Notes on Createspace File Prep, and NaNoWriMo News

Happy Friday, everyone! Wow, this week flew by! I'm knee-deep in the launch prep for I, Zombie and have had so much fun shouting about it everywhere. We'll see how it goes. On to other, more production type things! Today, I'm talking about something to beware of when printing your book with Createspace. Let me start off by saying I love Createspace. I think they're the best, easiest option out there for Indie authors to get print books. However, the issue I'm detailing today really needs to be something they fix somehow. Perhaps a special account for those that know what they're doing.

So, I decided to release an anthology of the first 5 Mystic books in print and use the covers that will be changed globally when Markaza's book is released next year. Because of this, I also revamped the interior. Well, this caused me a huge problem. Let me show you what I mean; telling you isn't going to help.

I love typography. I think it makes some of the most beautiful art on the planet. Apparently, CS doesn't agree with this practice. When I uploaded my book with this pretty type-style artwork on the chapter openings pages:

(I adore it. What you see here is the page trimmed to the bleed lines. Now keep in mind, the M would disappear into the gutter quite a bit and it's cutting off the C and the dot on the I. Still, pretty, eh? And matches the cover perfectly!)

They rejected it.

Why? The reason they gave me is that the text is too close to the edge of the page which would result in quite a bit of it being cut off during production. There should be at least a .125" margin on all sides.

I e-mailed them and outlined that the text they were referring to wasn't meant to be read, it was there for artistic purposes, was a 330dpi image (this is why their auto-checker didn't find any issues), and there was a ONE inch margin around the text in the body of the book (more than they require, but an industry standard). Hell yeah, I was gonna fight for my design!

I waited less than 24 hours when a response showed up in my inbox. A human would try and explain my design to the other humans who look over the book and get the approval for the proof regardless. That person would try and push my design through to production and I should look for an answer sometime over the next two days. YAY!

Excitement flooded me! I was gonna get my beautiful type treatment!

My joy was short lived, however, when I was told there was no way the team could push it through.

Drats!

At that point, I'd exhausted all my options and decided to just reformat the chapter opening pages without my beautiful type art.

This is what I ended up with:

While still fun, and very Markaza-ish, it's just not what I would've preferred.

Oh well.

Why am I sharing this with you? To keep you from using type in a full bleed page design intended for Createspace and having them reject it. Twice. As always, I'm trying to save you from a permanent red spot on your forehead from banging it on the desk out of frustration.

Lesson learned. I feel like the bad child who had their hand slapped. *Note to self: Never EVER use type that might be cut off in ANY way in your book design until you've convinced CS to create a special account just for you*

Yeah, that's my next goal. I'm gonna try to get them to change the policy where this is concerned. *grin*

I'll keep you updated.

On to the next part of this post!

If you were a participant in NaNoWriMo this year, you're now able to go pick up your winner goodies! There's some awesome stuff on the offering block so I suggest you go check it out.

NaNoWriMo.org

Look very closely at the Lulu offer. That's all I'm going to say about it.

Have you ever experienced this kind of thing with your printer? How did you handle it?

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

Jo

I, Zombie Release Date and News

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! I'm running a bit late today. Yikes! Today, I'm gonna share with you some of the details about my upcoming release, I, Zombie. I know you've all been chomping at the bit to get hold of that book, so here's some news!

First off, I've settled on a cover design for the book. Isn't it pretty?

 

Second, I'm sharing infobits (just keep going, the really good stuff is coming in a moment).

Title: I, Zombie
Author: Jo Michaels
Genre: Young Adult Horror (recommended for 13+ because of a little gore)
Release Date: January 8, 2014
Length: ~ 51k words (subject to change)
Price: TBD
Synopsis:
It's the end of the world as we know it.

Trixie Collins is a normal teen making her way through high school. One night at a party, a boy comes on to her and won't take no for an answer. As she jerks her arm away, his fingernails cut into her skin.

When she finds her dog's mutilated body and realizes she's to blame, she starts to think maybe the zombie apocalypse they've been screaming about on the news isn't a hoax after all. Worse, she begins to think maybe she's one of the infected.

Now it's a fight for life as she joins together with her brethren to stop the humans intent on destroying them. Are zombies all bad, or is it just a huge misunderstanding?

Would you all like the updated excerpt? Yeah, I knew you would! Well, here you go:

1 – A is for Atrophy

     Bang, bang, bang!
     As the axe struck the thick wooden door, the windows of the deserted house rattled in their frames, sending curls of fear through the forms huddled inside. Unintelligible moans erupted from their mouths as they pressed together.
     Trixie sent out a thought: “Calm. Don’t let them hear us; maybe they’ll go away.”
     When the groans died down, they could hear the humans outside walking the perimeter of the structure, looking for an entry point.
     Twigs snapped.
     Leaves rustled.
     They were coming.
     Shuffling of the beings increased and a small hand found its way into Trixie’s. She knelt down near the child and put her scabby forehead to his. He seemed to understand this meant: We’ll be okay. And she felt the tension leaving his body. They stayed that way for a few minutes until a human shouted out, “Here! I found a way in!”
     Instantly Trixie was upright, willing her brethren to move from their corner, closer to the blacked-out window she intended to smash to make an exit. It was the only route they had. As one, they shuffled toward it.
     A prayer was offered up that the humans wouldn’t recognize the window for what it was and avoid it. Prior inhabitants had done a good job of making it blend with the wall.
    “I can’t get this door open!” It came from one of the female hunters.
     She sounded like she was in the basement.
     Off the kitchen, a doorknob jiggled.
     Guttural moans erupted from the group again.
     Trixie could barely make out the heads of huge nails protruding from the jamb. Those uninfected would have to have a crowbar to get that entrance open. She sent out another thought: “They can’t open it. Be quiet.” At once, the low droning stopped.
     Her group continued to move slowly.
     She hoped they could make it to her jeep. Dragging her numb right leg, she did the best she could to herd the others toward the soon-to-be exit.
     When they got to the house, they’d done what they could to fortify it against the humans giving chase. It was sheer luck the earlier inhabitants had already reinforced most of the windows, entrances, and exits. She snickered. Apparently, the threat of zombies caused people to do strange things. With speed she didn’t know her group possessed, they moved to secure the house against the certain death on their heels like the hounds of hell. Couches and La-z-boys were stacked against doors, and the fridge was used to reinforce sheets of wood nailed over large, picture windows.
     She wished she could speak; but the rot invading her skin had eroded her vocal chords. While she had a strange connection with those who were like her, allowing access to their minds, she couldn’t communicate with humans.
     This was supposed to be a rescue mission. It was an easy in and out trip. She’d received contact a few days prior from three members of a family hiding out in a barn. A team of amazing fighters had volunteered to join her to bring the family back to the camp safely.
     But, here they were, trapped in a run-down house, about to get their heads squished.
     More banging echoed through the house, eliciting gasps and shivers of terror from the group.
     It didn’t do to attack humans, and she tried to avoid it whenever possible. But if they were a threat, she felt certain her squad wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever they had to.
    “We’ll have to do it. We can’t move fast enough to run and there’s a child here.” It wasn’t speech, but she heard it like she would someone speaking out loud to her.
     Jack grabbed her hand, his voice still echoing in her mind.
     A moment passed between them and her shoulders sagged.
     There was no way to avoid it; the humans would have to be killed or assimilated.
     Jack lifted a chair and mimed throwing it through the window.
     She nodded.
     Glass exploded in a whirlwind of tiny sparkles as the momentum of the chair forced it apart. Two of her unit members guided the family of three through the opening and the ones left behind tensed for battle.

End of chapter 1.

Last, I'm sharing the giveaway that starts tonight at midnight over on Goodreads! *squeals* It's gonna run for the next month (through Jan 17th) and might be a great late Christmas gift for the reader in your life. Four printed, signed copies are up for grabs (U.S. only).

Goodreads Book Giveaway

I Zombie

by Jo Michaels

Giveaway ends January 17, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

I'll be slinging the widget onto the sidebar for the duration. Good luck!

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

Jo

Book Review Steel Lily

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have another book review for you all. I know you've seen Ms. Megan Curd's book, Steel Lily, on the sidebar of the blog for the last week and a half. Well that's the book on the chopping block for today! I bet you've been wavering on whether or not you should pick up a copy, too, eh? I hope this review will help you make that decision.

First, as always, I'm gonna give the book blurb before moving on to the review.

Title: Steel Lily
Author: Megan Curd
Genre: Dystopian with hints of Steampunk
Length (print): 314 pages
Links to Purchase: Amazon—$0.99 Kindle  B&N—$0.99 Nook  Kobo—$0.99

Synopsis:
AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.

She's a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.

Or so she thinks.

That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued. But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn't any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.

...Which means digging deeper.

When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything...including the fate of your world.

I just love love love the cover for this book. It really encompasses the story within the pages. Rust, gears, and beautiful type! How could you go wrong?

Let's get to the juicy!

I picked up a copy of Steel Lily on Amazon not too long after I got my interviewee list for the UtopYA Con authors. They signed up and I snagged a couple of their books to read (wasn't planning to write reviews at all). But some of them were so good, I just haven't been able to help myself. Besides, it's a nice surprise for the authors when they find their shiny new review. Enough of my babbling, let's get to it!

From a reader's perspective:
I found the characters to be well rounded and full of life. Avery's struggle to contain the instant attraction she felt toward Jax had me laughing at times. It shows her strong will and how much she's been hurt in the past. But she also judged him by his arrogant attitude at first, which gives me insight into what kind of person she is. I connected with her in this way. I loved that there were no infodumps in the book. I know this is the first book in a series and that leaves the open-ended things a good plot idea. It makes me want to read the next book. I got completely pulled into the world Curd created and it was easy to picture in my head. It's a great YA story many will enjoy. I simply adored the twist in the end of the book. That's just good stuff right there. I didn't like the hits at the relationship with Legs. There's never any indication that he's interested in Avery romantically until Jax shows up. I could've used a bit more lead-in with that whole triangle of fun and tension. I was thrown out of the fantasy a couple of times by errors I noticed. Which leads me to...

From an editor's perspective:
As I read on my Kindle app, I highlight errors (my editor brain works all the time). I find it easy to open the book up and hit the notes to see how many booboos a book had without having to remember them all. I found a slew of them in this book. One, the dates go all wrong from page 34 to page 56. I also found a large number of errors in sentence construction, grammar use, and word use. I don't usually give heavy weighting to editing errors (limiting them to 1 star overall in my rating scale), but the date error was a booboo from a story perspective so it bled over a hair.

Rating:
+1 Star for giving me characters I could see and identify with
+1 Star for excellent world-building
+1 Star for great pacing and an awesome twist
-.5 Star for the sudden use of a character in a love triangle that wasn't led up to in any way
-1.5 Stars for errors in both timeline keeping and general writing
Overall, 3 out of 5 stars. Recommended for anyone who's looking for a good, clean, YA read.

I hope you enjoyed that review! I had a great time reading the book. I do hope you'll scoot on over to the platform of your choice and get your own copy. Links are above the book.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

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

Jo

A Guest Post by Megan Curd

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you a guest post by Megan Curd, my featured author for the last two weeks and one of the ladies attending UtopYA Con 2014. If you don't have tickets to that event yet, you should! You can get them by clicking the name. If you missed my awesome interview with Megan, you can check that out by clicking here. Don't forget to come on back next Monday and meet the awesomeness that is Bethany Lopez!

In other news, I, Zombie is sitting with a beta-reader and my lovely editor, Tia Silverthorne Bach of INDIE Books Gone Wild. I'm not setting an official release date just yet, but I'm shooting for early January. How exciting is that? Enough of my babbling, on to the post!

PROCESS OF GETTING READY TO WRITE

by Megan Curd

Hey Jo! I Thanks so much for having me on your blog today. It’s an absolute honor!

Okay…so, onto the topic of the day: getting ready to write. I think every author has a different process, but I think we all have quirks. Hopefully mine aren’t too weird or terrifying, haha!

I’m not a big plotter, so generally when I sit and write, I know the beginning, and I know the end. What happens in between is usually very organic and the characters dictate a lot. When I tried to explain to my husband’s aunt, who’s a psychologist, that my characters are the boss and I just let them tell the story, I think she might have thought I needed help, lol! But it’s very much the truth for me. My characters are bossy!

As for my process for sitting down to write, I’m a creature of habit. My preference is to go to a café to write (getting out of the house helps me focus. Otherwise I’ll always end up doing something besides working. It’s like the procrastinator’s Murphy’s Law.). I have this closet addiction to collecting Starbucks coffee mugs from all over the world, so each night I take a different mug with me to the café. This is a BIG deal to me, lol. I have to pick the right one for the night. Sometimes my son helps me pick, and every night my husband rolls his eyes. But I love those darn mugs, and they’re like my writing mojo provider.

Besides the café and the coffee mug, I HAVE to have music. I love music all the time, but when I’m writing, it’s an absolute must. Steel Lily was written almost exclusively to Muse’s album, “The 2nd Law.” I swear the album was written FOR Steel Lily. Now I’m writing the sequel, Iron Pendulum, and it’s been more of an Imagine Dragons, Lindsey Stirling, and Placebo type playlist. It’s interesting, because each book takes on a personality of its own.

One other thing I do is a fairly new habit, but I had the honor of going to UtopYA this year in Nashville, TN, and C.J. Redwine was there as a panelist. She said she kept a log of how much she wrote each day, and challenged herself by crossing off every 500 words she wrote. I’m very much a challenge-driven person, so I immediately started implementing that as well, and I’ve seen how much it’s helped. Seeing the progress happen is a huge boost, and it makes me want to push for “just another 500.” I’m really glad I heard her speak.

I think those are the things that make up my writing process. I’d like to think I’m not crazy, but I suppose that’s up for interpretation. I’d love to hear from other writers what their process is, and if they have any rituals or “must-haves.” Thanks for having me on the blog today, and I hope everyone loves Steel Lily! :-)

~ Megan

I have to say, telling people you're an author is a valid excuse for Multiple Personality Disorder. If you write stories for a living and don't have characters in your head, talking to you 24-7, you're weird in this world. So, Megan, know we all suffer from the same illness and just embrace it! Viva la Creativity!

Now, a little about Steel Lily, Megan's featured book of the week:

Title: Steel Lily
Author: Megan Curd
Genre: Dystopian with hints of Steampunk
Length (print): 314 pages
Links to Purchase: Amazon—$2.99 Kindle  B&N—$2.99 Nook  Kobo—$2.99 

Synopsis:
AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.

She's a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.

Or so she thinks.

That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued. But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn't any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.

...Which means digging deeper.

When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything...including the fate of your world.

While you're here, why not check out some of Megan's links?

Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page

I've read Steel Lily and will be posting a review later this week. Surprise, Megan! Wow, that never gets old! *evil grin*

And don't forget to enter the FANTASTIC giveaways here. You could win a $500 shopping spree over at Amazon, a Kindle Fire HDX, or a ton of awesome books!

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

Jo

Even More Amazing Giveaways! Kindles, Money, and Books Galore!

HAPPY CYBER MONDAY! I was supposed to have a guest post from author Megan Curd for you all today, but things happen and it's not going up. I'm gonna share awesomeness with you instead. Today, the web is full of sales, contests, and giveaways! I'm here to link you up! We'll start with a recap of Sunday's fantastic post and move on to the others.

A $500 Shopping Spree at Amazon!

This giveaway is being held by The Kindle Book Review and Digital Book Today.

You can enter HERE.

You have a chance to win every day between now and Christmas! It's the Unofficial UtopYA 25 Days of Giveaways. This giveaway is sponsored by the authors planning to attend UtopYA Con 2014. If you don't have tickets to the event yet, grab them by clicking the name.

Here's the rafflecopter entry form for that giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My New Adult Paranormal Mystic series is still on sale and going strong through tomorrow at midnight! Links:
BRONYA
LILY

SHELIA
MELODY
CORALIE

If you love great books with strong females, this series is for you!

Ms. Tabitha Vargo is having a huge giveaway, too! Yeah, I'll share the code; it's the least I can do.

Oh! Wait! Did I say a giveaway? I meant she's having giveawayS! One is US only and the other is international. Surprise!

Here's the US only rafflecopter entry form:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

And, there's the international one:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now, this lady has gone completely nutso! She's giving away a prize every day for 31 days! It's a Facebook event and you can join here: Julia Crane's 31 Days of Giving!

Day one was a Kindle, day 2 is $25 Amazon gift card, I'm wondering what day 3 will bring. Yeah, I know that was full of comma splices... Moving on!

These books are all on sale for $0.99 each!

Big, Bad Bite
Secret Maneuvers (Ex Ops Series)
The Lady of Steinbrekka
Heart of Kylassame
and three e-books by Lisa Collicutt

I hope you all enjoy these awesome giveaways and sales!

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

Jo

$500 Amazon Shopping Spree 2 Kindle Fire HDXs and More!

Hello and welcome to a very special Sunday edition of the blog! Today I have some awesome giveaways for you just in time for the holidays! Get your clicking finger ready and let's GOOOOOO!!

First up: A $500 Shopping Spree at Amazon!

This giveaway is being held by The Kindle Book Review and Digital Book Today.

You can enter HERE.

Second: You have a chance to win every day between now and Christmas! It's the Unofficial UtopYA 25 Days of Giveaways. This giveaway is sponsored by the authors planning to attend UtopYA Con 2014. If you don't have tickets to the event yet, grab them by clicking the name.

You can enter this giveaway by clicking HERE.

Time for the MORE part!
Grab a copy of Chasing Memories by Tia Silverthorne Bach FREE until tonight at midnight!

Get it while it's HOT! Grab a copy by clicking HERE!



Last, but not least! The Mystic series is still on sale and going strong through this Tuesday at midnight!

For the only time EVER, you can get all five of the starter books in this series for only $2.97!

Links:
BRONYA
LILY

SHELIA
MELODY
CORALIE

You save TEN DOLLARS!

I know, crazy stuff on the table today! Get out there and enter, grab freebies, and have FUN!

Happy reading!

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

Jo

Book Blitz and $10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway - The Forgotten Ones

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! I have two posts for you today. This first one is a book blitz for my buddy, Laura Howard. She's screaming all over the web about her new book, The Forgotten Ones. I'm giving her a hand because, well, I love Indie authors! Let's get going, shall we?

First up, a little about Laura.

About the Author:
Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.

Goodreads  ~  Website  ~  @LauraHoward78  ~  Facebook

On to the book info!

Title: The Forgotten Ones (The Danaan Trilogy #1)
Author: Laura Howard
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Length (print): 197 pages
Published: April 28th, 2013
Links to purchase: Amazon - Kindle $2.99  ~  B&N - Nook $2.99

Synopsis:
Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Wouldn't you love to read an excerpt? Guess what? I have one!

I caught a glimpse of my mother staring out the den window. She held her violin loosely under her chin, and the bow dangled from her fingertips. Her jaw was slack, her eyes locked on something in the trees beyond me. I knew that haunted expression. I froze.

I swallowed hard as her eyes shifted to me. The violin fell from her chin, and I could see her bottom lip trembling.

I should have been used to that reaction from her when she saw me during an episode. It happened every time. But I wasn’t.

I flew into the house as fast as my feet would carry me. The screen door crashed behind me as I came to a halt outside the den. My mother clutched fistfuls of her blonde hair, garbled words spilling from her lips.

“I have to. I have to go out there,” she said. “He’s waiting for me.”

She stood in the semi-darkness, mumbling, the only other sound the hum of the ceiling fan. I clung to the doorjamb as I watched my grandmother approach carefully. She placed her hands on my mother’s shoulders, and on contact my mother’s body stopped quaking. Gram crooned, rocking her back and forth, as she pulled her into her arms and led her away from the window.

My stomach tightened, and I backed away to leave them alone. If she saw me again, who knew what would happen.

I cringed as the floor creaked beneath me, and she jerked her head in my direction. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and the shaking began again. Breaking away from my grandmother, she stumbled backward toward the window. She raked her fingers down her face and hair as she moaned. “Liam…” Tears streamed down her cheeks, causing thick strands of hair to stick to her face.

I entered the room slowly, desperate not to step on another squeaky floorboard. Her green eyes burned into mine, and I locked my eyes on hers. No matter how many times she fought my attempts to soothe her, I had to keep trying. She was my mom.

For your chance to win, here's the Rafflecopter entry form! Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I hope you all entered to win and check out Laura's book!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, write on!

Jo