Giveaway: Signed Draft Copy of Forever

Prize

A signed draft copy of Forever. I accidentally ordered one to many copies. So rather than allowing it to sit on my on my bookshelf I decided hold a contest. I am afraid there is only one copy though given that it is a draft.

Rules

The contest is open to everyone with reliable mail service. This includes international readers. The contest begins on December 15th at midnight and ends on December 31st at midnight. All times are EST. The winner will be chosen via random.org and will be contact by e-mail within 72 hours from the end of the contest.

Update

Thank you all for your interest and entries. The winner is Vickie Jones. Thank you again for all the support and interest. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Forever on Nook, Other E-readers, and Paperback

I know everything is up and going on Amazon and Smashwords but I’m getting many questions about the release date on the Nook and other e-readers. The good news is Nook should be up within 24-72 hours. The bad news is that it may be 2-3 weeks before it is available on other e-reading devices like the Sony e-reader and iBooks.

Forever can be downloaded for other e-reading devices (besides the Nook and Kindle) on Smashwords. The paperback is ready to go through Createspace. It will soon be available through Amazon and B&N as well. Below I have the links for Smashwords and Createspace to purchase electronic copies or paperbacks. I will let everyone know as soon as Forever is available through other vendors.

Smashwords  Createspace

Forever Release Date Moved Up

So a funny story for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

I uploaded the new version of Immortal some months back after editing was completed. It took nearly four days to go live on Smashwords and another two days before it was updated on Amazon. I don’t really know how long it took before Barnes & Noble got it up on their site but it took a few weeks.

The reason I’m telling you all this is that I set my release date for Forever as December 1, 2011. I didn’t want the formatting and upload time to cause me to miss the date so I began the process in the WEEEEEEEEE hours of the morning on November 24, 2011. Funny thing is it didn’t take as long as I thought it would. In fact, it is now available for purchase on Smashwords and will soon be available on Amazon. I considered removing them and waiting an extra few days but that can be a tricky game so I am leaving them up.

Think of it as a Black Friday present. I hope you all enjoy and that the rest of your Thanksgiving weekend is a happy one.

Forever Book Trailer

I made a book trailer for the upcoming release. I hope you all enjoy it.

Forever Release Date

I know everyone has been waiting for an update and I told you I would let you know milestones as I reached them. The suspense is over in some regards and just starting in another. Forever has been sent to the proofer (to make sure all my I’s have dots and those pesky homophones are found). With that said, I am setting the tentative release date for Forever as December 1, 2011.

As a little treat, I am also posting the cover for Forever. I hope you all enjoy it. And I look forward to your feedback.

Mistake Number One

Not hiring a professional editor.

This may seem like a no brainer but I have to learn everything the hard way. This is the thing I regret the most and would change if I could. I honestly thought that when I released Immortal it was the best it could be. There were, however, some glaring errors in the manuscript and those reviewers or readers who threw their hands up and quit reading I apologize.

Earlier this year I decided to correct this issue. I hired a professional editor (Lynn O’Dell) and after a few months of hard work and back and forth we got it worked out. I now have the edited version of Immortal at Amazon and Smashwords. I have also uploaded it to B&N but I’m not sure how long it will take to be corrected as they tend to lag behind slightly on updates.

My advice to those who are considering going the Indie route is to hire a professional editor. It may seem like and unnecessary or frivolous expense, but it is worth every penny you spend. Also make sure they do an adequate job (most editors will offer sample edits). There really is no substitute for an editor. Beta readers are great but they usually are not getting paid to find the mistakes. So if you want your book to be the best it can be, get a reputable editor. This will not guarantee success but it will hopefully help prevent some bad reviews or readers giving up on your novel prematurely due to common spelling errors or holes in your plot.

Mistake Number Two

Not finishing the series before publishing.

This one is a little tricky. Immortal is the first book I have ever written. I knew from the very beginning it would be a series. I never dreamed how long or difficult writing a series could be. Writing the second book, Forever, has been a learning experience on the scale of writing a first book.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not advising anyone not to publish until the entire series is completed. Just be prepared for the fact that it can take a lot longer than you thought to write and things don’t always go as planned

Mistakes I Made When Going Indie

There is a lot of debate about self publishing or indie publishing. The tide has changed with the success of authors such as J.A. Konrath and Amanda Hocking. This has given some validity to the act but there are still some who think it could be a fluke.  

After much research and inner debate I decided to try my hand at it and though I have not (as of yet) had the success of the above mentioned authors I am still doing far better than I could have ever dreamed. With this success I have run into things that I would have done differently and I hope to explore these topics over the coming weeks and what, if any efforts or ideas, I have come up with to try and fix these errors. 

Hopefully, none of them are as bad as this. Okay, at least one of them is as bad as this.

Updates and Apologies

Okay, let me first say that I am sorry I have been absent for so long. I feel like a really bad friend or relative who avoids everyone when they don’t have all the answers or in this case when I haven’t met everyone’s expectations (even my own).

Now for the second part.  I know everyone is waiting for Forever and I am still working on it.  It has been two steps forward one step back process. I hoped, and truly thought, I would be able to write more while I was working full time, going to school full time, and trying to have some sort of family life. It didn’t work quite the way I planned. As anyone who has tried or written a book can attest to it rarely goes the way your plan.

On to the important part.  I am still working on Forever. As I mentioned above it has been a slow process but with school wrapping up I will be spending more time on my writing. I have also been working on some other things I’ll let you know about in the next few weeks. I want to think everyone for being so patient and will try to be more diligent in my postings.

Stuck in the Middle

You’ve finally committed.  You started writing your novel. Everything is going great. The plot is coming together the characters are awesome and connect with each other and you. Then the unthinkable happens.  Nothing at all.  That’s right you’ve spent weeks months or even years and now you’re stuck right in the middle of the story. You know where it should go, but you can’t see how to get it there.

This is not really the same as writers block though you could say they are cousins. You keep writing, but it just feels like you are spinning your wheels. How do you combat being stuck in the middle?

1) Keep writing. The end may be closer than you think.
2) Skip ahead. Movies aren’t shot in order so who says you have to write that way.
3) Realize you aren’t alone. The middle is usually the make or break part of a novel. Not because it is the most important part, but because it is where most writers give up. The beginning of a novel is easy you go in all revved up and start strong. The ending is easy as well as you can see the finish line. The middle is that bleak spot where you can get lost and lose sight of the prize at the end.
4) Don’t give up. Recommit yourself to finishing. You’re in the middle of the forest now and the only way out is to continue forward.

I’m Not Looking

You’ve promised yourself you won’t look anymore. That is easier said than done considering every time you click the link it is the first thing you see.  It is also everywhere you see your book like a shining beacon right next to your cover. And every time the number grows your stomach clenches tight and you hope the news is good. I’m talking about book ratings and reviews. 

There is much debate amongst authors as to the proper to way to respond to these ratings and reviews. Some think responding to the reviewer is good. Some think having the more flagrantly negative reviews removed is a good idea. I’m in the crowd of no response is the best response. So why am I writing this post?

1) Reviews whether good or bad positive or negative can say what they want. It can be inaccurate, mean, and spiteful. It can also be eloquent, thoughtful, and heartwarming. Or any combination of the above. So yes there can be a good negative review and a bad positive review.

2) Authors can feel however we want about the reviews and the ratings that come from them, but very rarely if ever should we respond to the criticisms and reviews whether good or bad positive or negative.

However, not responding does not lessen the sting of the negative reviews nor does it contain the elation at the positive reviews. Being that we're a human (at least the last time I checked I was) we tend to focus on the negative. We can only hope that the positive reviews will balance out the negatives.

It's Not About The Money

I’ve been debating about what my first blog entry of the New Year should be. I wanted it to be something inspiring but real. I just couldn’t come up with anything until a conversation with my husband.

We were talking about finances. Not an uncommon topic after spending a little too much on the kids at Christmas.

He said (jokingly), “You need to hurry up and make me rich.”

My reply, “It’s not about the money. Money is just a perk.” As I heard the words reverberate in my head it struck a chord. That’s when I realized how true those words are for me.

I know some people go into different field with dreams of making it big whether it be a lawyer, doctor, or writer. For them it is what motivates them to excel at their chosen profession. This is not me.

I am motivated by the occasional quiet thank you or you did a great job. As an author this comes in the form of fan mail and positive reviews. It also comes from those quiet moments when I feel that I accomplished something wonderful no matter how small.