Snippets from FRACTURE The Secret Enemy Saga

Tegrin waited until midnight before he slipped into the caves and through to the other side, wanting to avoid humans at all cost. Darkness would be the best cover. He did his best hunting at night.

       He thought his knowledge of this place was very good but he did not expect the beauty that surrounded him. It could almost be home if he did not know better. His catlike eyes adjusted well to the dim light of a half moon. Tegrin’s excellent hearing picked up even the tiniest sounds.
       He sniffed the air, taking in every smell around him. Small rodents and birds nested close by. His eyes narrowed. Another scent filled his nostrils. The one he was looking for.
      The Couton, and they were heading towards the lights of a city. Urgency gripped him as he headed for the town below. He stayed in the brush along the road to conceal himself and tried to work on a plan of capture.
      Just before dawn he came across a cold, lifeless dwelling. He sniffed the air and the smell of death filled his nostrils. Tegrin circled the building, listening and sniffing the air, but found no life was present. He walked up the steps pushing the door open. Inside were two bodies, one male and one female, both had been murdered. He knew by the scent that the Couton had been there.
      The hair on his arms stood up. He was not alone and knew it. A young woman lunged from the shadows, a knife in her shaking hand.
      “You killed my parents!”
      Moonlight reflected off the long blade of a Bowie knife slicing through the air. Tegrin was too fast for the hand that wielded it.
      He deflected the knife, pulling her close to him. She had a whiff of something strange before darkness enveloped her. A deep voice faded away.
      “I did not kill your parents,” Tegrin whispered.
      He carried her back to the caves. This was a complication he did not need. “By the Throne of Patwain, what am I to do with this human?”
      He studied the woman for a long time. She looked to be about nineteen, maybe less. Long fiery red hair fell across her face. Quite pretty, he thought, in an unusual way.
     Those green eyes, he sighed, they had been filled with hatred for him before she blacked out. The wait for her to regain consciousness chewed at him. He knew he would have to tell her the truth.

Women Writers and Their Share of the Market

    Three of the most popular women writers of all time are; J. K. Rowling (450 million books sold in the Harry Potter series + movie rights), Danielle Steel (800 million books sold (best seller of all time in Romance genre), and Stephanie Meyer (100 million for her Twilight series + movie rights). What makes them special? They are all different in their style of writing, yet they draw a huge audience.
    I believe what sets them apart is the connection they all have with the readers who chose their books. People want to escape from the real world for a variety of reasons, so they delve into magical places or romantic lives of imaginary people. When a writer can bring the pages of a book to life, and readers can go beyond the paper its written on, then you have a winner.
    These women have not only cornered the market with their great stories, they have overcome a market that was at one time predominately a man's world. The writing world is changing. The ebook market has hit the world by storm, but you still need to have a great story that people will want to read.
    Watch the newcomers like Amanda Hocking (420,000 sold and counting) and Alice Sebold (118,583 sold) and see where they are headed. Alice is just behind John Grisham in sales with her book Lovely Bones. The writing world is changing faster than speed of light and women writers are ready for the challenge.

FRACTURE The Secret Enemy Saga

Genre Anyone?

   Does your novel or story cross the genre lines? Is it something like this; my book is a contemporary paranormal romantic young adult thriller fantasy. Phew! Say that three times fast.
   Todays modern novels do not fit into the simple guidlines of yesterday. There is still the basics, but then you have a vampire who is from another world, who falls in love with a human being who finds out she can use magic and they fight the zombies and the mafia together.
   Catagory my dear? Who knows. I'm going to bed.  

from Shellwy Hitz's Self Publishing Coach blog

FRACTURE The Secret Enemy Saga by Virginia McKevitt

by Virginia McKevitt
(Georgia, USA)

Hi Shelley,

Thank you for the opportunity to talk about my book marketing strategies.

First of all, I am new at this game, so reading what other authors have done to market their books and make them successful was critical for me. Sites like yours and other experienced writers have been a tremendous help to someone such as myself. That said, here is what I have learned:

The internet is a virtual marketing smorgasbord avenue. I have put my book and myself on every social media site I can find; Facebook, twitter, Goodreads, She Writes, and the list continues on and on. I feel the best of these however is Google+ and Facebook. There seem to be a wider audience for me there.

I haven't stopped there though. I have created a blog and even a book trailer for my marketing campaign, and am now hunting reviewers with a rabid zeal. I connect with other bloggers and new writers whenever I can and try to pass on what I have learned.

It's hard work because you don't have the backing of a big house on your side, but you do have the satisfaction of knowing you are doing all you can to get your book, and really you out there.

FRACTURE The Secret Enemy Saga has had three 5 star reviews at Amazon.com and is waiting review currently on several sites. The challenges are huge, but I'm confident that I can meet them, after all I just published my first book.

Thanks again, Shelley

That Book Cover-how important is it, really?

   There are plenty of post out there on this subject and here's one more. If you don't think your book cover is important then you are selling yourself and your book short. I went back and forth over simple or striking for days, probably weeks before I decided what route to take.
   I knew what I really wanted. I wanted that reader to look at my cover and say WOW! So what was the next step. Do it myself? Maybe, but that's not what I decided. It took me awhile but my search was worth it. After perusing the internet I discovered Deviantart (great place) and found my cover artist, Char Marie.
   After a few emails and chats we were on the same page and the results were amazing. What a great person to work with. The cover has drawn so many to my book that it is amazing. I have even had people who don't read fantasy tell me the cover peaked their interest and once inside the pages they were glad it did.
   So, how important is that cover? It might be the most important step you take, second to writing your book. If you would like that kind of interest go see what Char has to offer.
   http://www.wix.com/wicked_art/wicked-cover-designs

OMG a mispelled word!

   Ahhh, the book is finished. You can relax now, the hard part is over. Don't believe that for a second! Now the real work begins. Now it's time to edit that bad boy. You go through it. Your spouse goes through it. Your friends, the guy across the street, and even the cat if he could read.
  Then it goes to the copy editor. The guy you pay to check your work. Now you can relax. Not so my friend. Even the person who is paid to edit books can miss something and they often do.
   I regress. The mail man rings the bell (what mail man does that anymore) and there is your proof. You are so excited. You read through it one more time. The cat still says no, and off it goes to the printer.
   Now it's out there in all its glory for the world to see. You run in to B&N and grab one off the shelf. Horror (music from Pyscho plays in the background), fifth chapter, page sixty. There's a word missing and one misspelled What do you do?
   Take a deep breath and try to remember how many times you found the same thing in another author's pride and joy. It happens. It's a fact of life, a right of passage and it happens to everyone. Human error, spellchecker and the guy with the shingle over the door, we all missed it.
   What you didn't miss was the five star review.

Fantasy Books

   I am a writer of fantasy books. Even though I have been writing for a long time I have just become published. Most would consider me a new author, a newby and most new authors seem to struggle needlessly in the deep waters surrounding book reviews and recognition.
   We all look for that ray of sunshine that will set our book apart. Whether it be vampire novels, the romance novel or just fantasy, we live and breath it as if it were alive.
    Don't give up hope. The best fantasy books out there began at the fingertips of a new writer and in the heart of romance author. Someone, somewhere had to pick up that first book and say, "Wow what a great story!"

FRACTURE The Secret Enemy Saga

Update! FRACTURE  is now available at Amazon.com. Please check it out and tell me what you think. Thanks V.

The Social Network

     You've written your book, it's published. Now what? Do you sit around and wait for readers to find it? I hope not. There is a vast resource out there for you and it's sitting at your fingertips. Social Networking. It is the life blood of aspiring authors everywhere. You say you don't know anyone.
     Step into cyberspace. There is Facebook, tell everyone you think you know. Join twitter and follow those who follow you. Join writing groups like Goodreads and She Writes. Go to Google+ and Stumbleupon. There is a platform almost anywhere you look. You just have to look.
     Good luck and happy writing.