Everything Is Better With Dragons
Book blogger, Autistic, Probably a Dragon
I’ve been fiddling around with CreateSpace and worked out that I have an eStore. Yes, I know, shocking that it’s taken me a month to work this stuff out. That it because I’m not great with technology, and the having to move stuff has been messing with my critical faculties.
So, if you want to buy the book direct, without having to go through Amazon and give the author a little bit of extra cash, order here
I will be adding the link to the book page too, so it’s easy to find later.
Thanks
I have finally got all the changes made to the text and now I’m getting Hidden Fire set up on CreateSpace – for the paperback – and KDP for the ebook. I hadn’t realised I could do both through KDP and used CreateSpace first. I’m jumping from one page to the other but I think I’m about sorted. I’m just waiting for my cover design now. I’ve got a few weeks so it’s no rush.
I plan to have the book available for pre-order in early June, ready for publication day, my birthday, 17th June.
What I really need now is beta readers, to go over the text one more time. There’s time to make any changes, but I need people other than me to read through to catch anything I’ve missed. I hate poorly edited books, as you all know, so I don’t want mine to join that list.
After I’ve got the book made, I’ll be looking for reviewers, so if anyone wants to read a fantasy novel and review it for me, either on their blog or on Amazon I’d been happy to send a copy.
I’m still planning to publish my book Hidden Fire this summer. I’ve made some progress. A couple of weeks ago I printed the whole book out and have been slowly editing. It took me the best part of two weeks to go through the first 11 chapters, but this weekend I’ve really put my back into it (because I haven’t the energy for anything else) and completed the read through. I’ve made some changes to the printed version and I now have to go back to my computer and make the changes in the document.
Yesterday a friend from university shared a video about formatting a book for publishing on Kindle, so I watched that and had a go at it. I have saved the original document too, so it’s not a big deal if I mess up. I currently have a file with the book formatted for Kindle, and another for the print book. I’m sure there’s front matter I’m missing and I need to find out about ISBNs and bar codes, but I’m getting there.
I’m waiting to hear back from my cover designer, but Michelle is busy working on her second novella, The Deceived, the follow up to her recently published The Bound. It’s understandable that she wants to concentrate on her own writing right now so I’m not going to be pushy. There’s eight weeks yet until publication date.
I’ve set up an author page on Facebook – Rosemarie Cawkwell – Indie Author. You’re welcome to follow and share if you’re on Facebook.
That’s about it. I’m going for a walk and then it’s back to work.
I just haven’t had any inspiration since Saturday. I’ve been working on my last university assignment for the year, and reading books that I need to get reviewed this week. I have finally read the two most pressing books; their reviews are written and scheduled for Friday and Sunday. I have three other books yet, from Pen&Sword, to read and review, and I need to read through and mess about with Hidden Fire one last time. My plan is to have it ready for release, on Amazon, on my birthday, 17th June. I need to get my cover ordered and work out how to format everything. I need more beta readers who will give me constructive criticism, that sort of thing.
Anyway, all this is distracting me and I can’t settle to write from prompts. I plan to keep going, writing when I’m able to, though posts might be irregular.
And now I’m tired so I’m going to get a glass of squash and go to bed early.
Rosie
xXx
Brief summary
Hidden Fire is a fantasy novel, the first of four set in The Northern Isles of a world called Erce, in which a young woman, LIZZY FITZALBONI, discovers herself and her place in the world. Privileged form birth, she must learn that not everyone exists to make life easy for her, while navigating a complex political world where many would like to see her dead.
Synopsis
The Northern Isles are four islands to the west of the great continental empire of Belenos. Midway between Belenos and the western continent of Camar, they are key trading ports, controlling the supply of furs and oils from Camar to Belenos, and of silks and spices back to Camar. When the islands go to war everyone suffers. Lizzy FitzAlboni is the illegitimate child of the King John VII of Albon. His political marriage to Jocinta Tarjani, the granddaughter of the ruler of the second largest island, Sumoast, has always been rocky. When Lizzy is kidnapped just before her 21st birthday evidence points to the queen and her kinsmen in Sumoast. Jocinta is exiled back to her family. In Albon, political and religious currents awaken as religious authorities object to the queen’s exile and the people agitate for further reform of the political system. Lizzy becomes involved, while raising her brothers. When her friend Lord Gos Val goes missing while on in Belenos, Lizzy and her friends must investigate, but are too late to prevent the war everyone knows is coming.
Copyright Notice: The author asserts the copyright to this material. No copying, sharing etc. without permission.
(This is my work; steal it and I’ll hunt you down with a big axe and two mad hounds.)
Continue reading “Extract: ‘Hidden Fire’, by Rosemarie Cawkwell”
I am going to be brave and post an extract from my novel Hidden Fire. I am fairly certain it has reached the point where I really need to do something with it, but I don’t know what to do. I’m conflicted. Should I try the traditional publishing route of find and agent and then hope a publisher buys it, or do I self-publish?
Writer’s Forum magazine has a page called ‘Idea Store’ every month. The Fiction Square is supposed to be used with a dice to chose characters, characteristics and situations. This month the squares are also numbered 1 – 30 as a daily writing prompt. I’ve done the first two.
The short stories are just first drafts, written quickly with the prompt. I’m going to post the first two after this post. Enjoy.
I haven’t got a book review for you this week, I’ve been too busy reading for my MA, but I thought I’d share some of my novel progress with you.
Continue reading “Characters everywhere – I have a mind map of them now”
Yes, it’s the weekly update about my MA adventures.
I have my results back for the assignments I handed in at the beginning of term. For my radio drama I got 73% and a suggestion that I might consider writing radio drama for my dissertation. Another tutor suggested I’d have got a higher mark with a less restrictive subject, but I enjoyed it, It’s easy writing stories based on reality because once I get all the character traits and background detail, and the timeline sorted out in my head I can just fit it all together.Continue reading “Uni: Week 4”
Apart from anything else I’ll finally have some money. But that is only a minor consideration. I’m really looking forward to getting back to studying, handing in my assignment and being sociable for one day a week.
I had a last minute read-through of my assignments this morning and noticed a few things I’d missed before, so I’ve just spent half an hour fixing them. I’m getting organised for going back on Wednesday. The little laptop is on charge, and I have finally worked out how to use my digital voice recorder. I need to put the spare batteries in my back-pack just in case, and my laptop charger once I finish charging it up.I thought I’d got the little laptop charged up weeks ago, but I must have forgotten to shut it down properly and drained the battery.
I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I just need to check train times. My ankle is too bad for me to walk to Habrough to catch the train so I’ll have to get the bus to Grimsby instead. I know what time the train leave Habrough, I don’t know what time it leaves Grimsby. And the bus timetable has changed, so I need to check that too.
I’m really excited. Can you tell?
Update: I have now checked my bus and train times, all is well. I shall get an early bus, go for a coffee at a local indie cafe, pop in to the wool shop and then catch my train in a nice, relaxed fashion. And I will not stress about any of this anymore. (Well, I keep telling myself that.)
Everything Is Better With Dragons 