Friday, April 22, 2011

Follow Friday: Playlist?



It is once again Follow Friday, hosted by Parajunkee. If you are interested in finding other book bloggers and blogs you might like, you should definitely head over to visit Parajunkee and join in on the fun.


This week's question:
What is your current playlist?

That's easy!
Death Cab For Cutie: The New Year
Dropkick Murphys: Worker's Song
Elf Power: Come Lie Down With Me
April Smith and The Big Picture Show: Terrible Things
Iron and Wine: Sodom, South Georgia

That's it for today,
thanks for reading,
buh bye then

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

WIP Wednesday (Book Trailers?)


(picture found at thedvshow.com)


Sooo... I don't know how to say this, but there isn't much for me to tell you about my WIP this week. I am actively editing every day, but there has been no writing and that bums me out.

However, I have decided that once I receive the book's artwork I will be making my very first book trailer. It's a strange concept to me, and most of the book trailers that I've seen have been... well, just awful. I did see a few that were rad, though, and I have some great ideas on making mine rad as well.

Hopefully.

Here is one of Amanda Hocking's book trailers. I really dig the simplicity of the artwork and music together the way she's done it.

Click here to see the book trailer at Youtube


It's another step I've decided to take toward using every medium available to get the word out there about my book. It's all about self promotion, and I need to wrap my head around it.

Have you ever created a book trailer? Seen any that you absolutely loved or hated?

Thanks for reading,
buh bye then

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Point of View

Ken sat in front of the old, beaten desk, his blue eyes now dry and bloodshot from staring at the screen for so long. Back and forth, back and forth he went as he tried to make his decision; knowing that this one choice would shape everything. He rubbed his eyes and breathed deeply, cursed softly and began typing. The keystrokes were quick and succinct as he banged away, filling that white page with tiny, black symbols.

Once I was finished with that first page I downed what was left in my coffee cup. The dredges were cold and bitter... time for more. I didn't want to look at the page yet, didn't want to know whether or not I had made the right choice. Still holding the coffee cup, I patted Willie as I stood and headed toward the kitchen.
He hopped off the couch and followed me closely, his floppy ears bounced happily as we went along. It was a treat that he wanted, and I couldn't resist after looking into those puppy-dog eyes. He laid on the cold kitchen floor, chewing away on that smelly, jerky snack as I filled my cup again and went back to my desk.

Ken slammed the steel blue coffee mug onto the desk, slopping its contents over his mousepad, his desk speakers, everything. It didn't help his mood as he held down on the delete key. It was all wrong and he knew it. Another morning without making a decision, another blank page.
"This shouldn't be so hard," he muttered as he used his sleeve to clean up the spill. "It's only first or third person!"


What about you guys, ever have any problems deciding what the point of view for your WIP is going to be?


Thanks for reading,
buh bye then

Friday, April 15, 2011

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop

It's Book Blogger Hop time again. If you're interested in joining and finding lots of other book bloggers to connect with, head on over to Crazy For Books and join in on the Hop.

Today's question:
"Pick a character from a book you are currently reading or have just finished and tell us about him/her."

Well, I'm actually rereading the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (if you're wondering how much they sparkle, go read the books and forget about the Cullens).

I'm still on the first book, so the character that is most prominent is Louis. Now, Louis is a gentle soul... what I mean by this is; Louis is a whiner. He spends the first century of his new life trying to get away from Lestat, who is fun and awesome (even if a little abrasive). As a matter of fact, I'm fairly certain that Lestat is the only person that Louis ever comes in contact with that he doesn't fall in love with. He's wishy-washy like Romeo, and he does everything he can to make sure that he is sad about the amazing life and powers he has.

However, Louis is still pretty rad and able to dole out punishment when the time comes.

Ok, now go visit other blogs on the Crazy For Books link list, follow new bloggers, and have a great weekend.

thanks for reading,
buh bye then

Thursday, April 14, 2011

WIP Wednesday... or Thursday if I'm a slacker

Sorry I didn't get anything posted yesterday, somehow I completely forgot that it was Wednesday.

There's not a whole lot as far as updates go, I've been editing and editing and editing, which doesn't leave much time for writing. To be honest, I'm having a hard time working on Clockwork Charlie this week because my brain is full of things that need to be done before I can publish "The City."

However, I can tell you the new title for, The City:
The River Runes; Book one of the Caithiir trilogy

It took some time to settle on a title, but this is it folks. I'm excited about it.

I will give an end word count soon, once editing is final.

Clockwork Charlie has had a little work done, the new wordcount is :18,804

I will be updating the rest of the pages just as soon as I'm finished here. Which I am :)

thanks for reading,
buh bye then

Monday, April 11, 2011

Self Publishing Rules (that I have learned so far)

Here we are at Monday again, don't worry it's only one day. We can beat it!

First off, I'd like to say, "Welcome!" to my new followers. I have to say that my first Follow Friday was a great success. I came across lots of new blogger friends, and there were even a few that found me. I've decided that I will rotate the Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday each week for at least two months. More traffic to this blog is pretty exciting, and both are fun and easy to do.

Today I'd like to talk about some of the things that need to be done, to be successful in self publishing. Though it seems there is no "yellow brick road" to being successful, there are several things that link many of our more successful self publishing authors.

Make it your very best work!
Once the novel is finished with revisions and editing and editing and editing and the cover is all ready to go, it will be time for publishing. I'll be using Lulu and Smashwords for my paper and ebook publishing, respectively. These are both great options for authors that are serious about self publishing. I will have to buy my own ISBN, but so will anyone else that wants to be able to sell a paper book. (publishers that only sell books through their own site seem to be rather scammy to me)

Self Promotion. Promotion. Promotion.
Though I will do my best to keep shamelessness to a minimum, I will be promoting everything I do. Everyday. This blog, my Facebook page, and my Twitter account will all be used to let people know about what I'm doing, as well as how, when, and where they can get my work. Also, once I have submitted for publishing, I will be starting my own GoodReads page. (no link in that one, there is no page yet!)

Book Blogs!
There are many fantastic book review blogs out there, and most of them would be happy to help a new, self publishing author by giving a review. If they like your book, their readers may jump on the bandwagon, and if they don't like it, well, at least it puts your name out there. These folks mostly do what they do for free, so no complaining. Be gracious and thankful for their honest opinion. You can also do a blog tour, though to be honest; I'm not sure what this means yet. (hehe, that's me slackin)

Keep writing.
Write everything you can, tell every story your brain wants to put out there. If you like them when they're written, start over at the first step and keep going. The more work you have out there, the more likely it is that people will find you and be able to decide if they like your work. Most of us are not famous, and it takes a lot of work to get your name out their.

There are other things to be talked about (ebook prices and how and when to change them, refreshing your backlog, whether or not to find an agent, etc...) but I have blathered on long enough today. Besides, I'm no expert so you may not even want to listen to anything I said. :)

thanks for reading,
buh bye then

Friday, April 8, 2011

Follow Friday: Judging a Book By it's Cover



Follow Friday is an awesome chance for people to meet their fellow book bloggers. All you have to do is click on that button up there, and then follow the directions from the host of "Follow My Book Blog Friday"

This is my first week so I'll post the rules here as well. First, however, I'd like to answer this week's question:

Do you judge a book by its cover?

I suppose I do. I tend to be drawn to covers that are simple and help to point you in the direction of the story. It's not a concrete thing, I'll read a book that seems interesting no matter what it's cover looks like. I just may not ever pick it up to see what it's about if the cover is all cluttered.


To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://mykeepershelf.blogspot.com
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button from Parajunkee and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

From Under The City- a short story

I decided that I would throw another short story up here today. I hope you all enjoy it:)


From Under The City

It’s been years since I could walk the city in peace. Once the trees decided to grow over Old District, it seems that the lights were turned to dim and the city just stopped welcoming strangers on those old cracked sidewalks. The trees… I remember being a kid and playing on these now decaying streets. I could always climb the trees to hide from a friend, or sit in their shade for that much needed cool on a hot day.
There are no more hot days. I’m not even sure there are cool ones for that matter. No sunsets underground. It’s damn impossible to keep a calendar without seeing the sky.
What amazes me the most is the smell. I haven’t tasted the open air for almost a decade, yet it still smells like the last day of autumn. It’s the smell of twenty thousand people putting the last log of the year into their fireplaces. It’s the smell of children playing with fake swords and dogs drinking from busted hydrants.
I truly believe that if I sat down and closed my eyes for one minute, even though I never would, I could convince my mind that I was still a child. I could lie; tell myself that I still lived in a safe world instead of the vacant corpse that now sits under a blind sun.
I have a job to do. Nostalgia never helped anyone so I’ve got to move forward and stop trying to conjure memories from old signs and busted fences. I convince myself the smell is in my head. It’s not.
In the dim light I can see The Last Chapel ahead. That’s where I need to be. It was a shelter, the last line of defense… a memory of that false feeling of safety that I can’t afford to dwell on. I need to focus on finding him.
When the outcasts started filtering above ground, we all knew it would only be a matter of time before the rumors started to catch on. There have always been rumors of peace and calm in the open air. I suppose it’d be easier for the young ones to forget how quiet and peaceful everything was before the war started.
I can see the address numbers still hanging by the door, 619. It’s funny how things that don’t matter can survive horrors that the things you care about never will.
I know why he came up. It’s the same reason I want to sit down and just breathe in this delicious air. Somehow, it’s also the same reason the church wars started. Hope. goddamn, never breaking, spirit devouring hope. No matter how many times our dreams are quashed, not matter how many of our loved ones disappear, hope still lingers. Hope is what gets our young soldiers killed when they just want a taste of the old world.
It’s funny, even though most of the walls were torn from this place; I still walked through the doorway. I’m sure the kid’s in here. If he’s not here… well there’s no point in my sticking around.
I hope he was smart enough to get to the cellar. I can’t say whether or not they ever found the cellar. It’s the only haven we’ve had up here since we went under. Every few months or so one of these kids has to come up, try his luck. They either turn up in the cellar or not at all.
Every creak I hear makes me reach for Susanna. I remember the day my old man gave her to me. He called me into his study, and set a long, thin box on the desk in front of him.
“Son, you’ve done well. Your mother, may she rest in peace, would be gushing with pride to see the man you’ve become. Stand up straight.” He was constantly telling me to stand up straight. I hated it. It’s strange that the behaviors I used to loathe in my parents have now become fond and even funny memories.
“I never wanted to see my son delve into magic, but now that I see how far you’ve come… Anyhow, I’ve got you a gift. To show you that even old men can learn to appreciate something new if it’s for one of their children.”
The horrible smells in this place are rich enough to bring tears to my eyes.
I call out, “KEVIN!”
Although I’m not surprised by the lack of response, the sound of my own voice in this dry silence sent chills down my spine. I cling to Susanna with my right hand; I can feel my knuckles turning white, though my skin is impossible to see. A slight glimmer hangs on her long cool blade and Susanna basks in the tension.
If I don’t find him soon, there’s no point in staying. No one has ever been found after forty-eight hours other than that girl. The state she was in… I just told her brother I hadn’t found her. I still see her when I close my eyes. Her face, so beautiful and her eyes closed serenely. Not a mark above her neck, but below… It still brings bile to the back of my throat. I’m not here for her now.
“KEVIN!”
I can hear the wind changing outside. Even with no walls above, this cellar somehow blocks the elements. I suppose that’s why they all end up here. Dry, quiet, and almost warm…
CRASH
I spin quickly and see the crate topple as Kevin runs at me. Tears soak his face and no sound comes from his mouth. That’s how it always is. They either can’t make a noise or they scream themselves hoarse and pass out. This way is better. I can’t carry him and Susanna at the same time.
He clings to me, his body shuddering and heaving, wracked with the sobs that just won’t come. I can feel his tears and spit already soaking through my shirt. Kevin… a twenty-two year old man… he’s got a fiancĂ© and a job underground.
The scared misfit now hanging on me is a scared child. He’s a little boy whose parents were taken from him too young, and his legs can barely hold him.
Once I get him back, he won’t speak to me or even look at me anymore. They never do. I guess it’s an embarrassment to be scared or to cry on the shoulder of another grown man. That’s alright; at least his young lady will have someone to dance with at her wedding.

Monday, April 4, 2011

To The Cynics


"Wow, writing is one of those things that I always wished I had the time to do. You're lucky, my schedule is just too demanding."

or

"Hey, that's great about your writing stuff. I'll bet you could still do it if you had a real job too."

I know that as a writer, I love it when the people I respect, care for, or even love say things like that. There's nothing better than having my work and dreams squished into a tiny, unimportant/time wasting/childish/never gonna happen, box.

Can you taste the sarcasm in that? I hope so because I was laying it on pretty darn thick.

I am a writer. Even when I was living the "adult" lifestyle; working a job that made me miserable, taking that misery home and making the people I loved miserable, and still being broke as well as almost completely unfulfilled, I was still a writer. Even if I tried to hide from that fact.

This isn't some sort of pyramid scheme, we writers and artists are not asking for your money or your credit card info. When we talk about our projects, we're not doing it because we want you to buy something. We do it because you are the ones that we want to share our lives with, the ones we feel safe handing our hopes and dreams to.

So don't spit on it. Think. Remember those days before you decided that you had to be whatever version of "adult" you are now. Growing up does not mean giving up. Trust me, that will only make things worse in the long run. I'm not saying quit your job or be unreasonable about what you can accomplish, just don't give up on what you really want out of this life.

I'm not going to. Not again. Not ever.

I've been debating on whether or not to write this for quite some time, I hope it doesn't sound angry. It's not. I have an amazing support structure in my life right now, something that I've never had before, and I am happier than I've ever been.

The moral is this: If you love, respect, or care for someone... be supportive and let them know that you will stand behind them. They probably already know that they might fail, don't feel like you need to remind them.

phew
that's it for now
thanks for reading,
buh bye then

Friday, April 1, 2011

Follow Friday & The Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop
The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy-For-Books

The Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list over at Crazy-For-Books!!

RULES:

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List over at Crazy-For-Books, including the genre that you review!
In your link, please state the main genre that you review: eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc.

Example: Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction)

2. Post about the Hop on your blog. Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

Today's Question:
"Since today is April Fool's Day in the USA, what is the best prank you have ever played on someone OR that someone has played on you?"

Answer:
Back when I was 17 years old, my mother woke me up far too early for me to realize that it was April Fool's Day. She knew that I had an obsession with the Ford Mustang, and decided to use that against me. With excitement in my eyes (and lots of sleepy still in there as well) I threw open the garage door to find a tiny model Ford Mustang. "Happy April Fool's Day!" she exclaimed as my heart died a little.

3. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! Take the time to make a quality visit! Check out other posts and content, make a new friend! Don't randomly follow someone if you never intend on actually following them! No spamming please! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)