Research your book for depth

I remember being told 'write what you know about'. And I thought, 'but I don't want to write about a normal life, a happy childhood, getting an education and building a career'. I want to write about strange people and creepy stuff; action, adventure, romance and magic. I want to escape in the writing and in the reading of my stories. I want to be able to travel to another space in time in my books, and hopefully write in such a way that it transports my readers too.

Enter a drastic change in approach with the advent of the internet. Now, I don't need to know about something I want to write about, I can find out anything I want online. Technology has provided us with a fantastic resource for delving deep into the secrets of anything we choose. I'm not sure that reading about it or researching it will ever replace the actual experience of being there, but my imagination is a powerful tool and if I remember to bring in the five senses, I can conjure up some very real people and places.

The trick is then getting them into words on a page that paint a picture which the reader sees in his/her mind. When I paint my picture with words, I need to keep in mind that my readers have vivid imaginations too. I want to leave just enough little blanks so they can fill them in in a way that they relate to.

Someone asked me the other day... "Did you I actually walk along all those roads in Rome that appear in Deadly Obsession?" Yes, I did. Deadly Obsession being my first novel, I wanted to really feel the story as I wrote it. Now I know what that feeling is like, I can create stories in my mind and imagine how it feels to be immersed in a situation.

Its funny, but I remember thinking the self same thing about Dan Brown in his descriptions of the streets in the Da Vinci Code! Had he actually walked those streets and seen the things he spoke of? I don't know if he did or not, but I've just heard an interview with him on his new book Inferno, and he said it took him 3 years to write it, 1 of those years being purely research!

Get your name on Amazon!

Its been a busy, and interesting time since I self-published Deadly Obsession in January 2012. I've listened, learnt, revised and revised.
I've spent time trawling through 'how to' books and consuming novels from author's that I enjoy, and drilled down into story architecture - I really enjoyed that - and all to improve my skills as a writer.

But there is only so much feedback I can give myself objectively! Either I am too critical or I am too lenient on myself. Bottom line, I need feedback from you, my readers.

I need to know...

• what you liked?
• who you liked?
• which character scared you?
• did any character inspire you?
• was the pace constantly moving?
• was it too fast?
• did you get enough detail to form your own pictures?
• did the book reach a climax?
• were all the loose ends tied up?
• did the short synopsis draw you in?
• what didn't you like?
• did the story make sense?
• any other comments you may have...

In fact anything you thought about the book would be enormously worthwhile for me to know. Every writer needs reviews/feedback/comments, and whilst sometimes these things are not easy to hear, I am committed to improving as a writer ... so jot down a few lines, post it on Amazon, or send me a short comment on this site. I'd be eternally grateful!!

But first ... read the book! Its Deadly Obsession... its fast-paced, salted with suspense, and peppered with lust. 

And I want YOUR opinion....

Fancy doing a book review?

Its been 4 months since I published my début novel, Deadly Obsession, and it has been a whirlwind since then. After coming down from the heady high of seeing my book on Amazon, I investigated how to publish it as a paperback and knuckled down to complete that.

My paperback was released on Amazon.com on March 27 this year (my birthday!)

Then I went and got a new job - yes, authors are normal people too - and time ran away from me.
I'm starting to catch up with it, and the next book(s) are forming in my head, but the task of getting my book out there and known, and onto shelves (and hopefully, enjoyed) is upon me.

The major challenge for any author is to get their book out there. This means bringing the book into the field of vision of an increasing number of people.

As with anything, there will be people dying to get their hands on it at first look (like being in love at first sight); there will be those who forget about seeing it a minute afterwards because its not about something on their immediate radar; and then there will be those who are interested but may or may not come back to it depending on what life throws at them in between.

And these are only those currently in my network (both on and offline). That's where celebrity endorsements always come in handy... if you happen to know a Lady Gaga, a Paulo Coelho or Justin Bieber!

And so, the search for willing and able book reviewers/bloggers is here. The offer includes 5 electronic copies to give away to your readers/followers.

Can I tempt you?

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 in Paperback - I'm nearly there!

Have you ever wondered why nothing is as simple as it sounds?
But then again, often when you finally complete a complex task which you viewed with dread before the outset, it turns out to be far simpler than you originally thought?

When I don't know what something will be like/take to do, it becomes this massive mountain, and I'm a piddling climber attempting to transcend a sheer rock face with nothing but my bare hands.

I even get that knot of anxiety churning away in my stomach which I have to push through in order to come out the other side. But when I'm out the other side, I look back and say 'that wasn't so bad!'

90% of the time, its never so bad. 90% of the time, its never as hard as I make it out to be in my mind.
I'm holding onto this thought with both hands and my teeth because I'm smack bang in the middle of trying to publish Deadly Obsession in paperback, and I'm daunted by the task!
I have to say, that from this side of the fence (i.e. haven't done it yet), I feel totally inept. Having said that I WILL persist.

I'm nearly there.

With any luck, by this weekend...

'Pin' yourself out there.

Self-branding is a buzz word today, but what does it really mean? Without taking it to the level of global celebrities, let's get simple about it. 


The people who know you - friends, family, colleagues, community members, whatever - know things about you on various levels. Those you've known forever, know you better than those you've known for five minutes. You may keep your private life separate from your work life so your colleagues will have a different view of you to possibly your close friends. 

Every day in every part of our lives we are self-branding ... and we've been doing it all our lives. Our target audience has just been contained, that's all. 
Today, the internet and social media enables us to achieve a much greater reach.  


I've read articles that advise establishing a niche and focussing purely on that - tailoring posts, interactions, comments, discussions, etc. around a specific topic and no other. It gives people a clear understanding of what you associate yourself with and so they follow you because of the content you put out. Other points of view include letting your audience see a bit more depth to the real person behind the niche marketer. This holds for brands as well. Customers want to connect more with the humanity of the brand - its human face - if you like.  


I've recently started out on my self-branding journey. I've just released my début novel and started my blog a couple of months ago. 
My activity has focussed on posts about my book and my experiences in self-publishing because this is what I've spent my time doing. There are so many facets to a writer and an individual, and you may not want to limit yourself. I know, I don't want to. 


Social media is evolving and so is self-branding. On Facebook, you can now 'like' stuff, on Google +, you can '+1' something, on Twitter you can retweet. These options tell your audience more about you and where you stand: more about the person and the personality behind the brand/niche/blog; more all-roundedness; more humanity.

Enter Pinterest. 


Its the picture (of you) that paints a thousand words. 


You can 'get' so much more about the person/brand/group by looking at their Pinterest boards, than you can by reading most blogs. 
It gives each of us (individual and brand) the opportunity to show, not tell the world about ourselves. 




And that's something any writer understands (or should). 

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

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.

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.

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.