New Kid In Town (Call the Kindle Fire Dept!)

Since one of the responsibilities of an indie author is finding good places to advertise, I am always on the look out for new avenues.  Kindle Fire Department was brought to my attention on kindleboards.com a few months ago.

This site features their "book of the day" (you pay a slight fee for that), plus highlights various free books daily. Once you ask to become the book of the day they look over your book to make sure it is compatible for Kindle Fire and that it fits their standards.  Books that become the book of the day also are more likely to be mentioned later as a free book if you do decide to offer it free in the future.

My first book, Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream is going to be the book of the day today.  I m excited to see how much exposure this gets me.  I have heard great things from others who have had books featured ahead of me. Go Gastien!  Go Kindle Fire Dept!

There are very few places where it pays to buy advertising for you book.  Another that is highly successful is Pixel of Ink.  I did very well there last month.  However, they are booked for months in advance.  Your book must have a certain number of reviews, a certain average, they must like the cover and description, etc.

Ereader News Today is another I have heard is great.  Again, I believe they are booked through most (if not all) of this year.  I would like to try them in the future.

I know it is hard to know where you should spend money as an indie (or if you should spend money at all).  Those are the three that I have heard great things about.  There was one other, but so far this year it is no longer doing well.  I don't want to mention the name because I don't want to be negative about it in case it rebounds.  If it does, you will likely hear me talk about it in the future.

You will have to wait quite some time to get on any of the three mentioned above but it will be worth it. Since I have a series, my first book will always be in the process of being promoted, so the wait matters even less to me.



Please note: these are NOT reviews for your books. I would never pay for a review nor should you. Readers are not impressed if they find out you paid for reviews nor should they be. How can a review not be biased if you paid for it?


Good luck with marketing your books.  It can be challenging but it is always fun.

So You Want to be a Writer (But Are Afraid to Start)

Here is a simple plan from this indie author for getting your first novel done. You can take it or leave it, but if all you have done so far is dream or procrastinate it is worth considering. Let's set the stage.

You have dreamt for months (or years) about being a published author.  You have great ideas in your head for a story but don't know how to go about getting the thoughts into story form...and know even less about how to get published.  Don't worry.  You are not alone.

First, forget about how you are going to get published.  There is nothing to publish until you have a completed book.  Right?  That worry can come later.  Let's get the story written first. Before you get all worked up about how you are going to do that, ask yourself one simple question. 

Do you really want to write a book? There are no difficult, long answers to this question.  You have two possible answers.  Yes.  Or no.  If the answer is yes, don't dwell on all of the reasons you can't do it.  You may need writing classes or grammar classes and quite probably a good editor and proofreader.  That is for the future.  Right now, give me a simple "yes" or "no".

If the honest answer is "no" stop here.  You have figured out that writing is not for you and should wait for tomorrow's blog to read something that may interest you more.  If the answer is yes, let's begin.

I know you have heard about all of the authors that use storyboards.  A storyboard can be simple or very complicated.  It lays out all of the characters, their traits and history, and the different things that will happen in the story.  Now I am going to tell you something else about them.  Forget them.  If you want to write a story and can't begin, throw the storyboard idea out.  Not every author uses them.  Some write from their gut.  In fact, many do. That is quite possibly what you need to do to see your dream come true.

Commit to one hour a day, 5 days a week no matter what.  I don't care if you get up an hour earlier, stay up an hour later, or write before dinner...that hour is set in stone. That is a rule that cannot be broken.  No excuses. 
Sit down at the beginning of that first hour and start to type (or write if you are one of those authors who does not want to use a keyboard). Just start.  Don't worry about how good it is.  Don't stop when you hear "this sucks" in your head, or "that is stupid, I need to change that".  Don't stop.  Just keep writing for an hour. At the end of the hour don't read it. Simply get up and walk away.

Do the same the next day, starting where you left off.  Don't go back and read the whole previous thing.  Maybe the last two sentences to get you back to where you where, but that is it.  If you read the previous work you will get stalled in an endless circle or rewriting and rethinking...and won't get past the first chapter.  You are green.  You are nervous.  You are unwilling to trust yourself yet.  Don't do it.  Just keep going without reading the previous writing.

That is it.  Just keep going without rewrites.  Yep.  All the way to the end; one hour a day for five days a week.  Why? Because there is nothing to rewrite until you have a story.  Finish the story and then you can worry about rewrites.  Trust me, there will be plenty of rewriting.  That is fine.  You will be much more likely to do the necessary rewriting once you have a complete manuscript staring back at you.  You have put in a lot or work and are less likely to procrastinate now.  Do you really want to shelve all of that time put in?

Yes, the story may suck. After it is done and you have rewritten it several times it may still blow.  That is what beta readers are for.  They should not be friends or family that will tell you what they think you want to hear.  They should be people who don't care if they trample on your dreams or hurt your ego. That prepares you for knowing if your book is ready to go to an editor, go to a publisher for consideration, or to the publishing site if you are going to be an indie author like most of us new authors.

I could give you warnings about proofing, editing, hiring out proofing or editing, how you need to know punctuation, grammar...on and on.  I won't.  Not now.  Right now you have no story to fret over.  The time for that will come later.  Right now? You know what Larry the Cable Guy always says, right? Git 'er done!

Interview With Fabulous Author T. M. Souders!

Today I have a special treat for you on this blog.  I am interviewing author T.M. Sounders, who I have had the pleasure of getting to know on kindleboards.com.  Please take a few minutes to get to know more about her and her writing.  You will be glad that you did!

Welcome T.M. !  I appreciate your taking time to chat with me today.Let's talk a little bit about how you became an author, your books, and you. First of all, I am curious as to what made you personally decide to write your first book, why you decided to go "indie", and when the first book went "live".

I wrote my first book in college, but my life was crazy at the time and I was not fully committed to writing. I became serious about it shortly after my first child was born, this was about four years ago. Since then, I've written about one book a year, only one of which has been published (Waiting On Hope). I decided to go Indie after researching the industry and publishing. It seemed like a “no-brainer” at the time. My first book, Waiting On Hope went live in late July of 2011.

Waiting on Hope has 28 reviews and 4 Stars. That speaks very well of the book!  People can click on the book to get to Amazon and read the reviews.

How many books do you have out?  What are the other titles and genres?  Tell us a little about the main character(s).

I have one women's fiction novel, Waiting On Hope. The main character in this story is a pariah of strength. She is forced to find a way through unspeakable tragedy and manages to pick up the broken pieces of her life.
Dashing Through The Snow is a romance/chick-lit novelette that I published this winter. The main character is sweet, but my favorite character is her best friend Gemma! She's funny, sassy, and tells you like it is.

I loved Gemma, too!  She made me laugh out loud more than once, that is for sure. I can see why this is another 4 star book.  (Click on cover to read reviews, etc)

When is your next book coming out?  What is it about?

My next book, Freedom Road, is undergoing edits as we speak. I believe and hope it will be available in mid-March. It's a YA/Crossover novel and is about an eighteen year old who comes from an extremely dysfunctional family. She has a dream of Juilliard and a desire to escape home and the life she's leading.

What advice would you give other people who are thinking about writing their first book, but then that self doubt comes in?

Don't doubt yourself. If you're that unsure, then get Beta reader or someone who provides critique to look at your work, then go from there. Often times, self doubt is something we all struggle with and something we just need to get over. A good critique will tell you if you're just doubting yourself or if you really do need to work on your craft.

 What do you think are the five most important things a new author has to "take care of" to give them the best chance at success?

The first, and I learned this the hard way, is to get a good editor. Don't just hire anyone who is cheap, with little to no experience. Look at their credentials and make sure their worthy to work on your book. Second, grow a thick skin. Third, get ready to devote some serious time to promotion, marketing, and networking if you want to be successful. Fourth, create goals for yourself. How successful do you want to be? Are your goals realistic? Fifth, get a good cover, because most people do buy a book based on the cover.

 Let's talk a little bit about you as a person now. Tell me, what about life never fails to make you laugh?

My kids. They constantly are reminders of what's important in life. They're the two things I'm positive I did right!

What do you enjoy doing besides writing?

I love to read! Sometimes I devour books, one right after the other, because when I'm in the middle of writing I don't have as much time to read. I love spending time with family and good food! Eating out is one of my favorite things to do, lol. In the spring and summer, I also love gardening and spending time outside. There's something amazing about burying a seed in the earth and watching it grow.

I love gardening, too.  For me, it is working with my annuals daily. They get as much attention as one would give a child!

Finally, let's play the old genie in a bottle game. You get 3 wishes. They can't be general wishes, like "peace on earth", or all disease cured. No I wish my family, etc would stay healthy.  We all wish those kinds of things.  These 3 wishes are for personal, material things. What three things would you wish for?

1.    To be in St.Lucia, Antigua, or somewhere equally as exotic and beautiful right now for a month of R&R.
2.    For my book to get a movie deal, and actually be made into a movie. (Often times, books get deals but never come to fruition)
3.    A beach house in the Outer Banks of North Carolina!!! I can't believe I almost forgot this one! It's my DREAM to get a beach house there. I'm determined that some day it will happen!

I hope you get that beach house and be you will.  The movie deal would be AWESOME!  What book by another author do you wish you would have written and why?

Jennifer Donelly's Rose Trilogy! I LOVE these books. They are absolutely amazing for romance fans. It's funny because I don't read much historical romance, but these by far are three of my favorite books. Especially, the first two. I don't know what else to say except I love them. The writing is amazing, the history amazing, and the story lines---> this is my jelly face :-/

Any last things you would like to tell people about you or your writing?

I write because I love it! If I had one main goal to achieve through my writing, it would be for people to love my books and for them to leave the book wishing it didn't have to end. I love hearing from readers and other authors, so feel free to contact me!

Thank you again.  It was a pleasure.  Please see the links below for ordering information begarding T. M. Sounders books and contact information!
http://tmsouders.com/blog/

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/TM-Souders-Author/181198815275423?sk=app_139229522811253

Purchase links:

Waiting On Hope: http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-On-Hope-ebook/dp/B005CPD2BC/

Dashing Through The Snow: http://www.amazon.com/Dashing-Through-The-Snow-ebook/dp/B005ZUXIT0/

twitter: @tmsouders

Writing Fiction in a Different Time Period

As an indie author writing novels that take place during a past time period, I must be my own policeman when it comes to making sure my story stays true to the period. Yes, it is fiction, and you can have things happen that didn't really happen...but it still has to be within reason.

Gastien lived in nineteenth century France. Therefore, I can't say that he drove to Au Lapin Agile for a drink! You may thing this is a "duh" when writing, but it is so easy to mess up. For instance, one beta reader caught it when Gastien used a twist on an old saying by stating: "I may have just arrived off the turnip truck...". There were no trucks then, she reminded me.  Oh. Right!  It quickly got changed to "I may have just arrived off the turnip wagon..."

I am now writing the third book in The Gastien Series, which will be titled Tristan Michel: Bloodline of Passion. It starts in 1909. I have about 17,000 words done.  Friday I started reading it aloud to my husband, Dave. Tristan Michel calls his sister in New York City to tell her that he is moving his family to New York from Paris. All of a sudden, I paused. Could that have happened?

It has been too many years since my history classes as a student. Way too many. So, I looked it up on the Internet. Whew, I thought, phones WERE in use then. No problem. Still, it haunted me. This morning I searched deeper.  Yes, phones were in use, but the first intercontinental call did not happen until 1915! Now I know that Tristan Michel must send a telegram. 

If you are using a big event that actually happened in history in your fiction, make sure the facts are right. For instance, if I wanted to use the Great Flood of Paris that happened in 1910, I better not have any of Tristan Michel's relatives die in it. No one died in Paris itself, and they all lived in Paris.  Well, actually, one soldier did. So, if he was related to Tristan Michel, I would be safe. Does it matter? To a some people, no. But to a reader that knows French history, you better believe it does. It makes the story unreal to them. Fiction is fiction, but while the reader is reading the story it needs to seem real.

I am talking about major historical events. Tristan Michel is an architect. Because it is fiction, I certainly can have him work on some major buildings wherever he lives in the USA. The facts about who built each building are not major events. Not many care or know who put the windows in which building, or who made the plans for most of the buildings in our cities.

Gastien's clothing was vastly different than others during his life. Because people from all over the world came to Paris and Montmartre there were what we would call "flea markets" and used shops featuring all kinds of goodies. Therefore, it was possible that he would buy clothing from other cultures and wear it. Plus, he was an artist and they tended to dress oddly.
He even wore pants that fit him as capris, although no one else was wearing capri trousers at the time. It works, because he was a "bohemian", the group he was part of and where he resided.

Have fun with your characters and what they do, but make sure that it fits the era you are writing in, or at least can be believable because of the character and situation he or she is in. Use the Internet to find out details of major events, how people dressed, and what major things were or were not available to them during that time period. It will take you longer to write the story, but you will end up with a novel that readers can enjoy as real during their time spent with your characters.

Happy Writing!