P.H. Solomon's Blog, page 315

This is an ongoing series about using the writing technique – deep point of view. The original posts began over last summer after I attended a webinar on the subject. Previous are listed at the end of this post.

Deep POV is an effective technique to enhance characterization. The effect is that the reader is closer to the story so that they feel more part of the action. Lots of description about the actions of characters and the setting creates a distance for the reader. Of course, this technique can be used in varying degrees withing your book. Also, there are aspects of deep POV that require different handling in your writing. Here are a few concepts to consider when using internalization with this writing style.

Ease into the main character’s POV.

It’s jarring for the reader to be dropped directly into the point of view at the beginning of a book or a scene. Instead of jumping right into deep internalization try using a movie technique instead: start from a distant perspective and pan into deep POV and accompanying internalization. Likewise, when you write an action/fight scene let there be distance – characters are reacting rather than thinking. Additionally during action, emotions are bursts of shouts or wordless utterances. So deep POV can be varied depending on place and activity in your book.

Internal dialogue is not continual.

In deep POV internal dialogue is not long strings, or a continual thread of, the main character’s constant thoughts about any and everything. Boring. Instead focus on what’s important to the character and plot during the scene. There should be a mix of external action, regular dialogue and description. In this sense, internalization is more like adding seasoning to the story from the main character’s POV.

How does internal dialogue appear?

Simply increasing the number of italicized, active thinking by the main character is not actually deep POV internalization. Instead this style is woven into the narrative such that thought and action by the main character are vary. Italics should be limited only to exclamations and colloquialisms. So verbatim, italicized thoughts should be avoided.

Internal dialogue should be the same tense.

If working in third person deep POV, avoid use of first person references in the POV character’s internalization. This creates a jarring distance for the reader.

What it becomes?

Coupled with the use of dialogue and various other elements, internalization acts as an emotive modifier to the character’s POV.

Here are previous posts based on deep POV that may help:

3 Tips for Editing to Deep POV PT 1

Deep POV Tips Part 2

Deep POV Tips Part 3

Deep POV Tips Part 4: Of Sneaks and Shallow POV

Deep POV Tips Pt. 5: Eliminate Narrative Distance

Deep POV Pt. 6: Editing for Emotion

Deep POV Pt. 7: Editing Tips

And of course here are more resources for deep POV and showing emotion rather than telling:

Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View

The Emotion Thesaurus

Have you used deep POV? What techniques have you found helpful? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Filed under: Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Deep POV, Editing, Indie Publishing, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: blogging, Coverart, creativity, Deep POV, Editing, Facebook, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, writing

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Growing up I loved playing strategy games. There were tons of old board games like Stratego, Tactics II, Blitzkrieg as well as the age-old favorite, chess. You could cut your teeth on strategic thinking with those games. Playing those types of games makes you the general. You make the decisions that win or lose your game. A recent blog got me thinking about strategy and book sales.

The blog by Leona Henry, The Ugly Truth About Book Sales, detailed Kameron Hurley’s sales struggles as an established author. It was an honest look at the issues that less established authors can expect. It’s a very sobering to read as an author planning to release a book later this year. Take a look for yourself – it ain’t pretty. Kameron ended up doing a very arduous blog tour to improve book sales.

However, I thought about this article for several days and referred to some other authors who’ve been – and remain successful – in this digital age. Here’s some of my strategic thinking:

1. Authors need lots of social media engagement. This is a simple statement but is actually much more complex than it suggests. It actually means that we authors must meet our readers and potential readers more than half-way. It means pursuing readers with single-minded balance – you can’t be too forward but you certainly cannot sit back and wait to be noticed. This means being active on social media channels in such a way as to gain followers without flooding them with sales pitches. Among other social media venues, this means having a growing presence as a reader on Goodreads. Additionally, an author must understand what channels to emphasize. For instance, all authors should have a presence on Goodreads but fantasy/scifi authors, in addition to Twitter, should their presence on Google+. Other genres are better marketed on various other forms of social media (for more information read this blog by Nicholas Rossis).

Clip Art Image Copyright by Microsoft. Clip Art Used by Permission of Microsoft

2. We need to gain the trust of readers. This dovetails from the first point in that engagement leads to curious looks from people. They are looking at our content. That’s right, our blogs, posted short fiction, publications, interviews and reviews (by us and for us). Readers want to know if we have the chops to deliver. If so, then maybe we’ve earned their trust enough to sell them a book. An author should be aware of content no matter where it is because readers do notice. Any kind of content matters and if your social media channels are growing then that should be pointing to your content. This leads to the next point…

3. Writers need to “up their game” when it comes to the quality of their content. People are busy these days and asking them to buy a book requires more than just their monetary investment. This includes differentiating ourselves from those who do not produce quality content by pursuing editing from trusted, professional sources. I know there are good line/copy editors we all have as friends, however a professional editor has expertise developing a book that a friend may not have. This is important since it appears that traditional publishers are starting to price books competitively with independent authors. Save up and engage a recommend, reputable editor. Regardless we all need an extra pair of eyes on our work. The same is true of a cover – be willing to spend some money on one to improve sales. But additionally, be patient with publication if you are an independent author. Learn from the opinion of others, read about the craft of writing and attend conferences as you are able. Patience is important – let that novel ferment some.

4. Support from other authors is necessary. There’s far more to book marketing than the three thoughts already discussed. Tours, interviews, gaining reviews, giveaways, etc., all gain an author visibility. But a lot of exposure comes from word of mouth and other authors (who are often readers and reviewers also) become very helpful. Networking with fellow writers is important. I’m glad I’m a member of Rave Reviews Book Club now rather than later. I’m learning so much from other authors just by helping and observing their work. If you aren’t in an authors network consider joining one (and no I’m not just plugging my club even though I am a VIP member). The association with other writers expands your reach exponentially. In the end, Kameron Hurley relied on numerous fellow writers while on the blog tour. Why not make that connection now.

The bottom-line is that numbers matter. How an author strategically approaches these concepts leads to sales – or not. It’s always a battle to discover and keep readers but it can be done with some thoughtful work. However, neglecting the idea of connecting with other people can lead to flat-line sales.

What other ideas do you have about the fluid world of book sales? What has worked for you in the past? What’s changed for you – good and bad? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Cover art provided on commission from Christopher Rawlins

Filed under: Fantasy, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Planning, Rave Review Book Club, Reviews, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, Writing, Writing Groups Tagged: blogging, Coverart, Facebook, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Planning, Rave Reviews Book Club, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, writing

This is the beginning of a new feature on Archer’s Aim – Fantasy Authors Unplugged. I hope to frequently share an interview with a fantasy author. If you have authors to suggest and/or questions you’d like to see answered then leave a comment or send me an email. If you are a fantasy author and would like an interview please let me know and we’ll plan one that fits your schedule.

Today’s feature fantasy author is Ed Ireland, author of several books including his latest, The Stormrider. Welcome Ed!

1. Tell us about your latest book.

The Stormrider is the second book in my Free People trilogy. It continues the story of Hellion and Fire, their children and their clan. It picks up right after the lead book, Fire At Dawn. Stormrider sets its focus on the strengths of the women in this savage world and their ability to bring what is needed to overcome the odds they must face. Their world is on the brink of war, a war they have been forbidden to enter. There are however, things they cannot overlook. There are issues of what is right and wrong, and when everything you have been taught must take precedence over what you have been told. While Hellion has been tasked to find and bring a lost clan back to their homelands, everything falls to Fire. Her strength and convictions must be enough to help the clans continue their futures.

2. Is there a specific event or idea upon which the book/series is based?

There is no one event to either the Free People Chronicles or the Huntress series. I look at what is happening on personal fronts as well as worldly events and then import them into my fantasy worlds. Issues in our past that have been resolved could very well be integrated into imagined worlds as new. For instance, slavery is an issue tackled in the Free People’s world whereas alcohol abuse rears its head in the Huntress’ world. Both stories also rely on what is happening in our own world…the current zombie trend, Ebola, terrorist cells and almost any other trending item in the media. Given a fantasy twist, they fall neatly in line with tales of the bizarre.

3. How do you develop your books?

That’s a good question. There are so many things that I see or hear that send me on a path. The worlds I create are the worlds I have seen. I’ve lived in a good many places and carry particular images of them that translate to my worlds. Next up are characters, and once more, it is the multitude of people I’ve met that make them up. Hellion is a combination of a few people I know, while Fire is pretty much how I see one particular person. Once I have those two factors nailed down, the storytelling just seems to flow on its own.

Sometimes, it’s a simple thought that pops in. Like the one I had at 3 AM a few days ago. I saw the ending of the third book of the trilogy and after 4 hours I knew exactly where the story was going. In the meantime, I just assure myself that sleep is for the weak.

4. How long does it take you to complete a book on average?

I’m one of those writers that have absolutely no organization at all. I don’t make any plans or layouts of how the story should go, so my finish times vary wildly. I might sit and knock out six or eight chapters over a day or two and then spend another two weeks tweaking them. There’s always something I’ll see that doesn’t sit right and needs to be changed, or a scene that seems incomplete. I also tend to visualize things that will happen later, so my book file is filled with notes about what happens in the end or who says what about this or that…just imagine the home on Sanford & Son and you’ll get an image of what’s inside my head.

Back to the question…Fire At Dawn was my first book. It took me almost three years to write, edit, rewrite, reedit and so on and so forth. Stormrider took about eight months since I knew the direction. The same thing with the Huntress books. The Last Ranger of Sarn took almost two years whereas Blood Moon Sacrifice took only a few months.

5. Do you use an editor? If so, who is it?

I am the Indy writer that every non-writer visualizes. I have every hat for my stories from writing them, to editing them, to marketing them and every other aspect. The only job I don’t handle is proofreading. My wife does that for me, since it would figure that if I made the mistakes in the first place, chances are I wouldn’t see them as mistakes the second time around. I’m waiting for my daughter to get a few more years under her belt and I’ll find a job for her too. After all, I plan to become very famous after I die and that means she’ll be well set. It’s only fair that she contributes now.

6. How did you choose/discover your cover artist?

I had a few ideas for my Free People series. I had several people give it a shot and none of them caught my fancy. At the same time, I got a copy of Photoshop and started trying a few things. Eventually I learned how to manipulate photos enough to get what I wanted. In both series, I try to keep a specific theme to the picture while changing another part. I was inspired by a set of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings set when I was young. When they lined up in their correct order, the spines made a picture of the Shire.

7. Did you have specific ideas about your cover?

Yes. For the Free People, I always wanted to portray Fire as the person that watched over everything, kind of like a shepherd. Her eyes make the background of each picture for the trilogy and will continue to be there in the event of a series spin-off. For the Huntress, I wanted a feel of the older serial novels where there was always a familiar look to the cover. I found a great photo taken by Khriess Photography, got the OK and made that image my starting point. The archer will always be the foreground while the background will incorporate the essence of the story.

8. How long have you been writing and how did you get started?

I started writing rather late in life, probably sometime in my thirties. I’d like to say I was a precocious two year old writing tales about my teddy bear, but just wasn’t so. I started playing an online game that was like a half-assed Dungeons & Dragons, and began writing these little scenarios for it. A few people urged me to write a short story, and from that Fire At Dawn popped up. It incorporated a lot of the people I played with.

Filled with a brazen idea that I should be immediately published and paid huge amounts of royalties, I sent FAD off to dozens of publishers. As the rejections rolled in, the idea of writing fell by the wayside. Then one day I got a letter from a popular game developer. They wanted my story, not for my superior ability to spin a yarn, but because of my characters. The plan was to throw the story away and bring the characters to their game. Of course, I had to sell all rights to them and could never do anything with them again.

Some kind of artistic integrity told me to refuse, but their offer gave me hope. As my wife said, I was able to create personable characters and that was the hard part. She convinced me to go back and after a major overhaul of the story and a few dozen edits, a much more polished piece came out.

9. What are you working on now?

Book three of the Free People series is on the table. The title is A New Dawning and it picks up some twenty years since the end of Stormrider. I wanted to end this one massive story, but at the same time I wanted to allow some way of bringing characters back. I left such a gap as a means of finding “lost tales” in the event my readers demanded more.

There is also the third book of the Huntress series that keeps popping up. That title is The Broken King and has lots of notes sitting in the folder for that. There is another crime drama lurking in my head somewhere and as if all of that wasn’t enough, I have a cookbook idea that I’m working on too.

I saw a question recently that asked what writers do in-between books. If I ever find an “in-between books” time, I’ll be sure to let them know.

Ed’s Bio

Ed Ireland a product of the streets of Philadelphia, specifically, South Philly. He draws on his memories of people, places and events from his life there as well as the rest of the world, collected in what he calls his “junk drawer of writer mats”.

He has lived in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Texas, California, Colorado, New Jersey, New York and currently, North Carolina. He has visited Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Arizona and Connecticut. Every one of these locations has provided him with people and places that inspire his work. Countless memories from them – some good and some bad – live within him constantly. Confucius once said. “Wherever you go, go with all your heart”. It’s become his mantra now since his wandering isn’t done yet. His thoughts are pushing him to Florida now. Maybe the spirit of Hemmingway is calling…

Perhaps the people are drawing him. He has always been a people-person, saying that they provide a wealth of opportunity and that “a good variety of people in one’s life is like a rich tapestry of inspiration to a writer. People come equipped with personalities, quirks and tales that keep writers in material for a lifetime.”

On the more personal side of the scale, he was born in 1954. He is on his second marriage with a wonderful child from each. He is fiercely loyal to the Philadelphia Eagles, The Beatles and classic horror films. He enjoys time in the kitchen as of late, spending a lot of it trying to figure out his grandmother’s recipes. He says that cooking is fun for him now that he understands that it too, is an art. He enjoys photography and playing in Photoshop. He’s addicted to World of Warcraft and plays it far too much. His passion is animal rights and he campaigns to end the persecution of wolves. His religious and political views are private, nevertheless, they make themselves known throughout his work.

His books are available at Amazon, Barns & Noble, Apple and several other outlets in eBook form only.

Links:

My website – http://bit.ly/edireland

My Facebook Page – http://bit.ly/popularsocilasite

My Smashwords Page

For my books – http://bit.ly/SmashwordsLook

Promotion:

For your readers that would like a free copy of Fire At Dawn, just go to my website and join the member’s area. Drop me a line and I’ll send a free copy via Smashwords that can be downloaded in any eReader configuration as well as PDF.

Thanks to Ed for the interview in this feature. Everyone make sure to take advantage of the free book offer.

If you’re a fantasy author and would like to be interviewed for “Fantasy Authors Unplugged” just contact me via email or one of my social media channels and we’ll set one up.

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today!

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Filed under: A New Dawning, Blood Moon Sacrifice, Ed Ireland, Fantasy, Fantasy Authors Unplugged, Fiction, Fire At Dawn, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Self-publishing, Social Media, Stormrider, The Broken King, The Last Ranger of Sarn, Writing Tagged: A New Dawning, blogging, Blood Moon Sacrifice, Coverart, creativity, Ed Ireland, Facebook, Fire At Dawn, Indie Publishing, Self-publishing, Smashwords, Social Media, Stormrider, The Broken King, The Last Ranger of Sarn, writing

PHS:

Interesting insights about character development from Autumn Birt.

Originally posted on Guild Of Dreams:

– by Autumn Birt

Every story needs a unique idea (or at least a new spin on a classic!), but good character development can keep a reader going despite plot flaws far longer than a brilliant plot with flat characters. At least for me. And if you go by the comments and complaints out there, for most people as well. We write in a era of character driven novels.

The typical problems are stories with great ideas and cardboard characters. There are so many levels of poor character development: no interaction with other characters, speeches that are information dumps, no nuanced emotions. What is your pet peeve? Mine – have you ever begun a story where it felt like the character showed up the same time you did? A character who knows as much about the fantasy world as you on page one, but they supposedly grew up there?! Those…

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Over the weekend I finished the rough draft of a short story. Then, I took Sunday off from writing. This morning my creativity started percolating.

I’ve had another short story in very rough draft for about ten months. With a major book revision and several other short story ideas I just haven’t had time to edit this story. But this morning, I had fresh ideas for this story. Elements of the project that needed fleshing out suddenly gained clarity.

After sitting down with the story, importing it into Scrivener and making notes about it I realized something: I was charged about taking on this project. Many other writers suggest writing a story and letting it lie for a while before editing. The reason for this hiatus is that it allows your mind to look at the content from different perspectives.

While I think that this was definitely the case with this particular short story, I also believe there is another reason the story came alive for me again. With a draft completed my mind had space to creatively play with the story. Perhaps it’s something like a butterfly escaping its cocoon but I also think it’s the need for variety.

It occurred to me that completing a project allows creativity to flow. The mind craves something different – a varied “spice” – and it starts working through all the ideas that are backlogged. So it’s a very good reason to complete a project. It breathes fresh air over stale ideas. It allows creativity to stretch.

With several short fiction projects in my backlog of ideas, I suddenly have momentum for them. With momentum, comes more enthusiasm and motivation. With some luck, I’ll complete editing this different story soon and move onto another, new idea (I’m alternating writing and editing short stories right now). I hope with increasing momentum, I’ll move onto the second and third books in short order to complete those drafts as well as actually release my first full-length novel this year.

One of my major goals for the year is publication. I want to submit at least six short stories to fiction markets and publish my first novel. Perhaps I’ll have time to get to my second novel published late in the year. It’s a lofty goal, but these butterfly ideas certainly push me onward. The short fiction I can take in smaller chunks which help push the larger goals toward completion.

Are you reaching for your goals with small chunks? What butterflies are emerging for you this year? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Filed under: Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Editing, Fantasy, Fiction, Indie Publishing, Rave Review Book Club, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, Writing Tagged: blogging, creativity, Facebook, Goals, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Rave Reviews Book Club, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, writing

PHS:

A very informative warning about book promotion and sales.

Originally posted on Leona's Blog of Shadows:

Today I am going to share some eye-opening truths, which might shatter the illusions regarding the book publishing business and crush the dreams of some folk out there. I have recently come across a rather interesting blog post link in the comments section under a post at Suffolk Scribblings blog.

It was a rather grim post by author Kameron Hurley. For those who are not familiar with her, she is an established author who has been a finalist for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Locus Award and the BSFA Award for Best Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in prestigious SFF magazines such as Lightspeed, EscapePod, and Strange Horizons. Her fiction has been translated into Romanian, Swedish, Spanish, and Russian. She is also a graduate of Clarion West. Impressive credentials many of us dream about accomplishing some day, if ever.

According to her…

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I’ve recently written about Scrivener templates and different types of content that could be developed using this software. In fact, I’m using it as I write this blog. But for new users, finding information and tracking projects can be confusing. Here’s a short post with a tip to help other new users track their content.

Where Is Everything?

Learning robust software like Scrivener can appear daunting when you first start using it. You jump right in and start creating folders and text containers. The binder isn’t too hard to master and writing is writing.

But how much did you write? How do you set goals and track them? Fortunately, there are tools available in Scrivener that meet these needs.

Words written appear in the bottom bar of Scrivener. This count and amount cover just the container in which you are writing. That’s simple enough. But what if you need more specifics?

The Projects Menu – Project Targets

The answer is the built into Scrivener. Click the Projects menu and then choose Project Targets.

Want to set and track goals? Use these Project settings.

You’ll note that I’ve set this goal to 500 hundreds and my session target to 500 hundred words. If I were writing more later in this same container (for example, if this were a long scene in a book/chapter), I would have another session goal later. By checking my current session I know if I’ve reached my daily goal if that’s important. So that’s an easy way to know how much I’ve done already and what my goal is.

The Projects Menu – Project Stats

But what about seeing more about my project statistics? On the Projects menu select Project Statistics and this is what’s displayed:

You’ll see what the whole project statistics in words and pages. In my example what is showing is my whole Blog 2015 project which is quite new. But if this were a book that total would be more meaningful. For my current purposes I would be concerned with the second displayed section – Selection. This indicates how many words I have in my current blog. At this point, it’s actually several hundred more words than this screenshot but you get the point.

Want to change some of what is displayed? Click the Options tab:

The Projects Menu – Text Statistics

Need more information about what you’re writing? Just click the Projects menu again and choose Text Statistics. Click the arrow beside Word Frequency. This displays information about the your word usage which is very handy to see how often you are repeating words.

So there are a few tips on viewing and managing your goals and content. Want to read more of my Scrivener-related posts. Check some of my recent posts or click the Scrivener category near the end of this page. And yes, I did meet – and surpassed – my set goal for this post!

Got any Scrivener tips of your own to share? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Scrivener screenshots from my 2015 blog project.

Cover art for The Black Bag licensed from iStockPhoto.

Filed under: Blogging, Creativity, Fantasy, Fiction, Indie Publishing, Planning, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Social Media, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: blogging, Coverart, creativity, Facebook, Indie Publishing, Launch, P. H. Solomon, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, writing

I use several tools to assist me with writing. Scrivener is my “Swiss Army Knife” for developing all of my content and keeping me organized. Social media keeps me in contact with the world. My website presents my content.

But one tactic I use to keep me moving along is my journal. Here are 3 ways journaling improves my writing.

1. It stimulates ideas: the mere action of writing in my journal gets my mind working in such a way that I begin to sprout ideas. These cover blogging as well as fiction. Oftentimes, I realize that what I’m journaling about holds the kernel of a blog topic or an aspect of fiction that are begging to be written. Sometimes I’ve gotten multiple blog and fiction ideas during one day covering several journal entries.

2. My journal builds consistency: I’ve found that the more often I journal the more often I write. On the other hand, the less I journal the less consistent I am with writing. It takes time away from writing other content but the trade-off comes in the form of the benefits. The activity serves to prime my mind for other content and by writing often in any form it becomes easier to write both fiction and blog content.

3. Keeping a journal also keeps me fresh: I find that “blocks” tend to be resolved by writing in the journal. If I encounter a problem with what I’m writing then I can explore the issue and come up with an answer. If I’m bothered by something else, I can write it out and get the issue(s) off my mind – possibly even develop uses for them in fiction. If I need to figure out why I’m not getting enough done I can examine my goals, priorities and schedule and often arrive at a way to alleviate those problems.

Journaling serves as a mutli-faceted method of exercising my writing muscles. It’s like one of those all-in-one exercise machines. It certainly keeps my creativity flowing un-checked.

Do you journal? Are there other methods you use to write consistently? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Waterfall photo courtesy MorgueFile (free photos)

Filed under: Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Indie Publishing, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged: blogging, Coverart, creativity, Facebook, P. H. Solomon, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, writing

How my Alpha Readers saved Luck of the Irish –

When I was writing Luck of Irish, I got my first serious case of author’s block. For weeks, I’d sit down in front of my computer with my head full of ideas and none would come out and into the Word file. I was on the verge of giving up when I came across an article on Alpha Readers. I had never heard of them so I devoured the article.

As it turns out, Alpha Readers are people who read your draft, while you’re still writing your book, and give you feedback on it. There many different ways to go about it, I was pretty satisfied with my first experience so I’ll tell you briefly what I did:

I had already established a sizable mailing list, thanks to my short-stories and my first novel, so I first reached out to these people for help. I sent out an invitation to the whole list and got some replies. I also posted on Facebook, Twitter and my blog saying I was looking for Alpha Readers and got a few others. I sent the candidates a few guidelines explaining what I needed from them. Basically, I sent them individual chapters of the book. They read it and sent me an email back with their general reactions and opinion about the chapter. They knew the text was still a draft when they received it so they weren’t expected to proofread it. Also, they were aware it was an ongoing project. Now, it may seem easy but it’s not and that’s why these Alpha Readers have my eternal gratitude.

They not only allowed me to see my characters and the story through totally different eyes, but they suggested some things I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise as well as pointed out weak spots in the plot that I hadn’t noticed they were there.

At some point, I had a group of fifteen people who volunteered for this task. Twelve stuck with me until the end. I considered myself blessed to have had a dozen people following my story all the way through because I know we all lead busy lives. Nevertheless, these awesome ladies found the time, through pregnancies, sickness in their families, college classes, work schedules and many other ‘little’ things to sit down, read a chapter of my story, and write me an email with their thoughts and reactions to it. And their commitment and hard work has made all the difference. 

Author Bio: When Liz Gavin was in Second Grade – just a couple of years ago, really – her teacher told her mother the little girl should start a diary because she needed an outlet for her active and vivid imagination. She was a talkative child who would disrupt the class by engaging her colleagues in endless conversations. She loved telling them the stories her grandfather used to tell her.

Apparently, the teacher wasn’t a big fan of those stories, and Liz’s mother bought her a diary. She happily wrote on it for a couple of months. Unable to see the appeal of writing for her own enjoyment only, she gave up on it. She missed the audience her friends provided her in class. She went back to disturbing her dear teacher’s class.

Since then, she has become a hungry reader. She will read anything and everything she can get her hands on – from the classics to erotica. That’s how she has become a writer of erotica and romance, as well.

As a young adult, she participated in a student exchange program and lived in New Orleans for six months. She fell in love with the city and its wonderful inhabitants. NOLA will always hold a special spot in Liz Gavin’s heart. Nowadays, living in Brazil, Liz’s creativity has improved many times because it’s such a vibrant, gorgeous and sexy country.

Welcome to her world of hot Alpha males and naughty, independent women. Add a touch of the paranormal in the presence of some wicked souls and you’ll get the picture.

Book & Contact Links:

Book link on Amazon = http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MS48JO0
My blog = elessarpublishing.blogspot.com
Twitter handle =  @LizGavin_author
Facebook = www.facebook.com/liz.gavin.54
Email = [email protected]

Blog Tour Links:

Goodreads Event Page – https://www.goodreads.com/event/show/950886-luck-of-the-irish-tour
Rafflecopter Giveaway Page – http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4af5be7f6/?

“This tour sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com.”

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Filed under: 4WillsPublishing, Blog Tour, Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Luck of the Irish, Rave Review Book Club, Self-publishing Tagged: 4WillsPublishing, blogging, Facebook, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Liz Gavin, Luck of the Irish, Marketing, Rave Reviews Book Club, Self-publishing, Social Media, Twitter, writing

Kathryn C. Treat passed away on Sunday, December 21, 2014 @ 2:20 am (California time).  On Friday, Dec. 19, after having a wonderful time at the Rave Reviews Book Club’s virtual Christmas party, in a virtual chat room with her fellow RRBC VIP Lounge members, Kathryn informed that she was not feeling well and that she was going to leave.  Shortly thereafter, she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and then lapsed into a coma.

Kathryn was an honorary board member of the Rave Reviews Book Club, where she served as Membership Director from Dec. 2013, until October, 2014.  Kathryn is the author of “ALLERGIC TO LIFE:  MY BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL, COURAGE AND HOPE.”   She inspired and encouraged many with this book so if you have not had the pleasure of reading it, please head to Amazon and get your copy.

BOOK TRAILER

Kathryn was a dedicated member of RRBC until her passing and she was one of the most supportive members the club had…not just to one, but to all.  Kathryn leaves to mourn her husband, her mother, a sister, her two daughters, a son-in-law and three grand-kids (who she adored more than life), as well as her entire RRBC family.

Let us remember Kathryn and honor her memory by always being kind to one another and by always offering our support to another.  It’s what she did.  It’s how she lived.  It’s who she was.  In honor, many blogs across the world are memorializing Kathryn today with the same post that you see here.   If Kathryn touched your life in anyway, please share your memories and comments below.  As everyone who knew Kathryn may not yet know of her home-going, we ask that you also share this page on all your social media forums.

We have erected a memorial page on the Rave Reviews Book Club site that will remain.  Please stop by to leave your comments and memories of Kathryn as well, so that her family will get a sense of just how loved she was by so many. There you will also find more information on Kathryn and how RRBC has planned to continually honor her in other ways.

THANK YOU!

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Filed under: Allergic To Life, Blogging, Kathryn C. Treat, Rave Review Book Club, Self-publishing, Social Media, Twitter, Writing Tagged: Allergic To Life, blogging, Facebook, Indie Publishing, Kathryn C. Treat, Memorial, Rave Reviews Book Club, Self-publishing, Social Media, Twitter, writing