Last time we shared the simplest, free-est ways to show some love to your favorite authors. Since then, we’ve put more thought on the topic and have been able to come up with a few more suggestions. If you’re looking for a way to spread the word for your new favorite author, and you’re willing to take a few minutes out of your schedule, these suggestions could offer massive amounts of support. And who knows, it may just be what it takes to push an unknown author more into the mainstream. Continue reading →
Last time we shared the simplest, free-est ways to show some love to your favorite authors. Since then, we’ve put more thought on the topic and have been able to come up with a few more suggestions. If you’re looking for a way to spread the word for your new favorite author, and you’re willing to take a few minutes out of your schedule, these suggestions could offer massive amounts of support. And who knows, it may just be what it takes to push an unknown author more into the mainstream. Continue reading →
As an author, one of the most exciting parts of releasing a new novel is laying eyes on the cover art. That’s when you know it’s all coming together and your project will soon be a finished book. With that, I’m happy to be able to be part of the cover reveal blitz for my friend, Cait Marie‘s latest release, The Lost Prince – the sequel to her debut novel, The Lost Legends.
A mythical healing flower. A fractured kingdom. A curse unbroken.
Cait Marie’s long-awaited sequel, The Lost Prince, is releasing November 11!
I don’t know about you, but for me, this quarantine has been a drag. Staying holed up inside my house all day every day has taken a toll on me, and I have a feeling I’m not the only one. With that in mind, I decided to play virtual tour guide once again. Inspired by my last bookish tour around Indianapolis, and even more by my trip to New Orleans, I decided to rock out to some literary tunes, and see what other bookish sites I could come across. I’ll kick it off with a scholastic location, then we’ll check out a few places that are more social in nature. Continue reading →
One of the most difficult parts of being an author is finding readers. Unfortunately, nobody tells you that up front. A lot of first-time authors have the idea that their friends and family will read it. Even if they don’t read it, they’ll at least buy a copy to be supportive, right? They’ll help spread the word once the book is released, for sure. Maybe a friend of a friend will like it and I’ll find new readers no problem!
Not so fast. It is remarkably difficult to find support in the most logical of places. For whatever reason, friends and family don’t always share the same excitement level for your accomplishment. Maybe they’re not aware of the time and effort that goes into becoming a published author. Some people hesitate to support something that isn’t established and/or popular for fear of judgment. They’re worried that if they recommend something, and people don’t react to it the same way they did, then that person will judge them for liking something “inferior.” As much as people like being the first to like something, the fact is, there’s just too many products out there to be discovered. There’s too much noise to drown out your attempts at publicity.
And with the rising number of self-published authors, it’s nearly impossible to know what quality level is being produced by a first-time writer. I hate to say it, because I want to be supportive of the indie, self-published industry, but there are endless numbers of bad books out there. Readers are also hesitant to spend their hard-earned money on something they don’t know is worth it. Without experience, and without a traditional publishing company supporting these authors (and without those traditional publishing company’s funds to pay for editing, cover design, advertising, etc), new authors get lost in the sea of nameless books.
Which is why this topic is so dear to our hearts. As an indie label, intent on supporting authors who are starting out, and are still trying to develop a readership, we want to inform and educate writers and readers alike. For authors, if our point hasn’t been clear enough already: temper your expectations. For readers who want to offer as much support as possible, or for readers who aren’t sure the best way to help, let’s get into it! Continue reading →
Can you believe it – Crossover has been out for a year?! For the book birthday of the third title in my Kings of Chaos Motorcycle Club Series, I thought it would be a great time to revisit the story and provide a bitching soundtrack. Yeah. Bitching. So let’s get to it! Continue reading →
Edited by Cait Marie and published by Unicorn Nightporium, LLC., Ephemera: Life Lessons Learned is an anthology like you’ve never seen before!
First, let’s see the cover!
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Blurb
Every story has a lesson.
People constantly learn throughout their lives. It creates history. It defines the future.
Is the grass greener on the other side? Do the ends justify the means?
Eleven authors have come together to bring you tales of adventure and romance, loss and gain, family, friends, and everything in between. From arranged marriages to dates in haunted houses to androids infused with human memories. Fairy tales, dystopians, apocalyptic worlds.
Each author was paired up and given a prompt that included:
– Genre
– Lesson for the character to learn
– A random word or phrase to be used
The Authors
Cait Marie
Heather Dowell
Victoria Anders
Marissa Allen
Charles Kelley
Abigail McCarty
Steph Wyatt
Najela Carter
Xander S. Lee
Rebekah Olson
B.L. Koller
I’ve previously written about writer’s block, as most authors have, but I’ve been fortunate enough that I’ve never had to fight through a crippling case of it. I’ve certainly had periods where my writing habits come to a standstill and I’m not sure how or when to get back to it, but so far it hasn’t been from a lack of ideas.
Alas, that’s where I find myself again. I have enough ideas to keep me busy writing for the next decade, but I definitely don’t seem to have the energy or motivation to actually do the writing. It’s not even an inspiration issue. That part even seems to be there in abundance right now. No, I just simply can’t force myself to sit down and be creative. Continue reading →
An Absurd Apocalypse: Stories from the Lame Side of the End of the World is now open for submissions.
We’re seeking short stories no longer than 8,000 words. Stories should center around the lamest world-ending events imaginable, and/or the effects those events have on normal, everyday life within the apocalypse. But don’t be confused; this collection will be far from boring. We’re looking for the quirky, humorous, outlandish, but relatable side of the apocalypse.
The price of the book will be set to cover the minimum printing costs to facilitate a low price point and encourage readers to explore the content. Due to this, there will be no profit from sales, so this will be an unpaid project. Successful submissions will receive a copy of the ebook.
Submissions close on November 1st, 2020. Two submission maximum per author.
Send your double spaced, indented MS Word or Google Docs document to authorcharleskelley@gmail.com. Please include your name as you’d like it to be published, the title of the story, and the word count. The subject line of the email should also include your name and title. All genres will be considered except for romance or erotica.
Along with that, please also include an author bio along with social media handles, web site address, and/or an email address where readers can reach you.
Reprints or simultaneous submissions will be considered.
Not that anybody was asking (hence the unsolicited part), but previously I wrote about fantasy fiction. It’s no secret that I’m pretty lazy, and while I was writing that, I got annoyed with how long it took to type the phrase fantasy fiction. So today, out of sheer laziness, I’m going to shorten it to fan fiction. Luckily for me, that’s a whole new genre, and a completely different topic to write about. Plus it’s shorter to type, so that’s a double bonus!
Having said all of that, I decided this week that I am going to put all of my current projects on hold and focus on a new pet project that I will never be able to do anything with. (Yeah, I’m well aware how ridiculous that sounds.) I’ve never done any fan fiction before. I like the concept: people like something so much that they create and expand on the source material. That’s awesome! I would be so flattered if somebody ever wanted to do that with anything I wrote. I just don’t think I’ve ever been into anything enough to think that I could do something worthwhile that would contribute to what’s already there. Plus I feel weird about using somebody else’s creation to play around with.
Until now anyway. I have gone down a rabbit hole and have tunnel vision for this story that a friend gave me ideas for. We had an amazing exchange, brainstorming session, and then that was it. As far as I was concerned it was over. Just a fun concept. Or so I thought. The idea stayed in the back of my mind though. I saw that friend a couple weeks ago, and the conversation came back up. It’s too good to let it go. So I’m not. Continue reading →
My love fest for Patrick J. O’Brian has been long and well documented. Well believe it or not, I still have more books of his to read and review. Hallowed Grounds is another one that I recently finished so let’s check it out!
The plot of the story centers around a protagonist, Jeff Lancaster, who comes to own and develop a theme park in southern Indiana, but before he’s able to enjoy his new duties of running the park, his previous life as a police detective drags him into a couple gruesome and brutal murders. As he investigates those murders, connections are made to the property that his shiny new amusement park sits on, complete with a sinister and ghostly past. Those two worlds collide, and Lancaster is left chasing down murderers and legends from his town’s past, trying to make connections in order to tie it all together, save lives, and put an end to the killings.
Hallowed Grounds starts off as a pretty straight-forward murder mystery. That is, until just before halfway into the story anyway; that’s when things take a potential supernatural detour. I won’t dive into spoiler territory, so I won’t reveal the source of the murders in my review. They could be the circumstance of an unhappy spirit, or they could be the result of a bitter rival. You’ll have to check it out for yourself and see! Continue reading →
