This post brought to you by Amelia James, author.
Fulfilling a Basic Human Need
I follow a few celebrities on Twitter: my muse, my favorite band, a couple comedians and Wil Wheaton. I’m not a geek by choice. I grew up on Star Trek: The Original Series and Doctor Who, and I married a man who was thrilled he met a girl who liked Star Wars. So yeah, I have my geekish moments.
Following Wil Wheaton was not one of them. He was one of the first people I followed because he was listed as a writer. Hmm… didn’t know that about him. He’s an interesting tweeter, equal parts writer, geek, actor, and family man. /end Wil Wheaton commercial. A couple months ago, he tweeted this: “Everyone should have a nemesis, an evil twin, and a secret identity. Ohhh! AND a partner in crime.”
Heehee. That got my geeky imagination going. Do I have a secret identity? Check. An evil twin? Most definitely. A nemesis? More than one. A partner in crime? Always looking for more.
My secret identity is (shhh, don’t tell) Amelia James, romance author!
I started writing romance several years ago, but … Read the rest
This post brought to you by Lane Diamond – Owner, Executive Editor, Author.
Another guy with an opinion about this crazy industry. Yeesh!
As Publisher and Executive Editor here at Evolved Publishing, I’ve been asked by a few people to weigh in, so here goes. (Fair warning: you might want take that BRB and freshen up that cup of coffee before you continue.)
I spend a lot of time gazing into my crystal ball, opaque though it may be, to figure out what the future holds for us small fries trying to find our way in the mighty, mighty world of publishing. I’ve been doing that since long before my partner D.T. Conklin and I decided to open up shop as Evolved Publishing. Now, I must keep my finger on the pulse not just for myself, but for the fine and talented authors, editors, and artists who’ve joined our team – 10 authors, 5 editors, 5 artists, and more coming soon in every category. It’s early in our collective effort, but the train is gathering steam.
We offer an alternative to both traditional publishing, often referred to as The Big 6, and the self-publishing option – we offer … Read the rest
This post brought to you by Megan Morrison, author of And Then It Rained: Lessons for Life
The Fun and Inspiration of Travel
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page..” – St. Augustine
I took my first plane ride in the fifth grade, a family trip to Disney World. I still remember the giddy feeling in the pit of my stomach on our one-hour drive to the airport. Part of it probably came from the fact that I hadn’t slept at all the night before, my mind racing with all of the cool things on the agenda for the next day. I was getting a chance to FLY! On a PLANE! To a place so different than the Midwest sights of my previous eleven years.
The trip was everything I’d dreamed it to be. My parents’ mantra while we’d planned the vacation had been, “We may only get to do Disney once, so we’re going to do everything big.” We stayed in one of the nicest hotels (on the famed Monorail). My sisters and I went to the “fancy” concierge lounge every morning, and stashed away extra … Read the rest
This post brought to you by Ranee Dillon – Author of upcoming The Binding of Twelve trilogy.
We Could All Use a Little Cooperative Help
As writers, we all need feedback on our work. Sometimes it’s difficult to step away from a story to find the holes. We require objective opinions on pacing, believability, and content.
The first place writers often turn for guidance is the group.
Writers’ groups can be a wonderful experience. Not only will you receive feedback on your work, but you can commiserate about writer’s block, daily word counts, and uncooperative characters. However, first you must understand the reason you’re searching for a group.
So ask yourself a couple questions –
1) Is my goal to publish? – It’s important to know your intentions. If your goal is not to publish, but simply to share your work and improve crafting, then you need to search for a group that focuses less on critiquing and more on support.
2) Are you ready to accept constructive criticism? – This question isn’t as silly as you might think. We all want a pat on the back after struggling for hours to create our stories. However, these idle adulations … Read the rest
This post brought to you by the Team at Evolved Publishing.
Children’s Picture Book and Illustrated Chapter Book On Sale for Just $0.99!
Is Evolved Publishing going to the birds? Or the dogs? Or maybe even the dragons? Wait, what?
Are you confused? Let us explain. Evolved Publishing is expanding our children’s literature section, because we think kids should be literate and we have writers who agree. To that end, we are excited to launch the Bird Brain Books by Emlyn Chand, a series of illustrated children’s books that offer wonderful lessons for kids, featuring Emlyn’s favorite avian characters.
You may already be familiar with the Three Lost Kids, based on the imaginations of author Kimberly Kinrade’s own kids (who aren’t lost at all; they are all three accounted for… most of the time.)
Well, to celebrate the launch of Honey the Hero by Emlyn Chand, both her book and Kimberly Kinrade’s Bella World are on sale all week (through Monday, April 30th) for only $0.99—a tremendous discount from the regular $4.99 price.
Here’s a little more about those books, and how you can grab your copy.
Honey the Hero (A Bird Brain Book)
Hi, my name is Ducky … Read the rest
This post brought to you by Lane Diamond – Owner, Executive Editor, Author.
Here We Grow Again!
Allow us to introduce to you our newest artist, Mallory Rock.
Mallory will be providing some great book covers for our authors. She specializes in graphic design, utilizing photo manipulation and more to create seamless, professional images.
Please stop by Mallory’s artist’s page to learn more about her.… Read the rest
This post brought to you by Lane Diamond – Owner, Executive Editor, Author.
Here We Grow Again!
Allow us to introduce to you our newest authors, Ranee Dillon and Kenneth G. Bennett.
Ranee will be offering some YA Fantasy adventure for your reading pleasure, offering a bit of mysticism, a dash of romance, and lots of fun.
We’ll be releasing the first book in Ranee’s The Binding Of Twelve trilogy, Ring Binder, in October 2012. Books 2 and 3 of the trilogy will arrive in 2013.
In the meantime, you can learn a little more about Ranee at her author’s page.
Kenneth will be bringing you some tense action in the Thriller genre, keeping you on the edge of your seat in suspense.
We’ll be releasing Ken’s Exodus 2018 in late Summer or early Fall 2012. Stay tuned for a specific date.
In the meantime, you can learn a little more about Kenneth at his author’s page.… Read the rest
This post brought to you by Kimberly Kinrade – Author, Marketing Director.
Bite-Sized Fiction
A serial is a work of literature presented in installments, like chapters, rather than as one complete work.
Quite a few novels from the Victorian era first appeared in installments in monthly or weekly magazines and newspapers. Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers helped popularize this form of commercial literature, and now the Internet is bringing it back.
New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson used this format to bring to the world his novel Warbreaker. Despite major success for his Mistborn series, and taking over the writing of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time novels, he gave away his book online one chapter at a time, and though it’s available for sale now, it’s still published for free on his website, fully edited.
So what’s the appeal of this format for readers?
It carries the same appeal that keeps us coming back to our favorite television dramas and series: the lure of what happens next. Except that with serial novels, in many cases, the readers get to participate actively in the shaping of the novel.
With Sanderson’s novel, readers left feedback and comments and he … Read the rest
This post brought to you by Lane Diamond – Owner, Executive Editor, Author.
Here We Grow Again!
Allow us to introduce to you our newest author, Amelia James.
Amelia will be bringing a little juicy excitement to the mature readers in our audience, writing within the Romance genre. If you’re looking for a little steamy, “Oh my!”, vicarious thrill in your life, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ll be announcing Amelia’s first two books (one novel and one short story collection), and their release dates, within the very near future, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, you can learn a little more about Amelia at her author’s page.… Read the rest
This post brought to you by Lane Diamond, Author and Executive Editor.
Why Can’t I Finish That Book?
Like so many aspiring writers and published authors, I subscribe to the usual print magazines geared toward writers, a number of online newsletters and e-zines, and about 97,642 blogs (feels like it, anyway). It seems no matter which of these venues I peruse, they invariably offer up regular articles about how to kick your writing into gear.
And what do they offer? Cute or clever exercises, writing prompts, chat groups, writers’ groups, online communities, social media forums, blah, blah, blah.
Okay, now I know I’m going to start a fight here with some writers, which is not my intent. So let me just say that this is my opinion, Lane Diamond’s, and mine alone. Even some of my teammates here at Evolved Publishing may well disagree with me. Nonetheless….
If you want to be a writer, you must write. Uh… more specifically… you must write whatever it is you wish to publish. Forget all the other cutesy stuff, and just write.
There, I said it. Okay, okay, before you scream at me, yes, you can drop in on … Read the rest
This post brought to you by Megan Morrison, Author.
What I Learned from Alex
“Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never ever the same.” – Flavia Weedn
So, I finally had an idea for the Megan’s Monday Musings post. It’s been a crazy two months for me, but my stress levels—and the things causing those heightened stress levels—are beginning to die down, and I found some time last week to write up a new post.
Then, Friday, news forced me to write a different one.
A very dear friend of mine passed away last week. If you’ve read my memoir, you know that I’m no stranger to hard times, but (knock on wood) I haven’t had to face the ultimate loss of a friend or family member on many occasions (again, knock on wood). This hit me pretty hard.
Alex was a manager at an organization I worked with early in my career. I was fresh out of college, a “kid” to him and his colleagues, but he gave me a chance to prove myself, and he never hesitated to give me credit where credit was due. … Read the rest
This post brought to you by John Anthony Allen, editor.
Introducing a YA Paranormal Adventure by Kimberly Kinrade
Sam and Drake are back. They’ve escaped Rent-A-Kid, but they’re not in the clear yet. Meanwhile, Lucy and Luke, Sam’s best friends, try to take down the brutal Mr. Black, and the rest of the Rent-A-Kid organization, from the inside. Lurking behind the scenes, however, is the enigmatic Seeker, and he has other ideas for all of them.
Romance, action, suspense, and an intriguing cast of characters propel this book to a satisfying and intense climax.
As an editor, I’m always pleased … Read the rest
This post brought to you by D.T. Conklin.
Yes, that’s right, folks. We’ve got a great free day going on at Amazon on Tuesday, March 27th. Tell your friends. Facebook and tweet and g+ it. Spread the word, minions, for our time of world domination is at hand!
On this day in 1306, Robert the Bruce was crowned King of Scotland.
As our previous sale indicated, I love the Scottish. However, this particular bit caught my eye for a different reason: the movie Braveheart. Screaming Scottish, battering rams, arrows darkening the sky like a plague of gnats—this movie had it all, and Robert the Bruce was a major character. It’s historically inaccurate, but it did something that all authors should strive to do, and that’s create an emotional link to our readers.
So I’m going to scrap history and work from the movie. It’s stuffed with love, loss, betrayal, vengeance, all the ingredients for an interesting story. Robert the Bruce symbolized the best kind of betrayal. Were his actions calculating and self-serving as he turned from friend and embraced enemy? Perhaps. But his face—ragged and exhausted, with more than a hint of sadness—it displayed regret.
He’d betrayed a … Read the rest
This post brought to you by Lane Diamond.
It’s All About You, Dear Reader
I thought it was just about the right time to talk to you readers out there. After all, we wouldn’t be here were it not for you.
We at Evolved Publishing have been thinking a lot over the past several months about why we exist. What do we intend to offer our customers (that would be you, we hope), and will it meet your demands? What quality assurance guarantee can we provide? Can we create a mission, a process, a catalog of talented writers and great works, which will cause you to associate the Evolved Publishing name with good books? Will you so enjoy our professional, high quality books that you’ll come back to us for your reading needs time and again?
The truth is that it’s both an exciting time and a tough time out there for readers, and for the writers who hope to appeal to them. The market is flooded with new offerings, expanding daily. What a joy for readers. Or is it? We’ve actually seen some grumbling by readers recently, out there in the eVerse. Seems the ePublishing/Self-Publishing bonanza is … Read the rest
This post brought to you by the team at Evolved Publishing.
Evolution: Vol. 2 (A Short Story Collection)
It seems some of our advertising for the contest broke later than we’d expected. Some folks have said they would have liked a little more time to prepare.
Well, you asked for it, you got it.
We’ve extended the submission deadline, and all subsequent dates, for our 2nd Short Story Contest. Please see all the details at our Contest Page.… Read the rest
This post brought to you by Kimberly Kinrade.
Classifying Books for Kids and Young Adults
As a parent, I’m always on the lookout for great books for my kids. As a reader, I love to find a fantastic new author with whom to fall in love. As an author and marketing director for Evolved Publishing, I’ve taken an interest in how books are classified, especially for younger readers.
The fiction genres for adults are pretty clear-cut. There’s literary fiction and genre fiction, and you find what you like within those choices. Some like to mix it up with a little of this and that, but whether you’re looking for romance, horror, magic, science fiction, or a thriller, you generally know what you’ll find within your genre.
For the under 18 reading crowd, it’s not so simple. When does a child graduate from Goosebumps Horror books for young readers to real horror that would give grown men nightmares?
How much is too much in regards to language, sex, or violence?
Historically, children’s literature has not been conservative in some of these areas. I think back to the original telling of Cinderella, and remember her evil … Read the rest
This post brought to you by Megan Morrison.
Songs are stories, too.
“Music cleanses the understanding; inspires it, and lifts it into a realm which it would not reach if it were left to itself.” — Henry Ward Beecher
I’ve had a habit of running about 60 miles a week (often 10 miles+ at a shot) for well over twelve years now. People ask me all the time how I do it. Don’t I get bored? Then I tell them I often run those miles on a treadmill, and their jaws drop even further. How in the world could I stay focused for almost two hours?
It’s simple: music.
Not just any music. I select songs for my running playlist almost as carefully as I select my attire for a fancy dinner party. I look at the beat (not so fast that I’ll burn out, not so slow that I’ll get bored), the tone (too many songs from same-sounding bands or vocalists tend to dampen my interest), and most importantly, I scrutinize the words. When it comes to a two-hour run, I depend on good lyrics.
If you’ve read my memoir, you’ll understand how I relate … Read the rest
This post brought to you by D.T. Conklin.
So, I’m going to admit something right now: I’m a Doctor Who fan. There are a lot of us, nowadays, especially after the return of the series in 2005. One of the things I’ve noticed, as I watched season after season, is the Doctor’s companions. They change sometimes, once every season or two or three, but he’s almost always got someone to adventure with. I think there are a few reasons for this.
1. It’d be a boring show without them. The Doctor, while amusing enough on his own, needs someone to bounce his brilliance off of.
2. He needs them. Could he save the universe from the Daleks or Cybermen without Rose or Amy or Rory? Maybe. Doubtful. However, I can assure you one thing, it wouldn’t be an episode of Doctor Who without a companion to lighten the load. It just wouldn’t. It’d be the Doctor, with his slick suite and scarf, or an apple, or whatever his current incarnation does, and he’d have to figure out everything himself. Yikes. Not only does this include reason #1, in that it would be boring, but it’s also highly improbable. … Read the rest
This post brought to you by Lane Diamond.
Lane Diamond and D.T. Conklin Talk About Publishing
This is the second in a 2-part interview series with podcaster and aspiring author Timothy C. Ward, who was kind enough to sit down and talk to us about our business, about our authors and books, about why we do what we do.
I think this one is more about me as an author and editor, though it covers a broad range of topics.
We sure appreciate Tim’s taking the time give us this opportunity, and I hope you’ll stop by and enjoy our conversation.
AudioTim 26: Lane Diamond, Author of Forgive Me, Alex… Read the rest
This post brought to you by John Anthony Allen, Editor.
Find Your Voice
You know how you can instantly identify a Prokofiev sonata?
Uh … anyone?
Okay, let’s try that again.
You know how you can instantly identify a Creedence Clearwater Revival song? John Fogerty’s folk-funk singing, that distinctive swamp-rock sound? You’ve probably got one of those classic tunes stuck in your head right now: “Down on the corner…” or “I see the bad moon rising…”or “I ain’t no fortunate one…” or… well, you get the picture.
If you think about it, a lot of the greatest musicians became great because of their unique sound. They’ve found a means of expression that, quite simply, suits them. The same is true with all finely crafted creative endeavors. Monet, Seinfeld, Wordsworth, Vonnegut, Prokofiev, Fogerty—these masters have all found their voice, and it’s voice that makes them great.
With the advent of self-publishing, ebooks, and the general proliferation of digital media available to everyone, voice has become an especially important aspect of writing. You compete with many, many, many writers out in the wide world, and without a unique, finely crafted voice, readers will likely pass you over.
Fortunately, a few … Read the rest
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