Update on my novel - I, Vladimir

Hi all,

I’d like to thank you all for being so patient and for having such interest in my vampire novel, I Vladimir. So many of my good friends ask me about my writing and my novel, how I’m getting along with it, but mostly, when will it be released?

I always give the same answer – we’re still editing, and then I smile.

To be honest, editing is not really the correct term it’s more of a rewrite, but we’ve all heard that well known phrase Writing is Rewriting.  Together with the advice of my publisher and editor, we’ve decided to change the personalities of the two main characters which is a lot more work than it sounds. Like a domino effect, each piece changed effects the next and so on. The experience has been fantastic, I have continued to learn, and my writing has grown along with it. All of which I have used in the writing of my second novel – Anonymous Jack.

I am lucky enough to have a fantastic publisher and editor at Gentry Publishing, and together we are working very hard on getting my novel ready for its release in 2015. We are taking the time needed to get it right, because you only get the opportunity to release a debut novel once.

All the best and again, thank you,

Daniel Kaye x

Social Media & Building Your Author Platform

Hi all,

I thought I’d write down a few basic thoughts on social media, and building your author platform. I hope you’ll find this of interest, and if there’s anything you’d like to add please do, we’re all still learning.

All of the below may sound daunting at first, but when you're on top of it all you'll manage all of this in about 15/20 minutes a day.

I use social media, daily, I work for myself so luckily I have the time. The main ones I think are Facebook, a blog (I use blogger), Goodreads, and Twitter. It is all about interacting with other writers, sharing articles and interesting snippets you find. The more information you share the more people will be interested in you and what you have to say, including your own writing. 

I think this is what Facebook works at best. It is packed full of writing groups for you to join, it’s visual and easy to use. There are so many writers using it, it can be a mine of information and people willing to help. A lot of people aren’t comfortable with strangers adding you as a friend on Facebook and seeing your holiday snaps or pictures from last year’s office Christmas party, so set up an author page and use that instead of your own for posting links on Twitter etc. But remember don’t get stuck on Facebook too long, there’ll be no time left for writing. 

Blogging, I started off with quotes, and the odd bit I found interesting, it builds slowly, but it does build. The key is to post something on your blog regularly, leave it too long in-between and people will lose interest. Any blog you find an article about writing, post a link on Twitter and Facebook. If people find it of interest, they will share it. 

Goodreads is a place for writers and readers where you share your reviews on books that you've read. You get the opportunity to give it a star rating and a brief review. There are many writing groups on there, search them out in your genre and join in. It's all about getting your name out there. Goodreads also offer a book giveaway, you register your book and set the dates you want the competition to run, and people enter who'd like to win. Goodreads pick a winner and you post it off. I did one a few months ago, I put up a signed copy of The Eleventh Hour, and over 800 registered to win it. Also on Goodreads, lookout out for the opportunity to review someone else’s book, people are often looking for reviewers and you could get offered an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) to give your review on. This benefits you in a few ways - It gets people looking at your Goodreads page and your blog, they may follow you on Facebook and Twitter, plus the person may do a review for you come the time. Also get people you know to add your book to their 'To Read' list and you offer to do the same to theirs. If someone searches your book, it'll show there are plenty of others that are interested in reading your book.

I've left twitter to last - I feel none of the above work without twitter. Think of it as your advertising board, a way of bringing people to look at all of the above. You build up your followers list by interacting and following others, again like Facebook you share their tweets etc. Post the links to your Facebook and blog, and anything else of interest. It does seem a bit as if you're repeating yourself across the social media outlets. But you need them all to make each of the others work.

The most important lesson in social media - You may have noticed I haven't mentioned your book. Nothing puts people off more than someone repeatedly pushing their book. People want to be interested in you and what information you post first, then your book. So fill your pages with writing info and titbits slightly peppered with info on your novel.

As your release date comes closer, see if you can find people who are interested in your genre to review your novel. Pick and choose carefully, you want someone that has a good following, check their Goodreads/Facebook/Twitter/Blog and make sure they're active. It's a waste of a book if they don't have all or most of these.

Also, create a buzz about your book near to its release date. Don't just post a picture of your cover, try to think of someway of releasing it, such as an online jigsaw or a way in which the more people click on the link the more of the cover will be revealed. Organize giveaways, bookmarks/postcards etc. (Also known as Swag). I'm also toying with the idea of making a short video clip using MS Moviemaker. There's a lot of discussion on whether or not these work, but to be honest, I think it'll be fun to do. 

When you have these set up and going, there is Linkedin, Instagram, and Pininterest, but I'm always here and if you need help or any info please message me, I'd love to know how you get on.

By the way I'm on: 

Twitter

Facebook
Facebook Author Page 

Blog

All the best,

Daniel Kaye.

Try to Write About the Darkest Things in the Soul

I talk about the things people have always talked about in stories: pain, hate, truth, courage, destiny, friendship, responsibility, growing old, growing up, falling in love, all of these things. What I try to write about are the darkest things in the soul, the mortal dreads. I try to go into those places in me that contain the cauldrous. I want to dip up the fire, and I want to put it on paper. The closer I get to the burning core of my being, the things which are most painful to me, the better is my work.
HARLAN ELLISON

You Have to Sit Down and Work

It’s a job. It’s not a hobby. You don’t write the way you build a model airplane. You have to sit down and work, to schedule your time and stick to it. Even if it’s just for an hour or so each day, you have to get a babysitter and make the time. If you’re going to make writing succeed you have to approach it as a job.
ROSELLEN BROWN

Interview with author, Gail Morgan McRae. Updated Feb 2014.

Since my interview with Gail back in August 2013, she has released her first novel, Creedor, book trailer, and launched a new website. So I thought I'd just add the links, and below is the interview with Gail, hope you enjoy it.

Creedor - Kindle Edition 
The official book trailer for the science fiction novel, Creedor  
Gail's New Website  

I would like to welcome author Gail Morgan McRae to my blog. 

  Gail is the author of the soon to be released

 Creedor 1, due out November 22, 2013.

Daniel Kaye - Where were you born, and where do you call home?

Gail Morgan McRae - I was born in Lumberton, Robeson County, North Carolina, USA, but I have called Laurinburg, Scotland County, North Carolina home for the past 34 years.

DK - What is the name of your most recent book or WIP and if you had to sum it up in 30 words or less, what would you say?

Gail - My most recent books are Creedor 1, due out November 22, 2013, and Creedor 2, just submitted for editing. My WIP is working titled Hellritch 1. We see how descendants of Earth whose ancestors left for other life-sustaining planets survive. Wizards, changelings, military coups, and the slaughtering of innocents weave the threads of this intricate tapestry.

DK - If you gave one of your main characters the opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say about you?

Gail - I imagine that several of my characters would like to have a word with me, most of them via an in-my-face confrontation for the things that either they do or that happen to them. If I could have those conversations, I would point out that they did it to themselves – I just wrote it down for them. I think that Dr. Simon Slogar would want to know why he’s portrayed as an obese, alcoholic who has been tasked with the saving the Creedorian people from the plague that is devastating them daily.

DK - Do you have plans for a new book, and is this book part of a series?

Gail - Yes, I currently have two books completed and four more in the works as part of the Reglon Empire Series. I also have ideas for a couple of companion books to supplement the series.

DK - Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?

Gail - I write most often in my overstuffed recliner in my den. I prefer writing in the morning and again in the afternoon and into evening.

DK - Laptop, desktop or pen for writing? 

Gail - I prefer a laptop. It’s easier on my wrists than pen and paper. It’s also nice to lean back in my recliner instead of sitting at a computer station.

DK - Who designed the cover of your book?

Gail - Gentry Publishing arranged the cover design.

DK - Do you have a book trailer?

Gail - No.

DK - What are your thoughts on book trailers?

Gail - I think they’re a great publicity tool. I just haven’t had time to put much thought into one, and I personally think that successful book trailers require a great deal of planning.

DK - Do you have any advice for other writers?

Gail - Yes. Just write. Don’t worry about making every sentence perfect before going on. Get the story down, and then go back with fresh eyes. Also don’t think that good books just drip from the pen or ooze from the keyboard. It just doesn’t happen that way. Good writers have talent, but they should understand that writing is also a skill that must be developed. Frustrating though it may be, the proofreading and editing processes are vital to a clean, professional finished product.

DK - Great writing tips.

DK - Is your book in Print, eBook or both?

Gail - I believe that they will be in both formats.

DK - Have you self-published and if so how would you describe the experience?

Gail - I did self-publish once. I think that if I had known then what I know now, I would have gone the free self-publishing route instead of buying the publishing package. I would have gotten a finished copy for myself, but I wouldn’t make it available for others. The process of getting a self-published book ready is a great experience and overall, worth the effort.

DK - What books have influenced your writing?

Gail - It’s hard to say. When I was younger, I worked in a small-town library and was tasked with reading the Children’s Library collection, some 2,000 books. I found the books of Lloyd Alexander, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Rudyard Kipling the most fascinating. I think that’s when my love of science fiction/fantasy began. In the worlds they created, anything was possible. What a revelation for me as young woman who grew up in a four-room house without benefit of indoor plumbing, television, telephone, or automobile! 

DK - Is there an author that you would really like to meet?

Gail - I would love to meet J.K. Rowling.

DK - Do you have an e-reader, and do you prefer it to traditional published novels?

Gail - I have a Kindle Fire HD, but I still prefer the good old book in my hand when I read.

DK - Where do you prefer to buy your books?

Gail - I buy most of my books in bookstores, mostly Barnes and Noble. I like to plunder through some of the indie bookstores, but I’m allergic to dust so my visits are short. Besides, I love the coffee shops in the B&Ns.

DK - What book would you like to read again?

Gail - When I finish the series, I’d like to read all the Harry Potter books (J.K. Rowling), Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden), The Black Cauldron (Lloyd Alexander, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams).

DK - What book are you currently reading and in what format?

Gail - Right now I’m reading the paperback titled Grace for the Journey by Beverly and George Thompson.

DK - Your thoughts on receiving book reviews - the good and the bad. 

Gail - I think that book reviews are good whether the reviewer likes them or not. To me, the reviews can give useful feedback, though not always. Also, writers have to develop a thick skin when it comes to their work. Trusting your publisher and editor in their assessment of your work is the best way to handle both good and bad reviews – they shoot straight so you already know where you stand. Also, if you take their editing advice, you’ll have a better chance at a good review – at least that’s my hope.

DK - Do you have a nickname?

Gail - No, I don’t have a nickname.

DK - Did you have a favourite toy as a child?

Gail - Yes. I had a worn out old teddy bear that I kept until it disintegrated from use and had to be discarded.

DK - An early childhood memory –

Gail - When I was little we lived upstairs at my grandmother’s house. I remember one cold, winter evening sitting on my daddy’s lap in a rocking chair pulled up close to the potbellied stove. I’d been begging him for a taste of his chewing tobacco and this night he gave in. My older brother came in and hung his flannel pajamas on the draft knob. Well, it wasn’t long before they caught on fire. Daddy jumped up to stomp out the fire, dumping me onto the floor. That “chaw” of tobacco went down and immediately came back up. As I recall, it was chaos for a few minutes before my mama came to the rescue. I never asked Daddy for another chaw. Oh, but those were the good old days!

DK - Any pets that you would like to tell us about?

Gail - We have a little, brown dog named Louise who’s a mix between a pit bull and a dachshund. She’s very short but very powerful and quite protective. After my husband lost his lower right leg after an accident last year, she bit someone who came into the house unannounced. She only bit his knee because she couldn’t reach anything higher – lucky for him. Then there’s our cat Tammy. When I walk Louise, Tammy walks right along with her totally unafraid of the dog. Tammy’s a grey and white American Longhair who showed up under an azalea bush when she was so small she fit in the palm of my hand. Our daughter wished for a kitty and within a week, her wish was granted. Unfortunately, our daughter was headed off to college, so we got to take care of the baby kitten.

DK - Coffee or tea?

Gail - I survive on strong coffee and lots of it.

DK - Do you have a favourite food?

Gail - I love chicken and pastry.

DK - Do you like to cook, and if so what? 

Gail - I love to cook. I try new things as often as I can, but have quite the menu of staple dishes that my family loves such as pot roast, mac and cheese, collards and cornbread with fatback, baked spaghetti, linguini with clam sauce, loads green salads with fruit and nuts added. Today for lunch, I made salmon patties with homemade tartar sauce.  

DK - What do you eat for breakfast?

Gail - Breakfast varies for us. Sometimes toast and jam or cheese toast with fruit. Sometimes the full monty with eggs, bacon or sausage, biscuits, grits with lots of Smart Balance instead of butter, and juice. Sometimes it’s just cereal and fruit. It all depends on how much time we have when we get up and how hungry we are.

DK - Name three things you never leave home without (apart from keys, money and phone)?

Gail - Driver’s license, debit card, and sunglasses.

DK - Sleep in, or get up early?

Gail - My husband and I are early risers.

DK - Your favourite gadget –

Gail - Laptop.

DK - Where is one place in the world that you would really love to visit?

Gail - The UK, especially Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. My husband’s folks are of Scottish heritage and mine are primarily Irish and Welsh.

DK - One of your favourite quotes –

Gail - Matthew 22:37-40 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Jesus Christ

(I think if we all lived by those words, the world would be a better place.)

DK - List three of your favourite all time movies?

Gail - Gone with the Wind

       Dr. Zhivago

       The Passion of the Christ

My facebook page: Gail Morgan McRae - Author

Twitter: @GailMMcRae

I would like to thank Gail Morgan McRae for allowing us the chance to have a chat, and for giving us a glimpse into her writing world.