Soulless Sample!

Here is your first chance to read the prologue and chapter one of Soulless! I'm excited for this book to be released next week. I'd love to hear what you think of it. Also, I've posted artwork of two key characters on my flickr page. You'll meet both of them if you buy the book! :)

I will be offering an amazon.com discount on the paperback copies of all three of my books starting next Sat. (Dec. 7) until the end of December to go along with the release of Soulless. These books will be great gifts to give this holiday season.

Soulless sample

Happy Thanksgiving!

Be grateful for all you have!


Don't forget to come back on Saturday for the sample chapters of Soulless! I'll also be posting artwork of two important characters on my flickr page, though I won't disclose too much about them :)

Top Ten Tuesday #26

This list is in honor of Thanksgiving. There are so many things I'm thankful for in my life, too many to count, but these are most important. I think it's important to stop at least once everyday and appreciate all you have, even if it might not seem like a lot.

Today's Topic: Things I'm Thankful For
10. Technology. Not just computers and cell phones. Medical advancements, transportation, buildings, innovative ways that improve our lives.
9. My home. Sometimes I complain about things like our noisy neighbors, but I'm grateful to have a warm place sleep.
8. Jobs. I work part time at the moment and my husband is working 2 jobs. We're hoping to find something better for him soon, something that pays more and will hopefully be something he enjoys. But I'm glad we have a means of earning the money to take care of our needs.
7. My creativity. I love being able to take ideas from my head and bring them to life on paper. This includes writing as well as art.
6. Nature. I'm not very outdoorsy, but I love a sunset or autumn-colored trees or a reflective blue lake surrounded by mountains. Our earth is beautiful.
5. My health. I've never had any serious illnesses or injuries. I'm not in the best shape of my life, but I'm healthy.
4. Friends. I don't make new friends easily, but the ones I have are awesome. We have some great memories and I'm glad we are able to stay in touch.
3. My family. I have the best parents, siblings, extended family, and in-laws.
2. My husband. There was a time when I thought I might never get married. Dating and trying to meet new people were always difficult for me. We found each other in the perfect way at the perfect time. I love him so much!
1. My religion. This includes a lot of things and people. Though I don't intend to use my blog to preach, I am not ashamed of the things I believe in. I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. They have made it possible for me to have everything on this list.


Whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, please remember to be thankful for what you have!
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There is one more thing that needs to be done before my hourglasses are ready for my etsy shop. Thanks for your patience!

ABC Characters "B"

I had a hard time thinking of more than these three names. Not true. I thought of some others but I didn't really have anything to say about them. I'm starting to think keeping up with this list will be harder than I thought.


Bellatrix Lestrange. Harry Potter series. She's evil. And, in my opinion, she was more dangerous than Voldemort. She lived to serve him, yet he couldn't care less about her. Everything she did was in the hopes that he'd finally acknowledge or praise her. He never would. She must have thought, "maybe this time . . . if I do this one thing, then he'll . . ." Someone whose very existence is to impress the unimpressed will do anything.

Bella Swan. The Twilight Saga. I know her name is Isabella, but she's more known as Bella. I've admitted in the past that I liked the Twilight books. But my least favorite of the four is New Moon. I had to roll my eyes at Bella's childish moodiness. Sure, she's a teenager and she "lost" the love of her life, but seriously? I suppose she's fine in the other books, but this one stands out for me where she is concerned.

Buttercup. The Princess Bride. I love her character in the movie version, but in the book I was disappointed to find out that she's kind of dumb. The men of the book are besotted by her beauty, but she doesn't seem to have many other redeeming qualities. It's been a while since I've read it, so maybe I'm being too harsh.


So, in my previous post I introduced an item that will soon be available on my etsy shop. I had hoped to have everything ready today, but I still need a couple of things for the packaging. As for pricing, I think I have it settled. $5 for just the hourglass, $6 for hourglass and ribbon necklace. This may or may not change  between now and when I actually have them available. Shipping will probably be between $1-1.50. I will also be including with each purchase a discount code you can use if you buy the paperback version of The Bride on amazon.

Reminder than next Saturday is sample day for Soulless! Prologue and chapter one. Be there.

Now I'm counting down the minutes until it's time to watch the 50th Anniversary special of Doctor Who!

Hourglass

A while ago I mentioned that I wanted to add some book-related merchandise to my etsy shop. I have some items that are (almost) ready. There's a few things I need to finish up. They could be available on my shop by Saturday. Here is what I have.

Now, if you've read The Bride, you'll know the significance of the hourglass. If you haven't read it you can still enjoy how adorable these are. I purchased the empty hourglasses from another etsy shop and the tiny glass beads from an online craft store. I have thin white ribbon with a real clasp that can be added to make a necklace (it's about 18 inches), like the picture, or they can be used on a keychain or whatever else you can think of. I will have the option to just purchase the hourglass or get one with the ribbon.

Now, I only have ten. I didn't want to make a whole bunch until I knew if people wanted to buy them. I will ship them to anywhere in the 48 contiguous US. I may branch out to other places at some point. The prices are not yet determined. I would LOVE to know what you think and if anyone is interested already, because if enough people are I will order more parts. I will let you know when they're ready to go on my shop!

The Bride paperback is now on amazon, and it looks like amazon has lowered the price for it and Taela. Here's a link.

One more thing. Yesterday I opened a flickr account where I will post pictures, art, and other photos about my books. Though some of the pictures are also on my blog, I will be adding unique pictures that will only be found on my flickr page. For instance, right now there are some photo excerpts from The Bride and Taela. Check them out and feel free to follow me!

Top Ten Tuesday #24 and #25

If you didn't already know, I've recently become a huge Doctor Who fan. (I mean the reboot. I haven't watched any of the originals) This weekend is the grand Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special. I'm pretty excited, mostly because David Tennant and Billie Piper are in it. So in honor of Doctor Who I've compiled TWO top ten lists. That's right. TWO. **May contain spoilers**

First Topic: My Favorite Doctor Who Characters

10. Strax. He's hilarious. And he looks like a potato.
9. Mickey Smith. Though he's kind of an idiot (he has earned the nickname Mickey the Idiot), he has his moments.
8. Martha Jones. I felt bad for her and her unrequited love for Ten. She was one tough cookie.
7. Donna Noble. She's pretty funny. Best scene is when she and Ten see each other through the windows in the episode Partners in Crime.
6. The Ponds. Amy and Rory are the perfect couple. He waited 2000 years for her, she pulled time apart for him. *sigh*
5. Eleven. He started out so goofy, but as time went on he became darker, which is understandable, especially after The Angels Take Manhattan. I miss the goofy.
4. Nine. I was kind of surprised by how much I liked Nine. I've heard/read that a lot of fans don't really like him, but I think he was great.
3. Clara Oswald. She's adorable and a great companion for Eleven during his darker times.
2. Rose Tyler. Love love love her!! Such a bittersweet storyline. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch Doomsday again.
1. Ten. Perfection.


Let me preface this by saying I am easily frightened by frightening stuff, and even not-so-frightening stuff. It's a wonder I get through some of these episodes.

Second Topic: Most Frightening/Disturbing Episodes

10.Night Terrors. Creepy looking dolls that roam around, giggling like creepy children.
9. Hide. Haunted house, pocket universe, scary creature in the woods.
8. The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People. Expendable doppelgangers made from white goo who just want a chance to live, even if that means killing their human counterparts.
7. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. Vashta Nerada. Two shadows. Skeletons in space suits.
6. The Waters of Mars. Virus in the water, makes those infected spew water and develop a nasty skin condition and creepy eyes.
5. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. Little boy with a gas mask fused to his face wanders around asking everyone, "Are you my mummy?" If he touches someone they grow a gas mask face of their own.
4. Blink. The Weeping Angels cometh. *shiver* If you'd like a taste of a Weeping Angel, click here.
3. The Angels Take Manhattan. More Weeping Angels.
2. The Time of the Angels/Flesh and Stone. Seeing a theme here? The Weeping Angels totally creep me out.
1. Midnight. As scared as I am of the Weeping Angels, no episode is more disturbing than Midnight. An alien takes over the mind of a lady, making her repeat everything anyone says. It causes panic and mob mentality sets in. It doesn't sound that bad, but if you watch it . . . This is another episode I don't think I'll ever watch again.

Sorry if these lists made no sense or were boring, but maybe it will entice some of you to give Doctor Who a try. It's hard to pick the best episode to start with. Some say skip Nine at first, but I don't really see why. You can find series 1-7 on Netflix and Hulu plus. It might take a couple episodes to get used to the bizarreness. It took me almost three and a half years.


The Bride is now in paperback! It is available on the createspace estore and will soon be on amazon!

Soulless Cover Reveal!!

Are you excited?! I know I am! Now, the cover for the ebook and the cover for the paperback will be slightly different, mostly because of sizing. I'm posting the ebook cover for now. Hope you like it!

I took the photo and did some editing with some apps on my iPad. I love the way it turned out!

Here is the map that will be included in the paperback. It will also be on my blog's Soulless page. The link is located on the right.

  

And now for the blurb . . .

   Monsters exist, monsters who hunt for the one thing they lack. A soul. Though they were once human, they have no memory of who they were, no identity. They live without conscience or compassion. 

   All of them except one.  

   He is determined to fight against what he has become. But what happens when he finds a soul so bright, so pure, that he cannot resist? Will the monster within him win or will he become something he never thought possible? A great evil hides in the shadows and, Soulless or not, he might be the only one who can stop it. 

Any thoughts? Comments? I'd love to hear from you. 

In two weeks, on November 30, I will be adding a link that will let you read the prologue and chapter one for free. And then Dec. 7 is release day! Both the ebook and paperback are on schedule.

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FYI, paperback Taela is now available on amazon!

 

Plans to Try Something New

Since I started the self-publishing process, I've used both lulu.com (which connects me to Barnes and Noble and iBookstore) and amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. I've noticed that most of my sales are coming through amazon. Because of this, I've been thinking about using an option through KDP called KDP Select, which would require me to sell exclusively through amazon for 90 day increments. There are some great benefits that come with doing this, like higher royalties, the ability to let people borrow the ebook for free and still get paid, and other promotional incentives. Doing this also means I cannot sell/distribute that particular book anywhere else for that 90 day period, though that doesn't limit the print version. Does that make sense? With my next book, Soulless, I'm going to give this KDP Select a try. Before I enroll it, however, I'm thinking of making it available on my etsy shop during its first week of release so those of you who don't have Kindle can still have a chance to purchase it. My other books will not be involved and will still be available where they are now.

Speaking of Soulless, the cover reveal is nearly here! I know I've been kind of secretive about it, though I've given a hint or two along the way (here). The cover was, once again, designed by me. I know it's risky to do it myself since I'm not a professional cover maker, but I do consider myself to be an artist. And I enjoy doing it. Anyway, I hope you'll come back on Saturday for the reveal.

One more thing. I think some people might be reluctant to buy my Taela paperback from the createspace estore (where it's available now) but I want to make you aware, if you didn't already know, that createspace is owned by amazon. The only difference is that the createspace estore only sells books created by createspace. You can wait till it's available on the actual amazon sites if you want, but I just want you to know that createspace isn't just some third-party nobody. And if you wait, you might lose your chance to use the discount code (found in my previous post). Just saying.

Top Ten Tuesday #23

Back to The Beatles

Today's Topic: Favorite Beatles Songs Sung By George Harrison

10.You Like Me Too Much
9. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
8. Piggies
7. Something
6. Here Comes the Sun
5. Think For Yourself
4. I Need You
3. I'm Happy Just to Dance With You
2. Taxman
1. Do You Want to Know a Secret?



Now for a few bits of news. The Bride ebook is now updated to include the new epilogue on amazon and all international amazon sites, as well as my etsy shop. (The etsy shop includes an epub file, which should be compatible with most non-Kindle ebook reading devices) I just ordered a print proof copy to make sure it looks good. If so, it should be ready sometime next week.

Last, but not least . . .
Taela is now in paperback! At the moment, it is only available on the createspace estore (here) but should be available on amazon and the European amazon sites within 5-7 days. And from now until Saturday, Nov. 16, I will have a discount code activated for 10% off! Use this code at checkout. XVQSED3A.

Having my books in ebook form has been great, but my dream has always been to see them in print. Now that's actually happening! I'm so excited!

ABC Characters "A"

Before I start with my intended post I want to remind you that next week is COVER REVEAL DAY!! You will get your first look at my upcoming book Soulless and read the blurb. I hope you're excited. I am!!
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Now here's is the first of my new Saturday ABC lists. Though there are many characters that could be included, I decided only to pick ones that I actually have something to say about, whether it's something positive or negative. So the lists could be long or short, much like my ABC books were. Here we go!


Albus Dumbledore. From the utterly magnificent Harry Potter books. This man is amazing. I know Harry had a huge and difficult burden to deal with, but I think Dumbledore did as well. He knew what the boy would have to go through. I can't imagine how hard it would be to mentor and befriend someone while knowing they were on their way to a possible death sentence. One of his best, and most heart breaking, scenes is in book 6 in the cave when Dumbledore drinks the water to get to the locket. Great stuff.

Anne Shirley. From the Anne of Green Gables series. Odd, outspoken, and wonderfully imaginative. I know her story is a bit old-fashioned, but I don't think any young girl could go wrong emulating this character. She's a great role model. She was not ashamed to be herself, even thought the people around her were probably wondering what she was talking about most of the time. And Gil . . . . I'll get to him later. :)

Atticus Finch. From To Kill A Mockingbird. This is one brave man. The lawyer for a black man accused of assaulting a white woman in a time and place where racism was the norm. Not only did he defend his client, but he actually knew he was innocent and did his best to prove it (though the outcome was less than fair, it was expected). His family was threatened because of this, but he stayed true to his convictions. Talk about integrity. 

Well, what did you think? Not too shabby. I think I'll keep it going.
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I received my second proof of Taela. It looks good, but I think the cover colors are coming across as too dark, so I'm fixing that. I'm also going to fix a few minor layout things. Here are some pictures.


 

Front Cover

Back Cover

Spine

First page

Map and Chapter One

I also have the print versions of The Bride and Soulless in the works. I must say formatting for print is HARD, or rather a PAIN. I'm getting better at it, but it's not exactly fun.

I Think I've Got It!

Awhile ago, I proclaimed that I was going to add an epilogue to The Bride for the print version. (I'm also going to update the ebook so it will have the epilogue as well. Those of you who have the Kindle version should be able to update your copy at some point.) I've been pondering on it since, trying to decide where to go with it. Frankly, it was harder than I thought it would be. Well, yesterday, I finally finished what I think is a sweet little conclusion to the book. I sent it to my editor for a quick look through. I plan to submit it to createspace over the weekend and order a proof on Monday. Things are moving along nicely. Now, for those of you who already have The Bride without the epilogue, don't fret! Of course you can always purchase the print version, but you may not want to. If that's the case, I will have a link on my blog in the future so you can at least read the epilogue. I may think of another way to help you out, but for now that's my plan.

My second proof of Taela should be here tomorrow. :) I will take a picture of it in all it's glory and post it on Saturday.

For fun, I thought I would share the playlist I'm listening to at this exact moment.
Tears in Heaven- Eric Clapton
The Final Countdown- Europe
Still Alive- Portal soundtrack
We Belong- Pat Benatar
Everlasting Love- Howard Jones
Requiem for a Tower- Escala
Bye Bye Love- The Everly Brothers
Carmen Suite- Georges Bizet
Waterfall- John Schmidt
Dancing Queen- ABBA
The Golden Ratio- Ace of Base
I Will Rise- Alex Boye
The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)- Betty Everett
Till There Was You- The Beatles
Dreams- The Cranberries
Bad Moon Rising- CCR
You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)- Dead or Alive
It's Gonna Be Me- 'NSYNC

Top Ten Tuesday #22

I would consider myself to be a geeky sort of person. Probably not as geeky as my husband (love you, Garett) but I certainly have the geek gene. This list will be in random order, since I don't think I can quantify how much geekier one thing is over another.

Today's Topic: Why I Think I'm a Geek


10. I watch more cartoons now than when I was a kid. One of my favorite all-time cartoons will always be Avatar: The Last Airbender. The first time I watched an episode was when I was in my twenties.
9. My book genre of choice is fantasy. (Harry Potter for life!) If it has magic, creatures, princesses, sorcerers, wizards, spells, curses, etc. there's a good chance I'll like it. It's also my genre of choice for writing.
8. Like #9, I enjoy TV shows and movies that are fantasy, with science fiction close behind. That list might include Fringe, Once Upon a Time, Doctor Who, Star Wars, Labyrinth,
7. Anime. This is similar to #10, but I think anime is a whole new level of geek. Especially since I don't understand Japanese. I choose to watch the English dubbed version of some shows, but usually the subtitled ones are better. Here's a few I like: Inu Yasha, Kaichou Maid Sama, Kimi Ni Todoke, Special A, Zakuro, Fairy Tail, Lovely Complex. I could go on.
6. I tend to be socially awkward. I know not all geeks are this way, but I think the desire to stay home in my bubble means I find things to entertain myself. I find geeky things.
5. I love RPG video games, especially Final Fantasy. I can't choose a favorite, but if I had to, it would be out of 6, 7, 8 , 9, 10, or 10-2. I'm actually in the middle of playing 6 right now. LOVE Sabin! (and Tifa, and Cloud and Zell and Bahamut and Knights of the Round and Chocobos, and ....)
4. I don't want to brag, but I'm pretty smart.
3. I suppose some of the music I listen to would be considered geeky. See Top Ten List #11
2. I draw and paint fantasy stuff. I have a plan to one day paint a large dragon to hang on my living room wall. I have the canvasses and a rough sketch, but I just haven't had time to do it yet. It will be awesome.
1. I can play the theme to Super Mario Brothers on the piano. Oh, and one of the Tetris themes. And songs from Final Fantasy.

One day, Husband and I would love to go to comicon in San Diego. Or any of the others around the country. They had one in Salt Lake City in September, but we weren't able to make it. Some day!

FYI, I opened an Etsy shop yesterday because I discovered they allow the selling of digital items. So, now you can start buying my books from there as well. Right now, I only have the ebook version of Taela (in mobi and epub) available, but I plan to include all my ebooks, merchandise, and print books. The print books will be signed copies! As for the merchandise, I bought some supplies yesterday and hope to have my first item ready next week! The prices for ebooks/books will be lower in my Etsy shop than on amazon, barnesandnoble.com, and iBookstore because those big companies take a larger percent of the purchase price. With Etsy, I can lower the price and still earn more than I do from the Big Guys. I'm not saying I'm in this for the money (though that would be helpful) but I hope you would rather have more of the money you spend go to me so I can spend more time creating books than for your money to go into the pockets of million dollar companies. Just a thought.

Thoughts and Other Mind Spew

I'm going to start my new ABC Characters next Saturday. If you don't mind, I just need to write down some thoughts.

Writing is hard. Whether it's trying to come up with the next scene or making the dialogue sound realistic, I've hit all the bumps along the way. I received my proof copy of Taela a few days ago and it looks great. The cover is beautiful, the cream colored pages are just what I wanted. There are a few things that need adjusting, like the alignment on the spine and line spacing. Then I decided to go ahead and read through the entire book one more time, just to see if I need to catch any more minor mistakes. With a red pen and a stack of small sticky notes, I got to work.

There are more sticky notes than I anticipated.

Some are for actual mistakes, which is supremely annoying since I was sure I caught them all last time I read through it, before I published the ebook version. Some of the sticky notes are for cosmetic reasons, meaning I didn't like a word choice or a particular sentence needed to be reworded. Nothing serious. My husband warned me that I shouldn't make any serious changes, since it would make it different from the ebook, but I think what I've done is so minor, and necessary, that it will be fine. I figure that since the print version will cost more to make and purchase, I want it to be near perfect. Husband said, "No book is perfect." While I agree that mistakes can be found in practically any book out there, I hate the thought of people spending their money on something I've worked so hard on only to find simple mistakes that a ten year old would notice. It's embarrassing. And I think I, as a self-published author, need to work that much harder to prove I'm worth your time and money. I love to write and I love the stories that are swirling around in my head. So, I apologize for mistakes you may see. I'm trying really hard to make my books the best that I can. And thank you for the support you give me, whether is buying my books or simply reading my blog.