Author’s Notes: Another Terrific Opportunity!

June 10, 2020 / Marcia Meara / 2 Comments

Happy Wodin’s Day, y’all!! 😀

Just wanted to give you a heads up that I’m today’s “poster girl” at Story Empire. Hope you’ll hop on over there and check out my thoughts on Author’s Notes and many of the ways writers can use them to connect with and inform their readers.

I also hope you’ll consider sharing the post with all your friends on social media, so they can check it out, too. THANKS, and thanks to Story Empire for another opportunity to chat with folks!

Story Empire

Hi, Everybody! Marcia here, popping in from the Sunshine State. Hope you are all well and managing to cope with these difficult and confusing times, yet still finding the focus and drive to write.

Since I’d much rather be cheering for things I like than ranting and raving about those I don’t, you might already have guessed how I feel about Author’s Notes. Yep. I’m all in favor of them. Why? Because they present a huge opportunity for writers to communicate with their readers.

Author’s Notes can be useful, informative, and fun, and while (as always) some readers won’t check them out, many others will. That means you have the floor to talk about any number of things, all of which can inform, explain, entertain, educate, and even amuse your readers above and beyond what they’ve just read in your book. Entertained and amused readers are happy, and to my…

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Heads Up, Dresdenphiles! Only FIVE, Count ’em, FIVE More Weeks Until #PeaceTalks !!

June 9, 2020June 9, 2020 / Marcia Meara / 28 Comments

The closer it gets, the more eager I am to get my hands on Peace Talks, the long-awaited 16th book in the fantastic and beloved Dresden Files series. Many of you have let me know you’re as excited as I about the new book. Others are wondering what all the fuss is about, and thinking they might check out the series for themselves. With those folks in mind, I thought I’d take a few minutes to list all the novels in order, and share cover images with you.

BONUS: I’m also going to share all the anthologies I could find with Dresden short stories or novellas in them, as well. As you will see, there are several (and I may even have missed one or two). Each story is a fun addition to Harry’s world. (Teaser: Were you aware that Harry knows Bigfoot?)

Current Dresden Files Novels

(In order From Left to Right)

Titles in Order of Publication

Storm Front: 2000
Fool Moon: 2001
Grave Peril: 2001
Summer Knight: 2002
Death Masks: 2003
Blood Rites: 2004
Dead Beat: 2005
Proven Guilty: 2006
White Night: 2007
Small Favor: 2008
Turn Coat: 2009
Changes: 2010
Ghost Story: 2011
Cold Days: 2012
Skin Game: 2014

Next Up (a Mere Six Years Later)

(Did I mention that part before?)
😀

Peace Talks: July 14, 2020

Battle Ground: September 29, 2020

BONUS:
Some Short Stories & Anthologies

Mean Streets: 2009
Stories by Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Kat Richardson, & Thomas Sniegoski

Side Jobs: 2010
Stories from the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Dark and Stormy Knights: 2010
Stories by: Jim Butcher, Ilona Andrews, Carrie Vaughn, & More

Blood Lite III: 2012
Stories by: Jim Butcher, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kelley Armstrong & More

Hex Appeal: 2012
Stories by: Jim Butcher, Carrie Vaughn, Ilona Andrews & More

Shadowed Souls: 2016
Stories by: Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire, Rob Thurman & More

Urban Enemies: 2017
Stories from the Enemy’s POV by Jim Butcher,
Seanan McGuire, Keven Hearne & More

Brief Cases: 2018
Stories From the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

BackUp: 2008
Short Story by Jim Butcher

A Fun Excerpt For You

This is from BackUp, which should actually be at the top of the list, since it was published first, but which I saved for last because I wanted to share this with you. Thomas is one of my favorite characters in the series, perhaps second only to Harry. Enjoy:

Let’s get something clear right up front.

I’m not Harry Dresden.

Harry’s a wizard. A genuine, honest-to-goodness wizard. He’s Gandalf on crack and an IV of Red Bull, with a big leather coat and a .44 revolver in his pocket. He’ll spit in the eye of gods and demons alike if he thinks it needs to be done, and to hell with the consequences–and yet somehow my little brother manages to remain a decent human being.

I’ll be damned if I know how.

But then, I’ll be damned regardless.

My name is Thomas Raith, and I’m a monster.

~~~

Smiles & Inspiration

(

Waldo Butters:

And that’s it for today. See you next Tuesday for more Dresden Files goodies!
(Just you, me, and Harry!)

Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden

How to Publish with KDP: Part Ten

June 8, 2020 / Marcia Meara / 7 Comments

So you’ve got your manuscript all edited and set to go, but haven’t a clue how to upload it to KDP. Not to worry! Harmony Kent’s instructions in her Story Empire post today will walk you through it step by step. And even if you’ve done it before, you’re likely to learn some new tips. I did. Check it out, and then please consider passing it along so others can learn, as well. Thanks, and thanks to Harmony for another job well done! 🙂 ❤

Story Empire

Image courtesy of bigstock.com

Hello SErs. Harmony here. As promised, here is part ten in the post series dedicated to taking a step-by-step look at how to get your finished manuscript from your computer and on sale on Amazon in both ebook and paperback.

If you’d like to take a look back at the previous posts in this series, please click on the links at the end of this post.

So, here’s Part Ten: How to Upload Your eBook File.

Access your KDP dashboard. You will see something that resembles the image below >>>

At the top of your list of books (if you have any here yet), you will see two options:
+ Kindle eBook
+ Paperback

Select the first option: +Kindle eBook.

The following ‘edit eBook’ page will open >>>

This page is where you input such things as the language of the book, the book title, a…

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Free Amazon Book Description Generator

June 7, 2020 / Marcia Meara / 16 Comments

Want an easier way to spruce up your book descriptions? Check out this very helpful post from Nicholas Rossis! I’m planning to give this a go very soon, and think some of you might be interested, too. Best part? It’s FREE! I hope you’ll consider sharing this post with the Immediate World, so others can learn about this new KDP tool. Thanks, and thanks to Nicholas for another super post. Great job, as always! 🙂

Nicholas C. Rossis

A few years ago, I had posted about Dave Chesson, aka Kindlepreneur, and KDP Rocket — a tool that generates the best keywords for your Amazon books.

To understand the importance of keywords, check out Dave’s post on Kindle Keywords, or this one on Fiction Keyword Strategies.

While KDP Rocket is not free, Dave has also developed a host of other handful tools and tutorials, including a free AMS tutorial — the best I’ve watched so far on the subject: clear, all-encompassing, with a friendly tone and plenty of notes at the end.

Amazon Book Description Generator

Dave has also long offered a lovely freebie called Amazon Book Description Generator. This is a free tool that allows you to format your Amazon blurb in a way that makes it pop out without needing any fancy code. As Dave explains on his website,

Ever wonder why some…

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Settling down #amwriting #amrevising

June 6, 2020 / Marcia Meara / 1 Comment

How are your spirits holding up throughout all the turmoil going on around the world? If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, I recommend a visit to the Facets of a Muse blog. Julie Holmes has a terrific post today, full of positive ideas for ways to cope with the stress of it all, and find a calm center that might even improve your creativity along with your overall well-being. I know you’ll enjoy her post as much as I did, and hope you’ll consider sharing it far and wide so others can, too. Thanks, and thanks to Julie for such helpful and uplifting ideas! 🙂 ❤

Facets of a Muse

writing in a journal on the lawn — Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

A lot of writers have been posting about how the pandemic and the quarantine have disrupted their writing. Despite spending so much time at home, they are having a tough time focusing. Heck, a lot of people have trouble sleeping. COVID dreams, anyone?

Now with the turmoil of the past couple weeks added on top of all that, settling down to write seems to be a losing battle. All of the things going on right now foster anxiety, fear, anger, and frustration. Then there’s the whole being cooped up 24-7 with people you love but honestly need a break from sometimes–erm, on a regular basis. 😀

All these things disrupt the flow of creativity, at least for me. Considering it’s been what, three months since the pandemic kicked off the quarantine, there’s been time to try different things to settle that creative energy enough to…

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Writing: There is no one size fits all

June 5, 2020June 5, 2020 / Marcia Meara / 6 Comments

Do you hold fast to the idea that all writers should–must— write every day? Check out what Mae Clair has to say on this subject in her Story Empire post this morning, and weigh in while there, with your own ideas on this matter. Then, as always, please pass Mae’s thoughts along far and wide so others can consider the question, too. Thanks, and thanks to Mae for a great Friday post! 🙂

Story Empire

Hi, SEers! You’re with Mae today for the first Mae Day of June. Summer is the time when I’m the least productive as a writer. I think that’s true of many of us as we become distracted by nice weather and outside activities. The again, maybe you’re highly prolific during the summer. If so, good going, and keep at it. I do a lot of daydreaming, plotting, and jotting story development notes during warm weather, but actual writing time takes a serious hit.

Which brings me to a statement you’ve probably heard more than once:
“To be a writer, you must write every day.”
Nah. I think not.

There is no one size fits all for writing. As with anything, there are “best practices” for growth, but—especially with a creative endeavor—there has to be wiggle room. We’ve all heard it said, “find what works for you and stick with it.”…

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Author Essentials Part 6: Marketing Plan

June 3, 2020 / Marcia Meara / 3 Comments

Is marketing your books as big a puzzle for you as it is for me? If so, you might want to check out today’s Story Empire post from P. H. Solomon. Paul shares his experiences in various marketing techniques and you are sure to garner some new tips and ideas. Please remember to pass the post along so others can learn as well, thanks. And thanks to Paul for this informative post. 🙂

Story Empire

Good morning Story Empire readers, PH here with you today back with another author essential. Previous author essential posts can be found just below here for reference, all of which cover various topics that you will find it necessary to have if you’re going to progress as an author. Today, were going to take a look at a specific plan that will help you sell books, marketing plan.

When I first published The Bow of Destiny, I thought I had a sufficient marketing plan. I was very wrong and paid for it with a complete lack of sale. Understanding what is needed to actually market book took far more than I thought. The result was largely crickets in response to my release…

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#Dresdenphiles Rejoice! Only 6 More Weeks until #PeaceTalks !

June 2, 2020June 1, 2020 / Marcia Meara / 36 Comments

Woohooo … another week closer to Peace Talks, and another chance to chat about Harry Dresden and his very interesting friends and enemies. Today, whaddya say we talk about my favorite female character of the series:

SGT. KARRIN MURPHY!

All good Dresdenphiles know that Harry has been attracted to a few women here and there in his life. He’s not a kid, after all, and he can admire a nice-looking female with the best of them. But his real choices throughout the series have been pretty limited, and only one of them has ever made sense to me, even though Harry seldom admits being attracted to her. Sgt. Karrin Murphy is in charge of of Chicago’s Special Investigations department, and Murph, as Harry calls her, is my topic of the day.

Sgt. Karrin Murphy (alias Murph)

Personally, I’ve always been on Team Murphy, hoping these two will finally admit their mutual attraction, since they are obviously perfect for each other. (Just ask me. I’ll tell you. 😀 )

In Book 1, Storm Front, Harry and Murphy already have a working relationship, of sorts. Murphy is never sure she can trust Harry, and Harry is always wary of being arrested by Murphy. But Storm Front is not where the two met for the first time. Oh, no. That took place in a short story called Restoration of Faith, which was first offered on Jim Butcher’s website in 2010, but was later reprinted in the anthology Side Jobs, a terrific collection of short tales any Dresden fan would love.

The friendship between these two does grow with each book, and they make a damn good fighting team, even if Murphy is a strictly by-the-law kind of gal, while Harry is… ermm … not, at least not necessarily. He’s more concerned with doing what he thinks is right, legalities be damned. (A goal that is often dangerously at odds with his own well-being. I mean, the man gets beaten up more than any hero I’ve ever read about, I do believe.)

Somehow, nothing ever goes exactly the way Harry thinks it’s going to, but he never, ever gives up, even though many a scene between Murphy and him ends up like the one below, especially in the earlier books. Heck, half the fun of each book is wondering when he’ll have to ask Murph for help, or when she’s going to show up unexpectedly to either recruit him, or arrest him, depending on how she calls the situation.

Uh-oh. Harry’s in Trouble Again.

Murphy is described as being 5 feet nothing, cute as a button, and tough as nails, fighting for her place in a job that is dominated by men, learning how to battle things she never believed in until seeing them for the first time. She’s also annoyed as hell when Harry does things like open the door for her, or pull out a chair. Harry, on the other hand, is old school, chivalrous to a fault, and determinedly considerate of all women. Except those who scare him half to death, like Bianca, the Red Court vampire, and Mab, one of the Queens of the Fae.

Just Another Day on the Job for Harry and Murph.

Confused yet? You won’t be as you read the books. Butcher is an expert at laying out marvelously complex plots without losing readers in a sea of confusion. And on that note, here are a couple of amusing memes for you.

And that’s it for today, folks! Hope there are some Murphy fans out there who enjoyed this one, and some new potential readers who are looking forward to meeting her. I’ll be back next week with something else to help celebrate being another week closer to Peace Talks! Until then, remember our rallying cry:

Changing Literary Styles (Part One)

June 1, 2020 / Marcia Meara / 1 Comment

Joan Hall has a very good post on Store Empire today, dealing with current trends in writing styles. It’s interesting and informative, and I highly recommend you check it out. Most writers will want to stay on top of these trends in order to help their books become as popular as possible. Stop by and see what you think, then please consider sharing so others can enjoy this one, too. Thanks, and thanks to Joan for helping us see just how much writing styles have changed over time. 🙂 ❤

Story Empire

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you today on this first day in June. Reading is still one of my favorite past times. There’s nothing like curling up on the sofa on a rainy day with a good book in hand.

Since becoming an author, I tend to read with a more critical eye, looking for ways I can improve my own work

Writing styles have changed over the years. Our vocabulary and choices of words are different than what they were a hundred or more years ago. People’s attention spans are much shorter, perhaps in part to the introduction of television in the mid-twentieth century. These days texting and instant messaging have become the norm. We like to keep communication short and sweet. Things that were once acceptable in writing are frowned upon these days.

Consider the opening paragraph from Last of The Mohicans, written in 1826 By James…

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The Building Blocks of Story: Sequels

May 29, 2020 / Marcia Meara / 6 Comments

Staci Troilo is back on Store Empire today with another of her great Building Blocks of Story posts, this time on the usage of scenes and sequels. I find this concept extremely interesting, and encourage you to stop by to check it out for yourself. I think you’ll be glad you did, and will want to share it all over the place. Thanks, and thanks to Staci for helping us learn to be better at the craft of writing. 🙂 ❤

Story Empire

Ciao, SEers. Last time, we discussed Dwight Swain’s concepts of scenes. (If you missed that post, you can find it here. You can also find the earlier introductory post on both scenes and sequels here.) Remember, a chapter’s scenes can be one of two things, a scene or a sequel. Today, we’re going to go deeper into the concept of sequels.

What is a sequel?

Sequels are the “reactive” units of a story. They include reactions, dilemmas, and decisions. Sequels must contain all three items before advancing to the following scene. Why? Without each, there isn’t a proper resolution and the sequel doesn’t work. Also, this is the time to give your reader a breather. The scene is all about motion, energy, drive. It’s fast-paced. But readers can’t sustain a prolonged adrenaline rush. The slower downtime of a sequel is critical for…

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