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Coming soon (as in the next 24 hours soon!)…Creeping Shadow Prologue!

Was that chills running down your spine or are you reading this in a cold shower? Either way! I’m super super SUPER excited to be publishing the prologue of Creeping Shadow (Book One of The Rise of Isaac series)

AND THAT’S NOT EVEN THE BEST PART!

The best bit of all is that YOU guys are getting it first! (I promise!) 

In the next TWENTY FOUR HOURS I will be publishing the prologue of Creeping Shadow here at wordpress before anywhere else! Because I love you all and you’ve stuck there right with me from the beginning of my blogging life (#blife) and hopefully along my journey to becoming a published author (eek!)

I’m literally about to pee my pants with excitement right now – I’m sorry for the mental image but I just can’t help it!

So for those of you who are interested….

Creeping Shadow is the first book in my upcoming five part fantasy YA series The Rise of Isaac.

SYNOPSIS:

After sixteen year old Oliver Knight discovers the existence of six other worlds, his adopted sister is struck ill by a lethal curse. The curse links her to the fanatical terrorist, Isaac Rimori, who murdered Oliver’s father in cold blood ten years ago. Now, Rimori is plotting to wage a war that will change the face of the seven worlds using the monstrous creatures that live in Vale to aid him. 

On his quest to save his sister, Oliver and his friends must compete in near-impossible challenges to gain access to the Gateways that are the portals to the other worlds. But with time running out, devastating secrets unfolding, and Rimori thwarting them at every turn does Oliver Knight have what it takes to save his sister?

Posted on by Caroline · 7 Comments

Two Hundred Followers!? (Does that make me like Joe Carroll from The Following?…hopefully I’m a little less murdery) 

Thank you all for following!!!!

I always aim to follow everyone back who follows me because I love you all! (And if I haven’t yet I will find you….and I will follow you…)

I’ve loved joining the blogging world more than I ever anticipated! I appreciate all the support so much and love finding new bloggers every day who adore writing and reading as much as I do. 

Thanks again to each and every one of you. To show my appreciation here’s a two hundred word story (one word for each of you!) enjoy!

The Three Of Us (The title doesn’t count towards the two hundred words! So there!)

There are three of us inside four grey walls. That’s the first thing I know is true. The second is that I am the only girl.

“Where are we?” one of the men speaks. His voice is deep, his eyes dark.

With a whirring, grinding noise the walls begin to move. Not just move, but close in.

The second man runs, no sprints, to press his hands firmly against a wall. He pushes hard and I know this because I see the veins in the muscles of his arms, pulsing and straining against the pressure. 

“Help me!” he shouts desperately to us. He’s blonde and blue-eyed with a complexion that speaks of long hours spent in the sun.

A wall presses into my back and I stumble forward, bumping into the man with the dark eyes. I see panic in those eyes, then fear, and finally acceptance. He has accepted his death. That scares me more than the closing walls. 

We are pressed into a space so small that we are forced together into a triangle.

And all I can think is that there are three of us inside these four grey walls. And I am the only girl. 

Posted on by Caroline · 24 Comments

How to Gain Interest in Your Blog

I’ve been asked to do a blog post on this to provide a little advice on how to get followers for your blog (I’m very flattered don’t you know!)

So here goes!

I think there are five main really important strategies to help gain interest in your blog and you need to be doing all of them to stand a real chance of getting lots of followers:

1) Engaging with the Blogging Community 

One of the best ways to gain interest in your blog is to be interested in other blogs! Search through blogs that are tagged with subjects that you’re interested in and which you personally blog about yourself. One of my personal favourites is the YA tag. It’s a broad subject and there are loads of blog posts relevant to me! So spend time following other blogs, as well as liking and commenting on them to start conversations with your fellow bloggers. The more time you spend looking at other blog posts and engaging with them, the more you’ll see people taking the time to look at your own blog!

2) Writing Interesting Blog Posts 

It seems obvious but your blog posts have to be a great read otherwise why would anyone read it? (I mean, would you spend your time reading about watching paint dry? Maybe you would……maybe that’s what you’re into!)

Spend time thinking up things you could blog about but also use techniques such as lists, bullet points and pictures to grab people’s attention.

3) Tagging Your Posts Correctly 

Don’t tag every word you can think of that might vaguely relate to your blog. Be specific and tag only appropriate words. A good rule is to never tag more than ten words then you will be reaching a more specific demographic of people who will want to read your posts in the future.

4) Blogging Regularly 

You don’t need to blog every day but you should aim to write one or two a week minimum to keep interest in your blog. Consistency is key!

5) Having Fun 

Enjoy blogging! Have fun with your posts – experiment and see what works! I’ve found some of my quirkier posts to gain a lot of interest so I try to use that style regularly because I know they work. 
Tip – don’t link your blog website when you comment on other people’s post. If you’re truly interested in what they have to say then comment honestly on their writing and they may decide to look at your blog and follow you back. If not, don’t sweat it! There’s plenty more bloggers in the blogging sea!

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The Would You Rather Book Tag

I’ve been tagged in the would you rather book tag! Thanks so much to lovingyoochun for tagging me whose blog you can find here: vilviohora@wordpress.com

Would you rather only read trilogies or only read standalones?

Trilogies! I find a standalone leaves me wanting. One book just doesn’t quite have enough platform to get me truly head over heels LOVING the characters. 

Would you rather only read male or female authors?

I wouldn’t consciously choose male or female but looking through my favourite novels I definately have mostly female authors so I guess I have a subconscious preference!

Would you rather shop at Barnes and Noble or Amazon? 

Definately

Definitely Amazon! I am a bit of an Amazon fiend actually; I use them for Kindle, Prime Instant Video and generally order all my DVDs etc from them. I also plan to publish with them later this year so I’m practically their biggest consumer haha.

Would you rather books were made into TV shows or movies?

I can’t deny I LOVE going to the cinema on opening night for the latest book adapted film e.g Hunger Games – BUT if they made the Hunger Games into a TV series I’d be in Heaven. So it has to be tv for me – it has the same affect as a series of books I just get so much more attached to the characters and the experience lasts so much longer

Would you rather read only 5 pages per day or 5 books per week?

Five books per week! I have been known to do this anyway…

Would you rather be a professional author or reviewer?

AUTHOR – This. Is. My. Ultimate. Dream! 

Would you rather be a librarian or a bookseller?

Booksellar I think as Librarians have to be so quiet and I’d rather chat away discussing the books with the customers

Would you rather read only your favorite genre, or every other genre but your favorite?

Favourite genre for sure! Though I’m not sure if I could pick between fantasy and sci fi!

Would you rather only read ebooks or physical books?

Hmmm…I love real books but I have to confess I generally read everything on my kindle since I bought it. It’s just so practical and easy to bring every where I go! I can also prop it up when im in the bath on a bath tray which has solved the issue of me getting books damp!

I also love the fact that I can basically carry my entire book collection with me everywhere I go. When I go on holiday I have a whole array of books to choose from and there’s no weight limit like there would be with real books!

Thanks for reading! Here are my book tags (if you’ve done this before don’t worry about doing it again!):

Posted on by Caroline · 4 Comments

The Writer’s Slump

Writing takes a lot of time, concentration and an engaged mind but due to being human that just isn’t attainable 100% of the time – if only we could all be vampires! then we’d get a lot more done!

Some days you’re just too tired, distracted, busy, or even just hung-over! And you can’t summon the energy to write…

Okay, I admit it! I have found myself in this situation over the last couple of days…and I’m naming it ‘ The Writer’s Slump’

I had a busy weekend and have had little time to write and now it’s Monday I’m plain exhausted!

So what can you do if you find yourself in this situation (yes, I’ve been here before…)  ?

1) Acceptance – whatever the reason may be, some days writing just isn’t going to get done. The quicker you accept this, the better because otherwise you’ll spend you’re day feeling guilty for not getting anything done and you don’t need the grief! Give yourself a break and, when you are ready to write again, you’ll be fully recharged.

2) Don’t Force It – if you try and write when you’re in one of these moods the quality is invariably going to be downright terrible. So don’t sweat it! Just take this time to do something else – for example, write a blog post about how you feel (it’s working for me!)

3)  Make a Plan – Put a plan together for your writing when you are feeling up to it in the next day or two. This way, you will be ready to go all out writing ninja when you’re feeling in the mood but relax in the meantime!

4) Have Fun – While your not in the mood for writing don’t fret! Do something enjoyable – maybe you’ve put off doing something recently to spend time writing? Watch a new film, bake something tasty, read a book or play a game on your playstation or xbox (you must have a game sitting there that needs finishing!)

Posted on by Caroline · 12 Comments

Naming Your Novel (What Really works? And Does it Even Matter?)

I think novel names are either intuitive (spring into your mind in a eureka moment!) or depressingly hard to come up with…

Thinking through some names that I love I think that best ones somehow sum up exactly what the book is about with just a few words.

Take A Game of Thrones for example – I mean wow! That tells you just what you’re getting into! It’s a genius name!

But then on the other hand there are abstract names like Twilight which works just as well but, to be honest, doesn’t say much about the story…

But does it really matter? If a book is popular it’s going to be whether it’s called ‘Flutter’ or something that gives more away like ‘Dancing with the Fallen Fairies’ ( Both could be the same book!)

What’s in a name? Would you choose a book because of a name or is it the cover what draws you? Or do you disregard all of these things and judge it based on the blurb and reviews?

Does the title of your book have to imply the genre?

If so then….

– Beautiful Creatures sounds like a book about pretty animals

– I Am Number Four sounds like someone waiting in line for an argos purchase

– The Giver….well it depends how filthy your mind is here…

– Fifty Shades of Grey…if you pick this up expecting a colour chart then you’re going to be in for quite a shock

However, I think people know something about a book before they pick it up because of what I believe to be the biggest promiting factor; word of mouth.
So is a book name important?

Yes, but…it needs to be combined with sveral other factors to be effective: cover, blurb, and most important of all content – the book has to be a great read and then, whether it’s called Poo Bucket or A Game of Thrones, it’s going to do well!

Posted on by Caroline · 7 Comments

How to be a Successful Writer (Using the Hogwarts’ Houses Method)

Writing takes a combination of skill, determination and passion and I think this can be broken down using what I like to call the Hogwarts’ Houses Method (that’s right!)

The first thing you need to be as you begin your writers journey is brave!

 
Yes! No writing will get done until you switch off that little voice inside your head that tells you that you can’t do it. Forget the fear of being judged and Gryffindor the hell out of that first draft! 

If you want to (and I bet you do) think of that evil little voice as voldemort….and who does he think he is anyway?!

Now you’ve got to have a few brain cells to rub together to get down to business with the rewrite (don’t worry just a few!) So this is the part where you can stroke your chin thoughtfully and take a leaf out of Rowena Ravenclaws book. Take your time and perfect the writing to the best of your ability!

  
Once you send your work off to Literary Agents you may find yourself in the place that most writers do; rejected. So we need to be extra Hufflepuff here people! They aren’t phased by anything and are suuuuupppppper patient. These are qualitites that you’ll need to succeed ultimately. You need to play the lonngggg game but, with a bit of hufflepuff loyalty to your writing, it’ll be more likely to pay off!
  
And some people mock Hufflepuff so I thought I’d give this little reminder…

 
Finally! You’re allowed to go a little Slytherin (gasp!) that’s right, even they have some qualities you’ll need. Just a little sprinkle of cunning…

  

No I’m not saying go write your name in blood on the walls near the chamber of secrets! (But that sure would be one hell of a promotion technique if you did!) I’m just saying you need to be imaginitive to help achieve what you want. If you wana get your book out there through traditional means or self-publishing you have to find creative ways to promote yourself! Connect with people! Make other cunning little friends and help them to achieve their goals in return! But please people let’s not become death eaters about it…
  
Whisper in people’s ears! This might work for you. Or better still, tweet, blog and network!

And remember, there’s thousands of free ways to promote your work so don’t splash out too much money on this – you’ll only get muggled off….

Thanks for reading!

Posted on by Caroline

Guest Post: Rejection is coming…(and dragons…maybe)

Hey guys check out my first ever guest post!

Sadly I can’t figure out how to turn the comments on at John’s site 😦 if anyone has any tips they’d be greatly appreciated!

Caroline's avatarJohnny Reads

So for my first guest post in my blife (blogging life) I have decided to talk about rejection (Gasp!)

No, wait! Keep reading! It’s not all that bad…..I promise!

Rejection is inevitable as a writer…I’m sorry…it just is. Let’s all take a moment to deal with that, deep breath, and move on!

Whether you’re rejected by a literary agent, a publisher, or your mum (yes! Even your mum might hate your writing! – What? She might!) it’s pretty much a done deal that someone is going to reject you once you start putting your work out to the general public – even popular authors have people who hate their books, you just can’t please everyone.

And to be honest….who cares!

Screw everyone who hates what you write. You love it! I know you do! Or you wouldn’t have spent all that time writing and rewriting and rererewriting until all your…

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Getting Published is like Volunteering for the Hunger Games

Okay MAYBE I mean this more metaphorically than physically but, think of it this way:  you’re competing against a whole hoarde of other amazing writers, all of whom are at least equally good as you are and each of them have specific skill sets that are going to help them in the publishing world (just like the contestants of the hunger games! – but their skill sets lie mainly in killing people…)

So you have to go all Katniss first of all. Publish your book? Holy crap! This is gonna be scary but…..you’ll have to volunteer to do it or you’ll never get anywhere…

  
Then you have to submit to Literary Agents. They have so many submissions to get through so what’s gonna make yours stand out?  And how do you do that? The same way you win the hunger games of course!

  

So you carefully phrase your query letter trying to sound confident, friendly, competant, and super likeable and you click send…It’s done. It’s too late to back out. It’s all left to fate now…

  

Your mum goes all Cinna…

 
And you go all Katniss…

 
You don’t hear back from an agent for literally weeks! If only they’d say something ANYTHING!

 
And then you get a response! They liked your work (yay!) they think you have potential (double yay!) but they’re unable to offer you representation at this time…your intial response is to go a bit Cato…

  
But you pull yourself together and remember that, one way or another, you will be published! Whether it be traditionally or self-published you’ll get your novel out there because you love to write! And that’s what really matters after all….
So the moral of this twisted hunger games/publishing tale is to persevere and never give up hope! 

  
Because Katniss Everdeen wouldn’t have won the hunger games if she had and you won’t get published if you do!

Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour…
 

Posted on by Caroline · 11 Comments

Imagination Vs Reality

  

I am a shameless daydreamer, book reader, and story maker-upper and I need my fix of escapism to get me through the day!

I had a thought when I was writing this morning – how strange is it that all of these characters are just coming out of my head? Imagination is a strange and powerful thing, don’t you think?

As far back as cavemen painting on walls, humans have had a fascination with story telling and escaping from reality! We are captivated by fictional tales of heroism, tragedy, love, loss and all other manner of human emotions – despite these stories not being remotely true! 

Does that mean our lives are so dull that we are coming up with (or distracting ourselves with) lightning scarred wizards, sharp-toothed love interests who like to eat people, a teenage battle to the death in a screwed up dystopia, and sexually messed up rich guys (oh my!) ?

Yes and no. Our lives aren’t all bad, right? (RIGHT!?) but humans have an ingrained setting to always look beyond their own reality for something better. We like to explore our feelings through characters and read about unrealistic scenarios to wonder how we might fair in the same stiuation or simply to marvel at the main character’s ability to overcome adversity or fall in love against all odds etc. etc.
Here’s an odd question for you to ponder…

Would you rather know (don’t ask me how just accept that you do) that all the books you loved actually existed in some other reality but it could never affect your life OR would you prefer books to be just the way they are, wonderful, beautiful fiction?
Thanks for reading!