Your Readers Are Not Stupid

Ever felt a book was bad? Why do you think it was bad?

It had spelling errors.

It had grammatical errors.

The characters acted weird all of a sudden.

The plot had holes.

The story jumped its way to the end. 

The location/profession/etc. was absolutely nonsensical. 

A few of the many reasons why readers shun a book, and finally an author. 

If you want your book to sell well, remembering this one thing would help you write better:

My Readers Are Not Stupid. They Pay For My Book Because They Think It's Worth It. 

Prove it. 

Make full use of the spell & grammar checker. Hire a professional proofreader/editor.

Talk to your characters. Make them real with real reactions.

Get your book beta-read to identify plot holes that you might have missed. 

Do your research. Talk to people. Don't just google.

Last but not the least, revise it as many times as possible till it has the same quality that your favorite book has.

Because your reader is not stupid. Respect your reader. 

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Do Short Stories Sell?

Courtesy:Radial Direct

Of late, I have come across a lot of digital short stories and anthologies over various forums. Authors are excited about this new phenomenon where each story range typically from 8K-10K word count.

I have never bought a short story yet but I have enjoyed quite a few as giveaways. I know a lot others who feel the same way and prefer the longer versions of a story. Yet, there is no smoke without fire. If they are being written with much enthusiasm, there is an audience too. Hence, it piqued my interest and I went about doing my little research.

After reading through readers and authors experience with these digital bite sized stories, I concluded there are two ways to look at the short story reading/selling phenomena.

Direct Sales - Selling Short Stories - Single or series

There are authors who make a living just by writing and selling short stories. Yes, they do. In fact, Amazon has a dedicated page for shorts known as Kindle Singles. That definitely shows that even Amazon has seen the worth in short stories. Single short stories seem to be doing better than series short stories mainly because 10K is too short for a reader to feel satisfied. Single short stories, on the other hand, is a closed loop which can be quite satisfying if well written. Authors on popular Amazon forums have admitted to sales about 1000-1500 copies in couple of months on their short stories.

However, there are two points that have been repeatedly pointed out.

You need to publish more than one short story to see actual sales trickle through. General consensus is to have a consistent flow of short stories, in double digits to see any significant amount of sales. The good part of this is, at the end of the year, you can probably bundle it up and sell it at one go at a higher price. If you have accumulated good reviews by then, there is a higher chance that readers are willing to pay for the bundle. It is all about how you package your product.

The other point that the readers have often pointed out is they appreciate longer book, especially if its part of a series. A series short story is essentially a single book but broken down in to short parts to be sold separately. The general feeling here is that since the characters are the same, it is often a difficult part to leave them after just about 10K words. The urge to know more is strong in this case and though, it might convert in to sales, there is also a chance that the reader drop the series frustrated. This is something you should keep in mind when writing a short story. If you are selling it as series, ensure that the following books are published at short intervals.

Indirect Sales - Short story giveaway

Write a short story and give away for free. This is promotion for your full-length book. Short story is a form of introducing your potential reader to your writing and if he/she like it, then you just increased the probability of one more sale of your novel. I find it a very healthy way of promotion. This gives you an indirect sale. When offered for free, authors have reported downloads in thousands. If your short story is reaching thousands, it is definitely a wonderful exposure for the full length novel as well.

Though Amazon does not allow free shorts, there are scores of websites who do allow free shorts and which can actually turn in to a mine for your books.

If you are specifically looking at selling shorter length books and find full-length books too intimidating, there is a middle path - sell Novellas and Novelettes. Novellas are 20K-30K words and Novelettes are typically 15K-20K words. Novellas sell better than novelettes as the word count gives ample space to make up a good story. It is not too hard and a great way to release series as well.

This is my two pence about selling short stories. What has been your experience?

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Double Clutch Blog Tour : Liz Reinhardt

What happens when you fall for the perfect guy...twice...in one day?
Brenna Blixen spent her freshman year homeschooling in Denmark; now that she's back in the States, she's determined to make her sophomore year unforgettable. And by unforgettable, she imagined awesome classes, fun friendships, and maybe a little romance.
What she got was a whole lot of romance, and all at once.
The same day that dark, brooding Saxon Maclean charmed her with his killer good looks and whip-smart wit, Jake Kelly stole her breath away with his heart-wrenching smile and intelligent, thoughtful focus.
But Saxon is a proud player who makes it clear that he doesn't know why he can't get Brenna off of his mind and out of his system, and Jake's sweet and humble attitude hides a secret past life that might be darker and more complex than Brenna is willing to deal with.
Complicating the matter is the fact that Saxon and Jake were once best friends and are now arch-enemies...and the more Brenna finds out about their connection to each other, the more intrigued and worried she becomes.
Between keeping the peace with her lovingly over-protective parents, designing t-shirts for her high school's rising punk band, keeping up her grades in classes split between academic and technical high school, and running the track like a maniac, Brenna has enough to worry about without juggling two guys who make her heart thud and drive her crazy all at once.
She has to make a choice, but how is she supposed to do that when giving her heart to one of them might mean breaking the other's?
Recommended Age Group: Older YA

First Crush: How Loving Mike A. Made Me Want To Crimp My Hair, and Losing Him Made Me A Better Student


I recently wrote a YA contemporary romance, Double Clutch. When I wrote it, I thought back a lot on my past experiences with love, especially in high school. But I was a seasoned pro by the time high school rolled around! Because my issues with boys started when I was in kindergarten, and they rolled right along as I bridged the gap between elementary and middle school.

Jimmy V. had been my first romantic entanglement, way back in kindergarten. After an unfortunate incident that involved some laminated pink hearts with our names, a long trek to get milk, my attempt to save the milk and his injured arm, and the rash of cootie-related rumors that followed, I sealed my young heart to boys and romance. No more! I made it all the way through fourth grade being studious, having fun, and not even noticing boys in any hearts-and-giggles way. Until the end of fourth grade.

I love milk, but it had complicated romantic overtures all through elementary school. Young love can be so weird!

Mike A. had spikey blonde hair and the coolest hightops of anyone in our class. He was funny and charming, and was never, ever at a loss for girlish company. I was not remotely interested. Fourth grade was the year Mr. Lane let us write stories during free time on Fridays and read them out loud to the class. My buddy Becky B. and I were pretty consumed with our careers as blossoming fiction writers/orators. That all changed when we went to the Franklin Mines.

It did have a pretty cool fluorescent rock room!

There wasn't a ton about the creepy, shadowy mines and accompanying rock piles that inspired romance. But there was  gift shop. In it was a card that had gilt edges and featured a woman in a huge straw hat drinking tea. It is a complete mystery to me what this had to do with the Franklin Mines or romance, but Mike A. was an enterprising young man when it came to matters of the heart. He saw potential for a love connection where most boys saw the biggest rock piles they'd ever laid eyes on.

He approached me at the picnic tables with the card and handed it over with all the practiced nonchalance of a true player.

"This made me think of you." He smiled and adjusted the laces on his hightops.

I didn't drink tea or wear huge straw hats, but my ten-year-old heart was all in a swoon over the card. And inside! Inside it said, "I like you, Elizabeth." Were sweeter words ever written on any cheesy museum gift-shop card anywhere?

Like this! But even MORE romantic! If you can imagine...

Our relationship blossomed slowly. Really slowly. 

After the card, we didn't speak again. Summer passed and we entered fifth grade, when most boys caught up with Mike A. in the love department and romance blossomed. Fifth graders got to sit wherever they wanted to at lunch. There were no assigned tables in fifth grade! And we had lockers. It was a whole new world, and Mike A. was ready to take full advantage of all the romance it offered.

"How about I meet you at your locker before lunch, then we can sit together," he said, running a hand over his perfectly gelled blonde spikes.

I agreed happily. We met at my locker, and sat together at lunch. There may have been chirping birds and animated hearts. It's all fogged over with love in my memory. For three whole days we repeated this cycle, and Mike finally asked me to be his girlfriend. I agreed, happy to imagine day after day of sitting alongside each other at lunch and meeting at our lockers. 

Lockers! They unleashed our free spirits!

I was so smitten, I put my hair in tiny, tight braids when it was damp and slept with it that way to achieve the ultimate eye-catching hair-do, sure to make Mike A. love me forever. The crimp worked! Alas, it worked too well.

Apparently I looked so good with my new puffy do, Mike A. wanted to step our relationship up a notch. 

"I like your hair," he said. I beamed. "I want to hold hands during lunch."

I chewed my lip and looked around. No one else was holding hands. What would the teachers think? But there was an even bigger worry in my book. "I want to, Mike! I really do." I felt my voice drop. "But how can I hold your hand and eat my lunch?"

He swallowed hard and looked away. "Fine," he muttered.

He met me at my locker after the final bell. "Look," he said, not meeting my eyes. "I like you, but I don't think we're right for each other. Let's break up."

"Is it because I wouldn't hold your hand? I still don't get how you expected me to eat with one hand, Mike!" I protested.

"It's not just that." He raised his eyebrows. "I was thinking we should kiss, but if you won't even hold my hand..." He left it out there like a dare.

I was horrified. "You want to kiss me? I hardly know you! I'm not like that!" 

He shrugged. "Yeah, I figured. Well, then I guess we're breaking up."

My little heart was breaking. "You know what? I'm just glad you said it first. I wanted to say it, but I was afraid I'd hurt your feelings." I shut my locker calmly and ran to the bus, where I burst into heart-wrenching sobs.

The crimp was more powerful than I ever imagined!

To this day, my mother still hates poor Mike A.! He grew up to be a super nice guy, and he claims to not remember dumping me over the hand-holding/kiss, but apologized anyway. 

But I told him it was a blessing in disguise. If I had taken the plunge in fifth grade, I think my life would have panned out differently. 

As it was, I refused to crimp my hair and buried my nose in books to ease my pain. Oh sweet books! Fifth grade was one of the best reading years of my life! I read everything, and started to see myself as a young scholar when so many other girls were focused on kissing. 

It worked for me academically and romantically. Because I wound up getting the perfect first kiss from Aaron T. a few years later. If you'd like to read about that, please stop by http://awordsworth.blogspot.com/ on November 18th!

Thank you so much to Shilpa for letting me relive my young love on your blog!

Liz Reinhardt was born and raised in the idyllic beauty of northwest NJ. A move to the subtropics of coastal Georgia with her daughter and husband left her with a newly realized taste for the beach and a bloated sunscreen budget. Right alongside these new loves is her old, steadfast affection and longing for bagels and the fast-talking foul mouths of her youth.
She loves Raisinettes, even if they aren't really candy, the Oxford comma, movies that are hilarious or feature zombies, any and all books, but especially romance (the smarter and hotter, the better), the sound of her daughter's incessantly wise and entertaining chatter, and watching her husband work on cars in the driveway.
You can read her blog at www.elizabethreinhardt.blogspot.com, like her on Facebook, or email her at lizreinhardtwrites@gmail.com.

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How To Build Characters That Stay With Your Readers

At some point or the other, almost all of you must have wondered - what is more important? Character or the story? A valid question and my answer has always been my characters. 

Whenever I have thought of books, stories to write, it has spurned from a character. The situation they are in their lives, the actions that they perform, the decisions that they make is what makes a story for me. Hence, I give a lot of importance to building characters in my story. But how to build characters that can stay with your readers? 

Here are some of the tricks that I have learnt through research and from my friends:

1. Research Your Characters : Your character is a cop? Research the ways of cop, their profession, the hardships, or perks. Research exhaustively to reflect the life of a cop. This would ensure that your character's reaction to situation are as real-life as possible. Don't underestimate your reader when it comes to research. They often know much more than you because they do come from those professions. 

2. Know Your Characters Inside-Out: Some experts advise you to go as deep as their favorite ice-cream flavor (which is good to know, btw) but I do not go that far. If I know what makes my character tick, what scares her, what makes her happy, her habits, postures, etc., I think I am good. One of the ways, I keep track of that is writing out the story of each character. I dedicate about 1-2 pages to it, telling the story from their POV. It helps me see where they are coming from and their reactions as the story unfolds. 

You can also use post-its for each character and stick on your desk for easy reference. I use full A-4 pages!

3. Visualise your character: I often wish I could sketch but alas! My hands fail me miserably at the task. My sketches often end up looking like abominations on human race. See, I have this image of my characters in my head and I yearn to get them on paper for me to react to them better. Lucky thing that we are in the internet age because now you can google images! I often google for my characters and I do find people very similar to them. For example, my current novel that I am working on, Painting Ethan, has Ethan looking this way. 

Go on, swoon. :)  It helps me so much better in writing. Well, I guess a face like that would inspire anyone to write. LOL!

But you get the point, right? 

4. Still struggling? Talk to them: I have heard a lot of people telling me this. Interview your characters. Ask them questions about how they feel about a situation. Often their answers would be so different than yours. It is an incredible resource for you to know them better. Come on, try it.

Finally, the most important thing in creating believable characters is to believe in them yourself.  Treat them like real people and your readers will do the same! 

What do you do to create great characters? Which are some of the characters in books you have read that have stayed with you long after you read them?

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Why Do You Buy A Particular Book?

I have often wondered what makes one buy a book. The times that gets me thinking about this is when I discover a gem that no one talks about much. They lie at the corners of the bookstore, alone, shunned while other books shine brightly to our eyes. Fortunately, through fate or unavoidable circumstances, we stumble upon these undiscovered gems and wonder, why didn't I pick this before?

I thought of a few reasons:

1. Blurb: The blurb at the back page. That is my guide to the book and the right hook there makes me pick it. And writers, well, they do a great job at it!

2. Cover page: Don't judge a book by its cover? But we do judge them, don't we? It is sad, but our visual sense is so much more dominating that our reason. 

3. Visibility: There are a lot of people talking about it. In a good way. And sometimes, if they trash it too much, even that gets me itch to read that book. (I know, weird!). Visibility, of course, is directly linked to promotions. 

4. Reviews: I depend a lot on reviews. Reviews from reliable sites and blogs. But I often wonder, how many are genuine? Especially when they are part of promotions? 

What makes you buy a particular book? Please vote and let me know! 

Why Do You Buy A Particular Book?

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10 Things I Wish I Would Have Known BEFORE Writing My Novel

My second special guest is Emlyn Chand, author of Farsighted. This book is so hot today that people are lapping it up before you even blink. A multi-cultural, unique story that a lot of people are extremely happy about. I am very excited to read it too and will post a review soon.
Emlyn is guest posting today and she has some great tips to share! Thank you Emlyn!

 

When did you have enough confidence in your abilities to officially call yourself a writer? For me, it was when I first received money for my work as a freelance columnist. For you, it may have been when you finished the first chapter of your first novel or won a prize for a short story. Maybe you never had any qualms about saddling yourself with this label. Maybe you still don’t consider yourself a “real writer.” Me? Now I know enough to see that I was a writer long before someone handed me that first paycheck. It’s kind of something you’re born with—like it or not. But being an author, that’s different. The term writer focuses more on the craft—engaging in the actual activity of writing. The term author encompasses not only the craft but also the business aspect of it. So when are you worthy of the label author? Why, when you publish your first book of course! I write this post just days before I make the transition from writer to author. My first novel Farsighted releases on October 24, which means my 26-year-long (AKA life-long) dream is finally coming true. When I look back at the journey that brought me to the peak of this beautiful achievement, I can’t help but think of what I wish I’d have known before starting on my path. I’ve identified 10 lessons I’ve learned along the way. Maybe you already know these things. Maybe you don’t. I’m gonna share ‘em anyway...

 1. Something’s gotta give. Writing is not something you can do with just a little bit of effort. To get through the first draft, editing, what-have-you, you'll have to work hard! Yes, you could space it out over several years, but if you want to finish anytime this year, you’re going to have to make sacrifices. For me, this was less time with friends and family, less television, and less attention to my health (eating right and exercising). Oops.

  2. Write what you want to write—not what you think you should be writing. Boy, this was a hard one to learn. I’ve always fallen back on being “that smart girl.” When things didn’t go right in my personal life or when I was picked last in gym class, I took pride in my intellect. Therefore, I’ve always done what I can to improve my wit and make my best trait the best it can be. That being said, I spent a long time forcing myself to read classic literature. I did enjoy it, and I still do, but it’s definitely not what I find most entertaining (YA is). Still I kept at the classic literature because it was important to me that others respect my intelligence (damaged by high school much? :-P). Naturally when I decided to write a novel, it came out as literary fiction. That’s the me I wanted to portray to the world. I wanted people to salivate over my talent and proclaim my literary merit... Except the novel wasn’t that good, because it wasn’t a piece of who I really am. Now that I’ve cozied into YA, I couldn’t be happier. And the larger facade of who I once pretended to be has lifted. I. AM. FREE. Now this lesson doesn’t just mean: don’t put on a false front. It also means: don’t chase trends. Write what your heart wants to write, and it’ll all be good in the end.

 3. You’re going to make mistakes. LOTS of mistakes. Practice makes perfect. Well, it makes it better than before. You may be an excellent writer, but if you’ve never written a novel before, you’re a newbie. That’s okay too! When writing that all-important first novel, you’re pretty much going to make every mistake in the book. In my first novel, I really struggled with keeping a consistent point-of-view and writing authentic dialogue. The POV problem was very difficult to fix, but in trying, I learned an important lesson—one I couldn’t have learned if I hadn’t made such huge blunders. Now that I do know how to correct and avoid these problems, dialogue and POV are two of my strongest areas (at least that’s what readers tell me).

4. Writer’s detour is a bigger problem than writer’s block. Writer’s block gets all the PR, but it’s not as dangerous as writer’s detour. When you’re blocked you’re not moving forward. When you take a detour, you’re moving in the wrong direction. Will you get to California quicker by taking a small rest in Boise, or will you get there quicker by following a pretty red car to Ontario first? (My advice, drive straight-on through to Cali if you can). Don’t get so caught up with a minor character (or a theme you want to convey) that you stray all over the place. Which brings me to my next point...

5. Structure is important. We writers fall into two camps: pantsers and plotters. Some pantsers consider themselves superior, because their writing leads their plots—not the other way around. I used to think like that too. Even if you want to keep your plotline fluid, you need some form of structure. Shudder at the thought of outlining? Then mapping your characters is crucial. You need to know where you’re going and/or who's taking you there. Otherwise you’re just groping about in the dark. Yes, writing is absolutely a creative process, but don’t under-estimate the value of good planning.

6. Novel #1 may never leave the drawer. Or it may leave the drawer, journey around the query circuit, and then come right back to where it started. My first novel DID get me an agent, but 9 drafts later, it still wasn’t good enough to publish. When my agent suggested I change 2/3 of it for draft 10, I decided to move onto my next project. I just wasn’t enjoying the process anymore. I’m so glad I finally called it quits on novel #1, because novel #2 is so much better, and now I get to put it out there into the world. If I would’ve kept agonizing over the inferior manuscript, novel #2 may have never happened!


7. When you’re done, you’re not done. I’m just a big ball of sunshine today, aren’t I? But it’s important to understand just how much work follows being “done.” Anne Lamott said it best in Bird by Bird, you’re going to write “shitty first drafts.” I can guarantee it! Don’t let that stop you, just be prepared for it.

8. Writing is a business just as much as it’s an art. Getting a novel published and promoting it once it’s out there is infinitely more work than writing a novel in the first place. That’s not to under-value the writing process, but it’s true. Sure, you can finish your novel, self-publish it, and then do virtually nothing to promote it. Fine. But if you actually want to sell copies of your book, you’ve gotta handle the business side of things. Finding an agent is an extremely formal business interaction—you even have to write fancy business (AKA query) letters. Marketing your book is a TON of work. It’s pretty fun (at least, I think so, but I moonlight as a book publicist, so I realize I might not be normal). However, being fun is not equivalent to being easy. Not even close. Expect lots of work and lots of stress and not very much sleep. The good news: you get out what you put in, so give it all you can!

9. Querying will destroy your soul. My unhappy place is remembering query letter Hell. I honestly can’t remember anything harder in my life. Ever. Make sure you have a good support system in place. Because even if you’re brilliant, you can pretty much expect a slew of rejections. I ultimately got an agent but had to suffer through 60 “not for us”s first. Of course, it hurts. As writers, we pour our hearts and souls into our manuscript. Our words are a part of who we are. Having a faceless stranger tell you it’s not good enough is pure torture. End of argument.

10. You will sustain injuries. Gosh, my neck is killing me while I’m writing this post. You’re probably going to get neck and back pain too. Headaches from staring at the computer too long. Possible eye problems. Definite poor posture. Maybe even carpal tunnel syndrome. That’s just the way it goes, so be prepared. Seems pretty cynical, doesn’t it? I <3 the craft and would never abandon it (like I even have a choice), but I find that those who are starting out with visions of Stephen King or JK Rowling-esque fame already see the pretty side of writing—the glamor. Having a balanced picture is so important. Even still, all the practical knowledge just can’t compare to experiential knowledge. Follow YOUR path to author-hood, make your own mistakes, learn lessons from them, and then share with the rest of us.  

THE BOOK: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Get your copy today by visiting Amazon.com’s Kindle store or the eBook retailer of your choice. The paperback edition will be available on November 24 (for the author’s birthday).

THE CASH PRIZES: Guess what? You could win a $100 Amazon gift card as part of this special blog tour. That’s right! Just leave a comment below saying something about the post you just read, and you’ll be entered into the raffle. I could win $100 too! Please help by voting for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll. To cast your vote, visit the official Farsighted blog tour page and scroll all the way to the bottom. Thank you for your help with that.

THE GIVEAWAYS: Win 1 of 10 autographed copies of Farsighted before its paperback release by entering the giveaway on GoodReads. Perhaps you’d like an autographed postcard from the author; you can request one on her site.

THE AUTHOR: Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!

MORE FUN: There's more fun below. Watch the live action Farsighted book trailer and take the quiz to find out which character is most like you!  

 

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Two Moons Of Sera - By Pavarti K.Tyler

I have something special for you all today. About two special women. So, there are going to be two posts!

My first special guest is Pavarti K Tyler, the author of series "Two Moons of Sera" and also the owner of her publishing venture "The Fighting Monkey Press". I have read the first in "Two Moons of Sera" and was spellbound by the unique world that she has created. It is a must read if you are in to fantasy novels. And guess what, it is just $0.99! Here are the links if you want to make a buy -  Amazon and Smashwords.  Yes, I loved it enough to actually telling you to buy it! :)
So, without wasting any more time, I present you Pavarti K. Tyler!

Hello Pavarti! Please tell us something about your book.



Two Moons of Sera takes place on a world where there are two species of people (so far anyway *wink*wink*).  The Sualwets are a water-borne people whose survival has depended on practicality.  Alternately the Erdlanders are more human-esque but their species is dying out.  Driving them to extreme measures. This is the background of a coming of age story which will resonate with anyone who has ever felt on the outside.

Excerpt –


“How did I get here? The point of living was insignificant. I was just sixteen, my birthday had passed without comment or celebration. My entire existence had been spent in hiding. A war raged around me, while I hid safely in my utopian cove. I never did anything wrong, there was nothing to do. A lifetime of nothing spanned behind me and stretched endlessly in front of me. Stories from books and melodisks told of adventures and loves, stories I had never forgotten. Each one engraved in my soul like a promise.

Until I met Tor. Torkek.

Until he spoke to me, sat with me, yelled at me, frightened me.

Each movement he made fed my hunger for experience. Each emotion he inspired within me made him more and more vital. I knew I couldn't have him. I couldn't be the princess from the fairytales who walked hand in hand with the man who saved her from the monsters. The stories were all the same. The princess thanked her savior with a kiss so painfully true, it sealed their love forever. Instead, I would have to say goodbye and he would leave. I would ache for him to return and maybe one day he would, but never for long. The reality of my existence excluded his presence. I was an abomination, a mutant, a hybrid never meant to exist. What would he think when he found out the truth?”

Your book was simply unique and fascinating. How did you get the idea of Sera, Sualwet, Erdlanders?


It actually all came from an amazing picture I found on Tumblr.  It haunted me and my mind just kept swirling with thoughts of the world in which this picture would happen.  It was originally Nilafay (the mother) who caught my attention, but as I kept dreaming another story revealed itself.

How did you build up this unique world? What were the steps that you took to build a credible world? This would be especially useful for aspiring fantasy authors.

World Building is a full time job.  When I read a book I love it when I can lose myself in the landscape of the story. Sometimes, there are even stories I enjoy despite weak plots because of the excellent World Building (Across the Universe).  But what is it that goes into the creation of a world.  I really had no idea until I started writing Two Moons of Sera.

If done well your new world will include technology, psychology, anthropology and sociology: to help create a realistic and fleshed out cultures.  Once you have that it is only natural to continue on to explore issues of philosophy and religion.

So, check out the quiz below and tell me how I did!

http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/fDQ5pqH/Two-Moons-of-Sera-personality-Quiz-Are-you-an-Erdlander-a-Sualwet-or?view_quiz=1

Your books are like capsules/digital short stories but they are a continuation. More like a TV Soap. How do you feel about it? I, for one, am eagerly waiting for the next installment. But do you think you might also lose some readers because they have to wait?

My reasoning for doing this is so that early readers of Two Moons of Sera are rewarded for going on this adventure with me.  Right now the ebook is only $0.99 and purchase ensures you get all future installments for free.  As each volume is added the price will increase, meaning that those who come to the story later won't get the same great price and experience as those who buy it now.  

It's risky for sure but it is my hope that by releasing Two Moons of Sera in this manner the reader will be able to engage and lose themselves in the story: live in and experience it more fully.  I for one am likely to devour a book.  I read the entire Twilight Saga in one week.  That's an astronomical number of pages.  But what happens is you miss details and forget plots, all in the interest of consuming the story.

In the 1800s, most popular fiction was released in serial format, either individually or as part of a magazine.  Even Charles Dickens released a number of his novels this way and more recently Steven King published The Plant as a serial. I'm hoping this style with appeal to those who want a more interactive experience with the author and other readers.  If not, folks can just wait until it's done and read the whole thing at once.  Upon release of the final installment I will also be releasing a paperback copy.

When is the book two due? 

January 1st 2012, but those who sign up for my 2MOS newsletter MAY get an early peak :)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dFFkZi11NE9kZ19EU0xDaWg2VzF6d2c6MQ#gid=0

You also own the "Fighting Monkey Press". Tell us more about it?

FMPress is a subsidiary of Fighting Monkey Productions.  I have been running my own business since 1999 in various forms.  Originally it was a technology company and then I used it to hire day work for a theatrical production I was working on (Miss Siagon).  It's evolved to include my husband's technology form, my accounting business and now as a conduit to produce my books.  I've really enjoyed learning about the publishing business and am working to position my novels as professionally as possible.

Are you accepting submissions currently?

As of now I am not.  It's not something I'm really prepared to do at this point, but may be in the future.

Finally, what is your favorite quote in the book?

Excerpt from Part II

Sal's hand rested on Elle's hip as she wrapped one arm around his neck, pulling him closer. Their bodies curved together, deepening the contact. My breathing sped up and I felt like a thousand suns had been ignited within the room. Their touch was so easy, their love so clear. I had dreamed of a prince who would save me from my life of monotony and offer me something more. Watching Elle open her mouth and reach out to Sal showed me what that "something more" was.

Too soon the chamber walls descended and I was alone, cold with no one's lips upon mine in a room full of strangers. But the tingling of my skin remained. 

As I turned, I saw Tor standing on the other side of the room, next to a chattering Lock. His eyes were full of the fire I felt lick at my skin as he watched me. 

Pavarti K Tyler is an artist, wife, mother and number-cruncher who has been committed to causing trouble since her first moment on this Earth. Her eclectic career has flirted with Broadway, Teaching, Law Firms and the IRS. Author of many short stories, Pavarti spans genres from Horror and Erotica all the way to Fantasy. Currently Pavarti is hard at work establishing her Indie Publishing Company Fighting Monkey Press.
Pavarti K Tyler's novel Two Moons of Sera is a Fantasy/Romance and will be released in a serial format beginning this fall.  Her next novel Shadow on the Wall is scheduled for release in early 2012. Shadow on the Wall is Book One of The SandStorm Chronicles, the saga of Recai Osman — businessman, philosopher, Muslim and . . . superhero.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94565

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NaNoWriMo: Break Through Non-Writing Inertia

For my Monday Spotlight this week, I thought there was no better topic than NaNoWriMo. It is my first year at NaNoWriMo and I have had a good run till now. But miles to go before I sleep. Then, I met Sean, my writing buddy. His first year too and boy, he did his research! He is here today sharing with us all a bit of NaNoWriMo history and a lot of motivation that we all need for us to go through the month! Hope you enjoy the post as much as I did.

For years I've known National Novel Writing Month was lurking out there, occasionally making itself known via friends who brazenly placed NaNoWriMo badges on their blogs, spouted off about writing a novel in a month, and so on.

But, finally, after sitting on this for a few weeks, I decided late this past Saturday night that it was high time to sign up and commit myself — not to the loony bin, but to hashing out my own 50,000-word novel in the month of November.

That's right, a novel in a month.

On average, that amounts to 1,667 words per day, seven days a week, no days off. No small task, particularly when the vast majority of participants, referred to as wrimos, are likewise earning a living, earning a degree, or taking care of children and other loved ones.

Not only that. There are also children, or young folk at least, who are writing their own novels in a month. One such brave soul sent me my first NaNoWriMo ‘Writing Buddy’ invitation on Sunday morning. I don't know his whole real name, but his NaNoWriMo profile (http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/iampaulop11) says he's a 17-year-old Harry Potter fan from the Philippines.

I accepted the invitation, of course, as I'll need all the help I can get despite the fact that I earn my living as a creative writing (and mindful living) teacher, guide and mentor.

My new writing buddy and I will be joining somewhere in the neighborhood of a quarter of a million participants, worldwide, who have likewise committed to writing a novel within the thirty days of November. For although the movement got started in the San Francisco Bay area in 1999, with just twenty-one writers apparently plying themselves with caffeine and muffins (http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/about/history), twelve years on it has grown into a global literary phenomenon.

More than ninety novels have thus far been published which were born out of this annual event. This includes two #1 New York Times bestsellers — Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants and Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus.

The intention, however, is not to complete a finely polished manuscript. Rather, the idea — which goes perfectly with the way I teach my creative writing classes — is to break through non-writing inertia as well as the tendency many writers have to heavily edit and harshly critique themselves as they write. So the emphasis is on quantity, not to the exclusion of quality, but in recognition of the fact that to produce a quality work, one must first get down the story in a first draft, what American writing teacher Julia Cameron (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Cameron) calls laying track.

Now, Dear Reader, there's a good chance that you, interested as you are in reading about the writing of a novel in a month, are harboring thoughts of one day writing your own novel. Why wait for that ever-elusive “one day” when an ideal opportunity is at hand throughout this month? Don’t worry about the event having already started. Even the NaNoWriMo program director is late out of the gates with her own writing (http://ow.ly/7gUCN).

And, at the end of the month, wouldn’t it be infinitely better to perhaps fall a few thousand words shy of the 50,000-word goal rather than not to have written anything at all?

You can learn more about National Novel Writing Month by visiting the NaNoWriMo website (http://www.nanowrimo.org). And you can follow the latest goings-on via Twitter, either by following @NaNoWriMo (http://twitter.com/NaNoWriMo) or by searching on the #NaNoWriMo hashtag.

If you'd like to keep an eye on this writer’s daily NaNoWriMo and other goings-on, you're cordially invited to follow me on Twitter as well: @SeanMMadden (http://twitter.com/SeanMMadden).

Finally, as if writing a novel in a month isn't enough on top of everything else I do — and this is where it really gets crazy — I also intend to write regular blog posts on my website, MindfulLivingGuide.com (http://MindfulLivingGuide.com), about the mad-dash process of penning a 50,000-word novel in a month. Those blog posts, though, will have to take a backseat to the primary task at hand.


As a Creative Writing and Mindful Living Guide, Sean M. Madden teaches writing, literature and mindful living classes in the UK, and provides one-to-one guidance and mentoring worldwide. He invites readers to follow or contact him on Twitter (@SeanMMadden).

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Snowstorm, NaNoWriMo and My Throbbing Toe!

A lot of you must have observed that I haven't really posted much in the last couple of weeks. I have been caught up in lot of things at once and I am so lucky and grateful that I had some wonderful authors and books to keep you all entertained. But in spite of all the work I had, I have missed blogging.

I missed blogging terribly because it is a wonderful way I get to share my thoughts and writing with you all. Add to it the fact that I haven't had much time to read as well. It was, in short, a dry spell in my life. Below are just a few things that got me off the blog:

1. Snowstorm in NJ - This has the biggest impact on my online life. We did not have power till this wednesday and it affected a lot in terms of my writing and blogging. It sucked but I am glad everything is back to normal now. My first snow fall indeed became quite memorable. Pun intended!

2. NaNoWriMo - Despite my decision to not participate, I ended up participating. This can be owed to a brainstorm I had on 31st Oct about a wonderful story that I am writing now and thought NaNoWriMo would be a good way to finish writing it. I am glad I joined the challenge the very same day. My aim is not to touch 50K words in a month. It is to complete this story which might as well be just 30K. Either way, I win! The novel is tentatively named "Painting Ethan" and I intend to keep it so.  I love the name Ethan. I hope once it is done, a lot of you would enjoy it. I am enjoying writing it.

3. I hurt my toe! - Yes, I did. Mac almost broke my toe when it decided to slip from hands and grace my toe. Seriously, I did not drop it. It slipped! It hurt pretty bad and I was mostly sleeping due to the pain killers. They made me super drowsy. It is better now and I finally get to go to work as well. But guess what, I cannot wear shoes! It still hurts to wear a shoe. I would have to wear open toe slippers to office. *cringe*

These are just a few things that got me off blogging. But there are few good things that have happened too.

1. I am on twitter now! - Did you notice the new blue button I put below my profile? Click on that you can follow me on twitter. My user name is @shilpammirza. I am learning the ways but I found its fun. So many wonderful people to connect with.

2. My article on Bent Pine Publishing - Award winning author Bette Lee Crosby liked one of my blog posts and she asked if she could republish it. Of course, I was super delighted. It was truly an honor. She has published the article on their Publishing company website - Bent Pine Publishing. This is the link to it : http://wp.me/p1HSgW-37 . Please go over and give it a look.

3. Painting Ethan - I am very excited about this story. It is a beautiful love story between a painter and content writer. I hope it comes as beautiful as I see it in my mind.

That is all for today. I intend to write more often now. Hope things are smoother now! Thank you for visiting my site and encouraging me though I haven't been able to do so myself. 

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Whirl: An Ondine Quartet Novel By Emma Raveling

Seventeen-year-old Kendra Irisavie is an ondine, a water elemental caught in the middle of an ancient war with the Aquidae, immortal dark demons who will stop at nothing to destroy the fragile balance of the Elemental world.
Fierce and independent, Kendra has always played by her own rules. Gifted with the powerful magic of Virtue and trained to be a deadly fighter, she has spent her life breaking hearts and getting into trouble.
When her life explodes one violent night in a northern California city, a dark stranger appears, promising answers to her mysterious past. Alone and with no one to trust, she must now navigate through a dangerous new world, face the temptations of a forbidden romance, and remain true to her duty and destiny.
All while the Aquidae continue to hunt her down, in the hopes of eliminating her forever…

Move aside Vampires. Ondines are here! Presenting you the author of this wonderful series, Emma Raveling who (surprise, surprise!) started her writing journey with the NaNoWriMo challenge! What better way to get inspired than a NaNoWriMo success story. So, without further delay, please welcome Emma Raveling!


Hello Emma! Tell us something about your new Ondine Quartet Series.

Hi, Shilpa! Thank you so much for having me here today.

The Ondine Quartet series is a new young adult urban fantasy/paranormal romance. Whirl is the first book in the series and was just released last month. The main character is Kendra Irisavie, a seventeen-year-old water elemental known as an ondine. For thousands of years, the water elemental world has been at war with the Aquidae, immortal and soulless demons.

Kendra is raised to be a warrior, a tough fighter who has mastered numerous martial arts forms. Her life dramatically changes one night and she suddenly finds herself having to deal with a new world that forces her to question everything she has ever learned or known. She faces life-threatening challenges, as well as emotional risks of her heart.

In a YA fantasy book world saturated with wolves and vampires, how did you get the idea of Ondine characters?

I didn't start out with the idea of writing a YA fantasy book. I consider myself a fantasy writer simply because it allows me the freedom to explore a wide variety of genres.

Part of my new year's resolution in January 2011 was to publish this year. No excuses. As I thought about what to write, there was a conscious decision to not write another vampire/werewolf book. I do enjoy vampire and wolf books (especially when they're done well) but I simply felt that was not the kind of story I wanted to tell for my debut book.

So what to write? I thought a lot about it and put aside a lot of ideas that I felt wouldn't work. I wasn't sure what kind of novel it was going to be (young adult or adult, fantasy or paranormal, horror, dystopic, etc.) and I ended up sort of waiting for inspiration to strike.

The inspiration for the Ondine Quartet series ultimately came from a piece of classical music. The French composer Maurice Ravel composed a work for solo piano called Gaspard de la Nuit. This music was based upon a series of poems by Aloysius Bertrand.

The first movement of Ravel’s piece, entitled Ondine, is based upon the poem of the same name by Bertrand. I included this poem as the epigraph in Whirl. Based upon an old French myth, the poem tells the story of Ondine, a water nymph who sings to a mortal man, attempting to lure him to her. He rejects her love and pleas to join her in ruling the water world. Heartbroken, Ondine fades away, disappearing beneath the waves.

I heard a performance of this work in late January and an image flashed into my mind of a teenage girl, partially standing in the ocean. It was a haunting image. She seemed so very lonely. But her eyes burned. They were powerful - the eyes of a fighter, a warrior. Intrigued, I began exploring that idea in my head and the Ondine Quartet was born.

How was the experience? How difficult or easy was it for you to create this unique world?

I found the experience to be very exciting! I didn't do much research into water elementals or mythology, other than the basics of selkie lore. The reason why was because I wanted to create my own mythology and world.

I suppose the difficulty was the amount of work that I put into constructing the world before I even began writing. I didn't really consider it difficult, though,  because I was enjoying myself too much! I spent a great deal of time constructing the Ondine Quartet world - everything from the history of the society, magic and special powers, politics and government, the different races of water elementals, and societal and moral values.

I also researched French etymology and the Anglo-Norman historical connection. This was the basis behind many of the terms and names used in the book (race names, location names, character names, etc.), all of which were constructed out of specific meanings and particular word roots.

Publishing jitters? What was the difficult part?

Publishing is both exciting and a bit nerve-wracking at the same time. Writing a novel feels like having a child. You’ve spent so much time, work, effort, love, and care in creating and nurturing it and then you set it free into the world. It can be difficult and hard to let it go in that way.

Another difficulty for me has been the fact that publishing takes up a lot of time, especially on the business end. I would much rather spend that time writing and working on the next book!

and the fun part?

The best part about publishing has been the complete creative control I've had over every aspect of my book. I love it, especially since I had such a particular and specific concept for this series.

Another great part has been the response I've been getting from readers. When they take the time to write to me about how much they loved my characters or the story, it absolutely makes my day. It's thrilling and makes me feel as though all those hours of sweat and hard work were worth it!

You have a wonderful book trailer for book 1 - Whirl. How effective do you think book trailers are?

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

I don’t consider book trailers a means of promotion. This is because I've never bought a book because of its trailer. I believe the world of visual imagery and the world of books (dictated by words) are two separate things. The purpose of the two mediums are vastly different. 

But I have gone and looked up book trailers for books I enjoyed. It somehow adds an extra dimension to what I’ve read and acts almost like an extra element that can support the world building. 

So when I made the book trailer for Whirl, my intention was for it to be something for fans of the series. There are things in the video that hint at key moments in the book, and I hope readers who enjoyed Whirl will go and watch the trailer and relive some of those moments.

NaNoWriMo! Your journey as a writer started with it and you are doing it this year as well. Advice to first timers like me? :)

NaNoWriMo is fantastic! Like you mentioned, I first did it last year, mainly because I wanted to get into the habit of writing daily. Once I completed it, I didn't want to stop! I wanted to keep writing every day, and this was part of what pushed me into the decision to publish this year. 

I think the most important thing with NaNo is to remember why you're doing it (meaning it's fun and provides a good kick to jump-start your writing muscles) and to develop the consistent discipline of writing. 

Writing is hard. To write consistently on a daily basis is much harder than people realize. NaNo is one of those fantastic events that can really teach you that. 

My best advice would be to shut off your inner editor and write as consistently as possible. If you have extra time on any given day, fit in more words. Because there will inevitably be a day in the month when you can't write, either because life gets in the way or your brain has come to a standstill. Writing more on a day when you're inspired or have more time will help you from falling too far behind. 

Last but not the least, your favorite quote in the whole book!

"Responsibility is not something you always get to choose. In fact, responsibility is often something that chooses you." - Nexa Genevieve (Kendra's magic mentor). 

Want to know more about Emma? 

Visit her website for more details about her book. She blogs frequently at Writing Ventures. You can also find her on Facebook and she tweets as @emmaraveling. And the best part - If this interview tickled you and want to read her book, you can buy it at Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords! 

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