Self Published Sunday Welcomes Jan Harman

Today's guest is Jan Harman - the author of Brush of Shade.  

Background:

My family didn’t have much fun money when I was growing up. It was a rare treat for us when we got a burger from a fast food place. Going to the movies was even rarer. But what my sister and I did get was book money, so we could buy a book off our school’s equivalent of the Scholastic Book list.  I poured over those pages with my red pencil in hand rating each book with stars. When the books would finally come in, I’d lose myself in those worlds. To this day, one of my favorite things to do is to stand in the aisle of a book store and contemplate my selection. Throughout my childhood, characters and stories always stirred around inside my mind often distracting me from my tasks. My parents were practical people, so when it came time to pick a college major, it had to be something that would get me a real job not something artsy. Regrettably, my characters took a backseat while I pursued a career as a computer programmer. But all that changed when health concerns for my two daughters transformed me into a homeschooling mom. When my three kids were tackling a creative writing assignment, I would task myself with producing an example. Over time, bits and pieces of a story formed. Characters spoke to me at odd hours of the day, but life was hectic and the characters had to wait.  Then one day I broke my arm and had to have surgery. Knowing I was bored out of my mind, my daughters, now in high school and college, pleaded with me to work on my story because they were still waiting to see how it all played out. The result of this labor of love is my debut novel Brush of Shade.

My writing process:

I’m supposed to have a process? A few months ago that very concept would’ve made my fingers freeze over the keyboard. You see, based on how things flowed or didn’t for several years with my first book, I never developed any set habits. I’m embarrassed to admit that when it came time to start the second book in the series, I slammed straight into an imaginary brick wall. With Brush of Shade, I had a compilation of descriptions, events, and characters plus all the internal interactions that had been batting about inside my skull all those years. I was a published author now. I was supposed to know what to do next. I read countless author postings on Goodreads looking for direction. I picked up books on the writing process. I got so bogged down that for the first time that I could remember the characters stopped speaking. When my kids, now all at college, called home, they kept asking how the second book was going. I had to change the subject. Was this what writer’s block felt like? Something had to change. Somebody had to have the answers. So I turned to my characters and asked them pointed questions. Wow, XYZ event in the book sure was intense. How are you doing now? Do you feel stronger, older, wary, afraid, happy, depressed, angry, or vindictive? Are you suffering from post-traumatic stress or do you think you’re invincible? While we’re on the subject, tell me what you’ve given up and do you want it back? What are you willing to do or willing to sacrifice to save those you love? Once I realized that my characters were no longer the same, plot highlights began to take shape. With a rough outline in mind, I started the story, allowing the characters and their reactions to events to shape all the parts in between. My process I’ve discovered is messy. I allow every idea its moment on the page, knowing that what I’m creating is a crude draft. Each day I reread what I wrote the day before, allowing my mind to become energized by the drama on the pages. While I might pause to edit the glaring errors, usually I leave behind a trail of track changes filled with my gut reactions. After more brutal passes through the story than I want to think about at this point, I hope I will eventually create a book worthy of being a reader’s temporary home.

Brush of Shade description:

Olivia Pepperdine has a love hate relationship with quiet. Silence reminds her of the accident that killed her parents and left her trapped in a mangled car. On that isolated stretch of road with the weight of all that silence pressing against her mind and body, something sinister had kept them company. Since that night a voice haunts her nightmares and snakes out to torment when she is alone and vulnerable.

Still recovering physically and mentally from the loss of her parents, high school senior Olivia finds herself living with an aunt she hardly knows in a small town in the middle of no-where. Spring Valley, Colorado should hold the connection to her father she longs for, but that longed for connection turns out to be more than Olivia ever imaged. Behind closed doors things in this sleepy community are far from ordinary. One by one fundamental truths are stripped aside as everything she ever believed about her family is called into question.

Determined to embrace normal even if it means ignoring the flashes of movement she’d been seeing out of the corner of her eye since her discharge from the hospital, Olivia is unnerved by the local residents. From the moment Olivia and her Aunt Claire arrive at the local gas station where strangers gawk and pay for her purchases to the spine-tingling electric shock that lifts her off the pew at her parent’s wake, the voice, half-truths, and an impossible rescue draw Olivia deeper into a web of secrets and the realization that the accident that had killed her parents might have been a cover for murder.

An after school job at Hattie’s quirky tourist shop brings Olivia into the life and arms of Shade, a guy who could put Prince Charming and the sexiest man in Hollywood to shame. Mesmerizing eyes unlike anything she has ever seen reveal the depth of his emotions that he can’t keep hidden while his irresistible drawl whispers to her wounded soul. Noble to his core, Shade is determined to treat her like a kid sister despite the connection between them that fills the empty places in her heart.

But Shade, like the residents of the valley, hides a secret, one that compels Olivia to take on an inherited responsibility that upends the future she’d envisioned. Secrets, hidden chambers, and an ancestor’s alliance propel Olivia into a world where voices are both weapons and instruments of comfort. As the line between sanity and fantasy blurs, Olivia must dig deep to unearth the courage to redefine normal, even if belief in the paranormal may be more than her troubled mind can handle. It might very well be the straw that sends her back into her cushioned world of prescription drugs and psychiatrist visits. To keep Olivia safe, Shade pledges his life to her side in a move that could rob her of her will and turn the elders against him.

Undercurrents within the quaint western town surge to the surface as those that oppose centuries of traditions begin to plot their rise to power. When the threat risks the lives of those close to her, Olivia must learn the identity of the people out to destroy the valley or face losing what could become the permanent place to call home that her heart has been searching for.

Excerpt:

“No, Olivia isn’t ready,” Aunt Claire argued.

“That might not be a concern if we don’t get her help soon. Sorry, Claire, I’ve got to follow her orders. I’ve got to save the legacy.”

“Don’t use that ploy to get your way. Again no oaths have been given.”

“What is he . . .” I couldn’t finish. Fire engulfed me, scorching my insides. I doubled over writhing in my aunt’s arms as sweat lathered my body

.

“Go,” Aunt Claire ordered, pulling a blanket tight around my shoulders.

I lolled against her side, not fully comprehending the strange scene unfolding outside the window. Shade had tossed his heavy coat into the back seat and was standing outside, shaking hard in the middle of a blizzard wearing an unzipped, stadium jacket. Snow streaked across the windshield, piling up along the edges and making it difficult for me to see outside. The next gust swallowed his body.

I strained against Aunt Claire’s hold. “Make him come back inside. He’ll freeze to death.”

“Olivia, listen to me. He’s alright. Trust us. Trust Shade. Everything will be fine.”

When had I finally crossed the line over to the side of crazy? My scream couldn’t get past my narrowed throat. I shrank back, shoving frantically at my aunt’s restraining arm as translucent hands, with no real fixed shape, reached out for me. A whimpered scream became a faint sob as washed-out blue eyes swam into focus.

“Claire, don’t attempt to drive. It’s too dangerous. Shad and my father are coming. They’ll get you home. Come with me, Olivia.”

“Come?” I squeaked, too terrified to mount a struggle as hot hands, that blended with the gray of the seat cushion and then changed over to the navy blue of my sweater, pulled me against a ghostlike chest.

“Trust me, Livi. I will protect you.”

Purchase link:  http://amzn.to/13Zzx5y

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheWhisperersChronicles

Novel Notions Welcomes Tina J Cole to Self Published Sunday!

Tina J Cole is a writer of short stories, poems, newsletters, tracts, and the indie author of the inspirational novel ‘Keeper of the Stars’. Her new blog entitled Quest To Write was created to encourage, teach and motivate young writers of all ages and aptitudes. She is currently working on two more books, one a young adult novel.
                                        

Tina: I grew up in the sixties when racial discrimination was a spotlighted issue in a turbulent time of national change. Martin Luther King and his supporters proclaimed their mission for racial equality from the airwaves of television. Probably as a result of being raised in a small southern community that based its values on the Bible, I never saw gross injustices committed against another race. When I started the first grade in 1966, our school was already integrated. In fact, I had an African American teacher who I believe all the children loved. Before we started class each day she would play the piano and sometimes sing. I remember two songs that she played regularly-‘Battle Hymn of The Republic’ and ‘Jimmie Crack Corn’ (or ‘The Blue Tail Fly’).

Listening to the history of racial segregation made me sensitive to the great harm done by prejudices of varying kinds. As I’ve progressed through life I have discovered the many ways we can pre-judge people just because they may act or look a little different than us. The following excerpt from my book ‘Keeper of the Stars’ is a expression of that realization.

 On the ride home, a jumble of voices blurted out their insights and opinions of the movie they'd watched for almost two hours. "You know the part where the reporter broke the story about the racist congressman that got the black singer pregnant?" Sheena asked.

"Yes I know. I loved the scene where..." Arizona interjected but was interrupted as Sheena spoke again.

"That reporter reminded me of my Uncle Buster. He's got the biggest nose and neck of anyone I've ever seen. And he's the most racist person I know."

"I don't see how they could live through all the prejudice that happened back then," Julie said with bewildered eyes. Sometimes it makes me ashamed to have white skin."

From the back seat, Arizona told her, "You're not exactly white skinned. You're darker than me or Sheena and we're not pale. Besides, we didn't live in slavery times or the sixties or earlier, so we can't be blamed for people's prejudices back then---or for them now as far as that goes. Anyway the movie was called "Unsung Heroes" because it was about people of all races who fought against racial injustice. And some of them had to pay a big price for it too."

 She continued thoughtfully, "Just look at Grandma, Reba and Joseph. They've been friends for about half a century and they lived through the sixties."

Julie pondered a moment, and said, "I've thought about that before too. Mom told me that Mamaw had to hide their friendship from her mother and other people too. And the weird or ironic thing is that our great grandmother had Indian and Melungeon blood herself. And she knew what it was like to be treated like she was no good because of the color of her skin."

Dean spoke next, "Don't forget us Spanish speaking people, especially Mexicans like me." He paused and grinned comically at each girl. "We're accused of being lazy, drunken thieves."

"Let's see...ummm, lazy. Well your mother would probably agree. Drunken. You have hung out with Kyle some. So that's likely. Now, the one that's left---thief. Yep to that too. I'm a witness. Remember when you stole my answers during a History quiz in Mr. Cooper’s class?" Arizona finished speaking with a twinkle in her eyes.

Suddenly the car filled up with chortling, giggling, and snickering. "Good one Zoni. I'll get my revenge though."

"Speaking of revenge, I've got some things I need to discuss with you and Sheena." Then she began to explain her plan to get back at her ex-boyfriend.

Connect with Tina:

Facebook

Blog

Amazon Page

                                    

The Author Platform

If there is one thing I hear repeated over and over again - it's the need to build an author platform. Just because we hear a term doesn't mean we have a full grasp of what it is -at least that was true for me. I tried the "Monkey See, Monkey Do" method.  I tweeted my Amazon purchase link.  I shared the purchase link in Google + communities - and I learned a bitter lesson.  No one cared.  Why?  Because they were too busy trying to sell their own books.  Now honestly, I wasn't clicking on their purchase links either because I was too busy trying to sell my own.

This is not to say that I didn't click on links - because I did.  I clicked on the links that offered something I wanted - knowledge.  Authors were sharing writing and marketing tips and I was like a sponge trying to take it all in.

After spending a lot of time researching author platforms, I've put together a little video that hopefully shows what I've learned and maybe, you will find it helpful.

Novel Notions Welcomes author Beth Camp to Self Published Sunday!

I am so pleased that Beth Camp is our feature author.  She is not only talking about her writing process but sharing an excerpt of her novel, Standing Stones.

About Beth Camp: When I was a kid, I prowled the library to check out the thickest, heaviest books I could find. Two Years Before the Mast. The Wandering Jew. Quo Vadis. Books I could fall into and pretend I lived in the past. Places I dreamed of visiting some day. As a teen, I discovered my grandmother's 5-volume sets of Hemingway, the short stories of Poe and de Maupassant. I began writing poetry and short stories then.

Sometimes it seemed that my family moved every time the rent was due. I attended some 13 high schools on the West coast of the US and daydreamed of attending college. I balanced working full time with taking classes; it took ten years to earn my degree, with odd jobs and careers in international banking and corporate consulting along the way before I became an English teacher at a community college where I taught for 26 years. Today, I live in Spokane, in eastern Washington, with my husband, and close to our daughter, her husband, and granddaughter. Restless feet and writing projects keep us traveling. These days, we’re planning a three-month stay in Spain. The writing travels with me!

What is your writing process? 

I’m often asked when I find time to write. Each morning, before coffee, I wake with half-remembered scenes or conversations that my characters are somehow in the middle of. I sit at the computer and reconstruct what they are telling me, images of who they are and what they’re involved in coming to life before me. An outline emerges out of that combination of history, setting, and then, scene upon scene, their lives unfold.

As a writer, I’m rather a sprinter, more intuitive than methodical, going ahead into story with multiple revisions ahead. I want to discover how it felt to live in a certain time, and how others have conquered their deepest fears to achieve their goals.

My books begin with a flash of an idea, a portrait spotted in a museum, a slice of history that compels me to look more closely. For example, I visited the National Museum of the Middle Ages in Paris to see the unicorn tapestries and later read Tracy Chevalier’s wonderful story, The Lady and the Unicorn. The real history of these tapestries is shrouded in mystery, but I found a clue in Scotland that suggests a very different story. Fiction allows us to play with alternate realities. I hope my readers come away with greater compassion for how others struggle to create order, harmony, and beauty in their lives. 

Why did you decide to jump into self-publishing? 

As many writers discover, after “the book” is done, the round of submissions begins. We are lucky to get an acknowledgement these days whether we are subbing to a potential agent or to a publishing company. Routinely websites suggest a turn-around time of 3-6 months, even for ‘exclusive’ submissions.

Standing Stones took second place in historical fiction at the Pacific Northwest Writers Association literary contest in 2010, but I spent the next several years subbing to potential agents and then independent publishers before deciding that I really wanted readers to read my stories.

I first self-published The Mermaid Quilt & Other Tales, a collection of short stories and poems about mermaids, to learn how to format for  Kindle and CreateSpace.

With Standing Stones, I discovered fiverr, a wonderful site that highlights freelancers. Angela Zambrano of pro_ebookcovers created the cover for Standing Stones; I think her work is remarkable.

What is Standing Stones about? 

Standing Stones is the first of two books that begins when Lord Gordon comes to Foulksay Island. His uncle has died, and inspired by the sweep of the Industrial Revolution, Lord Gordon wishes to make his new estate profitable by replacing tenant farmers who have lived on the island for generations with sheep.

Mac McDonnell, a fisherman and head of household for his sister and three brothers, leads protests against Lord Gordon’s changes, but Moira, his sister, falls in love with Dylan, one of the men Lord Gordon has brought to the island. The people of Foulksay Island have gathered to celebrate the end of summer. Dougal, the second oldest brother, is playing the fiddle. Here is the moment that Moira and Dylan meet:

Moira watched Dougal’s fingers fly over the fiddle. She felt proud of him, and her feet tapped the rhythm of the drum. The dancing grew frantic as more people pushed into the hall. Moira closed her eyes and gave herself over to the dance, the music keening in her head and heart. A strong arm held her at her waist and twirled her around.

Moira’s eyes flew open. “And who might you be?”

“I’m Dylan, from across the water, ready to dance your feet off and steal your heart.” He grinned and bowed.

Dylan was much shorter than her brothers, wiry, and dark when they were fair, his hair curly with sweat. His eyes, nearly black, sparkled. He smiled again, and Moira felt her breath catch. “Dance with me?”

She gave him her hand, and they danced one set after another, until they were both breathless.

“Any others like you at home?” he asked.

“No, not a one. Just me,” Moira shouted over the music, turning away and then back as he twirled her to the music.

“Ah, ‘tis fortunate I am, for then I’ll only have me heart broken once.”

Moira laughed. His hand caught and held hers, and his dark eyes dared her to let go.

“Wait until you meet my brothers.”

“And how many brothers do you have, all tiny men, as small as trolls, no doubt?”

“Four brothers,” she replied on the next round. “Mac, Dougal, Colin and Jamie. All of them are giants compared to you.” She glanced over at Dougal and waved. “There’s Dougal.”

“He looks ferocious,” said Dylan. “Does he have an evil temper?”

“None of my brothers would harm a soul.”

“Then why is he glaring at me like that?”

To Purchase:

Standing Stones is available on

 Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I3RYFW6 and 

Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/401903

The Mermaid Quilt & Other Tales is also available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0090VHKBC

Links:

Beth’s Writing Blog: http://bethandwriting.blogspot.com

Beth’s Travel Blog: http://bethcamp.blogspot.com

On Twitter: @bluebethley and Facebook.  Beth Camp's Author page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Page-for-Beth-Camp/536097169822653 

Drop a note to Beth at bluebethley@yahoo.com to find out about upcoming releases with her occasional newsletter.  She’d love to hear from you!

The Promo Plan

Marketing a novel isn't cheap.  However, not marketing doesn't work either. In November, December and January, my novel was on different virtual tours. Each tour was one week long.  Each month, I saw sales. In February, I took a break - no online promotions - What I learned?  Promotion matters - a lot. Because when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, I'm an unknown quantity. I've published one novel - and its not on the best seller list - not yet, anyway.  Like it or not, those tours helped - but they cost money.

Having learned my lesson, I have already made my promotional investments for March and May. Which brings me to April.  April's budget went the way of the dodo bird...  But I still need to promote. So, I've been racking my brain trying to come up with a way to get a little more exposure without appearing to be one of those "Look at Me!" peeps who flood social media with tons of self promotion.

The Objective:

On April 17th, my novel will be on sale.   In order for my promotion to work, I need exposure.

The Question:

Are you looking for a way to promote your novel without breaking the bank?

The Plan:

Create a community Blitz.  

Example:  If 5 authors participated, then each participating author would chose the day they wanted their blitz.  On that day, each of the other authors would share the designated author's post.  This would give each participating author one day of multi-blog promotion.  Each host would not only share the designated author's post on their blog but also in Facebook & G+ communities as well as Twitter. An added benefit is we get a little break from having to come up with content ideas for our blogs because we'll have guest posts! And finally, it won't cost anything but our time.

It is important that any authors who participate follow through with their commitment to promote the other participants.   If you are interested, please let me know - I'll be happy to coordinate the effort. 

**I write Young Adult novels - as such, I may have visitors to my blog who are under the age of 18.  For this reason, I won't be able to host any Erotica.  Sorry!