Most Popular Posts of 2013

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I know, I know, I'm late. But, I have good reason. This morning, I had a meeting with Ms. Sandi Tuttle, a dentist appointment, and a very sick child to contend with. Onward and upward! Today, I'm going to give you all links to some of the posts on my blog that have had the most traffic. They're probably the most useful posts, too. Strap in, get your fingers ready to do some clicking, and let's get going!

Because all posts are better with a cute baby with cake on his hands and feet.

Up first, I'm gonna give you my two free PDFs. These have been downloaded a lot and are free for you to keep and share, providing you don't change any of the content.

This one is on Branding Yourself.
This one is a A Novel Checklist.

Now, we move on to the posts!

Monkey Wrenches
Dialogue Tags vs Action Tags
Pesky Pronouns
Human Nature Series (last post)
Enneagram Personality Types
Comma Part 3 (links to part 1 and 2 included)
Timeline Tips
Common Editing Errors
Templates for Using MS Word for Print
He Said, She Said, Who Said What?

Love those? Here's a page with them all (plus others that didn't get as much traffic but are still just as useful). I even categorized and summarized them. Yup, all for you readers.

Thanks for making 2013 awesome. I hope to bring just as much great content in 2014!

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

Jo

Author Interview Carlyle Labuschagne

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! In keeping with my Monday posts through June, 2014, I bring you another UtopYA Con 2014 unofficial author interview. Yay! If you haven’t picked up your tickets for the event yet, click the name to grab yours today. It’s being held at the Millennium Maxwell House in Nashville, Tennessee. Today, I have with me Ms. Carlyle Labuschagne, author of the award winning novel, Evanescent! Get your coffee on and join us!

Jo: Welcome to the blog, Carlyle!
Carlyle: eeeeek! Absolutely excited to be here! Thank you for having me Jo. I so can’t wait to meet you in person in June, it’s going to be an event of a lifetime!

Jo: Ditto! How fun! I usually go into a hard to answer question first, but this one has been on my mind since I first read your last name. Could you tell us how to pronounce it? I’d hate to get to UtopYA and fudge that one up. *grin*
Carlyle: OH dead this is difficult for Americans to pronounce as the tongue moves different (if that makes sense) I will try my best. Labuschagne -
Pronounce : L uh boo sh c h a g n e
The G is more a sound than the accrual pronunciation of the letter g. I don’t think you can pronounce it the way south Africans do directly from English or American. The e at the end is pronounced more like two ee.

Jo: I shall have to practice until we meet! Now that we have that straight, I’m diving into the good stuff. I did a lot of research on you. Through my hunting, I found out you’re quite the force to be reckoned with there in South Africa. We’re gonna start this out with a bang. Tell me about your Help Build a Library in Africa project. What is it? How did you come up with the idea? Why? Is there any coincidence it came about at the same time you launched your first book (perhaps a little marketing genius of yours in there)? How can we help?
Carlyle: LOL Maybe a marketing ploy? – no it was just the rewards that come with knowing I can make a difference. When I launched my first book The Broken Destiny I did it at my kids school and roped in a few authors to showcase their work too. Book Festivals and the book industry is almost invisible in our country. So by starting off at the foundation of our youth I thought it a great idea to sell tickets and raise money for the school and a charity. All proceeds were equally divided between the two. I worked on the launch party for a few months asking authors to donate books as prizes. The library project only really got born months later. My mom was one of the prize winners who won a prize pack with books and swag worth over $500, which my mother than donated back to the school. Months later the Principal opened the school’s first library and I was so thrilled to see my hard word and the generosity of good people go up on the shelves of their library I decided then and there to open the project and start stacking the empty shelves with more Young adult novels. This year will be the second year and I am currently seeking a rape crisis/trauma center to build a library in. I hope to launch the 2nd annual book drive in March this year. If your readers would like to donate a book to The Help Build a Library In Africa Project you can contact me through my email carlyle.labuschagne.com@gmail.com

Jo: It’s an awesome project and I’m happy to help spread the word. In keeping with that helping hand theme, I read your motto is to help others as you would have them help you. Let me start off by saying I couldn’t agree with you more; however, are you ever dissuaded when you put in a lot of your time and effort into helping someone and it not be returned? How does it feel and what do you do about it?
Carlyle: No I don’t really, in my heart I know what my intention was and I may not directly see rewards, but my blessing come in many forms.

Jo: Understood. I’m very much the same way. What’s your greatest writer fear?
Carlyle: To lose my imagination.

Jo: That would be the worst. What would a writer do without an imagination? I tremble thinking about it. I read you’re a full time marketing consultant. How does that help you in the marketing of your own books? What do you feel have been some unique ideas you’ve come up with to help spread the word?
Carlyle: Marketing is something that comes so naturally to me, I can’t help it. I am one of those people who live by moments, and when the moment strikes me, I can’t hold back – I mean I really can’t, and I will do anything to make it happen. I love the creative world, but what good is it if you can’t share it. They first step to marketing is networking. You help others, and they help you. Always have an exploding catch phrase.
I think I have done a rather good job at the marketing of my books, but I always remember and know I can only do so much. I can’t do it without other authors like you, bloggers, friends and family. And sometimes you have to take a risk and hire someone who has the reach you don’t.

Some of the unique ideas I have come up with (all by accident. Initially anyway.) In both my books I have quoted lyrics from one of our Countries biggest rock stars (Prime Circle) with their written consent. I was so taken back when the deal was that they each get a book in return, which I then asked for a photo op of course!

The Launch party I held, I brought on other authors as guests to celebrate the event and to help spread the word.

Last example is getting in touch with my cover model (The Broken Destiny) This too was purely an accident that one of her model friends connected us. Turns out she was a huge celebrity in her country and more than thrilled to share the news of her face on my book. Here is an interview I did with the talented young woman: Meet the model here.

Jo: Wow. If those weren’t strokes of luck, I don’t know what is! It’s also pure marketing genius. Tell me about your Mentorship program. What do you hope to achieve, how do you feel you can help these youngsters, and where did the idea come from?
Carlyle: As mentioned before our country has plenty of catching up to do in the reading, writing and publishing country. They need motivation. This is how I set out to do this by starting with one school at a time.

This is how the contest is set up:

• First there will be a creative prompt handed out to the students where they write a short piece with given subject and words.
• The head mistress of Avalon Private School will then chose the top 10 entrants that will go onto the next round -
• Writing a short story novella, depending on the grade it will be required to be between 15 - 20 000 words.
• Grades 5 - 7
• Genres range from Christian fiction. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure and Paranormal. Or a cross genre of all.
• The top five students will then be chosen by the head mistress A. de Bruyn
• I will then pic the winner out of the top five.

-Judging on Creative concept
-Fluency of the story
-emotional portrayal of characters
-Description of surroundings
-Sentence structure
-Originality

This is a mentor ship program where the children will have a website to go to and pick up some writing tips. There will also be a facebook page where the student can send their queries and ask for advice.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SA-Indies-Book-Festival/520082498067346?bookmark_t=page
This program will teach the student how to become a published author.
From the first draft, to the second. We will take them through the revision and self editing stage.
They then have to submit a query letter with their entry with a short bio, a picture of themselves and a 200 word synopsis of the story.

Prize:

• Ebook package
• Formatting of the manuscript into various ebook formats like kindle and nook. (Morgan Media)
• Editing services by Sandra Valente
• Cover design by Morgan Media
• The publishing company has not been chosen as yet.
• Mentor ship by Me via website
• Press release kit by AlleyCats PR

Jo: That sounds like a lot of work! I wish you luck. You continue to blow me away! Being a pantser (one who writes with no plot) is a difficult thing to bear in the Indie community at times. How do you feel it helps you in your writing and have you “pantsed” since you began at age twelve?
Carlyle: I am a pantser in everyday life, and so am I in my writing. I have tried once to plot out the story, and well I drove myself insane, I went in circles. I can’t do it, I drive myself nuts with details. All my writing since I began at the young age of twelve has been and explosion of a moment.

Jo: That’s me as well. I cannot stick to a plot. LOL! I know how backward English is (and difficult) for people learning to speak it. Your primary language is Afrikaans. I can’t even imagine what you’ve gone through. How hard was writing a book in English? What were your major hurdles?
Carlyle: Luckily for me I am fluent in talking and pretty fair in writing. I have always written in English, I don’t know why, I just have. I thought I was really good at it until – the editor!!! Bwaahahahaa. My first book had two editors (now you know) It is very difficult for me as my sentence structure is topsy turvy as an Afrikaner. Don’t get me started on the tenses. English and Afrikaans cannot be directly translated!!! Spelling is an issue too. Then there is the word that is the same but means two different things, depending on how and where you use it??? I only recently go the difference between effect and affect. They key is to keep reading and keep writing, also having a professional editor (or two) I have learned so much, or is it learnt? See what I mean!

Jo: Good editors will make you a better writer, that’s for sure! I know exactly what you mean. Time for the alien question of the interview! I read there was a UFO convention in South Africa in 2011. Did you know about it? Did you go? What do you think of the theories they had about aliens wanting to steal gold from the Earth as an excuse for their visits? Are there any other cool alien theories we should know about?
Carlyle: hahaha! No I did not go, at the time I was working as a beauty consultant and my busy days were on weekends. I think the theory is possible, why not? Gold is one of the most versatile metals in the world, maybe even the universe. It could even be a unique element of our universe because of our planets composition. You can make the thinnest lightest, yet strongest material out of gold. You forget you are talking to a SF writer here – I can go on for books and books! LOL

As for Alien theories – some say we come from aliens? Some say we will become like aliens. Me, I say I am happy as a curious human.

Jo: I’m a believer. It’s creepy if you think about it, but interesting at the same time. Haha! In other news… Congratulations on your book, Evanescent, winning the Young Adult and Teen Readers (YATR) literary award for the best Sci-Fi book in 2013! When you won the award, how did it make you feel?
Carlyle: It means to the world to me to be able to have this award on my credentials, it’s a major platform booster for me as a South African Author. I want to put SA authors on the map. I want to be an inspiration to show the starving youth of South Africa that a dream is the beginning.

Jo: I have a feeling you’ll be successful in that goal. Quick! What’s your favorite flower?
Carlyle: Cherry blossoms – because they grow on trees.

Jo: Pretty! Favorite thing to eat with chocolate?
Carlyle: White chocolate.

Jo: Perfect answer! LOL! What small press are you with and why did you choose to go that route?
Carlyle: I am with Sensational Publications. Firstly I am a writer, a creator, a career woman, a mom and a wife. I am not a publisher, I would rather spend the little time I have on life.

Jo: I get it, believe me. Wearing too many hats makes the head overly warm. *grin* Tell me about the book festival you plan to hold in Johannesburg in 2015. What will it encompass? What are you hoping to achieve? How many hoops will you have to jump through to make it happen?
Carlyle: When I think about it, I know it is so much work, and this time I will need some assistance. In South Africa there are but a hand full of such festivals that cost an arm and a leg. There are none for independent authors. I hope to make it easier for the readers, youth, bloggers, and mostly for the authors to celebrate, educate, and inspire the nation.

Jo: I can’t wait to see what you do with it. I’m sure it’ll be amazing! You talk a lot about editing and how Indie authors should do it until they want to puke. Who is your editor, how did you find them, and what did you learn from the editing process?
Carlyle: My editor is Sandra Valente, and the story of how she became me editor is a touching one indeed. So here I am two weeks away from release date and I get my proof copy. It is only after I physically read the first 100 pages I decide I want to die from embarrassment, by this time the review ARC’s have gone out to bloggers. (Impatient me) Sandra (bless her soul) was one of those bloggers who started reading it the same night I did. She called me up the next day and we were at that point both in a panic – my book could no way no how go out in that condition, she then offered her services as she was so in love with the story she had to give it the attention it so deserved. Out of the kindness of her heart she immediately began editing my book, and considering the condition it was in – she did and she does always delivers the best. I can not, and will not deliver a product that is half arsed, it can and will make or break the book.

I learned so much from the editing a book. I have improved on sentence structure, flow, attention to certain things. To slow down, to think about the tenses and where my commas go!

Jo: That was completely awesome of her. Gotta love a teaching editor. Time to talk about the featured book! What is it, why did you write it, and what have you learned from the experience?
Carlyle: Evanescent is the second book in The Broken Trilogy. As with the first book it is a story that had to be told, to find live to come out and be born. It’s as much for entertainment purposes as it is for a healing one. With everything I write there is a strong message. I need to touch someone in some way, to make a difference in someone’s life, to illuminate the beauty in the ordinary, in the mistakes, in the person.

Jo: I plan to check it out before UtopYA Con. *grin* Is there anything I didn’t ask/talk about you wish I had?
Carlyle: I think you have covered everything Jo. You’ve been amazing!

Jo: Thank you so much and thanks for joining me here on the blog today, Carlyle! I can’t wait to meet you at UtopYA in June. What a great time we’ll have.
Carlyle: Oh yes, we will. Thank you so much for the opportunity it means the world to me to reach out to your readers! See you in June *whoohooooo!!*

Thanks to everyone for stopping by and meeting Ms. Labuschagne! Here’s the information for her featured book, that’ll be hanging around on the sidebar of the blog for the next two weeks. I urge you to grab a copy!

Title: Evanescent A Broken Novel #2
Author: Carlyle Labuschagne
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction Romance
Length (print): 380 pages
Purchase Links: Amazon Kindle ~ B&N ~ Indie Bound $3.49

Synopsis:
Her fall has just begun. Only his touch can save her from the shift that could destroy it all.

Within my blood runs a thing our kind calls the Shadowing Disease. It shadows over, and bends everything to its will. When the first blood- shift came, it tore through flesh and blood, threatening to bend me, break bone, shatter my mind and entrap my heart with its honeyed, seductive poison. It came with vicious intent, moving my thoughts and altering me forever. The shift has caused a rift within me. No one was safe when it entrapped me in its claws of foul lust. But I have the only antidote against the evil that becomes me – his touch alone has the power to release the spurs of sweet darkness that clung on for dear life. I knew what I had to do; the desperation pulled my mind with the deep determination of a hungry predator. By the time the revelation raised me from the dark dungeon of my bounds – it might have been too late.

While your finger is in the clicking mode, why not give Carlyle a follow on social media?
Facebook: Carlyle Labuschagne
Twitter: @CarlyleL
Pinterest: CarlyleL

This awesome author is doing a giveaway just for y'all! Enter, enter, enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you have any questions for Ms. Labuschagne? If yes, drop them into the comments below!

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

Jo

New Release - Entangled Souls by Felicia Tatum

Happy Friday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I have a new release announcement for you. Entangled Souls by Felicia Tatum. I'll be writing a review for Masked Encounters by Felicia next week. For now, enjoy checking out this awesome new book!

New Release!!!

Mangled Hearts become Entangled Souls

Cade is on the road to recovery with Francesca’s love and support guiding him. His life is changing drastically, from attempting to mend the rift between he and his father, to trying to have a normal relationship with his now fiancé. Most of all, Cade must find a way to control his urges so he can be completely released from rehabilitation.

Francesca is building her law firm with the help of those she loves most, but when a close friend reveals her true feelings about Francesca's engagement, it sends her emotions into a tailspin. Through all of this, she is forced to put her feelings on the back burner for everyone else, until the anniversary of Josie’s accident rolls around. Francesca must learn to put herself first before she falls apart.

In this novella, join Cade and Francesca as they explore their relationship and begin their lives together.

Goodreads Smashwords B&N Amazon

Get caught up on book one now....Free on all channels!

Francesca and Cade

Can two loves find their way back to each other despite an addiction and a hardened heart? Will their love overcome it all?

Francesca Taymon is young, successful, and broken. A tragic accident years ago haunts her to this day, and she blames only one person--the one that holds her heart. When she finally gets her first case, will she be able to handle seeing him again? Can she do her job and keep her heart intact?
Cade Kelling doesn’t take life seriously. He’s reckless and irresponsible, drinking all his problems away. When his parents bail him out for the last time, will he be able to handle seeing Francesca after all of these years? Will he be able to tell her what really happened that night 5 years ago or will he lose her forever?

And the most important question...

Can these mangled hearts be mended?

Goodreads Amazon B&N Smashwords

I hope you guys grab the starter book and give it a read. After all, it's free, what do you have to lose?

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

Jo

Blogger Interaction - Why it Matters

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! OMG they've cancelled school again! What kind of perverse version of the South am I living in? Hello? Is this thing on? For anyone who's listening out there, bring back Spring! I've had quite enough of this cold crap to last me a lifetime. I live in the South for a reason. If it doesn't get warm soon, I'm moving to Tahiti. That is all. Enough about that. Today, I want to talk about blogger interaction and why it matters. Grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

If you write a blog, chances are people are going to come by and read it. If your post moves them, helps them, or creates a reaction, they may deign to leave you a comment and tell you what they thought.

Oftentimes, I pop over to a new blog and leave a comment on something I read that I found interesting. I like to ask questions in my comments sometimes, too; or help the author out with a handy recommendation. If I stop back by the blog (if I asked a question I always come back in a couple of days) I'll check to see if my question was answered or my tip proved useful.

Imagine my horror when I discover my comment wasn't acknowledged at all. I was ignored like I didn't exist. I'd become invisible, and my tip/question/comment had fallen into the realm of "it doesn't matter because I'm a blogging god and you're a peon who will worship me."

Really?

When that happens, I look like the lady on the left here and stop visiting that person's blog. Why? Because, chances are, I didn't subscribe on my first visit (it takes building of trust and stuff) and I was made to feel unimportant.

For shame.

Now, I do have blogs I comment on where I don't expect replies. Those people are kept up with on other forms of social media and I comment to let them know I was there. I neither expect replies nor acknowledgement on their blogs. Most of the time, any replies come back when that person comments on my blog. Yes, it's strange to communicate that way for many of you; but, it works for us. We're happy with it. A number of blogs I used to comment on religiously have fallen off my good grace radar. Those folks neither returned the favor nor acknowledged I was there to begin with.

But new readers you don't have that unspoken pact with won't understand. They'll feel rejected by you.

Guess why?

Because, in a way, you are rejecting them. Your readers who bother to leave a comment expect to be noticed by you. Even a simple "Thank you for the comment!" goes a long long way.

Remember, it takes a new blog at least a year before it starts getting serious traffic. Help your readers want to come back. Take the two minutes to write that reply, say those words of thanks, or give a head nod in their direction. It's like clicking the "like" button on Facebook; if you do that, you'll see more of their stuff. Maybe they'll even tell their friends what an awesome blog you have!

I wish I could figure out how to say thanks on Tumblr...

Think about it. A blog is a form of social media. Are you making it social?

How about it, bloggers? Do you respond to every comment? If not, what do you do to encourage your readers to return?

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

Jo

Indie Authors! Sell More Books and Learn to Launch!

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere. Today I'm gonna be talking about a series of books I recently picked up and why you need to check them out. As you all know, I get ZERO kickbacks from any of this. Every opinion expressed is my own, and there are no affiliate links on the Jo Michaels Blog so you can always click with confidence, knowing I'm not goading you so I can make money. I gave this series a test drive during the release for I, Zombie to see if it worked and have been busy remodeling my entire book library to follow the suggestions in the guides. Now, I have my results (tested for a month) and am prepared to share my findings with you in the hopes that you see success with this method.

Bet you're anxious to know what I'm talking about, huh?

Strap in and let's get going!

Like I said above, I've worked my rear off remodeling my books since reading this series. Since the remodel, I'm doing much better. But I have eleven books on the market, and some folks will say I sold more books because I have more books available. I disagree. I think I wasn't using the right sales approach. This series of how-to guides walked me through how to use my books to sell more of my books. I'm convinced they go hand in hand.

Yes, it was a lot of work. No, it didn't happen overnight. Yes, there were times I wanted to tear out my hair and scream. But I didn't. I kept at it. As a matter of fact, I went so far as to whiteboard a strategy for updating all my books and attacked it that way.

First up, we have Bestseller Tactics: Self Publishing techniques to help you sell more books on Amazon and make more money. Advanced Author Marketing by Glyn Williams. Here's the cover and the buy links to the Kindle version:

Amazon Kindle $3.95

The book description on Amazon is long but full of good stuff. I suggest you check it out from there.

I used this one to help me reorganize my library and rebuild it from the skeleton out. Williams brings some things to light that were smack my head duhs. I thought, why didn't I see that? Well, because I'm not a numbers/marketing person primarily. Sure, I have some great marketing ideas, but I've never understood how to make (and keep) my book visible to those who may want to buy it.

Second, and the one I used when I launched I, Zombie, we have Bestseller Tactics 2: The Ultimate Book Marketing System. Advanced author marketing techniques to help you sell more kindle books on Amazon and make more money. Self Publishing by Glyn Williams. Here's the cover and buy link to the Kindle version:

Amazon Kindle $3.95

Again, the description is longish so I'll let you check it out for yourself.

I attribute I, Zombie's mad, out of the gate success to this one. It got noticed, it got reviews, it got love. It hit the paid bestseller list on launch week and hit it again during the free promotion. I was stunned. Heck, I still am.

I'll be using the tactics in this book over and over again as I write and launch more books. I have plenty of WIPs to test it on to see if it was a fluke and if my success was mostly because I wrote a niche book in a popular genre (YA and Zombies).

We shall see...


Last, is a book I haven't bought yet (but plan to). I'm not putting a recommendation on it yet, but keep your eyes open. It's Bestseller Tactics 3: Facebook for Authors - How to sell more kindle books on Amazon with an automated marketing machine by Glyn Williams. Here's the cover and buy links to the Kindle version:

Amazon Kindle $3.95

Again, I don't know how well it works, haven't tested it, haven't bought it, can't recommend it. With the way Facebook is changing their algorithms lately, I'm not sure this book isn't already outdated or if it can possibly be kept up to date without the author losing a lot of time (and his mind).

So, purchase book 3 at your own risk.

 Remember how I talked about blog tour companies last week and why you might want to steer clear of them? It was this series of books that caused me to start looking at the numbers and checking statistics on blog life, sales of books via tours, and how tour companies do their own marketing (it's to authors, not readers). Link to that post: A Look at Blog Tour Companies. Yeah, it stirred up some poo. Yeah, some people unfollowed me. Why is it that when you're honest, folks don't stop and look at what they might be able to do differently, they take it to a personal level?

To quote The Godfather: "It's not personal, it's business." Keep that in mind.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it helps you find your own success. Publishing is a big world with a lot of hungry readers on the receiving end. May we all get our books into the hands of those that wish to read them. I'm all about the sharing.

If you'd like to grab a copy of I, Zombie, you can do that here. Yes, I do make money off that sale. But it's win-win. You get a great book to read, and I get a sale. If not, no hard feelings. You can still subscribe to or follow my blog and show your love that way. *grin*

If you've read these books, what did you think? If not and you plan to, what are you hoping to learn?

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

Jo

Book Review - Keepers of Arden (The Brothers Volume One)

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Sorry I'm late. I, apparently, am not invincible, and I have come down with a raging sinus infection. Just returned from the doctor's office. Have antibiotics, will write! Now that you know why I'm a little behind, let me get to it. Today I bring you another book review from my Indie Fever 2014 Reading Challenge. If you've never heard of the challenge, I invite you to join us! Just go to the signup page here, choose your challenge level, add your name to the linky list, grab the badge from the sidebar, and start reading! Easy peasy. So sit back, relax, and enjoy!

First, as always, a little about the book I'm reviewing today:

Title: Keepers of Arden (The Brothers Vol. 1)
Author: L. K. Evans
Genre: Fantasy & Sorcery
Length (print): Approx 459 Pages
Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $2.99

Synopsis:

"Slowly, year by year, day by day, hour by hour, the evil grew stronger while he grew weaker. It found ways around his shield, and, even as he sat in the sun on a beautiful spring day, he could feel the tiny nibbles the evil bit off from his soul."

This is just the beginning of the Laybryth brothers' journey to not only rid the lands of Arden of a vile evil, but for one brother to save the other from the darkness that lives within him.

 ***Will not appear in review elsewhere***
You all know by now how much I love book covers. This one has such a dark feeling to it. I love the imagery, I only wish there was the shadow of a person or a couple of young men in the background-a little secret to be delved out of the fog by a keen eye. I love the typefaces (these two [three?!] look similar enough anyone without a trained eye probably wouldn't pick up on the differences; but I warn the designer to be careful when doing this) and layout of the title, but I would like to see some kerning on the letters and see the K and S moved in a smidge from the edges. It's like when you see two people barely touching, it's kinda uncomfortable. If you're gonna overlap them, let them overlap; if you're gonna keep them away from each other, make sure there's space. Also, the author's name should be centered. This isn't a preference thing, it's more of a designer's rule. If you center some of it, center all of it. Color choices are perfect.

On to the review of what's between the covers!

I grabbed a sample of Keepers of Arden during a December contest I ran on my blog. I have to say, the sample took hold of my mind and I bought the book. I wasn't able to stop thinking about it and was happy when it was next on my TBR list. L. K. Evans created a magical world that captivated me and kept me glued to the pages. Enough about all that, let's get to the good stuff.

From a Reader's Perspective:
In the beginning of the book, we're introduced to a placed named Arden. I could see the city clearly in my mind from the descriptions on the pages. Not long after the story began, I was dragged into a melee of emotional turmoil as fierce, dark creatures were described and the mother in the story showed her evil. There were times the descriptions brought tears to my eyes. As the tale moved along, it began to slow down. I kept waiting for something big to happen. As it was, this book has everything a first novel in a series should have and I'm anxious to read the second installment. But that big thing never happened. I felt the story dragged on a little, but I was so vested in the outcome, I kept reading. I love the brothers and how close they are. From chapter one, we're shown how they share a piece of one another and it's reinforced throughout the story.

From an Editor's Perspective:
I'm a stickler for errors and highlight any I come across. Misplaced pronouns weren't bad. What I did find was that the text could use a good proofreader to pick up on little errors like: dropped punctuation, homophones, and incorrect tenses of words. None of it was enough to throw me out of the story, but there were over 20 errors in the book.

Rating:
+1 Star for phenomenal world building
+1 Star for keeping me engaged
+1 Star for description of creatures that really kept my toes curled
+.5 Stars for making me have an emotional reaction to the mother and son
-.5 Stars for the never making anything big happen
+.5 Stars for a couple of highlighted sentences I loved
-.5 Stars for need for a proofreader
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars! Recommended for anyone who loves magic, mages, and dark forces.

I never do this, so you know these passages moved me. My favorite two lines: "Until you place yourself in another man's shoes, do not pass judgment." and "Every man has a weakness, and one must never judge a man for succumbing to that weakness because at one point you might succumb as well. And wouldn't it be nice to have another man understand your pain and mistake?"

I mean, wow. Love it.

I hope you all enjoyed that review. I do encourage you to grab a copy of the book. Link is above.

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

Jo

A Guest Post by Ripley Patton

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! As with every Monday from now until June, and UtopYA Con 2014, I'm featuring one of the authors attending the event. Today I have a guest post from my featured author, Ripley Patton. She's gonna talk with you all about what it's like to become a novelist. I did an interview with Ripley last week. If you missed it, you can find the post here. If you don't have your tickets to join us yet, get on it. Prices go up in two weeks! Just click the name of the con to be taken to their page. Enough of my yapping, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going!

Five Things I Learned by Becoming a Novelist

by Ripley Patton

1. Writing is Hard. 

I was in a conversation with a friend recently who wants to become a writer. He was asking me questions about how to produce and market his first book, so I asked him when he had finished it. "Oh, I haven't even started it yet," he said, "but writing's the easy part."

Nope. Writing is not the easy part. Writing a book, any book, is really hard. Writing a good one that other people will want to buy and read? Even harder. In fact, in my experience, there is NO EASY PART. Every aspect of the writing process is difficult, and challenging, and rewarding. Easy is not a word anyone who has actually done it would ever employ to describe it.

2. We don't write for the money, but it sure helps.

Most writers and artists don't pursue their passion because they want to get rich quick. Art is not a fast track to wealth. Even the rags to riches stories we hear, like J.K. Rowling's, don't happen overnight. It was seven years after Rowling first conceived the Harry Potter series that it finally saw publication. During the time she was writing the first book, her mother died, she got divorced, and she found herself living in abject poverty. And during that time her book was rejected over and over again by publishers. J.K. Rowling didn't know if she would ever make a single penny on her books. But she wrote them anyway.

We writers write because we love to. Because we have stories inside of us yammering to get out. Because writing helps make sense of the world and the turmoil inside of us. We write because we must. And, I know for myself, I would continue to write for the rest of my life without pay.

But I also have two teenagers who like to eat.

3. Books connect people.

I'm not just a writer. I'm also an avid reader, as all good writers are. And one of the things
I've always loved about books is how they connect people.

First, there is the connection between the writer and the reader, that magical moment you enter someone else's internal world of story. Then there is the connection between the reader and the characters in the book, how they become like old friends or dear family members – people you've met in your mind, and traveled with, and now know intimately. And finally, there is the connection between you and all the readers who have loved that book before you and who will love it after you. You are connected to them through story, a story you've all shared. You've been to the same places and loved the same characters. When you meet someone who loves the same books you do, you are meeting an old friend.

4. There is no such thing as a perfect book.

When I wrote my first book, I wanted it to be perfect. I wanted the plot to be intricately woven. I wanted the cover to look exactly liked I'd imagined it. I wanted to comb the text over and over again until I'd rooted out every typo and misplaced comma. I was determined not to push the publish button until I had produced a flawless book.

However, when I was still finding small mistakes in the manuscript after seven revisions, three full edits (two by professional editors), and five different copy edits, I realized something - I have never read a perfect book.

I have read good books. I have even read great books. But I have never read a book without some kind of mistake in it. And yet, that has never prevented me from reading or enjoying books as long as the story was compelling.

So, I had to ask myself if I really wanted a perfect book, or if I wanted a book that people would get to read.

The answer seemed obvious.

There is no such thing as a perfect book. But there are millions of wonderfully-told stories.

5. The most important story is your own.

People often ask me why I became a writer. Why didn't I stay with the career I went to college for, or choose something easier or more lucrative? And there are lots of different answers for that question but the simplest is this; I became a writer because I want to read the stories only I can write.

Sometimes, I'll pick up a book, or two, or five or six in a row, and put them aside with a sigh because they simply aren't the story I want and need to read. My heart is hankering for a very specific story – a story that resonates deep inside me and says, "Yes, this is true. This is about you. These are the words you were looking for."

And sometimes, if you can't find that book, you want it so badly you write it yourself.

~ Ripley Patton

Okay, Ms. Patton, you've officially blown me away with that post. What a lot of great information and advice for Indie authors!

If you guys would like to know more about Ripley, why not give her a follow on the web?

Goodreads
Website


Again, if you want to know more about Ripley, check out the interview I did with her last Monday!

Do you have questions for this awesome lady? Pop them into the comments.

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

Jo