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

• 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...

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.

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.

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 13^th, 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.

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 15^th 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 15^th is realistic and it also happens to be Father’s Day. 

Rubicon is Live!!

Rubicon is here! If you like to read about teenage angst mixed with paranormal and a splash of coming of age, Rubicon will be on sale for $0.99 all week at Amazon!

Alright, enough of the sales pitch. Rubicon started out originally as a short story, turned into a feature length screenplay, and now is a novel. What once took place over a period of three days now takes place over an entire school year.

This was the picture for the original cover:

The screenplay was the first thing I ever self-published on Amazon. I sold zero copies and gave away between twenty and thirty. It received a five-star review in jolly old England:

Wow this book was awesome read it in a day so good would read it again ,i will soon. :) - Tamzin Mcowan

I wasn't too hurt about the lack of sales because I don't think I would ever sit down and read a screenplay if I didn't have to.

Originally, the title was Option C. The main character, Brigid James, lives her life knowing that she has the power to end her life at any time. Option C is her third and final option to any difficult situation, it is the option to take her own life.

Here is the original opening from Option C: The Screenplay. It is in screenplay format so it may look a little funny. I decided I no longer wanted any of my high school characters to be armed and there is never any mention of Option C in the novel:

EXT. – SCHOOL PARKING LOT - DAY

BRIGID (V.O.)

You could say I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.

FADE IN:

BRIGID (18) skinny, unconfident, and beautiful, opens her eyes. Her hair is messy, forehead sweaty, and dark circles indicate a lack of sleep. She is breathing heavily.

BRIGID (V.O.)

(Continuing)

But high school is supposed to be rough.

Brigid is standing, holding a gun. She is right in front of a high school building.

BRIGID (V.O.)

(Continuing)

I graduate tomorrow, that is, if I live that long.

People are beginning to come out of the school. A few students peek out. A frightened Mrs. Niceworthy is being held by Mr. ---. Brigid looks in their direction and then in the direction the gun is pointing.

BRIGID (V.O.)

(Continuing)

What would Jesus do? What would Brigid do? I’ve been trying to figure that out for years.

DAN

Brigid! Don’t do it.

BRIGID

(V.O.)

Who is that you ask? He’s just a dead man.

MRS. NICEWORTHY

Brigid?

Mrs. Niceworthy glances over Mr. ---‘s shoulder, giving Brigid a reassuring smile.

BRIGID

(V.O.)

What to do? What to do? A) pull the trigger, B) don’t pull the trigger, C)…Let’s go with option C.

Brigid closes her eyes.

FADE OUT:

(F.X.) Gunshot.

FADE IN:

EXT. SCHOOL PARKING LOT – DAY

“Three Days Earlier”

BRIGID

(V.O.)

I bet you’re wondering how my situation got so complicated. I’ll have to take you back a few days, to the day I met my first boyfriend.

Just thought I would share those tidbits. Happy reading and writing!

Marketing for Dummies by Dummies

I wanted a catchy title for this post about marketing from a self-published author who has not yet “gone viral”. Whenever I find a book about self-publishing or marketing I always check to see how the author’s book is doing. If they can’t sell their own book on how to sell books, then I won’t buy it. With that said, I have not figured out the magic formula to sell a bunch of books, but I will share my experiences here as they come. Marketing is not one of my passions, but writing is. The self-published author has got to be their own promoter, so whether you like marketing or not, it is necessary, or your book can easily become lost among the millions of other books on Amazon. Here are some things I’ve done to help promote my book and some things I’ve learned along the way:

• One of my strategies is to remember that this is all about the long haul. I didn’t start reading the Harry Potter series until the fourth book was out in stores. There are many authors and series I didn’t discover until they already had numerous books out. I started the Divergent series when books one and two were already out and I have not rushed out to buy book #3. I loved the first two books, but I just haven’t been in the right mood to read the third. When was I in the right mood? Immediately after I read book #2. So, with that said, one of my strategies will be that I won’t spend very much money promoting my books until I have one or two completed series.
• I joined Twitter and Facebook and did not see any sales directly related to this. Is this a waste of time? I don’t think so. Because this is all about the long haul, I can see how these platforms will help authors who have gained a following. In the meantime, I have met some amazing authors and beta readers. This is a great place to see what other authors are doing and what seems to be working for them. Personally, I brush over posts saying “buy my book, buy my book”, but I pay attention to the things that do catch my eye throughout the social media overload and try to figure out what caught my eye in the first place. There is something in these posts that is able to stand out among the flood of promotions so pay attention and figure out what your thing is so you can stand out too.
• I really enjoyed this article and this article about free and cheap book advertising. I tried a $10 Awesomegang.com ad and did not see any sales. I also tried a free ReadCheaply ad and saw four sales the same day the ad ran. Read the guidelines carefully. Some places only let you run an ad if your book is below a certain price.
• Paying it forward. While I can’t directly link this to any sales, I firmly believe that if you want other people to do things for you, you have to be willing to do the same for other people. Beta read for someone. You can learn so much by being on the other end of things. Do you support other authors? If you like another authors work, let other people know about it. Treat fellow authors how you would like to be treated.
• I’m currently reading How to Market a Book by Joanna Penn. I haven’t gotten very far into the book, but I would already recommend it for strategies from an actual expert. On top of all of the other things we writers have to do (blogging, social media, marketing, and fitting in time to actually write) we have to keep reading and learning. I try to read about marketing and writing because we can always improve.

Oh my, that felt like a lot. Like I said before, I don’t have any magic formulas, but I hope there is something in here that another writer can gain from. I would love to hear from fellow authors. Is there something I left out? Something that has worked for you that you'd like to share?

Thanks for reading and happy writing!