Author Interview - Amy Evans

Happy Monday, lovely people of the blogosphere! I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be bringing you another unofficial UtopYA Con author interview. You simply must check out some of the past interviews I've done with these wonderful folks. And, if you don’t have your tickets to the con yet, be sure you grab them soon! Time is running out! Just around forty days left. Get yours here. Let’s get this party started! Grab a cup of coffee, your comfy chair, and help me welcome author Amy Evans to the fun!

Jo: Hi, Amy! So good to have you here on the blog. I’m so excited to be interviewing you, I can barely stand it. Are you ready to get going? Are ya nervous? *grin*
Amy: Um, should I be???

Jo: Yes. Be afraid, be very afraid! Kidding... Sort of. Okay, let’s hold our breath and jump right in. Your novel, Clicks, centers on the pollution of the Earth’s oceans and how it impacts marine life. I read that you’re passionate (obsessed, actually) with dolphins. Where did that obsession come from and what made you decide to write Clicks?
Amy: I definitely got my ocean obsession from my dad. May 5th was actually his birthday, so it’s nice to talk about this. Growing up, I was more obsessed with aliens than dolphins, but you don’t have to look far to link up the two. So while I always liked dolphins, it wasn’t until I got hired for a couple project that that particular obsession grew. I started a mobile games and entertainment company and we were hired by a dolphin experience organization (before I knew more about them and realized they were not ok) to record dolphin sounds underwater, and then we went on a journey to study the connections between dolphins and Ancient Mayans. One day five years later, a woman walked into my office and asked me if I knew anything about dolphins and Mayan hieroglyphics and I laughed because it was such a random combination, and when you combined that with development of mobile games, I was probably the only person in the world who could help. She hired me to create a visual language that represented dolphin sounds. The project was based in fiction, but it definitely got me thinking, and I continued researching and obsessing over them long after the work was done, like they were in my head and wouldn’t let me alone.

Before I wrote Clicks, I had two books I wanted to tackle – a sci fi thriller about twins and DNA manipulation, and another about a quiet seaside town full of lifeguards who treated the ocean like a religion. Somehow, the dolphins snuck into my brain, linked them together, and Clicks came out.

Jo: Hmmmm! Not sure that was a coincidence. *grin* There must've been something in the air. How lucky was that lady? I noticed you changed the series title from The Dolphin Prophecy to The Pinhold Prophecy. What was the reasoning behind that?
Amy: Look at the two words: They are anagrams – you can unscramble the letters to create both of them. Pinhold is the name of the Island, and a big part of the story lore. I felt that added to the mystery. But I’ve learned that it’s much better to be obvious about things to reach readers who would be interested in the story so I’ve actually gone back again to using dolphin, simply for visibility reasons. But both words, and both prophecies are important. And anagrams are key in Clicks. All the twins have anagram names like CAMI and MICA and KALEB and BLAKE.

Jo: Makes sense to put the topic right in the face of potential readers. Would you consider yourself a YA author, NA author, or hybrid author? If hybrid, what challenges does that present? Is there a reason you decided to step over the threshold and publish NA?
Amy: I would say both. It’s a bit tricky – I would have made Clicks NA but I want to make sure it’s accessible for schools. My NA title, Jellybean Kisses, is definitely sweet NA, which is something that’s been missing so far from the contemporary romance genre for the category. So you could call it upper YA. I wouldn’t say it’s clean, like Clicks, but it’s not steamy by any means. Part of the reason was NAlitChat.

Jo: AHHH! I agree! Tia Silverthorne Bach was just looking for sweet NA for her daughter (who's between YA and Adult right now). Way to stick in a new path for the genre! Speaking of NAlitChat, you’re the host of that popular radio show. Care to share with us where the idea for that program came from, what you’ve gained from it, and where you see it five years from now?
Amy: I can’t take credit for the idea. E.J. Wesley started it as a Twitter chat right after I got back from Utopya that first year. I’d talked to a number of authors who were just beginning to publish it, and since I love evangelizing new things, and since I had a number of story ideas that fit, I jumped in. After about six months they asked me to help, and then to guest host occasionally when the audio part first began. I was more involved in the production side initially, coming up with topics and finding guests. Now I’m hosting, and I’m still not sure how that happened but I love it! I get to interview best selling authors and ask about best practices and I feel that we are really helping to shape this community of writers so that New Adult solidifies as a category that is still her five years from now. I’d like to continue to interview authors and develop a new community around EcoLit, stories that feature the environment as part of their driving narrative. There are a number of powerful stories that feature the oceans and the environment like a character, and much like Clicks, they blend sci fi, fantasy, spec fic and don’t fit neatly into any one specific genre. So building a community of writers, readers, and bloggers will ensure that these books don’t get marginalized, and get read. Environmental awareness is something I’m completely passionate about and I believe we can really influence people to help one word, one page, one story at a time. Because while facts can change people’s minds, fiction can change their heart.


Jo: That's true! Love that quote so much! Speaking of NA, tell my readers a little bit about Jellybean Kisses. Where did the idea come from, how long did it take you to write it, and what are your hopes for the book?
Amy: Jellybean Kisses is a more personal book. It’s based in a town where we spent summers for the past four years. Jacey’s story is much more reflective of my life than Clicks. Like Jacey, I grew up in a very homogenous town and struggled to shed my own prejudices when I left. And I’ve also had jellybean kisses, and an ex did put a goose in my car.

Jo: Always fun to write something more personal, huh? Time for the alien question of the interview! I don’t know a lot about Jersey City. Do you guys have alien stories to share from that corner of the U. S.?
Amy: I’m not sure but probably. We have the most diverse population in the country, with folk from all over this world, and probably from some others.

Jo: I read that you have one daughter and one son. How do they feel about your writing? What do they want to be when they grow up?
Amy: My daughter is definitely my number one fan. She’s read Clicks four times and she’s obsessed with turtles. She talks about being a vet or a marine biologist when she grows up. My son isn’t quite as impressed, except when I use my animal communication skills to translate for our family pet. He’s inherited my passion for roller coasters, so he wants to become an architect and an engineer so he can build them when he grows up.

Jo: Wow! Your kids sound awesome. *high-five* I was poking around on your Pinterest page and saw a couple of pins about MNN articles. Would you mind sharing a bit of back-story about those for my readers and why they should check them out?
Amy: Mother Nature News is a fabulous website that covers a broad platform of topics that are important to me: ocean health, environmental recovery, sustainable living. My favorite project was interviewing the founders of some great new environmental businesses and causes, like charitywater.org.

Jo: Sweet! What a great cause. Quick! What’s your favorite snack food?
Amy: Popcorn, all kinds but especially Kettle Corn.

Jo: YUM! What fictional character would you date, and what book are they from?
Amy: Gale from the Hunger Games.

Jo: Great choice. He was a good guy. Is there some reason you gave up on Blogger and decided to just keep a Tumblr blog? I have both, and I find I get a different kind of follower on Tumblr than I do on Blogger. What are the downsides and upsides?
Amy: I agree Blogger and Tumblr have totally different audiences. I actually switched to wordpress www.amyevansbooks.com so that I could have a more traditional looking website. I’m trying to be better about blogging, which to me is very different than what I do on Tumblr.

Jo: I can't get the hang of Wordpress. Kudos to you for being able to manage it! I have to ask! What was the prank involving the goose, car, and the guy you dated?
Amy: Read the book. It’s pretty much it exactly. Except that the guy who came to get the goose out of the car was named Howard, and he was dating my close friend.

Jo: I plan to. I found a bit of really cool information. You met Veronica Roth? Wow. Tell us about that encounter and what you took away from it.
Amy: Yes, last year at RT. She was signing and asked what I wrote. I’ve always struggled with the pitch for Clicks because it’s so many different things. But because of who she is and what she writes, I didn’t want to say that it was about paranormal dolphins and hot lifeguarding twins, which are the most obvious. To me, Clicks is about instincts, and all the important things in this world that you can’t see, or prove, you just have to believe. So I told her that Clicks are the sound the universe makes to tell you what’s going to happen next, and she told me it was the best pitch she’d every heard. I laughed an asked if she was making fun of me, which was really not too cool! It was a small moment in a book signing line, but it gave me a really big inspirational boost at exactly the perfect time.

Jo: That's amazing. So great to have someone of her caliber verify what you're doing, huh? You’re a mobile app developer? Tell us about the challenges that line of work presents.
Amy: I was, and still do a bit of consulting. Right now I’m evaluating a new writing platform. But apps have really grown beyond mobile since I began developing in the year 2000, way before there was an app store, or even color phones. It was challenging to work within the limits of the existing technology, while learning and planning and adapting for an industry that changed every second. The biggest challenge was how I spent my time – just a small amount was on development and the rest was talking engineers at companies like Verizon into letting our tech plug into their systems. I’m fortunate to spend most of my time these days as an author. But I love evangelizing new technology, trend spotting, and thinking about what’s coming next.

Jo: Neat job! What kind of games have you worked on? Any we would recognize?
Amy: Not like Angry Birds, or Flappy Birds or anything like that. I did create the first wireless Book of Shadows, though I’ve got no idea where that’s ended up.

Jo: Well, that’s all the time I have for today. I can’t imagine how you do all that you do in a single day and my hat comes off to you. Anything I didn’t discuss that you’d like to throw out there for my readers?
Amy: Just that I feel really fortunate that Clicks was nominated for best debut and best supernatural cover in the Utopya awards. It would really mean a lot to me if everyone could go vote. So many amazing authors, bloggers and fans are nominated and it’s an easy and fun way to show support for the hard work and all the books we love so much! Thanks so much for having me.

Jo: Congratulations! Guys, go VOTE via the link above! Thank you ever so much for taking the time to do this interview, Amy. I look forward to meeting you at UtopYA!

Now it’s time to tell you about the featured book of the week!

Title: Clicks
Author: Amy Evans
Genre: Urban Fantasy, I suppose is the closest. I call it EcoLit – a blend of sci-fi, fantasy and paranormal with a focus on the environment
Length (print): 300 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle $0.99  ~  B&N  $0.99  ~  iBooks $0.99

Synopsis: Clicks are the sounds the universe makes to tell you what will happen next. Truths you hear in your heart that you can't explain.

For sixteen year old Cami, the clicks won’t stop. They’re telling her to fall in love with the wrong twin, that her family is hiding something, and that Pinhold, her pristine Island home, is in danger. It's hard to trust them when they go against everything she knows.

But then an ocean mystery makes people sick, sinking the best swimmers to the seafloor and, while they're not dead, they're barely alive.

Modern medicine and island legends have no answers for Cami. Can she trust her instincts to find a cure, or will she lose the most important people in her life forever?

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Ms. Evans a follow on social media?

Facebook: Amy Evans Books
Twitter: @aammyyss
Blog: Amy Evans Books

I hope you all enjoyed this interview. Questions for Amy? Ask them below!

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

Jo

UtopYA Con 2014 Fan Invasion Author Signing Event

Happy Friday, everyone! Well, it's time for the weekend and two days off. I heard that sigh of relief from you all! *grin* Today, I'm gonna take a moment to tell you about a very special event happening at UtopYA in June. An Explorer Package (general admission) is currently $75.00, a Superstar Package (VIP access) is currently $95.00, and a ticket to get into the Awards only is currently $55.00. But, on Friday, June 20, 2014, from 6pm-9pm, UtopYA Con is holding a Fan Invasion event. Price of admission? Free if you bring a new or gently used children's book to donate to Book 'Em; otherwise, it's just $5. All proceeds from this event will go to Book 'Em.

I know! They've lost their minds! How awesome is that?

You can find out more here.

However, there will be a ton of great authors to meet and greet, and get your copies of their books signed!

Which authors are participating? These:

See anyone you know on there? *grin* Yes, I'm up there; but so are a ton of the authors you've gotten to know right here on the blog through the awesome author interviews I've been doing. Still to come: Amy Evans, Eva Pohler, and Elizabeth Kirke! Yup, meet them here, then meet them there.

Heck yeah! You can come say hello to me and get your copy of any (or all) of my books signed! Share the banner with your friends, grab a children's book, and come meet us all!

Join us for a ton of fun! I look forward to seeing you at the event.

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

Jo

Pronouns in Dialogue

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna talk to you about pronouns in dialogue and how they impact the way you use them outside speech. I've been over pronouns twice thus far, but this little tidbit needs to be added. I didn't want to confuse everyone by putting this information in with the other pronoun posts, so I'm making one all its own. Grab your pens and notebooks and join me for a quick lesson! Warning! This post seems long, but it's a lot of the same stuff written over and over again. A necessary evil, I'm afraid.

Remember, your pronouns are: he, him, she, it, its, they, their, them, they're, hers, and his.

Now, when you're writing a scene, the pronoun refers to the last person or thing named.

Learn more here and here.

There are caveats to this, though. First, when we speak, we usually don't use pronouns the right way. For example:
"Lisa told me last night Mel owes her money and isn't sure when she's gonna pay her back."

What a mess that is, right? But it makes sense when someone speaks that way. Why? Because that's what we're used to hearing. We get that Mel owes Lisa money and Lisa isn't sure when Mel is going to return said money. But to write the dialogue with proper pronouns, we'd have to rearrange it like this:
"Lisa told me last night she isn't sure when Mel's gonna pay back the money she owes."

That's okay, too, by the way; but don't beat yourself up over pronouns in dialogue. Above all else, you want speech to sound natural, not forced. So, pronouns in speech aren't something you need to be super vigilant about. Let it flow.

Second, when you're creating dialogue and you mention a name, you need to remove the speech to see who your pronoun is actually referring to. Also, the pronouns in speech are separate from the ones in text. This gets tricky, but I'll do my best to show you a couple of examples:
Susie looked at Byron and drummed her fingers on the desktop. "So, you're saying Lisa doesn't really like Mark?"
"That's what I'm saying. She's just using him to have a date to prom."
She gasped. "That's horrible!"
"You know how she is. How does that surprise you?" His eyebrow lifted and a smirk found its way onto his lips.
"I just never thought she'd be so crass." Her mouth turned down and her eyes shifted away. "It doesn't do to hurt people. Mel let it drop the other day that she thought her intentions weren't honorable. I just didn't believe her."
"Well, I'm telling you now, she's planning to make a big scene and leave him looking like an idiot at the end of the night." His hand found its way to hers in an attempt to offer comfort.
Sighing, she moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Okay, now, you can see the mess we'd have if we followed traditional pronoun examples and tried to have everything include the dialogue. How do you check it? Like this:

#1 Delete the dialogue and highlight the pronouns.
Susie looked at Byron and drummed her fingers on the desktop. "So, you're saying Lisa doesn't really like Mark?"
"That's what I'm saying. She's just using him to have a date to prom."
She gasped. "That's horrible!"
"You know how she is. How does that surprise you?" His eyebrow lifted and a smirk found its way onto his lips.
"I just never thought she'd be so crass." Her mouth turned down and her eyes shifted away. "It doesn't do to hurt people. Mel let it drop the other day that she thought her intentions weren't honorable. I just didn't believe her."
"Well, I'm telling you now, she's planning to make a big scene and leave him looking like an idiot at the end of the night." His hand found its way to hers in an attempt to offer comfort.
Sighing, she moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

#2 Rewrite it.
Susie looked at Byron and drummed Susie's fingers on the desktop.

Susie gasped.
Byron's eyebrow lifted and a smirk found a smirk's way onto Byron's lips.
Susie's mouth turned down and Susie's eyes shifted away.
Byron's hand found Byron's hand's way to Susie's in an attempt to offer comfort.
Sighing, Susie moved closer to Byron and rested Susie's head on Byron's shoulder.

We know the passage is correct, because it reads like it's supposed to. If it didn't, we'd need to fix it.


Dialogue is independent of the text providing support. Is it possible to fix the pronoun issues in the dialogue? Yes. It can be done easily, but watch for forced speech. You don't wanna take something that works and tweak it until it sounds, well, tweaked. *grin* Proceed with caution.

One more example, and I'll let you go for the day. This time, we'll use four speakers and I'll make errors. See if you can find them before I go to the correction phase. GAME ON!

Lisa slapped Mark's hand before taking it in her own and tugging. "You're so silly sometimes. Let's go find Susie and Byron."
He grinned at her, loving the way she gave him love taps now and then, and let her pull him along.
"Lisa! Hey, girl. What are you guys up to?" Her speech was slurred and her eyes glassy.
"Sorry, guys, she's had a little bit to drink." Byron supported Susie with one arm while balancing two cups in the hand on the other.
She put her hands on her hips. "Aren't you gonna share?" One hand flew out, knocking the drinks off their perches. "There's Mel!"
"Lisa!"
"What?"
"You have zero class, you know that?"
"Oh, come on. Stop being such a ninny. Not my fault your girlfriend's sloshed. Would you look at her? I wonder where she got that dress?" She took off in Mel's direction without offering an apology.
Mark shrugged. "Sorry about that. She's kinda rude sometimes."
Glaring in her direction, he snorted. "Kinda rude? Sometimes? She's extremely rude always."
Feeling his face turn red, his mind began to wonder if he should punch the guy out to defend his girlfriend's honor. Deciding against it, he shrugged and started after her; anger boiling beneath the surface.

Ready? GO!

Done yet?

How about now?

Okay, your time's up. My turn! I'll show you why the passage is wrong, then correct it. Four steps this time.

#1: Remove dialogue
Lisa slapped Mark's hand before taking it in her own and tugging. "You're so silly sometimes. Let's go find Susie and Byron."
He grinned at her, loving the way she gave him love taps now and then, and let her pull him along.
"Lisa! Hey, girl. What are you guys up to?" Her speech was slurred and her eyes glassy.
"Sorry, guys, she's had a little bit to drink." Byron supported Susie with one arm while balancing two cups in the hand on the other.
She put her hands on her hips. "Aren't you gonna share?" One hand flew out, knocking the drinks off their perches. "There's Mel!"
"Lisa!"
"What?"
"You have zero class, you know that?"
"Oh, come on. Stop being such a ninny. Not my fault your girlfriend's sloshed. Would you look at her? I wonder where she got that dress?" She took off in Mel's direction without offering an apology.
Mark shrugged. "Sorry about that. She's kinda rude sometimes."
Glaring in her direction, he snorted. "Kinda rude? Sometimes? She's extremely rude always."
Feeling his face turn red, his mind began to wonder if he should punch the guy out to defend his girlfriend's honor. Deciding against it, he shrugged and started after her; anger boiling beneath the surface.

#2 Highlight the pronouns
Lisa slapped Mark's hand before taking it in her own and tugging.
He grinned at her, loving the way she gave him love taps now and then, and let her pull him along.
Her speech was slurred and her eyes glassy.
Byron supported Susie with one arm while balancing two cups in the hand on the other.
She put her hands on her hips. One hand flew out, knocking the drinks off their perches.
She took off in Mel's direction without offering an apology.Mark shrugged
Glaring in her direction, he snorted.
Feeling his face turn red, his mind began to wonder if he should punch the guy out to defend his girlfriend's honor. Deciding against it, he shrugged and started after her; anger boiling beneath the surface.

#3 Replace the pronouns
Lisa slapped Mark's hand before taking Mark's hand in Lisa's own and tugging.
Mark grinned at Lisa, loving the way Lisa gave Mark love taps now and then, and let Lisa pull Mark along.
Lisa's speech was slurred and Lisa's eyes glassy.
Byron supported Susie with one arm while balancing two cups in the hand on the other.
Susie put Susie's hands on Susie's hips. One hand flew out, knocking the drinks off the drinks' perches.
Susie took off in Mel's direction without offering an apology.Mark shrugged
Glaring in Mel's direction, Mark snorted.
Feeling Mark's face turn red, Mark's mind began to wonder if Mark should punch the guy out to defend the guy's girlfriend's honor. Deciding against defending honor, the guy shrugged and started after the guy's girlfriend; anger boiling beneath the surface.

#4 Repair
Lisa slapped Mark's hand before taking it in her own and tugging. "You're so silly sometimes. Let's go find Susie and Byron."
He grinned at her, loving the way she gave him love taps now and then, and let her pull him along.
"Lisa! Hey, girl. What are you guys up to?" Susie's speech was slurred and her eyes glassy.
"Sorry, guys, she's had a little bit to drink." Byron supported her with one arm while balancing two cups in the hand on the other.
Lisa put her hands on her hips. "Aren't you gonna share?" One hand flew out, knocking the drinks off their perches. "There's Mel!"
"Lisa!"
"What?"
"You have zero class, you know that?"
"Oh, come on. Stop being such a ninny. Not my fault your girlfriend's sloshed. Would you look at Mel? I wonder where she got that dress?" She took off in Mel's direction without offering an apology.
Mark shrugged. "Sorry about that. She's kinda rude sometimes."
Glaring in Lisa's direction, Byron snorted. "Kinda rude? Sometimes? She's extremely rude always."
Mark felt his face turn red, and his mind began to wonder if he should punch the guy out to defend Lisa's honor. Deciding against it, Mark shrugged and started after her; anger boiling beneath the surface.

Blue marks what I changed to make the passage correct. I know it seems like a lot of work; but if you take the time to learn how to recognize these things, it'll become second nature and move fast.

How about you? Did you get anything out of this post? How many errors did you find in the example?

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

Jo

Cover Reveal - Tbinkerknese 101 Book One

Hello, lovelies! Welcome to the cover reveal for author E. L. Thomas Sr.'s new book Tbinkerknese 101 (Book One) Poetic Enrichment for Teens!

Before we get to the good stuff, here's a little about the author:

E. L. Thomas Sr. is a semi-retired construction worker, father, and grandfather born and raised in Valdosta, Georgia. And a United States NAVY veteran (U.S.S. Yosemite A D 19) who served during the Vietnam era. Earl has for a long time had this passion to write poetry, but only recently found what he considered to be a suitable outlet for some of his poems. His hope is, at the least, some of what he’s written will inspire teenagers to confront and conquer some of the immense challenges they’ll face during and after their teen years.

You can find E. L. Thomas Sr. at the following social media sites:
Facebook: Tbinkerknoxx Inc.
Twitter: @Tbinkerknese101
Web: Tbinkerknoxx.com

You'll find an odd quote on the front of Tbinkerknese 101. Here's a little about that, and Earl's vision for the book:

“A teen without the Means is like an orange without the juice.”

If you’ve ever seen an orange that’s shriveled and dried up with only the skin and dried pulp remaining, then you’ll be able to equate that piece of nearly useless fruit—which was deprived of the necessary resources to help it reach its full potential—to a teenager who’s been deprived or denied the opportunity to reach their full potential because of lackadaisical parents, disinterested teachers, or both.

The Tbinkerknoxx slogan implies that the teen who gets their juice (the motivating, inspiring, enabling force or factor) from the Means, will be able to substantially enhance both their physical and mental capabilities. These Means will employ high moral standards and encourage academic excellence, while exhausting all available resources in instructing the teens in proper discipline.

We believe the teens who’ve been provided the necessary resources (the Means and the juice), can become productive citizens in an increasingly competitive society.

Once again we want to reiterate and encourage all the adults who have the opportunity to help and can, within the proper channels, to please help our youth. It has been said by many and believed to be true that: “It takes a village to raise a child.”

Now, for the cover reveal and synopsis!

Title: Tbinkerknese 101 (Book One)
Author: E. L. Thomas Sr.
Genre: Young Adult Poetry
Length (Print): 106 pages
Synopsis:
“Okay, teens, let’s go speak some TBINKERKNESE.”

E.L. Thomas has created this language specifically to break down communication barriers with teens. Quips, like the one above, in this inspiring book of poetry will keep you engaged throughout. Inside, there are 101 tidbits of useful, practical advice for teens, parents, and teachers, all communicated in a fun way while retaining a note of seriousness.

If you’re the parent of a teen, or a young person yourself, you’ll love getting lost in the pages of this book. Hopefully, it’ll open up lines of communication thought to be lost and get you thinking about life. With lines to record your thoughts as you read each poem, it beckons to be used as more than just a casual reading device.

Cover time!

Full Wrap:

This book will be available on Createspace, Amazon Kindle, Smashwords, and you'll be able to snag a coil-bound version on Lulu!

INDIE Books Gone Wild is sponsoring a giveaway to include a paperback, an e-book, or a coil-bound! That's right, IBGW is giving away a copy of each. There will be three lucky winners! Giveaway will run from April 26 through May 12. Enter via the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

What do you think of the cover?

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

Jo

Why a Free Promotion?

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today I'm gonna talk with you all about giving your book away for free and why people do it. There are some pros and cons and I'll be going over all of it. So, if you're ready, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First, let's discuss the stigma surrounding free.
You've just spent six to twelve months writing and editing a novel. Your blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this story on the page, and you're frustrated about giving it away for nothing. Understandable. Believe me, I get it. Anything you spend that much time developing might sting when someone downloads it for nothing. There's also the fear that people will think you can't sell a book and have to give them away (not true, but you can see where they might jump to that conclusion). However, maybe it's time to change the way we look at free and try to see where it begins to behoove us when we give a book away.

We're gonna have a moment discussing free print books.
Now, everyone is probably familiar with the giveaways on Goodreads. Why do we bother giving away print copies of our books (on that site, and in other giveaways)? Because they're signed, and we want people to sort of covet what we take the time to write our names in. Most of all, we want readers to add our books to their TBR list. That's where the key is. We want to be remembered.

Why does that make a difference? Well, sometimes, when a reader is excited about winning a certain book, they'll go on to buy it if they don't win it. Make sense?

Okay, let's move on to giveaways of e-books.
These work a little bit differently. When you give away an e-book, it's more about what's inside besides the story or what else is coming that matters.

For example:

• A snippet or two of other books you've written
• This is the first of a series (to be released)
• Your social media contact information
• Giving a sample of your writing to potential fans

If you're running a free promotion, there should be some reason behind it. Either you're trying to build a fan base, you want your rank on Amazon to jump up really high (some hit the top 100 in their genre), or you're hyping up another book that's A. Just been released or B. Will be coming soon.

There are many reasons behind free. Make sure you're deciding what yours are before you jump on the bandwagon. That way, you can have some way to measure your success. After all, you need something to snag a new fan, right? Rafflecopter giveaways can't carry everything. But, like anything, there are cons.

The cons of free:

• Many people download a free book and never read it
• If no protection, your book could end up on a pirate site perma-free
• Your book isn't put in front of those who would enjoy it; rather, it's sent to everyone
• You make no money off this publication while it's free
• You may end up with a troll review or two

If you're willing to brave these cons, and put your hope in readers who will get hold of your book and read the heck out of it, you're ready to do free. Like I said above, be sure you know what your ultimate goal is.

Speaking of free and giveaways, come on back to the blog tomorrow for your chance to win a couple of books and some Amazon cash!

How about you? Have you done free promotions? What did you get out of it?

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

Jo

S. G. Daniels Guest Post - Static: A Short Story

Happy HAPPY Monday, good people of the blogosphere! S. G. Daniels is back, and she's entertaining us today with a short story. This is part of my Monday series leading up to UtopYA Con 2014. S. G. is one of the lovely authors attending that event. Grab your coffee and a comfy chair and dig in! So, without any ado whatsoever, I give you Static.

Static

by S. G. Daniels

The DJ’s excited voice cuts off the song that’s playing. “We interrupt this broadcast with an emergency news bulletin. Local authorities located what they believe to be a UFO in the timber area south of the city. There is no confirmation of any life form in or around the spacecraft. We will update you as news becomes available. Remember folks, you heard it first on WKRA-Z.”

Dumbfounded, I stare at the radio for a moment and then glance to my wall calendar. “It’s only March 31st. You’re all a bunch of crazies.”

I return my attention to the mess of unfolded clothes hanging out of my underwear drawer. “Mom, I can’t find my other black sock!”

“Did you check the dryer?” She yells up from the foot of the stairs.

Ah man, I hate going down in the basement. It’s like a dungeon—all damp, dark, and creepy. The bed slides a few inches as I plop down on the corner. Slapping the lone knee-high against my thigh, I wonder if I could go without socks today. One glance at the frost-coated window made me shiver. Nope, that wasn’t going to be an option unless I wanted my toes to freeze off.

My mouth scrunched to the side at the sound of a pan clunking against the stove burner, and I decide to try my luck. “Since you’re close to the basement, will you run down and check for me?”

Several agonizing moments go by before I start to wonder how long she expects me to hold my breath waiting on her answer. “I’m busy fixing your breakfast. You’ll have to go look yourself.”

“Darn.”

I inhale deeply, and reach around the door. My hand slides up and down the wall until I locate the light switch. Click. I stare into the dark abyss leading to the basement and swallow hard. Click-click-click-click. “Double darn.”

Mom calls to me from the kitchen. “I can’t hear you from in here. What did you say?”

Maybe now she’ll feel sorry for me, and I won’t have to go down myself. “The light is out.”

“You don’t need a light to go down. The dryer is behind the steps, and it has a light that comes on when you open the door. Now stop fooling around. You’ll be late for school.”

A shiver quakes through me, but not from the cold. The sound echoes off the block walls as each wooden step creaks from accepting my weight. Palms outstretched in front of me, I feel my way through the murky darkness until I touch the cold metal of the dryer. A clicking noise is coming from inside the drum, but the machine isn’t running.

My palms begin sweating, so I rub them over my thighs, and will my courage to appear. Gritting my teeth, I fling open the door. My grip slips from the handle, and I fall backward landing on my butt. My hair is flying all around me from the static electricity, and I have trouble keeping it out of my eyes. I want to scream, but nothing comes out.

In front of me is a large green lint ball with a chicken face hovering just inside the dryer door…and it has my black sock.

Gripping fistfuls of my flyaway hair I finally manage to say a few words. “Wha…what are you?”

The chicken faced lint ball starts flying around inside the dryer. If I’m fast, I can grab my sock, and slam the door shut trapping that thing inside. I jerk my hand back…bad idea, I think, and rub at the sting. “Hey, you pecked me!”

“My name is Owlbi. I come from the galaxy Hootonia. A magnetic field disabled my ship forcing me to land not far from here.”

I sit and watch the little creature fly around inside the dryer again…with my sock. “This can’t be real. Wake up, Emma.” Static discharges with a loud snap, throwing blue sparks into the darkness, and I yelp in surprise. Owlbi squawks menacingly at me.

Okay, I’ve had enough of this, and kneel in front of the little alien keeping my hands on my hips so I won’t be shocked again. “What are you doing here in my dryer with my sock?”

Never letting go of its bounty, the alien perches on the lint filter. “I need an electrical charge to run my ship.”
The emergency flashlight skitters across the concrete away from my foot as I try to get up off the floor. Quickly, I remove the batteries. “I’ll trade you these for my sock.”

Twenty minutes later, I’m standing in the snow waiting for the school bus. I want to kick myself because my feet are freezing. What was I thinking? Naturally, Owlbi would need a way to carry the batteries back to the ship. Besides, the little alien wasn’t about to give up my sock once it was fully charged with static. Nobody is ever going to believe this story.

The bus’s brakes squeal as it stops in front of me and the doors swing open. Something lands on my head and falls to the ground. All of the kids standing around me start to giggle and mumble. I stoop to pick up my other black sock. Nope, not a soul is going to buy this story, but at least I’ll have one warm foot today.
~ S. G. Daniels

How awesome was that? Super fun story to get your Monday rolling, eh?

Now that you've had some fun, why not give S. G. a follow?
On Goodreads
Or on Pinterest

I hope you enjoyed this short story.

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

Jo

Friday Funday - Part 3

Happy Friday, everyone! Because these posts have gone over so well, I'm bringing you another awesome post about things you can do with your family to keep your writer brain engaged and still have a ton of fun. I enjoy weekends with my husband and kids, and I love anything that lets me do that while keeping my creative side going. My first post was about free games you can play, the second was about word board games, and this one will be about getting to know those around you while creating new storylines or characters. Ready? Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Game #1 - Whodoneit? For four players (if more, increase the numbers accordingly)
Write down three personality types on tiny pieces of paper and put them in a hat. Write down killer, not killer, and not killer on three more. Put those in a hat. Have each person write down a motive for murder and put those in a hat. Have each person choose one slip of paper from each pile. Play detective and interview each participant. Make notes of their quirks, how they speak, and their body language while you try to solve the crime. Not only will this keep you all rolling on the floor laughing, you're getting some great research done!

Game #2 - Interview with the...? For two or more players
Dress up like an interviewer. Grab a clipboard, paper, and pen. Have the other player(s) write down on a sliver of paper one paranormal creature. They'll need to keep these slips in their pocket, so make sure they're small pieces of paper. Don't cheat and look. Now, you have to ask questions of the person to try and determine what paranormal creature they are. When you win, swap places. Reason for the piece of paper? So they can't change their mind halfway through and mislead you. *grin* This game can also be played with super powers. On your notepad, be sure you're writing down how vague you can be when identifying a creature. This will help you in your writing. You'll learn quirks, habits, and body language.

Game #3 - Fear This! For four or more players
Grab some paper and pens. Sit down with the other players in a circle. Round 1: Have each person tell about a scary incident that happened to them. Write down the key phrases they use as description. Try and psychoanalyze what's on the page. Ask questions about how things could've been done differently and what the possible outcome of those actions may have been. You can use fictional situations, but you won't get as visceral a reaction. Whoever comes up with the most alternative directions for the scenario, wins round 1. That person gets to throw out a scenario first in round 2. Now, for round 2: All players close their eyes except the winner of round 1. That person asks the others, one by one, to describe an encounter with something (spider, cockroach, creepy zombie, etc...). When they're done, everyone but the asker rates the story from 1-5. Tallys are kept by the asker. Winner of this round moves into sudden death with winner of round 1. Sudden Death: Round 1 winner must step out of the room. Round 2 winner will then spin a tale of what they believe it would be like to die. Answer is rated by remaining players (1-10) and round 1 winner is then allowed to return and do the same. Person with the highest score wins. I'm sure you can guess how this helps your writing.

Game #4 - Make Me Laugh! For two or more players
You're all familiar with the old game show, right? Same idea. Only you need to have a tape recorder or video recorder on. This will give you funny sayings, facial expressions, and other fodder to use in your books.

What do you think? Will you use any of these?

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

Jo

Book Review - Falling for Autumn

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! I realize tomorrow is Friday, so I'm gonna keep it short and sweet in order to retain your attention. I know mine goes the way of the wind near the end of the week. *grin* Today, I bring you a book review from one of my favorite authors. This one won't be included in the Indie Fever reviews for 2014 because Heather Topham Wood isn't new to me. You don't wanna miss this review (or this book, for that matter). Grab a cup of Joe and let's get going!

First, a little about the book I'm reviewing today:

Title: Falling for Autumn
Author: Heather Topham Wood
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Length (print): 221 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $2.99  Paperback $8.99

Synopsis:
Autumn Dorey had no problem leaving her hometown of Newpine and the friends there who’d betrayed her. Everyone thought they knew what happened the spring night Autumn’s world fell apart. Vicious rumors about the incident circulated, and she had to be homeschooled the last year of high school to escape her tormentors. All she wants now is to get away from it all and start over at Cook University. She leaves everything but the memory behind—something she swore she’d never forget—and sets off to rebuild what was broken.

Blake Preston is precisely the type of guy Autumn wants to avoid. He’s gorgeous, arrogant and the college’s beloved football star. As much as she believes he’s someone she should steer clear of, avoiding him proves to be impossible. He shows up everywhere around campus, offering her a no-strings attached friendship.

Autumn can’t deny Blake stirs up emotions she thought fled years ago. But things he’s been hiding begin to emerge and collide with her past, leaving her heart ravaged in their wake.

New Adult Romance-Ages 17+ Due to Strong Language and Sexual Situations

**Will not appear in review elsewhere. Allow me to say I adore the cute cover for this book. Colors are pleasing and the girl looks exactly as I pictured Autumn as I read. I would like to see a stronger font for the title, as this one gets lost when scaled down to thumbnail size. But pleasing to the eye and fits with the author's branding from other books.**

I was chomping at the bit when I heard Heather was releasing another book. Boy, was I in for a surprise. I'm not a romance fan, and was astonished to find she'd written something along these lines. Once I learned the genre, those niggling little doubts began to form in the back of my head: Would I like it? Should I read it? So, I bit the bullet and snagged a copy on Amazon. I'm so glad I did. Enough of my rambling, let's move on to the good stuff.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I hate bullying. Let me begin by saying that. This book re-created some of the true-to-life teens I had to deal with in high school and it really struck a chord with me. I felt for Autumn, and could see myself in her shoes. Though I made different choices about who my friends ended up being in the long run, I understood why she made the decisions she did. I read through this book in two days. Usually I'm pretty good about being able to see where the story is going, but I missed the mark big time on this one. Blake was your typical ladies man who was misunderstood, but that's what the genre calls for. I liked him. He reminded me a lot of my husband. Pacing was fast and the plot was a great one. I loved the scenes where the author showed Autumn's past and didn't shy away from getting inside her head or giving the gritty details about the incident. I do have a favorite quote (this is also very odd for me) which I'm sharing with you now: "There was no phoenix that could rise out of the ashes left behind by his betrayal." *swoon over the language*

From an Editor's Perspective:
I found a couple of little things; but nothing that threw me out of the story and the errors weren't super troublesome. Probably not things the normal reader would even pick up on.

Rating:
+1 Star for giving me a main character I could relate to in so many ways
+1 Star for pacing
+1 Star for holding my interest so tightly, I read the book in just two days
+1 Star for the rich language that made me favorite a sentence
+1 Star for lack of errors
Overall, 5 out of 5 stars. Wow. Highly recommended for anyone who's looking for a wonderful, captivating read.

I hope you all check this book out. It's very high in the Amazon rankings (#9 for college romance) for good reason.

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

Jo

Spring Book Fling - Huge Giveaway

Happy, happy Wednesday, everyone! Yay! Hump-day is here and we're speeding toward the weekend with the velocity of a train. I hope you're all doing well this morning, because your clicking finger is about to get a workout. *grin* Without further ado, I give you the Spring Book Fling!

Let's begin with an awesome graphic showing you the authors who are participating and the dates the giveaway is running.

Ms. Amy Evans will be on the blog in two weeks with an author interview, and Casey L. Bond, Bethany Lopez, and Carlyle Labuschagne have already graced us with their presence. Go find out about a couple of the books up for grabs by reading their interviews here.

Now, some eye candy (also known as book covers)!

How pretty are those? Imagine them on your Kindle, waiting to be plucked up and read! It'll make it pretty if nothing else, eh?

Are you foaming at the mouth for the rafflecopter entry widget yet? Okay, okay! Here you go:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'll leave you all to it. Clicking finger ready? Up and down and enter!

Good luck.

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

Jo

Author Interview - S. G. Daniels

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Here we are again with another UtopYA Con author interview. Best of all, I'm back on track to be bringing you these awesome ladies on Mondays from now until the event. I know how excited you all must be to see yet another interview here on the blog and meet yet another fabulous author. If you missed any of the past interviews, I invite you to check them out here. If you don’t have your tickets to UtopYA yet, get them now! You can pick one up here. Let’s get to the good stuff! Grab a chair, add to that a cup of coffee or tea, and snuggle up with your computers to help me welcome Ms. S. G. Daniels to the blog.

Jo: Howdy, S. G.! Welcome to the blog. I know you’re a super busy lady, and I appreciate you taking the time to have a little chat with me today. I’m sure you’ve read some of the other interviews here, and I hope you aren’t too scared at what I managed to dig up on you. *grin* My readers like the juicy stuff, so I’m gonna jump right in. Are ya worried yet?
S. G.: *Peeks out between my fingers* Nah, just kidding. I’m excited to be here, Jo. Thanks for having me.

Jo: It’s okay, I’ll be gentle. *evil laugh* I read that you have a full time job as a patient refund specialist (people love you, huh?) in addition to being an author. How in the world do you manage your time? Do you have a schedule you make yourself stick to?
S. G.: *blows a lock of hair out of my face and laughs* It’s a cool job. Not too many people yell at me for handing back their money.
If it was just me, I could probably stick with a schedule. With a husband and two cats, that’s a no-go. Every day is different. My characters can’t seem to stick to a detailed plan either. They talk to me when they’re ready. There is no forcing them to cooperate.


Jo: Oh, man! I know that feeling well. My characters are always lurking and don't always answer when I call them. What a pain they are, eh? *grin* On a lighter note, I saw you were reading my Mystic series. Yay! I do hope you enjoyed the heck out of it. Is Paranormal your favorite genre to read? Which paranormal author is your favorite and why?
S. G.: Yes, and I’m loving it, but duty calls. I had to put it down to work on my editor deadline, but it’s patiently waiting for me to get back to it.
I like my story genres the same as my menu. I don’t want to eat the same thing all the time. I prefer a wide variety, but I always come back to the paranormal.
*frowns* I would say maybe Karen Marie Moning, uh, JR Ward…no I mean Darynda Jones. *sigh* Can I break a bone or something instead of choosing one? It would be so much easier. I love all of their books, the depth of the characters, and how without even noticing it, I’m sucked into the stories.

Jo: I can't choose a favorite, either. I have so many! During my research of you, I saw an interview where you talked about going to a palm reader. That’s really cool! Besides telling you that you had a long author line and were destined to be a writer, what else did he/she tell you, and what drove you to go see him/her?
S. G.: A special lady that worked in the same office as me, but in a different department, was doing readings for a few others at work, and I asked her about it. She said it was something that fascinated her and she started studying about it. It’s not reading the future, she’d told me, only what the hands can reveal about the past. When she offered to do mine, I was skeptical, but thought I would see what she had to say. I was impressed, so many things she revealed were personal things that she would have had no way knowing anything about. When she asked if I wrote books or poetry, I couldn’t ignore the possibly that I might have an untapped talent. Here I am three years later with my first book out in the world, and three others in the works.

Jo: That's so amazing. Growing up in Louisiana, I must say, I believe in a lot of supernatural stuff. *grin* Speaking of odd things, it's time for the alien question of the interview! Because you went to a palm reader, does that mean you believe in the supernatural? Ever had an alien encounter out there in Illinois? Ever wanted to?
S. G.: Yes, I’m a firm believer in the supernatural. Some things have no other explanation than being supernatural occurrences.
*laughs* The only crop circles I’ve ever seen around my area were caused by deer bedding down in a field. Would I ever want to have an encounter? Hmm, that would be a big fat NO. That would be taking research a bit too far.


Jo: I think I may enjoy an alien encounter. I have SO many questions to ask them! For entertainment purposes, in your best writer-ly voice, tell us how you believe an alien encounter would feel.
S. G.: A constant clicking noise reverberates in my right ear bringing me out of my slumber. Argh, I must have passed out. My brain is doing laps around the Olympic size swimming pool between my temples. I don’t remember getting drunk last night—I can’t even remember having any drinks. Slow, sharp taps continue at my side reminding me of the ones an old-fashioned typewriter makes upon striking a page. Whatever bright light is creating the pink glow behind my closed eyelids will be blinding until my pupils can adjust to it, and I hesitate to open them. I try to bring my hand up to shade my vision so I can look at my surroundings. My heart pounds heavy against my breastbone. I jerk frantically to free my arm, but it’s pointless. The cold metal of the restraint cuts into my skin preventing my forearm from budging. The more I fight against my bond, the faster the tapping becomes until I can‘t take it any longer. Wrenching my head to the side, I snap open my eyes and scream until I taste the coppery tang of blood in my throat. Perched on a wooden stool next to me is some sort of skeletal remains covered in a pea green flesh. Its head, resembling a bowling ball with finger holes for eyes, sits precariously on its shoulders. Spindly tentacle arms move up and down on queue with my pulse. A single slender finger strikes the keys of a Smith Corona. Hundreds of typed pages containing the stories once stored in my mind spew out across the floor. I feel them slowly disappearing from my memory as each word is leached away and transferred onto the paper that’s steadily feeding through the manual machine. I begin to implode as the alien sucks away my dreams.

Jo: Holy crap that was awesome! *shudders* Great story, lady. Rapid fire question time! Have you given up the oatmeal cream pies?
S. G.: Yes

Jo: Congratulations. Not sure I could. *grin* I read that you like sweet tea and pretzels. Yum! So, crunchy ones or the big, soft ones?
S. G.: I love soft pretzels, but I crave the crunchy ones.

Jo: Gotta love the snap. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done on your ATV?
S. G.: A group of us riders took a ride on the back roads in southern Missouri. We stopped in a shady spot for a beer break, and I had to jump off so a gigantic 6 ft black snake could crawl over the machine.

Jo: Black snakes are the most awesome. But six feet long? Oh my... I'd probably have a heart-attack! Tell me your favorite Edgar Allen Poe story and why you love it.
S. G.: The Pit and the Pendulum. I love Poe’s first person POV describes what was going through the prisoner’s mind.

Jo: Poe was one of the most gruesome, spine-tingling authors to have ever lived. I understand your love of his work. I see your website/blog is relatively new. What have been your biggest challenges with keeping up a website and blog? How do you plan to integrate that into your writing schedule?
S. G.: Good question. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a blogger. My hat goes off to all those who are. I think for the time being I’m going to use it to showcase fellow Indies. I’m thinking maybe later, when I get more experience under my belt, and feel more confident in giving advice, I’ll put in an author help section, maybe one for reviews.

Jo: Well, Indies will certainly appreciate the exposure you're giving them. You've been married a long time. Congratulations! Where did you meet your husband of thirty-one years and how did he propose?
S. G.: We actually met at work. He was technician at Montgomery Ward, and I was a dispatcher. We went out one night for supper and a drink, and out of nowhere he said, “Do you want to get married?” It was a total surprise. The wedding day story on the other hand… This was a second marriage for both of us, and neither wanted a huge production, so we had the pastor come to our house (at the time was next door the Bate’s Motel) to marry us. It was a small gathering with only the immediate family. The World Series Playoffs were on that day, and I turned the TV off during the ceremony. After the, I do’s, the men turned the game back on. The pastor was also engrossed in the game while he filled out the marriage certificate. He started to write in the date and said, “This is the 8th, right?” I said, “No, it’s the bottom of the 8th, today’s the 9th.” And to this day, that’s how we remember the date of our marriage.

Jo: What a lovely story. Bate's Motel? Oh man. Wish I could ask you yet another question right now. *laughing* I know you’d rather hole up somewhere with a book, but are you looking forward to attending UtopYA Con in June? What do you hope to take away from the event?
S. G.: Yes, this is my second visit to UtopYA. Last year, I experienced the event from an attendee perspective. I was nowhere near having my book finished at that time, so I tried to learn as much as I could from the panels. However, in doing that I didn’t seem to have time to meet and talk with people one-on-one. This year I’ll be at a table with my book, and I’m looking forward to experiencing it from an author perspective. I’ve met a lot of great authors and readers over the last year, and I hope to meet them in person during the event.

Jo: It's awesome that you'll get the visitor and author experience over the span of two years. Genius! Odd question, but what do you find most difficult about using hashtags on Twitter?
S. G.: Remembering to use them! #cantremembercrap

Jo: Sounds like me on a bad day. haha! Well, I’m out of time. As a last question, is there anything you’d like to add to the fray that I didn’t ask you about?
S. G.: I think you’ve about covered everything. *smiles* This was fun! Thank you so much for having me here today.

Jo: I try very hard to give you each a unique experience. Glad I could fulfill that. Thanks for being a guest on my blog. I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA!

Now it’s time to tell you about the featured book of the week!

Title: The Druid’s Doorway
Author: S. G. Daniels
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy
Length (print): 334 pages
Buy links: Amazon Kindle  $0.99  ~  B&N  $0.99  ~  iTunes  $0.99  ~  Smashwords  $0.99  ~  KOBO  $0.99

Synopsis: Jake Reese thinks he’s just a screwed-up high school kid living in a small town isolated in the Arizona desert. Traumatized at an early age by his mother’s sudden death—and believing he might have had something to do with it—he’s allowed his guilt and lack of self-confidence to rule his life.

Hailey is the fiery little redhead that sees Jake as more than a just a good friend. When she invites him as her date to a school function, it brings down the walls he's built to protect his heart, and sets off a series of events that threaten not only Jake’s life, but that of everyone around him.

The discovery of a portal on the outskirts of town brings Jake face-to-face with death and reveals a closely guarded secret about his mother. No longer is his memory of her the only thing that haunts him. Something evil from her past has escaped through the portal, and nothing will prevent it from trying to steal Jake’s future.

Can Jake overcome his fears to keep Hailey safe? Will the decisions he's forced to make destroy everyone he knows and loves? And ultimately...is he strong enough to live with those choices?

While your fingers are in the clicking mode, why not give Ms. Daniels a follow on social media?

Facebook: S.G. Daniels - Author
Twitter: @SGDanielsAuthor
Blog: SGDaniels.com

I hope you all enjoyed this interview. If you have questions you'd like to ask S. G. Daniels, drop them in the comments below!

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

Jo

Book Review - The Druid's Doorway

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today I bring you another book review from my list for the Indie Fever 2014 Reading Challenge. If you haven't joined up yet, I invite you to do so. You can find the signup page here. Just add your name to the Linky thing with the level you wish to sign up at, snag the badge, and get to reading. I have to brag on this group for a moment. Last year, we reviewed over three hundred Indie books (almost made it to four hundred)! I'm hoping this year beats that number. We're already at one hundred sixty! Add one for the review I'm about to write. How amazing is all that love for Indie authors? Okay then, moving on!

As always, I'll begin by giving you a little information about the book up for review:

Title: The Druid's Doorway (The Reese Brothers - Book One)
Author: S. G. Daniels
Genre: YA Paranormal/Urban Fiction
Length (print): 342 pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $0.99  ~  B&N Nook $0.99  ~ Smashwords $0.99

Synopsis: Jake Reese thinks he’s just a screwed-up high school kid living in a small town isolated in the Arizona desert. Traumatized at an early age by his mother’s sudden death—and believing he might have had something to do with it—he’s allowed his guilt and lack of self-confidence to rule his life.

Hailey is the fiery little redhead that sees Jake as more than just a good friend. When she invites him as her date to a school function, it brings down the walls he's built to protect his heart, and sets off a series of events that threaten not only Jake’s life, but that of everyone around him.

The discovery of a portal on the outskirts of town brings Jake face-to-face with death and reveals a closely guarded secret about his mother. No longer is his memory of her the only thing that haunts him. Something evil from her past has escaped through the portal, and nothing will prevent it from trying to steal Jake’s future.

Can Jake overcome his fears to keep Hailey safe? Will the decisions he's forced to make destroy everyone he knows and loves? And ultimately...is he strong enough to live with those choices?

Pretty, huh? On to my inner musings!

***Will not appear in review elsewhere. I did a cover reveal for this book when it first released. All I can say is wow. I love the color, the font, and the imagery. I do wish the author's name were a bit bigger, but that's my marketing brain kicking in. This cover made me eager to pick up the book when it released, and I snagged my copy not long after it hit the virtual shelves. I'm a huge YA fan, and I love anything paranormal, so I was eager to wrap my teeth around the story in this book.***

Okay, that being said, let's get to the review!

I bought this book over on Amazon not long after the release. Being a foaming-at-the-mouth kind of YA fan, I was eager to read something that promised me druids and portals. It was certainly a step away from vampires, and I appreciated the different paranormal aspect.

From a Reader's Perspective:
I adored Jake's character. He's such a sweet guy, but messed up enough so he doesn't have that "perfection" aura surrounding him. While he tries to do the right thing, he sometimes ends up bungling the whole scenario. All in all, a guy I could really root for. Hailey, on the other hand, was a little too perfect. She could've used a little bit of bad girl or naivety to really round her out. There were a few jarring places in the book where time skipped forward without letting me know what was going on. I had to turn back and be sure I didn't miss something. Pacing in the beginning of the book is slow, but it picks up toward the end. Speaking of the end, there's a huge cliffhanger and an unexpected twist that kind of left me with my jaw dangling. I won't ruin it for you, you'll have to check it out on your own. World building and descriptions were well done, and the author rounded out the main character well.

From an Editor's Perspective:
I'm a huge stickler for pronoun usage. There were so many pronoun errors in this book I became frustrated and put it down often. I don't usually give examples in my review, but this one calls for at least one. "His dad started laughing so hard he had to bend over to grasp his knees. It was contagious, and he started to laugh right along with him, and it lifted the load off his shoulders." Now, the author means Jake in the second sentence up until the use of the word him, then it should be Jake's dad, and then Jake again when the word his is used. There were other errors as well, but I'm not going to detail them all out here. I mentioned above about the jarring time shifts.

Rating:
+1 for giving me a well rounded main character I could root for.
+1 for the twist at the end that left me a little sad
+1 for an awesome cliffhanger that I didn't see coming
+.5 for descriptions that were well done
-.5 for jarring time shifts that left me scratching my head a few times
-1 for need for an editor to correct pronoun usage, time shifts, and other little things
Overall, 3.5 out of 5 stars. But I round up, not down. Highly recommended if you want something to take you away from the world for a little while and if you want a very different kind of paranormal read.

I hope you all enjoyed this review. If you've read it, what did you think? If not, will you pick it up?

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

Jo

Pronouns - Round Two

Happy Thursday, everyone! I know you're all excited about the approaching weekend, but stay with me today. I'm going over one of the most common errors in writing (again). Why am I bothering to write about it now if I already wrote a post about it last year? Well, because that one got a little buried in the sand (archives) and it's something every author needs to be aware of. Misuse of pronouns is the thing I find most often when editing or reading; and, I'm sorry to admit, the one error I make consistently when writing. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First off: What's a pronoun?

A pronoun is a word that's used to replace a noun. He, his, him, she, her, hers, it, its (no apostrophe), their, they, they're, and theirs are the ones to watch out for.

When should you become hyper-aware of pronouns?

Anytime you're following up naming a person or thing by using a pronoun.

Examples of misplaced pronouns:
Larry looked into his dad's eyes. He noted the sadness there, and wondered if his mind was on the task they were doing. His hands dug into the soft dirt like they had for the last thirty years. Would he ever get used to seeing him this way? Grabbing a handkerchief from the toolbox, Larry used it to wipe his face.

Quickly! How many misplaced pronouns were in that paragraph?

I'll give you a moment to look it over.

Done yet?

Answer: Four out of ten are incorrect.

To find the ones that are wrong, we replace each pronoun with the last person or thing named. I'm going to number the pronouns so we can discuss after, keep the ones that refer to Larry's dad as "Dad," and break it down once I'm done. Errors are bold.

Larry looked into (1.his)Larry's dad's eyes. (2.He)Dad noted the sadness there, and wondered if (3.his)Dad's mind was on the task (4.they)Dad's eyes were doing. (5.His) Dad's hands dug into the soft dirt like (6.they) Dad's hands had for the last thirty years. Would (7.he) Dad ever get used to seeing (8.him) Dad this way? Grabbing a handkerchief from the toolbox, Larry used (9.it)the toolbox to wipe (10.his)Larry's face.

1. His - Right. Because we're talking about Larry's dad. Larry was the last person named.
2. He - Wrong. It's Larry who noted the sadness in his dad's eyes.
3. His - Right. We are referring to Dad, even though Larry should've been the last person named.
4. They - Wrong. Eyes can't dig in the dirt and they were the last plural noun.
5. His - Right. We are talking about Dad's hands.
6. They - Right. Dad's hands had dug in the dirt for the last thirty years.
7. He - Wrong. We should be referring to Larry, not Dad.
8. Him - Right. We do mean Dad.
9. It - Wrong. This should be the handkerchief, not the toolbox. I can't imagine wiping my face with a toolbox.
10. His - Right. We do mean Larry's face.

Ugh! Right?

So, how do we fix it? There are many ways. Here's one:
Larry looked into his dad's eyes, noting the sadness there, and wondered if his mind was on the task at hand. His fingers dug into the soft dirt like they had for the last thirty years. Larry wasn't sure he'd ever get used to seeing the strain staring back at him from those eyes. Grabbing a handkerchief, he used it to wipe his face.

If you have to include the toolbox, do so before the word handkerchief: Reaching into the toolbox, he grabbed a handkerchief and used it to wipe his face.

It's all about wording and construction. I know you probably think pronouns are the least of your worries, but a little bit of attention paid to this tiny thing will help your book tremendously in the long run.

These are rules that can't readily be broken without seriously confusing the crap out of your reader. Now that you know what to look for, scroll back up and read the first paragraph again without the breakdown.

Heck, I know I miss a couple when editing my own work or the work of other people; that's to be expected. I find errors like that in traditionally published books, too (though few and far between). But four in one paragraph?

How about you? Have you become pronoun proficient? Or did this post teach you something new?

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

Jo

Shying Away in Your Writing

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Wow! It's hump day. We're halfway to the weekend and have a ton of awesome stuff done already, right? Well, you have just two more days until you get a couple off to lounge around and soak up some sun (don't forget your sunscreen!). Today, I'm gonna be talking about those hard to write scenes and why you should write what you feel; not what you think your readers want to read. Ready? Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going.

As you probably know, I review a good number of books here on the blog (at least twelve a year by Indies, and that number tends to go up as my favorite authors - both Indie and Traditionals - release new works). One thing I notice in the books I read is the author holding themselves back from writing a scene that may seem too graphic for their audience. No, I'm not talking about sex. I'm talking about violence, gore, and death.

If you're writing Young Adult, you do have to keep it toned down. That's not the genre I'm talking about here. However, you may reconsider your target audience if you come upon a scene you know will launch your story into a whole other realm. You feel me?

Most writers I know see the story take shape in their head as they put the words on the page. Things happen, characters act in their own way, and unexpected situations arise. Remember: A book isn't prime-time television, and you can write what you're seeing in the moment.

Let your fingers communicate what's in your head. If you see it on your inner-movie reel, put it on the page.

I can't stress this enough.

Here's some examples of lead-ups to scenes that you may shy away from writing:
Tiffany spun around the dark room; her eyes searching in the inky blackness for a visual to accompany the sounds her ears were picking up. Shuffling, grunts, and heavy breathing assaulted her most active sense. Arms out, she waves her hands through the air like she's swimming. Her heart is pounding, and she can smell metal. Something hard, cold, and rough is found. A wall. It must be a wall. Feeling her way along, she finds what she hoped for and pushes the switch to the on position. As the light fills the space, and her eyes adjust, her hands fly up to cover her mouth and muffle the scream building behind her lips.

Now, this can be a myriad of things:

• People being eaten
• A group of men ready to attack her
• A group of women ready to attack her
• Zombies
• Vampires
• Rats
• Giant spiders
• Clowns

I think you get the idea. Whatever happens next, you've built up that tension for a reason. Readers are waiting for what Tiffany is surprised by. Give it to them, and don't be shy. Go into detail about what she sees, smells, hears, feels, and tastes. If she's murdered, go into how. Torture? Give it raw. Write it exactly as you see it in your head.

Clark walked through the flower field, letting his hands graze the soft tops of the tall blooms. A breeze tickled the back of his neck and caused the tiny hairs there to stand on end. He's lost with thoughts of Delia to pay too much attention to the fact that the sun is setting, but the clearing is getting brighter by the moment. His ears pick up a whisper on the wind, and he freezes in place. Delia fades from his mind as a beautiful woman steps from the treeline and holds out her arms to him. Icy puffs of breath come from his mouth as it falls open. Heat spreads through his body as he takes in her form, and his fingers twitch to touch her alabaster skin--around which long, black hair twists and flows like a silk sheet in the breeze. Red lips that need no lipstick, blue eyes the color of the clear sky, and a Romanesque nose sized to perfection all beckon to him with promises of fantasies come true. If only he'll step into those open arms.

Again, you can take this in a million directions:

• Death by haunting vixen
• A quest
• Ghostly encounters
• Witches
• Vampires
• Myth and Lore

You get the picture, eh? Again, this is a tense scene. You've told your reader something big is coming because you've painted with your words. Bring it on. Don't leave them hanging and frustrated. Go where the wind takes you (hey, there's another idea!).

What I'm trying to get across here is: Don't let the audience dictate what you put on the page. If you end up with a novel geared toward an older, more mature audience, let it go. However, if you think Clark will end up whisked away to a land of fantasy and the story is supposed to start there, let it be so. But if another idea strikes you, let it come out. Write it two ways if you must and choose your favorite.

Whatever you do, don't shy away from the gore, death, or violence if the story calls for it. I'd be willing to bet that your YA brain already went with a quest (if that's what you write). Listen to your inner writer.

Have you ever ended up with a book totally different from the idea you began writing?

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

Jo