Saturday, August 30, 2014

Big Plans for Super Fans


I alluded to a big idea in my last post and it has to do with creating a special way to interact and reward those of you who actually read and like my books. I think there are at least a few of you out there. I shall refer to you as Super Fans, until someone comes up with something better. As such, you will be given unique privileges and incentives, including giveaways, sneak peaks, and online chats. I will soon be creating a page that will have all the details of how to join and what else to expect. I'm hoping for some great interaction and participation. I know I'm still relatively new and unknown, but I think this will be a good way to gage how I'm doing and to reach out to new readers. I think this could be lots of fun!

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For those of you who have "liked" my Facebook page, I know some of you aren't seeing all of my posts. I apologize. Facebook has been changing how they deal with "business" type pages, and I guess mine falls under this category. A way to make sure you see more of my posts is to select "get notifications" from my page. If you don't know how to do this, you need to hover over my page name with your mouse (using a desktop or laptop) and then hover over the "like" tab, which will drop down, giving you the option to "get notifications". If you don't do this, you may be missing out on some opportunities (like my Quote Game) or other info.

Happy birthday to my awesome, handsome husband!!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

What If...? Part Three


Who would I pick to be the perfect cast for the movie of Taela? Let's find out!

Taela- Dakota Blue Richards
Logan- Aidan Turner
Ravis- Nicholas Hoult
Lienda- Peyton List
Zeld- Cate Blanchett
Malcolm- Mark Addy
Tobin- Donald Sumpter
Ayriel- Mackenzie Foy
Lord Upton- Robert Hardy
Royden- Max Charles
Dirrah- Maggie Smith
Kerf- Bill Nighy
Shiva (voice)- Kate Winslet
Leshy chieftain- Benedict Cumberbatch

Lots of Brits this time, but I think they're great. What do you think?

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I have a big announcement on Saturday that I hope will get my fans excited. The plans are still being formulated, but it think it could be just what I need to liven things up. Want to know? Come back on Saturday!




Tuesday, August 26, 2014

What If...? Part Two


I had so much fun with the last cast list that I decided to do another right away. Next movie cast will be for Soulless.

Cress- William Moseley
Syndel- Emma Watson
Garreg- Johnny Depp
Mulogo- Max Von Sydow
Bronek- Emile Hirsche
Arem- Kyle Harrison Breitkopf
Thremas- Gary Oldman
Lenna- Christa Allen

I'd love to know what anyone thinks.
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The discount price for the ebook of Sources will end on Aug. 31, so get it soon. I'll be uploading another audio chapter of The Bride this week. Go to soundcloud.com to listen.



Saturday, August 23, 2014

What If...? Part One


I often think about how cool it would be if one or more of my books were made into a movie. Then, I think about how a screenwriter or director would botch it. I would want more control over it than they would probably allow. Anyways, wouldn't it be fun to create the perfect cast for each of my books? Let's start with The Bride. (I don't want to infringe on any copyright laws, so I've provided links to pics instead of including the actual pics here.)

Callia- Vanessa Marano
Zain- Max Irons
Rafan- Aaron Tveit
Berns- Ben Kingsley
Mrs. Groy- Famke Janssen
Ven- Andrew Miller
Kerya- Abigail Breslin
Callia's parents- Emily Mortimer and Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Lord Newel- Rufus Sewell

What do you think? Who would you pick?

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Too Busy!


I have a lot to get done today. There's so much to do in our condo and my bro-in-law is moving in on Saturday, so this is all you get. Sorry! I'm doing round 3 of my Quote Game on Friday on my Facebook page. Come play!


Tuesday, August 19, 2014

In Review


Summer is winding down. It went by fast, didn't it? A lot has happened in the past couple of months. I published my fourth book, which was supposed to be done earlier this year. Better late than never. I started working on a web comic. Lots of fun so far. I started a couple of games for my readers to participate in- Name Game and Quote Game. Both will result in a prize or prizes, so I hope you play along. I entered a contest on booktrack.com by adding a soundtrack to chapters of Hugh Howey's book Half Way Home. You can still listen to/read what I've done and give stars to help me out. (just sign up and type Kacie Taylor in the search bar to find my entries) And most recently, I started recording an audio version of The Bride. All this while moving to a new house and trying frantically to finish the kitchen in the old place before we rent it. Though it's been rather stressful at times, I'm happy with the things I've accomplished. I would love for all of you to check out these fun things. Also, I would LOVE some reviews on amazon and goodreads. Readers can be an author's greatest ally in helping us succeed. I have a few special things in mind for fans who go the extra mile, so stay tuned.

I added a "subscribe by email" thingy on the right hand side of the blog. If you want all my new posts to come directly to your email, join up!

Thank you for all you do!


Saturday, August 16, 2014

The Audio Journey Begins


Since my last post, I was able to record and edit the first two chapters of The Bride. The process did get somewhat easier. The editing program I used was a life saver. They are available here for online listening or on soundcloud for downloading or playing on the app (iOS and googleplay). I'm thinking about uploading them onto iTunes as well, but, for now, this is what I've got.

Please remember that this is the first time I've done anything like this, so forgive the unprofessional quality. With time, and perhaps some different equipment, it will get better. Once the whole book is done, I'll have it available in its entirety somewhere, probably iTunes. I'll charge a bit of money for the final compilation, but it won't be much. A girl's gotta make money somehow. :) Let me know what you think about the chapters so far in the comments below.

P.S. It will sound better with headphones.


Thursday, August 14, 2014

Harder Than I Thought


Remember a while ago when I said I wanted to try creating an audio version of my books all by my little self? (Here) Well, I decided to give it a whirl yesterday, starting with The Bride. Um... It's not easy. I know my books pretty well, but I messed up even the simplest words. I've also mentioned I'm not a pro orator. That's an understatement. I'm convinced there's something between my brain and my mouth that makes it hard for me to speak coherently at times, usually when I'm nervous or around people I don't know, or people in general. I'm no doctor person, but I wouldn't be surprised if my brain was somewhat abnormal. Anyhoo, I'll keep trying. I plan to upload one chapter at a time, so if I can make it through one chapter without blundering majorly, we'll be in business! I found some editing software that will help as well. Once the first one is ready, I'll post a link to the website I've created solely for these audio files. You'll be able to listen, download, and share them for free, as long as they're not altered in any way. Not sure how they'll work on mobile devices, but I'll worry about that later. Happy reading!

Don't forget that the first quote in my Quote Game will be on Facebook tomorrow at 6 pm Mountain time.




Tuesday, August 12, 2014

First Look at Sources Paperback


My proof copy arrived yesterday. There were a couple of things that needed adjusting on the cover, but they were an easy fix. It has since been reviewed (by createspace) and is now available on the createspace shop! I tried to set up a discount code, but it isn't working at the moment. I'll keep trying. Sources paperback will be on amazon later this week. I'll let you know when that happens.

**I figured out the discount code stuff for createspace. Use XVQSED3A at checkout and receive 10% off all my paperbacks. Click here. It's good till the end of August.




Here are some pics:


The background of the book is light gray, though these pics give it a reddish tint, probably because of the pillow it's lying on. I'm super happy with it! I'm still working on Book Three. I think I've finally picked a title for it, but we'll save that for later.

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I've rounded up some quotes for my Quote Game. I hope some of you are planning to participate. I won't include quotes from Sources just yet. I think I'll post the first one on Friday Aug. 15 at 6:00 pm US Mountain Time. Remember, the first person to guess the correct book, chapter, and speaker will be entered into a FABULOUS giveaway. All of this will take place on Facebook, so "like" my page if you want to play! There may be some additional rules and such, but I'll share those when I post the quote. It will be fun!!








Saturday, August 9, 2014

Kitchen Redo


I've mentioned before that hubby and I are redoing the kitchen in our condo before we rent/sell it. Today will include painting of cabinets and touch-ups in other rooms. Hubby will soon be custom-making the cabinet doors and installing a modular granite countertop. Lots of work and a bunch of money, but we're excited about gettin' it done. I'll post pictures once things are starting to look more put together. Off to work!

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I've got a 10% off code for my hourglasses on etsy from now until Aug 31. There are four pendants available right now, so if you want one, you'd better hurry! Use BRIDE1 at checkout. (US residents only)

And today is National Book Lover's Day! I know of four awesome books you could read to celebrate. :)

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Lemme Try This


I had a thought last night. It happens every once in a while. I posted a quote on twitter and facebook from Soulless for the fun of it, but then I wondered if I could create a game using quotes from my books. Now, my track record for audience participation isn't always superb, but I want to try it anyway. It will henceforth be known as the Quote Game. What I shall do is post a quote from one of my books on my Facebook page once or twice a week (if you haven't "liked" my page, please do so if you want to play along). The first person to comment (on Facebook) with the correct book title, chapter where the quote is found, and character who said it will be entered into a FABULOUS giveaway. This will go on for a while so lots of people will have a chance to be included. Now, you've probably figured out that the people who have the best chances of getting these right are people who have read my books. This is on purpose. Of course I want more people to read my books! I'll even wait a couple more weeks to start so you can read as much as possible. I will also post the quotes on the same day and at the same time each week so you'll be prepared with your answers like a boss. Sound fun?

(Since the FABULOUS giveaway prize will likely include some hefty shipping costs, and I am still poor, I will probably keep this game to US residents only. Sorry, international readers! You can enter my Name Game, though. Anyone can enter that.)

**As of Aug. 15, the game has begun! Keep checking my Facebook page for the next round.


Tuesday, August 5, 2014

The Big 200!


This is my 200th post! I thought it would be fun to make a little list of my most popular posts since the last time I made a list of my most popular posts (here).

The Dreaded Two Star-- this is when I got my first two star review. :(

The Name Game-- where I announced the contest to pick a name for the main character of Soulless. I'm still waiting for more name suggestions.

Anniversary Giveaway!-- I gave away two hourglass pendants to celebrate the one year anniversary of The Bride. You can buy an hourglass pendant on my etsy shop.

First Impressions-- this was a sneak peak at the main character for my upcoming web comic.

Top Ten Tuesday #49-- I made some complaints about Facebook.


Thanks so much for reading my blog! It makes it much more fun knowing at least a few people have an interest in my ramblings and nonsense.

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In case you're wondering, I started working on book 3 of my Vessel series. It doesn't have a title yet. There's a few options I'm considering. At least half of it is already written, but there's still a lot of work to do. If you haven't gotten your copy of Sources (or Taela) you should join the party! Book 3 should be ready by early 2015.

I'll be ordering a proof copy of paperback Sources today or tomorrow, which means it could be ready for purchase sometime next week!


Saturday, August 2, 2014

Rhett and Link


I've recently come across a YouTube duo, Rhett and Link, that I greatly enjoy watching. Their little show is called Good Mythical Morning. They have a new show every weekday morning (except when they take holiday breaks) and the topics are anything from pop culture stuff to eating contests. These two are hilarious, but more importantly, in my opinion, they keep things CLEAN. This is a family friendly show. Here's a link to one of my favorite episodes: click I almost died laughing when I watched this. Anyway, if you're looking for something to watch, I highly recommend these guys.


I've been working on the paperback version of Sources. It's in the "processing" stage right now. I need to wait until I can order a proof copy to make sure it looks right, but it could be available within the next two weeks. When that happens, I just might do another little giveaway :)