Deadly Obsession available in Paperback!

My paperback is out; you can read it by turning pages. Wow, its a GREAT feeling!

And it wasn't that difficult. Of course, I thought it would be (difficult) when I started because it was an unknown entity. But Createspace was amazing. The site takes you step by step through the process, and if you make a mistake you can go back and change it as many times as you like. 

Before I started, I read through the various stages so  I knew what I had to deliver from my side, such as a cover to the correct dimensions, a blurb for the back cover, the correct layout, the correct font. 

On my first attempt, I simply used the same layout as I had for the Kindle version - well, when I received my proof, the typeface was so big you could read it from a distance of  ten yards. 

Through all my iterations of this book, I found the following to work best for a paperback novel:

• black print on cream paper, not white
• 5x8 in size, nothing larger
• Palatino Linotype, 10
• review the digital proof as well as a hard copy
• provide a professional cover

I've been through it with a fine tooth comb; its been edited and proofed for grammar and typos; its been tweaked and turned and tossed and tinkered with - its should be in its best shape yet. 

I hope you enjoy Deadly Obsession as a paperback. If you do, please let me know. 

At the moment its only available on Createspace,  but I expect it to be out on Amazon.com within the next few days. 

If you have any comments, I'd love to hear them (please keep them constructive). 

Writing rocks!!

Deadly Obsession on iBookBuzz!

I have to get used to putting Deadly Obsession out there. Every spare minute I have, I'm trawling the internet looking for viable marketing opportunities. No one said it would be easy. Identifying the opportunities are one thing; serving it up for all to see is another.
A few posts ago, I spoke briefly about pen names - to use or not to use. I was really conflicted about which way to go until right before I thumped the 'publish' button and chose to go with my real name.
Its a lot like baring your soul to a stranger and not being sure what kind of response you will get. Will they be kind and thoughtful or will they take your dreams and dash them against the nearest rock.

The fact is I never know. If I cannot rise above my angst on this subject then I might as well lay down my quill and stow away the parchment.
My first huge hurdle was actually publishing.... now I'm over that. What seemed so huge now feels very  de rigeur. The next big leap was asking an independent reviewer to give me feedback on the book. Why I thought she might get back to me in one day, I don't know. Probably because I was gnawing my fingers to the bone at that point.  Its been three weeks and Deadly Obsession is scheduled for her read list next week. So, I guess I've overcome my anxiety on that one.

Then, I found this site  for book lovers which runs a monthly vote geared to a specific genre. Five books are selected from a bunch of submissions, and then the 5 books are voted on. The book with the highest votes is selected to be read for that month. Readers can then give their feedback on the book.

So, I submitted Deadly Obsession, and held my breath. It was another of those 'should I, shouldn't I' moments just before I hit send.

You could have knocked me over with a feather today when I found out it has been selected as one of the top 5!! Yeeeeeeeeeeeha! I am so excxited!

Have a look at Deadly Obsession on the iBookBuzz site. I know you cannot be as excited as me, and maybe I should just wind my neck in but I'm over the moon.

However ...its not over yet....
Now I have to wait until 15 February to find out if it has been chosen as the Romantic Suspense read for March.

So cross fingers and hold thumbs ... I'll keep you posted.

Gabi

My best muse - the woods

On a crisp winter's day, with leaves crunching underfoot, a cold wind at the back of my neck, the sun filtering through the trees and the wagging tail of my friend's dog in front of me, I couldn't be happier.

Walking in the countryside is more than just a form of exercise for me. I get to de-stress. My shoulders relax because I tend to hunch them when I write (I know, bad habit). I get the chance to fill my lungs and let the smells that come in remind me of things - wet earth, a log fire (not in the woods... on the air from someone's home bordering the woods!), cows, fresh grass.

Plotting for Sedgwick Green

I'm working on the outline and plot for Sedgwick Green .... no, let me retrace my steps a bit here. I started the Sedgwick Green series in summer 2010. There were a couple of characters that have been nagging me to include them in a novel for over five years now, and finally I found the perfect spot for them - Sedgwick Green.

My ideas spring up when least expected and bite me, and Sedgwick Green was no different. The premise for the story is based on - three cottages in remote, English village rented out by eccentric owner to new tenants every summer; proviso being the 'nutants' need to be 'single with a story'. It gave me huge scope to work in the sorts of elements I love in a story namely, mystery, suspense, intrigue, romance, murder and a bit of magic....