Saturday, August 31, 2013
Last Night is Currently Free
To celebrate my new cover, I have decided to offer Last Night for free on Amazon. Feel free to grab the short story any time today. I may extend the free period, but right now I am playing it by ear. Enjoy!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
In Search of The Dream Catcher - Cover Art Chosen
I am very excited about the cover art we've chosen for In Search of The Dream Catcher. It took a lot of back and forth conversation, trying to figure out which way I wanted to go, but ultimately I think the correct decision was made. We've not worked the cover together yet so we're not doing a release at the moment. We want to play with lettering and see what we want to do with it from there.
Once the cover is ready to go, we will do an official release so everyone can have a look at it. With so much work going on, sometimes it's hard to decide what to work on next. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, all the books will be set with cover art and all editing done no later than October so we can do a real push for them before their release. While we'd been looking at a release sometime around Christmas, we are exploring options to move the release to sometime in Early December or even late November. We are going to make sure we get all the leg work done first before we set anything in stone. We don't want to rush this since it will be a massive release. We want it to be perfect. It won't be obviously, but we hope we do this the right way.
Some people have expressed concern over our releasing five books at one time, but I'm not worried about it. I've made it no secret that I am not a fan of cliffhangers where I have to wait months and in some cases years to see the resolution. By releasing all the books at one time we are avoiding that issue.
As the day of release draws closer, I am getting more and more excited. I don't know what will happen once all the books are out there. I just hope that my years of hard work will pay off for me in more ways than one.
R
Once the cover is ready to go, we will do an official release so everyone can have a look at it. With so much work going on, sometimes it's hard to decide what to work on next. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, all the books will be set with cover art and all editing done no later than October so we can do a real push for them before their release. While we'd been looking at a release sometime around Christmas, we are exploring options to move the release to sometime in Early December or even late November. We are going to make sure we get all the leg work done first before we set anything in stone. We don't want to rush this since it will be a massive release. We want it to be perfect. It won't be obviously, but we hope we do this the right way.
Some people have expressed concern over our releasing five books at one time, but I'm not worried about it. I've made it no secret that I am not a fan of cliffhangers where I have to wait months and in some cases years to see the resolution. By releasing all the books at one time we are avoiding that issue.
As the day of release draws closer, I am getting more and more excited. I don't know what will happen once all the books are out there. I just hope that my years of hard work will pay off for me in more ways than one.
R
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Rumbling Heart "Kickstart" Edition
In preparation for the release of 5 new books by the end of the year, I have decided to revamp my current release Rumbling Heart. In this updated release, currently called the Kickstart Edition, there will be several new and exciting extras to go along with the improved story. Here are some of the ideas that will hopefully make it into the new version:
As this will be the 3rd version of the book, any previous fans who redownload when the new version is released and go through the story again will notice several changes that we all feel needed to be made. While the overall story will remain intact, the most noticeable change will be overall length. The very first version was quite long, coming in at over 500 pages. The version that was at first going to be the first version was around 525 pages so there was already some significant editing work done on that one. Version two was even shorter, coming in at about 475 pages. Regardless of the fact that significant edits had already been done, we felt it best to shorten the book even further. While we do not have a page count at the moment, the effort to shorten the book will hopefully take it down to as little as 400 pages. While this is in the higher range of our estimates, we still want to be sure that the overall quality of the story does not suffer so don't be surprised if we don't hit that number. Keep in mind that 400 pages would be the story itself and not include any bonus content.
Keep in mind that if you already purchased this book from Amazon, all you have to do to get the new version when it comes out is download it again. There should not be any additional cost.
Keep your eyes open for more information regarding the 5 books slated to be released by the end of the year as well as more information on Rumbling Heart: Kickstart Edition.
Look for us on Facebook and Twitter!
- A "Did You Know?" section with interesting factoids about the book, the characters, and the process used in its development.
- Alternate Art and covers that were previously used or considered for the cover.
- Q&A section where the author Richard Allen and Executive Producer Emily Carmichael answer various questions about the book and their methods.
- A brand new cover which differs significantly from the current one.
As this will be the 3rd version of the book, any previous fans who redownload when the new version is released and go through the story again will notice several changes that we all feel needed to be made. While the overall story will remain intact, the most noticeable change will be overall length. The very first version was quite long, coming in at over 500 pages. The version that was at first going to be the first version was around 525 pages so there was already some significant editing work done on that one. Version two was even shorter, coming in at about 475 pages. Regardless of the fact that significant edits had already been done, we felt it best to shorten the book even further. While we do not have a page count at the moment, the effort to shorten the book will hopefully take it down to as little as 400 pages. While this is in the higher range of our estimates, we still want to be sure that the overall quality of the story does not suffer so don't be surprised if we don't hit that number. Keep in mind that 400 pages would be the story itself and not include any bonus content.
Keep in mind that if you already purchased this book from Amazon, all you have to do to get the new version when it comes out is download it again. There should not be any additional cost.
Keep your eyes open for more information regarding the 5 books slated to be released by the end of the year as well as more information on Rumbling Heart: Kickstart Edition.
Look for us on Facebook and Twitter!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Hopeless Romantic
As defined by (of all places) Urban Dictionary:
1. This person is in love with love. They believe in fairy tales and love. They're not to be confused as stalkers or creepy because that's not what a hopeless romantic is. All hopeless romantics are idealists,the sentimental dreamers,the imaginative and the fanciful when you get to know them. They often live with rose colored glasses on. They make love look like an artform with all the romantic things they do for their special someone.
"Angie is a hopeless romantic,she's always writing beautiful love poems to her boyfriend Mike."
"Jack is such a hopeless romantic, he's always bringing flowers and doing the sweetest things for his wife."
2. A hopeless romantic is not the same as a hopeless flirter. A hopeless romantic dreams of who they will spend the rest of their life with and what the two of them will do together. They want to be romanced with sweet simple things and the thoughtful amazing surprises. They dream of being loved but also loving somebody. They don't just want somebody to hold them. they also want to hold someone. They realize that love isn't just about one person but both people. they are hopelessly in love with being loved AND loving back.
"My friends is a perfect example of someone who isn't a hopeless romantic. She says she wants to be romanced, but she flirts with every guy. And I mean EVERY guy. She calls herself a hopeless romantic, but shes not. Once she has a guy that just wants to love her, shes get bored after two weeks and then when he gets a new girlfriend, she suddenly likes him again. Thats not hopeless romantic. Thats just hopeless."
3. Hopeless Romantics are NOT hopeless per-say, but very true, caring, and loving people. They are "NOT MADE FOR TODAYS STANDARDS", sadly. They believe in passion, chivalry, and true love. They have loved sincerely at one point in their life, discovered what love feels like, and can't understand why it was not returned in the same form. Hopeless Romantics are usually dreamers, idealists, and sincere, however what they expect in any relationship is a full return for their effort and caring, to be loved as much as they loved. What makes them "Hopeless" is the fact that they are few and far between in todays daily life, and usually get let down in the long run, even though they gave all they had to give, money, love, time, housing, belongings. Hopeless Romantics give 100% ALL the time, and hope for the same in return.
Hopeless Romantic - "One Day you'll find someone who appreciates you, loves you, you gave so much, you were so true and faithful, you did EVERYTHING RIGHT."
1. This person is in love with love. They believe in fairy tales and love. They're not to be confused as stalkers or creepy because that's not what a hopeless romantic is. All hopeless romantics are idealists,the sentimental dreamers,the imaginative and the fanciful when you get to know them. They often live with rose colored glasses on. They make love look like an artform with all the romantic things they do for their special someone.
"Angie is a hopeless romantic,she's always writing beautiful love poems to her boyfriend Mike."
"Jack is such a hopeless romantic, he's always bringing flowers and doing the sweetest things for his wife."
2. A hopeless romantic is not the same as a hopeless flirter. A hopeless romantic dreams of who they will spend the rest of their life with and what the two of them will do together. They want to be romanced with sweet simple things and the thoughtful amazing surprises. They dream of being loved but also loving somebody. They don't just want somebody to hold them. they also want to hold someone. They realize that love isn't just about one person but both people. they are hopelessly in love with being loved AND loving back.
"My friends is a perfect example of someone who isn't a hopeless romantic. She says she wants to be romanced, but she flirts with every guy. And I mean EVERY guy. She calls herself a hopeless romantic, but shes not. Once she has a guy that just wants to love her, shes get bored after two weeks and then when he gets a new girlfriend, she suddenly likes him again. Thats not hopeless romantic. Thats just hopeless."
3. Hopeless Romantics are NOT hopeless per-say, but very true, caring, and loving people. They are "NOT MADE FOR TODAYS STANDARDS", sadly. They believe in passion, chivalry, and true love. They have loved sincerely at one point in their life, discovered what love feels like, and can't understand why it was not returned in the same form. Hopeless Romantics are usually dreamers, idealists, and sincere, however what they expect in any relationship is a full return for their effort and caring, to be loved as much as they loved. What makes them "Hopeless" is the fact that they are few and far between in todays daily life, and usually get let down in the long run, even though they gave all they had to give, money, love, time, housing, belongings. Hopeless Romantics give 100% ALL the time, and hope for the same in return.
Hopeless Romantic - "One Day you'll find someone who appreciates you, loves you, you gave so much, you were so true and faithful, you did EVERYTHING RIGHT."
Monday, March 11, 2013
Heroes and Bad Reviews
Sometimes distractions can lead us away from our goals. Often times I find myself getting tunnel vision when I am writing an idea and that's not always the best thing. For the stories I am developing, I had a point A to point B plan and that was not the way it should have been. There is more to a great book than who, what, when, where, and why. An explanation can be developed from those, but not a great story. Sometimes stepping away and doing other things can help you reclaim your idea from a narrow vision and assist you in turning a good idea into an magnificent book.
In October, I purposely stepped away from my stories and kept myself from writing. Why? I felt like I was becoming bored with the process. I still had idea I knew were good, but I felt like something was lacking in my writing. I needed to find a way to develop more than just an A to B story. My first book Rumbling Heart was more than an A to B story and it shows in the quality of the development not only of the work, but also the characters and the atmosphere. Sometimes reading a book can help you reevaluate and refocus on what you are trying to do. In my case though, being able to now see things from a different angle is a double-edged sword.
I looked over my work and even over some reviews and bits of feed back I have gotten over my work. The good reviews are always nice, but it is the bad reviews that always stick with you. Why? Just human nature I suppose. Here is a snippet of a negative review RH got and my response to it.
Negative reviews happen. There is no way around it. Being a writer I accept that and I know there will always be people who either do not understand my work or, for whatever reason, want to find reasons to make it seem as if I did a huge disservice to the human race. I did find it interesting that this person thought her review was constructive. You can see my response to her review in the photo as well. Her response was once again nonconstructive. I liken this review to calling someone names because that is essentially what they did. If you feel the need to call me (or my work) "stupid" without offering any reason as to why you felt that way or any way to improve it, the review is completely pointless. Offering no way to improve on something is about as bad as crying because you didn't get your way. If I were a coach and I told a child they were terrible at football or whatever other sport I was coaching them in, I wouldn't remain a coach very long. Obviously you cannot really liken coaching to reviewing a book or a movie or whatever else you can give feedback on. Reviewers aren't coaches. I realize that. But at the same time people who do offer feedback need to understand that the main reason you give feedback, be it positive, negative, or mixed, is so people who develop their ideas can improve and make things better the next time around. What is the point of simply calling people or their work names? Sounds to me like certain individuals either lack the ability to express themselves or they feel the need to tear someone down.
Success also breeds negativity.
I will not say I am very successful. I haven't sold a ton of books and I haven't made all kinds of money at this. It was never really about money anyway. I have over the last year and a half gotten hurtful messages and emails from people who see that I was somehow able to hash it out and write a book. Not many people can say they've done that. Sure, some people can write a small story, but my first book was 475+ pages. A little long, but anyone has to admit that writing a book of that size takes time and commitment. My followup to my first book is much shorter, but still comes in at about 300 pages. No small feat. Another big story for me which is about 70% complete will probably come in at about 275 pages. Again, not many people in the world can say they can sit down and accomplish such a thing. I am not saying I should automatically get a great review for the effort, but I would hope that people like me...artists...deserve at the very least a review explaining exactly why our work is either good, bad, or mixed.
A good review does not always have to be positive. If you gave me 1 or 2 stars, but explained why this or that was unappealing to you, I could respect that. Not offering any explanation whatsoever makes me think the person is either just looking to be mean or trolling. In a way, they are kind of the same thing.
If you are a reviewer like I am from time to time, do the artist a favor and explain why you think one way or another. In the end, we will thank you for it and so will other readers.
In October, I purposely stepped away from my stories and kept myself from writing. Why? I felt like I was becoming bored with the process. I still had idea I knew were good, but I felt like something was lacking in my writing. I needed to find a way to develop more than just an A to B story. My first book Rumbling Heart was more than an A to B story and it shows in the quality of the development not only of the work, but also the characters and the atmosphere. Sometimes reading a book can help you reevaluate and refocus on what you are trying to do. In my case though, being able to now see things from a different angle is a double-edged sword.
I looked over my work and even over some reviews and bits of feed back I have gotten over my work. The good reviews are always nice, but it is the bad reviews that always stick with you. Why? Just human nature I suppose. Here is a snippet of a negative review RH got and my response to it.
Negative reviews happen. There is no way around it. Being a writer I accept that and I know there will always be people who either do not understand my work or, for whatever reason, want to find reasons to make it seem as if I did a huge disservice to the human race. I did find it interesting that this person thought her review was constructive. You can see my response to her review in the photo as well. Her response was once again nonconstructive. I liken this review to calling someone names because that is essentially what they did. If you feel the need to call me (or my work) "stupid" without offering any reason as to why you felt that way or any way to improve it, the review is completely pointless. Offering no way to improve on something is about as bad as crying because you didn't get your way. If I were a coach and I told a child they were terrible at football or whatever other sport I was coaching them in, I wouldn't remain a coach very long. Obviously you cannot really liken coaching to reviewing a book or a movie or whatever else you can give feedback on. Reviewers aren't coaches. I realize that. But at the same time people who do offer feedback need to understand that the main reason you give feedback, be it positive, negative, or mixed, is so people who develop their ideas can improve and make things better the next time around. What is the point of simply calling people or their work names? Sounds to me like certain individuals either lack the ability to express themselves or they feel the need to tear someone down.Success also breeds negativity.
I will not say I am very successful. I haven't sold a ton of books and I haven't made all kinds of money at this. It was never really about money anyway. I have over the last year and a half gotten hurtful messages and emails from people who see that I was somehow able to hash it out and write a book. Not many people can say they've done that. Sure, some people can write a small story, but my first book was 475+ pages. A little long, but anyone has to admit that writing a book of that size takes time and commitment. My followup to my first book is much shorter, but still comes in at about 300 pages. No small feat. Another big story for me which is about 70% complete will probably come in at about 275 pages. Again, not many people in the world can say they can sit down and accomplish such a thing. I am not saying I should automatically get a great review for the effort, but I would hope that people like me...artists...deserve at the very least a review explaining exactly why our work is either good, bad, or mixed.
A good review does not always have to be positive. If you gave me 1 or 2 stars, but explained why this or that was unappealing to you, I could respect that. Not offering any explanation whatsoever makes me think the person is either just looking to be mean or trolling. In a way, they are kind of the same thing.
If you are a reviewer like I am from time to time, do the artist a favor and explain why you think one way or another. In the end, we will thank you for it and so will other readers.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
New Year's Free Promotion - All Releases
To celebrate the New Year, both myself and Ruby Jones are offering our titles for free for a short time starting December 31st!
Check out Ruby's book We Are All Retarded on Amazon by clicking here! Keep in mind, Ruby's book carries an audience recommendation of ADULTS ONLY.
You can pick up my short story Last Night by clicking here. This release is rated 13+ foradult content.
Also make sure to pick up Rumbling Heart which is the first in a series based in and around the Eureka, California universe. You can pick up this release by clicking here. This book is rated 14+ for adult language, adult situations and content, and scenes of dramatic peril.
Get'em fast! This free offer only lasts till January 2nd. Three free books available for three days! Go get'em now!
Check out Ruby's book We Are All Retarded on Amazon by clicking here! Keep in mind, Ruby's book carries an audience recommendation of ADULTS ONLY.
You can pick up my short story Last Night by clicking here. This release is rated 13+ foradult content.
Also make sure to pick up Rumbling Heart which is the first in a series based in and around the Eureka, California universe. You can pick up this release by clicking here. This book is rated 14+ for adult language, adult situations and content, and scenes of dramatic peril.
Get'em fast! This free offer only lasts till January 2nd. Three free books available for three days! Go get'em now!
Friday, December 28, 2012
Hard Call - Dropping Smashwords.com
I tried, I really did. But the time has come for me to stop using Smashwords.com as another source for my book sales. Why? Because I have had ZERO sales from ANY of their channels. This includes their extended channels which include the likes of iTunes. Over the past year, I tried to be patient and even directed people over to Smashwords to check out not only my work, but the work of others. Still, with all the self promotion, I have had absolutely no sales or any website referrals from them.
Amazon offers the KDP select option which is available to any author should they go exclusively with them and in exchange, you get to offer your book free for a few days a quarter. I tried this once and it did wonders for my exposure. Within just a couple of days I had over 600 downloads. I know, I didn't get paid for it, but you have to start somewhere. In this case, sometimes just getting people to read your work is hard enough, let alone getting them to pay for something from an unknown author.
In the end, I am not really losing anything from this move. As I've said, I got no return for the work I did concerning Smashwords. For a good year my work sat there and did nothing, regardless of how much I promoted. At least with Amazon, I do get some sales there and a few reviews. That's more than I can say for Smashwords.
Amazon offers the KDP select option which is available to any author should they go exclusively with them and in exchange, you get to offer your book free for a few days a quarter. I tried this once and it did wonders for my exposure. Within just a couple of days I had over 600 downloads. I know, I didn't get paid for it, but you have to start somewhere. In this case, sometimes just getting people to read your work is hard enough, let alone getting them to pay for something from an unknown author.
In the end, I am not really losing anything from this move. As I've said, I got no return for the work I did concerning Smashwords. For a good year my work sat there and did nothing, regardless of how much I promoted. At least with Amazon, I do get some sales there and a few reviews. That's more than I can say for Smashwords.
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