Blog Topics: Where do They Come From?

Good people of the blogosphere, today is Wednesday. Make it through today and you've got half the week wrapped up! As my post title suggests, today I'm talking about blog topics and how to come up with great ones.

I read something about this not long ago, but it was more in the way of 'what not to write on your blog if you're a writer'. That post talked about authors writing to other authors and how we shouldn't do it because authors aren't our target audience. While there's some truth to that, I have a further argument: All authors are (or should be) readers, right? Just sayin'.

Anywho, on to today's topic! While I was in design school, they taught us about thought webs and why we should use them. The idea behind using a thought web is this: If you have a product, the obvious way to market that product or build a design for it isn't always immediately visible. You should use a web like the one below for a visual reference.

As you can see, you would get around 13 posts or so out of a thought web like this. It can be any topic. If you've covered it in the past, you can just mark through it. Ideas that spring to mind for post topics from this thought web might be: How-to Research a Location's Vernacular, How-to Write a Character Bio, What Roles Parents Play in Shaping a Character, Why Where Your Character Lives is Important, etc...

There's really no limit to the ideas here. You're only held back by how many words you have at your disposal. Being a writer, you should have a multitude.

I hope this idea helps some. Have you ever used a thought web? What was the topic?

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

Jo

2013 Reading Challenge: Indie Fever!

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! If you've been around before, you know I've asked indie authors to pitch their books to me for a read and review. I've decided to make it part of the 2013 Reading Challenge. Below, I'll list the books I chose with links and dates that I'll do the posts/reviews for each winner. This contest on my blog happened back in December and I ran across some great indie books that I'd love to help promote.

If you'd like to join the challenge, click the image below and follow the instructions to join the linky list. I'm signing up as an Amateur with a promise to read 8 INDIE books this year. I may read more but this is what's on the table right now. Without further ado, I give you the link and the list!

Kate Baggott - Love From Planet Wine Cooler Amazon link $4.99
This review will go live on or before January 28th, 2013.

Andrea Buginsky - The Chosen Amazon link $0.99
This review will go live on or before February 18, 2013.

Michael Cargill - Underneath Amazon link $3.30
This review will go live on or before March 11, 2013.

Eric Dulin - Condemned (Deus Ex Machina Series) Amazon link $2.99
This review will go live on or before March 25, 2013.

Deborah Armstrong - Forever Love Amazon link $3.49
This review will go live on or before April 22, 2013.

Ginney Etherton - Looping in Limbo (Lainey Tidwell Series) Amazon link $2.99
This review will go live on or before May 20, 2013.

Angela Graff - The Awakening Amazon link $2.99
This review will go live on or before June 10, 2013.

Leonardo Noto - Intrusive Memory Amazon link $4.99
This review will go live on or before July 1, 2013.

I know that seems like a huge gap between reviews but I'm leaving myself some breathing room (I have a couple of indie books not listed here that I may get to in between these AND I have some others from the contest I think I'd like to read). Like it says: On or before. I may have them all done by mid-April but I don't want to make promises I can't keep and I have a rigorous publishing schedule set for myself this year. I wrote a lot of partials last year I intend to finish and I must wrap up the Mystic series with a bang sometime in 2013. 

Go grab some samples of the above works and give them a read. You won't be sorry.

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

Jo 

Cover Reveal Good Ghost Gone Bad by Janiera Eldridge

Title: Good Ghost Gone Bad

Author: Janiera Eldridge (Check out her other books on Amazon)

Synopsis: Brianna Moreno was an average 22- year- old woman who loved shopping, hanging out with her
friends and making more career plans....until the night she was brutally and unexpectedly murdered.

Now she finds herself trapped in the ghost world while residing on earth. The problem is, her killer can see
all of his ghostly victims and enjoys taunting them as much as he does killing them.Brianna soon finds out that her killer has horrible new plans concerning her family.

Brianna meets up with a few of her killer’s past victims to hatch a plan so terrifying, the entire town will
never be the same again.

Brianna is a good ghost gone bad; the good girl side is gone forever!

*This book is not a YA read. 18+ only for sex, strong language and strong violence.

Add it to your TBR list: Goodreads 

Cover Artist: Janiera Eldridge


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

Jo

Semicolons

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Ah, thoughts of the weekend bring us so much joy! As the title of today's post suggests, I'll be talking about semicolons. If you struggle with this most interesting piece of punctuation and have a hard time knowing when to use it and when to leave it out, follow along. Grab those pens and notebooks because here we go!

Let's start with the definition:
sem·i·co·lon  /ˈsemiˌkōlən/: Noun - A punctuation mark (;) indicating a pause, typically between two main clauses, that is more pronounced than that indicated by a comma.

A semicolon is used to join two independent but related clauses. While this can also be done with a comma, the semicolon is more often used when one is using a conjunctive adverb (however, incidentally, otherwise, etc...) or transitional phrase (even so, as a result, matter of fact, etc...). Smaller coordinating conjunctions are the ones most often used with a comma (and, but, so, etc...).

Now an example:
I went out last night and have a hangover; I can't go to work today.

There are many ways to write these two statements using either a semicolon, periods, commas, or no punctuation at all. Let's break it down:
I went out last night and have a hangover, so I can't go to work today.
I went out last night and have a hangover. I can't go to work today.
I went out last night and have a hangover; as a result, I can't go to work today.
I can't go to work today because I went out last night and have a hangover.

I always remembered it as: If two sentences can rely on one another to further understanding, you can join them with a semicolon.

Semicolons are helpful in preventing stilted flow in your writing, adding interest, and creating variety. I can't tell you how many books I've read where the author uses periods too often and it results in short, choppy sentences that make my brain stumble along over the words. I usually don't read more than a chapter or two before I get frustrated and throw the book down.

Punctuation isn't scary if you take the time to learn about it. If you're a writer, this is me begging you to read all you can get your hands on about punctuation and grammar; it does matter.

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

Jo

Your Cover Speaks Volumes

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm going to talk about book covers. Things every author should think about when deciding on a cover for their book. Grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

I'm going to start by discussing my own book covers and a couple I've designed for other authors.
First up, the cover of Yassa.

I chose this design because of the quality of the artwork and what it says to the reader. Yassa is a law that outlines the idea of loyalty until death. The book inside is all about inner struggle, love, and culture. It's supposed to convey the softer side of a warlord like Genghis Khan. I know it's a geisha and I know there are no geisha in the book, but the geisha represented beauty and the cherry tree represented new life. It also worked really well in black and white. Pay attention to the type. It's strong yet beautiful.

The Abigale Chronicles features handwritten type done by a twelve-year-old girl. My main character is twelve and it seemed fitting to stay within the age group to which the book is geared. As the book progressed through volumes 2 and 3, the colors and the design elements are all that changed. I wanted it to be recognizable as a series from no more than a glance and to be unique.

My Mystic series features a digital painting representing the end of the world. I wanted all the books to look alike so I stayed with the idea of only changing the name inside the orb. Thinking of Markaza, I wanted the paranormal/mystical aspect to be clearly recognizable as well as the barren wasteland and dead tree. I chose the greyscale cover to impart death and loneliness. No bright colors would have worked for this design. Look at the flowing type. It says something on its own.

Divorced to Dating Disasters was designed for Ms. Chelsea Black. Her idea was one of chocolates and I had the perfect image to compliment the sweet wreckage her book portrays. Maybe when broken, things are sweeter. Perhaps it just creates a mess... Strong type was used to reinforce the words. Divorce is series, disasters are damaged, and Chelsea is a serious writer.

This bright and fun cover was designed for my good friend Crystal Lee. She gives workshops on how to grow things in the hot Arizona climate. We wanted something that said food, hot, and fun to read as well as making it eye-catching for the browsing readers over on Amazon. It was fun to design and the typography is just gorgeous. Don't you love that negative space between the y and the A? How about the way the O and G mimic the roundness of the peppers?

Last but not least, The Bird. If you're a frequent visitor to the blog, you probably saw the three design options for this book. You probably also voted on one or the other. I used a cardinal because he is the character that changes the story for Stormy. Everything is plodding along as usual before that pesky Trobodyte bird shows up. I chose blue and red because they're neighbors on the color wheel and looked good together. I wanted strong typographical elements to offset the strength of the digital painting of the bird. A border was added for punch.

I bet you're all wondering why I chose to show you these covers, right? I'm asking that you look at them. Really take a moment and look. Every one of them has something in common. Forget the imagery for a moment and focus on just the words. Look at the shapes of the letters and see how they speak on their own. Every typeface has a voice. You have to consider that when you're designing your book covers or when looking over a cover designed for you by an artist. If your cover doesn't work with just the type, your imagery will fall flat every time. Never rely on a great picture to get your feeling across.

I gave three options for each of the above books before I settled on one. You should see the rejects! Maybe one day I'll list them and go into why they didn't work.

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

Jo

Happy New Year and Promotion Success Tips

Happy 2013, good people of the blogosphere! Oh my... seems doomsday wasn't doomsday after all. That's very good news because I'm starting off the new year with a post about promotions and how to run an effective freebie. Get out your pens and notebooks because here we go!

We all know we want to run an effective freebie promotion. But the question is how to get our freebie in the hands of as many readers as humanly possible? I'm going to share what I've done and how it's helped my own sales and visibility. This is in no way a hard and fast rule post. If you feel like you can add to it, by all means, post a comment below and share!

Without further ado, here's the checklist!
6 weeks ahead:

1. Plan your freebie date. Be sure to include at least one weekday in your schedule.
2. Create an excel spreadsheet for people or companies that do freebie listings with the following columns: Twitter name, website URL, Submission guidelines, benefit (what they'll do for you), and time to submit.
3. Start building your freebie submission database.
4. Plan a promo leading up to your freebie for your blog.
5. Reach out to your network and schedule guest posts and/or giveaway promotions via rafflecopter or your choice of sites that will go live on various days of your freebie.
6. Send out some copies of your book for reviews that might go live around the time of your freebie. Be respectful of the reviewers you send your book to and ask politely if they would mind posting around those dates.
7. Set up some author interviews to go live around your freebie dates. Be sure and tell the interviewer about your freebie because it's added value for their readers.

4 weeks ahead:

1. Start submitting your freebie to the relevant sites if you haven't already.
2. Double check with your reviewers, network, and buddies to be sure all is on track.
3. Keep a folder with your freebie submissions in your e-mail so you can be sure to check back with those folks during your giveaway so you can promote their services as well.

2 weeks ahead:

1. Submit to the freebie sites that require a shorter notice.
2. Set up your rafflecopter if you're doing one.
3. Plan and pre-write posts for your promotion on your blog.

1 week ahead:

1. Schedule a Goodreads and Facebook event for your promotional posts.
2. Start your promotions.
3. Double check your network to be sure all is in order.
4. Consider a new rafflecopter to start day of that encourages folks to share the details of your freebie.

Day of:

1. Get the word out about your promotion. Schedule tweets, Facebook posts, and LinkedIN posts to let folks know you're live.
2. If you did a rafflecopter, it should end on this date and the winners announced. If you're doing a new one just for the freebie with relevant tasks, launch it on this day.
3. Make sure you promote those blogs and services that are promoting your freebie.
4. Tweet your freebie @ those that require it.
5. Make a list of the above and check it every day during your promotion

The number one most important thing to remember during your freebie: DON'T BE HUMBLE!! Tout your work with your review ratings, number of copies downloaded, and blurbs from your reviews! Let people know what a great product they're getting for FREE!

Speaking of free, have you entered the Goodreads giveaway at a chance to win a copy of Mystic~Shelia, the third book in the six book series! LINK IS HERE! Or, you can enter via the widget on the top right of the blog. Good luck to you all! Four books are up for grabs! Giveaway is good in the US, UK, and Canada!

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

Jo

Favorite Books of 2012 and a Giveaway

Happy Christmas Eve, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm going to list my favorite books of 2012 and tell you all about a super fantastic giveaway held by The Kindle Book Review. You don't wanna miss this post!

First up, my favorite books of 2012:

The Help - What a wonderful read! I picked it up after I saw the movie because I was super curious about the book behind the plot. Book wins; hands down!

First Visions Second Sight Book One and New Revelations Second Sight Book Two - About a psychic who denies her powers until she's needed to help find a missing girl. There are two in the series so far and both were fantastic reads! Guess what? They're both FREE today! Book One and Book Two! Go get yours!

Dragon's Mind - Wow. My first real trip into science fiction! I loved this book. It's about a girl and a brain trying to escape the clutches of an evil organization.

Beautiful Disaster - Holy moly! By far my FAVORITE read of the year. I would've given it ten stars if I could've. A super fantastic example of great indie writing!

Now, on to more fun!

The Kindle Book Review is holding a HUGE giveaway via Rafflecopter!!!

The prizes:
A 7" Kindle Fire HD WiFi 16GB and 80+ ebooks to read on it.
Two $100 Amazon Gift Cards

How to enter:
Follow THIS LINK, scroll to the bottom, and click to be taken to the rafflecopter entry form. Enter to win!

Easy, peasy!

Mystic~Bronya, the first book of the series, is still free through tomorrow. Go pick up your copy today. This book has a 4.4star average rating on Amazon and is pretty close to the same on Goodreads. CLICK ME!

Mystic~Shelia is currently in giveaway land over on Goodreads. FOUR people have a chance to win a copy! Go on and enter!! CLICK ME!

Good luck, everyone!

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

Jo