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The Test

 

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A few days ago, I came across this meme about Adam, Eve, and Lilith. I had heard the name Lilith before, but had no real knowledge of who she was in the grand scheme of things, so reading the meme was kind of eye opening.

Of course, I don’t take things at meme-value, so I Googled it and ended up on this page, which compiles a history of Lilith’s mythology, stretching back to the days of Babylon. Tons of information just on that one page there. It’s a fascinating (long) read, if you have the time.

Anyway, the tale inspired the next story in my Here There Be Monsters series, which I now share with you in its first draft, unedited form.

Enjoy!

Read More »The Test

Last but not least…

The Beast Series has a new cover (finally)! This one was really difficult to do, partly because the story is so close to my heart, and partly because it has been done so many times, it’s almost impossible to make it look original. I must have done at least 15 different versions of the cover before I got to this one, and all of them made me want to throw my brand new laptop against the wall. Hard.

So here’s what I finally came up with. It has elements of every Beauty and the Beast story on it, because that’s what it is, but I’m hoping I made one of those elements just unique enough to make it stand out. The tarot cards that play such a huge role in the story had to be included in some fashion, and three of the versions I attempted had them on the cover in different ways. I ultimately discarded them because, while they made amazingly stunning pictures, capturing particular scenes like a movie still, there was no way for me to add the book title and author name without completely ruining the effect.

This was my compromise: me going back to what feels natural to me, which is “less is more.” I didn’t want an overly elaborate scene, I wanted a visually striking representation of the story itself. I also wanted something stylistically similar to The Rebel Court series cover, since they both fall under similar genres, but not identical, because there are significant differences between the two series. Do you think I accomplished all that?

Read More »Last but not least…

Update Phase 2: Blood and Shadows

As an update on my update process, I now have a print-proof from IngramSpark en route to me. I began with Wolfen, because it’s the longest and potentially the most problematic. I figure, if I can perfect that one, the rest of my print editions should be a breeze! =) Once I check that the layout is good, the font is readable, and the cover prints the way it’s supposed to, I will be (re)formatting all my other print editions for IngramSpark. The life of an Indie author…

Oh, who am I kidding? I live for this stuff! Seriously, the hardest thing about the entire process (for me, anyway) is the wait I have to endure before I can move on to the next step. So, having redone the Dawn of Ragnarok covers, and while I’m waiting for Wolfen to arrive on my doorstep, I’ve been keeping busy redesigning the Blood and Shadows series covers. Again, there is a valid, technical reason for me doing this. Because of the darkness and the contrast, the old covers didn’t print correctly, and I had to fix that, which resulted in covers that look faded on the screen and almost too dark in print. And, as much as I love the dramatic look of them, the corona lighting elements were more in line with alien themes than what my books are actually about.

And that is why I absolutely love this new design. It’s light and dark, mirroring the battles in the books, as well as the larger series arc, and it incorporates an element of the biggest theme in the books: DNA and its manipulation. These covers convey the story much better than their previous incarnations, and I’m practically salivating to see them in print, because they will look out of this world gorgeous!

Don’t believe me? See for yourself:

Read More »Update Phase 2: Blood and Shadows

To update or… Wait. There is no Option B

How to tell when a writer is working: you don’t see her for months on end. Ever make a detailed, step-by-step action plan, only to have it get derailed at every single freaking step? That’s pretty much been my year so far. My plan was to write and finish Prince of Deceit and Dearest Love, and make some progress on Sweetest Kiss, all while doing the barest minimum on the business side. Well, Dearest Love is done and out, so yay for that. As for the rest… imagine me laughing anxiously while holding back frustrated growls. Instead of finishing my novel, I ended up writing a whole lot of other stuff (which I loved!), restructuring my entire business model (not so much with the love), and doing a bunch of stuff I hadn’t planned on, but which turned out to be necessary (long-suffering sigh).

Long story short, due to technical reasons with which I won’t bore you, I am having to change the Dragonblood series name. I did not come to this decision lightly. I’m not doing this just to get prettier covers (although they totally are!!). I’m doing it to correct a problem I’ve had with the series since before book 2 came out last year. The original series name had to be changed at the last second and because I was rushed for time, I ended up slapping on a new one that doesn’t really fit the series story line. This is something that has been pointed out by readers, reviewers, friends, and family, and has bothered me for almost two years.

So why now, rather than after Prince of Deceit? Because I recently started the process of moving/expanding my print distribution to IngramSpark, and a part of it involves reformatting the covers. So I can either make the change now, or duplicate my work later. For the sake of my own sanity, I’m opting to do it all now in one fell swoop.

Mind you, the stories themselves are not going to change. The book titles are not going to change. All that’s different is the series name and the covers. If you already have a previous print version of The Royal Wizard and/or Dragonblood, congrats. They are now limited first editions that could potentially be worth a lot of money in a few…decades. 😉 If you don’t, give the eBooks a gander. Check out the previews and see if they strike your fancy. Ya never know until you try! (*hint hint*)

Okay, that about covers the boring stuff. And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to the newly revamped Dawn of Ragnarok series, and reveal the cover for the third and final (planned) book: Prince of Deceit.

Read More »To update or… Wait. There is no Option B

On Dreams and Dreaming

When I close my eyes at night, my sleeping brain fills with rich, vivid scenes that might as well have been cut out of a movie. It’s always been that way for me, since before I can remember. When I was in college, I took a required course on creativity in business where one of our semester projects was to keep a dream journal. At the end of the semester, most of my classmates submitted a 10-page-or-so, double-spaced document stapled together with their name on top. Mine was over 60 pages, single-spaced, with pictures, headings, and formatting, and the stack was too thick to staple, so I had to put it all into one of those 3-hole-punched portfolio folders. My professor was floored; didn’t want to believe I actually dreamed that often with that much detail.

Read More »On Dreams and Dreaming

…as if no one will ever read it

I haven’t done a real blog post here in a long time. Forgive me. Life, work, and other concerns have distracted me from what I enjoy doing most. Truth be told, I haven’t been writing much lately, either, and that hurts me the most. But certain things have happened in recent weeks and months to put me in one of my philosophical moods again, and very much on the defensive. Not of myself (much) but of the creative writer in general. So let me tell you a story or four…

Read More »…as if no one will ever read it