Can We Twiddle Our Thumbs?

Whether you find an agent or a publisher or you skip that and go with self publishing your book chances are you will get to a point in time where you are doing nothing. This is especially true if you acquire the services of an editor. It is strange to think that there will be downtime when we think about a book being published. I mean many of us picture editors and publishers as evil taskmasters cracking a whip behind our ears to hurry up and get done.

Granted, I have been told that once you get the edits from the editor he or she reaches into their cabinet and pulls out the whip but until then we get to wait patiently. How long do we wait? That is a great question and I'm not sure a there is a standard time set for it. It really depends on how busy your editor is and also how much work is needed on the manuscript. What do we do with all that time? Do we relax and soak up the rays of our publishing success? Do we relax and focus on other activities? Well, both sound good and, by all means, they should be a part of life; however, this is also a time that will test our time management skills.

In my opinion there is absolutely nothing wrong with having fun, relaxing, and enjoying the fact that soon your book will be out there for all to see. We worked hard for that moment and it should not pass us by without acknowledgment. However, after a little time is spent in that environment we must face the music and get back to work. No, I don't consider the next novel as work and I assume we will be working on that no matter what because, after all, writing is in our veins. The works I speak of are the intangibles that can make a huge difference when our book is ready for release.

What are these intangibles? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Make sure your blog or site stays current. It is important that you maintain your connections and your blog stays fresh.
2. Research! What should you search for? Book clubs, forums, chat groups, twitter hash tags - anything that relates to your genre, topic or plot that connects you with other people. These people can be authors and/or readers but, in the end, your audience will increase in size. Why not do that before you write your book? We really can't narrow down our search until we know for sure what the genre and topic of the book will be. Sure we have an idea but that can change until we finally get to that point where we think 'this is it; this is what I wanted to write.' After that we can refine our search and reach out to those that make up a specific audience.
3. Introduce yourself and build those connections. WARNING, we don't want to seem like we are pushing our novels on anyone nor do we want to come off as 'just another author.' It is important to be genuine and honest just as we did when this ball was first kicked.
4. Generate a blog or website for your books or refresh your existing site. Have fun with this so your personality shines and draws attention to the fact that your book is coming out soon. This is the place to let it out.
5. Update your profiles. This is another great way to get some free promotion about your upcoming release. By updating your profile information and e-mail signatures you can be sure that people will notice.

These items are easy to do but they also consume a great deal of time because we are also working and writing. With that said, if we do these things now than we are free to do other things when we draw closer to that release date and our nerves are in overdrive.

What would you add to this list?

Review of the Garden

Title: Garden of Heaven an Odyssey
Author: Malcolm R. Campbell
ISBN: 978-1-935407-69-0
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 702
Reviewed By: Brian Knight
Official Premium Promotional Services Rating:


Take a journey of mind and body.


The wisdom of the elders is passed from one age to the next. As this wisdom is passed to the younger age some experience a change in their life while others experience a journey that transcends both time and space. In “Garden of Heaven an Odyssey” we journey with David as he makes the transition from boy to man.
On David’s tenth birthday his grandmother, Katoya, gave him a wondrous gift – magic. Not just any magic, but the magic of nature and the secrets the universe holds in that magic. With the help of Maisto, the black raven, Katoya demonstrates how that magic works and also sets David on a path that he will travel long into his life.

As he grows and learns the ways of his people from Katoya he also learns the common sense and hard work of life from his parents and grandfather. All of these lessons combine to shape the man he will become. However, the journey of the universe often takes unusual turns and David finds himself with both lost time and memory. As he puts the puzzle of his journey together he is introduced to multiple and varied individuals; all of whom are there for a reason.

Will David put together the pieces of the puzzle and truly understand the journey of his life? How will his journey impact his friends and family?

“Garden of Heaven an Odyssey” is the culmination of author Malcolm R. Campbell’s imagination and attention to detail. It is this fountain of detail that anchors his story between reality and the dream realm. Campbell develops characters that possess a certain depth and connectivity. The vivid settings will entice your senses and elicit memories in the minds of the readers.

“Garden of Heaven an Odyssey” is the fourth novel published by author Malcolm R. Campbell. Like the odyssey novels of old this epic is sure to capture your mind as you twist and turn through an ever morphing journey until you reach the end. I recommend this book to those with a vivid imagination and a mind ready to see a larger scene.

To learn more about author Malcolm R. Campbell and his book "Garden of Heaven an Odyssey" please click HERE.

Sinking in the Sequel

Show of hands; how many of you have written or are writing a sequel to one of your stories? Are you finding it difficult? Did you find it difficult? I'm neck deep in my sequel at the moment and, while I can't say it is difficult, I can say that it is a more labor intensive experience compared to the first book. I completely understand now why we always hear "the second book or movie is never as good as the first or the last." I mean, think about it, we are picking up where we stopped in book one only to leave many unanswered questions to wrap up in book three (unless your series is longer than three books). What is it that sets that second book apart from the first and the future stories so it can shine as it should?

Before we get into that I would like to share a lesson learned from my writing experience. If you are planning to write or writing a sequel it is of the utmost importance that you keep your notes from the first story. Why? This will make it easy on you when you have story-lines and characters that cross over from book one to book two. Oh there are times when I really wish I thought of this earlier but that is now water under the bridge.

As I said, a good portion of your story will cross over but we  need to generate a new plot or a meaningful expansion to the original plot so the story can carry itself from begin to end. This sounds easy but it can be difficult. To add to the equation we need to include new elements to the story in the form of characters, settings, motivations, and things of that nature but here is the complex part. The new portions of your story in book two must be able to connect with the old parts of your story from book one in order to maintain the flow and structure of the overall plot. Yes, that was a mouthful.

I think the most important questions to keep in mind when writing a sequel is - how and why. For example:

•  We introduce new characters in our sequel. Why? How do they connect and interact with the characters from book one?
• We unveil a new motive for the antagonist, Why? How does that new motive fit into the overall plot and propel it through the story?
• We remove a character that was in the first book. Why? How will that impact future scenes?

These are a few examples but I believe you see the big picture. A sequel requires the same thought process as a first novel does but it is more focused, intense and continual. For instance, in the first story if something doesn't fit or make sense or just doesn't work we can go back and remove it or rewrite it. If we run into the same problem in a sequel we have to think about the change before we make it. Will it make sense and match up with what we wrote in the first novel? Are we contradicting what we wrote before? Yes, we have to keep track of this because readers will pick up on it if we miss it. Actually, I bet we have all found it, at least once, when reading a series or two.

As I said before, it is not difficult to write a sequel; it takes a little more thought and time. Notes really help and so does patience. Is it worthwhile to write a sequel? I believe it is because it demands that we intensify our focus and anything that does that can only help; even if you never plan to actually write sequels except for that one time. We know that writing is a never ending learning experience and this is but another lesson.

What has been your experience with writing a sequel?

Gene Doucette - Blog Tour Part II

Below is an excerpt from author Gene Doucette's book 'Immortal.' This is he second stop at the New Author during his month long blog tour.

In which Adam contemplates a prior encounter with a demon.

Demons are not—as has been so often assumed—supernatural minions of some higher (or lower) evil deity. They are not supernatural at all, any more than pixies, iffrits, or vampires. Or me. They’re just another race—or underspecies, as my unnamed nemesis called them.

This is not to say demons are in any way capable of being nice. Not at all. Demons are the worst combination of big, strong, and nasty on the planet. Worse even than dragons, because dragons were just animals and animals don’t have enough self- awareness to be evil. Demons do. They understand money and they understand violence and they don’t care about much else. Also, unlike dragons, they managed to avoid extinction, possibly because something deep in the cavernous recesses of most demon brains is the understanding that survival and secretiveness go hand in hand.

But keeping a low profile is only one reason demons still walk the Earth. Another is usefulness. They’re the ultimate mercenaries, and really come in handy during wartime. Alexander the Great had ten demons on retainer when he conquered most of the known world. Hammurabi had twenty-five. Genghis Khan had thirty, and rumor had it he was one himself. (I don’t believe the rumor—a demon would make a lousy general—but I never met the Genghis Khan, so I could be wrong.) The biblical Goliath was also a demon, which should tell you plenty about the accuracy of that little story, because it’d take a hell of a lot more than a stupid slingshot to take out a demon. (David actually lured Goliath under a cliff face and had some friends drop a big rock on him.) I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if a few of today’s governments had one or two demons on the payroll, although with modern weaponry their talents are really more useful to drug cartels and the like.

It is notoriously difficult to kill a demon. Their skin is much thicker than human skin (but not as hard as dragon hide), they don’t burn easily, and if they have a heart nobody has been able to figure out exactly where it is. At the battle of Troy I saw a demon run through with a pike three times in three different places and keep on coming. It took twenty men to hold him down and two working with heavy battle axes to cleave his head from his shoulders.

You’ve probably seen one. I don’t know how they move about in today’s world because I haven’t laid eyes on one for over a century, but I know they usually favor baggy clothes and hats to obscure their obviously non-human features. You might be thinking professional American football would be a good place to find a few, but I don’t think it’s violent enough for them.

The really extraordinary thing about demons is that they don’t rule the world. They reproduce normally—I’ve never seen a female demon, but I know they exist—and they were around back when it really wasn’t all that hard to take over the world. Pretty much everyone took over the world at least once back in the day. I even thought about it a couple of times. For some reason it just never seemed like there was enough of them to truly dominate. Why there are so few demons in the world was one of the questions I posed to the only demon I ever had a face-to-face conversation with. Unfortunately, he was not all that forthcoming.

What's It Like In A Small Publishing House?

I have an idea of what I want to write today. I just don't know how to start it. I bet I've thought of a dozen opening statements but none really fit. I'm not sure why other then the fact I don't want it to be misunderstood. The last few weeks have been a whirl wind and I don't see any signs of it slowing down; actually I see it gaining speed. I know I told you that I would share as much as I possibly could of my publishing experience and I am.

To be honest the experience has not been what I expected. I don't really know what my expectations are but I know that, so far, this doesn't match my initial thoughts. Being a part of MuseItUp Publishing is far better than I could hope for. Of course I'm not neck deep in revisions from the editor at this time so that might have an impact on my opinion - I doubt it though. What is it like? The first day, after I returned my signed contract, I received a list of forums to join. In these forums I have the opportunity to chat with other Muse others and this has proven to be of great value. It really does have that community/family feel to it. I've spent that last week or so browsing around the forums to get a better feel for them. Meeting the other authors, editors and the publisher in these forums is completely different from what we've been told. I originally thought it was just you and the editor with no connection with anyone else. I'm really happy this is not true with the Muse.

What about the book? What's happening with the book? I imagine that, right about now, it is covered with red ink. I picture a bucket of red paint being poured out on top of it. I'm not sure when I will receive the first round of revisions but when I do I plan to share the bloody details with you. I have been warned that the editors are very good which means they take no prisoners when it comes to editing a manuscript. I, for one, wouldn't have it any other way. I want my novel to shine like the sun when it is released.

Since I'm not working on my book what am I doing? I'm doing the exact same thing I did in the past - write and promote. I'm well underway writing the first draft of the sequel for the first novel. Writing a sequel is not easy and I plan to write an article about that soon. I have a year before my book is released so I figured I will start getting the word out about it right now. To start, I developed a new site for the novel and subsequent novels. Here is the link if you would like to check it out - http://www.bloodchronicle.blogspot.com/. I appreciate any feedback you would like to share. That site is a work in progress but it is a start.

I will leave you with this thought. Don't be afraid to pursue the small or medium size publishers. They offer many of the same things the large publishing houses do but with a family feel. That is the biggest surprise I have found to date and once you get involved in a house like that you really feel good about your decision. It is often said that writing is a solitary existence. I didn't agree with that when I started the New Author and I really don't agree with it now that I've seen what a small publishing house has to offer. 

And the WINNER is...

The time has come to announce the winners for the Third Annual New Author Writing Contest. The judges has supplied their feedback and the votes have been counted. Now, without further adieu, I will hand out the prize packages.

I thought this year would be different but I never thought it would be this different. For the first time ever one author won BOTH categories. If you're wondering - yes, I recounted the votes. This is truly amazing and speaks volumes of the winning authors abilities. With that said, many of the judges commented about the difficulty picking their favorite this year. I believe all the contestants deserve a round of applause for a job well done.

Okay, I think I have passed enough time and so I will announce the winner.

This year, the winner for both the Short Story and Poetry category goes to:

VALORIE BAKER 

Valorie's short story is entitled 'The Walk' and her poem is 'I Am Me,'

Let's give Valorie and big round of applause for winning the Third Annual New Author Writing Contest.

Interview with....a Main Character?

Yes, you read that correctly. I like to make things interesting so when author Gene Doucette approached me about participating in his blog tour for his book 'Immortal' I knew I needed to do something different. I have posted many interviews with authors on here and we have learned a great deal from them; however, I wanted a new direction. I talked to Gene about this and an idea sparked - why not interview the main character or Immortal instead? I took it one step further and below you will find an interview session with both Gene and Adam. Enjoy because this is a good one. The interview starts.....now!

We’re talking today with author Gene Doucette and Adam, the main character of his book Immortal. It’s great to have you both here!

First question: the book is written in Adam’s voice but by Gene. How did that work?

Gene: I made a decision early on to write it in Adam’s voice in first person rather than my own in third person. I don’t think I seriously considered any other option. The story is too personal.
Adam: I didn’t really have a say, but it made sense. Gene got the stories from me.

Is the “voice” in the book yours? Does it read like you?

Adam: Well sure. I’m not quite arrogant enough to suggest I dictated the book exactly as it’s written and Gene just jotted it all down for me. My thoughts aren’t nearly that organized.
Gene: He actually said that just last week. Loudly, as I recall, and to a full bar.
Adam: That wasn’t me; that was the ouzo.

Ouzo?

Gene: We were working on Hellenic Immortal. Adam loves to talk, but his recollections can be sort of all over the place. If I need to know about early Mesopotamia and he’s suddenly drifted off into twelfth century Scotland, it’s not particularly useful. Even if the Scotland story is fantastic. I discovered that sometimes finding a food or a drink that matches the era we’re discussing helps him stay on-topic.
Adam: He plies me with drink.
Gene: That’s another way to look at it.

I noticed you’re not drinking now.

Adam: I don’t drink all the time.
Gene: That’s actually one of the things I find interesting about him.
Adam: That I drink?
Gene: No that you stop when you have to.

You covered a lot of ground in Immortal. Did you leave anything for future books?

Adam: Oh god yes. Granted a tremendous number of things that haven’t been brought up weren’t brought up for a reason.
Gene: Not that he has anything to hide.
Adam: I mean that not everything is worth telling. I may be an occasionally gifted storyteller but it’s nearly impossible to make farming interesting. But Gene’s already finished a second book on my time in Greece, and we haven’t even touched on the Enlightenment yet. Or my merchant days on the Silk Road and the Orient, or…
Gene: Or Scotland.
Adam: Or Scotland.
Gene: And I’m only nearly finished the second book.
Adam: You’re still not done?
Gene: I’ve been busy.


Is there a lot of philosophy in the second book?


Gene: Hardly any. Which I was surprised by.
Adam: I knew most of the big names, but to be honest the philosophical discursions weren’t as interesting at the time as you might imagine. Attic was a fascinating place to visit, and those guys made for fantastic drinking buddies. But their ideas were only world-altering in hindsight.
Gene: Gods and religion come up more in the book. And wine. Lots about wine. You know, I should really get around to writing a tagline for it sometime.
Adam: In a way what the old philosophers talked about was a variant of religion. The even organized themselves into cults. Oh, and I misspoke. I said they all made fantastic drinking buddies, but not Descartes. He was just nuts. Aristotle was kind of anal too.

You knew a lot of famous people.

Adam: I knew my share. It was easier when there weren’t as many people on the planet, just in general. As long as you were in the right city at the right time you had the odds in your favor.
Gene: I tried to downplay some of that. It occurred to me if I overdid it in the name-dropping I would have a Zelig on my hands. Or Forrest Gump I guess.
Adam: Zelig, please.
Gene: I also can’t ever be completely positive he’s not kidding.
Adam: I never kid about things like that.
Gene: “Shakespeare, Marlowe and Bacon walk into a bar…”
Adam: That was clearly a joke.

Last question: Is Adam going to be going to any book signings?

Gene: No.
Adam: That might be fun.
Gene: No.
Adam: No of course not. I have too many other things going on. But I wouldn’t put it past Gene to pretend to be me once or twice.
Gene: I totally could not pull that off.
Adam: But you’ve thought about it.
Gene:…maybe.

Thanks to both of you!

You can learn more about Gene and Adam at Gene's website HERE.
If you would like to purchase Immortal, you can do so HERE.

Moving On To The Judges

The third annual New Author Writing Contest is very different from previous years and I am very interested in seeing what the judges have to say when they get the pieces. I had  to put some extra thought in the selection this year because many were very close in subject content and quality. I found this very surprising actually; however, some presented a unique style and a strong voice. These really caught my attention.

Which brings us to the next round of the contest - the judges. I hope all the judges are ready because I have been able to narrow down the selections to include the different styles and voices. Before I list the titles and authors moving on to the next round I want to review the prize package for the winner of each category.

A badge (that shiny gold plaque I posted earlier) for your website or blog. How special is this badge? Only four other people have it on their blogs/website. This year's winners will make it six.

A $10 gift card to Amazon.com

And finally, once the winners are announced I will be speaking to a few publishers about options regarding getting your work published. Since there are two I have in mind I cannot comment to which one yet but I have spoken to both so it is a matter of working out the details. This is strictly about shining the spotlight on the winners.

Now for the fun part; the stories, poems and authors moving on to the next round are (in no particular order):

Short Stories - 

Old Glory - Rosemary Rains

The Stripper - Icy Sedgwick

The Walk - Valerie Baker

Poetry - 

My Lover, My Man, My Best-friend - Tiffany Johnson

I Am - Valerie Baker

Let's give these contestants a round of applause for moving on to the next round. Next week we will announce the winner; good luck to you all!