Showing posts with label paranormal romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paranormal romance. Show all posts

Straight from the Mouth of Christine Amsden, Author of the Urban Fantasy 'Kaitlin's Tale'

How to Work Hard and Lose Money

I love writing. Loved it since I was a kid, staring out the window and daydreaming about being an alien princess sent to Earth because my planet was at war and I was in grave peril. My parents didn't tell me for my own protection, of course. When they did, I'd get properly mad for a while, then forgive them. After all, they did have my best interests at heart and besides, who has time for anger when you have a planet to save? Okay, then I turned thirteen and my mom became the villain of the piece, but I got over that around the time I went to college. By then I had rewritten the story so many times that it became more than a daydream – it was my adolescent coping mechanism.

I dreamed of becoming an author, too. (You can be a writer without becoming an author. Really.) From the show “Murder, She Wrote” I gathered that an author was instantly recognizable across the United States when she introduced herself. Whenever Jessica Fletcher met one of her many, many fans, I'd imagine if was me:

“Christine Amsden. You're not THE Christine Amsden?”

“Why yes, yes I am.”

“I've read every single one of your books! I love them.”

“Oh, thank you. You're too kind.”

You have heard of me, right? Christine Amsden? Author of the Cassie Scot series, The Immortality Virus, Touch of Fate, and most recently Kaitlin's Tale? Of course you have! I've traveled the bloggersphere for years, been well-reviewed, won awards, and sold thousands of copies of my books.

I'm pretty sure Jessica sold hundreds of thousands of books though. Maybe millions.

Wait … what's that? You loved Cassie Scot and can't wait to read about her friend Kaitlin? (Seriously, you can put that in the comments. I won't mind. :) ) Oh, thank you. You're too kind.

Seriously though, writing is a labor of love. Becoming an author … getting published … is incredibly hard work. Authors do most of their own promotion these days, which may be why 90% of books don't sell more than 100 copies. Or maybe it's because the market is simply saturated with books on every topic known to mankind. We're talking hundreds of thousands – and that's before we get into self-publishing. Book sales haven't increased due to this significant upturn in publishing. In fact, they've decreased overall! The print industry has taken a huge hit, with ebook sales actually going up through 2013. After that, they leveled off and it's anyone's guess what they will do in the future.

Amazon has cornered the ebook market in a way that frankly frightens me. Ask any author at all and you better believe they're doing business with Amazon. We don't have a choice! But Amazon is looking for ways to increase ebook profits for themselves that don't necessarily mean increased profits for authors.

What does this all mean for you? Maybe nothing. Maybe you're still working on your labor of love and if so, good for you! Writing can be cathartic. It's a form of creative expression and I'm a big fan of creative expression.

I just know that writing is also almost always done with an audience in mind. It's more than words on a page, more than a daydream. It's a plea to be heard. I get that.

I also know that I'm an extremely hard worker. For some reason the “lazy author working on his book” is a popular cliché, but I don't see it in my writing circles. I see hundreds and hundreds of people, just like me, who work very, very hard. Many of them are good, too! It's hard not to be when you write every day for twenty or thirty years, even if you only carve out an hour each day. And that's the kind of dedication I'm talking about. It's the kind of dedication that I myself have put into honing my craft.

The American Dream suggests that working so hard should reap certain financial rewards. In some fields, perhaps, but if you're going into publishing then the odds are good that you're going to work hard and lose money. Breaking even or making a small profit is awesome. Making a living … well, bestsellers do exist. Just think about how many bestsellers there are vs. how many authors there are.

I'm still dreaming. I'm entitled. :)

But I'm also realistic. For over three years now, I've taken on editing projects in addition to writing my own stuff. The editing pays better, and with much less effort. If I could stop writing, I'd switch to editing full time, but it's kind of an addiction. So I use editing to support my writing habit.

If you've got a writing habit and need professional help feel free to contact me and ask about my editing services, which include developmental editing, coaching, and copy editing. My rates are very reasonable. :)


Oh, and my books are great. I've bled my soul into them. I'm not sure how far above breaking even I've swum financially, but I still have the satisfaction of knowing that I've written them. And of course, I have the dream.


                                                                                         Title: Kaitlin’s Tale

Genre: urban fantasy/paranormal romance
Author: Christine Amsden
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
About the Book:
Kaitlin Mayer is on the run from the father of her baby – a vampire who wants her to join him in deadly eternity. Terrified for her young son, she seeks sanctuary from the hunters guild. But they have their own plans for her son, and her hopes of safety are soon shattered.
When she runs into Matthew Blair, an old nemesis with an agenda of his own, she dares to hope for a new escape. But Matthew is a telepath, and Kaitlin’s past is full of dark secrets she never intended to reveal.
About the Author:
Christine is the award-winning author of the Cassie Scot series, the story of the only ungifted scion of a family of powerful sorcerers. Her latest novel, Kaitlin’s Tale, follows the trials of Cassie’s best friend as she falls in love with Cassie’s arch-nemesis. Christine’s other titles include The Immortality Virus, Touch of Fate, and Madison’s Song.
When she isn’t writing, Christine is often editing or coaching other authors. In recent years, freelance editing has become almost as great a passion as writing itself. Plus, it supports her writing habit. Christine is a wife, a mom, and a foster mom. She lives in Olathe, Kansas, just outside Kansas City.
Connect with the author on the web:
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"On Being a Writer in Today’s World," by Dina von Lowenkraft

I love writing. I love creating new worlds and discovering multiple aspects of the characters that inhabit them. But writing is a solitary endeavor. And it’s easy to feel isolated. A network of peers, not only to help each other on craft, but to support each other through the ups and downs, is essential. There were days when I’d
get depressed. No one wanted my manuscript(s). All I’d get - if I got anything at all - were form rejections. A friend got a contract. I was happy for her, but wasn’t my manuscript good too? And then I’d read a book and couldn’t understand why it was a best seller. But my manuscript didn’t even get a request for a partial. Why? It took me a long time to accept that I’d never know. And that I had to stop looking for an answer.

That’s also when I discovered that peers can help since they have felt the same way. And there is something reassuring in knowing that we have all had those same feelings. But how each person deals with it may very well determine if they make it as a writer or not. Depression, or jealousy, helps no one. Figure out why you feel as you do and move beyond it. Your manuscript didn’t get any interest? Write another one. You don’t like a best seller? Analyze it. What was it that made it compelling enough to sell so well? You don’t have to try to emulate it, in fact you shouldn’t - if you don’t like it, it isn’t your style - but it never hurts to understand what made it successful.

Even before I got a contract for Dragon Fire, I knew I needed to build an online network of writer friends. Using social media, both for networking and building a platform is part of the reality of being a writer today. However, it is up to each person to decide where to put the boundaries. I chose to have separate accounts for my ‘public’ author profile and my private family life. As an author I use Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest and Google+. Privately, I use LinkedIn and Facebook with my married name. This choice has allowed me to network with strangers without worrying about who would see where my kids go to school. I still post about my family on my public profile, because I think it is important to show my ‘other’ life, but I don’t tag them or even name them. Building a network with only my crit partners to start with was very difficult and took many months of perseverance. But it has been worth the effort it took and I now spend more time on my writer profile than on my private one.

I have found that attending conferences and workshops is one of the best ways to network while learning more about the market, the craft of writing, agents and editors. Researching the internet to try to get a feel for an agent or publisher is a great start - but hearing them speak in public (or better yet getting a one-on-one) is a hundred times better. You learn so much more about how they are as people when you meet them than when you just read an article or interview - and often when an agent or publisher says ‘yes’ it’s a question of personal taste (as long as the book itself is well written, of course).

And keeping the contact with fellow writers after meeting at a conference is always easier than starting a new relationship online. Although not every contact turns into a crit partner or someone with whom I will develop a real friendship, some do.

Since getting a contract for Dragon Fire, I have realized just how important it is to reach out to readers too. In today’s world, every author, whether published by a major imprint, indie published or self-published, will have to market their book. In fact, an author’s ability to reach out to the reader can be decisive in how well a book will do. And besides, chatting with readers about your book has got to be one of the best parts of being a writer.

Writing is a longterm commitment you make long before you are published. And once you are published, you will have to spend a lot of time doing other things than writing. I no longer have the freedom to spend as much time as I want writing my next manuscript, as much as I’d like to. It’s all part of being a writer in today’s world: balancing the creative process with the business of being a writer.

Enjoy the journey!

Find out more about the book on:

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Born in the US, Dina von Lowenkraft has lived on 4 continents, worked as a graphic artist for television and as a consultant in the fashion industry. Somewhere between New York and Paris she picked up an MBA and a black belt. Dina is currently the Regional Advisor for SCBWI Belgium, where she lives with her husband, two children and three horses.

Dina loves to create intricate worlds filled with conflict and passion. She builds her own myths while exploring issues of belonging, racism and the search for truth... after all, how can you find true love if you don’t know who you are and what you believe in? Dina’s key to developing characters is to figure out what they would be willing to die for. And then pushing them to that limit.

Connect with Dina:

Site: www.dinavonlowenkraft.com
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dina-von-Lowenkraft/551209381555837
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vonlowenkraft
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/vonlowenkraft/
Book on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18282428-dragon-fire
Goodreads Author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7123641.Dina_von_Lowenkraft
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Dina-von-Lowenkraft/e/B00ED2IZYY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Publisher’s Website: http://twilighttimesbooks.com/DragonFire_ch1.html


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Straight from the Mouth of 'The Curse Giver' Dora Machado


Four Reasons Why Reading Is My Best Summer Escape


1) Reading is stress free: There are no traffic hassles, rigid schedules, cars packed to the brim, siblings breathing each other’s air in the back seat, kids asking "Are we there yet?", long lines, crowded attractions, heat waves, summer storms, lost tourists, packed hotels, stagnant pools and stale all-you-can eat buffets. You also get to avoid the long check-in lines at the congested airports, the intrusive security screens, the late planes, the sullen flight attendants and the psycho pilots. It’s just you and your book.

2) Reading is safe: You don’t need helmets, kneepads, safety glasses, spare paddles, lifejackets, lifelines, first-aid kits, mole skin, tetanus shots, oxygen tanks, water purification tablets, safety harnesses, emergency beacons, medivac insurance, shark repellent or bear spray. Seriously, I’ve owned, worn or used all of these at some point in my vacations. In hindsight, I don't know what the heck I was thinking. Your risks of contracting the Norovirus, the Hantavirus or the SARS Coronavirus are dramatically reduced when you stay home. Same goes for Malaria, Yellow Fever and Dengue. The way I see it, I don't need a GPS to locate my favorite reading corner. My cats double as wildlife without the need for a high-end Swarovski scope. And I’m a lot less likely to activate my SPOT (personal satellite emergency tracker) while parked on the couch.

3) Reading is exciting: Experience adrenaline’s thrill without suffering the consequences for your actions. It’s like distance trekking in Spain without the blisters or Colorado mountain biking minus the Rockies’ steep hills. Expeditions, explorations, adventure, intrigue, mystery, hardship, elation, failure, redemption, lust, love, high-stake gambles: You get to live through it all without losing your camera, sunglasses, wallet or ATM card. Yep, I’ve lost of all those. To top it all, you get to dangle at the cliffhanger without breaking any bones or dramatically increasing your chances for developing some serious osteoarthritis down the line.

4) Best of all, reading is the greatest bargain around: A bunch of great books are free on Kindle and Nook. Libraries also offer great variety at no cost. You can get a great read for $0.99. The Curse Giver, my latest novel, is out on e-book, and all of the Stonewiser novels are on sale this summer. Digital or print, a book is the season’s most fashionable accessory. Compared with overpriced airline fares, luggage fees, unpredictable gas prices, seedy hotel rooms and unexpected hospitality taxes, reading is the best deal out there and by far my favorite summer escape.

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Dora Machado is the award winning author of the epic fantasy Stonewiser series and her newest novel, The Curse Giver, available from Twilight Times Books July 2013. She grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she developed a fascination for writing and a taste for Merengue. After a lifetime of straddling such compelling but different worlds, fantasy is a natural fit to her stories. She lives in Florida with her husband and three very opinionated cats. To learn more about Dora Machado and her novels, visit her website at www.doramachado.com or contact her at Dora@doramachado.com. Subscribe to her blog at http://www.doramachado.com/blog/ sign up for her at newsletter at http://doramachado.com/newsletter.php, Facebook and Twitter.

For a free excerpt of The Curse Giver, visit  http://twilighttimesbooks.com/TheCurseGiver_ch1.html.


Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Curse-Giver-ebook/dp/B00DSUQL4I/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373733830&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Curse+Giver


Barnes & Noble.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-curse-giver-dora-machado/1115929771

Romance eBooks
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thecursegiver-1228818-143.html
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