The Hyping: When Everything Is A Possible Spoiler

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

We’re getting into another round of book hyping, which will revolve around the upcoming release of Legends of Windemere: Charms of the Feykin.  First, I feel like I have a confession to make.  Not that one or . . . I’ve never been to Texas, so I know you’re thinking of someone else.  This is about the challenge and, quiet honestly, headache that comes from promoting a series.  Maybe I talked about this last time, but I still need to say this:

Promoting later books of a series is hard!

This will be volume #11 of Legends of Windemere and it continues from what happened to Delvin and Sari in the last book (linked to the cover at the end).  Oh dear, even saying that could pose a problem.  Come to think of it, simply having another book reveals information about the last one.  Not to mention things I casually mention in the blurbs.  That title can be rather telling as well.  Oh no, what have I done?  Have I ruined everything?

See where I’m going with this?  It’s been a struggle to keep some information off the blog, but things slip out.  Maybe I really want to talk about the concept and get an opinion, so I try it in a roundabout way.  Yet, eagle-eyed readers who are up on the series will figure it out.  Those who don’t want even the risk of a spoiler will steer clear, which hurts my promotional attempts.  You also have people mentioning big events in comments, which is something I have no control over.  Sure, I can delete or alter those comments after writing a ‘I need to do this for this reason’.  Yet, that feels like a bastard move.  It really pushes me into a terrible corner that is tough to get out of without causing some type of damage.

A big obstacle here is that a long series has readers at different volumes at the same time, so you have a scattered audience.  A person who read Tribe of the Snow Tiger will have no problem with information that a person on The Compass Key will freak out.  Don’t even get me started on choosing teasers at this point.  I try my best to dance around those hoops, but slips happen.  In fact, they’re really inevitable and it drives me nuts.  I don’t want to upset readers with saying too much or talking about the books with such vagueness that my words are empty.  Nothing I can do here since this is the nature of the beast that I’ve decided to wrestle for 15 volumes.  Heck, there are people who have messaged me to say they won’t touch my series or continue it until all of the books are published. I fully understand this and have done it myself since there are authors who will disappear for years in the middle of a series.

So, I’m going to be trying my best with the hyping.  The volume-specific information will be there and I’ll try to avoid spoilers.  The tough thing is that I need to make these posts last throughout September.  I will really have to depend on humor and whatever else I can do that reveals just enough information to make people curious.  Fingers crossed on all of this and I hope people enjoy what’s coming.

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Author Spotlight – Rachel Poli

aurorajeanalexander's avatarWriter's Treasure Chest

MeWelcome!

 

Please introduce yourself.

During the day, I’m a teacher’s aide in a special education preschool classroom. I babysit for multiple families throughout each week and I’m also the director of my church’s Sunday school program. In the early hours of the morning and at night, I’m a writer working on my mystery novel or various short stories. I’m also busy juggling two blogs and planning more.

When I’m not working or writing, I’m usually found reading a book, playing video games, drinking coffee, or soaking up the sun.

 

  1. When did you start writing? 

I was ten-years-old when I began writing. My older sister discovered a website called FanFiction and created a story based off of one of our favorite video games. I thought it was cool and wanted to be a part of it as well. I created a fan fiction story based off of Teenage…

View original post 750 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

My book is being featured

Dan Alatorre AUTHOR's avatarDAN ALATORRE

My book is being featured on eBook Soda. Please help generate buzz by sharing this post with your friends! Thanks!

View original post

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

20 Questions with V.S. Anderson

This gallery contains 4 photos.

Don Massenzio Today we sit down with mystery/suspense author, V.S. Anderson. She is going to share a bit about her inspiration and work. Please enjoy this edition of 20 Questions. Q1) When did you first realize you wanted to be … Continue reading →

More Galleries | 2 Comments

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Book of the Week – Perspective: it’s all about replacing one thought with another by Annette Rochelle Aben

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Lacuna is now available to buy!

kdavisfanclub's avatarBaldypoems

This fabulous first collection from poet Kieran Davis is now available to buy direct from Black Pear Press. UK postage: Non-UK postage: Kieran lives in Worcester with his wife and children, he is a…

Source: Kieran Davis

View original post

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Indie Publishing News This Week

Unknown's avatarDon Massenzio

Story 1 - 160820

All you need to know about self publishing

Adithya Iyer dropped out of engineering college in Mumbai, backpacked across India, raised money on a crowdfundingplatform, wrote a book, and then, wasted no time in publishing it himself. He said it was the best decision – The Great Indian Obsession (Notion Press, 2015) sold over 300 copies even before he had written it.

Read the rest of the story HERE:

story 2 160820

Picking a Digital Publishing Format

Q. What is the “best” publishing method for digital books? I don’t want my readership to be limited to users who have Apple devices if I use iBooks Author. Is the .pdf format viable?

See the answer to this and other questions HERE:

story 3 160820

Aspiring authors set up their own publishing company

A GLOBAL not-for-profit publishing company has been launched by a group of proactive writing students here in Grimsby.

A group of first-year…

View original post 189 more words

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Smorgasbord Open House – Author and Blogger Linda Bethea

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NEW RELEASE – ‘The Law’ by Massimo Marino…

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The Talon Series by Gigi Sedlmayer #asmsg #adventure

Uvi picture with all 5 books

Talon: Come Fly With Me (Book 1)

Nine year old Matica lives in a remote village on a dry plateau in the Andes of Peru. She moved to Peru when she was five with Australian missionary and schoolteacher parents. Because Matica is trapped in the body of a two year old, her growth handicap has caused her to be rejected by the local people and they would not accept her into their community or allow her to play with the children.

With patience and a sense of adventure Matica befriends a pair of condors. A strong bond and love develops between them.

Matica rescues the egg the condors, Tamo and Tima, are trying to protect from poachers and nurtures it to hatching. The egg hatches on her 10th birthday and she names the new fledging Talon.

Many adventures unfold, including her finally being accepted into the local community. And something totally unexpected…

This is the beginning of many incredible adventures with Talon and Matica. It is a story of hope, determination and love.

Talon: On the Wing (Book 2)

What Matica has dreamed ever since she first befriended the condors is actually happening.
And now the adventures begin.

Finally accepting Matica into their community because of an incredible event, the people from the village love seeing her with Talon and demand she tell them about her adventures with the condors.

Matica is now happy to be small because she can do what she has always dreamed of – fly. She is accepted and loved, and because she is so small can have incredible adventures with her beloved Talon. In the meantime, her friendship with Amos continues to grow…
In this book, she has scores of adventures and near disasters with Talon.

Talon: Flight for Life (Book 3)

Matica and her family are planning a holiday in Australia. She and her father travel to Cajamarca to organise supplies and air tickets. Although she misses her condors on the walk to the city, she sees wondrous scenery, rainforest, animals and birds.

On their walk, disaster strikes. Her father is seriously injured on the way home after being bitten by a huge spider and contracts a high fever. Not knowing what to do, Matica calls to her condors for help. The wait until they arrive is the hardest thing she has ever had to endure.

Journey with Matica through her adventures, laughter and tears. Enjoy the feeling of friendship, love and camaraderie between Matica and her condors, Talon, Tamo and Tima.

Talon: Connected (Book 4)

TALON, CONNECTED is the fourth book of the epic adventure series TALON.

Matica lives in the small village of Pucara with her brother, mom and dad, who is recovering from a near-death experience. Her 11th birthday is coming up and the things she is about to encounter proves she is very brave.
Events take a sudden turn when she is invited to see Elcano, the very old and frail father of the village elder Pajaro. Not once, but three times he summons her. She is afraid of him but he fascinates her. He calls her ‘his daughter’ Why? The amazing things he is about to tell her could be life-changing, things she had never thought about.
Matica nearly jumps out of her skin at what she is told. ‘Who me?’ she questions herself. ‘Really me?’

Will Matica be able to cope with these life-changing disclosures?
In the midst of all this, the poachers are back, looking for eggs and birds – and Talon.

TALON, CONNECTED is far more than a kids’ story. It is a story about growing up, friendship, and the challenge of moral choices and respect. Ride along during the ongoing adventures of Matica and her best friends, the condors Talon, Tamo and Tima, characters many readers already know and have learned to love.

Talon: Encounter (Book 5)

The poachers are back – and they are looking for Talon! They are doing everything in their power to capture him, and if they can’t get him alive, will kill him. Determined to get him at all costs the poachers run up against the might and will of Tamo, Tima and Talon.

It is war. The poachers against the condors, Matica and the Indians – with the poachers even taking hostages to win the war.

With the help of Tamo and Tima, Talon and Matica do the impossible knowing they have to capture and stop the poachers or they will be back.

Between the poachers shooting at the condors, the crows playing their part, and Tamo being shot and injured, Matica goes above and beyond to help her beloved condors.

Action-packed from beginning to end, Talon Encounter will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Author Bio

Gigi SedlmayerGisela (Gigi) Sedlmayer was born on 19 May 1944 in Potsdam, a suburb of Berlin in Germany.

Her family escaped to the West just before the infamous wall went up. They moved around in Germany until finally settling in Munich where Gigi studied architectural drafting and met Albert in 1965, marrying in December 1967. She worked as a civil draftsperson in various private consultancies in Munich.

May 1975, Gigi and her husband moved to New Zealand. Because of language challenges, she started a handicraft business. As a specialty, she made colourful parrots of which she sold thousands in a few years.

1989, they became adoptive parents of twin girls.

September 1992 they moved to Australia.

November 1993 Gigi was diagnosed with cancer. By the grace of God she survived it and seeing her husband writing the story about the adoption, she started to write short stories for competition since her English became increasingly better.

Albert taught her how to use a computer and she wrote many short stories. She entered them in competitions and often got very good reports back, which gave her confidence to go on writing. One day the idea for the TALON series came to her and she spent the next several years bringing the story and the characters to life.

She now loves writing and spends most of her time at the computer, developing new story lines. She also loves travelling, 4×4 touring, swimming, gardening, handcrafting, reading, fossicking and enjoys good adventure DVD’s or going to the movies.

Gigi’s Amazon Author Page

Posted in Guest Blogging, Spotlight | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments