Interview with Bronya from Mystic

Happy FRIDAY, people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you an interview with Bronya Thibodeaux from the first book in my Mystic series. I hope you all enjoy the interview today. She's quite a character.

Jo: Hello everyone! Please help me to welcome our guest, Bronya Thibodeaux! Good morning, Bronya. How are you today?

Bronya: I'm okay, I guess. Hey peeps! (waves at audience)

Jo: I'd like to jump right into my questions today, if you don't mind. Waste not, want not, and our time is precious.

Bronya: That's fine. Go ahead.

Jo: Okay, first up: In the book, you seem surly and a little like a loner. Can you tell us what events in your life led you to feel out of place in Houma High School?

Bronya: Yeah, I suppose. I was always bigger than the other girls. At six-foot-one, I'm rather imposing and I like to wear boots, jeans, and tee shirts. I was never really a girly-girl, you know? Well, when you're different like that, people tend to single you out for ridicule or they don't trust you. I just felt better being alone rather than constantly wondering who I could trust.

Jo: I certainly understand that. I had my fair share of cruelty by others in High School. You are very tall... Anyway, when did you realize you were gay and how did that impact you socially?

Bronya: Wow. You just come right out with the questions huh? I realized there was something different about me when I was in the sixth grade. All the girls in my classes went boy-crazy but I never had an interest. My affections were for my neighbor, a girl named Cecilia. We used to play together when we were little but her best friend, Stephanie, was always mean to me and pulled my hair. So, after a while, I quit going over there. We grew apart after that but I've always loved Cecilia as far back as I can remember.

Jo: That's so touching. Stephanie sounds like a real winner. I suppose you can't help who is in your general sphere of being, huh?

Bronya: Yeah. But she never crossed me before that day in the bathroom. I suppose supporting her best friend when they had a falling out wasn't the smartest thing I could have done. I didn't mean to hurt Stephanie as badly as I did.

Jo: You sure whipped her, that's for sure. So, you've been in New York a while now, tell me about your decision to move there.

Bronya: It wasn't a decision, really. I had no other choice because of what happened at home. I couldn't find a job, people threw things at me, and I couldn't be around Cecilia after what she said to me. I had to leave. The offer from WSTW came at just the right time. Meeting Lily really changed my perspective on a lot of things. I thought I had it bad but that girl, ouch.

Jo: What do you mean?

Bronya: Her whole life got ruined because of what happened to her. She lost everything. I had to deal with almost the same thing but I can walk away and pretend and just fit in, you know? She can't.

Jo: Yes, I know. But wouldn't that be like lying to yourself if you pretended to be heterosexual?

Bronya: Yes. I've been struggling with it. Knowing how other people will react once they find out I'm a lesbian doesn't help matters. (turns to audience) Just leave me alone, okay? I don't put you down, don't do it to me. I am who I am. No amount of Holy Water is gonna change me. Just because I'm gay, doesn't mean I'm a sinner or a bad person. (turns back) I just get so sick of people treating me like I have a disease that's catching, you know?

Jo: Yup. I've been sitting here for a while now and I don't feel anything. Wait... No, that's just a mosquito bite. (winks and smiles) Now, tell me what you plan to do with yourself.

Bronya: I plan to work for WSTW when they finally call me in. I've been sitting around this huge apartment, waiting on something. When Lily showed up, I thought perhaps I could start working; but that's not the case. We have been reading those books we were told to read though. Weird things are happening. But, I'm not gonna get into that. If you wanna know, you gotta read the books.

Jo: That sounds like an awesome plan. I hope everything works out for you and Lily, too.

Bronya: Thanks.

Jo: Well, that's all the time we have for today. Thank you for joining us, Bronya. I know this wasn't easy and I appreciate your time.

Bronya: No problem. Glad to help.

Jo: This concludes our interviews. If you have any questions you'd like to ask Bronya, please leave them in the comments section. Thanks for stopping by!

If you'd like to purchase a copy of Mystic ~ Bronya you can do so on Amazon by clicking here. Also, if you'd like to read interviews with some of my other characters, go here for Genghis, here for Kutula, or here for Abigale. Genghis Khan was a riot to interview! Remember that Yassa is on sale until after Labor Day for just $3.99 on Amazon or Smashwords. That's $6 off the usual price of $9.99. Get one today!

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

Jo

Character Interview with Abigale Fontenot

Happy Thursday, people in the blogosphere!! Today, I bring you twelve-year-old Abigale Fontenot from The Abigale Chronicles! Along with Abigale's visit, I'm please to announce her books are available FREE until midnight tonight, the 30th of August, 2012. Only on Amazon.

Jo: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Thursday interview! Today, I have a wonderful surprise for you: Abigale Fontenot from the children’s chapter book series The Abigale Chronicles is here to answer some questions for us. Hello, Abigale. How are you today?

Abigale: I’m great, thanks. Hi, everyone! (waves enthusiastically)

Jo: That’s a very pretty dress you have on. Where’d you get it?

Abigale: Oh! Thanks! I got it at the mall in the city. I love dresses.Jo: (smiles) Tell us a little bit about your friends, Kristy and Emmett.Abigale: Kristy and me grew up together and she was my BFF before all the trouble started. ‘Till last year, I thought Emmett hated me. Come to find out, that boy likes me a lot and just didn’t know how to say it. Kristy won’t talk to me now but me and Emmett have been goin’ on adventures of some kind. I still ain’t figured it out though. What’s happening, I mean.

Jo: What do you mean by what’s happening? Are you talking about if your adventures are real and what’s causing them?

Abigale: Yeah. We don’t know why we go the places we do. That last time really freaked me out. Those cats were super weird and, when we got back, Emmett was half a mile away. I don’t know if that had to do with the amount of time we were gone or what because we weren’t together when the first one started.

Jo: What does it feel like when you have an adventure?

Abigale: It feels like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I just black out and wake up somewhere else. This last time, Emmett was right there with me when we arrived. I was thankful for that.

Jo: Tell me about the first adventure.

Abigale: Well, I woke up in a weird place. Come to find out, there were all these Amazon women everywhere. They don’t like boys. My looks had changed and that silly queen thought I was her daughter! She tried to get me to kill Emmett. Even though I didn’t like him, I couldn’t kill him! I don’t even like squishing bugs. So I saved him and we ran away.

Jo: Wow! You were very brave! What happened the second time?

Abigale: We ended up in this weird world full of talking cats. There was one by the name of Theodore who used us to help him get back his noble rights and then, the little booger tried to cook us up for dinner! We came home just in time. It was scary!

Jo: It sounds scary. Now, I hear you like to write poetry. Can you tell us what started that?

Abigale: My love of reading started it but my teachers encouraged me to continue. I have a nifty little notebook I write them all down in. I deal with stress that way and keep up with my memories from life as well. It’s like a little chronicle of my life. But, my notebook is full. I sure hope I get another one for my birthday.

Jo: When is your birthday?

Abigale: October twenty-third.

Jo: That’s really soon!

Abigale: Yup! I can’t wait! I’m gonna be thirteen!

Jo: (smiles) I remember turning thirteen. I hope it’s all you dream it will be. I have one more question before you go, Abigale. What is a traiteur?

Abigale: You mean like Ms. Ada?

Jo: Yes.

Abigale: They’re faith healers based in the Catholic religion. They can fix just about anything with their hands. I’ve seen it, it really works! Ms. Ada is one of the oldest around. Rumor has it, the gift has to be passed from a female to a male to a female and they have to be related. None of her family wants it so I guess the gift is gonna die with her. That’s a sad thing because it’s part of who we are as Cajuns. Part of our legacy, you know?

Jo: Yes. I see. That is a sad state of affairs. I hope she can convince one of them to take it someday. Thank you, Abigale, for giving us some of your time today and good luck with your birthday!

Abigale: Thanks! Bye everyone! (waves again)

Well, that's all for today, folks! Come on back tomorrow to read my interview with Ms. Bronya Thibodeaux from the first book in the Mystic series! If you wanna ask a question, now's the time to do it. If you wanna go grab the book, it's available here. If you missed the interview with Genghis Khan, check it out here.

Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Interview with Kutula from Yassa

Happy Wednesday, dear people of the blogosphere!! Today, I bring you Kutula from Yassa. He's a character I hear a lot of people fall in love with. If you haven't read Yassa, this is the week to do it. It's on sale at Amazon and Smashwords for just $3.99. ONE WEEK ONLY!!

Jo: Hello everyone! I’m so happy to present you with my guest for today’s interview: Kutula. Kutula was integral to the plot of Yassa and became one of Mr. Khan’s right-hand men. Let’s find out how! Hello, Kutula, how are you today?

Kutula: I’m great, Jo, how about you?

Jo: Doing fine. I’d like to start off with questions about Genghis. Are you okay with that?

Kutula: Nothing would make me happier. I love your hair, by the way.

Jo: (blushes) Well thank you (pats hairdo). Yours is fabulous too! Now, Kutula, how did you meet Genghis?

Kutula: When I met him, he was just a boy of ten, named Temujin, who had managed to kill many of the General’s men singlehandedly. I could tell Temujin was up to something – he is a clever one – so I played his little game and pretended to be weak myself. What struck me first was the lad’s looks. He was such a good-looking kid (Kutula smiles and looks a little dreamy).

Jo: Then what happened?

Kutula: (shakes his head a little) We put him in a cangue and took him away to our camp as a slave. He was a murderer and an outlaw. We had every right to claim him. But I did get to see him put on quite a show for the General first.

Jo: What’s a cangue?

Kutula: A cangue is two pieces of wood with holes for the head and hands that we fasten together with a lock on either end. A person can walk but they cannot escape because we also attach it to a rope. If they don’t move when the rope is pulled, they fall and oftentimes break their neck in the process. There are many men who lost the power of speech due to the damage the cangue did to their necks when they fell.

Jo: That sounds horrible (shudders). Was Temujin a good slave?

Kutula: He worked very hard, yes. But I hated to see his strong spirit in the hands of my people at the time. They were a brutal bunch.

Jo: I know you helped him escape and won your own freedom in the process. Could you tell us what really happened the night you let the boys go?

Kutula: I had been planning my own freedom for a very long time, you see. I belonged to the General. I was his concubine. He had bought me when I was just a boy of fifteen and ruled over me with an iron fist. I hated him. But my true love was a beautiful young man, around my age, with long, dark hair and thick, curly eyelashes that lived in a yurt near ours. My plan was to have most of the soldiers follow the boys, who I blamed for cutting the General’s throat, and let the rest of the slaves go so they could overthrow the men left behind. I took a risk, yes, but it was a risk worth taking. I watched those boys run until I couldn’t see them anymore, then I raised the alarm. When the men came to my yurt, I pretended to be upset over coming in and finding the General with his throat cut. I blamed it on Temujin and his friends: Jelme, Jamuka, and Bo’orchu. Those fool soldiers took off, knowing the rains were coming, in the hopes of catching those four boys. Even if they had returned, I would have had control of the camp and could have dispatched them easily with a wave of my hand.

Jo: Wow. That was one elaborate plan. You must have a good head on your shoulders.

Kutula: Of course I do. I may be feminine, but I am not stupid. It was decided that I would be in control of our tribe from that point forward.

Jo: I never meant to imply that you were. Sorry. I… (shuffles papers). You seem to be the backbone of the entire book. You help Temujin escape his slavery, help him by sending a recommendation to Wang Khan, and help him find a potential fiancé for his son, Jochi. How did you know what would happen in that situation?

Kutula: I had no idea what was going to happen. I thought Temujin would make the offer, Wang Khan would accept, and the two tribes would unite. What I got was a big mess of war.

Jo: (laughs) Sometimes what happens leaves us with a question of how in the hell we ended up in a situation. I found you very humorous in the book. You were one of my favorite characters. There was one incident, when Jelme insulted you, that I found particularly funny. Tell me, what made you punish Jelme the way you did rather than breaking his neck for his insult?

Kutula: (laughs) He was just a young thing and wasn’t thinking when he spoke. Besides, he was one of Temujin’s best friends; I’m not just the pretty boy who goes around killing people because they made me angry.

Jo: You helped young Temujin and older Genghis. How stunned were you when he was named Khan and changed his name?

Kutula: I was shocked that we accomplished exactly what we set out to do after the betrothal was denied. I was so proud of him. But, that man has some strange notions about loyalty. When that mess with Börte happened… I shouldn’t talk about that.

Jo: What? What happened?

Kutula: None of your business.

Jo: Ugh! Fine! You men are so frustrating. Okay, another question then: Do you believe Genghis spoke to God?

Kutula: I don’t know if he did or if he didn’t. But, I can tell you he knew things no normal person could possibly know.

Jo: Well, that’s all the time we have for today. Thank you, Kutula, for giving us your time today.

Kutula: Thank you for having me.

If you have any questions you'd like to ask Kutula, feel free to put them in the comments and I'll add them to the post.

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

Jo

Author Interview: Janiera Eldridge

Happy Thursday, everyone! Today, I have the pleasure of bringing you an interview with Janiera Eldridge, the author of Soul Sisters. It's available on Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords for just $2.99 and in paperback on Amazon for $10 and CreateSpace for just $9.99.

Enter to win our rafflecopter giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
First, a little about Janiera:

Janiera enjoys feeding her book addiction when she not writing. She is also a book blogger at Beauty and Books where she mixes being a book nerd with keeping things chic. When not reading or writing she is freelance writing in the entertainment industry. Soul Sisters is her debut novel.






Now, a little about her new book Soul Sisters:

Synopsis:

Soul Sisters is an urban fantasy novel about African-American twin sisters Ani and Dana who have a rather unique secret: one sister is human while the other is a vampire. While the sisters have lived peacefully with each other for many years one fateful night will change both their lives forever. When a drunken man tries to attack Dana (the human sister) Ani (the vampire sister) protects her sister with all of her ferocious power.

However, when the vampire’s leader Donovan finds out about the public display he calls for the sisters to be assassinated for disobedience. Ani and Dana now are in for the fight of their lives to protect each other as well as the lives of their dedicated friends who have joined them on their mission for survival. If Dana and Ani can make it through this time of uncertainty, Ani can take her new place as vampire queen. Soul Sisters is expected to be a trilogy; The book also features a multicultural cast of characters that brings a new edge of chic to the vampire world.

Soul Sisters is published by Mystic Press and was released on August 18, 2012.

Hi, Janiera! I’m happy to have you here today and thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions about yourself and your new book Soul Sisters.

Jo: I’m a curious person by nature and am dying to know where the idea for Soul Sisters originated. Humor me?

Janiera:   I get this question a lot and it’s still really hard to answer because I’m never really sure. LOL.  I’ve loved vampires since I started reading and one day the idea just hit me- what if there were twins and one is a vampire and one is human? I know it hard to believe that his just popped into my head but it really did and I have no idea where it came from.

Jo: What does a good writing day look like for you?

Janiera: A good day of writing contains getting up in the morning, doing promotions and scheduling more promotions for about 2 hours, then writing for the rest of the day. Sometimes that works out a lot of times it doesn’t.  Promotions are a big part of being a writer but they’re not nearly as fun as writing itself.  With the release of my first book, I’m really just trying to slip in writing whenever I can.

Jo: I know you have a physical disorder. Can you tell us a little bit about your illness and how/if it affects your writing schedule?

Janiera: I have Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and it makes it extremely hard to have a 9-5 job. Luckily, I have wonderful parents who believed in my goal to be published and tell stories for a living. When I left college after one semester, I know they were scared but I got published in less than a year and now they know I mean business. lol. Fibromyalgia is when over active nerves cause constant pain and lack of sleep.  Some days it totally changes my schedule and I can’t do anything because the pain is so severe. The CFS keeps me tired all day so it’s a double whammy. lol. I’m a work-a-holic so I’m still learning how to rest when I need to otherwise it just makes things worse. The people in my life are so understanding about how I can’t work some days and I feel so blessed to have them.

Jo: Tell me about your 100+ reading challenge list. What’s that about and how did it get started?

Janiera: I’d only read like 3 books last year because there was so much going on! However, I knew when I was opening my blog that I wanted to get back into reading again. A really cool book called Book Chick City had a 100+ reading challenge for 2012 and I knew it was a challenge I had to try! So far, I’ve read 41 out of 100 books and Goodreads keeps telling me I’m 22 books behind my goal. I don’t really worry about it though because I’ve read so many more than last year and quite a few of them have been 800-1,000 page books. I’m just glad to be deep back into reading again whenever I can scratch out the time.

Jo: I see you’ve had your Beauty and Books blog going since November of 2011. Why did you get started blogging?

Janiera: I stumbled across a book blog one time and just thought it was one of the best blogs I had ever seen! I loved the fact that I could help promote authors and review books on my blog.

Jo: Have you learned anything via the process you wish you’d known up front?

Janiera: That it would be like having a second job. There are perks to being a book blogger. Since I’m a book and beauty blogger I often get free books and beauty products. I work very hard for these things though and anyone wanting to be a book blogger should know you have to put in the hard work to stand out.

Jo: How much time would you say you spend every day on social networking? Do you think it helps sales? What organizational tools do you use (if any)?

Janiera: I spend about two hours a day on Social networking. That includes promotions for the book on blogs as well as Facebook and Twitter. It totally helps. An author should be doing AT LEAST 20 minutes a day of promos. My book started bringing in sales really fast when it was self-published following the 20 minutes a day rule. I use Excel to keep track of all of my blog promotion obligations and I use hootsuite.com to help me manage and schedule Tweets and Facebook posts. You can’t be on social media all day so, hootsuite really helps.

Jo: You’re an active blogger with over 400 posts. How do you keep up with posting so often and writing a novel?

Janiera: I only post once maybe twice every day. When I’m not reviewing, I’m promoting authors. I schedule all posts the night before so in the morning they’re ready to go. It’s a routine that was really easy for me to get into so I don’t even think about it now. I had no idea I had that many posts though, wow!

Jo: I see you’re an entertainment freelance writer as well. Do you have other blogs or places you write? Tell us about them.

Janiera: I’m currently not writing for any entertainment company but I have written for websites like Directorslive.com in the past. I currently do occasional posts for hersocialnetwork.com but it’s not a paid job. It’s a wonderful website for women to connect and share information. I love writing there.

Jo: You have over 4,000 followers on Twitter. Any secret formula there?

Janiera: No secret formula there, just hard work. I’ve spent time on Twitter interacting with people, sharing other people’s interesting information and posting my own quality info. When people know you’re a real person and you share others' work people naturally follow you because they want to hear what you will say next.

Jo: Tell me about your publisher, Mystic Press (I love their name, by the way). How did you hear about them?

Janiera: I heard about them because someone mentioned them on my Facebook profile. I submitted a query to them on Saturday night and on Sunday evening I got a response that they were interested in my book. I was so shocked and happy! They’re a small press but they work with us authors one on one to make sure everything is perfect for our books. Unlike other publishers they help us a lot in promoting my book.

Jo: Who designed your blog? Have you considered branding across all your platforms or having a logo?

Janiera: I designed my blog and as for branding I already do that. An author’s books are their brand and their logo their covers. I have my covers all over the place and they always lead back to a major platform.

Thanks for stopping by and giving me some of your time. I know a writer’s time is precious and I truly appreciate it!

If you’re interested in following Janiera, you can find her here:
@LazenBeauty
on her FaceBook page
on her blog Beauty & Books
on Pinterest
or on Goodreads

You can purchase a copy of Soul Sisters at the following fine ebook retailers:
Amazon Kindle - $2.99
Barnes & Noble - $2.99
Smashwords - $2.99
Amazon - $10
CreateSpace - $9.99

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

Jo

Empirical Evidence

Happy Wednesday, everyone! If you all remember back on Monday's post, I talked about publishing houses using the Amazon best seller list of indie authors as a slush pile. Spurred on my some of the comments I received, I decided to delve into this a bit further.

Here's what I found:

The first blog has a brief interview with an indie author and then talks about the publishers that are picking up indie titles.

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2012/08/independence_19.html

This next one is linked from the first one and tells about an indie author who turned down a publishing deal to remain indie. From what I understand, it was not pocket change.

http://jeffrivera.com/index.php/for-writers/758-why-indie-author-ruth-cardello-turned-down-a-7-figure-book-deal.html

When you read this one, pay close attention to the paragraph with the bold Traditional Publisher path in it.

http://indiebookwriters.com/2012/08/05/the-4-different-publishing-paths-authors-can-pursue-today/

And, this last one talks of Penguin buying Author Solutions. It's a VERY good read.

http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2012/08/why-self-publishers-should-care-that-penguin-bought-author-solutions229.html

As you can see, I rarely talk out of my ass. I find it heartening to hear stories of an indie author that chose to stay indie and it makes me more confident in my own choices.

What do you guys think about all this? Would you go for it or stay indie?

Don't forget to check out Mystic ~ Bronya over on Amazon. Free to sample, just $3.99 to own!

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

Jo

The Hungry Freelancer Beth Jones

Happy Tuesday, everyone! For any of you that have been following my blog, I bet you remember my blog party and the great list of blogs I posted for you to check out and follow. Today, I'm going to bring back one of those folks I listed on Day 1. Her name is Beth Jones @bethythewriter. You may know her as The Hungry Freelancer from her blog by the same name.

Beth just released a book titled The Hungry Freelancer: How to Break Into (and Succeed In) the World of Freelance Writing and I'd like to take a moment to tell you all a little about it.

Synopsis:

If you've ever dreamed of being a writer but don't know how to get started, this book is for you.

The Hungry Freelancer: How to Break Into (and Succeed In) the World of Freelance Writing walks you through, step-by-step, the process of becoming a freelance writer. You don't need a college degree or years of experience to succeed as a writer, and this book shows you how. For just $2.99 on Amazon Kindle, you'll learn how to get started as a writer, how to write your first article, how to start making money, and how to find new, exciting jobs that will bring in fast cash. Chapters include: 1. The Art of Storytelling; 2. "Writer" VS "Author; 3. Where to Start; 4. How to Find (and Keep) Clients; 5. Making Money; 6. Writing it Down. Whether you're an experienced journalist who wants to jump into online writing or a stay-at-home mom who wants to supplement her income, The Hungry Freelancer will help you reach your writing goals.

Doesn't that sound like an amazing read? Now, a little about the author, Beth Jones.

Author Bio:
Beth Jones is a freelance writer who currently resides in Maryland with her husband, sons, and cat. When she's not busy writing, Jones enjoys spending time outdoors absorbed in a good mystery novel. A military wife, Jones has lived all over the U.S. and has worked as a writer in many different cities.


You can find Beth on Twitter @bethythewriter and you'll love giving her FaceBook page a like. Come on, everyone needs to feel the love!

As a recap, you can find The Hungry Freelancer: How to Break Into (and Succeed In) the World of Freelance Writing on Amazon by clicking the link here. It's just $2.99. Pocket change you can turn into a regular paycheck!

On to some more great news! You can now purchase Mystic ~ Bronya in both paperback and Kindle versions. Also, as you can see on the widget, the Goodreads giveaway has begun! Make sure you enter for your chance to win!

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

Jo

Publishers vs. Agents

So I heard this rumor that publishers are now treating indie titles as the slush pile. If this is true, agents beware!

From my understanding, a literary agent makes money by getting authors signed with publishing houses. If we're skipping the middle man (the agent) what does that mean for them? Are they going to lose their places in society as gurus with the inside track on a publishing house?

I don't know many indies that didn't try to go the traditional route before self-publishing. If their book happens to hit the ebook market and become a best-seller, and the author is then picked up by a publishing house, what happened to the agent's commission? It's gone. There is none.

We all have jobs in the publishing industry; an author's is to write, a cover artist's is to design, an agent's is to sell a work to a publishing house, an editor's is to make sure all the Is are dotted and all the Ts are crossed, and a publishing house's is to get that book into print and sell it to distributors.

But wait! Indie authors do all of the above on their own (except for the cover/interior design and editing in most cases). If they get picked up by a publisher, they do it on their own.

Where does that leave the agent?

Things I don't know:

1. Are agents allowed to choose an indie title and offer representation?
2. Do they watch the market for successful indie published titles and consider it?
3. Is there an agent out there that does this?
4. Why wouldn't they (what are the drawbacks)?

It seems to me that agents may become superfluous if they aren't proactively changing with the market. That's a major loss in revenue for them. Think about super successful indies like Amanda Hocking and what her book may have done for an agent. Did she submit her manuscript and get rejected? Is that agent now kicking him or herself in the ass?

Question for you indies out there: Did you submit your manuscript to an agent? Multiple agents? Did you get rejected? What are your sales like now?

I'm a curious person by nature. Humor me, please?

I have great news! Mystic ~ Bronya, the first book in my Mystic series, releases tomorrow! The print version is already available for sale but the "official" release date is August 21, 2012. Keep your eyes here for the link when it goes live for Kindle and KDP Select. Don't forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway (see the widget on the side of my blogger blog) starting tomorrow for your chance at a printed, signed copy! I'm giving away TWO!

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

Jo

A Few of My Favorite Blogs Part 8 of The Blog Party

Welcome to day EIGHT of my Blog Party!

Lots of really super great stuff going on this week! Come back every day to see what I'm going to give away next! Tomorrow, I am giving away Kindlegraphed copies of Linda Leander's book INZARED Queen of the Elephant Riders. Come back to see how many we have available and how you can win one!

Make sure to enter this contest for two printed, signed books, this contest for a book on how to make money with your blog, and to get your free gift here.

Today, my contest goes like this: If you will comment on ANY post on my blogger blog with your twitter handle and go add Ms. Ashley Howland's book Obi the Super Puppy and the Mystery of the Red Mist to your Wish List on Amazon, I will enter you in a drawing to win a copy of the book. When the winner is chosen, I will order you a copy via your wishlist. Like always, I will use random.org and a numbering system (based on your order of comments) to choose the winner. You can enter more than once in this way. You have until 11:59pm ET on 7/25/2012 to enter. GOOD LUCK!

If you would like to purchase a copy on your own, please go here. Check out YouTube videos of Ms. Howland's books! Ghostnapped! and Obi the Super Puppy and the Mystery of the Red Mist. Very cool! Connect with Ashley on LinkedIN as well or like her FaceBook page.

Now, some information about Ms. Ashley Howland and Obi the Super Puppy!

Bio:
Ashley Howland lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She and her dogs, Obi and Stitch, work for Labs ‘n Life, a nonprofit organization that works with youth at risk to train Labradors as autism assistance dogs (www.labsnlife.com). She is inspired to write by her husband Ross, her daughters, Maddy and Aijay, and of course, Obi and Stitch. They are a constant, endless source of material and happiness. She is also the author of Ghostnapped! Her next two books are The Homework Goblin, for young children, and a novel for teenagers titled It’s What You Do Next That Counts.

Synopsis:
Obi is a yellow Labrador who loves adventure, helping people and solving mysteries. He also loves his kids, Maddy and Aijay. This is the story of his first adventure, his new family and how a mysterious red mist entered into his life. The evil red mist has many scary abilities, it can possess animals and toys, but who is behind it? Obi and some new friends must save the day before it is too late. Maddy and Aijay listen patiently as Obi relives this amazing tale and they learn how their faithful friend became a real super puppy.





On to our regularly scheduled list of AWESOME blogs. As always, I will begin with Ms. Howland, my promo for today:

Her blog is filled with great author interviews and great information about being published as well as how she came up with her ideas for her various books:

Ghostnapped blog  On Twitter: @AshleyHowland

Another couple of author blogs:

Bonnie R Paulson  On Twitter: @bonnierpaulson
Diapers, Bookmarks, and Pipe Dreams  On Twitter: @KirkusMacGowan
JD Stockholm  On Twitter: @JD_Stockholm
Beauty and Books  On Twitter: @LazenBeauty

And a blog about books. I love reading this blog because it's full of useful reader information for writers. Go check out their smuggling ways:

The Book Smugglers  On Twitter: @booksmugglers

That's all for today, folks! Come on back tomorrow for more great giveaways and blogs! Until then, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Few of My Favorite Blogs Part 6 of The Blog Party

Welcome to day SIX of the Blog Party!

First and foremost, the winner of the contest I ran on Friday 7/20/2012. I had three entries for a free signed, printed copy of The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book and the results are below.

Congratulations to: Jen!! Jen was commenter number 2. Now, on to our regularly scheduled program!!

I'm excited to announce some wonderful things that will happen this week. You have the chance to win many great books this week, some printed and some digital and Kindlegraphed! Today, Ms. Dee Ankary. Tomorrow, Ms. Kebba Buckly Button! Later stuff will be announced later. Bwahahhahhhaaaa! So, check back!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let's talk now about Ms. Dee Ankary. The giveaway above is for a Kindlegraphed copy of How to: Build a Profitable Niche Blog. If you prefer to purchase a copy, you may find one here. If you'd like to purchase Dee's other book Blog Transformation Secrets you may find it here. Each just $4.99 on Kindle.

I have read the book that's being given away today and, let me tell you, it's worth every penny of the $4.99. It has great information about blogging and being successful. Highly recommended! I'm an Ankary fan!

On to the information!!

Such a pretty lady!!

Bio:
My name is Dee Ankary, and I'm an author, online business coach, and slightly geeky blogger. As the founder of Moonpreneur, a product creation and marketing resources blog, I'm constantly seeking to morph life and business experiences into profitable digital assets in quick, and relatively, painless ways. 

After a lifetime in corporate technology solutions, I discovered that software for the brain is way more fascinating, and now use my tech, NLP and coaching experience to help myself and crazy busy individuals create a more interesting sequel to the 9-5, salary-junkie time of our lives.

    I write in English, dream in Italian and have an unwavering belief that enthusiasm will conquer all.

Synopsis:
The road to a profitable niche website is not as ridden with difficult obstacles as you might imagine. The right keywords, great content and some judicious promotion. The key is focus, both in terms of targeting a specific niche, and consistently moving forward until your site is thriving.   How To Build A Profitable Niche Blog will show you the way, step by step, right from picking the right keywords, to the most appropriate monetization strategy.








And now, on to today's list of GREAT blogs to follow. As usual, I will begin with my gracious guest!

Are you at a loss but you want to write a blog? Learn a lot about blogging as a business:

moonpreneur  On Twitter: @deeankary

Are you struggling to find ways to market your book? Do you need a professional editor? This lady does it all:

Marcie Brock, Book Marketing Maven  On Twitter: @phxazlaura

Do you have questions on how to build a better book? Visit this guy's page for practical advice:

The Book Designer  On Twitter: @JFbookman

Need some faith? Do you like hearing things people see that make them passionate enough to talk about it? Visit this blog:

Faith Develops in the Dark

Visit this blog for pure fun reading and interesting snippets:

Ellie's Blog  On Twitter: @EllieMendez

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

Jo

A Few of my Favorite Blogs Part 5 of The Blog Party

Hello everyone and welcome to day five of The Blog Party! Make sure you come back on Monday (day six) for yet another great giveaway! This time, from Ms. Dee Ankary. Dee is the author of How to: Build a Profitable Niche Blog and Blog Transformation Secrets. Ms. Ankary has agreed to give away a digital copy of How to: Build a Profitable Niche Blog that she will Kindlegraph for the winner!!

Please remember that the rafflecopter drawing for Ms. Lisa Cherry's book Soul Journey ends today. Go here to enter now.

Today's giveaway is going to work like this: Comment on my blogger blog (any post) today and I will give you an entry to win a printed, signed copy of my book The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book. I will do this by spreadsheet. In the order of comments, you will be entered on the list and I will use random.org to choose a random winner. So, get to commenting and GOOD LUCK!

I am also giving a nod to a very wise lady today, Dorothy Ruppert. Here's a little bit about the lady and her book God Placed Her in My Path - Lessons Learned from the Furnace of Bipolar Disorder. You can purchase it here or on Dorothy's website here.

Isn't she just lovely?!

Author Bio:

Dorothy Ruppert has spent 43 years advocating for the mentally ill and their families. She is a retired Chief Executive Officer of a non-profit organization and the former owner of three small businesses. Dorothy now spends her time as a writer and an inspirational speaker. She is currently working on her second book, a collection of short readings to inspire people who cope with situations that are beyond their control.






Synopsis:

God Placed Her in My Path - Lessons Learned from the Furnace of Bipolar Disorder by Dorothy Ruppert is an inspirational, heart-wrenching true story of a mother advocating for her daughter during a time when doctors did not believe a child could suffer from bipolar disorder. This book will speak truth and bring hope to those who experience a brain disorder and to those who walk alongside them. It serves to educate and break the stigma of mental illness, which is rapidly increasing in the world today.
God Placed Her in My Path is strongly recommended for all who want to learn more, but especially for educators, social workers, and extended family members of persons coping with a brain disorder.



Now, on to the blog party and our regularly scheduled post of blogs you'll love!

You can read daily bits and pieces from Ms. Dorothy on her blog:

God Placed Her in My Path

Here's a blog that discusses writing and the process:

Caro Ayre

A couple more blogs that talk books (you can never get enough of those):

Danielle. Wife. Author. Mother.  On Twitter: @danielle_lise
Heather's Book Chatter  On Twitter: @woodtop255

A blog by a mother/daughter team who wrote a book together (I know, I know, I couldn't do it):

Depression Cookies  On Twitter: @Tia_Bach_Author

A blog by a designer and writer:

Helz-Design  On Twitter: @HelzDesign

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

Jo

A Few of my Favorite Blogs Part 4 of The Blog Party

Today on my blog party, I'm happy to talk about Ms. Randi G. Fine, author of Awaken From Life: Lessons for Discovering Your Personal Truths and happy to announce yet another giveaway for all you loyal readers! It just keeps getting better and better, huh?

Pssssssst: Check back tomorrow for information about Ms. Dorothy Ruppert's book, God Placed Her in My Path - Lessons Learned from the Furnace of Bi-Polar Disorder and I may be giving away something super cool to go with it!! Just because I like you all so much, of course. If you haven't already, go enter the rafflecopter drawing for Lisa Cherry's book Soul Journey. Winner will be announced Saturday morning! Now, onward!!

Ms. Fine has also agreed to give readers the following: If you like her Randi G. Fine Facebook page from your personal page, you'll receive an inspirational picture quote exclusively designed for this promotion.  Send her a message referring to the promotion, include your email address, and she will email you the gift. How freaking awesome is she? 

Now, a little about the author and the book:

She is just gorgeous, isn't she?

  
Biography:

Randi G. Fine is an accomplished Ft. Lauderdale writer, radio show host, and published author. She tells the spellbinding story of her life in her 2010 memoir, Fine…ly: My Story of Hope, Love, and Destiny, inspiring others with messages of courage and hope. Her inspiring new spiritual/self-help book, Awaken from Life: Lessons for Discovering Your Personal Truths, was published in June 2012. As the producer and host of her provocative podcast radio show, A Fine Time for Healing, Randi revives the emotional and spiritual well-being of world-wide audiences.

Synopsis:

In this evocative, illuminating book, Randi Fine encourages you to free yourself from the inhibiting obstacles in your life, embrace the conscious power of your intent, and awaken your unrealized potential. Travel on an introspective journey into the heart of your personal realities where your perceptions, truths, and desires lie. Distinguish the thought processes that enhance your life experience from those that stand in the way of achieving all you desire. Reflect on perspectives never before considered. Experience the powerful impact of revelations brought on by your newfound self-awareness.
The path to greater fulfillment awaits your discovery. The only thing required is your deliberate choice to “Awaken from Life.”

You may find her book for purchase here.

Now, on to our regular post!  I will, of course, begin with my guest for today.

Randi G. Fine's blog is about getting the most out of life. It's inspirational and heartfelt. If you need a pick-me-up, check it out. But wait! There's more! She also has a radio show! Be sure and give her a listen.

Love Your Life!  On Twitter: @RandiGFine
A Fine Time for Healing radio show

Looking for a hip way to stick it to the mass produced man? Look no further. Get honesty and straight-forward opinions on everything:

throwing up in an IKEA bag  On Twitter: @jenchatwrites

A very cool blog that helps with all those annoying e-book formatting issues and gives some great tips on tools to help you build your platform (author or otherwise). As a bonus, this company does e-book formatting as well:

Writer's Block Admin Services  On Twitter: @JoHarris0n

This next blog is all about success and how you put your know-how and knowledge of the world to work. She doesn't preach at you, and she uses a lot of humor and real-world examples to get her message across:

the art of possibility... discovering new pathways to success  On Twitter: @klaughman

A wonderful blog that covers darn near everything you can imagine. Handy for writers and a fun read too!

You Are What You Write  On Twitter: @rachelhwrites

Well, that's all for today, folks! Come on back tomorrow for more! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Few of my Favorite Blogs Part 2 of The Blog Party

Today on my blog party I have some exciting news to share!! Tomorrow, I will be hosting a giveaway of the book Soul Journey by a fellow writer and blogger named Lisa Cherry. Check back here to enter the Rafflecopter drawing!

Thursday, I'll be talking about a book written by Ms. Randi Fine titled Awaken From Life: Lessons for Discovering Your Personal Truths (don't miss that). You can read a little about it or buy it here.

A surprise for you all today, I am happy to tell you about a great FREE book by Mr. Robert Chazz Chute titled The Dangerous Kind & Other Stories. Get it at Amazon before tomorrow night! I've read his book titled Bigger Than Jesus and am a huge fan of his work. I am delighted to help him announce his giveaway.

A brief synopsis:
Small-town claustrophobia and the psychological horror of living with other people at its best.This is a real deal with all these stories now in one package: two brothers must decide if murder is the answer to all of their problems; a psycho psychologist directs a serial killer who to kill; a crazy young woman insists she stay on as the psychologist's patient; a divorced dad learns to deal with loss through the power of hypochondria; a starlet meets her high school lover again for one last conversation about dire secrets; and a DJ argues against God only to discover that there are some arguments you definitely don't want to win.

Revamped and reloaded, my novella, The Dangerous Kind is available again, but now it's bundled with six short stories that are the precursors to the (coming!) Poeticule Bay series of novels. Two new stories are in this collection, including The Sum of Me, a story anyone with credit card debt will appreciate. I read The Sum of Me at a writing conference to thunderous applause and it won an honourable mention from a Writer's Digest competition.

Now, on to our regular post! Aren't you all excited? What a great week this will be! Welcome to a few more of my favorite blogs.

Here's a blog by a literary agent that asks thought-provoking questions for authors of all kinds:

Rachelle Gardner  On Twitter: @RachelleGardner

Do you like ramblings? How about ramblings that have a purpose? Follow this blog for great photos and discussion:

Ramblin' with AM  On Twitter: @ RamblinGarden

Get some wonderful marketing advice and some helpful tips about setting up FaceBook or branding your own blog with Liberty:

Libertys Yarn  On Twitter: @LibertysYarn

A couple of blogs for all you children's chapter book lovers:

Imagine! Create! Write!  and
Chapter Book Challenge  On Twitter: @moonduster
Ghostnapped!  On Twitter: @AshleyHowland

If you're interested in poetry, thought-provoking posts, or to see the world through someone else's eyes, check out this guy's blog:

The Arkside of Thought  On Twitter: @SahmAtaineKing

That's all for today, folks! More great blogs and that awesome giveaway tomorrow! Until then, WRITE ON!

Jo

A Few of my Favorite Blogs Part 1 of The Blog Party

If you haven't had the pleasure of stumbling across any of these blogs, I beg you to go check them out. I'll also give you links to their twitter handles. Many of them are great fun to follow and will keep you laughing until your sides hurt. It's a blog party!! All week find links to great new blogs right here.

What happens when you put a bunch of poets together and give them webspace? Find out here:

A Dead Good Blog

Give a lady a book and what does she do? She writes a review! Here are a few lovely review sites:

Booketta's Book Blog  On Twitter: @bookettajane

The Hungry Freelancer  On Twitter: @bethythewriter

Have You Heard Book Review  On Twitter: @Kissablysweet1 

This lady is quite something and talks a lot about popular books, movies, and trends:

Ann Marie Walker  On Twitter: @AnnMarie_Walker

If you like satire and a blog about marketing, this guy will give you the lowdown and a ton of links:

Chazz Writes  On Twitter: @RChazzChute

Are you a crafter? Do you like patterns and cute stuff? This lady does some amazing work and gives great crafting marketing tips:

Family Bugs Blogging  On Twitter: @Family_Bugs

Do you like personal blogs with deep thought about the opposite sex? Confessions of a serial dater? You'll love this blog:

The Misadventures of Chelsea Black  On Twitter: @chelseablack

Would you like your blog to appear here? Let me know on Twitter!! @WriteJoMichaels

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

Jo

My Journey

Any of you that have been following my blog know how I came up with the ideas to write the various books that I have written: Yassa was born of a 'what if?' question, The Abigale Chronicles are for my daughter, and The Indie Author's Guide was created to help those I saw in the most need.

But my life is what shaped me into the person that could write those books. Let's get real for a minute or two, shall we?

I grew up with scads of books. They were everywhere, all the time. My mother and my siblings were all readers, and our collection of books was huge. When I was little, my sisters were all in school and liked to play at teaching me. By age two, I knew my alphabet and could tell you which letters you showed me out of context. By age four, I could read passably well and by age five, I could tell what people around me were spelling aloud. I wrote my first story in Kindergarten.

I consumed books like they were my life-force. Once I started reading, I was lost to the world until the story came to an end. I took a book to bed with me every night and read myself to sleep. This dedication to reading got me a huge award in the third grade when I read over 300 books. When I started a new school year, the most exciting thing was being issued my reading book. They were always stuffed with stories that I hadn't read and I usually read through them in a day or two. I know, what a nerd.

But, oddly, I wasn't a nerd. I hung out with 'that' group of people. I made Cs on my report card unless I needed an A or B to pass the class. I always flew under the radar; never in trouble but never the shining star.

High school was boring me to tears so I dropped out. I got accepted into college at age fifteen and chose Commercial Art as my major. That lasted two months. I got my GED at age sixteen and swore off school.

As life progressed, I never lost my love of books though there was a very long dry spell where I didn't read much of anything because life got in the way and I was too busy living it.

I got married and had two kids. Then I got divorced. After that, married again and three more kids. Finally, another divorce. My second marriage drove me to do a number of things: read as an escape, go back to school, and start a business.

I dove back into my books to escape life. Everything in life sucked but what I could see, do, and experience in a book was limitless. Reading caused my Great Depression. Believe me when I tell you, there's nothing great about a Great Depression. I would read about this journey or that love or his success in a book and compare it to my own life. Down, down, down I would go into a spiral that caused me to pick up yet another book and repeat my cycle. I ended up seeking professional help because I was so depressed.

A wise man told me, "You need to change your life if you ever expect to feel better. No one else is going to do it for you. It's up to you. If you don't, this cycle won't ever be broken."

I reeled from his words, pondered, rolled them around, and took them to heart. Fall of that year saw me as an enrolled student. When I tested in, I was placed in Composition I for my first English class. My major? Secondary Education English & Theater. I signed up for twelve credit hours - full time.

Nervous as hell, I bought my backpack (that I used for all five years) and a number of notebooks and the pen (it's my lucky pen and I've had it since day one - read my story on book signing to see it debuted on my blog). On the first day of classes, I dropped my son off at Pre-K and headed out. I had no idea what to expect but was pleasantly surprised when I arrived and found I wasn't the oldest person in class. I developed the idea for Yassa at that time. Best of all, I was no longer depressed. I was doing something with myself and felt good about it.

Two years and over sixty credit hours later (I took over twenty credit hours a couple of semesters), I was forced to quit. I was pregnant with my daughter and found out I had a problem. They weren't sure how bad it was but my OBGYN watched me very closely throughout my pregnancy. I was in extreme pain and oftentimes found myself unable to move much at all.

Not one to sit around being bored, I enrolled in an online course and got a certification, while chained to my bed, in nine months with a program that's supposed to take two years. They couldn't ship my books fast enough. I was a certified bridal consultant. Yay! Huh?

I gave birth to my daughter and went in for a biopsy. When the results came back, it was a grim prognosis: I had pre-cancerous cells of a very aggressive form of the disease.

Treatment didn't go so well so I had to have surgery. At last, I was free of the dreaded disease!

I got a camera for Christmas that year and it launched my business. I'd always been fascinated by the photographs in the back of Discover magazine and would sit and look at them for hours at a time. I set out to learn everything I could about depth of field, shutter speed, and ISO. What I gained was a wealth of knowledge about all of the above topics and lighting. I consumed books on the subject and was rarely without a camera in my hand. I launched a portrait and wedding photography business and enjoyed wild success. See some of my photography work here.

When I began to offer albums as wedding package inclusions and as bonuses for senior portrait packages, I realized there was a lot I needed to learn about the printing process (bleed, gutter, CMYK - the dreaded subject). I looked through my previous college's brochure and found a Graphic Design program that delved into the printing world. What the hell? I signed up.

It took me three years to get through the program because I came back to school in the spring and it's designed for a fall start. What I gained by doing that was the ability to take classes that weren't required to complete my program. I already had sixty credit hours going in, and classes like life drawing, composition II, business management, and color theory were bonuses I indulged in. I was in heaven! My photography business hit the back burner (I refused to try and do that along with school because my grades and focus would have suffered) and I worked my butt off to maintain my 4.0 GPA. I developed a digital painting/drawing style that is totally unique to me and used it often in my projects.

Looking back, I realize the reason I took a lot of those classes was so I could keep writing. I wasn't the most creative in my class but my attention and skills were in the details and the briefs. I could polish like no other and write briefs that were concise and grammatically correct. I took on a tutoring job that fit between my classes and tutored Calculus, Composition I & II, and Graphic Design.

In 2011, I graduated Summa Cum Laude and as the graduating designer who had the honor of designing the cover for the commencement program. Yay!

Another wonderful surprise in 2011 was The Best Boyfriend in the World. He's changed my life in profound ways and given me the encouragement I needed to be my best.

My book was still begging to be written and I felt a lot more confident in my writing abilities. I had the skills I needed to create the interior and exterior of a book and had heard of the recent boom in self-publishing. I made a very difficult decision and dropped my photography business. I researched like mad and read every book I could get my hands on that concerned writing a novel, crafting a plotline, creating dialogue that didn't suck, and Genghis Khan. I re-wrote my prologue four times.

Finally, in January, 2012, I decided that the darned book wasn't going to finish itself so I sat down and banged it out. My relationship with Mike (TBBITW) shaped every scene in the book. When I say I couldn't have done it without him, that's the 100% truth. If you've read it, I know you understand how powerful it is.

Yassa went through five rounds of edits. I added scenes the first time, cut scenes the second time, removed filler words the third time, and edited for grammar the fourth time. For edit number five, I sent it out. There are still errors in the text here and there but nothing overwhelming. Those errors will be fixed as I read through the printed version and make my own notes.

I have since begun a series of chapter books for my daughter titled The Abigale Chronicles and I have written The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book. Best of all, I'm not depressed anymore. I'm doing things for me and my life. Without my journey, I wouldn't be where I am and I wouldn't be the person I have become. I appreciate life because I have been threatened with death.

I intend to add illustrations to my chapter books at some point. They will all be done by me because I find drawing to be as cathartic as writing. I don't just write for me, I write for you. I write to give you that escape we all so desperately need sometimes. I do hope you escape into my books now and again.

I hope you've all enjoyed my story. It's crazy, but it's my mad mad world! Now you know. I'm a writer, photographer, certified bridal consultant, and designer all wrapped into one tiny little package. Trust me, it's not that I don't know what I want to do, it's that I want to do everything. I thirst for knowledge in every form. I think all writers (and readers) are great students.

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

Jo

Come Join the Party!

Okay, folks, in celebration of my books publishing, I'd like to invite you all to a party! It's a party online that will take place right here on my blog! I'm getting a decent number of hits here per day and an astonishing number per month. I'd like to share the wealth!

Next week, I'm willing to promote your new book or your blog topic right here on my blog. If you've written a review and would like to see it posted here, send me a message via FaceBook. While I would love to slap my personal e-mail address down here to make it easier, we all know about spam-bots and the irritating way they seek and spam. Yuck!

So, if you're interested in some free self-promotion, message me.

Don't forget to pick up a copy of one of my books in the meantime! :)

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

Jo

Biting and Chewing

We write like we eat: plan the book (idea), write an outline, write chapter-by-chapter, plan the meal, cook the meal, eat the meal bite-by-bite.

We can't really get to the last part unless we do the first two parts. Even if we eat a lot of fast food, we still have to decide where to go and what to order. You can't skip parts.

Seasonings are the feelings and settings you put into your book. I could write a lovely few lines like this:

I walked to the fridge and pulled out hot dogs. I popped one into the microwave and heated it for a minute, then added ketchup and sat down to eat. When I was done, I cleaned my place and headed to get out of my pajamas so I could go to the store.

You get the idea of what I'm doing but I certainly seem like I'm a zombie and have zero emotion, right? Let's try again:

I felt hunger pangs for the first time since the incident occurred so I shuffled over to the old fridge that looked like something from 1972 (much like the kitchen it was in) and jerked the door open to peer inside. I scanned the contents and let out a heavy sigh before I settled on hot dogs. I slammed them down on the counter and slit open the package with a knife from the block nearby. Digging out one of the dogs, I grabbed a paper towel and wrapped it up like a caterpillar in a cocoon before popping it into the microwave and pressing the button that would get me thirty seconds of nuke time.

While the appliance whirred, I stuffed the remaining hot dogs into a bag, zipped it closed, and reached for a paper plate. Tears filled my eyes again as I thought about what happened and my head screamed How could this happen to me? Haven't I endured enough? I got a less-than-satisfying ding, opened the microwave, and grabbed my breakfast. After I plopped it on the plate, I stuffed the leftovers back into the fridge and grabbed the ketchup. I squirted a squiggly line next to my dog and popped the bottle back into the still open fridge; slamming the door.

Shuffling to the two-person table that was situated under the naked bulb in my sparse dining room made me feel like all my energy was suddenly being drained from my body. I sat down and ate my meal while fat tears rolled down my face and plopped into my already-watery ketchup. Sighing, I stood and took my small mess to the over-full trash can before heading to change out of my pajamas for the first time in a week so I could go to the store.

Now, even though you have no idea why I feel the way I feel, you have more emotional response than with the first section, right? You know something is troubling the poor soul that's being spoken about, right? Would you read on to find out what's wrong?

I'm building suspense to my plight by letting you into my thoughts and emotions before telling you what's going on. It's a useful trick to pickup and also useful to see the opposite way and realize how you can pare down and remove emotion and scenery. All I did was add a few spices to your meal.

If you haven't picked one up yet, go get a copy of one of my books. There's something for everyone there!

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

Jo

Why?

I have announced the release of my book, The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book and I'm sitting on pins and needles hoping that someone, somewhere gets some use out of the darned thing. This is the simple answer to why I wrote it. Let me explain further for those of you that don't understand what the book is about. I'll start with the ToC page...

Section One – Branding Yourself
Choosing an Identity
Creating a Logo (or having one created for you)
Color Scheme Dos and Don’ts
Consistency is Queen – Because Kings are controlled by Queens!

Section Two – Formatting Your Manuscript
Dos and Don’ts when Writing Your Book
Quick Tips for Better Legibility
Building Your Save System
Different Formats for Different Platforms

Section Three – Building a Digital Cover
Size IS Important!
Images
Font Choices – Why does it Matter?
Using Layers

Section Four – Final Checks
Uploading and Proofing

Section Five – Business Considerations
Choosing your distributor(s)
Places to Sell and Market Your Book

Section Six – If Your Book is a Print Version
Your Book’s Guts
Orphans and Widows
Pesky Page Numbers
Running Headers
Cover Considerations
Explaining Bleed and Safety
Conversion to CMYK for print
Math Involved

As you can see, I cover a lot of things in the book related to design and personal branding. Both of these considerations are important, so I give you tips and tricks to put into action that will help you along the way. I use all of my own advice and the print version of The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book is not telling you, but showing you how things look when properly formatted according to the guide.

I had a couple of indie authors look over the ToC and had The Best Boyfriend in the World look over the content (he's not an author and I thought that was best because I wanted someone totally unfamiliar with the whole process). What you see is the result.

I have my own personal brand and am working on a personal logo that I can display here on my blog and on every copyright page for every one of my books. Why? Because consistency is queen. I already use the same font and put my name in the same position on every book, but I need more.

I wrote the book because I saw with my own eyes how many indie authors were struggling with cover design and formatting their print and digital versions. I listened to complaints coming out of the mouths of designers who thought only to criticize the quality of print work emerging from indie authors but not bothering to do anything to help them besides venting on YouTube videos or on blogs.

My personal horn-tooting: I hold a degree in graphic design and graduated at the top of my class (Summa Cum Laude), something that is rarely done in that program. I tutored Graphic Design, English, and Calculus. I won the right to design the commencement cover at my school. The president loved it so much, he used it a second time this year. I got many kudos from my business professors for thinking outside the box and understanding the need for branding. I led creative thinking groups in my composition classes. I taught classes for a number of my professors throughout college when they were absent for one reason or another.

But I'm not so pompous as to put down those that know less than I do about things I went to school for.

I listened to those videos and got angry at the designers spouting their ideals about a utopian society where every indie author has gone to design school and produces a perfect product every time. What do they say? Pay me and I'll help you. But not peanuts or pocket change because they don't want to bother taking the time to put together a guide, they just want to yell at indies for not having $400+ dollars to pay them to do the work. That's part of what drove my price of $2.99.

$2.99 is something the mother who is struggling to write her book and raise her kids alone can afford. $2.99 is what we can find in the cushions of our couch. $2.99 is what the guy with the limited budget and the need for a quality product can afford. $2.99 also says I care about my work and value the information I'm selling to you.

For $2.99 we can change the way indie authors look to the world. We can give the big publishing houses less to criticize us over without breaking the bank or going into hock.

I'd be willing to bet those designers who talk about indie titles sucking eggs in a print version can't write a novel. Most of the designers in my classes could barely write a brief. It's easy to criticize others when you hold a skillset they don't. Just remember, they have skillsets of their own, just in different areas.

Instead of allowing your prejudices to take over and calling out people for not doing things the "proper" way, think of how you might be able to improve the lives of those people. By doing so, you may improve your own life as a bonus. I know the more indie authors that read and follow my book, the more beautiful print versions and beautiful covers I'll have to look at. I will no longer sit and stress wondering how I can help; because I did.

Here's a peek at the cover for my book, The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book

I don't want you to look like the poor lady on the cover there. It lessens productivity when you bang your head or sit slouched in a chair doing nothing but being stressed. Go get the book today and know that I built this book for you and me.

Here are the links:

Kindle version - free for prime users, $2.99 for everyone else. There will be NO free promotions for this one except over on Goodreads, where I'll giveaway two copies of the printed version to two lucky winners.
Paperback version - $6.99. Again, NO free promotions except on Goodreads. Check back here for the link that will appear in the sidebar sometime this week.

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

Jo

Frustrations - Solved

One of my biggest headaches as a writer is the bulk of my laptop and the slim loveliness of my iPad and iPhone. When I'm at my desk at home, I prefer to write on my laptop. When I'm on the go, I prefer my iPhone. When I'm traveling, I prefer my iPad.

This creates a huge problem for me: synchronization. I write something on my laptop only to have to e-mail it to myself in a document that I can only read on my other devices. Or, I write something on my iPad and have to copy/paste it and send it as an e-mail to be opened on my laptop. As you can imagine, this hinders my workflow and slows me down. Even if I had a document reader on my other devices that was harmonious, I'd still have to either e-mail or sync whatever I'm working on.

If you haven't heard of Evernote, I'm about to blow your mind. This application is FREE and will absolutely change the way you write and take notes forever. It works on almost every device known.

But what does it do, Jo?

That's the sweetest part of all! Evernote allows you to capture photos, take notes, write, outline, or do anything related to writing. Then, it allows you to access and update your document from ANY of the devices you have it installed on. You can even keyword your notes so you can find them with a simple search! Do you have six WIPs? Keyword them with the name and pull up all related notes with a snap. As a bonus, they give you a specialized e-mail address so you can send things to yourself from other computers or devices and have them stored instantly on your Evernote! HOLY MOLY, BATMAN!

I am blown away. I've been looking for an app just like Evernote since I started college. Now that I'm writing full-time, it gives me unlimited ability to work whenever, wherever. What are you waiting for? Go get one!

I have another little tidbit that I'm going to throw in here: I published my book The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book over the weekend and I'm selling it on Amazon for just $2.99. If you read my blog, you'll know that I hold a degree in Graphic Design. Section Six of the book walks you through making your printed book look like it was done by a professional. All previous sections discuss things like branding yourself, getting a logo, and how to use color.

No more head-banging or tearing out your hair! Talk about a post full of things to make your life as a writer easier. I know, I am too kind *grin*

I'm now going to give you a few examples of book covers I have designed using the suggestions and guidelines found in my book. Enjoy!

Please note that Crystal Lee's name appears in the same font and in the same place on both covers. Also note that only two fonts were used on each cover.
Canopy is currently available in digital and paperback formats. Crystal's book on Organic Gardening will be available soon.

Ms. Chelsea Black's book also uses only two fonts and the colors are harmonious and beautiful. If you'd like to delve into her book, you can purchase it digitally.

All of these design lessons and more can be learned in my book. I give you a ton of references and a ton of information in under 15k words.

Don't forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway for your chance at a copy of The Abigale Chronicles - Book Two. Two signed copies are available!!

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

Jo