Canadian author pal Scott Bury sent pix of him with his copy of GHOST STAR. As you can see from the inscription, I consider him to be an important member of my "brain trust of beta readers." He really did help make my book more readable. Thanks, Scott!
Monday, February 26, 2018
Friday, February 23, 2018
Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime (Official Video)
My favorite video of my favorite song by my favorite band. I first saw it back in the early 80s and my mind was blown. Enjoy.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Animation FAQ: Thoughts on How to Sell an Animated Series
Q: I am an aspiring writer/artist/musician with an animated
show idea. I have character illustrations, a series synopsis, 12 plot
treatments, and music samples that I have worked on extensively. I have a
friend who creates and pitches TV shows for a living, but I am not sure about
his degree of success in that field. He encouraged me to create the series in
the first place. I have no idea how to get my idea in front of people besides
my admittedly low-level connection. Do you have any suggestions?
A: Disclaimer: I've come close a couple of times, but have yet to sell a series.
That said...it sounds like you have a lot of the components one would
need to pitch an animated
"Hodag of Horror" |
With regard to your friend, if he creates and pitches shows
"for a living" (meaning he gets paid) he is without a doubt VERY
successful in his field and not a "low level connection" at all. In
fact, he's about as good a connection as you can get. Is he a professional
writer? If so, that means he probably has a "literary" agent (an
agent that exclusively handles TV, film, or animation writers). Ask him for a referral
to his agent.
I
strongly recommend having a couple of writing samples (spec sitcoms, well-known animated shows in the same category as your series, even a spec feature script that shows off your style) in addition to your
pitch. Write them, then begin the hunt. If your friend doesn't have an agent,
once you get the samples, start the hunt yourself. Pursue any other connections
you might have and go to the WGA site for a listing of Guild approved agents.
Once you have that, start sending out query letters (try to get a name rather
than sending out generic "Dear Agent" letters) explaining that you're
interested in representation, have a project (don't go into too much detail),
list your samples, and ask if they would be interested in taking a look at one
(of the samples). If they say yes, you've got your foot in the door.
You didn't
mention where you lived, but it'd be helpful if it was in LA or NY. That's
where most of the agencies and the production co./networks are located. It
wouldn't be impossible to secure representation if you lived somewhere else,
just a lot harder. An agency would be more likely to sign someone who's
"in town" and available for the meetings they'd set up. The bottom
line is that you need to secure an agent if you have any hope of having your
project looked at by anyone who really counts. Good luck!
**
If you have a question about writing for animation, send it to me via the CONTACT tab. If you have your own thoughts about this particular question, please leave them in the comments.
Friday, February 9, 2018
REVIEW: Your Name
I rolled my eyes when I first read the description for "Your Name" ("A teenage boy and girl embark on a quest to meet each other for the first time after they magically swap bodies."), but it turned out to be a mature, well-crafted film -- wistful, with gentle humor and lots of heart. The animation is some of the best I've seen...anywhere. Recommended.
WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE
WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Ghost Star: Limited Time Price Promotion
My pals at Kindle Press have decided now is a good time for special discount pricing on Ghost Star. To quote Annie Lennox, "Who am I to disagree?"
For a limited time (Thursday, 2/8/18 - Thursday, 2/15/18), my book will be on sale for $0.99! That's ninety-nine digital pennies for 50k words of action-packed digital adventure!
If you already own Ghost Star please pass along this little wallet-friendly nugget of news to friends and family who might enjoy saving a couple of bucks on a fun, fast-paced, space opera-y read.
Yes, I'm shamelessly asking you to please spread the word. Tell them it's like Star Wars without those annoying Ewoks or Porgs. They'll thank you for it and so will I.
CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW
Thank you!
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
PUBLICATION DAY! Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree
The big day has arrived for the second part in my YA Viking fantasy series, Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree!
Here's the description: "When the roots of the Great Tree are attacked by a plague of monster slugs, Eirik and his companions must destroy the ravenous creatures before they release the Nidhoggr, a mountain-sized dragon bent on bringing death and destruction to all of the nine worlds."
Sound exciting? I think so and hope you'll agree.
This novella-length fantasy adventure is now available as a Kindle title on Amazon.
You can check it out HERE.
Thanks!
Here's the description: "When the roots of the Great Tree are attacked by a plague of monster slugs, Eirik and his companions must destroy the ravenous creatures before they release the Nidhoggr, a mountain-sized dragon bent on bringing death and destruction to all of the nine worlds."
Sound exciting? I think so and hope you'll agree.
This novella-length fantasy adventure is now available as a Kindle title on Amazon.
You can check it out HERE.
Thanks!
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
GHOST STAR: Publication Day Has Arrived!
Just a quick post... Both editions of Ghost Star are now available on Amazon!
Kindle Edition ($2.99)
Paperback Edition ($11.95)
To everyone who helped me get my book over the finish line -- from my trusty beta readers/proofers and editor to those who nominated Ghost Star during its Kindle Scout campaign -- thank you! This is an amazing day for me and I am grateful!
If you received a free review copy of the book from Kindle Scout as a reward for nominating it, please use the above links to leave a review on Amazon. You can do this if you bought the book on your own, too. The more reviews the better (as far as Big A's marketing algorithms are concerned). In other words, reviews help authors sell books.
If you'd like, you can also leave a review on Goodreads.
If you're a book blogger or librarian and would like a review copy, feel free to CONTACT ME.
Again, thank you!
Kindle Edition ($2.99)
Paperback Edition ($11.95)
To everyone who helped me get my book over the finish line -- from my trusty beta readers/proofers and editor to those who nominated Ghost Star during its Kindle Scout campaign -- thank you! This is an amazing day for me and I am grateful!
If you received a free review copy of the book from Kindle Scout as a reward for nominating it, please use the above links to leave a review on Amazon. You can do this if you bought the book on your own, too. The more reviews the better (as far as Big A's marketing algorithms are concerned). In other words, reviews help authors sell books.
If you'd like, you can also leave a review on Goodreads.
If you're a book blogger or librarian and would like a review copy, feel free to CONTACT ME.
Again, thank you!
Monday, December 25, 2017
UNDRASTORMUR, Part 2: The Great Tree NOW AVAILABLE for Pre-Ordering
This announcement is a two-fer: a pre-order availability, er, announcement AND cover reveal.
Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree is a novella length continuation of Eirik's adventures from the first book. Lots of fantasy adventuring going on in this one--monsters, an ego-maniacal Norse god, a fierce shieldmaiden, and, of course, our brave but reluctant hero, Eirik. The book is now available for pre-ordering. The actual date of publication is 01/30/18.
Here's my book's description...
Interested? Check out these links:
Amazon Pre-order link: http://amzn.to/2C1UTIr
Amazon Author page: http://amzn.to/2C5kdzv
Thanks!
Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree is a novella length continuation of Eirik's adventures from the first book. Lots of fantasy adventuring going on in this one--monsters, an ego-maniacal Norse god, a fierce shieldmaiden, and, of course, our brave but reluctant hero, Eirik. The book is now available for pre-ordering. The actual date of publication is 01/30/18.
Here's my book's description...
When the roots of the Great Tree are attacked by a plague of monster slugs, Eirik and his companions must destroy the ravenous creatures before they release the Nidhoggr, a mountain-sized dragon bent on bringing death and destruction to all of the nine worlds.And here's the cover designed by Keith Robinson. Give him a shout if you're an author looking for a cool cover from an easy-to-work-with designer.
Interested? Check out these links:
Amazon Pre-order link: http://amzn.to/2C1UTIr
Amazon Author page: http://amzn.to/2C5kdzv
Thanks!
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
POLL QUESTION: Ghost Star vs Undrastormur
Both the Kindle and paperback versions of Ghost Star are coming out on 01/09/18. The second Undrastormur book (Kindle) is ready to go now. Should I publish the Undrastormur book BEFORE or AFTER Ghost Star's release?
I guess I'm concerned about the two books possibly getting in each other's way. Am I overthinking it?
Feedback appreciated.
I guess I'm concerned about the two books possibly getting in each other's way. Am I overthinking it?
Feedback appreciated.
Friday, December 8, 2017
COVER UPDATE for UNDRASTORMUR: A Viking Fantasy Adventure
My original cover for Undrastormur has needed an update for quite some time. I designed it myself using an inexpensive stock image, an average font, and a basic cover design tool. It wasn't terribly eye-catching and, without the subtitle, could just as easily been a foreign language story about dangerous weather. All of this added up to a cover that looked okay but could've been better.
After years of muttering to myself about my lack of design skills, I finally decided to do something about it.
Enter talented cover designer Keith Robinson. He not only redesigned my tired original cover, but is designing brand new covers for Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree (coming very soon), and Undrastormur, Part 3: The Revenge of the Giants (coming in early 2018).
Here's his new cover:
Big improvement, eh? It features Eirik, the main character, and Hilde, a strong supporting character. Even without the subtitle, we can reasonably assume there's an adventure involved. Closer examination will hopefully lead potential readers to guess it's a sword and sorcery story since Eirik holds a wizard's staff and Hilde sports a serious-looking sword.
I'm very pleased with this new cover and can't wait to reveal the next two.
If you're in need of a cover, I heartily recommend contacting Keith by clicking on his highlighted name above. He's smart, intuitive, and easy to work with.
CLICK HERE to reach the Undrastormur Amazon page.
After years of muttering to myself about my lack of design skills, I finally decided to do something about it.
Enter talented cover designer Keith Robinson. He not only redesigned my tired original cover, but is designing brand new covers for Undrastormur, Part 2: The Great Tree (coming very soon), and Undrastormur, Part 3: The Revenge of the Giants (coming in early 2018).
Here's his new cover:
Big improvement, eh? It features Eirik, the main character, and Hilde, a strong supporting character. Even without the subtitle, we can reasonably assume there's an adventure involved. Closer examination will hopefully lead potential readers to guess it's a sword and sorcery story since Eirik holds a wizard's staff and Hilde sports a serious-looking sword.
I'm very pleased with this new cover and can't wait to reveal the next two.
If you're in need of a cover, I heartily recommend contacting Keith by clicking on his highlighted name above. He's smart, intuitive, and easy to work with.
CLICK HERE to reach the Undrastormur Amazon page.
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Blog Tour: Druid Warrior Prince by Juli D. Revezzo
Author Juli D. Revezzo has a new book called Druid Warrior Prince. It's full of Celtic mythology, which I groove on, so I think it looks interesting and I'm guessing you will too. She tells us all about her book in this guest post. Check out the post and then check out Druid Warrior Prince! -- RE
**
Druid Warrior Prince is the third in my urban/historical
fantasy series, Celtic Stewards Chronicles. If you haven’t been introduced to it
yet, the series is about a family who owns a patch of land on which the Irish
gods of the Tuatha dé Danann, their druids,
and a special squad of elite warriors fight an ancient, magical battle against
mythic evil for the fate of the world, every 500 years.
In the first book,
Passion’s Sacred Dance, the heroine (Stacy) receives an old diary from the last
overseer, who takes the overseer’s title of “Steward”. While Stacy lives in
modern-day Florida, the previous steward oversaw the battle in 1513 on the
family’s original homestead in Ireland.(The whole story of which is told in
book 2, Druid Warrior’s Heart). That
information only furthered Stacy’s curiosity about the family, so after her own
battle in 2013, she’s gone digging for more
information on how her family has dealt with this war, seeking clues to,
perhaps, end it, once and for all.
The third volume, lately released, entitled Druid Warrior Prince continues the story, from the point of view of
Gwenevieve, the steward who lived 1500 years ago, revealing to Stacy a little-known
episode in the family history, taking place is 6th Century Ireland.
The progression down through Stacy’s history, to Gwen’s is why I can’t say the
series is purely historical fantasy;
it is, but it’s not, due to the modern setting of Passion’s Sacred Dance. Why
did I decide to that? Because I’m mad? No. :)
If I am, there’s a method to the madness. For me, the
combination of myth, fantasy, and history is something that has intrigued me
for a long time, especially Celtic mythology. I have been studying up on it
ever since I first found the King Arthur tales. A decade or so ago I fell into
Irish mythology, and have barely resurfaced since. That’s where the world and war
of the Celtic Stewards Chronicles came from. There’s a tale in the myths that
says the evil god Balor one day did the unthinkable and refused hospitality to
a druid of the Tuatha dé Danann. Well, the withholding of said hospitality was
a major slight, in the eyes of the Celts, and so this druid did what you’d
expect. He told tales of this king’s snub to his kin, and they decided to go to
war with the king over it. (As I said, major slight!) That story, got me
thinking, what if the war didn’t just end at the end of the tale we have
written down? What if the uppity king kept poking at his enemies, by way of
threatening humanity, or otherwise causing trouble so the Tuatha dé Danann
would have no choice but to defend people from the king’s potential destructive
wrath?
That thought gave rise to a war fought every 500
years under the watchful eye of one family, as ancient Celtic wars were fought
with a druid on hand to oversee it all, and from there to my three books (so
far) in the Celtic Stewards Chronicles,
the third of which, Druid Warrior Prince, just released.
The official synopsis is as follows:
Gwenevieve Macken’s well-ordered world falls into
chaos as encroaching interlopers scheme to possess both her and her land.
Although she’s been trained to spot the signs of inhuman evil in men, the
amassing armies take on guises she never expected.
When a foreign guardian presents himself as her only option for salvation, Gwenevieve must make a choice between her desires, and fulfilling the mythic fate to which she was born. A forced marriage to a Tuatha dé Danann warrior isn't part of her plan.
When a foreign guardian presents himself as her only option for salvation, Gwenevieve must make a choice between her desires, and fulfilling the mythic fate to which she was born. A forced marriage to a Tuatha dé Danann warrior isn't part of her plan.
**
Should you like to check it out, it’s available at Amazon,
in ebook and paperback.
The entire Celtic Stewards Chronicles can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076KK77N5
I hope you will enjoy them. And before I go, I’d like to say
thank you to Roger for allowing me to come here and tell you about the series.
Juli D. Revezzo loves fantasy and Celtic mythology and
writing stories with all kinds of fantastical elements. She is the author of
the historical romances, House of Dark
Envy, Watchmaker's Heart, and Lady of the Tarot, the Antique Magic paranormal mystery series
and Celtic Stewards Chronicles series
and more. She is also a member of the Independent Author Network and the Magic
Appreciation Tour.
To learn more about this and future releases, visit her at: http://www.julidrevezzo.com
Sign up for her newsletter at: http://bit.ly/SNI5K6
Like her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julidrevezzo
or follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/julidrevezzo
Monday, November 20, 2017
GHOST STAR: Kindle Press Announces Publication Date!
Just got the announcement...GHOST STAR will be published by Kindle Press on January 9,
2018 at 12:00 AM EST! Woo hoo!
The link below is to my book's brand new Amazon page. Those who nominated GHOST STAR during its Kindle Scout campaign are eligible for a free Kindle copy.
Those who missed out on that crazy fun time (YIKES!) can pre-order their very own copy too. The paperback edition will come out around the same time and will be published through CreateSpace.
Hope you enjoy GHOST STAR, and thank you for your support!
To go to GHOST STAR'S Amazon page, click HERE.
The link below is to my book's brand new Amazon page. Those who nominated GHOST STAR during its Kindle Scout campaign are eligible for a free Kindle copy.
Those who missed out on that crazy fun time (YIKES!) can pre-order their very own copy too. The paperback edition will come out around the same time and will be published through CreateSpace.
Hope you enjoy GHOST STAR, and thank you for your support!
To go to GHOST STAR'S Amazon page, click HERE.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Chugging Along: Ghost Star Update #3
I submitted my publish-ready manuscript to Kindle Press yesterday. This draft was based on the excellent notes I got from my KP editor. I also had "David," the Microsoft Word robot voice, read Ghost Star back to me one more time after I had done the changes. I'm always amazed at how many errors he helps me catch. If you're not using TTS (Text to Speech) as a proofing tool, I highly recommend that you do so.
I got a note back from KP this morning. My author revised draft has "passed the final stages of review." Because of the quick turnaround, I'm guessing their approval is based on some sort of auto-scan.
The rest of the note goes on to say:
I got a note back from KP this morning. My author revised draft has "passed the final stages of review." Because of the quick turnaround, I'm guessing their approval is based on some sort of auto-scan.
The rest of the note goes on to say:
Super cool! That's it for now. More to come."Currently, the Kindle Press production team is working on converting your Word doc into a MOBI e-book file for publication on all Kindle devices. We’ll let you know when this stage is complete and we establish a detail page for your title. This process typically takes around 1-2 weeks."
Monday, October 16, 2017
Getting Schooled: Ghost Star Update #2
I received my Kindle Press editor's notes on GHOST STAR a few days ago and started working on them today. Woo hoo!
How it works: The editor sends you, the KS-selected author, an edited manuscript (where the author can accept or reject the changes using the Track Changes feature). Working from the Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) for grammar, punctuation, and style guidelines, and the Merriam-Webster Collegiate (M-W) for spellings and hyphenations, she found tons of, shall we say, "deviations" from those rules. The suggested changes are all of a minor nature (no "Chapter 13 sucks, chuck it!"), but there are lots of little things that need to be fixed. The cool thing is that my editor made a lot of the little changes (punctuation, sentence structure, naming continuity, etc.) herself, so all I have to do is accept or reject.
My editor's tone is supportive and upbeat. I really get the feeling she likes the book and is on my side. I can tell she only wants the book to be as good as it can be, but she leaves no doubt about the proper way to do things. For example, it was pointed out the names of the spacecraft should be italicized as in Ghost Star. Who knew? Not me, that's for sure.
Along with the edited manuscript came a Editorial Letter (Line Editing) where GHOST STAR gets what amounts to a critique on things like Structure/Plot Flow, Characterization, and Tone and Style. Again, tons of great info here including awesome suggestions about how to heighten the impact of key scenes with some well-placed foreshadowing.
My first pass through the notes will be for the basic Accept/Reject notes (punctuation corrections, etc.). Then I'll address my editor's comments in the manuscript. Finally, I'll go through the Editorial Letter and make the suggested changes. I'm about halfway through the first pass and loving every minute of it. It's exciting!
How it works: The editor sends you, the KS-selected author, an edited manuscript (where the author can accept or reject the changes using the Track Changes feature). Working from the Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) for grammar, punctuation, and style guidelines, and the Merriam-Webster Collegiate (M-W) for spellings and hyphenations, she found tons of, shall we say, "deviations" from those rules. The suggested changes are all of a minor nature (no "Chapter 13 sucks, chuck it!"), but there are lots of little things that need to be fixed. The cool thing is that my editor made a lot of the little changes (punctuation, sentence structure, naming continuity, etc.) herself, so all I have to do is accept or reject.
My editor's tone is supportive and upbeat. I really get the feeling she likes the book and is on my side. I can tell she only wants the book to be as good as it can be, but she leaves no doubt about the proper way to do things. For example, it was pointed out the names of the spacecraft should be italicized as in Ghost Star. Who knew? Not me, that's for sure.
Along with the edited manuscript came a Editorial Letter (Line Editing) where GHOST STAR gets what amounts to a critique on things like Structure/Plot Flow, Characterization, and Tone and Style. Again, tons of great info here including awesome suggestions about how to heighten the impact of key scenes with some well-placed foreshadowing.
My first pass through the notes will be for the basic Accept/Reject notes (punctuation corrections, etc.). Then I'll address my editor's comments in the manuscript. Finally, I'll go through the Editorial Letter and make the suggested changes. I'm about halfway through the first pass and loving every minute of it. It's exciting!
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