Updated Reviewer List

So, awhile back I posted a list of reviewer sites to contact, about that newly published e-book of yours. And since then, I've been refining it and most importantly, trying to figure out which ones are useful and active. Hence, the updated list:

http://www.rambles.net/

http://www.theindiespotlight.com 

http://syriasays.com

http://spaldings-racket.blogspot.com/

http://blkosiner.blogspot.com/p/review-policy.html

tlrreviews.com

Bookbarista.com

http://redhousebooks.blogspot.com/

http://mysticthoughts-xc.blogspot.com/


These 2 are a list of where to find links for more reviewer sites:
 http://www.simon-royle.com/indie-reviewers (master list of indie reviewers)

http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net/book-reviewer-list.html (master list of Kindle reviewers)

Some of these do reviews, some features, and some both, so check them out before submitting to know what it is they offer. I know the list is shorter but it's also more personal since I've now used all of these sites and have someone reading my book or in process of posting a feature for me at most of them right now. So, I know they work, and they are all big supporters of indie authors. As I find more, I'll add them.

Spalding's Racket Feature

Nick over at Spalding's Racket just posted a feature for Across the Galaxy. Check me out! And thank Nick for hosting me!

http://spaldings-racket.blogspot.com/2011/02/across-galaxy-by-heather-hildenbrand-ya.html

Hey Jude & the monster

I know I've blogged about it before, the ups and downs of the writing process. Especially the downward spiraling that happens in the middle of a story. But, to recap:
In every story I've written, I hit this place (and don't even see it coming until it's too late) where I feel like the story sucks, the scene I'm struggling with sucks, and well, pretty much, everything sucks. Which I know is not true because in general, I feel that my life most definitely does not suck. So, I know its the evil editor monster taking over my psyche. And the feeling only lasts a couple of days and then I wake up feeling back on top, ready to tackle that struggling scene and just KNOWING that the story I'm writing is, in fact, really good, and really special, and definitely worth writing.

I'm recapping all that because I just came back out of the funk of the downward spiral. Now, it doesn't help that I'm battling a cold (round 2 actually, I was sick a week ago, got better for like 2 days and then sick again. AARRGHH!) And I'm just hoping someone out there knows what I'm talking about and isn't thinking 'this chic is totally crazy' - because that's a whole other blog post. (Titled: "The multiple personalities required of being a writer")

And I was over at Kait Nolan's blog earlier and she posted a song/video that is sort of the muse to her character so I thought I'd do the same. I've had this song stuck in my head for DAYS because I heard it and it struck me as exactly Wes (the hottie from Dirty Blood, coming in March). It's also from the soundtrack Across the Universe, a Beatles inspired musical. It's an awesome movie, so if you haven't seen it, leave your house right now and get it, or open a new browser window and log on to Netflix, now. It's that good!

A blog where I don't say much of anything

     See, I forewarned you in the title that this post isn't filled with any real, heavy information so don't get mad if you get to the bottom and think 'well, what was the point of that?' because you were told...

     There really isn't much going on here that is worth reporting but I'm going to ramble anyway. I'm still sitting at about one copy a day for sales but I'm not unhappy with it, actually. I know that I'm a 'nobody' as far as the publishing world - or even e-publishing world- goes. (Yeah, I felt like I should specify since it seems like those are 2 different arenas these days.) Anyway, I know it's going to take time to catch on and get my name out there, etc. and I'm still pretty  new at all this, so I'm being patient. I'm really getting antsy to finish Dirty Blood though just because I know it's better work and a great story. So, I can't wait to get it out there for everyone to enjoy. Speaking of, the cover shoot is March 6th and I'm hoping to have the writing done by then, too, and then finish the editing after that. I haven't set a release date yet but it will be sometime in March, which is exciting. I'll keep you posted. I'm also putting together a plan to do a couple of book giveaways for it, right around launch time. I'll be partnering with a couple other blogs/sites to do it, so stay tuned. The synopsis.description is coming soon (maybe even this week) so that you can get an idea what it's about.

     Which reminds me, I should update you on my to-do list that seemed so endless when I posted about it last week. I'm happy to report, I got ALOT done! Angeline probably wants me to tell you all: I am officially a part of the Twitter phenomenon now. You can connect with me @HeatherHildenbr. And I'm starting to pay attention to my FaceBook Author page so check me out there and friend request me. I want to do a book page that you can 'like' me at, but I'm going to wait a bit on that and focus on finishing Dirty Blood first. And, last but not least, my cover for Across the Galaxy's paperback edition on CreateSpace was FINALLY approved and they mailed out the proof copy last week so it should be here anytime!!!! Dang, that was a headache!! That cover must've been rejected no less than 12 times before it was approved (probably twice that, if you count how many times my husband fooled with it, too). So it's quite satisfying to know I finally figured it out. So, now what happens is this: when the proof copy gets here, I'll have to look it over, read through it, whatever, and then if it's good 2 go, click 'approve' on my CreateSpace account and they'll launch it for sale. If there's a problem, I will need to make changes, upload the new files, and repeat the proof process again. So, let's hope there are no problems! Oh and I paid the $39 for the premium author account and it lowered my sale price to under $10. Before that, it was telling me the min. price point was like $14 or something so that was definitely worth it. I think the sale price is going to be about 9.99 but I will let you know for sure when I announce that it's available.
     So, on my list for this week: work on Dirty Blood, write the blurb/description for Dirty Blood... and check the mail like a kid on Christmas!

'Bad News Borders' and my ongoing to-do list

     Well, Borders made it official. They filed for bankruptcy. If you've been following the news, you saw this coming but still, it was kind of like a WOW moment. And then I had to just sit back, prop my feet up, and take a long gulp of JA Konrath's kool-aid. Because it's a pretty big hint I've made the right choice for me, by e-publishing. And if any indie author still wasn't sure if they'd made the right choice, they are now.Read about it here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/16/borders-files-for-bankruptcy_n_823889.html

     As for my raging to do list, here's an update. I am on TWITTER! Got it up and running yesterday and you can msg me @Heatherhildenbr. (My whole name won't fit, oh well.) So that's exciting. And I'm really trying to work on getting my FaceBook Author page filled with all the info I want to have. I've uploaded my covers there and have provided links to Amazon, so you can find my work.

     I also rewrote my product description for Across the Galaxy today. I like it better for a couple of reasons. One- it's shorter. I had three mini-paragraphs going before and I think it was just too long and gave too much information. This one is shorter but still has all the info you need to get interested but not too much. Two- It leaves you hanging a little more as to the main plot line/big picture which is a better way to sell books. BTW, I found a great post that helped me write a better book description on Karen McQuestion's blog here: http://mcquestionablemusings.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-method-for-writing-book-description.html

Here's the new description, being uploaded to Amazon as we speak - let me know what you think:

ACROSS THE GALAXY


Orphaned as a young girl, Alina Leone has spent the last few years in dusty Arizona, being raised by her guardian, Peter, and wishing for a friendship that isn’t filled with lies and deception about exactly what she really is. Just before she can begin senior year she meets someone from her past – a talking wolf from another galaxy who won’t stop calling her ‘Empress’ - and in a single moment, her future is changed forever. She becomes a fugitive, on the run from the Shadows, the same monsters who killed her parents, and flees to the safety of the planet Bardawulf for refuge. But not everyone in this magically protected fortress is what they seem.

The time my love for lists came back to bite me... oh yeah, that's now.

     I have alot of things floating around in my head that I need to get done this week. I mean - ALOT. I keep meaning to make a 'to-do' list and just haven't which is funny because normally I would've made a master list and then broken it down into categories and posted it where I can easily access it to check things off. Yeah, I like lists. But I haven't. I think because I'm afraid in this case, I won't get to check off nearly as many things as I'd like. And I hate not being able to check things off. So instead of sitting in my house making my list quietly, I'm here writing a blog, which is definitely working against me in the 'time management' arena.

     So how about we kill two birds and I'll just post the list here. Yeah, so then if I don't get something done, EVERYONE will know. Maybe that'll motivate me. haha. First and foremost is to WRITE. Of course. But also I need to take a look at my synopsis and see where it's all going just to remind myself and keep on track. I've been thinking about that lately, too. I'm constantly analyzing the way I do things, so I can try and streamline the process and learn how to write faster but still write better at the same time. I think the trick is in the synopsis. If I wrote a VERY detailed one before hand, I could probably write 'smoother' without getting stuck. The problem is that I like to change things as I go, from what I originally planned. I'll get a better idea and run with that and then it would probably change alot of future things, too, so I'm not sure if that would work. But I might try it on the next book. Anyway, that's off topic.

     Back to the list. Next, I NEED to get on Twitter (or Angeline is going to get me - not sure how but she does critique my rough drafts so I want to stay on her good side) and then I have to learn how to use Twitter which will probably take like 3 days or something. And the other thing I feel I need to do is revisit my book descriptions. I feel like they could be better - especially Across the Galaxy. I feel like maybe that could help with sales (I mean, it can't hurt) since the cover is AWESOME, and the description is the only other tool I have for first impressions. Besides, I wrote that description when I was still a very new writer (I mean, I still am but not as much I guess) so I could probably do a better job now. I plan to try and tweak it. Also, I need to talk to my cover artist about some things. One, a head shot that I can post on my site and also maybe a web banner - I'm jealous of Angeline's and a couple other's I saw. =)

     Oh and top priority - get this damn paperback cover approved on CreateSpace. I want to beat my head against a wall over that one! It's taken me weeks to figure this thing out and just when I think I finally did- I get an email this morning saying my spine is 'off center'. WTH??!! How much more can I center it?? I've already used the 'center' button.... I don't really know what I'm going to do with that. I read somewhere on Susan Bischoff or Kait Nolan's sites - can't remember which - that they have a really hard time with CreateSpace approving their covers, too and eventually in the process they have to call CS and get them to manually approve it. Maybe I'll try that. I'll let you know how it goes. Cross your fingers because I am OVER this paperback cover! If it wasn't going to make me money, I'd have scrapped the whole thing days ago. But money motivates me, even when I want to slap somebody, so I'll do it.

     I think that's the major list. There might be some little things but those are the priorities. I do still want to try and do some other marketing things. Visit message boards, etc, yadda yadda, but I need to focus on these things right now. Oh and i wanted to say thanks to everyone who reads my blogs. I checked my stats this morning and I got over 200 pages views last month. Thanks guys =) If you're feeling supportive, find my author page on FaceBook and friend request me there, too. I just got it functioning last night. (That's one thing off the to-do list).

     Oh and sales are still sitting at Across the Galaxy -4 (or 5 if you count Amazon UK) and DreamKiller -5 but I know that it's going to start slow and build steady and I'm okay with that.

BOOKADAY Feature

Hey everyone- want to let you know to check me out on Karly Kirkpatrick's site today. She's featuring Across the Galaxy for her BOOKADAY!

http://karlykirkpatrick.blogspot.com/2011/02/bookaday-across-galaxy-by-heather.html

Sales Update

Well, it looks like my little corner of the Kindle world has dramatically slowed. My numbers so far for February are as follows:
Across the Galaxy : 2
DreamKiller :          4

Now, did I want to report such crappy numbers? No. I'd rather not say it out loud, but I promised to be honest and tell it like it was, so I'm sucking it up and throwing it out there for you. I do expect numbers to rise as I get reviews/features posted by other sites but the main thing I'm focusing on right now is getting the next book out. I will hopefully have it ready by March 15th and plan to step my game wayyy up int he promoting area after that one. The story line is pretty cool/original and the writing is inevitably better than Across the Galaxy. Not that ATG is bad, but I'm a realist, and it was my very first novel. AND I know the more I write, the better I'll get. I can already see it when I look back at first drafts for ATG compared to Dirty Blood.

Speaking of Dirty Blood, I'm painting my dining room this week. And the color I've picked looks like blood. It's so much fun, and very inspiring. The 'back burner' project I have going is about fairies and the green that I'll be doing in my living room reminds me of fairies somehow. So maybe this painting/writing crossover will help the muse.

Also- I started reading Amanda Hocking's Switched last night. Only a few chapters in and not far enough to see where it's going yet but I like it so far and will probably post a review here about it. Honestly though the main reason for reading it is research. In leadership training, you learn that you become like the 5 people you hang around with most (I've done ALOT of leadership training) and that you have to align yourself with people who've already achieved the goals you have set for yourself. And it IS true. If you were around completely negative people 24/7 and all they did was complain about life and tell you how much your writing sucks, do you think you'd still be writing? And if you did manage to still write (probably keeping it a secret) you damn sure wouldnt have the confidence to publish it when you were done. Think about it.

So, to that end, I am reading her books - not to copy of course, but to learn her style and therefore my craft a little better. After all, she is definitely already where I want to be. And I fully plan on getting there which means I can only allow myself to learn from the best. (And if you're wondering if that means her talent surpasses all others, of course not. but if I want to make money I define the best as the 'bestseller' and in my target audience, that's her.) Plus, I love that I can consider reading a good book "research" or "homework". LOL. I love my job!

Amanda Hocking's latest blog post gave me the idea to check out this site. You copy and paste some of your writing to see which famous author you write like. Sounded fun but not sure how I feel about my answer. I mean, I loved reading 'Just So Stories' when I was a kid- I'm pretty sure I still have a copy upstairs somewhere but still, an odd answer.

I write like
Rudyard Kipling

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Extra, Extra, Read all About it!

Alright, finally! Here it is. A list of reviewer sites to hit up for that just published e-book of yours. I'm sure I'll be adding more as I go and maybe even deleting some as I vet each one, myself. I'd wanted to do that BEFORE I posted the list, but it's going to take awhile for that, and I wanted to play nice and share, like my momma taught me. So here's the list and any notes I found on the site so far. For this to work, and the list to be up-to-date, you guys let me know if you find out any helpful tips about any of the sites listed or any new sites. So, without further ado...

Reviewer Sites- check out the type of stuff they review FIRST and make sure its your genre. Then check out the contact info and find out what form of book they want. If they prefer paperbacks and you dont have one, that could change things, so do your homework!

http://www.litandlife.blogspot.com/
http://www.podpeep.blogspot.com/
http://thenewpodlerreviews.blogspot.com/  -this site seems pretty swamped and may be closed to reviews but they had alot of other blogs bookmarked on their page that looked worth checking out too.
http://www.myshelf.com/
http://www.rambles.net/

http://blog.booksontheknob.org/

http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/

http://www.mmcdonald64.blogspot.com/

http://thescattering.wordpress.com    - I think I heard somewhere that this site only reviews Sf and Fantasy. Check it out first.

http://www.stimulatedoutlet.com

http://candysraves.com

http://www.dailyebookreviews.com/

http://syriasays.com

http://topublishornotto.blogspot.com/

http://spaldings-racket.blogspot.com/

The links below are sites that FEATURE your book. This is different than a review because they aren't offering to read it, just post a picture and synopsis, which to me is just as good, if not better, because you dont have to wait for them to read it and get back to you. You can get it posted quicker and if they have alot' of followers/hits on their sites, its still high volume exposure.

http://www.theindiespotlight.com/

http://www.ebooksjustpublished.com

Also- for more reviewer sites, try these sites. 

http://www.simon-royle.com/indie-reviewers     - master list of indie reviewers

http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net/book-reviewer-list.html   - Kindle specific reviewers are listed here.

      

Multiple Personalities, Numbers, and a Reminder from our Sensei

     For those of you waiting, I am still working on the compiled list of reviewer-ish sites that you can use to promote your book. It's going to be a pretty nice list, so give me a little longer. It'll be worth the wait!

     I wanted to update you on what I've been doing. Happily, writing again! Whew. After all last week(end) getting sucked into msg boards and e-marketing, I'm finally back to what I should be doing. And I'm really excited that I've got a rough draft ready for beta readers for chapters 1-5 of Dirty Blood. Woohoo! I also started a new project over the weekend, working title: Fairy Godmother.

     The main reason I started it was because I needed a breather from Dirty Blood. I swear, a job qualification of a writer is multiple personalities. And don't worry. If you don't already have them, they'll develop as you write! Anyway, my "editor" personality had gotten ahold of me; snuck up on me really. Usually I see him coming (yes its a him, is that weird?) and knock him over the head with a heavy object when he starts getting obnoxious. I mean, I can't totally get rid of him because I do - grudgingly - need him sometimes. But this time, I was blindsided and before I knew it, I was buying into what he was saying. Which was: this story sucks, its not even worth revising, who would want to read this crap? etc.

     Has this every happened to any of you? Usually its a cycle I go through a few times in the process of writing a story. When I'm in this part of the cycle, no new ideas flow and it depresses me to work on the project. Then I finally cycle back out into the confident (possibly a little egotistical) cycle and everything's great, including the story and where it's going, and ideas pour into me so fast I get light headed. Needless to say, that's where I am now. Whew. Thank goodness. Nobody at my house really likes me when the editor takes over.  *insert evil laugh here*

     And I checked my final numbers for January this morning and we are tied!
Across the Galaxy 9
DreamKiller          9

*Sidebar: These numbers are Amazon only. Still haven't sold any from B&N. Also- I uploaded DreamKiller via Smashwords to see how they worked and it's still not even live (it's been almost a week). Anyone have any words of wisdom about smashwords? Are they any good?

Woohoo! Keep in mind, the novel didnt go live until Jan 23rd so that's only about 8 days of sales. I dont know about you, but I'm pretty happy with that for my first 8 days of being published. And I know as I do more marketing, those numbers will only get better. But I also know that most importantly (according to our 'sensei' Joe Konrath) I NEED to get another book out there. ASAP. So... back to work.

Tips from the Black Hole

     I have learned my lesson!

     In my last post, I said that I needed to hop on the marketing train and get moving. I also said I wanted to assemble a list of e-spots to hit up and get the word out about my novel. So, I decided to kill two birds, so to speak, and assemble my list WHILE doing the items, so I could check them off as I went. Thus, I descended into the all-consuming BLACK HOLE that is e-marketing. I've spent the last two days hopping websites and blogs and also still trying to correctly format my cover for CreateSpace (that was a headache I don't even want to talk about.). I realize now how seriously I have to manage my time so as not to get sucked into the marketing hole - and so I can still set aside time to write! Because that was ridiculous. It would feel like twenty minutes of websurfing - on discussion boards and such - and I'd look at the clock and it had been two hours. Geez.

     At any rate, here is what I've found as good "first steps" to complete as soon as your story is available:
1. Announce your book in the Book Bazaar section of Kindleboards.com
2. Get added to the 'official kindle author list" on Kindleboards.com. All you have to do is PM the right guy with your info and he'll add you.
3. Facebook/email/Twitter (whatever you use) ALL of your friends and family and ask them to post links and share with everyone they know, the happy news.
4. Get it up on CreateSpace. This may fall into the 'publishing' aspect, which comes before this list, but if not, do it now - because all of my friends/family that don't have a Kindle yet (they don't know what they're missing, I know.) WILL buy the paperback version and that's guaranteed sales you're missing out on.
5. Sign up for Goodreads and upgrade to an 'author' page.
6. Do Book Reviews. On Amazon, Kindleboards, Goodreads - and anywhere else you can think of, in the genre you write, and always sign your name 'Name, Author of Book Name'.
7. Get some readers who will leave reviews on your book pages. Important: If they are family/friends, they need to state that in the review. Or if they got a free copy for doing so, state that too. From what I've already learned, the serious book reviewers on Amazon get pretty pissed off if you don't do that. If you don't, they consider it false advertising at worst, and manipulative, at best.
8. Write up a press release and send it to your local paper.... This one scared me, but the worst they can do is choose to not print it. Best case scenario, they'll want to support their own 'local' and they'll run it and give you exposure. It's worked for several self-pubbing Indie's and I got the idea from their testimonies, including Terri Reid, who just guest posted on JA Konrath's blog this week. Besides, a friend once told me that if you're goal/dream doesn't make you want to throw up, it's not big enough.
9. Find blogs that post reviews or book features regularly and ask to be included. I did this with Karly Kirkpatrick's BOOKADAY, and am already on the schedule to be featured in Feb. She has over 100 followers, not including FB and Twitter, so that's pretty good exposure for one site - and it's FREE. So I'm going to find more blogs like this and try to do more of these features.
    
     Okay, I'm sure I'll have more to add to the list but this is a good start for now. What I'd like to post next time is a compilation of different reviewer blogs like Karly's that you can go to, to get your title featured. If anyone knows of any, let me know, so we can throw it all into one big list. Because my only consolation for spending so much time on this lately, is that the first time is my learning curve. And hopefully the research I'm doing now will result in making this process much quicker every time from now on. Hopefully. Maybe. Ideally.
    
     Now, it's back to what I love best: writing. And I might have to disable my internet connection for awhile to do it. Otherwise, the addiction is too strong! Oh and as for numbers:

Across the Galaxy: 4
DreamKiller: 7

Shared Ideas

     To say I've learned alot from my fellow writers/bloggers about the e-publishing process would be an understatement. It's like taking free online career classes, for which I am so thankful. Blogs like JA Konrath and the others I have listed to the side here (Gniz, Scrittore, etc) have helped me stay plugged in, so thanks guys. I'm learning something new every day.

     But the one thing I feel like we should share more of is marketing strategies. I know that one of the major ways to get the word out about my novel is to have an "online presence" as they say. And I have a list of a couple of sites I can go to and ask for a review or just join in discussions and let my name become familiar, but I think it would benefit all to share information on this subject. Because in my opinion, the first time I'm doing this should make all of the rest of the times easier. Therefore, by the time I release my second, third, and fiftieth books, I should have a working list of sites/blogs/book reviewers to contact and get the word out. It seems like it would seriously reduce my online 'homework' time if we all shared ideas on this. So- any ideas anyone?

     I'll share the idea I've already put into motion for me: Karly Kirkpatrick has a BOOKADAY program on her site. If you email her, she'll feature your book including synopsis, price, where to find it, etc on her website where she currently has over 100 followers -not including facebook and twitter. So I emailed her yesterday and she'll be featuring mine in February. She's also a self-pubbed Kindle author and is more than happy to help out the rest of us by doing this, which is much appreciated. I definitely want more ideas like this!

Also, don't want to leave this part out: My numbers are:
Across the Galaxy - 3
DreamKiller -          4

Now Available on Amazon!

     Hello to all! I am happy to announce that my cover was completed yesterday and my novel, Across the Galaxy, is now available on Amazon for $2.99! The cover artist is Mike Anderson and he did such an amazing job. I will get a link posted soon that you can use to browse his site and/or contact him about your own cover art. His rates are VERY reasonable and he's very talented. Also, thanks to my cousin Krystle for posing as my model. She looks incredible! And very 'Alina-like'.

     Now I have to be honest and tell you that words can't even begin to describe how truly excited I am to have the book up there. I keep walking around my house and exclaiming "Ohmygosh!" at random moments. Seriously, my husband just shakes his head and chuckles. And I've definitely roller-coastered back and forth a few times already between being insanely ecstatic and utterly terrified. It's sort of exhausting so I'm trying to focus on the excitement, but when I think about someone I KNOW reading this book, it really scares me. Strangers are no problem. Go figure.

     Also- I have a new cover for DreamKiller, which should be up by the end of today or tomorrow. Its equally amazing and shot by the same cover artist. I would love to get some feedback on my covers so please let me know what you think.

     I am in the process of trying to get the novel available on Amazon's CreateSpace, where you will be able to purchase a paperback copy. Due to the price of printing it, however, it will probably be around $15. I am not making any money on that price, so I wanted everyone to know that up front. I would love to price it under $10 but Amazon requires a minimum amount to pay for the printing cost, and because my novel is slightly long (haha okay alot long- its 360 pages), they require that I charge at least $14.70 per book. So I'm not trying to rip off friends and family, and hopefully I'll find a way to discount it somehow.

     So- lot's going on and I will keep you posted about it all as it happens. For now, back to work!

Numbers

     I want to give an update on my numbers, such as they are. I published DreamKiller earlier this week on Amazon (and so far, only on Amazon). I think it went live on Monday? And so far, I've sold 4 copies. Woohoo! The thing about DreamKiller that makes me so excited to have sold 4 in the first few days is that I've done ZERO advertising. Mainly, because its a short story, not a novel, and I feel kind of weird advertising for a 5000 word short. Maybe it's just me. But for now, it was mainly to be used as my "test dummy" of publishing, just to learn how it all works.
     I know that when my novel debuts I'll be really pushing it and getting the word out there. But, for this one, I think I'm content to throw it out there and see what happens. Any thoughts on how much "advertising" I should be doing for a short story, without any other novels/stories posted?
     Also- thoughts on a cover? The one that's up there now is something I threw together - so it would have something. And with it being a short, how much should I invest in a fantastical cover, really? And also- and this is the last one, I promise - any IDEAS for a cover? Especially from those of you who've read it...

     In other news, I've been writing less and honing other skills this past week. On Monday, I donned my best paint clothes and headed over to a vacant apartment I manage and decided to try "turning it" as they say, myself. I want to learn how to do things "around the house" and this seemed like a fun way to learn. So far, I've spackled and sanded, and painted. But the more complicated things are yet to come...My friend/DIY-partner-in-crime have promised ourselves we won't call our husbands for help. So. We'll see how this goes, AND how much of the repair work is due to our own self-inflicted damage rather than the work that was needed when we got there.

DreamKiller

     DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

     In the spirit of my New Year's Resolution - to be PUBLISHED in 2011 - and since Across the Galaxy has a few more weeks to go (cover art, etc) before I can upload - here's a sampler to tide you over. My short story, Dreamkiller, is now available on Amazon for $0.99!!!

     I've had this short story floating around out there for submission for a few months now (online magz take a looonngg time to respond) but so far, no luck. Originally I shopped it for publication so that I would have the accolades and recognition behind my name when I queried agents for my novel. But... since I'm self-publishing my novel, I really don't care whether I can say 'I've been published in such-and-such magazine' or not. Hence, why not upload it and make it available to everyone NOW - and start earning a little change. Because to make back what a struggling online mag would've paid me, I'd only need to sell about 40 copies at $0.99 on Amazon.

     So go check me out. Just type 'dreamkiller' into the search engine and scroll down to my story. Yay, so exciting. I am officially a published author. And I couldn't be more excited. PLEASE leave me your comments/reviews here when you're done reading it, and let me know what you think. Happy Reading!

Balancing The Scales

     "If you haven't written anything today, you're not a writer."
     AND
     "A good writer reads something every day."


     I've heard both, and I agree. The problem is balance. I got the next book in a series I've been into on Tuesday (Awakened, by P.C. & Kristin Cast) so there went a whole day of writing... and then Wednesday was a personal day (our car not only broke down, but went to heaven, on the 64/264 interchange, and I started reading Vampire Blues, by Aaron Niz) and yesterday my friend brought me the next book in the Noble Dead Series (by Barb & J.C. Hendee). So I've spent the week basically reading instead of writing, and while I know being an avid reader is what brought me to write in the first place, I can't ever seem to find a balance between the two, as a daily habit.

     It's frustrating and probably more than a little bit nerdy that books are my weakness, my Achilles Heel. But I've combatted the reading "problem" with being accountable for my work. I tell whoever will listen about whatever it is I'm working on. Right now, my 7 year old tells everyone who comes over that they should really read 'Dirty Blood' because its a great story. Not that they have any idea what that is, but she'll make a great publicist one day. In the meantime, I'm at least accountable to someone...

     As for news about Across the Galaxy, I've been doing my homework on Amazon's formatting guidelines and it looks like I might need to go through and make some changes to make the manuscript work properly, or at least look good, on a Kindle. I'm hoping to upload it to my Amazon account or directly to my Kindle, if I can, and proof read it that way. The cover shoot is set for the 22nd. Woohoo!

     Can't wait to call myself a PUBLISHED author!

Marketing

     Its a new year! 2011. And the big talk everywhere is all about your resolutions and what you plan to do with yourself. I am not usually big into resolutions but I've decided to go for one this year. I've decided once and for all to publish my novel, Across the Galaxy, as an ebook. I've gone back and forth with the possibility for a few months now and had basically decided to try and query it first with traditional publishing companies and agents. I've been doing that for about a month now and I've gotten a request for a partial but nothing beyond that. And to be honest, I dont think I will either. Not because my book isn't good but because that's how the industry is right now. I've never been published before and I don't have a quirky little hook to lead with that makes me stand out from the rest, as a person. And especially because of how saturated and competetive the YA market is right now... well, I can only imagine the money I'm losing NOW to wait and get published LATER.

     Then I read JA Konrath's blog, which I follow like a kool-aid drinking zealot and he wrote what he always does- some form of  "e-pubbing is where its at" kind of article. Only, this time it got to me. Really, really got to me. And something clicked and I decided to stop waiting around and sitting on my hands and be like Nike... Just Do It. So real quick- before I could change my mind, I contacted a photographer I'd met last summer about doing the cover art and worked out pricing. And I've read up on how to format everything for Amazon's site, and trying to figure out if I can format it myself or if I should pay someone, and all in all am very impatient now that the decision's been made. Is anyone else that way? You'll drag a decision out as long as possible and when you've finally made it, you can't wait to put it into action. I'm that way, as you'll see soon. Because I say the book will launch sometime in February, when really, if I can manage it- it will go up sometime before the end of the month, in the middle of the night.

     Either way, you'll be the first to know.

A round of liquid courage for my fellow writers!

     I finally finished editing my YA novel, Across the Galaxy, on December 2nd, but then my sister came to town and we had what we called an "extravaganza" weekend. So I took a few days off, and then a few days more, to recuperate from the extravaganza. Then, last week, I got down to business and spent the better half of the week sweating and fretting over my query letter for Across the Galaxy.

     What is it about? How's this:
     Most teenage girls struggle with teenaged problems. Like what to wear to homecoming and did I shave my legs before gym class? Seventeen year old Alina has all of those problems and a whole lot more. The list does tend to get longer when you're an alien. An alien empress, to be exact.

     That's the opening paragraph of my pitch, or query letter. Anyway, Friday and Saturday afternoons were both spent researching agents and then lastly - sending out my query letter!!!

     Yup. That's right. I did it. Even though my knees were knocking together so hard, it left bruises. (Side note: Saturday I had a couple glasses of wine, a.k.a liquid bravery, and it kept my knees still long enough to hit 'send' without any more seizure-like mishaps.)

     So now it's out there, and I can't take it back. And so far, I've gotten a handful of responses that all say "Thanks for the look, but this isn't right for me right now"... And I'm taking their words exactly the way they've written them. Which means, I just need to find an agent that is looking for a great new breakout YA Fantasy and I'll be in there like swimwear.

     In the meantime, I got an email back from an editor on my short story, DreamKiller, who said it was a 'close call' whether or not to choose my story. In the end, they passed, but that one line of hope was all I needed to light a new fire, and since last night, I'm 5000 words into a new short story. I will finish it today or tomorrow and polish it by the end of the week, and then fire it right back to that same editor, who ended his email by saying "feel free to send us anything else you have". Let's see if he was shootin' straight or blowin' smoke.

     Mostly, though, that "close call" comment was validation. Validation that it wasn't total crap. Now, the egocentric in me knows my writing is great, maybe even genius some days. But the realist in me isn't so sure. Which is exactly what has held me back from e-publishing my novel - or short story for that matter. So who knows? A few more cuddly comments like these, a couple more courage-wine blends, and maybe I'll feel froggy enough to take the leap anyway.

     Until then, we'll leave well enough alone, and let the queries land where they may. Here's to "close calls"...

Hook, Line and Sinker

     I'm not a fisherman. I tried it once when I was a kid, and I couldn't stand it. I don't like worms, I'm not very patient, and I would much rather swim in the water than just stand there and stare at it, waiting for something to happen.

     Same goes for my agent querying. I finished Across the Galaxy back in August, edited for about a month and then put it away and worked on other things. About two weeks ago I decided to quit messin around, and get this thing off my plate, one way or another. So I went back and edited AGAIN, which was apparently a good idea, since alot of the sentence structure was pretty rudimentary. I mean, it probably still is, but I can already see how far I've come in the past year, just by writing something and reading something every day. I like to think of it as graduating from Pre-K to Kindergarten.

     So, I finished editing and while that was exciting, because that means Across the Galaxy is once and for all - DONE, it also means I have no choice but to move onto writing my query letter. Which I have expertly put off and put off for as long as possible. I've played around with it a few times, even claimed it was done enough to show an agent back in October, at that writer's conference, but deep down I know, I still need to come up with my hook. That one opening line that gets your attention right off, and sucks you in.

     And the more I think about it, the more I wonder if this process of trying to land an agent is going to be just like my one fishing experience when I was nine. I hate worms, I'm not very patient, and I would much rather swim in the water than stand there looking at it, waiting for something to happen.

all caught up

     I am kicking NaNoWriMo butt, people! I'm proud enough of myself that I had to brag for just a second so here it is. I hit 45,000 words last night! Woohoo! Yes, that obviously means I'm writing a little more than the averge 1667 words you need daily to complete the 50,000 by November 30th. I'm averaging 2500 a day or so, and that just means I'll finish early.

     The problem is this: the story I had originally envisioned, with all the plot twists and turns, is basically already written. It took less words than I thought, and while I'll need to go back and add some details in later, to connect it all, its not going to take me to 50,000 so here's where it gets interesting. Kind of like a 'Choose your own Adventure'. If you never read one of those, you should find one and give it a go. BIG THANKS to Gramma and Poppi for providing me with one when I was a kid. It was the coolest concept I'd never thought of before it fell into my hands. Anyway, now I've gotta decide, do I draw out the "wrapping it up" that I'm doing now to hit the 50k or do I spin a whole new twisted tale, right off the first one, making it all a part of the complete story? If I do the second, it'll no doubt have a cliff hanger, and need a second book.(Which I'd been trying to avoid, since I already had two other stories I was in the middle of before NaNoWriMo started.) 

     This is the dilemma and most likely, the answer will come the minute my fingertips touch the keyboard again. So here's a general idea of what I'm working on...
    
     High school junior, Tara Young, wakes up a murderer with no memory of the killing and a strange guy in her room. His name is Wes and he's a werewolf. So was Tara's victim. Tara learns she is a 'Hunter' - a werewolf killer - and struggles with the decision to embrace her destiny as such, or turn her back and live a normal life. In the midst of this monumental decision, a werewolf with a grudge makes it hard to do anything but simply stay alive.

     Let me know what you think!




http://www.nanowrimo.org/ if you want to check it out!

on pins and needles...

     I realized, after staring at the title of my blog for the last hour or so, that if I'm going to do this right, I've got to be honest. No holding back, or not 'putting myself out there', as they say. If I've submitted something, I'm going to post that I've submitted it, even if it means drying my tears with a computer keyboard when I have to post that a story got rejected. Mainly though, I'm just cocky enough to believe (as most writer's have to be) that I WILL be published, someday. Its just a matter of time. So that's what we're really recording here: how LONG this is actually going to take.

     So, this is where we're at. Back in August, I wrote a short story called DreamKiller, which no one but my family, and a certain red-head laid eyes on. I wrote it in a day and edited it the next, knowing I needed to push it out the door and submit it ASAP. (i.e. before I changed my mind.) So I sat down with the laptop and a glass of wine and, after booting up the first and chugging the second, I sent it off into cyber space with high hopes. Over the next four to six weeks, the rejection letters trickled in. The thing you need to understand, though, is how truly excited I was over each and every one of those rejections. You'd think they'd accepted it, from the look on my face. Because all I cared about, was that a real live honest-to-goodness editor, somewhere in the world- had read my work. That was exciting enough for me. I saved every single one of those emails!

     Now, it's time to get serious. I went back to it, and cleaned it up some more. (I have a nasty habit of repeating the same word multiple times throughout a paragraph) and I feel much more "ready" with it now. So, again I've done my research, and - wine free - sent it out to magazines for submission.

     I received my first rejection today, though it was and it wasn't. They told me that, unfortunately, my story would not be accepted for their winter 2010 issue, but they would be considering it for their spring 2011 issue. So its a rejection and a maybe, all in one? Just enough to get your hopes up, I guess. Just reading the email felt like a roller coaster, I get so nerve-wracked over seeing them in my inbox.

     Whew. That felt good. Now you know. And it's true, most people don't tell you about a dream, because they think it won't come true. So I'm telling you mine as my way of giving that pessimistic attitude the finger! And when I get my acceptance letter, you'll be the first to know. =)

NaNoWriMo

     November is National Novel Writing Month. I've heard of it, read up on it, but this is the first time around that I've considered myself a writer in the month of November. So after much debate, and whining to myself and my husband, about all the reasons why I can't or shouldn't do it, I'm going to.

     The decision made, I tried visiting the website yesterday but it was chaos. Well, that's what I assumed anyway, since the webpage took like 20 minutes to download. Lots of traffic there. So I need to go back on and officially sign up (maybe tomorrow) but I'm committed, I think. =) And I've got 2300 words or something like that, so far. And I'm making it up as I go, since I hadnt actually been thinking of a new project to do. I've been working on The Raven for the past couple of months, in between editing DreamKiller (which is finally DONE) and Across the Galaxy- which isn't done but I was determined to start something new while I edited this one. Then, there's Kaitlyn, from which I posted an excerpt on this blog. But none of those will work for NaNoWriMo, because in order to NOT feel like a cheater, I needed to start from scratch. Hence, we now have The Hunter. I'm about a chapter or so into it. And like I said, making it up as I go, but this is what I know so far, its werewolves this time, and a wolf slayer. I'll figure out the ending when I get there, but its already alot of fun so far. So, wish me luck, and 'Godspeed!'