The Hunger Games - will I ever write a story like this?

I heard the buzz from a friend's daughter just before Christmas. She and I often swap YA books and when one finds a winner, we pass it on to the other. I had just swapped Beastly and Red Riding Hood with her for Shiver, Linger and Forever (I'm a faster reader).

"Have you read The Hunger Games?" She asked.
"The what?" I looked blank.
"Its amazing, the best. You have to read it. My new all time favourite."

So, I googled it, the hype built. I started reading blogs, and news releases. The excitement grew. Then I found the movie trailers, the voting for who should play the heroine, the countdown to the premiere, and I was hooked.
Ordered them straight away from Amazon, and let them lie. Why? How?
Well, I had to finish The Colour Purple (Alice Walker) for my book club get together next Friday and, I was engrossed in Linger (Maggie Stiefvater). The minute I flipped the cover at the end of the book, I dived into The Hunger Games.

That was last Monday. I started the second in the trilogy, Catching Fire five days later, having devoured THG.

Suzanne Collins had me at 'this is the day of the reaping' on page 1. The story launches right into the action from the get go and there is plenty of it.
Katniss is a very compelling heroine although not always likeable at first. Her interaction with Prim and then Rue, gives her a soft side that she doesn't often show due to the nature of the situation she finds herself in probably. I don't want to share too much more because I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. The story is the grip in THG. Its a whole new world, and it takes you deep inside.

One day, I hope my stories will do that. When I write, I get totally engrossed in the story I am writing, and the hours fly by in a heartbeat. I'm hoping I am able to do the same for my readers.

Gabi

Marketing Deadly Obsession online

It's Friday evening, and I've spent the entire day co-ordinating my online marketing activity for Deadly Obsession.

It feels like a fulltime job.I've been at it all day and not sure that I have really achieved anything substantial. I guess I am just new to social media and blogging and that's why it takes so much time. 

The learning  is key and that can consume a couple of hours before you take a breath!

But onwards and upwards as they say.

I entered Deadly Obsession into a book competition today on a book competition today on http://www.ibookbuzz.com/, where I stand the chance to be the voted for Book of the Month in March in the genre Romantic Suspense. So I'll keep you posted on how I go with that. 

The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award started on Monday and I'll be entering in the Fiction category of that competition. I'll be up against about 5000 hopefuls so hold thumbs for me. The process involves various phases where the list is narrowed down, so when (positive thinking!!) I make it into the next phase, I'll let you know. It will be tweeted and facebooked from the heavens, you can be sure. 

I think that's enough for me for one day. Its a pamper evening tonight ... washing my hair, doing my nails, watching a bit of TV ... you know how it goes. 

Yes, I should probably be out on the town, but its grim outside and I feel like cloistering myself tonight. 

Gabi

 Available on: Amazon.co.uk; Amazon.com; Smashwords

  

Famous First Lines

In today's world of information overload and the high level of competition in absolutely any field, your work has to stand out. If you are a new and as yet unpublished author or even a self-published author, you have to overcome enormous scepticism regarding your ability to write. I hear a number of published authors saying that this persists even after you've been published!

 So, how do you do this? How do you differentiate yourself from thousands of manuscripts that may be a writer just testing the water, or someone from the 'I have at least one book in me' legion?

Some of the ways to do this are:

• Start in the middle of the action. Readers will be gripped from the get go because it's all happening at once within those first few lines. Context, character and location can follow because now you have them hooked.
• Tell us something weird or strange about the character. Intrigue us into wanting to know more about him/her and why they are the way they are.
• Shock us. This always works well.
• Show us your unique voice.

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.

Re-writes - Friend or Foe?

Let me say this right up front, if it's not a passion of yours, you need to ask yourself seriously why you are doing it. I'm talking about writing. The commitment 'tis not for the faint-hearted'!

Just the writing of the book takes enormous effort, but what happens afterwards is where the most work comes in.

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....

Outline and Plot

I'm one of those writers who can't just wing it. I've read about a few authors - Stephen King is one - who closet themselves behind closed doors, and bash out the first draft of a book in four weeks without looking up. 

Pen names ... To Use or Not To Use?

Is it a throwback to when we were kids and wanted to be someone else (I know some people who still want to be someone else), or is it because our real names never seem to have the panache that celebrity names have (we all know most of those are made up anyway)?

Maybe they provide an outlet for our alter ego, or give us access to a life we don’t believe we can live. Whatever it is, and whatever they are, the use of a pen name/pseudonym is very much a personal choice.

It's a Kindle... not a Spindle!

Quite a few people have asked when Deadly Obsession is coming out in print because they don't have a Kindle.

Fear not, my friends - you don't need a Kindle!

Deadly Obsession - How I Did It.

A few people have asked me how I’ve done it, so I thought I’d start sharing my experiences in this blog whilst I write my next novel. I’ve learnt an enormous amount about so many things on this journey. And the only thing I’m absolutely certain of is... I’ve so much more to learn!

Deadly Obsession started in January 2006 when I woke at four in the morning with the story idea. 

A million thank you's!

The response to Deadly Obsession has been nothing short of astounding for me. The support, messages, good wishes, and reviews have come from all over the world, and I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you. 

It's LIVE....and I'm alive!

This is what it looks like on Amazon - can't believe it.

Its UNDER REVIEW on Kindle!!

It’s tough to screw up the courage to do this, trust me! 

But, on the other hand, I feel totally psyched, excited, enthused and thrilled! It’s a great feeling. JJJ

I completed the last of my changes today after painstaking edits by my sister who convinced me that the phrase, ‘he unloaded onto the couch’ could well be misconstrued! I took the feedback on the chin and made the few amendments which hopefully, have made all the difference. I became an ace at formatting for Kindle when I completed the process about five times this afternoon. Each time I thought I had it right, a brief scan turned up tweaks I wanted to make. If I hadn’t held myself to ‘this is the very last time I’m going to look at this!!!!’ who knows when I would have stopped.

So, after much gnashing of teeth, I hit the 'publish' button on Kindle. Amazon needs to review it for 12 hours or so to make sure I haven't included any inflammatory or unsavoury material, and then when they're happy, it goes live.

For everyone who does not yet have a Kindle, fear not.... Amazon in their wisdom has made Kindle software freely available online. You can download it for any PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Android, directly from http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_ipad_mkt_lnd?docId=1000425503.

As this is the first time I've done this, it’s a bit of a 'let’s see how it all works’. I understand it will be available only from:

·        amazon.com

·        amazon.co.uk

·        amazon.de

·        amazon.fr

·        amazon.es

·        amazon.it

For my millions of fans south of the equator (saffas, kiwis and aussies), I’m looking into distribution channels down your way so I’ll keep you posted.

Thank you all for your amazing support and all the encouragement.

My début novel - Deadly Obsession

My debut novel is about to launch on Amazon and I’m terrified!

Maybe terror is a bit strong, but what I’m feeling is right up there with ‘quaking in my boots’! My original deadline was 18^th December, and I’ve managed to prolong it until now with every excuse known to man. I needed to rework this and tweak that, and then of course, Christmas came along, and then New Year. Then I’d eaten too much and couldn’t sit up to type. You know how it goes...

So, did the millions of rewrites dovetail? Have the gazillion edits weeded out every single typo? Will anyone buy it? But most important of all ... will anyone like it?

I’m sure I’m not the first author to feel like this, particularly those of us courageous souls who haven’t yet cracked the traditional publishing route, but there is something so validating about being published and marketed by someone else, that when one isn’t, it’s a slog to stay up there and positive. I live in hope that my (our) tenacity, persistence, grim determination, love of writing, belief in self, and sheer stick-to-itiveness will prevail.

I’ve finally been brave enough to get it out there. I hope you like it.

I loved it and lived it ... here’s hoping it transports you too.

Gabi x