...THE PICTURE

...Okay, last item! So my last item on the Marketing Chore List supplied by my editor was to provide a picture of myself to put on the back cover. Simple, right? That's why I left it 'til last. Wrong!

The problem, as I'm sure most of you will agree, is that the face we see in the mirror every day is not the face that appears in pictures other people take of us. We ask "Who is that person?" Certainly not me!

Don't get me wrong, I like my face, and I'm not really a vain person. At least I didn't think so until the past two weeks. Hmm....

After a couple hundred pics taken by my artist husband, who I trusted implicitly with the task of capturing the essence of my being in a pleasing, attractive way, I was left wondering where the years had gone as we sifted through pictures depicting the face of this "mature" woman. 

One of the problems we faced was the fact that since I talk all the time about my writing inspiration coming from nature, I wanted an outdoorsy picture with mother nature.  Lighting was a big problem, squinty looks from looking into the sun was another. But the biggest problem was this habit I seem to have of trying to imitate Elvis with a crooked, sneery smile. We eliminated all of those and were left with about ten half-decent pictures. I wasn't looking for a sexy pose, or beauty pageant winner pose. The biggest hurdle was accepting the fact I wasn't going to look twenty.


I even referred back to Eckhart Tolle's book  "A New Earth" and reinforced his teachings about living in ego. Is the picture as important as the contents of the book? No!

In the end,  I decided all I wanted was a a pleasant, inviting look that showed my readers I am an intelligent, creative person, capable of writing a great story, as well as appearing as a warm, approachable person. (Is that asking too much? LOL) And here it is:

If there is a lesson to be learned from this blog, I guess it would be to never assume it's easy to represent yourself to the public the way you want to. Park your ego at the door and live in the now as you "mature".

Do I like my final choice for the book cover? Yes.  Does it convey what I want it to? Yes.

Have a great writing week and keep on keeping on writing.

...SUPPORTING A FELLOW WRITER

Today, I'm talking about a fellow writer. Cornell DeVille just published his first novel, "A Tale of Hearts". I have been a follower of his blog for over a year now and find his posts entertaining as well as informative. Recently, a writer made the mistake of living in her ego on line and I think she paid for it dearly in ways we may never know. She criticized a blogger for giving her a bad review. The posts went back and forth until it went from insults to profanity to the ridiculous and went viral through the on line world of writing bloggers.

Cornell wrote a very interesting post on this. When everyone else tore the writer to shreds, he saw it as a mistake that went way out of control and was fed by the writer blogging community. It became a witch hunt.

Because Cornell took the time to present both sides of the story and ask us to examine the fact that she made a mistake that she made worse by overreacting to criticism, (we've all been there), I have decided to support him and advertise his new book. Kudos to you Cornell and I wish you every success with your new book. The following is an excerpt.

An Ancient Secret


There’s a deep, dark secret in Morro Bay.


If you’re ever in California you may find yourself on a stretch of asphalt known as the Pacific Coast Highway. If you do, and your journey takes you to a point about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, you may discover the sleepy village of Morro Bay.



For the most part, it is no different from any other coastal town of its size where fishing is the primary industry. Every morning, in the cool, gray light before dawn, the local fishermen pilot their wooden boats away from shore. They head out to sea, hoping for fair weather and a good day’s catch. The gulls accompany them; they fill the air with their squawking, gliding on the breeze and crying for attention, vying for position, each of them hoping to catch the sticky morsel of bait the fishermen sometimes toss.


This daily scene rarely varies. It has played out in this same manner every morning for hundreds of years. And for all those years, a unique geographic feature has dominated this picturesque setting—Morro Rock.


Guarding the bay like a stone sentinel, Morro Rock stands a short distance offshore. It towers almost six hundred feet above the blue surface of the Pacific. Resembling a small mountain, and seeming out of place as it rises from the water, it is the remaining vestige of an ancient, and now extinct, volcano.


Eons have passed since white columns of smoke climbed from its chimney. Red, molten lava no longer flows, hissing and steaming, into the sea below. Those days are not remembered. Morro Rock now sleeps peacefully in the bay like an old man napping—watching the fisherman as they come and go, day after day, year after year—as silent as the stone from which it is composed.


Known locally as The Rock, it is more than the name implies. Every summer during vacation season, tourists walk out on a wooden pier and snap a picture or two to take home with them and show their friends. Then they drive away, with no idea of the secret hidden deep inside the stone monolith.


I’ve lived in Morro Bay all my life, which will be fourteen years, this September. I can see Morro Rock from our house on Balboa Drive. Although unusual, there’s really nothing scary about it—during the day. But at night it’s quite a different story. When the moon is full and a shroud of fog drapes the top, The Rock takes on an unearthly appearance.


This is where it all happened.


I like it! How about you?  Here's the link to purchase and a link to Cornell's blog site.

http://cornelldeville.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Hearts-Treasure-Trilogy/dp/1456496670/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302820944&sr=8-1

Good Luck, Cornell.

For all you fellow writers: Keep on keeping on writing.

"WINTER'S CAPTIVE", YOU TUBE BOOK TRAILER

Just to let you all know, I have updated my book trailer on You Tube to show my new title and book cover.
Needless to say, I'm thrilled to be at this stage of the publishing process. As my grandson, Logan, used to say when he was little: Today is the best day of my life! LOL

Here it is, enjoy!

FINALLY MY NEW COVER

I knew there was a reason I woke up early this morning (6:30 am). Checked my emails and there it was, my book cover.

It's a scary process. I closed my eyes while the picture loaded because you wonder if the designer caught the essence of the story and shares the vision you have in your own mind. Well...I LIKE IT! Yea...

I think there is a magic to it with the snowflakes, since my story involves an angel and the ethereal. And the face on the cover is likeable. She gives the reader someone to envision.

Here's your sneak preview:

What do you think?

I think I'm happy.

THE DECISION IS MADE

The final decision has been made and I now have a new title for my book. "Winter's Captive".

It feels so good to have it behind me and be happy with the end result. I dreaded this part of the process but believe me when I say, that once I saw the logic in changing the name, it became a fun, creative process.

For anyone out there who is faced with this decision, my advice is don't hang onto an idea just because you want control or believe you are "right". Open your mind up to the bigger picture which is "marketing".

Now on to the cover design. Another exciting step on the way to publishing my book.

Of course, I have my work cut out for me changing my book trailer, and anywhere else the old name appears.

Meanwhile, keep on keeping on writing.

...IT'S ALL IN A NAME

...how do you give up your baby? I just spent a very painful week trying to come up with a new name for my book. The old name has been with me for so long, it is very hard to give up. I knew when I signed the contract in January that this day would be coming. My editor told me they wanted to change the name even back them. So we are now at the cover design stage and the name must be chosen.

I presented my argument to my editor as to why I love the name and how fitting it is to my story. She presented a very fitting argument back and in the end I bowed to her publishing and marketing expertise. I've come to the conclusion that my title is great for a non-fiction self-help book, but it does not fit with the entertainment value of the story.  It is, after all, a fiction story that entertains.

All of this brought me to realize how important the cover and the title are. No matter how good the pages inside are, the cover design and title do sell the book, in my opinion. I'm ashamed to say, I choose a book by it's cover. I gravitate towards names that catch my attention and rich, vibrant colours that I love. I may have missed reading some great books because of this, but being a writer is like being an artist. We are creative and we paint the story on the pages, so the title and cover need to paint a story as well.

In spite of the pain of leaving my comfort zone and giving up what feels like an old friend, the process has been fun and a learning experience. I'm not going to tell you the new name just yet, as I have it down to two and the final decision has not been made. I'm letting it gel and soon will take a deep breath and choose.

Until then, keep on keeping on writing.

...LOSING CINDERELLA BOOK TRAILER

Marketing, marketing, marketing!  I'm still working on my marketing to do list for my editor, while I wait for updates on the manuscript.  I just finished my book trailer for Losing Cinderella and posted it on You Tube. I'm posting it here so you can get a sneak preview. It probably took me a total of 30 hours over a three-week period to get it right. Actually, I enjoyed the creative process of making my video, a different kind of creative effort.


I used Microsoft Movie Maker and had fun finding photos to match the storyline, and even dragged my husband out into the snow covered ranch lands to get some. The hardest part was finidng the music. First of all, copyright can be an issue. But I found a classical piece of music out of copyright and paid to download it from the pianist who recorded it. There are lots of sites on the internet offerening music loops for book trailers. Be careful. Just because they offer it, doesn't mean they have the rights to allow you to download.


My book trailer video for my debut novel, Losing Cinderella, available in October, 2011 by Asteroid Publishing Inc:






One step closer to launch date.


My next project is to finish my website. Then I must find a photo to place on the back cover. I'm waiting until I go to Vancouver Island in April to a wedding. Hopefully, the weather will be beautiful and I can get an outdoorsy photo in nature. Since my writing inspiration comes from nature, it is fitting my photo follows that theme.


Although this is a very special and exciting time for me, enough about me and my book. I wish to take a moment to share my thoughts about the horror facing the Japanese people.


I don't think any of us can know what they must be feeling with this triple catastrophy. But we can keep them in our thoughts and offer our prayers and best wishes. The losses they have experienced just from the earthquake and tsunami are astronomical and now the threat of nuclear contamination looms over the entire country and other Asian countries, if the wind blows in their direction. One Japanese elder said it all yesterday when asked if she couldn't help but compare the present situation with Hiroshima, WWII. She said: "There is no comparison, Hiroshima is our past, the nuclear threat today is our future." That really knocked me back.

Good luck!

Ganbatte ne!            がんばってね！