I want to say thanks to my virtual book tour team who all made sure they posted something unique and meaningful to spread the word about Ocean Heart in the lead up to my release.
Virtual Book Tour Team
Here’s a little more detail about the team and links to their articles:
J D Groom
Jodie is an author with two series out. One is a collection of short stories (Book 1 is Envy), and the other is a Paranormal Romance series (Book 1 is Sorceress of Truth).
Ciara is an Urban Fantasy Irish writer with her debut series planned for early 2021. Sign up to her newsletter to discover more about her Upcoming Hybrid Wold series.
Laura is book blogger with a dragon. She’s often uncovering hidden gems by indie authors. Her site is packed with content on various genres, book reviews, and author Q & As.
Sarah is an Australian author of fiction and nonfiction books. Sarah enjoys travelling and her writing often challenges people to rethink their beliefs.
Cassidy is an author of Romantic Suspense novels, with several titles out, including her popular The Sentinel series. Check out my review of her book Agent Undone.
They say not to judge a book by its cover but I need you to do just that. If you liked the cover of my book, Ocean Heart (The Soul Heart Series Book 1), please vote for it for the Cover of the Month contest on AllAuthor.com!
I’m getting closer to clinch the “Cover of the Month” contest on AllAuthor! I’d need as much support from you guys. Please take a short moment to vote for my book cover here:
This June the latest World Indie Warriors Brochure was released.
Indie Books
The brochure is packed full of indie books, their blurbs, where to buy and how to connect with the authors. But, thats not all…
Indie Services
There is a directory of service providers. These are small indie business offering services that support the indie community. It’s a great resource to discover cover designers, book formatters, editors, coaches and marketing.
Indie Products
The brochure also showcases indie businesses that make and sell their own products. This enables you to discover unique and custom items that can’t be bought in mainstream shops.
Articles
The brochure is full of useful information from start to finish. There are tips for readers and an interview with a book blogger. There is an interview with the author who won a book cover contest. And you can discover what World Indie Warriors is all about.
It’s FREE to download
If you’ve read this far, you probably want to know how to get your hands on it.
The brochure is to showcase World Indie Warrior members. To join you just need to follow them on Facebook or Instagram – they are working on a forum.
They do lots of different activities to support the indie community. For example, this month, they are doing CampNaNo on Instagram and have a goal tracker on Facebook. Being part of a team is a great way to stay motivated towards achieving whatever creative goal you set.
If you check their blog you’ll find details on how to get your content included in the next edition.
Have you seen my #footstack pic on Instagram? Check out the feed @Nic_Reads_Inheels for my heel stack inspiration.
I only discovered #footstack very recently. It is a pic of someone balancing books on their shoes. When the #CampNanoWIW prompt was a #shelfie pic, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to give it a go.
I had so much fun doing this. And, when I posted it people asked, are they your legs, your books, your pic, how?
The answer is Yes and this is how.
The original pic
I wasn’t going to share this pic but here you go.
Unedited #FootStack
The books I bought from Amazon, Book Festivals or won on Instagram. They are all from my never ending TBR pile.
Since having children, I don’t have many heels. I also tidied away the ones I did have and have no idea where I put them. These shoes are my work ones from Clarks.
The red stockings were bought years ago from Ann Summers, back when I felt more daring, and haven’t been seen outside the bedroom. ;)
I did need help to get this pic. My husband stacked the books whilst I giggled upside down and tried to hold steady. My selection was rather ambitious and I realised this was my limit… no more books.
He then took the pic for me. He actually took quite a few as we tested my balancing skills at different degrees of steepness. We found it looks better the straighter my leg are. Posing like this was a full on workout.
How I edited the pic
Pic Monkey App
I used the Pic Monkey App to remove the background using their Cut Out, Smart, tool. It was super easy.
Unsplash
Unsplash is my favourite site to get free photos. I found this photo of a pretty yellow wall by Mona Eendra from Copenhagen. Yellow is one of my brand colours so this was perfect.
Pretty yellow wall from Unsplash
Photoshop Mix App
This app enables you to layer images together. I created a project and added the wall as my first layer, then my cut out image as the second layer. I then cropped it to a square and adjusted the two layers until I was happy with the positioning.
I had never used this app before and it was very straight forward. I figured it out without watching the tutorials. But, I’m going to return to watch them later to discover more.
Instagram App
The final edit was done using IG’s filter Clarendon. Then, I added my comment and tags and posted it.
In the same way a song can make you think of a person, place or time, it can also inspire writers to develop chapters. Music can bring chapters, characters and moments to life. It is a great aid whilst developing your story.
The connection writers develop for their creations is personal, like a parent to their child. This is why sometimes criticism (no matter how constructive) can hurt. But, this post isn’t about that. This post is about the connection writers make with music.
Writing a novel is a long process. You develop a relationship with the characters, their environment and experience their highs and lows. I struggle with writing horror because I frighten myself. Then I can’t sleep!
Inspiration
In the same way a song can make you think of a person, place or time, it can also inspire writers to develop them. Music can destroy writers block and bring to life chapters, characters, places and moments.
Currently, the song that is really inspiring me to write a horror – if I can get over my fear of my own mind – is Ruelle’s “Monsters”.
I haven’t given up on this idea. Originally the idea was for the MC to be haunted by a demon (a mix of the urban legend of Slender Man, the manga character Orichimaru from Naruto and the Goblin King from Labyrinth). Although I am still struggling to get the outline right, I am now swaying towards this novel being part of my shifter series.
My story’s playlist
As I edited Drift, now Jewel of the Sea, for the umpteenth time, I created a playlist for the chapters. This playlist was added to Wattpad using YouTube links as I worked on improving the story. Some songs have been there since the start whereas others got added as the story developed.
Taylor Swift – Everything Has Changed ft. Ed Sheeran
Leona Lewis – Run
Mazzy Star – Fade Into You
Lykke Li – Little Bi
Hunter Hayes – Invisible
Christina Aguilera – Beautiful
Evanescence – Bring Me To Life
Birdy – Wings
Coldplay – Yellow
All Saints – Pure Shores
Angel Olsen – Windows
Wilco – Kamera
Seafret – Skimming Stones
Lauren Aquilina – Ocean <related chapter now cut>
Dorothy – Gun In My Hand
Katy Perry – Rise
Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed
Ed Sheeran – Give Me Love
John Legend – All Of Me
Safety Suit – Anywhere But Here
Demi Lovato – Stone Cold
The Paper Kites – Bloom
The Ligthouse and the Whalers – I want to Feel Alive
Amer Run – I Found
Evanescence – Bring me to life
Ed Sheeran – Thinking Our Loud
Sometimes I hear songs and they inspire me to write (see 7, 8, 14 and 15). They draw up pictures and feelings in my mind and drive my imagination wild.
Editing
Other songs, I hear after I’ve written the story, usually whilst editing. They remind me of the vision I had and help me focus on what I need the chapter to deliver (see 12, 13, 20, 22 and 24).
I’m not a fan of editing. I spend way too much time being critical of my writing and ripping it apart. I don’t enjoy the process and if I could afford to pay someone to do it for me, I would! Having a playlist does make it a little more enjoyable and you can create one of all your favourite songs to keep you motivated.
Theme
When I first started writing Drift, “Starry Eyed” by Ellie Goulding was playing on the radio and resonated with the way the story felt to me.
Once I finished editing Drift, I found that the song that resonated with the overall feeling of the story had changed. The song is now “I Want To Feel Alive” by The Lighthouse and the Whaler.
Perhaps it’s a result of how the story has evolved or how my music tastes have changed over the years. The bottom line is, music fuels my imagination. It certainly makes editing more enjoyable.
Please share your playlists with me
If you have a writing playlist, please share it with me. I would love to listen to and to know why those songs made your playlist.
