Why Do I Write Paranormal?

Welcome to this Friday’s edition of the YA Indie Carnival!  Woo-hoo!  Happy Friday! 

Today’s topic is:  Why do I write Paranormal?

That’s pretty easy, actually.  Because there is nothing else that is so much fun to write, in my opinion.  In paranormal fiction, anything can happen.  And I mean anything.    In my book, Fated, Macy (Harmonia) gets to ride a pegasus and fight a dragon, for pete’s sake.   If I can think it up, the Paranormal genre will take it, and I love that.   There are no boundaries to the outrageousness. 

The trick in writing paranormal is to make it seem realistic and not too fantastical to be plausible.  And that is more difficult than it sounds.  Seriously, have you ever tried writing about killing a dragon as though it is something that is an everyday thing?    Not a simple feat, my friends. 

So while it is fun, it offers challenges of its own that I would never have expected.  But honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Out of my four YA books that are currently on the market, THREE of them are paranormal. 

So anyway, that’s my answer.  They say that blondes have the most fun… but let me tell you something. My hair has been every color of the rainbow and I can say with certainty… that Paranormal writers do!

Please take a moment and click on some of the links below to hear some of my colleagues’ answers as you make your way around the YA Indie Carnival today.   Have a great weekend! 

• Refracted Light Book Reviews
• Patti Larsen
• Wren Emerson
• Nicole Williams
• Fisher Amelie
• Laura Elliott
• Amy Maurer-Jones
• Rachel Coles
• http://thewarriorseries.blogspot.com/
• http://ctefft.blogspot.com
• P.J. Hoover
• Alicia McCalla

Soooo Close I Can Hardly Stand It!!

Oh my gosh.  The release date for The Glassheart Chronicles is soooo close I can hardly stand it!  Patience is not one of my virtues. 

For authors, release dates are so exciting.  The books that we work so hard on and pour our souls into are suddenly released into the world for everyone to see and review, to love or hate.  It’s exciting and humbling and scary and wonderful, all rolled into one little bound book (or e-book). 

And on August 1, the short story anthology that I’ve been working hard on is finally going to be published for the world to see.  I’m so proud to be featured in this collection with these other awesome authors.  It’s very humbling to be next to such talent.

If you haven’t yet, you should check out the other authors:

• J.L. Bryan, author of Jenny Pox, (The Paranomals).  He’s super-cool and reminds me of a better looking Stepen King. 
• Nicole Williams, author of Eternal Eden (The Eden Trilogy), she’s so sweet that I just wish I could bake her into a cookie.
• Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey (The Leaving Series).  Zany, adorable and funny, I just know you’ll love her as much as I do.
• Wren Emerson, author of I Wish.  I talk about her all of the time- she’s hilarious, snarky and one of my besties.
• Amy Maurer-Jones, author of Soul Quest (The Soul Quest Trilogy).  Poised and gracious, she’s one of a kind. 
• Tiffany King, author of Meant To Be (The Saving Angels series) and all-around super-amazing.  Champion of indies, friend to so many, I would hug her every day if I could.

So… if you need something to do for a few minutes, go ahead and check these guys out. They’re amazing.   And on August 1, do look up The Glassheart Chronicles.  These writers completely shine in it.   It will be available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.

What Happened in Eris’ house?

So, I know I’ve mentioned that I’m participating in an upcoming short story anthology with a group of super-cool authors, right?  Yes?  Well, I don’t think I’ve mentioned what my short story is about.

Remember in Fated, when Tara Wilson (who is actually Eris) takes Gavin (who is actually Cadmus) to her home in the Spiritlands?  Oh- and there’s the small complication where she bewitches him with a powerful love potion into believing that he is in love with her and tricking him into forgetting that Macy (who is actually Harmonia) ever even existed?   (Is it me or do my storylines sometimes seem confusing when taken out of context?  Anyway…)  So, yeah.  That was nailbiting for me to write and trust me, I received a few emails from readers wanting to know what happened between Eris and Cadmus in the Spiritlands.. Did they or Didn’t they?    My short story will answer that question.  Yay!

My colleagues will be featuring stories about their existing characters, as well.  JL Bryan is writing about a past life of Jenny Pox, Wren Emerson is writing about her characters in I Wish, Amy Maurer Jones is writing about her characters in Soul Quest, Nicole Williams is writing about her characters from  Eternal Eden, Tiffany King is writing about her characters from Meant to Be and Fisher Amelie is writing about characters from The Understorey.

The awesome thing about these writers is that they are SO GOOD, that it doesn’t matter if you’ve read their books yet– you will still be sucked into these short stories.  That’s how talented they are at writing.  I’ve read all of the stories and trust me, they are phenomonal.  So… The Glassheart Chronicles is coming out on August 1 and will be on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com.   You can mark it to read on Goodreads now.   I really hope you enjoy it!

Why Indie?

Happy YA Indie Carnival Day!  Woo-Hoo!!   In other words, Happy Friday!  Today’s topic for the carnival is….

WHY INDIE?

My initial answer is easy.  There is one reason why I chose to go Indie… one person who led me down that path.  Wren Emerson.    Some people are aware, some people aren’t, that she and I grew up in the same tiny Kansas town.  She’s actually a couple of years younger than me- she was in my sister’s class. But anyway, long story short, we both moved away and got married.  Anywho, we met up again this past year on a critque partner wanted group.  We were both looking for a good crit partner.   We didn’t recognize each other’s name until we started talking and she mentioned that she grew up in Kansas and she mentioned the tiny town and I was like… “NO WAY.  That’s not even possible.”  I thought she was messing with me, or making fun of me for being from Kansas.  But she wasn’t- she was serious and we both figured out who the other one was.

At the time, I was talking with a couple of agents about my YA novel, Every Last Kiss.   Wren asked me why I was willing to wait on people to consider my work in their own (very slow) time, requesting for me to change it, who would then sell all of my rights away.   At first, I thought she was crazy- I mean, getting published with a big six publisher is a dream of every writer, I thought.  Why would I want to give up my shot for that?   But the more she talked about it (and she was soooo passionate about it), the more I listened.  The things she was saying really started to make sense.

As an indie, I could make more money, I would retain ownership over my novels and characters, I would keep all of my rights and I wouldn’t have to check with anyone else before I made any little decision.  Instead of negotiating and watiting on agents, etc, I could start getting my books in front of an audience, which is truly what every writer dreams about.  It started to look very appealing to me.  VERY.   I’ve always been independent and I have an entrepreunerial spirit, so one night in April while I was lying in bed thinking about it,  I just decided… “You know what?  Wren’s right.”

The very next morning, I withdrew my novel from the agents’ consideration and jumped into the indie world feet first.  And you know something?  I haven’t regretted it even one time.  Is it a lot of work?  Yes, certainly it is.  But any dream worth having is work.  Nothing is going to be handed to you on a silver platter.  But my books have found their way into thousands of readers’ hands already.  And that makes me very, very happy.   The reason that writers write is to be read, to be appreciated by an audience of readers.   And I can truly say that has happened to me.  Sales for my books continue to grow every month, which means that the number of readers who read my work continues to grow.  That makes me one very happy writer.

Being an indie is not going to work for everyone.  You have to be self-motivated, very ambitious, willing to work VERY hard, and you have to be willing to wear all the different hats yourself.  Every decision to be made is YOURS to make, and with that comes the responsibility for those decisions.  Not everyone likes that feeling. But I do.  And I’m very thankful to Wren for swaying me into making one of the best decisions of my life.   (Although she’s probably sick of hearing me tell her!)   I hope everyone has a great weekend and you’ve found some fun way to stay cool.   Don’t forget to visit these Indie authors next on the carnival merry-go-round!

http://www.refractedlightreviews.com

http://pattilarsen.blogspot.com/

https://courtneycolewrites.wordpress.com/

http://wrenemerson.wordpress.com/

http://nicoleawilliams.blogspot.com/

http://fisheramelie.com/blog/

http://laurasmagicday.livejournal.com/

http://amyjonesyaff.blogspot.com

http://rachelcoles.wordpress.com/

http://thewarriorseries.blogspot.com/

http://ctefft.blogspot.com

http://pjhoover.blogspot.com

YA Indie Carnival! Woohoo!

 

So, a huge group of  my fave YA indie authors and I  thought it would be fun to get together every Friday and blog about the same topic.  Fun, right?   We’re going to include some of our fave reviewers (and readers, too!) in our little party.  Give me an excuse to gab and I’m ALL over that.

I cannot count how many questions that I’ve received here and there about Indie authors.  What are we?   So we decided that we’ll devote our Friday blog carnival to all things Indie.  If you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers.

Today’s theme is just a simple introduction.   I’m going to introduce the ‘carnies’ who are participating in this virtual blog round-about.

You all know me, I assume, since you read my blog.  But in case you’re a newcomer to me,  I’m a YA author.  My books include Every Last Kiss and Fated (Books one and two of the Bloodstone Saga), Princess and Guardian.  I’m currently hard at work on Book Three of the Bloodstone Saga, because I left my readers with a cliffhanger in Fated.  (Bad, bad Courtney!).   Also participating are:

• Dani Snell:  One of my fave reviewers. 
• Wren Emerson:  As you know, she’s one of my besties.  She wrote the YA novel, I Wish.  She’s also a contributing author in the upcoming anthology that I am participating in (The Glassheart Chronicles).
• Patti Larsen:  An indie author of YA and MG fiction. Her titles include: THE GHOST BOY OF MacKENZIE HOUSE, and THE DIAMOND CITY TRILOGY.
• Nicole Williams:  An indie author of paranormal fiction. Her titles include: ETERNAL EDEN, and the upcoming FALLEN EDEN.  She is also participating in the Glassheart Chronicles. 
• Fisher  Amelie:  An indie YA author of the paranormal fantasy series THE UNDERSTOREY, as well as a contributing author in The Glassheart Chronicles.
• Amy Maurer Jones:  An indie YA author of the fantasy series called THE SOUL QUEST TRILOGY, as well as a participant in the Glassheart Chronicles (I’m beginning to sense a pattern here…)
• T.R. Graves:  An indie YA author of paranormal fiction. Her series titles include: WARRIORS OF THE CROSS, GUARDIANS OF THE CROSS, ENEMIES OF THE CROSS.
• Rachel Coles:  An indie YA author of paranormal fiction as well as a book reviewer open to indies. Her titles include DIARY OF A DUCT TAPE ZOMBIE, WHISTLES, BEERGARDEN, PLAGUES, BEES OF ST. JOHN, and MUSHROOMS
• Laura Elliott:  An indie author of YA and MG fiction.  Her debut, Winnemucca, is debuting today.  So check it out! 
• Allie Burke:  A super cool indie YA author of the Enchanter Series.
• M. Leighton: Amazing YA Indie author of The Blood Like Poison series, Wiccan, Madly and Wolfhardt (Coming on July 18), The Reaping and Catepillar. 

So, there you have it.  The participating “Carnies”.  And if you’re an indie author, reviewer or reader who’d like to participate on your own blog, just let me know.   Also, if you have questions about the indie book world, feel free to leave them in the comments section and I’ll get them added to our topics queue. 

On Fridays, after you read my blog, please take a peek at the other participating authors that I’ve listed above.  They’re pretty awesome and I think you’ll enjoy hearing from them.  So, that’s it for now.  Have a great weekend and I’ll talk at ya more next week! 

 
 

 

New Projects

Have I mentioned lately that I’m so busy that I can’t hardly see straight?  No?  It’s been awhile?  Okay.  Let me just say again.  I’m so busy that I can’t see straight.  But that’s okay.  That’s how I like it. 

I’m back from camping, though, and that’s a good thing.  I’m not what you would call…. a camper.  We rented a cabin in a state park this past week and while my family kept teasing me, telling me that a ‘condo in the woods’ was not camping, I say that if there are mosquitos big enough to drag you into the trees, it most certainly IS camping.  But I survived it (it was actually pretty fun- and it was great to spend some quality family time) but I’m back in the saddle now.

I’m working on several different projects.   Of course, I’m writing book three of the Bloodstone Saga.  I know I left you guys hanging with that cliffhanger, so I’m working hard on that.  I think book three is going to take you someplace that you aren’t expecting, so I hope you like it. 

I’m also scribbling on a separate idea that I had for another series. I can hardly wait to actually have the time to sit down and really write it.  I think you’re gonna love it.  I know that I do.

But most pressing right now, is the anthology that I am a part of.  It’s soooooo cool, y’all.   A group of YA authors are participating.  Fisher Amelie (The Understorey), J.L. Bryan (Jenny Pox), Wren Emerson, (I Wish), Amy Jones (Soul Quest), Nicole Williams (Eternal Eden), Brandon Alston (Grey Eyes), Tiffany King (Meant to Be) and me are all getting together and writing short stories involving a character or two from one of our current novels.  If you like these authors and their books/characters, you are going to love this anthology.  It’s called The Glassheart Chronicles and the cover is below.  I just know you’ll love it.  It will be availalbe on August 1, but you can mark it as to-read on Goodreads now. 

Okay, so that’s it for now. I just wanted to give you an update on what I’m working on.  And speaking of my work…. THANK YOU so much for reading my work and giving me such glowing reviews.  I truly, TRULY appreciate it.  It warms my heart so much to know that the work that I pour my heart into is read and appreciated by such wonderful people.   If I could hug each and every one of you, I would.  Thank you.

The Great Indie Pricing Debate

This is a topic that my friend Wren and I bicker over like old women.  What is the best way to price our books as Indie authors?   You can read her latest argument on this debate here.   And if you want to hear mine, keep reading…

Amanda Hocking revolutionized the e-book world. We all know that. She turned it on its ear and that’s a great thing- I honestly believe that all industries should be shaken up from time to time to keep it fresh.  However, she also created a trend and an expectation in the indie world:  That all e-books from new authors should be $.99.  It wasn’t just her, you understand.  People who read about her success started pricing their books at $.99 and the whole situation snowballed.  It is to the point now, where I firmly believe that readers aren’t going to pay more than a buck for an unknown author’s work.

There will be exceptions, of course.  But my opinion is that as unknown authors, our sales are not going to boom with even 2.99 pricing.  Not with a first book, anyway.  We have to price our first book low, to draw readers in and prove to them that we have what it takes to entertain them.  And I will be the first to admit that even as an author myself, I’m the same way. I’m leery to try out a new author who charges the same prices as top-shelf proven authors.   

I’m not going to make a habit out of sharing my sales numbers, only because I think that like any good marriage, there should be some mystery involved.  However, I’ve done some experimentation with my own books in order to test my theories on this issue.  So to illustate my findings, I’m going to share my numbers with you today. 

Every Last Kiss was my debut novel.  It came out on April 21, priced at $.99.  In its first week, it sold 28 copies.  In its first full month (May) it sold 271 copies.   In its second full month (June), it sold 1,258 copies.   That is quite a growth curve. 

Comparitively, I priced my second book, a stand-alone novel titled Princess, at $.99 cents for its first week and sold 22 copies.  I then raised its price to $2.99 and sales for the entire month of June were 44. 

My second book in the Bloodstone Saga came out on June 25.  I priced it at $2.99 out of the gate, since it was the second book in a series.  I felt like I had already ‘proven myself’ to readers with Every Last Kiss and because of that, I felt that it was safe to raise the price on Fated.  It sold 112 copies in its first week (the last week of June).  

July sales.  Since July 1 (3 full days of sales), Every Last Kiss has sold 180 copies, Fated has sold 88 and Princess has sold 4. 

What does all of this mean?  To me, it means that my pricing strategy is working.  Pricing Every Last Kiss low has allowed readers to get to know me.  Paying a buck for an unknown author isn’t a risk and so many readers are willing to do it.  I proved myself with that book, and now readers are willing to come back for seconds with Fated.   Princess’ sales are slow… whether it is because it is a stand-alone book or a less desirable genre (Contemporary Fiction), I don’t know. 

But here’s something else.  My degree is not in literature.  My degree is in business.  So, I have a creative mind coupled with a business head.  And I was taught to capitalize on any advantage that you might have in any given market.   As indies, our biggest advantage that we have over our colleagues from the big publishers is PRICE.  We don’t have the huge overheads that the big guys have, so we can afford to price lower and still make a profit.   On the flip side, our biggest disadvantage is VISIBILITY.  Authors from big houses have the luxury of being stocked on shelves at Barnes and Noble and being marketed by marketing teams.  By pricing low for a first book, Indies can take advantage of Amazon algorithms to try and gain some visibility.  So, that is what I’m doing.   And so far, it seems to be working for me.

Are $.99 sales sustainable?  I have no idea.  Regardless, I enjoy the feeling of knowing that so many new readers have my book in their hands.  I have no idea if that would have happened if my debut hadn’t been priced at $.99.   I’m realistic enough to know, though, that someday, that pricing stragegy may not work for me anymore.  But the good news is, that being an indie, I can be flexible in nearly every aspect of my book business.  If I need to, I’ll raise my prices.  And then if I need to lower them again, I can do that.   As indies, we’re free to do whatever we want and that’s the beauty of being an indie writer.  Yay Indies!  🙂

Winner of Super Massive Prize Pack

Okay, first I need to tell you thank you…. for following my blog tour this past week.  I organized it on the spur of the moment, so thank you for putting up with me.  And thank you to my awesome friends, Wren, M. Leighton, Tiffany, Allie, Patti and Fisher for hosting me. You guys are amazing.

Okay, so I put all of the names in a pot and had my eight year old draw one out.  And the winner…. is….

 

MARY PRESTON

 

Yay!  Mary, I’ll be emailing you  with details.

And, in case you were wondering the answers to the mystery questions… here they are.

Day 1:  What is my biggest phobia?    Answer:  Since I am petrified of buoys and birds, my biggest fear is that I’ll be in a boat/ship wreck and have to cling to a seagull covered buoy in order to survive.  I honestly think I would rather drown.  Yes, I know I am weird.

Day 2: What superpower would I most like to have?  Answer:  Hmmm.  I was torn on this one.  I’d love to be able to move things with my mind. That would be sooo awesome and useful. Or I’d like to control the elements.  If only I were a goddess, I could do both of them.  Drat my mortal constraints!

Day 3:  Have you ever gone skinny-dipping?  Answer:  Um, yes. 

Day 4:  How tall am I?  I am 5’10”.  I come from a very tall family.  My dad is 6’5, my uncle is 6’8…

Day 5:   Tiffany asked a series of questions.  My answers were:  A,B,B,A,A,B

Day 6:  And sweet Allie Burke asked me about my all-time fave book.  My all time favorite book is:  The Five People You Meet in Heaven.  I love Mitch Albom.

Thank you so much for participating everyone and helping me celebrate the release of Fated, Book Two in the Bloodstone Saga.  It’s super exciting and it makes me so happy to share that excitement with all of you.  I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Fourth of July!

Fated Virtual Book Tour with Awesome Prizes- Next Week!

So, many of you are aware that Fated was released early… yesterday instead of July 1.  That was a surprise, but a nice one.   Thank you so much to everyone who went out and bought it yesterday.  You truly made it an awesome release day.  Thank you!

Because I have the most amazing friends EVER, I will be hosted on a virtual book tour next week by six truly amazing authors.  They are going to interview me and ask me all kinds of nosy (and probably embarassing) questions that will hopefully entertain you. 

AND, we will be hosting a huge contest.   Every day, each author will ask me a different mystery question and readers will try to answer it.  Any reader who follows the interviews each day and tries to answer the mystery question all six days will be entered for the HUGE, AMAZING prize pack.  I’ll draw the winner on my blog on Sunday, July 2.

This is the virtual blog schedule.  Do visit us every day… I promise it will be fun. 

• Monday, June 27:  Patti Larsen 
• Tuesday, June 28: M. Leighton
• Wednesday, June 29:  Wren Emerson
• Thursday, June 30:  Fisher Amelie
• Friday, July 1: Tiffany King
• Saturday, July 2:  Allie Burke
• Sunday, July 3:  I will announce the contest winner right here on my blog.

And all you have to do to be entered for the MASSIVE prize pack is to try and answer the mystery question every day in the comments section.   OKAY,  REVISION:  Due to a little confusion, you don’t need to answer the question every day in order to enter… but every time you answer the question, you’ll be entered another time. 

What does the MASSIVE, INCREDIBLE prize pack contain, you might wonder?  I’m glad you asked.  It will include:

• An autographed copy of Meant To Be by Tiffany King, along with bookmarks and some miscellaneous signed Tiffany King swag.
• An autographed copy of The Understorey by Fisher Amelie and a bookmark.
• Autographed copies of Every Last Kiss and Fated by me, with bookmarks. 
• An e-copy of Blood Like Poison: For the Love of  a Vampire by M. Leighton
• An e-copy of I Wish by Wren Emerson
• An e-copy of Curiosities, Inc. by Patti Larsen
• An e-copy of Violet Midnight by Allie Burke
• An e-copy of Princess, by me
• And…an original piece of Wren Emerson art, because she’s awesome and artistic like that. (I would give you some of the art that she is trying to teach me to make, but trust me, you don’t want mine…)

I told you the prize pack was awesomely AMAZING, didn’t I?   And all you have to do to enter is anwer one mystery question per day for six days.  And I have no idea what the questions will be… but my friends are creative and ornery so it might very well be “What color of underwear is Courtney Cole wearing today?” You never know.

So, stay tuned and follow the craziness next week!  Hugs to all!

Character Cards: My Writing Process

Okay, so several people have asked me lately… How do you write?  How do you come up with ideas for your books?  How do you keep the plot straight while you are writing it?

The short and honest answer is… I don’t really know.   That’s not helpful?  Okay, I’ll try to explain a little bit better. 

I definitely think that the writer’s mind works differently than the average bear (or at least, my husband thinks so, anyway) because we tend to think about things from a different angle.  I always find myself wanting to get to the root of stories that I hear– determining WHAT a person was feeling before they got to a certain point, etc.  (Have you ever watched the show, Snapped?  I have tons of fun analyzing those characters…) I guess that’s because I’m a character writer.  I almost always think of my characters WAY before I think of a plot.  I know everything about them LONG before I know what will happen to them… and I’m talking what kind of underwear they wear and if they are right or left-handed.

After I dream up a character, I think of what I want to happen to the character- and how I want him or her to end up.  The middle is the hardest part for me… all of the details that get that character from the beginning to the end. 

How do I keep my story straight along the way?  That is one area in which I do make notes.  I know, I know.  I’m a notorious Pantser.  I don’t typically write from an outline or if I do, it’s a very skeletal and loose one.  But I do make notes.  If I don’t, I will contradict myself a hundred times during the story and we can’t have that.  Consistency is key.  One of the best ways that I monitor myself in that regard is that I make Character Cards and keep them in a little index card box.  

On the front side of the card, I list the character’s physical attributes and if I can find one, a picture of someone who looks similiar to the character that lives in my head.  On the back side, I list details about the character.   This is a picture of Lachesis’ Character card:

 

 

 

 

                           Front                                                                                           Back

These cards just give me a visual reminder of who my characters are.   I also keep a notebook (a real paper and pen notebook, not a software program) in which I scribble notes so that I don’t forget them.  I tend to do this a lot in the middle of the night.  It’s a good thing I’m an insomniac or that would get really annoying.

My plotting process is fairly simple.  I let my mind wander to generate ideas and then I write them down.   Done and DONE.   If you’d like the perspective of a writer who goes into MUCH greater detail during this process, check out my friend, Wren Emerson’s post on outlining. Yikes.  That makes my head hurt just to look at it.  But, it works for her. 

So, there you have it.  My very simplistic method of keeping track of my ideas and characters.  It’s easy and brief, but it works for me.