Writing + Publishing = Kickbutt Busy!

I decided last  night to set up an Author page. And you know what that means? There's a LIKE button, over there to the right =>  just above my head. Feel free to click it!

I'm kind of overwhelmed. But in a good way. Let me explain. Back in June, (near the very end, you might as well say July) I decided to indie publish my first book. I knew it would be a lot of work, and it is, but good work.

It's one of those situations where you learn as you go, like being in school (but so much better!) The learning curve I've been on is never ending, it seems but it's all stuff I'm really interested in. I wake up each morning excited about the things I need to do.

The thing is, I'm so busy with publishing, I haven't written a new word since the summer. I did know this would happen going in, that fall would be devoted to developing this new aspect of my career, but it's kind of freaking me out. So, I've determined to surf on the wave known as Nano, not as an official entrant, but just to say, I'm writing in the month of November.

For those of you who have never indie/self published and think that maybe one day you might, I'm going to start blogging about what the process was like for me.

Here's the nutshell version (and it's kind of a big nutshell):

-make a big decision and tell people about it
-prepare blog/web site to drive readers/buyers to
-read and revise ms one more time, and send to beta readers.
-HIRE EDITOR
-work on cover ideas, HIRE COVER DESIGNER
(these are the two most important things you will do when you indie publish, trust me)
-learn to format for Smashwords (not that hard, don't do what I did and hire a third party)
-learn to format for Kindle
-learn to format for Nook (which I don't do as a Canadian b/c they're not friendly that way. I upload to Nook through Smashwords)
-buy ISBN(s) (but if you're Canadian, you get those for free! So there, Nook. You have to register with CISS-google it-but it's easy. It takes a couple weeks to get accepted but after that you can get any ISBN you want in minutes.)
-once you have cover and formatted ms, upload to various sites
-get promo pics taken
-set up blog tour
-make kindle author page look pretty (upload pic, bio, blog, etc)
-apply for Search Inside
-become a Goodreads author
-send out ARC to reviewers (I start with friends then request reviews from book reviewers)
-launch your e- book!!
-learn to format for Create Space or Lightening Source (or both) for print
-hire cover designer to create back cover and spine
-upload and order proof
-edit proof and resend

IN THE MEAN TIME
-gather twitter and fb friends and engage intelligently online
-blog regularly
-consider joining Wattpad (especially if you write YA)
-continue to request reviews (from a list you've been collecting as you participate in blog hops and blogfests)
-connect with other indie authors and cross promote
-contact Overdrive and register as a publisher
-set up a paypal account
-be patient and let things grow


WHAT I'M ACTUALLY BUSY WITH RIGHT NOW
-I'm a featured author on Wattpad, which means I've submitted a blog for Friday (today), and prepping for other Wattpad promotions
-finishing Clockwise proof edits for Create Space and waiting for cover changes from my design guy
-formatting ms of second book Playing with Matches, for Smashwords and Kindle
-waiting for cover for Playing with Matches
-Overdrive declined my application but gave me two links I need to follow up on
-I started the paypal process but haven't finished it
-figure out how to put paypal up on my blog site (to sell signed print copies)
-I joined a new Indie Authors group, which I will be telling you all about soon. Emails flying back and forth.
-create alternate CW book cover for Wattpad cover off
-figure out why my Google profile pic disappeared
-decide if I need a FB author page (update: I decided--see like button above my head and go check it out!)
-decide if I need a static book page
-decide if I need a book trailer
-re-submit Clockwise print ms and cover to Create Space
-upload e-book for PWM
-recruit readers/reviewers for PWM
-launch print book with Wattpad and Goodread contests (set those up)
-launch PWM

And I'm sure there will be more to do, but you get the idea. If you are planning on Indie Publishing, is there anything in particular that you would like me to blog about in more detail? Let me know, I'd love to help!

UPDATE: I forgot an important step for NON-AMERICAN  authors when you submit to Create Space. They have to withhold 30% for taxes unless you submit a ITIN (international taxpayer identification number). You have to fill out a W-7 and send it in along with a letter from Create Space (which you can download). When you receive the ITIN you fill out a W-BEN (Create Space gives you the links) and send it to them.

Great other things yet to do list in the comments by Kristie Cook.

Good suggestion made by Amo in the comments, I will post this list in my writing tip tab.

Book Fair!

What's so great about internet browsing and shopping is that you don't have to get dressed and leave your house to do it! Awesome!!


Well, there's an Internet Book Fair going on today, and CLOCKWISE is part of it. And a big thanks to Susan Kaye Quinn for putting this list of books together. You'll see her book at the top (I put it there) and it looks fantastic! It's not available until her launch on November 01 (which is going to be incredible, also, she's guest posting here) but you can add it to your Goodreads list.

Have fun browsing!!

Young Adult

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn (Paranormal/Science Fiction) Available 11-1-11

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep. Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her. Add to Goodreads

Bound by C.K. Bryant (Paranormal Romance) Available 11-11-11

When a photo shoot ends in tragedy, Kira discovers her best friend, Lydia,has been keeping a secret. Knowing the truth, and accepting it, will change Kira’s life forever and thrust her into a world of ancient curses, magical objects, and savage enemies. What happens next will challenge everything Kira knows about her world, herself and the shape-shifting warrior she’s falling in love with. No longer the timid mouse her mother accused her of being, but a woman who finds the mental and physical strength to endure and survive. Add to Goodreads

Become by Ali Cross (YA Urban Fantasy) Available 11-11-11

Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she Becomes the evil she despises and the good she always feared. When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her Choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is a reason to want to change—something she’s never had before—a friend. Add to Goodreads

Exiled by Rachelle Workman (YA SF Romance) Available 11-11-11

Stubborn, sixteen-year-old Princess Venus of Kelari wants one thing, to become a kelvieri, that is, until someone exiles her to Earth, kills her irrihunter and takes her family. Now she wants revenge. But before she can return to Kelari, the Gods have commanded her to help an arrogant boy named Michael find his soul mate. But time is running out and Michael is falling for the wrong girl—-her.

Add to Goodreads

Breathe by Melanie McCullough (Contemporary) Available 11-11-11

Life's hard. People make it harder. They tether you to them. Make it difficult to breathe, and damn-near impossible to leave...Seventeen year-old Abby Rhoades knows this all too well. Born to a mother who could never love her and who vacillates between a sloppy drunk and a suicidal maniac, Abby's never had it easy. But Abby can swim. And Abby has a plan--win the state championship, earn a free ride to Penn State, and leave her small town and suffocating mother behind. But then the body of Tom Ford, her mother's latest boyfriend and a man Abby adored, washes up along the shore of the Susquehanna River. His injuries suggest murder and suspicion quickly falls on Abby then on her best friend Garrett Scott, both of whom saw Tom the night he died. They both know what happened that night, but neither one is talking. There's too much at stake and the truth could tear them apart. Add to Goodreads

Pigments of My Imagination by Angela Kulig (Dark Fantasty) Available 11-11-11

From the moment Lucia steps into Bayside Art Academy, she is fed a steady stream of lies, but it’s not until she meets Michael that she begins to question the people she trusts. Unraveling fact from fabrication seems impossible until Lucia finds her first painting, and discovers the dead do not lie--at least not to her. A dozen lifetimes ago, Lucia started a war. Not a war with armies or guns, but a bloody war nonetheless. The path leading Lucia to the truth is hidden within lovely art that spans the ages. In this life, however, Lucia doesn't know where to look. Lost, she turns to the one thing she knows with certainty--she is in love with Leo, and has been before. Add to Goodreads

The Secret of Spruce Knoll by Heather McCorkle (Urban Fantasy)

Following the tragic death of her parents, Eren Donovan moves to Spruce Knoll to live with an aunt she’s never met. Little does Eren know the entire town of Spruce Knoll is filled with “channelers”—a magical group of people who immigrated to the small Colorado town when they were driven out of their own lands. Channelers are tied to the fate of the world. As the world slowly dies, so do they—and they alone have the power to stop the destruction of Earth. Soon, Eren learns she not only lives among them, but she is one. When she meets local boy Aiden, his charm convinces her that being a channeler may not be all bad though. $7.96 on Amazon   $7.96 on B&N

Clockwise by Elle Strauss (Fantasy)

Casey Donavan doesn't mind life at the bottom of the Cambridge High social ladder, if only she didn’t have this other much bigger problem. Unscheduled trips to the nineteenth century! When Casey gets talked into going to the Fall Dance, she accidentally takes Nate Mackenzie, the cutest boy in the school, back in time. Are those romantic sparks or is it just ‘brotherly’ protectiveness? When they return to the present things go back to the way they were before: Casey at the bottom of the social totem pole and Nate practically the flag flying from the top. Except this time her heart is broken. Plus, her best friend is mad, her parents are split up, and her little brother gets escorted home by the police. The only thing that could make life worse is if, by some strange twist of fate, she took Nate back to the past again. Which, of course, she does. $2.99 on Amazon   $2.99 at B&N

Turning Point by Melissa Luznicky Garrett (Suspense/Thriller)

She recalled her mother’s warning: Bad things always happen to nice girls like you. Convinced a fresh start is all she needs to escape the problems at home, seventeen-year-old Jenna Lyons runs away in the middle of the night. But when her car breaks down on the outskirts of La Grange, Missouri, population less than a thousand, she gets sucked into the small town, and one family in particular. Jenna discovers there’s a liar in La Grange, and he’s deceived everyone. Now she must decide whether to run away from the truth, or blow his secret wide open. $3.99 on Amazon   $3.99 at B&N

Destined by Jessie Harrell (Retelling) Available 11-17-11

When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear. As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she's come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined. Add to Goodreads

Darkspell by Elizabeth Mueller (Paranormal Romance) Available 10-31-11

Winter Sky believes she is everything ordinary . . . until she is kissed by Alex Stormhold. As seer of Stormhold Coven, Alex is sworn to be Winter’s protector against the darkness that hunts her.  Violently thrust into a magickal realm she always thought impossible, she stumbles upon a disturbing secret of her own. Will love prove thicker than magick? Add to Goodreads   Preorder from author

Anathema by Megg Jensen (Cloud Prophet Trilogy) 

Reychel is a slave girl surrounded by magic, lies and manipulation. Her best friend disappears in the middle of the night leaving Reychel to face her fifteenth birthday, the day her master burns his brand into the back of her bald head, alone. She's sheltered from the outside world and doesn't have any hope for escape, but when people desperate for freedom ask for her help can Reychel learn to believe in herself?

$0.99 on Amazon

How to Date an Alien by Magan Vernon (Science Fiction) Releases Dec. 2011

High school senior Alex Bianchi's estranged father gets her an internship at Circe Operations Center to pad her college applications. But Circe isn't your typical military base. It's an alien-run operation center and not all of the aliens are friendly, especially the one that tries to kill Alex on her first day. When Ace, a dark-eyed Caltian, enters and saves the day, she can't help but be drawn to him. Can these star-crossed lovers survive when they're on the brink of intergalactic war? Add to Goodreads

Soulkeepers (Book One) by G.P. Ching (Dark Fantasty) 

When fifteen-year-old Jacob Lau is pulled from the crumpled remains of his mother's car, no one can explain why he was driving or why the police can't find his mother's body. Made a ward of his uncle and thousands of miles from home, a beautiful and mysterious neighbor offers to use her unique abilities to help him find his mom. In exchange, she requires Jacob to train as a Soulkeeper, a warrior charged with protecting human souls. He agrees to her demands, desperate for any clue to the mystery of his mother's disappearance. But soon Jacob finds himself trapped in a web of half-truths, and questions her motives for helping him. $2.99 on Amazon

Invisible by Jeanne Bannon (Paranormal) 

Lola’s not pretty. Lola’s not popular. Lola wishes she could disappear … and then one day she does just that... For seventeen-year-old Lola Savullo, born to funky parents who are more in than she could ever be, Lola’s dream of becoming a writer makes her an outsider even in her own home. Not only is she freakishly tall, Lola’s a big girl and when forced to wear a bathing suit at her summer job as a camp counselor, Lola’s only escape from deep embarrassment seems to be to literally vanish. Soon after, she discovers the roots of her new “ability”. Slowly, Lola learns to control the new super power. The possibilities are endless. Then, when tragedy strikes, Lola must summon her inner strength, both at home and at school. She has to stand up for herself, despite the temptations and possibilities of her newfound super power. $3.99 on Amazon

Solstice by PJ Hoover (Fantasy) 

Where Mythology and Dystopia meet... Piper’s world is dying. Global warming kills every living thing on Earth, and each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles which threaten to destroy humanity. But when Piper discovers a world of mythology she never knew existed, she realizes her world is not the only one in crisis. While Gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper's life spirals into turmoil, and she struggles to find answers to secrets kept from her since birth. And though she’s drawn to her classmate Shayne, he may be more than he claims. Piper has to choose whom she can trust and how she can save the people she loves even if it means the end of everything she’s ever known. $2.99 on Amazon

The Fairy Godmother Dilemna (Catspell) by Danelle Leafty (Fantasy) 

Sixteen-year-old Breena never thought anything could be worse than being forced to leave the faerie realm. Then she got stuck with a fairy godmother. But if she has to choose between the two, she’d leave the Faerie Realm over getting bossed about by a faerie with a pointed stick any day. Unfortunately, her attempt to evade her fairy godmother gives her growing pains in the form of fur, whiskers, and a tail.Turning into a cat is the least of her worries, though. The potion wasn’t meant to bring out her inner feline, it was meant to put her to sleep. Forever. If Breena wants to make it to her Happily Ever After, she’ll have to accept that sometimes a fairy godmother really does come in handy, after all. $3.99 on Amazon

Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper (Fantasy) Available November 25th!

Yara Jones doesn’t believe in sea monsters—until she becomes one. When a hurricane hits her island home and she wakes up with fins, Yara finds herself tangled up in an underwater world of mysterious merfolk and secretive selkies. Both sides believe Yara can save them by fulfilling a broken promise. The selkies want to take her life. The merfolk want something far more precious. Treygan, the stormy-eyed merman who turned Yara mer, will stop at nothing to protect his people—until he falls for Yara. The tides turn as Yara fights to save herself, hundreds of sea creatures, and the merman who has her heart. She could lose her soul in the process—or she might open the gateway to a love that’s deeper than the oceans. Preorder Now!

Middle Grade

Born to be a Dragon by Eisley Jacobs (Fantasy)

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup… This is what Lord Edric wants you to believe. He will do anything in his power to see that humans never come in contact with dragons again. However, he doesn't plan for Meia, the foster child who dreams of dragons, believing they are real. Or Deglan, the ten-year-old dragon who bears the ancient mark that threatens everything Lord Edric has worked for. Join these two unlikely friends as they discover the truth behind a legend so extraordinary it will alter each of their lives… forever. $0.99 on Amazon   $0.99 at B&N

Noah Zarc by D. Robert Pease (Science Fiction)

Noah lives for piloting spaceships through time, dodging killer robots and saving Earth’s animals from extinction. Life couldn’t be better. However, the twelve-year-old time traveler soon learns it could be a whole lot worse. His mom is abducted and taken to thirty-first century Mars; his dad becomes stranded in the Ice Age; and Noah is attacked at every turn by a foe bent on destroying a newly habitable, post-apocalyptic Earth. Traveling through time in the family’s immense spaceship, Noah, a paraplegic from birth, must somehow care for the thousands of animals on board, while finding a way to rescue his parents. Along the way, he discovers his mother and father aren’t who he thought they were, and there is strength inside him he didn’t know he had. $0.99 on Amazon   $0.99 at B&N

A Scary Good Book by Anita Laydon Miller

Two words change 12-year-old Hannah Stone’s life forever: Help me. That’s the first message she finds in a library book, but she quickly finds more. She notifies the police, but isn’t taken seriously. So with her best friend, Ollie, she breaks into a library, gets caught in a kidnappers’s web, and is stalked by her own dad’s hit-and-run killer, all to save a life. But will she lose her own? $0.99 on Amazon

Contemporary (Adult)

Build a Man by Talli Roland (Chick Lit) Releases 12-7-11

Slave to the rich, rude and deluded, cosmetic surgery receptionist Serenity Holland longs for the day she's a high-flying tabloid reporter. Unfortunately, every pitch she sends out disappears like her clients' liposuctioned fat, never to be seen again. Then she meets Jeremy Ritchie -- the hang-dog man determined to be Britain's Most Eligible Bachelor by making himself over from head to toe and everything in between -- giving Serenity a story no editor could resist. With London's biggest tabloid on board and her very own column tracking Jeremy's progress from dud to dude, Serenity is determined to be a success, even going undercover to gain intimate access to Jeremy's life. But when Jeremy's surgery goes drastically wrong and Serenity is ordered to cover all the car-crash goriness, she must decide how far she really will go for her dream job. Add to Goodreads

The Golden Sky by Elisa Hirsch (Memoir) Releases 11-18-11

The night I met Cade I never would’ve thought that two years later, after we were homeless street musicians in Hawaii, we would have a little girl and another baby on the way.  Our son was born with the type of birth defects that make televangelists cringe. The “death home” gave him a really nice funeral, the kind I’d never wished to attend. We lost it after that, totally cemented in our grief.  Cade got into drugs, joined a rock and roll band, and I kicked him out of the house. That was how I met: Earl (an old man and unlikely best friend), the “big sag” (a middle aged woman who still flashed folks), Todda (the stripper next door), and Chris (a cowboy who fell in love with me). It wasn’t until I killed a rogue skunk, and my daughter nearly choked on a fry, that I gave my husband another chance.  But could our marriage recover from the death of our son?

Historical Romance (Adult)

The Lady's Fate by Anne Gallagher (second in The Reluctant Grooms series)

When Lady Violet Flowers becomes governess to the Marquess of Haverlane's daughter, her gentle care and affection for the little girl turn the curmudgeonly Marquess' eye in her direction. However, a woman from his past wants Haverlane and will do anything to get him. Will Fate intervene? 

$2.99 on Amazon

Science Fiction and Fantasy (Adult)

Semper Audacia by M Pax (Science Fiction)

Leda is the last living member of the brigade, the sole defender of her world. War took everyone she knew, leaving her in the company of memories and ghosts. In an aging flyer, she ventures out to meet her world's fate, the last stand.

$0.99 on Amazon   $0.99 on Smashwords

 

Promise by Kristie Cook (Paranormal Romance)

When Alexis Ames is attacked by creatures that can’t be real, she decides it’s time she learns who she really is, with or without the help of her mother, who guards their family’s secrets closely. After meeting the inhumanly attractive, multi-talented Tristan Knight, however, Alexis retreats behind her façade of normalcy…until she discovers he’s not exactly normal either. Then their secrets begin to unravel. Their union brings hope and promise to her family’s secret society, the Angels’ army, and to the future of mankind. But it also incites a dangerous pursuit by the enemy – Satan’s minions and Tristan’s creators. After all, Alexis and Tristan are a match made in Heaven and in Hell. $2.99 on Amazon   $2.99 at B&N

Between by Cyndi Tefft (Paranormal Romance)

It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent. After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates. Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries. $0.99 on Amazon  $0.99 at B&N

Literary Fiction

String Bridge by Jessica Bell Available 11-1-11

Greek cuisine, smog and domestic drudgery was not the life Australian musician, Melody, was expecting when she married a Greek music promoter and settled in Athens, Greece. Keen to play in her new shoes, though, Melody trades her guitar for a 'proper' career and her music for motherhood. That is, until she can bear it no longer and plots a return to the stage—and the person she used to be. However, the obstacles she faces along the way are nothing compared to the tragedy that awaits ... Add to Goodreads ALSO: Soundtrack available 11-1  Music Sample!

 Mystery

The Gatsby Game by Anne R. Allen

When Nicky Conway meets Fitzgerald-quoting Alistair at a Princeton mixer in 1969, she falls for his retro, Jazz-Age charm. But she discovers he’s a con man obsessed with his own “Daisy”—British actress Delia Kent. After Alistair manipulates Nicky into nannying for Delia’s daughter on the set of aHollywood film, Delia finds Alistair dead in her motel room. Local police can’t decide if it’s accident, suicide—or murder, in which case, Nicky is the prime suspect. (This novel offers a fictional solution to a real unsolved Hollywood mystery—the death in 1973 of David Whiting during the filming of the Burt Reynolds’ movie, "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing".) $2.99 on Amazon

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank (A Rose Gardner Mystery)

For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.

$0.99 on Amazon   $0.99 at B&N

 

Winner of PRIDE & POPULARITY!

*drum roll please....*

Random.org worked its magic once again---

And the winner is !!AMO!!

Congratulations Amo! Click my contacts tab for my email and let me know the best way to get the book to you.

In other news,  Online Book Fair starts tomorrow. It's not too late to sign up.

See you there!!

Friday Four or Five

Busy weekend ahead, but I have time to give you my four or five:

1. I'm over at Shelli Johannes-Wells' blog today. Don't know who she is? Well, you need to get over there pronto and find out. She is a fearless fireball, and is laying out her experiment with indie publishing. Plus she asked me some great questions!


2. Mark your calenders: next Tuesday October 25 there is a book fair, right here in the blogosphere. Lots of great books to check out. If you have a book you'd like to show off, go sign up at M.S Leslie's blog.

3.There's still time to enter to win a signed copy of Jenni James's book, PRIDE & POPULARITY. Just tell me which Jane Austin book is your favorite!

4. In case you haven't seen this, the New York Times weighed in on Amazon vs Traditional Publishing.

Amazon Signs Up Authors, Writing Publishers Out of Deal

Very interesting.

5. DH comes home today after being gone for one month. You probably won't see much of me over the weekend.*winks and grins*


Have a great weekend every one!

When is There No Dust?

DH comes home in 2 days (yay!) after being away for one month. For those of you who don't yet know DH (aka Norm Strauss) is an indie folk artist and likes to do house concert tours, which was what he was doing in Germany/Switzerland.

Anywho, I spent most of that time acting like a manic workaholic getting Clockwise launched as an e-book, learning about formatting, prepping for the print version, requesting reviews, answering interviews, working on edits on my next book, Playing with Matches (fab edit work done by Leigh T Moore, herself!), formatting PWM and working on a cover with my AI guy, and meeting new indie authors online and making all kinds of grand plans in this fantastic community of collaborators.

Whew! Who had time to get lonely?

Or to do housework?

I know that I like to come home to a clean house when I've been away, so I always planned a big cleaning blitz before DH's arrival.

Somehow the inside of my house had turned into a fuzzy animal. I almost expected it to grunt or snore.

not quite this bad

Why is it that people never actually notice when a house isn't dusty. No one ever says, wow did you see how dust free her house was? But a dusty house, none can ignore.

And truthfully, I enjoy a clean house. There's a certain satisfaction after a major housecleaning blitz, a kind of work out and an (another) excuse to reward oneself by putting one's feet up and sipping a glass of wine.

So on to other "house-keeping" bits of info:

1) I'm being interviewed today by Misha, at My First Book Opportunity. Find out if I'm a pantser or a plotter.

2) There is an online book fair next week and CLOCKWISE will be there! Check back tomorrow for more info.

3) Speaking of tomorrow,  tomorrow I am being interviewed by The Shelli Johannes Wells of Market My Words fame. She is a force, I tell you, a force. Find out my biggest mistake in the publishing world and what a book of my life would be called.

What have you been busy with lately?

Author Jenni James and PRIDE & POPULARITY giveaway!

I'm so stoked to have Jenni James here today. She is the author of The Jane Austen Diaries, the first book being PRIDE & POPULARITY.

First of all, what a great idea.  The Jane Austen Diaries consist of a contemporary retelling of each of Jane Austin's famous books.

PRIDE & POPULARITY: Taylor always gets what he wants --until now.

Chloe Elizabeth Hart despises the conceited antics of the popular crowd, or more importantly, one very annoying self-possessed guy, Taylor Anderson, who seems determined to make her the president of his fan club! As if! Every girl in the whole city of Farmington, New Mexico, is in love with him, but he seems to be only interested in Chloe.

This modern high school adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” is a battle of wits as Chloe desperately tries to remain the only girl who can avoid the inevitable—falling for Taylor. (from Goodreads)


PRIDE & PREJUDICE is my all time favorite fiction book. Love it! So of course I was eager to read Jenni's take.I enjoyed this book.  It's a light, fun read with classic Austin social twists and misinterpretations. Suitable for any aged reader.


I had a chance to ask Jenni a few questions.

1) Writing a modern day Jane Austen series is a terrific idea. What inspired you to write the Jane Austen Diaries series?  Actually, I didn't realize I was rewriting Jane Austen, until I was talking to my mom about Pride & Popularity and telling her it seemed a lot like Pride and Prejudice.  When she said, "Well then, call it Pride & Popularity" everything else clicked into place and I realized I already had several of the other characters that I could do spinoffs with and write their stories too. 

2) Which Jane Austen book is your favorite and why?  I personally LOVE Persuasion.  But I'm a huge sucker for Cinderella-type stories and Persuasion is really like that.  Plus it delves a bit deeper, it's one of those books that grabs you by the heart and doesn't let go until you finish the book. 

3) Who is your favorite heroine and why?  I do love Lizzie Bennet.  She's no nonsense and true to herself and her beliefs, even if they're wrong!  Lol!  As for the Jane Austen Diaries, my favorite heroine so far has to be Lily from Mansfield Ranch, when I went to rewrite Mansfield Park, I made Lily a bit more forthright and outspoken than Jane's Fanny was.  She's quite the cowgirl in mine.  I love her. :)

4) I feel a theme coming on--who is you're favorite love interest and why?  In Jane's I love Persuasion.  Captain Wentworth's undeniable love for Anne is just so amazing I can't help but fall in love with him myself.  As to mine, I really do like Gregory Wentworth... eep.  But I love Taylor too from Pride & Popularity.  Oh! And Tony Russo in Northanger Alibi is amazing!  And of course, I love Sean Benally so much I used him twice in Persuaded AND in Mansfield Ranch.  Oh goodness, and Chase Anderson in Emmalee *sigh*  I love him! Yikes.  I really don't know... do I have to choose?  How about I just say it's whoever I'm reading at the time.  Lol!

5) Can you tell us a little bit about the next book in the series and when it's launching?  Northanger Alibi is so much fun!  It is the funniest book in my series, by far.  I took the theme of Northanger Abbey, about a girl so addicted to the Gothic novels of the time, that she believes she's actually walked into her own Gothic novel,  and wove it into a modern day setting.  I made this girl completely obsessed with the Twilight Saga to the point when she goes to Seattle for her first time away from home, she's positive she's met her very own Edward.  What Claire finds out though, is that reality is WAY better than anything she'd ever find in a book! :)  Hehe!  It's so funny!  That one releases in January.

And now, what you've all been waiting for--I have a signed copy of PRIDE & POPULARITY to give away. All you have to do to enter is comment and tell me which Jane Austin book is your favorite.

Eye Bags Like Plum Halves

Some times I wake up in the middle of the night. When this happens I lift my eye-blinds(You know the masks they give you in first class, which I got when I shared a first class seat with my husband last time I went to Europe. Yeah, he's sweet like that. He had an upgrade but wouldn't take it unless the flight crew let us share. He took the first half with the deluxe dinner and I took the second half with the gourmet breakfast. Back to eye-blinds...) I lifted them enough to get a glimpse of the sky light outside. I can usually gauge by the brightness how close to morning I am, but as we slip into Fall that gets harder to do.

So, I checked my iphone for the time. 3:38am. Darn. I was hoping for at least 5 am. I could get through the day on that. I considered how my day would go if I got up like it was 7:30 instead of 3:30. Could I fool my body and psyche like that? Nah. So I braved the cold room and fumbled my way to the bathroom where I took another melatonin and a calcium/magnesium (hey, it's like warm milk--but not).

Since my iphone was like, right there, I couldn't help but send out words on the two Words with Friends games I play with my friend in Romania. She'd wonder what I was doing up so early. Then I texted my husband who's been in Europe these past three weeks, just because. "I woke up in the middle of the night. What are you doing now?"

I thought he would text me back, but no, FACETIME rings? Hello, I have eye-blinds propped on the top of my bed head, puffy eye bags, black from smudged mascara, that look like day old plum halves and my husband that I haven't seen (in person) for THREE WEEKS is Facetiming me?

I had to answer it, he knew I was awake. I threw off the eye-blinds and my glasses, rubbed under my eyes, but to no avail. I looked like flopped baking. There was only one thing left to do. I turned off my reading light and answered the phone.

"Whoa, it's dark there," he says.
"It's the middle of the night. And I'm not presentable," I say.
"You're always presentable to me."

Ahhh. So we talked at 3:30 in the morning, him in the bright light of day in an apartment in Switzerland with windows overlooking the Alps and me in the darkness of my room with only the light of my iphone to reflect my face.

Sort of a ghoulish version of my normal self.
He didn't seem to mind. 
Now that's love.

Pay It Forward Blogfest

It's been a while since I participated in a Blogfest, and when I saw this one, I thought "perfect." I've had so many good things happen for me lately, especially blog buddy support, that I jumped right on the chance to pay it forward.

Pay It Forward Blog Fest is the brain child of Matthew MacNish and Alex J Cavanaugh.

"The idea is to introduce everyone to everyone else. We want this to be an easy post that allows you to meet and follow as many other bloggers as you can. In your post, we would like you to please list, describe, and link to three blogs that you enjoy reading, but that you suspect may fly under the radar of a lot of other bloggers. Or they can be famous blogs, as long as they're awesome."

I know a lot of awesome bloggers, so choosing three is tough. I'm going to pick three who have a low-ish follower count--meaning they're still waiting to be discovered, but are awesome. Here goes.

1)Leigh T Moore at That's Write (okay, her counts aren't low, but you still need to follow her) - because she's super cool, and witty and talented. Her blog is always informative and entertaining, plus she's an awesome freelance editor. And she picked me for her list, which I totally didn't know until I went to her blog to get her link!

2) Liz Reinhardt at Team Unpubbed - she's a fellow indie author, who shares the nitty gritty about her journey. But not only that, she's funny. Go check her out.

3) Fred Lebaron at still seeking allies - Fred's blog is brand new, but he's a librarian and a book reviewer. Plus, he's going to review CLOCKWISE soon. Go follow him!

Okay, I'm off to discovers more cool bloggers!!

Since You Asked

CANADA!

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada! I had a really nice time with my family, even though three members aren't even home, thanks to modern technology. My daughter, youngest son and I spent time with my husband who's in Germany via Face Time, my eldest son who's at university in New Brunswick via skype and my middle son who's working on the pipe lines in northern BC via cell phone. Then DD, son#3 and I had a nice non-traditional dinner and watched a Harry Potter movie. Just great to spend a day hanging out with each other. It doesn't happen nearly enough.

Friday was question day. I posted the questions and my answers below. I hope you find them interesting.


1) Now that you've e-published your own work, what was the hardest thing you had to do for it? Uploading? Cover? Formatting? Please share.
 I'd have to say the hardest thing so far has been marketing, or knowing what to do to keep your book selling once the initial launch is over. I'm experimenting with different things, but it's too early to know what's working or not. I'll keep you posted

2) If time travel was real and affordable would you use it to change anything?
I think I'd be afraid of changing the future or tearing a hole in the universe or something (ahem, I just watched a Dr. Who episode where that very thing happened when Rose went back in time to save her dad.) If I could do it with a guarantee that nothing would change for the worse, I'd go back to high school and DO IT DIFFERENTLY. I'd be oh so much wiser (wouldn't we all?) First thing to go would be the boyfriends and broken hearts, and I'd focus on my friendships and my education. I'd also be more relaxed and patient about everything, and just live in the moment.


3)If you had the chance to be one of your characters for a day, who would you pick and why? :)
I'd definitely be Casey from CLOCKWISE though maybe without the time traveling issue. Besides the fact that I'd love to be taller, she resourceful, resilient and determined. She also has good taste in boys.

4) Do you have any time-saving tricks that help you to find more time for writing?
Yes, teach your kids to drive! ha, I know they have to grow up first, but if you can just hang in there until then, you will have lots more "me" time. :)

5) Did you hire an editor? what about a cover artist?
Yes, always hire an editor. Then ask early review readers to flag errors, because somehow they still get missed, no matter how many times it gets read. I strongly recommend some kind of professional artist. I discovered by happy accident that I had an in house artist perfect for my style of book, but I still needed to hire an expert at Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to complete the work. I'd say that, unless you're a pro at AI/Photoshop, you need to hire out. His work on the title and author name made a huge difference in the end result of CLOCKWISE in my opinion.

6)If you could do anything different regarding the publishing process, what would it be?
Well, since my book's only been out a couple weeks, what I say now might change two months from now. One thing I think I would do different is I would format and upload the ms myself. It was the end of June when I decided to indie-pub, and I wanted to have it out by September, just to be part of the energy that accompanies autumn. So, I decided to go with www.bookbaby.com a company that takes cares of formatting and uploading to four major e-readers, plus takes care of the accounting. At the time it seemed like a good idea because my "to do" list felt overwhelming. It just felt good to give that "complicated" task away.

I'm not saying that Bookbaby or a similar service isn't good for some authors, but in hind sight I just don't think it was good for me. The main reason is there are certain things you lose control over, like the option to edit the text after it's been uploaded or the ability to track daily sales results. This last one is especially frustrating if you're actually actively trying to market your book, but can't access data to see if your efforts are working.  The good thing is you can get out and do it on your own later, which I'm working on.



7)What is the best query letter that you have found that works for you? (from FB)

 I do small query/pitch writing workshops on my blog, for free (there's an example of my letter there, plus others). Just click the writing tips tab or Queries under labels. Feel free to send me a query for a free critique.

Thanks to everyone who asked questions. If you have any more, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Cheers!

Friday--Bring on the Questions

I thought I'd open up the floor for questions. Ask me anything, about writing and publishing or anything else you have on your mind. I'll do my best to answer them on Monday.  And if nobody asks nothin', well then, I might just do a song and dance for Monday's post and believe me, you don't want that! It could look something like this.



(I'm sort of dancing like this right now b/c CLOCKWISE is now at B & N for nook!)

But the real question is: Do you remember when that song came out?

Happy Weekend!!

When Good Things and Bad Things Happen at the Same Time

As most of you know, CLOCKWISE was launched out into the world last week. Finally. That was a Good Thing. No, that was a Great Thing.  It was fun and I got to hang out with friends and make some new ones. It's an awesome feeling to see your work on Amazon--it is like hanging a novel on the wall.

The bad thing: right at the peak of CLOCKWISE glory, my cat Spiff went missing. If you've been following my blog for any length of time, you will have heard me refer to him, and his pretty face is located on the right side of this blog. It was tough to celebrate the success of the launch without him. He was with me right from the beginning of this blog, cheering me on, telling me I could do this crazy thing. So, yeah, he's gone and I miss him.

A not so good thing, but maybe not a bad thing: Just a couple days before my launch my agent and I parted ways. It was an amicable parting, basically just realizing that we each had different creative goals, and my work and her vision weren't lining up. It's not so surprising, as she was kind of a hand me over agent. Based on her profile and what she's looking for, I wouldn't have queried her, and she likely wouldn't have offered to represent me. I'll be honest and tell you that I felt sucker punched for the first couple days but with the excitement of CLOCKWISE and the prospect of indie publishing further, I started to feel a little -- relieved?

So, what now you ask? A few days ago I would've said I'm all in for Indie Publishing. I love the control it gives me over my own career, and that I don't have to worry about aligning my creative style to one or two people in order to get published.

Then someone who read the next book I'd planned on indie publishing convinced me I should try querying one more time (you know who you are :). I wrestled with that, because I had made peace with doing things on my own, but my daughter agreed I should give it another shot, so I sent out five queries.

Bottom line, I'm  going to keep indie publishing, but I might still give traditional publishing a try if the right opportunity presents itself. If not, it's indie all the way, and I'm okay with that.

Book Winners from Launch Week!

A Big Humungous Thanks to everyone who stopped in along THE Tour! It was so great to see you all there, and I loved all the cheer that went up as we launched CLOCKWISE into the world!!

I listed and numbered all the names from the newsletter sign up, all the commenters on all the blogs and the twitter and facebook mentions. Then I enlisted Random.org to give me five numbers, one for each book. So, here are the winners!

Lydia Kang (commented on Heather's blog) you've won LOSING FAITH by Denise Jaden!

Pabkins (commented on my blog) you've won THE CLEARING by Anne Riley!

Tamara Hart Heiner (commented on my blog) you've won THE SECRET OF SPRUCE KNOLL by Heather McCorkle!

Angela Felsted (signed up for my newsletter) you've won PERILOUS by Tamara Hart Heiner!

Melissa Sarno (tweeted) you've won THE HATING GAME by Talli Rolland!

I've contacted the winners by email.

Congratulations to the winners. *Throws confetti and blows horns*