Giveaway: ‘In Stone’ eBook and Kindle Fire!
Posted: April 20, 2013 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers, contests, small presses 1 Comment
IN STONE will be available on 29 July
Beau Bailey is suffering from a post break-up meltdown when she happens across a knife in her local park and takes it home. Less than a week later the new boy in school has her trapped in an alley; he’s sprouted horns and is going to kill Beau unless she hands over the knife.
Until an eighteenth century gargoyle, Jack, shows up and saves her.
Jack has woken from a century-long slumber to tell Beau that she’s accidentally been drafted into a power struggle between two immortal races: Demons and Gargoyles. The knife she picked up is the only one in existence capable of killing immortals and they’ll tear the world apart to get it back. To draw the warring immortals away from her home, Beau goes with Jack to Bulgaria in search of the mind-bending realm known as the Underworld, a place where they’ll hopefully be able to destroy the knife and prevent all hell from breaking loose.
Providing they can outrun the demons that are chasing them.
About Louise
The gorgeous Louise
Louise is a graduate of Garstang Community Academy, currently studying for a BA (Hons) in English language and literature with special emphasis on creative writing. She is a YA aficionado, Brit bird, film nerd, identical twin, junk food enthusiast, rumoured pink Power Ranger, zombie apocalypse 2012 survivor and avid collector of book boyfriends.
She also wrote a guest blog post for me back in March, about her experience in signing with Entranced Publishing, the publisher of IN STONE.
You can find her at her blog, on Twitter or on Facebook.
Giveaway
To celebrate her upcoming release, Louise is giving away an ecopy of IN STONE and a Kindle Fire* to one lucky reader! One runner-up will also win an ecopy of IN STONE.
*UK and US residents are eligible to win the Kindle Fire. If you live outside the UK or US and your name is drawn, you will receive an Amazon gift card valued at £160 (GBP) instead. The winners will be announced on 29 July. Good luck!
To enter, click:
=======> HERE! <=======
Cover reveal: ‘Kiya, Hope of the Pharaoh’ by Katie Hamstead
Posted: April 18, 2013 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers 2 CommentsI’m super-excited to be part of my very first cover reveal, for an awesome friend, Katie Hamstead. Her book comes out with Curiosity Quills Press on 30 April.
To save her younger sisters from being taken to the cruel life of the palace, Naomi intervenes and gives herself to be a wife of the erratic Pharaoh Akhenaten.
In the palace, Naomi finds herself thrust into the intrigues of the royal family, and has her name changed to Kiya. She becomes beloved by the Pharaoh, who declares that she will bear him his heir. But the Great Queen Nefertiti, furious with jealousy, schemes to destroy Naomi and even brings her fidelity into question, which could cost Naomi her very life.
Naomi must play the deadly game carefully. She is in a silent battle of wills, and a struggle for who will one day inherit the crown. And if she does bear an heir, she will have to fight to protect him as well as herself from Nefertiti, who is out for blood.
Are you ready?
Wait for it!
Wait for it!
(Ok, you scrolled down, didn’t you?! … fair enough.)
If you want to learn more or sign up for the blog hop to celebrate the release, you can find her blog here.
Finding time to write
Posted: April 18, 2013 Filed under: On writing | Tags: Thursdays Children, writing 15 Comments
Rhiann Wynn-Nolet suggested to me that a solution to my bouts of disillusionment about the growing pile of agent rejections (other than to write something else, which I’m doing) was to join the group of bloggers that do the Thursday’s Children blog hop.
It’s based around that old children’s poem:
Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.
Thursday’s Children: we have far to go. For the record, I was born on a Sunday—Easter Sunday, in fact—although I don’t feel particularly bonny or gay (not that there’s anything wrong with that), and I’m only occasionally good!
Anyway, the theory is that we’re meant to blog about something inspirational on a Thursday. One Thursday, every Thursday, random Thursdays: it’s up to the individual blogger.
Here goes my first attempt at writing a post about inspiration.
Writing: if I can do it, you can do it.
I’m a single mum to a preschooler. I am trying to sell my house, so we need to maintain a display home level of tidiness, and I work thirty hours a week. All of that means not a hell of a lot of spare time.
But I set myself the goal of writing a minimum of a thousand words a week on my WIP, and (except for the week I was really sick) I have done that for the last year or so. Before that, when I was writing my first novel and was a bit more timid, my goal was five hundred words a week, but I usually wrote a thousand anyway.
I don’t always reach my goal in one sitting. I’m usually in bed by 9.30. But five hundred words, twice a week. That’s doable.
I know there are people in worse boats than me. People who work two or three jobs: the same situation but 60 hours a week or more. I’m blessed in many ways. I work with words in my day job, so I keep my grammar skills honed, and sometimes they send me on editing courses. And I get paid reasonably well for those thirty hours (although not that well; like I said, I am trying to sell my house).
But I thought I didn’t have time to write. Then I discovered that if I gave up computer games—especially those addictive Facebook-based time-wasters—and watched less TV, I had time to read and write again. At a thousand words a week, I won’t be breaking any land speed records. I heard about one amazing lady on Facebook who recently wrote an ENTIRE NOVEL in four days. She averaged twelve-to-fifteen thousand words a day. I’m in awe of her, believe me (she must cane NaNoWriMo!). But I can average a novel and a bit a year, and that’s not bad.
So. Whenever anyone tells me they have this great idea for a novel but they can’t find the time to write, I want to shake them till their teeth rattle. Because if I can, you can. Maybe that’s less inspirational than it is a goad to your ego, but hey: whatever works! Write the damned book. 😉
Click here to see this week’s other Thursday’s Children blog posts.
Musings from the query rollercoaster
Posted: April 17, 2013 Filed under: On the Isla's Inheritance trilogy | Tags: agents, Isla's Inheritance, queries 14 CommentsAs my regular reader knows, I’ve been querying my first manuscript, ISLA’S INHERITANCE, for about six-to-nine months. I’ve blogged about my generic strategy for querying before.
You’ll notice the first of the items in my strategy is from the Miss Snark playbook: exclusives stink. I noted that one of the benefits of having a lot of queries out at once is that a single rejection seems smaller. Think about it: if you’ve got ten queries out there and one agent says no, then the ratio of “no” to “possible yes” is 1:9 in your favour. Those are pretty good odds.
I don’t blog about the actual details of querying—who has my query, who said no, who has a partial or a full—because there are some things a writer just shouldn’t share with the (largely indifferent) masses. How many agents or publishers have already said no is one of those things; do I really want to advertise to a potential agent that a number of other agents passed? Especially if it’s a big number?
(As an aside, thoughts on individual rejections—especially if they tend toward vitriol—are another, and top of the list of things not to blog about. Not that I have any vitriol to vent, mind you; the rejections I’ve received have generally been very polite form letters. Sometimes I’ve gotten nice individual feedback, including from an intern who said she was sure I was getting lots of offers. Bless her and her wishful thinking; do you think I should send chocolate?)
However, I think I can say without oversharing that I’ve had a little bit of trouble finding a home for Isla and her friends. I like to imagine it’s not because of the writing—although I may be deluded on that score; every parent thinks their child is the most beautiful and talented, right? I had some problems getting the pacing at the start of the book right, but my beta readers have helped me with that and I think I’ve more-or-less nailed it now. (Again, I may be deluded.)
No, I’m pretty sure my biggest problem is that my book falls somewhere between urban fantasy and paranormal fiction, depending how you look at it. And it seems the big publishing houses aren’t that wild about urban fantasy or paranormal fiction right now. So agents aren’t that wild about it either, because if they can’t sell it to a decent-sized publishing house, what’s the point for them? I’m not judging, mind you; it’s just a financial reality.
I haven’t quite given up hope on getting an agent. I still have faith in Isla’s story, across the first book and the sequel both. But I’ve stopped sending out new agent queries. The last batch that are out there is my last.
Writers’ nervous habits: a case study
This decision means my number of queries in the field has dropped below the magical ten that were keeping me sane. My ratio doesn’t look as cheery anymore. Suddenly I’ve developed a number of nervous habits, mostly around checking my email inbox and spam folder every twenty minutes. I can’t bear not hearing anything. I can’t bear it! Obviously I want to receive a “yes, I love it; here is a purse of monies”, but at this point I’d be satisfied with a “not for us, thanks”, just so I know!
Any tips for me, so I don’t pull all my hair out before my next birthday? (Which is tomorrow, by the way, so yes, it’s serious!)
Book covers: a feast for the eyes
Posted: April 10, 2013 Filed under: On Books | Tags: book covers 4 CommentsSince I joined Pinterest I’ve been thinking about book covers. Well, I’ve been thinking about them on and off since I started shopping Isla’s Inheritance, but now I’m really looking at them. I created a board for my favourite book covers and am slowly filling it with covers I love. In quite a few cases I haven’t even read the book in question!
And while I know you can’t judge a book by its cover (as this book proves), there’s no doubt that it can catch the eye and make you want to know more.
Two of my current favourites are Archon and Stormdancer, both of which I shared a couple of posts ago. But here are a few others.
Jacqueline Carey has been blessed by some amazing cover art in her career, and I found it really hard to choose just one. But here is the cover of Naamah’s Kiss. Just gorgeous. I love that it’s so real, sexy but classy. And the subtle inclusion of the Chinese dragon on her shirt is very appropriate to the series.
This is Flutter by Melissa Andrea, and it’s one of the ones I haven’t even read. It’s the scales that really make this pop for me.
And Fallen by Lauren Kate. I’m starting to think I just love covers with gorgeous girls on them. Or maybe that’s just what the books I read usually have on them. :p
One that’s more abstract but still gorgeous is the cover of Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig. Birds are the recurring theme in this book (although it’s not about them in any way), and the way they flow into and are part of the girl, making her look like she’s flying apart, is very appropriate given the main character, Miriam, and her curse.
And just to prove that covers I like don’t always have to have girls in them, here’s the cover of Fall For Me by K.A. Last. I love the simplicity of the feathers. And that last red one really captures the idea of fallen angels without being overt.
What are your favourite book covers? Post with links so I can admire them!
Interview: Natalie Miller, performer and writer
Posted: April 6, 2013 Filed under: On writing | Tags: Interview, scripts, writing Leave a commentOnce upon a time, a long time ago (let’s not dwell on how long), I went to school with a wonderful girl named Natalie. We shared the same interest in writing and drama—except where I went on to be a public service editor, she went on to be Australia’s top kids ministry performer. That is to say she is a ventriloquist who writes comedy scripts for a Christian and secular audience, for adults and children.
I know, right?! Words cannot express how awesome that is!
Natalie very kindly agreed to do this interview, where we focus on her writing process. I hope you enjoy it.
Natalie (on the right).
Which books have influenced your writing? Other than the Bible, I mean—that’s a given.
I read a lot of joke books—being a performer, the jokes are important, I also read comedy biographies—Tina Fey, Jeff Dunham, Steve Martin—which inspire me. One of my favourite “go to” books for creative inspiration is Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit. It’s awesome for
anyone creative working on a project: dance, music, writing, etc.
What is more fun to write: scripts for adults or for children?
They’re both so different. It’s very satisfying to have a joke that “gets” the grownups—being clever enough to make them laugh. But then seeing a kid laugh with their whole body over something ridiculous is also awesome. My favourite scripts are the ones that get both at once!
What’s your preferred way to write, your ideal process?
It really changes every time. Sometimes I’ll have an idea in the back of my head or scribbled in a notebook that could sit there for months and suddenly I’ll get inspired and sit down and get it all out in less than an hour. Other times if I’m “trying” to write I can sit for hours and write and it ends up being rubbish with just a few good lines. My most successful writing venture was when I disappeared off the grid for two days and went to a cottage in the bush with no internet to just write—I wrote non-stop and got ten GREAT scripts written. Obviously the clear space and serenity helped!
How do you deal with writer’s block?
Coffee. Chocolate. Repeat. If I’m really stuck, I’ll go do something else for a little while, go get a coffee or do something else; have a run. Sometimes I just have to leave what I’m writing for a few days and come back to it. It depends how “stuck” I am. The best cure is always to leave it and come back, though; otherwise I get frustrated and stressed and end up hating whatever it is I’ve written.
What is your favourite theme to write about?
I love writing about value – encouraging people that they are loved and important and have something worthwhile to offer the world, no matter where they’ve come from, what their history is. I love encouraging kids that they’re awesome just the way they are. There is so much negative media about image and self-worth; I feel privileged to be able to stand in front of people, make them laugh themselves silly and then through the way I’ve written a story or script end with something really positive that makes people not only feel like they’ve had fun but also been encouraged.
What are your current projects? Can you share a little of your current work with us?
I’m currently trying to work on a biography—or life story—of how I got to where I am. It’s 25 years since I started as a ventriloquist and it’s been a pretty big journey—not always pretty either, so I’m sort of trying to get my head around writing that. Not sure if anyone will want to read it, but maybe my kids can read it one day!
If you want to learn more about Natalie or her work, check out her website here.
Choosing Your Publishing Path (Reblog)
Posted: April 5, 2013 Filed under: On writing | Tags: publishing, self-publishing, small presses Leave a commentThis is a great blog post by Dahlia Adler about the different forms of publishing (traditional, small press and independent) and the pros and cons of each. It’s a good place to start if you’ve written a manuscript and you’re trying to decide what next.
I’d love to be able to write such a post myself rather than reblogging someone else’s, but at the moment my experience of the process just doesn’t extend that far. So I hope you’ll forgive me for referring you to someone else’s work. :p
I’d really like someone to tell me to my face that publishing is dying, because I haven’t laughed in someone’s face in a really long time, and I miss that feeling. To think publishing is dying is to be walking around with your eyes closed, to have failed to stop the Q-tip when it met resistance. Publishing is evolving, changing, and in many ways, even growing. And as a result, we have some lovely and scary things called choices.
It used to be that there were really big houses, and then less big houses, and that was kind of it. Sure, you could go with a vanity press if you had serious money to burn and either true belief no one would know the difference or apathy whether anyone would, but none of those books ever ended up on my shelf. (Or on my ereader, because they didn’t exist! That’s…
View original post 2,228 more words
A couple of reviews: ‘Stormdancer’ and ‘Archon’
Posted: April 4, 2013 Filed under: Reviews | Tags: aussie-owned, book covers, reviews, steampunk, young adult Leave a commentThis is just a quick update from me to let you know that in the last week I’ve posted a couple of reviews over at Aussie Owned and Read, if you want to check them out. Even if you don’t, just take a moment to admire the cover art for both of them. Gorgeous!
The first is for Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff, an awesome steampunk set in an alternate feudal Japan.
The US and UK covers of Stormdancer
The other is for Archon by Sabrina Benulis, which is about angels and the end of the world, set on a fictional island run by the Vatican.
The cover of Archon
Finding new Twitter follows more lazy ways: hashtags and advanced searches
Posted: March 31, 2013 Filed under: On Twitter | Tags: contests, social-media, Twitter Leave a comment
Two weeks ago I blogged about how a great way to find new people to follow was to look at the lists to which others have added you, because odds are there’ll be a common theme uniting you and them. Here are a couple of other ways I’ve used recently to find people to follow, both for my personal account and for the Aussie Owned and Read account. (By the way, Aussie Owned is running a giveaway at the moment; you should check it out!)
Contest hashtags
Yesterday, the queen of Twitter pitching contests, Brenda Drake, ran the latest in the series: #PitMad. In case you’re not familiar with the idea, writers come up with a 140-character hook for their manuscript (including the hashtag) and post it periodically throughout a ten-hour period. Agents and publishing houses can check the hashtag and request to see queries for those pitches that interest them. It was fabulously successful and quite a few folks I know got requests.
But the other upside of a very popular hashtag such as this is that, like a list, it unites people who have similar interests. In this case it’s writers, but there are loads of other hashtags out there you can use.
Advanced search function
Did you know that Twitter has an advanced search function? You can find it here. It lets you enter in various criteria to search for (must or mustn’t include certain words, from or to a certain account, etc). The location function seems a little flaky (whenever I tried “Australia” it didn’t work, so I had to do it by capital city) but otherwise it’s quite effective to find people who have the same interests as you.
As an aside, if you’re trying to market a book make sure you don’t just follow writers. Follow readers too; try searching for fans of popular novels in your genre. If they follow you back you’ve gained a possible new fan (so long as you play your cards right).
So those are two of the ways I use. Do you have any other methods to find people who share your interests?
Cassandra Page 