CEFJ #41 Celebrating My Creative Birthday! (9/23/17)

Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

Today, we’re celebrating the 5-year birthday of my inner creative! On this special interruption podcast, I talk about the official start of my creative journey around this time in 2012, and I start to clock my achievements (and my failures). I’ve accomplished a lot, and I look forward to accomplishing even MORE in the next 1-5 years! 🙂

VLOG VERSION

CALLING ALL SCIENCE, SPACE, AND SCI–FI LOVERS:
JOIN THE *FREE* SPACE, SCIENCE, AND SCI-FI SUMMIT!

SPECIAL HEADLINER GUESTS INCLUDE:

ANDY WEIR

Writer of “The Martian”

MARC ZICREE

Screenwriter for “Star Trek: The Next Generation, Babylon 5, and more!

AND MANY MORE!!

YOU ALSO GET FREE DOOR PRIZES, BOOKS, AND OTHER COOL SWAG!!

GET YOUR FREE TICKET TODAY!

JOIN THE HOLLOW POINT LAUNCH TEAM

Get free advanced copy of the novel, free gift cards, and other prizes! https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/149478?v=6

LEARN HOW TO WRITE & PLOT CINEMATICALLY:

FOR AUTHORS: JOIN NEW ADULT NOIRE!

We hook readers into THE darkest, grittiest, heart-pounding-est sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance to ever exist. All hearts of darkness welcome!

Join New Adult Noir(e) today to expand your rabid readership and join our joint promotions:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeElicXmpH3YO7gDZbj9DoflIkHajMEGRRU1g7BeuwqUqCFYg/viewform

SIGN UP TO JOIN OUR MEGA-GIVEAWAYS AS A SPONSORING AUTHOR:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/for-authors/join-our-mega-giveaways/

PROMOTE YOUR *FREE* BOOKS & NOVEL SERIES AT NA NOIR(E) FOR FREE:

— Authors! Promote your FREE SFF/H & SFF/H Romance books to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2uKsfHo

— Authors! Promote your SFF/H & SFF/H Romance NOVEL SERIES to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2ubEJLk

OPEN GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIRE (FOR AUTHORS):

— Authors! Join our “25 Days of Box Sets” Christmas Giveaway: http://bit.ly/2qcG5DS

FOR READERS: GRAB FREE BOOKS, DISCOVER NEW SERIES, AND WIN AWESOME PRIZES!

NEW ADULT NOIR(E) FOR READERS: Join New Adult Noir(e) for unlimited access to THE darkest, grittiest sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance reads, amazing giveaways, free books, amazing series, free bundles, and more!

Grab your FREE NA Noir(e) starter library at:

http://www.subscribepage.com/freedarklibrary 

MORE AWESOME GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIR(E):

The September FREE BOOKS and SERIES DISCOVERY promos are now LIVE at New Adult Noir(e)!

grab the hottest dark n’ gritty SFF/H and SFF/H novels and series in the land!

1. FREE Dark & Gritty SFF/H Books for September: http://www.newadultnoir.com/na-genre-pushes/

2. Discover NEW, Dark & Gritty SFF/H Series for September: http://www.newadultnoir.com/series-discovery-promos/

3. Grab over 2000 pages of FREE kick-ass fantasy with the MAYHEM boxset: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/ZWkQO

4. The Book Depository (grab over 400 free e-books in ANY genre): http://melanietomlin.com/tpr-freebies/

5. FREE YA Boxset: https://books.pronoun.com/otherworlds-the-ya-scifi-fantasy-boxset/

Writer’s Block: Finding Your Style

Leave a comment

When you hear book buffs and nerds talking about the authors they love, you will often hear them refer to a style. This is the way that an author string together their sentences, the way that they describe things, and the way that their writing makes you feel when you read it. Cultivating something like this takes a long time, though, and achieving it for yourself can be hard. So, to help you out, this post will be going through some different ways you can start to build a style which is unique to you.

To start this journey, you have to understand how other people write before you can start to work on yourself. Thankfully, to do this, you simply have to indulge in one of your favorite pastimes; reading. Most people spend a lot of their time reading books from the same series or authors in their spare time. But, to make this stage of your build process successful, it’s important to soak up a range of different styles. Eventually, it should be very easy for you to differentiate between authors simply by the way that a page is written.

Once you have a good idea of the different ways authors like to write, you can start to think about writing something yourself. Hopefully, you will have exposed yourself to a variety of genres in your reading and will have a good idea of the styles commonly found in them. From here, you can write stories or pieces surrounding an array of subjects and genres, all the while looking for the ones which you enjoy the most. This will give you a good benchmark of your skills when it comes to writing different stories. Along with this, it will also help you to become a more flexible writer.

Throughout the process of looking for a good style, you will build a good collection of your work, giving you a reference to go from. With this reference, you can recruit the help of others to give you some feedback. To make sure this is unbiased and fair, you should look for this support online, as it’s unlikely that you will encounter someone you know there. Using websites like Reddit, you can submit your work for others to read. People will be happy to tell you which pieces they enjoy the most, and some will even be able to give you useful feedback.

It takes a long time to master writing, and developing a strong style is only a small part of it. Along with this, you also have to learn how to write correctly, with good grammar and readability. To help with this, you can work on improving your English speaking skills, as this will also improve the way that you write. Over time, your skill will improve on their own. But, using tools on the net can make the process a lot faster, so it’s worth considering the options you have. You don’t even have to pay for most of them.

Hopefully, this post will give you a good idea of what can be done when you’re trying to work on a unique style for your writing to be based around. A lot of people like the idea of being able to stand out with a skill like this. But, to achieve this sort of goal, you have to willing to put in the work.

CEFJ #40 Riot, Revelation, and Commanding Your Worth (9/19/17)

Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

Some cool updates this week. Nothing super major, but a few really awesome minor wins!! That, and grad school continues to step on my neck. BUT I’m finding some great ways to release steam, take care of self, and stay balanced.

VLOG VERSION

CALLING ALL SCIENCE, SPACE, AND SCI–FI LOVERS:
JOIN THE *FREE* SPACE, SCIENCE, AND SCI-FI SUMMIT!

SPECIAL HEADLINER GUESTS INCLUDE:

ANDY WEIR

Writer of “The Martian”

MARC ZICREE

Screenwriter for “Star Trek: The Next Generation, Babylon 5, and more!

AND MANY MORE!!

YOU ALSO GET FREE DOOR PRIZES, BOOKS, AND OTHER COOL SWAG!!

GET YOUR FREE TICKET TODAY!

JOIN THE HOLLOW POINT LAUNCH TEAM

Get free advanced copy of the novel, free gift cards, and other prizes! https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/149478?v=6

LEARN HOW TO WRITE & PLOT CINEMATICALLY:

FOR AUTHORS: JOIN NEW ADULT NOIRE!

We hook readers into THE darkest, grittiest, heart-pounding-est sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance to ever exist. All hearts of darkness welcome!

Join New Adult Noir(e) today to expand your rabid readership and join our joint promotions:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeElicXmpH3YO7gDZbj9DoflIkHajMEGRRU1g7BeuwqUqCFYg/viewform

SIGN UP TO JOIN OUR MEGA-GIVEAWAYS AS A SPONSORING AUTHOR:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/for-authors/join-our-mega-giveaways/

PROMOTE YOUR *FREE* BOOKS & NOVEL SERIES AT NA NOIR(E) FOR FREE:

— Authors! Promote your FREE SFF/H & SFF/H Romance books to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2uKsfHo

— Authors! Promote your SFF/H & SFF/H Romance NOVEL SERIES to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2ubEJLk

OPEN GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIRE (FOR AUTHORS):

— Authors! Join our “25 Days of Box Sets” Christmas Giveaway: http://bit.ly/2qcG5DS

FOR READERS: GRAB FREE BOOKS, DISCOVER NEW SERIES, AND WIN AWESOME PRIZES!

NEW ADULT NOIR(E) FOR READERS: Join New Adult Noir(e) for unlimited access to THE darkest, grittiest sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance reads, amazing giveaways, free books, amazing series, free bundles, and more!

Grab your FREE NA Noir(e) starter library at:

http://www.subscribepage.com/freedarklibrary 

MORE AWESOME GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIR(E):

The September FREE BOOKS and SERIES DISCOVERY promos are now LIVE at New Adult Noir(e)!

grab the hottest dark n’ gritty SFF/H and SFF/H novels and series in the land!

1. FREE Dark & Gritty SFF/H Books for September: http://www.newadultnoir.com/na-genre-pushes/

2. Discover NEW, Dark & Gritty SFF/H Series for September: http://www.newadultnoir.com/series-discovery-promos/

3. Grab over 2000 pages of FREE kick-ass fantasy with the MAYHEM boxset: https://www.instafreebie.com/free/ZWkQO

4. The Book Depository (grab over 400 free e-books in ANY genre): http://melanietomlin.com/tpr-freebies/

5. FREE YA Boxset: https://books.pronoun.com/otherworlds-the-ya-scifi-fantasy-boxset/

CEFJ #39 Grad School is Dark and Full of Terrors (9/14/17)

Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

Soo, giving myself some grace last week REALLY helped, but apparently, I need to whip out the EXTRA grace this week as the tides of fuckery rise against my person again, lol. Laugh = light, y’all. Still, while this week dragged me a bit and I took a few L’s, I still came out with some awesome skills and knowledge that will stay with me forever.

VLOG VERSION

I APPEARED ON THE “FANTASY FIENDS” PODCAST!

Check out our discussion on afro-futurism:

My creative uni resources (mentioned in the podcast)!

LEARN THE ART OF ACTION EDITING: The guys at Film Editing Pro reall put their foot in this one, y’all! I’m LOVING this fully-fledged course for action editing, and I’m learning so much! Check it out here: http://www.filmeditingpro.com/the-art-of-action-editing/

APPLY TO MY MFA PROGRAM: Still, if you want to apply to my program (a 3-year, FULLY-FUNDED MFA program in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Generative Dramaturgy) for the Fall of 2019, check us out here: https://grad.arizona.edu/programs/programinfo/THARMFAGEDR

JOIN THE HOLLOW POINT LAUNCH TEAM

Get free advanced copy of the novel, free gift cards, and other prizes! https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/149478?v=6

LEARN HOW TO WRITE & PLOT CINEMATICALLY:

FOR AUTHORS: JOIN NEW ADULT NOIRE!

We hook readers into THE darkest, grittiest, heart-pounding-est sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance to ever exist. All hearts of darkness welcome!

Join New Adult Noir(e) today to expand your rabid readership and join our joint promotions:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeElicXmpH3YO7gDZbj9DoflIkHajMEGRRU1g7BeuwqUqCFYg/viewform

SIGN UP TO JOIN OUR MEGA-GIVEAWAYS AS A SPONSORING AUTHOR:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/for-authors/join-our-mega-giveaways/

PROMOTE YOUR *FREE* BOOKS & NOVEL SERIES AT NA NOIR(E) FOR FREE:

— Authors! Promote your FREE SFF/H & SFF/H Romance books to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2uKsfHo

— Authors! Promote your SFF/H & SFF/H Romance NOVEL SERIES to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2ubEJLk

OPEN GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIRE (FOR AUTHORS):

— Authors! Join our “25 Days of Box Sets” Christmas Giveaway: http://bit.ly/2qcG5DS

FOR READERS: GRAB FREE BOOKS, DISCOVER NEW SERIES, AND WIN AWESOME PRIZES!

NEW ADULT NOIR(E) FOR READERS: Join New Adult Noir(e) for unlimited access to THE darkest, grittiest sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance reads, amazing giveaways, free books, amazing series, free bundles, and more!

Grab your FREE NA Noir(e) starter library at:

http://www.subscribepage.com/freedarklibrary 

MORE AWESOME GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIR(E):

The September FREE BOOKS and SERIES DISCOVERY promos are now LIVE at New Adult Noir(e)!

grab the hottest dark n’ gritty SFF/H and SFF/H novels and series in the land!

1. FREE Dark & Gritty SFF/H Books for September: http://www.newadultnoir.com/na-genre-pushes/

2. Discover NEW, Dark & Gritty SFF/H Series for September: http://www.newadultnoir.com/series-discovery-promos/

3. The Book Depository (grab over 400 free e-books in ANY genre): http://melanietomlin.com/tpr-freebies/

4. FREE YA Boxset: https://books.pronoun.com/otherworlds-the-ya-scifi-fantasy-boxset/

CEFJ #38 Giving Myself Some Grace (9/4/17)

Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

After the week and a half I’ve had? It’s time to give myself a little grace, boo. I’m still on my hustle, grind, and flow, but today I’m also taking a minute to breathe and do a self-inventory. I’ve had some massive successes so far this year, started a four-figure creative business, am doing my thing and getting ninja-trained in grad school (and am finally loving it), AND I am on the verge of publishing two more novels before year’s end!

Join me as I gear up to finish the remaining 33% of this year STRONG, while also NOT going crazy! 😉

VLOG VERSION

My creative uni resources (mentioned in the podcast)!

BECOME A HAPPY BLACK WOMAN: Check out Rosetta Thurman’s “Happy Black Woman” Blog and Brand, which helps women to empower themselves, establish their own lifestyle businesses, and create the dream life THEY want to lead: http://happyblackwoman.com/

MASTER YOUR GENRE WITH LAURIE SCHEER: ALSO, check out Laurie Scheer’s “The Writer’s Advantage: A Toolkit for Mastering Your Genre”. An INCREDIBLE resource and literal toolkit for creatives to master their craft: https://www.amazon.com/Writers-Advantage-Tookit-Mastering-Genre-ebook/dp/B00LMJR6QO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504556605&sr=8-2&keywords=writers+advantage

APPLY TO MY MFA PROGRAM: Still, if you want to apply to my program (a 3-year, FULLY-FUNDED MFA program in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Generative Dramaturgy) for the Fall of 2019, check us out here: https://grad.arizona.edu/programs/programinfo/THARMFAGEDR

JOIN THE HOLLOW POINT LAUNCH TEAM

Get free advanced copy of the novel, free gift cards, and other prizes! https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/149478?v=6

LEARN HOW TO WRITE & PLOT CINEMATICALLY:

FOR AUTHORS: JOIN NEW ADULT NOIRE!

We hook readers into THE darkest, grittiest, heart-pounding-est sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance to ever exist. All hearts of darkness welcome!

Join New Adult Noir(e) today to expand your rabid readership and join our joint promotions:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeElicXmpH3YO7gDZbj9DoflIkHajMEGRRU1g7BeuwqUqCFYg/viewform

SIGN UP TO JOIN OUR MEGA-GIVEAWAYS AS A SPONSORING AUTHOR:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/for-authors/join-our-mega-giveaways/

PROMOTE YOUR *FREE* BOOKS & NOVEL SERIES AT NA NOIR(E) FOR FREE:

— Authors! Promote your FREE SFF/H & SFF/H Romance books to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2uKsfHo

— Authors! Promote your SFF/H & SFF/H Romance NOVEL SERIES to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2ubEJLk

OPEN GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIRE (FOR AUTHORS):

— Authors! Join our “25 Days of Box Sets” Christmas Giveaway: http://bit.ly/2qcG5DS

FOR READERS: GRAB FREE BOOKS, DISCOVER NEW SERIES, AND WIN AWESOME PRIZES!

NEW ADULT NOIR(E) FOR READERS: Join New Adult Noir(e) for unlimited access to THE darkest, grittiest sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance reads, amazing giveaways, free books, amazing series, free bundles, and more!

Grab your FREE NA Noir(e) starter library at:

https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/211447?v=6

Join the FREE Back-to-School Blast! YA and NA Giveaway, and grab FREE reads! All entrants get prizes:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/giveaways/win-a-kindle-fire-hd-tablet-21-young-adult-new-adult-sci-fi-fantasy-novels/?lucky=4

MORE AWESOME GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIR(E):

The September FREE BOOKS and SERIES DISCOVERY promos are now LIVE at New Adult Noir(e)!

grab the hottest dark n’ gritty SFF/H and SFF/H novels and series in the land!

1. FREE Dark & Gritty SFF/H Books for September: http://www.newadultnoir.com/na-genre-pushes/

2. Discover NEW, Dark & Gritty SFF/H Series for September: http://www.newadultnoir.com/series-discovery-promos/

3. The Book Depository (grab over 400 free e-books in ANY genre): http://melanietomlin.com/tpr-freebies/

4. FREE YA Boxset: https://books.pronoun.com/otherworlds-the-ya-scifi-fantasy-boxset/

CEFJ #37 Grad School, Mayhem, and Murphy’s Fucking Law (8/30/17)

Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

So, I’ve just survived the first week of grad school and have the scars to prove it, lol. My semester holds a lot of promise and pleasant surprises, actually, but things WON’T go smoothly if Murphy’s Law has anything to say about it…

 

VLOG VERSION

APPLY TO MY MFA PROGRAM!

Still, if you want to apply to my program (a 3-year, FULLY-FUNDED MFA program in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Generative Dramaturgy) for the Fall of 2019, check us out here: https://grad.arizona.edu/programs/programinfo/THARMFAGEDR

JOIN THE HOLLOW POINT LAUNCH TEAM

Get free advanced copy of the novel, free gift cards, and other prizes! https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/149478?v=6

LEARN HOW TO WRITE & PLOT CINEMATICALLY:

FOR AUTHORS: JOIN NEW ADULT NOIRE!

We hook readers into THE darkest, grittiest, heart-pounding-est sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance to ever exist. All hearts of darkness welcome!

Join New Adult Noir(e) today to expand your rabid readership and join our joint promotions:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeElicXmpH3YO7gDZbj9DoflIkHajMEGRRU1g7BeuwqUqCFYg/viewform

SIGN UP TO JOIN OUR MEGA-GIVEAWAYS AS A SPONSORING AUTHOR:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/for-authors/join-our-mega-giveaways/

PROMOTE YOUR *FREE* BOOKS & NOVEL SERIES AT NA NOIR(E) FOR FREE:

— Authors! Promote your FREE SFF/H & SFF/H Romance books to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2uKsfHo

— Authors! Promote your SFF/H & SFF/H Romance NOVEL SERIES to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2ubEJLk

OPEN GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIRE (FOR AUTHORS):

— Authors! Join our “25 Days of Box Sets” Christmas Giveaway: http://bit.ly/2qcG5DS

FOR READERS: GRAB FREE BOOKS, DISCOVER NEW SERIES, AND WIN AWESOME PRIZES!

NEW ADULT NOIR(E) FOR READERS: Join New Adult Noir(e) for unlimited access to THE darkest, grittiest sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance reads, amazing giveaways, free books, amazing series, free bundles, and more!

Grab your FREE NA Noir(e) starter library at:

https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/211447?v=6

Join the FREE Back-to-School Blast! YA and NA Giveaway, and grab FREE reads! All entrants get prizes:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/giveaways/win-a-kindle-fire-hd-tablet-21-young-adult-new-adult-sci-fi-fantasy-novels/?lucky=4

MORE (NON-NA NOIRE) AWESOME GIVEAWAYS:

1. Grab 30+ FREE Dystopian / Post-Apocalyptic Novels: http://www.craigmcdonough.com/theend.html 

2. “Last Days of Summer” Mega Facebook Giveaway: http://darielraye.com/featured-giveaways/

3. The Book Depository (grab over 400 free e-books in ANY genre): http://melanietomlin.com/tpr-freebies/

4.  FREE YA Boxset: https://books.pronoun.com/otherworlds-the-ya-scifi-fantasy-boxset/

Why Won’t Anybody Publish Your Novel?

Leave a comment

When you start out as a new writer, you have this romantic idea that you’ll finish your masterpiece and send it out to agents and publisher and you’ll see the offers rolling in. The reality is very different. After years of struggling through and editing every tiny detail until it’s absolutely perfect, you’re met with rejection after rejection. It isn’t always a reflection of your work, publishers get so many submissions that they will often cut the pile down based on the tiniest details. If you’re not getting anywhere with your writing, it might be for one of these reasons.

The Book Is No Good

One of the biggest hurdles you need to overcome as a writer is being able to bin your own work. When I first started out, I was very attached to everything that I wrote. If something didn’t work I would spend hours on it, trying to make it into something worth reading. The truth is, sometimes you just can’t. There isn’t a writer alive that comes out with something brilliant every time they put pen to paper. Everybody writes things that just don’t work. Knowing when to admit this and move on to something else is a difficult thing to learn, but it will improve your writing when you do. Don’t get rid of anything completely, you might be able to do something with it later, but don’t keep flogging a dead horse if the book isn’t working.

The Book Isn’t Finished

It’s basically impossible to know when a novel is finished, and you can never really say that it’s completely done. But you can get it close enough to be published. However, a common mistake that people make is they send it off for publication before it’s ready. Even though you’ve spent endless amounts of time editing, there’s still work to be done. The best way to know is to have as many people as possible read it. They’ll be able to tell you whether you need to do more work on it. If you’ve gone through the entire novel a few times and you’ve made hardly any changes, you’re probably there.

It’s Been Done

Another misconception that a lot of writers make is that their book will sell because it’s similar to other best sellers. Since the release of books like the Hunger Games series, young adult, dystopian novels are all the rage. But that doesn’t mean you can write a carbon copy of the Hunger Games with a few tweaks and get a publishing deal. It is possible for you to capitalize on the popularity of a genre or style, but you need to have something completely fresh and new to bring to the table. Using the same themes is fine but if your characters are predictable and you haven’t tackled that theme from a different angle, you won’t get anywhere.

Formatting

You wouldn’t think that the formatting really has anything to do with you, but it could stop you from getting published. When you’re submitting samples to publishers, they often have very specific and strict guidelines on how to submit the work. Not following them will probably get you struck off straight away. If you’re a bit of a technophobe, consider taking a few Microsoft Word training classes so you can get the specifications exactly right. If a publisher opens the document and you haven’t followed their advice, they probably won’t even read it most of the time.

Plot Synopsis

Most submissions ask for the first few chapters and a plot synopsis. Writers will focus on going through those first couple of sample chapters with a fine tooth comb until every detail is perfect, but they’ll neglect the synopsis. If the publisher likes the sample chapter, then they’ll read the synopsis but if it’s confusing and disorganized, then they might not move forward from there. It can be difficult to describe the entire plot of a book in a succinct way, but you’ll just have to practice. Decide on what the main themes and plot points that make up the essence of the novel are, and focus on them. If you get bogged down in the backstory of every single character, things will get muddled and publishers will be put off.

Choosing The Wrong Publishers

Writers often think that the more publishers they send their work to, the more likely they are to get somewhere with it. I wish it were that simple, but it isn’t. Publishers all have a specialty and they’re usually pretty specific. If you want to be successful, you need to spend a little time researching publishers and find ones that work with genres and styles that are similar to yours. Most publishing companies will have a page that shows information about exactly what they are and aren’t looking for. Not reading them is only going to waste your time and theirs because you’ll be sending people samples of a novel that they’ll never be interested in.

Your COVER Letter

Before they even get to your sample, publisher’s will read your cover letter. If they aren’t impressed, they’re likely to move on without even reading the sample. The function of a cover letter is to give the publisher more information about you and your work. You need to sell yourself. Start out with your credentials, and don’t leave anything out. Any creative writing qualifications you might have, and any work you’ve had published in the past, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction. From there you need to tell them why your book is going to sell. Who is your target audience and why is your novel going to stand out from all of the others on the market? You also need to include a lot of smaller details which people often forget, like the word count and some contact details for yourself. People often leave these things out and publishers will see it as a bad sign if you do.

You can follow all of these steps and still get rejections. It’s just part of the process. The important thing is that you don’t give up and you’ll get there in the end.

CEFJ #36 The Breath Before the Plunge (8/21/17)

Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

I’m a little rambly today, but generally, I talk about starting graduate school next week, my project updates on The Books of Ezekiel, and the state of Rebel Ragdoll. This is literally my last week of freedom before grad school starts up again. Wish me luck!

VLOG VERSION

JOIN THE HOLLOW POINT LAUNCH TEAM

Get free advanced copy of the novel, free gift cards, and other prizes! https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/149478?v=6

LEARN HOW TO WRITE & PLOT CINEMATICALLY:

FOR AUTHORS: JOIN NEW ADULT NOIRE!

We hook readers into THE darkest, grittiest, heart-pounding-est sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance to ever exist. All hearts of darkness welcome!

Join New Adult Noir(e) today to expand your rabid readership and join our joint promotions:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeElicXmpH3YO7gDZbj9DoflIkHajMEGRRU1g7BeuwqUqCFYg/viewform

SIGN UP TO JOIN OUR MEGA-GIVEAWAYS AS A SPONSORING AUTHOR:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/for-authors/join-our-mega-giveaways/

PROMOTE YOUR *FREE* BOOKS & NOVEL SERIES AT NA NOIR(E) FOR FREE:

— Authors! Promote your FREE SFF/H & SFF/H Romance books to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2uKsfHo

— Authors! Promote your SFF/H & SFF/H Romance NOVEL SERIES to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2ubEJLk

OPEN GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIRE (FOR AUTHORS):

— Authors! Join our “25 Days of Box Sets” Christmas Giveaway: http://bit.ly/2qcG5DS

FOR READERS: GRAB FREE BOOKS, DISCOVER NEW SERIES, AND WIN AWESOME PRIZES!

NEW ADULT NOIR(E) FOR READERS: Join New Adult Noir(e) for unlimited access to THE darkest, grittiest sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance reads, amazing giveaways, free books, amazing series, free bundles, and more!

Grab your FREE NA Noir(e) starter library at:

https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/211447?v=6

Join the FREE Back-to-School Blast! YA and NA Giveaway, and grab FREE reads! All entrants get prizes:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/giveaways/win-a-kindle-fire-hd-tablet-21-young-adult-new-adult-sci-fi-fantasy-novels/?lucky=4

MORE (NON-NA NOIRE) AWESOME GIVEAWAYS:

1. Grab 30+ FREE Dystopian / Post-Apocalyptic Novels: http://www.craigmcdonough.com/theend.html 

2. “Last Days of Summer” Mega Facebook Giveaway: http://darielraye.com/featured-giveaways/

3. The Book Depository (grab over 400 free e-books in ANY genre): http://melanietomlin.com/tpr-freebies/

4.  FREE YA Boxset: https://books.pronoun.com/otherworlds-the-ya-scifi-fantasy-boxset/

CEFJ #35 Battles on All Fronts & Artistic Resistance (8/14/17)

Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

I’ve got some updates this week, but I’d be lying if I said my energy WASN’T at an all-time low. Recent events in Charlottesville and with North Korea have got me fighting anxiety and situational depression like WOAH.

There may be some dark times ahead for our country, and I am trying to stay strong, focused, and inspired through my art. I hope you will too!

VLOG VERSION

JOIN THE HOLLOW POINT LAUNCH TEAM

Get free advanced copy of the novel, free gift cards, and other prizes! https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/149478?v=6

FOR AUTHORS: JOIN NEW ADULT NOIRE!

We hook readers into THE darkest, grittiest, heart-pounding-est sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance to ever exist. All hearts of darkness welcome!

Join New Adult Noir(e) today to expand your rabid readership and join our joint promotions:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeElicXmpH3YO7gDZbj9DoflIkHajMEGRRU1g7BeuwqUqCFYg/viewform

SIGN UP TO JOIN OUR MEGA-GIVEAWAYS AS A SPONSORING AUTHOR:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/for-authors/join-our-mega-giveaways/

PROMOTE YOUR *FREE* BOOKS & NOVEL SERIES AT NA NOIR(E) FOR FREE:

— Authors! Promote your FREE SFF/H & SFF/H Romance books to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2uKsfHo

— Authors! Promote your SFF/H & SFF/H Romance NOVEL SERIES to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2ubEJLk

OPEN GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIRE (FOR AUTHORS):

— Authors! Join our “25 Days of Box Sets” Christmas Giveaway: http://bit.ly/2qcG5DS

FOR READERS: GRAB FREE BOOKS, DISCOVER NEW SERIES, AND WIN AWESOME PRIZES!

NEW ADULT NOIR(E) FOR READERS: Join New Adult Noir(e) for unlimited access to THE darkest, grittiest sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance reads, amazing giveaways, free books, amazing series, free bundles, and more!

Grab your FREE NA Noir(e) starter library at:

https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/211447?v=6

Join the FREE Back-to-School Blast! YA and NA Giveaway, and grab FREE reads! All entrants get prizes:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/giveaways/win-a-kindle-fire-hd-tablet-21-young-adult-new-adult-sci-fi-fantasy-novels/?lucky=4

MORE (NON-NA NOIRE) AWESOME GIVEAWAYS:

1. Grab 30+ FREE Dystopian / Post-Apocalyptic Novels: http://www.craigmcdonough.com/theend.html 

2. “Last Days of Summer” Mega Facebook Giveaway: http://darielraye.com/featured-giveaways/

3. The Book Depository (grab over 400 free e-books in ANY genre): http://melanietomlin.com/tpr-freebies/

4.  FREE YA Boxset: https://books.pronoun.com/otherworlds-the-ya-scifi-fantasy-boxset/

CEFJ #34 Virtual Reality, Building a Tech Business, and Artistic Philanthropy (8/9/17)

Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

LOTS of updates this week, y’all!

Here’s what I’m serving this episode:

  • NA Noir(e) FREE BOOKS promos, SERIES DISCOVERY promos, and MEGA GIVEAWAYS for Readers and Authors!
  • My Patreon for Rebel Ragdoll, LLC is Under Construction… and we’ll be relaunching soon!
  • My new (in-progress) episodic novel series / TV-series-in-progress, IMMORTAL!
  • Creating another horror film concept (for future development) called, THE NEIGHBORS
  • Developing the concept for book #6 for The Hitmen for Happily Ever After series
  • Making awesome progress on HOLLOW POINT (The Books of Ezekiel #3)
  • Developing the fifth subsidiary of Rebel Ragdoll, LLC: The Dollhouse Foundation and creating artistic-philanthropic programming for single creative moms, married creative moms, single childless women, and married childless women
  • How ON FLEEK my Creative University is with the THREE creative courses I’m taking
  • Working on developing the Rebel Ragdoll Merch Store!
  • Managing, trimming, and warming up my reader subscriber list!
  • GETTING INTO VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) & OPENING A TECH BUSINESS!

VLOG VERSION

JOIN THE HOLLOW POINT LAUNCH TEAM

Get free advanced copy of the novel, free gift cards, and other prizes! https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/149478?v=6

FOR AUTHORS: JOIN NEW ADULT NOIRE!

We hook readers into THE darkest, grittiest, heart-pounding-est sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance to ever exist. All hearts of darkness welcome!

Join New Adult Noir(e) today to expand your rabid readership and join our joint promotions:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeElicXmpH3YO7gDZbj9DoflIkHajMEGRRU1g7BeuwqUqCFYg/viewform

SIGN UP TO JOIN OUR MEGA-GIVEAWAYS AS A SPONSORING AUTHOR:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/for-authors/join-our-mega-giveaways/

PROMOTE YOUR *FREE* BOOKS & NOVEL SERIES AT NA NOIR(E) FOR FREE:

— Authors! Promote your FREE SFF/H & SFF/H Romance books to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2uKsfHo

— Authors! Promote your SFF/H & SFF/H Romance NOVEL SERIES to my 13,000 Readers for FREE: http://bit.ly/2ubEJLk

OPEN GIVEAWAYS AT NA NOIRE (FOR AUTHORS):

— Authors! Join our “25 Days of Box Sets” Christmas Giveaway: http://bit.ly/2qcG5DS

FOR READERS: GRAB FREE BOOKS, DISCOVER NEW SERIES, AND WIN AWESOME PRIZES!

NEW ADULT NOIR(E) FOR READERS: Join New Adult Noir(e) for unlimited access to THE darkest, grittiest sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and romance reads, amazing giveaways, free books, amazing series, free bundles, and more!

Grab your FREE NA Noir(e) starter library at:

https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/211447?v=6

Join the FREE Back-to-School Blast! YA and NA Giveaway, and grab FREE reads! All entrants get prizes:

http://www.newadultnoir.com/giveaways/win-a-kindle-fire-hd-tablet-21-young-adult-new-adult-sci-fi-fantasy-novels/?lucky=4

MORE (NON-NA NOIRE) AWESOME GIVEAWAYS:

1. Grab 30+ FREE Dystopian / Post-Apocalyptic Novels: http://www.craigmcdonough.com/theend.html 

2. “Last Days of Summer” Mega Facebook Giveaway: http://darielraye.com/featured-giveaways/

3. The Book Depository (grab over 400 free e-books in ANY genre): http://melanietomlin.com/tpr-freebies/

4.  FREE YA Boxset: https://books.pronoun.com/otherworlds-the-ya-scifi-fantasy-boxset/