IWSG Wednesday: Apologies & Updates

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Wednesday. Thank you again to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the creator of the group. The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to this group of supportive writers. If it's something you're not familiar with, then please click on Alex's link above for more information and to sign up!

I feel bad that I missed last month's post and had to make sure I did not repeat the folly so Alex doesn't kick me out of the group. Sorry, Alex! Where did May go? The last few weeks have just flown by and I leave for Kauai tomorrow for a week-long vacation. Maybe that had something to do with the month disappearing in a flash. I just bought Dan Brown's new book, Inferno, to read as I lie on the beach for the better part of a week. I hope I don't get too burned...haha.

It's only taken a little over a year, but all the ebook versions of my books, Provex City and SUSY Asylum, are now available: Kindle, Nook, iBookstore, Kobo, and Smashwords. I've been working on getting the 2nd Edition of Provex City out, and it is finally available! It has been a lot of work getting both of my books formatted for paperback (on Amazon) and multiple ebook readers, but in the end, I believe it was worth it. Now I can get back to writing and promoting again.

I've put a lot of thought into what I am going to write next, and I have decided to step away from the Lorne Family Vault series for a little while and write a brand new book. And this decision came after I'd already fully outlined the third book in the series--figures. I ultimately decided to start a brand new project because I'd like to submit again, to work on getting traditionally published while continuing to promote my self-published books. The new book will be written as a standalone, so once I start submitting, I can dive right back into the Lorne Family Vault and pick up where I left off. Hopefully, I'm making a good decision, but only time will tell.

My new book is codenamed Project Winter, and it's a YA contemporary/dystopian in a female POV. It will be quite a change for me. I have a complete outline, synopsis, and first chapter thus far. It feels really good to be writing again. But as usual, starting a new project brings on a whole lot of anxiety, especially with the pressure of future submissions looming overhead. I know how hard it is, but I think I'll be better prepared this time.

Are you ready for summer? Are you at the beginning, middle, or end of your primary project? Anyone going to the SCBWI Summer Conference in August? I am and can't wait! The conference is always a great motivator...and getaway. And as always, thank you for reading!

Best and Worst Move Remakes Blogfest!

Thank you to Alex, Stephen, Livia, and Al for hosting this blogfest! There are so many good and bad movie remakes to choose from, so I've decided to narrow it down a bit and present to you my:

Best and Worst HORROR Movie Remakes

 

WORST

Psycho (1998): Gus Van Sant's shot-by-shot color re-creation of Hitchcock's classic is an amazing feat. How could a shot-by-shot remake of a masterpiece go wrong. This remake shows how. Vince Vaughn is so incredibly miscast as Norman Bates. He just wasn't believable. There were great supporting actors in this movie, but they could not save it. And Gus Van Sant gave us Good Will Hunting just the year before. How could he follow Good Will Hunting with this?

BEST

The Last House on the Left (2009): The remake of Wes Craven's 1972 classic is every bit as horrific and brutal as the original. Many times the remakes are watered down, but not this one. It's not a move for the faint of heart, but it is well made and acted, paced and shot, paying true homage to the original. The Last House on the Left is a simple story of brutality and revenge, real and gritty, and more horror than any Hollywood monster movie.

 

Bonus: Best and Worst Song Covers - Metallica Edition

Worst:  Metallica was named MTV's Icon of 2003 and given a special tribute concert. The biggest problem was they chose bands to pay homage to Metallica's songs that couldn't play them. Korn's performance of "One" and Limp Bizkit's performance of "Sanitarium" were incredibly bad and take the cake for worst covers.

Best: Garage, Inc. is Metallica's cover/compilation album that came out in 1998 and showed how great they could remake songs. There are many amazing covers, but most notably The Dubliners' "Whiskey in a Jar," Bob Seger's "Turn the Page," and Blue Oyster Cult's "Astronomy."

Children's Book Week Giveaway Hop!

May 13th to 19th
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer , Kid Lit Frenzy, & Mymcbooks

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my giveaway! I'm so excited for the opportunity to participate in this blog hop and to help support Children's Book Week!

What is Children’s Book Week you ask?

Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running literacy initiative in the country. Each year, books for young people and the joy of reading are feted for a full week with author and illustrator appearances, storytelling, parties, and other book-related events at schools, libraries, bookstores, museums, and homes from coast to coast!

I'm doing something a little different this time and offering one lucky winner a $15 Amazon gift card.

Here are the official rules/guidelines for the giveaway:

1. You must be a follower of this blog. Just click the Join this Site box below "Followers" on the sidebar.
2. You can gain extra entries by following me on Goodreads, Twitter,"liking" my Facebook fan page, adding my books (Provex City and/or SUSY Asylum) to your Goodreads "Want to Read" list, or leaving a comment below.
3. This is open to international followers.
4. This contest runs from May 13 - 19.
5. The winner will be selected on May 20th via Rafflecopter random selection and announced in this post. You will have 48 hours to respond or I will draw another winner. 

Thanks Again & Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also, make sure to check out the other blogs participating in this Giveaway Hop, too!

SUSY Asylum is Available! Prepare Yourself for the Madness!

It's been a long road, but all the hard work has finally paid off. My second book and the second book in the Lorne Family Vault has arrived on Amazon (Kindle & paperback) and Smashwords ( in multiple ebook formats). Since I've submitted to Smashwords, they will be distributing it to other online retailers like Barnes and Noble and the iBookstore, but that could still take a few weeks.

In SUSY Asylum, there is no release. There is no escape. No hope. 

Oliver and Desiree are introduced to the writings of a mysterious blogger, Commodore Chaos, when they return to Provex City to indulge in what the sublime city has to offer. The blogger claims the Lornes are collecting people venturing between the higher planes of awareness and locking them away in a mythical asylum. But are these legitimate concerns for inter-plane travelers or just the ramblings of an anonymous conspiracy blogger? 

 Oliver looks to Provex City as his only connection to his father while Desiree looks to the city as an escape from the torment of losing her best friend—again. Provex City is a wonder of beautiful treasures, entrancing them to continue returning. But behind the beauty, wolves have continued hunting Oliver, a boy who is still unaware of his importance in the rebellion. 

Oliver’s belief is waning. Desiree will not always be by his side. Mr. Gordon will not always come to his aid. Oliver finds himself alone, forced to confront his biggest fears, fight his inner demons, and face the very cold reality that no one is coming to save him. 

Welcome to SUSY Asylum.

SUSY Asylum picks up right where Provex City left off and jumps into the action quickly, answering a good amount of questions you may have been left with at the end of Provex City. So if you've read Provex City and would like to know more about the city itself and the Lorne family, then SUSY Asylum will take you there...and beyond! Amazon and Smashwords allow you to sample or download the first few chapters, so do take advantage of that.

I've hired Candace at CBB Book Promotions again to do the blog tour, which is being set up for sometime in October. I know it's a little ways away, so during that time I may set up a book blast tour to help spread the word sooner.

Now that SUSY Asylum is released, I am putting the finishing touches on the re-release of Provex City. The 2nd Edition should be available in the next two weeks. And I present to you, the new Provex City cover!

This cover was also created by Erin and you can check out her blog to see her many other covers by clicking the link below.

www.edhgraphics.blogspot.com

Be sure to add SUSY Asylum to your Goodreads TBR list  HERE.
And if you haven't done so, add Provex City to your Goodreads TBR list  HERE.

If you are interested in reviewing SUSY Asylum, then please send me an email and I'd be happy to send you a free ebook of your format choice.

SCBWI Summer Conference & A Muddy Good Time!

I hope everyone's had a great weekend. I've had family in town for the past week, so it's been a little hectic...but definitely a blast. Last Thursday we made the short drive to Disneyland, which was my daughter's first time. She loved Astro Blasters and the churros (just like her mommy!). Then on Saturday we did a 5K mud run in Temecula (little Gwendolyn had to sit this one out). That showed me how out of shape I'm in. I survived, but I'm still sore. I'm not really a big fan of running, but a mud run makes it fun. You can see my after picture. I need to start training for a next one!

One the literary side of things, registration for the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) summer conference began last Thursday.

Click on the picture to visit the webpage

This will be my third year going and I'm very much looking forward to it. They always have great speakers and break-out sessions. And the Hyatt Regency isn't too shabby, either. This year I've signed up to get a professional consultation. For a small extra fee (I hope it's worth it), I'll be submitting 10 pages ahead of time, which will be reviewed by a literary agent or editor. Then during the conference, I'll get one-on-one feedback from that agent or editor. I'm excited, but a little intimidated. Now all I have to do is start my new writing project so I have something to submit...but more about that later.

To those of you participating in the April A to Z challenge, good luck on the final leg! You're almost there! I haven't gotten around to many blogs over the past few weeks, but I'll try to do a better job of that this week. Happy Monday!

New SUSY Asylum Cover

I mentioned in my IWSG post last week that I was just about to order the proof copy for my second book, SUSY Asylum. Well, I did, and I got it yesterday. Can you say, "Happy dance?"The first time holding a new book that I've written is such a surreal experience. It's time for one more read through to catch a few more of those pesky typos and then it will be ready to release on Amazon.

I have been struggling with one thing since the Indie ReCon online conference. Is the cover that I directed appropriate for my book...and books (since I will be re-releasing Provex City shortly after SUSY Asylum goes on sale). I always envisioned my covers with full artwork like the Harry Potter books. So that's what I had created. But the Harry Potter books are technically middle grade. Looking at countless covers on Amazon, over ninety percent of the young adult books out there have graphic art covers. Am I sending the wrong message with my covers? I wrestled with the question for weeks and finally decided, yes, I am sending the wrong message to readers at a first glance. There is a good chance the first impressions of my covers are that they're for a younger audience than intended.

I believe that when you're ready, the right people will appear. And that was my experience here. I was intrigued by M. Pax's new covers, Stopover at the Backworlds' Edge and Boomtown Craze (maybe you've heard of them...wink wink), and saw that they were done by the same cover designer: Erin Dameron-Hill. You can visit her blog and see a bunch of her covers HERE. I emailed her...and I had a new cover less than a week later. I'm excited to finally show it to you...SUSY Asylum like you've never seen it before!

Now Erin is working on the new Provex City cover to match the look and feel of this one, and I can't wait to see it! She does great work, is really responsive, and has affordable prices. If you're looking for a cover designer, she's definitely someone to check out.

www.edhgraphics.blogspot.com

IWSG: Interior Formatting

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Wednesday! Thank you again to Alex J. Cavanaugh, the creator of the group. The first Wednesday of every month is dedicated to this group of supportive writers. If it's something you're not familiar with, then please click on Alex's link above for more information and to sign up!

I know many of you are already three days deep into the A-Z April Challenge. I survived it last year and wanted to do it again, but I feel like I've fallen so behind in my writing that I shouldn't be taking on more challenges at this time. Hopefully, I can find a better balance next year.

When I submitted Provex City to Createspace last year, I paid them to do everything. This time around, for my second book, SUSY Asylum, I am doing all the formatting myself, submitting to Createspace as a finished product. For a self publisher on a budget, this is a way I can save some money.

For last month's IWSG post, I talked about Indie ReCon and how much great information was in the posts for that online conference. One thing I found through the conference was The Book Designer, which has a wealth of information, resources, and advice for self published authors. One of the products offered on the site is a Microsoft Word template for formatting the interiors of POD books.

I was skeptical of buying a template for $100, but if it worked and I could do it myself, then it would save me $100 each time I published a new book through Createspace. So I looked at it as an investment. After playing with the template for a few days I got the interior of SUSY Asylum to a point that I thought looked professional, submitted it to Createspace, and received an email the next day that it had been approved.

On The Book Designer, there are currently six interior templates for POD books and ebooks, and since they're in Word, they are easy to customize (I haven't tried the ebook template yet). It's a great product and perfect for those of us publishing through Createspace, Lightning Source, Lulu, or other POD companies.

I will be ordering my proof copy of SUSY Asylum tomorrow and will hopefully receive it sometime next week. I can't wait to finally hold it in my hands! 

I hope your April projects are off to a great start, and as always, thank you for reading!