Vote for the release date

28 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by Maiden Ink in Photography, writing

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UPDATE: FEB 3RD WON! CHECK OUT THE BOOK LAUNCH GIVEAWAY. LEATHER GOODIES?

Your first chance to vote is here. And it is a very important decision, the release date for the YA fantasy, THE LAST ORDER. I have chosen three dates and now you get to vote for the date the book will be released.

The release date will drive everything from editing deadlines to book cover reveals. So here are the dates I’ve selected for you to pick from and why. The poll is at the bottom of this post.

Date one: March 24^th 2015

This date is 2 days after my birthday, so for my birthday I can ask all those people who never know what to get me to buy my book. Easy marketing? LOL

Date two: February 3^rd 2015

This is, Joseph, my husband’s birthday. Joseph was the reason I started writing again. He believed I could do it despite my dyslexia. He told me it was my story and only I could write The Last Order. We’ve been together since we were 15 years old. We have four kids. He’s my best friend and I would not be where I am without him by my side. This date is pushing it, but I wanted to really consider it as an option.

Joseph and I, vow renewal

Date three: February 24^th 2015

This is more of a random date, but one of my kids’ birthday is the day before. So this date would be dedicated to them. My kids inspire me. Their creativity and imagination blow my mind. They are my biggest fans. My son will pop in the office and be like “you’re writing, great job, Mom.” Or my daughter will say “are you still working on that same book.” I can’t wait for it to be in print so she can hold it in her hands.

One of my kids ©Angela Caldwell

These are the 3 dates you get to choose from, my heart is racing as I type this, now it’s your turn vote. Share with your book loving friends. The more voting the more fun it will be, and I will never forget publishing my first book. Voting is open for one week. Thank you for your vote.

THE YELLOW HOODS: Along Came a Wolf (Book 1) and The Hero’s Journey

24 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by Maiden Ink in writing

≈ 3 Comments

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#AdamDreece, #alongcameawolf, #angelacaldwell, #archetypes, #authors, #books, #BreadcrumbTrail, #dontgiveup, #dreaming, #dyslexia, #dyslexic, #dyslexicwriter, #freechapters, #happygilmore, #JosephCampbell, #monomyth, #Steampunk, #theherosjourney, #theyellowhoods, #writers, #writetip, #writing, #writingproces, #youngadult

On my resource page, you’ll find, The Hero’s Journey, or monomyth, which was devised by Joseph Campbell. The Hero’s Journey suggests the idea that all great stories have the same characters. When I started reading THE YELLOW HOODS: Along Came a Wolf (Book 1): An Emergent Steampunk Series by fellow twitter writer, Adam Dreece, I realized within the first few chapters his characters fit within the Hero’s Journey archetypes.

THE HERO: Tee
THE SHADOW: Andre LeLoup
THE HERALD: You’re going to have to read the book to find out.
THE MENTOR:Nikolas Klaus
THRESHOLD GUARDIANS: LeLoup’s henchman
SHAPESHIFTER: There is one
TRICKSTERS:The Cochon Brothers
ALLIES:Tee’s friends

Click photo to buy on Amazon

I really enjoyed Adam’s book because he has a knack for storytelling, and he followed Joseph Campbell’s archetypes by instinct.

Photo credit

What book or movie do you love? Does it follow the Hero’s Journey? If you’re a writer does your current work in progress follow this model?
My favorite example of the Hero’s Journey is Happy Gilmore.
Here are some links that use this example.

The Hero’s Journey-Happy Glimore Prezi

The Hero’s Journey-You tube video featuring Happy Gilmore

Young Adult written for everyone

Book 1 – Along Came a Wolf at Amazon, Amazon.ca, Kobo, Smashwords, The Yellow Hoods Store

Book 2 – Breadcrumb Trail at Amazon, Amazon.ca, Kobo, Smashwords, The Yellow Hoods Store

3 Chapter free samples available

Blog: AdamDreece.com

Twitter: @AdamDreece

Leaps

22 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by Maiden Ink in writing

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

#angelacaldwell, #bookcover, #bookpublishing, #bookreleasedate, #books, #contest, #debutauthor, #deubt, #dontgiveup, #dreaming, #dyslexic, #dyslexicwriter, #indie, #indieauthor, #indiebook, #indiebooks, #indiepub, #indiepublishing, #nevergiveup, #publishing, #selfpublishing, #vote, #voting, #write, #writing

©AngelaCaldwell

I’m going to become my own publisher. #indebooksbeseen After months of querying very few people, and waiting on decisions from full requests, I’ve decided to publish my debut YA fantasy novel on my terms. Well kind of, here comes the crazy, insane, ridiculous part.

I’m offering you, my followers and fans, some control over things. You’ll make use of your powers for good and vote on the release date, cover, and more. You now think I’m officially crazy. Welcome to the club.

I struggle making final decisions. I can’t choose favorites. But, you guys are very good at those things. And with your help, my book will be judged by the cover you choose! The fun will start next week with your very first choice-the release date.

I will choose 3 dates and give you reasons why I chose each date, and you will pick my release date by voting. Please follow this blog, my Twitter (I follow back awesomeness) , Goodreads or Facebook account to make sure you don’t miss out on voting.

And yes, I am officially hyperventilating. And want to thank you all, my writer friends, and avid readers who have already signed up to read a book that isn’t available. You guys remind me to be fearless everyday.

Do you have the writing blues?

13 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by Maiden Ink in writing

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

#angelacaldwell, #angelacaldwellphotography #LorenNeal, #art, #author, #authors, #ballandchain, #books, #dontgiveup, #dreaming, #dyslexia, #dyslexic, #dyslexicwriter, #editing, #figment, #grammar, #gustaveflaubert, #melindahaynes, #nevergiveup, #photoessay, #photography, #rejection, #thewritingblues, #writers, #writetip, #writing, #writingproces

What are the writing blues? I’m not sure. I just made it up. I wanted to address the blah I feel from time to time about my writing. You know when the passion and excitement seem to have disappeared and you don’t want to even open the story you’ve been working on? I’ve found out part of the problem. I’m not writing for me.

Maybe you’ve been querying and gotten a few rejections and it’s made you second guess yourself. Or maybe you’ve worked on a novel for over 2 years and you’ve become burnt out. Why is that? Art needs to be seen. Take my photography for example, I get the most joy when someone views a photo and it touches them. It makes all the hard work worth it.

©AngelaCaldwell from my photo essay Ball and Chain.

But, with writing, it may be years before more than a few people read your manuscript. Writers want to be read. They write to share the stories, feelings, ideas, adventures, mysteries, and fears.
What does this have to do with the writing blues?

If no one’s reading your writing, that defeats your purpose, right? You wish to be read. And if you’re like me, you try to make people feel something or take them on an adventure. And if you’re constantly getting rejections to have agents or editors read your writing it’s like slowly taking all the air out of your balloon. Or for me it drains the passion from my soul.
How do you overcome the writing blues?

Write for you. Write what you love, a story that you can’t put down. Do not seek to follow trends or what’s popular. For me, that means I need to quit trying to please an imaginary person that may or may not read my work. However, what I need to do is make my story the best story possible. Sharing with trusted critique partners and beta readers to challenge me.

As for getting your work out there, develop a plan for your novel. Self-publishing is one option that many authors are considering. However, if you don’t want to self-publish you can join sites like Figment and share your work. Various writers on there will swap stories and give feedback. There are some really serious grammar people on there too, who are willing to contribute too. Figment is where I tested the first chapter of my novel. The feedback I received gave me the push needed to finish writing my the novel. Do not forget to be professional, no matter where you are talking and posting work.

Have you ever had the writing blues? What do you think caused them and what changes can you make to protect your writing from joy thieves?

Tess in Boots by Courtney Rice Gager :Trailer reveal

11 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by Maiden Ink in Blog tour

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

#anaiahpress, #books, #christian, #courtneyricegager, #december, #deubt, #facebook, #goodreads, #romance, #tessinboots, #trailerreveal, #twitter, #youtube

Tess in Boots

by Courtney Rice Gager

Anaiah Press is proud to present the book trailer reveal of Courtney Rice Gager’s contemporary romantic novel

Tess in Boots

Release date: December 2, 2014

About the book:

Tess Dougherty plans every aspect of her life right down to the last detail. But she doesn’t plan on running her boyfriend off by bringing up the topic of marriage before he’s ready. And she doesn’t plan to lose her job on the day she’s set to receive a huge promotion. So when her perfect world unravels, Tess makes a new plan: disappear.

Tess packs her bags and leaves her city apartment for a remote vineyard in North Carolina. At first, she’s put off by the slow pace of small-town life in the South. She’s especially irritated by Thatcher, the vineyard’s smart-mouth, dimple-faced farmhand. But she soon begins to appreciate the area’s charm, and Thatcher’s charm, too. She even swaps her trademark heels for a pair of cowboy boots. As Tess spends more time getting to know Thatcher, she finds herself loosening her grip on her old life little by little. Unfortunately, things on the vineyard aren’t as simple as they seem. There’s a secret here, and when the truth comes to light, Tess is forced to reconsider every plan she’s ever made.

And now, for the books trailer…

…

Add Tess in Boots on Goodreads!

About the Author:

Courtney Rice Gager graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a minor in creative writing. Courtney is also the author of The Buggy List. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and daughter.

Connect with Courtney:

Website Twitter Goodreads Facebook

Why I stopped writing

05 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by Maiden Ink in writing

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Angela M Caldwell

I had worked on this paper for weeks and today the verdict is in. We had done peer reviews and I had corrected everything they’d said. I’d gone to the library every day during lunch to worry over every word. This was going to be it; I had put tons of time and effort into to this one paper. I was going to get an A.

As my teacher returned the papers to us, I thought my heart would explode out of my chest. I knew my diligence would be rewarded. After all, I didn’t really try most of the time. I just showed up and received As and Bs; although, I did settle with the occasional C in extremely boring classes. Not this time. I had worked hard.

The paper landed on my desk with a thump. There on the front was a D-.

That day…

View original post 246 more words

Blog Spotlight: Liberty Belle by Emily Ungar

01 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by Maiden Ink in Blog tour

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#adventures, #anaiahpress, #books, #changingschools, #emilyungar, #libertybelle, #lying, #middlegrade, #moving, #newfriends, #savannah, #tweens, #washingtondc

On the same day she turns twelve years old, Savannah moves away from everything she’s known in sweet, sunny Georgia to preppy Washington D.C. Not only will she miss her best friends Katie and Tessa, Savannah will start a new school. She soon discovers that her schoolmates love to brag—about their clothes, their parents’ governmental connections, and even who has the in with the school authorities.

Unhappy and lonely, Savannah decides if she can’t make life better, she can at least make it sound that way. Soon she is living in the childhood home of George Washington, riding in the limo of the vice president’s daughter, and even moving into the former Luxembourg embassy.

All is well until she learns that her true friends from Georgia are coming for a visit. Now Savannah must create the life she’s been talking about in her letters—and fast! Will Savannah find herself or lose her friends?

Amazon B&N

Please note, this giveaway is only open to residents of the US

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

Emily Ungar is a graduate of Indiana University, where she majored in journalism. After living in seven different U.S. states by the time she finished college, she now lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her husband and very curious twin toddlers. When she isn’t chasing after her twin boys, Emily loves to curl up in a chaise lounge with a book in one hand and a lemon cupcake in the other. Emily loves connecting with her readers, so she welcomes you to say hi on her blog at emilyungar.com.

Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Facebook

Angela M Caldwell

~ Maiden Ink: Young Adult Author

Monthly Archives: September 2014

Vote for the release date

THE YELLOW HOODS: Along Came a Wolf (Book 1) and The Hero’s Journey

Leaps

Do you have the writing blues?

Tess in Boots by Courtney Rice Gager :Trailer reveal

Tess in Boots

by Courtney Rice Gager

Why I stopped writing

Blog Spotlight: Liberty Belle by Emily Ungar

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Tess in Boots

by Courtney Rice Gager

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