Navigating my blog

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Pete Abela

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I’m currently taking a break from blogging to spend more time with my family. But wait! Don’t go. There’s plenty of interesting material on this site to keep you entertained and informed so make yourself a coffee, settle back in your chair, and keep browsing.

To make things easy, I’ve compiled a roadmap to help you find the posts most relevant for you.

My two favourite posts (and they’re very different) were An Innocent’s Introduction to Horror and The Circle of Life (which was also my very first post).

I have excerpts from Wings introducing the two main characters, Walt and Scott.

If you’re interested in how I go about writing a novel, checkout 700 words a day, Structured or Unstructured, Evolution of a Cover, or Editors: Who needs them?

Want to know more about setting and achieving goals? See Which Goals to Chase, Fear of Failure, The Daily Habit, The Importance of Being Precise, The Benefits of Lists or Post-goal Letdown.

There are also posts about the use of social media, some great interviews with other authors and even a few jokes!

Thanks again for visiting. I hope the extensive links above will help to give you an insight into writing, assist you to be more productive or simply give you a chuckle. If you’d like to give me feedback about this blog or Wings, or there’s any other questions you’d like to ask, don’t hesitate to drop me a line. My details are on the contact page.

Mine to Avenge – Character Interview

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Pete Abela

For something just a little different, today’s post features an interview with one of the main characters in Kerry Letheby’s recently released novel, Mine to Avenge.

Mine to Avenge is a generational saga that begins with the birth of Alcandor Galanos in 1914 in Greece. Alcandor’s best friend, Constantine Anastos, was also born in the same year in the same village. Both men have kindly consented to be interviewed by the author. While the interviewer found Mt Galanos to be somewhat fearful but cooperative, Mr Anastos was of a rather taciturn disposition, and less than forthcoming with some of his answers.

This post features the interview with Alcandor Galanos. The interview with Constantine Anastos will be featured during this tour in two days time (Mon 22^nd April) at Daystarz’s Books.

Interview with Alcandor Galanos – March 1948

When I arrive to interview Alcandor Galanos, he is busy with his family at the front of their war-damaged house, loading a small cart with all their belongings. They are anxious to leave, but Alcandor has consented to give me some time. He constantly looks over his shoulder to check on his family’s progress.

Interviewer: I am aware that you are very busy at the moment planning to make a significant move with your family. I will ask you more about that later, but firstly, can you please tell me more about yourself? Can you tell me where you were born and your first memories?

Alcandor: I was born in 1914 in a small village, north of the Greek capital, Athens. My first memories are of being with my mother and the other women as they worked in the fields. It was there that I first met Caterina, who is now my wife. My memories begin with her. We were childhood sweethearts – almost inseparable. Our parents intended us for each other, but we had our own understanding well before they did.

Interviewer: What was your favourite toy when growing up?

Alcandor: We were a poor family from a poor village. No one had toys. We played with sticks and rocks and explored the world around us. We invented our own games. Even now, my own children don’t know what toys are. They’ve been born into a poor family, and we have just come through two wars in close succession. They, too, have had to be creative in their games.

Interviewer: What do you look like? Can you please describe yourself for the readers?

Alcandor: I am tall, slim and fair, unlike many Greeks who are darker. I think I could easily pass as a non-Greek if I had to. Three of my children have inherited my colouring. The eldest, Damaris, is dark like her mother. I am now 34 years of age.

Interviewer: Who was your best friend when you were growing up?

Alcandor: As I mentioned a moment ago, Caterina was my first friend, and the closest. But … I … I also have … sorry, I had a close male friend… Con…Constantine Anastos. When I wasn’t with Caterina I was with Con. As children we chased the village girls together. We pretended to go hunting, using sticks as rifles. When we were older we went on real hunts, and spent much time camping out, talking about going away to war.

Interviewer: You said ‘had’, Mr Galanos, and I detect a hesitation as you speak. Has something happened to your friendship?

Alcandor: Yes … I’m afraid we … we’ve lost touch. Con went away to war while I remained here. His sister died in tragic circumstances eight years ago. Our friendship died at the same time, because … Constantine blamed me for her death.

Interviewer: I’m so sorry to hear that, Mr Galanos, but it brings me directly to my next question, if you are willing to continue.

Alcandor: Yes, I’ll try … but it’s … difficult.

Interviewer: I was about to ask if you have ever lost someone close to you. Can you tell me anything about the death of Constantine’s sister and how this affected your friendship with him?

Alcandor: Helena was killed while Con and I were out hunting. She was sick that day and he didn’t want to come with me. It was his duty to stay with her as her guardian, but … I pressured him to come. If … if I hadn’t done that, she’d still be alive. He …Constantine hasn’t spoken to me since … but today …

Interviewer: Today? What happened today?

Alcandor: Forget it … no, it’s not important.

Interviewer: Did you go to Helena’s funeral, and if you did, how did you cope knowing Constantine blamed you?

Alcandor: That day was awful. It was as if I didn’t exist. When we finally came face to face, he just looked right through me. Please … can we talk about something else?

Interviewer: Tell me something of your experience of the war.

Alcandor: Do you mean the Second World War, or our country’s current internal conflict? Or do you mean war in general?

Interviewer: War in general.

Alcandor: As I was growing up the idea of war seemed so romantic. Constantine and I saw it as a masculine rite of passage. We had no idea what war was like – we were children during the first war. But, after Helena died, Constantine went off to the army while I stayed behind and joined the resistance. The army wouldn’t take me because of my poor health. But I think those of us who stayed behind contributed just as much as those who went away. It was very cruel too, to be unable to feed our starving families.

Interviewer: Tell me about your health.

Alcandor: There isn’t much to tell. I contracted tuberculosis – badly. I still have bouts of it now and again.

Interviewer: I’d like to come back to the present – I can see your family is busy packing to leave. What has happened to change the course of your life? Is it the war or something else?

Alcandor: No doubt you would have heard the recent announcement on the radio that all children under 15 years of age are about to be evacuated for their safety? That’s one of the reasons we’re leaving. My wife is frantic, and so am I. We won’t be separated from our children, so we’re planning to leave before they’re taken from us. We’re heading south to Athens. After that, who knows where we will go?

Interviewer: You said that the possible evacuation of the children was one of the reasons you were leaving. What else is making you leave?

Alcandor: I’m sorry. I made a mistake … there is no other reason. Please, I need to go back to my family.

Interviewer: But, Mr Galanos, you just said …

Alcandor: I know what I said but I’m afraid I need to return to my family. My wife needs my help.

Interviewer: Do you have a secret, Mr Galanos?

(Alcandor is already on his feet, and walking back to his family, but he stops suddenly, and turns back to me, fear etched deeply into his brow.)

Alcandor: Believe me, I can’t say anymore – even if I wanted to. We’re not safe. Please let me go now.

Interviewer: One final question, Mr Galanos. It may surprise you to learn that the events of your life are to be written down in a story. Why should the readers sympathize with you?

Alcandor: My family is innocent. They have done nothing. They shouldn’t have to pay for my mistakes. The readers will easily see that. Now, I must go.

Interviewer: Thank you for your time, Mr Galanos. Safe journey.

For the interview with Constantine Anastos, please visit the Blog Tour Stop at Daystarz’s Books on Monday 22^nd April.

—

The author of Mine to Avenge is Kerry Letheby, who supplied the following biography.

I was born at Loxton, in South Australia’s Riverland district, the eldest of six children. I didn’t make friends easily and found most of my friends within the pages of books in the school library, where I spent most of my time. I’ve noticed that this is a common experience among writers. The origins of my writing are deeply rooted in this time, as I found myself writing my own stories as well as reading.

I also loved to draw and paint, so grew up wanting to be either a writer or an artist, but my father knew that both these choices might mean that he would be supporting me forever, so he encouraged me to become a teacher instead. I heeded Dad’s advice and became a teacher, and taught for some years in both the public and private sectors, having three sons along the way.

I then became a home-schooling mother, and later a pastoral care worker. This was followed by a lengthy career phase in the Mental Health sector, and a short stint in aged care in the respite sector. I am currently working as Case Manager in a Parenting After Separation program, a job I love and am very passionate about.

I currently live at Mt Gambier, in South Australia’s Limestone Coast region. In my spare time I am finally pursuing my writing and other creative pursuits such as calligraphy. I have begun the sequel to Mine to Avenge, and hope that it will be completed and ready to publish sometime in 2014.

Connect with Kerry:

PURCHASE Mine to Avenge

You may also like to checkout the Mine to Avenge Book Trailer.

The Next Big Thing – A Painted Room

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Pete Abela

I’ve been tagged by novelist, playwright and pamphleteer Adrian Deans in the Next Big Thing Blog Meme in which writers answer a series of questions on their works in progress.

With Wings well and truly out in the big, wide world, my attention is now turning to the release of my Novella, A Painted Room, which I’m hoping will be the next big thing.

1) What is the working title of your current/next book?

As you may have guessed from the introductory paragraphs, it is A Painted Room

2) Where did the idea come from?

A Painted Room tells the tale of two parents whose first child becomes seriously ill shortly after being born. The work was written shortly after the birth of my fourth child who was rushed into intensive care within hours of his birth. Thankfully, he pulled through and is now a happy and healthy one year old. You’ll have to read A Painted Room to see what happens to Gary, Melinda and their son, Justin.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Family drama

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I would choose Hugh Grant to play the role of Gary, and Julia Roberts to play Melinda. I’m open to suggestions for the part of baby Justin.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

The best day in the life of a pair of first-time parents suddenly turns into the worst.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

As this is a novella, I will most likely be self-publishing it.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

I wrote a novel-length first draft in a frenetic 4 months straight after Ethan’s birth. On review and reflection, I took a scalpel to this draft, chopping out more than half of the content and turning it into a tightly-focused novella.

8 ) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

One Summer by David Baldacci is one that springs to mind.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

As mentioned earlier, observing my youngest son being admitted into intensive care within hours of birth was the primary event that led me to write A Painted Room.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

When it comes to new additions to the family, the focus is largely on the baby and the mother. Dads rarely get a look-in. A Painted Room examines the situation from the father’s perspective.

–

To keep The Next Big Thing going, I’ve tagged some writers whose work is well worth exploring:

Dion J. Crowe, the popular short story author of In Dark Times.

D. Robert Grixti who has just released his speculative fiction debut novel, Sun Bleached Winter.

L.M. Visman, the author of well-loved YA novel Ben’s Challenge, which is also enjoyed by Baby Boomers.

Ryan Schneider, commercial pilot, screenplay writer and sci-fi author.

The Spoken Word

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Pete Abela

I gave a speech recently at the Thirroul Library covering three topics which have occupied my mind to a great extent over the past year or two. The topics were Wings, eBooks and Writing. The audience seemed to enjoy my talk, so I’ve decided to post it here on my blog. I hope you enjoy it too …

—

Thank you very much for coming to listen to me tonight – I’m very pleased to have this opportunity to speak to you. Having my book published has provided a unique and amazing chance to share my thoughts with numerous people from around the world – people whom I would otherwise never have had the chance to interact with. Although you’re not reading my book tonight, you are listening to me, and I do appreciate your presence and hope you enjoy at least some of what you hear. I’ll do my best to give you value for money!

An author called JA Konrath once said, “If you can’t be clever or funny, be brief.” I can’t be too brief – Helen has given me some guidelines on how long I should talk for – but despite this, I suspect brevity is likely to be the most redeeming feature of this presentation.

I only have three things to talk about this afternoon. First of all, I’ll talk about Wings, sharing something of the plot and origins of this, my debut novel. Given Wings has been published by a specialist ebook publisher, I’ll talk a little about the rapidly growing phenomenon that is ebooks, and finally, I’ll share something of what I know about writing. This last topic is likely to be the shortest of the three.

It still sounds funny to be referred to as an author. I’ve been writing on and off for a number of years and seriously for at least the last two, but through this time I’ve never thought of myself as an author.

Now that I’ve written a book, and a publisher has published it, and I’ve sold some copies, I guess I really must be an author. However, if someone asked me who I am or what I do, author would be the third or fourth or fifth thing I said. In fact, to many people I wouldn’t even mention it. I might talk about being a husband, a father, my career in IT or my failed attempts to achieve sporting prowess, but talk of my writing rarely comes to the fore.

Despite the fact that I don’t see myself as an author, I feel proud to have written Wings, for a number of reasons.

The first is that it takes a large dose of tenacity and stubborn-ness, probably mixed with a hint of craziness to finish writing a novel. Wings is relatively short for a novel – I must have been following JA Konrath’s maxim when I put it together – but it still took many, many months of effort. When I was about three quarters of the way through writing it, I actually gave up, tired of the time that it took, unsure whether it was any good and totally perplexed about how to end it. From the time I gave up, Wings stayed in a lonely folder on my hard-drive, forgotten and unloved for nine months. I’m very thankful that I stumbled across it one rainy weekend and decided to take a second look. Reading through it, I found it of a higher quality than I had remembered and even better, an idea for an ending struck me straight away. It took another couple of months to finish the first draft, another three months to edit it for submission to a publisher and another couple of months of editing with the publisher but I finally got it over the line. It was a very satisfying moment when I finished the last of the edits for the publisher.

Another thing I’m proud of about Wings is that people really enjoy the part of the story set in the 1930s and 1940s. Given this part of the story took place a long time before I was born, I’m pleased that the end product was authentic and compelling. Writing this part of the story (and it makes up more than half of the book) really stretched my imagination. Doing the research was one thing, but trying to make scenes come alive when you’ve only studied the concepts in a dry encyclopedia or other research book was quite another. The research had to cover not only the major details, such as the most important events of the day, but also the minutiae that bring a story to life: food prices, wage-rates, the interior design of houses and even fashions of the day. For someone like me who struggles with 21^st century fashion trends, the idea of coming to grips with those from the 1930s was challenging, enjoyable and scary at the same time.

The third and most important reason I’m proud of Wings is the family connection. Although Wings is a novel which owes much of its content to my imagination, it’s also inspired by the experiences of two members of my family. The first is my grandfather who grew up in the depression in England. He was the son of a lower-class labourer and poacher yet dreamed of flying.

The other is my younger brother; a casual larrikin who never stuck at any task or activity for any length of time, but decided he wanted to be a pilot as a young child and has never wavered from that goal.

There are some industries that it’s very tough to break into; fields that are full of people with talent, passion and commitment. Music is one: you just need to look at the amazing abilities of those who progress on The Voice, Idol or the X-Factor. Despite their amazing musical skills, the vast majority of these people will never be heard of again and will live their lives as accountants, teachers or plumbers. At best they may earn a few bucks plying their trade in pub gigs on a Friday night.

There are a number of other areas of endeavour with similar characteristics, including sport, acting and writing. In all of these fields, there’s an abundance of very talented people who want to participate but very few get the opportunity to earn their living from their passion.

Flying is just such an activity. It’s expensive, attracts talented and passionate individuals and the chance of being able to earn your living as a pilot are low.

Without giving too much away, Wings is a story that follows a grandfather and his grandson, both of whom dream of flying and set about making their dreams become a reality. “Wings” weaves together their two tales: one set in war-torn northern England, and the other set in the modern-day Illawarra region of New South Wales. As the blurb says, it’s filled with insights into the modern aviation scene and life in the Royal Air Force of World War II, making Wings an interesting read for anyone who has an interest in history, aviation or simply an old fashioned love story.

My grandfather and brother both achieved their dream and I’m very proud of their accomplishments. I would have been quite happy just to write Wings for my kids so that in years to come they’ll get some sense of the amazing man that is and was my grandfather and the incredible traits of their uncle. My grandfather is still alive, although he’s 91 years of age and suffering from Alzheimer’s. He cannot have too many years left. My youngest children are 14 months and three years old and there’s a very good chance they’ll not even remember him as they get older.

They will, however, be able to read Wings and I’ll be able to explain how it relates to their great-grandfather and the elements of the story that closely relate to his life.

It’s a bonus for me that I’ve been able to make Wings available to a much wider audience – people like you and many other potential readers around the world – and I’m delighted that almost everyone who reads Wings seems to really enjoy it. There have been some great reviews of Wings, reviews from unknown people in other countries, who have read it and praised it in glowing terms.

I do realise that I’m probably going to end up like the person who comes 7^th in Idol and writing will never be my main job. Because of this, and for someone who still doesn’t really see himself as an author, that sort of feedback and response has been very gratifying.

—

Follow this link for the second part of my speech.

The Spoken Word (Part 2)

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Pete Abela

I gave a speech recently at the Thirroul Library covering three topics which have occupied my mind to a great extent over the past year or two. The topics were Wings, eBooks and Writing. This post contains the second topic, which is some thoughts on eBooks. (Here are the links to the other parts of the speech about Wings and Writing).

The audience seemed to enjoy my talk, so I’ve decided to post it here on my blog. I hope you enjoy it too …

—

The second topic I’m covering tonight is ebook publishing. Despite having been an avid reader all my life, I only purchased my first ebook reader in January this year so I’m a relative newcomer to this rapidly growing phenomenon.

Wings was published by a new Australian publisher called Really Blue Books. Despite their name, I can confirm they do NOT publish pornography!

Really Blue Books have observed the trend towards Ebooks and decided to focus only on publishing ebooks. They operate in much the same way as a normal publisher – they review numerous submissions, provide an editor, design the cover and help with publicity. The difference is they only publish in electronic format – supporting all readers including kindles, nooks and a variety of tablet devices and PCs. They sell directly from their website and also through major channels such as Amazon.

In January, I signed a contract with Really Blue Books, who, at the time professed themselves to be the only specialist ebook only publisher in Australia. Although less than a year has passed since then, there are now at least four or five such Australian-based publishers who have setup shop and the trend seems set to continue.

Really Blue Books published their first few novels in February this year. Wings was published by them in May, and they have now released 11 novels with more on the way. They price their books very competitively – full length novels are $4.40 from their website – and they are part of a major revolution in the publishing industry.

Although $4.40 seems very cheap compared to the $20 or $30 that a paperback normally costs, the author is still being looked after. A traditional author would typically receive only 10% of the list price as a royalty, with the other 90% being spread around amongst the retailer, the printer, the publisher, the warehouse operator and the delivery man. That leaves the author with between $2 and $3, depending on the price of the book.

Given most of those middle-men don’t exist in the e-world, there is a much greater share of the pie available to the author. In the case of Really Blue Books, they offer 45%, providing the author with around $2 per sale – a figure not too dis-similar to the traditionally published author.

Ebooks obviously also provides the opportunity of selling to a global audience. This is the upside. The downside, of course, is that the competition is also global and there are literally millions of ebooks being published every year. As I mentioned earlier, I’m an avid reader and have spent many happy hours browsing bookstores and libraries. When the thought of writing started taking hold within me, one of the negatives voices I had to contend with was a sense of being overwhelmed. Why would anyone want to read my book when there are already all these books out there. Ebooks on a global stage magnifies that situation immensely. It’s a very busy world out there and difficult to be heard.

The other thing ebooks have enabled is an explosion of self-published books. I’m still undecided about whether this is a good or a bad thing. The positive aspect to this is that there are many good authors who may never have cut through to one of the few editors present in the major publishing houses. The downside is that there’s a lot of rubbish being published and the consumer who buys a self-published book is really taking a gamble as to whether they’re getting a decent quality product. I’ll speak more about the editing process in a moment.

In short, ebooks have revolutionised the publishing world. I’ve spent a good part of this year reading many of the classics – Dickens, Twain and even Bram Stoker – for free. I’ve also bought numerous other ebooks, all for less than $10, and most for around $5 or $6. The major publishers are trying to work out how to make money in this new world order and I think the winds of change are still swirling. I don’t know where this revolution is going to end but I’m very happy to be along for the ride.

—

Follow this link for the 3rd part of my speech, which covers some of my thoughts about writing.

The Spoken Word (Part 3)

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Pete Abela

I gave a speech recently at the Thirroul Library covering three topics which have occupied my mind to a great extent over the past year or two. The topics were Wings, eBooks and Writing. This post contains the third topic, which is some thoughts on writing. (Here are the links to the earlier parts of the speech about Wings and eBooks).

The audience seemed to enjoy my talk, so I’ve decided to post it here on my blog. I hope you enjoy it too …

—

The final thing I’ll do tonight is share a few thoughts about writing.

Given I’m not a professional author (in that it’s not my main source of income), the hardest aspect of writing is making the time to do it. When asked for their most important tip to would be authors, many established authors simply respond with one word: ‘write’. But it’s easier said than done. I have a wife, a full-time job and four kids. I like to exercise as well.

Finding time to write amongst those responsibilities is easier said than done. When I’m in the midst of a writing project, I try to aim for 700 – 1000 words a day on at least 5 days a week. That word count typically takes me around an hour, often split over two or three mini-sessions. Possible times include early in the morning before anyone in the house is awake, a few minutes in my lunchbreak at work or in the evening when the kids are in bed and my wife is catching up on her soapies. It’s a regime that needs to be kept up over weeks and months in order to craft a novel, and relies more on dedication and planning than any particular writing genius.

It’s not a regime that I’ve been able to keep up year-in and year-out, but is something that I can manage for a few months at a time.

What else can I say about writing? Lots of reading is important. The aim of reading is not to find new story ideas, but to develop new techniques and ways of telling a story. Someone once described it to me as reading with a writer’s eye, attempting to analyse what the author is trying to achieve and how they’re doing it.

For me, professional assistance was also important in taking the step up to be published. I received this assistance twice. The first time was when I initially submitted Wings to a publisher. They replied telling me that they liked the concept, and the writing was good, but it wasn’t quite at publishable standard. They suggested I get a “reader’s report” – a review of Wings written by a professional editor highlighting weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. I did as they suggested, and received a report with a number of suggestions.

It took me a couple of months to work the suggestions into the manuscript. When I had done so, I submitted to Really Blue Books, and received an acceptance within a few short weeks. However, that wasn’t the end of the professional development.

I spent another few months revising Wings, incorporating the subtle changes and improvements that Sarah, my publisher, suggested. The overall story didn’t undergo too much in the way of surgery, but the enhancements and clarifying touches that she brought to the entire process elevated the finished product to another level. There wasn’t a page that didn’t have at least one minor revision and I was delighted with what she brought to the table.

Having seen how much the manuscript was enhanced through the input of a professional editor, I would be very reluctant to self-publish something which hadn’t been through such a process. This is despite the fact that I obviously learnt many things from these skilful editors which I have incorporated into my subsequent writing.

Given Wings has been professionally edited and had a cover designed for it, I did take the opportunity to make it available in hardcopy (Mum really wanted one and she doesn’t have an eReader). This was a very satisfying process. Despite all the positive aspects of eBooks, I really enjoyed holding a physical copy of my own creation.

Writing remains a work in progress for me. Since Wings, I’ve written a novella about parents whose first baby develops complications and is whisked into intensive care within a few hours of the birth. This novella (A Painted Room) is currently being edited. I’m also halfway through my next novel, called Lessons from a Two Year Old. This is about a thirty-something, single IT geek who still lives with his parents. He gets dragged into baby-sitting his two year old niece, and she turns his life upside down. He’ll have plenty of mishaps along the way, as, inspired by his independence seeking niece, he seeks a new job, a new wardrobe, and – of course – his first girlfriend.

I’ve often been asked where I get my ideas from. The short answer is that I derive them from my own experiences and observations. As mentioned, Wings is inspired by the lives of my grandfather and brother. A Painted Room was written following the birth of my youngest son who spent the first week of his life in intensive care (thankfully he’s made a full recovery and is a happy and healthy one year old). Lessons from a Two-Year old originated from a conversation at work. A friend was talking about her two year old and how he had displayed a momentary touch of wisdom. I replied to her that she was getting lessons from a two year old and the turn of phrase grabbed my fancy. I wrote it down, and then spent a bit of time trying to think of a plot that could support such a title. I’m hoping that the plot I have developed will be a winner for me, although I’ve still got plenty of hard work in front of me in order to make it a reality.

Thanks again for listening to me today. I hope that at least some of what I’ve shared about Wings and my writing has been of interest to you. If you do have any questions, I’d be happy to try to answer them.

Navigating my blog

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Pete Abela

Thanks for stopping by my blog. After an intensive six months of blogging, I’m taking a break to spend more time with my family and work on my next book. But wait! Don’t go. There’s plenty of interesting material on this site to keep you entertained and informed so make yourself a coffee, settle back in your chair, and keep browsing.

To make things easy, I’ve compiled a roadmap to help you find the posts most relevant for you.

My two favourite posts (and they’re very different) were An Innocent’s Introduction to Horror and The Circle of Life (which was also my very first post).

I have excerpts from Wings introducing the two main characters, Walt and Scott.

If you’re interested in how I go about writing a novel, checkout 700 words a day, Structured or Unstructured, Evolution of a Cover, or Editors: Who needs them?

Want to know more about setting and achieving goals? See Which Goals to Chase, Fear of Failure, The Daily Habit, The Importance of Being Precise, The Benefits of Lists or Post-goal Letdown.

There are also posts about the use of social media, some great interviews with other authors and even a few jokes!

The Seven Year Itch

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Pete Abela

I’m handing my blog over to author Andrew Clawson today for a guest post about his first novel, “A Patriot’s Betrayal”. When I was talking to Andrew, one of the things that caught my attention was the fact he took seven years to complete this novel – a remarkable feat of persistence. I asked him if he’d mind sharing the journey. What follows is Andrew’s story. Take it away, Andrew.

First of all, I’d like to thank Pete for allowing me to post on his blog. I truly appreciate the honor, and hope I can be half as entertaining as he usually is.

I published my first novel in June of 2012. It was of average length, a little over 95,000 words. Lengthy, of course, but nothing crazy. At least until you realize it took me seven years from conception to publication. There were several reasons for this, impediments to completion that almost every author will face on their journey to getting their manuscript published.

When I first decided to write a book, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought it would be a breeze; have brilliant idea, put words on screen, collect royalty checks in perpetuity. Sadly, as anyone who’s attempted to write a novel before already knows, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Sure, I had (I hoped) an interesting idea, a new twist on a popular genre that would send the public into a frenzy and cause near riots at one minute after midnight on release day. When I first put pen to paper and actually started fleshing out my idea, I had some vague notion that I should make an outline. I mean, that’s what we did in college, right? Start with a bang, create some interesting characters, throw in a little action and viola, you’re good. Best-seller complete.

And for the first few weeks, things actually went smoothly. I had an idea of where I wanted to go with the book, what storylines I wanted to follow, so I was able to plod my way through the first few chapters. It was only when I sat back and read what I’d dumped onto the screen that I realized my story was disjointed, uninteresting, and absolute garbage. It seemed that every time I sat in front of the computer I’d have a new flash of inspiration and would rush to write it all down before I forgot. This resulted in such a pile of trash I was tempted to give up, and I was only ten thousand words in.

Frustrated, I quickly lost motivation. What had been daily half hour sessions turned into every other day, then once a week for ten minutes. I’d go so long without writing anything that I’d forget where I was going with a chapter, and that only made things worse. A few months into the process I got a new job and relocated seven hundred miles away. My writing time declined even further, down to maybe once or twice a month. Sure, I’d sit at work, thinking about what I wanted to write, but when the time came, I always had an excuse. This continued on for over a year, until one day I realized I’d been at it for two years and had less than half the book done. Thomas Harris could get away with this glacial pace, but I couldn’t.

So, for the first time since I’d started, I did something intelligent. I researched HOW TO WRITE.

What a novel concept. And this was the turning point.

Almost immediately I realized that everything I’d been doing was wrong. My point of view jumped all over the place. The scene descriptions were pathetic. I’d thrown in so many obscure personal references that the story was getting lost in the minutiae (which no one cared about anyways!). So, after a humbling month of furious study, I finally had an actual plan.

I banged out the last twenty thousand words in a few weeks (ten thousand the last weekend alone), and immediately set about revising. As you can guess, I basically had to start from scratch. This time, however, I set about doing things properly. I started to look at my work as a writer, not as a reader. I approached it as you should, like a job. Because if you want to be an author, you better give it everything you’ve got. One year later, my second draft was done. After my test group read it (and shed tears of joy that it wasn’t more trash) I went through two further revisions before sending it off to an editor. Once that was done, I made some final tweaks, commissioned a cover artist, and uploaded it for the world to see.

Looking back, I can pick out three moments, three forks in the road, when I finally got it together and started to work like an actual writer and not some amateur.

First, when I began to research how you should actually write. The web is filled with invaluable advice from brilliant authors who are happy to share their expertise. Make use of it.

Second, when I started to read like a writer, not a reader. While reading I’d look for what made a scene work, what made me love the book. That was invaluable.

Finally, and I believe this is by far the most critical aspect to being a successful author, I made the decision to write every damn day. To write for as long as I could, be it twenty minutes or ten hours. No excuses.

That’s the short version of my odyssey to becoming an author. If I can do it, anyone can. Just make up your mind that you’re going to see it through to the end, and you’ll get there.

It just might take a while.

A Patriot’s Betrayal

The last thing Parker Chase expected to find after burying his murdered uncle was a cryptic letter from the dead man. Parker realizes that his uncles death was far more than a robbery gone bad and soon finds himself pursued by the very men who killed his uncle. Joined by his brilliant ex-girlfriend, Parker fights to stay one step ahead of a shadowy organization hell-bent on silencing him forever.

Desperate to uncover the truth behind his uncles death, Parker learns that he was killed after uncovering information about a centuries old mystery involving America’s Founding Fathers.

Both the CIA and the police join the death-dealing cabal of murderers in a chase to capture Parker, who must run for his life while unraveling the greatest conspiracy in American history.

Link to purchase:

http://www.amazon.com/A-Patriots-Betrayal-ebook/dp/B0088DQMFI/

Book marketing: Virtual tours by Jo Linsdell

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Pete Abela

I’m delighted to welcome Jo Linsdell for a special guest post on the subject of Virtual Book Marketing Tours. Jo Linsdell is the author and illustrator of the rhyming children’s picture book OUT AND ABOUT AT THE ZOO. Find out more about her at www.JoLinsdell.com. Take it away Jo …

Virtual tours are an excellent way to drum up interest in both you and your work. It’s a marketing strategy that I often use and find that the results aren’t just linked to better book sales. I’m currently touring to promote the release of my children’s picture book ‘Out and About at the Zoo’

Benefits of a virtual tour:

You sell more books. This is obviously one of the biggest goals of the tour. If you’re a multi published author, not necessarily just the title you are touring either.
It’s a great way to collect reviews for your book.
It helps build your online reputation.
It increases traffic to your sites. You’ll notice a rise in visits to your website, blog and social media pages during and just after a tour.
You can find new clients if you do freelance writing.

Here’s a few tips to help you to tour success:

Think about your tour goals. Knowing what you want to achieve with your tour will give you focus both for content and where you need to be hosted.
Think about types of content. To keep a tour interesting you need to make the content of your posts varied. From my own experience I find that a few interviews, a couple of reviews and a lot of guest posts is the best combination. Why mainly guest posts? They create more discussion, appeal to a wider audience and normally get more attention.
Create a banner for your tour. Not only does it make you look more professional, it also serves as an immediate publicity for you, your book, your website and your tour. Even if people don’t read all the post they will have seen the most important information just by clicking on the page.

My tour banner:

As you can see, this is a very simple banner. It includes; my book cover (the item I am promoting with the tour), My photo (an ‘on theme’ shot of me at my computer. Putting your face allows people to feel more connected to you), Virtual tour and the dates (what I am doing and when) and lastly my website url (so people can find out more about the tour, me and my work).

This banner took me about 5 minutes to make using the program ‘paint’.

4. Target hosts. Whilst it’s always good to send out a general appeal for tour hosts you need to hit sites where your target audience are going to be e.g. for this tour I targeted review sites, authors sites, sites for children and parents.

Do some research and find sites that fit in some way with the topic of your book and drop them a message asking to be featured. Highlight why you are a suitable guest.

Also aim for sites with larger numbers of followers. The more traffic they get to their site the greater audience your post will have.

5. ALWAYS comment on your tour stops. A thank you to the host is a must. Checking back regularly can really help to get the conversation going too. Reply to all those who take the time to comment.

If you have a comment to share about this post, my book or book marketing in general I’d love to hear from you, so just drop a note in the comments section

Out and about at the zoo

Written and illustrated by Jo Linsdell

Rhyming text and colourful pictures accompany this fun day out discovering different animals at the zoo.

About the author:
Jo Linsdell is a freelance writer, author and illustrator. Originally from theUK, she now lives inRome,Italy with her husband and their two young sons.

Author website: www.JoLinsdell.com

Release Date: 1st June 2012

Product details:

ISBN/EAN13: 1477446591 / 9781477446591
Page Count: 32
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim Size: 6″ x 9″
Language: English
Colour: Full Colour with Bleed
Related Categories: Juvenile Fiction / Stories in Verse

Purchasing links:

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.it
CreateSpace.com

Contact details:

Email: webmaster@jolinsdell.com

Reviews:

5 Stars

“Out and About at the Zoo by Jo Linsdell is a delightful story set in rhyme about a boy and his mum. The two spend the day at the zoo and meet many animals along the way. Your child will enjoy reading this book time and time again. The colorful illustrations make this book a joy to read. Pick up a copy of this book and share a day at the zoo memory with your little one”.

By Kate Mueller, Author of Bella’s Birthday Surprise

5 Stars

“Out And About At The Zoo is a cute book that describes a child’s memory filled trip to the zoo. Are you heading to the zoo and you would like to tell your kids what animals they will see there and what they might be doing? Then Out And About At The Zoo would be a great choice. Easy to understand and easy for children to read along with. It is filled with simple yet colorful pictures that even held my one year old’s attention!

Would also make a good gift for young readers who are just beginning to read!”

By Virginia L. Jennings, Author