Rik Stone on Self-Publishing, Author Platform & Social Networking @Stone_Rik #WriteTip #AmWriting

Every writer needs an author platform and that starts with social networking… it’s important because readers need to know you exist before they can buy your book. Don’t wait, start now. Use Twitter; weave into your tweets without labouring the point that you’re working on a novel. Tell them its title and what it’s about. Make the Tweets interesting and you have a number of potential customers who might also tell their friends to look out for your work. I mention Twitter, but there are plenty of other networks out there.

Okay, you’ve built a social group and your book is written. Do you aim at the traditional publishers or go indie? Well, the traditional hill is a difficult one to climb and I feel agents and publishing editors might sit back to see which products appeal to the audience, EL James is a good example. If I’m right a successful indie campaign will give you every chance of getting that elusive traditional publisher, if that’s what will make you happy.

But is the indie option an easy one? Far from it, going down this route means you have to do the promotion and marketing yourself, so if you’re not willing to sign over your life completely, think again… Okay, you’re happy to do it, good, but you’ll soon learn that when you wrote ‘The End’ it was the biggest piece of fiction in the book; it’s actually the beginning. First base, you need a publicist. First question, can you afford one? No, go to second base. Yes, then research the prospective business partners thoroughly, there’s a lot of snake oil out there. Oh, if you do use a publicist you’ll need to publish in paperback as well as eBook. Second base, virtual tours, you’re reading this so you’re seeing part of one of them, I hope you’re impressed. Other than paying out for TV adverts, these tours seem to attract the most eyes.

I won’t go on too much, as I don’t want to take advantage of my kind host, but there is one statement I must make before you get your book out there: The presentation of text, the cover, and the quality of the work is of paramount importance to sales. The indie path is a medium that allows anyone to publish anything, don’t subscribe to ‘that will do’ if you want to gain public respect and retain their interest, you’d only be letting yourself down. Even if it nips at your budget give your work every chance by having professionals improve the quality and presentation. Editing, format of text, creation of cover picture and uploading the work onto your chosen medium is not overly expensive and you want a book to be proud of.

One final comment, Monty Hall wasn’t a writer, he was a TV celebrity, but his words are relevant: “Actually, I’m an overnight success, but it took 20 years.” So whatever you learn and whatever strategies you might want to use, the real secret is to keep at it, and never give up!

Set against the backdrop of Soviet, post-war Russia, Birth of an Assassin follows the transformation of Jez Kornfeld from wide-eyed recruit to avenging outlaw. Amidst a murky underworld of flesh-trafficking, prostitution and institutionalized corruption, the elite Jewish soldier is thrown into a world where nothing is what it seems, nobody can be trusted, and everything can be violently torn from him.

Buy Now @ Amazon, B&N, Kobo & Waterstones

Genre - Thriller, Crime, Suspense

Rating – R

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Connect with Rik Stone on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://rik-stone.simdif.com

STORM WITHOUT END (Requiem for the Rift King) #Excerpt by @RJ_Blain #Fantasy #AmReading

Men reacted to death in different ways. Some saw their own mortality, and the fear of it consumed them. Others were consumed by their anger and hatred. A rare few accepted it and recognized what they faced and did so with pride and dignity.

There were even those who enjoyed it.

Two of the men ran forward in silence, their eyes burning with their need to strike Kalen down. Ducking beneath the blades that were held too high, he stepped to the side and onto firmer ground. Both let out startled cries as they splashed into the muck. Letting momentum guide his hand, Kalen cracked the flat of the sword across their shins. It took the slightest twist of his wrist to slice the edge through their trousers and into their flesh.

“Stop!” Derac shouted.

The man’s companions didn’t obey. Kalen stepped back and dug his toes into the moss. The sword was longer than he liked, but it was well cared for and sharp. His teachers would flay him if they learned he used the weapon like most used a scythe, but it let him add power to the strength he possessed. The sharp edge cut through flesh and bone with such ease it left a bad taste in his mouth. His victim fell before having the chance to rise from the mud.

“By the Lady of Light, stand down, Luca,” Derac pleaded.

Kalen held his ground, the bloodied sword ready. His arm ached from the strain of holding a weapon too heavy for him. Each moment where he stood still, his feet hurt almost as much as his arm did. While there was no pain from the bite marks, the burning sensation continued to creep up his arm to his shoulder. His breath came as ragged pants.

“Derac’s right,” Marist said. “We can’t kill him. If we do—”

“Enough,” Kalen interrupted, twisting around to glare at the talkative man. Marist’s teeth snapped together with an audible clacking. “I’ve no quarrel with you.”

The unspoken “yet” hung between them. Luca stepped back, spreading the distance between them, and leaned against one of the large trees. The man’s sword was held low enough to be ready for use, but not in preparation to strike. Kalen wanted to sit down or rest against something — anything — but he didn’t dare.

Enemies always waited for the first sign of weakness.

“He killed Hareth and Uthen,” Luca said in an emotionless voice.

“May the Lady of Light watch over them both,” Derac replied.

The tip of Luca’s sword touched the ground. Kalen let out a sigh, relaxed his stance, and mimicked Luca so he wouldn’t drop his weapon.

“And you’ll do nothing?” Luca whispered.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kalen glimpsed Marist shaking his head. “They attacked him first without cause. We are at fault.”

“But they’re dead!”

“And I count our blessings that we aren’t too,” Marist spat. “If you’d like to join them, you’re welcome to it, but not I, Luca. Not I.”

Kalen’s throne is his saddle, his crown is the dirt on his brow, and his right to rule is sealed in the blood that stains his hand. Few know the truth about the one-armed Rift King, and he prefers it that way. When people get too close to him, they either betray him or die. The Rift he rules cares nothing for the weak. More often than not, even the strong fail to survive.

When he’s abducted, his disappearance threatens to destroy his home, his people, and start a hopeless and bloody war. There are many who desire his death, and few who hope for his survival. With peace in the Six Kingdoms quickly crumbling, it falls on him to try to stop the conflict swiftly taking the entire continent by storm.

But something even more terrifying than the machinations of men has returned to the lands: The skreed. They haven’t been seen for a thousand years, and even the true power of the Rift King might not be enough to save his people — and the world — from destruction.

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Genre – Fantasy

Rating – PG – 13

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Amanda Lee on on Writing - Being a Pantser and a Plotter @GayleTrent #AmWriting #Mystery #TBR

Q. How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?

A. Both. I start out with a general idea and then try to plot chapters as I go along. I’ll outline chapters as opposed to the entire book, because if the chapter changes the book might go in an entirely different direction.

Q. What are you working on now?

A. I’m working on the next Fontaine book. This time Brandy and Luke are in Las Vegas. I’m really having fun getting to know these characters, and I hope readers will too.

Q. How do you deal with the dreaded writer’s block?

A. I whine and panic and then I what-if. I’ll start with a blank page and type “What if” at the top. Then I’ll put something to the effect of “What if ____ comes to the hotel room?” Or “What if the phone rings, and Luke is called away on business?” Eventually, I’ll come up with something that will advance the plot.

Q. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?

A. I’d be somewhere WARM! Hawaii would be wonderful! Want to join me?

Q. How do you work through self-doubt and fear?

A. I struggle with self-doubt and fear every day. Some days I handle it better than others. Other days, I simply try to set my feelings aside and work through my insecurity. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel that I’m “good enough.” But do any of us? (If you answer “yes” to that, please write and tell me how!) J

Q. What scares you the most?

A. The thought of something bad happening to my children.

Q. What makes you the happiest?

A. Spending time with my children. I can’t imagine life without them!

Q. What books did you love growing up?

A. I adored Victoria Holt’s gothic romances. They were so romantic and intense!

Q. Is there any book you really didn’t enjoy?

A. I hate to admit this, but I could not stand Lord of the Flies. I detested the idea that without societal boundaries, we’d all turn into animals.

Q. What is hardest—getting published, writing, or marketing?

A. All of the above! It all really does take a great deal of effort and makes up the entirety of writing. If you want your writing to be more than a hobby that you share primarily with family members, then publishing and marketing are essential.

Q. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

A. Part of me wants to say Hawaii, because when we vacationed there years ago, I fell in love with the place and didn’t want to come home. I’m afraid, though, that the novelty would wear off and that I’d miss the “mainland.”

Embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer is about to have the rug pulled out from under her….

Marcy can’t wait to see the new exhibit at the Tallulah Falls museum on antique tapestries and textiles, including beautiful kilim rugs. But her enthusiasm quickly turns to terror when, the day after the exhibition opens, she discovers a dead body behind her store, the Seven-Year Stitch, wrapped up in a most unusual fashion.

The victim appears to be a visiting art professor in town for the exhibit. Did someone decide to teach the professor a lesson, then attempt to sweep the evidence under the rug? Along with her boyfriend, Detective Ted Nash, Marcy must unravel an intricate tapestry of deception to find a desperate killer.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Cozy Mystery

Rating – PG

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Connect with Amanda Lee on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.gayletrent.com