Have you ever had a time when nothing seemed to work? Maybe the words weren't flowing from your fingertips as quickly as you like, or maybe at all. We all get writer's block from time to time, but sometimes, it's more like writers "complete standstill"
That's a bit of what it's been like writing the 4th book in the Kaldalangra series. I started this book back in the beginning of 2014, and wrote 1 chapter, and rewrote it, and rewrote it, and couldn't get any speed at all. Then I started writing Finding Keepers and published it, and now I'm working on a follow up to Finding Keepers and am hoping to have it out by the end of the year.
And then...Kaldalangra started talking to me again. Wahoo! Now I'm hoping to have two books for you by the end of this year, but no promises. I'm just happy that the words are flowing again.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Cover Reveal - Hunted
Have you seen the cover reveal for Liz Long's newest book, Hunted? No? Then read on my friends! Liz Long is here to talk a little about the book, reveal it's great cover, and tell you a little about herself.!
Hi everyone! Thanks so much to those special authors and bloggers helping me with today's cover reveal. I'm so excited to show off the new cover. It always makes the upcoming release a little more real for me, you know? Anyway, I hope you love it as much as I do. HUNTED is Book 3 of the Donovan Circus Series, with more adventure, romance, and chaos that will lead to murder. In case you haven't read it, you can run away to the supernatural circus and start with Gifted for just 99 cents on Amazon, B&N, and iBooks! You can visit this page to learn more about the 3rd book in the series and what to expect - or worry about!
Back Cover Synopsis
Lucy Sullivan finally belongs with the gifted Donovan Circus. Members are finding their rhythm, even the new folks from the Grayson Circus who joined after the last attack. Lucy feels like a trusted leader who can win the gifted battles and prevent humans from discovering their existence.
When tragedy strikes camp, a distraught Sheffield sends Lucy and her gifted team to hunt down the enemy – Alex, a Chameleon with a wicked ability for war. He’s out for blood and won’t stop until Lucy and her friends are dead.
This time, it won’t be Lucy’s gift that is tested – it will be her morality. To save her circus, the price will be greater than she ever expected. This time, she will lose someone she loves. And it will change everything.
About Liz:
Liz Long is a ridiculously proud graduate of Longwood University with a BA in English. Her inspiration comes from action and thriller genres and she spends entirely too much time watching superhero movies. Her fabulous day job as a social media strategist includes writing for a publishing company in Roanoke, VA.
All titles, including the Donovan Circus Series, A Reaper Made, and Witch Hearts, are available at Amazon on Kindle and paperback.
To learn more about Liz, visit her website: http://lizclong.com.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Valentine's Day giveaway
Woohoo!
Did you know that Soul of Asimina had a special day recently? And by recently, I mean on December 24th, which really isn't that recent at all, but I was so busy with everything that it totally passed me by?
So! We're just going to be celebrating Soul of Asimina's first birthday on Valentine's Day, and that's okay too!
My Valentine's Day surprise for one lucky winner will be ...a signed paperback copy of Soul of Asimina, the new The Lady of Steinbrekka postcard duo, and a signed Soul of Asimina bookmark.
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How do you get your chance to win? It's simple! You can follow me on Facebook or Twitter, and tweet about the give-away. Everything is easy peasy for you and wrapped into the nice Rafflecopter below. The contest will close on Valentine's Day and I will announce a winner shortly after.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Did you know that Soul of Asimina had a special day recently? And by recently, I mean on December 24th, which really isn't that recent at all, but I was so busy with everything that it totally passed me by?
So! We're just going to be celebrating Soul of Asimina's first birthday on Valentine's Day, and that's okay too!
My Valentine's Day surprise for one lucky winner will be ...a signed paperback copy of Soul of Asimina, the new The Lady of Steinbrekka postcard duo, and a signed Soul of Asimina bookmark.
How do you get your chance to win? It's simple! You can follow me on Facebook or Twitter, and tweet about the give-away. Everything is easy peasy for you and wrapped into the nice Rafflecopter below. The contest will close on Valentine's Day and I will announce a winner shortly after.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday, January 12, 2015
Finances - keeping the numbers straight
Part of the joys of being self-published is being able to have full control over my business: my books. I get to decide prices, sales, promotions, everything. The other side consists of massive amounts of data that you need to organize, analyze, and basically figure out.
My first year as a published author, I had one book out. My organization system consisted of saving the emails that CreateSpace, Amazon, and NookPress sent regarding my royalties and called it easy.
My second year was when things really got interesting. At this point I realized there was more to being a published author than just collecting payments and selling to my friends and family. That year I started having more costs than the first year, paying for bookmark designs, blog designs, promotional tours, etc. I also had two books out and I wanted to track sales in a little more organized manner. I began to create spreadsheets to track sales (which turned out to be a good idea once tax season arrived!)
I am now in the my third year of being self-published with four books published and have figured out a system that is working pretty well for me. The hard part now is constantly tweaking the system so that it doesn't become overwhelming as I publish more books and increase the cost (and sales) of my business.
I give you...my spreadsheets! If you would like a copy, just email me (sorry, but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to directly link it here) All of these were created using Excel so it is fairly easy to tailor them for your use. The workbook consists of a Yearly Profit and Loss sheet, Yearly Costs, Yearly Revenue, Yearly Paperback Sales, and Yearly e-book sales. I'm also working to form sheets that will track all of the sales per book (I have one right now, but it's not pretty, so I won't be sharing it quite yet).
Happy financing!
And finally, the big one, EVERYTHING. This sheet can get confusing quickly, but it's also great when I want to see all of my information in one place. I start with putting in my income from the previous year and then go from there. This also allows me to double check my revenue and cost sheets and make sure I don't miss anything. It's also very clear where my finances are each month and how my costs compare to my profits.
My first year as a published author, I had one book out. My organization system consisted of saving the emails that CreateSpace, Amazon, and NookPress sent regarding my royalties and called it easy.
My second year was when things really got interesting. At this point I realized there was more to being a published author than just collecting payments and selling to my friends and family. That year I started having more costs than the first year, paying for bookmark designs, blog designs, promotional tours, etc. I also had two books out and I wanted to track sales in a little more organized manner. I began to create spreadsheets to track sales (which turned out to be a good idea once tax season arrived!)
I am now in the my third year of being self-published with four books published and have figured out a system that is working pretty well for me. The hard part now is constantly tweaking the system so that it doesn't become overwhelming as I publish more books and increase the cost (and sales) of my business.
I give you...my spreadsheets! If you would like a copy, just email me (sorry, but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to directly link it here) All of these were created using Excel so it is fairly easy to tailor them for your use. The workbook consists of a Yearly Profit and Loss sheet, Yearly Costs, Yearly Revenue, Yearly Paperback Sales, and Yearly e-book sales. I'm also working to form sheets that will track all of the sales per book (I have one right now, but it's not pretty, so I won't be sharing it quite yet).
Happy financing!
Total Yearly Cost is just that, everything that I've spent on my books for that year. This includes covers, editing services, book orders, blog tours, and donations/give-aways. I have the Category table because I like to keep track of what I'm spending money on, and otherwise I will easily let the donations get away from me. I also include invoice numbers whenever possible, but that's probably an extra step.
This one is for my E-books, and I have a different sheet for each vendor (Amazon, Nook, etc.). Because the royalty payments don't happen immediately, I separate the sales and the payments. That way I can easily see when book sales increase/decrease, as well as keep tabs on when money is going into my account (and double check that everything is adding up correctly)
I love selling signed copies of my paperbacks, whether it is to friends and family or at book signing events. This sheet allows me to very easily see when/what I'm purchasing, as well as who is buying the book and any necessary information.
And finally, the big one, EVERYTHING. This sheet can get confusing quickly, but it's also great when I want to see all of my information in one place. I start with putting in my income from the previous year and then go from there. This also allows me to double check my revenue and cost sheets and make sure I don't miss anything. It's also very clear where my finances are each month and how my costs compare to my profits.
The business side of authoring
When I started writing, I didn't know there was a self-publishing option. I was prepared to send my manuscript off to publishers and face rejection after rejection, maybe seeing a positive response in twenty years and finally having it published, or maybe I'd get lucky and they'd publish it quickly, but only after I changed key parts of the story (yes, I had a pretty bleak view of the traditional route, built upon conversations with past teachers and writing guides)
Then I discovered self-publishing, and yes, my first thought was, "Omg, this is going to be so easy!"
Ha.
and again I say
Ha ha
Then I learned, as all self-pubbed authors eventually do, that it is far from easy. I had no idea how much time or money (or both) went into creating a finished product with the editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing. It was a completely different world than I expected (although I'm not really sure what I expected, maybe some fairy magic?) but also amazing.
I do my first round (or three) of edits, and then send it off to my editor, the always amazing Kristina Circelli. She then puts on her jack-of-all-trades hat and goes to town fixing my grammar, spelling, and noting any lingering inconsistencies both in the story and the wording. As proof of how awesome she is, she once noticed a typo that made my story turn from a PG-13 rating to XXX, a typo that was completely context appropriate, and slipped by all 3 of my edits, and the edits of my parents. Eek!
Right now, I do all my formatting, although I frequently send out a frantic SOS to my dear friend Julie with JT Formatting when something just isn't quite working right. I'll do a separate post on the things I have learned about formatting, as well as helpful guides that I have found that others have already posted on the interwebs.
Covers..oh covers...I have hired several cover artists, including Jenny Laatch, Elizabeth Sharp, and Stephanie from Once Upon a Time covers, and will gladly sing praises of them all. They have all been incredible with taking my (often very bad or cliche) ideas for a cover and then turn it into a finished, professional product.
I'm not even going to talk about marketing lol. I think that's an entire blog in itself!
And then...the biggie...the finances! That's my next post :)
Then I discovered self-publishing, and yes, my first thought was, "Omg, this is going to be so easy!"
Ha.
and again I say
Ha ha
Then I learned, as all self-pubbed authors eventually do, that it is far from easy. I had no idea how much time or money (or both) went into creating a finished product with the editing, formatting, cover design, and marketing. It was a completely different world than I expected (although I'm not really sure what I expected, maybe some fairy magic?) but also amazing.
I do my first round (or three) of edits, and then send it off to my editor, the always amazing Kristina Circelli. She then puts on her jack-of-all-trades hat and goes to town fixing my grammar, spelling, and noting any lingering inconsistencies both in the story and the wording. As proof of how awesome she is, she once noticed a typo that made my story turn from a PG-13 rating to XXX, a typo that was completely context appropriate, and slipped by all 3 of my edits, and the edits of my parents. Eek!
Right now, I do all my formatting, although I frequently send out a frantic SOS to my dear friend Julie with JT Formatting when something just isn't quite working right. I'll do a separate post on the things I have learned about formatting, as well as helpful guides that I have found that others have already posted on the interwebs.
Covers..oh covers...I have hired several cover artists, including Jenny Laatch, Elizabeth Sharp, and Stephanie from Once Upon a Time covers, and will gladly sing praises of them all. They have all been incredible with taking my (often very bad or cliche) ideas for a cover and then turn it into a finished, professional product.
I'm not even going to talk about marketing lol. I think that's an entire blog in itself!
And then...the biggie...the finances! That's my next post :)
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Cover Reveal - 10 Years
Cover reveal time!
You know I love my Bethany Lopez novels, so I'm so excited to bring you the cover reveal for the next book in her A Time for Love series, 10 Years! I have the rest of this series in several formats (including a signed copy of every book in the series lol) and cannot wait for this one!
*Warning* This book contains some scenes that may be hard to read. This story is meant for readers 18 and older
*Warning* This book contains some scenes that may be hard to read. This story is meant for readers 18 and older
Excerpt at end of post
Title: 10 Years (Time for Love #5)
Author: Bethany Lopez
Age Group: NA
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Designer: B Designs
Gwen keeps her emotions locked down tight, and when someone hurts her, she shuts down and shuts them out. Craig has always been her hero, but when one night leaves her broken, she realizes he has the power to hurt her the most.
Unable to get past Gwen's emotional barriers, Craig focuses on baseball and reaching for his dreams, but he misses his best friend. He wonders if he'll ever have the same relationship he did with the girl he met ten years ago.
When the barriers finally come down and their true feelings are revealed, will they finally become the couple everyone says they're destined to be, or will the darkness from Gwen's past tear them apart forever?
Pre-order
COVER REVEAL MATERIALS: 10 Years by Bethany Lop
Series Reading Order:
8 Weeks
21 Days
42 Hours
15 Minutes
10 Years ~ Releasing, Feb 3, 2015
Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. Since then she has published various YA and NA books. She is a lover of romance, family, and friends, and enjoys incorporating those things in what she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible.
Excerpt ~ Gwen
I brought a hand up to touch his cheek gently, worried that too much movement on my part would bring him back to reality, and he’d pull away.
I could taste beer on his breath, but I didn’t mind. He moved closer, his hand on my back drawing me in so our chests touched. I took a sharp breath at the contact, amazed at how good it felt.
This was the first time I’d kissed, or touched another guy since that night with Brad at his party, but it was apples and oranges in comparison. With Craig I didn’t have one second of doubt, I knew I wanted his lips on mine, and now that I’d had a taste, I didn’t know how I’d ever be able to go back to the way things used to be.
I hoped he felt the same.
“Can I touch you, Gwennie?” Craig asked, his hand at the hem of my t-shirt.
His breath against my ear caused goosebumps to break out over my sensitive flesh.
“Yes,” I responded, my voice barely a whisper.
His hand was cool against my heated stomach and I shivered as he ran it up towards my breasts, which became heavy in anticipation of his touch.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Starting over with a finished product
Once upon a time, a woman wrote a story. She planned on it being read by her parents, maybe her relatives, and maybe a handful of friends. There was never a second book that went along with it, and there was certainly not a business in her mind.
Then there were two books, and then three, and then a fourth in the works, and possible a novella, and the business grew.
Where is this all leading? My newest, biggest project (you know, other than writing two more books which I hope to have published this year) : the re-release of the Land of Kaldalangra series! The books will be a different size (I've come to find I love 5 by 8's a lot more than 6 by 9's) and will have cohesive covers. I'm also battling with adding a few scene's to The Lady of Steinbrekka to fill in a few plot holes.
I'm very excited about this, and I think you guys are going to love the result, except for my father who probably won't talk to me for changing the cover of The Lady of Steinbrekka. Just kidding, he has to talk to me, he's my dad.
Then there were two books, and then three, and then a fourth in the works, and possible a novella, and the business grew.
Where is this all leading? My newest, biggest project (you know, other than writing two more books which I hope to have published this year) : the re-release of the Land of Kaldalangra series! The books will be a different size (I've come to find I love 5 by 8's a lot more than 6 by 9's) and will have cohesive covers. I'm also battling with adding a few scene's to The Lady of Steinbrekka to fill in a few plot holes.
I'm very excited about this, and I think you guys are going to love the result, except for my father who probably won't talk to me for changing the cover of The Lady of Steinbrekka. Just kidding, he has to talk to me, he's my dad.
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