Thanks for the Advice

Wow, what responses I'm getting. :) Let's me know someone really is reading this blog. Thanks, y'all for all the wonderful advice. Yes, getting away from Publish America has been one of my good ideas; I just wish I had known, when searching out a publisher for 'Wild Heart". But, we all have to live and learn. Right? So, I self published my children's book, "Gold! A Tall Tale", and while i found the company very accommodating, friendly, and wonderful to work with, I honestly don't want to put another pile of money in to it. Yes, I think my book I just finished is worth it, but I don't have hundreds of dollars just lying around waiting to be spent. :) Like i said, though, AG Press was heavenly, especially after dealing with PA. If someone is going to self publish, I would reccomend them any day. They were and still are willing to talk with me any time I call, and if they don't get to the phone, they have always called me back. However, I'll say it again, I don't have the money to pay to publish that way.

 

So, the other night, while searching for free books to read online, I came across another publisher, Whiskey Creek Press.

http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com

They were offering a free book, so I downloaded it. It was an ebook in html format, and guess what? After downloading, I could actually read it on my computer. I was so suprised and delighted. So, I looked over their site, thoroughly, searching out their authors' websites and books. What I found was this: decent books, authors who seem to have experience, paperbacks for $14.99, which isn't $7.99 but is more afordable than Publish America's $19.95 or $24.95, ebooks for $5.99 and cheaper. I looked up the company on Absolute Write and found mostly good. I found the same info on Predators & Editors. I've asked my friends on FaceBook if they've heard anything good or bad about them, and so far I'm still waiting to hear.

 

I really do appreciate the input about buying books. Whoever you are, i think you speak for many when you say you wouldn't pay anymore for a paperback in a store than $7.99, and if you would, then you would need to read some, first. Due to the fact that I am blind and unable to read print paperbacks, I have accepted the fact that I must pay more and buy audio books, so to me, paying $19.95 is nothing, but this is too much, if you are buying a printed book.  Now, would I pay $5.99 to purchase an ebook? Yes i would. In fact, I found a book published by Whiskey Creek Press that I'm considering purchasing today.

 

Since I have your attention, let me ask something else. Amazon.com is having a contest in 2010. It's their BreakThrough novel Award. The winner gets to publish their book with Penguin Group and wins $15,000. I have thought about submitting my book as an entry. While it is the sequel to "Wild Heart", I really think it could stand alone. Hopefully, I wrote it as a stand alone book that just happens to have characters from "Wild Heart" in it. What do you think?

 

Speaking of main stream publishers, I have searched the internet for a literary agent. I do hope there are services out there to show a person how to write cover letters, marketing plans and how to write a 300 to 500 word summary of the books, because that is what they want, and I don't know how to do that.

 

Well, to sum up this post, thanks again for reading, and many thanks for your comments. Would y'all like an excerpt of "Wild Heart" posted here? Would that entice you to want a copy? How about a give away just in time for Valentine's Day?

 

Well, until next time, y'all keep safe, keep warm and keep the faith. Remember, another author interview is coming up this Friday, Jan. 1. This time, Alsondrina Learner is the featured author. Hope y'all will come back, then.

Winter Before Christmas!

Well, it actually snowed before Christmas, something almost unheard of in the Kanawha Valley of West Virginia. I don't mean it snowed, as in we got a dusting, but it snowed as in we got 6 to 8 inches, depending on where you live. I'm even told some areas to the south of us have over a foot! Many folks in Kanawha County are without power, but thankfully, we are not one of them. Our power was off at somepoint last night, but it was working just fine at 4:30 when I woke up this morning. My internet was down, however, and for a time, until my wonderful, blessed, most adoring husband got up out of bed and fixed it for me, I thought I might go in to fits. i mean, y'all, no google! No FaceBook! I thought I might not make it through this storm! :D

 

On a different note, I have finished the first rough draft of my next book! It's the sequel to "Wild Heart" and it's called, "To Tame A Heart". No idea when it will be out; I have yet to figure out how i'll get it published. I'm thinking about self publishing, like I did with my children's book, but honestly, it's so expensive. I do know one thing, however, I WILL NOT GO WITH PUBLISH AMERICA!!! Think I need to be more clear than that? haha! Seriously, Publish America treated me dirty, and from what i've seen on their author message boards, they are very rude. I mentioned their rudeness to them, and they promptly deleted my comment and kicked me off the message board. But, I'm doing good without them. I order books off their website, when I need to, but other than that, I don't have any contact with them, and it's ok that way. I had thought of becoming my own self publisher...you know starting my own publishing company, but after talking with the hubby, it seems a bigger undertaking than i'm financially ready for. Y'all pray though, because people are being scammed, and there needs to be a decent company out there to spread God's word.

 

So, I was saying about the book, I have finished it and sent it along to three different reviewers for feedback. The first reviewer says it doesn't give her what she hoped it would, that it doesn't follow "Wild Heart". She seems bored with it, even though some parts are good. She made me doubt that it was even worth worrying about, making me think i needed a total make over. however, the second reviewer has a totally opposit opinion. She seems to think it's great, and likes it. So, I am anxiously awaiting the third reviewer's opinion.

 

For those of you who have read "Wild Heart", help me out here. If you can, leave a comment with the answers to these questions, so I'll know what you want to see happen in the second book.

1. Do you think the next book should have bad guys chasing good guys with gunfights, as it was in "Wild heart"?

2. Do you want Maggie to be a main character? should she have a new man in her life?

3. Do you want to hear more about Kenni and chase?

4. Do you think you could tolerate a slower book, focused more on personal journeys, rather than physical journeys?

5. What more are you looking for that I have not mentioned, yet?

 

Oh yeah, one more question, if y'all don't mind, would you rather have a paperback or an ebook, and how much would you pay? Of course, you don't have to answer, but it would be nice if you could.

 

Well, to wrap up this post, I first want to say, I hope you are enjoying the author interviews. I think i have enough authors lined up to keep you reading until the middle of February, but honestly, I don't think I'll take anymore. I'm getting tired of keeping up with them, but I do have to say, it seems to be paying off; authors are getting noticed. I just wish it would influence someone to purchase my books, as well. The second thing I want to say, is thank you for reading, and thank you for following my blog. It's nice to see I have so many followers. I am sorry that I don't write personal messages as often as i used to, so I will try to do better.

 

Well, I think the hubby is going to put in a dvd, and the girls are going to need baths real soon, so I'll close for now. Y'all have the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of new years, and thanks again for reading. God bless!

Author Fridays Presents...Linda Sallee!

Welcome to another edition of Author Fridays! Sit back, get comfortable and read about this week's featured author, Christian writer, Linda Sallee!

Linda Sallee is a first time author. Her book, "Blue After Midnight" is a short story, a collection of poems about the loss of her granddaughter, Ashley, who died in 2003 due to complications from Cystic Fibrosis. Sallee has dedicated this book to her. It is published by Publish America

www.publishamerica.com

A sixty-two- year- old retired nurse, Linda Sallee received her degree in Nursing at Bacone College in Muskogee Oklahoma. She is a mother of three, and a grandmother of seven. She lives in Stilwell Oklahoma with her husband.

Her hobbies include writing poetry, crocheting and cooking. She also enjoys spending time with her family. When it comes to reading, Sallee says, "To be honest I would rather write, but I do enjoy reading poetry."

Her favorite authors are her daughter, Barbie Sallee And Ron Hall.

"About three years after losing Ashley," Sallee says, "my daughter Barbara encouraged me often to write. I found that writing down my feelings helped me make it through the depression. My poems are written about life tragedy's and blessings. The main reason my book is special, is because Ashley was so special. She went through much pain and suffering in her short life but was always there to hold another child's hand and comfort them. My hope is that readers will understand that it is okay to love, laugh and smile again after losing a love one and that no matter how deep your valley, God is always there, you just have to reach out and take his hand."

To those who wish to become a published author, Sallee says, "Go with your heart, believe in your self and don't give up. Always keep a pen and paper on hand and write the words as they come to you. Never force your self to write. I take a tablet to bed with me at night and jot down things through the night, even though sometimes I have a hard time trying to figure out what I wrote in the morning. (lol)

Write from your heart and remember every book starts out with just a few words jotted down."

So, Linda, is there anything else that you would like to share with us?

"One thing I can say about my book is every word comes from my heart. Ashley wanted people to understand that Cystic Fibrosis is a devastating disease and without their help it will continue taking the lives of children and young adults."

To learn more about Linda Sallee and her book, visit her website at

http://lindasallee.webs.com

To learn more about Cystic Fibrosis, visit

http://www.cff.org

To view Linda's trailer for her book, go to

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs_SrgoJ0ok

Thank you for joining me for another edition of Author Fridays! Be sure to come back in two weeks on Friday, January 1, 2010 to read about our next featured author, Alessandrina Learner! See you then, and Merry Christmas!

Author Fridays Presents...Mark J. Roberts!

Welcome to another edition of Author Fridays!  Sit back, get comfortable and read about this week's featured author, Mark J. Roberts!

 

Mark Roberts is the author of "Hawthorne Revelations book I" published by Publish America.

www.publishamerica.com

He is forty-one-years-old and lives in Plymouth, Michigan with his wife, Nancy, and step-daughter, Sabrina.  "I have always enjoyed playing baseball as well as watching the Detroit Tigers, but my favorite sport to watch is hockey and the Detroit Red Wings," he says.

 

"I read everyday," he continues, "and some of my favorite authors are Stephen King (love The Dark Tower series), Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Bentley Little, Peter Straub, Robert Jordan and others."

 

Roberts says that he started writing "Hawthorne Revelations" approximately seventeen or eighteen years ago.  He wanted it to be a comic book, but was unable to draw the illustrations, thus he gave up on it for a while.  However, the story he wanted to tell always stuck with him. When a friend of his published a book with Publish America, he encouraged Roberts to do the same. "So," Mark says, "I started writing again a couple of years ago and finished the first part of my story."

 

I always like to ask authors from where do they get their ideas, and to this question, Mark replied, "I used to read comic books pretty regular from childhood till my early twenties, and I came up with the idea of my character. I watch a lot of movies and read and just let my mind wander to come up with ideas. When I get an idea I run with it. The second book in the Hawthorne series has taken on a totally different course after I had another brainstorm on the story."

 

When I asked him what readers will get from reading his books, Mark told me, "Hopefully readers will just be entertained. I'm not the greatest writer on the planet, and I never will claim to be.  I just hope I can tell a good and entertaining story and let people escape from their everyday lives for a while."

 

"So Mark, what advice would you give to someone who wishes to become a published author?"

 

""I would tell anyone trying to write to just keep writing. I find the more I write the better I become, and I think this will be true for anyone. I gave up on my story for almost two decades, but a friend inspired me, and I now have a book published."

 

"And, is there anything else that you would like to share with us?"

 

"I am currently working on my second Hawthorne book titled "Hawthorne The Return". I am also working on a children's (or a book for the entire family) called "Feline Justice Team". This book deals with a family of cats who accidentally acquire super powers and decide to use their powers to fight crime in their small suburban town. Thanks for your time and you can visit me at www.markjroberts.com

or

www.hawthornerevelations.webs.com

 

Thank you for joining me for this week's edition of Author Fridays!  Be sure to come back next week, same time, same place to read about our next featured author, Christian poetry writer, Linda Sallee!

Author Fridays Presents...Lynne Woodvail!

Welcome to another edition of Author Fridays!  Sit back, get comfortable and read about this week's featured author, Lynne Woodvail!

 

Lynne Woodvail is a first time author.  Her book is "Untouchable Desire".  It is published by Publish America.

www.publishamerica.com

 

Born and raised in West Michigan, Lynne has been a resident of Charlotte since 2007.  She has three children who are very supportive.  She says she really doesn't have a favorite hobby, but she does like to create things out of nothing, such as making area rugs out of carpet pieces.

 

When it comes to reading, she says, "Unfortunately, I have not had a lot of leisure time to read…busy, busy, busy, but when I had the time, I read: romance novels, suspense, thriller and self help books.  Moreover, I enjoyed several of Danielle Steel books and a few others; whose names I can't remember.  In addition, I love writing; it takes me out to the real world…actually when I'm writing I am literally in the scene that I'm writing at the time."

 

Woodvail says she did not actually realize she was a writer until she went back to college.   It was during her extensive curriculum of English courses that she discovered there was a writer lying dormant in within her.  "And when I recognized this wonderful gift," she goes on to say, "I embraced it.  My major was Business Administration…can you believe?   Moving on, I am inspired by God he used English to birth the gift out of me."

 

Most authors of whom I have had the privilege to interview seem to get their ideas from just anywhere, and Woodvail is no different.  "My ideas come from life," she says, "movies, friends, books and just ideas from my mind.  I minister God's word through everyday life situations.  Christians are so timid about certain things… like dating and I use that shyness to say what they are afraid to say."

 

When I asked Lynne if she had any advice to share, she told me, "I would say to anyone who desires to write to GO FOR IT use their God given gift and expound on it.  Don't allow anyone or anything to stop them.  However, when it comes time to publish their work please, please do their homework.  Search all available publishing companies.  Make sure they are getting the best deal possible."

 

So, Lynne is there anything else that you would like to share with us?

 

"I just want to say; I thank God for giving me this gift; for I am undeserving.   We as writers have to recognize much power we hold and we need to use that power in positive ways.  I pray that we use our gift to encourage, uplift as well as entertain."

 

To learn more about Lynne Woodvail and her book, visit her blog at

http://woodvail.blogspot.com

 

Thank you for joining me for another edition of Author Fridays!  Be sure to come back next week, same time, same place to read about our next featured author, Mark J. Roberts!