March 2019 – Selina J. Eckert

Witching Hour Blog Tour: Interview with Pursy

Today is an extra special treat. It’s a story by an author I have worked with (the same fantastic lady who designed the cover for This Cursed Flame), and it’s one I had the extra special honor of proofreading (Part 2, that is). And I can tell you right now, it’s soooo good. Also, cats play a starring role. Can it get any better?

Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for the giveaway, and join in on the other blogs for books snippets, interviews, and more fun!

About the Book

Part One: As shadows encroach on the city of Lite, one cat stands between humanity and the hounds of darkness. Romeo takes it upon himself to find a suitor for his human Isabel in order to save the city and sets his sights on the unlikeliest of candidates. Can true love really save the day? Read Part One for FREE on Amazon and Most Digital Stores.

Part Two: When Isabel disappears in the middle of the night, matters take a turn for the worst. Romeo finds himself trekking through the dangerous wildlands to rescue the young queen with a clownish wizard, a sassy she-cat, a pretty healer, and a mysterious solider. However, their only hope may be the very thing Romeo fears most. Can Romeo and his friends save the day before the shadows consume them? Preorder for $.99/Releases March 25! Don’t forget to add the novella to your Goodreads Shelf.

The Witching Hour is a frolicking fantasy adventure with fairy tale themes and clean romance. Perfect for fans of Diana Wynne Jones and Lloyd Alexander.

Rated: PG for thematic elements and mild battle sequences

And now, the main event: Pursy Character Interview!

Q. Tell us a little bit about yourself. You seem like a well-traveled cat with tons of experiences!

Well, as you probably know, my name is Pursy. I’m a magical dark orange cat, and the royal healer Rose is my human. We don’t just take care of the royal family though. Rose would never agree to that. She has a big heart and wants to help everybody. A noble sentiment, but it can sometimes get her into trouble. And, yes, I am quite experienced, thank you for noticing; although, I haven’t traveled much beyond Rose’s flat, the royal college, and the palace. It isn’t safe to explore the world, you know. Too many hounds. The events of our story was the first time I’d really left the city. And I don’t care to repeat the experience any time soon.

Q. You spend a lot of time with your healer human. How did the two of you meet?

Rose found me when I was just a wee kitten hunting for scraps outside the dumpster near the college. She immediately noticed my talents and adopted me to help her with her training. She even took me to school with her.

Q. What was it like being a cat at a human school?

A little awkward, really. Nobody approved of Rose bringing her “pet” to school. I hate to use that word, but that’s what they called me. It’s quite the insult to a magical cat, you know. Anyway, although magical cats aren’t unheard of, the unmagical varieties are much more common. Her professor took a lot of convincing in regards to my superior qualities. Mostly, I just sat in Rose’s lap or sprawled next to the fire eavesdropping. They wouldn’t even allow me to take the tests, so I am not an official graduate of the college, although Rose insists I deserved certification. I don’t care about the papers, myself: I just like being useful, being able to help those who are suffering. Even cats have callings, you see, and healing is mine.

Q. Tell us a little more about your magic and how you help your human with her job.

I have a gift for emotions—specifically, I can share my emotions with others. So if someone is scared, I can calm them. If they’re in pain, I can lull them to sleep. I can even use my gifts on other magical cats. Like Romeo, the hero of our story. He doesn’t think he needs my help, but my Author insists he actually does. And I agree with her. I mean, look at him: he can’t even keep up with the palace mice these days. (That’s his job, you know, royal mouse catcher.)

Q. What are your other interests?

I love napping in the sunshine, when I can find an elusive patch of it. I also love snuggling with Rose. For a human, she has an uncanny ability to understand cats and relate to them. She treats me like an equal, something most humans don’t do. I also rather like helping people and creatures. I think I was always meant to be a healer’s cat. It’s just in my genes.

Q. After all the events outside of Lite, what are your plans now?

I plan to continue to help Rose with her duties as a healer and to spend as much time at the palace as I can. There are, ahem, creatures there I rather enjoy spending time with.

Q. Rumor has it that a certain kitty caught your fancy. Can you say anything about it?

Cough, cough. Well, since you asked, I am rather interested in a certain black kitty who lives in the palace. I won’t mention any names, but he’s rather charming in his egotistical, full-of-himself way. He doesn’t really think he needs anybody, but underneath all his fuss and bluster, he’s really just a kitten inside. He has a tragic past, and (sigh) I can’t resist a tragic kitty no matter how much he blusters. He needs me, even if he doesn’t know it.

Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Not really, Lady Selina. Your questions have been extremely on point. If you ever happen to be in Lite during your travels (not that I suggest traveling to Lite, though, because of the shadows and the hounds), do look me up. You’ll probably find me at the palace. I have a feeling I’ll be spending a lot of time there in the future. Who knows, I might even have a litter of little black and orange kittens for you to adore. Cats need to be adored, you know. That’s true for all felines, be that magical or no. Make sure you write that down…

Get a copy

In case you missed it above, you can read Part One for FREE on Amazon and Most Digital Stores. Part Two is available for a special preorder price of $0.99 and released on March 25.

You can also add it to your Goodreads Shelf.

About the author

Savannah Jezowski lives in Amish country with her Knight in Shining Armor and a wee warrior princess. She is the founder of Dragonpen Designs and Dragonpen Press, which offers author services such as cover design, developmental edits, and interior formatting. Her debut novella “Wither” is featured in Five Enchanted Roses, an anthology of Beauty and the Beast, and is a prequel to The Neverway Chronicles, a Christian fantasy series filled with tragic heroes and the living dead. She is also the author of When Ravens Fall, a Norse Beauty and the Beast retelling. She is featured in several Fellowship of Fantasy anthologies, including Mythical Doorways, Tales of Ever After, and Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales. When she isn’t writing, Savannah likes to read books, watch BBC miniseries, and play with cover design. She also enjoys having tea with her imaginary friends.

Learn more about Savannah Jezowski

Want to know about sales and new releases? Sign up for Savannah’s newsletter.

Giveaway!

You can enter to win a paperback of the entire story, both Parts One and Two! Simply click the link and follow the instructions. 🙂

Continue the Tour

Make sure to go back to all the previous posts for all the special release info and extras!

March 18 – Realm Explorers http://anniedouglasslima.blogspot.com

March 19 –Book Spotlight http://cobonham.com

March 20 – Book Review https://thefoldedworld.wordpress.com

March 21 – Guest Post https://tammylash.wordpress.com/

March 22 – Character Interview http://jenelleschmidt.com

Character Interview www.angeleya.com

March 24 – Character Interview http://corinnejet.wordpress.com

March 25 – RELEASE DAY https://dragonpenpress.com/

March 26 – Book Spotlight http://annie-louise-twitchell.blogspot.com/

March 27 – Book Spotlight www.hlburkeauthor.com/blog

March 28 – Book Review http://megdendler.blogspot.com/

March 29 – Character Interview https://sjeckert.wordpress.com

Happy reading, bookworms! ❤

Don’t Trick Your Readers

Today I want to talk about something I don’t think I’ve discussed before. How writers can fulfill the promises they make to readers… and just how they make those promises.

You see, every reader will enter into a story with some kind of expectation, whether it is regarding the genre, the target age, the tone of the writing, or the level of maturity (think gore, sex, and language). They form those opinions based on a number of things, and if we as writers do not fulfill those expectations, the reader is likely to become angry, feel betrayed, and walk away from our writing. Sometimes for good.

But what promises are we making? What promises are readers seeing? Let’s take a closer look.

The Cover

The first and biggest glimpse a reader will get into your story is through the cover. That’s right, readers DO judge books by their covers!

The purpose of a cover is twofold: grab readers’ attention and convey to those readers what they can expect.

First, we want our covers to be eye-catching. We want it to make readers stop scrolling through options and click on that link or that cover to find out more. It’s their first chance to learn about our story.

But the cover’s content will also determine which readers will stop on your book’s page. For example, a reader interested in clean fantasy is unlikely to stop on a book with two half-dressed people kissing on the cover. They will more likely stop on a cover with a castle or a dragon.

You see, the cover you give your book sets the mood for the story and, if it’s doing its job, tells readers about the genre. This is why it’s so important to be aware of what other authors’ book covers in your genre look like, because this is what readers are expecting. If you give them a cover that seems like it might be one thing when the story is really another, you may find yourself the not-so-proud owner of a one-star review. You will have unwittingly tricked the reader.

Your other work

While there are other ways you can make promises to readers, such as how you market the book, I only want to focus on one more today: your other work.

As an author, you may have already heard that your name is your brand. The things you write, the topics and themes you pursue, and the content and maturity level of your writing all influence what a reader will come to expect from your new works. This is why so many authors only publish in one genre… or do they?

Actually, this is one reason pen names exist. Readers will absolutely associate your name with the books you have already written. But if you want to write something completely different, they may expect it to be along the same type of work you’ve already done. Often, the solution is the creation of another pen name to associate with the new works.

Personally, I have one pen name, and that is the only name under which I share my work. But there may come a time in the future that I need to compartmentalize into another name, such as if I move from YA into adult or fantasy into fiction. And that is a possibility I know is open.

One good example of this is Mira Grant. Mira Grant is the pen name for an author who writes zombie fiction, specifically YA zombie fiction (The Newsflesh books). I found out a few years back that she is also the same author who writes one of the urban fantasy series I like, the October Daye series, under the name Seanan McGuire (who also penned some other fantasy reads). Readers have very different expectations from these two distinct names, and for that reason, she compartmentalizes her work into multiple names.

How do we fulfill these promises?

First and foremost, be cognizant of the way you present your work. Don’t misrepresent it, and do your research on how other authors in the same genre are presenting and marketing their work.

Second, make sure you aren’t breaking promises you’ve made through your other work. At a minimum, let your readers know when a book is different from what you’ve previously published. If it’s a minimal difference such as the level of maturity or how clean a read it is, you may not need anything else, particularly if it’s still in the same genre and age category. And if it’s very different, perhaps consider starting a new pen name and letting your current readers know, in case they want to follow along.

Finally, pay attention to your readers. If they are confused or you seem to be getting a lot of negative reviews along the lines of “this wasn’t what I expected,” then you may need to evaluate changing your target audience for the work or rebranding under a new name. Be open to the changes and listen to the advice of others (but of course, use that advice to make your own decisions).

Your Turn

These are the things I’ve come up with about times I’ve felt tricked by a cover or an author, but I know there are so many other examples, such as false advertising (Example: get this free book! Just kidding, it’s just a sample.).

Usually, it’s not intentional. Writers don’t want to trick their readers (except for plot twists!). But we still need to keep the possibility in mind and be sensitive to what our readers are telling us.

And now I want to hear from you. Was there a time you felt tricked by a writer or a book? How did it make you feel? What are your suggestions and other experiences for fulfilling promises to readers? Tell me below!

The Luck o’ the Writer

Yeah, I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna make a St. Patrick’s Day-inspired post.

Around this time of year, I tend to watch Leap Year at least once. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a charming, hilarious movie set in Ireland. The main character Anna, played by the fabulous Amy Adams, is tired of waiting around for her cardiologist boyfriend to propose to her, so she calls upon an ancient Irish tradition that may or may not actually exist: if she proposes to him on Leap Day, he must accept. Well, shenanigans ensue, and without any spoilers, things don’t exactly go as expected. There’s a lot of Anna trying to control her life and her relationship and a lot of the world telling her she can’t.

But that movie, and the only holiday in March, got me thinking. As writers, there are so many things out of our control. So many things based in luck (ah, there’s the rest of the St. Patrick’s Day cliche).

We can control our writing. Our editing. Our interactions with readers and potential readers.

But we can’t control when an agent will read our query. How the market will be when our book is ready. What mood a person is in when they read your book.

All of these things influence the success of our work. It can mean the difference between a shining review and a mediocre review. It can mean the difference between finding an agent or not. It can mean the difference between selling a book or not.

And for a lot of people, especially when they start (though it never gets much easier, from what I can tell, particularly if you’re traditionally published), it’s hard not to be able to control how well your book does. Sure, there are things we can try, there is marketing we can do, and we can independently publish. But we can do all the things right and still not see the success we want to.

Today I just want to remind you that even if your book never sells a single copy, even if you never get an agent, that doesn’t mean your book isn’t valuable and isn’t good. Sometimes the luck isn’t on our side. The wrong agent reads it, or another, bigger book releases on the same day as yours.

Don’t let that stop you. Keep working hard, keep learning, keep doing everything you can, but don’t beat yourself up if things don’t work out right away. Do what’s best for you and your book, and don’t take it personally if it fails. Learn from it. Grow with it. In an industry where we only have so much control, take control of what you can. Give yourself every chance for success.

And whatever else you do, make sure you keep writing.

Blog Tour: Kandi Wyatt’s An Unexpected Escapade (And Cover Reveal!)

Hi friends! I have a another special, not-regularly-scheduled post for you today. Today we are celebrating the cover reveal and upcoming release of Kandi Wyatt’s middle grade fantasy, An Unexpected Escapade! And make sure you read all the way to the bottom for a scavenger hunt clue, the cover, and an excerpt!

Here’s a little bit about it:

Protect friendship, family or a creature that’s not supposed to exist?

Ana and Daisy have been friends since third grade, but a rift in the space-time continuum in their little town may change that. When a unicorn waltzes into the pasture with Daisy’s appaloosas, a poacher, who will stop at nothing to gain the unicorn horn and its healing tears, shows up. Daisy is focused on saving the unicorn while Ana’s parents face sudden life-threatening health issues. When Ana learns about the healing tears, she’s forced to choose between friendship and her family’s health.

Can the girls find the grace to compromise and save Ana’s parents and the unicorn?

Sounds amazing! And if you’re still not sold on that summary, how about a little taste of what you’ll find inside?

Daisy frowned. Usually, the horses waited for her by the barn. The drought this summer had left little grass in the pasture, and Daisy’d resorted to supplementing the horses’ feed with hay. By the end of the day, the mares were eager for their extra food, so where were they? She squinted into the fading light, catching a glimpse of speckled white rumps down by the woods. With a shrug, she hopped the fence and moved toward them, whistling.

Once she was close enough to see the horses more clearly, she realized that instead of two horses, there were three! Daisy rubbed her eyes and looked again. Sure, enough there was a third mare, but how in the world had it entered the pasture?

“G-ginger? R-root?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

None of them moved. Daisy knew enough about the creatures to not approach a strange horse lightly. Aside from the dangers it posed in itself, a herd initiating a new member could have physical confrontations as they established the new pecking order—something she would not want to be in the middle of. But she also knew that any trepidation she felt would transfer to the animals, so she took a firm grip on her own fear before she stepped forward.

“Easy, girls. Who do we have here?” In the dim light she recognized Ginger’s distinctive spots and laid her hand on her horse’s rump. She felt the shiver of Ginger’s skin at her touch.

Daisy moved toward Ginger’s head, running her hands firmly along her coat and keeping up a soft litany of soothing words. Feet shifted beside her, and Daisy looked up to see Root, placing her other hand on the mare’s back. That left the stranger in front of her.

At that moment, the moon broke over the mountains to the east, shining brightly on the newcomer. The white coat glowed in the moonlight. Daisy blinked and shook her head, breath catching in her chest, while her hands moved of their own accord up to Ginger’s and Root’s halters. She stared. It had to be a hoax! Out of the horse’s forehead protruded a wondrous horn, equally beautiful and impossible.

Okay, okay, enough suspense. Here’s the beautiful cover for this adventure with heart!

You can buy this gorgeous book here.

And if you looked closely, you may also have noticed that this is book 2 of the Myth Coast Adventures. Well, it turns out that you can also get book 1 on sale for only $0.99 from March 11-18. If you want to start from the beginning, sales are definitely the best time to do that! You can buy the book here.

Giveaway Scavenger Hunt!

Remember how I said this post is part of a blog tour with a scavenger hunt? Well, here’s the info!

First, here is your clue! (And if you are having trouble figuring out what’s in the picture, let me just tell you how much I love the smell and taste of cranberries in the fall and winter!)

Visit all the blogs participating in the cover reveal to gather all the clues and win a prize, a felted unicorn and unicorn charms!

Here are the other participating bloggers:

Make sure you fill out this form to enter! https://goo.gl/forms/UjLD2iJXyjFywNPA3

About Kandi Wyatt

Even as a young girl, Kandi J Wyatt had a knack for words. She loved to read them, even if it was on a shampoo bottle! By high school Kandi had learned to put words together on paper to create stories for those she loved. Nowadays, she writes for her kids, whether that’s her own five or the hundreds of students she’s been lucky to teach. When Kandi’s not spinning words to create stories, she’s using them to teach students about Spanish, life, and leadership.

You can find her at her website, Facebook, Google, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Amazon.

Also by Kandi Wyatt

Dragon’s Future: https://www.books2read.com/u/bzpDq9

Dragon’s Heir: https://www.books2read.com/u/47YQE3

Dragon’s Revenge: https://www.books2read.com/u/b5qvGb

Dragon’s Cure: https://www.books2read.com/u/47kxJa

Dragon’s Posterity: https://www.books2read.com/u/4DA8og

Dragon’s Heritage: https://www.books2read.com/u/3neVN6

Journey from Skioria: https://www.books2read.com/u/4AwJee

To Save a Race: https://www.books2read.com/u/49PG5k

The One Who Sees Me: https://www.books2read.com/u/mdrRlb

Interacting with Authors 101

Ever wonder how (and when) to contact an author? Wonder no more.

Okay, so this week I had a lot of feelings. Maybe it was because I turned 30 (that milestone of birthdays). Maybe it was the stress at work (hello, mountains and hours of data analysis!). Maybe it was things I read online (isn’t that everyone?).

One of those things I read online was an article articulating all the things I have been observing online for years, but to an extreme degree. You see, a writer friend sent me this article by Jesse Singal. You should definitely give it a read. And as a result, this blog post happened. There is so much fear in the YA writing community that people can’t express any kind of dialogue regarding diversity or the witch-hunting mentality at work for fear of losing their fans or careers. If they do, swarms of angry internet users descend on them.

Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t call out problematic things when we see them (and I’ll come back to that in a bit). But I am saying that this bullying behavior is dangerous and toxic. It is a suppression of ideas when books should be making us think, making us question things. It is censoring the spread of ideas and information and killing the opportunity for open discussion and growth. And it doesn’t solve the problem; it only serves to foster hurt feelings and bitterness.

Is that really healthy? No.

But how do we interact with authors in productive, healthy ways?

First, let’s start with things to remember about authors:

Authors are people, too. They have just as many feelings as everyone else. They really exist, and the things people say about them and their work really do affect them.
Most of the time, they’re doing their best. Yes, sometimes they don’t succeed. But that is an opportunity for growth, just like every other mistake or less-than-perfect attempt out there. They grow and learn with every book they write. If they’re given the chance.
Authors are not the books they write. Their characters do not necessarily represent their personal views of the world, and their stories may not have the meaning you think they do (though half a book is the reader’s experience, so that does matter, and hopefully the author has taken that into consideration during edits).
Authors, and their books, are not perfect. They do everything they can to make it shine and polish it up, but there is always going to be something that someone will hate or disagree with. And that’s okay. We seem to be stuck in a climate where disagreement is obscene, and it is leading to an atmosphere that stifles creative and personal growth as well as diversity.

Now, there are a few different situations in which a reader may want to interact with an author. Let’s start with the simplest scenario.

You read a book. You fall in love with it. And you just can’t keep it to yourself.

Should you contact the author? YES!

It is incredibly encouraging to authors to hear positive feedback on their writing! This is a good time to let an author know you’ve enjoyed it, and it will put a smile on their face, guaranteed. Spread the positivity!

You read a book. You hate everything about it. You didn’t click with it, the story was derivative, and you frankly could have written something better yourself.

Should you contact the author? NO!

Why? Because they are people. Sure, leave your review as you see fit (as long as it’s about the book and not the author… don’t make it personal), but don’t tag an author or otherwise direct their attention to this negative review. They don’t need to see it. It doesn’t encourage them, it can hinder their creativity, and it can do a whole lot more harm than good.

And finally, the idea that brought me to this post in the first place…

You read a book. It has problematic elements that are pretty insensitive and offensive.

Should you contact the author? MAYBE.

Let me explain.

If you feel you can discuss the matter with a calm, level head and have an open discussion, then by all means, contact the author. But if you can’t, leave it to someone else. Write your review, do NOT tag the author, and move on.

And if you do contact the author, here are some tips:

Contact them privately. Do not make a public post to shame or call them out. Oftentimes, the problem you see may be unintentional, and the author is more than happy to hear the feedback and fix the problem, or to correct it in their future writing if the book has already been published and can no longer be changed.
Remember you could be wrong… and accept it if you are. I have seen people shaming and tearing apart books and their authors when they think it has crossed lines of culture and history when in reality it had nothing to do with the problems these hunters are shouting about.
Be kind and tactful. Instead of yelling at the author or shaming them, which can automatically put a person on the defensive and make them less receptive to what you have to say, use phrases like, “I liked your story, but I think [this particular element] may be offensive to some people. Would you be willing to talk about it?” Be honest, but don’t let that make you rude or hurtful.
Offer to be a beta reader or sensitivity reader. Obviously, if you are not in the demographic for which the problematic element is problematic, do not offer to sensitivity read. But you can still suggest that sensitivity readers will strengthen the book. Either way, continue to remember to be kind.
Don’t make it personal. This is about the story, not the person. An author is not their book.

But what if the author is not receptive to your feedback? What if they’re downright mean or argumentative?

Do not engage. Thank them for their time, then stop responding. Some authors just will not be open to a discussion, and it’s better to walk away than to try to argue with a fool.
Leave your review of the book. Don’t make it personal, just like I mentioned already. Keep it focused on the book. Call out the problematic elements or what you didn’t like. But keep it professional.
Don’t start a mob. There is so much mob mentality on so many of these topics online, particularly Twitter and Tumblr. It’s so easy to get caught up in it, but it’s not productive and only hurts more feelings. Again, keep it professional. Even if the author looks like a fool, make sure people can’t mistake you for one, as well.

If you remember nothing else…

…just remember that authors are people with feelings and failings, just like you and everyone else. Treat them that way, the way you would want to be treated if you were in their shoes. And keep in mind…

Someone else’s behavior never gives you permission to be cruel.

Now, I want to hear from you. Are you an author? A reader? What are your thoughts? Tell me below, and let’s talk about talking.

Until then, happy writing and happy reading!

There is No Right Way

Happy March, friends! Last month we had a blast talking fantasy, but today I want to focus on the writing process again. Particularly, I’d like to discuss the advice that floats around out there in the interwebs and how we develop our writing methods.

You see, the writing process is incredibly personalized… what works for one doesn’t work for all. As writers, we learn over time how to recognize what works best for us and organize our time and abilities to make the most progress.

But despite this truth, I still see countless articles, blog posts, and bits of advice telling writers how they should approach their writing. How they have to set aside a certain time EVERY DAY, how they must write every day, how they should do this, or do that, and if they don’t, they’re not really a writer.

But all that is malarky. One writer’s method may work for them, but it may not work for anyone else. As writers, we need to be wise with what we read and consume and understand this. Other writers may give advice or sure-fire methods to getting that book done, but in reality, they can only share things from their own experience.

When we start writing, it is good to take in as many methods as possible, to try out approaches we might not have tried or considered before. But as we write and practice, we will learn what works (and doesn’t work) for us. And eventually we will have our ideal writing method. We will keep the things that work and discard the rest. And maybe sometimes we will revisit methods when we find we need to refine our methods yet again.

Even after years, the method you develop may not be a concrete method. Your writing process will likely continue to develop and change as you continue to write. Personally, I have tried many methods, and while I found some things that worked and I thought they would be solid forever, I ended up ditching them because they no longer served me.

And that’s okay.

The truth is you will constantly be adapting and altering your method, even minutely, based on your circumstances and current projects. You will eventually find what works for you (or for that project) and stick to that. But then it may change again.

Don’t be afraid of changing, and don’t be afraid to defy the next hot bit of advice to come out of the internet. And also don’t be afraid to try new methods. You may find one that suits you even better than what you thought was your ideal process!

The bottom line is this: do what is best for you, no matter what anyone else says, do what helps you write and focus the most. Do this, and the story will happen in ways you never imagined possible.

~~~

What methods are you currently using? What bits of advice have you seen… and hated? Tell me below!