New YouTube Interview!
With the release of my new novel, The Dragon Keepers, I am also blessed with another interview by Elizabeth O'Carroll at the Gimme 5-Book Review & Author Interview, Link@
The interview will be avaialble on July 16 on YouTube! Thank you Elizabeth for the wonderful talk. Check it out! We my new novel, discuss writing, stress amnesia, (which I suffered when I forgot a character name!) and love for the small publishing house.
The Dreaded Blurb Quest
Is writing a 100,000 word fantasy epic difficult? No. For me it is fun. I've got lots of stories and characters in my little head, thundering about like impatient trolls. Is it hard to write a brief and exciting 100 word blurb for your novel. Yes. It is a terror I suffer with each book I finish. As I start another new novel (New characters! New tale! Must remain silent now) I decided to do something new. I would have three things before I write: title, ending, blurb.
Now the first two are easy. I already have the characters and tale mapped out in my book bible. But that blurb? Always makes my head ache. But I made myself do it. After a miserable afternoon of tea and writing, I did it. Is it great? I hope so. It is a selling point to agents and publishers. But I think I did a good job weaving my new world into a brief blurb.
Drafting My Novel: Madness, Tea, & Shortbread
My books start with a spark. An idea, an image, or a memory. I go through this process whenever I begin something new. I am in the process now of creating a new tale with new characters in a shiny new world. The process is different for every writer.
When I wrote The Bardess of Rhulon, I wanted to create a story about a dwarven female heroine in a secondary world. I began writing when I had her name: Rose Greenleaf. At first my impulse was to create a warrior, but then something else happened as I drafted my first chapter. Rose wanted to be a bard. Tell stories and lay music. Her parents and her village expected Rose to be like other girls. She wasn't. She was different and that caused her trouble. Rose longed for freedom to be an artist.
Her mentor, an aged bard supported her. Rose's parents did not. Rose's battle was for the right to be herself. Choose her own path. A warrior does not always need a sword. Sometimes they need a lute. And that is how I created the first novel of the Rogue Bardess trilogy. I love Rose. I am proud of what I created.
Sometimes you just need to let the tale flow. You cannot plan everything in a notebook. Only the raw beginnings which are later refined. So as an author, just let go and see what happens.
Goblin Rant: Small Publishing Woes
I work with two smaller publishing houses, TANSTAAFL Press and Wolfsinger Publications. These two publishers may be small by big publishing house images, but they do awesome work. Sometimes these are called micro presses, which I think sounds demeaning.
What people don't realize is how much harder the small publisher has to work. They must pay for everything, the editing, book covers, ISBN #, etc. They must promote the books, go to book fairs and conventions. The work is endless, but the industry has made things harder on them.
As a writer with a small house, I also face the task of trying to promote my work on social media. It is daunting and makes me cranky. It's a struggle for us both. So when surfing social media or the book section on Amazon, seek out lesser known, You may be surprised at how wonderful we are.
Speaking of promos, below is my library of novels you can buy on Amazon and other online book sites. Much magic to behold.
That is all I have the enery for today. Applying my book covers to this newsletter became vexing. Forgive the spacing. Read more books, support libraries, as the librarian is our true hero/heroines. And support the small publishers! We publish quality novels all can enjoy. Read more! Explore imagination.
Cheers,
Verna McKinnon
