Finding a quiet moment away from life to be able to afford the luxury of writing. This is the most difficult thing for me, but also the one thing that separates the real writers from the amateurs. I'd love to be able to say that I write consistently every single day, but to be honest, writing is usually the thing that gets bumped from my schedule when life gets busy. With that said, I am still writing. I am working on a few projects at the moment, waiting for the day when I have a piece completed enough to start advertising it, but I'm not there yet.
One of the pieces I'm working on, and I do hope I finish it one day soon, is probably one of the most overdone genres out there today. Alas, yes, it is a vampire novel. It has been done to death, it seems, since the popularity of the Twilight series, but I had to. One of the main reasons I write is because I want to write, read, experience the same stories that I, myself would love to find as a reader. I have been in love with vampires since watching the movie The Lost Boys as a child. I fell in love with The Vampire Diaries series as a teenager (way before the popular television show) and re-experienced a fraction of this love while reading the Twilight series.
My love of ghost stories was just about satiated while writing my book, Rubicon, but there may be another in the future. I am also writing my version of a zombie story, but I assure you, my story will have my own twist that will hopefully make my story seem fresh, rather than overdone.
I have another paranormal story in the works that I would like to think is completely unique, but with all the great ideas floating around out there, it may not be as unique as I want it to be.
If you are one of the lovely, lovely, wonderful people who has read one of my books, I hope you will be patient with me. I have been writing. I've been writing as often as life allows and I hope to start advertising my next project soon.
In the meantime, I hope all of you readers enjoy another holiday season filled with joy, family, peace, and love. Filled with stories that move you and stories that take you somewhere wonderful. Happy Holidays!
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Clovers and Life
On one of my author bio's I said that I am very good at finding four leaf clovers. There's a secret to finding these rare pieces of nature and I'm going to share this with you.
When I was a little girl I thought that four leaf clovers were so rare that I would never find one and I never even tried. One day, my grandparents showed me some that they'd found and preserved in the pages of a thick book. They didn't find just one, but found several, even some with five and six leaves. Here, they showed me that what I thought was so rare, was actually possible. They told me that I could find them too and all I had to do was look. Because they told me I could do it, I started to believe it for myself.
I searched and searched with the perseverance of someone who believes that they're going to be successful. Of course, I found one. I found several. I even found some with five and six leaves. I did what I thought was impossible. Now, every time I see a four leaf clover, I try (some days it's easier than others) to remember that one of life's secrets is that you have to believe that you can do the impossible in order to succeed.
When I was a little girl I thought that four leaf clovers were so rare that I would never find one and I never even tried. One day, my grandparents showed me some that they'd found and preserved in the pages of a thick book. They didn't find just one, but found several, even some with five and six leaves. Here, they showed me that what I thought was so rare, was actually possible. They told me that I could find them too and all I had to do was look. Because they told me I could do it, I started to believe it for myself.
I searched and searched with the perseverance of someone who believes that they're going to be successful. Of course, I found one. I found several. I even found some with five and six leaves. I did what I thought was impossible. Now, every time I see a four leaf clover, I try (some days it's easier than others) to remember that one of life's secrets is that you have to believe that you can do the impossible in order to succeed.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Smashwords
If you are a self-published author, chances are you've heard of Smashwords. If you haven't, it's a website that will distribute your self-published novel(s) to both well known (Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Amazon, Apple) and lesser known (txtr, Oyster, Scribd) distribution channels. If you're thinking, wow, that sounds amazing. Why isn't everybody using Smashwords?, chances are you have not heard of Smashword's dreaded "Meatgrinder".
Because each distribution channel requires a different format (of course it does, life would be too simple if they each took the same format), the Meatgrinder essentially takes your word document and, if it is properly formatted (download, READ, and FOLLOW The Smashwords Style Guide or the Meatgrinder will hate you), it will format your ebook into at least seven different formats. How amazing is that!
If you're like me, and you have become addicted to your (somewhat) real-time reports on Amazon, don't fret! You can opt-in or out of any distribution channel you want. Because I am already set up with Amazon, I simply opted-out and let Smashwords distribute my ebook to the other channels. Also, I had to take my books out of KDP Select before I could publish there, otherwise I would be violating the terms. I'm not sure yet if it is worth it to remove my books from KDP, but I am the type of person who likes to experiment before making up my mind. Your book is instantly up on Smashwords (unless you want to make your book available for pre-order), but it takes days or weeks for your books to become available on the different channels and this is AFTER your word document survives the Meatgrinder. I would love to post about how I personally survived the Meatgrinder, but I would essentially be rewriting the style guide. I will, however, post a few things that I did to take my formatted Kindle document and convert it to a Meatgrinder-happy version.
Because each distribution channel requires a different format (of course it does, life would be too simple if they each took the same format), the Meatgrinder essentially takes your word document and, if it is properly formatted (download, READ, and FOLLOW The Smashwords Style Guide or the Meatgrinder will hate you), it will format your ebook into at least seven different formats. How amazing is that!
If you're like me, and you have become addicted to your (somewhat) real-time reports on Amazon, don't fret! You can opt-in or out of any distribution channel you want. Because I am already set up with Amazon, I simply opted-out and let Smashwords distribute my ebook to the other channels. Also, I had to take my books out of KDP Select before I could publish there, otherwise I would be violating the terms. I'm not sure yet if it is worth it to remove my books from KDP, but I am the type of person who likes to experiment before making up my mind. Your book is instantly up on Smashwords (unless you want to make your book available for pre-order), but it takes days or weeks for your books to become available on the different channels and this is AFTER your word document survives the Meatgrinder. I would love to post about how I personally survived the Meatgrinder, but I would essentially be rewriting the style guide. I will, however, post a few things that I did to take my formatted Kindle document and convert it to a Meatgrinder-happy version.
- The first thing I did was take my kindle-formatted .doc version of my book and I saved it under a different name. Do not forget this step!! Because I had already formatted my document for Kindle, some of the same formatting applied, but not everything. If you do not have a Kindle version, read and follow every step in the SW formatting guide.
- I removed ALL the formatting. You might be able to get by without this, but I wanted to somewhat start from scratch to be on the safe side. The SW style guide recommends keeping things simple. Don't select those fancy fonts or formatting, stick to Times New Roman, and simple is always better. After I removed the formatting I had to reset my indentations (remember to NEVER, EVER use tabs).
- For my Kindle version, I had to insert page breaks for each new page, but for Smashwords, I had to do this differently (check the formatting guide). Because I have a Mac, I may have done this a little differently. I went into my paragraph formatting, selected "line and page breaks", and selected "keep with next" and "page break before". After I did this, I had to make sure my table of contents hyperlinks still worked. Some of my bookmarks were no longer in the right place, so I had to move these.
- Speaking of bookmarks, the Meatgrinder did no like my bookmark for my table of contents. For my chapters, I labeled them c1, c2, c3... and my table of contents was labeled TOC. I ended up getting an error and I had to go back and relabel this ref_TOC. The Meatgrinder likes this "ref_" right before this bookmark for some reason and when I read the formatting guide, my eyes drifted right over this instruction.
- Lastly, Smashwords wants you to add two things to your title page and copyright information.
- The first is adding "Smashwords Edition" or "Published by ___ at Smashwords"
- Also, copy and paste the license notice from the formatting guide.
This is basically what I did to convert my manuscript to make it Meatgrinder-happy. One thing I did afterwards was download an .epub version of my book (from Smashwords after I had uploaded it) and previewed this on Calibre because I don't have a Nook and I wanted to see what it would look like. It takes time and patience, but you will get there if you decide to take the plunge. Good luck, and you are always welcome to leave a comment or email me (jmjohnsonbooks@gmail.com) if you need help from someone who has been through the Meatgrinder and lived to tell the tale.
And the Winner is...
Cheyanne from the Philippines!! Nearly 1,400 people entered to win a paperback copy of The Runner and Cheyanne is the winner. Congratulations!
I am very excited to send The Runner on its overseas voyage. Bon Voyage!
I am very excited to send The Runner on its overseas voyage. Bon Voyage!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Another Giveaway!
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.
Enter to win your copy of The Runner here.
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...
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