Today I have Mari Mancusi as a guest for tea and chat, plus a giveaway of her book at the end! First, a little about Mari and then pull up a chair and join the conversation… Mari Mancusi is a young adult author with an 8-book series of Blood Coven vampire books through Penguin, as well as Gamer Girl (which looks totally cute and… Read More

I used to scoff at the idea of a Muse who would inspire my writing. I put my butt in the chair every day, pounding out words. I fed my subconscious creativity with books, films, and art, and trained myself to get in touch with that subconscious on a regular basis through journaling and free writing. I believed that what… Read More

From fellow Indelible and Writing Ninja, Ali Cross: The Writer’s Dojo is returning to its roots and invites you to join in on the fun!  When I first started the writer’s dojo in 2008, I did it as a way to keep the glory of National Novel Writing Month alive all year long. I loved the camaraderie and support I… Read More

print published by Simon & Shuster ebook published by Colleen Hoover In case you haven’t heard (from Hugh Howey’s blog or Jane Friedman’s), indie rockstar and NYTimes Bestseller Colleen Hoover has landed a print-only contract with Simon&Schuster. This follows on Hugh’s ground-breaking print-only deal last year, where he turned down three rounds of offers from NY publishers until they offered… Read More

Facts change on the ground in the publishing industry faster than most people can track, especially in the last couple years. I try to keep on top of things, but being part of the Indelibles is extremely helpful with this – the collective knowledge of 25 active indie authors is a powerful thing. I highly encourage you to join an… Read More

Fellow Indelible, G.P. Ching, has the fourth novel in her bestselling Soulkeepers series coming out soon. Here’s the cover reveal… Um. Yes, please. Dane Michaels has been to Hell and back and isn’t interested in repeating the experience. But as a human caught up in the Soulkeeper’s world, his life isn’t exactly his own. No one can explain why Dane… Read More

Love a good love story? Want to get lost in a great fantasy read or historical romp? Enjoy mindbending futuristic tales?   We have a sampler for you… Four amazing samplers! FREE! Best-selling books. Best-selling authors. Contemporary – Science-fiction – Historical – Fantasy But this isn’t all about us.  This is about you, the reader, finding books you love to… Read More

War of Art by Steven Pressfield There are many nuggets of inspiration in War of Art (I highly recommend it), but I’m going to highlight the section where Pressfield describes dealing with writerly competition in Territory vs. Hierarchy (I’m paraphrasing):  We (as humans and writers) define our place in the world either by Hierarchy (a social pecking order) or by… Read More

Last week, I met with three writer-friends online for a Creativity Retreat. It exceeded my expectations, which were high to begin with, given that I was meeting with people who were treasured critique partners, outstanding writers, and friends I’ve known for years, one very nearly since I first put fingers to keyboard. Dianne Salerni Adam Heine Rebecca J. Carlson Dianne… Read More

Cover designed by CP Design. The Dragon Empire by Heather McCorkle — February 2013 / Compass Press On Yacrana, dragons stand at the top of the evolutionary ladder instead of humans. Such an advanced species is not without its issues though. There’s trouble in the Dragon Empire, the kind that could start a war between dragons and the races of people. Hidden factions of dragons believe they should rule the lesser races, not simply… Read More

I’m reprising my Self-Publishing Basics series over at D.D.’s Blog (Writer’s Guide to E-Publishing) today and tomorrow – updated with minor changes and prettied up. HOP OVER to see Part 1 (Where to Publish) today and Part 2 (Formatting, The Easy Way) on Monday meanwhile… If you somehow missed the tsnuami of awesome that was people sharing my new live-action… Read More

With the help of over 20 cast and crew members, award-winning director Beth Spitalny has brought the concept of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy to life on the screen. When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep. Please share! Ways you can share the trailer: 1) Watch the trailer on YouTube (or here)! (more views=higher visibility) 2)… Read More

Indie Life is a monthly feature (2nd Wednesday) sponsored by the Indelibles where indie authors post about life as an indie author. Hop through the links below to see all kinds of post on indie life. This post (“The Problem With Self-Imposed Deadlines”) by Adam Heine prompted one of my typical epic-comments: I’m a HUGE user of self-imposed deadlines (even before… Read More

One of the great pleasures of being a writer is being silly. I mean, you can get away with some creative Silliness with a capital S that doesn’t normally happen around the office cooler or copy room (maybe if it did, life would be more interesting). Awesome author-friend and blogger Leigh T. Moore is a virtuoso in Silly, and I… Read More

The bestselling Mindjack Trilogy now has a live-action trailer! With the help of over 20 cast and crew members, award-winning director Beth Spitalny brought the concept of Open Minds, the first book in the Mindjack Trilogy, to life on the screen. As the author, I couldn’t be more pleased.   Will you join me in the Trailer Reveal on January 10th?   To celebrate the… Read More

I’m excited to introduce fellow Indelible Elle Strauss’s new serial series: LOVE, TINK  Told in 6 novelette length episodes (there will be one a month), Love, Tink is modern twist on the Tinkerbell and Peter Pan story. The first episode (12k) is FREE for a limited time on Amazon. Enchanted meets Peter Pan. “Things changed in Neverland when the lost boys… Read More

*pets the pretty* Would you like some Mindjack Bookmarks? You can hand them out to your writer’s group, your friends, your students… pretty much anyone you think might want them. They make good token prizes for students or blog giveaways. Or you can hand them out to random strangers at the Starbucks. Not that I’ve ever done that. If you’d… Read More

FIVE POSTS that readers seemed to like… A tiny bit of the writing I did in 2012 1) Making the Donuts – As a writer, the most important thing you can do with your time is create the intellectual property that your readers want to read. This is even more true now than when I wrote it in January. 2)… Read More

Short fiction has seen a resurgence with the advent of ebooks – the digital form erases the need to collect short stories into anthologies or publish them in magazines in order to reach readers. But getting reviews or visibility on short stories can be challenging. Which is why I’m delighted to see blogs like Short Fiction Spotlight giving shorts a… Read More

Have a new Kindle, Nook, or iPad? Here are some of my favorite ebooks – at these great prices, it’s easy to give them a try on your new device! FREE(click on covers) Beautiful Demons, Bound, and UnEnchanted series are in the Top 100 Kids&Teens Books for 2012! Congrats to Sarra, C.K., and Chanda! And Hugh Howey’s Wool is a NYTimes bestselling… Read More

Fellow Indelible and All Around Ninja, Ali Cross is touring the third book of her Desolation series, newly released, Destined! I absolutely loved the first book of the series, Become (which is now FREE – SNATCH IT UP!!), and the second one is already on my Kindle. I can’t wait to read both Book#2 and Book#3! Choosing is a bad… Read More

It’s Embrace’s Book Birthday and to celebrate the success of her debut novel Cherie Colyer is giving away a copy of her book plus swag. Before we get to that, here is a brief excerpt and some information about Embrace. We walked at a fast clip to the gates. I told myself to keep my eyes forward, not to let on that I… Read More

The lovely Sheryl Hart is hosting a giveaway of your choice of one ebook of the Mindjack novels plus the Mindjack Origins Collection: one ebook, your choice PLUS HOP OVER TO ENTER LAST DAY OF THE HULLABALOO (whew) All of my giveaways from the last 12 days are listed below.  THEY ALL END AT MIDNIGHT so this is your last… Read More

The Blog Ring of Power has ongoing giveaways from Dec 17th – Dec 31st – including an ecopy of Open Minds! I’m over at T.W. Fendley’s blog today doing a recap of 2012 and a peek ahead to 2013: 2012: A Year of Independent Publishing 2013: A Year of Independent Writing Hop over and check it out Who: 14 authors… Read More

Kat Evangalista is hosting a 24 days guest-post-giveaway-extravaganza, and today I’m over there with a bit of flash fiction I wrote. Kat asked me to write a guest post on this topic: How would you explain Christmas to someone who has never experienced it before? Resistance to creative work is a relentless thing, waging war at the smallest scales, even a simple guest post. This… Read More

Fellow indie author SR Johannes has organized an auction to benefit the victims and families of the Sandy Hook shooting. I’m offering up a complete set of Mindjack novels, signed in paperback, for the auction. Hop over and place a bid  All proceeds go directly to the UNITED WAY of WESTERN CONNECTICUT (to benefit Newtown Youth and Family Services supporting Sandy Hook Families. ~*~ Who:… Read More

Hugh Howey tagged me for this NEXT BIG THING meme. Yes, Hugh Howey, the NYTimes bestselling author of Wool. The guy whose film rights were picked up by 20th Century Fox and Ridley Scott. The rockstar indie author who just inked a PRINT ONLY deal with Simon&Schuster after turning down two 7 figure deals in the US, changing the game by keeping his… Read More

It’s the weekend. I’m being lazy. (actually I’m out shopping for Christmas presents like mad because hello I’ve been putting out a novel for most of December and… yeah… that’s my excuse) Today’s Hullabaloo is simple (again)… just a gift card. Today, I recommend you use it to buy Leigh T. Moore’s The Truth About Faking. 🙂 Who: 14 authors… Read More

I’m still recovering from the awesomeness of the Free Souls Cover Reveal Launch Day Extravaganza. Where stuff like this happened wherein I embarrass myself by fangirling over Hugh Howey (more of that to come next week) Thanks for making the cover reveal/launch AWESOME! Today’s Hullabaloo is simple… just a gift card. I recommend you use it to buy Hugh Howey’s… Read More

The final novel of the Mindjack Trilogy is here. I am SO EXCITED to have this book out in the world. I love every book I publish, but I have to be honest: Free Souls is my favorite of the trilogy. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Free Souls (Book Three of the Mindjack Trilogy) Now… Read More

Who: 14 authors (organized by bestselling author Denise Grover Swank) What: 14 different prizes, one by each author, EVERY DAY When: EVERY DAY for TWELVE DAYS How Long: All giveaways open until December 21st The Finale: A $200 Gift Card giveaway How It Works: Enter the first Rafflecopter for MY giveaway for today Enter the second Rafflecopter to win the… Read More

MORE STUFF. I know; it’s a crazy week. The Indelibles are hosting a monthly blog hop on INDIE LIFE that promises to be grand – and a way for indie authors to find and support each other by posting about the ups and downs of Indie Life. Hop over to join the linky – first post goes live 1.9.2013 Secondly,… Read More

MORE STUFF. I told you this was a busy week. First, IndieReCon, an online conference pulled together by fellow Indie authors, S.R. Johannes, Ali Cross, Laura Pauling, Jessie Harrell, Heather McCorkle, Cheri Lasota INDIE ReCon Make Indie Publishing a Mission Possible Are you curious about Indie publishing, but don’t know where to start?  Or, are you already a published Indie author looking to boost your sales… Read More

People, this week I have CRAZY AMOUNTS of stuff to share with you. First off, my 14 year old son, aka Dark Omen, aka Adam Quinn, aka the second author in the Quinn household, is being interviewed today over at Literary Rambles! Thanks go to Natalie Aguirre for the sweet invitation! Pop over and check out his witty self. 🙂… Read More

Just when you think the publishing industry can’t get more complicated… it does. The latest: Traditional publishers (Harper Collins, Simon&Schuster, and now Random House) are creating digital-only imprints to go after self-pub and unpublished authors without agents. How is this different than the Vanity Publishing acquisitions made recently by S&S and Random Penguin (sorry, that’s just what I call them… Read More

My first novel was published in 2010. It feels like an eon ago. But I’m still learning lessons about how to be a “career” author and not just in that frenetic state that accompanies the release of your first (or second or even third) novel. My husband and I discussed early on that having an author career is like a… Read More

When your mind is a weapon, freedom comes at a price. FREE SOULS IS ALMOST HERE! Yeah. I’m a little excited about it.  COVER REVEAL: Friday, December 14th, 2012 Will you help spread the word? How To Help On/after December 14th, post the cover of Free Souls on your blog or Facebook. For your blog, I will send you HTML… Read More

My friend, fellow indie author, and the cover designer for the Mindjack series, Dale Robert Pease, has a new release out today – the second book in his middle grade science fiction series, Noah Zarc. I reviewed Mammoth Trouble (Noah Zarc #1) and critiqued Cataclysm (Noah Zarc #2). I love that Dale isn’t afraid to tackle serious social issues in his… Read More

Friend and fellow Indelible Laura Pauling has a new Middle Grade novel out! She’s stopped by to tell us about her new book and how to write eccentric characters! When Bianca and Melvin brave the jungle to rescue their grandfather, they stumble upon the ancient Maya city of Etza, where the people haven’t aged in 2,000 years. They must learn… Read More

By the skin of my teeth, but… Me: 1, Fear: 0 Note: Third Daughter isn’t actually finished. Probably still have another 30-40k to go. But I’m having too much fun with this story to stop.

In light of the recent Simon & Schuster news (starting a self-publishing venture with Author House), I feel the need to repost this… from the time over the summer that Penguin did the same thing. Author-friends, please BEWARE. Original post: July 20, 2012  Innocent Kitten Writers, Beware Writers have always had to be wary of people trying to scam them,… Read More

So, 5 days left in NaNoWriMo, and my chart looks like this: I like how the scale goes to an optimistic 60,000 words. Prudence: Well, that’s not looking good. Lot of white space on that graph. Me: Hey, I sent Free Souls off to the copyeditor! At least I accomplished that on time. Where’s Fear anyway? I want to gloat. Prudence: You… Read More

Vampire Diaries: One Girl, Two Vampire Boys (sounds about right) My Ambitions Today 1) Watch Vampire Diaries 2) Make Thanksgiving cupcakes with my 11 yo 2) Watch Vampire Diaries 3) Write some Steampunk Fantasy Romance 4) Just to mix it up… watch Breaking Dawn, Part 1 (don’t judge) 5) Make Thanksgiving decorations with my 9 yo 6) Watch Vampire Diaries… Read More

New Indelible Chelsea Fine has a new book coming out, and WOW that’s a gorgeous cover. Check it out… AVOW The FINAL installment in the Archers of Avalon series by Chelsea Fine SYNOPSIS Scarlet remembers. Everything. Her past lives, Tristan, Gabriel, Nate: she remembers it all–including how to get to the Fountain of Youth. But time is running out.  Heather and Gabriel have… Read More

INDIEgiving is a blog hop sponsored by the Indelibles to reflect on our blessings and share something with our visitors during the week of (American) Thanksgiving. I have way too many things to be thankful for: That INDIE publishing is an option for authors All my writer friends who have supported my journey into the wilds of INDIE publishing All… Read More

Busy writing Free Souls in the Writing Cave. No release date yet, but Free Souls is definitely getting closer to the final draft stage. I’m working like mad to incorporate last-minute critiques and get the manuscript ready for the copyeditor. I’ll announce a release date as soon as I have one (hopefully before Christmas). If you want to be the first… Read More

Click to add me to Goodreads! My friend Jessica Bell has a new book out… and it’s for writers! Check it out… Have you been told there’s a little too much telling in your novel? Want to remedy it? Then this is the book for you! In Show & Tell in a Nutshell: Demonstrated Transitions from Telling to Showing you… Read More

At first I thought Pinterest was for bonus creative work… Raf’s Board (character from Open Minds) And then I thought Pinterest was a great place to collect links to cool research articles… Mindjacking for Realz Board And then I couldn’t resist the power of the Cuteness Board… Just So Darn Cute Board And of course the obligatory Book Love Boards…… Read More

On Sale $2.99 $0.99 TODAY ONLY I don’t often put my books on sale (they’re priced low to begin with), and when I do, it’s usually because of a special event, like an ad. Today, Open Minds is Book of the Day on Ereader News Today, an ad I purchased back in January! Hopefully the ad will expose Open Minds… Read More

Pile of library books and DVDs for research on Steampunk and 19th Century India Sometimes the most difficult part of writing a story is believing in it. Not believing that every word that drops off your fingertips is awesome, but knowing that eventually you can make the story into something worth reading. Here are my tips on how to build… Read More

In the spirit of thankfulness and giving, the Indelibles bring you INDIE-giving! This blogfest will run from November 18-25 (the Sunday-to-Sunday surrounding Thanksgiving). During this week, each participating blogger will reflect on her or his blessings and share something with visitors.  Some may choose to give away a book.  Some may choose to share the best piece of advice they… Read More

TRAILER RELEASE DATE: To Be Determined (but likely early December 2012) On November 6th, award-winning director Beth Spitalny brought her experience in short films and MTV together with an amazing crew of 12 and cast of 20 to shoot a live-action trailer for the Mindjack series. There’s a magic that happens when a group of highly creative, talented people come together… Read More

Undeterred by Hurricane Sandy, the cast and crew of the live-action Mindjack Trailer are coming together to shoot on-location at the iSchool in NYC. With Kira, protagonist of Open Minds (played by actress Nicki), and a cast of 20+ extras, this trailer shoot is going to be amazing. Award-winning director Beth Spitalny brings her experience in short films and MTV, along with a crew… Read More

Today I’m traveling to NYC for the filming of the live-action Mindjack Trailer. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the power was out at the iSchool (our set location) all last week, and the students are just returning to school today. Parts of lower Manhattan, where the iSchool is located, looked like this: Through an amazement of good fortune and… Read More

Inspired by real events… Me: (puts arm around Internal Editor’s shoulder) You’re looking awesome! Have you lost weight? Internal Editor: (blushes) Well, I have been getting a lot of exercise lately. Me: I know! And I really admired your work on Chapter 12 of Free Souls yesterday. That turn of phrase in the third paragraph? Nicely done! IE: (beams) Oh,… Read More

Open Minds released one year ago today!  One year, and going strong… Here are a couple of readers that love Open Minds, and happen to be hosting me today for interviews/guest posts/giveaways: Sher A Hart: Guest Post on Dystopias plus a giveaway (your choice of a Mindjack ebook, plus the novellas). Cover Contessa: An interview in which I talk about… Read More

I’m reading The War of Art and @WriMo, a tag team of inspirational material to get me through the combined insanity of final-editing for Free Souls and first-drafting Third Daughter… at the same time. Just slap me. Realizing I have no decent outline for Third Daughter. Realizing I get to write a steampunkery type kisses. How I’ll feel by the… Read More

The Cybils Awards are given by Book Bloggers to outstanding Children’s and Young Adult Books every year. Book Bloggers have been instrumental in helping the Mindjack series find its audience, so I’m especially thrilled that both Open Minds and Closed Hearts have been nominated by book bloggers for consideration in their own special award. Here’s the Cybils description: What’s a… Read More

Fall in Chicago, as seen while writing on the 2nd floor of Palatine Public Library The past year has seen a lot of changes in the industry and in my personal writing life, driven by the rise of self-publishing and my personal plunge into it. These popular posts from the past year show I’m not the only one interested in… Read More

The final novel in Heather McCorkle’s channeler series, Rise of a Rector, has released! To celebrate, and in the spirit of October, Eren from the channeler series is here to tell us about a scary moment in her life. Take it away Eren! Eren: It was the thick sort of dark that kind of defines the color charcoal, you know,… Read More

If you haven’t met Lenny Lee, you missed your chance to know the coolest kid-writer on the blogosphere. I say “missed” because Lenny is no longer a KID he’s a TEENAGER! Happy 13th Birthday, Lenny! In honor of this special young man’s birthday, a bunch of bloggers are getting together and posting awesome stuff on their blogs for him. But… Read More

Bad is in the Eye of the Victim – Um – Beholder by Angela Brown and Gwen Gardner All of you are probably wondering why you’re gagging at the smell of rotten eggs and burned everything.  That would be the wonderful scents of sulfur and the never-ending fires of my home. Hell, as so many call it. I have a… Read More

Tonight (Tuesday) on #indiechat, we’ll be discussing self-improvement for self-published writers. Please join us on Twitter at 9pm EST! While our indiechat is focused on self-improvement for indie writers, I think the goal of self-improvement really is no different for indie writers vs. those on the traditional path. Even with access to an agent or editor, the greatest assets a… Read More

Every time I hold a paper book giveaway,  my international friends are not happy, because I restrict it to the US.  Well, international friends, THIS IS YOUR DAY! Er, actually your week! I am giving away TWO paper copies of Open Minds: ONE to my US friends ONE to my International (outside the US) friends* *must be in one of… Read More

The evolution of the Blog Banner There’s been a lot of talk about blogging being a waste of time. James Scott Bell – a blogger himself, and an author I admire in many ways – says it’s a huge time-suck for little return. I like Jody Hedlund’s more nuanced view of it, but there is this truth underlying it all:… Read More

A man who longs for a son and a boy who can’t escape his father’s violence. Even death can’t break their bond. [Ed: I just love this cover!!] Alex is a machine whisperer. He can tell what’s wrong with a broken-down car with a touch. But his gift can’t save him from the brutality of his meth-addict father. For two… Read More

I’m in awe of Denise Grover Swank. She’s sold 150,000 copies across six indie published novels in the last year. (Holy cats!) She’s a savvy marketer, and she’s got a rock-solid business plan. She’s inspired ME to beef up my business plan, when I already had one, so you know she’s got some series ninja skills in that department. If… Read More

People. The response to my 10k Sales PARTY was … overwhelming? Awesome? Made me squee and tear up at several points along the way? I’m a writer. I should be able to describe this better. You moved my heart with your many congrats and well wishes and support. Thank you. The winners have all been selected by Mr. Rafflecopter (see… Read More

A little over a year ago, I decided to self-publish. I set goals, made a plan, and took a leap. On November 1st, 2011, I released my first indie title. Almost a year later, I have two novels and three short stories/novellas out: The results have astounded me. Here are the stats: Sales  Open Minds 10,000 Closed Hearts 3,460 Total… Read More

I posted this on FB last week, and it got quite the response… I believe that overcoming fear is one of the most difficult things a writer does. Maybe this isn’t true for every writer, but it was is certainly true for me. In the beginning, it was fear of sharing my work, fear of leaving behind “real” work for “creative”… Read More

Previous Tips N Tricks Sideloading Ebooks Avoiding Duplicate Cover Art A Checklist for Self-Publishing Making A Five Year Plan (neither a tip nor a trick, but worthwhile nonetheless) If you blog, you’ve likely had guest posters. Or you’ve guest posted for other people. Or both. If so, you can understand how tricky it can be to assemble all the information… Read More

LT Moore is a friend, a fellow author and blogger, and I’ve even critiqued one of her stories (not this one). She’s even credited me with encouraging her to self-publish, although I maintain that Jolene Perry is to blame. You may think that makes me hopelessly biased when it comes to a review of her debut self-published novel The Truth… Read More

Commenter, author, and blog-follower Adriana asked if I would put together a checklist for self-publishing. A comprehensive checklist is probably impossible, as it would include a whole lotta marketing stuff (I recommend you make your own, tailored marketing plan, especially for your first book). But here’s a checklist that will hopefully help point you in the right direction for getting… Read More

Wordle of my susankayequinn.com blog At the request of Magan Vernon and Jason Letts, I’m posting my Five Year Plan, and how I came up with it (I’ve been revamping it this weekend, having already met my five year goals in one year). I hope it will help you, if you’re trying to make some goals in this wild and… Read More

I have two friends who recently used the same cover art for their books. This is something that happens all the time, not just for indie books, but trad-pub as well, because publishing houses use stock art as much as indies do. Crazy, right? (These were all published 2005-2008) There’s even apparently a term for it! Cover Twins (These are… Read More

While I’m working hard on the next draft of Free Souls, I hope this series of Tips N Tricks will be useful to you. See you when I come out of my writing cave. The Writing Cave Sideloading Ebooks – WHY? If you’re an indie author, you will have occasions (giveaways, ARCs) where you want to send your ebook directly… Read More

I love this blurb from Publisher’s Weekly about YA, and how 55% of YA readers are adults. Hm…wonder why that is…possibly because YA is AWESOME? Yes, I think so. The Indelibles are primarily YA authors, but they also are branching out into adult and MG fic. Below is a guide we put together to help you find the flavor of… Read More

I’m participating in blogger friend and fellow Omnific author Justine Dell’s Blog Tour for her debut novel Recaptured Dreams. All the deets are below! Blurb: Ten years, the Atlantic Ocean, and several rungs in society have kept Xavier Cain from having Sophia Montel. Now twenty-seven, he’s spent his entire adult life building a fashion empire that could finally prove his… Read More

******************************* I’m guest posting over at Scribbler’s Cove on how You’re a Storyteller, not (Just) a Writer ******************************* Products and services to support indie authors are popping up all over, as the indie movement gains some serious steam. Today, I have a guest post from Miral Sattar, founder of BiblioCrunch and frequent contributor to #indiechat, the all-things-indie chat sponsored by… Read More

Fellow Indelible Elle Strauss’s new book, Perception, is now available! (Happy Launch Day, Elle!) As I said before, during Elle’s cover reveal, I’m seriously pumped about this book for three reasons: Elle is awesome, even when she calls herself Lee I’ve critiqued this book; it’s very cool Dale Pease, my cover designer, did Elle’s cover and it’s crazy awesome Available… Read More

Blogger and writer friend Sheri Larsen has signed with a lit agent, and she’s blowing the doors off with a fantastic giveaway to celebrate. There’s all kinds of cool things in this giveaway, including a 3-chapter critique from yours truly and an e-copy of Open Minds. Here’s more from Sheri … Today, I invite you to celebrate with me!! I’ve signed with Literary… Read More

I’m lucky to have Becca Puglisi, co-author with Angela Ackerman of The Emotion Thesaurus, guest posting for me today. We’ve actually swapped guest posts, so I’m over on their awesomely helpful-for-writers blog, The Bookshelf Muse, with a post about how today is a Great Time to Be a Writer. Don’t forget to enter below to win a copy of The… Read More

All week, I’m doing a series on Self-Pub Basics. Here’s the series: Tues: Where to Publish Wed: Formatting Ebooks – The Easy Ways Thurs: Formatting Ebooks – The Hard Way Fri: Publishing to iTunes Apple’s iBookstore/iTunes sells books. Lots of books. It’s not a huge retailer like Amazon, or Barnes & Noble, but it’s one of the Big Four retailers, so being on Apple… Read More

All week, I’m doing a series on Self-Pub Basics. Here’s the series: Tues: Where to Publish Wed: Formatting Ebooks – The Easy Ways Thurs: Formatting Ebooks – The Hard Way Fri: Publishing to iTunes Ebook Formatting Yesterday, we talked about The Easy Ways to format. And honestly, that’s the best way for most people. But if you can read this: then you might want… Read More

All week, I’m doing a series on Self-Pub Basics. Tues: Where to Publish Wed: Formatting Ebooks – The Easy Ways Thurs: Formatting Ebooks – The Hard Way Fri: Publishing to iTunes Ebook Formatting The problem with ebook formatting is that there’s a ZILLION ways to do it. I am not joking. And when you have so many options, sometimes it’s hard to figure out… Read More

I’m doing a series on Self-Pub Basics. Why? Because more writers every day are going indie, and sharing information to help fellow journeymen/women is practically a Golden Rule in indie publishing (and writing in general). Here’s the series: Tues: Where to Publish Wed: Formatting Ebooks – The Easy Ways Thurs: Formatting Ebooks – The Hard Way Fri: Publishing to iTunes If you have future… Read More

Open Minds has advanced to the Top 5 Finalists in YA for Kindle Book Review’s Best Indie Books of 2012! There are lots of contests out there that are more scam than honor, especially for indie authors seeking recognition. For Kindle Book Review, however, the entry fee was low (a good sign) and KBR has a strong history of supporting… Read More

I haz new stories out. The Handler (Mindjack Origins) It’s time for Julian Navarro to fulfill the mission left to him by his dead parents: to spark a revolution that would allow mindjackers to live freely in a mindreading world. While his ability allows him to mentally control the instincts of others, Julian wants to win jackers to his cause… Read More

I’m a mom. It’s my right to brag on my kids, loudly and often, especially when my kid does awesome things and makes me proud. But even if Adam Quinn (aka Dark Omen) wasn’t my kid, he’d still be that 13-year-old teen that I’d love to hang out with because he’s just so darn interesting and funny. Adam’s latest accomplishment… Read More

In the ancient days of last summer, before I had seriously considered indie publishing myself, I self-published my then twelve-year-old son’s first novel, Adventures at and Around the Galaxy. The full story is here, but in short, creating a paperback at Createspace was cheaper than copying his novel at Kinko’s, and the ebook was an easy way to distribute copies… Read More

My guest post today is by C. Lee McKenzie, blogger and author friend, who has a new middle grade book out that looks awesome: Alligators, witches and a spooky mansion aren’t your average neighbors . . . not unless you live at the edge of the Ornofree swamp in the backwater town of Hadleyville. Pete Riley may only be eleven,… Read More

The passing of Neil Armstrong feels like something stronger. Like the death of an era. Like the passing of a time when we yearned for the stars with a child-like zeal and passion that somehow escapes us now. Maybe because one of my earliest memories is gathering with my family around a giant, cabinet sized TV when I was just… Read More

My guest poster today, Katie French, is a mom, teacher, book blogger, and now with the release of The Breeders, a young adult author – although she’s been writing since she was a young adult herself. Katie is a contributor and co-creator of Underground Book Reviews, a book blog site “dedicated to erasing the boundaries between traditional and non-traditional publishing.”… Read More

My friend Kai Strand has a new book out! She has stopped by today with a quick interview about publishing Middle Grade, information about her book, and a giveaway of a PAPER COPY at the end! About the book: SAVE THE LEMMINGS! 8th grade inventor, Natalie Isabelle Cailean Edwards is the N.I.C.E. girl who finishes last with the kids in school. Sappy inspirational phrases… Read More

Hugh Howey’s latest post is the best career guide I’ve seen for modern authors. Go read it. And the recent Forbes articles is a must-read on the REAL reasons for the indie revolution. Which brings me to thoughts of the future and what it will mean to be an indie author for the next five years. I firmly believe the… Read More

Fellow Indelible Magan Vernon has done what I increasingly think is a great strategy for indie authors – mix up what they write/publish. Magan has a cute series of alien romance books, but today she’s celebrating the release of her contemporary New Adult romance, My Paper Heart. This is smart, not only to diversify her work, but because adult indie… Read More

I’m excited to have Rick Daley back on my blog, celebrating the release of his new middle grade novel, Rudy Toot-Toot. If you haven’t seen Rick’s MG Christmas novel, The Man in the Cinder Clouds, you should check that out too, but Rudy was actually the first MS of Rick’s that I read. I’m not normally one to enjoy body… Read More

Fellow Indelible Elle Strauss, writing under the pen name Lee Strauss, has a new book coming Semptember 12th! I’m seriously pumped about this book for three reasons: Elle is awesome, even when she calls herself Lee I’ve critiqued this book; it’s very cool Dale Pease, my cover designer, did Elle’s cover and it’s crazy awesome See what I mean? Sweet!… Read More