Authors Supporting Authors a Sister Site to LitWorldInterviews.

I wanted to take a moment and tell all of you about the new sister site of LWI, https://authorssupportingauthors.wordpress.com/.

The following is from the About page.

Welcome to AuthorsSupportingAuthors, Authors United to Make Dreams Come True. Here is my vision for the site. Authors join and agree to help each other with book launches. This is a central place to go to in order to find people to:

  • Agree to host some aspect of a book launch.
  • Find out if there are book launches occurring that might compete with their own.
  • Find people to form critique groups.
  • Find Beta-Readers.
  • Find advice from veteran Authors.

There will be pages for various things such as book launch requests, as well as another idea I have in mind. But I’ll be asking some advice for that.

What’s one key to being successful? Getting it right from the beginning. You need as many people involved as possible to get your launch out there in a group. Hit that number 1 on Amazon and you can use Best Selling for you book. But my idea is not a one day hit at #1. We want days there. By using this site I hop authors can and will plan their launches to benefit each other. Publishers do that. They schedule their launch dates to not fight books in the same genre from their own company.

For the Indie Author, the Indie Authors are the company. And we are the biggest company in the world.

The site is to remain professional. If you don’t like what’s going on, or agree with something, by all means you may visit another site. This isn’t the place for drama or games. We are here to help each other. I have my other sites to run and I will be giving this one equal attention, but any drama and comments will be deleted. I don’t do that on other sites, but this one MUST remain respectful and professional in order to work moving forward.

Currently there is a Book Launches page and a Become an Author on ASA page.

Our first effort has been for the launch of PS Bartlett’s book Demons & Pearls set to Release on April 14. We had been agree to host her launch and her Thunderclap has surpassed its original goal and is still going.

This is not a site that I will be necessarily operating as in making decisions every moment. This will be a site to facilitate each of you to find out when launches are happening, and help each other set up book launch posts, Thunderclap campaigns, and other promotional ideas. Pre-order parties. Anything you can think of.

The site will be working through my Twitter Handle, @RonovanWrites as it has the support to help with the venture. As more Authors are added, see the Become an Author on ASA page for details, our reach will grow.

We also have a Google+ Community Authors Supporting Authors you may ask to join. Like there would be a no to someone joining, right?

Let’s connect.

https://twitter.com/RonovanWrites

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ronovan-Writes/630347477034132

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RonovanWrites/about

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Lit World Interview Week In Review Apr. 6-10.

lit world interview with ronovan writes

Here are the articles for the week, if you missed one, go and check it out today.

Author Interview with Ronovan Writes

I Love Anger the truth by @isaacdrowe The interview.

I read the book and asked the questions. It’s the real thing form the real guy. Isaac doesn’t sugar coat life in order to make things pretty for people wanting to find a way to a better place. You have to go through ugly to get out of ugly.

FEATURES

Publishing Your First Book on Amazon for New Indies by @JoRobinson176 by Jo Robinson

Great advice for formatting your book for Amazon. Seriously. There are some things you likely didn’t think of. She even includes images to help walk you through the steps.

Paid book promotions and other ideas to sell your book. The feedback. by Olga Núñez Miret

Olga got feedback from authors about where to and how to promote your book. If you missed it, it’s a MUST READ.

 

New Site: AuthorsSupportingAuthor by Ronovan

I just created a new site last week, more details soon. This is a sister site to LWI. ASA is just as the name says, Authors Supporting Authors.

A Diary of Writing Wisdom (and other nonsense) by Jason Royle

New Team Member, Jason Royle brings us his first article. It’s published under my name only because he had an emergency he had to take care of. Fortunately he had emailed me the article and the image to use. Nice responses for our new kid on the block. His wife took his picture, just so you know. And picked out his clothes to wear. Make sure to check out his profile in the Black Box on the left with the white text.

 

 

BOOK REVIEWS

Sword of Air by RJ Madigan by Florence Thum

We were asked to review this YA book, primarily because of its new format. It’s a multi-touch iBook. Not only did Florence review the book, but her children tried it as well. Read the results. (Too bad I couldn’t make it work for me, but I knew Florence would have an i Something. Well actually her son did. Hey, we get the job done, right?)

BOOK RELEASE NOTICES

Make some noise with a Thunderclap. For me and @PSBartlett

Our very own PS Bartlett has a book coming on Tuesday, April 14. The Thunderclap is for the 21st. Read the article to find out where I come into the picture. It’s free to help her out. Go do it. NOW! Oh, and she’s gone Indie, in case any of you hadn’t heard.

RONOVAN’S WHATEVER

Hear the author of Order of Seven @beth_teliho with @MandiCLBT

A great find this week. Many of you probably know Beth Teliho, well go listen to her. And you get to hear how to say her name the RIGHT way.

 

What can you expect next from the LWI Team?

It’s Monday, so Olga has a Book Review, likely out by the time you read this. On Mondahy I have a great post from our very popular Guest Author Wendy Janes. It is the first of three that will be put out the second Monday of each month starting this month. I’ve heard that Florence has a Book Review for us. You know Jo likely has something great coming up on Thursday. As for me? You never know  what I might do, but expect a formal introduction of our new Team Member Jason Royle, and further details about https://authorssupportingauthors.wordpress.com/. I can say this, our first go at getting some results worked.

Be on the look out for interviews coming from the other LWI team members. That’s right, due to illness and recovery time being indeterminate I’ve had to step back a little in some areas. If you haven’t wanted to approach me for an interview, you now might approach another person you might be more comfortable with. Also, with my amnesia and short term memory problems I’m having difficulties keeping some things straight. I love this site, but it’s not my site, it’s every author’s site.

Follow us, Bookmark Us, do whatever you need to do in order to come back every day for something new. Share this post with your friends.

lit world interviews

 

A Diary of Writing Wisdom (and other nonsense) by new LWI Team Member @JERoyle

#1

Newer Doesn’t Always Mean Better

In all areas of life—and reading and writing is no exception—there is a psychological pressure to accept the current edition/the newest “thing-a-ma-jig” as the superior.

The argument of “newer-is-better” assumes that a modern idea should be preferred to an ancient one simply because it is modern. This way of thinking has a long history, going back at least to the Athenians of the Apostle Paul’s day who “liked to spend all their time telling and hearing the latest new thing” (Acts 17:21).

Jason Royle Photo at History Museum in DC.
Jason Royle Photo from History Museum in DC.

The pressure to keep up-to-date is stronger now than it has ever been. The results of this pressure can be seen all around us. Take the clothing industry for example. The stores today do not sell “clothes” (they do, I know, in a sense, but stick with me and let me make my point). No, they sell “fashions.” Back when they sold clothes, the fabric was durable and designed to last for years. But fashions change from year to year and from season to season.

One resource I find myself still using on a regular basis is John Bartlett’s book Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, first published in 1855. All of the quotes in the book you can probably find online somewhere, but what you won’t find is the underlined, smudged, musty smelling pages of my old friend. There is something beautiful about something old. Timeworn with dignity (as the saying goes; actually I’m not certain that is really an old saying, but it sounds good).

All the old books on our shelves speak to us: “Look how useful I have been,” they say. When it comes to literature, they don’t call them “classics” for nothing! They’re classic because the information contained within them has stood the test of time.

I imagine every author will come face to face with the harsh reality that “newer doesn’t always mean better” at some point in their life. Especially after the years have gone by and one day we hand to one of our grandchildren the book we wrote way back in 2010, and hope they take the time to read it and not simply put it on the shelf to collect dust. And why would they do something like that to one of grandma and grandpa’s books they wrote? Well… it’s not new anymore.      

 

Judas Hero MisunderstoodJason serves as the pastor of St. Paul’s UCC in Schaefferstown, PA. He is a graduate of Sewanee: University of the South School of Theology with a Doctorate in Ministry and Johnson University with a Master’s in Theology. He and his wife, Heather, have two children (Katelyn and Nate) and one loyal but lazy dog (Rudy). You can find his book, Judas: Hero Misunderstood on Amazon. Connect with Jason on his site, http://www.jasonroyle.net/ and on Twitter at .

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Publishing Your First Book on Amazon for New Indies by @JoRobinson176

It’s a good idea to find out how to publish your first eBook on Amazon before, or while you’re writing it. Simplicity is the key, and if you have too many bells and whistles going on formatting wise, you might end up having to clear all formatting and start from scratch. If you use a word processor other than Microsoft Word you might have to pay for formatting, but using Word makes the process very easy. Here’s a quick overview for a standard work of fiction without images. (Click on the screenshots to view them larger)

Don’t use lots of spaces or your tab key for indents. This could result in an ebook that’s a bit of an oops. Rather set up the whole document. You can do this from your first paragraph, or you can highlight the whole document and set it up. Do this from a clean document only after you’ve removed any indents, spaces and so on. Use the Show Hide feature to check.

p Show Hide

Go to your Page Layout tab in the top ribbon of your document, and then click on the little arrow to the right of the Paragraph selection. Select Indents and Spacing and change Special to First Line, and then change By to your preferred size of paragraph indent, and that will do your indents automatically for the entire manuscript from then on.

p Paragraph Settings

Then, in the same box, set your automatic spacing between paragraphs, so set your Spacing to your desired size, and set line spacing to Single.

p Paragraph Settings 2

While writing, insert Page Breaks before each chapter and don’t use headers and footers. Also no page numbers for your eBook. Kindle only uses seven basic fonts, and readers can change them according to their preference. They can also change the font size, so 12pt is probably the easiest size to choose. It’s best to use a simple font like Times New Roman or Garamond, but that’s entirely up to you.

Then you decide if you want a table of contents for your book. If you do, from your Home ribbon, highlight your first chapter heading, and then click Heading 1. You can right click on the Heading 1 box to Modify Font, Size, and Justification for your chapter headings. Once you’ve modified to what you prefer, right click on the Heading 1 box again and click on Update Heading 1 to Match Selection. Then zoom through your book and highlight each chapter heading, click on Heading 1, and they’ll all be the same.

p TOC

Once you’ve done that head back to the front of your book where you’ll need a blank page. Type the words Table of Contents using left alignment, and press enter. Click on the References tab in your top ribbon, then Table of Contents > Insert Table of Contents. Uncheck Show Page Numbers, and set the Show Levels box to 1. Click OK, and voila! Your Table of Contents will magically appear. To test it, use Control > click over one of the chapters in your TOC and it should take you there.

p TOC 1

Now to bookmark this. Highlight only the words Table of Contents. Select Bookmark from the insert tab on your top ribbon. Type in toc and click Add in the box that pops open, and you’re done with the fiddly stuff.

p TOC 2

Assuming you’re done with your final proofing and edits, go over your manuscript, and check that your front matter is looking good. Insert page breaks between your title page, copyright page, and any other things you have there, such as a forward, prologue, dedication, or editorial reviews. One thing I haven’t done yet in all my eBooks is add a description in the front, although I’m going to. These days we have so many books on our Kindles that we forget what they were about, so a little blurb there is a nice idea.

Then check that all your links to your website or any other books are clickable, finally Save this document, and prepare for takeoff. After saving all your hard work, go to the Save As function in the top left corner and select Other Formats. Next, under the File Name select Web Page, Filtered in the Save As Type box. Click yes when the warning comes up. You’ll see that you now have your original document, and also a HTML document of the same name. The HTML is what you’ll be loading on to Amazon. (If you have images in your book, you will need to load a compressed file onto Amazon, so this is only for manuscripts without them)

p HTML

Have your cover ready separately as a jpeg or tiff image. I use nice quality high resolution images sized at 6.25 x 9.5. You’re ready to rock.

If you haven’t already, open your account at Amazon KDP, and fill everything in. If you don’t live in the USA you have a couple of tax options, including allowing Amazon to withhold tax until you get around to getting to the proper processes. You can still publish and earn royalties until you do, and any withheld taxes will be paid to you when the necessaries are done.

Go to your Bookshelf. Click on Add New Titles, and take your time filling in all the fields. Especially don’t rush through the Categories and Tags. These are important for your book’s visibility. Select your Royalty. This can change for each book you publish. Books $2.99 and up get 70%, and below that get 35%. Put your book blurb in Description, add yourself as the author in Contributors (and any other contributors that should be there), state your right to Copyright and not Public Domain, and now it’s time to upload.

Your book file and cover file get loaded separately, both very simple processes – you just upload straight from your computer, and wait to be told that each upload is successful. Click on Upload Book, browse, and select the HTML document to upload. As soon as you see Upload and Conversion Successful, you get various options to review. I always download the Mobi file to go through on my Kindle for PC, and also to check on my actual Kindle, as well as paging through the online reviewer. Once you’re happy, click Save and Publish. Your book will then be live on Amazon within the next 48 hours. Set up your Amazon Central page, and find and claim your book.

When you write your next book, you can make a copy of the formatted one, delete the words and retain the formatting, which is a thing that scribblers as forgetful as I am might find useful. Happy publishing Indies.

UPDATE: SEE OUR LATEST ON HOW TO Create NCX Table of Contents using Calibre

Make some noise with a Thunderclap. For me and @PSBartlett

LWI’s very own needs some support as she ventures into Indie Author territory. Her prequel is set to come out and she needs your help, and so do I. She and I are co-authoring a book related to the one coming out. Pre-order it. Thunderclap it. Help it hit #1 so I can see my first novel can get to your hands. I am so excited. I’m using this one as a test of how the new site AuthorsSupportingAuthors strategy works. What better guinea pig than one of LWI’s own, right?

Ronovan's avatarronovanwrites

Want to help Author PS Bartlett make some noise?

So you know who my upcoming novel that will be released is co-authored with?

Go the link below and click to help on the social media sites you want to help on. That’s all there is to it. You don’t do anything. On the day of the message to go out, it does it for you. No responsibility on you. Just click and forget it.

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/24769-hoist-the-colors-mates

While you are at it also go and pre-order. Trust me on this one, you get a peak at what might be coming from me.

Is that a teaser? You betcha’!

By helping PS Bartlett today you are helping my co-authored book to be published in the maybe not to distant future.

http://www.amazon.com/Demons-Pearls-Razors-Adventures-Book-ebook/dp/B00VQQPOKS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428500252&sr=1-1&keywords=ps+bartlett

P.S. Bartlett Demons and Pearls Cover

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Book review by @FTThum – Sword of Air by RJ Madigan

sword-of-air-florence-thum-review

I rarely say ‘no’ to new experiences in books, which was why I was keen to read this book.

Sword of AirTitle:               Sword of Air
Author:          RJ Madigan
Website:          http://swordofair.net/author/swordofair/
Facebook:      https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sword-of-Air/855233981196248
Genre:           Young Adult – Fantasy
Available for purchase:       iTunes (USD $3.99)

What’s it about?

This is a YA fantasy about Niamh, a young woman discovering the power she possesses, and her destiny and quest to save her world from the Raven Queen.

Who is the Raven Queen? What is Niamh’s true quest? A question which only Niamh herself can determine.

And as she fights for her life being hunted by the Fomor army controlled by the Raven Queen, Niamh is caught between 2 men – Lorcan, Crown Prince of the Fae who is rebellious and arrogant; and Rauri, her childhood friend, a talented tracker and hunter; and a fighter. Who will betray her? Who will stand by her side?

I’ll begin with the format of this book. This is a “multi-touch iBook”. As denoted by the ‘i’, it is available on iTunes and to be read on iPad and Apple computers only. The ‘multi-touch’ means it’s more than an ebook – there are some pretty cool interactive stuff within the book. Yes, interactive.

It’s FX in a book – so when images within the book are tapped – they expand or audio plays or 3-D rotations up close and personal or video/movie plays. This is my first multi-touch interactive book and it’s awesome. That is until the novelty wears off. Both my adolescent children had a look, and one of whom read parts of the book. They were intrigued by the effects but not for long.

The interactive parts can be considered an enhancement to book illustrations, but different. Utilising the same part of the brain, looking at book illustrations and reading the written words are complementary. However, reading then watching a movie, listening to sounds require a re-focusing on the written words. This irritates me at times.

Ultimately, I bought this book for the story. And for me, the interactive touches distract from the reading flow and can take the focus away from the novel.

Now onto the storyline – it is intriguing and engaging. The characters are attractive though some lack depth. Certainly, the relationship between Rauri and Niamh can be better developed.

Madigan’s writing is simple and lacking in complexity of structures at times. Simply put, it is more tell than show. Please do not be discouraged. Once I accept the simplicity of the writing, I am captivated by the story which unfolds. The plot is gripping, and has much potential beyond this book.  Madigan has painted a vivid picture of this fantasy world of an altered medievil Ireland – that of the forest of Nadur and the Fae world.

There is good pacing in the plot. One thing did strike me – it is not quite believable that Maev, the Raven Queen, would believe in Niamh’s almost immediate capitulation – unless she believes Niamh is acquiescing for her friends and/or Maev’s frenzied mind wants her to believe so…? Perhaps this is Madigan keeping the reader in suspense for the next book in the series.

The ending seems a little protracted although it does provide a credible twist and a fantastic lead-on to the next book.

Recommendation:

I recommend this book on 2 bases – it is worthwhile for writers to experience this new format, the interactive iBook; and the story is indeed captivating. It is suitable for young adult readers, especially those who have found reading to be a ‘novelty’ and need some motivation to persevere.

Do read Madigan’s post on the thrill and challenges of publishing an iBook.  Such worthwhile information about publishing through iBook Author.

Ratings:

Realistic Characterization:   3.5/5
Made Me Think:                     3/5
Overall enjoyment:                3.5/5
Readability:                             4.5/5
Recommended:                      3.5/5
Overall Rating:                  3.5

 

Happy reading!
– FlorenceT

@FTThum
MeaningsAndMusings

Florence 2

Hear the author of Order of Seven @beth_teliho with @MandiCLBT

Hear the Author of Order of Seven herself, Beth Teliho. She reads a passage from her newest book. And the sense of humor she has? LOVE IT!

Okay, I am now a fan! This video did it for me! Excellent idea.

 

Mandi's avatarCellulite Looks Better Tan

It’s not every day that something happens for the FIRST TIME EVER on my blog, but today is different.

We all know Beth, the blogger,  from Writer B is Me. We know Beth Teliho the author of The Order of Seven (which is live today), but only one of us (it’s me) knows Beth in real life.

Since I can’t give her to you, I’m giving you the next best thing. My treat for you today is as close to that as I can get.

We had a conversation. It took lots of convincing. When I said to her, “Beth, the magic happens outside of your comfort zone,” she finally agreed.

For the first time, you get to hear her and see her, and she’s reading an excerpt from her book. To you.

You’re welcome.

Listen, ingest the words. Like little blue pills, they will affect you.

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New Site: AuthorsSupportingAuthors.

AuthorsSupportingAuthors

It occurred to me that Indie Authors need to work together. We all need support in Book Launches and knowledge. Even finding critique groups, beta-readers. You name it we need it. For a dedicate site for that I created https://authorssupportingauthors.wordpress.com/.

The site will be for authors to go to and join and help each other. The idea is to even coordinate book launches so members of the site do not compete with each other on the same dates.

The first need for Book Launch support is there now. Go check it out.

The site is new and will be undergoing cosmetic changes, but we need a place to support each other. We’re writers. We are accustomed to change.

ronovan-profile-bw
https://twitter.com/RonovanWrites

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ronovan-Writes/630347477034132

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RonovanWrites/about

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I Love Anger the truth by @isaacdrowe The interview.

i-love-anger-header

RW: Where did the Isaac you describe in I Love Anger, that grew to love anger come from, that younger version of you, that world?

ISAAC: In the introduction and angry roots I describe how anger began to grow in my life from a youth to an adult. Living in a world of no hope and no light can be difficult to function in. It is not a world I would want anyone to experience.

RW: Though you went through a lot, and I mean a lot, growing up, you’ve obviously chosen to take your life in a different direction. The book obviously pulls from your experiences, I mean this is your story, but you also have experience in Anger Management. Would you tell our readers something about that?

ISAAC: I wanted this book to be a personal and clinical approach towards anger. I wanted the reader to understand through my pain so they could see the trials and triumphs through me. If I gave them anything less than that, I would probably rob them of a true self help experience. I didn’t want them to feel alone, in the book we walk through anger management together.

RW: Excellent, so you have the true story and life experiences COMBINED with the training to truly put it all together for us to share. Were you encouraged to share this story with others because of that combination? I mean only YOU could tell this story and the way to where you are now.

ISAAC: At first the book was for me, I began writing down my thoughts and to help me see what was inside me. It was therapy for me. As I continued to write I felt like this could help others so I turned it into a book. I wanted to give a real life, no joke approach but also give a clinical side for balance.

RW: I have to say, the story of you growing up, I can connect to some of it. My situation wasn’t quite like that but there were moments and a lot of my family members had lives kind of like that. One died in prison. Looking at his prison picture I could see the anger in him. What would you say to my relative, if he were alive and it was the day before he stole that last time that got him caught, what would you tell him that was in I Love Anger that could help him find his way out?

ISAAC: I would ask him “What’s up? Why are you really angry? There is a reason behind this behavior. This ain’t you! Keep telling yourself you good and that you straight but you and I both know that it’s something deeper than that! This lifestyle only ends up two places, dead or in prison wishing you was dead. But hear this from me! it’s not worth it! You are worth more than this! Its okay to feel how you feel right now, but how you react versus respond to how you feel kinfolk will destroy you. This is real talk, know that I care about you! Hear me, I Love YOU! If you think your mom, dad or nobody loves you, know that I love you unconditionally right where you are! I’m here with you, if you want to change, it can start right now! The choice is yours! It’s all on you!”

RW: You know, you nailed a few things there that I think would’ve helped. One thing our readers should know is, this book ain’t sugar coated to make everyone feel all warm and fuzzy about the end. You tell it like it was as you go along. What kept you focused on being certain your story was as it should be and not a motivational speaker book?

ISAAC: The reader needs something authentic and something they can relate to.

RW: Was there a moment where you were in a place of not going to finish this book, it’s too much, and I just want to forget all of this that’s happened?

ISAAC: Yes, I stopped for weeks but I got more and more insight for the book and at that point I knew that I had to complete it for my readers, it was much bigger than me.

RW: Where are you in your head these days and your heart?

ISAAC: My Faith in God, Family and Ministry.

RW: I knew that answer before I asked. It was a set up. You’re living it. Do you have a particular story of where your book has touched someone, helped them, where they’ve written to you or even come up to you and just shared what your words have helped them with?

ISAAC: I have had someone come up to me and tell me that if they went through what I went through they probably wouldn’t be alive. I realized at that moment, I am a survivor and I want people to turn their pain into purpose like I did.

RW: I like that. You keep getting out of what you’ve given to others. I see you do book signings and things of that nature in the Austin area and parts of Texas, are you open for speaking engagements, perhaps through Skype if anyone reading would be interested in your services? I mention Skype because I am sure it might be difficult to travel to Canada and back before work calls to find out where you are.

ISAAC: Yes I do book signings in my region and I am always open to speaking engagements because knowledge is power, if you know better you have an opportunity to do better. Yes, I currently provide online coaching and mentorship through Skype.

RW: How about for any other sites out there who would like to have you perhaps do a guest article for them, are you open to that and if so how would they go about contacting them? I mean your subject covers the world. There is no boundary that anger doesn’t cross and no person it doesn’t touch.

ISAAC: Yes, inquire at iloveangerbook@gmail.com

RW: Is there a way our readers could order a signed copy of I Love Anger? I know how what I will call bookies love real paper and like to have that personal touch if they can. Yes, if people who love food can be called foodies, I can call people who love books bookies.

ISAAC: Yes, inquire at iloveangerbook@gmail.com

RW: Okay, we’ve been serious. Now let’s go into the areas I like to go to in order to find out about who you are. What ice cold drink do you like with your meal? And for that matter, tell us what your favorite meal is, and your wife is watching, so the Queen will know.

ISAAC: Strawberry Lemonade, Ugali (African dish) white corn meal, greens and chicken.

I looked up Ugali, they call it the Kenyan Running Superfood. If it’s made of cornmeal it’s got to be good.

RW: I think you just described the perfect meal for a man that just got out of the hospital, that being me. You’re a Texan so, Spurs or Rockets, and why not go ahead and choose Cowboys or Texans?

ISAAC: I support all Texas TEAMS but Spurs and Cowboys for sure!

RW: If you could go to one place in the world, where would it be and why? And we’ll say the Queen isn’t looking, but remember she’s going with you.

ISAAC: Africa because I want to connect with my roots and learn from the people.

RW: What book are you reading now?

ISAAC: The Principle of Fatherhood by Myles Munroe

RW: What book OTHER THAN YOUR OWN, would you recommend to people to read?

ISAAC: Making of a Leader by Bishop L.A. Wilkerson, 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell

RW: I’ve mentioned the Queen several times now; tell us about her highness, the glory of your life.

ISAAC: Read the dedication in my book!

I would tell all of you what the dedication says, but he said go read it, so I think you need to get the book and go read it.

RW: Finally, what’s your favorite word and why?

ISAAC: Authentic. When you know who you are, it resonates. You’re free of anything that’s not what you want or who you want to be . . . original. I don’t want to die not being myself or living a lie.

Isaac RoweGet the Book at Amazon: I even put the full link below.

http://www.amazon.com/I-Love-Anger-Isaac-Rowe/dp/150270062X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428327774&sr=8-1&keywords=isaac+rowe

To get connect with Isaac, visit his websites at www.iloveanger.com and www.themaninme.org. You can also join him on one of his Twitter accounts or facebook.

Facebook at www.Facebook.com/isaacdrowe

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Paid book promotions and other ideas to sell your book. The feedback.

Hi all:

As you’ll remember a few weeks ago I shared a post I’d originally posted on my personal blog asking other authors and readers their opinions and suggestion about paid promos and what might or might not work. I also promised to collate the replies and bring them back.

So, here it is. Sorry to those of you who might have already read it in my blog. I leave you the link too as the replies might be of interest. And  I intend to keep updating if I get any further replies. Ah, and don’t miss the links to other people’s posts on the subject.

Thanks!

Here is the link:

https://olganm.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/paid-ads-and-promos-for-books-the-feedback-thanks/

And the post:
Hi all:

As you’ll remember, a few weeks ago I asked for your thoughts and feedback on paid ads and other kinds of promotions to try and sell your books. I promised to come back with a post trying to summarise the comments. As I shared the post in other places, I also got comments in Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks all for the comments, and although, of course, the numbers and the differences between people’s circumstances and books mean this is in no way scientific, I thought I’d collect common themes and mention some of the points that seemed to come through for me.

By the way, just in case you don’t remember or want to read the original post again, it is here.

Woman's shoe

Promoting your giveaways, special promos:

As I had read before, most people seem to think that Bookbub is a good option, although difficult to get in, expensive and not everybody seemed to make the money back (remember it’s for giveaways or promos, so it might be that sales follow as a result of it at a later date but…). Now it seems that big publishing companies are using it, so it might get more competitive. You need a good number of positive reviews, and the prices vary according to genre (more for more popular genres).

Here is a comment by a writer (thanks Carol Balawyder) about content in Bookbub:

I went on BookBub’s site and these are some of the writers I found: Jo Nesbo, John Irving, Sophie Kinsella, Dan Brown…I would be like a little league baseball player asking to go up to bat in the major leagues.

 

Quite a few people mentioned Ereader News Today that is more economical. For some it seemed to work better than for others.

Exploring new sites that are appearing all the time was also suggested. Of course the reach of those might be limited but a combination of many (if you have the time) might be worth considering. I’ve had good comments about The Fussy Librarian.

If you are offering free downloads, check as there are many places that suggest places that list those for free. I have tried a few but I don’t do free giveaways any more, and as I tried many, it’s impossible to know what worked and what not. In any case, some sites have very specific requirements and you need to submit plenty in advance for a chance, so planning is a must.

Word of mouth:

Big cheers for word of mouth. Personal contact, book clubs, etc… If you’re completely unknown and don’t have a lot of following, getting to that stage where you’re in the mouth of people can be quite difficult I guess, but yes, this is the best. And it costs nothing (or possibly some free books if you offer them for review). Of course, getting to the point where enough people have read and recommended is the crux of the matter.

Some people get postcards with information about their books printed; try local venues (libraries, book fairs, markets, local press, radio, independent bookshops if you’re that lucky). And of course, use your friends and connections…

Blog tours:

This got quite interesting replies. I had comments about specific blog tour companies (both good and bad, but as they aren’t my personal experience I won’t mention those), people talking about things not going according to plan (people not posting, things being missed), others who organise their own.

Alina, who has worked in PR for many years and writes herself (she also organises blog tours, but despite her personal involvement in the topic, I thought her reply deserved to be quoted, as it covers many aspects other people brought up) told me this:

Blog tours are not advertising. They are closer to PR actually. Do they help? They do get your name out there. They get a bulk of promo posts and reviews for your book soon after it’s published. They also bring it back into people’s mind later on when you are promoting a second book, for example. And yes, if your book is promoted by some really well known book bloggers, that has an impact. So much so that some authors do exclusive cover reveals for example, where they go with only one blog.

Tours can be a bit hit and miss though, and sometimes it has to do with more than who organizes it and what contacts they have. Some genres are more eye catching than others, for example. All in all, I’ve never heard of an author (and I don’t mean just those I’ve worked with) say they reaped no benefits from tours.

As a reader, I have actually read quite a few books because they got great reviews from book bloggers I knew. I know who has similar tastes and whenever they recommend a book, I tend to check it out.

On the other hand I have read some comments from authors who did not feel a blog tour had done anything for them.

Amazon ads:

I’ve been reading recently quite a few posts about this. So far the conclusions as to the new PPC (pay per click) ads aren’t that encouraging. You need to pay a lot per click to make sure enough people see them to buy (as we all know the conversion rate is quite low, although depending on how you choose your add it might not be quite as low) and then it does not seem to be recouped. Of course, with regards to the effect on branding… It’s probably too early to call and it requires much more experimentation, but like most things, the more people get into them and use them, the more difficult it will be to make an impact. (Check out Nicholas Rossis’s blog as he’s been sharing a few posts on the subject).

Chris McMullen has also shared quite a few posts on the mechanics and how to assess your campaign with Amazon. I share one of them here, but check the whole series if you’re seriously considering it. Ah, don’t forget that to use this your books have to be in KDP Select, so if you’re thinking of publishing elsewhere, this won’t be an option.

https://chrismcmullen.wordpress.com/2015/01/30/how-to-assess-your-ad-campaign-at-kindle-direct-publishing/

Of course, Amazon advertises many other things and there are other ways to go about getting an ad campaign there, but I think most of our budgets would not reach there…

Ads in other sites (Facebook, Goodreads,…)

I haven’t come across much positive feedback on ads in Facebook. Early on they seemed to be difficult to target. Now some people think it might work for the brand but it does not seem to translate on sales (it might be worthwhile if you’re organising something that requires a certain number of likes, etc…).

Some authors have done fairly well accruing reviews through Goodreads either advertising or giveaways, although number of previous books and a strong following/readership seems to be imperative.

Reviews

Everybody thinks reviews are important, but nobody seems to know exactly how. Some people have got good results from offering ARC (advance reading copies) of their books in groups in Goodreads or to bloggers, others say the bigger blogs with many readers are saturated and it might be months before they get round to your book, if at all. Approaching people directly seems to take time and not everybody thinks the results justify the time spent. (All resources are equally important though. It might be that we don’t have the money to pay for advertising, but of course, time we spend trying to advertise our books, with more or less success also has a value, and we need to weigh that up too. We know life is short but we don’t know how short it might be. Sorry for the philosophising.)

No, no, no paid advertisements

There were quite a few people who said there are far too many other options (social media, friends, other authors, developing relationships, words of mouth…) and publishing can already be quite an expensive business, so no, they haven’t tried and wouldn’t. And there are also those who have tried and consider it a waste of money.

And the readers?

Some said that they have bought books based on Amazon recommendations or ads, also on ads seen in periodicals or magazines.

People still look at covers but some are checking out blogs and discovering new books and authors through them.

 

Suggestions for further reading:

Sorry, I could not help the title of this section. I’ve mentioned some bloggers to visit if you want to check further, but also one of the bloggers who visited my original post suggested two interviews she’d published that dealt with some of these issues and I thought I’d share:

https://roughseasinthemed.wordpress.com/2014/09/11/confessions-from-an-american-in-london/

https://roughseasinthemed.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/views-and-reviews/

I’m sure there will be more feedback to come and I’ll keep you updated. In the meantime:

Thanks all for the comments, for reading, and you know, like, share, comment, and CLICK!

The Novel: Doing the Research by @DanMcNeil888

When I first got the notion to put a book idea that had germinated in my head for close to twenty years on paper, I had no idea what was in store for me. Literally…not a clue.

The-Judas-Apocalypse-cover-DMThe Judas Apocalypse was born out of an immense love for history and adventure. It gnawed at me for years. I always thought it was a really cool and original premise and it was my kind of book. I wanted to put in everything I loved about an adventure novel – an ancient secret, a long lost treasure, action and tons of twists. After vacillating for a few years, I finally decided I would give writing it a shot.

Penning a novel…how hard could it be, right? Although I had never done anything at all like it before, I did recall banging off a three page short story for a creative writing class I took when I was about 15. Got an A for it. So yeah, I figured I could do this. Piece of cake.

So I sat down at the computer and started to write the first chapter. It played out in my head like a movie. I could see the little girl, the crowd, the agonizing trek to the Hill of Skulls, the inevitable end that marked the beginning of the story. Not a problem – let’s do this!

I had the first chapter done in about an hour. Then I was faced with the next chapter and I realized to my horror, to continue this tale and hopefully turn it into a gripping and page turning historical voyage that would ultimately take place over a two thousand year span, I would have to do some research. Some real, serious historical and (yikes!) theological research.

Suddenly it was like I was back in high school. Any idea how I felt about high school? Does anyone ever really enjoy his or her experience there? I know some people do but I sure didn’t. And just like in high school, I knew the research was going to be a pretty massive undertaking. But I knew in order to make the story believable, I needed the historical accuracy. It was the only way to make the story really come alive.

Thank God things had changed somewhat since those days. No more scouring the library for four, five hundred page tomes that would have sunk me faster than Quintus Arrius’ trireme in Ben Hur (see – I had to research that.) I now had the power of the internet before me. Information was at the tips of my fingers.

A ton of information, that is…and a lot of garbage too. Man oh man, what to use? What to ignore? Wading through it all was going to take a while. Oh, and by “a while” I mean about four years. Honestly, if I knew beforehand it would take me four years to research this beast, I would have gone back to writing mildly pleasant pop songs again.

What I did to tame this beast was to work out the basic plot in my head, then on paper. Seems obvious, right? Originally, I thought I would just start writing and see where it would lead me. But it became very apparent early on it would be absolutely necessary to at least plot out the basics because I would need to limit my searches to what was germane to the story. It is soooo easy to get lost on the ‘net. One minute I’m looking up the interior of a German U Boat from 1944 (an important plot point in the middle of the book – I needed to describe it as precisely as possible) and the next minute I’m hitting a link taking me to an article about, of all things, the Montgolfier brothers and their hot air balloons. I’m not kidding – then that particular link lead me to a Monty Python sketch called “The Golden Age of Ballooning” and then before I realized it, I was on a Monty Python YouTube page that lost me a full day’s writing.

The internet is a valuable resource, no doubt, but there sure are a lot of historical inaccuracies on it as well. Because my novel was a work of fiction (with historical elements) however, the inaccuracies were not such a huge issue for me. In fact, many times, the inaccuracies would spark an idea that proved to be, for the most part, useful or at the very least, interesting. The trick was to recognize the areas where accuracy was mandatory. That was key. There were times when the publisher and I went back and forth over a particular historical point, if incorrect, could tumble the precarious house of historical cards I had set up. What it came down to in the end was, certain events, certain locations, and even some historically real characters (for example, Otto Rahn, the famous Holy Grail archeologist makes an appearance) needed to be as factually accurate as possible. That meant finding numerous sources that bore out the information. If I found at least three, I felt I was in the ballpark. The online world also provided links to encyclopedia topics and relevant magazine articles of immeasurable help. Again, as long as I could find at least three agreeable sources, I went for it.

But historical detail only goes so far. The Judas Apocalypse and my second book, Can’t Buy Me Love (a Cant-Buy-Me-Love-cover-DMlittle shameless self promotion and plug!) are historical fiction after all. The accuracy goes to fostering the believability of the plot, but you can’t get mired down in all the archival veracity. Too much detail and the adventure can fall flat; not enough and it’s not believable. It’s a carefully mixed cocktail of detail and drama I hope keeps readers turning the pages and drunk with excitement.

Although it took literally years to research The Judas Apocalypse (Can’t Buy Me Love, by the way, took much less time as it was a quite a different book and, by now, I had a better idea what I was doing ), I must say the experience did soften my view of the process. It’s a tough slog, but well worth it in the end.

Maybe, by the time I’m ready for book number three, I’ll get my nose to that historical grindstone. If, that is, I can stay away from the Monty Python videos…

Can't buy me love The Judas ApocalypseDan McNeil is a Canadian author with two novels so far to his fame; The Judas Apocalypse and Can’t Buy Me Love. Both available on Amazon by clicking here to go to his Amazon Author Page. To find out more of the man visit his website, http://www.danmcneil.ca/ and follow him on Twitter @DanMcNeil888. Also read his Author Interview here on LWI by clicking here.

Proofreading When the Writing’s Done by @JoRobinson176

One of the biggest things I learned on my Indie trip was that I couldn’t see my own mistakes. I must have proofread my first manuscript dozens and dozens of times, and I was very confident that it was pristine. Then I went on to editing and made some changes to paragraphs, swopped words around, and thought that that was that. I had put many hours into the polishing, and was feeling all warm and fuzzy that I’d done the work well when I hit that publish button. How very, very wrong I was. There were still typos and grammar gremlins in the book after all of that hard graft, primarily in the changes I’d made, and I came down to Earth with a bang in a blaze of shame, realising that that the editing was not at all complete when I thought it was.

I learned that if you write something and proofread it yourself, your brain knows what word is coming next, so it often sees a typo as it should be, even though a typo in another writer’s work will stop you in your tracks, seeing your own isn’t so easy. These days I’m much more careful, and I make sure that eyeballs other than my own go over my stories before they’re published. Typos still can slip through, but luckily with Indie publishing they can be very quickly fixed. There are some tried and tested ways to help yourself when you dive into your first round of proofing.

Firstly, take a break and put the manuscript away for a week or so, or at least a few days if you can’t wait. Do your run of the mill spell check, then choose how you’re going to read it. I generally print it out for the first go around, and mark it up with a gel pen, using a thick ruler under the sentence I’m reading so my eyes can’t be drawn to what comes next. After fixing the errors I’ve found so far I then convert it to a Mobi file using the free Calibre software, and read it through again on my Kindle for PC. I’m always amazed at how many errors I pick up this way. Then after another fix up session I’ll read the word document with the font size increased quite a bit, and then print it out again for another going over. I have heard some writers say that changing the font colour when reading on the computer is jarring enough for them to spot more errors, but I haven’t tried this one out myself yet.

It’s a slow process, and so it should be, as I discovered to my mortification, so now I do the work. For my semi-final going over, I separate the book into chapters and read them in random order. I read a page at a time, and from the bottom up, one sentence at a time. It took me some getting used to, but it really worked for me. I tried reading upside down as one fellow scribbler recommended but that just made me feel a little queasy. Finally I use the Find function in word to search for words I know I always overuse. I check my character’s name spellings the same way, and I then search a couple of commonly mixed up contractions and apostrophes.

Then the manuscript heads off to fresh eyeballs for a brand new going over, and when it comes back I read it again, out loud, before starting on the formatting for publishing. If you can’t afford to pay for a professional proofreader then you could maybe try and swop proofing with another writer. Or maybe exchange it for something else that you’re good at – like cover design if that’s what the other writer prefers, but you definitely need someone other than you to read your book before you publish it. It’s a learning enterprise this Indie journey, and we grow as we go, and help each other along the way. I’ve heard some wonderful things about Grammarly lately. It’s a free online tool that finds so much more than just typos – things like homonyms and other grammar gremlins that hide so well, so I’ll be giving that a try next time round. Hope you all have a wonderful long weekend fellow scribblers.

Grammar Gremlins

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A @COLLEENCHESEBRO #BOOK #REVIEW “RIDING AT THE GATES OF SIXTY-VIRGINIA WOOLF” by @ALIENORATAYLOR

alienora-taylor-riding-gates-sixty-virgina-woolf

 

Title:  Riding at the Gates of Sixty – Virginia Woolf

Author:  Alienora Taylor

Website:  https://alienorabrowning.wordpress.com/

ASIN:  B00UJFIE6I

Published:  March 10, 2015

Pages:  153

Genre:  Fact-based Fiction, Drama

Virginia Woolf’s last days before her tragic suicide in March 1941, at the age of 59 years, is the setting for this partly true/fictional account told through the eyes of her family and friends.  This haunting novel is written much in the first person, and you get a firsthand account of the events from her husband, Virginia herself, and her friend, Vanessa Bell.  This in depth character study shows Virginia Woolf, as she truly was, a woman comprised of more than just the tragedy of her early demise.

Virginia Woolf was one of the most respected British writers of her time.  Self educated at home by her father, she developed a particular writing style that was intriguing in her ability to write dream like sequences within the orderly plot line of her stories.  This non-linear writing style allowed Virginia to be more creative, a form of writing that had never been done before by other authors.

In true form, Alienora Taylor employs the same non-linear writing style in her account of Virginia Woolf’s last days.  At times, I felt like the author must be channeling the memories and feelings of Virginia, the writing was so engaging.  Virginia came alive for me.  I like to think that I now better understand her depression and the demons that pursued her.  I got to know the real Virginia Woolf.

Alienora Taylor

Author, Alienora Taylor

The happenings in the book are based on fact.  The author studied in detail, letters belonging to Virginia Woolf in preparation for writing this novel.  The only speculation can be, as to what really existed in the minds of the characters.  I felt the author’s attempt to understand and empathize with Virginia’s consuming depression portrayed her, as a successful woman filled with many self doubts, much like modern women today.  Virginia seemed to have it all – success, a loving husband, family.  It just was not enough to help her in the end.

I loved this book.  I knew little about Virginia Woolf, other than that she was a successful author who committed suicide.  What I found reading this novel, was that Virginia Woolf was a strong determined soul, a creative genius, tortured by her madness.  I cannot wait to read her novels!

RATINGS
Realistic Characterization: 5/5
Made Me Think: 5/5
Overall enjoyment: 5/5
Readability: 4.5/5
Recommended: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5.0

Buy it at: Amazon
Format & Pricing:

Kindle: $2.99 US

Goodreads

 

 Colleen_Silver_Threading

 

@ColleenChesebro

www.SilverThreading.com

 

It’s just a word but… by @FTThum

words

Words…I love them.  So my nerdy self downloaded the Dictionary.com app on my smartphone, and subscribed to ‘Word of the Day’.

I get a word sent to me every day… some are quite interesting but not so worthwhile remembering, while others make my list of Use-able Words.

As part of the ‘notification’ there usually is a short list of things, or a short article about the history or origin of certain words.  Again, interesting to a nerd like me and a time-killer.

Nevertheless, I am going to share this with you – ‘7 Words with Real Character‘.  Let’s see how long it will take for you to use all of them in your writing 🙂

Another list of 7 – ‘7 Chinese Loanwords to Expand Your Vocabulary‘.  How many have you used?  Know any other ones you wish to share?

Finally, a list about heart – ‘8 Expression with Heart‘.  Know any other ones?  Share them in the Comments section below.

That’s it, something light from me. Enjoy!

– FlorenceT

 

@FTThum

MeaningsAndMusings

#Book #Review A Journey to Happiness (Passage to Thailand) by Paloma Caral. A journey to the depths of consciousness

A journey to happiness (Passage to Thailand)by Paloma Caral
A journey to happiness (Passage to Thailand)by Paloma Caral

Hi all:

Before my review I wanted to share a word of clarification. I have a personal connection with the book I’m reviewing today. I have translated it to English. I have no commercial stake in the sale of the book (I’ve provided the translation but don’t share in the sales) but wanted you to know that my review (that I’m not posting in official sites as I appear in the credits) is a translation of my review of the Spanish version of the book as I wouldn’t dare comment on my own work. I try to be as unobtrusive as I can when translating as I want the final result to be as close as possible to the original. So any faults you might find with the book will probably be mine and the merits are Paloma’s.

And without further ado…

A journey to happiness (Passage to Thailand)

  • File Size:948 KB
  • Print Length:184 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage:Unlimited
  • Sold by:Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language:English
  • ASIN:B00UXZH6DG

A journey to the depths of consciousness

The title of this novel describes it perfectly. Initially the story is presented from the pont of view of Sara, a young woman who decides to start taking classes at a martial arts school, although what she is trying to do is to find herself. Marc, one of the teachers of the school feels a special affinity for Sara from the very beginning and knows that she needs somebody to help her.

But, although the story returns to Sara, the main part of the novel follows Marc, who discovers many family secrets he wasn’t aware of, including a young half-sister, Carlota, who accompanies him in his journey to Thailand.

His journey to a temple in Chiang Mai, is also ours. Through the narration of several of the characters, including the abbot of the temple, and later a young novice, we learn the story of the Buddha and some of his ideas. The reflections and reactions of the characters, especially those of Carlota, help us question and explore Buddhist philosophy, and at the same time provide us with a human and emotional centre. Carlota is a girl confronted by a situation that would be terrible and cruel at any age who grows and discovers that you make your own happiness.

Marc goes from being an intuitive and “good” man to a man who reaches enlightenment and becomes a master of more than just martial arts, and the father of a unique family.

And to complete the transformation, Sara also goes in search of her own happiness and I found her adventure truly inspiring.

This is not a novel full of action and drama, but a reflective novel where ideas and philosophy are at a premium. The psychological portraits of the characters help us live the story and experiment in the first person their discoveries and revelations.

If you’re only looking for action, romance and standard adventures, I don’t recommend you this novel. But if you dare to go embark on a journey exploring ideas and confronting prejudices, I recommend you this book by Paloma Caral, an author whom you should follow closely. She’ll open up the doors of your mind and your spirit.

The Spanish version of the book has been on the best-sellers list for over a year now.

Ratings:
Realistic Characterization: 4/5
Made Me Think: 5/5
Overall enjoyment: 4.5/5
Readability: 4/5
Recommended: 4.4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
 

Buy it at:  Amazon
Format & Pricing:
Kindle: $3.04

Olga Núñez Miret

@OlgaNM7

http://OlgaNM.wordpress.com

http://www.OlgaNM.com

Should Indie Authors Self-Censor Their Books?

Indie authors get to publish anything at all. Traditional authors have their work edited – things get taken out. Probably things that could cause offense, as well as typos and grammar gremlins. Should you self-censor your writing because of the possibility of offending someone with a word or deed, and thereby open yourself to a couple of raging negative reviews? No – you never should. I must admit to a lot of hesitation inserting offensive things back when I first started out, but not anymore. I’ll write what I feel is right for the story whether it could offend or not. It’s fiction after all. There are things in all my books that could offend a wide range of readers if they chose to be offended, but I have more than enough respect for most lovers of the written word to realise that they’re generally intelligent and open minded, and that if they know that certain types of writing will offend them, they won’t buy those sorts of books.

Back before the advent of the internet and eBooks, readers didn’t get to rant on public websites and forums about profanity in books, or something that they for whatever personal reason find offensive. Writers are getting antsy, stressed and overly careful of what they write with all the political correctness around these days, but we shouldn’t be. For me personally I’ve read swearwords that turned a mundane sentence into something profound – or hilarious. Books are books, and we generally choose those that we’re fairly confident that we’ll enjoy. Writers aren’t the same as everyone else. They see things differently, with a different kind of clarity and insight I think, and they have the power to use the tools of their trade to convey emotions. That’s what reading’s all about – feeling the emotions turned into words by the author. And when writers do what they have to do and put their words on the page, that’s the end of that, and whether or not people choose to read or approve of those words, at the end of the day the choice of those words belongs only to the author. The words are our choice of the tools we feel are needed to get a reader totally immersed and involved in our tales. Whether they’re politically correct or not – profane or not. Our choice only.

We tell the stories as we want to, and write the words we want to write, but we have no control over how people read our books. I’ve seen a couple of terrible reviews of really good books purely based on small amounts of profanity in them. I’ve used a good few judiciously placed swearwords in most of my books, because they’re what came out as the stories were told. I won’t take them out, and I’m pretty sure that there will be more of them in future books of mine when they’re needed. Obviously we want our books to be read as we wrote them. I’m not suggesting that writers all over the place suddenly start adding profanity to every second sentence – unless they want to. Just that if an F bomb finds its way into a sentence to begin with, the word “darn” or “poot” or whatever is most likely not going to convey the emotion that we want to convey it the first place. Unless you’re ghost writing, only you get to choose the words, and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

As far as I’m concerned, a word is just a word. How you use it is what can create offense, and scribblers have all it takes to offend when they so choose. A writer has the equipment to turn someone into a soggy puddle if they choose to use their words as swords. There are words, harmless in themselves, that you can stitch together in a sentence that can cause soul cutting offense. And sometimes in a book, that’s exactly what you need to do. As far as I’m concerned the occasional use of a beautifully placed profane bomb is much more harmless than many, many other things in the world today. They’re just words.

There will always be criticism of books for things in them that have offended people, and all people are offended by different things, so this shouldn’t bother us overly much. It goes with the territory. There are readers of every genre under the sun, and they eventually find the authors they love. Nobody loves every book they ever read – if every book was fabulous then trying to stand out from the crowd would be futile anyway. Don’t ever try and change the writer that you are. Write whatever comes out. Whether your natural style is to swear like a trooper or to never use a word stronger than bottom, it’s all allowed, because if you try to change the writer you are, your words will end up stilted and fake. Be exactly who you are. I say cuss all you like if you so choose, and write the way you’re meant to write, and enjoy one of the most powerful gifts of being an Indie writer – the fact that you can. It’s bound to offend someone sooner or later anyway no matter what it is, and spending any of your time worrying about these things is a waste of good writing time.

tEREUy1vSfuSu8LzTop3_IMG_2538
Image Credit: Unsplash

7 books to re-think Life by @FTThum

Book n coffee
My favourite things…

 

I question my life. It is what I do – not in a ‘my life sucks’ whiny way, but rather as a search for clarity and meaning, to better understand my words and deeds. And please don’t get me wrong, it is not done in an angst-filled manner either. It is reflective.

I realise I have read many books about living life… some I agreed with, others not so. All have made me pause and re-consider. These books are not ‘how-to’ books but rather books that provoke thoughts, reflection, evaluation…

I have selected 7 books from my bookshelf to share with you, in the order they were read by me to the best of my recollection 🙂 .

An aside, ever wondered why ‘7’ is so popular in Eastern and Western cultures? I have used ‘7’ because it is my favourite number. It is an auspicious number in Chinese culture symbolizing ‘togetherness’ and representing ‘yang’ or masculine energy.

Now, the books:

  1. The Road Less Travelled by M Scott Peck

This is a classic on confronting pain and suffering, and the significance of loving relationships.

  1. Unconditional Life by Deepak Chopra

Consolidating different disciplines from quantum physics to ancient traditions, this is an exposition of the impact of consciousness on our reality and in turn, our health and wellbeing.

  1. The Call by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

An excerpt of the poem, The Call, from the book:

I have heard it all my life,
A voice calling a name I recognized as my own.
 
Sometimes it comes as a soft-bellied whisper.
Sometimes it holds an edge of urgency.
 
But always it says: Wake up my love. You are walking asleep.
There’s no safety in that!

    4.  The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

What makes you happy? What makes you a true warrior, a champion in life? Whether you agree or not, it’s a different perspective worth considering.

  1. Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart by Dr Gordon Livingstone

A collection of essays written by a psychiatrist, that is akin to ‘life lessons’. Definitely gets you thinking.

  1. Codes of Love by Mark Bryan

A look at the family and how it influences who we are, and how we are able to learn to re-connect with our loved ones, or gain deeper intimacy. Think your family’s normal? 😉

  1. The Good Life by Hugh Mackay

A social commentary on modern life, and in particular the Utopia complex we as a society and as individuals are buying into, by a modern philosopher. What makes a good life? A life worth living?

I hope you find little gems within the pages!

– FlorenceT

@FTThum
MeaningsAndMusings

Florence 2

A @COLLEENCHESEBRO #BOOK #REVIEW “THE MISTREATMENT OF ZORA LANGSTON” by @REBIRTHOFLISA

Mistreatment of Zora Langston

Title:  The Mistreatment of Zora Langston

Author:  Lisa W. Tetting

Website: https://rebirthoflisa.wordpress.com/

ASIN:  B00URD7AKI

ISBN 13: 9780996142908

Published:  1 edition (March 15, 2015)

Pages:  163 pages

Genre:  Young Adult, Drama, Black Fiction, Coming of Age,

*A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review, which follows.

At the tender age of nine years old, Zora Langston loses the most important person in her life, her father.  This one event, sets off a chain of events that is mind-boggling.  Zora is left with a mother who despises her, a sister who hates her, and a brother who does not even acknowledge her presence.  The death of Zora’s father is further exacerbated when her mother’s boyfriend moves in and takes his place as the head of the household.

Zora struggles to cope with the harsh treatment she receives, as the youngest child in the family.  Naïve as she is, Zora is forced to cope with adult situations that propel her into a new path in her life.  Through all of this, Zora remembers the love and the many lessons from her father, while relying on her faith to help her survive.

Eventually Zora finds the love and understanding she deserves from her Aunt and Uncle, who embrace her into their family.  Haunted by her past, Zora is forced to face old abusers, and new abusers.  Nevertheless, life goes on, and through love and trust Zora is lead to the truth of what it means to be part of a family.

Zora Langston tells this story with all the wisdom a nine-year-old girl can share.  The reader lives through her, and experiences what the child goes through on a daily basis.  I was visually shaken after the confrontation with her mother’s boyfriend.  Zora handles her circumstances with the grace and dignity of a true survivor.  I was drawn into Zora’s world.  I felt her pain and neglect, and her joy and sorrow.  All I wanted to do, was grab this child, hug her, and never let her go!

Lisa Tetting

Author, Lisa Tetting

There is sexual abuse and violence portrayed in the book.  However, it is my opinion that the author portrays this abuse realistically through the words of young Zora.  This is Lisa Tetting’s debut novel, and I believe she achieves her goal of showing how prevalent this type of abuse is in our society.

I was moved beyond words at the treatment Zora endured.  However, I found Zora’s courage and motivation to move forward and heal from her wounds, the most important message in the story.  If you love family drama, young adult literature, and stories that give you hope about life, look no further.  Zora Langston will fill your heart.

RATINGS
Realistic Characterization: 5/5
Made Me Think: 5/5
Overall enjoyment: 5/5
Readability: 4/5
Recommended: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4.5

Buy it at: Amazon
Format & Pricing:
Create Space – Paperback: $10.95 US
Kindle: $3.99 US

Goodreads

 

 Colleen_Silver_Threading

 

 

 

 

@ColleenChesebro

www.SilverThreading.com

How I learned to Kill My Darlings.

You’ve heard the expression in writing that you may come to a point where you must “kill your darlings.” Some will even say kill every last one of the son of a—oops. I was channeling someone else for a moment. Some darlings are okay to keep, but some should be killed. But how to know which and who came up with the idea of the da—yeah, channeling again.

There once was a man named Q, who didn’t know what to do, then one day, decided to say, all your darlings do slay.

In 1912 Arthur Quiller-Couch became a professor at Cambridge. In his first series of lectures he coined a phrase, or at least it is our earliest noted use of said phrase and in the portion of that lecture it went like this:

Arthur Quiller-Couch“[If] you here require a practical rule of me, I will present you with this: ‘Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it—whole-heartedly—and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.”~Arthur Quiller-Couch from On the Art of Writing Lectures delivered in the University of Cambridge 1913-1914.-Page 146

 

If this be much too much for some to grasp and too ancient I shall refer you to a more god like being in the eyes of us mere mortallaic scribes.Stephen King

“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” ~Stephen King from his On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

Perhaps even that is a little too old school for some. How about this?

Neil Gaiman“I absolutely believe in taking out things that make the story better if they aren’t there. Just as I believe in writing scenes you didn’t want to write, when you’re doing the second draft, because it makes the story work better if they are there.

Other than that, I think you’re God when you write, and you get to make the universe the way you want it. If you’ve written something really good, why would you get rid of it? Normally the bits that I really like are the bits that my readers really like too.”~Neil Gaiman , his Tumblr,com page March 18, 2012 (This link will open in this page.)

kill the darlingsIf you are still with me then you are wondering what my advice is on how to kill your darlings. What one piece of advice can I give that you may not have heard before?

Write and draft and draft until you loath, you despise, you literally wish to KILL your novel. The darlings will then leap from the page and sacrifice themselves. Until this point your darlings are in disguise.

I speak from experience. Recently I’ve been working on draft after draft of a book I began back in 2012 or earlier. 300 pages of words, non-stop for days on end have been my life. I know all of you reading can feel me on this one. I am now in stage 25 of writer draft coma and am hooked up to an IV of coffee—I only started drinking coffee a few weeks ago. I think there may be a correlation, and yes that’s how bad it’s been. No, not the story, but how dedicated I am to getting this one exactly how I want it.

In stage 25 it happened. I. Killed. A. Darling. Then. Another. I began to read and see the saccharine everywhere. Those cheesy bits of one-liners in the interior monologue of the narrator that is supposed to be cool because he represents ME! I had reached hatred level. The more I read, the more it became obvious that I, the narrator would NOT say these things. No one in their right mind would read these words and say, “Oh yes, I’ve thought those very same things myself.”

Some of you are saying at this time, “I will never loath my novel.” By loathing your novel I am in effect stating you are loathing the process of continuously laboring over the need to draft and draft. Your mind will eventually have mercy on you.

But how can you do this? I realized somethings.

One is as I said before there are things people just don’t say. They draw attention to the writing. They pull me out of the story, even my own story.

Then I determined things I had in the story were things people skipped. You know those passages in a book you will likely skip as you go along. You get to certain parts and you want to know this, not that. “That” is a darling. “This” is what you need. I found a way to get out of the way of the story. I want my stories read. Is my story the same story without “That”? If the answer is yes, then son long to “That”. Yes, I know I am using quotation marks too often but I am doing it for emphasis.

Going through my novel again I have made great cuts and slashes. Phrasing is improving left and right, pace has improved, the voices of the characters are becoming more distinct. It has taken a long time to get to this point and a lot of pain, in the literal sense. I would not change a moment of it. What I discovered is something that will help me for the remainder of my writing career.

Will this be the piece of advice that helps you get to that goal you have? I don’t know, but every tip is worth at least reading about. I’ve found I gain something each time, or I lose brain cells from the sheer duh duh duh of the person who thought they should be giving advice. Yes, go ahead and say it as you finish reading this about me. All together now. DUH DUH DUH.

But one last bit of advice. Make certain to save that previous draft. When it comes time for your Beta-Readers to read, you may find you need to Frankenstein some Darlings.

@RonovanWrites

 

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#Book #Review @OlgaNM7 ‘Normal’ by Graeme Cameron. A romantic twist on the serial killer novel. And British

Normal by Graeme Cameron
Normal by Graeme Cameron

Title:   Normal
Author:   Graeme Cameron
ASIN:  B00OY2769S
Published:  Kindle version due on 6th April. Hardback  available from 31st March and paperback due in September 29th )
Pages:  301 pages
Genre:  Thriller (serial killer)/romance

Thanks to Net Galley and to Harlequin Mira for providing me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Normal takes another look at the ever popular figure of the serial killer. This one is not only British, but also fairly “normal”. The author choses to use first person narration as a way of keeping the main character anonymous (no description, no personal details other than his own narration of his actions and his environment, not even a name) and of offering the readers and insight into the mind of the murderer. And this was where the problem resided for me. Of course a serial killer deserving of that name would have to appear “normal” to society at large, otherwise he would be easily spotted and stopped. But there are certain psychological characteristics that would be expected, like superficial charm, callousness, lack of empathy… All of these are present to a certain level, and even give rise to pretty humorous (in a dark humour kind of way) situations, but unravel when he seems to fall in love and becomes… an utter disaster.

From being a man who had managed to kill an undetermined number of young women, never getting caught and who had a pretty organised system, he becomes one who starts making mistakes, forgetting to bury bodies, and getting himself caught in all kinds of dangerous situations. At some point, cruelty and all, the novel becomes somewhat slapstick in its situations, and it seems that if he doesn’t get caught sooner is only down to his good luck and to the utter lack of skills of the local police (who pay dearly for their mistakes).

I wasn’t sure if the lack of psychological consistency in the character was meant to indicate a crisis (of conscience, a moral crisis) or to point out at the redeeming powers of love. The characters comments towards the end (that I won’t reveal, although the actual end is not completely closed) indicate the second option, and that stretches somewhat the limits of credibility, but maybe I’m just too cynical. As the book is a Harlequin Edition, this makes some sense, and it’s an interesting move within their line of publications.

Some reviewers have queried the lack of explanation of the motivations for the character’s actions that are only vaguely hinted at. Although that is true, the main character never seems to entertain deep reflections about himself other than in relation to his immediate plans, actions and the likely consequences of these and there doesn’t seem to be much space for biographical reflection in the way his brain works.

The character that I found intriguing is Erica who is totally unexplained and unexplainable, and in some ways I wonder how the novel would have been if she was the narrator of the story (or this had been a third person narration to allows us some insight into her).

This is a good read (if you tolerate violence, although is by far not as violent as other books on the subject), the language flows easily, and it has enough intrigue, and dark humoured moments to keep most readers of the genre happy. Being a psychiatrist (and a forensic psychiatrist at that) I wasn’t totally convinced by the psychological portrayal of the character and his behaviour in the last third of the book but I don’t think I’m the intended reader of this novel. In my opinion most readers of thrillers looking for something a bit different will enjoy it, but maybe not the hard core of the genre.

Ratings:
Realistic Characterization: 3/5
Made Me Think: 4/5
Overall enjoyment: 3.5/5
Readability: 4.5/5
Recommended: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
 

Buy it at: Amazon
Format & Pricing:
Paperback: $ 13.04 (Available from 29th September)
Hardback:  $ 18.71 (Available from 31st March)
Kindle: $7.25 (Available from 6th April. Currently on pre-order)

Thank you all for reading, and  you know what I say, like, share, comment, and if you’re really interested, get pre-CLICKING!

Olga Núñez Miret

Olga_Núñez_Miret_author.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

@OlgaNM7

http://OlgaNM.wordpress.com

http://www.OlgaNM.com