This Week in Indie Publishing

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz

Unknown's avatarDon Massenzio

Independent writers are choosing their own paths to success

Until recently, if you were a writer who had a novel or other work, there was essentially a single path to follow: you tried to find an agent who liked your writing, and who would be able to sell it to a publisher. The process could take months or years — assuming you were able to get on that merry-go-round at all.

David Gaughran, author ofLet’s Get Digitaland other books about self-publishing, tried that route when he wrote his first novel about 11 years ago. It was an exasperating experience.

“I spent about 18 months querying every agent that I could find in the English-language world and didn’t really get anywhere,” Gaughran says. He was frustrated enough that he thought about giving up. “But then I started looking at self-publishing.”

Read the rest of this story HERE.

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New Book! Birthday! Twitter Stuff! Things! SHAZAM!

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz

Where to even begin?  Well . . . As you can see from the sticky post, War of Nytefall: Rivalry has been released.  It went live on Friday and I’m hoping to see some movement over the course of the week.  For those who haven’t noticed, check out the cover and click on it to go to Amazon:

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

There are going to be a bunch of guest posts going up around the Internet and I plan on sharing them all here.  So, there’s going to be a high level of activity.  At least when I can because I do have work and that life event.  Really need to figure out when I can start calling that second thing by name.  Anyway, let’s leave that alone because I sense that nobody who doesn’t know it really is has any idea.  Some have even hinted that they think I’m being overly dramatic, but whatever.  Moving on!

Jay Sherman (The Critic)

You might notice that the Goal Post is on Sunday instead of Saturday.  Well, the secondary reason is because I wanted to announce War of Nytefall: Rivalry once it came out.  The other reason is because I was in New York City hanging with a friend to just relax and have an early birthday celebration.  We mostly wandered around and stopped at a bar for food and a drink from time to time.  Had a lot of water too since it warmed up quickly and I couldn’t do anything about my jacket.

The big event of the day was seeing ‘SHAZAM!’ . . . I’m just going to say it.  I’m already calling this my favorite superhero movie of 2019.  It was funny, had great action, twists that I didn’t see coming, and the characters were simply likable.  They also felt very human.  Shazam is definitely a kid in the body of an adult.  Freddie, his foster brother, has excellent comedic timing and the hyper, near obnoxiousness of him was countered by his utter honesty.  These were believable characters to me, which is something I haven’t seen in a superhero movie in years.  Also, the audience was laughing, cheering, and genuinely into the movie.  There wasn’t a sense that they were doing it because they thought it was required.  It was hilarious and had so much heart to the point where one revelation hits you so solidly in the gut.  I expected something like it, but not to the level of bluntness that it was delivered.  I highly recommend seeing because I don’t think we’re going to get many superhero movies that are this entertaining on a level beyond the spectacle.

Think I lost myself because this post became a movie review.  The other thing I wanted to talk about is Twitter . . . Is anybody getting anything out of it?  I was sitting here thinking up tweets to promote War of Nytefall: Rivalry and it wasn’t coming.  The one that went live today didn’t even have the preview.  I tried to switch the Amazon link with a new one, but still nothing.  I had to retweet with an image attached.  On days when I have 100+ retweets, I have no movement of the associated book.  All I do is retweet on there too, so I’m not sure why I put so much energy and time into it.  There’s really nothing coming out of there.  I figure my options are the following:

  1. Only have one pinned tweet per week to maintain some activity.
  2. Use it for something else that creates interactions.  Like pose a question every few days.  This would require more work on my part, but you never know what will come from it.
  3. Get rid of it completely.

I might try #1 for a bit to see what happens and try #2 from time to time.  The issue really has become that I have such limited time that putting effort into something with no real payoff doesn’t appeal to me.  I have 22.2K followers on there, but I seem to be running into the same people.  I have to hunt through my own feed to find things to retweet because there’s so much junk.  There is hesitation since I did work so hard to build that up, which is why #3 feels like a tantrum.  Maybe I’ll see how this week goes and make a post next Sunday about Twitter to get some insight.  I have scheduled tweets until Tuesday, so the last one will be left up there.  Then I’ll pose an author-based question one other day to see the reaction.  That sounds good.

In other news, my 39th birthday is Tuesday.  Getting older isn’t sitting too well with me because of how life is going.  I mean, the job is great and I’m making new friends.  Writing is still difficult due to time, energy, and emotions.  It’s really that life event.  I figure this is a rebuilding year.  It’s going to be busy and I’m going to be here and there.  Realized that I can’t use my cellphone during the summer job, so you guys might not hear from me until the evening on weekdays.  That’s far into the future.  Geez, this paragraph was supposed to be about my birthday.  Did get a few sweet presents like Deadpool sleeping pants and a weighted blanket.  That’s really it for now.  You really don’t get a lot of presents when you’re in your 30’s.

The plan for this week is to finally finish writing Chapter 8 of War of Nytefall: Eradication.  I need to get this book done before the summer, which is when I’m going to work on my super secret project.  It’s something that I can tinker with at a faster pace than my usual fare.  That reminds me that I need to pick up some pocket moleskine notebooks to work on it.  My last one got blown out of my hand by the wind and landed in a puddle.  You can’t come back from submerging and there wasn’t anything written in it anyway.  I was simply counting pages.  Beyond all that, I’m going to slowly work on the May posts too.  Running out of topics for June, which means I’ll have to sit down and figure those out as well.

Goals of the week:

  1. Promote War of Nytefall: Rivalry
  2. Write more of War of Nytefall: Eradication
  3. Birthday!
  4. Work!  Always fun and worthwhile.
  5. Schedule May posts.
  6. Tinker with super secret project.
  7. Make a list of June topics (always up for suggestions)
  8. Sleep, eat, bike, and shower.
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Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – New on the Shelves #Shortstories – A Box of Memories by Allan Hudson

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz
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Sink Your Fangs Into War of Nytefall: Rivalry on Amazon! #fantasy #vampires #newrelease

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz

Clyde & the Dawn Fangs return to face a new enemy: The Vampire Queen!

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

Seeking the pleasure of revenge, an ancient rumor will reveal herself to be a deadly legend.

Lurking within the shadows for centuries, the Vampire Queen has been drawn to the conflict that surrounds Clyde. Only whispers have been spread about this elusive figure, who has amassed a kingdom that can rival Nyte and Nytefall. All that she is missing is the strongest vampire to crown as her king. In one fell swoop, she has taken the most powerful of her kind, including Clyde and Xavier Tempest. Hosting a tournament where the rules seem to change at her whim, the Vampire Queen threatens to shatter the already strained world that lurks beneath Windemere’s surface. Yet, there is more to her desires, which seep from a soul that is pulsing with fury. For her kingdom can never be complete until she holds the head of the one who wronged her centuries ago.

Can Mab stand against her ancient rival and save her monstrous partner?

 Excerpt: Party Crashers

Among the well-dressed vampires, the pair are obviously out of place, but they are not approached thanks to everyone seeing them enter with the beautiful desserts. The lack of suspicion allows them to move around the room and mingle with the waitstaff, who they talk to about the other dishes. Clyde makes sure to stay as far away from Xavier and Nadia as possible, but not appear too obvious. He watches the couple talk with their new council, all of them standing atop the dais where the thrones of Nyte have been placed. There are a set of nine smaller chairs being set up at the base of the steps, each one adorned with its owner’s house symbol. The Dawn Fang notes that they are all some kind of flower, which mimics the fanged orchid crest of the Tempest family. Meeting Lady Sylvan’s blue and yellow eyes, Clyde politely bows his head and is relieved to see that she ignores his presence. He chuckles at how her sparrow pendant does not match her black and red dress, the wooden bauble still on the leather strap it came with centuries ago. A gentle elbow to the ribs from Mab stops him from smirking at his own thoughts and reminds him that he is dressed like a woman, so he tries to walk with more of a sway in his hips. The exaggerated motion causes his partner to put an arm around his waist and end the horrible imitation that is earning a lustful leer from Archillious.

“Thank you to everyone for attending!” Xavier declares, his voice rising above the music and conversations. Taking his wife’s hand in his, he directs Nadia to her throne and waves for the council to take their seats. “On this day, the vampire nobility has been reborn. There will be no infighting or schemes to overthrow each other like with our predecessors. All of us have agreed that the only way for our kind to survive is to work together and form a global society with Nyte at its center. Many say that I have done this in order to call myself the Vampire King, but I assure you that this is a lie. Not that I would say no to the title, but my goals are not so vain and simplistic. Windemere is still changing and we need to be united under one flag. Otherwise, we will go the way of those who were lost in the Great Cataclysm. With these wise and powerful nobles at my side, I will make sure that our people will live and thrive. Extinction is not the destiny for vampires as long as I draw breath . . . so to speak.”

“We move as soon as he finishes the toast,” Clyde whispers to Mab.

The Lord of Nyte raises his drink over his head and says, “I am honored to present to all of you-”

“A real king requires the true queen!” a voice shouts from the back of the crowd. A vampiric halfling dressed in a bejeweled suit jumps onto one of the tables and shivers even though he is sweating. “This ceremony is a farce because it does not carry the favor of the Vampire Queen. It has been centuries, but now she is ready to assume the throne. As her emissary, I have come to warn all who would dare to deny her that they will be crushed. I also come with an invitation to those who have been granted permission to compete for the Vampire Queen’s hand. It is only through her blessing may you claim to rule our people. Do not accept forgeries who wish to draw you off the path!”

The halfling stops when a fang strikes him between the eyes, the shot from Archillious having very little effect. Stepping out from behind the tapestry on the back wall, Lou charges at the intruder. The hairy ogre knocks guests out of the way and lowers his head to display his horns, one of which is adorned with a colorful bow. He leaps for the smaller vampire, which he can easily crush in one hand. Decker is not far behind the bodyguard, his keen senses screaming that they are in danger. Crossbow bolts soar over the dwarf’s head to strike the halfling in the knees, but he does not buckle. The advancing warriors skid to a stop when Clyde, still wearing his dress, appears above the emissary and rears back to deliver a full-strength punch. His fist is about to make contact when the halfling suddenly bloats and the jewels on his suit begin to crack. The entire castle is rocked by a violent explosion, which fills the ballroom with a crystalline dust that hangs in the air like an immovable curtain.

Get War of Nytefall: Rivalry on Amazon for $2.99!
Add it to your Goodreads To-Read Lists!

*****

Start the adventure from the beginning with War of Nytefall: Loyalty!

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

Then, continue the vampire-filled fun with War of Nytefall: Lost!

Cover art by Alison Hunt

Interested in more Windemere?  Then don’t forget to check out Charles E. Yallowitz’s first series: Legends of Windemere

All Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

About the Author:

Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After spending many years fiddling with his thoughts and notebooks, he decided that it was time to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house with only pizza and seltzer to sustain him, Charles brings you tales from the world of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you and drawing you into a world of magic.

Blog: www.legendsofwindemere.com
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com

 

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Jewelz the Vampire Queen

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz

Carmilla from Castlevania

There’s only so much I can say about the Vampire Queen considering her past and actions are the main part of War of Nytefall: Rivalry.  Yet, I can reveal her true name, which is Jewelz.  I can share a little bit of her history too without going into the details, but we’re also going to see where she came from.  After all, the previous characters got their origin posts, so why not her?

Way back, I used to goof off on AOL Instant Messenger and sometimes it was role-playing online.  One person I chatted with a bunch created this vampire character named Jewelz who she said I could use in a story.  I would use Clyde and the two would interact with each of us trying to one up the other.  Fight scenes were extremely violent and we even tried love scenes with the characters to see how they worked together.  We lost contact, but I had the notes on Jewelz only to keep two parts:

  1. The name.
  2. She could go toe-to-toe with Clyde.

This is why earlier incarnations of the series had her show up as his lover, which kept causing trouble.  She would only be partially developed because Mab would be in the way and many times she went evil.  It was frustrating that I could never really get it to work, but I eventually accepted that was the case.  Of course this led to a long string of other ideas that kept her revolving around Clyde.  My personal favorite was his daughter from the future who was born completely from his blood and wanted to make sure he survived some disaster.  Her way of making him survive was to launch him through a portal, which sent him to Windemere.  I don’t know why Jewelz kept turning into the bridge between Earth and Windemere.  Should have known that would cause problems too.

For about 2 years, I had her on the shelf because I didn’t know how to make her fit once the Dawn Fangs went to Windemere.  She wasn’t needed to get Clyde there since he was a local now.  The last piece of her purpose was gone, but I didn’t want to toss her into the garbage.  Looking over my old notes, I tried to see where things went wrong and kept coming back to another character.  Jewelz would have gone a lot farther if Mab wasn’t in the picture.  I decided to play off that and it rapidly grew into them having an ancient rivalry.  The rest of the story really blossomed around this concept and it helped me design Jewelz in a new light.  It also gave some credence to the name.

You see, I needed Mab to have an opposite here.  Jewelz is vain while Mab doesn’t really care about her looks.  They both have ego, but Mab is laid back while Jewelz desires credit and praise.  Of course, both of them had to be thieves, which continued the curious differences.  I noticed that Mab tends to steal whatever catches her attention and has no real theme to her heists.  Being the polar opposite, Jewelz focuses almost entirely on gemstones and crystals.  I could keep going, but then there won’t be much to discover in the book.

All I can say here is that it was a lot of fun to create a foil for Mab because it meant Clyde couldn’t touch her.  It wouldn’t be right for him to take on the character who wasn’t designed to face him.  This put him in a tough spot and elevated Jewelz to a more powerful level because she needed to be able to keep that monster at bay.  Overall, I think she came out very well and has a lot of secrets that readers will enjoy.  So, step into War of Nytefall: Rivalry and check out the rest of her story.

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The 2019 Interview Series Featuring Marcia Meara

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz

Don Massenzio's avatarDon Massenzio

625smallWhat comes first in your writing, the plot or the characters?

Characters. Every time. I think about someone that would probably have an interesting story to tell, like an eco-tour boat captain and a wildlife photographer. I know they’ll provide me with lots of background I’m familiar with, and I have a feel for who they are before I begin to build a mystery or drama around them.

In the case of my second Wake-Robin Ridge book, A Boy Named Rabbit, a little boy alone in the wilderness came into my mind as I was falling asleep one night. I could swear I heard Sarah Gray (from Book 1) tell me he needed for his story to be told, and by the time I woke up, I knew exactly who he was and why he was alone. I went straight to the computer and started writing down every word of…

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Derailing Bedlam: The Asp, The Axe, & The Asshole Part 2 #fiction #adventure

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz

As usual, here is your warning that this story has cursing, sex (not graphic), innuendo, and violence.  It’s my Rated-R action adventure called Derailing Bedlam.  This is the fourth outing (third official) for Cassidy and Lloyd, so feel free to click on one of the two covers to see how it started.  Each one is 99 cents!

Cover by Jon Hunsinger

Cover Art by Jon Hunsinger

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Welcome to the Island of Apelios

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz

Fam Islands

I didn’t have much going into this place because I had the longest time deciding on a name.  Not even sure what the originals were, but part of the problem was that the Vampire Queen went from hero to villain with no clear idea of where she would be operating from.  Eventually, I realized she needed a secret haven to explain why nobody knew about her existence until now.  Valleys didn’t seem to fit her personality, but an island worked perfectly.  That was the birth of what became known as Apelios, which came with it’s own typo.  Sadly, that typo is part of a spoiler in the book because I figured I should try to make it look like it was . . . on . . . purpose.  Oops.

Anyhoo, I went through a few different shape ideas that didn’t really work out until I began browsing through my manga collection.  I was just looking for something that would spark an idea.  At one point, there was a tea kettle in the scene and I thought it would be interesting to have an island shaped like that.  The inside of the handle is a lagoon with an arena in the center, which you know is going to be where some fun happens.  The rest of the setting came together as I developed the Vampire Queen.  Jungle surrounding a beautiful city with gemstone statues and high towers just felt right, especially since it was a brighter place than Nyte and Nytefall.  It didn’t feel like a place where vampires would thrive, which made it feel unique.

Everything else about Apelios came about as I wrote the book.  The locals quickly developed this blatant sense of freedom and borderline debauchery.  A solid obedience to the Vampire Queen got locked in too, which created the question of who was influencing who.  It did seem like she was growing alongside her home at this point instead of me basing it around her.  This was for the best as I finished the first draft because it really had to be about her and the island.  The two needed to fit together perfectly and molding her into her surroundings was easier when it came to the details.  This might also be why I didn’t put a lot on Apelios because there had to be a focus on its residents and adding too much would make it feel cluttered.

I’ve noticed with War of Nytefall that many locations have a strong connection to one or two characters.  Xavier Tempest and Nadia Sylvan have Nyte.  Clyde has Nytefall.  Now, the Vampire Queen has Apelios.  All three are kingdoms of vampires, which makes this civil war feel like it’s going to have more than two sides.  Looking over the volumes, third parties do seem to get involved a lot to threaten both sides.  That makes me wonder if I started something with this hidden island.  How many Dawn Fangs or old-world vampires will try to carve out their own kingdom in Windemere?  Will Apelios start a fresher revolution where you have a global free-for-all?  It’s really something to consider, which is odd since this place didn’t really seem that special when I first made it.  At the very least, I didn’t think it would make me question so much.

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Free Story: A Twist of the Tail

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

*** Read Infinite Waters for free on Kindle Unlimited ***From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books

In April 2018, I posted my thousandth post on this blog. To celebrate, I started sharing here all my short stories. Every couple of weeks, I’ll be posting one story from my celebrated Exciting Destinies series for you to enjoy. With over 30 stories so far, I hope you’ll have lots of fun in the coming months!

This week, it’s “A Twist of the Tail,” a story from Infinite Waters. Click here to read some more free stories.

A Twist of the Tail

Despite the early hour, I was covered in sweat. The day promised to be another scorcher. It was August, after all. I let out a small groan and faced the cloudless sky, grateful for a brief whiff of morning breeze, before I grabbed the suitcase’s handle again. What have I put inside, anyway? My mind was…

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Coming Soon! War of Nytefall: Rivalry! #fantasy #vampires #coverreveal

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Charles Yallowitz

Don’t worry.  There will be a teaser, but first.  The cover reveal of the next installment of War of Nytefall:

Cover Art by Alison Hunt

I love how this came out.  Yes, I’m a sucker for blue, especially this kind of blue.  The Star of David is a nice touch as well.  Obviously, something within this story will deal with gems . . . I might as well make that part of the sneak peek too.  Enjoy.

Continue reading →

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