It’s everywhere!
OK, well maybe not everywhere, but darn near!
You can now get War of the Seasons, Book One, The Human for your Kindle and your Nook for only $4.99! The iBook version (also for only $4.99) should be due out any day now.
That said, I need to bring up a problem the Nook version has been having. For some reason the map of Ailionora is not showing up. The weird part is if you open it up on your Nook app on your iPhone/iPad or computer it works just fine. It’s only on the actual Nook that it won’t show up. It’s baffling the B&N Nook techs, that’s for sure. Hopefully they’ll have it solved and push an update to your Nooks soon. Until then, here is a clickable thumbnail to the map so you can know where in the world you are…
Not into reading digital books? You can purchase a signed copy of my book in my shop.
Not into collecting signed books, but still want a physical copy? You can get it on createspace or Amazon.
Want to test drive before you buy? You can now read Sample Chapters here.
And if you do happen to read my entire book, and feel so inclined, I’d love a review at any of those places – Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, your own blog… Let me know what you think!
Speaking of Goodreads, yes, I’ve got an account there! Feel free to friend me! đ Feel free to do the same at Livejournal, Twitter, Facebook, Blogspot, and well, I would say Myspace, but does anyone use myspace anymore? If you do, I’m there & feel free to friend me!
While we’re on the subject of social media, my Facebook fan page only has 53 people who like me *sad*. So, I have succumbed to bribery… the 100th person to “like” me gets a free signed copy of War of the Seasons, Book One: The Human! Come on, can you think of a more awesome prize than that??? Wait… don’t answer that! đ
Whew, I think that’s it for now. If you’ve made it this far into the post you get a GIF!
War of the Seasons: The Human: It’s out!
My book went to the printers yesterday, and it’s almost here!
And now, you can order your very own signed and personalized copy from my shop!
I’m so very excited! Can you tell?
Don’t worry, very soon you’ll be able to order it for your Kindles, Nooks, iPads, and more.
Once again, the link to my shop: https://ailionora.com/shop/
Hope you enjoy it. đ
Proof & a Song
Not gonna lie, things have been very stressful (I’m sure my editor would agree), but in a good way, because LOOK:
I’m VERY excited about my book! I’m less excited about my new haircut. Bleh. At anyrate, hopefully War of the Seasons, Book One: The Human will be available for purchase in a week or so. *fingers crossed*
It’ll be available for purchase on Nook, Kindle, iBook… you name it! And of course, you can still go the old school ACTUAL PHYSICAL BOOK route.
Keep an eye out – a free preview download of the first two chapters should be available in the next couple days…
Now, onto other news, I HAVE A SONG! I’ve noticed (and had pointed out to me by several friends) that the growing trend is to have a promo vid for your book. So my ever talented webmaster, Rich, is creating one for me.
The thing is, you can’t just go using people’s music willie nillie for commercial purposes without licensing it, so I contacted one of my favorite bands, The Steelwells to work out me possibly licensing one of their songs for my promo vid. They were, thankfully, on board, and so now, I HAVE A SONG!
They have many wonderful songs, but the one I felt fit best with the tone of my book was “Our Fabled Little Rabbits.” So here you have their fun & quirky music vid – I’ll obviously post my promo vid once it’s complete.
You should really check out The Steelwells’ album “Shallow On the Draft,” if you haven’t yet. It’s a bargin on iTunes, and you can also get it on Amazon.com (I’m sure you can get it elsewhere too, but those are the places I know of). If you need a “gateway song,” check out “El Capitan” by them. Love it!
A last minute crisis averted!
So, as I was reviewing the final FINAL print edit of The Human, I asked my husband (who doubles as my attorney), how I needed to credit the lyrics I’d used in my book – specifically, Merle Haggard’s, “Okie from Muskogee.”
He did some research & happened to mention “I hope you aren’t using more than one or two lines – more than that and you need permission from the artist.”
WUT? I was using 6…
Ok, so in hind site I really shouldn’t have been surprised, but as I said above, I was reviewing the FINAL print edit of my book when I discovered this. To say that I panicked would be an understatement – I had to get revisions to my editor that night if we were going to get everything done in time for our print deadline.
Y’all, those lyrics were a huge part of two major scenes in my book. Perhaps with a few days to brew and think about how to rewrite them without the lyrics I could have done it, but to try to do it RIGHT THEN (at the end of a very long day I might add), my brain was fried, and I was in no state to write.
I’ll admit it, I cried. I threw a pillow at the wall and screamed. Then I went into my bedroom and stared at my draft trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do. I thought it was the end of the world. I can be a bit dramatic at times…
5 minutes later Ron came to the rescue.
“Hey baby?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you dead set on those lyrics?”
“No. I only used them because my dad used to sing them when I was a kid.”
“Well, if you use a song that’s out of copyright you don’t need permission.”
*SUDDEN HOPE*
“Like?…”
“Well, anything where the writer’s been dead 70 years or more I think. Or any traditional songs like ‘Danny boy’.”
So, I went with the traditional Irish folk tune “Whiskey in the Jar” (sometimes known as “Kilgary Mountain”). While it didn’t have the same childhood sentimental value for me that “Okie from Muskogee” did, my husband has been singing it around the house for the past 11 years, and it was the very first song I learned how to play on guitar (he taught it to me, BTW). So it still has a lot of meaning to me, AND I won’t get sued for using it! WIN! Oh, and with the Irish/Celtic influences in The Human, I suppose it’s appropriate. đ
*whew* Crisis averted!
I have a cover!
YOU GUYS! YOU GUYS!!! I HAVE A COVER!!!!
Betsy did an amazing job on the art – I love love love it! Just what I wanted – she saw into my head perfectly! You can see her previous concept art for this here.
Kelli (also my editor) did a wonderful job on the layout – I especially love the font she picked for it. SO PERFECT! đ
You guys – this is REALLY HAPPENING!
Clickable thumbnail of the full cover:
Just the front cover:
The Digital Revolution
A couple of interesting things I’ve come across in the last month to do with self-publishing & eBooks sales:
eBook Sales have tripled in the last year. – Which is fantastic news for all authors – well, those of us who have embraced going digital. For those who haven’t, well, eventually a tipping point will come… and they’ll be left playing serious catch up.
I also have to agree with what Mike Stackpole said in a recent blog post: Trade Publishers: By clinging to the traditional distribution model, they have fallen seriously behind the curve. Their suppliers (authors) and their true customers (readers) realize they donât need them anymore. The idea that they serve as gatekeepers has fallen to the wayside and has been replaced by free sample chapters so readers can make their own decisions. The âlegitimacyâ offered by Trade Publishers has also vanished because theyâve turned around and offered contracts to self-published digital stars so the traditional publishers wonât seem so terribly out of touch. Itâs akin to some segregated country club electing an African-American club president so it can seem that theyâre not still mired in the past. That doesnât mean the writers arenât good, it just means that Traditional Publishingâs crown is seriously tarnished. Traditional publishers lack the money, personnel, vision and drive to become players in the digital market. There is no way they are going to move it in a different direction.
Mike has been preaching the digital revolution for years and years – he saw this coming & no one would listen at first. Or rather, very few did. I must admit I was guilty of not listening at first. Give up paper books? NEVER! My tune changed when I received a Nook for Christmas. 6 months later I find I turn to my Nook 90% of the time now. In fact, I get down right IRATE if a book I want to read isn’t offered digitally (I’m looking at you HARRY POTTER!)
You guys – I’m not the exception. I’m the norm here – people are embracing the ebook format. Paper books are going to very quickly become a niche market.
Let’s close this short post out with a fantastic blog post from Mike Stackpole: Why Digital Self-Publishing frightens some authors
My favorite quote from it (shoot, I could practically quote the whole blog post!): Yes, if you digitally self-publish, you have to take responsibility for your work. If the cover looks like crap, youâre the one putting it on there. You have to fix it. If you want reviewers to post reviews of your book, you need to find them and send them copies. You need to blog about these things, get the word out on the social networks, and do that over and over again.
Basically, you have to do all the things you complained that the publishers never did for you. And while there may be a science to marketing, it ainât rocket science. It continually boggles my mind that writers who can research technology or history and imagine whole worlds some how believe they canât, with the same sort of study, learn how to do all this marketing stuff. That proposition is unbelievable; and when folks pretend they donât know anyone who would help them will all this, well, then it all gets ridiculous.
Y’all, if you are even remotely considering writing/publishing (or already are) you NEED to read that article!
My Origin’s Schedule
As I’ve posted before, I’ll be launching my first YA Lit novel, War of the Seasons: The Human at Origins Game Fair June 22nd-26th, 2011.
One of the really exciting things I’ll get to do there is be a part of several panels/seminars – now the official schedule isn’t out, but I do know the names of the panels I get to be on & when I’ll get to do my reading of my book. And of course, when I’m not at a panel, I’ll be at my table in the Author’s room in between Bryan Young and Mike Stackpole.
COLOR ME EXCITED!
SO, what panels am I going to be on? Here you go (be warned, this schedule is subject to change – nothing is official until the convention program is out – and even then something could change):
Thursday, the 23rd – My BIRTHDAY, BTW đ
1 PM: Author Meet and Greet. Originsâ Writersâ Symposium (aka The Library) has brought together a group of highly talented and bestselling authors who will spend the convention teaching classes, doing readings, hosting meals and gaming. This is your chance to meet them on an informal basis before the festivities begin.
2 PM: Quick Critiques. Did you have a few manuscript pages in your game bag? Fiction or game material will suffice. Our authors will look at up to three pages of it and offer you an on-the-spot critique. Donât pass up this opportunity for some free one-on-one advice. Authors available: Jean Rabe, Janine Spendlove, Bryan Young, VJ Waks.
3 PM: When the Villain is the Hero. Can your main character be something less than a knight-in-shining armor? Thereâs something definitely attractive about a âbad boy.â If carefully executed, you can make the star of your story downright dirty. We provide insight in how to handle the anti-protagonist. Janine Spendlove, Bryan Young, Jean Rabe. (Seminar cost is $2.)
4 PM: Alternate History and Military Fiction. U.S. Marine, Janine Spendlove, who has served combat tours in Iraq as a pilot, discusses what it takes to add an authentic military flavor to your fiction tales. The reward of your work and research can propel you onto the bookshelves. (Seminar cost is $2.)
Friday the 24th:
4 PM: Slay âEm!: Hang âem. Poison âem. Blow âem up. Slice âem to ribbons. Or just run âem over with a train. Marc Tassin, Janine Spendlove and R.T. Kaelin cover how to kill your characters. They discuss how to time a death scene right, how to give the death meaning, what details to leave in and out, and how to decide which heroes and villains
should âbite the dust.â (Seminar cost is $2.)
5 PM: YA, Kid-Lit, and Adult Markets. Want to write the next big YA fantasy? You better approach it differently than that adult-horror-splatterfest youâve been spending your hours on. Authors and editors Marc Tassin, C.S. Marks, and Janine Spendlove discuss the difference in childrenâs lit, YA, and adult genres. The age of your intended readers should dictate your approach to storytelling. They provide a handout of YA markets and agents. (Seminar cost is $2.)
Saturday the 25th:
10 AM: Part Time Writer, Full Time World. You have a day job. Or youâre a full-time student. Maybe youâre a stay-at-home mom who has kids underfoot. How can you juggle the âreal worldâ and find time to write that novel youâve always dreamed about? Our panelists have full-time careers and have managed to write a plethora of short fiction, novels, and trilogies. Theyâll share their techniques for fitting it all in. Panelists: Janine Spendlove, Bryan Young, Marc Tassin. (Seminar cost is $2.)
12 PM: Writing RightâDialog and Language: Whatchu wanna learn âbout writing conversations? Thereâs a right method for capturing dialects and slang without making your readers strain their brains in an effort to fathom what you mean. Learn the techniques for adding flavor and a smidgen of grammatical incorrectness. Panelists also discuss creating languages to make your worlds come alive. How do you keep your characters from having names and discussions that look like someone slapped the keyboard? Panelists: Steven Saus, Walter Hunt, Janine Spendlove. (Seminar cost is $2.)
1 PM: Beating Writerâs Block. Have you faced a malevolent force that prevents you from finishing your manuscript? How can you defeat the dark power that keeps your fingers motionless on the keyboard and your brain in neutral? Our panelists have battled this dreaded demon, and theyâll teach you how to best it! Janine Spendlove, Jean Rabe, Marc Tassin. (Seminar cost is $2.)
Saturday Readings:
6 p.m. Steven Saus
6:30 p.m. Walter Hunt
7 p.m. Aaron Allston
8 p.m. Janine Spendlove
8:30 p.m. Bryan Young
Sunday the 25th:
10 AM: The Ups and Downs of the Publishing Industry. Your panelists have dealt with big publishers, small press publishers, packagers, editors, and agents. They have wisdom to impart on deadlines, galleys, self-publishing, vanity publishing, print-on-demand, and web postings. They understand how advances, royalties, and reserves for
returns work. They’ve attended pitch sessions, schmoozed at con parties, sold projects off of outlines, submitted partials, and written work-for-hire in shared worlds. They’ve authored, edited, packaged, and critiqued. They’ve done readings and book tours and shameless self-promotion. Best yet, they’re willing to chat about it all and answer your questions in this audience-driven review of publishing. Panelists: Jean Rabe, Bryan Young, Janine Spendlove, Marc Tassin. (Seminar cost is $2.)
11 AM: Crafting Conflict: Make war, not peace! Ruffle the feathers of your characters. Stir the pot of emotions. Add a fistfight or two. Craft a clever and entertaining argument among your heroes. Not all conflict has to be bloody or increase the body count, but it does have to keep the reader turning the pages. Janine Spendlove, Bryan Young, and R.T. Kaelin discuss the art of adding a dash of conflict to your pages. (Seminar cost is $2.)
~~~~~
Aaaaaaaand that’s my schedule! I really hope to see y’all there – and yes, I will have my books in tow so you can get signed copies if you’d like. đ
Concept art
I spoke with my cover artist, Betsy, today to see if she minded me posting her concept art for my cover.
She said to go for it! So here goes, but please keep a few things in mind:
1- These are very rough concept sketches, intended to explore layout and ideas.
2- They are very small (thumbnails)
3- They were taken with an iPhone camera, so not the best quality, but you’ll get the idea.
4- These drawings belong to Betsy – any use of them must be done with her explicit permission first.
Now for Betsy’s sketches/concepts (very mild book spoilers in the text):
So here are some ideas I’ve got flying around. I really think we should focus on the tree. So many trilogies have important knives on the cover (…) I think you really have an interesting thing going with the tree.
Images that also resonated with me:
Morrigann’s fiddle
Faerie Ring the rocks where Morrigann met Story.
The cave with the portal – 1 aspen tree at the mouth
The painting of the tree in the cave
The fairy lights
Morrigann’s wooden throne
I don’t want to pull too much imagery from the second half of the book, because there’s nothing I hate more than reading a story and all I can think about is how the cover art depicts a scene that hasn’t happened yet.
Thumbnail 1:
Wraparound cover. Includes the tree on the spine, overlapping to front & back covers. On the back on the left is the cave with the aspen tree. On the cover you’ve got Morrigann’s fiddle leaning up against the rock he kept sitting on. That swirl you see starting at the bottom left cover and curling around the front up to the title is just a path the fairy lights would take. The fairies themselves would have no distinct character faces, just a few lines and sparkly lights.
Thumbnail 2:
More art Nouveau graphics. Cover: Tree front and center, but a less literal depiction; more graphic and stylized. Back: Some plant imagery, but the main focus would be the fiddle on one side and the knife on the other. This is not a wraparound cover.
Thumbnail 3:
Wraparound cover. One side has the dead tree with Morrigann’s empty throne sitting in front of it and the fiddle leaning against the chair. The other side would be the living tree with various plants and flowers and possibly fairy lights. I don’t know which side I like more. I kind of like the dead tree side! It’s eerie and interesting and would fill the front better.
Thumbnail 4:
Wraparound cover. Very much like #3, except the tree is split into two and appears on the opposite sides. Background fill would either be an open landscape or more trees like in the Kay Neilsen illustration I sent a while back.
~~~~~
I liked all the concepts, but my favorite was almost immediately #3. Turned out it was Kelli & Betsy’s favorites too – so number 3 it was!
We went back and forth on a few things, such as switching the dead/living tree sides and adding a dash of pixies flying by along with the wind blowing around some falling petals on the living side of the tree.
A day later I received this from Betsy & I immediately approved it. Can’t wait to see the final inked & colored version!
Here’s the really rough full sketch. (Without the fiddle. I forgot to draw it before I took the pictures!)
Front
Back
The whole cover
*EXCITED*
On book covers
Who knew that actually giving input on your book cover could be both FUN and ANXIETY ridden?
Part of the reason that I want to go the self-publishing route is that I am a control enthusiast (or freak, if you will), and like having the final say on, well, everything – to include my book cover.
How did I decide on my cover artist? Well, Betsy and I have been friends for a couple years now, and I love her art. I also knew that she’d be able to convey through her art what I wanted on the cover of my book. I’m not saying we’re exactly like minded, but we’ve talked enough, and she knows me well enough by now, that I knew she’d be able to take my ramblings and create something beautiful out of them.
So, I called her up out of the blue and asked if she’d do the cover for my book. She immediately said yes, and we went to work from there.
Several texts, phone calls, heytells, and emails later – I think we had a solid understanding of what I wanted, and what style she was going to go for.
Believe it or not, I wasn’t actually that specific (at least I don’t think so). My requirements were essentially:
1- No people. I don’t like it when a book cover tells me what a character looks like. The reader’s imagination & the author’s words should do that.
2- The cover for all three books need to stylistically be similar/have a unifying theme.
3- Nothing in black/white/red super emo/angsty that seems to be all the rage & style on YA Lit covers these days (I’m not naming names, but you know what books I’m talking about).
4- Something that makes it clear that it’s a fantasy novel/faerie tale.
Beyond that, I left it up to Betsy. She’s the artist after all.
Yesterday I received 4 thumbnail sketches from her. I was so excited because a) HOLY COW THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING! and b) it was really cool to see a visual representation of things from my book. I loved all 4 concepts, but one of them really stood out to me, and as it turns out, to both Kelli (my editor) and Betsy as well. So it was easy to decide on which one to use.
Can I just say that I’m EXCITED?
You guys…
THIS IS HAPPENING!
So, for those of you who don’t know an artist, or don’t want to go that route, there are plenty of online companies that will create a cover for you (and many will do a book layout for you as well). Just google it!
Also, just as a reminder, War of the Seasons: The Human, is going to be released at Origins, so I hope you can make it. If not, you’ll be able to buy it online the same day, June 22nd, at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes – you’ll be able to order hard copies for your shelves & digital copies for your kindle/nook/ipad/sony eReader/etc.
*EXCITED*
Final draft – complete!
Or should I say abandoned? đ
I made my first deadline – my editor has my final draft, and I must say, it’s both exciting and terrifying. I know I could continue to edit and revise probably forever, but really, it’s time.
Also, I know I’ve mentioned that I love to travel – it’s a wonderful “muse.” I’m currently in Mozambique, Africa & after taking a dip in the Indian Ocean yesterday, I feel a short story coming on…
