"At Second Sight"

Made good progress  this weekend. Chapters seven and eight introduce some of our mythical creatures and provide a little insight in to the man who is Detective Bronson and why he is so open to working with a psychic on this case. The relationship between Thomas and the spirit of Katie Simmons also begins to change and we try a new spin on the paranormal phenomenon known as ectoplasm.
Sure sounds like a lot for the span of two chapters doesn't it?

At Second Sight

What began as a potential paranormal romance is quickly evolving into something that straddles the line between paranormal and fantasy with very little romance! The ashrays of the marsh and great Birra Lough have now been introduced. I will be so excited when this one is finished!

Stomach flu proves a worthy opponent

I am sadly behind on everything at present do to a stomach flu that has sucker punched everyone in the house including the family dog! Feeling better now and plan to start posting again just as soon I dig myself out of this hole!

Is purchasing an e-book cover the right choice?

We are told not to judge a book by its cover but sadly, we often do. Remember those elementary school trips to the school library to check out books? What initially drew you to the books you selected? An appealing cover, of course! To date, I have created my own covers and I think I've done an adequate job of creating attractive covers that offer an air of mystery but lack the 3D effects that can be achieved by using serious and expensive software. With "At Second Sight" I am going to take the plunge and invest in a professional cover design. I'm excited to see if there will be an increase in the books popularity due to it having a more appealing digital cover. I've found someone who can provide me with a cover design similar to the cover of "Not Forgotten" but with the glitz and shine of a 3D cover. I'll keep you posted on the results!

Don't Forget to Edit!

Indie authors don't always have the funds to hire a professional editor and may rely on their own eyes and software to do the final edits before printing or converting their digital files. As an author and someone who writes every day I can tell you that this is a big mistake! Typos can be found in any work, even those produced by the big publishing houses but when they show up in indie works, they take away from the reputation of the trade. Readers by nature are harder on indies but they also love finding a great novel among the stacks of unknowns so it's important to put well written, polished and professional works out on the market. So, what do you do when you can't afford an editor? It's simple, really. Use the resources that are available to you.

It's amazing how much more adept at grammar, spelling and punctuation the young can be! Probably because they've just had these things hammered into their heads at school. High school and college students can make great editors for these types of errors. They may also provide valuable insight along the way if they are your target market. Maybe your references are outdated or too mature. They will definitely let you know. If you don't have your own child in this age range, borrow one from a friend or relative. I have found some that are happy to do it for simply the promise of a mention in the forward of the book. If you don't mind paying a little for the service, its possible to post a want ad at the local college for an English major to help you out in return for some spending money and work experience.

Other authors also make good editors. If you belong to writing groups, you may find other authors to trade editing services with you. It may not be a good idea to share your unpublished work with an online contact whom you've never met, but if you have someone you trust, they can be a great help.

We hate to burden our friends and family but if you have avid readers in your arsenal they may just love to help you with your edits in exchange for a sneak peak at your work and the writing process. I've found that many readers are fascinated by the writing process and would love an opportunity to be a part of it.

As writers we become emotionally attached to our work and that makes us too close to pick out even some of the most minor errors. We stare at our pages so long we no longer see the individual words because we are looking at the story. For this reason any second set of eyes is better than none. The first time I published an online article I spent hours scanning it for errors. As soon as it was published, I pulled it up and was humiliated when I found a typo in the first paragraph! Don't let this happen when you see your finished book for the first time!

Not sure when but this handsome guy is going to become cover art!

Free Kindle Books for Fun or Folly

We've all heard of Amanda Hocking, the Amazon Indie Author sensation from Texas. If you haven't had a chance to check her out, you can get her first book in the Hollows Series, Hollowland, delivered to the cloud for free. Another quirky freebie that I'm personally loving right now is I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School. Check them both out. What have you got to lose? They're free!

Do You Have a Book on Amazon?

I was thinking that perhaps all of us Amazon writers could benefit from a few fresh reviews. If you have a Kindle book out there that could use some activity to bring it a little renewed attention leave a comment and let me know how to contact you. Maybe we can trade gift copies of our work and review each other.

At Second Sight Update

The new book is moving along though I wish it were moving a bit faster. It's kind of taking a turn in an unexpected direction which will be darker than originally intended. I think we're going to throw the paranormal romance angle right out the window and Detective Bronson is going to play a much greater role than originally intended. I think this one is going to appeal to a much wider audience and that alone is very exciting!

Call me crazy but I don't think she liked Chapter 5!

"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" So Disappointing

Having a new little one in the house makes it difficult to get out the movies so I waited with anticipation for the remake of "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" to come to pay per view. I was cautiously optimistic realizing that thus far, the new millennium hasn't lived up to my horror movie expectations. Imagine my disappointment when it was a thrill free flop! I asked myself how it could be possible that Hollywood has become incapable of scaring us? I think the answer may just be found in technology. Filmmakers are getting so consumed by their ability to use technology to make creatures and create special effects they forgot that what really scares us is not what we can see but what we can't see. It's the innuendo of impending danger, the subtle nuances of darkness, and the increasing resonance  of voices in that darkness that make the hairs on the backs of our necks stand on end. For horror to work, it needs to be credible. We need to have the ability to relate it back to things that have frightened us in real life and I don't think any of us have experienced an infestation of rats with human faces.  I'll keep searching for the next great horror film but I fear I may need to roundup a few diehard horror fans so we can make it ourselves!