Weekend Writing Marathon: Friday Word Count

Added another 1,258 words to my total for tonight. I was shooting for at least 2,000 total.
Current total: 2,643. Not bad for starting after work.

Tomorrow's goal: 10,000 words.

Weekend Writing Marathon

The kids are gone for the next 5 days. There is no Memorial Day/Mother's day/Father's Day/Arbor Day/Family Birthday that I must attend this weekend. No! You may not come over. My lawn is mowed. My fridge is full. The cats have been fed and restrained with duct tape. Holy schmoley, Batman. I have no excuse not to get my wordy on. God help me.

I have schitzophrenically changed books again, done 1,436 words, and read wondertabulous blogs on self-publishing including this one that referred me to this absolutely scary, funny and incredamazing one who's title I cannot mention (mom, don't click on that one). It has me sinking to the depths of despair, down into the muddy muck of the river bed and digging my little toes in hard in fear that it might be me - jumping the gun. Diving in too soon. Oh wait. I have to actually finish the book first. What am I doing here talking to you people?

Random Crap I Write When I Can't Think of What Comes Next In My Book

The good news is I'm making progress on my shitty first draft (6,524 words) The bad news is my brain often spins around like a hamster on a wheel, falls off the wheel, then staggers off to the left because his hamster sense of balance has been shot to hell.

I got this far in my romance story (my heroine has fallen down the stairs in the hero's family home and has a sprained ankle). Then the hamster wheel came out. I couldn't think of one more word to write. Thus, I produced what is below:

After she got dressed, Ellie wondered out to see if she could get a ride home. Bakery smells led her to the kitchen. Mrs. Giordano exclaimed when she saw her. “Ellie. How are you feeling. Do you need to sit down?” She pulled out a stool and helped Ellie arrange the crutches against the counter.

But no. She could not stay in the kitchen. Ellie was drawn by an irresistible compulsion to quest. She got up and ascended Mt. Doom on her crutches. But she couldn’t not bring herself to cast the graven crutch into the fiery molten lava. Then fairies stole it from her. Then she died. And I am glad. Die, Ellie, die.

The End

I hope it will be better tomorrow. Otherwise the deathstar comes out.

Romance and Paranormal Book Cover Designer for Ebooks - Hot Damn Designs

So as I obsess over all things related to Kindle self-publishing, I've been looking at romance book cover designers. In my quest, I found Hot Damn Designs.

I am one of those people who admit to judging a book by its cover - meaning I will at least pick it up and read the description if the cover gets my attention. I've seen news stories that say you have less than 10 seconds to attract a buyers attention via book cover, but mainly I am basing it on my own experience shopping for books.

When I go buy a book on Kindle by an indie author, I consider the cover a sign of how much effort the author put into the book. A bad cover might equal badly edited book. Do I have any proof of this? Hell no. But I figure a few other people out there might think the way I do when selecting ebooks. When I finish my romance novel, I think Hot Damn Designs will be the place to go. I want my baby to look cool for the first day of school in the Kindle marketplace.

I am a fan of St. Louis author Angie Fox's Accidental Demon Slayer series - story and cover design. (You can read the first chapter here.) Hot Damn does her book covers and they look spiffy. The designer, Kimberly Killion, is also located near St. Louis which appeals to me since I live in the metro area. Why? Hell if I know. I love that I can talk to people everywhere in the world online, but there is just something about knowing the person you are doing business with is close by - even if you only communicate through email. It makes no sense, but there you have it.

She will also do a website design to match your book/genre, and I think her prices are pretty reasonable. You can read an interview she did with Novelists, Inc here. I don't know her, so I have no vested interest. But I know what I like...

My Cure for Insomnia

I love this. It soothes my soul every time. Sleep well, everyone.

Kindle Publishing: Unexpected Pitfalls

I have discovered that it is much more fun to read about authors who are selling lots of books on the Kindle, and imagine that I am them, than it is to write a novel of my own to put onto the Kindle. Don't let this happen to you...

Sigh. I am off to work, finally.

Let the Great Kindle Experiment Begin

Of course, there is a catch to the great Kindle publishing frenzy (as I learned a the MWG conference). If you actually want to have a decent looking, marketable book, you will pay. A couple hundred for a cover design, a couple hundred to have your writing formatted for all the electronic venues, a buck twenty five for an ISBN number - x 2 if you have a print and electronic version.

It makes sense if you want to have a good quality book - it isn't free. Wasn't it pretty to think so. Now reality. So its time to save up and invest in my career. But like most authors, I have the writer's version of ADD. Which project to go with? I have just been to a writing conference, and now I'm looking at the smorgasboard of writing ideas that result from being around other creative people.

Decisions, decisions. I think it may be my zombie book. We'll see tomorrow, though. Night.