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Showing posts from 2014

Veteran’s Day 2014 Charity Challenge: Gone, but Not Forgotten!

Hi, gang. My writer friend Richard Peters shared with me a Veteran's Day charity promotion for veteran authors and hopefully you guys would be willing to help promote this event. They have about 50 veteran authors who are pledging 100% of their royalties to their favorite veteran's charity, at least for 24 hours on Veteran's Day. Many are pledging much longer. This list also includes several NY Times and USA Today Bestsellers. Event Summary: Veteran’s Day 2014 Charity Challenge: Gone, but Not Forgotten! On Veteran's Day 2014, 50 veteran authors will pledge 100% of their print, ebook and audio book royalties to their favorite veteran's charity. In most cases, these are organizations that assisted the authors personally and they are trying their best to give back. Veterans from each service branch and every conflict period, from Vietnam to even one author deployed to Afghanistan at this moment, are pledging. This diverse collection of works includes New York Times

10 Questions with Dystopian Action Adventure Novelist Frederick Lee Brooke (@frederickbrooke)

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This Author Spotlight features Frederick Lee Brooke author of SAVING RAINE (The Drone Wars: Book 1) Frederick Lee Brooke launched the Annie Ogden Mystery Series in 2011 with Doing Max Vinyl and following with Zombie Candy in 2012, a book that is neither about zombies nor sweets (read my interview with Fred on that book HERE ). The third mystery in the series, Collateral Damage, appeared in 2013. Saving Raine, the first book in Fred’s entirely new series, The Drone Wars, appeared in December, 2013. A resident of Switzerland, Fred has worked as a teacher, language school manager and school owner. He has three boys and two cats and recently had to learn how to operate both washing machine and dryer. He makes frequent trips back to his native Chicago. When not writing or doing the washing, Fred can be found walking along the banks of the Rhine River, sitting in a local cafe, or visiting all the local pubs in search of his lost umbrella. 1

Please Help Shane

Hi, gang. I haven't blogged in two months. Sorry. Been encumbered with other things a bit. But a few days ago my writer friend/fellow novelist Frank Marsh contacted me about a very important person:  four-year-old Shane Lee. Shane is battling DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma), a rare form of brain cancer that affects only children. DIPG is uber-resistant to Chemotherapy and as of right now has no cure. That's where we come in. You. Me. Frank. All of us. Grab a copy of Frank's novel ENDWORLD - THE SHANE EDITION in order to support the hunt for a cure for this illness. Please also take a second to click to The Shane Campaign to learn more about Shane and his family and to donate. This kind of stuff shouldn't exist in this world. If everybody got together and pitched in, it wouldn't. Please help. Links to Frank's book ENDWORLD - THE SHANE CAMPAIGN EDITION, available in format you require: Amazon : Purchasable as an on-demand paperback  H

The Secret to Self Publishing

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The secret is output. Quantity. You can't write/self publish one book and then sit back and wait. The marketplace is far too crowded now. You must write half a dozen books, pimp them on Twitter, Facebook, and BookBub, and "all the while" continue to write and pump out more books to subsequently pimp. Just ask Russell Blake. And get over the notion that you're uncomfortable with self promotion or with selling your work. There's absolutely nothing wrong with selling. If it helps, think of it as something you're excited about (your book) and sharing it with a friend, the same feeling you get when you and a friend are talking about what happened on Game of Thrones last night. Lack of sales of a professionally edited, well-written book with a professional cover has less to do with its quality and more to do with the fact that nobody knows about it. Why do you think production companies advertising new blockbuster movies have an advertising budget equa

Game of Thrones

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Who here is a Game of Thrones fan (books or HBO series)? Besides me, that is.

10 Questions with Fantasy Novelist Jen Wylie (@jen_wylie)

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This Author Spotlight features Fantasy Novelist Jen Wylie author of Broken Aro Jen Wylie resides in rural Ontario, Canada with her two boys, an Australian shepherd and a disagreeable amount of wildlife. In a cosmic twist of fate, she dislikes the snow and cold. Before settling down to raise a family, she attained a BA from Queens University and worked in retail and sales. Thanks to her mother, she acquired a love of books at an early age and began writing in public school. She constantly has stories floating around in her head, and finds it amazing most people don’t. Jennifer writes various forms of fantasy, both novels and short stories. 1.How did you get into writing and why do you write? I started writing when I was in public school. I was also a very avid reader from a young age, so I think all the fantasy books got my imagination going. I didn't look into publishing my writing until about 5 years ago. I write

10 Questions with Thriller Novelist Douglas Wickard (@DouglasWickard)

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This Author Spotlight features Douglas Wickard author of Nothing Sacred Douglas Wickard joins us for a third time in order to share his latest novel NOTHING SACRED. Douglas lives and writes in Los Angeles, California and is looking to adopt a Weimaraner and call him Blue. 1. How did you become a novelist? How does one become a novelist? For me, the idea of writing was always lurking somewhere in the back of my head. I love words. I love reading. I enjoy creating characters. I began writing stories when I was a teenager, poems…journaling. It became a way of expressing my inner thoughts, my inner demons, perhaps. But, being a novelist is much different than becoming one. Becoming a novelist keeps a writer in a constant state of insecurity, always-seeking approval -- am I good enough? Will somebody like it? Will I be rejected? Being a novelist takes courage and a healthy dose of confidence. A sense of knowing. Moving past the ruffle of rejec

10 Questions with Science Fiction Writer Roger Venk (@RogerVenk)

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This Author Spotlight features New Zealand-based science fiction writer Roger Venk. Roger is the author of the science fiction COPPERLAND trilogy, which includes CALLISTO (see above), COPPERLAND and CALLIDORN . As well as the forthcoming DISCIPLE 13 . 1.How did you get into writing? As a youth my Influencing literature was nineteenth century science fiction, HG Wells, Jules Verne. Novels such as The Time Machine and The Great Romance (New Zealand). Also the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. Always told stories around the farm about space and aliens. So I thought I would write some of it down. 2.What do you like best (or least) about writing? Personal fulfillment that I have written this story about faraway places in space or the distant future. I least like the editing and the grammar. 3.What is your writing process? IE do you outline? Do you stick to a daily word or page count, write 7 days a week, etc? I write when I am inspired, I could write f

10 Questions with Military Thriller Writer Richard Peters (@OpEnduringUnity)

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This Author Spotlight features Military Thriller Writer Richard Peters author of Power Games  Operation Enduring Unity Richard Peters is the author of the Operation Enduring Unity series and a variety of science fiction. He served from 2002-2007 in the US Army. Richard spent 27 months in two tours bringing peace at any price to the post-apocalyptic streets and mahalla's of Baghdad. He currently lives with his wife and son in Germany and runs his own technical services business. 1.How did you get into writing and why do you write? I guess pretty much like everyone else. Toyed with the idea for years but didn’t know where to start. When I turned 30 though, I realized my life was already a quarter over with. Time to buckle down and make it happen. Why do I keep writing? No idea. Maybe it’s the addiction. If I go more than three days without my writing “fix,” I get serious withdrawal symptoms. Edgy, short-tempered,

Should Authors Respond to Reviews of Their Books?

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I was conversing today with writer friend Nicholas Rossis regarding book reviews and whether or not an author should reply to a reviewer. Raymond Chandler had three rules:  1. Never show or discuss a WiP,  2. Never take advice, and  3. Never answer a critic. So that's his take on it.  I know a RomCom author named Elle Lothlorien whom I've interviewed on this blog and she is adamant about interacting with people on Amazon because in her mind it is simply good customer service. She views her writing as a publishing business and she wants to make certain her customers are happy. If a restaurant patron has a poor experience, the manager usually wants to hear about it in order to comp the meal or offer free desserts or something that enables the customers to come away feeling happy. Same with retailers. They want the opportunity to provide good customer service.  Personally, I have never answered a reviewer on Amazon. I wrote a reply once, but then d

10 Questions with Thriller Writer Jennifer Chase (@JChaseNovelist)

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This Author Spotlight features award-winning author and criminologist Jennifer Chase. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s in criminology.  In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  She’s a member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists. Jennifer is an award-winning author, freelance writer, and a criminologist.  She has authored four crime fiction, thriller novels: COMPULSION, DEAD GAME, SILENT PARTNER, and DARK MIND.  She has authored a non-fiction book HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY incorporating a step-by-step process to write a screenplay.  She currently assists clients in publishing, ghostwriting, book reviews, blogs, articles, screenwriting, editing, and research. Jennifer's novels can be seen below. DARK MIND (see above), SILENT PARTNER DEAD GAME COMPULSION and HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY. 1. How did you get into writing? I’ve always had a love affair w