HUGE Wins!

Reader’s Views Awards

If You Were Me and Lived in… the American West by Carole P. Roman

LITERARY AWARD WINNERS 2016/2017

CHILDREN – YOUNG READER - AGES 8 TO 12

2nd Place

Navigating Indieworld: A Beginner's Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing Your Book by Julie A. Gerber and Carole P. Roman

LITERARY AWARD WINNERS 2016/2017

WRITING/PUBLISHING

1st Place

Being a Captain is Hard Work by Carole P. Roman

LITERARY AWARD WINNERS 2016/2017

CLASSICS (COPYRIGHTS BEFORE 2016)

CHILDRENS

2nd Place

Navigating Indieworld: A Beginner's Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing Your Book by Julie A. Gerber and Carole P. Roman

LITERARY AWARD WINNERS 2016/2017

SPECIALTY AWARDS

ADULT

The Book By Book Pub Award for Best Writing/Publishing Book

Meet The Author: Rohvannyn Shaw

1. What is your favorite genre? Who is your favorite author?

Science fiction is probably my favorite, though I love history and sometimes enjoy high fantasy.  I like Tom Clancy, Robert Heinlein, and am having a brief love affair with Arthur Conan Doyle.

2. What stories did you grow up reading and falling in love with?

I read a lot of animal stories, and I loved the Redwall series.  I also really enjoyed light sci fi novels.  I was also a huge fan of ElfQuest and Dragonriders of Pern.

3. Tell me about your writing space. Is it organized or a little chaotic?

I have two main writing spaces.  One is my desk at work, which can't help but be organized, and the other is at my computer at home.  That's a lot more organized than it once was.  It's a simple L shaped desk with various necessary things nearby.  Ereader, pens, various cables, dice, that kind of thing.  My cat hangs out on my desk a lot.

4. I see that you are a talented artist. What is your favorite medium? Do you have a favorite art piece?

First of all, thank you!  I have really grown to love manga pens.  I also enjoy watercolors, art markers, and acrylics.  It's hard to say what my favorite art piece is because I tend to like different aspects of a lot of them.

5. Tell me about your latest book. Did you have any challenges?

With my latest book, the biggest challenge was making sure I didn't miss anything!  It's a book about self publishing on an extremely tight budget, so there was a lot to cover.

6. What is the best advice you have received as an author? The worst?

The best?  Never give up, and always try to improve what you do by welcoming feedback.  The worst?  You won't amount to anything unless you get a publishing contract with a "real" publisher.

7. Where do you see yourself in five years?

I want to have several more books out, including at least one complete series.  I also want my blog to reach more people, and help more indie authors.  I'd like to have my editing business take off by then as well.

8. Tell me about your writing habits. Do you schedule time to write each day or do you only write when inspiration hits?

I've had to learn to write when I can, not so much when inspiration hits.  If I'm inspired, I'll try harder to make time to write, but if I have time, I try to write a little at the very least so as not to waste the time.

9. What do you see as the biggest challenge for indie writers?

That's easy - becoming well known.  Our challenge is that we all start out as little fish in a very big pond and it's hard to stand out.

10. What are you currently working on?

I'm finishing my dark comedy horror novel and preparing to start on my military sci fi series!

Buy her books here:

https://mind-flight.org/my-books

Find her here:

blog: http://mind-flight.org

Art site: http://rohvannynshaw.com

Twitter:  @Rohvannyn

DeviantArt:  http://firstprimeofcessna.deviantart.com/

Pod Fire Radio Show Sponsors

Meet Kay MacLeod: Author Interview

1. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

  

I’ve certainly always been a creator, characters and stories have spilled from my imagination for as long as I can remember. I think I always wanted to write about them but I wasn’t confident about sharing them for most of my life. The people in my head are my treasures and friends, almost like children, it was a scary prospect to think that they could be rejected by others. I knew they were amazing, but it was my skill in portraying them that I doubted, but they kept pushing until they got their own way!

2. What is your favorite genre and why?

It will always be fantasy. It’s part of who I am. I don’t really read much outside of it and when I do, it usually has fantasy elements. I’m totally absorbed by magic, incredible creatures and awesome powers, it just puts a new spin on everything that happens within a story. Even more important than that is the way that the worlds and characters in fantasy settings always seem to have more depth- the stakes are higher and the personalities are bigger. Why read something realistic when you can have so much more?

3. Who is your favorite character? What makes that character stand out from the others?

Of my own creation, it has to be Asher Grey, he has everything I love in a character. As the inheritor of the spirit known as The Juggler, Asher has a really unique power, he can switch the positions of two objects that are a similar size. He has strengths and weaknesses that humanise him even though he tries to present himself as perfect. Asher doesn’t have the same level of magical abilities as the rest of the group so he gets ahead with lots of practice, determination and by thinking things through, he’s the sort of person that respects someone for what they do with what they have rather than the natural talents they’re born with. He’s also quick-witted and snarky, so is super fun to write! (And you should read his backstory <3)

4. Describe your writing space.

I write at my desk in our office, it’s L-shaped with my husband’s PC on the other edge. My half is usually covered in bits of paper scribbled with character lists, so I don’t forget who’s where, or the next few plot points to remember to put into my current chapter. I have a fluffy grey blanket to snuggle in and my cat, Kai, is generally hanging around and getting involved.

5. Do you schedule time to write or do you wait until you have something to write?

It’s not so much of a schedule, more like a goal. I have targets that I set for each week and for finishing my books, the reality is that if I’m not doing something essential, like working, I’m either writing or promoting my already released book. Usually sleeping doesn’t even come under the ‘essential’ category, I tell people it’s a waste of time just lying there doing nothing. And I don’t have to wait to find something to write, I have so many ideas for novels, the problem is finding time to get them all done!

6. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer?

The biggest challenge is probably the amount of challenges and having the patience and determination to see the way through them all. As a self-published author, there is so much to organise and learn, it seems never-ending sometimes. I thought finding the time and drive to get a 125K word count novel finished was hard but that’s just the start! Then after getting through editing, formatting, cover design, uploading, pre-orders and lots of other stuff- well, then you have to figure out how to get people to find it!

7. Is there anything (in life, writing, or publishing) that you would do differently?

This feels like a ‘butterfly effect’ question. I thought, ‘maybe if I tried harder at school?’ But then would I have ended up with a job I love, so not be as determined to make a living as an author? Or if there was something I did different in my writing, maybe I wouldn’t have learned from it and then I’d just make the mistake in my next book instead? I’m all for learning by doing, as long as everything I write is better than the last, I’m okay with having things that I look back on and think ‘I wish I’d done it differently.’

8. Are you working on a new book? Can you tell us about it?

Yes! I’m so excited that I’m three-quarters of the way through the next book in The Constellation Saga. It’s been an amazing experience, I feel like Heirs of Power was a great introduction to the Lucidian’s world, but The Mage-Lord’s Legacy is kicking everything up a gear. You see more depth in the characters as we get to know them and their personal stories better, there’s some big reveals (really big!) and you’re all going to love and/or hate me after some of the emotional bits ;)

9. Tell me how your childhood shaped your life as a writer. Do you still love dragons?

I love dragons so much! They are powerful and majestic and beautiful. I know not everyone was a fan of The Hobbit films but seeing Smaug so incredibly well designed- I mean you could almost feel the strength in his wings and the blasts of fire had actual kickback to them- it one of my favourite cinema experiences ever.

My parents are fantasy fans too, so I was definitely influenced by them in my childhood. My dad introduced me to reading and gaming from a very young age, I was devouring Brian Jacques Redwall series when my classmates were reading books not even as thick as my finger. We would play things like Final Fantasy on the Playstation or Dungeons and Dragons board games, and they had the beautiful jigsaws of fairies- completed and then framed on the wall. I’ve been blessed by how immersed I was in my genre, and in reading in general, for my whole life.

10. Who is your favorite author? If you could ask them anything, what would it be?

I don’t have a single favourite author, but I would absolutely have loved to talk to Terry Pratchett. I wish I could have asked him about where he got the original idea to expand his Discworld series across so many stories, with such a huge amount of characters and themes and fantasy races. And how he ties it together to feel like one world and story web rather than a bunch of standalone linear plots, yet have each book be complete and perfectly understandable if it was the first one a new reader picked up. Man, that guy was a bloody genius.

11. How do you spend your free time?

Most of my free time turns into writing time! But if I’m not doing that, I’m most likely gaming. At the minute, I’m still playing Pokémon Moon, I pre-ordered it, but because I’m always so busy I haven’t completed it yet, I’m absolutely loving it though… I feel like I need to confess this- this morning I made myself maple syrup pancakes while listening to the Team Skull theme, it was amazing.

12. What has been the greatest part of the writing adventure? Has it been seeing your work published? A great review? Do tell!

There are so many good bits! Yeah, I moaned about the number of things that need doing, but I do them because it’s all so worth it. Yes, having my own book in my hands for the first time was so incredible I could cry now just thinking about it. Yes, every time I get a good review it feels like the first time someone said something positive about my writing and it makes me giddy and want to get back to my keyboard. But the best feeling, that’s someone fangirling over your character haha! That means you got into their heart ;)

You can find her on the at the sites below!

Website

Goodreads

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Navigating Indie World

How to Use Social Media to Boost Your Internet Marketing Strategy

While social media is extremely popular, even in professional circumstances, it’s often difficult to use effectively as part of a business. In the end, you really want to make sure that it draws in the right audience and helps drive sales, bolstering your business. In reality, there are a number of ways that social media can be used to market on the internet better.

Reach Your Goals

First and foremost, your internet marketing strategies all need to be working towards the same goals. Although your internet marketing do need unique attention, you need to make sure that they always fit within your overall business.

Your internet marketing actions should all be designed to help achieve the goals of your business. If this isn’t the case, you should be reevaluating what you do and making adjustments.

Choose Your Platforms

It’s extremely important to choose your social media platforms properly to get the best results. You’ll want to choose channels that help work for the objectives your company is trying to achieve. Facebook is often relatively important no matter what business you are running, since it has a wide audience and used so popularly.

Other avenues, including LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest all have amazing potential for internet marketing as well. Ultimately, you’ll need to choose the platforms that will work for your business the best and that achieve the objectives you want. Use the tools that offer your customers what they want.

To find what works best, you’ll need to try a few different options and adjust accordingly. Continue with what works and change what doesn’t. Over time, you’ll find your groove and isolate which channels are best for you.

Integrate Effectively

While each platform should be addressed specifically, it’s important to make sure that you integrate them into your overall strategy effectively. They need to not only work on their own, but help bolster the overall marketing initiatives and goals of our business as well.

You’ll need to make all of your different platforms work together and towards the same ends to get the best results moving forward. In order to attract, impress, and retain an audience, you need to make sure you’re using each media channel effectively to create an overall marketing strategy that works effectively toward your goals.

Integrating your internet marketing into your business isn’t easy; if you want, get help from a professional team like www.abovethefoldmedia.com for a full range of digital marketing services.

Customer Service Engagement

One of the big reasons you definitely want to use social media, no matter how actively you post, is because it gives you the most effective way to communicate with your audience. Social media gives your users a place to comment and give feedback directly to your business.

Don’t let this be a one-way conversation! Respond to your users and answer the questions and comments that they give you. Show them that you value them and that you want to engage with them as much as possible. This will allow you to get great feedback about what is (and isn’t) working for your page.

If you can follow these four simple tips, you should be able to see substantial results from your social media campaigns on your overall business. This should help boost your audience, increase your conversions, and build your brand.

Guide to Hiring an Intellectual Property Lawyer

Are you currently in the middle of a dispute over your trademark? Do you experience issues with getting your trademark registered? Perhaps all you need is advice from an expert about how to easily get your brand granted. Whichever the reason is, there are plenty of ways in which you can talk to a properiety name lawyer. Over at pacelawfirm.com, there are many specializations in law, including those that range from boating accidents to real estate claims. Finding a brand name and intellectual property lawyer isn’t that hard, when you consider the sheer range of attorneys in the world.

Work With an Expert, No Less

Most of the intellectual property lawyers you work with will have knowledge about one or multiple aspects of their field. Typical trademark lawyers place their advertisements in legal journals and magazines or even in the Yellow Pages. They can usually handle cases concerning trademarks, copyrights, and more. This choice can be beneficial, but it can also be a problem for you. As knowledgeable as the lawyer can be on a particular branch of intellectual property law, they can also be completely out of touch with a different field.

Depending on the type of IP law you want to work with, you need to ask the lawyer a few questions before you let them bill you. If for example, you want help with a trademark, you should ask them exactly how much of their cases are emblem related. Check if their firm has a membership with individual associations related to the field as well. Remember that you need a lawyer who is already an expert in trademark law, not someone who will do some reading to become knowledgeable about the law just for you.

Look for a Nice Person

This insight might seem completely irrelevant to you, but trademark lawyers tend to be a little arrogant. Their competence alone is simply not going to cut it anymore. You have to find someone whom you can work with, without wanting to commit another crime, and need a criminal defense lawyer too. Many lawyers look down on you when they are working within their field. If you have expertise in the field, many of them try to ignore you or prove you wrong. However, some lawyers will respect and value your opinion and knowledge.

To ensure that your lawyer is this type of person, explain to them when you first talk to them that you want to do some of the work involved in the case. Tell them exactly what they need to do to help with the case, and make sure you check their reaction out when they do so. If they seem annoyed by it or grudging about agreeing to it, you are better off dropping them and working with someone else.

Remember that your intellectual property case could result in huge settlements outside of court. Lawyers who are good at what they do will be able to negotiate these arrangements without you ever seeing the inside of a courtroom.

Why Do Some Cats Eat Their Litter?

Have you noticed your cat beginning to act strangely? Maybe it had something to do with the litter box comparisons you've chosen from http://catlittersource.com/review/best-cat-litter-box-furniture-of-2017/. Perhaps they have shown signs of nausea, vomiting, or maybe they have started eating the litter in the box. Any of these types of behavior are a sign that your cat is sick. If they have never done so in the past, and then begin suddenly eating their litter, you’re in trouble.

1. Why Do Cats Eat Litter When Sick?

The reason cats suddenly begin eating their litter when they are sick is because of their instincts. They feel that eating litter will somehow improve their condition and cure them. The most common condition that causes your kitty to eat their litter is anemia, a blood condition. It is common for humans and pets too. When your cat's body receives less oxygen to transport, there wouldn't be enough red blood cells in the blood.

2. What are the Signs of Anemia?

Since anemia is a disease where there isn’t a significant enough quantity of red blood cells in your cat’s blood, you can imagine that their blood is no longer as red as it should be. A direct sign of this being the issue is unnatural paleness in your cat. You obviously can’t check for paleness on your cat’s body because of their fur. What you can do is check their teeth and gums, which are useful indicators of disease. Typical healthy gums need to be a rosy pink in color. If they look white or light blue, it is a sign of paleness.

3. Other Conditions That Cause Litter Eating

Anemic cats aren’t the only ones that begin to eat their litter. It is possible that a cat who isn’t getting enough of a particular vitamin or mineral will eat it in the hopes of compensating for the deficiency. Some kitty litter contains an abundance of naturally occurring clay, which is rich in mineral deposits. A cat detects this and eats the litter to replenish their minerals. When they eat their litter, it can lead to other disorders like kidney disease and failure, or even leukemia (blood cancer), though this isn’t nearly as a common cause as anemia is.

If you have a kitten and not an adult cat, you may not need to panic. Kittens are incredibly curious creatures that use their mouths to explore the world. A young cat might eat its litter out of plain curiosity, just like a toddler or baby would. Because of the tendency of small kittens to eat their litter whether or not they are sick, it is advisable to avoid cat litter that clumps.

Clumping cat litter is one of the riskiest things to ingest for an adult or baby cat. It can clump in their mouths, throat, and digestive system and cause them to choke or suffer digestive issues. If you notice your cat beginning to eat litter, immediately replace the litter in your litter box with the non-clumping variety to ensure that they don’t put themselves more at risk of their conditions worsening.

Author Interview: Meet Bill Eckel

I was given the opportunity to review Bill Eckel. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

1. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

In the back of my mind, yes.  I also wanted to be a fighter pilot, a race car driver ─ Kurt Bush, my favorite Nascar driver, WON the Daytona 500!!!!  ─ a singer, an actor, and a performer.  With the exception of the first two, I've done fairly well.  I haven't hit the "big time" in any of them, but I have been active.  Now that I'm not as nimble as I once was, I write about those things.  Of all the occupations I've listed, I was a writer first and now last. As a writer, I can do all those things and do them well, at least on paper.  

2. What is your favorite genre and why?

Fantasy followed closely by Science Fiction.  I mean, what is Science Fiction? Fantasy in a technological world.  What is technology? Scientific magic.  That is simplistic and there are, of course, other differences, but those are hairs for the purist to split.

Why?  Escapism.  Reality is such a drag that when I can get in another universe and live there for a while it eases my soul.  And fantasy has such a wide realm of possible worlds to explore.

3. Who is your favorite character? What makes that character stand out from the others?

Of my own?  That would be Bob.  Bob is a pixie-like creature, a Nem Elt-til. He is Shem's sidekick in Shem's Quest and comes into his own in Ta Recht.  I like him because there is so much of me in him.  He is small and I was always small growing up. I didn't get my growth until my senior year in high school. I went from 5'3" to 6' in the span of a year and a half.  I discovered a whole new world!  Bob is also a smart ass and I'll let it rest at that.  ;-)

As for other's characters, my favorite would be Mike. Heinlein's computer in "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress."  I was a teenager and he was so-o-o cool.  A computer with a character arc.

4. Describe your writing space.

Chaotic.  In need of a good cleaning. Paper piled up everywhere within reach of my hand.  Each pile is a different project. I usually have a good idea of what is in each pile.  Usually.

5. Do you schedule time to write or do you wait until you have something to write?

Schedule.  I learned that early on when I went back to school.  Writers write. Every day. If you just think about writing, you're a thinker. If you write, you're a writer.  I find mornings are best for me.  There are too many distractions in the evening. At least for me.

6. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a writer?

Breaking through the noise.  Getting noticed.   And pacing.  Every story is like a song. You have to find the rhythm of the story.

7. Is there anything you would do differently?

If I knew that, I'd do it.  ;-)

8. Are you working on a new book? Can you tell us about it?

Yes, I am.  It's called "Hard Kill."  Here's a little taste of it.

"So far so good," said the man from the bath. It was Dmitri's voice. He stepped out of the bath and motioned. A table was placed in front of the robotic body that moments before had housed Dmitri's consciousness. On the table was mounted a laser pistol. The fleshie Dmitri aimed the laser pistol at the robot's head and threw the relay switch that connected the firing stud to the technician's toggle. Dmitri gave Charles a wink and returned to the bath where the female technician reconnected him to the fiber optic cable. With a gleam in his now human eye, he asked Charles, "All secure?"

"The panel's green, Dmitri," answered Charles.

Dmitri lay back down in the fluid. He took a moment to luxuriate in the pleasant warmth of the liquid. He seldom inhabited a Fleshie body. He had long ago determined they were too fragile. So, whenever he did inhabit one, he took every advantage of the fact the human epidermis was one large sensory organ. His indulgence sated, Dmitri signaled the technician to toggled the switch. Once again, the essence of Dmitri's life force, his spark of consciousness switched bodies.

There was no lag in awareness. The near instantaneous processing time of the human brain had been meticulously reproduced in Dmitri's AI. Dmitri could run full tilt and switch from body to body without breaking stride. The now mechanical Dmitri opened his eyes and immediately moved his head to the right. The laser burned a hole in the back of the chair where Dmitri's head had been.

"You are insane, Dmitri. You do know that, right?" asked Charles.

"Please turn off the laser, Charles."

9. Tell me more about Dollar Bill and your iTunes hits!

I could go on all day about Dollar Bill.  He is my most favorite me.  As Dollar Bill, I poke fun at everyone and everything.   "Yard Sale" is a great song. It's a parody as is the clone song, "Stuck in the Middle with Me"  "How could Someone Stupid be my Boss" makes people smile and I can clear out a room with "I Had to Pee".  Most of them are comedy routines put to music more than singing. And I thank God every performance for auto-tune.  Country rock.  Come to think of it, there's a video on You Tube for Yard Sale.

10. You love to entertain. Tell me, who or what entertains you? What makes you laugh?

Entertainment is not just laughter.  I like the tear jerker scenes in movies.  Armageddon still makes a tear come to my eye main character says goodbye to his daughter.

Slapstick and people doing stoopid things make me laugh.

11. You wrote your first story in third grade. Did you save any of the written stories from your childhood?

No, I've moved WAY too many times for that. I know what the first one was about though.  It was an aerial combat engagement over the steamy jungles of the south pacific. The hero shot down three enemy planes before his Wildcat got hit.  He had to bail out over the jungle.  I didn't get to finish it, because my teacher caught me writing it and I was supposed to be doing a math exercise.

12. Who is your favorite author? If you could ask them anything, what would it be?

Heinlein and Tolkien.  They were the most influential.  I think it's Tolkien's fault I have trouble with pacing.  I want to write the long flowery descriptions and apparently readers (or editors/publishers) want a faster, action-oriented approach with minimal sequels and expositions.

What would I ask them?  Can I borrow twenty bucks?

Find Bill on these sites:

http://www.amazon.com/author/billeckel

 

https://www.createspace.com/6397266

 

http://www.BillEckel.com

 

https://www.goodreads.com/bill_eckel

My Forbes Debut!

I never thought I would see my name in a Forbes article, my less my face, but that is exactly what I woke up to this morning. I am beyond excited and can't stop smiling. Please read and share!

Navigating Self-Publishing Or What Two Successful Business Women Call Indieworld

"If you want something done right, do it yourself."

~Charles-Guillaume Etienne

“A funny thing happened on the way to my retirement…” It’s the first sentence in Julie A. Gerber’s and Carole P. Roman’s book, “Navigating Indieworld: A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing Your Book.”

Read the rest of the article HERE!