I love dogs. I also love to write. Author of YA fantasy lit. Acclaimed Indie author of Rise. Founder...
Dear Readers,
Sorry it’s been awhile since my last update! To be honest, I haven’t been able to write for the past week. Up until that point, however, I was able to rework about 22,000 words, I interviewed eleven kind volunteers about their reading habits and engagement with social media, and I got my web designer (Mary Ann Aschenbrenner of WaterlinkWeb.com) started on my author page. So, progress is being made!
I expect my website, Instagram, Twitter, blog, and Facebook pages will all launch in a couple to three weeks. I also intend to compile my research on how to build an effective social media presence into an interesting and informative article so that other authors can use it to increase exposure for their creative work. Many, many thanks to my volunteers! I gathered so many valuable insights into effective marketing from you, both what works and what doesn’t. I’m now motivated to implement my ideas and see how it goes.
This week, I’m traveling for work, but my evenings are free, so I hope to get back into writing and prepare some content for my social media presence, write my research article, and finish up APEX. Next month is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month for those unfamiliar), and I’d like to use it for launching a new piece of writing, but if I need to use it to finish up APEX, so be it. It’s all good.
Cheers and stay tuned! Big things are underway!
Debbie
Friends, Readers, and Sorcerers All,
You decide to go outside to enjoy the evening air. You pass by a mailbox in front of an empty lot that looks like it once hosted a building, but it has long ago been demolished. The mailbox isn’t in much better shape; someone obviously took a bat to it for fun. Yet, it stands.
Suddenly, the door on the front begins opening and closing on its own, making a squeaking and clacking noise. You also hear a voice with a thick Boston accent say, "got a message for ya."
A rolled-up piece of paper covered with a dark liquid squirts halfway out of the mailbox. The liquid covers the inside and drips down out of its mouth.
"Oh, fine," the mailbox says, spitting the liquid onto your clothes. "I’ll read it for ya."
The mailbox clears what would be its throat, if it had one. You sincerely hope it does not have one.
"Yesterday, The Wolf in the Woods pulled into fifth place in the Inkshares Horror Contest! I am very grateful for everyone’s support, and as thanks I have uploaded a new story, "Monitors". If I’m being honest, Monitors is a smidge rough compared to other stories I’ve uploaded because it’s very new and I haven’t edited and rewritten it like I have stories like "Because It’s Beautiful" and "This and Every Year." But, I wanted to upload this one because there is a surprising amount of video game fiction on Inkshares, and I wanted to join the club.
If I keep up my momentum, I have a real shot at third place. I know it’s a crummy thing to ask, but I need you to help me get pre-orders, or the book won’t be published and you’ll just get a refund instead of a rad book of scary stories. Be annoying. Use peer pressure on your family. Sacrifice your friendships for me.
--Benjamin Gray"
A particularly large wad of dark liquid leaps off the mailbox’s door and hits you in your eye, and you blink. When your eyes open again, the mailbox is gone.
10/21/17
Murder Happens scored the Staff Syndicate for October on Inkshares which propelled the project into 1st place and gave it some cushion. Many thanks for your support! Mike’s Vampire and the Dragon is likely going to catch us, but either way, right now we own the top 2 spots. Let’s keep up the momentum. If you have any inkling to support Murder Happens, don’t be shy and pre-order today.
https://www.inkshares.com/books/murder-happens
If we hit 110 preorders, I will raffle off a copy of Emil Ferris’ graphic novel: MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS ($39.99 value). Sometimes you just have to throw money at a challenge.
And don’t forget to get your FREE copy of GLAMS vs RED PLAIDS. Free until Sunday midnight.
Hello everyone!!
I apologize for the disappearing act- I was waiting to be able to announce two pieces of good news! Still waiting on one, but in the meantime I am so happy to announce that The Talkers are Talking received an Honorable Mention in the Launch Pad Competition! I had submitted the first 50 pages of my original (very rough) draft for the feedback option of the contest- I have heard so many opposing ideas about that chunk that I wanted to see what the professionals would say as I come to final edits....and somehow that rough first draft made its way to the final list! So- will be in touch if anything comes of it. In the meantime, you can check it out and all of the other amazing projects here:
Https://tblaunchpad.com/script/contests/9
As for the project itself - we are getting there I promise! Waiting on a few more developmental edits and then I will be moving to what I hope to be the final draft! I apologize for how long it’s taking, but I really do want to make sure the final version is the best it can be. Thank you as always for your support and keep an eye out for some more exciting news in the next few weeks!
Thanks so much and Happy Halloween!
~Janna
So a few of you got your books this week...
******* FREE STUFF AT THE BOTTOM! *******
Wow, that Launchpad Contest was a wild ride. Looks like this Horror Contest might get scary too!
Like when Mike’s Vampire and the Dragon blew past me into first place. Felt good at the top for a couple days. It’s okay being his wingman. I ain’t ashamed to admit there’s a little man crush going on. Who knows, maybe we could team up for a writing project. That might be interesting.
What do you think?
If you’re so inclined to pre-order Murder Happens, now is a good time to step up. I’ll be forever grateful to all who have supported this project...and helping me work out my mommy issues.
The excerpts of Murder Happens have been getting good reviews. If you haven’t had a chance to read them—the reviews and/or the excerpts—go check them out. Really appreciate getting feedback, too.
Spent the last week working on one particular chapter. It’s deep into the book, so unlikely I’ll post it, but I can share a bit of my process.
My day job takes up a lot of time and the huckstering for pre-orders takes up the rest. That’s my process! Oh, and checking the leaderboard constantly, that’s the biggest time suck.
BRB…okay, still in 2nd.
Murder Happens is a complete manuscript. I finished it a few years back. Using it more as an outline and rewriting all the chapters. I squeeze in an hour or so in the evening, a day off here and there. And the weekends as much as possible around my chores…like checking the leaderboard.
Okay…still in 2nd.
I use Scrivener. It’s great. Also capture notes and ideas with my phone when they hit. That’s usually in the middle of the night. Without the day job, I would probably get up at 4 a.m., put in 5,000 words or so, then call it quits and binge on Netflix. Okay, probably 500 words.
Revising never ends. I spend a lot of time on one sentence or a paragraph until it rings true. I read aloud to myself or anyone else who’ll listen. Highly recommend it. Your ear hears what your brain ignores. Sure, I make stuff up all the time, but I’m reading this update out loud right now.
As a writer, I haven’t settled on a genre yet. I’m a genre bender. But what about gender bending? I wrote a short story called Glams vs Red Plaids. I wrote it with the intention of weaving it into the larger plot line of a novel.
The story is FREE Thursday through Sunday so grab the Kindle version and download it. It’s what I have to give now to show my appreciation for your support.
Joan calls it dystopian biopunk. It has gender issues with a battle of the sexes, all three of them.
Fun, right?
Go check it out, doesn’t cost a thing because I’m crushing on all of you.
If you don’t like my story, then check out The Dog of Jesus that pops up when I go to the page. It’s got 176 reviews. Glams vs Red Plaids has none, so there’s that...
One more thing, a great big shout out to Mike Ostrowski because he’s an awesome dude. His book Lost in the Fog is a crime thriller the way it should be done.
Here’s a link to Glams vs Red Plaids, go download a FREE story:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075H5BWTF
Here’s a link to Murder Happens, go pre-order:
https://www.inkshares.com/books/murder-happens
Here’s a link to Lost in the Fog, go buy a copy:
https://www.inkshares.com/books/lost-in-the-fog
Here’s a link to The Vampire and the Dragon, go pre-order if you already pre-ordered Murder Happens.
A man crush only goes so far :o)
https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-vampire-and-the-dragon
Now get outta here!