First Draft of "Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island" finished

I finished the first draft of my second novel, "Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island" (Book II of The Hazy Souls). I'm hoping to have the second draft finished before Christmas. January is an important month for my novel because Spring semester doesn't start until January 22nd (I teach writing at Gloucester County College). January = writing/editing/rewriting every day! Not to mention I have to design my cover... and do internal formatting... and the back cover. Ahh! There's so much to do before the second baby arrives in March.

At the moment I'm doing a quick read-through and marking the scenes that drag. The beginning of the novel needs a complete rewrite, but I've seemed to hit the "zone" by the middle of the novel.  I'll have to elaborate on my descriptions to better create a sense of place and time. The action scenes need some build-up too.

I'll write again about my novel's progress in a couple of weeks. I'm trying to keep to a pretty strict schedule.

Starting a job as an Adjunct

I'll be teaching literature and composition this fall. I'm very excited, only I wish I had a little more time to prepare. It's difficult to find the time to thoroughly read through the material since I'm running after my daughter non-stop. Luckily, I've read most of the fiction and poetry already.

My novel, aahh! I'm almost finished the first draft of Book II, am about 80% done, but class preparation and teaching and grading is sure to curb my progress. And then there's my plans for baby number 2...

To date, I've sold about 200 copies of my book and I've received my first royalty check. My marketing efforts have been put on hold because I just have too much on my plate. I participated in a Christmas in July sales thing, and that was pretty successful. I'll vamp up the marketing after the release of the second book, for sure.

But for now, the baby is napping and so must I!

The Hunger Games as Inspiration

I just finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Wow, that book reads fast. I wanted to read The Hunger Games for a while now, and have already purchased the second book in the trilogy. I knew I wanted to read The Hunger Games right before I really threw myself behind my second Hazy Souls novel, because I've heard such good things about it and stand by the advice that you need to read something well-written right before you write.

One drawback for me is that The Hunger Games is written in first person. My book is written in third person. I love reading first person books, it's just a little more difficult to adapt my style and pacing alongside my inspiration. I definitely respect The Hunger Games' sense of action and the immediacy of what's going to happen next. It's a real page turner. I'm hoping that my next book will be a faster read, particularly in the beginning as that is a section I've struggled with in the first book. It was also nice to read about Peeta, a good-natured boy who I didn't find the least bit boring, because I want Jeremy's character to grow to be more compassionate.

I think The Hunger Games will help me with:
1.) creating haunting locations
2.) streamlining action sequences
3.) bringing out the best in Jeremy

Random College Memories

I thought it would be fun to make a random picture / memory collage, just 'cause.

independent zombie film

At some point in college, I was in a zombie movie. Here I am running from a horde of zombies. Notice the unfortunate direction of our escape: right into the arms of two hungry zombies!

zombie attack

Yes, here we are, lifeless, after the inevitable zombie attack. These pictures were taken during the filming. How fun is it to reflect on college memories?! I was in a few college films, plus directed my own films and a play. Shoutout to SCRU (Screenwriters Community of Rutgers University), KTP (Knight Time Production), RUTV (Rutgers University Television + Hub City + Pass the Popcorn), and UBFS (University of Bristol Film Society).

decorating with boxes

Ah, my precious boxes! I love boxes. My box obsession got a little out of hand in college, and I started decorating my dorm room with boxes and bubble wrap. This is my dorm door. I also had boxes on the wall beside my bed and on the ceiling. Anyway, it all felt very important at the time.

World Trade Center and Wall Street After 9/11

And here's a historical time stamp: I did an internship at P.O.V. Documentary in New York, NY in 2006. I used to take the subway to the World Trade Center stop and I could see the charred building remains. I had to walk from the World Trade Center to my internship and go through various blockades. The blockades were set in place to prevent people from driving. There were always armed guards with rifles.

New York armed guards by the site of the World Trade Center

There was usually someone positioned on the stairs cradling a rifle.

Completely unrelated, but here goes:

girl playing the accordion

Ah, my accordion days! Here I am, serenading the masses with my amateur accordion skills. This accordion was my dad's when he was a child. My grandfather plays the accordion and he's really good. Someday, perhaps, I'll play the polka!

Notes on Publishing

formatted manuscript

A lot goes into being a publisher. Layout, formatting, cover design, back cover design -- all of these things take a lot of time and effort. First you edit the book, format the book, and design a cover. Then you obtain the ISBN number, ISSN number, and proofs. Creating an ebook is an entirely different beast. Wow, text can become super unstable. On occasion, two words become inexplicably smooshed together, or periods go missing, or whatever else. Double check those ebook file conversion or prepare to be embarrassed. Eeek! Then there's the marketing: Viral Cat depends mostly on word of mouth via online social networking sites.

It all comes down to traffic and building a sturdy network of links. The more incoming and outgoing links a book has, the higher its google search rank. Every time a book is mentioned online, it creates a link in the chain. When I look at it that way, it becomes something of a challenge, but one that can be conquered with baby steps.

Indie Author Logic

I talked to an older man the other day. He had just finished reading "Jeremy Chikalto and the Hazy Souls," Viral Cat's first published book. He liked it and especially enjoyed the character Lyrna. He told me in private that he rarely reads new authors because he has thirty or so "tried and true" authors whose works are published year round. Why take the risk of purchasing a book by an unknown author when he's guaranteed a decent read by one of his thirty established authors?
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As an independent press, Viral Cat takes on first time authors and competes with big publishing houses. But I know that indie publishing is the future. The big publishing houses are crumbling, downsizing is a nicer way to put it. Why? Because people like the older man I talked to aren't expanding their repertoire.
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The ebook market is soaring. Big publishing houses want their ebooks to cost $14.99. Indie authors and publishers are charging $2.99. When pressed on the issue, the older man mentioned above insisted that he'd still buy the $14.99 ebook that he knows he'd enjoy rather than buy the $2.99 ebook he might not like. But what about the twenty year old reader? The thirteen year old reader? They are the future, and I'm pretty sure they'd purchase the $2.99 ebook.
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And the big publishing houses? Well, they know their loyal clientele won't spend $14.99 on an unknown author, so they just keep publishing established authors. New authors? Well, sure, they publish celebrities with a built-in market. "Lauren Conrad? Well-known reality TV star? Sure! We'll publish your book!" says HarperCollins.
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As established authors, er, die off, and their loyal readers enter retirement homes, indie authors will have developed a following all their own and the mystique of being published by a big publishing house will be revealed as illusory.
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Quality control will still exist because social media will help great stories go viral. Word of mouth has always been a publisher's best tool. That will never change.
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So my message for you, indie authors, indie publishers, is to embrace self-publishing and small press publishing, have faith in social media, and don't fret rejection letters from major publishers; in fact, don't even send them your queries. The publishing world is rapidly changing and indie author success stories are on the rise. You want to ride this wave rather than get caught in the currents. Master social media. Develop a personal connection with your readership.  Understand publishing technologies. These are the tools of the new generation of authors.

May is Indie Author Month

Viral Cat will be included in Indie Author Month!

I'll be putting some new features on the Viral Cat website in the next couple of weeks.

www.viralcat.com

Author Interview on Independent Paranormal

I was interviewed on Independent Paranormal, a blog for indie authors who specialize in the paranormal.

http://independentparanormal.blogspot.com/

I'm very happy for the exposure and had fun answering the questions. My only hesitation comes from the part about music. I answered honestly, though in retrospect I only touched the tip of the iceberg.

Music played a huge part of my childhood. There was always music in the background while we played. In the interview, I didn't necessarily list my favorite music, just the songs that really bring back particular memories from my childhood. Anyway, after reading the article, I've realized that people, especially young adults, judge a person based on the music they like, and might even judge my book before reading it! Music is all-important when you're younger and it defines who you are in the eyes of your peers.

So I mentioned Madonna, Duran Duran, TLC, Boys' Air Choir, and classical music in the interview. I wish I had cast a larger net. I like so many genres of music from so many periods, and I view it as a missed opportunity to relate to my readers. I could have added David Bowie, Pearl Jam, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, The Beatles... I could have listed newer artists whose music inspired some scenes in my mind, like Lady Gaga. When I hear her music, it's easy to picture a theatrical performer. It helped me to imagine Jeremy's stage presence.

Anyway, you get the point. It was a learning experience. Overall, I'm very happy with the interview and really appreciative of the opportunity to share my work with others! Plus, I was exposed to other authors whose interviews and free chapters really piqued my interest!

Independent Paranormal Interview Incoming!

I was interviewed about Jeremy Chikalto and the Hazy Souls by the Independent Paranormal blog. My interview will appear on the site Thursday, April 14th!  http://independentparanormal.blogspot.com/

I love it when there's a community of writers and readers who lift each other up and help with exposure. I hope to take on some similar projects interviewing authors and reviewing books.

Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island

"Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island"(Book 2 of The Hazy Souls) is starting up. I have the main sequence of events mapped out, but the act of writing always dishes out some surprises, even for the author. Subplots are the funnest to write because I have no idea what's going to happen next and they often change the course of the novel. So much for planning ahead.

The second book will definitely be easier for me to write. 

In the second book, there will be more romantic tension and some competing love interests. Also there will be more paranormal activity and some new characters.

It's kind of weird to write right now because I'm listening to the Madonna station on Pandora and I'm singing along in my head.

Novel available on Amazon.com!

Yes. My baby (other baby) is out and about interacting with the world!
My very own Jeremy Chikalto, who was once a hand-crafted paper doll crumpled between my child fingers, is now a Book Mr.!

A Book Mr. Hmm, yes that's his title. Not to be read, "is now a book, Mr!" No, he is now an exalted Book Mr.

It's late. What can I say? I probably need to go to sleep...

Anyway, so "Jeremy Chikalto and the Hazy Souls" (Book 1 of the Hazy Souls) is now available!

Print copy is on Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/giz211
Kindle version on Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/ggo9PP

And you can also get the e-book version on Smashwords, in multiple formats: http://bit.ly/e8ViJr

Soon it should be available for direct purchase at Barnes & Nobles and Borders!

I need herbal tea.

Novel Proof

I'm expecting the second proof of my novel, "Jeremy Chikalto and the Hazy Souls," to arrive early next week. If all is well, I'll publish and start marketing. I'm not exactly an extroverted type. I've read in interviews with Amanda Hocking (successful young adult author) that she never even felt like she "marketed" her book, she just found that many of the so-called author marketing tactics coincided with her daily routine. Hmm... so I guess I'll just try to focus on my current online hangouts. I've got this blog, viralcat, facebook, twitter, freado, figment, youtube, amazon, and smashwords (er, soon smashwords). I think I'll have fun trying to build an online presence.

Book Trailer!

I've finished my book trailer for my debut young adult novel "Jeremy Chikalo and the Hazy Souls." I was undecided whether I should wait to publish my book trailer until after my book was published, or to plunge into the water, trailer-first. I thought it might be nice to embed a link to my book on Amazon into the book trailer.  But advanced publicity is always a good thing, so I figured "meh," *shoulder shrug,* I'll do both. So without further ado, here's my book trailer for "Jeremy Chikalto and the Hazy Souls."

 

The video of the book trailer is a bit small on this screen, so if you want a larger screen viewing experience, click here.