I am running another giveaway. You too can own your very own copy of my totally awesome book with a super awesome cover (thank you The Book Cover Machine) scribbled with my lame signature.
Enter to win your copy of The Runner here.
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
New World Island is Here!!
New World Island, the second book in the Avi Bloom series is available for purchase. I'll be leaving it at $0.99 for a few weeks so pick up your copy here.
It may have been a while since you read The Runner, so let's take a look at some of the main characters:
Avi - Retired runner, kickass heroine. She's trying to find her father and save the world at the same time.
Veronica - She's small and feisty. After Avi saved her from the biker gang, she's a true friend who is eager to learn how to defend herself.
Ziggy - The handsome hero who is always trying to save a damsel in distress. It's too bad Avi is a woman who feels she doesn't need saving.
The image of my character, Ziggy, was modeled after the artist Trevor Hall. He has an amazing singing voice and his music is both beautiful and inspiring. I tried to find a video for one of my favorite songs of his that truly hits a theme in my series, but I couldn't find a good one. If you get a chance, look up the song "Proof of Destruction". Amazing!
Troy - Not your typical hero. Troy is the tech savvy creator of his own virtual fighting game. He has managed to keep some technology alive in a world where most technology has been extinguished.
Grab your copy and let the adventure continue!
Avi - Retired runner, kickass heroine. She's trying to find her father and save the world at the same time.
Veronica - She's small and feisty. After Avi saved her from the biker gang, she's a true friend who is eager to learn how to defend herself.
Ziggy - The handsome hero who is always trying to save a damsel in distress. It's too bad Avi is a woman who feels she doesn't need saving.
Troy - Not your typical hero. Troy is the tech savvy creator of his own virtual fighting game. He has managed to keep some technology alive in a world where most technology has been extinguished.
Grab your copy and let the adventure continue!
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Writer's Recipe #1
I love writing. My favorite part about writing is when you get so carried away by your story that it feels as if it starts to write itself. There's a magic that takes place when you're in the groove and hours pass in the blink of an eye. When I'm in this groove I try to let it happen without interruption because tomorrow I could just as easily be staring at a blank page, forcing out words that don't want to come. In either case, when I'm on a writing streak I will eat anything that will fill my stomach quickly so that I can get back to writing. This could be a can of soup, a jar of peanuts, and the other day I had to convince my brain that it was not a good idea to eat a bag of potato chips. Because I know that my writer's stomach will ingest anything that is convenient, why not prepare something quick and nutritious so that when your stomach snaps you from your writer's groove you can be kind to your body.
Today's recipe has no name because it is a conglomeration of things I already had in the pantry (because I'm too busy writing to go to the store). This recipe takes some preparations so I made this in advance so that I can simply pop a bowl in the microwave as needed. It is inexpensive and packed with nutrition.
Ingredients
Simple right? I intentionally kept this vague so that you can modify according to taste and what you have available.
The first ingredient is veggies. One of the few things that almost all nutritionists will agree on is that leafy greens are awesome. Stick to ones that are dark green in color like spinach, collard greens, kale, and chard. I like to stick these in a pan with olive oil and garlic and steam them down for this recipe. Sometimes I add tomatoes for the last few minutes of cooking. Yesterday, I had some leftover steamed brussel sprouts so I cut these up.
The next ingredient is brown rice. Like I mentioned above, make sure it is brown rice. I usually make a vat of this at the beginning of the week because it takes a while to cook and it reheats easily. This can also be substituted for any whole grain you enjoy eating.
Protein is next. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do try to limit the amount of animal protein I eat to no more than once a day. For this unnamed dish, I like to use beans. They are cheap and healthy and when prepared properly their reputation is not as bad as the songs and rhymes say they are. Make sure you soak them overnight!! If you soak your beans and eat them regularly, your body can better digest them and you won't have the embarrassing side effects. I also like to use lentils. Lentils don't need to be soaked and they don't have a bad reputation.
Flavor. Don't forget this ingredient or you will not have a pleasant vat of lunch. I like to add chicken bullion to my bean water so that the whole things tastes like chicken soup. Sometimes I just go crazy with my spice cabinet and invent my own flavors. You can make it taste like chili by adding chili powder or curry depending on your mood. This meal is so bland on its own that you can make it taste like anything you enjoy eating and when you're in your writer's frenzy, you may not be able to notice the difference.
This is my vat for the week. I have a reheat button on my microwave so all I have to do is scoop out a glob, press the button, and eat. My mind can stay on my writing and my body thanks me for choosing this instead of the bag of potato chips for lunch. Breakfast is usually a green smoothie, but I'll save that recipe for another time. Now, back to writing...
Today's recipe has no name because it is a conglomeration of things I already had in the pantry (because I'm too busy writing to go to the store). This recipe takes some preparations so I made this in advance so that I can simply pop a bowl in the microwave as needed. It is inexpensive and packed with nutrition.
Ingredients
- Veggies (leafy greens are best)
- Brown Rice (don't choose white or instant rice, they don't pack the same nutritious punch)
- Protein
- Flavor
Simple right? I intentionally kept this vague so that you can modify according to taste and what you have available.
The first ingredient is veggies. One of the few things that almost all nutritionists will agree on is that leafy greens are awesome. Stick to ones that are dark green in color like spinach, collard greens, kale, and chard. I like to stick these in a pan with olive oil and garlic and steam them down for this recipe. Sometimes I add tomatoes for the last few minutes of cooking. Yesterday, I had some leftover steamed brussel sprouts so I cut these up.
The next ingredient is brown rice. Like I mentioned above, make sure it is brown rice. I usually make a vat of this at the beginning of the week because it takes a while to cook and it reheats easily. This can also be substituted for any whole grain you enjoy eating.
Protein is next. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do try to limit the amount of animal protein I eat to no more than once a day. For this unnamed dish, I like to use beans. They are cheap and healthy and when prepared properly their reputation is not as bad as the songs and rhymes say they are. Make sure you soak them overnight!! If you soak your beans and eat them regularly, your body can better digest them and you won't have the embarrassing side effects. I also like to use lentils. Lentils don't need to be soaked and they don't have a bad reputation.
Flavor. Don't forget this ingredient or you will not have a pleasant vat of lunch. I like to add chicken bullion to my bean water so that the whole things tastes like chicken soup. Sometimes I just go crazy with my spice cabinet and invent my own flavors. You can make it taste like chili by adding chili powder or curry depending on your mood. This meal is so bland on its own that you can make it taste like anything you enjoy eating and when you're in your writer's frenzy, you may not be able to notice the difference.
This is my vat for the week. I have a reheat button on my microwave so all I have to do is scoop out a glob, press the button, and eat. My mind can stay on my writing and my body thanks me for choosing this instead of the bag of potato chips for lunch. Breakfast is usually a green smoothie, but I'll save that recipe for another time. Now, back to writing...
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Goodreads Giveway Results
Goodreads is a great place for readers and writers to connect with each other. Last month I decided to try one of their giveaways for my novel Rubicon. I followed the recommendations posted by goodreads to give away a minimum of 10 paperback copies and run the giveaway for a month. Also, I only allowed people from the US and Canada to enter. 1082 people entered my giveaway, 500 people added Rubicon to their to-read shelf, and 10 people won a paperback copy of my book.
Congratulations!
--Victoria from Texas
--Angela from California
--Martine from Massachusetts
--Jennifer from South Carolina
--JG from Ontario
--Melissa from Missouri
--Lia from Tennessee
--Morgan from Nevada
--Stephy from Vermont
--Melissa from California
The books have been mailed and they should be received next week.
So, what did I learn from this experience? This was probably the first promotional experience I've had that made me feel like a real author. I enjoyed writing out thank you cards and signing each of my books (sorry readers for my terrible handwriting and my signature that looks like someone scribbled inside your beautiful books). If I had to do it all over again I would do the giveaway for only one copy of my book, but allow anyone from the globe to enter. I recently read this blog post and she offers some very good advice after doing multiple giveaways.
Congratulations!
--Victoria from Texas
--Angela from California
--Martine from Massachusetts
--Jennifer from South Carolina
--JG from Ontario
--Melissa from Missouri
--Lia from Tennessee
--Morgan from Nevada
--Stephy from Vermont
--Melissa from California
The books have been mailed and they should be received next week.
So, what did I learn from this experience? This was probably the first promotional experience I've had that made me feel like a real author. I enjoyed writing out thank you cards and signing each of my books (sorry readers for my terrible handwriting and my signature that looks like someone scribbled inside your beautiful books). If I had to do it all over again I would do the giveaway for only one copy of my book, but allow anyone from the globe to enter. I recently read this blog post and she offers some very good advice after doing multiple giveaways.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Under the Microscope
The same week my first self-published novel is being sent out to Publisher's Weekly to be judged by the pro's, my twenty-five page thesis for my Master's degree is being sent off to the review committee to decide whether or not I've earned my degree. It has been very hard to focus on anything outside of these events, but if ever there was an excuse to lose focus, I think I have a good one.
I'm not too worried about my thesis. Academic writing is a lot like math. If you can show your work by having enough examples to back up your case, you've proven your point. It doesn't matter if the review committee likes Virginia Woolf and it doesn't matter if they're having a bad day. As long as my thesis can take them from point A to point B smoothly, I've passed.
Creative writing is another world altogether. It's personal. It's personal for the writer and it is personal for the reader. I can write about anything I want to write. I write about things that I would personally love to read about, but there is no way to guarantee that another living soul would enjoy my story. If I've learned anything from my experience as a quarter-finalist in ABNA [see this post here if you would like to read more about this competition] it is that it all comes down to another person's opinion. I'll assume we've all heard the saying about opinions and a certain part of the human anatomy, and continue by saying that we can't take other people's opinions so personally. There's a quote I love by Epictetus (Greek philosopher AD 55 - AD 135) If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it. I love this quote and it is so relevant to self-publishing.
The ABNA excerpts are live on Amazon. If you do a search for "ABNA 2014" it will pull up all of the excerpts. The Runner link is here and you're more than welcome to download and review my excerpt. Amazon published the vine reviewer comments on the strongest aspect of the excerpt. I'm glad they did this, because I hope it will help to keep things positive. I'll post my full vine reviews below (there are two). I may be the only entrant in history to have such similar opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of my excerpt. Also, I was very fortunate to have two reviewers who had a lot to say. I believe each vine reviewer gets a minimum of 40 excerpts to review in a short period of time and I felt as if my reviews weren't rushed at all, but that they took their time and they both gave me such excellent feedback.
ABNA Expert Reviewer
What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?
I found
the concept of The Runner intriguing. The home village of Avi, designed by her
father was a fresh and innovative concept that I found admirable. Rome was the
culmination of the bringing together the ideals of a history professor (“if we
don’t learn from history we’re doomed to repeat it”) plus the security measures
of arms experts and finally the off-the-grid thinking of the Amish. I’m anxious
for the novel to move the setting into her town so I can learn more of the
actual hardware that has been derived from the melding of these three sectors.
I’ve already called to mind the mantra of Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Form and
function should be one, joined in a spiritual union."
What aspect needs the most work?
Although
the idea was wonderful I found the writing to be a little awkward and not as
free flowing as I’d like. On a 1 to 10 scale of comfortable fluid movement of
descriptive writing I’d probably give this a 6. This should be an easy fix for
any author when they develop a little more maturity in the field. Also, the
beginning was jarring. Boom! Avi found the children. I think some additional
background and tension build up may have made for more effective start.
What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?
For the
most part I liked this excerpt a lot. I was grabbed more by the Global Warming,
Off-switch, Rome concept and by Avi as a runner. I think the writing lacks
maturity but that can be fixed with rewrites and time. The story line translates
into advantageous visuals to bring the reader into the time and place. All in
all, I can see this being reworked into a sought out book for the young reader.
ABNA Expert Reviewer
What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?
The
strongest aspect of this excerpt is the terrific premise. At some point in the
future, the world has reached a tipping point in global warming and the grid
has been shut down. What was once known as modern society has been essentially
replaced with a war-like agrarian socity. The narrator of this novel, Avi, is
what is known as a runner. Each family in this new society must provide a
runner--runners are messengers who travel (or run) between the various
villages. Avi is almost at the end of her term as a runner and she starts
seeing things that really disturb her. While this piece takes elements from the
Hunger Games, it is not derivative. Nicely done!
What aspect needs the most work?
This
excerpt is very strong, but I think the one aspect that could use some work is
that the writing can be tightened a bit. There are a few instances where it
seems the writing is a bit self-conscious and doesn't flow as well as it could.
For instance, the part where Avi describes herself physically seems a little
odd and out of place in the narrative.
What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?
Overall, I
think this is a very strong excerpt. The story of Avi, the runner, is very
interesting and compelling. The dystopian backstory is very creative. The
writing is fairly strong (although, as noted above, it could use some
tightening). Avi's voice is empathetic and consistent throughout. The excerpt
is paced very well and it is an interesting read. I look forward to reading the
rest of the novel.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
ABNA 2014 Quarter-Finals!
The Runner is a Quarter-Finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest!!
ABNA
is sometimes referred to as the American Idol of the indie author industry. You
can read the official rules here. The submission period opened in mid-February
and stayed open for two weeks or until they reached 10,000 entries. There are a
total of five categories: General Fiction; Mystery & Thriller; Romance,
Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror; and Young Adult.
The
first elimination from 10,000 down to 2,000 entries (400 per category) is based
solely on the author’s pitch.
The
second elimination is based on how well the 3,000 – 5,000 word excerpt is
judged by at least two Amazon Vine Reviewers, leaving a total of 500 remaining
contestants (100 per category).
The Runner
is currently 1 of the 100 contestants remaining in the Young Adult category.
Now, my entire manuscript will be read and reviewed by a Publisher’s Weekly
reviewer and I can use this review to help promote my book. Also, sometime in
the next few days all of the excerpts will be uploaded onto the site so anyone
with an Amazon account can read and comment.
I am
simply amazed that I’ve made it this far in the competition. This whole process
of writing and self-publishing is filled with so many highs and lows and this
is definitely a high I will have to remember during the low days. As exciting
as it is to have my work commented on by these reviewers it is also
frightening.
Now, to pass the time until the next elimination
round (on June 13th, the 500 contestants will be narrowed down to a
scant 25) I will continue to write, try my best stay positive and keep the
doubts out of my mind, and figure out a way to slip the words “my Publisher’s
Weekly review” into as many conversations as I can get away with.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Cover Reveal!
I am weeks away from completing my master’s degree and I
have been forcing myself to concentrate all of my efforts into the last bits of
schoolwork I hope to ever have in my lifetime. I do try sneak in some writing
time (the writing I do for fun) and let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like
a new book cover to get me excited about writing again. Here it is folks:
Not sure if you noticed, but the second book in my Avi Bloom series was going to be called The Island. I thought I had done a thorough search online to make sure there weren’t any similar books with this same title, but I must have missed this one. There is already a book called The Island in the same genre and so I changed my title. The second book in the series will be called New World Island and the plan is to have a June 15th release date. Of course, this is the self-publishing world and I have a life outside of writing, my editor and beta readers have day jobs and families and so sometimes these dates have to be flexible, but I think June 15th is realistic and it also happens to be Father’s Day.
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