Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, September 23, 2014,
In :
Guest Posts
Being
plagued by an addiction is usually associated with misery and sadness. In the
creative arts though an affliction is often the spark that fuels authors to
create the marvelous pieces of work we are familiar with. The reasons for
addiction differ from one person to the next, but for past authors though it
seemed to be a way for them to quieten the world surrounding them and enabled
them a focus. Many writers have turned their addictive plight into a way to
engage an area of their brain ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, July 30, 2014,
In :
Guest Posts
by contributor, Eve Pearce
There is something
intrinsically captivating about the down and out character who is on the edge
of falling into a pit of either a drug-induced terror, an abusive past or a
variety of other demons. The demise of these characters is perhaps what is so
intriguing. The juxtaposition of these worlds, which are more often than not
being identifiable to our own by not being far removed from the everyday,
whilst also having that edge, which is different to what co-exists ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, June 26, 2014,
The Army of Worn Soles launch blog tour continues! Read to the end for
the clue that will help you win the Grand Prize of a signed paperback copy of Army of Worn Soles plus a $50 Amazon
gift card. If you collect all the clues and put them in the right order,
they’ll make a sentence. Send the sentence to the author for a chance to win
and autographed paperback copy of Army of Worn Soles plus a gift certificate
from Amazon.
For a chance to enter the early-bird
draw, enter the clue at the b...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, June 6, 2014,
1941: Their retreat across
Ukraine wore out their boots—and they kept going.
Three months after drafting
him, the Soviet Red Army throws Maurice Bury, along with millions of other
under-trained men, against the juggernaut of the biggest invasion in the
history of warfare: Nazi Germany’s Operation Barbarossa, the assault on the
USSR.
Maurice sees that his job as
Lieutenant is to keep his “boys”—the men of his anti-tank unit—alive as they
retreat from the unstoppable Panzers and...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, April 25, 2014,
In :
Author Interviews
Tell us about your latest book.
My
Latest book, Return to Finndragon's Den,
was released last year and is the second and final book in the Tales of
Finndragon fantasy series. The story began with The Legend of Finndragon's Curse which revolves around two sisters
and a brother, Emma, Megan and Scott Davies, (based upon my own children) whose
father has mysteriously disappeared. They live in a Welsh valley town called
Crafanc y Ddraig.
For centuries, the inhabitants of Crafanc y Ddraig have...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, April 24, 2014,
Richie Earl is the writer of fantastical fantasy adventures.
Earl's first series, Tales of Finndragon, is a two part adventure which started
life as a bedtime story for his three children, who nagged him so much that he
finally agreed to write a book. Only one book was intended, but Earl came to
realise that a second was required.
Earl was offered a publishing contract from a small Welsh
press, but after much deliberation and discussion with the publisher, decided
not to accept the offer. ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, April 10, 2014,
Red Bride's Noose by Alexandra Swistak
Camille Hayer should be preparing for a job interview—not ordered to pack her
bags for a cousin’s wedding in
rural Orissa. India is the last place on earth she would go to willingly; it’s
where her sister disappeared thirteen years ago.
On arrival, Camille’s bag is brutally snatched and her family is more concerned
about catching a train. No ticket, no passport, and adapting to third world
conditions is the least of her worries when a bod...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, February 7, 2014,
In :
Guest Posts
Oscar Wilde has attained worldwide critical acclaim as one
of the most proficient, insightful and exceedingly witty authors of his
generation. He is celebrated globally for his literary prowess and remains one
of the most widely read and translated authors in the English language.
Therefore, what better way to demonstrate Wilde's literary greatness than
through his own words? Listed below are some of Wilde's most memorable quotes;
seeped in his famous wit and formidable intellectual insight...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, February 5, 2014,
After we published our novel Betrayed,
a reader inspired us to write an alternate ending. We started at Chapter 49 and
took the story in an entirely different direction. This extra release was titled
Betrayed - Alternate Ending. After some time had passed, we then decided
we should put together a book with both the original story and the alternate
ending in one publication. This we called Betrayed Includes Alternate Ending.
So, we had three books with Betrayed in the title. Very confusing.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, January 25, 2014,
Rebecca Scarberry
(@Scarberryfields on Twitter) needs your help. As you can see, the font is different on each cover. Which one looks best? Please vote on one of the covers
below for book two in her Jumper series of children's picture books by using the comments section at the end of the post:
1.
2.
3.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
JUMPER
BOUNCES BACK
(Book two in the Jumper series of children’s picture books)
Jumper, a
big red, humorous beach ball, is back sharing his adventures. Will he find hi...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, October 21, 2013,
The eBooks
below are only 99¢ each from October 21-25. A few are always 99¢, but most are
being offered at this special price for a limited time. They represent some of
the best work from a dozen diverse authors. Click on each ad to be taken to the
US Kindle store for that book. There are many different genres to choose from,
so be sure to scroll all the way down to see them all. Fill your Kindle!
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Sunday, October 20, 2013,
Big news!
From October 21st through the 25th (Monday-Friday), a dozen authors will have a
combined total of 28 eBooks on sale for just 99¢! This is a great opportunity
to fill up your Kindle for the long winter months ahead. There will be books
for all tastes, so be sure to visit http://myriadspheres.blogspot.com/2013/10/beginning-monday-oct-21-huge-99-sale.html
on Monday to see the full list!
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, September 17, 2013,
Join in as Brooklyn James
(author/singer/songwriter) celebrates the 3 year anniversary of her smash hit The Boots My Mother Gave Me. In
recognition of this event, a new version with re-designed cover and additional
epilogue has been released. As a special
thank you to her fans, Brooklyn is offering
e-copies of The Boots My Mother Gave Me
for the special limited price of $1.99 at Amazon.com
The Boots My Mother Gave Me – Brooklyn James
‘Have you ever wondered what it
would be like to ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, August 13, 2013,
In :
Author Interviews
Was there a significant event that prompted
you to write fiction?
Rebecca:
Thank you for interviewing me again. I had an idea for a novel when I was
twenty-one-years old, but I never could find the time to write it. When I was
thirty-seven-years old, my husband and I were reading a lot of books regarding
paranormal activity in the United
States. We wrote a
screenplay. During final edit, a very similar movie hit the ‘big screen’. I
then threw it away. My husband and I went through a t...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, August 9, 2013,
A guest post by Aimey Lewis
Writing is an activity that requires a quiet and secluded
environment, free from disturbances and interruptions. Many artistic writers
have their own places or rooms which they have specifically designed for
writing purposes alone. A writer cannot get information to write about without
travelling to different places across the world where they can get first-hand
inspirational and historic stories to write about. Writing in the same place
and a room all over throu...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, May 28, 2013,
In :
Guest Posts
The
Indie author revolution has totally taken over the traditional publishing. It
has made publishing more self sufficient, self starting, inspirational,
entertaining, thought leading, educational, etc. But there are many nay Sayers
who try not to let the indie authors come into limelight. Various book sellers
as well as reviewers don’t even look at the self published work and say that
it’s a part of their company policy.
But
all this does not hamper the growth of indie authors even t...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, May 18, 2013,
In :
Guest Posts
These days
social networking websites are on boom to get connected with people. Amongst
all social websites twitter is one of the popular networking sites for instant
messaging system. Using twitter you get to connect with the people you know and
the people you would like to know. Twitter is used for various reasons, one of
the common reasons are promotion. In order to become a good promoter, you will
have to be a good twitterer that the people will love to follow you and tweet
your post.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, May 10, 2013,
In :
Guest Posts
Since childhood days, we have been
hearing that books are our best friends and they are. Most of us like to read
books of various types. Getting access to a book is very easy nowadays. One can
access to any books, old or new through the net very easily.Books broaden our views and they help us to
perceive things differently.
Most of the writes have to face
writer’s block at some point of time. There are many reasons for that. One may
have some personal problems or it could be some sort...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, May 1, 2013,
We were excited when we
discovered Twitter and learned how to use it to promote our material. We’ve “met”
a lot of terrific friends there and connected with fellow authors and readers
alike. Since we started, we’ve developed our own method for using this
wonderful social tool. Here it is in a nutshell:
When we get a new follower,
we read the profile and then scroll down through the timeline. If we see they
regularly retweet others, we follow them back and add them to our private ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, April 3, 2013,
In :
Guest Posts
Spell check can't save you from yourself. You can't rely on those little
squiggly red and blue lines (the blue ones for grammar issues) to save you from
misusing words or even from misspelling them (since you could just end up
spelling a new word from your misspelling). You have to learn proper usage to
make sure you don't make gaffes that could derail your writing or make you seem
like an amateur.
Don't worry though: The mistakes that you are likely making are the same
ones that a lot o...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, March 25, 2013,
In the past, Brooklyn, you've written
across genres (coming of age, women's fiction, supernatural thriller,
nonfiction). How would you classify your upcoming release, Let It Go?
Let It Go is a feel-good contemporary romance
about two divorcées starting over. One divorcé and one divorcée, if you want to
get gender-technical...lol. It's a laid-back, easy, breezy, fun spring/summer
read. Perfect for the season.
Two divorcées? That's probably something many readers can relate t...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Sunday, March 24, 2013,
This story was written for an
alphabet challenge and previously published on another site. The challenge was
to start each sentence with a letter of the alphabet, using each one in order,
beginning with J. Written by Wodke Hawkinson.
Jail
wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Killers
and perverts ran amok. Learning to
stay out of their way wasn’t easy. Meaty
hands reached through the bars attempting to grab new prisoners as they were
brought in.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, March 21, 2013,
Women want the perfect man, so they can change him. But when university
student Damian Serr discovers a rich, beautiful woman who’s voracious about
sex, he doesn’t try to improve on perfection. It’s all that he can do to hold
on for the ride.
Damian
has always followed the rules, always tried to please others. At 20, he still
dates the girl next door because his parents like her parents. When Nick, his
university roommate, asks Damian to take over his pool-cleaning business so he
can...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, March 21, 2013,
There is often more to a
short story than meets the eye. For readers, a short story is a brief vacation
from reality. For authors, it is so much more. A short story is a vehicle for
introducing your writing to new readers, readers who might not commit to an
entire novel but would certainly give a short story a chance. With so many
books out there vying for attention, readers have more choice than ever before.
Digital books, self-publishing, and expanded venues are all factors that combine
t...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, March 9, 2013,
In :
Author Interviews
Tell us something about your novel.
Lily Steps Out is a
middle-age coming-of-age about a woman who is sick of making beds and cooking
meals and decides to “step out” of the comfortable life she knows and goes out
and gets a job.
Is the novel autobiographical?
There is that one nugget of truth
in the novel, in that before I became an author I was a wife and mother. But
unlike Lily, who waits till she’s
fifty five to make that life-altering change, I stepped out of that rol...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, February 27, 2013,
In :
Guest Posts
A guest post by Claude Nougat
Never heard of Boomer lit? It all began at the end
of last year. On 5
December 2012, Boomer Café published an article
predicting that Boomer Lit would be The Next Big Genre aimed at boomers – all 77.5
million of them in the US
alone, many more if you counted in the rest of the world. The article was
picked up by major, highly trafficked websites like The
Passive Voice and Gawker
Media, and within a week, it went viral. Sure, some people were unhappy at
the...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Sunday, February 24, 2013,
All
along, we thought the road to Hell was paved with good intentions. Fortunately,
Stephen King cleared up
that misconception. Apparently, it’s actually paved with adverbs.
Actually is an adverb. I may be doomed; I like the word ‘actually’. But that’s
off-point.
Adverbs
are a no-no in writing. It’s an argument that has been pounded home.
Repeatedly. Like spices, adverbs must be used sparingly. Now, there is a bit of
irony, for ‘sparingly’ is itself an adverb.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, February 21, 2013,
In :
Guest Posts
-A guest post by Ken Myers
Teaching an online writing course has its benefits but the
one thing that instructors often run into is their ability to make time to
really sit down and work on the course. Other courses and life seem to get in
the way, so here are some tips to help you make the time:
Prepare:
Before
you sit down to log onto your online course make sure that you are prepared
mentally and that you have all the right tools to complete your tasks as the
instructor. Chances are...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, February 15, 2013,
In :
Guest Posts
A
while back, I saw an author of adult fiction tweeting about how hard it was for
her to go from writing for adults to young adults. I thought back to when I had
written Messages from Henry, a novella for young adults.That story began as a 1500 word short story
for a short story contest. I didn’t win, but I decided to expand the story
anyway.It’s a story about a homing
pigeon, Henry. He has special abilities.
At
that time, I didn’t have internet service in my home. I would take ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, February 13, 2013,
We
hadn’t originally planned to do a sequel to our novel, Zeke. However,
the response we received from a number of readers indicated that a sequel was
in order. And we, too, wondered how Sue would recover from the damage Zeke
inflicted upon her, both physically and emotionally. So, we set to work writing
the aftermath of her ordeal with Zeke. It was a good experience for us. When
writing Zeke, we disliked his character so much, we often procrastinated
working on the book. We did not have ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, February 1, 2013,
In :
Guest Posts
So…the other day I went
for a walk, late afternoon, early grey settling in, everything looking grim and
happy at the same time, wondering why I write, why would I, or anyone else, put
words down on paper, for what bizarre, perverted, self-possessed reason would
anyone give a damn what I have to say?
Sun was low and dirty and I couldn’t help
but notice the fall colors dancing around like it was all there in perfect
symmetry, all reason and rhyme and beauty and magic, the orange ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, January 24, 2013,
In :
Guest Posts
In late October last
year, the youngest ever world champion in swimming and nine-time Olympic gold medalist, Ian Thorp, released his biography, This is Me. The Aussie
sensation had shocked the sporting world when, in 2006 (at the age of 24), he
turned his back on his much beloved sport at the pinnacle of his career, owing
to an identity crisis: “What would I be if I didn't’ have swimming as the
safety blanket it had become?” he asked himself. Thorp also struggled with
depression, a dise...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, January 17, 2013,
In :
Guest Posts
In the fast moving world
of the digital age, blog tours aren’t an especially new idea; The New York Times was reporting one author’s journey
back in 2007. They are however becoming increasingly commonplace and important,
especially with the recent huge leaps forward in self-publishing and the
competitiveness of the marketplace. It is no surprise that this is a tactic
commonly used by some of the more established authors, as well as those trying
to get their first effort noticed.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Sunday, January 13, 2013,
In :
Author Interviews
Here we are again, asking the
hard-hitting questions other interviewers ignore. In this interview, talented author
Nephylim is subjected to a ludicrous but penetrating interrogation. Here are
her candid answers:
1. Steve Harris’s
right hand?
Definitely
not. It’s a… new kind of fish fingers, without the fish. What are you doing,
poking about in my freezer, anyway? (I was following some ill-gained advice. -K)
2. A vampire, a gargoyle, and a werewolf walk into a bar. . .
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, January 9, 2013,
In :
Author Interviews
It seems authors often get
asked the same questions from one interview to the next. Not always, but a lot.
It was time, I decided, for a new approach. So, this interview is designed to
break out of the mold. It’s all in fun,
of course. -Karen
Please welcome talented
author, Tyr Kieran, to the hot seat of
journalistic and interrogatory imprudence.
1. Of all the stories you’ve
written, which one does Chuck Norris like the best?
None of them, because
Chuck Norris doesn’t like stor...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, January 2, 2013,
By Wodke Hawkinson
A lot of elements go into a
successful co-writing experience. But there are three basic considerations that
will apply to almost any type of writing collaboration.
Compatibility
When working with a writing
partner, compatibility is very important, not only between writing styles but also
in regard to your personalities, your work ethic, your expectations and goals,
and your approaches to conflict resolution.
We are fortunate to have been
friends long before we became c...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, December 29, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
A guest post by Scott Bury
I just finished writing my
second novel, and thought I’d share the process with other writers.
As usual with me, the
inspiration to write this book came from more than one place. The first is the
phenomenal success of Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James. I have read, somewhere,
that it outsells the Bible worldwide.
Reaction to it is extreme:
people either love it or hate it, with little in-between. I bought a copy for
my lovely wife, Roxanne, last spring (really! ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, December 28, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
Author, Brad Cameron, is
offering a "Holiday Special" for his series, The Zeke Proper
Chronicles. Now through January 4th, Book One, Odin's Light and
Book Two, The Serpent's Ship of The Zeke Proper Chronicles are
only $0.99 on eBook for Amazon. A lot of fantastic reading for a very affordable price!
Icarus
Fell was alive, then he was dead, now he’s stuck somewhere in between. Icarus
Fell is a harvester, brought back to Earth by the archangel Michael to collect
soul...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, December 3, 2012,
In
a fiery pit, in the depths of the earth, creation had begun. The Demons,
Corruption and Deceit, vomited their spirit onto a growing mass of evil. Two
other hellish fiends, Hate and Destruction, voided their bowels, adding to the
mixture. Demon after demon provided its own special talents until finally they
had all contributed.
Their
dark lord entered the cavern. With a thunderous laugh he passed his hand over
the vile mess, uttered ancient words, and stood back as his creation came to
l...
BOOK TRAILERS are a
relatively new concept, following the promotional success of the movie trailer.
Without a movie trailer, advertised on national television, how else would we
know of the latest blockbuster or quiet Indie film coming to a theater near us?
By
virtue of movie trailers, we get an average of two and a half minutes to
determine whether t...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, November 26, 2012,
There was Black Friday and
then Small Business Saturday, but upon us now is Cyber Monday for online
shopping deals. Our contribution to the cause is our most popular novel, Betrayed.
We are lowering the price on digital copies to just 99 cents for one day only.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, November 5, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
The toddler years are an
important age to share your love of books and reading with your child. These
are the formative years where children get the foundation that will last them
the rest of their lives. The memories you form with your children during the
toddler years can have a huge impact on their future. With that in mind, the
reading choices you make are very important. You should, of course, read to
your children on a regular basis. This not only gives them memories, it also
help...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, October 31, 2012,
This is the official release day of Once
Upon A Twisted Time, the first anthology from Moon Rose Publishing! A
collection of dark adult fairy tales, these stories will turn your idea of what
a fairytale should be on its head! From Steampunk to Fantasy, there is
something for everyone in this fantastic collection of four novellas. The
novellas are based upon The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty
and the Beast-see if you can work out which one is which! It is now availa...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, October 31, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
-A guest post. We've invited author Jonathan Dunne to tell us about his new book:
Balloon Animals is 299 pages of comic
fiction, quirky, funny and touching.It’s a novel that readers will love or hate. It is a breath of fresh air
in the stale atmosphere of tired generic thrillers. I write from the gut and
that’s where the comic element comes from, in other words, I’ve no idea; it’s
organic. Then again, so is manure. Interviewers have asked me, ‘How did Balloon
Animals come about?...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, October 24, 2012,
Celebrate with us the release
of our futuristic novel, Tangerine, by taking advantage of a 25% discount. The
publisher is offering this discount for a limited time. To obtain your
discount, use the coupon code ZQ59E at checkout. At
this point, Tangerine is only available on Smashwords, but it will be on other
venues soon and is expected to be released in paperback form next summer. The good news is that Smashwords offers books in various e-formats, including epub, Nook, and Kindle. We hope...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, October 24, 2012,
Brooklyn James,
author/singer/songwriter, releases OFFICIAL music video for 'Can't Get It
Right,' track #4 from the original music soundtrack to the Amazon
Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter Finalist, The Boots My Mother Gave Me.
"Brooklyn
James' soundtrack to her novel The Boots My Mother Gave Me does
more than give a clever feminist twist to the title. Her songs serve as
chapters themselves, underlining James' deft ability as a storyteller and
songwriter." -Margaret Moser, The Austin Chr...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, October 22, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
A Guest Post by Rayne Hall
Have you written a
horror story, or are you working on a frightening scene? Here's a professional
technique to increase the reader's fear.
Solitary
adventures are more dangerous than group adventures. In nature, an animal which
becomes separated from the herd is vulnerable to predators. To make your scene
scary, let your heroine face the danger alone.
The more you
isolate your protagonist, the more frightening the scene becomes. Think of as
many ways...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, October 20, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
Thank you kindly for sharing my character
interview for my novel, Vigilare, the first in a thriller
trilogy. Hopefully your readers will enjoy, as it is a dark and menacing read,
just in time for a good Halloween read!
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, October 15, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
A guest post by Jason Miner
Turning your home into your personal writing workspace isn’t
as daunting of a task as it sounds. You don’t need a whole office to write or a
giant room to pen your thoughts. All you need is a comfortable and quiet
location in your home that you can escape to. Here are some suggestions on how
to make that happen:
The
first step is to find your spot and stake your claim. This is probably the most difficult
part of the task so search high and low for a space i...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Sunday, October 14, 2012,
Tangerine has now been released by our publisher in digital
form on Smashwords. The paperback version is coming soon, possibly by next
spring or summer. The book has undergone revision and is now ready for readers.
Tangerine is quite different from our other two novels, Betrayed
and Zeke. It was actually our first co-written work. We pitched it to
publishers and waited. Nothing happened.
After positive experiences
with self-publishing our other books, we decided to self-publish Tangerin...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, September 29, 2012,
In :
Author Interviews
Wacky Interview for Authors
It
seems authors often get asked the same questions from one interview to the
next. Not always, but a lot. It was time, I decided, for a new approach. So,
this interview is designed to break out of the mold. On each of these questions,
there is simply no right answer. Let’s see just how creative these creative
minds are! It’s all in fun, of course. -Karen
Today
we welcome talented author, Douglas Wickard, to the weird world of wacky
interviews.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, September 28, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
For some writers, confidence
is easy. They seem naturally inclined toward this steady and comforting
attribute. For others, it’s a journey or even a hard-won battle. Here is a
truth that may be difficult to accept or surprising to learn: Confidence can
also be a choice.
Confidence as a writer/author
involves a number of factors. In this article, I will cover some important
aspects in the process of realizing your confidence.
·Identify
success. First of all and
probably most ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, September 20, 2012,
Announcing a fantastic
giveaway in celebration of the season! First prize is a $100 Amazon gift card.
Second prize digital copies of both of our novels: Zeke and Betrayed, along with Betrayed -
Alternate Ending.
And third prize will be digital copies of our three volumes of short stories: Catch Her in the Rye, Blue, and Alone. We are accepting entries now through October
31, 2012. It’s
easy to enter. All you need to do is send an email to wodkehawkinsongiveaways@yahoo.com
with “giveawa...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, September 18, 2012,
In :
Author Interviews
It seems
authors often get asked the same questions from one interview to the next. Not
always, but a lot. It was time, I decided, for a new approach. So, this
interview is designed to break out of the mold. On each of these questions,
there is simply no right answer. Let’s see just how creative these creative
minds are! It’s all in fun, of course. -Karen
Today we
welcome author, Vonda Norwood, to the inquisitor’s chamber.
1. Ten ninjas, a calculator, and a
potted plant? Aaah! C...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, September 4, 2012,
In :
Author Interviews
It seems authors often get
asked the same questions from one interview to the next. Not always, but a lot.
It was time, I decided, for a new approach. So, this interview is designed to
break out of the mold. On each of these questions, there is simply no right
answer. Let’s see just how creative these creative minds are! It’s all in fun,
of course. Today please welcome author, Sherrill Willis, to the chair under the
glaring naked light bulb of inquisition.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, September 3, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
Okay, so I’m not that bad…no really! I didn’t
actually think it would be easier to self-publish. Because in fact I know it’s
very, very hard. A few years ago I worked for Stag Editors in New York as a
proof-reader and editor, and believe it or not, some of our clients were indie
authors. So I not only got to see the plethora of talent available in indie
books, but also saw a lot of the mistakes.
When I first wrote Conner, I was only
eighteen. It was a great achievement for me, an...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, September 3, 2012,
Showcase your creative
talent! How? By playing our fill-in-the-blanks game. Below are five sentences
taken from our newest novel, Zeke. But...some of the words have been left out.
This is so YOU can fill in the blanks, creating a new sentence.
How to play: Choose one of
the sentences. Put on your thinking cap and fill in the blanks with your own
words. Be as creative or silly or serious as you want. It’s like Mad-Libs
without the hints about nouns, verbs or adjectives, etc. Put your com...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, September 1, 2012,
In :
Author Interviews
It seems
authors often get asked the same questions from one interview to the next. Not
always, but a lot. It was time, I decided, for a new approach. So, this
interview is designed to break out of the mold. On each of these questions,
there is simply no right answer. Let’s see just how creative these creative
minds are! It’s all in fun, of course. Today, please welcome author, Duncan
Whitehead. He soldiers through the ludicrous questions with remarkabl...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, August 29, 2012,
In :
Author Interviews
It seems authors often get asked the same questions from one
interview to the next. Not always, but a lot. It was time, I decided, for a new
approach. So, this interview is designed to break out of the mold. On each of
these questions, there is simply no right answer. Let’s see just how creative
these creative minds are! It’s all in fun, of course. -Karen
In this interview, I have subjected talented author RJ Palmer to a
ludicrous but penetrating interrogation. Here are her answers: ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, August 29, 2012,
by K. Wodke
Independent authors are
thriving today, and not merely because of the often lower price of their works,
but also because of the quality products many indies offer to their readers.
Thanks to the internet and the ease of digital publishing, the reading
population has more choice than ever before. For basically the same cost of a
traditionally published book, I can load my Kindle with several indie
selections of comparable content.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, August 28, 2012,
In :
Author Interviews
It seems authors often get
asked the same questions from one interview to the next. Not always, but a lot.
It was time, I decided, for a new approach. So, this interview is designed to
break out of the mold. On each of these questions, there is simply no right
answer. Let’s see just how creative these creative minds are! It’s all in fun,
of course. -K
Today we welcome RS Guthrie,
who provides very candid responses to our questions.
1. Grace, Dinetta, and Rhona
went to a bar on the ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, August 24, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
From the blog of RJ Palmer,
Head Wingnut in Charge
Okay everybody AND all my
precious Wingnuts for we are, indeed, in a class all our own...I wanted to let
you know…
IT'S A BLOGOVERSARY!!!
It's the second birthday of the blog of Yours Truly, Confessions of a Wingnut
and Science Fiction Junkie, and I thought that I'd be the one to give out the
presents. I know, I know...Kind of have that backwards and upside down, don't
I? Since you all benefit from it, I don't wanna hear any whi...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, August 6, 2012,
I still have my favorite
traditionally published authors, the ones with famous names and recognized
publishers. But lately, I have been devoting my reading time mainly to indie
authors, those of the self-published or small press variety. And here’s why:
1. Accessibility. Indie
authors are usually very friendly and happy to exchange messages online with
readers and fans. If you are an author as well as a fan, they are some of the
most generous and supportive people you will ever meet, oft...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, July 30, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
Amazon Breakthrough Novel
Award Quarter Finalist, The Boots My Mother Gave Me, isFREE on
Kindle for today (July 30)!
Book description: Strong-willed tomboy Harley
LeBeau puts you in the boots her mother gave her, as she takes you along her
journey of escape from an abusive childhood and the desire to find herself as
she comes of age. Made to feel a burden to her father simply by her gender,
Harley is determined to prove her worth and independence, leaving...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, July 16, 2012,
Image from MS Free Images
They say there are no new
ideas. But perhaps you’ve come up with a different twist on an old idea, or
decided to give your characters certain traits, developed a unique plot, or
even snagged a common saying to incorporate into your book. You work long and
hard on your project, get ready to release it, and BOOM. There is your idea, or
saying, or trait already out there in a book, movie, TV show, etc. Somebody
beat you to it. Now, if you publish your work as it stands...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, July 10, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
A guest post by author, Michael J. McCann
Do you prefer your crime fiction
dark or light?
If you favor cozy mysteries, then
your choice will be a lighter strain of crime fiction featuring puzzle-solving
amateur sleuths with an interesting hobby or pastime, set in a quiet, charming
community in which murders take place off-stage, away from the public eye.
Murder She Wrote, the 1980s television series starring Angela Lansbury, always
comes to mind as the quintessential cozy mystery.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Sunday, July 1, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
Oh, behave! I’m not being nearly
as scandalous as the title of this guest post would suggest. The “F” word to
which I’m referring is “Fact,” and its use in fiction can be just as
challenging, just as brow-raising, as the dirty word you likely thought I
meant.
My fiction has been described as
“psychological and thoughtful” by Midwest Book Review, my characters as “flawed
and believable, yet familiar” by Publishers Weekly. One book review blogger recently
wrote: “Martin...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, June 19, 2012,
As any author knows,
rounding that last corner on final revisions is a major milestone in the life
of a book. Even though we plan an additional read-through or two, the largest
part of the job is done, and it feels great!
Up to this point, we have
been quiet about the title of our upcoming book, but we are now ready to
introduce our next release, available soon, entitled ZEKE.
Zeke is a dark novel of sexual obsession and escalating
suspense. It begins with the first meeting between a nai...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, June 19, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
Cora Lee, Author
Historical Romance author Grace Burrowes did a blog
post a couple of months ago called The
Twelve Minute Solution, in which she talked about how counterproductive
large goals can be for some people.It
was a post that really resonated with me, and I had to restrain myself when I
commented, because every other book, article, and post about writing tells you
to set goals—aim high!—and stick to them.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, June 16, 2012,
Photo from MS Free Images
If typos, misspellings,
inconsistencies, and repetitive phrases or words catch the attention of
readers, imagine how much more noticeable they are to writers. Any author who
has been through the editing, revision, and proofing processes of writing a book
must, from necessity, sharpen his or her eye for problems. We all would like to
identify our own mistakes, and fix them, rather than have them caught by a
reader or reviewer. And preferably, long before our books re... Continue reading ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, June 12, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
A Guest Post by Scott Bury
Genres have definite rules. Some make sense: Gothic horror
tales need a haunted house, and that house has to be big and dark with lots of
scary-looking places for horrors to hide in and spring out at you. Romances
have to have beautiful protagonists, because let’s face it, no one wants to
fall madly in love with an ugly person. Science fiction has to be based on real
science or the fans get mad, fast. Sure, there has to be some...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, June 7, 2012,
Image from Microsoft Free Images
Each writer probably has his or
her own personal pet peeves or elements that stand out in a manuscript like literary
speed bumps. For many authors (Stephen King comes to mind), adverbs are
problematic and amateurish. Others are snagged by exaggerated verbs that
project from a good story like the needles on a cactus. For instance: “I hate
taxes,” he groused as opposed to “I hate taxes,” he said. (I
actually prefer the more colorful verbs, but that’s ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, May 18, 2012,
PJ
and I are honored to bring you news on the most recent release by
talented author, Michael K. Rose. This should have sci-fi fans
everywhere celebrating! I've read the series, and highly recommend it to
any discriminating reader, especially those who love tales full of
suspense, intrigue, and hard-core action in a future setting. Michael
has the skill to pull you in from the very first page. ~Karen
New Release: Sullivan’s War: Book III - Edaline’s Dawn
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, May 11, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
When asked by Karen to do another guest blog on
overcoming the hurts sustained in my own experience with an abusive childhood,
my response was, "I guess I never thought about it." The human
spirit is truly amazing. It has the ability to triumph, not even
realizing it is, in fact, triumphant.
My novel, The Boots My Mother Gave Me (An
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Quarter Finalist) is a Dysfiction inspired by
a true story, about a young girl coming o...
For those of you who
have been (im)patiently waiting for our next novel, the waiting time is nearing
an end. We actually started the novel (???) before we wrote Betrayed,
Betrayed Alternate-Ending, and Blue, but we were taking it in a
different direction than where it is going today. Let me explain why this novel
is taking us so very long to finish.
You see, there’s
something about our main character that tends to make us want to ignore...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, May 5, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
After completing my first
book, Vigilare, in the Vigilare trilogy, I thought I had written
a detective mystery with a paranormal spin. Lo and behold, my surprise, when I
kept reading reviews referring to my novel as a THRILLER. I had no idea
I was that exciting!
Gabino Iglesias of the Austin
Post said, “Vigilare walks the line between a thriller and a
supernatural adventure while safely anchored in a scientific discourse around
blood that James put together so well that it's reminisce...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, April 30, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
I’m going to tell you something I don’t often repeat.
I love nightmares.
Oh, a dream about swimming in a lagoon by a tropical island has its
place, but rarely do those dreams stay with me. Like an orgasm, the
moment is wonderful, yet fleeting.
All my life, I’ve had nightmares.
I’m sure you’ve had your share, too. The difference with me is, at a
very young age, I made peace with those nighttime visions of terror. As
soon as I learned to embrace them, to dissect the patterns of...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, April 28, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
We are fortunate to once again welcome talented author Toby Neal to our blog as a guest writer. Toby's book, Blood Orchids, is free April 28 and 29 on Amazon Kindle. Be sure and grab a copy of this fast-paced suspense. Now, we turn over the "podium" to Toby.
Toby Neal, Author
Ten Things I've Learned About Life by Toby Neal
·Niceness: it DOES matter. What kind of world would this be
if we all gave into our nasty, jealous, greedy, murderous, slanderous impulses?
So, when in doubt be N...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, April 12, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
I may have unknowingly
created a new literary genre. But don’t take my word for it. Read on and let me
know if you think that is the case.
It all started when I saw a
picture of a “sun zebra.” Unfortunately I can’t tell you what a “sun zebra” is
without spoiling the title story of my book. Then, after I saw this animal, a
little girl named Nell wandered out of my mind and went to tell her dad she had
found a “zebra.” Since the story takes place in a farm in the middle of Pen...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Sunday, April 8, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
by Brooklyn James (Author of The
Boots My Mother Gave Me, An Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter
Finalist)
I enjoyed reading Robert French’s guest blog about
depression and its correlation to writing. His blog got me thinking about my
own relationship with writing.
The completion of my first novel, The Boots My Mother
Gave Me, was a New Year’s resolution. I had no intentions of completing a
book. The coming of age Dysfiction is about a young girl overcoming an
abusive childhood. Growin...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, April 7, 2012,
All authors know that marketing and promotion are major parts of the overall success of our work. Building an Author Platform That Can Launch Anything: a Social Media Minibook by Toby Neal is an invaluable addition to any author's toolkit for book promotion.
Effective
steps to building an author platform that can take advantage of free programs
and launch any book into visibility and better sales.
Self published or not, today’s
authors have to develop their own “platform” for reaching bo...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, April 5, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
Robert French
When
Karen invited me to do this guest post, I was really pleased because I had a
great subject in mind but as I was writing away, I got an overwhelming desire
to embark upon an entirely different subject, one that is a little more
personal and a lot more painful.
If one
reads the biographies of writers through the ages, a common theme is that many
writers, especially those who may deal with darker subjects, are victims of
depression. According to health.com
writers are #5 in ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, March 29, 2012,
Since author Michael K. Rose released Sergeant Riley’s Account in December of 2011, this introduction to the science fiction series Sullivan’s War
has received rave reviews and has been a frequent presence on Amazon’s
“Best Sellers in Science Fiction Series” list. The release of Book I in January, entitled All Good Men Serve the Devil, has also made it onto that best sellers list, reaching a rank of #30, and has earned glowing reviews of its own.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Thursday, March 22, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
I know many people have written about
Beta readers, but I would like to tell you about my experience with
them. I don’t want anybody to be discouraged after reading this from
Beta reading. I have never had any family members as a Beta reader. They have all been friends or acquaintances.
I’m new to writing fiction and when I used my first Beta reader, it was
for my first novel (shelved for the time being.) That Beta reader was
knowledgeable and very kind. She corrected some punctuat... Continue reading ...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Sunday, March 18, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
by Kirkus MacGowan
Kirkus:Kirkus MacGowan here. I’m at an undisclosed location with John Reeves.
He agreed to answer a few questions for the fans of The Fall of Billy
Hitchings. Keep in mind, he’s a secretive individual. My goal is to give the
reader some insight into just who John Reeves is. There may be questions he
can’t answer, especially those relating to his involvement in Secret Ops.
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Tuesday, February 21, 2012,
Toby Neal
Congrats on your upcoming debut novel - tell us about it! Toby:
I’m from Hawaii and I’ve always wanted to read a really good
suspense/romance set here, that showcases the unique setting, culture,
multiethnic people and dialects, and yet keeps your attention via
riveting story alone. I’ve never found one that really did that—Hawaii
novels are often written by outsiders, or are too “niche” to appeal to a
mainstream audience. I finally decided to write the kind of book(...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Wednesday, January 25, 2012,
Michael K. Rose, Author
Do you see alien
landscapes in your dreams?
Dreams, no. Daydreams, you
bet! I've done a fair bit of reading on what alien worlds would look like. Did
you know that for different types of stars (blue stars, red stars, etc.) plant
life, if it draws energy from the sun, would most likely be colors other than
green? It has to do with the wavelengths of light those plants would absorb.
Now, for the purposes of my science fictional universe, which I call the Myriad
Sph...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Monday, January 23, 2012,
In :
Guest Posts
Advisory: This post contains graphic adult content.
A guest post by
Author Sevastian Winters
The coolest review I've
received to date for any of my books, delivered a mere two out of five stars… from an author, no less! Bar-none, it's
my very favorite review of all time. In fact, I use it to sell
books!I'd take 1,000 such reviews over
1 Million reviews from 5 star fans telling me how fucking awesome I am. Ripped
directly from Amazon, here's what it says:
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Friday, December 9, 2011,
In :
Guest Posts
Guest Post by Author, Scott Bury
Thanks to PJ and Karen for inviting me to
write about my editing process. This is what works for me, and it has also
worked for hundreds of students I taught it to when I was a college English
professor.
My
editing process
What’s the most erroneous myth about writers? The
scene in TV shows and movies, where the writer types an opening sentence and
immediately rips the page out of the typewriter, crumples it in rage and
throwing it into an overflowing waste-bask...
Posted by Wodke Hawkinson on Saturday, October 29, 2011,
A
woman comes home after shopping, puts her toddler down for a nap, and then
stretches out on the bed for a short rest. She wakes up to find a strange man
in her bedroom, staring at her….
Then
my muse gets up and walks out. “Hey!” I call. “Where are you going? Get back
here, right now!”
“Nope.” He lifts his chin and looks away. “I’m done here.”