Since my mini writing retreat last weekend, I have not had any time to immerse myself in the revisions for The Twesome Loop, until last night. I took advantage of a couple of hours of peace & quiet in the library prior to my writing meeting. Word count increased by 892 and a couple of scenes were ‘fleshed out’ (actually erotic scenes so literally – pardon the pun!)
I have a meeting with my client whose book I am ghost writing this evening as I requested ‘personal experience’ pieces from her on several topics within the book. These I will include thus ensuring it is her voice.
My book cover proof is still pending for The Rython Kingdom so I have to be patient – although having the new cover available for my readers is paramount. So excited for it to go ‘live’ on the various websites.
Through a facebook page I found a submissions requirement where I can send my steampunk story – The Toymaker. Fingers crossed it gets accepted, it’s only 7790 words.
Books:
I am thoroughly enjoying this book – The Faraday Girls by Monica McInerney – sister’s growing up, finding themselves, drama, love, rejection and a mystery. Set in Tasmania and Ireland it becomes international as each sister flies the coop in search of her path.
My TBR pile includes a book I found in a lovely bookstore while on my weekend escape. The Other Life by Ellen Meister This is the blurb:
If you could return to the road not taken…would you?
Quinn Braverman has a perfect life, with a loving husband, an adorable son, and another baby on the way.
Quinn also has an ominous secret: she knows that another version of her life exists…one in which she made totally different life choices. But she’s never been tempted to switch lives-until a shocking turn of events pushes her to cross over, and she discovers the one person she thought she’d lost forever: Her mother.
But Quinn can’t have both lives. Soon, she must decide which she really wants-the one she has…or the other life…
Doesn’t it sound fascinating? Of course as I love reincarnation, spirits, afterlife and parallel universes it is just up my street, so to speak.
If you have a recommendation for this kind of story, please let me know.
Writing Tips:
Stop procrastinating. Turn off the TV, disconnect from the Internet, tune out the rest of the world, sit down, and write.
Create a space in your home especially for writing.
Some of you may know I’m in the midst of working with an illustrator for my upcoming children’s chapter book, Ockleberries to the Rescue. Each chapter will have a drawing of the animal or event that is within the narrative. I count myself lucky to know my artist from within my writing group. Not only is he the current President but a good friend. Joe McKnight’s pencil drawings are similar in style to Bernie Brown’s wonderful pictures. This is the reason I choose him, I want realistic drawings of the animals. As most of the internal pictures are completed, my thoughts have turned to the cover. I have a specific image in mind, which will reveal the woodland sprites home, however I am not including an image of the sprites, I want the children to imagine them.
When we work with an artist it is paramount to have good communication and be able to describe the ‘vision’ we have for the illustrations. With Joe, I can have face to face discussions as well as email communication and have supplied him with sketches/images to assist him. When I worked with Matty McClatchie on Rumble’s First Scare, we only had the option of email as he was in Australia and I was in Canada. His style is wonderfully stylized and suited Rumble’s world so well. We frequently underestimate the power of technology but this is proof it can work to our advantage. No matter where our artist may be situated we can work together to create our ideal images.
With a cover we must take into account the initial response of our potential readers and ensure it has its own style. Ask yourself:
Does the cover reflect the story?
Is it eye catching?
Does it reflect the genre?
As you can see from these revised covers for the Harry Potter saga, covers can evolved.
It is interesting how much more ‘action’ there is in the new covers and the style is more dramatic. Understand you can change your cover at any time – feedback from readers is important in ensuring the book cover encourages more people to purchase it. You can have a re-launch, an anniversary re-issue or upload a new cover for an e-book. Just because your book is published doesn’t mean you should forget about it. Constant promotion and revision will keep it fresh and engage new readers.
A cover is an important part of any book and time should be spent in creating it. Here are some useful tips for cover design:
Pluvious – definition: of or pertaining to rain : rainy
It may sound bizarre to a lot of people but one of the things I miss about England is the rain. Yep, the rain! England gets a lot of rain, hence the ‘green and pleasant land’. As an island surrounded with sea water the formation of rain clouds is a constant.
I should be more precise on what it is I miss about rain. It is the smell of freshly drenched earth and foliage and the actual sound of rain drops hitting the ground and any objects in its path. Watching rain rivulets down a window pane when you are warm and dry is a wondrous moment. Splashes of water rippling outward into infinity.
The majority of precipitation in Alberta, Canada is snow so a rainy day is a treat for the British expats living here. We have actually run outside to stand in it. As I said at the beginning – bizarre!
If you have moved a great distance, what do you miss?
My writing group used a single raindrop as the illustration on the book cover on the history of the group. A single drop causes a ripple effect and that is what one writer, one group can do for others. From a solitary drop the encouragement spreads
