Reading Days

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Holy moly! It's FRIDAYYYYY!! That means the weekend is upon us after we trudge through our workdays today. Instead of working my fingers to the bone writing today, I'm going to spend the day reading. It's been a minute since I've had the opportunity to take a day to just read and drink coffee but it's a rainy day in Georgia and I'm in need of a good book. Call it a celebration for writing nearly 12k words this week already. I'll give you my favorite paragraph! This happens after a fight between my two main characters. Remember, this is a first draft!

Kathy went to her room where she collapsed on the floor, pulled her knees into her chest, and allowed the pain to fill her. It started at her head and throbbed behind her eyes before making its way to her stomach where it twisted her guts into a pile of wriggling goo. Her toes curled and every muscle in her body constricted as she let go with a wail, pulling her arms around her body to hold herself together. Black dots swam through the faint light filtering through her closed eyelids. Again, she keened for her loss of love, dignity, and self. It wasn’t long before her body convulsed and spasms shook her where she lay. All that held her together was her own arms, wrapped so tightly around her chest there was no hope of catching a breath between sobs. She began to choke on her own saliva and sputtered, coughing and gagging, all in an attempt to do the most mundane of tasks: breathe. I’m going to die.

How awesome is that? I plan to release it later this year. Title has been decided but I'm not ready to divulge it just yet.

I'm going to try and finish Condemned by Eric Dulin today and start on the next book on my list. We'll see how that goes!

If you've won something from one of my many contests, I'm shipping those out today, too! Watch your mailboxes!

Remember, there are only three days left to get your entry in to win a printed, signed copy of The Bird plus some great swag OR a .mobi copy! You can enter every day so please share, share, share. Sharing is caring!

I have a review that will be coming for Taken - Before her very Eyes by Wade Faubert. That will be Monday's post and, trust me, you don't want to miss it.

I hope you all have a super fabulous weekend! I'll be back with you on Monday to announce the winners and give you that book review. How exciting!

Without further ado, here's the rafflecopter entry form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you entered the other giveaway, the first winner has been chosen! Congratulations to: Marlena F.!

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

Jo

Dyslexiana

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm excited to tell you all about a great website that features books for those with dyslexia! Strap in and take a tour with me!

The site is called Dyslexiana. A wild group of authors got together and decided to produce books for those suffering from a Developmental Reading Disorder (DRD).

A typeface designed for people suffering from a DRD, designed by Abelardo Gonzales, is what the authors are using when creating these special print editions. You can pick up the free font here: http://opendyslexic.org/

From the website:
Welcome to Dyslexiana. We're a group of authors on a mission to produce literature that can be read by those suffering from Dyslexia. Here, dyslexia is n/a.

Their logo uses the typeface the books have been set in:

If you're an author interesting in joining them, or if you've produced your own DRD edition of a book and would like to be listed on the site, shoot them an e-mail at: info [at] dyslexiana [dot] com.

If you'd like to keep up with news, new posts, and other interesting tidbits, you can follow them on:
Facebook: Dyslexiana
Twitter: @Dyslexiana
Their Blog: Dyslexiana.com

Look for an exciting giveaway featuring this group's books next week!

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

Jo

Metaphors

Happy hump-day, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we're back to writing tips and general lessons! It's all about the metaphor on this glorious Wednesday so grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First off, a definition:
Metaphor: met·a·phor  /ˈmetəˌfôr/ Noun 1. A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. 2. A thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, esp. something abstract.

Well, we all know what it is, Jo. But how does one use it in writing? Great question!

A metaphor is saying something is something else (definition one). Using a metaphor is a skill that should be applied now and then. If you use it all the time, you're going to sound like you just stepped out of a Tim Burton film. While that may not be a bad thing, your readers will likely get lost.

Examples:
All around me, the trees were licorice ropes and the leaves were skillets.
That cat is a cow.
My father is a truck and my mother is a convertible sports car.

Notice none of these phrases have the words like or as. Those aren't metaphors, they're similes.

There's another way to use metaphors that many authors employ: Using things in the story to give a larger abstract idea (definition two). Say two of your characters are battling over a golden idol which, when held, brings the holder great wisdom. At the end, one person gives the idol to the other and walks away. Isn't that the greater wisdom? Your golden idol becomes part of a larger idea: wisdom and what makes one wise.

I hope this was a nice little refresher for you all.

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

Jo

The Bird Official Release and Giveaway

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! As you all know, Tuesday is the day awesomeness is released! That's right, it's book release day! Nationwide, new books are hitting the shelves waiting for eager readers to snatch them up and give them a good home. I hear you all cheering! Well, I'm gonna make my release just a little bit sweeter by: reminding you all to pop over to Goodreads and enter the giveaway there, and by giving you a way to win things you can't get anywhere else here.

Let's get going, shall we? First, a little a lot about the book:

The Bird ~ Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis:
Stormy Terrabonne's life is about to be changed forever by a bright red cardinal. She soon finds herself being whisked away from all she's ever known to save an entire race of people known as Trobodytes. When she's presented to the Queen, Stormy learns how she's expected to help: By killing an evil wizard named Bordash Bladeslinger and stopping him from cutting down the sacred trees that bind Trogon to Earth.

Now, there are only two trees left. One of the trees presents a double dose of jeopardy: It's also tied to the renewed life of Stormy's mother. While Stormy learns more about the gifts she gained by becoming a Trobodyte, someone manages to poison that all important tree.
​
It's a race against time as she faces a legion of fairy tale creatures she never knew existed, learns to harness the power within herself to battle Bordash Bladeslinger, and tries to find a way to heal the dying tree before it collapses and takes her mother with it.

You can find the Kindle version on Amazon HERE for $4.99.
You can find the printed version on CreateSpace HERE for $12.99.

Now, a little about the prizes up for grabs today:
Two people who enter will each win a Kindle copy of The Bird.
One lucky reader will win a printed, signed copy of The Bird, one The Bird bookmark, and one The Bird magnet!

Oh! You want to see what the fun swag looks like? Well, I'm not going to disappoint you! Check it out!
Bookmark is on the left, magnet is on the right!

And now, the rafflecopter entry form:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget, in author Janiera Eldridge's giveaway, you have yet another chance to win a Kindle copy of The Bird and a ton of other books by great indie authors! Here's her rafflecopter:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lots of entry forms today! Go win something!

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

Jo

On Onomatopoeias

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! How are you all today? I hope you're all rested from the weekend. This week I'll be going over some of those things you might be using in your writing and some you may not. So, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going! Today, the onomatopoeia!

My design professor used to give bonus points the first day for anyone who knew what an onomatopoeia was (yes, he was a bit strange; but all good design professors are). So, let's start with the definition:

Onomatopoeia /ˌänəˌmatəˈpēə/ Noun 1. The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle). 2. The use of such words for rhetorical effect.

Okay, now that you know what an onomatopoeia is, how do you insert one when writing? I'm a sucker for consistency. If you do something one way, keep doing it that way throughout the entire novel, please. This talk of consistency goes back to forward vs forwards and backward vs backwards. If you do it one way, stay with that way.

You can set an onomatopoeia apart by either using quotes or italics. Generally, if the word is a recognized one, you don't need to do anything to it to set it apart from its brethren.

Examples of how an onomatopoeia might be used:
John looked at Marsha sitting on the couch and moved in for a kiss. Her sitting down position wasn't doing it for him so he grabbed her hand.
"Oomph!" she said as her body slammed into his.

Marsha walked away from John and headed toward the couch. She sat down with a plop and adjusted her skirt so he couldn't see her knees.

John left Marsha standing with her mouth open and headed for the pool. He hit the water with a sploosh and doused her with spray. He came up on the other side, grinning at the hot mess he'd left behind with his kiss.

There's also no need to use punctuation along with the onomatopoeia. However, it's there if you need it! Just be sure and keep it with the word; either inside the quotes or italics.

I hope this post got you thinking. Tomorrow is the official release day for The Bird! If you haven't already, go enter the giveaway for a copy of The Bird over on Goodreads. I'm giving away two signed copies! Contest ends on the 28th!

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

Jo

Partials

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today I'm gonna talk about those wonderful things I like to call: Partials. You know, those stories you've had an idea for (and have maybe even written a chapter or two of) that fell by the wayside as you trudge merrily forward on your current WIP. Let's get going, shall we?

How are you planning to move forward with your partials? Do they pop out of oblivion every now and then so you can tweak something or add to them? Do you write a chapter or two and leave them in a drawer just in case a day comes when you can't think of anything new?

Why not pull one out today and write another chapter for it? Or read what you've written already and find holes in your story or places it could use some fixes grammatically?

That's my challenge for you today if you're a writer. Then, come on back and tell me how you fared.

I have one you frequent readers of my blog may remember that I pulled out a few days ago and started reading/editing. It's really well done (I was shocked) and I'm thinking I may release it this year. It's out of the box for me so I'm a little nervous but it's giving me ideas for new stuff as I read/continue it. More on that later!

If you don't have a partial to pull out and work on, make one today. Come up with a title and story line and bang out the first chapter. Don't think too hard about it; just write. This will accomplish one of two things:
Either you'll be inspired to write a whole new story
OR
you'll get some pepper for your current WIP.
Either way, you win!

If you're a reader, go pick up a new book today. Doesn't matter if you're already reading one, get a new one or a sample of one from Amazon and poke through it. Add it to your reading list then come back here and tell me about it. Step out of your comfort zone and choose a different genre. Don't read an author you know, pick a new one.

We never grow if we stagnate.

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

Jo

Happy Valentine's Day Winners and New Giveaway

20 indie authors have come together to say thank you for following them and supporting their work!

This huge Valentine's day Giveaway will give one winner 20+ prizes including ebooks, paperbacks and swag!

Want yo show your love for books on Valentine's day? Show these authors some love and enter to win these swoon worthy  prizes!

*Ebooks are international however paperback and swag prizes are U.S. Only.

Happy Valentine's Day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
And the winners of my giveaway are...
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congratulations to Heather W! You've won your choice of:
A. A digital identity package designed by moi OR
B. A print book formatted by moi
I'll be in touch to get your choice!

Congratulations to Zarah G! You've won:
A printed, signed copy of The Bird (pre-release)
A Mystic~Bronya poster
A Mystic WSTW bookmark
and three postcards!
I'll be in touch to get your address!

Thank you to all who entered! I do hope you'll enter the giveaway above as well!

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

Jo

MS Word vs Adobe InDesign

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Wednesday is called "hump day"... no, get your mind out of the gutter...! because it's the middle of the week and, if you make it through today, there are only two days until the weekend. Here's wishing you well on your Wednesday! I've heard a ton of talk lately about how MS Word is comparable to InDesign for laying out print books. Well, it's not. While it's great for laying out and formatting digital books, nothing compares to the power of Adobe InDesign for laying out a print book.

Grab your pencils and notebooks because you're gonna want to take notes today!

MS Word is a powerful machine for writing. It's great for term papers or formatting a book for upload to the various digital sellers on the web. It spell checks, indents according to your settings, and is easy to place images in. It also converts to html or rtf rather easily by simply choosing save as and making your selection. But there's one thing MS Word doesn't have that leaves it the squalling, hungry infant when compared to Adobe InDesign: Master Pages.

Master Pages are the end-all be-all of the print world. With a master page, you can tell InDesign what every page of your book should look like and where those individual pages should appear. You can pop in a page number and it will appear in the same place on every single page of your book. Adding artwork is easy; you simply place it on the master page and, voila!, it's on every page you have that master on.

I'm going to use The Bird as an example here because I used two sets of master pages to design it: A and B. Master page A was the common page where text, running headers, and page numbers would appear. B was the opening chapter pages. Time for some screen shots!

This is Adobe InDesign CS5. If you click on the image, you'll see I've identified the marks around the page. This is the opening of chapter two in The Bird.

This is Master Page A. It's the common page and you can see it has running headers, a text box, some nice flourishes at the bottom, and page numbers. It will automatically number each page according to where it falls in the book.

This is Master Page B. It's the chapter openings page. There's a left-hand and a right-hand, just like Master Page A. When I have a place where a chapter starts, I click the corresponding page, drag it, and drop it on the page it should appear on. Like magic, it's all there.

This tells me I'm looking at Master Page A. It's the tiny box in the top right-hand corner of the screen shots above.


When I'm done, I export it to a PDF and upload it to CreateSpace. Master Pages are the bomb. Period. MS Word can't touch this feature. Even with predefined formatting specs.

All the elements of a master page are locked so you don't accidentally move them around. But there's even a way around this! You ctrl+shift+click on any element and it will become editable. How damned cool is that?

In addition, if I wanted to use this exact layout on every book I produce, I can save it as a template that will re-load with all master pages intact. Comes in handy when formatting a series and you want each book to be identical on the inside!

I hope you learned a little bit today and, if you layout your own print books, are now considering an investment. No, I get no kickbacks from Adobe. I don't do that on this blog. I recommend tools I know you'll love if you give them half a chance.

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

Jo

Amazon Tags. Farewell?

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! One day closer to Friday, we are! Ooooooh that sounded rather Yoda-ish, no? Today, I'd like to bring something to your attention that you might have missed.

Amazon has, apparently, done away with the tagging system on their website. I hadn't been able to tag anything for a while and was beginning to wonder if it was some sort of Amazonian conspiracy against me. Yesterday, as I'm browsing through recent news on Facebook, I see a status update where someone says the tags are gone from Amazon. Lookie!

I am simultaneously filled with glee and remorse. Glee because I finally saw it wasn't just me with the problem; remorse because they've taken away one of the ways we can boost our book in searches. For Indie authors, the tags were a portal into getting our new stuff in front of people searching for what we write. It's like a huge slap on the wrist. Right? Maybe...

What did we do wrong?

Maybe it wasn't us. Perhaps it was just a system that wasn't working the way Amazon intended. Of course, it could have been us. We'll never know. Maybe the tagging system went away because we embed tags in our books' descriptions when we upload them/make them available for purchase.

In the big bad world of Indie publishing, maybe this isn't such a terrible thing. Let's look at it from another angle, shall we? Say they do away with the like system as well:

If Stephen King's books have 5,000 likes and 40,000 tags with every word known to the English language on them, they're going to be more visible to people performing searches (more words mean more hits) and rank higher in the returns (more likes and you show up first). If all those likes and tags are gone, Mr. King's publishing company gets to choose up to seven descriptive tag words; just like the rest of us. He no longer hits first on a search because of his number of likes. Oh man, he's been forced into the ditches with the rest of us; struggling for air, grasping at mud, and sliding back down now and then because he loses his grip.

So is the loss of the tagging system really that big of a deal? I know if I've purchased the work of an author and they release a new book, I get an e-mail without ever having clicked the like button. So if they take that away as well, I'm in the running... maybe! Is Amazon trying to find a way to even the playing field?

We may never know.

What are your thoughts?

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

Jo

Inches Picas and Points

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! How are you all today? I hope the start of this week brings you many smiles! Today, I'm gonna try and explain how inches, picas, and points are used in design. So, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

An inch is a common measurement used in the U.S. Picas and points are international, universal, measurements used in design work. These two units are used to measure type and layout sizes. That way, a designer in the U.S. can do work for someone in the U.K. or Japan and the measurements are the same without having to do a ton of conversions.

If you've ever looked at the size on your type, you'll notice it's referred to as: 12pt, 14pt, etc... A 12pt type size is also a one pica type size. Click on the image below for reference as we move along.

Allow me to break it down:
1inch = 6 picas
1 pica = 12 points

So when you see a measurement like 1.5" it equals 9p0. That's 9 picas and 0 points. We got there by taking 6 picas (one inch) and adding it to 3 picas (half an inch).

But wait! Adobe products do the conversions FOR you! If you have 12cm, you type in 12cm and hit tab and pow! you have your conversion (28p4.157). If you have 1.285 inches, you type in 1.285" and hit tab and pow! you have your conversion (7p8.52). How awesome is that?

So the next time you're designing that all important book cover, pay attention to the type size. Remember, your leading (the space between your lines of type) should be at least 1.5 of your type size. In other words, an 11 point typeface would get leading of around 16 or 17 points but a 9 point typeface would get 13 or 14. Your decision (I like 11 on 17 and 9 on 14). See image above for examples.

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

Jo

Book Review - Underneath by Michael Cargill

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm giving you an Indie Fever post. My second indie review of the year. Sit back and enjoy!

Indie Fever is dedicated to readers of indie books and to indie authors. I signed up to review at least eight indie books this year. It's a great idea and a wonderful cause! Here's the link: Indie Fever

Underneath won a review on my December 12 Days of Christmas indie author contest. The author hooked me right in with his pitch and I promptly bought the book which I read in just a few days. I give you my review.

From a reader's perspective:
To be frank, Underneath's main character, Hugh, scared the bejesus out of me. But he was so compelling I just had to keep reading. His odd thought process oftentimes gave me chills and made me wonder how many people like Hugh I'd passed by in my lifetime and never noticed. One of the supporting characters, Clare, was also well done, and I found myself identifying with her quickly. She has gumption and drive; both are qualities I admire a lot. The pacing was great and I flew through the book without realizing how much I'd read. I got a few surprises when the same exact words showed up at different times, and it thrilled and delighted me. Something else I liked was the author being from the UK. I learned some new words!!

From an editor's perspective:
I'd like to see a little more refinement of sentence construction and punctuation usage. I can overlook it if there are just a few but this book had a number of them. Short, choppy sentences left me stumbling over the words on more than one occasion. Plotline was bang on. I got the feeling this book was intended to be third person omniscient but it came off as third person limited with head hopping because one chapter would be about Hugh and another about Clare with snippets of other peoples' thoughts or feelings. I really only needed to see the story from two perspectives: Hugh's and Clare's. Quips now and then about random peoples' thoughts or feelings left me dangling (not in a good way). I think more character development of Hugh and Clare could've come from making this one small change.

Now, for my rating:
1 star for a terrifying main character.
1 star for rounding out the two characters I loved as much as was done.
1 star for bringing me to the UK and teaching me; as well as the surprises.
- 1 star for writing style (this is person by person so you may like it. I didn't).
- 1 star for including too many characters' thoughts and for punctuation blips.
3 out of 5 stars. Recommended reading if you like to be just a hair horrified at what could be going on in someone's mind.

You can find the book on Amazon here: Underneath for $3.30.

As far as the cover goes, I really like this one and feel it gives a good idea of what's going on in the story. One small tweak that could make it better is centering all the type. A general rule of design is to either left flush, right flush, or center everything if you do it once. Consistency is key! It could use some kerning as well but that's just aesthetics from a typography nerd.

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

Jo

What's a Display?

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today we'll talk about display fonts and answer some questions like: When to use a display font? How to identify a display font? Examples of display fonts. So grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Display is defined as: Making a prominent exhibition of a thing where it can be noticed. Example of a display font:

This letterform is from the font family known as Capitular Floral. Pretty, huh?

When should you use a display font?
Much like a script font, a display font is for just that - display. They're not meant to be used in blocks of text but they make nice drop caps and decorative elements used at the start of a chapter. So stick to using them as decoration rather than text.

How to identify a display font?
If your letters do weird things when you're trying to type them out, it's probably a display font. They're usually very decorative and hard to read when combined in sets of more than one or two. Not all of them have a box around them or have really gritty details like the one above.

Some examples:

As you can see, they don't read very well when combined. Never ever use them for book design unless you're adding a single decorative letter to the beginning of something.

This concludes my font week. I hope you all learned a little bit and had some fun along the way!

What's your favorite display font?

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

Jo

What is a Script?

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today we'll talk about script fonts. Some questions I'll answer are: When to use them? How long have they been around? How do I identify a script typeface? So grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

A script typeface is defined as: Handwriting as distinct from print. An example:

This letter is from the font family known as Edwardian Script. It's been around since 1994. A relatively new font in comparison, eh?

When should you use a script font?
When you want something to look like it was hand written. I've seen them used in titles but rarely more than one or two words. They're commonly used as a drop-cap at the opening of a chapter to give it some flair.

How long have they been around?
For as long as we've been writing things by hand with quill and ink! Everyone has a script font in them waiting to escape.

How do I identify a script font?
If it looks like a normal person's handwriting or calligraphy, it's a script. Easy peasy.

Some popular script fonts are:

Some of these I had to make bigger so you could read them at a glance. They're hard to read when used in a large block of text. Don't use script fonts when formatting your book for print unless they're used as a decorative element.

What's your favorite script font?

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

Jo

What about Sans Serif?

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we're talking more fonts! I know, I know, crazy stuff. But the topic for today is sans serif fonts. Why do we use them? Where did they come from? What are some common ones? So grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

A sans serif font is defined as: A style of type without serifs.

The type you're reading now is sans serif. It's called Arial. Designers worldwide just drew in a collective gasp. Yes, I know Arial is the knockoff Helvetica. Sorry, I like it. So, for a larger example:

This letter is from a typeface called HelveNuThin. It's the one I use for my name on the cover of my novels. Notice there are no protrusions of any kind on the letterform. This is an excellent example of a sans serif font.

Why do we use them?
They're easier to write and have become more widely used with the invention of the computer. Now, here's a tidbit of trivia for you! Arial was designed by Microsoft when the designer of Helvetica wanted a payment for every copy of windows that was distributed. They hired someone to come up with a font similar so they wouldn't have to pay. Hell hath no fury like the design world when one uses Arial. By the way, that stop sign near your house? Helvetica is the font used. Anyway, I digress!

Where did they come from?
The first sans serif typeface was Caslon in 1745 but they didn't become as popular as they are today until the invention of the computer.

What are some common ones?

And I hope this answers questions you may have had about serif typefaces. Tomorrow, we'll talk script typefaces and I'll give some examples of those, too!! For printed book design, Caslon is a popular choice.

What's your favorite sans serif font?

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

Jo

What is a Serif?

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! This week we're going to learn about letterforms. Today's topic is serifs. What are they? Why do we use them? What typefaces are considered serifs? So grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

A serif is defined as: A slight projection finishing off a stroke of a letter.

This text is not a serifed typeface. An example:

This letter is from the type family Georgia. Those little feet on the A are called serifs. Any letterforms with protrusions like those are considered to be a serifed typeface. Sometimes, they can resemble cups or be prettier than the ones here, but they're all still serifs!

Why do we use them?
It goes back to ancient handwriting. Even the first typewriters used a serifed (slab serif) font. Basically, readability is why we use them. There are slab serif fonts, too. Those more closely mimic what was done with a chisel and hammer back when we were banging around on rocks and was what many typewriters used. An example:

This letter is from the type family Rockwell. It's called a slab serif because the serifs are the same basic weight as the strokes on the letter.

A few other serifed fonts are:

Just to give you an idea. Now you can start noticing some of your own. For printed books, Palatino is a common font to use. Always consider legibility FIRST when producing a book. After all, we want them read, right?

What's your favorite serifed font?

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

Jo

Release for Good Ghost Gone Bad

Synopsis:

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

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


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

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

*This book is not a YA read. It's an 18+ only novella that features sex, strong language and strong violence.

Grab Your Copy!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

$2.00 on all editions.

About the author

Janiera enjoys feeding her book addiction when she not writing. Writing is theraputic to her during her struggles with Fibromyalgia. Being unable to work a normal 9-5 is what encouraged her to write full time. 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.When trying to relax she likes a huge yard sale on a Saturday morning, rainy days to read by and nacho cheese is her kryptonite. Soul Sisters is her debut novel.

Feel free to visit her book blog where she loves reviewing books and doing author interview at Books & Beauty- http://janieraeldridge.blogspot.com. She loves feedback and welcomes any questions or comments to her email:

Other Works by this author:

• Soul Sisters (Book one of the Soul Sisters series)
• Dark Expectations(Book two of the Soul Sister series)

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

 

Jo

Past, Present, and Future

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I'm gonna talk about time. I know, I know, we don't have enough of it in a day! On one hand, I wish the days were forty-eight hours! On the other, I kinna don't. You know?

There are so many novels in the world! Where do all the ideas come from? I can't answer for everyone but a lot of my characters and stories come from people I've known and things I've heard. Some of my stories grow from things I read online: News stories, blog posts, Facebook, etc... Just snippets of things here and there, really.

But here's the thing: Your past, present, and future all shape your stories. You may think they don't; but every good character is three-dimensional and every experience you have shapes the way your mind works.

Don't run from it; embrace it.

So what if your main character has attributes of three of your friends from school? That's the way great characters are made. Always consider time because your character didn't just pop into being when you began to write their story down. Okay, they did, but you get what I'm saying.

I've started thinking about this one lady I knew when I wrote the title for today's post. She was thirty-twoish and her husband was a year or two older than she was. We'll call her Remmy. I was blown away by what a kindhearted, sweet individual she was. I could see the love for her husband when she talked about him. They'd been married almost ten years and she was happy as a pig in mud. One day, she comes to work in tears and tells us all her husband suffered a massive heart-attack and died three days before - hence the reason she wasn't at work. He just dropped dead. All I could think was: If something that horrible could happen to her, what chance do I have to be spared? Remmy's attitude didn't change, she didn't grow bitter, and she still smiled every now and then. Those actions showed me who she was down inside. I have since endeavored to be more like her.

Remmy would make a great character because of that flaw and her story. She's a character from my past.

In my present, I've already used someone I know and their story as a basis for a book. Stormy, from The Bird, isn't a character from my past; she's in my present.

When I think about the future, the past and the present shapes it. I remember things that were done to me, by me, and for me. All of the things above are from my time on the planet. I have thirty plus years of characters and experiences and stories told to me to draw from.

There's no such thing as a totally original idea. We're all inspired by something.

Next week, my posts will be inspired by Typography. Join me to learn a little about letterforms!

What have you read or written that was inspired? How did it change you?

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

Jo

Knights in Shining Armor

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today we're gonna talk about white knights on bleached chargers and what causes the little fiends to fall off. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Everyone loves a good hero. But what is the main quality of the heroes you remember the most? I bet it's that they have a flaw. Not a minor flaw, but a fatal one.

Shakespeare did this well. His tragic heroes all had a fatal flaw. One that led to their doom. Now, I'm not saying everyone in your novel must die, just that your hero (and heroine) must have flaws of some kind. This goes back to an earlier post I did on making your characters feel real to your reader. Aristotle wrote about tragedies in his book Poetics.

If you're a writer and you've never googled this, it's time you did. He wasn't a stupid man.

Basically, his idea says that you can't have a tragic hero unless that hero has a fatal flaw. Otherwise, nothing makes sense. But let's get off that and into non-tragedy.

If your hero is to be believable, he needs to commit some act that makes his flaw leap to the forefront. No one is infallible unless they're a saint. Let's face it, saints don't make for good fiction. You want your reader to want the girl to end up with the guy of your choosing but you can't make it easy for her. She needs to struggle with the decision a little. Every real relationship has things that must be overcome in order for it to work. If they fight like cats and dogs, use it to your advantage. If both your main characters have flaws, they can seem incompatible and you can use that to heighten tension.

Of course, a third character acting against the first two can also give your characters much needed tension. But it doesn't have to be a love-triangle scenario. That character can be a girl who doesn't want to lose her BFF or a guy who doesn't want to lose his football game buddy. It can even be a god or a ghost!

But your hero must also have some deep redeeming quality that allows him to rise above everyone else. It's a fine line to walk.

When you're writing a character bio, keep these tension points in mind. Heck, after reading Aristotle's writings, you may decide you want to pen a tragedy! For the love of all that's good, google Poetics and have a read.

Who was your favorite hero? Why?

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

Jo

A Chat

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! Just two more days until the weekend arrives! Yay! Wow, great stadium cheer! Anywho, today I'm taking a formatting and writing day. Being indie authors, we have to do so much of our own work it's crazy. I bet you all agree when I say this feels more like a real job than many others I've had throughout the years. Of course, you'll always work harder when you work for yourself!

Different from a nine-to-five job, working for yourself tends to push your hand to sixteen hour days. It's a necessary evil but when you make those sales and the numbers go up it's like no other feeling in the world (except maybe a good review coming in).

Speaking of which, if you download an indie author's book free, please take the time to read it and leave a review. I know my fellow authors agree. We love to hear from our readers! Even if you just take a moment to shoot us an e-mail that speaks your mind, it means more than you think. Having an author that knows who you are and takes the time to talk with you (we're BUSY people) is like having a golden rod in your pocket you can brag about to the world and no one can steal. So, take the time to tell your author what you think. We read our fan mail!

I'm off to work on formatting my novel so all you lovely people can read it on release day! Only so many hours available and the week is almost over!

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

Jo

Ode to Jammies

Happy Tuesday, good people of the blogosphere! A break from the traditional helpful post, today is all about fun and flannel pajamas. Join me and have a laugh, a cry, or a sigh of nostalgia.

First, a poem:
Dear flannel jammies with feet,
To wear you feels so neat.
You warm up my bod,
make my head nod,
and turned my winter so sweet.

Then, a haiku:
Is it winter, dear?
'Tis warm warm winter now, love.
I don these jammies.

Don't forget the photo:

Now, a short story:
Maggie took her flannel jammies with feet off the hanger and admired the colorful prints. Nuzzling the soft fabric against her cheek, she sighed as she remembered winters from her childhood. Christmas mornings opening gifts around the tree, waking up and scrubbing the Sandman's remnants from her eyes, and school called off for snow days all played through her forty-two year old mind. She slid her feet into the soft interior and fell into the deep pool of warmth waiting for her like a parent with open arms.
Nicholas walked in just as she was fastening the last button. "Hey, baby, those look great!"
A smile spread over her face as she twirled in a circle; arms extended to either side. "They're so warm, and they bring back so many memories."
He moved across the room and caught her in his arms. "And they're soft - like you." His hands were touching the fabric at her back and it sent little tendrils of electricity through her that wound around her heart.
As their eyes met, she saw the love there and it made her pulse quicken its already speedy pace. "I love you, Nicky. I don't know that I ever said thank you for the last few months."
"You don't need to thank me. You're the glue that holds me together, and I'd be lost without you." Eyes boring into her soul, he continued. "As I live and breathe, you're the only thing that matters to me."
Images of the funeral ran through her memory like an eight millimeter black and white film and her eyes grew teary.
"Don't cry," he whispered.
Allowing him to pull her closer, she nuzzled into his chest. When she was finally able to catch her breath, she mumbled, "At least they're in a better place. Free from pain and worry now."
"Yes, they are. And you have your flannel jammies to remind you how wonderful they were in life." His smile infected her with its warmth and she allowed the feeling to spread through her body, helping her to forget the pain of her loss.
"Hey, let's go make popcorn and watch a movie by the fire!" At least they could do that. It would give her the chance to feel closer to them while providing a distraction at the same time.
"Perfect! I'll go make it. See you in a minute." He brushed his lips over hers before he released her.
As she walked from the room, she touched the portrait of her parents on the bureau. "I miss you both," she whispered.

Flannel pajamas with or without feet can bring back some of the best memories. Now that they're available in adult sizes, we can all remember those special moments from our childhoods even as we stay warm!

While you're here, don't forget to enter the rafflecopter drawing for your chance at some great prizes!
LINKY FOR YOU!

This concludes my ode to jammies! I hope you all enjoyed it.

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

Jo

Radio Show Interview

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have an interview on Ms. Sandi Tuttle's radio show. She's from the An Average Woman in a Superwoman World blog and is so much fun on the air! I invite you all to come listen, call in if you want to ask me a question, and share the lovely link with your friends.

You can listen here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/sandi-tuttle/2013/01/28/authors-corner-with-jo-michaels

Don't forget to enter the rafflecopter giveaway for your chance at an interior book design or digital identity package designed by me, if you're an indie author, and for a copy of The Bird and a bunch of book swag if you're a reader!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, don't forget The Abigale Chronicles - Book Three is available for free until midnight tonight on Amazon!

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




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

Jo