Bridge Rehab

Bridge Rehabilitation - May 17, 2013

So I'm listening to the news on the radio tonight and the reporter guy says "such and such street needs to be avoided due to bridge rehabilitation". What?!?

What the hell is bridge rehabilitation? Do they do yoga or meditate with the bridge? Does the bridge have to attend anger management classes? Or maybe the bridge must attend bad habit group sessions? Do they have a 12-step program to follow? Is there an elastic band involved in their cure?

I wanted to ask what the bridge is being rehabilitated FROM. I mean, rehab is usually a means of getting rid of some bad habit or frequent bad action you do... isn't it? Bridges, as far as I've ever seen, don't have many bad habits. They just seem to sit there... sometimes nicely arched and sometimes more flat, but they don't seem to do much. Certainly they don't seem to do anything that might require rehabilitation. Are they leading clandestine lives?

I also wonder how the bridges get to the rehab place. Do they walk? They do have legs and footings. Although I've never seen a bridge on the move, I also haven't watched any bridges for any length of time. Perhaps I need to start. Or maybe rehab takes place "on-site", so to speak.

Another thing that strikes me... if the bridges need rehabilitation, who are the bridge counselors? Is it a specialization in the psych world or can any psychologist or psychiatrist handle bridge problems? I've checked the phone book and online and didn't find any listings for bridge counselors, but maybe they don't need to advertise. Maybe there are so many bridges that need rehab that the bridge counselors are so busy they don't need to put their name out there. Just how many bridges-in-crisis are there? And what is the name of their illness... because obviously if they need rehabilitating, there must be a name for their syndrome. Why haven't they been talked about on Oprah? Where's Dr. Oz when we need him? Perhaps there needs to be a walkathon for them or ribbons to make money for awareness. Would bumper stickers help?

I do have an idea of where this terminology came from. Years ago when I lived in Calgary, I was on the C-Train and happened to sit across from a nice older gentleman. He and I began to talk and he told me his daughter had just graduated from some college in California and gotten a job making a huge sum of money a year. Her specialty? I don't remember what it was called, but she specialized in making up new terminology for businesses and governments. Yes... four years of college and she learned to make up new words and phrases... or more correctly, to use words and phrases in new (and rather strange) ways. Why? So that when the general public catches on to what the business and government worlds are talking about, they can change their lingo and we'll be in the dark once again. 

Isn't that a rather paranoid way for them to act toward the people who pay their way?

Time Travel

I just watched an episode of "Bones" in which the characters were asking each other "if you could travel in time to anywhere, where would you go?". Now several novelists and authors have broached this subject over the centuries with characters actually travelling backward or forward in time. One of the most famous television series (which has been on the air almost continually since the 1950s) is "Dr. Who" who is a Time Lord. He's always dancing from one place to another throughout the Universe changing this, saving that, and generally interfering with the bad guys in order to set things right again.

But what about you and me? If YOU could go to one place in time, would you go forward or back? Would you choose, as  Dr. Saroyan said, "to have tea with Jesus" or would you choose a place in your own life? If in your own life, would you be there to change something or would you just want to revisit someone you once knew? Would you let them know who you were? If you wanted to visit a particular event or time, what would you be there for? To change something? To learn? To experience life as it was? To prevent or cause something?

Conversely, would you head to the future? If you did, would you want to know what your own life was going to do or check out someone else's life... or would you rather have a look at things in general? Would you be there to scoop an idea or stock investment knowledge or would you just want to know what things are going to look like? How far would you go? A few years, a generation, a hundred years... or more? Where would you want to land?

It's an interesting question. Personally I don't think I'd want to go back to my own life. I've lived the way I was supposed to, learned the lessons I had to, met the ones I needed to, dealt with them in whatever manner was required... and have found my way to this place in life. I rather like who I've turned out to be and I care a great deal for the people I've gathered to me. So "back" is not something that really attracts me.

But given the opportunity to go ahead even just once, I'd be tempted. Not to see what my personal life was going to be, because that could change with my next decision in this time, but to see what the world is like, especially the technology. I'd love to see what technology does in ten years time, so that's where I'd head... although I'm not quite sure which location I'd choose. I'd want it to be some place where there was absolutely no chance of meeting myself. LOL Some place "exotic" maybe? I don't know. I'd just enjoy being in the future looking around. And if in checking things out I learned about some company or idea that today was just beginning and I happened to put a few dollars into it when I came back... we-e-ell that would probably be the change in this time that would make my life different there. :)

Now wait... that gives me an idea. What if I went back to the early 70s, before I got married but after I left home, and instead of buying a house when I was 22... what if I invested that $10,652.09 I got from the lawsuit for that car accident in that little company called "Intel" that was getting started. ($0.02 per share in mid 1972) I could have sold it again in 1999 ($40 per share in mid-September) and be quite well off today (over $22 million!). Hmmm.... now there's food for thought. Maybe I wouldn't go ahead after all. ;)

What would you do?

Review: Knight Progenitor

Knight Progenitor by Sharon L. Reddy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I am actually currently reading this book. You have to be a Dr. Who fan to read it. Sometimes it's very confusing... until you get further into the book. Sometimes it's delightful and sometimes sad. Sometimes it steams on faster than a jet and sometimes it slows right down. Contrary to what some others have said, I'm really enjoying the read. It's over 1500 pages (on my iPad) but because it is broken down into individual stories, it's manageable. As I said I'm really enjoying it. I loved the story on the U.S.S. Enterprise! It's amazing how the stories keep interlocking too, so I'm pretty sure that somewhere in the next half of the book the crew of the Enterprise will somehow be brought back into it. This happens to be mostly about the sixth Dr.... the one played by Colin Baker... although it does also include several others. At any rate, I highly recommend reading it if you're a Dr. Who fan. If not, you may not enjoy it and might find it quite confusing. :)



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Review: James Potter and the Curse of the Gate Keeper

James Potter and the Curse of the Gate Keeper by G. Norman Lippert

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I am thoroughly enjoying this series. This book forces James to make choices and to come to grips with his own mortality at such a young age. It is James' second year at Hogwarts, making him 13 years old. On the lighter side of his life, he becomes involved in a school play. On the darker side of everyones' lives, he must save both the magical and the Muggle worlds. Lippert has a way of making James seem older than his years, like his father before him was made older acting in many ways. It must be a family trait... or perhaps it is a trait of magical beings, since the other students of the same age act older as well. Whatever causes this, it makes for interesting reading and I'm looking forward to the next installment in James' life adventures.



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Writing Process

I've been thinking about this blog. I began it because it is one of the things that authors today need to have to help with marketing their books, whether they write fiction or non-fiction. I didn't really think about what I would put into this blog. I figured I'd mention my novels as I went along, but other than that, I had no real plan. I still don't. But I have realized that some people who come here will be writers and some will be new writers... writers who may have questions about being an author and all that that entails.

At this point I should probably tell you my personal meanings of "writer" and "author". To me, an author is a writer who is published. That can mean self-published or publisher published. It can be e-book published or physical book published. Published is published and once you are published you move from being a "writer" to being an "author". In my mind anyway.

I've decided that today I'm going to talk about what is called "the writing process". Off to the left is supposed to be a picture I found that shows what the five steps of the writing process are. However, I have to make the picture available before I can attach it to my blog. I'll get it there... but give me time.

Anywho.... these are the steps that are recommended for writers to follow when they write. It starts with "pre-writing" or planning out your book. Then comes writing it using the plan. Next you make all of your revisions. When that's finished, you edit, correcting grammar and spelling. Finally you publish.

Many authors follow these steps but many others do not. Most authors develop their own writing process as they go along. Every author's process includes at least some of these steps, however, so using this list is a good place to start if you're a beginning writer.

My own writing process consists of:
1. Figuring out where my newest novel will be published. In my case, I prefer to self-publish my e-novels at Smashwords.com.  They have a fantastically easy-to-understand manual for formatting your e-novels, they give you an ISPN, and if you get into their "premium catalogue" they send your e-books to many other places (like Barnes & Nobel and Apple's iBooks).

2. Set up my new document in my word processing program correctly so that the new novel is being written in the formatting style that the selling site requires. This is an extremely important step for me. E-books are not the same as physical books and require a special kind of formatting. Setting up the document correctly at this point will save a lot of time and energy when the book is finished.

3. Writing - editing and writing - editing and writing - until the novel is finished. To me, editing is an integral and ongoing step. Other than the first bout of writing, I always start a writing session by editing what I wrote last time (and sometimes a bit more). That does a few things for my books. It makes them cohesive. It keeps my characters "in character". It allows flow through the novel. It allows me to find grammar errors (I constantly have my spell checker turned on, so I catch spelling errors as I go).

4. After the writing and final editing is complete, I check my formatting carefully to ensure that it is absolutely perfect for the place I have planned to publish to.

5. Design the cover and make it the right size for the site you are publishing to. If you aren't artistic or don't want to do this step yourself, you will need to hire someone to do this for you. You need a terrific cover, so don't skimp on this step.

6. Publish. Publishing is a bit different on different sites, so be sure you read each and every line in each and every section and get the form(s) filled in properly. You'll be uploading your cover as well as your book, so make sure both are ready.

7. Market, market, market! This is a whole topic by itself. Let it just be said at this time that marketing is something essential and needs to be done right.

So those are the steps I take to get a novel ready and available for my fans . Notice I do not plan my novels in advance. I tend to let the novel tell me how it wants to be written and what it wants to say rather than my forcing it to do things my way. I find I have a much better novel in the end when I do things that way... and that makes my fans happy, which is what it's all about.

New Book

Today I began to write a new novel. Oh don't worry... I'm still continuing to work on the next Calida book, but this one insisted on being at least started. I generally have a dream and then write a novel and that's exactly how this newest one got its start. Last night I had a dream and today I began to put it to paper. I don't want to give away any of the plot, but it is certainly an interesting beginning. All I can tell you is that, mixed in with the story will be a good deal of my personal beliefs about life, death, and the hereafter.

In other news... my partner and I are house sitting for the next few months while the owner is away working. It's been quite an adjustment for us from motorhome to house, but I imagine the switch back will take even more adjustment. :) The dogs are settling in quite nicely. We got through Christmas mostly unscathed and are now ready to get back to a more normal life... whatever that might entail. Of course, our idea of normal and yours is probably quite different. ;) May the New Year bring you many adventures... all prosperous in their own way!

Review: Deakin Inheritance

Deakin Inheritance by June Vollans

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Review by: Isla Mae Cosuelo on Aug. 29, 2012 on Smashwords.com: 4 stars "It's a wonderful book June. The main characters seem to have rather confusing relationships though. Is there going to be a sequel to this? But all in all a brilliant fast paced book."

Review by: Kenneth Holmberg on Aug. 27, 2012 on Smashwords.com: 4 stars "I enjoyed this story. It was written in such a way as to having read on to find out where it was going to take me. Well done!"

Review by: Leslie on Aug. 18, 2012 on Smashwords.com: 4 stars "I enjoyed this, couple plot holes you could drive a bus through, but they are addressed as the story runs on, at a pretty hectic pace. Great paced page turner, no silly science to escape a trap, everyone thinks their way out, and I def. want to read the further adventures of Calida; there's folks we find out about as the book grows that decidedly need to be seen. Read it straight through, so def a page turner."



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Review: The Trouble with Dreams

The Trouble with Dreams by June Vollans

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



As I am the author, I am a 'bit' biased about this book. Honestly, though, I think it's a wonderful story... full of characters you can truly love and an evil you can despise. Although the story may not be the "fastest" you've ever read, it does move along quickly enough. What the book has is great characters who unfold before you as they struggle with a situation that is both baffling and terrifying. The book is packed with fun as well. Who doesn't love Sandy and Gruffydd and the way they interact with others? Who isn't drawn in to the love between Phaon and Mariah? Who can't empathize with Aranor? The Trouble with Dreams is only the beginning of their story, however. I have five books in my head and am only just working on the third one. With twists and turns and surprises throughout the series, can you even begin to guess where this story will take you?



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A Couple of Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENT 1

I am currently waiting for a text message from Facebook so that they can confirm that I have a valid account with them  Yet again.  I am thoroughly disgusted with them! Every time I turn around I am being asked to supply more information to them, supposedly to verify my account. It feels more and more like a scam to get my information from me. I've already lost one account to this bull-ship of theirs. Now here goes another one. I have a notion to shut down everything and be done with them. But first I need to get back on to let everyone know. So watch for me telling everyone that I'm finished on Facebook... because it is going to happen as soon as I can get back on to have my account deleted.

As a result of Facebook's screw ups, all of my future announcements will be made here, on my blog, or on my website. If you want to keep up with me, please make sure to "Follow" my blog. Thanks! I am also on Twitter and will see if I can link my blog to there as well.

ANNOUNCEMENT 2

I have just finished putting all of my books exclusively onto Amazon for the next 90 days as part of their KDP program. It will take a day or so to get "Deakin Inheritance" up there, because it wasn't on their site before, but all the other books are available there now. You can reach my novels at Amazon through my website on the "Novels" page. I'm hoping to make some money there, so would appreciate anyone who has read my novels to write a review and those who haven't read them to go do that! Please and Thank you.

ANNOUNCEMENT 3

I have begun to write the second novel in the Calida Tomson series. I've only just started that story and don't have a title as yet, but watch here for further announcements about it.

September 10, 2012

I received some feedback about my book "Deakin Inheritance" and now I need to have another look through it to catch the errors I missed. This has to be done before I put it up on Amazon as part of their KDP program. So I've started that and expect to have "Deakin Inheritance" published on Amazon by September 15... if I can keep myself on track!

I did pretty good the first day of re-editing.... but then we got our iPads and I got distracted. I've been struggling with learning how to use mine, and pretty much set the editing aside while I concentrated on that. It's a pretty steep learning curve, even for me. Not only am I learning to use a new device, but it's a Mac/Apple device as well. I've always used PC things. Don't get me wrong... I love my iPad. But I have gotten frustrated several times over the week, especially when it takes me hours to finally figure something out. I am progressing though, which is good, and can do some things with ease now. Like email. At first I had all of my emails coming on to my iPad. Convenient. But then I had my iPad delete some emails that were extremely important and I decided that going to each email site was probably a better choice for me. I haven't lost an email since. *sigh* 

One thing I did get was "my Bones series" from the iTunes store. It's one of a very few television shows that I truly enjoy. I like the intelligence of the characters as well as their dynamics. I love the mystery each week. I'm not the kind of person to try to figure out the murderer in advance. I actually have no problem knowing "who done it" but I enjoy watching how the author sorts through it and brings about the conclusion. I've watched the whole Bones series through... the first six seasons, three times!... and am enjoying watching it from start to end of season 7 once more. I've nearly made my way through season one again. :) I know it has nothing to do with either learning to use my iPad or editing my book, but that's okay. Everyone needs relaxation and diversion... even authors.

Speaking of being an author... I have received two very awesome and encouraging reviews on "Deakin Inheritance". Both of them said the reviewer is looking forward to the next Calida book. Hm? I had always considered "Deakin" a stand-alone novel... not the first of a series. I guess I'd better get on that and get another Calida book written. :)

Making Plans

I have been rather remiss in keeping up my blog these last few days. My "excuse", if you want to call it that, is pretty feeble, but what I was doing is also a necessity. You see, I have been contemplating. That is, I have been thinking about my next novel, what it will be and how it will connect to the last one.

For me this  is a new step in my process of writing. Normally, I awake from a dream, or half-dream, and begin to write what I just dreamed. Then the book continues and the series continues and the books seem to write themselves. This book is different, however. This book started as a single book, something that I considered a "stand alone" novel, something that was finished when it was published. I had left the ending so that it could be turned into a series, but I had never really thought that it would be one. Now I am rethinking that idea.

The book that I am speaking about is "Deakin Inheritance", which is currently being given away at Smashwords.com. It is a fast-paced science fiction novel with a female lead character who is strong, yet vulnerable. She allows the men she is thrown together with to make decisions for her until she becomes rather fed up with that situation. Then she takes over and tells them all what will be done. They are a bit shocked at her sudden attitude, but one is also pleased. “I wondered how long she’d wait to finally take back control of her life,” he said gleefully. He turned to Calida. “Good for you girl!”

I have had one person review that book. That person mentioned that he/she "def. want to read the further adventures of Calida" and so the idea of a series was brought forth. At first I had to decide if I want to write another series, then I began to think about possibilities for that series. There are many directions these books could go. As that reviewer said "there's folks we find out about as the book grows that decidely need to be seen." So I've taken some time to think about it and begin to make plans, although I'm still uncertain which direction the series will take.

Thank you to "Leslie", whoever you might be, for pushing me into this new direction and giving me a new challenge. I enjoyed Calida, and I'm going to enjoy having her mature and grow as the series goes on. I hope the rest of you do as well.

If you haven't had the opportunity to download a copy of "Deakin Inheritance", it is being offered FREE until August 31. After that date, I will be removing that book from my Smashwords list and putting it exclusively onto Amazon for 90 days. There it will cost $3.99.

I wanted to give away 1,000 books by the end of August, but it seems that people are hesitant to download it for some reason. However, giving away 500 books wouldn't be so bad either.  This morning I had reached just over 300, which means that 500 is doable. So, if you haven't got your free copy, click on the name of the book to download it. Enjoy!

GET YOUR FREE COPY TODAY!!

I wonder how many people will help me accomplish something that is very important to me. I would love to give away, absolutely free and with not even one little string attached, 1,000 copies of my eBook "Deakin Inheritance" by August 31. Will YOU help me do this?

All you have to do is pass the information to your friends and other contacts, by email, Facebook, in person, or any other means, and allow this post to be carried forward from there. You can copy and paste this message or make one up of your own, or just tell people... but please help me get it out there. I started this a few days ago and have been able to give my book to 183 people so far. But that's not "close enough" to 1,000. So, help me if you can.

Send your friends, relatives, work mates, or anyone you want to tell about this phenomenal offer, to www.junevollans.ca. The link to the free book is right on the front page, so it's not hard to find.

After August 31 I have to raise the price of this book to it's regular retail $3.99. Until then, it is free. Thanks for helping me make 1,000 people happy by giving them something good for free. :)

BOOK DESCRIPTION: "Inheriting several million credits might be everyone's dream, but when the only other heir decides to hunt her down, Calida wonders if it's worth risking her life. How does one give back an inheritance?"

Deakin Inheritance

I'm very excited because I have just finished publishing "Deakin Inheritance" on Smashwords.com. 

That's my fourth book published in about a month. Not bad for an old girl.

I am struggling a bit these days with my keyboard, so can't type quite as fast as I usually do. You see, my "shift" keycap on the right is missing. That slows me down when I need to make a capital from that side, but doesn't stop me entirely. Anyway, today's blog isn't about that. I just thought I'd toss it in so you know that I am one of those "starving artist" types. LOL

Deakin Inheritance has been a long time getting to this point. It started out in 1996 as a romance set in Thunder Bay, Canada. My sister Patti helped me with setting scenes right in my mind and we had a lot of laughs over playing with ideas. I had the whole romance novel finished and set it aside to work on other thngs. But I'm not a romance novelist and I was never really happy with the book. I'm a sci-fi/fantasy kinda girl. So after a few years, this book got a complete makeover. New character names, new location, and new slant to the story. I truly like how it's turned out and I hope you do as well.

"How does one give back an inheritance if keeping it means losing your life? Ever since she inherits several million credits, Calida has been on the run. She has no idea who is chasing her or why, but with the help of some new friends, she finds herself able to keep one step ahead of her pursuers. But when they finally do catch up, Calida discovers that no one she knows is who she thought they were. Her world is turned completely upside down until she forces a confrontation and finally uncovers the truth. "

I've decided to make this a free book for a very limited time (until August 31, 2012). If you follow the link it will take you to Smashwords and you can download the book in any format you like. Remember... it's only FREE for a very short time! After August 31 it will go to $3.99. Tell your friends and family about it as well so they can enjoy a free novel. And please leave me a review back at Smashwords so I know what YOU think of my story.

Constructively Reviewing A Fiction Author's Work

You've just read a fiction book and the author has asked for reviews, but you have no idea what to put down, so you either don't bother reviewing or you say something like "enjoyed the book" or "what a lot of trash", neither of which is helpful.

There are two main reasons for an author wanting a review:

1. good reviews tend to get more buyers of the book; poor ones tend to send buyers away
2. generally an author wants to improve his/her writing and constructive reviews can help promote the author's growth as a writer

Your review IS helpful, if it is done constructively. If it isn't, then it doesn't actually do anything. So here are some points to consider when you are reviewing an author's work. Calling the author or their book names or over-praising isn't helping the author one iota, so consider giving a good, constructive review if you decide to give one.

Characters

Characters are probably the most important thing in a story. Readers want to feel something about them. There are generally two main characters or groups of characters in fiction - good and bad. Readers want to love the good characters and hate the bad ones. As a reviewer, it is important to let the author know if that was accomplished. Characters also need to be believable, even if they have super powers or wings or some other trait that isn't normal in humans. By believable, I mean that what they do fits their personality and traits. Good characters also tend to have something that they are attempting to overcome within themselves. If this doesn't "fit" into the story or their personality then let the author know so they can improve characterization.

Story

Surprisingly enough, the story is not the most important part of the book. Most ideas for stories are pretty good. It is in the way the story is told that succeeds or fails the story. Stories must be told in an interesting manner and it must have something in it to hold the reader's attention. If you're reading something and you are bored before you get passed page three, you should tell the author. Usually the problem isn't with the actual story itself, it is with the way the story is being told. Many authors use a lot of passive sentences instead of active ones. This can make a story very boring. As a reviewer, you need to let the author know this so that he/she can improve this aspect of their storytelling. On the other hand, if an author succeeds in holding your attention to the end of the book, that should also be conveyed so that the author knows that, at least in this area, he/she has succeeded.

Sentences and Description

Each sentence should be moving the story forward. Sometimes this is subtle, other times it is direct and obvious. Sentences shouldn't, however, be only descriptive. In other words, a well done story should have a variety of sentence types but should mostly be active. If the author is telling you how someone feels, for instance, it is better if he/she uses active language ( Her stomach lurched and she gagged) than to use something descriptive (She felt sick to her stomach). One evokes feeling, the other doesn't. So if the author drones on and on through the book, without utilizing active sentences, you should let him/her know. This is important, because the author won't improve if you don't help.

Spelling and Grammar

I'm not sure why so many authors, particularly new ones, believe that their spelling and grammar do not count in a story. It does. An odd typo or missed error is one thing. A whole book of spelling and grammar errors is quite another. They are distracting, to say the least, and downright foolish on the author's part. So if you read something that is full of these sorts of errors, let the author know. If enough reviews tell the author to smarten up, then perhaps the author will take the hint and learn to use a spell-checker as well as where his/her various grammatical problems lie.

Those are the four main areas that your review should concentrate on. How you put your review together is up to you, but this should give you an idea of what it should contain. Please DO review books. It helps the author, which in turn helps the readers.

Presenting... Deakin Inheritance

I haven't been feeling very good the past few days, so I've been laying around a lot, not doing much of anything, except watching Facebook and playing a game on there. Today I'm still a bit shaky but I also need to get some work done, so I'll stay at my computer and work on "Deakin Inheritance" today and for the next few days until it's ready to publish. The cover is designed, as you can see. All I have to do is the last edit. It's already been formatted to Smashwords requirements, so it's ready to go once that's done. Anyway, that's my plans for the next couple or three days.

"Deakin Inheritance" is the next book that I will be publishing. It is a step away from the fantasy I usually write and into science fiction. Calida Tomson is a young woman who must travel from her home town on the Moon to Mars to collect an inheritance. She believes that her inheritance won't be much more than a souvenir from her aunt, but it turns out that her aunt was quite wealthy and Calida ends up being very rich. Her cousin, her aunt and uncle's only child, is furious that he has to share his inheritance with anyone. Wealthy in his own right, his greed shines through, and after the reading of the will, Calida begins to be followed. Fortunately she has met a few people who help her. A trip through the galaxy proves dangerous and enlightening at the same time and the surprise ending will, no doubt, shock the readers.

"Deakin Inheritance" will be a free book once I publish it and I hope you will watch for it and download it to enjoy.

On Getting Started Writing a Story

The other day I had a friend tell me she wants to write a book. She asked where she should go to learn how. I said just write it.

That might sound too simple, but it is the truth. If you have an idea for a story, then write the story. As it happens, my friend is good at spelling and grammar. Some people aren't. So then, turn on spell-check and have someone check your grammar... AFTER you write your story. Writing the story gets you going. Thinking about learning how to write that story puts it off indefinitely. So write, even if you don't do a good job with the spelling and grammar.

The thing is, there are two important parts to a good story - characters and how you use them. Characters need to evoke feelings in the reader. They need to either love them or dislike them (I don't like the term 'hate'). If you want to capture your reader, you have to bring them into the story with you. Using conversation helps with that. When you're describing something, use conversation to help you. And use action instead of passive acts. Yes, there are moments when you have to just out and out describe something, but for the most part you can use character action to show what you want your reader to see.

If you can write a story with believable and emotion-evoking characters who actually DO things and are not just described as doing them, then you will end up with a good story. So, turn on spell-check and get writing!

One other word to the wise... take constructive criticism. Don't be afraid of it. It is not about YOU, it is about your story. If you want to end up with the best story you can write, constructive criticism will let you get there. But ask someone who knows what that is. And don't take it personally. As I've said, it isn't about you. It's about you getting the best story possible out of your imagination. Sometimes that mans you need to let someone suggest ways to improve your work. We all need improvement, after all. Not one of us is perfect... whether we talk about ourselves or our work. If you can't take criticism, you don't belong in the writing field because you won't allow yourself to improve.

 So, get writing, take criticism, and develop the best story you possibly can.

Smashwords Premium Catalogue

I have finished having two of my books reviewed by Smashwords and have had them both accepted into the Smashwords Premium Catalogue. It's a great day for me!

What makes this so exciting? Well… if you are an 'indie' (independent, self-published author) on Smashwords, then you WANT to be included in the Premium Catalogue. Being there gets your books distributed to many more places: Apple's iBookstore (32 countries), Barnes & Noble, Kobo (multiple countries), the Diesel eBook Store, and Baker & Taylor (Blio.com store and Axis360 service for public libraries). As they add more retail agreements to their repertoire, your books get out to more potential customers. More potential customers means more people get to see your books means more potential sales. So, being accepted into the Premium Catalogue is a very good thing for me.

How does one get into the Premium Catalogue? It isn't all that difficult, really. The thing you need to do, after writing a terrific story with fabulous characters and making certain that your grammar and spelling seen to, is to get the formatting done right. To do that, you download the free "Smashwords Style Guide", written by Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords and follow it implicitly. If you do this, you will get into the Premium Catalogue. If not, you probably won't.

There is a good article and information about the Premium Catalogue at http://www.smashwords.com/distribution. You can also download the Smashwords Style Guide from there.

Good Luck! And may you gather many, many fans. :)

About eBook Files

In delving into the realm of eBooks, I have learned a lot about eBook files. One thing that is surprising to some is that, even if you don't own an eBook Reader, you can still enjoy eBook books. There are a couple of ways of doing this:

1.      You can read books on your computer. Kindle, Adobe, and even Apple have FREE programs for PC and/or MAC computers that can be downloaded and installed so that their eBook files can be enjoyed on a computer. Of course, the Apple program won't work on a PC.
2.      You can read books on your Apple or Android cell phone or tablet by downloading an appropriate application (app). The iPhone eReading app is called Stanza. Android phones and tablets use either the popular Aldiko or Word Player eReading apps. iPads come with a built-in eBook reader and access to the Apple iBookstore.

 Various applications and programs use different file types and some of these require special programs to be able to read the book file. Some files are specific to a particular eReader brand.

1.      Kindle only uses MOBI files. When you buy from Amazon, who make the Kindle, MOBIs are the files you download. However, MOBIs are often available through other eBook sites as well. Smashwords, for instance, has MOBI files for the eBooks there.

2.      The Kobo uses EPUB files. Older Kobo's use an older file type, but that file type isn't available any longer.

3.      Most readers recognize EPUB files and usually they can also see most of the other file types, except MOBI. Adobe has a reading program called Adobe Digital Editions, which is for reading EPUB files on a computer.

4.      Other file types that most eReaders can interpret are TXT, PDF, RTF, PDB, LRF. These are also able to be seen by a computer, along with HTML and JavaScript formats.

I chose to publish through Smashwords.com for two reasons:

1.      because, they distribute to many different companies, including Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, Diesel, and Baker & Taylor (Blio.com e-reading app and the Axis360 platform for public libraries). My books must be accepted into the Premium Catalogue before they will be distributed to these retailers.

·        Why does Smashwords not distribute to Amazon? They do, but Amazon will only accept so many books from them, so they do not list them as a full eBook distribution site. Which is why I have made my books available at Amazon as well by uploading them there.

2.       because any eBooks that are published on Smashwords.com are published in muti-format (as above) so that the author reaches as many book lovers as possible. After all, the main idea behind publishing your works is to gain readership, whether you are selling or giving your books away.

 So even if you don't have an eBook reader, you can still enjoy eBooks on your computer, cell phone or tablet. You may need to download one of the reader programs (Kindle or Adobe Digital Editions) to enjoy the books the way they were meant to be seen, but you can also download them as PDF files and read them using Adobe Reader, which comes free on most PC computers. If it doesn't, you can download it at Adobe Reader. Click the links if you are online and you will be taken to the appropriate site for downloading.

Amazon

Well, I have now uploaded my novels to Amazon and been accepted! This makes me really happy because it means I have got the formatting right. The formatting is the hardest to get right. LOL Yes, writing takes time, but formatting has to be done in exactly the right way or your eBooks get rejected. So it makes me really happy to have passed Amazon's scrutiny. I'm still under review at Smashwords for their Premium Catalogue, but if Amazon has accepted the books, then I imagine Smashwords will as well. *whew*

Here are the links to both of my Author Pages:

Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/junevollans

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=June%20Vollans&search-alias=digital-text

The Amazon site does not allow me to put free books onto it, so the first book in this series has a price attached to it. If you'd like to download "The Beginning", I would suggest you do so at the Smashwords site. They have files for Kindle as well as for all of the other eBook readers, so you're good there.

Also, if you enjoy "The Beginning", you can have a look at the other books and then if you like them and would like to purchase them, I have a 50% coupon for "The Trouble with Dreams" that is good until the end of July. Let me know by email and I'll get a coupon to you. (junevollans@yahoo.com)

Great Friday... Great News!

I am so pumped right now! I finished formatting three books this morning and have now got two of them published! The third one seems to be giving me trouble and I'm not sure why. But two are done. Yippee!!

If you would like to see, I have one free short story that starts the series and then the first book. The free one can be found here https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/204574 and the first epic book is here https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/204592. I also have a page on Smashwords that lists all of my work. It can be found here https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/junevollans.

I'll be keeping this blog updated as I go along. I still have to get book 2 of the Phaon and Mariah series uploaded and then have to work on the formatting of the first book in my Ebba Lytle series. Then it's on to finish book 3 of the Phaon and Mariah series... and book 2 of the Ebba Lytle series. Then to finish up Ebba Lytle (it's a 3 book series). Then write books 4 and 5 of the Phaon and Mariah series. *whew* I wonder... should I work on my poetry and publish that too? *hm* Something to consider for sure.

Anyway, book 2 has finally finished publishing http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/204605 so I must truck off to get things sorted out there. Have a wonderfully fulfilling Friday the thirteenth!

At Last!!

I am so close now to publishing the first two novels in my Phaon and Mariah series! It should be finished in the next day or two. I have finished writing a prequel to the series, which is a short story about Phaon, Gruffydd, and Lowenhard just before they meet Mariah. I only need a cover for that and then I can publish it as well as the first novel of the series. I'm in the throes of formatting the second book, which will take me a day or two... so by the time I am ready to publish I should be able to upload three books! I am so happy! I have been reading several books from the Smashwords site that tell me how to market once I'm published. It's a lot of work but it will be worth it if I can get the book out there. One of my "assignments" is to work on this blog at least once a week. Another is to join a few authors forums. I'm feeling good about all of this, like I'm actually getting somewhere with this part of my life. Onward and upward! :)

On Becoming a Published Author

Well, now that I've made the commitment to become a published author, the work has begun in earnest. And I thought writing a 210,000 word book was hard! LOL But, the first book in the Phaon and Mariah series is nearly finished being formatted for Smashwords.com and the pre-series book is on the way to being finished first draft. Whew!

The goal is to publish the first three books in the Phaon and Mariah series at once... In the Beginning, The Trouble With Dreams, and Tracing the Past. So, I have a bit more work to do before I can call myself a published author. In the meantime, I am spending a good deal of my days preparing and writing. Hopefully I'll be up and selling before spring.