Getting To Know Alex Carver

1. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Ever since I was about 10 and was given a creative writing assignment at school, it's the only career I've wanted.

2. What has been the toughest challenge in your publishing journey?

Learning to market my books effectively, I'm very anti-social, it's why I like writing, so I struggle with marketing.

3. How long did it take to write your first book?

I'm going to use the first book I published because I can't remember much about the first book I actually wrote, that was a quarter of a century ago; Where There's A Will took me about 2 months, I was out of work and without either a computer or internet so had a lot of time on my hands, which I used for writing.

4. What advice can you give aspiring authors?

If writing is what you really want to do, don't ever let anything stop you, there are many aspects to being an author but writing is the most important, make sure you do it whenever you can, even if it's only a line a day.

5. What has been the best and worst experience you've had as a self-publishing author?

My best experience was during my first time as a published author (this is my second go at it) I hit the top 30 of the Nook charts on Barnes & Noble with one of my titles. The worst was having to give up my first shot as an author through legal and financial troubles. 

6. What is your favorite genre/character/author?

This is such a tough one; I'd have to say fantasy is my favourite genre, and my current favourite author in fantasy is George RR Martin with Arya and Tyrion being tip-top characters.

7. What has been the most valuable advice you've been given as an author?

Keep writing, don't sweat the marketing, releasing more titles will help more than poor marketing. 

8. Do you write when you feel like it or schedule time to write?

When I feel like it, when I can fit it in. I've been known to scribble on a scrap of paper while I'm supposed to be working. 

9. Describe your writing space.

Currently my writing space is restricted, I've been working in the armchair in the living room, it's not the best but it works.

10. What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing or promoting your book?

I like watching TV and playing computer games. I'm hoping to take up golf again at some point, it's been years since I played but I love it. 

11. What are you working on now? Do you have a new or upcoming release?

Right now I'm working on two books, Written In Blood, a serial killer thriller set in a small village, and an Eye For An Eye, the 2nd book in my detective series.

12. What are your goals for this year?

I hope to have the two books I'm working on released, and maybe a third. 

Excerpt from Written In Blood tbr March/April

“What’re you talking about?” Oliver surged to his feet again. “Why hasn’t anyone told me Lucy’s missing? How long’s she been gone? What’s happened to her?”

“If you hadn’t acted like such an idiot earlier, racing off to attack Kieran the moment you were told about Georgina, you’d have found out then. It’s part of what we wanted to talk to you about,” Melissa told him. “Her mum reported her missing last night. Of course, we couldn’t do anything then because she’s sixteen, but her mum still hadn’t seen or heard from her by this morning.

“After Georgina was discovered, we realised we had to take her absence seriously; so far we’ve discovered that the last time she was seen is yesterday afternoon, about two…”

“Let me guess, by Wright!” Oliver spat the name. “Can’t you see, you should be arresting him, not standing here talking to me like it’s any other time you’ve got me banged up. That sick bastard killed Georgie, and he’s probably killed Lucy by now as well. I don’t even wanna think about what he did to them before he killed them, the sick fuck!”

“What is your problem with him? Come on, what is it? There must be a reason for you to hate him so much.”

“You wanna know what my problem with that asshole is. He’s a rapist, that’s my problem with the bastard, he’s a fuckin’ rapist!”

“Are you saying Kieran raped Georgina? When did this happen?”

“No, I don’t know, maybe; she never said anything if he did. I’d’ve killed him already if she told me something like that.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

“Lucy.”

“Kieran raped Lucy?”

“As good as. He sure as hell tried to.” Oliver’s face darkened, and he punched one fist into the other palm, hard enough to make Melissa wince. “That’s why she dumped his ass. He got her one night, up at the picnic area, when they were seeing each other. He tried it on, and when she said no, he attacked her.

“If she hadn’t managed to get away, he’d’ve raped her.” He saw the look on Melissa’s face. “You don’t believe Lucy would be seeing someone and not sleeping with them.”

“Her reputation does make it difficult to accept.”

Oliver gave her a look of amused bemusement. “Don’t ask me to understand women, especially Lucy. She were with Wright for months, and wouldn’t let him go further than copping a feel, but she jumped me the first night.”

“Did she tell you Kieran tried to rape her? She never reported it to us. At least not that I heard, and I’m pretty sure I’d have heard about it if she had.”

Bio

Alex Carver has worked a number of jobs over the years, none of which provided the satisfaction he got from writing, and he has now given up the day jobs to write full-time. Primarily he writes crime fiction, reflecting his interest in the seedy underbelly of life, but science fiction and kids adventure have featured in his writing, with books in those genres on the long list of titles he is preparing for release. 

Amazon author page - https://www.amazon.com/Alex-R-Carver/e/B01MATQCGL/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Twitter - https://twitter.com/arcarver87

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15944488.Alex_R_Carver

Latest Swag Bag Photos!

C.L. Lynch

At first, I thought it would be simple. Edit my book, get a cover design, publish it on Amazon.

Then I started researching it.

After reading more self-publishing websites than I can count, I felt that I had learned five things:

1. The more professionally-published your book is, the most likely it is to be read and reviewed. Most people won't read a book that appears to be self-published, because they don't trust self-published books to be written at the same level of quality as books published through major publishers. Which is completely understandable, really. The more self-published stink your book has on it, the less likely anyone is to read it.

2. Professionally-published books have early editions,called galleys or ARCs (advance review copies), which are mailed to reviewers for editorial reviews. That's how newly published books already have quotes on them from the New York Times, or Booklist, or Foreword saying things like "stunning!" or "another tour-de-force from whatshisname!"

3. In fact, most of these major reviewers who have a lot of clout, like Library Journal, won't even review a book after it has been published.

4. Without a review from a big editorial reviewer, libraries, book stores, and other really important potential purchasers will likely never hear about your book. Even if they do, they won't think your book is a real, professionally published book and won't be likely to take a chance on it. If they don't take a chance on it, they won't sell or recommend your book to others.

5. If no one hears about your book, or recommends your book, then no one will read your book.

So it became very clear that if I wanted my book to have a chance of being read, recommended, and then sold to more people, I needed to do a professional job in publishing my book.

The first, and most obvious step, was making sure that I actually had a professional quality book. I spent YEARS editing my book, and getting people to read it, and then re-editing it. I fretted about plot holes. I made sure each character had their own style of speech and was easily distinguished from the others when speaking. I deleted dialogue tags by the dozen, and adverbs by the gross. I looked for places where I could show instead of tell. I read lines aloud making sure that they didn't sound awkward. I made sure that my characters had depth. I got rid of anything that seemed hokey. I picked up books on writing and made sure that I wasn't committing any famous errors, or using stylistic devices which are commonly considered synonymous with the word "hack". I rewrote the ending three times, until I felt that my main character went through a true journey, and wasn't just being carried along for the ride. I asked myself if each and every word really belonged there.

Then I made sure that it was formatted appropriately, which was an odyssey all by itself.

Then I found a cover designer who would make changes to the cover free of charge, so I could have an ARC edition put out, and then (hopefully) put blurbs from reviewers on the back before my book was published for real-reals.

In order to make my ARC cover I needed to get my ISBN (it turns out that Amazon ISBNs are anathema in the industry, since they scream self publishing, and also because brick and mortar stores are understandably resentful of Amazon and have no interest in supporting it by giving it money). Happily, ISBNs are free for Canadians so this involved some annoying paperwork but it didn't cost me any money. I also submitted my book to Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian version of Library of Congress in the USA, so I can get library cataloguing information for my book.

Then I needed to set a publication date 3-4 months in advance, because as formerly stated, most big reviewers won't even consider reviewing your book if they don't get it several months before publication.

I had ARC copies made up on Amazon by uploading my ARC cover and having proofs mailed to me, which you can do 5 at a time. I have a US postal address to avoid customs costs, which my American husband maintains and uses.

I went down to Sears with my proof copies and had an author photo taken, and within 24 hours I had my photo on my website, on my cover letter, my press release, and my media press kit, all of which I made with the awesome advice available on the Midwest Book Review's site.

Finally, I mailed off my ARC's.

...And after all of that work, I know the chance of my being reviewed is still very, very slim. The big review houses receive hundreds to thousands of books per day. They toss away anything that doesn't meet their submission requirements, and then they pick and choose the best of the best from the rest. My chances are near to nil. I know this. But if I hadn't done everything I listed above, my chances would definitely be nil. As it is, I have a lottery ticket's worth of a chance that maybe one of them will read and review my book. If I'm really lucky, I'll hit the jackpot and get a great review, or at least a good by-line that I can use on the back of my book which tells people, "Yes, this is a real book, a good book - one worthy of reading."

Assuming that I don't get reviewed by a major editorial reviewer, my next best hope is to build buzz among other readers. So my next step was to get my book submitted to Netgalley.

Netgalley is a website that posts digital versions of ARCs for librarians, book bloggers, and fanatic readers to see. They can request your book if they like the look of it, read it, and maybe they will even choose to review it. A librarian or independent book store owner who reads and likes my book might order it into their library, where patrons can read it, and may even put it on the "staff picks" shelf. A book reviewer for a newspaper might spot it and enjoy it and decide to write about it. And every day readers can take a chance on it for free, and if they love it, maybe they'll review it.

Of course, there's always the chance that they'll hate it, too, and Netgalley readers often post reviews on goodreads and Amazon, where everyone can learn how awful your book is. Netgalley seems to be a big risk, because while my ARCs only cost me less than $10 to order and mail, and my book will likely just be ignored if it's bad, and even if it's good... Netgalley is REALLY pricey. They want hundreds of dollars for 6 months listed on the site, and chances are you will get at least couple of reviews out of it - and not necessarily good ones. When your books are rubbing shoulders with the newest John Green novel or Jodi Picoult, the reviewers are going to expect that level of quality to your writing. Woe betide ye lest ye disappoint them!

I got around the money aspect by discovering Broad Universe, an organization which promotes female writers of genre fiction, which defines me quite nicely. They rent their Netgalley space to any indie author who wants it, not just women, for quite a reasonable monthly fee.  If you become a member, which I chose to do, you get a discount and three months on Netgalley pays for the membership in savings. So my book is now also on Netgalley, where it could be read and either beloved or reviled, or both. Since I don't have an account directly with Netgalley, I can't see any reviews posted there. Broad Universe will let me know how many people read it and whether they reviewed it at the end of the three month trial.

So far, only one person has turned up on my book's Goodreads page claiming to have read my book on Netgalley, and to my relief, it was a rave review. But I'm sure there will probably be at least one stinker. I just cross fingers that more people will like my book than hate it. And, let's face it, if my book really and truly sucks, it's better that I find it out now, rather than after months of promoting it. If everyone hates it, I'm probably better off to drop the whole thing and go back to the drawing board.

In the meantime, I'm in limbo land, waiting to find out whether my book stinks or not.

And so, while I wait, I continue to hunt up reviewers. The next step down from Netgalley is a website like Story Cartel or Xpresso Book Tours, which has a base of reviewers who are known for being gentle, but honest. I paid Xpresso book tours some money for a "review alert" which is basically an email blast to her reviewer base and posting on her website, to fish for people who might be interested in my book. I got a lot of responses back, but we'll see how many people read it, and how many people like it.

Even if I get lots of reviews, that won't matter unless someone READS those reviews, so my next step was to arrange advertising. There's a popular body positivity blogger whom I follow. She uses a lot of swear words, and she actually reminds me a bit of my main character. I think that's one of the reasons I started following her, actually, because I realized that she was like a real life version of Stella Blunt. She does advertising on her site, but it's usually clothes and such. I contacted her about my book and she was very enthusiastic. I have arranged a giveaway and advertising. Her readers like her, so they should like my character. It seems like a good bet.

I've also arranged advertising on YA book central, which is like Goodreads for YA and kids books. My book is YA. Seems like a good place to advertise. If people click on my link, they may read my reviews, and if they like the reviews, they may buy my book.

Ultimately, I can push for reviews all I like, and advertise all over the place, but people will either like my book, or they won't. If it stinks, or it doesn't strike a chord with people, I can promote my book until I hemorrhage money and it will be for naught. I know this. So these next couple of months are my litmus test. There are self-published authors who have made it big - Andy Weir of The Martian, for example, and E.L. James with Fifty Shades of Grey. Some of it is about quality - The Martian is excellently written, truly entertaining. Some of it is just about striking a chord - Fifty Shades of Grey commits basically every "hack" error that I ruthless eradicated from my writing, but people still loved it. Reviewers care about writing quality. Readers just want a story they will love.

I don't know if I can produce either, and I won't know how any of this will turn out until I get a few more reviews. Nor do I know how well my reviews will turn into sales. I don't just need people to leave me good reviews. That's nice, and it helps. What I want, what I need, what people like Andy Weir and E.L. James had, are FANS - people who don't just click a five stars and write a few sentences, but people who crush on my characters make fan art and push my book into the hands of their friends.

Either my book has that capacity to inspire fandom, or it doesn't.

Time will tell. But in the meantime, I feel like I have done what I can to give it a good start, and the best possible chance of finding those fans.

If no one likes it... well... I'll just have to write a better one.

People's Choice Swag Bag!

 

 

Somewhere Over the Rainbow Enchanted

by Angel M.B. Chadwick

 When I was nineteen years old, I traveled cross country with my uncle, aunt, several cousins and my younger sister. I saw the world in its many forms. I traveled through West Virginia, North and South Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, Columbus, Georgia, Erie, Pennsylvania (I have family in Erie from my mother’s side),  Johnstown, Pennsylvania (had family there, but my great aunt who used to live there has since moved to Mississippi) New York and most of all I traveled to Niagara Falls, NY, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, through Quebec. I had the fortunate experience of crossing the Rainbow Bridge over the Niagara River gorge that connects the cities of Niagara Falls, NY (U.S.) to the east and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada to the west. The Rainbow Bridge is a world famous tourist site and I felt privileged to be able to experience such a profoundly glorious thing.  

But what took my breath way and stupefied me to speechless was seeing Niagara Falls very up close and personal. I still remember the waters spraying my face. I watched how hypnotic and systematically it moved. It was the most majestic thing I’d ever seen in my entire life. Niagara Falls generates power (at least at the time it did, I haven’t seen it in twenty years) for the entire city. Water is a conduit and can generate electricity and Niagara Falls literally lights up the whole city.  I thought that was so awesome, resourceful and extremely smart. Niagara Falls is man-made which added to its authenticity and majesty showing that man can create such godly things. Seeing Niagara Falls for the first time was so deeply and spiritually surreal, like being in heaven.

  I still to this day cannot describe in emotional context how, what it made me feel. The best way I can describe it, if I had to describe the feeling in at least one sentence, “it was like a resurrection, it resurrected me.”  I say this because at the time this trip happened, I was experiencing my first years of college and I felt like I was a failure, I was totally burned out that first year and I was starting my second year and I didn’t want to go back. I was depressed and suicidal.

 That summer, I traveled those several days with my family (a week and a half) brought me back to life and still to this day I’m grateful to my mother for pushing me and my sister to go and for my uncle and aunt for taking us with them. If I hadn’t gone I wouldn’t be here today, I can truly say that without a doubt.

 The whole trip was like being in heaven. I ate good food in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, got to stand at the top of Skylon Tower an observation tower, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.  It’s definitely windy up there and I love heights, but that day being so close to the sky and so close to the edge I started to rethink that for a moment.  But before I went outside on the observation deck of the tower I went on the elevator up to the top floor to a shop where they had the most beautiful trinkets and handcrafted creations of beauty I’d ever seen, some of them made of the most gorgeous crystal. We stayed in Toronto for ten days. I saw people from all walks of life, heard them speak both fluent French and English. My ninth grade French was quite rusty, but my uncle spoke and understood French very well. We went to the biggest mall, saw the biggest library there but didn’t get a chance to go in. We went to a Star Trek Convention they were having in Toronto. Yes, I’m a Trekkie from way back. I’d loved every minute of it.

When we came back to Mississippi I gave my mother two postcards with a photo of Niagara Falls and another of the Skylon Tower. She put them on her bedroom wall. Still to this day I miss Canada. I want to go back to Toronto and Quebec. It broke my heart when I left. I was born in Mississippi and raised there in a small town, but I never felt like I belonged there.  I was always the unusual kid out who never fit anywhere.

But when I went to Canada that’s where I felt like I belonged.  I never wanted to leave. I want to travel the world more take my nine year old son to the places I’ve seen, but also to places that I haven’t yet seen and want to see like the UK, particularly London, Wales, Ireland, and Australia, particularly Sydney.  I hope to settle down and live in each of those specific places (London (UK) and Sydney, Australia) with my son while he’s still a kid. If I ever make it big as an author, director, and playwright I’ve always wanted to buy a house in both London and Sydney, Australia and live there, raise my son there for the rest of our lives. And yes, I’ve seriously considered dual citizenship (U.S. /UK or U.S./Australia) for us both, for one of those places, hopefully Australia, to live in Sydney permanently.

Biography

Angel M.B. Chadwick is currently writing the sequel to the “Weeping Well” series. She’s also writing a twelve book cozy mysteries series, numerous plays, novels, short stories, among her other literary works, business ideas and inventions all while raising her nine-year-old son.

Social Media Links:

Facebook

Goodreads

Goodreads Blog

Buy Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Weeping-Well-Angel-Chadwick-ebook/dp/B01NAOJ4O5/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484750268&sr=8-1&keywords=weeping+well

https://www.amazon.com/Weeping-Well-Mrs-Angel-Chadwick/dp/1541341082/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1484750268&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weeping-Well-Mrs-Angel-Chadwick/dp/1541341082/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484750403&sr=8-1&keywords=weeping+well

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weeping-Well-Angel-Chadwick-ebook/dp/B01NAOJ4O5/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1484750403&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com.au/d/Weeping-Well-Angel-Chadwick-ebook/B01NAOJ4O5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484750566&sr=8-1&keywords=weeping+well

https://www.amazon.com/Weeping-Well-Mrs-Angel-Chadwick/dp/1541341082/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484750629&sr=8-1&keywords=weeping+well

https://www.amazon.com/Weeping-Well-Angel-Chadwick-ebook/dp/B01NAOJ4O5/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1484750629&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com.mx/Weeping-Well-Angel-M-Chadwick/dp/1541341082/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484750743&sr=8-1&keywords=weeping+well

https://www.amazon.com.mx/Weeping-Well-English-Angel-Chadwick-ebook/dp/B01NAOJ4O5/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1484750743&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Weeping-Well-Angel-Chadwick-ebook/dp/B01NAOJ4O5/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484750834&sr=8-1&keywords=weeping+well

https://www.amazon.com/Weeping-Well-Mrs-Angel-Chadwick/dp/1541341082/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1484750834&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.co.jp/Weeping-Well-Angel-M-Chadwick/dp/1541341082/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484750927&sr=8-1&keywords=weeping+well

https://www.amazon.co.jp/Weeping-Well-English-Angel-Chadwick-ebook/dp/B01NAOJ4O5/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1484750927&sr=8-1

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Weeping-Well/Mrs-Angel-M-B-Chadwick/9781541341081?id=6836554641310

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weeping-well-mrs-angel-mb-chadwick/1125412278?ean=9781541341081

Do You Struggle With Writer's Block?

So. I am currently experiencing a writer's block.  I've had intentions of starting my third book.  I know the plot, the main character's name, and the working title.  And so far I've written Chapter One.  That's it.  Just the words "Chapter One."  I think I'm too easily distracted by the internet. Well I know I am actually.  For instance, do you know Pantone's color of the year?  I didn't until it popped up on my MSN page. It's greenery by the way in case you were interested. What does that mean anyway?  Also, I was fascinated (insert a sarcasm emoji here) to learn that many other actors were excited to see Brad Pitt at the Golden Globes.  I really don't know why but it was on my news page. And the fact that they've arrested some suspects in the Kim Kardashian robbery.  Now I can sleep better at night just knowing that.  And reading all the 3,250,000 blogs that I look at during the week.

And then there's Facebook.  Oh, good ol' political/religious ranting people on Facebook.  Most of the time I just scroll past the rants and raves.  But then I get sucked up into the craziness and spend WAY too much time debating with myself who is right and who is wrong.  Ugh.  Such a waste of time and yet there I am.  Then I make the mistake of really looking around my house and decide there's too much dust under the sofas.  And come on - if I don't get that dust right now - I'm not going to be able to concentrate. So on and on it goes.  Here's hoping that nothing "interesting" happens in the world in the next few months so maybe I can actually get the first paragraph written anyway. It may be 2019 before this book gets written.  Oh wait, is that a dust bunny that just rolled by?

Bio - I am a Maryland girl born and raised.  I've been married for 40 years (wow) to Joe and have two children, Greg and Kaitlyn, and three grandsons.  I didn't start writing until 2014.  We also have a house in southern North Carolina and will be retiring there in two years.  I hope to live out my life relaxing in my back yard, drinking wine and observing how badly people are at golf.

BOOKS:

By the Shores of Carolina

A Twisted Route

Four things a first-time indie author really needs to know

I recently released my first novel, Heirs of Power, it was the realisation of a life-long dream and one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done, and I knew from the start that I wanted to self-publish. But I was unaware of the sheer scale of what I had taken on board or exactly what the process involved- you write a book, whack a cover on and Amazon does the rest, right?

Wrong! So today I’m going to share the biggest lessons I learnt during my first indie adventure.

1 - Read and research.

Hopefully you’re already a big reader, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to be an author if they aren’t…

But I’m talking about forum threads, articles and blog posts, and you aren’t looking for answers to your questions- you’re discovering the questions you didn’t even realise needed asking. Without the backing of a publisher, you’re going to have to become familiar with every aspect of the process of getting the story from your head into people’s hands, and be confident with making decisions that will affect how your book sells. What cover design works for your genre? Should you stay exclusive to one platform? What promotions are the best for you?

And don’t worry! There’s a chance you’ll miss something and be frantic about it at zero-hour. Covers and manuscripts can be updated, there’s always another promotion opportunity and if you are genuinely at your wits end, someone has been there before and will be able to advise you- I’ve found groups on Goodreads to be an amazing source of wisdom and encouragement. You’ll remember the lesson well and take it forward for the next book.

2 - Get a team.

After writing up a ‘to do’ list longer than a wedding planner’s, you’ll note that not everything on it falls under your expertise (how do you even begin building a website?). Self-published doesn’t mean you have to go it alone! Unless you are massively confident in your skills you should at least hire an editor and a cover designer, these are the two things that can break even the most incredible story.

Less obvious to me was how much I needed my support team, writing a book takes a long time and huge amounts of dedication and discipline. Indies need to conjure that up themselves- there are no deadlines or demands other than your own, so it helps to get them imposed by other people and ask them to make you accountable. The best decision I made was to send my sister each chapter as I wrote it, she knew it wasn’t an edited or finalised piece but she got invested in the story and constantly pressed me for more. And she isn’t someone who pulls punches, so she told me when things needed fixing too.

3 - Plan effectively.

This is your first book so odds are you have another job, and a family, and friends, and other commitments… So, where’s the time to write?

The only way is to make time. If you sit down whenever you suddenly find yourself with a free afternoon and you don’t have anything better to do, it will probably never happen. Set goals, dream big! Think about when you would like to have your first draft completed by, estimate a word count (search online for the average length for your genre) and then break it down into weekly chunks. At first you may not have a clue what a realistic target is for you, but the more you write the better you will understand what is achievable and you can adjust your goals.

4 - Love what you do!

It will spill out onto the page, I promise.

If you don’t adore your characters and think about your story constantly and just can’t get it out of your head, then maybe you’re writing the wrong book. There will, of course, be moments that you stare at a blank page for hours or can’t get that bit worded right- it won’t all be easy. But the ideas will creep back in and when they do it will be even more amazing because you persevered with something you cherish.

This is a big thing you’re taking on new author, an incredible thing, but all the research, planning and assistance won’t get you over the finish post- passion will.

Bio- Kay MacLeod is author of The Constellation Saga, an epic fantasy filled with magic, sarcasm and unpredictability.

Confession time, I’m a fantasy addict! For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the concept of magical worlds. I was the kid with dragons doodled around the edge of her school work, the one with her head constantly buried in a book. As a teen, I shunned partying to play Magic the Gathering and DM Dungeons and Dragons games.

I live with my husband and cat in Nottinghamshire in England. When I’m not writing (or planning something I’m writing) I’m usually working, reading, playing bass for my church’s worship team, playing computer games (World of Warcraft, Dragon Age, Pokemon, Minecraft) or drinking tea.

Website www.kaymacleodbooks.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KayMacLeodFantasy/

Twitter https://twitter.com/KayMacLeodBooks

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15975307.Kay_MacLeod

Amazon author page https://www.amazon.com/Kay-MacLeod/e/B01MDSNQ0A/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Preparing Your Goodreads Marketing Timeline

Whether you’re traditionally published or self-published, as an author today you’re expected to participate in your book marketing campaigns. You are the linchpin! Nobody knows your books as well as you do, which makes you the best person to identify, reach, and connect with your audience. Don’t worry: Finding readers is the fun part! 

When planning a marketing campaign, take the time to devise a strategy. For example, you wouldn’t be able to offer a giveaway before you have printed galleys in hand, and you wouldn’t want to run advertisements before your book is available for pre-order. Planning your activities ahead of time will pay dividends in the long run. 

Here is a suggested marketing timeline to help you schedule your promotions on Goodreads. This plan should supplement your other activities, such as building a website, printing galleys, doing media outreach, scheduling readings, and all the other exciting parts of a book launch. 
Posted by Cynthia on July 05, 2016

Click to read more!

New Release! Let's Go To Mars!

Join Carole P. Roman when she blasts off to colonize the planet Mars, in the newest book of her informative series. Learn about how life would be living on the Red Planet. Travel to Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system. Look into the sky and watch Phobos and Deimos, Mars' two moons. Discover what you would wear, and how the seasons change. See Mars through the eyes of an adventurous youngster like you and understand what life is like in a trip of a lifetime. Don't forget to look at the other books in the series so that you can be an armchair traveler.

Buy it HERE

Golden Globes Swag Bags!