Dipped My Toes in the Self-Publishing Pool...

It comes as no surprise that a lot of traditionally published authors are now giving self-publishing a try, myself included. My foray into this bold new world is my previously published romantic suspense novel, DESERT GUARDIAN.

This book has been through a lot. I originally wrote it for a contest sponsored by Harlequin back in 2002. The goal was their Intrigue Line, which I enjoyed reading very much, but I didn't even come close to winning. Oh, well. It was worth a try.

I still wanted to have a category book published with Harlequin and back then, they took longer books than they do now. My next favorite Harlequin line was Silhouette Intimate Moments (it's now called Harlequin Romantic Suspense). So I sent them a query and one of their editors requested the full manuscript. Eureka! Things were looking up.

The editor, Shannon Godwin (who is now an editor with Entangled), sent me an email and asked me to call her. I called her from work (shame on me) and we talked on the phone for over an hour. She'd only read half the manuscript and was incredibly excited, especially since the concept was so fresh and original. She sent me a long revision letter, I made the revisions, she sent me another revision letter, and I made those revisions as well. No offer yet, but it felt like just a formality at that point. I thought I'd finally made it in!

Fast forward 18 months and a move from Colorado to Oregon. I followed up with Shannon to see where we were, and that's when I received my rejection letter, plus the news that Shannon was no longer with the company. I was absolutely crushed.

I took a sabbatical from writing for a while. I was now living in a new town, away from my dearest writing buddies and my amazing writers group, RMFW. I felt lost and alone, and I was struggling to find a job. Once I finally settled into my new home, I dusted off DESERT GUARDIAN and gave it another polish. Small press publishers were popping up all over in 2005, so I figured I'd give one a try. The Wild Rose Press published DESERT GUARDIAN in October of 2006.

I think the most I made from book sales with TWRP was about $100 for the ebooks and maybe $600 for the print books. The brick and mortar bookstores wouldn't carry it because it was POD, and there was only the Fictionwise ereader for ebooks at the time, and Fictionwise was the most popular distributor for ebooks because Amazon had yet to get in the game. The whole process was kind of meh. I learned a lot about this new area of ebook publishing (not so new anymore) and considered it a great learning experience. The contract was only for 3 years, so I got my rights reverted to me in 2009.

I dearly love this book and the thought of it never seeing the light of day again didn't sit well with me. Though it's romantic suspense, I couldn't resist including a few mystical elements, and I can't write anything that doesn't have some crazy in it. The concept of cults fascinates and horrifies me, like a wreck on the road you can't ignore. The characters I created for this book start out terribly damaged, and it was a joy for me to heal them on the page.

I'm very pleased that self-publishing is now recognized as a viable option for authors. I decided to educate myself as much as I could to see if self-publishing was the right direction for me. I still plan on continuing my traditional publishing career, but I'm adding self-publishing to the mix. I thought DESERT GUARDIAN would make a good project to start with. My craft has improved by leaps and bounds since the original book was published, so I gave the manuscript a good overhaul. I cut about 4000 words, intensified the relationship between the hero and heroine, and hired a professional editor. I designed a new cover for the book and did the ebook formatting myself.

One day ago, DESERT GUARDIAN went live on Amazon in their KDP Select program. So for the next 90 days it will be available only through Amazon at the affordable price of $2.99. Amazon Premium members can borrow it from the Kindle Library for free. I'm in the process of formatting the book for print right now, and since page layout design is a specialty of mine, I'm going all out... just because I can. :)

Will I self-publish anything else? Oh, yes. I have 3 more projects lined up, one of which is a novella that I intend to make permanently free. Another is the book of my heart that's a mash-up of my favorite genres. And the other... well, you'll just have to wait and see. My current work in progress is destined for traditional print, but one never knows what the future holds. I'm keeping my options open.

I need to get the word out about DESERT GUARDIAN, and I'm begging for reviews. Hint, hint. Most of the best advertising venues won't accept books without a minimum of ten 4-5 starred reviews, so please help me out here.

Here's the blurb:

When Kelly Bancroft receives a suicide letter from her brother, she knows the star-worshipping cult he belongs to is to blame. She travels to the California desert to try talking him into leaving the deadly Star Mother cult, but he's nowhere to be found.

Cult intervention specialist—and ex-cultist—Sam Reed, aka The Arrow, has his work cut out for him when he teams up with Kelly to rescue her brother. Sam has good reason to avoid the cult that killed his mother, but he's made it his mission to save those who have fallen under Star Mother's spell.

Deluded by their fantasy beliefs, the cult's followers await a starship that will deliver them to utopia on another planet. The caveat? All passengers must leave their bodies behind.

Will Sam’s and Kelly’s romantic relationship help or hinder them in their struggle to stop a mass suicide? Or will they themselves fall victim to the cult’s fatal madness?

Praise for DESERT GUARDIAN:

Desert Guardian is a fast-paced story that kept me glued from the first page. Wow, what a ride! I loved this book so much. The dialogue is excellent, the banter between Kelly and Sam top-notch, and the roles they play are absolutely outstanding. — 5 Angels, Fallen Angels Reviews

The suspense is exquisitely developed but the love story between the wonderful hero and heroine absolutely shines… Readers will definitely want to make time to settle in for the duration of Desert Guardian. — 5 stars, Romantic Observer Reviews

Desert Guardian captivates the reader from the opening chapter, with a mystery/suspense driven plot worthy of reading. Ms. Duvall creates strong, dramatic characters as Sam and Kelly confront their own personal emotional demons… — Romance at Heart Magazine

“Karen Duvall’s Desert Guardian grabs the reader's interest from the first page and never lets go.” — Jasmine Cresswell, USA TODAY bestselling author

New Artwork - Feeling Romantic

I designed these gowns in Photoshop, and then assembled them in a 3D virtual world environment where I also captured the images as photographs.

A Knight To Remember - Excerpt

The following excerpt is from chapter one of my third (and not-yet-published) book in my Knight's Curse series called A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER. This was supposed to have appeared yesterday at one of the blog stops in my branding tour, but for some unknown reason, it never got posted. So I decided to post it here. I want everyone to know that a third book in this series is underway, and here's a small taste of what's to come. I hope you enjoy it. :)

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Taking another step forward, I tightened my grip on Aydin's hand and he gave mine a gentle squeeze. My tension eased just enough for me to suck in a breath. Our connection to each other helped fade the darkness from my mind while it clarified my thoughts. I couldn't let fear get in the way of our mission. Four young women were depending on us to rescue them and their unborn babies. We had to get to them before their fallen angel husbands killed them all.

The black fog we trudged through slowly dispersed to reveal a ramshackle village stuck in the past. This wasn't Hell, but close enough. Demons and humans passed each other on the street, and not one of them gave Aydin or me a second glance. That's because we blended right in. I tugged at the filthy burlap dress that ended just above my knees and straightened the tattered shorts I wore underneath. I wanted my jeans back.

Dirt puffed up in clouds from the medieval road beneath my bare feet and the scent of animal droppings singed the hairs in my nose. Even with my super senses turned down low, the stench was almost unbearable. I hated this horrible place. Plenty of unpleasant smells filled the air and the suffocating odor of sulfur wasn't the worst of them.

"Watch where you step," I warned Aydin, as he plodded forward to peek around the corner of a crumbling mud building. His black angel wings dragged through something thick and wet and pungent. I cringed and said, "Too late."

He flicked the wing and I ducked as a clod of smelly dung whizzed past my head.

"I can't get used to these things." He twitched his feathers like a preening bird. "I don't know how real angels manage them."

"Yours are only temporary so you don't need to know." I tugged gently on the changing charm that hung around his neck. Satisfied it was securely fastened, I assumed a submissive pose so I could begin my ruse as Aydin's slave. I handed him the end to the rope tied around my waist. "Don't drop this."

"Chalice, is that really necessary?" Eyes like crescents of frozen jade, his gaze skimmed me from top to bottom. His scowl looked menacing, and anyone who didn't know what a lovable immortal he was would think him the savage beast he pretended to be. He glanced at the stuff on his wing and his lip curled in disgust. I covered my mouth to hide my smile.

"We can't let anyone find out who we really are. If we get caught, they'll never let us go." I nudged him forward and bowed my head, trying my best to look persecuted. "As soon as we find the pregnant squires we'll get the hell out."

"Amen to that." He tugged the rope and I faked a stumble.

I stole sideways glances at the milling crowds that wound through various stalls in the village marketplace. Smells of unwashed fur, sweat, spoiled herbs, fetid meat and baked goods wafted up my nose and crawled into my stomach. It was time to flip off the switch on my senses or I'd soon contribute something to the mess already staining Aydin's wings.

I was about to mentally shut the door on all sensation when I caught a conversation that pricked my interest. "…he's not back. Word has it he's been banished."

"The Fallen search for him," the second voice said.

"They'll not find him. Pharzuph is as good as dead."

I exhaled in relief. With the evil fallen angel Pharzuph still gone from the black veil, it meant one less obstacle in our way.

My coiled nerves finally relaxed now that I was starting to acclimate to the environment. My heart beat at a normal rhythm and I walked a little closer to Aydin, close enough for subtle waves of his body's heat to flow over me. His presence gave me courage. We were stronger together than we could ever be apart.

©2013 Karen Duvall

Blog Tour: Author Spotlight

I'll be doing a mini blog tour called an Author Spotlight over the course of the next 3 months. I'm doing this mostly to promote my brand rather than any one book. I have a few new book irons in the fire right now, so my goal is to maintain reader interest and hopefully gain new readers along the way.

My guest posts on these blogs will be a mix of interviews, excerpts and articles. I want each appearance to offer something different, including an interview with my dog. She has a lot to say about what it's like living with a writer, and she doesn't sugar coat it either. I'll also be offering teaser excerpts from a couple of unpublished projects.

Here are the tour dates for the rest of February and all of March. I'll post dates for April and May when it gets closer. To see the full schedule, you can find it here.

Feb 23rd
Jill Archer
               
Feb 25th   
Froggarita's Bookcase

March 4th   
YA Books of Witchcraft and Wizardry

March 5th   
Bornean Bookworm Reads

March 11th   
Book-Marks The Spot

March 16th
Pure Jonel   

March 20th   
Sab The Book Eater   
                       
March 27th   
Lovely Reads   

All In a Day's Work

I just got home from the dentist and the first thing I wanted to do when I walked in the door was change my clothes. It's not like I get dressed up to see the dentist (though I have to admit he is kinda hot), but working at home all day, every day, has gotten me used to wearing comfortable attire. So even jeans are too constricting. It's sweats or jammies for me.

I've even gone out to walk the dog in my pajamas. Admittedly, that was by accident, but if anyone asked I could have said I was wearing "leisure pants." Paisely and plaid are acceptable prints for leisure pants, right? I had boots and a heavy winter jacket on anyway. And the dog didn't care. As long as I throw the ball for her in the park every day, she could care less what I'm wearing. But the neighbors? Pfffft. I don't think they care either.

You may be thinking I don't get out of the house enough, and you could be right. I actually have a Vitamin D deficiency because I'm not outdoors very often, but there's a reason for that. Too much sun is bad for the skin. So if I have a choice between taking Vitamin D supplements or having skin cancer, I'll choose the vitamins.

I get out of the house for various reasons at least two to three times a week, sometimes more. And I'm very lucky to live in a town where everything is close. I can get from one end of town to the other in less than 15 minutes. But when I do get out, I'm always gone a lot longer than I planned.

When you live in a town the size of Bend (I think our population is about 75,000 now), it's hard to go anywhere without running into someone you know. Well, it's hard for me. :) And the people here are so friendly that you're almost guaranteed to make make a new friend every time you leave the house. That's just how it is here. So if I go to the bank, I'll chat with the teller for a good fifteen minutes, then I'll see a friend who's now a bank officer there, so I go talk to her, too. 

In the grocery store I could end up running into at least 2 people I know, so I stop in the aisle to chat. It's a given that I'll strike up a conversation with the clerk at the checkout. How can I not? Whenever I'm out, I pull up to my favorite coffee drive-thru (there's one on almost every street corner here), and I've known the owner of this one since the day I moved here. We have lots to talk about. She likes my books and I always give her one when a new one comes out.

By the time I get home from an errand that should have taken a half hour to forty-five minutes, I've been gone for nearly 3 hours. That's a big chunk out of my day. 

So now you see why I don't get out much. I'm too social. I have to reign myself in or I won't get any work done. That's why on most days I don my sweats or jammies and hunker down over my keyboard to write or design (depending on the project). Now it's time for me to get back to work! I'm off to open Photoshop...

Descriptive Power on Page One

It's about time for another craft post for all you writers out there. I imagine many of you are gearing up for a session or two of writing over the weekend. I know I am.

Description often gets overlooked for the power it can have in a story. Some dismiss it as no big deal, just use the five senses and you're good to go. Some avoid using it altogether because they think readers skip that part to get to the action. Some worry over excessive exposition that could be perceived as an info dump. And some apply it strictly as a means for building their story world, period.

The above assumptions are mostly false.

Effective description is one of the most powerful tools in a writer's toolbox. There's a skill to making it work in an active way that enhances both plot and character, and can make the difference between an okay story and a compelling one.

I could spend an entire day teaching a workshop on description, but I'll condense the basics for the purpose of this blog. In fact, I'm going to start at the beginning. Of a book. Like, page 1.

An overall issue I see with a lot of first books is an eagerness to reveal the setting in a cinematic way. A literary camera pans across a vista in the land where the story takes place. Or the camera slowly zooms in on some metaphorical image that sets the tone of the story about to unfold. Or perhaps the lens is pointed out the window as thick clouds of fog roll across the screen to create atmosphere.

The above might work great for a movie, with a voice-over done by the main character. And though screenplays share a number of similarities with the novel form, they are different medias. Film engages the viewer visually and captures attention that way. Books use words, and call upon a reader's imagination to conjure the image that's intended to be seen. This takes time, and readers are less likely to have the patience to translate all those words into something visually engaging enough to compel them to turn the page. You, dear writer, need to hook them before they decide to go watch a movie instead.

But you want to set the tone, the atmosphere, and visually engage your readers, so how else can you do this? If you want to use description to open your book, your job is to create context to go with it. Associate the description with the action and the characters. Don't separate the two. Engage your reading audience by creating a balance that ties all these elements together.

Lets use the vista as an example. As your words paint a panoramic view of the story world, they need to include an active element in the story. You'll be in a character's point of view as you do this (please avoid omniscient) so his emotions are attached to this unfolding landscape. Maybe it's morning and the character is tense because of something about to happen. What he sees and feels relate to this scenery in some way. Maybe his job is to slaughter a farm animal to feed his family and he's loathe to take a life. Or he has to check the zombie traps that were set the night before and he's scared of what he'll find. Consider having some conflict at play here because readers will be most engaged by tension rather than entering the land of the happy people. Even if your characters are happy, there needs to be a hint of unpleasantness just around the corner. Tension on every page. I can't stress this enough.

Just remember that context is key, especially for genre fiction. And even though you think you're showing rather than telling, a description that lacks engagement with the plot and characters is like a barren island floating in a sea of nothing. Dry. Boring. Stagnant. It doesn't take the reader where he or she needs to go.

Does the first page of your manuscript open with description or action? I hope you say both. Feel free to paste the first paragraph (NOT a whole page) of your WIP in comments and I'll offer you an honest critique. If there's something you're unsure about, or a particular problem you're having with your opening, let me know and I'll be happy to address it.

My Childhood Speech Impediment Motivated Me to Write

I love how writers create histories for their characters to understand why those characters do what they do. What inspires a character to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or a shoe salesman? What dramatic event in his or her past molds them into what they ultimately become? 

What about authors? What happened in their past that motivated them to pick up a crayon, or pencil, or tap a keyboard to invent those first stories? 

I was pondering this about myself the other day. As a small child, I was more of an artist than a storyteller, but not for lack of trying. Unfortunately, something held me back. I couldn't read aloud because I had a speech impediment and talking didn't come easily to me. In 1963, the first graders at my school were taught to read in groups by reading out loud, and since that wasn't something I could do, I was placed in the lowest reading group. No one knew what to do with me. I loved stories, and loved having them read to me, but my teachers were clueless how to teach me to read to myself. 

If you and I had a conversation today, I doubt you'd guess I ever had a speech problem. I was born tongue-tied, which is a medical condition called ankyloglossia. It's hereditary. I'm adopted so I don't know who I inherited it from, but both my son and my grandson got it from me. 

So what does this condition look like? I still have it, even though I don't talk funny anymore. At least I don't think I do. There's a thin membrane like a web attaching the tip of my tongue to the floor of my mouth, directly behind my front teeth. When I was little, my tongue often got in the way when I talked and I had the most trouble with "ch" and "sh" sounds, though "t", "n" and "d" were difficult to say as well. I used to bite my tongue a lot. 

As for my teachers who were at a loss what to do for me, they went to the trouble of finding someone who could help. A speech therapist worked with me three days a week, over the course of several months, until I learned how to speak properly. 

Once I discovered my new ability to communicate and actually be understood, I was unstoppable. My teachers were finally teaching me to read and I read everything I could get my hands on. I read all the time, and while the other kids were outside playing at recess, I delighted in writing down all the stories that had been stacking up inside my head. It was as if a whole new world had opened up for me and I became insatiable for its literary riches. 

My mother considered having my tongue clipped--a procedure called a frenotomy--but she couldn't stand the thought of me having unnecessary surgery. So my tongue is still tied. And it's fine. Yes, there's restrictive movement, not that I have anything to compare it to. I mean, it's been this way my entire life. I can talk just fine, I can eat just fine, and as for kissing? Well, I've never had any complaints. French kissing with a tongue that's tied can be a whole new experience for anyone who's never tried it. I'm content with my peculiarity. My dentist, however, has an entirely different viewpoint. I make his job more difficult (cue the violins). 

I think my childhood frustration over my lack of reading skills gave me a stronger appreciation for what it takes to read and write. It was tough watching the other kids do something I couldn't do, but I never lost my determination. I'm grateful for my first grade teachers, who never lost their determination either. Win win. 

If you're a writer, what happened in your past that inspired you to start writing? How about reading? What's the first story you remember reading as a child?