One of my favorite things to do over the holidays is check out movies. I went to see three. This one is my favorite so stay tuned for the others.
Fandango Blurb:
Blamed for a terrorist attack on the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the entire IMF agency are disavowed by the U.S. government, while the president initiates the Ghost Protocol. Forced to go "off the grid" -- left without resources or backup -- Hunt must somehow clear the agency's name and prevent another attack. Complicating matters even more, Ethan must undertake the impossible mission with a group of fellow IMF fugitives whose actual motives are suspect.
My Review:
Thank goodness this wasn't offered in 3D, lol! Anyways, I love Tom Cruise and knew that he wouldn't do a movie that was half bad so I really looked forward to this one. I wasn't disappointed. There was a jail breakout, building climbing and other impossible challenges for his team to overcome. And you know what? They made mistakes, big ones, but I honestly have to say by the end of the movie I was in love with each character and hated to see them go. I give this a 4 out of 5 stars only because some things just seemed a bit too convenient.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas Favorites
My Dreamy Christmas Songs for 2012
Polar Express - My kids sing this to me for the last 2 years :-D
Mistletoe - Justin Bieber my daughter told me to add this and I like it too!
Faith Hill - I still love this one
http://youtu.be/cSMjgNMdzEI
Polar Express - My kids sing this to me for the last 2 years :-D
Mistletoe - Justin Bieber my daughter told me to add this and I like it too!
Faith Hill - I still love this one
http://youtu.be/cSMjgNMdzEI
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Ghost Train To Freedom by Faith Reese Martin
Please welcome our TEEN BOOK REVIEWER, Nyia who will be giving us the skinny on this great historical adventure!
Ghost Train To Freedom by Faith Reese Martin
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Pub Date: February 2012
ISBN: 978-1-60800-014-2
Lavishly illustrated by Barry Sachs
Categories: Pre-teen+, Adventure, Historical Fiction
“What Price Freedom?”
Join two teenage time travelers on an exciting adventure as they risk their own safety and freedom to become conductors on the most dangerous train in history: the Underground Railroad.
This subtle history lesson empowers readers to understand that they, too, can take a stand against wrong and make a difference. The author skillfully weaves sound moral guidance around this historic framework into a compelling fantasy adventure.
The book will be accompanied by a Literary Guide for use in the classroom and by homeschoolers.
Faith’s story is packed with meticulous research about the URR and its famous “conductors,” as well as unknown homesteaders and everyday citizens, both black and white, who listened to their hearts and supported these brave people in their efforts to lead so many slaves to freedom and change America forever.
NYIA's REVIEW
When my mom first gave me this book I wasn't interested in reading a historical, much less one about slavery. I just hate that part of American History because it bothers me to know that my great-great grandparents were slaves. But after I read this book I was amazed at how people of both races helped each other and changed history. The book's main character Jinx takes you through time to help people who are helped by the underground railroad. Max is her companion and when they talk the dialogue sounds like an older person but it doesn't make you stop reading. It was suspenseful experiencing what the slaves had to go through to be free. Jinx would see these things through dreams and the book started with the dream that made her travel to the past. The author made learning about history interesting and I'd like to try out some of her other books. I give Ghost Train To 3.5 Freedom stars.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
My ‘Boy’ Reading Experiment
I’ve tried for quite some years to motivate my teenaged boy to read books. Even to the extent of writing most of my books in male POV because at least he’d read mine. But this season I’ve branched out. I’ve found several books that my son just couldn’t put down. However, the trick was to get him to pick it up in the first place.
So here’s what I did.
FIND OUT WHAT THEY LOVE TO WATCH
I started watching more TV with my son. From Jersey Shore to Furious Five and finally onto his Zombie obsession with the Walking Dead.
This season though, he was a little ticked off with the Walking dead because he said it was getting – (what’s that horrible word parents hate to hear from their kid?) BORING!
So from my blog visiting activities I found and loved reading a book called ‘Rot and Ruin’ by Jonathan Maberry . I even sent it to my nephew who grabbed me when he saw me to tell me he loved the book I sent.
THE SET UP
So, my husband is an avid reader of scifi and graphic comics. I purchased the book for his Ipad and asked him to read it, then propose to our son to read it with him.
Now my husband pulled this off effortlessly by reading during an episode of Walking Dead and gushing about the book to my son. About how it was better than the show. Then he handed my son his reader during a commercial break.
My son didn’t stop reading the book. The kid read all 400 pages in 5 days!!!!
AFTER THE ENGULFING
After the read the book, they were chatting about it, trying to figure out what was happening with this character or the next.
Then they asked – is there any other books by this guy? Well of course!(this is where series work well) I purchased book 2 in the series ‘Dust and Decay’ and they are eating that up right as we speak.
WHAT SUCKED THEM IN
The characters ‘acted’ like real guys. Sure my son got ticked off at the stupidity of the main character, but the suspense, action, and dialogue he said kept him wanting to read more.
SO, GIVE THIS READING EXPERIMENT A TRY …
So here’s what I did.
FIND OUT WHAT THEY LOVE TO WATCH
I started watching more TV with my son. From Jersey Shore to Furious Five and finally onto his Zombie obsession with the Walking Dead.
This season though, he was a little ticked off with the Walking dead because he said it was getting – (what’s that horrible word parents hate to hear from their kid?) BORING!
So from my blog visiting activities I found and loved reading a book called ‘Rot and Ruin’ by Jonathan Maberry . I even sent it to my nephew who grabbed me when he saw me to tell me he loved the book I sent.
THE SET UP
So, my husband is an avid reader of scifi and graphic comics. I purchased the book for his Ipad and asked him to read it, then propose to our son to read it with him.
Now my husband pulled this off effortlessly by reading during an episode of Walking Dead and gushing about the book to my son. About how it was better than the show. Then he handed my son his reader during a commercial break.
My son didn’t stop reading the book. The kid read all 400 pages in 5 days!!!!
AFTER THE ENGULFING
After the read the book, they were chatting about it, trying to figure out what was happening with this character or the next.
Then they asked – is there any other books by this guy? Well of course!(this is where series work well) I purchased book 2 in the series ‘Dust and Decay’ and they are eating that up right as we speak.
WHAT SUCKED THEM IN
The characters ‘acted’ like real guys. Sure my son got ticked off at the stupidity of the main character, but the suspense, action, and dialogue he said kept him wanting to read more.
SO, GIVE THIS READING EXPERIMENT A TRY …
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Where To Find Sales on Ebooks!
Well now since I have an ereader, I'm always looking for great finds. Sure I have authors that I'm rather loyal to, but I also search for great deals to find out about new authors
Here's some sites I go to find deals on ebooks.
Kindle Daily
Pixel Of Ink
The Frugal eReader
Red Adept
99 cent Network
Daily Ebook Reviews
Randamize Me
Friday, December 9, 2011
Book Trailer Reveal and Review of Explorer X-Beta
Please enjoy the new book trailer created by Alicia 'Kat' for EXPLORER X - BETA
The First Book Review by:
Book Reader's Heaven
AMAZON LINK
B & N LINK
If you are interested in reading the eARC check it out at NetGalley this January 2012.
www.phenomenalonepress.com
If you are interested in reviewing Explorer X-Beta please leave message in the comments with your contact information and I will send you a free copy :-D
The First Book Review by:
Book Reader's Heaven
AMAZON LINK
B & N LINK
If you are interested in reading the eARC check it out at NetGalley this January 2012.
www.phenomenalonepress.com
If you are interested in reviewing Explorer X-Beta please leave message in the comments with your contact information and I will send you a free copy :-D
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
When Copper Suns Fall by KaSonndra Leigh
Spotlight Author Guest, KaSonndra Leigh
New Book When Copper Suns Fall
Blurb:
In a not too distant future when angels hide their celestial identities, a teenage girl who uses ancient memories to change current events must face rival demon slayers before she can find the cure to save her brother and prevent a second apocalypse.
A Bit About KaSonndra Leigh,
KaSonndra Leigh lives in the City of Alchemy and Medicine in North Carolina. She holds the Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and is now looking forward to playing CLUE more often. She lives in an L-shaped house where she has created a secret library complete with fairies, Venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass. When Copper Suns Fall is her debut novel.
Website: http://www.kasonndraleigh.com
Facebook: Facebook profile
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kasonndraleigh
Blog: http://kasonndraleigh.blogspot.com/
LEARN MORE ABOUT ' When Copper Suns Fall '
BUY ON AMAZON Just $2.99
BUY ON Smashwords
New Book When Copper Suns Fall
Blurb:
In a not too distant future when angels hide their celestial identities, a teenage girl who uses ancient memories to change current events must face rival demon slayers before she can find the cure to save her brother and prevent a second apocalypse.
A Bit About KaSonndra Leigh,
KaSonndra Leigh lives in the City of Alchemy and Medicine in North Carolina. She holds the Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and is now looking forward to playing CLUE more often. She lives in an L-shaped house where she has created a secret library complete with fairies, Venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass. When Copper Suns Fall is her debut novel.
Website: http://www.kasonndraleigh.com
Facebook: Facebook profile
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/kasonndraleigh
Blog: http://kasonndraleigh.blogspot.com/
LEARN MORE ABOUT ' When Copper Suns Fall '
BUY ON AMAZON Just $2.99
BUY ON Smashwords
Saturday, December 3, 2011
New Ebook Cover Reveal! & Giveaway!
Hiya!
Phenomenal One Press is happy to announce new ebook covers for The Pack and Bandits!!!
Yay!
The New Ebook Cover for Bandits:
Purchase for just $0.99 for the month of December
Kindle: Click Here
Nook: Click Here
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/56840
The New Ebook Cover for The Pack: (Effective 12/20/2011)
New cover active on 12/20/2011
Kindle: Click Here
Nook: Click Here
STILL TIME TO SIGN UP FOR FREE PAPERBACK ARC OF
Explorer X-Beta
Middle Grade Adventure
GoodReads Giveaway: Click Here
Sign up to win free copy!
Phenomenal One Press is happy to announce new ebook covers for The Pack and Bandits!!!
Yay!
The New Ebook Cover for Bandits:
Purchase for just $0.99 for the month of December
Kindle: Click Here
Nook: Click Here
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/56840
The New Ebook Cover for The Pack: (Effective 12/20/2011)
New cover active on 12/20/2011
Kindle: Click Here
Nook: Click Here
STILL TIME TO SIGN UP FOR FREE PAPERBACK ARC OF
Explorer X-Beta
Middle Grade Adventure
GoodReads Giveaway: Click Here
Sign up to win free copy!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Are Authors With Large Pubs the Only Ones with Movie Ops?
Mid Atlantic Book Publishers will be chatting tonight (use #MBPA to follow chat - Thur. 12/1/2011 at 9pm EST)on this topic.
When you write your book do you see STARS? Dream of that movie deal?
One of the main reasons I would love to be with a large pub is to get a movie option for one of my books.
Of course, that is every writer's dream. But is it possible to do as an Indie Press, Self Published Author or Small Press?
I believe ... anything is possible if you know the roads traveled.
But statistics say - only a small percent of Small Press and Indie has achieved this.
HOW DOES A SMALL PRESS GO ABOUT THIS?
If one can land a Publishing Entertainment Attorney that does this, has contacts and is on bored with shopping the manuscript turned script to possible clients. This is best done before the book comes out. But if it happens after then that's awesome also.
Movie Options can garner a small press or large press from $500-Millions of dollars.
And I know an Indie Author that worked hard at getting the word out about her non-fiction book about serial killers and garnered her Movie Option on her own. So yes people - it can happen.
WHAT TO SELL:
Screenplay writes, Novelization writes, Sequel Rights, Consultant fees and Remake writes.
SOME WAYS John Kremer has composed in his book 1001 Ways to Market Your Books:
Use movie scouts who work for producers, sell direct to studio using the Hollywood Creative Directory, list your books with an online web site, list your books with an online we site, network (by going to film related events).
CAN IT REALLY HAPPEN:
Yes, but just like everything else in this business, it takes time, networking with the right people.
When you write your book do you see STARS? Dream of that movie deal?
One of the main reasons I would love to be with a large pub is to get a movie option for one of my books.
Of course, that is every writer's dream. But is it possible to do as an Indie Press, Self Published Author or Small Press?
I believe ... anything is possible if you know the roads traveled.
But statistics say - only a small percent of Small Press and Indie has achieved this.
HOW DOES A SMALL PRESS GO ABOUT THIS?
If one can land a Publishing Entertainment Attorney that does this, has contacts and is on bored with shopping the manuscript turned script to possible clients. This is best done before the book comes out. But if it happens after then that's awesome also.
Movie Options can garner a small press or large press from $500-Millions of dollars.
And I know an Indie Author that worked hard at getting the word out about her non-fiction book about serial killers and garnered her Movie Option on her own. So yes people - it can happen.
WHAT TO SELL:
Screenplay writes, Novelization writes, Sequel Rights, Consultant fees and Remake writes.
SOME WAYS John Kremer has composed in his book 1001 Ways to Market Your Books:
Use movie scouts who work for producers, sell direct to studio using the Hollywood Creative Directory, list your books with an online web site, list your books with an online we site, network (by going to film related events).
CAN IT REALLY HAPPEN:
Yes, but just like everything else in this business, it takes time, networking with the right people.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson
I got this book free at the BEA (Book Expo America summer of this year straight from James Patterson's great hands!)
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson
I will say it here, I love this guy. When he writes for teens he doesn't do boring.
Amazon Blurb:Rafe Khatchadorian has enough problems at home without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix. Luckily, he's got an ace plan for the best year ever, if only he can pull it off: With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to break every rule in his school's oppressive Code of Conduct. Chewing gum in class-5,000 points! Running in the hallway-10,000 points! Pulling the fire alarm-50,000 points! But when Rafe's game starts to catch up with him, he'll have to decide if winning is all that matters, or if he's finally ready to face the rules, bullies, and truths he's been avoiding.
My 8 Year Old Son's review:
Just so you know, I like to give reviews by the audience of readers that enjoy the age range of books. Since I have a son that loves to read, he and I are reading this together.
This book has short chapters (which my 8yr old son loves!) that way he reads a chapter and I read a chapter. There are some large words for him, but he works through them pretty well. The illustrations are fun and he loves reading them also. There are some sayings that have that boy gross spin on it and my son laughed at them even though I thought they were rather corny. Over all it's a great read with the same feel as the Diaries of a Wimpy Kid. My 8yr old son gave it 4 fingers out of 5 because he thought it was too long (lol! but he's an elementary school kid.) My 10 yr old read it in 1 day and thought the size and content was perfect for girls also.
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson
I will say it here, I love this guy. When he writes for teens he doesn't do boring.
Amazon Blurb:Rafe Khatchadorian has enough problems at home without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix. Luckily, he's got an ace plan for the best year ever, if only he can pull it off: With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to break every rule in his school's oppressive Code of Conduct. Chewing gum in class-5,000 points! Running in the hallway-10,000 points! Pulling the fire alarm-50,000 points! But when Rafe's game starts to catch up with him, he'll have to decide if winning is all that matters, or if he's finally ready to face the rules, bullies, and truths he's been avoiding.
My 8 Year Old Son's review:
Just so you know, I like to give reviews by the audience of readers that enjoy the age range of books. Since I have a son that loves to read, he and I are reading this together.
This book has short chapters (which my 8yr old son loves!) that way he reads a chapter and I read a chapter. There are some large words for him, but he works through them pretty well. The illustrations are fun and he loves reading them also. There are some sayings that have that boy gross spin on it and my son laughed at them even though I thought they were rather corny. Over all it's a great read with the same feel as the Diaries of a Wimpy Kid. My 8yr old son gave it 4 fingers out of 5 because he thought it was too long (lol! but he's an elementary school kid.) My 10 yr old read it in 1 day and thought the size and content was perfect for girls also.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Madness-Black Friday & Cyber Monday
Have you ever been tempted to brave the long lines, the darkness of night, and the possible threat of being trampled to go to the sales event called BLACK FRIDAY?
Well I have. And when I think of the madness that encompasses the event I think of an old cheesy movie my kids love to watch every Christmas.
Jingle All The Way - WATCH VIDEO TRAILER
The Trailer is awesome :-D
BLURB:
A harried father decides to dream the impossible dream, to get that year's hot toy for his son just before Christmas Day.
BLACK FRIDAY CONFESSIONS:
These are the things that have happened to us on Black Friday sales of years past:
2011: My teenaged son attended his first Black Friday. Cut the line for a computer item and ran with it to my husband, only to be chased then tackled by four store employees, handcuffed then released. No lie! This really happened.
2009: I was pushed into the door of a store after the doors opened and the crowds rushed in to get the new game systems that were on sale for like 40% off.
2008: We camped out at the store for 4 hours before open only to be turned away as the store was full to capacity.
2005: Went with friends, did a football break and conquer to get all the toys we needed on sale. Only to forget my purse and have to call my husband while I was in line to drop off my money.
WHY DO I KEEP UP THE INSANITY:
I don't know. Maybe for the rush, but mostly for the incredible deals. But after this year's event, I'm throwing in my BLACK FRIDAY towel and turning to..... CYBER TUESDAY. I think I'll have 3 computers set up and ready to make my Christmas sales purchases.
What do you think? Do you get caught in the madness?
Well DON'T (this is one of those do what I say and not what I do scenarios.) Trust me...after this year, I'm giving it up. I am...
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
ELEVEN by Carolyn Arnold
Need something to be thankful for? Check out this great Mystery Thriller and you'll be glad that you aren't the one being hunted.
AMAZON BLURB
Product Description
Eleven Rooms. Ten Bodies. One Empty Grave.
Brandon Fisher never expected this when he signed up as a Special Agent for the FBI. Working in the shadow of Supervisory Special Agent Jack Harper of the Behavioral Analysis Unit his career seemed set. But when the team is called to a small rural town where the remains of ten victims are found in an underground bunker, buried in an unusual way, Brandon knows he'll never return to his normal life.
With one empty grave, and the case touching close to home, he fears he's become the target of a psychotic serial killer who wants to make him number eleven. Only thing is, everything Brandon thinks he knows is far from the truth.
Length: 103,000 words
BUY on AMAZON - CLICK HERE
$4.99 Ebook
$14.99 Paperback
Friday, November 18, 2011
Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 (Twilight) Movie review
Fandango Blurb:
At last, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are getting married. When Jacob (Taylor Lautner) finds out that Bella wants to spend her honeymoon as a human, he is horrified -- for Edward's passion could accidentally kill her. Bella does indeed survive her honeymoon, but a new complication arises when she discovers that she's pregnant -- and the child is growing at an alarming rate. The pregnancy sets the wolves against Bella and Edward, but Jacob vows to protect his friend.
My Review:
Sweet Romance. Yes, this movie played like a romance novel. It began with the wedding invitations. An angry and tormented Jacob. Bella's jittery nightmares. A cameo appearance from Ms. Myers, the author at the wedding. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. The honeymoon was to die for. And there were some funny lines where I giggled. The innocent beginning to their physical relationship with a display of Edward's barely restrained strength during their well done love scene - then the bruises on Bella, followed by Edward's guilt. I enjoyed this movie, but out of the rest of them maybe not as much since it was rather slow. The special effects on Bella's dying pregnant body and her rebirth was very well done. There was a few fight scenes and they were short and mild. My overall rating is 3.5 fangs. Enjoyable and well-done. But I took of 1.5 fangs because I felt like the movie company just wanted to make money by prolonging the 2nd part of the movie and not combining it. There were scenes they could have shortened or taken out to make one movie. Now I will warn you, I took my reluctant husband with me, and on the 'man' radar he gave it a 2.5 fangs. But he's a guy and doesn't 'get' it.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
THE TWO FACED MAN of INDIE PUBLISHING
I have to tell you. It seems like each and every time I finish a novel I get clammy hands. Every time I struggle with whether or not what I write is good enough. Or ready for mainstream. I mean how many times does an author have to hear, “You tell a good story.”
FIGURE OUT ITS POTENTIAL
After I get that baby in shape I think about what I should do. I have to admit, I hate querying. I do. I do. Coming up with a query letter is so painful and I can’t honestly say it gets any easier after the hundreds I’ve written.
But I write one anyway – even though I know that it’s likely that Phenomenal One Press will publish it. Now I have one wip that I just finished that I really think that a large publisher would love it – but, but, but … (I’ll get there later, I got off point)
So, I ask my betas, is this mainstream, what market you see this fitting into? Do you think I should sub it?
Therefore, each writer should look at all their written works and figure out what the best market stream for that product is. Since I write novels – can’t seem to write a short story no matter what, most of my stuff should go to the novel market.
TO PUBLISH THE TRIED AND TRUE OR TRY TO SELL TO A BIG DOG
I admit it, I’m a control freak. Now I have to say I’m pretty darned proud of what Phenomenal One Press produces and sells. Hey, our sells are good and get pre-orders for our books coming out in 2012 from stores and distributors – (NO WAY…yeah WAY, in just 2 years we’ve accomplished a lot as a small pub) Ooops, I digress again.
Even though I know a sure way to get my books to print and to market would be great through Phenomenal One Press – I still pursue the large publishing companies for each and every work.
Why? Well, why not? Alright – here’s why not – because I really hate the query process, I don’t want to wait 1 or more years for my book to go to print, and because – well I do a good darn job at being a partner in a small press.
My advice is, every writer, should attempt all routes to sell, because it flushes out – HOW TO SELL your book. From writing my query letters, synopsis and pitches – I use all of them in publishing my books. From the pitch being my sales handle straight to consumer.
DON’T GIVE UP EITHER WAY
Either way you slice, publishing books is not easy – but it gets MUCH easier with time and experience. And now, it’s very easy for us to publish our books. One of the reasons why I struggle on to try to sell to a large publisher or do it with Phenomenal One Press where I have a lot of the control - okay maybe not sooo much since I have a sales focused partner who keeps my author alter ego in check when it's time to talk sales. Oh...sorry... I digressed again.
I do realize that our small press has been able to penetrate into markets that a lot of the big publishers do, but I really would love to get a movie option for one of my works and we just haven't tackled that ... yet (my partner is researching and sharpening his pitch for a subsidiary rights agent) so who knows.
More and more, there is still talent being scooped up by the big publishing companies and hard working literary agents. Do yourself a favor and pursue both why not? The days when writer’s had boundaries and only one road to free their words are over.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Immortals - Movie Review
Blurb from Fandango:
Theseus is a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity. Power-hungry King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his ruthless army march across Greece, leaving burned-out villages and the corpses of the innocent in their wake. Hyperion's goal is to find the long-lost Bow of Epirus; with this invincible weapon, he can cast the gods out of Mount Olympus and become master of the world. A stonemason named Theseus (Henry Cavill) heeds the words of the sibylline oracle (Freida Pinto), who convinces him that he is the key to stopping the bloodthirsty king.
My Review:
Okay, just to be clear, I love mythology, gorgeous testosterone driven men in my movies that are itching for a fight. In that department, this movie didn't fail me. Theseus was everything I would love about a hero. He was sensitive, loved his mom, didn't want to fight unless given cause and when he was - he could kick the snot out of anyone that stood in his way. Now, the action, the fight scenes, the evil villain fit the bill. Where this movie fell short was the development of Theseus, I wanted to know more about him. For some reason I really fell in love with the Oracle and her sisters. I connected with their pain. Now don't get me wrong, not because they are females since I usually am drawn more to male characters. But the scenes where these ladies were in just seemed to do more to make you connect to them. In addition, there seemed to be a vivid show of violence just for violence sake and I wish they would have spent more of that time to develop the characters of Zeus and the other gods. So after the movie I was satisfied but still left a bit wanting. For that I give it 3.5 out of 5 bows.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Destined by Jessie Harrell - CONTEST
CONTEST ALERT!! Read the bottom to jump in on the contest and win a FREE EBOOK COPY!
NYIA Teen Book Reviewer is in the HOUSE! Read the review and sign up for the contest.
Amazon Blurb:
"As he approached, I heard the flapping of wings, like an overgrown eagle. The sound dissolved when he landed at the edge of the open window. A rush of wind flew past me and extinguished the flames in the fireplace. Stars glimmered behind him but his body was encircled in black."
***
When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.
As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she's come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.
Destined is a fresh and heartachingly romantic retelling of the Cupid & Psyche myth from debut novelist, Jessie Harrell.
NYIA's BOOK REVIEW:
Destined was a well written, lovely book that took a unique twist on the story of Psyche and Eros. The author, Jessie Harrell, did a great job of keeping the balance between modern and ancient. She did a good job at keeping the story in the time period, but also making it have a modern voice for both Eros and Psyche. The book was split into two different character's opinions, yet the author could relay details but not make it sound as if she is retelling the story too much or leaving something out. The only thing that I had a problem with was that there were parts in the book which seemed less like godly powers and more like magic. The gods also went to sleep and apparently could be killed which confused me because gods are suppose to be immortal. Besides these few details, the story was a good love story based on Greek mythology. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 and suggest that you read it if you want an capturing love story with a hint a adventure.
ENJOY A READING FROM THE AUTHOR - Click Here
Here's the tour schedule. If you don't win now, try one of the other tour stops :-D
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
1-Nov Once Upon A Twilght - Book Trailer +Interview Ebook giveaway
2-Nov Books With Bite - Interview Ebook giveaway
3-Nov Living in Literary La La Land Guest Post Ebook giveawayhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
4-Nov I am a Reader, Not a Writer Guest Post Ebook giveaway
5-Nov Paper Hangover Interview Ebook giveaway
6-Nov Nikki Katz Interview Ebook giveaway
6-Nov Fictional Distraction Review Ebook Giveaway
7-Nov Daisy Chain Book Review Interview Ebook giveaway
8-Nov MundieMoms Review + Short Story Ebook giveaway
9-Nov Safari Poet Guest Post Ebook giveaway
10-Nov Good Choice Reading WOW CONTEST + Review Ebook giveaway
11-Nov LM Preston Guest Post VLOG - Read a Scene Ebook giveaway
12-Nov An Avid Readers Musings Interview VLOG Ebook giveaway
13-Nov Skyla11377 Review Ebook giveaway
14-Nov Dark Readers Interview Ebook giveaway
15-Nov Shortie Says... Character GUEST POST Ebook giveaway
16-Nov A Cozy Reader's Corner Reviews Guest post - Sneak Peek Ebook giveaway
17-Nov Stuck In Books Character Interview Ebook giveaway
18-Nov From A to Z Review Ebook giveaway
19-Nov Turning Pages Interview Ebook giveawayhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
20-Nov A Tale of Many Reviews Guest Post Ebook giveaway
21-Nov Read My Mind - AliseonLife Interview Vlog Ebook giveaway
22-Nov S.A.Larson Review Ebook giveaway
23-Nov Starry Sky Books Prize pack giveaway + Guest Post Ebook giveaway
23-Nov Angels and Demons and Portals. Oh My! Prize pack giveaway Ebook giveaway
"If you leave your e-mail address in your comment, you'll be automatically entered to win an e-copy of Destined. The contest will stay open for 48 hours after the post goes live, and then Jessie will use random.org to select a winner. Available formats include .mobu, .epub and .pdf.
And please be sure to visit the other stops on Destined's official blog tour for chances to win copies of Destined and other goodies. [include linked list]"
BUY HERE: AMAZON
BARNES AND NOBLE
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
NYIA our TEEN BOOK REVIEWER IS IN THE HOUSE!!!!
B&N blurb:
My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn.
I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her.
My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…
NYIA’s REVIEW:
Oh my gosh! This was so good. Since this is supposed to be the end of the series I can say I liked the way it ended. I’m going to miss Meghan, Ash and Puck. This is a series that I will read over again by me. Probably over the holidays when I want an adventure. Of course with this book there is a great quest with lots of nail biting suspense and drama. Thanks to Puck there is some funny moments. There is a little bit of a twist but a good one. I give this 5 out of 5 wings :-D
B&N blurb:
My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn'darkmyr Tallyn.
I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her.
My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…
NYIA’s REVIEW:
Oh my gosh! This was so good. Since this is supposed to be the end of the series I can say I liked the way it ended. I’m going to miss Meghan, Ash and Puck. This is a series that I will read over again by me. Probably over the holidays when I want an adventure. Of course with this book there is a great quest with lots of nail biting suspense and drama. Thanks to Puck there is some funny moments. There is a little bit of a twist but a good one. I give this 5 out of 5 wings :-D
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Giveaway Alert!!!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
How to Sell Subsidiary Rights
So now you figured out you are a publisher? Well figure out ways to sell your stuff.
Mid Atlantic Book Publishers #MBPA (use this hashtag to participate) is having a twitter chat this Thursday (11/3) at 9pm EST
SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS
The sale of subsidiary rights is a major source of money for traditional book publishers.
John Kremer states the reasons why publishers should pursue these:
Rights Income will help pay for printing and promos
Make money on your books even before they are released
The sales of these rights increase buzz about your books
The sales of these rights give credibility to your book
More sales create additional sales for other titles
The more sales in this area makes it easier to get booksellers to pick up the book
Movie and TV rights will increase sale of your released book and subsequent books from the author
John Kremer gives tips on selling these rights:
Create a contact list to include buyers for, serial, audio/video, reprints, book club rights and more by category.
Cold call, email, postcard mail these sources to let them know of your upcoming book
Send out review copies with marketing plans, media kits to these prospects
Approach more than one lead at a time
Follow-up with call or face to face visit
Take your time and prepare for the unexpected
Feature rights for sell on your publishing focused website
Get a rights agent that works with publishers
When an author signs a contract with a publishing house, they generally grant the publisher ‘volume rights’ within certain territories. This gives the publisher the right to publish the book in certain formats. The royalties relating to hardback, paperback and sometimes trade paperback (a larger paperback format) editions will be spelled out.
There will be clauses in the contract covering all the other rights. These are the ‘subsidiary’ rights granted to publishers and can also be referred to as sub-leases.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
NANOWRIMO Has Started! CONTEST Alert!!
Get your write on for National Writing Month - Nanowrimo
National Novel Writing Month is also known as NaNoWriMo. Writer's (this means you: new writers, experience writers - any writer) can register on the NaNoWriMo website and track of progress for writing up to 50,000 words in a month.
Get involved with the various forums, chats, and tons of resources and groups where writers can work together in person.
Yalitchat is hosting a Nanowrimo contest so get on board!
Link to YALITCHAT website: www.yalitchat.ning.com
CONTEST link: http://t.co/cXkgxAcP
Join in the #nanowrimo contest for free kindle, membership and more! http://t.co/cXkgxAcP
National Novel Writing Month is also known as NaNoWriMo. Writer's (this means you: new writers, experience writers - any writer) can register on the NaNoWriMo website and track of progress for writing up to 50,000 words in a month.
Get involved with the various forums, chats, and tons of resources and groups where writers can work together in person.
Yalitchat is hosting a Nanowrimo contest so get on board!
Link to YALITCHAT website: www.yalitchat.ning.com
CONTEST link: http://t.co/cXkgxAcP
Join in the #nanowrimo contest for free kindle, membership and more! http://t.co/cXkgxAcP
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Scary Books - A Whisper To A Scream - Romantic Horror
Please join us for a sweet Halloween treat. Author Lauren Hammond shares a spooktackelar reading from her book, A whisper to a scream.
Here's the Amazon Blurb:
Sometimes love....can be deadly.
Ellory Graham detested high school. She relished the fact that she was a rebel. A wild, carefree, type of girl. She basked in the glory of being the type of girl who stood up to authority. Unfortunately for her, her upfront, honest and bitchy nature always managed to land her in some kind of trouble.
Adam Jacobs was everything Ellory was not. Not only was he beautiful, but he was smart, artistic, and sweet. To almost every girl he seemed like the total package- that all around perfect guy. But in a town were nothing particularly interesting happens, and gossip seems like the only fun thing to do, sometimes those perfections become flaws. And it doesn’t take long for Ellory to find out, even Adam has secrets.
But Adam’s secrets, are the kind of secrets people die for...
Buy it for just $1.25 (Wowsa!) Click Here: Amazon and Nook
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
LAMENT and BALLAD by Maggie Stiefvater
AMAZON BLURB:
Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .
NYIA TEEN BOOK REVIEWER SAYS:
I figured I'd pick this up since it was written by the author of Linger, Maggie Stiefvater. It was a great book. It had a lot of action, and just enough romance. Of course there was drama, mostly romantic drama. The main character Deirdre. There was a mystery. Her love interest was loveable. The book was pretty faced paced, with only a few slow parts - her dreams. I don't really like when they put a lot of dreams in books because they always seem to go off topic. That was the only thing that kind of annoyed me. Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5 wings.
Amazon Blurb:
Nuala is part muse, part psychic vampire. While the freedom to sing or write or create is denied her, her mark across history is unmistakable: a trail of brilliant poets, musicians, and artists who have died tragically young. She has no sympathy for their abbreviated life spans; every thirteen Halloweens she burns in a bonfire and rises from her ashes with no memories of what has come before other than the knowledge of how her end will come.
James is the best bagpiper in the state of Virginia—maybe in the country—plus he's young and good-looking: just Nuala's thing. But James, supremely confident in his own abilities and in love with another girl, becomes the first to ever reject Nuala's offer. He's preoccupied with bigger things than Nuala: an enigmatic horned figure who appears at dusk and the downward spiral of Dee, his girlfriend-who-isn't.
BALLAD by Maggie Stiefvater
NYIA quick review: The short and sweet of it is, I give this a 3 out of 5 wings. I really didn't like the prospective of this book and it rather messed up the overall good feelings I got after reading book one. I mainly took off a wing because I didn't like Muella's prospective. There was a lot of drama - to much that distracted from the overall plot. But overall was an okay read.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Expand Your Creative Horizons
We writers have a tendency to stay closed in and write our little hearts our. But way way to get your muse humming is to get out and BE A KID AGAIN. Yep, play, experience and explore. And guess what? You don't have to be a writer to do it.
CHEAP WAYS TO EXPLORE
Museums, hikes, long drives, research wondrously weird places where you live and visit them. Step outside of your comfort zone and go to something wacky with your friends or kids.
These are some things I've done to get wacky this year:
- Visited Renaissance Festival, Comic Con, Faerie Con
- Museum hopping
- Parks and play
- Drive through local areas considered haunted and spooky
- Joined Meetup groups to learn salsa, different places to travel, and about cooking.
WHY STEP OUT OF YOUR ZONE
Experiencing life by doing something new and meeting new people. I've met some great people that although we may have talked for a moment impacted my stories to come in a big way.
I tried several things that I was too scared to do before. Just to see if I could write about it. Snowboarding was one of them. Oh my goodness was it sooooooo hard at first.
SO WHAT DID YOU DO TO EXPERIENCE YOUR WORLD? EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS? AND LEARN SOMETHING MORE ABOUT YOURSELF THIS YEAR?
Friday, October 21, 2011
THE THING - Movie Review
FANDANGO:
Paranoia spreads like an epidemic among a group of researchers as they’re infected, one by one, by a mystery from another planet. Paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has traveled to the desolate region for the expedition of her lifetime. Joining a Norwegian scientific team that has stumbled across an extraterrestrial ship buried in the ice, she discovers an organism that seems to have died in the crash eons ago. But it is about to wake up.
When a simple experiment frees the alien from its frozen prison, Kate must join the crew’s pilot, Carter (Joel Edgerton), to keep it from killing them off one at a time. And in this vast, intense land, a parasite that can mimic anything it touches will pit human against human as it tries to survive and flourish.
MY REVIEW:
Well my teenager wanted to see Paranormal Activity 3 but I wanted to see the THING. Since I was paying...well, you know the rest. It started off slow, but gave a basis for how they found the THING and why it even got exposed to the world in the first place. A scientist is invited to investigate this alien finding in the Artic.She goes with a team to check it out and they do some really stupid things by taking the alien out of the ice, taking a sample then ticking it off. The death toll and special effects were really good. I jumped a few times and my son even woke up once the killing started. It also closed the gap between the original movie The Thing and served as a decent prequel. I give it 3 out of 5 blood cells.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Ebook vs Paperback Book Sales by Genre
Chart provided by: Adventures In EPublishing Blog
This Thursday at 9pm EST Mid-Atlantic Book Publishers (MBPA) will have a twitter chat (use hashtag #MBPA)to weigh in on this topic further.
EBOOK SALES BY GENRE
Recently my publisher and I (I am part owner of Phenomenal One Press) reviewed our sales numbers for all of our titles. What we found was a definite trend in changes. Some were pleasantly pleasing. Others were no surprise.
YOUNG ADULT Books
Initially our sales for The Pack were mainly in paperback in 2010. But at the end of 2010 and into 2011 our ebook sales far outshine our paperback sales for both of our YA books, The Pack and Bandits. It caused us to change our release models for 2012. Also, it saves us a ton of money on returns and printing. After the first print run, we now do Print-On-Demand to save cost on printing after the first digital print run.
Paperback Sales: To local bookstores we sold to, a few libraries, amazon purchases. In 2010 that was the major source of our sales.
Ebook Sales: Wowsa has this increased from 2010! We are consistently selling our ebooks monthly in this genre. Almost to the point of outselling our paperbacks. To be honest that's not too surprising since we see a spike in the paperback sales when the book initially comes out, then a slight peak when another title is release or after our marketing boost of cold-calling and visits to stores that carry our paperback books.
Also, now when I do book signings people ask if its in ebook. I now carry ebook postcards and paste download codes on the card for buyers that want an ebook copy of my books.
MIDDLE GRADE Books:
Paperback Sales: Our Middle Grade (MG) sells much better in Paperback consistently. It sells well at in person book signings, local stores and some libraries. We've seen consistent sales in our paperbacks that increases with each new release.
Ebook Sales: in 2009 when the series first came out there were absolutely 0 ebooks sold in 2009. In 2010 we saw an increase of maybe 2-4 copies a month. In 2011, it only increased to max of 10 copies a few months when one of our other titles came out. Although, we see an increase in numbers we don't believe many kids this age have ereaders. They still like to touch, feel, and read a book in hand. The idea of searching through an ebook catalog of books turns off my now 10yr old so I'm not surprised. However, my 14yr old would love to have her own ereader.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
GENREs I've RESEARCHED THAT DO WELL AS EBOOK RELEASES:
Oh, check out this nifty Pie-Chart on EBOOK SALES by Derek Canyon.
- Romance (YA/Adult/All other kinds)
- YA (definite growth and growing more and more every year)
- Mysteries and Thrillers
HIDDEN GEMS that sell well in EBOOK Market
- Short Stories. Anthologies. (These do exceptionally well in the ebook market. Most people don't mind spending $0.99 for 35K-50K short. Although a 5-7K short I've seen get bad reviews because it was too short for the reader to feel as though it was worth the $0.99-$2.99 I've seen charged for them)
This Thursday at 9pm EST Mid-Atlantic Book Publishers (MBPA) will have a twitter chat (use hashtag #MBPA)to weigh in on this topic further.
EBOOK SALES BY GENRE
Recently my publisher and I (I am part owner of Phenomenal One Press) reviewed our sales numbers for all of our titles. What we found was a definite trend in changes. Some were pleasantly pleasing. Others were no surprise.
YOUNG ADULT Books
Initially our sales for The Pack were mainly in paperback in 2010. But at the end of 2010 and into 2011 our ebook sales far outshine our paperback sales for both of our YA books, The Pack and Bandits. It caused us to change our release models for 2012. Also, it saves us a ton of money on returns and printing. After the first print run, we now do Print-On-Demand to save cost on printing after the first digital print run.
Paperback Sales: To local bookstores we sold to, a few libraries, amazon purchases. In 2010 that was the major source of our sales.
Ebook Sales: Wowsa has this increased from 2010! We are consistently selling our ebooks monthly in this genre. Almost to the point of outselling our paperbacks. To be honest that's not too surprising since we see a spike in the paperback sales when the book initially comes out, then a slight peak when another title is release or after our marketing boost of cold-calling and visits to stores that carry our paperback books.
Also, now when I do book signings people ask if its in ebook. I now carry ebook postcards and paste download codes on the card for buyers that want an ebook copy of my books.
MIDDLE GRADE Books:
Paperback Sales: Our Middle Grade (MG) sells much better in Paperback consistently. It sells well at in person book signings, local stores and some libraries. We've seen consistent sales in our paperbacks that increases with each new release.
Ebook Sales: in 2009 when the series first came out there were absolutely 0 ebooks sold in 2009. In 2010 we saw an increase of maybe 2-4 copies a month. In 2011, it only increased to max of 10 copies a few months when one of our other titles came out. Although, we see an increase in numbers we don't believe many kids this age have ereaders. They still like to touch, feel, and read a book in hand. The idea of searching through an ebook catalog of books turns off my now 10yr old so I'm not surprised. However, my 14yr old would love to have her own ereader.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
GENREs I've RESEARCHED THAT DO WELL AS EBOOK RELEASES:
Oh, check out this nifty Pie-Chart on EBOOK SALES by Derek Canyon.
- Romance (YA/Adult/All other kinds)
- YA (definite growth and growing more and more every year)
- Mysteries and Thrillers
HIDDEN GEMS that sell well in EBOOK Market
- Short Stories. Anthologies. (These do exceptionally well in the ebook market. Most people don't mind spending $0.99 for 35K-50K short. Although a 5-7K short I've seen get bad reviews because it was too short for the reader to feel as though it was worth the $0.99-$2.99 I've seen charged for them)
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Movie Remakes ... Why do they do it?
I have to do a Monday vent. Since being in the house all weekend on a flu imposed shut in I've been watching my share of commercials.
DO MOVIE PRODUCERS READ?
I sometimes wonder if movie producers read books. There are tons of great stories out there, looking to be created on the big screen. Hello out there in movie world! Ask me about some great new stories.
HOW DO THEY DECIDE ON WHAT MOVIES TO REMAKE?
I wonder how they figure it out. How do the decide which movies to remake because some of the ones they have weren't that great the first time and the second time was even worst. If you know please tell me. I personally think it's just laziness.
HERE's the lineup. NONE of these movies I want to see remade. What about you?
Do you know this must be the year of the remakes.
Here's the lowdown list for 2011/2012:
Conan
The Crow
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Spiderman (yep - again)
Porkey's
Warriors (a classic I still love to watch)
The Housemaid
The Mechanic
Arthur
13 Assassins
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
Fright Night
Straw Dogs
Footloose
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Thing
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Publishing Release Models
Mid Atlantic Book Publishers (use Hashtag #MBPA for twitter chat Thurs 10/13 9pm EST) we'll be chatting about publishing release models. The way to publish different formats for maximum benefits.
TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING RELEASE MODELS
Hardcover books usually come first, then about 8 months to 12 months later comes the paperback. Now with ebooks in the mix they usually come a bit after the hardcover and audio formats. They use offset printing of initial print runs of anywhere between 5000 to 10,000.
SMALL PRESS MODELS
Well Mid Atlantic Book Publishers support small press (independent publishers) or publishers that publish their own work. We have to be a bit more flexible and creative. Now it's cheaper and sometimes a bit more profitable to release ebooks first. Then 6X9 or perfect paperback (because stores return mass production paperbacks by tearing off the covers which is money down the drain for a small press or independent publishers). For my small press we only release in Perfect Paperback and ebooks. It's the cheapest way. We release only 300 of ARCs then 1500. But now that has changed since we sell more in ebooks then Paperback now. So now we only release 800 for our first print, then we go to Print On Demand (POD).
SO WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
Please join us THURS, 10/13 9pm EST on MBPA twitter chat using the hashtag #MBPA
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Real Steel Movie Review
FANDANGO BLURB:
A gritty, white-knuckle, action ride set in the near-future, where the sport of boxing has gone hi-tech, “Real Steel” stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.
MY REVIEW:
A Family feel good movie. My son saw the previews and been begging to see this movie ever since. Once again Stephen Spielberg has created a movie that captures present day humanistic struggles in futuristic concepts. It's a heart-warming story of a washed con man boxer on his last legs. He tries to make a quick buck off of his child that he never really wanted. With the combination of a young boy trying to find his father and threw the trials and tribulations they're relationship grows stronger and his father becomes the man he was meant to be. I give it a 4 out 5 steal because there was a moment in time in the middle when it got rather dry. A little more action would have been great.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Mid Atlantic Book Publishers 1st Twitter Chat
Hiya! Mid Atlantic Book Publishers had it's first ever Twitter Chat this past Thurs, Oct. 6th.
The topic was 'PUBLISHING SUPPORT ASSOCIATIONS' like MBPA, IBPA and multiple others.
Some of the topics discussed were:
WHAT AM I? SELF-PUB? INDIE? AUTHOR JUST PUTTING STUFF OUT?
First of all it was deemed by MBPA President, Mary Schaffer, that if you
1. Edit, Format, Create a book.
2. Market and disseminate a book for sale.
Guess what? YOU ARE A PUBLISHER.
Definition of publisher:
pub·lish·er
[puhb-li-sher] Show IPA
noun
1.
a person or company whose business is the publishing of books, periodicals, engravings, computer software, etc.
2.
the business head of a newspaper organization or publishing house, commonly the owner or the representative of the owner.
SO... if you do any of the above. YOU ARE A PUBLISHER!
WHY PARTNER WITH ORGANIZATIONS
If you publish books (even just your own) you are a publisher and need to approach your business of publishing as such. Network, learn the biz, learn to better market...hey and learn your markets and who knows, you just may start taking on authors. Like so many other small press or indie publishers have.
BENEFITS of MBPA and IBPA
Networking
Classes
Co-op Marketing opportunities that put you in front of 'Booksellers' like bookstores, libraries, Foreign Rights and so many other markets.
And much much more!
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Check out Mid Atlantic Book Publishers: http://www.midatlanticbookpublishers.com/
And other Affiliate IBPA associations near you. Or hey - start your own :-D
The topic was 'PUBLISHING SUPPORT ASSOCIATIONS' like MBPA, IBPA and multiple others.
Some of the topics discussed were:
WHAT AM I? SELF-PUB? INDIE? AUTHOR JUST PUTTING STUFF OUT?
First of all it was deemed by MBPA President, Mary Schaffer, that if you
1. Edit, Format, Create a book.
2. Market and disseminate a book for sale.
Guess what? YOU ARE A PUBLISHER.
Definition of publisher:
pub·lish·er
[puhb-li-sher] Show IPA
noun
1.
a person or company whose business is the publishing of books, periodicals, engravings, computer software, etc.
2.
the business head of a newspaper organization or publishing house, commonly the owner or the representative of the owner.
SO... if you do any of the above. YOU ARE A PUBLISHER!
WHY PARTNER WITH ORGANIZATIONS
If you publish books (even just your own) you are a publisher and need to approach your business of publishing as such. Network, learn the biz, learn to better market...hey and learn your markets and who knows, you just may start taking on authors. Like so many other small press or indie publishers have.
BENEFITS of MBPA and IBPA
Networking
Classes
Co-op Marketing opportunities that put you in front of 'Booksellers' like bookstores, libraries, Foreign Rights and so many other markets.
And much much more!
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Check out Mid Atlantic Book Publishers: http://www.midatlanticbookpublishers.com/
And other Affiliate IBPA associations near you. Or hey - start your own :-D
Monday, October 3, 2011
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. By Judy Blume
I'd like to take a moment to give you the background on why I am reviewing this Oldie but Goodie book. I bought all the Judy Blume books I read for my daughter and she absolutely loved them all just as much as I did.
But my favorite - my first one was "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
It was one of the first books I've read that approached all the issues that I as a young girl of 11yrs was facing at that time in relation to my body and my peer image. Now some girls probably didn't have friends or feelings like Margaret - but some did and do.
For you new YA readers, check this one out.
BLURB:
Margaret has a very private relationship with God, and it's only after she moves to New Jersey and hangs out with a new friend that she discovers that it might be weird to talk to God without a priest or a rabbi to mediate. Margaret just wants to fit in! Who is God, and where is He when she needs Him? She begins to look into the cups of her training bra for answers.
JUDY BLUME's website:Click
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Prom Anonymous by Blake Nelson
Teen Book Reviewer - NYIA is in the house!!!!
Amazon Blurb:
Laura, Jace, and Chloe were best friends growing up, but once high school hit, they grew apart and found new (very different) friends. Now theyre juniors, and Laura has decided that nothing would be better than to go to the prom with her two oldest friends. A flurry of planning ensues. Freaky Chloe doesnt have a date or a dress, and isnt sure she wants either–after all, the only thing freakier than Chloe is Chloe in a dress with a blind date. Laura is determined to find her an appropriate date. Jace the jock wants to go with the cute new tennis star, but has a difficult time asking him. And Laura is so caught up in planning the perfect evening that she ignores the fact that her relationship with her boyfriend, with whom she had had sex over a hundred times in their 14 months together, is falling apart. Of course, all works out in the end. This is a fun read with decently drawn characters, some serious issues, a fair amount of teenage drinking, and a satisfying ending.
NYIA's REVIEW:
Prom Anonymous was an adorable teen romance and I loved it. I thought that the author did a great job of capturing all the different prom stories and the point of view from the three main characters (Chloe, Laura, and Jace) in a clever way while still in third person. Laura story of a blind prom date was so cute! I loved how the mysterious Zach seemed like he would be a good match for her. I also loved the Jace and Paul romance because it had that whole are-the-friend-gonna-end-up-together thing going on. I also loved the Laura love triangle going on with her crappy boyfriend and the new guy. The only thing that I didn't like about the book is that sometimes the parts seemed slow, but with any great book there are sections where less drama takes place. Overall I give the book a 5 out of 5 because it was an enjoyable light read.
Amazon Blurb:
Laura, Jace, and Chloe were best friends growing up, but once high school hit, they grew apart and found new (very different) friends. Now theyre juniors, and Laura has decided that nothing would be better than to go to the prom with her two oldest friends. A flurry of planning ensues. Freaky Chloe doesnt have a date or a dress, and isnt sure she wants either–after all, the only thing freakier than Chloe is Chloe in a dress with a blind date. Laura is determined to find her an appropriate date. Jace the jock wants to go with the cute new tennis star, but has a difficult time asking him. And Laura is so caught up in planning the perfect evening that she ignores the fact that her relationship with her boyfriend, with whom she had had sex over a hundred times in their 14 months together, is falling apart. Of course, all works out in the end. This is a fun read with decently drawn characters, some serious issues, a fair amount of teenage drinking, and a satisfying ending.
NYIA's REVIEW:
Prom Anonymous was an adorable teen romance and I loved it. I thought that the author did a great job of capturing all the different prom stories and the point of view from the three main characters (Chloe, Laura, and Jace) in a clever way while still in third person. Laura story of a blind prom date was so cute! I loved how the mysterious Zach seemed like he would be a good match for her. I also loved the Jace and Paul romance because it had that whole are-the-friend-gonna-end-up-together thing going on. I also loved the Laura love triangle going on with her crappy boyfriend and the new guy. The only thing that I didn't like about the book is that sometimes the parts seemed slow, but with any great book there are sections where less drama takes place. Overall I give the book a 5 out of 5 because it was an enjoyable light read.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Book Promotions - My top 5
I spoke at the Baltimore Book Fest and I spoke about critique groups, beta readers and marketing.
I currently have many peers who have new books coming out within the next 9 months. And let me just say, I've done tons and tons of different things in the last 2 years to promote my books. You know ... get the word out.
Here are somethings I used that worked the best and that I saw the largest returns.
BLOG TOURS
Oh my I tell you bloggers are the best source of encouragement, buzz builders, and help for getting your books talked about. I can't say enough about working with book bloggers. They're gems!
SOCIAL MEDIA
Let me tell you, now that I have been in the book business awhile, it would surprise you that many older publishers are just know starting to see the benefit of using social media to get the word out about their books. I just wish I would have jumped in the social media pool a lot sooner because it's a lot of fun. Some of the most powerfel ways to spread the word is Twitter, FB (maybe Google+ may give them a run for their $) and blogger to name a few.
BOOK REVIEWS
This is a silent helper. The more book reviews you have, the more the internet book browser will purchase your book. Not to mention it shows how the word is getting out. Since many people have to read your book before someone actually post a review.
COVER
This is definately a must. Covers are very subjective because what I like, someone else may not like. But book covers is the first draw to getting someone interested in your book. And to change a cover can be costly to the small publisher in more ways than just the cost of a new artist to come up with a cover.
DIRECTED MAILINGS WITH FOLLOWUP
I've been able to get my book in bookstores and libraries by mailing a selected list a marketing plan, media kit and ARC. Then I have my marketing person follow up with a visit. It's garnered us sales.
ANOTHER ONE FOR THE ROAD...
Publishing the next book within 1 year.
NOT EVERYTHING WORKS FOR EVERYONE...WHAT WORKED FOR YOU?
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Have U Changed Your BOOK Buying HABITS?
So, have you done it? Turned, simulated, and changed your book buying habits since the onset of ebooks and ereaders?
I USED TO...
I was a library, bookstore groupie. I would hang out in the library for hours. And for me, that wasn't a lot. I lived in DC and would visit the Library of Congress and just... hang out and read. Being in that large, stately building of books, oh the smell... indescribable. But my first love was the neighborhood library where I used to walk to get...peace. Looking back on my life as a young person, I had a lot of drama, but I loved to dream and the city library let me do it.
THEN I...
Grew up, got out of college, had kids and ... would sneak off to the bookstore on my lunch break. I'd scoop up tons of books for my weekend all night reading sessions in bed. Then hooked my kids on my favorite hide out, the local library.
BUT now...
I'm an ebook addict. It happened. Not over night but gradually for me. I started buying ebooks when I would be stuck at work, at my desk and have to stay in for a 30 min lunch break. So I started to buy quick short stories to read on my computer at work while I ate. It got to the point where I was downloading 1 a day. After I got my ereader...well, the rest is history. I have bookshelves filled with googobs of books, but mostly for my kids who don't have ereaders. But even my 8 yr old said he wanted one and I've ordered books for him and my 10yr old who fight over my reader. Not to mention my teen who wants her own this Christmas.
THE Future...
It's happening. With the closing of our local bookstore, buying more books online at book festivals or downloading onto an ereader is a much easier option.
From a Author/Publisher Perspective...
More and more of my MG are staring to sell in ebooks, although the lionshare of the sales are in paperback. My YA's started off selling more in paperback, until I put them in ebook and they are selling far better than my paperback books. Which is great for the publishing company since we don't have to print so many initial runs of books. And the cost for producing ebooks is much cheaper.
WHAT HAVE YOU CHANGED ABOUT YOUR BOOK BUYING HABITS?
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Contagion Movie Review
FANDANGO SAYS:
When Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her shocked husband (Matt Damon) that they have no idea what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a global pandemic explodes. Doctors try to contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger (Jude Law) fans the flames of paranoia.
MY REVIEW:
I wanted to go see this. The movie OUTBREAK and 28 DAYS stuck out as some of my favs and I thought this would be another one of those bio-horror movies that would keep me on the edge of my seat in a suspense frozen state. Well, let me just say that the best actress was played by Gwyneth Paltrow - her dying scene was amazing. But the rest of this movie left me bored and frustrated while I was waiting for that big, big something to happen. This one, I won't live down for awhile, since I dragged my husband to see this instead of THE DEBT which looks really good I could kick myself. I gave this 1.5 out of 5 seizures.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Get Ready for Writing Nanowrimo!!
Anyone Can do it and when you prepare - the results are awesome!
Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) from November 1st-30th. It’s the writing frenzy where you kick out a large number of words to hopefully finish a novel in record time. Many people start the challenge and end up with a sizeable number of pages by the end. Some are inspired to start writing for the first time. Others are inspired to finish something for the first time. Some, like me, find that writing at breakneck speed produces a lower quality of work that doesn’t reflect what is normally produced when writing within your own timing. Truth is, my natural timing is four months from start to finish. I tried to increase my speed and did it without much trouble. It increased by 3 weeks, and for me, that cooking time for a novel fits just right.
There are ways to make speed writing more effective. The overall goal, is to produce more in a shorter period of time. If you keep this up, who knows, speed writing may become a habit.
Prepare for it
When you set out to write a novel in a short period of time, outlining is your friend. Take a week to write a detailed outline of the story. It will help to work out most of the kinks before you even sit down to write. Create character profiles of the main characters and review outline before the start of your writing marathon.
Plan it
If you are going to focus on spitting out as many words as possible a day, then plan it. Block out your writing time for the month. Figure out when you are most productive. Is it in the morning, at night or midday? Make a rule – no sleep unless you have kicked out a minimum of a certain amount of words. Make sure you schedule extra time for working out of corners or temporary writer’s blocks. Make your schedule somewhat flexible so that you don’t get burned out and give up.
Write it
With a printout of your outline next to you and a bullet list of your character profile – start the race. Follow your outline. If you want to go rogue, go ahead, write until the roadblock. If you reach a road block – write anything, take some time off to think on it, then re-work your outline and get back to it. Also, if you took out writing time to think, add more blocks of writing time to make up your word count later. Whatever you do – don’t stop writing. Remember, you will always have to edit it.
Don’t look back
Whatever you do, don’t read over what you’ve written until you are finished. That is an easy way to get distracted. Remember, you’ll have to edit the thing many times before your piece of art is perfected. Just write forward, don’t make corrections, don’t read over it, just push forward and write.
Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) from November 1st-30th. It’s the writing frenzy where you kick out a large number of words to hopefully finish a novel in record time. Many people start the challenge and end up with a sizeable number of pages by the end. Some are inspired to start writing for the first time. Others are inspired to finish something for the first time. Some, like me, find that writing at breakneck speed produces a lower quality of work that doesn’t reflect what is normally produced when writing within your own timing. Truth is, my natural timing is four months from start to finish. I tried to increase my speed and did it without much trouble. It increased by 3 weeks, and for me, that cooking time for a novel fits just right.
There are ways to make speed writing more effective. The overall goal, is to produce more in a shorter period of time. If you keep this up, who knows, speed writing may become a habit.
Prepare for it
When you set out to write a novel in a short period of time, outlining is your friend. Take a week to write a detailed outline of the story. It will help to work out most of the kinks before you even sit down to write. Create character profiles of the main characters and review outline before the start of your writing marathon.
Plan it
If you are going to focus on spitting out as many words as possible a day, then plan it. Block out your writing time for the month. Figure out when you are most productive. Is it in the morning, at night or midday? Make a rule – no sleep unless you have kicked out a minimum of a certain amount of words. Make sure you schedule extra time for working out of corners or temporary writer’s blocks. Make your schedule somewhat flexible so that you don’t get burned out and give up.
Write it
With a printout of your outline next to you and a bullet list of your character profile – start the race. Follow your outline. If you want to go rogue, go ahead, write until the roadblock. If you reach a road block – write anything, take some time off to think on it, then re-work your outline and get back to it. Also, if you took out writing time to think, add more blocks of writing time to make up your word count later. Whatever you do – don’t stop writing. Remember, you will always have to edit it.
Don’t look back
Whatever you do, don’t read over what you’ve written until you are finished. That is an easy way to get distracted. Remember, you’ll have to edit the thing many times before your piece of art is perfected. Just write forward, don’t make corrections, don’t read over it, just push forward and write.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
My Cover Tease - Explorer X - Beta
Well one of the best part of being an author is seeing an artist capture your characters and the world you've built on the cover.
This is my Middle Grade Series for ages 12yrs +
Although Explorer X-Beta comes out next Spring I just have to show you the cover :-D
Oh, and check out My Artist - Alicia 'Kat' Dilman's amazing site - click
Here's the First Book of the series:
This is my Middle Grade Series for ages 12yrs +
Although Explorer X-Beta comes out next Spring I just have to show you the cover :-D
Oh, and check out My Artist - Alicia 'Kat' Dilman's amazing site - click
Here's the First Book of the series:
I can't believe it's been 10 yrs from 9/11
You know I've always been a pretty resilient person.It could be because I grew up with a lot of drama that shaped me into this ... survivor. I don't know.
But what I do know is, on 9/11 I was in my office when someone yelled out, "Check out the TV." I went into the conference room with my fellow co workers, and my jaw dropped at the news.
Now I worked in DC at the time, in a place that could very well be hit next and we all looked around and bolted.
I grabbed my purse, and jetted to my car where I called my husband who was at home with my kids. Many of my family members worked at the Pentagon and the White House, not to mention one of my best friends worked at the World Trade Center. I called her on my way home and she'd called in sick that day and was in literal shock while we spoke on the phone.
IN LIFE YOU MAY BE SHAKEN
And at this one time in my life, with all the other hurdles, challenges, stumbling blocks...this time will be remembered a bit more than most. Maybe because it was one thing that I didn't have to experience alone. It was something that I experienced with millions of people and we all......SURVIVED, GOT STRONGER, and learned that we are truly gifted to be able to take one more breath.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
I'm a Guest Author at Soundry's Kindle Book Party!
I've been invited to a Kindle Reading Party!!!
http://www.soundry.net/2011/08/reading-is-sexy-kindle-party-2/
Kindle Party!
Thurs. Sept 8th 7-11pm
Hello sexy, modern readers ,
Are you always looking for a good download for your ereader? This party is for you! Bring your ereader–it doesn’t have to be a Kindle. Ipads, Nooks, etc are all welcome to the party!
Kindle Parties feature indie novelists reading from their digitally published books. Questions and comments follow each author’s reading both in the studio and online via our live chat and video stream on The Kindle Party Channel on ustream.tv.
If you like what you hear, you can download on the spot! Zippity Zappity!
This is a party with a purpose! We want readers to discover new writers and help indie authors build their fan base by combining grassroots and viral marketing.
We will also be talking about social media outlets for book lovers and writers.
We have also invited indie publishers and book stores to the party! Have a book you want to publish? You should definitely come to this party!
Don’t have an ereader? Curious? Come and find out why you might want one.
Cost: $5 at the door
SPONSORED BY AREA 42 GAMES WHO IS TREATING ATTENDEES TO A COFFEE SHOP BEVERAGE! http://www.area42games.com/
Meet this month’s Kindle Party authors!
Richard Gazala: Author of Blood of the Moon
Joseph Barbaccia: Author of The Eight Currents
LM Preston: Young adult sci-fi author. LM Preston is the author of Explorer X-Alpha, The Pack and Bandits
Larry Buttram: Author of False Witness, Honor Thy Sister, The Third Generation and A Curtain Torn
Raymond Rose: Owner of Christopher William Books, an epublisher and author of The Fire Inside and Better Together
John Meagher: Author of Tales of the Left Hand
L.B. Gschwandtner: Founder of thenovelette.com and author of The Naked Gardner, Foxy’s Tale and Page Truly and the Journey to Nearandfar
Karen Cantwell: Author of the Barbara Marr Murder Mystery Series including her newest novel, Silenced by the Yams.
Kate Nevermore: Author of Blood for the Living
http://www.soundry.net/2011/08/reading-is-sexy-kindle-party-2/
Kindle Party!
Thurs. Sept 8th 7-11pm
Hello sexy, modern readers ,
Are you always looking for a good download for your ereader? This party is for you! Bring your ereader–it doesn’t have to be a Kindle. Ipads, Nooks, etc are all welcome to the party!
Kindle Parties feature indie novelists reading from their digitally published books. Questions and comments follow each author’s reading both in the studio and online via our live chat and video stream on The Kindle Party Channel on ustream.tv.
If you like what you hear, you can download on the spot! Zippity Zappity!
This is a party with a purpose! We want readers to discover new writers and help indie authors build their fan base by combining grassroots and viral marketing.
We will also be talking about social media outlets for book lovers and writers.
We have also invited indie publishers and book stores to the party! Have a book you want to publish? You should definitely come to this party!
Don’t have an ereader? Curious? Come and find out why you might want one.
Cost: $5 at the door
SPONSORED BY AREA 42 GAMES WHO IS TREATING ATTENDEES TO A COFFEE SHOP BEVERAGE! http://www.area42games.com/
Meet this month’s Kindle Party authors!
Richard Gazala: Author of Blood of the Moon
Joseph Barbaccia: Author of The Eight Currents
LM Preston: Young adult sci-fi author. LM Preston is the author of Explorer X-Alpha, The Pack and Bandits
Larry Buttram: Author of False Witness, Honor Thy Sister, The Third Generation and A Curtain Torn
Raymond Rose: Owner of Christopher William Books, an epublisher and author of The Fire Inside and Better Together
John Meagher: Author of Tales of the Left Hand
L.B. Gschwandtner: Founder of thenovelette.com and author of The Naked Gardner, Foxy’s Tale and Page Truly and the Journey to Nearandfar
Karen Cantwell: Author of the Barbara Marr Murder Mystery Series including her newest novel, Silenced by the Yams.
Kate Nevermore: Author of Blood for the Living