Paid Reviews and Polls

I've been hearing a lot about paid reviews. I've also been doing some thinking. Questions have risen in my head and I'm looking for public/author feedback here.

I understand that buying a review raises some eyebrows. However, what if those weren't all 5star or 4star reviews? What if the reviewer uses a specific scale, rates the book on specific things, and gives a little detail on each?

For Example:

• Story/plot (1 star)
• Grammar use - not a ton of typos (1 star)
• Well defined characters (1 star)
• A command of the language (1 star)
• Transitions/flow (1 star)

Would you then look for that company or reviewer's posts on books before you bought them? Would their voice mean more or would you still assume they were rating unfairly because money changed hands?

Let's be real for a moment. Indie authors give away hundreds of thousands of books every day with no guarantee of a review. There are many that might pay for reviews if they didn't feel like they were selling their soul to the devil. Let's face it, the guarantee of a 5star review is appealing, but who does that help? Honest reviews will sell more books, right?

I know not everyone can afford to buy a review. But we all know that reviews count in algorithms and that we're desperate for them as indies. They can make us or break us.

What if the company or reviewers publish every review, no matter the star rating, even if they were paid to review the work? Would you be less skeptical of the review once it was written and more apt to seek out that company or reviewer's reviews before making a purchase?

I'm rambling here. Basically looking for reader/author input. If you would, participate in my little poll below.

Answer poll questions now!

Thanks for taking the time. My brain is a hub of curiosity. I'll post results Friday.

Don't forget, if you want some free promotion here on my blog, go check out my post about the BLOG PARTY. Yay!

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

Jo

Winners and a Blog Party

Hello, good people of the blogosphere! Welcome to this special Saturday edition of my blog!

Why am I posting on a Saturday? To announce the winners of my giveaway, of course! Just for that? No! I'm putting out a casting call, if you will, for a blog party I'm planning to run from October 15-19. If you missed the last blog party, no worries, you can participate in this one.

Here are the details:

For one week, I'll promote your blog or your book right here on my blog. I will also share via facebook, pinterest, and twitter. Best of all, it's free! I do ask that you be an indie author. No traditionally published folks, please.

All that I ask of my participants is they give something to my readers and promote the posts the week of. This can be done via a rafflecopter giveaway, a free download, or swag of any kind. Your choice.

I do expect you to follow through with your offer and if you don't, I'll ban you from future giveaways or interviews on my blog. Everyone must keep to their word when we collaborate. You don't want me forgetting to post your stuff, I don't want you leaving people who enter the contest hanging.

I will only do one featured blog or author per day. I do list other blogs I follow or find and give readers helpful links after the interview. For an example of a past blog party post, you can look here:

http://jomichaels.blogspot.com/2012/07/a-few-of-my-favorite-blogs-part-3-of.html

That post will give you an idea of what you can expect. If you want an interview done with me, you need to let me know by Wednesday of this week (10/5/2012). After that date, I will only agree to post bios and your book cover/synopsis.

I have four slots left:
Monday, October 15
Wednesday, October 17
Thursday, October 18
Friday, October 19

When I request your information, get it to me within 48 hours, please. These posts take a while to put together and if you wait until the last minute, you're causing ME stress. If I don't hear back from you within the designated time period, I'll give your slot to someone who will.

Now, for the fun news! The winner of Bronya and Lily, the first two books in my Mystic series is:

Lyza J.

And the lucky winner of a copy of Bronya is:

Sandi T.

You'll be contacted Monday for information about where I should send your prize. They will be mailed on Monday if you get your address back to me quickly.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

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

Jo

Contractions

No, not the birthing of a baby kind. I'm talking about using contractions in your writing. Unless you're writing formal dialogue or historical fiction, please please please use contractions!

I see so many writers make this basic mistake on their blogs and in their books. As badly as we wish to sound formal, the reading of such writing is difficult, at best.

I'll give a couple of examples:

John stood in the room and looked at Marsha. She looked like a goddess sitting there in her nightgown with the sun streaming through the window behind her. "Honey, how about we go tonight to that restaurant you like so much?"
"Oh, I am too tired for all that today. How about you come and sit with me?"
He would have joined his wife on the couch, but he knew if he did not get moving, he would be late for work. "I wish I could, darling. But I have not got the time. I am going to be late for work if I do not get going." John shuffled toward the door. "I love you." (116 words)

It sounds stilted and it's just plain difficult to read. Let's try again, shall we?

John stood in the room and looked at Marsha. She looked like a goddess sitting there in her nightgown with the sun streaming through the window behind her. "Honey, how about we go tonight to that restaurant you like so much?"
"Oh, I'm too tired for that today. How about you come and sit with me?"
He would've joined his wife on the couch, but he knew if he didn't get moving, he'd be late for work. "I wish I could, darling. But I haven't got the time. I'm going to be late for work if I don't get going." John shuffled toward the door. "I love you." (108 words)

Not only is it easier to read, it also cuts your word count down. Try speaking the dialogue or story into a recorder before you write it if you struggle with dropped contractions. Above all else, it needs to be natural.

Let's try again and see if we can't cut it further.

John stared at Marsha. She looked like a goddess with the way her nightgown hugged her shape and the sun illuminated her hair. "Honey, wanna go to dinner at that restaurant you like so much?"
"I'm too tired for that today. Come and sit with me?"
"I wish I could but I'm gonna be late for work if I don't get going." John shuffled toward the door. "I love you." (70 words)

There must be a thousand ways to write a section like this. I could add dialogue, add action, charge it with emotion, or do just about anything to it. If you noticed, the part where I jumped to observation of John being late for work and not joining Marsha was removed. It was redundant because he says as much when he speaks. Above all else, you have to write what you feel. Just remember to be true to your characters and use those contractions! Just like taking out the adverbs, it can help you reduce word count and say what you need to say in a more succinct manner, leaving the reader to fill in the scene (they're good at that!).

Also, check out my post on Descriptions how much is too much? for some ideas on leaving things to the imagination and don't forget to go enter the 100 FB Like Giveaway! Today is the last day.

What issue drives you bananas when reading a book?

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

Jo

Mystic ~ Shelia Synopsis and Release Date

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere!! Today I'm going to let you in on the idea behind Shelia, book three of my Mystic series. So, without any ado whatsoever, here you go!

Mystic ~ Shelia (Book 3 of the Mystic series) - Paranormal

Synopsis:
After a horrible accident takes the lives of her parents, Shelia Morgan is placed in the care of her Aunt Ivy and Uncle Melvin. For six years they work her like a slave. On her twelfth birthday, Uncle Melvin makes Shelia an offer that will destroy her life.

When she turns 19, the ugly truth about her past comes out during a therapy session, Uncle Melvin is arrested, and she's placed in the sights of everyone in town. Hurling insults, objects, and threats, the townspeople side with her uncle and call Shelia a liar. She loses her job, her boyfriend, and her freedom in one day. When a girl named Markaza shows up and tells Shelia she's part of a group of young women destined to save the world, Shelia begins to dream of a new life and true freedom from her personal demons.

She tells the jury her story and boards a plane destined for New York and her new life. Once there, she meets Bronya and Lily: Two other young women with special powers they must learn to harness in order to fight an evil that will rise on December 21, 2012, and destroy the world.

Markaza boards a plane to Atlanta to save the life of a young lady named Melody before her mind destroys her from the inside out. As Markaza fights for Melody's life, Shelia, Lily, and Bronya throw themselves into their studies and learn that even power from within can get out of control.

Mystic ~ Shelia will be released just before Christmas, 2012.

If you don't have a copy of Bronya, go grab one today. $3.99 at Amazon, $8.99 at CreateSpace. This is a series you do not want to miss and Lily releases October 30, 2012!

As a bonus, go check out Home School Your First Grader written by Beth Jones. It's free today on Amazon for Kindle.

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

Jo

Tension

Good Wednesday, lovely people of the blogosphere!! I'm running late because of some technical issues I've experienced this morning. Cleared out all the junk though and here I am!

Today we're gonna talk about tension. More specifically, tension in a novel. I suppose this could also be classified as construction of chapters leading to a whole book.

Let's get started!

First and foremost, you should know your main character must undergo some type of change from the beginning of your novel to the end. They must walk through the proverbial doorway which, once passed through, they can never recover from. Life can never ever be the same after they take that step. They should doubt, question, and have reservations about taking that step. This provides much needed tension.

The basic construction of a novel is thus:

• Introduction to the character
• Moment of change (or some like to call this introduction of conflict I don't, because conflict can come later) This should happen in the first 1/3 of the novel (unless a series)
• Path to resolution
• Conclusion (this should happen in the last 1/4)

Some novelists enjoy flipping this construct around and beginning with the end. As an example, I gave the major turning point in my book Yassa in the prologue from a different character's POV. That was different from my main character's moment of change (when he murdered his half-brother).

Every chapter must have some sort of tension as well. You don't necessarily have to bring the same amount of tension in each chapter, but you need something to keep your reader engaged and turning the page.

Let's rate tension on a scale of 1-5. Some people prefer 1-10 but I think that's too big a range and adds confusion. We'll say 1 is the least amount of tension and 5 is the most.

Your first chapter should hit at least a 3, no matter the length of your novel. Subsequent chapters can be spread out but you should be sure to hit a 5 at least twice during your tale. If you have more than one chapter that only reaches a 1, change it to add tension. Read your book and assign ratings. Change what needs changing.

This can be done by introducing an antagonist or throwing a monkey wrench into your character's path (that link takes you to a page in my blog where you can get some ideas on how to add tension).

If you want a great example of a novel that manages to hit a 5 in damned near every chapter, check out Dean Koontz's Intensity. There's a reason this book flew off the shelves. I'm not much of a Koontz fan, but that was one hell of a book.

Find it here.

Readers get bored easily. If you inundate them with back-story or long, descriptive paragraphs, they'll put your book down and walk away. Sometimes they come back but why risk it?

Remember, tension is key to engagement!

When you put all the chapters you've written together, make sure your transitions are smooth between each and read for tension!

What book have you read lately that had great tension?

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

Jo

Release Day and Special Bundle Pack

It's release day! You can now purchase The Abigale Chronicles - Book Three at Amazon!

But WAIT! I have a super special for all you folks with kids who love Abigale! You can get ALL THREE books for half the price! How? I've released a special bundle edition in celebration! Keep reading...

I decided that I wanted to do something special for all of Abigale's fans. So, for half the price of buying each book individually, you can own all three! This three book collection will be pulled from the shelves in February 2013 so you want to jump in and grab it now. Here's the deal:

At just $2.99, you're saving almost three dollars by buying the complete collection as one.

It will NOT be available in print. This is a Kindle ONLY limited edition.

Available on Amazon.










The Abigale Chronicles - Book Three - Young Readers (Series)

If you already have the first two, you can pick up The Abigale Chronicles - Book Three for just $1.99 on Amazon. If you prefer print books, feel free to hop over to CreateSpace and grab a paperback copy for just $5.99.

Synopsis:
Abigale Fontenot is turning thirteen. Just when she thinks her birthday couldn't possibly get any worse, a new adventure takes hold. Abigale and Emmett are whisked away to a world of fantasy where knights, dragons, and princesses are the order of the day. Abigale is kidnapped by an evil prince in a nearby kingdom, and it's up to Emmett to rescue her. But Abigale finds that escape is not the most important thing; restoring the evil prince's kindness that has been locked away in a magical book by a wicked sorceress must come first. While Emmett is trying to rescue Abigale, she is trying to free the prince from his curse. Will she succeed in her quest before the evil prince kills Emmett, or will she fail and lose her new best friend? Will death matter if the whole thing is a dream, or are the adventures real and truly dangerous?

While you're here, don't forget to go enter the rafflecopter drawing for your chance at Bronya and Lily; book one and two of the Mystic series.

Click me to get to the widget!

I'd like to say thank you again to the 100 great fans of my FaceBook page for making it happen!

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

Jo

Writing and Designing

Today is one of those days where I'm going to write a lot and work on a cover design for a friend. I am leaving you all in the very capable hands of my rafflecopter to ease your mind and give you something to do. :)

Enter to win!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Remember, The Abigale Chronicles - Book Three releases officially tomorrow. Read more about it here. I may have some goodies up my sleeve for the release, I may not. You'll just have to come back tomorrow to find out!

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

Jo