The Book Event was a Blast!

 

I can't wait to do another book event! Of course, I need to publish something else, for sure. I'm on it. Her True Name: Volume Three is grinding along nicely. I'm on my last edit before David and Heather get it. 

I'm so grateful to Lisa and her father at Bailey's Books for the opportunity. It was an absolute delight. 

I'll admit, I was nervous. I had no idea what to expect, but here's a secret about me. I am the Queen of 'Wing it.' I like to plan things out like anyone else, but I always have a Plan B. 

My bestie made it there before I did, and she brought bottled water and cupcakes. I did bring my pear loaf, as I said I would. That went over pretty well, I think. 

I was so worried that no one would come. I had two people RSVP, but neither made it. That was okay. Karen A. brought two of her kids and a co-worker that had no idea I was a writer. Karen M. brought her husband, who hasn't read any of my stuff but is still an awesome hang. Lisa and her dad were there, plus my sister and my bestie, plus a few people who I didn't know. 

I explained that I had wanted to read from deeper inside 'Elaina's Fate', but I couldn't because too many spoilers. I couldn't tell them about Gorrine, or Althea, the Rubbermen, and I couldn't even give them too many details about the Ekel. 

It was that moment I realized I had some pretty cool and interesting things in that novel. So much so, that I couldn't just give it away. So I read them Chapter Two. 

Elaina was summoned to meet with her master because there is a new threat in The Carnivorous Forest. I didn't look up much because I didn't want to lose my place, but I heard the reaction when Master Smith told Elaina she looked like a whore. 

There were only a couple of questions. The one I remember was, "Where do you get your inspirations?" The answer is: My totally messed up imagination. So much in that novel came from strange dreams. The Ekel, the Rubbermen, Althea...Gorgon Falls itself is from a dream. 

It went prematurely quiet, but I had Plan B. I brought an excerpt from 'Bad Clown', told them it was exclusive and unpublished as of yet. A treat just for the people here. My audience agreed to hear it. I think they may have liked it better. I didn't get any questions, but the mood in the room felt excited, and we all got up for water and snacks. Melaida brought bottled water and cupcakes, and I brought some of my pear loaf. 

As I suspected, people had more questions. I'm often too shy myself to single myself out to ask anything, so I understood when people came up to ask things and just talk. 

I realized something in that moment that I haven't told my readers. I've been suffering from serious doubts about my work. I've been wondering WHY am I still doing this? Am I a good writer? Do I suck? Does anyone really care, one way or another what I write? All this effort...Does anyone CARE? 

That day it really felt like my work mattered, that if I keep writing, there will be people out there that can appreciate it. It's a good thing too, because I don't really want to stop. Ever. But I was wondering if maybe I was just wasting my time. 

And for some reason it gave me great pleasure to read my work to others, using different voices and inflections...I haven't done it in such a long time. Not since I read an excerpt of 'Late Bloomers' ( Dare to Shine.) to Ashley and Jaime while they were tucked into bed. (Those two were grown women and I they told me it was like getting a bedtime story. I should have read them the whole thing.) 

I found out that every copy of Chasing Monsters was sold out, including the two I brought with me. I've ordered more, and you should see them at Bailey's Books in the beginning of November. 

I need to hurry my ass up and finish editing Her True Name: Volume Three.  After that, I will finish my short story collection and publish that. Bad Clown will take up much of that book, so it might be a bit thick. 

I feel renewed. I promise you will see Her True Name: Volume Three and my collection of short stories. I'm on it. Wish me luck. 

Excited for the Book Event, and Pears.

 

     My book event is ten days away, and I'm beyond excited. Just to remind you, it's at Bailey's Books in St. Albert. That's 29-B Rowland Crescent in St. Albert. It's in an odd placement, but worth the trip. That is easily the coolest bookstore I've ever experienced, and I'm thrilled they asked me to be there. 

     I've rolled over so many ideas in my mind, but I can tell you what I'm planning. 

     As I mentioned, there will be a Door Prize, but I'm not telling you what's in it. That's an 'after ' blog. As I mentioned before, I'm bringing a copy of  "Elaina's Fate" for guests to sign. Not my idea, but I think it's a good one. I've also decided that for mementos sake, I'm going to highlight the part I'm going to read, so I can also remember what I read to guests. Why not? I think it would be a cool thing to remember, especially if I do this again. 

     Here's a little treat...I'm bringing my pear loaf to share. Why not? I have tons of the stuff! I'm not even finished yet, and my freezer is full. 

     For those of you who don't know me well, I live next door to a pear tree. It actually belongs to my friend Ashley, but neither she or her renters have the time or energy to deal with it. She basically let me have it. 

     Over the years, I have experimented with all kinds of recipes and a few canning methods and just anything and everything to do with pears. Here's a funny fact: I hate pears. 

     But I don't hate these pears. Ashley believes them to be a hybrid of apples and pears, so maybe that's why they taste better. I sometimes think I like them because pretty much anything you grow yourself tastes better than anything you buy. 

     I have two go-to favorites: The Pear Loaf and a Pear Custard Pie. This year, I experimented with Pear Cookies, Pear Cobbler, and two different kinds of Pear Muffins. All of these recipes are available on Pinterest, on my 'Successful Board'. That's where I keep all my recipes that worked out well. 

     My favorite is still the pear loaf. I have that one down to almost a one-woman assembly line and can pump out at least six loaves a day, plus my experiments. 

     I have tried to share them on my Facebook page, but it didn't work for some reason. I suspect that I can't because they're not mine. So if you're interested, please check them out on my Successful Board on Pinterest.

     Oh, and I'm playing with the idea of bringing a couple of excepts from unpublished work, like Bad Clown, for example. Is that a thing? 

Bailey's Books and Cool news

 I recently wrote a blog about what's new in my my life. I managed to forget an extremely important element. I don't know why. Maybe I got so wound up my memory burst. 

I met Lisa Bailey at Sherlock Holmes, a pub in West Edmonton Mall. I was a prep cook/ dishwasher and she was a server. We got along well, and bonded over our love for our cats and books. She's a smart, beautiful, and genuine person with many talents.

Years passed, and Sherlock Holmes is no longer. Lisa now owns a bookstore in St. Albert, Alberta, (29b Rowland crescent) and she approached me on Facebook. She remembered that I was a writer and she would love to support me and my work. She wants to support local authors such as myself. 

Of course I'm grateful and delighted. But life was crazy and it didn't happen right away. My fault. I required a navigator, even just to get to the store. Lucky me, my bestie used to live in St. Albert. 

If you've never been to Bailey's Books, it's a delight. It's a book lover's dream. It is exactly the kind of bookstore you imagine in other books! 

It's wall to wall titles as you can well imagine. Tomes of age and importance, antiques, rarities and books you just want to own...comfy chairs and an impressive variety of bookends to purchase, everything. There's also a precious chihuahua named Parsley to visit there. She's a sweetheart! 

 If you LOVE books, you owe it to yourself to visit. You'll be back. 

Currently, 'Chasing Monsters' and 'Elaina's Fate' are available, with more titles soon to come. I've signed each copy as well with my uniquely atrocious handwriting and signature. 

Here's the best part--There's a loft with plenty of space and chairs for an event in the Fall! I'm going to get my first Author event! 

There are few details at this time, but Lisa and her father (He's awesome.) are willing to host and I think my bestie Melaida is even more excited about it than I am. I'm happy and scared. What do I do? Auughhh! I have to order more books! 

I don't know exactly when it's going to happen, but it will. I'm looking forward to meeting people and talking shop. Don't worry, I WILL post the details when I get them. 

In the meantime, I'll keep working and writing. I should mention that 'Bad Clown', my supposed 'short story' is about 35,000 words. I love it so much and I truly feel it will be the jewel of my short story collection. Wish me luck! 

In the meantime, check out Bailey's Books. I promise you'll love it. 

Excerpt from Elaina's Fate

 

What's this? Elaina's Fate has been out for two months and I haven't published an excerpt? Shame on me! I intend to remedy that right now. 

So here for your reading enjoyment are the first three pages of Elaina's Fate. 

CHAPTER ONE

“Forgive them, Elaina. “ My younger sister Jodian curls her arm through mine as we stroll Bane’s packed dirt streets. It stinks of blood, grease, and manure piled upon filthy layers of fear and resentment. You can almost taste the bitterness. If Jodian notices, she ignores it as she does so many awful things. “They can’t help their jealousy.”

Emerald silk drapes from her ivory shoulders, complimenting her shining brown curls, her jade and gold eyes. As per antiquated Bane custom, her dress length brushes her ankles.

I pale against her beauty. I’m all sinews and straw hair. Where her dress emphasizes her looks, my skirts of midnight blue wash me out. My muscles strain at my sleeves in an embarrassingly masculine way, but I’m skinny everywhere else. My mouth is too small and grim, and my eyes are dull as Bane’s cloudy skies. I always resemble a scarecrow. Today I feel like a lampshade.

I don’t envy her loveliness. My sister is a treasure, and I won’t deny her perfection. Not today, not any day.

“I know,” But the villager’s derision often gets under my cowl. My work as the Master’s Assassin not only ensures the safety of my family, but theirs as well. Yet I am greeted with suspicion and disparaging glares. I can’t help my anger. “But it’s your birthday. Can’t they keep their dirty looks to themselves for once?”

Jodian shrugs. “They don’t know you as we do.”

True. They don’t know anything about me.

My name is Elaina. I spy and kill for Master Issac Smith. Bastard that he is, he’s kept my family sheltered and fed for the seven years I have been in his service. Of course it came with a price. Everything in the world of Phaeton comes with a price, but especially in the village of Bane.

Mind your souls and pray to the Energy you don’t end up here. This is where the Energy, the so-called ‘God’ puts spirits It can’t control, save, or rehabilitate. This is where the truly wicked find themselves. We are the fallen, and this is Hell.

“We should get manicures.” Jodian tosses her hair and smiles hard at the old woman who spits at my feet.

“If that is what you want.” I glare at the shrivelled bitch. She had the nerve to glare back. Perhaps she has forgotten fear in her age-addled brain. Perhaps I should re-educate her.

“Absolutely. I mean look at your hands.” Jodian emphasizes her point by bringing my clenched fist up to her critical eye.

My hands are scarred, dry and ugly to behold, and they always look dirty. Vanities such as manicures are not for the likes of me. Still, I let her drag me into Maxine’s. It’s her day, after all.

Jodian chooses pink nail polish, as I knew she would. I choose a flat black. It will blend better with—

“Really, Elaina?” My sister scowls at my practicality. “Why would you pick something so dull? Does everything you wear involve some kind of camouflage?”

“Fine,” I roll my eyes. “You choose then.”

I shouldn’t have said that. I watch, uneasy as her index finger dwells over pinks, purples and reds. All the prissy colours.

“This one.” I breathe a sigh of relief. Metallic Electric Blue is better than Grape Bubblegum whatever-the-hell she likes. “It matches your dress.”

When we arrange our skirts and sit in the leather chairs, I can’t help but hear the conversations going on in the back as my sister settles in beside me. They’re arguing about who will work on my nails.

“You’re the newest.”

“You do her. It’s your shop....” The whispers are harsh.

No one wants to serve me. It’s not as though I’m going to stab everyone if I’m not satisfied with my manicure. What would be the point of that?

“Maybe it’s because your hands are such a mess.” Jodian says. She’s trying to be playful, but the arm rest squeaks in her grip.

I stare at the black and white tiled floor, biting my lip, peeling chapped skin away with my teeth until I taste blood. “Maybe I should just kill them for being rude.” I’m not sure I’m joking.

Sudden silence. They hear us as well. The staff meeting ends, and Maxine herself shoves a young woman toward me, which earns the owner a look of such hatred I’m guessing I won’t be the one spilling blood. I’ll probably know by next week. Death is commonplace here.

For all her animosity toward Maxine, the woman attending me is nervous. She pushes my cuticles back with extra care, and trembles as she applies the polish. Sigh. Fear is tedious. There is no conversation, no sound but the occasional drip from the faucets.

In my day, in a different incarnation on Earth, in a country named Canada, we had no such thing as ‘manicures’. Nothing but trees and foliage. Naught but hard labour and harder men. My fingernails were cracked and bleeding from lye, splinters and other work related wounds. I didn’t leave the splendour of France only to become an unwilling slave to a dense husband in a frigid forest.

My marriages were short. My punishment is eternal. Such is the blessing of The Energy.

I’m so often alone; I have ample time to ponder my existence on the world of Phaeton. Everyone does, I imagine. Every time we are reborn, we are reminded why we are here, and that there will be no escape. Yet another gift from The Energy. The memories, the dreams.

Jodian knows the horrors she has done. She still speaks with an accent sometimes. Her voice is soft, but her words are abrupt and peppered with buzzing sounds. Your handz are zuch a mess. She was a German, and tells me that there was a great war, but speaks rarely of it because she is ashamed. I can’t imagine her being cruel, but she assures me she was.

A man bursts through the door, nearly slamming it off the hinges in his hurry, and everyone startles.

He narrows his eyes at the blubbering Maxine, her eyes are wide and bloodshot with terror. She recognizes one who wears the armor of the Elite Guard. He wears the silhouette of a howling wolf’s head on his breastplate and oversized shoulder pads painted blood red. His hand tightens on his sword.

“Elaina,” he demands, no need for pleasantries. “She is here?”


I hope you enjoy it. I will remember to publish another excerpt soon. 

ANNOUNCEMENT: So happy to tell you.

 

I have some great news about publishing ELAINA'S FATE. Who would have thought, eh? I feel a lot better about publishing right now, and I credit Heather Savage and Draft2Digital. 

As you know, I've been having issues publishing ELAINA'S FATE through Amazon and KDP. I tried a few times to figure out why I can't see the paperback, even though KDP insists that it's out there. I believe it has something to do with formats not matching up between the ebook and the paperback. The thing is, between myself, Emma and Heather we jumped through a lot of hoops trying to meet KDP's standards. It still didn't work. 

Heather INSISTED I try Draft2Digital. I promised I would look into it in January. Today I made good on that promise. She was absolutely right. 

I can't believe how easy it was to use. I did the whole thing in 45 minutes, maybe less. It is truly user-friendly. A Facebook friend and writer named Victoria Ryan Meadow told me they do print books too, and she's correct, I saw it. I haven't made a decision yet, but I might just print through them as well. 

I know it's my first time with them, but it already feels like I should move all my books there. The only thing stopping me is how I handle the ISBNs. I need to think it through when I'm not so excitable. 

This is how self-publishing should be. Not only was it easy, but they're only taking ten percent of the sales. I'm gobsmacked. 

I am pleased to tell you ELAINA'S FATE the ebook is now available at: 

Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Vivlio, Rakuten Kobo, Tolino and Borrow Box. 

I know there are people who prefer paperbacks, I get it. It's always nice to see them on a shelf, and I was worried that my work would never been seen on bookshelves again. I'm going to make the paperback happen. I spent too much time ( so did Emma and Heather) and money to just surrender to technology that I don't understand. Honestly, I love the feel of one of my novels in my hands, I love the look. 

I hope this brings my work to new people who might not have had access to my books before. I know there are people who don't want to use Amazon for their reading entertainment, and I don't blame them. Jeff Bezos doesn't need more money and he needs to treat his workers better, right? I would much rather work with Draft2Digital. 

In case you're interested, ELAINA'S FATE  is priced at $3.99 USD. I intend to get on the paperback issues a lot faster now, especially now that I know it can be so much simpler. 

Wish me luck!

THANKS!

 

No really, thanks so much. Obviously, from the last post, I didn't publish on November 19th. More like November 30th, and the paperback still isn't properly on line. According to Amazon, the paperback is available. Yet no one can find it, not even me. 

There appears to be a problem with keywords. Somehow they don't work with the system. I've gone in and changed a few things and re-published. I'm trying to be optimistic, but...I'll keep trying until it works. I've spent too much time and money trying to make this work, I can't just give up. 

I'd like to say thanks to friends on Facebook. I ordered paperback copies of ELAINA'S FATE, so I know they're definitely done,(They're gorgeous, thanks Emma!)  and I posted them on my personal Facebook and my Author page. Not much on the Author page, but my personal Facebook got 99 reactions. Wow! Thanks! There were a lot of comments congratulating me too. It feels pretty awesome, and I needed that, THANKS! 

David did an awesome job, but I'm glad he missed the agony of publishing. He's still been a good sounding board. Some of it was my fault, like the wrong format size. Oops and Ouch. But a lot of it was, and still is, the fickle nature of KDP. I'm worried that Emma and Heather won't want to work with me again. This whole thing took up way too much of their time and I feel shitty about it.

Which brings me to this...I'm reconsidering my publishing options. That might mean no more paperbacks. (But never say never.) It can also mean looking for an actual publisher.

Heather suggested Draft2Digital, and I'm definitely going to try that. But not until January. I'm too busy, and I don't have the spoons. The original plan was to publish in time for Christmas so people could order Elaina's Fate for Christmas. Well, we're beyond that now, aren't we? Now the plan is just to make it available to anyone on any e-book site, without using Amazon. Not just for my issues with publishing, but for moral reasons as well. 

I have a lot to think about, a lot to absorb. I can't do that a week before Christmas while I'm working retail. Insert Canadian apology here.  Yeah, I'm seriously sorry.

I hate publishing, it's true. But I LOVE writing. When I feel like giving up, my husband offers these words. "Don't deprive the world of your art." It always works.  Makes my heart sing that he believes like that. 

So somewhere there must be a happy medium, a solution. Not everyone reads paperbacks, and not everyone wants to buy a Kindle or a Nook. I need to figure something else out. 

I'm on it in January! Wish me luck.