Beads of Blood

I’ve been a bad girl, haven’t I? With how long it took me to post again I should be strung up, but you know how life goes. I’m one chapter away from being done the third book in the DOW series. It does indeed look like the end, even though there’s always room for more. A kind of tragic, yet happy ending. Not everyone can get their fairytale, I suppose.

It turned out way way longer than I had imagined. I still have editing to do, a lot of cutting, a lot of grammar work, but I’m looking forward to it.

I finally lowered the price of my first book now that the third book in the series is well on its way to coming out. I have a few people who said they were looking forward to it, and I’m happy to deliver it, finally. I’ve also been anticipating working on another series. Never would I dream about working on two simultaneously. There was that long one month break I took from the DOW series to write Witherheart, and even though it only took me a month, now I’m looking back on it as being sort of irresponsible.
But I like Witherheart.

I do have a title for my third book. Beads of Blood. I’ve yet to work on the cover page, but I’m trying to get that out as soon as possible so that the public has an image to associate with the book. Plus, I just love doing cover art. I would have just been a freelance cover artist if I didn’t enjoy writing so much.

The third book should be out around Christmas, hopefully. I’ve been working very hard for that goal, but time is just flying by so quickly. But trust me, if this wasn’t something I enjoyed with all my heart, I wouldn’t be doing it.

My Inspiration, Witherheart, and the Third Book

I just did a four day free promo out of the flipping blue. That's because I had been waiting for two or three months to put Witherheart out and set up an email signup on my blog. It was so funny, because I never checked how many days I had left in the KDP Select. It turns out, I ONLY had four days left, and exactly FOUR days of free promo available. I did what I had to do.

I got over a thousand downloads for those four days, so I'm not complaining, but I simply wish it was more. I'm so very happy to finally have Witherheart out, by the way. I reread the whole thing two days ago and fixed a number of mistakes, and then re-uploaded it to Amazon, Smashwords, and Createspace. I was reading Dracula last night and got so inspired! I love that book. Beautifully written, intelligent, and engrossing. But I get lost sometimes reading it. That's why I like simple books. What I care most is that my writing is not pretty, but super easy to understand. So much, in fact, that the reader forgets they are reading words. That should ultimately be the goal of any writer, I believe.

In Witherheart, one vampire dominates the entire book. His name is Cane. Well, I wouldn't say he dominates the book in screen time. What I mean is that he's the main villain. He was inspired somewhat by Dracula and another character called Nicholas in Anya Seton's Dragonwyck. Now don't get me wrong. Cane comes close to neither character in terms of development or intelligence. I'm not good enough a writer to capture the feeling of those characters, however I do like Cane. I like him a lot. There's so much back story in Witherheart I didn't get to put in the book, not to cheat the reader out of background, but because I just didn't see a place for it without having to force it in there. I'm loosely thinking about making a second book, but right now the main thing I care about is Dragons of Witchcraft.

The third book is long overdue, and for the first time in months I find myself getting super excited about the outcome of the story. I'm compelled by my characters again. So many seeds were planted in the first and second book, hints of things that were given no explanation. All those things come to fruition in the third book, including bits of things that appeared in the first book that the reader probably thought had no meaning at all.

Witherheart Available on Amazon and Paperback

My original intent was to upload Witherheart for free, granted you sign up for an e-list first. I would still like to have an e-list for you to sign up for, however I think I will be uploading Witherheart on Amazon anyway. New information and updates on releases will still be the main focus of the e-list, which I hope a lot of people will take advantage of.

With Witherheart done I can now begin concentrating on the third book in the DOW series, though I admit that should have been my main intent from the beginning. But damn, I needed a break from that series. With two books finished, I'm  more than ready to finish it. Like I said, I've missed my characters. When I'm more confident about the material I already have, I'll be more than happy to upload a few free chapters either through my e-list or directly onto the blog.

Witherheart, just like DOW will be available in book form through createspace, so look out for that as well.

Witherheart--DONE

64000 words and Witherheart is done. It took me a month. I will give myself a week to edit it, and then I'll fuse it into my Aweber confirmation page. I'm so happy. Nonstop writing everyday for a month. It was pretty fun and I'm happy with the way it turned out. I do wish I could sell it, but I already promised that I would put it our free, and I will. I would love to have an e-list--definitely. After I'm satisfied that Witherheart can no longer be improved, I'll get off my ass and finish the third book in the Dragons of Witchcraft series. Perhaps I'll make the cover beforehand. Seeing the cover of a book always gives me motivation to finish it. The plot turned out quite different than I expected, but that's okay. Witherheart is a strange name for a boarding house, isn't it? Anjette (main character) thinks so too, as she describes sarcastically "as it had been so poetically dubbed." Lol. Making fun of myself there. I had the image of a gothic tower when I named it, not that there was ever a gothic tower with that name. But if there was, I wouldn't mind living in it.

I read a lot of romantic fiction. Adult romantic fiction. But it feels like I've practically just graduated high school and should be reading something more juvenile. Now I do appreciate juvenile fiction. How can I not when I write about it? I grew up on young adult romantic thriller fiction and fell in love with books like Hunger Games, City of Bones, and the Darkest Powers series. At one point, and I'm not ashamed to admit it, I was a part of the Twilight craze until my senior year.

My favorite book from the adult world so far has been Secret Fire by Johanna Lindsey. She's amazing. Some of her books I hate, but a lot of her books I love too. I've read other harlequin authors as well and I have to say that there's a reason these books are generalized and scorned by male readers. They all have a LOT of similarities.

But hell, the similarities work. They got my attention and had me chomping through Lindsey's entire conquest. Readers will buy books from authors they like. It's that simple. That's why I ache to have more books out. I have two in the process and one already completed, yet not all the way edited. If I play my cards right I hope to have Witherheart out within the next 2 months, the third book in the Dragons of Witchcraft series sometime within the next 3-4 months, and Girl in the globe out sometime after that, even though it's the only one out of the three that actually has a completed rough draft.

I've been watching and rewatching Social Network and Dark Knight lately. They're amazing movies and I love them so much. Dark Knight because, you know, Christopher Nolan is God, and because Social Network I just love. Mark Zuckerberg really did put in an extraordinary amount of work to get facebook going, and that if nothing else is something to be admired. I just love it when people put their hearts into projects that they really believe in.

I myself wish I could work harder. I think I'm stupid for putting so many projects on my list at once, but I have a goal I'm trying to achieve. I'll get there one day!

Witherheart

I'm currently in the process of setting up an e-list. I would like readers to be able to subscribe to a newsletter for information on future books, release dates, and so forth. This is the cover for a new book I'm writing that will soon be offered for free for those who sign up for the newsletter. That vampire novel I mention before? This is the one. It's called Witherheart. It won't be as long as my other books, I'm hoping, nor do I know yet whether the end will leave room for sequels, but I'm anxious to find out. Here is a brief summary of the book for those of you that are interested.

Anjette is the only one who believes her mother has died by the hands of a vampire, one who was also her lover. When three years pass and she is sent to live at boarding house by an aunt who claims she can no longer support four children, things start to happen which lead her to believe that the vampire has not only come back, but he's not done. Witherheart, deemed a retreat for troubled teens, shelters a variety of people who all either seem afraid of her or defer to her, one being a boy named Kegan who she believes will keep her from knowing the truth. Unless she can get around him.

The story is set in Chicago near Lincoln Park during the fall. Anjette will be different from Paige in that she is more reserved and more tactical. Paige I've come to like, so it'll be interesting to see how this new character deals with a chain of events just as mysterious and threatening. Also, it will be from third person perspective.

Finished but Not Really

It’s a glorious thing when one finishes a book. Be it the first time, the third time, or the tenth. Now don’t give me that look—I’m only at #3—and it’s not even the third book in the series. But I’m pleased that it didn’t take me that long to finish this time. Girl in the Globe is 68,000 words, unedited. I expect that number to change by five or so thousand words, up or down. Maybe more. It’s impossible to tell.

I can’t wait to start editing. I’m so excited to start working on the third book in the 3^rd Dragons of Witchcraft series. If you asked me, I couldn’t rightly tell you if it’s going to be the last book. I’ve tried to make it only three books, but we’ll see. For a trilogy they’re not very long books, roughly 70,000 words each. The second one is way longer than the first, but that’s only because more happens and there’s more back story.

In the third book I’m going to try to develop Andre a bit more. I don’t think we see enough of him. Paige even made a comment in the second book about how much more time she spent with Bishop despite being more like Andre. That could either be true or not true. I leave it up to the reader to decide.

I wonder what I’ll do after the next book in the series? I’m really trying to shoot for five books. I’d love to have five books out. Don’t give me the stink eye when I say this, but I’d loooove to write a vampire novel. I don’t think they’re a ruined species yet. Vampires are still the most romantic supernatural creatures to ever exist besides angels. I don’t know if I want to do an angel book. I have reservations about using them (that are in no way religious, mind you, but more literary).

What's Happenin'

As an indie writer sometimes I just have those days where I'm typing something and think "What the f*ck am I doing this for?" I won't say today was one of those days, but trust me when I say I've had plenty of em. But then I think back to everything I've written and done and think, "Wow. It's only been 4 months."

 4 months and three books. Not bad. Like I said before in one of my previous posts, it feels like it's been years. I think that's really great. The second I graduated it just seemed as if time was flying by, that one day I would wake up and be 30. Then 40, then 50, then writing a will. Writing makes time go by slower. Whether or not my writing becomes popular or recognized, it leaves evidence of all those months left behind. Wait, what am I saying? I'm too young to be talking like that. I'm only in my 20's.

Anyway, KDP Select sales are finally dwindling. I put my second book out for free for a couple of days last week and got more returns from the first book then when I made it free. I'm not disappointed. Hell, it's only been two books. Why am I so impatient? Probably because I'm young and I feel like I've put so much time and energy into those two books. Which I have. Writing is hard work. But! It's hard work I enjoy.

I finally got my first 5 star review on Amazon some time ago for my first book. That made me incredibly happy and inspired me to write faster. I'm sooo looking forward to finally working on the third book again. Several people have said they look forward to reading it, and I'd love to have them read it! I've missed the trio quite dearly.

One thing I aspire to do with the third book is include more characters. I don't think I have enough characters in my series. Ben became a new addition in the second book--kind of an asshole--but at least he was there for the party. I try to keep count with my fingers sometimes. Paige, Andre, Bishop, Phillip, Ben, and Ellis, which are mostly all my plot characters, and then my other characters which serve as support beams for Paige's life, like her parents, Arthur, and even her brother Daniel.

Third Book, New Book, More of KDP Select

Alright, I’m 27,000 words into this new book (Girl in the Globe), and still about 30,000 words into the third book in the Dragon’s of Witchcraft series. I’m not working on both books simultaneously, because that would just cause too much confusion, not to mention that both books are in different tenses. 

I’m having fun, albeit some trouble finding out where I want to go with this new book, but I’m writing more and more every day. The book is about Sunny, a fairy in a snow globe with a conscious mind who wishes to become human. Drew, the mean and spoiled girl who owns Sunny’s snow globe, unconsciously makes a wish that they could switch places after having a fight with her boyfriend.

It happens, and Sunny finds herself living Drew’s life, except a few people in school realize that’s he’s not really Drew. One of them being Drew’s boyfriend, Julian. Sunny’s character is meant to be bubbly, fanciful, and caring, but with a tendency to worry and over think things. I don’t have a cover page for the book yet, but I’m eager to get working on it.

The last free promo for Dragons of Witchcraft is going on now and tomorrow, for Easter weekend. I’m still thinking about entering the second book in the KDP Select, which I haven’t even done yet, even though I should since I’m not and can’t sell it anywhere else, according to KDP Select guidelines. In fact, I’m going to do it right now, this very second.

…

There we go. It’s done. Only took two seconds. I’m going to work harder so that the next couple of books come out sometime within the following few months. With editing and everything it might take longer than expected, but it’ll get done by the time Summer is over, I promise you that.

First Free Promo Results

I just did my first free promo for Dragons of Witchcraft. It lasted two days, from Friday to Saturday. I would like to say that the results were spectacular, but all I could do was shrug my shoulders and go “Eh.” Nearly 600 downloads, so it’s not awful, and in fact I’m quite pleased with it, but it just isn’t as good as I wanted it to be. Only a small percentage of those that download free books actually read them, and probably even fewer who go on to buy the next book, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. The next free promo I do will be on Easter weekend in April, so look out for that. I don’t know when or if I’ll enter Cinder Halo in the KDP Select.

What I’m really working on now is getting more books out. That’s just it. I really want more books out on the market, so I’m writing all the time. I seriously don’t like taking days off. In fact, the second I upload a new book I get right to working on the next one. It’s crazy. And still, despite all that, I’m not prolific.

Girl in the Globe is about 5000 words in. I have a whole guideline laid out, and I’m very anxious to see how it plays out. I haven’t even looked at the third book in the DOW series, but that’s only because I desperately need a break from it. When my next book is done, hopefully sometime within the next two months, I’ll go back to it and start working on it again because I do so love my characters.

Finally Did It

I'm looking at my clock right now and it reads 5:39am (oh yeah) so forgive me if I make mistakes.

Anyway I finally entered into the KDP Select. I know I've been talking about doing it for a week now, but yesterday I finally clicked the button. I'm going to have my book free for two days, starting this Friday. I'm kind of excited. Since I don't have a lot of books out I'm not expecting a LOT, but it never hurts to cross your fingers. I'm desperately trying to get the editing done for the second book so I can put it out before the free promo launches for my first book. I'll also have my first review out so, that'll be something for me to look forward to. I really forget that it's only been two months since my book's been out, if even that, but it feels like it's been years. Maybe because I'm working so hard.

I really want an editor for my second book. As soon as I can afford it, I'm getting one. I'm also working on a novella. Only recently have I thought about putting up shorter stories, and I'm quite excited to do it! It'll be so nice to take a break from first person POV. I really should have stuck with that POV in the first place, but it's too late now. Just as well, I'm already used to Paige's sarcastic voice and I've grown quite attached to it.

The third book I'm working on for the Dragons of Witchcraft Series won't be out for months, but I'm almost 30,000 words into it. It's like running a never ending marathon. You get water breaks, but ultimately it never stops. The novella I'm working on (and it's the first time I'm mentioning it anywhere) is called Girl In The Globe. Pretty straight forward title. I'm a lover of fantasy and I see potential there.

Now Uploading

I've worked harder on this book than I ever have on anything in my entire life. For the past week all I've done is read, write, and edit. I only ate once a day, hardly went to the bathroom, never went outside, didn't exercise, didn't play games, didn't talk to ANYONE, and my sleeping schedule's an absolute train-wreck. Now don't take these as complaints, because they're not. Despite the craziness, I actually enjoyed doing it.

I went to createspace.com, ordered a proofing copy, sat for two days reading the whole thing and marking the pages with red ink, fixed my word doc., re-formatted for kindle, and then uploaded it. This is ALL after changing the entire POV of my book.

Paige was entirely too uptight and mature, and I struggled in making her sound more her age. She's sarcastic, independent, and cares for her family and friends a great deal. This is the personality I hoped to get across with my writing, and only time will tell if I succeeded.

I just uploaded my new cover:

Background provided by awesome Brenda Starr on http://www.flickr.com/photos/brenda-starr/

and the edited document, and am currently waiting for publication. I changed the price to $2.99 to see how it goes, at least until the second book, Cinder Halo, has been edited and released too. I already made the new cover for that one:

 

and hope to get this thing done anywhere between this week and next week. I don't know when I'll enroll in KDP Select. I was hoping to get the second book out when I did that, but who knows, that could change in the next few days, depending on how frustrated I get by lack of sales.

Unpublished

I unpublished both my books from the Amazon Kindle market two days ago. This is because I'm editing. I know it's unnecessary to take the books down while I do this, but I just didn't feel right leaving them up. With every mistake I found I would think "Oh lord, and it's up there right now, live. People are actually seeing this . . ."

I'm having several people look at my work now, and I don't know when I'll be back up. I'm also looking for a new cover artist. Proud as I may have been for the measly one I created, I'm sensible enough to know that it's just not good enough. It's not the kind of cover that draws in readers. Pretty? I guess, but also a little . . . cheap?

Once everything is taken care of, I plan to enroll in the KDP Select. Now there has been a lot of religious talk going around about the KDP Select, but with a little research I found that enrolling would be best for me personally. That’s because KDP Select offers an exponential amount of exposure that is crucial for a nobody like me. Having my book up there for 90 days is no big deal, especially when I can choose any days out of those 90 to promote my book free. That’s really something, and authors have seen a lot of success with that.

Before that happens, I have to make sure that my books are as clean and perfect as I can make them. When people actually read the content, I want them to think that my books are more than just pretty covers.

Beta Reading

The world really makes it hard to find beta readers.

I edited my book 11 times. That means I re-read the whole thing eleven times over the course of six months, and it's still not good. As all authors, editors, and publishers will say, HAVE SOMEONE READ YOUR WORK. Fact of the matter is, you just can't see all your mistakes. It's not possible.

A second pair of eyes has to present or else you risk skipping over big errors. Sometimes screaming errors. As an indie, one should take every single step they can to make the best product possible. Some don't take their work seriously and post whatever they think will make them a quick buck, and that is an egregious mistake.

Turning your bad manuscript into a good manuscript, and a good manuscript into a great manuscript. Why would one ever skip the opportunity? Some people would rather pay for ads than editors, and that's sad, because editors are worth so much more. Even a friend can help.

I myself am searching for groups who beta read. Some can be found on Goodreads, Livejounal, and fictionpress. Forums are a great help too, and some are even willing to swap stories.

What I'm Learning

I'm an amateur. No need to hide it. However, amateur as I may be, I'm an amateur with dreams, willpower, and two books already up on Amazon (which aren't really doing anything, but still).

I just published a month ago and the thought that someone out there actually bought my book, with or without the intention of reading it, was so exciting! It made me want to try much harder to get the third book out, and then another, and I'm even thinking about doing some short stories for experiment. I've begun doing reviews on goodreads, and have contacted some book bloggers, few of which said they'd be happy to review my book. So awesome. I worship those people, even if they take forever to do it, because if it's one thing I learned from research is that Reviews account for a helluva lot.

People like Joanna Penn, Stephen Lewis and JA Konrath are all bloggers who've become Kindle authors and give excellent information on those striving to be successful.

All have fantastic information, and a lot of them give the same kinds of advice for indie authors. I've compiled a mental list myself.

1. Edit. I edited my first book Dragons of Witchcraft 11 times and am still finding mistakes. Crazy and distressing.

2. Have lots of books. Right now I only have two completed ones and a bunch of untapped ideas, first drafts, and samples that will never see the light of day.

3. Get reviews. Book bloggers, lists, and making use of your e-book to ask for them.

4. Experiment with pricing. Since no one knows my books exist, there's really not much of a point, but as most authors do, I set the first one to $.99 and the second to $2.99. Both have had a least a few sales. I don't consider myself capable of moving into the Trump Hotel anytime soon, but I'm crossing my fingers as hard has I can. (ha ha ha)

These are just a short few, but so many more tips exist that I simply suggest checking out the original sources.

YA Elements

The second book is dreadfully close to being out now and I’m trying to make it as perfect as possible. Here, I would like to talk about some elements in it.
As her mother and as a fan, I would like to say that I like Paige Sawyer. She’s not a repulsive character and she’s not perfect. I tried my best to make her as close to a human being as possible while at the same time, changing her into something that wasn’t human. For those insensitive to human behavior and habits, this is a hard thing to do. I’m not saying I’m insensitive to such things, but I tried my best.

Problems arise in this book that, given the events in the first book, would inevitably have come about. Such as the struggle in Paige’s school life. In a lot of YA I see this mistake all the time. There’s the plot, the drama, the strife, and the struggle between characters in whatever abnormal situation they’re in. And then there’s the other part of their life which at once seems to disappear or become utterly neglected as soon as said plot comes along.

I am of course, talking about parents and school. Why is it the trend in YA for parents to be so absent from their children’s lives? Most YA protagonists are minors, which presumably mean they live with an adult (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles) who take care of them, and yet these authors do nothing to try and implement the teachings and wisdom from these characters.

Guardians play an immense part in a child’s behavior and personality, not only in negative ways, but in very positive ways too. They lecture us, they ground us, they pick us up from practice, they take us shopping, they give us “the talk,” and they wash our underwear. That all seems like pretty important stuff to me, so it amazes me how often these things get ignored in YA.

I’m not a psychologist, or a professor, or a literary genius. I am a writer. I’ve done my best to take what I know from real life to insert it in as interesting and believable a way as I can into my work in hopes that reader’s will connect with the elements inside.

One of my biggest goals right now is to improve as a writer so I can continue to make these connections. My characters depend on it.

Revised Cover

This is the revised cover of my first book. It has just been uploaded on Amazon.com and is in pending. I can't wait to start experimenting with the KDP, especially when the second book is published which will be soon. I'll be uploading the second cover soon.

Relationships drive a series

Right now I’m going to expel some of my own beliefs on why I think series books work more than anything else. Some people would protest against that statement, but I believe in my heart that it’s true. I myself adore series. I love them. And that is because when I find a story that I can become invested in, there’s comfort in knowing that it won’t end any time soon and that I can partake in the enjoyment from that particular story for more than one book. The longer the series, the deeper the relationships get, and the deeper I find myself falling into their world. I love my characters and it is my hope that readers will love them too. If they do, I know they won’t be satisfied with seeing them in only one book.

Girls and women especially like series book, and for a number of things (at least in my case.) We are suckers for development. We are strange creatures and mix impatience and patience as we do love and hate. Sometimes it’s just impossible to differentiate the two. While we ache to see the guy get the girl, we also want him to work for it. And that takes time, which we understand. Though it just can’t be helped to sometimes think “Oh just kiss her already!”

In my particular case, I want to see just opposite almost as much as the first. Therein lies characters that become more real and genuine, because every relationship takes work. We want to be there on the journey with them, curious to see how it ends, and curious to see how that end comes about. At the end of the book the reader has to feel something. Emotion is what drives a story, and authors should want them to feel some sort of satisfaction, that they didn’t just waste their time reading a three, four, eight part series. That’s how you lose them and that’s how I’ve been lost. I’ve read series where this has happened to me, and it turned me off the author for the rest of my life. New releases be damned.

Guys can become invested in romance as well. I’ve talked to guys where they enjoy it in their books as long as it’s not the main focus, and a few of them are sensitive to how it plays out. They can recognize illusions when they see them, and prefer genuine characters that they care about. Seriously, tell me you don’t know a fan of Harry Potter that didn’t bitch about Ron and Hoirmoine’s relationship at the end of the book? Readers know. I believe in the intelligence of my fans.

They know what they want and no one should tell the otherwise. Readers are the ones that make the sales, after all. Not the author.

Title Page

This is the cover page for my first book. I did it all myself and I'm quite proud, though I do not find it particularly impressive. The color theme I like, and it's better than simply being words on a bland background or even a substitute avatar so I'm happy. The book I plan to release very soon, as the html is done (and has been done for months) and all I'm waiting on now is to hear from reviewers. Currently I'm working on the cover for the second book in the series, Cinder Halo and the third book.

This is quite exciting and I can't wait to see what happens.