Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Becoming A Name, Calling Vicki

 The name game is an important part of being a successful author. There are two parts of this equation. As your book becomes a familiar name so will you and as your name becomes more familiar to the book buying public so will the titles of your books.




 Look at it this way. When you hear the name Carrie you automatically think Stephen King. Thomas Harris and you think about his character Hannibal Lecter. Oliver Twist and David Cooperfield instantly connects to Charles Dickens. J.K. Rawlings and Harry Potter will always be connected at the hip. We, as writers, enter into a bargain with our lead characters. It is almost like a marriage. We are going to spend the rest of our lives together and it is truly going to be for better or worst. If readers do not connect to my lead character Victoria Winters then she will haunt me forever. I am okay with this. I love Vicki and I look forward to spending more time with her through the good times and the bad.
 
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Being s fiction writer is not easy. I write both fiction and non-fiction and without a doubt non-fiction is easier. In fiction you are creating something that did not exist before you came along. The characters that we create can help us along the way. I believe that no great or even quality work of fiction has ever been written without a strong set of characters moving the story along. When I got stuck in the middle of the novel quicksand Vicki showed up to pick the book up and move it forward. She had a story that she wanted told and I would not have been able to cross the finish line without her. The antagonist was important in this regard as well, but my lead character did what she was born to do and that was lead me along the way. I will write other novels. Right now I am in the middle of an epic fantasy novel and the lead characters are the ones that keep the story going. If that series of novels becomes popular one day then people will mention their names and then my name in connection. When George R.R. Martin is mentioned Game of Thrones comes up usually in the same sentence and When his fantastic characters, Daenerys, Tyrion, Cersei and Arya Stark are mentioned then comes the name of their creator.

 As a writer you are going to be linked to your character if you are lucky. Just make sure that they are interesting and memorable.

Good luck with you writing. Please take a moment to read a few chapters of my book. The first five are available by clicking the links above this post. Thank you and please bookmark this site. 

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Saturday, August 2, 2014

Calling Vicki, an Eye Catching Cover

Calling Vicki, an Eye Catching Cover

Selecting a cover for your novel is both one of the hardest things and most important thing when it comes to marketing your novel. Your cover is the first thing that a customer is going to see. It will either intrigue them or cause them to move on to the next book.

I have to say that I like the original cover for my book Calling Vicki. I like it so much that I will keep it for the paper back version of the book, but I did need a more eye catching cover for the ebook. Something that captured the spirit of the character and made, you, the reader want to dive in. I look at the new cover as being the soul of the lead character Victoria Winters. When I saw the picture I knew that it would fit this character perfectly. Here is the new cover.







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This takes me to another important part of marketing a novel. Social media. The cover of your novel can be promoted on Pinterest. You can do this, but it is better to enlist the aid of others. I would like you to pin my cover if you like it. Secondly I would like to add that you can market via Facebook. Facebook is another important part of the marketing campaign that you will build around your book. I have a facebook fan page for Calling Vicki. Also I have one that is dedicated to my Empires Falling dark fantasy series. Remember every reader can become a fan of your work and fans are the best friends that you will ever have. They will tell others about your work and how go a writer that you are. Whether you write fantasy, suspense, thrillers, romance or horror you should take the time to build a fan page and if you do not have the time visit Fiverr and hire someone to do it for you. Over time it will be of value to both you and your fans.


Okay that is it for today. I would like to thank you for visiting and if you have found this post interesting then please stumble it on stumble upon or share it on your facebook.