Design, Write, Create!

Explaining today the process for cover design. Hold on to your hats!! 

Describe your process for choosing and designing your book cover. Who created your cover? How did you find him/her? What do you love about your cover? What might you do differently next time?

I have a degree in graphic design. Business cards, logos, fliers, mailers, CD covers, banners, ads, and much much more all make up what I know how to do. But, best of all, I can design book covers. My own and other people's. It may or may not surprise you to know I am also an illustrator, photographer, and painter. What the hell, right?

I am a creative. My brain works differently.

My boyfriend (the best one in the world, by the way) and I often discuss how my head works in a different way. All creatives are like that, authors are probably the most browbeaten of the bunch because folks wonder, not only where our worlds come from, but how we can write some of the things we do.

It is precisely this different way of working that allowed me to design my own book covers. I decided on a watercolor cherry tree with a beautiful woman sitting beneath for the cover of Yassa because it's a love story at its heart. Yeah, it goes into murder, betrayal, and law, but it's really the relationship of Temujin and Borte that drives the whole darn thing. So my cover reflects how my heart felt at the beginning and at the end.

I love my cover because it's a piece of me. I put a lot of time into the watercolor illustration and design and I stressed over which fonts to use. It had to say, "Something is different about this book." I believe it does that.

When I designed the cover for The Abigale Chronicles - Book One, I thought about my protagonist and what she would want her diary cover to look like. I then approached a twelve-year-old girl who lives down the street from me and asked her for a handwriting sample. She wrote the word Abigale and I scanned and vectored it for something unique. You won't see that font on ANY other book. It's very personal and feels so much more authentic. I gave her a signed copy of the book for helping me. She'll get one of every new volume as well. It's the least I could do.

I see so many book covers today that could use a tweak or two where lettering is concerned. I have a few lessons on my blog; starting with this one. If you have ever wanted to know what a designer does and how much tweaking they do to your lettering, I urge you to check it out. Your typography is EVERYTHING. It's the first thing people notice. Forget about images or color. Many e-readers are black and white. Your letters count. Go peek at the lessons (there are 4) and you'll see what I mean.

I've considered creating a short book with tips and tricks on cover art design and how to use lettering for impact. We'll see. I wouldn't charge for it, of course (it wouldn't be long), but I think it might come in handy for some who are short on cash and want to design for themselves. I can even have a section of what NOT to do. That way, we won't end up with glaring color oopsies that make our eyes feel like they are going to burn out of our skulls when we look at them. Who knows? I might, I might not. If I do, you can guarantee the news will be HERE first!!

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

Jo

My Editor and My Friend

Today's prompt from the 28 Day Author Blog Challenge: 

Describe your editing process. Who edited your book? What was your relationship with your editor like? What could each of you have done to improve it? What might you do differently in the future? 

My editing process consisted of:

Giving my book a cool-down period of six weeks then printing it and hitting it HARD with a red pen for additions.

Hitting it HARD with a red pen again for subtractions.
Again to tweak language and take out erroneous words.
Passing it to Crystal Lee for outside editing.
Hitting it with her suggestions and edits in tow.
Thanking her for her beautiful insights.
Formatting for all platforms.
Hitting the printed version with a designer's eye for hangy things :)
Uploading and clicking publish.

Crystal Lee edited my book. It was a great working relationship because we think alike in terms of writing. It was easy to veto or re-word items based on her feedback. I knew she wouldn't take it personally. We had a deep understanding that everything passed to and fro were suggestions and not concrete laws.

To improve, we could have had a better way to communicate. We only used e-mail. haha!

I don't think I'd change a single thing. Her view may be very different but we worked well together, I thought. My books are better products because I took the time to have someone read them and give me an honest opinion with feedback before I released them to the masses. Yassa is priced at $9.99 and it's damned well worth every penny. You'll take a piece of the book with you; of that, I am certain. Everyone does.

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

Jo

How NOT to Critique

Day 10 in the Author Blog Challenge poses the question: 

Have you participated in a critique groups? If so, how did it work out for you? If not, why have you avoided them to this point? 

I haven't participated in a critique group per-say but I have had editing sessions with my friend and editor Crystal Lee. Since the prompt for talking about her is tomorrow, I will tell you about the end results. I will also speak of my beta readers here. They were critics too.

Crystal edited The Abigale Chronicles and did such a lovely job, I had to use her again for Yassa. I am trading my cover design work for her editing eagle-eye. It's a very fair trade.

My beta readers corrected my writing as I went along. Their suggestions helped me become better at not using short, choppy sentences as much and a better writer overall. A few suggestions I ignored because they were suggesting I change my writing style. Sorry, but I bend like that for no man or woman.

<rant>I have read too many books with overly descriptive paragraphs that turned me off to the story at hand. No one needs to know where every blade of freaking grass was or what the color of each is. Unless that grass is trying to eat the protagonist, assume it's green because you aren't gonna hear about it, okay? I am a to the point kind of gal who doesn't appreciate that when I'm into how a character is feeling, someone tells me what color the car is that the character is driving and goes into a story about the wind whistling through the barely open windows. Tell me what the person sees and the reaction. Tell me what they feel. If the character is smushing his toes in the grass, then tell me how the grass is tickling his feet. Otherwise, please please leave it alone! </rant off>

My relationship with my beta readers was a good working relationship and I am comfortable with critique unless it tries to change my story or style. But I just reject the suggestion if it tickles my inner writer. Crystal simply pointed out my grammatical errors and made suggestions on how things should be reworded or areas that were fuzzy and could use some work. She was UH-MAZING. Beta readers got the story flowing, Crystal spit shined it for the masses.

I couldn't imagine having a better writing experience. BTW, Crystal and I met in the comments section on another blog. Ahhhhh, networking at its finest!! I have made some awesome virtual friends through weird places.

Now, how NOT to critique. Don't jump at someone and tell them their writing is shit. While I would laugh, many writers are emotionally attached to their work. Like artists, we weave worlds of our own. Our books are our babies. Instead, tell them you like the story but this or that could be changed. I am a very harsh editor and I know that. I warn people up front that I am blunt and to the point. To treat you with kid-gloves will not help you. But I am not mean. There is a difference. Asking questions to make you think about things you have written is the way I go about it (unless there is a glaring error that is repeated, then I point it out and stop marking it, assuming you will take it upon yourself to fix it).

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

Jo

A Chamelion Book

Well, this is an easy one! Another writing prompt for the 28 Day Author Blog Challenge!

If your book is fiction, how could you change it to make it a nonfiction book? If your book is nonfiction, what could you do to turn it into a story? Hollywood has done it, so how could you do the same thing? 

Yassa is fiction that is based on fact. If I took out the love triangle (it could have happened!) and some of the gory scenes where Temujin is exacting revenge on those that have wronged him (or his family), it would be all fact.

But, how stinkin' boring it would be! BORING! History is boring unless you focus on the human element. Facts and dates thrown together in a mishmash of words makes me fall into a zombie trance and drool on the page. Note: to those that have bought my used books, that was hyperbole.

Seriously, let's get serious for a moment. Ha!

Genghis Khan's story is blah blah blah unless you focus on the man himself. He led one heck of an interesting life. If you don't believe me, go check out his Wikipedia page. It's scarily accurate. This line: 

Temujin valued loyalty above all else and also valued brotherhood. Jamukha was one of Temujin's best friends growing up. But their friendship was tested later in life, when Temujin was fighting to become a khan.

Is the basis of my book and is down the page a bit on the Wiki entry. Jamuka became a rival to Temujin. But why? They were andas (sworn brothers)!! What could have come between them? Duh! A woman. That's where the twist in my version of history comes in. Jamuka betrayed the loyalty he had sworn. It's all in the prologue of the book :)

At the very least, go get a sample. Hollywood would have a field day making my book into a movie. It has all the elements necessary: love, battles, betrayal, ruthlessness, etc...

A book I haven't spoken much about is The Abigale Chronicles - Book One. Not because it's any less important than Yassa, but simply because it speaks for itself. To turn it into a work of non-fiction would be an exercise in futility. There would be no story without the paranormal aspect.

If you like young reader's books, check out The Abigale Chronicles. Book two will release in July!

That's all for today, folks. Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Interviewing Genghis Khan

Trundling along through the Author Blog Challenge. And now, for a new prompt:

Describe the research process for your book. Did you interview people? Travel? How prominent a role did the Internet play? If you didn’t do new research, how did you learn what you needed to know to write your book? 

I sure wish I could have interviewed Genghis Khan! That would have been cool. Of course, there's the ruthless killer thing... oh! and the language barrier thing... But I think we could have gotten past all that and become great friends! I'm sure the dude had a wicked sense of humor, too.

Seriously, research for my book included reading Genghis Khan by John Man. He had been to Mongolia and studied the man and the customs. It was a very informative book. I also got a lot of articles through the library at my college; then held on to them for the last eight years. Yes, I am a nerd. So what? So is Bill Gates. Food for thought there!

Wikipedia articles are actually based off a lot of Man's book, so they didn't tell me much that I didn't already know.

I read and consumed and notated and read some more. Finally, I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "Jo, seriously? You know enough. Go write your book!" And I did.

What has always fascinated me about Genghis Khan was his relationship with his wife. None of that is in the history books; it all came out of my head. I know when they met and can approximate when they were married but I had to do some serious swinging of dates to make it work the way I needed it to.

Check this out: at age nine, Temujin is taken by his father to meet Borte. Temujin's father is then murdered on the way home. Because the kid was the one chosen to take over, he had to go tell his people their lives were in his hands.

Can you imagine being ruled/governed by a nine-year-old? Yeah, well, neither could they. They left his family to the wolves. After that, it all goes downhill for the poor kid. He does end up marrying Borte, only to have her kidnapped about a week later (during their journey to Temujin's home) by a rival tribe and sold to another man as a wife. Talk about adding insult to injury! People wonder why he killed so much...

All of that is 100% truth. You learn his story in the book. I won't reveal any more here. If you want to find out, you gotta read Yassa. I thought Genghis was this big, burly guy who couldn't care less for human life or his family. I was wrong. He is one of the most interesting characters I have ever researched. I put him up there with Queen Elizabeth I. She intrigued me as well.

All of the relationship stuff in the book (my story is character driven) comes from my relationship with my boyfriend. I put myself in Temujin's shoes and pictured how I would react/feel if I went through what he did. So, I guess you could say my own relationship gave me a lot of the information I needed to write Yassa.

Enough of my ramblings! You should go check out the book. Here is the link to my bibliography on a page on this blog. Enjoy it!

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Outlining is for Loserz

Wait...  Losers can't be right, can it? Oh, crap! I'm a loser! I'm kidding. Relax...

Describe your outline process for your book. What do you do to stay organized? 

I shoot chapter one from the hip. Only after that chapter is down do I worry about any kind of outline. If you can't write the first chapter from nothing but a note on an idea, chances are your book won't work. This is only true for fiction writers, I think.

If my story is working after that chapter, I open up a new document in MS Word and fire off a list of chapter headings. Under those headings, I write a snatch of the chapter happenings. After that is complete, I write down how my protagonist will change from the beginning of the book to the end and what decision he/she is faced with that changes his/her life forever. Then, I try to decide on an ending. What is that character trying to achieve? Will he/she succeed? I am rarely able to answer that last question until I actually reach the end, but no harm in thinking about it.

I start another document with character attributes. Names, places, religion, descriptions. If my character has green eyes in chapter two and brown eyes in chapter twenty-two, not so good.

Yet another document gets riddled with my research of time and setting. I don't like having to surf while I'm writing, it breaks my flow.

I keep all of those documents open as I write. I flesh out the chapter descriptions as I write the chapter and add characters as they pop up in the story. I don't like being forced into a story in any one way so my chapter descriptions in the beginning are vague suggestions.

I have folders inside a main folder for each book AND each distribution channel. Inside each distribution channel folder, I have a copy formatted to their standards and a copy of the book cover formatted for them as well.

Example:

Desktop>Books and Writings>Abigale>Cover Designs
Desktop>Books and Writings>Smashwords>Abigale>Converted
Desktop>Books and Writings>Yassa>Rewrite

I can see, at a glance, where each version is located and where my original files are as opposed to reworks/rewrites.

It works for me.

If you haven't checked out Yassa yet, do it already! What are you waiting for? If you love kid's books, go grab a copy of The Abigale Chronicles - Book One! Book two is coming out in July so you better get a move on. Visit this page on my blog for all links and a brief synopsis of each book.

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

Jo

Zip! Bam! Pow! An Idea is Born

Here I go with writing prompt number six in the 28 day author blog challenge! You should go check out some of the participants. There is a lot of talent in this group.

Where were you when the idea for your book was initially ignited? Who was the first person you told? How did they respond?

I remember very clearly where I was when I got the idea for my book and the reaction because it was overwhelming that so many people believed I could do it.

I was sitting with my study group at my house - we were filling out little cards to play our own version of trivial pursuit based on notes in our history class - and I was making the questions for the section on Genghis Khan. Already, I had become intrigued by the man and begun the research for my paper. My pen hit the table and I raised my head to look at everyone. They stopped writing and raised eyebrows at me.

"What if it was because of Borte?" I asked them. I had been regaling them with Genghis Khan facts for weeks to that point and they all had a pretty good grasp of his history and peculiarities so they picked up on my meaning right away.

One of the more outspoken women in the group raised her voice, "Ooooooh, that's a good angle. I wonder if you could find any facts to prove that it was."

I answered, "I don't know but I'm sure gonna try. If not, maybe I'll just go off and write it that way anyway."

The reactions to that statement blew me away. I was flooded with suggestions on how to write it, what spins I should put on the story, how wonderful my writing was, how sure they all were that if anyone could do it, it was me, and how wonderful a love story with Genghis Khan in it would be.

Riiiiight. But the idea took hold and wouldn't let go. I knew I couldn't actually write fiction into my paper but I thought maybe... Almost eight years later, Yassa was born.

Bet you're wondering why it took me so long, huh?

Well, I had a baby, battled an illness, and had to return to finish school. I emerged on the other side of all that a better person with a more can-do attitude. No longer will I put off until tomorrow what I know I can accomplish today - no, I don't mean housework, I put that off all the time. What I'm talking about is the big things; those things that make you want to get out of bed just so you can challenge yourself that day.


Whether it's a weight loss plan, a blog challenge, a novel, or your drive to make your business succeed, it's something that will change your life. It drives you to want more. Newsflash: No one is going to hand you anything. You have to go out and grab the bull by the proverbial horns, look him in the face, and scream that you will succeed and no one can stop you.

I just published my first, full-length novel Tuesday. It was hard work, I won't lie, but it felt so good to click that publish button. Many people write and write their whole lives and never have the courage to click that publish button; but I did it. So many people never write more than twenty-thousand words over a lifetime; I wrote over one-hundred-thousand. Nothing like Yassa has ever been written before. An original idea is something that is rare in the publishing world; I stumbled across it and pushed to deliver.

Grow your thick skin and publish that book. Who cares if it gets forty-five one star reviews? It's that ONE five star review that will leave you dancing in the streets. The Abigale Chronicles - Book One has gotten three five star reviews (two on Smashwords and one on Amazon). I was bouncing off the walls when I got those notifications in my e-mail. Can you imagine?

But, I digress.

Let me get off my soapbox and down into the fray. If you haven't done so, you should grab a copy of Yassa. Or at the very least, go take a look inside. NOOK,  Amazon, and Smashwords will all allow you to preview the first three chapters. Trust me, you'll want to read more. If you purchase on Smashwords, you get a free copy of The Abigale Chronicles - Book One as well. Two books for the price of one!! Like a BOGO sale!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway on Goodreads! It's your chance to get a paperback copy of Yassa, signed by ME, for FREE! That's a $17.99 value and NO shipping charges! What's better than free? Even if you aren't into historical fiction, you'll be in to Yassa. I don't go into boring details about this conquering or that one. Instead, I focus on the love story and betrayal. The relationships between the characters are front and center but you'll learn a LOT of facts in a fun way.

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

Jo