceding WriteOnCon’s Luck of the Irish Pitch Fest.

And Saturday, I’ll be taking a class on how to make a chain mail bracelet. Just in case, you know, I ever write a character who makes chain mail.

English: ChainMaille Dragon's Back Bracelet or...

English: ChainMaille Dragon’s Back Bracelet or Roundmaille Weave Made from non-tarnish silver Artistic Wire Jump Rings from Beadalon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

All while still working on the revisions of THE BARD’S GIFT (so it will be ready for that pitch fest up above) and trying to keep up with my critiques.

My head may explode.

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Looking Forward

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 2, 2013| 1 Comment »

I gave up making resolutions a couple of years ago. No one keeps them. Instead, I try to make goals. Goals–good ones, anyway–are concrete and are able to be broken down into achievable steps. There’s a much better chance of at least making progress toward a goal than there is of keeping a resolution. At least, there is for me. So, here are my writing goals for 2013:

  1. Get THE BARD’S GIFT in shape to start querying it. It’s going out for critiques this month. Then revisions and polish. Plus, of course, getting the query in shape and writing the evil synopsis.
  2. Get MAGE STORM into shape to start querying it again. It’s been off the market since last March. This one is still in the hands of a very thorough critique partner.
  3. FIRE AND EARTH, too. This one is currently in the hands of a mentor from Pitch Wars. Once I hear back, beat it into shape and get it out there again. If I haven’t found an agent for one of the above by the end of 2013, I’ll e-publish FIRE AND EARTH.
  4. Whip BLOOD IS THICKER into shape and e-publish it.
  5. Enter Writers of the Future at least one quarter.
  6. Write the first drafts of two new novels. One will be the rewrite of MAGIC’S FOOL (which I have outlined and ready to go). The other will likely be one of the two shiny new ideas that came to me in the last couple of months. I’m excited by both of them, but I have more world building and prep work to do before either is really ready to go.
  7. Learn and improve.

I have a list of personal goals, too, but this post is already long enough.

Happy–and productive and successful–New Year!

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Back to Work

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 26, 2012| 2 Comments »

Due to Christmas baking, sappy Christmas movies that I wouldn’t miss for the world, and, well, Christmas, I haven’t gotten much writing done in almost a week. Okay. Vacation over. It’s time to get back to work.

I still have to finish revisions to my short story that won an Honorable Mention from Writers of the Future a little over a year ago. It’ll need a new title, too, since I mean to give it another chance. This time, I hope to bring it to a much stronger action.

I also have to wrap up a few revisions to the start of MAGE STORM. THE BARD’S GIFT is ready for readers next week and I haven’t heard back yet from my Pitch Wars mentor (I’m first alternate) on FIRE AND EARTH.

That’ll clear the decks for me to start a new story in the new year. It’s looking like it just might be the weird Oz story, since that’s the one my subconscious keeps throwing up ideas for.

And, as incentive for me to get my act together, here’s what I found in my inbox this morning from Amazon:

E-mail from Amazon

E-mail from Amazon

 

That’s my latest story, “Becoming Lioness”, right at the top. *Happy dance.*

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“Becoming Lioness”

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , on December 9, 2012| 2 Comments »

“Becoming Lioness” is now available at Smashwords or Amazon for $0.99. It’ll be available on other sites as soon as it gets into Smashwords’ premium catalog.

Living among a people who distrust magic in any form, Kiara has a secret. She can sense magic in others and she’s maddeningly sure that she has the potential for magic, too. She just can’t quite reach it. Considering the way her people react to magic, that might be just as well. 

When her people are threatened, Kiara must make the choice whether to reveal her hidden talents in order to save them. And to trust the one man who can help her learn to use her magic–the same man who betrayed her trust once before.

 

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Cover Reveal for “Becoming Lioness”

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , on December 5, 2012| 2 Comments »

My novelette, “Becoming Lioness” will be e-published next week. Here’s the cover:

h

 

And the blurb (subject to editing):

Living among a people who distrust magic in any form, Kiara has a secret. She can sense magic in others and she’s maddeningly sure that she has the potential for magic, too. She just can’t quite reach it. Considering the way her people react to magic, that might be just as well.

 When her people are threatened, Kiara must make the choice whether to reveal her hidden talents in order to save them. And to trust the one man who can help her learn to use her magic–the same man who betrayed her trust once before.

By the way, this story takes place in one of the worlds you can find on my “Worlds” page. Look for the Dardani for some insight into the background of this story.

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Audio Books, Part 2

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , on November 28, 2012| 2 Comments »

Well, I promised to share a part of my first attempt to record my novelette, “Becoming Lioness”. Here it is:

Becoming Lioness, First Try

It’s a long way from perfect, yet. There are still a couple of places where you can hear me stumble–over my own writing. That can be fixed with some editing. (Another skill I’m going to have to master if I intend to do this.)

Also, the last third or so of the recording you can hear my voice starting to get hoarse again. Don’t know quite what I’m going to do about that. Frequent breaks, probably. Or recording in small bursts several times a day. That’ll be interesting. I’m not sure how many times a day I can make the house quiet enough for that.

It’s a good thing I’m starting with something relatively short, before I attempt a full novel.

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Audio Books

Posted in writing, tagged , , , , , , , on November 25, 2012| 2 Comments »

One of the things I’ve been considering for a while now is audio books–specifically recording audio of some of my stories, building up to a full version of BLOOD WILL TELL and eventually BLOOD IS THICKER. It’s a great exercise for finding flaws in the writing, as well.

I have some recording equipment. I could do it. Mainly, I’ve been waiting for allergy season to end so I won’t sound nasal doing it. In fact, I was going to record a short section of the next story I plan to e-publish, “Becoming Lioness”, and include it with this blog. It’d be a good place to start. The story starts with action. It’s not too long (just over 10,000 words). And It’d give me a chance to use the technique of reading aloud–and listening to the recording–as a final edit on the story. Unfortunately, the experiment proved that I’m not in good voice today. I kept getting hoarse in the parts that shouldn’t be. When I do get a decent recording, I promise to post part of it. I’ll keep trying, as I want to do the read aloud anyway.

Audio books would be another way of getting my stories out to readers (or listeners). Even a way of connecting, since it would be my voice in the recordings. Unfortunately, if I can’t get through a 10,000-word novelette (and I didn’t even get through the first scene this morning) I don’t stand a chance of reading an entire novel ten times that long aloud. I’ll have to keep working on that.

 

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