Five Facts about Renegades

by
S.A. Mason

1. Renegades was actually inspired by the television show Firefly. The short-lived show was much different than other science fiction shows; it really broadened my traditional notions of science fiction and helped me think outside of the box to just combine the things I was interested in. I had always heard the advice to write the book you’d want to read, and Firefly really helped me do that. I wouldn’t call Renegades fanfiction because it takes place in a whole different universe with new characters, but the Firefly inspiration is definitely noticeable, if you’ve seen the show. (If you haven’t seen it, you should watch it immediately.)

2. I spent almost four months doing world creation and developing the characters before I even made an outline. I wanted to know every detail of the world and people I would be writing about. Once the outline was done, I wrote 1,000-1,500 words a day and finished the first draft in two months. Renegades wasn’t published until almost a year after that because I couldn’t stop editing.

3. I had originally named the protagonist Elena, but as I was doing my character development, I read the 50 Shades of Grey series, and one of the characters was named Elena, so I changed her name to Elora. Not only did I not like Elena’s character in 50 Shades of Grey, but since that series was so popular, I didn’t want any kind of association with it. In the end, I’m glad I went with Elora. It’s not a very common name, but still pronounceable, which was what I aimed for with all the character’s names.

4. Nigel is my least favorite character. I find him to be very needy, annoying, and immature. But I think his character is necessary for the book to unfold how I wanted it to. His skill set is obviously necessary, but for him to stick with Elora through everything, I felt like he had to be in love with her. His level of dedication had to be more than friendship.

5. I decided to forgo the traditional publishing route and self-publish Renegades mostly because I’m impatient. Querying agents and securing a publisher can take years, and I wanted my book available as soon as possible (and my mom wouldn’t quit asking me when she could read it). The actual writing, editing, and publishing part of self-publishing wasn’t as hard and time-consuming as I thought it would be. Marketing, on the other hand, takes up more time than expected.

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Introducing...

RENEGADES

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Elora Pertin spent her life trying to please her father, an esteemed General for the Empire.

When he convinced her to leave her quiet life as a scientist to advance a secret project for the Emperor, she had no idea what she was getting into. The seemingly innocent projects she engineered were actually being used to develop a genocidal weapon. After uncovering the Emperor’s plot, Elora had no choice but to act.

Elora finds herself fighting for her life against the Empire she once served, abandoning everything with only a handful of friends and an unlikely ally—the Emperor’s deadliest assassin. Will he prove himself true as her protector, a loyal servant of the Empire, or a romantic distraction? With the law and assassins searching the star system for them, Elora and her team are determined to accomplish their mission . . . or die trying.

Sara Atherton Mason

Sara Atherton Mason was raised in Somerville, Massachusetts, with an amazing immediate and extended family. 

She attended Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, graduating with highest honors in Chemistry. She then graduated from the Florida State University College of Law with high honors. 

She lives in the Florida with her toy poodle, Melvin, and clerks for a United States District Court Judge. She enjoys coffee, wine, sports, and science fiction television shows.

It’s All About The Mornings

A Day in the Life of...

Elizabeth Myrddin 

I work a full time job. Thus, my writing must be scheduled so that it becomes part of my regular daily routine. A work shift of 11:30am to 8pm enables me to write in the mornings. This early-to-rise habit is easily applied to weekends and holidays, whenever feasible.

I attempt creative productivity in the mornings at least five days per week. Some weeks it is less. In other weeks, I go into the zone and amass a nice chunk of chapters, or, in the case of short stories, some workable drafts. A typical day in the life of this author goes something like the below:

6:30am: The alarm goes off. I shut it down and ignore the morning for about fifteen to twenty more minutes. My cat starts acting noisy and mischievous around the apartment because she has also heard the alarm and wants food.

Chasing the Cookbook!

A Day in the life of... 

Joan Porte

As a cookbook author, my methodology is not typical of most writers. I do not have to face a blank screen or piece of paper and will the words out of my right brain. I don’t have to fear writers block. However, that does not make my task any easier than that of the novelist or biographer. In fact, I am not as fortunate as those lucky people are. Every time I sit down to work on a recipe, I face something much more dastardly. It is the memory of the days when I had to chase my mother around the kitchen to try to have her actually write down a recipe for what she was making. Don’t snicker! This is something that can cause flashbacks of horrors for decades.

Members of my mother’s family were of the touch-and-feel school of cooking. If you would ask her how much salt to add to a pasta recipe she would say something like, “Feel it, when it feels like there is enough, it is good.” How do you write a recipe that reads – amount of salt --- to the feel? It can’t be done.

Social media isn't important to an author...

... it's CRUCIAL!

by 

Angelina Rose

VBT Cafe

Social Media

Social media is probably the most powerful marketing tool for writers. It gives you free access to millions of potential readers. Business owners tend to dive head long into social media expecting to see huge results in short periods of time. That is simply not the case. It takes patience in order to build up a presence on social media. Here are a couple of frequently asked questions.

How important is Social Media to Authors?

It’s not just important, it’s absolutely essential for writers to establish themselves in the social media world. Here are some of the reasons why:

Brand Building

Social media is perhaps the most powerful brand building platform in the marketing world. You can use it to decide the manner in which you want people to perceive you as a writer. If you don’t find a way to make readers feel that your books are in demand, then you will not sell very many copies.

Thriving Community of Readers

Social media brings with it a diverse and cultivating community. It puts millions of potential readers right at your fingertips. When you build a community, you are guaranteeing that future opportunities will be more successful. 

Gives you Authority as an Author

Without being active through social media, you will not be able to garner the authority needed to convince readers to buy your books. Authority is especially important if you are a non-fiction writer.

Competitive Advantage

The truth is that a lot of individuals don’t do a good job with social media. Therefore, keeping on top of it will give you a significant advantage. When starting out as an author, you need all of the advantages you can get.

What is the Best Social Media Platform

There are so many opinions as to the best platform to use that it’s a bit of a toss up as to which one you should use. Here are the three you should be most concerned about:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Facebook

If you don’t know what Facebook is then you must be living under a rock. It’s the granddaddy of the social media world. You should definitely have an account with an author page. Just be sure to make your profile and page come across as professional. The trick to simplifying Facebook is to use your author fan page to promote new books as opposed to creating pages for each book you release. Only do that when you can afford to hire a team to manage your Facebook accounts.

Twitter

Another great (and necessary) platform for writers is Twitter. Fans absolutely love to be engaged by authors. Twitter lets you easily connect and sometimes reply to readers in a more personal way. In addition, you can effectively get your fans to advertise for you through retweets.

LinkedIn

Finally, we come to LinkedIn. Many tend to skip over this ever-important platform of social media. If you’re trying to get signed by a traditional publisher, a LinkedIn account is necessary. Publishers are guaranteed to search through LinkedIn once they read your query letter. If they don’t find you on, then you will likely be ignored.

Final Tips for Social Media

Let’s end this article on a few quick tips of some things you should keep in mind when using social media.

Don’t Spam your Fans

Spamming is the fastest way to scare off fans (or send them storming off in rage). In the social media world, if you only ever post that people should buy your books or products, then you are spamming. So most of your posts should be fun and entertaining posts, with a few promotions scattered throughout. 

Be Consistent

You can be as active with social media as you want but I do recommend that you at least add one post a week. However, stay consistent. If you plan on posting once a week, then make sure you do so. Don’t go weeks without posting.

Never bite off more than you can chew

In other words, don’t try and do too much. Maintain a schedule and only spend a limited time on social media.

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Alison Neuman on how social media is important to her

For us authors, social media is important. Not only are we able to keep readers and friends up-to-date with our writing but also with the life events of others. Currently, it is impossible for me to travel so social media allows me to reach my destinations from the comfort of home, and I love that opportunity it's given me.

In the past few years, there has been a huge shift to the Internet. Blog tours are a great example of this and an excellent way to promote your books. How it works is that the author visits several blogs and they are introduced to a new audience.

I have heard of authors who have been made into bestsellers just because of social media.It’s a tool in the authors’ promotional toolkit that should not be overlooked. Although, we have to be careful. When I get continuing posts from individuals trying to sell me products, I must admit, I tune out. When that happens, we are losing a potential relationship. For myself, I plug Ice Rose during the holiday buying season and for blog tours or events. Just enough to keep my book out there, but not enough to cause offence.

Like most authors worldwide, I like to share activities and events that are going on with my career, but my blog isn't only focused on writing, it's also about the arts and crafts. A writer once advised me to post a new blog every two weeks, but I find this challenging. Finding fresh topics can be difficult and I wonder how other bloggers manage it.

And, I admit, when I write my posts, I do not always focus on how worldwide social media can reach. So when, few years ago, I posted a blog on a cookie bouquet that I was making, and received a comment from a reader in Germany I was very shocked and pleased.

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The changing world and its impact on social media

by

Jodie Clock

Outside of death and taxes, the only thing for certain we can count, on is change!

My day job happens to be a funeral home owner/director for both humans and pets. Some people may find this profession to be a bid odd, morbid or even down right depressing. Me, well, I find it incredibly fascinating. I get to learn interesting information about people. Not things like where they were born, or how many children they have (although that type of learning can be very interesting), I’m talking about things that really impacted their life.

It’s the 21st century, and presently our population, has more people over the age of 65 than ever before. In our funeral home, it’s not uncommon that we are taking care of centurions, nonagenarians and octogenarians. 

While I was writing Navigating the Eldercare Journey…without going broke! I had the pleasure of talking to one lady who was in her 90’s who came in to pre-plan her funeral. As we were capturing information, I asked her what was the biggest thing she had experienced that changed her quality of life. Her answer was “paved roads”. Many of the stories she remembers as young child revolve around traveling in a covered wagon. This response leads me to ask about her other inventions such as the television, which in her lifetime went from a large black and white monstrosity to the digital television we have today. 

VBT Cafe

This very wise lady got my interest peeked and forced me to reflect on what has impacted my life. In all candor, both personally and professionally speaking, I can say technology. Through the use of technology, I was able to pen and publish Navigating the Eldercare Journey…without going broke! in less than 18 months. The internet enabled me to communicate with my publisher, editor and even public relations team in real time. It’s only been within the last 20 years that the internet has been utilized to by the general public and not just the military. Think about how many things technology has changed! Books are now available in a digital format as well a paper bound format. The newspaper in some cases has all but physically gone away and has transformed into digital. How about social media? If you had asked me just 10 years ago what social media was, I don’t think I would be able

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Amazon.UK

to answer that question. In a very short period, this concept we have labeled “social media” has transformed the way everyone communicates. Heck, there are now even college degrees that revolve strictly around social media.

As a small business owner and author, the invention or platform of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google have provided more affordable tools at my fingertips, which can provide an incredible experience for my consumer. As an author, the ability to have readers place reviews about my book on Amazon is incredible. Creating a Facebook page for my book that challenges me to create a fan base only inspires me to become a more efficient communicator. Social media, if used properly can be a powerful tool. The only downside I can see is that once you put something out there, there is no turning back, it’s there for the world, and I mean world, to see.

What is critical is to find the balance where your posts are consistent, but not over the top in terms of length of posts or frequency. Twitter promotes brevity, but can be difficult to understand all the tweet terms and protocols.

Facebook has a wonderful business page side that allows people to create pages (book’s page). It also has wonderful “how to” sections to learn how to market your book to your target audience. I love the fact that it allows you to upload videos, create polls and even have private email conversations with your readers. Amazon’s author page has some of these tools, but not all of them. My next venue will be to learn Goodreads and begin to promote my book.

Blogging has turned into an interesting animal, if you will. It seems the rules for engagement change to the point of really anything goes. Blogs are turning out to be powerful. Initially, they reminded me of an online brochure – now, they are becoming just as important as your website. Think about this – the fact that my book is on a virtual book tour is still difficult for me to wrap my mind around. The internet really is changing the face of communication, business, relationships, education, recreation – and the list goes on.

So in closing, what’s my point? My point is that as an author and a small business owner, I have found both writing Navigating the Eldercare Journey…without going broke! and running the business is far easier than promoting. I find social media a double edge sword. It can, and if done correctly, provide a solid platform to market from and establish a relationship with your target audience. The challenge is monetizing it. We know that social media will encourage people to act on purchasing your book or seeking out your services, but what we don’t know is how many social media touch points it takes for that action. Like anything else, once we figure that out the information will be yesterday’s news, as at the end of the day, the only thing certain besides death and taxes, is change! 

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Sex sells, but how to sell sex?

by 

Mona Darling
 aka Dead Cow Girl

Throbbing cocks, wet pussies, and hungry mouths. These are the words most of us skim for when reading books about sex.

Every time I tell someone that I just published a book about the female sexual experience, these are the words they think of, and they are certain I have an instant best seller on my hands. After all, sex sells.

But the reality of marketing a book in a marginalized niche like sex and erotica, that doesn't yet have its own virtual shelf, is proving quite difficult. There are limits as to where you can market sex and erotica. Even now that it's finding more common ground, erotica is still often banished to the area behind the virtual counter. I've been turned away from book reviewers because "They don't do erotica."

VBT

Glitter is not romance and it's not erotica, although it has aspects of both. It also has stories of sexual trauma and stories from gay as well as straight women, so those barriers are crossed as well.  In the Internet age, where everything needs to fall into a drop down box category, Glitter doesn't.

Every time I list it somewhere, I have to select a topic from those boxes, and because the topic is sexual, I often have to choose erotica, even though it is not. The people who are looking to read erotica are looking to escape. They are not looking to be reminded that for many women, sexual desire is shaped by trauma and shame. Yet, because there is a some erotica in it, I'm often steered away from posting it under self help, where I feel it would more truly fit.

I know there is a market for Glitter. I know women want to read it. I know there are women who NEED to read it. These stories are not polished and sensationalized. They are not escapism. They are relatable and eye opening. They were compiled to show women that they are not alone in their desires. But how to reach those women?

I spent twenty years in the sex industry, and I know there is someone for everything, even those things that make you scratch your head and wonder. It is hard not to get frustrated with marketing any book, let alone a book that falls outside of those drop down boxes. Yet every time I do, I have a wonderfully supportive circle of friends who remind me that Glitter was brought together to help women feel less alone in their desires. They remind me that I am bucking the status quo, and that is never easy, and that real change takes time. I pick myself up, dust myself off, and once again say, 'No. Actually, it's not erotica. Glitter is real stories of sexual desire from real women. Some of them are erotic, but many are not. They are the real stories that define us as women."

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Confessions of a writer... researching.

by 

Laina Turner

I was thrilled when I saw the topic of the month for this blog. Why? Because I love hearing secrets, who doesn’t, and I thought it would be fun to share some of mine, about my writing anyways. They say confession is good for the soul.

I sometimes forget if a memory is real or whether it's something I thought-up in a book. I tell a story and find myself wondering if it’s true or just a cemented figment from my imagination. I have to think really hard to figure out which it is and there have been times where I can’t, so I just go with that it’s real. 

Some of you may think that is a little crazy and I understand. I happen to think it’s quite normal. At least for me, which I will whole-heartedly blame on my parents because I’m an only child (their fault) and that made me overuse my imagination in order to entertain myself. So it’s no wonder I have a hard time going back and forth between reality and fantasy.

It’s also no wonder I closely identify with my characters. I like to afford them experiences that I would like to have. Not that I would have any clue what to do if I came across a dead body, but I’d like to think I would know. It’s fun to pretend to have that excitement.

I like to write about places I have visited and experienced, and use my it as the background in my books. So I have, on occasion, pretended to be one of my characters in order to fully immerse myself in what she might see or do. Again, you might think that’s strange I like to think its good research to role-play and play make believe.

What do you like to pretend?

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Are you an 'organic' artist? Zackery Humphreys explains...

by

Zackery Humphreys

I consider myself a very organic artist.

Many of my ideas come from dreams or inspirations from other artists: Salvidor Dali, Ray Bradbury and Walt Disney are some good examples. When I get an idea, whether it is a character, an ending, or even just a line, I write it down either in my notebook or on my phone for later use. After that, I think about it quite a bit, usually as I'm lying in bed trying to sleep (which doesn't help my sleep schedule!) until I have a rough outline in my head with a few more ideas, which I, in turn, write down in my notes. After that, it's off to writing. 

Author Zackery Humphreys

I prefer this more organic way of creating as it bleeds into my writing. Each sentence inspires the next, and the next, which can sometimes lead to the creation of more ideas as I go along. It's like stream-of-consciousness with punctuation. I prefer this to a solidified outline I may have already thought about ahead of time. It's more exciting to write organically and it's hopefully more fluid for the reader. 

For the entire process, I continue lying in bed thinking, jotting down notes, and writing until the project is finished and I'm dead tired!

Speaking of “finished,” the question I've been asked probably more than any other is, “How long does it take you to finish a book?” Well, it took me seven years to write Epsilon A.R., from the first word to the final product. Enough time to nearly get through all of high school and college.

T. M. Shannon's writing process

by

T. M. Shannon

From tiny idea to the book shops. What is your writing process?

Having the idea: 

It’s not always "sit down and let the ideas flow". Ideas pop up when you least expect it, and need to be written down or at least remembered (luckily my memory is good). 

Sometimes an idea would come with such a burst of energy that it’s not only writing an idea down – but twelve pages of the beginnings of a story that goes nowhere. But it’s still saved, idea 001 so to speak, left to return to and either bring to life, or leave to give to dust. 

My other dream is to write a Role Playing Game. Sadly, I don’t know coding, but I know writing. Either way, these blunt ideas were the conception for The Torment, The Shadow, The Heart. 

Author T.M. Shannon

Drafting: 
At first, I had such a urge to write that I did a lot of Hero of Talbadas (Vol 1) on the fly. I began on the PC, creating the idea of the world - what became the Verity in the published version, but then, like most writers, I had a day job to go to. I would leave work early, and take my time getting home just so I could write in an exercise book. Afterwards, I’d re-write it on Word, improving the narrative as I went. The project stalled near the end of the third book in the fantasy trilogy, all motivation gone. What I needed was to look at getting published for that final push.

Revising:
To get an agent or just to publish yourself you need to get the book up to a high standard. It starts making sure you have the book that you want. Revising is simply making sure your work makes sense. As I went with The Torment, The Shadow, The Heart I ended up removing some chapters and putting them in book two, took the start of book two and used it as the denouement for book one, and re-wrote a few things in between. It was just a matter of improvement.

Editing:
Past revising, editing is like “cutting the fat” off a steak. Go through and find proofing errors (I missed some of them and had to go again). Go through and ensure the formatting is good. Go through and make sure it makes sense i.e. delivers the narrative well. And after that, it pays to get it checked out by a fresh set of eyes.

This last step I actually haven’t done with The Torment, The Shadow, The Heart but intend to soon. It’s a bit of a monetary issue, but I wasn’t going to let that get in the way of my dream of becoming a published author

Writing Process of Daitoku Daiichi - Summaries

by

Daitoku Daiichi

"In this busy, dusty world, having accomplished nothing, I suddenly recalled all the girls I had known, considering each in turn, and it dawned on me that all of them surpassed me in behaviour and understanding; that I ,shameful to say for all my masculine dignity, fell short of the gentler sex." - from the Dream of Red Mansion.

As I have interests in books, film, television and video games, they are often major influences on my work. Although I like to write something innovative, I am also aware of respecting the work of others before me. It can also be fun and more meaningful to the reader when my novel references some other work.

One of the main things I do before planning a story is to narrow down on these 'selected works'. For 'Hot Spring', the first in the series of Godfrey and Chucky's adventures, I spent two months 'drawing out the essence' from the Chinese classic 'Dream of Red Mansion'. Since this revered classic had a common theme with my story idea, I wanted to make sure that I don't write a scene only to discover it had been done before. Both my story and "Dream of Red Mansion" deals with the growing up phase of a young boy in an affluent household. In both stories, the young boy is uneasy with his father and fascinated by his aunt. The adolescent is also discovering his conflicting feelings for two of his female friends. But enough of the similarities for now.

VBT

The original work has 120 chapters and about 2500 pages. I have the English translation from Foreign Languages Press. I remember taking 6 months to finish reading this, and I was sure I didn't want to write something of that length. So I did a summary of the timeless work, which helped me to remember some of the major plot themes I had read before. You have to know how something is approached traditionally, before you can give it a twist, don't you?

In short, the Dream of Red Mansions describes the slow decay of the esteemed Jia family, and how the young heir Jia Baoyu awakens to spiritual discovery. Stripped bare of all details, the classic is about a boy living in a large house with plenty of women.

On the other hand, in 'Hot Spring', the Gao family is prospering, and the story is about how they overcome a threat to their business. There is still the wonderful dynamic of a young boy living with many beautiful women in the hotel and at school. On top of that, the Gao family hotel hosts wealthy tourists Godfrey and Chucky, and even assists them on the adventure. The hotel's name, Red Jade Palace Hotel, is an allusion to the classic novel, and provides an extra layer of amusement for its fans.

Doing the summaries beforehand can really help an author to plan out the story well, and ensure there is no unwanted repetition with a more famous cultural work. For my second book I am already summarizing the films that I hope to pay homage to. The same applies when a TV series or a video game inspired your writing passion. If you want to read a fresh, innovative novel inspired by 'Dream of Red Mansions', you should definitely catch your copy of 'Hot Spring' at Kobo books.

How to Get Ideas for Books

by

Lisa Binion

Before I began to write, the complex plots in the books I read would amaze me.  I just could not figure out how the authors of these books came up with such fantastic ideas.  Since beginning to write, I have discovered ways to come up with some terrific ideas.

VBT

Take a look at your own life.  Life has a tendency to throw you into all kinds of situations, and each situation can be made into a story.  Softly and Tenderly came from the death of my mother when I was nine-years-old.  It was a traumatic time of life for me, and it took me a very long time to recover from her death.  I could have turned it into a mystery or a story that made people cry.  I could have written events just as they happened, but I really would not have been satisfied doing that.  I chose to make it creepy.

A few years ago, something happened to me that I’ll never forget.  It is something that I don’t want to live through again.  While I was out jogging, a spider must have fallen on my shoulder or in my hair.  That’s bad enough in itself, but when I discovered this spider on me, it was in my ear.  I didn’t realize at the time it was a spider.  All I felt were its legs as it crawled deep inside my ear.  Many excruciating hours later, I finally managed to coax it out by about drowning it with hydrogen peroxide.  It was one clean spider when it hit the floor.  I couldn’t let that horrifying event be for nothing.  I’m writing a book, Whisper, very lightly based on what happened.  Again, it will be a tale of horror.

If you can’t decide on an event in your life to write about, take a look at things that have happened in the lives of people you know.  Read newspapers and magazines to see what interesting things have happened in the lives of people you don’t know.  Check out current events and what is happening in the world today.

When you go shopping or go to town to pay bills, notice what is going on around you and listen in on other people’s conversations.  Just try not to be too obvious about what you are doing.  Is there someone you see doing something unusual?  Maybe someone is dressed in an unusual way.  Did you see someone walk away from their cart only to have someone else come along and pick up an item out of their cart?  Was that arranged beforehand?  Maybe it was a trade of some kind.

Perhaps your neighbor has a strange habit.  Does she walk outside every morning at exactly the same time and look down the road?  Is she watching for someone?  Why?  And who is she watching for?  I’m sure you can come up with all kinds of interesting scenarios to explain that.

Listen to your muse.  Pick up a sheet of paper and write down a word that interests you, a word that has a lot of meaning for you.  Now start jotting down other words that your main word brings to mind.  Before long, a story should start to form in your mind.  Keep at it long enough, and you should have enough to start writing.

One other way you can come up with ideas is to look at story prompts.  There are hundreds of these floating around on the Internet.  A lot articles on my BellaOnline Fiction Writing site have story prompts included in them.

Story prompts happen all around us each and every day.  All you have to do is notice them and build a story around them.

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Book Reviews: The Good and Bad Apples

by

April L. Blanding

AKA Vogue!

VBT

So, you’ve finally finished your manuscript (congrats!), have decided on a publisher or have chosen to self-publish and are looking for your first shot at marketing your product. Aside from social media, which is the quickest outlet to reach an audience, you learn that the next most common marketing tip out there is to send your book to reviewers.

Yes, this means that you will be providing a free retail copy of your book, gifting an ebook or even sending a PDF file to book lovers across America and beyond. Then, you start, “the wait.” The wait is the waiting period from when the book reviewer gets your book, reads it and then finally posts their review. This process can take months, but there is no greater feeling then when you see a four star or five star review on your newly published novel. Even, a three star review, if written professionally with constructive criticism can become one of your favorite book reviews.

Nevertheless, there are always bad apples with good apples. These are the book reviews that you did not solicit; the ones that are written unprofessionally, with rude and uncouth remarks that make you question the sanity of these individuals. You know these reviews, you’ve read these reviews and perhaps, you may have even written one. Maybe, these reviews were not left on your book, but you have seen them.

These reviews feature comments such as, “I’m seriously getting fed up with these authors,” “I’m a big fan, I can’t believe you wrote this bad book,” “Don’t waste your money on this book, wait until it’s in the library,” or even, “If I could throw this book out of the window and run over it 5 million times then I would.”

The worst book review that I have come across is not even a legitimate book review. An Amazon user gave a book a 1-star review simply because the book was only available on Kindle. This review prompted me to take a look at Amazon’s guidelines for Customer Reviews. Reviews as such should not be featured on any author’s product.

However, when you are the author, how do you deal with these reviews? Quite naturally, we may want to contact the person and give them a piece of our mind. Still, our feelings have been hurt and our brand has been slightly tarnished. Personally, I believe that the best way to overcome the burn is to vent, get it out of your system and move on. Sometimes, we give so much attention to the negative that we lose sight of the positive. Remember this, every wound heals over time.

Nevertheless, what I would like for readers who leave the “bad apples” to understand is this: The author (s) who wrote the book you are reading is human. We are not invincible and we are not superhuman. Just like you, we laugh, we cry, we get mad, we get nervous, we make mistakes, we learn from our errors and in a nutshell- we have feelings. Take a second and think about what you are posting before you hit submit. This does not mean that you can’t voice your opinion, but there is a line between constructive criticism and being cruel.

For all of you authors out there, keep your head up, keep writing and keep working towards your goal. No one can stop, but you!

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The Ace of Diamonds

by Vogue

Since his release from prison, Brookstone’s most notorious drug lord, Jay Santiago, has been hard at work rebuilding his life and empire. With two businesses under his belt and one in the making, Jay is readily known as one of New York’s elite men. 

  

The Bad Side of Being an Author

by

George A Bernstein

Is there a bad side to being an author? Let me count the ways!

Seriously, though, writing, and especially fiction, is a lot like life…with both ups and downs. But this month’s topic is more about the “downs,” so let’s look at that.

As an author, we’ve worked hard on creating our masterpiece. At least, I know I have, especially when I learned being talented was not enough. 

Book A Tour

I read how-to books on creating a blockbuster and I regularly attend writers’ conferences (where there are more classes about the entire spectrum of being an author than I could possibly attend). I’d written four novels and was focused on getting my first, Trapped, as good as I could make it, and eventually published. I learned a lot about what makes good writing, and am amazed at how many people who strive to be authors just don’t do the work to develop their craft. 

Anyhow, the only thing remotely “bad” about any of the above, was the time and effort it took to polish my skills…and that really wasn’t so bad, after all. Some of the “bad” are things all authors experience…and have come to expect:

Rejection!

Amazon.UK
Amazon.com

What’s really bad about rejection isn’t so much that this agent or that editor didn’t think your work was for them. It’s that you’ve slaved over the perfect query letter, after consuming a plethora of articles from those same agents/editors on how to do it right…how to create that compelling hook. And then you read their web site and write a personalized letter, showing them you know who they are and what they like. And then the rejection comes in your dutifully supplied SASE: 

“Dear Author (NOT personalized), Thanks for thinking of me. Unfortunately, this is not for us (Despite being right in the strike zone of what they say they love). Perhaps you will have better success with someone else.” Yeah? Who? 

The frustration is that you went through a lot of effort to show them you MAY be right for them, and they send the generic form letter. You know in your heart they probably never even looked at your submission. Agents admit they look for the tiniest things in the query to summarily reject you. Surely they are swamped with queries, but their cavalier dismissal of you treasure is very disheartening. How many great authors were nearly buried with rejections. Gresham, Louis L’amore (350 times – America’s premier western author), and J.K. Rowlings are a few.

Another “bad” thing can be contests. Contests have great potential for the new author. I’ve entered several, and in fact my novel, Trapped, is published by TAG Publishers because I won their Next Great American Novel Contest. Trapped was also a finalist in the Florida Writers annual RPLA fiction contest, with over 300 entrants. And the rub here come from inconsistent judging. To qualify as a finalist, the novel has to receive a total of 80 or more points, out of a possible 100, based on two preliminary judges evaluation of 10 different criteria, 1 – 5 points for each. Trapped received a total of 48 from one judge and 46 from the other, both very complimentary of character development, scenes, and the 1st person POV throughout of my main character, Jackee. The latter was at the suggestion of Dee Burks, editor at TAG Publishers. Every chapter was from the POV of Jackee, and whatever happened away from her had to be learned by what she saw and what she heard.

How flash fiction could help with writing a full novel

by 

Christopher Savio

I have to admit that when given the theme of this blog I had to look up flash fiction.  Maybe I have my head so buried in the books I read, writing and marketing that it passed me by.  Perhaps I am just out of the loop?  Whatever the case, upon finding out I have quickly grown a deep respect for it.

As an author I know how hard it is to get just the right word on the page.  Many of us live by the notion that we should use one word where others may use two or three.  

When painting a picture within the reader's mind, we must be complete, yet concise.  Only a few authors can get away with overdrawn descriptions.  Not everyone is Steinbeck and able describe how brown the corn was in the 1930's setting of The Grapes of Wrath.  With all due respect to one of the all time greats, that doesn’t work for every author or every reader. That being said, enter flash fiction.  A genre where one has not only to tell the detail but develop the story in less than one thousand words or less.  Some people ask me how I can write a book of 90,000 words, and most authors can accomplish that with ease, What would be hard for me would be to write a short story.

Even though, I would find it difficult to write a short, but complete, story, I truly feel that flash fiction can be an incredibly important tool for any author.   In the name of making one’s writing more concise, I feel that if each scene in a book were to be written as a series of flash fiction stories that linked together, the end result would be an incredibly fast paced and engaging book.  After all, we all know that some authors (not trying to be critical simply stating what we all know) can drone on and kill a scene because they lack sufficient brevity. 

I hesitate to use one of my favorites as an example, but Stephen King has been criticized for his most recent release of 11/22/63.  I  personally loved the book, but when his character falls in love with a fellow school teacher in Jodie Texas it seemed to be a never-ending two or three hundred page act.  If flash fiction had been employed here, the act would have been trimmed down (but then again who am I to judge? He’s sold millions of books and I haven’t. Yet!).

Looking at The Daguerreotypist  I feel that taking elements of my book and making a series of flash fiction could be interesting.  My favorite scenes were those that dealt with Isaiah Whitfield and The Devil.  I made The Devil less scary on a physical level and brought it to more of an emotional level. 

The Devil likes to play mind games with my antagonist  (I got a chuckle out of the scenes as I wrote). Taking these two characters, Isaiah Whitfield and The Devil, out of the book and creating a piece of fiction story with them could be a very interesting enterprise. 

Imagine the stories one can come up with involving a paranoid serial killer lamenting his choices in life and a character who has the power to mess with the other’s mind! They would make very dark and entertaining short-stories.

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