Promoting A Long Series: Guest Post By Charles E. Yallowitz

Thanks for having me as a guest.

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

This is a guest post by my author friend, Charles E. Yallowitz. Charles is on a blog tour to promote the latest release in his celebrated Legends of Windemere series, Warlord of the Forgotten Age. After 19 years, his series is coming to an end, so he’s the perfect person to discuss the challenges of promoting a long series.

Promoting A Long Series

Thank you to Nicholas for letting me be a guest and helping me promote Legends of Windemere: Warlord of the Forgotten Age.  After 19 years of writing, editing, outlining, and toiling, my big fantasy adventure series comes to an end.  One thing I didn’t mention there was all the marketing. So many promos and ads and guest posts and fretting over numbers.  It really makes me wonder how I found any time for actual writing, especially since I wrote the final 12 volumes in…

View original post 893 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Life of an Innocent Bystander

Independence Day

Do we really consider innocent bystanders when we’re writing action or disaster scenes that take place in residential areas?  I mean, we know they’re there and write them in to show the carnage.  Maybe we purposely put one in a spot for the hero’s attack to hit them by accident and cause an inner conflict.  Some are even there to be rescued and stay alive to be the cheering section afterwards.  Yet, it really does feel like we take these nameless characters for granted at times.  They have lives, right?  Well, I guess they don’t if we didn’t give them one.

This post is more about the mentality of an innocent bystander than how to use them because they’re fairly simple.  Put in place of danger or in the background and utilize when bodies, screams, chaos, or peanut gallery noises are needed.  Not sure if you would categorize people standing around the main characters kissing as innocent bystanders, but I’m sure some of them would feel awkward.  It isn’t like we would know since fiction doesn’t go into their minds.  Once a character gets named and develops beyond the level of a potted plant, they get listed as tertiary or secondary cast.  Innocent bystanders are those who are in the area during an event and aren’t supposed to be involved, but get dragged in by accident.

Now, I can say I’m 100% right on what I said before.  It’s entirely possible to write a story that focuses on a character that ends up being an innocent bystander.  At least, I think they can start that way, but they would need to remain at the whim of the situation to retain that title.  A person that tries to influence the events is no longer standing by and could also lose their innocence.  So, this is something that can easily be shed for most genres if the author wants.  It would be interesting to see a story from the perspective of someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but has no control.  I could see it work for a short story or micro-fiction.  A lengthy novel might be fairly difficult.

Now, I did run into several quotes that basically stated that innocent bystanders aren’t really a thing.  The idea is that nobody is really innocent or that they had to be in that area for a reason.  I thought it pertained to destiny and fate, but mostly it seemed like it was a lack of empathy.  People end up in these situations every day and some are terrified of that moment because it rarely ends well.  Ever hear of an innocent bystander winning the lottery?  Not really.  They’re usually victims of violence and misfortune.  This might be another reason authors don’t put much thought into them because getting connected to what could be literary fodder doesn’t make a lot of sense.

A sudden idea just popped in my head too.  It’s possible that we don’t really think much of fictional innocent bystanders because of the real world use.  As stated, it’s rarely used as a positive when a real disaster happens.  Typically, the innocent bystanders are those hurt, killed, and/or traumatized by whatever occurred.  It’s painful to hear about when you consider the loss of life and, for some people, it can be difficult to wrap one’s head around the whole thing.  At some level, we like there to be order and sense in our world, but bad luck or negative fate counter that desire.  Many consider that it could be them that get labeled innocent bystanders, which makes the term and role one of a helpless, unaware victim.  That’s a mentality that is difficult and exhausting to work with when writing a story.

So, have you ever considered the role or existence of innocent bystanders in fiction?

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The 2018 Author Interview Series Featuring Lyn Horner

This gallery contains 7 photos.

Don Massenzio Welcome to 2018 and my new author interview series. Author interviews will be posted every Friday throughout the year. I am honored to continue this series with Lyn Horner. Lyn is a Texas author that writes contemporary and … Continue reading →

More Galleries | 2 Comments

Easy Blogging for Authors: 10 Tips for a Successful Author Blog…

Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

By Anne R. Allen

I’ve made some spectacular blunders in my blogging career. But since we learn from our mistakes, I’ve got a boatload of information now.

As Ruth and I say: “We made the mistakes so you don’t have to.”

The worst decision I made was trying to turn this blog into a monetized business blog. That lasted about six months— until my doctor said I was going to have to choose between blogging and living to see my next birthday.

This is the second anniversary of the beginning of that failed experiment, and I’ve been thinking over what I’ve learned.

My biggest mistake was that I didn’t see that an author blog has a different purpose and goal from a business blog. Author blogs aren’t about making money directly with ads or sales.

Instead, they provide a platform for your writing and a way to communicate with readers…

View original post 289 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Another Day of Hodge Podge Head

Simpson Homer

This is another day where I have a lot on my mind.  Plus side is that I finished the editing and have some time to recover.  I’ll just get right into it:

War of Nytefall Character Profiles

So, I’m going to start doing the character profiles/origins on the first Thursday of February to begin directing people to the new series.  I have 13 major players to highlight in a way that doesn’t create any spoilers.  This might end up being my project for the rest of the week and weekend, but it does pose a small problem.

What do I do about pictures?  These are all vampires and the choices when I do a search never seem to fit.  They’re always noble-looking monsters, high school lurking guys in trenchcoats, beautiful women bathing in blood, and otherwise far too gothic for the Dawn Fangs.  I might just find one picture of a vampire baring its fangs and use that for all of them since I have no character specific ones.

War of Nytefall Villains

I’m running into an odd problem.  The main villain might not be who I thought it would be in this series.  Yet, I can’t really do a big switch in terms of rivalries.  Does it make sense for the more active villain to pair off with a supporting hero while the secondary villain battles with the main hero?  Hard to explain this without spoilers.

Quest of the Broken Hearted

This is the next project that I hope to start next Tuesday.  I figure it will take 4 weeks to get the first draft done, which means I’ll finish right before my son’s Winter Break.  I’ll have enough time between the two events to get March posts ready as well.  My schedule is going to be chaotic because of changes that I’ll know more about by Saturday.

To explain this book, it’s a one-shot that relates to Legends of Windemere and follows a character who needs some closure.  It’s a few year after the finale and will reveal parts of the ending.  It involves this person heading into a place dubbed ‘The City of Evil’ and battling through the monsters to finally rid Windemere of this blight.  The character is torn between wanting to help the world and simply having the chance to die a hero, so there’s a darker tone than the main series.  Once entering the city, the character learns that all who enter are greeted as guests/gladiators and have to defeat the many champions in order to earn a right to face the demonic master.  There are a few ‘pet humans’ as well that create a supporting cast, including one character that will be turning up in a few other series in the future.  Every victory brings them closer to the end and makes them stronger, but they could be losing something else as time passes.

Right now, I want to show the chapter titles minus the first one that reveals the character involved.  First is the city and then after the monster of the chapter:

Lacarsis
Aganippe
Paura Riders
Freybug
Ore Child
Blossom Maiden
The Rai
Ogataur
Tarnkappe
Wisp
Echidna
Koshei
The Shadow Earl
The Silver Countess

That’s 15 chapters that range from 2-4 sections each.  Most of them are 3 with there being developmental setup that leads into the challenge.  A big inspiration for this was the Castlevania series where you wander a castle and fight monsters, but I couldn’t just do that.  So, I left it with one fight per chapter and the rest is character interactions and world exploration.  There will be fun here because there are monsters everywhere and they act oddly civilized at times.  Hope this is one that people will enjoy.

Those are really it for my wandering brain.  I should probably save the rest for Saturday.  Oh, I almost forgot:

I was thinking of making Sunday a poem day.  Just kick off/end the week with a short poem about something that I happened.  What do people think?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

The Geyser Girl on #LisaBurtonRadio

coldhandboyack's avatarEntertaining Stories

Hey there all you woodland nymphs and water sprites. It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time for another edition of Lisa Burton Radio. The only show out there bringing you the characters from the books you love.

I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl, and my special guest today has several names. She is Flower of the Steam Basin, sometimes called the Geyser Girl. Welcome to the show, and I hope it’s okay to call you “Flower.”

“Hello, Miss Lisa. You are most gracious, and I am honored to be in your company. Please do call me Flower.”

“You’re associated with the Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin somehow. Can you tell our listeners about that?”

“When I was an infant, the Faithful Elder, known as Old Faithful geyser, and a mother buffalo named Bearer of Song found me alone on a snowy April’s night in the geyser basin. They raised me…

View original post 1,257 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Lovey Dovey Mushy Stuff in Fiction

Minion

 Cuddles and kisses
Saccharine dripping
From the pages
While others look on
From both worlds

Puppy love
First love
Slipping into other genres
Giving characters
A chance to be more human

Yet it can be out of place
Smooching among zombies
Cooing in combat
Goo-goo eyes during disaster
Boundaries must be made

And still we go too far
Caught up in the romance ourselves
Living through the scenes
And letting our characters
Being incredibly human

Posted in Poems | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Teaser Tuesday: The Heiress and The Drite

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

This is a fairly short one that takes place during the big battle.  Feel free to click on the cover and get the full book for $2.99.  🙂

Continue reading →

Posted in Legends of Windemere, Teaser Tuesday, Warlord of the Forgotten Age | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – New on the Shelves – Caledonia by Amy Hoff

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I’m Back With Several Courses For Publishing Authors

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

Vacation writing inspiration | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's booksAfter a short break, I’m back with news of several publishing courses now available for only $10.99 (down from as high as $200)! If, like me, you’ve attended any Udemy courses in the past, you will surely have heard of the New Year Resolution offer they’re currently running, lasting until the 11th.

Dave Chesson (aka Kindlepreneur) has kindly compiled the best of the writing courses on offer into a super-helpful post. From writing to productivity tips to marketing, you can find out more on his blog!

Become a Book Launch Gladiator: How to go from Newbie Author to Bestseller

Book Launch Gladiator course | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's booksIf Udemy’s courses are not enough for you, how about a great new course by Jordan Ring, aimed specifically at people struggling with their book.

The major parts of the course are:

  1. Course Intro and Basic Questions Answered
  2. Pre-Launch Phase and setting up your book for success
  3. Review How to
  4. Launch…

View original post 122 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments