How to: Photoshop 101.2

Happy Monday, everyone! Today's post is, once again, about Photoshop. We're looking at the selection tool and all the options therein. Grab your coffee, or tea, and let's get going!

What did you think? Are you getting anything out of the videos?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

How to: Photoshop 101 - Tools

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you enjoy the introductions to the tools in Photoshop. It's just a speedy overview (about 7 minutes). I'll be going a little deeper on some of these things later on. Enjoy the video!😁

What did you think? Did you get anything useful out of that? Are there any other tutorials you'd like to see besides Photoshop?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Ozarks Indie Book Fest - First Panel Announced

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I have some exciting news to share with you all today. OIBF's official blogger, The Katy, announced the first panel and moderator for the conference in 2017 (October 19-22)! See the video embedded below.


Want to join in the fun? You can grab your tickets to OIBF on the website here.

Interested in being a sponsor or want an item in the welcome bags? Check out this quick rundown of sponsorships currently available!

I'll be there, and I know a ton of other people who will be there, too!

If you think you'd like to be a part of the OIBF anthology, write a quick 1k words and enter it here. Blind judging will choose the top ten! Deadline for entries is 9/30. Deadline for completed short stories is 12/31. Coolest thing about it? ALL the proceeds will be split between two charities: Loving Paws Rescue and Companions for Heroes. Oh yeah! What are you waiting for?



I do hope to see you all at the conference! It's gonna be a BLAST. You don't wanna miss it.

What do you think? Did you enter? Planning to?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Write Better. Write Faster. Right Now. A FREE 4-Part How-to Video Series

Happy Wednesday again! *grin* Okay, you guys, strap in, because this post is a doozy!

I'm so excited to share this!

Want to write faster (and BETTER)?
Want to finally write that novel?

This is where you start.

This 4-part video series is designed specifically to teach you—for free—how to start writing better, faster, today.

FYI, the makers of the videos are Heather Hildenbrand & S. M. Boyce: published, best-selling authors. They’re the real deal, with a NBC film option and published novels to drool over. They run a company called Find Time to Write and in true Find Time to Write BOSSness fashion, they decided to tackle the largest issue first.

Authors hire these ladies to level up their careers and propel them forward. But today, they’re doing this video series for free.

Check it out here.

Now, there's a place at the bottom where you can stick your e-mail address in and get the next three videos absolutely FREE, too.

What do you think? Will you be checking it out? Let me know in the comments.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

YouTube for Bloggers and Authors

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna talk a little bit about You Tube and how bloggers and authors can use it to their advantage. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

You Tube. I bet most of you have watched a video or two hundreds of videos from this little channel, either via your Facebook feed or by browsing for something you were interested in, right?

Well, I invite you today to expand your horizons and look beyond browsing and watching; let's go into making.

If you've never made a video, you're not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of people just like you in the world who either don't have time or have no idea how to get started. So, first, I'm gonna walk you through a quick lesson on creating and uploading that video, then we'll get to how you can use the platform to your advantage (what you might consider recording to share).

You'll (possibly) need the following equipment:

• Something to record yourself with (this can be an iPhone, iPad, computer camera, or other camera that captures video)
• A video editing tool (on Windows, you have Movie Maker - FREE, and I'm not sure about Mac, but I believe they come with something similar)
• An image editing tool (Paint will do fine)
• A noise cancelling microphone or headset (if you plan to only speak)
• This link for music (if you want to add some beats - these are FREE for YouTube use)

Now that you have those things, we're ready to create an awesome video. Here are the steps:

1. Create a script (this is what you want to say once you're on camera) so you aren't stumbling all over the place
2. Set up your recording device on a stable surface so there isn't a ton of camera shake (if you're only doing audio, this is where you strap on your headset or affix your freestanding mic to something)
3. Get your screen grabs (if you're doing a walk-through to show someone how to do something, you'll want to go step-by-step through the screens - Use Ctrl+PrtScr then open Paint and use Ctrl+V to paste the shot in - be sure to save them with labels like Screenshot1_tutorial1, Screenshot2_tutorial1, etc...) You can skip this step if you plan to record yourself talking.
4. Get to recording. Lay down all audio and video tracks now
5. Open Movie Maker and create an intro section (it's pretty self-explanatory), then drop in the other images you plan to use and set their run times.
6. Add your audio where you want it and tweak the video where necessary. Be sure and save your project often in case of a crash.
7. Render it (again, it kinda walks you through it), and save to your hard drive.
8. Go create a YouTube Channel.
9. Upload your video, add tags, and click publish.

You're done!

I bet you're thinking: That's awesome, Jo, but what the hell do I have to record that people will give two craps about?

Everyone has a skill, and most people know something they can share with or teach others. If all else fails, read a portion of your novel so people can have a taste of it, or do a book review. You can also create a cool book trailer. Once you graduate from Movie Maker, you can get into more technical editors that might cost a little money, but produce studio grade results. But cut your teeth on something easy to use first.

Here are a couple of little videos I did with Movie Maker:




So, you can see the possibilities are there. Crafts, books, technology, marketing, allathat and more!

What are you waiting for? Get going!

Do you have a YouTube channel? Share the link!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Meta-Data for Books, Videos, and a Chance to Pick My Brain

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna talk to you a little about meta-data for your books, show you a couple of videos, and tell you about a chance you have to ask me a question about writing, editing, self-publishing, or marketing. So grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Meta-Data for Your Books

What is meta-data? Namely, it's data that you can't see but has an impact on web search results. It's part of SEO (search engine optimization), and not something you should be skipping over when creating your novel. We're all familiar with tags and keywords on Amazon, Smashwords, Createspace, etc... But! Did you know you have keyword (description tags) available to you in MS Word? Best of all: There's no limit to how many you can use!

Screenshot time! I bet you're all familiar with this:

Now, that's awesome, right? You put in the document title, click save, and off to the races you go! But look a little closer and pay attention to the arrows:

Each of those is a field you can put meta-data into. Just click on them and they'll open like this:

Best part? If you've used certain tags previously, it suggests them. All you have to do is tick the check-box. Once you're done with the author name (it will auto-populate your user name on your computer), add tags and a title. When you're done, it'll look like this:

Then you can click save and all that beautiful, digital information will be embedded in the book file. How cool is that?

See? You had a tool and most likely weren't using it.

Why does it matter? Well, we all know what tags are and how they function on Amazon, right? Think about how many more you'll get with this function. Roll that around in your mind for a moment.

Ahhhhh, I can see the lights upstairs come on from all the way over here! Now you know.

Moving on...

Videos!

I promised you a couple of videos, so here you go:





Those were fun, huh? Yeah, that's a book trailer for I, Zombie and one for Chasing Shadows.

Okay! On to the next topic!

Your Chance to Pick My Brain

Natasha Hanova is hosting a Q&A session with me on her blog. I've agreed to take five industry related questions from readers. This is your chance to get an answer to a question you have (that you can't find the answer to here).

If you'd like to put a question in the hat, either comment below or DM Natasha on Twitter. You can find her here:
Natasha's Twitter Page

How about that? Did you all have fun?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Video We Need to See

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope your weekend went well. Today, I'm sharing this cute video from YouTube I think you'll all enjoy. So sit back, grab a cup of Jo (ha!), and watch. Hopefully, this will clear some things up grammatically.

Literally.



Any questions?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

I, Zombie Soundtrack

Happy, happy Friday, everyone! I hope you all have something awesome planned for the weekend! In order to kick your weekend off the right way, I've compiled a little soundtrack for the book I, Zombie. These are the songs I've heard that made me think of the story (or songs others told me were brought to mind as they read). When possible, I used the videos with lyrics so you can read along if you choose to do so. I'll give a short explaination of why I used each one after. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the videos below and the sound of music!

#1: Zombie by The Cranberries



This may seem like an obvious choice, but really listen to the lyrics. If you've read the book and this song doesn't make you cry, I don't know what to say...

#2 Let Her Go by Passenger



Again, seems like an obvious choice given the nature of Trixie and Jack's relationship. But he didn't know he loved her 'til he let her go...

#3 Dust to Dust by The Civil Wars



Takes one to know one? Thank you for the recommendation, Casey L. Bond! I listened to this and bawled my eyes out...

#4 I Need a Hero by Bonnie Tyler



The epitome of Jack.

#5 Bring Me to Life by Evanescence



Oh my... It's that scene! You know of what I speak if you've read the book. If not, pick it up, listen to the music after you've read it. Heartbreaking, no? *grin*

Okay, so if you don't have a copy of I, Zombie yet, you can snag one over on Amazon (for Kindle) for just $3.99. It's sitting at 4.3 stars on 31 reviews, so it's doing pretty well! Get yours here.

I hope you all enjoyed this little foray into the world of I, Zombie and what music speaks to the author (and why).

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Quora is Questioned - Day Eight WABC

Happy FRIDAY, good people of the blogosphere! Sorry I was late with yesterday's post. My daughter has been very ill this week and yesterday we ended up in the ER - twice. But she's all good now and bouncing around like a regular seven-year-old ought to be. With the weekend starting today, I'm glad to see her on the mend. Today, I'll be discussing something I'm not familiar with (but intend to be here shortly) called Quora. Here's the prompt from the challenge:

Are you using Quora? If you aren’t familiar with it, Quora enables users to ask questions and receive answers from those who allegedly know something about the topic. This is a phenomenal way to demonstrate your expertise – and even if you’re a novelist, you have an area of expertise – perhaps it’s simply “publishing your novel.” Unfortunately, it seems you’re required to have an account before you can dig around – UNLESS you know a person’s profile link. Here are two you can check out:

http://www.quora.com/Seth-Godin

http://www.quora.com/Laura-Orsini

Yes – I just put myself on par with Seth Godin! Here’s your challenge: What’s the one question you would like to find an expert to answer? And conversely, what’s the one question you would feel most comfortable/confident answering? If you’re on Quora, please be sure to give us your link!

I looked around, created an account, and invited a couple of people over to join me. My profile is here: http://www.quora.com/Jo-Michaels

At first glance, it seems you can become an authority in your field on Quora rather quickly by answering questions others post. I'll need some more time to explore it, but I can see the potential of being involved in such a website. Both professionally and business-wise, it seems like a good investment of time to pop over and answer a question once or twice a week.

As a bonus, it let me link all my social networks right up with the click of a button. Perhaps I'll gain new followers and new readers that way. What an awesome tool!

Just in case you missed yesterday's post (that I wrote this morning), I'm giving you all the video once again. Enjoy! I better see your toes tapping!



Whatcha think?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

GooglePlus is Purdy! - Day Seven WABC

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today's post is all about Google+. Without further ado, the prompt for today:

Have you jumped into Google+ yet? If you are a regular user, you are still considered an early adopter, and that’s a great place to be in order to make a name for yourself – especially if men are among your target market, as most users right now are male. As marketing pro Linda Sherman puts it, “GooglePlus can give you access to influencers (i.e., other early adopters) who might not notice you elsewhere.” This is a CHALLENGE, so here’s my challenge with this prompt: If you’re USING Google+, tell us about your experience. If you’re NOT using Google+, don’t just write, “Blah, blah, blah I’m not using it …” and call it a post. Do a little research. Learn one thing about Google+ that you find interesting, that might make it worth your time and effort to explore. No – I’m not suggesting you be on every social media platform, but the goal of this Challenge is to explore the various social networks, so let’s do that! And if you are on Google+, be sure to give us your link.

Using blogger (a Google based blogging service) I get some really cool features with Google+. When I'm typing up my blog, if I want to mention someone in my circles, I just type + along with their name and poof they show up and are tagged on my blog. How frikkin' cool is that?

+Jo Michaels

Now, if you click on my name above, you'll be taken to my Google+ page.

My experience has been excellent! I'm a member of a couple of groups over there with oodles of bookish folk in them. I haven't tried hangouts yet, but I intend to for Indie Books Gone Wild. We already have a freakishly awesome calendar to help us stay organized via Google+. Check it out. The link is on the top left-hand side of the IBGW page. Best of all, it was totally free.

Speaking of calendars and Google+, if you have a calendar on there, folks can invite you to events (or you can invite others) and it shows up automatically when you accept. Best of all, the event is added to your agenda and syncs beautifully with your wireless devices if you have a gmail account. I also get a daily e-mail with my agenda on it; so I can see my day at a glance.

With all the wonderful tools gmail and Google+ have to offer, if you're not on there, you're missing out on a lot.

Because of a prompt earlier in the week about YouTube, I made a short video. Check it out and tell me what you think!



It's only about 61 seconds, but it packs a fun punch!

Have you begun to use any of the tools mentioned in the challenge?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tube Tops - Day Six WABC

Oh my goodness! It's Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! That means just two more days until the weekend arrives! Get through today and you're golden. Still rolling along with the Winter Author Blog Challenge, and today's prompt is all about YouTube. That golden beacon in the sky, calling our names like a siren. It draws us in and holds us fast for hours. Without further ado, the prompt for today:

With more than 800 million unique visitors a month, YouTube is one of the most popular search engines. Do you have a YouTube channel? Have you made a book trailer for your book? If not, what kind of book trailer would you like to make for your book? Do you have a video camera? If you do and you’re not posting short videos, you’re missing out on a huge marketing opportunity. It’s especially useful if you’re trying to reach a global audience, as 70 percent of YouTube viewers are in countries other than the U.S. If regular video posts are still on your To-Do list, what are some of the most clever video posts you’ve seen, and how might you do something similar to promote your books or yourself as an author? Be sure to give us the link to your YouTube channel.

I've done one video on YouTube and made it private. You can only get to it by clicking on the link: http://youtu.be/ydqAJmVNa5Q I'd just woken up and look a bit like crap, but it was fun and a good learning experience. My idea was to figure out just how to do something like that from my iPad, and it went off without a hitch. YAY!

I attended a webinar last week called Book Marketing is Bull$h*t. At the start of the session, the host asked us to answer a poll. His question was: What avenues are helping you in your sales? Guess what the only option was that didn't get any votes. That's right, book trailers.

Like Pinterest, I think perhaps we're using them the wrong way. Instead of a trailer for a book, perhaps we should be exploring other options. YouTube is video, man! It has a billion (with a B) possibilities. As authors, we just need to figure out a way to tap into it and use it at its highest potential. I don't go to YouTube to find new books to read.

Ah! There's the million dollar question, huh? Where do readers go to find new books to add to their list?

I use:

• Recommendations from peers (Facebook and Twitter).
• Browsing the bookstore (I love a book sale!).
• Reading reviews on Goodreads (I read the ONE and TWO star reviews. If they're complaining about how the book made them feel, in a bad way, I usually enjoy the hell out of it. If it's talking about the bad writing, I know to avoid it).
• Keeping up with my favorite authors and jumping on it when they release a new book.
• Blogs that write reviews (I recently picked up Splintered by AG Howard this way).
• Winning giveaways (Jamie McGuire became a favorite of mine this way).

And, I ended up being a fan of a couple of authors from the last Author Blog Challenge. Tia Silverthorne Bach, Crystal Lee, Heather Topham Wood, and Ms. Sandi Tuttle (she's working on her book, but I love her blog!).

So, utilizing YouTube may be more about reading your book to your audience while they enjoy looking at the cover (please, for the love of Pete, comb your hair - unlike me - if you're going to use your face). I'm planning to work something up so I don't have to be on-camera but can still hook readers with an interesting story. I'm a photographer, too, so maybe imagery is the way to go. Something that compliments the story being told.

Being a graphic designer who's in LOVE with Typography, here are two of my favorite YouTube videos:
Font Conference
Font Fight
Confession: I watched them again after I linked them. Hehe

What have your YouTube experiences been like?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Reading

Good morning, people of the blogosphere! Today, something a bit different! Enjoy it.



Remember to enter the rafflecopter drawing below! Cover reveal for The Bird to come soon! I'll have options for you all to help me choose from. EXCITING TIMES!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you'd rather read it, see below:

Chapter One – The Bird

As the sun began its journey into the sky, Stormy watched it with intensity. Somehow it seemed brighter, like it knew that day would be different. She sighed and lifted her coffee to her lips, blowing the steam away to cool it. A tentative sip later, she relaxed into the chair as the warm liquid made its way down her throat.

Her thoughts turned to the reason she was there and a great wave of sadness settled over her. Mom only had about two months of life left and Stormy wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand it when the family matriarch died. They’d been through so much together and butted heads so many times it was ridiculous. But the love was there, and that’s what mattered. Stormy’s eyes misted up at the memories playing through her head.

A cardinal perched in a bush nearby and cocked his head to the side as if to say, “Hello. What are you doing sitting on my porch?”

She laughed softly and spoke to it. “Hi yourself. I bet you’re happy. It looks like it’s gonna be a beautiful day. Why are you up so early? Oh, right, the early bird gets the worm, huh?” Another chuckle escaped her lips and she wondered if she was losing it. After all, who talks to animals?

It hopped out of the bush and onto the railing nearby; again, cocking its head at her.

“Well, aren’t you a brave little thing?”

In answer, the bird chirped.

Shaking her head, she smirked at the bird and spoke to it again. “You want to know what I’m doing here and who I am, huh?”

It chirped a few more times.

Stormy mumbled, “Well, might as well talk to it. It’s not like I can look any crazier than I already am.” She considered the bird for a moment before beginning. “Okay, you want to know why? I’ll tell you. Listen up, because I’m only telling you once. I got a phone call a couple of weeks ago telling me my mother only had a few months of life left and I needed to come see her. So I got on a plane and flew out here to spend some time in her company. As always, she hasn’t held back her opinions of me, and I’m beginning to regret flying all the way to Missouri. Not to mention my long walk this morning just to procure a cup of freaking coffee because she doesn’t drink it therefore has no pot.”

The cardinal pranced around on the railing and hopped from foot-to-foot before chirping at her again.

“Oh, you want more?”

Another chirp and a fanning of the tail feathers.

“Okay then. I’m sleeping on the most uncomfortable bed known to man, my cell phone died right after I arrived, and I have no laptop because it was consumed by the blue screen of death. I’m stuck out here with my thoughts and I’m talking to a bird; which, by all accounts, makes me nuttier than a Mr. Goodbar. I miss my dogs, my kids, and my life back home in New Jersey – did you recognize the accent? Now I’m facing losing someone I love dearly, but who doesn’t seem to notice I love her. I guess I figured flying out here would be enough. I feel like my whole forty-five years have meant nothing. But you don’t want to hear this.”
Stormy noticed a movement out the side of her eye and whipped her head around to find a spider descending from the eaves with its legs wagging as if in terror it would fall. A horrible thought occurred to her as the cardinal stared at the insect as well.

“Please don’t eat it,” she asked.

When the cardinal shivered, extended its wings, opened its beak, and mimicked throwing up, she laughed out loud.

“Well, aren’t you a clever bird?”

After fluffing its feathers, the bird cocked its head and gave a short chirp before hopping along the railing toward the steps.

Stormy said, “Leaving now? Okay, it was nice talking to you!”

It hopped back, bowed with wings extended, chirped again, then turned and walked deliberately back toward the steps.

“What?”

The bird hung its head and sighed. Then, it repeated its movements.

“You want me to follow you. Is that it?”

It danced around a moment then flew around her head before landing back on the porch railing and hopping back over toward the steps again.

Stormy eased out of her chair and began to walk toward the steps.

At her movement, the bird flew to the lowest branch of a nearby tree and turned to chirp at her.

Again, she followed.

This pattern continued until they were a good way from the house in a dense thicket of trees.

When they reached a small clearing teeming with dandelions, the bird landed on the ground and began to shake.

In a flash of light, Stormy suddenly found herself face-to-face with a handsome young man with short black hair, hazel green eyes, and skin that glowed like a god’s. He bowed to her and said, “Thank you for coming. We’ve been waiting for you to return for a long time now.”

She couldn’t move or speak. Her feet seemed to have been cemented in place and her mouth felt like it was full of glue.

He smiled, revealing perfect teeth, and asked, “Are you surprised? Really? Have you ever seen a true cardinal behave that way?”

Stormy shook her head.

“I need you to accompany me right now. We have no time left to lose. My mother asked that I bring you to her so she can explain what’s going on and how we are in great need of your help. Will you come with me?” He extended a hand.

Without thinking, she placed her hand in his and nodded.

“Eventually, you’re going to need to speak.” He grinned. “I’m Michael.”

“Hello.” She managed to squeak out the word but even to her it sounded lame. “I’m sorry. Hello, Michael, it’s nice to meet you.”

His grip on her hand tightened for a moment with a reassuring squeeze. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I imagine I gave you quite a fright when I changed.”

“No. You just surprised me is all. I’m difficult to scare.”

Michael’s face showed appreciation and he nodded.

“Where are we going?”

“To my home. You’ll see. It’s not far now.”

Stormy allowed herself to be dragged through the trees toward the pond. When they arrived, she took note of the now dying tree growing near the water, remembering how she used to play on its branches when she was a kid. To her surprise, he headed straight for it.

Once they got close, he released her hand and said, “Stay right here for a moment.”

She did as she was told and watched him walk over to the tree and wave his hand in front of the trunk, near the water. A gasp escaped her lips when the water rose to reveal an elegant set of stairs with a gold banister that led down into the ground.

Michael returned and offered his hand. “Shall we?” he asked.

Her head moved up and down of its own accord and she placed her hand in his, hoping he didn’t mind the perspiration. Despite her display of bravado, she was feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything she was seeing and her palms had begun to sweat.

When he didn’t seem to notice, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. With her heart hammering in her chest, she accompanied him down the golden stairs. As they descended, she could hear the water above rushing back into place. She was trapped.

As her feet moved forward, her eyes adjusted to the new light. It was a bit dimmer than above and had a more golden tone to it. She glanced down at her arms and noticed she looked more bronzed than she did before. Thinking it must do wonders for the skin, she wondered how often you’d have to be exposed to it to look like Michael. She felt the heat rise into her face.


Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo