Happy October, everyone!
To kick off the spookiest and most magical month of the year, we — myself and four other fantasy authors — are bringing you an awesome giveaway!
Just by entering the Rafflecopter below, you can be entered for a chance to win not one, not two, but FIVE SIGNED books. And who doesn’t need five new books??
Hurry hurry! The giveaway will end on October 7th. š
Good luck!
After the busy blur that was my week at Tinker Mountain Writer’s Workshop, I almost forgot I had scheduled this cover reveal for today!
We have aboutĀ 30 minutes left of the day, so without any further ado…dun dun dun…here it is:
Isn’t Bimnid just the most precious little dragon you’ve ever seen??!! š
And the synopsis:
Bimnid is the puniest dragon on the Island of Bones. Not only is he tiny, but he does not have the shiniest scales, or the sharpest teeth, or the loudest roar. When the island is threatened by dragon-hunters, Bimnid looks to the other dragons for help, only to discover that everyone ā even the fiercest ā is afraid.
Can Bimnid find the courage to save his horde and earn his name?
I can’t end this post without sending out a HUGE THANK YOU to my wonderful illustrator, Sarah Waterfield. Without her, there would be no Bimnid and Co.
You can find Sarah online at herĀ website and on Facebook, if you want to check out more of her wonderful art.
The Littlest Dragon with be available to purchase in hardback and paperback very soon; stay tuned for the official release date!
This past Wednesday, we (me and my madre) threw a little shindig to celebrate the release of Stones. We danced, we kissed, we schmoozed, we carried on, we went home happy!
Just kidding…unfortunately there was no dancing or kissing, but there was schmoozing and eating. And I went home pretty happy because my friends brought me gifts of wine and cupcakes. They know the way to a girl’s heart! š
Without further ado, here are some pictures!
the beautiful venue. such a pretty day for a party!
the room before guests arrived
me, being all author-y
signing pics of my face for a high school library
signing books!
being slightly less author-y
It’s aliiiiivvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Well, the digital version is anyway.
pretty paperback. y i no hav u
Long story short, I am having technical difficulties with CreateSpace, who keeps rejecting my interior file. I was able to order one proof copy, found a pretty big formatting issue, and haven’t been able to pass the updated file through the CS review system since. I’ve been trying for almost a week. Frustrated is understatement, let me tell ya!
Anywho, the formatters are working on it (they’re as baffled as I am) and we’re going to outsmart the technology! I just don’t know when. Eventually! ASAP! š„
Instead of pushing the release date back indefinitely, I decided to proceed with releasing the eBook! Huzzah!
Here are the buy links I have so far:
Apple iBooks, Page Foundry, and ScribdĀ will be coming shortly, as soon as they approve the uploads!
I don’t know about you guys, but I am totally exhausted. This book baby birthing process is not for the faint of heart, and sometimes it still doesn’t feel real. Like, this has actually happened. I have released my creation out into the big wide world for public consumption. Ack. Eee.
I think I need a stiff drink. Or a really long nap.
Look at those covers!
Iām not ready for today to be the last day of 2014; honestly, I donāt know how the year disappeared so fast. But, since tomorrow will begin a new year, I figured a little introspection was in order.
I donāt normally like to make a big hubbub about New Yearās resolutions, mainly because I donāt make them. Iām more of a short-term and long-term goals kind of girl. Sometimes they get written down, sometimes they donāt. 
That being said, I canāt tell you what I was thinking about this time last year (two years ago, I was suffering through the aftereffects of mutant strep throat, so I wasnāt thinking about much). But I can tell you what I managed to accomplish.
In February, I founded a YA critique group. Weāre still going strong!
In April, I made the decision to indie publish my first novel. My goal was to get it out into the world in December, but I underestimated how long the process would take. So I guess I get to carry this goal over into 2015ā¦huzzah!
In August, I found a new job, which has its ups and downs.
In September, I dumped the guy I always (not literally always, but you get the idea) thought I wanted to be with. Best. Decision. Eva. (And yes, Iām counting this as an accomplishment, and if you knew all the details of this, you would as well).
In October, I closed on my condo. MY FIRST PLACE. YAY ADULTHOOD.
In December, I was able to unveil the cover of Stones, which was some very exciting stuff. I was also able to turn 26 with minimal fuss and no quarter-life crisis breakdowns.
Those are the highlights of 2014ā¦now we can proceed to goals for 2015!
Hereās the most obvious one: publish Stones and Finger Bones. This will be happening in February! I am thinking it will be ready to go by Valentineās Day weekend, but Iām not releasing a specific date until I get the bugger formatted.
The rest of my goals are going to be broken down in categories for easy reference and so I can make lists. I love lists.
Overall Heath & Wellness:
Home Improvements:
Reading, Writing, & Publishing:
And there be my goals! Mostly manageable, I think. I probably wonāt be officially publishing anything else in 2015ā¦but never say never! This, of course, depends on how fast I get things drafted, polished, edited, and all that jazz. If anything, I can aim for publishing the novella at the end of the year, but Iām not going to make than an official goalā¦yet. š
Happy New Year, minions!
As the release date for Stones creeps ever closer, I find myself growing ever more anxious. The cover is out in the world, with my name on it and guysā¦Iām kind of freaking out.
I think Iāve officially entered the āWhat in the name of fluffy unicorns have I done?ā phase of publishing. Has anyone else been there?
If you were reading my other blog, you might know that I started writing this book at seventeen. Do you know how long that is? Nine years. Nine! Thatās almost a decade, and now Iām just going to throw my baby out into the world and let her be judged and dissected and poked and prodded??
(Maybe no one will notice. But, my mother has been telling every living person she knows, so maybe not.)
Insanity. Madness, I tell you.
I know thereās very little left of the story 17-year-old Jessica envisioned; I donāt think thereās an original sentence left, but these characters have been with me since the beginning (most of them, anyway. The telepathic cat got cut).
Needless to say, I feel very affectionately towards Aurelia & Co. and it distresses me that someone out in the world ā or the internet ā might not feel the same way.
Which brings me to the other point of this post: reviews.
Iām supposed to be working on writing a scene that fleshes out some character development, but in the name of procrastination, Iāve been reading negative reviews of popular books on Goodreads.
Is this productive and/or healthy? I donāt know.
But Iām rationalizing this frenzied research by saying Iām preparing myself for the worst. How bad can it get?
Hahahahahahahahahaha.
Now, I like to think that Iām pretty thick-skinned. My writing has been taking punches since my first Intro to Creative Writing class in college, which I handled very gracefully, with only minimal griping behind the professorās back. But these were very supportive environments, and mediated so things could never get too nasty.
Ever sorted the reviews of a book you liked by the users who gave 1 star? Yeah.
Most of the time these reviews are well-structured, eloquent, constructive, and sometimes amusing. And sometimes I agree with them. Iāll admit it; I donāt like every book I read, even though I know the author invested a lot of time and energy into the writing of it. I know they probably feel the same way I do about their ābabiesā.
Iām sure a āWhat the hell is this shit?ā still stings, even for the most established authors.
But, hereās the kicker: established authors with popular, traditionally published books have 15,000 positive reviews, glowing with praise, to balance out the 800-1000 negative reviews.
As a soon-to-be indie author, like all the awesome indie authors before me, my work is going to live or die by reviews and recommendations. And one āWhat the hell is this shit?ā review could dissuade many a potential buyer or new fan.
By no means do I have a perfect book (does anyone?) and Iām sure there will a typo or two (hopefully just two) that evaded the many eyes that looked over Stones.
Writers and editors are still human, people! š
But, I think Iāve crafted an entertaining read, at the very least, and no one will feel the urge to āhurl this book across the room with disgustā.
What about you, fellow indies? How do you feel about reviews and how do you handle them?
