Month: February 2019

In parts 1-3 I talked about what happened to get me writing and my journey until now. In part 4 I’m discussing the part of writing I don’t like.

Marketing is what I dislike the most since becoming an indie author and my weakest skill. I have a hard time promoting myself. It’s not that I don’t think I’m worth it, but I was raised “not to blow my own horn.” Well, being self-published you DO have to blow your own horn there is no one else to do it for you. I have learned to promote myself by having book launches on my blog and other blogs. I now make sure I have beta readers, they help me with the little things I’ve missed.
I do enter book contests. I’ve been a finalist many times. I like to think that helps someone choosing whether to read one of my books or not. In the past I know it made a difference to me when buying a book. If my kids were looking at books to buy at the book fair, I’d point out award-winning ones first. I hope that still applies.

I know I need to get out there in public more. Attend the local book club I belong to and join in their events. I have not approached any local bookstores, book signings or done a speech. So this is something I will be working on next. Being an introvert makes this my biggest challenge. I live in a very art-oriented community, and I want to make sure I’m the very best I can be before I venture out locally.
Another part of writing that I’m not fond of is the quest to find a publisher.  Honestly, it isn’t cheap to be an indie author. To do it right you need a good editor. As I’ve said, I’ve unfortunately found out the difference between a good and bad one rather quickly. Formatting isn’t something I’m accomplished at, but I’ve found someone who does a wonderful job. Book covers aren’t my skill set either, but again I’m willing to work on all of those areas.

I have used my photography for all my short stories, and books: “The Button”,  “This Second Chance”, and “No Fairy Tale.” I also have an accomplished book cover designer that will help me at any stage of design. I really want to put more time into the visual part of writing for social media and my promotions. Then there are book videos. I have done a few but have a lot more to learn in that department, too.
All of those expensive tasks would be taken care of with a publisher, but then it would also be out of my control, too. I will see what this year brings. I may try submitting to a publisher again. It’s been 20 years since I have, and I’ve learned a lot since then. I know the marketing still falls mainly on the author and I’d be on a deadline which would only add more stress to my writing and personal life.
I’ve been very lucky through this process. It’s inspiring and educational to see how other indie authors handle not only marketing but all the parts of writing. So many are willing to share their stories and skills. Then there are those few “authors” to avoid who are only there to make money off of other authors. They may claim to be authors, but their books are just about making money writing or courses to take to learn. They are making money telling writers how to make money. There are those who prey on first time writers with offers too good to be true–they are. Then you are out a lot of money or even your ownership of your work. There’re contest scams and editor scams. I can, unfortunately, attest to that. Be careful who you use to edit for you. I honestly think some of these so-called editors use a program on your work and never read it. I found a couple of editors who not only read my work but have strong opinions to improve it. I love when I get that kind of feedback!

On to the final thing, once you get your book written, beta read, edited, copyrighted, Library of Congress number for prints, book cover, formatted and the blurb is written—it’s time to upload it. I went from Bookbaby to now Kindle Publishing, Smashwords and Ingramsparks to cover all the markets. I’ve learned to set up a pre-order and have blog tours, promote it in my monthly newsletter and across social media while running a book release contest to go along with that. I still have a lot more to learn in this department, but I’ve made good progress.

Four years ago, after tripping over my black cat on Friday the 13th, I had no idea what I was getting into hitting that “publish” button. In those four years, I’ve learned how important these things are: editing, formatting, book covers, blogging, newsletters, social media, learning, reading, and interacting. The bonus to all the hard work is the friends I’ve made along the way. I call them my writing family and I’m there for them as much as they are there for me. It’s a great place I’ve found myself in. I learn something new almost every day with the bonus of getting to do what I love and reading amazing books — all of this from being laid up with a broken foot.

What seemed like something bad, wasn’t. It opened a whole new life for me. And now I celebrate breaking my foot every year and remember how far I’ve come since I heard that bone snap…because it cracked open my new life as an author.

(Recently I found this picture of me in the hospital, that my husband took of me four years ago on Valentine’s Day, with my wrapped broken foot.)

Watch for a special edition blog this Thursday.

The Monthly Newsletter will be coming to your email this week if you are subscribed. I will be making an announcement about “Just Her Poetry” and debuting the new cover and blurb.

I have to share with you that I went to do my once over the night before this blog posted. What I found was no text, no pictures–nothing but a title. Gulp. No idea what happened. Luckily I had an older version. Never happened before and glad I had checked it in Grammarly where the older version was. I attempted to bring it back to its former glory…(And it disappeared again. I hope its here tomorrow!)

Embrace your inner child by reading a book. D.L. Finn

I’m excited to host this month’s RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB’S “SPOTLIGHT” Author Blog Tour with Bernard Foong!

My writing process:

The Truth Will Set You Free is base on a real incident I encounted during my teenage school years. This incident was etched in my mind for as long as I can remember.  I am compelled to include this incident in the opening chapter of A Harem Boy’s Saga – II – Unbridled; a memoir by Young.

The Truth Will Set You Free is a mistaken identity short story about a gay teenager (moi, the author) at a Valentine Day’s party with a girl who had eyes for him (the author).  

My writing inspiration:

The Truth Will Set You Free was inspired by my personal experience when I was a teenager in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I had befriended a female student from my sister school who had eyes for me. Little did I suspect that she would back me into an uncomfortable situation during a Valentine’s Day party at her home. I documented the actual incident in The Truth Will Set You Free; a novella by Young.

***

Book excerpt:

…After a series of invigorating dances with the party twins, I was ready to call it a night, but under Dorothy’s insistence, I stayed. Nobody at the party knew of my sexual inclinations except me. During a slow dance, Dorothy leaned her head against my chest. Although this intimate way of dancing was not new to me, I had no intention of leading my friend on. I tried to keep a polite distance. Dot, thought me shy and continued her aggressive approach. I had little choice but to go with the flow since she held me tight with no intention of letting me leave anytime soon. The moment arrived when her lips almost touched mine. She looked into my “eyes wide shut,” and expected romance to sparkle between us. I did not back away  even though I did not feel the same as Dot. Since it was Valentine’s Day, I did not wish to upset her. I play-acted, as much as I could. In my mind, it was the correct thing to do. After all, I will be back to London in a week and would not be seeing my Malaysian friends for another year. To me, this was merely a moment in time to make my female friend feel good about herself.

***

Author Bio:  Young alias Bernard Foong is, first and foremost, a sensitivist. He finds nuance in everything. To experience the world he inhabits is an adventure which is mystical, childlike and refreshing. He has a rare ability to create beauty in a unique fashion. His palettes have been material, paint, words and human experiences.

By Christine Maynard (screenwriter and novelist).

Foong just published A Harem Boy’s Saga – V – Metanoia; a memoir by Young  – the final volume of his autobiographic five book series of Mr. Foong’s young life:

A Harem Boy’s Saga: A Memoir by Young.

This provocative story spanning 4 decades and 3 continents is about a boy who was sent to a very exclusive English boarding school in the 1960s where he was initiated into a clandestine sexual society and then spirited away to serve in wealthy and elite Middle Eastern harems .”

Ranked Internationally Best-Selling Author on amazon.com

A Harem Boy’s Saga – Book I – Initiation (a memoir by Young)

A Harem Boy’s Saga – Book II – Unbridled (sequel)

A Harem Boy’s Saga – Book III – Debauchery (3rd volume in the series))

A Harem Boy’s Saga – Book IV – Turpitude (4th volume in the series)

A Harem Boy’s Saga series is published by Solstice Publishing and is available in print and E-books internationally.

A Harem Boy’s Saga (series) – Film Option Agreement signed with a U.K. Film Production Company.

Book I – Initiation is currently in film production.

Part 1 & 2 covered tripping over a black cat on Friday the 13th to the aftermath. Here in Part 3, the changes continue for a person who has not been one to join clubs or read outside favorite genres.

Part 3

I can’t talk about my writing experience without mentioning more about a book club I joined almost 3 years ago, #RRBC. I started out in the club with only the intention of reading and reviewing books, but I quickly learned to attend the club events. I got to know other members through these events and their books. I was reading at a pace I’ve never read before and genres I’d never attempted, all the while enjoying myself.

Last year I decided to take another uncharacteristic leap and became their Social Media Director. Here I help promote the club and its authors. It was a good fit for me. I’ve learned a lot there, too, like I can schedule Twitter posts for an entire month. I do that for myself and as Social Media Director, although I’m swamped with work at the beginning of the month. I deal with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest (which I am still figuring out). I begin each day and end each night with social media while reading as many blogs as I can and trying to focus on my family. I haven’t figured the perfect balance out for that and writing yet.

I also belong to the Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and Sierra Writers. But I haven’t participated much in either one of those other than to read the newsletters and pay the membership fees. I plan on changing that this year.

Besides clubs, one thing I found I enjoy doing is beta reading for other indie authors. Editing is not my strong suit, but something I’m always working on. Luckily  I can read, and I know when something seems off.  When a book I’ve beta read comes out, I can’t wait to re-read it and see it in its final form.

I have been reading a lot these past two years, thanks to #RRBC.  Last year I hit 77 books in the Goodreads Challenge most of them from club members. Some perfectly edited and written, some with mistakes but a good story and a few just poorly written and edited. I don’t waste my time now with the latter group. First, all this reading started out as a quest to join the 100 Club at #RRBC. It took me a while to get there, but I did. What I learned was that it wasn’t the getting there that was important, but all the books I got to read along the way that became my reward.

This year I’m attempting around the same amount of books just for the fun of it.

The genres I’ve always been a fan of are fantasy/paranormal, mystery, love stories, or horror. I had my favorite go-to best-selling authors in each genre. Now since joining #RRBC and becoming an indie author, I’m reading memoirs, science fiction, children’s books, poetry, and many other genres.

I strongly believe reading is part of the education for an author. I’m puzzled by writers who don’t read. They are the same people who ask you to read their books repeatedly, too. I tend to read books from authors that interact with me and of course, are amazing writers. These are the people who are the most supportive and usually have interesting blogs, too.

The side-effect of all this reading has been not only a long reading list, but I’m now a fan of many new authors. I don’t even bother with some of my old stand-by best selling authors anymore. All this reading has shown me what is good and what isn’t in a book. Besides a great story,  I appreciate a snappy dialog, showing over telling and those moments when I can pause and admire a brilliant poetically crafted line–there’s nothing better.

I no longer wonder who the readers that indie author are always looking for–it’s the other indie authors and some dedicated readers as well. #RRBC knows that and now so do I after taking a chance and doing things I never would have thought to do before breaking a bone. Strange how life finds ways to inspire and encourage.

Next week is the final part of this series.

Just a reminder: If I don’t respond or comment in a timely fashion it might be a weather-related power outage or phone lines down. We have a series of snowstorms coming at us this week and losing power or the internet can be a part of that. The worst has been a week-long power outage and the internet down for two weeks, but usually, it’s just a day or two. Although we do have a generator now so we have the luxury of water (on a well) and power to the fridge and microwave, I can’t complain (like I might have done when we were without for that period)! A nice side-effect of this is I enjoy candlelight reading.

There will be another special post later today.

Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Anniversary to my “breaking” into publishing!

Embrace your inner child with a good book! D.L. Finn

I’m very excited to welcome fellow author Ernestine Rose here today! Please make her feel welcome.

I grew up on the west side of Chicago in the 50s and 60’s. As an only child, I became an avid reader and explored the world beyond my block through reading. Writing was easy for me also, and I loved the bustle of classes and extra-curricular activities in high school. So teaching English seemed to be a likely career choice. I could stay there forever surrounded by dance, drama, and books. After four years at Bradley University in Peoria, I started my teaching career. After eight years, we moved to Fort Worth and I taught English, speech and theater another 28 years, gaining a master’s degree along the way.

In 2011, I retired from teaching full time. A year later, I started writing. When exploring topics, my husband asked me what I knew a lot about. My reflex answer was “being married to you.” We’d been married thirty years by then, and I felt that I had something to share. I explored webinars and self-publishing programs to guide me on my approach, and I completed my first book, 7 Tips for a Successful Marriage, within a few weeks. I could not, however, figure out the formatting, nor did I feel that this was the kind of book I wanted to write. I like a good story above all else. So I went on to my next book, a companion piece on bringing up my four sons: Raising the Roses. The formatting still eluded me, so I started book number three, Tales from the Family Tree. This one is a collection of short stories about family conflict. Some of them are based on my family; some are pure fiction. As you can see, my niche is family and all of my books somehow revolve around that.

Finally, in December of 2011, my husband and I figured out the secrets to formatting through CreateSpace, and published all three books within a few days. I spent the next two years struggling with marketing, having had no idea how difficult it would be. I went back to teaching part-time since my book sales were not what I had hoped, and worked in after-school and summer programs the next four years. In 2015 I published a romance novel, Monday Morning Blues, because it’s a genre I’ve always enjoyed. I wanted to write something that women my age and mindset would enjoy, unlike the influx of urban fiction and historical romances that were flooding the market.

My writing time was interrupted when my husband of forty years became ill, and I became his caretaker through a difficult year before he passed. There were weeks of adjusting to my loss and living alone, and months spent planning to relocate to be near my sons and grandchildren. Now, that I’ve settled in Houston, I’m ready to write again.   I feel that my journey through grief and my husband’s fight with sarcoidosis are worth sharing, so that is the topic of my latest book, Seasons: My Journey through Grief. I think I can help others who’ve experienced loss, and it’s a story that I feel I must tell.

Author Bio:  Ernestine Rose grew up on the west side of Chicago during the turbulent 50’s and 60’s. Adopted by an older couple, she spent a great deal of time as a child reading and participating in dance and drama club activities in school. Bradley University and the University of Dallas prepared her for a successful career as a teacher of English, speech and theater in Peoria and Fort Worth, where she earned numerous educator awards.

As a retired public school teacher and mother of four sons, she made her debut as an author with the publication of three books: 7 Tips for A Successful Marriage, Raising the Roses, and Tales from the Family Tree, all in 2012.  She later produced a romance novel, Monday Morning Blues. Her most recent work reflects her experience as a caretaker and widow, Seasons: My Journey through Grief. Inspired by Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, her focus in both writing and theater is on the power of language, love, and family. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and her website.

BONUS!!! The Author is also hosting a giveaway during each day of her blog tour. Simply comment on each stop to be entered. You can win a copy of one of her e-books or even a $10 Amazon Gift Card!! (There will be a total of 13 giveaways!!)

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE.  Thanks for supporting this author and his work!

Thanks again for your support!

I’m very excited to have Karl J. Morgan drop by today on his tour! Please give him a warm welcome.

Looking forward to Book Two, etc.

Storytelling is a lifelong passion for me. No sooner had my keyboard cooled down after writing “The End” on book one when my mind was began to imagine book two. There is a scene in The Sleeping One when Professor Thorndike mentions a demonic cult that controlled much of Eastern Europe before the Roman Empire reached their borders. The cult worshipped Satan and fifty specific demons. When the Romans encountered them, they attacked and slaughtered them without mercy, which was not an unusual tactic for the Roman Empire. That kernel of an idea sparked what has become Carl Prescott and the Demon Queen.

At the beginning of book two, a medieval castle is discovered buried beneath the Bertrand Aloysius Thorndike Academic Institution. This is a problem on many levels. First, the school is located in the Azores in the middle Atlantic. That archipelago was not discovered by humans until a thousand years after the cult was destroyed. The second quandary is that the only evidence that such a castle ever existed was in the few records of the cult. Decent civilization chose to erase the cult’s existence from history. The problem gets worse when Carl meets Sylvia, the demon who led the cult and now wishes to reestablish it. That removal will cause the school to collapse into the pit left behind.

The Demon Queen takes me back to familiar territory. I have written five other novels that feature a direct connection between the hero and Divine beings. As an eager reader of books on cosmology, astrophysics, and quantum mechanics, this latest story allows me to go back before the Big Bang and explain the origin of the universe in a nonscientific way. My solution is not meant to be a theory of anything, only a story mechanism, and hopefully a clever one.

As with most entertainment, the book is a series of scenes. A few of my favorites from Demon Queen are Carl’s birthday party, Carl and Sylvia’s date night, the journey back through the Big Bang, the Crossroads of Existence, the gravity bubble, and especially the Rope Bridge. They are listed here in no particular order. I hope you will select your own favorites in the coming weeks.

Book two is far from the end. Book three is completed in rough draft form. It is tentatively entitled Carl Prescott and the False Universe. Book four is in process, although I have had some mental blockage and plot issues. Four could be the last in the series, but I will not know until it is complete. That is always the way with stories. In the words of baseball legend Yogi Berra: “It isn’t over until it’s over.” The Demon Queen will be my twentieth published book. For a moment, I thought that was astounding, but there is no time to celebrate when more characters demand my attention. I can guarantee that my storytelling days are far from over. I sincerely appreciate your interest and readership.

For the curious, the other five novels mentioned are Two Doors, Hand of God, Demonic, Whistlestop, and Sleeping One.

Karl Morgan Bio

With a long career in finance and as author of almost twenty books, I like to say that words and numbers are my life.

I have had a lifelong fascination with stories in the science fiction and fantasy genres, whether it was the Tom Swift novels by Victor Appleton I read as a young boy, or television like Lost in Space and Star Trek. More recently, I have devoured film series like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings. That fascination is combined with a keen interest in cosmology, astrophysics, quantum physics, and spirituality.

That quirky combination along with the fantasy genre allows me to craft stories that reinforce the importance of family, friendship, and love. The protagonists must overcome incredible danger and challenges to survive their journeys, but eventually end up on top. It goes without saying that as a finance guy, my life has been less action-packed than my characters (thank goodness).

With Carl Prescott and The Sleeping One, I ventured back to comfortable territory. Many of my stories reinforce our direct connection to the Divine. While that is an element of this story, the sequels feature that relationship to a much greater extent. That element in my stories is an homage to what I believe really matters in this life.

I am the son of an Air Force pilot and as such, I have lived in many places, never for more than four years at a time. Thankfully, as an adult, I have lived in Chula Vista, CA for the past thirty-seven years. I met and married Aida, the love of my life, thirty years ago. Our grown children have made us grandparents four times over. It is a blessing to be around such wonderful parents and children.

My new goal is life is my stories. I hope you can follow me on this new adventure.

Karl Morgan Social Media and Contact Links:

Book on Amazon

Facebook

Amazon author page

Website/Blog

Twitter

Last week I talked about the fall over a black cat on Friday the 13th that landed me contemplating publishing. Part 2 is the result of that moment.

Part 2

The “maybe” I should publish quickly turned into a why not. Spending so much time immobile finally gave me that time to research and do what I needed to do. I quickly realized I needed to have my work edited, along with starting a website, a blog and getting on social media, which was a bit overwhelming. So next time my daughter visited, whose idea this was, she jumped right in to help.  I soon had my writer’s name, because my Italian last name is impossible for most to say or spell–and I also wanted a bit of privacy. D.L. Finn was born out of my love for dolphins (sound it out). Then I got the domain name for my website, created the site, started social media accounts, found an editor and a company to publish my book. I thought I was ready to go. Soon I’d be a published author.

Next on my list of things to do while “Elizabeth’s War” was being edited, was a book cover.  Fortunately, I knew of a designer and got her to work on it, what you see above is its second version. During this time I also copyrighted the story and got a Library of Congress number for the print. I decided to purchase my ISBNs, so I’d have full control of my work. Then all I could do is wait while watching more seasons of “Supernatural” as I healed.

Soon everything was back to me. I was ready. With a shaking hand and racing heart, I uploaded my work and cover to Bookbaby. I was published. Within several days, I was holding an expensive printed copy of my first book. It was like Christmas morning when I was a child. I sent it out to reviewers and got a lot of great expensive feedbacks, for the most part. I started my blog and ran a giveaway. I built up a small base, had a couple of readers and made some wonderful friends along the way. I repeated the process with “An Unusual Island” while I was writing my first book in years, “Things on a Tree.”

Things were moving quickly, and I kept going. I soon decided it was time to part ways with Bookbaby and I took over the publishing part myself. I made a few changes to “Elizabeth’s War,” adding in a short story, an updated cover and put out the second edition. I removed my other two children’s books from Bookbaby and published them. Bookbaby did their job, but I wanted to do this for myself and not pay all those fees.

Then, I found a wonderful book club #RRBC that I joined. Here’s where I got the rest of my writer’s education (more on this in part 3). I had “An Unusual Island” and “Things on a Tree” re-edited from what I found was poor editing from two different companies. I was pleased with the results, but this editor was too busy to take on any new work.

In the meantime, I published “No Fairy Tale” my memoir/poetry book. The editing company I used for that may have caught all the errors, but the editor more suited to business writing over fiction. I later wondered if some of my personality might have been edited out in that process.

I decided it was time to find a constant editor. I thought I had one for my first adult fiction book, “This Second Chance.” Luckily in a pre-publication review, many errors were found and I changed the release date. I scrambled to find another editor because I had already started promoting my book. Luckily after a ton of research, I found one who could take me immediately! Within three weeks I had my work back. I had found an editor who understood my writing style and wasn’t shy to point out things to me. She made my first adult fiction book readable.

When it’s my story–I know the story. I’ve found I can’t edit my own work nor can some companies that claim to employ proficient editors. It was a hard and expensive lesson to learn as a writer to find good editors. Reviews can be very helpful when choosing an editor as well as other author’s experience and advice. I now look at resumes and many other things.

Also during this time frame, I decided to move my website from Wix to WordPress. This switch opened up how I communicated with other authors and my blog posts. One of the most important things I’ve learned as a writer is how vital it is to interact with other indie authors.

Although, I had no history with blogs before I published. I just knew I needed one from research. So I posted about my books or things I was thinking about. During my move, I gave some serious thought to what content I wanted on my new blog. I decided on book reviews, my opinions, my poetry, supporting other authors and sometimes promoting my books. Then the best part was finding other blogs to follow.  I’ve have become very attached to several authors now, but not in a stalker kind of way. There are several blogs that I do not miss a post.  I love stories, book reviews, advice, humor, and personal insight. It’s time-consuming but very worth it to me.

I rarely share my writing experiences because I feel like I’m still learning. But, when I was asked a question on Goodreads about writing I realized I do have experience now to share.

Next week will continue with Part 3.

Watch for another special blog post this week.

Embrace your inner child by reading a book! D.L Finn