10 May 2013 · 9:47 pm

Su Williams in the HOT SEAT

When Su Williams first lays eyes on the HOT SEAT, she begins to whimper and cry. It’s almost as if she’s having an extremely bad dream. But this ain’t a dream, Su. This is real. 

Let the  games begin. :D  

What genre(s) do you write, Su?

Su Williams

Gday, Su!

Well, considering Dream Weaver is my first book, I write in YA paranormal fiction. I went to my first conference about 4 years ago and people were throwing around all kinds of genres I had no clue what they were…steam punk, high fantasy, space opera. Boy, did I get an education. I really didn’t know what genre I wrote in other than YA fiction. I recommend conferences to beginning writers as well as self-published writers. Conferences are a great way to make connections and learn the craft.

[CJ: I agree. I've only gone to one conference but I got heaps out of it.]

Tell us about Dream Weaver in 25 words or less! 

Dream Weaver coverDream Weaver, Nickolas Benedetti rescues tragedy-torn Emari Sweet from the night terrors that haunt her. And draws the living breathing nightmares to her doorstep.

[CJ: Oh no! Tell us more.]

Seventeen year old Emari Sweet has lost her parents in a horrific car crash. Night terrors stalk her sleep and she teeters on the precipice of life, and death by her own hand. Her flesh screams for the razor’s edge, if only to exorcise her inner pain.

Nickolas Benedetti is Onar Caphar (Dream Weaver). He is able to cull and control the memories and dreams of others with a simple touch. Emari’s nightmares evanesce under his fingertips and with one whispered word, ‘forget’, he fades from her dreams with the cool grey mist of morning.
But a darker, more violent terror stalks her and ravages her precarious life. Nick strives to  save her but draws his own nemesis to her secluded cottage. Picketed by a promise, Nick will offer his own life in order to save hers.

Most of us write part time. How do you spend your time when you’re not writing?

When I’m not writing or working I like to read. We go camping during the summer up at my parent’s cabin. There’s always something new to see up there. Baby raccoons, hunting osprey [a bird of prey], beavers, bear, a swarm of butterflies or a nesting duck or robin.  I love to take pictures of the wildlife we encounter. Some of my favorite pics are posted on my Pinterest page.

Tell us a little about your writing process.

LOL. I love this question. I keep telling people I’m a puker…as opposed to a pantser or planner. Random scenes come to me at random times inspired by random events. Then I have to write them down on whatever piece of paper I have available. I’ve been known to use register tape (I work retail.) Once I have my scenes, I tie them all together. And then, I edit, re-edit and edit again. I can’t afford a real editor, so I’ve worked hard at learning as much as I can about writing in general and novel writing specifically. There’s a lot of great books out there. I even used a college writing text book. Two books I suggest are: Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon; and Guide to Literary Agents by Chuck Sambuchino.

[CJ: A puker, hey? Nice!]

Who or what are your biggest writing inspirations?

I LOVE vivid, original imagery. I love it when writing is beautiful and poetic and heart-wrenching. The authors that I believe do this for me are Lisa McMann, Maggie Stiefvater, Annette Curtis Klaus and Richelle Mead.   

[CJ: My to-read list just got even longer...]

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a writer?

Without a doubt, I’d have to say promotion and marketing. It takes a great deal of time to get the word out on your book if you’re self-published. There’s no one to set up interviews or reviews or create ads. It’s all me. The biggest piece of advice I’ve gotten lately is ‘do what you can without sacrificing your creativity. Don’t forget that writing is what you love most and you can’t lose focus on that. :) ’ (Thanks A.L.!).

[CJ: That's excellent advice. And I totally hear you about promotion and marketing - it's incredibly time intensive.]

Time for the HOT SEAT questions!

Hot Seat

*Insert scary music here*

Wow! This is a bit like being on the couch in the psychiatrist’s office. Delving deep into my psyche. Are you sure you really want to know this?

Yep, there’s no getting out of it now! Here we go…

Which fictional character are you most like and why?

Definitely Emari Sweet. She’s a bit quirky, a bit dark. Emari is kind of a compilation of myself, my daughter and every goth/emo girl I’ve met or read about. We call people who know who they are and aren’t shy about sharing it ‘characters.’ There aren’t enough ‘characters’ in the world these days. Everyone wants to fit in and becomes a cookie cutter of everyone else. I don’t mind being called ‘weird.’ Good, that means I’m not like you. And my daughter, Sarah inspires me too. She is not like every other teen girl. She’s Sarah. A bit of a geek with a quirky sense of humor and a side of dark. I’m so proud of her just for being herself. 

[CJ: 'Weird' works better for me than 'normal' too. Normal = boring!]

Finish this sentence from your character Emari’s perspective.

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but… I’m a big wuss. If it weren’t for Nick, I’d be a hotter mess than I already am.

Now finish the same sentence from your own perspective.

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but... despite not minding people thinking I’m weird, what other people think of me matters more than it should..

[CJ: Someone wise once told me that 'what other people think of me is none of my business'. Easier said than done though!]

Cally, thanks so much for hosting me on your blog.

[CJ: You're very welcome. It was great having you, Su.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Like the sound of Dream Weaver? Grab your copy now from Amazon (paperback and Kindle) (only 99c for a limited time!), Barnes & Noble (Nook)  or CreateSpace.

If you’d like to hear more from Su, check out her website, her blog or like her on Facebook. 

If you’d like a turn in the HOT SEAT, let me know in the comments and I’ll schedule you in for a buttocks burning. :D

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1 May 2013 · 8:17 pm

IWSG: Bad reviews are a tonic for the writer’s soul

First up, baby update! Mackenzie is now three and a half months old and is developing a wonderfully cheeky personality. Here are some recent shots…

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“Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!” Alex J Cavanaugh

Moving on…

For this month’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group post, I’m going to discuss how bad reviews can make you feel better. Yes, you read that correctly, I said better. Before you start thinking I’m crazy, let me explain. I’ve never felt better by reading a bad review of my own work. That always makes me feel a little hurt. But to remind myself that opinions are subjective, I will occasionally go and read negative reviews of a book I love.

For example, I adored Lauren Oliver’s Before I Fall. When I reviewed it, I said, ‘I highly recommend… [this book] to teens as I think it could help them to identify – and maybe even challenge – the nonsensical conventions, relationships and hierarchies that exist within their own school.’

Yet, here’s what others thought:

“Literally the worst book I have read this year. After all the hype this book received, I was excited to finally get my hands on it from PBS. Let’s talk about a let down.” Review on Goodreads

“This book is entirely predictable. If you are an individual with any kind of empathy or soul, you know where this is going. The only question you ask yourself is why does it take so long to get there- that’s the first reason I had to stop reading.” Review on Goodreads

OUCH! Thankfully, nobody has said anything nearly that harsh about my work. But that’s not the point. The point is: people’s taste in fiction is incredibly subjective. Just because one person (or even a handful of people) didn’t connect with your work, doesn’t mean what you’ve written is bad. It just means it wasn’t to their liking.

Putting your work out there to be judged by the masses takes courage, and I think anyone who’s done it deserves recognition for their bravery. So if you’ve published something, give yourself a pat on the back for having the guts to put yourself out there. And if you’ve felt the blow of bad reviews, take heart – you’re in good company!

“I really do not like his style of writing at all … His prose is lumpy and I feel like it’s completely devoid of character.” Review of The Power of One

“I don’t actually hate this book or maybe I do; I can’t make up my mind. There were plenty of things in this book for me to hate about it, that’s for sure.” Review of The Time Traveler’s Wife 

“If I could give this no stars, I would. This is possibly one of my least favorite books in the world, one that I would happily take off of shelves and stow in dark corners where no one would ever have to read it again.” Review of To Kill A Mockingbird

What do you think?

Have you ever read bad reviews to lift your own spirits? (it sounds bad when put like that, doesn’t it?)

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25 April 2013 · 6:08 pm

Book reviews – Delirium, Pandemonium and Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Delirium 

Delirium coverI just re-read this book to refresh my memory now that the third in the series has come out, and I think I enjoyed this one even more the second time round. Lena is an exceptional main character. Her transformation throughout the book is executed brilliantly. Oliver has real skill in this area – Before I Fall‘s main character changes so much throughout the story, and Oliver shows that brilliance wasn’t a fluke by repeating it here in Delirium, with an entirely different character and plot. In less adept hands, many of Lena’s decisions would seem unrealistic, especially given her rule-follower personality, but Oliver provides rationalisations that make Lena’s choices totally believable.

The main male character, Alex, would melt any girl’s heart. Poor Lena didn’t stand a chance. He may even be slightly too perfect to be realistic, but I can’t say that bothered me when reading.

The world building of this dystopian society is also enthralling. We learn about the world through Lena’s eyes, who completely believes that love is a disease and can’t wait to be cured – at least in the beginning. As the story unfolds and her entire belief system is challenged, some thought-provoking concepts are raised, such as: what is more dangerous, anger or apathy? What is more important, love or duty? An added touch that I really liked was excerpts from the rewritten bible, for example:

The devil stole into the Garden of Eden. He carried with him the disease – amor delirium nervosa – in the form of a seed. It grew and flowered into a magnificent apple tree, which bore apples as bright as blood.

I only had two qualms with this story, one close to the beginning and one close to the end. [Spoiler removed. To read, see my review on Goodreads.]

Despite these two issues, I still loved the story overall, which is why I give it 4.5 stars. The ending left me stunned and breathless (both times I read it!), and I had to get my hands on Pandemonium to find out what happened for Lena next.

Favourite quotes:

Sometimes I feel as though there are two me’s, one coasting directly on top of the other: the superficial me, who nods when she’s supposed to nod and says what she’s supposed to say, and some other, deeper part, the part that worries and dreams and says ‘Grey.’ Most of the time they move along in sync and I hardly notice the split, but sometimes it feels as though I’m two whole different people and I could rip apart at any second.

In that second it really hits me how deep and complex the lies are, how they run through Portland like sewers, backing up into everything, filling the city with stench: the whole city built and constructed within a perimeter of lies.

They say the cure is about happiness, but I understand now that it isn’t, and it never was. It’s about fear: fear of pain, fear of hurt, fear, fear, fear – a blind animal existence, bumping between walls, shuffling between ever-narrowing hallways, terrified and dull and stupid. … life isn’t life if you just float through it. I know that the whole point – the only point – is to find the things that matter, and hold on to them, and refuse to let them go.

Pandemonium

Pandemonium cover*NOTE: This review contains spoilers of the first book in the series. Any spoilers for THIS book have been removed. If you’d like to read the spoilers, go to my review on Goodreads.*

I enjoyed Pandemonium but not as much as Delirium, possibly because there was no Alex. I missed Alex greatly.

I thought Lauren Oliver did a brilliant job of extending Lena’s character arc, showing us how life in the Wilds – not to mention Alex’s death – hardened and changed her. If you compare Lena at the start of Delirium to Lena at the end of Pandemonium, you’ll see plenty of changes, which all develop organically throughout the two books. I hope this growth continues in Requiem.

Now onto Julian, the youth leader of Deliria-Free America. I really liked Julian and how he changed throughout the story but I never quite bought his and Lena’s love story. Actually, it’s not that I didn’t buy it, it’s that I didn’t want to buy it.. [spoiler removed]

The best parts of this book, for me, were when Julian shared his experiences about the forbidden study (All You Need is Love) and his brother’s rebellion. I also thought Oliver made some interesting statements about the place of the disfigured in a ‘perfect’ society. I’m hoping to see Coin and co. play a part in bringing down the establishment in Requiem – which I’m off to start reading straight away now that it’s been released!

Requiem

Requiem cover*NOTE:  This review contains spoilers of the first two books in the series. Any spoilers for THIS book have been removed. If you’d like to read the spoilers, go to my review on Goodreads.*

I just finished this novel, and I feel… disappointed. I wanted more. The whole way through, the story  didn’t grab me as much as the first two in the series. The emotion rarely jumped off the page and into my heart. Perhaps my expectations were too high.

Don’t get me wrong, I did like it. But I expected to love it and I didn’t. To me, the story just didn’t feel finished. I would have liked to see Lena have some stillness, some time to reflect and move on from the survival mode she was in for most of this book and Pandemonium.

There was so much grief and fight and grind, and not enough pay off. Interestingly, I felt the same way about The Hunger Games conclusion. Perhaps I do expect too much.

I’ll be interested to read other reviews and see if others have felt the same way or whether I’m just being a grouch!

How about you?

Have you read the Delirium series? If so, did you feel the same way I did about the ending?

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8 April 2013 · 8:53 pm

Four books I can’t wait to read (by Charity Bradford, Su Williams, Rachel Morgan & Lauren Oliver)

I thought I’d get a lot more reading done on maternity leave than what I am. I guess I assumed I’d have a baby that would sleep longer than 20-40 minutes at a time during the day! Little Mackenzie definitely keeps me busy, that’s for sure. Here’s a recent photo of my little dictator. ;-)

12 weeks old

Mackenzie, 12 weeks old

There are a heap of books that I’m looking forward to reading, but these four are at the top of the list.

The Magic Wakes by Charity Bradford 

16052411Since childhood, scientist Talia Zaryn has been haunted by recurring dreams, visions of an alien attack on her planet Sendek. Each time it ends abruptly with Talia’s death in the capital city Joharadin, a city that she has spent her life desperately avoiding. Talia keeps these dreams a secret, hoping they are nothing more than childish nightmares. But when she is unexpectedly transferred to Joharadin she is convinced that the conflict, and her own death, is at hand.

As Talia’s nightmares occur with increasing frequency, they reveal the imminent invasion of a half-dragon, half-human race called Dragumon, bent on the annihilation of her world.

In Sendek, magic is dead and science rules, forcing Talia to keep another secret, one that could cost her everything if it were known. Now, in order to save her planet, Talia must awaken the powers within her and rely at last on the magic that is her true inheritance.

Those of you who know my reading tastes well would know this book isn’t my usual cup of tea. I usually steer clear of fantasies set on other planets, especially those than involve dragons. But I’ve read so much about ‘the making of’ this book (on the author’s blog) and I think it’s going to be the exception. Who knows, maybe it will even open the door to a newfound love of fantasy? Time will tell!

Dream Weaver by Su Williams

17205213Dream Weaver is a novel of mind benders and breakers. Are your memories your own?

I wasn’t asking for a past. Not even a future. Just a few less painful memories to make surviving the present a bit more bearable.

Seventeen year old Emari Sweet has a world of choices before her. Her parents are real estate investors that dote on their beloved daughter. Her only true worries are bullying cheerleaders and cookie cutter kids that harass her for her dark and different, emo ways and the cryptic messages in her music. So when her parents are killed in a car crash, Emari’s whole world implodes around her. Night terrors stalk her sleep and haunt her through each day. And only the dream of a dark-eyed stranger can draw out the poison of the chimera.

Just as she’s recovering from the toxic dreams, treading water to stay afloat, the violent nudge of a predator reawakens the terrors. He promises her two things; pain and fear. And on a snowy December night he makes good on his promises. Emari plunges head first into her personal hell and begins to feel there is no choice left to her but death–if only to escape the torture of grief.
As the nightmares once again shred her life, Emari’s dark-eyed angel returns. With the touch of his hand, he chases away her dreams and weaves magic that quiets the roiling terror within her.

But is this a real angel or something more sinister? Is he simply a figment of her distorted imagination? How does he capture her nightmares and soothe her aching heart? Why does he whisper a single word, ‘forget’, and evanesce into the cool grey mist of morning? And how is he entering her home that’s protected by a state-of-the-art alarm system?

This book sounds full on. Dark, mysterious, and – hopefully – gripping. The possibility of your memories not being your own – that’s what grabs me most about this book. Plus, the author has been a loyal follower of my blog for a while now and I’m really happy to see her taking the self publishing plunge!

The Faerie Prince (Creepy Hollow 2) by Rachel Morgan

[Warning: the blurb below contains minor spoilers of the first book in the series.]

THE FAERIE PRINCE (Creepy Hollow 2)Guardian trainee Violet Fairdale is just weeks away from one of the most important occasions of her life: graduation. After messing up big time by bringing a human into the fae realm, Vi needs to step up her game and forget about Nate if she hopes to graduate as the top guardian of her year. Everything would be fine if she wasn’t forced to partner with Ryn, her ex-friend, ex-enemy, current ‘sort of friend’. They might be trying to patch up their relationship, but does she really want to spend a week undercover with him for their final assignment? On top of that, the possibly-insane Unseelie Prince is still on the loose, free to ‘collect’ as many specially talented faeries as he can find—and Vi is still at the top of his list. Add in faerie queens, enchanted storms, complicated not-just-friends feelings, and a murder within the Guild itself, and graduation is about to become the least of Vi’s problems.

I really enjoyed The Faerie Guardian, the first in the Creepy Hollow series, and will probably re-read it before I dive into The Faerie Prince so that the story is fresh in my mind. The blurb above makes me really excited to see where Part 2 takes the story, although I’ll be gutted if Vi falls for Ryn! The Faerie Prince is released 30 May so I have a bit of time to get through my other to-reads first!

Requiem (Delirium 3) by Lauren Oliver

Requiem cover

[Warning: the blurb below contains spoilers of the first two books in the series.]

Battling against a society in which love has been declared a disease, Lena now finds herself at the centre of a fierce revolution. But the Wilds are no longer the haven they once were as the government seeks to stamp out the rebels. And Lena’s emotions are in turmoil following the dramatic return of someone she thought was lost forever…

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Lena and her best friend Hana, Requiem brings the Delirium trilogy to an exhilarating end and showcases Lauren Oliver at the height of her writing powers – emotionally powerful and utterly enthralling.

I recently re-read Delirium and I’m halfway through re-reading Pandemonium so that I’m back up to speed with this series before I jump into the third and final instalment, Requiem. And now I know that the book alternates between Lena and Hana as narrators, I’m even more excited to read it as Hana is one of my favourite characters in the series. I have some predictions about what will happen in this book so I’ll be interested to see if they come true (like they did in Pandemonium), or whether the author completely surprises me (like she did with Delirium).

How about you?

Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think? If not, do they take your fancy? What’s at the top of your to-read list?

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10 March 2013 · 5:21 pm

Book review: Easy by Tamara Webber

Book blurb

I'm glad I had an e-book without a cover because my version of Lucas is so much hotter!

I’m glad I had an e-book without a cover because the Lucas my mind created is so much hotter than the one depicted here!

When Jacqueline follows her long-term boyfriend to college, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock she wakes up to her new reality: she’s single, ignored by former friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, she is assaulted. Rescued by a stranger in the right place at the right time, she just wants to forget that night. But when her attacker turns stalker she has to make a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Her savior proves protective and intriguing, but he’s hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly, knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

My thoughts

I literally just finished this book, which could be a bad thing because my emotions might get the better of me and I might gush. Quite simply, I loved this story. I kept reading it when I should have been catching up on much-needed shut-eye (with an eight-week-old baby, sleep is an elusive commodity), but I just had to read on. The story was that addictive.

Jacqueline and Lucas are beautifully crafted characters. I felt like I got to know them both intimately throughout the book, and my heart ached as their stories unfolded. I’m sure the author would be thrilled to know that I now want to take self defence classes because she’s shown me how empowering (and necessary) they can be.

Jacqueline is a brilliant main character, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching her grow and learn. There were times when I was disappointed with her decisions, but they just made her all-the-more real.

And Lucas. Wow. What can I say? There are so many layers to Lucas that I never tired in reading about him. The connections that developed between him and Jacqueline felt so real and organic – I really admire Webber’s ability to develop authentic connections and not just rely on superficial interests as some books do.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys realistic, gritty stories in a college/university setting. The plot deals with some pretty heavy topics so if you’re up for a light read, this may not be the book for you. But if you’d like to read a novel that introduces you to flawed, vulnerable-but-beautiful individuals, get your hands on a copy of Easy!

PS If you’ve read Easy and would like to read another gritty novel set at college/university, try my novel, The Big Smoke! :-D (couldn’t help adding that plug in there!)

My rating: 5 stars

 My 1-5 scale (updated)

1: Terrible.
2: It was okay.
3: I liked it.
4: I really liked it.
5: I loved it. 

Your turn

Have you read Easy? If so, what did you think? If not, is it on your to-read list?

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6 March 2013 · 7:59 pm

IWSG: sales slumps (and a bub update!)

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“Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!” Alex J Cavanaugh

Hello there! Long time no speak! Can you believe it’s MARCH? Crazy, right? And being the first Wednesday in March, that makes it Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Considering this group exists so: “Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak,” I decided to share my latest sales figures and have a good moan about them.

When I started this post, I thought my sales had slumped big time. You see, I log into KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) every so often and check my sales figures, and for the past couple of months, I’ve been disappointed with what it’s told me. Why? Because I’ve only sold four books via Amazon all year. Four! Way less than I was hoping for, that’s for sure.

I haven’t been bothering to check Smashwords and its affiliates because the lion’s share of my online sales have always been with Amazon, but I thought I should check before I wrote this post. So I did, and what I found surprised me. Apparently, I’ve sold 45 books via Apple in 2013. Pretty cool!

HOWEVER, I’m not convinced those sales are actually from this year. I think they’ve probably only been reported this year, so they’re not 100% proof of continuing sales. Either way, I’m thrilled those sales have occurred at all. That’s 45 more people who’ve read my work and hopefully enjoyed spending time with my characters, and that’s what it’s really about for me. Of course, I’d love for sales to go gangbusters so I could quit my day job and write full time, but writing will continue to be a big part of my life regardless of how much money I make from it.

Considering sales have stagnated on Amazon, I’m toying with the idea of dropping the price to 99c. I figure, it can’t hurt my sales (since I’m not making any via that channel anyway) and it could push the book up in the rankings, giving it more visibility. What have I got to lose? I’d be keen to hear your thoughts on this idea.

And in other news…

For those who are interested, baby Mackenzie is growing at lightening speed (out, not up!) and is a very demanding but adorable little girl. Here are some recent photos and a video!

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15 February 2013 · 7:00 am

Charity Bradford guest post: Top 5 Things I Wished I Knew Before I Started Writing (#1)

I’m poking my head out of baby land to introduce a guest post from one of my favourite bloggers. Before I do, here are a few photos of little miss Mackenzie, who is now five weeks old.

Mackenzie has really discovered her lungs the past couple of weeks, and if she’s not happy with something, she’ll let us know in no uncertain terms! To balance out the crying, she’s rewarded us with a few little smiles every now and then, which melt my heart into a warm puddle of mush!

Anyway, let’s move on… I’m delighted to take part in Charity Bradford’s mini blog hop, which forms part of her blog tour for the release of her debut novel, The Magic Wakes. Charity was one of the first bloggers I ‘met’ when I joined the blogosphere, and I’ve followed her journey with great interest. She’s an absolutely beautiful soul who deserves great success, so I was thrilled when she announced that her debut novel was going to be published.

Banner 3

In her guest post below, Charity tells us about the number one thing on her list of the “Top 5 Things I Wished I Knew Before I Started Writing”. The list came about from a discussion Charity had with a group of teen writers.

Take it away, Charity!

1. TIME

Author photo Time is one of the biggest factors in writing, and perhaps the one we think about the least before we begin. That’s why I want you to understand the time involved BEFORE you start. This will head off some of the disappointment you might face.

A. You have to make the time to write. If you don’t, the writing won’t happen.

  • No one is going to come to you and say, “Let me clean your house today and do your grocery shopping so you can write.”
  • If you don’t say, “This is my writing time” and turn off the phone and internet, and lock yourself away from your family, TV, whatever it is that distracts you—you will continue to be interrupted and the writing will suffer.
  • Fifteen to twenty minutes here and there is better than nothing, but if you’re like me, you need at least that long to remember where you left off and where you’re heading. For this reason, I prefer to get at least an hour block, but two is my goal.
  • Be willing to sacrifice for your writing. Get up an hour earlier, skip that sitcom or crime show and write at night, whatever it takes.

The important thing is to make a schedule and stick to it. Find a time to write and do it. For me, the hard part is turning off the writer when it’s family time, but if you have a plan you can work toward a healthy balance.

B. Getting published isn’t going to (at least it shouldn’t) happen overnight. Even in today’s faster paced world, good publishing takes time.

Example—I got my first ‘yes’ in 2011 and I turned it down because I didn’t feel I was ready. The next ‘yes’ came March 2012 and it just felt right. However, it took another month before the contract was signed and everything was official. Two more weeks before I met my editor, another two weeks to get the first notes back from the editor and then a month for me to work on those edits. A month after I turned them in I got a note from my editor saying she was starting on my WIP because guess what?? She has other authors she’s working with! SO, even after you get a YES, there is a lot of waiting. Be ready to accept that. Embrace it and work hard when the ball is in your court.

I finished my edits and received my cover art in September of 2012. In my mind everything was done and it was time to start planning my blog tour and implementing my marketing plan. There was nothing wrong with that, but let me tell you, there was still a lot of waiting until my book was actually out in public. Even with a move across two states, I was like a five year old waiting for Christmas. My poor publishing family probably dreaded getting emails from me (so sorry!).

Learn patience now, because waiting for your dream to be alive in the world is harder than anything else you’ve ever experienced. It was very much like waiting for the birth of my children but harder. Why? Because I kept thinking I could speed things up by working harder and faster.

But what if you self publish? You still need to put in the same amount of time and effort into polishing that manuscript as those with Big 6 (5, whatever they are now) contracts. I’m sure Cally can tell you ALL about that! She did an excellent job getting everything taken care of for her book. Just remember, the better the final product, the more success you will see. And yes, we have seen exceptions to this rule, but don’t you want to be proud of the quality of your finished novel?

About The Magic Wakes

CoverTalia has a secret, one that will save her world and yet rip it apart. Only she can decide if the price is worth it.

Scientist Talia Zaryn has always had visions of an alien invasion and of her own death. She’s kept it a secret, hoping they are nothing more than childish nightmares. But when her face in the mirror matches that of her dreams, she fears the dreams are prophetic. Talia must prove that life exists beyond their planet, Sendek; perhaps then people will prepare to fight.

Talia’s work at the Space Exploration Foundation leaves no time for personal relationships, but Major Landry Sutton isn’t looking for a friend. He’s looking for a traitor. His ability to sense emotions convinces him Talia is that traitor until a touch sizzles between them. In an instant their minds are connected and they can communicate telepathically. Just as the two begin to trust each other, the invading force arrives.

Talia and Landry must uncover the secrets of Sendek’s past if they hope to defeat these terrifying creatures. And Talia is the key—if only she can learn to trust the magic coursing through her veins.

Want more?

Watch the trailer, read the first chapter, find The Magic Wakes on Goodreads, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, or visit Charity’s blog or website.

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