Audiobooks!
♥ Ava Mason ♥
Elizabeth and the Clan of Dragons
♥ Michael Chatfield & Dawn Chapman ♥
♥ J.R. Rasmussen ♥
♥ Kathryn Andrews ♥
♥ Kip Terrington ♥
♥ Shannon Esposito ♥
♥ Ahren Sanders ♥
♥ Bobbi Holmes ♥
work
Out Of Control
Relinquishing creative control can feel like the end of the world. One cannot simply do everything and have a successful book launch.
- Let your editor edit. You’re paying them to do so. Give them space. Let them work. And if they don’t meet their deadline, let ’em have it. All hell will break loose. Be easy on your editor who’s focusing on the substantive editing. They need to pick apart your story and ask questions. Don’t flip out on them. Take a chill pill.
- Unless you’re designing your own cover, you’ll also need to take a step back and tell yourself: “I’m not the expert.” Give the designer what they need, info-wise. Maybe a little more. Be realistic in your feedback and don’t get irrationally angry if they don’t follow your original request. They may have a marketing tactic or two behind their reasons why. Just ask.
- If you’ve hired PR to help with your marketing, then you need to lay out your terms and conditions to a degree. Once again, you’re paying this person to do a job for you. They’re the expert. Not you! They will treat your upcoming work with TLC and sketch out a marketing plan tailored to a genre and audience. If they don’t, something isn’t being done right. Ensue virtual yelling.
Think of this time away from your work as a vacation. Go to the beach, go for a hike. Drink a nice, cold pina colada. And when you’re notified from any of the people you’ve hired about your book…
Panic.
The Cannibal Monster
This is one of the last two areas of the world we are traveling too. So, let’s venture into the deep woods of the Americas to start the beginning of the final countdown!
Wendigo | Algonquian Tribes
Cannibalistic beastly humanoid, possibly once human.
- This creature is aligned with murder, insatiable, and cultural taboos against “normal” behavior. They’re also associated with the winter, the north, coldness, famine, and starvation.
- The Wendigo is bigger than a human, and whenever it feeds on human flesh, it grows! It never gains weight and will always appear thin. They’re always hungry so watch out!!
- There’s also an explanation as to why they may have been human once before turning into the Wendigo. When they were human, they may have been incredibly greedy. Or if the human was in contact with Wendigos for too long, they would become one.
- Powers include: mimicking human voices, possession, controlling weather, manipulation of darkness (sunset), control of forest creatures, healing, and incredible strength and speed.
- Believe it or not, there is a psychological disorder called the Wendigo Psychosis. People diagnosed crave human flesh even though they have access to normal food sources.
So Many Hours, So Little Time…
If you missed it, here’s the recap!
♥ London Casey & Jaxson Kidman ♥
Books 2-5 of the St. Skin Series
♥ Cecilia Lane ♥
♥ Christy Pastore ♥
♥ J. New ♥
♥ Layla Frost ♥
♥ Meg Anne ♥
♥ Nicole French ♥
Downsizing Your Writing
Inspired solely on the act of decluttering a home, we’re talking about a part of editing some people dread: downsizing the finished product.
There is a such thing as writing too much. Spending an excessive amount of your time world-building all at once, having long conversations between characters to reveal information, or describing your characters in great physical detail and not focusing on the plot. These are examples! There can be all kinds of details you may be able to omit!
If you find yourself growing insecure or anxious about your ability to write effectively for an audience, you may want to begin the downsizing process.
Those moments too large (or too long)…revisit them. Break it down and see what can be taken out. What’s important to your writing is showing your reader what’s going on around your character or how your character(s) perceive the world – not telling your reader. They won’t feel it.
Small details may be important to hold onto so save them in a note on the side. They might be able to be woven into the narrative in a flowing manner.
Try to set a time frame in which you’ll work on this form of editing. And if you have to – do it more than once. You’ll realize how a whole paragraph may only needed to be one sentence.
Revenge of the Scorpion Man
This creature was a feature in the Mummy series. Definitely something worth getting the chills over! 😱
Aqrabuamelu | Former Mesopotamia
Warrior with a scorpion body and male torso.
- These creatures (made both male and female but more known as male) were created to wage war against younger gods by an older goddess.
- They were also known to stand guard to gates leading to other gods (the list of gods differ).
- The Aqrabuamelu doesn’t have magical powers, at least not ones officially documented – only speculated. With purely physical abilities, they utilize their human body and scorpion body in their own ways.
- Wonder if they were the size of scorpions? Nope! Supposedly, their heads touch the sky.
- Along with their fearsome tail filled with poison, they’re actually skilled with a bow and arrow.
Gather Round!
On last week’s episode of Keeping Up With the Audio…
♥ B.R. Kingsolver ♥
Witches’ Brew: Dark Streets, Book 3
♥ Bree Livingston ♥
♥ Elizabeth Knox ♥
♥ Kathryn Andrews ♥
♥ Maria Luis ♥
♥ Kristin Mayer ♥
♥ Bobbi Holmes ♥
The Ghost and the Doppelganger
♥ Katerina Martinez & Tansey Morgan ♥
♥ Kestra Pingree ♥
♥ Krista Wolf ♥
♥ Lucy Smoke ♥
♥ R.K. Lander ♥
♥ Shannon Esposito ♥
Everyone Is…
…DIFFERENT.
There. We said it.
We thought it was about time it was said.
You can scroll through the blogs, the forums, the advice columns…but always remember, you’re different than the person posting online. Your creative experience and beyond is your experience alone. Two people will not share the exact process…similarities, sure, but not replicated.
So, take any writing or publishing experience stories as a grain of salt in the big pot of publishing stew!
Earth Fish
Bahamut | Middle East
Colossal fish that is one of seven layers supporting the Earth.
- Bahamut is sometimes considered a nickname. Balhut is the earliest name for the fish. Bahamut came along and is actually translated from the word, “behemoth.” (And other references but crazy!)
- You can’t see Bahamut but he keeps us out of the black abyss, while swimming around in the underworld.
- The general consensus on what Bahamut looks like revolves around a huge animal. Some stories give him different appearances but the more notable figure is the water-dwelling animal.
- Can a fish even have powers? With his size, you think that would be it. Lo and behold, in other mythological tales, Bahamut has the ability to drive someone mad if seen (which is most unlikely, but whatever.) Another version of Bahamut can control all wild predators on Earth with a simple roar, during the summer solstice. This power keeps the animals tamed until the next year.
- Weakness isn’t a word Bahamut knows…but obedience is. If he doesn’t obey his Creator…he could get killed!
Proof It Once, Proof It Twice…
…Third times a charm! Right? Right?
Unfortunately, that’s not the case when it comes to editing and proofreading your novel. If you’re trying to save money and doing everything by yourself is your only option, we want to be there for you.
Meaning, we’re going to give you some advice.
- Take some time away. We mean it. You may not be able to do a vacation getaway from your writing, but you could leave the room. That’s like a vacation, right? Leave your writing domain for an extended period of time and take a breather. You deserve it! And plus…if you jump into proofing and editing immediately, you’ll end up critiquing yourself as a writer more so than edit your actual book.
- Figure out what you want the process to be like. While you’re away from your writing space would be the best time to do this! Mapping out your editing goals will help you focus on what’s important and needs to be done. Don’t let your mind wander!
- Sit down.
- Make sure you’re reading your book as a stranger. Another important part of taking a break is coming back with a new, fresh perspective. With healthy distractions, you’ll be able to forget (for the most part) what your book was like and when you start to re-read, you’ll think…”What did the author say?…Oh wait, that’s me.” You’ll notice details differently, too.
- Get into the reading groove. Maybe you’ll read very slowly, maybe you’ll read it aloud to yourself (or force someone to read it for you…ALEXA.)
- Pace in your space because it becomes too much.
- Don’t worry! We always see writers attempting to word particular things differently. Don’t worry about that. Sometimes…you just have to use the word ‘said.’ There’s no reason to get fancy. Focus on other bits, not that.